118 THE BUFFALO. 



no instinct to inspire it. The sight was sublime ! The hunters 

 could no more have accepted the challenge of the brave crea- 

 ture, than they could have smitten Damon at the side of 

 Pythias. The wounded buffalo ran on to the border of the 

 next marsh, and, in attempting to cross, fell headlong down 

 the steep bank, and never rose again. Not till that moment, 

 when courage was useless, did the faithful creature consider 

 his own safety in flight. The hunters took off their hats as 

 he walked away, and gave three parting cheers as the gallant 

 buffalo vanished beyond the fringing timber." 



The half-breed hunters of Rupert's Land make two expe- 

 ditions in the year in search of buffaloes one in the middle 

 of June, and the other in October. They divide into three 

 bands, each taking a separate route, for the purpose of falling 

 in with the herds of buffaloes. These bands are each accom- 

 panied by about five hundred carts, drawn by either an ox or 

 a horse. They are curious vehicles, roughly formed with 

 their own axes, and fastened together with wooden pins and 

 leather thongs, not a nail being used. The tires of the wheels 

 are made of buffalo hide, and put on wet. When they be- 

 come dry, they shrink, and are so tight that they never fall 

 off, and last as long as the cart holds together. The carts 

 contain the women and children, and provisions, and are in- 

 tended to bring back the spoils of the chase. Each is deco- 

 rated with some flag, so that the hunters may recognize their 

 own from a distance. They may be seen winding off in one 

 wide line extending for miles, and accompanied by the 

 hunters on horseback. These expeditions run the danger of 

 being attacked by the Sioux Indians, who inhabit the prairies 

 to the south. The camps are therefore well surrounded by 

 scouts, for the purpose of reconnoitring either for enemies or 



