Rambles in the Rocky Mountains: with a visit to the gold fields of Colorado

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES

^

UNiVEKSlTY of CALIFOKHIA

AT

LOS ANGELES

TJBRABY

RAMBLES

IN THE

EOCKY MOUNTAIJ^S.

RAMBLES

IN THE

KOCKY MOUNTAINS:

WITH A VISIT TO THE

GOLD FIELDS OF COLORADO.

BY

MAURICE O'CONNOR MORRIS,

LATE DEPUTY POSTMASTER-GENERAL OF JAMAICA.

i -t ' i ' ' ' -

LONDON:
SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL.

1864.

146128

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[ The right of Translation is reserved.^

f5 3-V
M23y

PREFACE.

In offering to the Public these extracts from a journal
kept for the perusal of a few friends, and meant to
supplement private letters, I feel that an apology is
due for many insertions and omissions, which, under
different circumstances, would have been as inadmis-
sible as inexcusable. The region, however, through
which my rambles have led me possesses so much of
interest and' importance in an age which may in some
respects — though Janus' shrine yawns so terribl}"^
open — be described as a golden one, and which to us
" Britishers " is pre-eminently so, that I trust tlie
many imperfections of these " Recollections " will be
pardoned, in consideration of their introduction to a
territory which to the great mass of readers in Eng-

VI PREFACE.

land is as imperfectly known as Timbuctoo or the
country of the " Fanns."

As an instance of the small amount of geographical
knowledge of Colorado possessed bj even tolerably
well-informed persons, I may mention that a very
eminent banking firm of the metropolis addressed a
letter to me while there superscribed thus : —

Denver, Nova Scotia ;

while a distinguished barrister, my learned friend
and correspondent, would persist in locating Denver
in the State of Kansas. And, indeed, considerino-
the little light shed on this quarter of the globe by
the maps in ordinary use, and the wonderful and
almost portentous growth of this remote region, to
which the ocean has washed no foreigners, as in
Australia and California, this Cimmerian darkness is
not surprising. A spot of this earth, however, which
boasts — how truly I have no exact means of ascer-
taining— of having added twenty-five millions of
dollars' worth in bullion during the past year to
the national wealth of the Federal States, under
circumstances little favourable to development, and
with most inadequate resources of labour and capital.

PEEFACE. Vll

cannot long remain ignored ; more especially when,
in addition to its auriferous wealth, Nature has en-
dowed it with a store of minerals comprising almost
every species known, in great affluence, and a climate
favourable to their exploration, with a soil which,
properly cultivated, is capable of great results.

I therefore hope that in the hurried descriptions
of things seen obiter, I may at least claim the merit,
■ si qua est ea gloria, of drawing attention to a sub-
ject of some general interest hitherto unexplored ;
while, in explanation of any and all major and
minor errors of style, grammar, history, or phy-
siology, let me confess that my faculties for writing
are sensibly affected by the genius loci, and espe-
cially by the means and appliances for the purpose
within reach, and that these pages had to be
transcribed for the most part in the uncongenial
atmosphere of a prophet's chamber-like bed-room in
Denver, nearly as large as a ship's cabin, but too
small for such a superfluity as a table, and where a
washing-stand of small proportions, like Goldsmith's
chest of drawers, was forced for the nonce a double
debt to pay : under which untoward circumstances

Vlll PREFACE.

my sheets were prepared for the post, with a haste
very unworthy of the subject ; the result of which, in
the language of rebuked officials writing to their
senior pundits of "the" department, "I acknow-
ledge and regret."

RAMBLES

IN THE

ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

CHAPTER I.

Westward the course of empire holds its sway.

To the "West ! to the West ! to the land of the Free !
Where the mighty Missouri rolls on to the sea, &c.

Both words and an* had somehow for a lonir time
been associated in my mind with America, and
seemed to be incorporated with the very essence and
idea of that great country ; and yet, like the national
anthem, which boasts that the " Star-spangled banner
in triumph sliall wave on the home of the free and
the land of the brave," (or, as a sarcastic friend of
mine parodied the latter line into the " Home of the
free and the laud of the slave,") who will be bold
enough to assert that these inspiring words have not

1

2 RAMBLES IN THE

utterly lost their significance? indeed, to those who
knew and appreciated their real meaning in times
gone by, the}' can only serve now to embitter
memory. The poet's crown of sorrow is, " The
remembering happier things."

But I am not going to enter into a diagnosis ot
the social and political maladies of this vast country,
sick with civil strife, or indulge in Jeremiads for
the present condition of affairs, or vaticinations of
gloom which political charlatans on both sides of
the Atlantic are daily pouring forth. The facts are
melancholy enough, God knows, without forestalling
the woes to come, or discounting future miseries at
compound interest. And methinks the feelings of
every Englishman should be more in unison with
those of the heart-sore king when he exclaimed —

Oh, my poor country, sick with civil broils,
If that my care could not contain thy riot,
What ■w'ilt thou do now riot is thy care ?

For, separated as they are by the " unsociable
ocean" — as Horace, born before the Cunard era,
declared it to be — and by the rivalries and jealousies
naturally incident to two great competing powers,
and even still more by the traditions and legacies of
the revolutionary wars, who can say that England and
America are not more inseparably linked together by

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 3

ties wlilch, extending far bade into the past, and
increasing daily with the march of civihzation, em-
brace a future as distant as the mind can grasp, than
any other two nations in this universe. Ties of
blood, language, literature, commerce, and by the
less material, though not less puissant, bond of
spiritual communion.

To the West, then, I " concluded," as our cousins
express such a determination, to proceed; and being
in the empire city of New York, the only " embarras
du c'lioix " was the selection of the best route. No
less than three main lines contend for the traveller's
patronage, each offering some special attraction ; and
as they vary but little in time and accommodations,
one is puzzled to which terminus or depot (pro-
nounced usually as a nigger lad learning geography
might, the chief river of Italy — De-Po,) one should
go. My difficulties were, however, relieved by finding
a friend who had selected the Erie line, and as I was
already familiar with the best portions of what one
may call the " Northern route " via Albany, Detroit,
&c., and of the "Pennsylvania Central," I gladly
hailed the chance of an extremely pleasant compagnon
de voyage. We left Jersey City, — the Birkenhead of
New York, — about five o'clock p.m., on the Tuesday,
and travelling incessantly night and day, reached

1—2

4 RAMBLES IN THE

St. Louis, the metropolis (not capital) of the great
State of Missouri, about two o'clock a.m. on the
Friday morning, a few hours behind time.

In America a tourist may draw conclusions from
railway travelling, which in England would be very
erroneous ; for in the former the railway is the pioneer
of all progress. Civilization and settlements follow
it, and seem to cling close to it for protection.
Towns and villages grow round it, and to show their
gratitude, welcome it daily through their best streets,
as they used to welcome the daily stage in the old
country, in the merry days of the road. And in-
deed, in most parts of the .recently settled districts,
civilization is bounded by the railway margin more
or less wide ; whereas in the older civilization of
Europe, and England specially, railways had to skirt
towns and villages, and to hide their heads in such
neighbourhoods, either by tunnels or embankments,
completely obscuring the view ; or else they emerged
from a town on a line with the chimney pots, and
through the dirtiest of slums — rcrarded even then as
rather a nuisance : so that in reality, between the
pace made by the engine, — usually rather double
the American average — and the obstacles to sight
presented by embankments, fences, &c., one does
not get a good idea of the country travelled through

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 5

in England, much less of what lies beyond the
horizon of your carriage. In America the sample
seen from your cars may be considered a fair
one.

I confess I was much disappointed in the aspect oi
Nature, for most of the distance between Jersey City
and Erie, on the shore of the great lake of that name,
the land seemed barren and unimproved to a degree,
capable of but little, and that little not accomplished ;
the farming was bad and backward, with stumps of
several feet in height dotting the fields everywhere,
and, were it not for the fine water-power afforded by-
numerous streams, and the facilities for lumbering,
all this district seemed to present no allurements
to the settler. Once in Ohio, however, the scene
changes. Rich fields of large dimensions, and mathe-
matically square, generally clear of stumps, and
enclosed with solid posts and rails, and shaded by
fine timber, meet the eye on each side of the track,
and an air of comfort and wealth pervades every-
thing. Great rivers, such as the Wabash, the Ohio,
and the JNIiami, seem to glide along lazily as if they
wished to linger amid the luxuriance they have
helped to create ; while the " Old Kentuck}^ shore "
seems a perfect paradise of high farming and agricul-
tural wealth, looking from the opposite side of the

6 RAMBLES IN THE

Ohio, like one vast park stretching away for miles in
beautiful undulations.

Spite of the slight solace alforded by the " sleeping
cars," in which, by paying an extra dollar, — or if you
choose to take an upper shelf, half that sum, — you
secure something very like a berth in a steamer,
with all the apparatus for passing the night com-
fortably, the journey was beginning to feel very
tedious, and I was not by any means sorry when
the " cars " reached the eastern bank of the Missis-
sippi, and the passengers transferred to an omnibus,
and thence to a ferry steamer, were conveyed to their
several destinations in the comparatively old city of
St. Louis.

I had been told that this city suffered greatly
from the war, but I must say that in my pro-
tracted stay there I saw no sign whatever of stag-
nation in business, or paralysis of any branch of
trade. On the contrary, the hotels were so full
that beds had to be bespoken some time in advance,
while on the levee, a sort of terrace slanting down to
the river's edge, commerce seemed as stirring and
active as I have ever seen it. It is a curious sight
for a stranger to view for the first time a large fleet
of these huge river steamers, with their vast walking
beams and stories rising one over the other, ranged

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 7

in a double line along the levee for considerably more
than a mile, their lofty funnels, yclept "smoke-
stacks," vandyked at the top, rising some thirty feet
into the air, and not, as in ocean-going steamers,
placed one after the other, but side by side, like a
tree with two stems. True, many of these boats
were in the Government service, and were chartered
for the use of the troops in the Mississippi depart-
ment, and "for Vicksburg" was somewhat osten-
tatiously paraded on some of their sides ; still there
were a great number engaged in their usual legi-
timate commerce up the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers, and thence to the Ohio and other rivers.

Like almost every city (not absolutely of mushroom
growth), St. Louis has its old quartier, where the
streets rejoice in names of their own, and the new
one, where numbers are substituted for names ; an
arrangement very convenient, no doubt, for the
traveller, but extremely unromantic, methinks, and
unfair to the inhabitants. It always struck me, when
in New York, as a most levelling and mechanical
arrangement of bricks and mortal', and half the
grandeur of the fifth avenue seemed to me to evapo-
rate from its want of a more pleasing association of
ideas. However, the streets in St. Louis are well laid
out, and broad, and, as the land rises to a con-

8 RAMBLES IN THE

siderable elevation from tlie river, the drainage is
admirable. Locomotion is aided by the street tram-
Avays, which convey the passenger any number of
miles for the small sum of five cents, and withal
smoothly enough, though very slowly.

There is no public building worth looking at, save
the city hall, which has a fine dome, from which a
very fine view of the city and its entourage is gained ;
but all have great pretensions to a respectable medio-
crity, which in this country is something. Most
denominations of religion have their temples, but the
old faith of the first settlers seems to have taken
deeper root than any of the others, if one may judge
by the churches, convents, and schools which it has
erected.

There is also a park, "the Lafayette," which is
nicely situated in the upper regions of the city, and
where pic-nics are usually held ; but the trees, like
those in the "Central" in New York, are quite
young, and the grounds want care. I should not
omit the " Mercantile Library," of which I was kindly
given the run, which contains a gallery of rather
indifferent pictures and a few pieces of sculpture,
of which three, by the celebrated Miss Hosmer of
steeple-chase renown in Rome, struck me as good : —
a " Beatrice Cenci," an " CEnone," and a " Puck." It

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 9

was a pleasant reading-room, and the "proprieties"
were so strictly enforced, that a visit from the secre-
tary in propria, was tlie consequence of not removing
your hat on entering the room. Don't it seem strange
that our Republican cousins should be such sticklers
and martinets for their own code of etiquette, while
they affect to hold so many of our conventionalities
in contempt.

I should not omit mentioning among the public
buildings, one which does and does not come under
that category, the "Lindell Hotel," which has just
been completed, though not yet opened to the public.
It is a large square building, faced with yellow free-
stone, slightly ornamented; the sitting rooms have a
stone-pillared gallery attached to them, — an immense
resource in summer, — and altogether the accom-
modations are as perfect as I have ever seen, even
in this land of hotels, when a man's smartness is
gauged by his ability to work such an institution
profitably. " Yes, sirree ! Smith's a right smart sort
o'chap, but he can't keep a ho-tel." I was proud to
reflect that the architect of this huge and shapely
pile, the largest on the Continent, was an English-
man !

While I was in St. Louis, the anniversary of
" Camp Jackson," or the deliverance of IMissouri

10 RAMBLES IN THE

from something to their minds far worse than either
Popery or wooden shoes, was, celebrated by the Fede-
ralist party; which seemed to contain a very large
proportion of the German, or, as called here, the
Dutch element. It seems that at the outbreak of
the war, the entire executive of the State of Missouri
was " tinctured " with southern " proclivities," and
had even gone so far as to invite Arkansas, a neigh-
bouring State, to send troops to aid them in their
projects. However, they did not consider the pear
sufficiently ripe at the moment, and determined to
temporize and make further arrangements before
completing the "coup d'etat." Meanwhile, a con-
vention of the people, which had been summoned
for some other purpose, hearing through their dele-
gates of these projects, proceeded forthwith to depose
the Secesh administration, and replaced it tempo-
rarily by a Republican cabinet. Volunteers were
raised and armed, and an attack was made upon
the rebels, who had encamped at Camp Jackson,
near the city, which ended in the rout and expul-
sion of the latter.

There can be no doubt that these vigorous
measures, which savoured rather of our quondam
seizure of the Danish fleet, kept Missouri from
openly seceding; and, as the Germans were mainly

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 11

instrumental in achieving this success, they are
not by any means inclined to hide their light
under a bushel, but swagger about considerably
on the stren<Tth of being on the winning side this
time.

St. Louis is the great out-fitting place for the far
west, and the depot for its produce. INIy friend who
had now completed his preparations for spending a
couple of months on the prairies, hunting buffalo,
&c., and had made every arrangement for a comfort-
able commissariat, with tents, waggon, ambulance,
spare ponies, and the hundred and one wants of
camp existence here, took his departure, having been
joined by his party from the east ; and as I expected
letters of importance, I had to remain per force in
St. Louis, "vai-ying, however, the monotony of the
proceedings," as Mr. Cox remarks, by excursions in
the vicinity in quest of snipe and duck: which I
found, strange to say, very abundant, though April's
moon had nearly waned !

If it be true that a " watched pot never boils," I
am sure a similar proposition anent letters is far
more so, and of more general application. Talk
of calling spirits from the vasty deep ! I am sure
it were an easier process than eliciting answers in
time from some correspondents ! So having ex-

12 KAMBLES IN THE

hausted my patience by waiting in vain, I deter-
mined to leave St. Louis at any rate ; and as I
heard I could, by pushing on to St. Joseph by rail,
catch a steamer bound to the head waters of the
Missouri, which had left only a few days in ad-
vance, I started off, intending to go up the river
as far as the steamer could penetrate, namely to
Fort Benton, then cross over to Bannack City, visit
the newly-discovered gold-diggings there, and return
thence via Salt Lake, either to the eastern States by
land, or via California and the Isthmus ; from this
I find a daily scratching of something in my pocket-
book, which I may as well transfer to this page.

31aij I9th. — Left St. Louis by the North Missouri
line at 2 A.M., having taken the precaution of obtain-
ing a certificate from our excellent consul that I was
a " Britisher," and that I only intended to turn the
gun and rifle I carried against feres naturce ; a cer-
tificate which had to be countersigned by the provost-
marshal of that district. At Warrenton we stopped
for an indifferent breakfast, and some apprehen-
sion having been entertained of guerillas (invariably
termed " gorillas ") we found the line swarming with
" LineoMs minions''^ — fine rough-looking fellows, as
different from my experience of Eastern volunteers
as could be conceived.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 13

At Macon City, which, to my eye, consisted of
very few houses, and those mostly labelled " Hotel,"
we had to wait for " connection," or, as we should
say, for tlie arrival of the branch line from Han-
nibal. In the meantime, I improved the occasion
by conversing with a farmer of the neighbourhood,
who was clad in the home-made Butternut cloth,
very common in the West ; so called from its colour,
which is something darker than a stone fjinn-er-beer
bottle, and lighter than mahogany. I soon dis-
covered he had "proclivities," and he asked me
a great many questions about England. One of
his interrogatories 1 must record. " Do you think
folks here look natural ? " Bv this he meant. Do
they seem to you like your own [)eople?

Soon after leaving Macon, wc came on the genuine
prairies, vast rolling plains covered with grass, in
which farms were every now and then dotted about,
fenced in by rails disposed zigzag fashion, and
apparentl}' producing good crops of wheat, oats, and
Indian corn. These lands were beautifully wooded
in places, and seemed full of prairie chickens,
which kept rising as the train moved on. Some
Illinois young ladies, who were paying a first visit
to some friends near St. Joe, were much struck by
the absence of school-houses and churches ; this

14 RAMBLES IN THE

seemed to shock them very much, as they are
such a prominent featm'e eastwards.

Some bits of these prairies reminded one of the
Curragh of Kildare as seen from the Southern and
Western line, only there was more wood-land near,
and no gorse. Arrived at St. Joe, I was spirited
away by the persuasive eloquence of an Irish com-
missionaire to the "Patee House," a large brick
building, some half mile at least fi*om the town, and
built in anticipation of the spread of building in that
direction. This caravanserv I reached about 12
o'clock P.M., and proceeded to a bedroom of ample
dimensions ; but, O horror ! I discovered the sheets
were not by any means innocent of dirt : however,
this is a trifle in the far West, so I had to pocket
the insult to my feelings, and, after all, slept very
well.

20th. — Made remonstrances about bed-clothes,
and obtained what I wanted. Found, on inquiry,
that the river was so low that the steamer I expected
so long had not arrived as yet, and very probably
might not be able to get up so high. Here was a
regular break-up of all my plans ; but as there was
nothing for it but to wait patiently, I made up my
mind to extract as much honey from St. Joe as it
would yield. I had left a valuable watch in St. Louis

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 15

in the hands of a watchmaker, and thinking a watch
good company, and having regard to the uncertainty
of events in this State, I telegraphed for it, at the
heavy price of a dollar and some cents ; this brought
me near the post-office and book store. I found
nothing in the latter but elementary treatises and
some novels, mostly reprints of English authors ;
bought Godolphin and the Oxonians, by Bulwer,
who, I was informed by the vendor, w^as a good
author. Well, it is something to be repandu even
in St. Joe !

21 si. — I have christened this place KovtoTroXtc,
the City of Dust, for surely no Derby or Ascot road
knew such dust as the wind is raising everywhere.
The entire soil of this district, and I may say of the
entire West, so far as I have seen, is composed of
rich loam and sand; sometimes one predominates,
sometimes the other ; and after a long spell of dry
weather it will be easily understood how a sirocco of
dust can be raised by sudden gusts.

Went to see a large encampment of Winnebago
Indians, who had been deported from Minnesota,
and were to be assio;ned some fresh lands in
Dacotah territory. It will be recollected that last
year the Sioux Indians massacred a number of
settlers in Minnesota, for which some thirty-six or

16 RAilBLES IN THE

thirty-nine were hung ; but these people were the
foes of the Sioux, had no part or lot in their crime,
yet a parental Government were banishing them,
simply as a measure of precaution, for fear of a
collision between them and the whites, if they re-
mained. Yerily the red man has had hard measure
meted out to him by his Uncle Sam !

When I was last in Washington, I went on a
Sunday afternoon to the principal Episcopal Church,
and, to my surprise, found the front seats occupied
by sundry Lidian chiefs, very respectably attired,
who had come to Washington to see the President
on business. Among the officiating clergy was an
Indian, who, at the conclusion of the prayers, made a
few very sensible remarks about his brethren, whom
he then addressed in their own language. Then the
two other clergymen delivered themselves of an ora-
tion a-piece, in which the main topic was the fright-
ful injustice and oppression to which their red
brother had been subjected by the Government; but
they saw no hope of redress — no power to restrain the
encroachment of the pioneers ! Truly, if St. Paul's
idea of the powers that be is a correct picture
of what a Government should be, the executive of
the United States falls very far short of the standard I
The fact is, it is the popular will to hunt out the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 17

Indians, and the Government cannot, if it would,
say No.

These Winnebagos appeared to me very peaceful
and orderly ; there were some very fine athletic
men among them, and a few tolerable-looking
squaws; but dirt was king among them all, and
asserted his supremacy, though the river was flow-
ing within a few paces of them. There were a
good many half-breeds among them, not uidike the
muiattoes of the West Indies ; but these seemed to
have no higher instincts than their red relations,
and were, to all intents and purposes, Indian. The
fashionable game was a sort of les graces, only, instead
of a hoop, a hollow ball was caught on the point of
a stick, and then thrown back again. They had mat
lodges instead of the usual skins. They were very
strictly guarded, to prevent the introduction of the
fatal fire-water, which fairly drives an Indian mad,
and for which he would barter, perhaps, his soul. In
the centre of their encampment, hung three fresh
scalps which they had recentl}' taken from the Sioux.
It was amusing to watch the care they bestowed on
these trophies ; combing out the long locks Avith a
solicitude and care which was probably nev^er bestowed
on them when their owners were " in the quick."

May 22nd. — Soft rain during the night has laid

9

18 E AMBLES IN THE

tlie dust and cooled the intensely hot atmosphere.
At breakfast I was waited on by a long scarecrow of
a lad, and when I sent down a bit of what looked
like fried leather, but which Avas called a beefsteak,
he brought it up again, remarking, "If you don't
like it, you may leave it." I called the head waiter,
who was an Irishman evidently far above his busi-
}iess, and he informed me he was powerless, as even
the boys had arms of one kind or another; but
he nevertheless oot me a better steak.

After breakfast I watched an Irishman digging a
foundation for his house, and as far as he pene-
trated, the soil was the richest black loam ! Heavy
rain in the evening, and lo ! the city of dust becomes
one of mud, black and soft, as I found to my cost ;
for going at night to inquire for my watch, which
had not come, I got off the road, and found myself
in much the same kind of country as that to which
Tony Lumpkin introduced his London friends.
There is gas in St. Joe, but it is not as yet used
for lighting the streets ! In my wrath I re-chris-
tened the city Ilr/XoTroXic, or Mud Town.

While returning to the " Patee House '' I heard
strains of music, and saw a large building lighted
up, and turned in to see the " divarshion," but
found it was only an attempt at a ball, in which

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 19

the maids of the hotel were the principal attraction.
I " vamoosed " at once, and all but fell into the
arms of a drunken soldier, who wanted to be very
affectionate, and when I attempted to extricate myself
from his hug, declared he would shoot me. He did
not fire, however, but I have no doubt a very slight
provocation, and a little light, might have induced
him to do so. One cajitain and four civilians have
been shot in brawls this week; all the troops carry
revolvers, and the Colorado " boys," now in town,
are said to be right " smart on the trigger."

23rd. — Finding that there is but slight prospect of
the Robert Campbell steamer getting up the river
in its present condition, I made up my mind to
strike Westward, ho ! and negotiated with a teamster
who is going to Denver City, Colorado, to transport
self and the slight impedimenta necessary for the
apparently modeVate sum of tliirty dollars, which is to
include provision viatica all the way *, and considering
that the distance is as near as possible 700 miles, and
the time consumed en route is seldom less than
twenty-five days, the moderation of the charge will, I
think, be pretty self-evident. He has one four-mule
team ready for the road, and a start is promised this
evening, or to-morrow at daybreak. According!}^, to
be in readiness, I moved to the " Commercial Hotel,"

2 — 2

20 RAMBLES IN THE

a sort of " Belle Sauvage " for the western teams, as
it faces an enormous stable, or barn, as they call it
liere, full of mules, waggons, and the other parapher-
nalia for the road.

I learnt to-day a fact which I ought to have been
aware of before, but was not, and that is that every
man in the United States has to pay a poll-tax of
one dollar and a half yearly for the maintenance of
streets and roads, or commute it into two days' work
on the roads. Judging from what I have seen of
streets and roads, I cannot help thinking this large
fund must be singularly misappropriated or jobbed !
The mule team is started at last, with our pro-
isions and two passengers, and the driver ordered to
o-o slowly, so as to enable us to catch him. But we
never did.

Got up early, but found no sign of starting as yet.
On inquiry I found that more passengers had come in,
and insisted upon going in " this crowd," as any party
is yclept in this part of the country. Feeling sure
that, under the circumstances, no start could be
effected for a few hours, I set out to have a look at
the convent, a large brick building, which crowned
the heights overlooking the town: for St. Joe is
built on a slight bend of the Missouri, and the land
rises into a semicircle of pretty high bluffs just above

\

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 21

it. Of course I saw nothing at the convent but the
exterior walls, and the place might have been tenant-
less for all I could see ; but close by was a beautiful
garden, paled in, though quite scaleable by any
enterprising youth, and the palings were not so close
but that the scene of Pyramus and Thisbe might have
been enacted easily enough.

After taking a round of the bluffs, and surveying
the beautiful rich country, with its farms and wood-
lands stretching away as far as the eye can see, I
bethought me of church, and went into a modest
temple which might be dedicated to Presbj^terian,
Baptist, or Methodist forms of worship. The sermon
struck me as very forcible and good, and if the pro-
nunciation was peculiar to English ears, the selection
of words was extremely good.

By the way, I am not quite sure that the Ameri-
cans have not got a great deal to say in favour of
their pronunciation of some words, which I am
inclined to think approximates considerably to the
old English standard. I may instance the word
"wound," which they pronounce as spelt; while
we as if it were spelt "woond," making it rhyme
with "tuned"— they with "sound;" then "deaf,"
which they render " deef," gnd " gaping," which
they pronounce full, as all but Englishmen render

22 RAMBLES IN THE

the Latin a (and as most of our Shaksperian readers
render that word, which occurs several times in his
plays), and so on ad infinitum. At any rate, if the
Americans murder the Queen's English in their own
way as Punch wittily dreaded they would when
a collision in the Trent affair was imminent, I
am sure we do so equally in ours; and certainly
the letter "h" has a "better time of it" with
them than with us : indeed, on the whole, I think
that, man for man and woman for woman, the
Americans speak better English than ourselves ;
though I believe our highest standard to be above
theirs. They may, at any rate, claim to have pro-
duced in Lindley Murray the Quintilian of English
grammar, and in Webster and Worcester the best
lexicographers.

After the sermon a prayer extempore was made
by a young assistant, which moved him to tears, and
had the most spasmodic effect on a female member of
the congregation, who went into hysterics forthwith,
but was "let be" by her surroundings. After the
prayer a hymn was sung by the pastor of the flock,
and while singing he walked about shaking hands
with most of the congregation in the forepart of the
building. The effect *vas very curious, but it had a
most tranquillizing influence on the troubled spirit

ROCKY M0U2s' TAINS. 23

of the Niobe of tliis occasion. After tliese prelec-
tions, I turned towards the " Commercial," and
discovered that the start was postponed till Monday,
finally.

I have not said a word anent St. Joe, which, being-
the second city in the State of Missouri, deserv^es it.
It is only a few years old, and yet it numbers about
9,000 inhabitants, boasts two vast hotels, and many
minor ones ; the American idea being everywhere to
live in such establishments, and to dispense with all
domestic bothers. Being on the Missouri, it has the
advantage of the trade up and down that mighty
conduit, and is thus connected by water witli
almost the entire continent for several thousand
miles ; while the North Missouri and Hannibal
and St. Joe lines, of which it is the terminus,
gives it the command of eastern and southern j\Iis-
souri, Illinois, &c. ; then it has a short line of its
own to Atcheson, from which point the great Over-
land Stage Company starts for California. »

It was a very flourishing place before the war,
and was fast rising into importance, but has been
under a blight ever since. Just now it is as com-
pletely under military occupation as any conquered
city need be ; military law and police are in force,
and the dominant faction as completely lords it over

24 EAMBLES IN THE

the beaten one as in the small Grecian States of
which Thucydides has left us such an imperishable
record. To hold certain opinions is to be an enemy,
even though such opinions be carefully veiled ; evi-
dence is being continually hunted up to prove a
'* secession bias," and then woe to the unlucky
holder of such unprofitable tenets ! All his stock,
at any rate, is considered fair game for confiscation.
Having these lessons before their eyes, many of the
farmers in the vicinity have sold off every horse and
mule they possess, save perhaps one valueless animal
for daily drudgery.

This state of things has given rise to bands of
partisans, who sweep across the country, taking all
they can, under the titles of " Guerillas," " Bush-
wackers," and " Jay-hawkers," and who, under pre-
tence of taking sides with either party, commit
frightful murders, and thus pay back old grudges
and take vengeance for wrongs of long standing.
Of course it would be unjust to blame either
Federals or Confederates entirely for such a state
of affairs. It is the natural result of a war such
as desolates the continent just now, when carried
into a State which is in the main friendly to the
South, and which, as a slave State, believes its in-
terests to be inseparable from theirs. I believe the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 25

Federal troops are doing their best to repress these
marauders ; but local knowledge, and the vast dis-
tances, give the latter a great advantage. It is one of
the most melancholy considerations incident to this
war, that in the border States, such as Missouri, even
if peace were proclaimed to-morrow, the lex talionis
would probably for some time supplant the jus civile,
and assassination would be very rife. Under these
circumstances, it is not to be wondered at that land
has greatly diminished in value, and that the peace-
ably disposed — who are, indeed, the great majority
— are doing their best to realize their estates, and
migrate further West.

This is not the privation to an American it would
be to the citizen of any other country. The settlers
have probably held their present tenures but for a
short period ; and though one would conceive that
the fact of havino; redeemed a farm from the sur-
rounding wilderness would endear it greatly to the
settler, such is not generally the case, or at least not
so much so but that a good per-centage will tempt
him to sell at any time. He is above such a prejudice
as having an inordinate weening for any one spot or
earth, which he holds to be only worthy of a cat, or
such an old fogy as Naboth the Jezreelite. Man never
is, but only to be blessed. The West, with all its

26 EAMBLES IN THE

untold wealth, lies before him, and so his nomad
instincts prevail : he packs his worldly goods into
wafTgons, takes his flocks and his herds, and his
slaves, if he has any, with him, and thus goes pro-
specting for some new " location."

I should be very unwilling to credit the stories of
peculation and corruption which one hears of in all
departments, were it not for the revelations that the
Van Wyck Committee and other sources, in some
instances the public prints, have made; but, in any
case, I must say, like Herodotus, of these things : —
" I have heard, but have never seen them." It is
said apropos of the confiscations of stock we have
heard of, that it was not at all unusual, when a con-
tractor wanted to a;et a laro-e number of animals, that
his first step would be to establish friendly relations
with the officers in command of the troops in the
neiojhbourhood : then a raid would be concerted on
the stock of the " traitors," and a large haul made,
and thus the contractor would be enabled to fulfil
his encrao-ement with his dear Uncle on the most
reasonable terms : the zeal of the officers not being
of course forgotten.

These little ebullitions have no doubt had the
effect of banishing many a " traitor " from Missouri ;
but there can be no doubt that there is an enormous

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 27

number of Southern sympathisers within its borders —
"galvanized" traitors, as they call them; and if any
success of Braors's were to brino- Price again with a
stroncr force into Missouri, I have no doubt he would
find a strong following. The Federals, indeed, are
walking over embers, " suppositos cineri doloso,"
which may blaze out into a frightful conflagration !

28M. — Xo signs of a start yet ; soon, I discovered
the hitch — there were too many passengers for one
waoro;on, and too much Jucjoiao-e. Under these cir-
cumstances, I confess to an act of extreme weakness
and confidence, namely, lending our teamster
110 dollars towards a second waggon and pair
of mules or ponies ; as I heard he was a man of
some substance and much probity, and, at an}^
rate, the ponies and waggons were always available
property in the far West.* Consequently, I was
allowed a voice in the selection of our means of

*

locomotion, and so picked out a second-hand spring
waggon, something like a break, which had, of
course, the usual awnings ; and we hit on a pair
of stout ponies, which, I suppose, weighed about
sixteen cwt.

It is strange how in America horses are more esti-
mated by their weight than by tlieir shapes and action
* The principal was repaid in full on arriving at Denver.

28 EAilBLES IN THE

as with us ; still, it can't be denied that weight is a
very essential element in slow draft. It is also
curious to hear in the West, when one man describes
another, how invariably he guesses at his weight in
pounds. And now, this difficulty solved, for collect-
ing the passengers, and packing the freight I I
should mention that our other waggon was an ordi-
nary one, not on springs, with the usual awnings,
and the other pair of ponies were an extremely hand-
some round pair of little nags about 13 "2, lighter
than our last pair, and said to be capable of dragging
St. Joe after them, if required ; or, at any rate, a very
fair load.

At last we got under weigh in very rough-and-
ready style. The spring waggon — with four children
and three women, and the "boss" driving, with its
complement of trunks and boxes, which formed
the seats, and a tent lashed on behind — leading
the van; we following in No. 2, five in number,
but the luggage piled up fore and aft in such a way
that there was nothing but a small well of some
two and a half feet by three to sit in, perched on
anything we could get, our legs dangling outwards
between the front and hind wheels. This was the
provision for three able-bodied men, two, of course,
sitting on the driver's perch ; but we were consoled

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 29

by the thought that this was merely a temporary
arrangement, as we were to catch the team sent on
in a day or so, and would have more room : under
this expectation, we laid in the smallest possible
quantity of supplies, as the advanced guard carried
everything.

Thus, we proceeded to the ferry steamer, which
brought us into Kansas on the opposite side of the
Missouri. Here our troubles began ! The smaller
pair of ponies of good reputation led the way ; but,
unfortunately, the land rose rather abruptly, and
much traffic had loosened the sand, so the wheels of
the chariot drove very heavily indeed: at last we
stuck, and had it not been for the extraordinary stout-
ness of the last bought pair, who dragged both loads
at each recurring difficulty, our waggons might be
now in Kansas, as unfortunately we had no tackling
for yoking all four to each waggon at hills and other
difficulties. The first few miles was through forest,
with clearings every here and there, and then we
emerged into more open grass-land, with woods all
round, till we came to the little village of Wathena ;
not remarkable for anything but the euphony of its
name, which it shares with nearly all those of similar
(Indian) derivation. Here we heard tales of murders,
which made me long to get beyond such an Aceldama

30 RAMBLES IN THE

as the Missouri and Kansas borders have been fur
years-
Having made seven painful miles, and come near
a fai'mhouse, we unyoked, and erected our tent : a
wall tent, so called because it is more like a house
than the round or " Sibley " tent as it is called here,
and only requires the support of three sticks, two
placed upright and one horizontally. The tent was,
of course, assigned to the ladies of the party ; the
men had to sleep " al fresco," or if they preferred
it under the waggon. ]\Iilk was procured from the
neighbouring farm, and with the aid of some crackers
did for supper.

26th. — Some of our party had brought a large stock
of beddino;. I had not : trusting; to our teamster's
declaration that he had an ample supply of blankets,
&c. ; so that I found that the damp of the ground
below, and the " inclementia coeli " above, whatever
that might be, would have to be endured with very
little protection. This was, at any rate, conducive to
early rising, and this morning we were astir before
either sun or larks : if there were such birds on this
part of the continent. The ladies got a little law for
their toilets, while we took down the inevitable stove,
tied to the back of our waggon, and found dry AAOod
to light it withal.

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 31

The stove is quite an American's institution, un-
known or scarcely known to us ; it does his cooking,
wanning, baking, and is the one indispensable piece
of furniture in a house of moderate means ; ours
was very light, had an oven for our bread, and a
place to fry, and a place to boil in.

Now begin preparations for breakfast which may be
taken as a sample of most meals ; first, then, quant.
sufF. of flour is taken out and duly compounded with
soda and cream of tartar to make rolls for the party,
which they term " biscuit " — a great misnomer, as
they never are done enough, I think ; then quant,
suff. of either ham or bacon is sliced off and fried :
the latter goes by the name of " Billy Russell," on
the plains. Coffee is browned first, then ground,
then made — the true art of havino; good coffee.
Eggs and milk may be added, but they form no
staple. Yoih'i le dejeuner ! Dinner at twelve is
generally a biscuit (roll), a bit of fried pig in some
shape, and a glass of cold water with anything
your private fancy may suggest as a " stick." And
supper, breakfast repeated, with hot rolls and butter,
and in addition such small condiments as dried
peaches, apples, or blackberries, stewed with some
rice, all of which I thought extremely good.

