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Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year 
1835,  by  Washington  Irving,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of 
the  Southern  District  of  New- York. 


STEREOTYPED  BY  A.  CHANDLER 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


,«m«@944— 


The  "Crayon  Miscellany"  will  appear  in 
numbers,  from  time  to  time,  as  circumstances 
may  permit ;  and  will  contain  scenes  and 
sketches  of  life  in  America  and  Europe ;  to- 
gether with  ^uch  other  themes,  both  real 
and  imaginary,  as  may  present  themselves  to 
the  mind  of  the  Author. 


TOUR   ON    THE    PRAIRIES 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THE  SKETCH  BOOK. 


CAREY,  LEA,  &   BLANCHARD. 
1835. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year 
-1835,  by  Washington  Irving,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of 
the  Southern  District  of  New- York. 


STEREOTYPED  BY  A.  CHANDLER. 


INTRODUCTION. 


«*  As  1  saw  the  last  blue  line  of  my  native  land  fade  away, 
like  a  cloud  in  the  horizon,  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  closed 
one  volume  of  the  world  and  its  concerns,  and  had  time 
for  meditation,  before  I  opened  another.  That  land,  too, 
now  vanishing  from  my  view,  which  contained  all  that  was 
most  dear  to  me  in  hfe  ;  what  vicissitudes  might  occur  in 
it — what  changes  might  take  place  in  me,  before  I  should 
visit  it  again !  Who  can  tell,  when  he  sets  forth  to  wan- 
der, whither  he  may  be  driven  by  the  uncertain  currents 
of  existence  ;  or  when  he  may  return  ;  or  whether  it  may 
ever  be  his  lot  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  his  childhood  !"* 

Such  were  the  dubious  thoughts  that  passed  like  a  shade 
across  my  mind  many  years  since,  as  I  lost  sight  of  my 
native  land,  on  my  voyage  to  Europe.  Yet,  I  had  every 
reason  for  bright  anticipations.  I  was  buoyant  with 
health,  had  enough  of  the  "world's  geer"  for  all  my 
wants,  was  on  my  way  to  visit  the  fairest  scenes  of  Eu- 
rope, with  the  prospect  of  returning  home  in  a  couple  of 

*  Sketch  Book,  Vol.  I. 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION. 

years,  stored  with  recollections  for  the  remainder  of  my 
life. 

The  boding  doubts,  however,  which  had  beclouded  my 
mind  at  the  moment  of  departure,  threatened  to  prove 
prophetic.  Years  and  years  elapsed,  yet  I  remained  a 
voluntary  exile  from  my  home.  Why  did  I  so? — The 
question  has  often  been  asked ;  for  once  I  will  make  a 
brief  reply. 

It  was  my  lot,  almost  on  landing  in  Europe,  to  experience 
a  reverse  of  fortune,  which  cast  me  down  in  spirit,  and 
altered  the  whole  tenor  of  my  life.  In  the  midst  of  per- 
plexities and  humiliations,  I  turned  to  my  pen  for  solace 
and  support.  I  had  hitherto  exercised  it  for  amusement ; 
[  now  looked  to  it  as  my  main  dependence,  resolving,  if 
successful,  never  to  abandon  it  for  any  prospect  of  v/orldly 
gain,  nor  to  return  to  my  friends,  until,  by  my  literary 
exertions,  I  had  placed  myself  above  their  pity,  or  assist- 
ance. 

Such  are  the  main  reasons  that  unexpectedly  beguiled 
me  into  a  long  protracted  absence.  How  and  why  that 
absence  was  thus  protracted,  would  involve  a  story  of  baf- 
fled plans  and  deferred  hopes,  which  led  me  on  from 
month  to  month,  and  year  to  year,  and  left  me  where  they 
found  me ;  would  involve,  in  short,  the  checquered  story  of 
my  humble  concerns  and  precarious  feelings — and  I  have 
a  shrinking  repugnance  to  such  an  exposure. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  that  my  path,  which  many  are  apt  to 
think  was  a  flowery  one,  was  too  often  beset  by  thorns ; 
and  that  at  times  when  I  was  supposed  beguiled  by  the 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

pleasures  and  splendours  of  Europe,  and  "  treading  the 
primrose  path  of  dalliance,"  I  was  in  fact  shut  up  from 
society,  battling  with  cares  and  perplexities,  and  almost 
struggling  for  subsistence. 

In  the  mean  time,  my  lengthened  exile  subjected  me  to 
painful  doubts  and  surmises.  Some,  who  really  valued 
me,  supposed  that  I  was  dazzled  by  the  factitious  splen- 
dours around  me,  and  was  leading  a  life  of  epicurean  in- 
dulgence. Others,  who  knew  me  not,  or  chose  to  judge 
harshly,  accused  me  of  a  want  of  affection  for  my  native 
land ;  I  met  with  imputations  of  the  kind  in  the  public 
papers,  and  I  received  anonymous  letters,  reiterating 
them,  and  basely  endeavouring  to  persuade  me  that  I  had 
lost  tli^  good  will  of  my  countrymen. 

I  should  fiave  treated  these  imputations  with  little  re- 
gard, but  they  reached  me  in  desponding  moments,  when 
other  circumstances  had  produced  a  morbid  state  of  feel- 
ings, and  they  sunk  deeply  in  my  mind.  The  literary  un- 
dertakings in  which  I  was  engaged,  and  on  which  I  de- 
pended for  my  raaintainance,  required  a  further  absence 
from  my  country,  yet  I  found  that  absence  attributed  to 
motives  abhorrent  to  my  feelings,  and  wounding  to  my 
pride. 

By  degrees  I  was  led  to  doubt  the  entire  sentiment  of 
my  countrymen  towards  me.  Perhaps  I  was  rendered 
more  sensitive  on  this  head  by  the  indulgent  good  will  I 
had  ever  experienced  from  them.  They  had  always  cher- 
ished me  beyond  my  deserts,  excusing  my  many  deficien- 
cies, taking  my  humours  and  errors  in  good  part,  and  ex- 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

aggerating  every  merit.  Tlieir  cordial  kindness  had  in  a 
manner  become  necessary  to  me.  I  was  like  a  spoiled 
child,  that  could  not  bear  the  glance  of  an  altered' eye. 
I  cared  even  less  for  their  good  opinion  than  their  good 
will,  and  felt  indignant  at  being  elbowed  into  a  position 
with  respect  to  them,  from  which  my  soul  revolted. 

I  was  repeatedly  urged  by  those  who  knew  the  workings 
of  my  feelings,  to  lay  them  before  my  countrymen,  and  to 
repel  the  doubts  that  had  been  cast  upon  my  patriotism. 
I  declined  to  follow  their  advice.  I  have  generally  been 
content,  in  all  matters  relating  to  myself,  to  suffer  the 
truth  to  work  its  own  way  to  light.  If  the  conduct  and 
concerns  of  an  individual  are  worthy  of  public  attention, 
they  will  sooner  or  later  be  accurately  known  a.nd  appre- 
ciated ;  and  it  is  that  ultimate  opinion  that  s^ne  consti- 
tutes true  reputation:  all  transient  popularity  is  little 
worth  struggling  for. 

Beside,  what  was  I  asked  to  vindicate  myself  from— a 
want  of  affection  to  my  native  country  1  I  should  as  soon 
think  of  vindicating  myself  from  the  charge  of  a  want  of 
love  to  the  mother  that  bore  me  !  I  could  not  reply  to 
such  an  imputation ; — my  heart  would  swell  in  my  throat, 
and  keep  me  silent. 

Yet  I  will  confess,  that  the  arrow  which  had  been  plant- 
ed in  my  heart,  rankled  and  festered  there.  The  corroding 
doubt  that  had  been  infused  in  my  waking  thoughts,  af- 
fected my  sleeping  fancies.  The  return  to  my  country, 
so  long  anticipated,  became  the  constant  subject  of  haras- 
sing dreams.     I  would  fancy  myself  arrived  in  my  native 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

city,  but  the  place  would  be  so  changed  that  I  could  not 
recognise  it.  I  would  wander  through  strange  streets, 
meet  with  strange  faces,  and  find  every  thing  strange 
around  me  :  or,  what  was  worse,  I  would  meet  with  those 
I  loved,  with  my  kindred,  and  the  companions  of  my 
youth,  but  they  no  longer  knew  me,  or  passed  me  by  with 
neglect.  I  cannot  tell  how  often  I  have  awakened  from 
such  dreary  dreams,  and  felt  a  sadness  at  heart  for  hours 
afterwards. 

At  length  the  long  anticipated  moment  arrived.  I  again 
saw  the  "  blue  line  of  my  native  land"  rising  like  a  cloud  in 
that  horizon  where,  so  many  years  before,  I  had  seen  it 
fade  away.  I  again  saw  the  bright  city  of  my  birth 
rising  out  of  its  beautiful  bay ;  its  multiplied  fanes  and 
spires,  and  its  prolonged  forest  of  masts,  proclaiming  its 
augmented  grandeur.  My  heart  throbbed  with  pride  and 
admiration  as  I  gazed  upon  it — I  gloried  in  being  its  son. 

But  how  was  the  wanderer  to  be  received,  after  such  an 
absence  1  Was  he  to  be  taken,  as  a  favoured  child,  to  its 
bosom  ;  or  repulsed  as  a  stranger,  and  a  changeling  1 

My  old  doubts  recurred  as  I  stepped  upon  land.  I  could 
scarcely  realize  that  I  was  indeed  in  my  native  city, 
among  the  haunts  of  my  childhood.  Might  not  this  be 
another  of  those  dreams  that  had  so  often  beguiled  me! 
There  were  circumstances  enough  to  warrant  such  a  sur- 
mise. I  passed  through  places  that  ought  to  be  familiar 
to  me,  but  all  were  changed.  Huge  edifices  and  lofty 
piles  had  sprung  up  in  the  place  of  lowly  tenements  ;  the 


XU  INTRODUCTION. 

old  landmarks  of  the  city  were  gone ;  the  very  streets 
were  altered. 

As  I  passed  on,  I  looked  wistfully  in  every  face :  not 
one  was  known  to  me — not  one !  Yet  I  was  in  haunts 
where  every  visage  was  once  familiar  to  me.  I  read  the 
names  over  the  doors :  all  were  new.  They  were  un- 
^  '^associated  with  any  early  recollection.  The  saddening 
conviction  stole  over  my  heart  that  I  was  a  stranger  in 
my  own  home  !  Alas  !  thought  I,  what  had  I  to  expect 
after  such  an  absence  ! 

Let  not  the  reader  be  mistaken.  I  have  no  doleful  pic- 
ture to  draw ;  no  sorrowful  demand  to  make  upon  his 
sympathies.  It  has  been  the  lot  of  many  a  wanderer,  re- 
turning after  a  shorter  lapse  of  years,  to  find  the  scenes  of 
his  youth  gone  to  ruin  and  decay.  If  I  had  any  thing  to 
deplore,  it  was  the  improvement  of  my  home.  It  had  out- 
grown my  recollection  from  its  very  prosperity,  and  stran- 
gers had  crowded  into  it  from  every  clime,  to  participate 
in  its  overflowing  abundance.  A  little  while  was  suf- 
ficient to  reconcile  me  to  a  change,  the  result  of  prosperity. 
My  friends,  too,  once  clustered  in  neighboring  contiguity, 
in  a  moderate  community,  now  scattered  widely  asunder, 
over  a  splendid  metropolis,  soon  gathered  together  to 
welcome  me ;  and  never  did  wanderer,  afler  such  an  ab- 
sence, experience  such  a  greeting.  Then  it  was  that 
every  doubt  vanished  from  my  mind.  Then  it  was  that  I 
felt  I  was  indeed  at  home — and  that  it  was  a  home  of  the 
heart !     I  thanked  my  stars'  that  I  had  been  born  among 


INTRODUCTION.  XUl 

such  friends ;  1  thanked  my  stars,  that  had  conducted  me 
Sack  to  dwell  among  them  while  I  had  yet  the  capacity  to 
enjoy  their  fellowship. 

It  is  the  very  reception  I  met  with  that  has  drawn  from 
me  these  confessions.  Had  I  experienced  coldness  or 
distrust — had  I  been  treated  as  an  alien  from  the  sympa- 
thies of  my  countrymen,  I  should  have  buried  my  wound- 
ed feelings  in  my  bosom,  and  remained  silent.  But  they 
have  welcomed  me  home  with  their  old  indulgence ;  they 
have  shown  that,  notwithstanding  my  long  absence,  and 
the  doubts  and  suggestions  to  which  it  had  given  rise, 
they  still  believe  and  trust  in  me.  And  now,  let  them  feel 
assured,  that  I  am  heart  and  soul  among  them. 

I  make  no  boast  of  my  patriotism  ;  I  can  only  say,  that, 
as  far  as  it  goes,  it  is  no  blind  attachment.  I  have  so- 
journed in  various  countries ;  have  been  treated  in  them 
above  my  deserts  ;  and  the  remembrance  of  them  is  grate- 
ful and  pleasant  to  me.  I  have  seen  what  is  brightest 
and  best  in  foreign  lands,  and  have  found,  in  every  nation, 
enough  to  love  and  honour ;  yet,  with  all  these  recollec- 
tions living  in  my  imagination  and  kindling  in  my  heart, 
I  look  round  with  delightful  exultation  upon  my  native 
(and,  and  feel  that,  after  all  my  ramblings  about  the  world, 
I  can  be  happiest  at  home. 


And  now  a  word  or  two  with  respect  to  the  volume 

here  presented  to  the  reader.     Having,  since  my  return 

to  the  United  States,  made  a  wide  and  varied  tour,  for  the 
2 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

gratification  of  my  curiosity,  it  has  been  supposed  that  I 
did  it  for  the  purpose  of  writing  a  book ;  and  it  has  more 
than  once  been  intimated  in  the  papers,  that  such  a  work 
was  actually  in  the  press,  containing  scenes  and  sketches 
of  the  Far  West. 

These  announcements,  gratuitously  made  for  me,  before 
I  had  put  pen  to  paper,  or  even  contemplated  any  thing  of 
the  kind,  have  embarrassed  me  exceedingly.  I  have  been 
like  a  poor  actor,  who  finds  himself  announced  for  a  part 
he  had  no  thought  of  playing,  and  his  appearance  expect- 
ed on  the  stage  before  he  has  committed  a  line  to  memory. 

I  have  always  had  a  repugnance,  amounting  almost  to 
disability,  to  write  in  the  face  of  expectation ;  and,  in  the 
present  instance,  I  was  expected  to  write  about  a  region 
fruitful  of  wonders  and  adventures,  and  which  had  already 
been  made  the  theme  of  spirit-stirring  narratives  from 
able  pens ;  yet  about  which  I  had  nothing  wonderful  or 
adventurous  to  offfer. 

Since  such,  however,  seems  to  be  the  desire  of  the 
public,  and  that  they  take  sufficient  interest  in  my  wan- 
derings to  deem  them  worthy  of  recital,  I  have  hastened, 
as  promptly  as  possible,  to  meet  in  some  degree,  the  ex- 
pectation which  others  have  excited.  For  this  purpose,  T 
have,  as  it  were,  plucked  a  few  leaves  out  of  my  memo- 
randum book,  containing  a  month's  foray  beyond  the 
outposts  of  human  habitation,  into  the  wilderness  of  the 
Far  West.  It  forms,  indeed,  but  a  small  portion  of  an 
extensive  tour ;  but  it  is  an  episode,  complete  as  far  as 
it  goes.     As  such,  T  off*er  it  to  the  public,  with  great  dif- 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

fidence.  It  is  a  simple  narrative  of  every  day  occur- 
rences ;  such  as  happen  to  every  one  who  travels  the 
prairies.  I  have  no  wonders  to  describe,  nor  any  moving 
accidents  by  flood  or  field  to  narrate ;  and  as  to  those 
who  look  for  a  marvellous  or  adventurous  story  at  my 
hands,  I  can  only  reply  in  the  words  of  the  weary  knife- 
grinder  :  "  Story  !  God  bless  you,  I  have  none  to  tell,  sir." 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Pawnee  Hunting  Grounds  ;  Travelling  Com- 
panions ;  a  Commissioner  ;  a  Virtuoso  ;  a 
Seeker  of  Adventures  ;  a  Gil  Bias  of  the  Fron- 
tier ;  a  Young  Man^s  anticipations  of  pleasure. 

In  the  often  vaunted  regions  of  the  Far  West, 
several  hundred  miles  beyond  the  Mississippi,  ex- 
tends a  vast  tract  of  uninhabited  country,  where 
there  is  neither  to  be  seen  the  log  house  of  the 
white  man,  nor  the  wigwam  of  the  Indian,  fe 
consists  of  great  grassy  plains,  interspersed  with 
forests  and  groves,  and  clumps  of  trees,  and  wa- 
tered by  the  Arkansas,  the  grand  Canadian,  the 
Red  River,  and  all  their  tributary  streams.  Over 
these  fertile  and  verdant  wastes  still  roam  the 
Elk,  the  Buffalo,  and  the  wild  horse,  in  all  their 
native  freedom.  These,  in  fact,  are  the  hunting 
grounds  of  the  various  tribes  of  the  Far  West. 
Hither  repair  the  Osage,  the  Creek,  the  Dela- 
ware and  other  tribes  that  have  linked  them- 
selves with  civilization,  and  live  within  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  white  settlements.  Here  resort  also, 
the  Pawnees,  the  Comanches,  and  other  fierce, 

and  as  yet  independent  tribes,  the  nomades  of 

2# 


18  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

the  prairies,  or  the  inhabitants  of  the  skirts  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  region  I  have  men- 
tioned forms  a  debateable  ground  of  these  war- 
ring and  vindictive  tribes ;  none  of  them  presume 
to  erect  a  permanent  habitation  within  its  bor- 
ders. Their  hunters  and  "  Braves"  repair  thithei 
in  numerous  bodies  during  the  season  of  game, 
throw  up  their  transient  hunting  camps,  consist- 
ing of  hght  bowers,  covered  with  bark  and  skins, 
commit  sad  havoc  among  the  innumerable  herds 
that  graze  the  prairies,  and  having  loaded  them- 
selves with  venison  and  buffalo  meat,  warily 
yetire  from  the  dangerous  neighbourhood. 
These  /expeditions  partake,  always,  of  a  warlike 
?fharacter ;  the  hunters  are  all  armed  for  ac- 
tion, offensive  and  defensive,  and  are  bound  to 
incessant  vigilance.  Should  they,  in  their  ex- 
cursions, meet  the  hunters  of  an  adverse  tribe, 
savage  conflicts  take  place.  Their  encamp- 
ments, too,  are  always  subject  to  be  surprised 
by  wandering  war  parties,  and  their  hunters, 
when  scattered  in  pursuit  of  game,  to  be  captur- 
ed or  massacred  by  lurking  foes.  Mouldering 
skulls  and  skeletons,  bleaching  in  some  dark  ra- 
vine, or  near  the  traces  of  a  hunting  camp,  oc- 
casionally mark  the  scene  of  a  foregone  act  of 
blood,  and  let  the  wanderer  know  the  dangerous 
nature  of  the  region  he  is  traversing.  It  is  the  pur- 
port of  the  following  pages  to  narrate  a  month's 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  19 

excursion  to  these  noted  hunting  grounds,  through 
a  tract  of  country  which  had  not  as  yet  been  ex- 
plored by  white  men. 

It  was  early  in  October,  1832,  that  I  arrived 
at  Fort  Gibson,  a  frontier  post  of  the  Far  West, 
situated  on  the  Neosho,  or  Grand  River,  near  its 
confluence  with  the  Arkansas.  I  had  been  tra- 
velling for  a  month  past  with  a  small  party,  from 
St.  Louis,  up  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  and 
along  the  frontier  line  of  agencies  and  missions, 
that  extends  from  the  Missouri  to  the  Arkansas. 
Our  party  was  headed  by  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners appointed  by  the  government  of  the 
United  States  to  superintend  the  settlement  of 
the  Indian  tribes  migrating  from  the  east  to  the 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  In  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  he  was  thus  visiting  the  various  outposts 
of  civilization. 

And  here  let  me  bear  testimony  to  the  merits 
of  this  worthy  leader  of  our  little  band.  He  was 
a  native  of  one  of  the  towns  of  Connecticut,  a 
man  in  whom  a  course  of  legal  practice  and  po- 
litical life  had  not  been  able  to  vitiate  an  innate 
simplicity  and  benevolence  of  heart.  The  greater 
part  of  his  days  had  been  passed  in  the  bosom 
of  his  family  and  the  society  of  deacons,  elders, 
and  select  men,  on  the  peaceful  banks  of  the  Con- 
necticut ;  when  suddenly  he  had  been  called  to 
mount  his  steed,  shoulder  his  rifle,  and  mingle 


20  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

among  stark  hunters,  back  woodsmen,  and  naked 
savages,  on  the  trackless  wilds  of  the  Far  West. 

Another  of  my  fellow  travellers  was  Mr.  L — , 
an  Englishman  by  birth,  but  descended  from  a 
foreign  stock;  and  who  had  all  the  buoyancy 
and  accommodating  spirit  of  a  native  of  the  Con- 
tinent. Having  rambled  over  many  countries, 
he  had  become,  to  a  certain  degree,  a  citizen  of 
the  world,  easily  adapting  himself  to  any  change. 
He  was  a  man  of  a  thousand  occupations ;  a 
botanist,  a  geologist,  a  hunter  of  beetles  and  but- 
terflies, a  musical  amateur,  a  sketcher  of  no  mean 
pretensions,  in  short,  a  complete  Virtuoso  ;  add- 
ed to  which,  he  was  a  very  indefatigable,  if  not 
always  a  very  successful,  sportsman.  Never  had 
a  man  more  irons  in  the  fire,  and,  consequently, 
never  was  man  more  busy  or  more  cheerful. 

My  third  fellow  traveller  was  one  who  had  ac- 
companied the  former  from  Europe,  and  travel- 
led with  him  as  his  Telemachus ;  being  apt, 
like  his  prototype,  to  give  occasional  perplexity 
and  disquiet  to  his  Mentor.  He  was  a  young 
Swiss  Count,  scarce  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
full  of  talent  and  spirit,  but  galliard  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  prone  to  every  kind  of  wild  adven- 
ture. 

Having  made  this  mention  of  my  comrades, 
I  must  not  pass  over  unnoticed,  a  personage 
of  inferior  rank,  but  of  all  pervading  and  pre- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  21 

valent  importance  :  the  squire,  the  groom,  the 
cook,  the  tent  man,  in  a  word,  the  factotum, 
and,  I  may  add,  the  universal  meddler  and  mar- 
plot of  our  party.  This  was  a  little  swarthy, 
meagre,  French  Creole,  named  Antoine,  but  fa- 
miliarly dubbed  Tonish :  a  kind  of  Gil  Bias  of 
the  frontiers,  who  hg,d  passed  a  scrambling  life, 
sometimes  among  white  men,  sometimes  among 
Indians ;  sometimes  in  the  employ  of  traders, 
missionaries  and  Indian  agents;  sometimes  ming- 
ling with  the  Osage  hunters.  We  picked  him 
up  at  St.  Louis,  near  which  he  has  a  small  farm, 
an  Indian  wife,  and  a  brood  of  half  blood  chil- 
dren. According  to  his  own  account,  however, 
he  had  a  w^ife  in  every  tribe ;  in  fact,  if  all  this 
little  vagabond  said  of  himself  were  to  be  believ- 
ed, he  was  without  morals,  without  caste,  with- 
out creed,  without  country,  and  even  with- 
out language  ;  for  he  spoke  a  jargon  of  mingled 
French,  English  and  Osage.  He  was,  withal,  a 
notorious  braggart,  and  a  liar  of  the  first  water. 
It  was  amusing  to  hear  him  vapour  and  gascon- 
ade about  his  terrible  exploits  and  hair-breadth 
escapes  in  war  and  hunting.  In  the  midst  of 
his  volubility,  he  was  prone  to  be  seized  by  a 
spasmodic  gasping,  as  if  the  springs  of  his  jaws 
were  suddenly  unhinged  ;  but  I  am  apt  to  think 
it  was  caused  by  some  falsehood  that  stuck  in 
his  throat,  for  I  generally  remarked  that  imme- 


22  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

diately  afterwards  there  bolted  forth  a  Ue  of  the 
first  magnitude. 

Our  route  had  been  a  pleasant  one,  quartering 
ourselves,  occasionally,  at  the  widely  separated 
establishments  of  the  Indian  missionaries,  but  in 
general  camping  out  in  the  fine  groves  that  bor- 
der the  streams,  and  sleeping  under  cover  of  a 
tent.  During  the  latter  part  of  our  tour  we  had 
pressed  forward  in  hopes  of  arriving  in  time  at 
Fort  Gibson,  to  accompany  the  Osage  hunters 
on  their  autumnal  visit  to  the  Buffalo  prairies. 
Indeed  the  imagination  of  the  young  Count  had 
become  completely  excited  on  the  subject.  The 
grand  scenery  and  wild  habits  of  the  prairies 
had  set  his  spirits  madding,  and  the  stories 
that  little  Tonish  told  him  of  Indian  braves  and 
Indian  beauties,  of  hunting  buffaloes  and  catch- 
ing wild  horses,  had  set  him  all  agog  for  a  dash 
into  savage  life.  He  was  a  bold  and  hard  rider, 
and  longed  to  be  scouring  the  hunting  grounds. 
It  was  amusing  to  hear  his  youthful  anticipations 
of  all  that  he  was  to  see,  and  do,  and  enjoy, 
when  mingling  among  the  Indians  and  partici- 
pating in  their  hardy  adventures  ;  and  it  was 
still  more  amusing  to  listen  to  the  gasconadings 
of  little  Tonish,  who  volunteered  to  be  his  faith- 
ful squire  in .  all  his  perilous  undertakings  ;  to 
teach  him  how  to  catch  the  wild  horses,  bring 
down  the  buffalo,  and  win  the  smiles  of  Indian 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  23 

princesses ; — "  And  if  we  can  only  get  sight  of 
a  prairie  on  fire  !"  said  the  young  Count — "  By 
Gar,  ril  set  one  on  fire  myself !"  cried  the  little 
Frenchman. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Anticipations  disappointed ;  New  Plans  ;  Pre- 
parations to  join  an  Exploring  Party ;  De- 
parture from  Fort  Gibson ;  Fording  of  the 
Verdigris ;  An  Indian  Cavalier. 

The  anticipations  of  a  young  man  are  prone 
to  meet  with  disappointment.  Unfortunately 
for  the  count's  scheme  of  wild  campaigning,  be- 
fore we  reached  the  end  of  our  journey,  we 
heard  that  the  Osage  hunters  had  set  forth 
upon  their  expedition  to  the  Buffalo  grounds. 
The  count  still  determined,  if  possible,  to  follow 
on  their  track  and  overtake  them,  and  for  this 
purpose  stopped  short  at  the  Osage  Agency,  a 
few  miles  distant  from  Fort  Gibson,  to  make 
inquiries  and  preparations.  His  travelling  com- 
panion Mr.  L.  stopped  with  him  ;  while  the 
commissioner  and  myself  proceeded  to  Fort 
Gibson,  followed  by  the  faithful  and  veracious 
Tonish.    I  hinted  to  him  his  promises  to  follow 


24  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

the  count  in  his  campaignings,  but  I  found  the 
little  varlet  had  a  keen  eye  to  self-interest.  He 
was  aware  that  the  commissioner,  from  his  offi- 
cial duties,  would  remain  for  a  long  time  in  the 
country,  and  be  likely  to  give  him  permanent 
employment,  while  the  sojourn  of  the  count 
would  but  be  transient.  The  gasconading  of  the 
little  braggart,  was  suddenly  therefore,  at  an  end. 
He  spake  not  another  word  to  the  young  count 
about  Indians,  buffaloes,  and  wild  horses,  but  put- 
ting himself  tacidy  in  the  train  of  the  commis- 
sioner, jogged  silently  after  us  to  the  garrison. 

On  arriving  at  the  fort,  however,  a  new  chance 
presented  itself  for  a  cruise  on  the  prairies. 
We  learnt  that  a  company  of  mounted  rangers, 
or  riflemen,  had  departed  but  three  days  previ- 
ous, to  make  a  wide  exploring  tour,  from  the 
Arkansas  to  the  Red  river,  including  a  part  of 
the  Pawnee  hunting  grounds,  where  no  party  of 
white  men  had  as  yet  penetrated.  Here,  then, 
was  an  opportunity  of  ranging  over  those  danger- 
ous and  interesting  regions  under  the  safeguard 
of  a  powerful  escort;  for  the  commissioner  in 
virtue  of  his  office  could  claim  the  service  of  this 
newly  raised  corps  of  riflemen,  and  the  country 
they  were  to  explore,  was  destined  for  the  settle- 
ment of  some  of  the  migrating  tribes  connected 
with  his  mission. 

Our  plan  was  promptly  formed  and  put  into 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  25 

execution.  A  couple  of  Creek  Indians  were  sent 
off  express,  by  the  commander  of  Fort  Gibson, 
to  overtake  the  rangers  and  bring  them  to  a  halt 
until  the  commissioner  and  his  party  should  be 
able  to  join  them.  As  we  should  have  a  march  of 
three  or  four  days  through  a  wild  country,  be- 
fore we  could  overtake  the  company  of  rangers, 
an  escort  of  fourteen  mounted  riflemen,  under 
the  command  of  a  lieutenant,  was  assigned  us. 

We  sent  word  to  the  young  count  and  Mr.  L. 
at  the  Osage  Agency,  of  our  new  plan  and 
prospects,  and  invited  them  to  accompany  us. 
The  count,  however,  could  not  forego  the  de- 
lights he  had  promised  himself  in  mingling  with 
absolutely  savage  life.  In  reply,  he  agreed  to 
keep  with  us,  until  we  should  come  upon  the 
trail  of  the  Osage  hunters,  when,  it  was  his  fixed 
resolve  to  strike  off  into  the  wilderness  in  pur- 
suit of  them;  and  his  faithful  Mentor,  though 
he  grieved  at  the  madness  of  the  scheme,  was 
too  staunch  a  friend  to  desert  him.  A  general 
rendezvous  of  our  party  and  escort  was  appoint- 
ed, for  the  following  morning,  at  the  Agency. 

We  now  made  all  arrangements  for  prompt 
departure.  Our  baggage  had  hitherto  been 
transported  on  a  light  wagon,  but  we  were  now 
to  break  our  way  through  an  untravelled  coun- 
try, cut  up  by  rivers,  ravines,  and  thickets,  where 
a  vehicle  of  the  kind  would  be  a  complete  im- 
3 


26  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

pediment.  We  were  to  travel  on  horseback,  in 
hunters'  style,  and  with  as  Httle  incumbrance  as 
possible.  Our  baggage,  therefore,  underwent  a 
rigid  and  most  abstemious  reduction.  A  pair  of 
saddle-bags,  and  those  by  no  means  crammed, 
sufficed  for  each  man's  scanty  wardrobe,  and, 
with  his  great  coat,  were  to  be  carried  upon  the 
steed  he  rode.  The  rest  of  the  baggage  was 
placed  on  pack-horses.  Each  one  had  a  bear-skin 
and  a  couple  of  blankets  for  bedding,  and  there 
was  a  tent  to  shelter  us  in  case  of  sickness  or 
bad  weather.  We  took  care  to  provide  our- 
selves with  flour,  coffee,  and  sugar,  together 
with  a  small  supply  of  salt  pork  for  emergencies; 
for  om'  main  subsistence  we  were  to  depend  upon 
the  chase. 

Such  of  our  horses  as  had  not  been  tired  out 
in  our  recent  journey,  were  taken  with  us  as  pack- 
horses,  or  supernumeraries  ;  but  as  we  were  go- 
ing on  a  long  and  rough  tour,  where  there  would 
be  occasional  hunting,  and  where,  in  case  of 
meeting  with  hostile  savages,  the  safety  of  the 
rider  might  depend  upon  the  goodness  of  his 
steed,  we  took  care  to  be  well  mounted.  I  pro- 
cured a  stout  silver-grey  ;  somewhat  rough,  but 
staunch  and  powerful;  and  retained  a  hardy 
pony  which  I  had  hitherto  ridden,  and  which, 
being  somewhat  jaded,  was  suffered  to  ramble 
along  with  the  pack-liorses,  to  be  mounted  only 
in  case  of  emergency. 


A  'TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  27 

AH  these  arrangements  being  made,  we  left 
Fort  Gibson,  on  tlie  morning  of  the  tenth  of  Oc- 
tober, and  crossing  the  river  in  the  front  of  it, 
set  off  for  the  rendezvous  at  the  Agency.  A 
ride  of  a  few  miles  brought  us  to  the  ford  of  the 
Verdigris,  a  wild  rocky  scene  overhung  with 
forest  trees.  We  descended  to  the  bank  of  the 
river  and  crossed  in  straggling  file,  the  horses 
stepping  cautiously  from  rock  to  rock,  and  in  a 
manner  feeling  about  for  a  foothold  beneath 
the  rushing  and  brawling  stream. 

Our  little  Frenchman  Tonish,  brought  up  the 
rear  with  the  pack-horses.  He  was  in  high  glee, 
having  experienced  a  kind  of  promotion.  In 
our  journey  hitherto  he  had  driven  the  wagon, 
which  he  seemed  to  consider  a  very  inferior 
employ ;  now  he  was  master  of  the  horse. 

He  sat  perched  like  a  monkey  behind  the 
pack  on  one  of  the  horses  ;  he  sang,  he  shouted, 
he  yelped  like  an  Indian,  and  ever  and  anon 
blasphemed  the  loitering  pack-horses  in  his  jar- 
gon of  mingled  French,  English  and  Osage, 
which  not  one  of  them  could  understand. 

As  we  were  crossing  the  ford  we  saw  on  the 
opposite  shore  a  Creek  Indian  on  horseback. 
He  had  paused  to  reconnoitre  us  from  the  brow 
of  a  rock,  and  formed  a  picturesque  object,  in 
unison  with  the  wild  scenery  around  him.  He 
wore  a  bright  blue  hunting  shirt  trimmed  with 


28  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

scarlet  fringe ;  a  gaily  coloured  handkerchief  was 
bound  round  his  head  something  like  a  turban, 
with  one  end  hanging  down  beside  his  ear;  he 
held  a  long  rifle  in  his  hand,  and  looked  like  a 
wild  Arab  on  the  prowl.  Our  loquacious  and 
ever  meddling  little  Frenchman  called  out  to 
him  in  his  Babylonish  jargon,  but  the  savage 
having  satisfied  his  curiosity  tossed  his  hand  in 
the  air,  turned  the  head  of  his  steed,  and  gallop- 
ing along  the  shore  soon  disappeared  among 
the  trees. 


CHAPTER  III. 

An  Indian  Agency.  Riflemen,  Osages,  Creeks, 
trappers,  dogs,  horses,  half-breeds,  Beatte  the 
huntsman. 

Having  crossed  the  ford,  we  soon  reached 
the  Osage  Agency,  where  Col.  Choteau  has  his 
offices  and  magazines,  for  the  despatch  of  Indian 
affairs,  and  the  distribution  of  presents  and  sup- 
plies. It  consisted  of  a  few  log  houses  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  presented  a  motley  fron- 
tier scene.  Here  was  our  escort  awaiting  our 
arrival ;  some  were  on  horseback,  some  on  foot, 
some  seated  on  the  trunks  of  fallen  trees,  some 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  29 

shcoting  at  a  mark.  They  were  a  heterogeneous 
crew ;  some  in  frock  coats  made  of  green  blan- 
kets ;  others  in  leathern  hunting  shirts,  but  the 
most  part  in  marvellously  ill  cut  garments,  much 
the  worse  for  wear,  and  evidently  put  on  for  rug^ 
ged  service. 

Near  by  these  was  a  group  of  Osages :  stately 
fellows  ;  stern  and  simple  in  garb  and  aspect. 
They  wore  no  ornaments  ;  their  dress  consisted 
merely  of  blankets,  leathern  leggins,  and  mocca- 
sons.  Their  heads  were  bare  ;  their  hair  was 
cropped  close,  excepting  a  bristling  ridge  on  the 
top,  like  the  crest  of  a  helmet,  with  a  long  scalp 
lock  hanging  behind.  They  had  fine  Roman 
countenances,  and  broad  deep  chests;  and,  as 
they  generally  wore  their  blankets  wrapped 
round  their  loins,  so  as  to  leave  the  bust  arid  arms 
bare,  they  looked  like  so  many  noble  bronze 
figures.  The  Osages  are  the  finest  loojiing  In- 
dians I  have  ever  seen  in  the  west.  They  have 
not  yielded  sufficiently,  as  yet,  to  the  influence 
of  civilization  to  lay  by  their  simple  Indian  garb, 
or  to  lose  the  habits  of  the  hunter  and  the  war- 
rior ;  and  their  poverty  prevents  their  indulging 
in  much  luxury  of  apparel. 

In  contrast  to  these  was  a  gaily  dressed  party 

of  Creeks.      There    is  something,   at   the  first 

glance,  quite  oriental  in  the  appearance  of  this 

tribe.     They  dress  in  calico  hunting  shirts,  of 

3* 


30  A  TOUR  OJN  THE  PRAIRIES. 

various  brilliant  colours,  decorated  with  bright 
fringes,  and  belted  with  broad  girdles,  embroi- 
dered with  beads  :  they  have  leggins  of  dressed 
deer  skins,  or  of  green  or  scarlet  cloth,  with 
embroidered  knee  bands  and  tassels  :  their  moc- 
casons  are  fancifully  wrought  and  ornamented, 
and  they  wear  gaudy  handkerchiefs  tastefully 
bound  round  their  heads. 

Beside  these,  there  was  a  sprinkling  of  trap- 
pers, hunters,  half-breeds,  Creoles,  negroes  of 
every  hue  ;  and  all  that  other  rabble  rout  of  non- 
descript beings  that  keep  about  the  frontiers, 
between  civilized  and  savage  life,  as  those  equi- 
vocal birds,  the  bats,  hover  about  the  confines  of 
light  and  darkness. 

The  little  hamlet  of  the  agency  was  in  a  com- 
plete bustle  ;  the  blacksmith's  shed,  in  particular, 
was  a  scene  of  preparation  ;  a  strapping  negro 
was  shoeing  a  horse ;  two  half-breeds  were  fabri- 
cating iron  spoons  in  which  to  melt  lead  for  bul- 
lets. An  old  trapper,  in  leathern  hunting  frock 
and  moccasons,  had  placed  his  rifle  against  a 
work  bench,  while  he  superintended  the  opera- 
tion, and  gossipped  about  his  hunting  exploits  ; 
several  large  dogs  were  lounging  in  and  out  of 
the  shop,  or  sleeping  in  the  sunshine,  while  a  little 
cur,  with  head  cocked  on  one  side,  and  one  ear 
erect,  was  watching,  with  that  curiosity  common 
to  little  dogs,  the  process  of  shoeing  the  horse. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PEAIRIES.  31 

as  if  studying  the  art,  or  waiting  for  his  turn 
to  be  shod. 

We  found  the  Count  and  his  companion,  the 
Virtuoso,  ready  for  the  march.  As  they  intend- 
ed to  overtake  the  Osages,  and  pass  some  time 
in  hunting  the  buffalo  and  the  wild  horse,  they 
had  provided  themselves  accordingly ;  having, 
in  addition  to  the  steeds  which  they  used  for 
travelling,  others  of  prime  quality,  which  were 
to  be  led  when  on  the  march,  and  only  to  be 
mounted  for  the  chase. 

They  had,  moreover,  engaged  the  services  of 
a  young  man  named  Antoine,  a  half-breed  of 
French  and  Osage  origin.  He  was  to  be  a  kind 
of  Jack-of- all- work  ;  to  cook,  to  hunt,  and  to  take 
care  of  the  horses  ;  but  he  had  a  vehement  pro- 
pensity to  do  nothing,  being  one  of  the  worthless 
brood  engendered  and  brought  up  among  the 
missions.  He  was,  moreover,  a  little  spoiled  by 
being  really  a  handsome  young  fellow,  an  Ado- 
nis of  the  frontier,  and  still  worse  by  fancying 
himself  highly  connected,  his  sister  being  concu- 
bine to  an  opulent  white  trader  ! 

For  our  own  parts,  the  Commissioner  and 
myself  were  desirous,  before  setting  out,  to  pro- 
cure another  attendant  well  versed  in  wood 
craft,  who  might  serve  us  as  a  hunter ;  for  our 
little  Frenchman  would  have  his  hands  full  when 
in  camp,  in  cooking,  and  on  the  march,  in  taking 


82  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

care  of  the  pack-horses.  Such  a  one  presented 
himself,  or  rather  was  recommended  to  us,  in 
Pierre  Beatte,  a  half-breed  of  French  and  Osage 
parentage.  We  were  assured  that  he  was  ac- 
quainted with  all -parts  of  the  country,  having 
traversed  it  in  all  directions,  both  in  hunting  and 
war  parties  ;  that  he  would  be  of  use  both  as 
guide  and  interpreter,  and  that  he  was  a  first 
rate  hunter. 

I  confess  I  did  not  like  his  looks  when  he  was 
first  presented  to  me.  He  was  lounging  about, 
in  an  old  hunting  frock  and  metasses  or  leggins, 
of  deer  skin,  soiled  and  greased,  and  almost  ja- 
panned by  constant  use.  He  was  apparently 
about  thirty-six  years  of  age,  square  and  strong- 
ly built.  His  features  were  not  bad,  being  shap- 
ed not  unlike  those  of  Napoleon,  but  sharpened 
up,  with  high  Indian  cheek  bones.  Perhaps  the 
dusky  greenish  hue  of  his  complexion,  aided  his 
resemblance  to  an  old  bronze  bust  I  had  seen  of 
the  Emperor.  He  had,  however,  a  sullen,  satur- 
nine expression,  set  off  by  a  slouched  woollen 
hat,  and  elf  locks  that  hung  about  his  ears. 

Such  was  the  appearance  of  the  man,  and  his 
manners  were  equally  unprepossessing.  He  was 
cold  and  laconic  ;  made  no  promises  or  profes- 
sions ;  stated  the  terms  he  required  for  the  ser- 
vices of  himself  and  his  horse,  which  we  thought 
rather  high,  but  showed  no  disposition  to  abate 


A    TOUR    ON    THE  PRAIRIES.  33 

them,  nor  any  anxiety  to  secure  our  employ. 
He  had  altogether  more  of  the  red  than  the  white 
man  in  his  composition  ;  and,  as  I  had  been 
taught  to  look  upon  all  half-breeds  with  distrust, 
as  an  uncertain  and  faithless  race,  I  would  gladly 
have  dispensed  with  the  services  of  Pierre  Be atte. 
We  had  no  time,  however,  to  look  about  for  any 
one  more  to  our  taste,  and  had  to  make  an  ar- 
rangement with  him  on  the  spot.  He  then  set 
about  making  his  preparations  for  the  journey, 
promising  to  join  us  at  our  evening's  encamp- 
ment. 

One  thing  was  yet  wanting  to  fit  me  out  for 
the  Prairies — a  thoroughly  trust- worthy  steed  : 
I  was  not  yet  mounted  to  my  mind.  The  grey 
I  had  bought,  though  strong  and  serviceable, 
was  rough.  At  the  last  moment  I  succeeded  in 
getting  an  excellent  animal;  a  dark  bay;  power- 
ful, active,  generous-spirited,  and  in  capital  con- 
dition. I  mounted  him  with  exultation,  and 
transferred  the  silver  grey  to  Tonish,  who  was 
in  such  ecstasies  at  finding  himself  so  completely 
en  Cavalier,  that  I  feared  he  might  realize  the 
ancient  and  well  known  proverb  of  "  a  beggar 
on  horseback." 


34 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Departure, 

The  long  drawn  notes  of  a  bugle  at  length 
gave  the  signal  for  departure.  The  rangers  filed 
off  in  a  straggling  line  of  march  through  the 
woods  :  we  were  soon  on  horseback  and  follow- 
ing on,  but  were  detained  by  the  irregularity  of 
the  pack-horses.  They  were  unaccustomed  to 
keep  the  line,  and  straggled  from  side  to  side 
among  the  thickets,  in  spite  of  all  the  pesting 
and  bedeviling  of  Tonish  ;  who,  mounted  on  his 
gallant  grey,  with  a  long  rifle  on  his  shoulder, 
worried  after  them,  bestowing  a  superabundance 
of  dry  blows  and  curses. 

We  soon,  therefore,  lost  sight  of  our  escort, 
but  managed  to  keep  on  their  track,  thridding 
lofty  forests,  and  entangled  thickets,  and  passing 
by  Indian  wigwams  and  negro  huts,  until  to- 
wards dusk  we  arrived  at  a  frontier  farm  house, 
owned  by  a  settler  of  the  name  of  Berryhill. 
It  was  situated  on  a  hill,  below  which  the  ran- 
gers had  encamped  in  a  circular  grove,  on  the 
margin  of  a  stream.  The  master  of  the  house 
received  us  civilly,  but  could  offer  us  no  accom- 
modation, for  sickness  prevailed  in  his  family 


TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  35 

He  appeared  himself  to  be  in  no  very  thriving 
condition,  for  though  bulky  in  frame,  he  had  a 
sallow,  unhealthy  complexion,  and  had  a  whif- 
fling double  voice,  shifting  abruptly  from  a  treble 
to  a  thorough  bass. 

Finding  his  log  house  was  a  mere  hospital, 
crowded  with  invalids,  we  ordered  our  tent  to 
be  pitched  in  the  farm  yard. 

We  had  not  been  long  encamped,  when  our 
recently  engaged  attendant,  Beatte,  the  Osage 
half-breed,  made  his  appearance.  He  came 
mounted  on  one  horse,  and  leading  another, 
which  seemed  to  be  well  packed  with  supplies 
for  the  expedition.  Beatte  was  evidently  an 
"  old  soldier,"  as  to  the  art  of  taking  care  of  him- 
self and  looking  out  for  emergencies.  Finding 
that  he  was  in  government  employ,  being  enga- 
ged by  the  commissioner,  he  had  drawn  rations 
of  flour  and  bacon,  and  put  them  up  so  as  to  be 
weather  proof.  In  addition  to  the  horse  for  the 
road,  and  for  ordinary  service,  which  was  a 
rough,  hardy  animal,  he  had  another  for  hunting. 
This  was  of  a  mixed  breed  like  himself,  being  a 
cross  of  the  domestic  stock  with  the  wild  horse 
of  the  prairies ;  and  a  noble  steed  it  was,  of 
generous  spirit,  fine  action,  and  admirable  bot- 
tom. He  had  taken  care  to  have  his  horses  well 
shod  at  the  Agency.  He  came  prepared  at  all 
points  for  war  or  hunting  :  his  rifle  on  his  shoul- 


36  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

der,  his  powder  horn  and  bullet  pouch  at  his 
side,  his  hunting  knife  stuck  in  his  belt,  and  coils 
of  cordage  at  his  saddle  bow,  which  we  were 
told  were  lariats,  or  noosed  cords,  used  in  catch- 
ing the  wild  horse. 

Thus  equipped  and  provided,  an  Indian  hun- 
ter on  a  prairie  is  like  a  cruiser  on  the  ocean, 
perfectly  independent  of  the  world,  and  com- 
petent to  self-protection  and  self-maintenance. 
He  can  cast  himself  loose  from  every  one,  shape 
his  own  course,  and  take  care  of  his  own  for- 
tunes. I  thought  Beatte  seemed  to  feel  his  in- 
dependence, and  to  consider  himself  superior 
to  us  all,  now  that  we  were  launching  into  the 
wilderness.  He  maintained  a  half  proud,  half 
sullen  look,  and  great  taciturnity;  and  his  first 
care  was  to  unpack  his  horses,  and  put  them  in 
safe  quarters  for  the  night.  His  whole  demean- 
our was  in  perfect  contrast  to  our  vapouring, 
chattering,  busthng  little  Frenchman.  The  lat- 
ter, too,  seemed  jealous  of  this  new  comer.  He 
whispered  to  us  that  these  half-breeds  were  a 
touchy,  capricious  people,  httle  to  be  depended 
upon.  That  Beatte  had  evidently  come  prepared 
to  take  care  of  himself,  and  that,  at  any  moment 
in  the  course  of  our  tour,  he  would  be  liable  to 
take  some  sudden  disgust  or  affront,  and  abandon 
us  at  a  moment's  warning :  having  the  means  of 
shifting  for  himself,  and  being  perfectly  at  home 
on  the  prairies. 


37 


CHAPTER  V. 

Frontier  Scenes,  A  Lycurgus  of  the  Border. 
Lynch!  s  Law,  The  danger  of  finding  a  Horse. 
The  Young  Osage, 

On  the  following  morning,  (Oct.  11,)  we  were 
on  the  march  by  half-past  seven  o'clock,  and 
rode  through  deep  rich  bottoms  of  alluvial  soil, 
overgrown  with  redundant  vegetation,  and  trees 
of  an  enormous  size.  Our  route  lay  parallel  to 
the  west  bank  of  the  Arkansas,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  which  river,  near  the  confluence  of  the 
Red  Fork,  we  expected  to  overtake  the  main 
body  of  rangers.  For  some  miles  the  country 
was  sprinkled  with  Creek  villages  and  farm 
houses  ;  the  inhabitants  of  which  appeared  to 
have  adopted,  with  considerable  facility,  the 
rudiments  of  civilization,  and  to  have  thriven  in 
consequence.  Their  farms  were  well  stocked, 
and  their  houses  had  a  look  of  comfort  and 
abundance. 

We  met  with  numbers  of  them  returning  from 
one  of  their  grand  games  of  ball,  for  which  their 
nation  is  celebrated.  Some  were  on  foot,  some 
on  horseback ;  the  latter,  occasionally,  with  gaily 
dressed  females  behind  them.  They  are  a  well 
made  race,  muscular  and  closely  knit,  with  welt 
4 


9 
38  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

turned  thighs  and  legs.  They  have  a  gipsey  fond- 
ness for  brilhant  colours,  and  gay  decorations, 
and  are  bright  and  fanciful  objects  when  seen  at 
a  distance  on  the  prairies.  One  had  a  scarlet 
handkerchief  bound  round  his  head,  surmounted 
with  a  tuft  of  black  feathers  hke  a  cock's  tail. 
Another  had  a  white  handkerchief,  with  red 
feathers ;  while  a  third,  for  want  of  a  plume,  had 
stuck  in  his  turban  a  brilliant  bunch  of  Sumach. 

On  the  verge  of  the  wilderness  we  paused  to 
inquire  our  way  at  a  log  house,  owned  by  a 
white  settler  or  squatter,  a  tall  raw  boned  old 
fellow,  with  red  hair,  a  lank  lantern  visage, 
and  an  inveterate  habit  of  winking  with  one 
eye,  as  if  every  thing  he  said  was  of  knowing 
import.  He  was  in  a  towering  passion.  One 
of  his  horses  was  missing ;  he  was  sure  it  had 
been  stolen  in  the  night  by  a  straggling  party  of 
Osages  encamped  in  a  neighbouring  swamp; 
but  he  would  have  satisfaction !  He  would  make 
an  example  of  the  villains.  He  had  accordingly 
caught  down  his  rifle  from  the  wall,  that  invaria- 
ble enforcer  of  right  or  wrong  upon  the  frontiers, 
and,  having  saddled  his  steed,  was  about  to  sally 
forth  on  a  foray  into  the  swamp ;  while  a  brother 
squatter,  with  rifle  in  hand,  stood  ready  to  ac- 
company him. 

We  endeavoured  to  calm  the  old  campaigner 
of  the  prairies,  by  suggesting  that   his  horse 


A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  39 

might  have  strayed  into  the  neighbouring  woods ; 
but  he  had  the  frontier  propensity  to  charge 
every  thing  to  the  Indians,  and  nothing  could 
dissuade  him  from  carrying  fire  and  sword  into 
the  swamp. 

After  riding  a  few  miles  further  we  lost  the 
trail  of  the  main  body  of  rangers,  and  became 
perplexed  by  a  variety  of  tracks  made  by  the 
Indians  and  settlers.  At  length  coming  to  a  log 
house,  inhabited  by  a  white  man,  the  very  last 
on  the  frontier,  we  found  that  we  had  wandered 
from  our  true  course.  Taking  us  back  for  some 
distance,  he  again  brought  us  to  the  right  trail ; 
putting  ourselves  upon  which,  we  took  our  final 
departure,  and  launched  into  the  broad  wilder- 
ness. 

The  trail  kept  on  like  a  straggling  foot  path, 
over  hill  and  dale,  through  brush  and  brake,  and 
tangled  thicket,  and  open  prairie.  In  traversing 
the  wilds  it  is  customary  for  a  party  either  of 
horse  or  foot  to  follow  each  other  in  single  file 
like  the  Indians:  so  that  the  leaders  break  the 
way  for  those  who  follow,  and  lessen  their  labour 
and  fatigue.  In  this  way,  also,  the  number  of  a 
party  is  concealed,  the  whole  leaving  but  one 
narrow  well  trampled  track  to  mark  their  course. 

We  had  not  long  regained  the  trail,  when,  on 
emerging  from  a  forest,  we  beheld  our  raw 
boned,  hard  winking,  hard  riding  knight  errant 


40  A    TOUR   ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

of  the  frontier,  descending  the  slope  of  k  hill, 
followed  by  his  companion  in  arms.  As  he 
drew  near  to  us,  the  gauntness  of  his  figure  and 
ruefulness  of  his  aspect,  reminded  m-e  of  the 
description  of  the  hero  of  La  Mancha,  and  he 
was  equally  bent  on  affairs  of  doughty  enter- 
prise, being  about  to  penetrate  the  thickets  of 
the  perilous  swamp,  within  which  the  enemy  lay 
ensconced. 

While  we  were  holding  a  parley  with  him  on 
the  slope  of  the  hill,  we  descried  an  Osage  on 
horseback  issuing  out  of  a  skirt  of  wood  about 
half  a  mile  off,  and  leading  a  horse  by  a  halter. 
The  latter  was  immediately  recognised  by  our 
hard  winking  friend  as  the  steed  of  which  he 
was  in  quest.  As  the  Osage  drew  near,  I  was 
struck  with  his  appearance.  He  was  about 
nineteen  or  twenty  years  of  age,  but  well  grown, 
with  the  fine  Roman  countenance  common  to 
his  tribe,  and  as  he  rode  with  his  blanket  wrap- 
ped round  his  loins,  his  naked  bust  would  have 
furnished  a  model  for  a  statuary.  He  was 
mounted  on  a  beautiful  pie-bald  horse,  a  mottled 
white  and  brown,  of  the  wild  breed  of  the  prai- 
ries, decorated  with  a  broad  collar,  from  which 
hung  in  front  a  tuft  of  horse  hair  dyed  of  a  bright 
scarlet. 

The  youth  rode  slowly  up  to  us  with  a  frank 
open  air,  and  signified  by  means  of  our  inter 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  41 

preter  Beatte,  that  the  horse  he  was  leading  had 
wandered  to  their  camp,  and  he  was  now  on  his 
w  ay  to  conduct  him  back  to  his  owner. 

