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THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



139 



Bell and his companions. We were told also that a few 

 minutes after our departure the roarings and bellowings 

 of Buffalo were heard across the river, and that Owen and 

 two men had been despatched with a cart to kill three fat cows 

 but no more ; so my remonstrances about useless slaughter 

 have not been wholly unheeded. Harris was sorry he had 

 missed going, and so was I, as both of us could have done 

 so. The milk of the Buffalo cow is truly good and finely 

 tasted, but the bag is never large as in our common cattle, 

 and this is probably a provision of nature to render the 

 cows more capable to run off, and escape from their pur- 

 suers. Bell, Provost, and La Fleur returned just before 

 dinner; they had seen no Bighorns, and only brought 

 the flesh of two Deer killed by La Fleur, and a young 

 Magpie. This afternoon Provost skinned a calf that was 

 found by one of the cows that Owen killed ; it was very 

 young, only a few hours old, but large, and I have taken its 

 measurements. It is looked upon as a phenomenon, as no 

 Buffalo cow calves at this season. The calving time is from 

 about the ist of February to the last of May. Owen went 

 six miles from the fort before he saw the cattle ; there were 

 more than three hundred in number, and Harris and I 

 regretted the more we had not gone, but had been fruit- 

 lessly hunting for stones. It is curious that while Harris 

 was searching for Rabbits early this morning, he heard the 

 bellowing of the bulls, and thought first it was the growling 

 of a Grizzly Bear, and then that it was the fort bulls, so he 

 mentioned it to no one. To-morrow evening La Fleur and 

 two men will go after Bighorns again, and they are not to 

 return before they have killed one male, at least. This 

 evening we went a-fishing across the river, and caught ten 

 good catfish of the upper Missouri species, the sweetest 

 and best fish of the sort that I have eaten in any part of 

 the country. Our boat is going on well, and looks pretty 

 to boot. Her name will be the " Union," in consequence 

 of the united exertions of my companions to do all that 