Breakfast over, bedding has to be packed, tent taken

82 KAMBLES IN THE

down, horses fed and harnessed ; so we consider it
reasonably good time if we can be under weigh by a
few minutes after six. Here we come to fresh grief
again ; one of our crack little team won't face a small
hill. This time we have to temporize, as a heavily-
laden waggon is easily upset on a hill ; but soon our
" vetturino " got a chance at the little delinquent,
and the position of master and servant once well
established, there was no more trouble the rest of the
journey. Soon we emerged from the " timber open-
ings," and got a full view of the real rolling green
prairies of which every one has read and heard so
much. And truly it is a grand sight, that vast undu-
lating expanse of green grass, unbroken throughout
the wide horizon, save at distant intervals by a fringe
of trees forming the margin to some creek, or by
a rare farmhouse standing out alone in the wild
wilderness of grass. An Englishman will recall the
hills of Surrey, or the wolds of Yorkshire ; but neither
gives any idea of this wide sea of verdure with its
clear sky and fresh breezes. I cannot remember my
first impressions of the sea, but I should imagine they
were somewhat similar. For miles, as you travel
along, you don't see the vestige of a stone or even
gravel. The soil is a rich alluvium, and of course very
easily tilled ; the farmers here universally allow one

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 33

man to forty acres of tillage — a fair estimate to our
notions ! The road, if you can call a natural high-
way by such a name, was just like an avenue in a
park (where the main track went) minus the gravel
and edging ; by the sides where it was not so
frequented by waggons, it was much like the road
to the Grand Stand at Ascot, in a fine summer.

A few miles brought us to the village of Troy,
where we arrived simultaneously with the mail, and
this latter brought tidings of the capture of Yicksburg.
Talking with some of the agricultural pundits who
clustered round the post-office, I ventured with
great temerity to think the news was not true.
Instantly I saw my mistake — What ? doubt the
triumph of the cause of right, and that when
announced in black and white I Our " boss " told
me after we had left the villacre that I had incurred
much suspicion by my unguarded remark ; that I
was looked upon as " tinctured," and that the con-
sequences might have been serious, had be not poured
oil on their outraged passions by informing them I
was a foreigner, and, of course, ergo, incapable of
forming a right judgment of things in this country.

As we went along, an extremely gentlemanlike old
man standing at the door of his log hut offered us
some milk, which we gladly accepted ; but I regret

3

34 EAMBLES IN THE

to say one of tlie party rather inconsiderately threw
away the surplus on the black ground before the
cottage, where it would probably be noticed, and
might wound the old man's feelings. True, the man
might have said, like the Calabrian pressing pears on
his guest, —

Hsec porcis hodie comedenda relinquis ;
but the manner of his making the offer was extremely
pleasant and courteous, and are we not told that the
gift of a cup of cold water has its merit? I forgot
to mention that the little village of Troy, whose
houses you might count on one hand, had still its
printing-office and its paper. In the evening we saw
a good number of prairie chickens, or grouse of this
country, and am ashamed to say, sacrificed some for
supper. They were generally wild. It is strange
that these birds should leave the wild plains for the
neighbourhood of settlements where they can get corn
— " panem et circenses " — in preference to liberty and
a poor larder.

In the evening we camped near a farm-house,
the Avell being, I think, the inducement : I know I
got a tub of ice-cold water from it at night. Every
sort of crop and vegetable seems to thrive in this
part of Kansas : I noticed even fields of sweet pota-
toes. Isn't it strange that this root when trans-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 35

planted north, should in a year or so turn into the
common potato ? This looks as if it were the original
of our great European staple.

27th. — Rose very early with a view of getting
chickens for the pot, but found them far too wild.
I suppose Shelley never saw the "sanguine sun
rise witli his meteor eyes " on the prairie, save in
spirit, after the manner of poets ; but his descrip-
tion is. very life-like. I confess myself to have
had Charles Lamb's constitutional aversion to
early rising, and to have left such pleasures to
larks and housemaids, and therefore know very
little of the sun's phenomena at that hour ; so
in my ignorance I was surprised that the orb of
day should present an elliptical instead of a rotund
appearance : like the pictures of cherubs blowing a
trumpet frantically, his cheeks seemed unnaturally
distended. I suppose the solution is as simple as
may be, but I " don't see it."

At about one o'clock we made tlie village of
Kennekuk — a little larger than Troy — and going
on a little furtlier, came to a shady glen, where
we dined on dried beef and pickles, having first
written and posted any letters we wanted at the
village post-office. I may remark that I saw stone
cropping out here, for the first time on the prairie.

3—2

36 RAMBLES IN THE

Tlie farms here are almost invariably of one size,
namely, 160 acres, that being the number which
each man is allowed by law to buy, or to settle, with-
out buying, by a five years' residence. The object of
these laws was to prevent land speculators rushing in
and absorbing whole tracts, to the detriment of poorer
men ; but like most sumptuary laws, they break down
in operation, and a simple deed of mortgage evades
their provisions.

A few miles further we enter upon what are called
the " Kickapoo reservations," or land allotted by
Government to this tribe. The lines have fallen to
them, I must say, in pleasant places, as timber, the
great desideratum of the prairies, is rife on their
lands; and their farms seemed very good, and well
fenced. "We camped for the night in Grasshopper
Creek, or rather, in the wood by it, where we found
the mosquitoes very attentive, and a wild cat seemed
to be challenging any of the party to " whip " ever so
small a part of his weight in a single one.

28th. — Morning chilly and raw, but I think
these sensations arose more from want of suffi-
cient blankets than anything else. Reached Little
Nemaho by dinner time. This is an extremely
pretty creek, very well wooded. Oak seems to be
the great timber of this continent, and the

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 37

varieties seem almost endless. There is the live
oak of Florida and Texas, said to be the best
in the world for ship-building — the red oak,
the black oak, the white oak, and water oak.

We passed one or two very nice-looking farms to-day,
and the owners seemed to think well of their prospects
this year. Wheat was in the ear, and seemed not to
want much more than a fortnight for ripening.
Potatoes, we were told, were a good crop if they got
rain enough. Driving along to-day we saw several
porphyry rocks cropping out, and the land seemed
to contain a larger admixture of sand. Towards
evening we came up with a large government team of
twenty-five waggons, each having five yoke of oxen to
it, bound for Salt Lake City. Our twenty-seventh
mile brought us to Seneca, a very neat little village
on the Great Nemaho, and here we camped, having
only secured one chicken for supper.

29th. — The night was damp, and the dew in the
morning was heavy enough to remind one of Virgil's
exquisite description of the Mantuan vales, where —

Quantum carpent armenta diei,
Exigua tantum gelidus ros nocte reponet.

The village of Ashpoint we make by about 9*30,
and we strike the Little Vermilion stream by
dinner time. There was a ranclie here, but the lady

'5^^:6128

38 KAMBLES IN THE

occupant, on our asking for milk, informed us " her
cow did not come home o' nights." There is a station
here of the overland stage line, and I had a bit of a
talk with the driver, who was a pleasant fellow
enough ; he had to look after his team of four horses,
and drive his twelve miles into the bargain, and for
this he received twenty dollars per month with board.
He assured me that the facilities for what they call
"jumping the pole," or picking up waifs and strays
of passengers on their own account were extremely
limited here, as one can well conceive : in fact they
did not find him in whiskey money. At Salt Lake he
told me the drivers drove longer distances, or rather
repeated the same distance over oftener, but did not
have to look after the nags; they were paid at the
rate of fifty dollars a month, with board — no bad
allowance in hard times.

This overland mail is a wonderful institution,
and I doubt whether, even in Russia, it can be
paralleled. It originated in 1860, replacing the
" pony express," which was just set on foot to
save the great delay of sending letters from the
eastern states and Europe to California via the
Isthmus. The time now occupied by this line in
crossing the entire continent is from seventeen to
eighteen days during eight months of the year, and

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 39

twenty-one or twenty-two during the remaining four.
By taking a " through ticket " from end to end you
are entitled to the privilege of stopping a reasonable
time at the intermediate stations; thus the tedium
of this long route can be much relieved, and some
pleasant excursions, in quest either of large game or
scenery, can be undertaken. The charge for the entire
distance is 150 dollars, and fair meals — for which
there is ample time, not apportioned on the Crewe and
Swindon principle — are obtained at prices varying
from 50 to 75 cents, or 2s. to 3^. of our money ; but
the allowance of luggage is miserably small, only
25 lbs., beyond which a charge of, I think, 40 cents
a pound, is made. This is barely compatible with
cleanliness, certainly not with comfort.

The coach is a large " convaniency," holding from
six to nine passengers inside and one outside on
the box. It is longer than our mails, but not so
high; it is hung on leather springs, and pitches on
the hills like a ship. The luggage is, strange to say,
all fastened on to a sort of stage behind, covered by
an apron. There is no guard to protect either mails
or treasure ; but then every passenger is expected to
carry arms here. This line from Atchesou to Salt
Lake is owned and horsed by a single proprietor,
and I must say some teams of his mules could not

40 RAMBLES IN THE

be surpassed for quality and condition. The Govern-
ment pays tlie line a subsidy of a million dollars per
annum.

As we were walking along, our driver was attracted
b}' the rattle of a snake ; on killing it, we found
it was nine years old, as it had nine joints to its
rattle. As every one has not seen this appendage, I
may state that it is firmly fastened on to the tail by
ligatures, though it pulls out without any great effort
when the reptile is dead. Each joint looks something
like a pearl, or rather two small pearls joined toge-
ther ; as, besides each joint being perfectly distinct,
there is a division running lengthways from the first
joint to the last; each joint is just a size larger
than the one below it, so the rattle tapers down to
a very fine point. In each cell there appears to be
a kind of hard secretion, which is set in motion by
the tail, and this, striking against the thin bone of the
joint, produces a noise which faintly imitates a child's
rattle, but which is very distinctly heard when close
— or stay, I think a better idea will be conveyed by
shaking the dry pod of a pea near your ear. Travel-
lers do not seem in great alarm at this snake, as,
if you see it, you can always avoid it, or kill it ; nor
do I think it would ever attack, unless alarmed or in
self-defence.

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 41

The specific for its bite that seems to obtain
most credit is an enormous dose of whiskey, — in fact,
as much as the stomach of the patient will bear ;
on the other hand, I once met a man on whose
veracity I think I may rely, who assured me he cured
a bite by the simple pig remedy of a mud bath, and
after that a long soak in spring-water. " Apropos
de cochons," it is said the hog is a sworn foe to all
snakes, and eats them greedily ; and I have heard
in Michigan of pigs turned into swamps actually
fattening on the " Missa Sauga" snake, which is ac-
counted fully as deadly as the rattlesnake. I must
here put in Herodotus' saving clause, " but this I
have never myself seen."

By the evening we made Big Vermilion, a creek
beautifully Avooded, and with an undergrowth of
gooseberries, strawberries, and wild grape vines which
to English eyes seems astonishing. Indeed, the vine
seems quite as much at home in America as it is
in any portion of Europe, though I cannot say I
have yet tasted any wine on this continent which I
much fancied ; the " Catawba," which is so much
vaunted, seemed to me rough and harsh, and I
could not help thinking the California specimens
which I tasted mawkish. Though it be a very
heretical opinion, I must confess that a glass of wild

42 RAMBLES IN THE

grape wine which I purchased for a few cents in a
country district of Missouri, seemed to me far better
than any of the high-priced liquors. But then
wine-making is in its infancy here, and when they
have had as much practice in this branch of art as
they have had at cider, no doubt they will succeed
as well.

SOth. — An early start brought us past the Ver-
milions and Smith Station. Near this, I first met
that very singular little animal, which goes by the
name of the " gopher." It is something between a
weasel and a prairie dog, but smaller than either, and
with a beautifully spotted skin like a panther's ; it
runs very swiftly through the prairie grass, in which
it has holes, and looks at you in the most knowing
way when once under the shadow of its own roof-
tree ; these holes are, however, not deep, and you
can catch master gopher by flooding them. I shall
not easily forget the sharp bite I received from one,
while trying not to hurt it by holding it as one
would a rat or ferret, by the skin of the neck ; the
little brute had a coil of muscles in his spine which I
envied, and could make nothing of whatever. If the
wolf be a sad thing for the fold, in Virgil's * estima-
tion, the gopher is equally so to the corn-field ; as I
* Triste lupus stabulis.

ROCKY ilOUNTALNS. 43

am told that when the young maize is just sprouting,
he will root up a whole row to get the tender
esculent to pleasure his dainty maw, so that the
gopher may fairly take rank with the curculio and
other pests which " invade " the husbandman.

Passing along, we saw a very pretty duel fought in
the air between the " king-priest," a bird something
like the well-known mocking bird, and a largeish
hawk, in which the latter was discomfited and fled
away. We constantly meet the " whiporwill," so
called from the noise he makes ; it is a small hawk
which seems to me almost identical with what was
called in the West Indies the mosquito hawk. By
noon there was some chang-e in the soil and the
scenery ; the prairie grew less rolling and more hum-
mocky, and the water-courses seemed to form deeper
indentations in the sandy soil ; ledges of limestone
appeared in the higher hummocks, and there was
more of a mineral character, I thought, in the
appearance of nature : on the road I picked up a bit
of ironstone which was very heavy.

Soon we reached Maryville, when our eyes were
greeted with real stone houses, and some of them
rather neatly built ; indeed the village was very
neat, and there seemed one or two very fair stores ;
of course, there was the usual saloon, with its bar

44 RAMBLES IN THE

and billiard-room. The thermometer here indicated
82 in the shade. Land about here can be gene-
rally bought for about two dollars an acre, if not
fenced or otherwise improved. I was told the home-
stead law, which p)'ovides that a residence of five
years entitles the citizen to his farm of 160 acres,
had been suspended till after the war, as the volunteers
had to get their grants first. These grants of land
were, however, generally sold for a mere song ; as
was the case in the Mexican war.

Passing through Maryville, we came to the Big
Blue, a very respectable river, which we forded, and
dined under the shadow of the trees near it.
Before dinner I took a plunge into the stream, and
thought the moment propitious for doing a little
washing; but alas! while it was bleaching, during
dinner, the linen disappeared, and I can only sup-
pose that a California team which camped by us,
is the better for my loss. Thence we drove to Cotton
Wood, some twelve miles, and camped; making
twenty-seven miles this day.

Slst. — Set outwalking to-day, and hardly got into
the waggon till we reached Rock Spring, at about
6 P.M., twenty-two miles distant. The soil seemed
much poorer, the sand predominating, and conse-
quently we had more dust. On the road I met a very

HOCKY MOUNTAINS. 45

large spider, shaped something like the tarantula, and
looking like a large hairy gooseberry crawling along.
This I found was occasioned bv its havincr a multitude
of its young endorsed upon it. The plains here
appeared covered with what I think is wild serastriuni,
whose pale French grey colour I like so much in a
garden. The number of waggons here seemed to
increase greatly, looking, with their white covers, for
all the world like convoys of ships crowding into port;
specially when seen climbing up a slope at some
distance.

June 1st. — A slight shower of rain lays the dust
very pleasantly, and makes the going better. By
noon we make the Big Sandy, a well wooded stream,
and a ranche being handy, we paid it a visit, and
found the lady of the house very communicative.
Hearing we came from Missouri, she seemed asto-
nished we had escaped the tax levied upon emigrants
from that state, namely, thirty dollars a man, and
one cent per pound on all the goods you carry with
you. This vexatious imposition is levied, I believe,
with a view of hitting those who set off westwards to
escape the coming draft or conscription.

Here we met a man who had lost five head of horse
kind, and was going to the Otto and Pawnee Indians,
camped near Maryville, to endeavour to get some

46 EAMBLES IN THE

tidings of them. We were rather amused to hear
the stories of the sassiness of the Indians, since the
outbreak of the war ; of their throwing themselves
in their red blankets on the road, and scaring the
oxen-teams out of their wits, and such like tales.

The country to-day appeared poorer — stone cropped
out in places, and the gullies were deeper ; however,
the plains were enamelled with a beautiful kind of
wild flox, of the richest ruby colour, and the prairie
■ rose, a sort of dwarf dog rose, was wasting its sweet-
ness in all directions. It seems so strange that we
meet no bees or wasps as we move along; — having
heard so much of " bee-lines " and wild honey, one
is prepared to see any amount of them in the prairie.
We make Little Sandy River by about 4 p.m., and
camp close to its woody sides. Rabbits seem to
abound here ; so, in spite of the season, we kill a
number for supper, and find them very good indeed.

In this part of the prairies, cotton wood is almost
the only timber of any size to be met with. It is a
species of poplar, and derives its name from its seed,
which contains a sort of fluffy stuff something like
cotton. In this respect it is like its namesake in the
West Indies, which attains such gigantic proportions,
and forms such a prominent object in many of the
most lovely landscapes of that lovely land. It is an

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 47

extremely soft bad wood, but growing as it does to a
good size, it suits the purposes of the ranchemen,
who do not aim much at stability or permanence in
their erections.

In building their log-ranches they do not attempt
to saw this timber, and sometimes barely square
it with tlie axe, morticing the loo;s toirether in
a very rough way, and filling in the interstices
with dirt, rarely whitewashed. A large square
is then enclosed with a stockade of the same timber,
which is called a corrall ; a stable is erected in
the same rough and ready fashion as tlie house, and
then the establishment is complete. For discomfort
and untidiness it would be hard to parallel them
even in the neglected portions of the Emerald
Island ; but then a house in this climate is almost —
save for shade and occasional shelter — le superflu^
not le necessaire ; and the absence of mud is a very
broad distinction in favour of the former.

It must not be supposed that these ranches
imply farming on any scale w^iatever ; they are
simply business stations to meet the wants of
the emigrants and travellers westward, and there-
fore each mainly consists of one room, which
serves for store, grog-shop, and bed-room by
night. In the smaller ones, and they are far

48 RAMBLES IN THE

the most numerous, the stock in hand may be
set down as consisting of much pork and ham, a few
pounds of coffee, salt, pepper, vinegar, pearl-ash,
soda, flour, butter, eggs, corn, dried apples, peaches
in tins, and oysters also, with a Falstaffian propor-
tion of a vile compound of whiskey and I know not
what, which is popularly known as " bust head," or
" forty rod," because the unfortunate imbiber is
seriously affected in either brain or legs, or even in
both, before he has gone that distance.

Winter is the harvest for these ranches, for
then they have to feed the passing stock on corn
and hay, which they retail at the most enormous
prices: corn, for instance, which, in the Western
States, was selling last year at 20 cents a bushel,
is retailed here at two and three dollars, while for
hay they ask two, three, and even five cents per lb.
But one of their great sources of wealth lay in
" trading " oxen. For this purpose they begin
with a few of their own, and when a man passes
with a foot-sore ox which can go no further, they
sell the traveller a fresh one at their own rate,
while a dollar or two is considered the " rule
of the road " for the jaded ox : or rather was,
for competition is beginning to mar this golden
age. Under these circumstances it will not be

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 49

surprising that these rancheros make their "pile"
pretty quickly.

2nd. — The night was positively cold and the
dew was very scant, so starting early, we made
Thompson's Station, where we found a well sunk
to the depth of 105 feet. To dig a well is about the
first thing a man has to do here, and I must say the
people are very civil in allowing every passer-by to
use their wells most freely. After this, we passed
over a large section of perfectly flat prairie, covered
with weeds, among which I noticed, for the first
time, Scotland's emblem ; it looks, however, a very
harmless plant here, and might, I think, be pro-
voked with great impunity. There were also quantities
of mimosEe, and though they looked exactly like
the sensitive mimosa, these had not the shrinking
peculiarity. The Little Blue, a very pretty stream,
fringed with a thick growth of cotton-trees, oak,
scrub, walnut, and sumach, now lay before us for
some distance, and on its banks we camped.

Zrd. — Started in good time and made Jessie
Swing's ranche by an early hour. Here we saw a
young antelope which had been recently caught, and
which was a great pet. We also bought some buffalo
meat from some hunters, who had met a ereat
number on the Republican Fork; these men were

4

50 RAMBLES IN THE

very anxious about some of their companions who
had been carried away too far by the excitement,
and had not been heard of for a good many hours.
If men and horses behave only tolerably well and
prudently, there is very little danger in buffalo-
hunting, but when men and horses are new to the
work there is some risk in getting carried away by
the herd, and so crushed to death. There is
also some danger of starvation if you get beyond
your bearings in the prairie, with nothing to guide
you but the sun by day, and the stars by night.
The great amusement at this season of the year
consists in catching the calves, by throwing the
larriette or lasso over them.

The scenery to-day was lovely, the Little Blue,
with its belt of timber, being always in sight;
and by dinner-time we struck it again, and
found the buffalo steaks admirable, though defi-
cient in fat. Shortly after dinner, as two or three
of the passengers were trying to scramble into our
den in the waggon, my foot caught in some
larriette ropes which were hanging by the side, and
before I could extricate it the hind wheel was right
over it at the ankle. On taking off my boot 1 dis-
covered that no bone was broken, thank God, though
the bruise was, as they say here, " some consider-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 51

able." Bv the evenino; we struck the Little Blue
again and camped ; it was a wet and stormy night,
and having to sit in the waggon all night, with my
foot cocked up, I experienced that ciTaXanrwpui rijg
aypvirriag, the wretchedness of sleeplessness which
the historian tells us was one of the worst features
in the Plague of Athens. At dinner-time we had
caught some chub and a funny little fish, called
the " horndace " from sundry little horny excres-
cences growing out of its head, which we found
excellent.

4:th. — In the mornino; we had the satisfaction of
discovering that our ponies, Avhich were only lar-
rietted together (that is to say, one rope passed
round each of their necks), and not picketed, as
the}'- should have been in such a night, had strayed ;
nor did we recover them till 10 o'clock a.m. The
roads were, strange to say, perfectly dry, after the
rain, and we made Elm Creek by dinner-time;
the creek was, however, as they phrase it here,
"played out" — as we might say, "used up."
Some of the grass on the prairie to-day looked to
nie precisely like the African " guinea-grass, " which
grows so luxuriantly in tlie West Indies, and espe-
ciallv in Jamaica. I also discovered some which cor-
responded to the " Bahama," which is so affected

4-2

52 RAMBLES IX THE

ill the latter island for the dressed ground near
houses.

Passing a newly- made grave, only marked h}' a
slight tumulus of earth, we made " Thirty-two mile
Creek," and camped.

5th. — Finding my leg inflamed, I devised a sort of
slino;, bv hancping a shot-belt from one of the awning
supports, which answered fairly. Passing by the
bluffs of the Platte, we met a quantity of prairie
dogs, which our passengers vainly attempted to shoot,
as they never would show more than a few inches
above their holes ; the number of wafj^ons, and no
doubt the fact of serving often as targets, has made
these little animals very wary.

I do not know if the prairie dog has been ever
acclimated in Europe yet, or is to be found in our
menageries ; but I should not think it were difficult
to do so, as there is always more or less cold
weather on these plains; and I should think they
would be very useful in banishing rats. In appear-
ance they are very like the guinea-pig, only infinitely
livelier and more active, and their colour varies from
a very light to a darkish shade of brown, apparently
with age. In phices where they ai'e bolder it is
most amusing to watch their gambols, and it is really
very interesting to observe an old paterft\milias stand

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 53

at the door of his chateau and bark angrily at you,
his tail beating time in the most energetic style to
each bark ; the sound of which is something like the
call of a guinea-hen, or rather between that and a
maternal turkey calling her brood. Owls, dogs, and
rattlesnakes are said to keep house together; I can
answer for having seen the two former constantly
together, but I have only met one or two rattlesnakes
near the dog tov/ns.

At dinner we heard of a battle between the
Sioux and Pawnees, in which the latter had the
best of it; indeed, the latter are very hard to beat,
for to their native craft, they have superadded the
practice of scientific warfare, and understand all
about " rifle-pits," and are famous marksmen :
as an American volunteer, who knew them well,
said, " If we fight the Pawnees it is man to man,
and our main advantage would be the revolver, which
they do not yet possess."

By the evening we struck a branch of the Platte
(about as wide as the Thames at Henley), at a
place called Sobiski, or Junction, from the fact of
the converging roads from St. Joe, Nebraska,
and Omaha meeting at this point. Here we
camped.

&th. — In the morning we found, on comparing

54 RAMBLES IN THE

notes, that most of us might have said, like Clarence
after his first night in the Tower, —

Oh, I have passed a miserable nijrht !
as most bore visible tokens of the activity and zeal of
the mosquitoes. As we drove on, we met large herds
of cattle bound for Denver, or California. After a few-
miles we reached Fort Kearney, which is, however,
only a barrack for a small number of soldiers ; the
parade-ground looked pretty neat, with a few field-
pieces about, but the stables, as we passed, looked
filthy and unkempt. It is a pity that, as a rule, the
Americans are too "go-a-head" a nation to insist
upon scrupulous neatness in all their public buildings
and institutions. I recollect having the same idea
forced upon me at West Point, which, as a show-
place and lovely in point of situation, ought to be
more soignS, methinks. Here we saw the wooden
spire of a tiny church — the first I had seen for days.
The Government are strict in preventing travellers
from camping within two miles of the Fort, to
preserve the forage for the cavalry horses. Here,
too, we meet the telegraph to California for the first
time.

Two miles further brings us to Kearney City,
popularly known as Dobee Town, a miserable col-
lection of adobed houses ; which, however, did a

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 55

good business with the travellers, and I believe a
frontage in Dobee Town commands a good number
of dollars. An Irishman from Kanturk, whom I
encountered tliere, informed me a miserable-looking
store of this mud fabrication was good for 2,000
dollars. I certainly should be glad to leave the
present incumbent "master of the situation." My
sole purchase was a sheet of vile note-paper, for
which I paid three cents — its weight I should think
in silver if not gold. Wood, we learnt, was so dear
that twelve and fourteen dollars are paid for a cord of
green cotton-wood.

A short drive brought us to the Platte, which
is here a mile and a half wide, but shallow,
and fall of islands ; all efforts to navigate it, even
in the shallowest of boats, have proved abortive
hitherto. By the evening we made a ranche
at Seventeen Mile Point, and camped in a storm of
rain, thunder, and lightning, which was so near
that there seemed scare any interval between the
flash and the clap of thunder. I passed rather a
wretched night in the waggon and got chilled ; the
rest found a shelter in a house.

Ith. — Our ponies had again strayed, and we did
not recover them till nine o'clock. From this time our
way lay right along the valley of the Platte and on

56 EAMBLES IN THE

the southern side, the horizon being bounded by a
line of low sandy bluffs. The road here was very
swampy after the rain of last night, and strewn on
both sides were the "reliquige" of innumerable
animals that had been killed, or had succumbed on
this long road, so that we only managed to paddle
through seventeen miles ; we then camped between
two ranches, kept by a Frenchman and an English-
man respectively. I found many of the ox and other
teams make a point of reposing on the Sunday —
some no doubt from a wish to observe the command-
ment, but most, I think, because they feel its practical
benefit, and are thus enabled in the long run to make
better time than the Sunday travellers.

Sth. — After a wet night we find the ponies again
" conspicuous by their absence," and did not recover
them for some time. The ranches here begin to show
signs of the proximity of Indians, by their buffalo
robes and peltry for sale. The Cheyenne Indians
are, we learn, reckoned the best tanners of buffalo
robes : an art in which the Indians maintain a mono-
poly of superiority — the only true kind. Here, too,
we met with a IMormon predicator mounted on a
mule : but he did not long remain mounted as
on a difference of opinion arising, the moke gave
the polygamist a cropper : thus " spreading the truth,"

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 57

as some one aptly remarked — and the only way to
spread such truth as his.

Crossincr a bend of Plum Creek, we found three
feet of water runnmg fast in a place which had been
dry two hours previously. However, we contrived
by fastening all four ponies somehow to each waggon,
to get over safely ; but we had rather a squeak for it.
By four o'clock, after travelling roads of the con-
sistency of Welsh rarebit, and tiring the ponies con-
siderably, we made Pat MuUalley's ranche, where
there were a number of waggons assembled : the
horses all secured by picketing or hobbling, for
fear of Indians, whose lodges were near. Here we
camped, and more rain fell. However, it ceased
towards night, and with the aid of a roaring fire and
a mighty brew of " egg nogg " we contrived to be
pretty comfortable.

I forgot to mention, the day we were at Plum
Creek, that the paymaster of the troops passed by ;
not that that was a sinsfular circumstance, but the
method of his progress struck me as characteristic
of the country. First came the paymaster, in an
ambulance drawn by four mules, and at a short
distance his orderly, I presume. I think this pair
refreshed and went on. After an interval, four
troopers came galloping up anyhow to the ranche,

58 RAMBLES IN THE

the paymaster being a long way in advance ; but
were they going to pass the ranche without a visit ?
Forbid it the genius of true freedom ! so they
pulled up deliberately. How much "bust-head" they
consumed in the ranche I cannot say, not seeing
it, neither can I say when they caught up the pay-
master ; but I could not help thinking it was fortu-
nate for Uncle Sam that the Indians did not set any
great value on either Mr. Lincoln's or Mr. Chase's
portrait in the shape of a " greenback."

9th. — This morning proved very fine after the
rain. Thinking the hog a very sensible animal and
a good plain doctor, I imitated him by giving my
leg a long mud-bath, and I think with good effect.
As we went on, one of our party shot a blue-winged
teal, a bird unknown to us, I think. The tameness
of the ducks here was, I must say, shocking to me.

Plunsina: throuo-h mud-holes, sedge, and slush
(the Platte valley wants draining sadly in places),
we came to Miller's ranche, where we dined. This
house, like most about here, bore as its emblem
a pair of stag or elk's horns fastened over the door ;
I could not help thinking what a fertile theme for
jests and quips this would have been to any of the
wits in Shakspeare's day. At this ranche I was
amused by an Iowa lad, who was nominally working

ROCKY ilOUNTAINS. 59

at a bit of a trench which a labourer in England
would probably have got through in a couple of
hours at furthest. The lad told me he was to
receive 25 dollars per month from the ranchero, with
board, and that the job he was at was the toughest
he saw before him ; after that he " guessed " there
was nothincr to do, save a little cookino; morning and
evenino- and "corallino;" the cows. His wages were
to be raised if he would stay for the hay harvest.
In Iowa he averaged from 30 cents to 50 cents per
diem, save in harvest, when wages were better.

By seven we made Dan Smith's ranche and camp.
Here we saw an Indian grave, which I thought very
curious. It was not more than a hundred yai'ds from
the road, and consisted of a hurdle placed on four
uprights, about eight feet high ; on this the body,
sewed up in a linen cloth, was laid, and there it
seems it was left. We passed several others after-
wards, only varying in the material enclosing the
corpse; generally, I think, it was a red blanket.
I could not see that any suitable provision was
made for these Indians hunting in the future they
anticipate, as there was no sign of bow, spear, or
rifle. When a chief dies, they say his effects are
interred with him, and his war-horse slain, to carry
him well in those elysian hunting-fields. As a rule,

60 RAMBLES IN THE

we were told the Sioux preferred taking their dead
with them, and burying them in their cemetery at
Ashpoint, some distance up the Platte ; where, I was
informed, some very strange scenes are enacted.
Some of their dead are buried upright, with the faces
appearing.

lO^A. — This morning was very fine, though cold ;
at least, it bore promise of a fine warm day, which
was fully realized. By ten we make Gillman's
ranche, where there is a large stable and corrall.
Cedar here supplants the cotton-wood, as it is found
in plenty in the Canons, or ravines between the
bluffs. As we burnt it at night, I could not help
recalling Virgil's

Urit odoratum noctuma in lumina cednim.
Soon after this we passed a lot of Indians on the
march. Their equipage was amusing: first a lot
of skins or robes are tied round the pony; then
to these a number of long sticks, which I think
must be their tent-poles, are fastened, so as to leave
free room for the action of the ponies' hind legs ;
across these poles a sort of shield or hurdle is
strapped, and on this the " papooses " or babies, and
occasionally a squaw, sit in state. Thence to Joe
Bower's ranche— then McDonald's, at Cotton-wood
Springs — and by the evening we make Cotton-wood

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 61

post-office, where we camp ; and, the night looking
dubious, we gladly secure a corner in the stable.

The Platte valley about here was so level that
all the cricketers of the Avorld could have played
without iuterferino; with each other. From the
appearance of the line of sand-bluffs flanking the
stream on either side, I concluded that the whole
of this valley had at one time been more or less
the river's bed, till at length the present channel — a
very broad one — was adopted.

llth. — The morning being fine, and my ankle deci-
dedly better, I hobbled on in advance of our party ;
not knowing that they would have to go to the bluffs
to cut cedar, to last for fuel for several days, there
beincr no wood on our route for miles after leaving
this place. After reaching a ranclie some four or
five miles distant, where a Frenchwoman informed
me she had seen nothing of our waggons, I got
alarmed at the position, as I heard there was another
track by which they might have slipped by ; so, weary
as I was, I was forced to push on at the best pace
for a cripple, and shoeless on one foot.

I had not gone far before I met two athletic-look-
inn- Indians, riding unusually fine-spirited ponies.
I saluted them with the usual " how," or " how
d'ye do ? " and received my " how " in return. By

62 RAMBLES IN THE

this time they had got me between their ponies, and
gave me to understand that they wanted tobacco.
I had none, and showed them my coat-pockets
empty. Then one of tliem seeing a gold ring on
my iinger wanted to grab it, but this I would not
allow, though I had not even a stick in my hand ;
then my coat which I carried on my arm caught
their fancy ; but I would not let them pull it away.
I kept backing, and they pushing against me, till
at last one signified to me that he would have ray
ring, and was proceeding to draw his bow in a
menacing manner. I laughed, and affected not to
understand him; and so, after much pantomine, I
was suffered to go: and, let me confess it, felt released
from considerable alarm, for a party of soldiers had
just been sent to overawe these Indians, who were
incensed with the Government for not being paid in
gold, according to treaty, but paper ; and there Avere
3,000 of them encamped close by.

At last, thoroughly Aveary, I reached Jack IMorrow's
capital ranche, and found the waggons had not yet
come up. As usual in the better ranches, there was
a good supply of ice here. While waiting for our
party in the great room of the ranche, I could not
help feeling intensely amused at the manners and
customs of the labourers at these establishments. A

KOCKT MOUXTAIKS. 63

man would go out — they were doing some buildino-
work — for some twenty or thirty minutes, then he
would come to the bar, take a " smile " of whiskey,
followed by a gulp of water (the usual style of mixing
grog ill America), then he would cast his eye over a
paper, and resume his labours ; and so on, da cai^o.

The "prickly pear" begins to be seen pretty
freely in this neighbourhood. It is said to be very
good when cooked properly, but I imagine it is
somethino- after the fashion of the " limestone "
broth in Lover's amusino; anecdote.

After dinner, for which we had antelope venison,
extremely good, we made Spring ranche, and camped
by " Fremont's slue ; " " slue " meaning, in Western
parlance, a small pond or dyke, generally rather
shallow. It occurred to me that in this region of
rattlesnakes we who slept " sub Jove " might find
them in unpleasant proximity some morning, but the
old hands assured us a buffalo robe was a charm
against them. Certain it is, no accidents do occur in
this way, and every one almost uses a robe in camp-
ing on the ground.

12^/i. — The morning was cool, and we got under
weigh by 6.45 a.m. Here I began to feel the effects
of those wet nights in the waggon, in a pain in my
side, which was ominously like a little touch of

64 EAMBLES IN THE

pleurisy. However, proceed we must, and tlie fine-
ness of the climate gave me confidence. Near Bob
Williams' ranche we found the flora enriched by
multitudes of sun-flowers, smaller than ours, how-
ever. Here, too, were a number of Indian lodges,
generally beautifully made of white skin : often the
summer buffalo's, when the coat is shed. One of the
squaws was decked in a Paisley shawl !