I  had  expected  to  witness  an  expression  of 
gratitude  on  the  part  of  our  hard  favoured  cava- 
her,  but  to  my  surprise  the  old  fellow  broke  out 
into  a  furious  passion.  He  declared  that  the 
Indians  had  carried  off  his  horse  in  the  night, 
with  the  intention  of  bringing  him  home  in  the 
morning,  and  claiming  a  reward  for  finding  him ; 
a  common  practice,  as  he  affirmed,  among  the 
Indians.  He  was,  therefore,  for  tying  the  young 
Indian  to  a  tree. and  giving  him  a  sound  lashing; 
and  was  quite  surprised  at  the  burst  of  indigna- 
tion which  this  novel  mode  of  requiting  a  service 
drew  from  us.  Such,  however,  is  too  often  the 
administration  of  law  on  the  frontier,  "Lynch's 
law,"  as  it  is  technically  termed,  in  which  the 
plaintiff  is  apt  to  be  witness,  jury,  judge,  and  exe- 
cutioner, and  the  defendant  to  be  convicted  and . 
punished  on  mere  presumption  :  and  in  this  way 
I  am  convinced,  are  occasioned  many  of  those 
heart  burnings  and  resentments  among  the  In- 
dians, which  lead  to  retaliation,  and  eventuate 
in  Indian  wars.  When  I  compared  the  open, 
noble  countenance  and  frank  demeanour  of  the 
young  Osage,  with  the  sinister  visage  and  high 

handed  conduct  of  the  frontiers-man,  I  felt  little 

4# 


42  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

doubt  on  whose  back  a  lash  would  be  most 
meritoriously  bestowed. 

Being  thus  obliged  to  content  himself  with  the 
recovery  of  his  horse,  without  the  pleasure  of 
flogging  the  finder  into  the  bargain,  the  old  Ly- 
curgus,  or  rather  Draco,  of  the  frontier,  set  off 
growling  on  his  return  homeward,  followed  by 
his  brother  squatter. 

As  for  the  youthful  Osage,  we  were  all  pre- 
possessed in  his  favour  ;  the  young  Count  espe- 
cially, with  the  sympathies  proper  to  his  age 
and  incident  to  his  character,  had  taken  quite  a 
fancy  to  him.  Nothing  would  suit  but  he  must 
have  the  young  Osage  as  a  companion  and 
squire  in  his  expedition  into  the  wilderness. 
The  youth  was  easily  tempted,  and,  with  the 
prospect  of  a  safe  range  over  the  buffalo  prairies 
and  the  promise  of  a  new  blanket,  he  turned  his 
bridle,  left  the  swamp  and  the  encampmenttof 
his  friends  behind  him,  and  set  off  to  follow  the 
Count  in  his  wanderings  in  quest  of  the  Osage 
hunters. 

Such  is  the  glorious  independence  of  man 
in  a  savage  state.  This  youth,  with  his  rifle, 
his  blanket,  and  his  horse,  was  ready  at  a  mo- 
ment's warning  to  rove  the  world ;  he  carried 
all  his  worldly  effects  with  him,  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  artificial   wants,  possessed  the  great 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  43 

secret  of  personal  freedom.  We  of  society  are 
slaves,  not  so  much  to  others,  as  to  ourselves ; 
our  superfluities  are  the  chains  that  bind  us, 
impeding  every  movement  of  our  bodies  and 
thwarting  every  impulse  of  our  souls.  Such,  at 
least,  were  my  speculations  at  the  time,  though  I 
am  not  sure  but  that  they  took  their  tone  from 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  young  Count,  who  seemed 
more  enchanted  than  ever  with  the  wild  chivalry 
of  the  prairies,  and  talked  of  putting  on  the  In- 
dian dress  and  adopting  the  Indian  habits  during 
the  time  he  hoped  to  pass  with  the  Osages. 


44 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Trail  of  the  Osage  Hunters,  Departure  of  the 
Count  and  his  party,  A  deserted  War  Camp, 
A  vagrant  Dog,     The  encampment. 

In  the  course  of  the^norning  the  trail  we  were 
pursuing  was  crossed  by  another,  which  struck 
off  through  the  forest  to  the  west  in  a  direct 
course  for  the  Arkansas  river.  Beatte,  our  half- 
breed,  after  considering  it  for  a  moment,  pro- 
nounced it  the  trail  of  the  Osage  hunters ;  and 
that  it  must  lead  to  the  place  where  they  had 
forded  the  river  on  their  way  to  the  hunting 
grounds. 

Here  then  the  young  Count  and  his  compan- 
ion came  to  a  halt  and  prepared  to  take  leave  of 
us.  The  most  experienced  frontiers-men  in  the 
troop  remonstrated  on  the  hazard  of  the  under- 
taking. They  were  about  to  throw  themselves 
loose  in  the  wilderness,  with  no  other  guides, 
guards,  or  attendants,  than  a  young  ignorant  half- 
breed,  and  a  still  younger  Indian.  They  were 
embarrassed  by  a  pack-horse  and  two  led  horses, 
with  which  they  would  have  to  make  their  way 
through  matted  forests,  and  across  rivers  and 
morasses.     The  Osages  and  Pawnees  were. at 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  45 

war,  and  they  might  fall  in  with  some  warrior 
party  of  the  latter,  who  are  ferocious  foes ;  be- 
sides, their  small  number,  and  their  valuable 
horses  would  form  a  great  temptation  to  some  of 
the  straggling  bands  of  Osages  loitering  about 
the  frontier,  who  might  rob  them  of  their  horses 
in  the  night,  and  leave  them  destitute  and  on 
foot  in  the  midst  of  the  prairies. 

Nothing,  however,  could  restrain  the  roman- 
tic ardour  of  the  Count  for  a  campaign  of  Buf- 
falo hunting  with  the  Osages,  and  he  had  a  game 
spirit  that  seemed  always  stimulated  by  the  idea 
of  danger.  ^  His  travelling  companion,  of  dis- 
creeter  age  and  calmer  temperament,  was  con- 
vinced of  the  rashness  of  the  enterprise  ;  but  he 
could  not  control  the  impetuous  zeal  of  his 
youthful  friend,  and  he  was  too  loyal  to  leave 
him  to  pursue  his  hazardous  scheme  alone.  To 
our  great  regret,  therefore,  we  saw  them  aban- 
don the  protection  of  our  escort,  and  strike  off 
on  their  hap-hazard  expedition.  The  old  hun- 
ters of  our  party  shook  their  heads,  and  our  half- 
breed,  Beatte,  predicted  all  kinds  of  trouble  to 
them;  my  only  hope  was,  that  they  would  soon 
meet  with  perplexities  enough  to  cool  the  impe- 
tuosity of  the  young  Count,  and  induce  him  to 
rejoin  us.  With  this  idea  we  travelled  slowly, 
and  made  a  considerable  halt  at  noon.  After 
resuming  our  march,  we  came  in  sight  of  the 


46  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

Arkansas.  It  presented  a  broad  and  rapid 
stream,  bordered  by  a  beach  of  fine  sand,  over- 
grown with  willows  and  cotton  wood  trees. 
Beyond  the  river,  the  eye  wandered  over  a  beau- 
tiful champaign  country,  of  flowery  plains  and 
sloping  uplands,  diversified  by  groves  and  clumps 
of  trees,  and  long  screens  of  woodland;  the 
whole  wearing  the  aspect  of  complete,  and  even 
ornamental  cultivation,  instead  of  native  wild- 
ness.  Not  far  from  the  river,  on  an  open  emi- 
nence, we5- passed  through  the  recently  deserted 
camping  place  of  an  Osage  war  party.  The 
frames  of  the  tents  or  wigwams  remained,  con- 
sisting of  poles  bent  into  an  arch,  with  each  end 
stuck  into  the  ground:  these  are  intertwined 
with  twigs  and  branches,  and  covered  with  bark 
and  skins.  Those  experienced  in  Indian  lore, 
can  ascertain  the  tribe,  and  wheHier  on  a  hunt- 
ing or  a  warlike  expedition,  by  the  shape  and 
disposition  of  the  wigwams.  Beatte  pointed 
out  to  us,  in  the  present  skeleton  camp,  the  wig- 
wam in  which  the  chiefs  had  held  their  consulta- 
tions round  the  council  fire ;  and  an  open  area, 
well  trampled  down,  on  which  the  grand  war 
dance  had  been  performed. 

Pursuing  our  journey,  as  we  were  passing 
through  a  forest,  we  were  met  by  a  forlorn, 
half-famished  dog,  who  came  rambling  along  the 
trail,  with  inflamed  eyes,  and  bewildered  look 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  47 

Though  nearly  trampled  upon  by  the  foremost 
rangers,  he  took  notice  of  no  one,  but  rambled 
heedlessly  among  the  horses.  The  cry  of  "  mad 
dog"  was  immediately  raised,  and  one  of  the 
rangers  levelled  his  rifle,  but  was  stayed  by  the 
ever  ready  humanity  of  the  commissioner.  "He 
is  bhnd !"  said  he.  "  It  is  the  dog  of  some  poor 
Indian,  following  his  master  by  the  scent.  It 
would  be  a  shame  to  kill  so  faithful  an  animal." 
The  ranger  shouldered  his  rifle,  the  dog  blunder- 
ed blindly  through  the  cavalcade  unhurt,  and 
keeping  his  nose  to  the  ground,  continued  his 
course  along  the  trail,  affording  a  rare  instance 
of  a  dog  surviving  a  bad  name. 

About  three  o'clock,  we  came  to  a  recent 
camping  place  of  the  company  of  rangers :  the 
brands  of  one  of  their  fires  was  still  smoking ; 
so  that,  according  to  the  opinion  of  Beatte,  they 
could  not  have  passed  on  above  a  day  previously. 
As  there  was  a  fine  stream  of  water  close  by, 
and  plenty  of  pea-vines  for  the  horses,  we  en- 
camped here  for  the  night. 

We  had  not  been  here  long,  when  we  heard 
a  halloo  from  a  distance,  and  beheld  the  young 
Count  and  his  party  advancing  through  the 
forest.  We  welcomed  them  to  the  camp  with 
heartfelt  satisfaction ;.  for  their  departure  upon 
so  hazardous  an  expedition  had  caused  us  great 
uneasiness.     A  short  experiment  had  convinced 


48  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

them  of  the  toil  and  difficulty  of  inexperienced 
travellers  like  themselves  making  their  way 
through  the  wilderness  with  such  a  train  of 
horses,  and  such  slender  attendance.  Fortu- 
nately, they  determined  to  rejoin  us  before  night- 
fall ;  one  night's  camping  out  might  have  cost  them 
their  horses.  The  Count  had  prevailed  upon 
his  protegee  and  esquire,  the  young  Osage,  to 
continue  with  him,  and  still  calculated  upon 
achieving  great  exploits  with  his  assistance,  on 
the  Buffalo  prairies. 


49 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

News  of  the  Rangers.  The  Count  and  his  In- 
dian Squire,  Halt  in  the  woods.  Woodland 
scene.  Osage  village,  Osage  visiters  at  our 
evening  camp. 

In  the  morning  early,  (Oct.  12)  the  two  Creeks 
who  had  been  sent  express  by  the  commander 
of  Fort  Gibson,  to  stop  the  company  of  rangers, 
arrived  at  our  encampment  on  their  return. 
They  had  left  the  company  encamped  about 
fifty  miles  distant,  in  a  fine  place  on  the  Arkan- 
sas, abounding  in  game,  where  they  intended  to 
await  our  arrival.  This  news  spread  animation 
throughout  our  party,  and  we  set  out  on  our 
march  at  sunrise,  with  renewed  spirit. 

In  mounting  our  steeds,  the  young  Osage  at- 
tempted to  throw  a  blanket  upon  his  wild  horse. 
The  fine,  sensitive  animal  took  fright,  reared  and 
recoiled.  The  attitudes  of  the  wild  horse  and 
the  almost  naked  savage,  would  have  formed 
studies  for  a  painter  or  a  statuary. 

I  often  pleased  myself  in  the  course  of  our 

march,   with  noticing  the   appearance  of   the 

young  Count  and  his  newly  enlisted  follower,  as 

they  rode  before  me.     Never  was  preux  cheva- 

5 


60  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

lier  better  suited  with  an  esquire.  The  Count 
was  well  mounted,  and,  as  I  have  before  ob- 
served, was  a  bold  and  graceful  rider.  He  was 
fond,  too,  of  caracoling  his  horse,  and  dashing 
about  in  the  buoyancy  of  youthful  spirits.  His 
dress  was  a  gay  Indian  hunting  frock  of  dressed 
deerskin,  setting  well  to  the  shape,  dyed  of 
a  beautiful  purple,  and  fancifully  embroidered 
with  silks  of  various  colours ;  as  if  it  had  been 
the  work  of  some  Indian  beauty,  to  decorate  a 
favourite  chief.  With  this  he  wore  leathern  pan- 
taloons and  moccasons,  a  foraging  cap,  and  a 
double  barrelled  gun  slung  by  a  bandalecr 
athwart  his  back:  so  that  he  was  quite  a  ipicixi^^ 
resque  figure  as  he  managed  gracefully  his 
spirited  steed. 

The  young  Osage  would  ride  close  behind 
him  on  his  wild  and  beautifully  mottled  horse, 
which  was  decorated  with  crimson  tufts  of  hair. 
He  rode  with  his  finely  shaped  head  and  bust 
naked;  his  blanket  being  girt  round  his  waist. 
He  carried  his  rifle  in  one  hand,  and  managed 
his  horse  with  the  other,  and  seemed  ready  to 
dash  off  at  a  moment's  warning,  with  his  youth- 
ful leader,  on  any  mad-cap  foray  or  scamper. 
The  Count,  with  the  sanguine  anticipations  of 
youth,  promised  himself  many  hardy  adventures 
and    exploits  in    company  with    his    youthful 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  51 

"brave,"  when  we  should  get  among  the  buffa- 
loes, in  the  Pawnee  hunting  grounds. 

After  riding  some  distance,  we  crossed  a  nar- 
row, deep  stream,  upon  a  solid  bridge,  the  re- 
mains of  an  old  beaver  dam ;  the  industrious 
community  which  had  constructed  it  had  all 
been  destroyed.  Above  us,  a  streaming  flight 
of  wild  geese,  high  in  air,  and  making  a  vocifer- 
ous noise,  gave  note  of  the  waning  year. 

About  half  past  ten  o'clock,  we  made  a  halt 
in  a  forest,  where  there  was  abundance  of  the 
pea-vine.  Here  we  turned  the  horses  loose  to 
graze.  A  fire  was  made,  water  procured  from 
an  adjacent  spring,  and  in  a  short  time  our  little 
Frenchman,  Tonish,  had  a  pot  of  coffee  prepa- 
red for  our  refreshment.  While  partaking  of 
it,  we  were  joined  by  an  old  Osage,  one  of  a 
small  hunting  party  who  had  recently  passed 
this  way.  He  was  in  search  of  his  horse, 
which  had  wandered  away,  or  been  stolen.  Our 
half-breed,  Beatte,  made  a  wry  face  on  hearing 
of  Osage  hunters  in  this  direction.  "  Until  we 
pass  those  hunters,"  said  he,  "  we  shall  see  no 
buffaloes.  They  frighten  away  every  thing, 
like  a  prairie  on  fire." 

The  morning  repast  being  over,  the  party 
amused  themselves  in  various  ways.  Some 
shot  with  their  rifles  at  a  mark,  others  lay  asleep 
half  buried  in  the  deep  bed  of  foliage,  with  their 


52  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

heads  resting  on  their  saddles ;  others  gossiped 
round  the  fire  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  which  sent 
up  wreaths  of  blue  smoke  among  the  branches. 
The  horses  banqueted  luxuriously  on  the  pea- 
vine,  and  some  lay  down  and  rolled  amongst 
them. 

We  were  overshadowed  by  lofty  trees,  with 
straight,  smooth  trunks,  like  stately  columns  ; 
and  as  the  glancing  rays  of  the  sun  shone  through 
the  transparent  leaves,  tinted  with  the  many 
coloured  hues  of  autumn,  I  was  reminded  of 
the  effect  of  sunshine  among  the  stained  win- 
dows and  clustering  columns  of  a  Gothic  cathe- 
dral. Indeed  there  is  a  grandeur  and  solemnity 
in  some  of  our  spacious  forests  of  the  west, 
that  awaken  in  me  the  same  feehng  that  I  have 
experienced  in  those  vast  and  venerable  piles, 
and  the  sound  of  the  wind  sweeping  through 
them,  supplies  occasionally  the  deep  breathings 
of  the  organ. 

About  noon  the  bugle  sounded  to  horse,  and 
we  were  again  on  the  march,  hoping  that  we 
might  arrive  at  the  encampment  of  the  rangers 
before  night ;  as  the  old  Osage  had  assured  us 
it  was  not  above  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant. 
In  our  course  through  a  forest,  we  passed  by  a 
lonely  pool,  covered  with  the  most  magnificent 
water-lilies  that  I  ever  beheld;  among  which 
swam  several  wood   ducks,   one   of  the   most 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  53 

beautiful  of  water-fowl,    remarkable    for    the 
gracefulness  and  brilliancy  of  its  plumage. 

After  proceeding  some  distance  farther,  we 
came  down  upon  the  banks  of  the  Arkansas,  at 
a  place  where  tracks  of  numerous  horses  all  en- 
tering the  water,  showed  where  a  party  of  Osage 
hunters  had  recently  crossed  the  river  on  their 
way  to  the  buffalo  range.  After  letting  our 
horses  drink  in  the  river,  we  continued  along  its 
bank  for  a  space,  and  then  across  prairies,  where 
we  saw  a  distant  smoke,  which  we  hoped  might 
proceed  from  the  encampment  of  the  rangers. 
Following  what  we  supposed  to  be  their  trail, 
we  came  to  a  meadow  in  which  were  a  number 
of  horses  grazing:  they  were  not,  however,  the 
horses  of  the  troop.  A  little  farther  on,  we 
reached  a  straggling  Osage  village,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Arkansas.  Our  arrival  created  quite  a 
sensation.  A  number  of  old  men  came  for- 
ward and  shook  hands  with  us  all  severally; 
while  the  women  and  children  huddled  together 
in  groups,  staring  at  us  wildly,  chattering  and 
laughing  among  themselves.  We  found  that 
all  the  young  men  of  the  village  had  departed 
on  a  hunting  expedition,  leaving  the  women  and 
children  and  old  men  behind.  Here  the  Com- 
missioner made  a  speech  from  on  horseback  ;  in- 
forming his  hearers  of  the  purport  of  his  mis- 
sion, to  promote  a  general  peace  among  the 
5* 


54  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

tribes  of  the  west,  and  urging  them  to  lay  aside 
all  warlike  and  bloodthirsty  notions,  and  not  to 
make  any  wanton  attacks  upon  the  Pawnees. 
This  speech  being  interpreted  by  Beatte,  seem- 
ed to  have  a  most  pacifying  effect  upon  the 
multitude,  who  promised  faithfully  that  as  far  as 
in  them  lay,  the  peace  should  not  be  disturbed; 
and  indeed  their  age  and  sex  gave  some  reason 
to  hope  that  they  would  keep  their  word. 

Still  hoping  to  reach  the  camp  of  the  rangers 
before  nightfall,  we  pushed  on  until  twilight, 
when  we  were  obliged  to  halt  on  the  borders  of 
a  ravine.  The  rangers  bivouacked  under  trees, 
at  the  bottom  of  the  dell,  while  we  pitched  our 
tent  on  a  rocky  knoll  near  a  running  stream. 
The  night  came  on  dark  and  overcast,  with 
flying  clouds,  and  much  appearance  of  rain. 
The  fires  of  the  rangers  burnt  brightly  in  the 
dell,  and  threw  strong  masses  of  light  upon  the 
robber-looking  groups  that  were  cooking,  eating 
and  drinking  around  them.  To  add  to  the  wild- 
ness  of  the  scene,  several  Osage  Indians,  visiters 
from  the  village  we  had  passed,  were  mingled 
among  the  men.  Three  of  them  came  and 
seated  themselves  by  our  fire.  They  watched 
every  thing  that  was  going  on  round  them  in 
silence,  and  looked  like  figures  of  monumental 
bronze.  We  gave  them  food,  and,  what  they 
most  relished,  coffee ;  for  the  Indians  partake 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  55 

in  the  universal  fondness  for  this  beverage,  which 
pervades  the  West.  When  they  had  made  their 
supper,  they  stretched  themselves,  side  by  side, 
before  the  fire,  and  began  a  low  nasal  chant, 
drumming  with  their  hands  upon  their  breasts, 
by  way  of  accompaniment.  Their  chant  seem- 
ed to  consist  of  regular  staves,  every  one  termi- 
nating, not  in  a  melodious  cadence,  but  in  the 
abrupt  interjection  huh!  uttered  almost  like  a 
hiccup.  This  chant,  we  were  told  by  our  in- 
terpreter, Beatte,  related  to  ourselves,  our  ap- 
pearance, our  treatment  of  them,  and  all  that 
they  knew  of  our  plans.  In  one  part  they  spoke 
of  the  young  Count,  whose  animated  character 
and  eagerness  for  Indian  enterprise  had  struck 
their  fancy,  and  they  indulged  in  some  waggery 
about  him  and  the  young  Indian  beauties,  that 
produced  great  merriment  among  our  half- 
breeds. 

This  mode  of  improvising  is  common  through- 
out the  savage  tribes ;  and  in  this  way,  with  a 
few  simple  inflections  of  the  voice,  they  chant 
all  their  exploits  in  war  and  hunting,  and  occa- 
sionally indulge  in  a  vein  of  comic  humour  and 
dry  satire,  to  which  the  Indians  appear  to  me 
much  more  prone  than  is  generally  imagined. 

In  fact,  thft  Indians  that  I  have  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  in  real  life,  are  quite  different 
from  those  described  in  poetry.     They  are  by 


56  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

no  means  the  stoics  that  they  are  represented ; 
taciturn,  unbending,  without  a  tear  or  a  smile. 
Taciturn  they  are,  it  is  true,  when  in  company 
with  white  men,  whose  good  will  they  distrust, 
and  whose  language  they  do  not  understand ; 
but  the  white  man  is  equally  taciturn  under  like 
circumstances.  When  the  Indians  are  among 
themselves,  however,  there  cannot  be  greater 
gossips.  Half  their  time  is  taken  up  in  talking 
over  their  adventures  in  war  and  hunting,  and 
in  telling  whimsical  stories.  They  are  great 
mimics  and  buffoons,  also,  and  entertain  them- 
selves excessively  at  the  expense  of  the  whites 
with  whom  they  have  associated,  and  who  have 
supposed  them  impressed  with  profound  respect 
for  their  grandeur  and  dignity.  They  are  cu- 
rious observers,  noting  every  thing  in  silence, 
but  with  a  keen  and  watchful  eye ;  occasionally 
exchanging  a  glance  or  a  grunt  with  each  other, 
when  any  thing  particularly  strikes  them  :  but 
reserving  all  comments  until  they  are  alone. 
Then  it  is  that  they  give  full  scope  to  criticism, 
satire,  mimicry,  and  mirth. 

In  the  course  of  my  journey  along  the  fron- 
tier, I  have  had  repeated  opportunities  of  noti- 
cing their  excitability  and  boisterous  merriment 
at  their  games;  and  have  occasionally  noticed 
a  group  of  Osages  sitting  round  a  fire  until  a 
late  hour  of  the  night,  engaged  in  the  most  ani- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  57 

mated  and  lively  conversation ;  and  at  times 
making  the  woods  resound  with  peals  of  laugh- 
ter. As  to  tears,  they  have  them  in  abundance, 
both  real  and  affected ;  at  times  they  make  a 
merit  of  them.  No  one  weeps  more  bitterly  or 
profusely  at  the  death  of  a  relative  or  friend  : 
and  they  have  stated  times  when  they  repair  to 
howl  and  lament  at  their  graves.  I  have  heard 
doleful  wailings  at  daybreak,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Indian  villages,  made  by  some  of  the 
inhabitants,  who  go  out  at  that  hour  into  the 
fields,  to  mourn  and  weep  for  the  dead :  at  such 
times,  I  am  told,  the  tears  will  stream  down 
their  cheeks  in  torrents. 

As  far  as  I  can  judge,  the  Indian  of  poetical 
fiction  is  like  the  Shepherd  of  pastoral  romance, 
a  mere  personification  of  imaginary  attributes. 

The  nasal  chant  of  our  Osage  guests  gradually 
died  away ;  they  covered  their  heads  with  their 
blankets  and  fell  fast  asleep,  and  in  a  little  while 
all  was  silent,  excepting  the  pattering  of  scatter- 
ed rain  drops  upon  our  tent. 

In  the  morning  our  Indian  visiters  breakfast- 
ed with  us,  but  the  young  Osage  who  was  to 
act  as  esquire  to  the  Count  in  his  knight  errant- 
ry on  the  prairies,  was  no  where  to  be  found. 
His  wild  horse,  too,  was  missing,  and,  after  many 
conjectures,  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
had  taken  "  Indian  leave "  of  us  in  the  night. 
We  afterwards  ascertained  that  he  had  been 


58  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

persuaded  so  to  do  by  the  Osages  we  had  re- 
cently met  with ;  who  had  represented  to  him 
the  perils  that  would  attend  him  in  an  expedition 
to  the  Pawnee  hunting  grounds,  where  he  might 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  implacable  enemies  of 
his  tribe;  and,  what  was  scarcely  less  to  be 
apprehended,  the  annoyances  to  which  he  would 
be  subjected  from  the  capricious  and  overbearing 
conduct  of  the  white  men ;  who,  as  I  have  wit- 
nessed in  my  own  short  experience,  are  prone 
to  treat  the  poor  Indians  as  little  better  than 
brute  animals.  Indeed,  he  had  had  a  specimen 
of  it  himself  in  the  narrow  escape  he  made  from 
the  infliction  of  "  Lynch's  law,"  by  the  hard- 
winking  worthy  of  the  frontier,  for  the  flagitious 
crime  of  finding  a  stray  horse. 

The  disappearance  of  the  youth  was  gene- 
rally regretted  by  our  party,  for  we  had  all  taken 
a  great  fancy  to  him  from  his  handsome,  frank, 
and  manly  appearance,  and  the  easy  grace  of 
his  deportment.  He  was  indeed  a  native  born 
gentleman.  By  none,  however,  was  he  so  much 
lamented  as  by  the  young  Count,  who  thus  sud- 
denly found  himself  deprived  of  his  esquire. 
I  regretted  the  departure  of  the  Osage  for  his 
own  sake,  for  we  should  have  cherished  him 
throughout  the  expedition,  and  I  am  convinced 
from  the  munificent  spirit  of  his  patron,  he 
would  have  returned  to  his  tribe  laden  with 
wealth  of  beads  and  trinkets  and  Indian  blankets. 


59 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

The  Honey  Camp. 

The  weather,  which  had  been  rainy  in  the 
might,  having  held  up,  we  resumed  our  march  at 
seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  confident  hope 
of  soon  arriving  at  the  encampment  of  the  ran- 
gers. We  had  not  ridden  above  three  or  four 
miles  when  we  came  to  a  large  tree  which  had 
recently  been  felled  by  an  axe,  for  the  wild 
honey  contained  in  the  hollow  of  its  trunk, 
several  broken  flakes  of  which  still  remained. 
We  now  felt  sure  that  the  camp  could  not  be 
far  distant.  About  a  couple  of  miles  further 
and  some  of  the  rangers  set  up  a  shout,  and 
pointed  to  a  number  of  horses  grazing  in  a 
woody  bottom.  A  few  paces  brought  us  to  the 
brow  of  an  elevated  ridge,  from  whence  we 
looked  down  upon  the  encampment.  It  was 
a  wild  bandit,  or  Robin  Hood,  scene.  In  a 
beautiful  open  forest,  traversed  by  a  running 
stream,  were  booths  of  bark  and  branches,  and 
tents  of  blankets,  temporary  shelters  from  the 
recent  rain,  for  the  rangers  commonly  bivouack 
in  the  open  air.  There  were  groups  of  rangers 
in  every  kind  of  uncouth  garb.     Some  were 


60  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

cooking  at  large  fires  made  at  the  feet  of  trees  ; 
some  were  stretching  and  dressing  deerskins ; 
some  were  shooting  at  a  mark,  and  some  lying 
about  on  the  grass.  Venison  jerked,  and  hung 
on  frames  was  drying  over  the  embers  in  one 
place  ;  in  another  lay  carcasses  recently  brought 
in  by  the  hunters.  Stacks  of  rifles  were  lean- 
ing against  the  trunks  of  the  trees,  and  saddles-, 
bridles,  and  powder  horns  hanging  above  them, 
while  the  horses  were  grazing  here  and  there 
among  the  thickets. 

Our  arrival  at  the  camp  was  greeted  with  accla- 
mation. The  rangers  crowded  about  their  com- 
rades to  inquire  the  news  from  the  fort :  for  our 
own  part,  we  were  received  in  frank  simple  hun- 
ter's style  by  Capt.  Bean,  the  commander  of  the 
company  ;  a  man  about  forty  years  of  age,  vigor- 
ous and  active.  His  life  had  been  chiefly  passed 
on  the  frontier,  occasionally  in  Indian  warfare, 
so  that  he  was  a  thorough  woodsman,  and  a  first 
rate  hunter.  He  was  equipped  in  character; 
in  leathern  hunting  shirt  and  leggins,  and  a 
leathern  foraging  cap. 

While  we  were  conversing  with  the  Captain, 
a  veteran  huntsman  approached,  whose  whole 
appearance  struck  me.  He  was  of  the  middle 
size,  but  tough  and  weather  proved  ;  a  head 
partly  bald  and  garnished  with  loose  iron-grey 
locks,  and  a  fine  black  eye,  beaming  with  youth- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  61 

ful  spirit.  His  dress  was  similar  to  that  of  the 
Captain,  a  rifle  shirt  and  leggins  of  dressed 
deerskin,  that  had  evidently  seen  service  ;  a 
powder  horn  was  slung  by  his  side,  a  hunting 
knife  stuck  in  his  belt,  and  in  his  hand  was  an 
ancient  and  trusty  rifle,  doubtless  as  dear  to  him 
as  a  bosom  friend.  He  asked  permission  to  go 
hunting,  which  was  readily  granted.  "  That's 
old  Ryan,"  said  the  Captain,  when  he  had  gone, 
"  there's  not  a  better  hunter  in  the  camp ;  he's 
sure  to  bring  in  game." 

In  a  little  while  our  pack-horses  were  unloaded 
and  turned  loose  to  revel  among  the  pea-vines. 
Our  tent  was  pitched  ;  our  fire  made  ;  the  half 
of  a  deer  had  been  sent  to  us  from  the  Captain's 
lodge  ;  Beatte  brought  in  a  couple  of  wild  tur- 
keys; the  spits  were  laden,  and  the  camp  kettle 
crammed  with  meat ;  and  to  crown  our  luxuries, 
a  basin  filled  with  great  flakes  of  delicious  honey, 
the  spoils  of  a  plundered  bee-tree,  was  given  us 
by  one  of  the  rangers. 

Our  little  Frenchman  Tonish  was  in  an  ec- 
stasy, and  tucking  up  his  sleeves  to  the  elbows, 
set  to  work  to  make  a  display  of  his  culinary 
skill,  on  which  he  prided  himself  almost  as  much 
as  upon  his  hunting,  his  riding,  and  his  warlike 
prowess. 

6 


62 


CHAPTER  IX. 
A  Bee  Hunt. 

The  beautiful  forest  in  which  we  were  encamp- 
ed abounded  in  bee  trees  ;  that  is  to  say,  trees  in 
the  decayed  trunks  of  which  wild  bees  had  es- 
tabhshed  their  hives.  It  is  surprising  in  what 
countless  swarms  the  bees  have  overspread  the 
far  west,  within  but  a  moderate  number  of  years. 
The  Indians  consider  them  the  harbinger  of  the 
white  man,  as  the  Buffalo  is  of  the  red  man ; 
and  say  that,  in  proportion  as  the  bee  advances, 
the  Indian  and  Buffalo  retire.  We  are  always 
accustomed  to  associate  the  hum  of  the  bee-hive 
with  the  farm  house  and  flower  garden,  and  to 
consider  those  industrious  little  animals  as  con- 
nected with  the  busy  haunts  of  man,  and  I  am 
told  that  the  wild  bee  is  seldom  to  be  met  with 
at  any  great  distance  from  the  frontier.  They 
have  been  the  heralds  of  civilization,  steadfastly 
preceding  it  as  it  advanced  from  the  Atlantic 
borders,  and  some  of  the  ancient  settlers  of  the 
west  pretend  to  give  the  very  year  when  the 
honey  bee  first  crossed  the  Mississippi.  The 
Indians  with  surprise  found  the  mouldering  trees 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  63 

of  their  forests  suddenly  teeming  with  ambrosial 
sweets,  and  nothing,  I  am  told,  can  exceed  the 
greedy  relish  with  which  they  banquet  for  the 
first  time  upon  this  unbought  luxury  of  the  wilder- 
ness. 

At  present  the  honey  bee  swarms  in  myriads, 
in  the  noble  groves  and  forests  that  skirt  and  in- 
tersect the  prairies,  and  extend  along  the  alluvial 
bottoms  of  the  rivers.  It  seems  to  me  as  if 
these  beautiful  regions  answer  literally  to  the 
description  of  the  land  of  promise,  "  a  land  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey  ; "  for  the  rich  pastur- 
age of  the  prairies  is  calcuated  to  sustain  herds 
of  cattle  as  countless  as  the  sands  upon  the  sea- 
shore, while  the  flowers  with  which  they  are 
enamelled  render  them  a  very  paradise  for  the 
nectar-seeking  bee. 

We  had  not  been  long  in  the  camp  when  a 
party  set  out  in  quest  of  a  bee  tree  ;  and,  being 
curious  to  witness  the  sport,  I  gladly  accepted 
an  invitation  to  accompany  them.  The  party 
was  headed  by  a  veteran  bee  hunter,  a  tall  lank 
fellow  in  homespun  garb  that  hung  loosely  about 
his  limbs,  and  a  straw  hat  shaped  not  unlike  a 
bee-hive  ;  a  comrade,  equally  uncouth  in  garb, 
and  without  a  hat,  straddled  along  at  his  heels, 
with  a  long  rifle  on  his  shoulder.  To  these  suc- 
ceeded half  a  dozen  others,  some  with  axes  and 
some  with  rifles,  for  no  one  stirs  far  from  the 


64  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

camp  without  his  fire-arms,  so  as  to  be  ready 
either  for  wild  deer  or  wild  Indian. 

After  proceeding  some  distance  we  came  to 
an  open  glade  on  the  skirts  of  the  forest.  Here 
our  leader  halted,  and  then  advanced  quietly  to 
a  low  bush,  on  the  top  of  which  I  perceived  a 
piece  of  honey-comb.  This  I  found  was  the 
bait  or  lure  for  the  wild  bees.  Several  were 
humming  about  it,  and  diving  into  its  cells. 
When  they  had  laden  themselves  with  honey 
they  would  rise  into  the  air,  and  dart  off  in  a 
straight  line,  almost  with  the  velocity  of  a  bullet. 
The  hunters  watched  attentively  the  course  they 
took,  and  then  set  off  in  the  same  direction, 
stumbling  along  over  twisted  roots  and  fallen 
trees,  with  their  eyes  turned  up  to  the  sky.  In 
this  way  they  traced  the  honey  laden  bees  to 
their  hive,  in  the  hollow  trunk  of  a  blasted  oak, 
where,  after  buzzing  about  for  a  moment,  they 
entered  a  hole  about  sixty  feet  from  the  ground. 

Two  of  the  Bee  hunters  now  plied  their  axes 
vigorously  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  to  level  it  with 
the  ground.  The  mere  spectators  and  amateurs, 
in  the  mean  time,  drew  off  to  a  cautious  distance, 
to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  falling  of  the  tree 
and  the  vengeance  of  its  inmates.  The  jarring 
blows  of  the  axe  seemed  to  have  no  effect  in 
alarming  or  disturbing  this  most  industrious  com- 
munity.    They  continued  to  ply  at  their  usual 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  66 

occupations,  some  arriving  full  freighted  into 
port,  others  sallying  forth  on  new  expeditions, 
like  so  many  merchantmen  in  a  money  making 
metropolis,  little  suspicious  of  impending  bank- 
ruptcy and  downfall.  Even  a  loud  crack  which 
announced  the  disrupture  of  the  trunk,  failed  to 
divert  their  attention  from  the  intense  pursuit  of 
gain ;  at  length  down  came  the  tree  with  a  tre- 
mendous crash,  bursting  open  from  end  to  end, 
and  displaying  all  the  hoarded  treasures  of  the 
commonwealth. 

One  of  the  hunters  immediately  ran  up  with  a 
whisp  of  lighted  hay  as  a  defence  against  the 
bees.  The  latter,  however,  made  no  attack  and 
sought  no  revenge  ;  they  seemed  stupified  by  the 
catastrophe  and  unsuspicious  of  its  cause,  and 
remained  crawling  and  buzzing  about  the  ruins 
without  offering  us  any  molestation.  Every  one 
of  the  party  now  fell  to,  with  spoon  and  hunting 
knife,  to  scoop  out  the  flakes  of  honey-comb 
with  which  the  hollow  trunk  was  stored.  Some 
of  them  were  of  old  date  and  a  deep  brown 
colour,  others  were  beautifully  white,  and  the 
honey  in  their  cells  was  almost  limpid.  Such  of 
the  combs  as  were  entire  were  placed  in  camp 
kettles  to  be  conveyed  to  the  encampment;  those 
which  had  been  shivered  in  the  fall  were  de- 
voured upon  the  spot.  Every  stark  bee  hunter 
was  to  be  seen  with  a  rich  morsel  in  his  handj, 
6* 


66  A   TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES. 

dripping  about  his  fingers,  and  disappearing  as 
rapidly  as  a  cream  tart  before  the  holyday  ap- 
petite of  a  sclK)olboy. 

Nor  was  it  the  bee  hunters  alone  that  profited 
by  the  downfall  of  this  industrious  community  ; 
as  if  the  bees  would  carry  through  the  similitude 
of  their  habits  with  those  of  laborious  and  gain- 
ful man,  I  beheld  numbers  from  rival  hives, 
arriving  on  eager  wing,  to  enrich  themselves  ^ 
with  the  ruins  of  their  neighbours.  These  busied 
themselves  as  eagerly  and  cheerfully  as  so  many 
wreckers  on  an  Indiaman  that  has  been  driven 
on  shore  ;  plunging  into  the  cells  of  the  broken 
honey  combs,  banqueting  greedily  on  the  spoil, 
and  then  winging  their  way  full  freighted  to 
their  homes.  As  to  the  poor  proprietors  of  the 
ruin,  they  seemed  to  have  no  heart  to  do  any 
thing,  not  even  to  taste  the  nectar  that  flowed 
around  them  ;  but  crawled  backwards  and  for- 
wards, in  vacant  desolation,  as  I  have  seen  a 
poor  fellow  with  his  hands  in  his  breeches  pocket, 
whistling  vacantly  and  despondingly  about  the 
ruins  of  his  house  that  had  been  burnt. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  the  bewilderment  and 
confusion  of  the  bees  of  the  bankrupt  hive  who 
had  been  absent  at  the  time  of  the  catastrophe, 
and  who  arrived  from  time  to  time,  with  full 
cargoes  from  abroad.  At  first  they  wheeled 
about  in  the  air,  in  the  place  where  the  fallen 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  67 

tree  had  once  reared  its  head,  astonished  at  find- 
ing it  all  a  vacuum.  At  length,  as  if  compre- 
hending their  disaster,  they  settled  down  in  clus- 
ters on  a  dry  branch  of  a  neighbouring  tree, 
from  whence  they  seemed  to  contemplate  the 
prostrate  ruin,  and  to  buzz  forth  doleful  lamenta- 
tions over  the  downfall  of  their  republic.  It  was 
a  scene  on  which  the  "  melancholy  Jacques" 
might  have  moralized  by  the  hour. 

Wie  now  abandoned  the  place,  leaving  much 
honey  in  the  hollow  of  the  tree.  "  It  will  all  be 
cleared  off  by  varmint,"  said  one  of  the  rangers. 
"  What  vermin  ?"  asked  I.  "  Oh  bears,  and 
skunks,  and  raccoons,  and  'possums.  The  bears 
is  the  knowingest  varmint  for  finding  out  a  bee 
tree  in  the  world.  They'll  gnaw  for  days  to- 
gether at  the  trunk  till  they  make  a  hole  big 
enough  to  get  in  their  paws,  and  then  they'll 
haul  out  honey,  bees  and  all." 


ee 


CHAPTER  X 

Amusements  in  the  Camp.  Consultations.  Hunt- 
er s*  fare  and  feasting.  Evening  scenes.  Camp 
melody.     The  fate  of  an  amateur  Owl. 

On  returning  to  the  camp,  we  found  it  a  scene 
of  the  greatest  hilarity.  Some  of  the  rangers 
were  shooting  at  a  mark,  others  were  leaping, 
wrestling,  and  playing  at  prison  bars.  They 
were  mostly  young  men,  on  their  first  expedition, 
in  high  health  and  vigour,  and  buoyant  with  an- 
ticipations; and  I  can  conceive  nothing  more 
likely  to  set  the  youthful  blood  into  a  flow,  than 
a  wild  wood  life  of  the  kind,  and  the  range  of 
a  magnificent  wilderness,  abounding  with  game, 
and  fruitful  of  adventure.  We  send  our  youth 
abroad  to  grow  luxurious  and  effeminate  in  Eu- 
rope ;  it  appears  to  me,  that  a  previous  tour  on 
the  prairies  would  be  more  likely  to  produce 
that  manliness,  simplicity,  and  self-dependence, 
most  in  unison  with  our  political  institutions. 

While  the  young  men  were'  engaged  in  these 
boisterous  amusements,  a  graver  set,  composed 
of  the  Captain,  the  Doctor,  and  other  sages  and 
leaders  of  the  camp,  were  seated  or  stretched  out 
on  the  grass,  round  a  frontier  map,  holding  a 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  69 

consultation  about  our  position,  and  the  course 
we  were  to  pursue. 

Our  plan  was  to  cross  the  Arkansas  just  above 
where  the  Red  Fork  falls  into  it,  then  to  keep 
westerly,  until  we  should  pass  through  a  grand 
belt  of  open  forest,  called  the  Cross  Timber, 
which  ranges  nearly  north  and  south  from  the 
Arkansas  to  Red  river;  after  which,  we  were 
to  keep  a  southerly  course  towards  the  latter 
river. 

Our  half-breed,  Beatte,  being  an  experienced 
Osage  hunter,  was  called  into  the  consultation. 
"  Have  you  ever  hunted  in  this  direction  ?"  said 
the  Captain.     "  Yes,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"  Perhaps,  then,  you  can  tell  us  in  which  di- 
rection lies  the  Red  Fork." 

"  If  you  keep  along  yonder,  by  the  edge  of 
the  prairie,  you  will  come  to  a  bald  hill,  with  a 
pile  of  stones  upon  it." 

"  I  have  noticed  that  hill  as  i  was  hunting," 
said  the  Captain. 

"  Well !  those  stones  were  set  up  by  the  Osages 
as  a  land  mark:  from  that  spot  you  may  have  a 
sight  of  the  Red  Fork." 

"  In  that  case,"  cried  the  Captain,  "  we  shall 
reach  the  Red  Fork  to-morrow ;  then  cross  the 
Arkansas  above  it,  into  the  Pawnee  country,  and 
then  in  two  days  we  shall  crack  buffalo  bones  !" 

The  idea  of  arriving  at  the  adventurous  hunt- 


70  A  TOUR  ON  THE   PRAIRIES, 

ing  grounds  of  the  Pawnees,  and  of  coming  upon 
the  traces  of  the  buffaloes,  made  every  eye 
sparkle  with  animation.  Our  further  conversa- 
tion was  interrupted  by  the  sharp  report  of  a 
rifle,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  camp. 

"  That's  old  Ryan's  rifle,"  exclaimed  the  Cap- 
tain ;  "  there's  a  buck  down,  I'll  warrant :"  nor 
was  he  mistaken ;  for,  before  long,  the  veteran 
made  his  appearance,  calling  upon  one  of  the 
younger  rangers  to  return  with  him,  and  aid  in 
bringing  home  the  carcass. 

The  surrounding  country,  in  fact,  abounded 
with  game,  so  that  the  camp  was  overstocked 
with  provisions,  and,  as  no  less  than  twenty  bee- 
trees  had  b^en  cut  down  in  the  vicinity,  every 
one  revelled  in  luxury.  With  the  wasteful 
prodigality  of  hunters,  there  was  a  continual 
feasting,  and  scarce  any  one  put  by  provision 
for  the  morrow.  The  cooking  was  conducted 
in  hunters'  style?:  the  meat  was  stuck  upon  ta- 
pering spits  of  dogwood,  the  ends  of  which  were 
thinist  into  the  ground,  so  as  to  sustain  the  joint 
before  the  fire,  where  it  was  roasted  or  broiled 
with  all  its  juices  retained  in  ifm  a  manner  that 
would  have  tickled  the  palate  of  the  most  ex- 
perienced gourmand.  As  much  could  not  be 
said  in  favour  of  the  bread.  It  was  little  more 
than  a  paste  made  of  flour  and  water,  and  fried 
like  fritters,  in  lard ;  though   some   adopted  a 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  71 

ruder  style,  twisting  it  round  the  ends  of  sticks, 
and  thus  roasting  it  before  the  fire.  In  either 
way,  I  have  found  it  extremely  palatable  on  the 
prairies.  No  one  knows  the  true  rehsh  of  food 
until  he  has  a  hunter's  appetite. 

Before  sunset,  we  were  summoned  by  little 
Tonish  to  a  sumptuous  repast.  Blankets  had 
been  spread  on  the  ground  near  to  the  fire,  upon 
which  we  took  our  seats.  A  large  dish,  or  bowl, 
made  from  the  root  of  a  maple  tree,  and  which 
we  had  purchased  at  the  Indian  village,  was 
placed  on  the  ground  before  us,  and  into  it  were 
emptied  the  contents  of  one  of  the  camp  kettles, 
consisting  of  a  wild  turkey  hashed,  together 
with  slices  of  bacon  and  lumps  of  dough.  Beside 
^  it  was  placed  another  bowl  of  similar  ware,  con- 
taining an  ample  supply  of  fritters.  After  we 
had  discussed  the  hash,  the  ribs  of  a  fat  buck, 
which  stood  impaled  on  two  wooden  spits,  and 
broiling  before  the  fire,  were  planted  in  the 
ground  before  us,  with  a  triumphant  air,  by  little 
Tonish.  Having  no  dishes,  we  had  to  proceed 
in  hunters'  style,  cutting  off  strips  and  slices 
with  our  hunting-knives,  and  dipping  them  in 
salt  and  pepper.  To  do  justice  to  Tonish's 
cookery,  however,  and  to  the  keen  sauce  of  the 
prairies,  never  have  I  tasted  venison  so  delicious. 
With  all  this,  our  beverage  was  coffee,  boiled  in 
a  camp  kettle,   sweetened  with  brown  sugar. 


72  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES, 

and  drunk  out  of  tin  cups :  and  such  was  the 
style  of  our  banqueting  throughout  this  expe- 
dition, whenever  provisions  were  plenty,  and  as 
long  as  flour  and  coffee  and  sugar  held  out. 

As  the  twilight  thickened  into  night,  the  sen- 
tinels were  marched  forth  to  their  stations  around 
the  camp;  an  indispensable  precaution  in  a 
country  infested  by  Indians.  The  encampment 
now  presented  a  picturesque  appearance.  Camp 
fires  were  blazing  and  smouldering  here  and 
there  among  the  trees,  with  groups  of  rangers 
round  them  ;  some  seated  or  lying  on  the 
ground,  others  standing  in  the  ruddy  glare  of  the 
flames,  or  in  shadowy  relief.  At  some  of  the 
fires  there  was  much  boisterous  mirth,  where 
peals  of  laughter  were  mingled  with  loud  ribald 
]okes  and  uncouth  exclamations ;  for  the  troop 
was  evidently  a  raw,  undisciplined  band,  levied 
among  the  wild  youngsters  of  the  frontier,  who 
had  enlisted,  some  for  the  sake  of  roving  ad- 
venture, and  some  for  the  purpose  of  getting  a 
knowledge  of  the  country.  Many  of  them  were 
the  neighbours  of  their  officers,  and  accustomed 
to  regard  them  with  the  familiarity  of  equals 
and  companions.  None  of  them  had  any  idea 
of  the  restraint  and  decorum  of  a  camp,  or  am- 
bition to  acquire  a  name  for  exactness  in  a  pro- 
fession in  which  they  had  no  intention  of  con- 
tmuing. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  73 

While  this  boisterous  merriment  prevailed  at 
some  of  the  fires,  there  suddenly  rose  a  strain  of 
nasal  melody  from  another,  at  which  a  choir  of 
"vocalists"  were  uniting  their  voices  in  a  most 
lugubrious  psalm  tune.  This  was  led  by  one  of 
the  lieutenants  ;  a  tall,  spare  man,  who  v^^e  were 
informed  had  officiated  as  schoolmaster,  singing- 
master,  and  occasionally  as  methodist  preacher, 
in  one  of  the  villages  of  the  frontier.  The  chant 
rose  solemnly  and  sadly  in  the  night  air,  and  re- 
minded me  of  the  description  of  similar  canti- 
cles in  the  camps  of  the  Covenanters;  and,  in- 
deed, the  strange  medley  of  figures  and  faces 
and  uncouth  garbs,  congregated  together  in  our 
troop,  w^ould  not  have  disgraced  the  banners  of 
Praise-God  Barebones. 

In  one  of  the  intervals  of  this  nasal  psalmody, 
an  amateur  owl,  as  if  in  competition,  began  his 
dreary  hooting.  Immediately  there  was  a  cry 
throughout  the  camp  of  "  Charley's  owl !  Char- 
ley's owl !"  It  seems  this  "obscure  bird"  had 
visited  the  camp  every  night,  and  had  been  fired 
at  by  one  of  the  sentinels,  a  half-witted  lad, 
named  Charley ;  who,  on  being  called  up  for 
firing  when  on  duty,  excuse^l  himself  by  saying, 
that  he  understood  that  owls  made  uncommonly 
good  soup. 

One  of  the  young  rangers  mimicked  the  cry 
of  this  bird  of  wisdom,  who,  with  a  simplicity 
7     , 

\ 


74  A   TOUR   ON   THE    PRAIRIES. 

little  consonant  with  his  character,  came  hover- 
ing within  sight,  and  alighted  on  the  naked 
branch  of  a  tree,  lit  up  by  the  blaze  of  our  fire. 
The  young  Count  immediately  seized  his  fowling- 
piece,  took  fatal  aim,  and  in  a  twinkling  the  poor 
bird  of  ill  omen  came  fluttering  to  the  ground. 
Charley  was  now  called  upon  to  make  and  eat 
his  dish  of  owl-soup,  but  declined,  as  he  had  not 
shot  the  bird. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  I  paid  a  visit  to 
the  Captain's  fire.  It  was  composed  of  huge 
trunks  of  trees,  and  of  sufficient  magnitude  to 
roast  a  buffalo  whole.  Here  were  a  number  of 
the  prime  hunters  and  leaders  of  the  camp,  some 
sitting,  some  standing,  and  others  lying  on  skins 
or  blankets  before  the  fire,  telling  old  frontier 
stories  about  hunting  and  Indian  warfare. 

As  the  night  advanced,  we  perceived  above 
the  trees  to  the  west,  a  ruddy  glow  flushing  up 
the  sky. 

"  That  must  be  a  prairie  set  on  fire  by  the 
Osage  hunters,"  said  the  Captain. 

"  It  is  at  the  Red  Fork,"  said  Beatte,  regard- 
ing the  sky.  "  It  seems  but  three  miles  distant, 
yet  it  perhaps  is  twenty." 

About  half  past  eight  o'clock,  a  beautiful  pale 
light  gradually  sprang  up  in  the  east,  a  precursor 
of  the  rising  moon.  Drawing  off  from  the 
Captain's  lodge,  I  now  prepared  for  the  night's 


A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  75 

repose.  I  had  determined  to  abandon  the  shel- 
ter of  the  tent,  and  henceforth  to  bivouack  like 
the  rangers.  A  bearskin  spread  at  the  foot  of  a 
tree  was  my  bed,  with  a  pair  of  saddle-bags  for 
a  pillow.  Wrapping  myself  in  blankets,  I 
stretched  myself  on  this  hunter's  couch,  and 
soon  fell  into  a  sound  and  sweet  sleep,  from 
which  I  did  not  awake  until  the  bugle  sounded 
at  daybreak. 


76 


CHAPTER  XL 


Breaking  up  of  the  Encampment,  Picturesque 
march.  Game,  Camp  scenes.  Triumph  of 
a  young  hunter.  III  success  of  old  hunters. 
Foul  murder  of  a  Polecat, 

(Oct.  14.)  At  the  signal  note  of  the  bugle 
the  sentinels  and  patrols  marched  in  from  their 
stations  around  the  camp  and  were  dismissed. 
The  rangers  were  roused  from  their  night's  re- 
pose, and  soon  a  bustling  scene  took  place. 
While  some  cut  wood,  made  fires  and  prepared 
the  morning's  meal,  others  struck  their  foul 
weather  shelters  of  blankets,  and  made  every 
preparation  for  departure  ;  while  others  dashed 
about,  through  brush  and  brake,  catching  the 
horses  and  leading  or  driving  them  into  camp. 

During  all  this  bustle  the  forest  rang  with 
whoops,  and  shouts,  and  peals  of  laughter;  when 
all  had  breakfasted,  packed  up  their  effects  and 
camp  equipage,  and  loaded  the  pack-horses,  the 
bugle  sounded  to  saddle  and  mount.  By  eight 
o'clock  the  whole  troop  set  off  in  a  long  strag- 
gling line,  with  whoop  and  halloo,  intermingled 
with  many  an  oath  at  the  loitering  pack-horses, 
and  in  a  little  while  the  forest  which  for  several 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  77 

days  had  been  the  scene  of  such  unwonted  bustle 
and  uproar,  relapsed  into  its  primeval  solitude 
and  silence. 

It  was  a  bright  sunny  morning,  with  that  pure 
transparent  atmosphere  that  seems  to  bathe  the 
very  heart  with  gladness.  Our  march  continued 
parallel  to  the  Arkansas,  through  a  rich  and 
varied  country  ;  sometimes  we  had  to  break  our 
way  through  alluvial  bottoms  matted  with  re- 
dundant vegetation,  where  the  gigantic  trees 
were  entangled  with  grape  vines,  hanging  hke 
cordage  from  their  branches ;  sometimes  we 
coasted  along  sluggish  brooks,  whose  feebly 
trickling  current  just  served  to  link  together  a 
succession  of  glassy  pools,  embedded  like  mir- 
rors in  the  quiet  bosom  of  the  forest,  reflecting 
its  autumnal  foliage,  and  patches  of  the  clear 
blue  sky.  Sometimes  we  scrambled  up  broken 
and  rocky  hills,  from  the  summits  of  which  we 
had  wide  views  stretching  on  one  side  over  dis- 
tant prairies  diversified  by  groves  and  forests, 
and  on  the  other  ranging  along  a  line  of  blue  and 
shadowy  hills  beyond  the  waters  of  the  Arkansas. 

