The Bison or American Buffalo 23 



ing to our eight adventurers. With the re- 

 maining three horses and one wagon they set 

 out homeward. The march was hard and te- 

 dious ; they lost their way and were in jeopardy 

 from quicksands and cloudbursts; they suf- 

 fered from thirst and cold, their shoes gave 

 out, and their feet were lamed by cactus spines. 

 At last they reached Fort Griffen in safety, and 

 great was their ravenous rejoicing when they 

 procured some bread for during the final 

 fortnight of the hunt they had been without 

 flour or vegetables of any kind, or even coffee, 

 and had subsisted on fresh meat "straight." 

 Nevertheless, it was a very healthy, as well as 

 a very pleasant and exciting experience ; and I 

 doubt if any of those who took part in it will 

 ever forget their great buffalo-hunt on the 

 Brazos. 



My friend, General W. H. Walker of Vir- 

 ginia, had an experience in the early '50*8 with 

 buffaloes on the upper Arkansas River, which 

 gives some idea of their enormous numbers at 

 that time. He was camped with a scouting 

 party on the banks of the river, aad had gone 

 out to try to shoot some meat. There were 

 many buffaloes in sight, scattered, according 

 to their custom, in large bands. When he 

 was a mile or two away from the river a dull 



