The Last Piskun 261 



at this stage of the game until they were 

 fairly within the piskun. 



Then, when the leader had covered per- 

 haps half of the distance toward the pitfall, 

 all of the Indians of the village, including 

 women and children, would rise up along 

 the wings of the chute and make a great 

 noise. Men beat upon tom-toms, women 

 shrieked and waved bright objects, and the 

 children yelled with delight, all tingling 

 with the excitement, and this would start 

 the herd running. 



The Indians along the flank of the herd 

 would now come riding upon their ponies, 

 yelling and making all the noise possible. 

 At this point the herd would be stampeded 

 and begin to gallop frantically. As it came 

 nearer to the end of the chute, the buffalo 

 crowded close together, and then with a 

 neck-breaking rush all went over the cliff 

 where hundreds were killed if the drive was 

 successful. The Indians thus in an hour or 



