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THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

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THE AWAKENING
OF THE DESERT

BY

JULIUS C. BIRGE

With Illustrations

RICHARD G. BADGER

THE GORHAM PRESS
BOSTON

Copyright 1912 by Richard G. Badger
All Rights Reserved

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The illustrations of the Elk, Wildcat, Bear, Cougar^ and Deer^
facing pages, 16, 48, 96, 112 and 202 are copyright by A. G. Walli-
han and used by his courteous permission.

The Gorham Press, Boston, Mass., U. S. A.

THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

CONTENTS

Chapter Page

I A Call to the Wilderness 11

II "Roll Out" 18

III The Advancing Wave of Civilization 24

IV ARiverTownof the Day 38

V Our Introduction to the Great Plains 52

VI The Oregon Trail 64

VII Society in the Wilderness 76

VIII Jack Morrow's Ranch 88

IX Men of the Western Twilight 102

X Dan, the Doctor 118

XI Fording the Platte in High Water 133

XII The Phantom Liar of Greasewood Desert . . 142

XIII The Mystery of Scott's Bluffs 156

XIV The Peace Pipe at Laramie 167

XV Red Cloud on the War Path 186

XVI The Mormon Trail ; 196

XVII Wild Midnight Revelry in the Caspar Hills 21 1

XVm ANightatRedButtes 223

XIX Camp Fire Yarns at Three Crossings 237

XX A Spectacular Buffalo Chase 252

XXI ThePartingof the Ways 267

XXII The Banditti of Ham's Fork 281

XXIII Through the Wasatch Mountains 290

XXJV Why a Fair City Arose in a Desert 303

XXV Some Inside Glimpses of Mormon Affairs. . 324

XXVI Mormon Homes and Social Life 342

XXVII The Boarding House Train 359

XXVIII Some Episodes in Stock Hunting 380

XXIX Adventures of an Amateur Detective 393

XXX TheOverland Stage Line 409

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Trail Through Salt Lake Desert Frontispiece

Facing page

Elk ■ 16

WUd Cat 48

The Oregon Trail, Through Mitchell Pass 64

Chimney Rock, One of the Old Landmarks of the '49

Trail 74

Grizzly Bear 96

Cougar 112

Buffalos 130

Jail Rock and Court House Rock 148

Scott's Bluff, Showing Dome Rock in the Distance . . 155

The Old Company Quarters at Fort Laramie 184

Sage Brush Growth 202

The Rockies 252

Fremont Peak and Island Lake on the West Slope of

the WmdRiver Range 268

Red Sandstone Cliffs, on Wind River 280

Weber River, Mouth of Echo Canyon 294

JosephSmith 304

The King of Beaver Island 308

Brigham Young 316

First House Built in Salt Lake City 330

Great Salt Lake * 346

Through the Wasatch 360

Dead Man's Falls, Little Cottonwood, Utah 386

Suter's Fort Before Restoration, Sacramento, Calif. 406

First House in Denver 420

THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

A FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
By Hon. W. D. Hoard, Ex-Governor of Wisconsin

The Tribute of One Who Remembers

THIS is in many senses a remarkable book. It
is remarkable for its authorship. The man who
wrote it is one among the very few of the sur-
vivors of those wild, romantic, venturesome
days when the weaving of the great web of civilization
that now unites East and West was composed of only a
few threads, and this man himself was a pioneer, for he
was the first white child bom in the Beautiful city of
Whitewater, Wisconsin. His hfe since those heroic days,
whereof this book is the story, has been intensely active
as the head of great manufacturing industries. And yet
amid all such incessant demands he has found time for
numerous benevolent and intellectual activities that im
more ways than one found root in that wonderful education
only a pioneer Ufe, — "contact with the first principles of
civiHzation" — can give.

The author has always been a pioneer thinker concern-
ing whatever his eyes have seen, or his hands found to do.
Such thinking is found in his addresses before the American
Hardware Manufacturers Association, the New England
Society, the Congregational Club of St. Louis, and on other
notable occasions in which I have been a participant and
he has been the presiding oflScer.

Again, the book is remarkable for its close adherence to*

FOREWORD

the truth of what it purports to relate. Here was a long
and wearisome journey of nearly three thousand miles,
most of it over the almost trackless waste of that mighty,
interminable stretch of prairie, sage desert, mountain and
forest, that was to be met and traversed in no other way
than at the great risk to life and Hmb herein recounted.

"Stout souls were they
Who faced that way."

And it is a blessed thing for yoimg and old that there is
still living one of the actors in that great continental
drama. WTiat joy would the perusal of this book have
brought to the hearts of the thousands who thronged that
desolate road, could they have Hved to read it. They
knew the road; they hved the scenes so graphically describ-
ed. It would be hke living over again the greatest episode
and experience of their hves.

I have known Mr. Birge, the author of this book, for
nearly all the years since the journey began from our
neighboring city of Whitewater. I remember well the
exi>edition and what the folks said about it. It is almost
like a "resurrection," this breaking up through the over-
laying crust of buried years to read this eventful story,
written as it is with much Uterary ability as well as with an
eye to the truth of things.

W. D. Hoard.

Fort Atkinson, Wis.

AN AFTERWORD

HAVING read with intense interest the first
edition of "The Awakening of The Desert"
written by Mr. JuUus C. Birge, my long time
friend and traveling companion on the expedi-
tion described, it is my desire to express a word of hearty
approval concerning the story as narrated.

As the author and I are now the only survivors of the
party which spent many months together along the same
trails, it may add to the historic and descriptive value of
the work if I assure the reader, that, except where it is so
stated in the story, no fictitious names are introduced in
the record of incidents which came under my observation
— and to these it is my opinion that a bright, distinct and
true coloring is imparted, not only in descriptions of events
as they transpired, but also in making clear the individual
peculiarities of the various persons who are represented as
actors in the drama.

It is as if written in the breezy atmosphere of the West
of that day. The roving, primitive life, with here and
there threads of romance, touches of humor, pathos or
tragedy, all so admirably introduced in the story, was the
life we Hved.

The scenes and events at Baker's Ranch, the fording of
the Platte, the treaty at Fort Laramie, the episode of the
runaway girl, and many other similar events are still
vivid in my memory, made even more vivid to me by the
clear pen pictures and bright coloring which the writer
has introduced.

AN AFTERWORD

He was fortunate in having preserved a carefully written
diary of our experiences, and during our journeys wrote
many communications which were published in an Eastern
Journal and also preserved.

After our return from the West, Mr. Birge and I sepa-
rately entered into active and somewhat wide business
careers. My responsibilities for many recent years have
often led me to many points and over much of the terri-
tory in which the scenes of this story are laid. I may,
therefore, be qualified to pass a fair judgment on the
historic merits of the book in the conviction that it gives
vivid and reliable descriptions of Western scenes and
scenery and early Western Hfe — a type of life and civihza-
tion long since passed away.

Benjamin M. Frees.

San Diego, Cal.,
October, 1913.

THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

CHAPTER I
A Call to the Wilderness

WILL you join us in a camping trip to the
Pacific Coast?" This alluring invita-
tion was addressed to the writer one cold,
drizzly night in the early spring of 1866
by Captain Hill Whitmore, one of a party of six men who
by prearrangement had gathered round a cheerful wood
fire in a village store in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The regular business of the establishment had ended for
the day; the tight wooden shutters had been placed upon
the doors and windows of the store as was the custom in
those times; and the key was now turned in the lock to
prevent intrusions. All the lights had been turned off,
except that of a single kerosene lamp, suspended from the
ceiling near the stove; the gentle glow revealed within a
small arc on either side of the room the lines of shelving
filled with bolts of dry goods, but toward the front and the
rear of the long room it was lost in the darkness. The con-
ditions were favorable for a quiet, undisturbed discussion
of a proposed enterprise, for even Ray, the clerk, after
ramming a maple log into the fire, had quietly stretched
himself out upon one of the long counters near the stove,
resting his head upon a bolt of blue denim.

Tipping back in a big wooden chair against the opposite

11

i2 . .TBEAWAKENING OF THE DESERT

counter, at the Captain's side, with his feet on the rail by
the stove, sat big John Wilson. John had made a trip
across the plains with Whitmore the preceding year, and
was now arranging to become his partner in a similar ven-
ture on a larger scale. Trader and adventurer by instinct,
Wilson, as his record had shown, would promptly accept a
brickyard or a grocery in exchange for live stock or a farm,
and preferred any new enterprise to a business with which
he was familiar.

Fred Day, an interesting young man of twenty years,
was a consumptive. He and I sat side by side at the front
of the stove, while nervous little Paul Beemer, when not
pacing back and forth between the counters behind us, sat
astride a small chair, resting his arms on its back, and lis-
tening with close attention.

Stalwart Dan Trippe sat in a big arm chair near Paul.
He had already been informed in a general way that a
transcontinental expedition was being planned. Dan also
was ever ready to consider any new venture. He had once
crossed the plains to Pike's Peak, and had no present voca-
tion. Running his fingers through his curly hair, as was
his habit in serious moments, he launched a question to-
ward the opposite side of the stove.

"Well, John, what's the proposition? What's the
scheme?"

Dropping his chair forward upon its four legs, and
knocking the ashes from his pipe, John proceeded to out-
line the tentative plan then in mind. Briefly stated, the
project was to fit out a wagon train with the view of freight-
ing from the Missouri River to the Coast. In the preced-
ing year the rates for transportation to Salt Lake had been
from twenty to thirty cents per pound, affording a fine
profit if the train should go through safe.

A CALL TO THE WILDERNESS 13

Hill Whitmore, a vigorous, compactly built man, then
in the prime of life, and who since the discovery of gold in
California had more than once piloted such trains across
the wide stretch of plains and mountains to the Pacific
Coast, would be a partner in the enterprise and the Cap-
tain of the expedition. We had known him long and well.

An opportunity was now offered for the investment of
more capital which, if no mishap should befall the train,
would pay *big money.'

A few young fellows could also accompany the outfit and
obtain a great experience at a moderate cost. Being my-
self a convalescent from a serious attack of typhoid fever,
and having temporarily withdrawn from business at the
recommendation of physicians, Fred's condition command-
ed my serious consideration. I gently pulled his coat-
sleeve as a signal for him to follow me, and we leisurely
sauntered down into the shadows near the front of the store
where, backing up against a counter, we were soon seated
together on its top. We both knew, without exchanging
a word, that we had some interests in common. Ordi-
narily, he was a genial and affable companion, but we both
remained silent then, for we were absorbed in thinking —
and doubtless along the same lines. The mere suggestion
of the trip at once brought vividly to my mind all the little
I then knew of the West. Like all Gaul in the days of
Caesar, it seemed in some vague way to be divided into
three parts, the plains, the mountains, and the region
beyond.

The indefiniteness of the old western maps of the day
left much to the imagination of the young student of geog-
raphy and suggested the idea of something new to be dis-
covered. The great American Desert was represented as
extending hundreds of miles along the eastern slope of the

14 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

mountains. Other deserts were shown in the unoccupied
spaces beyond, and

"As geographers in Afric's maps
With savage pictures fill their gaps,"

so here and there on our maps of the western territories
was inserted the name of some Indian tribe which was
supposed to lead its wild, nomadic life in the district indi-
cated. A few rivers and mountain peaks which had re-
ceived the names of early explorers. Great Salt Lake to
which the Mormons had been led, and other objects to
which had been applied the breezy, not to say blood-curd-
ling, appellations peculiar to the nomenclature of the West,
all were perhaps more familiar to the average American
schoolboy than were the classic names which have lived
through twenty centuries of history. In the imagination
of youth, "Smoky Hill Fork," "Devil's Slide," and
"Rattlesnake Hills" figured as pretty nearly what such
terms naturally suggest. Along the first-mentioned
si:ream — then far away from civilization — the soft haze
and smoke of an ideal Indian summer was sulpposed to rest
perpetually, and it was believed that in days of long ago,
weird demons were really wont to disport themselves on
the mountain slope called Devil's Slide. The far West
seemed to be a mystic land, always and everywhere wooing
to interesting adventure.

"Do you think that Ben would go?" asked Fred in an
earnest tone.

"That's a bright thought, Fred. With Ben, we would
be a harmonious triumvirate; but let's hear more of the
program. " So we returned to our seats by the stove.

Whitmore was outlining some of the details and indicat-
ing the provisions which it would be necessary to make, in

A CALL TO THE WILDERNESS 15

view of the fact that no railroad had as yet been laid even
across Iowa, much less between the Missouri and the Pacific.

"Now boys, you must understand that we're cutting
loose from all established settlements. There won't be
any stores to drop into to buy anything that you have for-
gotten to bring along. Anybody that wants lemonade
will have to bring along his lemons and his squeezer. After
we get beyond the Missouri River you will find no white
peoples' homes until you strike the Mormon settlement
in Utah, so we'll have to take along enough grub to feed
us for several months; — of course we ought to kill some
game on the way, which will help out. Our stock must live
wholly upon such pasturage as can be found along the way.
The men must also be well armed with rifles; wagons must
be built; and the cattle must be purchased. There is a lot
to do to get ready, and we must start in on it at once. "

During the preceding year, as was well known, the In-
dians in the West had been unusuaUy hostile. Many par-
ties of freighters, among them Whitmore's train, had been
attacked, and a great number of travelers had been mas-
sacred. That year and the one to be described, are still
mentioned in the annals of the West, as " the bloody years
on the plains." This state of affairs was fully considered
and discussed, not solely from the standpoint of personal
safety, but also with reference to the success of the enter-
prise.

Having been reared among the Indian tribes of South-
ern Wisconsin, and within a mile of the spot where Abra-
ham Lincoln disbanded his company at the close of the
Black Hawk War, I was disposed to believe that I was not
entirely unfamiliar with the manners and customs of the
aborigines. Searches for arrows and spearheads in pre-
historic Aztalan and in other places, visits to Bad Axe and

16 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

to other scenes of conflict with Indians had been to me
sources of keen delight. Over these battlefields there
seemed to rest a halo of glory. They were invested with
interest profound as that which, in later years, stimulated
my imagination when I looked upon more notable battle-
fields of the Old World, where the destinies of nations had
been decided. But at this time the experiences of my
youth were fresh in my mind and the suggestion of a west-
ern trip found in me an eager welcome.

It was not indeed the lure of wealth, nor entirely a search
for health that attracted the younger members of the party
to a consideration of the project, nor in contemplating such
an expedition was there enkindled any burning desire for
warfare; it was the fascination of the wild life in prospect
that tempted us most powerfully to share the fortunes of
the other boys who had been our companions in earlier
years and whom we fervently hoped would join the party.
Fred undoubtedly expressed our sentiments when he said :

"My enthusiasm might take a big slump if a raid of
those red devils should swoop down upon us, but if I go, I
shall feel as if I didn't get my money's worth, if we don't
see some of the real life of the Wild West. "

We had all been accustomed to the use of firearms and
could picture in our imagination how, from behind an am-
ple rock, with the aid of good long-range rifles, we would
vaHantly defend ourselves against an enemy armed with
bows and arrows, we being far beyond the range of such
primitive weapons.

Immense herds of buffalo and other large game were also
known to range over the plains from the Canadian border
to the Gulf of Mexico, and these at times might receive
proper attention. Yea, there were some present who
even expressed a desire to capture a grizzly bear in the

r

ELK

A CALL TO THE WILDERNESS 17

mountains — of course under sane and safe conditions —
though none up to that time had seen the real thing.

A former schoolmate, Billy Comstock, best known as
"Wild Bill,*' who rode the first pony express from Atchi-
son, and had often been called upon by our Government
to act as Indian interpreter, was said to be somewhere on
the plains. This was encouraging, for William would be
able to give us some interesting pointers.

" We will meet here again after the store closes tomorrow
night " was the word that passed round as we went out into
the sleet and rain, and the door closed behind us.

At the earliest opportunity our friend, Ben Frees, who
had recently returned from the war, was interviewed with
favorable results.

"Yes, I will go with the boys," was my decision finally
reached after a full discussion of the subject at home.

And the three boys went.

CHAPTER II

"Rollout"

WHITMORE and Wilson, who were the
leading spirits in our expedition, urged
that twenty -five Henry repeating rifles
(which had recently been invented) and
thirty Colt's revolvers should be secured for our party;
this in view of their experience on the plains in the preced-
ing year and of recent reports from the West. If any tri-
fling precaution of that nature would in any way contrib-
ute to the safety and comfort of those gentlemen, it would
certainly meet with my approval. They were to leave
families behind them and should go fully protected. In
fact certain stories that had been related in my hearing
had excited even within my breast a strong prejudice
against the impolite and boorish manner in which Indians
sometimes scalped their captives. Orders were according-
ly transmitted for the arms to be shipped from Hartford.
The sixty wagons were built specially for the purpose in
question and thirty-six vigorous young men, the most of
whom had seen service in the Civil War just ended, were
secured to manage the teams.

Under the new white canvas cover of each wagon lay
at least one rifle. The men had practiced more or less the

18

"ROLL OUT" 19

use of the peculiar whip that seemed necessary for the long
teams. It consisted of a very short stock and an exceed-
ingly long lash, which the expert can throw to its utmost
length so as to reach the flank of a leader with accuracy,
and without injury to the beast, producing a report rivaling
in sharpness the explosion of a firecracker. The loudness
of its snap was the measure of the skill with which the
whip had been wielded.

The afternoon of Wednesday, April 18th, beheld a lively
scene on the streets of the old town. Three hundred
and sixty oxen, strong and healthy, but in some instances
refractory, (as might have been expected), were carefully
distributed and yoked up in their assigned positions. With
the wagons they were lined out in the long street, the
train extending about three-fifths of a mile, while the men
in position awaited the command to move. In addi-
tion to the crowds of children and other curious onlookers,
there were gathered at each wagon many friends, relatives,
and, in some cases, sweethearts of the young men in charge
of the several teams, to speak the tender words of farewell.
It may sound strange now to say that many tears were
shed. In this day of safe and swift travel, it is not easy to
find occasion that would justify such a demonstration. It
must be remembered, however, that the trip, even to Salt
Lake City, on which this train was about to set out, would
consume more time than now would be necessary to circle
the globe. Moreover, the war, during which partings had
come to be serious occasions, had but just ended. After
leaving the Missouri River by the route contemplated,
communication with friends at home would be suspended
or uncertain for many months. The alarming indications
of trouble with Indians on the plains were also in every
mind, but were doubtless viewed less seriously by the

20 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

strong young men now departing than by those who were
left behind, even by such as would not be apt "to fear for
the fearless were they companions in their danger."

The appointed hour of four o'clock having arrived, the
command "roll out, " which afterwards became very famil-
iar, was given. Under vigorous and incessant cracking of
the new whips, the long train began to move on its journey
westward. Expressions of kind wishes blended with
cheers and the voices of the drivers, who were as yet not
familiar with the great teams which they were to manage.

The undignified conduct of some of the young, untrained
oxen, which occasionally persisted in an endeavor to strike
off for themselves (possibly to seek their former masters*
cribs), and the efforts of inexperienced drivers to bring
them under subjection, were the cause of much amusement,
especially when one long team, inspired by some sudden
impulse, swung round its driver and doubled up in a con-
fused mass, while a lone but unobserved country woman
in a buggy was endeavoring to drive by. His years of ex-
perience in a country store were then of little avail to the
young whipmaster who was less expert in wielding a long
lash than in measuring calico for maidens. While raising
his voice to its highest pitch, he was also striving to dem-
onstrate his skill in manipulating the formidable thong by
landing its resounding tip on the flank of an unruly steer
full fifty feet away. As the long cord whirled swiftly in
its broad circuit behind him it completely enwrapped the
body of the woman. A terrific scream was the first inti-
mation which came to our busy driver telling him the na-
ture of the obstruction against which he was tugging.
Her horse at once joined in the melee, and, starting,
dragged the whip behind the buggy, until assistance was
given and apologies were made. The woman pleasantly

"ROLL OUT*' 21

remarked that she would not feel safe on her farm with
many such drivers around.

Before sunset the train reached Harrington's Pond, the
objective point of the first night's camp. The cooks at
once pitched their tent, while the teamsters, having cor-
ralled the wagons into a circle, prepared to turn the cattle
loose to feed upon the range. Before they were released,
Whitmore shouted to the driver inside the circle :

"Now boys, everybody must look at his oxen mighty
careful so as to know them and know where they belong
in the teams, because if you don't you'll have a tussle in
the morning picking out your stock and yoking them right
when they'll be mixed up with four hundred other oxen. "

Hearing this admonition, Gus Scoville, who had long
been a store clerk, stood beside his oxen in a state of doubt
and dire perplexity and finally opened his heart :

" Say Jule, these oxen all look just alike to me. How
in thunder is a fellow going to know them in the morning;
it's hard enough to know some people. "

"Why Gus, they have lots of expression in their faces,
and know each other mighty well. Say, I'll tell you how
to work it, get a black rag and tear it into long strings and
tie a strip around the tail of each ox. "

I don't know from whose old coat Gus tore the black
lining, but the oxen were soon decorated with emblems of
mourning. The guards to watch the stock having been as-
signed, the men came down to the realities of camp life:
no more china plates set by dainty hands on white linen
tablecloths; no more dehcate tidbits such as a housewife
in a comfortable home so often serves; no easy chairs in
which to rest in comfort, and no cleanly beds in which to
pass the night, — ^yet no one was disappointed, and good
spirits prevailed. The tin plates with bacon and hot

n THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

bread, and the big tin cups of coffee, without milk, were
disposed of with evident relish, born of exercise and good
digestion.

After the earlier evening hours had been whiled away
with song and jest, one by one the pilgrims retired to their
respective covered wagons, wrapped their blankets round
them and maybe with boots beneath their heads for a pil-
low, sought the peace of sleep. Now and then the voice
of some exuberant youth yet untamed would break the
stillness of the night with an old song inappropriate to the
hour, and from out some remote wagon another would
join in the refrain.

As the mariner on the first glimpse of the morning light
looks out toward the sky to see what are the signs for the
coming day, so on their first morning in camp the boys,
hearing the murmur of raindrops on their wagon covers
or tents, looked out to take an observation, and discov-
ered indications of an approaching storm. After the first
preliminary gusts, the weather settled down into a steady
rain, which continued thirty-six hours. It was deemed
inexpedient so early in the trip to subject the men to un-
necessary exposure, and the party was continued in camp.
There were many duties to perform. The guard for the
stock was changed periodically, but the boys in general de-
voted their energies to keeping dry and to drying out what
had become wet. This was no easy matter, because the
camp became surrounded by a sea of mud, and little
comfort could be derived from an open, out-of-door bon-
fire, upon which the heavens were sending a drenching
rain. The meals were served largely in the wagons, in
some of which a number of the party would gather for mu-
tual comfort and warmth, the food being conveyed to them
by self-sacrificing young men, who with a pail of hot coffee

"ROLLOUT" 23

in one hand and tinware in the other, braved the elements
for the common good.

They were already beginning to learn who were the good
fellows, ready to do service, and who were the "gentle-
men," too selfish or indifferent to share fully with others
the responsibilities and sacrifices of this mode of life. Trav-
el of the kind upon which they were embarking brings out
the inward characteristics of men more quickly and thor-
oughly than can anything else. The spirit of Burns'
Grace before Meat is consoling when all does not go
smoothly :

"Some hae meat and canna eat.

And some wad eat that want it ;

But we hae meat and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be thankit. "

The gloomy day was followed by a night of inky black-
ness, during which the April wind made the wagon covers
flap incessantly, while the rain steadily rattled on the
sheets and the air was chilly and penetrating. The con-
ditions were not favorable to hilarity, and there was little
noise except that caused by the elements; so until noon of
the following day everyone sought to make the best of ex-
isting conditions, believing that, as had always been their
observation, there never was a night so dark, nor a storm
so severe that it was not followed by a sunburst.

CHAPTER III
The Advancing Wave of Civilization

HAVE you ever carefully watched the move-
ments or caught the earnest spirit of the im-
migrant who, after traveling many hun-
dreds of miles along the difficult roads through
an unbroken country to a strange land, there seeks a spot
where he may build a home for his family? Many of the
young men in our party were on such a mission. That we
may better understand the motives which inspired them
and the movement of which they became a part, a retro-
spective glance seems almost necessary.

Having late in the thirties become the first scion of the
pioneers in the country where I was bom, I ought to be
qualified to throw some light upon the experiences of the
frontiersman, because primeval Wisconsin, as it lay un-
touched by civiHzation, and the inflow of its population as
I saw it, left upon my mind vivid impressions. There was
a blending of pathos and humor in the arduous Hves of
these builders of the nation.

Without then comprehending its significance, I had ob-
served from time to time the arrival of sturdy and intelli-
gent home-seekers from New England and New York,
transporting their household effects in country wagons
along the old, but almost impassable territorial road. I was

24

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 25

once led to accompany two other children, who, with their
parents, were on such a pilgrimage. In their two-horse
wagon were tightly packed a little furniture and a few
boxes. The wagon cover had been turned that the view
might be unobstructed. At one time the immigrants
paused as they forded a running brook; they looked up
and down the green valley; then they drove out from the
road to the summit of a nearby knoll, where their horses
were again rested. Here the father rose to his feet; he
turned his eyes earnestly and intently now in one direction^
and now in another across the inviting stretches of unoc-
cupied territory. An entrancing panorama of small valleys
and vistas of groves, all clothed in soft verdure of June,
was spread out before him; not a thing of man's construc-
tion, nor even a domestic animal, was visible on the land-
scape, except their faithful dog, which was scurrying
among the hazel bushes.

To me there seemed a long delay. The father finally
lifted his little, young wife so that she stood upon the wag-
on seat, supporting her with an encircling arm, his two
boys standing before him. The children looked with
wondering eyes, as he pointed to a far-away green meadow
traversed by a brook, from near which rose a wooded slope.
He asked if that would be a good place for a home. A
simple but expressive nod, a tear in her eye, and a kiss on
her husband's cheek, were the only signs of approval that
the sick and weary wife was able to give. In later years,
when I had learned their history, I knew better the meaning
of the mother's emotion. The father drove down the bushy
slope to the meadow, then taking his axe he crossed to the
woodland, and there he blazed a tree as an evidence of his
claim. Returning to the shelter of another settler's home,
he was welcomed, as were all comers, by the pioneers, and

26 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

one little room was for many days the home of the two fam-
ilies once accustomed to eastern comforts. There they
remained until the father could drive fifty miles to the
Government land office, there perfect his title, and return
to "roll up" his log cabin.

Such was the beginning of that colonization. I watched
the first wagon train that later heralded the coming tide
of thrifty Norwegians, and many of their trains that fol-
lowed. I had never before seen a foreigner. They all
followed round the Great Lakes in sailing vessels to Mil-
waukee. There they piled high their great wooden chests
upon farmers* wagons by the side of which in strange,
short- waisted, long-skirted woolen coats and blue caps, and
with their women and children at their side, they plodded
along on foot, first through the forests, then over the open-
ings along the same territorial road. Both men and women
often slept at night under the loaded wagons. I have ob-
served them at their meals by the wayside where nothing
was eaten but dry sheets of rye bread little thicker than
blotting paper, and much like it in appearance. A few^
villages had then sprung up. From these the Norwegians
scattered, chiefly among the hills, and there built little
homes and left their impress upon the country.

But westward, and farther westward, the tide contin-
ued to flow. As some of the young men in our train were
emigrating to the West to establish a home in the new
country which they had never seen, I now found myself to
be a part of this wonderful westward movement and was
again to share in its peculiar vicissitudes and experiences;
however, as a participant, favored with special opportu-
nities, observing others also borne forward in the flux of
nations.

As our train was traversing the first five-hundred-mile

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 27

lap to the IVIissouri River, we discovered that the homes
beyond a certain point in Central Iowa seemed suddenly
as it were to be few and far apart, leaving increasing
stretches of unoccupied land between them. The popula-
tion rapidly thinned out, until its last ripples were reached
in the western part of the state, where the serenity of na-
ture was hai'dly disturbed by the approaching flood of im-
migration.

There was already a line of small towns along the west
bank of the Missouri, which were the starting points for
transcontinental traffic, where freight was transferred from
river steamers to wagons. Beyond the Missouri and a
narrow strip of arable land along its western shore, lay
the vast territory believed to be fit only for savages, wild
beasts, and fur traders, a wide, inhospitable waste, which
men were compelled to cross who would reach the Eldorado
on the Pacific, or the mines in the mountains.

The line of demarcation between the fertile and the
arid country was supposed to be well defined. On one side
Nature responded to the spring and summer showers with
luxuriant verdure; on the western side the sterile soil lay
dormant under rainless skies. It was believed that immi-
gration would certainly be checked at this line as the ocean
tide faints upon a sandy shore; but it had now begun to
flow along a narrow trail across the desert to a more gener-
ous land beyond. To this trail our course was now di-
rected. ^

It would be an exceedingly dull company of emigrants
and ox drivers which while traveling together even through
a somewhat settled country, and sharing with each other
the free life of the camp, would not have among its mem-
bers a few whose thoughts and activities would at times
break out from the narrow grooves of prescribed duties.

28 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Our life of migration through the inhabited country was
intensely interesting, furnishing many peculiar experiences,
all flavored to some extent by the character and temper of
the persons concerned. As the eagerness of the men to
emancipate themselves from the restraints of civilization
increased, they began soon to adopt the manners of fron-
tiersmen, and to resort to every possible device within the
range of their inventive powers for diversion.

Young Moore, who hoped to reach Oregon, was an exu-
berant fellow preferring any unconstrained activities to
regular duties. In former days he had distinguished him-
self in "speaking pieces" in the district school. This
training led him often to quote poetry very freely and
dramatically. It was Moore who sighted the first game
worthy of mention, when he observed two beautiful ani-
mals at the moment that they glided into a copse of bushes
nearly half a mile from the train. Transfen-ing the care
of his team to another, he hastened for his gun and started
upon the first interesting hunt of the trip. This being really
his maiden experience in the fascinating sport, he was de-
sirous of winning for himself the first laurels of victory in
the chase. Not knowing the nature of the animals to be en-
countered, he approached as closely as possible to the cov-
eted game, penetrating the thicket where the animals were
concealed. The first discharge of his gun probably wound-
ed one of the animals which, by the way, had a means of
defense that baffles the attacks of the most powerful foe.
The more experienced drivers soon knew that he had en-
countered the malodorous Mephites Americana, commonly
known as skunk. Both of the animals and possibly some
unseen confederates of the same family, must have invoked
their combined resources in the conflict with Moore, for the
all-pervasive pungent odor loaded the air and was wafted

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 29

toward us, seemingly dense enough to be felt. Moore
retreated into the open and ran toward the train for as-
sistance, but he was no longer a desirable companion.
While it might be truly said that he was a sight, it might
better be said that he was a smell.

The train moved on in search of pure air, and Moore fol-
lowed, bearing with him the reminder of his unfortunate
experience. Wheresoever he went he left behind him an
invisible trail of odor which had the suggestion of conta-
gion, and from which his fellows fled in dismay or disgust.

In the calm stillness of the next evening, when voices
were easily heard at a distance, and when through the soft
air of spring, perfumes were transmitted in their greatest
perfection, Moore stood alone, far away from the camp,
and delivered an eloquent but pathetic monologue, con-
cluding with the servant's words to Pistol, "I would give
all my fame for a pot of ale and safety. " Then across the
intervening space he calmly discussed with his friends the
advisability of burying his clothes for a week to deodorize
them, a custom said to be common among farmers who
have suffered a like experience. It was finally conceded
that he should hold himself in quarantine for the night,
and not less than a mile from the train, and that during the
ensuing days his garments might be hung in the open air
on the rear of the hind wagon. The sequel to this hunt
was approximately forty miles long, for the train covered
more than that distance before it ceased to leave in its
trail the fragrant reminder of Moore's first essay in hunt-
ing.

On a Saturday the long train rolled through the compara-
tively old town of Milton, a little village settled in the for-
ties by a colony of Seventh Day Baptists. As is well
known, these people honor the seventh day, or Saturday,

30 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

as their Sabbath, or day of rest. We filed through the
quiet, sleepy town while the worshippers were going to
their church. It seemed as if we had either lost our reck-
oning of time, or were flagrantly dishonoring the Lord's
Day.

After we had passed through to the open country beyond,
some of the boys who had been riding together in the rear
and had been discussing the Sunday question brought to
mind by this trifling occurrence, decided to interview our
highest authority upon the subject, and accordingly rode
alongside of Captain Whitmore, who had been riding in
advance. *' Captain, " said one of the party, in a dignified
and serious m.anner, "we know that your recent life has
been spent very much in the mountains and that you have
not been a regular attendant at church, although we be-
lieve your wife to be a gced Methodist. What has been
your practice in this kind of travel with reference to Sab-
bath observance .f*"

"Well, now, my boy," replied the Captain, 'T have
never cared very much for Sunday or for churches, but you
must know that when we get out on the plains we can't af-
ford to stop all our stock to starve on a desert where there
is no feed or water just because it is Sunday. Sometimes
there may be grass enough on a little bottom for a night,
but it will be cropped close before the stock lies down. To
remain another night would mean starvation to the stock,
which would be roaming in every direction. Of course I
don't know the ranges as well as the buffaloes do, but there
are a few places, and I know pretty near where to find
them, where in most seasons stock can feed a second day,
unless others have too recently pastured it. When I find
such a place I lie over for a day and don't care if it is Satur-
day, Sunday or Monday. But, " he added, with earn-

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 31

estness, "I want to tell you one thing. I have crossed the
plains to the coast many times, and I can take a train of
oxen or mules and turn them out one whole day every
sixth or seventh day, free to range for twenty-four hours,
and I can make this trip in less time and bring my stock
through to the Pacific in better condition than any fool
can who drives them even a little every day. "

"Now, Cap," said one, "you are getting right down to
the philosophy of Sabbath observance. Why can you
drive farther by resting full days rather than to rest your
stock a little more each day ? '*

"Well, I don't know, except that I have tried both ways.
Animals and men seem to be built that way. Now,
here's these Seventh Day Baptists whose Sunday comes
on Saturday. They're all right, but they would be just as
correct if they would regularly use any other day as the
Sabbath, and I believe the Lord knew what we ought to
have when he got out the fourth commandment. I know
'em all as well as you do. I think Mrs. Whit more is right
in going to church on Sunday, and in making me put on a
clean shirt when at home, even though I do not go with
her. It would be better for me if I would go with her, but
I have roughed it so much that I have got out of the way
of it."

Thus was announced the Captain's policy for our qtiasi
weekly days of rest, and the affair was conducted accord-
ingly.

As our train crawled across Rock River, whose banks
were once the favorite hunting grounds of the Win-
nebagoes and Pottawattamies, I recalled a final gather-
ing of the remnant of the latter tribe, which I
witnessed, when, for the last time, they turned from
their beautiful home and started in single file on their

32 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

long, sad trail toward the setting sun, to the reser-
vation set apart for them forever. We shall note more of
this type of historical incident as we pass beyond the Mis-
souri, for the white man was pushing the Indian year by
year farther back into the wild and arid lands then sup-
posed to be of no use for cultivation.

The overshadowing events of more recent years cause
us almost to forget that Zachary Taylor, Winfield Scott,
Jefferson Davis, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Anderson of
Fort Sumter fame, and other men who became distinguished
in American affairs, were once engaged in pursuing the
Sacs and Foxes up these streams which we crossed while
on our journey to the land of the yet unsubdued Sioux and
Cheyennes.

Passing beyond the Mississippi, and to the western limit
of railroad transportation, I was joined at Monticello by
my old friends, Ben Frees and Fred Day.

Walking back six miles from the frontier station we
struck the camp in time for a late supper. The dark even-
ing hours were brightened by a rousing bonfire that the
boys had built. The shadows of night had long since set-
tled down upon the camp, and, there being no apparent
occasion for us to retire immediately, Ben, Fred and I
wandered together out into the gloom far away from the
now flickering camp fire, which like some fevered lives,
was soon to leave nothing but gray ashes or blackened,
dying embers. We had just come together after our sepa-
ration, and we conversed long concerning the unknown
future that lay before us, for no definite plans for our trip,
nor even the route that we were to take, had been per-
fected, and this was the second of May.

Our footsteps led us toward a rural cemetery, some miles
east of the town of Monticello, in which we had already

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 33

observed a few white grave stones, indicating that the grim
reaper had found an early harvest in this new settlement.
Our attention was soon attracted to a dim light slowly
floating around the ground in a remote ravine within the
enclosure. A lonely graveyard at night had never appealed
to me as a place of especial interest, yet I had heard of one
unfortunate, who in his natural life had done a great
wrong; when consigned to the tomb, his spirit, unable to
rise, was held to earth, and yearly on certain nights it
hovered over the grave where his own body had gone to
dust.

"Boys, " said Fred, "that light is certainly mysterious; it
is not the light of a candle. " A slight chill ran up my spinal
column, concerning which I made no comment. It was at
once suggested that there was nothing we were able to do
about it; moreover our diffidence and modesty naturally in-
clined us to avoid mixing up in the private, sub-mundane
affairs of the departed, especially those with whom we had
had no acquaintance, or whose character was uncertain.
If, instead of this strange light, the appearance had been
something of flesh and blood, we, being as we believed,
quite courageous, would have proceeded at once to inves-
tigate its nature. Curiosity, however, led us to advance
cautiously forward. Ben, being a trifle shorter than I,
was permitted to move in advance, as I did not wish to
obstruct his view. The phosphorescence, or whatever it
was, soon ceased to move, and rested near a little grave-
stone, the form of which we could faintly discern in out-
line. Quietly drawing nearer, we caught the subdued
sound of something like a human voice coming, as we be-
lieved (and as was truly the fact), from the earth; the
words, as nearly as we could understand, were, "help me
out. ' ' Surely this was a spirit struggling to escape, and our

34 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

approach was recognized. At that moment we were startled
to discover an arm reaching upward from the earth.
Another dark form, emerging from the shadow of a near-
by copse of bushes, in the dim hght could be seen approach-
ing toward the extended hand, which it appeared to grasp,
and a body was lifted to the surface, from which came the
words of kind assurance, "It's all right, Mike." "Sure,"
said Ben, "that is an Irishman, and I think Irishmen are
generally good fellows, but I believe they are robbing a
grave."

Drawing still nearer we discovered that the light which
we had observed was an old-fashioned tin lantern, suspend-
ed from a small tree, and its feeble rays now brought to our
view a plain, wooden coflSn resting upon the ground. In-
spired by a better knowledge of the situation, we quickly
came to the front, and, as if vested with some authority
for inquiring concerning this desecration, we demanded an
explanation, for it was now past midnight.

"And wad ye have all the facts?" asked the Irishman,
as we looked into the open grave. We firmly urged that
we must understand the whole situation. The two men
glanced at each other. "Well," said one, "this man in
this cojQSn ferninst ye, died last night of smallpox, and we
were hired to bury him before morning, because ye
wouldn't have a smallpox stiff around in the day time, wad
ye?" The path out of the graveyard was tortuous and
dark; in fact, we found no path through the dense under-
brush, but we reached the road in safety. Unseen and
immaterial things are usually more feared than are visible
and tangible objects. The combination of smallpox and
spirits departed verges visibly on the uncanny.

On a tributary of the Des Moines River we found the
first Indians thujs far seen, possibly two score of miserable,

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 35

degraded beings who were camping there. They had little
of the free, dignified bearing of representatives of the tribes
with which I had once been familiar. A little contact with
civilization and a little support from the Government had
made them the idle, aimless wanderers that nearly all sav-
ages become when under such influence. Keokuk, the
successor of Black Hawk, and Wapello, became chiefs of
the united tribes of the Sacs and Foxes, and along with
Appanoose, a Fox chief, received reservations along these
streams. Wapello was buried at Indian Agency near Ottu-
tumwa, beside the body of his friend and protector, Gen-
eral Street.

Our men had not yet reached a state of savagery in
which there was not occasional longing for the good things
commonly enjoyed by civilized beings. Among these
was milk. On the day that we met the Indians, and at
some distance from the camp, a solitary cow was seen feed-
ing on the prairie. Several days had passed since our men
had been permitted to enjoy the luxury of milk for coffee.
It occurred to Brant that a golden opportunity was pre-
sented, which if seized upon would place the camp under
lasting obligations to him. He struck across the country
and gradually approaching the animal succeeded so thor-
oughly in securing her confidence that he soon returned
with a pail of the precious liquid. The question arose as
to whether or not Brant could set up a valid defense against
a charge of larceny in case the owner of the cow, having
proof that he had extracted the milk, should prefer charges
against him. The case was argued at the evening session,
and I preserved a record of the proceedings. Evidence
was adduced to show that at the time the milk was taken,
the cow was feeding upon the public domain, or what is
known as Government land; that the grass and water

36 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

which were taken for its support and nourishment were
obtained by the said cow from pubUc lands without pay-
ment therefor; that a portion of said grass taken by said
cow and not required for nourishment did, through the
processes of nature, become milk; that the said milk at the
time of its extraction had not become either constructively
or prospectively an essential part of said cow, nor could
any title thereto become exclusively vested in the owner
of said cow, except such milk as said cow should have with-
in her when she should enter upon the premises of her
owner. It was admitted that the milk was obtained from
said cow under false pretences, by virtue of the fact that
Brant's manner in approaching her was such as was calcu-
lated to cause any cow of ordinary intelligence to believe
that he was duly authorized to take said milk. It was
assumed, however, that under the statutes of Iowa there
was no law by which said cow could become a plaintiff in a
case, even through the intervention of a nearest friend.

As the milk was to be served freely to all the boys for
breakfast, and as we were desirous that all questions of
justice and equity should be fairly settled before any prop-
erty should be appropriated to our use which might have
been unlawfully acquired, the jury, after prayerful con-
sideration decided that as the food taken by said cow to
produce said milk was public property, the milk also was
the property of the public. We, therefore, used the milk
in our coffee for breakfast. It was also the last obtained
by the men for many months.

At this juncture I was to be sent upon a mission. There
had been transported in the Captain's wagon a little more
than $8,000.00 in currency to be used in the purchase of
supplies. Whit more was anxious that this currency,
which was quite a large sum for that day, should be de-

THE ADVANCING WAVE OF CIVILIZATION 37

posited in some bank in Nebraska City. Improvising a
belt in which the money was placed, I started out alone
for that town, and soon encountered heavy storms, which
delayed progress. On one day in which I made a continu-
ous ride of seventy -eight miles, one stretch of twenty -four
miles was passed along which no house was visible. This
indicated the tapering out of civilization and the proximity
of the western limit of population in that territory.

On the 22d of May I crossed the Missouri River by a
ferry, after fording a long stretch of flooded bottom lands
to the landing, five days after leaving our train, and
reached Nebraska City, then an outfitting point for trans-
continental travel.

CHAPTER IV
A River Town of the Day

FROM the western boundary of the state that
bears its name, the attenuated channel of the
Missouri River stretched itself far out into the
unsettled Northwest, projecting its long an-
tennae-like tributaries into the distant mountains, where
year after year the fur traders awaited the annual arrival
of the small river steamers, which in one trip each summer
brought thither supplies from St. Louis and returned with
rich cargoes of furs and peltries. On the western bank
of that turbid, fickle stream were half a dozen towns,
known chiefly as out-fitting places, which owed their ex-
istence to the river transportation from St. Louis, whereby
supplies consigned to the mountains, or to the Pacific Coast,
could be carried hundreds of miles further west and nearer
to the mining districts and the ocean than by any other
economical mode of transit. These towns had, therefore,
become the base of operations for commerce and travel
between the East and the far West, and so remained until
the transcontinental railroads spanned the wilderness be-
yond.

Nebraska City was a fair type of those singular towns,
which possibly have no counterpart at the present time.
Like many western settlements, Nebraska City was chris-
tened a city when in its cradle, possibly because of the pre-

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 39

vailing optimism of all western town-site boomers, who
would make their town a city at least in name, with the
hope that in time it would become a city in fact. The vis-
itor to one of those towns at the present day is sure to be
impressed with the remarkable metamorphosis wrought in
five decades, if he stops to recall the hurly-burly and bustle
of ante-railroad days when the great wagon trains were
preparing for their spring migration.

It was at noon on the day of my arrival in Nebraska
City when I debarked from the ferryboat and rode my
horse up the one street of the embryo city until I discov-
ered the primitive caravansary known as the Seymour
House, which provided entertainment not only for man
and beast but incidentally also for various other living
creatures. The house seemed to be crowded, but with the
suave assurance characteristic of successful hotel managers,
the host encouraged me to cherish the hope that I might be
provided with a bed at night, which would be assigned me
later. After taking a hasty meal, being as yet undespoiled
of the funds I had transported, I entered a bank, and with
little knowledge concerning its solvency, gladly relieved
myself of the burden of currency which I had borne for
many days and nights. Then I strolled out upon the busy
highway to see the town.

Rain had been falling intermittently for several days,
leaving portions of the roadway covered with a thick solu-
tion of clay, but there were sidewalks which the numerous
pedestrians followed. A panoramic view of the streets could
not fail to remind one of the country fairs in olden times.
Huge covered wagons, drawn by four or five yoke of oxen,
or as many mules, moved slowly up and down that thor-
oughfare. Mingled with these were wagons of more mod-
erate size, loaded with household goods, the property of

40 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

emigrants. I learned that the greater number of these were
taking on supplies for their western journey. Many men,
some mounted upon horses and others upon mules, weie
riding hurriedly up and down the street, as if speeding upon
some important mission. All these riders seemed to have
adopted a free and easy style of horsemanship entirely un-
like that which is religiously taught by riding masters and
practiced by gentlemen in our city parks. Their dress
was invariably some rough garb peculiar to the West, con-
sisting in part of a soft hat, a flannel shirt, and *pants'
tucked tightly into long-legged boots, which were gener-
ally worn in those days. To these were added the indis-
pensable leather belt, from which in many cases a revolver
hung suspended. Men of the same type thronged the
sidewalks; many of them with spurs rattling at their heels
were young, lusty-looking fellows, evidently abounding in
vigor and enthusiasm.

I conversed with many of them, and learned that the
greater number were young farmers or villagers from the
western and southern states. Some of them were wearing
the uniform of the Northern or the Southern army. As-
sembled in and around the wide-open saloons there were
also coteries of men whose actions and words indicated
that they were quite at home in the worst life of the fron-
tier. Hardly one of these men then upon the streets, as
far as I could discover, was a resident of the city; all seemed
to be planning to join some train bound for the West.
Such were some of the factors destined to waken into life
the slumbering resources of the broad, undeveloped regions
beyond the Missouri.

Wandering further up the street, my steps were attracted
toward a band of Pawnee Indians, who had entered the
town, and, standing in a compact group, were gazing with

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 41

silent, stolid solemnity upon the busy scene. As was the
custom with that tribe, their stiff black hair was cut so as
to leave a crest standing erect over their heads. Their
blankets, wrapped tightly around their bodies, partly ex-
posed their bare limbs and moccasined feet, their primitive
bows and their quivers of arrows. They had not yet de-
generated into the mongrel caricatures of the noble red
man that are often seen in later days, garbed in old straw
hats and a few castaway articles of the white man's dress,
combined with paint and feathers; but they stood there as
strong representatives of the last generation of one of the
proudest and most warlike tribes of America, the most un-
compromising enemy of the Sioux, and as yet apparently
unaffected by contact with civilization.

Led by a natural desire to learn what were the thoughts
then uppermost in their minds, I cordially addressed them
with the formal salutation "How," a word almost univer-
sally understood and used in friendly greeting to Indians
of any tribe. A guttural "How" was uttered in return,
but all further efforts to awaken their interest were fruit-
less. I was not surprised to discover that no language at
my command could convey to them a single idea. The
subject of their re very, therefore, remains a secret.

I well knew, however, that we were then standing on a
part of their former hunting grounds and that lodges of
their tribe had often stood on that very bluff. Had I seen
my home of many years thus occupied by unwelcome in-
vaders, I, too, might have spurned any greeting from a
member of the encroaching race. Those Pawnees cer-
tainly heard their doom in the din and rattle upon that
street where the busy white man was arming to go forward
through the Indian's country. They soon turned their

42 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

backs on the scene and I saw them file again slowly west-
ward toward the setting sun.

The time having arrived to return to the hotel, and, if
possible to perfect my arrangement for a room, I retraced
my steps. The hotel at night naturally became the ren-
dezvous for all classes of people, if it can be properly said
that there was more than one class. Most conspicuous
were the rough freighters, stock traders, and prospective
miners; and the few rooms were crowded to overflowing.
Any request for a private room was regarded as an indica-
tion of pride or fastidiousness on the part of the applicant,
and was almost an open breach of the democratic customs
of the West. But I passed the night without serious dis-
comfort and doubtless slept as peacefully as did my com-
panions.

There were, however, other houses in Nebrsaka City for
the entertainment of guests. It was another hospitable
tavern and another well remembered night, to which I
would now briefly refer. Accompanied by an older com-
panion, I repaired to this hostelry, because of our previous
acquaintance with the proprietor, who had formerly been
a genial old farmer near my native town and was known
as Uncle Prude. He promised to "fix us up all right" after
supper. Accordingly we stepped out under a spreading
oak tree, where, upon a bench, were set two tin washbasins
and a cake of yellow soap, while from a shed nearby a long
towel depended, gliding on a roller and thoroughly wet
from frequent and continued service, — all of which instru-
ments of ablution and detergence we exploited to the great-
est advantage possible. Sitting a little later at one of the
long, well-filled supper tables, we wondered how Uncle
Prude would dispose of the great number of people in and
around his hostelry. At an early hour we signified our in-

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 43

clination to retire, and by the light of a tallow candle were
escorted to a large room known as the ball room, so called
because on great occasions, like the Fourth of July and
New Year's night, it was used by the country swains and
their lasses for dances. It was now filled with beds, with
only narrow passages between them. A wooden shoe box,
upon which was a tin washbasin and pitcher, stood near
the end of the room. A single towel and a well -used horn
comb still boasting a number of teeth, were suspended by
strings. These, with four or five small chairs, constituted
the furnishings. Some of the beds were already occupied
by two persons, in some cases doubtless the result of natu-
ral selection. We took possession of the designated bed,
blew out the light, and soon fell fast asleep. Later in the
night we were awakened by the arrival of a belated guest,
who was ushered in by the landlord's assistant. Taking a
careful survey of the long row of beds, the assistant point-
ed to the one next to that which we were occupying and
said, " You had better turn in with that fellow. I see it's
the only place left. " Gratified by his good fortune in se-
curing accommodations, the guest thanked his escort, sat
down on a chair and with his foot behind his other leg pro-
ceeded to remove his long boots. The noise of his grunts,
or the falling of his boots upon the bare floor, awoke his
prospective companion, who, slowly coming to conscious-
ness, addressed the newcomer with the remark in kindly
accents, accompanied with a yawn, "Are ye thinking about
coming in here with me, stranger?" "Wa'U yes," he re-
plied, "Prude sent me up. He said you and I had about
all that's left. Pretty much crowded here tonight, they
tell me," and he was soon nearly ready to blow out the
light. The man in the bed, apparently revolving in his
mind some serious proposition, added, "I think it's noth-

44 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ing more than fair, stranger, to tell you that I've got the
itch, and maybe you wouldn't like to be with me." As a
fact that undesirable contagion was known to be somewhat
prevalent in those parts. The announcement, however,
failed to produce the expected result. The newcomer,
apparently unconcerned, calmly replied, "If you've got
the itch any worse than I have, I am sorry for you. I
guess we can get along together all right, " and then pro-
ceeded to turn down his side of the bed. The occupant
jumped to the floor, hastily gathered up his wearing ap-
parel and suddenly bolted out the door. With no word of
comment, the last comer blew out the light, turned into
the vacant bed, and enjoyed its luxury the rest of the night.
We were unable to identify the strangers on the following
morning, but there were many questionings among the
guests concerning the manner in which a certain affection
may be transmitted.

On the following morning I had little choice but to fol-
low the example of other transients and join the throng
upon the street. It was not difficult to determine what
thoughts were uppermost in the minds of the many men
whom I met along that thoroughfare. I heard negotia-
tions for the purchase of mules and oxen, and contracts
for freight, often ratified with Stygian sanctity by the in-
vitation to "go in and have something to drink." I was
brought in contact with many men from Missouri and Ken-
tucky. In negotiating for a small purchase, the price
named by the seller was two bits. "What is two bits.^" I
asked. The gentleman from Pike County, Missouri, ap-
peared to be surprised when my ignorance was revealed.
After he had enlightened me, I found him to be equally
dense when I proposed to give two shillings for the article,

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 45

the shilling of twelve and a half cents being then a common
measure of value in my own state.

The signs over many of the stores of the town appealed
to the requirements of a migratory people, "Harness
Shop," "Wagon Repairing," "Outfitting Supplies," being
among those frequently observed. The legend "Waggins
for Sail" was of more doubtful and varied significance.
The symbols, "Mammoth Corral," "Elephant Corral,"
and other corrals, indicated stables with capacious yards
for stock, with rude conveniences which the freighter tem-
porarily needs until he is out on the plains. The term
"corral" was applied in the West to any enclosure for
keeping stock and supplies, as well as to the circle formed
by arranging the wagons of a train, as is the custom of
freighters at night, for their protection and for other ob-
vious reasons. In these regions the significance of the
term widened so as to include any place where food or
drink is meted out to men, instead of to mules, and signs
bearing the word "Corral" were very common on resorts
of that class. The sign "Bull Whackers Wanted, " posted
in many conspicuous places, was well understood by the
elite of the profession to be a call for drivers.

The demand for firearms and knives seemed to be very
active. The majority of men who had recently arrived
from the East seemed to regard a revolver as quite indis-
pensable, even in Nebraska City. As a fact, however,
they were equipping for the plains. The local residents
who were busy in their stores selling supplies apparently
had no use for revolvers, except to sell them as fast as pos-
sible.

Near the foot of the street is the levee, where at that
season of the year many steamers arrived and departed,
their freight being discharged and transported to ware-

46 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

houses, whence the greater part of it was reshipped by
wagon trains to the far West. I went aboard one of
the steamers and looked down upon the scene of feverish
activity. The merchandise was being rushed ashore, that
the boat might be hurried back to St. Louis, whence all
freight to these towns was then brought. The busy sea-
son was brief, and time was money.

A mate stood near the head of the gangplank urging the
colored deck hands to move more rapidly. The fervent
curses that he hurled at the men seemed to tumble over
each other in the exuberance of his utterance. While thus
engaged, a coatless man walked rapidly up the gangplank
and with clenched fists approached the oflScer thus busied
with his exhortations. In threatening tones and manner
and with an oath he notified the mate that he had been

waiting for him and now . The mate, anticipating

the man's evident purpose, instantly caught the spirit of
the occasion and without awaiting the full delivery of the
threat, himself delivered a powerful blow between the in-
truder's eyes, which unceremoniously tumbled him into
an open hatchway nearby. Casting a brief glance through
it into the hold, he asked the visitor if there was any one
else around there that he had been waiting for. The mate
then turned on the deck hands and cursed them for stop-
ping to see the sport. The * 'niggers" displayed their teeth
and smiled, knowing that the mate would have been in-
consolable had there been no witnesses to his encounter.

On the 30th of May, eight days after my arrival at Ne-
braska City, oiu* train arrived on the opposite side of the
river, and I went over to assist in the crossing. The
stream had overflowed its banks and night and day on its
bosom a mighty drift of logs and trees went sweeping by.

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 47

"River, O River, thou roamest free

From the mountain height to the deep blue sea. "

There was, however, no tint on the rushing, rolling wat-
ers of the chocolate-colored Missouri that could remind
one of the ocean blue.

The diary of a journey such as we embarked upon is
probably of more interest in those features that deal with
early western life under then existing conditions than in
geological or archaeological observations. With this
idea in mind, I venture to narrate an incident as it was
told me on meeting our outfit at the river. The train had
come to a halt in the village of Churchville, Iowa. Just
before the order to "Roll out," was given, a youth ap-
parently fifteen or sixteen years of age, approached and
expressed a desire to see the proprietor of the expedition.
Captain Whitmore was indicated as that person. The
youth requested permission to accompany the train to Ne-
braska City, to find an uncle. The Captain cast glances
at the boy, whose fine, clear complexion, delicate form, and
quiet, unassuming manners indicated that he was probably
unaccustomed to a life of exposure and was hardly fitted
to enjoy the rough experience of an ox driver. "Young
man," said the Captain, "I guess this will be a little too
severe for you; I hardly think you will like this kind of
travel." On beiug assured that no fears need be enter-
tained in this matter, but that the boy was not able to pay
the high rate of stage fare, the permission was finally grant-
ed. The impression really made upon the Captain was
similar to that made by Viola on Malvolio, as given in
Twelfth Night, where he is made to say :

" Not yet old enough for a man nor young enough for a
boy ! as a squash is before 'tis a peascod, or a codling when

48 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

'tis almost an apple; 'tis with him in standing water be-
tween boy and man. He is very well-favored and he
speaks very shrewishly."

The boy immediately, as if by instinct or delicacy, took
a position in the train with Mrs. Brown, the cook's wife.
As an assistant the youth did not assume the fresh man-
ners expected from the average boy who is gifted with at-
tractive features and fine temperament, but rode quietly
along from day to day. In the course of time the Cap-
tain was led to entertain a suspicion concerning the young-
ster, which was finally embodied in a question concerning
his sex. Without hesitation the boy frankly admitted
that he was a girl. Being exposed so suddenly and among
so large a number of men, she burst into tears, a very natu-
ral mode of expression among women.

Her story was short. It was a story of wrongs suffered
at the hands of a step-father, and of desire to find an uncle
in the West, which she had taken this method of accom-
plishing. "But where's her hame and what's her name,
she didna choose to tell. " She admitted having her prop-
er apparel in her satchel, which was substituted for her
male attire in the house of a farmer nearby. She then
returned to the train and finished her journey, keeping
herself in close company with Mrs. Brown. I saw the
young woman soon after meeting the train. She was
certainly a handsome, refined, modest-looking village girl,
not more than nineteen years of age. We may catch an-
other glimpse of the young girl's life later.

There have been but few writers who have laid the
scenes of their romances in the far West, but there are
numerous bits of history, supplied by the social life of the
pioneers, like this truthfully-related incident, which the
pen of a ready writer might turn into a tale as beautiful

WILD CAT

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 49

and interesting as that of Viola, who in the r6le of page en-
acted her part and "never told her love. "

On Saturday, June 2nd, additional crowds of people were
attracted to the town by its first election, at which an op-
portunity was offered the people :>i the territory to vote
upon the question of "State or no State." We learned
later, that the vote of the people as might have been ex-
pected was in the affirmative, but on President Johnson's
failing to approve the measure, statehood was for a time
denied them.

Our train passed on through Nebraska City and camped
six miles westward. We discovered later that the con-
gestion of travel on the one thoroughfare of the town was
really the result of the lack of business. The amount of
freight to be moved from the river towns was less than had
been expected, and the shippers being unwilling to pay
the rates that had prevailed in former years, the freighters
were refusing to carry the merchandise and were lingering
in the towns expecting better prices.

In the course of a few days some expected friends ar-
rived from Wisconsin with special merchandise and horse
teams, and without waiting for the ox train, it was decided
that a few from our party should separate from the others
and with horse teams proceed westward at once. Nego-
tiations with reference to a common interest in the mer-
cantile venture were finally perfected. We purchased the
supplies of provisions for our journey, and after supper, on
June 8th, pulled out five miles from the town to our first
Nebraskan camp. The sim had hardly set, closing the
long June day, when our party, now brought together for
the first time on this expedition, found its members all
rounded on the grass in a prairie valley and half reclining
upon boxes and bags, discussing the future.

50 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

There was Peter Wintermute, a powerful, athletic young
man; he was six feet and three inches in height, and his long
legs were stretched out upon the grass. He was an ex-
perienced horseman, and had a team of four fine animals
with a modest wagon load of merchandise of some value,
which it was proposed to retail somewhere in the West.
Paul Beemer, his wagon companion, interested in the
venture, was a small, nervous, untiring fellow, and a fine
shot with a rifle. This Peter and Paul had few of the
characteristics of the Apostles whose names they bore. It
is written of Peter, the Disciple, that on one occasion he
swore and repented. I fail to recall the occasion when our
Peter did not swear — and that is only one of many points
of dissimilarity.

In the circle sat Daniel Trippe, another giant in strength
and activity, cultured and well informed on current and
general topics, a man of fine presence and wonderfully at-
tractive in manner and appearance. Noah Gillespie was
financially interested with Dan in a proposed manufac-
turing project in Idaho. Our Daniel, like his great proto-
type, was something of a prophet and seer, indeed also
something of a philosopher, and his pronouncements were
frequently invited. The similarity between our Noah
and the great navigator of diluvian days lay chiefly in the
fact that Gillespie also had met with much success in navi-
gation— while propelling a canoe in duck hunting on the
Wisconsin lakes. Moreover, so far as reported, the patri-
arch drank too much wine on but one occasion, whereas
our Noah excelled greatly in tarrying too often at the
wine cup; but he was a good fellow and a valuable com-
panion in time of peril. Noah and Dan had a fine team.

A grand old man was Deacon Simeon E. Cobb, who now
sat in the circle upon an empty cracker box, which he fre-

A RIVER TOWN OF THE DAY 51

quently used throughout the trip. He was trying the life
on the plains in the hope of relieving himself of dyspepsia.
He had a team and a light wagon with personal supplies,
including a small tent. Henry Rundle and Aleck Freeman
were also in the circle. They were vigorous, hardy and
reliable men and they too had a team. The especial com-
panions of the writer were Ben Frees and Fred Day. Ben
was a compactly-built fellow of elephantine strength, and
although only twenty years of age, had been a first lieu-
tenant in a Wisconsin regiment before Richmond at the
surrender . Fred, who was still younger, was delicate but
vivacious and buoyant and abounded in all those qualities
that make for good fellowship.

And now spoke Dan, saying, " Boys, it's all right where
we are now, but only last summer on the Big Blue, only a
little west of us, the Indians were raiding and destroyed
nearly all the stations from there on, beyond and along the
Platte. Keep your rifles in their proper places, loaded and
in perfect order." "All right, Dan," said Fred, "we'll
keep 'em loaded until we fire 'em off. " Each of the party
had in his wagon a Henry repeating rifle and plenty of
ammunition. Our supplies consisted chiefly of bacon,
flour, coffee and sugar, no available canned goods then
being on the market. With these preparations, we con-
tinued in the morning out upon the broad plains.

CHAPTER V

Our Introduction to the Great Plains

" Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing leave behind us,
Footprints on the sands of time. "

IT was in the gray light of the quiet early dawn, when
all members of the camp except one were in peaceful
slumber, that these familiar lines of Longfellow's
heartening lyric were suddenly howled forth from the
interior of Fred's tent. Coupled with the ill-mated refrain,

"Co chee co lunk che lunk chelaly,"
that dignified stanza had been often sung by boys like
Fred, who persistently turned the serious things of life to
levity. Because of frequent showers it had been really
decided to make an early morning start, if conditions
should prove favorable. Ordinarily Fred did not aspire
to catch the worm, and in fact, after rousing the camp
he lapsed back into his blanket and was the last man out
for further service, in remarkable fulfillment of the famous
Scripture. He had brought his companion, Ben, to his
feet, who inflicted on him some harmless punishment for
his breach of the peace.

Aroused by Fred's ill-timed outburst, I poked my head

52

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT PLAINS 53

outside my wagon cover and surveyed the situation. The
white-covered prairie schooners were parked in a row, as
they had been on the preceding night. The two Uttle
tents, one of which sheltered the venerable deacon, stood
side by side. Not far distant our horses were picketed by
ropes. At this first indication of human activity, the
faithful animals one by one scrambled to their feet, shook
their manes, and doubtless expected the usual supply of
morning oats, in which expectation they were doomed to
disappointment, for hereafter they had to make an honest
living by foraging on the country. There was sufficient
light to reveal the sparkling of the heavy dew upon the
grass. Fred's matin song had accomplished its purpose,
and many good-natured but vigorous epithets were thun-
dered toward his tent by members of the party as they
emerged from their wagons, and he himself was finally
pulled forth from his lair.

It seems needless to state that to some members of our
party who were early pioneers of Wisconsin, a primeval
forest, or a broad, virgin prairie was not an unfamiliar
sight. Nevertheless, there was something in the expanse
of the Nebraska plains as they then were, before the farmer
had desecrated them, that was wonderfully impressive.
The almost boundless stretch of undulating green extend-
ed in every direction to the horizon, at times unrelieved
by a single tree or shrub, and only now and then we ob-
served the winding course of some little stream indicated
by a narrow line of small timber half hidden in the valley,
whose inclined and stunted growth told of the sweeping
winds that had rocked them. Even those thin green lines
were few and far between.

Bryant beautifully described this type of scenery when
he wrote of the prairies :

54 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

" Lo, they stretch

In airy undulations far away,

As if the ocean in its gentlest swell

Stood still, with all its billows fixed

And motionless forever."

We finally reached a little, solitary sod hut,which a pioneer
had recently constructed. Not another work of man was
visible in any direction. If Cowper sighing "for a lodge
in some vast wilderness" had been placed in control of
this sequestered cabin, his ardent desire would have been
fully realized. It seemed as if it might well afford to any
one grown weary of the wrong and outrage with which
earth is filled, a spot where he might spend his remaining
days in unbroken peace and quietude. But no! this
cabin was but a little speck in advance of the on-coming
tide of human life whose silent flow we had seen slowly
but steadily creeping westward across the Iowa prairies.
Thousands of men released from service in the army were
turning to the West for homes, and the tens of thousands
of foreigners landing at the Atlantic ports were then as
now spreading over the country, adding volume and mo-
mentum to the westward movement.

The following night found us beside a little brook, on the
banks of which wild strawberries were abundant. Our
horses were picketed on the range, each being tied with a
rope fifty feet in length, attached to an iron pin driven into
the ground, as was the usual custom. Aleck Freeman, how-
ever, concluded to tie the lariat of one of his horses to the
head of a nearby skeleton of an ox. In fact, Aleck com-
mented duly upon his own sagacity in conceiving that idea.
All went well until the horse in pulling upon the rope, de-
tached the skull from the remaining vertebrae. The ani-

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT PLAINS 55

mal seemed to be mystified on observing the head approach
him as he receded, and for a moment regarded it thought-
fully and inquiringly. Backing still further away, he
gazed with growing apprehension at the white skull, which
continued to pursue him at a uniform distance. The horse
evidently was unable to comprehend the cause of this
strange proceeding and, like a child frightened at an ap-
parition which it does not understand, his first impulse
was to escape. He therefore gave a vigorous snort,
wheeled, and with head high in the air, suddenly started
southward toward the Gulf of Mexico. The faster the
horse ran, the louder rattled the skull behind him. An
occasional backward glance of the flying animal revealed
to him the same white skull still pursuing, and at times
leaping threateningly into the air as it was pulled over any
slight obstruction; and thus they sped wildly away until
they disappeared from sight. Aleck watched the affair
from afar with dismay. What could stop the flight of this
Pegasus but sheer exhaustion.^ It was soon many miles
away. Securing another steed and starting in pursuit, he
too was soon lost to view. In the late hours of the night
he returned to camp leading the tired runaway, and himself
too tired and hungry to tell his story until morning. It
seems that about seven or eight miles away the skull had
caught in a cottonwood bush, which was fortunately on an
upward grade and the speed of the horse was temporarily
slackened. The animal doubtless believed that the skull
for the moment had stopped its pursuit, that it also was
very weary. The horse when reached was well fastened
and easily captured. Aleck urged that the Government
authorities should have cottonwood bushes set out on all
the hills of Nebraska, and that the heads of all carcasses on
the prairie should be securely tied to the rest of the skeleton.

56 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Violent storms of wind and driving rain, accompanied by
terrific lightning,f orced us at noon to camp in the mud beside
a swollen brook. We endeavored to build a fire in the wet
grass, for we sighed for coffee. The combined skill of our
best hunters failed to start a blaze. We were wet to the
skin, and our saturated boots with trousers inside, down
which the water ran in streams, were loaded with black
Nebraskan mud; for every man had been out in the storm
to picket his horses securely, as they were uneasy during
the tempest. The few chunks of tough bread culled from
the remnant found in the mess box served but little that
night to fill the aching voids.

Not far away on a hill slope was an unoccupied frame
house not yet completed. This building, which was
about twenty-five miles west from Nebraska City, was the
last farmhouse that we passed, but even here there was no
sign of cultivation. To this, as the day was closing, we
plowed our way through the mud, for the storms continued.
Its partly finished roof furnished us a welcome protection
through the following stormy night. A peck of shavings
more or less was equitably distributed among the party
for bedding, but there were no facilities for building a fire
without igniting the structure itself. On the floor we en-
deavored, with our internal heat, to steam our garments
dry. We had previously observed a few huts built of sod,
with roofs of the same material laid upon poles. I ascer-
tained that at least one of those structures was strength-
ened by a framework of logs, but the scarcity of timber and
the expense of transporting it from where it was produced,
led to the use of the more available material. The huts
were similar in appearance to many that I have seen in
Ireland, though the fibrous Irish sod cut from the bogs of
the Emerald Isle is more durable — ^like all else that is Irish !

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT PLAINS 57

A few ducks and plover had fallen before the Noachian
and were gladly appropriated in the mess department, but
we were on the qui vive for bigger game. We had been
tantalized daily by dubious reports of antelope alleged to
have been seen in the distance, and had been anxiously
watching for an opportunity to test our Henry rifles on
this elusive game.

Paul Beemer was a veritable Nimrod, always vigilant,
frequently scanning the horizon for signs of animal life.
Riding ahead of the wagons, he suddenly announced the
discovery of antelope on a far away hillside. It was a
long detour for Paul to outflank his game and get to the
leeward of it. "Not this time, Paul, " said Dan, but Paul
made the attempt, and the airy creatures, whatever they
may have been, were quickly gone from his gaze like a
beautiful dream. Noah, who claimed to have had a good
view of the animals, declared that they were foxes, but
Paul indignantly replied that his own verdict was abso-
lutely final.

After six days' progress through storms and mud, we
crossed tributaries of the Big Blue River, where the preced-
ing year numerous Indian raids had occurred and many
travelers had been massacred. We had not as yet seen a
Red Man since we left Nebraska City. The sun was now
shining brightly on the scene of the recent carnage, but we
discovered no trace of those disastrous struggles with the
savage warriors of the plains. I wandered off from the
trail alone. Not a moving object dotted the graceful un-
dulations of the green prairie, which lay peaceful in the
June sunlight. Not a sound came from hill or valley.
The perfect silence was impressive. It is well now and
then to be thus alone, where no distraction turns one's
thoughts from the serene face of Nature.

58 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Despite all this apparent serenity, we knew not what
enemy might lurk in those unseen valleys, which lately
were the hiding places of bands of the subtle Sioux. We
had already perfected our organization for protection, as
was then the practice with all trains in the West. Each
man took his turn standing guard at night, the first watch
being until midnight, when the next in order was called to
remain on duty until the cook for the week was summoned
in the morning. Deacon Cobb was excused from this
service, despite the Gospel injunction on all to watch as
well as pray, as was also the cook during his week of serv-
ice.

This cooking 'proposition' presented something of a
problem. The training which we had received in domestic
science was rude and elementary, even compared with that
now given in colleges for women. The so-called bread,
which was in general the only article that was prepared
and baked for our use, was seldom fit for human nourish-
ment. The flour was stirred with water. A little short-
ening and soda were introduced with no well defined idea
as to the proper quantity of each. This chemical com-
pound was put into a skillet, a cast iron pan having a cover
of the same material, with a short handle. It was then
placed upon the open camp fire, which was made of such
combustible substances as the country afforded, rarely
wood. The duration of the baking process was regulated
by that inestimable faculty which Yankee housewives call
"gumption." Few if any of our party were endowed there-
with in high degree. Sometimes our bread was of the con-
sistency of putty; at other times the surface of the loaf was
burned to a blackened crisp. But we did improve by prac-
tice, profiting by the censorious comments of the disgusted
eaters who for the time were not managing the mess. We

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT PLAINS 59

had no vegetables, milk, butter, or eggs. Bacon was the
staple article of diet. The coffee was boiled in an open
kettle, and served as black as night and strong as it was
black. The earth was our table and all our tableware was
tin. There were no lines of caste by which the cook was
relegated to a lower social level than the banqueters, and
if any one should too severely criticise the flavor of his
coffee the cook would be apt to rise to the dignity of his
office, seize the iron skillet, and threaten to terminate the
existence of persistent grumblers. And Deacon Cobb
highly relished this diet of bread nearly as tough as cork
and took it with fresh air as a possible specific for dyspepsia
and therewithal professed to be truly thankful.

