﻿574 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  SO 
  crouded 
  together 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  every 
  one 
  killed. 
  They 
  say 
  

   that 
  a 
  Party 
  seldom 
  returns 
  from 
  hunting 
  \yithout 
  killing 
  Fifteen 
  Hun- 
  

   dred 
  or 
  Two 
  Thousand. 
  But 
  lest 
  the 
  different 
  Companies 
  should 
  hinder 
  

   each 
  other, 
  they 
  all 
  agree 
  before 
  they 
  set 
  out 
  about 
  the 
  Place 
  where 
  

   they 
  intend 
  to 
  hunt," 
  etc.* 
  

  

  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Shea 
  also 
  alludes 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  custom 
  among 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Mississippi 
  of 
  hunting 
  buffaloes 
  by 
  fire, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   buffaloes 
  have 
  a 
  great 
  dread. 
  Finding 
  it 
  approaching 
  them, 
  "they 
  re- 
  

   tire 
  towards 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  prairie, 
  where, 
  being 
  pressed 
  together 
  in 
  

   great 
  numbers, 
  the 
  Indians 
  rush 
  in 
  with 
  their 
  arrows 
  and 
  musketry, 
  and 
  

   slaughter 
  immense 
  numbers 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours." 
  t 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Catlin, 
  in 
  his 
  "North 
  American 
  Indians," 
  has 
  described 
  with 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  detail 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  hunting 
  the 
  iDuffalo 
  among 
  the 
  Sioux 
  

   Indians, 
  and 
  has 
  given 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  sis 
  plates 
  illustrative 
  of 
  the 
  chase.f 
  

   According 
  to 
  this 
  author, 
  the 
  chief 
  hunting 
  amusement 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   of 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Teton 
  Eiver, 
  a 
  small 
  tributary 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  

   "which 
  joins 
  the 
  latter 
  at 
  old 
  Fort 
  Pierre, 
  in 
  Southern 
  Dakota, 
  consists 
  

   in 
  the 
  chase 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  Being 
  bold 
  and 
  desperate 
  horsemen, 
  they 
  

   almost 
  invariably 
  pursue 
  the 
  buffalo 
  on 
  horseback, 
  despatching 
  him 
  

   ■with 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  lance 
  with 
  apparent 
  ease. 
  The 
  horses, 
  being 
  well 
  

   trained 
  to 
  the 
  chase, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  very 
  fleet, 
  soon 
  bring 
  their 
  riders 
  along- 
  

   side 
  their 
  game. 
  The 
  Indian, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  his 
  horse, 
  is 
  divested 
  of 
  every- 
  

   thing 
  that 
  might 
  prove 
  an 
  encumbrance 
  in 
  running, 
  the 
  Indian 
  even 
  

   throwing 
  off 
  his 
  shield 
  and 
  quiver 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  his 
  clothing 
  ; 
  taking 
  in 
  his 
  

   left 
  hand 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  arrows 
  drawn 
  from 
  his 
  quiver, 
  he 
  holds 
  them 
  ready 
  

   for 
  instant 
  use, 
  while 
  he 
  plies 
  a 
  heavy 
  whip 
  with 
  his 
  right. 
  Biding 
  near 
  

   the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  herd 
  he 
  selects 
  his 
  animal, 
  which 
  he 
  separates 
  from 
  the 
  

   mass 
  by 
  dashing 
  his 
  horse 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  herd, 
  and, 
  riding 
  j)ast 
  it 
  

   to 
  the 
  right, 
  discharges 
  his 
  deadly 
  arrow 
  at 
  the 
  animal's 
  heart, 
  which 
  

   penetrates 
  "to 
  the 
  feather." 
  Some, 
  our 
  author 
  says, 
  also 
  pursue 
  the 
  

   animal 
  with 
  the 
  lance. 
  In 
  this 
  manner 
  the 
  Sioux 
  were 
  accustomed 
  to 
  

   destroy 
  immense 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  pursuing 
  them 
  in 
  large 
  hunt- 
  

   ing-parties, 
  and 
  killing 
  hundreds 
  and 
  even 
  thousands 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  hunt. 
  

   Mr. 
  Catlin 
  refers 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  grand 
  hunts 
  that 
  occurred 
  just 
  before 
  

   his 
  arrival 
  at 
  the 
  Fur 
  Company's 
  post 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Teton, 
  in 
  

   May, 
  1833. 
  A 
  large 
  herd 
  of 
  buffaloes 
  appearing 
  in 
  sight 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  five 
  hundred 
  or 
  six 
  hundred 
  Sioux 
  horsemen 
  

   forded 
  the 
  river 
  about 
  midday, 
  and, 
  recrossing 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  sundown, 
  

   brought 
  with 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  post 
  fourteen 
  liundred 
  fresh 
  buffalo 
  tongues, 
  

   which 
  they 
  readily 
  exchanged 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  gallons 
  of 
  whisky, 
  "which 
  was 
  

   soon 
  demolished," 
  as 
  our 
  narrator 
  states, 
  "indulging 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  and 
  

   harmless 
  carouse." 
  Not 
  a 
  skin, 
  nor 
  a 
  pound 
  of 
  meat, 
  except 
  the 
  tongues, 
  

   was 
  saved 
  from 
  these 
  slaughtered 
  hundreds. 
  

  

  In 
  winter, 
  when 
  from 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  snow 
  these 
  huge 
  creatures 
  are 
  

   unable 
  to 
  move 
  rapidly, 
  they 
  fall 
  an 
  easy 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  Indian, 
  who 
  over- 
  

   takes 
  them 
  readily 
  upon 
  his 
  snow-shoes, 
  and 
  despatches 
  them 
  with 
  his 
  

   bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  or 
  drives 
  his 
  lance 
  to 
  their 
  hearts. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  

   season 
  for 
  gathering 
  the 
  robes, 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  great 
  slaughter. 
  

   The 
  skins 
  being 
  stripped 
  off, 
  the 
  carcasses 
  are 
  generally 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  

   wolves, 
  the 
  Indians 
  laying 
  in 
  duriug 
  the 
  fall 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  dried 
  meat 
  for 
  

   the 
  winter. 
  Catlin 
  has 
  also 
  given 
  an 
  illustration 
  of 
  Indians 
  disguised 
  

   in 
  wolf-skins 
  creeping 
  upon 
  a 
  herd 
  that 
  is 
  unsuspectingly 
  grazing 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  Letters, 
  Goadby's 
  English 
  ed., 
  p. 
  C8. 
  

  

  t 
  Discovery 
  and 
  Exploration 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley, 
  p. 
  18^ 
  footnote. 
  

  

  t 
  North 
  American 
  Indians, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  plates 
  cvii-cxiii. 
  

  

  