Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-05-15

dances. The children made coastinl
| SledS of the Jaws while the stomach
was used as q bucket. Even the buf.
falo chips were not discarded, but were
used as fuel. What indeed would The
Indian have done without the buffalo
1t was the later hunter who came
into the country that extermtnated the
| great herds. They took only the choice
parts of the meat, leaving the rest to
rot on the plains. Between the years
| 1868 and 1881, it was estimated that
81 100000 buffalo were killed in the
state Of Kansas alone. BY 1882, it was
claimed there were 5000 hunters and
skinnerS on the northern plains.
After the beginning Of the stock in
dustry, cowboys were ordered to kill off
the buffalo; for as long as there were
buffalo the Indians could get permits
sion to leave his reservation to hunt
them. If they failed to find these ami
mails, they killed the cattle.
A good skinner could nave his ami
NAL stripped In five minutes. The skins
would be pegged down on q smooth
hillside to dry. As soon as they were
dry, they were stacked and the top
hide tied down TO keep the wind from
blowing them over. A skinner usually
received IS cents head for his work
Like the grizzly, q buffalo If left
alone is a harmless animal but when
aroused, bewarei Former Governor
Richards has also related an exciting
account of a fight with buffalo bull.
The party of surveyors with whom
he was travelling were sorely In need of
foot with Henry rifle. At length he
sighted lone buffalo bull lying on the
plain some distance away. He needed
the meat too badly to let him get away
and yet to approach within killing dis
lance was difficult for the prairie
stretched away fatty on all sides Rich
ards only chance was to get behind
the animal and work slowly forward.
BY doing this, he succeeded in getting
which still made no move to rise. Not
deeming it safe to get closer, he fired.
When a buffalo Is lying down, his
back slopes. The shot hit this sloping
surface on q rib, made slit in the
skin and did no further damage. The
old fellow jumped up and whirled
around which put him at right angles
to the hunter This gave him good
shot at the side but he underestimate
the distance and the ball dropped and
struck Just above the hoof of the fore
leg. This had had effect upon the
animals temper and much to Richards
surprise, he turned and charged
straight at him.
II would have liked to have gone
said the former governor,
but the plain extended for a mile in |
every direction without break and / |
was no foot racer"
There was nothing he could do but |
to shoot the bull before it /
should reach him. With every nerve l
taut, he began blazing away The balls |
sang as they struck the animal They /
had no effect in stopping his forward /
rush in spite of the fact that the shots I
were raining upon his side as fast as
Richards could pull the trigger. A new
terror now seized the man. How many
cartridges did he have left in the mag
azine? He kept throwing down the lever
but every time he pulled 1t was with
he sickening feeling that the gun
night not be loaded. There was no time
70 stop and examine the thing. Tt
oOked as if his time had come when
lust as he was about to pull the trigger
or what he was sure was the last time.
he bull suddenly stopped. He was SO
lose Richards could almost feel his
lot breath on his face. He was won
iering whether the beast was going
o call 1t day or finish his victim in
me last rush.
The animal presented most terri