The  appearance  of  our  troop  wais  suited  to 
the  country ;  stretching  along  in  a  line  of  up- 
wards of  half  a  mile  in  length,  winding  among 
brakes  and  bushes,  and  up  and  down  the  defiles 
of  the  hills :  the  men  in  every  kind  of  uncouth 

garb,  with  long  rifles  on  their  shoulders,  and 

7# 


78  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

mounted  on  horses  of  every  colour.  The  pack- 
horses,  too,  would  incessantly  wander  from  the 
line  of  march,  to  crop  the  surrounding  herbage, 
and  were  banged  and  beaten  back  by  Tonish 
and  his  half-breed  compeers,  with  volleys  of 
mongrel  oaths.  Every  now  and  then  the  notes 
of  the  bugle  from  the  head  of  the  column,  would 
echo  through  the  woodlands  and  along  the  hollow 
glens,  summoning  up  stragglers,  and  announcing 
the  line  of  march.  The  whole  scene  reminded 
me  of  the  description  given  of  bands  of  bucca- 
neers penetrating  the  wilds  of  South  America, 
on  their  plundering  expeditions  against  the 
Spanish  settlements. 

At  one  time  we  passed  through  a  luxuriant 
bottom  or  meadow  bordered  by  thickets,  where 
the  tall  grass  was  pressed  down  into  numerous 
"  deer  beds,"  where  those  animals  had  couched 
the  preceding  night.  Some  oak  trees  also  bore 
signs  of  having  been  clambered  by  bears,  in  quest 
of  acorns,  the  marks  of  their  claws  being  visible 
in  the  tark. 

As  we  opened  a  glade  of  this  sheltered  mea- 
dow, we  beheld  several  deer  bounding  away  in 
wild  affright,  until,  having  gained  some  distance, 
they  would  stop  and  gaze  back,  with  the  curiosity 
common  to  this  animal,  at  the  strange  intruders 
into  their  solitudes.  There  was  immediately  a 
sharp  report  of  rifles  in  every  direction,  from 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  79 

the  young  huntsmen  of  the  troop,  but  they  were 
too  eager  to  aim  surely,  and  tho  deer,  unharmed, 
bounded  away  into  the  depths  of  the  forest. 

In  the  course  of  our  march  we  struck  the 
Arkansas,  but  found  ourselves  still  below  the  Red 
Fork,  and,  as  the  river  made  deep  bends,  we 
again  left  its  banks  and  continued  through  the 
woods  until  nearly  eight  o'clock,  when  we  en- 
camped in  a  beautiful  basin  bordered  by  a  fine 
stream,  and  shaded  by  clumps  of  lofty  oaks. 

The  horses  were  now  hobbled,  that  is  to  say, 
their  fore  legs  were  fettered  with  cords  or 
leathern  straps,  so  as  to  impede  their  movements, 
and  prevent  their  wandering  from  the  camp. 
They  were  then  turned  loose  to  graze.  A  num- 
ber of  rangers,  prime  hunters,  started  off  in  dif- 
ferent directions  in  search  of  game.  There  was 
no  whooping  or  laughing  about  the  camp  as 
in  the  morning ;  all  were  either  busy  about  the 
fires  preparing  the  evening's  repast,  or  reposing 
upon  the  grass.  Shots  were  soon  heard  in  vari- 
ous directions.  After  a  time  a  huntsman  rode 
into  the  camp  with  the  carcass  of  a  fine  buck 
hanging  across  his  horse.  Shortly  aftervv^ards 
came  in  a  couple  of  striphng  hunters  on  foot,  one 
of  whom  bore  on  his  shoulders  the  body  of  a 
doe.  He  was  evidently  proud  of  his  spoil,  being 
probably  one  of  his  first  achievements,  though 
he  and  his  companion  were  much  bantered  by 


80  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

their  comrades,  as  young  beginners  who  hunted 
in  partnership. 

Just  as  the  night  set  in,  there  was  a  great 
shouting  at  one  end  of  the  camp,  and  imme- 
diately afterwards  a  body  of  young  rangers  came 
parading  round  the  various  fires,  bearing  one  of 
their  comrades  in  triumph  on  their  shoulders. 
He  had  shot  an  elk  for  the  first  time  in  his  life, 
and  it  was  the  first  animal  of  the  kind  that  had 
been  killed  on  this  expedition.  The  young 
huntsman,  whose  name  was  M'Lellan,  was  the 
hero  of  the  camp  for  the  night,  and  was  the 
"  father  of  the  feast"  into  the  bargain  ;  for  por- 
tions of  his  elk  were  seen  roasting  at  every  fire. 

The  other  hunters  returned  without  success. 
The  captain  had  observed  the  tracks  of  a  buffalo, 
which  must  have  passed  within  a  few  days,  and 
had  tracked  a  bear  for  some  distance  until  the 
foot  prints  had  disappeared.  He  had  seen  an 
elk  too,  on  the  banks  of  the  Arkansas,  which 
walked  out  on  a  sand  bar  of  the  river,  but  before 
he  could  steal  round  through  the  bushes  to  get  a 
shot,  it  had  re-entered  the  woods. 

Our  own  hunter,  Beatte,  returned  silent  and 
sulky,  from  an  unsuccessful  hunt.  As  yet  he 
had  brought  us  in  nothing,  and  we  had  depended 
-for  our  supplies  of  venison  upon  the  Captain's 
mess.  Beatte  was  evidently  mortified,  for  he 
looked  down  with  contempt  upon  the  rangers, 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  81 

as  raw  and  inexperienced  woodsmen,  but  little 
skilled  in  hunting;  they,  on  the  other  hand,  re- 
garded Beatte  with  no  very  complacent  eye, 
as  one  of  an  evil  breed,  and  always  spoke  ot 
him  as  "  the  Indian." 

Ou«  little  Frenchman  Tonish  also,  by  his  in- 
cessant boasting,  and  chattering,  and  gasconad- 
ing, in  hi§  balderdashed  dialect,  had  drawn  upon 
himself  the  ridicule  of  many  of  the  wags  of  the 
troop-,  who  amused  themselves  at  his  expense  in 
a  kind  of  raillery  by  no  means  remarkable  for  its 
delicacy ;  but  the  little  varlet  was  so  completely 
fortified  by  vanity  and  self-conceit,  that  he  was 
invulnerable  to  every  joke.  I  must  confess, 
however,  that  I  felt  a  little  mortified  at  the  sorry 
figure  our  retainers  were  making  among  these 
moss  troopers  of  the  frontier.  Even  our  very 
equipments  came  in  for  a  share  of  unpopularity, 
and  I  heard  many  sneers  at  the  double  barrelled 
guns  with  which  we  were  provided  against 
smaller  game  ;  the  lads  of  the  west  holding  "  shot 
guns,"  as  they  call  them,  in  great  contempt,  think- 
ing grouse,  partridges,  and  even  wild  turkeys  as 
beneath  their  serious  attention,  and  the  rifle  the 
only  fire-arm  worthy  of  a  hunter. 

I  was  awakened  before  day-break  the  next 
morning,  by  the  mournful  howling  of  a  wolf,  who 
was  skulking  about  the  purlieus  of  the  camp, 
attracted  by  the  scent  of  venison.     Scarcely  had 


82  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

the  first  grey  streak  of  dawn  appeared,  when  a 
youngster  at  one  of  the  distant  lodges,  shaking 
off  his  sleep,  crowed  in  imitation  of  a  cock,  with 
a  loud  clear  note  and  prolonged  cadence,  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  the  most  veteran 
chanticleer.  He  was  immediately  answered 
from  another  quarter,  as  if  from  a  rival  rooster. 
The  chant  was  echoed  from  lodge  to  lodge,  and 
followed  by  the  cackling  of  hens,  quacking  of 
ducks,  gabbling  of  turkeys,  and  grunting  of  swine, 
until  we  seemed  to  have  been  transported  into 
the  midst  of  a  farm  yard,  with  all  its  inmates  in 
full  concert  around  us. 

After  riding  a  short  distance  this  morning,  we 
came  upon  a  well  worn  Indian  track,  and  follow- 
ing it,  scrambled  to  the  summit  of  a  hill,  from 
whence  we  had  a  wide  prospect  over  a  country 
diversified  by  rocky  ridges  and  waving  lines  of 
upland,  and  enriched  by  groves  and  clumps  of 
trees  of  varied  tuft  and  foliage.  At  a  distance  to 
the  west,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  we  beheld  the 
Red  Fork  rolling  its  ruddy  current  to  the  Ar- 
kansas, and  found  that  we  were  above  the  point 
of  junction.  We  now  descended  and  pushed 
forward,  with  much  diflSculty,  through  the  rich 
alluvial  bottom  that  borders  the  Arkansas.  Here 
the  trees  were  interwoven  with  grape  vines, 
forming  a  kind  of  cordage,  from  trunk  -  to  trunk 
and  limb  to  limb  ;   there  was  a  thick  under- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  83 

growth,  also,  of  bush  and  bramble,  and  such  an 
abundance  of  hops,  fit  for  gathering,  that  it  was 
difficult  for  our  horses  to  force  their  way  through. 

The  soil  was  imprinted  in  many  places  with 
the  tracks  of  deer,  and  the  claws  of  bears  were 
to  be  traced  on  various  tfees.  Every  one  was 
on  the  look  out  in  the  hope  of  starting  some 
game,  when  suddenly  there  was  a  bustle  and  a 
clamour  in  a  distant  part  of  the  line.  A  bear  ! 
a  bear !  was  the  cry.  We  all  pressed  forward  to 
be  present  at  the  sport,  when  to  my  infinite, 
though  whimsical  chagrin,  I  found  it  to  be  our 
two  worthies,  Beatte,  and  Tonish,  perpetrating  a 
foul  murder  on  a  polecat,  or  skunk  !  The  ani- 
mal had  ensconced  itself  beneath  the  trunk  of  a 
fallen  tree,  from  whence  it  kept  up  a  vigorous 
defence  in  its  peculiar  style,  until  the  surround- 
ing forest  was  in  a  high  state  of  fragrance. 

fiibes  and  jokes  now  broke  out  on  all  sides  at 
the  expense  of  the  Indian  hunter,  and  he  was 
advised  to  wear  the  scalp  of  the  skunk  as  the 
only  trophy  of  his  prowess.  When  they  found, 
however,  that  he  and  Tonish  were  absolutely 
bent  upon  bearing  off  the  carcass  as  a  peculiar 
dainty,  there  was  a  universal  expression  of  dis- 
gust ;  and  they  were  regarded  as  little  better 
than  cannibals. 

Mortified  at  this  ignominious  debut  of  our  two 
hunters,  I  insisted  upon  their  abandoning  their 


^84  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  ^ 

prize  and  resuming  their  march.  Beatte  com- 
plied with  a.  dogged,  discontented  air,  and 
lagged  behind  muttering  to  himself.  Tonish, 
however,  with  his  usual  buoyancy,  consoled 
himself  by  vociferous  eulogies  on  the  richness 
and  dehcacy  of  a  roasted  polecat,  which  he 
swore  was  considered  the  dantiest  of  dishes  by 
all  experienced  Indian  gourmands.  It  was  with 
difficulty  I  could  silence  his  loquacity  by  repeat- 
ed and  peremptory  commands.  A  Frenchman's 
vivacity  however,  if  repressed  in  one  way,  will 
break  out  in  another,  and  Tonish  now  eased  off 
his  spleen  by  bestowing  volleys  of  oaths  and  dry 
blows  en  the  pack-horses.  I  was  likely  to  be 
no  gainer  in  the  end,  by  my  opposition  to  the 
humours  of  these  varlets,  for  after  a  time,  Beatte, 
who  had  lagged  behind,  rode  up  to  the  head  of 
the  line  to  resume  his  station  as  a  guide,  and  1 
had  the  vexation  to  see  the  carcass  of  his  p^ze, 
stripped  of  its  skin,  and  looking  like  a  fat  sucking 
pig,  dangling  behind  his  saddle.  I  made  a 
solemn  vow,  however,  ih  secret,  that  our  firq 
should  not  be  disgraced  "by  the  cooking  of  that 
polecat. 


85 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Crossing  of  the  Arkansas. 

We  had  now  arrived  at  the  river,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  above  the  junction  of  the  Red 
Fork ;  but  the  banks  were  steep  and  crumbhng, 
and  the  current  was  deep  and  rapid.  It  was 
impossible,  therefore,  to  cross  at  this  place  ;  and 
we  resumed  our  painful  course  through  the 
forest,  despatching  Beatte  ahead,  in  search  of  a 
fording  place.  We  had  proceeded  about  a  mile 
further,  when  he  rejoined  us,  bringing  int^li- 
gence  of  a  place  hard  by,  where  the  river,  for 
a  great  part  of  its  breadth,  was  rendered  ford- 
able  by  sand  bars, and  the  remainder  might  easily 
be  swam  by  the  horses. 

Here,  then,  we  made  a  halt.  Some  oft  the 
rangers  set  to  work  vigorously  with  their  axes, 
felling  trees  on  the  edge  of  the  river,  wherewith 
to  form  rafts  for  the  transportation  of  their  bag- 
gagjjgpnd  camp  equipage.  Others  patrolled  the 
banP  of  the  river  farther  up,  in  hopes  of  finding 
a  .better  fording  place ;  being  unwilling  to  risk 
their  horses  in  the  deep  channel. 

It  was  now  that  our  worthies,  Beatte  and  To- 
nish.  had  an  oppgrtunilv  of  displaying  their  In- 
8 


86  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

dian  adroitness  and  resource.  At  the  Osage 
village  which  we  had  passed  a  day  or  two  be- 
fore, they  had  procured  a  dry  buffalo  skin.  This 
was  now  produced  ;  cords  were  passed  through 
a  number  of  small  eylet  holes  with  which  it  was 
bordered,  and  it  was  drawn  up,  until  it  formed 
a  kind  of  deep  trough.  Sticks  were  then  placed 
athwart  it  on  the  inside,  to  keep  it  in  shape ;  our 
camp  equipage  and  a  part  of  our  baggage  were 
placed  within,  and  the  singular  bark  was  carried 
down  the  bank  and  set  afloat.  A  cord  was  at- 
tached to  the  prow,  which  Beatte  took  between 
his  teeth,  and  throwing  himself  into  the  water, 
went  ahead,  towing  the  bark  after  him ;  while 
Tonish  followed  behind,  to  keep  it  steady  and  to 
propel  it.  Part  of  the  way  they  had  foothold, 
and  were  enabled  to  wade,  but  in  the  main  cur- 
rent they  were  obliged  to  swim.  The  whole 
way,  they  whooped  and  yelled  in  the  Indian 
style,  until  they  landed  safely  on  the  opposite 
shore. 

The  Commissioner  and  myself  were  so  well 
pleased  with  this  Indian  mode  of  ferriage,  that 
we  determined  to  trust  ourselves  in  the  bpffalo 
hide.  Our  companions,  the  Count  and  Mr.  L., 
had  proceeded  with  the  horses,  along  the  river 
bank,  in  search  of  a  ford  which  some  of  the 
rangers  had  discovered,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
distant.     While  we  were  waitino^  for  the  return 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  87 

of  our  ferrymen,  I  happened  to  cast  my  eyes 
upon  a  heap  of  luggage  under  a  bush,  and  des- 
cried the  sleek  carcass  of  the  polecat,  snugly 
trussed  up,  and  ready  for  roasting  before  the 
evening  fire.  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation 
to  plump  it  into  the  river,  when  it  sunk  to  the 
bottom  like  a  lump  of  lead;  and  thus  our  lodge 
was  relieved  from  the  bad  odour  which  this  sa- 
voury viand  had  threatened  to  bring  upon  it. 

Our  men  having  recrossed  with  their  cockle- 
shell bark,  it  was  drawn  on  shore,  half  filled  with 
saddles,  saddlebags,  and  other  luggage,  amount- 
ing to  a  hundred  weight ;  and  being  again  placed 
in  the  water,  I  was  invited  to  take  my  seat.  It 
appeared  to  me  pretty  much  like  the  embarcation 
of  the  wise  men  of  Gotham,  who  went  to  sea  in 
a  bowl :  I  stepped  in,  however,  without  hesita- 
tion, though  as  cautiously  as  possible,  and  sat 
down  on  top  of  the  luggage,  the  margin  of  the 
hide  sinking  to  within  a  hand's  breadth  of  the 
water's  edge.  Rifles,  fowling-pieces,  and  other 
articles  of  small  bulk,  were  then  handed  in,  until 
I  protested  against  receiving  any  more  freight. 
We  then  launched  forth  upon  the  stream,  the 
bark  being  towed  as  before. 

It  was  with  a  sensation  half  serious,  half  comic, 
that  I  found  myself  thus  afloat,  on  the  skin  of  a 
buflalo,  in  the  midst  of  a  wild  river,  surrounded 
by  wilderness,  and  towed  along  by  a  half  savage, 


88  A  TOUR  ON  TIJi:  PRAIRIES. 

whooping  and  yelling  like  a  devil  incarnate. 
To  please  the  vanity  of  little  Tonish,  I  dis- 
charged the  double  barrelled  gun,  to  the  right 
and  left,  w^hen  in  the  centre  of  the  stream.  The 
report  echoed  along  the  woody  shores,  and  was 
answered  by  shouts  from  some  of  the  rangers, 
to  the  great  exultation  of  the  little  Frenchman, 
who  took  to  himself  the  w^hole  glory  of  this  In- 
dian mode  of  navigation. 

Our  voyage  was  accomplished  happily ;  the 
Commissioner  was  ferried  across  with  equal 
success,  and  all  our  effects  were  brought  over  in 
the  same  manner.  Nothing  could  equal  the 
vain-glorious  vapouring  of  little  Tonish,  as  he 
strutted  about  the  shore,  and  exulted  in  his  supe- 
rior skill  and  knowledge,  to  the  rangers.  Beatte, 
however,  kept  his  proud,  saturnine  look,  without 
a  smile.  He  had  a  vast  contempt  for  the  igno- 
rance of  the  rangers,  and  felt  that  he  had  been 
undervalued  by  them.  His  only  observation 
was,  "  Dey  now  see  de  Indian  good  for  some- 
ting,  any  how !" 

The  broad,  sandy  shore  where  we  had  landed, 
was  intersected  by  innumerable  tracks  of  elk, 
deer,  bears,  raccoons,  turkeys,  and  water-fowl. 
The  river  scenery  at  this  place  was  beautifully 
diversified,  presenting  long,  shining  reaches,  bor- 
dered by  willows  and  cottonwood  trees ;  rich 
bottoms,  with  lofty  forests ;  among  which  tower- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  89 

ed  enormous  plane  trees,  and  the  distance  was 
closed  in  by  high  embowered  promontories. 
The  foliage  had  a  yellow  autumnal  tint,  which 
gave  to  the  sunny  landscape  the  golden  tone  of 
one  of  the  landscapes  of  Claude  Lorraine.  There 
was  animation  given  to  the  scene,  by  a  raft  of 
logs  and  branches,  on  which  the  Captain  and 
his  prime  companion,  the  Doctor,  were  ferrying 
their  effects  across  the  stream ;  and  by  a  long 
line  of  rangers  on  horseback,  fording  the  river 
obliquely,  along  a  series  of  sand  bars,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  distant. 


8* 


90 


CHAPTER  Xlll. 

THE    CA3IP  OF  THE  GLEN. 

Camp  gossip.  Pawnees  and  their  habits,  A 
hunter^s  adventure.  Horses  found,  and  men 
lost. 

Being  joined  by  the  Captain  and  some  of  the 
rangers,  we  struck  into  the  woods  for  about  half 
a  mile,  and  then  entered  a  wild,  rocky  dell,  boi  - 
dered  by  two  lofty  ridges  of  limestone,  which 
narrowed  as  we  advanced,  until  they  met  and 
united ;  making  almost  an  angle.  Here  a  fine 
spring  of  water  rose  from  among  the  rocks,  and 
fed  a  silver  rill  that  ran  the  whole  length  of  the 
dell,  freshening  the  grass  with  w^hich  it  was  car- 
peted. 

In  this  rocky  nook  we  encamped,  among  tall 
trees.  The  rangers  gradually  joined  us,  strag- 
ghng  through  the  forest  singly  or  in  groups ; 
some  on  horseback,  some  on  foot,  driving  their 
horses  before  them,  heavily  laden  with  baggage, 
some  dripping  wet,  having  fallen  into  the  river ; 
for  they  had  experienced  much  fatigue  and 
trouble  from  the  length  of  the  ford,  and  the 
depth  and  rapidity  of  the  stream.  They  looked 
not  unlike  banditti  returning  with  their  plunder, 


A  TOUR  OiX  THE  PRAIRIES.  91 

and  the  wild  dell  was  a  retreat  worthy  to  re- 
ceive them.  The  eflect  was  heightened  after 
dark,  when  the  light  of  the  fires  was  cast  upon 
rugged  looking  groups  of  men  and  horses  ;  with 
baggage  tumbled  in  heaps,  rifles  piled  against 
the  trees,  and  saddles,  bridles,  and  powder-horns 
hanging  about  their  trunks. 

At  the  encampment  we  were  joined  by  the 
young  Count  and  his  companion,  and  the  young- 
half-breed,  Antoine,  who  had  all  passed  success- 
fully by  the  ford.  To  my  annoyance,  however, 
I  discovered  that  both  of  my  horses  were  miss- 
ing. I  had  supposed  them  in  the  charge  of 
Antoine;  but  he,  with  characteristic  careless- 
ness, had  paid  no  heed  to  them,  and  they  had 
probably  wandered  from  the  line  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  It  was  arranged  that  Beatte 
and  Antoine  should  recross  the  river  at  an  early 
hour  of  the  morning,  in  search  of  them, 

A  fat  buck,  and  a  number  of  wild  turkeys  being 
brought  into  the  camp,  we  managed,  with  the 
addition  of  a  cup  of  coffee,  to  make  a  comforta- 
ble supper:  after  which,  I  repaired  to  the  Cap- 
tains lodge,  which  was  a  kind  of  council  fire 
and  gossiping  place,  for  the  veterans  of  the 
camp. 

As  we  were  conversing  together,  we  observed, 
as  on  former  nights,  a  dusky,  red  glow  in  the 
west,  above  the  summits   of  the   surrounding 


92  A    TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES. 

cliffs.  It  was  again  attributed  to  Indian  fires  on 
the  prairies ;  and  supposed  to  be  on  the  western 
side  of  the  Arkansas.  If  so,  it  was  thought  they 
must  be  made  by  some  party  of  Pawnees,  as  the 
Osage  hunters  seldom  ventured  in  that  quarter. 
Our  half-breeds,  however,  pronounced  them 
Osage  fires ;  and  that  they  were  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Arkansas. 

The  conversation  now  turned  upon  the  Paw- 
nees, into  whose  hunting  grounds  we  were  about 
entering.  There  is  always  some  wild  untamed 
tribe  of  Indians,  who  form,  for  a  time,  the  terror 
of  a  frontier,  and  about  whom  all  kinds  of  fear- 
ful stories  are  told.  Such,  at  present,  was  the 
case  with  the  Pawnees,  who  rove  the  regions  be- 
tween the  Arkansas  and  the  Red  River,  and  the 
prairies  of  Texas.  They  were  represented  as 
admirable  horsemen,  and  always  on  horseback ; 
mounted  on  fleet  and  hardy  steeds,  the  wild  race 
of  the  prairies.  With  these  they  roam  the  great 
plains  that  extend  about  the  Arkansas,  the  Red 
River,  and  through  Texas,  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains ;  sometimes  engaged  in  hunting  the  deer 
and  buffalo,  sometimes  in  warlike  and  predatory 
expeditions ;  for,  like  their  counterparts,  the 
sons  of  Ishmael,  their  hand  is  against  every  one, 
and  every  one's  hand  against  them.  Some  of 
them  have  no  fixed  habitation,  but  dwell  in  tents 
of  skins,  easily  packed  up  and  transported,  so 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  93 

that  they  are  here  to-day,  and  away,   no  one 
knows  where,  to-morrow. 

One  of  the  veteran  hunters  gave  several  anec- 
dotes of  their  mode  of  fighting.  Luckless,  ac- 
cording to  his  account,  is  the  band  of  weary 
traders  or  hunters  descried  by  them,  in  the  midst 
of  a  prairie.  Sometimes,  they  will  steal  upon 
them  by  stratagem,  hanging  with  one  leg  over 
the  saddle,  and  their  bodies  concealed ;  so  that 
their  troop  at  a  distance  has  the  appearance  of 
a  gang  of  wild  horses.  When  they  have  thus 
gained  sufficiently  upon  the  enemy,  they  will 
suddenly  raise  themselves  in  their  saddles,  and 
come  hke  a  rushing  blast,  all  fluttering  with 
feathers,  shaking  their  mantles,  brandishing  their 
weapoifs,  and  making  hideous  yells.  In  this  way, 
they  seek  to  strike  a  panic  into  the  horses,  and 
put  them  to  the  scamper,  when  they  will  pursue 
and  carry  them  off  in  triumph. 

The  best  mode  of  defence,  according  to  this 
veteran  woodsman,  is  to  get  into  the  covert  of 
some  wood,  or  thicket ;  or  if  there  be  none  at 
hand,  to  dismount,  tie  the  horses  firmly  head  to 
head  in  a  circle,  so  that  they  cannot  break  away 
and  scatter,  and  resort  to  the  shelter  of  a  ravine, 
or  make  a  hollow  in  the  sand,  where  they  may 
be  screened  from  the  shafts  of  the  Pawnees. 
The  latter  chiefly  use  the  bow  and  arrow,  and 
are  dexterous  archers;  circling  round  and  round 


94  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

their  enemy,  and  launching  their  arrows  when 
at  full  speed.  They  are  chiefly  formidable  on 
the  prairies,  where  they  have  free  career  for 
their  horses,  and  no  trees  to  turn  aside  their  ar- 
rows. They  will  rarely  follow  a  flying  enemy 
into  the  forest. 

Several  anecdotes,  also,  were  given,  of  the 
secrecy  and  caution  with  which  they  will  follow, 
and  hang  about  the  camp  of  an  enemy,  seeking 
a  favourable  moment  for  plunder  or  attack. 

"  We  must  now  begin  to  keep  a  sharp  look 
out,"  said  the  Captain.  "  I  must  issue  written 
orders,  that  no  man  shall  hunt  without  leave,  or 
fire  off  a  gun,  on  pain  of  riding  a  wooden  horse 
with  a  sharp  back.  I  have  a  wild  crew  of  young 
fellows,  unaccustomed  to  frontier  service.  It 
will  be  difficult  to  teach  them  caution.  We  are 
now  in  the  land  of  a  silent,  watchful,  crafty  peo- 
ple, who,  when  we  least  suspect  it,  may  be  around 
us,  spying  out  all  our  movements,  and  ready  to 
pounce  upon  all  stragglers." 

"  How  will  you  be  able  to  keep  your  men 
from  firing,  if  they  see  game  while  strolling  round 
the  camp  ?"  asked  one  of  the  rangers. 

"  They  must  not  take  their  guns  with  them, 
'unless  they  are  on  duty,  or  have  permission." 

"  Ah,  Captain  !"  cried  the  ranger,  "  that  will 
never  do  for  me.  Where  I  go,  my  rifle  goes. 
I  never  like  to  leave  it  behind :  it's  like  a  part 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  95 

of  myself.  There's  no  one  will  take  such  care 
of  it  as  I,  and  there's  nothing  will  take  such  care 
of  me  as  my  rifle." 

"  There's  truth  in  all  that,"  said  the  Captain, 
touched  by  a  true  hunter's  sympathy.  "I've 
had  my  rifle  pretty  nigh  as  long  as  I  have  had 
my  wife,  and  a  faithful  friend  it  has  been 
to  me." 

Here  the  Doctor,  who  is  as  keen  a  hunter  as 
the  Captain,  joined  in  the  conversation.  "  A 
neighbour  of  mine  says,  next  to  my  rifle,  I'd  as 
leave  lend  you  my  wife." 

"  There's  few,"  observed  the  Captain,  "  that 
take  care  of  their  rifles  as  they  ought  to  be  taken 
care  of." 

"  Or  of  their  wives  either,"  replied  the  Doc- 
tor, with  a  wink. 

"  That's  a  fact,"  rejoined  the  Captain. 

Word  was  now  brought  that  a  party  of  four 
rangers,  headed  by  "  old  Ryan,"  were  missing. 
They  had  separated  from  the  main  body,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  when  searching  for  a 
ford,  and  had  straggled  off*,  nobody  knew  whither. 
Many  conjectures  were  made  about  them,  and 
some  apprehensions  expressed  for  their  safety. 

"  I  should  send  to  look  after  them,"  said  the 
Captain,  "  but  old  Ryan  is  with  them,  and  he 
knows  how  to  take  care  of  himself  and  of  them 
too.     If  it  were   not   for  him,  I  would  not  give 


96  A    TOUR    ON    THE    rRAIllIES. 

much  for  the  rest ;  but  he  is  as  much  at  home 
in  the  woods  or  on  a  prairie,  as  he  would  be  in 
his  own  farm  yard.  He's  never  lost,  whferever 
he  is.  There's  a  good  gang  of  them  to  stand 
by  one  another ;  four  to  watch  and  one  to  take 
care  of  the  fire." 

"  It's  a  dismal  thing  to  get  lost  at  night  in  a 
strange  and  wild  country,"  said  one  of  the 
younger  rangers. 

"  Not  if  you  have  one  or  two  in  company," 
said  an  older  one.  ,  "  For  my  part,  I  could  feel 
as  cheerful  in  this  hollow  as  in  my  own  home, 
if  I  had  but  one  comrade  to  take  turns  to  watch 
and  keep  the  fire  going.  I  could  lie  here  for 
hours,  and  gaze  up  to  that  blazing  star  there, 
that  seems  to  look  down  into  the  camp  as  if  it 
were  keeping  guard  over  it." 

"  Aye,  the  stars  are  a  kind  of  company  to 
one,  when  you  have  to  keep  watch  alone.  That's 
a  cheerful  star  too,  somehow ;  that's  the  evening 
star,  the  planet  Venus  they  call  it,  I  think." 

"  If  that's  the  planet  Venus,"  said  one  of  the 
council,  who,  I  believe,  was  the  psalm-singing 
schoolmaster,  "  it  bodes  us  no  good ;  for  I  re- 
collect reading  in  some  book  that  the  Pawnees 
worship  that  star,  and  sacrifice  their  prisoners 
to  it.  So  I  should  not  feel  the  better  for  the 
sight  of  that  star  in  this  part  of  the  country." 

"  Well,"  said  the   sergeant,  a  thorough-bred 


A    TOUR   ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  97 

woodsman,  "  star  or  no  star,  I  have  passed  ma- 
ny a  night  alone  in  a  wilder  place  than  this,  and 
slept  sound  too,  Til  warrant  you.  Once,  how- 
ever, 1  had  rather  an  uneasy  time  of  it.  I  was 
belated  in  passing  through  a  tract  of  wood,  near 
the  Tombigbee  river ;  so  I  struck  a  light,  made 
a  fire,  and  turned  my  horse  loose,  while  I  stretch- 
ed myself  to  sleep.  By  and  bye  I  heard  the 
wolves  howl.  My  horse  came  crowding  near 
me  for  protection,  for  he  was  terribly  frightened. 
I  drove  him  off,  but  he  returned,  and  drew  near- 
er and  nearer,  and  stood  looking  at  me  and  at 
the  fire,  and  dozing,  and  nodding,  and  tottering 
on  his  fore  feet,  for  he  was  powerful  tired.  After 
a  while,  I  heard  a  strange  dismal  cry.  I  thought 
at  first  it  might  be  an  owl.  I  heard  it  again, 
and  then  I  knew  it  was  not  an  owl,  but  must  be 
a  panther.  I  felt  rather  awkward,  for  I  had  no 
weapon  but  a  double-bladed  penknife.  I  how- 
ever prepared  for  defence  in  the  best  way  I 
could,  and  piled  up  small  brands  from  the  fire, 
to  pepper  him  with,  should  he  come  nigh.  The 
company  of  my  horse  now  seemed  a  comfort 
to  me ;  the  poor  creature  laid  down  beside  me 
and  soon  fell  asleep,  being  so  tired.  I  kept 
watch,  and  nodded  and  dozed,  and  started  awake, 
and  looked  round,  expecting  to  see  the  glaring 
eyes  of  the  panther  close  upon  me ;  but  some- 
liow  or  other,  fatigue  got  the  better  of  me,  and 
9 


98  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

I  fell  asleep  outright.  In  the  morning  I  found 
-the  tracks  of  a  panther  within  sixty  paces. 
They  were  as  large  as  my  two  fists.  He  had 
evidently  been  walking  backwards  and  forwards, 
trying  to  make  up  his  mind  to  attack  me  ;  but, 
luckily,  he  had  not  courage." 

(Oct.  16.)  I  awoke  before  daybreak.  The 
moon  was  shining  feebly  down  into  the  glen, 
from  among  light  drifting  clouds ;  the  camp  fires 
were  nearly  burnt  out,  and  the  men  lying  about 
them,  wrapped  in  blankets.  With  the  first  streak 
of  day,  our  huntsman,  Beatte,  with  Antoine,  the 
young  half-breed,  set  off  to  recross  the  river,  in 
search  of  the  stray  horses,  in  company  with 
several  rangers  who  had  left  their  rifles  and 
baggage  on  the  opposite  shore.  As  ^the  ford 
was  deep,  and  they  were  obliged  to  cross  in  a 
diagonal  line,  against  a  rapid  current,  they  had 
to  be  mounted  on  the  tallest  and  strongest  horses. 

By  eight  o'clock,  Beatte  returned.  He  had 
found  the  horses,  but  had  lost  Antoine.  The 
latter,  he  said,  was  a  boy,  a  greenhorn,  that 
knew  nothing  of  the  woods.  He  had  wandered 
out  of  sight  of  him,  and  got  lost.  However, 
there  were  plenty  more  for  him  to  fall  in  com- 
pany with,  as  some  of  the  rangers  had  gone 
astray  also,  and  old  Ryan  and  his  party  had  not 
returned. 

We  waited  until  the  morning  was  somewhat 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  99 

advanced,  in  hopes  of  being  rejoined  by  the 
stragglers,  but  they  did  not  make  their  appear- 
ance. The  Captain  observed,  that  the  Indians 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  were  all  well 
disposed  to  the  whites;  so  that  no  serious  ap- 
prehensions need  be  entertained  for  the  safety 
of  the  missing.  The  greatest  danger  was,  that 
their  horses  might  be  stolen  in  the  night  by 
straggling  Osages.  He  determined,  therefore, 
to  proceed,  leaving  a  rear  guard  in  the  camp,  to 
await  their  arrival. 

I  sat  on  a  rock  that  overhung  the  spring  at 
the  upper  part  of  the  dell,  and  amused  myself 
by  watching  the  changing  scene  before  me. 
First,  the  preparations  for  departure.  Horses 
driven  in  from  the  purlieus  of  the  camp;  ran- 
gers riding  about  among  rocks  and  bushes  in 
quest  of  others  that  had  strayed  to  a  distance  ; 
the  bustle  of  packing  up  camp  equipage,  and 
the  clamour  after  kettles  and  frying  pans  bor- 
rowed by  one  mess  from  another,  mixed  up  with 
oaths  and  exclamations  at  restive  horses,  or  others 
that  had  wandered  away  to  graze  after  being 
packed :  among  which,  the  voice  of  our  little 
Frenchman,  Tonish,  was  particularly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished. 

The  bugle  sounded  the  signal  to  mount  and 
march.  The  troop  filed  off  in  irregular  line 
down  the  glen,  and  through  the  open  forest, 


100  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

winding  and  gradually  disappearing  among  the 
trees,  though  the  clamour  of  voices  and  the 
notes  of  the  bugle  could  be  heard  for  some  time 
afterwards.  The  rear  guard  remained  under 
the  trees  in  the  lower  part  of  the  dell,  some  on 
horseback,  with  their  rifles  on  their  shoulders ; 
others  seated  by  the  fire  or  lying  on  the  ground, 
gossiping  in  a  low,  lazy  tone  of  voice,  their  horses 
unsaddled,  standing  and  dozing  around:  while 
one  of  the  rangers,  profiting  by  this  interval  of 
leisure,  was  shaving  himself  before  a  pocket 
mirror  stuck  against  the  trunk  of  a  tree. 

The  clamour  of  voices  and  the  notes  of  the 
bugle  at  length  died  away,  and  the  glen  relapsed 
into  quiet  and  silence,  broken  occasionally  by 
the  low  murmuring  tone  of  the  group  around 
the  fire,  or  the  pensive  whistle  of  some  laggard 
among  the  trees  ;  or  the  rustling  of  the  yellow 
leaves,  which  the  lightest  breath  of  air  brought 
down  in  wavering  showers,  a  sign  of  the  de- 
parting glories  of  the  year. 


101 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Deer  shooting.  Life  on  the  prairies.  Beautiful 
encampment.  Hunter'* s  luck.  Anecdotes  of  the 
Delawares  and  their  superstitions. 

Having  passed  through  the  skirt  of  woodland 
bordering  the  river,  we  ascended  the  hills,  taking 
a  westerly  course  through  an  undulating  coun- 
try, of  "  oak  openings,"  where  the  eye  stretched 
over  wide  tracts  of  hill  and  dale,  diversi- 
fied by  forests,  groves,  and  clumps  of  trees. 
As  we  were  proceeding  at  a  slow  pace,  those 
who  were  at  the  head  of  the  line  descried  four 
deer  grazing  on  a  grassy  slope  about  half  a  mile 
distant.  They  apparently  had  not  perceived 
our  approach,  and  continued  to  graze  in  perfect 
tranquillity.  A  young  ranger  obtained  permis- 
sion from  the  Captain  to  go  in  pursuit  of  them, 
and  the  troop  halted  in  lengthened  line,  watch- 
ing him  in  silence.  Walking  his  horse  slowly 
and  cautiously  he  made  a  circuit  until  a  screen 
of  wood  intervened  between  him  and  the  deer. 
Dismounting  then,  he  left  his  horse  among  the 
trees,  and  creeping  round  a  knoll,  was  hidden 
from  our  view.     We  now  kept  our  eyes  intently 

fixed  on  the  deer,  which  continued  grazing,  un- 
9* 


102  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

conscious  of  their  danger.  Presently  there  was 
the  sharp  report  of  a  rifle  ;  a  fine  buck  made  a 
convulsive  bound  and  fell  to  the  earth  ;  his  com- 
panions scampered  off.  Immediately  our  whole 
line  of  march  was  broken;  there  was  a  helter 
skelter  galloping  of  the  youngsters  of  the  troop, 
eager  to  get  a  shot  at  the  fugitives  ;  and  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  personages  in  the  chase 
was  our  little  Frenchman  Tonish  on  his  silver 
grey  ;  having  abandoned  his  pack-horses  at  the 
first  sight  of  the  deer.  It  was  some  time  before 
our  scattered  forces  could  be  recalled  by  the 
bugle,  and  our  march  resumed. 

Two  or  three  times  in  the  course  of  the  day 
we  were  interrupted  by  hurry  scurry  scenes  of 
the  kind.  The  young  men  of  the  troop  were 
full  of  excitement  on  entering  an  unexplored 
country  abounding  in  game,  and  they  were  too 
little  accustomed  to  discipline  or  restraint  to  be 
kept  in  order.  No  one,  however,  was  more 
unmanageable  than  Tonish.  Having  an  in- 
tense conceit  of  his  skill  as  a  hunter,  and  an  irre- 
pressible passion  for  display,  he  was  continually 
sallying  forth,  like  an  ill  broken  hound,  whenever 
any  game  was  started,  and  had  as  often  to  be 
whipped  back. 

At  length  his  curiosity  got  a  salutary  check. 
A  fat  doe  came  bounding  along  in  full  sight  of 
the   whole   Hne.     Tonish  dismounted,  levelled 


A  T0T7R  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  103 

his  rifle,  and  had  a  fair  shot.  The  doe  kept  on. 
He  sprang  upon  his  horse,  stood  up  on  the  saddle 
like  a  posture  master,  and  continued  gazing  after 
the  animal  as  if  certain  to  see  it  fall.  The  doe, 
however,  kept  on  its  way  rejoicing  ;  a  laugh 
broke  out  along  the  line,  the  little  Frenchman 
slipped  quietly  into  his  saddle,  began  to  belabour 
and  blaspheme  the  wandering  pack-horses,  as  if 
they  had  been  to  blame,  and  for  some  time  we 
were  relieved  from  his  vaunting  and  vapouring. 

In  one  place  of  our  march  w^e  came  to  the 
remains  of  an  old  Indian  encampment,  on  the 
banks  of  a  fine  stream,  with  the  moss  grown 
sculls  of  deer,  lying  here  and  there  about  it.  As 
we  were  in  the  Pawnee  country,  it  was  supposed, 
of  course,  to  have  been  a  camp  of  those  formida- 
ble rovers  ;  the  Doctor,  however,  after  consider- 
ing the  shape  and  disposition  of  the  lodges,  pro- 
nounced it  the  camp  of  some  bold  Delawares, 
who  had  probably  made  a  brief  and  dashing  ex- 
cursion into  these  dangerous  hunting  grounds. 

Having  proceeded  some  distance  further,  we 
observed  a  couple  of  figures  on  horseback,  slowly 
moving  parallel  to  us  along  the  edge  of  a  naked 
hill  about  two  miles  distant ;  and  apparently  re- 
connoitering  us.  There  was  a  halt,  and  much 
gazing  and  conjecturing.  Were  they  Indians  ? 
If  Indians,  were  they  Pawnees  ?  There  is  some- 
thing exciting  to  the  imagination  and  stirring  to 


104  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

the  feelings,  while  traversing  these  hostile  plains, 
in  seeing  a  horseman  prowling  along  the  horizon. 
It  is  like  descrying  a  sail  at  sea  in  time  of  war, 
when  it  may  be  either  a  privateer  or  a  pirate. 
Our  conjectures  were  soon  set  at  rest  by  recon- 
noitering  the  two  horsemen  through  a  small  spy 
glass,  when  they  proved  to  be  two  of  the  men 
we  had  left  at  the  camp,  who  had  set  out  to  re- 
join us,  and  had  wandered  from  the  track. 

Our  march  this  day  was  animating  and  delight- 
ful. We  were  in  a  region  of  adventure  ;  break- 
ing our  way  through  a  country  hitherto  untrod- 
den by  white  men,  excepting  perchance  by  some 
solitary  trapper.  The  weather  was  in  its  per- 
fection, temperate,  genial  and  enlivening;  a 
deep  blue  sky  with  a  few  light  feathery  clouds, 
an  atmosphere  of  perfect  transparency,  an  air 
pure  and  bland,  and  a  glorious  country  spread- 
ing out  far  and  wide  in  the  golden  sunshine  of 
an  autumnal  day  ;  but  all  silent,  lifeless,  without 
a  human  habitation,  and  apparently  without  a  hu- 
man inhabitant !  It  was  as  if  a  ban  hung  over 
this  fair  but  fated  region.  The  very  Indians 
dared  not  abide  here,  but  made  it  a  mere  scene 
of  perilous  enterprise,  to  hunt  for  a  few  days, 
and  then  away. 

After  a  march  of  about  fifteen  miles  west  we 
encamped  in  a  beautiful  peninsula,  made  by  the 
windings  and   doublings  of  a  deep,  clear,  and 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  105 

almost  motionless  brook,  and  covered  by  an 
open  grove  of  lofty  and  magnificent  trees.  Seve- 
ral hunters  immediately  started  forth  in  quest  of 
game  before  the  noise  of  the  camp  should  frighten 
it  from  the  vicinity.  Our  man,  Beatte,  also  took 
his  rifle  and  vv^ent  forth  alone,  in  a  different  course 
from  the  rest. 

For  my  ow^n  part,  I  laid  on  the  grass  under 
the  trees,  and  built  castles  in  the  clouds,  and  in- 
dulged in  the  very  luxury  of  rural  repose.  In- 
deed I  can  scarcely  conceive  a  kind  of  life  more 
calculated  to  put  both  mind  and  body  in  a  health- 
ful tone.  A  morning's  ride  of  several  hours  diver- 
sified by  hunting  incidents ;  an  encampment  in  the 
afternoon  under  some  noble  grove  on  the  borders 
of  a  stream ;  an  evening  banquet  of  venison, 
fresh  killed,  roasted,  or  broiled  on  the  coals ; 
turkeys  just  from  the  thickets  and  wild  honey 
from  the  trees  ;  and  all  relished  v^ith  an  appe- 
tite unknown  to  the  gourmets  of  the  cities. 
And  at  night — such  sweet  sleeping  in  the  open 
air,  or  waking  and  gazing  at  the  moon  and  stars, 
shining  between  the  trees  ! 

On  the  present  occasion,  however,  we  had  not 
much  reason  to  boast  of  our  larder.  But  one 
deer  had  been  killed  during  the  day,  and  none 
of  that  had  reached  our  lodge.  We  were  fain, 
therefore,  to  stay  our  keen  appetites  by  some 
scraps  of  turkey  brought  from  the  last  encamp 


106  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES 

ment,  eked  out  with  a  slice  or  two  of  salt  pork. 
This  scarcity,  however,  did  not  continue  long. 
Before  dark  a  young  hunter  returned  well  laden 
with  spoil.  He  had  shot  a  deer,  cut  it  up  in  an 
artist  like  style,  and,  putting  the  meat  in  a  kind  of 
sack  made  of  the  hide,  had  slung  it  across  his 
shoulder  and  trudged  with  it  to  camp. 

Not  long  after,  Beatte  made  his  appearance, 
with  a  fat  doe  across  his  horse.  It  was  the  first 
game  he  had  brought  in,  and  I  was  glad  to  see 
him  with  a  trophy  that  might  efface  the  memory 
of  the  polecat.  He  laid  the  carcass  down  by 
our  fire  without  saying  a  word,  and  then  turned 
to  unsaddle  his  horse  ;  nor  could  any  questions 
from  us  about  his  hunting  draw  from  him  more 
than  laconic  repHes.  If  Beatte,  however,  ob- 
served this  Indian  taciturnity  about  what  he  had 
done,  Tonish  made  up  for  it  by  boasting  of  what 
he  meant  to  do.  Now  that  we  were  in  a  good 
hunting  country  he  meant  to  take  the  field,  and, 
if  we  would  take  his  word  for  it,  our  lodge  would 
henceforth  be  overwhelmed  with  game.  Luckily 
his  talking  did  not  prevent  his  working,  the  doe 
was  skilfully  dissected,  several  fat  ribs  roasted 
before  the  fire,  the  coffee  kettle  replenished,  and 
in  a  little  while  we  were  enabled  to  indemnify 
ourselves  luxuriously  for  our  late  meagre  repast. 

The  Captain  did  not  return  until  late,  and  he 
returned  empty  handed.     He  had  been  in  pur- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  iPRAIRIES.  107 

suit  of  his  usual  game,  the  deer,  when  he  came 
upon  the  tracks  of  a  gang  of  about  sixty  elk. 
Having  never  killed  an  animal  of  the  kind,  and 
the  elk  being  at  this  moment  an  object  of  ambi- 
tion among  all  the  veteran  hunters  of  the  camp, 
he  abandoned  his  pursuit  of  the  deer,  and  follow^- 
ed  the  newly  discovered  track.  After  some 
time  he  came  in  sight  of  the  elk,  and  had  several 
fair  chances  of  a  shot,  but  was  anxious  to  bring 
down  a  large  buck  which  kept  in  the  advance. 
Finding  at  length  there  was  danger  of  the  whole 
gang  escaping  him,  he  fired  at  a  doe.  The  shot 
took  effect,  but  the  animal  had  sufficient  strength 
to  keep  on  for  a  time  with  its  companions.  From 
the  tracks  of  blood  he  felt  confident  it  was  mor- 
tally wounded,  but  evening  came  on,  he  could 
not  keep  the  trail,  and  had  to  give  up  the  search 
until  morning. 

Old  Ryan  and  his  little  band  had  not  yet  re- 
joined us,  neither  had  our  young  half-breed  An- 
toine  made  his  appearance.  It  was  determined, 
therefore,  to  remain  at  our  encampment  for  the 
following  day,  to  give  time  for  all  stragglers  to 
arrive. 

The  conversation  this  evening,  among  the  old 
huntsmen,  turned  upon  the  Delaware  tribe,  one 
of  whose  encampments  we  had  passed  in  the 
course  of  the  day ;  and  anecdotes  were  given  of 
their  prowess  in  war  and  dexterity  in  hunting. 


108  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

They  used  to  be  deadly  foes  of  the  Osages,  who 
stood  in  great  awe  of  their  desperate  valour, 
though  they  were  apt  to  attribute  it  to  a  whim- 
sical cause.  "  Look  at  the  Dela  wares,"  would  they 
say, "  dey  got  short  leg — no  can  run — must  stand 
and  fight  a  great  heap."  In  fact  the  Delawares 
are  rather  short  legged,  while  the  Osages  are 
remarkable  for  length  of  hmb. 

The  expeditions  of  the  Delawares,  whether  ot 
war  or  hunting,  are  wide  and  fearless  ;  a  small 
band  of  them  will  penetrate  far  into  these  dan- 
gerous and  hostile  wilds,  and  will  push  their  en- 
campments even  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This 
daring  temper  may  be  in  some  measure  encour- 
aged by  one  of  the  superstitions  of  their  creed. 
They  believe  that  a  guardian  spirit,  in  the  form 
of  a  great  eagle,  watches  over  them,  hovering  in 
the  sky,  far  out  of  sight.  Sometimes,  when  well 
pleased  with  them,  he  wheels  down  into  the 
lower  regions,  and  may  be  seen  circling  with 
wide  spread  wings  against  the  white  clouds  ;  at 
such  times  the  seasons  are  propitious,  the  corn 
grows  finely,  and  they  have  great  success  in 
hunting.  Sometimes,  however,  he  is  angry,  and 
then  he  vents  his  rage  in  the  thunder,  which  is 
his  voice,  and  the  lightning,  which  is  the  flashing 
of  his  eye,  and  strikes  dead  the  object  of  his 
displeasure. 

The  Delawares  make  sacrifices  to  this  spirit, 


A  TOT3R  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  109 

who  occasionally  lets  drop  a  feather  from  his 
wing  in  token  of  satisfaction.  These  feathers 
render  the  wearer  invisible,  and  invulnerable. 
Indeed,  the  Indians  generally  consider  the  fea- 
thers of  the  eagle  possessed  of  occult  and  sove- 
reign virtues. 

At  one  time  a  party  of  the  Delawares,  in  the 
course  of  a  bold  excursion  into  the  Pawnee 
hunting  grounds,  were  surrounded  on  one  of  the 
great  plains,  and  nearly  destroyed.  The  rem- 
nant took  refuge  on  the  summit  of  one  of  those 
isolated  and  conical  hills  that  rise  almost  hke 
artificial  mounds,  from  the  midst  of  the  prairies. 
Here  the  chief  warrior,  driven  almost  to  despair, 
sacrificed  his  horse  to  the  tutelar  spirit.  Sud- 
denly an  enormous  eagle,  rushing  down  from  the 
sky,  bore  off  the  victim  in  his  talons,  and  mount- 
ing into  the  air,  dropped  a  quill  feather  fnom  his 
wing.  The  chief  caught  it  up  with  joy,  bound 
it  to  his  forehead,  and,  leading  his  followers 
down  the  hill,  cut  his  way  through  the  enemy 
with  great  slaughter,  and  without  anyone  of  his 
party  receiving  a  wound. 
10 


no 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  search  for  the  Elk,     Pawnee  stories. 

With  the  morning  dawn,  the  prime  hunters 
of  the  camp  were  all  on  the  alert,  and  set  off  in 
different  directions,  to  beat  up  the  country  for 
game.  The  Captain's  brother,  Sergeant  Bean, 
was  among  the  first,  and  returned  before  break- 
fast with  success,  having  killed  a  fat  doe,  almost 
within  the  purlieus  of  the  camp. 

When  breakfast  w^as  over,  the  Captain  mount- 
ed his  horse,  to  go  in  quest  of  the  elk  which  he 
had  wounded  on  the  preceding  evening;  and 
w^hich,  he  was  persuaded,  had  received  its  death 
wound.  I  determined  to  join  him  in  the  search, 
and  we  accordingly  sallied  forth  together,  ac- 
companied also  by  his  brother,  the  sergeant, 
and  a  lieutenant.  Two  rangers  followed  on 
foot,  to  bring  home  the  carcass  of  the  doe  which 
the  sergeant  had  killed.  We  had  not  ridden 
far,  when  we  came  to  where  it  lay,  on  the  side 
of  a  hill,  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  woodland 
scene.  The  two  rangers  immediately  fell  to 
work,  with  true  hunters'  skill,  to  dismember  it, 
and  prepare  it  for  transportation  to  the  camp, 
while  we  continued  on  our  course.     We  passed 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  Ill 

along  sloping  hill  sides,  among  skirts  of  thicket 
and  scattered  forest  trees,  until  we  came  to  a 
place  where  the  long  herbage  was  pressed 
down  with  nmnerous  elk  beds.  Here  the  Cap- 
tain had  first  roused  the  gang  of  elks,  and,  after 
looking  about  diligently  for  a  little  while,  he 
pointed  out  their  "trail,"  the  foot  prints  of  which 
were  as  large  as  those  of  horned  cattle.  He 
now  put  himself  upon  the  track,  and  went  quietly 
forward,  the  rest  of  us  following  him  in  Indian 
file.  At  length  he  halted  at  the  place  where  the 
elk  had  been  when  shot  at.  Spots  of  blood  on 
the  surrounding  herbage  showed  that  the  shot 
had  been  effective.  The  wounded  animal  had 
evidently  kept  for  some  distance  with  the  rest 
of  the  herd,  as  could  ba  seen  by  sprinklings  of 
blood  here  and  there,  on  the  shrubs  and  weeds 
bordering  the  trail.  These  at  length  suddenly 
disappeared.  "  Somewhere  hereabout,"  said 
the  Captain,  "  the  elk  must  have  turned  off  from 
the  gang.  Whenever  they  feel  themselves  mor- 
tally wounded,  they  will  turn  aside,  and  seek 
some  out-of-the-way  place  to  die  alone." 

