Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-09-07
VAST HERDS or cAAIooU.
In che Far North They Are % ThIek
a. Ever Dufsaloos Woeo.

In the Fer North They Are % Thick
% Ever Oussaiees Were.
The Barren.Ground Caribou now
inhabits the Great Slave Lake coun-
try, and just eastward thereof, not
only In thousands, but tens Of thous-
ands, and IL Is almost safe to say
hundreds Of thousands. In 1891,
when Mr.. Warburton Pike found
himself in the very midst Of the vast
throng OF Caribou that were migrat-
ing southwark, he was moved to
doubt whether the buffalo had ever
existed In greater numbers. Think
Of It! Vast herds OF big game ami.
mails. fit for food. alive and un.
slaughtered in North America to.dayt
Why this oversight on the part Of the
game butchers? Where are the hide
hunters, the tongue hunters, and tho
grand army Of greedy game killers
generally!
The reason for the unslaughtefe
condition OF the Caribou herds OF the
far North IL that Jack Frost owns the
Barren Grounds, and by game butch.
ers Jack 10 considered bad medi-
cine" As usual, the inhabitants Of
Caribouland slaughter the herds with
slckening wastefulness whenever
they get IN opportunity; but thus
far the Caribou is holding It's own
fairly we'll, save In Alaska.
Mr.. Warburton Pike says that in
summer they keep to the true Barren
Grounds, but in the autumn, when
their feeding grounds are covered
with snow, they seek the hanging
moss In the woods. From what !
could gather from the Yellow-knife
Indians, and from my own personal
experience, IL 10 late In October that
the great bands OF Caribou, common.
~ known as La Foule, mass upon
the edge OF the woods, and start for
the food and shelter afforded by the
stronger growth OF pine further
southwark. Of this great annual
migration here 10 what plucky Mr..
Pike actually saw on Lake Camsell,
about sixty miles north Of the east
ern end Of Great Slave Lake. II
reads like q fairy tale, but neverthe.
less the account ID undoubtedly true.
Scattered bands OF Caribou were
almost always In sight from the top
Of the ridge behind the camp, aud In.
creased In numbers until the morn
Imp Of October 20, 1889, when little
Baptiste. who had gone for firewood,
woke US up before daylight with the
cry, La foulel La foule' (The
throng! The throngD Even In the
lodge we could hear the curious clat.
ter made by band OF travelling Carl.
bou. La foule had really come, and
during the passage Of six days was
able to realize what an extraordinary
number Of these animals still roam
the Barren Grounds"
He thus describes the migration:
From the ridge we had splendid
View OF the migration. All the south
side OF Mackay Lake was alive with
the moving beasts, while the Ice
seemed to be dotted oil over with
black islands. and still away on the
north shore, with the aid OF the
glasses, we could sec them coming
like regiments on the march. In
every direction we could hear the
grur ting noise that the Carbon al.
ways make when travelling. The
snow was broken into broad roads,
and I found II useless to try to esti.
mate the number that passed within
few miles OF our encampment. We
were just on the western edge OF
their passage, and aftsrward we heard
that a band OF Dog. Ribs, hunting
some forty miles to the west. were ct
this very time In the last straits Of
starvation. only saving their lives BY
o hasty RETREAT to the woods. This ID
Q common danger In the autumn, 10
the Caribou, coming In from the
Barren Ground, join together In one
vast herd, and do not scatter much
till they reach the thick timber. The
Caribou, ~ is usually the case when
they are In large numbers, were very
tame, and on several occasions I
found myself right In the middle OF
band, with splendid chance to
pick out any that seemed In good
condition. Notwithstanding oil the
tall stories that are told OF their
numbers (the bufialoes) l cannot be-
lieve that the herds on the prairie
ever surpassed (! n size La foule Of the
Caribou"