﻿ALLEN] 
  THE 
  CHASE 
  OF 
  THE 
  BUFFALO. 
  "573 
  

  

  not 
  even 
  water, 
  figures 
  more 
  prominently. 
  Its 
  absence 
  in 
  the 
  treeless 
  

   districts 
  necessitates 
  the 
  transportation 
  of 
  wood 
  as 
  an 
  indispensable 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  camp 
  stores, 
  while 
  its 
  presence 
  not 
  only 
  renders 
  this 
  need- 
  

   less, 
  but 
  insures 
  all 
  those 
  ordinary 
  comforts 
  of 
  camp-life 
  that 
  the 
  con- 
  

   veniences 
  of 
  a 
  camp-fire 
  always 
  bring. 
  Hence 
  its 
  importance 
  as 
  a 
  civil- 
  

   izing 
  agent 
  cannot 
  well 
  be 
  overrated. 
  The 
  misery 
  experienced 
  when, 
  

   during 
  rainy 
  seasons, 
  it 
  is 
  temporarily 
  too 
  wet 
  to 
  burn, 
  — 
  the 
  deprivation 
  

   of 
  the 
  "cup 
  that 
  cheers 
  but 
  not 
  inebriates," 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  means 
  of 
  cook- 
  

   ing, 
  — 
  gives 
  one 
  a 
  most 
  vividly 
  realizing 
  sense 
  of 
  what 
  his 
  condition 
  might 
  

   be, 
  for 
  days 
  and 
  weeks, 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  this 
  invaluable 
  resource. 
  

  

  How 
  long 
  the 
  chip 
  will 
  endure 
  the 
  vicissitudes 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  under 
  

   the 
  dry 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  the 
  Plains 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  say, 
  but 
  its 
  decom- 
  

   position 
  is 
  slow, 
  as 
  it 
  will 
  remain 
  in 
  a 
  serviceable 
  condition 
  for 
  years. 
  

   After 
  an 
  exposure 
  of 
  six 
  months 
  it 
  burns 
  quite 
  readily, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  its 
  

   best 
  as 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  fuel 
  till 
  it 
  has 
  had 
  the 
  ?uus 
  and 
  frosts 
  of 
  a 
  year. 
  It 
  

   burns 
  in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  as 
  peat, 
  and 
  though 
  making 
  but 
  little 
  

   flame 
  yields 
  a 
  very 
  intense 
  heat. 
  Strips 
  of 
  buffalo 
  fat 
  thrown 
  on 
  at 
  

   intervals 
  during 
  the 
  evening 
  add 
  a 
  bright 
  blaze, 
  furnishing 
  the 
  explorer 
  

   with 
  ample 
  light 
  by 
  which 
  to 
  write 
  up 
  his 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  day's 
  work, 
  and 
  

   enlivening 
  the 
  camp 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  cheer 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  piiion 
  and 
  pitch- 
  

   pine 
  camp-fires 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  or 
  other 
  wooded 
  districts. 
  Especially 
  

   grateful 
  does 
  this 
  " 
  buffalo-chip" 
  fire 
  thus 
  become 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  cold 
  even- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  the 
  hunter's 
  winter 
  camp 
  on 
  the 
  Plains. 
  

  

  Another 
  use 
  to 
  which 
  buffalo 
  chips 
  are 
  sometimes 
  put 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  mark- 
  

   ing 
  trails, 
  and 
  even 
  surveyor's 
  lines 
  and 
  points, 
  it 
  temporarily 
  serving 
  

   the 
  oflQce 
  of 
  stones 
  and 
  stakes 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  timber 
  and 
  stones 
  are 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  obtained, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  over 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Plains. 
  

  

  3.— 
  THE 
  CHASE. 
  

  

  An 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  means 
  and 
  methods 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  buffalo 
  has 
  be 
  

   come 
  so 
  nearly 
  exterminated 
  forms 
  an 
  interesting 
  chapter 
  in 
  its 
  history, 
  

   since 
  they 
  have 
  varied 
  at 
  different 
  times 
  and 
  at 
  different 
  localities, 
  in 
  

   accordance 
  with 
  the 
  customs 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  Indian 
  tribes, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  

   wants 
  and 
  implements 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  man. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  Jesuit 
  missionaries 
  first 
  visited 
  the 
  Illinois 
  prairies, 
  it 
  seems 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  general 
  custom 
  with 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Val- 
  

   ley 
  to 
  hunt 
  the 
  buffalo 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  fire, 
  accounts 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   left 
  us 
  by 
  Hennepin, 
  Da 
  Pratz, 
  Charlevoix, 
  and 
  others. 
  Hennepin 
  says 
  : 
  

   " 
  When 
  the 
  Savages 
  discover 
  a 
  great 
  Number 
  of 
  those 
  Beasts 
  together, 
  

   they 
  likewise 
  assemble 
  their 
  whole 
  Tribe 
  to 
  encompass 
  the 
  Bulls, 
  and 
  

   then 
  set 
  on 
  fire 
  the 
  dry 
  Herbs 
  about 
  them, 
  except 
  in 
  some 
  places, 
  which 
  

   they 
  leave 
  free 
  ; 
  and 
  therein 
  lay 
  themselves 
  in 
  Ambuscade. 
  The 
  Bulls, 
  

   seeing 
  the 
  Flame 
  round 
  them, 
  run 
  away 
  through 
  those 
  Passages 
  where 
  

   they 
  see 
  no 
  Fire 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  Hands 
  of 
  the 
  Savages, 
  who 
  by 
  

   these 
  Means 
  will 
  kill 
  sometimes 
  above 
  sixscore 
  in 
  a 
  day."* 
  

  

  Charlevoix's 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  method 
  of 
  hunting 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  the 
  Southern 
  and 
  Western 
  Parts 
  of 
  Neic 
  France, 
  on 
  both 
  

   Sides 
  the 
  Mississippi., 
  the 
  most 
  famous 
  Hunt 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Buffaloe, 
  

   which 
  is 
  performed 
  in 
  this 
  Manner: 
  The 
  Hunters 
  range 
  themselves 
  on 
  

   four 
  Lines, 
  which 
  form 
  a 
  great 
  Square, 
  and 
  begin 
  by 
  setting 
  Fire 
  to 
  the 
  

   Grass 
  and 
  Herbs, 
  which 
  are 
  dry 
  and 
  very 
  high 
  : 
  Then 
  as 
  the 
  Fire 
  gets 
  

   forwards, 
  they 
  advance, 
  closing 
  their 
  Lines: 
  The 
  Buffaloes, 
  which 
  are 
  

   extremely 
  afraid 
  of 
  Fire, 
  keep 
  flying 
  from 
  it, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  find 
  themselves 
  

  

  * 
  A 
  New 
  Discovery 
  of 
  a 
  Vast 
  Conutry 
  iu 
  America, 
  p. 
  90, 
  Loudon, 
  1698. 
  

  

  