There  was  something  in  this  picture  of  the 
last  moments  of  a  wounded  deer,  to  touch  the 
sympathies  of  one  not  hardened  to  the  gentle 
disports  of  the  chase ;  such  sympathies,  how- 
ever, are  but  transient.  Man  is  naturally  an 
animal   of  prey;    and,   however   changed    by 


112  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

civilization,  will  readily  relapse  into  his  instinct 
for  destruction.  I  found  my  ravenous  and  san- 
guinary propensities  daily  growing  stronger  upon 
the  prairies. 

After  looking  about  for  a  little  while,  the 
Captain  succeeded  in  finding  the  separate  trail 
of  the  wounded  elk,  which  turned  oif  almost  at 
right  angles  from  that  of  the  herd,  and  entered 
an  open  forest  of  scattered  trees.  The  traces 
of  blood  became  more  faint  and  rare,  and  oc- 
curred at  greater  distances :  at  length  they 
ceased  altogether,  and  the  ground  was  so  hard, 
and  the  herbage  so  much  parched  and  withered, 
that  the  foot  prints  of  the  animal  could  no  longer 
be  perceived. 

"  The  elk  must  lie  somewhere  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood," said  the  Captain,  "  as  you  may  know 
by  those  turkey-buzzards  wheeling  about  in  the 
air :  for  they  always  hover  in  that  way  above 
some  carcass.  However,  the  dead  elk  cannot 
get  away,  so  let  us  follow  the  trail  of  the  living 
ones :  they  may  have  halted  at  no  great  dis- 
tance, and  we  may  find  them  grazing,  and  get 
another  crack  at  them." 

We  accordingly  returned,  and  resumed  the 
trail  of  the  elks,  which  led  us  a  straggling  course 
over  hill  and  dale,  covered  with  scattered  oaks. 
Every  now  and  then  we  would  catch  a  glimpse 
of  a  deer  bounding  away  across  some  glade  of 


A    TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES.  113 

the  forest,  but  the  Captain  was  not  to  be  diverted 
from  his  elk  hunt  by  such  inferior  game.  A 
large  flock  of  wild  turkeys,  too,  were  roused  by 
the  trampling  of  our  horses ;  some  scampered 
off  as  fast  as  their  long  legs  could  carry  them : 
others  fluttered  up  into  the  trees,  where  they  re- 
mained, with  outstretched  necks,  gazing  at  us. 
The  Captain  would  not  allow  a  rifle  to  be  dis- 
charged at  them,  lest  it  should  alarm  the  elk, 
which  he  hoped  to  find  in  the  vicinity.  At  length 
we  came  to  where  the  forest  ended  in  a  steep 
bank,  and  the  Red  Fork  wound  its  way  below 
us,  between  broad  sandy  shores.  The  trail  de- 
scended the  bank,  and  we  could  trace  it,  with 
our  eyes,  across  the  level  sands,  until  it  termina- 
ted in  the  river,  which,  it  was  evident,  the  gang 
had  forded  on  the  preceding  evening, 

"  It  is  needless  to  follow  on  any  further,'* 
said  the  Captain.  "  The  elk  must  have  been 
much  frightened,  and,  after  crossing  the  river, 
may  have  kept  on  for  twenty  miles  without 
stopping." 

Our  little  party  now  divided,  the  lieutenant 
and  sergeant  making  a  circuit  in  quest  of  game, 
and  the  Captain  and  myself  taking  the  direction 
of  the  camp.  On  our  way,  we  came  to  a  buffa- 
lo track,  more  than  a  year  old.  It  was  not 
wider  than  an  ordinary  foot-path,  i^nd  worn  deep 
into  the  soil ;  for  these  animals  follow  each  other 
10* 


114  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

in  single  file.  Shortly  afterwards,  we  met  two 
rangers  on  foot,  hunting.  They  had  wound- 
ed an  elk,  but  he  had  escaped ;  and  in  pursuing 
him,  had  found  the  one  shot  by  the  Captain  on 
the  preceding  evening.  They  turned  back,  and 
conducted  us  to  it.  It  w^as  a  noble  animal,  as 
large  as  a  yearling  heifer,  and  lay  in  an  open 
part  of  the  forest,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  dis- 
tant from  the  place  where  it  had  been  shot. 
The  turkey-buzzards,  which  we  had  previously 
noticed,  were  wheeling  in  the  air  above  it.  The 
observation  of  the  Captain  seemed  verified. 
The  poor  animal,  as  life  was  ebbing  away,  had 
apparently  abandoned  its  unhurt  companions, 
and  turned  aside  to  die  alone. 

The  Captain  and  the  tw^o  rangers  forthwith 
fell  to  work,  with  their  hunting-knives,  to  flay 
and  cut  up  the  carcass.  It  was  already  tainted 
on  the  inside,  but  ample  collops  were  cut  from 
the  ribs  and  haunches,  and  laid  in  a  heap  on  the 
outstretched  hide.  Holes  were  then  cut  along 
the  border  of  the  hide,  raw  thongs  were  passed 
through  them,  and  the  whole  drawn  up  like  a 
sack,  which  was  swung  behind  the  Captain's 
saddle.  All  this  while,  the  turkey-buzzards  were 
soaring  over  head,  waiting  for  our  departure,  to 
swoop  down  and  banquet  on  the  carcass. 

The  wreck  of  the  poor  elk  being  thus  dis- 
mantled, the  Captain  and   myself  mounted  our 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  115 

horses,  and  jogged  back  to  the  camp,  while  the 
two  rangers  resumed  their  hunting. 

On  reaching  the  camp,  I  found  there  our  young 
half-breed,  Antoine.  After  separating  from  Beat- 
te,  in  the  search  after  the  stray  horses  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Arkansas,  he  had  fallen  upon 
a  wrong  track,  which  he  followed  for  several 
miles,  when  he  overtook  old  Ryan  and  his  par- 
ty, and  found  he  had  been  following  their  traces. 

They  all  forded  the  Arkansas  about  eight 
miles  above  our  crossing  place,  and  found  their 
way  to  our  late  encampment  in  the  glen,  where 
the  rear  guard  we  had  left  behind  was  waiting 
for  them.  Antoine,  being  well  mounted,  and 
somewhat  impatient  to  rejoin  us,  had  pushed  on 
alone, following  our  trail,  to  our  present  encamp- 
ment, and  bringing  the  carcass  of  a  young  bear 
w^hich  he  had  killed. 

Our  camp,  during  the  residue  of  the  day,  pre- 
sented a  mingled  picture  of  bustle  and  repose. 
Some  of  the  men  were  busy  round  the  fires, 
jerking  and  roasting  venison  and  bear's  meat, 
to  be  packed  up  as  a  future  supply.  Some  were 
stretching  and  dressing  the  skins  of  the  animals 
they  had  killed  ;  others  were  washing  their 
clothes  in  the  brook,  and  hanging  them  on  the 
bushes  to  dry ;  while  many  were  lying  on  the 
grass,  and  lazily  gossiping  in  the  shade.  Every 
now  and  then  a  hunter  would  return,  on  horse- 
back or  on  foot,  laden  with  game,  or  empty 


116  A    TOITR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

handed.  Those  vvlio  brought  home  any  spoil, 
deposited  it  at  the  Captain's  fire,  and  then  filed 
off  to  their  respective  messes,  to  relate  their 
day's  exploits  to  their  companions.  The  game 
killed  at  this  camp  consisted  of  six  deer,  one 
elk,  two  bears,  and  six  or  eight  turkeys. 

During  the  last  two  or  three  days,  since  their 
wild  Indian  achievement  in  navigating  the  river, 
our  retainers  had  risen  in  consequence  among 
the  rangers ;  and  now  I  found  Tonish  making 
himself  a  complete  oracle  among  some  of  the 
raw  and  inexperienced  recruits,  who  had  never 
been  in  the  wilderness.  He  had  continually  a 
knot  hanging  about  him,  and  listening  to  his  ex- 
travagant tales  about  the  Pawnees,  with  whom 
he  pretended  to  have  had  fearful  encounters. 
His  representations,  in  fact,  were  calculated  to 
inspire  his  hearers  with  an  awful  idea  of  the 
foe  into  whose  lands  they  were  intruding.  Ac- 
cording to  his  accounts,  the  rille  of  the  white 
man  was  no  match  for  the  bow  and  arrow  of 
the  Pawnee.  When  the  rifle  was  once  dis- 
charged, it  took  time  and  trouble  to  load  it  again, 
and  in  the  mean  time  the  enemy  could  keep  on 
launching  his  shafts  as  fast  as  he  could  draw  his 
bow.  Then  the  Pawnee,  according  to  Tonish, 
could  shoot,  with  unerring  aim,  three  hundred 
yards,  and  send  his  arrow  clean  through  and 
through  a  buflalo  ;  nay,  he  had  known  a  Paw- 
nee shaft  pass  through  one  buffalo  and  wound 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  117 

another.  And  then  the  way  the  Pawnees  shel- 
tered themselves  from  the  shots  of  their  enemy: 
they  would  hang  with  one  leg  over  the  saddle, 
crouching  their  bodies  along  the  opposite  side 
of  their  horse,  and  would  shoot  their  arrows 
from  under  his  neck,  while  at  full  speed  ! 

If  Tonish  was  to  be  believed,  there  was  peril 
at  every  step  in  these  debateable  grounds  of  the 
Indian  tribes.  Pawnees  lurked  unseen  among 
the  thickets  and  ravines.  They  had  their  scouts 
and  sentinels  on  the  summit  of  the  mounds  that 
command  a  view  over  the  prairies,  where  they 
lay  crouched  in  the  tall  grass ;  only  now  and 
then  raising  their  heads  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  any  war  or  hunting  party  that  might 
be  passing  in  lengthened  line  below.  At  night, 
they  would  lurk" round  an  encampment;  crawl- 
ing through  the  grass,  and  imitating  the  move- 
ments of  a  wolf,  so  as  to  deceive  the  sentinel 
on  the  outpost,  until,  having  arrived  sufficiently 
near,  they  would  speed  an  arrow  through  his 
heart,  and  retreat  undiscovered.  In  telling  his 
stories,  Tonish  would  appeal  from  time  to  time 
to  Beatte,  for  the  truth  of  what  he  said ;  the 
only  reply  would  be  a  nod  or  shrug  of  the  shoul- 
ders ;  the  latter  being  divided  in  mind  between 
a  distaste  for  the  gasconading  spirit  of  his  com- 
rade, and  a  sovereign  contempt  for  the  inexpe- 
rience of  the  young  rangers  in  all  that  he  con- 
sidered true  knowledge 


118 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  sick  camp.  The  march.  The  disabled  horse. 
Old  Ryan  and  the  stragglers.  Symptoms  of 
change  of  weather,  and  change  of  humours, 

(Oct.  18.)  We  prepared  to  march  at  the 
usual  hour,  but  word  was  brought  to  the  Captain 
that  three  of  the  rangers,  who  had  been  attacked 
with  the  measles,  were  unable  to  proceed,  and 
that  another  one  was  missing.  The  last  was  an 
old  frontiers-man,  by  the  name  of  Sawyer,  who 
had  gained  years  without  experience ;  and  hav- 
ing sallied  forth  to  hunt,  on  the  preceding  day, 
had  probably  lost  his  way  on  the  prairies.  A 
guard  often  men  was,  therefore,  left<o  take  care 
of  the  sick,  and  wait  for  the  straggler.  If  the 
former  recovered  sufficiently  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  days,  they  were  to  rejoin  the  main 
body,  otherwise  to  be  escorted  back  to  the  gar- 
rison. 

Taking  our  leave  of  the  sick  camp,  we  shaped 
our  course  westward,  along  the  heads  of  small 
streams,  all  wandering,  in  deep  ravines,  towards 
the  Red  Fork.  The  land  was  high  and  undulat- 
ing, or  "  rolling,'*  as  it  is  termed  in  the  west ; 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  119 

with  a  poor  hungry  soil  mingled  with  the  sand- 
stone, which  is  unusual  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  chequered  with  harsh  forests  of  post- 
oak  and  black-jack. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  I  received  a 
lesson  on  the  importance  of  being  chary  of  one's 
steed  on  the  prairies.  The  one  I  rode  surpassed 
in  action  most  horses  of  the  troop,  and  was  of 
great  mettle  and  a  generous  spirit.  In  crossing 
the  deep  ravines,  he  would  scramble  up  the  steep 
banks  like  a  cat,  and  was  always  for  leaping  the 
narrow  runs  of  water.  I  was  not  aware  of  the 
imprudence  of  indulging  him  in  such  exertions, 
until,  in  leaping  him  across  a  small  brook,  I  felt 
him  immediately  falter  beneath  me.  He  limped 
forward  a  short  distance,  but  soon  fell  stark 
lame,  having  sprained  his  shoulder.  What  was 
to  be  done?  He  could  not  keep  up  with  the 
troop,  and  was  too  valuable  to  be  abandoned  on 
the  prairie.  The  only  alternative  was  to  send 
him  back  to  join  the  invahds  in  the  sick  camp, 
and  to  share  their  fortunes.  Nobody,  however, 
seemed  disposed  to  lead  him  back,  although  I  of- 
fered a  liberal  reward.  Either  the  stories  of  To- 
nish  about  the  Pawnees  had  spread  an  apprehen- 
sion of  lurking  foes,  and  imminent  perils  on  the 
prairies ;  or  there  was  a  fear  of  missing  the  trail 
and  getting  lost.  At  length  two  young  men  step- 
ped forward  and  agreed  to  go  in  company,  so  that. 


"^• 


120  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

should  they  be  benighted  on  the  prairies,  there 
might  be  one  to  watch  while  the  other  slept. 

The  horse  was  accordingly  consigned  to  their 
care,  and  I  looked  after  him  with  a  rueful  eye, 
as  he  limped  off,  for  it  seemed  as  if,  with  him, 
all  strength  and  buoyancy  had  departed  from 
me. 

I  looked  round  for  a  steed  to  supply  his  place, 
and  fixed  my  eye  upon  the  gallant  grey  which  I 
had  transferred  at  the  Agency  to  Tonish.  The 
moment,  however,  that  I  hinted  about  his  dis- 
mounting and  taking  up  with  the  supernumerary 
pony,  the  little  varlet  broke  out  into  vociferous 
remonstrances  and  lamentations,  gasping  and  al- 
most strangling,  in  his  eagerness  to  give  vent  to 
them.  I  saw  that  to  unhorse  him  would  be  to 
prostrate  his  spirit  and  cut  his  vanity  to  the  quick. 
I  had  not  the  heart  to  inflict  such  a  wound,  or  to 
bring  down  the  poor  devil  from  his  transient  vain- 
glory; so  I  left  him  in  possession  of  his  gallant 
grey ;  and  contented  myself  with  shifting  my 
saddle  to  the  jaded  pony. 

I  was  now  sensible  of  the  complete  reverse 
to  which  a  horseman  is  exposed  on  the  prairies. 
I  felt  how  completely  the  spirit  of  the  rider  de- 
pended upon  his  steed.  I  had  hitherto  been  able 
to  make  excursions^ at  will  from  the  line,  and  to 
gallop  in  pursuit  of  any  object  of  interest  or  cu- 
riosity.    I  was  now  reduced  to  the  tone  of  the 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  121 

jaded  animal  I  bestrode,  and  doomed  to  plod  on 
patiently  and  slowly  after  my  file  leader.  Above 
all,  I  was  made  conscious  how  unwise  it  is,  on 
expeditions  of  the  kind,  where  a  man's  life  may 
depend  upon  the  strength,  and  speed,  and  fresh- 
ness of  his  horse,  to  task  the  generous  animal  by 
any  unnecessary  exertion  of  his  pow^ers. 

I  have  observed  that  the  wary  and  experienced 
huntsman  and  traveller  of  the  prairies  is  always 
sparing  of  his  horse,  when  on  a  journey ;  never^ 
except  in  emergency,  putting  him  off  of  a  walk. 
The  regular  journeyings  of  frontiers-men  and 
Indians,  when  on  a  long  march,  seldom  exceed 
above  fifteen  miles  a  day,  and  are  generally  about 
ten  or  twelve,  and  they  never  indulge  in  capricious 
galloping.  Many  of  those,  however,  with  whom 
I  was  travelHng,  were  young  and  inexperienced, 
and  full  of  excitement  at  finding  themselves  in 
a  country  abounding  with  game.  It  was  im- 
possible to  retain  them  in  the  sobriety  of  a 
march,  or  to  keep  them  to  the  line.  As  we 
broke  our  way  through  the  coverts  and  ravines, 
and  the  deer  started  up  and  scampered  off  to  the 
right  and  left,  the  rifle  balls  would  whiz  after 
them  and  our  young  hunters  dash  off  in  pursuit. 
At  one  time  they  made  a  grand  burst  after  what 
they  supposed  to  be  a  gang  of  bears,  but  soon 
pulled  up  on  discovering  them  to  be  black 
wolves,  prowling  in  company. 
11 


122  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

After  a  march  of  about  twelve  miles  we  en- 
camped, a  little  after  mid-day,  on  the  borders  of 
a  brook  which  loitered  through  a  deep  ravine. 
In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  old  Ryan,  the 
Nestor  of  the  camp,  made  his  appearance,  fol- 
lowed by  his  little  band  of  stragglers.  He  was 
greeted  with  joyful  acclamations,  which  showed 
the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  his 
brother  woodmen.  The  little  band  came  laden 
with  venison ;  a  fine  haunch  of  which  the  veteran 
hunter  laid,  as  a  present,  by  the  Captain's  fire. 

Our  men,  Beatte  and  Tonish,  botii  sallied 
forth,  early  in  the  afternoon,  to  hunt.  Towards 
evening  the  former  returned,  with  a  fine  buck 
across  his  horse.  He  laid  it  down,  as  usual,  in 
silence,  and  proceeded  to  unsaddle  and  turn  his 
horse  loose.  Tonish  came  back  without  any 
game,  but  with  much  more  glory ;  having  made 
several  capital  shots,  though  unluckily  the  wound- 
ed deer  had  all  escaped  him. 

There  was  an  abundant  supply  of  meat  in  the 
camp ;  for,  beside  other  game,  three  elk  had 
been  killed.  The  wary  and  veteran  woodmen 
were  all  busy  jerking  meat,  against  a  time  of 
scarcity ;  the  less. experienced  revelled  in  present 
abundance,  leaving  the  morrow  to  provide  for 
itself 

On  the  following  morning,  (Oct.  19,)  I  suc- 
ceeded in  changing  my  pony  and  a  reasonable 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  123 

sum  of  money  for  a  strong  and  active  horse. 
It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  find  myself  once 
more  tolerably  well  mounted.  I  perceived, 
however,  that  there  would  be  little  difficulty  in 
making  a  selection  from  among  the  troop,  for 
the  rangers  had  all  that  propensity  for  "  swap- 
ping," or,  as  they  term  it,  "  trading,"  which  per- 
vades the  West.  In  the  course  of  our  expe- 
dition, there  was  scarce  a  horse,  rifle,  powder 
horn,  or  blanket,  that  did  not  change  owners 
several  times;  and  one  keen  "trader"  boasted 
of  having  by  dint  of  frequent  bargains  changed 
a  bad  horse  into  a  good  one,  and  put  a  hundred 
dollars  in  his  pocket. 

The  morning  was  lowering  and  sultry,  with 
low  muttering  of  distant  thunder.  The  change 
of  weather  had  its  effect  upon  the  spirits  of  the 
troop.  The  camp  was  unusually  sober  and 
quiet ;  there  was  none  of  the  accustomed  farm- 
yard melody  of  crowing  and  cackling  at  day- 
break; none  of  the  bursts  of  merriment,  the 
loud  jokes  and  banterings,  that  had  commonly 
prevailed  during  the  bustle  of  equipment.  Now 
and  then  might  be  heard  a  short  strain  of  a  song, 
a  faint  laugh,  or  a  solitary  whistle  ;  but  in  gene- 
ral, every  one  went  silently  and  doggedly  about 
the  duties  of  the  camp,  or  the  preparations  for 
departure. 

When  the  time  arrived  to  saddle  and  mount, 


124  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

five  horses  were  reported  as  missing  ;  although 
all  the  woods  and  thickets  had  been  beaten  up 
for  some  distance  round  the  camp.  Several 
rangers  were  despatched,  to  "skir"  the  country 
round,  in  quest  of  them.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
thunder  continued  to  growl,  and  we  had  a  pass- 
ing shower.  The  horses,  like  their  riders,  were 
affected  by  the  change  of  weather.  They  stood 
here  and  there  about  the  camp,  some  saddled 
and  bridled,  others  loose,  but  all  spiritless  and 
dozing,  with  stooping  head,  one  hind  leg  partly 
drawn  up  so  as  to  rest  on  the  point  of  the  hoof, 
and  the  whole  hide  reeking  with  the  rain,  and 
sending  up  wreaths  of  vapour.  The  men,  too, 
waited  in  listless  groups  the  return  of  their  com- 
rades, who  had  gone  in  quest  of  the  horses ;  now 
and  then  turning  up  an  anxious  eye  to  the  drift- 
ing clouds,  which  boded  an  approaching  storm. 
Gloomy  weather  inspires  gloomy  thoughts.  Some 
expressed  fears  that  we  were  dogged  by  some 
party  of  Indians,  who  had  stolen  the  horses  in 
the  night.  The  most  prevalent  apprehension, 
however,  was,  that  they  had  returned  on  their 
traces  to  our  last  encampment,  or  had  started 
off  on  a  direct  line  for  Fort  Gibson.  In  this 
respect,  the  instinct  of  horses  is  said  to  resemble 
that  of  the  pigeon.  They  will  strike  for  home 
by  a  direct  course,  passing  through  tracts  of 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  125 

wilderness  which  they  have  never  before  tra- 
versed. 

After  delaying  until  the  morning  was  some- 
what advanced,  a  Heutenant  with  a  guard  was 
appointed  to  await  the  return  of  the  rangers, 
and  we  set  off  on  our  day's  journey,  consider- 
ably reduced  in  numbers ;  much,  as  I  thought, 
to  the  discomposure  of  some  of  the  troop,  who 
intimated  that  we  might  prove  too  weak-handed, 
in  case  of  an  encounter  with  the  Pawnees. 


11^ 


126 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Thunder  storm  on  the  prairies.  The  storm  en- 
campment Night  scene.  Indian  stories,  A 
frightened  horse. 

Our  march  for  a  part  of  the  day,  lay  a  little 
to  the  south  of  west,  through  straggling  forests  oi 
the  kind  of  low  scrubbed  trees  already  mention 
ed,  called  "post-oaks,"  and  "black-jacks."  Ths^ 
soil  of  these  "oak  barrens"  is  loose  and  unsound  , 
being  little  better  at  times  than  a  mere  quicksand, 
in  which,  in  rainy  weather,  the  horse's  hoof  slips 
from  side  to  side,  and  now  and  then  sinks  in  a 
rotten,  spongy  turf,  to  the  fetlock.  Such  was 
the  case  at  present  in  consequence  of  successive 
thunder  showers,  through  which  we  draggled 
along  in  dogged  silence.  Several  deer  w^ere 
roused  by  our  approach,  and  scudded  across  the 
forest  glades ;  but  no  one,  as  formerly,  broke 
the  line  of  march  to  pursue  them.  At  one  time, 
we  passed  the  bones  and  horns  of  a  buffalo,  and 
at  another  time  a  buffalo  track,  not  above  three 
days  old.  These  signs  of  the  vicinity  of  this 
grand  game  of  the  prairies,  had  a  reviving  ef- 
fect on  the  spirits  of  our  huntsmen;  but  it  was 
of  transient  duration. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  127 

In  crossing  a  prairie  of  moderate  extent,  ren- 
dered little  better  than  a  slippery  bog  by  the  re- 
cent showers,  we  w^ere  overtaken  by  a  viojent 
thunder-gust.  The  rain  came  rattling  upon  us 
in  torrents,  and  spattered  up  like  steam  along 
the  ground;  the  whole  landscape  was  suddenly 
wrapped  in  gloom  that  gave  a  vivid  effect  to  the 
intense  sheets  of  lightning,  while  the  thunder 
seemed  to  burst  over  our  very  heads,  and  was 
reverberated  by  the  groves  and  forests  that 
checquered  and  skirted  the  prairie.  Man  and 
beast  were  so  pelted,  drenched,  and  confounded, 
that  the  line  was  thrown  in  complete  confusion ; 
some  of  the  horses  were  so  frightened  as  to  be 
almost  unmanageable,  and  our  scattered  caval- 
cade looked  like  a  tempest-tossed  fleet,  driving 
hither  and  thither,  at  the  mercy  of  wind  and 
wave. 

At  length,  at  half  past  two  o'clock,  we  came 
to  a  halt,  and,  gathering  together  our  forces, 
encamped  in  an  open  and  lofty  grove,  with  a 
prairie  on  one  side  and  a  stream  on  the  other. 
The  forest  immediately  rung  with  the  sound  of 
the  axe,  and  the  crash  of  falling  trees.  Huge 
fires  were  soon  blazing;  blankets  were  stretch- 
ed before  them,  by  way  of  tents  ;  booths  were 
hastily  reared  of  bark  and  skins ;  every  fire 
had  its  group  drawn  close  round  it,  drying  and 
warming  themselves,  or  preparing  a  comforting 


128  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

meal.  Some  of  the  rangers  were  discharging  and 
cleaning  their  rifles,  which  had  been  exposed  to 
the  rain ;  while  the  horses,  relieved  from  their 
saddles  and  burthens,  rolled  in  the  wet  grass. 

The  showers  continued  from  time  to  time, 
until  late  in  the  evening.  Before  dark,  our 
horses  were  gathered  in  and  tethered  about  the 
skirts  of  the  camp,  within  the  outposts,  through 
fear  of  Indian  prowlers,  who  are  apt  to  take 
advantage  of  stormy  nights  for  their  depreda- 
tions and  assaults.  As  the  night  thickened,  the 
huge  fires  became  more  and  more  luminous  ; 
lighting  up  masses  of  the  overhanging  foliage, 
and  leaving  other  parts  of  the  grove  in  deep 
gloom.  Every  fire  had  its  goblin  group  around 
it,  while  the  tethered  horses  were  dimly  seen, 
like  spectres,  among  the  thickets ;  excepting 
that  here  and  there  a  grey  one  stood  out  in 
bright  relief 

The  grove  thus  fitfully  lighted  up  by  the  ruddy 
glare  of  the  fires,  resembled  a  vast  leafy  dome, 
walled  in  by  opaque  darkness  ;  but  every  now 
and  then  two  or  three  quivering  flashes  of  light- 
ning in  quick  succession,  would  suddenly  reveal 
a  vast  champaign  country,  where  fields  and 
forests,  and  running  streams,  would  start,  as  it 
were,  into  existence  for  a  few  brief  seconds, 
and,  before  the  eye  could  ascertain  them,  van- 
ish again  into  gloom. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  129 

A  thunder  storm  on  a  pTairie,  as  upon  the 
ocean,  derives  grandeur  and  sublimity  from  the 
wild  and  boundless  waste  over  which  it  rages 
and  bellows.  It  is  not  surprising  that  these  aw- 
ful phenomena  of  nature  should  be  objects  of  su- 
perstitious reverence  to  the  poor  savages,  and  that 
they  should  consider  the  thunder  the  angry  voice 
of  the  Great  Spirit.  As  our  half-breeds  sat 
gossiping  round  the  fire,  I  drew  from  them  some 
of  the  notions  entertained  on  the  subject  by 
their  Indian  friends.  The  latter  declare  that 
extinguished  thunderbolts  are  sometimes  picked 
up  by  hunters  on  the  prairies,  who  use  them  for 
the  heads  of  arrows  and  lances,  and  that  any 
warrior  thus  armed  is  invincible.  Should  a 
thunder  storm  occur,  however,  during  battle,  he 
is  liable  to  be  carried  away  by  the  thunder,  and 
never  heard  of  more. 

A  warrior  of  the  Konza  tribe,  hunting  on  a 
prairie,  was  overtaken  by  a  storm,  and  struck 
down  senseless  by  the  thunder.  On  recovering, 
he  beheld  the  thunderbolt  lying  on  the  ground, 
and  a  horse  standing  beside  it.  Snatching  up 
the  bolt,  he  sprang  upon  the  horse,  but  found, 
too  late,  that  he  was  astride  of  the  lightning.  In 
an  instant  he  was  whisked  away  over  prairies, 
and  forests,  and  streams,  and  deserts,  until  he 
was  flung  senseless  at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains ;    from   whence,   on   recovering,   it 


130  A  TOUU  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

took  him  several  months  to  return  to  his  own 
people. 

This  story  reminded  we  of  an  Indian  tradition, 
related  by  a  traveller,  of  the  fate  of  a  warrior 
who  saw  the  thunder  lying  upon  tlie  ground, 
with  a  beautifully  wrought  moccason  on  each 
side  of  it.  Thinking  he  had  found  a  prize,  he 
put  on  the  moccasons ;  but  they  bore  him  away 
to  the  land  of  spirits,  from  whence  he  never  re- 
turned. 

These  are  simple  and  artless  tales,  but  they 
had  a  wild  and  romantic  interest  heard  from  the 
lips  of  half-savage  narrators,  round  a  hunter's 
fire,  in  a  stormy  night,  with  a  forest  on  one  side, 
and  a  howling  waste  on  the  other ;  and  where, 
peradventure,  savage  foes  might  be  lurking  in 
the  outer  darkness. 

Our  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  loud 
clap  of  thunder,  followed  immediately  by  the 
sound  of  a  horse  galloping  off  madly  into  the 
waste.  Every  one  listened  in  mute  silence. 
The  hoofs  resounded  vigorously  for  a  time,  but 
grew  fainter  and  fainter,  until  they  died  away 
in  remote  distance. 

When  the  sound  was  no  longer  to  be  heard, 
the  listeners  turned  to  conjecture  what  could 
have  caused  this  sudden  scamper.  Some  thought 
the  horse  had  been  startled  by  the  thunder; 
others,  that  some  lurking  Indian  had  galloped 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  131 

off  with  him.  To  this  it  was  objected,  that  the 
usual  mode  with  the  Indians  is  to  steal  quietly 
upon  the  horse,  take  off  his  fetters,  mount  him 
gently,  and  walk  him  off  as  silently  as  possible, 
heading  off  others,  without  any  unusual  stir  or 
noise  to  distyrb  the  camp. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  stated  as  a  common 
practice  with  the  Indians,  to  creep  among  a 
troop  of  horses  when  grazing  at  night,  mount 
one  quietly,  and  then  start  off  suddenly,  like 
mad.  Nothing  is  so  contagious  among  iiorses 
as  a  panic  :  one  sudden  break  away  of  this 
kind,  will  sometimes  alarm  the  whole  troop,  and 
they  will  set  off,  helter  skelter,  after  the  leader. 

Every  one  who  had  a  horse  grazing  on  the 
skirts  of  the  camp  was  uneasy,  lest  his  should 
be  the  fugitive ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  ascer- 
tain the  fact  until  morning.  Those  who  had 
tethered  tiieir  horses  felt  more  secure  ;  though 
horses  thus  tied  up,  and  limited  to  a  short  range 
at  night,  are  apt  to  fall  off  in  flesh  and  strength, 
during  a  long  march ;  and  many  of  the  horses 
of  the  troop  already  gave  signs  of  being  way- 
worn. 

After  a  gloomy  and  unruly  night,  the  morning 
dawned  bright  and  clear,  and  a  glorious  sunrise 
transformed  the  whole  landscape,  as  if  by  ma- 
gic. The  late  dreary  wilderness  brightened  into 
a  fine  open  country,  with   stately  groves,  and 


132  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

clumps  of  oaks  of  a  gigantic  size,  some  of  which 
stood  singly,  as  if  planted  for  ornament  and 
shade,  in  the  midst  of  rich  meadows ;  while  our 
Iiorses,  scattered  about,  and  grazing  under  them, 
gave  to  the  whole  the  air  of  a  noble  park,  ft 
was  difficult  to  realize  the  fact  tha»t  we  were  so 
far  in  the  wilds  beyond  the  residence  of  man. 
Our  encampment,  alone,  had  a  savage  appear- 
ance ;  with  its  rude  tents  of  skins  and  blankets, 
and  its  columns  of  blue  smoke  rising  among  the 
trees. 

The  first  care  in  the  morning,  was  to  look  after 
our  horses.  Some  of  them  had  wandered  to  a 
distance,  but  all  were  fortunately  found  ;  even 
the  one  whose  clattering  hoofs  had  caused  such 
uneasiness  in  the  night.  He  had  come  to  a 
halt  about  a  mile  from  the  camp,  and  was  found 
quietly  grazing  near  a  brook. *'^ 

The  bugle  sounded  for  departure  about  half 
past  eight.  As  we  were  in  greater  risk  of  In- 
dian molestation  the  farther  we  advanced,  our 
line  was  formed  with  more  precision  than  here- 
tofore. Every  one  had  his  station  assigned  him, 
and  was  forbidden  to  leave  it  in  pursuit  of  game, 
without  special  permission.  The  pack-horses 
were  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  line,  and  a  strong 
guard  in  the  rear. 


133 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  Grand  Pi^airie,    Cliff  Castle,    Buffalo  tracks. 
Deer  hunted  by  Wolves,      Cross  Timber, 

After  a  toilsome  march  of  some  distance 
through  a  country  cut  up  by  ravines  and  brooks, 
and  entangled  by  thickets,  we  emerged  upon  a 
grand  prairie.  Here  one  of  the  characteristic 
scenes  of  the  Far  West  broke  upon  us.  An  im- 
mense extent  of  grassy,  undulating,  or  as  it  is 
termed,  rolling  country,  with  here  and  there  a 
clump  of  t^ees,  dimly  seen  in  the  distance  like  a 
ship  at  sea ;  the  landscape  deriving  sublimity 
from  its  vastness  and  simplicity.  To  the  south- 
west, on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  was  a  singular 
crest  of  broken  rocks,  resembhng  a  ruined  for- 
tress. It  reminded  nie  of  the^uin  of  some  Moor- 
ish castle,  crowning  a  height  in  the  midst  of  a 
lonely  Spanish  landscape.  To  this  hill  we  gave 
the  name  of  Cliff  Castle. 

The  prairies  of  these  great  hunting  regions  dif- 
fered in  the  character  of  their  vegetation  from 
those  through  which  I  had  hitherto  passed.  In- 
stead of  a  profusion  of  tall  flowering  giants  and 
long  flaunting  grasses,  they  were  covered  with 
a  shorter  growth  of  herbage  called  Buffalo  grass, 
12 


134  A    TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES. 

somewhat  coarse,  but,  at  the  proper  seasons,  af- 
fording excellent  and  abundant  pasturage.  At 
present  it  was  growing  wiry,  and  in  many  places 
was  too  much  parched  for  grazing. 

The  weather  was  verging  into  that  serene  but 
somewhat  arid  season  called  the  Indian  Sum- 
mer. There  was  a  smoky  haze  in  the  atmos- 
phere that  tempered  the  brightness  of  the  sun- 
shine into  a  golden  tint,  softening  the  features  of 
the  landscape,  and  giving  a  vagueness  to  the 
outlines  of  distant  objects.  This  haziness  was 
daily  increasing,  and  was  attributed  to  the  burn- 
ing of  distant  prairies  by  the  Indian  hunting  par- 
ties. ' 

We  had  not  gone  far  upon  the  prairie  before 
we  came  to  where  deeply  worn  footpaths  were 
seen  traversing  the  country  :  sometimes  two  or 
three  would  keep  on  parallel  to  each  other,  and 
but  a  few  paces  apart.  These  were  pronounced 
to  be  traces  of  buffeloes,  where  large  droves  had 
passed.  There  were  tracks  also  of  horses,  which 
were  observed  with  some  attention  by  our  expe- 
rienced hunters.  They  could  not  be  the  tracks 
of  wild  horses,  as  there  were  no  prints  of  the 
hoofs  of  colts ;  all  were  full  grown.  As  the 
horses  evidently  were  not  shod,  it  was  conclud- 
ed they  must  belong  to  some  hunting  party  of 
Pawnees.  In  the  course  of  the  morning,  the 
tracks  of  a  single  horse,  with  shoes,  were  disco- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  135 

vered.  This  might  be  the  horse  of  a  Cherokee 
hunter,  or  perhaps  a  horse  stolen  from  the  whites 
of  the  frontier.  Thus,  in  traversing  these  peril- 
ous wastes,  every  footprint  and  dint  of  hoof  be- 
comes matter  of  cautious  inspection  and  shrewd 
surmise  ;  and  the  question  continually  is,  whether 
it  be  the  trace  of  friend  or  foe,  whether  of  re- 
cent or  ancient  date,  and  whether  the  being  that 
made  iifhe  out  of  reach,  or  hable  to  be  encoun- 
tfi*ed. 

We  were  getting  more  and  more  into  the  game 
country :  as  we  proceeded,  we  repeatedly  saw 
deer  to  the  right  and  left,  bounding  off  for  the 
coverts ;  but  their  appearance  no  longer  excited 
the  same  eagerness  to  pursue.  In  passing  along 
a  slope  of  the  prairie,  between  two  rolling  swells 
of  land,  we  came  in  sight  of  a  genuine  natural 
hunting  match.  A  pack  of  seven  black  wolves 
and  one  white  one  were  in  full  chase  of  a  buck, 
which  they  had  nearly  tired  down.  They  cross- 
ed the  line  of  our  march  without  apparently  per- 
ceiving us ;  we  saw  them  have  a  fair  run  of 
nearly  a  mile,  gaining  upon  the  buck  until  they 
were  leaping  upon  his  haunches,  when  he  plung- 
ed down  a  ravine.  Some  of  our  party  galloped 
to  a  rising  ground  commanding  a  view  of  the 
ravine.  The  poor  buck  was  completely  beset, 
some  on  his  flanks,  some  at  his  throat :  he  made 
two  or  three  struggles  and  desperate  bounds,  but 


136  A    TOUR   ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

was  dragged  down,  overpowered,  and  torn  to 
pieces.  The  black  wolves,  in  their  ravenous 
hunger  and  fury,  took  no  notice  of  the  distant 
group  of  horsemen ;  but  the  white  wolf,  appa- 
rently less  game,  abandoned  the  prey  and  scam- 
pered over  hill  and  dale,  rousing  various  deer 
that  were  crouched  in  the  hollows,  and  which 
bounded  off  likewise  in  different  directions.  It 
was  altogether  a  wild  scene,  worthy  of  the 
"  hunting  grounds." 

We  now  came  once  more  in  sight  of  the  Red 
Fork,  winding  its  turbid  course  between  well 
wooded  hills,  and  through  a  vast  and  magnifi- 
cent landscape.  The  prairies  bordering  on  the 
rivers  are  always  varied  in  this  way  with  wood- 
land, so  beautifully  interspersed  as  to  appear  to 
have  been  laid  out  by  the  hand  of  taste  ;  and 
they  only  want  here  and  there  a  vTllage  spire, 
the  battlements  of  a  castle,  or  the  turrets  of  an 
old  family  mansion  rising  from  among  the  trees, 
to  rival  the  most  ornamented  scenery  of  Europe. 

About  midday  we  reached  the  edge  of  that 
scattered  belt  of  forest  land,  about  forty  miles  in 
width,  which  stretches  across  the  country  from 
north  to  south,  from  the  Arkansas  to  the  Red 
River,  separating  the  upper  from  the  lower  prai- 
ries, and  commonly  called  the  "  Cross  Timber." 
On  the  skirts  of  this  forest  land,  just  on  the  edge 
of  a  prairie,  we  found  traces  of  a  Pawnee  en- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  137 

campment  of  between  one  and  two  hundred 
lodges,  showing  that  the  party  must  have  been 
numerous.  The  scull  of  a  buffalo  lay  near  the 
camp,  and  the  moss  which  had  gathered  on  it 
proved  that  the  encampment  was  at  least  a  year 
old.  About  half  a  mile  off  we  encamped  in  a 
beautiful  grove,  watered  by  a  fine  spring  and 
rivulet.  Our  day's  journey  had  been  about  four- 
teen miles. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  we  were  re- 
joined by  two  of  Lieutenant  King's  party,  which 
we  had  left  behind  a  few  days  before,  to  look 
after  stray  horses.  All  the  horses  had  been 
found,  though  some  had  wandered  to  the  distance 
of  several  miles.  The  lieutenant,  with  seven- 
teen of  his  companions,  had  remained  at  cur 
last  night's  encampment  to  hunt,  having  come 
upon  recent  traces  of  buffalo.  They  had  also 
seen  a  fine  wild  horse,  which,  however,  had  gal- 
loped off  with  a  speed  that  defied  pursuit. 

Confident  anticipations  were  now  indulged, 
that  on  the  following  day  we  should  meet  with 
buffalo,  and  perhaps  with  wild  horses,  and  every 
one  was  in  spirits.  We  needed  some  excite- 
ment of  the  kind,  for  our  young  men  were  grow- 
ing weary  of  marching  and  encamping  under 
restraint,  and  provisions  this  day  were  scanty. 
The  captain  and  several  of  the  rangers  went 
out  hunting,  but  brought  home  nothing  but  a 
12* 


138  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

small  deer  and  a  few  turkeys.  Our  two  men, 
Beatte  and  Tonish,  likewise  went  out.  The  for- 
mer returned  with  a  deer  athwart  his  horse, 
which,  as  usual,  he  laid  down  by  our  lodge,  and 
said  nothing.  Tonish  returned  with  no  game, 
but  with  his  customary  budget  of  wonderful 
tales.  Both  he  and  the  deer  had  done  marvels. 
Not  one  had  come  within  the  lure  of  his  rifle 
without  being  hit  in  a  mortal  part,  yet  strange 
to  say,  every  one  had  kept  on  his  way  without 
flinching.  We  all  determined,  that  from  the  ac- 
curacy of  his  aim,  Tonish  must  have  shot  with 
charmed  balls,  but  that  every  deer  had  a  charm- 
ed life.  The  most  important  intelligence  brought 
by  him,  however,  was,  that4ie  had  seen  the  fresh 
tracks  of  several  wild  horses.  He  now  consi- 
dered himself  upon  the  eve  of  great  exploits, 
for  there  was  nothing  upon  which  he  glorified 
himself  more  than  his  skill  in  horse  catching. 


139 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Hunters^  anticipations.      The  rugged  ford,     A 
wild  horse 

(Oct.  21.)  Tins  morning  the  camp  was  in  a 
bustle  at  an  early  hour:  the  expectation  of  fall- 
ing in  with  buffalo  in  the  course  of  the  day 
roused  every  one's  spirit.  There  was  a  con- 
tinual cracking  off  of  rifles,  that  they  might  be 
reloaded :  the  shot  was  drawn  off  from  double- 
barreled  guns,  arid  balls  were  substituted.  To- 
nish,  however,  prepared  chiefly  for  a  campaign 
against  wild  horses.  He  took  the  field,  with  a 
coil  of  cordage  hung  at  his  saddle-bow,  and  a 
couple  of  white  wands,  something  like  fishing- 
rods,  eight  or  ten  feet  in  length,  with  forked 
ends.  The  coil  of  cordage  thus  used  in  hunting 
the  wild  horse,  is  called  a  lariat,  and  answers  to 
the  laso  of  South  America.  It  is  not  flung,  how- 
ever, in  the  graceful  and  dexterous  Spanish 
style.  The  hunter,  after  a  hard  chase,  when  he 
succeeds  in  getting  almost  head  and  head  with 
the  wild  horse,  hitches  the  running  noose  of  the 
lariat  over  his  head  by  means  of  the  forked 
stick ;  then  letting  him  have  the  full  length  of 


140  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

the  cord,  plays  him  Hke  a  fish,  and  chokes  him 
into  subjection. 

All  this  Tonish  promised  to  exemplify  to  our 
full  satisfaction ;  we  had  not  much  confidence 
in  his  success,  and  feared  he  might  knock  up  a 
good  horse  in  a  headlong  gallop  after  a  bad  one : 
for,  like  all  the  French  Creoles,  he  was  a  merciless 
hard  rider.  It  was  determined,  therefore,  to 
keep  a  sharp  eye  upon  him,  and  to  check  his 
sallying  propensities. 

We  had  not  proceeded  far  on  our  morning's 
march,  when  w^e  were  checked  by  a  deep 
stream,  running  along  the  bottom  of  a  thickly 
wooded  ravine.  After  coasting  it  for  a  couple 
of  miles,  we  came  to  a  fording  place  ;  but  to 
get  down  to  it  was  the  difficulty,  for  the  banks 
w^ere  steep  and  crumbling,  and  overgrown  with 
forest  trees,  mingled  with  thickets,  brambles, 
and  grape-vines.  At  length  the  leading  horse- 
man broke  his  way  through  the  thicket,  and  his 
horse  putting  his  feet  together,  slid  down  the 
black  crumbling  bank,  to  the  narrow  margin  of 
the  stream ;  then  floundering  across,  with  mud 
and  water  up  to  the  saddle-girths,  he  scrambled 
up  the  opposite  bank,  and  arrived  safe  on  level 
ground.  The  whole  line  followed  pell  mell  after 
the  leader,  and  pushing  forward  in  close  order, 
Indian  file,  they  crowded  tjach  other  down  the 
bank  and  into  the  stream.  "Some  of  the  horse- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  141 

men  missed  the  ford,  and  were  soused  over 
head  and  ears ;  one  was  unhorsed,  and  plumped 
head  foremost  into  the  middle  of  the  stream : 
for  my  own  part,  while  pressed  forward,  and 
hurried  over  the  bank  by  those  behind  me,  I 
was  interrupted  by  a  grape-vine,  as  thick  as  a 
cable,  which  hung  in  a  festoon  as  low  as  the 
saddle-bow,  and,  dragging  me  from  the  saddle, 
threw  me  among  the  feet  of  the  trampling  horses. 
Fortunately,  I  escaped  without  injury,  regained 
my  steed,  crossed  the  stream  without  further 
difficulty,  and  was  enabled  to  join  in  the  merri- 
ment occasioned  by  the  ludicrous  disasters  of 
the  fording. 

It  is  at  passes  like  this  that  occur  the  most 
dangerous  ambuscades  and  sanguinary  surprises  • 
of  Indian  warfare.  A  party  of  savages,  well 
placed  among  the  thickets,  might  have  made 
sad  havoc  among  our  men,  while  entangled  in 
the  ravine. 

We  now  came  out  upon  a  vast  and  glorious 
prairie,  spreading  out  beneath  the  golden  beams 
of  an  autumnal  sun.  The  deep  and  frequent 
traces  of  buffalo,  showed  it  to  be  one  of  their 
favourite  grazing  grounds ;  yet  none  were  to  be 
seen.  In  the  course  of  the  morning,  we  were 
overtaken  by  the  lieutenant  and  seventeen  men, 
who  had  remained  behind,  and  who  came  laden 
with  the  spoils  of  buffaloes  ;  having  killed  three 


142    .  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

on  the  preceding  day.  One  of  the  rangers, 
however,  had  Httle  luck  to  boast  of ;  his  horse 
having  taken  fright  at  sight  of  the  buffaloes, 
thrown  his  rider,  and  escaped  into  the  woods. 

The  excitement  of  our  hunters,  both  young 
and  old,  now  rose  almost  to  fever  height ;  scarce 
any  of  them  having  ever  encountered  any  of 
this  far  famed  game  of  the  prairies.  Accord- 
ingly, when  in  the  course  of  the  day,  the  cry  of 
buffalo !  buffalo !  rose  from  one  part  of  the  line, 
the  whole  troop  were  thrown  in  agitation.  We 
were  just  then  passing  through  a  beautiful  part 
of  the  prairie,  finely  diversified  by  hills  and 
slopes,  and  woody  dells,  and  high,  stately  groves. 
Those  who  had  given  the  alarm,  pointed  out  a 
large  black  looking  animal,  slowly  moving  along 
the  side  of  a  rising  ground,  about  two  miles  off. 
The  ever-ready  Tonish  jumped  up,  and  stood 
with  his  feet  on  the  saddle,  and  his  forked  sticks 
in  his  hands,  like  a  posture-master  or  scaramouch 
at  a  circus,  just  ready  for  a  feat  of  horsemanship. 
After  gazing  at  the  animal  for  a  moment,  which 
he  could  have  seen  full  as  well  without  rising 
from  his  stirrups,  he  pronounced  it  a  wild  horse ; 
and  dropping  again  into  his  saddle,  was  about 
to  dash  off  full  tilt,  in  pursuit,  when,  to  his  in- 
expressible chagrin,  he  was  called  back,  and 
ordered  to  keep  to  his  post,  in  rear  of  the  bag- 
gage horses. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  143 

The  Captain  and  two  of  his  officers  now  set 
off  to  reconnoitre  the  game.  It  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Captain,  who  was  an  admirable 
marksman,  to  endeavour  to  crease  the  horse ; 
that  is  to  say,  to  hit  him  w^ith  a  rifle  ball  in  the 
ridge  of  the  neck.  A  wound  of  this  kind  para- 
lyzes a  horse  for  a  moment;  he  falls  to  the 
ground,  and  may  be  secured  before  he  recovers. 
It  is  a  cruel  expedient,  however,  for  an  ill  di- 
rected shot  may  kill  or  maim  the  noble  animal. 

As  the  Captain  and  his  companions  moved 
off  laterally  and  slowly,  in  the  direction  of  the 
horse,  we  continued  our  course  forward ;  watch- 
ing intently,  however,  the  movements  of  the 
game.  The  horse  moved  quietly  over  the  pro- 
file of  the  rising  ground,  and  disappeared  behind 
it.  The  Captain  and  his  party  were  likewise 
soon  hidden  by  an  intervening  hill. 

After  a  time,  the  horse  suddenly  made  his  ap- 
pearance to  our  right,  just  ahead  of  the  line, 
emerging  out  of  a  small  valley,  on  a  brisk  trot ; 
having  evidently  taken  the  alarm.  At  sight  of 
us,  he  stopped  short,  gazed  at  us  for  an  instant 
with  surprise,  then  tossing  up  his  head,  trotted 
off  in  fine  style,  glancing  at  us  first  over  one 
shoulder,  then  over  the  other,  his  ample  mane 
and  tail  streaming  in  the  wind.  Having  dashed 
through  a  skirt  of  thicket,  that  looked  like  a 
hedge-row,  he  paused  in  the  open  field  beyond. 


144  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

glanced  back  at  us  again,  with  a  beautiful  bend 
of  the  neck,  snuffed  the  air,  and  then  tossing 
his  head  again,  broke  into  a  gallop,  and  took 
refuge  m  a  wood. 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  a  horse 
scouring  his  native  wilderness  in  all  the  pride 
and  freedom  of  his  nature.  How  different  from 
the  poor,  mutilated,  harnessed,  checked,  reined- 
up  victim  of  luxury,  caprice,  and  avarice,  in  our 
cities ! 

After  travelling  about  fifteen  miles,  we  en- 
camped about  one  o'clock,  that  our  hunters 
might  have  time  to  procure  a  supply  of  pro- 
visions. Our  encampment  was  in  a  spacious 
grove  of  lofty  oaks  and  walnuts,  free  from  un- 
der wood,  on  the  border  of  a  brook.  While 
unloading  the  pack-horses,  our  little  French- 
man was  loud  in  his  complaints  at  having  been 
prevented  from  pursuing  the  wild  horse,  which 
he  would  certainly  have  taken.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  saw  our  half-breed,  Beatte,  quietly  saddle 
his  best  horse,  a  powerful  steed  of  a  half-savage 
race,  hang  a  lariat  at  the  saddle-bow,  take  a  rifle 
and  forked  stick  in  hand,  and,  mounting,  depart 
from  the  camp  without  saying  a  word.  It  was 
evident  he  was  going  off  in  quest  of  the  wild 
horse,  but  was  disposed  to  hunt  alone. 


145 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  CAMP  OF  THE  WILD  HORSE. 

Hunters^  stories.  Habits  of  the  Wild  Horse, 
The  Half 'breed  and  his  prize,  A  horse  chase, 
A  wild  spirit  tamed. 

We  had  encamped  in  a  good  neighbourhood 
for  game,  as  the  reports  of  rifles  in  various  di- 
rections speedily  gave  notice.  One  of  our  hunt- 
ers soon  returned  with  the  meat  of  a  doe,  tied  up 
in  the  skin,  and  slung  across  his  shoulders.  An- 
other brought  a  fat  buck  across  his  horse.  Two 
other  deer  were  brought  in,  and  a  number  of 
turkeys.  All  the  game  was  thrown  down  in 
front  of  the  Captain's  fire,  to  be  portioned  out 
among  the  various  messes.  The  spits  and  camp 
kettles  were  soon  in  full  employ,  and  throughout 
the  evening  there  was  a  scene  of  hunters'  feast- 
ing and  profusion. 

We  had  been  disappointed  this  day  in  our 
hopes  of  meeting  with  buffalo,  but  the  sight  of 
the  wild  horse  had  been  a  great  novelty,  and 
gave  a  turn  to  the  conversation  of  the  camp  for 
the  evening.  There  were  several  anecdotes  told 
13 


146  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

of  a  famous  grey  horse,  that  has  ranged  the  prai- 
ries of  this  neighbourhood  for  six  or  seven  years, 
setting  at  naught  every  attempt  of  the  hunters 
to  capture  him.  They  say  he  can  pace  and  rack 
(or  ambk)  faster  than  the  fleetest  horses  can  run. 
Equally  marvellous  accounts  were  given  of  a 
black  horse  on  the  Brasis,  w^ho  grazed  the  prai- 
ries on  that  river's  banks  in  the  Texas.  For  years 
he  outstripped  all  pursuit.  His  fame  spread  far 
and  wide ;  offers  were  made  for  him  to  the 
amount  of  a  thousand  dollars ;  the  boldest  and 
most  hard  riding  hunters  tried  incessantly  to 
make  prize  of  him,  but  in  vain.  At  length  he 
fell  a  victim  to  his  gallantry,  being  decoyed  un- 
der a  tree  by  a  tame  mare,  and  a  noose  dropped 
over  his  head  by  a  boy  perched  among  the 
branches. 

The  capture  of  the  wild  horse  is  one  of  the 
most  favourite  achievements  of  the  prairie  tribes ; 
and,  indeed,  it  is  from  this  source  that  the  Indian 
hunters  chiefly  supply  themselves.  The  wild 
horses  that  range  those  vast  grassy  plains,  ex- 
tending from  the  Arkansas  to  the  Spanish  settle- 
ments, are  of  various  forms  and  colours,  betray- 
ing their  various  descents.  Some  resemble  the 
common  English  stock,  and  are  probably  de- 
scended from  horses  that  have  escaped  from  our 
border  settlements.  Others  are  of  a  low  but 
strong  make,  and  are  supposed-to  be  of  the  An- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  147 

dalusian  breed,  brought  out  by  the  Spanish  dis- 
coverers. 

Some  fanciful  speculatists  have  seen  in  them 
descendants  of  the  Arab  stock,  brought  into 
Spain  from  Africa,  and  thence  transferred  to 
this  country  ;  and  have  pleased  themselves  with 
the  idea,  that  their  sires  may  have  been  of  the 
pure  coursers  of  the  desert,  that  once  bore  Ma- 
homet and  his  w^arlike  disciples  across  the  sandy 
plains  of  Arabia. 

