﻿^LLE^-1 
  ■ 
  THE 
  CHASE 
  OF 
  THE 
  BUFFALO. 
  577 
  

  

  Audnbou 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  Gros 
  Ventres, 
  Blackfeet, 
  and 
  Assinuiboines 
  

   often 
  also 
  tools: 
  the 
  buffalo 
  in 
  large 
  pens 
  in 
  a 
  sionlar 
  manner. 
  Two 
  con- 
  

   verging 
  fences, 
  built 
  of 
  sticks, 
  logs, 
  and 
  brushwood, 
  form 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  

   way 
  a 
  funnel-shaped 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  enclosure 
  or 
  <'park," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  

   called, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  either 
  square 
  or 
  roiind 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  

   the 
  ground. 
  The 
  narrow 
  end 
  or 
  entrance 
  is 
  always 
  on 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  a 
  

   sudden 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  i>rairie, 
  ten 
  or 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  is 
  made 
  as 
  

   strong 
  as 
  possible. 
  When 
  the 
  pen 
  is 
  ready 
  a 
  young 
  man, 
  very 
  swift 
  of 
  

   foot, 
  starts 
  at 
  daylight 
  towards 
  the 
  herd 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  taken, 
  provided 
  

   with 
  a 
  bison's 
  hide 
  and 
  head, 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  to 
  disguise 
  himself 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  acting 
  as 
  a 
  decoy. 
  On 
  nearing 
  the 
  herd 
  he 
  bleats 
  like 
  a 
  

   calf, 
  and 
  makes 
  his 
  way 
  slowly 
  towards 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  the 
  converpiug 
  

   fences 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  pen. 
  Repeating 
  the 
  cry 
  at 
  intervals, 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  

   follow 
  the 
  decoy, 
  while 
  mounted 
  Indians, 
  riding 
  to 
  and 
  fro 
  along 
  the 
  

   flanks 
  and 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  herd, 
  urge 
  them 
  on 
  towards 
  the 
  funnel. 
  A 
  crowd 
  

   of 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  children 
  then 
  come 
  and 
  assist 
  in 
  frightening 
  them, 
  

   the 
  disguised 
  Indian 
  still 
  occasionally 
  bleating. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  buffa- 
  

   loes 
  have 
  fairly 
  entered 
  the 
  road 
  to 
  the 
  pen, 
  the 
  decoy 
  runs 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  precipice, 
  quickly 
  descends, 
  and 
  makes 
  his 
  escape 
  by 
  climbing 
  

   over 
  the 
  fence 
  forming 
  the 
  pen. 
  The 
  herd 
  follows 
  on 
  untif 
  the 
  leader 
  

   is 
  forced 
  to 
  leap 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  pen, 
  and 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  whole 
  herd, 
  

   which 
  being 
  thus 
  ensnared 
  is 
  easily 
  destroyed, 
  even 
  the 
  women 
  and 
  

   children 
  participating 
  in 
  the 
  slaughter.* 
  

  

  This 
  method, 
  if 
  not 
  still 
  practised 
  in 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  country, 
  was 
  in 
  

   use 
  there 
  at 
  no 
  distant 
  date, 
  since 
  while 
  with 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  Expedi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  1873 
  I 
  several 
  times 
  met 
  with 
  tbe 
  reuiains 
  of 
  these 
  pounds 
  and 
  

   their 
  converging 
  fences 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Big 
  Horn 
  

   liiver. 
  They 
  are 
  here, 
  i 
  was 
  told, 
  used 
  in 
  entrapping 
  the 
  elk 
  and 
  deer 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  buffalo; 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  Charlevoix, 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  

   Canada 
  formerly 
  hunted 
  the 
  moose, 
  the 
  caribou, 
  and 
  the 
  deer 
  in 
  a 
  some- 
  

   what 
  similar 
  manner. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  plains, 
  where 
  no 
  timber 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  

   pounds, 
  the 
  Indians 
  pursue 
  a 
  different 
  but 
  an 
  almost 
  equally 
  destructive 
  

   method. 
  The 
  hunting 
  party, 
  numbering 
  usually 
  hundreds 
  of 
  horsemen, 
  

   select 
  such 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  heid 
  as 
  thev 
  desire 
  to 
  destroy, 
  and, 
  

   surrounding 
  them, 
  thus 
  cut 
  them 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  herd, 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   vent 
  their 
  escape 
  in 
  every 
  direction 
  by 
  enclosing 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  cordon 
  of 
  

   armed 
  horsemen. 
  The 
  slaughter 
  is 
  begun 
  simultaneously 
  on 
  all 
  sides; 
  

   and 
  whichever 
  way 
  the 
  herd 
  moves 
  they 
  encounter 
  their 
  "invincible 
  and 
  

   deadly 
  enemies. 
  The 
  slaughter 
  usually 
  continues 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  " 
  sur- 
  

   round 
  " 
  is 
  killed, 
  often 
  numbering 
  hundreds 
  of 
  animals. 
  In 
  their 
  casual 
  

   hunts 
  the 
  Indians 
  simply 
  follow 
  the 
  herds 
  on 
  horseback, 
  shooting 
  from 
  

   the 
  saddle 
  when 
  in 
  lull 
  pursuit, 
  using 
  either 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  or 
  the 
  

   modern 
  fire-arms 
  with 
  great 
  dexterity. 
  

  

  Descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  systematic 
  expeditious 
  of 
  the 
  Eed 
  River 
  half-breed 
  

   hunters 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  with 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  lulness 
  by 
  McLean, 
  Ross, 
  

   Hind,t 
  and 
  others. 
  The 
  distinctive 
  features 
  of 
  these 
  grand 
  hunting 
  ex- 
  

   peditions 
  are 
  their 
  magnitude, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  them, 
  

   and 
  the 
  almost 
  military 
  character 
  of 
  their 
  organization. 
  As 
  i)reviously 
  

   stated, 
  theseexpeditionsgenerally 
  numbered 
  from 
  fivehundred 
  to 
  upwards 
  

   of 
  twelve 
  hundred 
  carts, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  from 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  to 
  

   six 
  hundred 
  hu 
  nters, 
  nearly 
  twice 
  this 
  number 
  of 
  women 
  and 
  children, 
  

  

  * 
  Audubon 
  aud 
  Bachman's 
  Quadrupeds 
  of 
  North 
  Auierica, 
  Vol. 
  11, 
  p. 
  49. 
  

  

  tMcLeau 
  (John), 
  Notes 
  of 
  Tweuty-fivc 
  Years' 
  Service 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson's 
  Bay 
  Territory 
  

   Vol. 
  11, 
  pp. 
  297-302; 
  Ross 
  (Alesauder), 
  The 
  Red 
  River 
  Settlement, 
  pp. 
  i:5o-264 
  ; 
  Hind 
  

   (H. 
  Y.), 
  Canad. 
  Expl. 
  Expedition, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  pp. 
  110, 
  ill. 
  

   37 
  G 
  S 
  

  

  