﻿578 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  besides 
  a 
  draught 
  animal 
  (either 
  a 
  horse 
  or 
  an 
  ox) 
  and 
  a 
  dog 
  to 
  each 
  

   cart, 
  and 
  riding 
  animals 
  in 
  addition 
  for 
  the 
  hunters. 
  Setting 
  out 
  from 
  

   Fort 
  Garry, 
  the 
  expeditions 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  hunted 
  over 
  the 
  Pembina 
  

   plains, 
  extending 
  their 
  trips 
  southward 
  and 
  westward 
  over 
  the 
  prairies 
  

   and 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  Eed 
  River, 
  the 
  Shayenne, 
  and 
  the 
  Coteau 
  de 
  Missouri. 
  

   The 
  Eed 
  River 
  half-breed 
  hunters 
  have 
  undoubtedly 
  done 
  more 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   terminate 
  the 
  buffalo 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  single 
  cause, 
  and 
  have 
  long 
  siuce 
  

   wholly 
  extirpated 
  them 
  throughout 
  not 
  only 
  this 
  vast 
  region, 
  but 
  also 
  

   over 
  the" 
  extensive 
  prairies 
  of 
  the 
  Assinniboine, 
  the 
  Qu'appelle, 
  and 
  the 
  

   lower 
  Saskatchewan. 
  Their 
  method 
  of 
  hunting 
  was 
  for 
  several 
  hundred 
  

   horsemen 
  armed 
  with 
  fire-arms 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  grand 
  simultaneous 
  rush 
  into 
  

   the 
  very 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  immense 
  herds. 
  An 
  attack 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Ross 
  wit- 
  

   nessed 
  'he 
  thus 
  describes: 
  "Our 
  array 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  

   grand 
  and 
  imposing 
  one 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  like 
  before. 
  

   No 
  less 
  than 
  four 
  hundred 
  huntsmen, 
  all 
  mounted, 
  and 
  anxiously 
  wait- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  the 
  word 
  'Start!' 
  took 
  up 
  their 
  position 
  in 
  a 
  lice 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  camp, 
  while 
  Captain 
  Wilkie, 
  with 
  his 
  spy-glass 
  at 
  his 
  eye, 
  surveyed 
  

   the 
  buffalo, 
  examined 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  issued 
  his 
  orders. 
  At 
  eight 
  

   o'clock 
  the 
  whole 
  cavalcade 
  broke 
  ground 
  and 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  buffalo 
  ; 
  first 
  

   at 
  a 
  slow 
  trot, 
  then 
  at 
  a 
  gallop, 
  and 
  lastly 
  at 
  full 
  speed. 
  Their 
  advance 
  

   was 
  over 
  a 
  dead 
  level, 
  the 
  plain 
  having 
  no 
  hollow 
  or 
  shelter 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  

  

  to 
  conceal 
  their 
  approach 
  When 
  tbe 
  horsemen 
  started, 
  the 
  

  

  cattle 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  ahead 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  had 
  approached 
  

   to 
  within 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  hundred 
  yards 
  bsfore 
  the 
  bulls 
  curved 
  their 
  tails 
  

   or 
  pawed 
  the 
  ground. 
  In 
  a 
  moment 
  more 
  the 
  herd 
  took 
  flight, 
  and 
  horse 
  

   and 
  rider 
  are 
  presently 
  seen 
  bursting 
  in 
  among 
  them 
  ; 
  shots 
  are 
  heard, 
  

   and 
  all 
  is 
  smoke, 
  dust, 
  and 
  hurry. 
  The 
  fattest 
  are 
  first 
  singled 
  out 
  for 
  

   slaughter, 
  and 
  in 
  less 
  time 
  than 
  we 
  have 
  occupied 
  with 
  the 
  description 
  

   a 
  thousand 
  carcasses 
  strew 
  the 
  plain. 
  Those 
  who 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  squadron 
  

   of 
  horse 
  dart 
  into 
  battle 
  may 
  imagine 
  the 
  scene, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  skill 
  

   to 
  depict. 
  The 
  earth 
  seemed 
  to 
  tremble 
  when 
  the 
  horses 
  started 
  ; 
  but 
  

   when 
  the 
  animals 
  fled 
  it 
  was 
  like 
  the 
  shock 
  of 
  an 
  earthquake. 
  The 
  air 
  

   was 
  darkened; 
  the 
  rapid 
  firing, 
  at 
  first 
  distinct, 
  soon 
  became 
  more 
  and 
  

   more 
  faint, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  died 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  distance. 
  Two 
  hours, 
  and 
  all 
  

   was 
  over; 
  but 
  several 
  hours 
  elapsed 
  before 
  the 
  result 
  was 
  known, 
  or 
  the 
  

   hunters 
  reassembled 
  ; 
  .... 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  thirteen 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  seventy-five 
  tongues 
  were 
  brought 
  into 
  camp."* 
  

  

  The 
  dexterity 
  in 
  loading 
  and 
  firing 
  on 
  horseback 
  while 
  at 
  full 
  speed 
  

   exhibited 
  by 
  these 
  half-breeds, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  their 
  tact 
  in 
  recognizing 
  their 
  

   game 
  on 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  slaughter 
  after 
  the 
  kiUing 
  is 
  over, 
  is 
  represented 
  

   as 
  surprising. 
  Formerly, 
  when 
  hunting 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  flint-lock 
  musket, 
  

   savs 
  Mr. 
  Taylor,t 
  they 
  would 
  drop 
  a 
  charge 
  of 
  powder 
  into 
  the 
  palm 
  of 
  

   the 
  hand, 
  thence 
  into 
  the 
  muzzle 
  of 
  the 
  gun, 
  following 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  bullet 
  

   from 
  a 
  stock 
  carried 
  in 
  the 
  mouth, 
  firing 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  this 
  operation 
  could 
  

   be 
  repeated. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  breech-loading 
  arms, 
  however, 
  

   long 
  since 
  rendered 
  this 
  process 
  needless. 
  They 
  seldom 
  leave 
  a 
  mark 
  

   to 
  designate 
  their 
  own 
  animals, 
  though 
  some 
  do 
  so, 
  leaving 
  first 
  a 
  cap, 
  

   then 
  a 
  sash, 
  and 
  so 
  on, 
  until, 
  as 
  often 
  happens, 
  these 
  means 
  of 
  designa- 
  

   tion 
  fail, 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  to 
  a 
  dozen 
  buffaloes 
  being 
  generally 
  killed 
  in 
  a 
  

   single 
  run 
  by 
  a 
  good 
  hunter. 
  Riding 
  in 
  clouds 
  of 
  dust 
  and 
  smoke, 
  in 
  

   companv 
  with 
  hundreds 
  of 
  other 
  horsemen, 
  crossing 
  and 
  recrossiug 
  each 
  

   other's 
  tracks, 
  among 
  dead 
  and 
  wounded 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  among 
  the 
  terri- 
  

   fied 
  and 
  fleeing 
  animals, 
  it 
  certainly 
  evinces, 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  hunter, 
  

   uo 
  small 
  degree 
  of 
  discriminating 
  power, 
  after 
  a 
  n 
  hour 
  of 
  such 
  wild, 
  

  

  *Red 
  River 
  Settlement, 
  pp. 
  255-257. 
  

   IMS. 
  Notes, 
  as 
  previously 
  cited. 
  

  

  