THE AMERICAN BISONS. 159 
was furrowed with trails. But there were no living animals in the region 
eastward of Frenchman’s River, which is one of the first of many north-south 
tributaries of Milk River. A day’s march west of this river brought us to the 
edge of the ‘Yellowstone Herd, as the northerly division of the buffalo is 
termed, where the first buffalo were seen and killed. Small straggling 
droves, or single animals, were observed every day thence to the vicinity 
of the Sweet Grass Hills (or Three Buttes, as they are called on the map), 
where they become very abundant. In this vicinity many thousands, if not 
some hundreds of thousands, passed the season. During the latter part of 
August we travelled for several days in continual sight of droves on every 
side on the road between the Sweet Grass Hills and Fort Benton; one day the 
plain was uniformly dotted, as far as the eye could reach, in at least a quad- 
rant of a circle. 
“In the comparatively short distance between the Sweet Grass Hills and 
the Rocky Mountains we encountered no buffalo, but this was a mere for- 
tuitous circumstance for the particular days; the ‘chips’ were everywhere. 
They were traced, however, by their remains into the very heart of the 
Rocky Mountains, at an altitude of at least 5,000 feet; and I was informed 
that the various glades were a winter resort of some of the animals that pass 
that season in this latitude. But I could obtain no indication that the buf. 
falo ever [here] crossed the mountains. Hunters and guides familiar with 
the region for years agree that this barrier is not surmounted, and had never 
been passed, either within their memory or according to tradition; indeed, 
the Kootanie Pass has been always known as the point where Indians from 
the westward have come annually to hunt on the opposite side. 
“Tt is sufficiently attested that buffaloes pass the winter in this region, or 
at least have very recently done so. In exploring the Sweet Grass Hills I 
followed up one gorge where for a mile or so skulls and skeletons lay almost 
touching each other in the cul-de-sac. Here was evident indication that a 
drove, in attempting to cross from the hog-back on one side to the other, 
had sunk in the snow which filled the ravine, and lost many of their number. 
The buffaloes are more expert and venturesome climbers than their unwieldy 
forms would indicate. Upon the summits of the Sweet Grass Hills, inacces- 
sible on horseback, and where a man can only go about by scrambling, their 
dung and bones are found, with those of the mountain sheep. The hillsides 
here, and the equally steep banks in places along the heads of the Milk 
River and its tributaries, too declivous in their natural state to afford footing 
