The solitary hunter; or, sporting adventures in the prairies

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UNIVER5ITY OF PITTSBURGH

Darlington JVLeinorial J_/ibrary

THE

SOLITARY HUNTER;

OR,

SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PRAIRIES.

JOHN PALLISER, ESQ.

LONDON:
SORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET;
AND 18, BEEKMAN STREET, NEW YORK.
1856.

THE

SOLITAM HUNTER;

pxWn^ %)iki\hms k tlje ^rTOics,

BY

JOHN PALLISER, ESQ. •

2t §,z^ ^tiition, ioitfj illustrations.

LONDON:
G. ROUTLEDGE & CO. EARRINGDON STREET;

NEW TOEK: 18, BEEKMAN" STREET.

1857.

TO

MY BROTHER SPORTSMEN OF ENGLAND,
IRELAND, AND SCOTLAND,

Dear Friends,

I WAS induced, on my return from America,
to collect the very scanty contents of an imperfect
journal, which recorded, for the perusal of a few intimate
friends, my experiences of adventure in the far West.
These kind critics afterwards tempted me to enlarge
the circle of my readers, by many assurances of the
indulgence which a courteous public extends towards
deficiencies of style and composition in a writer more-
accustomed to the use of the rifle and hunting-knife
than to that of the pen.

In this age of literature, when so many works of
imagination are appearing every day, I should despair
of such a mere matter-of-fact story finding any place in
the attention or interests of the reading world, did I
not firmly rely on your sympathies.

Without further apology, therefore, I will preface
my story by an attempt to give you the benefit of what
experience I have acquired in outfitting for distant
hunting expeditions, in the hope that it may prove of
use to such of you as may contemplate similar excur-
sions ; in helping you to provide yourselves with things
which are really necessary, and also to avoid burthening

Vlll DEDICATION.

yourselves with what is cumbersome, and comparatively
useless.

Of guns, the most valuable and indispensable is
the plain, smooth-bore, doubled-barrelled gun, about
fourteen to twelve in the bore. Let it be made by a first-
rate maker, one who himself superintends the manufac-
ture of every portion of his guns ; for, in a country
where there are no gunsmiths to run to in case of an
accident, the breaking of a trigger or a shear, or the
failure of some screw of inferior metal or workmanship,
may involve the most serious consequences. I, for my
own part, as well as both my brothers, in our numerous
hunting expeditions in America, India, and Ceylon,
have always used the guns and rifles of Trulock and
Son, of Dawson Street, Dublin, which, for accuracy,
power, and trustworthiness, I have seldom s<.en equalled,
and never excelled. Nothing gives the sportsman so
much confidence in using the heavy charges required in
elephant-shooting, as the knowledge that the barrels in
his hands have been forged by a good maker.

I do not deny that good barrels may be made in
Birmingham ; but I am convinced that there is nothing
like the master's eye over a gun in every stage of its
construction. For close and dangerous shooting I know
nothing equal to the double-barrelled, smooth-bore gun.
You can load it more rapidly, and handle it more
quickly and dexterously, than any other, also at the
same time sufficiently depend upon it for accuracy as
far as sixty or seventy yards.

Next in importance I would suggest a single-barrelled

DEDICATION. IX

two-grooved rifle, whicli I much prefer to the poly- or
many-grooved, for the reasons that with the former you
can use a larger charge of powder without danger of the
bullet tripping ; you may fire a greater number of shots
without fouling the barrel or losing in accuracy, and if
you use fancy conical projectiles, you may do so with
less chance of damage to your rifle.

Were I so circumstanced that I could take a third
gun with me, it would be a double-barrelled, two-grooved
rifle, whose execution at long range, though below that
of the single rifle, is, of course, far more accurate than
that of the smooth-bore : experience has, indeed, satis-
fied me that, for a very long shot, you never can count
upon the same precision with a double as with a single
barrel. Even supposing the barrels to be perfectly
parallel (which is almost an impossibility), still the
direction of recoil of each when fired is different, and
has a different effect upon the flight of the bullet ; so
that barrels, which would throw almost exactly parallel
when discharged from a vice, will slightly diverge from
each other when fired from the shoulder. You must
not infer from these remarks that I undervalue the
double rifle. For deer-shooting, especially, it is invalu-
able ; and often, when I have missed a deer with the
first barrel, has the animal stood still at the report, as
if from curiosity, and afforded me a second shot. I
merely would not have you expect too much from it,
or reckon that its accuracy of execution beyond one
hundred and fifty yards is equal to that of a good
single-barrel rifle.

X »« DEDICATION.

As to calibre, sportsmen of the Western are much at
variance with those of the Eastern world, the former
preferring the small bullet of thirty-two, forty, or even
fifty, to the pound, while their East-Indian brethren
are as strongly in favour of the large ball, running from
sixteen to twelve, or even eight only to the pound.
The reason of this discrepancy I fancy is this, that the
difficulty of obtaining good powder is much greater
in the West than in the East ; for, the larger the
ball, the greater the necessity for superior powder.*
For my own part, I should be inclined to select a
size carrying from twenty-four to sixteen to the pound.

In your choice of knives, do not be induced to
encumber yourself with any thick-bladed, highly-
illuminated cutlery of the German jdger fashion :
they are very handsome to look at, when hung up
over a chimney-piece, but very ineffective in the field,
wearying and blistering the hands, and splintering
against the bones of any large animal. The best
knife for hunting purposes, in my opinion, is a good,
plain, wooden-handled butcher-knife : let the handle
be long, and the blade thin.

In horses, your great object should be to combine the
greatest hardiness with the highest courage. A thorough-

* By increasing your charge beyond a certain quantity you do
not increase the force. No more powder will ignite than is suffi-
cient to cover the bullet if it is placed on a table and powder
poured gently over it until it is concealed. If you hear your ball
strike the object fired at, it is a pretty sure indication of deficiency
of force, either in the quantity or the quality of the powder.

DEDICATION. XI

bred horse you can train to rush at anythino; -. his being
timid at first, or apt to shy, has nothing to do with any
absence of courage. By patience and perseverance, you
will teach him to charge any animal, not excepting a
grisly bear ; while a common, badly-bred brute will not
even pursue a bison. Mules, for packing, are, in some
respects, superior to horses ; but they cannot support
intense cold nearly so well. I strongly advise especial
and constant attention to saddles. Go where you will,
and all over the world, you will find nothing to equal
the English saddle. Provide yourselves with them at
any cost, and transport them at any inconvenience.
When on the prairie, travel with a blanket saddle-cloth.
You will find it a comfortable addition to your bed ;
but be careful before putting the saddle over it on the
horse, that there is no crease in its folds ; for a sore on
your horse's back is a serious inconvenience to a long
journey. It is a good plan, before fastening the girths,
to pass your forefinger under the saddle-cloth, and lift
it slightly ofi" the horse's withers.

For clothing, I think there is nothing like Scotch
woollen stuffs ; leather, after all, is but an inconvenient
substitute for these ; for though it has its advantages in
point of wear, it is horribly uncomfortable in wet wea-
ther, and dries as hard and stifi" as parchment.

Keep your gunpowder in air-tight packages ; expo-
sure to the atmosphere weakens it. Do not burthen
yourselves uselessly by trying to forestall a thousand
imaginary necessities. Beyond your guns and horses,
with their several appurtenances, you will absolutely

XU DEDICATION.

require nothing on the prairie but your knife, flint and
steel, and pipe, an iron ladle for melting lead, a tin
mug, and two iron kettles, one for cooking, the other
for boiling coffee — with iron covers to them, which will
respectively do for frying meat, and for roasting your
coffee.

Before leaving the Settlements, provide yourselves
with lead, tobacco, coffee, sugar, salt, needles, awls,
strong thread, and shoemaker's wax, and also one or
two dressed skins, for making and mending mocassins ;
and with this equipment, you may pass from Independ-
ence to the Pacific Ocean.

CONTENTS,

CHAPTER I.

The Start. — Gen. Tom Thumb. — Halifax. — Astor House. — American
Railways. — Philadelphia. — Baltimore Beauties. — A Clinical Pro-
fessor.— Mark Tapley's Eden. — The great Missouri. — Drinks. —
New Orleans. — Night Adventure. — Creole Ladies. — Col. White's
Oratorio of " David."— Pa^e 1.

CHAPTER II.

Arkansas forests. — Deer-shooting. — The Major's good shots. — Fire-
Pan-hunting. — Fine fat Bucks. — Still-hunting. — First night in
the Woods. — Panther shot. — Black bait for an Alligator. — Assas-
sination of a Bear. — Page 27.

CHAPTER III.

Mammoth Caves. — Stalactite Architecture. — Ancient America.—
Rambles in the Earth. — Mummy found. — Subterranean Ball.—'
St. Louis Hunting Club. — A good run. — A fat Buck killed. —
Hospitable Hunters. — Kentucky talked down. — American Fui
Company. — Page 48.

XIV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

Old Mr. Kipp. — Preparlug for the Start. — Mormons, — Camping at
Night. — Duck-shooting. — Gigantic Vegetation. — Prairie on Fire.
— Fort Vermilion. — Scalp Dance. — A Dog Feast. — A Woman
bought and saved. — Hint from a Bullet. — Fort Pierre. — Page 59.

CHAPTER V.

Clear Atmosphere. — See Buffalo. — Arrival at Fort Union. — Buffalo-
hunting. — Winter sets in. — uuntmg Party, — Escape from a
War Party. — A Race for Life or Death. — Wanton Cruelty of the
Sioux. — A heroic old Bull. — Domestic Calves and Bison Bull. —
Page 75.

CHAPTER VI.

Tossed by a Buffalo. — Elk-shooting. — Wolves. — Spoil a Cannibal
Feast. — Ishmah. — Hard up for Meat. — Owen Mackenzie's Post.
—The Traders.— Pa^e 100.

CHAPTER VII.

Glutton Feast. — My Indian Companion. — Hunting in Snow. — Roast
Loin of Wolf. — Black-tail Deer. — Rapacious Beauties. — Another
Journey. — A Long Shot. — Indian Voi'acity. — Larpenter's Post.
— Start for the Minitarees. — Awful Night. — Peekay and the
Bull.— Reach Fort Berthold.— Pa^e 121.

CHAPTER VIII.

Mr. Chardon. — Boucharville. — Geese put their heads together. —
Ice breaks up, — A Cold Bath. — Arrive at the Fort. — Preparations.
— An Afternoon's Hunt. — Elk shows Fight. — Shot at Sun-down.
—Hard Work.— Pa^re 143.

CONTENTS. SV

CHAPTER IX.

Hunt on the Yellow Stone. — Grosse-Corne Hunting. — A Beautiful
Camp. — Beaver. — Good Hunting Country. — Cat Fishing. — Skin-
boat Building. — Tailoring. — Crow Indians. — Descend the Yellow
Stone. — Surprise a Crow Camp. — Return to Foi-t Union. —
PageloQ.

CHAPTER X.

Dispose of the Meat. — Descend the Missouri. — A War-party.—
They decliue the attack. — Obtain two more followers. — Kill a
young Bear. — The grisly Bear. — A breakfast of ^Marrow. — Nearly
kill two eagles with a ball. — Chase and capture two Bison calves,
— Return to Minitaree Village. — Scaffoldings for the dead. —
Indian Games. — Death of Mr. Chardon. — Page 175.

CHAPTER XI.

Another Hunting Expedition. — The Turtle Mountains. — Dangerous
Hunting Country. — My last Buffalo-hunt. — Sold by an Antelope.
— Attacked by and kill a grisly Bear. — Her cub shows fight. —
Depart from Turtle IMountain. — Attack a grisly Bear. — More
grisly Bears. — Mr. Denig's Adventure. — Bear smashing a Buffalo.
— Murray and his Mackinaw boats. — The Pipe ot Peace. — Shake
hands with an old Enemy. — An Indian Battle. — Cannibalism. —
Arrival of the Martha. — Death of poor Smith. — Page 189.

CHAPTER XII.

Leave the Indian country. — A blasted Cannon. — Mr. Mackenzie.
— Ishmah forages for himsel:. — The Yellow Fever. — Doctor
Farrell. — General Taylor's Address. — "Beauty's" History and

XVI CONTENTS.

Adventures. — Marriage Feast. — My pretty Hostess. — A MujiicaJ
Smash — Bruin takes care of Number One. — "Beauty" creates
a Sensation. — Bruin rescues the Antelope — The Balize. —
Page 207.

CHAPTER XIII.

Snipe and Duck-shooting.— Norwegian Sportsman.— A wounde
Alligator proves a disagreeable Boating Companion. — Neoro
torn by an Alligator.— The i^a?C07i.—Chagres. — Storming the
Spanish Fort. — Tropical Thunderstorm. — Panamk. — Santa Anna
Cathedral. — The Pope inexorable. — Home by English Mail
Steamer. — Page 222.

EAMBLES MD ADVENTUEES.

CHAPTER I.

The start.— Gen. Tom Thumb.— Halifax.— Astor House.-Amerleau
Eaiiways.— Philadelphia.— Baltimore Beauties.— A Clinical Pro-
fessor.—Mark Tapley's Eden.— The great Missouri.— Drinks —
New Orleans. —Night Adventure.— Creole Ladies.— Col .White's
Oratorio of *' David."

After all, " ce n'est que le premier pas qui coiite/'
thought I, as the long row of busy docks at Liverpool
slowly receded in the distance, and we bade a last fare-
well to old England, as the gallant Cambria steamed
majestically down the broad waters of the Mersey, in
the eyer-to-be-remembered year of Grace 1847.

With all the eagerness of a college student, who casts
aside his^ dull books and duller tutors for a burst after
the partridges, or for the more noble and exciting pur-
suit of the antiered lords of the forest and mountain,
had I looked forward to a visit to the New World;
determined to make acquaintance with our Trans-
Atlantic brethren, and to extend my visit to the regions
still inhabited by America's aboriginal people,— now,
indeed, driven far westward of their rightful territories,'
and pressed backwards into that ocean of prairies
extending to the foot of the great Eocky Mountains.

It was with something like a sense of disappointment,
that, the excitement of our departure over, the last
friend shaken by the hand, and the last hurried fare-
well exchanged, I felt that what I had so long dwelt
on in anticipation was at last about to be realized ; so

B

2 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

inconsistent, indeed, is our nature, that our keenest
yearnings often lead but to our bitterest disappoint-
ments, and the possession most ardently sought, affords,
when attained, but too frequently the least gratification.

The bustle incidental to a start, -when a large number
of passengers are on board, affords, however, little time
for philosophizing. At first the luggage seems inex-
tricable, and the confusion interminable ; but time,
patience, and preseverance gradually dispose of all our
difficulties, and we shake into our places very soon after
the docks are cleared.

I found on board some very pleasant and entertaining
fellow-passengers, and was not a little surprised, on
entering the state-cabin, to hear the most unnatural
shrill little pipe exclaiming, "Waiter ! bwing me a Welsh
wabbit/' After some difficulty I discovered its possessor^
who, creeping from under shawls and ladies' work-
baskets, scrambled into the middle of the saloon, stuck
'his Lilliputian hands into his little pockets, and
looked at us as much as to say, " What do you think of
that?"

We found little " General Tom Thumb'"' a very
amusing companion ; and any of my readers who may
have experienced the dulness of a sea-voyage can ima-
gine that he proved a most acceptable addition to our
society : he was the smallest specimen of human nature
it has over been my lot to behold, but a remarkable
exception to the generality of dwarfs, being not only
intelligent, but active and well-proportioned.

There he stood, sprucely attired in a little midship-
man's dress, his tiny patent-leather boots the miracle of
a fit.

Early next morning we passed along the south coast
of Ireland, recognising successively Dunmore, Tramore's
three towers, with its colossal metal man stretching
forth his threatenino^ arm to warn the mariner frons

GENEPvAL TOM THUMB. 3-

that inhospitable coast, and, finally, Ardmore's round
tower — the last aged memorial of the Old World.
But—

Hurrah, the bell for breakfast !

Hark to the mingled din
Of knife, and fork, and hissing cliops

That stewards are bringing in.
The fiery skipper 's pricking fast

His fork into the dish,
Despatching quickly his repast

Of coffee, eggs, and fish.
In burst the guests, and on they rush

Around the jolly tar,
V/ho calls on semi-seasick folks

To prosecute the war.

And a right good breakfast we had, for the fare on
board the Cambria was unexceptionable, combining all
the excellences of American, English, and even French
cookery. Alas, however, even the means of fortification
provided by a hatterie de cuisine Francaise was no
sufficient protection against the fell sea-serpent monster,
who soon numbered many of my fellow-passengers
among his victims. A strong head-wind and chopping
sea made many a mournful gap among the ranks at our
capital table. But the severest misfortune of all was
the total loss of our ladies' society ; they, poor things,
sufi"ering so severely as to be entirely confined to their
cabins till within a short period of our arrival.

The little General, however, remained unscathed,
and, despite the too audible miseries of most of his
fellow-passengers, held on the even tenor of his way,
swallowing his toasted cheese and sipping bottled porter.
I was particularly favoured with his notice. A great
amusement of his consisted in climbing all over me ;
now standing on my shoulder, then balancing himself
on my head on one foot, and finally leaping into the
pocket of my shooting-jacket until he burst through
the lining of it. He was, on the whole, a very good,

b2

4 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

tractable little fellow, and listened attentively to my
lectures on the evils of play ; but, alas, I fear they had
but small effect, for the little wretch was an inveterate
gambler, and up to all the mysteries of whist, hewker
poker, and bragg. I forget at present his exact height ;
but, as far as I can recollect, he measured twenty-four
or twenty-five inches ; had light hair, a pretty childish
face, was about sixteen or seventeen years of age, and
weighed fifteen pounds — the weight of a good-sized leg
of mutton. Barnum, the well-known entrepreneur,
was with him constantly, and behaved with the utmost
kindness to his young charge, never urging the child to
do anything to which he showed much disinclination,
yet, at the same time, exercising a very necessary and
wholesome authority over him. His father and mother
also travelled in his suite, and were certainly above the
average height : his mother appeared a kind and amiable
person ; she informed me that she had two daughters in
Canada, where she usually resided, and that "she, her
husband, and relatives were Canadians, and the little
General, consequently, a subject of her Majesty Queen
Victoria. Some of my fellow-passengers told me that
Barnum had, by the exhibition of Tom Thumb, cleared
in a few years the enormous sum of 100,000/. It is
satisfactory to add, that I was informed he had acted
most liberally towards the parents, having greatly in-
creased the stipulated amount for the little GeneraFs
exhibition.

About the middle of the passage, a conversation arising
relative to the sufferings of the poor in Ireland, an
American gentleman suggested a subscription in aid of
the funds then raising for their relief ; and the proposi-
tion having been ably seconded by a Canadian merchant,
the result exceeded our expectations, in a collection
of 120/.

About this period the v»-eather became more severe.

HALIFAX. B

and the motion of the vessel, consequently, very trying
to those who had not yet got their sea-legs ; but the
wind suddenly fell one afternoon, and I shall never
forget the magnificent sight afforded by the masses of
unbroken waters as they reared themselves aloft ahead,
and threatened us for a moment with annihilation ; —
then, while bearing us up to heaven, fled away from
under our feet to unite themselves with the horizon in
our wake. Descending the steps of the companion to
the dining-room was strongly suggestive of the descent
from the sublime to the ridiculous. Legs of mutton
became animated, sirloins of beef whirled along like
boomerangs from one end of the table to the other,
spreading devastation on every side, and effecting
strange combinations of soup and sausages, pickles and
port wine, custard and pudding floating in bottled
porter, &c.

The first land we made was Halifax, where we found
it necessary to put in for a fresh supply of coal. During
the very short delay of the Cambria in port, I seized
the opportunity for a stroll through the streets of the
town ; but the night was so intensely dark that I could
see little to describe. The ground was covered with
snow ; many sledges I passed seemed to be very hand-
some equipages ; the horses attached to them bearing
bells round their necks, or perhaps fastened to their
collars, for the greater security of the foot-passengers,
who were thereby warned of their approach in sufficient
time to get out of the way. It was very cold weather;
and we left the harbour again in about three hours after
we had arrived, the business of taking in coal being
transacted very rapidly.

Between Halifax and Boston our voyage was most
prosperous ; the weather so beautiful as to entice our
ladies once more on deck, and all eyes were turned
westward to catch the first glimpse of land. The pilot

6 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. •

from Boston boarded us the following day, and we soon
rode triumphantly in, greeted by shouts and cannon
from the surrounding vessels in the harbour.

After our luggage had been cursorily examined at
the Custom House, we stowed it and ourselves, as
we best could, into the different vehicles destined to
convey us to the several hotels to which they belonged ;
and I cannot help remarking the great contrast between
the different methods adopted, with respect to strangers
and their luggage, in the Custom-house searchers of
our own and most other European countries, and of
that of our Trans-Atlantic brethren ; while I may ob-
serve that courteous treatment, in that it gratifies the
feelings of a stranojer, has also the effect of disarmins;
and dissuading him from any attempt at fraud or con-
cealment.

I could expect to find but little that was new in a
place so often described as Boston. I discovered one
fact, however, which may interest future travellers ; viz..,
that smoking is not allowed in the streets at night ;
for, having lighted a cigar, I was quietly strolling along
the pavement, when I was accosted by a casual pas-
senger with, " Sir, I guess you are a stranger ! '' — "Sir,
you are an uncommon good gucsser,'' was my reply;
but I soon found by the sequel of our conversation, that,
however abruptly it had commenced, the motive of my
querist was a kind one, and that I was committing a
breach of the laws, which might have subjected me to
a severe penalty.

The American Hotel in Boston is an excellent one ;
and the rooms being heated with hot water renders
them most comfortable, notwithstanding the extreme
coldness of the weather.

Between Boston and New York the journey was
performed partly by railway and partly by steamboats
of the finest class, most luxuriously fitted up. The

ASTOR HOUSE. 7

captain of our boat prudently remained all night at New
London, on account of the weather, of which these boats
are by no means independent. Next day we resumed
the railway once more to New York.

An American railway-carriage reminds one a little
of Wombwell's waggon for transporting wild beasts, so
far as its external appearance is concerned ; and there
is abundance of room inside for the passengers to walk
up and down, the seats being so arranged as to allow an
uninterrupted passage from one end of each carriage to
the other. They contain open stoves, round which you
may sit occasionally, and change your place from time
to time, which all those who are in the habit of travel-
ling know to be a great luxury ; besides this, the car-
riages themselves are so closely chained together in
succession, that you can walk from one end of the train
to the other. The seats, or benches rather, in the
carriages are ranged in rows down each side of the pas-
sage, and at right angles to it, except in the vicinity
of the stoves, where passengers are at liberty to sit in
any direction they please, on camp-chairs left for that
purpose. I may also here mention a very good regula-
tion adopted with regard to the luggage : brass tickets
are chained to each separate trunk or portmanteau, and
duplicates of these tickets are given to the passenger,
who need have no further trouble with his luo-o-ao-e than

Co o

giving them to a help (^. e. servant) on arriving at his
destination.

At New York I stayed at the Astor House, a mag-
nificent ''block'' {i.e. building), far larger than any
hotel I ever beheld in the Old World. Many of my
readers will doubtless remember the hotel of I'Enipereiir
Eoman, and I' Hotel de Ilussie, in Franldort: the Astor
House, I thought, strongly resembled these, though on
a still larger scale — indeed I doubt whether it be not
larger than both these hotels put together. The plat-

8 BAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

form anterior to the huge hall-door is reached from the
street by double rows of large stone staircases. The
charges I found moderate. Breakfast, dinner, and sup-
per ^are performed much in the same way as at the table
d'hote on the Continent, except with far greater rapidity.
At breakfast here, I ate for the first time cakes made
from the flour of buckwheat, which I thought excellent,
and deserving a place among the many luxuries of even
an English country-house : in shape and size they re-
semble a muffin ; in consistence, a pancake ; but they
are rougher, and of a dark-brown colour. These cakes
are eaten either with butter, like muffins, or with refined
molasses, contained in glass jars, shaped something
like claret-decanters, which are placed at intervals all
along the extensive breakfast-table. Neither is the
hominy, which consists of rice and Indian-corn meal,
mixed and fried in butter, to be despised. The waiters
were Irish, Germans, and men of colour.

I started about the 25th of March, on a cold but
brilliantly beautiful day, at about nine o'clock in the
morning, for Philadelphia, and, on my arrival, drove
immediately to the Mansion-house Hotel. Having no
time to lose, I walked out to see the town; and although
I was in some degree prepared to like Philadelphia,^!
had no idea what a splendid city it is ; its beautiful
houses being very regular, and mostly built of brick ;
and, from their wide pavements, the excellent repair in
which they are kept, and the splendid shops and lofty
buildings, the streets struck me as being really mag-
nificent. The extraordinary cleanliness of the city
particularly attracts one's admiration : it is occasioned
principally by the abundant supply of water which is
afibrded by the waterworks of the Schuylkill : hand-
some cast-iron pumps are among the most prominent
features in the streets, and its public buildings are both
graceful and classical.