The  habits  of  the  Arab  seem  to  have  come 
with  the  steed.  The  introduction  of  the  horse 
on  the  boundless  prairies  of  the  Far  West,  chang- 
ed the  whole  mode  of  living  of  their  inhabit- 
ants. It  gave  them  that  facility  of  rapid  mo- 
tion, and  of  sudden  and  distant  change  of  place, 
so  dear  to  the  roving  propensities  of  man.  In- 
stead of  lurking  in  the  depths  of  gloomy  forests, 
and  patiently  threading  the  mazes  of  a  tangled 
wilderness  on  foot,  like  his  brethren  of  the  north, 
the  Indian  of  the  West  is  a  rover  of  the  plain ; 
he  leads  a  brighter  and  more  sunshiny  life  ;  al- 
most always  on  horseback,  on  vast  flowery  prai- 
ries and  under  cloudless  skies. 

I  was  lying  by  the  Captain's  fire,  late  in  the 
evening,  listening  to  stories  about  those  coursers 
of  the  prairies,  and  weaving  speculations  of  my 
own,  when  there  was  a  clamour  of  voices  and 
a  loud  cheering  at  the  other  end  of  the  camp ; 


148  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

and  word  was  passed  that  Beatte,  the  half-breed, 
had  brought  in  a  wild  horse. 

In  an  instant  every  fire  was  deserted ;  the 
whole  camp  crowded  to  see  the  Indian  and  his 
prize.  It  was  a  colt  about  two  years  old,  well 
grown,  finely  limbed,  with  bright  prominent 
eyes,  and  a  spirited  yet  gentle  demeanour.  He 
gazed  about  him  with  an  air  of  mingled  stupe- 
faction and  surprise,  at  the  men,  the  horses,  and 
the  camp  fires  ;  while  the  Indian  stood  before 
him  with  folded  arms,  having  hold  of  the  other 
end  of  the  cord  which  noosed  his  captive,  and 
gazing  on  him  with  a  most  imperturbable  aspect. 
Beatte,  as  I  have  before  observed,  has  a  green- 
ish olive  complexion,  with  a  strongly  marked 
countenance,  not  unlike  the  bronze  casts  of  Na- 
poleon ;  and  as  he  stood  before  his  captive  horse, 
with  folded  arms  and  fixed  aspect,  he  looked 
more  like  a  statue  than  a  man. 

If  the  horse,  however,  manifested  the  least 
restiveness,  Beatte  would  immediately  worry 
him  with  the  lariat,  jerking  him  first  on  one  side, 
then  on  the  other,  so  as  almost  to  throw  him  on 
the  ground ;  when  he  had  thus  rendered  him 
passive,  he  would  resume  his  statue  like  attitude 
and  gaze  at  him  in  silence. 

The  whole  scene  was  singularly  wild  ;  the 
tall  grove,  partially  illumined  by  the  flashing  fires 
of  the  camp,  the  horses  tethered  here  and  there 


A  TOTTR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  149 

among  the  trees,  the  carcasses  of  deer  hanging 
around,  and  in  the  nmidst  of  all,  the  wild  hunts- 
man and  his  wild  horse,  with  an  admiring  throng 
of  rangers,  almost  as  wild. 

In  the  eagerness  of  their  excitement,  several 
of  the  young  rangers  sought  to  get  the  horse  by 
purchase  or  barter,  and  even  offered  extravagant 
terms ;  but  Beatte  declined  all  their  offers. 
"  You  give  great  price  now  ;"  said  he,  "  to-mor- 
row you  fee  sorry,  and  take  back,  and  say  d — d 
Indian  !" 

The  young  men  importuned  him  with  ques- 
tions about  the  mode  in  which  he  took  the  horse, 
but  his  answers  were  dry  and  laconic  ;  he  evi- 
dently retained  some  pique  at  having  been  under- 
valued and  sneered  at  by  them  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  looked  down  upon  them  with  contempt  as 
greenhorns,  little  versed  in  the  noble  science  of 
woodcraft. 

Afterwards,  however,  when  he  was  seated  by 
our  fire,  I  readily  drew  from  him  an  account  of 
his  exploit ;  for,  though  taciturn  among  strangers, 
and  little  prone  to  boast  of  his  actions,  yet  his 
taciturnity,  like  that  of  all  Indians,  had  its  times 
of  relaxation. 

He  informed  me,  that  on  leaving  the  camp, 

he  had  returned  to  the  place  where  w^e  had  lost 

sight  of  the  wild  horse.     Soon  getting  upon  its 

track,  he  followed  it  to  the  banks  of  the  river. 

13* 


150  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

Here,  the  prints  being  more  distinct  in  the  sand, 
he  perceived  that  one  of  the  hoofs  was  broken 
and  defective,  so  he  gave  up  the  pursuit. 

As  he  was  returning  to  the  camp,  he  came 
upon  a  gang  of  six  horses,  which  immediately 
made  for  the  river.  He  pursued  them  across  the 
stream,  left  his  rifle  on  the  river  bank,  and  put- 
ting his  horse  to  full  speed,  soon  came  up  with 
the  fugitives.  He  attempted  to  noose  one  of 
them,  but  the  lariat  hitched  on  one  oft  his  ears, 
and  he  shook  it  off.  The  horses  dashed  up  a 
hill,  he  followed  hard  at  their  heels,  when,  of  a 
sudden,  he  saw  their  tails  whisking  in  the  air, 
and  they  plunging  down  a  precipice.  It  was 
too  late  to  stop.  He  shut  his  eyes,  held  in  his 
breath,  and  went  over  with  them — neck  or  no- 
thing. The  descent  was  between  twenty  and 
thirty  feet,  but  they  all  came  down  safe  upon  a 
sandy  bottom. 

He  now  succeeded  in  throwing  his  noose 
round  a  fine  young  horse.  As  he  galloped  along 
side  of  him,  the  two  horses  passed  each  side  of 
a  sapling,  and  the  end  of  the  lariat  was  jerked 
out  of  his  hand.  He  regained  it,  but  an  inter- 
vening tree  obliged  him  again  to  let  it  go.  Hav- 
ing once  more  caught  it,  and  coming  to  a  more 
open  country,  he  was  enabled  to  play  the  young 
horse  with  the  line  until  he  gradually  checked 
and  subdued  him,  so  as  to  lead  him  to  the  place 
where  he  had  left  his  rifle. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES*  151 

He  had  another  formidable  difficulty  in  get- 
ting him  across  the  river,  where  both  horses 
stuck  for  a  time  in  the  mire,  and  Beatt^  was 
nearly  unseated  from  his  saddle  by  the  force  of 
the  current  and  the  struggles  of  his  captive. 
After  much  toil  and  trouble,  however,  he  got 
across  the  stream,  and  brought  his  prize  safe 
into  the  camp. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  evening,  the  camp 
remained  in  a  high  state  of  excitement ;  nothing 
was  talked  of  but  the  capture  of  wild  horses  ; 
every  youngster  of  the  troop  was  for  this  harum 
scarum  kind  of  chase  ;  every  one  promised  him- 
self to  return  from  the  campaign  in  triumph, 
bestriding  one  of  these  wild  coursers  of  the 
prairies.  Beatte  had  suddenly  risen  to  great 
importance  ;  he  was  the  prime  hunter,  the  hero 
of  the  day.  Offers  were  made  him  by  the  best 
mounted  rangers,  to  let  him  ride  their  horses  in 
the  chase,  provided  he  would  give  them  a  share 
of  the  spoil.  Beatte  bore  his  honours  in  silence, 
and  closed  with  none  of  the  offers.  Our  stam- 
mering, chattering,  gasconading  little  French- 
man, however,  made  up  for  his  taciturnity,  by 
vaunting  as  much  upon  the  subject  as  if  it  were 
he  that  had  caught  the  horse.  Indeed  he  held 
forth  so  learnedly  in  the  matter,  and  boasted  so 
much  of  the  many  horses  he  had  taken,  that  he 
began  to  be  considered  an  oracle  ;  and  some  of 


152  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

the  youngsters  were  inclined  to  doubt  wheth- 
er he  were  not  superior  even  to  the  taciturn 
Beatte. 

The  excitement  kept  the  camp  awake  later 
than  usual.  The  hum  of  voices,  interrupted  by 
occasional  peals  of  laughter,  was  heard  from 
the  groups  around  the  various  fires,  and  the 
night  was  considerably  advanced  before  all  had 
sunk  to  sleep. 

With  the  morning  dawn  the  excitement  re- 
vived, and  Beatte  and  his  wild  horse  were  again 
the  gaze  and  talk  of  the  camp.  The  captive 
had  been  tied  all  night  to  a  tree  among  the  other 
horses.  He  was  again  led  forth  by  Beatte,  by 
a  long  halter  or  lariat,  and,  on  his  manifesting 
the  least  restiveness,  was,  as  before,  jerked  and 
w^orried  into  passive  submission.  He  appeared 
to  be  gentle  and  docile  by  nature,  and  had  a 
beautifully  mild  expression  of  the  eye.  In  his 
strange  and  forlorn  situation,  the  poor  animal 
seemed  to  seek  protection  and  companionship 
in  the  very  horse  that  had  aided  to  capture  him. 

Seeing  him  thus  gentle  and  tractable,  Beatte, 
just  as  we  were  about  to  march,  strapped  a  light 
pack  upon  his  back,  by  way  of  giving  him  the 
first  lesson  in  servitude.  The  native  pride  and 
independence  of  the  animal  took  fire  at  this  in- 
dignity. He  reared,  and  plunged,  and  kicked, 
and  tried  in  every  way  to  get  rid  of  the  degra- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  153 

ding  burthen.  The  Indian  was  too  potent  for 
him.  At  every  paroxysm  he  renewed  the  dis- 
ciphne  of  the  halter,  until  the  poor  animal, 
driven  to  despair,  threw  himself  prostrate  on 
the  ground,  and  lay  motionless,  as  if  acknow- 
ledging himself  vanquished.  A  stage  hero, 
representing  the  despair  of  a  captive  prince, 
could  not  have  played  his  part  more  dramatic- 
ally. There  was  absolutely  a  moral  grandeur 
in  it. 

The  imperturbable  Beatte  folded  his  arms, 
and  stood  for  a  time,  looking  down  in  silence 
upon  his  captive ;  until  seeing  him  perfectly 
subdued,  he  nodded  his  head  slowly,  screwed 
his  mouth  into  a  sardonic  smile  of  triumph,  and, 
with  a  jerk  of  the  halter,  ordered  him  to  rise. 
He  obeyed,  and  from  that  time  forward  offered 
no  resistance.  During  that  day  he  bore  his 
pack  patiently,  and  was  led  by  the  halter ;  but 
in  two  days  he  followed  voluntarily  at  large 
among  the  supernumerary  horses  of  the  troop. 

I  could  not  but  look  with  compassion  upon 
this  fine  young  animal,  whose  whole  course  of 
existence  had  been  so  suddenly  reversed.  From 
being  a  denizen  of  these  vast  pastures,  ranging 
at  will  from  plain  to  plain  and  mead  to  mead 
cropping  of  every  herb  and  flower,  and  drink- 
ing of  every  stream,  he  was  suddenly  reduced 
to  perpetual  and  painful  servitude,  to  pass  his 


154  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

life  under  the  harness  and  the  curb,  amid,  per- 
haps, the  din  and  dust  and  drudgery  of  cities. 
The  transition  in  his  lot  was  such  as  sometimes 
takes  place  in  human  affairs,  and  in  the  fortunes 
of  towering  individuals  : — one  day,  a  prince  of 
the  prairies — the  next  day,  a  pack-horse  ! 


155 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  fording  of  the  Red  Fork,     The  dreary  for^ 
ests  of  the  "  C7^oss  Timber  J^     Buffalo  ! 

We  left  the  camp  of  the  wild  horse  about  a 
quarter  before  eight,  and,  after  steering  nearly 
south  for  three  or  four  miles,  arrived  on  the 
banks  of  the  Red  Fork,  at,  as  we  supposed, 
about  seventy-five  miles  above  its  mouth.  The 
river  was  about  three  hundred  yards  wide,  wan- 
dering among  sand  bars  and  shoals.  Its  shores, 
and  the  long  sandy  banks  that  stretched  out  into 
the  stream,  were  printed,  as  usual,  with  the 
traces  of  various  animals  that  had  come  down 
to  cross  it,  or  to  drink  its  waters. 

Here  we  came  to  a  halt,  and  there  was  much 
consultation  about  the  possibility  of  fording  the 
river  with  safety,  as  there  was  an  apprehension 
of  quicksands.  Beatte,  who  had  been  some- 
what in  the  rear  came  up  while  we  were  de- 
bating. He  was  mounted  on  his  horse  of  the 
half  wild  breed,  and  leadmg  his  captive  by  the 
bridle.  He  gave  the  latter  in  charge  to  Tonish 
and  without  saying  a  word,  urged  his  horse  into 
the  stream,  and  crossed  it  in  safety.  Every 
thing  was  done  by  this  man  in  a  similar  way, 


156  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

promptly,  resolutely,  and  silently,  without  a  pre- 
vious promise  or  an  after  vaunt. 

The  troop  now  followed  the  lead  of  Beatte, 
and  reached  the  opposite  shore  without  any 
mishap,  though  one  of  the  pack-horses  wander- 
ing a  Httle  from  the  track,  came  near  being 
swallowed  up  in  a  quicksand,  and  was  with 
difficulty  dragged  to  land. 

After  crossing  the  river,  we  had  to  force  our 
way,  for  nearly  a  mile,  through  a  thick  cane- 
brake,  which,  at  first  sight,  appeared  an  imper- 
vious mass  of  reeds  and  brambles.  It  was  a 
hard  struggle ;  our  horses  were  often  to  the 
saddle-girths  in  mire  and  water,  and  both  horse 
and  horseman  harassed  and  torn  by  bush  and 
brier.  Falling,  however,  upon  a  buffalo  track, 
we  at  length  extricated  ourselves  from  this  mo- 
rass, and  ascended  a  ridge  of  land,  where  we 
beheld  a  beautiful  open  country  before  us ; 
while  to  our  right,  the  belt  of  forest  land,  called 
"  The  Cross  Timber,"  continued  stretching  away 
to  the  southward,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
We  soon  abandoned  the  open  country,  and  struck 
into  the  forest  land.  It  was  the  intention  of  the 
Captain  to  keep  on  south-west  by  south,  and 
traverse  the  Cross  Timber  diagonally,  so  as  to 
come  out  upon  the  edge  of  the  great  western 
prairie.  By  thus  maintaining  something  of  a 
southerly  direction,  he  trusted,  while  he  crossed 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  157 

the  belt  of  forest,  he  would  at  the  same  time 
approach  towards  the  Red  River. 

The  plan  of  the  Captain  was  judicious  ;  but 
he  erred  from  not  being  informed  of  the  nature 
of  the  country.  Had  he  kept  directly  west,  a 
couple  of  days  would  have  carried  us  through 
the  forest  land,  and  we  might  then  have  had  an 
easy  course  along  the  skirts  of  the  upper  prai- 
ries, to  Red  River ;  by  going  diagonally,  we 
were  kept  for  many  weary  days  toiling  through 
a  dismal  series  of  rugged  forests. 

The  Cross  Timber  is  about  forty  miles  in 
breadth,  and  stretches  over  a  rough  country  of 
roUing  hills,  covered  with  scattered  tracts  of 
post-oak  and  black-jack  ;  with  some  intervening 
valleys,  that  at  proper  seasons  would  afford 
good  pasturage.  It  is  very  much  cut  up  by  deep 
ravines,  which,  in  the  rainy  seasons,  are  the  beds 
of  temporary  streams,  tributary  to  the  main  riv- 
ers, and  these  are  called  "  branches."  The 
whole  tract  may  present  a  pleasant  aspect  in 
the  fresh  time  of  the  year,  when  the  ground  is 
covered  with  herbage ;  when  the  trees  are  in 
their  green  leaf,  and  the  glens  are  enlivened  by 
running  streams.  Unfortunately,  we  entered 
it  too  late  in  tile  season.  The  herbage  was 
parched  ;  the  foliage  of  the  scrubby  forests  was 
withered ;  the  whole  woodland  prospect,  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  had  a  brown  and  arid 
14 


158  A    TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES. 

hue.  The  fires  made  on  the  prairies  by  the  In- 
dian hunters,  had  frequently  penetrated  these 
forests,  sweeping  in  hght  transient  flames  along 
the  dry  grass,  scorching  and  calcining  the  lower 
twigs  and  branches  of  the  trees,  and  leaving 
them  black  and  hard,  so  as  to  tear  the  flesh  of 
man  and  horse  that  had  to  scramble  through 
them.  I  shall  not  easily  forget  the  mortal  toil, 
and  the  vexations  of  flesh  and  spirit,  that  we 
underwent  occasionally,  in  our  wanderings 
through  the  Cross  Timber.  It  was  like  strug- 
gling through  forests  of  cast  iron. 

After  a  tedious  ride  of  several  miles,  we  came 
out  upon  an  open  tract  of  hill  and  dale,  inter- 
spersed with  woodland.  Here  we  were  roused 
by  the  cry  of  buffalo  !  buffalo  !  The  effect  was 
something  like  that  of  the  cry  of  a  sail !  a  sail  ! 
at  sea.  It  was  not  a  false  alarm.  Three  or 
four  of  those  enormous  animals  were  visible  to 
our  sight  grazing  on  the  slope  of  a  distant  hill. 

There  was  a  general  movement  to  set  off"  in 
pursuit,  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  the 
vivacity  of  the  younger  men  of  the  troop  could 
be  restrained.  Leaving  orders  that  the  line  of 
march  should  be  preserved,  the  Captain  and  two 
of  his  oflnicers  departed  at  a  qi^et  pace,  accom- 
panied by  Beatte,  and  by  the  ever  forward  To- 
nish  ;  for  it  was  impossible  any  longer  to  keep 
the  little  Frenchman  in  check,  being  half  crazy 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  159 

to  prove  his  skill  and  prowess  in  hunting  the 
buffalo. 

The  intervening  hills  soon  hid  from  us  both 
the  game  and  the  huntsmen.  We  kept  on  our 
course,  in  quest  of  a  camping  place,  which  was 
difficult  to  be  found  ;  almost  all  the  channels  of 
the  streams  being  dry,  and  the  country  being 
destitute  of  fountain  heads. 

After  proceeding  some  distance,  there  was 
again  a  cry  of  buffalo,  and  two  were  pointed 
out  on  a  hill  to  the  left.  The  Captain  being  ab- 
sent, it  was  no  longer  possible  to  restrain  the 
ardour  of  the  young  hunters.  Away  several  of 
them  dashed,  full  speed,  and  soon  disappeared 
among  the  ravines  :  the  rest  kept  on,  anxious  to 
find  a  proper  place  for  encampment. 

Indeed  we  now  began  to  experience  the  dis- 
advantages of  the  season.  The  pasturage  of 
the  prairies  was  scanty  and  parched ;  the  pea- 
vines  which  grew  in  the  woody  bottoms  were 
withered,  and  most  of  the  "branches,"  or  streams 
were  dried  up.  While  wandering  in  this  per- 
plexity, we  were  overtaken  by  the  Captain  and 
all  his  party,  except  Tonish.  They  had  pursued 
the  buffalo  for  some  distance  without  getting 
within  shot,  and  had  given  up  the  chase,  being 
fearful  of  fatiguing  their  horses,  or  being  led  off 
too  far   from   camp.      The   little   Frenchman, 


160  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

however,  had  galloped  after  them  like  mad,  and 
the  last  they  saw  of  him,  he  w^as  engaged,  as  it 
were,  yard-arm  and  yard-arm,  with  a  great 
buffalo  bull,  firing  broadsides  into  him.  "  I  tink 
dat  little  man  crazy — somehow,"  observed  Beat- 
te,  dryly. 


161 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  ALARM  CAMP. 

We  now  came  to  a  halt,  and  had  to  content 
ourselves  with  an  indifferent  encampment.  It 
was  in  a  grove  of  scrub-oaks,  on  the  borders  of 
a  deep  ravine,  at  the  bottom  of  which  were  a 
fpw  scanty  pools  of  water.  We  were  just  at 
the  foot  of  a  gradually  sloping  hill,  covered  with 
half  withered  grass,  that  afforded  meagre  pas- 
turage. In  the  spot  where  we  had  encamped, 
the  grass  was  high  and  parched.  The  view 
around  us  was  circumscribed  and  much  shut  in 
by  gently  swelling  hills. 

Just  as  we  were  encamping,  Tonish  arrived, 
all  glorious,  from  his  hunting  match ;  his  white 
horse  hung  all  round  w^ith  buffalo  meat.  Ac- 
cording to  his  own  account,  he  had  laid  low  two 
mighty  bulls.  As  usual,  we  deducted  one  half 
from  his  boastings ;  but  now  that  he  had  some- 
thing real  to  vaunt  about,  there  was  no  restrain- 
ing the  valour  of  his  tongue. 

After  having  in  some  measure  appeased  his 
vanity  by  boasting  of  his  exploit,  he  informed 
us  that  he  had  observed  the  fresh  track  of  horses, 
14* 


162  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

which,  from  various  circumstances,  he  suspected 
to  have  been  made  by  some  roving  band  of 
Pawnees.  This  caused  some  Httle  uneasiness. 
The  young  men  who  had  left  the  Hne  of  march 
in  pursuit  of  the  two  buffaloes,  had  not  yet  rejoin- 
ed us :  apprehensions  were  expressed  that  they 
might  be  waylayed  and  attacked.  Our  vete- 
ran hunter,  Old  Ryan,  also,  immediately  on  our 
halting  to  encamp,  had  gone  off  on  foot,  in  com- 
pany with  a  young  disciple.  "  Dat  old  man  will 
have  his  brains  knocked  out  by  de  Pawnees  yet,'* 
said  Beatte.  "  He  tink  he  know  every  ting,  but 
he  don't  know  Pawnees,  any  how.'' 

Taking  his  rifle,  the  Captain  repaired  on  foot 
to  reconnoitre  the  country  from  the  naked  sum- 
mit of  one  of  the  neighbouring  hills.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  horses  were  hobbled  and  turned 
loose  to  graze  in  the  adjacent  fields ;  and  wood 
was  cut,  and  fires  made,  to  prepare  the  eve- 
ning's repast. 

Suddenly  there  was  an  alarm  of  fire  in  the 
camp !  The  flame  from  one  of  the  kindling 
fires  had  caught  to  the  tall  dry  grass :  a  breeze 
was  blowing  ;  there  was  danger  that  the  camp 
would  soon  be  wrapped  in  a  light  blaze.  Look 
to  the  horses !"  cried  one ;  "  drag  away  the 
baggage  !"  cried  another.  "  Take  care  of  the 
rifles  and  powder-horns!"  cried  a  third.  All 
was  hurry-scurry  and  uproar.    The  horses  dash- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  163 

ed  wildly  about :  some  of  the  men  snatched  away 
rifles  and  powder-horns,  others  dragged  off*  sad- 
dles and  saddlebags.  Meantime,  no  one  thought 
of  quelhng  the  fire,  nor  indeed  knew  how  to 
quell  it.  Beatte,  however,  and  his  comrades 
attacked  it  in  the  Indian  mode,  beating  down 
the  edges  of  the  fire  with  blankets  and  horse- 
cloths, and  endeavouring  to  prevent  its  spread- 
ing among  the  grass ;  the  rangers  followed  their 
example,  and  in  a  little  while  the  flames  were 
happily  quelled. 

The  fires  were  now  properly  kindled  on  pla- 
ces from  whence  the  dry  grass  had  been  cleared 
away.  The  horses  were  scattered  about  a  small 
valley,  and  on  the  sloping  hill  side,  cropping  the 
scanty  herbage.  Tonish  was  preparing  a  sump- 
tuous evening's  meal  from  his  buffalo  meat,  pro- 
mising us  a  rich  soup  and  a  prime  piece  of  roast 
beef:  but  we  were  doomed  to  experience  an- 
other and  more  serious  alarm. 

There  was  an  indistinct  cry  from  some  ran- 
gers on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  of  which  we 
could  only  distinguish  the  words,  "  The  horses  ! 
the  horses  !  get  in  the  horses !" 

Immediately  a  clamour  of  voices  arose ;  shouts, 
inquiries,  replies,  were  all  mingled  together,  so 
that  nothing  could  be  clearly  understood,  and 
every  one  drew  his  own  inference. 

"  The  Captain  has  started  buffaloes,"  cried 


164  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

one,  **and  wants  horses  for  the  chase."  Im- 
mediately a  number  of  rangers  seized  their 
rifles,  and  scampered  for  the  hill  top.  "  The 
prairie  is  on  fire  beyond  the  hill,"  cried  another, 
**  I  see  the  smoke — the  Captain  means  we  shall 
drive  the  horses  beyond  the  brook," 

By  this  time  a  ranger  from  the  hill  had  reach- 
ed the  skirts  of  the  camp.  He  was  almost  breath- 
less, and  could  only  say  that  the  Captain  had 
seen  Indians  at  a  distance. 

"  Pawnees  !  Pawnees !"  was  now  the  cry 
among  our  wild-headed  youngsters.  "  Drive 
the  horses  into  the  camp  !"  cried  one.  "  Saddle 
the  horses  !"  cried  another.  "  Foifn  the  line  1" 
cried  a  third.  There  was  now  a  scene  of  cla- 
mour and  confusion  that  baffles  all  description. 
The  rangers  were  scampering  about  the  adja- 
cent field  in  pursuit  of  their  horses.  One  might 
be  seen  tugging  his  steed  along  by  a  halter^ 
another  without  a  hat,  riding  bare-backed ;  an- 
other driving  a  hobbled  horse  before  him,  that 
made  awkward  leaps  like  a  kangaroo. 

The  alarm  increased.  Word  was  brought 
from  the  lower  end  of  the  camp  that  there  was 
a  band  of  Pawnees  in  a  neighbouring  valley. 
They  had  shot  old  Ryan  through  the  head,  and 
■were  chasing  his  companion  !  "  No,  it  was  not 
old  Ryan  that  was  killed — it  was  one  of  the 
hunters  that  had  been  after  the  two  buffaloes." 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  165 

*  There  are  three  hundred  Pawnees  just  beyond 
the  hill,"  cried  o»e  voice.  "More,  more!"  cried 
another. 

Our  situation,  shut  in  among  hills,  prevented 
our  seeing  to  any  distance,  and  left  us  a  prey  to 
all  these  rumours.  A  cruel  enemy  was  suppo- 
sed to  be  at  hand,  and  an  immediate  attack  ap- 
prehended. The  horses  by  this  time  were  driven 
into  the  camp,  and  were  dashing  about  among 
the  fires,  and  trampling  upon  the  baggage.  Every 
one  endeavoured  to  prepare  for  action ;  but  here 
was  the  perplexity.  During  the  late  alarm  of 
fire,  the  saddles,  bridles,  rifles,  powder-horns, 
and  other  equipments,  had  been  snatched  out  of 
their  places,  and  thrown  helter  skelter  among 
the  trees. 

Where  is  my  saddle  ?"  cried  one.  "  Has  any 
one  seen  my  rifle?"  cried  another.  "  Who  will 
lend  me  a  ball  ?"  cried  a  third,  who  was  loading 
his  piece.  "  I  have  lost  my  bullet  pouch."  "For 
God's  sake  help  me  to  girth  this  horse !"  cried 
another ;  "  he's  so  restive  I  can  do  nothing  with 
him."  In  his  hurry  and  worry,  he  had  put  on 
the  saddle  the  hind  part  before  ! 

Some  affected  to  swagger  and  talk  bold ;  others 
said  nothing,  but  went  on  steadily,  preparing 
their  horses  and  weapons,  and  on  these  I  felt 
the  most  reliance.  Some  were  evidently  ex- 
cited and  elated  with  the  idea  of  an  encounter 


166  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

with  Indians ;  and  none  more  so  than  my  young 
Swiss  fellow  traveller,  who  had  a  passion  for 
wild  adventure.  Our  man,  Beatte,  led  his  horses 
in  the  rear  of  the  camp,  placed  his  rifle  against 
a  tree,  then  seated  himself  by  the  fire  in  perfect 
silence.  On  the  other  hand,  little  Tonish,  who 
was  busy  cooking,  stopped  every  moment  from 
his  work  to  play  the  fanfaron,  singing,  swearing, 
and  affecting  an  unusual  hilarity,  which  made 
me  strongly  suspect  that  there  was  some  little 
fright  at  bottom,  to  cause  all  this  effervescence. 
About  a  dozen  of  the  rangers,  as  soon  as  they 
could  saddle  their  horses,  dashed  off  in  the  di- 
rection in  which  the  Pawnees  were  said  to  have 
attacked  the  hunters.  It  was  now  determined, 
in  case  our  camp  should  be  assailed,  to  put  our 
horses  in  the  ravine  in  rear,  where  they  would 
be  out  of  danger  from  arrow  or  rifle  ball,  and 
to  take  our  stand  within  the  edge  of  the  ravine. 
This  would  serve  as  a  trench,  and  the  trees  and 
thickets  with  which  it  was  bordered,  would  be 
sufficient  to  turn  aside  any  shaft  of  the  enemy. 
The  Pawnees,  beside,  are  wary  of  attacking 
any  covert  of  the  kind  ;  their  warfare,  as  I  have 
already  observed,  lies  in  the  open  prairie,  where, 
mounted  upon  their  fleet  horses,  they  can  swoop 
like  hawks  upon  their  enemy,  or  wheel  about 
him  and  discharge  their  arrows.  Still  I  could 
not  but  perceive,  that,  in  case  of  being  attacked 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  167 

by  sudi  a  number  of  these  well  mounted  and 
warlike  savages  as  were  said  to  be  at  hand,  we 
should  be  exposed  to  considerable  511  sk  from  the 
inexperience  and  want  of  discipline  of  our  new- 
ly raised  rangers,  and  from  the  very  courage  of 
many  of  the  younger  ones  who  seemed  bent  on 
adventure  and  exploit. 

By  this  time  the  Captain  reached  the  camp, 
and  every  one  crowded  round  him  for  informa- 
tion. He  informed  us,  that  he  had  proceeded 
some  distance  on  his  reconnoitering  expedition, 
and  was  slowly  returning  towards  the  camp, 
along  the  brow  of  a  naked  hill,  when  he  saw 
something  on  the  edge  of  a  parallel  hill,  that 
looked  like  a  man.  He  paused,  and  watched 
it ;  but  it  remained  so  perfectly  motionless,  that 
he  supposed  it  a  bush,  or  the  top  of  some  tree 
beyond  the  hill.  He  resumed  his  course,  when 
it  likewise  began  to  move  in  a  parallel  direction. 
Another  form  now  rose  beside  it,  of  some  one 
who  had  either  been  lying  down,  or  had  just 
ascended  the  other  side  of  the  hill.  The  Cap- 
tain stopped  and  regarded  them ;  they  likewise 
stopped.  He  then  lay  down  upon  the  grass, 
and  they  began  to  walk.  On  his  rising,  they 
again  stopped,  as  if  watching  him.  Knowing 
that  the  Indians  are  apt  to  have  their  spies  and 
sentinels  thus  posted  on  the  summit  of  naked 
hills,  commanding  extensive  prospects,  his  doubts 


168  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

were  increased  by  the  suspicious  movements  of 
these  men.  He  now  put  his  foraging  cap  on 
the  end  of  his  rifle,  and  waved  it  in  the  air. 
Tliey  took  no  notice  of  the  signal.  He  then 
walked  on,  until  he  entered  the  edge  of  a  wood, 
which  concealed  him  from  their  view.  Stop- 
ping out  of  sight  for  a  moment,  he  again  looked 
forth,  when  he  saw  the  two  men  passing  swiftly 
forward.  As  the  hill  on  which  they  were  walk- 
ing made  a  curve  toward  that  on  which  he  stood, 
it  seemed  as  if  they  were  endeavouring  to  head 
him  before  he  should  reach  the  camp.  Doubt- 
ing whether  they  might  not  belong  to  some  large 
party  of  Indians,  either  in  ambush  or  moving 
along  the  valley  beyond  the  hill,  the  Captain 
hastened  his  steps  homeward,  and,  descrying 
some  rangers  on  an  eminence  between  him  and 
the  camp,  he  called  out  to  them  to  pass  the 
word  to  have  the  horses  driven  in,  as  these  are 
generally  the  first  objects  of  Indian  depredation. 
Such  was  the  origin  of  the  alarm  which  had 
thrown  the  camp  in  commotion.  Some  of  those 
who  heard  the  Captain's  narration,  had  no  doubt 
that  the  men  on  the  hill  were  Pawnee  scouts, 
belonging  to  the  band  that  had  waylaid  the 
hunters.  Distant  shots  were  heard  at  intervals, 
which  were  supposed  to  be  fired  by  those  who 
had  salHed  out  to  rescue  their  comrades.  Seve- 
ral more  rangers,  having  completed  their  equip- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  169 

ments,  now  rode  forth  in  the  direction  of  the 
firing ;  others  looked  anxious  and  uneasy. 

"  If  they  are  as  numerous  as  they  are  said  to 
be,"  said  one,  "and  as  well  mounted  as  they  gen- 
erally are,  we  shall  be  a  bad  match  for  them  with 
our  jaded  horses." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  we  have  a 
strong  encampment,  and  can  stand  a  siege." 

"Ay,  but  they  may  set  fire  to  the  prairie  in 
the  nightf  and  burn  us  out  of  our  encampment." 

"  We  will  then  set  up  a  counter  fire  1" 

The  word  was  now  passed  that  a  man  on 
horseback  approached  the  camp. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  hunters  !  It  is  Clements  !" 
"  He  brings  buffalo  meat !"  was  announced  by 
several  voices  as  the  horseman  drew  near. 

It  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  rangers  who  had 
set  off  in  the  morning  in  pursuit  of  the  two  buf- 
faloes. He  rode  into  the  camp,  with  the  spoils 
of  the  chase  hanging  round  his  horse,  and  fol- 
lowed by  his  companions,  all  sound  and  unharm- 
ed, and  equally  well  laden.  They  proceeded  to 
give  an  account  of  a  grand  gallop  they  had  had 
after  the  two  buffaloes,  and  how  many  shots  it 
had  cost  them  to  bring  one  to  the  ground. 

"  Well,  but  the  Pawnees — the  Pawnees — 
where  are  the  Pawnees  ?" 

"  What  Pawnees  ?" 

"  The  Pawnees  that  attacked  you." 
15 


170  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

"  No  one  attacked  us." 

"But  have  you  seen  no  Indians  on  your 
way?" 

"  Oh  yes,  two  of  us  got  to  the  top  of  a  hill  to 
look  out  for  the  camp,  and  saw  a  fellow  on  an 
opposite  hill  cutting  queer  antics,  who  seemed 
to  be  an  Indian." 

"  Pshaw  !  that  was  I !"  said  the  Captain. 

Here  the  bubble  burst.  The  whole  alarm 
had  risen  from  this  mutual  mistake  of  the  Cap- 
tain and  the  two  rangers.  As  to  the  report  of 
the  three  hundred  Pawnees  and  their  attack  on 
the  hunters,  it  proved  to  be  a  wanton  fabrica- 
tion, of  which  no  further  notice  was  taken; 
though  the  author  deserved  to  have  been  sought 
out,  and  severely  punished. 

There  being  no  longer  any  prospect  of  fight- 
ing, every  one  now  thought  of  eating ;  and  here 
the  stomachs  throughout  the  camp  were  in  uni- 
son. Tonish  served  up  to  us  his  promised  re- 
gale of  buffalo  soup  and  buffalo  beef.  The  soup 
was  peppered  most  horribly,  and  the  roast  beef 
proved  the  bull  to  have  been  one  of  the  patri- 
archs of  the  prairies ;  never  did  I  have  to  deal 
with  a  tougher  morsel.  However,  it  was  our 
first  repast  on  buffalo  meat,  so  we  ate  it  with  a 
lively  faith ;  nor  would  our  little  Frenchman 
allow  us  any  rest,  until  he  had  extorted  from  us 
an   acknowledgment   of  the  excellence  of  his 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  171 

cookery ;  though  the  pepper  gave  us  the  He  in 
our  throats. 

The  night  closed  in  without  the  return  of  old 
Ryan  and  his  companion.  We  had  become  ac- 
customed, however,  to  the  aberrations  of  this 
old  cock  of  the  woods,  and  no  further  solicitude 
was  expressed  on  his  account. 

After  the  fatigues  and  agitations  of  the  day, 
the  camp  soon  sunk  into  a  profound  sleep,  ex- 
cepting those  on  guard,  who  were  more  than 
usually  on  the  alert ;  for  the  traces  recently  seen 
of  Pawnees,  and  the  certainty  that  we  were  in 
the  midst  of  their  hunting  grounds,  excited  to 
constant  vigilance.  About  half  past  ten  o'clock 
we  were  all  startled  from  sleep,  by  a  new  alarm. 
A  sentinel  had  fired  off  his  rifle  and  run  into 
camp,  crying  that  there  were  Indians  at  hand. 

Every  one  was  on  his  legs  in  an  instant.  Some 
seized  their  rifles ;  some  were  about  to  saddle 
their  horses;  some  hastened  to  the  Captain's 
lodge,  but  were  ordered  back  to  their  respective 
fires.  The  sentinel  was  examined.  He  de- 
clared he  had  seen  an  Indian  approach,  crawling 
along  the  ground  ;  whereupon  he  had  fired  upon 
him,  and  run  into  camp.  The  Captain  gave  it 
as  his  opinion,  that  the  supposed  Indian  was  a 
wolf ;  he  reprimanded  the  sentinel  for  deserting 
his  post,  and  obliged  him  to  return  to  it.  Many 
seemed  inclined  to  give  credit  to  the  story  of  the 


172  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

sentinel ;  for  the  events  of  the  day  had  pre- 
disposed them  to  apprehend  lurking  foes  and 
sudden  assaults  during  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
For  a  long  time  they  sat  round  their  fires,  with 
rifle  in  hand,  carrying  on  low,  murmuring  con- 
versations, and  listening  for  some  new  alarm. 
Nothing  further,  however,  occurred ;  the  voices 
gradually  died  away;  the  gossipers  nodded  and 
dozed,  and  sunk  to  rest ;  and,  by  degrees,  silence 
and  sleep  once  more  stole  over  the  camp. 


173 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Beaver-dam,  Buffalo  and  horse  tracks,  A  Paw- 
nee trail.  Wild  horses.  The  young  hunter 
and  the  hear.     Change  of  route. 

On  mustering  our  forces  in  the  morning, 
(Oct.  23,)  old  Ryan  and  his  comrade  were  still 
missing  ;  but,  the  Captain  had  such  perfect  reli- 
ance on  the  skill  and  resources  of  the  veteran 
woodsman,  that  he  did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
take  any  measures  with  respect  to  him. 

Our  march  this  day  lay  through  the  same  kind 
of  rough  rolling  country  ;  checquered  by  brown 
dreary  forests  of  post-oak,  and  cut  up  by  deep 
dry  ravines.  The  distant  fires  were  evidently 
increasing  on  the  prairies.  The  wind  had  been 
at  northwest  for  several  days ;  and  the  atmos- 
phere had  become  so  smoky,  as  in  the  height  of 
Indian  summer,  that  it  was  difficult  to  distin- 
guish objects  at  any  distance. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  we  crossed  a 
deep  stream  with  a  complete  beaver  dam,  above 
three  feet  high,  making  a  large  pond,  and  doubt- 
less containing  several  families  of  that  industri- 
ous animal,  though  not  one  showed  his  nose 
15* 


174  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

above  water.  The  Captain  would  not  permit 
this  amphibious  commonwealth  to  be  disturbed. 

We  were  now  continually  coming  upon  the 
tracks  of  buffaloes  and  wild  horses ;  those  of 
the  former,  tended  invariably  to  the  south,  as  we 
could  perceive  by  the  direction  of  the  trampled 
grass.  It  was  evident,  we  were  on  the  great 
highway  of  these  migratory  herds,  but  that  they 
had  chiefly  passed  to  the  southward. 

Beatte,  who  generally  kept  a  parallel  course 
several  hundred  yards  distant  from  our  line  of 
march,  to  be  on  the  look  out  for  game,  and  who 
regarded  every  track  with  the  knowing  eye  of 
an  Indian,  reported  that  he  had  come  upon  a 
very  suspicious  trail.  There  were  the  tracks  of 
men  who  wore  Pawnee  moccasons.  He  had 
scented  the  smoke  of  mingled  sumach  and  to- 
bacco, such  as  the  Indians  use.  He  had  observ- 
ed tracks  of  horses,  mingled  with  those  of  a 
dog  ;  and  a  mark  in  the  dust  where  a  cord  had 
been  trailed  along ;  probably  the  long  bridle, 
one  end  of  which  the  Indian  horsemen  suffer  to 
trail  on  the  ground.  It  was  evident,  they  were 
not  the  tracks  of  wild  horses.  My  anxiety  be- 
gan to  revive  about  the  safety  of  our  veteran 
hunter  Ryan,  for  I  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to 
this  real  old  Leatherstocking ;  every  one  expres- 
sed a  confidence,  however,  that  wherever  Ryan 
was,  he  was  safe,  and  knew  how  to  take  care  of 
himself. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  175 

we  had  accomplished  the  greater  part  of  a 
weary  day's  march,  and  were  passing  through  a 
glade  of  the  oak  openings,  when  we  came  in 
sight  of  six  wild  horses,  among  which  I  especial- 
ly noticed  two  very  handsome  ones,  a  grey  and 
a  roan.  They  pranced  about,  with  heads  erect, 
and  long  flaunting  tails,  offering  a  proud  con- 
trast to  our  poor,  spiritless,  travel-tired  steeds. 
Having  reconnoitered  us  for  a  moment,  they  set 
off  at  a  gallop,  passed  through  a  woody  dingle, 
and  in  a  little  while  emerged  once  more  to  view, 
trotting  up  a  slope  about  a  mile  distant. 

The  sight  of  these  horses  were  again  a  sore 
trial  to  the  vapouring  Tonish,  who  had  his  lariat 
and  forked  stick  ready,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
launching  forth  in  pursuit,  on  his  jaded  horse, 
when  he  was  again  ordered  back  to  the  pack- 
horses. 

After  a  day's  journey  of  fourteen  miles  in  a 
southwest  direction,  we  encamped  on  the  banks 
of  a  small  clear  stream,  on  the  northen>  border 
of  the  Cross  Timbers  ;  and  on  the  edge  of  those 
vast  prairies,  that  extend  away  to  the  foot  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  In  turning  loose  the  horses  to 
graze,  their  bells  w^ere  stuffed  with  grass  to  pre- 
vent their  tinkling,  lest  it  might  be  heard  by  some 
wandering  horde  of  Pawnees. 

Our  hunters  now  went  out  in  different  direc- 
tions, but  without  much  success,  as  but  one  deer 


176  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

was  brought  into  the  camp.  A  young  ranger 
had  a  long  story  to  tell  of  his  adventures.  In 
skirting  the  thickets  of  a  deep  ravine,  he  had 
wounded  a  buck  which  he  plainly  heard  to  fall 
among  the  bushes.  He  stopped  to  fix  the  lock 
of  his  rifle,  which  was  out  of  order,  and  to  re- 
load it :  then  advancing  to  the  edge  of  the  thick- 
et, in  quest  of  his  game,  he  heard  a  low  growl- 
ing. Putting  the  branches  aside,  and  stealing 
silently  forward,  he  looked  down  into  the  ravine 
and  beheld  a  huge  bear,  dragging  the  carcass  of 
the  deer  along  the  dry  channel  of  a  brook,  and 
growling  and  snarling  at  four  or  five  oflSlcious 
wolves,  who  seemed  to  have  dropped  in  to  take 
supper  with  him. 

The  ranger  fired  at  the  bear,  but  missed  him. 
Bruin  maintained  his  ground  and  his  prize,  and 
seemed  disposed  to  make  battle.  The  wolves, 
too,  who  were  evidently  sharp  set,  drew  off  to 
but  a  small  distance.  As  night  was  coming  on, 
the  young  hunter  felt  dismayed  at  the  wildness 
and  darkness  of  the  place,  and  the  strange 
company  he  had  fallen  in  with ;  so  he  quietly 
withdrew,  and  returned  empty  handed  to  the 
camp,  where,  having  told  his  story,  he  was  heart- 
ily bantered  by  his  more  experienced  com- 
rades. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  old  Ryan  came 
straggling  into  the  camp,  followed  by  his  disci- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  177 

pie,  and  as  usual  was  received  with  hearty  gra- 
tulations.  He  had  lost  himself  yesterday,  when 
hunting,  and  camped  out  all  night,  but  had  found 
our  trail  in  the  morning,  and  followed  it  up. 
He  had  passed  some  time  at  the  beaver  dam, 
admiring  the  skill  and  solidity  with  which  it  had 
been  constructed.  "  These  beavers,"  said  he, 
"  are  industrious  little  fellows.  They  are  the 
knowingest  varment  as  I  know  ;  and  I'll  warrant 
the  pond  was  stocked  with  them." 

"  Aye,"  said  the  Captain,  "  I  have  no  doubt 
most  of  the  small  rivers  we  have  passed  are 
full  of  beaver.  I  would  like  to  come  and  trap 
on  these  waters  all  winter." 

"  But  would  you  not  run  the  chance  of  being 
attacked  by  Indians  ?"  asked  one  of  the  com- 
pany. 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,  it  would  be  safe  enough  here, 
in  the  winter  time.  There  would  be  no  Indians 
here  until  spring.  I  should  want  no  more  than 
two  companions.  Three  persons  are  safer  than 
a  large  number  for  trapping  beaver.  They  can 
keep  quiet,  and  need  seldom  fire  a  gun.  A  bear 
would  serve  them  for  food,  for  two  months,  tak- 
ing care  to  turn  every  part  of  it  to  advantage." 

A  consultation  was  now  held  as  to  our  future 
progress.  We  had  thus  far  pursued  a  western 
course  ;  and,  having  traversed  the  Cross  Tim- 
ber, were  on  the  skirts  of  the  Great  Western 


178  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

Prairie.  We  were  still,  however,  in  a  very  rough 
country,  where  food  was  scarce.  The  season 
was  so  far  advanced  that  the  grass  was  wither- 
ed, and  the  prairies  yielded  no  pasturage.  The 
pea-vines  of  the  bottoms,  also,  which  had  sus- 
tained our  horses  for  some  part  of  the  journey, 
were  nearly  gone,  and  for  several  days  past  the 
poor  animals  had  fallen  off  wofully  both  in 
flesh  and  spirit.  The  Indian  fires  on  the  prairies 
were  approaching  us  from  north,  and  south,  and 
west  ;  they  might  spread  also  from  the  east,  and 
leave  a  scorched  desert  between  us  and  the  fron- 
tier, in  which  our  horses  might  be  famished. 

It  was  determined,  therefore,  to  advance  no 
further  to  the  westward,  but  to  shape  our  course 
more  to  the  east,  so  as  to  strike  the  north  fork  of 
the  Canadian,  as  soon  as  possible,  where  we 
hoped  to  find  abundance  of  young  cane  ;  which, 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  affords  the  most  nutri- 
tious pasturage  for  the  horses ;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  attracts  immense  quantities  of  game. 
Here  then  we  fixed  the  limits  of  bur  tour  to  the 
Far  West,  being  within  little  more  than  a  day's 
march  of  the  boundary  line  of  Texas. 


179 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Scarcity  of   bread.     Rencontre  with  Buffaloes. 
Wild  Turkeys.     Fall  of  a  Buffalo  hull. 

The  morning  broke  bright  and  clear,  but  the 
camp  had  nothing  of  its  usual  gaiety.  The  con- 
cert of  the  farm-yard  was  at  an  end ;  not  a  cock 
crew,  nor  dog  barked ;  nor  was  there  either 
singing  or  laughing  ;  every  one  pursued  his  avo- 
cations quietly  and  gravely.  The  novelty  of 
the  expedition  was  wearing  off'.  Some  of  the 
young  men  were  getting  as  way-worn  as  their 
horses  ;  and  most  of  them,  unaccustomed  to  the 
hunter's  life,  began  to  repine  at  its  privations. 
What  they  most  felt  was  the  want  of  bread, 
their  rations  of  flour  having  been  exhausted  for 
several  days.  The  old  hunters,  who  had  often 
experienced  this  want,  made  light  of  it ;  and 
Beatte  accustomed,  when  among  the  Indians, 
to  live  for  months  without  it,  considered  it  a 
mere  article  of  luxury.  "  Bread,"  he  would  say 
scornfully,  "  is  only  fit  for  a  child." 

About  a  quarter  before  eight  o'clock,  we  turn- 
ed our  backs,  upon  the  Far  West,  and  set  off*  in 
a  southeast  course,  along  a  gentle  valley.  Af- 
ter riding  a  few  miles,  Beatte,  w^ho  kept  parallel 


180  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

with  us,  along  the  ridge  of  a  naked  hill  to  our 
risfht,  called  out  and  made  signals,  as  if  some- 
thing were  coming  round  the  hill  to  intercept  us. 
Some  who  were  near  me  cried  out  that  it  was  a 
party  of  Pawnees.  A  skirt  of  thickets  hid  the 
approach  of  the  supposed  enemy  from  our  view. 
We  heard  a  trampling  among  the  brushwood. 
My  horse  looked  toward  the  place,  snorted  and 
pricked  up  his  ears,  when  presently  a  couple  of 
huge  buffalo  bulls,  who  had  been  alarmed  by 
Beatte,  came  crashing  through  the  brake,  and 
making  directly  towards  us.  At  sight  of  us  they 
wheeled  round,  and  scuttled  along  a  narrow  de- 
file of  the  hill.  In  an  instant  half  a  score  of 
rifles  cracked  off ;  there  was  a  universal  whoop 
and  halloo,  and  away  went  half  the  troop,  bel- 
ter skelter  in  pursuit,  and  myself  among  the 
number.  The  most  of  us  soon  pulled  up,  and 
gave  over  a  chase  which  led  through  birch  and 
brier,  and  break-neck  ravines.  Some  few  of 
the  rangers  persisted  for  a  time  ;  but  eventually 
joined  the  Hne,  slowly  lagging  one  after  ano- 
ther. One  of  them  returned  on  foot ;  he  had 
been  thrown  while  in  full  chase  ;  his  rifle  had 
been  broken  in  the  fall,  and  his  horse,  retaining 
the  spirit  of  the  rider,  had  kept  on  after  the  buf- 
falo. It  was  a  melancholy  predicament  to  be 
reduced  to  ;  to  be  without  horse  or  weapon  in 
the  midst  of  the  Pawnee  hunting  grounds. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  181 

For  my  own  part,  I  had  been  fortunate 
enough  recently,  by  a  further  exchange,  to  get 
possession  of  the  best  horse  in  the  troop  ;  a  full- 
blooded  sorrel  of  excellent  bottom,  beautiful 
form,  and  most  generous  qualities. 

In  such  a  situation,  it  almost  seems  as  if  a 
man  changes  his  nature  with  his  horse.  I  felt 
quite  like  another  being,  now  that  I  had  an  ani- 
mal under  me,  spirited  yet  gentle,  docile  to  a 
remarkable  degree,  and  easy,  elastic  and  rapid 
in  all  his  movements.  In  a  few  days  he  became 
almost  as  much  attached  to  me  as  a  dog  ;  would 
follow  me  when  I  dismounted,  wouW  come  to 
me  in  the  morning  to  be  noticed  and  caressed  ; 
and  would  put  his  muzzle  between  me  and  my 
book,  as  I  sat  reading  at  the  foot  of  a  tree.  The 
feeling  I  had  for  this  my  dumb  companion  of 
the  prairies,  gave  me  some  faint  idea  of  that  at- 
tachment the  Arab  is  said  to  entertain  for  the 
horse  that  has  borne  him  about  the  deserts. 

After  riding  a  few  miles  further,  we  came  to 
a  fine  meadow  with  a  broad  clear  stream  wind- 
ing through  it,  on  the  banks  of  which  there  was 
excellent  pasturage.  Here  we  at  once  came  to 
a  halt,  in  a  beautiful  grove  of  elms,  on  the  site 
of  an  old  Osage  encampment.  Scarcely  had  we 
dismounted,  when  a  universal  firing  of  rifles 
took  place  upon  a  large  flock  of  turkeys,  scat- 
tered about  the  grove,  which  proved  to  be  a  fa- 
16 


182  A   TOUR    ON    THE    PRAlRmS. 

vourite  roosting  place  for  these  simple  birds. 
They  flew  to  the  trees,  and  sat  perched  upon 
tKeir  branches,  stretching  out  ttfeir  long  necks, 
and  gazing  in  stupid  astonishment,  until  eighteen 
of  them  were  shot  down. 

In  the  height  of  the  carnage,  word  was 
brought  that  there  were  four  buffaloes  in  a  neigh- 
bouring meadow.  The  turkeys  were  now  aban- 
doned for  nobler  game.  The  tired  horses  were 
again  mounted,  and  urged  to  the  chase.  In  a 
little  while  we  came  in  sight  of  the  buffaloes, 
looking  like  brown  hillocks  among  the  long 
green  herbage.  Beatte  endeavoured  to  get 
ahead  of  them  and  turn  them  towards  us,  that 
the  inexperienced  hunters  might  have  a  chance. 
They  ran  round  the  base  of  a  rocky  hill,  that 
hid  us  from  the  sight.  Some  of  us  endeavour- 
ed to  cut  across  the  hill,  but  became  entrapped 
in  a  thick  wood,  matted  with  grape  vines.  My 
horse,  who,  under  his  former  rider  had  hunted  the 
buffalo,  seemed  as  much  excited  as  myself,  and 
endeavoured  to  force  his  way  through  the  bushes. 
At  length  we  extricated  ourselves,  and  galloping 
over  the  hill,  I  found  our  little  Frenchman  To- 
nish,  curvetting  on  horseback  round  a  great 
buffalo  which  he  had  wounded  too  severely  to 
fly,  and  which  he  was  keeping  employed  until 
we  should  come  up.  There  was  a  mixture  of 
the  grand  and  the  comic,  in   beholding  this  tre- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  183 

mendous  animal  and  his  fantastic  assailant.  The 
buffalo  stood  with  his  shagged  front  always  pre- 
sented to  his  foe ;  his  mouth  open,  his  tongue 
parched,  his  eyes  like  coals  of  fire,  and  his  tail 
erect  with  rage  ;  every  now  and  then  he  would 
make  a  faint  rush  upon  his  foe,  who  easily  evad- 
ed his  attack,  capering  and  cutting  all  kinds  of 
antics  before  him. 

