Volume 1

THUNDER SHOWER—BELLOWING BULLS. 407
this lower route to the Missourie is by far
more dangerous
than that by which we went. Our track is now on the
Sioux frontiers, and should they fall in with us, we could
expect no mercy, as they have never been known to give
By the upper
any quarter to white people in this country.
route there is nothing to dread but horses being stolen by
•the Assiniboines, and we run the same risk by this lower
road, as Indians are continually going to and from the
Missourie, who steal horses wherever they can. Having
rested, we pushed forward on a gradual descent ; our road
now lay through a delightful part of the country, level, but
elevated, intercepted by small round hillocks in the shape
of sugar loaves, some of which are of a considerable height,
and covered with herds of bufTalo. We also had in view in
our front, and upon our right and left, several small rivulets,
whose banks in some places were covered with stunted
willows and poire bushes, the branches of which were
loaded with fruit at full maturity.
At five o'clock, just as we were directing our course
toward a clump of small trees which grew on one of those
brooks, we were overtaken by a thunder shower, with a
gale of wind from the E. Our baggage and clothing were
soon soaked, and our horses turned tail to the wind, in
spite of beating and driving. We could not make them
face the storm ; they would only drift with the wind.
We, therefore, halted, but did not unload till the fury of
the storm was over, when we directed our course to the
wood, where we arrived about dark, everything drenched
and uncomfortable. The buffalo, now at the height of
the rutting season, kept bellowing all night. During
this season they are in continual motion day and night,
scarcely allowing themselves time to feed ;
several herds
passed quite near our camp, bellowing and tearing up the
ground. The bulls at this period are very fierce ;
they
often turn upon a man and pursue him for some distance.
The noise of those animals made our horses very uneasy.
At every bellow they were startled, and ran toward us as