BALTIMORE. 9

After a hasty dinner, attended by four hncre, clean,
jolly, sable vagabonds, whose language, peculiar pro-
nunciation, and absurd attempts at jokes amused me-
greatly, I resumed my journey by railway to Baltimore.
The view as you leave Philadelphia is very beautiful.
For some distance, as you recede from the town, you
behold the whole city stretched out before you, forming
a splendid panorama. On the right, above the town,
are the celebrated waterworks by which it is supplied
with water from the Schuylkill, and to the left is the
broad estuary of the Delaware, covered with vessels of
all sizes, from the light pilot-boat to the lordly three-
decker.

We reached Baltimore the same evening. This rapid
journey southward causes, in the course of one single
day, a most sensible change in temperature and climate,
such as we might perhaps experience in the Old World,
if we were to breakfast at Moscow and dine at Naples.

Into Baltimore, according to Jonathan's go-ahead
principles, we drove the train, right through the streets,
to the imminent danger of the lives of its peaceful citi-
zens, though not of their liberties, there being no barrier-
to prevent their getting up a little Juggernaut oblation
of themselves to their favourite goddess. In the railway-
carriage, I sat next a gentleman who, from natural
politeness, or from a lively dread of Dickens and
Trollope, restrained himself from spitting out of the
window, which was at my other side ; but when the
exigencies of expectoration required, took off his hat and
tested its waterproof qualities in a manner not yet usual
in this part of the world. I inferred from this that he
must have heard of the American in England, who,
spitting across a feUow-passenger out of the window of a.
stage-coach, learned how little his apology was appre-
ciated when he observed, " I guess I cleared you.''

Baltimore is mostly built of brick, but there are also

10 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

many handsome stone buildings, and it is altogether a
noble city. I had little time to see much of it, but was
struck Tvith the principal streets, which, both in size
and paving, &c., are equal to any I ever saw. The
shops are handsomely lighted up in the evening, and
the crowded streets exhibited a numerous and well-
dressed population. I had heard of the beauty of the
Baltimore women, and was not disappointed in them,
for I never saw so many pretty faces before in so short
a time.

A splendid fire took place that night in Baltimore,
which was extinguished, fortunately, without any
further effects than giving us a good appetite for our
supper ; the attack on which was most furious, and
the consumption far more extensive than that of the
fire we had assisted to put out.

At Cumberland, we took the stage-coach across the
Alleghany range of mountains to Wheeling, which is
not far from the head of the navigation of the river
Ohio. An American stage-coach is a very primitive,
rough sort of conveyance, something like the diligence
on the Continent, but far stronger in construction, both
as to wheels and springs, and calculated to meet the
very severe shocks to which the nature and state of the
roads necessarily subject it. It is built to accommo-
date, or rather torture, nine persons inside, and as many
outside as have the skill or the courage to sit along
with the driver. This functionary is truly a wonderful
man. He drives four horses, at a very tolerable pace,
over a road where the depth of the ruts and the number
of stumps of trees baffle description. When the wheel
strikes one of the latter, the centrifugal effect is sub-
lime. The top of my head was so battered against the
roof of this notable conveyance, that, after a while, I
preferred sharing the driver's fortunes outside, notwith-
-standing the cold encountered among these hills, from

THE ALLEGHANIES. 11

which, however, the continual exertion of clinging on
was quite sufficient to prevent my suffering. But how
our Jehu contrived to drive, to manage the drag (which
he did by means of a screw handle on his ri^^ht), and to
remain on the box, is a mystery that to this day I am
unable to solve. This road the coachman declared to
me to have been usually a very good one, although it
unavoidably fell into a bad state of repair in winter.

I never saw a more beautiful range of mountains than
the Alleghanies — full of deep dark gorges and ravines,
through which the road winds, now under lofty preci-
pices,"reminding me of some of the passes in the Tyrol ;
now along a high crest of mountain, overlooking a vast
extent of beautiful country ; now through some thick
primeval forest, capital lurking-places for bears, wolves,
and panthers, or painters, as they are there called.
During a great part of the day, we travelled up the
Monogahela Eiver, celebrated all over the States for
the whiskey made along its banks. Every now and then
we made a rapid descent at full gallop down some deep
gorge filled with snow, into which, at this season, the
beams of the sun never penetrate. Coal of the finest
kind is found all through the Alleghanies in great
quantities, and in the towns along the road it is to be
bought at four and sixpence a ton.

I reached Wheeling, heartily sick of stage-coach
travelling, but consoling myself with the reflection that
the rest of my journey to New Orleans was to be by the
river.

Here I first beheld those justly celebrated American
river-steamboats, so indicative of the enterprise and
commercial prosperity of the country. By means of
these vessels, the productions of the most remote parts
of the interior are transferred to suitable markets at a
trifling expense to the producer ; so that the furs and
skins from the remotest savages, the wheat and Indian

12 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

corn of the agriculturist, the cotton and the sugar of
the planter, are rendered valuable and profitable by the
free choice among the many market-towns studding the
banks of its rivers, from the remote Missouri, Ohio, and
Arkansas, to New Orleans, where the Mississippi' rolls
its vast united flood into the waters of the Atlantic
Ocean. These boats are flat-bottomed, and not builfc
with a view to durability ; a fact which, together with
the economical manner of their construction, renders
them often very dangerous to the lives and limbs of the
numerous passengers that crowd their decks.

^ Much has been said of the comparative merits of the
high-pressure and low-pressure engines ; but I am
inclined to believe that the high-pressure engine would
be quite sufficiently safe, provided the captains of the
boats were chosen a little more judiciously from men
conversant with steam-engines in general, and particu-
larly with the nature and capabilities of the machinery
under their command. It is true there is a practical
engineer immediately controlling the said machinery ;
but the poor fellow is frequently obliged seriously to
overtax the powers of the engine, by the frantic
anathemas of the captain — " D— n you, go ahead ! fire
up there ! fire up, will you?''— when excited either by
the speed of a boat astern of him, or by his eagerness to
overhaul a " tarnation oppositioner " ahead, who is no
doubt bent on securing all the passengers from the next
town on the river.

On account of the low state of the water in the Ohio, I
took my passage as far as Louisville in a small stern-
wheel boat. These steamers are driven by one wheel
only, which is placed astern ; they draw very little
water, and are available in places where others could
not answer the purpose so well. My travelling com-
panions were very entertaining. Their inquisitiveness
amused more than it annoyed me ; for I was prepared

! UNLOOKED-rOR ARRIVAL. 13

for it, by the accounts of Eng-lisli authors, many of
whom, I think, have animadverted on it too severely.
They certainly, so for as I myself was concerned, quite
compensated me for their tendency to ask questions, by
their great readiness in answering them ; and I must
say I found a general willingness amongst them to be
communicative and obliging to a stranger, and the
.greatest deference towards any one that spins a yarn
for them — a tendency to which, I dare say, most of my
brother-sportsmen will confess. Who has not, after
a hard and successful run in the pursuit of an elk, or a
fortunate skirmish with a bear, been inveigled into a
minute detail of the chase or contest, with a description
of every trivial circumstance, from the start to the
death ? or, even after its lucky termination, who has
not dilated on the fine condition of the animal, and the
size of its horns, boring you with his sensations as he
strides beside his weary horse, heavily laden with the
trophies of his successful encounter ? However, we must
hope that the world is very charitable, and allows a fair
license to sportsmen, as well as to other enthusiasts.

The next day we were thrown into great confusion
on board, by the announcement that one of the ladies
was about to contribute an additional little member to
our society. At the time she was taken ill, I was
sitting in the cabin talking to an amusing youngster
of some seventeen years of age. I could not better
■describe him, than by referring my readers to the
portrait of Bob Sawyer, in " Pickwick,'"' of which
character he very strongly reminded me. He wore a
jough blue coat, which he had decidedly outgrown, for
the sleeves were far up his arms; shirt- sleeves .he had
none — at all events they did not figure in the visible of
his costume, which really was very perfect without them,
especially as its style was consistently maintained by a
total absence of shirt-collar. He for some time eagerly

14 EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES.

observed the lady's husband, who was just then deploring
the absence of medical aid, and imploring the captain
to do some such impossibility as to put the vessel about,
and go back again, when my Bob Sawyer broke in at the
top of his voice, with " Hullo, mister, now don't rile
yourself for nothing ; Fm a medical man, and passed in
clinicals, and will fix her nicely and handsomely:'"'
then jumping up, and slapping the poor old negro nurse
(who was in tears) on the shoulder, added, " Come,
look alive," and ran in to the assistance of the invalid
forthwith. In less than half an hour he sauntered
slowly back to his seat, and calling to a friend, observed,
'•' I say, Tom, an almighty fine boy, and rich folks, I
calculate ; " and then proceeded to discuss with him the
propriety of asking twenty dollars for "the job," as
they termed it ; Bob Sawyer, in the difiiculty of agree-
ment, even doing me the honour of appealing to me. I
could only suggest a valuation of the baby, and a com-
mission of so many cents on the dollar. This would not
do, however. Tom was conscientious and firm, said that
it would not be right to take an unfair advantage of the
way in which the gentleman and lady were circumstanced,
and that his friend ought not to ask more than the regu-
lar fee of eight dollars. What the amount ultimatdy
received by our clinical professor was, I did not learn ;
but the next morning I observed him called aside by the
old black nurse, who took him to visit her mistress,
whence he presently returned to me, vowing the lady's
husband to be "a real trump, and an almighty fine
gentleman, by G— ! " We -arrived that day at St,
Louis, where it had been the lady's intention to have
remained for her confinement and recovery ; but the
poor thing was obliged to stay on board instead ; and I
felt for her when I heard the deafening continuous roar
of the steam-escapement close to the cabin where she
was a prisoner.

CAIEO. IS-

f'- As I intended returning to Louisville again, I stayed
there but one day, and proceeded on another boat bound
for St. Louis (Missouri), as far as Cairo, at the mouth
of the Ohio, where that river joins the Mississippi. On
landing and looking about me, I soon became convinced
that Cairo must be the spot that suggested to Dickens
his description of " Eden,'' and Martin Chuzzlewit's
and Mark Tapley's doings there, when bent on seeking
their fortunes in the Western States. Cairo really is a
dreary waste. Great exertions were once made to bank
it up and reclaim it, by damming the rivers, so as to
form a site for a market-town ; but all attempts have
hitherto utterly failed, and it still is, as it will I think
long remain, an unhealthy swamp. The hotel, when I
was there, was a floating one, constructed out of a con-
demned river-steamer, the lower part of which was fitted
up as a store or shop, the upper part requiring no change
in its internal arrano-ements.

I went out with my double-barrelled gun, whilst waiting
for a New Orleans boat, and after some wading, brought
back several ducks and quails. Early next morning a
Mississippi steamer passed, and in her I took my pas-
sage for New Orleans. The Great Missouri was then
the most splendid vessel on the river, and plied between
St. Louis and New Orleans. The ladies' sitting-room
cabin was most beautifully furnished, affording all the
luxuries of sofas, rocking-chairs, and a pianoforte.
This room, as in all river-steamers, is a continuation of
the general dining-cabin, the ladies having the power of
shutting it off at any time in the evening, when they
wish to retire, by pushing together concealed sliding-
doors, which meet in the middle. The sleeping-cabins
are ranged along the sides of this saloon, the doors
opening inwards from it. Each of them contains two
berths ; but when there are not a great many passengers,
you can secure the whole room to yourself by paying a

16 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

little more than the usual fare. Outside these, again,
there is a passage round on the deck of the steamer,
enabling the passengers to walk about in the open air
protected from the sun's rays by the hurricane-deck ; and
from this external walk there are glass doors into the
bed-rooms on the side opposite to that by which you
enter from the dining-saloon. The hurricane-deck
overhead is supported by stanchions, connecting it with
the passengers' deck, on which it stands. On the hurri-
cane-deck, again, is placed the pilot's glass house or
caboose, covered with a wooden roof rendered waterproof.
From his position he can command a good view of the
river — a power he stands much in need of in order to
avoid the numerous snags and shallows which perpe-
tually present themselves ahead, threatening the safety
of the boat. I ought here perhaps to inform my readers
that a "snag" is a tree, or part of a large tree, whose
progress down the river has been arrested by the accu-
mulation of sand or earth, or some such cause ; and as it
is frequently quite hidden from view, the experienced
eye of the pilot alone can discover its presence by the
peculiar ripple of the water at the spot where his dan-
gerous enemy lies concealed. A keen power of observa-
tion in this respect is only to be acquired by long
attention and practice, like that arrived at by the
hunter who tracks his game on the prairie.

We proceeded at a tremendous pace in this beautiful
boat, averaging eighteen or nineteen miles an hour, the
stream running strongly in our favour. We passed vast
tracts of forest on either side, chiefly consisting of cotton-
trees, presenting various successions of growth, which
have a very pretty effect, and are caused by the river,
on account of its abrupt curves, continually chano-ino-
its course, and those banks of sand and mud which it con-
sequently abandons receiving from the wings of the wind
into their genial soil the seeds shed by the old patriarchal

LIFE IN A RIVER STEAMER. 17

trees. The successive gradations of the miniature woods
thus formed make a ])leasing variety in the otherwise
monotonous character of the landscape, and often sug-
gested to me reflections on the similarity in the human
world of the progress of population from mother-coun-
tries to their colonies. The principal use made of the
cotton-tree is to provide fuel for the steamers, which is
hewn down, cut up, and piled by contract on the river's
bank, and carried on board by the crew called the deck
hands of the steamer. This operation of taking in wood
occurs about three times in the twenty-four hours, and
occupies about an hour and a half at each time, the men
having to carry the logs on their shoulders along a
couple of planks thrown out from the side of the boat on
to the bank ; so that you can frequently go ashore
while the boat is "wooding/'

Life on board a river boat resembles life at an hotel,
only it is a great deal pleasanter. A bell rings a little
after sunrise : you get up and proceed to the washing-
liouse, next to which, by paying a few cents, you can
have a bath. At your exit from this you will most
likely find a grinning negro barber bowing and scraping-
tit the bath-room door, solicitino; permission to test upon
your chin, for a trifling consideration, his powers of
easy shaving. That operation has hardly terminated
when you hear the bar-keeper vociferating, " Now, then,
gentlemen, come on ; come on ; choose your drinks.
What shall I fix you, sir?'' Then commences the
dynasty of brandy-smashes, mint-juleps, gin-slings, and
whiskey-cocktails, and you may finally observe some of
the gentlemen sitting down to breakfast with tears in
their eyes, the effect of some awful gulp of alcohol and
wormwood, elegantly denominated a phlegm-cutter. A
bell gives the signal for breakfast, but even before that
time you will see each man standing behind his chair,
holding it tightly by the back, and ready to vault into

c

18 BAMDLES AXD ADVENTURES.

his seat as soon as the iron tongue, impelled by Snow-
ball's sable arm, strikes the galvanic shock among the
guests.

The captain sits at the head of the table and his
lieutenant at the foot ; opposite to each of these gentle-
men is placed a large dish of hissing-hot beefsteaks, on
a pewter receiver filled with hot water, which is kept
boiling by a spirit-lamp placed underneath. The guests
are attended by negro servants, who hand about coffee,
tea, &c. After the first breakfast is served the second
breakfast, for the officers a;id those that are not exactly
passengers, after which follows the third breakfast,^ for
the people of colour. The passengers, while all this is
going on, sit outside and in front of the cabin, smoking,
and reading the papers, which they always have the
opportunity of exchanging for later news at the different
towns where they touch for freight or passengers. Your
day passes cheerfully from the consciousness of proceed-
ing at a rapid rate towards your destination, coupled
with the enjoyment of being able to read and write at
your ease, and having plenty of room to eat, drink,
smoke, and enjoy yourself. Previous to the announce-
ment of dinner, the passengers again assemble at the
bar, the keeper of which is at his post, displaying pro-
digies of a^ctivity in suppl3dng the demands of his
customers, some of whom keep him pretty well employed
until the dishing of dinner commences, when they fly to
their chairs as at breakfast. During dinner scarcely
anything was drunk but water. After the cloth was
removed the company removed themselves, and not even
a glass of wine was called for. I completely failed in
getting an amusing acquaintance to assist me in discuss-
ing a bottle of Madeira, the invariable answer to my re-
quest being, " I thank you, I have eaten my dinner.''

The habit of taking these stimulating drinks before
eating is attributable to the relaxing influences of the

NEW ORLEANS. 19

climate in the southern States ; the stomach requiring
a kind of tonic to provoke an appetite and strengthen
digestion. I do not think the habit a good one, having
always found, in my experience of hot climates, that
stimulants do more harm than good when taken with the
view of acquiring an appetite ; the safest way being to wait
without eating until the appetite arrives, or, if possible,
treat yourself to half an hour's sleep before dinner. I
subsequently found that in the large towns the custom
of drinking mne in the English way, i. e., leisurely and
sociably after dinner, is gradually becoming the habit
of the wealthier and more influential merchants.

Occasionally, though not frequently, you meet the
most eligible society on board the large river steam-
boats, particularly when the hot season induces many
of the higher classes of society to migrate northwards,
at which period they frequently form parties to travel
together ; and on these occasions, when the party thus
formed has been so attractive as to include many agree-
able young ladies, I have often known young men (old
acquaintances, perhaps) join it expressly for the river
voyage and the pleasure of their societ}^, and enjoy lots
of music and dancing in the spacious ladies' saloon
purposely fitted up for that object.

We proceeded rapidly southward, passing frequent
cotton plantations, which afford almost constant light
work to the negroes, both in keeping the crop free from
weeds, and finally gathering it ; till, at last, the whirl-
ing panorama on each side of us rolled Missouri and
Arkansas from our view, revealing to our eyes the lands
and sugar-plantations of Louisiana.

As you approach New Orleans the scene becomes
very interesting, and the eye is greeted with a strange
contrast of luxuriant plantations studded with orange
trees, where aromatic shrubs and rare plants may be
traced to the gentle hand and gTaceful taste of the high-

c2

20 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

bom Creole lady, gradually and diffidently intruding
themselves on the vast outskirts of dreary forest, dismal
swamp, and impenetrable cane brake. New Orleans
cannot fail to strike a visitor with vivid emotions of
pleasure and surprise. It is, you may say, reclaimed
from the river by banks called "levees/' somewhat in
the same manner as in Holland. The town is divided
into several municipalities, and though these are sepa-
rated one from another by but a single street, yet on
one side of it you may imagine yourself in England,
and on the other forget that you are not in France — so
strongly are the characteristic diflferences marked in all
you see around you ; in the buildings, manners, even in
the sign-boards over the stores and shops, which are
printed in different languages in the opposite municipa-
lities. This difference is quite as remarkable in the in-
habitants themselves. The American is essentially Eng-
lish, despite his affectation of the contrary ; he is so in
his business habits, in his conversation, in his preference
for spending his evenings at home with his wife and
family, instead of at public amusements. The Creole,
although his position may be that of a man of business,
is yet quite wanting in the daring speculation and un-
remitting industry of the Anglo-Saxon ; seeking to
support himself by economy and bargaining, while the
American is striving to increase his fortune by extend-
ing his operations. It is of his time, not of his money,
that he is economical ; of his dollars indeed he is most
liberal, and frequently lavish. The Creole considers
his business at a certain hour of the day terminated,
and his unambitious evening is devoted to the journal,
the Theatre Fran9ais, and a cup of coffee. The Ame-
rican, if occasion require, will burn the midnight oil in
his office, and may often be found at two o'clock in the
morning winding up the pressure of additional business
for the departure of the weekly British steamer.

CREOLE LADIES. 21

Upon landing I went to the St. Charles Hotel, an
enormous building in Grecian architecture, with a line
St. Paurs-like dome, more resembling a large cathedral
than a hotel, and presenting a most imposing appear-
ance from the river. There, however, I did not remain
long, for on presenting my letters of introduction I
dined with some new Iriends, who persuaded me most
kindly to take up my residence in their house during
my stay.

There is a great charm about New Orleans : the old
style of Spanish architecture wraps round it a feeling
of romance which, alas ! there is so much in America's
civilisation calculated to suppress.

The verandahs, jjortes cocheres, and small Creole
houses, built of wood, only one story high and opening
into the street, are very picturesque. I enjoyed myself
greatly there, and shall never forget the kindness and
hospitality that greeted me on every side. Among the
Creoles there is a simplicity and cordiality that soon
induces the stranger to feel himself at home with them,
particularly if he is from " la Grande Bretagne,"' in
which case he is sure to meet with an universal welcome.

I ought here perhaps to explain to my readers the
strict meaning of the term '' Creole ;'' at all events, the
sense in which the word is used in America. Creole
means born in the country ; and the term is generally
applied to the descendants of the old French and
Spanish founders of the colony : indeed you could not
offend or hurt the feelings of a Creole gentleman or lady
more, than by supposing either of them even in the
remotest degree of coloured origin. The marked dis-
tinction which I found in the French and English
parts of the town, as I have already described, I found
as strongly characterised among the inhabitants. The
Creole, rich or poor, you can easily distinguish by the
French cut of his clothes and hat, and perhaps a

22 RAMBLES AKD ADVENTURES.

French-trimmed beard. Probably be is dirty and un-
shaven, chary of displaying too much or too clean linen.
Look at the American over the vray as he rolls along,
his clothes not made by " a tarnation French snip/''
but all bought at the ready-made clothes store : his face
is well shaven, and although he wears a beard, it is not
allowed to trespass on the chin : he wears no gloves, but
his hands are always clean, and so is his scrupulously
white linen, of which he makes rather an extensive dis-
play, for he seldom wears a waistcoat, and his loose coat
is always unbuttoned. In his bosom he wears a large
pin, may be a diamond, may be a piece of glass. Well,
go ahead Jonathan : vrith all your faults (and which of
us is without them ?) you are a fine, noble fellow !

How diflB.cult it is to admire and appreciate without
comparing ! Comparisons are odious ; but avoid them
you cannot, when the contrast between the American
and the Creole lady is so strongly presented to the
stranger's observation as on his introduction to New
Orleans society. The poor American lady is like an
exotic plant. In the first place, the climate disagrees
with her : she is languid from the heat, and her good
looks rapidly fade. Then she dresses badly, though
expensively ; her choice of colours is extensive but not
good, and when she is dressed her clothes cling about
much as you could fancy they would had she fallen into
the river and been drawn out again. If she dances
she does so awkwardly, and a quadrille or two (for
she seldom ventures on a higher flight) soon fatigues
her.

The Creole, on the contrary, combines the ndwete of
the Spanish girl, with the polished elegance of the
French lady, whose toilet she scrupulously imitates.
Though not expensively dressed, her beautifully rounded
figure is attired with an exquisite neatness that makes
her at once the ornament of the opera, and the lio-ht and

NIGHT ADVENTURE. 23

life of the ball-room. She is passionately fond of dancing,
in the enjoyment of which she is as graceful as she is
indefatigable.

I had taken apartments in the Rue Eoyale, situated
in the old Spanish-looking part of the town. The
similarity of many of its buildings led me into a strange
mistake, which I mention here as indicative of the
absence of all apprehension of danger at night from
robbers, or any other cause. On my return from an
evening party, I wandered up and down the Rue
Eoyale by the light of a beautiful moon, which was
then at its full, at which time the lamps in the streets
are not lighted, nor indeed are they needed ; and the
absence of all artificial light greatly contributed to the
beauty of the quaint old Spanish buildings along the
street, as they reflected the moonbeams in strong relief
with the dark shadows they show in their wake. The
weather being very warm, doors were thrown open,
muslin and gauze curtains fluttered from open windows,
as if waving in invitation to the cooling night breeze to
come and refresh the slumbers of those who heavily
slept inside. After wandering up and down some time,
while finishing my half-smoked cigar, I suddenly became
aware that I was unable to discover my lodgings, my
observation of that morning not having been sufficiently
accurate to enable me to recognize any difference between
one house and another, in the pale, uncertain moonlight.
After a little hesitation, I entered that which I thought
most probable to be the right one ; and passing through
the 2)ort6 cochere, I went upstairs, found doors and win-
dows all thrown open ; and I continued for some time
vrandering through rooms where the gilding of beautiful
pictures glanced in the moonlight. I had not gone far,
when I felt I had mistaken the house. Curiosity, how-
ever, induced m.e to wander a little further, before
retracing my steps. My situation forcibly reminded me

24 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

of the account of Don Alphonso, in Gil Bias, when
driven by the storm to take shelter in the old Spanish
house, through which he continued wandering from
room to room, amidst splendid furniture, partially
lighted by expiring lamps, until he reached the apart-
ment of Seraphine, where he found the beautiful widow
sleeping heavily and uneasily, through the sultry Spanish
midsummer night. These reflections, hovrever, were
quickly interrupted by a lady's voice, calling out,
" Who is there V I replied hastily, informing her of
my having taken apartments in the Rue Pvoyale that
mornino^, and also of havino- foro-otten both the number
of the house and the name of its owner. " Was it Mr.
So and So's, or was it Colonel S.,'' she kindly suggested ;
but quite in vain ; nothing could bring it back to my
memory. '' Well,'' at length she replied, " as my
brother is gone to the country, you can sleep in his
room to-night. Take the first turn at the foot of the
steps, cross the large landing-place, and go into the
room at the head of the large stairs. Stay, I will give
you a light." After a short pause, I heard, at the other
side of the closed door, a crackling noise, announcing
the ignition of a lucifer match, and immediately after-
wards a lighted candle made its appearance, as well as a
very pretty little jewelled hand, neatly pressed at the
wrist with a very pretty little lace frill. Having taken
the preferred candle, I thanked my hostess, and easily
found my way to the room she had described, where I
slept most comfortably. In the morning I was awakened
by an old negro woman, who brought me a cup of coffee,
returning, before my toilet was completed, with a pair of
handsome ivory-backed hair-brushes, belonging to her
mistress, together with her compliments to know if I
had slept well. I made acquaintance with Mrs. C, the
heroine of this adventure, in society afterwards. She
laughed heartily at it, and said she had not been in the

COLONEL white's. 25

least alarmed. The idea of any one having come in to
rob the house had never entered her head.

