The Fort Peck press., 1937-05-20

| nice down the back ana then removing
it in two pieces. Then came the bes
! liver was cut out, sprinkled with gal
and eaten raw. The rest of the meal
was cut up and packed on horses tt
| the camp.
Another method of killing the buffa.
| 10 by the Indian was known as the
surround" The whole camp would
sally forth to form a huge circle Of
| about six miles in diameter Ther
| quietly and slowly they worked towarc
| deemed themselves close enough, the
| killers would dash forward and begir
| their work while the squaws, old mer
and children would close in and keeI
the herd from escaping.
If the herd happened to be feeding
within several miles of precipice, the
circle would rush the herd over the
is evidence that bluffs all through the
west were used in buffalo kills.
For all that the Indian killed the
buffalo by the thousands, he was not
wanton killer for his own welfare
depended upon these great game ami
mails. No part of the animal was dis
carded The hides were used for bow
strings, war shields, beds, Wigwams
saddles and brides Clubs and avis
drinking vessels, spoons and ceremon-
ial articles were made from the horns.
The skull was used in the ceremonial
dances. The children made coasting
sleds of the jaws while the stomach
was used as a 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 eXterminated 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
100000 buffalo we're 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 permis-
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 a smooth
hillside to dry. AS soon as they were
dry, they were stacked and the top
hide tied down to keep the wind from
received 25 cents head for his work.
Like the grizzly, a buffalo if left
alone is a. harmless animal but when
aroused, beware! Former Governor
Richards has also related an exciting
account of a fight with a buffalo bull
The party of surveyors with whom
he was travelling were sorely in need of
food Richards started out alone on
foot with a Henry rifle. At length he
ciOI,taI q 1opo hJ1ffo1o hill 1viroo Or, tho
plain some distance away. He needed
the meat too badly to let him get away
and yet to approach within killing dis
tance was difficult for the prairie
stretched away flatly on all sides. Rich
ards only chance was to get behind
the animal and work slowly forward.
BY doing this, he succeeded in getting
within $50 yards of the huge animal
which still made no move to rise. Not |
it safe to get closer, he fired |
When buffalo is lying down, his
back slopes The shot hit this sloping
surface on a rib, made a slit in the |
skin and did no further damage. The |
Did fellow jumped up and whirled |
around which put him at right angles
% the hunter. This gave him a good
;hot at the side but he underestimated
struck Just above the hoof of the fore
eg. This had bad effect upon the
temper and much to Richards
he turned and charged
traight at him.
IT would have liked to have gone
said the former governor,
but the plain extended for a mile in
very direction without break and
vas no foot racer"
There was nothing he could do but
tempt to shoot the bull before it
hould reach him. With every nerve
aut, he began blazing away. The balls
ang as they struck the animal They
ad no effect in stopping his forward
ush in spite of the fact that the shots