s
brought back again to the middle of the lawn, but no one could prevail
on Black Tom to descend from his eminence.

Once more Jowler, the buffalo, was set at liberty; and Austin, Brian,
and Basil, the Camanchee, Sioux, and Pawnee chieftains, brandished
their long lances, preparing for the chase: but it seemed as though
they were to be disappointed, for Jowler, instead of running away,
according to the plan of the hunters, provokingly kept leaping up,
first at one, and then at another of them; until having overturned the
Pawnee on the lawn, and put the Sioux and Camanchee out of all
patience, he lay down panting, with his long red tongue out of his
mouth, looking at them just as though he had acted his part of the
affair capitally.

At last, not being able to reduce the refractory Jowler to obedience,
no other expedient remained than that one of them should act the part
of a buffalo himself. Austin was very desirous that this should be
done by Brian or Basil; but they insisted that he, being the biggest,
was most like a buffalo. The affair was at length compromised, by each
agreeing to play the buffalo in turn. A desperate hunt then took
place, in the course of which their long lances were most skilfully
and effectually used; three buffaloes were slain, and the Camanchee,
Sioux, and Pawnee returned in triumph from the chase, carrying a
buffalo-hide (a rug mat from the hall) on the tops of their spears.

On their next visit to the hunter, they reminded him that, the last
time he saw them, he had intended to speak about the prairies; but
that the history of Black Hawk, and the account of the buffalo hunt,
had taken up all the time. They told him that they had come early, on
purpose to hear a long account; and, perhaps, he would be able to tell
them all about Nikkanochee into the bargain.

The hunter replied, if that was the case, the sooner he began his
narrative the better; so, without loss of time, he thus commenced his
account.

_Hunter._ Though in our country there are dull, monotonous rivers,
with thick slimy waters, stagnant swamps, and pine forests almost
immeasureable in extent; yet, still, some of the most beautiful and
delightful scenes in the whole world are here.

_Austin._ How big are the prairies? I want to know more about them.

_Hunter._ They extend for many hundreds of miles, though not without
being divided and diversified with other scenery. Mountains and
valleys, and forests and rivers, vary t