I30 AUDUBON 



one in about half an hour. We had quite enough, and the 

 slaughter was ended. We had driven up to the nearest 

 fallen cow, and approached close to her, and found that 

 she was not dead, but trying to rise to her feet. I cannot 

 bear to see an animal suffer unnecessarily, so begged one 

 of the men to take my knife and stab her to the heart, 

 which was done. The animals were cut up and skinned, 

 with considerable fatigue. To skin bulls and cows and 

 cut up their bodies is no joke, even to such as are con- 

 stantly in the habit of doing it. Whilst Mr. Culbertson 

 and the rest had gone to cut up another at some distance, 

 I remained on guard to save the meat from the Wolves, but 

 none came before my companions returned. We found 

 the last cow quite dead. As we were busy about her the 

 rain fell in torrents, and I found my blanket capote of great 

 service. It was now nearly sundown, and we made up our 

 minds to camp close by, although there was no water for 

 our horses, neither any wood. Harris and I began collect 

 ing Buffalo-dung from all around, whilst the others attended 

 to various other affairs. The meat was all unloaded and 

 spread on the ground, the horses made fast, the fire burned 

 freely, pieces of liver were soon cooked and devoured, 

 coffee drunk in abundance, and we went to rest. 



August 5, Saturday. It rained in the night ; but this 

 morning the weather was cool, wind at northwest, and 

 cloudy, but not menacing rain. We made through the 

 road we had come yesterday, and on our way Harris shot 

 a young of the Swift Fox, which we could have caught 

 alive had we not been afraid of running into some hole. 

 We saw only a few bulls and Antelopes, and some Wolves. 

 The white horse, which had gone out as a hunter, returned 

 as a pack-horse, loaded with the entire flesh of a Buffalo 

 cow; and our two mules drew three more and the heads of 

 all four. This morning at daylight, when we were called to 

 drink our coffee, there was a Buffalo feeding within twenty 

 steps of our tent, and it moved slowly towards the hills as 



