THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 7 



sundown, but that Buffaloes swimming were a hundred 

 times more difficult to kill than those on shore. I have 

 been told also, that a Buffalo shot by an Indian, in the 

 presence of several whites, exhibited some marks on the 

 inside of the skin that looked like old wounds, and that on 

 close examination they found no less than six balls in its 

 paunch. Sometimes they will run a mile after having been 

 struck through the heart ; whilst at other times they will 

 fall dead without such desperate shot. Alexis told me 

 that once he shot one through the thigh, and that it fell 

 dead on the spot. We passed this afternoon a very curious 

 conical mound of earth, about which Harris and I had 

 some curiosity, by which I lost two pounds of snuff, as he 

 was right, and I was wrong. We have seen Geese and 

 Goslings, Ravens, Blue Herons, Bluebirds, Thrushes, Red- 

 headed Woodpeckers and Red-shafted ditto, Martins, an 

 immense number of Rough-winged Swallows about their 

 holes, and Barn Swallows. We heard Killdeers last even- 

 ing. Small Crested Flycatchers, Summer Yellow-birds, 

 Maryland Yellow-throats, House Wrens are seen as we pass 

 along our route ; while the Spotted Sandpiper accompanies 

 us all along the river. Sparrow Hawks, Turkey Buzzards, 

 Arctic Towhee Buntings, Cat-birds, Mallards, Coots, Gad- 

 walls, King-birds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red Thrushes, all 

 are noted as we pass. We have had a good day's run ; 

 it is now half-past ten. The wind has been cold, and 

 this evening we have had a dash of rain. We have seen 

 only one Wolf. We have heard some wonderful stories 

 about Indians and white men, none of which I can well 

 depend upon. We have stopped for the night a few miles 

 above where the "Assiniboin" ^ steamer was burnt with all 

 her cargo uninsured, in the year 1835. I heard that after 

 she had run ashore, the men started to build a scow to 

 unload the cargo ; but that through some accident the 



^ The " Assiniboin " was the steamer on which Maximilian, Prince of 

 Wied, travelled down the Missouri in 1S33. 



