Volume 1

—
64 RAVAGES OF THE BUFFALO.
great heaps of buffalo meat which they had just killed on
the border of the meadow. Here we stopped for the
night.
The Indians told me they had seen a wounded bull,
which must have been shot by the Sioux ; this was enough
We pitched upon an advantageous spot
to give an alarm.
at the entrance of the meadow to defend ourselves in case
of attack.
The Indians had found the ground on which we
tented covered with buffaloes, and shot several, the carcasses
of which lay near us, only lacking the choice bits.
The ravages of buffaloes at this place are astonishing to a
person unaccustomed to these meadows. The beach, once
a soft black mud into which a man would sink knee-deep, is
now made hard as pavement by the numerous herds coming
to drink. The willows are entirely trampled and torn to
pieces ; even the bark of the smaller trees is rubbed off in
many places. The grass on the first bank of the river is
Numerous paths, some of which are a
entirely worn away.
foot deep in the hard turf, come from the plains to the brink
of the river, and the vast quantity of dung gives this place
the appearance of a cattle yard. We have reached the
commencement of the great plains of Red river, where the
eye is lost in one continuous level westward. Not a tree or
rising ground interrupts the view. But on the E. woody
country continues.
Desmarais having arrived with our three horses, I
not refrain
could
from satisfying my curiosity by taking a ride to
view the buffaloes, having never seen any before.
We took our guns and mounted, whilst our men were
arranging camp. We had gone about a mile when we perceived
an animal lying in the grass. We dismounted and
approached upon our bellies within about 30 paces ; it was a
large bull.
I desired my companion, who was an old buffalo
hunter, to fire at him as he lay ; this he declined, as buffalo
can seldom be shot dead in that posture ; he begged me
to start the bull with a shot, when he would be ready to
fire. I aimed as best I could for the heart, and let fly