482 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



putting their dismounted riders to flight for their lives. Sometimes 

 their dense crowd was opened, and the blinded horsemen, too intent on 

 their prey amidst the cloud of dust, were hemmed and wedged in amidst 

 the crowding beasts, over whose bar:ks they were obliged to leap for 

 security, leaving their horses to the fate that might await them in the 

 results of this wild and desperate war. Many were the bulls that turned 

 upon their assailants and met them with desperate resistance, and many 

 w^ere the warriors who were dismounted and saved themselves by the 

 superior muscles of their legs ; some who were closely pursued by the 

 bulls wheeled suddenly around, and snatching the part of a buffalo robe 

 from around their waists, threw it over the horns and eyes of the iu- 

 furiated ibeast, and darting by its side drove the arrow or the lance lo 

 its heart; others suddenly dashed off upon the prairie by the side of 

 the affrighted animals which had escaped from the throng, aud closely 

 escorting them for a few rods, brought down their heart's blood in 

 streams and their huge carcasses upon the green aud enameled turf. 



u In this way this grand hunt soon resolved itself into a desperate 

 battle, and in the space of fifteen minutes resulted in the total destruction 

 of the whole herd, which in all their strength and fury were doomed, like 

 every beast aud living thing else, to fall before the destroying hands of 

 mighty man. 



"I had sat in trembling silence upon my horse and witnessed this 

 extraordinary scene, which allowed not one of these animals to escape 

 out of my sight. Many plunged off upon the prairie for a distance, but 

 were overtaken and killed, and although I could not distinctly estimate 

 the number that were slain, yet I am sure that some hundreds of these 

 noble animals fell in this grand melee. * * * Amongst the poor 

 affrighted creatures that had occasionally dashed through the ranks of 

 their enemy and sought safety in flight upon the prairie (and in some 

 instances had undoubtedly gained it), I saw them stand awhile, looking 

 back, when they turned, and, as if bent on their own destruction, re- 

 traced their steps, and mingled themselves and their deaths with those 

 of the dying throng. Others had fled to a distance on the prairies, and 

 for want of company, of friends or of foes, had stood and gazed on till 

 the battle-scene was over, seemingly taking pains to stay and hold their 

 lives in readiness for their destroyers until the general destruction was 

 over, wheu they fell easy victims to their weapons, making the slaugh- 

 ter complete." 



It is to be uoticed that every animal of this entire herd of several hun- 

 dred was slain on the spot, aud there is no room to doubt that at least 

 halt (possibly much more) of the meat thus taken was allowed to be- 

 come a loss. People who are so utterly senseless as to wantonly de- 

 stroy their own source of food, as the Indians have done, certainly 

 deserve to starve. 



This "surround" method of wholesale slaughter was also practiced 