Qua? regio in terris nostri non plena laboris !
Passing by Baker's very neat ranche, and D'Orsay
Station, we camped by the Platte, having made
about twenty-five miles. The fashion of the wells
here, which are shallower, reminds me of the old
style of Bible pictures. An upright, across which
works, on a pivot, a long pole, with the bucket tied
on to it ; thus forming a powerful leverage by which
water is very easily raised. Another feature in some
of these ranches, is the stocks in which the patient ox
is slung for shoeing, with the leg tied " a la Rarey ; "
for without shoes, soft and stoneless as the roads are,
the ox is apt to get foot-sore, specially in winter; but
it is an expensive process here, as eight shoes are
required for the double hoof.

13^A. — At dawn we saw some " silver-footed ante-
lope," at which I took a four-hundred yard shot,
not being able to stalk them ; but, apparently, hit

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 65

noticing. The sand here was very trying to the
eyes, and those who had prudently armed themselves
with " goggles " here donned them, and found their
advantage. Camping by the Platte we had the
advantage of a delicious bathe in its rapid current.

1-ith. — In the morning; we could see no trace of
dew whatever, which was a great contrast to Kansas.
By the way, I forgot to record that we had now been
some days in the territory of Nebraska. It was
curious of a still mornino; to listen to the sound of
the bells, carried by at least one animal in each of
the herds which were toilino- westwards. The bell
used is rather a large oblong shape of copper, and
makes a much pleasanter sound than the pert tinkle
of our sheep-bells. It seems to have a curious effect
upon all animals, from the tiny bee upwards.

From Fort Kearney we had travelled generally in
a line with the California Telegraph, whose cedar
poles every now and then seemed fined down to a
dangerous degree by belated travellers short of wood.
Our party, wdio were eminently loyal, attributed this
to " secesh '" — a convenient cat now-a-days ; but I
could not help observing that if mischief to Uncle
Sam's property was intended, the wires would have
suffered.

Passing " Lone Tree " and '* Diamond Spring,"

5

66 RAMBLES IX THE

we come to " Star Ranclie " or " California Cross-
ing," where was an excellent store belonging to a
Mr. Beauvais, a man who has accumulated a large
fortune in the Indian trade. The ranche was kept
by a half-caste young man of pleasant manners and
appearance, who gave us a little music. I think I
heard that IMr. Beauvais, like many of the trappers
and rancheros here, had wandered down from the
neighbourhood of Montreal. Prices here ranged very
high. Corn was 2 dolls. 80 cents per bushel, and
sugar, from 12 cents at St. Joe, had mounted up
to 40 cents. Passing "Buck Eye" ranche, we killed
a rattlesnake of considerable antiquity, and camped
again by the Platte, which here abounded in islands
full of osiers. These islands are peopled by beaver
and otter, which in winter are trapped at good profit ;
skins here somehow being actuallv deai'er than in
the States. Badger, too, are pretty numerous here-
abouts, and I was assured made good pork.

\bth. — Our route lay this morning through a
sandy desert, the bottoms alone near the Platte
showing any verdure. We met a very large herd
of cattle of all sizes coming to the El Dorado from
the distant fields of Iowa. Here one of our most
staid ponies got a sudden fright, and our driver
tumbling by the pole had a narrow escape, but

RUCKY MOUNTAINS. 67

actually wasn't hurt. "Walking on in advance, I
knocked a rattlesnake on the head, and took eight
rattles from him ; on this occasion, the rattles alone
warned me of his proximity.

At Julesburg, the road branches off to California,
and we here bid good-by to the telegraph. Here I
met a man who gave me a most wonderful account
of the lieece river silver mines in Nevada. He
said, he considered he had made his fortune in a
single year, and was sending for his family. Leaving
Julesburg, we passed over a series of sandy bluffs,
very straining for the ponies. Attempts have been
made to patch these sand spots with loam from the
bottoms, as in rain an amalgam is thus formed.
Walking on, we met a rattlesnake, and chased him
into a hole, out of which I pulled him, and threw
him in the air ; which enraged him so much that he
bit himself to death ; he had not got his rattles
yet, a distinction between these reptiles and babies.
Passing " Ackley's Ranche," a better mud-house, we
camped. I took the opportunity of walking across
the Platte, which here is from a quarter to half a
mile in width, and rapid in parts ; it gives the idea,
with its shifting currents and sand -spots, of a tide
recedino; from a broad strand.

I6th. — So dry is the air that some clothes I left

5—2

68 li.UIBLES IN THE

lo dry late last iiiaht, are all but fit to wear this
morning. It is a comfort, if one is "afflicted in
the feet " in these plains, that there is no "gamin"
to torment you with an inquiry for "your poor feet."
The valley widens here as we move along, and the
bluffs on the soutli side of the river assume an
appearance reminding me of the Wicklow hills on
the Kiklare side of Dublin ; the north side, which
is not so much travelled over, seems rich in grass.
More sandy bluft's had to be passed, and, as we
got to the top of one, there was a very pretty view
of the Platte, which extended into a basin and was
studded with green islets, quite as pretty, I thought,
in their small vray, as the " thousand islands "' in
the St. Lav.-rence, which I never quite appreciated.

Passing the toll-gate, or rather portcullis — madfe of
a pole which is raised ft)r free passage by paying a
dollar and a half for each wao-o-on goino- and half a
dollar returning— we came, without further adventure
than killing a watersnake mottled beautifully like
a panther, to Spring Hill Station, which bore evi-
dence of the saw-mills near Denver. We then
camped at Lillian Springs, where the heaven was
illuminated with lightning more fantastic than any
firev.orks ; but there was no rain. At this ranche
I felt convinced, by a fence I saw, that an English-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 69

man or Irisliman had been at work, so I went in,
and found it tenanted by a North of Ireland man ;
he had left a good farm in Illinois on account of
the war, which he disapproved of, and, as he con-
sidered talking a thirsty process, lie insisted on my
joininii; him in some whiskev, modified by a cordial
much approved of, I believe, called the " Good
Samaritan." I had my fears as to the results, but
they proved groundless.

17^. — Some of our party last night heard " the
wolf's long howl on Colorado's shore," to parody
Campbell's line. In this trip we have only met the
prairie wolf, a mean, skulklng-looking thing, without
the i)ace or dash of the fox, though like it ; but
the grey wolf is quite " another guess sort of
crittur : " large and lank he is, capable of great
mischief; but the enormous number of dead cattle
along the road, keep him too Avell fed to be dan-
gerous. A ranche man told me he poisoned with
strychnine thirty -nine one night, besides foxes : the
latter are very small, and would, I'm sure, give a
very poor account of themselves in a five-minute
scurry with any scratch pack of fox-hounds.

Soon after starting we met a lot of waggons from
Missouri, and a very large herd of cattle, among wdiich
were some nice-lookino; Durhams. The "boss "of

70 EAMBLES IN THE

the team (man, not ox) told us be had been canght a
few davs back in a severe hailstorm, and lost three
cows, some of the best, too, by lightning. I ad-
mired the "sang froid" with which he recomited
his losses, saying he was only too thankful he had
escaped so well himself. He had a very fine Here-
ford ox, foot-sore, about which he was anxious, as
he said it weighed some 1,500 lbs. It is surprising
how well some of these herds look, considering they
travel twenty miles a day on an average. Cows
seem very cheap in this part of the country ; good
ones only selling at twenty-five dollars, or five
pounds. Some of the people in his party had
caught a \evy large " cat-fish," baiting with a frog,
while we only bagged small fry, fishing with meat,
or a grasshojjper.

Storms on these plains are not uncommon even
in May, and are extremely violent ; in winter num-
bers of cattle succumb under their violence, when
hay and shelter cannot be found for a long dis-
tance. It is not long since one eminent firm lost
nearly three, hundred in this way. " Denison's
Ranche " we made by 9 A.M., then toiling over more
sand, where wild sage and wormwood was the sole
vegetation, passed " Valley Station," and camped
some three miles beyond it. We killed a jack

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 71

rabbit, or prairie hare, en route, but could not use
liim, as his long ears had been assailed by nasty
parasites — " collecta sorde dolentes."

18^/i. — In the morning I hobbled on over some
more arid plains to Moore and Kelly's ranche ; there
we learnt by a Denver paper that the thermometer
there indicates 105; and I hardly think it can be
less here. This state of things leads one to appre-
ciate Isaiah's beautiful simile of the shadow of a
Great Rock in a weary land.

There were several Indian lodges here, and
we got the men to shoot at a mark with their bows
and arrows ; their practice was not wonderful, and I
think Mr. Ford would have made them open their
eyes rather wide. The bows, which were small, were
made like the ancient Oriental pattern, curving in
towards the centre, and consisted of a piece of
hickory beautifully wrapped round with buffalo fibre,
so as almost to look like a solid piece of timber.
One of the lads was handsome, and might have sat
for a study of an Italian organ-boy. Nearly all the
Indians have faultless teeth, a great contrast to
their white supplanters. It is said that many of the
F. F. V.'s, as the Yankees call the aristocracy of
Virginia (first families of Virginia), have a cross
of Indian blood in their veins ; and for antiquity,

72 RAMBLES IN THE

what can beat it, save the Hebrew, to which it is said
to be cognate ?

Passing Beaver Creek, we camped about 7 p.m.
I find the emigration has made pasture on the
banks of the Platte very scarce, reminding one of
the rivers drunk up by Darius' army ; " Epotaque
fluniina Medo praudente."

Our camping ground and its vicinity was covered
with alkah, Avhich is extremely common in these
latitudes, and gives names to places. " Some like
soda," as one of the party observed.

Idth. — The morning was cool, and we got an
unusually early start ; my ankle felt stronger, and my
side much the better for this dry clear air, which
gives an inexpressible feeling of lightness and
buoyancy. Bathing in a creek by the way, I got
passed by the waggons (which, like time and tide,
wait for no man), and had to walk nine miles before
I coidd catch them — far too much for my lame
ankle. At dinner-time I stalked a fine herd of
antelope, but lost my shot through good-naturedly
waiting for a passenger. There was a great deal of
mirage on the plains to-day — a sort of smoky haze,
from which the Smoky Fork river is called. In
some liiihts it looks like a lake in the far distance.
Proceeding to Junction Station, so called from the

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 73

uniting of the Nortli and South Forks of the Phitte,
the sand looked so heavy that we concluded to
camp.

20(f/(. — Our fires were lit before 4 A.M., and we
were under weigh by 5.35, crossing more sandy and
arid plains, till we came to Bijou Creek; a dry water-
course now, but evidencing its being occasionally a
home for water, by the poplars which grew in
numbers about it. A young bull-dog had followed
us from Junction, and it was amusing to watch him
hunting an antelope ; the antelope, in turn, chasing
him back to the waggons when he was quite ex-
hausted, but still keeping out of range. Leaving this
creek and the ranche, which was a composite build-
ing between a " doby " and a stockade in the Grecian
style, we came to a deserted ranche, where we got
some wood. We camped soon after in the plain, with
scant prospect of fodder for our ponies, save the corn
we carried. I should have stated that we had left
the line of the Platte at Junction, and were going
to Denver by a short cut, known as the " Cut Off,"
because saving fifteen miles; but it is not popular,
owing to bad pasturage.

21st. — There being no water for our cuisine, we
started at 4 a.m., and made Living Springs, a tidy
ranche of pine and shingle, by about 9 o'clock ;

74 KAMBLES IN THE

meeting any amount of game of all sorts, quite tame,
on the road. Had they an instinct of Sunday? At
any rate I refused, point blank, to fire at them, as I
think created things should be exempted from every
species of persecution from man on this day.

Soon after we got a grand view of the Rocky Sierra,
partially capped with snow, with Pike's Peak and
Long's Peak on either side, standino- like sentinels
keeping an everlasting watch. They did not tower
so far over their surromiding brethren as I expected,
considering they are among the high points of the
world ; but I suppose we were nearly a hundred
miles, if not more, from either.

At Living Springs a labourer seeing me reading a
novel or book of some kind, begged me to trade with
him, and I utterly confounded him, by making him a
present of my " travelling library." The Americans
are wonderful devourers of reading of all sorts ; and
their high standard of general intelligence and educa-
tion enables them to obtain a fair insight into any
subject, and to talk well about it. I have often been
surprised by the language of men in most subordinate
positions, well chosen, terse, and expressive ; and it
is this general diffusion of knowledge which appears
to me so incompatible with tlie low standard of the
press generally, compared with our own ! But then

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 75

ours is, I think we must confess, exclusively written
for what we should style the intelligent class ; theirs
for the mass, which devours the daily papers with an
avidity I never saw equalled : and truly they cannot
be said to be " too pure and good for human nature's
daily food."

The quantity of dead cows strewed along the
road was amazing ; and if phosphate of bone become
popular, these plains can supply any demand. After
breakfast, one of our hind wheels got into a rut, and
the tire being loose, it nearly turned inside out. No
smithy was within miles, but most fortunately two of
our passengers had commanded whalers, and where
rich in expedients ; so we put in false spokes, and
lashed a cross piece athwart the wheel, till, I
believe, it was firmer than its fellow. Passing
Kiowa ranche, a two-story building, we came to
Box Alder ranche, and camped : the night was
very cold indeed.

22nd, — We were under weigh by 4.20 a.m., and
came to " Cold Creek," shooting a prairie dog
by the way, as here we found them very bold
indeed ; then we got to the toll-gate, on the
portcullis plan, and here we breakfasted : and for
as much as the next stage was to bring us to
Denver, the ladies of our party made themselves

76 RAMBLES IX THE

very smart, and emerged soon in very different
" form " from their chrysalis travellino; state.

I would fjladlv have said a few words about the
party who formed " our crowd," did not space
oppose it ; but one of our lady travellers was so
interesting, and made herself so agreeable, and came
out, moreover, under such romantic circumstances,
that I must say one word about her. Born in New
York State, her family settled in Texas, and her lover
migrated to Denver, to practise law there ; which it
appears he did very successfully. To wed him she
undertook this long pilgrimage. Fortunately there
was no hitch, as her " legal friend " drove up near
this place, and took her in his carriage home; and
next day they were man and wife: so easily is the
knot tied here.

At the toll-gate we found three prairie dogs in a
kind of cage in the form of a house, with a revolving
cylinder of zinc, attached to it ; they seemed rather
a happy family, and eat corn.

A few more miles over rolling arid prairies brought
us once more in si^ht of the wooded frino-e of the
Platte, and in a short time lo ! Denver disclosed
itself, nestling in a snug corner of the Platte valley,
which is here narrow enough, and separated from
the great mountain wall by a plain of about twelve

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 77

miles. With its bright new paint, and new brick
buildings, the town looked very picturesque, and
I was much impressed by the smartness of the
inhabitants ; for we received numerous invitations
from " touters " mounted on horseback, to patronize
their different establishments. The "necropolis"
of this town lies to the left as you enter, and is very
neatly kept.

A few minutes more deposited me at the Tremont
House, a capital hotel, where I was fortunate
enough to secure a bed and room to myself; as I
discovered by the evening, when " shakes-down "
anywhere were the order of the night. In the
youncver da^s of Denver, before hotels had attained
even their present development, a bed was deemed
quite a luxury ; men generally brought a robe and
blanket with them, and only wanted a spot to place
them in. Now, after nearly a week's experience, I
can testify to the m-eat comfort of this establishment,
and to its excellent cuisine. It is true, that it is
conducted on the most republican principles of social
equality ; the only qualifications required for ad-
mission to its hospitalities being Caucasian descent,
for I do not think the President of Hayti himself —
the greatest man of the proscribed race I can at
this moment recall — would be admitted to its fellow-

78 RAMBLES IN THE

ship, and sufficient luggage to make the proprietor
tolerably safe for a few days. But this, after all, it
shares in common with most tables d'hote, whether
on land or sea.

It was rather an amusing study to observe the dif-
ferent classes who here assemble. Conspicuous by
their uniforms are the Colorado volunteer officers,
who, in some numbers, seem to live in this house ;
then bankers and gold-dust brokers, speculators
from the east, mechanics about to engage in opera-
tions in the mining districts, merchants and their
clerks, tradespeople, and every now and then some
"rough and tumble" looking miners, who have
come down hither to spend a little money and see
the world : and, I must say, all classes behave with
a decorum and self-respect, which, in England, we
should hardly expect to find universal. Indeed,
having heard much of the primitive manners and
customs of the far West, it is disappointing to find
merely a variation of the civilized world located here.
One feels inclined to think that, now-a-days, what
Bvron said of a small ])rivileo;ed class, is true of a
far larger one, —

Society is now one polish'd horde

Form'd of two mighty tribes, the bores and bor'd.

As far as Denver is concerned, this arises from the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 79

fact of every man in the territory having been an
" advena," not born in it ; for tliis territory of
Colorado is still, if we count by years, in its very
babyhood — but a Hercules in swaddling-clothes;
and to pursue the analogy, it has already strangled
the serpents which menaced its cradle, in the shape
of the Indians, whose domain it was ; and who now
beg, where a few years ago, they were lords para-
mount. Tiie very country in which this young city of
Denver has raised its head is called " Arapahoe
Co," from the Indian nation of that name, which,
however, is generally diminutived into " Rapahoe."

I do not think that one Englishman in a thousand
is aware of the existence of this vast tract of land ;
which, from present appearances, bids fair to become,
in a very few years, one of the richest jewels in
the crown of whatever dominion shall then claim
its allegiance and fealty. Nor, should he search
for it in any old map, will he be able to find its
"local habitation," or even name; for tlie latter it
only assumed three years since. " Colorado I " he
will be sure to associate it with the " Colorados
Claros," of which — if a man of good taste — he will
have such a lively appreciation ; and may probably
conceiv^e it to be a near neiglibour to that glorious
valley which blesses the worli with its Cabanas,

80 RAMBLES IN THE

Napoleones, Regalias, &c. It is but a few sliort
years since geographers described it as the great
American desert — a Sahara, " domibus negata,"
and about twenty since Kit Carson and the present
General Fremont explored some portions of it; with
a view, not to settlement, but to establish a com-
munication between the eastern and western portions
of the United States.

Yet in this town, which numbers some five thou-
sand inhabitants, and where you can get Wilkie
Collins's last romantic puzzle, meringues a la creme,
and see the Colleen Bawn rescued from her abyss
of blue tarlatan, you might four years ago have
counted the shanties on your five fingers, and, pro-
bably, bought them for a very few dollars. Indeed,
it was not till the vear 1859, that Denver assumed
anything at all resembling the proportions of a
town, and only last year the best part of it was
burnt down ; but it has already risen from its ashes
in renewed splendour, and the civic authorities are
reversing the old revolutionary cry of " Guerre aux
chateaux, paix aux chaumieres," for they are arrest-
ing the progress of wooden buildings and shanties,
and insist that Denver rich shall dwell in brick or
stone mansions.

Carriage across the plains being so expensive.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 81

every effort is naturally made to make the place as
iudepeudent and self-supporting as possible^ and
nature lias assisted this endeavour to a great
extent, bv furnishiuo- in the neio;hbourhood almost
everything necessary for civilized man. Thus, fur-
naces are being established for smelting the iron ore,
which is found in large quantities and \ery pure;
coal is procured close to the surface without any
labour ; and though the land cannot yet compete with
California or Salt Lake in its yield of cereals, its
capacities are very superior to most of the Eastern
States, and to European soil generally, even in this
respect ; while for raising vegetables, it is, perhaps,
unequalled ; potatoes, cabbages, and beets attaining
proportions here, which I am almost afraid to record,
for fear of being suspected of exaggeration. Mindful
of the old Joe Miller, of the huge cabbao;e and huce
iron pot, I will be silent about that plant, but will
content myself by saying, that the yield of potatoes
may be averaged at two hundred bushels per acre,
without any manuring and scarcely any tillage, while
single tubers of several pounds weight are not un-
couunon. Indeed, here and in Kansas, I was con-
tinually reminded of Douglas Jerrold's bon mot about
Australian soil — "tickle it with a hoe. and it laui'hs
with a harvest."

6

82 EAilBLES IN THE

Tlie average of Indian corn has been about forty
bushels per acre ; wheat has been generally about
that standard, and oats above it, while beans and
peas give a very good return. However, farming is
in its first stage as yet, and the requirements of the
peculiar soil and climate are scarcely studied; cer-
tainly, as yet, they are by no means understood.
For the history of farming here is simply this : — At
first, every new comer hies to the mines, and jDrospects
for claims, if an early arrival ; if a late one, either
buys one or assists in working an already developed
"lead." As he is rarely even a small capitalist, his
resources bemn to fail; in most cases the yield of
his "gulch diggings" or "quartz mining" does not
support him; his only resource then is to "prospect"
for a likely ranche, and as numberless streams pour
down from the Rocky Mountains, he selects a spot,
builds a log-house, and fences as much of the 160
acres custom allows him as he thinks he can till :
and so he works on ; but nearly always with the
intention of resuming mining operations so soon as
he can raise sufficient capital, either by continuing
cultivation or selling his " claim " to some later
adventurer than himself.

But it is as a stock-raising country that this dis-
trict merits most consideration. Poor as the grasses

ROCKY MOUNTAIXS. 83

look, and sandy as the plains show, representing —
save in the bottom lands close by the creeks or
streams running from the mountains — all the shades.
of brown paper, they contain the most marvellous
fattening properties for all sorts of cattle and horses ;
the' distances performed by the latter when merely
fed on this grass and the condition they keep
is almost incredible ; while cattle turned out poor
in autumn become fat by spring, and manage to get
on very well, even in snowy weather, without any hay.
Sheep have hardly been introduced in sufficient
numbers to justify any conclusion being drawn about
the profits to be derived from them as an article of
commerce ; but, looking at the high price wool is
likely to command for some time, and to the enor-
mous profit derived from sheep-farms in New Mexico,
which is very similarly circumstanced to Colorado,
I have no doubt that a flock of sheep, if properly
watched and duly protected from wolves, by '•' coral-
ling " at night, would yield a farmer a fortune in a
very few years.

Owing to a slight remaining weakness in ray
bruised leg, I have not been able, as yet, to visit the
mining districts, or penetrate far into the mountains.
One excursion, however, in which I carried a rod and
line and baited with the grasshoppers I found on

6—2

84 KAMBLES IN THE

my path, fully repaid me for the climbing and toil
it entailed, not only by a basket of very fine trout
caught with great ease, but by the infinite variety
of scenery which it afforded to the view. On one
side of the sierra there were grassy slopes and beauti-
ful woody glades, while the other side resembled the
wildest scenes in Dalecarlia, which the last Exhibition
has so familiarized to us ; every now and then,
by the margin of the mountain torrent, one had to
struggle through masses of wild hops, seringas,
clematis, vines, hazels, gooseberries, wild-currants,
and cherry-bushes : with mahonias, and a few ferns
a little higher up the side, and quantities of lupines,
hair-bells, and China primroses. Then the fra-
e;rance of the pine-wood is the most subtilely deli-
cate I know, and would, I am convinced, become
infinitely more popular than Frangipanni or wild
violets, could Messrs. Piesse et Lubin only catch
its tiagrance as it flies ; and as they have generally
succeeded in arresting the volatile essences and giving
them for use to the community, I conmiend this task
to them.

Though I have not yet visited the gold mines, I
have been to some pains to obtain reliable informa-
tion with regard to their yield, or the expectations of
it. Hitherto it n)ay be said that the adventurers who

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 85

came out during the last five years have done every-
thing one sees in the shnpe of improvement ; and,
as they brought out barely any capital, it follows that
the civilization before one is derived from the gold
yield; in addition, it is estimated that twenty millions
of dollars, prior to this year, have been sent on to the
States during that period — no small yield, considering
the quartz-mills have only been lately introduced, and
that the methods of extracting the precious metal
are still very imperfect. However, now that capital
is slowly beginning to pour in, there is iio doubt
that great results may be anticipated during the next
five years; for it is admitted that, cord for cord —
a measure of 128 cubic feet, generally applied to
wood measurement — the quartz in Colorado is fur
richer than in California : and I believe the quality
of the gold is also considered superior. To show the
unsatisfactory nature of the processes used for ex-
tracting the precious metals hitherto, I may mention
that some recent experiments on a new principle
made on " the tailin2;s " have shown them to be
capable of yielding much more than the original ore.
The high price of labour — which varies from five
and six to two and a-half dollars per diem — militates
of course greatly against the full development of the
mining capabilities of this auriferous region; but

86 RAMBLES IN THE

though the wages be high, there is no scarcity of
" hands." The attractions of the gold-fields, com-
bined with the wish to escape " anywhere, any-
where " from a fratricidal war, have caused an
enormous " stampede " of working men from the
Western States especially ; and though this number
has been much thinned by corresponding movements
to even remoter gold-fields in Washington and Ore-
gon, there is still a large supply available : though as
usual, the employers, looking to the high wages they
have to give, consider it far below their wants and
wishes. Tradesmen here can generally average from
four to six dollars a day, and assistants, who in
England would hardly aspire to earning anything,
can often command as much as two and three dollars
a day, with board. A gunsmith, with whom I had
some conversation, assured me he would be too glad
to give English lads, who had been accustomed to
work at his trade, as much as three dollars a day
with board and lodgings; and I may mention that
the lads who wait at table in this hotel get from
thirty to forty dollars per month, while the cook —
who finds, however, his two assistant boys — gets as
much as 150 dollars per month.

From what I had always heard of the "rowdy
proclivities" of dwellers in gold regions, I expected

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 87

that Denver would have proved no exception, con-
siderino; its oriohi and its remoteness from the sol-
clisant regions of civihzation ; but I confess that
since my arrival^ — though that period embraces the
great American carnival, the 4th of July — I have
seen nothing approaching to turbulence or disturb-
ance of any kind : indeed, I have not seen a drunken
man yet, which is saying a great deal for a country
where " smiling " is the general rule, and where the
means of intoxication are so ready and so cheap ;
iu fine, I think the famous despatch may be paro-
died into " Order reigns in Denver City." In
the earlier days of the town, no doubt, there were
many scenes of violence and homicide enacted, and
horse-stealing, the great crime of the West, was
very rife; but when the evil became intolerable,
" vigilance committees " arose, and dealt so sternly
and summarily with the criminals, that the slower
process of law is now amply sufficient for the re-
quirements of society, and vindicates the majesty
of justice whenever such majesty is supposed to be
outraged.

Like all mining countries, where fortune Is made
a goddess and given a place in the hierarchy of
the sky, gambling goes on to a most unlimited
extent, and counts its votaries by the hundreds.

88 RAMBLES m THE

The worship, it is true, is not conducted in very
stately temples, nor are the hierophants very dis-
tinguished for gifts and graces ; but then, like the
" portal of black Dis " (" nocte dieque patet atri janua
Ditis "), fortune is accessible at all hours of day and
night to "noble sportsmen," and may be wooed
at monte, faro, rouge et noir, and a game which
resembles "blind hookey," but which is known here
as " blind buck." The only meretricious dr adven-
titious excitements I ever saw in the salons de jeu,
were a couple of musicians, on a dais at the extreme
end, playing to very inattentive ears. I have been
told that the "upper ten" — for an aristocracy forms
even here — eschew these popular resorts, and worship
with closed doors ; but to their esoteric mysteries I
have not yet been admitted.

I have little doubt that when the Pacific Railway,
already begun, has brought the Rocky Mountains
within the limits, or nearly so, of a long vacation
tour, Denver and its entourage will become so essen-
tially a part of the grand tour which tradition and
fashion have combined to render obligatory on the
Englishman, that I must not omit a few words about
climate, which is so essential a condition not only to
life, but especially to travellers' life.

When I first arrived, I was greatly struck by the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 89

different appearances of the flices here from the
eastern visages I liad just left. There, dyspepsia
or the effects of fever and ague, or consumption,
were too plainly written to be ignored by any passer-
by, on a very large per-centage of the population ;
here I see nothing but health visible, and with it
that enjoyment of every-day humdrum life which
is, probably, as infallible a sign as any other of the
" mens Sana in corpore sano " — which, perhaps, we
prize so highly on account of its rarity.

During this month the heat is, no doubt, exces-
sive, the thermometer standino; sometimes as high
as 100 in the shade ; but still it is a very bear-
able heat, and the nights and mornino-s are delicious.
The winters are extremely short and pleasant ; a fall
of ten or twelve days snow, during which the sun is
generally warm at mid-day, constituting the cold sea-
son. Then, in the height of summer, the " tierra
caliente " can be exchanged in a few hours for the
pleasanter regions of the " tierra templada," or even
for the snows and frost of the Range which towers
continually over its lower tiers of subject hills ; and in
the entire district the general absence of dampness
and rain gives a buoyancy and feeling of zest and
exhilaration which is rarely met in European lati-
tudes.

.90 RAMBLES IN THE

The inducements to travel to these regions are
so numerous and varied, that I shall mention a
few of them very cursorily. The Doctor Syntax
school can here find the beautiful and picturesque in
the amplest and wildest profusion ; while the lover
of the grand and majestic in nature, can here see
his wildest dream realized. To the sportsman these
mountains offer unlimited resources, and a climate
where, during winter and summer, he may " camp
out," needing nothing but the skins of wild animals,
and, perhaps, a blanket or two for protection ; while
the range of large game is unequalled, except, per-
haps, in Africa and India. There is nearly every variety
of the deer tribe, from the elk to the antelope ; also
mountain sheep, mountain lions, a large species of
puma, wolves, bears, and, if he chooses to descend to
the plains, buffalo-hunting ; which, however, to me
has little more attraction than hunting the "calf"
in merry England. The fisherman will find the trout
in the upper waters of the rivers, which find their
sources among these everlasting hills, verj^ large
and very accessible, and a large variety of other
fish which to him will probably be entirely new ;
while to the scientific traveller, the flora and the
"crust" of the earth will present an endless and
ever-interesting study.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 91

I have already spoken of the advantages these
regions ofter to the farmer and artisan, and will
only add, that I believe the small capitalist of a few
hundreds, or fewer thousands of pounds, can here
find most profitable and comparatively safe invest-
ments for his means ; as the resources of the country
are being daily developed, and enterprise is un-
bounded, only waiting for its lever — capital.

I will only add that, should these few lines about
a very interesting country induce any one to follow
my traces, I will recommend the " party " (which
word is now accepted as signifying many or one)
neither to travel by the stage-coach, nor do as I did,
but to purchase his own conveyance at any of the
outfitting places in Kansas or Missouri ; and in the
enhanced value of his teams westwards he will find
his expenses almost covered.

92 RAMBLES IN THE

CHAPTER II.

Talking of the Alps, the Apennines, the PjTcneean, and the Po.

To persons about to cross the plains, and visit the
Colorado portion of the Rocky Mountain slopes, I
will volunteer the following advice, drawn from a not
very agreeable experience.

Don't fancy that because this is an age of capitals,
and because Paris is France, Denver represents the
agrdmens, or gives an adequate idea of the territory of
which it is the metropolis — though, " more Ameri-
cano," not the political capital (well may Yankee
politicians as a rule shun the publicity of a large
city). And, more especially if the season be that of
the summer solstice, avoid making a sojourn there of
more than a very few days consecutively ; for I verily
believe that Sirius has had it under his special guar-
dianship and protection in this year of grace. I
can most conscientiously aver, after a tropical expe-
rience of several years, that I never was in a human

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 93

bakery SO fiercely heated as this Pahnyra of the desert;
and never — no, not even in the sandy streets of King-
ston, Jamaica, or the sun-smitten terraces of Montego
Bay — knew I heat so pervasive, so almost omnipresent
and omnipotent as here. Indeed, I would suggest to
some enterprising and more humane Teutons than
tlieir brethren in Strasburg, that a colony of northern
geese might be developed into " foie gras " on the
banks of the Platte far more naturally, argal, far
better than by any artificial caloric ; and as miners
(the word may also be spent with an o), like sailors,
reck little the expense when appetite is in question,
I think a bright field for enterprise, hitherto unex-
plored and untrodden, lies open to the bold caterer
to popular gastronomy.

It was my fate to discover, after waiting patiently
for letters, that my budget had been mis-sent to some
place in Nebraska ; and not wishing to lose them by
having them forwarded to some point further west, I
determined to abide patiently till the long course of
posts — the " ParcjB " of modern life — should bring
them to their original destination. In the meantime
1 managed to pick up an attack of fever and ague, by
bathinii; in the cold waters of the Platte durincr the
heat of the day; which I was informed (after the evil
was done, of course) was the very acme of impru-

94 RAMBLES IN THE

dence, as all similar ablutions should be either
postponed to the Greek kalends (a suggestion intoler-
able to the bold Briton, whose cleanliness is popularly-
supposed to move " pari passu" with his devotion),
or else be performed at a very early hour of the morn-
ing, before the sun has got quite "fixed np" for the
day, or Aurora has left the saflFron couch of Tithonus.*
And yet, in spite of these stings and arrows of out-
rageous fortune — or, dropping the Ercle's vein, unto-
ward circumstances — I can't find it in my heart to
malign this port and happy haven to many a traveller
over the American steppes, and which I hailed with
such pleasure after a month's trajet over that vast
land-ocean ; nor will I shake off the dust of my feet
unkindly now that I am in the purer region of the
Sierra, and some six or seven thousand feet above it,
and upwards of eleven thousand from the sea's level :
nay, I will rather accept the plea put in by the inha-
bitants— who for the most part, architects of their
own fortunes, and architects of Denver likewise, are
extremely proud of tlieir own creation — that this year
is, for heat and drought, exceptional ; that the sur-
rounding plains, which now represent in hue the
various qualities of sugar to be seen sampled in a
broker's office, from the clayed Havanna to the dark
* Tithoni croceum linquens Aurora cubile.

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 95

produce of Guiana, are sometimes comparatively green
at this season, and clothed with succulent herbage ;
and that the oldest inhabitant (of four years' standing)
never did experience such heat, and such dust.

Let me rather incline to the belief that I visited
Denver at the most unfavourable time, when the
prairie-flower was not in her best looks or most
agreeable temper — (there is a city, too, on the banks
of the Thames, generally voted unsavoury in August)
— for cities and flowers are, as our neighbours, cCoutre
manche, say, " journaliers ; " and sure "even in the
loveliest climes light breezes will rufile the flowers
sometimes." Indeed I am quite ready to credit,
what every expert declares, that the winters and late
autumns are here unrivalled — " world-beaters," as a
friend of mine said the other day : for a Yankee
thinks it a small thino- to beat a neighbour or a rival;
and as, according to his creed, America in 1812 boldly
went to war with France and England, and challenged
the world, " non sine gloria," so in comparisons,
creation alone will satisfy the circle of his criticism.

" Est ubi plus tepeant hiemes ? " Where, though
fires late and early are welcomed, an overcoat is a
superfluity as a rule, and very often a linen ephod
is a sufficient protection from the " inclementia
coeli." Indeed, spite of detention, my recollections

96 RAMBLES IN THE

of Denver ai'e pleasant enough in many respects.
Though I cannot recall any vision of very fair women,
the better part of creation, if sparsely, was not un-
worthily represented ; and at the churches, if the
inward adornment was symbolized by the neatness
and good taste of the bonnets and dresses, the pastors
may well be proud of their polyglot flocks — Dutch,
French, Irish, Poles, &c.

Apropos of churches, bow is It that in almost every
part of America that I have visited, the musical por-
tion of the service is conducted with an amount of
good taste and care which I confess I have found
much to seek in out-of-the-way places in England,
and in corresponding spots in the Emerald Isle
is altoo-ether wantino;? It cannot be for lack of
materials, for I believe that, owing to the general
prevalence of lung complaints in America, the voices
of a given number of men and women would be found
to contain more harmonious quality in the Old Coun-
try than here, if speaking be any test. But without
pretending to assign a cause for the result, or sug-
gesting that the voluntary system has anything to do
with it, I merely state the fact, that in this respect I
think our cousins have set us an example worthy of
all imitation ; and I may add that in the Episcopal
and Catholic churches Avliich I visited in Denver,

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 97

I found the magnificent services of both rituals per-
formed in a manner which surprised me, considering
the locality, and the fact that the Anglo-Saxon — un-
like the Spaniard — is generally supposed to care first
for his mill and factory before his thoughts diverge to
church extension.

Indeed, I must say that all over the States, so
far as my wanderings have led me, 1 have found
almost invariably the greatest attention paid to what
may be termed the " sensational element," such as
music and floral decoration ; which, if condemned
by the severe Iconoclastic school, appears to my un-
sophisticated reason a beautiful dedication of good
gifts to the Giver of all blessings : at any rate it has
the virtue of withdrawino; the attention from the
general poverty and meanness of the temples here, in
an architectural point of view. I shall not easily
forget the glorious and jubilant profusion of violets
and camellias which adorned a church in New York
that I attended on Easter Sunday, recalling as they
did the idea of the Queen's apparel, as sung by
the projector of the most glorious temple ever pro-
bably raised by piety to the service of the King of
Heaven.