Later observations made after we reached the main line
of travel indicated that similar fare and experience were
enjoyed or endured by other travelers. It was a matter
of common remark that those who in seriousness did the
most kicking concerning the food were such as either drank
the most whiskey or did the least work, yet it is also true
that both the mind and the maw must be in prime condi-
tion to respond uncomplainingly at all times to the rough
fare of camp life, such as we provided. Very interesting
it was to watch the rapid cleansing of the culinary utensils
after breakfast, for an early start was usually desired.
There were three methods of accomplishing this work,
which in our camp were technically known as sanding,
grassing and washing. The first two processes were re-
garded as preferable, chiefly by reason of the fact that the
work involved could be accomplished with greater expedi-
tion. It may be explained that sanding consists in revolv-
ing the dish or kettle in the soil, preferably sand, — which
is certainly an economical method. Grassing is simply
the use of grass or any similar material for the same pur-

60 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

pose. Washing is a more complicated and laborious
process, as the water sometimes must be brought some dis-
tance, and water without soap fails to develop any chemi-
cal aflfinity for the residuum of fried bacon. An occasional
sanding kept the plates in such excellent condition that at
times it could be plainly seen or at least gravely suspected
that they were tinware. The sanitary condition of the
culinary department was as good as circumstances would
permit. The provisions which may have been cooked and
were being transported to another camp, or articles which
had been prepared for cooking, were carried on the tail end
of the wagon in what was known as the mess box, a simple
box with a lid. No flies or other insects were permitted to
enter the box except such as could pass through the half-
inch opening beneath the cover; and any accumulated dust
that had gathered upon the food during the day's journey
was carefully shaken from it, at least in good measure.

A short distance west of the Big Blue, we made a de-
scent upon a village of prairie dogs, the first that we had
seen. Paul and I quickly despatched two of the inhabi-
tants. Scores of the little rodents sat upon the mounds,
which were only a few feet apart, marking the entrances to
their subterranean homes, into which many of them would
instantly drop like a flash on the slightest cause of alarm.
These were the alert and vigilant sentinels which until dan-
ger threatened sat upright and motionless upon their earth-
works and appeared like inanimate objects. The heroic few,
which after an alarm faithfully remained upon their para-
pets, uttered frequent shrill, short barks, each accompanied
by a vigorous wiggle of their dark little tails. What useful
function this wiggling subserved I know not, unless it was
a semaphoric signal to their comrades in the intrench-
ments beneath, but the wiggle aided in making the little

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT PLAINS 61

animals more conspicuous and therefore easier marks.
The prairie dog villages in that day frequently covered
areas of sixty or seventy acres and undoubtedly sheltered
a dense population. We frequently inspected the exterior
of their premises, but during that investigation all was as
silent as a city of the dead, and one would hardly suspect
that a labyrinth of corridors abounding in active life ex-
isted beneath the surface.

In the middle of one forenoon, out upon that treeless,
rolling prairie, all were riding lazily along, when someone
observed a covered wagon far off at the right, just as it
was descending behind a gentle slope. Was it possible that
there could be another trail to the North? If there was,
it was equally true that we might be on the wrong course,
for we were supposed to be steering for the Platte River,
which was also in the same direction. An investigation
revealed the fact that one of our wagons was missing.
Mounting a horse I rode rapidly over the prairie and in half
an hour overtook the prairie schooner which was marking
an entirely new trail of its own across the virgin green.
Riding up beside the horses and looking in beneath the
canvas, I discovered one occupant, and that was Uncle
Simeon Cobb, who in a sleep as peaceful as that of child-
hood was unconscious of the fact that in his advanced years
he was wandering far away from the true path out into an
unknown wilderness.

"Hello, Deacon," I shouted, and the old gentleman
slowly roused himself from his slumbers and after rubbing
his eyes looked out upon the pathless prairie. "Well, by
George, " he remarked, passing to the extreme limit of his
profane vocabulary, "I must have been asleep." His
horses being halted, I explained to him how he happened
to be discovered. Our little train was already out of sight

62 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

and he promptly admitted that he was unable to tell from
which side of the trail his horses had turned; and the tracks
of his light wagon not being distinct he could hardly have
retraced his course. The deacon was invariably calm and
self-possessed and with a keen sense of the humorous in
every situation. He therefore gravely stated that it
seemed providential that he should be reclaimed from his
wanderings in time for lunch. Having been escorted back
to the train, it was decided that in the future he should not
drive at the tail end of the procession, as he had done pre-
vious to that time.

The night of the 16th was glorious with a waxing moon.
It was my turn on guard for the watch until midnight. As
I sauntered off toward where the stock was picketed, with
my rifle on my shoulder, my attention was called to the in-
cessant yelp of the prairie wolves. In my timid excur-
sions into Greek mythology I had read something of Or-
pheus and his lyre. The recollection of the alleged power
of his melodies over animate and inanimate objects, led
me quietly to enter our wagon and take out the violin with
which I had occasionally whiled away an hour; and seated
on the ground I drew the bow to the best of my ability.
The night was so still that the sound was doubtless carried
a great distance and evidently reached the sensitive ears
of numerous wolves on their nocturnal prowl. The re-
sponse was certainly tremendous. In a few minutes I
had an enthusiastic audience in the not far distance, which
might have been regarded as highly complimentary had it
not been quite so demonstrative. Strangely enough, the
music failed to calm their spirits until I had ceased for a
time to torture the catgut. Whenever the sound of the
instrument reached them, the din of yelps was returned
from all points of the compass. The prairie wolves are

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT PLAINS 63

simply scavengers and though possibly subject to pleasur-
able emotions (probably otherwise in the instance just
given) yet their chief concern is to supply their ravenous ap-
petites. Like vultures they scent the carrion from afar, and
as it was Paul's week to cook they may have sniffed the
aroma of his burnt bacon wafted to their acute olfactory
nerves through the still air of the night. After the camp
is vacated, and the wolves can find no food in a more
advanced state of decomposition than the few morsels which
the camper leaves behind, they will then regale themselves
on the scraps left around the abandoned campfire.

On the following day, after crossing many deep gullies,
we struck the Platte River trail from Omaha, which fol-
lows near the southern bank of that stream.

CHAPTER VI

The Oregon Trail

WE were now upon the most frequented
thoroughfare of western transcontinental
travel, known as the old Oregon trail,
and this course was pursued for the suc-
ceeding two weeks. It was the route taken by Major
Stephen Long, who in 1820 explored this valley as far west
as the junction of the North and the South Platte. It also
appears to have been followed by Captain E. D. Bonne-
ville and his company in 1832, and in 1834 and 1839 by
Whiteman and Spalding, the missionaries to Oregon;
also by Colonel John C. Fremont in 1842, when on his
first exploring expedition.

While these western trails may not have been the
scenes of conflict in which numbers were engaged on any
one occasion, nevertheless, for two generations they have
doubtless been the theatre of a greater number of encoun-
ters with Indians than have ever occurred in any other
equal area of our country. The reasons for this become
apparent on a moment's thought. The numerous tribes
that occupied this vast territory were in every sense of
the word warriors, having had experience in their peculiar
mode of warfare in frequent conflicts between the tribes.
The majority were expert horsemen, which peculiarly

64

THE OREGON TRAIL 65

fitted them for guerrilla tactics. The California, Pike's
Peak, and Mormon settlements formed nuclei for a rapidly
increasing population, the supplies for which were trans-
ported chiefly by this thoroughfare across the plains,
which until a later date remained the undisputed home
of these nomadic tribes.

The travel across this broad stretch of Indian territory
was in the main confined to a very few well defined path-
ways through an open, unprotected country on which the
strength of a traveling outfit could be fairly estimated by
the enemy concealed in the many hiding places in ravines
intersecting the prairie, so that freighter and emigrant
were exposed to unexpected forays at any moment, and
especially when the relations with the Indians were not
entirely friendly. It was exceedingly diflScult, at times,
for the traveler to ascertain with certainty what was the
present spirit of any tribe. An unprovoked wrong in-
flicted by some one reckless white man upon an Indian
was liable to be avenged by an attack on some train, the
owners of which were ignorant of the inciting cause. In
like manner, the insult of a white by an Indian led to the
conclusion that the tribe was hostile and on the war-path,
and the freighters governed themselves accordingly.
The reckless destruction of buffaloes by the whites was
the cause of intense bitterness on the part of the Indians;
and moreover, the ill-adjusted relations between our War
Department and the tribes, to which we may make future
reference, were not always favorable to a friendly attitude
on the part of the Indian.

This Oregon trail, however, as far as it followed the
main channel of the Platte River, had now become a well-
traveled, natural road. Because of the fact that the
country remote from this stream was arid and devoid of

66 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

water courses, the Platte valley was the only practicable
route for freighting, except the one far south along the
tributaries of the Arkansas.

On my first opportunity I took a stroll back from the
river to the bluffs, which were three or four miles distant,
and which mark the boundary between the valley and the
higher lands to the south, with a view to ascertaining
if there were any evidence of civilization beyond. The
air was wonderfully clear, dry, and hot. There was a
marked contrast between this country and the prairies of
Eastern Nebraska. The thin grass was parched and
brown, and the surface of the valley was barren and
apparently lifeless. A solitary black buzzard, poised
upon a carcass which I passed, added but little of attrac-
tive life to the inanimate scenery.

Observing the skeletons and carcasses of numerous
buffaloes it occurred to me to count those which I might
pass on my walk to the foothills. The number observed
near my path reached nearly two hundred. There are
but few objects that could be more suggestive of desolation
than were these huge, bleaching skeletons. The kilhng
of the greater number of these buffaloes was doubtless a
result of the vandalism of so-called sportsmen, who regard-
ed even the crippling of a few of these noble animals as a
laudable achievement, even though the buffaloes were
shot while in a compact herd of a thousand or more.
Hundreds of thousands of their bodies were scattered over
the country, especially near the river valleys of Kansas
and Nebraska. From personal observation, it was evident
that a great number of them were not killed by the In-
dians, because the skins, which were of value for their own
uses, and for traffic with the whites, in many instances had
not been removed.

THE OREGON TRAIL 67

Later in these records reference will be made to the vast
numbers of these valuable animals, which we saw further
South. In the interesting w Drk of Colonel Henry Inman,
statistics are given concerning the number of buffaloes
killed in the thirteen years 1868 to 1881. He states that
the facts as written were carefully gathered from the
freight departments of the railroads, which kept a record
of the bones that were shipped; and the quantities were
verified from the purchase of the carbon works at various
points from which was paid out the money for the bones.
These figures show that during the period named there
was paid out $2,500,000 for buffalo-bones gathered on
the prairies of Kansas alone; and at the rate paid this
sum represented the skeletons of more than thirty millions
of buffaloes, a number that seems almost incredible.
Sheridan, Custer, Sully, and Inman report having ridden
in 1868, two years later than my visit, for three consecutive
days through one continuous herd which must have con-
tained many millions. The writer had a similar experi-
ence in the autumn of 1866. The wanton destruction of
the last of these magnificent and valuable animals is but a
single illustration of the folly and improvidence of the
American people in dealing with their magnificent natiu'al
resources, and their disregard for the comfort and the needs
of future generations.

The bluffs on the margin of the valley which have been
already referred to, were next ascended. From them,
looking outward over the high, rolling, and arid plains
beyond, nothing could be seen except one interminable
brown, with hardly a shrub visible, to relieve the dull
monotony. Toward the north and skirted by a strip of
Cottonwood trees and brush, the turbid river glistened in
the glaring light, its chocolate-colored waters bearing to

es THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

the distant gulf its unceasing tribute of clay and sand.
Here and there its tawny breast was scarred with barren
sand bars, but over all the broad landscape nothing could
be discerned that was the product of human agency save
the distant trail near the river, along which our train was
lazily creeping, like a wounded anaconda.

Buzzing around me, as if seeking some companionship
on that lonely bluff, was a solitary bee. For some time I
watched its erratic movements, hoping to discover the
nature of its engagements. I could see nothing, except
here and there a cactus or a thistle, from which it seemed
possible that it could extract the sweets needed for future
use. It was possibly an adventurer that had drifted off
as I had done, from the parent colony. Bryant writes of
this busy insect in words which, if applied to the future of
this then desolate plain, seem prophetic:

"A colonist more adventurous than man
With whom he came across the eastern deep,
Fills the Savannas with his murmurings.
And hides his sweets, as in the golden age,
Within the hollow oak. I listen long
To his domestic hum, and think I hear
The sound of that advancing multitude
Which soon shall fill these deserts. From the ground
Comes up the laughter of children, the soft voice
Of maidens, and the sweet and solemn hymn
Of Sabbath worshippers. The low of herds
Blends with the rustling of the heavy grain
Over the dark brown furrows. All at once
A fresher wind sweeps by and breaks my dream.
And I am in the wilderness alone, "

THE OREGON TRAIL 6d

So vividly was mirrored in the poet's fancy the future of
the Nebraskan desert. I must confess my inability, as I
sat alone on the highest lump of earth available, to have
in any degree forecast the future of that country, for I
would have hardly given my jack-knife for all the land in
sight, with forty years' exemption from taxes. Yet to me
this waste was profoundly interesting and impressive, not
unlike the great deserts of Africa, although I could see in
it no promise or potence of prosperity. To one who has
personally observed the final reclamation of those broad
lands, the words of Bryant picture with wonderful accur-
acy the transformation that really has taken place, and
my own early observations now seem like a dream.

In proof that my impressions were shared by others,
we may quote the statement of Colonel William A. Phil-
lips, that at the Wyandotte convention, which was held
about that time, the line of the future state of Nebraska
was being drawn at the 100th meridian, which was sup-
posed to be the border of the desert region. An attempt
was being made to annex to it all the land south of the
Platte, and delegates from Nebraska were in attendance
to urge it. One delegate, a Mr. Taylor, who seemed
thoroughly penetrated with the annexation idea, urged
that the Platte River had a quicksand bottom, and could
not be forded; that it could not be bridged, because there
was no bottom, for piers; and that it could not be ferried,
for want of water. In short, in the minds of many,
Western Nebraska, with its river, its climate, and its
expanse of sterile soil, was of no value except to hold other
portions of the earth together. But there lay the great
undeveloped West, its prairies and beyond these its
mountains, an inert expanse ready to be developed into
vast productive states rich in soil and minerals.

70 THE AWAKENING OP THE DESERT

Returning to the train after my long tramp, we lunched,
and after the usual noonday rest for the stock, mounted
our horses and proceeded on our afternoon drive. We had
not advanced far, when we saw that we were approaching
a single covered wagon some distance ahead, near which
were riding two young ladies, and a gentleman of fine
appearance. Ben and Fred commented with much satis-
faction on the agreeable prospect of meeting two interest-
ing girls in whom they might find occasional companion-
ship on the long journey that lay before us.

The gentleman addressed us cordially and naturally
inquired whither we were bound. As a fact, we could not
state definitely what our route would be beyond Julesburg,
except that our first objective point was Salt Lake City.
We learned that he with his family was destined for Den-
ver, where he expected to follow his profession as physician.
He ventured to introduce us to his daughters, one of whom
was a brunette; the other bore a wealth of* bright auburn
hair, and was of fair complexion, except that a little tan
and a few freckles, caused by the Nebraska sun and
breezes, were noticeable. Their ages were between eigh-
teen and twenty-one years, about the same as my com-
panions. Fred was an attractive, cheerful young fellow,
an agreeable converser, and always popular at home.
Ben was more vigorous physically, and at once impressed
one with his sterling qualities and good sense. So Dr.
Brown, as we may now call him, expressed pleasure at the
prospect of sharing with us the adventures of the journey.
We camped near a ranch which a few months before had
been attacked by the Indians.

Along this road, as far as Julesburg, these so-called
ranches, strewn from eight to twelve miles apart, were
maintained chiefly in the interest of Ben Holliday's stage

THE OREGON TRAIL 71

line, for the care of the horses, which were exchanged at
such stations. With few exceptions, the buildings were
made of adobe and contained two rooms. No attempt
even at simple gardening was made; in fact, we observed
no phase of agriculture along this route. Some of the
buildings were partially surrounded by a wall built of
sods, as an enclosure for the horses. The interior was for
the main part a grog shop, with a combined sleeping and
cooking room attached at the rear.

^t)n the 18th of June, when fully ten miles from Fort
Kearney, the flag of that post became visible in the dis-
tance, as we looked up the level valley. Ben and Paul
hastened in advance to ascertain where we might camp.
They returned to meet us, with the information that two
miles in each direction from the Fort extended the Gover-
ment reservation, and that a notice had been posted on
the wayside forbidding the driving of teams across that
property. 0» reaching these sacred precincts, we rode
through on horseback and discovered that there was
really no fort at Fort Kearney. There was a small plaza
or park, bordered by cottonwood trees, in the center of
which stood the flagstaff from which floated the nation's
colors; near by were mounted two or three small brass
cannon; around the plaza were built the barracks and
oflBcers' quarters, with other buildings used apparently by
oflScers. A soldier was pacing back and forth before the
open door of the magazine, and another was performing a
similar duty in front of the guardhouse, from which came
the notes of a familiar melody sung by the recreants within,
who were making the best of their confinement. The
only semblance of a fortification was an adobe wall facing
the bluffs. The fort was garrisoned by two companies of
the 5th U. S. Volunteers.

n THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Fort Kearney is the oldest white settlement in the
interior of Nebraska, and was named after a general who
served in the Mexican war. A station two miles west
from the Government post was dignified by the name of
Kearney City and embraced half a dozen small adobe
structures, each of which was said to be a whiskey dive;
its small population of men and women was apparently
of a worthless type. The spot was usually referred t ) as
D Dbytown. The post itself was abandoned long ag ).

We learned f r )m the provost, that by order of the War
Department, no trains were allowed to move westward
with less than twenty wagons and thirty armed men. As
yet we had seen no Indians, and travelers from the W^est
made the same observation, but stated great numbers of
Indians were reported to be in the vicinity of Laramie,
where they were being fed and petted by Government
agents as preliminary to an effort to make a treaty. Many
travelers aJBfirmed that the Indian agents were temporizing
and procrastinating, and that some officers did not desire
permanent peace, believing that it would make unneces-
sary certain fat offices then existing, and would also check
opportunities for the profitable barter which was being
conducted with the tribes.

The demands of these latter appeared to be that the
Powder River country and the Smoky Hill route should
be absolutely abandoned by the whites and left in the
undisturbed possession of the Indians. The Red Man
could not fail to recognize the fact that he was losing his
most valuable hunting grounds by the encroachment of
civiHzation, and the current belief among the whites was
that the Sioux were preparing to make trouble. In view
of the general interest in the subject which prevailed, it
was natural for travelers to exchange views upon it with

THE OREGON TRAIL 73

those who might have any new information; and a stage
station ranchman a few miles from Kearney also gave us
his views on the situation. This man, after advancing
some opinions concerning the personnel of the troops that
had been sent for their protection (views that were any-
thing but complimentary), said that a common expres-
sion among those not well informed was that one white
man was enough for ten Indians. In front of the little
ranch where we then stood, he had recently been witness
to the fact that six Indians armed only with bows and
arrows had driven ten cavalrymen, armed with carbines
and revolvers, back into the ranch, where they were sup-
ported by a greater number of troops. We asked if any
of the soldiers had been wounded. "Yes," he replied,
"one of them intercepted an arrow which fortunately did
not enter a vital part, but it did penetrate certain muscles
in his back, which made it painful for him to sit. " The
action of the troops was reported in such glowing terms
to the Department by the officer in command that the
soldier who was shot in the back and could not sit, re-
ceived a medal for his bravery. This, however, was not
a fair report concerning the valor of our soldiers as a
whole, for before that year ended some of them performed
heroic acts and deeds of daring hardly surpassed in history.
We camped away from the trail, to the west of the post
and in sight of the miserable huts of Dobytown. There
was but little feed for the stock, yet we had tD remain.
It was either at Dobytown or at the post itself, that a
party of travelers who were parked near us secured a box
containing bottles labelled "Hostetter's Bitters." These
so-called stomach bitters were a widely advertised con-
coction purporting to be a valuable tonic and a never
failing remedy for dyspepsia, and all the other ills that

74 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

the stomach, and the inner man generally, is ever heir to.
If the extraordinary box said to have been presented by
Zeus to Pandora is worthy of mention as a magazine of
innumerable pent-up ills, which a girl unwittingly turned
loose among men, then surely the eminent Dr. Hostetter
should have a high place in the classic lore of the future,
as the fabricator of a bottled-up compound, which when
uncorked, had wonderful potentialities, not in curing ills
but in raising the devil generally. As already stated, the
men purchased the box of bitters, which (as an eye-witness
I testify) was as innocent in appearance as a box of bottles
of pepper sauce. They also used the contents freely as a
beverage, and soon were raving drunk. Having neither
tasted nor analyzed this potent and invincible anti-dyspep-
tic and gastric regenerator, I know naught of its peculiar
constitution and virtue, but am informed that its base is a
poor grade of raw whiskey and is in fact the concentrated
extract of "drunk." Having become absolutely delirious
from their potations of the infallible specific, the revel-
lers returned to the dens of Dobytown and began a season
of Saturnalia which had not ended when we moved from
that camp. Supplies of the tonic were secured by another
party and enjoyed with similar results.

As we traveled on we learned that the wonderful de-
mand for this nervine was in some measure due to the
convenient form in which it was sold; and that these
bitters were the element frequently used in barter with
the Indians, and for which they were ready to exchange
their most valued possessions. Some men wonder why
the Red Man is at times so insane in his brutality. The
uncorking of bottles of bitters of this general type has
caused more than one of our protracted wars with the
Indians, and a cost of millions of dollars to our Govern-

o ^

w 8

THE OREGON TRAIL 75

ment, a fact that is attested by incontrovertible evidence.
There were indeed other and more notable causes of our
Indian wars. It must be understood that the savages knew
nothing of our national boundaries made by treaty with
Great Britain. Some tribes with which we have been at
war roamed freely on both sides of that line. Every one
of our territories from Wisconsin to the Pacific has fur-
nished scenes of Indian conflicts with the Whites. Yet
in some way, Canada has avoided these expensive experi-
ences too terrible to describe. As we follow our vagabond
life with the emigrants, and from time to time see the
Indians in their various encounters, and dodge the mas-
sacres that befall our companions, we hope incidentally to
discover some of the reasons why our Government has
failed to cope successfully with this problem.

CHAPTER VII

Society in the Wilderness

LATE in the afternoon of June 18th, when the tin
supper dishes had been laid aside and the men
were enjoying their after-dinner smoke, the
four closely parked groups of wagons, compris-
ing as many camps separated from each other by perhaps
a hundred feet in distance, seemed for the time to be in a
condition of perfect serenity. The members of each party
by itself were quietly awaiting developments.

Dan and I strolled out toward the fort, and from a dis-
tance watched the movements of mounted men at that
post. Soon we observed a long mule train approaching
from the east beyond Kearney. It halted for a few
moments, and then like a huge serpent it slowly circled
round the reservation; and by orders from the guards its
wagons were finally corralled beyond our camp.

As was the custom with all large outfits, the train,
although moving in an unbroken line, consisted of two
divisions. On being ordered to corral, the head wagon of
the first division made a sharp detour to the right, followed
by the succeeding teams, and finally turning to the left,
that division formed a great semi-circle. The first team
was halted at a designated point at which was to be the
opening of the proposed corral; and each of the mules of

76

SOCIETY IN THE WILDERNESS 77

the succeeding teams of that division was made to swing
suddenly to the left after bringing the great wagons rather
close together. On reaching the point from which the
first division made its detour, the head team in the second
division swung sharply out in the opposite direction, turn-
ing again as it advanced to meet the leading team in the
first division, and before stopping, each of the teams of the
second division was also made to swing suddenly toward
the center of what became a great circle or enclosure in
which all the mules were unharnessed and temporarily
confined. This method of corralling was universal with
western freighters.

In case of an unexpected attack, or for other obvious rea-
sons a fortification of wagons was quickly made, with all
the stock massed within the enclosure, and the work was
accomplished in the time required for the train to travel
its own length. The immense wagons of this train were
of the type known as the Espenschied, a kind largely used
by the Government. They were heavily built, with very
high boxes projecting slightly both at the front and rear,
like the ends of a scow boat, and like all wagons used on
the plains, were roofed with regulation canvas tops sup-
ported by bows. After the three himdred or more mules
of this train had been unharnessed, they were driven in a
herd from the mouth of the corral several miles from camp,
to a place where they might find some feed in the valleys,
there to be guarded through the night by herders. All the
processes in these evolutions were commonplace to any
plainsman, but may not be entirely familiar to modern
palace car travelers.

There also rolled round the Kearney reservation closely
in the wake of the big train, a small outfit consisting of
half a dozen wagons with horse teams. Under directions

78 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

from the post, it also camped on the barren bottom land
west of the fort. There was, therefore, now camped
upon the arid plain beyond Dobytown a sufficient number
of armed men and wagons to meet the requirements of
the War Department for two trains. It was accordingly
ordered that the big mule train should pull out in the
morning, and the remaining outfits should unite and
follow in another body.

The muffled roar of the hoofs of the galloping mule herd,
urged on by the yells of the mounted herders as they were
rushing toward the corral, was the signal for the beginning
of activities on the following morning. By the aid of the
men the animals were driven into the enclosure. The
vociferous braying of the mules mingled with the clamor-
ous voices of the drivers, as each struggled to secure and
bring into subjection his own big team of eight or ten
mules. It was with remarkable celerity that the long-
eared animals were harnessed to their respective wagons,
and the command to roll out was given by the captain.
Accompanied by the vehement shouts of the drivers and
the cracking of whips, the train of forty wagons gradually
uncoiled itself, stretching slowly out into the road, and
in a solid line perhaps two-thirds of a mile in length
"trekked" westward in a cloud of dust.

The time for our own departure soon arrived, and all
who remained of the campers on the plains of Dobytown
were ordered to move on. Doctor Brown's two wagons
and our own teams, lined out in the van, were followed
by the two outfits with the Hostetter's Bitters, and the last
arrival was in the rear. All were found to be properly
armed, and all other requirements of the Government
being satisfied, we were soon following the windings of
the trail. Among other items of freight which were being

SOCIETY IN THE WILDERNESS 79

transported by our combined outfit, was a full wagon load
of whiskey in four-gallon tin-box cans, and another wagon
containing material for a distilling plant to be used in
Idaho.

The orders of the War Department did not provide
that after leaving any post a train should thereafter con-
tinue as a consolidated organization. To avoid unneces-
sary dust, and for other reasons, it was therefore mutually
agreed among the parties composing our train that we
should separate at our convenience.

With love for the country as God has made it, we
gladly rolled out westward from Kearney City; away
from the hybrid civilization, its dirty dives, its gambling
dens and gamesters, who, like the flotsam on the crest of
a rising flood, have too often been upon the surface near
the front of western migration, depraving and demoral-
izing even the savages.

Although the writer has devoted much time to travel,
none of his journeys has been the source of more pro-
found interest than were the first months spent in those
broad areas of the West in which there were no visible
traces of the white man's presence. The cities and states
of America have struggled to increase their population
by immigration, apparently on the theory that the rate of
that increase was to be the measure of growth in the
happiness and prosperity of its people. When our na-
tional heritage shall have been partitioned among the
nations of the earth, and the wild, wooded hillsides shall
have been denuded by axe and fire, giving place for farms
and cities, then they whose fortune it has been in child-
hood to roam through the primitive forests or over the
yet free and trackless plains, would hardly exchange the
memories of those years for a cycle on the streets of Con-

80 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

stantinople or New York. Impelled by such sentiment,
we soon separated from the train, to the mutual protec-
tion of which we had been assigned by the officers at Fort
Kearney, and with the Browns took our chances against
the Indians.

As soon as we were well away from the Fort, I again
strayed out as I often did later, and with rifle upon my
shoulder was soon striding over the highlands south of
the river. It was a pleasant diversion to get out of the
level valley, which at this point spread out some miles
back to the bluffs. For a brief rest I selected an eligible
spot, from which a wide view of the surrounding country
was laid open. The atmosphere was wonderfully dry,
clear, and exhilarating, and there seemed to be no sug-
gestion of moisture either in the air or in all the broad
landscape except in the muddy waters of the distant
Platte. The thin grass, even thus early in the season,
was scanty in growth and brown, as if touched by autumn.

Along the banks of the river further east we had in
places observed trees, chiefly cottonwood, but from the
bluff where I now stood, hardly a bush was visible save
only upon the islands in the river, nearly all of which,
except such newly formed sand bars as from year to year
are shifted by each successive flood, were rather well
wooded, — I knew not, but wondered, why.

Recalling to mind the prairies and openings of the North
Mississippi River ountry, I remembered that in many
cases those prairies ended at the banks of a stream, on
the other side of which a dense and extensive forest began
sharply at the water's edge. Fox, Bark and other rivers,
as they were sixty years ago, were fair illustrations of this
fact, but now even those forests are gone. It seemed to
me that timber must at some time have grown upon all

SOCIETY IN THE WILDERNESS 81

those Nebraska plains and prairies. The fact that trees
still remained where protected by a stream would indicate
that far-reaching and probably repeated fires have swept
across those countries and stopped at the shore. The
destruction of large areas of timber would increase the
aridity of the chmate, just as the later cultivation of
what was once the plains has caused an increase in humid-
ity.

The belief to which such reflections seemed to guide
me, that those western plains were once wooded, was
strengthened by the discovery of large sections of petrified
wood, which I found on the high and now treeless land
farther west, apparently in situ, where they had grown.
My side-trip out upon these uplands was inspired quite
as much by a desire to hunt game, as to formulate theories
concerning the prehistoric conditions of the country.
Not strange, then, that I became suddenly interested in a
small herd of antelopes, which I discerned some distance
to the southward, the first that I had seen under favorable
conditions. Knowing their senses of smell and hearing
to be wonderfully acute, I felt confident that no approach
could be successfully made from the windward side, and
that my movements must be carefully concealed if I
hoped to get within reach of the vigilant animals, for the
Henry rifle was not a long range gun. Being familiar
with the oft repeated story, that expert hunters frequently
attach a bright red handkerchief to the top of a ramrod,
the other end of which is stuck in the ground, and that
this decoy will attract the antelope, I determined to adopt
that stratagem. I had a silk handkerchief, as did many
men in that day. As repeating rifles have no ramrods,
and no bush or stick was available, I propped up the gun,
surmounted by the handkerchief, upon a little mound in

8« THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

sight of the game, and lying on my face, concealed in a
slight depression, waited patiently for developments. The
wary animals were not enticed by the sham allurement.

Any earnest hunter is willing to subject himself to any
reasonable humiliation to achieve success. Therefore,
upon my knees with rifle in one hand I crawled abjectly
for a full hour over the gravelly soil, keeping to the lee-
ward as much as possible. This devotional exercise was
continued until I discovered that my trousers were worn
through to the skin, and that the tissues were beginning to
yield to abrasion, which threatened soon to reach through
to the bones of my knees.

The mess certainly needed meat; therefore I adopted
other tactics. Abandoning the fruitless efforts to reach
the game by stealth, I rose to my feet but was instantly
discovered. I sent two or three shots at a venture as the
little herd faced me, but the bullets fell short of the mark,
and with a few bounds the game was over the hills and
far away. It became clear to me that the capture of the
alert antelope, on the open plain, is quite a different
undertaking from the shooting of deer in the forest. It
would have been a far greater pleasure, and quite as easy,
to have written that I went back to the trail for horses,
and again returned with two fine antelope which were
proudly exhibited amid the grateful plaudits of the ad-
miring camp! — ^but the statement would lack veracity if
not verisimilitude. It is true, however, that we did secure
several antelope later.

A description of this out-of-door life would be incom-
plete if it failed to give at least a glimpse of a certain type
of unanticipated events, which now and then were un-
folded in our pathway; exotics quite out of their native
setting, like an oil painting in a woodshed. Now, on that

SOCIETY m THE WILDERNESS 83

very night. Doctor Brown had pitched his big tent about
a mile south of our camp. In the stillness of the evening,
we heard issuing from it the sound of several voices in
well rendered music. The familiar melodies were like a
letter from home and in pleasing contrast with the yelp-
ing of prairie wolves, to which we had grown accustomed.

In the morning, when we moved out into Hne the
Browns were in advance. The ladies sat upon their
horses gracefully, as Kentucky girls usually do, using old-
fashioned side saddles. The cow-girl saddle even in the
West appears then not yet to have come into use. Fred
addressed the young ladies, expressing appreciation of the
music we heard on the preceding evening. They did not
seem to have suspected that their voices would be heard
at so great a distance. One of the boys, who rarely
attempted to produce any music (except now and then a
rollicking negro melody), spoke to the young ladies in
unqualified praise of the music sometimes discoursed in
our camp, whereupon the Doctor at once invited us to
come over that evening and bring any noise-producing
instruments that we might boast. With some proper if
not necessary apology for the undeserved compliment from
our companion, we accepted the invitation, stating that
we should come, not indeed in hope of contributing any-
thing of value to the music, but in the pleasant expecta-
tion of meeting Mrs. Brown and also of gaining more
knowledge from the Doctor, who appeared to be a man
from whom we might learn very much, as he seemed to be
well informed in botany and geology. Incidentally (!)
we hoped to meet the young ladies again.

The regular evening chores having been performed, the
boys proceeded to shave, and otherwise to prepare for the
evening call. The bottom of their **pants" remained

84 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

tucked in their Jong-topped boots, but shoeblacking was a
luxury not to be obtained. Flannel shirts without coats
and waistcoats were regarded as costume de rigueur for the
place and occasion. Thus attired we sauntered over to
the Browns just as the sun was sinking in the west. The
young ladies had put some fresh ribbons in their hair, and
were attractively dressed for such an al fresco gathering.
The wagon seat was placed upon the ground and along
with some boxes and a couple ^f camp chairs served us
admirably. The preparations for the evening entertain-
ment have been described in such detail solely that the
events of the coming night may be better understood.

We returned to our camp at a seasonable hour. The
air of the early evening had been unusually soft and still.
Fred having already pitched his little tent, had turned
into it with Ben for sleep, while I sought an eligible spot
on the open ground, and rolled up in my blankets. Not
long after midnight Paul, who was on guard, was startled
by a vivid flash Df lightning in the southwest. The
sleepers were aroused, and peering out from their blankets
saw signs of an approaching storm, for the fleecy clouds,
which often presage the coming tempest were rolling in a
threatening manner. It was thought prudent at once to
drive the stakes of the tent more firmly, and tie down the
wagon covers; this done we watched the rising clouds.
We did not wait long, for hardly ten minutes had passed
when the squall suddenly burst upon us with great fury,
accompanied with a deluge of driving rain. The wagon
covers creaked, and in two or three minutes the little tent
was lifted and overturned. iThe horses picketed near-by
were seen to run hither and thither in alarm, and some of
them broke away. In the midst of the severest gust, a
woman's voice in a tone indicating great alarm, came from
the direction of the Doctor's camp.

SOCIETY IN THE WILDERNESS 85

"They are in trouble over at the Browns," said one.

"And why not?" was the reply, as the tempest shrieked
and the driving rain poured upon us. We could now do
no good service where we were and therefore started
rapidly in the direction of the Browns' tent, shouting, so
as to be heard above the roar of the storm, that we were
coming. Sure enough the family had been sleeping in
their large wall tent, and the squall had lifted it into the
air, leaving it flapping in the wind and held by one tent
pin.

Everything that had been within it was drenched with
rain. The Browns were soaked and we were soaked, but
what was worse, the gale had carried away upon its wings
many light articles likely to be much needed in the morn-
ing. They had not arranged their wagons for sleeping, as
we had arranged ours, having relied upon their tents for
such purposes. There they stood helpless in the driving
storm, each of the ladies wrapped in such blanket or
covering as she happened to snatch when the tent was
lifted from over their heads.

Each flash of lightning revealed for an instant the piti-
able condition in which they were left. But they had
doubtless passed through even greater trials than this in
their exile from their old Kentucky home during the Civil
War. When satisfied that the worst had passed, they
forced a laugh in contemplating their ridiculous situation,
and proposed to climb into their wagon and await the
dawn. Mrs. Brown suggested that possibly they had a
few dry articles there, but in the satiu*ated condition in
which they all were, with the water running down their
wrappings, they would deluge everything in the wagon.
We then informed the Doctor that Uncle Simeon Cobb,
one of our party whom he had already seen, and a fine

86 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

old gentleman, on a slight cessation of the storm would
cheerfully migrate to another wagon from his own, an
arrangement that would afford all the ladies fair protec-
tion until morning. The Doctor, remarking that this
reminded him of some phases of his life in the Confederate
Army, gratefully accepted the offer. He decided to go
with us, and then return to watch out the night and protect
the family effects as best he could. The storm had nearly
passed when the little party slowly made its way over the
wet plain through the darkness to the Deacon's wagon,
where Uncle Simeon was safe and dry in his double-covered
prairie schooner. He had heard the crashing of the
thunder and the shrieking of the gale, and readily com-
prehended the situation on a brief explanation. His
matches and lantern enabled him to light his apartment;
and in the course of time he donned his waterproof, and
came forth amid the ladies' expressions of deepest regret
that they had been compelled to disturb his comfort.
But they were thankful for a harbor of refuge.

It was a great involuntary shower bath they had taken.
One end of the Deacon's wagon was wet in the morning.
When the day began to dawn, the sky was clear and
bright. The Doctor then made many trips between the
two camps. The dry clothes of the ladies which he
excavated from the trunks in their wagon were transported
in chunks, here a little and there a little, but in his clumsi-
ness and ignorance of woman's requirements he seemed
unable to produce the right articles. There were too
many of one kind of garment or too few of another to
clothe his family fully, in the conventional manner. As he
tucked a tight bundle of white or colored goods under the
Deacon's wagon cover, after but a moment of delay there
came back through the canvas many sounds of distress

SOCIETY IN THE WILDERNESS 87

indicating the conviction that everything in the trunks
was topsy-turvy and that garments were strung along his
entire pathway. It was fully two hours before a full
complement of apparel had been transported the half mile
between the camps, so tha^ the feminine members of the
Brown family were able to emerge from under the wagon
cover. Scattered around in the wagon there remained for
future rescue many mysterious garments, diaphanous or
bifurcated, all entirely out of place in the Deacon's apart-
ment, but possibly of some use in the future society life in
Denver. When the sun had dried the surface of the
ground, these and some others found elsewhere were col-
lected, and the girls now arrayed in town clothes, having
filed back to their camp soon appeared to be taking an
inventory of what are conveniently termed dry-goods but
which were now very wet. In the meantime the boys,
jumping upon horses, rode in the direction taken by the
storm; and here and there, caught upon stunted grubs or
bushes, were found various articles. One of the straw
hats had been carried fully two miles. During the forenoon
both camps had the appearance of laundry establishments,
a multitude of garments being spread out to dry in the
sun.

CHAPTER VIII
Jack Morrow's Ranch

ON a following night we camped on what for the
lack of a better word I would term the shore
of the so-called Plum Creek. There was
naught in it of what is generally regarded as
the chief characteristic of a creek, to-wit, water; but it
had one feature that is proper for a creek, and that was a
gully, which we regarded as unnecessarily deep, but which
was absolutely dry. I was informed, no plums have ever
been known to grow on its treeless margins. I remember,
indeed, having read in later Nebraska agricultural reports
that twenty varieties of wild plums are native to the
territory, but that they are so similar one to another that
none but an expert can distinguish or classify them.
They may grow on the river islands, though I observed
none on our course.

Near the waterless creek was a newly built stage station,
known also as Plum Creek. The station formerly on its
site had been destroyed by the Indians, one in each of the
two preceding years. Such was the history of nearly all
the stations along the Platte.

A few miles west of Plum Creek, we became satisfied
that somewhere along there we should cross the one-
hundredth meridian, which had figured prominently in

88

JACK MORROW'S RANCH 89

the literature of the day as approximately defining the
border of the American desert, beyond which undefined
line there was no hope for the agriculturist. Fremont had
described the country as "a vast, arid desert, impregnated
with salts and alkali."

Mr. Holton, in an address before the Scientific Club in
Topeka, as late as the year 1880, is reported to have said
that, "Commencing at the Rocky Mountains and extend-
ing eastward toward the Missouri, and from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Northwestern part of the United States,
lay the great American desert of thirty years ago, " and, he
added, "the geographies of^that day were right."

As I jode from day to day far back upon the uplands,
I, too became convinced that they were right.

"The stinging grass, the thorny plants.
And other prickly tropic glories,
The thieving, starved inhabitants
Who look so picturesque in stories, "

about constitute the impression received by one observer
Somewhere along this belt we certainly passed by slow
gradation into a still more arid country having an exceed-
ingly scant vegetation, in which the stubby, spiny, prickly
types were prominent. The buffalo grass, having a short,
rounded blade resembling the needles of a pine tree, and
which cured hke hay in the dry air, was very nutritious
for the stock, but even where it grew, its small brown
bunches covered but little of the soil. I have observed,
and it is generally conceded, that the eastern prairie
grass has of late each year spread westward, because
"rain follows the plow."

Across that seemingly forbidding expanse, tens of
thousands of Mormon emigi-ants had passed, to reach

90 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

another desert equally inhospitable, where the "soil was
impregnated with salts and alkali." Hundreds of trains
had transported the families of gold hunters to California
and the Pike*s Peak region, and now we were watching
the tide of migration still press westward along this trail,
but as far as I could discern, not one person of all these
voyagers had deigned to pause and leave his impress upon
this land. Their pathway was marked only by the
bleaching bones of horses and oxen that had perished in
thousands by the wayside; and these bones were nearly all
that those travelers left behind. This slumbering, inert
expanse must slumber on, until some one shall find and
develop its springs of life.

^ On the evening of June 22nd, our national flag was seen in
the west, streaming out from the staff at Fort McPherson,
a post named in memory of our general who fell in front
of Atlanta. The station was known also as Cottonwood.
As we passed on to where we camped beyond it, we ob-
served three small buildings made of cedar logs, also a
quartermaster's building, and a small barracks of the
same material. Three adobe bams were in the rear. In
one of the buildings was the sutler's store, an institution
that was always present at every post, where supplies both
wet and dry were obtainable. The agreeable fragrance of
cedar induced us, at a considerable sacrifice of money, to
purchase a small log to carry with us for fuel, as we had
become weary of being scavengers of refuse material for
our fires. On investigation we learned that two companies
of U. S. Volunteers, and two companies of U. S. Cavalry,
were then stationed at the post, for protection against the
Indians.

At night the mosquitoes proved themselves to be the
most ferocious and blood-thirsty creatures we had as yet

JACK MORROW'S RANCH 91

encountered. Hoping to secure some immunity from their
attacks, a few of us decided to sleep in the tent and in it
start a dense smudge produced by some coarse, semi-
combustible material, on the generally accepted theory
that those insects could be driven out by smoke. While
this process was going on, we sat outside on the smoky
side of the camp, hoping there to obtain some relief. As
additional protection, the smokers lighted their pipes and
cigars in the confident belief that their troubles were over
f3r a time; but when we counted five large, long-legged
mosquitoes perched serenely upon a single Hghted cigar,
in addition to the uncounted insects encamped on the face
of the smoker, we concluded that the smoke habit was not
offensive to those impertinent marauding pests. On ly-
ing down in our tent we were suffocated with the smoke,
the only chance for respiration being to put our noses out
from under the canvas, where they became instant centers
of attack from fresh invaders. There was little sleep to
be had that night, and we determined that, in the future,
we should camp on higher lands back from the river,
whenever it was practicable.

At this post, as at Kearney, a reorganization of trains
had to be made. As illustrating the average composition
of these trains, from the records made at the post, we
found that there preceded us in one day, three trains
equipped as follows :

Captain J. S. Miller, 42 men, 3 women, 7 children, 33
oxen, 25 revolvers, 15 guns. Destination, Denver.

Captain Harmon Kish, 30 men, 20 ox wagons, 8 guns,
23 revolvers. Destination, Denver.

Captain S. M. Scott, 34 men, 32 wagons, 34 revolvers,
20 guns. Destination, Salt Lake City.
JP'his number of trains in one day was doubtlesis^^above
the average.

92 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

As the result of a conference, Dr. Brown with his family
had dropped behind us with another train that would
afford better protection. Having been assigned to the
convoy of a large outfit, we moved out with it on the
following day, but quickly separated from it and camped
twelve miles distant in the bluffs beyond and overlooking
the ranch of the redoubtable Jack Morrow, concerning
whom we had heard many remarkable tales. He had been
reported as an occasional visitor to the river towns, which
he painted a vivid red after he had taken suJBScient booze
to bedim his usually clear judgment. We had been in-
formed in Nebraska City that when on his recreation visits
to the river towns he frequently indulged in the pastime
of lighting his cigar with a bank note, — and no one dared
to interfere! If his history were truly written it would be
made up largely of thrills.

All except Pete and the Deacon went down to the
ranch rather early, to spend the evening with Jack and his
associates. The establishment was the most extensive
that we saw on all our travels, and consisted in part of a
large, two-story building, well constructed of logs. En-
tering the large room, which was the business part of the
ranch, we observed that it was well stocked with staple
goods adapted to the requirements of emigrants and for
barter with the Indians. A few saddles were suspended
by their stirrups from pegs driven in the logs that formed
the side walls of the apartment. Behind a sohd rough
counter were barrels of sugar and other groceries. On the
shelves were articles of clothing of coarse material, also
piles of moccasins, and upon the floor a pile of furs, doubt-
less received in trade with the Indians.

The heavy log beams that supported the low second
floor were exposed, and from over the counter and near

JACK MORROW'S RANCH 93

the side of the room there hung from the beams a multi-
tude of articles, all for sale or exchange. Half a dozen
men were lounging in the room, and one of Morrow's
assistants was sitting upon the wide lower sheK with his
feet upon the counter. As no traders were in the store,
there was a free and easy "nothing doing" atmosphere
pervading the establishment.

Soon after our arrival. Jack entered the room from a
side door. On his first appearance he impressed us with
the conviction that he was a man of more than ordinary
power; and the effect of his entry upon all who were in the
room indicated that he was a leader of men. His striking
personaKty would attract attention in any company.
His nose, which was strongly prominent, was decidedly
aquiline; his eyes were small and bright; and a face is
rarely seen that would so quickly suggest that of an
eagle. Comporting perfectly with the quick and penetrat-
ing glance of his eyes, his athletic frame seemed to be
closely knit; he was vigorous and alert. He wore a negli-
gee shirt, a soft hat and, strapped to his waist, a brace of
revolvers. He observed us immediately on entering the
room, and coming at once to where we were standing in
a group he entered into conversation, freely answering our
many questions. Later in the evening, after having been
called away for a time, he returned, and having asked us
to be seated he was led to relate many interesting incidents
connected with his western life.

During Jack's absence, Dan and I took a seat in another
part of the room beside a man who had recently entered,
and who, I learned, was an attache of the ranch. In the
course of conversation, he described in these words a
recent event which had occurred on the ranch.

" One afternoon a few weeks ago, while Jack and I were

94 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

here alone, a band of hot-headed Sioux crowded into the
ranch here to clean it out, as they have done at some
time with almost every ranch on the Platte. I reckon
they had got too much whiskey somewhere. Anyhow,
you see there's lots of things in the store, and they wanted
to get what they could before they burned the building.
Jack saw just what was coming, and backed up against
that wall over there, and I went and stood with him, and
he was as cool as a cucumber. I was just waiting to see
what he would do, for we had our guns all right.

"Their chief and two of the older Indians who knew Jack
better than the young bucks did, were up pretty close to
us. The chief told the bucks to let the stuff alone. One
of them said he had sworn by his fathers that he would
take anything he wanted. I understood what he said,
you know, and then the redskins began to load up with
stuff. At this, the chief in a flash drew his bow to the
arrow's head and quicker than lightning the arrow point
was stuck deep into the Indian's side, and he dropped on
the floor in a chunk. The chief said to the young bucks,
*Take him away, for have I not said it?' They took the
body out and Jack hasn't been troubled any more. But
if their chief hadn't stopped the business just then, there
would have been carcasses for more than one Indian
funeral, for both Jack and me had a gun in each hand when
we were backed against that wall. You know, when they
come in such crowds they scare lots of these fellows, but
they can't scare Jack if he has any sort of a chance, and
he is a great shot and never gets rattled. He's always
ready for a fight, and he has had lots of 'em. "

We were informed by one of the loungers in the ranch
that Jack was living with two Indian wives who were
then in the building. This statement was confirmed by

JACK MORROW'S RANCH 95

freighters whom we saw later. His brother, who had an
Indian wife, was associated with him in business. We
were not disposed to question the rancher concerning so
trifling a matter as that of his domestic relations. It
would be thoroughly consistent for so eminent an Indian-
American diplomat to adopt the most advanced customs
of the distinguished heads of the tribes with whom he
usually preserved pleasant relations (for Jack, being
familiar with the language of some of the tribes, had
served the Government as an interpreter in Indian treat-
ies). Polygamy was common among the chiefs of many
western tribes. Both Parkman and CatHn cite numerous
cases of pliu'ality of wives which came imder their ob-
servation among the Indians. They also mention in-
stances in which wives were sold, the almost universal
price being a horse, a highly cherished possession among
the savages. The stealing of wives is also mentioned in
old writings concerning the tribes. A trapper stated to
us that any Indian might steal a squaw, and if he chose
afterwards to make an adequate present to her rightful
proprietor, then the easy husband, to quote the language
exactly, "for the most part fell asleep." Parkman refers
to Mahto Tatonka who, out of several dozen squaws whom
he had stolen, could boast that he had never paid for one,
but snapping his fingers in the face of the injured husband
had defied the extremity of his indignation; and no one had
dared to lay the finger of violence upon him. Men of the
West say that an arrow shot from a ravine, or a stab in
the dark, an act which demands no great valor, and is
especially suited to the Indian genius, has often proved
the sequel to the steaKng of a squaw. The theft of a
horse, I really believe, is regarded as a graver offense.
It was my good fortune to learn from Jack Morrow some

96 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

facts concerning my former friend and schoolmate, Billy
Comstock. Comstock, well-known on the plains as
"Buffalo Bill," was descended from excellent stock. He
was born in Comstock, Michigan, a town that was named
in honor of his father. As a boy I remember him as being
almost as dark in complexion as an Indian, and with hair
as black as a raven. He was slender, but firmly built, and
was a successful sprinter, having great endurance. His
temperament well-fitted him for a roving life, and when
but a youth he was on the plains. He was on the mount
of the first pony express to Pike's Peak, which started on
April 4, 1859, and shared the thrilling experiences of the
daring young men who on their flying steeds transported
the mails through the Indian country. They exchanged
their horses at frequent intervals, usually vaulting from
one saddle to that of a fresh horse held in waiting. As he
had become familiar with the Indian dialects, Comstock's
services as interpreter were frequently secured by the
Government. He had his headquarters at Jack Morrow's
ranch a considerable part of the time during the years
1864 and 1865.

Two years after our visit to Jack Morrow, (to be more
exact, in the year 1868), Comstock was reported to have
been killed by the Indians about fifty miles northeast of
Sheridan, Kansas. Later information indicated that he
was killed by Sharp Grover, a noted scout. Grover was
in turn killed in a row at Pond City, near Fort Wallace.
These facts were confirmed in a later interview with
William F. Cody. Cody, who was a close personal friend
of Comstock, but somewhat younger, was also a frequent
guest at the Jack Morrow ranch. The two were among
the distinguished characters on the plains.

Cody received his sobriquet "Buffalo Bill" as the

JACK MORROW'S RANCH 97

result of a contest with Billy Comstock. It happened
that a short time prior to the death of the latter, while
the work on the Pacific Railroad was being pushed in
Kansas, the superintendent of construction was dependent
largely on the buffalo for meat for the workmen. Some
of the hunters failed to furnish the required quantity.
This condition resulted in putting these two famous men
into competition. The number killed by each in the time
agreed has been given to the writer by one of the contest-
ants. SuflSce it to state that William F. Cody secured
the championship, wresting the titJe from Comstock, and
has since been known as Buffalo Bill. Cody has been the
guide for princes and presidents on hunting and other
expeditions through the far West, and with his Wild West
Show, so well known throughout America, he has appeared
before the crowned heads of many European countries.
Not long ago the writer discovered him in Rome, where
Cody introduced the Italian King and a royal party to
the types of western life which he succeeded so well in
presenting.

Cody was born in Scott County, Iowa, in 1845. He
was started on his public career by ColonelJudson, better
known as Ned Buntline, a writer of sensational stories.
One of Ned Buntline's stories has been dramatized under
the title of "Buffalo Bill, the King of Border Men."

While at the Junction house we learned from Morrow
that a large band of Sioux was reported to have come
down recently from the North to a point on the river
twenty-seven miles farther West; and from information
received concerning their conduct Jack was of the opinion
that trouble was brewing. Returning to our camp we
quickly secured our blankets and slept upon the open
ground, The air was so dry, clear, and exhilarating that

98 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

even Fred's little tent was not pitched. At about mid-
night Pete, who was on guard, quietly crept to where
Paul and I were sleeping, and gently arousing us, whispered
that he had discovered figures moving round in the shadows,
and at one time saw them distinctly as they passed over
the hill. It was at once decided that we should quietly
inform our men, and then ascertain who were the inter-
lopers. Pete had been unable by the faint light of the
stars to determine whether they were Indians or whites.

The stealing of stock was a common pursuit of many
men of both races, and the fact that these intruders were
lurking in the valley led us to conclude that the visitors
were thieves. We silently separated, and by prearrange-
ment secured our rifles; in twos we noiselessly circled the
valley, and like a net gradually closed in to the center.

Two skulking men were evidently surprised when an
equal number of our party confronted them and shouted a
signal to the other boys to close in. The intruders were
thus corralled almost before they were aware that they
were discovered.

"What the devil are you after, creeping around our
camp at this time of night .f*" said Pete sternly to the
strangers, and at the same time he snapped the cock of his
gim. With a stammering voice one replied that they
were hunting for stock. *' Whose stock are you hunting? "
was asked with considerable vehemence. The stragglers
both swore that they had lost some stock which they were
trying to find. Our boys had closed in upon the captives,
who, doubtless knowing the unwritten law of the plains,
became manifestly uncomfortable.

They protested so fervently and made so many contra-
dictory statements that we were convinced of their guilty
intentions, Dan, with vigorous tones, informed them that

JACK MORROWS RANCH 9»

if they believed that any stock which they might have
missed had become mixed with our horses, they should
not unnecessarily hazard their Uves by endeavoring to
secure their property by stealth at midnight, because
stragglers, who should invade and lurk around an isolated
camp in that country at that hour were liable to be shot at
sight, as a precautionary measure. In the general clamor
there were other similar arguments presented. We finally
conducted the suspects to our camp for further examina-
tion, where by the light of a lantern we found them to be
well armed. Their guns were temporarily placed in
Paul's custody. The flickering glare of the lamps also
revealed their features and dress, and if they were not
thieves they certainly had all the prevailing symptoms.

It devolved upon us to hold a council and pass upon the
prisoners. Our form of procedure was not restricted by
any established code. The burden of evidence seemed
to be so overwhelming against the accused that the
majority promptly decided in favor of the usual punish-
ment for western horse thieves. Deacon Cobb, however,
argued for a commutation of the sentence: he urged that
the suspects should report forthwith at Jack Morrow's
ranch, should rouse him from his slumbers, and return
with his certificate of their good character. They were
reinvested w4th their guns, having assured us that they
would conform to the terms, and on Pete's report that
none of our horses were missing, were allowed to start on
their mission; as was expected they were seen by us no
more.

At day -break on the following morning while our break-
fast was being prepared, Dan and I were on a bluff watching
the glorious sunrise. Before us was the junction of the
North and South branches of the Platte River. The

100 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

course of those streams could be followed far to the west,
and the main channel, which we had been following, was
glistening in the east. Near the junction, and far below
us, was Jack's ranch, visited the previous night, and also
known as the Junction House, — ^but Jack had a wider
reputation than the forks of the Platte.

We observed that the river valley had gradually nar-
rowed and that the bluffs were nearer to the stream than
they were further east. As we were surveying the beauti-
ful scenery, we were suddenly startled by the music of a
brass band coming from behind a spur of the bluffs in the
west. The booming of cannon could not have been a
greater surprise to us. Changing our position to another
spur in the hills, we discovered a regiment of cavalry,
which we learned later was the 11th Ohio. It was pre-
ceded by a long mule train transporting baggage and some
invalids. This was followed by the mounted oflicers, who
immediately preceded the band wagon. The cavalry
moved along further behind with little regard for order.
In the rear were about fifty Indians mounted on horses,
riding rapidly back and forth, as if to give an exhibition
of their superior horsemanship.

Possibly, like children they were attracted by curiosity;
more probably, however, as we concluded later, they were
following to create the impression that all was serene
with the Indians; and they were undoubtedly pleased
to see the troops moving eastward from their country,
and desired to report their progress to their chiefs, whose
lodges were not far away in the northwest. We learned
that the cavalry was on its way home, to be discharged.
The band was playing for the special entertainment of
Jack Morrow, and continued from time to time until it
reached his ranch, Jack would be sure to open something

JACK MORROW^S RANCH'* ■ ' ' WV

attractive for the entertainment of the whole party.
Before the troops or the Indians left Jack's ranch we were
again on the trail, rolling westward.

CHAPTER IX

Men of the Western Twilight

JACK MORROW'S ranch was left far behind us
before the sun appeared above the hills, for we
had made an early start, as had been our recent
practice, so that we might rest during the heat
of the early afternoon. On the following morning we
were on O'Fallon's bluff, so named in memory of Ben-
jamin O'Fallon, of St. Louis, who was killed there by
Indians. Topographical surveys give the elevation of the
valley below the bluffs as 3,012 feet above sea level, or
about 2,000 feet above Omaha. These surveys also show
the bed of the Platte River to average about 300 feet
higher than the Republican River at the South, and
parallel streams at the North, at the various points in
the same longitude West. O'Fallon's bluff, however, is
not a commanding eminence, but seems to be nothing
more than a good-sized, irregularly shaped sand dune.

As we were dragging along the sandy road we observed
approaching us four somewhat excited men, who with a
two-mule team, were hastening eastward. Three of
them, two of whom were bareheaded, were walking up the
grade as rapidly as possible, while the driver on the wagon,
although urging his mules forward, seemed unable to press
them into a gait faster than a walk, because of the heavy

102

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 103

road and the ascending grade. When they halted at our
side, the mules and the walkers were wet with perspiration.
We also stopped, and leaving our horses, gathered round
the strangers, as it was evident that they had something
to communicate. As soon as they had recovered enough
breath after their arduous climb to talk coherently, one
of them, to quote his own words, informed us that the
Indians were raising the devil up the river only a few miles
away, and that some of the savages were moving eastward.
Another ejaculated that seven hundred Ogallala Sioux
had camped on an island near Baker's ranch, and that the
ranch was invaded and would probably be destroyed.
They urged us to turn back until we could get a strong
escort. Each had some item of information and word of
counsel.

Having obtained all possible particulars concerning the
situation, we found ourselves very much in the frame of
mind of the average small boy, who, learning that a fight
is on around the corner, is disposed to rush immediately
to the center of disturbance. We had no definite knowl-
edge concerning the whereabouts of other trains moving
westward, with one of which, according to Government
orders, we ought perhaps to have been traveling. There
certainly was no wagon in sight between us and the place
where the white sandy trail curved up the slopes of the
bluffs beyond and was lost to sight some miles westward.

We threshed out the matter thoroughly in the presence
of our new friends, and all members of our party were
more and more inclined to press forward as rapidly as
possible, fearing we might fail to witness something that
might be of interest; and all this directly against valuable
advice given in the Book of Proverbs. When we thanked
the gentlemen and bade them good-bye, they wished us

104 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

good luck and a safe trip, and as a final admonition urged
us to be on our guard.

Passing over the western extremity of the bluffs, where
the trail begins to descend again into the Platte valley,
our train came into view of the little house well known as
Baker's ranch. Beyond it flowed the muddy Platte, the
channel of which could be traced many miles of its course.
It then appeared to the eye as if divided into many chan-
nels, which formed numerous islands or sand bars. Many
of these islands in the Platte are almost as unstable as the
ancient Delos, or as the waters that sweep over them in
flood time, appearing in one place today, in another tomor-
row, because the quicksands are always rolling and shift-
ing under the action of the swift current. On the other
hand, the clayey formation in the valley of the lower
Platte, termed loess by geologists, seems throughout that
course of the river to assume a crystalline form; and as the
stream washes away its shores, it carves out many per-
pendicular banks having the columnar form of basaltic
cliffs, but of a neutral red color.

As from the hills we looked with our field glass to a point
beyond the ranch, we observed, and perhaps for the first
time along the river, a bank that was low and easily ford-
able, for we saw two mounted Indians rapidly enter the
stream and ride through it to a large island, which like an
oasis in the desert was well covered with verdure. Upon
the island was an Indian village; and beyond the island,
and beyond the further channel of the sparkling river, the
brown plain gradually sloped upward to the table-lands
at the North.

Clustered rather closely together upon the island, and
standing out clearly in the bright sunlight, were seventy
white circular lodges, each tapering gracefully to a point.

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 105

and appearing from far away like a crest of fringe; at the
top of each lodge, were the lodge poles, with their small ends
crossed at the apex. Around and among the tents, was
a scene of animation in which warriors, squaws, and
children confusedly intermingled like a legion of busy red
ants in a city of ant hills, each forming a moving dot of
bright color. All this striking and beautiful scene, as
more clearly discerned through the field glass, resembled
rather a motion picture than a scene in real life, for not a
sound reached us through the still air from that cluster
of Indian tepees. As the Sioux lodges average about ten
occupants each, it appeared safe to estimate the population
of the village at about 700. They were men of the
western twilight, as fantastically named by Karl G. Car us.

Having surveyed rather carefully the general land-
scape, our party proceeded observantly until we lined up
in front of Baker's ranch. We, who were on horseback,
alighted, and passing unmolested by a dozen athletic red
warriors, we entered the open door. To our surprise we
found the floor nearly covered with Indians reclining in
various postures. Stepping over two or three of these
recumbent forms, an act that did not make them move a
hair's breadth, we picked our way toward the corner of the
room, where we met the valiant Lew Baker, then in the
prime of his young manhood. The counter extended
along the east side of the building, after the fashion of
many country stores, and behind it stood its owner.

A little woman, the wife of Baker, was also seated behind
the same counter near a window at the front of the room,
somewhat protected and concealed by a desk upon that
end of the counter, and was therefore not readily observed
by persons entering. In her arms was their only child,
Elma, then four months old. Baker introduced us to his

106 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

wife, with whom I exchanged a few words. Johnny
Baker, the famous crack shot and for many years a star
feature as sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show,
was a later scion of this stock. While careful not to betray
any interest concerning the red visitors in the ranch, we
embraced the first opportunity to obtain from Baker all
information possible regarding the situation. We asked
if he believed that any of the Indians present would under-
stand our conversation. He gave it as his opinion that
they would not, though as we all well understand, our
manner and tone of voice might suggest much to them.

Baker, continuing, and turning his eyes toward the
ceiling as if conversing on some general topic, said, "Those
Indians you see lying around you on the floor, entered
the room this morning almost at the break of day, taking
very nearly their present positions on the floor, and not
one of them since their arrival seems to have spoken a
word; they have scarcely moved." Nor had there been
any expressions upon any one of their faces, except the
same unchanged suUenness that we could then observe.
During our interview neither one of us appeared to notice
the subjects of our conversation.

As is well known, there is a certain peculiar strain
clearly marked in the character of most Indians of the
warlike tribes. If they become offended, it is not their
practice to remove their outer garments if they should
happen to be wearing a blanket, and like an impetuous
Irishman, at once rush to the front with clenched fists, or
like a volatile Frenchman, pour out a volley of sacres, to
indicate their self confidence, nor are apologies considered
an adequate satisfaction for any injury. They are not
loquacious at any time. They are more disposed to
nourish their wrath in silence and like a sulky child refuse

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 107

to communicate with their enemy, until the opportunity
comes when they may strike an unexpected blow under
conditions favorable to themselves. The Sioux, indeed,
at the time of which we are writing, had ample grounds
for resentment, and although the ranch-man was power-
less to right their wrongs, they regarded all whites as
common parties to the controversy yet imsettled. Baker
well understood their temper, but did not know when the
storm might burst. He had placed his little wife and
child where he could best shield them, relying chiefly upon
himself for protection; his quick eye was ready at all times
to detect the faintest hostile movement; and he declared
himself determined to defend his little wife and baby to
the utmost.

It was a remarkable feature of the demonstration that
occurred while we were in Baker's ranch, that at intervals
of but a few minutes one Indian after another, usually in
pairs, silently entered the opened door, and with a soft,
noiseless tread of moccasined feet, moved across the room,
among or across the impassive warriors, who lay stretched
out upon the floor apparently unnoticed, with whom as
far as we could discern they exchanged no word or sign
whatever. On reaching Baker, some offered a trifling
article in exchange for others of much greater value,
preferably for a side of bacon or a bag of flour, which were
taken without comment, and the articles so taken were
at once carried away. In some cases an Indian would
actually take possession of a coveted article without any
payment in return, and at once leave the building with the
property; but during all this time the Red Men on the
floor lay in silence, utterly indifferent to all that was
taking place.

We offered Mr. Baker any assistance that our small

108 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

party could afford, and urged him in any event to abandon
his ranch and seek safety for himself and family with
some armed train. He finally replied that he would en-
deavor to hold the situation until some outfit should
arrive, bound eastward, but such trains were now far apart.
In the meantime, his stock of merchandise was being
rapidly depleted. Although his ranch for that day was
spared by the band which was then investing it, it was
twice attacked and destroyed by the Indians within the
ensuing eighteen months, the particulars of which attacks
were furnished me by Johnny Baker as matters of family
history, although he himself was too young then to have
personal recollections of the stirring events.

As we could be of little service to the beleaguered young
rancher and his little family, for which we felt great solici-
tude, and as he would not go westward at that time, we
pushed onward a mile beyond, to a point near the river
bank, for our luncheon. Instead of picketing our horses
in the usual manner, we tied them to the wagon wheels
and compelled them to forego their noon grazing until we
could get our bearings. While the meal was being pre-
pared, three of the boys, Ben and Fred being two of the
number, had the temerity to ford the river and visit the
Indian village. What the purpose of such a proceeding
might have been cannot now be imagined. Curiosity
certainly got the better of good sense. ' Ben was usually
to be relied upon as sane and sensible.

It proved easy for them to ford the comparatively
shallow but rather wide channel of the river flowing be-
tween the mainland and the island where the Indian
lodges were rather closely grouped together. The Indians
evidently had selected this island for their temporary
abode, on account of the grass with which portions of it

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 109

were covered, the mainland being very dry and furnishing
but little forage for stock.

Our estimate of the number of their horses and ponies
was about 600. These were wandering about on the
island, many standing in the water's edge, switching the
flies with their tails. The lodges, as was the custom of
the plains at that time, were made of dressed buffalo
skins, which in the distance looked comparatively white.
They were well made and the skins were firmly sewed
together. On a closer approach the color was seen to be
slightly tawny.

The larger tents were about twenty-five feet in height,
generally with thirty poles supporting each tent. We
had been informed that nearly all their lodge poles were
obtained from near the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and
plainsmen stated, on the authority of the Indians, that
many of them have thus been in use for a hundred years.
One, and perhaps two, of the large tents would have
afforded space for forty persons to dine in its shelter.

Around the lodges were scores of squaws, many of them
at that hour half reclining in the doors of their tents, in
costumes generally quite decollete. One young girl was
observed whose apparel indicated that she was connected
with a family of distinction. She wore a balmoral skirt of
brilliant hues, which was possibly secured in some trade
by her admiring father or lover. She was also loaded with
beads and tinsel. Many papooses were decorated with
beads and similar trifles. These cheap articles with
brilliantly colored calico, were often received in exchange
for furs and robes.

The Indian bucks were much in evidence when we
first saw the village, although but few were there when
we reached it. We concluded that many of them had

110 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

gone out on some expedition after we had obtained our
first view of the village from O'Fallon's bluff. Our
party hardly felt at ease, as there was a manifest lack of
cordiality towards us among the inhabitants, which was
not explained by our unfamiliarity with their language;
our boys, therefore, were not obtrusive.

Having sauntered leisurely among the malodorous
lodges for a time, we suddenly observed the rapid approach
of a large body of mounted Indians from away beyond
the North side of the river. They were coming with such
headlong impetuosity that we instantly concluded that
we might be greatly needed in our own camp. According-
ly we recrossed the river without unnecessary delay and
were soon relating our experiences around the camp fire
while we ate a hasty lunch. The meal had hardly been
despatched when Noah, on casting his eyes in the direc-
tion of the river, immediately turned and exclaimed,
"There's a band of those devils fording the stream, and
I'll bet they are coming to return that visit. "

Sure enough they were, and a social obligation is rarely
discharged with greater alacrity and spontaneity. They
were probably a portion of the band that first came in
from the North, and learning of the call made at their
home during their brief absence, they made an instanta-
neous rush across the stream, and immediately on touching
dry land on our side, came on a dead run for our camp.
On reaching it, their horses were brought to a sudden stop.
At the same moment the Indians were on their feet upon
the ground as quick as a flash, and almost simultaneously;
and, more quickly than it can be told, they were every-
where in our camp, and we seemed to be nowhere. They
made themselves thoroughly at home.

As the result of a common impulse, we also quickly

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 111

found ourselves within close speaking distance of each
other. None of our party were able to state the exact
number of the invaders, but twenty-five was a later esti-
mate. They were young, vigorous warriors, all armed
with bows, arrows, and knives; none of them, so far as we
observed, bore firearms. Like all the Western and North-
western Indians, except the Sacs, Foxes, and Pawnees,
their hair was long and straight. They wore no articles
of dress which had been adopted from the whites, but they
presented themselves in the primitive simplicity of feathers
and paint, limbs and breast being bare. One of them
wore big feathers. He may have been the great Chief Hole-
in-the-Ground, and we should have been pleased if he had
stayed in the hole.

Possibly we did not greet them with a cordial welcome.
There was certainly no need to extend them formally the
freedom of the camp. As a matter of fact, this ceremony
was forgotten, but it was never missed. We were also
slightly embarrassed and perhaps uncommonly modest.
The visitors came upon us unexpectedly, like a great
family of distant relations by marriage. There was too
little prepared food in our camp to furnish a collation that
would comport with the dignity of the chief with the big
feathers, and his minions. His highness, however, re-
lieved us from any concern on that score, for without
standing on ceremony he, and his red-skinned satellites,
proceeded at once to help themselves to everything within
reach. This was accomplished with all desirable despatch.
It was observed that four or five of the number had
thoughtfully provided themselves with blankets. As the
day was very warm, this was not done for protection
against the weather, but, as we discovered in a few mo-
ments, with the subtler purpose of using them as vehicles

112 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

for plunder, — satchels and suit-cases having not yet be-
come popular.

The raid was first made upon the little food which we had
in sight upon the ground. We had not yet fully compre-
hended their plans, but regarded the savages as being a
trifle "fresh. " Fred, who like the rest of us was watching
these proceedings with the resignation that is born of
helplessness, remarked to me, "If they ever try to digest
any bread like that which I ate for breakfast, they will
regret their visit." Fred was not inclined to be solemn
at any time, but to others as well as to me the situation
was rapidly becoming serious. The cooking utensils were
then all hastily gathered up by the audacious freebooters
and put into their blankets, as if this were a commonplace
business affair that must be quickly performed. Simul-
taneously, and with perfect concert of action, others pro-
ceeded to the mess boxes at the rear of the wagons, and
rapidly, and in a confident and business-like manner
emptied them one by one of their contents. About half
of the invaders remained inactive, but held their bows in
their hands as if to overawe us and, if necessary, defend
the raiders.

