still fresh meat to be had, but it was not secured without a great deal of difficulty. No ponies could be used. The men hunted on snow-shoes until after the Moon of Sore Eyes (March), when after a heavy thaw a crust was formed on the snow which would scarcely hold a man. It was then that our people hunted buffalo with dogs -- an unusual expedient. Sleds were made of buffalo ribs and hickory saplings, the runners bound with rawhide with the hair side down. These slipped smoothly over the icy crust. Only small men rode on the sleds. When buffalo were reported by the hunting- scouts, everybody had his dog team ready. All went under orders from the police, and approached the herd under cover until they came within charging distance. The men had their bows and arrows, and a few had guns. The huge animals could not run fast in the deep snow. They all followed a leader, trampling out a narrow path. The dogs with their drivers soon caught up with them on each side, and the hunters brought many of them down. I remember when the party returned, late in the night. The men came in single file, well loaded, and each dog following his master with -226- |