Volume 1

PARK RIVER REACHED. 89
drink. We observed, also, on the opposite beach no fewer
than seven bears drinking, all at the same time. The red
deer were whistling in every direction, but our minds were
not sufficiently at ease to enjoy our situation. A large
white wolf, prowling rather imprudently, came within a few
yards of us, and I shot him dead. When the canoes
arrived the men swore they had seen horse tracks along the
shore, but I did not believe them, as I supposed it to be
buffalo tracks. Desmarais and myself nearly made the
same mistake. On arrival at the Bois Perce yesterday we
found the fresh track, as we supposed, of a horse along the
beach, where the ground was too hard for the print of the
hoof to penetrate ; we followed it for some distance, persuaded
it was a horse track, till, coming to a soft spot, we
perceived the cleft prints of a buffalo's hoofs. About dusk
it began to rain hard, and continued through the night. I
had great difTficulty to keep my horse from going back in
search of Crow's mare ; he is a headstrong, powerful beast,
and requires a strong double codline to hold him.
Sept. 8th. The rain ceased, but the wind continued
strong and cold. At eight o'clock I sent the canoes off \
Desmarais and myself went on horseback. The buffaloes
were all in motion, crossing from E. to W. side of the river,
and directing their course toward the Hair hills as fast as
they could walk. We chased several herds, and had fine
sport, but killed only two fine fat cows. We each carried
a small load of meat down to the river, for the canoes to
take as they passed by. Here I lost one of my spurs. We
determined to run buffalo no more, as it might be the
means of our discovery by the Sioux. Having hung up
the meat in a tree near the river, we set out, and did not
stop until we reached Park river,^ at two o'clock. Here we
*Park r., orig. R. aux Pares of the F., arises by many headwaters in the
elevated lands which continue S. from the Pembina mts., draining S. E. and
then E. into the Red r. Some of its upper waters are in Cavalier and Pembina
COS., N. Dak.; but most of these, and the whole of the main stream which
they compose, run in Walsh Co., and empty about the S. E. section of the N,