40 
BUFFALO. 
was rather uncomfortable, as we had unfortunately lost our molars long 
ago. 
The Bison is sometimes more abundant in particular districts one year 
than another, and is probably influenced in its wandei’ings by the mildness 
or severity of the weather, as well as by the choice it makes of the best 
pasturage and most quiet portions of the prairies. While we were at Fort 
Union, the hunters were during the month of June obliged to go out twenty- 
five or thirty miles to procure Buflalo meat, although at other times, the 
animal was quite abundant in sight of the fort. The tramping of a large 
herd, in wet weather, cuts up the soft clayey soil of the river bottoms, (we 
do not not mean the bottom of rivers,) into a complete mush. One day> 
when on our journey up the Missouri river, we landed on one of the nar- 
row strips of land called bottoms, which formed the margin of the river 
and was backed by hilts of considerable height at a short distance. At 
this spot the tracks of these animals were literally innumerable, as 
far as the eye could reach in every direction, the plain wa.s covered with 
them ; and in some places the soil had been so trampled as to resemble 
mud or claj^, when prepared for making bricks. The trees in the vicinity 
w ere lubbed by these buffaloes, and their hair and wool were hanging on 
the rough bark or lying at their roots. We collected some of this wool, we 
think it might be usefully worked up into coarse cloth, and consider it 
wmrth attention. The roads that are made by these animals, so much re- 
semble the tracks left by a large wagon-train, that the inexperienced 
traveller may occasionally imagine himself following the course of an or- 
dinary wagon-road. These great tracks run for hundreds of miles across 
the prairies, and are usually found to lead to some salt-spring, or some 
river or creek, where the animals can allay their thirst. 
The captain of the steamboat on which we ascended the Missouri, inform- 
ed us, that on his last annual voyage up that river, he had caught several 
Buffaloes, that were swimming the river. The boat was run close upon 
them, they were lassoed by a Spaniard, who happened to be on board, and 
then hoisted on the deck, where they were butchered secundum artem. One 
day we saw several that had taken to the water, and were coming towards 
our boat. We passed so near them, that we fired at them, but did not pro- 
cure a single one. On another occasion, one was killed from the shore, and 
brought onboard, when it was immediately divided among the men. We 
were greatly surprised to see some of the Indians, that were going up with 
us, a, sk for certain portions of the entrails, which they devoured"’ with the 
greatest voracity. This gluttony excited our curiosity, and being always 
willing to ascertain the quality of any sort of meat, we tasted some of this 