The situation was now becoming exceedingly tense.
The plan of the Indians was rapidly developing; it was,
first to appropriate our lighter effects, as we knew had
often been done that year in other cases, and then to
follow this by capturing our horses, after which we should
be left destitute, without even a skillet or a cup in which
to cook a Jack rabbit. Our guns must be saved. Every
one of our number seemed eager to act at once, for the
moment for resistance had certainly come now if ever.
In a minute more it would be too late.

It has been written as the experience of the old fur-

'U^l r

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 113

traders, that the timorous mood and dilatory tactics of
many of the emigrants in their relations with the Indians
often exposed them to real danger and final disaster, and
that a bold stand and self-confident bearing often resulted
in safety. We were happy in that the leaders of our party
met the situation promptly and coolly. Some one said in
a clear voice, "Dan, you are Captain." In an instant
Dan seemed invested with full authority, and at once
with ringing voice gave the order, "Get your guns quickly
and line up here. " Each man had in his wagon, concealed
under a flap in the side of the cover, a good Henry rifle,
which by mutual agreement for any emergency, was
always loaded with sixteen fixed cartridges and always
in perfect condition. Separating for but a moment, and
in some cases dodging round a redskin, we were again
together in quick time, but now in line with rifles to our
shoulders.

Previous to that moment there was a question as to the
expediency of showing resistance. The bringing out of the
guns, however, meant war, unless the savages should
immediately withdraw. Even Deacon Cobb, with his
long white hair floating in the breeze, stood in line bare-
headed, and as cool as any veteran, with his eye along his
rifle awaiting a further order. Each man also had a re-
volver in his belt, all of which were in sight. As a fact
there had been considerable rifle practice carried on from
time to time by our party, and for short range some of the
men had proved good shots. The Henry rifle, however,
was not very reliable at long range and the projectiles
were light, but for an affair such as this was likely to
be they were simply perfect, because of their rapid fire.

Our enemy, now at such close quarters, did not fail to
take notice, but we were surprised that our action pro-

114 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

duced so little effect. It remained for Dan to speak the
next word. Now Dan Trippe, with the exception of the
Deacon, was the oldest member of our party; and as many
persons still well remember, he was gifted with a mag-
nificent physique, a remarkably forceful presence, and a
voice of tremendous power. Moreover, in profanity, the
only element in our language which the Indians were said
to understand, his style was vigorous, yea, unsurpassed in
vehemence, persuasiveness and unction. His oaths,
though reserved chiefly for emergencies, were drawn from
a carefully chosen glossary.

Observing that our challenge failed to check the raid,
before giving the order to fire Dan quickly stepped slightly
to the front, and in a manner not to be forgotten, delivered
his call to combat. He added force to his defiance by his
vigorous gestures and actions, all freely emphasized by
strong, resonant vocables (few of which are to be found
in the school dictionaries), and all uttered in an unhesi-
tating, stentorian voice that could have been heard on the
island. The purport of his Philippic, stripped of its
invectives, was that articles which the thieves had appro-
priated must be laid down instanter, and they themselves
must immediately "vamoose" the camp, otherwise he
would not be responsible for their untimely decease.
It was the pantomime, the gesticulations and the voice in
which Dan had few rivals that were to produce conviction
in savages to whom our language was as Latin.

There was a moment of hesitation, then a brief parley
among the Indians, through which we waited, and re-
mained in line, at the right of which now stood Dan with
his gun. All of a sudden the articles were dropped upon
the ground. The Indians mounted their horses, but
without the slightest indication of haste or fear quietly

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 115

rode in a body about a half a mile westward, and there
they appeared to hold a brief conference. We carefully
watched their movements, retaining our rifles as we re-
mained in line. In a few minutes as if by common
understanding the savages suddenly started back down
the road toward our camp which they passed within fifty
feet; every horse was pushed to the top of its speed, racing
one behind another in single file. The long black hair of
the warriors was flying in the wind. At times they were
riding on the sides of their horses, each having but one leg
and possibly the head exposed to our view. The savage,
dissonant yells which they uttered to the limit of their
voices, as they swept by us, as if for a challenge, were
calculated to make the hair stand on end. They did not
pause as we thought they might do, but sped by us with a
rush, at the same time indicating by their manner and
motions that they dared us to shoot and that they pro-
posed even yet to obtain satisfaction. It was a dare-devil
demonstration and an exhibition of superb horsemanship.
We were certainly tempted strongly to give them a volley,
but we wisely saved our powder. Their exhibition of cool
audacity had roused in us a fighting spirit, at least that is
what we all said after the affair was over. We were on
the verge of a strife for which we were well prepared.
It had been our opinion, obtained from various sources,
that Indians will not offer fight when near their homes.
This is doubtless their general policy, but as we had but
five wagons, they were at first confident in their superior
numerical strength and their ability to obtain speedy
reinforcements. Their purpose without doubt was to get
horses and other property, and preferably without a
struggle — but that preference could not have been over-
powering. Indians were then taking stock in large num-

110 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

bers from emigrants, a practice which continued for several
months thereafter.

The band upon leaving us, did not slacken its speed
until it reached the ford. Unless we desired to fight, and
that, too, possibly at night, it was clearly unsafe for us to
remain where we were, as the band that visited us could
easily secure large reinforcements. Hitching our horses
to the wagons as quickly as possible, we immediately
started westward with the hope of reaching a certain
mule train which we were confident could not be many
miles in advance. As our little party followed the road
that wound up the first foothills we reached, on glancing
backward as we had frequently done since leaving the
last camp, we observed the squaws and boys scatter al-
most simultaneously from the Indian village in various
directions. In less time than it takes to tell it, the skin
coverings were removed from every lodge, and the pine
poles thus left bare were instantly upon the ground; and
before we had lost sight of the island, which could not
have been more than an hour, the whole outfit was loaded
upon ponies, the poles being dragged at their sides, and
the cavalcade of mounted warriors and squaws, with all
their camp equipage, had forded the opposite channel of
the river to the north side. A village had been moved in
less than sixty minutes. We were astounded at the per-
fect system that must have been followed and at the
celerity of their operations.

The reason for this hasty move was not then known to
us, but we soon learned of a big flood that was coming
down the river, concerning which they would certainly be
informed; without doubt their chief had given the order
to abandon the island. The removal of these lodges was
the best exhibition of Indian team work that I have ever

MEN OF THE WESTERN TWILIGHT 117

witnessed. It is interesting to read in Catlin's Indians oj
North America, Vol. 1, p. 50, that he saw 600 Sioux skin-
lodges struck and packed on horses in a few minutes.
In one minute after the signal had been given by the chief,
the 600 lodges, which before had been strained tight and
fixed, were seen waving and flapping in the wind. In one
minute more, every lodge was flat upon the ground. The
loading was also equally rapid. As we had opportunity
to verify later, the poles of each lodge are divided into
two bunches, and the smaller ends of the two bunches are
fastened one upon each side of the shoulders of the horse,
leaving the butt ends to drag upon the ground. Just
behind the horse a brace or pole is tied across, which keeps
the poles in their respective places. Upon this is placed
the tent material, rolled up with other articles of domestic
furniture. The women do the work, and many of them
walk, but the noble warriors ride.

Before the sun had set we were happy to discover the
corral of the train we had hoped to reach. The compan-
ionship of its members was welcome, and our guard duties
were divided with them.

CHAPTER X
Dan, The Doctor

WHEN one sleeps upon the open ground
at night with nothing above one's head
but the clear blue sky, the sun seems to
rise wonderfully early on a bright, un-
clouded, midsummer morning. As our only artificial
lights in this wandering life were tallow candles in a
lantern, we soon made the interesting discovery that the
night is made for sleep, whereupon we naturally lapsed
into the nocturnal habits of aborigines, which on the
whole were doubtless quite as consistent with nature as
was our own previous custom. So, on the evening after
leaving Baker's ranch, the story of the past day having
been fully rehearsed, one after another, as the evening
shadows began to gather, the boys quietly sought as
eligible a spot as could be found on the ground nearby,
and they sought it in very much the same deliberate
manner as the horse finds his chosen bed, and sinks upon
it at the close of day.

When the light of the yet unrisen sun was silently herald-
ing the approach of the on-coming day, it awakened our
out-of-door sleepers, and there began at once in both
camps the usual early morning activities, for both outfits
were to pull out by sunrise. The delightful aroma of

118

DAN, THE DOCTOR 11»

coffee and frying bacon stole through the air, stimulating
the appetites of men whose stomachs were in waiting.

Our tin cups had not been emptied when from the
southward we heard the cracking of whips and the yelp-
ing of the mounted mule herders as they came upon the
run, rushing the long-eared drove toward the big corral,
which was separated from our camp by possibly the
fourth of a mile. Soon after the mules had been driven
into the enclosure and were expressing some uninterpret-
able emotions by loud yet plaintive brayings, our boys
were actively harnessing their horses, which had been
picketed upon the range; speedily they pulled out, while the
big train soon uncoiled itself not far behind. Three of
us on horseback rode some distance in advance.

The morning was indescribably beautiful. Many have
written of Italian skies, and I have often seen and recog-
nized their beauty when they were tinted with the mirrored
blue of the Mediterranean, but I have never seen brighter,
clearer skies or breathed purer, more exhilarating air than
we found on that high and arid plain. Ben, Fred, and I
proceeded side by side upon the firm trail. There was no
green grass nor were there trees to soften the colors of the
landscape, but there were many large patches of cacti then
in bloom, the prevailing colors of which were scarlet and
bright yellow. We noticed that the long ridges trending
toward the river were higher and presented a broader
sweep, and the intervening valleys that we crossed were
correspondingly wider and deeper than were those further
east. Far behind at times we could see our canvas-covered
prairie schooners rising over those great fixed billows, like
the white-winged barks that bore the Pilgrim fathers over
the Atlantic's waves; or possibly like Abraham's ships of
the desert all alike drifting westward, ever westward, over

120 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

a wilderness whether of land or sea, destined to some new
region far away.

On the forenoon of that day, June 26th, while riding over
the crest of one of those broad swells, we three simulta-
neously discerned on the western horizon what appeared
to be a placid lake of considerable size, with a well-defined
shore line on its further border. Its color, bright azure
blue, denoted a body of clear and deep water. It was a
charming feature in that treeless, arid landscape, but
nothing upon our maps had ever suggested to us the
existence of such a body of water in that country.

Not long previous to that time, I had seen from the
shore of Lake Superior a distant island invisible under
ordinary conditions, but at times apparently lifted above
the horizon, with its well defined shore line quivering
unsteadily in the sky just above the surface of the water.
As we moved onward, this phantom Nebraska lake receded,
and in an hour it melted into the blue sky. We then knew
that it was a mirage. The same phenomenon reappeared,
always in the West and under the same conditions, at
about nine o'clock on each of the two succeeding mornings.

It is something of a tumble to turn the thoughts from a
celestial vision of rare beauty to the details of a dog dinner.
Just while the beautiful mirage, and other interesting
phases of nature were lifting the trio to an exalted frame
of mind, Paul's ruling passion led him to one of the many
prairie dog settlements that we passed on our course,
where he shot two of the rodents and secured them before
they had dropped into their burrow. During our long
noon rest he carefully prepared and cooked them for our
luncheon. When we assembled at the mess, the unrecog-
nizable dogs, fat and plump and nicely browned, were
exhibited by Paul as something rare and dainty.

DAN, THE DOCTOR 121

Our usual mode of serving food was similar to that
adopted in the modern cafeterias, in which our methods
seem to have been so far imitated that each person takes
his plate to the common source of supply for his rations,
but returns to his base of operations to devour them. On
the occasion of our dog feast, Paul, being ambitious to
produce a favorable impression with the roast dog, gra-
ciously conveyed it to each of the banqueters as they sat
upon the ground in an irregular circuit. It was amusing
to watch them as each cut a delicate morsel and conveyed
it to his mouth, then chewed the little fragment slowly
and critically that the organs of taste might fully sense
the flavor. At the same time, with compressed eye-brows,
a far-away look in the eyes, and an occasional glance toward
the faces of others who were going through the same
ceremony, all were preparing to give an expert opinion on
the dainty.

Nearly but not quite every member of the party ac-
cepted a portion and made favorable comments on the
flavor. There is possibly something in the familiar local
name commonly applied to these animals that is nDt
appetizing, but the name is really a misnomer, as the
prairie dog does not belong to the canine family. Even
that fact in itself may not commend him as a delicacy for
the table. In some features he resembles the squirrel,
but in habits and actions, as many people know, is more
like a chipmunk, and the two are members of the same
family. The generally accepted belief that these little
animals dwell together in amity with rattlesnakes, which
are rather numerous in the chosen territory of the prairie
dog, need not add to their attractiveness on the menu.

I have found no definite authority on the subject, but
I should conclude from observation and inquiry that the

122 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

serpents are not the invited guests of the rodents, but
hibernate with them during the winter as an economic
measure, to avoid unnecessary labor in preparing their
own subterranean apartments and in the ordinary spring
housework, all of which is performed in common courtesy
by the hosts. It may be imagined that the relations be-
tween the householders and their unbidden guests are not
always cordial.

In the forenoon we had fallen in with a small party of
emigrants, with whom I had already held some conversa-
tion. In one of their wagons were two brothers, one of
whom was driving their span of mules. The older of the
two, who was about to start on a hunt, drew his rifle from
beneath the seat, when it was accidently discharged, the
bullet entering his thigh. This was simply an incident
to which travelers are liable. No doctor was at hand. I
was riding near the wagon and assisted the unfortunate
youth to the ground. It occurred to one of our party to
apply for counsel to Dan Trippe, who was "a sort of all-
around man, '* who always had a good jack-knife and had
read some scientific works. He had possibly read some-
thing concerning surgery, for his father had been a physi-
cian. When Dan was summoned and the situation was
briefly stated to him, it was suggested to him that he
should not disclose the fact that he was not a regular
practitioner, because it would materially detract from the
good effect of what he might do. While the injui"ed
young man now stretched out upon the ground was appar-
ently unconcerned, his youthful brother was heartbroken
and in tears, realizing that an accident liable to prove
serious had occurred far out in the wilderness.

Dan promptly responded to the call, and, approaching
the sufferer, proceeded at once in a cool, self-possessed

DAN, THE DOCTOR 12S

maimer to examine the wound. Dan had studied Greek
in a preparatory school, and was able to use a few anatomi-
cal terms any one of which would serve his purpose at the
time as well as any other. He accordingly raised his
eyebrows and looked wise, after the manner of experienced
physicians. He then addressed to us a few recondite
terms which came to his mind, assuming to indicate the
probable direction which the ball had taken, all of which
was about as clear and satisfactory as is the average diag-
nosis. The younger boy, anxious to obtain Dan*s mature
opinion on the case, asked with trembling voice, " Doctor,
do you think brother will get well? "

After another moment, apparently given to careful con-
sideration of the conditions, Dan replied, in slowly de-
livered, well accented words with an air indicating pro-
found knowledge. Bringing into play a stock term which
he often used humorously, a term suggested by an oft-told
story, he said that there being no serious phlebotomization
of the wound, the prognosis was favorable, and he was
confident that under fair conditions the patient would
speedily recover, — information that was more satisfactory
to the youth than it was to Dan. Our boys could not
suppress some smiles when they heard this oracle. A
later informal and unprofessional conversation with a
few friends, led to the decision, that as Dr. Brown was
now an "uncertain proposition," the wounded man had
best be sent ahead to Julesburg, now a small army post,
where there was possibly a surgeon. The lightest wagon in
the train was accordingly appropriated, and its freight
distributed to the other wagons; a suspended bed, upon
which the young man was swung as in a hammock, was
constructed inside the box; provisions were put in for a
three days' jom-ney; and with the best span of mules

124 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

available and a driver, the two boys started on their long
and anxious journey, planning to drive as continuously as
possible.

We had been undecided as to the course we should take
west of Julesburg, but having received information that
the Platte was rising, it was deemed expedient for our
little party also to push on, so that if we did conclude to
take a northern route we could more safely cross the
river. We accordingly again pressed onward in advance
of the train that we had recently joined. Unless the
traveler upon those wide prairies was exceedingly dull
and impassive something was sure to occur each day to
arouse his interest. The sight of game or some unex-
pected incident invoked expressions of enthusiasm or
curiosity.

On the forenoon after Dan assumed the role of doctor
a small herd of antelope seemed to surprise themselves
by coming directly upon us on their way from the river
toward the bluffs to the south. When alarmed these
beautiful beasts start with the speed of the wind in some
direction without much regard for what may be in their
course; so, in this case, they apparently took no notice of
our big wagons until they were almost within thirty rods
of them, when they suddenly turned to pass in our rear.
The first impulse of man is to shoot the innocent creatures,
and in a moment four or five rifles were out, and bullets
were flying, but the little fellows were too rapid and es-
caped injury.

Immediately following this trifling incident dense black
clouds with a fleecy border rolled up from the west and we
soon faced a terrific squall, followed by a driving storm of
heavy hail. The flattened icy meteors were of the regula-

DAN, THE DOCTOR 125

tion size, being as large as hens' eggs. Those of us who
were on horseback hastily sought refuge in the wagons.
Our horses, however, quickly became quite unmanage-
able from the incessant pelting, and it seemed humane
to alleviate their suffering if possible. The men who were
not driving again shared the battering of the big ice bullets
with the horses, but any covering that we could put over
them for protection was lifted by the gale. Peter Winter-
mute's fine four-horse team, which I often took pleasure in
driving, reared and plunged to escape. Our saddle horses
broke loose and started off with the wind, and for twenty
minutes the panic continued, during which the canvas-
covered wagons creaked as if in pain. After the storm had
passed, the fugitive horses stopped in their flight and
slowly returned to the companionship of the other animals,
seeking on the way to crop a little grass from the scanty
growth. In contrast with the clear air and bright skies
for which that country is distinguished there is tremen-
dous vigor in the elements when turned loose in Nebraska.

On Thursday evening we camped near Julesburg, an old
town named in 1859 from Jules Beni, a trapper. All the
buildings at this point had been burned by the Indians
very recently, and we were informed that the few small
structures there then had just been erected by the Govern-
ment. I asked a survivor of the fire why the Indians
burned Julesburg. The information was that they burned
it because they wanted to. The old town, originally
having but a few framed buildings, was familiar to all
plainsmen, as it was the parting of two great trails.

Near by, within an hour's walk, was Fort Sedgwick, in
command of Captain Nicholas J. O'Brien of the 18th
Regiment of regulars, an old time friend and comrade of
our Captain Ben Frees. Captain O'Brien had built this

126 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

post under the instructions of the War Department. Ben
secured from him much valuable information concerning
the Indian situation. Captain O'Brien in the preceding
year had been the hero of a desperate fight with a large
force of Indians under the wily Chief Man-afraid-of-his
horses, and with the loss of fourteen men saved the lives
of four stage passengers, one of whom was a woman. The
history of some of his daring exploits is narrated in
Coutant's Wyoming.

In addition to one company of the 18th regulars, there
were stationed at the post under O'Brien two companies
of the 5th U. S. Volunteers, and a company of the 2nd U.
S. Cavalry. We learned that on the occasion of the
burning of the post at Julesburg, about two thousand
savages, with yells and whoops, suddenly closed in upon
the town, but were met by a detail of troops from the
fort. The Indians used chiefly bows and arrows. The
surviving soldiers were relieved after twenty-two comrades
had been killed and scalped by the Indians. The town
was pillaged and burned to the ground with heavy loss of
supplies to the stage company. Fifty thousand dollars in
money was captured from a single coach. The estimated
loss in Julesburg as the result of this attack, which occurred
on February 2, 1865, was $115,100. The additional losses
sustained by Ben Holliday in the raids occurring at that
time, including losses of horses and stages, and the various
stage stations destroyed by the Indians along the Platte
River, were finally placed at $375,839, for the recovery of
which amount a bill was introduced in Congress. The
loss to emigrants would not be reported as would that of
stage companies that transport the U. S. Mail. The
stage lines in those days were frequently put entirely out
of service for a time by Indian depredations.

DAN, THE DOCTOR 1«7

If there had ever been any timber along the Platte near
Julesburg, it had now disappeared. A small pine log six
feet in length which, it was stated, had been brought
sixty miles, was purchased by Paul Beemer for one dollar,
for fire wood. That price, however, was less than its
original cost, for Captain O'Brien stated that wood cost
the Government ^Q^5 per cord.

In a yard nearby, adobe or sun-dried bricks were being
made, the size being about 8x12 inches. They were to be
used in the rebuilding of Julesburg. None had yet been
used in new construction. To be exact, Julesburg at the
time of our visit consisted of six widely separated framed
houses, on the old ruins, one being a blacksmith shop. The
most imposing of the buildings was a billiard parlor, as
indicated by the sign on its front. As a detachment from
our party were sauntering by the wide-open door of the
last named palace of amusement, an altercation had just
commenced, the casus belli being the price of two bags of
shelled corn. Two men who had just entered the room of
the saloon at once approached a stalwart man who was
pushing ivory balls across a billiard table, and demanded
more money for the com. "Not another cent; I paid all
I agreed to pay, " was the sharp reply of the player, who
for a moment discontinued his game. "It's a damn lie
and you know it, and if you don't shell out damn quick,
we'll take it out of you, " was the call to combat delivered
by one of the newly arrived pair who, like all others there
except the proprietor, were transients. The big end of a
billiard cue, swung with terrific force, instantly crashed
against the head of the corn seller, and swiftly whirling
again in the air it grazed the disappearing form of the
silent partner, who escaped through the door. The
prostrate spokesman of the pair was lifted to his feet by

128 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

bystanders and assisted to the open air, and the game
proceeded.

We had previously learned that arrangements had been
in progress for several months, with the view of holding
an important council at Fort Laramie with several Indian
tribes then on unfriendly terms with the whites. It was
hoped that a treaty might settle the issues which for a
considerable time had been the cause of continued dissen-
sion. At Julesburg we learned that according to the latest
advices received there, no treaty had been concluded,
although the tribes had assembled. It was further re-
ported that Indian warriors to the number of 15,000 had
disappeared from their customary haunts and were appar-
ently removing their families to safer places, preparatory
to taking the war-path, unless a satisfactory settlement
should be made. The question for us now to determine
was, should we take the Bitter Creek route through
Bridger's Pass and thus keep as far south and west of the
disputed territory as possible, or proceed by Fort Laramie
and "the new cut off" by Fort Reno, the route which the
Indians were demanding must be closed to white travel.

A feeling of despondency prevailed among the few whites
remaining at Julesburg, mingled with a bitter sentiment
toward the Government for the manner in which the
negotiations had thus far been conducted, it being the
belief that the interests of sutlers and Indian agents had
been treated as paramount. It seemed impossible for us
at this time to obtain definite information as we desired,
but the almost universal impression was that the Indians
were being fed, armed, and otherwise put into favorable
condition to prosecute war upon the settlers and emigrants
whenever they should decide to turn their backs upon the
unsatisfactory terms demanded from them.

DAN, THE DOCTOR 129

As is well known, Indians lack the faculty of organiza-
tion on a large scale. Tecumseh, Pontiac, and other tribal
leaders finally failed because of this fact. The tribes
that were involved in the controversy to which we have
referred were chiefly the Sioux or Dakotas, the Mountain
Crows, the Cheyennes, and the Arapahoes. Each of these
tribes was divided into numerous independent bands,
each recognizing no authority beyond its own chief. A
common language, and the tribal superstitions and cus-
toms, are the only bond that was calculated to unite
them, otherwise, so far as can be learned from observation
and from various writings, they were as independent one
of another as the Anglo-Saxon stock of Minnesota is
independent of the same stock in Manitoba. A common
cause might unite them for a time, but each would still be
under its own leadership. There is no great head to the
tribe as a whole. As the tribes are divided into bands, so
each band is divided into villages, each having its own
chief. Parkman states that the chiefs are "honored and
obeyed only so far as their personal qualities may com-
mand respect or fear. " Some chiefs have attained much
power and are recognized in the histories of our country.
Such were Sogoyewatha, the orator of the Senecas, Black-
hawk of the Sacs, Red Cloud, to whom we shall refer
later, and several other chiefs of national reputation. The
Western Dakotas, of late years known as Sioux, had no
fixed place of abode. They were incessantly wandering
both in summer and winter, and the buffalo furnished
them most of the necessities of life. Its flesh, which was
usually sun-dried, or jerked, as the process is termed,
furnished food; its skin their habitations and beds; its fat
was fuel; other parts supplied powerful strings for their
bows, also glue, thread, cordage, and boats. Was it

130 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

strange, then, that the unnecessary slaughter of these
valuable animals upon which they had learned to depend,
and their slaughter on the best of the remaining hunting
grounds, should arouse the earnest protest of the red-
skins?

In view of the general conditions, we held a council
in the evening, and as arguments are easily forthcoming
to sustain any personal desire or predilection, we, as many
young men would have done, decided to go by the Laramie
route. This was on the theory or pretext that we were
likely to get over the mountains before the Indians could
inaugurate a general warfare, and before the treaty gather-
ing at Laramie could be concluded. As a fact, we were
disposed to go by that route because we believed that
more of interest promised to happen along that trail;
besides, the natural attractions appeared more inviting
than on the Bridger route. The rapid rise in the river,
indeed, brought rather a serious obstacle to confront us,
but we determined to attempt the crossing in the morning.
For a time in the year 1864, prior to the diversion of the
stage line to the Bridger route, a ferry was maintained
at this crossing, but in the following year it was perma-
nently abandoned.

We had not forgotten to inquire after the condition of
the wounded young driver who had preceded us. The
post surgeon reported that he was progressing favorably
and that the doctor who had dressed the wound had done
it as well as could be expected of an amateur; in other
words, he had done nothing except to bandage it. We
were permitted to congratulate the young man on his
safe trip to that point.

On our way back to the camp we were surprised to come
upon Dr. Brown's driver, John, who informed us that his

1^1

DAN, THE DOCTOR 131

party had just arrived. He conducted us to the doctor's
camp, where we received a cordial southern welcome.
When we informed Dr. Brown that we had decided to
undertake the northern route, he requested us to be
seated for awhile. Occupying such boxes and other
objects as were the most available, we were soon in com-
fortable positions. Ben and Fred made it convenient to
sit one on either side of the girls, who were as usual side
by side. I was pleasantly grouped with the doctor and
his wife. John, after having stimulated the camp fire,
found a seat upon the front of one of the wagons. The
doctor was much older than we were, and we had observed
that the loss of many friends during the recent war and the
abandonment of his old Kentucky home, had filled his
mind with sad and haunting recollections. However, he
and his family were fine examples of the best and most
cultured stock that went out from his state to make up
the permanent citizenship that entered into the building
of the West.

For several minutes after we were all seated but few
words were spoken. The camp fire, which had been re-
vived for light rather than for heat, had begun to flash
some flickering rays upon the faces of the little company
gathered around it. Finally the doctor said: "I much
regret that our paths must separate, and though our own
plans are somewhat uncertain, I hope that we may meet
again. "

In travel of the kind we have been describing, acquaint-
ance often ripens more rapidly than in ordinary life.
Without preliminaries, we proceeded to recite the incidents
of our journey since our first separation from their party,
though Ben and Fred joined in the conversation but
incidentally, finding much more of interest in the subdued

182 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

conversation they contrived to carry on with the young
ladies. The fact that Ben (then hardly twenty-one
years of age) had been a first-lieutenant in a Wisconsin
regiment in active service, did not seem to lessen his
admiration for the southern girl with dark hair, and
possibly not for the dignified father, who may have faced
him on some southern battlefield. Ben was a noble
fellow of sterling worth and character. His sincerity and
good sense were sure to make their impression upon any
one whom he might meet. Fred was quite as true, and
there was charm in his presence. There they sat beside
those bright but serious young ladies, quietly making the
best of the fleeting moments.

"Boys," I said, "don't you think it is time to leave
our friends and return to camp, — ^for we must try that
ford early in the morning, you know?"

My admonition roused the boys to a realization of the
fact that the hour was late. We rose from our seats,
exchanged a hearty goodbye with the Browns, and after
lingering a moment with the young ladies on the edge of
the shadow of the wagons made by the camp fire, we tore
ourselves away and started through the darkness towards
our own camp. We separated, not expecting to meet the
Browns again, but we met them once more on this strange
and interesting highway.

CHAPTER XI

Fording the Platte in High Water

EARLY on the following morning, as a suflScient
number of men and teams to conform to the
requirements of the War Department had been
reported as ready to proceed, we were at the
river's edge prepared to attempt the ford. During low
water many of the numerous sand bars in the river cover
wide areas. But now the swiftly surging waters which had
risen perceptibly during the night swept over all the island
bars, leaving the depressions between them of imcertain
depth, because the water loaded with clay and sand was
opaque as flowing mud can be. A number of teams be-
longing to different parties were hurriedly prepared to
make the crossing, as the river was still rising. Many
drivers removed their boots, and a few whose wardrobes
were limited went even farther and hung the greater part
of their garments in wagons. The general course taken
through the stream by the last preceding travelers might
now be more unsafe than some other route, because of
the constant shifting of the quicksands.

As a preliminary step, it was decided that mounted men
from the several outfits that were to cross should test
various parts of the river by different routes. Stripping
the saddles from their horses, those who were willing to

133

134 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

attempt the passage started in from as many different
points. For two or three rods in each course tested, the
water was found to be rather shallow, but further on it
varied greatly along the different routes. The water
being muddy, there was no visible indication of its depth
in advance of the rider, except that at the deepest points
the current, being less impeded, was much swifter and was
also indicated by broad, undulating swells. When about
one-fourth of the way over, my horse dropped into a very
deep channel, where he could obtain no footing. In all
such places, the horse and rider swiftly drifted down the
river, swimming in the direction of the objective point on
the opposite shore. Nearly all of those who participated
in this preliminary trip seemed to doubt the practicability
of a safe crossing. The rider, however, who had kept the
furthest up the stream had found a footing for his horse
through nearly the entire course, there being but one
place where for a moment he seemed to lose his hold on the
bottom; and that was approximately the route adopted.

The tendency of all who crossed, was to be carried down
the stream, and all came out on the north bank a long
distance below the point which they aimed to reach. A
trigonometrical measurement of the river, taken with a
sextant, gave the width as 792 yards; Root gives the width
as being one-half mile. But our proposed course, being
serpentine and quite in the form of the letter S, was about
seven-eighths of a mile in length. The general course
having been agreed upon, the final preparations were
quickly made for the start. As oxen are the safest animals
to use in this kind of work, it was arranged that the ox
team wagons should move in advance. Eighteen yoke of
oxen — in other words, the teams from three wagons —
were hitched to a single wagon, each making a combined

FORDING THE PLATTE IN HIGH WATER 135

team more than 200 feet in length. Four such teams were
made ready. The heaviest men were assigned to ride on
the backs of all the lead oxen, to bear them down as low
as possible into the water, so that they would be less
inclined to float in deep water and lose their footing.
Oxen in swimming do not sink as low in the water as either
mules or horses. The instructions to the drivers of all
teams were to direct them constantly somewhat up
stream, that they might eventually reach the opposite
shore as nearly as possible directly opposite the place of
starting, for they would be sure to drift more or less.

The importance of a very long team in fording such a
turbulent river of varying depth is that when the lead
teams find water so deep that it lifts their feet from the
bottom, and they are compelled to float and swing down
stream, then the middle teams, urged on by their riders and
the horsemen who ride alongside, may keep the wagon
moving and somewhere near its true course; but it must
be kept moving. When the lead oxen have again secured
a footing in shallow water, they must again be turned up
stream, to straighten out the whole line and aid in pulling
intermediate teams over the deep places. A minute halt
of a loaded wagon in the soft quicksand is likely to be
very serious, as the rushing current will quickly under-
mine it and it will rapidly settle to the wagon bed.

All these points having been forcefully impressed upon
the men, the ox drivers vaulted to their positions, each
astride of an ox. Horsemen were in waiting at the right,
or down stream side, to assist in keeping the cattle from
drifting. No saddles were used on the animals, and the
men were barefooted, for when the horses should sink
with their backs below the water, saddles and shoes would
become encumbrances.

136 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

The captain having mounted on his horse, both being
divested of unncessary trappings, galloped down the line
shouting to the men of each team, "Come right along in
line quick. Follow me and keep 'er moving!" The first
of the four long teams filed behind the Captain and with
some urging splashed down into the muddy swirling
waters, and the others followed in their wake. We who
knew that our time was soon to come stood upon the
bank and earnestly watched every movement in their pro-
gress. We saw the Captain's horse suddenly sink over
his flanks into the first deep unseen channel and plunge
madly until he reached footing on a sand bar beyond,
over which only two feet of water flowed. There the
Captain turned and halted to direct the drivers who were
urging their teams onward through the soft quicksand.
It was a dangerous place, but there could be no retreat
for the long teams and heavy wagons. The men were
shouting at the top of their voices, but above the shouts
of the men and the grumbling swash of the waters, we
heard the Captain call, "Come on, keep 'er moving!
Keep 'er moving; keep up stream!" But when the first
oxen dropped into the deep channel they floated swiftly
down with the resistless current in a tangled mass, and
then the horsemen and ox-riders directed their efforts to
turn the swimming leaders toward the Captain. As I
learned later, the drivers while in the broad swift stream
hardly knew where they were, or in what direction they
were going. Everything in sight was going down, down,
and the eye having no fixed object near-by on which to
rest, was continually led astray by the flotsam rushing by.
For a time the whole team from our view-point seemed
to be an inextricable mix-up, but finally the lead oxen
reached a footing in shallower water and were turned up

FORDING THE PLATTE IN HIGH WATER 1S7

stream toward the Captain. After being urged forward,
they partially straightened out the long line and the heavy
wagon slowly continued to move, but soon it also sank
down into the deep channel where the swift waters swept
its sides.

"It's going over!" shouted more than one who stood
on the shore, as the wagon reeled from one side to another
on the soft, uneven, sandy bottom.

"Keep 'er going, keep 'er moving!'* was then yelled
continuously by the drivers and Captain, as they urged
the teams to pull harder, and this continued until the
wagon slowly rose in shallower water. But they must
not stop even there in these quicksands, nor until they
had reached the other shore. There was still much more
of the deep rushing water farther on in the river. A like
experience was shared by each team, as it went through
the deep places.

The four wagons were finally pulled out upon the
farther bank, and the oxen were returned to repeat the
struggle with other loads. Our time had now come and
delay would be dangerous, for the river was rising. There-
fore, as soon as the first ox team had accomplished the
first deep channel, Pete Wintermute started into the
river with his wagon and four horses. Pete was a superb
horseman and managed his team with discretion, but it
seemed almost certain at times that his wagon was cap-
sizing. The remainder of our party could not long delay
to watch his uncertain progress, for each had his own
difficult responsibility.

My attention was chiefly directed to Deacon Cobb and
Ben and Fred, whose wagons had each but one span of
horses. The Deacon, after progressing swimmingly for a
time, became hopelessly stuck on a sand bar where the

138 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

water was not more than two feet in depth. Ben and
Fred were also stuck down stream about twenty rods
below the Deacon. It was imperative that their teams
should be combined. It was clearly impossible to get a
team up stream to the Deacon. I dismounted and un-
hitched the Deacon's horses, and with whiffletrees in
hand turned them floating down toward the boys' wagon.
At times I passed through deep water in which the horses
swam, always knowing that I was likely soon to strike
another sand bar. Before reaching Ben's wagon, one of
the whiflSetrees became detached, a pin having come out
in the deep water. The harness generally was out of order.
The boys were in the water and were soon busy, tying
parts together and doubling up the teams, using any
straps and ropes that were available. In time they were
as ready as could be, under the circumstances, to move
onward, and were soon breasting the current, while I rode
beside them on horseback.

At this juncture there arose great commotion in ad-
vance of us. Among the parties who were making this
watery transit were two brothers, each driving a two-mule
team, their wagons being loaded with fancy groceries with
which they intended to start a business in Montana.
They were driving nearly side by side. I observed both
their mules and wagons sink into a deep channel, almost
simultaneously and both wagons rolled completely over
being caught in a powerful current. The mules of both
teams, entangled in their harness, were soon kicking and
floundering in their efforts to escape, while the frantic
young men, at the peril of their lives, were trying each to
release his own mules by cutting their harness. Two of
the mules were drowned, the wagons were a hopeless
wreck, and I saw many of the lighter boxes and packages

FORDING THE PLATTE IN HIGH WATER 139

from their cargo floating down the stream. The stock was
a total loss. Ben and Fred had no time to watch these col-
lateral occurences, for they were endeavoring to manage a
four-horse team that had never been driven in that form,
and might have been foimd difficult at first to control
even on a solid highway.

The evening was well advanced when Ben and the
drivers of two other of our wagons pulled out from the
northern bank. Dan Trippe was two or three hours in
advance of any of our party. We had been in the water
the entire day, and laboring every moment to the extent
of our ability. Several animals had been drowned, but
our sympathy went out especially toward the young men
who had lost their all and were now stranded with two
mules.

And how about Deacon Cobb? He was sitting alone in
his wagon in absolute serenity when I, who had seen him
last, had parted from him. His wagon had then settled
to the axles in the quicksand, and the muddy waters were
swiftly sweeping by it and through it. He had piled boxes
and other articles in the center of the wagon box and had
surmounted the pile with his little mattress, which he had
rolled into a bundle. I saw him perched upon the summit
patiently awaiting developments. In the meantime the
waters had filled the box. He was near the middle of
the river. The rest of his party now being safely across,
we shouted to him through the gathering darkness of the
evening, to assure him that we would come to him as soon
as possible. If he responded to our call it was not heard
above the sound of the running waters. The wagon was
so deeply imbedded in the mud that it seemed a dubious
task to pull him out with our weary and hungry horses.

We endeavored to negotiate with the captain of the ox-

140 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

team wagons for assistance, but he replied that he|^would
not have his weary men and stock undertake the hazardous
task for five hundred dollars at that late hour. The point
was urged that a good man's life was involved, and that
our teams were absolutely unequal to the undertaking, as
he well knew. He finally consented to send three men with
four yoke of oxen to make the attempt, upon the pay-
ment of forty dollars, to which terms we cheerfully agreed.
The oxen were sent for and yoked in the darkness, and
soon were in the river on the way to the rescue. The men
stated on their return that after a time their course was
directed by the Deacon's voice, which was finally heard
in the distance and approximately indicated his location.
After a long period of comparative silence the approach of
the rescuing party to the shore was announced by cheers
from the drivers. The Deacon when pulled up to the
shore was the calmest and most comfortable man in the
party, although he had been fully aware of his critical
situation. He was moreover the only dry object in the
wagon.

The bacon in our mess wagon was not seriously injured
by its baptism, and at 9 p. m., we regaled our empty
stomachs with such of it as could be readily found. My
own trunk, containing garments and papers, had suffered
little. Like Homer's horses, we had to await the throned
dawn before drying ourselves. In the early morning the
caravan moved onward five miles to where sage brush was
found for fuel and some grass for the horses, there being
practically none near the place of crossing. There we
took an inventory of our effects, and all were unloaded
that we might dry them out. We had received on our
arrival at Nebraska City a box of ginger snaps and some
other delicacies, also some dried fruit, sent by friends at

FORDING THE PLATTE IN HIGH WATER 141

home. These had been carefully retained for use in an
emergency, perhaps in case of illness, when some change
of diet from rough camp fare might be welcome. The
box was now for the first time re-opened, as the hour had
come to test it, but all those dainty tributes of good-will
were blended into a common mass, of the consistency of
thin pudding, and no one article could be separated from
another. The box had been filled with sand and water
for nearly twenty-four hours, and in the meantime had
been thoroughly shaken up. It was gratifying, however,
to find that a bag of dried apples, also reserved for some
state occasion, had about doubled its bulk since leaving
Nebraska City. In this case the high water might seem
to have been a blessing, in disguise, but the disguise was
perfect, for when we again dried them out in the hot sun
and gave them a little time to re-adjust themselves to the
environment, they gradually resumed their original modest
proportions. The pudding left as the residue of the cookies
was re-cooked, but for dietary purposes it was hardly
satisfactory, as it yielded only a gritty, earthy-tasting
food.

The final consensus of opinion was that we would never
again ford the Platte during high water.

CHAPTER XII

The Phantom Liar of Grease Wood Desert

A portion of the compound constituting the
waters of the Platte, with which many of our
effects were saturated, passed into the air by
evaporation in the sun, but a residuum of clay
and sand long remained as a reminder of the day spent in
the muddy flood of that river. We were happy to find
that our ammunition was uninjured. We waited three
days for the arrival of Phillip's mule train, which was at
Julesburg and with which we expected to proceed, but
finally learned that it would not hazard an attempt to ford
a river that had proved so disastrous to others. In the
meantime we hunted sage hens and jack rabbits, which
were numerous in that sage brush country.

It has often been said of Yankee mechanics that they
are "Jacks of all trades and masters of none. " Necessity
has made them self-reliant. Such were we, and the delay
afforded us an opportunity to put everything in good order.
Although there were no harness makers, blacksmiths, or
carpenters, to repair harness or wagons, no horseshoers to
shoe the horses, and no shoemakers or tailors to mend
boots or garments, nearly every member of our company
showed himself fully qualified to do very satisfactory work
and with few tools in each of these lines of industry. The

142

PHANTOM LIAR OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 143

valuable miscellaneous training in the primitive days in
our country, when the trades were not specialized as they
are now, fitted the young men of that time for such emer-
gencies.

Deciding that our present situation justified a violation
of army regulations, we moved forward alone to the
crossing of Lodge Pole Creek, a milky-colored stream
about fifteen feet in width. They told us at Julesburg
that the Indians were accustomed to obtain lodge poles
from a place near the distant sources of this stream, a
fact to which it owed its euphonious name.

We had camped some distance from the trail, and
having taken our horses over the ridge into another ravine,
had picketed them on the best grass that could be foimd.
It was my duty to stand guard and watch the horses until
midnight. The night was clear and still, and although
it was bright stariight, it seemed to be very dark in the
ravine. I took a position slightly up the hillside and
reclined with ear near the ground. About midnight there
came seemingly from some very distant source, a low, deep,
rumbling roar. For a time it was impossible even to sur-
mise the cause. It seemed to be subterranean and yet it
was not an earthquake, for the sound was continuous and
gradually increased in depth and power. In a few minutes
I became convinced that it was caused by the hoofs of a
great number of running horses approaching through the
ravine. As a measure of precaution I thought it best to
move a little out of the valley to a position behind a
growth of sage brush near-by, and there await develop-
ments. An Indian raid at midnight was hardly to be
suspected, nor had we heard of any large body of cavalry
in those parts. The sound increased in power like the
roar of an approaching tornado, and an onrushing mass

144 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

finally swept round the nearest curve in the ravine. Our
horses, frightened by the approaching herd, suddenly
started in advance, as could be inferred from their snort-
ing and the rattle of the iron picket pins, some of which
were pulled from the ground. All were soon in flight.
Those which failed at once to escape were carried along
the next moment with a solid, resistless tide of oncoming
mules which leaped one upon another. As the drove
swept by I caught glimpses here and there of the moving
forms, which showed that the mules were riderless; being
stampeded, their fright was communicated to one another
— those in the rear crowding upon those in front; and some
of them, I believe, stumbled and were run ovsr by the
compact mass that followed. In a moment all had passed;
but for a long time in the direction of a range of hills to
the west, could be heard the roar of hundreds of hoofs and
the ring of the picket pins as they were dragged over the
stony ground. The sound did not die away entirely in
its slow diminuendo until the mules had passed the range
six miles to the west. On visiting the spot where our
horses had been picketed, we found that every one of them
had been carried away in the mad rush, and unless we
could recover them the inconveniences would be most
serious. The natural conclusion then was that the large
herd had been stampeded by mounted Indians, who would
soon follow.

When about to return to camp to report the situation
to our party, I became conscious of the approach of mount-
ed men from the same direction as that from which the
stampede came.

I soon heard their voices. They proved to be four men
on horseback, who (I then suspected) might have caused
the rush. Myself a party to the loss of stock, and be-

PHANTOM LIAR OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 145

lieving it to be my duty quickly to summon our party, I
fired my rifle in advance of the riders. Wishing to make
myself appear as numerous as possible, I repeated the
challenge with two or three additional shots in rapid suc-
cession, and with as firm a voice as I could command
called to the riders to halt. To my surprise they did halt.
One of the men gruffly asked, "Who are you?'* Another
shouted what seemed rather an incoherent declaration,
the tenor of which as I caught it, was in effect that I was
shooting at the United States Government. Perhaps it
was the darkness and the fact that I was out of their reach
that inspired me with sufficient confidence to order them
not to proceed further until we could ascertain who they
were. The pronoun " we " was used not only to emphasize
the authority of the speaker and thereby command respect,
but also on the theory that the more numerous I could
make myself appear the safer I was likely to be until our
boys should arrive in response to the rifle call. As was
expected, our men rounded up very quickly, for our camp-
ers were not compelled to dress and make an elaborate
toilet on receiving a call. A mutual investigation followed,
through which we learned that a Government train of
which we had no previous knowledge had camped three
miles northwest of our trail, and their stock, about 240 in
number, had been stampeded through the carelessness or
folly of one their own drivers; and the animals were away
before their men were prepared to start in pursuit. They
had been able to find a few saddle horses which had been
picketed and had not escaped in the panic. On being
informed very definitely concerning the direction which
the flying herd had taken, the riders, after giving the
assurance that all of our horses would in time doubtless
be returned, started on their hunt. After daybreak they

146 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

encountered no difficulty in following their course, which
was well marked by hoof tracks; and in the forenoon all
of our horses were once more at our command, but none
the better for their escapade.

This Lodge Pole Creek ford became of some interest
to overland travelers by reason of the fact that some
years later the old Oregon trail, which we were still pur-
suing, was here crossed by the Union Pacific Railroad,
which up to this point along much of its course was built
exactly upon the trail marked by the first Mormon emi-
grants in 1847, following many of its windings. This fact
suggests a striking comparison between the early and the
later modes of travel. Our party, moving as steadily
as possible, had consumed twenty-five days in reaching
this point from the Missouri River. Ben Holliday's stages,
when they followed the route that we were taking, reached
Lodge Pole on the fifth day, being driven continuously
night and day with relays of horses every ten or fifteen
miles. It is now reached in twelve hours by express
trains.

Our next day's journey after leaving Pole Creek was
over a series of ridges along an excellent roadway the great
part of the distance. The highest points disclosed fine
views of the rocky cliffs along the North Platte. There is
a marked change in the general features of the country as
compared with those seen along the Platte valley east of
Julesburg. The road showed that it had been traveled
but little. We were able to make a drive of twenty-eight
miles, reaching Mud Spring in the evening. Why this
tiny fountain should be so denominated is unknown and
unknowable; it was the first clear, living water that we
had seen west of the Missouri River, except in a few wells
at stage stations. In February of the preceding year this

PHANTOM LIAK OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 147

spot was the scene of some sharp fights with the Indians.

And now there lay immediately before us the longest
and most difficult drive of the trip, concerning which we
had secured much information. It would conduct us
across a wide stretch of sandy desert in which there was
no pasturage; and forty long miles must be laid behind
in order to reach a camp ground where there was any
grazing whatever for horses. The preceding day had been
intensely hot, and there were no indications of any imme-
diate change in the temperature. To secure the benefit
of the cooler early hours we were off at exactly three
o'clock in the morning. Near where we entered the
dreary waste of sand we parallelled for a short distance a
small stream, concerning which we had been advised
that it was the only desirable place for lunch. We had
prepared some cold boiled beans, bacon and coffee, which
we pulled from the mess box, and as the rays of the sun
had now become very oppressive, we prepared to drop
down upon the hot sand in the shade of a wagon. The
Deacon protected himself somewhat from the sands by
sitting upon a roUed-up blanket. Others remained stand-
ing or dropped upon their knees, but Pete remarked that
as the tallest and largest man in the party he was fairly en-
titled to a certain high moimd of sand of convenient
shape, which he found well in the shade. These piles were
formed by some little clumps of grease wood, or similar
growth, which the sand had drifted round and in many
cases entirely covered, as a little obstruction will some-
times collect a small snow drift.

Pete, who was a tall, powerful, but rather slow-moving
individual, dropped wearily and heavily upon the sand
heap which he proposed to occupy by right of squatter
sovereignty. Although it was a long distance from the

148 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

seat of Pete's *' pants" to the seat of his intelligence, yet
the information was quickly transmitted to his brain that
something was under him that was not all sand. With a
sudden yell, as if stung by a serpent, he leaped into the air
with agility and enthusiasm of which he had hitherto
been deemed altogether incapable. Peter swore. He
then inspected the sand pile, while we watched him with
dismay, being ignorant of the cause of his frenzy. Reach-
ing out at arm's length, he cautiously poked the mound
with his whip stock and found, not a rattlesnake, but
only an oval-shaped cactus slightly concealed beneath
the sand. Its long spines as sharp as needles and almost
uncountable in number, under the weight of Pete's body
had penetrated his flesh no one yet knows how far. As
the punctured parts could not easily be examined by the
sufferer, his companion, Noah, performed the operation
of removing such of the needles as were visible. Many
without doubt remained, for during the next two or three
days Peter walked with short steps, staccato, and rarely
indulged in a sitting posture.

The stream near which we had halted afforded the
last opportunity to obtain water until we should complete
the long drive across the sands. Our horses were fed with
fine wheat flour, the only nourishment which we could
secure to stay them through the day. After having filled
the water kegs and canteens from the stream, the difficult
march was continued. The day was so intensely hot
that nearly all members of the party walked to relieve the
perspiring horses. The country we were traversing was
an area of loose, dry sand. Its surface was marked by
small mounds and ridges of sand, the ridges all trending in
one direction and evidently drifted with the prevailing
wind behind a clump of stunted grease wood, a small

c - «. • t

« r ' Z •.

PHANTOM LIAR OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 149

shrub which grows on alkahne soils and, like other desert
growths, is stiff and stubby, — possibly a provision of
nature to preserve its scant foliage from being browsed;
shrubs so protected remained, a survival of the fittest.
Some such provision is certainly necessary to protect the
plant life of the desert in its struggle for existence. The
surface of the sand was slightly hardened by a thin scale,
possibly due to solidification in drying, after a passing
shower had moistened the salts in the sand. The scale in
many places prevented the wheels from sinking deeply.
The wagons were, therefore, scattered along side by side,
because a track once followed was deeply cut in the ruts.
Numerous lizards (swifts) glided along the parched sur-
face of the Sahara and were the only specimens of animal
life that I observed there with any interest.

An experience on this grease wood desert may have
prompted the inquiry ascribed to one of our statesmen,
who is alleged to have asked in 1843 concerning this west-
em territory, "What do we want with the vast worthless
area, this region of savages and wild beasts, of deserts of
shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and
prairie dogs .5^"

In spite of the oppressive heat of the day and the long
tramp still before us, Ben, who was tough and untiring,
proposed a little side tramp by way of diversion. For
many miles we had observed the majestic outlines of the
conspicuous landmark well known as Court House Rock.
As our course finally approached within two miles of its
cliffs, Ben and I determined to secure a view from its
summit. That remarkable monument stands in solitary
grandeur upon the barren plain; it has, however, a worthy
associate not far away, another prominence known as the
Jail; these high bluffs are appropriately named. From a

150 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

distance Court House Rock has the appearance of some
vast, ancient ruin. The grandeur and beauty of its out-
lines and the majesty of its proportions have made it a
notable landmark for all travelers who pass that way.
We found its ascent comparatively easy, but the descent
was somewhat difficult because of the projecting terraces
which, though of hard material, were cracked, leaving
projections that could not be depended upon for support.
Although we might well have saved our energies for the
hot tramp through the sands which lay before us, we
obtained views of the "bad lands" to the west, which
were very impressive.

It seemed as if in the Creation there had been a vast
amount of crude material left over, which had been dumped
into that waste, but the essential elements of life were
wholly absent. As far as could be seen through the clear,
hot, and quivering air of noonday everything was silent
and dead. On reaching the trail Ben and I followed the
track of our wagons in the white sand, which glowed like
a furnace, and finally overtook our party, which was
slowly dragging along with occasional pauses for rest.

We had seen no person during the day except members
of our own party. Beyond the border of the sandy waste
I dropped back again, but this time with Noah, who was
also wearily trudging along now over a more hilly and
broken country toward the north Platte. We were sur-
prised to see approaching us from the north, as if about
to cross our course, a long-haired individual, rather tough
in appearance, with whom we exchanged a few common-
place words, with the usual question as to what he was
"driving at" in that country, but obtained no definite
information. Having been informed that there were
numerous rattlesnakes in the hilly country, I aimed a

PHANTOM LIAR OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 151

question concerning snakes at the presence that stood
before us. Something in his appearance led me to beUeve
that he, if anyone, would be informed on the subject.
"Yes," he replied, "there's right smart of rattlesnakes
around here." Simply to continue the conversation, we
asked if he had killed many. Before making any reply
he slowly hauled from deep down in his "pants" pocket a
plug of tobacco, and inserting it between his big teeth
chewed off a section that proved to be large enough to
interfere somewhat with his articulation. He then stood
silent for a moment, while he transferred the tobacco
from one cheek to another. The cynical expression upon
his face impressed us with the idea that he had all the
qualities required to make a first class stranger. He then
related an alleged experience with a rattlesnake. Al-
though not inclined to accept it as exactly true in all
particulars, we offer it here not quite in ipsissimis verbis
but substantially as given, simply for what it may be
worth as a problematic contribution to natural history.
His thesis at the outset was, that if one gains the affection
of a rattlesnake through some special act of kindness the
serpent may on some occasions afterward express its pro-
found gratitude.

He said that his "pardner" Jim, once upon a time,
discovered a six-foot rattler lying fastened under a rock
which had rolled upon it while it was lying torpid in the
sun. Instead of taking advantage of the reptile while it
was in this helpless condition, he carefully released it, and
thereafter the snake on many occasions manifested indica-
tions of its gratitude, and became a veritable pet, follow-
ing the man wherever it was permitted to go, and guard-
ing him faithfully. Jim, therefore, called it Annie, be-
cause he came from Indiana.

152 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

On being awakened one night, Jim, observing that
Annie was missing from her usual place near his bed,
hastily arose to discover the cause of her absence. Light-
ing a candle, he opened an outside door of the ranch house
and soon heard Annie rattling her tail. He then dis-
covered that the snake had run a skulking Indian into
the other room, and was holding him there a prisoner,
while her tail, which was sticking out of the window, was
ratthng like a dinner bell, calling Jim to come in and help
kill the "cuss."

We asked the red-headed, pink-eyed, big-mustached
rancher if this was really a true story, and if his own
personal reputation would give credit to his statements.
He replied that he had lived in those parts for seven years
and had never yet been lynched. This was sm-ely to be
accepted in that elementary waste as an evidence of good
moral character. He admitted that he had a few horses
off in the hills which he could part with in case a prospec-
tive buyer was anxious to get some fresh ones, but we did
not ask him to produce any evidence of his title to the
animals. The conclusion of this instructive and interest-
ing incident afforded the narrator a much needed oppor-
tunity to discharge from his mouth a large quantity of
tobacco juice, which for a considerable time had interfered
with his enunciation.

His reference to the Indian led us to ask if many Sioux
were now in that country. In reply to this question he
hesitated a few moments, while with a hand in each of his
pockets he turned his eyes in various directions as if the
subjects of which he was to speak might be concealed in
some of the gullies near-by. He finally said there were
right smart of 'em along the North Platte here a while ago,
" but I guess most of them have gone up to Laramie. They

PHANTOM LIAR OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 153

don't bother me very much, but the other day my pardner
was out and I was all alone in the shanty and my horse
was hitched in front. I went out the door for something
and there were six Indians a-coming up in a hurry. When
they saw me three of 'em shot at me but didn't fetch me.
I ain't no sucker with a gun, but I only had one six-shooter
in my belt and knowed it was no time for fooling." Ac-
companying his words with action showing how he did it,
he added, " I jerked out my gun jest so, and give it to 'em,
and there was jest enough cartridges in it to go around,
but they went around."

"Do you mean to say that you didn't miss a shot?"
asked Noah. "Oh, I'm all right with a gun; them Injuns
won't bother me any more." Astounded at the man's
coolness and bravery, I asked if the Indians had guns.
He replied that they had bows, but they started in at
pretty long range for bows and arrows.

At that moment we heard three or four rifle shots which
attracted our attention toward the direction which our
train had taken. The train was now out of our sight.
We both concluded that some of the boys had discovered
game. Turning again toward the spot where a minute
before had stood the daring hero of Grease Wood Desert,
we discovered that he had vanished and no sign or trace of
him was visible. The only possible avenue by which he
could disappear and still remain in the flesh was by a
narrow, crooked ravine near the ill-defined trail. We
hastened to its margin, but no sight or sound that came to
our senses gave us the slightest clue to the manner of his
transformation or disappearance. His abiding place may
have been either in Avernus or down the ravine, for,
although possibly not dark enough, the latter was certainly
hot enough that day for the former in climate.

154 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Noah and I had been so much delayed that we hastened
on our course walking side by side, overtaking our wagons
before they reached the valley of the North Platte near
Brown's ranch, where we camped. We were there in-
formed that our teams, which were much fagged, had
traveled forty miles during the day. The rifle shots that
we heard had been directed at jack rabbits.

On our side trip I suffered not so much from fatigue as
from an acute headache, which developed toward the close
of the day as a result of the intense heat and of the miser-
able food we had eaten. Fred had brought with him a
few simple drugs from a store in which he was interested
at home. Among them was tincture of camphor. He
administered a dose of the stuff, which immediately caused
all the mechanism of my stomach to assert its rights in the
most vehement manner. It expelled everything except
the camphor, which, being no longer held in solution,
solidified into a chunk. At times it rose into my throat
for an instant and then gradually settled down again to
resume its activities. The stomach being unable to expel
the camphor gum then endeavored to expel itself in its
entirety, but as the organ was fastened down in some
mysterious fashion, it could only turn itself wrong side
out and twist itself in the most unsatisfactory manner.
The remainder of the drug supply was then placed at my
disposal, but I decHned longer to permit my stomach to
be used as a chemical laboratory in which to test drugs of
unknown qualities. Not until the solidified gum had
been expelled was there any domestic peace.

Near the course that we had followed to this camp is
the battle field where in 1855 General William S. Harney
slaughtered the Brule Sioux Indians in a terrific fight in
which 500 savages are said to have perished at what is

PHANTOM LIAR OF GREASE WOOD DESERT 155

known as Ash Hollow. Harney had served in the Black
Hawk war and also in our war with Mexico.

On the following day we passed Chimney Rock, visible
for a great distance and a striking feature of the landscape.
It is about 260 feet in height. Captain Howard Stansbury,
an early traveler wrote of it : " This singular formation has
been undoubtedly at one time a projecting shoulder of the
main chain of bluffs bounding the valley of the Platte
and has been separated from it by the action of water.
That the shaft has been very much higher than at present
is evident from the corresponding formation of the bluff,
as well as from the testimony of all our voyagers, for whom
it was for years a beacon visible for forty or fifty miles
both up and down the river."

It was the opinion of Mr. James Bridger that this emi-
nence had been reduced to its present height by lightning
or some other energy of nature, from the change he ob-
served in it on his return from one of his trips to St.
Louis, for when he had passed it on his way down, it was
uninjured.

After still another long day's drive up the valley of the
swift flowing North Platte, through patches of stunted
sage brush and grease wood, we paused for the night. The
terraced height of Scott's Bluffs loomed in the distance.
Almost behind them, the glowing sun sank beneath »the
sharply defined horizon, and the shadows of night brought
welcome relief after another day of intense heat.

CHAPTER XIII

The Mystery of Scott's Bluffs

AS is well known, a wonderful story may be
enfolded in the mute testimony of the hills and
rocks, and far more enduring than ever written
by human hands. Some of these interesting
records, open to any observer, are as plainly written in
the exposed cliffs of Scott's Bluffs as in any spot that I
have known. Their location was noted upon the old
maps partly perhaps because they had received a name in
memory of the tragic death from starvation of a man who
was deserted by his companions on Laramie Fork. Scott
was too ill to continue his journey, and the entire party
was destitute of provisions. He lived, however, to make
his way alone to these Bluffs, where his remains were
eventually found. The altitude of the Bluffs as given in
the Government survey is 4,662 feet above sea level, a
fact in no way remarkable except as fixing the highest
elevation attained in Nebraska.

The isolated position of this vast pile makes it a con-
spicuous object when viewed from no matter what direc-
tion. It rises abruptly from a comparatively level plain
upon which it was once believed no vegetable life could
ever grow, for the surface of the surrounding country was
as barren and bare as a brick pavement. The rock at once

156

THE MYSTERY OF SCOTT'S BLUFFS 157

arouses interest by virtue of its beautifully terraced forma-
tion, and picturesque outlines embellished with towers
and castles, the handiwork of Nature. There it stands,
in majestic solitude, guarding its silent chambers, innum-
erable records of a remote antiquity, — an ancient ruin
compared with which the storied monuments in the valley
of the Nile are modern and insignificant.

It was not, however, because of its hoary age and un-
fathomable mystery, but because of its beauty as it
appealed to the eye, and because of the promise of a wide
outlook from its summit, that I determined to make the
ascent. When our train had reached the point at which
our pathway approached nearest the bluff, I relieved
myself of all impedimenta except a revolver and a field
glass, and started alone for the climb.

From a distance along some of the channels that scarred
the sides of the bluffs, could be seen a line of small cedars
and a few shrubs that had fastened themselves in some
way in the fissures of that inhospitable heap of indurated
clay. Discovering on the north side of the southern bluff
what appeared to be a continuous ravine intersecting the
numerous level terraces, I concluded that the ascent along
that course would not be difficult. To that ravine my
steps were directed.

The ascent was indeed not difficult as that term would
be used of mountain climbing. Terrace after terrace was
passed, each capped or protected by a stratum slightly
harder than the main body of the bluff, which is the true
formation of the Bad Lands and is now known by geolo-
gists as Brule clay. These thin, hard layers yielding more
slowly to the action of the elements than does the inter-
vening hard clay, there results the formation of terraces
with level tops and perpendicular sides, as the general face

158 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

of the bluffs disintegrates. The summit, being reached,
was found to be comparatively level, with a number
of prominences upon it a few feet in height, but each also
with a level surface, the remains of a still higher terrace.
Upon one of these I observed a thin, hard stratum in which
numerous shells were tightly imbedded. Ascending one
of those small level areas upon the highest summit, from
which the best view of the country toward the south
could be obtained, I enjoyed through the field glasses a
superb panorama of the surrounding landscape. Far in
the distance towards the south, other bluffs of similar
formation, and separated one from another by many miles
of lowland, rise to nearly the same level. Among them is
Dome Rock, not far away. I was not then aware of the
fact that among the prominences visible far away in the
distance were Court House Rock, which we had climbed
several days previous and Castle Rock, a striking eleva-
tion of the same type, far to the east.

It was my immediate conclusion, and one that would be
promptly formed by any other superficial observer, that
this shell-bearing stratum had some time been the bed of a
prehistoric body of water, which existed there previous
to the upheaval of all that territory, covering all of what
is now known as the Bad Lands. I observed also that the
level strata in the distant bluffs were each a duplicate of
the strata in all the others. It suggested at once the age
when they were continuous, and the fact that I was now
standing, not on a mountain summit, but on what was
once the common level of that country. Surely the con-
tinuous action of the elements, beginning perhaps with
the wearing out of the gullies near the river, had worn
back into the high plain and gradually widened out in all
directions until nothing remained of the original level,

THE MYSTERY OF SCOTT'S BLUFFS 159

except these few high elevations. Scott's Bluff, Chimney
Rock, Castle Rock, and other notable peaks alone remain
to tell their tale of the ages that have passed since this
work of erosion began. This, however, is but part of the
story discovered in the descent.

The perpendicular faces of the bluff present three or
four varieties of clay formation, slight differences in color
and texture being noticeable. One series of strata, called
Mortar beds in Darton's geological reports, is called the
Ogalalla formation, the strata being merged into a light
colored, sandy clay. Beneath this is a formation suffi-
ciently lithyfied to be fairly classed as soft sandstone, and
beneath it all, as late examination shows, the Pierre clay,
now supposed to be at least 2,000 feet in thickness at this
point.

Here also is seen at a glance one of the great sources of
the enormous volume of sediment continually borne along
in the waters of the Platte and down the great Missouri
River, which have transported many cubic miles of earth
and have deposited it to form the alluvial lands now
forming the great states along the waters of the lower
Mississippi. The suggestion seems overpowering, but true
it is, that by these slow processes extending through ages,
immeasurable even by the most learned geologist, the
surface of this part of our continent has been transformed
without limit.

I had carefully inspected the surfaces of the bluffs and
the interesting panorama that surrounded them; the next
problem was to descend. This would have been simple
enough if I had been content to retrace my steps and
return by the ravine I had followed in ascending, but I
had crossed to the southern rim of the summit, and I
desired to explore that side of the eminence. On the

160 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

southwest comer, however, there appeared to be a dry
run which from my point of observation seemed to afford
a safe and comparatively unbroken descent to the foot
of the cUffs on that side. Although the view looking down
this newly discovered ravine was not so comprehensive in
all its details as would have been obtained below at a
distance, I nevertheless determined to risk it.

Following it down for a hundred feet or more I encoun-
tered a terrace with the usual perpendicular face, but not
intersected by the ravine along which I was descending.
As the footing seemed to be good further along, I dropped
myself over the edge of the terrace and comfortably
alighted upon the level gallery that was next beneath.
These narrow and level galleries surmounted each of the
many upright-faced terraces, the latter varying somewhat
in height. This mode of descent seemed fairly easy, and
was indeed exhilarating. The process was repeated three
or four times as other terraces were encountered, until I
found myself upon a level gallery twelve to eighteen feet
in width and possibly a hundred feet long.

Walking the length of this gallery back and forth, I
found no point where below it there was not a sheer,
perpendicular precipice of more than a hundred feet in
height. At each of its ends the gallery narrowed to a
point against the cliff which extended far down beneath.
Nature had here failed to carry out the general architec-
tural plan of the bluff's structure. I felt earnestly that the
terraces should have been constructed with more rigid
uniformity. The discovery was now made that the branch
ravine which my eyes had been following bore off in its
upward course round this cliff and was lower than I had
supposed.

To return was impossible, for the smooth cliffs down

THE MYSTERY OF SCOTT'S BLUFFS 161

which I had dropped, being absolutely vertical, afforded
no better footing than would the side of a perpendicular
brick wall. I was on the opposite side of the bluffs from
the road which our train had followed, and miles from it.
The last glimpse of our wagons showed them moving far
away in the distance to the westward. A shot from my
revolver would not be heard a tenth of the distance.
Even though I should be searched for, it w6uld be prac-
tically impossible for friends to follow my tortuous course
down those cliffs over which probably no idiot before had
dropt himself, and I should not be hunted until missed at
night, for we often left the train for long side trips. The
bluffs had already been named from one starving unfortu-
nate, but I had no desire to add my own name to its history.
As I walked back and forth along that gallery, looking
upward and downward for some line of escape, the prospect
was not cheerful. I suddenly became both hungry and
thirsty.

A long, dry, cedar log lay upon the hard floor of the
gallery, and I wearily sat upon it for a brief period of
silent meditation. The broad landscape to the south
stood out clear and beautiful in the sunlight, and far be-
neath, at the foot of the cliffs, the dark cedars in the shade
were in mild contrast with the dull gray of the steep,
clayey cliffs to which they clung on either side; but the
landscape seemed at that time to have lost much of its
interest, although it produced a lasting impression. The
cedar log was a straight, slender, tapering shaft possibly
fifty feet in length. It was hardly more than eight inches
in diameter at its butt. Being without bark, it had
doubtless rested there for many years, and was thoroughly
dried out as was nearly everything else in that climate,
which was arid the greater part of the year. Taking hold

162 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

of one end of the log, and without any definite idea why
I did it, I was surprised to discover how light it had be-
come through seasoning. Either end of it could be lifted
without great effort.

At the western end of the gallery upon which I stood,
and far below it, was the ravine, which from that point
seemed to be continuous, and made a rapid descent to the
foot of the mountain. It was comparatively narrow, and
two or three tall cedars on its opposite side sprang out from
a little ledge in the cliff. Some limbs in one of the cedars
were hardly more than thirty or thirty-five feet distant
from the wall of the rock upon which I stood, and on a
lower level. A practical thought finally came into my
mind. Carefully breaking from the log the stubs of
limbs and twigs which remained upon it all of which were
found to be very brittle, I planned to slide this log over
the edge of the gallery, so that the smaller end, which
happened to be in the right direction, would find a lodge-
ment somewhere in the limbs of the live cedars across the
ravine, leaving the larger end supported on the gallery,
thereby constructing a bridge.

I spent considerable time in calculating this problem,
for I certainly believed that my life depended upon the
success of the plan. I slowly moved the log along so that it
projected beyond the gallery, and then carefully considered
the proper direction for pushing it further. Laying aside
revolver and field glass, I prepared for the one supreme
effort. All the strength at my command was put behind
the log as I balanced and then vigorously pushed it on-
ward beyond the brink. Surveying the result, I was
gratified after the first effort to discover that it had not
fallen into the depths below and that the end had caught
upon a small limb, which proved strong enough tempo-

THE MYSTERY OF SCOTT'S BLUFFS 163

rarily to support it. Another push and a careful turn of
the log left its end apparently secure near the junction of
a small limb and the main trunk of the tree near its top.

The bridge, such as it was, being completed, I again
strapped on my revolver, and taking the field glasses, sat
astride the log and carefully crept along it to avoid any
unnecessary jarring, my only doubt in accomplishing the
task being in the strength of the old log and of the small
limb which supported it. The distance beneath me had
no more terrors than forty feet would naturally have, but
when I laid my hands upon the slender trunk of the live
cedar I breathed a sigh of relief. "Shinning" down a
tree was a simple matter, with which any youth would be
familiar. After reaching the base of the tree I found
other trees and shrubs that aided in the further descent,
although there were a few other terraces or perpendicular
cliffs twelve or fifteen feet in height over which I dropped
with ease and safety.

This coursQ led me into a ravine, which, like nearly all
such erosions in that country, had abrupt sides, averaging
thirty or forty feet in depth, which I discovered later led
to the Platte River, gradually increasing in width and
depth as it descended. Some miles distant it was crossed
by a bridge over which the traflSc by that trail passed.
Following the bottom of this ravine, or dry run, until I
reached a point slightly outside the higher walls of the
bluffs, I there came upon a huge pile of fossil bones.
Skeletons, half exposed, projected from the steep sides of
the deep run in great numbers. Many lay strewn upon
the bottom of the ravines where they had been left strand-
ed since the last rains in quantities enough to load many
wagons. My knowledge of osteology was very limited,
but it was sujflSciently definite to enable me to determine

164 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

that none of them were the bones of creatures like any
with which I was then acquainted. It was a strange, weird
sight.

Being somewhat weary I dropped down in the shady
side of the ravine to rest and gazed up and down at the
mute records of the past which were scattered around me.
It seemed as if the monsters whose bones lay there were
suddenly reincarnated. A group of Titanotheria seemed
to be assembled in a vast body; the Rhinoceros, Oreodon,
and diminutive horse such as lived in those parts, were
gathered around, each apparently ready to tell its tale of
events which no man ever had heard before. A Titanothe-
rium Robustum, smacking its huge jaws, turned its dull
eyes upward to the summit of the great bluff 700 feet
above where I was resting, and then turning its gaze
toward me, said, "What are you.^^ You are the first
specimen of your genus that has ever passed this way.
How old are you? " "A score or two of years, " I replied.
There was a roar of grunts doubtless intended for laughter
which echoed up and down the ravine, and the pachyderm
looked at the oreodon and smiled. Continuing, the Ti-
tanotherium said, "Do you see the top of that lofty bluff? '*
I nodded yes. "Well, that is young, and it is not more
than three or four decillion years since this country was
pushed up and has been washing down the river. Before
that, it was under water for nearly as long a period, be-
cause it was mighty slow work filling in all that 1,500
perpendicular feet of clay out of which all the layers of
these bluffs are made. "

The Rhinoceros then grunted out his reminiscences, to
the effect that all that occurred long after his day, because
he was doing business before the beginning of that vast
cycle when the country was so deep under water, and

THE MYSTERY OF SCOTT'S BLUFFS 165

before these deposits were made. Continuing, he added,
"Away back in those times a very bad spell of wet weather
and floods occurred, when we all were caught and stuck
in this swamp which finally dried up on all this great
crowd of companions of a bygone age. Since we were
washed out by the last winter and spring rains which
swept down this gully we have seen nothing, and you are
the first two-legged creature we ever saw, except a few
dinosaurs, and but very few of them lived in these parts. "
After this dreamy colloquy I woke up from my little
rest, and the shadows of the prehistoric pachyderms
vanished, but the thousands of bones were still protruding
from the walls of the deep ravine.

