Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-07-07
From Catlin's Notes in the West.
HUNTING BUFFALOES.

Il HUNTING BUFFALOES.
I The chief hunting amusement of the
] Indians In these parts consists in the
chase Of the buffalo, which is almost in
variably done on horseback, with bow
and lance. In this exercise, which is
highly priced by them, as one of their
most valued amusements, as well as for
the principal mode of procuring meat
for their substance, they become ex-
ceedingly expert, and are able to Stay
these huge Animals with apparent ease.
\ In the dead of winter, which
is very long and severely cold in this
country, where horses cannot be brought
into the chase with any avail, the In
dian runs upon the surface of the snow
by the aid of his shoes, which
buoy him up, while the great weight of
the buffalo sinks them down to the
middle of their sides, and completely
stopping their progress, insures them
certain and easy victims to the bow and
lance of their pursuers. The snow in
these regions often lies during the win
ter to the depth of three and four feet,
being blown away from the tops and
sides Of the hills in many places, which
are left bare for the bufaloes to Craze
upon, whilst it is drifted in the hollows
and ravines to very great depth, and
rendered almost entirely impossible to
these huge animals, which, when close
ly pursued by their enemies, endeavor
TO plunge through it, but are soon we'd
ged in and almost unable to move,
where they fall an easy prey to the In
dian, who runs up lightly upon his snow
shoes, and drives his lance to their
hearts. The skins are then stripped
off, to be sold to the Fur Traders, and
s, the carcasses left to the wolves. This
is the season in which the greatest
number of these animals are destroyed
for their robes-they are most easily
killed at this time, and their hair or fur
being longer and more abundant, gives
greater value to the robes.
There are several varieties of the wolf
species in this country, the most for
midable and numerous of which are
white, often sneaking about in gsngs
or families of fifty or sixty, in number,
appearing at distance, ON the green
prairies, like nothing bat a flock of
sheep. Many of these animals grow
to very great size, being, l should
think, quite match for the largest
Newfoundland dog. Atpresent, whilst
the bufaloes are so abundant, and
these ferocious animals are glutted with
the buffalo's flesh, they are harmless,
and every where they sneak away from
mans presence, which | scarcely think
will be the case when the bufaloes are
all gone, and they are left, as they must
be, with scarcely any thing to eat
They always are seen following about
in tie vicinity of herds of bufaloes, and
stand ready to pich the bones of those
that the hunters leave on the ground,
or to overtake and devour those that
are wounded, which fall an easy prey
to them. While the herd of bufaloes
are together, they seem to have little
dread of the wolf, and allow them to
eome in close company with them.--
The Indian then, has taken advantage
of this fact, and often places himself
under the skin of this animal, and
crawls for a mile or two on his hands
and knees, until he approaches within
few rods of the unsuspecting group
and easily shoots nown the latest of
the throng."
During the season of the year whilst
the calves are young, the male seems
to stroll about by the side of the dam,
as if for the purpose of protecting the
young, at which time it is exceedingly
hazardous to attack them, as they are
sure to turn upon their pufsuers. The
buffalo calf, during the first six months
is red, and has so much the appearance
of a red calf in cultivated fields, that it
could easily be mingled and mistaken
amongst them. In the fall, when it
changes its hair, it takes a brown coat
for the winter, which it always retains.
In pursuing large herd of bufaloes
at the season when their calves are but |
few weeks old, I have often been ex-
eeedingiy amused at the curious ma
neuvres of these shy little things. A
midst the laundering confusion of a
throng of several hundreds or proba-
oily of several thousands of these
animals, there will be many of the
calves that viii lose sight Of their dams: