Year: 1876

Buffalo Hunting-HOw the MOnarchs Of


the Plains are Slaughtered.


-1 r-fst tt-t rG -
| The following is an extract from a
letter by bufalo-hunter, published in
the Pittsburgh Gazette: ,nt i


If buffalo or any other game is kill
ed, and you can't carry it with you, the
chances are, if you come out next day


with a wagon to get it, that YOU may


never find it. You might easily pass


within one-fourth of mile of it, through


some depression, and not see it, and
just as easily miss by several miles the
point you are trying to find; therefore,


1t Is better to carry your game-bag with


you; i. e., have two-horse wagon fol-
lowe you; the driver can easily follow
your course by keeping a sharp lookout
from each high point, and thus keep


within five or six miles until he seesyou


kill, when he can come to you. There
are good many professional buffalo


hunters. They generally hunt in


couples; get two-horSe wagon, and


load it with all the old cross-ties picked


up at the railroad that they can conYe-


niently carry for fuel, a barrel or two of


water, and blankets enough to keep


them warm. They get ON some buffalo
range and ''still hunt" them; that is,


crawl up as close as possible to a herd,
and kill or cripple as many rs they can
with their repeating rifles, then follow
until they catch up again and so on I'M
til they get a wagon load, or run out of
wood or ammunition. This is a dread
fully hard life andvery unremunerative,
for the buffaloes have been slain in such
immense numbers that the survivors
have become as wild as deer, and in
place of running in herds of thousands,
it is now rarity to see more than fifty
together, and even bands of dozen or
two are by no means an everyday sight


We started from camp seven strong
Pugsley, Jackson, Jack, Morse, Cali
fornia, Payne, and myself, followed by
Jim, driving the game-bag. Six or eight
miles out Morse and Payne left us to-
hunt for some buffalo that they had fired
at the day before and wounded, hoping
to find one or two of them had died.


We rode ten miles to where Pugsley and
Jackson had killed their two, and then
struck off to the northeast. After rid
ing a few miles, we saw herd of buf-
falo, which had been alarmed by Morse
and Payne, running in direction that
would bring them across the course we
were riding, mile or two ahead of us.
We at once put our horses into gallop,
with the view of getting to this point as
nearly as possible just when the herd
should. BY riding below the crest of
the hill we succeeded so well that as we
came in view of them they were within
twenty yards of US. SO soon as they
perceived US their rather leisurely gallop
was changed into terrified run. We,
as one man, with q cheer dashed our
spurs into our horses and urged them
to their utmsst speed with voice and
limb, with spur and whip dashed after
them regardless of dog holes, or any
thing else, except to overtake them.
Each man singled out his buffalo. As
we got among them the herd scattered
out, running in any and every direction
to escape us. tell you it was magnifi-.
cent sportAthe kind that makes mans
blood rush through his veins. Five men
mounted on horses that seemed to enjoy
the sport well, right in the midst of
forty or fifty mOnstrous black creatures,
hairy, horny, ferociOus-looking demons
with flashing eyes, and lOng-proiecting
tongues, rushing unanimously for
ward, spread out probably over
quarter of mile, with
revolyers crack, crack, cracking.
| had no time to look at any thing but
my own buffalo, but the other fellows,
Payne and Morse, said it was beautiful
to look at. As soon as got alongside
| began to shoot, but just as / had fred
my second shot my rifle, which | had
forgotten, all about, slipped from the
sling by which it was attached to the
horn of my saddle, and l only just
managed to catch it by the muzz1e as it
fell with my pistol hand This com
PEELED me to hold up my horse long
enough to transfer my rifle to the left |
hand. Meanwhile my particular buffa-
10 had gained so on me that started |
for nearer one, thinking the first one |
lost, but fortunately was mistaken, for |
after running some 200 yards it dropped |
stone dead, and we found when we |
came to cut it up that one of my pistol |
balls had gone clear through its heart.
Pugsley had killed one COW and put the
last shot of his revolver into a two-year
old bull without stopping it and was
trying to lasso it. As I came near
enough to hear, he hailed me to come
and shoot it. He had roped it once or
twice by one horn, but couldn't get the
rope to catch. soon got alongside,
and with couple of pistol shots brought
Mr.. Bull to bay. He turned and made
a charge at us, which we avoided by
then he stopped and jumped
from my horse, and, slapping a cart
ridge into my rifle, shot him once; he
shot him second time and
he fell. Both bullets struck him on the
broadside and both Ewent clear through,
ground far beyond him. After
he fell / shot him once more between
the eye and the horn, to prevent the
danger of suddenly getting up and max
ing another charge. California had
his revolver into one; he then
roped and threw it, but his stirrup
leather broke and it got away. Jackson
killed one. Jacks horse was not a
good one, and he fell behind in the race,
so that we only got four out of the herd.


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