"The waters stood upon the mountains;

At Thy rebuke they fled;

He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,

And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. "

I picked up a massive femur, and put it upon my shoul-
der to show to the boys as a trophy, but it soon became
too heavy, and I dropped it behind me, perhaps to be
moved along a little further toward the Platte River by
the next spring flood. In time it doubtless found another
resting place in those soft river sands, possibly to be
exhumed in some future geological period, to lead the
finder into some wild chain of reasoning concerning its
history. I reached the train, which was camped six miles
west, and told my story to the boys, and after supper fell
asleep.

The year after the discovery of the Grand Canyon of the
Colorado, it was my pleasure personally to furnish Pro-
fessor Powell with a careful description of the location of
these remarkable deposits of fossils in Scott's Bluffs, which

166 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

he and others investigated later. At that time I believe
no investigation of those fossil beds had been made by
scholars qualified to classify them.

Amid all the intricacies of the ravines that run down
the bluff sides, it would be difficult to indicate any loca-
tions there with exactness, but certain landmarks make
this one to which I now refer comparatively easy to
describe. A professor and students from one of our
universities made later investigations of this particular
deposit on information given as to its nature. The recent
marvelous agricultural development of this country as the
result of an irrigating ditch cut near these bluffs is a
revelation to those who first saw it as a barren area, a part
of what was well named the Bad Lands. These once
barren clay lands near the foot of Scott's Bluffs are now,
strange to relate, highly productive. If any one of the
young ranchers now engaged in the development of that
country would care to follow the ravine crossed by the
bridge over the old trail and with a ladder would ascend
a few cliffs that will be encountered as he proceeds along
the ravine, and then climb up until he reaches the high
precipice, he will find the old cedar log still lying across
the chasm and resting on the tree top, for no one would
have made the effort to remove it, and nothing decays in
that pure air.

CHAPTER XIV

The Peace Pipe at Laramie

LEAVING the fossil beds, a six-mile tramp was
made to a point beyond Fort Mitchell, where
the train was reached. The course lay across a
dry clay land which, though in appearance
hopelessly sterile, was dotted with small clumps of sage
brush, that ubiquitous bush which grows almost every-
where in those western alkaline soils both on the plains
and on the mountain slopes. Useless as that gnarly,
stubby, stunted shrub may seem to be, it has been the
salvation of thousands of travelers for whom it furnished
the exclusive fuel along hundreds of miles of their pilgrim-
age. The scant foliage of this species of Artemisia has a
color, taste, and odor similar to that of the ordinary sage,
and all of these qualities especially the flavor, were im-
parted in some degree to the sage hens, which fed in
numbers upon the plant.

At Fort Mitchell there was stationed a company of
soldiers to impress upon the Indians the idea that the
strong military arm of the U. S. Government extended
over the West. As we learned later, three score soldiers
were but a feeble menace to the thousands of dissatisfied
warriors, who were then roaming over the plains, awaiting
some assurance from our authorities that the last of their

167

168 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ancient hunting grounds would not be invaded and trav-
ersed by the whites.

Eight miles further on we camped for the night on the
banks of the North Platte River, where, finding clear
water and good forage for stock, we planned a day of rest.
Near that point first loomed upon our view in the west
the dark summits of Laramie Peak and the serrated line of
jagged pinnacles in the less prominent range beyond. No
snow was visible upon them, and the somber mountain
pines presented but little contrast to the shadowy gorges,
while the peaks like "splinters of the mountain chain
stood black against the sky. "

Crossing Horse-Shoe Creek, our trail led us at once into
what was then Dakota Territory, but which in 1868
became Wyoming Territory, and in July, 1890, the State
of Wyoming. This state has now become renowned as a
grand museum of Nature's wonders, and possibly presents
the most numerous and remarkable varieties of interest-
ing scenery and freaks of Nature, known to exist
anywhere.

Its lofty mountain chains and matchless canyons; its
spectacular geysers and fountains of unending diversity
in quality, and every degree of temperature from boiling
springs to those which are said to produce ice by chemical
processes; its beautiful mountain lakes and magnificent
cataracts, all combine to make it a land of marvels. All
these forms of Nature's works I have seen in camp life in
Wyoming.

Possibly because of its location and the abundance of
its game, it became the final stronghold of the Indians.
Its entire white population, at the time of my first visit,
was probably exceeded by thousands of western villages,
and but a small percentage of the number were women.

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 169

There were enough of the latter, however, to secure the
adoption of woman's suffrage by the first legislative
assembly of the state, and social conditions then gave rise
to the oft-repeated couplet,

" Baby, baby, don't get in a fury.
Your mamma's gone to sit on the jiu-y."

As indicating that the spirit of woman's freedom was
in the very atmosphere of that country long before her
rights were established by legislative enactment, I state
it as a fact that our first camp in that territory was made
near a pool of alkaline water, in which each member of
our party personally and simultaneously laundered his
flannels and silk handkerchiefs, a purification that was
greatly needed.

It was an inspiring if not "a sublime sight, " to see eight
stalwart men diligently scrub their garments in the margin
of the pool, and hang them to dry upon the stiff branches
of the sage bushes in that bright, pure sunlight. The pool
proved to be the home of insect life, for the early evening
brought myriads of "fair insects with thread-

like legs spread out, and blood-extracting bill and filmy
wing," which tortured us until the morning dawned,
when we decided to move onward, and fly possibly to other
evils that we knew not of.

As we moved further westward, the scenery became
more attractive and many objects of interest invited our
attention. Among these was an apparently newly-made
grave in the shade of two small and lonely trees. The
earthly journey of some unfortunate traveler had been
ended before it was really completed. Such a discovery
will cause even the most careless wayfarer to pause and
think at least for a moment on the great problems of life

170 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

and death, and otherwise ponder much more than he would
among a thousand graves in a potter's field. I soon
noticed a card high up in the trunk of one of the trees and
fastened to it by a rusty horseshoe nail. I immediately
called some of the boys to see it. Upon the uncolored
face of the card was printed a black figure somewhat
Egyptian in outline. One after another of our party upon
inspection failed to understand the significance or relevancy
of the cabalistic design. Pete from a distance at once
declared that it was a Jack of Spades, which in fact it was,
but others were deciphering a somewhat faded epitaph
written upon the margin with a lead pencil, which finally
read as follows :

"He played his last trump and lost."

What could have been the meaning of this occult sen-
tence? I think it was a soldier who informed us that a
man had been killed there in a fight, and that was all the
soldier knew of the matter, except that the man had been
appropriately epitaphed. There was no coroner or court
of justice in those parts, and every man in that country
seemed to be a law unto himself. The period of the
Vigilantes was hardly yet in its bloom in Wyoming, but
it is interesting to hear described the manner in which
justice was summarily administered by a self-appointed
tribunal, which also assumed the functions of executioner.
There was little complaint of the law's delays in Wyoming,
and the defendant did not suffer the embarrassment of
being conducted through a gaping throng to a lofty gallows.
The nearest tree served the purpose. There would be no
time to issue tickets, and the charge was more likely to be
horse stealing than any other crime. Still, it was true
that deadly encounters were often the result of quarrels

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 171

over unimportant matters. It seems difficult to pass
judgment upon the acts of vigorous men who, having but
little self-restraint, are freed from the restraints of law.
Behind the bravado and the readiness to pull a gun on the
slightest provocation, there were often noble and generous
impulses which, when these men were merged into a
settled community, led many of them to become strong,
law-abiding citizens.

A few years later than the occurrence just narrated, I
chanced to spend a few days in Silverton, Colorado, when
that town was in the first flush of its mining successes. As
I was walking along the street one Sabbath afternoon with
an old boyhood friend. Judge Montague, we passed a large
and very busy gambling saloon. Its entire one-story front
was wide open to the street. Scores of men were at the
tables playing cards, and the long bar near the front was
crowded with patrons. The Judge, calling me as usual
by my old nickname, said, "I will tell you a story of this
saloon," and he proceeded as follows: '^

"A short time ago a home missionary, Rev. Mr. P — ,
came to Silverton, and having learned that I had been a
church attendant in the East, he called upon me, and
asked if I would give him some assistance that would aid
him in the establishment of a church in this mining town. "
Having explained the character of the community, the
Judge said to the missionary, ** If you will go where I shall
take you, I will see what can be done. " There was then
no house of worship in Silverton. The missionary prompt-
ly assented. "Then, " continued the Judge, " I led him at
once into this gambling house and up to the bar. Calling
for the proprietor, I introduced the missionary and said,
*You know we have no church in Silverton and Rev. P —
desires to help us raise some money to apply toward the

172 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

building of one.' *No church in Silverton?' shouted the
saloon proprietor, with apparent disgust. 'No,' I replied,
*not one!' Then with a series of oaths, vigorously em-
phasized by a blow of his fist upon the bar, which made the
minister tremble, he declared that it was a d — d shame and
showed a lack of enterprise. He added, 'If we are ever
going to have a first-class town we've got to have every-
thing that's a-going. Ye want something out of me?'
*Yes,' I replied, 'we should be pleased to have you head
the subscription list, and I thought that about two hundred
dollars would be about right for your place.' The young
missionary gulped and held his breath. 'All right,' said
the proprietor, as he inscribed his name on the paper,
'we've got to have everything that's a-goin' if we have any
kind of a town. Now what '11 you have with me, gentle-
men?' as he firmly slammed upon the counter two or three
bottles, 'and, by the way, I've got a little good, old whiskey
here made before the war, that I keep back for my friends.' "
In following up the history of the little Congregational
Church, the genesis of which was in the heart of a mission-
ary, at the bar of a gambler, it may be of interest to relate
an incident that seems quite grotesque and further illus-
trates the strange blending of extremes in the characters
of the West. A young minister, H. P. Roberts, was sent
later to the same Silverton work, and pending the construc-
tion of a new church, services were held in a schoolhouse.
On the last Christmas previous to the transfer to the new
edifice, some exercises were being held for the children.
Late in the evening there was sent to the schoolhouse and
hung upon the Christmas tree a woman's stocking sent as
a gift to the young minister by one Jim Brown, another
notorious saloon-keeper. On delivering to the minister
the article of wearing apparel, for which he apparently had

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 173

no present need, it was found to contain a pack of cards, a
box of dice, and, what was greatly needed, sixty silver
dollars. It had been collected by Brown from members
of his profession as his voluntary act and expression of
good will. Brown was killed not long after by an old,
one-armed marshal named Ward, who in turn soon met
the same fate. This incident is fully verified by a recent
letter from a pioneer woman who was a member of that
church and was also a witness to the event at the school-
house. The sixty dollars may have been tainted money
(if it is possible to taint a well-inspired benefaction), but
the act sheds a soft ray of light upon the life of a man
whose career and character were generally regarded as
dark.

On the following day, after passing the grave by the
two trees, we drove thirteen miles. As we were slowly
moving along in the afternoon over the heavy sands and
up a long but rather gentle slope, we suddenly observed
two wagons with mule teams approaching from the west,
the animals being driven at the top of their speed under
the lash of the drivers. On discovering us, the drivers
motioned in an agitated manner toward Fred and me who
were riding on horseback, indicating that they wished us
to halt. We accordingly stopped the train and awaited
their arrival. They at once reported a large band of
Indians approaching. Having seen the Indians in the
distance, the drivers had quickly turned their teams, and
were endeavoring to escape from possible trouble. We
all deemed it prudent to remain near where we were, and
await the arrival of the band which was reported to be
following the trail. It soon began to appear over the
crest of the hill and much to our satisfaction was evidently
not a war party. It was an Indian village on horseback,

174 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

consisting of several hundred Sioux with their famihes
and the ordinary equipment of Indian lodges, which were
being transported upon several hundred horses and ponies.
There is ordinarily little to fear from such a body, as
Indians are not inclined to make trouble when there is
danger to their wives and papooses, although the average
Indian squaw doubtless shared the passion of her chief in
time of war and was accustomed to strife and bloodshed.

In many of their battles, when the prospect of an
Indian victory seems certain, the squaws and children are
placed at some point of vantage, to witness the sport and
the tortures. This was notably true in the attack of
Roman Nose, with one thousand warriors, on Forsythe's
little band on the so-called Island of Death in the Arrikaree
River, in that year. The squaws took a safe position
on the bluffs, as did the matrons in the days of Rome's
glory, when they witnessed the brutal contests in the
Coliseum.

We had courteously driven out a short distance from
the trail to give the Indians a free passage. Our horses
seemed not pleased with the appearance of the strange
cavalcade, for they reared and plunged in an effort to
escape. Hitching our saddle horses to wagons, Ben, Fred
and I stopped close to the trail, and each of us courteously
and fearlessly as possible saluted one after another of this
band as they passed, with the familiar word, "How."
Not even a grunt or motion came in return for our saluta-
tion. Their eyes were turned toward us as they passed,
but, to use a society phrase, they cut us and turned us
down. All appeared to be glum, sullen and disgruntled,
and we were happy to see them move on at a steady pace.

In this Indian train there was possibly material for a
hundred lodges. The lodge poles were carried on the

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 175

backs of ponies, an equal number on either side, the large
end of the pole dragging far behind upon the ground. In
many cases a little hammock-like affair, suspended be-
tween the poles behind a pony, carried a papoose, whose
unshaded face looked up toward the glaring sun. Other
ponies were loaded with camp material of varied kinds,
on top of which in some cases were squaws and children.
All the men and nearly all the squaws were mounted.
There was an excellent opportunity to observe the faces
of all who passed, although there was little to be learned
from their expressions concerning any of their emotions,
for they were solemn and undemonstrative. It required
a long time for all to pass, for they did not move in a
compact body but were generally in single file, except
that here and there some young warrior rode beside a
tawny maiden. There was no hostile demonstration, nor
did they pause a single moment on their onward march.

On the following morning, while riding our horses over
a slight elevation, we came in sight of the swollen current
of the Laramie River, which rushed into view from around
some highlands not far away at our left; its swiftly flowing
waters plunged along before us and onward into those of
the North Platte not more than a mile away at our right.

The first view of the scene spread out before us across
the river aroused our profound interest, chiefly because
the consideration of some very grave questions had caused
a large and unusual gathering of warriors to be assembled
there, whose conclusions would result either in peace or
savage, bloody war. Directly in front of us, and near the
opposite bank of the stream, stood the historic old post.
Fort Laramie. It consisted of the usual plaza, or parade
ground, in the form of a parallelogram, equal in size to an
average city block. On each of its four sides were build-

176 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ings, some of which were two stories in height, some of
but one story. It could be clearly seen that of the twenty-
five or thirty structures around the square, some were
built of logs, others of adobe, and a few were framed.

To the right of these, and wholly removed from the
square, were seven or eight long and low buildings each of
which we learned later, was used for one of the various
trades of carpentry, blacksmithing, horseshoeing, etc.,
and for quartermasters' supplies. Seemingly not more
than three-fourths of a mile beyond the river, a steep but
smooth-surfaced bank rose rather abruptly several hun-
dred feet from the river valley to what appeared to be a
rough and rocky table-land. Toward our right and up
the least abrupt and lowest part of the table-land, were
clearly seen the lines of the Oregon trail leading on west-
ward from Laramie over the hills to the Platte River
Valley beyond. Somewhat to the left and towering far
beyond and above the crest of the high, barren, and tree-
less table-land, rose Laramie Peak.

All these were then of interest simply as being the frame-
work of the striking picture that lay in the foreground.
Extending out to the further margin of the valley beyond
the post, also to the right and the left of it on the plain
was a city of Indian lodges, each of which stood out a
white cone surmoimted by its fringe of projecting lodge
poles. The lodges appeared to be centered into groups
or villages. Parties of Indians, a few only mounted, could
be seen in many of the open places.

A flagstaff from which floated our national colors rose
from near a corner of the rectangle which indicated the
local seat of authority and the quarters for the regimental
band.

The river, which was between us and the Fort, was

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 177

swollen by a flood. It seemed important, however, that
we should visit the post and leam as much as possible
concerning the pending negotiations with the tribes.
Ben, Fred, Pete, and I, therefore, decided to swim the
river on horses. The current was exceedingly swift and
deep, but though it carried us down stream a long distance,
we reached the western bank without serious difficulty.
We then wondered how our train would cross. On reach-
ing the post we at once entered the quadrangle and for a
few moments watched the movements which were passing
before us in that place, which from the beginning of its
history had been the most important center for inter-
course between the Indians and whites that existed in
our country. It was first established in 1834 by Mr.
Robert Campbell, a successful fur trader and merchant,
whom I have often seen; and as stated by Larpenteur, the
river and the post were named in memory of Joaques La
Ramie, a French trapper said to have been killed on that
stream by the Arapahoes.

The post was purchased in 1849 by the U. S. Govern-
ment and materially remodeled then, as it has also been
since. There was no real fortification to be found at Fort
Laramie. A few soldiers were on parade and others were
visible around the barracks. We immediately went to
headquarters and held interviews with various officials.
We were informed that more than 7,000 Indians, consist-
ing of bands of Ogallala and Minnecongoux Sioux, also
Cheyennes and Arapahoes, and a few Mountain Crows
who were interested in the question at issue, had assembled
to participate in the proposed treaty. The officers in-
formed us that the main object to be sought by the Govern-
ment was the opening of the new route from Fort Laramie
to Montana via the head waters of Powder and Big Horn

178 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Rivers. The Indians objected to any travel through that
country, which was their most valuable hunting ground.

We also learned with pleasure that there was a bridge
further down the stream, of which we had not known.
We re-crossed the river by swimming our horses. Hitch-
ing our teams, we drove to the bridge and after paying
three dollars toll for each wagon, crossed upon it and
camped on the Platte River bottoms, near the junction
of the Laramie and North Platte. The day had been
intensely hot, the mercury at the post registering 98 de-
grees.

Although we had not learned how soon we should be
permitted to proceed on our journey, it seemed proper
that we should further investigate the progress of affairs
and ascertain what was the prospect for peace. We,
therefore, again entered the reservation and now inter-
viewed Mr. Seth Ward, who was said to be the best in-
formed man concerning those matters to be found at Lara-
mie. This idea seemed to be quite reasonable, because the
military was supposed to be in a sense partisan. We
modestly approached the pompous Mr. Ward, who we
were told was the sutler. He wore fine clothes, and a
soft, easy hat. A huge diamond glittered in his shirt
front. He moved quietly round as if he were master of
the situation, and with that peculiar air so often affected
by men who are financially prosperous and self-satisfied.
He seemed to be a good fellow and was in every respect
courteous. He assured us that the Indians would be
"handled all right" and that there need be no fear of
further trouble.

As a business proposition, it was manifestly to the
advantage of the sutler and agents that some treaty be
made, for the reason that every Indian treaty involves

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 179

the giving of many presents and other valuable considera-
tions. Whatever the Indians may finally receive become
articles of exchange in trade. In this the astute sutler
profits largely, as the Indian has little knowledge of the
intrinsic value of manufactured goods and the sutler en-
joyed exclusive rights of traflSc with them at the posts.
On the other hand, the soldiers and many others expressed
the opinion that no satisfactory agreement would be
reached. The demand of the Government as declared
to the writer by Colonel, now General H. B. Carrington,
was that it should have the right to establish one or more
military posts on that road in the country in question.
All the Indians occupying that territory were refusing to
accept the terms, saying that it was asking too much of
their people, in fact it was asking all they had, and it w^ould
drive away their game.

While these negotiations were going on with Red Cloud
and the leading chiefs, to induce them to yield to the
Government the right to establish the military posts,
Colonel Carrington arrived at Laramie with about 700
oflScers and men of the 18th IT. S. Infantry. Carrington
was then already en route to the Powder River country, to
build and occupy the proposed military posts along the
Montana road, pursuant to orders from headquarters of
the Department of the Missouri, Major General Pope
commanding.

The destination and purpose of Colonel Carrington were
communicated to the chiefs, who recognized this action on
the part of the Government as a determination on its part
to occupy the territory regardless of any agreement.
Red Cloud and his followers spurned the offers which
were made for their birthright and indignantly left the
reservation to defend their hunting grounds, and as we

180 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

then believed and learned later, went immediately on the
war path. As stated in the Government reports, they
"at once commenced a relentless war against all whites,
both citizens and soldiers." The great Chief, Red Cloud,
and his followers were now no longer a party to the negotia-
tions, but thousands of other warriors and chiefs were
induced to remain.

We later strolled out among the buffalo skin lodges and
among the many warriors who were grouped here and
there on the level land around the post. The faces of the
older Red Men, who still remained, clearly indicated
dissatisfaction and defiance.

"And they stood there on the meadow
With their weapons and their war gear
Painted like the leaves of autumn.
Painted like the sky of morning.
Wildly glaring at each other;
In their faces stern defiance.
In their hearts the feud of ages,
The hereditary hatred.
The ancestral thirst of vengeance."

It appeared finally that in the determination to make
some kind of treaty the commissioner brought into council
a large number of chiefs, but as the information came to us,
they were from bands that did not occupy any part of the
country along the route in question. Some of these had
resided near Fort Laramie; others, the Brule Sioux, occu-
pied the White Earth River valley; and still others were
from along the tributaries of the Kansas River. These
bands having no immediate interest in the hunting grounds
to the north, were induced to become parties to a treaty.
The proceedings so far as concerns the representatives of

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 181

the Government, seem to have been undignified and
unworthy of a great nation. The conclusion of a treaty
of peace with these bands, who could not represent the
Northern tribes, seemed a farce. The military arm of the
Government was in no sense a party to the agreement,
their function being solely to protect the whites to the
best of their ability. The force at the command of Colonel
Carrington was wholly inadequate for this duty. Lar-
penteur, who appears to have attended many Indian
treaties, cites the Laramie treaty of 1851 as one of many
in which speculation became the motive for its consumma-
tion. The ostensible purpose of that treaty was to accom-
plish a general peace between all the tribes on the Missouri
and Platte Rivers. For that purpose two or three chiefs
of each tribe were invited to that treaty. The agents
must have known well that the other bands could not be
held responsible according to Indian usage when not
represented. The fact is stated that the Indians on their
return fought with each other before they reached their
home, and these dissensions were promptly followed by
renewed warfare against the whites.

The treaty of 1866, at which we were present, such as
it was, having been concluded by the chiefs of the
thousand Indians who remained, the coveted presents
were distributed. In a few hours more the friendly camps
were ablaze with mounted Indians decked in yellow, red,
and other brilKantly colored cheap fabrics flying in the
winds. To their simple tastes these tawdry stuffs were
more attractive than diamonds. Gilded jewelry was
received by them in exchange for articles of real value.
We were informed that they received firearms and ammuni-
tion, which they greatly prize, but this statement is not
made from my personal knowledge.

182 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

On one afternoon we were present at what we understood
was the council or peace gathering of the bands that had
become parties to the treaty. It was apparently neces-
sary that these bands should act somewhat in harmony,
and an Indian ratification meeting was quite appropriate.
The chiefs and head men, sixty or seventy in number,
were seated upon buffalo skins spread upon the ground in
a great circle, and behind them in groups stood leading
warriors. Among these we were informed were Swift
Bear, Spotted Tail, Big Mouth, Standing Elk, and Two
Strikes. At the head of the line was a chief apparently
much advanced in years, wearing a medal suspended by a
leather cord around his neck; his name I am unable to
give. The exposed side of the medal bore the insignia of
two pipes crossed. During the solemn ceremony about
to be performed it hardly seemed proper to scrutinize too
closely these emblems of authority, but one of the boys
stated he could read the words "James Madison" upon
the medal. It was evidently a medal presented at some
former treaty and upon it was inscribed the name of the
"great father" at Washington.

Treaties were made, according to Government reports,
during the administration of Madison in 1816 with the
Sioux of the Leaf, the Sioux of the Pine Tops, the Sioux
of the River, and other tribes, and this aged chief was
doubtless a party to one of these convocations.

While all was silent at the Laramie ceremony that we
witnessed, there was handed to this old chief, by a pipe-
bearer, with some flourishes which we did not understand,
the calumet, a beautiful redstone pipe having a long stem.
It was already lighted. Slowly passing the peace pipe to
his lips in a serious, dignified manner and with no expres-
sion upon his face that could be interpreted, the old chief

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 18S

took from it two or three long drafts with marked inter-
vals between them, and hardly turning his head passed
it to the chief who sat at his right, who repeated the cere-
mony. It was in this manner conveyed from one to
another until the circle was completed. The participa-
tion in this ceremony doubtless was understood as a pledge
of amity between those engaged in it, and as a confirmation
of a mutual agreement concerning the matters before
them.

It is a fact quite generally recognized by observers of
the Indians that there is no custom more universal or
more highly valued by the Indian than that of smoking.
The pipe is his companion in council ; through it he pledges
his friends; and with his tomahawk it has its place by him
in his grave as his companion in the happy hunting grounds
beyond. It is, therefore, not strange that the pipe should
be a type of their best handiwork. As stated by Catlin,
the red pipe-stone from which all existing specimens of
Indian pipes appear to have been made, was obtained
from the Pipestone quarry in Minnesota on the dividing
ridge between the St. Peters and Missouri Rivers. It was
named Catlinite on account of its discovery by George
Catlin, the eminent writer and artist, who made it the
object of protracted research. Until recent years the
quarries have been held as sacred and as neutral ground
by the various tribes. It was there, according to Indian
tradition, fully described in early records, that the Great
Spirit called the Indian nations together and standing upon
a precipice of the red pipe rock broke from its wall a piece
from which he made a huge pipe. The spirit told them
that they must use this rock for their pipes of peace, that
it belonged to them all and that the war club must never
be lifted on its ground. At the last whiff of his pipe the

184 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

head of the spirit went into a great cloud, and the whole
surface of the rock in a radius of several miles was melted
and glazed. The legend, with others which, according
to early records, have been treasured by the Indians, was
taken by Longfellow to form the first picture in his Hia-
watha.

Silliman's Journal of Science (Vol. XXXVII, page 394,)
gives an analysis of Red Pipestone. It is pronounced to
be a mineral compound (and not steatite), is harder than
gypsum, and softer than carbonate of lime. Specimens
bear as high a luster and polish as melted glass.

It may be of interest to the reader to know more of the
ends sought by these treaties, also more concerning the
contracting parties. In separate treaties, all of the same
tenor and made in October, 1865, with various tribes of
Sioux, those Indians promised to be very good and to
maintain peaceful relations with the whites. In considera-
tion therefor the U. S. Government promised to pay to
each family or lodge the sum of $25.00, payable annually
for a stated period, also to distribute to the widow and
the seventeen children of Ish-tah-cha-ne-aha the sum of
five hundred dollars, said friendly chief having been slain
by U. S. soldiers.

To one of these instruments were affixed the signatures
of the following eminent warriors, whose names are given
in the form in which they appeared on one of the docu-
ments,— the translation also being written as shown.

Cha-tan-ska. The White Chief, His Mark

E-to-kee-ah The Hump, His Mark

Shon-ta-kee-desh-kar, The Spotted Bear Chief, His Mark

Mah-to-to-pah, The Four Bears, His Mark

Chan-tay-o-me-ne-o-me-me, The Whirling Heart, His Mark

Mah-to.a-chadiah, The Bear that is Like Him, His Mark

Taa-hoo-ka-zah-nom-put, The Two Lances, His Mark

THE PEACE PIPE AT LARAMIE 185

There were also attached fourteen other names with the
signatures of the Commissioners of the United States.

In April and May, 1868, treaties were finally concluded
at Fort Laramie with the Brule, Ogallala, and other Sioux,
also the Arapahoes and Crows, and were signed by scores
of their chiefs and head men; General W. T. Sherman, also
Generals Harvey, Terry, and Auger acting on behalf of the
U. S. Government.

CHAPTER XV
Red Cloud on the War Path

THE statement that a satisfactory treaty had
been concluded with the Indians was communi-
cated to the various parties of travelers who were
camped near the post. There being a sufficient
number of armed men and wagons to cdnform to the rules
of the War Department, ready to proceed westward, we
were ordered to move on.

But where was the great chief. Red Cloud, and his
savage warriors who, enraged because of the precipitate
advance of the U. S. troops into the very territory that
was under consideration at the council, had struck out
westward with the avowed purpose of defending it against
all comers.'^ What were the experiences of the hundreds
of men, women, and soldiers who in that fateful season
were traversing those Wyoming trails .f*

A recital of incidents that occurred during the treaty,
if not followed by some reference to succeeding events
would, figuratively speaking, leave the reader high in the
air. On examining the letters and messages of the Presi-
dents, I find revealed therein the astonishing fact that
even our chief executive was long in ignorance of the true
situation of Indian affairs in Wyoming. It would, there-
fore, not be strange if readers generally were also unin-

186

RED CLOUD ON THE WAR PATH 187

formed upon the subject. In his Annual Message, dated
December 3, 1866, President Johnson, referring to this
Laramie treaty, informs Congress that a treaty had been
concluded with the Indians, "who," (as the message
states) "enticed into armed opposition to our Government
at the outbreak of the Rebellion, have unconditionally
submitted to our authority, and manifested an earnest
desire for a renewal of friendly relations.'* For the whole
period of nearly five months prior to the date of the mes-
sage above cited the Indian war was going on; and within
three days of the date of the message there occurred in
Wyoming, under Red Cloud, one of the most appalling
Indian massacres that has darkened the history of our
country.

In his message of the following year, the President was
suflSciently advised to report "barbarous violence which,
instigated by real or imaginary grievance, the Indians have
committed upon emigrants and frontier settlements,"
but he makes no allusion to an entire detachment of our
brave soldiers, every one of whom was slaughtered in one
day. He urges that "the moral and intellectual im-
provement of the Indians can be most effectually secured
by concentrating them upon portions of the country set
apart for their exclusive use, and located at points remote
from our highways and encroaching white settlements. "

Could any proposition be made better calculated to
fire the blood of a savage Chief, whose people had been
driven year by year until they had reached the last fast-
ness? How large would be the "point" recommended in
the message, upon which these migratory tribes should be
settled.'^ Where was there remaining an unoccupied por-
tion of our country that might not become a highway as
quickly as has the remote territory then in controversy?

188 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Experience had taught the Red Men that none of their
grounds, wherever they might be, were secure to them.
Many of the Sioux, who had been slowly driven back upon
other tribes with whom they had often been at war, appear
to have shared a joint possession of the Powder River
country, where game was abundant. The "moral and
intellectual advancement" recommended in the President's
message probably did not concern them so much as did
the question of food in the long winters.

While it is recognized that barbarism must give way to
the march of civihzation, it is humiliating to review the
heartless disregard of the principles of equity and square
dealing, of which some of the representatives of our nation
have been guilty in oiu: relations with these great tribes.
The general situation as it existed during the few weeks
following this treaty is tersely described in the report of a
special commission chosen by the United States Senate to
investigate the Fetterman massacre already referred to.
The commission convened at Fort McPherson in April,
1867, and after thirty days* investigation made its report,
which concluded with the following summary:

"We, therefore, report that all the Sioux Indians occu-
pying the country about Fort Phil Kearney have been in
a state of war against the whites since the 20th day of
June, 1866, and that they have waged and carried on this
war for the purpose of defending their ancient possessions
from invasion and occupation by the whites.

"The war has been carried on by the Indians with most
extraordinary vigor and unwonted success.

"During the time from July 26th, the day on which
Lieutenant Wand's train was attacked, to the 21st of
December, on which Lieutenant Colonel Fetterman with
his command of eighty officers and men were overpowered

RED CLOUD ON THE WAR PATH 189

and massacred, they (the Indians) killed ninety-one en-
listed men and five officers of our army, and killed fifty-
eight citizens, and wounded twenty more, and captured
and drove away three hundred and six oxen and cows,
hree hundred and four mules, and one hundred and sixty-
one horses. During this time they appeared in front of
Fort Phil Kearney making hostile demonstrations and
committing hostile acts fifty-one different times, and
attacked nearly every train and person that attempted to
pass over the Montana road." The figures in the fore-
going report do not include the great loss of human life
and of live stock and other property that occurred in con-
nection with the massacre in December.

It was early in this period that the scoundrels at Fort
Laramie, who should have known better, assured us and
other travelers less fortunate than we were, that it would
be quite safe for emigrants to proceed. It may be asked
what motive could inspire these roseate but unreliable
reports. The answer is simple when one becomes some-
what familiar with the type of many of the men who on
the part of the Government conducted these highly im-
portant negotiations; and when one realizes the additional
fact that the opportunity for personal profit overshadowed
everything, while the dignity of the Government and the
principles of equity were disregarded.

In the second volume of his Forty Years a Fur Trader^
Larpenteur devotes an entire chapter to a sketch of the
many Indian agents with whom he was familiar who
served the Government as "the fathers of the Indians"
during those many years. The majority of those whose
names he gives are stated by him to be "drunken gamb-
lers." "Some were interested in the fur trade" and
therefore were using the great authority of the United

190 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

States Government to further their personal ends. "Some
were ignorant beaver trappers," but not one of them,
according to Larpenteur's reports, seems to have possessed
those quahfications which would make for "the moral and
intellectual advancement" of the wards of the nation so
prominently urged in the President's message. In fact,
the Indian agent should be a man of probity instead of a
man whom the Indians openly declared to be a liar, and
certainly he should not influence an agreement for the
profit of the post sutler, who has the exclusive trading
privilege at the post.

We were in the atmosphere of events and at every
available opportunity conferred with officers, soldiers, and
non-combatants, gleaning all possible information concern-
ing passing incidents, and followed those observations with
later investigations, so that we could not but believe that
we became fairly well informed concerning the Indian his-
tory of the few weeks following Red Cloud's withdrawal
from Laramie. For much valuable information I am un-
der obligations to General Carrington, who was then in
command in Wyoming, and who has given me data not
easily obtained from any other original and trustworthy
source. A record of the many thrilling events that rapid-
ly followed each other would fill a volume and is for the
historian to compile. Coutant has well described them,
but the final dramatic conflict that crushed the Indian
uprising and opened the path for emigration demands
a passing glance.

As we were leaving Laramie, Lieutenant Daniels was
riding a short distance in advance of a small body of sol-
diers who were escorting the wife of Lieutenant Wand from
Fort Laramie westward, when a band of the Sioux, in full
view of the soldier escort, made a raid upon the Lieuten-

RED CLOUD ON THE WAR PATH 191

ant, capturing and horribly torturing him until he died.
Then, putting on the clothing of the dead man, the savages
danced and yelled while out of range on the prairie, for the
evident purpose of being seen by the members of the
escorting party : and thus the war began.

After other similar attacks there followed the massacre
of Colonel Fetterman and his men, in which not a white
soldier was left to tell the tale; it is known as the "tragedy
of Fort Phil Kearney," the full oflficial report of which is
written in Absaraka.

And now Red Cloud had certainly become a great chief.
He had gathered in additional bands, and it is claimed that
one-half of the 3000 warriors under his command were soon
armed with rifles, many of them being Spencer carbines
that would carry seven cartridges. A few of them were
the new Henry rifles, some of which had been captured in
the recent massacre; but many of their rifles of the pattern
used by our soldiers in the war just ended and up to that
time by most of the soldiers of the frontier, were said to
have been obtained from sutlers and traders. In the mean-
time the thrilling tidings of the Fetterman massacre, and of
other serious reverses reached Washington. New, im-
proved, breech-loading rifles, and ammunition, were for-
warded and received none too soon.

Captain James Powell, with a company of infantry, was
finally detailed to guard the contractors in the transporta-
tion of wood to Fort Phil Kearney. Powell had been brev-
etted for gallantry in the Civil War and had been engaged
in a number of recent encounters with Indians. The same
day on which an attack was made on Fort C. F. Smith, an
attempt was made by the Indians under Red Cloud to wipe
out the detail that was guarding the wood train. This
detail consisted of twelve men who were to guard the

192 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

camp where the timber was being cut, and thirteen men
who were to accompany the men to and from the fort.
The wagons on which the timber was being transported
consisted simply of the running gear of the wagons, the big
boxes of the Government pattern having been removed;
and to make them a means of defense they had been ar-
ranged as a corral, with entrances at both ends of a diam-
eter of the circle. In front of each opening a complete
wagon was placed. These Government wagon boxes were
deep, and within them on the exposed side were piled their
supplies, consisting of sacks of grain and anything else that
would help to stop a bullet. This corral was the base of
defense when they were away from the Fort.

The camp was at once burned by the Indians, and the
wood train was attacked. The savages then immediately
turned upon the little band now concentrated in the corral.
The report shows that there were there 32 men, including
four civilians, to defend themselves and the wagon boxes;
and surrounding them were 3,000 warriors.

While the Indians had taken time to destroy the camp
and run off the stock, Powell had distributed his few men
among the wagons. Openings had already been cut in the
boxes for their rifles, and fortunately they had guns in
abundance. Some of the men who were not good shots
loaded the rifles for those who were more expert. It is in-
teresting at this point to see brought into action one of the
type of men such as we occasionally met in the West. He
wfis an old mountaineer who had fortunately joined the
defending party. He had been in many Indian fights,
and was known to be a crack shot and dead sure of his
mark. Eight rifles were placed at his side, and a less
skilled man was assigned to keep them loaded. These has-
tily executed arrangements were perfected before the mul-

RED CLOUD ON THE WAR PATH 193

titude of Indians had completed their work of destruction
at the camp, and had secured the stock. The wagon box
corral was apparently a simple proposition for the Indians,
and its capture was evidently to be made the event of the
day, to conclude with the usual massacre. This contem-
plated exploit appeared to be so simple that they brought
with them their women and children to witness from
a favorable view-point the extermination of the little band,
and to assist in carrying away the booty.

Powell had given his final instructions to the men in the
wagon boxes when a detachment of mounted warriors,
armed with rifles and carbines, made the first charge. As
prearranged, not a shot was fired from the corral until the
savages were about fifty yards distant. At that point
Powell spoke the word " Fire " and in an instant there came
a volley from the enclosure which was continued with re-
peating rifles without cessation, and in a manner which
evidently astonished the savages. Although the Indians
poured into the wagons a shower of bullets, their rush was
checked. With savage determination they circled the en-
closure to seek some unguarded spot for attack, but finally
withdrew. It was then found that one lieutenant and a
private soldier had been killed, and two men were seriously
wounded, but hundreds of dead Indians and horses sur-
rounded the corral. The Indian tactics were then changed.

Red Cloud in his next attack sent about 700 warriors
armed with rifles, backed up by others with bows and ar-
rows. This great skirmishing party, unmounted, were
stripped of every article of clothing; upon their hands and
knees they approached the corral from every direction.
This detachment was supported by 2,000 warriors. The
description of this charge, as given to Greneral Carrington,
indicates that it was made with intense desperation.

104 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Again, as before, the corral was silent until the appointed
moment, when a sheet of flame opened from the little band
of defenders and the well-directed fire did not cease until
the baffled savages withdrew, leaving hundreds of dead
upon the field. Most of the fighting was at close range.
During these attacks the old frontiersman sat apparently
unconcerned, discharging one after another the loaded re-
peating rifles which were always ready, and with unerring
aim; each bullet meant one more dead or wounded Indian.
The savages did not realize that one old man was pumping
lead with such rapidity and unfailing accuracy, but they
did discover that something had "broke loose.*'

I have heard the story of an interesting conversation be-
tween this old frontiersman and the Department com-
mander. It is now told by Cyrus Townsend Brady, as fol-
lows:

"*How many Indians were in the attack?' asked the
General of the old man. 'Wall, Gen 'rill, I can't say for
sartin, but I think thar war nigh 3000 or more.' *How
many were killed and wounded.'^' 'Wall, Gen'rill, I can't
say for sartin, but I think thar war nigh onto a thousand of
'em hit.' 'How many did you kill.?' 'Wall, Gen'rill,
I can't say, but gi'e me a dead rest and I kin hit a dollar at
50 yards every time, and I fired with a dead rest at more'n
fifty of those varmints inside of 50 yards. ' 'For Heaven's
sake, how many times did you fire.?^' exclaimed the as-
tonished General. 'Wall, Gen'rill, I can't say exactly,
but I kept eight guns pretty well het up for more'n three
hours.' "

The oflScial report gave the loss in killed and wounded
by the Indians as 1137, or 36 Indians to each defender. In
July, 1908, the old chief. Red Cloud, at the age of ninety
years, met with General Carrington, and a few other sur-

RED CLOUD ON THE WAR PATH 195

vivors of the Wyoming command of 1866, upon those
bloody Wyoming battlefields to review the scene of those
conflicts.

As stated in the St. Louis Globe Democrat, and also by
Greneral Camngton, who again met Red Cloud on the bat-
tlefield in 1909, the old chief then admitted a loss of 1500
braves — and that was the result of the wagon box fight,
possibly the most thrilling and disastrous Indian defeat of
which we have any record. All this closely followed the
Laramie treaty of July, 1866, to which reference has been
made so repeatedly.

Thus the war ended. The pathway was opened for emi-
gration to what was then more attractive territory further
west, and there was removed one obstacle to the final de-
velopment of Wyoming, which was still a part of the Great
American Desert. These events are mentioned also to
show the general condition of affairs in Wyoming while we
and hundreds of other travelers were following its trails.

CHAPTER XVI

The Mormon Trail

IF while we were at our camp near Laramie on the
bank of the North Platte we could have turned the
wheels of time backward just nineteen years, we
might have seen the first pioneer Mormon train in a
long, straggling line slowly trekking across the trackless
sands down the western slope that leads to the shore of that
turbulent river, for this was the point where that band fer-
ried the stream in a flat boat.

According to the description of the expedition given in
the diary of William Clayton, who was one of the party,
and in our personal interviews with other participants, it
was a promiscuous line of vehicles, seventy-two in all.
Some of them were drawn each by two oxen, others by
horses, and still others by mules. One hundred and forty-
three men arid boys and three women composed the party,
the greater number being on foot. A few cows were driven
in the rear. For seven weeks they had been pushing their
way across the trackless plain, marking out the first white
man's path that had been traced north of the Platte.

Their wagon tracks were followed year after year, chiefly
by teams of Mormon emigrants, and came to be known as
the Mormon trail. Some of these trains consisted in part
of hand carts drawn by men and women struggling to

196

THE MORMON TRAIL IftI

reach the desert valley in the mountains. Nearly every
curve in the course of this trail until near the junction of
the North and South Platte Rivers was followed later by
the Union Pacific Railway as originally laid, its ties along
much of its course being placed in the tracks of the first
Mormon wagons. The railroad in recent years has been
appreciably straightened. The Mormon trail entered the
Oregon trail at the point where our boys were camped.
This Mormon pilgrimage, as described in Mormon annals
that were kindly furnished me by Mr. Jensen (at one time
their church historian) reads like the exodus of the Children
of Israel through the deserts of Arabia; and Brigham
Young was the Moses. On reaching the river at the point
where we were camped, they were famishing with hunger.
With the aid of a boat made of ox hides, they ferried some
Oregon emigrants over the upper Platte in exchange for
flour, which in their Thanksgiving service they described
as manna sent from heaven. Fiery serpents were stated
to have been encountered at various times, but later pil-
grims have encountered nothing worse than rattlesnakes.
They were surprised to find bitter waters along this un-
known pathway, and their stock was suffering from thirst,
but those who followed them found only alkali ponds,
which indeed sometimes proved fatal to horses. They met
hostile Indians, who were quite as much to be feared as
were the giant sons of Anak, or the large-limbed Og of
Bashan.

This movement of the Mormons marks an important
epoch in the physical development of the vast deserts of
the West. They were the first emigrants to plant a suc-
cessful colony between the Missouri and the Pacific Coast.
If there ever was an apparently hopeless desert, on which
agriculture would seem to be utterly impracticable, it was

198 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

that which lies around and west of the Great Salt Lake.
The climate was arid, and the dry soil was loaded with
alkaline salts, supposedly destructive to most vegetable
life. Risking the hazards of famine in a venture hitherto
untried, they solved the problem of arousing the latent
energies of an acrid, sterile soil in an arid climate, and
made the desert bloom.

True, the Babylonians and the Egyptians had practiced
irrigation of rich, alluvial soils, but except as may be
indicated by some ancient but now dry ditches toward our
Mexican border, these Mormon colonists appear to be the
first people to introduce a successful system of irrigation
in this country; and this was the beginning of a new era for
the Central West.

In the endeavor to describe what the early nation build-
ers really did, rather than to attempt to show what they
were, we note the fact that in these annals of this first
Mormon expedition are recorded from time to time the
latitude and longitude, also the elevation above sea level of
various points of their journey, the approximate accuracy
of which is confirmed by later official surveys. In review-
ing another diary of that first journey I find mention on
each Sabbath (with two exceptions) of a rest on the jour-
ney, with regular religious services; and for those two days
the record is indefinite.

A road-meter was constructed in the early part of the
journey, which recorded the distances traveled. The
greater number of these emigrants were Yankees and
would be sure to devise everything needed that was within
the range of human ingenuity and of their limited resources.
In spite, therefore, of their poverty, they were prepared to
adopt the most advanced methods of agriculture known
in any country at that day.

THE MORMON TRAIL 199

It was an agreeable change to leave the level lands of
the Platte region and enter the rough and broken coimtry
that characterizes the approach to the mountains. On
our left rose the Laramie range, its highest peak being a
prominent object of interest to us during many days.
Although we were gradually ascending toward the great
Continental divide, there were, nevertheless, many steep
descents to make, as our road traversed the great folds on
the earth's surface. One morning, after toiling for miles
up a long ascent we unexpectedly found ourselves on
the brink of an exceedingly steep declivity where our
trail suddenly dropped down nearly a thousand feet, by
a frightful grade. We carefully considered the problem
before us, for it was evident that even with the brakes set
it would be impossible for the horses to hold the load be-
hind them for so great a distance without finally losing
control ; and there was no resting place at any point down
the long incline. The danger of a toboggan ride behind
runaway horses was to be avoided. Our lightest wagon
with a driver was prepared to start on the first trial. The
wheels were locked, the felloes were wound with chains,
and a drag rope was put out behind. Thus the wagon
slowly ground its way downward until it disappeared
beyond a curve far below in the valley. One wagon was
run backward down a steep pitch, long ropes being used
behind it, and was anchored from time to time to avail-
able objects.

Throughout this country there were evidences of great
upheavals and faults in the rocks, the surface, as we
crossed it, suddenly changing from clay to sandstone on
edge within a rod of travel. Steep hills of sand alternated
with others of clay or rock. For a distance of several
miles a sheer precipice 80 to 100 feet in height rose from a

200 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

valley on our left to a broad table-land which extended to
the southward. At the foot of those cliffs I saw great
numbers of buffalo skeletons. A freighter informed us
that in the year 1850, he saw a band of Indians stampede
a great herd of buffalo upon those uplands. Forming a
line in the rear of the animals, the Indians rushed upon
them with yells and rattles and inciting a panic drove the
beasts over the rocky precipice where uncounted numbers
were maimed or killed by their own great weight, and the
impact of others which fell upon them from the heights
above. I have watched the stampeding of many buffalo
herds and have observed that almost invariably they run
in compact masses, like a flock of sheep. Their heads
being held very low, those not in front are unable to see
anything beyond the hairy flanks of the animals immedi-
ately before them between which their noses are closely
crowded. Their leaders in a stampede soon become
leaders only in name, for they are pressed forward by the
powerful monsters behind them, which, in a solid mass
push everything forward, regardless of any pitfalls that
may be in the way. A herd thus driven in a mass over
such a cliff as we have described must have been like
a vast Niagara of living, roaring, and bellowing monsters.
At the foot of the precipice, when the work was done,
there would lie piled high one above another in a deep
windrow the quivering bodies of hundreds of buffalo.
This explained the piles of buffalo skeletons at the foot of
the cliffs. This method of capturing the buffalo was
employed, because the Indians were able to sell the skins
to the fur traders; and from the best information available
it would appear that no more than four pounds of cheap
brown sugar or its equivalent in some other commodity
was regarded as a fair price for the trader to pay for a
good, Indian-tanned robe.

THE MORMON TRAIL 201

The buffalo skeletons that had been left upon many
parts of these vast hunting grounds remained until rail-
roads penetrated the wilderness, when they were gathered
and shipped by train loads, chiefly to St. Louis, to be used
in the arts or to be converted into fertilizers.

Statistics are given in another chapter which show
approximately the number of millions of skeletons thus
assembled and shipped. It is a sad commentary on
American improvidence to note the passing in one genera-
tion of these valuable animals which, with their natural
increase, had they been protected with reasonable care,
were sufficiently numerous to have furnished our entire
nation with meat for many generations to come. The
white man, who is chiefly responsible for this wanton
slaughter, is still relentlessly pursuing the few remaining
elk, deer, and other harmless wild game.

On the day after leaving Laramie, one of my weeks of
service as chef and general purveyor for the party ter-
minated. The interesting affairs of the treaty had caused
me in some degree to slight my responsibilities. The day
now in question was the day for beans, and they were
really served quite raw. Although our teeth were sound,
it was found difficult to crack the hard kernels. There
were other members of our party who, during their ser-
vice as cooks, had been the objects of occasional criticism,
chiefly because of the hard, tough bread they had furnished.
It was now alleged by Pete that appetites had been in
waiting for beans, and when they were served, some words
were uttered that bordered on profanity; in general terms
the cuisine of this particular occasion was characterized as
damnable. The bacon was said to be "all right," but
the bread was as heavy as a cake of putty, and if the stuff
was allowed to get between the teeth, a sharp instrument

202 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

would be required to remove it. It was declared that the
beans, to which they had been looking forward with great
expectation, were like gravel, and if introduced into the
stomach might require a surgical operation to remove
them. "That's all right, Pete," I replied, "this is the
wild and free life on the plains. We were told all about
this business before we started. Even the Children of
Israel, the chosen people, lived for a long time in the
wilderness on bread that had never been cooked. Of
course they grumbled just as everybody grumbles who
want the same old stuff they had when they were babies
in Egypt. " Pete assured me with great earnestness that
he was not an Israelite, that in his opinion my talk was all
ridiculous nonsense; and dramatically pointing to the old
black kettle that rested over the smouldering fire he said
with a marked emphasis on each word, "/ speak now of
those hearts, "

After this definite particularization of the point at
issue, there was a pause. The coffee had been disposed
of and two or three of the boys wandered off to look after
their horses. Pete, who was bent upon the inauguration of
a reform, indicated his desire to make a few post-prandial
remarks, whereupon those who remained gathered round
the dying embers of the sage brush fire. The dirty, half
empty tin plates still remained upon the ground, and
while the party were seated, Pete rose to his feet as if with
the determination to deliver his words with vigor and
effect. Then with compressed lips and a look of earnest-
ness upon his face, he pointed again to the old kettle in
which some beans still simmered, and proceeded with his
diatribe.

"Boys, I want to say a word about beans, yes, about
those beans right there in that kettle. Beans are getting

THE MORMON TRAIL 203

damn scarce, and the first thing we know, our beans will
all be gone and we ain*t had any, and can't get any.
Now, I like beans and am hungry, but I don't like 'em
raw and," with a vigorous expletive, *'I won't stand it."

Now Pete's life had been spent largely in a country hotel.
When I mildly replied that our cooking in general compared
very favorably with that of some articles which I had seen
served on the table of that hotel, Pete's indignation was
still more aroused. I had been sitting as quietly as possi-
ble upon a box, but it suddenly became evident that my
comfort and possibly my safety depended upon a change
of base, for Pete was a powerful fellow and several years
my senior. Moreover, I regarded my head as of far
greater importance than my reputation as a sage brush
cook, nor did I relish the thought of being buried in Wyom-
ing simply to afford momentary gratification to a traveling
companion, who had found no pleasure in half-cooked
beans. And now came Dan Trippe in the role of media-
tor.

"Pete, you're densely ignorant," said Dan, as he also
rose to his feet and faced Pete. "Don't you know that
water boils at 212 degrees at sea level? In this high alti-
tude it hardly gets hot when it boils. Any intelligent man
knows that it can be made no hotter in the open air than
boiling point. It requires hot water to boil beans. The
head cook of the Astor house couldn't boil beans satisfac-
torily up here. I couldn't do it myself. "

Pete was visibly impressed with this profound philo-
sophical statement, and with the wonders of the West, and
after Dan had fully elaborated his theory, seemed to be
convinced that the reasoning was possibly correct. After
a minute of cogitation apparently in the endeavor to com-
prehend the argument, Pete slowly replied, " It's all right,

204 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

boys, but no more high-altitude-cooked beans for me."
Taking his tin plate with what remained upon it, without
comment, he conveyed it to one of his horses, and the
incident was closed. The boys, each of whom had at
times failed to secure satisfactory results in cooking, were
really amused by the discussion, for they realized that
even experts under the most favorable conditions some-
times fail to please fastidious appetites. Conditions
arising in one's experience in a rough vagrant life, are cal-
culated to bring to the surface previously unknown
qualities in human nature. Pete would at any time
divide his last good biscuit with another, or stand ready to
defend a companion to the end, but he was now desperately
hungry. Happily our party was, in general, harmonious.

Throughout this country the same names are often
applied to various distinct objects. On one evening we
camped at one of the so-called Horse Shoe Creeks, a
bright and sparkling stream. In that vicinity wild game
was abundant. A few soldiers, who occupied a cabin
nearby, had on that day dragged to their camp the huge
body of a fine grizzly bear, which they had killed. After
its skin was removed I assisted in dissecting some portions
of the animal and in that operation became especially
interested in the wonderful muscles of one of its arms.
These were an indication of the herculean strength which
these formidable beasts possess. The arm itself was much
larger than would be beheved from a judgment formed on
seeing the animal in all its perfect proportions. Its muscles
were not only remarkably large, but they were so tense
and firm that with a keen knife it was diflScult to sever
them.

The soldiers stated that recently a grizzly had been
brought to bay some distance south of their cabin, and

THE MORMON TRAIL 205

after receiving several bullets from large calibre rifles it
fell upon its side and lay motionless. The opinion was
that at least one bullet had reached a vital spot. Know-
ing, however, that the grizzly bear has wonderful vitality,
unequalled perhaps by any other wild beast, one of the
party as a precaution hastened to their cabin and imleashed
three powerful dogs, which returned with the soldier.
The dogs were soon barking, howling and dashing round
the recumbent monster in the most excited manner, keep-
ing somewhat at a distance, but not a movement nor sign
of life was discovered in the wounded animal. Becoming
bolder and perhaps encouraged by the men and by each
other, the dogs approached closer toward the head of the
grizzly, while they continued to bark and snap their teeth,
keeping their eyes at all times upon the enemy. They
were almost near enough to take the coveted nip with
their teeth, when suddenly and unexpectedly even to the
men, the grizzly made two or three quick motions with one
paw which to all appearances were as soft and gentle as
would be made by a kitten. Each of the dogs was thrown
several feet and killed instantly by a little tap with that
paw. The grizzly had not lifted his head from the ground,
but there remained in him enough life, with his tremendous
strength and celerity of motion, still to do a vast amount
of damage if given an opportunity. Bear hunters have
learned that it is not safe to trifle with a grizzly until sure
that its last breath of life is gone.

It was after leaving Horseshoe that I ran across an
acquaintance, who with two companions had been hunting
in Colorado. All were witnesses and vouched for the
truth of the story then told me. My friend had the reputa-
tion of having brought down nearly every kind of game
in the West, but had long grieved because he had been

^m THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

unable to comer a grizzly. Finally one autumn day while
the three were hunting in a narrow, wooded gorge, they
observed their dogs to be in a state of great trepidation,
which led them to discover two magnificent specimens of
Urstis Horribilis, but a few rods away, a sight which they
had previously supposed would cause their hearts to leap
with joy. The great beasts on being discovered rose
simultaneously upon their hind feet and stood side by side
facing the hunters. Their mouths, as if inclined to smile,
were slightly open, displaying sets of superb white teeth.
The expression on their countenances was one combining
dignity and perfect self-confidence. The hunters declared
to me that although eight feet might be a fair estimate,
the animals appeared to them to be forty feet in height.
And there they were — two magnificent specimens of an
animal which for strength, ferocity, and endurance com-
bined, probably has no equal. The dogs were quite in the
background but it was certain that something was likely
to happen in the near future if an attack should be made.
The hunter frankly confessed that he said to his compan-
ions, "I've been hunting for a grizzly for months. I've
found two and only wanted one. Let's go home. " The
dogs were well out of the valley before the hunters lost
sight of the bears.

On leaving Fort Laramie our train as usual became
separated from the others, but we soon found ourselves
in company with some emigrants coming from the middle
states. Among them were several comparatively yoimg,
married people, also three or four young women. Some of
these emigrants were destined to Montana, to cast their
fortunes in that new country, which none of them had
ever seen. They appeared to be a vigorous, intelligent,
and in some instances cultured company of men and

THE MORMON TRAIL 207

women, worthy and well-fitted to establish a new settle-
ment. They were taking with them cows, chickens, and
a more complete supply of household comforts than we
saw at any other time on our travels. We understood
that their purpose was to adopt the Mormon method of
farming by irrigation. One of the young women was
intending to establish a school for the little colony.

One evening after a pleasant interview with some mem-
bers of the company, one of the young men brought us
a pail of milk as a token of good will. A bouquet of roses
is without doubt an acceptable gift to one who is surfeited
with all that appeals to the appetite, but after having
survived two months upon fried bacon and tough bread,
one's stomach becomes wonderfully responsive to some
of the staple, commonplace luxuries to which it was
once accustomed. This incident led us to "warm up"
very closely to the party with the cows.

On the following day our two parties came up with a
large mule outfit known as Kuykendall's train. Its cap-
tain, who was familiar with the coimtry, informed us that
if we desired to go by the South Pass we were on the wrong
trail, that the one which we were now taking was known
as the " cut off " and soon trended to the North. We must
return to Horseshoe Creek. It was then discovered that
the emigrants represented two parties, one of which also
decided to go by the South Pass. The entire train was
halted for re-organization, after which those who were to
retrace their course turned their teams toward the east
and ranged them along side by side with the main body.

Travelers often remember with great pleasure the pass-
ing acquaintance of those who have been agreeable com-
panions for a brief time in foreign travel on the luxurious
steamers upon the ocean, or on the Nile; and possibly even

206 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

more interesting might such acquaintance become in lands
outside the beaten paths pursued by one's own country-
men. This, however, can hardly compare with the pro-
found interest and concern that one feels toward the com-
panions of a wandering life in the wilderness, where travel-
ers are held together for mutual support and protection.
Thus it was on our separation from this party of emigrants
and the train of freighters, whose trying ordeal was soon to
come. Some of the members promised to communicate
with us at Salt Lake City and inform us concerning their
trip. With expressions of mutual good will and hopes
for each other's safety, we parted and moved on in opposite
directions, while slowly the unpitying distance widened
between us.

"One ship drives East, another drives West,
While the self -same breezes blow;
'Tis the set of the sails, and not the gales
That bids them where to go. "

It may be stated here that the emigrant party did com-
municate with us. It was not many weeks after our
arrival in Salt Lake, that two of the young men came to
that city and informed us that after we turned back they
had moved on in advance of the big mule train and near
the close of the day after we separated and while their
wagons were coralled in camp, they were surrounded by
savages. Being well armed, they resisted a prolonged
attack. Every animal they had was captured and run
off by the Indians. The party was relieved by a detach-
ment of mounted soldiers who, through some agency to
them unknown, had learned that they were in trouble.
The women passed through the ordeal bravely, fighting
side by side with their husbands and brothers, well know-

THE MORMON TRAIL 209

ing what capture would mean to them. After but little
loss of life they were enabled to move their wagons by
consolidation with the other outfit, which had a similar
experience. This attack took place on the 15th of July
after assurances from the post sutler and others at Fort
Laramie that the Indians were satisfied and no trouble
need be expected. Red Cloud and his band, scattered
through that country, were on the warpath.

Our party, in company with the emigrants who had de-
cided to retrace their steps on reaching the proper trail,
proceeded onward toward the west. The road was rough
with many steep inclines but there were fine streams like
LaBonte and LaParelle, which afforded welcome camp
grounds. Although the days were hot and clear, the nights
were cool, and the two parties naturally gravitated toward
each other around the camp fires. The younger travelers
fortunately found others of a similar age. Three young
ladies, ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-two years,
were a rare sight in that country. But they were with us,
and hving in a manner that indicated they had been accus-
tomed to many of the good things of a well-ordered home.
The most luxurious banquet in which I was permitted to
share in those days was spread one evening before our
bacon and coffee had been served. Some liberal slices of
peach pie were sent to us from our neighbor's camp — dried
peach pie, of course, but peach pie nevertheless. Fast for
weeks on dried paste and bacon scraps; travel every day
from morning till night over difficult roads; and then in
the cool of some evening, when hungry and empty, receive
a peach pie made by a woman who knows how to make it,
and you know what a banquet really means. As it was
said to have been the first occasion during their trip on
which they had undertaken to prepare this kind of pastry,

210 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

we recognized the event as a special dispensation. Fred
was absent from the train on the following day for an un-
usual length of time, and sufficiently long almost to cause
uneasiness on our part, but when I saw him come in with an
antelope over his saddle, I knew the girls in the other
camp would have the choicest cut of antelope steak for
breakfast.

In time, after climbing over hills and traversing rough
prairies, we reached Fort Caspar, near which was the only
bridge across the North Platte River. On receiving orders
that we should not be permitted to proceed beyond the
west valley until the regulation number of wagons and
men had been assembled, we were allowed to cross. A
toll of five dollars per wagon enabled us to reach the other
shore. We passed on three-fourths of a mile beyond the
bridge, where the parties separated and camped.

CHAPTER XVII
Wild Midnight Revelry in the Caspar Hills

THERE are spots in foreign lands, the objects of
never-failing interest because of some heroic
deeds with which they are associated, the mem-
ory of which has been perpetuated in history.
Our camp near Caspar happened to be pitched upon a spot
glorified by the blood of heroes as brave and patriotic as
the Spartans who fell at Thermopylae. The desperate
conflict of our soldiers upon this Wyoming field against
overwhelming numbers was hardly less dramatic than was
that of the Greeks and well deserves an honored place in
the memory of Americans. Hardly two rods from our
camp there stood a httle monument marking the spot
where a few months prior to our visit Lieutenant Caspar
W. Collins and his little band were slain while voluntarily
making a valorous and almost hopeless effort to save the
lives of a score of comrades, in the face of thousands of
desperate and blood-thirsty savages. Although we had
some previous knowledge of this tragedy, our first impulse
was to recross the river to the post and from eye witnesses
learn the particulars of the thrilling battle. As soon as
our supper was eaten, four of our party started down
stream toward the bridge. The post formerly known as
Platte Bridge had now, in recognition of Collins* valorous

ni

212 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

deed, been named Fort Caspar, by order of Major General
Pope commanding.

The range near-by was also named the Caspar Moun-
tains. The post lay near the southern bank of the North
Platte River, 133 miles above Fort Laramie and less than
a mile below the site of the monument. It consisted of
fifteen or twenty structures built on the sides of an open
quadrangle.

Sauntering along the river bank on our way to the post,
we carefully surveyed the scene of the fight and its environ-
ment. Back of the fort, at no great distance from the
stream, lay a high table-land, its abrupt and barren face,
where it rose from the valley, being creased with wrinkled
folds by erosion. Beyond this and further to the south
the Caspar range of mountains stood out in jagged outlines
against a cloudless Wyoming sky. Seen through the pure
and wonderfully transparent air, and illuminated by the
bright fight of the setting sun, the distant deeply-wooded
gorges and rocky peaks seemed hardly a mile away. To-
ward the north and embracing the battle-field the valley
extends back a short distance to a steep ascent, beyond
which is a rough, broken, elevated region that might afford
concealment to a numerous enemy. Where it is crossed
by the bridge, the river is about 100 yards in width. Cross-
ing it, we soon found ourselves among oflScers and soldiers;
and from those of them who had guarded that structure
during the massacre we learned the story, parts of it from
some and parts from others. It came in detached and
thriUing fragments, for the incidents were still fresh in
their memory, and the thrills they had experienced on the
day of the fight were renewed in their vigorous narration.
We were informed that the death of Lieutenant Collins
and his men was but one, though doubtless the most

WILD MIDNIGHT REVELRY 213

dramatic, in a series of Indian massacres that ensanguined
that fatal trail during the few preceding months. I have
heard descriptions of several of these events from eye-
witnesses.

Lieutenant Collins was bom in Hillsboro, Ohio, and at
the time of the fight was in appearance but a youth and
in fact only twenty years of age. He was a son of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Collins, a brave Indian fighter, in honor
of whom Fort Collins in Colorado was named. Young
Collins had been in the Indian country for three years
preceding his last fight, a portion of the time with James
Bridger. As we stood looking across the river toward the
plain where the battle was fought, one of the officers said :
"Last July Indians in great numbers seemed to be gather-
ing just north of the bridge somewhere in those hills on the
other side of the river. They came in there from various
directions. Many of them were supposed to have come
over from the Bitter Creek country, where nearly every
station on that route had been raided. It was impossible
to form any definite idea of their number, except that we
were certain there were many thousands of them near us.
On July 25th, Lieutenant Collins came in from the East.
On the same day several hundred savages crossed the
river and stampeded the stock on the reservation. The
garrison at the post was exceedingly small and although
the loss of even a few men would be a serious matter,
a small party of cavalry and infantry was sent out to re-
cover the stock if possible. This effort simply resulted in
the loss of a few men on each side. The Indians finally
recrossed the river to their rendezvous in the hills. Just
about day-break on the following morning a few men from
the 11th Ohio cavalry came in from Fort Laramie and at
once reported a train of wagons with a small guard from

214 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

the 11th Kansas cavalry as coming from the west and, as
they must pass along the trail at the foot of the hills among
which the Indians were holding their vigils, they were sure
to be attacked. And now came the critical moment. The
men in the post were quickly called to headquarters. It
was at once decided to send out a detachment of twenty-
five men, in the feeble hope that they might accomplish a
rescue. In casting about for a leader for this hazardous
venture, one after another declined the service. Lieuten-
ant Collins, although he had just arrived, offered himself
at the first opportunity, saying, *'I will undertake the task,
if I can have a good, fresh horse, as mine is badly fagged
from my ride." The Lieutenant appeared to be but a
boy, but he had a known record for bravery and endurance.
Major Howard accepted the volunteer, and although some
of the older soldiers openly discouraged the undertaking,
the young leader quickly mounted a fresh, spirited horse
and in the early morning, at the head of his little body of
mounted men, rapidly galloped over the bridge, followed
more slowly by thirty infantry. Caspar's band had not
proceeded more than three-fourths of a mile, when the
hills on both sides of it were suddenly alive with savages,
who in thousands rushed down the slopes and out from
every ravine, closing in upon the detachment with hideous
howls and yells, **as if all the devils of the infernal regions
had been turned loose.' ' At this point, the men who knew
the story pointed dramatically now in one direction and
now in another, to the actual places where these movements
occurred. "A desperate but hopeless hand-to-hand fight
was described as having taken place right over the river,
in plain sight from the post. The infantry halted because
they were already in the battle, pouring their bullets as
rapidly as possible into the savages. The only big gun at

WILD MIDNIGHT REVELRY 215

the fort was quickly brought into action by the guard left
at the post, and did good service, as its shells reached the
enemy across the river. Some of our men detailed to
guard the bridge held their positions and brought many
Indians low. But the great Chief Red Cloud was over
there, and could be seen rushing across the field as if to
inspire his red warriors to annihilate our men, and, as far
as the cavalry, which was at the front, was concerned,
they practically did it."

In the tumult of this unequal combat young Caspar was
seen surrounded by savages. His spirited steed, seemingly
conscious of defeat and panic-stricken by the hideous din
of Indian yells and war-whoops, became unmanageable,
both horse and rider fell fighting, precisely where the grave-
stone stands. The greater number of his men were
already slaughtered. The bridge held by the infantry
afforded retreat for a few men. And thus ran the story
into many other details.

The day after the fight a detachment of cavalry crossed
the bridge and recovered the body of the brave hero. An
effort was made by the Indians to cut off these riders, but
our men succeeded in reaching the guarded bridge. The
next day the beleagured garrison saw the little train, the
arrival of which was anticipated, coming over a distant
hill from the west. Suddenly and within full view of the
fort, Red Cloud and about five hundred warriors made a
dash upon them. Three of the soldiers escaped by swim-
ming the river but the remaining men fought bravely until
the last man fell. A messenger had previously been dis-
patched from the fort to General Connor to send assistance
at once. Several companies of the 6th Michigan cavalry
responded, making forced marches. The Indians had
withdrawn before the arrival of these reinforcements.

^16 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

The bitter war continued, however, until the winter set in,
when, through the vacillating policy of the War Depart-
ment, General Connor was withdrawn from Wyoming.

Before we separated from the officers at the post they
advised us that it would be imprudent for us to leave
Caspar except with a strong party. The regular order was
still in force providing for the minimum number of armed
men that would be permitted to go out from a post. Ac-
cordingly we settled down in our camp and remained four
days, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. There were
very few travelers on that road.

During our sojourn in that valley the experience of one
particular night led us to comprehend at least one of the
reasons why the Indians so earnestly desired to retain
undisturbed possession of this territory. Their wealth
was the wild game, but the only means by which we could
learn the extent of this wealth was for each wild beast
living along that range to come out from its lair and speak
so as to be easily heard and counted. An opportunity for
an approximate enumeration was offered by a festive
gathering of those wild inhabitants of the hills. It oc-
curred on the second night at Caspar. Paul had been
standing guard until midnight. At about that hour he
quietly awakened me and asked me to come outside the
tent. Taking my rifle, which as usual was lying at my
side, I stepped out into the bright moonlight. " I wished
you to hear this wonderful concert, " said Paul in explana-
tion. My ears instantly caught the multitude of wild,
weird sounds that came from far and near and from every
point of the compass. Although those voices were legion,
yet, since the greater number of them came from miles
away, they were so softened by distance that they did not
jar upon the ear. It was a wonderfully still, calm night;

WILD MIDNIGHT REVELRY 217

hardly a zephyr stirred the air; and distance both to the
eye and ear seemed to be eHminated. The moon shone
from the cloudless Wyoming sky with extraordinary bril-
liancy and apparent nearness. The outlines of the well-
wooded Caspar range were sharply defined against the
blue expanse beyond. Their dark shadows by contrast
emphasized the undulations of the intervening valley and
the glittering waters of the river that flowed through it,
all of which were flooded by the soft, resplendent moon-
light. Was it that big, bright moon that had brought out
the myriad denizens of the hills to howl their wild refrains?
Paul and I stood for a time spellbound as this vision,
seemingly unreal, came to our eyes. To our ears a chorus
of unblended sounds came down from the mountain from
points far removed one from another, as if here and there a
concourse of wild beasts had by prearrangement assembled
in various places to engage in a nocturnal carousal. Every
creature native to the hills, that had a voice, seemed to
take some part in the orgies; and though dissonant, yet
those wild voices of the night were in harmony with the
rugged setting of the gorges from which they came, and
w^re wonderfully fascinating. The mountain lions entered
into the convivialities with tremendous earnestness. Their
vicious screams at times were intense and fierce as if the
animals were in deadly strife, but when their fervent notes
softened down to a low, attenuated, sympathetic purring
we recognized in them a marked similarity to the midnight
duets of their congener, the domestic cat. It was not the
mountains alone that furnished the stage for this midnight
serenade to the moon. From other quarters came other
yelpings and roars and growls impossible to classify. The
wolves in the valley near-by howled ceaseless responses
in this remarkable antiphonal chorus. Coyotes without

218 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

number joined in the Saturnalia of nocturnal revelry, and
barked incessantly from every direction; while the blood-
hounds at the distant fort bayed deep-toned warning of
their guardianship. Even the bull frogs from the pool
near the river bank, serene in their watery home, peace-
fully croaked in plaintive monotone. These numberless,
inarticulate voices, so varied in quality, were evidence that
along that range there was a remarkable abundance of
wild animal life, which in the daytime lurked unseen in
unfrequented places; but these sounds did not reveal the
presence of the hosts of antelope, elk, deer, and other timid
animals with which the country also abounded.

