345 



CHAP. XVI. 



SAND HILL LAKE TO THE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE 

 SASKATCHEWAN. 



Encounter with a Buffalo Bull. — Interior of Tents. — Barter. — Watchers. — 

 Dogs. — Eyebrow Hill. — Prairies. — Prairies and Plains. — Difference be- 

 tween Prairies and Plains. — Limits of the Prairie Country in the United 

 States. — Growth of Timber in River Bottoms. — Plains in Rupert's Land. 

 — Origin of Prairies. — Grand Coteau de Missouri. — Extent and Boun- 

 daries of. — Character of the Grand Coteau. — Elevation of. — Vegetation 

 of. — Eyebrow Hill. — Source of Qu'appelle. — Buffalo. — Character of 

 Qu'appelle Valley. — Water-marks. — Sandy Hills. — Distribution of 

 Boulders. — Section. — Rock Exposure. — Mis-tick-oos. — Sand-Dunes. — 

 South Branch. — The Qu'appelle Valley. — Cree Camp. — Height of Land. 

 — Section of Valley. — Levels. — Buffalo Pound. — Camp Moving. — "Dead 

 Men." — Old Buffalo Pound. — Horrible Spectacle. — New Pound. — Bringing 

 in Buffalo. — Slaughter in Pound. — "A Talk."— Objections to Half-breeds. 

 — To the H. B. Co. — Demeanour of the Indians. — The Wants of Mis- 

 tick-oos. — His Tent. — His Wives. — Rock Exposure.— Boulders in Valley. 

 — Character of the South Branch. 



Armed with his bow from the bois d'arc, his arrows from 

 the mesaskatomina, neatly feathered with the plumes of 

 the wild duck, and headed with a barb fashioned from a 

 bit of iron hoop, the young Plain Cree threw off his leather 

 hunting shirt, jumped on a horse, and hurried across the 

 valley. Dismounting at the foot of the bank, he rapidly 

 ascended its steep sides, and just before reaching the top, 

 cautiously approached a large boulder which lay on the 

 brink, and crouched behind it. 



The buffalo was within forty yards of the spot where 

 the Indian crouched, and slowly approaching the valley as 

 he leisurely cropped the tufts of parched herbage which 



