May 1^st 1847 [FIGURE] This was ian interesting day
to the Hunters of the camp of
Israel. It was vary cold Ther stood
at 30° with strong North wind
the Hunters put out & the camp
started on the Journey. Before Breakfast travled 6 miles
& camped on the Prairie in sight of A Herd of Buffalo of
200 feeding on the Bluff to our right. three ownly of the
Hunters started out after them. they rode near them &
left their Horses & cralled upon them to get a shot but they
frightend the Herd & they run away. A little previous to the
main Herds being seen 3 Bulls were discoverd on the
Bluff O. P. Rockwell & two others went after them &
wounded two but got neither of them we had not
travled more than 2 miles before we discoverd Another
large Herd of about 200. 5 miles Ahead of us the Hunters
got together held a council & waited untill the camp all
came up we were determined to get some of the Buffalo
if possible we travled together untill we were within one mile
of the Buffalo we then made A Halt, & 15 Hunters started out
Amasa Lyman & myself of the Twelve made two of the Numb
ber we all travled together on to the Bluffs within A few rods
of them & there divided out into companies Br Grover &
Luke Johnson went together into the Bluffs O. P. Rockwell
& Br Brown took the entire left & so we divided into compa-
nies on the right left & center I was in a company in the
centre of the Herd & we all made A charge upon them from
the Bluffs & rushed on to the Plain, the Herd run vary fast
down the ruff Bluffs into the plain but when we came up to
the plain we soon came on to them each company singled
out his game we made choice of cows generally then rushed
up by the side of them & fired upon them with our Pistols
such as Horse Pistols Rifle Pistols &c which are much better
to carry than rifles as they are vary cumberson in runing the first
that we gave chase to was A Buffaloo cow with her calf I
rode by the side of her & fired two Balls from my pistols
into her. the other Brethren with me also fired into her
untill we killed we cut her throat I then run my
Horse to the Assistance of another Party who had wounded
one & that one was also soon dispatched. I then saw
O. P. Rockwell had 3 Bulls at bay on the Prairie Br Pack &
myself run our Horses to his assistance & Br Kimball came up at
the same time we surrounded them & commenced firing
upon them they bolted ahead I put spirs to my horse
& run in ahead of them was in about one rod of them
they all Pitched at ^me^ & gave me chase for fight & I had to
be quick to get out of their way but soon cleared them
two of them Broke for the Bluff Br Brown Put for them
Rockwell, Kimball, Pack & myself stuck to the old Bull I
fired 2 Balls into him, Br Kimball one, Br Pack one & He fell
dead, & we cut his throat, & also shot a clalf that was
with him, the two that had left us that Brown was
after was in the Bluffs more than a mile from us Br
Kimball & myself gave chase to them & as we got in
about 20 rods of the Bluff we saw two come out &
run for the main Herd we gave chase for a while
but they were fresh & my Horse had run near 10 miles

in the chase so we gave up the Persuit I returned to Br Brown
in the Bluffs & fountd that one of the Bulls He dhad given chase to
was near dead had lain deaddown But Br Brown Had no more
Powder or Ball But Before I arived He Had got up & run
into the Herd on the Bluff, so we all returned on our chase
ground to gather up the meat, we had killed in all 3 cows one
Bull & 5 calves making 11 in all. Br Solomon Hancock went
out in the morning on to the Bluffs to kill Buffalo on foot
He did not come in at night we felt concerned about him
early in the morning He came in, Had killed a 3 year old cow
& watched it over night to keep the volves from eating it
3 wolves came upon him He shot one the rest run
away this made 12 Buffalo in all that the Hunters
killed to day which we considerd was doing vary well
considering that we were nearly all strangers to that mode
of Hunting as but vary few of us ever saw a wild
Buffalo Before in our lives we dressed out meat & waggons
came from camp to take it in. A Part of this chase was
through one of the largest Prairie dog towns nearly ever
seen it was nearly ten miles long & 2 wide & full of
Burrows nearly evry rod & great danger of a Horse steping
into them & falling, there was no accident Happened
at all to any one which was truly a blessing my Horse stumbl[ed] [page covered]
on[c]e & come nigh falling but no harm done this was
the first Buffalo Hunt I ever took part in or saw
we travled to day with the camp 18 miles
we discovered Indian fires on the south & west of us