EfForts to Check the Slaughter 89 



broke up. In some sections the woods were literally 

 full of them. 



With the aid of Sheriff Ingalls, who spoke their lan- 

 guage like a native, we one day drove over 400 Indians 

 out of the nesting, and their retreat back to their farms 

 would have rivaled Bull Run. Five hundred more 

 were met on the road to the nesting and turned back. 

 The number of pigeons these two hordes would have 

 destroyed would have been incalculable. Noticing a 

 handsome bow in the hands of a young Indian, who 

 proved to a son of the old chief, Petoskey, a piece of 

 silver caused its transfer to us, with the remark, "Keene, 

 kensau, mene sic" (now you can go and shoot pigeons), 

 which dusky joke seemed to be appreciated by the rest 

 of the young chief's companions. 



There are in the United States about 5,000 men who 

 pursue pigeons year after year as a business. Pigeon 

 hunters with whom we conversed incognito stated that 

 of this number there were between 400 and 500 at the 

 Petoskey nesting plying their vocation with as many 

 nests, and more arriving upon every train from all parts 

 of the United States. When it is remembered that 

 the village was alive with pigeoners, that nearly everjr 

 house in the vast area of territory covered by the nest- 

 ing sheltered one to six pigeon men, and that many 

 camped out in the woods, the figures will not seem 

 improbable. Every homesteader in the country who 

 owned or could hire an ox team or pair of horses, was 