Soon after my arrival at New Orleans, I accompanied
Colonel "White on a visit to his sugar plantation, about
thirty miles down the river. He had been away for
some time ; his arrival in the evening was, therefore,
a signal for general rejoicing among his negroes, who
lighted a bonfire on the bank of the river to celebrate
the event. I was much struck at the evident delight
they evinced at seeing him once more among them, as
the more favoured ones crowded round to shake hands
with him. How different, thought I, from our precon-
ceived notions in England, of the condition of negroes
in the slave states of America — an impression still
further confirmed, when I subsequently visited their
neat littJe dwellings.

The colonel's house was very comfortable, surrounded
by a beautiful, well-kept garden ; and by his sugar planta-
tion— a very extensive one, and admirably well managed.

Early the next morning, a neatly-dressed old negro
woman, with a coloured cotton handkerchief tied round
her head, awoke me, bringing me at the same time a cup
of hot, strong coffee, to assist me in shaking oif the
shackles of the drowsy god. I then rose, dressed, and
joined the colonel in a ride through his plantation ;
returned to a capital breakfast ; after which we visited
the difi'erent houses and machineries connected with the
manufacture of the cane ; the colonel, from time to time,
endeavouring to initiate me into the mysteries of sugar.
At ten o'clock we dined, after which I started off to
wage war on the snipes, which I found in abundance in
and around where cane had been, and in swampy patches
where the reeds were cut away. The colonel continued
riding about on horseback, contemplating the sport. In
many places the reeds were so thick, that it was difficult
to find those birds that happened to fall dead ; however^

•26; RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

I bagged twenty-one brace out of twenty-three and a
half, to the great satisfaction of the colonel, who enjoyed
the sport quite as much as myself, accompanying the fall
of each bird with a hearty cheer.

In the evening, the colonel produced a bottle of old
Irish whiskey, giving me, after supper, and over our
tumbler of punch, an admirable description of the battle
of New Orleans, at which he was himself present, being
an aide-de-camp and particular friend of General Jack-
son's. The attack of the English he described as a
splendid one ; but, considering the circumstances under
which the Americans were entrenched, and effectually
protected by their admirable breastwork of cotton-bales, it
must have been — as the event subsequently proved — a
most unadvisable undertaking. The colonel, indeed, with
an oath, declared it the most frantic piece of infatuation
on the part of the English General, only to be accounted
for on the supposition of his being drunk at the time.

The lie of snipes is most uncertain, and the place
where they abound to-day will be abandoned by them
to-morrow. The following day, I found but five birds
on the spot which had afforded me the greatest number
of shots the day before ; of these I fired at and shot
three, and the next day — before starting to New
Orleans — I ran out and finished the other two, before
the steamer arrived by which we returned to town in the
evening. On my return to New Orleans, I found a
grand musical performance, in the shape of an Oratorio
in process of rehearsal, for the purpose of raising funds
to defray the expenses of the new organ for the large
Episcopalian Church in Canal Street, and all the musical
amateurs of the tovrn hard at work getting up the
oratorio of "David,'' composed by Sigismond Neukomm.
The conductor, Mr. Courteau, who was acquainted with
me, requested me to join, and persuaded me to take one
of the solo parts.

ORATORIO OF " DAYID/' 27

Shortly after this the general rehearsal came off in
the church, with organ and orchestra. The choruses
went beautifully ; but the solos Vv'ere decided failures,
the amateur voices not being either sufficiently powerful
nor sufficiently trained to support solo parts in so large
a building, with an orchestra. The committee were
obliged to obtain the assistance of the singers of the
Italian Opera — Madame Fleur Jolie (Prima-Donna).
Madame Favi, Mrs. Wilcox, and the tenore, M. Duffet ;
all of whom offered their services, without remuneration.
The basso, however, was too mercenary to follow their
example ; I was, therefore, obliged to sing his part as
well as my own. When Goliath, therefore, was defunct,
i appeared again as King Saul, much to the amusement
of several of my friends, who declared that " I took a
vast deal of killing, by Gr — ."

I remained several weeks in New Orleans, with my
kind friends, passing my time very pleasantly at balls,
dinner-parties, and excursions to Lake Pontchartrain,
and took my leave amidst hearty farewells and faithful
promises to return again to New Orleans.

CPIAPTER II.

Arkansas forests. — Deer shooting. — The Major's good shots. — Fire-
Pan -hunting. — Fine fat Bucks. — Still-hunting. — First night in
the Woods. — Panther shot. — Black bait for an Alligator. — Assas-
sination of a Bear.

I PROCEEDED up the Mississippi and Arkansor rivers,
having determined to try hunting in the Arkansas
country, of which I had heard a very good report. I
introduced myself to Mr. Keatts, the owner of a fine
cotton plantation, who hospitably welcomed me to his

28 RAiMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

house, and proposed my remaining a day or two with
him, at the end of which time, he promised to accom-
pany me to his brother-in-law's, about twenty miles
distant, which place he recommended me to make my
head- quarters.

My host's residence was a handsome, comfortable
house, built of wood, its large roof and wide surrounding
verandah rendering it very picturesque. The day on
which I arrived was oppressively hot, so, in the evening,
we sat out in the verandah sipping our coffee and
smoking our cigars, and surveying the lovely moonlight
scene before us. The climate Avas Italian ; in the fore-
ground, the moon's rays capriciously displayed the very
beautiful shrubs and flowers with which Keatts had sa
tastefully ornamented his garden ; and, behind them,
the colossal forms of forest trees, not planted by man's
hand. Silence, however, was far from reigning over
the scene ; my European ears being bewildered with the
quaint, yet not discordant cries of the Whip-poor- Will,
interrupted every now and then, as if impatiently and
angrily, by the cry of his rival chatterer, Whip-poor-
Will's-widow* — sounds differing so much from those of
our little musical birds, as strongly to remind me of
absence from home, of a new world, and of a creation
where ''night unto night showeth knowledge." The
fire-flies, too, literally ''glanced among myrtle-boughs,

* The Whip-poor-Will is rendered Interesting by the mysterious
veneration in which he is held by so many of our fair friends in
Arkansas, who evidently (although unwilling to confess it) deem
him a bird of ill omen. He is a species of the Goatsucker tribe, of
a dark brown-colour, with black stripes, and curiously mottled ; head
not so dark, with an enormous mouth ; a strong bill, slightly curved
at the extremity ; and is furnished, no doubt for the greater facility
of securing his prey, with long whalebone-like hairs extending
beyond the bill. He feeds on insects, is seldom seen on the wing
in the day-time, and flies close to the ground, and like a swallow.
The Whip-poor- Will's widow is very like him ; but perhaps a
different species, and not so large.

DEER SHOOTING. 29

as if distracted by the incessant cheeping of gigantic
grasshoppers/'

Two days afterwards, we were joined by Keatts's
brother, an excellent deer hunter, and we all three
moved off next morning on horseback to the brother-in-
law's, with guns, saddle-bags, &c. ; and, on the next
day after our arrival, sallied forth to commence our
hunting ; Keatts, who, though an excellent shot, was
not a strong man, or capable of enduring much fatigue,
taking my double-barrel, intending to operate with buck-
shot, while his brother and I shouldered our rifles.
After riding for a few miles throuo-h the most beautiful
and likely forest, and along glades of inviting scrub-oak,
we came to what is called a deer-lick. These deer-licks
are either deposits of salt or patches of land strongly
impregnated with salt, to which the deer are attracted,
probably by feeling themselves surfeited with the rank
grass on which they browse, for they generally feed early
in the mornino; and late in the evenino-, and the time
"when they are chiefly to be found at the licks, is after
noon and before midnight.

Arrived at a well-known lick, we unsaddled our horses
and picketted them, and contrived, by lighting a fire to
windward of them, and supplying it with a heap of green
wood, to envelop the poor animals in the smoke it
created, in order, as much as possible, to protect then?-
from the attacks of the flies, which prove a perfect pest
in this country. This accomplished, Keatts clambered
up into a tree commanding a good view of the lick,
armed with my double-barrelled gun, while we, with our
long rifles, went to seek our fortunes in a rather more
laborious way.

We agreed, if possible, to meet on the bank of a little
stream, and halt for mid-day, it being then the height
of summer. After each had hunted some time un-
successfully, we met at our rendezvous, but had hardly

?0 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

lighted our fire, when we were roused by the snorting
and whistling of a deer. I raised myself slowly on one
knee, and fortunately, before he could bound away back
into the thicket, planted a bullet behind his shovilder.
He dashed forward with his head thrust downwards fo::
a few paces, rolled over, and expired. I was rather
pleased at my success, and immediately set to work at
skinning him, alas ! how awkwardly ! I had more dif-
ficulty in removing the skin from that one deer, than I
should have found, twelve months afterwards, in shred-
ding off the hides of two bison bulls. But, though my
companion assisted me, we had hardly flayed and cut up
our game, when I heard my double -barrel go off with a
tremendous report. "Hullo, Harry!'' I exclaimed,
*' that report is too strong for my gun ; I am sure all's
not right ;" and, so strongly were my suspicions raised,
that we both started off to see whether anything really
was the matter. We were not far from the deer-lick
where we had left Keatts, when we heard him as we
approached, feebly calling, '' Held ! help ! " and found
the poor fellow lying at the foot of the tree in which we
had left him perched like a squirrel that morniug, but
now hardly able to speak from pain and exhaustion, and
a fine fat buck (much larger than the one I had killed)
lying about fourteen paces off. The catastrophe was in
this wise. Keatts, perched up on a branch, contrived
in some way or other to let off both barrels of the gun
together at the deer, the result of which was the simul-
taneous downfal of sportsman, gun, and game. The
poor fellow was considerably hurt, but much more
frightened; fortunately, however, no bones were broken,
which, from the height of the branch and the distance
he must have fallen, was rather surprising. We paid dear
for our sport that day. Poor Keatts was laid up in ordi-
nary for a couple of weeks at least, and I had the felicity
of beholding my poor double-barrel shattered to pieces

PAN-HUNTING. 81

We continued deer-shooting for a few days longer^
after which my friend was obliged to return to one
of his plantations. The house of his brother-in-law,
Mr. Thibault, was a pleasant, hospitable cottage, and
himself an excellent sportsman. We rose at day-break,
breakfasted at sun-rise on fried venison and pork, corn
dodgers, and coffee, and then sallied forth to our shoot-
ing, seldom returning before supper-time, after various
success, sometimes unfortunate, and sometime with
horses heavy laden with the spoils of our hunt. After
supper we used to chat over our adventures for awhile,
and then turned in for the night.

One evening we determined to go out pan-hunting, a
species of sport, which, for the edification of my brethren
on this side of the Atlantic, I must endeavour to
explain. It is a method of hunting deer at night. An
iron pan attached to a long stick serving as a handle is
carried in the left hand over the left shoulder ; near
where the left hand grasps the handle is a small pro-
jecting stick, forming a fork on which to rest the rifle
in firing. The pan is filled with burning pine knots,
which being saturated with turpentine, shed a brilliant
and constant light all round, shining into the eyes of
any deer that may come in that direction and making
them look like two balls of fire. The effect is most
curious to those unaccustomed to it, and surprised me
very much the first time that a deer came and stared at
my light. I drew up my rifle, aimed as well as I was
able, for I could but imperfectly trace the line of my
sight, although marked with chalk (a plan we adopt
when shooting wild ducks by night in England), and
fired, but my inquisitive buck bounded off unscathed, as
did another at which I had a tolerably fair shot also
that night.

My friend, however, bagged one, whereupon we halted,
and having lighted our fire in a nice spot surrounded

52 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

by giant trees, sat down by the side of it, and, lulled by
its cheerful crackling, alternately dozed and chatted tiU
I forgot my disappointment at failing in pan-hunting,
:and composed myself to sleep. My companion, how-
ever, having killed his deer, was in great spirits and
talkative ; so finding it quite impossible to baulk his
communicative humour, I roused myself by filling and
lighting my pipe, and made up my mind to listen.
" Well, now ; I vow," said he, ''this pan-hunting is
^an almighty dangerous sort of thing, only to think on
what happened the major about this time two years."
(My readers must know^ that the major in question had
that morning breakfasted with us.) " It's not for-
gotten yet ; we rile him still about it/' " Well,'' I
replied, " I remember you alluded to something this
morning which had happened to him that seemed to
me to amuse you much more than it amused the major."
" Amused him!" he exclaimed, " well, now, I'll tell
you the wiiole per ticklers, and if you think it ought to
iiave amused him I'll eat my hat, and that's a fact.
Well, now ; here goes. About this time two years the
major takes it into his head to go out pan-hunting ;
now, he never was at no time anything of a hunter, in
no-ways : but away he goes one dark night, and as
soon as he sees glaring before him - the eyes of a fine
tarnation big buck, he draws his bead {anglice sight of
rifle) upon him, and downs him. Up gets another, and
off a little way. ' That must be the doe,' thinks the
major, so he loads up, and away he goes after her, and
soon comes up facing her again : crack goes his rifle
again, and he downs her too. Well ; he thought he
had played this time, so he makes his way home, fixes
himself a stiff drink, and into bed, and in the morning
starts a couple of nigirers with an old horse to bring
home the meat : but, behold you ! no tidings of the
■deer, so he goes off" himselfi and when he got to the

SUNDAY IN ARKANSAS. 33

place, Holy Moses ! what should he see, stark and stiff
before him, but his beautiful brood mare plummed right
between the eyes, and about twenty steps further the
foal, too, dead enough this time, and no mistake."

Soon after the completion of my friend's story, mc:'n-
j ing dawned — Sunday morning ! None can so well
appreciate " the breezy call of incense-breathing morn ''
ias those who have felt the bracing influence of a fine
jnight^s sleep in the forests of the West. The blue
t robin flutters amono; the bouo;hs ; the mockino'-bird
i ridicules the jay's cry of disappointment at the still
unripe fruit ; the woodpecker hammers for his food on
ithe hollow trunks of the decrepit giants of the forest ;
earth and air are again full of life.

The rich vegetation in this hot climate, and its rapid
decomposition and reproduction, give birth to a vast
I quantity of insect life, for the consumption of which
'nature has provided great numbers of the different
species of woodpecker. This bird is furnished not only
with a formidably long bill, but with a tongue which he
ican protrude considerably beyond the extremity of it,
land w^hich is armed with barbs enabling him to reach
iand spear the insect at once in the decayed wood
ibetween the clefts of the bark. If he cannot, he taps
iaway on the hollow part, making a sufficient concussion
Ito detach his prey from the bark inside and cause it to
[roll down into some cavity or place where he can secure
jit ; for, unassisted by his wings, he has the power of
[running all over the stems of the trees which form his
hunting-grounds. In addition to this faculty, he is
enabled to maintain a stationary position by forcing the
stiff feathers with which his tail is provided against the
iinequalities in the bark : besides this, he is further
[assisted by the backward growth of two of his claws.
[The finest specimen of these birds is the ivory-bill
^woodpecker, whose operations I have often watched

D

34 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

with much interest and amusement. By sticking his
bill on different portions along the stem of the tree, he
seems, by the sound, to discover where a hollow exists,
and the moment he is satisfied of having found a valu-
able place, like an accomplished little woodsman, the
bird drives his powerful bill, causing the chips to fly,
till he has succeeded in hewing his way into a luxurious
colony of insects.

We secured our horses at sunrise, packed our solitary
deer, and returned to breakfast. All the household we
found busily engaged in making the necessary arrange-
ments to receive the preacher, a most excellent, humble
man, who undertook four different districts of the
country, visiting each place alternately once a month,
I was surprised at the number of our little congregation,
many of whom had come from some distance to attend.
The discourse was both instructive and void of preten-
sion, commencing and terminating with prayers, partly
from the Church of England Liturgy and partly ex-
tempore. When it was concluded, we all sat down to
dinner. At each side of me was a fine blooming
Arkansas lass, who had ridden twenty-four miles through
the woods to this primitive, but sincere, service.

The afternoon of the day following I occupied in
cleaning my rifle and splicing the handle of my fire-
pan, and at night started off again with my kind host
to make a fresh attempt at this, to me, novel and
amusing way of hunting. We proceeded on foot to a
favourite lick for stags ; for, strange to say, there are
some licks to which stags only repair, and where a doe
is seldom or never found. Near this we halted, and
collected, and with our little axe dressed up the pine
knots for our hunting-pans, besides a spare supply
which we kept at our rendezvous. The night was most
favourable, being pitch-dark, and after creeping about
for some time, I beheld, from the light thrown from my

MORE PAN-HUNTING. 35

pan, a pair of shining balls of fire moving up and down
a short distance off At first I took them for fireflies ;
but, on more attentive observation, I saw, by their
simultaneous motion, that they must be the eyes of a
deer. After groping a little farther in that direction,
the eyes again appeared ; and as they began to approach,
the distance between them seemed gradually to increase,
like the lamps of a travelling-carriage to a spectator
watching its progress towards him, till the animal came
so near that I could trace his outline ; so, holding my
pan steadily on my shoulder with the left hand, I raised
my rifle with the right, the barrel resting in the notch
before mentioned, and suspecting, that, at night, from
not being able to determine the hind sight, one is apt to
shoot high in catching the front one clearly, I aimed so
low that I could hardly, from force of habit, persuade
myself to pull the trigger. When I fired, the deer gave
a convulsive bound into the shades of night, and I
thought he was lost. Presently, another came ; and as
soon as he approached within about thirty paces, as
well as I could judge by the appearance of the eyes (for
I could not see his outline), he began to snort and
whistle, " Wheeoo, whoo,'' which indicated plainly
three things to me : — First, that the deer I had just
fired at was struck and bleeding. Secondly, that this
one smelt the blood. Thirdly, that there was, there-
fore, no chance of my getting a nearer shot, and that I
had very little time to lose if I intended to fire at all
I therefore drew up my rifle, aimed a foot under the
eyes, and pulled the trigger. All was silent : the eyes
had disappeared. I listened eagerly, but heard nothing,
loaded again, and waited a long time. Then I heard
Thibault fire ; the wounded buck ran in the direction
of a pool of water, in which I soon heard him kicking
and splashing. I put down my pan, and rushed to the
place, and my friend coming up at the same time, we

d2

3d rambles and adventures.

secured him, and drew him away by a circuitous route
out of the neighbourhood.

I had resumed my hunting-pan and rifie, and was
leaning against a tree, when, like some phantom, the
faint dusky outline of an enormous stag walked noise-
lessly up, and was actually passing me. It made me,
from the high state of excitement in which I then was,
almost superstitious enough to fancy him the departed
shade of an ancient denizen of these primeval forests.
I fired rapidly as he passed in front of me. On receiv-
ing the ball, he rushed violently off ; but from the way
in which I heard him thrash the bushes, I knew I had
a good chance of finding him at daybreak. I had hardly
loaded again, when three or four pairs of glowing eyes
presented themselves, glancing about in several direc-
tions. I fired a chance shot at one, which fortunately
brought the animal down on his tracks: -hearing him
struggling on the ground, I feared, by the sound, that
he was not for one moment safe ; I then threw down
rifle and pan, and rushed up knife in hand. It was
fortunate that I did so, for the stag was recovering, and
just as I had seized him with my left hand by one of
his horns, which being then only in the velvet, it broke
in my grasp, so that I was compelled to drop my knife,
and hold on to him with both hands, holloaing loudly
for assistance, till the animal tore the front and sleeve
of my shirt with his fore-feet, and made such a powerful
fight, that had it not been for Thibault, who came up,
attracted by my shouts, and stabbed him through the
heart, I should not only have lost my stag, but have got
the worst of it into the bargain.

I do not think I ever longed so much for daybreak,
being all this time in suspense as to the result of my
first three shots ; bat morning beamed at last, when,
guided by the blood, we immediately commenced our
search. I found the first buck I had fired at struck

FIVE FAT BUCKS KILLED.* 37

behind the fore-shoulder ; he had run about forty yards
from where he had received the ball, and was lying 'dead.
The second had fallen upon the spot, the bullet having
passed through his head. Thibault found the third, —
and a most splendid animal he was, — the largest buck,
we both agreed, we had ever seen. I have shot a great
many since then, but never one of so great a size.
Altogether, we numbered five capital fat bucks, one two
years old, one three years old, two four years old, and
one colossal old patriarch, whose head, however, was
no use for my collection, his horns, at this time of
year, being mere soft excrescences.

We had hard work to skin and cut up our game
before the flies came to torment us ; when just as we
had finished, a friend rode down to the scene of action,
leading a couple of spare horses for us. So we jogged
off home in high spirits to a late breakfast, at a little
after eight, and after stretching and nailing up our
deer-skins, and canvassing our night's adventures,
James Keatts, who was sufficiently recovered to move
back to his plantation, and I took leave of our kind
host and hunting companion, and departed in different
directions ; I carrying, as trophies of the hunt, seven-
teen prime skins which I carefully saved, July being the
best month in the year for buck-leather.

Shortly after I had parted from Keatts, while walk-
ing one day through the woods in the neighbourhood of
Lake Jefferson looking for deer, I perceived the smell of
smoke, which I found proceeding from a fire that had
been piled up with green wood, and to leeward of which
I saw, with great satisfaction, three fine deer, who had
evidently taken up this position to screen themselves
from the attacks of the flies which plague them greatly,
,and cause their heads and ears to be in constant motion.
iln fact, it is the twitching of the ears of a deer that,
mine times out of ten, betrays his locality to the eye

38 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

of an experienced hunter ; for the eye, from long prac-
tice, acquires a habit of seizing instantly on every
object in motion, so as to occupy its utmost attention
until it is satisfied as to the cause of the movement.
Again, nature has so assimilated the colour of all
the creatures of her animated world to those of the sur-
rounding vegetation, that, divested of their distinguish-
ing attribute, motion, it is difficult to detect them.
Even among the scanty vegetation in our northern!
latitudes, our experience testifies in favour of this
remarkable provision, by which animals without much
means of defence are enabled, in some measure, to evade
their many enemies.
^ Thus, if you go to a mountain in the highlands
either of Scotland or other countries (for there is a
great similarity in all highlands, both as regards
their animals and vegetation), you will notice a grada-
tion of colours from the base to the summit : at the base
and where the ground is dark, the moor-fowl and hares
wear the same dark hue, the former so nearly approach-
ing the colour of the ground as not to be discernible
unless in motion. Higher up the mountain, if there
are vast tracts almost destitute of vegetation, and where
the prevailing colour of the rock is blue or grey, there
you will find hares of the same hue, commonly called
" blue hares.'' Among some of the sombre cliffs in the
mountainous parts of Ireland, black rabbits are found.
Further up again, when we ascend the mountains that
are capped with never-yielding snow, the hares (of
course more seldom met with) are generally pure white.
But the most remarkable instance is that of the ptar-
migan, which seldom or never quits the snowy peaks.
This bird is a species of grouse, to which it is closely
allied, and in its habits and appearance the same ; it is
quite white in winter, while, in summer, when the snow
lies in patches, the bird becomes slightly tinged with

FIRST CAMP ALONE IN THE FOREST. 39

brown and grey. All sportsmen know how difficult it
is to discover a partridge, which thus in comparative
safety seeks its food, from the wonderful combination of
colours in its various brown feathers, which are striped
with straw tintSj thus completing the similarity in the
bii'd's appearance to the stubble which surrounds it.
Neither is the rank and wild vegetation of a tropical
climate disobedient to this law ; enabling the spotted
leopard to lie hidden by leaves when crouching along the
horizontal bough speckled with lichens and discolora-
tions in the bark, and screening the striped tiger with
the similarly vertical reeds of an Indian jungle.

But to return to my narrative : I stalked noiselessly
up to the deer, hiding behind the trees, and taking
advantage of their heads being turned away to gain a
nearer and a nearer tree, till at last, well in shot, I fired
at the nearest, which fell unobserved by the others, who
merely gave two or three graceful bounds, and, but
slightly alarmed by the report of the shot, recommenced
feeding at a little distance off. So, having quietly
loaded, I crept round, and had effectually, as I fancied,
concealed myself behind a good-sized tree, when one oi
them suddenly turned and stared straight towards my
cover, evidently suspecting something wrong, and trying
to make me out. As he stood facing me, I fired, the
ball passing through his throat and stretching him life-
less. The third deer did not stop to inspect his fallen
comrade, but sprang off at full speed. I was very busy
skinning my prizes, when a negro man arrived from
Keatts'"s on horseback, with a double-barrelled gun across
his saddle (a most rare article in those parts) and lead-
ing another horse for me to ride back to his master's.