While thus digressing on the subject of taste in
matters ecclesiastic, I may add that, me judice, in

7

98 EAMBLES IN THE

the mammon of unrighteousness also, our cousins
have in some notable respects shot ahead of us. I
allude particularly to shops and their decorations :
not to mention the stores of New York, some of
which, such as Stuart's, Ball and Black's, and
Brooks', names taken au Ttasard as they recur to
nie, are for proportion, organization, and internal
decoration unapproached by anything in London ;
though I have no doubt their contents would be easily
surpassed by those of many corresponding houses of
far less pretensions there. But even in Denver one
or two of the stores, the value of whose stock was
probably intrinsicall}' small, displayed a neatness and
good taste in their arrangements which we might in
vain look for in larger towns in England ; a result to
be attributed, I suppose, to the great French element
in this continent, and to the admiration there exists
for everything French, which has continued a
national sentiment ever since the days of Lafayette
and Rochambeau.

In summing up judicially the case of Travellers
V. Denver, I must not forget one favourable consi-
deration ; namely, its universally diffused prosperity.
I saw there no signs of poverty; and I believe every
man, woman, and child enjoys there all that is
externally necessary- for life and happiness, unless

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 99

a higher civilization has raised any one above the
level of the ordinary sources of gratification : and
such a class will probably not be found within its
precincts for many a year. This circumstance ought
to go far for a favourable verdict among Europeans,
at any rate. This general absence of the insignia and
livery of poverty and mendicity is certainly very strik-
ing to any one who knew Ireland before the famine ;
nay, to those who have travelled much in that country
even recently ; and it exists, generally speaking, all
over America, so far as I have gone. But the pro-
sperity of this little half-way station to the Pacific
(really third-way only), is eminently remarkable.

1 have sometimes thought that much of that
inordinate spirit of self-laudation and bounce which
Europeans so commonly complain of as peculiarly
the " type Americaine,*' may be traced to the want
arising from never, or comparatively seldom, having
those sobering, humiliating, and yet elevating and
purifying feelings which contact and intercourse witii
poverty and misery will call foith in natures not
wholly devoid of sympathy thoroughly exercised.
And this remark, if true about men, will apply far
more to the case of women.

Then, surely in Denver, if anywhere, the dignity
of labour is vindicated ; for there, in the cool of the

7—2

100 E AMBLES IN THE

evening, after snpper, outside the crack liotel — and a
miracle it is considering " the where " — will you see
the high dignitaries of state (known by the vulgar
sobriquet of "big bugs") from the Governor down
to the clerk, not of the Crown, but whatever corre-
sponds to it — and even to the waiter lad who an hour
or two ago ministered to your wants — all sitting
down peaceably together, smoking and chatting with-
out any embarras of condescension on one side, or
mauvaise lionte on the other, but seemingly, if not
absolutely on a level, yet very nearly so.

A little attempt is made at social distinction by
the volunteer officers off duty ; but the feeling is
generally too strong against it, and no sin is ac-
counted more heinous than that of " putting on
style " by an officer : I should be sorry to be the
captain with such a reputation who led his company
into action !

And yet there is a shibboleth, a test which no art
can evade, and a crucial test that must be endured
before this society, seemingly so radical in its
equality, can be entered; and that test is "race," nay
rather "skin." The sitter must be Caucasian de
rlgueur, and woe be, even here, to the fairest of Ham's
descendants who should venture rashly to intrude
himself between the wind and their nobility. Thus,

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 101

for instance, the cook of the hotel, whose wages
are quite equal if not superior to the average of the
minor and medium livings in England, would no
more dream of sitting down where those waiter lads
are nicotising the atmosphere, than lie would in the
presence of Jeff. Davis himself; though he must
know full well that the Neio York Tribune, his friend
Horace Greeley's organ, has an extensive circulation
in Denver, and that some of the inhabitants are
afflicted with what is popularly known as "nigger-on
the-brainism ; " for politics and social science are
two different things. The Yankees allow the pro-
position, but deny the corollary ; so the ban remains,
strong as ever : and it applies as well to the so-called
inferior races, such as the new and old Mexicans of
the lower caste (popularly known — at least the
former — as " greasers "), a dusky compound of Cas-
tilian and Indian blood.

The only prospect I can see for the removal of
such a stigma, seems to lie in the power of money ;
for the nigger out here will doubtless in some cases
accumulate wealth in time ; and this lever — greater
than any ever wielded by Archimedes — will, I think,
effect far more than any victory gained b}^ coloured
arms, should such a result ever follow from the
arming of the sable race now progressing so fast

102 RAMBLES IX THE

throuo;liout the North. For, let us not forget, that
in the war for independence, the blacks fought well
and truly for the liberty of their masters ; and
American history has not blinked this fact, though
the record of the requital of such service will be a
harder task for the historian to compile!

While telling one's souvenirs of dry dusty Denver,
— a paraphrase of the "dear dirty Dublin" alliteration,
familiar to all who ever sojourned in that city — let
me not forget the military element which enters so
largely into the composition of the body social.
Colorado has, T think, furnished some 3,000 volun-
teers out of her population, now scant though so
rapidly increasing, of whom a considerable number
are quartered at the newly erected barracks, close
to Denver, called Camp Weld ; the remainder occupy
frontier posts, such as Forts Garland, Laramie,
and Lyons, to overawe the Indians, and afford a
modicum of protection to the settlers moving back-
wards and forwards over these enormous plains.
Though these troops have not taken any part in the
more historic scenes of the rebellion — or civil war,
as I should more properly call it — some of them
have done as " tall " fighting as any in the war
liitherto ; though, for want of proper trumpeters,
their fame, like that of other Agamemnons and

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 103

Cromwells guiltless of their country's blood, has
been hidden under the ungrateful bushel of oblivion.
Be it mine to let in a flame of light for a momentary
space !

It seems that, in 1862, the Texan Rangers —
of whose fame as marksmen, riders, and frontier
men, the European world is not ignorant — took it
into their heads to besiege Fort Union, between
Denver and Santa Fe, then thinly garrisoned ; with
a view of securing the arms and munitions of war
then so much desiderated by the Confederacy, and
also of occupying it as a post of vantage ground,
which would give them a key to New Mexico and
Colorado, and enable them to cut off the enormous
waggon traffic which exists between these places and
the Eastern cities. No sooner, however, did the
Colorado " boys " hear of this, than they hurried by
forced marches to attack the invading force ; and
after a few sharp skirmishes and a sort of battle at
Valverde and Pigeon Ranch e, — when for the num-
bers, I believe, the losses were heavy — they com-
pelled the Texans to make a most disastrous
retreat across the mountains, abandoning their
waggon trains, and losing a great number of their
force in the retreat, from cold and want in the moun-
tain passes. Since then the " Lone Star " State,

104 EAMBLES IN THE

mindful of this heavy blow and great discourage-
ment., has directed her energies to other quarters,
and has amply redeemed at Galveston the laurels
lost in this raid.

The Colorado volunteers are very proud of their
achievements on this occasion, and boast themselves
about the " toughest cusses " * in the Western
army ; which, in turn, vaunts its superiority, and
I think, not altogether without reason, over the
eastern Federal troops : who, Jiowever, have recently,
when moved west, showed good fighting qualities,
when well handled. Witness the last campaign in
Tennessee ! They are a very rough-looking and
undisciplined body, but like Joey B — , are, doubt-
less, rough and tough, and ready too, and, if well
drilled and officered, would, I am sure, be a formid-
able force to encounter ; but in their present organi-
zation they do not look very different from guerillas
(" des brigands," as a French traveller I encountered
in Nebraska called them), save in a certain uni-
formity of arms and attire. This, however, has its
limits for officers and men : some affect the kepe or
French cap, others the sombrero, peculiarly charac-
teristic of western Americans, and which looks in

* " Cuss," an eminently American word, answering more or less
to our " chap," though a little more prononce.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 105

many cases as if it had been imported from the
regions of private hfe; only it is adorned by the
crossed sabres, the cavahy badge of the United
States. They are, I think, the best mounted cavah-y
I have seen in the Federal service.

I fear I have often broken the tenth command-
ment in part Avhen looking at some of Uncle Sam's
troop-horses ; which, though far too light for our
notions, combined more blood and bone than is gene-
rail v seen in America : though but little groomed
and attended to (well fed they certainly are), they
display wonderful condition, — the result, I think, of
the dry climate, which is eminently favourable to the
horse, and the extraordinary nutriment contained in
the grasses of this country. Certain it is that horses
and men both look a thousand times more like service
than the caricatures I gazed at with astonishment
lately in Washington and Virginia.

The circumstance of these regiments being so well
mounted is owing, in a great measure, to the un-
happy state of the land. For " suspects," " sym-
pathizers," " copperheads," " dough faces," and
such citizens in the border States, feeling that their
horse propertv is extremely insecure, and daily liable
to lev}'-, confiscation, and the tender mercies of those
who differ from them in their views political, have

106 RAIklBLES IN THE

brouo-lit tliem in numbers out here ; and thus a
much better class of animal than usual is secured for
*' the service." Add to this, that a large part of the
horses to be seen in these latitudes have been "jay-
hawked " at some period, and brought out here for
fear of recognition. And it is not to be sup-
posed that the horse-lifters would select inferior
stock.

Before leavinij Denver, I should not omit to men-
tion that, unlike most towns of its size — indeed, I
think in this respect it stands unique — it boasts a
Mint and Assay Office. Hitherto this has been the
result of private enterprise, which, in America, at any
rate, is so far ahead of their Government ; but latterly
the United States Mint has made some progress —
that is to say, a wooden shanty has been selected,
over which is hung a portentous sign, telling you (at
least by symbols) that the United States will here
some day issue their own coin : indeed, a Govern-
ment official, who will preside over it some day —
unless removed, as is more than probable, in the next
general election — takes his pleasure in Denver.

The history of this Mint, and the manner in which
an appropriation of a great many thousand dollars
to establish this institution, melted away like a snow-
wreath, without more visible result than that which

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 107

I have stated — save the invisible one of llnlnir the
pockets of committees, who sat on it till the great
golden egg got fairly addled — is merely one of the
numerous examples of the manner in which public
money is dissipated in this country. Against this no
voice is raised ; as in the first place, who among the
" wire-pullers " is pure enough to cast the first
stone? and in the next, four years soon revolve, and
then — why, the " outs " may expect their " innings."
Apropos of this subject, I shall not easily forget the
impression made on my mind when I first visited the
continent, by the cool, matter-of-course tone which
every one assumed in talking over the sums which
the public rumour — so often a libeller and slanderer
—said General Butler and members of his family
(notably his brother) had made, by means which we
should consider simply infamous in any executive

ft

ofiicer in our service. " It was only Uncle Sam, and
he can afford it ! " " Nunky pays for all ! " " Every
one else does the same," might be heard bandied
about, or words to that effect, in the various circles ;
and few seemed anxious to ascertain if the aspersions
were really well-founded, or, if true, to characterize
such conduct by its just title of infamy.

Towards the close of July, I turned my back on the
" opes strepitumque " of Denver — for, fortunately for

108 RAMBLES IN THE

the denizens, the pall of smoke so familiar to us as
the drapery of a large town is wanting, though coal is
plentiful in the territory. Taking a few necessaries,
rolled up in a waterproof lashed to the back of my
Mexican saddle, and carrying my rifle and fishing-rod
in my hand, I started with the intention of reach-
ing that night Central City, which lies embosomed
among the peaks of the Sierra in a westerly direc-
tion some forty miles off. It was late in the after-
noon Avhen I left the Tromont House, and " le pre-
mier pas " wasn't at all of good omen ; for, wishing
to cool my horse's legs, I passed the wooden bridge
and rode him into the Platte, which here, though not
deep, is very rapid ; somehow the noble steed got
frightened at the swift current, crossed his forelegs in
trying to turn back to land, and in a minute more I
found myself in the stream, and my gun and rod
somewhere at the bottom. However, I fished them out
somehow, re-mounted, and though the buckskin one
wears here when travelling, galoshed over your shoot-
ing-jacket and trousers, is rather an enemy to water,
I found the drying process much quicker than I could
have anticipated; so little moisture is there in the
warm surrounding atmosphere. In fact, I was evapo-
rated by the time I had ridden twelve miles.

A few miles' ride brings you to Clear Creek, a

ROCKY ^lOUNTAIXS. 109

mountain stream which flows down from the Range,
and once really deserved its nomenclature ; now it is
muddier and more turbid than the Thames at Black-
friars, owincT to its extensive use in the minino- district.
These streams form a sort of oasis every few miles in
the arid plains, for on their banks, generally running
east and west, settlements and ranches cluster thickly ;
and irrigation being generally adopted, a wide
margin of emerald green, dotted with trees, is seen
meandering from the mountain side far as the eye can
range, down the plains. Fourteen or fifteen miles
brings you to Golden City — a wooden town, raised by
speculators, who fancied that because it lay right at
the foot of the mountain pass, it would arrest a great
portion of the trade going and returning; but they
reckoned after the fashion of Horace's rustic, for the
human stream flows on faster and in deeper volume
each year, but stays not for them, and consequently
it remains comparatively a " Deserted Village," though
the political capital of the territory.

A little further on, the hills open into a canon, or
pass, called the Golden Gate, through which you
must pass to the El Dorado of this country. Here
you leave the spurs of the mountains, which slope
very gently down to the plains, and you gradually
get into the solemn scenery of pines, spruce, and

110 EAMBLES IN THE

liuofe bald rocks, tlirouo;h wliich the road winds with
such gentle gradient that sometimes you are scarcely
conscious of ascending. Indeed, nothing has struck
me as more wonderful than that, in a continuous
ascent of some 11,000 feet from the Missouri level,
one encounters no worse obstacles in the shape of
hills than one would in an ordinary drive in parts of
Wales and England ; so beautifully has nature laid
down that grandest highway of nations which will
soon unite the Eastern and Western hemispheres
by its iron bands — the great " vinculum " of modern
days, the railway. For who can doubt that when

Hi motus animorum atqi^e hrec certamina tanta
compressa quiescimt,

one of the first works engaged in will be the Pacific
railway? — if, indeed, one railway be deemed sufficient
for the growing and continually expanding wants of
commerce. There seemed a great deal of traffic on
the road, and mule and ox teams were continually
passed; but, in spite of that, numbers of rabbits
kept emerging from the brush, and afforded good
practice for the revolver, which forms part of a
traveller's equipment in these mountains.

There are ranches all along the road, where you
can get entertainment for man and beast, though at
stiff" rates ; hay being retailed by the pound, and corn

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Ill

likewise : but, considerinfr the difficulties in raakincp
commissariat arrangements, I do not think the charges
exorbitant. For instance, at the " Michigan Ranche,"
some twentj-five or twenty-seven miles from Denver,
I got some supper for self and a feed for mj horse
for one dollar ; and fortunately in America there are
no poll-tax arrangements for servants to be paid,
under the penalty of contemptuous looks and a
few sarcastic observations uttered *' sotto voce," as
with us.

From this point for a few miles the ride was wild
and eldritch in its character ; no travellers or teams
were met with, and the overhanging pine and spruce
fir intensified the darkness of night, while the fitful
moonbeams revealed strange shapes at intervals
among the boulder rocks and withered pine branches,
remindino; one sometimes of Gustave Dore's etcliino;s
of " the wanderino^ Jew." At last liohts berrau to
gleam in the distance, and the noise of the stamps
of the quartz-mills, and the rushing of water in
sluices, broke on the ear. Soon you find yourself
ridhig through the villao;e of " Black Hawk," which
contains some quartz-mills of good renown, and close
to which are the celebrated "bobtails" and "Gre-
gory" lodes — here invariably termed "leads;" then,
in another mile, riding through the intermediate

112 RAMBLES IN TPIE

village of " Mountain City," you find yourself in
" Central City," the capital of this Western Ophir,
where I had no difficulty in finding a berth for my
horse, but had to draw two human coverts, in the
shape of hotels, blank ere I could get a billet for
myself.

I have now been here for some days endeavouring
to master the arcana by which —

EfFodiuntur opes, irritamenta malorum,
and in exploring the various sources from which
the gold is obtained ; the result of which I propose
to sum up in the following few pages. But first I
must premise that I am totally ignorant of the
sciences of geology and mineralogy, and, therefore,
can only undertake to use the popular and untechnical
language for the various objects which came under
my observation ; preferring this to cramming up a
series of technical terms — miner's cant and jargon —
and in all probability displaying my own ignorance by
their inappropriate use.

The three towns of Black Hawk, Mountain City,
and Central are situated on a ravine or "gulch"
down which a small mountain rivulet pours, with
much noise and brawling; but with, this year at
least, a very slender volume of water — the lack of
which element militates greatly against all surface

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 113

mining. Hills rise very abruptly on both sides of
this ravine ; once clothed with pine, but now dotted
with the stumps of their former tenants, and bearing
only a plentiful crop of the artemisia, or Avild sage,
which is characteristic of the entire western district.

Following the main street in Central, and pro-
ceeding further up the hill, you come to the town
of Nevada, which almost crowns the mountain, and
looks down upon the gulch at some distance below.
Takino; these towns as a centre, and describino- a
circle of a little more than half a mile, you embrace
the best part of the auriferous region that has as yet
been developed; with perhaps the exception of the
Russell Gulch, which no doubt contains rich lodes,
but which has as yet contributed less than its neigh-
bouring gold-fields to the aggregate of mineral wealth
in the territory.

Taking the gulch first, it presents the appear-
ance of a mountain torrent which has suddenly
swelled up and bi'ought with it an enormous collec-
tion of stones and debris, depositing them on both
sides of its normal bed, into which it has as quickly
relapsed, retaining only the complexion of the moun-
tain clays which have defiled its purity. On coming
nearer, you will observe a number of sluices placed
along its channel, and parties of three or four working

8

114 EAMBLES IN THE

at intervals of some hundred feet from each other.
One of the men is standing by the sluice below the
others, throwing away the stones which the water
brings down, with a sort of long fork, or what they
call in Ireland a "grape," while his confreres dig up
the dirt in the neighbourhood of the sluice and throw
it in, stones and all. This is the whole process of
gulch, or surface mining, which has been very profit-
able ; but it is now admitted to be nearly " played
out" — in other words, the field is nearly exhausted.

Then comes the work of examining the sluices for
the result of your week's operations, and taking out
the coarse gold ; which catches in the grooves and in-
equalities of the " rifi3es " — a sort of rack of thin pine
laths inserted as a species of false bottom in the sluice
— while the finer particles of gold adhere to the quick-
silver laid in the sluice to catch them, and which,
when retorted, yields the desired gold. Thus it will
be seen that this species of mining is a simple opera-
tion ; and, given a " claim," or locus standi, no
further capital is required for embarking in it than a
few simple tools, a few boards, and a small amount
of quicksilver.

However, it has its drawbacks, like everything
else. A claim of 100 feet is easily exhausted; and
though it may contain good paying material, and

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 115

a few nuggets (which, however, run very poor
and small here), it may pi'ove unequal to the ex-
pense of the labour. Add to this that it can only
be worked in summer — as both water and mercury
get frozen in winter — and that it depends entirely on
a good supply of water ; which In a year of drought
such as this is retailed by the " Ditch Company " at
the rate of 75 cents, or 3.s., per inch per day. The
gulch miners, however, whom I have questioned,
seemed satisfied with their labours, and said thev
were making good wages — which means some five,
six, or eight dollars a day: no bad pay, considerino-
that the work is not heavy here, and far healthier
than in the shafts ; and hence hands at gulch mining
seldom get much more than two dollars a day, while
the lode miners get from that amount up to four or
five.

This latter species of mining is the speciality — the
great industry of the place — and by its success or
failure Colorado will rise or fall. But failure seems
at present a contingency of the remotest character,
and to be dreaded about as much as the conflagration
of the Platte, or the evaporation of the Mississippi ;
for even last year, with capital of the most limited
amount, and very imperfect resources in science and
machinery, twenty millions of dollars Avere, I am

8 — 2

116 RAMBLES IN THE

assured, extracted from the gold-fields of Colorado :
this year, more capital having heen injected from
the East, and more confidence being generally felt in
the prospects, a much larger harvest is confidently-
anticipated. All round the hills are evidences of
lodes in every stage of p4'ogression. Looking up from
the town, these scratchings catch the eye in every
direction, presenting the appearance of a cordon of
rifle-pits hastily dug for the defence of the villages :
these are lodes which have been discovered, but whose
working and development is either abandoned for
want of means, or other good cause.

Then, all around, are shafts which are being vigo-
rously worked with various appliances. Some have
steam lifting power, others a horse " whim," while
others in poorer hands have only the rude construc-
tion of wells. As a rule — owing to the fact of the
claims being limited to one hundred feet, (though
any number of one hundred feet claims may be legally
owned by an individual,) and that the owners are
generally men of small means — the 7)iodus operandi
has hitherto been the sinking of a perpendicular
shaft, and thus following the lode downwai'ds,
instead of cutting it by means of lateral '^ adits " or
tunnels : a more expensive method in the first in-
stance, but far more satisfactory in its results, as the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 117

water is thus more easily drained off, and the ore
more easily conveyed to the surface by tramways
from the shaft.

The history of a "lode" (within a few years I
mean, for who could hope to guess even at its
real history in the long past with any accu-
racy ?) is this : — The gold-seeker goes out " pros-
pecting," and comes to a " crevice," where the
" blossom " or burnt quartz rock cropping out, and
tl)c appearance of a sort of wall round it, inspires
him with strong and justifiable hopes of success; a
little labour with pick and shovel extracts enough
of the rock to make an experiment, and if he
finds, on pulverizing the stone and detritus, enough
promise to warrant his sinking a shaft, his first step
is to record his claim; which he can do by payment
of fifty cents, or two shillings, to the recorder of the
county or district. He then commences operations on
it ; otherwise, were he to leave it unvisited for some
time, he would probably find it "jumped: " in other
words, seized by some adventurer like himself; for
mining law or custom — now recognized by the tribu-
nals of the country — declares, that if a man does not
develope his claim by at least some j)reliminary
digging or improvement, he must give way to some
one else who will do so. This admirable regulation

118 RAJIBLES IN THE

was made in early days to prevent monopoly by the
greedy, and to give all a chance.*

As a rule it has been found here that lodes which
pay near the surface improve with depth ; though it
does not follow that some which scarcely pay at first,
will not pay well further down. But, granting that
the lode pays well for some time, at length, in
almost every instance, a period comes when the lode
disappears from sight ; this is called here, " being
in cap," or in other words, the "key rock" is reached.
And here coinmences the real strucrirle between man
and gold ; for the cap may be very thick and very
tough, and no one knows when it will be penetrated
and the lode refound; and during all this time no
" pay " is extracted, so that if the proprietor's means
are slender, he generally fails ; but if he has any
capital left after the contest, he gets a new and better
start, this obstacle once overcome.

It is rather amusing to hear the conversations on
the subject of this bete noire. " How are you getting
on at Nevada, friend?" "Oh, worse luck, we're all
'in cap' there this week." This seems rather unin-

* I believe these early laws have since been modified l\v the
Legislature of Colorado, and mining property put on the same footing
as real estate. There are no alienage regulations, and property may
be held by the inhabitants of any portion of the globe.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 119

telliglble to tlie uninitiated, but here it tells a
lamentable tale of failures, blighted hopes, and the
last dollar spent in vain ; therefore, naturally, " cap ''
is a personage out here.

I am not going to invite jou to descend a shaft
with me, either in a bucket or down those very steep
ladders — sometimes made of a" single pole with rungs
stuck through it, such as you see in* a bear's den
in the Zoological Gardens — as the journey is not
interesting or clean ; and generally the terminus
is extremely narrow, affording room for not more
than three or four men, who are busy blasting away
at the rock, generally too hard for a pick ; for here,
following the law of nature which proclaims that —

Nothing in this workl is single;

All things by a law divine

In one another's being mingle —

gold is generally found in chemical or mechanical
combination with iron, copper, silver, and lead, as
well as sulphur ; and I believe that if proper appli-
ances were forthcoming, the baser metals would in
many cases pay for the working of the shaft and mill,
and leave the gold net profit.

The rocks being sent up to the top in buckets,
there follows the task of separating the " wall rock "
from the paying material, easily known by the glitter

120 EAMBLES IX THE

of the pyrites upon it; then it is carted oflf in ox-
waggons to the crushing-mill to be pulverized, having
been first broken 'into small lumps. Many claims
have their own mill attached to them, by which
much expense in cartage and crushing, varying from
35 to 75 dollars per cord of 128 cubic feet, is saved to
the mine.

These crushing-mills are for the most part worked
by steam-power, though a few have luckily secured
the more economical agency of water. When in
operation they look something like the machines
used for driving piles, though on a smaller scale ;
for a wheel turns a shaft, attached to which are a
number of iron crooks, which in turn have a num-
ber of long iron drivers or hammers appended to
them ; these are lowered and raised, and thus crush
the stone on an iron die or stamp, inserted in a metal
cup : a little water being introduced slowly through a
pipe, to facilitate, I suppose, the pulping process, and
to carry out the " dust " on to tables of copper or
mixed metal, which have been previously coated over
with quicksilver. When these tables are cleaned,
— as they are by scraping them with a piece of india-
rubber, — an amalgam is obtained of gold and quick-
silver, which only requires the retort to obtain the
grand desideratum.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 121

I should not foro-et to mention that below these
sloping tables are placed certain blankets, through
which the water percolates : this is done to catch
the gold, which is mixed with such a metal as lead,
with v.diich quicksilver will not amalgamate. The
sand or dust which remains after the gold has been
caught by the quicksilver is not thrown away, but
after a time may be again passed through the mill ;
with sucli success that some " tailings " have yielded
more gold than the original rock — showing how ex-
tremely defective was the primary process.

The mining mind is just now full of another
method, which promises brilliant results ; and though
I cannot explain the details, I may state that its object
is to desulphurize the quartz, or extract from it, by
burnino;, the sulphur with which it is often so heavily
charged.

The first question that naturally suggests itself to
the practical mind is, of course, " Do these mines
pay ? Have fortunes been realized ? or are these
miners merely adding their number to the long train
of those who, ever since the days of Cortez and
Pizarro, of Gilbert and Raleigh, haunted by the
splendid golden vision, have followed the shadow to
the neglect of the real substance, which in less bril-
liant guise lay unused before their eyes? "

122 RAMBLES IN THE

To the two former questions, I think an un-
hesitating affirmative reply can be given, while an
equally unqualified negative awaits the latter inter-
rogatory.

That these mines do pay is, I think, evidenced by
the very existence of the territory — of these towns
and buildings which are rising in every direction, and
which are already beginning to discard their primitive
wood, and assume proportions of stone and brick ;
" si monumentum quceris, circumspice."

When it is recollected that the class of people who
came here in 1859, and have been arriving ever since,
were, with hardly an exception, poor adventurers
(some so poor that they had to make the passage
across the plains on foot, carrying their little stock of
worldly goods in hand-carts), with few chattels beyond
the waggon and the cattle which conveyed them from
the States, and without " credit " to draw on ; and
that so dear were provisions, and so far beyond their
reach, that a large portion of these bold spirits sup-
ported life, and even realized some small capital, by
the produce of their rifles, and by trapping, which
they followed in the winter, devoting the summer
months to surface mining ; and when, further, it is
recollected that only the hardier and more sanguine
remained, while a large proportion of the fainter-

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 123

hearted returned to the States, declaring that the
land was no Canaan, but a howling wilderness, — it
will, I tliink, be readily admitted that these mines
have been a great success : and this in spite of great
obstacles.

For besides the scarcity of capital and the want
of labour in the earlier stages, and the discredit
thrown upon the opening prospects of these gold-
fields by those who went away in disgust, much
injury has been done by the " stampedes " caused
by the tidings of discoveries in new and still more
distant regions. Some of these reports turned out
eventually to be the merest " Bogus ; " but they
had the effect of withdrawing capital and labour from
these settlements, and also of unsettling the popular
mind for a long time. And, besides, nothing per-
haps was more wanted than real mining knowledge ;
for those who undertook to mine here brouolit little
or no science to bear on a work which requires
necessarily a very large amount : hence, as might
be imagined, much time, labour, and even gold has
been wasted in unnecessary experiments, and in
groping painfully after better methods. True, a few
old Californians came over, attracted by the ring of
the metal ; but the country was so different, that
their experience — though of course of some value —

124 RAMBLES IX THE

did not add so much as might have been expected to
the general stock.

Now, ho^vever, that the stamp of great success
is set on these mines, science will be brought to
bear upon them. Already there has been of
late a larire influx of Cornish miners — the free
lances of the profession — who have come from
Lake Superior, where they were employed in copper
mining ; and they may be expected at any rate to
improve the practice, if not the theory, of the mining
here. And those to whom I have spoken complain
much of the rude way in which many of the shafts
have been constructed, and the great risk which is
consequently run in working them. Indeed, I am
sorry to say the percentage of loss of life and acci-
dents here is very great.

To the second query I would answer, that four
years is a very short time to realize anything like a
fortune, or even a competency, when no capital, or
scarcely any, is emploj^ed. Yet it is a fact, that
though here no rich nuggets have suddenly raised
the lucky finder from poverty to comparative afiBu-
ence, still, fortunes have been made ; not colossal
it is true, but amounting to a moderate independence.
Some have been frittered awav at the o-amblinor-table,
and in other sinks for money which ever abound

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 125

where gold is found, while others acquired with
difficulty are being gradually dissipated in foolish
undertakings ; but a few have been retained, and are
being turned to profitable uses. But I think the
fact of any fortunes being thus acquired must appear
passing strange, to any one coming from a highly-
civilized and over-crowded country, Avhere all the
avenues to riches are closed, save to capital and
ver}^ superior intelligence ; for there, undertake what
you will, you will find it impossible to succeed, save
through the well-worn grooves in which genius is
compelled to move.

True it is, that the greater part of the success
here must be attributed to good luck ; for let a man
be ever so good a miner, and ever so prudent
in husbanding his resources and putting them
to the best advantage, following a lode is sheer
venture, and if the " cap " prove stronger than the
miner's purse, farewell to hopes of fortune in that
direction.

It is often remarked, that taking the entire number
at work in mininfr, it will be found that even a low
average of wages has not been realized by all. This
may be true in many places, but I think not here.
But even if it were a fact in Colorado, it could
be easily accounted for, and brings no discredit on

126 RAMBLES IN THE

the mineral wealth of the country. For there is no
doubt two classes of men will, as a rule, succeed
here.

First, miners who can labour steadily, and have
sufficient stamina to work continuously in a lode,
can save from three to five and even six hundred
dollars a year, after paying expenses. This, how-
ever, is not given to all men, as besides the accidents
I have alluded to, the work in the shaft is very
trying to some constitutions — partly, perhaps, owing
to the quantity of arsenic found there, and partly
to the great dampness of many — and many men
cannot work more than three weeks in the month,
if so much ; not on account of the hardness of the
work — for it is not very straining — but its great
unhealthiness. Such men, if very steady and pru-
dent, will in a few years accumulate a small
independence. For money doubles itself very quickly
here, the rate of interest having been, not long
ago, twenty-five per cent, per month ; and that not
without security.* But the danger is that, in an
intoxicating atmosphere such as this, they will be
dazzled by the prospect of a rapid fortune to be
made by mining on their own account, and the luxury
of being, in their turn, each a " Bos ; " and, of
* Even now 10 dollars per 100 dollars a month is the usual rate.

ROCKY MOU^vTAINS. 127

course, the chances of success in this ne\Y line are
barely even.

The second class consists of business men who
have some idea of mechanics and steam, and who
possess a 'moderate capital of from five to twenty
thousand dollars. Such men are almost sure to
succeed here ; but that is not saying much, as such
men would be almost sure of getting on well in any
part of the States, with even far smaller means.

There is a capital which many adventurers bring
here wdiich is worth more than its commercial esti-
mate, and that is the determination to succeed if
enterprise and daring can effect it. The great
indifference to failure which is a great characteristic
of this country, and which in the case of dealings
w'ith others is often pushed too far ; but, above all,
the great adaptability to any employment which dis-
tinguishes most Americans.

We in England, accustomed to the minute sub-
division of labour, are very content wuth excellence
in one single branch, looking no farther ; the
American, however, as a rule, is content with a
far lower standard in any one thing, but he ranges
over an infinite number. It is quite a common
thinfj; to find a man out here who has beiiun life
at home on the farm, then turned sailor (often

128 RAMBLES IN THE

whaler) for a few years, perhaps then gone into
some business on his own account, and is now
here a bit of a miner, carpenter, blacksmith, wheel-
wright, or very possibly in charge of a steam-engine.
Their versatility is unbounded ; their confidence
beats Lord John's, as illustrated by Sydney Smith ;
and I sometimes think that some of the features of
Juvenal's Greek apply to the American of this
century —

^Medicus, magus : omnia novit.
Grseculus esuriens in coelum jusseris, ibit.

Many of the men here have failed in the Eastern
states, and had their energies wonderfully quickened
by the process, and by the fixed resolve to redeem
their fortunes ; most of them out here, too, have
evidently been well educated ; as will appear if you
look at the autographs in an hotel book, where every
arrival inscribes his name ; for these contrast very
favourably with a similar number taken, an hasard,
in an Eastern city.

Of these mountain cities (we should call them by a
far humbler title in Europe) I have hitherto said but
little ; on the principle that the Spanish fleet in the
ballad could not be seen '•' because 'twas not in
sight : " and really there is but little to say, even of
" Central," the greatest among them all. Mr. Trol-

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 129

lope, the great Xoyo-rroiog of the daj, said, if I mis-
take not, that New York contained little or nothing
to see. How would he have dismissed these ago-re-
gations of log-houses, and shanties, interspersed with
a few fair buildings of better stamp ? But I think
]iis fastidiousness led him into error about New
York, and I am sure that, even in Central, a Dickens
would be able to see much, and describe more. My
powers of observation, however, being of the most
limited scope, I will only make a few general obser-
vations on these

Prffirnptis oppida saxis.

Of their situation, following up the course of a
mountain stream, I have already spoken, and I think
it would be very picturesque were it not for the bare-
ness of the surrounding mountains, which have been
denuded of their shade and ornament ; but the views
in the neighbourhood are fine, though monotonous.
On one side stretch " the plains " eastward ; while
westward, and "excelsior," is the snowy range,
distant but a few miles, while north and south ex-
tend endless mountains clothed in the everlastinir
sombre green of the pine forest. The climate is
delicious, perhaps a few degrees too hot for an
Englishman's notions during some hours of the dav ;
but the evenings and nights are unsurpassed, and

9

130 E AMBLES IN THE

the air is so highly oxygenated, so buoyant, that you
really require some acclimatization to walk up the
steep paths, without frequent halts to survey the
scenery and catch your breath.

Then the atmosphere is so pure tliat your vision
■soars far further than in the foggy curtain to which
our eyes are too well accustomed, and this extension
of the faculty of sight is in itself a positive pleasure !

At "Black Hawk " a very neat little wooden church
meets the eye, with its gilt spire at the top — a symbol,
I suppose, of the wealth it surveys, part of which has
been so well directed. There are various other places
of worship in these towns, but, so far as I have
seen, they consist merely of the apostolical vTrfowa,
the lower story being devoted to secular purposes.
Strange to say, one sect of Christianity makes this
meeting in an upper room, if not absolutely a part of
their faith, at least of their practice; and yet it is
hardly reasonable to suppose that the early Christians
congregated upstairs, save for purposes of secrecy or
farite de mieux : and after the lapse of Eutyches, I
should think the custom would, where practicable,
have been abandoned.

I was, I confess, much struck by what I witnessed
apropos des cglises, on my first arrival in Central.
On Friday evening I repaired to the " Montana,"

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 181

or Mountain Theatre, a rough -hewn building of pine
— witli a parquette and gallery — capable of accom-
modatinfj a lari^e number. There I saw Hamlet
performed, and though the ghost was not very
spiritual, Gertrude not very queenly, and the courtiers
not very courtier-like, yet the play was, on the whole,
very well put on the stage ; even the Prince of Den-
mark, if unlike Fechter's impersonation, was, I
thought, really very well rendered.

