BUFFALO AND MUSK OX 
extremity to a considerable distance into the Plains between the 
Platte and Arkansas Rivers, and along the eastern frontier of New 
Mexico, as far south as Texas.” 
Fr£mont was, of course, at that time unaware of the existence of buffalo 
in Manitoba and Athabasca. The death knell of the buffalo was sounded by 
the building of the Union Pacific Railway which, in 1867, reached Cheyenne, 
in the very heart of their country. It cut the buffalo into two herds, which 
were known respectively as the northern and southern herd, and let loose 
upon them a great horde of white men hunting both for meat and skins, 
and armed with rifles of precision. Again, the Santa F6 Railroad crossed 
Kansas in 1871, and invaded the summer home of the southern herd, 
now, according to Hornaday, reduced to about 4,000,000. Then began the 
second great massacre. During the next three years nearly 3,600,000 
buffalo were killed. A few scattered herds survived for a few years, and 
the last band was seen in the “Panhandle” of Texas in 1886; the last 
individuals of the southern herd were seen in New Mexico. One was shot 
and the other four were killed later. 
In the last four years of the northern herd, in 1881, 1882, 1883 and 1884, 
hunters shipped out 50,000, 200,000, 40,000, and 300 skins, and in 1885 not 
one. A small remnant eked out a precarious existence in the mountains 
of Wyoming until the winter of 1886 when the last were killed. 
The last seen on the Upper Saskatchewan were in 1888 and 1889. 
I was hunting in the Big Horns one day in September, 1886, when I came 
on the fresh track of a large buffalo bull. The trail was found in an open 
park, but soon went into the timber, where my hunter and I followed it. 
For two hours we managed to hold the line through dense forest, and 
were much excited to find that we were close behind the bull, as fresh 
droppings, quite warm, were seen twice. Whilst descending a steep hill, 
we suddenly heard a tremendous crash in front, followed by other noises 
of breaking sticks, clearly showing that the game had been alarmed. 
Running forward, we expected to see the buffalo, which we could now hear 
galloping along the edge of the wood below, but he kept closely to the edge 
of the timber and did not come into view. On reaching the spot where the 
bull had started we soon found the cause of alarm to have been a grizzly 
bear, which had crossed in front of the buffalo and given its wind to the 
nervous bovine. This was very bad luck, yet we continued on the spoor 
until dusk in an arduous chase, for the frightened animal led us over some 
terrible country. The buffalo continued to gallop for nearly an hour and 
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