I did not, however, fancy returning home that night,
so, as I was near the lake, and the sight of '' Snowball's
scattering-iron " made me feel inclined for a little wild-
fowl shooting, I determined, though in a very fever-and-

40 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

aguish sort of place, to camp out for the first time
alone. Before, however, sending the man back with his
horses, I obtained his assistance to collect some wood,
light my fire, and pack the meat for my friends, all of I
which, except some tit-bits for my supper, and the skins,
I loaded on the horse that I was to have ridden. I laid
an embargo on the double-barrelled gun, and also on a
bottle of whiskey that Blackey had with him ; and as my
own saddle-bags contained some biscuits and salt, besides
powder and shot, and, by great good luck, some swan-
drops, and I had a tin mug fastened to the pummel of
my saddle, I considered myself " pretty well fixed off for
the night.-"

I roasted my venison very awkwardly, and cooked
some liver and kidney infamously. I remember this
circumstance particularly, because it was the first night
I had ever camped out solus. It is only when left to our
own resources, that we sportsmen of England feel how
very little we are in the habit of doing for ourselves, and
how helpless we are rendered by all our civilization.
Very delightful, though, is that same refinement of sport
in England, where you rise in the morning, not too
early, and shave with hot water ; a substantial breakfast
with a cup of delicious cream-softened tea awaits you in
the breakfast-room ; your guns are as clean as if they
had not been used at all the day before ; and you take
them without the slightest compunction from the hands of
that invaluable individual called the gamekeeper, who is
to attend you throughout the day, and who tells you not to
trouble yourself by carrying too great a weight of shot,
as he has a supply with which to replenish your little
two-pound Sykes : finally, when the day's shootino- is
over, it matters little what the contents of the bag may
be so far as dinner is concerned ; your own or your
host's larder is quite independent of your day's contri-
bution, and the excellent dinner awaiting you is not the

A PANTHER SHOT. 41

less sumptuous in consequence of the gun not having
been held straight, or the birds having been wild. Your
fair lot is cast in the lap of England, a clime where
running is unnecessary — fatigue is unknown, beyond
that wholesome amount of exertion which is just suffi-
cient to put you in wind and spirits for the merry dance
that winds up the evening.

Such thoughts as these were passing through my mind
as I sat by my solitary fire, but they presented them-
selves in much more forcible contrast on subsequent
occasions, when I found myself, after an unsuccessful
day's hunting, tired, cold, and very hungry in the wild
plains of the Rocky Mountains.

On the present occasion, however, being very com-
fortable and amply provided for, I lit my pipe and
mixed myself some grog from the contents of Blackey's
whiskey-bottle, and having drawn one of the charges of
shot from my double-barrelled gun, and in its place
supplied one of swan-drops, I laid it beside me, and had
sat smoking and musing for some time, when I per-
ceived a pair of eyes shining very brightly in the fire-
light a short distance off. I was puzzled, for they
seemed too low to be those of a deer ; and when I took
up my gun they disappeared. Presently, however, I
saw them again ; and it then occurred to me that they
might be those of a wolf, attracted probably by the offal
of the deer close by ; so I retreated a little way, leaving
him a free passage, to encourage his nearer approach,
stationing myself, at the same time, in a more favour-
able position for' a shot. By-and-by, I descried the
faint outline of some crouching animal stealing towards
the place where the offal lay and affording me a fair
broadside. I fired, and saw no more of him ; but I
thought it prudent to wait till daybreak to commence
my search, as I did not much like undertaking it alone
in the dark ; so I contented myself with a slight sketch

42 ^ RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES

of whiskey-and-water and another pipe, and lay down
to sleep. In the morning, I discovered how fortunate
I had been ; for, a short distance oflp, and stone dead,
lay a splendid panther. I was greatly elated by my
night's performance ; and instead of starting off along
the lake as I had intended, I remained to carefully flay
^ff and stretch my panther's skin ; which done, I re-
newed my fire, and cooked and ate a comfortable break-
fast. Then, having arranged everything to my satisfac-
tion during my absence, I took the double-barrel and
sallied forth for some duck-shooting.

Several species of ducks are to be met with on the
lakes and morasses in this part of the country. I was
fortunate enough to come across two or three different
ones in the course of my morning's sport. One was a
specimen of the pin-tail duck, a fine but very shy bird ;
his plumage shaded with the most beautiful browns
intermixed with white. This duck has a remarkable
black patch picked out with white on the back of his
neck, long black feathers in the tail, while his head is
of soft rich brown colour, and exhibits altogether a very
handsome appearance. Some wood-ducks also fell to
my gun this morning, very handsome fellows, with
splendid green plumage and a white stripe reaching
from the bill to the eye and beyond it round the neck.
They are web-footed, and provided, besides, with tole-
rably strong claws to enable them to perch on trees. I
bagged five or six, but lost several, as I did not dare
venture too far into the water, on account of the alli-
gators. Securing all I could reach to my belt, I
walked back to camp, and on my way shot a good-sized
rattlesnake. I tried to skin him, but the flies forced
me to abandon the attempt, from which I was indeed
still farther discouraged by my having blown the head
to pieces, and so rendered him of little use or ornament
to my collection.

BLACK BAIT FOR AN ALLIGATOR. 43

I found my host himself awaiting my return with the
horses, greatly delighted at the fall of the panther, as
he had been a considerable sufferer from the depreda-
tions of similar animals, and I had the pleasure of fight-
ing my battles o"er again as we rode home together to
his house.

I will close this chapter by recounting two hunting
adventures of my brother Frederick, who, the year pre-
vious to my departure for America, had hunted a good
deal on the borders of Lake Jefferson, in the Arkansas
country. After my return to England, we often talked
over our adventures together ; so I have determined
to chronicle the following for the entertainment of
my readers, as nearly as possible in my brother's
words : —

" One day, when comfortably seated with Jackson
and his family, in the neighbourhood of Lake Jefferson,
a little nigger come running in, shouting, ' Oh, massa !
terrible big alligator ; him run at me.' When we got
him to speak a little more coherently, it appeared that
he had been bathing in the lake, and that an alligator
had suddenly rushed at him, and when the boy, who
luckily was not in deep water, had escaped by running
to land, the brute had actually pursued him for some
distance along the shore. We instantly loaded our
rifles and started off in quest of the monster, accom-
panied by the boy, who came as guide. After carefully
exploring the bank and reeds, though unsuccessfully,
we concealed ourselves, in hopes of seeing him rise to
the top of the water when he thought the coast was
clear ; but as we waited a long time without any result,
we proposed what certainly was a most nefarious project ;
namely, to make the boy strip off his clothes and start
him into the water again as a bait for the alligator.
It was some time before we could get the boy to come
round to our view of the matter : his objections to our

44 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

plan were very strong, and his master's threats failed
completely, as indeed they generally did ; for he was the
kindest-hearted man in the world to his negroes. At
last I coaxed him with a bright new dollar. This
inducement prevailed over his fears, and the poor boy
began to undress, his eyes all the while reverting alter-
nately from the water to the dollar, and from the dollar
to the water. We told him we did not want him to go
in so deep as to be obliged to swim. ' By golly, then,
me go for doUare ; ' and in he walked, but had hardly
reached water higher than his knees, when crash went
the reeds, and the little fellow cut in towards our place
of concealment at an astonishing pace, pursued by the
alligator. The savage beast, as before, came right out
on the bank, where we nailed him with two capital
shots through the head, that effectually checked his
career. He struggled violently, but uselessly, to regain his
congenial element, and, after two or three furious lashes
of his ponderous tail, sullenly expired. The triumph
of the boy was complete : had he, like another infant
Hercules, strangled the alligator with his own hands, he
could not have been more delighted : he yelled out,
' Me so berry glad,' tumbled head overheels, walked
on his hands, and exhibited every symptom of nigger

joy-

" Shortly after, a settler on Lake Jefferson hearing
of my success, asked me to assist him in attacking a
large black bear that had done a great deal of mischief,
and destroyed several of his pigs. Jackson had often
pursued him, but the brute had always succeeded in
dodging his attacks, sometimes beating off the dogs
before he could come up to the scratch, at others evading
the silent stalker in the high reeds of the forest. As I
had never had the good luck to fall in with Bruin,
though I had often seen his tracks, I gladly consented,
and we lost no time in setting off. ' Here are the

SPRING-GUN SHOOTING. 45

brute's tracks again/ he exclaimed, as he pointed to
some footprints, evidently those of a very large bear,
and which he immediately recognized as belonging to
his old enemy. ' Look to your caps, and make sure of
no snapping,' said he, as he put on a fresh one ; ' I
guess this lad is not to be trifled with/ On we went
on the tiptoe of expectation, until the tracks at last led
us into a dense cane-brake, where we could make but
slow progress, and had to use the utmost care to avoid
making an alarm from the rattling of the canes. Unfor-
tunately, at last, one of us trod upon a horizontal stick,
which snapped loudly, and we had the mortification of
hearing Bruin start off with a growl and a crash through
the canes close ahead, but of course unseen by either of
us. It was of no use to pursue ; we could only creep
slowly on, while he could run like a dog through a field
of grass.

'' Poor Jackson ! how I pitied him : he looked at
me, the picture of dismay, with his eyebrows up to the
roots of his hair. I consoled him by proposing a new
hunt at night, and, after holding a council of war, we
decided on adopting the following stratagem: — R. Jack-
son knew a favourite pass of the bears, from the cane-
brake to where the pigs were in the habit of feeding in
the wood ; ' so,' said he, ' we can set my rifle for him,
and the old musket that my father took from an
Indian, to whom it was given by the Britishers ; so now
we'll slope home and fix them off, as you say, to-morrow
night.'

" On reaching his house, I looked up the musket in
question, an old George III. Rex ; and what with clean-
ing, repairing, and setting up the tackle for fixing both
it and the rifle, it was late in the afternoon of the next
day before we started with our apparatus complete. The
rifle we set next to the cane-brake, as we were, after all
our work, not quite sure that the aid musket would

46 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

go off (time and rust having destroyed almost all the
steel facing of the hammer), but we were determined to
try it at all events, after the trouble we had had ; so we
placed it further towards the wood, having loaded it
with five drachms of powder, a ball, and twenty buck-
shot. All being arranged to our satisfaction, we retired
to some distance to await the result."^

" The night was bitterly cold, but we dared not light
a fire near our bear's path, and, what was worse, we
could not prudently smoke ; so, being without that pro-
tection, and armed only with our knives, we thought it
safest to climb a tree close at hand, out of the way of
bears, wolves, and panthers. We sat on a branch till
far into the night, hearing no sounds but the cry of the
Whip-poor- Will and his widow, the howling of wolves,
and the dismal hooting of the owls. At last we began
to get very drowsy, and could hardly prevent ourselves
from tumbling off our perch, whispering from time to
time, ' I fear he's not coming to-night ; ' or, 'I don't
give him up yet,' when snap went the cap of the rifle !
Mutual ejaculations of disgust escaped us, for we fancied
our main hopes dashed to the ground ; but they were
scarcely uttered, when we heard brave old George III.

* I might as well perhaps take this opportunity of initiating my
brother-sportsmen into the mysteries of setting a spring-gun, or
rather what is termed a spring-gun in Arkansas. The stock of a
gun is firmly lashed to a tree and the muzzle to a stake firmly
driven into the ground, the gun being adjusted so as to point at
right angles to the path the animal is expected to take, and pre-
sented at such a distance from the ground, as that, when discharged,
it should lodge its contents in the region of the heart. A fine string
is then attached to the trigger, and passed round a piece of polished
stick behind the ti'igger, and then passed forward again beyond the
path the animal is expected to take. The opposite end of the string
is then fastened to a tree at the opposite side from the gun. The
string must neither be slack, nor have any strain on it, otherwise
the gun will not remain on full cock. When the animal passes, his
chest comes against the string across his path, a slight push strains
it sufficiently to draw the trigger, and he is a gone coon.

ASSASSINATION OF A BEAR. 4'^'

go off with the most tremendous explosion. We scram-
bled down instantly, and ran to the scene of action,
knife in hand. As the night was very dark, Jackson,
knowing the ground better than I did, got there before
me, and while endeavouring to follow him, I heard a
fearful cry for help, succeeded by a dead silence. I ran
up to the spot, and came in for such a scene ! the bear
lying dead, and Jackson prostrate upon him, paralyzed
with fright, caused by his having run against the bear
in the dark, and rolled over the carcase, naturally
enough fancying the bear a living beast, and himself a
dead man. • My God, are you hurt V I exclaimed ;
but found, on raising him up, neither blood nor broken
bones : in short —

'"The man recover 'd of the fright,
The bear it was that died.'

" The old flint musket had done its duty well, and
planted bullet and swan-drops just in the mortal place
behind the shoulder. Soon afterwards, morning dawned,
and we returned to the house well repaid for our night's
watching. Our host was greatly elated at our success ;
but I, who had not suflered the loss of any pigs, felt
rather ashamed, I confess, of the share I had taken in
the assassination of the previous night/'

48 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES,

CHAPTER III.

Mammoth Caves, — Stalactite Architecture. — Ancient America, —
Eambles in the Earth. — Mummy found, — Subterranean Ball, —
St. Louis Hunting Club. — A good run. — A fat Buck killed. —
Hospitable Hunters. — Kentucky talked down. — American Fur
Company.

I LEFT off hunting in Arkansas with reluctance ;
but as I knew that an expedition was preparing to
start from Independence for the Rocky Mountains, I
thought it best to see about getting up the Mississippi
again. Finding, however, when I reached St. Louis,
that I had still some time to spare, I resolved on an
excursion to Louisville, en route for the Mammoth
Caves of Kentucky.

Louisville is a very pleasant, flourishing town on the
Ohio ; and as I had several letters of introduction, I
made the acquaintance of some very charming people,
and was so fortunate as to find many of them also on
the eve of starting for the caves, where the fashionable
watering-place and summer residence of the haute wlee
oi Louisville is situated.

Arrived at our destination, I presented my letter of
introduction to the great Doctor Cronan, the famous
^sculapius and proprietor of the caves, which are
directly on, or rather under, his property. Dr. Cronan
has built a most extensive and comfortable hotel, com-
prising all the luxuries of baths, a fine large dining-
room, and splendid ball-room, with a gallery at one end
for the orchestra, which includes some first-rate German
brass-instrument players. The whole range of buildings
forms three sides of a square, built of wood, and most
invitingly cool and comfortable.

The caves are a few minutes' walk from the hotel

MAMMOTH CAYES. 49

You descend to the entrance by a fiight of steps, about
forty feet deep, at the end of which yon are handed a
lamp. At first yon descend gradually along a wide
passage, which soon terminates suddenly in an extensive
€avern, so vast that its sides are scarcely visible by the
faint light of the lamps with which each visitor is pro-
vided. The earth is rugged and broken, and intersected
by rivers, two of which are crossed in a small skifi"
On our first day's excui'sion, we followed one range of
the- ramifications of caverns and passages to the end,
where it terminated in solid rock, a distance of more
than nine miles underground. We entered the caves
after breakfast, and did not return till eight in the
evening, after a subterranean walk of eighteen or nine-
teen miles, up and down hill, over shingly mountains,
along torrents, and across rivers of subterranean vraters ;
sometimes squeezing our bodies through passages like
mere fissures, then suddenly emerging into a vast cavern,
similar to our Matlock Cave in Derbyshire ; sometimes
through a corridor resembling the shaft of a mine ; and
finally over a range of shingly hills some hundreds of
feet in height.

We caught some fish with a landing-net in these
rivers, and" found them, by a wonderful dispensation of
nature, without eyes or any organs adapted to the recep-
tion of light. The stalactites in some places present a
most fantastic appearance, covering the roof and sides of
the cave with beautiful and delicate wreaths of flowers,
sparkling like alabaster and as white as the driven
snow. In one cavern, about 120 feet in length and 60
in width, they descend and connect the roof with the
ground, thus forming the cave into a perfect old Gothic
church ; each pair of the massive natural columns
forming at their junction with the roof a complete and
beautiful arch.

From the appearance of these stalactites, the Doctor

50 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

told me that opinions had been formed by geologists as
to the probable age of the caves, and periods long ante-
cedent to the creation of man have been pronounced to
be the date of their formation. It is said that they
must now have been in existence 25,000 or 26,000
years. The columns measure, as well as I can remember,
about fourteen feet in circumference on the average. I
can scarcely venture an opinion upon this subject myself,
but certainly the manner in which the Mammoth Caves
were formed appears to me to have been due to volcanic
agency, by which, in the first instance, cracks or fis-
sures were produced in the crust of the earth, and
afterwards cleared and enlarged by the action of water.

Among other objects of interest are still to be seen
several remnants of mummies, indicative of a very
early state of civilization, and probably of an era long
anterior to that of Indian tribes, dependent altogether
for subsistence on the resources of hunting. The limits
of these notes will not allow of my entering into a
discussion on American antiquities, but many, who
have studied the subject with much attention, agree in
believing America to have been discovered by Euro-
peans centuries before the arrival of Columbus, and
testify to the evidently Roman character of remains
still apparent in the state of Ohio.

Little doubt exists as to the fact of these caves
having been formerly inhabited, as hearths, evidently
constructed with a view to contain fires, have been
found in many of the passages ; but no conjecture can
be made as to the period of their construction, save
that they exhibit no apparent traces of European con-
nections.

Some time after the discovery of these wonderful
caves, an American gentleman of the name of Ward,
who, by all accounts, must have been a very courageous
and experienced explorer, undertook, with a number of

MUMMY FOUND. 51

aien, to trace out one or two of the numerous ramifica-
tions ; and although they adopted every precaution that
prudence could suggest to facilitate the retracing of
their steps, such as marking stone flags at the passages
by which they should return, with hands pointing and
arrows flying towards the direction of the caves' mouth,
yet they were very nearly lost, and did not emerge from
their rambles in the "Inferno" till long after midnight,
most of their lamps having burned out, while many
'were the apprehensions of their never again beholding
the light of day. The account of this exploring expe-
I dition strongly reminded me of the warning of Glaucus's
jdauo'hter to ^neas —

I Facilis descensus Averno,

Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras,
Hoc opus, hie labor est.

So few traces of the mummies are now left at the
places where they were discovered, that although my
curiosity was much excited, I could not find sufficient
data to compare them with Egyptian ones ; splinters of
beech bark and shreds of flax cloth were the only traces
I could find ; but I read with much interest Mr. Ward's
description of a mummy found, which he was allowed to
carry away with him, and which I will here transcribe : —

'' It is a female about six feet in height, and so
perfectly dried as to weigh but twenty pounds when I
found it. The hair on the back part of the head is
rather short, and of a sandy hue ; the top of the head
is bald, and the eyes sunk into the head ; the nose, or
that part which is cartilaginous, is dried down to the
bones of the face ; the lips are dried away, and disco-
vered a fine set of teeth, white as ivory. The hands
and feet are perfect, even to the nails, and very delicate,
like those of a young person ; but the teeth are worn as
much as in a person at the age of fifty.''

E 2

§2 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

Doctor Cronan deplored tlie loss of this mummy,
which was so perfect. Near her were found man\'
curious little objects, totally dissimilar to any thin f:
Indian ; among which were a carved wooden cup and
a little reed whistle.

During my stay a new crevice in the rocks was
observed, and, after some perseverance, was made pass-
able, and found to open into a large gallery, in some
places of considerable size, in others diminishing in
.height and width. It extended about five miles, and
was terminated by a piece of subterranean water and
solid rock.

No species of vegetation grows in these caves, nor
did I even find any kinds of moss. The temperature
is always uniform, uninfluenced by that of the external
air, which renders them, consequently, comfortable in
winter, and delightfully cool in summer. The air inside
is very pure ; so much so, that invalids have tried the
experiment of remaining for weeks underground, and,
notwithstanding the inevitable gloom that must have
attended their sojourn in such a dreary abode, have
found themselves greatly invigorated, and their appe-
tites much increased. One gentleman recovered in a
most wonderful manner, after a residence of several
months in a cottage there, which was pointed out
to me.

The young ladies had, the year before, voted it too
hot to dance above-ground, and had actually planned
and given a subterranean ball ; choosing a very fine
cavern, spacious enough, but not too large to admit of
its being properly lighted, and having a boarded floor
laid down for the occasion. I saw some vestiges of the
arrangements still remaining ; and my fair friends
assured me that as soon as their numbers were a little
more augmented by the advancing watering-season, they
intended to give another, and were kind enough to press

HUL^TIXG CLUB.

Do

me to stay for it. Our evenings during my visit to the
caves were truly delightful, and passed away but too
rapidly between music, dancing, and moonlight rambles
amidst the delightful scenery of that lovely spot. I
tore myself away with regret, and returning to Louis-
ville, took boat up to St. Louis.

As soon as I arrived there, I commenced preparations
for my Rocky Mountain expedition, and provided myself
with everything except horses, which I learned were
^much better, and more easily procured in the neigh-
bourhood of Independence. Having still two days to
spare before the departure of a boat for the latter place,
I accepted an invitation from Mr. Cohen, the president
of the hunting club at St. Louis, to join their party in
an early hunt next morning in the Illinois country, on
the opposite side of the river.

; At four o'clock, therefore, next morning, and sorely
'against my will, I was obliged to jump out of bed, to the
: music of old Mr. Cohen's horn. 1 dressed with all speed,
I and on going down found a very fine horse (though
i rather too fieiy a steed to shoot from) waiting for me in
ithe street. I took my double-barrelled gun, which I
had repaired and set to'rights after its fall from the tree
in Arkansas. The rest of the party, about six in
number, came dropping in one by one ; we rode down
the river for some distance, to a feiTy, where we crossed,
with our horses. The ferry-boat was worked by a pair
of horses in the stern, pacing round and round as in a
mill, and, working a kind of capstan, so impelled the
boat backwards and forwards. Landing on the other
side, we found ourselves in the free state of Illinois,
and the dogs waiting for us.

Before proceeding very far, we came to a most in-
viting country for game — beautiful rich pasturage,
broken by wooded glens ; affording at once feeding-
ground, shelter, and water for deer. At that season of

o4> RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

the year, however, the grass is unfortunately so high,
thatj even when on horseback, it is very difficult to get
a fair sight of the deer ; for, as they bound off, it closes
so rapidly behind them, as merely to afford a snap shot
in their direction.

We put the dogs to in a beautiful glen of birch and
scrub-oak, ranging ourselves along the outside of the
wood on the high grassy plain, about sixty or eighty
yards from one another. Presently we heard them give
tongue ; every gun was cocked, and all eyes strained to
catch a glimpse of the deer, when an old buck bounded
out of the cover at a grand pace ; his horns, however,
were covered with velvet, for I could see the shreds
hanging from them even at the distance I was stationed:
Bang ! bang ! went old Cohen's double-barrelled gun,
but the deer bounded on unhurt ; then, suddenly turn-
ing, ran the gauntlet past two young men, escaping
four shots more, and went off uninjured, leaping grace-
fully into the air now and then, as if in conscious pride
of the daring feat he had performed. Whilst we were
drawing another cover, similar to the first, several of the
party got snap shots at outlying deer ; but they likewise
escaped. My horse had, unfortunately, such a fear of
the gun, that once, when a doe started up near me in
the long grass, the brute, anticipating the report of the
gun, wheeled right round on his hind-legs, turning my
back to the direction in which she was making off, and
so lost me my shot.

About three-quarters of an hour afterwards, much to
my surprise, I heard, as I thought, our dogs giving
tongue at a great distance off, and in a totally different
direction from that where we were drawing cover. I set
off at full speed, and in this particular found my horse's
performance fully equal to what his appearance pro-
mised, for he took me through the long grass, which
nearly switched my eyes out, to the wooded hills on the

I A GOOD RUN. 55

other side of the plain at a clipping pace. As T neared,
the baying of the dogs came louder and louder. " Have
I a chance of cutting him off?'' thought I to myself
as I urged on my horse, whose bottom was wonderful.
At last the course I was pursuing as most likely to
effect my object (which, after all, was a complete
chance), led into a wood too thick to allow of anything
of a pace on horseback ; nevertheless I dashed on, barely
slackening speed till absolutely compelled to stop by
some fallen trees, when, throwing myself off my horse,
whom I left to his own devices, after a short run on foot
I was crossed by the stag in full career. I took a snap
shot, and struck him in the flank, being blown a little
by riding and running. He turned and was soon lost
to view. On going to the spot where I had fired at him,
I saw some blood, which made me hope that the dogs
might still find him ; so, drawing my knife, I blazed a
couple of trees, and went back to look for my horse,
whom I fortunately found with very little trouble. I
had scarcely mounted him again before I heard the
sound of a horn in the rear, and to the left on the hill-
sid ;, and a shout of, " Who fired that shot V "II"
I replied ; and, on riding up, found, to my astonishment,
that I had fallen in with quite another hunting party,
and another pack of hounds. I immediately apologized,
and hoped I had not spoiled their sport. To which the
owner of the dogs and the horn replied, " You are most
welcome ! your deer's here ; a very fair buck. I guess
you were near missing, though. Only for that one
buck-shot through the kidneys you would not have got
him. There are one or two in the paunch, but of no
account. We had lost him but for you. How was you
so lucky as to fix yourself there below, and all?" I
explained the whole matter in very few words ; where-
upon they insisted on my staying with them and sharing
their corn-cake, cold boiled pork, and whiskey, on the

56 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

plea that I should lose myself in going back to look for
my own party, but in reality to exercise that innate love
of hospitality for which all the Americans are so justly
celebrated. They even commenced packing the deer
upon my horse ; but I would not hear of it,, and insisted
upon the right of its belonging to the owner of the dogs.
YV e then sat down to a capital lunch, near a running
stream, which afforded us the '' cold without '' to qualify
our whiskey, one of the party good-naturedly offering to
accompany me afterwards to the ferry to show me the
way, as I had made such a round in the course I had
taken in my pursuit of the stag ; which he not only did,
but also crossed with me. I think, however, I was
indebted for the society of my entertaining companion to
the bright eyes of a very pretty widow, who presided at
a bar on the Missouri side of the water, and to whose
bar he insisted on taking me, in order, as he said, to
treat me to a particularly fine whiskey cock-tail ; after
which I shook hands with him, and rode back to
St. Louis, leaving him to bask in the sunshine of the
little widow's tender glances.

