The buffalo were on a wide flat, and the men rode over the hill and advanced toward the herd at a walk.  At length the buffalo noticed them, and began to huddle up together and to walk about, and at length to walk away.  Then the men turned, and rode along parallel to the buffalo’s course, and at the same gait that these were taking.  When the buffalo began to trot, the men trotted, and when the herd began to lope, the men loped, and at length they were all running pretty fast.  The men kept about half a mile from the herd, and up even with the leaders.  As they ran, the herd kept constantly edging a little toward the riders, as if trying to cross in front of them.  This inclination toward the men was least when they were far off, and greatest when they drew nearer to them.  At no time were the men nearer to the herd than four hundred yards.  If the buffalo edged too much toward the riders, so that the course they were taking would lead them away from camp, the men would drop back and cross over behind the herd to the other side, and then, pushing their horses hard, would come up with the leaders,—­but still at a distance from them,—­and then the buffalo would begin to edge toward them, and the herd would be brought back again to the desired course.  If necessary, this was repeated, and so the buffalo were kept travelling in a course approximately straight.

By the time the buffalo had got pretty near to the camp, they were pretty well winded, and the tongues of many of them were hanging out.  This herd was led up among the rolling hills about a mile from the camp, and there the people were waiting for them, and charged them, when the herd broke up, the animals running in every direction.

Occasionally it would happen that for a long time the buffalo would not be found in a place favorable for driving over the cliff or into a pen.  In such cases, the Indians would steal out on foot, and, on a day when there was no wind, would stealthily surround the herd.  Then they would startle the buffalo, and yet would keep them from breaking through the circle.  The buffalo would “mill” around until exhausted, and at length, when worn out, would be shot down by the Indians.  This corresponds almost exactly with one of the methods employed in killing buffalo by the Pawnees in early days before they had horses.[1] In those days the Pi-k[)u]n’-i were very numerous, and sometimes when a lot of buffalo were found in a favorable position, and there was no wind, the people would surround them, and set up their lodges about them, thus practically building a corral of lodges.  After all preparations had been made, they would frighten the buffalo, which, being afraid to pass through between the lodges, would run round and round in a great circle, and when they were exhausted the people would kill them.

[Footnote 1:  Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales, p. 250.]