330 



WESTERN STATES 



Hunini!^ Ihid Horses. 



Badger. 



the \ irginia deer, are found m the Western States, 



purpose of obtaining these animals, which 

 in the wild state preserve all their fleetness, 

 they go in large parties to the country of the 

 Red Canadian River, where they are to be 

 found in considerable numbers. When 

 they discover a troop of horses, they dis- 

 tribute themselves into three parties, two 

 of which take their stations at different and 

 proper distances on the route, which, by 

 previous experience, they know the iiorses 

 will most probably take when endeavoring 

 to escape. This arrangement being com- 

 pleted, the first party commences the pur- 

 suit in the direction of their colleagues, at 

 whose position they at length arrive. The 

 second party then continues the chase with 

 fresh horses, and pursues the fugitives to 

 the third party, which generally succeeds in 

 so far running them down, as to noose and 

 capture a considerable number of them." 



The domestic horse is an object of 

 great value to the Nomadic tribes of In- 

 dians, that frequent the extensive plains of 

 the Saskatchawan and Missouri ; for it is 

 not only useful in transporting their tents 

 and families from place to place, but one 

 of the highest objects of the ambition of 

 a young Indian is, to possess a good horse 

 for the chase of the bufi'alo, an exercise 

 of which he is passionately fond. To 

 steal the horse of an adverse tribe is con- 

 sidered to be nearly as heroic an exploit 

 as killing an enemy on the field of battle ; 

 and the distance to which they occasiona'- 

 ly travel, and the privations they undergo, 

 on their horse-stealing excursions, are al- 

 most incredible. An Indian who owns a 

 horse, scarcely ever ventures to sleep after 

 nightfall, but sits at the tent door, with the 

 halter in one hand, and his gun in (he other, 

 the horse's fore legs being tied together with 

 thongs of leather. Notwithstanding all 

 this care, however, it often happens, that 

 the hunter, suft'ei'Ing himself to be over- 

 powered with sleep only for a few min- 

 utes, awakes from the noise made by the 

 thief galloping ofl^ with the animal. 



The native animals of this vast region 

 have been particularly described under the 

 head of North America ; it will only be 

 necessary here to enumerate them. The 

 bison, or American buffalo, is perhaps the 

 most valuable of the wild animals of the 

 west. The Rocky Mountain sheep and the 

 Rocky Mountain goat, or bighorn, are con- 

 fined to the remote recesses of the moun- 

 tain. The wapiti, or American elk, and 

 but the black-tailed or mule deer, the long- 