I rejoined my hunting companions of the morning at
supper, at the planter's house, which was my hotel.
They were surprised to hear of my afternoon's adven-
ture, as they fancied I had gone home long before. We
spent a noisy evening, towards the termination of which
a most singular bet was made. Old Mr. Cohen was
universally considered a great talker, so much so, that
he even admitted it himself ; but this evening a formid-
able rival appeared against him in the person of a strange
character from Kentucky, who fairly met him on lus
own ground, and after supper evinced such unceasing
powers of conversation, that old Mr. Cohen was unable
to get in a word, and was fain to claim a hearing.
" Let me speak, let me speak,'' he gasped several times,
but with no avail ; till, at last, the fool's argument was

THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY. 57

resorted to, and a bet made which should talk the
longest. An umpire was chosen to determine which of
the two loquacious combatants should be the winner ;
but, as might naturally be supposed, none of us had the
patience to sit out the contest, so we went off to bed,
lea\ing a plentiful supply of brandy, sugar, and iced
water. Next morning, at a quarter-past five, victory
was declared for Missouri, the umpire returning at that
hour and finding the Kentucky man fast asleep in his
arm-chair, and old Mr. Cohen sitting up close beside
him and whispering in his ear.

I started next day up the Missouri river for Inde-
pendence, where I arrived in less than a week, and met
I the party with whom I intended to travel across the
[prairies.

i Every year, at the beginning of September, the
American Fur Company sends off an expedition to the
different trading posts on the banks of the Missouri
and Yellow Stone rivers. This caravan is composed of
the traders, workmen, artificers, and hunters of the
company, who go up to their forts or trading posts
according to their engagements with Messrs. Pierre,
Chateau, and Cie., of St. Louis, who constitute the
branch establishment in that town. The goods con-
veyed into the Indian territory for the purchase, or
rather barter, of furs and skins, are brought up the
Missouri from St. Louis in a steamboat once a year.
This vessel starts in the early part of May, at the time
most fitted to take advantage of the rise in the upper
Missouri, caused by the melting of the snows on the
Indian plains and the Rocky Mountains ; and, after
depositing the various articles and wares for barter with
which it supplies the trading posts, terminates its voyage
at Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellow Stone, where
that river falls into the great Missouri, arriving thither
i about the end of July, at which time the Missouri feels

58- RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

the maximum accession to its waters. The mouth of
the Yellow Stone is upwards of 2,000 miles from St.
Louis ; this distance, therefore, is accomplished by the
intrepid little steamer, through a most difficult naviga-
tion and against a current running six miles an hour,
within the space of from seven to eight weeks : the
descent occupies about eight or nine days. This steamer
carries up all the articles most prized by the North
American Indians, with the exception of ardent spirits
or any intoxicating liquor. I could hardly detail all the
articles brought up for the fur-trade ; but the principal
ones are guns, powder, lead, coffee, sugar, tobacco, and
white, blue, red, and green blankets ; also vermilion, and
blue and white glass beads. The articles obtained from the
Indians in exchange are chiefly baffalo-robes and the
undressed skins of elk, deer, antelope, wolf, with a few
of the grisly bear. The rarer and more valuable furs
are sought for and purchased for the continental market,
by the Hudson's Bay Company, whose territories lie to
the northward — the climate of which being so much
colder, produces furs of still greater value.

Generally speaking, the colder the climate the more
valuable the fur. Even the same animal in the same
region will bear a far more valuable fur if the winter
reaches a greater intensity of cold than what is ordinary
in the districts ; so much so, that connoisseurs in furs
will talk of the winters of '34 and '46, as connoisseurs
in wine do of the great vintages of '36 and '42. Indeed,
my own admiration of beautiful furs is so great, that I
cannot help so far participating in their feelings as to
think it would be delightful if we could induce our
English ladies to take a wider range, and to select from
all the valuable furs found in those regions ; above all
things, to exercise more discrimination in the choice of
their so frequently misnamed sables ; for it is sad to see
a beautiful creatui-e most exquisitely dressed in all other

FINE FURS. 59

respects, but bearing on her graceful shoulder a long
strip of painted rubbish, imposed on her, no doubt, as a
real sable boa, but to the eye of an observing admirer of
handsome furs, as easily distinguishable from this as is a
printed calico from a Chinese crepe shawl.

Why do our ladies adopt the sable (which compara-
tively is not a valuable fur) to the utter exclusion of the
more rare as well as beautiful kinds ; such as the black,
blue, and silver-grey foxes ? If these were but a little
more seen and known, I am certain the taste of our
countrywomen would no longer allow the Hudson Bay
Company to send them to foreign countries in search of
purchasers more capable of appreciating them.

CHAPTER IV.

Old Mr. Kipp.— Preparing for the Start.— Mormons.— Camping at
Night. — Duck-shooting. — Gigantic Vegetation. — Prairie on Fire,
—Port Vermilion.— Scalp Dance.— A Dog Feast.— A Woman
bought and saved. — Hint from a Bullet. — Fort Pierre.

I LEFT the river steamer at Independence, and made
my way over to the farm of Mr. Kipp, a member of the
American Fur Company, and leader of the autumn
expedition every year into the Indian country of the
Upper Missouri, which escort it was my intention to
join in the first instance.

Mr. Kipp was a hardy old veteran, who, although
upwards of sixty years of age, used every year to ride
from his farm, near Independence, up to the mouth
of the Yellow Stone river, a distance of 1,500 or 1,600
miles ; he had already ridden this journey upwards of
twenty times in so many successive years, returning
down "^on the Fur Company's barges or mackinaw boats

60 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

every summer to St. Louis, in charge of the skins ^nd
furs obtained by the traders from the Indians.
^ I arrived in the midst of his preparations for his
journey, and obtained his assistance in purchasing
horses. This delayed us for one day, so that we did
not leave till the 2nd of September, a date which I
remember from his observing to me that it was the first
time for many years that he had failed in getting under
weigh on the first of that month. Our travelling party
consisted of about seventeen or eighteen ; namely, old
Kipp, the leader ; Mr. Mun-ay, a Scotchman in the
service of the company, and in charge of Fort Alexan-
der, on the Yellow Stone, the trading post of the Crow
Indians, who was also on his way up to that post : we
were accompanied by a hardy set of Frenchmen (almost
all the employes of the company being French), some of
Creole and some of Canadian origin— the latter techni-
cally termed wyageurs—^ocAe, patient, enduring fel-
lows, with constitutions like iron, well practised in
journeys of this kind and character. Each man was
mounted, and led a second horse packed with his clothes
or provisions, or whatever might be wanting on the
journey: one of these men was assigned to me' to mind
my packhorse and carry a spare gun ; and I found old
Alexandre a most amusing and useful vagabond.

We had grand confusion at starting— kicking horses,
obstinate mules, packs slipping off, &c., with the usual
amount of oaths and maledictions ; but things fell into
working order after a while, and we continued°our course
without much further disturbance.

For the first two or three days our route lay throuo-h
a A-ery thinly-inhabited country, with farm-houses "at
intervals, at which we put up for the night as we went
along, and at some of which we found capital quarters,
both as regarded board and lodging ; of the latter, Mr!
Kipp, Mr. Murray, and I availing ourselves, while the

CAMPING AT NIGHT. 61

men camped out. We passed through a good deal of
country inclosed and cultivated by the Mormons. I
need not here mention their peculiar tenets in relioion,
for they are tolerably -well known to most of m.y readers ;
nor the various enormities of -which they are accused ;
such as holding a plurality of wives, &c. At all events,
they are an indefatigable set of men, agricultural as well
as religious enthusiasts, and the pioneers of a future
civilization ; for the day is not far distant when, by
their means, the Ked Man and the buffalo will be swept
off the face of the earth. The last spot where we saw
white faces was the Council Bluffs, the trading post and
the residence of a o"overnment ao;ent, where we remained
a day supplying ourselves with coffee, sugar, and biscuit,
salt pork, and beans, as we did not expect for some time
yet to reach a good hunting country.

I will give here a discription of our first night's camp,
which will suffice for all, as each night's work was little
more than a repetition of the same operations. A little
before sunset, we unsaddled and unpacked our horses,
placing the packs and saddle of each rider in a separate
pile, at equal distances, so as to form a circular inclosure
about ten paces in diameter ; and after watering and
" hobling " the horses, /. e. attaching the fore and hind
legs on one side together by means of an iron chain, with
a leathern strap round the fetlock, to prevent their stray-
ing, we turned them loose to graze ; not till then con-
sidering ourselves at liberty to attend to our own comforts.
Our first business was, then, to cut and gather wood, and
to light a fire in the centre of the circle, fetching some
water in the kettles, and putting the meat on to cook,
and making our beds of saddle-cloths, blankets, and
buffalo-robes : this done, we roasted our coffee-berries,
and having wrapped them in a piece of deer or buffalo
skin, and pounded them on the stump of a tree with the
back of a hatchet, put them in our coffee-pot and boiled

62 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

them ; and the meat being cooked by the time this pro-
cess was over, and the coffee made, we fell to with great!
appetite. After supper, we lighted our pipes, and then!
each turned in when he felt inclined, and, with his feetl
to the fire, slept as only travellers in the prairie can
sleep. Before day we were up again, unhobled and
watered our horses, loaded the packs, and were all in
the saddle by sunrise. We rode on till about eleven
o'clock, when we camped again for breakfast, letting the
horses graze for a couple of hours ; at one, starting off
again to pursue our march till near dark.

One day we arrived, a little after noon, at a very nice
situation for camping, near a lake. Our salt meat was
out ; we had nothing but beans ; and, on account of the
Indians having recently scoured the country, we had not
met with any heavier game than ducks and teal ; so the
hunters and I set off" to try and get a supply of these ;
but, to my infinite astonishment, I found that neither
of them could shoot on the wing. It was amusing to
see how astounded they were at my knocking over a fine
mallard, that came wheeling over our heads ; they in-
sisted on its being a chance shot, and would not be per-
suaded of the contrary, until I brought down several
successively ; and at last, with a most satisfactory right
and left, silenced their scepticism completely. They were
greatly delighted : " Mais comment diable, monsieur,
faites-vous cela V said one hardy old veteran to me. I
offered to instruct him, but could not get him to fire
rapidly enough, as he was afraid of wasting his ammuni-
tion, which was very expensive. I remember I had to
work hard for my ducks that evening ; they all fell in
the water, and I had to swim for them ; but they formed
a great addition to the boiled beans we had lately been
reduced to.

Next evening we were threatened with rain ; and the
manner in which we protected ourselves will show how

GIGANTIC VEGETATION. 63

ingeniously travellers in the prairies obviate the difficul-
ties which arise. Camping near some willows, we cut
of these a sufficient quantity to enable each of us to
form a semicircular hut for himself, by bending and
sticking the extremities of each osier into the ground, so
as to form a succession of arches ; after which, by
weaving in a few pliant sallies along the top and sides
of this framework, we made it sufficiently firm to sup-
port spare skins, saddle-cloths, and buffalo-robes, under
the shelter of which we crept in and made our beds.

The vegetation in this part of the prairie was very
rank, and in some places gigantic, the grass growing
over thousands of acres n-om five to eidit feet hio-h.
For two days we travelled through this, without inter-
mission, occasionally meeting with willows and small
spots of timber. Everything around — the huge coarse
grass — weeds that I never saw before, rank and tangled
in their unchecked growth — and the eternal illimitable
sweep of the undulating prairie, impressed on me a sense
of vastness quite overwhelming.

One afternoon, on a day when we had made an early
camp, I started with a hunter, to see if we could find
anything to eat with our boiled beans. We had to wade
along through the grass to a range of hills, about a mile
and a* half out of the direction of our journey, our pro-
gress being rendered still more tedious and fatiguing
by the old fallen timber-trees, six or seven feet in
diameter, over the trunks of which we had to make our
way, as they lay about in hundreds across our path, over-
thrown by age and tempests. I know not when I have
felt so forcibly conscious of my own insignificance, as
when struggling through this immense waste, and feel-
ing as though I were suddenly carried backward into
some remote and long-past age, and as though I were
encroaching on the territories of the mammoth and the
mastodon. Nor was my astonishment the less, when at

64 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUKES.

length we attained the hills, to meet with a succession
of deep dry watercourses, with oaks of enormous size
growing along them, and so close against the steep sides,
that their topmost branches lay on the bank, overlapping
the grassy plain.

I soon, however, abandoned my reverie, and kept a
sharp look out, for we began to see signs of game ; and,
after a while, were pretty well rewarded for our trouble
and fatigue, by killing a deer apiece, a turkey, and a
blue-winged teal ; but we were dreadfully tired, and but
for a bright moon, could never have returned to the party
that night. Our arrival was the signal for a second
supper, all being eager enough to taste the venison,
which, to men who had lived so long upon beans, was a
great treat.

One night we were considerably alarmed at seeing to
windward of us a lurid glare of red light, by which we
soon knew that the prairie was on fire. We instantly
started up and kindled the grass between our position
and the approaching conflagration, so as to burn away
the intervening material, and cut off the progress of the
flames by depriving them of food, carefully extinguish-
ing our own fire at the same time, of course. It was a
splendid and terrible sight ! The fire did not, in fact,
come within several miles of where we stood, ,but at
ni2;ht it always appears much nearer and the danger
more imminent than is really the case. Conjecture was
rife among my more experienced fellow-travellers as to
its cause, but all agreed in arguing no good from it.
'^ Ah, Monsieur!'' said one old fellow to me, ^^les
peaux rouges sont en chemin." He meant the Indians,
and the next day proved him to be right, for on reach-
ing Fort Vermilion (the second trading post of the Fur ,
Company on the Missouri) about noon, we saw, to our
surprise, from the hills commanding a view of the plain
skirting the river by the fort, the lodges or tents of the

PRAIRIE ON FIRE. 65

Sioux Indians and some wild creatures, indistinctly
■ visible in the distance, running to and fro on foot and
on horseback.

I I never, in all my experience of life in the prairies,
! witnessed the awful wonders of a prairie on fire ; but a
brother-sportsman of mine, who was very near losing
both horses and mules from a frightful event of the
kind, gave me the following description of his experience
of one, shortly after my return, which I here tran-
i scribe : — '' We had seen, during the latter part of our
' day's journey, a remarkable appearance in the eastern
i horizon ; and during supper observed a smell of burning,
and a few light cinders fell about the camp, and pre-
sently we remarked that the luminous appearance in
the east had very much augmented. There being a
little hill in front of us, we could not see distinctly what
caused it ; but having consulted together, we agreed
that it proceeded from a prairie on fire, which, however,
, was a long way off". About eight o'clock the smell of
I burning and the glare having materially increased, we
; walked up to the top of the hill, when a spectacle pre-
! sented itself to us the most grand that can well be con-
ceived. The whole horizon, from north to south, was
one wall of fire, blazing up in some places to a great
height, at others merely smouldering in the grass. It
was, however, at least, eight miles off"; but the wind
seemed to set in our direction, so we instantly returned,
and took measures to preserve the camp. We were in a
corner, as it were, on the bank of the stream, with a
good deal of brushwood running up on our left, and the
ground sloping up gradually from the creek to the top
1 of the hill. Our guides, on looking at the fire, said that
it would not harm us — *' Ce n'est rien — le vent change.'
In short, they would do nothing. In about twenty
minutes, however, it approached so near, that there was
aio time to be lost, and all hands were immediately em-

r

66 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

ployed in burning a road across the face of the hill, so
as to stop the fire at that part. A more picturesque
scene could hardly be imagined. The night was veiy
dark, but as far as the eye could reach, all across the
horizon, about four miles in front of us, was a broad,
bright, lurid glare of fire, with a thick canopy of smoke
hanging over it, whose fantastic wreaths, as they curled
in the breeze, were tinged with the red reflection of the
flames. Even at that distance we could hear the crack-
ling and rushing of the fire, which, as it advanced,
caused a strong wind, and every now and then a
brighter flame would shoot high up into the black
cloud of smoke over the top of the hill, illuminating
for an instant our tents and waggons in the dark hollow,
and giving a momentary glimpse of the horses which
were picketed on the side of the rise, on the crest of
which the figures of the men engaged in lighting the
opposition fire (which, as it became too extended, they
beat down with blankets, only suffering it to burn a
space about twelve feet broad, right across the line of
the advancing conflagration), stood out in strong relief
against the glowing Avail of light beyond them ; and as
they ran about, tossing their arms, and waving the
blankets and little torches of lighted grass, they looked
in the distance like demons rather than men. We had
no time to look at the picturesque, however, for every
moment (owing to their previous obstinacy in neglecting
to take precautions in time) became more pregnant
with danger, and by the time they had burned as much
as would only about half cover the camp, the fire was
raging in the bottom at the other side of the hill. I
ran up for an instant to the top, and shall never forget
the scene. Although still half a mile off, the fire
seemed close to me, and the heat and smoke were
almost intolerable, while the dazzling brightness of the
flames made it painful to look at them ; they were in

PRAIRIE OX FIRE. 67

three lines nearly parallel, the first of which was just
below me, burning with a rushing noise, and crackling
as it caught the dry grass, that gave^ an idea of total
destruction which it is impossible to convey, and stretch-
ing away over hill and dale for twelve or fourteen miles
on each side of me, lighting up the sides of the hills
and the little gToves of wood far away. The two lines
in the rear were not so much connected, and seemed
rather licking up any little spots of grass which had
•escaped at first. Every now and then a prairie hen
would flirr past, flying in a wild uncertain manner, as
if fear had almost deprived it of the use of its wings ;
while all the sono^sters of the 2:rove were wheelino-
about among the trees, uttering the most expressive
cries of alarm, and the melancholy hooting of several
owls, and wailing yells of the wolves, together with the
shouts and cries of the men, almost drowned occasionally
by the roaring of the flames, added to the savage
grandeur of the scene, and one could have fancied the
end of all things was at hand. On returning to the
camp, I found all hands cutting the lassoes and halters
of the mules, some of which galloped off instantly into
the river, where they remained standing till the hurri-
cane of flame had passed over ; the others, seemingly
trusting themselves instinctively more to man than to
their own energies in such an emergency, foUovred us
up the space which we had burned, and remained quietly
there, trembling indeed, but without an eflbrt to escape.
i By the time the animals were collected in this spot, the
fire was blazing on the top of the hill, and we all rushed
away with blankets to arrest its progress, if possible, at
the part which we had left unguarded ; all our efforts
would have been in vain, however, and our tents and
, everything else must have been consumed, but that, just
: at that weak point, the grass suddenly became thin and
I scanty, with much stony ground, and we had the satis-

r2

68 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

faction of seeing the flames stopped there and turned
off to the northward along the edge of the brushwood.
It was really terrific to be, as we were, trying to break it
down in the very middle of the blaze (which, after all,
was so narrow that where the flames were not high, you
could jump across it); we were, indeed, nearly suftbcated
by the smoke and heat. As soon as we perceived the
fire turned off, we returned to the camp and horses,
and all danger was over; but the sight of the three lines
of fire^ stretching up the rising grounds behind the
camp, just like the advance of ar vast army, was mag-
nificent ; and it was still more extraordinary to watch
the manner in which the fire passed itself on, as it were,
over the tops of the highest trees, to the height of at
least forty or fifty feet. The whole scene lasted alto-
gether about two hours, and nothing could be conceived
more awfully grand. The extraordinary rushing and
crackling sound of the flames was one of the most terrific
parts of it, and when one considers that the grass is no-
where more than five or six feet high, it is difficult to
imagine *t)w the flame blazes up to such a vast height
as it did. The contrast presented, two hours afterwards,
was most striking. Instead of the briUiant glare of the
fire, and lurid appearance of the sky, there reigned
an impenetrable darkness, earth and sky being alike
shrouded in a black gloom, which could almost be felt ;
not a star was to be seen, and the air retained a suf-
focating, sulphureous smell, as if Satan himself had
passed over the eartli. We could not distinguish objects
at ten paces' distance, and were right glad when a fresh
breeze came gently breathing over the prairie, dis-
sipating the murky vapours still hanging in the
atmosphere ; and a fine starlit sky, with a sharpish frost,
at length relieved us from the close, choking feeling we
had experienced for hours before. This prairie fire°had
travelled at the rate of five miles an hour, bringing with

THE SCALP-DANCE. 59

it a strong gale of wind ; for, otherwise, the night was
quite calm, both before and after it had passed over/'

As we descended the hills, we crossed a large extent of
plain approaching Fort Vermilion, which we found sur-
rounded by the Indian camp. The fort itself was a very
miserable little place, tenanted by a few sickly whites,
servants of the American Fur Company. The surround-
ing Indian camp consisted of a band of 600 Sioux,
including men, women, and children.

An Indian camp is a very striking sight, particularly
in fine weather, when the warriors have returned from a
successful foray, or expedition, laden with spoils and
trophies. In this instance the braves had just come
back after an excursion against the Ottoe Indians, a
tribe living to the S.E., whom it seems they surprised,
and of whom they slew a considerable number. One
poor fellow, from the description they gave me through
the interpreter, must have made a desperate resistance,
mortally wounding one Sioux and severely injuring two
others, before he was overpowered by numbers.

Below and behind the fort were ranged the Indian
lodges or tents, made of dressed skins of the buffalo, cut
and sewn together in suchamanner as to form, when raised
on the poles, a sort of cone, but open at the top to allow
the smoke to escape. The inmates were all out, arrayed
in all their finery, to celebrate the occasion, and I wit-
nessed the grand scalp-dance which took place round the
scalp of the poor Ottoe, elevated on a high pole in the
midst. The men were dressed in full costume, with
feathers and faces painted either black or red : the
women in red or blue blankets, with their beads, neck-
laces, and embroidered gaiters. The dance was certainly
a most characteristic and novel sight. They form a
circle round the pole on which the scalp is mounted
aloft, standing shoulder to shoulder, and placing the
feet too'ether so as to touch at the knees and ankles :

70 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

they then hop round in little steps, hardly bending the
knees to the measure of the most frantic bellowing ; the
men howling " Yo-ho, 6-ho-h6/' the women, '' Ya-ha,
a-ha-ha,'' in a horrible monotonous chant, which with
children screaming, horses kicking, dogs growling and
fighting, and drums beating, formed such a scene of con-
fusion and uproar as baffled description. When the
dance was over, I bought the scalp, and also the poor
devil's head-dress, made of the scalp of a black bear, for
which I gave about fifteen rounds of ammunition and a
striped cotton shirt. It is needless for me, however, to
enter into a description of Indian manners and customs
in this place, as they are already accurately and elabo-
rately detailed in Mr. Catlin's admirable work on this
subject. i

During the time we halted at the fort, Mr. Kipp, i
Murray, and I, were invited by the chief to a dog-feast :
the meat was really not bad, but at the time it was not
pleasant, as I sat eating it, to see the skull of the unfor-
tunate animal, boiled quite bare of flesh, grinning at us
from a conspicuous place. However, the time was, not
many months afterwards, when I should have been
right glad of anything half so good ; and even then, it
was a not unwelcome change from the dried meat we
were eating in the fort. Our host recounted, during
the feast, the wondrous achievements of their war-party,
whose triumphant rejoicings we had just been witness-
ing, telling us that among other exploits they had taken
a poor woman prisoner, whom they were going to put to
death with great solemnity. We were, however, I'm
happy to say, fortunately able to dissuade them from
their cruel purpose, and by making a subscription,
Messrs. Kipp and Murray on the part of the company,
and I, on my own account, bought her from her enemies
and set her free at night. I am sure my readers will be
glad to know that, as I afterwards learnt, she got

HORSES STOLEN. 71

eafely home to her husband and children, who had
luckily escaped the massacre. She ran all night, and
lay concealed during the day, and guiding her course by
the stars, regained her own tribe at the end of two days
and two nights, half-starved, but very happy.

Next morning, on rising, we found three of our best
horses stolen ; fortunately, however, they were none of
mine, which was the more lucky as I had but three,
and none therefore to spare. In the night the Indians
had rooted up the pickets of the fort in front of the
horses' heads behind the stable, got themselves in and
the horses out. " Well, well ; goodness gracious me ! "
exclaimed poor old Mr. Kipp on seeing how an entrance
had been effected. I endeavoured to console him by
telling him what a proof it was of the uncertainty of
human affairs, since on leaving the stables the previous
evening he had even taken the precaution of locking the
door before the steeds were stolen. We found that it
was not the Indians camped around us who were the
culprits, but some audacious rascals who had pursued
us a long way, and had, no doubt, been unable to carry
out their plan before, from our guarding the horses so
carefully at night, while out on the prairie. Pursuit
of course was useless. In the evening, however, by
wonderful good luck, the best of the three horses broke
away from his captors, and returned to us of his own
accord.

