Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-09-22

Of country living between it and the
Upper Missouri. Old hunters with
whom | have talked say that tive wears
viii finish the business. The facility
with which Quilts can be procured and
the feeding grounds reached from the
new railroad towns and the cumpara-
lively chrapncSS of transportation for
the hides to Ea TEN markets has caused
a great increase in tn ianks OF the men
who make buffalo killing trade during
the winter months. Larye numbers of
the animals are killed by the Sioux.
Cheyenncs, Grows. and other Indian
tribes, but the greatest destruction is
by the sliillfUl white men. who 90 at
the work in IN intelligent, SYSTEM
attic way for all the money there is
in it.
The Indians kill the year round for
meat. but the white hunters only go out
in the winter. when the hides have Il
lur-lile quality ard can be converted
into buffalo robes. a skin taken in the
SUMMER is only good for leather. A
buffalo hunting outfit usually consists of
one or two hunters, two sknncrs to each
hunter, two or three teams and wagons,
cook, and 4 stock of ammunition and
provisions. One man, usually 4 prac-
teal hunter, owns the outfit and pay,
the other men II monthly salary. Ar
rived upon the range dug-out is con-
slrnctcd by cuttin g, an opening in si,ic
hill, rooming it with hides or with
bOughs and dirt. This is the home of
the party. \ sheet-iron stove or IL flee
place of stones and mud warns to.
burrow and hide serves for door.
The hunters scOur the country on their
horses for signs of the proximity of
herd. When they discover such signs
they do not gallop on. find the herd.
dash among them and kill right and
left. That is the way buffalo hunting is
done in the pictures in the school @eoS-
raphleS, and it is the way the Indians
who are after meat often hunt. The
white man is too smart. He wants to
kill as many animals us possible with
out stampeding the herd. First he
caches his horse, concealing him in
a "coolie" or guilty. the right word is
the French couler, but Western usage
has corrupted it to COOLEY. If the butla-
loes should get wind of the horse they
would take the alarm and make OIL.
The hunter then cautiously gets around
to leeward of the herd, getting their
wind" as he says. Then he approaches
very slowly, crawling over the ground
and dodging behind hummocks to es-
cape their notice. If they SEQ him he
lies perfectly still in the grass. which his
brown canvas clothing resembles closely
in color. Seeing nothing move the wary
animals soon think they were mistaken
in suspecting the presence of an enemy
and go on grazing.
The hunter crawls up little closer
ami SO works forward until he gets
good position, in a depression in the
ground or behind little rise, for shoot
ing. Then he watches the herd for 4
few minutes, to learn which animal is
the leader. Every herd, large or small.
has captain, who directs its move
ments and to whom all turn for guidance
in moments of danger. The hunter
must first kill tho leader or he will
probably not get more than one or two
skins out of the herd. When the buff
falo boss is laid low tho other animals
gather around him in confusion and
amazement, undecided what 10 do.
Another and another fall under the
hunters steady aim. The herd is terror
stricken. Some of the bolder animals
break cway from the group and look
around from whence the danger comes
but the hunter lies low and ceases firing
until they return to their diving com
panions. Then he fires away rapidly.
perhaps getting in dozen effective
shots before the huddlc of animals
bro, ,1-,, .,,,1
to and fro in fury of rage and fear Be-
fore they find new leader and
stampede from the fatal spot he proba-
bly, ''dOwn" twenty or thirty of them.
He rides back to camp to bring up the
wagons and the skinners. takes note
of the direction the herd has pursued,
and the next day is on their track again.
1t is not uncommon for single hunter
to kill 500 buffalo in few weeks. One
can see what devastation Il few hunting
parties will make in single month
among the few remaining herds,
The Indians method of killing buffalo
is much moro exciting and specta .ular,
but much less destructive. 4 civil en-
gineer engaged in the railroad construc-
ton work. at whose camp l stopped
ioW uiSUltS upO, gave INC an account OF
an Indian hunt he witnessed from the
door OF his own log cabin one day last
winter. 1t was the great annual hunt
of the Crows. The Indians had had
their scouts out for weeks in the region
north of the Yellowstone, massing the
small scattered herds into one large
body. by method similar to that used
in rounding up cattle. Having got to-
gether herd of perhaps five thousand.
they began to push them slowly towards
the Yellowstone Valley, not stampeding
the animals. but forming semi-circles
of horsemen around nearly twenty miles
OF country and showing themselves here
and there to keep the animals from
straying off and move them forward in
tho desired direction. Couriers were
sent to the Grow village. and soon the
whole tribe was in motion for Il small
piece of bottom land on the river half
surrounded by an amphitheater of hills.
Beyond the hill-tops the squaws. chill
dren and old men were stationed, with
some of the ponies and with red blank
cts. The most skillful hunters posted
themselves. mounted. by the river side.
About noon the great herd. urged on BY
the scouts, came laundering down the
hills into the bottom. Then the people
on the hills closed up their line behind
them, and the hunters dashed into the
herd and began the slaughter. When
ever fhp animals would Sta,pnada tn