« 



64 STAIVIPEDES. 



ence has allayed all apprehension on the sub- 

 ject In fact, as the camp is always pitched 

 in Hie most luxuriantly clothed patches of 

 prairie that can he selected, a mule is seldom 

 able to despatch in the course of one night, 

 aU the grass within his reach. Again, when 

 anmials arc permitted to range at hberty, they 

 are apt to mince and nibble at the tenderest 

 blades and spend their time in roaming from 

 pomt to pomt, m search of what is most agree- 

 able to their ' epicurean palates ;' whereas if 

 they are restncted by a rope, they -vviU at once 



laU to with earnestness and clip the pastura^-e 

 as it comes. ° 



Although tlie buffalo had been scarce for a 

 tew days,~frightened off, no doubt, by the 

 Indians whose ' sign' we saw about Ash creek, 

 they soon became exceedingly abundant. The 

 larger droves of these animals are sometimes 

 a source of great annoyance to the caravans 

 as by runnmg near our loose stock, there 

 is frequent danger of their causing stampedes 

 (or general scamper), in which case nmles, 

 horses and oxen have been known to run 

 away among the buffalo, as though they had 

 been a gang of their oun species. A com- 

 pany of traders, m 1824, lost twenty or tliirty 



of their 



Hunters 



also been depnved of their horses in the o«.... 

 way Leaping from them in haste, in order 

 to take a more determmate aim at a buffalo, 

 the horse has been known to take fright, and, 



^r'^'V^l ^.T"^^ ^^^^^' ^^^ disappeai-ed 

 with saddle, bndle, pistols and all—most pro- 



