 TALES OF CHARACTER & COUNTRY. No. 7.

An sndian's Gratitude.
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Ipromised in my last tale, to show how the Young Buffalo redeemed his pledge l shall do it.

 Go with me, dear Reader, till we visit the place which I want 10 describe. Let IS cross the whole vast Territory of Ar kansas,and bending our course to the South, let us follow up the Iausse Washita, to distance of four hundred miles beyond the outer edge of the white mans civilization.

 Here we are. Tine Sun is just resting his red orb on the edge of a lirnitless prai- rie-and he seems to finger there, like q spirit that fingers before he leaves the breath ing world There is q magnificent glory awake in the sky, and the autumn clouds are curiingandroiiing into a thousand shapes and stained with thousand colors, as tho the sun was breathing his whole fiery soul into them, as he left the world. A small stream of clear running water, edged with a narrow strip of timber, is close by Us, be- yond which extends on each side belt of prairie bottom, rising gradually up to the dry, barren and level plain, which extends in every direction as far as the eye can see, trampled and torn by the passage of millions of buffalo.

 As As we have passed over such an extent of country, Imust also be allowed to go back litt'e, and to set you, dear Reader, on this very spot, in the month of Septom- Der, 1851. Within the thicket, and just on the edge of the stream, was large fire, round which were reclined four or five men, engaged in the profitable employment of cooking large pieces of buffalo meat-not forgetting now and then to do ample justice to their own cookery. Their rifles lay close by them, ready for service-and their horses were tied near them, each to his tree. One of the party was our well known friend, the Young Buflalo-he, at least, needs no de- scriptou. He was loungiag at full length on the ground, with his spit stuck up before him loaded with meat He seemed to have thrown aside the stern gravity for which he was commonly remarkable, and was merri- ly joking with young, active and slender lnan--in whom, if you look closely, you will recognise the young Lawyer, his advo- cate. The other three 1 may perhaps de- scribe hereafter-if can spare time. At present shall only say that they were plain hunters.

 You may prose as you please, about in dependence and freedom in social life-you may tell me of it's comforts you may point to the sleek and self-complacent counsellor or judge, as an independent man-blit to me all this seems like nothing so little as inde- pendence. You call the poor man free he IS a slave to the rich--the very breath of his life depends upon their nod---his exis- tence Is meted outto him at their discretion. What but slavery is it, to toll day by day, for i..le poor, scanty pittance ofa livelihood; te waste away his life one day for the snp- port of himself and his family on the next; to know that whenever sickness, that most imperious dcspot, assails him, both he and those who are dearer to him than his own life, fall prey to hollow, gaunt staryationi The rich is a slave to disease and discon- tent--to his passions and his ylces--and more than all, to the customs and manners and fashions of the world. There IS no life so free as that of hunter-he who has disenfanaIed himself from the web of the world laws and the worlds fashions-and who depends on his gun, his horse, and bis own hand and heart, for subsistence and de- fence. There is no life to which q man be- comes so welded. do not put this in for fine writing, but merely to apologise for in- troducing q lawyer. in such scene. Be assured that many a refined and well edu- cated man has enrolled himself among hum