The buffaloes are gone. And those who saw the buffaloes are gone.
It is not part of religion to breed buffaloes or, for that matter, cows.
Consider the biggest animals on the planet: elephants, and buffaloes, and giraffes. These are vegetarian animals. They grow to thousands of pounds of muscle and bone without ever eating cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizzas.
The spirit of the poet craves spectators. . . even if only buffaloes.
Major North and myself went out in advance of the command several miles and killed a number of buffaloes.