"
"'These are first-rate marrow-bones,' says he, squintin' with one eye
down the shin-bone o' the hind leg to see if it was quite empty."
"'Yes, sir, they is,' answered Martin, as grave as a judge."
"'Take another, sir,' says I."
"'No, thankee,' says he with a sigh, for he didn't like to leave off."
"Well, we lived for a week on horseflesh, an' first-rate livin' it
wos; then we fell in with buffalo, an' niver ran short again till we
got to the settlements, when he paid us our money an' shook hands,
sayin' we'd had a nice trip, an' he wished us well. Jist as we wos
partin' I said, says I, 'D'ye know what it wos we lived on for a week
arter we wos well-nigh starved in the prairies?'"
"'What,' says he, 'when we got yon capital marrowbones?'"
"'The same,' says I. 'Yon wos _horse_ flesh,' says I; 'an' I think
ye'll surely niver say again that it isn't first-rate livin'.'"
"'Ye're jokin',' says he, turnin' pale."
"'It's true, sir; as true as ye're standin' there.'"
"Well, would ye believe it, he turned--that natter-list did--as sick
as a dog on the spot wot he wos standin' on, an' didn't taste meat
again for three days!"
Shortly after the conclusion of Joe's story they reached the camp,
and here they found the women and children flying about in a state of
terror, and the few men who had been left in charge arming themselves
in the greatest haste.
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