The following day there was a great council of the
chiefs, at which they determined to start on the morrow
for their autumn hunt. We travelled a couple of days
in their company, as they requested us not to move on
in advance for fear of frightening the game, if there
should be any. Accordingly, the following day orders
were given by the chiefs to get under way and take
down the lodges.

The whole labour of erecting the lodges or tents in

72 BAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

the morning and taking them down at night devolved
on the women. The poles which support the tents form
the carriage on which they are drawn, together with
pots, kettles, children, puppies, &c., by the horses and
dogs ; the women being also obliged to harness the dogs
and horses, untackle them, water them, and catch them ;
the men all the time sitting still and looking on.

The moving of the camp was a very pretty and
striking scene. Behind the mounted Indians followed
those who had no horses ; then, in a long row, the
horses drawing the lodge poles fastened to a straddle,
the other ends trailing on the ground. On these poles
is a kind of receptacle for the different cooking-kettles
and other property. _ The dogs are harnessed in likd
manner, and horses and dogs keep an unbroken line,
together with their attendant women, who have very
severe tasks to perform. Our day's journey was not
very long : the men rode in every direction, looking out
for buffalo ; but as yet without success. Next day a
halt was ordered at about ten o'clock by the chiefs, who
gave strict orders that no inmate of the camp should
proceed beyond a certain distance, and that all dogs
straying out of bounds were to be shot. The young
men went out again after buffalo. My horses were
tired, having come such a long journey, and as I did;,
not expect to meet with much game I determined to let
them rest, and set off alone with my double-barrelled
gun to look for ducks along a little creek, neai* which
we were camped.

I had not gone above a quarter of a mile when I was
suddenly startled by the report of a gun just behind me,
and a bullet whizzed close past my ear. I turned
quickly round, and saw an Indian lower his gun, having-
fired at and missed me. I easily came up with him as
he was attempting to load, and completely cowed him
by holding the muzzle of my gun to his face, with both

A VALUABLE RETRIEVEK. 73

barrels cocked, making him knock under in very quick
I style. An old Indian, who fortunately happened to be
! near, and seeing things were taking a serious turn
between us, came up, and by signs explained the matter.
i The fact was that I had not understood the proclama-
; tion of the morning, and had unintentionally trans-
I gressed it, and this was their way of letting me know it.
It all, however, terminated very well, and most fortu-
I nately for me, to whom the consequences might have
been fatal, and I took the precaution of getting the old
1 fellow who had acted as mediator between us to accom-
pany me for the rest of the day under pretence of
picking up the ducks. I found him quite invaluable as
a retriever, for he recovered several birds that I should
otherwise have given up for lost. One duck, in parti-
cular, late in the evening, fell under a bank ; when I
got tired of searching for it, the old Sioux would not
give it up, and after three-quarters of an hour's wading
above his knees in water, pulled it out, much to his
own satisfaction and my surprise, from under the oppo-
( site side of the river.

I No buffalo had been seen when we arrived in camp
ithat night. Mr. Kipp, Murray, and I, had quite a
laugh at the Indians as we plucked and boiled the small
: game I had brought in. I did not fail, however, to call
my old retriever, and make him sit down and share,
on which he exclaimed " How!'" and seemed much
i delighted.

i On the morrow our troublesome companions the
' Indians took a more southerly direction, leaving us to
; go our own way, which we were not sorry to do. We
1 continued travelling all that day and part of the next^
when we came in sight of two or three Indian lodges,
i On going up we found that one of them belonged to an
> Indian whom old Mr. Kipp knew, and whom he had
formerly seen at Fort Pierre. He invited us into his

74* RAMBLES AND ADVEi^TURES.

tent to eat buffalo, saying that he had made a good
hunt and had fat meat in his lodge ; and, there, for the
first time in my life, I tasted buffalo meat. To say
what I think of its flavour and its excellence would be
but to repeat all the encomiums upon it that I have
ever heard or read. It is decidedly the best meat I
€ver tasted, and I have eaten as great a variety as most
people. The fat is peculiarly delicious, and more like
that of turtle than beef, over which it has a decided!
superiority in delicacy of flavour, and in not surfeiting
those who even feast immoderately upon it.

We took leave of our hospitable Indian, and travelled I
onwards until we reached an island in the Missouri,
where the A. F. C.^ tried to establish a farm, for which
the site was thought peculiarly favourable, the river
forming such a complete substitute for a fence, on all-
sides. The project succeeded for awhile, but the pre-
datory disposition of those most incorrigible, untame-
able thieves of red-skins, soon broke out. They killed
the cattle, burned the hay, and stole the corn when
ripe, and actually had the impudence to offer it for sale
to the F. C. traders, who " 0 tempera ! 0 mores ! ''
bought it back from them at a blanket or 100 rounds
of ammunition a bushel.

Shortly afterwards we came opposite Fort Pierre,
built on the other (i. e. south) side of the river. We
fired some shots as a signal, on which they sent boats
to take us an! our horses across ; and we "were by no
means sorry to find ourselves comfortably installed in
time for breakfast in the finest of the Fur Company's Sta-
tions on the Missouri. In fact, Pierre is the largest
fort belonging to the F. C.'s traders. It consists of a
large space about 120 yards square, inclosed by piles of
timber 24 feet high, driven well into the ground. The

'^ American Fur Company.

EFFECT OF THE ATJIOSPHERE. 75

roofs of tlie store and trading houses are attached to two
of the sides, with the stables, straw- yards, carpenters'
and blacksmiths' shops, and a dairy for such cows as may
escape the marauding hands of the Indians. A flagstaff,
gaily rigged, stands in the centre of the square, and the
whole establishment has a most inviting look to a set
of weary travellers on jaded horses, and who, with the
exception of the aforesaid buffalo feast, had not fared
over well for many days past. Here, therefore, we
remained a day or two to refresh the horses, which were
liooking miserably worn and thin, and to revel in fresh
imeat and new milk for the benefit of our own health.
We retailed, of course, all the news from below, which,
though stale enough to us, vras very acceptable here.
.Major Drips was in command ; had been in his younger
idays a great loader of trapping-parties in the mountains,
land was now a sober, steady trader.

CHAPTER V.

Clear Atmosphere.^See Buffalo. — Arrival at Fort Union, — Buffalo-
hunting. — Winter sets in. — Hunting Party. — Escape from a
War Party. — A Pace for Life or Death. — Wanton Cruelty of the
Sioux. — A heroic old Bull. — Domestic Calves and Bison Bull.

Wb left Fort Pierre on the otli or 6th of October to
pursue our journey, and generally found timber to camp
in for breakfast at mid-day, and also for supper and
sleeping at night, but were much inconvenienced by
want of fresh water, which disagreed with old Mr. Kipp
and manv of the men. We had lono- entered the hifrh
prairies. The atmosphere in these regions is extremely
healthy, and its effect upon the constitution something
wonderful ; so much so, that persons never suffer from

76 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

coughs or colds ; the complaint is quite unknown. I
have frequently in the morning risen from a sound
sleep, under a down-pour of rain, and found my shoulder,
on the side I had lain, in a pool of water ; have got up
and ridden on, cold and shivering, till the sun rose and
his genial rays thoroughly warmed and dried me ; and
yet have taken no harm. So clear is the air, that the
natural range of sight is greatly extended, and distant
objects may be clearly and easily seen, which in these
islands, or in the States of America, it would be impos-
sible to recognize or define. It is almost like looking
through a telescope.

Another peculiarity is the great difficulty a person
unaccustomed to the prairie finds in ascertaining the
relative distances of objects, and consequently in estimat-
ing their size. I have frequently made, myself, and seen
others make, the blunder of mistaking a bufi'alo bull
for a crow, or more frequently a crow for a buffalo
bull. My readers may be inclined to smile at this ;
but I will answer for it, that if any of them have ever
stood upon the sea-shore with a sailor, and compared
their estimate of distances with his, they will have
found a considerable difference, and so it is upon the
prairie. The eye ranges over a sea of short waving
grass without a single intervening object to afford it
the accustomed means of estimating relative size and
distance. The appetite in this healthy region is also
greatly increased, and I have been told by American
physicians that many are the instances where consump-
tion has been completely eradicated from the constitu-
tions of people travelling up into these regions, even
under circumstances exposing them to very great
hardships.

The difficulty of finding water here seemed rather on
the increase, until late one day we saw a herd of
antelope, always a sure sign of its not being very far off.

BUFFALOES. 7?

The next most important tiling was to find it, as one
of the party observed. " Never mind," said old Mr.
Kipp ; " leave the horses to themselves, and they will
find it.'' We dropped the reins upon their necks as
he directed : one or two of the old stagers pricked
up their ears, stood still for a little while, turned aside
from the course we were pursuing, and walked us
straight to a beautiful spring. It was the only pure,
fine-flavoured water we had enjoyed since leaving
Fort Pierre, and we had entirely to thank our poor
suffering horses for finding it. We accordingly camped
here for the night, but as there was a scarcity of
timber, we were obliged to make our fire of dry buffalo-
dung, of which there was abundance, and which proved
a very tolerable substitute when gathered in sufficient
quantity.

We were now advanced some considerable distance in
the country of the buffalo, but had not as yet met with
any. The next day, however, before eleven o'clock,
we actually did come in sight of the long-wished-for
game. At first the dark grotesque outlines of two old
out-straggling bulls loomed over a rising hill ; they
remained a moment to contemplate us, and then cantered
off at a very leisurely pace, tossing their great heads at
every stride. We allowed them to go unmolested, as
few of our horses were in condition to follow them, and
we were in hopes that, by waiting a little, we might
come across some cows, which would prove a much
greater prize to us. But we saw no more that day.

On the morroAV, Mr. Murray and I observed a bull
in a ravine, so we stalked and shot him ; but he proved
so old, lean, and tough, that we left him to the wolves.

It is almost unnecessary for me to give any descrip-
tion of the buffalo, as both he and his habits must have
so often come under the observation of my readers in
the writings of travellers and the descriptions of natu-

78 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUPvES.

ralists. It should, however, he rememhered, that the
animal commonly called buffalo in America, is the
bison. Though not so tall as the large breeds of our
cattle, they are larger and deeper in the body ; the
shoulders and fore-quarters being very heavy, and the
hind-quarters very light. The full-grown bull is im-
mensely shaggy, especially about the head, which is
covered with such a vast quantity of fur, wool, and long
hair hanging down over his eyes and almost concealing
the horns, as to give it the appearance of being one-
third the size of the whole body. In the winter month
he is covered all over with thick, long, and curly fur ;
a mane of light-brown hair and fur, like that of a lion,
only larger, envelopes his neck ; a long glossy black
beard hanging from his chin, like a deep fringe, sweeps
the ground ; which, with his savage-looking muzzle
and prominent black eye flashing between the tangled
locks of his hair, give him altogether a most ferocious
appearance. In reality, however, he is a timid animal,
and it is only when he imagines himself unable to escape
that he becomes desperate, and therefore dangerous,
from his immense strength. Finally, this strange-
looking creature is supported on short slender legs,
more resembling those of a deer than an ox, and fringed,
like his throat, with masses of coarse shining black
hair, about a foot long, as far as the knee ; his hind
legs being so bent under him a^nd so slight, as to give
at first sight the impression of weakness, as if over-
weighted by his huge carcass ; an impression, however,
soon effaced when you see him gallopping up a steep
hill where no horse could follow, or along a narrow
ledge that would scarcely aff'ord footing to a goat. The
cow is swifter than the bull, and much smaller ; she does
not calve until fully four years old, nor does the bull
breed till nearly that age. In winter, strange to say,
they migrate northward, and collect in great numbers

BUFFALO HUNTING. 79^

on the banks of tlie Missouri, to find shelter in the
timber, and browse upon the willows, or coarse e;rass,
still uncovered by snow. Taken altogether, they%.'e a
curious and interesting animal, and uncommonly good
eating.

At three o'clock on the 27th of October we arrived
at Fort Union, the termination of our journey, right
glad to rest ourselves and our tired horses, who looked
miserable enough and scarcely able to survive the winter.
Fort Union is situated about three miles westward of
the junction of the Missouri and Yellow Stone rivers,
and built in a similar style to Fort Pierre. It is in the
Assineboine territory, and is the depot of the Fur Com-
pany's trade through the Upper Missouri.

Several of the principal Indians came to welcome old
Mr. Kipp, who was a great favourite. There were two
bands, one of whom had pitched their lodges about
thirteen miles below the fort on the river, and'^the other
settled themselves about six miles above the fort to the
westward, and all agreed in declaring the buffalo abun-
dant in that part of the country. After a day or two's
rest, therefore, I started off with the hunter of the fort
in quest of them. The day was very fine, and we
rode each a hack, leading a hunter (or runner). We
had not gone more than three or four miles, when
we came in sight of a very fine herd of buffalo ranging
to the north-east of us. Piiding some distance round"^
in order to avoid giving them the wind, and screened by
some hills and broken ground, we approached as near as
we could unperceived ; then dismounting from our
hacks, ^ we tightened the girths of our runners, and
mounting them, prepared for the chase. Holding our
loaded gans in rest, we started at full speed. Away
went the huge mass raising a whirl of dust over the
plain, followed by us in hot pursuit. We soon over-
hauled them, and continued loading and firing away

80 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

into the herd. My companion shot two, but my first
attempt was a total failure ; however, I was more fortu-
nate the second time, and brought down a fine four-year-
old bull.

Bufialo-hunting is a noble sport, the animal being
swift enough to give a good horse enough to do to close
with him ; wheeling round with such quickness as to
baffle both horse and rider for several turns before there
is any certainty of bringing him down. Added to
which, there is the danger of being charged by one old
bull while in pursuit of another ; this, however, they
will not often do, unless when blown by the awkward-
ness of a bad hunter, in chasing them too far, when they
turn and get desperate.

The first object in approaching a herd of buffalo
should be, to get as near as possible before charging
them ; then, rush in with your horse at full speed,
single out one animal, and detach him from the herd,
which you will soon do, and after a turn or two be able
to get a broadside shot, when you should endeavour to
strike him behind the fore-shoulder. While reloading,
slacken your horse's speed to a hand gallop. The gene-
ral method of loading is to empty the charge from the
horn slung round your neck into the palm of your hand,
whence you can more easily pour it down the barrel ;
you then take a bullet wet out of your mouth, and
throw it down upon the powder ; by which means you
avoid the necessity of using the ramrod, a most incon-
venient process when riding fast on horseback. I found
it from experience better to dispense with both powder-
horn, ramrod, and copper caps altogether, and use a light
self- priming flint gun, carrying the powder loose in the
skirt pockets of my shooting-coat, and thereby having
no further delay than to thrust my hand in for it and
empty it down the barrel of my gun ; accuracy in quan-
tity at such close quarters being of small importance.

BUFFALO HUNTING. 81

Takino; the bullet from the moutli is both the quickest
and safest method of loading ; quicker than fumbling
for it in your pocket, and safer, because its being wet
causes it to stick for a moment without rolling forward
on depressing the muzzle to take aim ; and my brother
sportsmen are doubtless aware of the danger of leaving
an empty space in the barrel between the powder and
the ball. I would not, however, recommend any one to
depend too much upon the detention of the wet bullet,
but to fire immiediately on lowering the muzzle. I ought
here to mention, that in running buffalo, you never bring
the gun to your shoulder in firing, but present it
across the pummel of the saddle, calculating the angle
"with your eye and steadying yourself momentarily
by standing in the stirrups as you take aim. This
is difficult to do at first, and requires considerable prac-
tice ; but the facility once acquired, the ease and un-
erring steadiness with which you can shoot is most
-satisfactory, and any one accustomed to this method
condemns ever afterward the lifting of a gun to the
shoulder whilst riding at speed, as the most awkward
and imscientific bungling.

We drew up our horses, and proceeded to skin and
cut up the animals, and were soon joined by the drays
despatched from the fort for the purpose of taking home
the meat. What we had killed that day was very good
and tolerably fat. I have before adverted to the excel-
lence of bison beef, and the superiority of its fat over
that of the domestic ox ; but before leaving the subject,
I will state two instances in which I myself savf this
superiority fully established.

Old Mr. Kipp, at Christmas, thinking to give all-the
employes and voyageurs of the Fur Company at Fort
Union a great treat, had for some time previously been
fattening up a very nice small-boned heifer cow, which
was killed in due time, in prime condition. All who

G

82 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

had been reckoning on the treat this Avould afford them,,
sat down in high expectation of the ensuing feast ; but
after eating a little while in silence, gradually dropped
off one by one to the bison meat, which was also on the
table, and were finally unanimous in condemning the
beef, which they said was good enough, but nothing
remarkable, and the fat sickening. A plate-full of it
was also given, as ordinary buffalo beef, to an Indian
woman in another room at the fort, on the same occa-
sion : she pronounced it good food, but, said she, '' it is
both coarse and insipid," and the fat, if she were to eat
much of it, would make her sick.

I mention these circumstances, having been one of
the very few who have seen the comparative merits of
the two meats tested by Europeans, Americans, and
Indians at the same time, and heard the unanimous
verdict in favour of the wild bison.

Not many days after my arrival at Fort Union,
winter burst in on the vast region of prairie, bringing
all its terrors with it. A snow-storm of three days'
duration, accompanied by a strong north-westerly wind,
kept us all prisoners in the fort, the river partly froze,
leaving but a narrow channel towards the opposite bank.
I managed to cross, however, in a boat belonging to the
fort, and killed a very fine three-year-old buck, but did
not see any elk, which game I was most anxious to meet.

Among the gentlemen at the trading-post, I found a
good sportsman and first-rate rifle-shot in my friend
Mr. Denig, the accuracy of whose shooting was sur-
prising, even to me, who had had considerable practice.
He was frequently my companion when my excursions
did not lead me very far from the fort, where, as physi-
cian and interpreter, he was obliged to be in constant
attendance. Eabbits and prairie-hens were our principal
game on these occasions. We used our rifles only ; and
while I was content with bringing the birds down any

AN INDIAN HORSE. 83

way that I best could, my companion, four times out of
five, would smash their heads or cut them off altogether.
Prairie-hens, although not wild, seldom allow you to
approach withm fifty yards. They do not mind the
report of the rifle, and when a number are on the same
tree you may bag most of them by commencing with
the lowest, so that his fall from the tree may not'alarm
his companions. This bird is evidently a species of
grouse, aiid stands as tall, but perhaps not quite so
heavy ; it is beautifully speckled with two or three
greys, orange, white, and brown. In the breeding
season the male exhibits two large orange-coloured gills^
with which he makes a strange drumming noise, audible
at a great distance on the prairie. Its flavour is much
affected by what it feeds on, and in this part of the
country where its principal food is rosebuds, is not
nearly so good as in civilised districts, where it eats
Indian corn by wholesale.

So completely were my horses knocked up from the
effects of their long journey that they did not recover
their condition at all during the winter, and were there-
fore of little or no use to me at Fort Union. Frequently,
however, during my stay at that post, meat was scarce,
and on these occasions I obtained a reluctant consent
from old Mr. Kipp to ride a very gallant little grey
buffalo-runner when I wanted to hunt on horseback.
He was a powerful sagacious little animal, and eventually
we understood each other thoroughly. An Indian horse is
ahnost entirely guided by the balance of his rider's body ;
when I leaned, therefore, towards the left on approaching
any particular cow, he pertinaciously pursued her, and
on my firing used to sheer off in the most dexterous
manner, for having once had a rip from a buffalo-horn,
he was far too wise to trust himself within reach again. .

The best hunters of buffalo are the English half-breeds
on the Red River, from Lord Selkirk's settlements ; they

g2

m RAMBLES Al^B ADVENTURES.

will in passing a buffalo at fall speed hit liirn mortally
behind the shoulder at fifty yards, five times out of six.

A violent sno^v-storm about Christmas-time nearly
put an end to my hunting bufialo on horseback, and
a strange epidemic at the same time broke out among
the inhabitants of the fort, and spread like vrildfire ; a
sort of cold that affected the throat like mumps, inter-
nally and externally. So many of the men were laid up
with it that the remainder could hardly supply the fort
Y\-itIi wood for fuel, which they cut from the neighbour-
ing point. Fortunately, however, the invalids began to
recover before the healthy ones were taken ill ; but
at last both the hunters were affected, and the labour of
procuring me?.t for the fort devolved on my friend
ivir. Denig and myself. This for a long time we were
able to do with great ease, as the buffalo were sure to be
found in the timber skirting the river on both sides, so
that we could easily stalk them, and, when we had
killed one or two, send out people to skin, cut them up,
and take them back to the fort in a dray or sledge.
Finally, alas ! my friend, the physician himself, was
laid low with this complaint. He had a name for it, as
doctors have for every ailment, whether they know any-
thing about it or not, but that did not much assist him
in its cure, for he fared no better than the rest.

I started off one day by myself after a large herd of
buffalo, about three miles westward of the fort, adopting
the novel expedient of carrying with me a white blanket
in order to stalk them. I took such a course as not to
give the herd my wind, and with the cover afforded by
the timber on the point, succeeded in getting within a
couple of hundred yards of them ; I crept forward on my
hands and knees, covered by the blanket, which pre-
vented them from distinguishing me amidst the sur-
rounding snow, and enabled me to approach until I came
within shot. I continued creeping about and around them.

SKINKIXG AND CUTTING UP. 85

singling out tjie best and fattest of the cows for upwards of
an hour, and it was not until I had laid five of their num-
ber low that they smelt a rat, and bolted off unanimously,
tossing their shaggy heads and ploughing up the snow.

Being perfectly'satisfied with the abundance of meat
I had obtained, I proceeded to cut out the tongues,
which I fastened vdth. thongs to my belt. Then leaving
my blanket on one animal, my cap stuck on my loading-
stick on another, a pocket-handkerchief fluttering from
the horns of a third, &c., to keep oif the wolves, I ran
off at full speed to the fort, which I entered just as the
twelve- o'clock bell was giving the signal for dinner.

We had buffalo and venison that day of my own pro-
viding, but dressed with most delicious bear's grease and
buffalo marrow by a capital cook. It happened to be
Thursday, our pudding day, which will account to my
readers for my making such haste home.

Dinner over, I requested old Mr. Kipp to give me a
couple of experienced men with a dray, in order to cut up
and bring home my buffalo meat, but so numerous were
the sufferers from '^'the mumps," that not one could be
spared, and the day was too cold to induce the women to
come to my assistance ; I returned alone therefore to
the ground where my bisons lay, and with two pack-
horses, endeavoured to bring home as much of the meat
as possible. I commenced with the finest one, the robe
of which was beautiful, and proceeded to cut her up,
though not without a good deal of exertion and repug-
nance at first. One soon, however, gets over that sort
of squeamishness. So slow and avrkward, however,
were my first attempts at cutting up this heavy game,
that night closed around me ere I finished a second
buffalo ; so that all I could carry away was the skin of
the finest, with the ribs, loins, &c., of two cows, leaving
three fine animals untouched, to be devoured by the
wolves, which mortified me exceedingly, especially as it

86 RAMBLES AND ALVENTUEES.

was cMefly owing to my awkwardness and want of prac-
tice in skinning and dissecting heavy game. It was
nightfall ere I arrived with my heavily laden horses at
the fort.

In two days all the fresh meat I had brought in that
evening was gone, and the buffalo were four or five
miles off ; taking my friend the little grey (the especial
favourite of the old gentleman's) I stole out with him
Tinperceivcd, and had a splendid run, flooring a cow, and
wounding a bull, which I left for the present, and then
stretching away at fall speed, I pursued after another
uncommonly fine fat cow. She gave me an awful
chase, turning and doubling incessantly. My little
horse was sorely at a disadvantage in the snow, and
began to show symptoms of distress ; but I could not
manage to get a broadside shot. At last making one more
push, I got pretty close behind her, and raising myself
in my stirrups, fired down upon her. The effect was
grand. She dropped at the report, the bullet breaking
her spine. My little horse, unable to stop himself, rolled
right over her, making a complete summersault, and
sending me, gun and all, flying clean over both of them
into a snow-drift. I leaped up, ran back to my horse,
which I caught without much difficulty, and was glad to
find no more hurt than myself My gun was filled with
snow, of course, but otherwise uninjured. I certainly
was in luck that day, for the guard of the horses at the
fort joined me soon afterwards ; he had seen the buffalo
running, and came to my assistance to secure and pack
the meat, so that I was enabled to get home and put my
gallant little grey quietly into his stable again.

The weather now became intensely cold, and a fierce
northerly wind, accompanied by a good deal of snow,
again kept us all for some time prisoners in the Fort.
We led a very routine sort of life while our durance
lasted. We rose when the bell rang, and repaired to the

HAIR-BREADTII ESCAPES. 87

dining-room and a cheerful cotton-wood fire ; shortly
afterwards our mulatto cook served breakfast, consisting
of fried buffalo and venison, round breakfast-cakes of
wheaten flour (a supply of which is brought up every
year by the steamer), and excellent cofiee, with the
luxuries of cream and butter. At twelve we had a
dinner very similar to breakfast, with the exception of
coffee, which we drank again at supper.