The situation was so interesting and fascinating that I
finally aroused Ben and Fred, and together we wandered
down toward the river and up its bank, listening to the
concert as we proceeded. Observing upon a little bluff a
man*s form with a rifle upon his shoulder silhouetted
against the clear sky beyond we called "hello " as a friendly
announcement, assuming that he also was on guard. He
responded with a similar salutation and invited us to come
up. He proved to be the father of the young ladies with
whom we had returned from the "cut off," who had now
camped with his party some distance beyond. We will
refer to him as Mr. Warne, a name similar to his true name.
We asked him if he was standing guard. "Yes," he
replied, "it is a beautiful night, and as we cannot travel
tomorrow I decided to give one of our men a rest. The
girls are down below on the rocks. I brought them out to
hear the music from the hills. They are sitting there
wrapped in blankets. " Sure enough, there they were,
quite out of sight. As we approached, one of the young
ladies lifted a rifle into view and with a laugh demanded
the pass word. Fred responded immediately, " Peach pie,"

WILD MIDNIGHT REVELRY 219

for he was addressing the young lady who had sent the pie
with her compUments when we were on the Montana road.
The pass word was accepted as satisfactory. The girls
remarked that they were not out ordinarily at that unseem-
ly hour, but they had been invited by their father to listen
to the animals. As each fresh squall came from the
mountain lions over the river, a subdued exclamation of
some sort, generally bordering on both admiration and
apprehension, came from their lips. While there, our
attention was attracted by two or three long-legged
wolves that skulked near-by within easy rifle range — but a
shot at that hour would bring out the camp, and wolf
meat was not a desirable diet. Not wishing to protract
our midnight call we said "Good-morning" and sauntered
back toward our tents, being confident with regard to the
concert, that we had listened to the star artists from over
the river.

During the following day no travelers arrived to make
up the regulation number and enable us to proceed. On the
following night, there being some change in the weather,
Ben, Fred, and I occupied one mattress in Ben's tent, and
all were soon asleep. Some time in the night I became
half conscious of two or three claps of thunder and the
roaring of a terrific fall of rain upon the roof of the tent,
which came in as a mist through the canvas. Lying near
the edge of the mattress upon which we had for that
night crowded ourselves, I accidentally put my hand out-
side the blanket and into a running stream of water which
was flowing into the tent. Conscious that trouble was
ahead of us I took up my rifle, which had been lying at my
side, and stepped out and into the water, to find that the
tent was being rapidly flooded. I spoke to the Deacon
through the darkness. He promptly responded and in-

220 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

formed me that he had just discovered the flood and was
rolhng his mattress into a bundle upon a small box.
"Boys, wake up!" we shouted, for Ben and Fred were as
yet wholly unconscious of the impending deluge. "What
do you want?" said Ben sleepily, but before I had time to
explain he shouted, "I'm all afloat, get out of here, Fred,
quick!" Fred responded with alacrity, for the water was
rising and had begun to come through the mattress. We
soon found ourselves camped in a newly-formed pond.
Our previous experience had taught us that tents should
not be pitched in a depression, but the ground was so dry
when we camped and the sky had been cloudless for so long
a time, that we were careless. The lesson now was better
learned. We protected our rifles and other valuable articles
as thoroughly as possible and waded out from the pond,
through the rain, to our wagons to await the coming of the
morning. The sun rose in a fairly clear sky, although
showers seemed to be Ungering up in the mountains. On
the following day Pete negotiated with the post sutler for
some supplies, on the basis of 15 cents per pound for corn
and 40 cents for bacon, which were regarded as reasonable
prices. The day, however, was devoted chiefly to drying
out blankets and clothing and to long trips in search of
fuel, which in the valley was exceedingly scarce. A call
at the Warne camp resulted in the information that the
campers there had suffered but little from the severe storm,
as their tents were on higher ground, although they re-
ported the pelting of the rain as being terrific and having
a sound like hail. Toward noon of the fourth day Kreigh-
ton's freight train of forty wagons with mules arrived from
the east, having succeeded after great hardships in crossing
the Platte. After noon we all joined the caravan and
threaded our way westward along very rough roads up

WILD MIDNIGHT REVELRY «21

and down many steep hills until we reached the vicinity
of Red Buttes, eleven miles beyond Fort Caspar, where
we camped for the night. We had bid goodbye to our
interesting Caspar Camp ground and to the Platte River,
which for 500 miles had been almost constantly near us.
For this stream every traveler on these plains must be
thankful, stretching as it does through arid wastes. With-
out it we should have found it difficult to exist. Since
that day the tributaries of the turbulent Platte have been
diverted to irrigation purposes, leaving it at times little
else than an extinct river.

After supper Ben, Fred and I strolled out on foot for a
closer inspection of the Red Buttes, which are so named
because of their deep red coloring. They are similar in
character to those in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado,
though more extensive. The summits like those of many
of the bluffs in the clay lands, are level and apparently
destitute of vegetation. The sides are nearly perpendicu-
lar, and as they offered no temptation for a climb, we
turned our footsteps toward the camp. The sun had
just sunk below the horizon, and a big, bright moon was
already on duty, to give promise of a glorious night. Over-
taking a grizzled old man who had evidently been travel-
ing in the protection of the big train, we accosted him, as
was the free and easy custom in the West. He answered
us cheerily and congratulated us on having finally fallen
in with the train, as he was confident that no other outfit
would soon be moving westward over that road.

"Are you a freighter?" we asked.

"No," he replied, "and yet I may say that I have done
considerable traveling through this country with trains
that carried freight. I have a ranch west of here."

"Have you had much trouble with the Indians?" we
naturally asked.

22« THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

"They have been keeping us pretty busy the last two
years. Did you hear about Hugh Kuykendall's train?"
he continued. "Yes," was the reply, "we separated
from it on Friday, the 13th of this month. Is there any-
thing new concerning it?"

"Yes," he replied, "it was attacked by the Sioux, and
at last reports the train was surrounded by about seven
hundred Indians, and the men were trying to hold them
off and will put up a stiff fight. A header who was on the
outside rode in and reported the situation at Horse Shoe
Creek, and a few troops were sent forward to assist, and
that is the latest. Remember, boys, that you are in the
Indian country, and you should keep pretty close to your
base."

"Have you been in this country long?" we asked.

"Yes, several years. As a boy I was with Descoteaux,
the trapper, who in 1842 was with Colonel John C. Fre-
mont and with him made the ascent of Fremont Peak. "

Pursuing this line of conversation as we were approach-
ing our camp we asked the trapper's name. " I am known
as Tom Soon, but the two words together sound so like
Thompson that I am often known by that name." On
reaching the camp we presented Tom to the Wames.

CHAPTER XVIII
A Night at Red Buttes

IT was a clear and beautiful moonlit night; The
towering cliffs of Red Buttes cast their shadows to
the westward, but in every other direction not a tree
nor shrub large enough to shade a Jack rabbit was
visible.

Mr. Wame had received the old trapper very cordially,
and in a few moments they were sitting side by side upon
a portable wagon seat placed upon the ground and were
engaged in conversation, while the young ladies half re-
clined near them upon some bundles and blankets. There
being an innate propensity in persons with active social
instincts to enliven the embers of a languishing fire when
friends gather round it, Ben and Fred piled wild sage
brush upon the glowing coals, and soon the cheerful flames
blazed welcome to all the boys (except Paul, who was on
guard) and lighted up the faces of the campers as they
drew nigh to the circle. The old deacon was called from
his tent, for though dignified and circumspect, as all good
deacons are supposed to be, he was not averse to associa-
tion with younger, and more convivial companions. A
post of honor was assigned him upon an empty soap box,
near the host.

Big Pete was there, and after approaching the radiance
sidewise with one arm before his face to shield it from the

223

224 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

fierce glow of the fire, with the other hand he pulled from
the burning heap a long twig, the end of which was a live
coal; and drawing back to a safe position solemnly lighted
his pipe; then slowly doubling himself together like a jack-
knife, he sank to a soft and safe anchorage upon a bag of
horse feed. Dan and his boon companion, Noah, floated
in later and gradually adjusted themselves to the uneven
surface of the least rugged boulders that were near at
hand. Dan had traveled rather extensively for those
days, and had made a trip to Pike's Peak in search of gold;
in fact he was something of an adventurer, a good scholar,
and a man well informed on general topics. His father
had been a physician and was an early Wisconsin pioneer.

"What do you think of the situation out here, Mr.
Soon?" said Dan to the old trapper.

"I believe that there is trouble ahead," was the reply.
"The Government agents have not been square with the
Indians and the Indians know it. The Indians will do as
they agree until the whites go back on their promises, or
do mean things to them; and they have done it. Why,
there is that Captain of Russell and Major's train who
brags that he has killed more than a hundred Indians,
and that he will shoot an Indian at sight every good chance
he gets, and now comes this treaty at Laramie that every
one knows is a fraud. These Indians up here are dead
sure to fight for their hunting grounds. "

" I think Mr. Soon is right, " said Dan. "We have been
talking nearly every day about these Indian troubles, and
people forget that an Indian has a sense of honor and will
stand by an agreement as faithfully as the average white
man will. There are some qualities in Indian character
not generally understood, which are as interesting as their
savagery and show how they regard a contract. "

A NIGHT AT RED BUTTES 225

Dan then pointed to a young fellow who was stretched
out upon the ground near the fire and said, "Now the
parents of that chap there and my parents were close
neighbors in Wisconsin Vay back in the thirties. Being
older than he is, I remember an incident which all the few
who were there were familiar with. These pioneers all
lived in log cabins. This young fellow's father, on one
occasion, was endeavoring to conduct some negotiations
with a band of Winnebago Indians, who were assembled in
front of his cabin. The settlers had learned a few words
used by that tribe, but not enough to enable them to con-
verse intelligently, and so the bargain was not concluded.
In a thoughtless moment, and with a view to amuse his
young wife, who stood near the open door, he addressed
the Chief, and directing his attention to his own spouse,
asked if he would swap squaws. The proposition was
received with an approving nod and a significant grunt,
which was regarded by the father as proof that the Winne-
bago chief comprehended the humorous point of the pro-
position, and understood that the white man's talk often
means the opposite from what his words imply. The
Indians departed and all went well until the following day,
when the young wife, casting a glance from the door, ob-
served the chief approaching with his band. At his side
was his squaw. It required but a moment for the mother
to comprehend the situation. The father was not at
home, but she instantly slammed the door, pulled in the
latch string (used then in all our doors) and seizing that
young fellow, then only two or three months old, slid out
of a back window and struck across the country for the
cabin of a neighbor. When the father came home, the
house was vacant and no wife was in hearing to answer
to his many shouts. After a while he rounded up his wife

226 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

at the neighbor's house where she was hiding. The father,
on learning what had occurred, said he didn't propose to
joke any more with the Indians. "

"I know all about that affair," continued Dan, "and it
shows that when an Indian makes a trade, whether it is of
wives or the occupation of lands, he expects to carry it out,
and if the other fellows don't do it, of course it's the begin-
ning of trouble and the end of confidence. They know
nothing about dickering and double-meaning phrases. "

We soon gave the old trapper an opportunity to relate
some incidents in his life in the West, which had been full
of interesting experiences. He told of the important part
the fur traders and trappers had played in Wyoming and
the far West; of their exposures and perils, and how they
had been the earliest explorers, giving names to the streams
and many of the mountains. "But," he added, "this
frontier life has not all consisted of Indian fighting and
hunting, " and with this statement he knocked the ashes
from his pipe upon the heel of his boot, and from a huge
pouch of tobacco, slowly refilled it as if to give time for
his suggestions to find a response. It was evident that
something was coming into his mind that he was about
ready to impart. Miss Margaret immediately said that
she was glad to hear of something in western life besides
fighting, and that with such glorious nights as she had
seen in Wyoming, she believed that now and then some-
thing should occur that is not mixed up with bloodshed.

"Well, Miss," said Tom, after taking a long pull from
his pipe, "your friend has told you about Indian agree-
ments, and the trading of wives. I'll tell you one story
that I know all about. Among the old trappers and
traders of early days, there were many young Frenchmen.
I think they made more money out of the business than

A NIGHT AT RED BUTTES 2«7

all the rest of the traders put together. There was one
fine young fellow, whose name was Jules La Chance. He
was working for the old American Fur Company for quite
a while up north of here in the country of the Crow Indians.
Now the Crows had 'most always been on pretty good
terms with us fellows, and in fact with all the whites, but
they were always in trouble with the Sioux. The Crow
women were more attractive than the women of most of
the other tribes. They knew how to tan skins very
finely, so that they would be very soft and white, and the
Crow girls were able to dress themselves very attractively.
The hair of all the Crow Indians was long, and the women
parted it carefully. Many of the trappers and traders
had been married to Indian girls, and Jules finally ran
across the daughter of one of the Crow chiefs whose name
was Oo-je-an-a-he-ah, who he believed would suit him
pretty well as a wife. He could speak Crow a little, as
well as Sioux, so he told her that he liked her pretty well,
whereupon she said that she liked him pretty well, and
that was about all that happened that day — ^but it meant
very much to an Indian girl.

"The next day Jules started off eastward on some work
that he had to do in the Sioux territory, where some of the
trappers and traders of his Company were engaged. The
Indians there, however, at that time were making con-
siderable trouble for the four or five white men. One of
the traders concluding that a little whiskey, of which the
Indians are fond, would help to soften the feeling between
them, gave a few warriors who had come into their camp
as much of the stuff as they wanted for present use. In a
short time they had become pretty full and very noisy,
but finally quieted down. It was well into the night when
Jules, who sat near the door of the lodge, felt a touch upon

THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

his shoulder. Quickly turning his head he observed a
Sioux girl fifteen or sixteen years of age, whom he had
previously seen in the near-by Indian village, and who
had heard him speak in her native tongue. She now
beckoned him to come to her, and informed him that the
Sioux had already planned to take their property and
possibly their lives; that she had come directly from near
a lodge in the village where she had overheard some
warriors discussing the plans, which also involved a raid
into the country of the Crows where the trappers had
their headquarters. She said the ponies belonging to Jules
and his party had already been taken, and asked Jules to
follow her. All this was condensed in a few whispered
words. Jules re-entered their camp where the Indians
were quietly resting. One or two of them, who were
apparently somewhat conscious of what was happening,
were again permitted free access to the whiskey. Jules,
quietly and unobservedly, slipped some guns to the out-
side from under the tent, and soon was able to signal his
companions to meet him outside. He handed them their
guns, and then whispered to them to follow him and not
speak.

"He found the girl standing erect in the darkness exactly
where he had left her. Taking Jules by the hand, she led
him with swift footsteps toward the river which, running
northward, empties itself into the great Missouri. The
entire party followed silently. Not a word was spoken
until the river bank was reached. Then, to the surprise of
all, the girl addressed them in very fair English, and told
them that her father when living was a fur trader with M.
G. Sublette of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and her
mother was a daughter of a Chief of the Minnecongoux
band of Sioux. She said that her father had always been

A NIGHT AT RED BUTTES «29

friendly with the Sioux, but was killed in a raid of that
tribe by an accidental shot.

***You have no horses now,' she said, *as they have
already been taken by my people, but here is a boat that
will carry you down the stream nearer to your home camp,
and I wish you to escape quickly, and I hope when the
trouble is over to see you again. '

"One of the traders ventured to strike a light that they
might get a better glimpse of their benefactress, and more
than one of them recognized the dress and features of the
Indian girl as one who had attracted their attention on
the preceding day in the village. The Indian tastes of the
girl had found expression in an abundance of beads and a
fine deerskin dress, but the long black hair himg in two
braids at her back. Her complexion was rather fair, and
the mouth was more delicately formed than is usual with
the full-blooded Indians. Her name in the tribe, she said
was Oo-jan-ge (Light).

"There was no time to be lost. Jules had upon his little
finger a plain gold ring, which he removed and slipped
upon a finger of the Indian girl, saying to her, *Keep that
to remember me, but take care of yourself and don't get
into trouble for what you have done. ' The girl at once
started on a swift pace toward the village, and was soon
lost from sight in the darkness.

"The situation was simple. Their horses had been cap-
tured since the sun had set and the girl had surely shown
Jules* party the way of escape, for here was a boat quite
like a large tub made of skins and lying on the shore. It
was suflSciently large to float them. There w^ere also rude
paddles, which were all that was necessary to steer the
craft down the stream. The men were soon afloat, and
when the morning dawned they were more than thirty

280 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

miles farther down stream. They pulled upon the western
bank at a point which had been previously visited by two
of the party. There they succeeded in killing an antelope,
parts of which they managed to cook without any regular
cooking utensils.

"The first thought calling for action, that had arisen in
the mind of Jules, was to proceed at once to the head Chief
of the Crows and convey to him information concerning the
impending raid of the Sioux. By the morning of the fol-
lowing day the trappers were at the Crow village. To
whom could Jules more properly convey the tidings than
to Oo-je-an-a-he-ah, to whom he frankly told the story of
his recent adventure ? In less than an hour several himdred
Crow Indians in detached bodies were skulking to the
eastward and surely enough on the following morning met
the advancing Sioux who, being completely surprised, met
with disastrous defeat, the survivors falling back across
the river after heavy loss.

"The Crows returned to camp with numerous scalps,
but none of the warriors except the Chief knew from what
source came the information that led to the victory.
Jules, however, was at once a hero in the lodge of the
Chief. A dog dinner was served for him, which was re-
garded as the noblest banquet that could be set before an
honored guest. Oo-je-an-a-he-ah was gratified that one
upon whom she looked as her fiance should be in such high
favor with her distinguished father.

"Jules went to his camp some miles distant, toward the
border lands, and reflected on what had occurred. He
well knew that his fife and that of his companions, and
possibly all their property, had been saved through the
self-sacrifice of a young Indian girl, the granddaughter of
a Chief. The morning came and it happened that one

A NIGHT AT RED BUTTES 231

Paul Des Jardines, who, with a small escort was crossing
from the Missouri River westward, observed a solitary
Indian girl standing near their pathway. She was slender
and had dehcate features, with complexion not so dark as
is common with most of the tribes, and decidedly like
that of the Mandan tribe. Attracted by the strange
appearance, Paul addressed the girl in broken French with
the question *Are you a Sioux?* To the surprise of his
party she replied, also in broken French, in the aflSrmative.
With careful diplomacy she sought to ascertain if those
rough voyagers were really friendly and trustworthy.
Becoming satisfied that it would be safe to tell her story,
she related how, through her effort to save some white
traders, who were camped near the village, her father's
band had met with a serious reverse, and she was sus-
pected by her people of disloyalty, which was the cause of
a disaster to the Sioux. She now felt compelled to flee
for her own safety.

" *Do you know who the men were that you were trying
to save?'

"*No,' she rephed, * except that one of them was
named Jules.' And in an innocent manner she added,
*He gave me this ring. If I could find him I know he
would protect me until I could make peace with my tribe,
for he knows that my father was a French trader.

"*I, too, am French,' said Paul, *and we will take you
to where Jules is in the Crow country. I know him, as
we came up the Missouri from St. Louis the same time. '
So Oo-jan-ge, who was hungry and weary, received food
and a pony to ride, and started with Paul's party to the
land of the Crows, the enemy of her own people.

"In the meantime Oo-je-an-a-he-ah and Jules had talked
together of their future, and the Chief had given his royal

232 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

sanction to their alliance. On the second evening after
Jules' arrival at his camp, a broad-shouldered, heavily-
moustached man entered the camp, and called for Jules
La Chance. *He is up at the Crow village,' was the
reply.

" * Will you send for him to come here at once, and say
to him that Paul Des Jardines desires to see him on an
important matter of business?'

*'*Well, I'll go for him myself,' said the man, * but Jules
is on rather an important mission himself. We think that
he is arranging to take the daughter of the Chief of the
Crows, and Father DeSmet, the Jesuit missionary, is in
the village, and Jules having been brought up a Catholic,
you know what that means. '

" *Then rush — it is the more important that you bring
him here at once. '

"In an hour Paul and Jules were sitting on a rock near
their camp, anid Paul told of the very young Indian girl,
the finest looking one he had ever seen, who had been com-
pelled to fly to the hills because of her having saved Jules
and his party, an act which also caused a defeat of the
Sioux, because of information which he (Jules) must have
given to the Crows.

"*Well,' said Jules, *that girl, Oo-jan-ge, is the finest
I ever saw, but the fact is, I am in a devil of a fix. This
girl here whom I wish to marry is a jewel, the finest in the
tribe, and I almost fixed the matter up to marry her before
I saw Oo-jan-ge. Father DeSmet is in the \Tillage and
Oo-je-an-a-he-ah has a notion that she would like to give
him something to do that is not common in the tribe, a
Catholic wedding. My mother was a Catholic, but I am
little or nothing in those matters. '

" 'Well, ' said Paul, *Oo-jan-ge is now right over here at

A NIGHT AT RED BUTl ES ^S3

my camp. As we were traveling through the Sioux country
she put herself under our protection until she could see
you. She feels that she is regarded as a traitor by her
tribe, and is a voluntary exile and I am going to see that
justice is done for her.*"

Tom Soon had proceeded thus far in his story, when he
paused to relight his pipe, but before scratching the match
he looked directly toward the Warne girls and said, with
an air of great seriousness, "Now young ladies, under-
standing that both of these Indian giris loved Jules La
Chance, and that he was as much attracted to one as to
the other, what should he do?" The discussion in reply
would have given Tom time to have lighted a dozen pipes.
Jules was pledged to the Crow giri, and that was a sacred
contract said one. Well enough, said another, he gave
Oo-jan-ge his ring, and if she had not sacrificed herself
probably Jules might not have lived to marry either girl.
"Well, tell us quickly how he did finally solve the prob-
lem," asked another. "Easiest thing in the world,"
replied Tom, — "if you only know how. He married both
of the girls, of course. There was no other square way of
doing the business. Of course. Father DeSmet was not
in it, but the thing was all fixed up in good shape. Jules
was a square man and wouldn't do a mean trick. You
have heard the old adage, 'When in Rome do as the Ro-
mans do,' so when among the Indians, do as the Indians
do.

"Hongs-kay-de, the son of a well-known Puncah Chief,
and who also became *The great Chief,' as his name indi-
cates, married four girls in one day. They were the
daughters of as many leading men of his tribe, the ages
of each being between twelve and fifteen years. Hongs-
kay-de himself was only eighteen. Of course, he distin-

j»4 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

guished himself in this act, but his bravery made him the
hero of his tribe. The fathers of the four brides were
present as parties to the transaction. Later Mr. Chou-
teau of St. Louis, the fur trader, and Major Sanford, the
agent for the Upper Missouri Indians — in the thirties,
with CatUn the artist, all were guests at the home of the
young chief and saw all the brides, who were reported to
be very happy. The event is a matter of history. The
Indian girls usually mature and marry young. Among
the warring tribes so many men are killed in battle that
some means must be adopted to give all the girls a square
deal for a home. It is, therefore, common for the chiefs of
many of the tribes to have more than one wife. A few of
the ranchmen have two Indian wives. I have told you of
the incident that you may know more of western life, as
it sometimes is where there is no law to regulate these
matters, but I must now say good-night. " And Tom was
off toward his camp. Having no confirmation of the story
of Jules' wedding I am unable to vouch for its historic
accuracy.

In the morning we made an early start. We were in-
formed that from Red Buttes a road laid out by J. M.
Bozeman in 1863 branched off, running through the
country of the Crow Indians to the Missouri River in
Montana. Bozeman City received its name in honor of
that pioneer. In the year preceding that of our visit,
this so-called "cut-off" was the scene of several serious
Indian skirmishes, in which General Sully figured con-
spicuously. In one of the engagements he reported hav-
ing killed about six hundred Sioux Indians. Our course,
however, took us along the old Oregon trail toward South
Pass. Crossing a barren valley of alkaline deserts, we
reached the soda lake, which is indicated on the charts of

A NIGHT AT RED BUTTES 235

the old explorers. There were two double teams there
from the Bear River Valley, the wagons of which were
being loaded with the saleratus, which they stated was
pure. Such employment seemed rather hazardous in
view of the existing Indian troubles. On former trips,
they had received thirty-five cents per pound for their loads.
Professor W. H. Reed of the University of Wyoming
states to me that the soils in this part of Wyoming are
mostly clay and contain soda deposited in ancient times,
in the mesozoic age. The clays are exceedingly rich in
alkaline salts or the salts of sodium. The melting snows
and rains penetrate these soils, dissolving the soda, and it
is washed into the sinks. The waters evaporate leaving
the soda as a salt in the bed of the lakes. Professor
Reed, who has thoroughly prospected these lakes, reports
having found over 12 feet in depth of solid crystals. It
glistened in the sunlight as if it might be free from foreign
matter.

Four miles farther on we crossed the Sweetwater River
and camped. Near this point is Independence Rock, a
conspicuous, though not a lofty, granite dome, which has
long been a landmark on that trail. It is mentioned in the
chronicles of the first Mormon emigrants, who camped
there June 21, 1847, at which time the names of some
persons were found painted upon one of its cliffs. So far
as I can learn, both from written and oral accounts, it is
not now known who gave the Rock its name. Mention
of it by its present name is made in Fremont's reports of
his explorations, also in the reports of the Reverend Sam-
uel Parker, who visited it in 1835. Again, in 1836, Parker,
with his bride, and the Reverend Marcus Whitman and
his bride, paused here on their remarkable wedding tour,
which has become historic. These two yoimg brides ap-

236 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

pear to be the first white women that ever crossed the
Continent. Independence Rock, therefore, seems to
have been a halting place for all travelers on the Oregon
trail, and was known as such before that pathway received
a name.

CHAPTER XIX

Camp Fire Yarns at Three Crossings

THE Prince of Darkness has been highly honored
by the trappers in the West in the nomenclature
of various freaks of nature, in the same manner,
though perhaps not with the same devout spirit,
as the names of saints have been perpetuated by the early
Christian fathers, who established their missions in the
southwest along the trail of the Spanish conquerors.

The names applied to objects often afford a clue to the
character of the men who first applied them. Although
no signs of human life or habitation were visible along this
part of the Sweetwater, not only because of hostile Indians
but chiefly because of predatory outlaws, who were said to
live in seclusion in these mountains, this location had won
and maintained a very bad repute. It is, therefore, not
strange that the remarkable cleft in the vast pile of granite
through which the rushing torrent of the Sweetwater here
crowds its way, became known as Devil's Gate. When we
saw the dark and massive walls of the shadowy opening
looming upon our right, we were almost prepared to see
his Satanic Majesty or some of his minions emerge from
its imposing portals, but as all seemed to be serene, we
might safely conclude that,

237

238 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

"From his brimstone bed at break of day
A-walking the Devil is gone,
To look at his snug, httle farm of the World,
And see how his stock went on — "

This chasm is about six miles from Independence Rock,
and there were believed to be many herds of stolen stock
concealed back in the valleys beyond what would seem to
be an eastern spur of the Sweetwater range of mountains.
Ben, Fred, Paul and I undertook an exploration of the
summit of the mountain and also of the gorge, which we
entered at the point from which the stream emerges from
the chasm. We followed up the right bank of the river,
clambering over the rocky shore, all of which proved rather
an easy task. From a slight elevation we were able to
look through the entire extent of the chasm, which ap-
peared to be about twelve hundred feet in length, and
varied from four to ten rods in width. In the narrowest
pass it is compressed within walls hardly more than two
rods apart. The sides of the cHffs rise to a height of about
four hundred feet. Why and how the river forced its
way through this isolated, granite cone, seems a mystery,
as there is apparently no obstacle to prevent its flowing
undisturbed round the lower borders of the south slope.
Some great convulsion of nature must have split the
mountain through its center and opened this channel.
The chasm was certainly not formed by erosion, for the
sides of the cliff expose a face of grey, weather-stained
granite, with perpendicular seams and scoriated trap rock.
Reaching the narrowest point in the gorge we found it
impossible to proceed further, as the swift, foaming waters
of the rapids swept along the base of the high walls, rush-
ing over and between the broken masses of rock that had

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 239

tumbled down, leaving no footing near the banks of the
stream.

At this narrow point we discovered four or five groups
of names paiated upon the face of a granite cUff and
beneath a low, over-hanging rock that protected them
from the tempest. Among them, neatly printed with blue
ink, were what appeared to be the names of the members
of a small party. The last name in this group was Emily
Wheeler and was followed by the date July, 1864. We
thought little more of this young explorer until, on the
following day, while riding a few miles westward beyond
Devil's Gate, my attention was attracted to a small board
standing about a fourth of a mile south of the trail and
apparently placed there to mark the spot. Led by curios-
ity, I rode through the sage brush and found upon a little
barren knoll a grave at which the board had been squarely
set. Upon this marker painted in blue ink, were the fol-
lowing words: "To the memory of Emily Wheeler, who
died July 19, 1864 — age 17 years. " It was the same name,
the same month, and the same neat lettering that we had
seen on the cliff and it was printed with the same kind of
ink. On the rocks I remembered having seen below the
names and also in blue ink the word "Illinois." We,
therefore, inferred that the party came from that state.
There were crowded into those few words painted in blue
the outlines of a sad story. They fairly illustrated an
experience that befell nearly every party of emigrants,
who in those days made the long and hazardous trip across
that country. Some one without doubt knows the rest
of the story of Emily Wheeler and the different circum-
stances under which the two inscriptions were written.
It would appear that her friends were compelled to leave
her in that far away wilderness, over which the Arapahoe
hunted his game, where.

240 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

"No tears embalm her tomb,

None but the dews by twilight given,

Where not a sigh disturbs the gloom.

None but the whispering winds of heaven. "

The Sweetwater River becomes smooth and placid
immediately after it emerges from the DeviFs Gate, flow-
ing on quietly through picturesque scenery. Westward
from this point the granite ridges rise from the northern
bank of the river in rugged cliffs. The country in general,
while very interesting, is barren, the chief vegetation being
the artemesia or wild sage, which in those parts is found
growing to a large size, so as to furnish very good fuel.

On the evening of July 26, 1866, we camped at Three
Crossings, forty-two miles west of Platte Bridge. Within
a few rods it was necessary to ford the rapidly running
Sweetwater three times. The number of these crossings
doubtless gave rise to the name by which this place seems
to have been known. It was also recognized as one of the
most dangerous sections of the western country for peace-
ful travelers, by reason not only of the frequent attacks of
Indians, but also of the fact that bands of white thieves
and robbers had made their headquarters near there some-
where in the mountains, and were quite as much to be
feared as were the savages. In 1865 William F. Cody
(who became known as Buffalo Bill) accepted this precari-
ous route as a stage driver, and here met with some of the
experiences that contributed to his fame.

In the following season, the year of our trip, the stages
were transferred to the southern route on account of these
frequent Indian raids and attacks of robbers. On one
trip, near Three Crossings, Cody sustained an attack of
several hundred Sioux. The Division Agent sat upon the

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 241

box of the stage with Cody. There were also seven pas-
sengers inside the stage, all well armed, as was almost the
invariable custom. Cody applied the lash to the horses,
amid a shower of arrows, some piercing the stage, some
wounding the frightened animals. The agent who sat with
Cody was also dangerously wounded. The men inside the
box kept themselves busy with their rifles and revolvers
from their less exposed position, and as the stage rattled
over the rocky road brought a few of the savages low and
held the enemy at bay. It was a running fight in which
the bleeding and terrified horses fully bore their part.
Cody was able to reach Three Crossings, where men at the
station joined in the fight and forced the Indians to fall
back. I am informed by Colonel Cody that this is the
event which in the earlier days of his Wild West show he
endeavored to picture in as realistic a manner as possi-
ble, with a score of tamed red men with repeating rifles.

AiPter our supper a few of us forded the river and climbed
some distance up into the mountain, obtaining a fine view
of the country and incidentally creating no little diversion
by rolling huge, detached rocks found on the edge of the
cliffs in terrific and resistless course down to the valley
beneath. A young man from Creighton's outfit, no more
than sixteen years of age, accompanied us, and finally at
parting announced that he would return by a different
path from that which we were taking. The days at that
season of the year being long, we concluded the day's
journey before sunset. Dropping down to rest, after
reaching camp, we heard a voice faintly sounding, as if
from the sky. It came from the youth, who was still far
up the mountain side and that moment in the full light of
the setting sun. He was evidently seeking to attract our
attention to his perilous position, for he was poised at a

242 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

dizzy height, several hundred feet above us on a very
shght projection, where he appeared Uke a moving speck.
From his point of observation he was unable to decide
upon the safest course for descent. The air being very
still, his friends from across the river were able to advise
him as to the diflSculties below him. His voice could be
heard distinctly from the distance. In his descent, his gar-
ments had already been torn to shreds as the result of
sliding down the rough rocks, and now, as he informed
us, the soles of his boots were so slippery that he could
not retain his footing. The boots were soon rattling down
the cliffs. Plans were made to secure a rope, which might
be lowered to him from above, leaving one end fastened
at a higher point. The night, however, was fast coming.
Watchers, who could do little for him, expected at almost
any moment to see his body tumble down the cliffs. The
youth was favored by the twilight, long after he was lost
to our sight in the dim shadows. It was some time after
dark when friends bore the little fellow across the river,
where others quickly gathered. He was bleeding and
torn. The flesh on the soles of his feet was worn nearly to
the bone. Although physically almost a wreck, he had
such youthful vigor as in a few days put him again on duty.

When the night closed upon us, our camps were pitched
along the south bank of the clear Sweetwater River. At
the west, the campfire of Creighton's train lighted up a
little circle, around which were gathered the drivers, ex-
cept such as were standing guard for the stock. In our
camp nearby, the tin plates had been retired and Deacon
Cobb and some others of the older members of the party
had gone to bed early to keep warm; for the night, al-
though bright and beautiful, was cool.

Having in mind some extravagance in the use of fuel,

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 243

Ben, Fred, and I had harvested a good supply of sage
brush, which we turned in at the Warne camp with the
view of making the evening as cheerful as possible. Every-
thing there was in readiness, when we chanced to meet
Tom Soon and succeeded in leading him down to the big
fire, where welcome was accorded him and the seat of
honor, on the end of an empty water keg. During a little
preliminary conversation, and as if settling down to the
peaceful enjoyment of his comfortable environment, he
mechanically drew out his tobacco pouch and slowly filled
his pipe, lighting it with a burning stick found near the
edge of the fire.

Mr. Warne was half reclining upon some robes, his three
daughters nestling very close to him, and his wife, in a
more dignified position, occupied a camp chair nearby.
The rest of our party completed the circle. From time to
time one would tell a story and others would hum a tune,
while all watched the changing pictures in the fire or a sud-
den flash of light from the burning sticks which now and
then, for a moment, illuminated the figures in the circle.

We were anxious to hear more from Tom, and finally
when he had concluded a graphic description of a war-dance
which he had recently witnessed, one of the young ladies
said, "Mr. Soon, can you tell us why Indian warriors wear
so many feathers and decorate their heads in so grand a
fashion, while their women dress more simply .^^ Does it
not seem childish.?"

"Well,'* Tom replied, "Indians are creatures who follow
their tribal fashions, but their fashions don't change very
much. An incident now comes to my mind that shows
how the fashions of others sometimes impress the Red
Man and also an old fellow like me, when those fashions
are seen for the first time. Two or three years ago, Billy
Comstock, the scout, and I were instructed to talk with

244 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

some Ogallalla Chiefs, and arrange to have them visit
Washington City and see the Great Father, President
Lincohi. It was believed that if they could learn from
personal observation that the country was great and power-
ful, they would not wish longer to fight the whites. Well,
we induced them to go, so I went with them and the Indian
Agent as far as St. Louis. We stayed over night at the
Planter's House, in that city. I had been out West a long
time and was almost as green as the Indians were, con-
cerning the existing fashions and customs of civilized
people. Well, we got rooms for them, but what does a
wild Indian know about a bed? Of course the blankets
were all over the floor and so were the Chiefs. They
couldn't get into a bed any more than they could use the
things on the table. They thought the pillows were the
funniest things they ever saw. One of the Indians was
astonished on approaching a big looking glass. He
thought he saw a warrior that he had never seen before
coming right at him. But what do you think they did
when they saw the women on the street? It was about
that time when women began to wear big dresses and
hooped skirts. I had never myself seen such dresses until
then. They didn't wear them when I was a boy. The
Indians were starting up the sidewalk through the crowd,
in a sort of single file as they generally do, and three fine
women came along wearing those big dresses and grand
bonnets on their heads. Of course the women didn't
realize how strange they appeared to us, but they were
interested in the Indians and stopped to look at the Chiefs
who wore blankets and big feathers. The Indians were
also interested in the women, and they stopped in front of
the ladies, who wore skirts almost big enough for tents,
and strange feathers in their bonnets. For a minute
both parties looked at each other's toggery.

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 245

"The Indians were astonished to see the women so big
around and wearing such gorgeous things on their heads.
Of course the ladies quickly looked the Indians all over
at a glance, just as they would at any curious thing in a
show, and as they have a right to, and they especially
looked at the feathers on the Indians' heads. At the same
time the Chiefs, who were equally interested in the ladies'
dresses, almost surrounded the women, before they realized
the situation. You know that an Indian feels that it is
proper to examine carefully anything that interests him.
The Indians do that when they come into our cabins, in
fact, it is their custom, so they proceeded at once to examine
the ladies' wardrobe very carefully, before the ladies
realized that they themselves were also objects of interest;
but the Indians did not go very far in their investigation,
for the women gave a yell loud enough for any Sioux and
broke into a run. Some of the white people's fashions
seem to be as ridiculous to the wild Indian as theirs are to
you, and may be more so, for you see pictures of other
people, and the Indians do not. "

"That's all right, Tom," said Mr. Wame, "fashion is
sometimes only a freak. "

An old fellow with a big red mustache, whose name I
failed to obtain, but who was addressed as Conk, standing
somewhat in the background, overheard Tom's story. At
its conclusion, he broke in with a remark — "Say, Tom,
don't you remember about that Assiniboine Wi-jun-jun,
the son of the Chief, who went to Washington?"

" Yes, of course I do, " was the reply, "but let's have it. "

We all called for the story, and as nearly as can be given
from memoranda that I took at the time, his talk ran like
this:

"I ain't much on telling stories, " (said the trapper) "but

^6 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

some of these young Indian bucks are about as much
dandies as any of the white folks. You know Major
Sanford was the Indian Agent for the Assiniboine tribe,
and as a lot of chiefs from other tribes were going down
the Missouri to go to see the President in Washington, he
went for Wi-jun-jun, because he was tall and wore more
feathers and put on more d — d style with his people
than any other Injun on the river. "

"Don't swear, Conk," interjected Tom.

"Excuse me, ladies, — but as I was saying, he would go
around on the steamboat when he was going down the
river, so the people and the other Injuns would look at him
just as fine dressed white men do when they think they
are better than common folks. But he was a d — d
good fighter! Excuse my swearing, ladies.

"Well, he got to Washington with the rest of 'em and
thought he was a devil of a fellow, when everybody, men
and women, looked at him, — more'n they did at the rest
of 'em. He and the rest of 'em were took aroun' to see the
ships and the cannon and they went to the theatre, and he
sot where everybody could see him. They knew the In-
juns were going to be there, but that d — d fool — excuse
my swearin,' ladies — ^that d — d fool thought he was a devil
of a fellow. He felt bigger than ever when they wanted
his clothes and feathers to hang up in some show place
there, so he let 'em have 'em in trade for some American
soldiers' clothes made for a general, — and the Agent
agreed to let him wear his Injun clothes until he got back
as far as St. Louis.

"They boarded the first steamboat that Mr. Chouteau
sent up the river that spring, and Sanford went with 'em
and took Wi-jun-jun into his room on the boat, and helped
him change his clothes, for how in hell — excuse my swear-

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 247

ing, ladies — could an Injun get into a general's clothes,
and get 'em on right?

'* After a while when he came out on deck, he had on a
blue broadcloth general's coat, with high collar and with
gilt epaulets on the shoulders, and a tall beaver hat. He
had on a belt with a big sword, and he had on long-top
high-heeled boots. He had learned on this trip to smoke
cigars, and Sanford brought him out and was as solemn as
a funeral, and Wi-jun-jim was smoking a cigar, and
marched out on deck with all that toggery on. The sword
got between his legs and his hat was on the back of his head
and his long black hair hung down behind. There wasn't
only a few white passengers on the steamboat and they
got tired of him pretty soon, but when they all got to the
Yellowstone, of course. Major Sanford and his Injuns got
off at their town, and that cuss — excuse my swearing,
ladies — ^that d — d cuss walked up through their village and
for awhile wouldn't look at any of 'em — even his wife.
But Sanford had give him two bottles of whiskey, and they
both stuck out of his spUt-tail coat pockets, and pretty
soon he commenced on the whiskey. The next day the
sleeves of his coat were on his wife's legs for leggins, which
she thought was pretty fine, and the gold lace of his clothes
were on women in the tribe, and the epaulet things were
in their hair, and the dandy purty soon hadn't a d — d thing
left — excuse my swearing, ladies — ^but I hear'n you talking
about how feathers looked to you on an Injun and I thought
of that d — d Assinboine — excuse my swearing, ladies;
I've got so use to it out here I can't help it. The thing is,
he had shown himself off in soldiers' clothes and don't
you see, ladies, that an Injun must wear Injuns' clothes
or he looks like — ^well, I came purty near swearing, — ^but
Injun clothes and feathers are all right for Injuns, but
ain't worth a damn for white people. "

^8 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

The trapper bit a big piece from his plug of tobacco,
while he received favorable expressions concerning the
history, which he had given and yet —

"Jack was embarrassed — never hero more —
And as he knew not what to say — he swore. "

Many years after our party camped near Red Buttes,
the writer discovered in the second volume of Elliot Coues'
notes on Forty Years a Fur Trader, a brief description
of the visit of Wi-jun-jun to Washington and the gift to
him of the generaFs outfit. The portrait of the warrior-
dude is preserved in the Catlin collection.

The mild profanity with which the tale was decorated
can hardly be omitted without robbing it of its pecuHar
western flavor. Dan Trippe, who had been listening,
finally said, "Mr. Soon, you referred a moment ago to Billy
Comstock. Some of us also knew him very well. A few
years ago Comstock was well known in Colorado. "

"He was," replied Tom, "and he helped might 'ly in
that Sand Creek affair. Of course, we know him as Buffalo
Bill."

Tom was asked to tell about that fight. "I know all
about it, " he repUed, "but I don't know as it's right to tell
the women about these Indian scalpings." Tom was
assured that when women were out where things were
going on, they were no more nervous than men were. They
all had guns and ought to know the true condition of
things.

"All right," said Tom. "Well, it was like this. A
year ago last August the Indians began a series of raids,
going for everything and everybody along the stage route
from Julesburg east. I think they cleaned out every ranch

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 249

and attacked every train and stage that passed in that
two hundred and fifty or three hundred miles. More than
forty people were killed by them. The most severe fight
was at Liberty Farm, east of Fort Kearney near where you
crossed the Little Blue River. There was a small train of
wagons loaded with goods for George Tritch of Denver.
The entire party of whites were killed, including a stage
driver and the station keeper, and there was a young
woman there named Mrs. Eubanks, and her child, whom
they did not then kill, and the Indians nm them off, and
that is really what brought on the Sand Creek Battle.
The Indians were Arapahoes. The people of Denver were
greatly excited when the news reached there. Before his
train was attacked Tritch had heard of the troubles, and
having so many valuable goods coming along that line he
talked with Colonel Chivington, and they arranged with
Billy Comstock and Oliver Wiggins to go out at once, and
ascertain where the Indians were, and what they were then
planning to do. Billy went down the RepubUcan River
and Wiggins went down the Platte. They were good
scouts and spoke Arapahoe well. Billy had been inter-
preter for the government several times. He knew many
of the Chiefs. Billy's route was away from the line of
travel. He overtook a large party of Arapahoes quite a
way down the Republican, and after he had watched their
movements for awhile, he run up to the Platte and re-
ported, and then he went back and had a talk with the
Indians. He kept watch on that band, but it was another
party of Indians who made the raid that I have told of.
After the Liberty Farm massacre, Comstock and Wiggins
with a few soldiers from the Plum Creek Station started
out and followed the Indians southward and overtook
them. They saw the young woman riding behind Chief

260 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Two Face, and then Billy and his soldiers had a fight with
the Indians, but the soldiers were greatly outnumbered and
lost most of their horses.

"In November, Colonel Chivington started out with his
forces and after one long night march, the scouts led them
to Sand Creek, where they surrounded the Indian village
and then the fight was on. It was a slaughter. Chiving-
ton said to his soldiers, *Nits make lice,' which meant
that it was a battle to the finish, and that they need not
stop with the old Indians; women and children were to be
killed as well.

"Some people criticized Colonel Chivington very bitter-
ly, declaring that this warfare was brutal and uncivilized,
but the people of Denver gave him a gold mounted rifle as
a token of their good will. The Chief and three or four
others escaped in the night with Mrs. Eubanks and they
were caught later and strung up. The queerest thing
about the hanging was that the Colonel of the troops who
caught the Chiefs telegraphed to General Connor, in com-
mand of the department, that he had the devils in chains.
General Connor replied, *Then hang them in chains,*
and it was done mighty quick. In a little time the Colonel
received another message from General Connor, instruct-
ing him to bring the scoundrels to Julesburg, because he
had decided to give them a trial. The Colonel telegraphed
back to the effect that he *obeyed his first message before
he received the second.'"

When Tom had finished this recital, the camp fires had
nearly all gone out on the shore of the river, and the bright
moon was lighting up the southern slopes of the Sweet-
water Mountains. Through the stillness of the night was
heard the occasional bark of a few coyotes and its echo
reflected from the adjacent mountain-side. Our party

CAMP FIRE YARNS AT THREE CROSSINGS 251

separated and slowly wandered along the river to their
respective camps. The manner in which Cody wrested
from Comstock the sobriquet Buffalo Bill, has been ex-
plained in another chapter.

CHAPTER XX
A Spectacular Buffalo Chase

EXCEPT perhaps a sudden view of the blue
waters of the broad ocean, few things in nature
are more inspiring to the pilgrim who has
plodded his way across our barren plains than
is the first glimpse of some towering peaks of the Rocky
Mountains. Riding my horse in advance of the train,
which on an exceedingly hot July day was toiling up a
long and difficult sandy grade, I reached a flat summit
from which there suddenly and unexpectedly burst upon
my view the entire panorama of the lofty peaks of the
Wind River range, from Fremont Peak to South Pass.
They were "crowned with a diadem of snow," but were
not "in a robe of clouds," for not a speck of mist was
visible in any direction. The mountains in all their detail
stood out against the blue sky with wonderful clearness and
it seemed as if they were not ten miles away. I may have
been unduly excited, but in calling to those below me, who
were next in advance, I shouted that the snow mountains
were in sight. One after another of the party soon arrived
at the summit, and being considerably heated after the
climb they had made under the sharp rays of the sun,
some of the men insisted that the brilliant white on the
distant peaks was not snow. As one driver put it, "Do
you think I*m a fool, to think that snow wouldn*t melt in

252

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE 253

hot weather like this?" This man from the prairie did
not appreciate the towering height of those far away
peaks. On the following morning we were informed that
they were still thirty miles away, and after two more days
of travel, we were told that even then Fremont Peak was
nearly one hundred miles beyond us. Fred accordingly
declared that we should never reach it unless we turned
back in the other direction, because the longer we traveled
toward it, the further it was away.

The day after we obtained our first view of Fremont
Peak, we knew that we were near a certain strange freak
of nature known as Ice Springs. Its location is carefully
noted on the old charts, and it is described in the reports
of numerous explorers and travelers. In every descrip-
tion of the springs that I had read or heard, it was stated
that at any time of the year, even in the late summer, a
solid mass of ice could be found within a foot of the sur-
face. We determined to see this remarkable phenomenon.
The springs lie near the foothill on the edge of a somewhat
extensive area of swampy ground from which no water
issues on the surface. Digging down a spade's depth we
reached the white crystal and found it to be cold enough to
answer all requirements, but it was so hard and the super-
imposed mud was so deep, that it seemed hardly worth
the efiFort to obtain a block under such difficulties. We
reported to our friends as had been done to us by former
travelers thai solid ice was there, and endeavored to ex-
plain to each other by what processes ice could be formed
on an open plain during hot summer days, but never
arrived at a satisfactory solution of the problem. Pro-
fessor W. H. Reed, of the University of Wyoming, has
finally come to my assistance and exploded the "ice"
theory in foto. Having learned of the generally accepted

254 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

belief that natural ice is formed in those springs, he made
the matter the subject of personal investigation and in-
forms me that "the springs show what appears to be ice,
but what in reality is soda and gypsum. The so-called
ice springs yield a bitter water; this is because of the dis-
solving of the gypsum, one of the lime deposits." The
springs like many frauds in other lands are very interesting
to the deluded seeker of curiosities and marvels, but it
causes a shock to learn that this midsummer ice is a
fiction. The gypsum resembles soda and also salt and
ice. And thus is our popular delusion dispelled !

A few rods west of the springs we observed two or three
small ponds of water, which were exceedingly bitter to
the taste. The surrounding soil was covered thickly with
a saline efflorescence. Beyond the springs, we reached
a creek that was strongly impregnated with sulphur.
On the dry plain adjacent I discovered the finest specimens
of petrifaction I have ever seen. They were evidently
sections of red cedar and were nearly transparent. Here
and there lying upon the ground were carcasses of buffaloes,
which, though they had doubtless lain there for many
weeks under the direct rays of a midsummer sun, gave no
evidence of decomposition, but such portions as had not
been removed by the wolves were preserved and dried
solid in the pure air, in which there were no germs of decay.
Availing themselves of this property, the Indians and
trappers preserve meat by hanging it up to dry in the sun.

During the day, members of the party despatched an
antelope, two jack rabbits, and a few healthy rattle-
snakes; and they reported that they saw Indians sneaking
up a distant ravine.

Truly interesting was this land of wonders, which we are
hardly justified in calling "Wyoming" in this description,

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE ^55

because there was no territory having that name until 1886.
One of those bright days, when the train had * laid by '
to give the stock a rest, Ben and I strolled out on foot for a
hunt. After wandering a few hours over treeless hills and
into dry valleys, we began to suffer severely from thirst.
We changed our course from time to time, allured by
indications of any distant ravine along the bottom
of which might creep a rivulet. We were invariably
disappointed. As our travel had at all times carried us
away from the trail, we soon realized that many hours
must pass before we could again find relief in our camp.
One little diversion temporarily turned our thoughts from
our personal discomforts. We were standing above a
narrow ravine counseling together as to our future course
when we heard the report of a rifle shot coming from an
unseen point up the valley, possibly a mile distant. We
were not previously aware of the presence of any other
person in that vicinity nor did we learn who fired the shot.
It was evidently directed toward a herd of antelopes, for
in a few seconds about a dozen of the graceful beasts came
sweeping toward us along the bottom of the ravine. I
had seen many herds of antelopes skimming over the
plains, usually in the distance, but never before nor since
that time have I beheld such poetry of motion or such re-
markable speed in an animal as was exhibited by those
frightened creatures. Along the valley were numerous
dense clumps of sage brush six or seven feet in height and
in some cases covering rather a large area. These ob-
stacles did not seem to retard the flight of the airy crea-
tures in the slightest degree. Bunched closely together,
the antelopes fairly sailed over one obstruction after an-
other with wonderful ease and grace, never touching a
twig and always alighting upon all four feet; and again

256 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

springing from all fours they bounded swiftly onward,
glancing like arrows over the next patch of sage brush.
One quick and seemingly light touch now and then upon
the earth was all that was needed to send them onward.
As they approached the point where we stood, each of us
fired a shot at them, but we were too slow for their move-
ments. Much has been written concerning the gazelle,
the springbok, the chamois, and other congeners of this
beautiful animal, but there appears to be no definite
information concerning the maximum speed of the antelope
of out plains, which is known by zoologists as the prong-
horn antelope. The opportunity was afforded us to wit-
ness from a favorable position but a few rods distant a
wonderful burst of speed, which in our judgment would
have left the swiftest race horse quickly out of sight.
When this swiftly moving picture had vanished we should-
ered our rifles for the long tramp toward the train.

Hardly a day had passed during the few preceding
weeks in which we had not seen herds of antelopes and
black-tailed deer, but our approach toward antelopes was
usually discovered by them very quickly and a few rapid
bounds put them beyond reach of our rifles, where they
would sometimes suddenly turn, and with long, sleek ears
tipped forward and large eyes turned toward the source of
danger often remain to watch the closer approach of the
hunter. Paul Beemer was our most accomplished sports-
man and his patience was occasionally rewarded.

When we started upon our return from the long wander-
ings of the day to which I have referred, we realized that a
drink of cool water would have been more welcome than an
antelope would have been. As our course outward had been
tortuous, without any objective point in view, and had
carried us possibly eight miles from camp, our knowledge

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE 257

of plainscraft was fully tested, for the camp was pitched
in a little valley invisible from any point forty rods distant.
Many of the ravines were dry runs, down which the water
evidently had flowed in time of storms, but in the sides of
many of them were exposed strata of alkali several feet in
thickness. We finally observed in the distance the glisten-
ing of water in a broad, sandy valley and changed our
course to reach it. It proved to be one of those remarkable
water courses common in parts of that country, where a
stream filters along beneath the dry quicksand and here
and there appears for a short distance at the surface, but
it would have been impossible to dip the tiniest cup of
water from it, for the sand instantly refilled the slightest
depression made in it. A strainer of fine cloth might
possibly have prevented one from drinking sand. There
was, indeed, an opportunity to moisten our lips, but wet
sand is an unsatisfactory beverage at best. The water
was found to be strongly alkahne, therefore unfit to quench
thirst — an unpleasant disappointment on a hot day in the
midst of a hot, arid plain.

"Traverse the desert, and then ye can tell
What treasures exist in the cold, deep well.
Sink in despair on the red, parched earth,
And then we may reckon what water is worth. "

This water famine of only eight or nine hours was com-
paratively a small matter, but it impressed us with the
fact of our constant dependence upon the simple things of
life. When we had found our camp and satisfied our
thirst from the old water keg we discovered with pleasure
that Paul, who went out as usual alone on horseback, had

258 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

brought in an antelope, which, of course, furnished us
steak for supper.

Paul's success, however, was eclipsed on the following
day. It was July 29th. Driving Pete's fine four-horse
team in advance of the train, and while passing along the
summit of an elevated ridge commanding an extended
view over a broad valley on our left, I discovered a dark,
moving object three or four miles distant, toward the
furthest limit of that depression. The field-glass disclosed
the fact that it was a solitary buffalo. The train was
halted. Although tens of thousands of these magnificent
animals were at close range later on my return, this was
the first buffalo thus far seen on our trip that was near
enough to justify the hunt. Fresh meat was needed, and
every one was eager for any excitement. It was therefore
determined that Ben, Fred, and Mr. Alsop, the Captain
of Creighton's train, should enter the chase. Hasty
preparations to that end were accordingly made.

Intense excitement was manifested not only by the
spectators but by our chosen representatives while the
trio belted their waists, tightened their saddle girths, ex-
amined their fire-arms, discarded their waistcoats, slung
aside their hats, and otherwise prepared for the coming
encounter — in all of which they received willing assistance.
At the last moment Dan Trippe, the Nestor of our group on
all such occasions, stood beside his wagon with uncovered
head and in an earnest manner from his unfailing knowl-
edge gave the boys some parting words of advice and
admonition. He briefly instructed them in the habits of
the American Bison, (Bos Americanus) its mode of defense
and its sudden attacks. He carefully informed them in
what part of the body the leaden missile would be most
likely to prove effective and where it would strike as

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE 259

harmlessly as a feather. Thus duly prepared for the chase,
the boys, as had been arranged, rode rapidly round the
valley to the right. Captain Alsop turned to the left and
soon disappeared from sight. The plan agreed upon was to
out-flank the buffalo from both sides and start the chase
toward the train. Nothing could have been planned to
produce a more spectacular contest. The affair was to
occur in a magnificent natural amphitheater the floor of
which was comparatively level, and the spectators occupied
a remarkably favorable position upon the elevated ridge
at one end of the ellipse, commanding a fine view of the
entire field. Stretched along in the distance at our right
were the snow-clad peaks of the Wind River Range.
In scenic effect it was hardly inferior to the site of the
amphitheater in Taormina, where Mount Etna at the
south and the Snow Mountains across the straits of Messina
once added to the interest of the sports in the arena. All
agreed that such opportunities were very uncommon. In
about thirty minutes nearly every watcher at the same
moment observed the boys emerging from a ravine along
which they had entered the valley and about one-third of
a mile beyond their game. Every spectator was as intent
on witnessing what was to follow as if in the ring at a bull
fight in Old Madrid. At the same moment the buffalo
also caught his first glimpse of his pursuers. Then fol-
lowed a demonstration which some of the older hunters
declared that they had never before witnessed. The
animal, which proved to be an unusually large bull buffalo,
turned toward the horsemen and as if in defiance gave an
angry shake of his massive head; then dropping upon the
ground rolled entirely over three times as if to warm him-
self to the approaching combat, and all as nimbly as would
a kitten and with a celerity of movement marvellous in so

260 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

large an animal. With one angry bellow he started toward
the hills. At that moment Captain Alsop rode rapidly
into the arena and would soon have met the bull but the
animal instantly turned directly toward the train and the
chase was on. For about two miles the boys, yelling like
Cheyenne Indians, and with hair flying in the wind,
pursued the monster, now and then sending a bullet in
advance from their repeating rifles. Though directed
somewhat at random, some of the shots took effect. The
animal's big red tongue, covered with foam, soon began to
protrude from the mass of shaggy hair, which enveloped
the bison's head. His speed slackened, and soon two of
the riders were at his side. Here for convenience the boys
used their Colt's revolvers. The animal gave a desperate
and vicious plunge at one of the riders, fell upon his knees,
and rolled heavily upon the ground. Prolonged cheers
arose from the excited spectators. A few of us ran out to
inspect the game and congratulate the sportsmen. A
bullet from Ben's rifle had reached the animal's heart, but
to our surprise we found fragments of two bullets which
had struck his head, but had not penetrated through the
shaggy mass of hair. Each bullet had separated into
fragments of lead, appearing as if melted by the impact
against the cushion of hair, which was filled with sand.
When the animal was turned upon his back, his fore hoofs
rose to a height of more than six feet. About four hundred
pounds of meat was cut (chiefly from the hump, which is
the choicest part of the animal) and was taken in a wagon
to camp. Deacon Cobb and Noah Gillespie did not come
down to greet the hunters, therefore Ben and Fred prac-
ticed upon them a bit of deception. They stained the
nostrils of their horses with the fresh blood of the victim
of the chase, and then the weary animals were led to camp,

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE 261

which it was necessary to pitch nearby on account of the
delay. Both the Deacon and Noah were careful observers
of horses, and a glance at the returning steeds revealed
evidence of severe treatment. The blood, coming appar-
ently from the nostrils, was, however, something extra-
ordinary. Noah called our attention to the proofs of
over-driving, which he regarded as criminal. Deacon
Cobb was summoned and with Noah gave the animals a
careful inspection. A driver from the big train was also
brought in and the limbs of the horses were examined, the
chest was tested, and the driver gave it as his expert
opinion that some bloodvessel had " busted, " an opinion
in which Noah seemed to concur.

Noah was kept in ignorance of the deception practiced,
and so seriously did he regard the offense that Dan said,
"When Noah passes to the other side he will immediately
ask to see the books and ascertain how the crime in question
had been passed upon by the higher courts." Neither
Fred nor Ben was ever disposed to be irreverent, but Fred
added that if Noah should ever be permitted to see the
books he would doubtless find that judgment was entered
with a full knowledge of the facts in the case, a plan not
always adopted in decisions rendered on the plains.

Since leaving the Missouri River, each day had seen us
at a little higher altitude than that of the preceding day.
The nights were chill, the cold being doubtless intensified
somewhat by proximity of the snowy range. A trapper
stated that it had snowed daily on the East slope from the
7th to the 14th of July. On the 30th of the month we
suddenly encoimtered immense swarms of Rocky Mountain
locusts, with which for two days we were surrounded.
All of them were moving eastward, and many of them,
sailing along blindly, struck us squarely in the face.

262 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Some of the horses with the train became afiPected by
drinking water that was strongly impregnated with alkaH.
The remedy adopted was to force down the animal's
throat a piece of fat bacon; the stomach, becoming a sort
of chemical laboratory, converted the bacon and alkali
into soap, which was considered less harmful than pure
soda.

On the night before reaching the pass, the peaks of the
Wind River Range rose grandly in the northwest. Their
dip is toward the west. The eastern faces are abrupt and
the peaks are sharp, appearing from the south as if the
strata on that slope had been rent asunder and the edge to
the west of the fissure had been lifted toward the sky,
leaving the ragged fault exposed toward the east, with
the surface sloping more gradually toward the west. A
magnificent range, and a most inspiring mountain view to
us camping in sight of the pass.

It had been half a century since Robert Stuart and his
party, in carrying despatches to John Jacob Astor, dis-
covered this pass after suffering great privations. From
the distance it seemed now as bleak and desolate as it ever
could have been. The night being cold with a heavy
frost, we secured enough sage brush for a moderate camp
fire. As we were quietly warming ourselves by the flick-
ering blaze, a voice from outside the circle broke in unex-
pectedly with the words, " I hear'n your boy Fred say after
they killed the buffalo and they were twittin' him about
bustin* his horse's blood-vessels that mebbe they wanted
to hang him before they knowed much about it. *' After
this introduction the speaker roared out with a hearty
laugh.

"Well, what were you going to say about it?" said Dan.

"Well, I'll tell you," he replied. "It's hke a case down

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE 263

on Poison Spider Creek. There was some fellows down
there that they thought were stealin' horses. A train was
coming along there and the captain of it lost two horses
and he jest made up his mind who got 'em, and there
wasn't no guessing about it neither, so he and his crowd
made up their minds that they was the law. They went
down to the fellow's camp and before the thieves could get
out their guns the train men got 'em tight and run 'em off
and got 'em up the creek where there was a tree, and hung
'em both. After awhile one of the herders found the
horses off in the hills and brought 'em in and they were
sure they hadn't been run off by the fellows either. Then
they found that one of the fellows had a wife that they
hadn't known about, and that she had heard that her man
had been himg for stealing horses that he hadn't stole at
all, so the captain who hung the fellows went over to
where the woman was to jfix things right with her and
make her feel better. They didn't want to do a dirty
trick."

"You mean, " said Dan, "that they went to sympathize
with the widow and give her consolation. "

"Yes, that's it. And the captain said to her, *Missis,
it is our mistake, and the joke is on us.' They found the
woman couldn't take a joke, but she went for her gun and
put a bullet in the captain. Now, I thought that this
fellow that you call Noah oughtn't to kill these boys for
hurting the horses in that chase until he knows the horses
are hurt. I guess the joke is on Noah. " Then he laughed
a big "ha! ha!" at the same time punching a nearby
driver in the ribs. "Noah, Noah," he pronounced, in a
slow, drawling tone as he moved onward, "seems to me
I've heard of him before. "

"That's a good-natured fellow," said Tom, as he drifted

^64 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

up toward the little fire, "and the story he told is pretty
nearly true, but it does not match the experiences of Jack
Slade, who managed the stage route this side of Julesburg. "

*'We have heard so much of Slade," said Ben, "that we
should like to know more about him. **

"Oh! everybody in this country knows about Slade.
There are said to be fully a hundred graves near Julesburg
in which are buried the worst characters in the country,
and Jack killed a great many of them. Jules Reni for
whom Julesburg was named, was one of his first victims.
Reni was as hard a character as Slade. The fact is that
along this road there have been here and there for several
years the headquarters of desperadoes who are worse than
the Indians. The story which Bob has told you concern-
ing the horse thief's wife reminds me of an experience with
Jack Slade's wife. Jack had become a terror to the
coimtry, and everybody was afraid of him because he was
a quick, dead shot, and his revolver was his usual argument
in case of any difference. A lot of men finally laid for
Jack and decided to lynch him. Watching patiently for
their opportunity, they caught him asleep and secured his
guns. Instead of stringing him up at once, they locked
him up in a log room and stood guard around it until they
could bring others to participate in the ceremonies. Jack
assumed that everything was all up with him, so he urged
that they send for his wife that he might see her once more
and make his dying confessions. In the goodness of their
hearts this one last wish was granted, for they were satis-
fied that Jack would die game. He was a bold and brave
though a bad man in life, and would surely be square in
his last hour. The wife was notified and coming quickly,
mounted upon a fine horse, without being searched she
was admitted to the room where Jack was confined.

A SPECTACULAR BUFFALO CHASE ^65

Before the door had been closed she whipped out revolvers
for two, and defying the crowd the woman marched Slade
to the horse she had brought, upon which both of them
quickly mounted, keeping their guns at all times leveled
with the threat that the first one of his captors that moved
was a dead man. The business was done so quickly that
Slade and his helpmate were soon out of reach. The party
was afraid of Slade with a gun. This occurred on the
Rocky Ridge division which you came over and where
the stages ran last year until they were taken off on account
of the Indian troubles. Jack for a time had charge of
that run for the Overland. He came from Clinton County,
Illinois."

Noah had been poking the sage brush fire into renewed
life; then crossing his hands behind his coat tails and
backing close to the reviving embers he said, "That story
that Bob told a few minutes ago brings to mind the re-
mark which some of us heard made by one of that gang
back on the road who sold to Dan the corn, which was to
be delivered to him on arrival at Julesburg. I guess some
of you know that Dan isn't much afraid of anybody, so
when he found that the rascals were trying to swindle him
on the com, Dan, holding a club in his hand said to their
boss, *You are a horse thief and a liar.* *Well,' said
the fellow, *may be that's all right, but do you know
anything against my reputation for honesty?' "

"Our party remembers that very well," said Fred.
"Dan told the truth and got his corn. "

A number of incidents of border life were related by the
little fire, but the night was cold and the ground was
freezing. Taking our army overcoats and blankets, Paul
and I found a protected spot and retired beneath the open
sky. If such a brilliant starlight night should come but

«66 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

once in one's life, it would thenceforth be a matter of
constant remembrance as a scene of beauty and grandeur.
Until the morning sun shone in our faces, we slept undis-
turbed.

CHAPTER XXI
The Parting of the Ways

THE picturesque red-sandstone cliffs of Red
Buttes and the granite-ribbed range of the
Sweetwater Mountains were left behind us.
Slowly our train climbed up the gentle grade to
South Pass. But this thoroughfare over the backbone of
the continent proved to be a disappointment, as it failed
to present the striking characteristics of a mountain pass.
In one respect, at least, its top is not unlike the North
Pole, for it is admitted by Arctic explorers (Cook and Peary
of course, always excepted) that they find it impossible
to locate the Boreal end of the earth with exactness.
Similarly the transient through South Pass is unable to
determine within several miles where his pathway is
actually at its highest point. An expansive though shal-
low depression is found where the summit ought to be,
both east and west of which, as we follow the trail, lies a
broad, level plateau, and it would be impossible without
an instrument to ascertain which side is the higher. On
both sides the approaches to the Pass are very easy grades,
each merging almost imperceptibly into the table land of
the broad summit. To the south, along this great divide,
the surface rises step by step and many miles further
away in the distance it continues on in smoothly rounded
mountain billows. To the north the ascent is also gradual,
until twenty-five miles from the trail there rises the base

267

268 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

of Atlantic Peak, which is the great southern spur of the
bold and rugged Wind River Range. From the slopes of
this range issue the remotest tributaries of the Sweetwater
River, the stream we had been following. We saw not
even a rivulet upon the highland known as South Pass,
the flow of which would mark the watershed. Finally we
reached Pacific Spring, a diminutive fountain whence a
scanty flow of water, oozing from the mud, crept along
for a time slowly to the westward. We then knew that we
had crossed the great Continental Divide. Here we
pitched our tent, and further down the brook the other
outfits camped. Although the altitude is but seventy-six
hundred feet, the ground froze at night. Some of the
snow from the recent storm, which was said to have lain
fourteen inches in depth a few days before, still remained
on all the lands above the pass. The country for miles
around was bleak and destitute even of sage bush. From
a small cedar log which we had transported a long distance
to meet such an emergency, we chipped a few splinters to
build our fire. Each member of our party being provided
with a soldier's overcoat, we wrapped ourselves in those
garments and were soon to be found standing very close
together around the little blaze. A blue veil of smoke
rose also from similar fires at each of the other camps,
bearing through the clear air the sweet incense of burning
cedar, which was quickly followed by the appetizing
fragrance of coffee and bacon.

We were to make a long drive on the following day, for
we had learned that after leaving the Pacific Spring no
water would be found on our course within a distance of
twenty-eight miles. As a start was to be made at three
o'clock in the morning, the boys began early to pull out
their blankets and find a warm spot for the night. But

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 269

where is the man with soul so dead, so devoid of all appre-
ciation of nature when she is in one of her rarest moods,
who would not wish to watch a remarkable sunset? The
sun was sinking behind the mountains of the Bear River
Range which, white with the recent snows and extending
from north to south, lay one hundred and fifty miles
distant to the westward. Far, far away to the south and
extending from east to west, rose the white-topped Uinta
Range, which south of us seemed to merge into the high
Ipuds of the great divide, crossed by the pass and extending
westward until it closed in with the western range, forming
the base of an immense triangle of mountains, the eastern
side of which was the Continental Divide, upon which we
stood. Extending northward from our camp, this dividing
ridge rises gradually until it meets the foothills of what
is now known as Atlantic Peak, which is the southern
buttress of the lofty Wind River Range and is twenty-five
miles away. Continuing northward, beyond two high
intervening summits, this range culminates in Fremont
Peak, the monarch of that range, and, as later surveys
show, still one hundred miles from our trail. The
apex of this triangle of mountains lies north of Fremont
Peak, beyond which rise the grand Tetons, one of the
most imposing ranges in our country. From the Tetons
I have also seen these peaks of the Wind River Range.
Within this visible area of mountains lies the highest
watershed of North America, whence, from an area of
fifty miles square, flow tributaries to the Atlantic, the
Pacific, the Gulf of California, and the Salt Lake basin.

The triangular disposition of the mountain ranges as
they lay before us, at this time outlined by their snow-
capped summits, is not clearly shown upon the maps, but
of such a form was the impression made upon our eyes.

270 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Away down below us and between the sides of that great
triangle, thus walled in by mountains, lay the broad
basin into which converge the upper tributaries of Green
River, a stream which in turn breaking through the Uinta
Range rushes southward to join the Colorado, and thence
onward through its titanic canyons to the Gulf of California.
And now, while the western mountains were casting their
far-reaching shadows across this broad basin beneath us,
the cold, snow-mantled sides of the Wind River Range
were dazzling and glittering in the level beams of the
setting sun. From our point of view and at that time
they were seen at their best. It was not like an Alpine
scene, diversified by mountain lakes, waterfalls, and
picturesque chalets, but it had a suggestion of wonderful
breadth and vastness and afforded a range of vision rarely
to be seen, except when one looks upward to the stars;
but the whole of that landscape of mountains, and the deep,
broad desert which they enveloped, was bleak and desolate,
with never sign of animal life nor trace of vegetation
visible. Though to us it weis a new country, everything
appeared to be old, as if through countless ages it had
remained unchanged. With this impression stamped upon
our minds, many members of our party wrapped their
blankets round them and slept under the open sky.

It happened on that night, one or two nights after the
full of the moon, to be my duty to stand guard until mid-
night. Hence it fell to my lot to watch a dazzling, winter-
like simset in midsummer, which, because of the prevailing
whiteness, imparted hardly a tint as the daylight faded,
except what was seen in the star-studded azure above.
After a brief period of declining light there was a wondrous
change when the clear, cold, and pearly moonlight broke
over the eastern highlands and lighted up the vast, white,

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 271

frosty landscape, for the moon was now in her glory and,

" Chaste as the icicle
That's curdled by the frost from purest snow, "

and thus in harmony with the earth upon which she shone,
for the distant landscape was spotless white, and the vast
stretches of mountain ranges which, along many hundreds
of miles, pinnacled the distant horizon with towers and
minarets, were covered with crystals of frost and snow.

