Hunting at High Altitudes 



great locality for game, especially for the white- 

 tail and the mule deer. There were a few bands 

 of elk and some large bears. The Basin is shut 

 in by mountains, except to the northeast. On the 

 northwest it is bordered by the Highwood Moun- 

 tains, while the Snowy and the Judith Mountains 

 help to close it on the south and southeast. 



During the autumn the Basin was frequented by 

 large bands of buffalo, and the presence of these 

 attracted to the hunting grounds friendly Indians 

 from west of the mountains. For many years it 

 was the practice of the Government to permit the 

 Nez Perces, Bannocks and other friendly tribes to 

 come through the mountains to hunt buffalo for 

 their winter's meat. This season the Nez Perces 

 had already come and gone, and the only Indians 

 here were a band of Crows, and sixty-five lodges 

 of Bannocks under Chief Tendoy, a firm and well 

 tried friend of the whites. Tendoy and Washaki 

 of the Shoshoni, saw far enough before them to 

 realize that it was best for the Indians to be on 

 terms of friendship with the whites. At this very 

 time a band of Bannocks were on the war path, 

 and for fear Tendoy's band might be disturbed 

 by whites, the War Department had detailed 

 Lieut. Jerome, 38 of the Second Cavalry, and four 

 men, to camp with these Indians as a protection. 



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