, 1885-05-22
Lrss than ten years ago Northern yo.

LEss than ten years ago Northern W yo-
ming was the very heart Of the buffalo
country. a newspaper correspondent
who accompanied the military expedition
OF 1877 up the Yellowstone river to the
mouth Of Tongue river, reports that he
encountered on the journey more buffalo
than it would be possible intelligently to
describe on paper. He says:
Figures carry but little idea OF the vast
number Of animals, aud were | to say that
one herd we passed through, travelling for
three days without being out of sight of
bison during daylight, numbered far up
into the hundred thousands, It would per-
haps he falling short Of the real number Of
bufTaloes that actually composed that
mighty mass
When we passed through this herd at
the close Of the third day, about . o'clock
in the afternoon, the scouts reported an
other tremendous herd in the distance,
coming directly toward us at full speed.
Quickly our party sought the protection
Of the ~neighboring bnites. while a few OF
US climbed a rocky eminence on the open
prairie, and awaited with interest the APP
proach Of the rushing mass. On they
came, heller skelter, pell nell and when
the leaders reached the mound or hillock
upon which we we're porched the great
herd divided into two parts aud swept by
us like the wind, half on either side We
gazed in wonder and awe at the sea OF
black, shaggy life rolling ike pillows at
u feet. Far as the eye could see was an
ocean Of bufFaloes, surging and swaying
like the waves, while the awful ~rumbling
sound and shaking Of the earth made our
heads n little dizzy. All the afternoon the
animals kept up their flight, and il was
not until the sun sank behind the tall
mountains that their numbers began to
lessen and left US free to escape from our
Temporary prison.
Tnc herd which We travelled through
for three days was not IN motion, but
was encountered in small scattered bands
and lined every foot Of the road we tny-
elled. Nevertheless it was one single
herd, as it was continuous, though bro
ken. But the last herd, which was NOV
ing Al high speed. was packed so thick
that / believe it contained fully as many
animals as the fnst herd. They flew by
MS for five hours on a dead run, anl the
horizon Of our sight was bounded BY
nothing but the dark black hides Of thu
nohl, animals themselves
The bufaloes were all right until abou'
seren years ago. when the Indians wen
se~onquered. which opened up the country
and let the hide hunters in. 1t tool
about seven years, beginning with 1870
10 exterminate the buffalo along the lin
81 the Union Pacific railroad, which il
the good old times could have been seer
blarkening the Platte river bottom fol
mies. These poor shy beasts were sc
easily killed. and. from their abundance
offered 50 rich a reward to the hid
hunter, that every idle fellow in that PAR
Of the country could make good wages
BY butchering them. The Union Pa
eife railroad split the herds in half. an'
LEFT a moiety to the north and a moiety q
the south. Those in Texas were sool
used up by snortsmen and professions
hunters, hut the great northern herd he'
to Wyoming and Montana, where Sit
ting Bull and his followers took charge Q
and protected them until Uncle Sam
soldiers began chasing him around III