The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-07-07
Killing the Buffalo.

The Indian method of killing buffalo is
much more exciting and spectacular, but
much less destructive than the white man S,
says correspondent in Montana. A civil
engineer engaged in the railroad construc-
ton work, at whose camp stopped few
nights ago, gave me an account of an In
dian 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 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
together herd ofperhaps five thousand they
began to push them forward slowl ly toward
the Yellowstone Valley, not stampeding the
animals but forming semi-circle of horse
men around nearly twenty miles of country,
and showing themselves here and there to
keep the animals from straying off and
move them forward in the desired direc-
ton. Couriers were sent to the Crow
village, and soon the whole tribe was in
motion for small piece of bottom land on
the river, half surrounded by an amphi-
theatre of hills. Beyond the hill-tops the
squaws, children, and old men were sta
toned, with some of the ponies and with
red blankets. The most skilful 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. Whenever the ami
mails would stampede toward the hills they
would be driven back by the squaws way
ing the red blankets. The hunters rode to
and fro, with wonderful skill evading the
charges of wounded bulls, and carrying on
the slaughter with little more trouble than
they would have had in drove of cattle.
When their ponies were exhausted they
rode up the hills and cot fresh ones from
the squaws After two or three hours Of
this kind of work the chief gave a signal
the line on the hills opened a gap, and the
survivors of the herd were allowed to es-
CAPE About five hundred animals were
killed in all. The tepees were set up and
the village feasted for month, while the
squaws skinned the dead beasts, tanned
hides. and dried the meat.
I feel no sympathy with the sentimental
ism that laments the rapid determination of
the buffalo. A good fat OK is much
more valuable animal any day than the
biggest buffalo bull. The pastures which
now support two or three million head of
buffalo will support an equal number Of
cattle, which, as better friends of man,
have a better right to them than the ugly
wild beast that has little to us worth having
beside his skin. His meat, [ can attest, is
vastly inferior to an ordinary roast or
steak Let the buffalo go-the faster the
better-and let the grassy hills and plains
of Montana and Wyoming be covered with
herds of good, honest, civilized cattle.
When the buffalo disappears Indian saw
agery will disappear, too. The Indian will
have to lay down the rife and take up the
plough. He will never work as long as he
can hunt and draw Government rations.