﻿AI.LEN.] 
  THE 
  CHASE 
  OF 
  THE 
  BUFFALO. 
  581 
  

  

  were 
  required 
  to 
  enable 
  him 
  to 
  load 
  his 
  teams 
  aud 
  make 
  the 
  round 
  tripu 
  

   The 
  chiet'of 
  a 
  party 
  is 
  usually 
  mouuted 
  on 
  a 
  pony, 
  and, 
  riding 
  in 
  advance^, 
  

   often 
  has 
  enough 
  animals 
  killed 
  to 
  furnish 
  loads 
  for 
  his 
  teams 
  by 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  latter 
  reach 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  action. 
  The 
  dead 
  buffaloes 
  are 
  then 
  

   speedily 
  " 
  butchered,"* 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  sufficing 
  for 
  each. 
  The 
  "saddle," 
  

   or 
  the 
  two 
  hind 
  quarters, 
  and 
  the 
  tongue 
  are 
  usually 
  the 
  only 
  parts 
  

   saved 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  calves 
  and 
  very 
  fat 
  yearlings 
  the 
  whole 
  carcass 
  

   is 
  taken. 
  The 
  usual 
  weight 
  of 
  a 
  saddle 
  is 
  about 
  two 
  hundred 
  pounds, 
  

   which 
  is 
  sold 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  about 
  three 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  deliv- 
  

   ered 
  at 
  the 
  cars, 
  the 
  buyer 
  being 
  generally 
  on 
  the 
  spot 
  to 
  inspect 
  it 
  and 
  

   superintend 
  its 
  packing 
  for 
  shipment. 
  

  

  The 
  regular 
  or 
  "professional" 
  hunter 
  formerly 
  followed 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   herds 
  the 
  whole 
  year, 
  moving 
  eastward 
  or 
  westward 
  along 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  rail- 
  

   road 
  as 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  at 
  different 
  seasons 
  changed 
  their 
  range. 
  When 
  the 
  

   weather 
  was 
  too 
  warm 
  to 
  allow 
  of 
  the 
  shipment 
  of 
  the 
  meat 
  to 
  Eastern 
  

   cities, 
  they 
  killed 
  the 
  creatures 
  for 
  their 
  hides, 
  each 
  hunter 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  

   destroying 
  hundreds 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  mouths, 
  though 
  getting 
  

   hardly 
  enough 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  pay 
  his 
  expenses. 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  enter- 
  

   prising 
  preserved 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  meat 
  by 
  salting 
  and 
  smoking 
  it. 
  As 
  

   no 
  skins 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  from 
  those 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  quarters 
  are 
  taken, 
  am 
  

   animal 
  is 
  thus 
  sacrified 
  for 
  each 
  hide 
  taken 
  and 
  for 
  each 
  saddle 
  saved. 
  

  

  The 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo-hunter 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  hardship 
  aud 
  exposure, 
  and 
  yet 
  

   one 
  of 
  remarkable 
  fascination 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  ever 
  engaged 
  in 
  suck 
  

   pursuits. 
  In 
  winter, 
  owing 
  to 
  sudden 
  changes 
  of 
  temperature, 
  the 
  

   hunter 
  is 
  often 
  in 
  great 
  danger, 
  since 
  he 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  overtaken 
  by 
  

   storms 
  and 
  extreme 
  cold 
  when 
  far 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  prairie, 
  many 
  miles 
  from 
  

   any 
  means 
  of 
  protection. 
  The 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1871-72 
  was 
  

   one 
  of 
  remarkable 
  severity 
  in 
  the 
  West, 
  even 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  the 
  plains 
  

   of 
  JSTorthern 
  Kansas, 
  where, 
  in 
  December, 
  1871, 
  several 
  hunters 
  perished 
  

   from 
  the 
  cold, 
  and 
  many 
  others 
  were 
  maimed 
  from 
  having 
  been 
  frost- 
  

   bitten, 
  some 
  of 
  whom 
  narrowly 
  escaped 
  with 
  their 
  lives. 
  Within 
  the 
  

   winter 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  herds 
  of 
  the 
  Kansas 
  buffaloes, 
  a 
  lone 
  tree 
  

   here 
  and 
  there, 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  some 
  ravine, 
  usually 
  forms 
  the 
  hunter's 
  

   sole 
  dependence 
  for 
  firewood. 
  His 
  own 
  improvidence, 
  however, 
  often 
  

   deprives 
  him 
  of 
  many 
  comforts, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  considerable 
  degree 
  of 
  se- 
  

   curity, 
  which 
  a 
  little 
  trouble 
  and 
  care 
  would 
  secure 
  to 
  him. 
  

  

  The 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  hunter 
  seems 
  always 
  to 
  tend 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  to 
  barbarisDi, 
  

   but 
  evspecially 
  is 
  this 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  buffalo-hunter. 
  The 
  " 
  buffalo 
  

   rangers" 
  of 
  the 
  Ked 
  Eiver 
  Settlements 
  are 
  described 
  by 
  Eoss, 
  Hind, 
  

   and 
  others, 
  as 
  speedily 
  becoming 
  unfitted 
  for 
  agricultural 
  or 
  other 
  civ- 
  

   ilized 
  pursuits. 
  Improvident 
  and 
  unthrifty 
  in 
  their 
  habits, 
  they 
  riot 
  ia 
  

   plenty 
  during 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  again 
  verge 
  upon 
  starvation 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  their 
  annual 
  hunting 
  season. 
  The 
  buffalo-hunter 
  of 
  

   the 
  Plains 
  contrasts 
  unfavorably 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  with 
  his 
  Eocky. 
  

   ^Lountain 
  brother. 
  With 
  the 
  less 
  degree 
  of 
  skill 
  required 
  in 
  the 
  chase 
  

   of 
  the 
  stupid, 
  unwieldy 
  bison, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  tact 
  and 
  caution, 
  

   required 
  in 
  the 
  successful 
  pursuit 
  of 
  the 
  watchful 
  pronghorn, 
  the 
  timid 
  

   deer, 
  the 
  elk, 
  or 
  the 
  bighorn, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  corresponding 
  lack 
  of 
  thrift 
  and 
  

   energy 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  hunter. 
  In 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  buckskin 
  suit 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eocky 
  Mountain 
  hunte 
  •, 
  the 
  buffalo-hunter 
  goes 
  clad 
  in 
  a 
  coarse 
  dress 
  

   of 
  canvas, 
  stiffened 
  with 
  blood 
  and 
  grease. 
  His 
  hair 
  often 
  goes 
  uncufc 
  

   and 
  uncombed 
  for 
  mouths 
  together, 
  and 
  his 
  hands 
  are 
  frequently 
  un- 
  

   washed 
  for 
  many 
  days. 
  The 
  culinary 
  apparatus 
  of 
  a 
  whole 
  party 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  large 
  coffee-pot, 
  a 
  "Dutch-oven," 
  and 
  a 
  skillet, 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  *The 
  hunters 
  appear 
  to 
  generally 
  restrict 
  tbis 
  term 
  to 
  the 
  dressing 
  of 
  the 
  slain 
  aai- 
  

   mals 
  ; 
  " 
  butchering," 
  in 
  their 
  parlance, 
  does 
  7iot 
  include 
  the 
  killing. 
  

  

  