ir country. Every man in
the tribe is obliged to be provided with the mask of the buffalo, which
he can use whenever he is called upon to dance to make "buffalo come."
The mask is put on over the head, and has a strip of the skin hanging to
it of the whole length of the animal, with the tail attached to it,
which passes down over the back of the wearer and drags on the ground.

When one of the dancers becomes wearied of the exercise, he indicates it
by leaning forward and sinking his body to the ground. One of the
lookers-on then draws a bow upon him and hits him with a blunt arrow,
and he falls like a buffalo and is immediately dragged out of the ring
by the bystanders, who brandish their knives about him, and, having gone
through the motions of skinning him and cutting him up, they release
him, and his place is at once supplied by another who dances into the
ring with his mask on. By thus relieving one another the dance is kept
up day and night until they reach the desired end, and make the "buffalo
come."

When the signal is given that the buffaloes have made their appearance,
the dance is discontinued at once, and a scene of great excitement
ensues. The masks are quickly thrown aside; the Indians prepare for the
hunt with marvelous rapidity, and mounting their horses, gallop wildly
down the valley to pass the eastern entrance.

In the village, where all had been enduring the utmost privation, with
starvation staring them in the face, a scene of feasting and carousal
would follow. Each would bring out their private stores, and the
provisions that might in an emergency have lasted for several weeks
would be consumed in a day. Even the dogs were not forgotten, but
received a liberal share of the refuse portions of the feast.

The usual games and amusements followed, and from the deepest gloom and
despondency all seemed to pass at once to the other extreme, and joy and
exultation to reign supreme.

From the distance required to be traversed, the hunting parties would
usually not return until the third day after their departure. Then came
another scene of feasting, but this time on a far larger scale. The
choicest pieces are sacrificed to appease their mysterious god, without
which ceremony the Indians believe that all their future hunts would be
unsuccessful. The largest portion of the meat is cured and made into
tasajo, so that the proceeds of one successful hunt will often provide
the entire community with food f