Year: 1859

rows at them as they went down to drink
} If they feed in the grass of the marrow
valleys and ravines, they are careful t.
have a part of the herd on the ridge


which overlook them, and with them th


surrounding country for miles. And


when an alarm is given, they all rush flu


riously ofin the direction which the lea


ders presume that Of safety.


This is what gives US such excellen


opportunities for regarding them to the


best advantage. They are moving north


ward, aud are still mainly south of ou1


track. Whenever alarmed, they set of
ou their awkward but effective canter to
the great herds still south, or to haunts
with which they are comparatively faml-
liar, and wherein they have hitherto found
safety. OF course, this sends those north
of us across our way, often but few rods
in front of US, even when they had start
ed a mile away. Then herd will com
mence running across hundred rods a
head of US, and, the whole blindly follow
ing their leader, we will be close upon
them before the last will have cleared the
track. Of course, they sometimes stop
and tack. or, seeing US, sheer of and cross
further ahead, or split into two lines; but
the general impulse, when alarmed, is to
follow blindly and at full speed, seeming
not to inquire OF consider from what quar-
ter danger is to be apprehended.


What strikes the stranger with most
M, iS hi barc
know million is great many, but am
confident We saw that number yesterday.
Certainly, all We saw could not have stood
on ten square miles of ground. Often,
the country for miles on either hand
seemed quite black with them. The soil
is rich, and well matted with their favor
ite grass. Yet it is all Except very lit
tie on the creek bottoms, near 20 timber)
eaten down like an overtaxed sheep pas.
ture in dry August. Consider that We
have traversed more than one hundred
miles in width since we fr>t struck them,
and that for the most of this distance the
Buffalo have been constantly iu sight, and
that they continue for some twenty five
miles further on-this being the breadth
of their pre.ent range, which has length
of perhaps thousand miles, and you have
some approach to an idea of their count
less millions. | doubt whether the domes-
ticated horned cattle of the United States
equal the numbers, while they must fall
short in weight, of these
wild ones. Margaret Fuller long ago OBJ
served that the Illinois prairies seemed
to repel the idea of being new to civilized
life and industry-that they, with their
borders of trees and belts of timber, re-
minded thetraveler rather of the parks and
spacious fields of an old country like Eng
and-that you were constantly on the
Involuntary look out for the chateaux or
at least the humble farm houses, which
should diversity such scene. True as
his is or was in Illinois, the resemblance
$ far more striking here, where the grass
$ all so closely pastured and the cattle
ire seen in such vast herds on every
'idge. The timber. too, aids the resem-
olance, seeming to have been reduced to
he last degree consistent with the wants
If a grazing country. and to have been
eft only on the steep creek banks where
,rass would not grow. 1t is hard to re-
'lize that this is the center of region of
silderDess and solitude, so far as the la
,ors of civilized wan are concerned-that
he first wagon passed through it some two
months ago. But the utter absence of /
,ouses or buildings of any kind, and our
unworkcd road winding on
is way for hundreds OF miles without a
rack, other than of Buffalo, intersecting
IT leading away from it on either hand,
'rings US back to the reality.


Il shall pass lightly over the hunting
xploits of our party. A good many
bots have been frcd--of course not by (
ne; even were III the habit of making
var on wild Natures children, | would .
S soon think of shooting wy neighbor's
ken as these great, clumsy, harmless
re eatures. If they were scarce, | might
ompreheud the idea of hunting them for
port; here, they are so abund ant that you
night as well hunt your peighbor's geese.
uu3 toNlS notC uCCu cuOtS biCu
y our party at point distances.
ave reason for my hope that no Buffalo
as experienced any personal inconveni-
nee therefrom. For this impuDity, the
oulness of the rife has bad to answer in
art; the greenness of the sportsmen is
erbaps equally answerable for it. But
hen We have had no horse or mule out of
ur regular teams, and the candid will ad-
lit that coach and -four is not precisely
be fttest turnout for hunting party.


| write in the station tent (haviDg been
riven from our wagon by the operation
f greasing its wheels, which was found
} interfere with the steadiness of my
astily -improsised table,, with the Buff
10 VISIBLE on the ridges south and every
ay but north of US. They were very
ose down to us at daylight, and so till
le increasing light revealed distinctly
ur position, since which they have kept
respectful distance. But party of our
rivers. who went back seven miles on
,ules last evening, to help or rear wagon