We  now  made  repeated  shots  at  the  buffalo, 
but  they  glanced  into  his  mountain  of  flesh 
without  proving  mortal.  He  made  a  slow  and 
grand  retreat  into  the  shallow  river,  turning  upon 
his  assailants  whenever  they  pressed  upon  him  ; 
and  when  in  the  water,  took  his  stand  there  as 
if  prepared  to  sustain  a  siege.  A  rifle  ball,  how- 
ever, more  fatally  lodged,  sent  a  tremour  through 
his  frame.  He  turned  and  attempted  to  wade 
across  the  stream,  but  after  tottering  a  few 
paces,  slowly  fell  upon  his  side  and  expired.  It 
was  the  fall  of  a  hero,  and  we  felt  somewhat 
ashamed  of  the  butchery  that  had  effected  it ; 
but,  after  the  first  shot  or  two,  we  had  reconcil- 
ed it  to  our  feelings,  by  the  old  plea  of  putting 
the  poor  animal  out  of  his  misery. 

Two  other  buffaloes  were  killed  this  evening, 
but  they  were  all  bulls,  the  flesh  of  which  is 
meagre  and  hard,  at  this  season  of  the  year.  A 
fat  buck  yielded  us  much  more  savory  me&Mor 
our  evening's  repast. 


184 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Ringing  the  wild  Horse, 

We  left  the  buffalo  camp  about  eight  o'clock, 
and  had  a  toilsome  and  harassing  march  of  two 
hours,  over  ridges  of  hills,  covered  with  a  rag- 
ged meagre  forest  of  scrub-oaks,  and  broken 
by  deep  gullies.  Among  the  oaks  I  observed 
many  of  the  most  diminutive  size  ;  some  not 
above  a  foot  high,  yet  bearing  abundance  of 
small  acorns.  The  whole  of  the  Cross  Tim-  ^ 
ber,  in  fact,  abounds  with  mast.  There  is  a 
pine-oak  which  produces  an  acorn  pleasant  to 
the  taste,  and  ripening  early  in  the  season. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  came  to 
where  this  line  of  rugged  hills  swept  down  into 
a  valley,  through  which  flowed  the  north  fork  of 
the  Red  river.  A  beautiful  meadow  about  half 
a  mile  wide,  enamelled  with  yellow  autumnal 
flowers,  stretched  for  two  or  three  miles  along 
the  foot  of  the  hills,  bordered  on  the  opposite 
side  by  the  river,  whose  banks  were  fringed 
with  Cottonwood  trees,  the  bright  foliage  of 
which  refreshed  and  delighted  the  eye,  after 
being  wearied  by  the  contemplation  of  monoto- 
nous wastes  of  brown  forest. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  186 

The  meadow  was  finely  diversified  by  groves 
and  clumps  of  trees,  so  happily  dispersed,  that 
they  seemed  as  if  set  out  by  the  hand  of  art. 
As  we  cast  our  eyes  over  this  fresh  and  delight- 
ful valley,  we  beheld  a  troop  of  wild  horses, 
quietly  grazing  on  a  green  lawn,  about  a  mile 
distant  to  our  right,  while  to  our  left,  at  nearly 
the  same  distance,  were  several  buffaloes  ;  some 
feeding,  others  reposing  and  ruminating  among 
the  high  rich  herbage,  under  the  shade  of  a 
clump  of  Cottonwood  trees.  The  whole  had 
the  appearance  of -a  broad  beautiful  tract  of  pas- 
ture land,  on  the  highly  ornamented  estate  oi 
some  gentleman  farmer,  with  his  cattle  grazing 
about  the  lawns  and  meadows. 

A  council  of  war  was  now  held,  and  it  was 
determined  to  profit  by  the  present  favourable 
opportunity,  and  try  our  hand  at  the  grand  hunt- 
ing manoeuvre,  which  is  called  ringing  the  wild 
horse.  This  requires  a  large  party  of  horsemen 
well  mounted.  They  extend  themselves  in  each 
direction,  singly,  at  certain  distances  apart,  and 
gradually  form  a  ring  of  two  or  three  miles  in 
circumference,  so  as  to  surround  the  game.  This 
has  to  be  done  with  extreme  care,  for  the  wild 
horse  is  the  most  readily  alarmed  inhabitant  of 
the  prairie,  and  can  scent  a  hunter  at  a  great 
distance,  if  to  windward. 

The  ring  being  formed,  two  or  three  ride  to- 
16* 


186  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

wards  the  horses,  who  start  off  in  an  opposite 
direction.  Whenever  they  approach  the  bounds 
of  the  ring,  however,  a  huntsman  presents  him- 
self and  turns  them  from  their  course.  In  this 
way,  they  are  checked  and  driven  back  at  every 
point ;  and  kept  galloping  round  and  round  this 
magic  circle,  until,  being  completely  tired  down, 
it  is  easy  for  the  hunters  to  ride  up  beside  them, 
and  throw  the  lariat  over  their  heads.  The 
prime  horses  of  most  speed,  courage,  and  bot- 
tom, however,  are  apt  to  break  through  and  es- 
cape, so  that,  in  general,  it  is  the  second  rate 
horses  that  are  taken. 

Preparations  were  now  made  for  a  hunt  of 
the  kind.  The  pack-horses  were  taken  into  the 
woods  and  firmly  tied  to  trees,  lest,  in  a  rush  of 
the  wild  horses,  they  should  break  away  with 
them.  Twenty  five  men  were  then  sent  under 
the  command  of  a  lieutenant,  to  steal  along  the 
edge  of  the  valley  within  the  strip  of  wood  that 
skirted  the  hills.  They  were  to  station  them- 
selves about  fifty  yards  apart,  within  the  edge  of 
the  woods,  and  not  advance  or  show  themselves, 
until  the  horses  dashed  in  that  direction.  Twen- 
ty five  men  were  sent  across  the  valley,  to  steal 
in  like  manner  along  the  river  bank  that  border- 
ed the  opposite  side,  and  to  station  themselves 
among  the  trees.  A  third  party  of  about  the 
same   number,  was  to  form  a  line,  stretching 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  187 

across  the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  so  as  to  con- 
nect the  two  wings.  Beatte  and  our  other  half- 
breed  Antoine,  together  with  the  ever  officious 
Tonish,  were  to  make  a  circuit  through  the 
woods,  so  as  to  get  to  the  upper  part  of  the  val- 
ley, in  the  rear  of  the  horses,  and  to  drive  them 
forward  into  the  kind  of  sack  that  we  had  form- 
ed, while  the  two  wings  should  join  behind  them 
and  make  a  complete  circle. 

The  flanking  parties  were  quietly  extending 
themselves,  out  of  sight,  on  each  side  of  the  val- 
ley, and  the  residue  were  stretching  themselves, 
like  the  links  of  a  chain,  across  it,  when  the  wild 
horses  gave  signs  that  they  scented  an  enemy  : 
snuffing  the  air,  snorting,  and  looking  about.  At 
length  they  pranced  off  slowly  toward  the  river, 
and  disappeared  behind  a  green  bank.  Here, 
had  the  regulations  of  the  chase  been  observed, 
they  would  have  been  quietly  checked  and  turn- 
ed back  by  the  advance  of  a  hunter  from  among 
the  trees  ;  unluckily,  however,  we  had  our  wild- 
fire Jack-o'-lantern  little  Frenchman  to  deal  with. 
Instead  of  keeping  quietly  up  the  right  side  of 
the  valley,  to  get  above  the  horses,  the  moment 
he  saw  them  move  toward  the  river,  he  broke 
out  of  the  covert  of  woods,  and  dashed  furious- 
ly across  the  plain  in  pursuit  of  them,  being 
mounted  on  one  of  the  led  horses  belonging  to 
the  Count.     This  put  an  end  to  all  system.  The 


188  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

half-breeds,  and  half  a  score  of  rangers  joined 
in  the  chase.  Away  they  all  went  over  the 
green  bank  ;  in  a  moment  or  two  the  wild  horses 
reappeared,  and  came  thundering  down  the 
valley  with  Frenchman,  half-breeds  and  rangers, 
galloping  hke  mad*,  and  yelling  hke  devils  behind 
them.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  line  drawn  across 
the  valley  attempted  to  check  and  turn  back  the 
fugitives.  They  were  too  hotly  pressed  by  their 
pursuers  ;  in  their  panic  they  dashed  through  the 
line,  and  clattered  down  the  plain.  The  whole 
troop  joined  in  the  headlong  chase,  some  of  the 
rangers  without  hats  or  caps,  their  hair  flying 
about  their  ears,  others  with  handkerchiefs  tied 
round  their  heads.  The  buffaloes,  who  had  been 
calmly  ruminating  among  the  herbage,  heaved 
up  their  huge  forms,  gazed  for  a  moment  with 
astonishment  at  the  tempest  that  came  scouring 
down  the  meadow,  then  turned  and  took  to  hea- 
vy rolling  flight.  They  were  soon  overtaken: 
the  promiscuous  throng  were  pressed  together 
by  the  contracting  sides  of  the  valley,  and  away 
they  went,  pell-mell,  hurry-scurry,  wild  buffalo, 
wild  horse,  wild  huntsman,  with  clang  and  clat- 
ter, and  whoop  and  halloo,  that  made  the  forests 
ring. 

At  length  the  buffaloes  turned  into  a  green 
brake,  on  the  river  bank,  while  the  horses  dash- 
ed up  a  narrow  defile  of  the  hills,  with  their 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  189 

pursuers  close  at  their  heels.  Beatte  passed 
several  of  them,  having  fixed  his  eye  upon  a 
fine  P.aw^nee  horse,  that  had  his  ears  slit,  and 
saddle  marks  upon  his  back.  He  pressed  him 
gallantly,  but  lost  him  in  the  woods.  Among 
the  wild  horses  was  a  fine  black  mare,  far  gone 
with  foal.  In  scrambling  up  the  defile,  she  trip- 
ped and  fell.  A  young  ranger  sprang  from  his 
horse,  and  seized  her  by  the  mane  and  muzzle. 
Another  ranger  dismounted,  and  came  to  his  as- 
sistance. The  mare  struggled  fiercely,  kicking 
and  biting,  and  striking  with  her  fore  feet,  but  a 
noose  was  slipped  over  her  head,  and  her  strug- 
gles were  in  vain.  It  was  some  time,  however, 
before  she  gave  over  rearing  and  plunging,  and 
lashing  out  with  her  feet  on  every  side.  The 
two  rangers  then  led  her  along  the  valley  by 
two  long  lariats,  which  enabled  them  to  keep  at 
a  sufficient  distance  on  each  side,  to  be  out  of 
the  reach  of  her  hoofs,  and  whenever  she  struck 
out  in  one  direction,  she  was  jerked  in  the  other. 
In  this  way  her  spirit  was  gradually  subdued. 

As  to  little  Scaramouch  Tonish,  who  had 
marred  the  whole  scheme  by  his  precipitancy 
he  had  been  more  successful  than  he  deserved, 
having  managed  to  catch  a  beautiful  cream-co- 
loured colt,  about  seven  months  old,  that  had 
not  strength  to  keep  up  with  its  companions. 
The  mercurial  little  Frenchman  was  beside  him- 


190  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

self  with  exultation.  It  was  amusing  to  see  him 
with  his  prize.  The  colt  would  rear  and  kick, 
and  struggle  to  get  free,  when  Tonish  would 
take  him  about  the  neck,  wrestle  with  him,  jump 
on  his  back,  and  cut  as  many  antics  as  a  monkey 
with  a  kitten.  Nothing  surprised  me  more,  how- 
ever, than  to  witness  how  soon  these  poor  ani- 
mals, thus  taken  from  the  unbounded  freedom  of 
the  prairie,  yielded  to  the  dominion  of  man.  In 
the  course  of  two  or  three  days  the  mare  and 
colt  went  with  the  led  horses,  and  became  quite 
docile. 


191 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Fording  of  the  North  Fork,  Dreary  scenery  of 
the  Cross  Timber.  Scamper  of  horses  in  the 
night,  Osage  war  party.  Effects  of  a  peace 
harangue,     Buffalo,     Wild  horse. 

Resuming  our  march,  we  forded  the  North 
Fork,  a  rapid  stream,  and  of  a  purity  seldom  to 
be  found  in  the  rivers  of  the  prairies.  It  evi- 
dently had  its  sources  in  high  land,  v^^ell  supplied 
with  springs.  After  crossing  the  river,  we  again 
ascended  among  hills,  from  one  of  which  we  had 
an  extensive  view  over  this  belt  of  cross  timber, 
and  a  cheerless  prospect  it  was ;  hill  beyond  hill, 
forest  beyond  forest,  all  of  one  sad  russet  hue — 
excepting  that  here  and  there  a  line  of  green 
Cottonwood  trees,  sycamores,  and  willows,  mark- 
ed the  course  of  some  streamlet  through  a  valley. 
A  procession  of  buffaloes  moving  slowly  up  the 
profile  of  one  of  those  distant  hills,  formed  a 
characteristic  object  in  the  savage  scene.  To 
the  left,  the  eye  stretched  beyond  this  rugged 
wilderness  of  hills,  and  ravines,  and  ragged 
forests,  to  a  prairie  about  ten  miles  off,  extend- 
ing in  a  clear  blue  line  along  the  horizon.  It 
was  like  looking  from  among  rocks  and  break- 


192  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

ers  upon  a  distant  tract  of  tranquil  ocean.  Un- 
luckily, our  route  did  not  lie  in  that  direction  ; 
we  still  had  to  traverse  many  a  weary  mile  of 
the  "  cross  timber." 

We  encamped  towards  evening  in  a  valley, 
beside  a  scanty  pool,  under  a  scattered  grove  of 
elms,  the  upper  branches  of  which  were  fringed 
with  tufts  of  the  mystic  misletoe.  In  the  course 
of  the  night,  the  wild  colt  whinnied  repeatedly ; 
and  about  two  hours  before  day,  there  was  a 
sudden  stampedo,  or  rush  of  horses,  along  the 
purlieus  of  the  camp,  with  a  snorting  and  neigh- 
ing, and  a  clattering  of  hoofs,  that  startled  most 
of  the  rangers  from  their  sleep,  who  hstened  in 
silence,  until  the  sound  died  away  hke  the  rush- 
ing of  a  blast.  As  usual,  the  noise  was  at  first 
attributed  to  some  party  of  marauding  Indians  : 
but  as  the  day  dawned,  a  couple  of  wild  horses 
were  seen  in  a  neighbouring  meadow,  which 
scoured  oif  on  being  approached.  It  was  now 
supposed  that  a  gang  of  them  had  dashed  through 
our  camp  in  the  night.  A  general  mustering  of 
our  horses  took  place,  many  were  found  scatter- 
ed to  a  considerable  distance,  and  several  wei-e 
not  to  be  found.  The  prints  of  their  hoofs,  how- 
ever, appeared  deeply  dinted  in  the  soil,  leading 
off  at  full  speed  into  the  waste,  and  their  own- 
ers, putting  themselves  on  the  trail,  set  off  in 
weary  search  of  them. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  193 

We  had  a  ruddy  daybreak,  but  the  morning 
gathered  up  grey  and  lowering,  with  indications 
of  an  autumnal  storm.  We  resumed  our  march 
silently  and  seriously,  through  a  rough  and  cheer- 
less country,  from  the  highest  points  of  which 
we  could  descry  large  prairies,  stretching  in- 
definitely westward.  After  travelling  for  tw^o 
or  three  hours,  as  we  were  traversing  a  wither- 
ed prairie,  resembling  a  great  brown  heath,  we 
beheld  seven  Osage  warriors  approaching  at  a 
distance.  The  sight  of  any  human  being  in 
this  lonely  wilderness  was  interesting ;  it  was 
like  speaking  a  ship  at  sea.  One  of  the  Indians 
took  the  lead  of  his  companions,  and  advanced 
towards  us  with  head  erect,  chest  thrown  for- 
ward, and  a  free  and  noble  mien.  He  was  a 
fine  looking  fellow,  dressed  in  scarlet  frock  and 
fringed  leggings  of  deer  skin.  His  head  was 
decorated  with  a  white  tuft,  and  he  stepped  for- 
ward with  something  of  a  martial  air,  swaying 
his  bow  and  arrows  in  one  hand. 

We  held  some  conversation  with  him  through 
our  interpreter,  Beatte,  and  found  that  he  and 
his  companions  had  been  with  the  main  part  of 
their  tribe  hunting  the  buffalo,  and  had  met  with 
great  success  ;  and  he  informed  us,  that  in  the 
course  of  another  day's  march,  we  would  reach 
the  prairies  on  the  banks  of  the  Grand  Cana- 
dian, and  find  plenty  of  game.  He  added,  that 
17 


194  A    TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES. 

as  their  hunt  was  over,  and  the  hunters  on  their 
return  homeward,  he  and  his  comrades  had  set 
out  on  a  war  party,  to  waylay  and  hover  about 
some  Pawnee  camp,  in  hopes  of  carrying  off 
scalps  or  horses. 

By  this  time  his  compan-ions,  who  at  first  stood 
aloof,  joined  him.  Three  of  them  had  indiffer- 
ent fowling-pieces;  the  rest  were  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows.  I  could  not  but  admire  the 
finely  shaped  heads  and  busts  of  these  savages, 
and  their  graceful  attitudes  and  expressive  ges- 
tures, as  they  stood  conversing  with  our  inter- 
preter, and  surrounded  by  a  cavalcade  of  ran- 
gers. We  endeavoured  to  get  one  of  them  to 
join  us,  as  we  were  desirous  of  seeing  him  hunt 
the  buffalo  with  his  bow  and  arrow.  He  seem- 
ed at  first  inclined  to  do  so,  but  was  dissuaded 
by  his  companions. 

The  worthy  Commissioner  now  remembered 
his  mission  as  pacificator,  and  made  a  speech, 
exhorting  them  to  abstain  from  all  offensive  acts 
against  the  Pawnees ;  informing  them  of  the 
plan  of  their  father  at  Washington,  to  put  an 
end  to  all  war  among  his  red  children ;  and 
assuring  them  that  he  was  sent  to  the  frontier  to 
establish  a  universal  peace.  He  told  them,  there- 
fore, to  return  quietly  to  their  homes,  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  the  Pawnees  would  no  longer  molest 
them,  but  would  soon  regard  them  as  brothers. 


A.  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  195 

The  Indians  listened  to  the  speech  with  their 
customary  silence  and  decorum ;  after  which, 
exchanging  a  few  words  among  themselves,  they 
bade  us  farewell,  and  pursued  their  way  across 
the  prairie. 

Fancying  that  I  saw  a  lurking  smile  in  the 
countenance  of  our  interpreter,  Bfeatte,  I  pri- 
vately inquired  what  the  Indians  had  said  to 
each  other  after  hearing  the  speech.  The  lead- 
er, he  said,  had  observed  to  his  companions,  that, 
as  their  great  father  intended  so  soon  to  put  an 
end  to  all  warfare,  it  behooved  them  to  make  the 
most  of  the  little  time  that  was  left  them.  So 
they  had  departed,  with  redoubled  zeal,  to  pur- 
sue their  project  of  horse  steahng  ! 

We  had  not  long  parted  from  the  Indians  be- 
fore we  discovered  three  buffaloes  among  the 
thickets  of  a  marshy  valley  to  our  left.  I  set 
off  with  the  Captain  and  several  rangers,  in 
pursuit  of  them.  Stealing  through  a  straggling 
grove,  the  Captain,  who  took  the  lead,  got  with- 
in rifle  shot,  and  wounded  one  of  them  in  the 
flank.  They  all  three  made  off  in  headlong 
panic,  through  thickets  and  brush-wood,  and 
swamp  and  mire,  bearing  down  every  obstacle 
by  their  immense  weight.  The  Captain  and 
rangers  soon  gave  up  a  chase  which  threatened 
to  knock  up  their  horses ;  I  had  got  upon  the 
traces  of  the  wounded  bull,  however,  and  was 


196  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

in  hopes  of  getting  near  enough  to  use  my  pistols, 
the  only  weapons  with  which  I  was  provided  r 
but  before  I  could  effect  it,  he  reached  the  foot 
of  a  rocky  hill,  covered  with  post-oak  and  bram- 
bles, and  plunged  forward,  dashing  and  crash- 
ing along,  with  neck  or  nothing  fury,  where  it 
would  have  ^een  madness  to  have  followed  him. 
The  chase  had  led  me  so  far  on  one  side,  that 
it  was  some  time  before  I  regained  the  trail  of 
our  troop.  As  I  was  slowly  ascending  a  hill,  a 
fine  black  mare  came  prancing  round  the  sum- 
mit, and  was  close  to  me  before  she  was  aware. 
At  sight  of  me  she  started  back,  then  turning, 
swept  at  full  speed  down  into  the  valley,  and  up 
the  opposite  hill,  with  flowing  mane  and  tail, 
and  action  free  as  air.  I  gazed  after  her  as  long 
as  she  was  in  sight,  and  breathed  a  wish  that  so 
glorious  an  animal  might  never  come  under  the 
degrading  thraldom  of  whip  and  curb,  but  re- 
main a  free  rover  of  the  prairies. 


197 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Foul  weather  encampment.  Anecdotes  of  hear 
hunting,  Indian  notions  about  omens.  Scru- 
ples j^especting  the  dead. 

On  overtaking  the  troop,  I  found  it  encamping 
in  a  rich  bottom  of  woodland,  traversed  by  a 
small  stream,  running  betv^een  deep,  crumbling 
banks.  A  sharp  cracking  off  of  rifles  was  kept 
up  for  some  time  in  various  directions,  upon  a 
numerous  flock  of  turkeys,  scampering  among 
the  thickets,  or  perched  upon  the  trees.  We 
had  not  been  long  at  a  halt,  when  a  drizzling 
rain  ushered  in  the  autumnal  storm  that  had 
been  brewing.  Preparations  were  immediately 
made  to  weather  it :  our  tent  was  pitched,  and 
our  saddles,  saddlebags,  packages  of  coflee, 
sugar,  salt,  and  every  thing  else  that  could  be 
damaged  by  the  rain,  were  gathered  under  its 
shelter.  Our  men,  Beatte,  Tonish,  and  Antoine, 
drove  stakes  with  forked  ends  into  the  ground, 
laid  poles  across  them  for  rafters,  and  thus 
made  a  shed  or  pent-house,  covered  with  bark 
and  skins,  sloping  towards  the  wind,  and  open 
towards  the  fire.  The  rangers  formed  similar 
17* 


198  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

shelters  of  bark  and  skins,  or  of  blankets  stretch- 
ed on  poles,  supported  by  forked  stakes,  with 
great  fires  in  front. 

These  precautions  were  well-timed.  The 
rain  set  in  sullenly  and  steadily,  and  kept  on, 
with  slight  intermissions,  for  two  days.  The 
brook  which  flowed  peaceably  on  our  arrival, 
swelled  into  a  turbid  and  boiling  torrent,  and 
the  forest  became  little  better  than  a  mere 
swamp.  The  men  gathered  under  their  shelters 
of  skins  and  blankets,  or  sat  cowering  round 
their  fires ;  while  columns  of  smoke  curling  xjfp 
among  the  trees,  and  diffusing  themselves  in  the 
air,  spread  a  blue  haze  through  the  woodland. 
Our  poor,  way-worn  horses,  reduced  by  weary 
travel  and  scanty  pasturage,  lost  all  remaining 
spirit,  and  stood,  with  drooping  heads,  flagging 
ears,  and  half  closed  eyes,  dozing  and  steaming 
in  the  rain ;  while  the  yellow  autumnal  leaves, 
at  every  shaking  of  the  breeze,  came  wavering 
down  around  them. 

Notwithstanding  the  bad  weather,  however, 
our  hunters  were  not  idle,  but  during  the  inter- 
vals of  the  rain,  sallied  forth  on  horseback  to 
pyowl  through  the  woodland.  Every  now  and 
then  the  sharp  report  of  a  distant  rifle  boded 
the  death  of  a  deer.  Venison  in  abundance 
was  brought  in.  Some  busied  themselves  under 
the  sheds,  flaying  and  cutting  up  the  carcasses, 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  199 

or  round  the  fires  with  spits  and  camp  kettles, 
and  a  rude  kind  of  feasting,  or  rather  gormandiz- 
ing, prevailed  throughout  the  camp.  The  axe 
was  continually  at  work,  and  wearied  the  forest 
with  its  echoes.  Crash !  some  mighty  tree 
would  come  down ;  in  a  few  minutes  its  limbs 
would  be  blazing  and  crackling  on  the  huge 
camp  fires,  with  some  luckless  deer  roasting  be- 
fore it,  that  had  once  sported  beneath  its  shade. 

The  change  of  weather  had  taken  sharp  hold 
of  our  little  Frenchman.  His  meagre  frame, 
composed  of  bones  and  whip-cord,  was  racked 
with  rheumatic  pains  and  twinges.  He  had  the 
tooth-ache — the  ear-ache — his  face  was  tied  up 
— he  had  shooting  pains  in  every  limb :  yet  all 
seemed  but  to  increase  his  restless  activity,  and 
he  was  in  an  incessant  fidget  about  the  fire,  roast- 
ing and  stewing,  and  groaning,  and  scolding, 
and  swearing. 

Our  man  Beatte  returned  grim  and  mortified, 
from  hunting.  He  had  come  upon  a  bear  of 
formidable  dimensions,  and  wounded  him  with 
a  rifle  shot.  The  bear  took  to  the  brook,  which 
was  swollen  and  rapid.  Beatte  dashed  in  after 
him  and  assailed  him  in  the  rear  with  his  hunt- 
ing knife.  At  every  blow  the  bear  turned  fu- 
riously upon  him,  with  a  terrific  display  of  white 
teeth.  Beatte,  having  a  foot  hold  in  the  brook, 
was  enabled  to  push  him  off  with  his  rifle,  and 


200  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

when  he  turned  to  swim,  would  flounder  after, 
and  attempt  to  hamstring  him.  The  bear,  how- 
ever, succeeded  in  scrambhng  off  among  the 
thickets,  and  Beatte  had  to  give  up  the  chase. 

This  adventure,  if  it  produced  no  game, 
brought  up  at  least  several  anecdotes,  round  the 
evening  fire,  relative  to  bear  hunting,  in  which 
the  grizzly  bear  figured  conspicuously.  This  pow- 
erful and  ferocious  animal,  is  a  favourite  theme 
of  hunters'  story,  both  among  red  and  white 
men  ;  and  his  enormous  claws  are  worn  round 
the  neck  of  an  Indian  brave,  as  a  trophy  moie 
honourable  than  a  human  scalp.  He  is  now 
scarcely  seen  below  the  upper  prairies,  and  the 
skirts  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Other  bears 
are  formidable  when  wounded  and  provoked, 
but  seldom  make  battle  when  allowed  to  escape. 
The  grizzly  bear,  alone,  of  all  the  animals  of  our 
western  wilds,  is  prone  to  unprovoked  hostility. 
His  prodigious  size  and  strength,  make  him  a 
formidable  opponent ;  and  his  great  tenacity  of 
life  often  baffles  the  skill  of  the  hunter,  notwith- 
standing repeated  shots  of  the  rifle,  and  wounds 
of  the  hunting  knife. 

One  of  the  anecdotes  related  on  this  occasion, 
gave  a  picture  of  the  accidents  and  hard  shifts, 
to  which  our  frontier  rovers  are  inured.  A  hun- 
ter, while  in  pursuit  of  a  deer,  fell  into  one  of 
those  deep  funnel-shaped  pits,  formed  on  the 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  201 

prairies  by  the  settling  of  the  waters  after  hea- 
vy rains,  and  known  by  the  name  of  sink-holes. 
To  his  great  horror,  he  came  in  contact,  at  the 
bottom,  with  a  huge  grizzly  bear.  The  monster 
grappled  him  ;  a  deadly  contest  ensued  in  which 
the  poor  hunter  was  severely  torn,  and  bitten, 
and  had  a  leg  and  an  arm  broken,  but  succeed- 
ed in  killing  his  rugged  foe.  For  several  days 
he  remained  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  too  much 
crippled  to  move,  and  subsisting  on  the  raw  flesh 
of  the  bear,  during  which  time  he  kept  his 
wounds  open,  that  they  might  heal  gradually 
and  effectually.  He  was  at  length  enabled  to 
scramble  to  the  top  of  the  pit,  and  so  out  upon 
the  open  prairie.  With  great  difficulty  he  crawl- 
ed to  a  ravine,  formed  by  a  stream,  then  nearly 
dry.  Here  he  took  a  delicious  draught*  of  wa- 
ter, which  infused  new  life  into  him  ;  then  drag 
ging  himself  along  from  pool  to  pool,  he  support- 
ed himself  by  small  fish  and  frogs. 

One  day  he  saw  a  wolf  hunt  down  and  kill  a 
deer  in  the  neighbouring  prairie.  He  immedi- 
ately crawled  forth  from  the  ravine,  drove  off 
the  wolf,  and,  lying  down  beside  the  carcass  of 
the  deer,  remained  there  until  he  had  made  se- 
veral hearty  meals,  by  which  his  strength  was 
much  recruited. 

Returning  to  the  ravine,  he  pursued  the  course 
of  ttfe  brook,  until  it  grew  t6  be  a  considerable 


202  A  TOUR  ON  THE  ?RAIRIES. 

Stream.  Down  this  he  floated,  until  he  came  to 
where  it  emptied  into  the  Mississippi.  Just  at 
the  mouth  of  the  stream,  he  found  a  forked  tree, 
which  he  launched  with  some  difficulty,  and,  get- 
ting astride  of  it,  committed  himself  to  the  cur- 
rent of  the  mighty  river.  In  this  way  he  float- 
ed along,  until  he  arrived  opposite  the  fort  at 
Council  Bluffs.  Fortunately  he  arrived  there  in 
the  day  time,  otherwise  he  might  have  floated 
unnoticed,  past  this  solitary  post,  and  perished  in 
the  idle  waste  of  waters.  Being  descried  from 
the  fort,  a  canoe  was  sent  to  his  relief,  and  he 
was  brought  to  shore  more  dead  than  alive, 
where  he  soon  recovered  from  his  wounds,  but 
remained  maimed  for  life. 

Our  man  Beatte  had  come  out  of  his  contest 
with  th^bear,  very  much  worsted  and  discom- 
fited. His  drenching  in  the  brook,  together 
with  the  recent  change  of  weather,  had  brought 
on  rheumatic  pains  in  his  limbs,  to  which  he  is 
subject.  Though  ordinarily  a  fellow  of  un- 
daunted spirit,  and  above  all  hardship,  yet  he 
now  sat  down  by  the  fire,  gloomy  and  dejected, 
and  for  once  gave  way  to  repining.  Though  in 
the  prime  of  life,  and  of  a  robust  frame,  and  ap- 
parently iron  constitution,  yet,  by  his  own  ac- 
count he  was  little  better  than  a  mere  wreck. 
He  was,  in  fact,  a  living  monument  of  the  hard- 
ships of  wild  frontier  life.     Baring  his  left  arm, 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  203 

he  showed  it  warped  and  contracted  by  a  former 
attack  of  rheumatism  ;  a  malady  with  which  the 
Indians  are  often  afflicted  ;  for  their  exposure 
to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  elements,  does  not  pro- 
duce that  perfect  hardihood  and  insensibility  to 
the  changes  of  the  seasons  that  many  are  apt  to 
imagine.  He  bore  the  scars  of  various  maims 
and  bruises  ;  some  received  in  hunting,  some  in 
Indian  warfare.  His  right  arm  had  been  broken 
by  a  fall  from  his  horse  ;  at  another  time  his 
steed  had  fallen  with  him,  and  crushed  his  left 
leg. 

"  I  am  all  broke  to  pieces  and  good  for  noth- 
ing ;"  said  he,  "  I  no  care  now  what  happen  to 
me  any  more."  "  However,"  added  he,  after  a 
moment's  pause,  "  for  all  that,  it  would  take  a 
pretty  strong  man  to  put  me  down,  any  how." 

I  drew  from  him  various  particulars  concern- 
ing himself,  which  served  to  raise  him  in  my  es- 
timation. His  residence  was  on  the  Neosho,  in 
an  Osage  hamlet  or  neighbourhood,  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  a  worthy  missionary  from  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  by  the  name  of  Requa, 
who  was  endeavouring  to  instruct  the  savages  in 
the  art  of  agriculture,  and  to  make  husbandmen 
and  herdsmen  of  them.  I  had  visited  this  agri- 
cultural mission  of  Requa  in  the  course  of  my 
recent  tour  along  the  frontier,  and  had  consider- 
ed it  more  likely  to  eventuate  in  solid  advan- 


204  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

tages  to  the  poor  Indians,  than  any  of  the  mere 
praying  and  preaching  missions  along  the  border. 
In  this  neighbourhood,  Pierre  Beatte  had  his 
little  farm,  his  Indian  wife,  and  his  half-breed 
children ;  and  aided  Mr.  Requa  in  his  endea- 
vours to  civilize  the  habits,  and  meliorate  the 
condition  of  the  Osage  tribe.  Beatte  had  been 
brought  up  a  Catholic,  and  was  inflexible  in  his 
religious  faith ;  he  could  not  pray  with  Mr. 
Requa  he  said,  but  he  could  work  with  him, 
and  he  evinced  a  zeal  for  the  good  of  his  savage 
relations  and  neighbours.  Indeed,  though  his 
father  had  been  French,  and  he  himself  had  been 
brought  up  in  communion  with  the  whites,  he 
evidently  was  more  of  an  Indian  in  his  tastes, 
and  his  heart  yearned  towards  his  mother's  na- 
tion. When  he  talked  to  me  of  the  wrongs  and 
insults  that  the  poor  Indians  suffered  in  their  in- 
tercourse with  the  rough  settlers  on  the  fron- 
tiers ;  when  he  described  the  precarious  and 
degraded  state  of  the  Osage  tribe,  diminished  in 
numbers,  broken  in  spirit,  and  almost  living  on 
sufferance  in  the  land  where  they  once  figured 
so  heroically,  I  could  see  his  veins  swell,  and 
his  nostrils  distend  with  indignation  ;  but  he 
would  check  the  feeling  with  a  strong  exertion 
of  Indian  self-command,  and,  in  a  manner, 
drive  it  back  into  his  bosom. 

He   did  not  hesitate   to   relate    an   instance 


A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  205 

wherein  he  had  joined  his  kindred  Osages,  in 
pursuing  and  avenging  themselves  on  a  party  of 
vv^hite  men  who  had  committed  a  flagrant  out- 
rage upon  them  ;  and  I  found,  in  the  encounter 
that  took  place,  Beatte  had  shown  himself  the 
complete  Indian. 

He  had  more  than  once  accompanied  his 
Osage  relations  in  their  wars  with  the  Pawnees, 
and  related  a  skirmish  which  took  place  on  the 
borders  of  these  very  hunting  grounds,  in  which 
several  Pawnees  were  killed.  We  should  pass 
near  the  place,  he  said,  in  the  course  of  our  tour, 
and  the  unburied  bones  and  sculls  of  the  slain 
were  still  to  be  seen  there.  The  surgeon  of 
the  troop,  who  was  present  at  our  conversation, 
pricked  up  his  ears  at  this  intelligence.  He  was 
something  of  a  phrenologist,  and  offered  Beatte 
a  handsome  reward  if  he  would  promise  him 
one  of  the  sculls. 

Beatte  regarded  him  for  a  moment  with  a 
look  of  stern  surprise. 

"  No  !"  said  he  at  length,  "  dat  too  bad  !  I 
have  heart  strong  enough — I  no  care  kill,  but  let 
the  dead  alone  /" 

He  added,  that  once  in  travelling  with  a 
party  of  white  men,  he  had  slept  in  the  same 
tent  with  a  doctor,  and  found  that  he  had 
a  Pawnee  scull  among  his  baggage  :  he  at 
once  renounced  the  doctor's  tent,  and  his  fellow- 
18 


206  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

ship,  "  He  try  to  coax  me,"  said  Beatte,  "  but  I 
say  no,  we  must  part — I  no  keep  such  com- 
pany." 

In  the  temporary  depression  of  his  spirits, 
Beatte  gave  way  to  those  superstitious  forebod- 
ings to  which  Indians  are  prone.  He  had  sat 
for  some  time,  with  his  cheek  upon  his  hand, 
gazing  into  the  fire.  I  found  his  thoughts  were 
wandering  back  to  his  humble  home,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Neosho  ;  he  was  sure,  he  said,  that 
he  should  find  some  one  of  his  family  ill,  or  dead, 
on  his  return  :  his  left  eye  had  twitched  and 
twinkled  for  two  days  past ;  an  omen  which 
always  boded  some  misfortune  of  the  kind. 

Such  are  the  trivial  circumstances  which,  when 
magnified  into  omens,  will  shake  the  souls  of  these 
men  of  iron.  The  least  sign  of  mystic  and  sinis- 
ter portent,  is  sufficient  to  turn  a  hunter  or  a  war- 
rior from  his  course,  or  to  fill  his  mind  with  ap- 
prehensions of  impending  evil.  It  is  this  supersti- 
tious propensity,  common  to  the  solitary  and  sa- 
vage rovers  of  the  wilderness,  that  gives  such 
powerful  influence  to  the  prophet  and  the 
dreamer. 

The  Osages,  with  whom  Beatte  had  passed 
much  of  his  life,  retain  these  superstitious  fan- 
cies and  rites  in  much  of  their  original  force. 
They  all  believe  in  the  existence  of  the  soul  after 
its  separation  from  the  body,  and  that  it  carries 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  207 

with  it  all  its  mortal  tastes  and  habitudes.  At 
an  Osage  village  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Beatte, 
one  of  the  chief  warriors  lost  an  only  child,  a 
beautiful  girl,  of  a  very  tender  age.  All  her 
playthings  were  buried  with  her.  Her  favourite 
little  horse,  also,  was  killed,  and  laid  in  the  grave 
beside  her,  that  she  might  have  it  to  ride  in  the 
land  of  spirits. 

I  will  here  add  a  little  story,  which  I  picked 
up  in  the  course  of  my  tour  through  Beatte's 
country,  and  which  illustrates  the  superstitions 
of  his  Osage  kindred.  A  large  party  of  Osages 
had  been  encamped  for  some  time  on  the  bor- 
ders of  a  fine  stream,  called  the  Nickanansa. 
Among  them  was  a  young  hunter,  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  graceful  of  the  tribe,  who  was 
to  be  married  to  an  Osage  girl,  who,  for  her 
beauty,  was  called  the  Flower  of  the  Prairies. 
The  young  hunter  left  her  for  a  time  among  her 
relatives  in  the  encampment,  and  went  to  St. 
Louis,  to  dispose  of  the  products  of  his  hunting, 
and  purchase  ornaments  for  his  bride.  After 
an  absence  of  some  weeks,  he  returned  to  the 
banks  of  the  Nickanansa,  but  the  camp  was  no 
longer  there  :  the  bare  frames  of  the  lodges  and 
the  brands  of  extinguished  fires  alone  marked 
the  place.  At  a  distance  he  beheld  a  female 
seated,  as  if  weeping,  by  the  side  of  the  stream. 
It  was  his  affianced  bride.     He  ran  to  embrace 


208  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

her,  but  she  turned  mournfully  away.  He  dread- 
ed lest  some  evil  had  befallen  the  camp. 

"  Where  are  our  people  ?"  cried  he. 

"  They  are  gone  to  the  banks  of  the  Wa- 
grushka." 

"  And  what  art  thou  doing  here  alone  ?" 

"  Waiting  for  thee." 

"  Then  let  us  hasten  to  join  our  people  on  the 
banks  of  the  Wagrushka." 

He  gave  her  his  pack  to  carry,  and  walked 
ahead,  according  to  Indian  custom. 

They  came  to  where  the  smoke  of  the  dis- 
tant camp  was  seen  rising  from  the  woodj  mar- 
gin of  the  stream.  The  girl  seated  herself  at 
the  foot  of  a  tree.  *'  It  is  not  proper  for  us  to 
return  together,"  said  she  ;  "  I  will  wait  here." 

The  young  hunter  proceeded  to  the  camp 
alone,  and  was  received  by  his  relations  with 
gloomy  countenances. 

"  What  evil  has  happened,"  said  he,  "  that  ye 
are  all  so  sad." 

No  one  replied. 

He  turned  to  his  favourite  sister,  and  bade  her 
go  forth,  seek  his  bride,  and  conduct  her  to  the 
camp. 

"Alas!"  cried  she,  "  how  shall  I  seek  her? 
She  died  a  few  days  since." 

The  relations  of  the  young  girl  now  surround- 
ed him,  weeping  and  wailing ;  but  he  refused 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  209 

to  believe  the  dismal  tidings.  "  But  a  few  mo- 
ments since,"  cried  he,  "  I  left  her  alone  and  in 
health  ;  come  with  me,  and  I  will  conduct  you 
to  her." 

He  led  the  way  to  the  tree  where  she  had 
seated  herself,  but  she  was  no  longer  there,  and 
his  pack  lay  on  the  ground.  The  fatal  truth 
struck  him  to  the  heart :  he  fell  to  the  ground 
dead. 

I  give  this  simple  little  story  almost  in  the 
words  in  which  it  was  related  to  me,  as  I  lay  by 
the  fire  in  an  evening  encampment  on  the  banks 
of  the  haunted  stream  where  it  is  said  to  have 
happened. 

18* 


210 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  secret  expedition.  Deer  bleating.  Magic  halls. 

On  the  following  morning  we  were  rejoined 
by  the  rangers  who  had  remained  at  the  last  en- 
campment, to  seek  for  the  stray  horses.  They 
had  tracked  them  for  a  considerable  distance 
through  bush  and  brake,  and  across  streams, 
until  they  found  them  cropping  the  herbage  on 
the  edge  of  a  prairie.  Their  heads  were  in  the 
direction  of  the  fort,  and  they  were  evidently 
grazing  their  way  homeward,  heedless  of  the 
unbounded  freedom  of  the  prairie  so  suddenly 
laid  open  to  them. 

About  noon  the  weather  held  up,  and  I  ob- 
served a  mysterious  consultation  going  on  be- 
tween our  half-breeds  and  Tonish :  it  ended  in 
a  request  that  we  would  dispense  with  the  ser- 
vices of  the  latter  for  a  few  hours,  and  permit 
him  to  join  his  comrades  in  a  grand  foray.  We 
objected  that  Tonish  was  too  much  disabled  by 
aches  and  pains  for  such  an  undertaking;  but 
he  was  wild  with  eagerness  for  the  mysterious 
enterprise,  and,  when  permission  was  given  him, 
seemed  to  forget  all  his  ailments  in  an  instant. 

In  a  short  time  the  trio  were  equipped  and  on 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  211 

horseback;  with  rifles  on  their  shoulders  and 
handkerchiefs  twisted  round  their  heads,  evi- 
dently bound  for  a  grand  scamper.  As  they 
passed  by  the  different  lodges  of  the  camp,  the 
vainglorious  little  Frenchman  could  not  help 
boasting  to  the  right  and  left,  of  the  great  things 
he  was  about  to  achieve;  though  the  taciturn 
Beatte,  who  rode  in  advance,  would  every  now 
and  then  check  his  horse,  and  look  back  at  him 
with  an  air  of  stern  rebuke.  It  was  hard,  how- 
ever, to  make  the  loquacious  Tonish  play  "  In- 
dian." 

Several  of  the  hunters,  likewise,  sallied  forth, 
.  and  the  prime  old  woodman,  Ryan,  came  back 
early  in  the  afternoon,  with  ample  spoil,  having 
killed  a  buck  and  two  fat  does.  I  drew  near 
to  a  group  of  rangers  that  had  gathered  round 
him  as  he  stood  by  the  spoil,  and  found  they 
were  discussing  the  merits  of  a  stratagem  some- 
times used  in  deer  hunting.  This  consists  in 
imitating,  with  a  small  instrument  called  a  bleat, 
the  cry  of  the  fawn,  so  as  to  lure  the  doe  with- 
in reach  of  the  rifle.  There  are  bleats  of  va- 
rious kinds,  suited  to  calm  or  windy  weather, 
and  to  the  age  of  the  fawn.  The  poor  animal, 
deluded  by  them,  in  its  anxiety  about  its  young, 
will  sometimes  advance  close  up  to  the  hunter. 
"  I  once  bleated  a  doe,"  said  a  young  hunter, 
"  until  it  came  within  twenty  yards  of  me,  and 


212  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

pfesented  a  sure  mark.  I  levelled  my  rifle  three 
times,  but  had  not  the  heart  to  shoot,  for  the 
poor  doe  looked  so  wistfully,  that  it  in  a  manner 
made  my  heart  yearn.  I  thought  of  my  own 
mother,  and  how  anxious  she  used  to  be  about 
me  when  I  was  a  child ;  so  to  put  an  end  to  the 
matter,  I  gave  a  halloo,  and  started  the  doe  out 
of  rifle  shot  in  a^  moment." 

"  And  you  did  right,"  cried  honest  old  Ryan. 
"  For  my  part,  I  niever  could  bring  myself  to 
bleating  deer.  I've  been  with  hunters  who  had 
bleats,  and  have  made  them  throw  them  away. 
It  is  a  rascally  trick  to  take  advantage  of  a  moth- 
er's love  for  her  young." 

Towards  evening,  our  three  worthies  return- 
ed from  their  mysterious  foray.  The  tongue  of 
Tonish  gave  notice  of  their  approach,  long  be- 
fore they  came  in  sight ;  for  he  wds  vociferating 
at  the  top  of  his  lungs,  and  rousing  the  attention 
of  the  whole  camp.  The  lagging  gait  and  reek- 
ing flanks  of  their  horses,  gave  evidence  of  hard 
riding;  and,  on  nearer  approach,  we  found  them 
hung  round  with  meat,  like  a  butcher's  shambles. 
In  fact  they  had  been  scouring  an  immense 
prairie  that  extended  beyond  the  forest,  and 
which  was  covered  with  herds  of  buffalo.  Of 
this  prairie,  and  the  animals  upon  it,  Beatte  had 
received  intelligence  a  few  days  before,  in  Jiis 
conversation  with  the  Osages  ;  but  had  kept  the 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  213 

information  a  secret  from  the  rangers,  tha^  he 
and  his  comrades  might  have  the  first  dash  at 
the  game.  They  had  contented  themselves  with 
kilHng  four  ;  though,  if  Tonish  might  be  beUev- 
ed,  they  might  have  slain  them  by  scores. 

These  tidings,  and  the  buffalo  meat  brought 
home  in  evidence,  spread  exultation  through  the 
camp,  and  every  one  looked  forward  with  joy 
to  a  buffalo  hunt  on  the  prairies.  Tonish  was 
again  the  oracle  of  the  camp,  and  held  forth  by 
the  hour  to  a  knot  of  listeners,  crouched  round 
the  fire,  with  their  shoulders  up  to  their  ears. 
He  was  now  more  boastful  than  ever  of  his  skill 
as  a  marksman.  All  his  w^nt  of  success  in  the 
early  part  of  our  march,  he  attributed  to  being 
"  out  of  luck,"  if  not  "  spell  bound  ;"  and  find- 
ing himself  listened  to  with  apparent  credulity, 
gave  an  instance  of  the  kind,  which  he  declared 
had  happened  to  himself,  but  which  was  evi- 
dently a  tale  picked  up  among  his  relations,  the 
Osages. 

According  to  this  account,  when  about  four- 
teen years  of  age,  as  he  was  one  day  hunting, 
he  saw  a  white  deer  come  out  from  a  ravine. 
Crawling  near  to  get  a  shot,  he  beheld  another 
and  another  come  forth,  until  there  were  seven, 
all  as  white  as  snow.  Having  crept  sufficiently 
near,  he  singled  one  out  and  fired,  but  without  ef- 
fect ;    the   deer  remained    unfrightened.      He 


214  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

loatfed  and  fired  again,  and  again  he  missed. 
Thus  he  continued  firing  and  missing  until  all 
his  ammunition  was  expended,  and  the  deer  re- 
mained without  a  wound.  He  returned  home 
despairing  of  his  skill  as  a  marksman,  but  was 
consoled  by  an  old  Osage  hunter.  These  white 
deer,  said  he,  have  a  charmed  life,  and  can  only 
be  killed  by  bullets  of  a  particular  kind. 

The  old  Indian  cast  several  balls  for  Tonish, 
but  would  not  suffer  him  to  be  present  on  the  oc- 
casion, nor  inform  him  of  the  ingredients  and 
mystic  ceremonials. 

Provided  with  these  balls,  Tonish  again  set 
out  in  quest  of  the  white  deer,  and  succeeded 
m  finding  them.  He  tried  at  first  with  ordinary 
balls,  but  missed  as  before.  A  magic  ball,  how- 
ever, immediately  brought  a  fine  buck  to  the 
ground.  Whereupon  the  rest  of  the  herd  im-  ' 
mediately  disappeared  and  were  never  seen 
again. 

Oct.  29.  The  morning  opened  gloomy  and 
lowering ;  but,  towards  eight  o'clock  the  sun 
struggled  forth  and  lighted  up  the  forest,  and  the 
notes  of  the  bugle  gave  signal  to  prepare  for 
marching.  Now  began  a  scene  of  bustle  and 
clamour,  and  gaiety.  Some  were  scampering 
and  brawling  after  the  horses,  some  were  riding 
in  bare  backed,  and  driving  in  the  horses  of  their 
comrades.     Some  were  stripping  the  poles  of 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  215 

the  wet  blankets  that  had  served  for  shelters  ; 
others  packing  up  with  all  possible  despatch, 
and  leading  the  baggage  horses  as  they  arrived, 
w^hile  others  were  cracking  off  their  damp  rifles 
and  charging  them  afresh,  to  be  ready  for  the 
sport. 

About  ten  o'clock,  we  began  our  march.  I 
loitered  in  the  rear  of  the  troop  as  it  forded  the 
turbid  brook,  and  defiled  through  the  labyrinths 
of  the  forest.  I  always  felt  disposed  to  linger 
until  the  last  straggler  disappeared  among  the 
trees  and  the  distant  note  of  the  bugle  died  upon 
the  ear,  that  I  might  behold  the  wilderness  re- 
lapsing into  silence  and  solitude.  In  the  pre- 
sent instance,  the  deserted  scene  of  our  late 
bustling  encampment  had  a  forlorn  and  desolate 
appearance.  The  surrounding  forest  had  been 
in  many  places  trampled  into  a  quagmire.  Trees 
felled  and  partly  hewn  in  pieces,  and  scattered 
in  huge  fragments  ;  tent  poles  stripped  of  their 
covering ;  smouldering  fires,  with  great  morsels 
of  roasted  venison  and  buflTalo  meat,  standing  in 
wooden  spits  before  them,  hacked  and  slashed 
by  the  knives  of  hungry  hunters  ;  while  around 
were  strewed  the  hides,  the  horns,  the  antlers 
and  bones  of  buffaloes  and  deer,  with  uncooked 
joints,  and  unplucked  turkeys,  left  behind  with 
that  reckless  improvidence  and  wastefulness 
which  young  hunters  are  apt  to  indulge  when  in 


216  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

a  neighbourhood  where  game  abounds.  In  the 
mean  time  a  score  or  two  of  turkey  buzzards,  or 
vultures  were  already  on  the  wing,  wheeling 
their  magnificent  flight  high  in  the  air,  and  pre- 
paring for  a  descent  upon  the  camp  as  soon  as 
it  should  be  abandoned. 


217 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Grand  Prairie,     A  Buffalo  Hunt 

After  proceeding  about  two  hours  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  we  emerged  towards  mid-day 
from  the  dreary  belt  of  the  Cross  Timber,  and 
to  our  infinite  delight  beheld  "  the  great  Prai- 
rie," stretching  to  the  right  and  left  before  us. 
We  could  distinctly  trace  the  meandering  course 
of  the  Main  Canadian,  and  various  smaller 
streams,  by  the  strips  of  green  forest  that  bor- 
dered them.  The  landscape  was  vast  and  beau- 
tiful. There  is  always  an  expansion  of  feeling  in 
looking  upon  these  boundless  and  fertile  wastes ; 
but  I  was  doubly  conscious  of  it  after  emerg- 
ing from  our  "  close  dungeon  of  innumerous 
boughs." 

From  a  rising  ground  Beatte  pointed  out  to 
the  place  where  he  and  his  comrades  had  killed 
the  buffaloes  ;  and  we  beheld  several  black  ob- 
jects moving  in  the  distance,  which  he  said  were 
part  of  the  herd.  The  Captain  determined  to 
shape  his  course  to  a  woody  bottom  about  a 
mile  distant  and  to  encamp  there,  for  a  day  or 
two,  by  way  of  having  a  regular  buffalo  hunt,  and 
getting  a  supply  of  provisions.  As  the  troop 
19 


218  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

defiled  along  the  slope  of  the  hill  towards  the 
camping  ground,  Beatte  proposed  to  my  mess- 
mates and  myself,  that  we  should  put  ourselves 
under  his  guidance,  promising  to  take  us  where 
we  should  have  plenty  of  sport.  Leaving  the 
line  of  march,  therefore,  we  diverged  towards 
the  prairie ;  traversing  a  small  valley,  and  as- 
cending a  gentle  swell  of  land.  As  we  reached 
the  summit,  we  beheld  a  gang  of  wild  horses 
about  a  mile  off.  Beatte  was  immediately  on 
the  alert,  and  no  longer  thought  of  buffalo  hunt- 
ing. He  was  mounted  on  his  powerful  half-wild 
horse,  with  a  lariat  coiled  at  the  saddle  bow,  and 
set  off  in  pursuit ;  while  we  remained  on  a  rising 
ground  watching  his  manoeuvres  with  great  so- 
licitude. Taking  advantage  of  a  strip  of  wood- 
land, he  stole  quietly  along,  so  as  to  get  close  to 
them  before  he  was  perceived.  The  moment 
they  caught  sight  of  him  a  grand  scamper  took 
place.  We  watched  him  skirting  along  the  ho- 
rizon like  a  privateer  in  full  chase  of  a  merchant- 
man ;  at  length  he  passed  over  the  brow  of  a 
ridge,  and  down  into  a  shallow  valley ;  in  a  few 
moments  he  was  on  the  opposite  hill,  and  close 
upon  one  of  the  horses.  He  was  soon  head  and 
head,  and  appeared  to  be  trying  to  noose  his 
prey ;  but  they  both  disappeared  again  below 
the  hill,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  them.  It  turn- 
ed out  afterwards,  that  he  had  noosed  a  power- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  219 

ful  horse,  but  could  not  hold  him,  and  had  lost 
his  lariat  in  the  attempt. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  his  return,  we 
perceived  two  buffalo  bulls  descending  a  slope, 
towards  a  stream,  which  wound  through  a  ra- 
vine fringed  with  trees.  The  young  Count  and 
myself  endeavoured  to  get  near  them  under  co- 
vert of  the  trees.  They  discovered  us  while  we 
were  yet  three  or  four  hundred  yards  off,  and 
turning  about,  retreated  up  the  rising  ground- 
We  urged  our  horses  across  the  ravine,  and  gave 
chase.  The  immense  weight  of  head  and  shoul- 
ders causes  the  buffalo  to  labour  heavily  uphill ; 
but  it  accelerates  his  descent.  We  had  the  ad- 
vantage, therefore,  and  gained  rapidly  upon  the 
fugitives,  though  it  was  difficult  to  get  our 
horses  to  approach  them,  their  very  scent  inspir- 
ing them  with  terror.  The  Count,  who  had  a 
double  barrelled  gun  loaded  with  ball,  fired,  but 
missed.  The  bulls  now  altered  their  course,  and 
galloped  down  hill  with  headlong  rapidity.  As 
they  ran  in  different  directions,  we  each  singled 
one  and  separated.  I  was  provided  with  a 
brace  of  veteran  brass  barrelled  pistols,  which 
I  had  borrowed  at  Fort  Gibson,  and  which  had 
evidently  seen  some  service.  Pistols  are  very 
effective  in  buffalo  hunting,  as  the  hunter  can 
ride  up  close  to  the  animal,  and  fire  at  it  while 
at  full  speed ;  w^hereas  the  long  heavy  rifles  used 


220  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

on  the  frontier,  cannot  be  easily  managed,  nor 
discharged  with  accurate  aim  from  horseback. 
My  object,  therefore,  was  to  get  within  pistol 
shot  of  the  buffalo.  This  was  no  very  easy  mat- 
ter. I  was  well  mounted  on  a  horse  of  excel- 
lent speed  and  bottom,  that  seemed  eager  for 
the  chase,  and  soon  overtook  the  game  ;  but  the 
moment  he  came  nearly  parallel,  he  would  keep 
sheering  off  with  ears  forked,  and  pricked  for- 
ward, and  every  symptom  of  aversion  and  alarm. 
It  was  no  wonder.  Of  all  animals,  a  buffalo, 
when  close  pressed  by  the  hunter,  has  an  aspect 
the  most  diabolical.  His  two  short  black  horns> 
curve  out  of  a  huge  frontlet  of  shaggy  hair  ;  his 
eyes  glow  like  coals  ;  his  mouth  is  open,  his 
tongue  parched  and  drawn  up  into  a  half  cres- 
cent ;  his  tail  is  erect,  and  tufted  and  whisk- 
ing about  in  the  air,  he  is  a  perfect  picture  of 
mingled  rage  and  terror. 

