134 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 



from their former haunts, the Indians are compelled to 

 encroach upon each other's hunting-grounds, which is 

 a fruitful cause of war between the different tribes. It 

 is a curious fact, that the buffalo retire before the 

 whites, whilst the presence of Indians in their pastures 

 appears in no degree to disturb them. Wherever a few 

 white hunters are congregated in a trading port, or 

 elsewhere, so sure is it that, if they remain in the same 

 locality, the buffalo will desert the vicinity, and seek 

 pasture elsewhere. In this, the Indians affirm, the 

 wahkeitcha, or " bad medicine," of the pale-faces is very 

 apparent ; and they ground upon it their well-founded 

 complaints of the encroachments made upon their 

 hunting-grounds by the white hunters. 



In the winter, many of the tribes are reduced to the 

 very verge of starvation the buffalo having passed from 

 their country into that of their enemies ; when no other 

 alternative is offered them, but to remain where they 

 are and starve, or to follow the game into a hostile 

 region a move entailing war and all its horrors. 



Keckless, moreover, of the future, in order to prepare 

 robes for the traders, and to procure the pernicious fire- 

 water, they wantonly slaughter, every year, vast num- 

 bers of buffalo cows, (the skins of which sex only are 

 dressed,) and thus add to the evils in store for them. 

 When questioned on this subject, and reproached with 

 such want of foresight, they answer, that however 

 quickly the buffalo disappears, the Eed man "goes 

 under" more quickly still j and that the Great Spirit 

 has ordained that both shall be " rubbed out" from the 