We were occasionally favoured with visits by the
Indians, from the upper and lower camps, who came
sometimes from motives of curiosity, sometimes to beg
tobacco, sugar, a knife, vermilion, or some such trifle ;
and assisted to pass away the time by accounts of their
war-parties and exploits. I heard some astonishing
stories of the daring adventures and hair-breadth
escapes of some of the hardy hunters and trappers of
the prairie^ — a race now rapidly becoming extinct, owing
to the great fall in the price of beaver, from the recent
introduction of silk into the manufacture of hats. These
veterans of the prairie, so admirably described in Mr.
Ruxton's book (the best collection of trapper stories I
ever came across), are subject to constant vicissitudes of
wealth and poverty, starvation and plenty, and have
continual intercourse with the forts or trading-posts
throughout the Indian country, to exchange their furs
for ammunition, beaver-traps, a saddle, or sometimes
even a liorse, if they have sufficient equivalents to
purchase so expensive an article in that country.

On some occasion of this sort, old Williams made his
appearance at the fort, to the astonishment of all, who
had supposed him dead a long while before, as he had
been one of a party surprised by the mountain Blackfoot
Indians ; but, as it afterwards appeared, had made his
escape, he being the only survivor. After mutual con-
gratulations, Mr. Denig asked him to recount his adven-
ture, which he did in a most interesting and solemn.

88 EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES.

wa}^ He and several other trappers had been hunting
for beaver on one of the tributaries of the Yellow Stone,
or Platte, I forget which now, and after their day's toil
had camped in supposed security, with the horses in
their neighbourhood, and were lying by their fire after
supper, soundly wrapped in that sleep from which they
were to rise no more, when Williams dreamed : " God
Almighty appeared to me,'' said he, slowly and solemnly,
'' in flames and sparkling flashes of fire, and said, 'Wil-
liams, you have been a very wicked man ; I have saved
your life very often, and you have not profited by it ;
but I will save you once more/ '' Bang, bang, bang !
went the guns of an Indian war-party, "close bj ; and
most of his companions rolled from the sleep of time into
eternity, or, on rising to flee from the danger, were im-
mediately massacred. WilKams, however, clubbing his
rifle in one hand, and grasping his knife in the other,
rushed right at the spot from which the shots were
fired, and consequently broke through the enemy, and
got clear off; for those'^that had fired were but few ; the
larger number of the savages being ranged at the oppo-
site side, in order more effectually to destroy the whole
party, by intercepting them as they fled from the obvious
danger. ''Well, Williams,'' said Mr. Denig, after a
pause, ''and is it a warning you have profited by?"
" Well," replied the old fellow, " I don't know ; I've
worked very hard at my traps, and paid all my debts ;
I've given up swearing, and that sort o' thing ; and ii
I knew anything else, I'd do it." Most likely the
sleeping hunter was inspired with this vision in a
moment of time at the instant dawn of returning con-
sciousness, when awakened by the explosion of the fire-
arms which had suggested the dream.

Our snow-storm lasted about three days, and was suc-
ceeded by cold, brilliant sunny weather. The chief of
the upper camp and his brother sent an old Indian witL

ELK-HUIN^TIKG. 89'

a Pxiessage to me, and an offer to accompany me for one
or two days' hunting on the Yellow Stone. Accordingly
we started next day, joined by one of the hnnters of the
fort and two boys about sixteen or seventeen years of
age, "who came for the purpose of assisting us in skinning,
cutting up, and packing the meat. After crossing the
Missouri a little below the fort, and proceeding some
way up the Yellow Stone, we came in sight of a splendid
band of upwards of 100 elk. Never shall I forget the
grand and imposing appearance tliey presented. Like
a regiment of cavalry they passed along the plain, the-
old stags, with wide branching a^ntlers, leading the van.
We immediately left our horses with the old man and
boys, and crossing the ice, the chief and the hunter took
the left side of the river, and his brother and I the
right. We got several shots, and succeeded, after a good
deal of runnin.o- and hard work, in bagging three of them.
Pvamsay, the hunter, and the chief, fired several shots,
whereupon the elk rushed to our side of the river, and
I got a shot at a noble stag, bearing a splendid pair of
antlers. I struck him behind the fore-shoulder, upon
which he started and rushed forward, crashing through
the willows at a great pace. We pursued as fast as we
could make our way through the snow, and, after a long,
hard run, two more shots brought him down ; he made
one final eifort to escape, and fell struggling on the snovr,
where he soon expired. I Avas greatly pleased at my
success, but so utterly blown, that I threw myself for-
ward with my elbows on the ground, to assist my efforts
to breathe ; but, by following the Indian's example, and
eating a handful of snow, I was soon relieved. I now
thought I had ample leisure to examine my noble elk,
which measured five feet three inches in height from the
top of the shoulder, and upwards of six and a half feet
round the body ; but the Indian would not allow me to
stay, pointing forward and saying, " Cooa, coona'' (come,.

"90 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

friend). So we set off again ; and before evening closed,
he shot a deer, which we skinned, cut up, and hung in
<i tree. Covering it with the skin, we left it till next
morning, as it was rather too far for the boys to go for it
that night. This done, we ran back at a jog-trot to
camp, and on our way overtook the boys with the
meat of my elk, cut up and covered with its hide,
all safely packed on the back of the horse they were
leading.

As we approached, we were cheered by the red glare
of the fire flickering through the willows, and shedding
warm tints on the leafless frozen trees. The snow
around the fire was partly scraped away, forming a
sheltering wall behind our backs as we sat. Elk-meat,
spitted on short sticks, with the sharpened end stuck in
the ground, was roasting in all directions. Ramsay and
the chief had killed two elks, a stag and doe, and
wounded several others, which they did not get. The
herd had got perfectly terrified at the firing on both
sides, and kept trotting backwards and forwards,]
literally panic-struck ; so much so, that had they shot'
only tolerably well, they must have killed many more,
as they actually fired eleven times between them.
Indians, in general, shoot very badly, and in their pur-
suit of game depend most on their skill, craft, and
patience in approaching, and also on their wonderful
powers of running. I found the elk good, solid, whole-
some meat, very like our beef ; but the fat is disagreeable
to eat : it is white and hard, getting cold, as it were,
immediately in the mouth.

On putting my hand in my pouch, after supper, I
found that I had lost my pipe, which, when the old man
understood from Kamsay, who interpreted for me, he
asked, " Where V I said I did not know, but that I
supposed it must have been at the place where I dis-
mounted. Upon which he said, '^ We will go and find

INDIAN SKIRMISH. 91

it/' and to my surprise got up, took a burning piece of
wood from the fire, and led the way. After poking
along for about 100 yards he stopped, stooped down, and
searching for a little while, pointed out to me with
a modest self-satisfied chuckle, the short white clay pipe
lying on the snow close to the prints of my feet, made on
dismounting from my horse.

The younger of the two Indians that hunted with me
was the chief, although my friend, the elder one, was a
far finer fellow in every way ; he sat there a perfect gen-
tleman of nature, dignified in carriage, with a mild voice
and graceful manner. I complimented him on his run-
ning, and reminded him how completely he had stumped
me up that afternoon ; to which he merely replied with
the mildest gesture, " Your gun'' (alluding to my rifle)
'^ is very heavy, and mine is light."

Next morning we lay rather late under our buffalo-
robes and blankets, as it had come on to snow ; but as
the flakes fell light and large, it cleared off in two or
three hours ; and when it was over we freshened up the
fire, cooked and ate a little breakfast, took up our guns
again, and separated, agreeing to meet at the end of the
point of timber. Ramsay, the hunter, and I, took one
side, and the two Indians continued along on the other.

We had been hunting about two hours without any
success, when, in our rear, and at the other side of the
Missouri, we heard rapid heavy firing, and were not
long in guessing the cause. We divined, as we after-
wards found rightly, that a battle was fighting between
the Assineboines and their enemies, the Sioux, and we
were in the rear of the latter. Eamsay was as brave
as a lion, and we agreed not to attempt to gain the fort
until we found not only our Indians, but the old man
and boys. We started off to join the latter, in hopes
that the chief and his brother would also adopt the
same plan under the circumstances, instead of adhering

92 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

to our arrrtngement of meeting at the point. AYhilsts
walking along the ice on the river under the right hank,
looking for a spot where we could climb up, we observed
two Sioux Indians running at full speed towards us.
They came very close before they perceived us, clothed
as we were in white blanket capotes, and walking under
a snow-covered bank. '' Now,'' exclaimed Kamsay, in
very broken English, and at the same time cocking his
gun, "you take left hand one and I the right, and we
will hamm.er them.'' I, however, protested against the
absurdity of interfering in Indian quarrels, being quite
content to save my own bones without breaking any of
theirs. In order to join our friends we had to ascend
the bank and cross a belt of wood, Avhich we successfully
did, although not without a little apprehension of lurk-
ing enemies. We found, on reaching the old man and
the bo}^, that the chief and his brother had already
joined them, and the boys had brought in the horses, so
we all mounted together and rode oif for the river. We
crossed the ice, and on arriving at the opposite side,
found tbe enemy had taken to the timber eastward,
while we had taken care to cross well to the westward
of them. Tlieir attack turned out a complete failure,
for they had not succeeded in taking the Assineboines
by surprise ; and we arrived on the scene of action only
in time to see the Sioux, who v^'cre all on foot, move
into the timber to avoid the onset of both bands of
mounted Assineboines, one from the west, and the other
from the east, camp. We hastened on to the fort,
where they were rejoiced to see us, thinking, from the
enemy having crossed down the Yellow Stone, that they
must have seen and surprised us, in which case we
should most probably never have been heard of more.
They must, however, have crossed considerably above
lis, and to this we no doubt owed our escape ; at
least, so we concluded, from the account given us at the

A PERILOUS SITUATION. 93

fort, whence the whole affiiir was seen, the particulars
of which were as follows : —

The horse-guard was driving the horses out in the
morning as usual, to seek what little grass or few willow-
tops they could get to browse on, in order to save the
hay, which was scarce, and had not gone very far over
the river before his sharp eye detected one or two of the
scouts prowling about. He very quickly drove all the
horses back into the fort again. Shortly afterwards
three Assineboine lads, of from seventeen to nineteen
years of age, came to sell some wolf-skins at the fort.
They were warned by the traders that their enemies
were in the neighbourliood, and had been seen that
morning ; but, Indian-like, would not believe it, taking
it into their heads that Mr. Kipp had some object in
detaining them. The eldest said, " Come, let lis go.''
And they set oif, in spite of all w^arning and advice, for
the lower camp, about thirteen miles off. They had
not gone above two hundred yards, when they were seen
from the timber, at the other side of the Missouri,
where the main body of one hundred Sioux were con-
cealed. The progress of the poor boys, whom it was
now quite impossible to apprise of their danger, was
watched through a telescope from the fort. Uncon-
scious of their perilous situation they at last sat down
in a sheltered sunny spot, about two miles from the
fort, and commenced smoking the long Indian pipe,
which, according to native custom, they handed from
one to another. Several of the Sioux were now seen
running through the willows and timber, creeping
stealthily under the bank of the frozen river. Both
pursuers and pursued were distinctly visible from the
tort ; the powers of the telescope approximating now the
cheerful, laughing faces of tiie unconscious boys, now
the crouching forms of their enemies, and increasing to
^ painful degree the feeling of their inability to avert

94 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES.

their apparently inevitable doom. Suddenly, when the
Sioux were within gun-shot of their prey, one of the
lads was seen to give a slight start (an Indian is never
entirely off his guard) ; all three glancing once behind
them, gave a convulsive bound, and then commenced
the race for life or death. Thirteen miles must have
been run by these brave lads through deep snow, in an
hour and a half At last, towards the end of the race,
their bloodthirsty pursuers by firing several shots
alarmed the Assineboine camp, of the position of which
they were ignorant, and for which the boys were making;
so that the latter had not reached it when its inmates
were already on the alert. The warriors and braves
assembled rapidly, and instantly despatched a messenger
to the western camp with tidings of what had occurred,
and directions for mounted men to go down to their
assistance, which, by passing along the brow of the hills
where the snow was less deep, they speedily did. The
Assineboines by this movement appeared both in front
and rear of their enemies, who, having no horses, were
compelled to betake themselves to the timber, with
several of their party wounded. The heavy firing which
we had heard now commenced, but as the conibatants
kept at a very respectful distance from each other, the
result of this great battle was that one of the Sioux was
slain and fell into the hands of the Assineboines, who
immediately scalped him, and celebrated next day a
grand scalp dance, similar to one I have already de-
scribed. We were very sorry that evening to learn that
these rascally Sioux had shot a good many of our milch-
cows— nearly half of them, indeed— with their arrows,
and several of them fatally. The first intimation we
had of it was from seeing their fine old thorough-bred
bull walk across the river, tracking his course with
blood, into the fort, and up to the foot of the staif from
which floated the colours of his country, and there sink

A FURIOUS BULL-FIGHT. 95

down and expire. Poor fellow ! I often rejoice that I
knew not, when Ramsay and I met the two Sioux, what
barbarities they had just been practising on our poor
cattle, or I fear I should have acted on his suggestion,
and have shot them both.

The loss of this handsome, noble animal was univer-
sally regretted in the fort, for besides his great value as
their only means of continuing the breed of domestic
cattle in that remote region, he proved most useful in
drawing home many a heavy load of meat, and much of
the wood for the fuel in the fort ; as a tribute to his
memory, I must here record a single combat of his with
a bison, which, according to the description of his keeper,
"Black Joseph,'' must have been truly Homeric.

About three months previous to my arrival at Fort
Union, and in the height of the buifalo breeding season,
when their bulls are sometimes very fierce, Joe was
taking the Fort Union bull, with a cart, into a point on
the river above the fort, in order to draw home a load
of wood, which had been previously cut and piled ready
for transportation the day before, when a very large old
bison bull stood right in the cart track, pawing up the
earth, and roaring, ready to dispute the passage with
him. On a nearer approach, instead of flying at the
sight of the man tlfat accompanied the cart, the bison
made a headlong charge. Joe had barely time to
remove his bull's head-stall and escape up a tree, being
utterly unable to assist his four-footed friend, whom he
left to his own resources. Bison and bull, now in
mortal combat, met midway with a shock that made
the earth tremble. Our previously docile gentle animal
suddenly became transformed into a furious beast,
springing from side to side, whirling round as the
bufialo attempted to take him in flank, alternately
upsetting and righting the cart again, which he banged
from side to side, and whirled about as if it had been a

^6 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

band-box. Joe, safe out of harm's way, looked down
from the tree at his champion's proceedings, at first
deploring the apparent disadvantage he laboured under,
from being harnessed to a cart ;" but when the fight
had lasted long and furious, and it was evident that
both combatants had determined that one or other of
them must fall, his eyes were opened to the value of the
protection afforded by the harness, and especially by the
thick strong shafts of the cart against the short horns
of the bison, who, although he bore him over and over
again down on his haunches, could not wound him
severely. On the other hand, the long sharp horns of
the brave Fort Union bull began to tell on the furrowed
sides of his ^ antagonist, until the final charge brought
the bison, with a furious bound, dead under our hero's
feet, whose long fine-drawn horn was deep driven into
his adversary's heart. With a cheer that made the
woods ring again, down clambered Joe, and while
triumphantly caressing, also carefully examined his
chivalrous companion, who, although bruised, blown,
and covered with foam, had escaped uninjured.

It required all Joe's nigger eloquence to persuade the
bull to leave the slain antagonist, over whom he long
stood watching, evidently expecting him to get up again
to renew the combat, Joe all the while coaxing him
forward with, " Him dear good bull, him go home now,
anddo no more work to-day," which prospect, ''black
Joe," in common with all his sable brethren, considered
as the acme of sublunary felicity.

Indians out on a war-party spare neither age nor sex,
considering any murders of women or children not only
as just reprisals for former injuries, but even as actions
worthy of proclamation in council and at the war-
^ance ; formerly, however, they never waged war nor
committed any depredations against the whites, on the
plea of their being " medicine," or mysterious people.

FEMININE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. 97

Catlin met even -with civilities from war- parties during
his wanderings. Unfortunately, however, instances
have occurred, some few years ago, of white men joining
in Indian encounters, the consequence of which now is
that they are no longer safe from their attacks, unless
in a position to make a good fight of it

I set out early one fine morning in January, and
killed two fat buffaloes not far from the fort. This
was at the time that the mumps had placed all spare
hands on the sick-list. As the spot where the buffaloes
had fallen was not more than two miles from the fort,
I threw my saddle-cloth on one, and some portion of
my clothing to frighten the wolves from the other, and
returned to dinner, after which I invited some of the
ladies of the fort to come and cut them up. The day
was beautiful, the sun brilHant, and not a breath of air
stirring. I put a horse to one of the sleighs, and took
three of the fair ones on it, — two, wives of gentlemen,
the third the " placens uxor" of the blacksmith at the
fort. It was quite a party of pleasure for them, and by
the way in which they performed the cutting-up, that
operation seemed to afford a considerable share of their
enjo\-ment. They skinned and sliced slowly and deli-
berately, and with evident relish, not only dabbling in
the blood, but actually drinking it, the youngest laugh-
ing at my aversion, and offering me some in the palms
of "her hands. The horse -guard saw us from a distance,
and came to help ; but when he began to make the inci-
sion inside instead of down the outside of the hind leg,
and would so have spoiled its shape for making a robe,
she effectually stopped him by smashing his hat down
over his eyes, exclaiming, "Wihcatko" (i.e. fool),
and laughing heartily at the figure he cut when bon-
neted : the good-natured fellow taking it in very

part.

As the cold increased the wolves howled most dismally.

98 BAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

and the cadences of voices from a high key to a low one.
and vice xgrsd,^\cre most extraordinary, and sometimes sa
extravagantly dismal as to be quite ludicrous. There
appeared to me to be three different kinds of wolves, in
■»,Yhich impression I vras confirmed by the hunters and
Indians, although scientific men assert that there is but
one. But I have shot a great many, and there certainly
seemed to me to be three distinct species : the large
"^vhite wolf, or buiFalo wolf, the grey wolf, and the kit
wolf. The remnants of mv slaufrhtered buffaloes in and
on the outskirts of the timber, or points, frequently
aiforded me opportunities of stalking up the wolves, at
which I vras very successful, for their gait is so smooth
as to render them a much easier mark than deer when
running, and I could hit them then with almost the
same certainty as when standing still. There is no food,
for which these brutes have a greater relish than that of
their own species : and I have always found myself
pretty certain of getting a second shot a few hours after
killing one, by removing the skin and placing his car-
cass in a favourable spot for stalking, which is always
more or less difficult, as their senses of smell, sight, and
hearing are very acute.

I found a strange peculiarity in the large white wolf,
who sleeps so soundly as frequently to allow of a very
near approach ; once I came so close upon one of
them as to think him dead, and was on the point
of examining him, when he suddenly woke up and
started off at full speed. So near was I to him,
that I was able to remove my gun-cover in time to
send a bullet after him, which effectually stopped his
career.

I found wolf-shooting not only capital sport, but pro-
fitable employment, being allowed in barter the value
of two dollars a-piece for white wolf-skins, one and
a lialf dollars for the grey, and seventy-five cents

Siilliiii

■1'' '

Im

i| «lJi Ito^fc* «1 1 I ' illllilMI^W' Ml „ 11 , ll'lh

DOMESTIC CALVES AND BISON BULLS. 99

for the kit wolf-skins. The hunters used to kill them
sometimes with traps set at night ; but when one was
once seen caught, all the wolves were for a long time
very wary.

During my stay at Fort Union, I was frequently
surprised at the friendly relations between our domestic
cattle and the buffaloes, among whom they mingled
without the slightest hesitation. This circumstance is
the more remarkable from the fact that the auroch of
Lithuania, which is of all the ox genus most similar in
species to the bison, evinces the utmost antipathy to
domestic cattle, furiously attacking either cow or bull
whenever they chance to meet them. I was still more asto-
nished, on attentively observing this friendly intercourse,
to see our little calves apparently preferring the com-
panionship of the bison, particularly that of the most
colossal bulls, to that of their own species. I took
an opportunity one morning of investigating the
reason of this more closely, and availing myself of
some broken ground, beyond which I saw three of
our poor little half-starved calves in company with
two gigantic bulls, I crept up very carefully, and lay
under the brow of a hill, not fifty yards from the
nearest in order to observe them, and was not long
in discovering that the bison has the power of removing
the snoY/ with his admirably-shaped shovel-nose, so
as to obt?an the grass underneath it. His little
companions, unable to remove the frozen obstacle
for themselves, were thankfully and fearlessly feed-
ing in his wake ; the little heads of two of them
visible every now and then, contesting an exposed
morsel under his very beard. It was an interesting
sight, and I crept softly away again, so as not to dis-
turb them.

Although the bison scrapes the snow with his nose,
I do not think he does so with his hoofs. I have

n2

loo RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

frequently seen the snow, where buiFalo have been
feeding, stained with slight signs of blood, and after
having shot them, found the noses of both cow and bull
sore from the constant shovcllinf?.

CHAPTER VI.

Tossed by a Buffalo. — Elk-shnotinflf. — Wolves. — Spoil a Cannibal
Feast. — Islimali, — Hard up for Meat. — Ovvou M'Kenzie's Post.
—The Traders.

One beautiful clear cold inorning in January, I started
to shoot some prairie fowl. These birds were too wild
to shoot with shot, especially with the very inadequate
powder imported by the traders into the Indian country ;
so I took my single-barrelled rifle, and shot them off the
branches of the high trees where they used to sit sunning
themselves, taking the lower first, that his fall might i
not alarm his companions. This sort of shooting isj
very pretty rifle practice, especially as the prairie-hen !
does not always fly away if you miss, but allows a
second shot. Indeed, I have sometimes been amused at
seeing the unconscious bird, on feeling the wind of the
bullet, peck with his bill in the direction of it, giving :
an angry chuckle as it whizzed past him.

I had not been long at this sport when an Indian ,
overtook me, and said in Sioux, " Ho ! my friend [ko2n\
coonah], I saw the track of your long foot in the snow.''
He wanted me to help him in stalking up three buffalo
bulls that were feeding in some willows at a little distance.
I accordingly started off with him, and when wc came
within about a third of a mile of the spot, I went care-
fully round to leeward, and directed the Indian to go
and give them his wind by approaching on the other

PLEASANT PREDICAMENT. 101

side, as soon as he thought I had reached my intended
post, whither I knew they would make in order to pass
through to the open plain. So accurately had the
Indian calculated time and distance, that I was hardly
at my place, when a huge bull thundered headlong by
me, and received a shot low and close behind the
shoulder as he passed. He stumbled on for about ten
paces, and lay quietly down. I waited to reload, and
on going up found him stone dead. The Indian
then joined me, and said that the other two bulls
had not gone far, but had taken different directions,
so we agre'ed that he should pursue one, and I the other.
I soon came in sight of mine. He was standing a
little way off on the open plain, but the skirting willows
and brushwood afforded me cover within eighty yards
of him, profiting by which I crept up, and taking a
deliberate aim, tired. The bull gave a convulsive start,
moved off a little way, and turned his broadside again
to me. I fired again,"^ over a hundred yards this time ;
he did not stir. I loaded and fired the third time,
whereupon he turned and faced me, as if about to show
fight. As I was loading for a fourth shot he tottered
fo^rward a step or two, and I thought he was about to
fall, so I waited for a little while, but as he did not come
down I determined to go up and finish him. Walking
up, therefore, to within thirty paces of him, till I could
actually see his eyes rolling, I fired for the fourth time
directly at the region of the heart, as I thought, but to
my utter amazement up went his tail and down went
his head, and with a speed that I thought him little
capable of, he was upon me in a twinkling, I ran hard
for it, but he rapidly overhauled me, and my situation
was becoming anything but pleasant. Thinking he
might, like our own bulls, shut the eyes in making a
charge, I swerved suddenly to one side to escape the
shock, but, to my horror, I failed in dodging him, for

J 02 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

he bolted round quicker than I did, and affording me
barely time to protect my stomach with the stock of my
rifle, and to turn myself sidewoys as I sustained the
charge, in the hopes of getting between his horns, he
came plump upon me with a shock like an earthquake.
My rifle-stock was shivered to pieces by one horn, my
clothes torn by the other ; I flew into mid-air, scatter-
ing my prairie-hens and rabbits, which had hitherto
hung dangling by leathern thongs from my belt, in all
directions, till landing at last, I fell unhurt in the
snow, and almost over me— fortunately not quite —
rolled my infuriated antagonist, and subsided in a snow-
drift. I was luckily not the least injured, the force of
the blow having been perfectly deadened by the enor-
mous mass of fur, wool, and hair, that clothed his shaggy
head-piece.