It was at the break of the coming day when our little
outfit closely followed by Mr. Warne's party rolled out in
advance of the long train, and by sunrise we were follow-
ing the very gentle descent of the western slope, across
sandy and gravelly wastes, which were relieved here and
there by barren, flat-topped clay buttes, for the sun had
done rapid work with the snow in the lowlands. The
night found us at Little Sandy, an unruly stream six or
eight yards wide, which was doing its best in an unceasing
endeavor to make the dreary desert interesting. Accord-
ing to the old Mormon diaries, (to which reference has
already been made) it was near this ford, June 28, 1847,
that Brigham Young and his party first met Jim Bridger.
Jim was a famous mountaineer and guide, an almost con-
stant wanderer through those wilds, and might be en-
countered at almost any out of the way place in the Rock-
ies. On summing up the meager records in the diaries,
and my personal interviews with some of those first pio-
neers, it appears that Bridger, with two of his men, had
come over from his fort on their way toward the Pass
and had struck this Oregon trail, probably at Green River.
Fortunately for the Saints they met toward evening near
this stream. Learning that the traveler was Bridger, the

272 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Mormons prevailed upon him to camp with them over
night, because he, above all others, was the man they
most desired then to meet, because of his familiarity with
the Salt Lake Valley, concerning which the Saints had
no definite knowledge.

To reach Salt Lake they must soon leave the well de-
fined Oregon trail. The remainder of their course was to
be guided, if at all, by the narrow trails of the trappers.
It was up and down these tributaries of Green River and
into the wilds of Pierre's Hole and Jackson's Hole, be-
tween which lie the majestic Tetons, that the fur traders
and hunters found the most profitable game in greatest
abundance. From among the men engaged in this pur-
suit was organized the Rocky Mountain Fur Company —
Jackson, Green, Biddle and others, whose names are still
familiar in St. Louis, being interested in the venture.
In later years LaBarge, Sarpy, Picott, Pratte, Cabanne
and other St. Louis men entered the business. Many of
the men occupied in these operations were Creoles, the
name applied to French or Spanish people born in
America.

In memory of David E. Jackson, the magnificent val-
ley on the east slope of the Tetons was named Jackson's
Hole and the beautiful lake resting within its bosom was
named Jackson's Lake. Thus in those valleys were
scattered several hundred pioneers of another type than
men who have carried civilization into our now older
territory, with possibly the exception of the upper lake
districts. Some of them were French Canadians or
half-breeds, trained in the service of the Hudson Bay
Company. A few were expert marksmen from Kentucky,
and with them were many hardy Missourians, with St.
Louis men as leaders. In addition to those turbulent

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 273

and apparently heterogeneous groups of nomadic pio-
neers, there appear to have been many independent
trappers and traders, who also were restrained by no ties
and subject to no written laws. Although these latter
were pioneer explorers and accumulated great wealth
for the companies that employed them, they were not the
men who discovered and developed the resources of the
great West. Though confronted by many perils and
hardships, they loved their vocation and the wild and
wandering life along the mountain streams. Their
passion for the hunt was well expressed in the lines :
"Give me the lure of the long, white trail.
With the wind blowing strong in my face as I go;
Give me the song of the wolf dog's wail
And the crunch of the moccasin in the snow."
Of this type was Jim Bridger, a hero and a chief among
the mountaineers. In the interview that night on the
banks of the Little Sandy, surrounded by the exiled
leaders of the Mormon Church, he directed the Mormons
where they should leave the Oregon trail, and then follow
chiefly along trappers' paths, and through the mountain
canyons to Salt Lake Valley. Those narrow paths, as far
as they should be used, would be simply for guidance.
Along and beyond these they must blaze and clear their
own roadway for wagons, and must ford many mountain
streams.

"But tell us about the valley itself," asked Brigham
Young, after the mountaineer had outlined the most
practicable route to reach it.

"Well, Mr. Young," replied Bridger, "I wouldn't go
into that alkali valley to raise crops. I'll give you one
thousand dollars for the first ear of corn you raise there."
He then proceeded to describe the desert which surrounded

274 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

the saline waters of the lake, in which no life could exist.
The substance of this conversation was recited to me one
afternoon at Bridger*s home. At the time it occurred
the Mormons had not learned that the Salt Lake coun-
try had been ceded by Mexico to the United States.

This interview between Bridger and the Mormons and
the subsequent turning of the Saints from the old trail,
as there recommended by Bridger, brings us to the point
where, leaving the scene of that conference, a small de-
tachment of our party were also soon to turn from the
same trail and follow in the tortuous mountain paths
taken by the first Mormon emigrants, as mapped out for
them by Bridger. Dan and Noah and also the Warne
family and others who had been our traveling companions
across hundreds of miles of desert and on excursions up
the mountains, were to continue with the big train on the
Oregon trail. The information that this separation
would be made at Green River crossing, then but a few
miles before us, came to us unexpectedly. We knew
nothing of those western trails except those which we had
already traversed. None of these paths were shown
upon our maps. The recent days had been gliding by,
as days sometimes do when brightened by the mystic
influence of congenial companionship.

It is needless to state that the boys deeply regretted
the necessity of so soon parting from their old friends
Dan and Noah, and from Mr. and Mrs. Warne and their
obliging driver. Bill Swope. In this list we should not
fo'-get also to mention the daughters of Mr. and Mrs.
Warne, who, being bright, cultured, and refined, seemed
like exotics in that barren wilderness. One evening,
when Miss Margaret Warne was sitting upon a rude box
while others completed the circle around a sage bush fire,

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 275

and her soft voice was being listened to with rapt at-
tention, one of the boys whispered to his neighbor and
said, "That soap box is now a throne, for that girl upon
it is a queen." The young man who whispered the words
was dead in earnest. Old Deacon Cobb, who owned
many horses and whose observations concerning men and
women were of course made from his own peculiar stand-
point, often remarked the daring, freedom, and grace
with which the girls mounted and rode their horses.
Dan had said that they were fine conversers and well in-
formed on general topics. These attractive, winsome
girls were going into some part of Montana that was un-
peopled by civilized beings, where it seemed that their
light and influence would be wasted, as would the sparkle
of a gem in the desert sands. The boys lamented this
sacrifice of personal worth. They thought little, cared
less, and in fact did not then know, as no one then knew,
of the hundreds of emigrants who were to follow later and
settle around the home of this family and receive from
it that uplift whichj in the establishment of a new colony,
one family may exert upon the moral and social life of the
community.

As already indicated, the boys were hardly ready to say
good-bye to the young ladies, but it was impossible for
them to present some reason why they also should see
Montana.

It is difficult for the present day traveler to compre-
hend the peculiar situations and emergencies that some-
times confronted the western emigrant in the early days,
when they were as effectually removed from the re-
straints, conveniences, and conventionalities of civilized
life as if they had been transported to an uninhabited
island. An example of such a crisis, even more striking

276 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

than that in which our young men found themselves
when nearing that fork of the roads, was related to me
by a member of a family who shared in a strange episode,
which culminated at the parting of the ways which we
were soon to reach.

It was in the summer of 1849, when a wagon train of
emigrants captained by George Scofield, the head of the
family last mentioned, was slowly crawling over this
same road on its long way to the newly discovered gold
fields near Sacramento. Among the emigrants who had
been traveling under the protection of the Scofield outfit
were a few who were bound for Oregon. With the
travelers who were destined for California was a young
and vigorous farmer from one of the Middle States,
whose name was Pratt and who was accompanied by his
wife and six young children, the youngest being an infant
and the oldest hardly ten years of age. Mr. Pratt, like
the majority of the pioneers, had embarked his all, when
he started to cast his fortune in what was then an almost
unknown territory. The long line of covered wagons
crossed the Mississippi River and rolled out over the
plains. In a few weeks the stock of provisions was
practically exhausted. Many of the horses were run
off by the Indians, leaving a heavy burden upon the
animals which were left. While the men were toiling
by day and watching against the savages by night, the
women also had their work to perform and their vigils
to maintain, for the children had their weary hours.

While traversing the desert, Mrs. Pratt became a
helpless invalid, and in spite of her husband's efforts she
and the children were suffering from neglect. With her
parents, bound for Oregon and accompanying the train,
was Miss Huldah Thompson, a strong, kind-hearted,

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 277

young woman, who became deeply interested in the un-
happy condition of Mrs. Pratt and her children, and
with the noble impulses of a Florence Nightingale, she
voluntarily served them to the limit of her strength.

Weeks passed by, and one blistering hot day, while the
train was dragging along beyond the stream. Little Sandy,
Mrs. Pratt died. The train was ordered to halt while
men and women held a council near the dusty, covered
wagon in which lay the remains of the young mother.
Nothing could be done except what always had been
done when one of such a company dies, where there is no
cemetery except the broad bosom of Mother Earth and
no person within reach fitted to conduct funeral rites.
Therefore, while the train stood still, as stop the engines
of the ocean steamer while the body of the dead is con-
signed to the sea, the sympathetic emigrants circled
around the hastily dug grave by the roadside in the
desert, while the body from which the spirit had taken
its flight hardly an hour before, was lowered into its
solitary tomb.

Then again the line moved slowly on the long drive
toward the ford of the Big Sandy, before reaching which
no water would be found, and there they camped.

Huldah had been a stranger to the Pratt family until
they were brought together on this pilgrimage across
the plains, and now the day after the burial, the train
was expected to reach the forks of the road at Green
River, and Huldah, with her parents and other friends,
was to proceed on the Oregon trail, while Mr. Pratt was
to continue under the protection of Scofield's train along
the new Mormon trail. Pratt was heart-broken. Huldah
was sympathetic and helpful to the last moment.

A new light began to dawn upon Pratt, and a new

278 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

emotion rose within him. If anything was to be done
in response to this newborn inspiration it must be done
quickly. During the hours of the only evening whose
shadows fell after the burial, and before the expected
separation, Pratt and Huldah were engaged in earnest
converse. This brief courtship was concluded by sum-
moning the Thompson family and Mr. and Mrs. Scofield
to a midnight conference on the bank of the Big Sandy.
The Thompsons finally yielded to the inevitable, and the
definite approval of all members of the little party was
given to the plans proposed. The morrow was to be a
day of unusual activity with the emigrants because of
transfers of loads and teams to be made on dividing the
train, and hence the night after the burial presented the
last opportunity to solve the delicate problem then be-
fore the little group which had convened. It must be
now and forever or never.

There being no officer of the law and no clergyman in
all that broad wilderness who was authorized to perform
the marriage rites, Huldah without further ado and in the
presence of the witnesses there gathered at midnight
on the bank of Big Sandy River consented then and there
to become Mrs. Pratt. On the following day the train
reached Green River, where Mrs. Pratt bade adieu to her
father and mother and proceeded with her husband on a
honeymoon trip toward California, with many months
of travel still before her, along a route where possibly
not even a hut would be seen after passing the new Mor-
mon settlement near Great Salt Lake, at which point
it was hoped that supplies would be obtained.

Although other emigrants who continued with the
Scofield train failed to reach the Eldorado of the West,
Pratt and his wife, Huldah, with their family, made the

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 9,J!^

trip with safety and became a part of the remarkable
civilization that characterized the early California
settlements.

We also had camped at Big Sandy, a stream varying
in volume, but now about three feet in depth and easily
forded. A dozen Confederate soldiers, then loyally in
the service of the United States Government, were tem-
porarily stationed there, to afford a nominal protection
to the few trains then passing that way. In the evening,
Ben, who was fresh from his army life, led the veterans
to recitals of many of their recent experiences on southern
battle-fields. One more day of travel brought us to
Green River. The country traversed is a barren clay
land, inhospitable, and apparently sterile, presenting
hardly a blade of grass to relieve the monotony of the
scenery. The young people who had saddle horses, car-
ing little then for scenery, rode leisurely in advance of the
train and planned somewhat for the future.

A rough looking old frontiersman had established a
ferry at Green River, which, in conjunction with trapping
wolves, and selling whiskey and other necessaries, enabled
him to earn a livelihood. His tattered garments and the
exterior of his hut and its surroundings left us with the
impression that he was not enjoying great prosperity.
His charges for ferrying seemed to be somewhat excessive,
but the stream being very swift and the water at points
being ten feet in depth, we concluded negotiations for the
portage and camped on the further shore of the river.

As it is our purpose to describe some of the movements
that led to the development of the West, we must here
and there secure glimpses of the emigrants who under-
took that work, even though it be through eyes other than
our own. I find in a diary written by a member of the

kSO THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Mormon pioneer train, that when that party reached
Green River, to which we have just referred, the com-
pany was there met by one Samuel Brannan who, with
other Mormons, had sailed round Cape Horn to Yerba
Buena (now San Francisco) intending to establish a
colony on San Joaquin River. Knowing of the proposed
emigration of the Saints, he started eastward with two
companions, hoping to meet Young and his party. The
diary states that on his course Brannan and his party
passed a camping ground where nearly fifty emigrants
had perished from storm and famine, there being but
one survivor, a German, who had subsisted several weeks
on human flesh.

We return now to our night near the banks of the
Green River. As it was my watch from midnight and
we were to roll out at daybreak, I retired early with a
few words of farewell to those from whom we were to
separate, leaving others to enjoy the later hours, as part-
ing friends are apt to do. It may be stated now that
some of the boys later made a visit to Montana, but for a
time this thread in our story is broken. It was in the
gray light of the morning that each member of our party
was roused to his respective service. The teams were
rushed in while the breakfast was being prepared, and at
sunrise all were off for the still further West. The main
train turned to the right, and our party to the left.
After a mile or more of travel we halted upon a hilltop,
before descending out of sight, and from the distance we
heard the last shouts of good-bye from the other train,
accompanied by waving of hats and handerchiefs, after
which our now very small party moved on alone.

v^

CHAPTER XXII

The Banditti of Ham's Fork

BEFORE our little outfit rolled out from Ne-
braska City, Captain Whitmore gave us many
suggestions concerning our route, and instruc-
tions as to where long drives must be made along
which no water would be found. Among other words of
warning he said, with some earnestness, " Now, boys, if you
take the South Pass route keep a close watch when near
Ham's Fork. I lost some stock there and am confident
that it was stolen, for I have learned that a gang of thieves
and outlaws are located near that crossing. " Now it hap-
pened that early in the afternoon of the 4th of August,
while riding in advance of our train in search of a suitable
place to camp for the night, I descended to a very large and
rapidly flowing stream, thirty or forty feet in width and
about two feet in depth. I forded, and located a very sat-
isfactory camping place near the west bank. Having sig-
naled our approaching drivers to cross the little river and
camp at a point indicated, I rode upstream along the banks
for further reconnoitering.

On reaching the crest of a low ridge there came into view
in the distance to the left some outline of what proved later
to be a solitary good-sized log cabin, situated in a seques-
tered valley. After traversing the last few hundred miles
of our course, along which we had discovered only the few

281

282 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

huts to which reference has already been made, this hospit-
able looking cabin seemed wonderfully attractive. Led on
by curiosity I turned directly to the building and soon ob-
served a tall, athletic figure standing erect in the open door.
It proved to be a swarthy, black-haired man, attired in a
red flannel shirt and leather breeches, the bottoms of which
were tucked into his long topped boots. Having a revol-
ver strapped to his waist, he was equipped to fit well the
rude setting in which he was placed. I addressed the
stranger with a " Hello, " as I assumed to pass by. " Hello,
where in h — ^1 are you bound for. ^ Ain*t you lost.? " was
his cheerful greeting. This rough form of salutation, then
so common among frontiersmen in the West, may read in
print as if it implied the speaker's familiarity with the
nether regions to which he referred, and that my course led
to some department of the Devil's domain. In manner
the greeting was thoroughly cordial, and the words that
conveyed it had no more significance than the conventional
"How do you do.'^" to which no specific reply is expected.
The greeting led me to turn my horse near to the door and,
having been riding for several hours, I dismounted and
threw the bridle reins over a post. An invitation to come
in and sit down was accepted, for I felt a desire to see the
interior of a cabin that was so remarkably situated, for it
was not a location that a trader or trapper would naturally
select. My reply concerning the object of my ride was
reasonably frank and apparently satisfactory. Imme-
diately after my entrance to the cabin three men, also wear-
ing leather breeches, straggled in from another room, and
in time there was a larger gathering than I had hoped to
meet. Some members of the party took a half-reclinihg
position on bunks built along the sides of the room, others
straddled rough wooden chairs, a number of which, when I

THE BANDITTI OF HAM'S FORK 283

entered, surrounded a table on which lay a pack of cards.
The man who first addressed me continued the conversa-
tion during which, while facing me, he stood with feet some-
what apart and his hands thrust deep into his trousers'
pockets. The sombre effect of his heavy black mustache,
stubby beard, and swarthy complexion was somewhat
relieved by the good-natured manner in which he con-
versed, and by his cordial request that I join with him in
a drink from a black bottle that he took from a cupboard,
an invitation which was interpreted as being an evidence
of his benevolent impulses. The black-haired man seemed
to be astounded when I declined to drink his good
whiskey. The fact that my newly-found friend and some
of his companions carried revolvers in their belts signified
but little, because even I, a peaceful traveler, had carried
my rifle, as was our usual custom where there was any
hope of finding game.

" What kind of a gun have you got? " asked the ranch-
er, as he stopped and took it from my hands.

"It's a Henry. " The men gathered around and one by
one carefully examined the rifle.

"Sixteen shooters, ain't they.^^" asked one.

"Yes, 32 calibre."

While the weapon was commanding the undivided at-
tention of the men in the room, an occasion was afforded
me to take a more careful survey of the furnishings, among
which were a few guns, saddles, and other trappings for
horsemen.

I was what might properly be termed, in the parlance of
the country, an innocent tenderfoot, and yet an innocent
on observing the interior of a home cannot fail to form some
impressions concerning the type of people who occupy it.

"This stream off here is a branch of Green River, is it

^84 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

not?" I propounded the question partly to get my bear-
ings and partly to hasten the examination of the rifle.

"Yes," replied one, without raising his eyes from the
gun, "it's Ham's Fork, — but does this gun throw the
spent cartridge all right when the hammer comes up?"

"Yes, it works all right. Is there much game along the
stream?"

"Wa'al, there's right smart of game round here some-
times, " — which response was a shibboleth that betrayed
the speaker as having come from Indiana. Something, for
the first time since we left the Missouri River, brought to
ray mind the spirit of Whitmore's admonition, "Beware
of Ham's Fork."

I had already lingered longer than I had intended to do,
for I wished to find a spot where our horses could be pas-
tured for the night. I accordingly told the man that my
party was doubtless already encamped near the ford, and I
must return to supper. After returning the rifle, all the
men walked with me to my horse, and as I mounted ex-
pressed wishes for my good luck, and other favorable con-
ditions too numerous to recall. I slowly traveled up the
gentle ascent, taking a view from time to time of the gen-
eral surroundings. On reaching the camp I reported my
observations to the boys and reminded them of Captain
Whitmore's experience and advice.

Instead of seeking a remote place for pasturing our horses
we picketed them within sight of the camp and main-
tained an extra guard during the night.

It is possible that no reference would have been made
herein to the unimportant episode in this interesting cabin,
had it not been for the experience that befell Whitmore and
his men with our ox train, which followed us over this road
some weeks later.

THE BANDITTI OF HAM'S FORK 285

As stated by the Captain and some of his men, they ar-
rived at Ham's Fork, crossing late in the day after a diffi-
cult drive. Their stock, consisting chiefly of oxen, were
driven off to a range some distance from the camp, to feed
for the night. In the early morning the herders reported
to the Captain that eight oxen were missing and that they
had been miable to track them in any direction. Whit-
more at once suspected the cause of the trouble. After
sending out scouts for two or three miles in various direc-
tions on horseback in search of the lost stock, he himself
made some survey of the country upstream. The men
returned and reported that the stock was not found. This
was all accomplished before eight o'clock. At about that
time Whitmore called his men close around him, gave his
opinion of the situation, and asked them if, in view of all
the circumstances, they were ready for a fight. The fact
was that every man was anxious for some excitement. Of
the forty odd men in the outfit more than one half of them
had seen active service in the Civil War just ended, and
there was a good rifle for nearly every man. No better,
braver, or more vigorous body of men could easily be found.

"All right," said Whitmore, "I'm going to get those
oxen before I leave Ham's Fork. I am going to take one
man with me over to the ranch beyond the hill yonder. I
want all of you to get your guns and lie down out of sight
on this side of a slope which lies off north, and where two or
three of you can, at all times, see me. Now, you see this
old, red silk handkerchief. If I should pull that out, it
would be a signal that I want every one of you to come
down in a rush with your guns and surround that d — d den
over there, and I'll boss the job when you get there. And
if it's a fight shoot to kill, because I know they are a hard
crowd. I've heard of 'em before now, "

286 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

These brief instructions seemed to be well understood.
Whitmore had selected his companion, a strong, cool,
hardy young man, who had served in the Iron Brigade dur-
ing the war, and the two, without rifles, but with pistols at
their sides, started on foot for the ranch. Before they
reached its open door the men connected with the train
were lying concealed along and near the crest of the ridge
ready for service. The two were met at the door of the
ranch by two or three of the occupants of the cabin.
Whereupon, Whitmore, without any circumlocution, said
to them, "I want my oxen." The reply, as might have
been expected, was embodied in a few vigorous curses, and
the question, "What the h~l have we got to do with your
oxen? " Whitmore was a man who had seen much of west-
ern life and in emergencies had command of a vigorous
vocabulary in common use in that country. He also knew
that the men whom he was now confronting were part of
a band of the banditti of the plains, who were likely to kill
on the slightest provocation. He was also conscious that
the least evidence of timidity would render his mission
fruitless, if not fatal. He accordingly and in very em-
phatic language informed his auditors that they must
promptly deliver to him the missing stock. This announce-
ment brought to the front a number of tough-looking men,
who emerged from an adjoining room attracted by the
pointed conversation at the front of the ranch, and all were
apparently enraged because of Whitmore's assertion that
they were thieves. Thus far the interview had been simply
a war of words, but now the ranchers declared that they
would kill him instanter if the demand should be repeated.
At that point Whitmore had occasion to wipe the perspi-
ration from his brow, which he did with his big red hand-
kerchief, which he flourished as he stood near the door.

THE BANDITTI OF HAM'S FORK 287

This was the agreed signal, and forty men, armed with
rifles, suddenly came rushing down the slope, completely
surrounding the ranch. The demonstration was undoubt-
edly a surprise to the gang of the cabin. Whitmore hardly
moved from his tracks, but quietly said, "I have just one
more word to say to you fellows. We mean business.
Two of you men may go outside of our lines to get my
oxen. You may tell me which men you wish to have
to go. If another man attempts to leave he will be shot.
If those oxen are not delivered here by six o'clock tonight,

we'll blow your d — d old ranch to the infernal

regions. I know you fellows from away back. Now how
does that strike you.^^" The declaration was duly
emphasized with appropriate epithets, such as are sup-
posed to add force and lucidity to such a statement, as
legal terms often do in arguments made in courts of justice.

Some explosions of bluff and braggadocio from the
ranchers followed Whitmore's announcement, imtil one of
the gang, who had been engaged in a private conversation
with another inside the ranch, came out and said with more
calmness, "Now your oxen have probably strayed off, and
if you wouldn't make such a d~d fuss about it, mebbe we
might help you find 'em. We know the ranges pretty well,
but we won't stand any of your insinuations." Whit-
more cast a glance at his men, who all appeared to be per-
fectly serene. Their Henry repeating rifles, recognizable
by their bright brass mountings, were in hand ready for
business.

"As I said a minute ago," continued Whitmore, "all I
ask of you is that you get the oxen, and you have got to get
'em d — d quick, and the quicker you get 'em the better for

288 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

you. I'll give you just about five minutes to settle what
you will do, but mind you, only two men can pass our lines
without a fight."

Now this was one method for securing justice, practic-
able only under peculiar circumstances. There were no
courts, no constables, and the practice of bluff was some-
times worked to the limit. Sometimes the bluff would fail
and often a desperate fight would follow.

"Well, pard," said one of the leaders, after a private
parley with some members of his party, "we ain't here to
hunt other people's stock, and we ain't afraid of nobody,
but mebbe there is some misunderstanding about this thing
and we are willin' to see if we can't find your oxen. Now,
what do they look like.? " " You bring me eight good oxen,"
replied Hill, "and I reckon they'll be mine. "

In a little time two men, wearing leather breeches, might
have been seen riding northward and disappearing in the
distance. At the same time the men from the train fell
back to a respectful distance, many resting upon the
ground prepared for a protracted vigil. In about three
hours the riders returned, driving all the missing stock be-
fore them. The battle was declared off, and after lunch
the train promptly pulled out for Green River.

Having seen the old rendezvous of Jean Lafitte, the
dreaded pirate of the Gulf, situated far back near the
swampy shore and protected in the rear by impenetrable
canebrakes, also the bolder structure said to have been the
castle of Gilles de Rais, the French Buccaneer in the Danish
Islands, in the light that history and romance have thrown
round them, I have endeavored in imagination to repeople
them with the characters, both men and women, who once
inhabited those now deserted strongholds, yet I have never
pictured a band that would more perfectly suit that service

THE BANDITTI OF HAM'S FORK 289

nor have I ever seen a body of men who in manner and
appearance were more perfectly adapted to such a voca-
tion than the gang who infested the cabin at Ham's Fork.

CHAPTER XXm

Through the Wasatch Mountains

FRED, who one afternoon had been riding in ad-
vance, was observed toward the close of the day
waving his old hat and shouting, "Hurrah,
here is water!" We had been traveling many
hours across a desolate, barren country that lay silent and
apparently lifeless beneath a bright sun, and the announce-
ment that water was in sight was received with great satis-
faction. We soon descended toward a swift-running
stream, along which there strolled a solitary man, the only
person we had seen during the day. He paused at the ford,
awaiting our arrival.

"What stream is this?" we asked the stranger.

"Smith Fork," was the reply.

"This appears to be a good place to camp," remarked
Fred.

"You'll go a long way before you find another, " said the
stranger as he drew nigh to our horsemen.

"Do you live in these parts?"

"Yes, I have a ranch down below here, and I'd like to
have you come and see me. "

We promised to respond to his invitation, as soon as our
stock could be properly picketed on the range. An hour
later Ben, Fred, and I sauntered down the stream and were
soon at the door of a good-sized cabin, in which stood our

290

THROUGH THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS 291

new acquaintance ready to receive us. He was a strong,
fine-looking fellow, with a genial face, and he welcomed us
most cordially. The room into which we were immediate-
ly ushered, although simple in its appointments, as was to
be expected in the cabin of a frontiersman in such a wilder-
ness, nevertheless had an air of comfort. The attractive
arrangement of various little articles indicated that
woman was the presiding genius ; for there is an indescrib-
able something that is imparted even to the rudest cabin
by a woman's hands.

In a short time a young lady of engaging appearance en-
tered the room, whom our host introduced to us as his wife,
Clara. The boys all rose instantly to take the hand of this
Queen of the valley of Smith Fork. When we resumed our
seats, the rancher asked the usual questions concerning
our destination. Learning in addition to other facts that
one of our party, Paul Beemer, had with him in his wagon
a stock of jewelry which he was taking West to sell, the
mountaineer requested that some of the articles be brought
over to the cabin, so that the women might see them.

All is not gold that glitters, and this was true of the
treasures that Paul possessed, which had been packed away
in attractive packages in his wagon. He was perfectly
willing to present for inspection a few choice samples,
which he believed would interest the ladies of Smith Fork,
whoever they might be. The society of that entire valley
as far as we could learn, was centered in this one cabin,
but we knew nothing of the character of the household.

In response to the rancher's request, Paul soon appeared
bearing a few packages containing his choicest jewels,
which were soon opened upon a table in the room where we
had been received.

In anticipation of the pleasure in store for them, two

292 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

other young women soon came rushing into the room in
high glee. To our surprise, these also were introduced as
wives of the host.

They were all certainly very attractive in personal ap-
pearance, and none of the three seemed to be more than
twenty-three years of age. The husband was a compara-
tively yoimg man.

"With such a fine family we may safely conclude that
you are a Mormon," said Ben.

" You are correct, " replied the rancher. " We are of the
church of Latter Day Saints, and I think I have a fine fam-

iiy."

This sentiment met our cordial endorsement. Being
thus introduced for the first time into a Mormon home, and
having read much concerning the doctrines and practices
of this people, I was very curious, as other persons have
been, to observe something of their religious life and the
manner in which their complex domestic affairs are man-
aged. In later years I have been received in many Mo-
hammedan homes in Turkey and other parts of the Orient,
but among those people, as is well known, the women of
the household are required to retire from the room before
a guest may enter, however intimate that guest may be
with the host. These young women of Utah were appar-
ently as free to converse with guests as would be the wife
of an Illinois farmer. They were also refined and modest
in deportment.

As soon as Paul had spread out upon the table several
trays of his most attractive jewelry, imported as I be-
lieved from Connecticut, the ladies proceeded to examine
the articles. There were so-called amethyst pins and ear-
rings, the jewels of which were of an excellent quality of
exquisitely colored glass, and necklaces that might please

THROUGH THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS 293

a queen, if she did not know how little they cost. The
young women were delighted, and when one of them espied
a pin that had the appearance of an emerald set with dia-
monds she made a dive for it and, holding it to her neck,
asked the husband, in whom she had a one-third interest,
if it was not beautiful. He seemed favorably impressed
with the combination, and asked the price of the treasure.
It was a good opportunity for Paul to ask about nine thous-
and dollars, but he was square, and informed the admiring
husband that as he, Paul, was not regularly in business
he would make the price to him ten dollars, because he
was anxious to realize on a few articles and ready to make
a sacrifice to obtain a little money. The pin was imme-
diately presented to the young wife by the husband, who
said that the other girls must have something equally fine.
It will be readily understood that in a home with three
yoiing wives, the principle of the square deal must be fun-
damental, otherwise there will be jealousies and heart-
burnings.

The Mormon rancher stood a little distance back from
the enthusiastic group in the Smith Fork cabin, and with
a broad smile upon his face watched his wives while they
reveled freely in the assortment of cheap jewelry. Paul did
not hand the treasures out article by article with the watch-
ful care that is practiced by the trained diamond salesmen
in the great New York shops, but allowed free access to his
goods. When the young women had satisfied their hearts*
desire, the husband was apparently the happiest person in
the group and promptly paid cash for the articles selected.
Thus the lord of this frontier manor with a free and easy
air scanned with an eye to equity the articles with which
his several wives were adorning themselves and (as we be-
lieved) was conscious of the fact that there would be an

294 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

hereafter, in case one of them should believe herself to be
the subject of unfavorable discrimination.

Our visit to this new Mormon home far out in the moun-
tains became the subject of much discussion in the evening,
and in fact made a lasting impression on us. What were
to be the experiences of this family as the months should
go by, and the responsibilities of later years should rest
upon the father and mothers .f^ Could the husband imder
this system reUgiously preserve the principle of the square
deal, and not find among the three who were pledged to
share his joys and sorrows one who, because of some pecu-
liar attraction, should become a favorite, and for that cause
rouse the green-eyed monster in the breasts of her sisters?
Would they all welcome the fourth wife, if another should
be escorted to the door.^^

On the morning after our arrival at Smith Fork I was
called at 12.30 a. m., it being my duty that morning to
stand guard until the breakfast hour, which was to be at
daybreak. We soon discovered that our course had led
us to the thoroughfare pursued by the Holliday mail coach-
es. The trail was stony, and many steep hills were as-
cended and descended. At noon we reached Fort Bridger,
established by James Bridger, to whom Bancroft and other
high authorities have accorded the honor of the first dis-
covery of Great Salt Lake, whose waters he reached when
in the service of Henry and Ashley of the Rocky Mountain
Fur Company. Bancroft also states that Franciscan friars,
who explored in the southern country, had evidently learned
of this lake through the Yutah Indians inhabiting that re-
gion.

Fort Bridger was beautifully situated near one of the
tributaries of Black Fork, 124 miles northeast of Salt Lake,
at an elevation of about seven thousand feet above the sea.

THROUGH THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS 295

Some incidents in the history of this Fort in its relation to
the Mormons, as given to me personally, may be more
properly mentioned in another chapter. At Fort Bridger
we found many Snake and Bannock Indians, who were
then at peace with all the world, except the Sioux. It was
reported that three thousand Snakes had left this post the
week preceding our arrival.

The scenery between Fort Bridger and the entrance to
Salt Lake valley, as observed from our pathway, is grand
and interesting. Having passed over the divide and
thence down to the swift waters of Bear River, we again
ascended to another summit and thence into the upper en-
trance to Echo Canyon, a wild gorge hemmed in by sand-
stone cliffs. Toward the close of the day we overtook a
Mormon farmer having a wagonload of garden truck and
other produce. We had not tasted a fresh vegetable since
leaving Nebraska City in May, and it was now the eighth
of August. We were in a frame of mind similar to that of
the Israelites in the wilderness of Sin, when they sighed
for the good things back in Egypt. Paul was delegated to
interview the farmer in a diplomatic manner and if possible
negotiate for something to eat, but under no circumstances
to divulge the fact that we were famishing for a change of
diet, which if known might cause the farmer to establish
high prices, for he certainly had an effective corner on the
green goods market. Paul reported that the best prices
he could obtain were six bits, or seventy-five cents, per
pound for butter; eight cents per pound for potatoes; ten
cents for onions.

"Did he say six bits?" asked Uncle Simeon Cobb.

"He did," replied Paul.

"Then he is from Missouri," continued the deacon.

The order finally was to buy potatoes and onions.

296 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

"They are a good buy," said the deacon, whereupon we
instantly went into camp. In fact, it was near the close
of the day, and the clear, bright waters of Echo Creek rush-
ing down the narrow gorge, and the little patches of grass on
which our horses might revel, presented every inducement
needed for pitching our tent, but the supreme reason was
onions and potatoes.

Soon the delicate fragrance of frying onions, as all per-
vasive as the aroma of an orange grove, was diffusing itself
throughout that beautiful and magnificent valley. The
party watched around the campfire, as if in fear that some-
thing might be wasted in the air. The potatoes, carefully
counted, were placed beneath the ashes, where for one long
hour they must lie unseen and untasted. How long and
how many its sixty minutes!

Much has been written by would-be purveyors on the art
of cooking various mixtures. To many of these concoc-
tions, some of which are unfit to be introduced into the hu-
man stomach, there have been ascribed names usually of
French coinage, the purpose of which is both to disguise
the commonplace ingredients used and to compensate in
some measure for lack of attractiveness to the palate, by
spicing the compound with a mysterious name of foreign
derivation.

On the other hand it may be interesting to the fastidious
epicure to glance at some instructions for properly cooking
one simple article in plain American style, al fresco, the
recipe for which is prepared by an intelligent expert as the
precipitate of personal experience.

How TO ROAST POTATOES IN CAMP. First sccurc
the potatoes. Wrap them separately in wet paper or
something of a similar nature that may be available. Bury
them in the hot ashes of the campfire and cover with hot

THROUGH THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS 2d7

embers. Let them remain an hour. Then call the boys.
In serving they should not be cut open with a knife, but
should be divided by breaking.

This artless method of cooking this well-known tuber
imparts to it a wholesomeness and palatableness that sur-
pass all the countless a la's with which caterers have de-
luded the public in its preparation. One such example of
Wild West cooking may suffice in this connection.

Possibly the chef-d'oeuvre of our supper in Echo Canyon
was the onions and bacon, the pleasant savor of which was
doubtless heightened by our thirty-mile ride and tramp in
an exhilarating atmosphere after a ten weeks' total ab-
stinence from vegetable diet.

The well-fed epicure may fail to grasp the full signifi-
cance of these conditions, but it was expressed with unction
at a banquet given by a venerable and wealthy bachelor,
an acquaintance of the writer. Favorable comments were
passing round the board concerning the excellence of vari-
ous articles that were being served. One of the guests, who
had been an intimate friend of the host for nearly a half
century, facetiously said ; *' Gentlemen, even the excellent
cook for this occasion, and, in fact, all of the modern cater-
ers fail to impart to the viands they serve the peculiar and
appetizing flavor that was given by the old mothers, when
I was a boy, to all their domestic cookery." "Is that
so, George.'* And how old was your palate then?'* was
the host's prompt repartee. All of which throws light on
the vagaries of a man's appetite.

Under favorable conditions Echo Canyon is a charming
ravine. While our evening campfire was lighting up the
deep gorge, Ben, Fred and I wandered down the banks of
Echo Creek, the bright waters of which glide along the base
of overhanging sandstone cliffs, and we soon guessed why

298 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

the canyon had received its present name. To the focus
of the vast concaves that have been scooped from some of
the cliffs the sound of our voices came back with redoubled
power, and to other points with softer reverberations
startling in effect. It is an unobservant traveler whose at-
tention has not often been arrested by weird echoes coming
to his ears from some mountain cliffs, but in the shadows
of this canyon we discussed the phenomena of echoes while
interesting demonstrations were being made. We en-
deavored to calculate the distance of the unseen cliffs that
sent back the sound, and then speculated upon the effect
such phenomena would produce upon the minds of an im-
aginative people like the Greeks of the older period, who
were ready at any time to pay homage to any deity previ-
ously unrecognized. It was not strange that they should
conceive the fiction of the Nymph Echo, who because of
her babbling was made to pine away into a bodiless voice.
Nights leisurely spent in these canyons would lead the un-
tutored mind to let loose its fancy, if it possessed any, and
people this mountain valley with beings more than human.

As we looked westward down the canyon we noticed
a little grove of quaking aspen trees which had sent
some of their slender branches above the lines of the cliffs
beyond, so that they were silhouetted against the evening
sky. Although the air seemed to be perfectly still in the
valley, the leaves of the aspen trees were vigorously
shaking, as if some invisible sprites were using them to
wave signals across the gorge.

From the ravines now and then there came the dismal
howl of a timber wolf, and the cry, hurled back from the
echoing rocks, was repeated after a little delay, as if the
wolf had been awaiting the returning sound, like enough to
his own to be the voice of his hungry brother. The little

THROUGH THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS 299

stream continued to flow down the valley over its stony
bed, rushing under overhanging willows, singing its own
pecuhar music, in which there was any melody that one's
fancy might conceive.

Amidst these startling sounds we wandered through the
gloom nearly a mile down the dark, rocky road where we
decided that it was time to return. Before retracing our
steps up the canyon we gave a short whoop, which as before
was echoed back from the other side. To our astonish-
ment the first echo was quickly followed by a soft, sup-
pressed whoop and echo, evidently the voice of a girl. We
repeated our call, but no voice then came back except our
own. Renewed curiosity impelled us to follow the path-
way farther down stream. The light of a campfire soon
broke through the foliage, and it became evident that an-
other party was in the valley. Approaching the group, we
discovered to our great surprise and pleasure that it was
the family of Dr. Brown from whom we had separated at
Julesburg and who intended to remain in Denver. On
their arrival at that mining camp, letters were received by
the doctor urging him to proceed at once to Oregon where
a friend had located at a place offering an excellent oppor-
tunity for a physician to practice his profession.

Echo Canyon, which proved to be so interesting to us and
in which several days and nights were again spent later in
the season, is twenty-three miles in length and increases in
depth as it narrows down to its outlet into the valley of the
Weber River. At a few points, narrow, steep ravines ra-
diate from the main canyon, and in their walls a few small
caves are found. From the summits above the valley the
views obtained were superb.

At the break of day after our first night in Echo Canyon,
we heard the approaching mail coach rattling along the

SOO THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

stony road, making its best possible speed down the rapid-
ly descending grade, turning short curves on the dizzy
edge of cliffs over which a slight deviation would have
hurled it upon the rocks below. A glimpse into the open
windows, as the coach rolled by, revealed the passengers
within half-reclining in various attitudes, doubtless weary
with their long ride and evidently unconscious of the grand
scenery through which they were plunging.

On the ninth of August we reached the station at the
mouth of the canyon, and a general rush was made for the
establishment in which we learned there was a telegraph
office, the wires having been strung to Salt Lake several
months previous to our visit. Many weeks had passed
since we had received any intelligence from the busy world.

"What's the news from America.'^'* asked Ben after we
had entered the door.

'^Here's the last Salt Lake paper," said the genial proprie-
tor, as he laid the welcome sheet upon the counter.

We gathered closely around the journal, and all read the
first headlines : " The Success of the Prussians Attributed
to the Needle Gun."

*'What have the Prussians been doing with Needle
guns.?" was asked.

*' Fighting, of course, " said the man behind the counter.
"You probably haven't heard of the European war. Here
are other papers, " he added, as he laid them before us.

These disclosed the fact that on the third day of the pre-
ceding month (July,) a great decisive battle had been
fought between the Prussians and the Austrians at Konig-
gratz in Bohemia, now called the battle of Sadowa, in
which the Austrians had lost 40,000 men. But why had
we not learned before leaving the states that war existed
between those nations? Further investigation showed

THROUGH THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS 301

that the first message through the Atlantic cable, which
had been quietly laid, was received on July 29th, and it
announced that a treaty of peace had been concluded be-
tween Austria and Prussia, a surprise in that day of slow-
going even in New York. On the same day telegrams of
congratulation passed between Queen Victoria and Presi-
dent Johnson on the successful completion of the link be-
tween the two countries, and these were also quoted in the
Salt Lake papers. News from Europe at the close of the
Prussian war reached Salt Lake two weeks more quickly
than was possible at the beginning of that conflict, which
lasted only seven weeks. Thus it seemed that although we
were ten weeks in travel farther from Europe than we were
when we moved out from Nebraska City, we were twelve
weeks nearer to it in time of communication than we would
have been without the telegraph. As we passed along on
the following days in sight of the cold, silent wires strung
across that wild country, we were conscious that signals
were probably flying through them that others could read,
yet for us there was no message from home that we could
see or hear. It was, therefore, remarked that if we could
read the signals which then might be passing through
space where there were no wires, or could understand even
the call of the birds that nested in those rocks, and would
soon migrate, we should be wiser than other men.

Our trail through the Wasatch Mountains zigzagged at
acute angles to reach the canyons through which it must
pass and in a manner which sometimes leaves the observant
traveler bewildered concerning the direction in which he is
going. The average immigrant simply follows such a trail
in the abiding faith that it will come out somewhere.

From Echo our trail bore sharply to east of south, thence
westward into Silver Creek Canyon, thenpe southw?ird

302 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

through that gorge, thence westward through Parley's
Canyon, at all times following the sinuosities of mountain
streams and crooked valleys.

Beyond a little flouring mill on the Weber River we
pitched an attractive camp, where Fred found water on a
mountain side.

Some experiences in Silver Creek and Parley's Canyon
will be mentioned in connection with another trip through
these ranges of mountains. On the morning of August 11th
I stood guard from midnight on the western limits of the
beautiful Parley's Park. At 2.45 a. m. as prearranged, the
camp was roused that we might make an early start. At
noon we lunched on a high cliff near the west end of Par-
ley's Canyon, a point not reached by the present road. In
the distance, the waters of Great Salt Lake sparkled in the
sunlight and between it and us was spread that interesting
valley, which once was an alkaline desert soon to be made
to blossom as the rose. In its bosom was the new City of
the Saints, which we entered near the close of the day.

CHAPTER XXIV

Why a Faib City Arose in a Desert

THE history of Utah is a history of the Mormons,
but that history, as is well known, strikes its
roots much further East. It is not the purpose
of this story to give a chronicle of Mormonism,
nevertheless, as some startling events have marked the
birth of nearly every religious sect, a cursive glance at the
beginnings of Mormonism seems necessary to introduce us
into the atmosphere of Mormon life and make our later ob-
servations better understood. The brief account here
given is largely the result of personal investigation and of
conference with old citizens in the early centers of Mor-
mon influence.

The revelation made to Joseph Smith on the hill Cumo-
rah, near the village of Manchester, in the state of New
York; the delivery to him by Moroni, a messenger from
God, of the book written on plates of gold, also a key with
which to translate the mystic characters engraved there-
on,— all of which was alleged to have taken place in the
year 1827, naturally became the subject of much comment,
chiefly of an adverse nature.

A few persons accepted as a divine revelation the book
as translated, which was finally crystallized into the Book
of Mormon, now held by that people as a part of the Holy
Word and equal in importance and authority with the Old
and New Testaments.

303

304 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

After suffering many persecutions, during which the
disciples of Smith gradually increased in numbers, the lead-
ers of the New Church practically abandoned the state of
New York, a number of them reaching Independence,
Missouri, in the early part of the year 1831, where in obedi-
ence to another revelation they established a Zion, a term
which appears to be adopted for their various centers of
religious activity. Almost concurrently with the move-
ment to Missouri, a colony of the scattered New York
Saints settled in Kirtland, Ohio. In both of these Zions
monthly journals were published to represent the interests
and claims of the New Church. Temples were also built,
the one in Kirtland being dedicated in 1836. Records
show that the Saints held their property in common. In
Independence and other towns in Missouri, soon after their
settlement by the Mormons, numerous adherents of the
new faith were mobbed, tarred and feathered. After con-
tinued tribulations, which in the severe winter of 1839 de-
veloped into open warfare, they were driven from the state,
leaving their possessions chiefly in the control of their per-
secutors.

They were soon heard of in western Illinois, which they
reached after being goaded at every step by the oppo-
sition and derision of the former settlers. Nauvoo, or the
Holy City, as it was called by the Saints, became the center
of their proselyting in that state. There they erected a
temple, which in many respects was remarkable, partly be-
cause of the fact that it is said to have cost $1,000,000. It
is described in detail in Times and Seasons, Vol. II. The
cornerstone was laid on April 6, 1841. They also estab-
lished a university and built several factories. Being in-
dustrious, they became prosperous and increased in num-
bers until, as stated in Smucker's Mormonisvii their church-

JOSEPH SMITH

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 305

es in and around Nauvoo embraced from ten to twenty
thousand members. The Millennial Star, Vol. V, reports
more than that number in attendance at the October con-
ference in Nauvoo, in 1844.

During these years they claim to have been guided at all
times by divine revelations, which were given to their lead-
ers and are published in their journals. Having faith in
the authority by which they were being led, they acted as
a unit in all matters, and thus became a power to be reck-
oned with in the political affairs of the state. This subor-
dination of local civil government to the head of a new re-
ligious sect, and especially to one which its adherents rec-
ognized as a theocracy, seemed contrary to the spirit of
American institutions and was repugnant to the ideas of
the early Illinois pioneers.

It was especially odious to those political leaders on
whom the Mormons would not unite their votes. This
situation intensified the hatred that had previously met
them and they were soon confronted by fresh opposition.
It would appear from the text of letters addressed by Smith
to Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, prior to the election
in 1844, that he was arrogant in a high degree. In those
letters he demanded from the candidates a statement of
what their attitude toward the Mormons would be in case
of their election. Some journalists characterized the
demand as insolent and yet suffragettes, labor unionists
and other equally respectable leaders frequently make
similar demands.

On the 12th of July, 1843, a revelation was said to have
been made to Joseph Smith and was duly published. A
copy is given by Bancroft, (page 160), sanctioning by di-
vine authority the practice of polygamy. This declaration
seemed to afford sufficient grounds for a renewed war of ex-

306 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

termination. Then followed the bitter conflict between
the citizens represented by mobs and the state militia pn
the one side, and the Mormons on the other side, which cul-
minated in the assassination of Joseph Smith, the prophet,
and Hyrum, his brother, by a mob of about one hundred
and fifty disguised men, in the prison in Carthage, Illinois,
on June 27, 1844, where they were awaiting trial on an in-
dictment for treason. On July 25th, Governor Thomas
Ford issued a proclamation to the people of the county
(Hancock) denouncing mob violence. The governor's
paper is given in The Star of October, 1844.

This event occurred during a carnival of crime and mur-
der in the country around Nauvoo, all of which has given
rise to such conflicting opinions that the investigator, after
conversing with numerous witnesses and reading various
journals of the time, cannot fail to conclude that both
Mormon and Gentile desperadoes infested that part of the
state. Edward Bonney, in a little volume entitled The
Banditti of the Prairies, gives a thrilling record of crime
which he, as an officer, assisted in bringing to light, and
which resulted in the execution of a number of Mormon
murderers, but I discovered that he himself was brought to
trial under an indictment for issuing counterfeit money.
A change of venue carried the case to a Gentile court, where
he made a successful defense. Recrimination, robbery,
riot, and organized resistance by both parties in this war
continued until the final eviction of the Mormons from the
state. Fourteen years had now passed since the New
Church was organized by a few obscure men. At the time
of the assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith the Mor-
mon enrollment of Nauvoo numbered thousands.

The history of other new religious faiths was repeated.

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 307

Mormonism was strengthened by the persecutions through
which its enemies aimed at its extermination.

"Strive with the half -starved lion for its prey —

Lesser the risk
Than rouse the slumbering spirit of wild fanaticism. "

In August, 1844, Brigham Young, in accordance with a
revelation said to have been received by him, declared him-
self to be the successor of Joseph Smith, and in December
he was elected by the great assembly at Nauvoo, president
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which
was the name officially adopted for the new society. Sid-
ney Rigdon was also an active candidate for the office.
His defeat was humiliating. He was tried, convicted, and
condemned.

Previous to the death of Smith there appears to have
been but one organized separation from the parent church,
but Young and Rigdon were not the only persons who laid
claim to the mantle of the prophet. Smith. The succession
was bitterly contested by James J. Strang, who aside from
Brigham Young, was perhaps the first and most formidable
aspirant for office, partly because of his powers of leader-
ship, and partly because he declared that at the moment of
Smith's death he received a revelation that vested in him
divine authority to become leader of the Saints. But little
seems to have been written concerning the remarkable
career of this Mormon prophet, who for several years exer-
cised a dictatorship over his few thousands of followers
which in rigor hardly has a parallel in our history. Some
letters from his followers, and among them those of Bishop
George Miller, have come into my hands, and these give
some history of the Strangite movement. Miller had been

308 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

appointed by Young to organize the association to erect
the Nauvoo house and temple, but finally joined Strang
and opposed Young. Neither these letters nor the records
in the historical society are so complete and convincing as
are the statements of Strang's own people.

It has been my privilege to be granted several interviews
with the one person who doubtless knows more than any
other now living concerning the life of the so-called king
and prophet, Strang, and of the autocratic rule of his
island dominion. It was her husband, Thomas Bedford,
who put the final quietus on that monarch's authority.

Sitting with her daughter and me in their neat little cot-
tage in Northern Michigan, she modestly consented to give
the full story, which they both stated had never before been
given in detail even to her own children, but, as she said,
the time had come when all the truth should be given, and
some of that truth had to that time for various reasons been
withheld.

Mrs. Bedford descended from hardy Connecticut stock,
and at the age of seventy -six abounded in vigor, and yet
she was serene in temperament. Her statements in re-
viewing the thrilling history of her experiences in the
Northern Empire were clear and definite, and she never
hesitated in giving either names or dates.

In the winter of 1844, Mrs. Bedford passed through the
Endowment house at Nauvoo. After suffering with the
Saints in their various viscissitudes of fortune and fate in
Nauvoo and Nebraska, in the year 1850 and at the age of
sixteen, she entered with her parents the Strang colony on
Beaver Island and spent five years in that fellowship.

James J. Strang was born in Scipio, N. Y., in the year
1813, and was educated for the practice of law. He had
been a Baptist until he became interested in Mormon

X ^ V

THE KING OF BEAVER ISLAND

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 309

affairs and at Nauvoo, when Smith was at the zenith of
his authority, he was baptized into the Mormon Church
and soon became an elder. His complexion was florid, his
hair was red, and he wore a glass eye, but he was a con-
vincing speaker.

As the result of an alleged revelation he established
Zion at Spring Prairie (now Voree) Wisconsin, where (so
he often stated to his disciples) he discovered eighteen me-
tallic plates containing valuable history. It appears that
these were never submitted to the inspection of his people.

In 1847 with a few followers he established a new Zion
on Beaver Island, in Lake Michigan, to which point con-
siderable additional Mormon immigration was attracted
in 1849. It was his declared purpose to make this island
the center of Mormon power. In 1850 the government of
his colony was established on Mormon lines by the Union
of the church and civil government, and on July 8th of
the same year he was formally crowned King by George
Adams, president of the twelve. I find this union of church
and state to be authorized, and the argument therefor
presented in Times and Seasons, 1844.

The assumption of civil authority by the Strangites re-
sulted in much friction between the Mormons and their
opponents, though not so serious as what arose from a simi-
lar cause in Illinois. The fact that the number of votes
cast on Beaver Island was equal to its entire population
seems to be conceded. It is, however, the inside life of that
people that is of present interest.

Strang had one wife, named Mary, when his kingdom
was established, but a revelation that he announced to his
people decreed polygamy to be a divine institution. He
accordingly added four wives to his household, the last
two, Phoebe and Delia Wright, who were cousins, being

310 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

taken on the same day, as the sequel of a picnic held by
the Saints on an island in Pine Lake, which in memory of
the happy event was called Holy Island, by which name
it is still known. Two daughters from his second and
third marriages were named respectively Eveline and
Evangeline in honor of whom two important townships
in Michigan still bear the name given by Strang.

Strang was the father of twelve children, four of whom
were bom after his death and were the children of his last
four wives. They all lived together in the one home. John
R. Forster in his report, 1855, on his survey of Beaver
Island, which appears in Michigan Historical Society Re-
ports ^ Vol. IX, states that Strang had six wives. My in-
formant, who was thoroughly familiar with the family and
home says that this statement is incorrect, but that
Strang had said in her hearing that he would be a father
to the fatherless and a husband to the widow, and one
mourner did sojourn for a time in his hospitable log cabin.

Each of Strang's twelve apostles also took more than
one wife, two of the apostles having three wives each.

All weddings were private, none but officers who were to
perform the ceremony being present. The temple in which
all these religious functions were performed, and where
services were held was built of pine logs, hewed square.

In accordance with early Mormon teachings the use of
tea, coffee, tobacco, and spirituous liquors was interdicted.
The payment of tithes to the King, as well as the first
fruits of field and flocks was required. One of the earliest
edicts of the King prescribed the dress that must be worn
by his people. The women were required to wear the style
of costume which Miss Bloomer endeavored later to intro-
duce. The men were commanded to wear an equally dis-

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 311

tinctive garb consisting in part of a short jacket, with no
skirt or tail to the coat.

Mrs. Bedford states also that from infancy and during
the first four years under Strang's dominion she religiously
conformed to all the decrees of the church. One day, how-
ever, she was discovered in her home by the prophet when
for a brief period she was wearing an ordinary dress. The
Prophet King at once declared that the rule pertaining to
dress must be enforced, or the people must walk over his
dead body. The strong, independent spirit of the woman
rose within her, and the beginning of the end had come.
Bedford had previously been ordered to appropriate some
fishing nets, which were the property of others. A boat
had been stolen, and Bedford, who was a sturdy English-
man, would speak the truth, which reflected upon the in-
tegrity of certain of Strang's apostles, whereupon the King
caused his oflSicers to enforce upon Bedford a brutal punish-
ment with whips. These were secured later and were sent
to a museum in Detroit.

The rule of a tyrant is quite certain in time to be brought
to an end by some lover of liberty and justice.

Night came down upon Bedford's home far back upon
Beaver Island, and husband and wife conversed together
concerning the wrongs and oppression of the King<s des-
potic rule. Strang had preached that no bullet could
enter his body.

"If you are going to shoot Strang go now and do it,"
said the indignant young wife, and Bedford went out into
the darkness. It was long past the midnight hour of June
l^th when the waiting wife heard a pounding at the barred
door of their log cabin.

"Who is there?"

"Friends."

S12 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

She stood with an axe in her hands prepared to defend
herself, her children, and her home. Stating what defence
she would make, if necessary, she told her visitors that she
must know their names, before they would be admitted.
On becoming assured that they were marines from the gov-
ernment steamer, Michigan, that her husband was aboard
their ship, and that they had come to rescue her, she un-
barred the door. A supper had been laid upon the table
awaiting her husband's return, from which the sailors were
glad to take refreshment.

Bundling her two little ones and a few light effects, they
fled to the steamer before the Ejng's oflScers reached the
house.

Strang had been duly shot. In a few days a passing
steamer carried him to Racine, from which place he was
conveyed to Voree, where on July 8th he died from the
effects of his wound.

Bedford was taken to Mackinac and placed in an un-
locked jail with a friendly guard, but boldly returned with
his wife to Beaver Island. There was no recognized leader.
The spell was broken. The Saints scattered, some in one
direction and some in another, as opportunity offered, by
passing vessels. Women wept as each party embarked.
It was well known that at whatever port they might be
landed their peculiar dress, which marked them as dis-
ciples of the despised and now fallen prophet, would invite
the searching gaze and contemptuous jeers of rude and
unsympathetic onlookers. Such was m fa<it their fate.
Thus was closed the chapter of the Strangite defection.

An old pioneer has related to the writer the story of the
gallows, which was erected on the Michigan beach by the
Mormons and which he cut down. Upon it was suspended
the effigy of an obnoxious Gentile, which is preserved by its
prototype to this day.

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 313

At the time of the dispersion of the Strangites Brigham
Young had long since estabhshed himself as the hierarch
of the Mormon Church, and to that master mind was dele-
gated supreme authority in conducting a movement that
has hardly a parallel in history.

The occasion for prompt, energetic, and sagacious lead-
ership arose when in the autumn of 1845 armed mobs of so-
called Illinois citizens descended upon Mormon settlements
in the vicinity of Nauvoo and burned stacks of grain, and
other property, also a score of homes, driving men and help-
less women and children of Mormon families from their
own farms out into the darkness. These brutal demon-
strations were repeated by the destruction of mills, facto-
ries, and business property in Nauvoo, accompanied by
demands that the Mormons must leave the country within
sixty days.

These facts are confirmed by Bancroft, who also quotes
many other authorities in verification. Governor Ford's
proclamation which followed the riots, embraced the state-
ment that prior to the outbreaks Hancock County, then
occupied in part by the Mormons, was as free from crime
as any county in the state of Illinois.

The eviction of the Mormons from Illinois and other
states, even though they were despised, would seem to have
been as lawless and barbarous as has been the expulsion of
Jews from Russia or Huguenots from France. When
thousands of Mormon women and children wept as they
turned their backs in flight upon the beautiful temple just
completed and which two years later was also burned by
vandals, it was like the sigh of the Moor when from the
distance he cast his last glance toward the glorious Alham-
bra and Granada from which his people had been driven.

The Mormons were now again in exile. And now

314 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

came the chosen president and prophet of that church, the
Moses who essayed to lead his homeless, impoverished
followers to a promised land. The exodus of this people
to an undetermined part of the far West unknown to them
cannot fail to excite the admiration of their bitterest enemy
because of the marked abilities and masterly generalship
displayed by their leader. Nearly every obstacle that the
mind can conceive seemed to confront them. Their homes
were destroyed, or abandoned for slight compensation and
beset by profane mobs that were often brutal, and doubt-
less inferior in moral qualities to the Mormons themselves,
and certainly not fair representatives of the industrious
citizenship of the state. The evicted Saints moved west-
ward toward the Missouri River, W'e have read the pa-
thetic story of their subsequent wanderings, and I, myself,
have heard it from the quivering lips of men and women
who were apparently honest and sincere. While suffering
from hunger and disease, with inadequate means for aiding
their afflicted helpmates and children, the objects of gen-
eral derision and hatred, they turned their backs upon the
homes which they had built and loved, and like a con-
quered tribe of Indians, (but less respected than vanquished
savages,) they turned their weary steps toward the setting
sun.

A great emergency often calls forth an able leader. With
a base of operations in Eastern Nebraska, Brigham Young
quickly laid plans looking to the removal of his people to
Northern Mexico, which then embraced the present terri-
tory of Utah and had been brought to his notice by Fre-
mont's explorations. He would there establish his new
empire in that far-away wilderness, in a foreign country,
and be at peace. In the spring of 1847, he personally led
his first party of 132 Saints across the plains and over the

WHY A FAIR C ETY AROSE IN A DESERT 315

mountains, and on July 21st, from the foot of Emigration
Canyon they beheld for the first time the sparkling waters
of Great Salt Lake, which in the following February, as the
result of the war with Mexico, was ceded to the United
States, with the territory south as far as the Rio Grande.
Less than two decades later our own little party also
descended into that valley. The stirring events of their
past history and experiences were then fresh and I may say
burning in the memory of that generation of Saints. We
were also more or less familiar with the history of the Mor-
mons, as gathered from various authorities, and while in-
spired with admiration for the heroism of their pioneers,
we doubtless shared in the prevailing prejudice against
what was believed to be a misguided people.

The purpose of this brief review of events that led to
the settlement of Utah, is to enable the reader to share our
preconceived ideas, while we spent the remainder of the
summer and autumn with the Saints. Our business, on
the arrival of our big train, would bring us into relations
with many men of affairs and with the heads of the church.
These relations were doubtless more unrestrained and cor-
dial than they would have been, if in return for their cour-
tesy we had been expected to publish a literary broadside
of caricature such as they had become familiar with. As
a fact, a few journalists had reached the city and after two
or three days spent in sight-seeing, some of those writers
had seemed able to arrive at conclusions concerning men
and affairs in Utah quite satisfactory to themselves and
with abundant material for humor and ridicule. It has
been my privilege to attend religious services in many tem-
ples in the Orient and elsewhere, where millions of pre-
sumably devout worshippers bend the knee in submission
to divine authority, and offer their prayers more fervently

316 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

and humbly than I am wont to do, and strange as I may
have thought it that the faith of those people was not the
same as mine, I would not now discuss Mormonism as a
religious belief because my judgment may be biased by the
strong convictions inherited from my Puritan ancestry.
Theologians trained in religious thought and utterance
have already passed judgment with the usual result.

As the one overshadowing fact in Constantinople is Mo-
hammedanism and the Sultan, so in Salt Lake City it was
Mormonism and Brigham Young. It was, therefore, not
strange that on the day after our arrival, which was the
Sabbath, our footsteps were directed toward the square,
which was the center of the religious life of the Mormons,
and in which was the bowery where their great services
were held on Sabbath afternoons. The present temple and
tabernacle had not then been built. We were assigned to
favorable seats near the platform. The bowery was a rude
structure built on posts set into the ground and covered
with bushes to shade the worshippers from the sun. It was
situated near the old tabernacle and was used during the
summer months. We were informed that it afforded seat-
ing capacity for 8000 persons. Having come early to the
services, we waited, and watched the arrival of the wor-
shippers until nearly all the seats appeared to be occupied,
and we glanced with great interest over the vast assem-
blage.

I had been a regidar attendant upon the morning serv-
ices of our little Congregational Church in the East and
had been inspired by the vast audiences convened and the
eloquent sermons preached by Henry Ward Beecher in his
great tabernacle in Brooklyn, and I knew something of
church life and the means often adopted for bringing to-
gether audiences for religious worship. What, therefore,

BRIGHAM YOUNG

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 317

I asked myself, was the power or influence that had at-
tracted this vast gathering of thousands of worshippers
to a rude sanctuary in that far-away town in a mountain
wilderness?

"Is this an ordinary Sabbath service?" I asked a man
who occupied a seat near by.

"O yes, this is about an average attendance."

"It would seem to represent about half the entire popu-
lation of the city. Are we not correct in that estimate?'*

"Yes, but there are a few people here from outlying dis-
tricts, who attend these services."

At about that moment a man arose from among the few
who occupied the platform. He was above the average in
height, with broad shoulders, a deep chest, and a strong,
well-knit frame. His movements were indicative of great
physical strength and vigor. He had cold, gray
eyes, thin compressed lips, a firm mouth, and a broad,
massive forehead. He was dressed in plain business
clothes, and his bearing indicated that he was master of the
occasion. It was Brigham Young.

The thought at once comes into the mind that if the Mor-
mon doctrines were true there stood before us a man in
whom was combined all that there once was in Moses as a
leader, and in Elijah as a prophet. Suppliants kneel and
kiss the ring of the Roman pontiff. The Mussulman trem-
bles if he approaches the Sultan, yet neither of those eccle-
siastic sovereigns arrogates to himself higher authority
than was assumed by this president of the Mormon Church
except that being within the limits of a modern republic
the power of any church is in some degree restrained.
Moreover, Brigham Young was not an aristocrat, and al-
though his predecessor, Joseph, by virtue of his office as
president of the church, was Mayor of Nauvoo, and Brig-

318 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ham as far as possible was also the political head of his peo-
ple, yet he was not hedged about by courts, princes, or pre-
lates, but mingled with the people and was drawing thou-
sands to himself.

We are all in some degree hero worshippers. As a youth
I had gone far to listen to addresses made by some of our
noted orators, chiefly because of the fame they had achieved.
With equal pleasure I had heard the voices of Emerson,
Whittier, Saxe, Bryant, and others who had become dis-
tinguished through their writings. Our great generals also
had been objects of intense interest. On the other hand,
we all remember our associations with some men whose
acquaintance had been formed before their achievements
had made them objects of public notice, and we possibly
remember that we then gave them but little consideration.
The prophets were rejected, the apostles were persecuted,
yet if one of them should now appear and be recognized he
would be honored by the millions.

Before us in that Mormon tabernacle stood a strong
man assuming the highest authority that it is possible for
man to claim. Thousands of people were flocking to his
standard possibly in greater numbers than came at any
time to the apostles of our Saviour.

After the first service that we attended in the bowery,
we asked of each other the question, "What will be the
verdict concerning Brigham Young in the ages to come?"

On each Sabbath when in the city I was present at the
Mormon services. President Young spoke on each occa-
sion with but one exception, that being a Sabbath when he
was absent on an important convocation in another town.

He taught that the Book of Mormon is a continuation
of the history and revelations of the Bible. Jesus was recog-
nized as having been one of the prophets, therefore the Mor-

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 319

mons profess to be Christians. His sermons treated large-
ly on practical affairs of his church and people, even to
matters pertaining to dress. He urged habits of economy
in household affairs. Now and then when addressing his
great audiences, all of whom listened to his utterances with
rapt attention, Brigham emphasized a point by bringing
down his powerful fist heavily upon his desk and then paus-
ing, as if to indicate that the fact presented was firmly
nailed down. As an apostle of temperance in the use of
intoxicants and narcotics he was uncompromising. Al-
though many of his people had come from England, Wales,
Scandinavia, and other European countries, we did not
see an intoxicated person in Salt Lake City. One saloon
only, so far as we could learn, existed in the year 1866, and
that was said to be owned by one Charles Trowbridge,
who consented to pay the required license of $500.00 per
month, which it had been supposed would be prohibitory.

During our visit the relations between the Mormons and
the government were not friendly. In one sermon, while
dealing with that subject, Brigham said, ** If we are ever
obHged to leave this valley, we will leave it as desolate as
we found it," to which the people replied, "Amen."

Heber C. Kimball, who was first councillor to President
Young and Chief Justice of the State of Deseret, a man to
whom was conceded a high character for sincerity and in-
tegrity, in one of his addresses in Brigham's presence, said
that he and the president once traveled 500 miles, and all
the money they had during the trip was $13.50, yet they
paid out $16.00 for every 100 miles of travel. This he said
was the Lord's work, for every time they wanted money
they had only to put their hands into their pockets, and
the required money was there. This statement was ap-
parently offered for the purpose of inspiring faith in the
hearts of their missionaries.

320 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

As is well known, nearly every Mormon was required to
serve for a prescribed term in such mission work as was
assigned to him, and must go without purse or scrip. The
effect of this system is that their church is represented
economically and faithfully in nearly every part of the civ-
ilized world.

Their messengers go with the Bible and the Book of
Mormon as their guide. We naturally gave to this last-
named revelation a somewhat careful perusal and confess
that we found nothing in it that in our judgment compared
favorably with the First Chapter of Genesis in dignity of
style or clearness in expression, no words as assuring to
the believer or as poetic in style as those found in the 23d
Psalm, nor any thoughts as exalted as are written in the
14th Chapter of John. Its biblical style imparts to the
book a semblance of antiquity. It is either a history of
races concerning which there had been no known recent
record until the alleged discovery of the golden plates, or
it is a clever fabrication accepted by hundreds of thou-
sands as the truth.

We returned from Sabbath to Sabbath to obtain all the
light possible from the lips of the prophet concerning this
mysterious revelation. Now and then one might observe
some newly arrived doubter, just in from the mountains,
who gave expressions of contempt on listening to the expo-
sition of some chapter. We have also heard the tittering
of light-hearted youths in the old Methodist prayer meet-
ings in the States.

Brigham Young seldom indulged in flights of rhetoric,
and his teachings were often given in the form of commands
and not as advice. He frequently dealt rather at length
on the social and domestic affairs of his people, urging in-
dustry, temperance, economy, and thrift, and advocated

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 321

a simple, modest life similar to that which was required in
his own family, where each wife attended to her own domes-
tic affairs. In referring to his wives, which he did frequent-
ly, he used the term "my women." This expression fell
very unpleasantly upon our ears unaccustomed to its use.
We were informed that the terms **my man" and **my
woman" have long been in use in other languages, even
with the ancient Hebrews, but the phrase does not strike
the right chord where woman occupies the position she
does in America.

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered
each Sabbath. Water was used instead of wine, and along
with the bread was carried round by officers of the church,
during the delivery of the afternoon address. There
seemed to be no effort to make it the solemn occasion that
other churches make of the communion service.

In the minds of the curious there is a peculiar interest in
the complex family life of a people where numerous fami-
lies center in a single head. Although an occasional guest
at the president's home, I found it impossible to learn with
certainty how many persons were comprised in his family,
and much diversity of opinion seemed to exist in the minds
of those who would be most likely to know the facts. On
many semi-public occasions I have seen sixteen of his
wives and was led to believe that to be the number then
living. In 1869, after the completion of the railroad, when
the Boston Board of Trade visited the city, in reply to a
direct question made by one of the visitors, Brigham stated
that he had 16 wives and 49 children. In the Utah notes
MS., the statement is made that this was the first occasion
on which he publicly gave the statistics. During our stay
I noted such information on this subject as could conven-
iently be obtained.

322 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

These notes have been revised after reference to some
later oflBcial publications and being now substantially cor-
rect may be of interest, especially as the names of his con-
sorts are also given.

The following is a summary of the names of the wives of
Brigham Young, the dates of their births as fully as can be
ascertained, also the dates of their marriages to the presi-
dent, also the number of children resulting from each union.

BORN

MARRIED TO
BRIGHAM

DIED

NO. OF
CHILD-
REN

Miriam Works

Mary Ann Angell

Lucy Decker

Harriet E.G.
Campbell

Augusta Adams

Clara Decker

Louisa Beman

Clara C.Ross

Emily Dow
Partridge
Susan Snively

Olive F.Frost

Emmdine Free
Margaret Price

Naama K. Carter
Ellen Rockwood

Oct.8, 1804
Cayuga Co,
N.Y. State
June 8, 1803
Seneca, N. Y.
May 17, 1822
Phelps, N.Y.
Nov. 7, 1824
Whitesbor-
ough.N.Y.

1802

Lynn, Mass.
July 23, 1828
Phelps, N.Y.
Feb. 7, 1815
Livonia, N. Y.
June 16, 1814
N.Y. State
Feb. 28, 1824
Painesville, O.
Oct. — 1815
Woodstock, Va.
July 24, 1816
Bethel, Me.

Apr. 19, 1823
Ashton, Pa.
Mar. 20, 1821
Wilmington,
Mass.

Aug. 8, 1824 Sept. 8, 1832 2

Feb. 18, 1834 June 27, 1882 6

June 16, 1842 Jan. 24, 1890 7

Nov. 2, 1843 1

Nov. 2, 1843

-1886

May 8, 1844 Jan. 5, 1889 5

1844 Mar. 15, 1850 4

Widow of Joseph
Sept. 10,1844 Oct. 17, 1858 4
Widow of Joseph

Sept. 1844 7

Sealed for time

Nov. 2, 1844 Nov. 20, 1892

Feb. — 1845 Oct. 6, 1845
Widow of Joseph
Apr. 30, 1845 July 17, 1875 10
1845 1

Jan. 26, 1846

Sealed for time

Jan... 1846 Jan. 6, 1866

Holliston, Mass.

WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 323

Maria Lawrence Jan 1846 Died in Nauvoo

Canada Widow of Joseph

Martha Bowker Jan.... 1822 Jan.... 1846 Sept... 1890

Mt.HoUy.N.Y.

Margaret M. Alley Dec. 19, 1825 Oct. . . . 1846 Nov 1852 2

Lynn, Mass.

LucyBigelow Oct. 3, 18 30 Mar.... 1847 8

Charleston, 111.
Zina Diantha Jan. 31, 1821
Huntington Watertown, 1848(.'')Had been sealed

N. Y. to Joseph at age of 17

Eliza Roxey Snow Jan. 21, 1804 June 29, 1849 Dec. 5. 1887

Becket, Mass. Widow of Joseph

ElizaBurgess Oct. 3, 1850

Harriet Barney England 1

divorced from former hus-
band

Harriet Amelia Aug. 23, 1838 Jan. 24, 1863

Folsom Buffalo, N. Y.

Mary Van Cott Feb. 2, 1844 Jan. 8. 1865 Jan. 5, 1884 1

Elmira,N.Y.

Ann Eliza Webb 1844 Apr. 6, 1868 Had been di-

Tllinois vorced from former h usband

It will be observed that of the twenty-six wives who
were from time to time united to Brigham Young, sixteen
were added to his household within a period of forty months,
five were united to him in each of two years; two of the
wives, Lucy and Clara Decker, are said to have been
sisters; six of the number were widows of Joseph Smith,
the first president; eleven were born in the state of New
York; and six were bom in New England. Our investi-
gations also disclose the fact that two of Brigham's
wives were women who had been divorced from former
husbands, also that one of his wives, the attractive Zina
Diantha, had been sealed when a young girl to the
prophet. Smith. It also shows that two of the wives
were not regularly married but were sealed for time to
President Young. These peculiar and varied relations
will be referred to in another chapter.

CHAPTER XXV

Some Inside Glimpses of Mormon Affairs

THAT fellow is a Danite, one of Brigham's de-
stroying angels," remarked a man who formed
part of a group with whom I and some of our
boys were sitting in front of the Salt Lake Hotel.
Our informant, who was a guest at the hotel,
knew that as we had recently arrived any startling informa-
tion concerning local affairs would certainly be received
with interest. As he made the announcement, he raised his
eyebrows and cast a knowing glance toward the object of
his remark, an unshaven, dark-haired man, who was slowly
passing on the sidewalk. Assuming that we were ignorant
of the functions of the destroying angels, he informed us,
with an air indicating familiarity with the Mormon under-
world, that Brigham had a lot of those fellows who were
sworn to do anything, even to kill at the Prophet's
command.

"I'm glad to see one of 'em," interjected a member of
the group, " and say, friend, is it true that Brigham has a
pile of money he has got one way and another?"

"O yes, " replied our oracle, " he has eight million in the
Bank of England. "

"Yes, I've heard that, but is it in pounds, dollars, or
shillings? It makes a damn sight of difference which."

324

INSIDE GLIMPSES OP MORMON AFFAIRS 325

"I ain't sure which, but it is eight million and he has got
ten thousand cattle and horses over on Church Island."

"He can afford to keep a lot of wives," said another.

"Wives! do you know that he has them in every part
of Utah? He has got more than a thousand scattered
around. "

All these statements and many more of like import were
received with more or less credulity, although the man who
introduced the conversation just cited was said to be a pro-
fessional gambler and an habitue of Trowbridge's saloon.

We visited Camp Douglass and other points in and
around the city until we were surfeited with knowledge
concerning the villainy said to be practiced by the Mor-
mons. These and many other tales equally startling
and absurd were spread throughout the states by return-
ing travelers who had escaped from that alleged abode of
assassins.

While our party was gathered in a quiet room in a
hotel one evening after we had been reviewing the results
of our observations and the statements heard upon the
streets and elsewhere, Ben with much gravity outlined
in a single sentence what seemed to be a wise and digni-
fied policy for us to pursue.

"Now here we are," said Ben, "among a people who
are bitterly divided among themselves. We don't have
to be Mormons, but I see no sense in vilifying and de-
nouncing them as hundreds are doing on the streets, who
don't know any more theology or facts than we do. Let's
be fair and unprejudiced and avoid controversies on these
local affairs. I believe the men who are doing most of
the talking are a heap worse than any Mormons I have
seen."

During that summer and autumn of 1866 the relations

826 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

between the Mormons and the United States Govern-
ment were exceedingly strained, and some unfortunate
events occurred which increased the tension. The few
Gentiles then in the city who were in any sense not
friendly in their attitude toward the local government
(which was Mormon) were regarded with disfavor by the
Saints — and for evident reasons. This was especially
the case, if their relations with the army or United States
officials were intimate. An anomalous condition existed
in which even the Jews, with all the others who were not
Mormons, were known as Gentiles! The Gentile was to
the Mormon what the Giaour is to the Mussulman.

General Connor, who had been in command of the
United States forces stationed at Camp Douglass, which
post overlooked the city, had held the situation firmly.
The antagonism between him and the Mormon authori-
ties had at all times been generally recognized by all
parties. Soon after the withdrawal of General Connor,
and in the spring preceding our arrival, Newton Brass-
field, recently arrived from Nevada, married a wife of one
of the elders of the Church, who was then absent on a
foreign mission.

On the 2nd of April Brassfield was shot dead by some
person who escaped without detection. The assassina-
tion occurred as Brassfield was about to enter his hotel,
and caused the situation to become still more acute, as it
was the general impression that the act was committed
by order of the Church authorities. So far as I could
learn, Brassfield was not a man of exalted character, and
any marriage under like circumstances might have been
followed by similar results, had it occurred in another
community. Reports were circulated that two other
similar attacks upon Gentiles had been made within a

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 327

period of three weeks, but it seemed difficult to ascertain
the facts, except that in neither case did the shots prove
fatal. Late in the night of October 22nd, immediately
after it occurred, I was informed of the assassination of
Dr. King Robinson, a gentleman who had been assistant
surgeon at Camp Douglass, but had later established an
office in the city. Dr. Robinson was a personal friend of
the Reverend Norman McLeod, who at one time was a
chaplain in the army, but in the year 1866, and at the
time of our arrival, was in the service of the Congrega-
tional Home Missionary Society in Utah, and had es-
tablished in that year the first church other than Mormon
that was ever planted in that territory. McLeod had
purchased a lot for his mission. Thereon he built a
small adobe structure, which was named Independence
Hall, securing the money for its construction chiefly in
California, and in this new building he vigorously
preached in opposition to Mormonism. Dr. Robinson be-
came superintendent of the Sabbath School connected
with the new church. He married a Miss Kay, an estima-
ble young woman of a prominent family that had aposta-
tized from the Mormon Church. Prior to this time the
doctor took possession of certain ground in the neighbor-
hood of the Warm Springs near the city, which he assumed
to be part of the public domain. Pursuant to orders of the
city council the Marshal destroyed the building that
Robinson had erected upon the ground. Other property
belonging to Robinson was subsequently destroyed by a
gang of disguised men. These facts were currently re-
ported and generally accepted in the city.

It was only two days later, on a bright moonlit night,
that the doctor was summoned to attend a young man
who (it was alleged) had broken his leg. When a few

SJi8 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

hundred feet from his door Robinson was shot down.
He was assisted to his home by passing friends and soon
expired. The murderer was never brought to trial, and,
so far as I could learn, no effort was made even to ap-
prehend him.

The situation during the next three or four days was
ominous. General Connor was no longer in command at
Camp Douglass, which commanded the city. Squads
of men gathered on the street corners and in more re-
tired places and discussed affairs in subdued but earnest
tones. There was a prevailing belief that men who had
been outspoken in opposition to Mormonism were
marked.

The funeral of Dr. Robinson, which took place on the
24th, was attended by nearly all the Gentile population
of the city and camp. As the long procession slowly
moved down the main thoroughfare of the city, great
crowds thronged the sidewalks.

All conditions seemed ripe for a formidable outbreak.
Considering the type of men who were then in the city
and the previous conflicts of the Mormons in the states,
many were surprised that an outbreak did not occur.
Camp Douglass may have been a deterring influence.
The Gentile merchants became greatly alarmed and made
plans for the abandonment of their Utah enterprises.
These plans however were not carried out, the hope being
that the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, if con-
summated, would soon alter conditions.

At about this time the Reverend McLeod was sum-
moned to Washington to give testimony concerning the
character and designs of the Mormons. On his Eastern
trip he attended the Wisconsin Congregational Conven-
tion at Fort Atkinson in that state, and there he gave an

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 3^9

account of his experiences, a review of which soon came
into my hands, along with a criticism of a letter concern-
ing the Mormon situation, which I had written for publi-
cation. The reports of conditions in Utah were calcu-
lated to intensify in the East a spirit of bitterness against
the Mormons, and to confirm the belief that the Mormon
people were determined to resist the authority of the
Government.

No one can fail to respect the devotion of these embas-
sadors of the Prince of Peace to the cause which they
represented, nor is it strange that hatred and bitterness
should pursue an honest and aggressive ministry. It is,
however, a question whether in the Christian ministry
the best results follow, when denunciations of opposing
sects become the chief arguments with which to lead the
erring into the paths of righteousness.

It was intensely interesting during those days to join
in the little Mormon circles in Salt Lake City and listen
to their story of their trials and conflicts as viewed from
their standpoint. These were often given with earnest-
ness and apparent sincerity and honesty.

One afternoon in the shade of the apricot trees at the
home of one of the elders, where I had frequently been
welcomed as a guest, he gave his story of his own experi-
ences and an interesting version of the now historic
expedition of General Albert Sidney Johnston in the
Utah War. The elder's statements are confirmed in a
general way by the histories of the time, but the histories
fail to show all that was going on behind the curtains.
He said that the United States Government had sent
many men of low and mean character to represent it in
its judiciary in Utah, among whom was Associate Judge
W. W. Drummond, who had abandoned his wife and

830 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

family, in Illinois, and brought with him a woman of bad
character.

"In 1853,'* said the elder, *'Gunnison and several of
his party of surveyors were massacred by the Pah Utes,
and this act was attributed to the Mormon people. Presi-
dent Young was our unanimous choice for Governor
during another term, but the authorities in Washington
were determined that some one not favorable to our in-
terests should be in authority. The position was offered
to Colonel Steptoe, who had been in command of the
United States troops, but he declined it. In 1857, Alfred
Gumming was appointed Governor, and in July he as-
sumed the responsibilities of the office."

(Later in the season the writer spent several days with
Governor Gumming on a stage ride through Colorado
and Kansas.) Continuing his narrative, the elder de-
scribed the local conflicts that occurred and the untruth-
ful reports concerning Mormon affairs, which were pub-
lished in Eastern journals. He said President Buchanan
doubtless desired to remove the United States troops
from the states, because the absence of the main body of
the United States army would make conditions more
favorable for the southern states to assert their inde-
pendence. He accordingly sent the flower of the army
to subdue Utah and put it in command of that old brag-
gadocio. General Harney, who said, *'I will winter in
Utah or in Hell."

"Do you think," said the elder, "that we would peace-
fully await the results of such threats, without taking
some steps for our protection? We had peacefully
settled on what was then foreign soil. President Young
organized our forces, and as it is now all over I can tell
you about it. Harney sent Captain Van Vliet to the

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 331

city to buy some supplies. The captain had a talk with
President Young, who said that he did not wish to fight
against the armies of his country, but if they were able
to get through the mountains they would find the city
a desert.

"General Johnson succeeded Harney as leader of the
invasion, and I was sent out with our defending forces.
I wore Indian clothes. I was with Indians and tried to
act like an Indian. It was an interesting life full of ex-
citement and adventure. Did you see the fortifications
in Echo Canyon?"

"Yes."

"Well," continued the elder, "I helped to build them,
and we were prepared, if the army should enter the canyon,
to tumble rocks upon them from the cliffs above, as we
had many of them poised on the edge of the high points
that overlooked the road below.

"I was sent out to reconnoiter in the path of the in-
coming army's supply trains, and we were able to fire all
the wagons in one of them, which was passing Green
River. We made it hot for the troops, but the cold
winter was coming on. When the army reached Fort
Bridger they found it desolate and the buildings burned.
They established winter quarters near there, and then
our hard work began. It was war, and we used the best
tactics that we could. During the autumn we spent our
time as Indians running off the Government stock and
left General Johnson up in the mountains starving. We
escaped to the city before the snow filled the canyons.

"In the spring Colonel Kane, a Mormon, came in from
California and urged that President Young arrange an
interview with Cumming and seek to relieve the suffer-
ings of the army and prevent bloodshed. He secured

Ssa THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

President Young's consent to visit Governor Gumming at
the Camp near Bridger and negotiate for a settlement of
the differences between the Government and the Mor-
mons, and finally arranged that the Governor under his
guidance and with a Mormon escort should go into the
city and meet Brigham.

"This," said the elder, laughing heartily, "was the
funniest thing I ever saw. When the coach bearing the
distinguished party reached the head of Echo Canyon
early in the night, it was met by a body of mounted men
guarding the entrance to the valley. As the Governor
was under a Mormon escort, the proper password was
silently given by the man on the box to the Captain in
command of the guards. After but little delay the Gov-
ernor's party was allowed to proceed. A few miles
further on the Governor's party was again halted by a
body of guards. The password was again given in
silence, and again after a little delay the coach proceeded
down the canyon through the darkness. Four times in
Echo Canyon the coach was stopped by mounted guards.
The Governor certainly became convinced that this
narrow avenue to the city was well defended." Laughing
again, the elder said, *'I was one of the guards who met
the Governor. The points selected to stop the party
were those from which, after the password was given, we
could scatter into the brush and quickly get together
further down in the road and hasten ahead in advance of
the coach to a point where we could again be ready to
halt the Governor, a different man at each point being
assigned to do the talking. It gave the impression that
a different body of men, at each of the four points, was
guarding the canyon. When the coach rolled on from the
mouth of the canyon and left us behind, we talked the

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 333

matter over together and agreed that the tactics had
worked admirably."

I was greatly interested in the elder's story. Having
previously been informed concerning the entrance of the
army into the city, I asked the elder to continue, as I
desired his view of the whole affair.

"Well,'' said he, "the Governor reached the city and
was received by our legion there. One Sabbath he ad-
dressed many of our people in the tabernacle, and some
of our elders talked, and the Governor finally learned
that the conquest of Utah was no simple matter. He
was openly told of the barbarous treatment that we had
received in the states, of the malicious destruction of our
property there, and of the assassination of the prophet.
He was told of the battalion that we had furnished the
United States in the Mexican War, and that the victory
of the United States armies, to which we contributed,
gave to the American people the very territory we had
previously occupied as Mexican, in which we were en-
titled to live in peace and worship God according to the
dictates of our own conscience.

"In a few weeks the Governor returned to the Camp
(Camp Scott), and after communicating with Wash-
ington a ridiculous proclamation of amnesty was sent to
our people, after which it was understood that the army
could march unmolested to Salt Lake and establish a
camp 36 miles from the city. They located the post,
which was named Camp Floyd (after John B. Floyd,
Buchanan's Secretary of War). Before the army de-
parted from Camp Scott it had been reinforced by several
thousand men. They entered the city in June."

"Now, Elder," said I, "what was really the condition
of the city when the troops arrived .f* X have been tolcj
that you were ready to burn it."

334 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

"I will tell you the whole story," the elder replied.
"Our people had practically vacated the city, taking with
them everything of value that was movable. The doors
of our houses were locked, but in them we had placed
straw and kindling. Thirty or forty men were left
scattered in various parts of the city, who on a signal
which should notify them if any of our buildings should
be occupied by the troops, were to fire every building in
Salt Lake, and it surely would have been done."

I could not refrain from saying to the elder that the
Mormons were a remarkable people and that their de-
votion to their religion, and their faith in an able leader,
were certainly inspiring.

It was in another interview under the shade of the
same apricot tree that the elder told, with what I thought
was justifiable pride, of the negotiations between Brig-
ham's representatives and the United States Govern-
ment. The substance of the story was that a great army
was located in proximity to the city; everything was
peaceful as far as external appearance would indicate.
A vast amount of supplies must be secured to maintain
this army and its large stock of horses and mules. In
making bids for these supplies, which were expected to
be hauled in wagons from the Missouri River, the enor-
mous prevailing rate of 24 to 30 cents per pound must be
considered, and the freighters entered into the competi-
tion on that theory. One bid, however, was made by Ben
HoUiday at a price just low enough to ensure the con-
tract on flour and other articles that could be pro-
duced by the Mormons. Brigham Young was back of
that bid, against which there was no local competition,
and on that bid the contract was awarded. The Mor-

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 335

mons could produce the meat and the wheat as cheaply
as it could be done in Missouri. They also had the mills.
The profit was great.

Thus to the continuing profit of the Mormons the army
of occupation sent to punish that people was maintained
for nearly two years. A time finally came when in
accord with the demands of the people of the Northern
states the army must be withdrawn for other duties.
The greater proportion of the mules, wagons, harness, and
other equipment not absolutely necessary for the use of
soldiers on their hasty return, was sold at auction for a
mere song. Brigham was the fortunate bidder. There
is one fact that can hardly be questioned, namely, that
in the many conflicts and controversies which Brigham
Young had with the United States Government or with
any other opposing interests, he was usually the victor in
diplomacy, and generally '*turned an honest penny" in
cases where a less sagacious leader would have met with
humiliating defeat. But we must part with the elder,
his cheerful home, and his luscious apricots. Though
not a Mormon, I must respect his frankness and hospi-
table welcome.

The troops of the United States Government referred
to by the elder were on their way to Salt Lake when the
brutal Mountain Meadow Massacre was perpetrated, in
September, 1857. This thrilling event is here briefly
mentioned, because of its bearing upon a notable inter-
view with Brigham Young, at which I was present, im-
mediately preceding his death, and which, not being else-
where published, is worthy of record in this volume.

I frequently heard the gruesome story of the massacre
as it was rehearsed by citizens of Salt Lake, with many
details, and on one occasion in Idaho by a lawyer, who

336 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

personally knew the chief participant in the crime and
was present at his trial. I nevertheless prefer to quote
from the more judicial review of the event as presented in
Bancroft's history of Utah, which appears to be free from
the strong bias that characterizes nearly all writings and
utterances upon the subject.

The unfortunate victims of the slaughter consisted of
136 emigrants from Arkansas and Missouri. Forney's
report states that they had 600 cattle, 30 wagons, and
30 horses and mules. It was alleged by some and denied
by others that on their arrival at Salt Lake in July the
Mormons declined to sell them food, because of the in-
dignities offered to the Mormons in Missouri.

It is, however, a proved fact that the entire party,
except 17 young children, after a four days' siege, was
massacred at Mountain Meadow, 300 miles southwest of
the city, on the old California trail. The almost universal
opinion among the Gentiles has been that the deed was
committed by some Indians and disguised Mormons,
under the influence of Mormon authorities. John D.
Lee, a Mormon, and others were convicted as being the
chief actors in the tragedy. On the 23d of March, 1877,
twenty years after the massacre, and after a second trial
at which Lee made a confession of his guilt, which is
quoted in Mormonism Unveiledy he was taken to the
scene of the butchery, and while seated on his rough
coflSn heard read the order of the court. The military
guard did the rest. At the time of his execution he said,
*T studied to make Brigham Young's will my pleasure
for thirty years."

These confessions of Lee confirmed the prevailing be-
lief that President Young was the instigator of the crime.

Notwithstanding all this, Bancroft, in reviewing thq

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 337

case, writes: "Indeed it may as well be understood at the
outset that this horrible crime so often and so persistently
charged upon the Mormon Church and its leaders, was
the crime of an individual, the crime of a fanatic of the
worst stamp, one who was a member of the Mormon
Church, but of whose intentions the church knew
nothing, and whose bloody acts the members of the
church high and low regard with as much abhorrence as
any out of the church."

The Mormons denounce the Mountain Meadow
Massacre and every act connected therewith as earnestly
and as honestly as any in the outside world. This is
abundantly proved and may be accepted as a historic
fact.

The execution of Lee caused many reviews of the
massacre and comments on it to appear in Eastern jour-
nals. At the same time Ann Eliza Webb, the last wife
of Young, and one who had abandoned him, was in
Michigan lecturing in unqualified terms, as an angered
woman is able to do, against the Mormon hierarchy. Her
statements, which were widely published, were read with
avidity. Brigham Young's days were nearly ended, and
although until within a few days prior to his death he at-
tended to much of his business affairs, he was usually
confined to his home by what proved to be his last illness.

Melville D. Landon, better known by his nom-de-
plume "Eli Perkins," was at this time on a lecture trip
to California and was also a correspondent for a widely
circulated Eastern journal. He stopped for a day in Salt
Lake City, chiefly for the purpose of securing an inter-
view with President Young on those matters then so
prominently before the American people, that he might
give his story to the pages of his journal. The permis-

338 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

sion was granted. Eli was known as a florid writer and
as given somewhat to romancing and to a certain type
of humor, and all knew the kind of material that he was
seeking. H. B. Clawson, a son-in-law of the President,
and a man prominent in the commercial and social affairs
of Utah, with John W. Young, son of the President, and
one of his councillors, were to escort the journalist to the
President's home. Being then in the city, I was invited
by Mr. Clawson and Mr. Young to meet them and ac-
company them to the President's room. This party of
four persons arrived promptly at the appointed hour and
at once were ushered into Brigham Young's private
apartment, where the President was in waiting, comfort-
ably propped up in a large easy chair.

It had been eleven years since I had last met Brigham
Young, but his remarkable memory enabled him promptly
to bring to his mind events connected with our relations
of 1866, when he was still Young and I was younger.

Although he fully comprehended what were likely to
be the subjects to be presented, and that they were of a
strictly personal and highly serious nature, and notwith-
standing his illness, he was cheerful. In fact, he stated
to his son that he preferred, even under the existing
adverse conditions, to give his own reply to any ques-
tions, rather than to have a journalist report that he
feared to face the issue.

After the usual greetings, the President asked us to be
seated, and addressing the correspondent, said: **Mr.
Landon, I understand that you desire to ask me some
questions. What are they?" Thus was introduced an in-
terview which continued more than three hours by the
clock. Eli, addressing the President said, "Mr. Young,
you have doubtless read some of the statements which

INSIDE GLIMPSES OF MORMON AFFAIRS 339

are being made by your wife, Ann Eliza Webb, in her
lectures in the East. I would be pleased to secure for my
journal any statement that you are willing to make con-
cerning her.*' Brigham at once proceeded in a vigorous
and animated tone of voice to give a history of Ann
Eliza's career from the time of her birth in Illinois, and
finally her divorce from her first husband, her infidelity,
her excommunication from the Church, and his reasons
why the statements that she was making were to be taken
as those of a perverse woman who was angry because her
life and character had not been approved by her people
in Utah.

"She went off in a rage," the President added, "and
as her life was a sorrow to us, we are glad that she is gone."

After a few more interrogatories concerning the re-
bellious Ann Eliza, which were duly answered, Eli pro-
pounded a question of a still more searching and serious
nature. It was a long question with reference to the re-
cent execution of John D. Lee and the published reports,
confirmed by Lee's confession, that authorities high in
the church instigated and directed the Mountain Mead-
ows Massacre. It was naturally understood prior to the
interview that a review of that event would be called for,
but the manner in which the subject was introduced by
Landon, and his apparent unfamiliarity with the history
of the event, roused the latent energy of the President;
whereupon as a preliminary he raised his head from his
pillow and asked Eli a few questions with the view to
ascertain what knowledge, if any, the interviewer had
concerning the event which he had undertaken to in-
vestigate. His replies developed the fact that Eli was
lamentably ignorant of Mormon history and that he
apparently supposed the massacre was a recent occur-

S40 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

rence and not an event which had taken place twenty
years prior to the time of his visit. He was, therefore,
placed at a great disadvantage.

The President continuing said: "Mr. Landon, there
has been a vast deal written concerning affairs here, and
some of the writers possibly knew as little concerning the
matters which they have written about as you do. To
enable you to write more intelligently than you otherwise
could concerning this matter, I must state some facts
which are generally known by those who are familiar
with the history of Utah."

Mr. Young then in a skilful manner laid the foundation
of his argument and endeavored to show why there could
have been no motive on his part for the commission of such
a crime, and that the awful massacre was planned and
carried out without his knowledge or approval, and that
Lee's confession, although reiterated on the day of his
execution, was a falsehood told by a murderer. Brigham,
with firm, compressed lips continued his statements until
every point seemed to be covered. His remarks were
directed for a time to one of us and then to another, the
speaker looking squarely and earnestly in the face of the
one addressed. His sons at times were especially ad-
dressed on some points. Eli could hear but little that
appealed to his craving for the humorous.

This once strong man, who at the age of seventy-seven
years was now making his last published declaration be-
fore he should pass on to receive the final judgment of his
Maker, said that John D. Lee's words concerning him,
which were made in the presence of his executioners,
were false. With this the long interview ended. Presi-
dent Young sank back upon his pillow, weary from the
protracted discussion, after which we quietly departed.

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 341

On the afternoon of the 29th of August, 1877, but a
brief time after our visit, Brigham Young's earthly
career ended.

CHAPTER XXVI

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE

IN the older days, when polygamy was a recognized
institution in Utah, there was much in the organi-
zation of a Mormon home that was calculated to
excite interest, bordering on curiosity, in the minds
of many, who have regarded such complex do-
mestic relations as peculiar to the luxurious life in an
Oriental harem.

This curiosity was intensified by sensational statements
made in the East, — chiefly by women, but in some cases
by men, who had renounced, and later denounced, Mor-
monism. It is quite possible that the stilted dignity of
some officials, the eager search for the sensational, which
had characterized the rude intrusion of some writers, and
the pronounced antagonism of the greater number of
Gentile residents, prevented such persons from entering
the Mormon homes, except to find their members very
reserved and in no frame of mind to disclose the inner life
of the family.

There also seemed to be a hidden mystery connected
with the secret religious rites of the Endowment House
which were said by many persons to be both solemn and
indelicate, and extended through three degrees with a
symbolic ritual quite as elaborate as that which is used
in Masonry.

In the earlier days in Salt Lake City, this ceremony was
performed in a large adobe structure, known as the En-
dowment House, but since the completion of the Temple,
it had been held in the Temple Building. As none but
the elect are permitted to enter those sacred precincts,

342

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 343

we must obtain our information from persons who,
although, perhaps, pledged to secrecy, are nevertheless
now willing to reveal the facts. An estimable old lady,
who is held in high regard by all her neighbors, but who
is now no longer a Mormon, has told me all that she could
remember of the trying ordeal, and has shown me the
robe which she wore in this ceremony through which she
passed, after she left the State of New York with her
parents, and joined with the Saints in the far West. She
has preserved the robe more than forty years.

The rite, which may properly be termed confirmation,
was performed upon this young lady (as such religious
ceremonies usually are) through parental influence and
through the advice of church officers. She believed it to
be her religious duty to enter the Endowment House, but
she was thoroughly uninformed concerning the nature of
what she should there see or do, and for which, being a
helpless subject, she was not responsible, although for
sixteen years thereafter she accepted the revelation of
the Mormon prophets and for years was a faithful Mor-
mon wife. It would appear from her frank narration
that there was nothing in the ceremony, itself, that justi-
fies the malicious gossip. I have heard from many un-
informed persons, that some features of the ceremony are
indecent, and that its secrecy is intended simply to con-
ceal rites which would be flagrantly offensive, if per-
formed in the presence of intimate friends or of the family.

Mrs. Stenhouse, who has written at length upon this
subject, confirms the statement that while "The elaborate
ceremonial seems ridiculously absurd, there is nothing
in it that is immoral." My informant regarded the cere-
mony as being sometimes woefully solemn, often thrilling,
but exceedingly fatiguing because of the many hours re-

S44 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

quired to pass through each^degree. Her baptism, ac-
cording to Mormon practise, was by immersion. She
wore a loose white robe, extending to the ankles, and
leaving one arm free. A linen belt encircled the waist.
She was anointed with olive oil. She passed the cere-
mony of purification, and was then led into a representa-
tion of the Garden of Eden, from which time no members
of her family were present. This long ceremony ended
the first degree. Having been driven from the garden
and its temptations, the novice receives secret signs and
passwords and unites in solemn oaths, and finally passes
beyond the veil. The remainder of the ceremony seemed
to be simple and uninteresting.

It hardly seems necessary to attempt an explanation
of the so-called Celestial marriages, or marriages for
eternity, as distinguished from marriages made simply
for life, and which have been the subject of much ridicule
because of the peculiar situation that arises when the two
relations are held successively by two different husbands.
I should prefer to leave this occult mystery in the state
in which it has already been left by writers who have, per-
haps satisfactorily to themselves, endeavored to give it
a clear presentation.

The ethics of polygamy, and the authority for its
adoption, as I have heard it set forth by the Mormon
prophet, are exhaustively presented by Bancroft in his
history of Utah. Some very thoughtful comments in a
kindly, though not approving vein, are made by the much
esteemed Bishop Tuttle in his interesing work Reminis-
cences of a Missionary Bishop.

Rather than devote space to an attempted exposition
of this much discussed doctrine, let us visit some of the
several homes with which we were once somewhat

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 345

familiar. There are two wives in the household where
we are first to be received. We enter the hall, which is a
customary feature of the homes, and learning that our
looked for host is with his wife, Sister Maria, in the sit-
ting-room at the right, we are conducted to that apart-
ment, and find that entire branch of the family, including
the three children, gathered there. In Utah the women
are present, as in any American home, and enter freely
into the conversation with their husbands and guests.
There is nothing in the home we are now visiting that
would suggest luxury or any tendency toward high living.
I observed a Bible and Book of Mormon lying upon a
table near where I sat. Doubtless a copy of Doctrines
and Covenants is near at hand, as one is usually found in
every loyal Mormon home. A picture of the Martyred
Prophet, also one of President Young, hang upon the
walls. Doors communicate between the sitting-room
and bed-rooms. Another door communicates with the
dining-room, which is at the rear of the hall, and is used
in common by both branches of the family.

After half an hour spent in conversation, we all pass
across the hall to Sister Ellen's apartment, where we find
almost an exact duplication of the rooms we first entered.
Sister Ellen is somewhat younger than Maria, and but
two children have as yet blessed that alliance. Belong-
ing to a people of simple habits, the wives are trained to
habits of industry, and attend to all the domestic duties
of the home. The dress of the women is, therefore, very
jplain.

While it may be true that the relations between the
two branches of this family are as variable as are those of
average Gentile families in our cities who live in connect-
ing flats, and who, when company is present, usually

S46 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

appear to be on terms of perfect amity one with another,
and that this Mormon home has its conflicts, yet it must
be admitted that there is now a peaceful atmosphere, and
the children, who are sometimes a social barometer, pass
freely from one apartment to the other.

Another friend, a merchant, invites us to call. He also
happens to have exactly two wives, both of whom, but at
different times, I have since entertained with their hus-
band in my Eastern home. This gentleman enjoyed the
luxury of two very well appointed homes, separated by
about fifty feet of lawn, in each of which was housed one
branch of his family. He frankly informed me that he
devoted each alternate week to each family. I remarked
that this plan must occasion considerable moving of his
own personal effects.

"Oh no," he replied. *'It is easy enough, but I think
things go a little smoother when each woman has her own
home."

I observed, however, that wife number one ran over in
a pleasant and familiar way, and joined in our visit. The
husband said that he honestly and conscientiously
divided his time between his two families. These women
were refined, and had profited by better educational ad-
vantages than were afforded the greater number of peo-
ple whom I had met in Utah.

It would be strange indeed if an indication of partiality
or preference for either wife by her husband would not
arouse some feelings of resentment, and possibly jealousy,
in the heart of the other.

I once asked one bright lady if she really favored the
idea of a plurality of wives.

"Yes," she replied slowly, and then added, "but it is
because it is God's will. I would prefer to have a whole
husband."

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 347

To me this reply seemed to be a fair statement of the
attitude of Mormon women toward polygamy.

During nearly all of our sojourn in the city our vener-
able and beloved traveling companion, Deacon Simeon
E. Cobb, had been in another Mormon home very ill.
It was a home, however, in which there was but one wife,
and which I frequently visited. On the 10th of October,
the Deacon peacefully passed away. All of the members
of our party were summoned to the city, and on the
following day we laid him in a cemetery, situated away
up near Camp Douglass, and overlooking the entire
Jordan Valley. There was no clergyman in the city to
assist in the obsequies. The Reverend Norman McLeod
was then on his Eastern trip already referred to. Deacon
Cobb's Mormon home had been a comfortable asylum
in his days of suffering, and he had said, previous to his
death, that the good wife who attended him had been an
angel of mercy.

I will allow those writers who have met bad women
among the Mormons to give their own experiences. Per-
sonally I have met none who did not seem to be moral and
true to the fundamental principles that underlie Christian
character, as they understood them.

Some writings that I have perused comment on the race
deterioration of this people, as the result of polygamy.
In theory one would expect such a result, and the practice,
doubtless, has produced its effects. However, from per-
sonal observation I am unable to discover wherein the
children in Utah appear to be materially different from
those in other parts of our country, though in Salt Lake
City there is a mixed population composed of Danes,
Norwegians, Swedes, English, native Americans and

348 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

other industrious people. This is not an apology for the
abhorrent practice of polygamy; but it must be supposed
that temperance, industry, and the recognized value of
other good habits, as prescribed, and fairly well observed
by the Mormons are sure to produce more favorable re-
sults than are the rapid and dissipated careers of many
children of fortune, who are so-called leaders in American
social life.

The facilities for education, the libraries, the oppor-
tunities provided for wholesome amusement, and the de-
velopment in music, were certainly on as advanced a
scale as were those in any part of our Western States or
territories in that day. The University of Deseret, legal-
ized by their Legislature Assembly, was opened in Novem-
ber, 1850, and provided for free admission to students.
In it the use of tobacco and intoxicants was especially in-
terdicted. The work of the institution was discon-
tinued during the war because of insufficient funds, and
it was, therefore, not in operation during my first visit.
It was re-opened in 1867.

Brigham encouraged music and the drama. The large
and well-trained choir in the Tabernacle is even to this
day an attraction for visitors. Theatrical performances
were regularly given from the earliest days of the Mor-
mon settlement. In an address delivered by Brigham in
1852, he is quoted in the History of Brigham Young,
MS. of that year, as stating, with reference to dancing
and theatricals, — * 'These pastimes give me a privilege to
throw everything off and shake myself that my body may
exercise and my mind rest," Their dancing parties
were, therefore, conducted under the supervision of
church officers, and it was said that they were opened
with prayer.

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 349

The fine Salt Lake Theater building was in use at the
time of our visit in 1866, and was practically unchanged
in 1910, except (as I observed) that opera-chairs were
substituted for long seats in the main part of the audi-
torium.

An excellent stock company, in which three of the
president's daughters were regular members, appeared
at this theater two nights each week. No dramatic
entertainments were given there on other nights. The
president regularly occupied his box at the right of the
stage in company with one wife, who was said then to be
his favorite, — the other wives occupying their regular
seats, side by side, in two long rows in the parquet. All
the wives were usually present. Gentiles were expected
to sit in the circles and galleries above. The entertain-
ment and other features of the performances in the
theater partook of the nature of family gatherings. The
parquet afforded opportunities for social greetings among
the Saints, and between the acts presented an animated
scene. Laura Keene, Maggie Mitchell, the Irvins, Phelps
and other stars of the day, were introduced from time to
time. The auditorium was said to have a seating ca-
pacity of more than 2,500.

As examples of the plays presented, all of which I wit-
nessed, may be mentioned, Gilderoy^ Camilla's Husband,
Brother Bill & Me, Robert McCaire, As Like as Two Peas,
Women's Love, Extremes, Love Knot, Deaf as a Post, The
Old Chateau, Charles XII King of Sweden, Jeremy Did-
dler, Grimaldi, or Perfection, The Robbers, Barney the
Baron, Advertising for a Wife, and Marble Heart, written
by Mr. Sloan, a local playwright.

With but few exceptions, these were well presented.
It is my belief that at no time have the Mormons al-

350 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

lowed to be presented upon their stage any plays of the
shameful and disgraceful type so popular at many of our
Eastern and further Western places of amusement.

On a recent visit to Salt Lake, I was escorted by a
mother in Israel, whom I had long known, to the old
home of Brigham Young, in the front part of which I had
been received many years before. His daughter, Zina, now
a matron well advanced in years, presides over that build-
ing, which is now used as an industrial school for girls.
It was this Zina, who, forty-four years before, when a
bright young girl of fifteen years, having, with certain of
her sisters, received careful training in elocution, ap-
peared upon the stage of the Salt Lake City theater be-
fore an enthusiastic and friendly audience which filled
the house to the upper gallery. Her role, as I remember,
was not a prominent one, but her modest bearing, her
clear musical voice and distinct enunciation, won univer-
sal commendation. She is now, as she doubtless was
then, dignified, earnest, and interesting; but now she is a
woman who seems to believe that she has a mission in the
training of young girls for lives of usefulness.

We sat in the old private room, once used by her father,
in which were the desk, tables and closets, not ordinarily
opened to the public, and this for reasons that relic
hunters well understand ; but in those cabinets were many
records and other objects of interest which seemed to be
of historic value.

We passed back into the long hall on either side of
which were rooms, each of which was formerly occupied
by one of President Young's wives. All of these rooms
are comparatively small, old-style, and simple in their
appointments. We visited the old dining-room, where
the president and his family, including his many children

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 351

sat at their meals, using a single long table, at the head
of which the president was accustomed to sit. In
another room, which is in the basement, we were served
with an excellent lunch by the young ladies of the do-
mestic science school, who were courteous, gracious, and
each apparently as worthy of a good whole husband as is
any daughter that graces fashionable circles in the East.

The work of the school, to which Sister Zina, as she
was called, is devoting her mature years, was fully ex-
plained. It is almost needless to state, that when she
had summoned and introduced David McKenzie, the
venerable manager and director of the theater, the man
who had presented her to her first audience in 1866, our
conversation turned into a lighter and more reminiscent
vein. We did, however, speak of the trials of her people
and of many serious matters already referred to in these
chapters, and of some incidents which, though interest-
ing, would require more space if mentioned at all, than
could here be given them. But Sister Zina is loyal to her
father's memory.

In March, 1912, the curtain fell and closed the last act
in McKenzie's life. He was a devout Mormon, had often
preached in the tabernacle and maintained local dramatic
art along high moral lines.

Gibbon classes among the most furious sectaries of
religion much persecuted, such Christians as the Hus-
sites of Bohemia, the Calvinists of France and the Pau-
licians of America in the ninth century, but he was too
just a historian to put all their leaders outside the pale of
worthy citizenship.

So when I have sat in the presence of the venerable
Mrs. Emeline B. Wells, now 85 years of age, I have al-
ways been inspired with profound respect for her noble

352 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

character and high culture. She was an early Mormon
pioneer and is still editor of "The Woman's Exponent,"
an accomplished writer and conversationalist.

When I read her exquisite poem "The Wife to the Hus-
band," I am led to the conviction that whatever there
may be wrong in Mormon teachings there are women
among that people who have exalted conceptions of do-
mestic relations.

In the old days the Tithing House was a large adobe
structure situated near the Tabernacle, where was re-
ceived in kind a tenth of the surplus, as a consecration,
and after that, one tenth of the increase or earnings an-
nually. The earliest revelations to Joseph Smith in 1831,
commanding the payment of tithes, are quoted in Times
and Seasons, Vols. IV and V. The later alleged revela-
tions and instructions are published in the several
Mormon journals.

The present offices of the church are now installed in a
large and well-appointed building, which is as complete
as are the offices of any other great modern financial
institution. As one passes by the bookkeepers into the
vaults and directors' room it seems as if one were visiting
the headquarters of a huge, well-ordered business corpora-
tion.

It is not strange that many of the active men, who were
at the front in Mormon affairs half a century ago, are no
longer seen on the streets of Salt Lake City. Time, how-
ever, has dealt kindly with the now venerable Hiram B.
Clawson, twice son-in-law of Brigham, a man once quite
as prominent as any other in the social, business, and
military life of Utah. In the panic of 1873 he was sent
East with H. S. Eldredge to arrange an extension of the
obligations of Zion's Mercantile Institution, of which

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 353

he was then superintendent. His work was conducted
with success, and in less than eight months the entire
liability, amounting to $1,100,000, was fully paid, a con-
siderable portion of it being transmitted through the
firm of which I was a member. He finally stated that
the losses of the Company at that time, through bad
debts, did not exceed one-fourth of one per cent, which
was as decisive an indication of the integrity of the people
as could easily have been found anywhere in that calami-
tous year. In my last interview with the old gentleman
we discussed this experience, as well as our memorable
interview with Brigham Young, already reported in
another chapter.

The practice of polygamy is rapidly declining among
the Mormons in Utah. In response to the demands of the
Saints themselves. Congress, in 1862, and again in 1882,
enacted laws which it was hoped would remedy the evil.
The law of 1862, known as the Edmunds Act, declared
such cohabitation to be a misdemeanor. Nevertheless,
within the past six years I have been sheltered in a Mor-
mon home, located somewhat outside of the Utah line,
where three women were present as the wives of the host.

Whatever may be the relations between husband and
wives, there can be no perfectly amicable relations be-
tween the Mormons and other people in our country
while these conditions continue. There is to this day
an undisguisable sentiment of distrust of each other on
the part of both Mormon and Gentile elements in Utah,
the like of which does not seem to exist between adherents
of other religious faiths in our country.

This statement leads us to consider what seems to be
the fundamental cause of the greater part of the Mormon
suffering and trials in the years gone by, and of their many

354 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

conflicts with national and state governments, for which
the mass of that people are certainly not responsible.

Orson Pratt, the Apostle, said * 'There can be but one
perfect government — that organized by God — a govern-
ment by apostles, prophets, priests, teachers, and evan-
gelists."

We read in the Millennial Star, (a church organ) 1844,
reasons why Joseph Smith, the prophet, should be and
logically was the president of the United States. In that
year he was formally announced as a candidate for that
oflSce (see Times and Seasons, June, 1844). By virtue of
his supremacy in the church he was also at the same time
Commander-in-Chief of the Nauvoo Legion, and Mayor
of the City of Nauvoo.

The reign of King Strang, referred to in another chap-
ter, was a theocracy, and was in harmony with the Mor-
mon precedent established by the first prophet.

*T am and will be governor, and no power can hinder
it," were the words used by Brigham Young in a dis-
course in the Tabernacle, 1853, as quoted by Bancroft
in his History of Utah, page 481.

The assumption of civil authority by the Roman
Pontiffs in the Middle Ages, as a divine right, was not
more autocratic than was the attempted usurpation of
civil and religious sovereignty by the men whose words
and acts are hereinbefore set forth.

On the other hand, if Divine revelation of more recent
date than that which was alleged to have come to Joseph
Smith on Cumorah Hill is believed to have come to an
American woman, and this later revelation is honestly
accepted, and its inspired author is revered by thousands
of good and intelligent men and women, it is not surpris-
ing if the Book of Mormon^ and other prophetic deliver-

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 355

ances alleged to have been received from time to time in
the dramatic and mysterious manner that appeals to the
credulous, should also be accepted and obeyed by the
faithful.

If the many revelations and commands published to
the Mormon people through the medium of their proph-
ets be accepted and obeyed, and all under the honest
conviction that such revelations are of divine origin, it
necessarily follows that the Mormon hierach that issues
such decrees is the arbiter and guide of Mormon conduct.
The Mormon laity believed that these supposed divine
commands emanate from a higher source than do the
acts of Congress, and that civil authority is centered in
the head of their Church. It would, therefore, be bru-
tally illogical to lay upon the women of Utah any un-
necessary burdens of censure for their violation of Con-
gressional and other secular enactments before mentioned,
especially as they have not profited but only suffered
from the violation dictated and enforced by conscience.
None the less it remains true that Mormon rule and prac-
tise are not in harmony with the spirit and genius of
American institutions, neither can they be until the laws
of the land, which they have a part in framing, are un-
reservedly recognized and obeyed.

A defection in the Mormon Church, led by Joseph
Smith, Junior, then in Piano, Illinois, was the subject of
much controversy during our visit. These dissenters
were known as Josephites. Their creed, denouncing
polygamy and declaring that Brigham Young had
apostatized from the true faith, is set forth in Waite's
The Mormon Prophet.

Much of the merchandise that was on our incoming ox
train was consigned to William S. Godbe, who was at the

356 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

head of the so-called Godbeite movement, for which re-
volt he and others were ex-communicated and "delivered
over to the buffetings of Satan" "for the period of 1000
years," which seemed to be the approved conventional
term of buffeting to which recusants from the Orthodox
Mormon Church were uniformly condemned. Whether
any abridgment of this millennium might be expected in
recognition of good behavior, seems never to have been
revealed even to the most highly favored.

In opposition to Brigham's policy, Mr. Godbe had
strongly urged the development of mining in Utah, — a
fact that might have recommended him to the friendly
consideration of the accomplished Buffeter, who is
thought to take much interest at least in coal mining.

It was on the evening of October 8th, immediately
after my return from a trip to the mountains, that I was
invited to a conference with Governor Charles Durkee,
Judge Fields, and Dr. O. H. Conger, at which time
among other topics were discussed the perplexing state
of political affairs in the territory and the situation with
reference to mining industries.

At that time Dr. Conger was developing in the interest
of other parties a promising silver mine, which Godbe in-
vestigated with some care. It was located up in the
Wasatch range, at the head of Little Cottonwood canyon,
and three years later it became historic and notorious
as the Emma Mine.

The sale of it three years later to an English Syndicate
for 1,000,000 pounds sterling has taken rank as one of the
most prodigious mining swindles on record. At the time
of this sale the original owners had parted company with
the venture. To give his younger friend a view of the
attractive scenery, I was invited by the doctor to ac-

MORMON HOMES AND SOCIAL LIFE 357

company him on a trip to the new diggings, which were
up on the side of the Twin Peaks. The ride up that wiJd
gorge, one of the grandest in Utah, was intensely in-
ter esting. The water race at the mine, newly cut
through a ledge of marble yet unstained by exposure and
therefore white as snow, wherein to conduct the wonder-
fully transparent mountain stream, was a striking feature.
The whiteness of the conduit made the clear water invisi-
ble, except when it received the reflected sunlight. A
careless pedestrian might easily attempt heedlessly to
walk down in the bottom upon the marble bed. In
dipping from the surface it was necessary to feel one's
way to where the pure air ended and the water began.
The white marble channel bed was the chief cause of this
uncommon transparency. The miners* cabin built from
logs of balsam fir, the berths filled with twigs from that
fragrant tree, and the brilliant wood fire in the massive
open fireplace in which were burned resinous balsam
logs, made the great room redolent with a delightful per-
fume, which I have never forgotten. But all these sug-
gestions of purity were smothered later in the ethically
malodorous transaction already mentioned.

Incidentally I continued the ascent of the Twin Peaks,
from the top of which is doubtless obtained the finest
possible view of the Jordan Valley and Great Salt Lake.
To this remarkable body of water a brief reference seems
appropriate. It has been so frequently described that
it seems proper only to state on the authority of the
American Encyclopedia that it contains 22 per cent of
Chloride of Sodium (salt), with a specific gravity ordi-
narily of 1.17, and is probably the purest and most con-
centrated brine constituting any large body of water on
the globe.

358 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Having bathed also in the Dead Sea I have found its
waters to be equally transparent and about equal in
buoyancy, the specific gravity being about the same as
that of Salt Lake. The most noticeable difference in
effect is the prickling sensation and the smooth oily feel-
ing of the Dead Sea waters, which are attributed to the
presence of nearly 3 per cent of Chloride of Calcium; a
bitter taste is also imparted by the more than 10 per cent
of Chloride of Magnesium. The desire for a rinse in fresh
water is strongly felt on emerging from the Palestinian
Sea. The warm spring, which as already stated had at
one time been pre-empted by Dr. Robinson, was a favo-
rite resort where we occasionally took a plunge. The
waters have a temperature of 95 degrees and are im-
pregnated with sulphur.

During the summer my companions, Ben and Fred,
made a trip to Montana. They assured me that the
primary purposes of their expedition were business and
seeing the country but who would suppose that they
would fail to find the young ladies from whom they had
separated at the Parting of the Ways!

Later in the season they took the stage for San Fran-
cisco and thence sailed for New York via Panama. In
the meantime, it became my duty to make a number of
excursions, some of which may be of sufficient interest to
describe.

CHAPTER XXVII
The Boarding House Train

THE boarding house train of the older days was
not an institution peculiar to the West alone,
for we know that tramp outfits afforded protec-
tion to wanderers in ancient times, and even
now in the Orient and for an agreed pecuniary considera-
tion the peripatetic traveler may plod along as best he
may, or possibly ride at times, and have the dust of the
train and the society and fare of the Cameleers.

Although more or less familiar also with the mode of
travel as seen in the early immigration to the west of
Lake Michigan, I had never seen anything of its kind
quite so picturesque or that in America brought together
so heterogeneous a party of men, as the boarding-house
train that I accompanied through the mountains in
September, 1866.

The time had arrived when it was hoped that our big
ox train would be approaching the mountains, and desir-
ing to meet it and assist in bringing it through the can-
yons, I watched for an opportunity to join some East bound
train. The late summer and early autumn had given us
time to dispose of some merchandise that reached Salt
Lake earlier in the season, and I was now free to leave
the city.

Learning of a small mule outfit that was about to start
for the Missouri River, I concluded arrangements for
transportation.

This transportation embraced the so-called **grub" and
the conveniences of a covered wagon in which one might

359

360 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ride on easy roads, the expectation being that the pas-
senger would walk up the hills or over diflScult tracts.

The captain of the outfit, a big, burly freighter, seemed
proud to have come from Pike County, Missouri, which
he stated had produced the most distinguished men
whom he had ever known.

It had not been my privilege to meet any of the pas-
sengers booked for this Missouri outfit until their arrival
at the corral at the appointed hour for starting. In ac-
cordance with the custom of the country, each passenger
was to furnish his own lodging; in other words, each
brought such blankets as were supposed to be necessary
for protection at night. My bundle was deposited in the
rear wagon, as I was desirous of securing the advantage
of an observation car, which would afford an unob-
structed view behind us. All the vehicles were ordinary
large wagons with canvas covers.

My companions in that wagon were two young men
from Ohio, each of whom had recently purchased a
broncho horse, which he intended to take back to the
States and incidentally to use under the saddle, as he
might have opportunity, on the Eastward journey.
These two quadrupeds were haltered to the rear of the
last wagon, which they were expected to follow. That
the bronchos might become gradually accustomed to a
burden upon their backs, the young men had cinched
tightly upon them their bundles of blankets. Thus
equipped we rolled out from the city up the terraced
slope of **the bench" toward the entrance into Parley's
Canyon. (It may be stated that the bench is the narrow
level table land, evidently an ancient shore line, that
skirts the foothills of those mountains and indicates that
during some period the waters in the valley reached that
high level).

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 361

The young men had commented favorably on the
docility of their bronchos, which had for a time followed
the wagon in a satisfactory manner, and expressed the
belief that the animals would afford great comfort on the
long trip, by enabling them to take horse-back rides.

On entering an area covered with sage brush, a new
purpose seemed suddenly to enter the heads of the un-
certain bronchos. It may have been inspired by the
sight of a little patch of grass on the otherwise arid bench,
or it may have been an innate inclination to do something
unexpected, an inclination very characteristic of the
broncho. Suddenly and almost simultaneously they
dropped back on their halters and were soon free and
making a flight for the brush. The young men watched
their next proceedings with dismay. Having reached
an eligible location in an open space, the bronchos at once
began a series of evolutions so interesting that the train
was brought to a halt. In his favorite pastime of buck-
ing, the broncho has no peer among all the quadrupeds
of the earth. It had been my privilege and misfortune
to make a personal test of this form of amusement and
with the usual results, but never before had I seen it so
successfully performed upon inanimate matter, as on this
occasion in the sage brush of Utah.

The bundles upon the bronchos were light, and were
strapped tightly upon them with double girths. The
buckers operating closely together apparently entered
into a contest, to ascertain which of the two could first
relieve himself of his impedimenta.

While the train was at rest, the boarders and drivers
secured favorable positions, where they might witness
the match. Our captain from Pike County, Missouri,

S62 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

broke forth into curses, berating the intelligence of any
man who would buy such good-for-nothing creatures, and
yet he was the first person to assist in their capture.
Again and again the bucking bronchos, facing each other,
repeated their vicious plunges, leaping into the air with
heads down and backs curved upward, and coming down
upon their fore feet, until in some way the bundles were
dashed upon the ground and their contents were widely
distributed under the animals' feet, after which a sense
of victory and freedom seemed to come over them, and
only after a long pursuit were they again secured. During
the time that I remained with the train, no human being
ventured to mount the refractory brutes.

The night came on as we turned into camp near the
summit of the canyon. The familiar fragrance of fried
bacon and coffee was beginning to pervade the atmos-
phere when the captain from Pike County gave the com-
mand to "fall to," which was his method of announcing
to the boarders that supper was served. Drawing around
the camp fire we faced the same old "Menu" and the
same type of battered tin dishes and cutlery that we had
become familiar with on our own train, except that the
cooking and serving paraphernalia bore evidences of
greater antiquity and more violent service.

We sat or kneeled upon the ground in a sort of irregular
semi-circle. With but few exceptions each man was a
stranger to all the others. Each man had a revolver in
his belt, and in most cases the men had rifles with their
effects in the wagons. Each was curious to know where
the other fellow came from, and without much ceremony
the blunt, but good-natured question, "Where do you
hail from?" was propounded to one's neighbor in the
circle. The roster was soon completed, and before we

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 363

left the camp fire my record showed that one of the party
had recently closed his apprenticeship under Morgan,
the raider; another, an ex-confederate, was from Old
Virginia; one was from the Sandwich Islands; one from
New Hampshire; one each from Arkansas, South Caro-
lina, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and two were from Mis-
souri. Our cook was a young Snake Indian, but the
rest of the crew had not yet disclosed any facts concerning
their life-history.

From the members of such a miscellaneous gathering
there came naturally some sparring and good-natured
reviling tinged at times with acrimony, for the bitterness
of the Civil War had not yet materially lessened. But
after the first parry of words all realized that they were
now comrades for mutual protection.

A quiet place was soon found up the mountain side,
and wrapping my blanket around me I watched the
bright stars until I fell asleep.

In the morning we had a touch of camp life that was
calculated to bring to the surface that trait of character
which would manifest itself in an hour of trial. The
captain had been heard to shout from a distant point,
where he was attending to a mule, to ask the young
Indian cook why in h — 1 he didn't call breakfast, as it was
time for the train to pull out. The brush fire had burned
long enough to have boiled coffee many times, but the
Snake Indian seemed to be w andering abstractedly round
the wagons as if searching for some missing article. As
the Captain approached and again demanded an ex-
planation for the delay, the boy informed him, in the few
English words at his command, that some one had taken
the bacon. He declared that the great slab of meat re-
ferred to had on the night before been placed in the

S64 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

covered mess box at the tail end of the wagon.

The Captain again swore, and, with the air of a com-
mander of men, proceeded in his endeavors to solve the
mystery. Two mules had been picketed all night near
the wagon, and the Captain, doubtless aware of the om-
nivorous habits of those amalgamated beasts, examined
their surroundings, and observed squarely under the
fore feet of one an elevated surface that appeared sus-
picious. He backed the mule, and with his foot scraped
away an inch or two of dirt, beneath which he struck the
stratum of bacon, disfigured somewhat by the heavy
pressure of the animal's hoofs, but nevertheless recog-
nizable as bacon. The mule had evidently, at some time
during the night, hfted the lid of the mess box with his
nose, and seizing the bacon with his teeth had undertaken
the task of eating it, but finding some coarser food better
suited to his incisors had abandoned the bacon in disgust,
dropped it upon the ground, pawed dirt upon it, and then
planted his feet on the pile.

"Here's your bacon," said the Captain, with an oath,
and a sneer of superiority. "Now hurry up that break-
fast." This event occurred prior to the development of
our present theory of germs and the sterilization of food,
so vexing to modern epicures.

An empty stomach needs no appetizing sauce. When
I have listened to adverse criticisms concerning dishes
served at elaborately prepared banquets, I have more
than once recalled that breakfast of bacon and coffee pre-
pared by a Snake Indian cook in the Wasatch Moun-
tains. There was no bacon to be wasted.

On those clear frosty nights it was a pleasure to creep
up the mountain side, and beneath the open starry sky
to roll up in a blanket and be lulled to sleep by the music

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 365

of streams rushing down those canyons. Strange as it
may seem, no colds ever resulted from this life in the
open air. Every breath inhaled in the waking hours or
while asleep, was of pure air not vitiated by exhalations
from the lungs of others, nor breathed in part over and
over again. This immunity from colds is also true under
some conditions that might seem seriously dangerous to
one accustomed only to the comforts of civilized life.
An example of this was afforded on Tuesday evening, the
18th of September, when we reached Quaking Asp Hill,
near the summit of the Divide. A fine driving rain,
which extinguished our fires, began to fall at dusk, before
we had finished our bacon and coffee, and there were in-
dications of a cold and heavy storm. That he might
the better protect himself against the elements, the Sand-
wich Islander entered into negotiations to double our
blankets, a proposal that was promptly accepted, as he
was provided with one which was waterproof to place
on the wet ground. Each of us had the regular double
army blanket and overcoat. This was not the first
rainy night that I had spent without a roof above me,
but it was certainly the wildest.

As the night advanced and the wind was blowing
violently, we naturally turned our feet toward the gale
and loaded the edges of the blankets with rocks to hold
them in place. We then settled down to await the time
when the water would penetrate our clothing.

Fortunately the rain turned into a driving snow
storm. The gale veered round and came from the North,
increasing in intensity, and although our blankets were
frozen, the wind now coming toward our heads, pressed
down between us and lifted the covering like a balloon
until it found escape at our feet, while the covers wave^

866 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

and flapped in the air. It seemed too late to reverse
our position, but we held tightly to the coverings until
the accumulating snow gradually weighted them down.
The wind also became more moderate toward midnight,
but the snow continued to fall rapidly until after we fell
asleep. My companion and I had *'spooned" as closely
as possible that we might share each other's warmth, and
if one was inclined to turn over his partner promptly
responded.

I awoke after daylight, conscious of the heavy weight
resting upon us. Opening my eyes I looked upward
through the white funnel in the snow which had been
formed by our breaths, melting the falling flakes, but
everything was still. The storm had ceased, and al-
though the sun had not yet risen above the mountain
peaks, we saw that a bright morning was dawning upon
us. A council with my companion led us to lift the
blankets with care, and remove the weight of snow that
covered us. After rising to a sitting position, it was dis-
covered that we were not alone. Here and there at
different points were undulations on the brilliant white
surface of the snow. In one end of each of these was
the funnel which told us that the warm breath of the
sleepers had also preserved for them an open view of the
sky above.

Must we, as first-class boarders, dig the walks through
the snow and build the fire.'^ We decided in the nega-
tive, and accordingly called the camp to service. One by
one snow mounds were lifted and living beings arose from
beneath the thick white mantle. The Captain had slept
in his wagon, but he promptly assumed command.
Preparations were soon under way for breakfast, and the
stock was cared for. Nearly eight inches of snow had

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 367

fallen. Not a track was visible to guide us along the
road during the greater part of the following day, but as
we descended into the valleys, there was but little snow
upon the ground, and that disappeared rapidly. Not
one of our party "caught cold."

The days rolled by until one morning after we had
passed Fort Bridger, we met our long ox train moving
Westward. It halted until I could transfer my baggage,
after which I bade a hearty farewell to the fellow travel-
ers in the boarding-house train. Taking possession
of a good saddle horse, I started Westward again with
our own long caravan.

This brings us to new experiences. It was no trifling
matter to conduct a long ox train up and down the moun-
tain canyons, as will be discovered later. This was not
because it was difficult to find the trail, but it was be-
cause the trail itself was often difficult. It was the prin-
cipal highway through the ranges of mountains, and from
Fort Bridger westward was the regular stage road, yet
it was often steep and dangerous. Captain Whitmore
and his men were somewhat weary, having had a hard
trip, and my services, therefore, seemed to be very wel-
come. The provisions were running low. Sugar for
coffee and soda for bread were long since exhausted. In
fact, the stock of food was reduced to flour, bacon, and a
little coffee. Milk or vegetables were never obtainable,
and canned goods had not come into use. Two or three
men who were with the train had endeavored to incite
the others to rebellion, and appearing before Captain
Whitmore told him substantially in the words once ad-
dressed to Moses of the time when back in the States,
**They sat by the flesh pots and did eat bread to the^full,"
but now they could not get a square meal in the wilder-

S68 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ness. It appears that these mutineers were recognized
by their companions as wasteful, shiftless men, too proud
and lazy to work when at home. From Whitmore's
rulings there would be no appeal in that country, except
to the law of force. There were no cucumbers, melons,
leeks, or onions in that wilderness. Bacon or unleavened
bread or death was the alternative, unless they could
hustle for wild game. Regarding the subsequent careers
of the three men above referred to as an object lesson,
it may be interesting to note the fact that to the end of
their lives none appeared ever to be in a position to as-
sist another, or to keep want from his own door.

It was along this road that we fell in with Captain
Chipman's ill-starred train of Mormon emigrants.
Mingling with the Pilgrims in their camp, I became in-
terested in a young Englishman named S. W. Sears,
whose history is full of adventures and chequered with
varied experiences.

Although then but twenty-two years of age, he was
chaplain of the train; for be it known that notwithstand-
ing the sins ascribed to the Mormons, they maintained
regular devotional services in camp as well as temple.
Sears* wife had died on their westward pilgrimage six
months after their marriage and was buried on the
banks of the North Platte.

A few days later their train was attacked by Indians
who captured 300 of their horses and oxen.

The emigrants saved enough of their stock to move
their wagons in divisions until they escaped from the
hostile Indian territory.

Sears became prominent both as a missionary of the
Mormon faith and in commercial life. Two wives sur-
vived him, one of whom was the adopted daughter of the

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 369

distinguished Daniel H. Wells and was born in a wagon
near the entrance to the city at the termination of her
mother's long journey across the plains.

Travel, like politics, makes strange bedfellows, and
especially that kind of travel in which all companions
must, from necessity, mingle on a common level, eat
their simple rations by the same camp fire, and sleep side
by side beneath the same open sky. This observation
is suggested by a night spent in camp near Bear River.
Our ox train had just forded that rocky stream, to avoid
the excessive toll which was demanded for the privilege of
crossing upon the new bridge. Before going into camp
nearby, the Captain of a little train that had preceded
us rode his horse rapidly into the stream in his effort to
head off some intractable mules. The horse stumbled
over some stones and fell upon its knees, throwing the
rider over his head in a fairly executed somersault into
the water. The feat evoked hearty applause from those
who were fortunate enough to witness it.

Now it happened that among the men with our train
was a modest but vigorous young man named Ferdinand
Lee, whom I had known quite well before he had served
his full time during the war just ended as a private in the
Second Wisconsin Regiment, which distinguished itself
as part of the famous Iron Brigade.

After supper I walked up the bank of the stream with
Ferd, which was the name by which Lee was familiarly
known, and we soon encountered a group of men com-
posed of stragglers from two small parties that were
camping near by and who like ourselves had gravitated
toward the best camp fire.

"Was it your Captain what made that h — 1 of a dive
from his hoss into the river?" asked a tall, black-whisk-

370 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ered Southerner of a small, red-headed chap, who we
learned later was known as Sandy.

*T reckon it war. Didn't he do it all right?'* was the
reply. "What's your name, anyhow .f*" he continued.

"Well, it don't make much difference, but these fellows
call me Shorty, and I was wondering if that Captain
ever rid a hoss before."

"Guess he has, because he says he was in the army and
raided in Kentucky with the Rebs," replied Sandy.
"Those Kentucky ans think they can ride, you know."
And with this he took a seat upon a little rock, lighted a
pipe, and others followed his example.

"I guess you're a Yank," said Shorty.

"Well, I reckon I am," said Sandy, "and while we are
guessing I would put you down for a Johnny Reb." A
frown came over Shorty's face, when he said, with some
bitterness, "You think the Kentucky boys can't ride
much, hey?"

"I recollect hearing them tell about your General
Winne, when he and some of his boys here were pretty
close together near the Wilderness Tavern. He did the
same thing in the water of Flat Run that your Captain
did in Bear River."

"War you in the Wilderness two years ago?" asked
Sandy.

"I was in the Iron Brigade of Maryland, sir."

"Then I reckon you have seen General Winne. But
don't you think you fellows did a lot of careless shooting
around there?"

"Wa'al, we pumped some lead the best we knew how,
but were you careless enough to be standing around in
that country when shooting was going on?" asked
Shorty.

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 371

"There's a bullet inside of me that once in a while tells
me that mebbe I wasn't in jest the right place."

"What company were you in?" asked Shorty.

"I was fooling around a little with the Twentieth
Maine," was the reply.

Ferd Lee had been a quiet but interested listener. One
of our boys, without turning his head remarked that Lee
just behind him did some business in the Wilderness.

"Lee? That's a good Virginia name. But you were
not in our Brigade, were you?"

"No," replied Ferd. "I loafed around a few years with
the Second Wisconsin in the Iron Brigade."

Shorty instantly rose to his feet, and approaching
Ferd said, "I have surely met you before, sir. Although
I hate the Yankees, I respect the bravery of the men in
your Brigade, and I want to shake your hand."

Ferd rose, took the hand of the Confederate veteran,
and they looked into each other's eyes as the firelight
flickered in their faces, when Ferd said, "No men ever
fought better than yours did."

The Iron Brigade had earned its name through the
valor and inflexible courage of its men on many battle-
fields, and its Second Wisconsin Regiment had borne an
honorable part in its achievement.

Thus, for the first time since they had met in conflict
on the battle-fields of Virginia, those veterans again
confronted each other. True, the war was over, but it
had left its bitterness. Nevertheless, like other brave
men, they were impelled to respect the soldiers on the
opposing side, whose deeds had been as valorous as those
of any heroes immortalized in poetry and song. Until
late that night, by the peaceful camp fire on the banks of
Bear River, the boys rehearsed the thrilling events in

372 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

which they had participated in the effort to shed each
other's blood.

As would naturally be supposed, Captain Whitmore,
as the opportunity presented itself, gave me from time to
time the story of his experience thus far during his trip.
One event, the particulars of which were confirmed by
his men, seemed to be so interesting that I asked him to
describe it again to another party of travelers at our
night's camp. It appears that one afternoon his ox
train was slowly crawling along near the north slope of a
low range of hills west of Julesburg. A family of emi-
grants from Illinois consisting of a man, his wife, a grown
son and a daughter about eighteen years of age, and a
couple of assistants, had accompanied the train from the
last military post. As these emigrants had horse teams,
which travel somewhat faster than oxen, they were ac-
customed to driving half a mile or more in advance of the
big train, although they had been warned of the hazard;
but there they were on that fatal day to receive unaided
the brutal raid of a band of Indians which swooped down
from the hills. John Wilson on horseback and Mr. Stone
of Iowa on foot were out in opposite directions for a hunt.
Simultaneously with the attack on the emigrant's wagons,
Wilson was seen racing down a valley toward the train
pushing his horse to the top of its speed, and in close pur-
suit was a band of mounted savages yelling like demons.
At the same moment Mr. Stone, who was in full view not
a mile distant, became the object of an attack from still
another detachment of warriors also on horse-back. The
train was corralled in a circle for defense as speedily as
possible. In the meantime Stone displayed marvelous
tact and coolness. He was armed with a Henry repeat-
ing rifle loaded with sixteen cartridges, and, as was the

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 373

usual custom with all hunters, he also carried in addition
a case of loaded cartridges. On discovering the rapid
approach of the savages he hastened to the top of a
little mound that was near by and dropped upon his
face. Pursuing their usual tactics the Indians in single
file rode swiftly in a circle round and round the ap-
parently doomed lowan, gradually approaching their
victim, who would soon be within range of their arrows.
Stone remained quiet for a few moments until his ene-
mies, filing rapidly by the line of his aim as they passed,
were within fairly safe range, and then his rifle, directed
with careful precision, opened up a series of discharges
such as they probably had never before seen, for the
Henry was a newly invented weapon and the savages
doubtless intended to close in as soon as the rifle should
be discharged. In Stone's first series of shots he emptied
three saddles of their riders and wounded two horses.
While the savages then swung outward for a moment,
time was given him to refill the chamber of his rifle with
fresh cartridges when at once he renewed his defensive
tactics, with results that were startling. The Indians
who were still in action seemed to be perplexed by the
strange, persistent weapon that was turned upon them,
and slowly withdrew. Stone retreated toward the train
and was soon under cover of its rifles. The emigrant's
party fared badly. All were slaughtered except the young
girl, who was captured alive and was taken off with the
horses and the plunder from the wagons. I learned
later that she remained in captivity until the following
spring, when she was restored to the military and thence
transported to her former home.

Wilson reached a point where his exhausted horse,
which had fully shared in the panic, fell prostrate to the

374 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ground and never again rose to its feet. The train, now
well fortified and defended, escaped further loss.

It may be remembered, as was narrated in another
chapter, that in the early days of our expedition and away
back in the little village of Churchville, Iowa, a young
girl disguised in boy's apparel succeeded in joining the
train and became an assistant to the man and his wife
who were the cooks for the outfit. After our little party
proceeded in advance of the big train from Nebraska
City we received no definite tidings concerning its prog-
ress until the meeting near Bridger, which has just been
described. It^was therefore a great surprise, on now
again reaching the train, to learn that the girl had thus
far shared the hardships and perils of the entire journey.
What would lead a young, apparently modest, and pre-
possessing country maid to embark on a long trip with
a body of strangers destined to a far away Mormon town
in the mountains.'^ Before being permitted to proceed
from Nebraska City, it appears that she gave out some
statements concerning her history. From these it
transpired that she was an orphan about nineteen years
of age. She had a lover, who, she confidently believed, was
in Salt Lake valley. It seemed to be the old story of a
trustful, confiding girl and possibly a recreant wooer, in
whom she still had unbounded faith. She was intelligent
for one of her years and was apparently sincere and
thoroughly in earnest.

*'Yes, he is right there in the valley, and he does not
know that I am going to meet him," she said. But,
young girl, there are hundreds of canyons and branch
canyons reaching out from the valleys around Salt Lake
basin. Many of them are seldom trodden. Some, diffi-
cult of access, invite the adventurer to their remotest

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 375

nooks, where the fortune-hunter would seek for gold or
silver. How will you find him?

"Hope is a lover's staff," and on that frail support her
future rested. She had come to be known to the boys
with the train, many of whom had been soldiers, as the
child of the regiment.

We well remember how she then appeared as she was
about to enter practically alone into the turbulent life
of the little city of Salt Lake, for it must be understood
that the train men must there separate, and while she
might receive some assistance, she must fight her own
battles.

If any old resident of Church ville, Iowa, knew a bright,
handsome young girl of medium height with dark hair
and big dark eyes who in the spring of sixty-six suddenly
disappeared from that village he may get this little
glimpse of her history. Her real name was always with-
held. The name by which she was known to our boys
would have no significance to her former acquaintances. I
never saw her again after the train reached the city. She
suddenly vanished in the whirlpool of western life.

It was reported that a young girl answering the de-
scription of our whilom ward was one morning seen riding
alone on horse-back up City Creek canyon, to which
valley hundreds of men had that year been attracted by
rumors of gold discoveries. And so must end a tale half-
told.

During those days I was assisting on horse-back in
various ways, and at times conducting the long train
round the sharp curves in the canyons. Six or eight yokes
of oxen drawing two large wagons coupled together is a
long thing in itself, stretching out perhaps 150 feet. It
may nm beautifully on a straight road, but in rounding

B76 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

a short bend in a narrow roadway, where the inside of the
bend is on the edge of a precipice, the tendency is to
bring the wagons dangerously near the brink.

