as I lay in my bed, but I was so tired I soon dropped off to sleep. 
The next morning I felt as fresh as a young buck in the fall of 
the year, and was highly pleased with Bill, my guide. I could see 
he was in good standing with all the Indians we had so far stopped 
with, but he told me that all the tribes were not so friendly with 
the Cherokees as they had been civilized for a long time, and some 
of the blanket tribes did not like them, and should they start anything, 
to play the bullets on them the same as I would a deer. He said: 
“Take the start, then keep it.” . 
After breakfast I had to show the Delawares all my tricks in 
trapping, and after my exhibition was over we planned a buffalo 
hunt, and I was very anxious to take a part in it. Bill had told the 
Indians that Bill McCline said lie had seen a bunch of buffalo on 
Cob Creek. 
The next day about twenty ponies were saddled—eight pack 
ponies, and twelve to ride. Altogether with Bill and I there were 
fourteen hunters. We traveled about all day, striking camp on the 
headwaters of Cob Creek. We could see signs of buffalo, but as yet 
had not seen any. Early the next morning we had our breakfast, 
which was a comparatively short job as the squaws had cooked up 
plenty, and about all we had to do was to make coffee. To our right 
there was a high ridge which the Indians said we woidd ride to, as 
from there we could see a long way, and if there were any buffalo 
in the country we would see them. 
When we reached the ridge we could see no buffalo. Old Bed 
Blanket, an Indian, said: “We will stay on this ridge until we locate 
them, as this is the highest point of view in these parts.” For at 
least three hours we stayed there, always on the watch. Suddenly 
we heard distant rifle shots; we all looked in the direction from which 
we heard them coming, but all we could see at first was a cloud of 
dust, then a few black specks in it. One of the Indians said that it 
was buffalo, and they were headed our Avay. We could see them as 
thej'' struck the high places, and as they struck the low lands they 
would go out of sight. By and by Ave could see them plainer and 
could tell they really Avere buffalo headed our way. As they crossed 
the second ridge from us the Indians told us how to encircle them. 
Some of them Avent straight toward them. A\diile others went toward 
them from a different angle. They got to the last ridge we had ridden 
down in the valley between the tAvo ridges; here they came down the 
hill and as they struck the flat Ave closed in on them. Each Indian 
chose a different buffalo; of course I did the same. As the buffalo 
had already ran fully two miles, they had begun to fag and it Avas 
no trick to over take them horseback. I ran onto a young bull, fired 
four shots at him, but he did not drop; the last shot broke one of his 
forelegs and he turned to make a fight and I let him have it in the 
forehead. 
This Avas my first buffalo hunt, and I didn’t admire it at all; 
the poor brutes had no chance to get aAvay as the ponies could run 
after him and stay Avith him until there Avas no chance to get aAvay, 
unless he could run into brush. There were eight buffalo killed, and 
— 64 — 
