﻿582 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  table-set 
  of 
  a 
  tin 
  cup 
  to 
  each 
  man, 
  the 
  latter 
  vessel 
  often 
  consisting 
  

   merely 
  of 
  a 
  battered 
  fruit-can. 
  Each 
  man's 
  hunting-knife 
  not 
  only 
  does 
  

   duty 
  in 
  butcheriug 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  but 
  is 
  the 
  sole 
  implement 
  used 
  in 
  de- 
  

   spatching 
  his 
  food, 
  supplying 
  the 
  places 
  of 
  spoon 
  and 
  fork 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  knife. 
  

   The 
  bill 
  of 
  fare 
  consists 
  of 
  strong 
  coffee, 
  often 
  without 
  milk 
  or 
  sugar, 
  

   "yeast 
  powder 
  bread," 
  and 
  buffalo 
  meat 
  fried 
  in 
  buffalo 
  tallow. 
  When 
  

   the 
  meal 
  is 
  cooked, 
  the 
  party 
  encircle 
  the 
  skillet, 
  dip 
  their 
  bread 
  in 
  the 
  

   fat, 
  and 
  eat 
  their 
  meat 
  with 
  their 
  fingers. 
  When 
  bread 
  fails, 
  as 
  often 
  

   happens, 
  " 
  buffalo 
  straight," 
  or 
  buffalo 
  meat 
  alone, 
  affords 
  them 
  nour- 
  

   ishing 
  sustenance. 
  Occasionally^, 
  however, 
  the 
  fare 
  is 
  varied 
  with 
  the 
  

   addition 
  of 
  potatoes 
  and 
  canned 
  fruits. 
  They 
  sleep 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  

   open 
  air, 
  in 
  winter 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  summer, 
  subjected 
  to 
  every 
  inclemency 
  

   of 
  the 
  weather. 
  As 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  imagined, 
  a 
  buffalo-hunter, 
  at 
  the 
  end' 
  

   of 
  the 
  season, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  prepossessing 
  in 
  his 
  appearance, 
  being, 
  in 
  

   addition 
  to 
  his 
  filthy 
  aspect, 
  a 
  paradise 
  for 
  hordes 
  of 
  nameless 
  parasites. 
  

   They 
  are 
  yet 
  a 
  rollicking 
  set, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  include 
  men 
  of 
  intelli- 
  

   gence, 
  who 
  formerly 
  possessed 
  an 
  ordinary 
  degree 
  of 
  refinement. 
  Gen- 
  

   erally 
  none 
  are 
  more 
  conscious 
  of 
  their 
  unfitness 
  for 
  civilized 
  society 
  

   than 
  themselves, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  of 
  such 
  free 
  border-life 
  they 
  can 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  abandon 
  it 
  and 
  resume 
  the 
  restraints 
  of 
  civili- 
  

   zation. 
  

  

  Although 
  successful 
  in 
  the 
  pursuit 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  their 
  success 
  arises 
  

   from 
  the 
  unsuspicious 
  nature 
  of 
  their 
  victims 
  rather 
  than 
  from 
  skill 
  in 
  

   the 
  use 
  or 
  selection 
  of 
  their 
  arms. 
  The 
  improved 
  breech-loading 
  United 
  

   States 
  musket 
  is 
  their 
  favorite 
  weapon, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  will 
  use 
  no 
  

   other. 
  A 
  few 
  employ 
  Sharp's 
  and 
  Winchester 
  rifles; 
  arms 
  of 
  small 
  

   caliber, 
  however, 
  they 
  generally 
  despise. 
  Yet 
  with 
  these 
  heavy 
  arms, 
  

   used, 
  as 
  thej^ 
  are, 
  at 
  short 
  range, 
  only 
  about 
  one 
  shot 
  in 
  three 
  proves 
  

   fatal, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  poor 
  beasts 
  getting 
  but 
  a 
  broken 
  leg 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  fatal 
  

   shot.* 
  This 
  is 
  owing 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  carelessness 
  or 
  lack 
  of 
  skill 
  in 
  shooting, 
  

   and 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  inaccuracy 
  of 
  the 
  arms. 
  However 
  good 
  the 
  gun 
  may 
  

   be 
  originally, 
  it 
  soon 
  deteriorates 
  and 
  is 
  eventually 
  ruined 
  by 
  rough 
  

   usage. 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  hunters 
  have 
  good 
  guns, 
  take 
  good 
  care 
  of 
  them, 
  

   and 
  use 
  them 
  effectively, 
  killing 
  their 
  game 
  as 
  readily 
  at 
  three 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  four 
  hundred 
  yards 
  as 
  do 
  the 
  others 
  at 
  one-fourth 
  that 
  distance. 
  A 
  

   rifle 
  having 
  a 
  calibre 
  of 
  y^^ 
  inches 
  is 
  as 
  effective 
  a 
  weapon 
  against 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  as 
  need 
  be 
  used,. 
  it 
  accurate 
  and 
  skillfully 
  employed, 
  the 
  fatality 
  

   of 
  the 
  shot 
  depending 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  upon 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  ball 
  used 
  as 
  

   upon 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  hit. 
  I 
  have 
  seen, 
  for 
  instance, 
  an 
  old 
  buf- 
  

   falo 
  bull 
  shot 
  entirely 
  through 
  the 
  body 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  thirty 
  yards 
  by 
  a 
  ball 
  from 
  a 
  six-pound 
  rifle, 
  having 
  a 
  calibre 
  of 
  

   only 
  jYo 
  iJiches, 
  the 
  wound 
  killing 
  the 
  animal 
  almost 
  instantly. 
  

  

  4.— 
  DOMESTICATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BUFFALO. 
  

  

  Islow 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  apparently 
  so 
  nearly 
  exterminated, 
  it 
  is 
  greatly 
  

   to 
  be 
  regretted, 
  not 
  only 
  that 
  its 
  ultimate 
  extinction 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  rai)- 
  

   idly 
  hastened 
  by 
  improvident 
  and 
  wanton 
  slaughter, 
  but 
  that 
  no 
  per- 
  

   sistent 
  attempts 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  utilize 
  this 
  valuable 
  animal 
  

   by 
  domestication. 
  jS'ever, 
  perhaps, 
  was 
  the 
  time 
  more 
  favorable 
  for 
  

   such 
  experiments 
  than 
  now, 
  since 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  only 
  intelligent 
  settlers 
  

   living 
  within 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  its 
  range, 
  where 
  the 
  experiments 
  

   might 
  be 
  tried 
  without 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  risks 
  that 
  would 
  attend 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  When 
  returning 
  from 
  a 
  buffalo-hnnt 
  on 
  the 
  Kansas 
  plains 
  in 
  January, 
  1872, 
  my 
  

   party 
  fell 
  in 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  band 
  of 
  these 
  unfortunates, 
  about 
  thirty 
  in 
  number, 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  in 
  some 
  way 
  maimed, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  having 
  broken 
  legs. 
  

  

  