THE BISON. 13 



herd of these large animals, to leap together from 

 the brink of a dreadful precipice, upon a rocky and 

 broken surface, a hundred feet below. 



When the Indians determine to destroy bison in 

 this way, one of their swiftest footed and most active 

 young men is selected, who is disguised in a bison 

 skin, having the head, ears, and horns adjusted on 

 his own head, so as to make the deception very 

 complete, and thus accoutred, he stations himsaif 

 between the bison herd and some of the precipices, 

 that often extend for several miles along the rivers. 

 The Indians surround the herd as nearly as possi- 

 ble, when, at a given signal, they show themselves 

 and rush forward with loud yells. The animals 

 being alarmed, and seeing no way open but in the 

 direction of the disguised Indian, run towards him, 

 and he, taking to flight, dashes on to the precipice, 

 where he suddenly secures himself in some previous- 

 ly ascertained crevice. The foremost of the herd 

 arrives at the brink — there is no possibility of retreat, 

 no chance of escape; the foremost may for an instant 

 shrink with terror, but the crjwd behind, who are 

 terrified by the approaching hunters, rush forward 

 with increasing impetuosity, and the aggregated 

 force hurls them successively into the gulf, where 

 certain death awaits them. 



It is extremely fortunate that this sanguinary 

 and wasteful method of killing bisons is not very 

 frequently resorted to by the savages, or we might 

 expect these animals in a few years to become aL 