This was one surprise ; but the next was far
greater, when, on the following Sunday, I was
invited to hear the Bishop of the diocese (I think)
preach in the same building, and administer the
rite of confirmation to the candidates who might
present themselves. And so at three o'clock it
came to pass that the parson told the sexton, and
the sexton tolled the bell outside the theatre, and at
half-past the service began — the curtain being raised.
There, sittine; in the conventional sofa of the stace,
was my Lord Bishop, magnificent in . his robes, and
with him, of course, an assistant priest. A table
placed on the stage, close to the footlights, repre-
sented the altar ; while near the orchestral seats, a
harmonium was placed for the choir, who sat round
it, and rendered the musical portion of the service —
a large one too — extremely well.

9—2

132 eajMbles in the

I may here observe that the American Episcopal
Church have, methinks, shown great good taste in
the way they have modified tlieir liturgical service ;
which is almost identical v\^itli ours, except in a few
particulars demanded by their different institutions,
and by the change of the archaisms into modern
phraseology. Thus, for instance, in the Lord's
prayer, " which " is rendered " who," as more
pleasing to modern ears ; and in the liturgy
" wealth " is translated into the more intelligible
word " prosperity."

The theatre was, I was glad to see, pretty well
filled, and I do not think I ever heard a more
temperate and charitable defence of tlie formulas of
the Church — or I should say the Episcopal branch
of it established in England and America — than I
heard in the sermon preached by Bishop Talbot,
from the text, " What mean ye by this service ? "
Might not this good example be more generally
followed in these days, when the want of church
room is universally deplored, and the means of erect-
ing new buildings are not immediately forthcoming ?

From ecclesiastical heights to gastronomical reflec-
tions is a great descent (though I think there is a
connection, and no distant one either, between the
church and good living, singular and plural), but I

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 133

must, in taking leave of Central, saj a word about its
larder.

Whence the fat beeves come from, or how the
cattle about here keep in flesh, is a very marvel to
me ; for I see no grass, save a blade every now and
then : but in this bite there is a magic power of
fattening, they say ; and certain 'tis, cattle fatten on
these mountains, even in winter, without hay or other
food. Then the supply of their splendid salmon trout
is very good ; and in the winter and fall, deer, elk,
and antelope are very abundant, and a cinnamon bear
may be seen sometimes dependent from a butcher's
hooks, so that the miner is at least very well fed.

Game was very plentiful all round here a few years
ago, and I was assured that mountain lions and wild
sheep — the animals described by travellers as jump-
ing down yjrecipices when pursued by wolves or other
deadly foes, and alighting safely on their huge horns,
which, however, is denied by the hunters of the
neio'hbourhood as Munchausenish— had been seen
across the street not so long since; now, to para-
phrase the well-known lines of an Oxford prize

poem —

Scaixd by busy man fi'om his owti hills,

The lion fled tuc loud resouudiii<; mills.
And a good long distance has to be travelled over ere

the ferse of the mountains may be encountered.

134 EAMBLES IN THE

As for the ladies of Central and its entourage —
pardon nie for introducing them in this remote
portion of my jottings, after notice has been taken
of so many objects in the animal, vegetable, and
mineral kingdoms : the fact is, I considered the
subject too serious for my notes, and intended to
have passed them with only the silent homage a
true man ever accords them in his heart, though pen
and voice may not be loud or eloquent. Yet they
are the real ornament of Central ; and is it not as a
tribute to them that all these jewellery and finery
shops are maintained? Is it not owing to their
influence that these rough places of the earth have
been made to feel the power of refinement and civili-
zation, and that the miner, instead of degenerating
into a gnome or troglodyte, becomes a good citizen,
imbued with all the chai'ities of life?

This happy state of things has not, I believe, been
of vcr}^ long standing ; as, for the first few years, the
place was scarcely fit for the presence of women ;
but now they are pouring in fast from the States :
these " diggings," like our Indian possessions,
being an admirable market for many who have not
succeeded eastwards in drawing prizes. And as tliey
ride along the mountain slopes of an evening " en
Amazone," with the most coquettish habits you

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 135

ever saw, decked with all sorts of pretty little gold
(or brass) buttons like an hussar's jacket, you might
" disremember," as the Irishman said, very easily
that you were on the Rocky Mountains, and might
fancy yourself transplanted to the neighbourhood of
Innspruck, or some other spot in those mountains of
old civilization.

There is another large mining district in this
locality, about a hundred miles south, in the vicinity
of the South Park, called " Buckskin Joe " district ;
but though the lodes there promise even fairer
returns than those in this neighbourhood, they
belong principally to even poorer men than the
" claims " hereabouts, and consequently have not
been so far developed ; but they are well worth a
visit, I am told, if only on account of the surpassing
loveliness of the scenery about here. Indeed, no
traveller should think of leaving this country without
visiting the three Parks, which are to be found
within a compass of about one hundred and fifty
miles, and which form a most peculiar feature of
the Rocky Sierra. They are known by the names
of North, Middle, and South, and are huge basins
in the heart of the mountains, whence issue some
of the large rivers which water this part of the
continent; the vegetation in them is abundant, and

136 KAMBLES IN THE

Jhey ai'e peopled by almost every species of wild
animal. Should time permit, I trust to visit them
all during the fall months, and, unless the reader
be tired of travellino; thi'ous;h this countrv, I will
be happy to communicate my experiences of wild
mountain life in my next.

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 137

CHAPTER III.

On sylvan scenes intent.

The America of 1863 — or rather, to speak according
to facts, the Federal possessions on that continent —
may be classed mider four main categories or divi-
sions, to wit: — Battle-fields, spittle-fields, gold-fields,
and game-fields. The nomenclature will no doubt be
much cavilled at, but can any one deny that this clas-
sification is at once comprehensive and specific? dis-
tinguishing in some notable respects the genera and
species of the districts in question : as was required
in my juvenile days by that wise pundit, Mr. Aldi'ich,
the Lindley Murray of logic; unless, indeed, my
memory has played me a scurvy trick after her
frequent fashion, now that Consul Plancus has given
place to the majestic Kaiser of the Tuileries.

Of the battle-fields I had seen enough — far more
than enouizh — in the desolated homesteads and the
levelled woodlands of Virginia, lovely and pictu-

138 K AMBLES IN THE

resque even amid all the surrounding ruin, and
though reeking with the hecatombs of the invaders
and the invaded slain on her hundred Aceldamas !

The spittle-fields comprise those " centres of civi-
lization," the eastern and western cities, /urjrf)07roX£tc
Kai TTopKOTToXEtC) whcre mammon and shoddy are
worshipped day and night with a fervour worthy of
the worshippers even of the great Diana of the
Ephesians ; and which, save in their being more
purely commercial, and in some instances of grander
proportions than their European rivals, present but
few salient points for notice or comment. As com-
pared with the capitals of Europe, one is reminded
of Hood's line about Amsterdam or Rotterdam, I
forget which —

A sort of vulgar Venice reminds me where I am.
But while thus daring to sneer my sneer at these
vast developments of unparalleled enterprise and
energy, in an aesthetic point of view, let me never
forget the eclectic few, the dmes cVdlite, to be met in
some, nay in many of these human hives ; but like
all nature's treasures, such spirits have to be sought
for diligently, and seldom come under the notice of
the casual tourist or cursory observer, unless specially
favoured.

To some of the gold-fields of the Rocky Moun-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 139

tains situated in Colorado, I have already partially
introduced those who have patiently accompanied my
wandering steps across the green prairies of Kansas,
and the sandy Saharas of Nebraska. It remains then
only to give a few glimpses of those great game-
fields on which civilization has not yet, more iNIr.
President Lincoln, set her encroaching foot, where
the Caucasian race is comparatively unknown, and
the Indian still reigns supreme over the subject
creation, in vast ira^a^uaoi or parks far away in the
heart of these Andes of a northern hemisphere.

Three such great natural plateaus lie within com-
paratively easy distance of Denver city, and are named
respectively. South, Middle, and North Parks, from
their relative positions. Of these, the first has lost
its charm of wildness from the fact of some rich
gulches having been early discovered in its vicinity,
and it has thus become settled and already semi-
civilized ; but the middle and north were still almost
virgin soil, and therefore promised a better harvest.

Having settled "the where," remained the solution
of "the how;" perhaps the more difficult portion of
the problem, for the outskirts of the Middle Park are
a good two days' journey from Central City, and a
snowy range or Sierra Nevada, only to be surmounted
in a few places, has to be crossed, ere the Goshen of

140 EAMBLES IN THE

your anticipations can be reached, or even seen : and
once there, you are as completely isolated from every-
thing that man as a shopping or purchasing animal
may want, as if you were chained to a rock in mid-
ocean like Miss Andromeda, or on a mountain like
Mr. Prometheus. True, a company of the brave
Colorado volunteers had been sent to a point in the
Middle Park to repel an invasion of Indians, or to
overawe them, and I had been offered the hospitality
of their camp ; but this I concluded to be a poor
way of exploring a new country, though presenting
temptations to a votary of mere comfort — " comfort
scorned of Yankees," so often — and I gladly em-
braced the offer of being allowed to accompany a
party of four who were going to hunt and trap
professionally, so to speak, and who proposed being
absent for a few weeks.

Accordingly a day for our departure was fixed, and
having some time to spare, I set out for Empire City,
which lies at the foot of the snowy range, and which
is the usual portal of the Middle Park ; but as we
had arranged to go by another pass in a totally diflfe-
rent direction from Central, I was anxious to see that
portion of the mountains, of which I had heard very
favourable reports, both for scenery and minerals.

Riding then in a south-westerly direction, I

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 141

passed over the bleak surrounding hills, now shorn
of almost every vestige of a tree, and so full of
prospecting holes that they looked as if rival armies
had been disputing every inch of them, and had been
incessantly occupied in throwing up these small earth-
works ; the streams looked as if some mountain had
been suddenly let loose on their beds, and every
vestige of soil being swept away, had left them
merely a:i accumulation of stones in great piles — so
thoroughly had they been searched by the miner. I
then came to a " divide " in the hills, now timbered,
and following a canon, commenced a long descent
between sheer walls of rock and timber, very pictu-
resque in spots, which continues for about a mile.
As you near the bottom of the canon, indications of
mining energy are not wanting, and shoots of pine
boards convey the quartz at a fearful rate some hun-
dreds of feet from the lodes on to platforms, from
whence it is carted off to the crushing mills.

At last, as you approach the end of the ravine, the
lovely valley of Idahoe, or " the gem of the moun-
tains," as the Indians have well named it, breaks
upon j-ou with a beauty which man the ravager has
been unable to efface, in spite of his wooden shanties
erected in the fairest portion of the greensward, and
the various appliances for bar-mining which mar the

142 liAMBLES IX THE

smooth maro-in of the stream runnino; throuo-h it,
making its crystal lymph as foul as bilge-water : for
here rich "bar-dii;-o;ino;s" have been discovered alono;
the banks of the river, and have in a few instances
paid handsomely this year. Bar-mining is not
unlike gulch mining, except in being far more
laborious; owing to the size of the boulders, which
in vast numbers the river has brought down in its
freshets, and to the fact that the river water must
be kept continually pumped out of the holes made
by the miners, u process eflFected by an ingenious
machine called here an "hydraulic."

The onlv natural curiosity I saw at Idahoe are
some hot " soda springs," which an enterprising
doctor, or an individual so called, — for where the
majority of the folks you meet are "judges" and
" majors," 'twere hard if medicine had not its pro-
fessors and votaries too with honox'ary titles; after all
as sensible as many of those distinctions granted by
our universities to eminence in spheres as unscientific
and unliterary as can be imagined ! — had recently
purchased, and hoped to advertise into a fashionable
resort for the rheumatically afflicted, whose name is,
I fear, legion here, owing to the wet nature of the
mining operations. Following up the stream, which
now narrows into almost a gorge, now expands into a

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 143

rich vale, you come to " Spanish Bars," and soon
afterwards to "Empire City; " a title which must have
been given more in the spirit of prophecy than from
any existing applicability, for the only sign of a city
existed in about a dozen mean log-huts and a few
brace of frame houses.

I was told that the town was growing in the direc-
tion of some " patch diggins " towards the spurs of
the mountains, but my curiosity was not strong
enough to induce a visit. Having a day to spare, I
put up at a log shanty, which represented the " Cla-
rendon " of the place, and where a modicum of hay
in sacking was given you for a shake-down. I fished
the stream upwards, above its mining pollutions ; but
I confess with indifferent success, the fish being small
and shy. Next morning, having paid my bill — which
" Boniface " must have made out in the prophetic
vein also, as the log-house and single bedroom for
many occupants swelled in the bill to palatial dimen-
sions— (would I could have paid it by, a similar draft
on my expectations !), — I discovered that my horse was
dead lame ; so, as Central City was eighteen miles
distant, and our start for the parks was imminent, I
had no alternative but to " trade " off" mv haltin^j
steed for a sound pony. This I effected without
incurring the heavy loss I might have anticipated ;

144 KAMBLES IN THE

considering that I was at tlie mercy of the man with
whom I dealt, and that nearly all the western men
are brought up, ah ovo, in an atmosphere of " horse-
trading," and are as much addicted to, and as keen
thereat, as the Irish squireen of the West is at his
favourite pastime of " knocking " — a process, I need
not explain to any one who has ever attended an ordi-
nary at either of the horse-fairs of Banagher or Bal-
linasloe.

Indeed, I may here say that such horse *' copers
and chanters " as the western men I never met.
Much they certainly do know about the noble
animal, and much they affect to know which I think
lies beyond their ken. For instance, they make no
difficulty in telling horses' ages, after that grand
climacteric of eight years has been passed ! The
result of my trade was a very smart little mare, not
altogether unlike my juvenile recollections of the
famous " Brunette," and as I purchased her from a
man of the name of Fisher, I christened her " Kate
Fisher," from the celebrated mare whose untimely
end moved even the great Thunderer to forge a bolt
against steeple-chasing, as conducted in Limerick — a
brutum fulmen, as it proved. This little affair being
arranged, I rode back to Central, leaving with regret
the lovely valley of " South Clear Creek," encom-

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 145

passed with its pine-clad mountains, and overlooked
by the bleak range where the snow is perennial.

The next day, or next but one, was a Sunday ; but
notwithstanding this, I regret to say, all things being
more or less prepared, the ponies engaged rapidly in
accomplishing the feat of eating their heads off— a
process not hard to achieve when hay is 2d. or 'Sd.
per lb., and corn 7d. or 8d. — it was resolved to make
a start in the evening, and camp out in the woods.
I therefore hastily made up my saddle-bags, and
bought the few necessaries required, such as flour,
bacon, &c. ; to which the sanctity of the day was no
obstacle, almost every shop being open for business
on Sundays equally with week-days : a custom which
I found to obtain very generally throughout the entire
West ; and indeed in Central City the infection had
been caught by the bankers and dealers in gold-dust,
and great " oneyers " who should have set a better
example to the minnows of trade.

What a contrast to the conduct of the Jews, who
almost universally keep their own Sabbath in addi-
tion to the Gentile feast ! Verily it is a popular fallacy
to say the Jews are more greedy for gain than any
other nation. The truth is, money-making has been
their trade from immemorial ages. They have ac-
quired, as was natural, much ease and facility in their

10

146 RAMBLES IN THE

several branches of commerce, and a number of
envious, disappointed, and distanced competitors
raised the cry that their success was tlie result of
avarice and rapacitj', instead of attributing it to its
real source. For my own part, I have generally found
enlightened Jews the pioneers in all measures of
enlightened phihmthropy, and measuring their libe-
rality by no Christian standard.

All things being thus ready, we rendezvoused at
tlie ponies' stable to pack the outfit on the backs of
these our travelling companions; about which I feel
bound to say a word " in limine," as they formed
a most important element in the cortege. First
came " Bill," a large bay pony, of Indian origin,
standing on rather tall legs, but so symmetrical and
strong otherwise, that no judge of "points"* could
fail to give him credit for great activity and endur-
ance at the first glance ; qualities which he developed
afterwards in a most extraordinary degree, proving
about the best pony I ever saw for his work. His
attractions, however, ended here, as his ears were
cropped, a portion of his under lip was " razeed,"
and one of his eyes was a " quaker," or, in otlier
words, "blind," having been injured by a former

* Pv>;ut ill a horse cannot be defined, as in Euclid, as " without
parts."

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 147

owner in a rage, at his refusal to dra^y : for " Bill "
had his whims and penchants, and, when once he
objected to do a tlung;, force or coaxinn; was thrown
away. He was the pillar of our state on this occasion,
being the flour-bearer, aud having nearly 300 lbs. of
that comrnodit}', beside a few other " small deer," on
his Atlantean back.

Next came "Jack," a cream-coloured cobby little
horse, very strong and rather showy, havino- a
fine '-'rein" and round large quarters, but withal
very lazy ; he was said to be a " flat-head " pony,
from the Indian tribe of that name, and, on the
whole, he proved a useful, but not very interesting
member of our comity. Then comes "Jenny,"
a young Mexican mule, rather small, and with
wonderfully spindle shanks ending in little Chinese
feet, Avhich sunk hopelessly in every bog we came to.
1 cannot praise her very highly, but perhaps had the
expletives she provoked by her mulishness been
uttered in Castilian, or '-'Grasser" "patois" she
v.-ould have understood our meanino; better than
when conveyed to her long ears —

In the oaths of British commerce and the accents of Cockaigne.
She was the bearer of our "batterie de cuisine," &c.,
together ^\ilh the beaver traps, and made as much
noise as she went along as a vNholc sleigh team,

10—2

148 EAMBLES IN THE

having no hesitation in impinging our pots and
kettles against rocks and trees as they came handy
to lier. Of " Kate Fisher "' I have ah'eady spoken,
and will only add that, though no paragon, she
proved a serviceable animal, though not a good shoot-
ing pony ; she packed any amount of game, and gave
herself no fine lady airs, as she might have done,
being of American descent, while the others were
only Indian.

Having thus disposed of the quadrupeds, let me
say a word anent the bipeds : first, premising that —
filled with adventurers of all castes and classes, as
all western countries in America are, especially if the
region be auriferous — a new element had been added to
the already very mixed and heterogeneous population
of Colorado, by the internecine war between North
and South, as it progressed in its demoniacal career ;
owing to the influx of " Southern sympathizers," to
use the word in vogue in the North, and of some
who had already borne arms for the Confederacy in
the border States of Arkansas and Missouri, and who
having been either discharged or disbanded, pre-
ferred a temporary " sejour " in a comparatively
neutral territory to returning to their northern or
eastern homes, and renewing their quarrels with
their neighbours and their own families. Added to

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 149

whom were many who, thonirh not strictly partisans
of the South, were thoroughly opposed to the policy
of the administration, and would, I believe, had they
been placed in such a dilemma, rather have joined
the Southern cause than been forced into servingr
in the Federal lines.

To such men — and in the border States, such
as Missoui'i and Iowa they were numerous — these
" high latitudes," removed from the atmosphere of
war and politics, offered an asylum very similar to
that afforded to our proscribed ancestors — and theirs
too, perhaps, " quien sabe?" — by the "Low Coun-
tries," with this difference; that, in this case, free
scope was given to the energies of the new settlers,
and every avenue of wealth and power was here freely
open to their endeavours. Indeed, as a matter of
fact, Colorado was filled with men who found home
inconvenient during the war, and who were onlv wait-
ing for a general peace to return to their native
States; some the richer for their emigration, but
the majority much the reverse.

My " compagnons de chasse," on this occasion,
might all be classed, with one exception, in this
category, and were putting in their time here in
various pursuits till peace should shine once more
on the horizon. First, let me introduce " William "

150 K AMBLES IN THE

(patronymics had better be suppressed) to your
notice. Under thirty, shghtly made, and very hand-
some, with hands as small as a woman's, he was a
native of Kentucky ; liad, when a mere lad, followed
an uncle into Texas, and part of the way to Old
Mexico, then at war with the United States: a war
which, if examined, will hardl}^ present as many ex-
tenuating and justificatory pleas as the present French
invasion so loudly denounced b}^ all Americans.
After that, being of a mechanical turn, he learnt
gunsmithing, and having realized some capital in
trade, embarked in some general business in a
frontier western State ; he prospered greatly till the
crash of 1857, which swept like a tornado over the
whole of this continent, utterly ruined him. The
second year of the war found him farming in Iowa,
whence he found it prudent to migrate further west ;
for politics ran high in his neighbourhood, his
intimate friend had been hanged almost before his
eyes, for refusing to divulge the names of certain
neighbours who belonged to an anti-Lincoln Society,
called " Knights of the Golden Circle," and he had
been menaced himself with pains and penalties if he
remained. So here he was occasionally working
at his old trade, but generally following the more
congenial occupation of hunting and trapping for a

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 151

livelihood. He was an exceedingly pleasant fellow,
a little lazy constitutionally, and slightly given to
romancing, but a good hunter when roused to it,
well informed, and naturally well-bred and enter-
taining.

Next comes Miles (a good name for a soldier surely),
fresh from Price's army, where he fought with such
distinction in the Lexington and Springfield affairs,
that he was offered a commission on the field, and
was actually presented by his colonel and captain with
a charger for his distinguished services. His family
being Federals, he, when invalided, struck out for
Colorado, and here mined, hunted, and earned his
living as best he could. He was quite a lad, but full
of talent, being a good histrionic, with a vocation
for nigger minstrelsy and the " bones ; " he com-
posed and sung very fair " rebel " songs, which
he chanted most lustily in the Rocky Mountain soli-
tudes, being debarred from such illicit pleasures
elsewhere.

Next comes " Andy," a stalwart Saxon-looking
yoimg fellow, the tower of strength of our party ;
as he was a first-rate hunter and woodsman of some
experience, and was besides one of those useful
people of whom you generally find one at least on
every Irish estate by the name of the " handy

15"2 RAMBLES IN THE

man : " oar friend Andy was certainly a " handy

Andy," for he could do a little of almost every kind

of mechanical work, and being good-natured withal,

his services were often put into requisition. He

reminded me much of the Saxon pioneer, or frontier

man, in Crawford's fine group in the Capitol at

Washington, who appears warding off a band of

armed Indians from a defenceless family of women

and children about to be tomahawked and scalped,

calm and intrepid in the consciousness of his own

courage and power, while —

The clear soixl in his earnest eyes
Looks thro' and thro' all plaited lies.

He had left his comfortable farm in Iowa for opinion's
sake solely, and was sighing anxiously for home and
peace — wife and children far away.

My dramatis personae winds up with an American-
Dutchman yclept "John," whose chief hobby was
" prospecting " for mines, in which he had some skill
and experience ; a poorish hunter, he represented
the genius of order and regularity in our party, and
was thus installed " President of the home depart-
ment," and general superintendent of the cuisine
and larder. We were rather a formidable-looking
quintette, each hunter's costume consisting by
rights of a rifle, a large cowhorn powder-flask, a

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 153

bullet and patch pouch, one or two couteaux de
chasse, and a tomahawk, to cut up large game, blaze-
wood on the road for the benefit of posterity and
successors, and make itself generally useful in cutting
firewood, &c. about camp.

Apropos of costume, I must not forget William's
overalls of elk-skin, which he and Andy had tanned
and manufactured on a previous hunt, driven thereto
by necessity. They certainly were the most useful
" continuations " T ever saw ; for whenever string
(which is a great item in packing, and must be of
the strongest material) was wanted, we used to turn
to him and get him to cut a shred off the legs of
said overalls, till the latter were soon reduced to
the proportions of knickerbockers.

At last we really did get off, in the gloaming
of the evening of the 16th of August. After
walking some six or seven miles, during which time
we only missed our wood-trail once, Ave struck a
stream called "Peck gulch," and camped for the
night, as there was some grass for the ponies there.
Next morning we rose early, and dispersing through
the pines, killed enough grey squirrels and rabbits
for breakfast. I confess I had misgivings about
eating squirrels for the first time, but am glad I
overcame ray ignorant prejudices, as I found them

154 • RAMBLES IN THE

excellent — much better indeed than rabbits. A few
miles brought us to twelve-mile diggings, now "played
out," with the miners' log shanties all deserted.

A little further progress in an easterly direction
brought us to " Mammoth City," consisting of a
saw-mill — a quartz ditto dismantled, and a log-hut
or two. A Boston Company had commenced opera-
tions here on a large and expensive scale, but with-
out any regard to the first principles of mining, or
even common every-day economy ; the consequence
was failure absolute, and everything saleable Avas
being carried off, to leave the pines to their primasval
loneliness. There we dined, and in the afternoon,
as the Aveather looked rainy, we sheltered ourselves
in a log-cabin a few miles further on, on the spurs
of the range, which we proposed to cross in the

mornmg.

Our precaution of stopping proved unnecessary, as
the afternoon held up very fine. However, on the
whole it was better to cross the range early than late
in the afternoon, and so next morning, after losing our
trail several times, we at last found ourselves chmb-
ing the range in earnest, and soon looking down on
the pine-clad steeps below us, from an elevation
where nothing but dwarf and gnarled cedars flourished.
Our upward path through the timber was literally

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 155

enamelled with the brightest wild-flowers ; of which
being an ignoi-ant admirer, I can say but little, save
that they were very lovely and gay : in speaking of
these gems of creation I must content myself with
very vague generalities, as Horace, when singing of
the patrician flower-gardens round Rome, bunched
tlie whole contents of the parterre into a simple
" copla narium."* As we emerged from the timber,
we found evidences of mining attempts in the pros-
pect holes, and " rasters," a sort of clumsy Mexican
machine for grinding quartz ; but everything of the
sort had been abandoned. Looking down on the
pines below, we were much struck at the enormous
extent of the burnt timber, which bears a very con-
siderable proportion to the green, and forms quite a
feature in the landscape, the bare grey poles of the
former looking wan and ghost-like, till the eye gets
accustomed to them.

Presently, after about an hour's very tortuous
walking, over ground covered with very short grass
and little white and blue flowers of most tiny pro-
portions, the " eager and the nipping air " assured
us we were nearing the top of the pass. This was
strewn with rocks, over which our ponies walked with

* Omnis copia narium spargent olivetis oclorem fertilibus domino
priori.

156 RAMBLES IN THE

a coolness and aplomb that greatly surprised nie,
considering the consequences of a false step and the
yawning little crevasses hetween them. Hereabouts
we got our first view of the Middle Park, which
appeared from hence a confused mass of pine-forest,
mountains, and gorges, with bits of open country
through them, stretching far as the eye could scan.

After another hour's walk along this rocky ledge or
back-bone — of a good breadtii, however — we came to
a sort of natural rocky staircase, commonly used, I
fancy, by the deer and elk in their annual migrations
eastwards and westwards ; down this our ponies crept
with marvellous surefootedness for about a mile,
when we got on to a lower ledge, and thus by easy
descent in an hour or so we struck the timber on the
other side of the rano;e. Having surmounted the
difficulties of what is called from the outline of the
mountain " the Hog-backed Pass," in a short time we
found ourselves in a deliciously green valley, from the
centre of which flowed a small stream of pellucid
water, which, insignificant as it looked, plied its
watery task till it found a home in the far Pacific : for
the waters of the IVIiddle Park, unlike those of the
north, empty themselves into the tributaries of that
ocean. In this valley we dined, and descending the
spurs of the range, along the same stream, we made

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. . 157

some six or seven miles more before we camped for
the night. We killed en route some pine grouse, —
a very fine bird, not unlike our own, only larger, —
together with a woodehuck, or ground-hog — a curi-
ous compound between a badger and a hedgehog,
said to be good to eat; but with one accord we
declined tryincr. The stones in the hills seemed to
abound with a very curious little animal like a
guinea-pig, called, from its peculiarity, here " a dog
without a tail."

In the morning we found it had frozen hard, and
was bitterly cold. A few miles brought us to the
Fraser, a good-sized river, but reduced this year, in
consequence of the small snow-fall, to shallow pro-
portions ; and as it looked likely to hold trout, I
stayed behind our party, and Avas rewarded by catch-
ing two very large fish. I had some trouble in
following the track of our party, and was much afraid
1 had missed it, till after some " tall walking " I
found my friends camped by a small mountain brook,
engaged in netting, with a very novel kind of seine
(willows twisted in the form of the letter V), a deep
hole in a stream, out of wdiicli they took more than two
dozen small trout. Leaving this brook, and proceed-
ing over some small hills in an easterly direction, we
struck the Fraser once more, and camped on its banks.

158 . RAMBLES IN THE

Some of the land we walked over to-day seemed
very available for tillage, though now cropped only
with the sage-plant, looking much like the lavender-
bushes which we see in old gardens, onlv far larger
and more woody, and gnarled. Besides this great
staple, we passed a good deal of columbo root, ele-
campane, and a sort of bitter bush, something like a
gooseberry-tree, which William called wild quinine.
In the groves, which are dotted about here and there
as no landscape gardener could group them, the
undergrowth consisted principally of the juniper
cedar, with its berries in all stages of maturity, from
green to purple; the latter tasting not unlike raisins.

20th. — The night and morning were again very cold,
as indeed they continued to be during the excursion ;
but the sun soon became very hot, almost overpower-
ingly so. Crossino; the Eraser again, we struck the
Grand River in a few miles. I suspect this name is
a corruption of Rio Grande, a common name for
rivers in countries of Spanish origin : certainly it is
better than one which I recollect well in Jamaica,
and which struck me always as a great sin against
euphony — " Agua Alta" disguised into " Wagwater ! "
It is a fine stream, about the size of the Thames
at Godstow, but far more rapid, and seemed a
favourite haunt for wild ducks and o;eese. I

EOCKY JIOUNTAINS. 159

much regretted then, and on many a subsequent
occasion, that I had not brought a shot-gun ^vitll
me, instead of the Sharp rifle ; this I carried
specially for bears, as it loaded so very fast, in addi-
tion to a three-barrelled affair, of local make, for deer
and antelope. We here met for the first time the
"sage-hen,'" — a grouse, but of noble proportions, and
I think heavier than most pheasants. It lives almost
entirely on the sage-plant, and if the crop, &c., be
removed directly after shooting, it is an admirable
bird for the table ; if not, the whole flesh becomes
impregnated with the flavour of the sage — wi j^eu
trop fort !

Our course to-day was over arid rolling plains, with
the vegetation so burnt up that I was reminded of
that forcible line in the " Georgics : " —

At cum exustus ager morientibus testuat herbis.
Most of it might, however, be irrigated with apparent
ease. In the valleys of the streams or creeks things
wore a greener aspect, and where Ave camped for the
night, by Beaver Creek, the grass was abundant.
Here we set ourselves to search for game " sign " or
spoor ; though we found traces of both elk and
beaver, unluckily others had been before us, and con-
sequently a change of plans — of " base," to use the
jargon of Federal generalship — became necessary-; so,

160 RAMBLES IN THE

on the morrow, William and Miles set out to discover
a practicable track to the North Park, which is sepa-
rated from the Middle by a lower or spur range.

Meanwhile Andj, John, and myself proceeded to
exnlore Still-water Lake, throuoh which the Grand
River flows. We found it at last, after a toilsome
progress through burnt timber, where your powers of
equilibration are continually called into play, and
where good knee action is indispensable. It is a
beautiful sheet of water, about two miles long, em-
bosomed among the pine-bearing hills, and appa-
rently of great depth. Its sides, as far as we
went, were covered with raspberries, which grew
on dwarf bushes, and were quite equal to most
garden fruit in England ; but, unlike those in the
States, these were red, while the former are, I am
told, generally black. There were also some black
gooseberries, but very poor in size. The white and
black currant and raspberry are the best small fruit
of this region, and grow wild equal to our garden
varieties; while here the red currant is a miserable
specimen.

Andy shot a very fine beaver in the lake, which we for-
tunately got and skinned. Generally speaking, when
shot they sink at once to the bottom, and if in deep
water are very hard to secure. Returning in the even-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 161

ing, I caught some very fine trout in the Grand River,
and lost one or two monsters from rotten tackliuo-.
In the evening John and Andy posted themselves at
an alkali spring, where the elk tracks appeared fresh;
but though they saw some elk in the shadowy dis-
tance, the light was not sufficiently good to warrant a
shot. I returned to camp with the trout. We had a
slight shower this evening — in itself no very notice-
able circumstance, but I chronicle the weather because,
in the first place, meteorology is a sort of privileged
ground to an Englishman, forming as no doubt it
does, both in circles polite and impolite, a great staple
of his daily conversation, as well as enterino; lar'^ely
into his hopes and fears, his plans and arrangements
of all sorts ; and in the next, because I wish by a
daily record to give a fair idea of the climate of these
" hio;h latitudes."

22nd. — Finding the flies purchased in this country
so badly tied, and the gut to which the}' were ap-
pended so brittle and rotten, that no dependence
could be placed on them for large fish, such as
are caught in the Grand — varying as they did from
three-quarters of a pound to about three, many four,
pounds (though we had brought no scales) — we spent
the morning in making what we hoped the " trutta "
would consider natural flies, but which appeared tome

11

16-2 RAMBLES IN THE

a very poor presentment of any known winged thing.
Still, hoping that the principle of " omne ignotum
pro mirifico " extended to the genus fish as well as
to the genus man, we adopted them boldly, and
the result was satisfactory, spite of a severe storm
of hail and rain. As I was returning to camp late
in the evening, I was fairly pursued by owls, who, I
thought, tried to swoop down to the fish, which I was
carrying on a stick. Arrived at camp, we found the
rain had soaked the buffalo robes which formed our
bedding ; but with the aid of a good fire we managed
to get through the night pretty comfortably.

I haven't said a word hitherto about the grey
parrots, or meat birds, which haunt the woods
here ; and yet, as Cicero said of literary tastes
and studies being ever present with their votaries,
" pernoctant nobiscum, peregrinantur, rusticantur,"
so these curious little grey birds, something between
a parrot and a jackdaw, were sure to be present
wherever we camped, and to " assist " at every
meal; almost voting themselves of the party, spite
of our occasionally knocking over an intruder with
anything that came handy. In the morning they
would sometimes scream in a most eerie and un-
earthly manner, frightening the ponies, till they got
lased to the dissonance ; but what amused me most

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 1G3

was to watch one of these birds when about to com-
mit a barefaced robbery, and when perched for the
purpose on some bough close to the attraction. If
you caught his eye, or he yours, he would instantly
begin to look unconcerned, and I am sure, had he
been able to talk in our language, he would at once
have commenced a conversation upon any other topic
than the one great one uppermost in his mind. The
conscious guilt, dissimulation, and fear, formed a
most imcomparable melange.

23rd. — Andy and I went to the Grand after break-
fast, and in an hour or two caught twenty-two large
trout, in one of which I found a water-mole. Indeed, I
think the trout as greedy a fish as any, though
certainly shyer than most ; and I may mention that,
in these waters, when other baits fail, a trout's eye is
considered very telling. Bringing home the fish to
camp — a load nearly as great as we could carry — we
found our exploring party had returned with a good
store of small game. They pronounced the track to
the North Park feasible, and amused us with an
account of their long chase after bison, which they
found on one of the bald mountains between the
parks ; two of which they wounded, but did not get
from want of dogs. These animals are only a moun-
tain species of the buffalo on the plains, smaller and

11 — 2

164 E AMBLES IN THE

more active, and with more shaggy coats. The day
was lovely in the extreme, and so it may be assumed
were all that succeeded, unless special mention to the
contrary be recorded.

24:tJK — We breakfasted very early, intending to
" make tracks " for the North Park ; but alas ! the
])onies had wandered off towards the alkali spring, or
"salt lick," and were not found till the afternoon,
during which interval we suffered some anxiety, fancy-
ing a party of Indians had come and carried them off,
first putting bits of blanket on their feet to avoid
traces. Starting late, we camped some six miles off,
in a north-easterly direction, at the foot of a high
peak, on whose sides I found yellow ochre and the
burnt quartz, or " blossom rock " which is such an
indicator of gold.

The soil here evidently varied from that we had
left, as poplars and balm of Gilead trees were found
every now and then in abundance.

