ig fellow."

"Calf?" asked Joses, laughing.

"No; that great bull that came over the ridge."

"You don't mean to say you ran him down, lad, and shot him, do you?"
cried Joses, excitedly.

"There he lies, and the Indians are cutting him up," said Bart quietly.

Joses pressed his horse's sides with his heels, and went off at a gallop
to inspect Bart's prize, coming back in a few minutes smiling all over
his face.

"He's a fine one, my lad. He's a fine one, Master Bart--finest shot
to-day. I tell you what, my lad, if I'd shot that great bull I should
have thought myself a lucky man."

As he spoke he pointed to the spot, and the Beaver cantered off to have
his look, and he now came back ready to nod and say a few commendatory
words to the young hunter, whom they considered to have well won his
spurs.

The result of this first encounter with the bison was that nine were
slain, and for many hours to come the party were busy cutting up the
meat into strips, which were hung in the sun to dry.

Then four of the Indians went slowly off towards the miners' camp at the
mountain, their horses laden with the strips of meat, their instructions
being to come back with a couple of waggons, which Joses believed they
would be able to fill next day.

"How far do you think we are from the camp?" asked Bart.

"'Bout fifteen miles or so, no more," replied Joses. "You see the run
after the bison led us down towards it, so that there isn't so far to
go."

"Why, I fancied that we were miles upon miles away," cried Bart;
"regularly lost in the wilderness."

"Instead of being close at home, eh, lad? Well, we shall have to camp
somewhere out here to-night, so we may as well pick out a good place."

"But where are the other Indians?" asked Bart.

"Cutting up the buffler we killed," replied Joses.

"Faraway?"

"Oh, no; mile or so. We've done pretty well, my lad, for the first day,
only we want such a lot to fill so many mouths."

A suitable place was selected for the camp, down in a well-sheltered
hollow, where a fire was lit, and some bison-meat placed upon sticks to
roast. The missing Indians seemed to be attracted by the odour, for
just as it was done they all came straight up to camp ready to make a
hearty meal, in which their white companions were in no wise behind
hand.

"Not bad stuff," said Joses, after a long space, during which he had
been too busy to speak.

"I never ate anything so delicious," replied Bart