McKenzie, Charles. Journal of the Second, Third and Fourth Expeditions to the Missouri, 1805, 1806 with the Supplement to the Second Expedition. An electronic transcription. MFTP #0010

No 3

thinking her herself safe and beyond the research of the enemy she took her time and with her bow and arrows she killed a she Buffaloe – then built for herself a small cabin of green wood branches and began to dry and prepare a stock of provisions to carry her across the Mountains to her own Country[.] The Young men having lost her track had wandered for several days in the Mountains and it was on their return they home that they accidentally fell in with her hut and instantly dispatched her by plunging their lances into her bosom.

The winter being far advanced and a considerable depth of fall snow upon the ground thousands of an Buffaloes resorted to the vicinity of of the villages. We had great pleasure in seeing the Indians go into the fields surround and Kill whole droves of them – the one falling & so many to fall – one upon the top of the other – the best parts only of the meat were taken home – and we lived like Kings[.] At the other times the Indians would contrive to conduct large droves bands to the Mississouri and confine them by a fence of people composed of a multitude of people […] of flying from every direction would confine them unto a narrow space where the ice was weakest composed a fence […] made a fence which would confine them by gradual approaches into a narrow space where the ice was the weakest until by the weight and pressure of the animals large squares perhaps of fifty Yards covered with animals at a time would give way and break under them covered with Animals which in an instant the force of the current would carry under the other ice to a marr of dead water a little distance below where they again emerged, floatted and are were watched by squads of men women and children who being provided with the proper means hauled them upon the ice out of the water – until the ice was is was completely strewed with dead Carcasses[.] Here they wer were left for some time to take season into a flavour then carried home and and at feasts are reckoned a great delicacy[.]

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