58 



AUDUBON 



'. "t 



but it got up and ran rapidly. Bell fired two shots in 

 its back with a pistol without stopping it, then he ran as 

 fast as he could, shot it in the side, and it fell. Bell says its 

 tail was longer than usual, but it was not measured, and 

 the Wolf was left on the prairie, as they had no means of 

 bringing it in. They saw an Antelope, some Magpies, and 

 a Swift Fox, but no Buffaloes, though they were fifteen 

 miles from the fort. They ran a Long-tailed Deer, and 

 describe its movements precisely as do Lewis and Clark.^ 

 Between every three or four short leaps came the long leap 

 of fully twenty-five feet, if not more. The Kit or Swift Fox 

 which they saw stood by a bunch of wormwood, and whilst 

 looking at the hunters, was seen to brush off the flies with 

 his paws. 



I am now going to take this book to Lewis Squires and 

 ask him to write in it his account of the Buffalo hunt. 

 (The following is in Mr. Squires' handwriting:) 

 " By Mr. Audubon's desire I will relate the adventures 

 that befell me in my first Buffalo hunt, and I am in hopes 

 that among the rubbish a trifle, at least, may be obtained 

 which may be of use or interest to him. On the morning 

 of Friday, the 23d, before daylight, I was up, and in a 

 short time young McKenzie made his appearance. A 

 few minutes sufficed to saddle our horses, and be in readi- 

 ness for our contemplated hunt. We were accompanied 

 by Mr. Bonaventure the younger, one of the hunters of the 

 fort, and two carts to bring in whatever kind of meat 

 might be procured. We were ferried across the river in 

 a flatboat, and thence took our departure for the Buffalo 

 cci .ntry. We passed through a wooded bottom for about 

 one mile, and then over a level prairie for about one mile 

 and a half, when we commenced the ascent of the bluffs 

 that bound the western side of the Missouri valley; our 



1 " The black-tailed deer never runs at full speed, but bounds with 

 every foot from the ground at the same time, like the mule-deer." (" Lewis 

 and Clark," ed. 1893.) 



course 

 and ste( 

 beds of 

 freshets, 

 never ex 

 toolc us, 

 Buffalo , 

 behind us 

 been kiJJe 

 to the to|: 

 abouts; b 

 be seen, 

 abcad, rigl 

 "othing hac 

 s'nce the n\ 

 "^as time to 

 venture beg 

 any vvere «c 

 ^y tbe repor 

 ^^^e spot froJ 

 had killed, s 

 was a fine ma 

 "ot awake w 

 skin for Mr. ^ 

 'ate. It ,^33 



^'"^"ccd eatin 



VVJiat others , 



J accordingly 



"fter astonishn 



^°°^'- this ex. 



P'-^Judices mak 



P-'o^es them to 



"'« proceeded 



'^^^ore the WojJ 



'I II! I 



