when we could not get anything to eat, music became our consolation.
Tired as we were, we would all of us, "at least the Pale-faces," dance
merrily for hours together, after we had halted, till poor Roche,
exhausted, could no longer move his fingers.

We were at last relieved of our obligatory fast, and enabled to look
with contempt upon the humble prickly pears, which for many a long day
had been our only food. Daily now we came across herds of fat buffaloes,
and great was our sport in pursuing the huge lord of the prairies. One
of them, by-the-bye, gored my horse to death, and would likely have put
an end to my adventures, had it not been for the certain aim of Gabriel.
I had foolishly substituted my bow and arrows for the rifle, that I
might show my skill to my companions. My vanity cost me dear; for though
the bull was a fine one, and had seven arrows driven through his neck, I
lost one of the best horses of the West, and my right leg was
considerably hurt.

Having been informed that there was a large city or commonwealth of
prairie dogs directly in our route, I started on ahead with my two
companions, to visit these republicans. We had a double object in view:
first, a desire to examine one of the republics about which prairie
travellers have said so much; and, secondly, to obtain something to eat,
as the flesh of these animals was said to be excellent.

Our road for six or seven miles wound up the sides of a gently ascending
mountain. On arriving at the summit, we found a beautiful table-land
spread out, reaching for miles in every direction before us. The soil
appeared to be uncommonly rich, and was covered with a luxurious growth
of musqueet trees. The grass was of the curly musquito species, the
sweetest and most nutritious of all the different kinds of that grass,