25fh. — Getting under weigh by seven o'clock, we
pursued our course through much broken and burnt
timber, which makes travelling very tedious, espe-
cially with pack animals, as you have to go zig-
zaG-gino; round the fallen timber in all directions;
but at last we emerged into lovely pinewoods,
carpeted with huckleberry plants, and breaking

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 1G5

every now and then into beautiful glades, full of
springs. In one of these glades we camped for tlie
night, and found some black-tailed deer in the neigh-
bourhood, but failed to shoot any. These latter are
sometimes called "black deer," from their blue-
black colour, and are very wild and shy ; whereas the
white-tailed deer are comparatively bold and fearless
of men, venturing often into the neighbourhood of
settlements.

2Qth. — The ice was thick in our water-buckets
this morning, but spite of the cold we made an early
start, and after toiling through eight miles, more ur
less, of broken timber, we came to a stream which we
surmised ran into the waters of the North Platte.
Finding beaver sign in plenty, we determined to
camp here for the present, and set some traps; in tiie
evening we got a fawn and also a beaver. John, who
went out by himself, did not return to camp, so we
fired minute-guns to indicate our position, as if at
sea, but still he came not; so I took his place as
breadmaker and cook, considering that man is not
only defined to be a " featherless biped," " bipetj^
implumis," but also a " cooking animal ; " and I am
glad to say that the result was a considerable success.
It is true the bread I baked would have created an
emeute among the Jeameses and Angelinas of an

166 RAMBLES IN THE

English servants' hall, and in the nursery it would
have probably been voted highly deleterious stuff;
but we all ate it with much gusto, and I confess
to some pride in the work of my hands on the occa-
sion— like Touchstone's wife, "a poor thing, but
mine own."

21th. — John re-appears with the noon-day sun ;
he had fortunately carried matches in his pouch, and
having his hunting-knife or whittle, had made himself
a fire to sleep by, but for food he had depended on the
juniper berries. In the afternoon, thinking we should
probably spend some time in the neighbourhood, we
built a shanty, roofing it with alternate layers of
spruce and pine boughs, which gave a rather pretty
result ; and as it had several varieties of game hang-
ing round the entrance, I pleased myself by fancying
some resemblance between it and Landseer's well-
known picture of "Bolton Abbey in the Olden
Time." To-day two beavers were caught in our traps.

28</i. — I set out to-day towards some mountains west-
wards, which seemed likely to hold elk, bison, and per-
haps a stray bear or two. The morning was intensely
cold, but long ere noon, Hamlet's wish was realized,
and the solid flesh was " larding the lean earth " of
the mountains. However, after walking about fifteen
or sixteen hours, and meeting no large game, I had

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 167

to make up my miiid to " camp out," supperless ; but
en revanche, I built a fire big enough for a suttee or
an auto-da-ffe, and passed a comfortable night enough,
spite of the cold. I got back to the shanty by about
7 a.m. {29th), where I found Andy had killed an elk,
and brought in part of it, so the ponies were des-
patched to bring in portions of the elk, while the
remainder was to be jerked or "boncaned" on the
spot where shot. Let me here record that my first
impression of elk potage was most favourable.

ZOth. — To-day we caught no beaver in our traps,
but found one or two legs gnawed off by these intrepid
animals in their efforts to regain their freedom. (I
learnt subsequently that our system of trapping was
radical!}' defective, as the traps should be so set as to
drown the beaver at once, and not allow him ever to
get on the bank, for if he does the alarm is given
to the entire commonwealth.) This gave me a disgust
to trapping, especially when a close acquaintance with
tiie habits of beavers, and the sight of their extra-
ordinary achievements in building and colonizing,
revealed their wonderful instincts and faculties.

Down this stream, for instance, a succession of
dams had been constructed for ever so many miles,
in fact, far as I could see : indeed these enterprising
amphibia covered with their works and dwellings a

168 E AMBLES IN THE

space of many thousand acres. Here, where willows
abounded, the dams were made after the fashion of
huge fascines, plastered over with layers of mud, and
always placed at precisely the right angle to with-
stand the force of the current; but whatever the
material, be it stones, mud, or brushwood, the beaver
makes the best use of it, and I have seen very
respectable masonry of their construction. The power
of their tails is enormous, and it is with them that they
carry logs, large stones, and mud, to give the weight
and solidity essential to finish their works. The tail
is said to be a delicacy, but I made no experiment
myself, having no leader. Their gnawing powers too
are well known, and I have seen in this beaver town
many a mountain willow and aspen tree of fully a
foot in diameter, cut down by them as neatly as if
hewed by an expert axeman. Their houses are round,
built of willows, and covered with heavy logs to
prevent the wind from carrying off the mud and clay
with which they are roofed.

Trappers say that Mrs. Beaver mere occupies the
mansion with her family of kittens, yearlings and
two-year olds, while Mr. Beaver pere is given what
policemen call "the key of the street," and has
to find himself a "pied a terre," or rather "a
I'eau," under the banks of the streams, as best he

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 169

can. This doctrine, however, of "separate main-
tenance," I ^must repudiate on the part of the
beaver family as inconsistent with the proofs one
everywhere sees of their orderly and well-regulated
existences; which might, I think, point a whole-
some moral to the sluggard and spendthrift almost
as well as the "inopi metuens formica senectas"
of Solomon and Virgil. It is said they have multi-
plied considerably since silk hats came into fashion,
for whereas their fur used to command ten dollars
per pound in the market, a whole skin can now
be purchased for about two dollars in the undressed
state. They are wonderfully cunning animals, when-
ever they have been once trapped, and I cannot
help thinking they hand down traditions of their
experiences in this line, from generation to gene-
ration.

SI St. — In this colony the beaver were evidently
on the look-out, and so we determined to prospect
for better fields for hunting and trapping ; with
that view William and Miles took the ponies
and set off into the North Park to explore, while
I set out in quest of elk and bear. The latter
animals have generally frequented the North Park
in considerable numbers, as here they found abun-
dant feeding among the huckleberries; but this

170 RAMBLES IN THE

dry 3^ear that crop has ahiiost entirely failed,
and to that circumstance, I suppose, I owe it that I
failed to get a shot at either grisly or cinnamon bear,
during the expedition : though I saw signs of them
in various directions, and fancied I could smell them ;
but the want of dogs was fatal. However, when their
coverts embrace thousands of square miles, it is a
mere chance finding Mr. Bruin at home, without the
aid of the " odora canum vis."

The huckleberry is the great undergrowth of the
pine- woods hereabouts, and its fruit, varying from the
hue of a red currant to that of a ripe black grape, is
very pretty, and also good ; but I found the trouble of
picking them this year was too great — " materiem
superabat opus " decidedly. I think they might be
introduced into our coverts with great advantage, and
have no doubt pheasants v/ould appreciate them,
while for rabbits and hares they would make very
good " lying." Coming home, I killed the largest
skunk I think I ever saw.

Sept. 1. — John and Andy were engaged during this
time jerking the elk to make it more portable ; and as
this process may not be familiar to every Englishman,
I will endeavour to give an idea of it. A number of
aspen forks are cut down and planted firmly in the
ground, in some sunny spot, and on top of these,

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 171

some six feet from the ground, are laid a lot of willow
or aspen poles, so as to form a framework. Then
the meat is cut into pieces of about a quarter of a
pound, which are skewered on small willow wands
and placed on the frame ; under them a slight fire
of willows is kept burning, to give the meat the
flavour of the wood, and so keep off the flies, which
are almost a plague here.

To-day we got a fresh supply of deer and antelope ;
William brino-ino; in the latter from the Park. I was
not a little surprised and pleased to-day at seeing a
number of sparrows among the willow-bushes — " Que
faisaient ils dans cette galere," I wonder? They were
not so fat or saucy-looking as their Johnny Bull
cousins, but otherwise had their characteristics.

In climbing up these hills I learnt to appreciate
the peasant's excellent counsel to " excelsior " —

Beware the pine-tree's withered branch ;
for when fallen pines bridge over deep ravines and
gullies, the breaking of a rotten limb may cause a
similar catastrophe to yourself, or even loss of life ;
and one may add, in these mountains, beware the
withered tree likewise, for some of these burnt trees,
if you lean your weight on them, will crash down,
and you must be careful to be on the right side of
the falling pole, or else beware the consequences !

172 RAMBLES IN THE

Srd. — Preparatory to a move into the North Park, we
shifted our camp about a mile and a half lower down
the stream, to see if the beaver there were less on
the defensive than higher up ; taking up our quar-
ters under a huge spruce-tree, which we found alrfiost
rain-proof, the evening being showery. I shot a
beaver in a dam this evening, and plunged into the
deep water after him, but he foiled me. The rain
here was snow in the mountains — pardon the bull —
as we saw by their white mantles.

4th. — Andy and William set off this morning into
the Park to kill antelope, while I started in the direction
of " the range," to see if elk had been driven down
lower by the snow there ; but the morning was so
cold, I could scarcely hold my rifle. On my return,
I pulled down about a foot of the dam where I shot
the beaver yesterday, with great labour, so well and
faithfully had it been constructed !

5th. — On my visiting it this morning, I found the
hole I had made beautifully repaired, so I abandoned
my hope of getting the beaver by drainage. Andy and
William return, having killed four antelope, with one
of which the ravens had taken liberties ; during their
expedition they had left a fire burning at their camp,
and on returning had found a general conflagration,
which consumed inter alia Andy's coat — a serious

ROCKY ilOUNTAINS. 173

lossj when fig-leaves in the shape of skins, could be
the only substitute !

6^/i. — A general resolution was adopted to-day to
move into the North Park, on whose outskirts we were
encamped, so, to lighten the load, we partly " grained "
and " fleshed " the elk skin ; we made a very good
"graining" block, by cutting down a smooth aspen
tree and placing it on a low fork, the graining knife
being a square bar of steel with two handles, which
is rubbed aloncp the hide, and takes off the hair and
glutinous particles. All round our camp, and indeed
generally through the hills, the " killikinnick " plant,
which the Indians mix freely with their tobacco, grew
in abundance. It is very like the bos, only that it
does not attain anything near the same size, and
bears a lovely little berry, the precise hue of the best
pink coral. I think it would thrive in some of our
woodlands, in the dry uplands.

7</i. — Carrying out our resolution, we "packed,"
and made an early start, proceeding in a north-westerly
direction. After a few miles we got fairly in the
North Park, which has a far more legitimate title
to the name than the " Middle," as it is a large oval
plaiii, comparatively speaking ; for though the land
rises in places to a considerable height, the view
from north to south, and east to west, is hardlv

174 RAMBLES IN THE

ever much obstructed. I can only give a vague
guess at its length or breath, but think I am within
bounds when I put down the former at about eighty
miles, and the latter at thirty. Its waters flow east-
wards: and here that mighty river, the Platte, at
least its northern fork, takes its origin.

After we had made about twelve miles, we
perceived a tent pitched, and some ponies round
it; and a visit proved it to be occupied by no
less personages than the Indian agent for the
Ute nation, accompanied by Mr. Lincoln's private
secretary. They were in quest of the " Ute tribe,"
and had just got into the Park, and were going
back again next day. They had a large suite
with them, but were so indifferently armed that —
" magnas inter opes inopes " — they had no venison,
and were glad of a supply from us. They had
just disturbed a bear among the Avillows, where
they were encamped ; but, I suppose mistrust-
ing their guns, had not even given him a parting
salute.

Proceeding some eight or ten miles further still
in a north-westerly direction over a clear prairie, for
the most part covered with sage brush, and cross-
ing a creek or two, we encamped on the edge of a
small stream, among hills covered with aspen and

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 175

cedar, and but little pine-wood. Herds of antelope
were seen in all directions, but generally from a mile
to two miles distant, and evidently very sliy ; for this
North Park is a great hunting-ground of the Indians,
as well as a battle-field, last year having witnessed an
engagement between the Utes and Rapahoe nations.
The Indian method of hunting makes the wild
animals wilder still ; for besides shooting them in
passes, and watching for them at springs and streams,
they are able by their great numbers to drive them in
herds through ravines and defiles; wdiereas white men
never hunt in large parties, but generally singly, and
consequently scare the game far less. I never tried
the plan of hoisting a red flag or even a pocket-
handkerchief, and then lying " perdu " till the ante-
lope, attracted like bulls to the strange sight, came
circling around — for, like most deer, they are as
curious and inquisitive as a turkey* — but it is said
to be a very effective mode of " pot-hunting."

8^A. — To-day we had the satisfaction of finding that
several hundred pounds of the meat jerked with so
much care had been spoilt by flies, which are almost
Egyptian here in numbers ; this was the more pro-
voking as we had carried it so far. In the evening

* Those who have studied this bird will know what an inquisitive
nature it possesses.

176 RAMBLES IN THE

it rained heavily and continuously, almost reducing
us to the condition with which Mr. Mantilini con-
tinually menaced his " cara sposa."

9^/i. — The stream we were camped on being joined
by one or two tributaries, swelled a mile or two lower
down to important dimensions, and was apparently
much " used " by beaver, and to-day we secured a
very large fellow. Some hail fell, but though so near
" the range," the stones were not nearly so large as
I saw them on the plains in the summer, where I
picked up some fully as large as a musket-ball.
Building a shanty of aspen wood, roofed with willow,
occupied this day.

10th. — Proceeding to examine the beaver traps this
morning, without a single gun or rifle in the party, we
were stared at deliberately by a large mountain lion
on the other side of the stream a few hundred yards
off only. He was in no hurry to vamoose, and cer-
tainly looked on us as the intruders. This animal
has little affinity to the lion proper, but it is akin to
the jaguar or panther — called "painter" in parts of
the States ; it is of great size and power, and
if " cornered," would be a formidable foe.

In the evening I killed a splendid buck antelope,
but had to leave him covered up with boughs, as it
was some distance to camp. I had misgivings

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 177

tliat in the morning I should find that the wolves or
bears had been feasting on him ; but on proceeding
in the morning (ll^A), vrith a pony, to bring him into
camp, I found him unscatlied.

\2th. — Visiting the traps this morning — I only set
mine occasionally — I found a musk-rat caught in one;
he was a huge fellow, and the fur appeared to me so
much better than what I had been accustomed to see
that I preserved it, intending to dedicate it to makino-
a pair of cuffs for some nameless somebody's pretty
wrists. But alas ! " Fhomme propose, mais la femme
n'en disposa pas," for the voracious ravens round our
camp, who in our absence held high festival there,
snatched off this little argosy, as Avell as a companion
to it. The larger beaver-skins were so firmly pegged
into the ground that they tried in vain to appropriate
them ; though I fancy there was a general conspiracy
against our rights of property among the fowls of the
air, for numbers of magpies, who are always at the
bottom of villanies, might now be seen daily round
our shanty.

\2ttli. — William and Miles, who had been out some
days, returning with several antelope and beaver which
they had sliot, the labour of dressing the hides com-
menced. As for the beaver-skins, they were simply
stretched in a sunny spot, and secured in the ground

12

178 RAMBLES IN THE

by sharp pegs. Deer and antelope skins have first
to be fleshed and grained on a block; then, when
free from all glutinous matter, hair, and grain, they
are either steeped in oil for several hours (our oil
we extracted from the beaver, which, I should say,
would be very good indeed for leather and harness),
and then given a bath of soapsuds — a process which
has to be repeated several times, at considerable
intervals. Then they are "pulled out" by hand, and
rubbed soft and dry ; or else they are immersed in a
solution of brains and tepid water, a process repeated,
like the oil-dressing, several times, after which
they are pulled and rubbed dry by hand. The
root of the " Spanish dagger " (" Yucca gloriosa,"
I think), which is very saponaceous, is often used
by hunters in addition to soap, or even as a substitute
for it; but here we were too high for that, by, I fancy,
several th'ousand feet. Provident hunters made their
own soap in the woods, having the materials, wood
ashes and deer fat, in endless profusion at hand.

This evening William returned late to camp, and
passing through some willow-bushes near which
"Bill" was larrietted, the latter got frightened, pro-
bably from being approached on the blind side, and
kicked his namesake resolutely ; the poor fellow got
further entangled in the larriette, and reached camp

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 179

sorely bruised, and with his shoulder out of joint. We
had all heard or read of the true theory of putting the
shoulder into place again, but knew not the practice,
and, I fear, caused poor William a world of needless
torture in our vain efforts to get the joint into its
socket again. Fortimately, we had in camp a little
alcohol, which we used to mix with sassafras bark
(supposed to be a great attraction to beaver), and
administerino; a little of this did some frood in indue-
ing sleep ; but other opiates or palliatives we had none.
So in the morning (14^/*) it was determined that
William, attended by Miles, should push on to the
Middle Park, and endeavour to reach the place where
the company of soldiers had been sent, as it Avas
hoped and expected a surgeon might be found there ;
and, if the company hadn't left their encampment,
this was much nearer, and more feasible, than a
return to Central City. So, putting the invalid on
the pony "Jack," as the easiest in his paces, we
wished them " God speed," not expecting to see
them for many a day ; when, what was our surprise
a few hours afterwards, to see William and Miles
returning ; the former, comparatively speaking, all
right again, having had his shoulder jerked into place
by a stumble of Jack " the Bone-setter's " in crossing
some broken ground.

12—2

180 E AMBLES IN THE

1 5th. — This afternoon, spite of slight showers and
clouds of menace, I baked me some bread, and rode
out, intending to have a long antelope chase ; soon,
however, it grew dark and overcast, and I was fain
to take refuge in some timber on a hill-side. Here I
built a huge fire, and, sheltered under my large
buffalo robe, bore up as well as I could against the
torrents of rain which soon soaked through ; and to
add to the agreeable sensations engendered by these
circumstances, the wolves in the neighbourhood
made a perfect " sabbat " of howling, to assure me
they knew all about my whereabouts. By-the-by,
how poor the word " howl " is in comparison with
the Latin expression "ululatus," or even the French
" hurlement," any one who has been serenaded by a
pack of wolves can testify.

I6ih. — By morning, snow had succeeded to rain, and
not wishing to prolong my stay in the neighbourhood,
I saddled " Kate Fisher," and proceeded towards
camp, but was tempted to get off " en route," as I
saw some antelopes within easy range, and neglected
to tie the mare's larriette to a sage-bush. Of course
powder and caps refused to do their duty after the
soaking of the previous night, though I had endea-
voured to keep my rifle as dry as was possible, and
a minute afterwards I had the pleasure of seeing

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 181

Kate, weary of waiting in the snow, proceeding "sola"
to camp, some miles distant, at a long leisurely-
trot, increased, however, whenever I attempted to
near her. This was bearable, and perhaps even a
not unpleasant dispensation on such a morning ; but
presently the buffalo robe, heavy with the rain-fall,
dropped off the saddle, and to " pack" this all the
way to camp was no laughing matter to me ; though,
no doubt, a capital joke to her. When I got to camp,
all the bile within me stirred by the rebellion and
treason of my horse, I had the consolation — which
the bad part of one feels in the discomfort of
others on certain occasions — to find that the willow
roof of our shanty had proved no defence against the
heavy rain, and that everything was soaking and
pulpy.

The day, however, soon cleared, and we got
some antelope before the evening ; but, as flour and
salt were nearly exhausted, there was a general reso-
lution to return soon to the eastern side of the range ;
a determination to which the rain had conduced in
no small degree, together with the porous qualities
of our willow bower ; which, in our eyes, was no
longer " a thing of beauty," and certainly not " a
joy for ever."

\8th. — This morning we found our spring partially

182 RAMBLES IN THE

frozen, but the day being lovely, as usual, I set out for
a hunt on Kate ; but — confound the cunning jade ! —
the successful trick she played me yesterday, which I
magnanimously condoned, or visited with the gentlest
of corrections, stimulated her to fresh eflforts in that
line, and off she bolted again as I was stalking an
antelope ; and, though I searched in all directions,
I could not make out her whereabouts, but returned
on foot to camp in the evening, having killed a doe
antelope, which I had been obliged to leave in
" statu quo," having forgotten to take a knife with
me. Coming back I got entangled among the
beaver-dams, and could not find the crossing of the
stream, so had to plunge into the icy cold water and
wade across. I found the camp empty, every one
being out hunting.

I8th. — In the morning, after cooking and breakfast
were despatched, I set out again to hunt for Kate, whom
I found, without much labour ; night, and her saddle
and bridle — bad sleeping and feeding companions —
having superinduced a more sober and reflective if a
sadder frame of mind. Returning with ray prize to
camp, where I had left an aflfiche stating the loss
of the mare — whether stolen or strayed — and re-
questing any of the party who might return before
rae, to assist in searching for her, I was startled to

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 183

find that Miles had come there during my absence,
and reversing mv " poster," had requested a similar
investifration to be set on foot for Jack, whom he
had lost from his camping-ground some miles off;
he was, however, found in our camp at night — the
instinct of these ponies in knowledge of country
being quite wonderful ; and, besides, I fancied
Jack had a platonic tendresse for Kate, for they
used to browse sentimentallv together in the moon-
liffht nio;hts !

William and John return in the evening with a
supply of duck and antelope, and a few specimens of
the " sucker " fish they had shot ; the latter struck
me as being a good edition of the tench.

I9th. — Andy, on his return, gave us an account of
some " Rapahoe "* Indians he met, who were scouting
for the " Utes," j their enemies. They were very
friendly to him ; indeed I cannot help thinking the
Indians are far more sinned an;ainst than sinnino-,
and that many murders which have been committed
by them on American citizens have been, for the most
part, but another instance of "the wild justice of
revenge " — seeking victims anywhere, in compensa-

* Properly "Arapahoe."

f The North Park is, I believe, debatable territory, claimed by
both nations.

184 EAMBLES IN THE

tion for long catalogues of oppi'ession, treachery,
and fraud. Unfortunately, the blow often falls
upon the innocent ; the Indian " lex talionis " not
discriminating between individuals, but requiring
life for life, irrespective of persons.

It is the fashion to abhor Indians, and General
Harney, I am told, extirpated them root and
branch, killing families indiscriminately, when he
was merely sent by the United States Government to
protect the emigration across the plains — in itself an
aggression in the eyes of Indians. He is universally
lauded as a hero in the west ; though the authorities
at Washington, if I recollect right, punished his
conduct on the occasion.

The " Mormons" — who, " on dit," have ever kept
good faith scrupulously with the Indians — are beloved
by them, and the latter would, I am sure, be a
ready instrument in their hands, should any troubles
arise between the saints and gentiles : which the influx
of miners and prospectors is very likely to accelerate.
And though we, as a nation, have no right to boast,
yet it is notorious that Indians have far more faith in
English honour than in the American article.

To go no further than our own party : had the
Indians confiscated our goods and chattels, we
should have had no just ground for complaint.

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 185

for we were know^ingly and notoriously trespassing
on their favourite hunting-grounds — their own " par
droit de conquete, de chasse, et de naissance,"
and they would have been, according to their code,
quite as much justified in taking the law into
their own hands, as an English squire would
be in prosecuting a poacher. Yet sure I am that if
a small party of Indians had attempted to " lift "
our horses, or make prize of our guns or traps, the
Americans of the part}* would have at once con-
sidered this a declaration of war, even "al cuchillo ; "
then I must perforce have taken my stand with them,
if only for dear love of life. Hinc illse lachrymje ! —
and from causes, such as this imaginary one, arise
those fearful frontier feuds, the unjust origin of
which on the part of the whites is often forgotten,
or conveniently ignored.

Indeed, the whole history of this vast teriitory is
nothing but a chronicle of utter defiance and invasion
of Indian rights ; the Government every now and
then making feeble eflPorts to do justice, and offering
compensations, liberal perhaps in their eyes, but
odious to the Indian mind, which is ever ranklinfj
with the keen sense of wrongs he can only attempt
to revenge in his fitful and impuissant way.

\9tJi. — In the morning I found myself rather the

186 KAMBLES IN THE

worse for my cold plunge when more or less heated, and
in the absence of a medicine chest, went in quest of the
balsam fir, whose gum is the hunter's specific for all
the ills that flesh is heir to. Colds and coughs, and
even internal complaints, it is said to cure by a heal-
ing magic all its own ; Avhile I can testify that for
cuts and bruises, when mixed with deer's fat, it forms
an admirable salve.

2^tli. — Flour running very short, we were put on
siege allowance. All things considered, it was re-
solved to start for the east on Tuesday next; so, as
William wanted to take some fresh antelope hams
into Central City, he went out and shot two in a few
hours' time.

21s^. — Wishing to have a farev.-ell shot at the ante-
lope, whom I had rather neglected in my vain pursuits
after the bear, I started off on Kate, but failed to
stalk any, and missed my shots off her back ; tliough
game this morning was very plentiful, only they were
in large herds, and in open country.

My boots were now worn to such an extent that,
having in view the long back track, it was not pru-
dent to take liberties with them. I had attempted
to build on the foundation of the worn soles, with
leather cut from the flap of my saddle ; but the
expedient was only of . temporary avail. Nothing

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 187

but real " iron-clads " will sustain even a brief cam-
paign ainoug those mountains ; and mine, though
built b}' a very talented French artist, in New York,
with a " solidite vraiment Anglaise," being simply
leather, and unplated, were quite unequal to tlie con-
test with the rocks in the hills, and the brush of the
plains. Even when riding, the boot becomes much
worn by the sage-bush ; and for that reason let me
recommend the traveller to have a leather guard
placed in front of the wooden stirrup — it will perhaps
save him a pair of boots and some inconvenience:
I think the Spaniards call the contrivance " tapa-
deros."

22nd. — According to resolve, we started in a north-
westerly direction; as it was proposed — mine being the
dissenting voice — to explore a new route, which some-
body had heard somebody declare to be shorter and
better than the route by which we came: and besides,
we were promised the advantage of a worn Indian
trail. After proceeding some ten miles, we found
ourselves quite at fault ; but following what looked —
from the configuration of the country — to be the line
of trail through some low hills, we had at last the
satisfaction of seeing; before us at an interval of about
a mile or more, two tall peaks, which really bore
some resemblance to gigantic rabbit ears, and gave

188 EAMBLES IN THE

the pass the name of the " Rabbit's Ears." An
easy descent soon brought us into one of what I may
call the side pockets of the Middle Park ; and as the
evening was advanced, we camped in a pleasant grove,
felicitating ourselves on the prospect of a pleasant
and short journey homewards.

Nothing could exceed the beauty of the colouring
of the low hills we passed " en chemin " to-day ;
under foot the leaves were many-hued — but a bright
scarlet predominated — then the currant and wild-
cherry bushes wore an orange scarlet livery ; while
willows and aspens bore every conceivable tint of
yellow, orange and brown, with an admixture of pale
green ; and then in the high background were the
dark unvarying hues of the green pine, forming a
frame for the picture.

23rd. — Winding along the narrow valley of a stream,
we had some difficulty in getting through fresh and
deserted beaver dams. There were bare sandy blufl's
on either side for some time, but at last the valley
widened, and we came on a large herd of antelopes
feeding; Andy, who walked about a quarter of a
mile in front to guide the cortege, and act as a
picket (for a discipline almost military is necessary
in an expedition through these plains, and men and
horses soon fall into it), shot one, a fine buck.

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 189

The whole of this part of the covintry is full of
alkali springs, and in camping this evening (24^/;),
I allowed Kate to lick up the soda freely, having an
idea that horses were the best judge of their own
dietary ; but in the morning I found my mistake, as
she was evidently unwell, generally amiss, and drawn
up, with her coat staring badly. However, we
proceeded, along a most barren and uninteresting
country, winding round high sandy bluffs, and re-
turning anon to the gorge of the stream, which soon
expanded into a small river.

Kate lagging behind, I rather inconsiderately urged
her on by a blow or two, when she took it into her
head to try a short cut to make up for lost ground,
and plunged into a deep part of the stream, where
the beaver had made a long dam; and getting ex-
hausted, from swimming with her pack on, and in
her vain efforts to climb the steep banks, I had to
j amp in and extricate her. Of course, everything was
saturated with water, and ammunition and cartridges
fared very badly.

At last we had the satisfaction of striking " the
Grand," which here is much larger than when we
first made its acquaintance, having been increased by
the Fraser and its tributaries, and, I think, some
other small streams. It was almost literally covered

190 ea:mbles in the

"svith wild-fowl of all kinds, includiuo; wild-geese.
Followincf the vallev of " the Grand " for a mile or
more, we camped in good grass, among magnificent
willow-trees, and built a huge fire.

'2i)tli. — We were still quite ignorant where we were
in reference to the hot springs, w^hich we were trying
to strike, but we followed " the Grand " for some
distance, and then fording it, found a trail leading in
a north-easterly dii'ection, which we followed. On
arrivincj at the summit of a wooded elevation, lo !
far below us could be seen the gleam of a white tent,
with ponies feeding near it; proceeding further mc
came on a waggon track, which we followed for a
mile or two, and then camped: Miles and I went in a
procession of two, to see who were the proprietors of
tent and ponies, hoping to buy or beg a few pounds
of flour, and to learn the locality of the hot springs.

Here I found what stuff Bill was made of. All
day he had been packing a heavy load in the hot sun,
yet no sooner did I get on his back, and feel him
with my knees, than he started oflF with grand long-
strides, making no sort of mistake throuffh that
broken land, and thinking no more of his gallop at
the end than I would of a mile walk, and with wind
so clear that a lighted candle might have been put
near his nostrils. Yet he was only a pony, probably

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 191

not much over fourteen hands two inches, and I was
riding him nearly thirteen stone ; and he certainly-
had eaten no corn of any sort for a long time. How
was he bred ? and what is breeding ?

The party who were encamped had come from
Empire City, for the purpose of cutting hay in the
Fraser Valley, near the foot of the range ; they pro-
posed to pack the hay over the pass on donkies, and
had — at least the " bosses " — wandered here for plea-
sure and bathing, accompanied by their wives. To
our surprise we learnt from them that we were close
to the springs — not more than two hundred yards
off — and that the company of soldiers had departed
long ago. When the soldiers set out, it was said
the object was to build a fort in the Park, to overawe
predatory Indians ; but certain malevolent individuals
hinted that the Indian bugbear was conveniently in-
vented to prevent the bold volunteers from having to
go eastwards and take part in this desolating war.

Our new acquaintances could not give us any flour
to take away, being badly supplied themselves, but
kindly asked us to tea, and baked us a loaf to take to
our absent friends at camp.

26th. — In the morning, being now comparatively at
home, John and William determined to push on to
Central, with " Bill " laden with jerked meat, &c.,

192 RAMBLES IN THE

\vhicli they wanted to convert into cash ; while IMiles,
Andy, and self proposed to stay a few days longer, and
fish the Grand near our old quarters ; so wishing them
" bj'-by," we started with some venison to the
ladies' bower, proposing to breakfast with them, and
then visit the hot springs.

Tiiese latter alone are well worth a visit to the
Park, nor would I have missed seeing them on any
account. Following a stream which runs into the
Grand River, here flowing through a fine gorge
between high hills, a few yards bring you to a table-
rock, from which pours down into a well-worn basin
a heavy jet of water, with a fall of about twelve feet.
Approaching this basin, which is encrusted all round
with a sulphureous deposit, you find the water so hot
you can hardly bear it at first, but after a few minutes
spent, tant soit j^^^h unpleasantly in acclimatizing
yourself, you will find it the most delicious warm
douche you ever took. I confess I could hardly tear
myself away from it, and never felt so invigorated by
anything in my life ; it reminded me of the fountain of
youth and health which formed such a feature in the
wild dreams of the early Spanish adventurers on this
continent, not to speak of those of our own great
Raleigh. Yet these dreams did great things for the
world, even in their "dissipation;" for the pursuit

EOCKY aiOUNTAINS. 193

of the chimera led to the finclhig of the substance.
And wlio can estimate the blessings we, sober-minded
votaries of the actual and practical, owe to the heated
imaginations and wild distempered fancies of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?

I had been oblio;ed to dose Kate this mornino- with
a largish allowance of liquefied bacon fat, this being
an antidote to the alkali she had swallowed, which
had reduced her terribly, and might, if neglected, have
killed lier. In addition, her withers were galled bv
packing my load badly, so I gave her a bath, much
against her will at first ; but once in, she seemed to
relish it greatly, and I thought it did her a world of
good.

Climbing to the top of the table rock, we found
four large wells, by which the warm stream was fed ;
these are said to have each different medicinal qualities,
but I failed to discover much variety in the taste of
the waters, and I doubt their ever having been scien-
tifically analyzed. A hunter had discovered these
springs some time ago, and consequently, by squatter
law, was entitled to them. He sold his claim not
long ago to a7i enterprising man — or rather the enter-
prising man — of the territory, Mr. Russell, for the sum
I think of 1,000 dollars, about 204?. English. That
gentleman has already commenced a waggon-road

13

194 RAMBLES IN THE

from Empire City over the range, of which some six
miles are finished, and though the work languishes
from want of funds, it is said Eastern " greenbacks "
will come to his aid soon ; more especially when it is
generally known that a road carried through the Park
will be a much shorter route to Salt Lake and the
Pacific than via the Cheyenne pass.

Should it ever be my fortune to revisit these whilom
haunts of Indian savagery, I shall expect to see these
" hot springs " as fashionable in their way as Spa and
Komburg, and I am pretty sure gambling will be
carried on with as much avidity ; for surely may they
say with Juvenal, of this country, —

Noste
Nos facimus fortuna deam, cceloque locamus.

In the afternoon we made some nine or ten miles
through a lovely country ; but owing to carelessness
in extinguishing fire, many miles square had recently
been burnt, and trees and shrubs were even yet
smouldering in places.

27t]i. — Moving to an old camping-ground on Eraser
River in the morning, we had the pleasure of meeting
two hunters who had unfortunately lost their powder
early in their trip, and were consequently as anxious
to see meat once more as we were to taste flour, so we
had no difficulty in making a good exchange. They

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 195

had been prospecting for a great bed of virgin copper,
wliicii one of them had found a year or two ago, but
never could regain the spot. In tlie afternoon I
fished down the Eraser, but caught only one fish — a
fine trout weighing, I think, over 3 lbs. ; other rise,
strange to say, I had not, and Andy and jNIiles were
not even as successful as myself

Our friends the hunters must have left a fire in
their camp unextinguished, for presently, as I was
fishing down stream, I heard a sound as of distant
artillery, and saw a black pall of smoke advancing
rapidly towards the river, while behind it a thick wall
of red lurid flame came surging along; remindino-
me — by what mental link I am unable to say —
of those vast hosts of Attila which swept the Roman
Empire with a besom of fire. Fortunately the wind
blew the fiery column away from our camp, and
besides, the broad Fraser intervened ; but as the fire
crept along one bank of the stream, willows disappeared
before it, crackling like dried weeds. In the evening
it had gained a wooded hill near us, and the effect of
the flames was very grand, obscuring the nearly full
moon, which was climbing the sky behind that hill.

28^//. — We moved on to the Grand to-day to fish, but
the season for the gentle art was evidently on the wane ;
nevertheless I caught five splendid trout. Andy was

13—2

196 RAMBLES IN THE

unlucky, but INIiles got two fine fish. These trout are
evidently sahnon-trout, "salino ferox," having quite
that flavour, and the colour o? the salmon besides.

Havino; to return some distance alone; the river, I
found the miserable condition of my boots very annoy-
ing ; indeed, as Sheridan said of the man who was
being conveyed by porters in a bottomless sedan-chair,
" Save for the dignity of the thing," I might almost
as well have walked " nus pieds: " and yet there was
a sood deal in that " almost/' and I must not be un-
grateful to the old coaches.

Apropos of stories, every one knows the old " Joe
Miller" of the gentleman at Bath^ who inquired for
a well-known beau there (perchance the " Nash "
himself), and was informed by his valet that he had
been " dying " * for several hours, to his infinite con-
sternation. Well, a similar shock was given me
before I started : on my inquiring for a man 1 knew
at Central, and being told he was " burying," I con-
cluded sudden calamity or pestilence had been busy
with his houshold, and tried to compose my coun-
tenance to befit so sad and solemn an occasion ; f but
was pleasantly relieved by ascertaining that the word

* At Lexington, Kentucky, I read the sign of a dyer with this
facctia on it: " I live to die, and die to live."

•{■ Vultu ad moestitiam composito. — Tacitus: Annahs.

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 197

iiere referred to picking currants and raspberries in
the woods — a very popular institution, like "nutting"

anions i^s.

29th. — Snow fell in the morning, and the weather
was biting cold ; but in utter defiance of all pisca-
torial convenance, as well as our experience of the
last few days, we ivoidd fish. The result of the three
rods was nil ; indeed, I think I only hooked a single
fish. Snow fell pretty thick during the night, but
the cold had sensibly decreased.