It  was  with  difficulty  I  urged  my  horse  suffi- 
ciently near,  when,  taking  aim,  to  my  chagrin, 
both  pistols  missed  fire.  Unfortunately  the  locks 
of  these  veteran  weapons  were  so  much  worn, 
that  in  the  gallop,  the  priming  had  been  shaken  out 
of  the  pans.  At  the  snapping  of  the  last  pistol  I 
was  close  upon  the  buffalo,  when,  in  his  despair, 
he  turned  round  with  a  sudden  snort  and  rushed 
upon  me.  My  horse  wheeled  about  as  if  on  a  pi- 
vot, made  a  convulsive  spring,  and,  as  I  had  been 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  221 

leaning  on  one  side  with  pistol  extended,  I  came 
near  being  thrown  at  the  feet  of  the  buffalo. 

Three  or  four  bounds  of  the  horse  carried  us 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  enemy ;  who,  having 
merely  turned  in  desperate  self  defence,  quickly 
resumed  his  flight.  As  soon  as  I  could  gather 
in  my  panic-stricken  horse,  and  prime  the  pistols 
afresh,  I  again  spurred  in  pursuit  of  the  buffalo, 
who  had  slackened  his  speed  to  take  breath. 
On  my  approach  he  again  set  off'  full  tilt,  heav- 
ing himself  forward  with  a  heavy  rolling  gallop, 
dashing  with  headlong  precipitation  through 
brakes  and  ravines,  while  several  deer  and 
wolves,  startled  from  their  coverts  by  his  thun- 
dering career,  ran  helter  skelter  to  right  and  left 
across  the  waste. 

A  gallop  across  the  prairies  in  pursuit  of 
game,  is  by  no  means  so  smooth  a  career  as 
those  may  imagine,  who  have  only  the  idea  of 
an  open  level  plain.  It  is  true,  the  prairies  of 
the  hunting  ground  are  not  so  much  entangled 
with  flowering  plants  and  long  herbage  as  the 
lower  prairies,  and  are  principally  covered  with 
short  buflfalo  grass  ;  but  they  are  diversified  by 
hill  and  dale,  and  where  most  level,  are  apt  to  be 
cut  up  by  deep  rifts  and  ravines,  made  by  tor- 
rents after  rains  ;  and  which,  yawning  from  an 
even  surface,  are  almost  like  pitfalls  in  the  way 
of  the  hunter,  checking  him  suddenly,  when  in 
19* 


222  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

full  career,  or  subjecting  him  to  the  risk  of  limb 
and  life.  The  plains,  too,  are  beset  by  burrow- 
ing holes  of  small  animals,  in  which  the  horse  is 
apt  to  sink  to  the  fetlock,  and  throw  both  him- 
self and  his  rider.  The  late  rain  had  covered 
some  parts  of  the  prairie,  where  the  ground  was 
hard,  with  a  thin  sheet  of  water,  through  which 
the  horse  had  to  splash  his  way.  In  other  parts 
there  were  innumerable  shallow  hollows,  eight  or 
ten  feet  in  diameter,  made  by  the  buffaloes,  who 
wallow  in  sand  and  mud  like  swine.  These  being 
filled  with  water,  shone  like  mirrors,  so  that  the 
horse  was  continually  leaping  over  them  or 
springing  on  one  side.  We  had  reached,  too,  a 
rough  part  of  the  prairie,  very  much  broken  and 
cut  up ;  the  buffalo,  who  was  running  for  life, 
took  no  heed  to  his  course,  plunging  down  break- 
neck ravines,  where  it  was  necessary  to  skirt  the 
borders  in  search  of  a  safer  descent.  At  length 
we  came  to  where  a  winter  stream  had  torn  a 
deep  chasm  across  the  whole  prairie,  leaving 
open  jagged  rocks  ;  and  forming  a  long  glen  bor- 
dered by  steep  crumbling  cliffs  of  mingled  stone 
and  clay.  Down  one  of  these  the  buffalo  flung 
himself,  half  tumbling,  half  leaping,  and  then 
scuttled  along  the  bottom  ;  while  I,  seeing  all 
further  pursuit  useless,  pulled  up,  and  gazed  quiet- 
ly after  him  from  the  border  of  the  cliff,  until  he 
disappeared  amidst  the  windings  of  the  ravine. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  223 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  turn  my  steed 
and  rejoin  my  companions.  Here  at  first  was 
some  little  difficulty.  The  ardour  of  the  chase 
had  betrayed  me  into  a  long,  heedless  gallop.  I 
now  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  lonely  waste, 
in  which  the  prospect  was  bounded  by  undulat- 
ing swells  of  land,  naked  and  uniform,  where, 
from  the  deficiency  of  landmarks  and  distinct 
features,  an  inexperienced  man  may  become  be- 
wildered, and  lose  his  way  as  readily  as  in  the 
wastes  of  the  ocean.  The  day  too,  was  over- 
cast, so  that  I  could  not  guide  myself  by  the 
sun  ;  my  only  mode  was  to  retrace  the  track 
my  horse  had  made,  in  coming,  though  this  I 
would  often  lose  sight  of,  where  the  ground  was 
covered  with  parched  herbage. 

To  one  unaccustomed  to  it,  there  is  something 
inexpressibly  lonely  in  the  solitude  of  a  prairie. 
The  loneliness  of  a  forest  seems  nothing  to  it. 
There  the  view  is  shut  in  by  trees,  and  the  ima- 
gination is  left  free  to  picture  some  livelier  scene 
beyond.  But  here  we  have  an  immense  extent 
of  landscape  without  a  sign  of  human  existence. 
We  have  the  consciousness  of  being  far,  far  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  human  habitation  ;  we  feel 
as  if  moving  in  the  midst  of  a  desert  world.  As 
my  horse  lagged  slowly  back  over  the  scenes  of 
our  late  scamper,  and  the  delirium  of  the  chase 
had   passed  away,  I  was  peculiarly  sensible  to 


224  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

these  circumstances.  The  silence  of  the  waste 
was  now  and  then  broken  by  the  cry  of  a  dis- 
tant flock  of  pelicans,  stalking  like  spectres 
about  a  shallow  pool ;  sometimes  by  the  sinis- 
ter croaking  of  a  raven  in  the  air,  while  occa- 
sionally a  scoundrel  wolf  would  scour  off  from 
before  me  ;  and,  having  attained  a  safe  distance, 
would  sit  down  and  howl  and  whine  with  tones 
that  gave  a  dreariness  to  the  surrounding  soli- 
tude. 

After  pursuing  my  way  for  some  time,  I  des- 
cried a  horseman  on  the  edge  of  a  distant  hill, 
and  soon  recognised  him  to  be  the  Count.  He 
had  been  equally  unsuccessful  with  myself;  we 
were  shortly  afterwards  rejoined  by  our  wor- 
thy comrade,  the  Virtuoso,  who,  with  spectacles 
on  nose,  had  made  two  or  three  ifteffectual  shots 
from  horseback. 

We  determined  not  to  seek  the  camp  until  we 
had  made  one  more  effort.  Casting  our  eyes 
about  the  surrounding  waste,  we  descried  a  herd 
of  buffalo  about  two  miles  distant,  scattered 
apart,  and  quietly  grazing  near  a  small  strip  of 
trees  and  bushes.  It  required  but  little  stretch 
of  fancy  to  picture  them  so  many  cattle  graz- 
ing on  the  edge  of  a  common,  and  that  the 
grove  might  shelter  some  lowly  farm  house. 

We  now  formed  our  plan  to  circumvent  the 
herd,  and  by  getting  on  the  other  side  of  them. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  225 

to  hunt  them  in  the  direction  where  we  knew 
our  camp  to  be  situated :  otherwise,  the  pursuit 
might  take  us  to  such  a  distance  as  to  render  it 
impossible  for  us  to  find  our  way  back  before 
night-fall.  Taking  a  wide  circuit  therefore,  we 
moved  slowly  and  cautiously,  pausing  occasion- 
ally, when  we  saw  any  of  the  herd  desist  from 
grazing.  The  wind  fortunately  set  from  them, 
otherwise  they  might  have  scented  us  and  have 
taken  the  alarm.  In  this  way,  we  succeeded  in 
getting  round  the  herd  without  disturbing  it.  It 
consisted  of  about  forty  head,  bulls,  cows  and 
calves.  Separating  to  some  distance  from  each 
other,  we  now  approached  slowly  in  a  parallel 
line,  hoping  by  degrees  to  steal  near  without  ex- 
citing attention.  They  began,  however,  to 
move  off  quietly,  stopping  at  every  step  or  two 
to  graze,  when  suddenly  a  bull  that,  unobserved 
by  us,  had  been  taking  his  siesta  under  a  clump 
of  trees  to  our  left,  roused  himself  from  his  lair, 
and  hastened  to  join  his  companions.  We  were 
still  at  a  considerable  distance,  but  the  game  had 
taken  the  alarm.  We  quickened  our  pace,  they 
broke  into  a  gallop,  and  now  commenced  a  full 
chase. 

As  the  ground  was  level,  they  shouldered 
along  with  great  speed,  following  each  other  in 
a  line  ;  two  or  three  bulls  bringing  up  the  rear, 
the  last  of  whom,  from  his  enormous  size  and 


226  A   TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES. 

venerable  frontlet,  and  beard  of  sunburnt  hair, 
looked  like  the  patriarch  of  the  herd  ;  and  as  if 
he  might  long  have  reigned  the  monarch  of  the 
prairie. 

There  is  a  mixture  of  the  awful  and  the  co- 
mic in  the  look  of  these  huge  animals,  as  they 
bear  their  great  bulk  forwards,  with  an  up  and 
down  motion  of  the  unwieldy  head  and  shoul- 
ders; their  tail  cocked  up  like  the  queue  of  pan- 
taloon in  a  pantomine,  the  end  whisking  about 
in  a  fierce  yet  whimsical  style,  and  their  eyes 
glaring  venomously  with  an  expression  of  fright 
and  fury. 

For  some  time  I  kept  parallel  with  the  line, 
without  being  able  to  force  my  horse  within  pis- 
tol shot,  so  much  had  he  been  alarmed  by  the 
assault  of  the  buffalo,  in  the  preceding  chase. 
At  length  I  succeeded,  but  was  again  balked  by 
my  pistols  missing  fire.  My  companions,  whose 
horses  were  less  fleet,  and  more  way-worn, 
could  not  overtake  the  herd  ;  at  length  Mr.  L. 
who  was  in  the  rear  of  the  line,  and  losing  ground, 
levelled  his  double  barrelled  gun,  and  fired  a 
long  raking  shot.  It  struck  a  buffalo  just  above 
the  loins,  broke  its  back  bone,  and  brought  it  to 
the  ground.  He  stopped  and  alighted  to  des- 
patch his  prey,  when  borrowing  his  gun  which 
had  yet  a  charge  remaining  in  it,  I  put  my  horse 
to  his  speed,  again  overtook  the  herd  which  was 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  227 

thundering  along,  pursued  by  the  Count.  With 
my  present  weapon  there  was  no  need  of  urging 
my  horse  to  such  close  quarters  ;  galloping  along 
parallel,  therefore,  I  singled  out  a  buffalo,  and 
by  a  fortunate  shot  brought  it  down  on  the  spot. 
The  ball  had  struck  a  vital  part ;  it  would  not 
move  from  the  place  where  it  fell,  but  lay  there 
struggling  in  mortal  agony,  while  the  rest  of  the 
herd  kept  on  their  headlong  career  across  the 
prairie. 

Dismounting,  I  now  fettered  my  horse  to  pre- 
vent his  straying,  and  advanced  to  contemplate 
my  victim.  I  am  nothing  of  a  sportsman  :  I  had 
been  prompted  to  this  unwonted  exploit  by  the 
magnitude  of  the  game,  and  the  excitement  of 
an  adventurous  chase.  Now  that  the  excite- 
ment was  over,  I  could  not  but  look  with  com- 
miseration upon  the  poor  animal  that  lay  strug- 
gling and  bleeding  at  my  feet.  His  very  size 
and  importance,  which  had  before  inspired  me 
with  eagerness,  now  increased  my  compunction. 
It  seemed  as  if  I  had  inflicted  pain  in  proportion 
to  the  bulk  of  my  victim,  and  as  if  there  were 
a  hundred  fold  greater  waste  of  life  than  there 
would  have  been  in  the  destruction  of  an  animal 
of  inferior  size. 

To  add  to  these  after  qualms  of  conscience, 
the  poor  animal  lingered  in  his  agony.  He  had 
evidently  received  a  mortal  wound,  but  death 


228  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

might  be  long  in  coming.  It  would  not  do  to 
leave  him  here  to  be  torn  piecemeal,  while  yet 
alive,  by  the  wolves  that  had  already  snufFed 
his  blood,  and  were  skulking  and  howling  at  a 
distance,  and  waiting  for  my  departure,  and  by 
the  ravens  that  were  flapping  about,  croaking  dis- 
mally in  the  air.  It  became  now  an  act  of  mer- 
cy to  give  him  his  quietus,  and  put  him  out  of 
his  misery.  I  primed  one  of  the  pistols,  there- 
fore, and  advanced  close  up  to  the  buffalo.  To 
inflict  a  wound  thus  in  cool  blood,  I  found  a  to- 
tally different  thing  from  firing  in  the  heat  of  the 
chase.  Taking  aim,  however,  just  behind  the 
fore-shoulder,  my  pistol  for  once  proved  true  ; 
the  ball  must  have  passed  through  the  heart,  for 
the  animal  gave  one  convulsive  throe  and  ex- 
pired. 

While  I  stood  meditating  and  moralizing  over 
the  wreck  I  had  so  wantonly  produced,  with 
my  horse  grazing  near  me,  I  was  rejoined  by 
my  fellow  sportsman,  the  Virtuoso  ;  who,  being 
a  man  of  universal  adroitness,  and  withal,  more 
experienced  and  hardened  in  the  gentle  art  of 
"venerie,"  soon  managed  to  carve  out  the 
tongue  of  the  buffalo,  and  delivered  it  to  me  to 
bear  back  to  the  camp  as  a  trophy. 


229 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  comrade  lost,  A  search  for  the  camp.  The 
Commissioner,  the  wild  horse,  and  the  buffalo, 
A  wolf  serenade. 

Our  solicitude  was  now  awakened  for  the 
young  Count.  With  his  usual  eagerness  and 
impetuosity  he  had  persisted  in  urging  his  jaded 
horse  in  pursuit  of  the  herd,  unwilling  to  return 
without  having  likewise  killed  a  buffalo.  In 
this  way  he  had  kept  on  following  them,  hither 
and  thither,  and  occasionally  firing  an  ineffec- 
tual shot,  until  by  degrees  horseman  and  herd 
became  indistinct  in  the  distance,  and  at  length 
swelling  ground  and  strips  of  trees  and  thickets 
hid  them  entirely  from  sight. 

By  the  time  my  friend,  the  amateur,  joined 
me,  the  yoimg  Count  had  been  long  lost  to  view. 
We  held  a  consultation  on  the  matter.  Evening 
was  drawing  on.  Were  we  to  pursue  him,  it 
would  be  dark  before  we  should  overtake  him, 
granting  we  did  not  entirely  lose  trace  of  him 
in  the  gloom.  We  should  then  be  too  much 
bewildered  to  find  our  way  back  to  the  en- 
campment ;  even  now,  our  return  would  be  dif- 
20 


230  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

ficult.  We  determined,  therefore,  to  hasten  to 
the  camp  as-  speedily  as  possible,  and  send  out 
our  half-breeds,  and  some  of  the  veteran  hunters, 
skilled  in  cruising  about  the  prairies,  to  search 
for  our  companion. 

We  accordingly  set  forward  in  what  we 
supposed  to  be  the  direction  of  the  camp.  Our 
weary  horses  could  hardly  be  urged  beyond  a 
walk.  The  twilight  thickened  upon  us  ;  the 
landscape  grew  gradually  indistinct ;  we  tried 
in  vain  to  recognize  various  landmarks  which 
we  had  noted  in  the  morning.  The  features  of 
the  prairies  are  so  similar  as  to  baffle  the  eye 
of  any  but  an  Indian,  or  a  practised  woodsman. 
At  length  night  closed  in.  We  hoped  to  see  the 
distant  glare  of  camp  fires;  we  listened  to  catch 
the  sound  of  the  bells  about  the  necks  of  the 
grazing  horses.  Once  or  twice  we  thought  we 
distinguished  them :  we  were  mistaken.  Nothing 
was  to  be  heard  but  a  monotonous  concert  of 
insects,  with  now  and  then  the  dismal  howl  of 
wolves  mingling  with  the  night  breeze.  We 
began  to  think  of  halting  for  the  night,  and 
bivouacking  under  the  lea  of  some  thicket.  We 
had  implements  to  strike  a  light  ;  there  was 
plenty  of  firewood  at  hand,  and  the  tongues  of 
our  buffaloes  would  furnish  us  with  a  repast. 

Just  as  we  were  preparing  to  dismount,  we 
heard  the  report  of  a  rifle,  and  shortly  after,  the 


A  TOITR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  231 

notes  of  the  bugle,  calling  up  the  night  guard. 
Pushing  forward  in  that  direction,  the  camp 
fires  soon  broke  on  our  sight,  gleaming  at  a  dis- 
tance from  among  the  thick  groves  of  an  allu- 
vial bottom. 

As  we  entered  the  camp,  we  found  it  a  scene 
of  rude  hunters'  revelry  and  wassail.  There 
had  been  a  grand  day's  sport,  in  which  all  had 
taken  a  part.  Eight  buffaloes  had  been  killed  ; 
roaring  fires  were  blazing  on  every  side  ;  all 
hands  were  feasting  upon  roasted  joints,  broiled 
marrow-bones,  and  the  juicy  hump,  far-famed 
among  the  epicures  of  the  prairies.  Right  glad 
were,  we  to  dismount  and  partake  of  the  sturdy 
cheer,  for  we  had  been  on  our  weary  horses 
since  morning  without  tasting  food. 

As  to  our  worthy  friend,  the  Commissioner, 
with  whom  we  had  parted  company  at  the  out- 
set of  this  eventful  day,  we  found  him  lying  in 
a  corner  of  the  tent,  much  the  worse  for  wear, 
in  the  course  of  a  successful  hunting  match. 

It  seems  that  our  man  Beatte,  in  his  zeal  to 
give  the  Commissioner  an  opportunity  of  dis- 
tinguishing himself,  and  gratifying  his  hunting 
propensities,  had  mounted  him  upon  his  half 
wild  horse,  and  started  him  in  pursuit  of  a  huge 
buffalo  bull,  that  had  already  been  frightened 
by  thti  hunters.  The  horse,  which  was  fearless 
as  his  owner,  and,  like  him,  had  a  considerable 


232  A  TOUR  'ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

spice  of  devil  in  his  composition,  and  who,  be- 
side, had  been  made  familiar  with  the  game, 
no  sooner  came  in  sight  and  scent  of  the  buffalo^ 
than  he  set  off  like  mad,  bearing  the  involuntary 
hunter  hither  and  thither,  and  whither  he  would 
not — up  hill  and  down  hill — leaping  pools  and 
brooks — dashing  through  glens  and  gullies,  until 
he  came  up  with  the  game.  Instead  of  sheer- 
ing off,  he  crowded  upon  the  buffalo.  The 
Commissioner,  almost  in  self  defence,  discharged 
both  barrels  of  a  double  barrelled  gun  into  the 
enemy.  The  broadside  took  efiect,  but  was 
not  mortal.  The  buffalo  turned  furiously  upon 
his  pursuer :  the  horse,  as  he  had  been  taught 
by  his  owner,  wheeled  off.  The  buffalo  plunged 
after  him.  The  w^orthy  Commissioner,  in  great 
extremity,  drew  his  sole  pistol  from  his  holster, 
fired  it  off  as  a  stern  chaser,  shot  the  buffalo  full 
in  the  breast,  and  brought  him  lumbering  for- 
ward to  the  earth. 

The  Commissioner  returned  to  camp,  lauded 
on  all  sides  for  his  signal  exploit;  but  grievously 
battered  and  way-worn.  He  had  been  a  hard 
rider  per  force,  and  a  victor  in  spite  of  himself. 
He  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  compliments  and 
congratulations ;  had  but  little  stomach  for  the 
hunter's  fare  placed  before  him,  and  soon  re- 
treated to  stretch  his  limbs  in  the  tent,  declaring 
that  nothing  should   tempt  him  again  to  mount 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  233 

that  half  devil  Indian  horse,  and  that  he  had 
enough  of  buffalo  hunting  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

It  was  too  dark  now  to  send  any  one  in  search 
of  the  young  Count.  Guns,  however,  were  fired, 
and  the  bugle  sounded  from  time  to  time,  to 
guide  him  to  the  camp,  if  by  chance  he  should 
straggle  within  hearing  ;  but  the  night  advanced 
without  his  making  his  appearance.  There  was 
not  a  star  visible  to  guide  him,  and  we  concluded 
that  wherever  he  was,  he  would  give  up  wan- 
dering in  the  dark,  and  bivouack  until  daybreak. 

It  was  a  raw,  overcast  night.  The  carcasses 
of  the  buffaloes  killed  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
camp,  had  drawn  about  it  an  unusual  number  of 
wolves,  who  kept  up  the  most  forlorn  concert 
of  whining  yells,  prolonged  into  dismal  cadences 
and  inflexions,  literally  converting  the  surround- 
ing waste  into  a  howling  wilderness.  Nothing 
is  more  melancholy  than  the  midnight  howl  of  a 
wolf  on  a  prairie.  What  rendered  the  gloom 
and  wildness  of  the  night  and  the  savage  con- 
cert of  the  neighbouring  waste  the  more  dreary 
to  us,  was  the  idea  of  the  lonely  and  exposed 
situation  of  our  young  and  inexperienced  com- 
rade. We  trusted,  however,  that  on  the  return 
of  daylight,  he  would  find  his  way  back  to 
the  camp,  and  then  all  the  events  of  the  night 
would  be  remembered  only  as  so  many  savoury 
gratifications  of  his  passion  for  adventure. 
20* 


234 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  hunt  for  a  lost  Comrade, 

The  morning  dawned,  and  an  hour  or  two 
passed  without  any  tidings  of  the  Count.  We 
began  to  feel  uneasiness  lest,  having  no  com- 
pass to  aid  him,  he  might  perplex  himself  and 
wander  in  some  opposite  direction.  Stragglers 
are  thus  often  lost  for  days  ;  what  made  us  the 
more  anxious  about  him  was,  that  he  had  no  pro- 
visions with  him,  was  totally  unversed  in  "  wood 
craft,"  and  liable  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
lurking  or  straggling  party  of  savages. 

As  soon  as  our  people,  therefore,  had  made 
their  breakfast,  we  beat  up  for  volunteers  for  a 
cruise  in  search  of  the  Count.  A  dozen  of  the 
rangers,  mounted  on  some  of  the  best  and 
freshest  horses,  and  armed  with  rifles,  were 
soon  ready  to  start ;  our  half-breeds  Beatte  and 
Antoine  also,  with  our  little  mongrel  French- 
man, were  zealous  in  the  cause  ;  so  Mr.  L.  and 
myself,  taking  the  lead,  to  show  the  way  to  the 
scene  of  our  little  hunt,  where  we  had  parted 
company  with  the  Count,  we  all  set  out  across 
the  prairie.  A  ride  of  a  couple  of  miles 
brought  us  to  the  carcasses  of  the  two  buffaloes 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  235 

we  had  killed.  A  legion  of  ravenous  wolves 
were  already  gorging  upon  them.  At  our  ap- 
proach they  reluctantly  drew  off,  skulking  with 
a  caitiff  look  to  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred 
yards,  and  there  awaiting  our  departure,  thaZ 
they  might  return  to  their  banquet. 

I  conducted  Beatte  and  Antoine  to  the  spot 
from  whence  the  young  Count  had  continued 
the  chase  alone.  It  was  like  putting  hounds 
upon  the  scent.  They  immediately  distinguish- 
ed the  track  of  his  horse  amidst  the  trampings 
of  the  buffaloes,  and  set  off  at  a  round  pace, 
following  with  the  eye  in  nearly  a  straight 
course,  for  upwards  of  a  mile,  when  they  came 
to  where  the  herd  had  divided,  and  run  hither 
and  thither  about  a  meadow.  Here  the  track  of 
the  horse's  hoofs  wandered  and  doubled  and  of- 
ten crossed  each  other  ;  our  half-breeds  were  like 
hounds  at  fault.  While  we  were  all  at  a  halt, 
waiting  until  they  should  unravel  the  maze, 
Beatte  suddenly  gave  a  short  Indian  whoop,  or 
rather  yelp,  and  pointed  to  a  distant  hill.  On 
regarding  it  attentively  we  perceived  a  horse- 
man on  the  summit.  "  It  is  the  Count !"  cried 
Beatte,  and  set  off  at  full  gallop,  followed  by 
the  whole  company.  In  a  few  moments  he 
checked  his  horse.  Another  figure  on  horseback 
had  appeared  on  the  brow  of  the  hill.  This 
completely  altered  the  case.     The  Count  had 


236  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

wandered  off  alone  ;  no  other  person  had  been 
missing  from  the  camp.  If  one  of  these  horse- 
men was  indeed  the  Count,  the  other  must  be  an 
Indian.  If  an  Indian,  in  all  probability  a  Paw- 
nee. Perhaps  they  were  both  Indians ;  scouts 
of  some  party  lurking  in  the  vicinity.  While 
these  and  other  suggestions  were  hastily  discuss- 
ed, the  two  horsemen  glided  down  from  the  pro- 
file of  the  hill,  and  we  lost  sight  of  them.  One 
of  the  rangers  suggested  that  there  might  be  a 
straggling  party  of  Pawnees  behind  the  hill,  and 
that  the  Count  might  have  fallen  into  their  hanc||t 
The  idea  had  an  electric  effect  upon  the  little 
troop.  In  an  instant  every  horse  was  at  full 
speed,  the  haif-breeds  leading  the  way;  the 
young  rangers  as  they  rode  set  up  wild  yelps 
of  exultation  at  the  thoughts  of  having  a  brush 
with  the  Indians.  A  neck  or  nothing  gallop 
brought  us  to  the  skirts  of  the  hill,  and  revealed 
our  mistake.  In  a  ravine  we  found  the  two 
horsemen  standing  by  the  carcass  of  a  buffalo 
which  they  had  killed.  They  proved  to  be  two 
rangers,  who,  unperceived,  had  left  the  camp  a 
little  before  us,  and  had  come  here  in  a  direct 
line,  while  we  had  made  a  wide  circuit  about  the 
prairie. 

This  episode  being  at  an  end,  and  the  sudden 
excitement  being  over,  we  slowly  and  coolly  re- 
traced our  steps  to  the  meadow ;  but  it  was  some 


A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  237 

time  before  our  half  breeds  could  again  get  on 
the  track  of  the  Count.  Having  at  length  found 
it,  they  succeeded  in  following  it  through  all  its 
doublings,  until  they  came  to  where  it  was  no 
longer  mingled  with  the  tramp  of  buffaloes,  but 
became  single  and  separate,  wandering  here  and 
there  about  the  prairies,  but  always  tending  in 
a  direction  opposite  to  that  of  the  camp.  Here 
the  Count  had  evidently  given  up  the  pursuit  of 
the  herd,  and  had  endeavoured  to  find  his  way 
to  the  encampment,  but  had  become  bewildered 
as  the  evening  shades  thickened  around  him, 
and  had  completely  mistaken  the  points  of  the 
compass. 

In  all  this  quest  our  half-breeds  displayed  that 
quickness  of  eye,  in  following  up  a  track,  for 
which  Indians  are  so  noted.  Beatte  especially, 
was  as  staunch  as  a  veteran  hound.  Sometimes 
he  would  keep  forward  on  an  easy  trot ;  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  ground  a  little  ahead  of  his  horse, 
clearly  distinguishing  prints  in  the  herbage, 
which  to  me  were  invisible,  excepting  on  the 
closest  inspection.  Sometimes  he  would  pull 
up  and  walk  his  horse  slowly,  regarding  the 
ground  intensely,  where  to  my  eye  nothing  was 
apparent.  Then  he  would  dismount,  lead  his 
horse  by  the  bridle,  and  advance  cautiously 
step  by  step,  with  his  face  bent  towards  the 
earth,  just  catching,  here  and  there,  a  casual  in- 


238  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

dication  of  the  vaguest  kind  to  guide  him  on- 
ward. In  some  places  where  the  soil  was  hard, 
and  the  grass  withered,  he  would  lose  the  track 
entirely,  and  wander  backwards  and  forwards, 
and  right  and  left,  in  search  of  it ;  returning  oc- 
casionally to  the  place  where  he  had  lost  sight  of  it, 
to  take  a  new  departure.  If  this  failed  he  would 
examine  the  banks  of  the  neighbouring  streams, 
or  the  sandy  bottoms  of  the  ravines,  in  hopes  of 
finding  tracks  where  the  Count  had  crossed. 
When  he  again  came  upon  the  track,  he  would 
remount  his  horse,  and  resume  his  onward 
course.  At  length,  after  crossing  a  stream,  in 
the  crumbling  banks  of  which  the  hoofs  of  the 
horse  were  deeply  dented,  we  came  upon  a  high 
dry  prairie,  where  our  half-breeds  were  com- 
pletely baffled.  Not  a  foot  print  was  to  be  dis- 
cerned, though  they  searched  in  every  direction  ; 
and  Beatte  at  length  coming  to  a  pause,  shook 
his  head  most  despondingly. 

Just  then  a  small  herd  of  deer,  roused  from 
a  neighbouring  ravine,  came  bounding  by  us. 
Beatte  sprang  from  his  horse,  levelled  his  rifle, 
and  wounded  one  slightly,  but  without  bringing 
it  to  the  ground.  The  report  of  the  rifle  was  al- 
most immediately  followed  by  a  long  halloo  from 
a  distance.  We  looked  around  but  could  see 
nothing.  Another  long  halloo  was  heard,  and  at 
length  a  horseman  was  descried,  emerging  out 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  239 

of  a  skirt  of  forest.  A  single  glance  showed 
him  to  be  the  young  Count ;  there  was  a  univer- 
sal shout  and  scamper,  every  one  setting  off  full 
gallop  to  greet  him.  It  was  a  joyful  meeting  to 
both  parties  ;  for,  much  anxiety  had  been  felt  by 
us  all  on  account  of  his  youth  and  inexperience, 
and  for  his  part,  with  all  his  love  of  adventure, 
he  seemed  right  glad  to  be  once  more  among  his 
friends. 

As  we  supposed,  he  had  completely  mistaken 
his  course  on  the  preceding  evening,  and  had 
wandered  about  until  dark,  when  he  thought  of 
bivouacking.  The  night  was  cold,  yet  he  feared 
to  make  a  fire,  lest  it  might  betray  him  to  some 
lurking  party  of  Indians.  Hobbling  his  horse 
with  his  pocket  handkerchief,  and  leaving  him  to 
graze  on  the  margin  of  the  prairie,  he  clambered 
into  a  tree,  fixed  his  saddle  in  the  fork  of  the 
branches,  and  placing  himself  securely  with  his 
back  against  the  trunk,  prepared  to  pass  a  drea- 
ry and  anxious  night,  regaled  occasionally  with 
the  bowlings  of  the  wolves.  He  was  agreeably 
disappointed.  The  fatigue  of  the  day  soon 
brought  on  a  sound  sleep ;  he  had  delightful 
dreams  about  his  home  in  Switzerland,  nor  did 
he  wake  until  it  was  broad  daylight. 

He  then  descended  from  his  roosting  place, 
mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  to  the  naked  sum- 
mit of  a  hill,  from  whence  he  beheld  a  trackless 


240  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

wilderness  around  him,  but,  at  no  great  distance, 
the  Grand  Canadian,  winding  its  way  between 
borders  of  forest  land.  The  sight  of  this  river 
consoled  him  with  the  idea  that,  should  he  fail  in 
finding  his  way  back  to  the  camp,  or,  in  being 
found  by  some  party  of  his  comrades,  he  might 
follow  the  course  of  the  stream,  which  could  not 
fail  to  conduct  him  to  some  frontier  post,  or  In- 
dian hamlet.  So  closed  the  events  of  our  hap- 
hazard buffalo  hunt. 


241 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A  Republic  of  Prairie  Dogs, 

On  returning  from  our  expedition  in  quest  of 
the  young  Count,  I  learned  that  a  burrow,  or 
village,  as  it  is  termed,  of  prairie  dogs  had  been 
discovered  on  the  level  summit  of  a  hill,  about 
a  mile  from  the  camp.  Having  heard  much  of 
the  habits  and  peculiarities  of  these  little  ani- 
mals, I  determined  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  commu- 
nity. The  prairie  dog  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
curiosities  of  the  Far  West,  about  which  travel- 
lers delight  to  tell  marvellous  tales,  endowing  him 
at  times  wnth  something  of  the  politic  and  social 
habits  of  a  rational  being,  and  giving  him  syvS- 
tems  of  civil  government  and  domestic  economy, 
almost  equal  to  what  they  used  to  bestow  upon 
the  beaver. 

The  prairie  dog  is  an  animal  of  the  coney 
kind,  and  about  the  size  of  a  rabbit.  He  is  of 
a  sprightly  mercurial  nature  ;  quick,  sensitive, 
and  somewhat  petulant.  He  is  very  gregarious, 
living  in  large  communities,  sometimes  of  seve- 
ral acres  in  extent,  where  innumerable  little 
heaps  of  earth  show  the  entrances  to  the  sub- 
terranean cells  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  well 
21 


242  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

beaten  tracks,  like  lanes  and  streets,  show  their 
mobility  and  restlessness.  According  to  the 
accounts  given  of  them,  they  would  seem  to  be 
continually  full  of  sport,  business,  and  public 
affairs  ;  whisking  about  hither  and  thither,  as  if 
on  gossiping  visits  to  each  other's  houses,  or 
congregating  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  or 
after  a  shower,  and  gambolling  together  in 
the  open  air.  Sometimes,  especially  when  the 
moon  shines,  they  pass  half  the  night  in  revelry, 
barking  or  yelping  with  short,  quick,  yet  weak 
tones,  like  those  of  very  young  puppies.  While 
in  the  height  of  their  playfulness  and  clamour, 
however,  should  there  be  the  least  alarm,  they 
all  vanish  into  their  cells  in  an  instant,  and  the 
village  remains  blank  and  silent.  In  case  they 
are  hard  pressed  by  their  pursuers,  without  any 
hope  of  escape,  they  will  assume  a  pugnacious 
air,  and  a  most  whimsical  look  of  impotent 
wrath  and  defiance. 

The  prairie  dogs  are  not  permitted  to  remain 
sole  and  undisturbed  inhabitants  of  their  own 
homes.  Owls  and  rattlesnakes  are  said  to  take 
up  their  abodes  with  them  ;  but  whether  as  in- 
vited guests  or  unwelcome  intruders,  is  a  matter 
of  controversy.  The  owls  are  of  a  peculiar 
kind,  and  would  seem  to  partake  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  hawk  ;  for  they  are  taller  and  more 
erect  on  their  legs,  more  alert  in  their  looks  and 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  243 

rapid  in  their  flight  than  ordinary  owls,  and  do 
not  confine  their  excursions  to  the  night,  but 
sally  forth  in  broad  day. 

Some  say  that  they  only  inhabit  cells  which 
the  prairie  dogs  ha-ve  deserted,  and  suffered  to  go 
to  ruin,  in  consequence  of  the  death  in  them  of 
some  relative  ;  for  they  would  make  out  this 
little  animal  to  be  endowed  with  keen  sensibili- 
ties, that  will  not  permit  it  to  remain  in  the 
dwelling  where  it  has  witnessed  the  death  of  a 
friend.  Other  fanciful  speculators  represent  the 
owl  as  a  kind  of  housekeeper  to  the  prairie  dog ; 
and,  from  having  a  note  very  similar,  insinuate 
that  it  acts,  in  a  manner,  as  family  preceptor, 
and  teaches  the  young  litter  to  bark. 

As  to  the  rattlesnake,  nothing  satisfactory  has 
been  ascertained  of  the  part  he  plays  in  this 
most  interesting  household ;  though  he  is  con- 
sidered as  little  better  than  a  sycophant  and 
sharper,  that  winds  himself  into  the  concerns  of 
the  honest,  credulous  little  dog,  and  takes  him 
in  most  sadly.  Certain  it  is,  if  he  acts  as  toad- 
eater,  he  occasionally  solaces  himself  with  more 
than  the  usual  perquisites  of  his  order ;  as  he  is 
now  and  then  detected  with  one  of  the  younger 
members  of  the  family  in  his  maw. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  particulars  that  I  could 
gather  about  the  domestic  economy  of  this  little 
inhabitant  of  the  prairies,  who,  with  his  pigmy 


244  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

republic,  appears  to  be  a  subject  of  much  whim- 
sical speculation  and  burlesque  remarks,  among 
the  hunters  of  the  Far  West. 

It  was  towards  evening  that  I  set  out  with  a 
companion,  to  visit  the  village  in  question.  Un- 
luckily, it  had  been  invaded  in  the  course  of  the 
day  by  some  of  the  rangers,  who  had  shot  two 
or  three  of  its  inhabitants,  and  thrown  the  whole 
sensitive  community  in  confusion.  As  we  ap- 
proached, w^e  could  perceive  numbers  of  the 
inhabitants  seated  at  the  entrances  of  their  cells, 
while  sentinels  seemed  to  have  been  posted  on 
the  outskirts,  to  keep  a  look  out.  At  sight  of  us, 
the  picket  guards  scampered  in  and  gave  the 
alarm ;  whereupon  every  inhabitant  gave  a  short 
yelp,  or  bark,  and  dived  into  his  hole,  his  heels 
twinkling  in  the  air  as  if  he  had  thrown  a  som- 
erset. 

We  traversed  the  whole  village,  or  republic, 
which  covered  an  area  of  about  thirty  acres ; 
but  not  a  whisker  of  an  inhabitant  was  to  be 
seen.  We  probed  their  cells  as  far  as  the  ram- 
rods of  our  rifles  would  reach,  but  could  unearth 
neither  dog,  nor  owl,  nor  rattlesnake.  Moving 
quietly  to  a  little  distance,  we  lay  down  upon 
the  ground,  and  watched  for  a  long  time,  silent 
and  motionless.  By  and  bye,  a  cautious  old 
burgher  would  slowly  put  forth  the  end  of  his 
nose,  but  instantly  draw  it  in  again.     Another, 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  245 

at  a  greater  distance,  would  emerge  entirely ; 
but,  catching  a  glance  of  us,  would  throw  a 
somerset,  and  plunge  back  again  into  his  hole. 
At  length,  some  who  resided  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  village,  taking  courage  from  the  con- 
tinued stillness,  would  steal  forth,  and  hurry  off 
to  a  distant  hole,  the  residence  possibly  of  some 
family  connexion,  or  gossiping  friend,  about 
whose  safety  they  were  solicitous,  or  with  whom 
they  wished  to  compare  notes  about  the  late 
occurrences. 

Others,  still  more  bold,  assembled  in  little 
knots,  in  the  streets  and  public  places,  as  if  to 
discuss  the  recent  outrages  offered  to  the  com- 
monwealth, and  the  atrocious  murders  of  their 
fellow  burghers. 

We  rose  from  the  ground  and  moved  forward, 
to  take  a  nearer  view  of  these  public  proceed- 
ings, when,  yelp !  yelp !  yelp ! — there  was  a  shrill 
alarm  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth ;  the  meet- 
ings suddenly  dispersed  ;  feet  twinkled  in  the 
air  in  every  direction ;  and  in  an  instant  all  had 
vanished  into  the  earth. 

The  dusk  of  the  evening  put  an  end  to  our 
observations,  but  the  train  of  whimsical  com- 
parisons produced  in  my  brain  by  the  moral  at- 
tributes which  I  had  heard  given  to  these  little 
politic  animals,  still  continued  after  my  return 
to  camp ;  and  late  in  the  night,  as  I  lay  awake 
21* 


246  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

after  all  the  cam,p  was  asleep,  and  heard  m  the 
stillness  of  the  hour,  a  faint  clamour  of  shrill 
voices  from  the  distant  village,  I  could  not  help 
picturing  to  myself  the  inhabitants  gathered  to- 
gether in  noisy  assemblage,  and  windy  debate, 
to  devise  plans  for  the  public  safety,  and  to  vin- 
dicate the  invaded  rights  and  insulted  dignity  of 
tKe  repubhc. 


247 


CHAPTER  XXXIIL 

A  Council  in  the  Camp.  Reasons  for  facing 
homewards.  Horses  lost.  Departure  with  a 
detachment  on  the  homeward  route.  Swamp, 
Wild  horse.  Camp  scene  by  night.  The  owl, 
harbinger  of  dawn. 

While  breakfast  was  preparing,  a  council  was 
neld  as  to  our  future  movements.  Symptoms 
of  discontent  had  appeared  for  a  day  or  two 
past,  among  the  rangers,  most  of  whom,  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  life  of  the  prairies,  had  become  im- 
patient of  its  privations,  as  well  as  the  restraints 
of  the  camp.  The  want  of  bread  had  been  felt 
severely,  and  they  were  wearied  with  constant 
travel.  In  fact,  the  novelty  and  excitement  of 
!he  expedition  were  at  an  end.  They  had 
nunted  the  deer,  the  bear,  the  elk,  the  buffalo, 
and  the  wild  horse,  and  had  no  further  object  of 
leading  interest  to  look  forward  to.  A  general 
mclination  prevailed,  therefore,  to  turn  home- 
wards. 

Grave  reasons  disposed  the  Captain  and  his 
officers  to  adopt  this  resolution.  Our  horses 
were  generally  much  jaded  by  the  fatigues  of 
travelling  and  hunting,  and  had  fallen  away  sad- 


248  A    TOUR    ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

ly  for  want  of  good  pasturage,  and  from  being 
tethered  at  night,  to  protect  them  from  Indian 
depredations.  The  late  rains,  too,  seemed  to 
have  washed  away  the  nourishment  from  the 
scanty  herbage  that  remained ;  and  since  our 
encampment  during  the  storm,  6ur  horses  had 
lost  flesh  and  strength  rapidly.  With  every 
possible  care,  horses,  accustomed  to  grain,  and 
to  the  regular  and  plentiful  nourishment  of  the 
stable  and  the  farm,  lose  heart  and  condition 
in  travelling  on  the  prairies.  In  all  expeditions 
of  the  kind  we  were  engaged  in,  the  hardy  In^ 
dian  horses,  which  are  generally  mustangs,  or  a 
cross  of  the  wild  breed,  are  to  be  preferred. 
They  can  stand  all  fatigues,  hardships,  and  pri- 
vations, and  thrive  on  the  grasses  and  wild  her- 
bage of  the  plains. 

Our  men,  too,  had  acted  with  little  forethought; 
galloping  off*  w^henever  they  had  a  chance,  af- 
ter the  game  that  we  encountered  while  on  the 
march.  In  this  way  they  had  strained  and  wea- 
ried their  horses,  instead  of  husbanding  their 
strength  and  spirits.  On  a  tour  of  the  kind, 
horses  should  as  seldom  as  possible  be  put  off  of 
a  quiet  walk  ;  and  the  average  day's  journey 
should  not  exceed  ten  miles. 

We  had  hoped,  by  pushing  forward,  to  reach 
the  bottoms  of  the  Red  river,  which  abound  with 
young  cane,  a  most  nourishing  forage  for  cattle 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  249 

at  this  season  of  the  year.  It  would  now  take 
us  several  days  to  arrive  there,  and  in  the  mean 
time  many  of  our  horses  would  probably  give 
out.  It  was  the  time,  too,  when  the  hunting  par- 
ties of  Indians  set  fire  to  the  prairies ;  the  her- 
bage, throughout  this  part  of  the'  country,  was 
in  that  parched  state,  favourable  to  combustion, 
and  there  was  daily  more  and  more  risk,  that 
the  prairies  between  us  and  the  fort  would  be 
set  on  fire  by  some  of  the  return  parties  of 
Osages,  and  a  scorched  desert  left  for  us  to  tra- 
verse. In  a  word,  we  had  started  too  late  in 
the  season,  or  loitered  too  much  in  the  early  part 
of  our  march,  to  accomplish  our  originally  in- 
tended tour  ;  and  there  was  imminent  hazard,  if 
we  continued  on,  that  we  should  lose  the  greater 
part  of  our  horses  ;  and,  besides  suffering  vari- 
ous other  inconveniences,  be  obliged  to  return 
on  foot.  It  was  determined,  therefore,  to  give 
up  all  further  progress,  and,  turning  our  faces  to 
the  south-east,  to  make  the  best  of  our  way  back 
to  Fort  Gibson. 

This  resolution  being  taken,  there  was  an  im- 
mediate eagerness  to  put  it  into  operation. 
Several  horses,  however,  were  missing,  and 
among  others  those  of  the  Captain  and  the  Sur- 
geon. Persons  had  gone  in  search  of  them,  but 
the  morning  advanced  without  any  tidings  of 
them.     Our  party  in  the  mean  time,  being  all 


250  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

ready  for  a  march,  the  Commissioner  deter- 
mined to  set  off  in  the  advance,  with  his  origi- 
nal escort  of  a  heutenant  and  fourteen  rangers, 
leaving  the  Captain  to  come  on  at  his  conve- 
nience, w^ith  the  main  body.  At  ten  o'clock, 
we  accordingly  started,  under  the  guidance  of 
Beatte,  who  had  hunted  over  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  knew  the  direct  route  to  the  gar- 
rison. 

For  some  distance  we  skirted  the  prairie, 
keeping  a  south-east  direction ;  and  in  the  course 
of  our  ride,  we  saw  a  variety  of  wild  animals, 
de«r,  white  and  black  wolves,  buffaloes,  and  wild 
horses.  To  the  latter,  our  half-breeds  and  To- 
nish  gave  ineftectual  chase,  only  serving  to  add 
to  the  weariness  of  their  already  jaded  steeds. 
Indeed  it  is  rarely  that  any  but  the  weaker  and 
least  fleet  of  the  wild  horses  are  taken  in  these 
hard  racings  ;  while  the  horse  of  the  huntsman 
is  prone  to  be  knocked  up.  The  latter,  in  fact, 
risks  a  good  horse  to  catch  a  bad  one.  On  this 
occasion,  Tonish,  who  was  a  perfect  imp  on 
horseback,  and  noted  for  ruining  every  animal 
he  bestrode,  succeeded  in  laming  and  almost 
disabling  the  powerful  grey  on  which  we  had 
mounted  him  at  the  outset  of  our  tour. 

After  proceeding  a  few  miles,  we  left  the 
prairie,  and  struck  to  the  east,  taking  what 
Beatte   pronounced  an   old    Osage  war-track. 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  251 

This  led  us  through  a  rugged  tract  of  country, 
overgrown  with  scrubbed  forests  and  entangled 
thickets,  and  intersected  by  deep  ravines,  and 
brisk  running  streams,  the  sources  of  Little  Ri- 
ver. About  three  o'clock,  we  encamped  by 
some  pools  of  water  in  a  small  valley,  having 
come  about  fourteen  miles.  We  had  brought 
on  a  supply  of  provisions  from  our  last  camp, 
and  supped  heartily  upon  stewed  buffalo  meat, 
roasted  venison,  beignets,  or  fritters  of  flour  fried 
in  bear's  lard,  and  tea  made  of  a  species  of  the 
golden  rod,  which  we  had  found,  throughout  our 
route,  almost  as  grateful  a  beverage  as  coffee. 
Indeed  our  coffee,  which,  as  long  as  it  held  out, 
had  been  served  up  with  every  meal,  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  west,  was  by  no  means  a 
beverage  to  boast  of  It  was  roasted  in  a  frying 
pan,  without  much  care,  pounded  in  a  leathern 
bag,  with  a  round  stone,  and  boiled  in  our  prime 
and  almost  only  kitchen  utensil,  the  camp  kettle, 
in  "  branch"  or  brook  water  ;  which,  on  the  pra- 
ries,  is  deeply  coloured  by  the  soil,  of  which  it 
always  holds  abundant  particles  in  a  state  of  so- 
lution and  suspension.  In  fact,  in  the  course  of 
our  tour,  we  had  tasted  the  quality  of  every  va- 
riety of  soil,  and  the  draughts  of  water  we  had 
taken  might  vie  in  diversity  of  colour,  if  not  of 
flavour,  with  the  tinctures  of  an  apothecary's 
shop.     Pure,  limpid  water,  is  a  rare  luxury  on 


252  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

the  prairies,  at  least  at  this  season  of  the  year. 
Supper  over,  we  placed  sentinels  about  our  scan- 
ty and  diminished  camp,  spread  our  skins  and 
blankets  under  the  trees,  now  nearly  destitute  of 
fohage,  and  slept  soundly  until  morning. 

We  had  a  beautiful  daybreak.  The  camp 
again  resounded  with  cheerful  voices ;  every 
one  was  animated  wuth  the  thoughts  of  soon 
being  at  the  fort,  and  revelling  on  bread  and 
vegetables.  Even  our  saturnine  man,  Beatte, 
seemed  inspired  on  the  occasion ;  and  as  he 
drove  up  the  horses  for  the  march,  I  heard  him 
singing,  in  nasal  tones,  a  most  forlorn  Indian 
ditty.  All  this  transient  gaiety,  however,  soon 
died  away  amidst  the  fatigues  of  our  march, 
which  lay  through  the  same  kind  of  rough,  hilly, 
thicketed  country  as  that  of  yesterday.  In  the 
course  of  the  morning  we  arrived  at  the  valley 
of  the  Little  River,  where  it  wound  through  a 
broad  bottom  of  alluvial  soil.  At^resent  it  had 
overflowed  its  banks,  and  inundated  a  great 
part  of  the  valley.  The  difficulty  was  to  dis- 
tinguish the  stream  from  the  broad  sheets  of 
water  it  had  formed,  and  to  find  a  place  where 
it  might  be  forded ;  for  it  was  in  general  deep 
and  miry,  with  abrupt  crumbling  banks.  Under 
the  pilotage  of  Beatte,  therefore,  we  wandered 
for  some  time  among  the  links  made  by  this 
winding  stream,  in  what  appeared  to  us  a  trac>k- 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  253 

less  labyrinth  of  swamps,  thickets,  and  standing 
pools.  Sometimes  our  jaded  horses  dragged 
their  limbs  forward  with  the  utmost  difficulty, 
having  to  toil  for  a  great  distance,  with  the  water 
up  to  the  stirrups,  and  beset  at  the  bottom  with 
roots  and  creeping  plants.  Sometimes  we  had 
to  force  our  way  through  dense  thickets  of 
brambles  and  grape-vines,  which  almost  pulled 
us  out  of  our  saddles.  In  one  place,  one  of  the 
pack-horses  sunk  in  the  mire  and  fell  on  his  side? 
so  as  to  be  exUicated  with  great  difficulty. 
Wherever  the  soil  was  bare,  or  there  was  a  sand 
bank,  we  beheld  innumerable  tracks  of  bears, 
wolves,  wild  horses,  turkeys,  and  water-fowl ; 
showing  the  abundant  sport  this  valley  might 
afford  to  the  huntsman.  Our  men,  however, 
were  sated  with  hunting,  and  too  weary  to  be 
excited  by  these  signs,  which  in  the  outset  of 
our  tour  would  have  put  them  in  a  fever  of  an- 
ticipation. Their  only  desire  at  present,  was  to 
push  on  doggedly  for  the  fortress. 

At  length  we  succeeded  in  finding  a  fording 
place,  where  we  all  crossed  Little  River,  with 
the  water  and  mire  to  the  saddle  girths,  and 
then  halted  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  to  overhaul 
the  wet  baggage,  and  give  the  horses  time  to 
rest. 

On  resuming  our  march,  we  came  to  a  pleas- 
ant little  meadow,  surrounded  by  groves  of 
22 


254  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

elms  and  cottonwood  trees,  in  the  midst  of 
which  was  a  fine  black  horse  grazing.  Beatte, 
who  was  in  the  advance,  beckoned  us  to  halt, 
and,  being  mounted  on  a  mare,  approached  the 
horse  gently,  step  by  step,  imitating  the  whinny 
of  the  animal  with  admirable  exactness.  The 
noble  courser  of  the  prairie  gazed  for  a  time, 
snuffed  the  air,  neighed,  pricked  up  his  ears, 
and  pranced  round  and  round  the  mare  in  gal- 
lant style  ;  but  kept  at  too  great  a  distance 
for  Beatte  to  throw  the  lariat.  He  was  a  mag- 
nificent object,  in  all  the  pride  and  glory  of  his 
nature.  It  was  admirable  to  see  the  lofty  and 
airy  carriage  of  his  head  ;  the  freedom  of  every 
movement ;  the  elasticity  with  which  he  trod 
the  meadow.  Finding  it  impossible  to  get  with- 
in noosing  distance,  and  seeing  that  the  horse 
was  receding  and  growing  alarmed,  Beatte  slid 
down  from  his  saddle,  levelled  his  rifle  across 
the  back  of  his  mare,  and  took  aim,  with  the 
evident  intention  of  creasing  him.  I  felt  a  throb 
of  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  the  noble  animal, 
and  called  out  to  Beatte  to  desist.  It  was  too 
late  ;  he  pulled  the  trigger  as  I  spoke ;  luckily 
he  did  not  shoot  with  his  usual  accuracy,  and  I 
had  the  satisfaction  to  see  the  coal  black  steed 
dash  off  unharmed  into  the  forest. 

