20 THE PRAIRIE BUFFALO. 



Those who, like the writer, have had the privilege 

 of taking part in the glorious sport of buffalo hunting, 

 in its palmy days, will however probably always look 

 back upon those grand scenes in a hunter's life with 

 mingled feelings of both pride and sorrow. These 

 things are always a source of pleasure to look upon, 

 (a pleasure which endures as long as life itself shall 

 last,) but in this case are unfortunately mingled with 

 regret, for it is grievous to every true sportsman to 

 think of the wicked and wholesale slaughter of millions 

 of these magnificent animals by avaricious traders, 

 simply for the paltry lucre of their robes. " During 

 1872-3-4," for instance, according to Col. Dodge, "at 

 least five millions were slaughtered for their hides."* 



Parties of professional " skin hunters " used then to be 

 sent out regularly equipped for the slaughter. These 

 men used to follow the herds and encamp in some 

 quiet nook where buffalo were plentiful; they used 

 then to creep up to the unsuspecting animals, and the 

 work of slaughter began. One of these men has been 

 known to take post at some convenient "stand," as 

 they called it, from whence he opened fire, and killed 

 buffalo after buffalo, without shifting his position, until 

 the ground was literally covered with the slain, whilst 

 numbers of wounded animals hobbled away to die a 

 lingering death, or become the prey of the white 

 wolf etc., before the herd, at length taking fright, 



took to their heels and made off. 



i 



It is a curious circumstance that these usually ex- 

 tremely wild and wary animals should stupidly stand 

 and allow themselves to be made a target of in this 

 way : but there can be little doubt that they take the 



* Our Wild Indians, by Col. R. J. Dodge, U.S.A., 1882 p. 294. 