30;'^.— The morning rose fair as could be, but snow
lay everywhere when we started for the range; though
by the time we made the second crossing of Fraser
River, it had almost disappeared, save on the range
above us. Following the track by which we had
entered the Park in August, we made some six or
seven miles beyond Fraser, and camped very near the
commencement of the range proper, where timber
ceases. We did not propose to venture over the Hog-
back again, but to go round by an easier pass, over
which waggons had actually been dragged by cattle —
a road longer, it is true, but much safer ; and once
the range surmounted, there would be a good road,
we knew, via Gold-dirt City to Central.

Oct. \st. — We had some slisiit trouble in findincr
our way over the range, as the snow lay a foot deep in

198 KAMBLES IN THE

places, and the wind revelled without one check on the
top, blowing about the dry snow like dust ; but, once
in the timber on the other side, we came to a good
road, and soon struck the Boulder stream, emerging
ere long into a fine valley, where a cattle ranche had
lately been established, under, I should think, very
good auspices, for the valley seemed very grassy, and
a beautiful stream flowed rioht through its entire
extent.

A small railed-in enclosure liere marks the spot
where a hunter and trapper had succumbed to small-
pox, as he was returning laden with peltry. He had
caught the disease from the Indians, among whom it
aj^pears in a virulent form, and had died here (pro-
bably from neglect in a great measure) almost within
sight of his goal ; a plain board headstone, to use an
Irishism, with a lead pencil inscription, which the
dryness of the climate preserved intact, told the sad
story.

A few miles further broutrht us to the mininij town
of Gold-dirt, which once promised great things, but
is now all but deserted. However, there is one very
flourishing mine there still, in which the Governor of
the territory has, I believe, a large interest. Here
we met a very warm and friendly reception from an
uncle of Andy's, who had, like his nephew, forsaken

ROCKY :srouNTAiNS. 199

a comfortable farm in Iowa, and sought his fortunes
out here till " the troubles " were over. I had for-
tunately preserved, by freezing at night, three very
large trout, which astonished these good folks not
a little, as they had never seen anything of the sort
before.

%id. — Next day we made our way to Central City,
which is only some eight or nine miles distant, passing
through several villages, which showed evident signs
of the chequered fortunes of mining life.

And here ends this episode in my visit to these
western countries — very uneventful, it is true, but in-
teresting to me, as every new phase of life would be,
and I hope not wholly the reverse to those who have
accompanied me in spirit. The country we travelled
over possesses this additional circumstance of attrac-
tion, that in the probable course of human events
there is little reason to doubt that ere long these wild
haunts of the bear, the bison, the elk, and the ante-
lope, will be ringing with the sounds of civilization,
and man the contriver (7r£pt<^paSt)c avi;pj will replace
man the hunter, as the latter is now elbowing out
the Indian, so long lord paramount of these wilder-
nesses.

Since writing these pages I have been struck by
the recollection of an old school custom, which rises

200 . liAirBLES IN THE

to my memory as vividly as if I liad but lately
emerged from those golden days. We of the sixth
form used to be allotted, after the Rugby fashion,
separate rooms, ostensibly to foster the more arduous
cultivation of the Muses — who, like modern girls, are
supposed to respond best to ardent vows in bowers
secluded from the profane world ; but though I will
not say that the liberal arts suffered by our dignified
privacy, I do know that whist, conviviality, and
general good-fellowship were much promoted by
the arrangement of " studies." On Saturday night,
one of our number invariably gave a supper-party to
his form, after which singing songs was the order of
the evening ; and though man}- ditties had great runs,
none, I think, was so popular as one which, after
a preamble that " some loved to roam o'er the dark
sea's foam," and do several other equally irrational
things, declared the singer's and the whole chorus's
choice was " a life in the woods I "

Now, I cannot help wondering if any of our warblers
have ever carried out in life the vows they then made
in song ; but I must suppose not, as such a chance
falls to few Englishmen, unless their fortunes (or the
want of them) carry them to America or Canada; yet
in this western country the thing is so easy, and
withal so healthful, and inexpensive, and fascinating.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 201

that I hope I may be successful in persuading some
to try it, as I can assure those who do, that it will
fully repay them in increased health and energy, and
in the satisfaction of having made one step out of the
ordinary groove of tourists in a land where cockneys
and their ways are utterly unknown.

On returnino- to Central Citv I found that an im-
mense excitement had arisen about the Bannack City
mines, situated several hundreds of miles north of
this place, and beyond Salt Lake City; from this small
town alone it was calculated that 500 able-bodied
men had " stampeded " thither, and from other
parts of the country there had been a similar exodus.
Notwithstandincr this drain, however, the sio-ns of
progress were visible everywhere : new mills were
rising fast ; brick buildings of good proportions were
elbowing out the old v/ooden and log fabrics ;
Denver had connected herself with the California
telegraph, and Central, not to be behindhand, had
linked itself to Denver ; and the Mint in the latter
place (of which I spoke in some respects unjustly)
had actually started into life : the Stars and Stripes
waved over a decent edifice of brick, which was actu-
ally commencing, or about to commence, business ;
its chief being a Mr. Lane, own brother to the famous
— or notorious — "Jim Lane" of Kansas, senator,

202 RAMBLES IN THE

partisan, statesman, ^yarrior, and 1 leave friends

and foes to fill up the hiatus as they please.

Volunteering, too, was going on at a great rate,
and various stimulants, besides large bounties, were
freely administered in the form of placards, to rouse
the public appetite for the Colorado cavalry service.
One of these ajiches struck me as so original that I
copy it yerbatim : —

" Old Top, are you on it ? Come in out of the
Draft ! Enlist in the Cavalry ! Charge round on a
brave horse, and show the world that you are no
sardine! The 1st Colorado Cavalry, alias 'Pet
Lambs,' alias ' Drathers,' cannot be beat in this or
any other country. The}^ have been tried, and fill
the bill to a ' T.' Why will you waste your sweetness
on the desert air, sweating your life away by daily
labour, when your country needs you, and will give
you your regular old advance pay and bounty, to say
nothing about the good clothes and square meals :
regular old hotel fare you will get ! You will be
mustered out in one year with the regiment, and get
the same bounty as if you served three years ! Come
up to the office, and see us. Take a United States
smoke, and get acquainted with the boys ! "

Having been informed at the Denver P. O. that a
business letter which I expected had not arrived

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 203

(though it turned out to have been lying in the office
all the time), I had no alternative but to write to my
agents in New York, and await an answer with as
much patience as I could muster ; but as I did not
fancy a long stay in Denver, I rode back to Central
on a perfect little hunting pony I had purchased, and
persuaded Andy and Miles to recross the range, and
spend a few weeks more in the Park.

As we got to "Boulder Ranche " the weather,
lovely up to this time, looked, as the nigger in the
minstrelsy says, very " omnibus," and flocks of
brants, and tiny " snow-birds," — sure heralds of a
storm, — warned us back : but in vain. We thought
we had immunity from heavy snow till Christmas at
least, as the Indian summer was bound to last till
then, according to the reckoning of all weather-wise
people ; but by the time we reached Stillwater Lake,
there was considerable snow on the ground, and it
was still falling fast at intervals ; the weather in-
tensely cold : in fine, there we were snowed up,
apparently, for the winter, with small prospect of
trapping beaver, as the ice was half a foot thick on
the Grand, and there were at least two feet of snow,
after a few days, on the ground.

Fortunatel}^ there was a magnificent herd of
elk — upwards of a hundred, T think — round the

204 RAMBLKS USr THE

liills near the lake, and we each of us killed one,
so there was no fear of starvation; but- in hunt-
ing, I had the misfortune to freeze one of mv feet
badly, and not feeling it at the time, had neg-
lected to tliaw it out in cold water, and thus
became completely "liors de combat." I fully
resolved that, so soon as the prospect brightened ever
so little, I would make a run for it, at all hazards ;
and accordingly, having got rid of most of my im-
pedimenta, though burdened with two elk hides, the
"opima spolia" — at least, one of them — of the finest
animal I ever saw, the lord and ruler over that larce
lierd of between one and two hundred, and a magni-
ficent head and antlers I intended to brinu home as
specimens, I set out with my ponies (who had sub-
sisted for the last ten days on a miserable pittance of
frozen grass, procured by pawing off the superincum-
bent snow) for Fraser River, hoping there to find
some of the hay-making party, who had a log-cabin
there ; but though the distance was not much over
fifteen miles, it took me a great part of three days to
accomplish It, and then the ponies were rather ex-
hausted by their eiforts.

I shall not easily forget my feelings of relief and
thankfulness when I saw the blue smoke cui-lincr
upwards from the log-hut of the hay-makers, assuring

EOCKY JIOUNTAINS. 205

me that, at any rate, I should find warmth and
sheher, and probably assistance in crossing the range;
and besides there was a large stack of hay for the
ponies, and shelter for them, too, on its lee side.

Had this party left the park, as I much feared they
would, driven off by the premature severity of the
season, my situation would have been unpleasant in
the extreme ; for if the passes had not been travelled
over since snow began to fall, the depth would pro-
bably have rendered crossing a service of considerable
danger, and my ponies, in their half-starved state,
were not equal to any great efforts, nor could I give
them much assistance.

True, I carried a good supply of meat with me, and
a little bread, but my stock of the latter was getting
very small, and I had no cooking utensils. However,
now, thank God, all apprehensions on these grounds
were removed.

Entering the log-hut, I found two of the hay-
makers still there ; but the principal " bos," or
chief of the party, whom I had met but a few weeks
before in the highest health and spirits at the hot-
springs, had missed his way close to this log shanty
in a heavy snow-fall, and though every search was
made, his corpse could not be found ; for that he
perished from the effects of the cold was incontestable.

206 RAMBLES IN THE

After waiting three days here, a slight thaw set in,
and as the "trail" by Empire City had been kept
open more or less, I found no great difficulty in
making that village in one day, with, the aid of a
guide, though the distance was about twenty-five
miles. Arrived there, my ponies were my first care,
and I had the mortification to find that hay had
mounted, in consequence of the cold " snap," and
the blockade of the roads, to the enormous price of
eightpence per pound, and was so scarce at that,
figure, that I failed in securing a mouthful for my
unfortunate nags, though I got them a handful or
two of maize at proportionate rates.

The weather ever since has been lovely and genial,
and on the eastern slopes the snows have melted
away ; and were it not for my frozen foot, I would be
glad to spend another few weeks in that grand
jSIiddle Park, and see how Andy and Miles, who had
voted themselves a " fur-company," were progressing
in their eff'orts to collect wolf and fox skins, and
mink and martin, of which there were several in the
neighbourhood of our camp.

I hope it will not be deemed superfluous, if I add '
a few lines on the subject of public sentiment in
Colorado with reference to Europe.

It may be deemed a matter of but slight moment

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 207

wliat people think on these subjects at a distance of
upwards of five thousand miles, but if it be true that
— spite of the desolating wars which now ravage
so large a portion of the universe, and the dark war-
clouds which lower over the remainder — the world is
being more and more swayed by the dominion of
thought and moral power, the opinion of a very
intelligent and advanced community such as that
which occupies Colorado and its neighbouring terri-
tories, cannot fail to carry with it something of
interest, and something also of weight, even if un-
acknowledged.

On mv first arrival here I felt that I almost
belonn-ed to a hostile, rather than an allied and a
friendly, power. The Federal party were openly
crying out for war with England, and retaliation
and privateering were among the milder measures
advocated. Every blow inflicted by the Alabama
and Florida on American commerce was appraised
at its fullest value, and compound interest, with
a handsome bonus besides, was to be demanded
from " perfidious Albion."

It is true, the Southern party was more friendly
disposed ; but its attidude was more one of anxious
hope mixed with much apprehension as to the policy
of foreign powers, than of confidence or expectation ;

208 RAMBLES IN THE

and this party, though strong here, would not of
course be very outspoken under the existing pressure
of armed force, espionage, and provost-marshals at
every turn. Four months have, however, produced
quite a revolution in public opinion, which is almost
as mobile as the Athenian of old. Earl Russell's
speech at Blair- Athol is warmly applauded, and has
thrown any amount of oil on the troubled waters
of popular indignation; while the attitude of our
Government, and the changed tone of part of our
press, have worked wonders in soothing the vanity of
the ruffled public mind.

I think Lord Palmerston would find licre a fair
share of support against any candidate for the premier-
ship that is likely to arise among the narrow lists of
" possibles ;" though, of course, no one conversant with
American sentiment, can doubt for a moment that
Bright and Cobden are the men wdiom Northerners
would fain see at the head of England's councils.

But the effervescence which lately boiled up so
fiercely against England, is now turned against
France, and that with far more earnestness and
meaning. I have no doubt that, were the war to
close soon, a small army of filibusters would be
raised here, in behalf of what is deemed the popu-
lar party in Mexico, and with the determination

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 209

of driving the French into the sea ; it may be that
companies of individuals will attempt some mad de-
monstration of thi.' sort, oven before that nmch-wished-
for epoch arrives : indeed, I have heard some indis-
tinct rumours and mutterings of the kind already.

It is astonishing how deeply that sop to the
gigantic vanity of the Americans, the Monroe theory,
has penetrated all minds ; and there can be no doubt
that, in spite of the enormous inducements for people
to remain at their peaceable callings and avocations
in this country, armed men would rise as from the
fabled dragon's teeth, from the very ground, and from
under the ground, in vindication of that very doubt-
ful, and, as it appears to me, irrational doctrine.

There is, I think, no particular love for Mexicans
in the sentiment; except that nations, like individuals,

are perhaps disposed to feel a patronizing affection for
those whom they have well " whipped," and that, as

in younger life, masters will make it a point of honour

to fight for the fags whom they themselves bully.

But it is the notion of interference and meddling, as

they deem it, which they are in no mood to brook ;

and, though patient and forbearing under what they

consider a national insult, it is —

The vigil long
Of him who trcasuics up a wrong.

14

210 RAMBLES IN THE

CHAPTER IV.

Sed revocare gradus superasque evadere ad auras,
Hie labor, hoc opus est. — Virgil.

No warmth, no cheerf uhiess, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member :
No shine, no shade, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no bii'ds, no leaves. No-vember.

Hood.

Having said all I know about Colorado and its
cities in esse and posse, I suppose the natural course
would be to write " Finis," after the fashion of
the school literature of my day — a word which was
generally hailed with more delight than any other
in the volume; as I find that I must perforce
retrace my steps, instead of extending my driftings
into new Mexico and from thence via California
t(j Old Mexico, returning to England by the West
India Royal Mail Company's route from Yera Cruz,
or Tampico, — a fair vision of travel which I had pic-
tured to myself, with anticipations of pleasant excite-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 211

meut from the ferce and feri indigenous to this line
of countiy, and of obstacles all surmounted success-
fully with the ease and aplomb with which " raspers "
and "jawners" are sailed over, under the genial
influences of a wood fire, and a magnum of '34 claret,
earned by hard work in the shape of a good day's
sport with hounds, or in covert, when, if ever it be
granted to sing in chorus with Tom Moore, the Pute
of Ireland, but now, I believe, more especially and
locally of Westmoreland Street, Dublin —

If there be an Elysium on earth it is this — it is this !
For — pardon the digression — is there not there the
positive happiness of a good dinner done justice to,
the memory of which, like that of a good deed, is so
delightful a retrospect? — and sure Paley, no mean
authority, " non sordidus auctor," places the nerves
of felicity in the gastronomic region ! Is there not,
rising in the scale of the beatitudes, "The sober
certainty of waking bliss" in that postprandial forty
minutes which innovators denounce as " barbarous,"
because not "continental," and because their luke-
warm spirits could never rise to the delights of the
occasion ? Beyond, are there not the more chastened
pleasures of the drawing-room, to which you o-ain
access by no " Al Shiraz " bridge, but through an
easy portiere, and where —

14—2

212 RAMBLES IN THE

Rear'd by each grace, but still to be
Man's household Anyadomene,

woman sheds her fascmations, increasing and in-
tensifying in their magnetism with the circling hours,
like the odours of the night-bloomino- Cereus. And
if this be not enough to fill your cup of happiness,
is there not, even after that planetary influence has
been withdrawn from your horizon, the half-hour of
half-hours in the smoking-room with the few " ames
d'elite," when with nerves in harmony with all ex-
ternal things, hope and memory speak only in pleasant
tones, and the world appears for the time, as we are
told in the good book 'twas originally created — a very
good one?

May this long ramble be forgiven me, in con-
sideration that I write in a land where such hearty
pleasures exist not, and that, as dancing music some-
times fairly gets into the heels of some charming
terpsichorean, the very mention of the subject inci-
dentally has positivelyrun away with my pen. Having
then to return to the east via " the River," as the
Missouri is invariably styled west of its banks —
much as the Egyptians talk of the Nile, or as the
Chaldasans did of the Euphrates — it has occurred
to me that, having dwelt somewhat tediously on the
trip to Colorado, I might improve the occasion by

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 213

saying a few ^Yords about mj experiences on the road
home, in the hope that my discomforts may prove
pilots to any future mariner on these stormy land-seas.
When I escaped from the snows of the IMiddle
Park in the lightest of travelhng order, having been
obliged to abandon even " ce superflu ci necessaire," I
had requested my friends at the haymakers' shanty to
pack a magnificent fifteen-point elk-head with the
hide, which I was most anxious to preserve as a
hunting trophy from the Rocky Mountains, on donkeys,
over the passes of " the range," and in consideration
of this future service and past hospitality, had pre-
sented them with a very fair guerdon. They promised
to send them to Denver within a fortnight — a period
which I deemed only sufficient to cure my frost-bite,
which looked rather serious, to enable me to sell my
ponies, and make all other arrangements for departure.
Besides, I was assured by the weather-wise and old
denizens of the country, that such a cold snap as we
had just experienced was as exceptional as the visita-
tion of a comet ; and I therefore looked forward
rather confidently to a warm, sunshiny journey across
the plains, with vegetation improved by the snowy
shroud in which it had lain perdu so long, and the
roads in their normal condition of hard excellence,
once the effects of the thaw had subsided.

214 E AMBLES IN THE

To strengthen these delusive hopes and antici-
pations, I had not been two days in mine inn at
Denver, ere the weather became genial and balmy
as in our warmest days of May or early June.
True, the ground was covered with snow nearly a
foot in depth, but it was fast yielding to the hot
rays, and the labourer might literally have obeyed
the Virgilian precept,

Nudus ara, sere nudus,
had he been so minded, and the " code costumier "
permitted such an innovation. The ravens — here
almost as numerous as crows — were uttering guttural
jubilations to be interpreted by none save Teutons ;
and all the animal creation was rejoicing in the
change from "frigidum sine" comfort to "calidum
cum," when lo ! as unexpected as unwelcome, another
cold snap, almost equal in intensity to the former,
came on, and with it more snow, though not in any
great quantity or volume. I had turned out my
quadrupeds on a ranche near town, as to keep them
at livery at the rate of 7s. 6d. per diem apiece
far exceeded my financial resourses, especially when
nearly all the grooming they got had to be performed
" in propria," and not by deputy ; and on my visit-
ing them the second day of the cold weather, I found
poor " Kate Fisher," who had suifered greatly from

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 215

cold and starvation in the park previously, nearly a
subject for the kennel — she must have become so
quite in a short time if left there; while my other
pony, whose early life had probably been spent
among the Indians, was also in rather a dilapidated
condition, though he bore the chilly influences
better than his companion. Their state resolved
my determination. I had entertained an idea of
purchasing a light conveyance of some kind, and
driving back this pair (though no more matches
than Smike's shoe and boot were "a pair") — a course
now impossible for some time, without morally in-
curring all the pains and penalties of Dick Martin's
act. To keep them in a stable at existing rates till
condition could be built up, was not to be seriously
considered, so I sold them right off at a figure which
transcended my previous experiences of " alarming
sacrifices " in horseflesh ; and as the overland stage
company could not promise a seat for some time, I
took a passage in a team proceeding to Omaha next
day, determining to wait no longer for the advent of
my promised antlers, and " opima spolia."

I knew something of my compagnons de voyage,
and we made up our minds to urge our vetturino
to make the quickest tracks he could eastwards, as
we argued that every mile by which we increased

216 EAMBLES IN THE

our distance from tke Rocky Mountains, would bring
us into a better climate, and make travellincr more
tolerable. Llwmme propose ! instead of diminish-
in<y, the cold and snow seemed to follow us in o;reater
force over the dreary plains which looked Arctic in
their frozen wretchedness. Followins: the Platte
river, instead of taking the "cut off" road, as in
summer, and making but short journeys owing to
the extreme cold, we passed the old Indian trading
posts which marked the first settlement of this
territory by the hardy trapper and hunter, and
whose names, such as " St. Vrain, Cache la Poudre,"
and " Vasquez," told of their foreign origin. These
mud, or adobe buildings have been called " forts,"
and retain their nomenclature; though apparently
strong only against the attack of Indian arrows.
They are now ranches for the accommodation of the
"pilgrims" going and coming, and I think "Fort
a lice^^ would be a more appropriate designation
for them, as I am convinced their borders are not
free from those invaders.

This dreary monotony of slow travelling, and
miserable accommodation at night, in which all
our efforts were necessary to save ourselves from
freezing, varied only by a running accompaniment
of lean and hungry Cassius-like wolves, who kept

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 217

at a distance barely respectful, continued for some
five or six days, when we encountered a " tour-
meute " of snow, which was not only extremely
disagreeable but withal dangerous. At the time
we saw it coming we were some miles from any
ranche, and the danger to be dreaded was that we
might miss the track, unmarked and undistin-
guished in any way save by the proximity of the
poles of the telegraph (that great Memnonian harp
of the 19th century), which rose not far from the
road all the way from the Missouri river. 1 shall
never, I think, forget the way in which the wind,
careering with unchecked violence on those vast
plains, lifted up huge clouds of the frozen snow,
like so much dust, and buffeted us with it till men
and horses were well nigh blinded by the fury of the
assault.

An old mountaineer and myself had to take
charge of the waggon, as the " Bos " and the rest
were fairly knocked out of time by the storm and
cold, and had subsided into blankets and buffalo
robes. And indeed, had not the horses, by a mar-
vellous instinct, persevered in following the road, and
faced the storm in an undaunted manner, I can
hardly say what the results might have been ; for
latterly the telegraph poles — our sun, moon, and

218 EAMBLES IN THE

stars — were imdistinguishable, and to have wandered
out of our course would, I think, have proved fatal
to some at least of the party ere the storm had sub-
sided. At last, however, the gallant pair, worthy of a
mural crown, for saving so many " citizens," brought
up at a small ranche, which, but for their sagacity,
we might easily have passed unnoticed. Here we
found a number of storm-stayed unfortunates, con-
demned for their rashness in crossing the prairies in
such weather to learn something of the amenities of
a middle passage, or an "emigrant hold," ere the
government had taken the care of these poor victims
to shipmasters' greed properly in hand.

Fancy fifty or sixty rough specimens of humanity
crowded into a small room, heated by one or more
stoves, on which all are trying to cook their rations
of the unclean animal, bake their bread, or "biscuits"
(as the Americans call the hot rolls which they so
much affect at every meal, to the manifest injury of
the digestive machinery), and to boil the coffee with
which the rudis indigestaque moles is washed down.
At the end of the room is a small bar where the
ranchero stands, at the receipt of custom, dispensing
liquid poison liberally in return for shin-plasters and
" currency ; " the effect of which is soon manifested
by the most damnable iteration of awful blasphemies

ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 219

uttered by thick tongues, and more especially the
constant repetition of that most sacred name which,
to English ears, is most offensive, even where cal-
loused more or less by use. Snow brought in by
every incomer melting in the hot and stifling atmo-
sphere, together with copious expectorations, had
reduced the mud floor to an unpleasant consistency ;
yet here you must make your bed and woo nature's
sweet restorer, unless you have been lucky enough to
pick out a sheltered spot in the large shed which
serves for a stable, and have a sufficiency of robes
and blankets to mock the cold ! This description
gives an idea, though an undercoloured and inade-
quate one, of the agrdmens of our trajet per waggon
across Nebraska for some seven or eight days more ;
though in some ranches the features of the case were
worse, in others better, according as the dimensions
were ample or contracted. At the stage stations,
however, comfortable meals were procurable for the
not very high sum of 3s. ; and in one or two of
the ranches better night accommodation was pro-
curable, if you were early in the field, and willing
to pay for " luxuries."

Nor, indeed, was the case of the crowded overland
stage company's coaches much better ; as the roads
prevented rapid locomotion, and the drivers, follow-

220 RAMBLES IN THE

ing the example set by nearly all classes of employes
throughout the States, were preparing for a general
strike, and were indulging in what was called here a
" tear," — which, translated into American, means
that they were very " tight," — in plain English, they
were di'inking harder than usual, and were reckless
of consequences ; under these circumstances, the
mails were delayed most unconscionably; the drivers,
unless handsomely bribed by the passengers, " laying
over " on the score of weather and danirer !

Thus, though the cold moderated considerably,
matters stood till we got within some twenty-five
miles of Fort Kearney, and as I gained a glimpse of
Buffalo in the distance by climbing on to the roof of
a dobee ranche, I determined to relieve myself from
the unpleasant congregation of " bull-whackers " and
the very mixed multitude in which we had got intri-
cated by the storm ; so when the teamster sounded
his note of preparation in the early morning, with
the usual formula of " All aboard for Omaha, or
the River ! " I took out my property and wished
him hon voyage : to our mutual satisfaction, no doubt,
as he had pocketed the fare for the entire distance
(no American " parts," without strong pressure), and
the loss of some two hundred and odd pounds of live
and dead weight is no small consideration, when the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 221

snow is deep and the way is long ; and I was sick
ad nauseam of the conveyance.

I have but little to sav anent buffalo-huntincf, as,
though I tried the brutes on four different occasions,
wasting much energy and caloric on them, the result
— except in the amusement I derived from contem-
plating their huge ungainly forms — was nil. The last
time I made my essay with a regular semi-profes-
sional hunter ; but he was even less fortunate in his
stalks than myself, as I always got a few long shots,
some of which ricochetted and thudded against their
shaggy armour, but perfectly harmlessly, as the range
varied from five to eight hundred yards. The fact
was, time and place were both unfavourable in the
extreme. The cunning; beasties had carefullv with-
drawn from the bluffs and broken ground, when a
little dexterity and knowledge of stalking would have
brought a hunter within seventy or eighty yards of
their whereabouts ; at which distance a buffalo ought
to be brought to " attention " very readily by one or
two shots, when, with a breech-loading rifle or a
revolver, you can soon finish the work. Hunting
them afoot on the open prairie, where there are no
favouring gullies or ravines, is said to be dangerous,
as a wounded bull can make a fast and furious
rush, and no ordinary runner can avoid their charge

222 RAilBLES IN THE

save by a well-directed shot or two at close quarters,
and for that some nerve, and luck too, is wanted.

In the present case, there they were in droves of
twenty and upwards, dotting the level plateau
covered with frozen snow from two or three feet
deep, far as the eye could extend. Generally speak-
ing, they commenced skedaddling like wild-geese in
long single file, ere one could get within half a mile
of them, looking for all the world like small elephants
as they cantered away into the far distance, with
their short tails stuck up in the air like quarrelsome
terriers ; then so soon as one drove started, a regular
stampede ensued, and you had to turn your attention
to some new lot of black specks in a totally different
direction, to be probably served in the same fashion
da capo.

Towards sundown, however, you had a better
chance of getting within range, and once, by dint of
much genuflexion and serpenting on the frozen snow,
I got within about 150 yards of a small herd of six,
who saw me most distinctly in my ajjproaches ; but
as I salaamed and kotooed in the most abject manner
whenever the watchful taurus turned to stare at me
in his vulgar bovine way, I suppose they thought I
was something too insignificant for notice, and so
svifFered me to draw near. When quite satisfied as

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 223

to range, and with arrangements for rapid firing as
to cartridges, &c. completed, lo ! the cap (not Eley's)
refused to perform its functions, and the chance
never returned.

The stalker has this immense advantage over the
buffalo, if to windward of him, that the latter, if ap-
proached sideways, has to make a regular turn of his
neck to see his pursuer, owing to the quantity of
shaggy hair with which his neck is covered ; and
I am convinced from what I observed that this
position is so unpleasant, that nothing short of a
sense of what he owes to his personal dignity and
safe keeping would induce ]\Ir. Buffalo to prolong
his stare, giving him, as it must, something akin to
our crick in the neck.

The legitimate way of hunting buffalo, now univer-
sally practised by white and red men alike, is on
horseback, and with a revolver, or any other weapon
you fancy ; but the former is far the handiest, and
most deadly at the short range you thus secure.

Your horse, pony, or mustang, however, should be
a "hunter" (though not in the sense in which a
Symmons or a Potter would understand the term),
should have a decided taste for the sport, and an
entente tres cordiale with yourself, or both may
come to considerable grief. I could have got a very

224 E AMBLES IN THE

good mount, but the snow was too deep and con-
creted to think of riding hai'd. Mj host, the ran-
chero, a very pleasant person, who to much experience
on this continent added a large stock acquired in the
East India Company's service, and whose wife — Dutch
like himself — was a very bijou of the domestic
virtues and a real helpmate to her husband, such as
is rarely met in these latitudes, wanted me to wait
patiently in his " dobee " till the snows melted,
when he promised me a " big hunt " on the Repub-
lican, a stream which runs here some sixteen or
eiohteen miles south of the Platte, and where game
of all kinds, including deer and wild turkeys, abound;
but the great uncertainty of the prospect balanced
the reversionary advantages to accrue from a stay, and
after wasting two days and a half in futile efforts to
circumvent " messires les buffes," I got a conveyance
to take me to Fort Kearney, there to await the chance
of a seat in the coach.

While on the subject of " sport," I may mention
that all along the plains here in winter there is good
wolf-coursing ; a chasse not to be altogether despised
in its place, though the pace is far from good, and
the " obstacles " absolutely none : unless it be, per-
haps, some natural ditch in the prairie, or small
" slue," over which your horse, if wortli his feed,

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 225

will Stride. They hunt them with any number of
dogs, from two couple upwards, curs of the lowest
degree, but with a dash of pluck and speed withal,
and five or six wolves may be killed easily in a day.
The small prairie wolf gives the best run ; the larger,
or buffalo wolf, being a poor runner, maugre my Lord
Byron's glorification of the " long gallop : " but his
teeth are formidable. The dogs seize their prey by
the hind leg, and pin him, while you despatch him
with club or revolver; taking care of the "pelt,"
which has a marketable value of from one to two
and a half dollars. The skins make beautiful robes,
when properly dressed and trimmed with the tails
" au naturel," and look very well on a neatly-turned
out sleigh.

The islands on the Platte hereabouts are large and
well timbered, and sometimes abound with deer. I
found good hare-shooting on one above here, and
prairie chickens, which are following the settlements,
may be sometimes shot on them.

I would not wish to imply by my unsuccess in
this short bufialo campaign, that there is any diffi-
culty in getting sport enough for any appetite, no
matter how gluttonous. It is true, that every year
as the wave of emigration sets westward in increas-
ing volume, buffaloes will recede further and further

15

226 EAMBLES IN THE

from the vicinity of the thoroughfares ; but it is pro-
bable that many a year must ghde by ere their vast
hordes will have disappeared from their favourite
haunts on the Republican and Arkansas rivers, and
the vast intervening country now appropriated to
Indians, and long likely to remain in their undis-
puted possession.

Here, or hereabouts, the hunter may find them at
almost all seasons of the year migrating either north-
ward or southward ; walking literally in the steps of
their ancestors as faithfully as any ancient Egyptian,
undeterred by the traditionary terrors of the Co-
manche arrow, or the deadlier revolver of his pale-
faced enemy, more cruel in this than his red brother :
for whereas to the red man, the buffalo is not only
meat, drink, and shelter, but also the source whence
he supplies himself with all the artificial wants that
the tide of civilization, reaching even to his borders,
has made imperative, by the sale of the robes squaw-
tanned ; the white man kills him too often in mere
wantonness, only using the tongue and hump steak,
if even that, leaving all the valuable carcass and hide
to the wolves and ravens. Indeed, nothing exas-
])erates an Indian more than this profligate waste of
game ; and I am sure many unfortunate hunters and
travellers have paid forfeit for the wholesale destruc-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 227

tion of buffalo, not many years since, by a well-
known English sportsman, who made a long hunting
pilgrimage through the Northern Rocky Mountain
region.

For my own part, I do not think buffalo-hunting
would aflford me any very great sport either on foot or
horseback, and I have already mentally classed it as
hardly on a par with calf-hunting in our own sweet
isles of the West; but there is no doubt it does prove
to some intensely exciting, and even in summer a
good deal of amusement is obtained by larrietting the
calves from horseback, or catching the little monsters
in your arms — no easy matter — as they go to the
water to drink. Many are thus secured yearly; and
in the Western States 'tis no very uncommon sight
to see a buffalo or two along with a herd of cows. I
confess I should strongly object to any intermixture of
the blood of the hirsute monster in any herd of mine,
as likely to undo all the good effects of years of care
and patience, in improving quahty of flesh and sym-
metry of outline ; and I should think the experiments
we have already tried with the Brahmin bulls ought
to satisfy any sceptical barker back to nature of the
impolicy of such a monstrous alliance of beauty and
the beast.

All sport requires in its essence some element of

15—2

228 EAMBLES IN THE

difficulty or danger to give it zest and savour ; and
buffalo-hunting combines both, no doubt, to a certain
extent, but in a limited degree. The "chasse a
pied " is obviously the most perilous ; but ordinary
care, good arms, and a tolerable stock of nerve, are
an " ass triplex " which the buffalo seldom can
pierce, and, as hunters usually go in pairs, the risk
becomes small by this division. It is true, one
occasionally hears of man and horse getting gored
in the conflict, "si rixa ilia est, ubi tu feris ego
vapulo tantum!"

But I doubt much whether the bull paddocks of
merry England might not, if carefully explored,
afford an almost equal percentage of danger and
accidents, while to class the " chasse aux buffes "
with pig-sticking in India, or fox-hunting in " the
shires,*' is simply a chimera of a distempered imagi-
nation. As a proof of this remark, I will mention
that among the great " lions in the way " are the
prairie-wolf and fox-holes in which your horse may
put his foot when galloping, to the great detri-
ment of man and beast; but these holes, if larger
than our rabbit-holes, are more easily avoided by a
prudent nag with a leg to spare : certainly they are
not nearly so numerous, and I think even "the
Briggs" Inmsclf Vvould not be deterred by such a

ROCKY MOCJNTAINS. 229

consideration from rushing to the front if the talis-
manic " tally-ho" had once gone forth, or the cheery
horn had sounded in his ear.

But if the perils of buffalo-hunting are small in
comparison with those incident to other wild sports,
such as pig-sticking and elephant-shooting, there are
certain contingencies to be guarded against in this
chasse, the neglect of which may lead to considerable
inconvenience and discomfort, araountino- in some
instances to positive danger. Not the least formid-
able among these is the risk of being led away by
your sport to regions in the prairie, where, save to
the very practised eye, there is no guide or landmark
whatever, and where every step you take may be lead-
ing you further and further away from your camp.
Could the history of these plains be written, it would
be found to abound in narratives of human sufferino-,
privation, and death, from the "terrible torture of
thirst," and hunger too, full as appalling as the
records of any sea, however " inhospitum." It was
in the great stampede to California in 1847 and 1848
that these horrors culminated ; in those years many
a family of enterprising pilgrims succumbed in their
efforts to reach the Eldorado throucrh this middle
passage, while instances of cannibalism are but too
well authenticated.

230 KAMBLES IN THE

The road to the Pacific was then comparatively as
little known as the north-western passage ; and it is
averred — let me hope for the sake of humanity un-
truly— that the little light existing on the subject was
turned into darkness by a "smart" Eastern firm,
which actually published a ccu^te de pays, leading the
travellers by a route straight indeed as an air-line,
but where the means of subsistence were absolutely
wanting; and as in those days of feverish excitement
and gold delirium few questions were asked, and the
means of contradiction and refutation were scant, the
consequences of this awful misrepresentation became
deplorable.

As, however, hunting camps are generally pitched
near some large river, such as the Arkansas or Platte,
or their tributaries, the inconvenience is generally
limited to compulsory abstinence for a longer or
shorter space of time, as the case may be, if the
weather be fine, as it usually is ; but if the plains be
covered with snow, and the thermometer have reached
a low temperature, the situation is far more serious.

