﻿576 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  buffaloes 
  into 
  the 
  pound. 
  When 
  all 
  is 
  ready 
  for 
  action, 
  skilled 
  hunters 
  

   mounted 
  on 
  fleet 
  ponies, 
  partly 
  surround 
  a 
  herd 
  and 
  start 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  pound, 
  being 
  aided 
  by 
  confederates 
  stationed 
  in 
  hollows, 
  

   who, 
  when 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  take 
  a 
  wrong 
  direction, 
  rise 
  and 
  wave 
  their 
  

   robes 
  to 
  change 
  their 
  course. 
  If 
  when 
  the 
  " 
  dead 
  men 
  " 
  are 
  reached 
  the 
  

   buffaloes 
  are 
  disposed 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  them, 
  Indians 
  stationed 
  behind 
  

   appear, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  shaking 
  of 
  robes 
  urge 
  on 
  the 
  herd 
  toward 
  the 
  pound. 
  

   Thus 
  the 
  band 
  is 
  pressed 
  on 
  between 
  the 
  narrowing 
  lines 
  of 
  " 
  dead 
  men" 
  

   to 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  pound. 
  This 
  is 
  closed 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  tree-trunk 
  placed 
  

   about 
  a 
  foot 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  inside 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  ditch 
  sufficiently 
  deep 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  the 
  enclosed 
  buffaloes 
  from 
  jumping 
  out. 
  No 
  sooner 
  has 
  the 
  

   fatal 
  leap' 
  been 
  made 
  than 
  the 
  imprisoned 
  animals 
  rush 
  wildly 
  around 
  

   the 
  enclosure 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  some 
  point 
  of 
  escape. 
  With 
  the 
  utmost 
  silence, 
  

   women 
  and 
  children 
  hold 
  their 
  robes 
  before 
  every 
  orifice, 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  

   herd 
  is 
  brought 
  in. 
  When 
  all 
  are 
  enclosed 
  the 
  slaughter 
  begins 
  ; 
  the 
  

   hunters, 
  climbing 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  fence, 
  spear 
  or 
  shoot, 
  with 
  bows 
  and 
  

   arrows 
  or 
  fire 
  arms, 
  the 
  bewildered 
  buffaloes 
  now 
  so 
  wholly 
  within 
  their 
  

   power. 
  Soon 
  rendered 
  frantic 
  with 
  rage 
  and 
  fear, 
  the 
  stronger 
  toss, 
  

   crush, 
  or 
  impale 
  the 
  weaker. 
  In 
  this 
  dreadful 
  scene 
  of 
  confusion 
  and 
  

   slaughter, 
  says 
  Hind, 
  " 
  the 
  shouts 
  and 
  screams 
  of 
  the 
  excited 
  Indians 
  

   rise 
  above 
  the 
  roaring 
  of 
  the 
  bulls, 
  the 
  bellowing 
  of 
  the 
  cows, 
  and 
  the 
  

   piteous 
  moaning 
  of 
  the 
  calves. 
  The 
  dying 
  struggles 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  huge 
  

   and 
  powerful 
  anjmals 
  crowded 
  together 
  create 
  a 
  revolting 
  and 
  terrible 
  

   scene, 
  dreadful 
  from 
  the 
  excess 
  of 
  its 
  cruelty 
  and 
  waste 
  of 
  life, 
  but 
  with 
  

   occasional 
  displays 
  of 
  wonderful 
  brute 
  strength 
  and 
  rage 
  5 
  while 
  man, 
  

   in 
  his 
  savage, 
  untutored, 
  and 
  heathen 
  state, 
  shows, 
  both 
  in 
  deed 
  and 
  

   expression, 
  how 
  little 
  he 
  is 
  superior 
  to 
  the 
  noble 
  beasts 
  he 
  so 
  wantonly 
  

   and 
  cruelly 
  destroys." 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  conflict 
  over," 
  says 
  Hind, 
  " 
  animals 
  of 
  every 
  age, 
  from 
  old 
  bulls 
  

   to 
  young 
  calves 
  of 
  three 
  months 
  old, 
  were 
  huddled 
  together, 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  

   forced 
  attitudes 
  of 
  violent 
  death. 
  Some 
  lay 
  on 
  their 
  backs, 
  with 
  eyes 
  

   starting 
  from 
  their 
  heads, 
  and 
  tongues 
  thrust 
  out 
  through 
  clotted 
  gore, 
  

   and 
  others 
  were 
  impaled 
  on 
  the 
  horns 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  and 
  strong 
  bulls. 
  Others 
  

   again, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  tossed, 
  were 
  lying 
  with 
  broken 
  backs, 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  deep. 
  One 
  little 
  calf 
  hung 
  suspended 
  on 
  the 
  horns 
  of 
  a 
  bull, 
  which 
  

   had 
  impaled 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  race 
  round 
  and 
  round 
  the 
  pound." 
  Of 
  the 
  

   two 
  hundred 
  to 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  animals 
  usually 
  killed 
  at 
  each 
  im- 
  

   pounding, 
  only 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  fattest 
  are 
  utilized, 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  

   removed 
  and 
  dried 
  in 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  Sometimes 
  the 
  attempts 
  at 
  impounding 
  are 
  unsuccessful, 
  an 
  instance 
  

   of 
  which 
  is 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hind. 
  After 
  the 
  pound 
  was 
  nearly 
  full, 
  

   an 
  old 
  bull 
  espied 
  a 
  narrow 
  crevice 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  closed 
  by 
  the 
  

   robes 
  of 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  outside, 
  whose 
  duty 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  conceal 
  every 
  

   orifice 
  ; 
  making 
  a 
  dash 
  at 
  this, 
  he 
  forced 
  himself 
  through, 
  breaking 
  the 
  

   fence, 
  when 
  the 
  whole 
  herd 
  ran 
  helter-skelter 
  through 
  the 
  gap, 
  a 
  few 
  

   only 
  being 
  speared 
  or 
  shot 
  through 
  with 
  arrows 
  in 
  their 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   escape. 
  

  

  Simpson 
  says 
  that 
  in 
  January, 
  1840, 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  were 
  so 
  numerous 
  

   about 
  Carlton 
  House 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  haystacks 
  

   into 
  the 
  Fort 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  being 
  devoured 
  by 
  the 
  buffaloes. 
  In 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  fort 
  were 
  three 
  camps 
  of 
  Assiuniboines, 
  each 
  of 
  whom 
  

   had 
  its 
  buffalo 
  pound, 
  into 
  which 
  they 
  drove 
  forty 
  or 
  fifty 
  animals 
  daily 
  ; 
  

   "and 
  I 
  afterwards 
  learned," 
  says 
  Simpson, 
  " 
  that 
  in 
  other 
  places 
  these 
  

   pounds 
  were 
  actually 
  formed 
  of 
  piled-up 
  carcasses." 
  * 
  

  

  =" 
  Simpson 
  (Thomas), 
  Narrative 
  of 
  the 
  Discoveries 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  of 
  America, 
  

   etc., 
  pp. 
  402, 
  404. 
  

  

  