34 EXPEDITION TO THE 



of buffaloes that were kept with domestic cattle, that dur- 

 ing the rutting season the buffalo bull would not suffer the 

 common cow to approach him. Perhaps, however, this na- 

 tural antipathy might be made to wear away. The experi- 

 ment is certainly worth trying. 



While in the vicinity of the buffalo we were entirely 

 free from the torment of mosquitoes, from what reason we 

 know not ; we can scarcely believe that the animal attracts 

 them all to itself It is probable that as we were at some 

 distance we should have had a few of them were there 

 not some other cause for their disappearance which we 

 have not been able to discover ; we at first attributed 

 their absence to the cold nights which we expei'ienced, 

 but after leaving the buffalo we encountered still colder 

 nights, and although all the other circumstances seemed 

 the same, yet the insect reappeared. 



On the 31st, the party continued its route, without any 

 observation except for latitude, which was found at meri- 

 dian to be 47° 26' 41" north. In the morning a female elk 

 was killed by one of the Frenchmen that accompanied us. 

 Our marches had, since we met with the Indians, been 

 commenced at an early hour in the morning, but a very 

 dense fog which covered the prairies until past sunrise de- 

 tained us late on that day. Our apprehensions of being 

 followed were, however, completely quieted on observing 

 a large column of smoke behind us, which proved that the 

 Indians had fired the prairies. The beds of two small 

 streams, Plum and Sand-hill rivers, were crossed this day. 

 In the former there was no water, and we were obliged 

 to satisfy our thirst with the stagnant fluid found in a 

 pool, the quality of which was not much improved by its 

 having been resorted to by buffaloes. Having travelled 

 eight miles on the morning of the first of August, and be- 