On  leaving  this  valley,  we  ascended  among 
broken  hills  and  rugged,  ragged  forests,  equally 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  255 

harassing  to  horse  and  rider.  The  ravines,  too, 
were  of  red  clay,  and  often  so  steep,  that  in 
descending,  the  horses  would  put  their  feet  to- 
gether and  fairly  slide  down,  and  then  scramble 
up  the  opposite  side  like  cats.  Here  and  there 
among  the  thickets  in  the  valleys,  we  met  with 
sloes  and  persimmon,  and  the  eagerness  with 
which  our  men  broke  from  the  line  of  march, 
and  ran  to  gather  these  poor  fruits,  showed  how 
much  they  craved  some  vegetable  condiment, 
after  living  so  long  exclusively  on  animal  food. 

About  half  past  three,  we  encamped  near  a 
brook  in  a  meadow,  where  there  was  some  scan- 
ty herbage  for  our  half  famished  horses.  As 
Beatte  had  killed  a  fat  doe  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  and  one  of  our  company  a  fine  turkey,  we 
did  not  lack  for  provisions. 

It  was  a  splendid  autumnal  evening.  The 
horizon  after  sunset,  was  of  a  clear  apple  green, 
rising  into  a  dehcate  lake  which  gradually  lost 
itself  in  a  deep  purple  blue.  One  narrow  streak 
of  cloud,  of  a  mahogany  colour,  edged  with  am- 
ber and  gold,  floated  in  the  west,  and  just  be- 
neath it  was  the  evening  star,  shining  with  the 
pure  brilliancy  of  a  diamond.  In  unison  with 
this  scene,  there  was  an  evening  concert  of  in- 
sects of  various  kinds,  all  blended  and  harmo- 
nized into  one  sober  and  somewhat  melancholy 
note,  which  I  have  always  found  to  have  a  sooth- 


256  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

ing  effect  upon  the  mind,  disposing  it  to  quiet 
musings. 

The  night  that  succeeded  was  calm  and  beau- 
tiful. There  was  a  faint  light  from  the  moon, 
now  in  its  second  quarter,  and  after  it  had  set> 
a  fine  star  light,  with  shooting  meteors.  The 
wearied  rangers,  after  a  little  murmuring  conver- 
sation round  their  fires,  sank  to  rest  at  an  early- 
hour,  and  I  seemed  to  have  the  whole  scene  to 
myself.  It  is  delightful  in  thus  bivouacking  on 
the  prairies,  to  lie  awake  and  gaze  at  the  stars  ; 
it  is  like  watching  them  from  the  deck  of  a  ship 
at  sea,  when  at  one  view  we  have  the  whole 
cope  of  heaven.  One  realizes,  in  such  lonely 
scenes,  that  companionship  with  these  beautiful 
luminaries  that  made  astronomers  of  th^  eastern 
shepherds,  as  they  watched  their  flocks  by  night. 
How  often,  while  contemplating  their  mild  and 
benignant  radiance,  I  have  called  to  mind  the 
exquisite  text  of  Job:  "  Canst  thou  bind  the  se- 
cret influences  of  the  Pleiades,  or  loose  the 
bonds  of  Orion  ?"  I  do  not  know  why  it  was> 
but  I  felt  this  night  unusually  affected  by  the 
solemn  magnificence  of  the  firmament ;  and 
seemed,  as  I  lay  thus  under  the  open  vaulr  of 
heaven,  to  inhale  with  the  pure  untainfed  air,  an 
exhilarating  buoyancy  of  spirit,  and  as  it^were> 
an  ecstasy  of  mind.  I  slept  and  waked  alter- 
nately;  and  when  I  slepff  my  dreams  partook 


A   TOUR  ON  THE    PRAIRIES.  257 

of  the  happy  tone  of  my  waking  reveries.  To- 
wards morning,  one  of  the  sentinels,  the  oldest 
man  in  the  troop,  came  and  took  a  seat  near 
me :  he  was  weary  and  sleepy,  and  impatient  to 
be  relieved.  I  found  he  had  been  gazing  at  the 
heavens  also,  but  with  different  feelings. 

"  If  the  stars  don't  deceive  me,"  said  he,  "  it 
is  near  daybreak." 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  that,"  said  Beatte, 
who  lay  close  by.     "I  heard  an  owl  just  now." 

"  Does  the  owl,  then,  hoot  towards  daybreak?^' 
asked  I. 

"  Aye,  sir,  just  as  the  cock  crows." 

This  was  a  useful  habitude  of  the  bird  of  wis- 
dom, of  which  I  was  not  aware.  Neither  the 
stars  nor  owl  deceived  their  votaries.  In  a  short 
time  there  was  a  faint  streak  of  light  in  the  east. 
22* 


258 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Old  Ci^eek  encampment  Scarcity  of  provisions. 
Bad  weather.  Weary  marching,  A  hunter'' s 
bridge. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  this 
morning,  (Nov.  2)  was  less  rugged,  and  of  more 
agreeable  aspect  than  that  we  had  lately  tra- 
versed. At  eleven  o'clock,  we  came  out  upon 
an  extensive  prairie,  and  about  six  miles  to  our 
left,  beheld  a  long  line  of  green  forest,  marking 
the  course  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Arkansas. 
On  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  and  in  a  spacious 
grove  of  noble  trees  which  overshadowed  a 
small  brook,  were  the  traces  of  an  old  Creek 
hunting  camp.  On  the  bark  of  the  trees  were 
rude  delineations  of  hunters  and  squaws,  scrawl- 
ed with  charcoal ;  together  with  various  signs 
and  hieroglyphics,  which  our  half-breeds  inter- 
preted as  indicating  that  from  this  encampment 
the  hunters  had  returned  home. 

In  this  beautiful  camping  ground  we  made 
our  mid-day  halt.  While  reposing  under  the 
trees,  we  heard  a  shouting  at  no  great  distance, 
and  presently  the  Captain  and  the  main  body  of 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  259 

rangers,  whom  we  had  left  behind  two  days 
since,  emerged  from  the  thickets,  and  crossing  the 
brook,  were  joyfully  welcomed  into  the  camp. 
The  Captain  and  the  Doctor  had  been  unsuc- 
cessful in  the  search  after  their  horses,  and  were 
obliged  to  march  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  on  foot ;  yet  they  had  come  on  with  more 
than  ordinary  speed. 

We  resumed  our  march  about  one  o'clock, 
keeping  easterly,  and  approaching  the  north 
fork  obhquely :  it  was  late  before  we  found  a 
good  camping  place ;  the  beds  of  the  streams 
were  dry,  the  prairies,  too,  had  been  burnt  In 
various  places,  by  Indian  hunting  parties.  At 
length  we  found  water  in  a  small  alluvial  bot- 
tom, where  there  was  tolerable  pasltfrage. 

On  the  following  morning,  there  were  flashes 
of  lightning  in  the  east,  w^th  low,  rumbhng 
thunder,  and  clouds  began  to  gather  about  the 
horizon.  Beatte  prognosticated  rain,  and  that 
the  wind  would  veer  to  the  north.  In  the  course 
of  our  march,  a  flock  of  brandt  were  seen  over- 
head, flying  from  the  north.  "  There  comes  the 
wind!"  said  Beatte;  and,  in.  fact,  it  began  to 
blow  from  that  quarter  almost  immediately, 
with  occasional  flurries  of  rain.  About  half 
past  nine  o'clock,  we  forded  the  north  fork  of 
the  Canadian,  and  encamped  about  one  ;  that 
our  hunters  might  have  time  to  beat  up  the 


260  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

neighbourhood  for  game.  In  fact,  a  serious 
scarcity  l)egan  to  prevail  in  the  camp.  Most 
of  the  rangers  were  young,  heedless,  and  inex- 
perienced, and  could  not  be  prevailed  upon, 
while  provisions  abounded,  to  provide  for  the 
future,  by  jerking  meat,  or  carrying  away  any 
on  their  horses.  On  leaving  an  encampment, 
they  would  leave  quantities  of  meat  lying  about, 
trusting  to  Providence  and  their  rifles  for  a  fu- 
ture supply.  The  consequence  was,  that  any 
temporary  scarcity  of  game,  or  ill  luck  in  hunt- 
ing, produced  almost  a  famine  in  the  camp. 
W  the  present  instance,  they  had  left  loads  of 
buffalo  meat  at  the  camp  on  the  great  prairie  ; 
and,  having  ever  since  been  on  a  forced  march, 
leaving  no  time  for  hunting,  they  were  now  des- 
titute of  supplies,  and  pinched  with  hunger. 
Some  had  not  eaten  any  thing  since  the  morn- 
ing of  the  preceding  day.  Nothing  would  have 
persuaded  them  when  revelling  in  the  abundance 
of  the  buffalo  encampment,  that  they  would  so 
soon  be  in  such  famishing  plight. 

The  hunters  returned  with  indifferent  success. 
The  game  had  been  frightened  away  from  this 
part  of  the  country,  by  Indian  hunting  parties, 
which  had  preceded  us.  Ten  or  a  dozen  wild 
turkeys  were  brought  in,  but  not  a  deer  had 
been  seen.  The  rangers  began  to  think  turkeys 
and  even  prairie  hens   deserving  of  attention  ; 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  261 

game  which  they  had  hithertS  considered  un- 
worthy of  their  rifles. 

The  night  was  cold  and  windy,  with  occa- 
sional sprinklings  of  rain ;  but  we  had  roaring 
fires  to  keep  us  comfortable.  In  the  night,  a 
flight  of  wild  geese  passed  over  the  camp,  mak- 
ing a  great  cackling  in  the  air ;  symptoms  of 
approaching  winter. 

We  set  forward  at  an  early  hour  the  next 
morning,  in  a  north-east  course,  and  came  upon 
the  trace  of  a  party  of  Creek  Indians,  which 
enabled  our  poor  horses .  to  travel  with  more 
ease.  We  entered  upon  a  fine  champaign  coun- 
try. From  a  rising  ground  we  had  a  noble  pros- 
pect, over  extensive  prairies,  finely  diversified 
by  groves  and  tracts  of  wood  land,  and  bounded 
by  long  lines  of  distant  hills,  all  clothed  with  the 
rich  mellow  tints  of  autumn.  Game,  too,  was 
more  plenty.  A  fine  buck  sprang  up  from 
among  the  herbage  on  our  right,  and  dashed  off 
at  full  speed ;  but,  a  young  ranger  by  the  name 
of  Childers,  who  was  on  foot,  levelled  his  rifle, 
discharged  a  ball  that  broke  the  neck  of  the 
bounding  deer,  and  sentrliim  ttimbling  head  over 
heels  forward.  Another  buck  and  a  doe,  be- 
sides several  turkeys  were  killed  before  we  came 
to  a  halt,  so  that  the  hungry  mouths  of  the  troop 
were  once  more  supplied. 

About  three  o'clock  we  encamped  in  a  grove 


262  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

after  a  forced  march  of  twenty  five  miles,  that 
had  proved  a  hard  trial  to  the  horses.  For  a 
long  time  after  the  head  of  the  line  had  encamp- 
ed, the  rest  kept  straggling  in,  two  and  three  at 
a  time  ;  one  of  our  pack  horses  had  given  out, 
about  nine  miles  back,  and  a  pony  belonging  to 
Beatte,  shortly  after.  Many  of  the  other  horses 
looked  so  gaunt  and  feeble,  that  doubts  were 
entertained  of  their  being  able  to  reach  the  fort. 
In  the  night,  there  was  heavy  rain,  and  the  morn- 
ing dawned  cloudy  and  dismal.  The  camp  re- 
sounded, however  with  something  of  its  former 
gaiety.  The  rangers  had  supped  well,  and  vv^ere 
renovated  in  spirits,  anticipating  a  speedy  arri- 
val at  the  garrison.  Before  we  set  forward  on 
our  march,  Beatte  returned,  and  brought  his  po- 
ny to  the  camp  with  great  difficulty.  The 
pack  horse,  however,  was  completely  knocked 
up  and  had  to  be  abandoned.  The  wild  mare, 
too,  had  cast  her  foal,  through  exhaustion,  and 
was  not  in  a  state  to  go  forward.  She  and  the 
pony,  therefore,  were  left  at  this  encampment, 
where  there  was  water  and  good  pasturage ;  and 
where  there  would  be  a  chance  of  their  reviving, 
and  being  afterwards  sought  out  and  brought  to 
the  garrison. 

We  set  off  about  eight  o'clock,  and  had  a  day 
of  weary  and  harassing  travel ;  part  of  the  time 
over  rough  hills,  and  part  over  rolling  prairies. 


A    TOUR   ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  263 

The  rain  had  rendered  the  soil  shppery  and 
plashy,  so  as  to  afford  unsteady  foothold.  Some 
of  the  rangers  dismounted,  their  horses  having 
no  longer  strength  to  bear  them.  We  made 
a  halt  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  but  the 
horses  were  too  tired  to  graze.  Several  of 
them  laid  down,  and  there  was  some  difficulty 
in  getting  them  on  their  feet  again.  Our  troop 
presented  a  forlorn  appearance,  straggling  slow- 
ly along,  in  a  broken  and  scattered  line,  that  ex- 
tended over  hill  and  dale,  for  three  miles  and 
upwards,  in  groups  of  three  and  four  widely 
apart ;  some  on  horseback,  some  on  foot,  with 
a  few  laggards,  far  in  the  rear.  About  four 
O'clock,  we  halted  for  the  night  in  a  spacious  fo- 
rest, beside  a  deep  narrow  river,  called  the  Lit- 
tle North  Fork,  or  Deep  Creek.  It  was  late  be- 
fore the  main  part  of  the  troop  straggled  into 
the  encampment,  many  of  the  horses  having 
given  out.  As  this  stream  was  too  deep  to  be 
forded,  we  waited  until  the  next  day  to  devise 
means  to  cross  it ;  but  our  half-breeds  swam  the 
horses  of  our  party  to  the  other  side  in  the  even- 
ing, as  they  would  have  better  pasturage,  and 
the  stream  was  evidently  sw^elling.  The  night 
was  cold  and  unruly ;  the  wind  sounding  hoarse- 
ly through  the  forest  and  whirling  about  the  dry 
leaves.  We  made  long  fires  of  great  trunks  of 
trees,  which  diffused  something  of  consolation, 
if  not  cheerfulness  around. 


264  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES, 

The  next  morning  there  was  general  permis- 
sion given  to  hunt  until  twelve  o'clock ;  the 
camp  being  destitute  of  provisions.  The  rich 
woody  bottom  in  which  we  were  encamped, 
abounded  with  wild  turkeys,  of  which  a  con- 
siderable number  were  killed.  In  the  mean 
time,  preparations  were  made  for  crossing  the 
river,  which  had  risen  several  feet  during  the 
night ;  and  it  was  determined  to  fell  trees  for 
the  purpose,  to  serve  as  bridges. 

The  Captain  and  Doctor,  and  one  or  two 
other  leaders  of  the  camp,  versed  in  woodcraft, 
examined  with  learned  eye  the  trees  growing 
on  the  river  bank,  until  they  singled  out  a  couple 
of  the  largest  size,  and  most  suitable  inchnations. 
The  axe  was  then  vigorously  applied  to  their 
roots,  in  such  way  as  to  ensure  their  falling  di- 
rectly across  the  stream.  As  they  did  not  reach 
to  the  opposite  bank,  it  was  necessary  for  some 
of  the  men  to  swim  across  and  fell  trees  on  the 
other  side,  to  meet  them.  They  at  length  suc- 
ceeded in  making  a  precarious  foot  way  across 
the  deep  and  rapid  current,  by  which  the  bag- 
gage could  be  carried  over  :  but  it  was  neces- 
sary to  grope  our  way,  step  by  step,  along  the 
trunks  and  main  branches  of  the  trees,  which 
for  a  part  of  the  distance  were  completely  sub- 
merged, so  that  we  were  to  our  waists  in  water. 
Most  of  the  horses  were  then  swam  across,  but 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  265 

some  of  them  were  too  weak  to  brave  the  cur- 
rent, and  evidently  too  much  knocked  up  to  bear 
any  further  travel.  Twelve  men,  therefore, 
were  left  at  the  encampment  to  guard  these 
horses,  until  by  repose  and  good  pasturage  they 
should  be  sufficiently  recovered  to  complete 
their  journey ;  and  the  Captain  engaged  to  send 
the  men  a  supply  of  flour  and  other  necessaries, 
as  soon  as  we  should  arrive  at  the  Fort. 


23 


266 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A  look  out  for  land.  Hard  travelling  and  hun- 
gry halting.  A  frontier  farm  house.  Arrival 
at  the  garrison. 

It  was  a  little  after  one  o'clock  when  we  again 
resumed  our  weary  way-faring.  The  residue 
of  that  day  and  the  whole  of  the  next  were 
spent  in  toilsome  travel.  Part  of  the  way  was 
over  stony  hills,  part  across  wide  prairies,  ren- 
dered spongy  and  miry  by  the  recent  rain,  and 
cut  up  by  brooks  swollen  into  torrents.  Our 
poor  horses  were  so  feeble,  that  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty we  could  get  them  across  the  deep  ra- 
vines and  turbulent  streams.  In  traversing  the 
miry  plains,  they  slipped  and  staggered  at  every 
step,  and  most  of  us  were  obliged  to  dismount 
and  walk  for  the  greater  part  of  the  way.  Hun- 
ger prevailed  throughout  the  troop ;  every  one 
began  to  look  anxious  and  haggard,  and  to  feel 
the  growing  length  of  each  addiftonal  mile. 
At  one  time,  in  crossing  a  hill,  Beatte  climbed 
a  high  tree,  commanding  a  wide  prospect,  and 
took  a  look  out,  like  a  mariner  from  the  mast- 
head at  sea.  He  came  down  with  cheering 
tidings.     To  the  left  he  had  beheld  a  line  of 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  267 

forest  stretching  across  the  country,  which  he 
knew  to  be  the  woody  border  of  the  Arkansas  ; 
and  at  a  distance  he  had  recognised  certain 
landmarks,  from  which  he  concluded  that  we 
could  not  be  above  forty  miles  distant  from  the 
fort.  It  was  like  the  welcome  cry  of  land  to 
tempest-tossed  mariners. 

In  fact  we  soon  after  saw  smoke  rising  from 
a  woody  glen  at  a  distance.  It  was  supposed 
to  be  made  by  a  hunting  party  of  Creek  or 
Osage  Indians  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
fort,  and  was  joyfully  hailed  as  a  harbinger  of 
man.  It  was  now  confidently  hoped  that  we 
would  soon  arrive  among  the  frontier  hamlets 
of  Creek  Indians,  which  are  scattered  along  the 
skirts  of  the  uninhabited  wilderness ;  and  our 
hungry  rangers  trudged  forward  with  reviving 
spirit,  regaling  themselves  with  savoury  antici- 
pations of  farm-house  luxuries,  and  enumerating 
every  article  of  good  cheer,  until  their  mouths 
fairly  watered  at  the  shadowy  feasts  thus  con- 
jured up. 

A  hungry  night,  however,  closed  in  upon  a 
toilsome  day.  We  encamped  on  the  border  of 
one  of  the  tributary  streams  of  the  Arkansas, 
amidst  the  ruins  of  a  stately  grove  that  had 
been  riven  by  a  hurricane.  The  blast  had  torn 
its  way  through  the  forest  in  a  narrow  column, 
and  its  course  was  marked  by  enormous  trees 


268  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES 

shivered  and  splintered,  and  upturned,  with 
their  roots  in  the  air :  all  lay  in  one  direction, 
like  so  many  brittle  reeds  broken  and  trodden 
down  by  the  hunter. 

Here  was  fuel  in  abundance,  without  the  la- 
bour of  the  axe :  we  had  soon  immense  fires 
blazing  and  sparkling  in  the  frosty  air,  and  light- 
ing up  the  whole  forest ;  but,  alasl  we  had  no 
meat  to  cook  at  them.  The  scarcity  in  the 
camp  almost  amounted  to  famine.  Happy  was 
he  who  had  a  morsel  of  jerked  meat,  or  even 
the  half  picked  bones  of  a  former  repast.  For 
our  pari,  we  were  more  lucky  at  our  mess  than 
our  neighbours ;  one  of  our  men  having  shot  a 
turkey.  We  had  no  bread  to  eat  with  it,  nor 
salt  to  season  il^withal.  It  was  simply  boiled 
in  water;  the  latter  was  served  up  as  soup,  and 
we  were  fain  to  rub  each  morsel  of  the  turkey 
on  the  empty  salt  bag,  in  hopes  some  saline  par- 
ticle might  remain  to  relieve  its  insipidity. 

The  night  was  biting  cold;  the  brilliant  moon- 
light sparkled  on  the  frosty  crystals  which  cov- 
ered every  object  around  us.  The  water  froze 
beside  the  skins  on  which  we  bivouacked,  and 
in  the  morning  I  found  the  blanket  in  which  I 
was  wrapped  covered  with  a  hoar  frost ;  yet  I 
had  never  slept  more  comfortably. 

After  a  shadow  of  a  breakfast,  consisting  of 
turkey  bones  and  a  cup  of  coffee  without  sugar, 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  269 

we  decamped  at  an  early  hour ;  for  hunger  is  a 
sharp  quickener  on  a  journey.  The  prairies 
were  all  gemmed  with  frost,  that  covered  the 
tall  weeds  and  glistened  in  the  sun.  We  saw 
great  flights  of  prairie  hens,  that  hovered  from 
tree  to  tree,  or  sat  in  rows  along  the  naked 
branches,  waiting  until  the  sun  should  melt  the 
frost  from  the  weeds  and  herbage.  Our  rangers 
no  longer  despised  such  humble  game,  but  turn- 
ed from  the  ranks  in  pursuit  of  a  prairie  hen  as 
eagerly  as  they  formerly  would  go  in  pursuit  of 
a  deer. 

Every  one  now  pushed  forward,  anxious  to 
arrive  at  sonle  human  habitation  before  night. 
The  poor  horses  were  urged  beyond  their 
strength,  in  the  thought  of  soon  being  able  to 
indemnify  them  for  present  toil,  by  rest  and  am- 
ple provender.  Still  the  distances  seemed  to 
stretch  out  more  than  ever,  and  the  blue  hills 
pointed  out  as  landmarks  on  the  horizon,  to  re- 
cede, as  we  advanced.  Every  step  became  a 
labour ;  every  now  and  then  a  miserable  horse 
would  give  out  and  lie  down.  His  owner  would 
raise  him  by  main  strength,  force  him  forward 
to  the  margin  of  some  stream,  where  there 
might  be  a  scanty  border  of  herbage,  and  then 
abandon  him  tb  his  fate.  Among  those  that 
were  thus  left  on  the  way,  was  one  of  the  led 
horses  of  the  Count ;  a  prime  hunter,  that  had 
23* 


2*70  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

taken  the  lead  of  every  thing  in  the  chase  of 
the  wild  horses.  It  was  intended,  however,  as 
soon  as  we  should  arrive  at  the  fort,  to  send  out 
a  party  provided  with  corn,  to  bring  in  such  of 
the  horses  as  should  survive. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  we  came  upon 
Indian  tracks,  crossing  each  other  in  various  di- 
rections, a  proof  that  we  must  be  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  human  habitations.  At  length,  on 
passing  through  a  skirt  of  wood,  we  beheld  two 
or  three  log  houses,  sheltered  under  lofty  trees 
on  the  border  of  a  prairie,  the  habitations  of 
Creek  Indians,  who  had  small  farms  adjacent. 
Had  they  been  sumptuous  villas,  abounding  with 
the  luxuries  of  civilization,  they  could  not  have 
been  hailed  with  greater  delight. 

Some  of  the  rangers  rode  up  to  them  in  quest 
of  food  :  the  greater  part,  however,  pushed  for- 
ward in  search  of  the  habitation  of  a  white  set- 
tler, which  we  were  told  was  at  no  great  distance. 
The  troop  soon  disappeared  among  the  trees, 
and  I  followed  slowly  in  their  track  ;  for,  my 
once  fleet  and  generous  steed,  faltered  under 
me,  and  was  just  able  to  drag  one  foot  after  the 
other,  yet  I  was  too  weary  and  exhausted  to 
spare  him. 

In  this  way  we  crept  on,  until,  on  turning 
a  thick  clump  of  trees,  a  frontier  farm  house 
suddenly  presented  itself  to  view.     It  was  a  low 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  271 

tenement  of  logs,  overshadowed  by  great  forest 
trees,  but  it  seemed  as  if  a  very  region  of  Co- 
caigne  prevailed  around  it.  Here  was  a  stable 
and  barn,  and  granaries  teeming  with  abundance, 
while  legions  of  grunting  swine,  gobbling  tur- 
keys, cackling  hens  and  strutting  roosters, 
swarmed  about  the  farm  yard. 

My  poor  jaded  and  half  famished  horse,  raised 
his  head  and  pricked  up  his  ears,  at  the  well  known 
sights  and  sounds.  He  gave  a  chuckling  inward 
sound,  something  like  a  dry  laugh  ;  whisked  his 
tail,  and  made  great  leeway  toward  a  corn  crib, 
filled  with  golden  ears  of  maize,  and  it  was  with 
some  difficulty  that  I  could  control  his  course, 
and  steer  him  up  to  the  door  of  the  cabin.  A 
single  glance  within  was  sufficient  to  raise  every 
gastronomic  faculty.  There  sat  the  Captain  of 
the  rangers  and  his  officers,  round  a  three  legged 
table,  crowned  by  a  broad  and  smoking  dish  of 
boiled  beef  and  turnips.  I  sprang  off  of  my 
horse  in  an  instant,  cast  him  loose  to  make  his 
way  to  the  corn  crib,  and  entered  this  palace  of 
plenty.  A  fat  good  humoured  negress  received 
me  at  the  door.  She  was  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  the  spouse  of  the  white  man,  who  was 
absent.  I  hailed  her  as  some  swart  fairy  of  the 
wild,  that  had  suddenly  conjured  up  a  banquet 
in  a  desert ;  and  a  banquet  was  it  in  good  sooth. 
In  a  twinkling,  she  lugged  from  the  fire  a  huge 


272  A    TOUR   ON    THE    PRAIRIES. 

iron  pot,  that  might  have  rivalled  one  of  the  fa- 
mous flesh  pots  of  Egypt,  or  the  witches'  cal- 
dron in  Macbeth.  Placing  a  brown  earthen  dish 
on  the  floor,  she  inclined  the  corpulent  caldron 
on  one  side,  and  out  leaped  sundry  great  morsels 
of  beef,  with  a  regiment  of  turnips  tumbling  after 
them,  and  a  rich  cascade  of  broth,  overflowing 
the  whole.  This  she  handed  me  with  an  ivory 
smile  that  extended  from  ear  to  ear;  apologizing 
for  our  humble  fare,  and.  the  humble  style  in 
which  it  was  served  up.  Humble  fare  !  humble 
style !  Boiled  beef  and  turnips,  and  an  earthen 
dish  to  eat  them  from  !  To  think  of  apologizing 
for  such  a  ti;gat  to  a  half-starved  man  from  the 
prairies ;  and  then  such  magnificent  slices  of 
bread  and  butter  !  Head  of  Apicius,  what  a  ban- 
quet ! 

"  The  rage  of  hunger"  being  appeased,  I  be- 
gan to  think  of  my  lK)rse.  He,  however,  like  an 
old  campaigner,  had  taken  good  cai'e  of  himself. 
I  found  him  paying  assiduous  attention  to  the 
crib  of  Indian  corn,  and  dexterously  drawing 
forth  and  munching  the  ears  that  protruded  be- 
tween the  bars.  It  was  with  great  regret  that 
I  interrupted  his  repast,  which  he  abandoned 
with  a  heavy  sigh,  or  rather  a  rumbling  groan. 
I  was  anxious,  however,  to  rejoin  my  travelling 
companions,  who  had  passed  by  the  farm-house 
without  stopping,  and  proceeded  to  the  banks  of 


A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.  273 

the  Arkansas ;  being  in  the  hopes  of  arriving 
before  night  at  the  Osage  Agency.  Leaving 
the  Captain  and  his  troop,  therefore,  amidst  the 
abundance  of  the  farm,  where  they  had  deter- 
mined to  quarter  themselves  for  the  night,  I 
bade  adieu  to  our  sable  hostess,  and  again  push- 
ed forward. 

A  ride  of  about  a  mile  brought  me  to  where 
my  comrades  were  waiting  on  the  banks  of  the 
Arkansas,  which  here  poured  along  between 
beautiful  forests.  A  number  of  Creek  Indians, 
in  their  brightly  coloured  dresses,  looking  like 
so  many  gay  tropical  birds,  were  busy  aiding 
our  men  to  transport  the  baggage  across  the 
river  in  a  canoe.  While  this  was  doing,  our 
horses  had  another  regale  from  two  great  cribs 
heaped  up  with  ears  of  Indian  corn,  which  stood 
near  the  edge  of  the  river.  We  had  to  keep  a 
check  upon  the  poor  half  famished  animals,  lest 
they  should  injure  themselves  by  their  voracity. 

The  baggage  being  all  carried  to  the  opposite 
bank,  we  embarked  in  the  canoe,  and  swam  our 
horses  across  the  river.  I  was  fearful,  lest  in 
their  enfeebled  state,  they  should  not  be  able  to 
stem  the  current ;  but  their  banquet  of  Indian 
corn  had  already  infused  fresh  life  and  spirit  into 
them,  and  itwould  appear  as  if  they  were  cheer- 
ed by  the  instinctive  consciousness  of  their  ap- 
proach to  home,  where  they  would  soon  be  at 


274  A  TOUR  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

rest,  and  in  plentiful  quarters ;  for  no  sooner  had 
we  landed  and  resumed  our  route,  than  they  set 
off  on  a  hand-gallop,  and  continued  so  for  a 
great  part  of  seven  miles,  that  we  had  to  ride 
through  the  woods. 

If  was  an  early  hour  in  the  evening  when  we 
arrived  at  the  Agency,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ver- 
digris river,  from  whence  w^e  had  set  off  about  a 
month  before.  Here  we  passed  the  night  com- 
fortably quartered ;  yet,  after  having  been  ac- 
customed t6  sleep  in  the  open  air,  the  confine- 
ment of  a  chamber  was,  in  some  respects, 
irksome.  The  atmosphere  seemed  close,  and 
destitute  of  freshness  ;  and  when  I  woke  in  the 
night  and  gazed  about  me  upon  complete  dark- 
ness, I  missed  the  glorious  companionship  of 
the  stars. 

The  next  morning  after  breakfast,  I  again  set 
forward  in  company  with  the  worthy  Commis- 
sioner, for  Fort  Gibson,  where  we  arrived  much 
tattered,  travel-stained  and  weather-beaten,  but 
in  high  health  and  spirits ; — and  thus  ended  my 
foray  into  the  Pawnee  Hunting  Grounds, 


THE  END. 


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DR.  BIRD'S  NEW  NOVEL— CALAVARf. 

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GRUMMETT'S  LOG. 

LEAVES  FROM  MY  LOG  BOOK,  By  Flexible  Grummett, 
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RANDOLPH'S  LETTERS.  Letters  of  John  Randolph  to  a 
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all." — Daily  Chronicle. 

CHARLES  THE  FIRST.  Memoirs  of  the  Court  of  King 
Charles  the  First.    By  Lucy  Aikin.    In  two  vols.  8vo. 

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relation  of  his  public  works  and  actions,  and  has  left  it  to  tell  its  story." — 
Athenceum. 

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THE  HUNCHBACK  OF  NOTRE-DAME. 

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THE 

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BY  D'ISRAELI, 

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OR  THE   MERCHANT   SERVICE. 

BY   THE   AUTHOR   OF    PETER   SIMPLE,    &C. 

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THE    BUCCANEER, 

A  TALE, 

BY  MRS.  S.  C.  HALL, 
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ROSIIVE   I-AVAIi, 

BY  MR.  SMITH. 

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— Atlas. 


THE  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JACK  KETCH. 

IN  ONE  VOL.  WITH  PLATES 


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THE  MAGDALEN  AND  OTHER  TALES. 

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THE  INSURGENTS. 

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AURUNGZEBE; 
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THE    CANTERBURY   TALES. 

BY    SOPHIA    AND    HARRIET    LEE. 


"  Thtire  are  fii^e  things  in  the  '  The  Canterbury  Tales.'  Nothing  of  Scott's 
is  finer  than  'The  German  Tale.'  I  admired  it  when  a  boy,  and  have  con- 
tinued to  like  what  I  did  then.  This,  I  remember,  particularly  affected  me." 
— Lord  Byron. 

"  To  read  the  Canterbury  Tales  of  the  Misses  Lee  once  more,  is  a  species  of 
temporary  regeneration.  There  is  scarcely  any  educated  person  of  this  cen- 
tury who  has  not,  at  some  time  or  other,  of  youth,  drawn  a  sincere  pleasure 
from  those  pages.  The  different  tales  have  been  to  many  like  turning  down 
a  leaf  in  life ;  we  can  find  our  place  again  in  juvenile  existence  by  the  asso- 
ciations connected  with  them.  The  Officer's  Tale,  perhaps,  was  read  on  some 
sunny  bank  in  a  pleasant  land— a  stolen  pleasure.  The  Young  Lady's  Tale  un- 
folded all  its  intricacy  on  some  fair  sofa  of  a  well-remembered  apartment.  On 
the  German  Tale,  perhaps,  two  hearts  beat  in  unison,  trembled  in  harmony, 
and,  wh(!n  sharing  a  mutual  agitation,  two  heads  bent  over  the  mystic  page, 
they  turned  round  to  see  each  other's  fright  reflected  in  well-known  and  well- 
loved  features.  Even  now  we  feel  a  shiver  running  over  the  frame,  as  we  call 
to  mind  t  he  fearful  whisper  of  the  name  of  Kruitzner,  amidst  the  silent  throng 
of  a  knei  ling  congregation  in  the  cathedral.  Such  a  memoria  technica  has  its 
charm ;  a  nd  we  may  be  pardoned  for  approaching  this  number  of '  The  Standard 
Novels'  with  feelings  of  far  more  interest  than  we  take  up  any  new  novel  of 
the  day." — Spectator. 


THE  MAYOR  OF  WIND  GAP. 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THE  o'hARA  TALES. 


MY  COUSIN  NICHOLAS.     2  Vols. 


Neiv  "Worksy  puljlislied  1>y  Carey,  Lea,  &,  Blancliard* 


LEGENDS  OF  THE  LIBRARY  AT  LILIES. 

BY  THE  LORD  AND  LADY  THERE. 

In  2  vols.  12mo. 

"  Two  delightful  volumes,  various,  graceful,  with  the  pathos  exquisitely 
relieved  by  gaiety;  and  the  romantic  legend  well  contrasted  by  the  lively 
sketch  from  actual  existence." — Literary  Gazette. 

•'  The  author  of  these  volumes  merits  much  higher  praise  than  most  of  the 
pretenders  to  the  palm  of  genius."— £aZi.  American. 


FRANKENSTEIN, 

OR,  THE    MODERN    PROMETHEUS. 

BY  MRS.  SHELLEY.      In  2  VOLUMES,  12mO. 

"  The  romance  of  a  child  of  genius.  '—Canning. 

''  One  of  those  original  conceptions  that  take  hold  of  the  public  mind  at 
once  and  for  ever."— JIfoore's  Life  of  Byron. 

"Certainly  one  of  the  most  original  works  that  ever  proceeded  from  a 
female  pen." — Literary  Gazette. 

"  This  work  will  be  universally  acceptable." — Atlas.  ^ 

"  Perhaps  there  is  no  modern  invention  which  has  taken  more  thorough 
hold  of  the  popular  imagination  than  Frankenstein." — Spectator. 


WILL   WATCH, 
OR  THE  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  CAVENDISH,  &C.       3  VOLS.  12mO. 


THE   PRINCESS. 

BY  LADY  MORGAN,  AUTHOR  OF  FLORENCE  MACARTHY  o'dONNELL, 

&c.    2  vols.  12mo. 


THE  MOST  UNFORTUNATE  MAN  IN  THE  WORLD. 

BY  CAPTAIN  CIIAMHiR,  AUTHOR  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  A  SAILOR,  &C.   2  VOLS.  12mO. 


THE    MODERN    CYMON. 

From  the  Jean  of  C.  Paul  de  Kock,  Author  of  Andrew  the 
Savoyard,  &c.     In  2  vols.  12mo. 

"  De  Kock  is  quite  unrivalled  in  his  sketches  of  Parisian  society.  There  is 
much  character  and  spirit  thrown  into  the  translation,  and  the  dialogues  are 
excellent." — Lit.  Gazette. 

"  A  cood  translation  of  a  clever  work.  Paul  de  Kock  paints  to  the  life  the 
bourgeois  of  Paris." — ^thenxum. 

"  We  cannot  withhold  our  applause  of  the  subtle  spirit  of  fun,  the  fine 
dramatic  tact,  and  the  natural  portraiture  of  character."— ./3t^as. 


New  Works,  published  lay  Carey,  I^ea,  <&  Blaucliard* 


Cooper's  New  Novel. 

THE  HEADSMAN, 

A  New  Novel,  by  the  Author  of  the  Spy,  Pilot,  &c.     In  2  vols. 
12mo. 


THE  PA^RSON'S  DAUGHTER. 

BY  THEODORE  HOOK,  AUTHOR  OF  SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS,  &C. 

IN  2  VOLS.  12mo. 

"  We  proceed  to  assure  the  reader,  who  has  it  before  him,  that  he  will  enjoy 
an  intellectual  treat  of  no  mean  order.  The  principal  feature  of  its  excel- 
lence is  an  all-engrossing  interest,  which  interest  is  mainly  attributable  to  the 
extreme  vraisemblance  of  its  incidents,  and  the  fidelity  with  which  each 
character  supports  its  individuality.  In  it  there  is  as  much  invention  and 
originality  as  we  have  ever  met  with  in  a  modern  novel,  be  the  author  who 
he  may." — Metropolitan. 

"  The  moral  of  the  tale  carries  conviction  as  to  the  justness  of  its  applica- 
bility, and  the  incidents  flow  as  naturally  as  the  stream  of  events  in  every- 
day \ife:'—Ibid. 

"  Here  is  a  novel  from  a  deservedly  popular  author,  written  with  great  ease 
and  sprightliness."— j3t/iena;um. 


SWALLOW    BARN. 

OR,  A  SOJOURN  IN  THE  OLD  DOMl.^ION. 
In  2  vols.  12mo. 

"  We  cannot  b»it  predict  a  warm  reception  of  this  work  among  all  persons 
who  have  not  lost  their  relish  for  nature  and  probability,  as  well  as  all  those 
who  can  properly  estimate  the  beauties  of  simplicity  in  thought  and  expres- 
sion."— J^ew  York  Mirror. 

"  One  of  the  cleverest  of  the  last  publications  written  on  this  or  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic." — JSTcw  York  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

"  The  style  is  admirable,  and  the  sketches  of  character,  men,  and  scenery, 
so  fresh  and  agreeable,  that  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  they  are  drawn  from 
nature." 


THE  DOMINIE'S  LEGACY, 

Consisting  of  a  Series  of  Tales  illustrative  of  the  Scenery  and 
Manners  of  Scotland.     In  2  vols.  12mo. 

"  These  pages  are  pictures  from  scenes  whose  impress  of  truth  tells  that  the 
author  has  taken  them  as  an  eye-witness;  and  many  are  rich  in  quiet,  sim- 
ple pathos,  which  is  evidently  his  forte.''— Literary  Qazette. 


GALE  MIDDLETON,  A  Novel,  by  Horace  Smith,  Author  of 
Brambletye  House,  &c.     In  2  vols.  12mo. 


TREVALYAN,  A  Novel,  by  the  Author  of  Marriage  in  High 
Life.     In  2  vols. 


Neiv  "Worlcs,  published  "by  Carey,  Xea,  &>  Blaiicliarcl* 


DELORAINE, 

A  Novel,  in  2  Vols. 

BY  W.  GODWIN,  AUTHOR  OF  CALEB  WILLIAMS,  &C.  &C. 

•'  We  always  regarded  the  novels  of  Godwin  as  grand  productions.  No  one 
ever  more  forcibly  portrayed  the  workings  of  the  mind,  whether  it  were  in  its 
joyous  hilarity  of  happiness,  or  in  the  sublime  agonies  of  despair.  His  tales, 
if  we  may  so  express  it,  have  each  but  one  character,  and  one  end ;  but  that 
character,  how  all-absorbing  in  interest,  and  how  vividly  depicted;  and  that 
end,  how  consistent  with  its  preliminaries,  how  satisfactory,  and  how  beauti 
ful !" — Metropolitan. 


FORTUNES  OF  PERKIN  WARBECK.— a  romance. 

BY  MRS.  SHELLEY,  AUTHOR  OF   FRANKENSTEIN,  &LC.  &C.      2  VOLS.  12mo. 

"  We  must  content  ourselves  by  commending  the  good  use  our  fair 
author  has  made  of  her  materiel,  which  ske  has  invested  with  the  grace 
and  existence  of  her  own  poetical  imagination.  The  character  of  Monia 
is  a  conception  as  original  as  it  is  exquisite." — Lit.  Gazette. 

"  The  author  of  Frankenstein  has  made  a  romance  of  great  and  enduring 
interest.  We  recommend  Perkin  Warbeck  to  the  public  attention.  It 
cannot  fail  to  interest  as  a  novel,  while  it  may  impart  useful  instruction  as 
a  history." — Com.  Advertiser. 


ASMDDEUS    AT    LARGE, 
A  FICTION. 

BY  BULWER,  AUTHOR  OF  PELHAM,  EUGENE  ARAM,  &C. 

"  This  is  another  admirable  production  from  the  prolific  pen  of  Mr.  Bulwer— 
distinguished  by  the  same  profundity  of  thought  and  matchless  humor  which 
are  so  happily  combined  in  all  his  writings." — Baltimore  Weekly  Messenger. 

•'  Our  readers  have  felt  that  the  impassioned  pen  of  the  author  of  Eugene 
Aram  has  not  lost  its  power  in  these  sketches." — JV*.  Y.  American. 


"^im  '^xxnttxCn  iSloiel^,  CtomiJlrtr. 

EMMA,  A  Novel,  by  Miss  Austen,  2  vols. 
SENSE  AND  SENSIBILITY,  2  vols. 
MANSFIELD  PARK, 
PRIDE  AND  PREJUDICE, 
NORTHANGER  ABBEY, 
PERSUASION, 

"Thore  are  few  works  of  fiction,  so  acceptable  in  republication  as  the  Nov- 
els of  Miss  Austen. 

"  Tiiey  never  weary,  their  interest  is  never  lost,  for,  as  in  the  prints  of  Ho- 
garth, we  find  fresh  matter  for  admiration  upon  every  renewal  of  our  ac- 
(luainlance.  In  her  works  the  scene  is  before  us  with  all  the  reality  of  th« 
world,  and,  free  from  the  engrossment  of  acting  a  part  in  it,  we  discover  points 
of  interest  wliich  a  divided  attention  had  overlooked. 

"  Her  merit  considered,  her  perfection  in  one  style.  Miss  Austen  is  the  worst 
appreciated  Novelist  of  her  time.  The  diiarterly  Review,  (to  its  honor  be  it 
remembered,)  was  the  first  critical  authority  which  did  justice  to  her  merits, 
and  that  after  the  grave  closed  over  her  unconscious  and  modest  genius. 

"  It  is  remarkable  that  Scott,  who  noticed  with  praise  many  inferior  authors, 
never  mentioned  Miss  Austen."— ^xami?jcr. 


'Sicw  Works,  pulblislied  by  Carey,  I^ea,  &>  Blancliard* 


THE   LIBRARY   OF   ROMANCE, 

WHICH   CONSISTS   OF   A   SERIES   OF 

ORIGINAL  TALES,  NOVELS,  AND  OTHER  WORKS  OF  FICTION, 

BY  THE  MOST  EMINENT  WRITERS  OF  THE  AGE,  AND  EDITED  BY 

Leitch  Ritchie,  Esq. 


Vol.  I. 

THE  GHOST-HUNTER  AND  HIS  FAMILY,  by  Mr. 
Banim,  author  of  the  O'Hara  Tales,  is  universally  acknow- 
ledged to  be  the  most  talented  and  extraordinary  work  that 
has  issued  from  the  press  for  many  years. 

"  Mr.  Banina  has  put  forth  all  the  vigor  that  belongs  to  the  old  O'Hara 
Tales,  and  avoided  the  weakness  that  sullied  his  subsequent  efforts."— ^f^e- 
cDum. 

"  There  is  more  tenderness,  more  delicacy  shown  in  the  development  of  female 
character,  than  we  have  ever  before  met  with  in  the  works  of  this  powerful 
novelist. 

"  Banim  never  conceived  a  character  more  finely  than  the  young  Ghost-Hun- 
ter, Morris  Brady.  It  is  a  bold  and  striking  outline." — Q.uthor  of  Eugene 
Aram. 


Vol.  VIII. 

WALDEMAR, 

A  TALE  OF  THE  THIRTY  YEARS'  WAR. 

BY  W.  H.  HARRISON,  AUTHOR  OF  TALES  OF  A  PHYSICIAN,  (SlC. 


Vol.  II. 
SCHINDERHANNES,  THE  ROBBER  OF  THE  RHINE, 

BY   THE   EDITOR. 

"  It  IS  long  since  we  have  met  with  so  bold,  spirited,  and  original  a  story." 
— Literary  Gazette. 

"  We  now  once  more  recommend  the  work  itself,  and  the  series,  of  which 
it  is  a  worthy  volume,  to  the  public." — Athenmum 

*' Decidedly  one  of  the  best  romances  we  have  ever  read." — Court  Journal. 

"  Mr.  Ritchie's  Tales  sometimes  amount  to  the  sublime,  either  in  the  terri- 
ble exigency  or  the  melting  pathos  of  the  event,  or  in  the  picturesque  energy 
of  the  description. — Schinderhannes  may  be  esteemed  as  the  best  work  of  fic- 
tion for  which  we  are  indebted  to  his  ^qw:'— Atlas. 


]VeAv  WorkS)  puTblisHcd  1)y  Careys  liea^  d^  Blancliard* 


Vol.  III. 
WALTHAM, 

A  NOVEL. 

••  Certain  we  are  that  very  few  of  our  modern  novels  can  produce  a  charac- 
ter more  admirably  drawn  than  that  of  Murdock  Macara,  and  Johnson  the 
quondam  tutor  ;  Mr.  Bolton  and  Hulson  are  sketches  that  no  one  but  a  man 
of  talent  could  have  conceived,  and  none  but  a  master  could  have  filled  up."— 
London  Monthly  Magazine. 

"■  It  is  a  publication  of  no  ordinary  merit,  is  written  with  considerable  pow- 
er, and  embodies  a  story  of  deep  interest.  The  Library  of  Romance  has 
already  an  extensive  circulation,  and  deserves  still  greater. 

"  The  numbers  published  thus  far,  are  devoted  to  works  of  the  best  descrip- 
tion, and  are  calculated  to  entertain  without  offending  a  single  moral  pre- 
cept."—Penn.  Inquirer. 

"  There  are  some  fine  passages,  and  touches  of  strong  descriptive  powers  of 
nature  and  characters."— i9aZt.  jivier. 

Vol.  IV. 
THE    STOLEN    CHILD, 

A  TALE  OF  THE  TOWN, 

BY   JOHN   GALT. 

"  The  auto-biography  in  this  volume  is  equal  to  Mr.  Gait's  best  days,  and 
even  his  subordinate  characters  are  worthy  to  be  recorded  in  the  Annals  of 
the  Parish." — MhencRum. 

"  The  Stolen  Child  is  a  most  cleverly  managed  story. 

"We  do  not  think  any  one  ever  exceeded  Mr.  Gait  in  sketching  national 
portraits— they  are  preserved  as  if  for  a  museum  of  natural  curiosities."— 
Lit.  Oaz. 

"  A  story  of  considerable  interest."— £«;«.  Gazette. 

Vol.  V. 
THE    BONDMAN, 

A  TALE  OF  THE  TIMES  OF  WAT  TYLER. 

"  A  very  picturesque  and  interesting  story,  and  laid  during  a  period  which 
well  deserves  illustration." — Lit.  Oaz. 

"  One  of  those  stirring  narrations  that  give  a  picture  of  the  times,  and  take 
along  the  reader  with  the  events,  as  if  he  was  indeed  a  part  of  what  he  read. 
This  series  of  romances  has  thus  far  maintained  its  character  for  novelty  and 
raciness,  and  while  the  whole  is  worthy  of  especial  commendation,  each  num- 
ber is  in  itself  a  complete  story." — U.  S.  Gazette. 

"  The  narrative  embraces  one  of  the  most  interesting  periods  of  English  his- 
tory, and  is  full  of  life  and  spirit.  The  character  of  Wat  Tyler  is  well  depict- 
ed."— Bait,  Gazette. 

Vol.  VI. 
THE    SLAVE-KING, 

FROM   THE   "BUG-JARGAL"    OF   VICTOR   HUGO. 

"  In  this  abridged  tale  from  Victor  Hugo,  may  the  readers  of  wonderful  in- 
cidents'woo  terror  to  delight'  them.  The  attention  is  aroused,  and  maintain- 
ed to  a  frenzied  state  of  excitement  anxious  to  be  satisfied  with  similar  de- 
tails."— Jim.  Sentinel. 

Vol.  VII. 

TALES  OF  THE  CARAVANSERAI. 

THE   KHAN'S  TALE. 

BY  J.  B.  FRAZIER. 


'New  "Worlts,  piiblislied  Itiy  Carey,  Liea,  &-  Blanchard. 


LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS  OF  GERMAN  LIFE. 
In  2  Vols.  12mo. 

"  The  pictures  here  given  of  GeTman  life  have  an  interest  which  to  us  is  per- 
fectly irresistible." — Sunday  Times. 

"  The  work  under  our  notice  has  great  claims  to  the  consideration  of  every 
reader  who  likes  good  tales,  in  which  he  will  find  every  thing  in  kei^ping."— 
Metropclitan. 

"These  most  original  stories  are  replete  with  incidents,  scenes,  and  char 
acters  that  will  dwell  upon  the  mind  they  have  amused;  some  of  them  have 
the  conciseness,  wit,  and  satirical  point,  of  Voltaire's  sparkling  romance,  but 
without  their  mockery  of  all  that  is  sacred  and  virtuous.  We  rise  from  their 
perusal  with  our  hearts  warmed  for  our  fellow-men,  and  with  our  love  and 
interest  increased  for  this  world." — Court  Magazine. 


THE    LAST    MAN. 

BY  MRS.  SHELLEY,  AUTHOR  OF  FRANKENSTEIN,  &C.  2  VOLS.  12mO. 


DELAWARE, 

OR,    THE    RUINED    FAMILY. 

A  Novel,  in  2  Vols.  12mo. 

"  Delaware  is  a  work  of  talent  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  The  plot  is  full 
of  interest,  the  characters  are  sketched  with  vitality  and  vigor,  and  the 
style  is  neat  and  flowing  WnonghowV— Edinburgh  Evening  Post. 

"  Delaware  is  a  tale  of  much  amusement  and  interest.  We  heartily  com- 
mend it  to  our  readers  as  a  very  pleasant  and  very  clever  work." — Lit.  Ga- 
zette. 

"Delaware  is  an  original  novel  by  an  able  man." — Spectator. 

"  The  story  is  well  told,  the  characters  clearly  unfolded,  and  the  conclusion 
natural  and  satisfactory." — Mhenceum. 


LONDON  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS, 

OR,  TALES  AND  CONFESSIONS. 

By  Leitch  Ritchie,  Author  of  Schiiiderhannes,  &c. 

In  2  Vols.  12mo. 

"  This  work  is  supposed  by  eminent  critics  to  be  th6  chef-d'oeuvre  of  the 
author." 

"  Mr.  Ritchie  is  by  far  our  best  writer  of  romantic  and  imaginative  tales," 
was  the  dictum  of  the  Literary  Gazette— and  the  Atlas  pronounces  him  "  the 
Scott  of  the  short,  picturesque,  and  bold  story." 

"  The  power  of  fascinating  the  reader,  of  chaining  him  down,  as  it  were, 
while  his  fancy  is  tormented  by  terrible  imaginings,  is  the  principal  character- 
istic of  Mr.  Leitch  Ritchie's  pictures," — London  Weekly  Review. 


THE    REPEALERS. 

A  Novel.     By  the  Countess  of  Blessington. 
In  2  Vols.  12mo. 

•'  The  Irish  scenes  are  entitled  to  warm  commendation,  they  are  written 
with  equal  good  feeling  and  good  sense  ;  while  Grace  Cassidy  is  a  sweet  and 
touching  portrait,"  &c.  &c — Lit.  Gazette. 


NcAV  Works,  published  by  Carey,  Iica,  &  Blanchard. 


LITTERATURE  FRANCAISE. 


BIBLIOTHEQUE  CHOISIE  DE  LITTERATURE  FRANCAISE. 

SELECT  LIBRARY 

OF 

MODERN  FRENCH  LITERATURE. 

In  4  volumes,  12mo:  containing" — 

LES  ECORCHEURS. 

CINQ  MARS. 

PARIS  ET  LES  PARISIENS. 

MEMOIRES  D'UN  APOTHECAIRE. 

HEURES  DU  SOIR, 

LES  ENFANS  D'EDOUARD. 

MINUIT  ET  MIDE,  &c.  &c. 
Some  of  these  works  may  be  had  separately. 


THE    DOOMED. 
A  NOVEL.     In  two  volumes,  12mo. 


AYESHA,  THE  MAID  OF  KARS. 

BY  MORIER,  AUTHOR  OF  ZOHRAB,    &C.      2  VOLS.  12mO. 


THE    SUMMER    FETE. 

A  POEM,  WITH  SONGS. 

By  Thomas  Moore,  Esq.  Author  of  Irish  Melodies,  &c. 

"The  description  of  the  Fete  is  in  easy,  graceful,  flowing  verse,  and  the 
songs  with  which  it  is  intersf>ersed  are,  unlike  many  of  those  which  that 
gifted  poet  has  published,  unexceptionable  in  their  moral  tendency." — N. 
y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"  Many  of  the  songs  interspersed  are  pretty  and  pleasing,  and  savor  of 
the  usual  richness  of  sentiment  and  luxuriance  of  style  habitual  to  Moore. 
We  can  willingly  recommend  the  work  to  all  ladies,  and  lovers  of  good 
poetry." — American  Sentinel. 


MEN  AND  MANNERS  IN  AMERICA. 
By  Major  Hamilton,  Author  of  Cyril  Thornton,  &c.  2  vols.  12mo. 


CHITTY'S  MEDICAL  JURISPRUDENCE. 
A  valuable  work  for  Lawyers  or  Physicians.     In  royal  8vo.