On the third of October, our train was winding along
the narrow roadway among the cliffs of Silver Creek
Canyon. Looking across a deep ravine before us we ob-
served the last wagon in the train that was crawling along
in advance of ours, to be encroaching on the edge of a
precipice, and in a moment a wheel slipped over the
bank. The great prairie schooner capsized, breaking
the tongue, detaching the wagon from the teams, and
turned upside down. Down, down it rolled, repeatedly
bounding over rocks and through bushes, until it found
a resting place quite out of sight near the bottom of the
canyon. As we approached the scene of the catastrophe
an odor, recognized by experienced drivers as of whiskey,
came from the wreck of the wagon. We passed on as
soon as the way could be opened. A number of men from
the delayed train seemed inspired with a benevolent im-
pulse that led them to assist in saving something from the
wreck, and were soon clambering down the rocks toward
the spot from which the fragrance came the strongest.

We learned nothing of the final results of the work of
this salvage corps. Their voices, which came up from
the hidden depths, indicated that they had found some-
thing, and the odors were evidence that enough fire water
had been spilled to have made a whole tribe of the sol-
emnest Indians hilarious.

On the afternoon of the same day, in going down a
steep descent in the same canyon, the failure to fasten the
brake on one of our wagons caused the two that were
coupled together to gain so much headway that they
pressed the ox teams into a frightened mass. The break-

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 377

ing of the wagon tongue turned the wagons down a long
steep slope leaving the road more than five hundred feet
above. We now had our own troubles. After taking a
survey of our wreck, which consisted of a load of mis-
cellaneous merchandise and a wagon in trail, on which
was a heavy boiler, I rode back to the little settlement of
Wanship for articles needed in repairs.

In the meantime the train was corralled further down
the canyon, and the stock wandered up the mountain
valleys.

In the morning many oxen were missing which it was
my pleasure to assist in finding, for I loved the hills.
Mounting a horse, I ascended a ravine and crossed two
or three mountain spurs where it was hoped a glimpse
of the strays or their tracks might be obtained.

Looking from a concealed position across a deep valley,
I observed on the opposite slope an animal which I be-
came satisfied was a mountain sheep, the Big Horn. I
had seen many specimens of the various animals and
birds indigenous to the West, but never a mountain
sheep, except in captivity. They are wary animals, and
like the chamois of the Alps are at home on the rocky
cliffs. I must be cautious. My horse was fastened be-
hind me, out of view, down the mountain slope. My
Henry rifle was in good condition. Lying on my face
while carefully sighting through the underbrush, I felt
myself to be absolutely safe from discovery. Calculat-
ing the distance as accurately as possible, a careful aim
was taken, but the bullet fell far short of the mark, strik-
ing the rocks away beneath. The animal was evidently
unconscious of my death-dealing purpose, and nestled
quietly half -concealed in a growth of underbrush.
Another shot was fired, when it became evident that my

378 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Henry was not of sufficiently long range to reach the
game. The opportunity before me was too rare to be
sacrificed without effort. Therefore, after tying a silk
handkerchief to a limb to mark the trail to my horse, I
skirted the spur of the mountain, on foot, slowly de-
scended into the ravine, and laboriously clambered up the
other side.

The time and effort expended in accomplishing the
ascent to the other side made it clear that I had been
greatly deceived in the distance, but I was happy to make
any physical effort to secure a mountain sheep. The
last quarter of a mile must be made with exceeding cau-
tion, because the quick ear of the Big Horn would catch
any unusual sound. After more than an hour of vig-
orous but cautious climbing, an eligible point was reached,
toward which my course had been directed, and with
rifle ready to fire on the first sight of the game, my head
was slowly raised above a projecting rock in confidence
that the game had not ascended the mountain. There
it was in full view, not more than a hundred yards dis-
tant. It certainly had horns, but the sight of half a
dozen ordinary sheep huddled together in the back-
ground revealed to my obtuse consciousness the fact
that my game was a ram, which was guarding a little
flock of domestic sheep similar to those with which we are
all familiar.

Shall victory be wrested from defeat? Our boys
needed meat, and I could tumble a sheep's carcass down
the mountain side. Conflicting emotions throbbed with-
in my breast, until approaching the sheep I was con-
fronted by a tough-looking mountaineer, after which I
cared less for mutton.

"What are ye doin' up here?" was his interrogatory.

THE BOARDING HOUSE TRAIN 379

"Oh, I'm out a hunting.'*

"What kind of game are ye after?" he asked.

"Oh, any nice game that needs a good shot."

I noticed that the stranger had a revolver at his side,
and in a few moments another slouched-hat individual
emerged from a little hut in a side ravine.

"What kind of a rifle is that you've got?"

"It's a Henry."

"I've hear'n of one but never seen one before. Lemme
see it," said the mountaineer. He took the gun from me
and carefully looked it over. "Where are you from,
anyhow?" he asked, without taking his eyes from the
gun. I gave the name of the town without any addi-
tional facts. Continuing, he said, "I was there once. I
lived up in Bark Woods awhile. Do you know where
Pumpkin Holler is, just beyond Hebron?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever know Jim Roach, who hauled logs to
Joe Powers' saw mill at Hebron?"

"The holler is several miles from my town, but I think
I have heard the name," I replied.

"Didn't you ever hear of Jim Roach's nephew Ben?"
he asked.

"Maybe I have," was the answer.

"Well!" said the mountaineer, "I'm him."

CHAPTER XXVIII
Some Episodes In Stock Hunting

IN later years, through the influence of one of its
ambitious citizens, the little settlement referred
to in the last chapter as Pumpkin Holler had come
to be known by the more classic if less appropriate
name of Rome. There was, however, nothing in
my recollection of that sleepy crossroads or of its alleged
former citizen, Benjamin Roach, and his friend, that would
tempt me to remain longer than necessary in their moun-
tain fastness, nor did I invoke their aid or inform them
that a number of our cattle had strayed up the adjacent
valleys. It was the current belief that some men who
lived in those parts, having no other visible means of
support, were inclined to care for stray stock, and pur-
sued that avocation as a pastime chiefly in their own in-
terest. As soon, therefore, as the Henry rifle was again
in my hands, I retreated down the mountain side through
the thickets of underbrush and then up the other side of
the valley. The silk handkerchief , which had been left
on the opposite cliff as a landmark, served a good pur-
pose as it enabled me to reach my horse by a fairly direct
course.

The lengthening shadows on the mountain slopes were
a warning that I should speedily proceed to the business
of hunting cattle. It was nearly sunset when I caught
a glimpse of oxen nearly a mile distant and partly con-
cealed by a grove near which they were grazing. Being
confident that they were part of our missing stock I
started to reach them. The steep, rough, and rocky
mountain slope which was hurriedly descended in the

380

SOME EPISODES IN STOCK HUNTING 381

quest was ill adapted to horse-back riding and the path-
less groves of underbrush proved to be serious obstruc-
tions to progress. Becoming entangled in the unyielding
branches the stock of my rifle was broken squarely off,
and a few new holes in size beyond the skill of the novice
to repair, were punched through my garments in places
where additional holes were unnecessary. On emerging
into an open space, it was found that both horse and
rider had received a few scratches, and the bridle was
broken. All these mishaps were ordinary incidents to
which any stock hunter is subject if he is inclined to
wander unnecessarily into new and untrodden paths, but
the big whip, the favorite artillery of the cowboy, was
saved. Our wayward oxen were finally rounded up far
up a valley where the grass grows the greenest, but with
temper not unlike that of men they evidently preferred
the freedom of the mountains to a condition of servitude.
Apparently understanding my purpose they scattered
in a wild race to avoid, if possible, being again brought
under the heavy yoke, but were finally brought to the
corral down the canyon.

Our troubles were not yet ended. On the following
day two more wagon wheels collapsed on a steep slope.
The train was again halted. The stock was turned out
upon the range with its numerous ramifications of ravines
and thickets, and before the morning dawned many of the
animals were out of our sight.

We were not traveling on schedule time, yet this delay
brought forth some outbursts of profanity from those who
were accustomed to swear, all of which produced no
effect on the cattle scattered up the valleys. On the
following morning there began another series of experi-
ences in hunting stock, which afforded a fair illustration

882 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

of the manner in which the Western Mountaineer of that
day lived and tried to sleep.

Taking a heavy horse, which unfortunately was not
adapted to mountain climbing, I started alone southward
up a long side ravine directed in part by the tracks of the
oxen. Having reached rather a high altitude, and de-
siring to obtain a better view of the surrounding country,
I followed the projecting spur of a barren mountain,
which on further advance proved to be unexpectedly
steep. In turning a crest of the ridge my horse stumbled,
and while I very properly landed on the uphill side, he
rolled completely over downward, and after a series of
evolutions impossible to describe, became anchored flat
upon his back, tightly wedged in against a small solitary
quaking asp tree, which fortunately stood upon the edge
of an almost perpendicular declivity at whose foot,
several hundred feet below, was a wet swamp, in which
was a dense thicket of willows, possibly the source of a
mountain brook. The feet of the horse were pawing the
air. After a few ineffectual efforts to disengage himself
he turned his head and cast a pathetic glance downward,
evidently realizing his dangerous and helpless position.
As a matter of fact, the situation was not pleasant either
for the horse or for him who was partly responsible for its
plight.

After carefully crawling down to where he was held as
in a vise, I unloosed his saddle girths and supporting my-
self partly by the little tree and partly by the rock be-
neath it, seized the horse by his f oretop and slowly swung
him round until his head turned up the slope, and then
assisted him to roll upon his face as a preliminary to an
effort to rise upon his feet. He took one more solemn
thoughtful look downward toward the gulf beneath him,

SOME EPISODES IN STOCK HUNTING 383

and then began his struggle for life in the effort to gain a
safe footing up the mountain side, to which effort I gave
some assistance from my anchorage. I put my trust in
the quaking asp and held to it firmly until the loose stones
which the horse dislodged in his scramble had rolled by,
and then dragging the saddle, I slowly crawled up by the
same pathway and found the animal quietly awaiting my
arrival, with an expression upon his countenance that
seemed to indicate a desire to give thanks for what was
really a narrow escape from a disastrous plunge. He was
again saddled, but was not again mounted until we reached
a safer footing. Finding myself at a point from which it
seemed that the summit of the mountain could now be
reached, and led as is the average young man by an ir-
repressible desire to descend into the deepest hole or
reach the top of the highest hill at any time within the
range of vision, I determined to complete the ascent and
take a look down upon that part of the world. On near-
ing the summit I observed a dense mist slowly creeping
along the eastern slope of the mountain and bridging the
ravine with soft billowy folds upon which the bright sun-
light rested. When it had risen to within a few hundred
feet of my course, the cloud became luminous for an in-
stant. The flash was quickly followed by a sharp report
like the discharge of a piece of artillery at hand and the
detonation combined with its echo back from another
mountain side in one single sharp response. This was
quickly repeated three or four times with startling effect.
As I have often observed, when thunder storms among
mountain peaks float beneath the observer, there is no
prolonged roar and rumbling, as when the deep-toned
thunder reverberates above lower levels. The prospect
of being wrapped in the cold and wet embrace of the ris-

384 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ing storm clouds, when upon a difficult and untried moun-
tain pathway, was not cheering. The sky overhead had
been clear, and the bright light intensified the grandeur
and beauty of the soft billows below, which seemed as
sharply outlined as the waves of the ocean, but there came
some scurrying clouds in a higher stratum above the
summit which later sent down driving snow flakes, all of
which melted in the air on nearly the level where I stood,
on coming into contact with the warmer current near the
storm below. The lower storm did not rise to the moun-
tain top, but majestically moved onward somewhere by a
course the eye could not follow, and on its fleeing skirts
was painted a beautiful rainbow, as welcome in its prom-
ise of hope as any I have ever seen. The complete arch,
perfect in every detail, its bright hues radiant against
the dark background, rested in the deep valley far be-
neath. The sky had again cleared and in many direc-
tions the bright sun lit up the sides of the surrounding
mountains, and slowly the coveted view of the extensive
landscape of mountain and valley unfolded. That storm
was a glorious spectacle never to be forgotten. The
mountain slopes as revealed when the clouds rolled by
were seen to be scarred by narrow ravines dark and
gloomy in the path of the retreating storm and in strik-
ing contrast with the little patches of glistening snow on
many of the northern slopes, relics perhaps of some less
recent snow fall. The view from any mountain top in-
spires the most phlegmatic with some emotion, but on
this Utah peak the sense of cold and hunger began in
time to assert itself.

I was supposed, also, to be hunting stock, and not even
the dullest ox would go to a rocky barren mountain top
to feed. I ventured to attempt a descent by a course

SOME EPISODES IN STOCK HUNTING 385

other than that first taken and leading down another
valley. After a few miles of travel I was surprised by
the welcome sight of a little log cabin, the first human
habitation discovered during the day. The little home
seemed to offer a much desired protection for the coming
night. My thoughts upon the subject were frankly ex-
pressed to a woman having slightly gray hair, who stood
in the open door as I approached. She invited me to
hitch my horse and come in. Accepting a proffered
chair, I soon found myself in the presence of five com-
paratively young women, none but the one already men-
tioned being apparently more than twenty-five years of
age. The women, some of whom remained standing,
gathered round in a rather expectant attitude, as if de-
siring to see and hear all that might transpire. Although
not a close observer of women's apparel, a single glance
showed me that there was a striking similarity in the
material and style of their dresses and sun-bonnets.

"Are all these young women members of your family.?"
I asked.

"Yes, there are seven of us here."

"A fine large family, indeed," said I, "but is the man
of the house here.^^"

"No," replied the older woman, "he is down at Provo
with some cattle."

"And you women are up here alone, and I suppose it
is your husband who is at Provo," I added with the hope
that the answer might shed some daylight upon the re-
lationship which the women held one to another. Some
of the women quietly glanced one at another, until one
of them replied in the aflirmative. Here then the re-
markable Scripture had had a remarkable fulfilment:
"In those days it shall come to pass that seven women
shall lay hold upon one man."

386 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Two of the seven, who during our preHminary conversa-
tion had been outside, now entered the room from the
rear, apparently aware that there was a caller in the
house. Visits not being frequent events in their se-
cluded home, they would naturally desire to share the in-
terest of any new face, be it welcome or otherwise.

The family was now supposed to be accounted for and
present except the pater-familias, and to what extent
the absent member was entitled to the distinction of be-
ing a father had not yet become clear to me, nor to what
extent he was a husband.

I observed that the cabin consisted of a single room, of
fairly good size, and what appeared to be a small kitchen
under a rudely constructed lean-to, built against the rear
of the cottage. On opposite sides of the main room were
berths made of balsam poles and constructed in tiers of
three, one above another. There was no ceiling or attic
above the room, which was open to the sloping roof.
There being twelve berths, the provisions for sleeping
were manifestly ample, and on being informed that I
could be accommodated for the night I decided to re-
main at least for supper, after which my judgment would
be more enlightened. I was fearfully hungry. They
would have supper at five o'clock. An old fashioned
fall-leaf table was pulled out from the wall, the leaves
were lifted up, and the preparation was begun, when I
stepped out from the door to take an observation.

In a running brook I washed my hands and wiped
them partly on my clothes, using a soiled handkerchief
that had begun to simulate alarmingly the likeness of an
old map of Africa, but still discharged in some measure
the duty of detergence. Having parted my hair with
my pocket comb and being now ready for the feast I

DEAD MAN S FALLS, LITTLE COTTONWOOD, UTAH

SOME EPISODES IN STOCK HUNTING 387

strolled round the little log cabin, which to me was in-
vested with almost as much interest as the Yildiz Ejosk
when it was the home of Abdul Hamid. A voice at the
door announced that supper was ready, and I responded
with alacrity. There were eight seats at the table, two
on each side, and all were speedily occupied. The dishes
with the food served had all been placed upon the bare
table, to be passed round. The luxury of a linen spread
was not to be expected in an out of the way western
mountain cabin, and what with hot tea, brown sugar and
milk, cold meat and bread, all seemed appetizing enough.

I soon learned that the family were Mormons, but did
not ascertain definitely to what extent that cult had
brought them under the sway of one husband, though
it appeared probable that three of the young women were
still free to form matrimonial alliance.

Women were present in number sufficient to give con-
tinuity to the conversation, in the course of which I
glanced round at the berths in the room and finally asked
where, in case I should remain for the night, they would
put me. To them the problem presented no difficulty.
In fact, it was not uncommon on the frontier in early
days for several families to be sheltered over night in a
single room almost as satisfactorily as is now done in a
Pullman sleeper, and with as little disturbance from
sonorous slumberers who sometimes unwittingly throw
their neighbors into a panic. I was present on one
occasion when Costello, the well-known rancher in South
Park, on a stormy night entertained forty-six sleepers —
men and women — in three rooms. He said he believed
he could handle two or three more, but it might make it a
little crowded.

*'Is there another cabin not far away, where the man of

388 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

the house is likely to be at home?" I asked, when the
supper was over. After a little thought one of the women
stated that about a mile down the canyon there lived an
old fellow, at what was known as the toll gate.

"O yes," said another, "you mean the Scotchman."
The suggestion afforded an opportunity for retreat.
Thanking the women, I paid for my supper and received
definite instructions concerning the path, as the darkness
of evening had begun to settle on the valley. I reached
the other little hut, recognizing it first by the firelight
shining through the small window. My approach to the
cabin was proclaimed by the deep-toned barking of dogs
from within. A "hello" brought the keeper to the door.
Driving back the animals, and commanding them to shut
up, he gave me an opportunity through the half open door
to ask his permission to stay all night with him, which
request was granted as a matter of course. Having ar-
ranged for some feed for my horse, we entered the hut.
The Scotchman, who (I learned later) was well known by
many Mormon people, was the sole occupant of the cabin,
except that three huge mastiffs shared his company. On
entering I took a seat in an uneasy chair before the fire,
and the Scotchman, who was uncommunicative and not
especially hospitable, soon stretched himself out upon the
only bench in the room, wrapped himself up in his blan-
ket, and fell asleep. The dogs, with half-opened eyes
directed toward me as they were stretched before the fire-
place, had become reconciled to my presence. The
flickering firelight, which enabled me to write a few sen-
tences in my note book, also exposed a dirty earth floor
not covered at any point with boards. I had no blanket
and the prospect for repose was dismal. As a diversion I
wandered out into the night toward the place where my

SOME EPISODES IN STOCK HUNTING 389

horse had been hitched, near which I had noticed a small
pile of fresh straw, four or five feet in height. It oc-
curred to me that this pile exactly met my requirements,
and compared with it the Scotchman's dirt floor was not
to be considered for a moment. The sky was now clear,
and the air was still. In the distance here and there arose
the occasional yelp of timber wolves, doubtless on their
regular nocturnal patrol as scavengers. Investigation
revealed the presence of pigs, which had burrowed out a
comfortable nest in the straw stack. After a few
punches, two animals with many grunts of reluctance
consented to vacate their bed. I immediately crawled,
feet first, quite out of sight into the nest. It was a far
better bed than the soldiers had been accustomed to
sleep in, during the Civil War. The cares of the day
were soon forgotten in slumber, but early in the morning
I was suddenly awakened by the jumping of heavy ani-
mals upon the straw pile above me and by the angry
barking of dogs, the deep baying of which came through
the passage to my nest. Their noses were soon thrust
into the straw at the entrance. The three big mastiffs
in the Caledonian's lodge on the previous night had been
turned loose for their morning airing and had scented the
presence of an intruder in the straw pile. Every word
that I spoke to them served but to augment their savage
howls and barking. I had often run badgers and other
burrowing animals into their holes, but had never before
so fully realized the deplorable straits to which I had re-
duced them.

I managed to extricate my revolver from the belt but
remembered that its flash would set the straw on fire, nor
did I care to incur the hostility of the surly Scot by shoot-
ing one of his dearest friends and protectors. Already

390 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

I had had trouble enough. The Highlander's attention
was finally attracted by the excited conduct of his dogs
and naturally believing that they had covered some big
game in the straw pile he urged them on and returned to
the cabin for his gun. My voice was smothered and
muffled by the straw pile and drowned in the incessant
howling and barking of the three dogs, and still I would
not shoot until they should make an attack. Yelling
at the top of my voice I finally made the Scotchman
aware that the sound proceeded from a human being and
that the import of my entreaty was that he call off his
dogs, else I must shoot, and that I was the fellow whom
he received the night before. His response inspired me
with hope. Laying aside his gun he took one and then
another of the savage mastiffs by the tail, pulled them
back and fought them off, until at length he got between
them and the hole under the straw stack. As I emerged,
the vicious beasts made another plunge, but in some way
I struggled to my feet, when possibly the excited animals
recognized me as the guest of their master and their in-
terest subsided, though for some time they maintained
close watch, apparently ready on the slightest hint to
renew hostilities. The Scot informed me that his dogs
were great on wolves and were well- trained. Nothing in
addition to my recent observations was necessary to con-
vince me that the dogs were great on any game.

The reader may recall that I had an understanding
with Captain Whitmore that the wagon train would pro-
ceed to Salt Lake City as rapidly as possible, to deliver
merchandise that had been long in transit. As the grade
from the head of Parley's Canyon to the city was steadily
downward, this could be accomplished without the ser-
vice of the missing cattle, but I was to remain in the

SOME EPISODES IN STOCK HUNTING 391

mountains and recover them, if possible. The next two
days were devoted to this work, and having ascended one
ravine after another, late on the afternoon of October 8th
I emerged from the mountains with all the missing cattle
in a herd before me. We came out over the high bench
by the upper road, which has since been abandoned, and
from which elevation against the light of the setting sun
could be seen the Jordan Valley and the western moun-
tains beyond. There were reasons for self -congratula-
tion on reflecting that the cattle hunt was so near a suc-
cessful termination. It was in the early twilight, and
hardly two miles separated the truant oxen from the
city corral, when for no cause apparent to me all the
cattle suddenly stopped, wheeled from the road and with
heads and tails in the air started in various directions at
the top of their speed. My horse sharing in the panic
became almost unmanageable, but with him I started in
pursuit.

It appears that in the preceding year a firm possessed
of more enterprise than business acumen had imported
from the Orient a herd of camels, intending to use them
for the transportation of freight across the arid country
south of Salt Lake.

In the dusk of evening the stock under my care had
caught a glimpse of this herd of grotesque long-necked
beasts approaching them. It was a sight the like of
which they probably had never before beheld. Escap-
ing hurriedly with my frightened horse I was carried
through what I believe was an irrigating ditch into the
rough ground beyond, whence for the first time I dis-
cerned in outline the swaying towering heads of the awk-
ward camels that had caused the stampede. Then the
pursuit of the panic-stricken oxen was renewed, my hope

392 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

being that they might be brought back into the road be-
fore the darkness of the on-coming night should make it
impossible to follow them. Racing at night on horse-
back over rough and unknown grounds, under the leader-
ship of a frightened steer, may be conducive to health,
but when at eight o'clock all the oxen were brought up
near the gate of the corral in the City of the Saints, I was
happy to call for help and turn over the 'whole bloomin'
outfit' to the care of fresh herders.

CHAPTER XXIX

Adventures Of An Amateur Detective

IT was long after the time of which we are writing
that Conan Doyle led his readers into some of the
secrets of detecting crime by the observance of
circumstances devoid of significance to the ordi-
nary searcher for clues. It is also true that the
legal devices by which the guilty are now-a-days gen-
erally enabled to escape punishment had not been
brought to their present high state of perfection.

In the corral in Salt Lake City where our wagons and
stock were temporarily cared for, there were also other
outfits having drivers concerning whose character our
captain had little knowledge, but the conduct and general
appearance of some of them led him to believe that they
were not quite incapable of disregarding on occasion the
artificial distinction between mine and thine.

One morning three mule trains said to be bound for
Montana pulled out from the corral, and on the same day
it was discovered that several articles were missing from
our wagons. This interesting synchronism led our men
generally to believe that our property had accompanied
one of those trains, which were soon beyond the jurisdic-
tion of Salt Lake officers. A Sherlock Holmes might
have discerned some further hint pointing to the authors
of the larceny, but we could find none. We decided to
rely upon general suspicion as sufficient ground for action
and to proceed accordingly.

In the Western territories, and especially outside any of
the few settlements, according to the unwritten law, horse
stealing was treated as a capital offense. Therefore, if

393

394 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

it had been a horse that was stolen from us, a posse com-
itatus would doubtless have been at once put upon the
trail, fully equipped to execute the conventional punish-
ment, but the saddles, bridles, and blankets that formed
a portion of our loss, though equine accoutrements and
exceeding in value an average horse, still left the crime
in the rank of mild offenses, along with other misde-
meanors forbidden by the decalogue. For some reason
that no one could ever even guess, it was urged that I,
even I, should pursue the trains and ascertain, if possi-
ble, if the stuff was under their care. I consented, per-
haps foolishly, to make the venture. A search warrant
was secured, which purported to invest me with authority
to detain and examine the trains in question, in other
words assigning to me the duties of deputy sheriff or de-
tective, I hardly knew which; but I was well aware of the
fact that the instrument given me really had no legal
force beyond the city limits, and I doubted if it had much
value anywhere, but it was quite a good-looking and im-
pressive piece of paper, and with it I started very early
the next morning for the North.

As my duties had seldom brought me to the corral, I
expected to be a stranger to all the freighters whom I was
pursuing, but had seen enough of them on one brief visit
to be convinced that among them were a number of
tough characters, yet I saw no reason why, as an officer
of the law, I should not receive permission to examine the
wagons, if the wagon master himself should be innocent.

It was sometime after noon when a mule train was ob-
served in the distance, and on reaching it I learned from
one of the drivers that the name of the owners was upon
the search warrant. The captain of the train, on horse-
back in the lead, stopped as requested, and the paper

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 395

was read to him. After a little consideration the captain
said "Do you intend, young man, to stop my train here
and go through all these wagons? I replied, "That is
what I came all the way from Salt Lake City to do," but
I would be as expeditious as possible and desired his per-
sonal assistance. "Well," he replied, "if there is any
stolen property in this outfit I don't know it, but sup-
pose you can look through the wagons." He ordered the
train to halt. Calling an assistant, he said, "Hold this
officer's horse." Accompanying me to the head wagon
I made as thorough a search there as possible, repeating
the process through each wagon, the captain, who ap-
peared to be a fair man, keeping in close company. Some
of the men seemed somewhat averse to an examination of
their private effects under such peculiar circumstances,
but a regard for the dignity of the law, and the presence
of the captain of the train who had assented to the search,
doubtless prevented any serious opposition.

Having completed the examination which required
little more than an hour, and thanking the captain for
his assistance, I announced that the property did not ap-
pear to be in the possession of any of his men and that
all was satisfactory.

By proceeding again more rapidly, another train was
reached quite late in the afternoon, and a thorough search
was made through the merchandise in each wagon, all of
which was accomplished without serious opposition, but
none of the missing property was found. It was evident
that the third train could not be overtaken and searched
that evening, but I pressed on Northward and darkness
came on quite early.

At the right near by to the East, the Wasatch range of
mountains paralleled the old Montana road and the

396 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

shore of Great Salt Lake, which lay to the West. Snow
storms had been falling in the mountains for several days,
and the white mantle extended well out over the foothills
and upon the higher slopes of the valley through which
the road led. The night was chilly, and I hastened on
rapidly, hoping soon to find some cabin in which to spend
the night, but for many miles no habitation was visible.
The road traversed a long stretch of arid land, which then
offered no attraction to a settler, although it is now well
cultivated. It had become quite dark and from the
direction of the mountains there came the frequent yelp-
ing of wolves. This brought to mind the information
that had come to Captain Whitmore the preceding day,
that a herd of our cattle which had been pasturing in the
mountains had since the first snowfall been stampeded
by wolves and driven for many miles. Four of the oxen
had been bitten by the sharp teeth of the pursuing wolves
until they were unable to go further. The term used by
the herders in these cases is that the cattle were * 'ham-
strung," the tendons of the legs being severed. One of
the weaker oxen was killed and partly eaten before the
herders were able to come to the rescue. It was evident
that the wolves were now becoming hungry and were
coming down to the lower land away from the snow for
food. For a time I gave little attention to the howling,
as it was not unusual in many parts of the West, but as I
jogged along I observed that the noises were becoming
much more distinct and continuous, and it soon became
evident that the wolves were gathering in considerable
numbers and were following closely. My horse was be-
coming disturbed and started off at good speed, but the
wolves had no difficulty in keeping the pace. I had with
me two Colt revolvers, one in the holster of the saddle

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 397

and one in my belt. The principal danger was that if the
wolves came nearer, they might nip the legs of the horse
and cripple him. It was impossible to see them distinctly,
but on catching the first outline of their forms a few feet
behind the horse I issued a warning in the form of a flash
from the pistol and a bullet to suggest that some of them
were liable to get hurt. Their noises were then so fre-
quent that I was not certain if one had been hit. Startled
somewhat perhaps by the report of the pistol, they
dropped back for a moment but again renewed the chase
and continued their disagreeable yelps. It appeared
evident that the safest plan was to keep going. My horse
seemed fully to concur in this opinion. The ammunition
must be used only in emergencies, when the persistent
creatures crowded too close on the horse's heels. The
firing was repeated a number of times as they closed in
upon me. The chase was continued for several miles,
until the pursuers, which may have scented some ac-
cessible carrion, after one of the pistol shots abandoned the
chase to the eminent satisfaction of both horse and rider.
It was nearly nine o'clock when there appeared the
welcome light of a candle shining through the little win-
dow of a cabin on the west side of the road. To my call
from outside the gate, as I rode up, a man soon answered
by coming to the door. Having announced the fact I
had suspected for several hours, that I was very hungry
and that my horse must be in a similar condition, I asked
permission to enjoy the hospitalities of his cabin for the
night, to which he promptly replied, "Sartain! you go
right in, and wife will get you some supper, and I'll
take care of your horse," which by that time I had led
through the gate. Turning to the woman who stood
near him, and who had been an interested observer, he

398 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

asked her to prepare a supper. While this work was
proceeding in the room where I was sitting by the fire,
I quietly and expectantly enjoyed the fragrance of coffee
and fried bacon. I was about to take seat at the table,
when the head of the household again entered and re-
ported that he had waited a little for the horse to cool off,
and then had watered and fed him. As I was transfer-
ring the first slices of bacon to my plate, the gentleman
opened the conversation by the question, "Where are you
from?"

"I just came up from Salt Lake City to-day. I left
there this morning. Your wife tells me that your name
is Childs," I added, and then gave him my name.

"Yes," he replied, "my name is Childs, but I presumed
that you were from the States. Is Salt Lake your home?"

"No. I have spent three or four months there. My
home is in Wisconsin."

"I had a brother once who lived in Wisconsin," said
Mr. Childs.

"Oh, yes. I know him very well."

"You know him?" exclaimed my host. "Why do you
think you know him? I haven*t even told you his name
or where he lived."

"His name is John Childs," said I, starting in on a sec-
ond cup of coffee.

The man and his wife gazed at each other with ex-
pressions of surprise. The fact was that I did well
know a prominent farmer, an old and esteemed settler
in Wisconsin, whose name was John Childs, and as
he was the only man I did know who bore that family
name, I took a flyer in jest, and it happened to hit the
mark.

"Where did the John Childs that you know live?"

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 399

asked my host. "In Lima, Wisconsin," was my prompt
answer.

"Then he is probably not my brother. My brother
went to Whitewater."

"Oh, that's all right," said I, "but you are mistaken
in the supposition that your brother lives in Whitewater.
He lives in the town of Lima, but the villages are only
six miles apart. The railroad station is known as
Child's Station."

This statement on my part was not so remarkable as
it would appear to be, because I was familiar with the
situation.

"Do you mean to say that he is now living .'^" asked
Mr. Childs, as he drew very close to me at the table,
while his wife also took a seat and listened intently.

"Living? He was living six months ago and weighs
fully 200 pounds. I know nearly every man in all that
country."

Mr. Childs of Utah paused a moment and then said
to his wife, "Send over to the boys to come here at once,
and we will wait until they arrive, for I wish them to hear
all about this matter." Turning to me he added, "I
have two brothers who live in the two houses beyond
here, and I wish them to hear all that you will say." I
then turned the subject to the purpose of my trip North.
I told him of the lost property and of the improper con-
duct of the wolves back in the desert. He then informed
me that one of his brothers was the constable for that
township.

The brothers having arrived, Mr. Childs introduced
them and then narrated to them the conversation which
had passed between us concerning their brother, John,
to which they listened with profound interest. Turning

400 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

to me he said "We all lived in St. Lawrence County, New
York. We three brothers who are here became converted
to the Mormon doctrines while we lived in New York
state and soon came to Utah with others of our faith, but
John and other relatives were not reconciled to our ac-
tion. John, as we understood, went to Wisconsin and
settled in Whitewater. We wrote him a letter but he
never made reply, and since that time no tidings from
him have reached us."

"Your communication doubtless went to the Dead
Letter oflSce," said I. "Although John is well known and
is perhaps thirty years older than I am, a letter addressed
to the wrong post-office might not have reached him if
written before he was as well known as he is now. How
long is it since you heard concerning him?"

"About twenty years. We supposed that even if Hving
he was still unwilling to renew friendly relations with us,
and all because of the fact that he did not agree with
us in our religious belief."

Thus had the Scripture been fulfilled, and families and
peoples been divided, all the w^ay down through genera-
tions. That evening by the big open fire was an occa-
sion of great interest. The family was told of their
brother's prosperity and high social position, and that
he was a man of recognized honor. We separated at a
late hour, and I retired leaving the brothers still convers-
ing. In the morning, having learned that I would soon
return to Wisconsin they asked me to send for the brother
on my arrival there and tell him of my meeting with his
Mormon brethren and that the information given might
be full and definite they showed me their farms, stock
and harvested grains. Mr. Childs declined to accept
anything for my entertaimennt.

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 401

The sequel of this incident may as well be related here
before pursuing further the events of this horseback ride.
Several weeks after spending the night with the Childs
brothers in Utah, and after again reaching Wisconsin, I
addressed a note to John Childs, of Lima, requesting an
interview. The request was promptly granted, the
meeting to take place in a quiet business office with which
we were both familiar. Mr. Childs, who was perhaps the
most prosperous and honored man in his neighborhood,
was usually addressed even by many of his younger
friends as John, so that after we had met as arranged, and
he had anchored his large frame in an easy chair, and I
was comfortably adjusted in another, I said, *'John, did
you not have some brothers back in York state?"

He replied in the single word "Yes,** with a rising in-
flection, as if about to ask, "Why do you wish to know?'*
but he did not continue.

"Well, John, do you know what became of them?"

After a little hesitation he told briefly of the belief that
prevailed with other members of the family, that they
enlisted for the Mexican war, but their friends had failed
to obtain any definite trace of their movements and all
trace of them was lost in that campaign.

"Could you not secure information concerning them
through the records of the war department?** I asked.

"Nothing definite, except that there was a suspicion at
one time that they might have gone up into Utah, but
we tried to locate them, and have never heard a word
from them, or of them, to this day, and I suppose they
were lost in some adventure.'*

It was evident that while John had not yet told all that
he knew of his brothers, his belief was that they were not

402 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

living, as he had never been able to obtain any tidings
concerning them. When, however, I recited the full
names of his brothers, also the date and place of their
birth, and some other data of family interest and asked
if they fitted the case, it was then that John Childs awoke
to the fact that I had some information to impart, that
might be of interest. Without further delay I stated to
him that all his brothers were living and prosperous. The
word came to him as a voice from the long ago, and was
seemingly as startling and unexpected to him as if coming
from another world. I told him of my night spent with
the brothers in Utah, of their story of the family separa-
tion and of their effort to effect a reconcilation by a letter
addressed to the wrong post-office. John stated that he
had never received a line from them, but suspecting that
they might be in Utah he had addressed them at Salt
Lake, which was quite natural, though that city, it ap-
pears, was forty miles from their home. That letter also
failed to reach its destination, and all parties believed that
the old bitterness was still alive. The situation was now
perfectly clear, whereupon John at once wrote letters that
brought friendly replies as promptly as the overland
stage mail could transmit them, bringing the first direct
word that had passed in twenty years.

As already stated, one of the Childs brothers was con-
stable. In discussing the matter of my search for stolen
property he was emphatic in his advice that the pursuit
of the other train would involve a great hazard. It was
traveling with light loads, evidently going North to
winter on some of those ranges, and before it could be
overtaken it would be outside the limits of Utah. If
the property was with it, the men would certainly resist
the intrusion of an unaccompanied searcher, and an un-

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 403

equal fight would be the result. It was a lonely, wild
and tough country at best, they all declared, with, a
* 'don't try it" as their final word of admonition.

"All right, fellows," said I, "and possibly you are right.
I have seen some of this country and will return South.**

After breakfast and some pleasant farewell words I
started on my return to Salt Lake. Some distance in ad-
vance, I noticed a solitary horseman riding in the same
direction I was going. As the country was unsettled, the
prospect of companionship led me to hasten until he was
overtaken. He proved to be a Mormon pioneer, and
after some preliminary conversation as we rode along side
by side he informed me that his name was James S.
Brown.

"Are you the James S. Brown who first discovered gold
in California, at Sutter's Mill?" I asked.

"I was there," he replied. "There were James Mar-
shall, H. W. Bigler, and James Berger who were with me.
We had been with the Mormon Battalion sent to the
Mexican war, and having been discharged we came up to
Captain J. A. Sutter's ranch on the American River."

"I have read much of that ranch in John C. Fremont's
records," I replied.

Continuing he said, "We were out of money and needed
horses for our return trip to the Missouri River, therefore
we engaged to help Sutter build a saw mill on the stream
at the point where the City of Sacramento now stands.
Sutter went to California from Missouri, and acquired a
principality in size and value, and was the first settler.
It was during that work that in January, 1848, we found
gold. It had not been seen there before. As a fact we
brought the first news of the discovery East, which re-
sulted in the rush of 1849."

404 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Mr. Brown was somewhat above the average in size
but at the time of our meeting was lame as the result of
some accident in his early days. His description of the
hardships of his brigade in the Arizona desert, which
through questioning was elicited from him, was thrilling
in the highest degree.

Continuing his story from time to time after occasional
digressions he told of the return of their party over the
Sierras Eastward, of their troubles with the Indians and
of other hardships. Although in Mr. Brown's interesting
volume on the Life of a Pioneer, written in later years,
he makes no mention of the circumstances, yet he told
me that when his little party had arrived at the north
end of Great Salt Lake in the autumn of 1848, and had
determined that it would be much safer to spend the
winter in that valley than to cross the mountains so late
in the season, they were led by friendly Indians to under-
stand that good forage for their horses could be found at
the southern end of the Lake; whereupon, as he told me,
the party traveled the same course that we were then
following, along the western base of the Wasatch Moun-
tains. At a point several miles north of the present site
of Salt Lake City they unexpectedly met two of their
Mormon friends, whom they had neither seen nor heard
from since leaving the Missouri River two years before.
They were informed for the first time that Brigham
Young and many Mormons had crossed the plains and
the mountains in the preceding year, and had erected a
i^ockade and settled at the south end of the lake. One
member of Mr. Brown's party was astounded to learn
that his mother, having crossed with one of the trains, was
at that moment but 12 miles away and that she had
driven a yoke of oxen the greater part of that long, tedious

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 405

course, a duty made necessary by the heavy burdens
which fell upon others. This was certainly a remarkable
revelation to the weary travelers, who had supposed that
they were alone in the middle of the continent.

Near the close of the day Brown and I reached the
ranch of Peregrine Sessions, a pioneer Mormon and a man
conspicuous in Mormon history, from whom the place
was known as Sessions' settlement. As we rode up to the
door, Mr. Brown said to me: *Tt was right here that we
met our Mormon brothers who informed us concerning
the new Salt Lake settlement." It was arranged that we
should spend the night with Mr. Sessions, who during the
evening gave a brief account of the perils and privations
to which they were subjected on their journey and some
incidents connected with the early days in Utah. Dur-
ing our evening's interview Mr. Brown described his
first arrival at Salt Lake settlement, where he and his
party found their friends living in brush sheds and dug-
outs, a few only having log cabins, their general condition
being most discouraging. Such was the beginning of
Salt Lake City.

We may now recall the fact that the settlement of Salt
Lake City by the Mormons in 1847, and the discovery
of gold in California in 1848, were the prime factors in
the awakening of the Far West. Salt Lake Valley was
an alkali desert declared to be absolutely hopeless by the
early trappers and explorers. Its reclamation and culti-
vation by those religious exiles made it the only supply
point for provisions on the long road to the newly dis-
covered Sacramento gold fields, and saved many from
starvation, to the profit of all concerned.

Mr. Sessions arrived in Salt Lake Valley in the middle
pf September, 1847, having conducted a company of fifty

406 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

wagons, which closely followed the first train of Mormon
pioneers conducted by Brigham Young. The Deseret News
is authority for the statement that "Peregrine Sessions
was the father of fifty-six children," — a patriarch indeed.

It is true that the graphic yet ingenuously told story
related by one of the discoverers of gold in California,
one who carried to the States the first intelligence of that
discovery, gave added interest to the visit that I soon
made to those gold diggings, the fame of which had in-
cited the first tide of transcontinental migration com-
posed of hardy and reckless adventurers willing to under-
go the trials and perils incident to such an expedition.
These, with the Argonauts who sailed around by the
Isthmus or Cape Horn, were the ones who first roused the
latent energies of our Pacific coast territory.

There were a very few, however, who were attracted
not by gold but by admiration for the sublime and beau-
tiful in nature, especially through companionship with
the noble trees and towering cliffs of the Sierras; and
these men aided in revealing to the world the previously
unwritten history of these formations. Among them were
John Muir, the shepherd, naturalist, and author, and
Galen Clark, the pioneer and discoverer of the Mariposa
Grove. I appreciated Galen Clark's homage for nature
when, after spending a night at his cabin, built in 1857,
he personally led me among those monarchs of the forest,
stating the heights of various trees, and for my satisfac-
tion assisted in measuring the trunks of many; one of
them was 101 feet in circumference. He referred to them
in affectionate terms, expressing the hope that they
might be spared from the lumberman's axe.

It was still later when I first visited Muir's haunts in
the Yosemite; George Anderson, a Scotch ship-carpenter,

m o
W o

W Pi

5^

ADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE 407

had spent the summer in drilling holes into the granite
face of the upper cliflp of the great South Dome, driving
in it iron pins with ropes attached. Two or three per-
sons were tempted to scale with the aid of these ropes the
heights, which are nearly a perpendicular mile above the
valley. I, too, was inchned to make the venture. I pro-
ceeded in advance, followed by Anderson, who had in
tow a young San Franciscan with a connecting rope
around the young man's waist. It was a dizzy but in-
spiring ascent and I was pleased to reach the top twenty
minutes in advance of my pursuers. While spending
an hour upon the summit, I discovered on its barren sur-
face, a lady's bracelet. On showing it to Anderson, he
said: "You are the third party who has made this ascent.
I pulled up a young woman recently but she never men-
tioned any loss except from nausea." Returning to Mer-
ced, I observed a vigorous young woman wearing a brace-
let similar to the one I had found. The lady proved to
be Miss Sally Dutcher of San Francisco, who admitted
the loss and thankfully accepted the missing ornament.
A letter to me from Galen Clark states that he assisted in
Miss Dutcher 's ascent, Anderson preceding with a rope
around his waist connecting with Miss Dutcher; also
that she was certainly the first and possibly the last
woman who made the ascent. These ascents are now
forbidden, but the natural attractions of the State of
California have drawn to it a vast revenue from transient
nature lovers.

But to return to the hospitable home in Utah.

After spending the night with Mr. Sessions and his
varied household, Mr. Brown and I on the following
morning proceeded on our way to the City.

Experienced detectives have spent years in their ef-

408 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

forts to apprehend a single criminal and then failed;
moreover a discreet officer will sometimes avoid being
shot, as that is a high price to pay for success. Experts
sometimes accomplish no more and have a less enjoyable
ride than I did; and being but a novice I had no grounds
for regret. Cool reflection convinced us all that the
lost property was of little value and not worth bringing
back at best, while some optimists maintained that it was
really very good riddance.

CHAPTER XXX

The Overland Stage Line

IN the past few months we had crawled many hun-
dred miles with a slow moving ox train. Several
weeks had the writer spent with a few intimate
associates, while convoying a small horse-train.
Possibly a thousand miles had he covered on
horseback, often quite alone, with much opportunity for
silent contemplation and an occasional resultant desire
for better company than himself. Nearly two weeks
had been passed in the heterogeneous but interesting com-
panionship of the boarding-house mule train, with its
peculiar vicissitudes.

A time having arrived when return to the States seemed
desirable, I decided, like many travelers, to conclude
the season of travel on the highest scale of elegance pos-
sible, and incidentally to profit by the experience of still
another form of transportation. Having at command
the two hundred and fifty dollars required for the pur-
chase of a ticket to the Missouri River, and possibly a
sufficient margin to pay for the meals at the various
stations, I booked by the swift-going Ben HoUiday
coaches, patronized generally, as I was informed, only
by the wealthy, or by those whose business was suffi-
ciently important to justify the outlay.

To reach Denver, the first town on the route, required
seven days and six nights of continuous travel with no
avoidable stops except for meals and relays of horses.
Naturally for this long ride the choice of seats was a
matter of much importance. Any human being, in
whom there remains any life whatever, desires now and

409

410 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

then to change his position, also to secure an occasional
doze without the risk of having his neck broken by a
sudden jolt, while sleeping. The back seat with its
ample head rest was, therefore, the first choice. I was
compelled to take the middle seat, the least desirable.
There being nine passengers, the three inside seats were
occupied each by three persons, opportunity, however,
being left for riding at times with the driver.

At exactly eight-thirty o'clock on the morning of
Thursday, October 25th, the driver was on his seat of the
coach in front of the Salt Lake House. The baggage
and mail had been carefully strapped into the boot on the
rear, and the passengers were in their assigned places
within.

As was the invariable custom, a crowd of onlookers
thronged the sidewalk, to watch the outgoing coach. The
spirited horses, such as usually were selected for the runs
into and out from stations where they were much ob-
served, were fresh and eager. A few grand flourishes of
the driver's whip ended by sending the lash out over the
lead-horses with a sharp crack, and the team was off in
grand form. As the outfit speeded down the street, it
was a dress parade, advertising Ben HoUiday's stage line.
The first mile of this travel may be compared with the
alluring picture advertisements with which modern
railroad companies attract summer tourists. The real
thing in tourist travel is better seen when one walks
through a car crowded with weary, perspiring, dust-be-
grimed recreation-seeking passengers, who bear little
resemblance to the fine and jauntily dressed figures
paraded in the beautiful booklets. And so, when an hour
later we traveled slowly up the long ascending grade and
jnuddy roads in Parley's Canyon, which were saturated

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 411

with melting snow, our plight seemed to be in striking
contrast with our spectacular start.

There was but one woman among the passengers, and
she with her husband occupied the front seat, facing me.
Everybody **got acquainted" very quickly, after the
manner of the West, and each told of the many promi-
nent people in their home state, with whom they were
intimate, and by four o'clock, at which time the eating
station known as Kimball's was reached, each had be-
come convinced that he was one of a party of distinguished
and agreeable travelers.

It was after dusk, when with a fresh team we were
whirling down the steep curves of Silver Creek Canyon
with horses on a full run, urged on by the Jehu on the box.
We were making up lost time, for the roads had been
heavy. At our right we were following the tortuous
brink of dizzy precipices, the bottoms of which were lost
to sight in the gloom of the mountain shadows.

A passenger on the front seat, while holding tightly to
the window frame, pushed his head outside and called at
the top of his voice, "For Heaven's sake, driver, go
slower." The only response was a renewed cracking of
the whip and a more rapid clatter of the horses' hoofs
upon the rocky road. As the coach plunged over an
obstruction one passenger, who was changing his posi-
tion on the back seat, was lifted to the roof of the coach
by a sudden jolt and tumbled over the middle seat where
he lay spread out, grasping the passengers in front for
support. The horses speeded on just the same, for lost
time must be made up on the down grades. All the pas-
sengers had been accustomed to travel by stages, but it
was remarked that at the beginning of each journey of
this character the apparent perils of rapid night riding

412 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

in the mountains were more fully realized than after
several days of tension. When the long up-grade of
Echo Canyon was reached, and for hours the progress
was slower, affairs again settled down to a peaceful con-
dition. While some passengers maintained a desultory
conversation others dropped into fitful dozes, usually
brought to an end by a short, vigorous snore.

Early on the second morning, while the muddy ground
was covered with white frost, we rode up to the break-
fast station at Bear River, and an opportunity was given
to relax the tense muscles of the legs, which had been
pinioned down for the greater part of twenty-four hours.
What would be their condition two weeks later?

Another night closed in upon us, accompanied by a
cold, driving rain. The passengers pulled their caps
down over their eyes, drew their wraps snugly about their
bodies, and sank back into the most restful positions
possible. By common consent nearly all of the men ex-
tended their feet to the opposite seat, to relieve their
limbs from the continued confinement. The husband
of my vis-a-vis negotiated for privileges on a portion of
my seat for the feet of his wife, with his assurance of her
full reciprocity, to which interchange I gratefully as-
sented. The woman said that she was dying to stretch.
I was quite willing to save her life by such an agreeable
exchange of courtesy.

At intervals of twelve or fourteen miles the driver gave
vent to a series of war-whoops, which announced his
approach to some little hut where horses were to be ex-
changed. While this was being done by the dim light
of a lantern, some passenger was sure to put his head out
of the window and ask, "Where are we now?" The reply
that it was Lone Tree or Salt Wells, conveyed but Httle

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 413

information, as the stations were almost nowhere, being
simply points in space marked by the stage company for
convenience. Little could be seen from the coach except
the stable and the vague outlines of some overshadowing
hill behind it, and the men with the horses barely visible
in the soft glow of the lantern.

The drizzly autumn rain continued to fall until, in the
gray dusk of the early morning, while the other passen-
gers seemed to be dozing, I became conscious of a slowly
increasing dip of the coach, which continued until the
vehicle rolled upon its side. Then came a brief period of
profound silence, as if all were pausing to learn if the
evolution was really complete, and if we were not now to
roll further down into some deep ravine. In the mean-
time we were holding firmly one to another, but no sound
of distress indicated that any one was injured.

The first voice that came to our ears was from the
driver outside, who uttered a few well-assorted oaths,
which were addressed to himself, in a low tone of voice,
but were, however, an assurance to us that all was well
and that he was in his normal condition. It was some-
what difficult for each passenger to extricate himself
from the common mass of humanity with which he was
implicated, and to get the several members of his own
body clearly identified and segregated from those be-
longing to others.

One man, who was on the upper stratum, succeeded
in escaping through the door, which now opened skyward,
and emerged upon what had become the top of the coach,
from which observatory he saw the driver standing
quietly by his horses, deep in meditation, awaiting de-
velopments.

We were on comparatively level ground. The upset

414 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

had been caused by a deep rut, and its ending was as
gentle as could be wrought by human hands. The pas-
sengers were lifted out one by one, and with their com-
bined assistance the vehicle was righted upon its wheels,
and we rolled on to the next station at Green River,
where that swift stream was forded. The bottoms of the
Concord coaches were water tight, so that very deep
streams could be crossed with a fair prospect in many
cases of bringing the passengers through dry shod.

As a precautionary measure I took a seat on the top of
the coach with a fellow traveler. In the course of our
morning ride he informed me that the man in the coach,
who was traveling with his alleged wife, was a professional
gambler and the proprietor of a resort where was played
the seductive game of poker, in which miners and fron-
tiersmen make many hazardous ventures. We had been
impressed with the spontaneous generosity with which, at
every possible opportunity, he had proffered to each
passenger the contents of one of the black bottles which
were convenient in his satchel. It was offered as night
came on as a protection against chills, and again at the
dawn of day as an appetizer to stomachs already craving
for food. Before fording any stream his whiskey was rec-
ommended, with the suggestion that there was danger
of our coming in contact with water. After crossing the
stream it was poured out as a libation in pious thankful-
ness that all were safely over. By the end of the third
day he seemed oblivious of passing events.

After the storms had passed away and we were under
bright skies and in a clear, exhilarating atmosphere, I
spent the greater part of my time upon the top of the
coach. The right of way was universally accorded to
the coaches, because they carried the United States

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 415

mail. Even in the canyons or other narrow roadways,
other travelers, who were now and then passed, invari-
ably drove out of the road, if possible, as soon as they
saw the stage approaching. After the morning of the
fifth day large numbers of antelope and deer as well as
a few elk were seen. As each passenger had some sort
of rifle, a fusillade of shots was often sent somewhat at
random toward the unsuspecting animals, but usually
without hurting them, for the stage was rarely halted
for so trifling a reason as to enable sportsmen to aim
with precision.

On the sixth day of our ride we were crossing the high
Laramie plains. With three other passengers I got on to
the top of the coach. The driver had six lively bronchos
for his team. A stiff east gale was driving into our faces.
On a smooth down grade the whip was cracked a few
times over the horses' heads to urge them to the limit
of their speed, and all were on a keen gallop, which is the
favorite gait of the broncho. The passengers pulled
their caps tightly upon their heads that they might not
be blown away.

** Gimme a match," said the driver, as with one hand
he filled his pipe with some of the weed that seemed to be
loose in his overcoat pocket, and then inserted the pipe
stem between his teeth.

**You don't expect to light your pipe while facing this
gale," exclaimed a Hebrew, who sat behind the driver.

"Mebbe I can." This reply resulted in a proposed
wager of five dollars on condition that the pipe must be
lighted with the first match used, the driver to hold the
six lines and the whip in his hands and to keep the horses
on a run.

"I'll cover it," said the driver. The money was placed

416 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

in the hands of a passenger. The lash again cracked
over the horses, when the team started with renewed
vigor. The driver pulled his buckskin glove from his
right hand and quickly placed its fingers in his left hand,
in which he also held his lines and whip. Striking the
match on the sole of his boot he inserted it into the open
glove into which he also poked the bowl of his pipe, and
in a moment the pipe was in successful operation. He
reached over to the stakeholder and closed upon the
$10.00, which he shoved into the pocket with the to-
bacco, remarking that it was dead easy, and that he
had won money the same way on nearly every trip.

At the next home-station, where our driver would
ordinarily be exchanged for another, it was found that be-
cause of delays no other driver was there for relief, and
although he had already been on the box for several
hours he must proceed with the stage.

He was not in a contented frame of mind, and there-
fore swore lustily as he mounted the seat, and with six
fresh bronchos rushed the team until he reached Willow
Springs. It appears that at the previous station he had
received from the generous passenger in the coach a
flask of whiskey, to aid him in keeping up his courage.
Four fresh spirited horses were now hitched to the coach
for the next fifteen mile's drive. The bleak gale caused all
but the driver to go inside. The driver took a fresh
draught from the flask, mounted the box and applied
the whip in so brutal a manner that it became evident
that he was drunk. One of the lead horses led in a run
and it was clear that the driver had lost control both of
himself and his team. While on one down hill course we
found ourselves continuously outside the road, bounding
over stones, with the horses in a panic and on a dead run.

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 417

We were liable to be dumped at any moment. The pas-
sengers were on their feet, calling through the windows
to the driver to stop. He was too drunk to reply audibly.
Being the youngest passenger and rather slender and
supple I crawled through the window over to the top
of the swaying coach and slid down on the seat by the
driver before being observed by him. Instantly the
reins and whip were wrested from his lax grasp. No other
act will enrage a professional horseman so thoroughly as
this. The driver made a dive for the ribbons and swore
that no man should take his horses. A single light blow
upon his head convinced him that he must submit. He
knew that he was helplessly drunk and his horses were
running away. Having had some experience in manag-
ing a four-in-hand I was soon able, by watching the
course, to turn them to the right up a hillside and bring
them under control for a sufficient time to enable some
of the passengers to escape. Some of them tried to
pacify the rearing lead horses with kind words. One
strong man consented to mount the box and hold the
drunken driver in subjection until the outfit could be
brought into the road. The other passengers, except the
gambler, walked for half a mile until convinced that it
would be safe to ride, when they returned to their seats.
The regular driver begged for the reins, but his guard held
him in custody until we were in sight of the home-sta-
tion at Virginia Dale. The intoxicated coachman had
come somewhat to a consciousness of the situation and
in response to his pleadings he was permitted to drive
the last half mile of his run. All the passengers except
the gambler abandoned the coach and walked. He who
remained was true to his profession and said that he
would gamble on the risk and ride. The manager at

418 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

Virginia Dale said that the driver would be discharged
from the service, but our opinion was that it would be
only for the night.

On the seventh day we skirted along the eastern slope
of the mountains and now once more upon the plains we
passed numerous herds of antelope and elk. At night
we arrived at the Planter's House in Denver.

It had been eight years since George A. Jackson, a
trapper and companion of Kit Carson, discovered gold in
Cherry Creek near the present site of that settlement.
As Pike's Peak (discovered by Zebulon M. Pike in 1806)
was hardly a hundred miles distant and was the nearest
object bearing a name that had appeared on the maps at
any time prior to the Cherry Creek discovery, the dig-
gings were first known as Pike's Peak Gold Mines.

In the following autumn of 1858 intelligence unac-
companied by any particulars reached the States by the
way of Omaha that gold had been discovered at Pike's
Peak. The news vividly colored by excitable men spread
like wild fire through the country. Early in the following
spring I saw a small train roll out with a party of ad-
venturers whom I well knew to be on the alluring quest
for Pike's Peak gold. One wagon bore the legend which
later became familiar "Pike's Peak or bust." I saw
members of the party in the autumn of the same year
after they had returned "busted." Their hunt was like
the storied search for the bag of gold at the foot of the
rainbow. Before the rumor of the discovery of the pre-
cious metal had barely had time to rouse the average for-
tune seeker George Scofield of Council Bluflfs,who had been
a successful placer miner in California in 1849, joined with
his neighbors, Samuel Dillon, William Kuhn, George
Hitter, and Joseph Wheeler and late in 1858, fitting out a

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 419

four ox team with supplies, started immediately for Pike's
Peak. As they wandered among the foothills near the
mountains the snow began to fly. With the view of
establishing winter quarters they moved down to Cherry
Creek and built the first log house erected in that part
of the territory. This was the beginning of Denver.
This record with the print of the house is furnished by
Ira Scofield who was in at the house warming. Thus was
planted, in what was then Kansas territory, another active
aggressive center of population which was to open the
slumbering wealth of the hills, rouse the latent energies
of the soil and carve out the new state of Colorado. The
rush of fortune-seekers, the majority of whom went
broke, brought to the Cherry Creek country a legion of
adventurers. The town, which at the beginning repre-
sented a shifting, unstable population, was named Den-
ver in honor of James W. Denver, then Governor of
Kansas territory.

After a brief sojourn in Denver I devoted a few days
to a tour through the new mining district back in the
mountain gulches, and later through South Park to
Mount Lincoln, which at that time was said to be the
highest peak in the Rocky Mountain Range, and which
I ascended on horseback, finding it an easy task.

The petrified forest in South Park was then an interest-
ing feature. There were numerous stumps of trees of
massive proportions; some of them that I measured were
eighteen feet in diameter. They stood near together in a
slight depression, at an altitude of almost 10,000 feet.
They were thoroughly petrified. The indication was
that for a long period their trunks had been submerged
to a height of 15 or 20 feet above their bases in a shallow
lake of silicious waters, until the transformation to that

420 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

height was complete. The tops not having been sub-
merged doubtless decayed ages ago. With some labor
I took home with me a large fragment from one great
petrified stump, the rings of which in some places were
clearly defined. On counting them across some level
section it appeared, by ascertaining the number of rings
to the inch, that it had required at least a thousand years
for the tree to attain its growth. How many thousand
years it had stood in that barren valley since it had been
converted into stone no man can tell, but it is certain
that the destructive hands of thoughtless men, in the
brief period of seven or eight years after my visit, leveled
all the stumps to the ground and used portions thereof
in various constructive works. In short, there is little
left of what should have been preserved intact as an in-
teresting, geological phenomenon. The fireplaces and
chimneys in a ranch owned by a Hollander, named
Costello, where I once spent the night near this ancient
forest, were built from broken sections of these petrified
trees.

The Butterfield Overland Dispatch had been operating
a line of stages by the Smoky Hill route for several weeks,
and I proceeded onward from Denver by their coaches.
As stated by Root in his volume The Overland Mail,
this company within eighteen months of its establishment,
and on account of financial diflficulties brought on more
or less by Indian depredations, was forced into liquida-
tion.

Evidence that the Indians were very busy in endeavor-
ing to prevent the running of these stages was unpleasantly
convincing. On our first night out we passed the smok-
ing ruins of a station that had been burned by the Indians
within the preceding twenty-four hours. Discovering

,,;^:.s

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 4^1

this state of affairs, the passengers kept their guns close
at hand. Nearly all were provided with Spencer Car-
bines.

Having received advices that trouble of this nature was
brewing, the driver had taken on board a quantity of
provisions to be used in an emergency. This prophy-
lactic measure proved exceedingly fortunate, because at
the home station next beyond the one that was burned,
the Indians had within a few hours appropriated every-
thing of the nature of supplies that could be found there,
and had then moved on eastward. For some strange
reason this building was not then burned, nor were the
keepers killed. Our party consisted now of seven pas-
sengers, one of whom was Governor Alfred Gumming.
On entering the pillaged station we found a slender,
youthful-looking man, with his young wife and infant
child. They informed us that on that morning the
Indians had closed in on their station, and as they were
hungry after their raidings of the preceding night, the
husband in desperation had welcomed them, and he with
his little wife had been cooking for them until all supplies
were exhausted. Their stock of provisions was replen-
ished from the supply brought by our coach, and with
some assistance from our driver they wearily cooked our
breakfast, in which they were happy to share.

As all the operations were conducted in a single room,
the Governor conversed with the young woman while
she was preparing the meal. In reply to his questions
she said that she and her husband had been alone the
greater part of the time during the Indian troubles, and
in fact since the station was built. She had no physician
or nurse to assist her at any time, but she and her hus-
band had been able to care for the stage passengers, who

422 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

stopped for their meals, and had protected the company's
horses to the best of their ability, yet some of them had
been run off by the Indians.

The Governor interested the lady by unrolling a
superb grizzly-bear skin, which he was taking to Wash-
ington as a gift to the President.

At one of the stations I observed a circular cellar
roofed with earth so as to be fireproof, the sides being
built up two or three feet above the surface of the ground
and provided with port holes. This cellar, or fort, was
connected with the station house by a subterranean pas-
sage, extending under the roadway, forming a tunnel
about seventy feet in length. The cellar afforded a place
of retreat, in case the station should be fired, and an ex-
cellent defense against attack.

Our driver remarked that the Indians were not the
only objects of dread. He said that while bringing some
passengers on a recent run out from Denver, he observed
that they conferred frankly with one another on the best
means for concealing their effects, as holdups were not in-
frequent. A lady innocently informed her fellow travel-
ers that she had concealed $100 in her stocking and
carried but $20 in her portemonnaie. The coach was
duly held up at dusk by highwaymen. The attack was
so sudden that no defense was made. Each passenger
at the point of a revolver was made to pay tribute while
the driver was held at the muzzle of a rifle. The woman
trembling with fear delivered her portemonnaie and
begged for her life. A skinny-looking miner, whose con-
tribution seemed to be unsatisfactory, said to the active
road agent of the gang, 'Tf we can rake up another $100
somewhere, will you let us off.?" "Yes," said the bandit,
"if you will do it d — d quick."

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 423

"It's in that woman's stocking," said the apparently
frightened miner. The money was promptly secured,
and the stage was permitted to proceed. Some curses
and threats were soon hurled at the ungallant miner. He
finally said, *'Me and the woman will fix things up right
in the morning."

Sure enough, after the sun was well up the miner
reached down his boot leg and hauled out a package of
$100 bank-notes, handing the lady from it $200 in good
money, and remarked that he was not so mean as he
seemed to be, but had thought on the spur of the moment
that this was the easiest way of saving all further un-
necessary trouble. He had saved just $4800 by his
diplomacy.

Not all those reckless freebooters were lost to the
world even after the iron rails were laid. It may be of in-
terest to catch a glimpse of one of their later haunts and
the home of a better class who had for a time been ex-
posed to their influence. The trains at the time in ques-
tion were running to Kit Carson. It seemed that the
gamblers and adventurers of the Southwest had concen-
tered at this point and made its character notorious. It
was my fortune to spend a night in that settlement,
while en route to Fort Lyon on the Santa Fe trail. The
tavern was a big saloon and was said to be the rendezvous
for many men who had served their apprenticeship on
the road, and was the resort of other experts from the
States.

''Can't give you a bed until after midnight," said the
proprietor in reply to my request for a room.

The only comfortable waiting place was the billiard
room, which afforded shelter until two o'clock in the
morning, up to which time whiskey, gambling, and swear-

4£4 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

ing were blended in just and equal proportions. The
room having furnished nearly all the revenue to be ex-
pected for that night, I was informed that I could sleep
upon a billiard table temporarily unused. It then ap-
peared that the billiard tables regularly served this double
purpose. Enveloped in a blanket I appropriated the
softest spot to be found, and as one by one the abandoned
tables were occupied by guests, I became reconciled to
my fate.

The next night found me at Las Animas, in a so-called
hotel, the partitions of which were made of canvas.
Voices could easily be heard from room to room. When
I was retiring, the proprietor informed me of the death
of an old resident who had been in the colony more than
a year, and was therefore an old settler. A little later
the same now familiar voice was recognized in another
room, as he declared to his wife, *T don't know what in
the devil to do about that funeral. They say they are
going to get a minister."

"Why, what about it, Jim," replied the woman.

"Wall, they expect me to run it, and if they have a
minister I suppose they will want a Bible, and I don't
know where in Hell to get one."

"You ain't going there to hunt for one, are you?" said
the woman.

"I guess I could find one there as easy as I could in
Las Animas," was the response.

"But say! Didn't they have one when Hat Morrow
was buried?"

"I reckon they did, and I'll go right over and find out.
If I'm to run the job, I'd like to do it in style."

The man was soon heard to pass out and close the door.

I did not learn the result of the landlord's quest for a

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 425

Bible, but I was led to believe that in their hearts there
was a latent feeling of reverence for that Book, which an
emergency would awaken. The minister, however, may
have brought a Bible with him.

On our second day out from Denver our coach was
stopped fully half an hour, not by bandits but by a
herd of buffalo uncountable in number, which, in a
•solid body as closely massed as a flock of sheep,
crossed the road moving southward on their annual
migration. From that time for the two succeeding
days there was not a moment when there were
not many thousands of buffalo within range of our view.
The hills in every direction as far as the eye could reach
were dotted with those great, dark-moving objects. It
would require no marksmanship at 50 or 100 yards to
send our Spencer bullets into the mass without singling
out any particular animal. Three buffaloes were left
wounded by shots from a passenger who fired at short
range from the coach into the first herd we encountered.

The prairies of eastern Kansas, from which the buffalo
had been driven, were more fertile and produced grass
more luxuriantly than the ranges farther west. When we
crossed those eastern plains on our return trip, they had
become dry from the frosts and late drouth. As we were
sitting on the outside of the coach with the driver one
night, we observed an increasing glow in the southeast,
which betokened an approaching prairie fire that was
being driven northward before a brisk southern breeze.
The leaping flames soon became visible and their rapid
progress was alarming. We considered the advisability
of halting and protecting ourselves for a time with a back
fire, which is the common practice when travelers are
threatened by such a danger. We certainly could not

426 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

safely advance. The remedy was easy. Yielding the
reins to another, the driver jumped to the ground and ap-
plied a lighted match to the little clumps of dry grass on
each side of the road. On the leeward side the flames
soon gained headway and sped off to the northward
widening as they advanced. On the other side they
crept slowly toward the oncoming greater conflagration
which was approaching with a crackling and subdued
roar and lighted up the country in every direction. Be-
yond us they swept across the road, but when they met
the back fire, which advanced but slowly against the
wind the two lines of flame melted together into one and
died, leaving only the few hot, black ashes, which quickly
cooled. For hours the northern sky was luminous from
the reflection of the receding flames, which crossed our
trail and swept onward, possibly until checked at the
shore of some far away stream.

Thus over that broad uncultivated expanse of fertile
prairie those awe inspiring fires were sweeping, as they
doubtless had often done in centuries past, unheeded ex-
cept by the wild dwellers of the plains or in later years by
a few stray travelers. And this was Kansas, the first
and at this time the only trans-Missouri territory that
had been welcomed to the sisterhood of states, except
those on our western tide-water that were accessible by
navigation.

Although its eastern border near the river had been
settled somewhat through the stimulus of the intense
ante-bellum struggle to make it a free commonwealth,
its western and central territory was still unoccupied.
There in the dawn of its infant life this great state lay
sleeping, awaiting the coming of the day when the farmer
would turn its virgin soil, plant it with seed, and reap the

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 427

abundant harvest. But those prairies, then remote from
commercial or mining centers, have no navigable waters,
and the planter cannot thrive unless there first be fur-
nished some means for transporting his crops to market.
Until these should be provided, Kansas and all those
embryo states must slumber on undeveloped. The ox-
and mule-trains between the Missouri and the mines
or western coast would follow the trails, as they had done
in the years gone by, leaving but little tribute on their
way.

A decade had passed since Thomas H. Benton in a
speech at the St. Louis Court House, in advocacy of a
railroad to the Pacific, suddenly pointed toward the West
and declared with dramatic emphasis, "There is East,
there is India." In his prophetic vision he doubtless
saw where the East may be said to meet the West, on the
further shore of the broad Pacific, but as the logical re-
sult of railroad transportation he also prophesied the de-
velopment of our own western domain, all of which would
be needed for future generations. Horace Greeley also
anticipated this awakening.

At the time when the great prairie fires occurred, to
which reference has just been made, three years had
elapsed since the bill had been passed by Congress pro-
viding for the building of the Pacific railroad, and the
work was already inaugurated, both from Omaha and
Kansas City, pushing out into the unsettled territory. In
the following year the work progressed rapidly from both
initial points, and a vigorous population composed of
thrifty young people from the middle states poured across
the Big Muddy, disdainfully leaving behind them the
broad and equally fertile areas in Missouri, partly be-
cause they were undeveloped by railroads, and these

4^8 THE AWAKENING OF THE DESERT

immigrants built a chain of villages along each of the
new western railroad lines as rapidly as the tracks were
laid. These villages were speedily surrounded by the
green fields of husbandmen, until those roads were like
necklaces of steel with emerald settings. Colleges were
soon built in each of the trans-Missouri territories
through which the roads passed, where two decades be-
fore the wolves had roamed at will.

A certain twentieth century statesman having ap-
parently a less distinct knowledge of the past than Ben-
ton and Greeley seemed to have of the future has re-
cently said, "States made the railroads,*' and this al-
legation was assigned as the reason why state legisla-
tures should regulate railroads without interference by
the United States Government. In watching the magi-
cal development of the West, as I have carefully done,
and observing that its evolution, sometimes on its fertile
lands, at other times on arid deserts once regarded as
hopeless, was always rapid along or near the new lines of
transportation and scanty, if at all, elsewhere, one is
tempted to invert the statesman's assertion that "States
made railroads" and declare with greater justice that
"Railroads have made states," and while like men they
should be subject to regulation, they also deserve that
reasonable protection to which a prime factor in modern
civilization is entitled.

Nearly half a century has passed since there began
this sudden and wonderful awakening of the Western
Wilderness, the processes leading up to which are de-
scribed in these pages as they were unfolded to one who
had observed them from the first quickening of Western
emigration.

The Wild West as still caricatured in the arena by

THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE 429

dashing, reckless circus cowboys and swift-footed Texas
steers is no more. The limitless ranges of semi-arid lands
over which those riders coursed their hardy mustangs
are now partitioned by wire fences within which steady
herdsmen watch their blooded stock.

The old Oregon and Santa Fe trails stretching half way
across the continent over wide wastes unpeopled except
by savage tribes, once the scene of innumerable thrilling
adventures and desperate encounters, are now quite for-
gotten except as they are held in vivid remembrance by
the few still living who have traced their dusty courses
across the plains and deserts or their sinuous pathways
through the mountain canyons.

Steel railways now parallel those trails along which
trains of prairie schooners slowly crept, and thousands
of miles of steel branches radiate from them across vast
areas hardly visited fifty years ago even by the explorer.

The warrior tribes are subdued and driven to reserva-
tions; the buflFalo is seen no more on those broad vistas;
a dozen great and populous commonwealths have arisen
in those territories and have been added to the galaxy
of American States, and thriving cities and towns,
thoroughly abreast with advanced civilization, are now
scattered over the expanse defined on the old maps as the
Great American Desert.

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