The first evening 1 went out in quest of buffalo, I
was very nearly caught in this trap for the unwary.
Following a bull, which I fondly imagined I had dis-
abled from active service, I was only compelled to
desist by the waning of the daylight, which the

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 231

snowy surface of the ground prolonged a few minutes
in my favour. Guide or landmark there was none;
but as I knew I had been walking nearly due south,
it remained to head north, for before reaching the
Platte the Avheel-tracks of the road must be crossed ;
and as there were ranches along it at intervals of
eight or ten miles, there were no grounds for fear. I
had, however, gone further than I had imagined, and
kept on thinking I must be on a wrong course ; but
fortunately reason prevented me from changhig my
direction, as the weight of the probabilities inclined
that way : and it proved very fortunate that I did so,
as a twelve hours' tramp for a weary man — the only
safeguard against freezing to death — would have been
rather too serious a struggle with the powers of sleep
and numbness to be lightly contemplated.

Having gone on thus for some time, I commenced
firing my rifle, till I had exhausted my very last
cartridge, but elicited no signal in response tliat [
could hear, thouo;h straining hard to catch an answer.
After some moments I heard a loud noise in a
westerly direction, which, though not like the sound
of fire-arms, T could not attribute to any other cause.
I have since ascertained it must have been occasioned
by the cracking of the thick ice in the Platte. I
was on the point of turning my steps in the direction

232 EAMBLES IN THE

of the sound ; but happily I was still cool enough in
mind to reflect and resist the impulse, and after a few-
minutes more of suspense, perseverance was rewarded
by striking the wheel-tracks in the road, made by the
snow A^ery evident, then after another short interval
my ranche was gained, where I learnt that guns of
distress had been fired, though I had not heard them.

Failing to get a seat in the overland mail to
Aitchison, and the prospect of obtaining one be-
coming very indistinct, I had to accept the alternative
of a drive to Omaha instead ; to make my way thence
by coach across the State of Iowa as far as St. Joseph,
whence the Hannibal and St. Joe Railway led you
either to Chicago, via Quincey Illinois, or to St.
Louis by the North Missouri line. There was also
another route open via Grinnell to Rock Island, and
thence to Chicago ; but as I had some business in St.
Louis, I was fain to adopt the former.

The road from Kearney to Omaha lies almost
entirely along the Platte, and as its margin is here
well wooded, the dreariness of an endless prairie view
is pleasantly relieved. Settlements, too, are met with
far more frequently than on the western side of Kear-
ney; and though "Dobee" is still king, and rules
with undivided sway, Dirt is not so evidently his
Prime Minister: in a few little marks of woman's

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 233

handiwork, such as white dimity curtains at the win-
dows, one sees the touch of a more humanizing
nature, linking these outposts to the civilized world
and making them kin. Farming, too, seemed to be
conducted very generally, and almost every ranche
had some land in corn or other crop around it.

Omaha ought, I believe, to be reached in thirty-six
hours ; but we were considerably longer on the road,
owing to its heavy condition, and the overcrowding,
almost to a suffocating point, of the vehicle : built
to accommodate six inside, it was supposed to have
an elastic internal capacity of its own, to which no
regular rule or limit seemed to be applied ; neverthe-
less, having in mind the more aggravated inferno of
the stage between Council Bluffs and Savanna, I must
not be too hard on this line, which, on the whole, did
its work very fairly.

Omaha, it must be recollected, is the metropolis
of Nebraska territory, and though now compara-
tively insignificant in point of size and numbers,
bids fair, from its position and commercial advan-
tages, to attain considerable importance : the last
place of any size on the Missouri, save '^ Sioux
city," it draws the trade of the river to it, while as an
outfitting point for the western country it offers great
advantages to freighters. But it is as the terminus

234 RAMBLES IN THE

of the Pacific Railroad that Omaha "hails in her heart
the triumph yet to come," and begins to reckon the
wealth which, as the entrepot for the river trade, and
the connecting link between the Eastern and Western
States, must flow into her coffers. It is said that this
great line is positively to run from Omaha to Denver,
along the Platte valley ; and the town had just been
illuminated in honour of this great event, forming, as
it probably will, an epoch in her history. The streets,
like those of most young American " cities," are
ambitiously wide, even to dreariness, and like those
of Washington, were painfully ignorant of the arts of
the pavior and macadamizer ; the consequence was
that a hard frost supervening on heavy mud, they
presented the appearance of chronic " plough," and
seemed likely to remain in that state till spring.

A steam ferry-boat (now, however, frozen in) takes
passengers over to Council Bluffs, in Iowa, a town
deriving its name from the bluffs, which rise some
five or six miles from the eastern bank of the river,
pointing out the old course of this great river in
clear characters. It is about the same in size, and, I
should think, in numbers as Omaha ; and here you
take the coach for Savanna, a town connected by rail
with St. Joe. Of that trajet I fear to speak, lest
my memories of discomforts and hardships should

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 235

actually run away with my pen ; I will only say that
in much travelling experience over roads of most
kinds, I never met worse " going," or a line much
worse regulated. On two occasions the drivers who
ought to have '^ worked " us along, were so hope-
lessly and helplessly pantegruelistic, that their place
had to be taken by others, and the coach so over-
flowed that the passengers had to charter a waggon,
at their own expense, to get over a part of the road
till a second coach could be procured !

The country through which we passed was for
the most part undulating and well wooded. The
farms seemed comfortable, and Linden and Glyn-
wood appeared really above average specimens of
American towns of similar importance ; but of the
road I cannot speak highly, and one bridge over
which we were desired by the driver to walk, appeared
to me to be a perfect pass of peril, so completely had
the supporting framework wandered from the per-
pendicular.

Arrived at St. Joe, after spending twelve weary
hours in the " cars," we were informed that the road
was so blocked up by recent snow that progress was
impossible. And thus we were detained four or five
days in this very uninteresting and uninviting " city,"
in which I had already had so wearying a stay, while

236 RAMBLES IN THE

waiting in vain for the " up river " boat last May.
During this detention there were only two instances
of " killing : " two soldiers giving each other the
" happy despatch " with knives ; and as the number
was five in my former sojourn, I naturally formed
a rather fearful opinion of the homicidal tendencies
of the place.

A compulsory stay in a frontier town of even such
proportions as St. Joe, leaves but few reminiscences
of a pleasurable nature, to a European traveller at
any rate. It is true that in the huge hotel of the
place you will find, only on a much lower scale, all
the comforts and plenty which you will have pro-
vided for you in one of the magnificent palaces
which stud New York, and most of the principal
lar-ore cities on this continent. A barber with con-
siderable dexterity in manipulation will do his
spiriting very gently on any portion of your " os
sublime," to which you may direct his ministering
fingers. Cunning cock-tails, or " rooster narratives,"
are gained by a descent of very few steps. Billiards
and the dailies of many a town, with a limited supply
of popular novels, are equally accessible ; and, I
believe, a promenade of a very mild old gentlemanly
distance, will procure you all that civilized man is
supposed to want, from baby-linen to a shroud.

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 237

close by, if not actually in, the building where you
live, move, and have your being.

Yet, in spite of this very extensive programme,
which apparently leaves so little to desiderate, I
know few more wearying places than such caravan-
serais ; few where nervous sensitive temperaments
are more continually blesses. And the cause lies
not in any incivility on the part of employes — who,
if coloured citizens of African descent, or unbleached
Americans, generally set an example to their white
confreres worthy of all imitation; nor yet in the
accommodations, which are spacious and handsome,
if bordering sometimes on the tawdry and the vulgar
— but in the impossibility of escaping from the mul-
titudinous guests, and enjoying anything approaching
to quiet and repose.

Go where you will, you will find the same type of
heavy, well-fed, uninteresting and unsociable beings,
oppressive alike in their silence and their speech,
dressed mostly in the same style, deviating but
slightly from that of a respectable but second-rate
undertaker : for black is an emblem of social worth
in some estimations. Their personal ornamenta-
tion consists generally of a blaze of diamonds set in
deep blue enamel, inserted midway in the snowy
bosom of a spotless shirt (or dickey); and, if the taste

238 RAMBLES IN THE

be rather florid than severely " American-classic,'" of
a ring of the same precious stone or stones. The
plethora of so much unanimated broad-cloth sitting,
lounging, loafing, drinking, and expectorating all
around, becomes positively nightmarish, and I con-
fess that, inhospitable as the weather was, and deep
as the half- trodden snow lay on the paves, I turned to
them to get rid of the worthy occupants of the public
rooms, and found a pleasant contrast in the tinkling
of the many-belled sleighs which were running merrily
through the streets, reminding one of the musical
lines of Edgar Poe on the subject. Individually I
am aure that many of these gentlemen were not only
commercially estimable, but shining lights likewise
in the more contracted social circle ; collectively,
however, to me they were simply oppressive, and I
would be sorry to have to repeat my sojourn at the
Pacific Hotel.

Most of these men were pig-jobbers — I use the
word respectfully, for pig-jobbing has capitals such
as Chicago and Cincinnati, and many another fine
town in its interest — and, like myself, had been
detained malgrd ; but, besides loss of time and
detention, they were suffering heavily in the nightly
losses of multitudes of fine fat hogs, from the great
severity of the season ; and yet these depletions of

KOCKY MOUNTAINS. 239

the pocket seemed to have no visible effect on their
armour of self-complacent stoicism ! Had they
been loud in their denunciations of anything, or any-
body, I could have felt an interest in their position,
perhaps have sympathized with them ; but this wall of
phlegmatic impassibility was not, I felt, to be sur-
mounted by any ladder within my reach, and as they
scarcely communed with each other, I could not hope
that any overtures I could make would be effective,
since even the insinuating influences of " Bourbon "
and " old rye " had failed to penetrate a joint in their
harness.

True, there was the military element ; but as
the latter was drawn from much the same sources,
and had grown up with much the same habits of
thought and action, it diversified the scene but
little, save in the matter of uniform: this was a
slight relief at any rate. But here — as everywhere on
this continent, so far as I have seen — the volunteer
officer is not as in Europe a speciality — the repre-
sentative of a class distinct from the mass of men in
bearing, air, and general deportment ; but, like a groom
impressed on a sudden emergency to do footman's
work, his livery sits ill on his unset frame, and
betrays the " Pekin " at every turn : though, to their
credit, I must say they do not affect the swagger so

240 RAMBLES IN THE

common to " plungers,*' and even " red and black "
soldiers on our side of the water; as might have
been expected in men raised often from obscurity to
positions of importance and much pecuniary value,
and which, indeed, many of these men might assume
on the strength of the service they, or their regiments
at any rate, have seen, if still young in years.

However, as comparisons between volunteers in St.
Joe and European officers are perfectly irrelevant to the
Rocky Mountains and the ways thither, and as much
has been already pertinently remarked by travellers
on these and other cognate subjects, I will no longer
dwell on such topics, and as I have — maugre much
detention, and more perturbation of spirit from the
laryngial chorus sung incessantly by the expecto-
rants in the cars, whose name is not legion, but
" omnes " (the directors should provide one small
car for non-chewers, or at least furnish the others
with scuppers and swabs) — not only penetrated as far
east as Chicago, but returned again to St. Louis, to
await the arrival of my baggage ; for the detention of
which the snow and storms are said to be responsible
(I would I could fix them with it) ; I will no longer
request the patient reader (if such I have been fortu-
nate or unfortunate enough to find) to accompany me
further eastwards, but will pass on to a few practical

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 241

observations, which may be of service to any of my
countrymen whom adventure, the love of travel, or a
speculative and enterprising disposition, may tempt
to explore the remote confines of " the Great West "
— the proud title by which the states north-west of
Virginia, who once owned most of them, are gene-
rally hailed by their eastern sisterhood.

16

242 EAMBLES IN THE

CHAPTER V.

On ne s'embarque point sans son biscuit. — French Proverb.

Few are fortunate enough, or wise enough, to finish
any enterprise or expedition, the nature of which is
not quite understood at the start, without feehng
that were they to begin afresh there would be much
of alteration and amendment attempted in the second
effort to carry out their views; and my experience as
to this tour has fully verified this somewhat trite and
platitude-like remark. Looking back on my trip to
tlie Mountains — the Rocky Sierra being the only
possible candidate here for the definite article — I
cannot regret my method of locomotion, though only
a humble waggon, nor the companions with whom I
made the passage ; as the former is decidedly the
best suited for seeing the country comfortably, though
somewhat tedious, and apt to remind one of the
" Tarda Eleusina^ matris volventia plaustra,'' while

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 243

the latter proved full of geniality and good-fellow-
ship.

But, as the second contingency was a happy acci-
dent, and did not repeat itself when wanted on another
occasion, I would suggest that the first step for
travellers over " the Plains " is to secure, first, one
or more pleasant companions ; next, a waggon and
team of mules or horses, as fancy may dictate : the
former I think decidedly preferable, as — if chosen
with tolerable care, and some regard to action — they
will prove better servants on the plains, me judice,
than horses of the same calibre, generally out-walk-
ing them — a cardinal point ; and if required to trot
with a load, feeling it less than the latter ; besides,
they are more marketable, and, if kept in reasonable
flesh, will sell for a fio-ure little under or over vour
purchase-money, after they have served your pur-
pose. Indeed, both horses and mules, but espe-
ciall}'' the latter, if sold at the Rocky Mountains, will
generally realize a profit sufficient to cover a large
share of the item " contino;encies."

This want will be readily supplied at any town on
the frontier, such as " Aitchison," " Leavenworth,"
" Omaha," or " Plattsmouth," and as a waggon and
team are articles of daily merchandise, but little
fluctuation occurs in their price. Indeed, there is

16—2

244 EAMBLES IX THE

this remarkable clifFerence between buying quad-
rupeds in England and Amerieaj and especially in
these Western States, that whereas in England,
fancy, and certain peculiarities in the animal, make
an enormous difference in the scale of valuation, in
America, as a rule, such specialities are seldom con-
sidered much in appraising the price. The traveller
may, therefore, proceed to purchase his animals with
tolerable confidence, if he knows what he wants him-
self when he sees it, and has some slight experience
of draught animals ; nor need he feel painfully
conscious or apprehensive that there is a screw loose
somewhere which he can only discover when hard
work begins to tell its tale, or extra pressure reveals
eccentricities of temper, or a soft place unsuspected
before.

As every one has his own ideas — or affects to have,
which comes to much the same thing — respect-
ing horseflesh, in which I include muleflesh like-
wise, I will not attempt to give any hints on this
subject ; contenting myself with remai'king that age
is honourable in mules — if fresh in limbs and con-
stitution— though not in horses, and that I have
generally found small, junky mules of good substance,
and standing on short legs, far more enduring than
their larger and lonrfer-limbed brethren. The selec-

ROCKY :\[OUNTAINS. 245

tion of a waggon will depend so entirely on the weiglit
to be carried, that I can only recommend the buyer
invariably to go to the best maker in the place, take
his advice in the matter, and not be tempted to close
with any specious second-hand bargains, however
tempting; as a break-down en route is not only
vexatious, but very expensive and disagreeable.

I am assuming the case of a party of at least two,
though a larger number is certainly preferable, if less
manageable ; but if the dual be preferred it will be
found expedient to retain the services of some com-
petent person who has been often over the line to be
travelled, knows the proper stations, where water and
grass are plenty and where scant, and who adds to
such knowledsje a limited skill in such cookery as the
plains require. Such men are easily picked up on the
border, as the life has great charms for these restless
western spirits ; and a small per-centage beyond the
current wages — say twenty-five dollars per month,
which, with exchange at 1*52 dollars, is not high for
America — ought to secure a good " waggon-master,"
as he will probably style himself

I must, hoAvever, warn my imaginary tourists that
this man will have to be treated not only as their
guide, but, to a certain extent, as their philosopher
and friend ; for though he accepts their honerarium,

246 EAMBLES IN THE

the teamster ayouIcI not for a moment submit to
be put on the footing of a servant, as we under-
stand the term. Indeed I must say, from my expe-
rience in the West, that if you start by respect-
ing and treating as equals the men with whom you
come in contact, your own social position will be all
the more fully recognized, and full credit will be
given for any adventitious superiorities you may
possess in rank, fortune, or education. If, however,
more service be required than this, I would recom-
mend my friends to bring a reliable man from
England with them — an expensive and somewhat
hazardous experiment; or, better still, to hire a
negro cook and driver, with which class the country
now swarms : many of whom, if closely interrogated
as to antecedents, will tell you that they did not run
away from their masters, but did " some mighty tall
walking.-'

The stores of comestibles that will be required for
the trip are all purchaseable at the point of departure,
at rates very little, if at all, higher than if you
brought them yourself from Chicago or Si Louis,
and equally good ; as the market is steady, owing to
the constant demand : I mean your flour, bacon,
coffee, sugar, dried apples, peaches, and other fruits
and berries, which ought, " de rigueur, " to be included

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 247

in any outfit. But, if not a teetotaller, be sure to
lay in your supplies of a potable character at
St. Louis; if, indeed, you do not bring them with
you from the East, where price and quality will be
a point in your favour generally. The quantity
necessary to take will be told you with tolerable
accuracy at the place where you make your pur-
chases; but, as in riding over the flat or across
country, it is well to have a few pounds " in hand "
for such casual contingencies as meeting Indians, or
accidental delays ; for, though you can buy neces-
saries at the ranches, it is far better and more
economical to be independent of them.

Buffalo-robes, india-rubber blankets, et toiite cette
boutique, can be got whenever you outfit ; but as air-
beds and pillows are great luxuries, and pack easily,
they had better be brought with you from New York.

On the subject of arms and ammunition I will be
reticent, as those who would undertake such a trip
will be sure to know far more than I can tell them
on this head; but I feel bound to caution others
where I broke down myself; and, in the first place,
would strongly recommend shot-guns to be brought.
Western men are so accustomed to the rifle from
boyhood, that in many cases they know no other
arm ; but it is needless to say how poor a substitute for*

248 EAilBLES IN THE

a shot-gun a rifle proves, even in good Jiands, where
small game is abundant, as it is in many parts of
the plains and mountains : besides, I much ques-
tion whether at short range a Purdey or Moore would
not give as good an account of an antelope or deer,
with the aid of an Elej's cartridge, as an ordinary
rifle. But whatever guns you bring, be sure to take
tliem with you from the old country, as well as
a liberal supply of ammunition : excepting powder,
which you will get of the best quality as you go
along; and fail not to recollect every implement
necessary for your shooting irons, as I found every-
thing of that sort extremely dear and bad in the
mountains, and I lost much game, I'm sure, from
the indifferent " equipage " I procured in Denver
at a ruinous price.

I have not said a word anent saddlery, though
it is no unimportant item in an outfit : in this
case, I would advise the tourist to buy whatever he
wants in St. Louis, and not to bring his gear from
England with him. The Californian or Mexican
saddle is peculiarly fitted for the work for which it
is meant, including packing game, and carrying your
shooting and camp necessaries, and has the rare
advantage of standing any amount of knocking about
almost with impunity. After half an hour's riding

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 249

the body adapts itself to its uncouth-looking seat
and strange wooden stirrups ; and by-and-bj one
begins to think it actually comfortable. The ISI'Clel-
lan modification of this saddle is very useful to the
hunter : though in these troubled times a special
permit for such a saddle is required from the provost-
mai'shal of the district, otherwise it would probably
be seized as Government property ; but before start-
ing, a document from this functionary authorizing
you to carry arms generally, is indispensable, and
can readily be procured.

Mentioning saddles before horses or ponies seems
like putting cart before horse, but I omitted the
shooting-pads, when so busy about the mules just
now. In this case I would buy slowly, picking up an
animal as I went along when the occasion offered,
and a fair trial was possible. Indian ponies, when
corn-fed and cared for, make excellent hardy animals
for your purpose, and are generally very docile and
handy for shooting. They can be bought generally
from the ranchemen, who have probably got them at
nominal figures from the Indians in the way
of barter: and should you meet with a tribe of
Indians, a good " truck " can often be made with
them for a comparatively small supply of sugar and
flour.

250 RAMBLES IN THE

Some little manoeuvring is, however, very ne-
cessary in trading with the Indians for horseflesh,
as they are generally no mean judges, and are not
one whit behind the pale-faced dealers in their efforts
to palm off their Leahs for Rachels ; keeping their
best out of sight first, as my good friends, the
dealers " d'outre mer " will try to stick a " Flat-
catcher " into you, before they will order anything
of real " quality " to be stripped.

Having given these few, and I hope not imper-
tinent hints on the subject of preliminary prepara-
tions, I will add a word about that most important
consideration, " cost." This, though generally fore-
most in most people's minds in their estimates of
projects of either business or pleasure, is euphuis-
tically kept studiously in the background, like the
postscript of a young lady's letter in the days when
the young " Mees Anglaise " was not quite so well
posted as she is now generally supposed to be, and
actually is, in this decade of the century.

A waggon, with its full apparatus of covers, boxes,
&c., costs from 100 to 120 dollars ; harness for a
pair of mules or horses about 30 or 40 dollars ; while
horses — considerably raised in price by the exigencies
of the Federal War-Office, and the unprecedented
number of remounts necessitated by mismanage-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 251

ment — can be bought from 120 to 150 dollars
apiece : mules of good quality being somewhat
higher.

A tent will be considered a necessary by some, and
not by others, and I confess I hold rather to the
latter opinion ; natheless, in wet weather, it has its
advantages, and gives more room than the bed of a
waggon for a dormitory : but as wet days are quite
exceptional in the travelling season, and shelter is
generally procurable at no very remote distance, I
would feel much inclined to dispense with it as an
encumbrance, where economy of space is so essential.

This is an article which could be procured much
cheaper in England than America, and, if insisted
on, should be brought thence.

It will be perceived that I have made my estimate
upon the supposition that money is an object ; but if
the visitors to the Plains belong to the class to whom,
in the language of the advertisements, " money is
not so much an object as a comfortable home," I can
assure them that the artificers in St. Louis have
resources enough, at very short notice, to minister
to their requirements with admirably-made spring
'' ambulances," contrived to serve for a bed at night
as well as a chariot by day; and also with other
appliances for " doing " the Plains in an easy, com-

252 KAMBLES IN THE

fortable fashion. As, however, this style of locomo-
tion requires what a Mr. Partington of my acquaint-
ance calls a " revenue " of servants, and as a certain
pomp and flourish of trumpets is implied by thus
invading the desert " en milor Anglais," which never
fail to enhance prices, I have not considered the
subject in this light ; but will content myself with
observing that even thus, a longer tour can be made
at cheaper rates than is possible in any country I
have ever heard or read of (Africa affords no fair
parallel), as your " stock in trade," if sold in a
more westerly market than it was bought in, will
generally realize a good profit, and even, if brought
back to its point of departure, will fetch a very fair
second-hand price ; and the expense of living on the
Plains will prove the merest bagatelle.

The selection of a route or tour, when once pre-
liminary arrangements are completed, is so entirely
a matter for private judgment and controlling circum-
stances, that nothing can be said pertinently in the
wav of su^frestion, hint, or recommendation.

Once a party is supplied with the necessary means
of locomotion and subsistence, and a jiuide in the
shape of some one of experience to direct proceed-
ings, all the points of the compass, save those
belonging to the Orient, are open to them ; and

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 253

their charter is not limited to a single port. Game
is abundant in almost every direction; though, of
course, local circumstances, only to be learned on the
spot, will make animals affect particular districts at
particular times and seasons. But, as a rule, it will
be found that after gettino; out to a distance of
between two and three hundred miles from the
frontier, large game will show in considerable force,
and good hunting will be gained by deviating a very
few miles from the track of waggons and the emigra-
tion; while prairie chickens will be found in great
numbers all along the settlements following the wake
of corn : ducks, plover, and rabbits, will assist in
making a variation in your bag, and — better still,
where shooting must be " pot-hunting " — in your
cuisine.

The journey overland to San Francisco via Salt
Lake, is only a matter of time, as during the open
weather there is not a sinfrle difficultv to overcome ;
and with fair management, and a few " lay overs "
on Sundays, and other "jours de fete," the animals
ought to look in quite as good working trim as when
they started, so easy is the grading of the road,
and so bountiful is the prairie generally in its stores
of sustenance for all herbivorous creatures !

Between Denver and Salt Lake there is a fair chance

254 KAMBLES IN THE

of meeting cinnamon or grisly bear in the pineries,
and I confess I have ahuost enough of the Nimrod
element in my composition to be willing to go all
the way there for a fair fight in the open with one
of the latter monsters, whose strength, size, and
ferocity forms a large share of every hunter's budget.
" He laughs at scars that never felt a wound," is, I
know, as true an aphorism now-a-days as it was in
Romeo's ; but this wise saw notwithstanding, I must
still enter my protest of incredulity about the great
danger of a passage at arms with the grey bruin, if
the hunter be only really well armed, and the ground
and surroundings be not too unfavourable. For, in the
first place, out of a number of hunters whom I have
met, I have not found or heard of more than one or
two, at least in these parts, who had suffered in the
flesh from such a battle : (one of these men had a
most ghastly witness of the puissance of a bear's
fore-arm in the loss of nearly one side of his face,)
and I have seldom, if ever, heard of '•' Ursa major "
or "minor " commencing an attack voluntarily on the
hunter. Wounded or brought to bay, they would, of
course, be very formidable ; but I think the chief
source of danger has consisted in the small bores of
the rifles used hitherto by the hmiters, which exas-
perate without effectually stopping or maiming, as an

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 255

ounce ball from a Paton rifle is sure to do ; and as a
muzzle-loading rifles takes some time in the best of
hands to prepare for action, the situation of the
hunter, whether " tree'd " or on " terra firma," may
become very parlous indeed. In the Sierra Nevada,
where the grislies attain their grandest proportions,
I am told the hunters prefer a double shot gun of
great calibre, reserving their second charge for very
close quarters.

Besides this prospect of game, there is some fish-
ing to be had in the Platte waters; though "cat-fish"
sometimes of very large size will be the staple here.
But as soon as the Rocky Mountain spurs are reached
first-rate trout-fishing may be obtained in almost every
stream the travellers pass, if not polluted by mining
operations, which banish trout as eff^ectually as flax
culture does in the North of Ireland. I found splen-
did sport in " the Grand " which flows through the
middle park to the distant Pacific, though my success
in catching large 'fish was not at all equal to that of
many others I heard of; my largest fish not exceed-
ing four pounds, while trout of seven and eight are
no phenomena.

Were I again to find mj'self in that part of the
country, I should not fail to tr}^ the upper waters of
the " Rio Grande," which rise in some high land

256 RAMBLES IN THE

south of Denver, and flow on to the Gulf of Mexico,
as the trout-fishing there is said to be unsurpassable !
Trust not, however, to the resources of the country
for tackling, as I did, but bring everything, even a
spare top or two, with you from home, as hardwood
sells in the mountains for almost its weight in silver:
I have to this day a lively recollection of having
to disburse seven shillino;s for a most unartistic
hickory top-joint, and glad to get it " at that."
Flies, too, are very dear, fetching from one shilling
to one shilling and eightpence apiece for the better
sort.

But if this entire country is eminently interesting
to the tourist who likes to see the varying phases
of untrammelled nature, ere man with his pitchfork
has tried to expel her,* or divert her into particular
channels and grooves, how much more so must it be
to that large class whose hearts are bigger than their
means, and who crave for a field where sordid toil
may be sweetened by the zest of excitement, and
where, if there are many blanks, there are also prizes
Avithin reach.

1 do not mean to say that, from what I have seen
of Colorado, I would recommend it as a good field for
a miner, or for an inexperienced man Avho wished
* Naturam expellas farca, tamen usque recun-et.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 257

to commence minino; on his own account with but
little capital, save his own labour ! That stage of
Colorado's development has passed, as most of the
"proved" gulches have been well searched already;
and the chief interest now lies in the lodes discovered
in all directions, which nearly all pay well, but re-
quire some, in many instances much, capital to work
effectually. Further to the north, however, in the
territory of Idaho, discoveries of the richest gulches
have been made within the last two years, and num-
bers who went there nearly as poor as Sir Walter
Scott's ideal happy Irishman (see his " Song of the
Shirt ") have returned with fair fortunes : indeed so
flattering have been the accounts, that an enormous
" stampede " will probably take place in that direc-
tion in the early spring.

In the south-western part of New Mexico the
dreams of the old Spaniards seem to be on the
point of realization in the wonderful wealth of
the " dry diggings " in Arizona, as reported by
men, such as clergyman located there, whose autho-
rity ought to be considered reliable. A considerable
emigration will probably set in there also next
spring, but not so large as towards the northern
mines ; for, in Arizona, the golden apples are watch-
fully guarded by dragons, in the shape of a civilized

17

258 EAMBLES IN THE

but fierce tribe of Indians, yclept " Navajos," -whom
tradition declares to be descended in part from
a Dutch colony who tried to settle near the gulf,
but were hunted into the interior by the jealous
Spaniards, to fall into the hands of the Indians, who
are supposed to have killed the men and appropriated
the female element for squawks. Certain it is that
this tribe is rich in flocks and herds and agricultural
products, while in the manufacture of blankets they
may be said to have distanced competition ; a Na-
vajo blanket commanding sometimes as high a price
as one hundred dollars, from its wearing qualities,
and being impervious to water. The New Mexicans
use them commonly instead of a bucket to draw water
from a well !

This tribe, which has, I believe, gained quite a
moral ascendency over its degenerate neighbours in
New Mexico, has always resisted foreign or white en-
croachments as jealously as the Prince of Satsuma
himself; and though the United States have planted
outposts in their territories for the protection of white
men, there is still much risk from minino- there, save
in parties large enough to overawe the natives !

I have already, I think, mentioned meeting Eug-
1 ish miners in Colorado ; but for one Englishman
there are ten Irish at least, and the ear catches

EOCKY MOUNTAINS. 259

strangely enougli, amid the Teutonic and other in-
flections of harsh voices, nearly all the notes with
which it has been familiar in the diapason of brogue-
dom. One of these Milesians — and, as he has done
much good in developing the country, and giving
employment, let me name " Pat Casey " — who cer-
tainly was not born great, and would probably have
had some trouble in achieving it, has, nevertheless,
had the greatness of fortune thrust upon him, in
spite of a series of blunders enough to swamp any
enterprise !

Any one who has visited these regions will cease to
wonder at the exodus from Ireland which still goes
on, in spite of the wars and rumours of wars on this
continent. For, on the whole labour in the mines —
if injurious to health, and even in some cases dan-
gerous— cannot be fairly said to be hard, while the
wages are extremely good ; the position of the
labourer is almost as good as that of the capitalist
or " big bug " in the social hierarchy, and the
creature comforts he enjoys transcend the wildest
hopes he ever formed in his own green isle.

In travelling I have frequently had occasion to stop
at the only inn or boarding-house of the locality,
where all, labourers and " bosses," eat together ;
indeed, save in a few places where "style is put

260 EAMBLES IN THE

on/' this is the invariable rule observed. As break-
fast is a fair sample meal, I may give an idea of what
I generally found on the table. Coffee — but very
innocent of that precious berry — will be the liquid,
with good fair sugar, and generally an accompani-
ment of milk. Then relays of soda rolls, hot from
the oven, will alternate with pancakes or buckwheat
cakes, eaten wdth butter or molasses, or maple sugar
syrup, or that of the " sorghum " cane, now so exten- '
sively used westwards. There will generally be more
than one kind of hot meat, though it may consist
only in variations of pork ; and lastly, sweetmeats of
some kind will flank the matutinal board, whether in
the shape of stewed apples, or peaches, or "pies,"
whose pastry requires a miner's powers of digestion,
not to speak of such small "deer" as cakes and
gingerbread in profusion.

But besides mining, there are numberless avenues
open to tradesmen and artificers in these young com-
munities, and the maxim wdiicli is so true in elder
civilizations, that " a little knowledo;e is a dangerous
thing," fails here altogether in its applicability. To
the farmer, too, this great West offers enormous
temptations : I mean to the man whose capital is
probably far too small to embark successfully in farm-
ing in Great Britain, but who can command a few

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 261

hundreds or even as much as a thousand pounds.
Such a man may find any number of " semi-im-
proved " farms, partially fenced, and with wooden
houses and offices on them, at his disposal for a small
price, varying from 801. to 200?., with a right of
grazing over thousands of acres of good prairie-land,
where his horned stock and sheep will increase and
multiply his capital invested in them in a marvellous
way; for green crops here are as unknown as un-
necessary, and hay, which the prairie yields freely, is
all the " wintering " required for your animals.

It is certainly true that on these outlying farms
cereals cannot be grown with any great profit, owing
to the distance from a good market ; but this does not
apply to stock, for which buyers will always be glad
to come, while the wool-clip can easily be stored from
year to year till a tempting market offers itself. Land,
indeed, in the far West can be got by simply staking
out a plot of 160 acres, then recording your "claim,"
and making the few improvements required by law to
prevent its being "jumped " in your absence. But
the remarks I made had reference to farms already
either purchased from the United States Government
at the fixed price of five shillings per acre, or from
the holders of land-warrants, or acquired under the
homestead law, which makes a continuous residence

262 E AMBLES IN THE

of five years a good title to a holding of 160 acres ;
and siicli farms the owners — ever anxious to go
further West — would be generally found willing to
part with much under their value, if they estimated
their own labour at current rates.

The alienage laws of the Western States — framed
with a view of offering the most enormous induce-
ments to foreigners to come and people their rich
deserts^ and develop their resources — have been the
means of presenting a very curious anomaly in these
troublous times : aliens who have been living for
years in these border States, now come forward en
masse to claim exemption from all military service,
as citizens of other countries, and bound by other
allegiance ; and unless their claims have been vitiated
bv votino;, or other overt acts of United States citizen-
ship, the Federal Government is bound to recognize
their validity ; if, indeed, existing laws and contracts,
and the constitution of sovereign States, be allowed to
weigh against the more popular theories of centrali-
zation and military necessity.

In this the Western 'States departed widely from
the more sectarian and narrow views of their Eastern
sisters, which as a rule allowed none but citizens to
hold real estates within them ; but then the neces-
sities of the former were more imperious, and con-

ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 263

sequently the liberality of their bids for popu-
lation had to rise in proportion : indeed, I think
the concession was rather extorted " ex necessitate
rei " than dictated by a generous comprehensive
policy. For the American proper is anywhere and
everywhere proud of his descent, and from that
heio;ht looks down on the foreigner, be he Dutcli
or Irish, as his hewer of wood and drawer of water ;
a]id if ^Mackintosh's much-quoted saying about
popular and national songs be true, I may, perhaps,
be pardoned for illustrating my text by the following
verse, which expresses very coarsely a state of senti-
ment I fear not uncommon: —

If I wei'e the President of the United States

I'd fi-ame my laws according ;
The niggers I'd sell ; the Dutch I'd send to h — 11,

And the Irish to the other side of Jordan.

With regard to the time required to reach the llocky
Mountains from England, I may remark that the
postmarks on letters — better guide than any tell-tale
itineraries, or splendidly mendacious railway tables —
spoke, if I mistake not, of a term of twenty-one days
to and fro. And as no extraordinary efforts are made
to expedite the mails on this side of the Atlantic, I
have no doubt a tourist, if so minded, and of suffi-
ciently iron constitution, could make a neck and neck

264 THE EOCKY MOUNTAINS.

race with a letter to Denver, or even to San Fran-
cisco. But as this idea is more American than
English, I will allow six weeks for reaching Denver,
by which time most cities intervening, and objects of
interest and curiosity, can be seen ; then, if the traveller
be energetic, he can gain a very good idea of Colorado
by a stay of six weeks, and return to England in
another five weeks, including a few days for a buffalo
hunt in the neighbourhood of Fort Kearney; thus
accomplishing the entire tour in about four months,
while the entire cost, if no accidents occur, ouo-ht to
be within 2001.

To enjoy the expedition, however, to the fullest
extent, the method I have pointed out should be
adopted, in its main features at any rate ; and I will
venture to prophesy that if any flaneur in London
who is weary of the perfumed airs of Bond Street,
and has lost his taste for moors and stubbles, will
cross the plains, and pay the Rocky Mountains a
visit, he will return with a keener zest for the plea-
sures of civilized life, and with his " mens sana in
corpora sano " all the fresher for what he has seen
and experienced.

THE END.

London : Smith, Elder and Co., Old Bailey, E.G.

Ji

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