THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



75 



hunter, thought it was dead, and instead of shooting it 

 again, went back to call Harris ; when they returned, the 

 Deer was gone, and although they saw it again and again, 

 the Deer outwitted them, and, as I have said, they re- 

 turned weary, with no Deer. After dinner I spoke to Mr. 

 Culbertson on the subject, and he told me that the Deer 

 could probably be found, but that most likely the Wolves 

 would devour it. He prepared to send young McKenzie 

 with both my friends; the horses were soon saddled, and 

 the three were off at a gallop. The poor buck's carcass 

 was found, but several Wolves and Turkey Buzzards had 

 fared well upon it; the vertebras only were left, with a 

 few bits of skin and portions of the horns in velvet. 

 These trophies were all that they brought home. It was 

 a superb and very large animal, and I am very sorry for 

 the loss of it, as I am anxious to draw the head of one of 

 such a size as they represent this to have been. They 

 ran after a Wolf, which gave them leg bail. Meanwhile 

 Squires and Provost started with the skiff in a cart to go 

 up the river two miles, cross, and camp on the opposite 

 shore. The weather became very gloomy and chill. In 

 talking with Mr. Culbertson he told me that no wise man 

 would ever follow a Buffalo bull immediately in his track, 

 even in a hunt, and that no one well initiated would ever 

 run after Buffaloes between the herd and another hunter, 

 as the latter bears on the former ever and anon, and places 

 him in imminent danger. Buffalo cows rarely, if ever, 

 turn on the assailant, but bulls oftentimes will, and are 

 so dangerous that many a fine hunter has been gored and 

 killed, as well 33 his horse. 



July 5, Wednesday. It rained the whole of last night 

 and the weather has been bad all day. I am at the Big- 

 horn's head, and Sprague at Mr. Culbertson. Provost 

 and Squires returned drenched and hungry, before dinner. 

 They had .seen several Deer, and fresh tracks of a large 

 Grizzly Bear. They had waded through mud and water 



