146 AUDUBON 



gang, before they jump over to clean and skin the mur- 

 dered herd. Even the children shoot small, short arrows 

 to assist in the destruction. It happens sometimes how- 

 ever, that the leader of the herd will be restless at the 

 sight of the precipices, and if the fence is weak will 

 break through it, and all his fellows follow him, and 

 escape. The same thing sometimes takes place in the 

 pen, for so full does this become occasionally that the ani- 

 mals touch each other, and as they cannot move, the very 

 weight against the fence of the pen is quite enough 

 to break it through; the smallest aperture is sufficient, 

 for in a few minutes it becomes wide, and all the beasts 

 are seen scampering over the prairies, leaving the poor 

 Indians starving and discomfited. Mr. Kipp told me 

 that while travelling from Lake Travers to the Mandans, 

 in the month of August, he rode in a heavily laden cart 

 for six successive days through masses of Buffaloes, which 

 divided for the cart, allowing it to pass without opposi- 

 tion. He has seen the immense prairie back of Fort 

 Clark look black to the tops of the hills, though the 

 ground was covered with snow, so crowded was it with 

 these animals; and the masses probably extended much 

 further. In fact it is impossible to describe or even conceive 

 the vast multitudes of these animals that exist even now, 

 and feed on these ocean-like prairies. 



August 12, Saturday. Harris, Bell, and Owen went 

 after Buffaloes ; killed six cows and brought them home. 

 Weather cloudy, and rainy at times. Provost returned 

 with La Fleur this afternoon, had nothing, but had seen 

 a Grizzly Bear. The " Union " was launched this even- 

 ing and packing, etc., is going on. I gave a memoran- 

 dum to Jean Baptiste Moncr^vier of the animals I wish 

 him to procure for me. 



August 13, Sunday. A most beautiful day. About 

 dinner time I had a young Badger brought to me dead ; I 

 bought it, and gave in payment two pounds of sugar. The 



