[32 THE AMERICAN BISONS. 



They wore also found in immense herds on the const of Texas, at the 

 Bay of St. Bernard (Matagorda Bay), and on the lower part of the Colorado 

 i Rio Grande, according to some authorities), by La Salle, in 1G85, and thence 

 northward across the Colorado, Brazos, and Trinity Rivers. Joutel says thai 

 when in latitude 2S 3 51', '"the sight of abundance of goats and bullocks, 

 differing in shape from ours, and running along the coast, heightened our 

 earnestness to be ashore."* They afterwards landed in St. Louis Bay (now 

 called Matagorda Ba\ T ), where they found buffaloes in such numbers on the 

 Colorado River that they called it La Riviere aux Bceufs. '■ These bul- 

 locks," says the account, "are very like ours; there are thousands of them, 

 but instead of hair they have a very long curled sort of wool." t 



In describing the country about their establishment at St. Louis, at the 

 mouth of the Riviere aux Boeufs, M. Joutel says: •• "We were in about the 

 27th degree of north latitude. $ two leagues up the country, near the hay of 

 St. Louis. § and the bank of the Riviere aux Bceufs, on a little hillock, whence 

 we discovered vast and beautiful plains, extending very far westward, all 

 level, and full of greens, which afford pasture to an infinite number of beeves 

 and other creatures." it Setting out from St. Louis the 12th of January, 

 they crossed a succession of rivers, between which were -spacious 

 plains" covered with "a multitude of beeves and wild fowl." In crossing 

 the streams, they were often guided by the liulfalo paths to the best fords. 

 They crossed the Colorado, called by them La Maligne, probably near the 

 present site of Austin, and the Brazos probably somewhat below Fort Gra- 

 ham. Before they reached the Trinity, the country had become more bar- 

 ren, and buffaloes had become scarcer. Here M. dr la Salle was assassinated, 

 and a portion of his party under M. Cavelicr. his brother, continued their 

 northward inarch, soon reaching the Trinity River. From the Trinity they 

 took a northeasterly course, crossing the Red River near the mouth of the 

 Sulphur Fork, ami bore thence more easterly, crossing the Wachita and 

 reaching the Arkansas, which they Struck near its mouth. During this 

 journey from the Trinity to the mouth of the Arkansas, tiny seem to have 



• Jontel'a Historical Journal of Monsieur de la Salle's last voyage to discover the Mississippi River, 

 Frew h'l Hist CoIL Louisiana, Put I. p 

 t Ibid, p. IK.. 

 ; The latitude here given i* obviously erroneous, ai the context and subsequent account ol their jour- 



irthward clearlj -li"«-. The latitude must havo been nearlj 19 instead of 8J . 

 $ Later call ; ml, which is the same as tiio present Matt 



I utel'a Journal, I " n< h'« 1 1 ■ ~ t i -II Louisiana, Part I. pp 190, 181. 



