The New York herald., 1870-12-19
NEW YORK HERALD MONDAY DECEMBER s7o-TR1PLE

only once day. that being at night, when each
equal to four pounds Of fresh % meat. at The dogs
get no water but eat snow as substitute, and sleep
ing Sometimes they are not arnessed as on trio
In consequence OF their liability to run away or
tnelr nerceness when when being h narnessea up tine the
about two feet long, with a very heavy rawhlde
thong Of the same enth and several small pieces OF
TIN attached TO the upper end OF the stick where the
lash Is attached. The driver always stops the train
and takes dog out OF harness before nogglng him
for misconduct, and when he does punish an animal
IL Is IN the most cruel manner, beating him over the
head IN AL cases. In doing this the pieces OF tin
make great ngling, and as the driver runs along
behind the sedge he has only TO call shirkng dog
by name and rattle the tin to arouse the animal
very suddenly. long strip OF rawhlde drags upon
driver holds It back whenever descending
into hollow. When the travelling Is bad and the
dogs liable become disabled by the ice on thin
crust little moccaslns put upon their feet. Their
average rate or speed with load OF 100 pounds per
dog, Is forty miles per day; but in an emergency
with good snow. they can make seventy miles.
Journeys OF many hundred miles are made with
such sedges in the depth Of winter and one hardly
OF the dogs or the endurance OF the driver who
along behind. Very often at night when several
dog sledges are coupled together the men sleeping
In their robes and blankets on the snow some old
dog viii rise up and let out prolonged dismal howl
Instantly another joins in and IN few moments
every dog VIII get up into sitting position and
unite chorus Of howling, which, II not checked,
would soon make raving maniac OF the
The dogs article OF trafc the same as horses
and sell at from five to twenty-five dollars apiece,
according TO quality there being as much difference
in the Willingness" and bottom OF dogs as Of
horses.
are already so well known that they need no elabo-
rate description. Everybody In the Northwest Ter
ritory wears them In winter, ana those accustomed
to their use Will make journeys OF hundreds Of miles
with them. travelling at from thirty to forty miles
per day. The Norwegian snow shoe now being IN
troduced into Minnesota by the Scandinavian immi-
grants are very different from the American snow
shoe and consist OF thin strip or wood about tour
inches wide and ten feet long. This IS turned up
little in front and has piece OF hog skin, with the
brstles attached fastened to the under part OF the
rear Of the Rs strip SO as to prevent il rom slipping
them along as he travels, and when de-
scending a hill he puts them to the same
use as the runners OF sleigh and glldes down at
great speed. He uses pole to assist him In ascent
ing eminences, and can travel faster with these
seemingly unwieldly runners attached to his feet
than the Red River man Will with his light Indian
snow shoes.
THE FUR ANIMALS,
to the pursuit Of which all this outlay organization,
intellect and endurance are devoted, consist OF
reindeer musk OK, moose elk, bear; beaver, otter,
rat, &c. whose habits are familiar To every reader
OF natural history The black fox skins are the most
valuable. These compose the imperial robes OF
Russia, and sometimes bring as high as $3.50 piece
The red fox skins go 10 China. they being the royal
Iur OF that empire. The ermine caught IN this coun
try Is small white weasel, different from
the royal ermine OF Great Britain, and is
not very valuable article Fisher, marten and
collected In great numbers. Millions OF muskrat
SKINS are thrown into market every year, and many
q lady pays large sum to the fur dealers for set
of rat furs which cost eight ten cents skin and
when are IN, made up SO as TO & resemble the more
bring from eight to ten cents piece. mink irom
81 so to So So marten from So so to S. fisher from
SIS to S. otter rom So to s. and beaver from 81 SO
to So. These, of course, are the prices paid by
traders to the hunters who bring the skins in from
| The plains. The carefully assorted marten skins
from the far north are worth from 81 to SIS piece
1
| IS EACH The furs are packed in bales and
shipped n IN large , assortments , the Hudson
don, where 1t has two great auction sales
each year. Russian dealers purchase more than any
| Chinese demand. The United States are supplied
principally by the independent fur traders, who
ship their furS via st. Paul to New York. Long eX-
| perience Is necessary 10 qualify man for good
| Judge OF furs, ana such individuals command high
positions IN the service Of the company. Furs are
! assorted when first packed at the trading posts
| again when shipped and again on their arrival in
London, the finest being selected from all lots, care.
| fully matched and sold ut very nigh prices.
1 THE BUFFALO,
! now rapidly disappearing from the country. has
| long been an important item Of the Hudson Bay
Company's trade, and is still hunted to considera-
bic extent. About forty thousand buffalo robes go
from Red River into the markets OF the United
States and Canada every year, together with much
| larger quantity from the Missouri plains. None
or these robes go abroad. but all are consumed in
season cOmmencesin November and lasts ali through
the winter. At this period OF the year the skins
those taken s IN sum- The hunters and Indians
attack the herds IN great numbers, slaughtering the
bufialoes by thousands, living upon the best por
tions Of the meat, and preserving only the skins,
which. after being dressed are packed In bales and
shipped East The favorite Indian method OF buffalo
hunting is to drive the animals into an immense
enclosure Of stakes and bushes planted on tho
pans ana tnen sho1t s tae frantic animals % 2!
tions In the Saskatchewan district gives the follow
| ing graphic description Of the Indian hunt
! 1--WE passed through the camp to a place which
| the chiefs son pointed out and there erected
| our tents. Tne women were still employed
in moving the camp, being assisted IN the
operation by large NUMBERS OF dogs, each dog hav-
! ing two poles harncssed to him, on which his little
load OF meat, pemmican or camp furniture was laid
| After another smoke the chiefs son asked me,
through the interpreter II would like to the old
buffalo pound, in which they had been entrapping
plIance accompanied the guide to q little valley
between sand hills, through lane of branches Of
trees, which are called 'dead men, TO the gate or
| trap Of the pound. sight most horrible and dis
! gustng broke upon us as we assembled sand dune
oyerhanging the little dell in which the pound was
built. Within circular fence 120 feet broad, con-
structed Of the trunks OF trees laced with willows
together and braced by outside supports lay tossed
| in every conceivable position, over two hundred
dead buiraloes. From old bulls to calves OF three
/ months old animals OF every age were huddled
| Some lay on their backs, with eyes starting from
their heads tongues thrust out through ciotted
| gore. Others were impaed on the horns Of the old
strong bulls. Others again, which had been tossed
| were lying with broken backs two and three Deep
One little calf hung suspended on the horns of bull
| which nau lMpaieu ~ III lle WllQ race round ana
| round the pound The Indians looked upon the
dreadful and sckentng scene with evident deli ght
| and told how such and such bull or cow had ex-
| hibited wonderful feats OF strength in the death
| struggle. The flesh Of many of the COWS had been
taken from them and was drying in the sun on
stages the tents 1t is needless say that the
odor was 0verpowefing, and millions OF large blue
flesh flies humming and buzztng over the putrefying
bodies was not the least disgusting part Of the
| spectacle. At my request the chiefs son jumped
Into the pound and with q small axe Knocked
OF half dozen pair OF horns which wished
to preserve IN memory OF this terrible slaughter.
Tomorrow" said my companion, "you see
After the first .run," ten days before we arrived.
the Indians had driven about two hundred buffalo
| into the enclosure and were still urging on tho
remainder Of the herd, when one wary old bail.
espying narrow crevice which had not been closed
by the robes Of those the Outside whose duty II
was to conceal every orince, made dash and
broke the fence; the whole body then ran helter
! sketer through the gap, and dispensing among the
| the sand dunes escaped, with the exception OF