ir guard horses cannot be used in
approaching them; but the hunter dismounts at some distance and crawls in
the snow towards the herd, pushing his gun before him. If the buffaloes
happen to look towards him he stops and keeps quite motionless until
their eyes are turned in another direction; by this cautious proceeding a
skilful person will get so near as to be able to kill two or three out of
the herd. It will easily be imagined this service cannot be very
agreeable when the thermometer stands 30 or 40 degrees below zero as
sometimes happens in this country.

As we were returning from the tents the dogs that were harnessed to three
sledges, in one of which Mr. Back was seated, set off in pursuit of a
buffalo-calf. Mr. Back was speedily thrown from his vehicle and had to
join me in my horse-cariole. Mr. Heriot, having gone to recover the dogs,
found them lying exhausted beside the calf which they had baited until it
was as exhausted as themselves. Mr. Heriot, to show us the mode of
hunting on horseback or as the traders term it, running of the buffalo,
went in chase of a cow and killed it after firing three shots.

The buffalo is a huge and shapeless animal quite devoid of grace or
beauty; particularly awkward in running but by no means slow; when put to
his speed he plunges through the deep snow very expeditiously; the hair
is dark brown, very shaggy, curling about the head, neck, and hump, and
almost covering the eye, particularly in the bull which is larger and
more unsightly than the cow. The most esteemed part of the animal is the
hump, called by the Canadians bos, by the Hudson's Bay people the wig; it
is merely a strong muscle on which nature at certain seasons forms a
considerable quantity of fat. It is attached to the long spinous
processes of the first dorsal vertebrae and seems to be destined to
support the enormous head of the animal. The meat which covers the spinal
processes themselves after the wig is removed is next in esteem for its
flavour and juiciness and is more exclusively termed the hump by the
hunters.

The party was prevented from visiting a Stone Indian encampment by a
heavy fall of snow, which made it impracticable to go and return the same
day. We were dissuaded from sleeping at their tents by the interpreter at
the North-West post who told us they considered the whooping-cough and
measles, under which they were now suffering, to have been introduced by
some white people recently arrived in