70 HISTORY OF THE BISON. 



then fell, and, after receiving two or three blows, became 

 senseless. Shortly after, he was found by his companions 

 lying bathed in blood, being gored in several places, and 

 the Bison was couched beside him, apparently waiting to 

 renew the attack had he shown any signs of life. Mr. 

 M'Donald (the clerk above referred to) recovered from the 

 immediate effects of the injuries he received, but died a 

 few months afterwards. When it contends with a dog, it. 

 strikes violently with its fore feet, and in that way, proves 

 more than a match for any English bull-dog. 



The favorite Indian method of killing the Bison is by 

 riding up to the fattest of the herd on horseback, and shoot- 

 ing it with an arrow. When a large party of hunters are 

 engaged in this way on an extensive plain, the spectacle is 

 very imposing, and the young men have many opportuni- 

 ties of displaying their skill and agility. 



The pound, as it is termed, is used for taking several 

 kinds of the larger wild animals, and though differently 

 constructed, according to circumstances, is always made 

 upon the same principle of driving the animals within a toil 

 or enclosure where they cannot escape. That for taking 

 the Buffalo has been described by both Captain Hall and 

 Dr. Richardson, who were hunters in the fur countries, 

 " the Buffalo pound was a fenced circular space of about 

 a hundred yards in diameter ; the entrance banked up with 

 snow, to a sufficient height to prevent the retreat of the 

 animals that may once have entered. For about a mile on 

 each side of the road leading to the pound, stakes were 

 driven into the ground at nearly equal distances of about 

 twenty yards. These were intended to look like men, and 

 to deter the animals from attempting to break out on either 

 side. Within fifty or sixty yards from the pound, branches 

 of trees were placed between these stakes, to screen the 

 Indians, who lie down behind them to wait the approach 

 of the buffalo. The principal dexterity in this species 