As the next day proved alike beautifully calm and
sunny, I started off to the scene of my yesterday's
adventure, in hopes of finding a wolf busy at the carcass
of the buffalo. Nor was I disappointed, for as I came
near the spot, I saw a splendid cream-coloured wolf
tearing away at the remains of my late antagonist. I
crept up under cover of the brushwood, till within forty
yards of him, when he cantered off, affordino- me a
delightful cross shot to the left, which brou4t him
quickly to with a bullet through his flanks. ""With a
slight guttural growl he tuj:ned, snapped at the wound,
performed a brilliant summersault, and after rollinp-
over twice or thrice, expired. I then proceeded to take
off the finest wolf-skin I ever saw before or since, and
one which to this day is much admired by many brother
sportsmen. After which, fastening one end of my belt
to the hind feet, I dragged the carcass to a favourable
spot, and one easily approachable, in order to obtain a
shot at the next fellow that might come to feast on the
remains of his comrade.

ELK-SHOOTING. lOS

As this was not likely, however, to occur for some
hours, I left the place determining to return thither in
the evening, and started off through the timber in quest
of deer. After walking carefully for ahout a couple of
hours, I fell in with fresh elk tracks, which I noiselessly
and cautiously pursued for some distance, keeping a
vigilant vratch on all sides for any object in motion
however trivial, till as I neared the end of the point out
in the willows, I saw the whole band slowly defiling,
the stately old stags bearing their ponderous antlers
almost on their haunches. I had been obliged to go
very fast — and to do that without making a noise in a
thick wood is no easy matter ; the continual stooping to
avoid the rustling of branches rendering it very labo-
rious, especially when running with a heavy rifle. At
last i gained range near enough for a broadside shot at
a very fine stag. I drew up my rifie and took a delibe-
rate aim, breathless as I was. I heard the ball crack
against his ribs, and knew instantly by the sound that
the charge of powder had been too small. The next
instant the whole herd were bounding away at full
speed. I followed after them almost in despair at losing
my noble wapiti.^ Beyond the edge of the willows
away they went over the open plain skirting the river.
Once out of the trees, without waiting to untie my
snow-shoes, I drew my knife and cut the thong by
which they hung from my neck, slipped my feet into
them, and pressed on with redoubled speed, my hopes
reviving rapidly as I saw my stag begin to fall in the
Tear of the band, and his pace slacken to a sling trot.
By my delay with the snow-shoes I had recovered my
wind, and the ccmparaiive ease I experienced as they
bore me over the broad bosom of the snow, while the

* Elk is the name given in the common parlance of the country
to the -wapiti, similarly to the term buffalo, which is used in speak
Jig of the bison.

104 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

wapiti floundered almost breast deep, inspired me with
fresh confidence. At last my stag fell, got up, gave a
few struggling bounds, and fell again on my approach.
Seeing he could not escape, I pursued the others, now
hidden from my sight by the river's bank, but only
reached the ice's edge in time to see them gain the
willows out of shot on the opposite shore.

One of the grand stags in particular excited my
admiration. In rushing against the strong grey willows
his ponderous branching horns received such a shock as
to fling him over backwards on the frozen river ; the
clatter of his antlers I could hear loudly, even at the
distance where I stood ; but, nothing daunted, with
nose up in the air, and his antlers lying along his
flanks, he renewed the charge, and with one more
desperate effort crashed through, followed by the terrified
band, who, one by one, were rapidly lost to my view as
the willows closed round them. Feeling that further
pursuit would be useless, I retraced my steps to where
the elk I had shot had fallen, and found him a magnifi-
cent prize indeed, — an animal upwards of five feet high
at the shoulder, and bearing ponderous antlers. I could
not but think how many of my Scottish brother sports-
men would have sympathised in the triumph with which
I surveyed his magnificent proportions.

Although there are many points in which the red
deer and the wapiti, or elk-stag, assimilate, they are
nevertheless totally different animals. The wapiti, in
the daytime chooses the thickest cover in which to con-
ceal himself, nor does he leave it except for pasture or
water. A whole band will migrate at a time from one
point to another, and their pace is then a splendid trot,
never breaking into a gallop, unless they are alarmed.
In general appearance the wapiti is not only much
larger than the Scotch deer, but formed in far more
massive proportions— proportions calculated for the sup-

r#4 -<'f ,

WAPITI. ] 05

port of his ponderous antlers, which he does not.
however, carry so majestically as the Scotch deer does
his little ones. The head and horns of a large male,
measuring from five feet eight inches to six feet two
inches, will weigh sixty or seventy pounds ; the horns
grow in a direction almost parallel with the line of the
forehead ; so that when the animal is trotting, the antlers
lap over his flanks and protect him from the lashing of
the heavy willows ; the points, when the antlers are in
that position, bending backwards and inwards, in such a
manner as to remove all elastic obstacles from his head-
long career. I have sometimes stood amazed to see one
of these enormous animals carried at one single bound out
of view in a densely thick wood, where one might sup-
pose such a stack of antlers would have wedged him in
the trees beyond all chance of escape. The head itself
is about the size of that of a Devonshire cow, and of a
dark bay colour. The neck and dewlap are furnished
with a splendid black mane ; the forelegs are clean, made
like those of a very large handsome mule, with hoofs as
large as those of a four-year-old bull. The eye is
encircled by hair of a pale buff colour, similar to that on
the rump of the animal. The body changes in colour at
every season of the year ; its summer coat is of a strong
red colour, which again turns into a bluish hue, gradually
approaching the winter grey of the willows as the season
advances, nor does it begin to assume its summer tint
again until spring has nearly clothed all nature in her
favourite green. In the breeding season, the wapiti "^

* It is a remarkable fact, that though a tract of wood may con-
tain wapiti, yet the difficulty of seeing them in time to obtain a
shot, or indeed of finding them at all, requires so much practice,
that an inexperienced hand might wander through the points of
a western river all day and find none, or, what is much more dis-
heartening, tread across a rotten stick, or otherwise accidentally
snap a twig or branch, and thus afford himself the gratification of

106 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

chants the most beautiful musical sound in all the
animal creation ; it is like the sound of an enormous
soft flute, uttered in a most coaxing tone.

I had still sufficient daylight to visit the carcass of
the wolf I had shot in the morning ; so piling up a
quantity of fallen timber and branches in a grotesque
fashion over the elk, to preserve it from the prying
voracity of the wolves, I retraced my steps, and on
approaching the spot carefully, spied a brother cannibal
tearing ravenously at the remains of his probably quon-
dam comrade. I shot him dead without the smallest
compunction, not even giving him the chance of a run,
and speedily possessed myself of his magnificent skin,
which I took with me, not reaching the fort till long
after dark. Next day they very good-naturedly brought
in the antlers of my elk along with the meat, which,
thanks to my precautions, had escaped the depredations
of the wolves, who, poor brutes, sufier horribly from the
pangs of hunger, and will at those times dare almost
anything short of an attack on man.

Among the numerous dogs that used to come prowl-
observing the animal's tail wave up and down as it disappears in the
distance.

We had an instance of this at Fort Union in the case of a
Kentucky man, who, though an excellent shot Avith a rifle at a mark
or at prairie-hens on the trees, and constantly challenging us hmnters
to a trial of skill, was, from being a bad rider, very unsuccessful
at buffalo ; and when the hunters returned laden with meat after
a fortunate run, used to say, " Well ! now that's mighty fine, but
I'll astonish you yet at deer and elk in the woods," Accoi'dingly
one day he set off with Smith and Eamsay, the Fort Union hunters,
■who afterwards told me, that they had taken a good hunt of three
days, camping out twice, and bagged five elk a,nd seven deer ; but the
Kentucky rifleman, accustomed to such plain clear marks as turkeys
and squirrels perched on tree-top, could not get a single shot ; and
even on more than one occasion lost the hunters their chance by
their endeavouring to afford him a shot at game pointed out in vain
to him, but which their keen practised eyes found no difficulty in
detecting.

WOLVES. 107

ing about Fort Union from the Indian camps was a very
fine specimen of a mongrel, between a white buftalo
wolf and a common Indian bitch. This fellow was quite
white, like his sire, and furnished both with the hair of
the dog and a fine undergrowth of fur, which he had in
common with the wolf. The skin of his nose was also
like that of his sire, quite white. The Fort was his
favourite resort, where, on the fine frosty moonlight
nights, he used to howl in the most piteous and intoler-
able manner, disturbing old Mr. Kipp's slumbers to that
degree, that notwithstanding the intense cold, and much
to my amusement, the old gentleman used to rush out in
his shirt, roar at him and pelt him with sticks, or any
other missile that came to hand, and then run back half
frozen into bed again.

I took a great fancy to this dog, discovered his owners,
and sent a message to them by a young Indian, vdio
came to the fort one day. Accordingly, the same
evening arrived an old Indian named Peekay, and his
old squaw ; they came to the door of the room where
Mr. Denig and I had been smoking for some hours.
First entered the old woman to negotiate the sale of the
dog, but had no sooner crossed the threshold than she
was seized with a violent fit of coughing ; after a few
efforts to articulate, she rushed out of the room again,
and we were considerably entertained at hearing her
receive a sound scolding from the old man outside. He,
in his turn, now came in to trade the dog (as they say
in Indian parlance), but had no sooner made his ap-
pearance, than he too retreated in a paroxysm of cough-
ing. We then heard them laughing heartily outside.
Shortly afterwards old Peekay returned, and as soon as
his lungs were a little accustomed to the atmosphere of
the room, we entered on the negotiation, and I finally
purchased the dog, with his travail and harness.

I presently found, however, that was far more easily

108 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

done than the dog secured, for his fear of white men was
so great, that I do believe it would have been a difficult
matter to approach near enough to shoot him had I been
so disposed. The moment he saw me he used to run oiff
to the distance of about 250 yards, and in spite of all
my coaxing him to allow me a nearer approach, kept
most studiously at that distance, retreating slowly or
rapidly, according as I advanced in my endeavours to
cultivate a nearer acquaintance. At last I had to go
away and obtain the old squaw's assistance, who brought
him back with a rope round his neck, the drag of which
he obeyed with great reluctance, and as soon as he came
in sight of me made the most violent efforts to escape.
I took him into the fort, however, and having fastened
him up, brought him some meat, but he would not eat
it. I threw it before him and retired to some distance,
when, instead of taking the meat, he seized the cord in
his mouth, at the same time placing his paw upon it,
drew his teeth two or three times quickly across it,
severing it completely, and dashed right through the
window and out of the fort ; his splendid white bushy
tail carried straight out behind him like a fox's brush.
" Holy Moses ! ''exclaimed Mr. Denig, " don't he streak
it like a flash of greased lightning ! " Poor " Ishmah ! ''*
how well I afterwards learned to guess what mischief he
had been about, or what misdemeanour he intended to
perpetrate, when he carried his tail, which was usually
curled over his back, in that manner.

Old Peekay's wife brought him back to me next day,
and harnessed him to his travail, which I commenced
packing, for I was on the point of starting with a couple
of voyageurs on a journey to White River. My effects
consisted of a dressed leather elk-skin, a buffalo-robe,
two blankets, three or four pairs of mocassins ; a large

* So named from an Indian word descriptive of his fine thick fur.

"WINTER JOURNEY. 109

and a small tin mug (the former for cooking, the latter
for drinking from); half a stone of lead for huUets;
powder, and coffee. I was accompanied for a little way
by two voyageurs from the fort, in charge of a couple of
mules harnelsed to a sleigh, who were proceeding with
o'oods, in order to set up in opposition to some new
traders who had established themselves in an Assine-
boine camp.

The snow was deep, and the difficulty of dragging the
sleigh very great. At night, or rather towards evening,
som'e little while before sunset, we chose a suitable place
for our camp, generally among willows surrounded by
timber. We then cut down two good-sized trees, which
we laid parallel to each other along the snow, forming a
basis for building our fire on, and collected wood, lighted
our fire, and proceeded to cook as I have before described.
In addition, however, to preparing their own suppers,
the men had to supply the mules with food, for the
country was covered wdth snow, and the poor animals
could procure nothing for themselves. For this purpose
the voyageurs cut down cotton- wood of a certain growth,
about the thickness of a man's leg ; this they cut into
lengths of three feet or so, and then piled them in the
vicmity of the fire sufficiently near to thaw the bark
from the wood, and to render it easily removable by a
drawing-knife, with which these men are expressly pro-
vided, °and thus they supply the animals under their
charge. It was amusing sometimes to observe the poor
mules intently watching the operation. My dog, how-
over, like myself, depended on what I could provide
with my rifle.

In order to supply ourselves and the mules with
•water, we had to cut through the ice of the Missouri
between three and four feet thick, and sometimes more,
with a hatchet. As for Ishmah, nothing would induce
him to drink out of this hole, so he generally quenched

110 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

his thirst by eating snow. Notwithstanding the great
thickness of the ice, broken spaces remain open during
the whole winter all along the river, at intervals vaiying
two, three, or four miles from one another. These
breaks are termed air-holes, and frequently extend their
surface of unfrozen waters over acres. Along the edges |
of these air-holes the ice is so thin as to render an
approach to the water's edge very dangerous, where like
glass, it will suddenly crush under foot, precipitating man
or beast into a resistless current of water, quickly forcing
them under the ice's opposite edge to a fearful frozen
tomb. These air-holes, on account of the weakness of
their surrounding ice, cause the drowning of a great
many buifalo, elk, and even some few bears, tempted
probably by a fine sunny day to leave their winter retreat
for an hour or two prowling on the ice. This fact im-
pressed me with the idea, that those remains of our
gigantic fossil fallow deer now dug out from bogs in Ire-
land were perhaps thus destroyed, which would account
both for the localities where they are usually discovered,
and for the numbers found together in one spot.
Some have fancifully supposed that they were domes-
ticated, in proof of which theory they assert that the
skulls of dogs have been found along with them ; but this
I do not think to be the case, for all that ever were shown
to mo as found with the remains of these fossil deer.
are the skulls of very large bears.

Ishmah had a horror of approaching these air-holes,
which nothing would induce him to overcome. It was
some time before he became friends with me, and for
the first two days of my journey from Fort Union, had
to be dragged behind the sledge. By-and-by, however, he
gradually overcame his aversion to white men, at first
following at the distance of nearly a quarter of a mile, and
then by degrees venturing of his own accord on a nearer
approach, encouraged by some pieces of meat which I

ISHMAH. Ill

threw to liiin from time to time. On awaking one morning
I found him lying close to my side on the edge of my
buffalo-robe, but the instant I put out my hand to caress
him, he bolted off to a respectful distance, which he
gradually lessened, coming nearer and nearer till he
became comparatively quite friendly towards me.

Shortly afterwards my two companions parted from, me
and proceeded to their destination, whilst I remained
alone with my faithful dog, bound for Fort Mackenzie.
Ishmah had by this time overcome all prejudices against a
white master, and a more faithful, efficient, and devoted
creature never breathed. From morning till night, he
struggled on, drawing his travail laden with all my effects,
and, in addition to their weight, meat from the last deer
I had shot. I travelled generally along the ice, and
during the whole of my solitary journey I never ventured
far from the river — a very necessary precaution in that
country, where an unhappy voyageur, tempted by a fine
day or bright sunshine, ventures on a short cut across one
of the many gigantic bends of the tortuous upper Missouri,
and perhaps the very moment previous to the accom-
plishment of his object might be the commencement of a
pitiless storm, veiling all woods and other objects from
his sight in wreaths of whirling snow, causing its
victim to wander generally round and round in a
small circle, perhaps all the while close to the shelter
so eagerly sought : in vain he endeavours to reach
material wherewith to light a fire, until at last thrown
down numbed, he lies wrapped up in his frozen shroud.

The woods along the banks of the river afforded me
timber, already fallen and in every stage of decomposi-
tion, wherewith to light a fire at night ; and when I
stood and looked about me to choose a convenient spot
near an ice-hole, Ishmah used to gaze into my face as
if he could read my thoughts, and whine as mAich as to
say, " I am tired too." When I trampled down the

112 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

snow, cut and strewed the willows, and proceeded to
collect the wood, he used to watch me eagerly, and
prick up his ears when he saw me take the liint and
steel from my pouch and the dry inner bark of the
cotton-wood tree from my ch-est in which to kindle the
spark. The fire secure and burning well, I turned my
attention to him, unharnessed him, unpacked his travail,
and placed it aloft against the side of a tree to protect
the leather straps from the voracity of the wolves.
This done I spread my bed and filled the kettles with
water, took a handful ©f coffee-berries from my bag,
which I roasted in the cover of the kettle, then wrap-
ping them up in a piece of leather, I pounded them on
a stump and put them in the smaller kettle to boil,
reserving the large one for the meat. These culinary
proceedings Ishmah used to regard with the most in-
tense interest, turning back from time to time as the
■eddies of pungent smoke from the damp fuel compelled
him to avert his eyes. When supper was at last cooked
and despatched (quickly enough on his part, poor fellow,
for his share was sometimes very scanty), he sat up
close beside me as I smoked my pipe and sipped my
coffee ; and when at last I got into bed, he used to lie
-down at the edge of the robe with his back close up
against my shoulders, and so we slept till morning.
As soon as it was daylight we rose, Ishmah submitted
-patiently to be harnessed, and we resumed our march.

This was our routine for several days until the meat
was exhausted. I then ceased travelling at twelve
o'clock, so as to allow myself time to hunt for supper
and prepare camp for the night. My difficulties in
foraging were considerably increased by the necessity
of the dog's following me, and I had at first much diffi-
culty in teaching him to keep behind, but I succeeded
•eventually, and was fortunate that day in stalking and
knocking over an old buffalo bull. T helped myself to

ISHMAH S ELOPEME^sT. 113

the tongue, kidneys, two marrow-bones, and a plentiful
supply of meat, and was returning well laden to tho
spot where I had left the dog's travail, when, to my
horror, I perceived a wolf there, which started off lone/
before I could get within shooting distance. I ran ujv
to the spot and found that the brute had already com-
menced making a meal of the harness, and had eaten
the straps and a part of the collar. Fortunately, how-
ever, the mischief was easily repaired, as I had spare
leather and materials for sewing, and merely afforded
me a little occupation after supper, ere I lay down for
the night. I had now an ample supply of meat for
some time, and for two days more marched on as usual,
when another catastrophe, and one which might have
proved very serious, occurred to me on my solitary
journey.

Ishmah's relationship to the Lupus family was often
productive of much inconvenience to me, as he used to
run off and engage in play with the young wolves,
chasing and being chased by them in turn. At first I
was amused at this indication of his wild origin, but
became subsequently much annoyed, and on one occa-
sion seriously alarmed, at the result of these gambols.
One day, after a long march, I was looking out for a
convenient camping-place, when a she-wolf crossed the
ice at some distance from where I was standing. In
spite of all my exertions and threats, Ishmah imme-
diately gave chase, and they continued their gambols,
until I attempted to approach them, when, of course,
the wolf made off at full speed, followed by my dog,
with his travail behind him, loaded with everything I
then possessed in the world. I followed, shouting aftejr
him in vain, until he entirely disappeared from my
view, after which I continued running on the tracks,
till darkness obliged me to abandon the pursuit, and I
found myself a long way from timber, out on the broad

I

114 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES,

prairie, alone on a vast barren waste of snow stretcliing
around me on every side.

My sensations ^ere anything but enviable, on reflect-
ing that I was about one hundred miles from any known
habitation, and nearly one hundred and fifty from my
destination, destitute of robe and blankets, with but very
little powder in my horn, and only two bullets in my
pouch. In short, I was in a pretty considerable sort of
a '•' fix,'' and had nothing for it but to make tracks
again with all speed for the timber. Fortunately, I
found my way back to the river without much difficulty.
It was a,*^ beautiful moonlight night, which enabled me
to collect some fallen wood, and having lighted a fire,
I seated myself beside it, and began to consider the
probabilities of my ever reaching a trading- post alive,
in the event of Ishmah not returning, and how I should
economise my ammunition and increase my rate of
travelling, so as to effect this object. My prospects
were dismal enough, nor did I feel cheered as the cold
north breeze froze the perspiration which had run down
my forehead and face, and formed icicles in my beard
and whiskers, that jingled like bells as I shook my
head in dismissing from my mind one project after
another. At last resigning myself to my fate I took
out my pipe, determined to console myself with a smoke,
when, alas ! on feeling for tobacco I found that wa&
gone too. This was the climax of my misfortunes ! I
looked to the north star and calculated by the position
of the Plough that it must have been about ten o'clock,
the time at which in England we have our knees under
the mahogany, surrounded by friends, discussing a bottle
of the best, and awaiting the summons to tea in the
di'awing-room. I tried to see a faint similarity to the
steam of the tea-urn in the smoke from the snow-covered
wood on my dreary fire, and endeavoured to trace the
forms of sweet familiar faces in the embers, till I almost

SCARCITY OF GAME. 115

heard the rustling of fresh white crepe dresses round
me, Avhen, hark ! I did hear a rustle — it approaches
nearer, nearer, and I recognise the scraping of IshmaVs
travail on the snow ; another moment and the panting
rascal was by my side ! I never felt so reheved, and
laughed out loud from sheer joy, as I noticed the con-
sciousness he showed by his various cringing movements
of having behaved very badly. I was too well pleased,
however, at his reappearance to beat him, particularly
when I found nothing of his harness and load either
missing or injured in the slightest degree. Even the
portion of meat which I had secured from the last deer
I shot was untouched ; so that I had nothing to do but
unpack the travail, make my bed, and cook our supper.
The next day was very cold, in consequence of a
northerly wind, which blew pretty hard.^ In these
regions the cold in winter is always easily supportable
in calm weather ; but the cold, when accompanied by
wind, becomes so piercing, that great care and constant
activity are requisite when travelling to avoid frost-
bites. I therefore collected a quantity of fallen and
decayed timber and bark, and built myself a comfort-
able little hut, in which I weathered the storm tolerably
well. Towards noon it began to snow, and continued
all night, filling all the crevices between the layers of
bark, willow, &c., that formed the roof and sides of my
cabin, thus further contributing to my comfort, which
was only disturbed, at intervals of a few hours, by my
having to go out and renew my fire. The following
day I continued my journey until a little after noon",
when, having no more meat, I unharnessed the dog and
set off to hunt for my supper. That game was" very
scarce here, I soon found, as I searched fruitlessly for
tracks in the recently fallen snow. I hunted long and
hard, but in vain ; night was stealing on me, and I
was compelled to avail myself of the small portion of

i2

116 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

daylight that remained to retrace my steps to the spot
\There I had left my travail, where I made my camp,
and went supperless to bed.

Next morning I arose, and debated with myself for
some time, whether I should begin by another hunt in
this unpromising region, or pack up and resume my
journey until after noon, as I had done on the previous
day. After a little deliberation I adopted the latter
plan, and travelled on until about noon, when I fell in
with some fresh wapiti tracks. These I pursued for a
long distance, and at last came in sight of some does,
who unfortunately were so far out on the plain, as to
defy every possible effort of mine to approach them.
My stalk was unsuccessful, from inability to conceal
myself and my dog ; had I tied him up, I knew his
frantic howling would soon put every living thing in
these regions on the alert, so I was compelled to let
him come too. He followed as I had trained him,
never attempting to precede me, but all my efforts
proved fruitless ; my game escaped without my being
able even to venture a shot, and I had the mortification
of seeing these stately and graceful creatures break
away at a rapid trot, which they soon increased to a
gallop that speedily carried them out of sight, and
thus vanished my chance of supper for another night.
I felt very hungry indeed, and was besides very tired.
I slept feverishly, awaked at intervals from visions of
the most rare and delicious dishes placed before me. I
dreamed I stood before the hospitable mansion of an
old friend, who led me, in spite of my incongruous cos-
tume, into his brilliantly-lighted parlour, and placed me
down to a table loaded with all the delicacies of every
season and climate imder heaven, including two soups
and a turbot I At last, when powdered footmen re-
moved the richly-chased covers off these exquisite deli-
cacies^ I started up wide awake, to look on naught but

A GOOD SHOT. 117

snow, and finally I solaced myself with a pipe. On the
day following I hunted long and hard till considerably
after noon without success. The painful sickening
sensation of hunger had now quite left me, and I
suffered much less on the third than on the second
day. Strange to sa}^, I had not the least apprehension
for the future, but felt perfectly confident the whole
time that sooner or later I should fall in with game.
At last I came to some fresh tracks of deer, and soon
made out that the animal had not only been walking
quietly, but was in the willows close by : this I
rightly guessed by the zigzag direction of the tracks ;
for deer, before lying down, walk slowly from side to
side, as if hesitating where to stop. I remained per-
fectly still for some time, looking intently with an eye
sharpened by hunger, and at length observed something
stir in the willows : it was a deer ; evening was ad-
vancing, and he was going out to feed. I waited
anxiously as he came on, slowly feeding, most fortu-
nately towards me, until he approached to within about
100 yards, and then stopped. I drew up my rifle, and
would have fired ; but he came still nearer, feeding
slowly forward till he was scarcely sixty yards off, when
I took a steady deliberate shot as he turned his flank
towards me. I heard the bullet crack against the
shoulder ; he rushed a short distance back, and rolled
over in the snow. To my great satisfaction wood was
close at hand, so I made a fire and cut away a little
venison, which I broiled slightly, and ate sparingly of,
giving the rest to my dog. I then made a rope of the
deer's skin, and fastening one end to the carcass and
the other round my shoulders, dragged it to my camp
of the previous night, where I cooked and ate a most
enormous supper, smoked my pipe, and slept com-
fortably.

Two days' more travelling brought me near the end

118 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

of my journey ; on the evening after, and just as I was
looking for a favourable position to camp, I saw some
Indians at a distance in the direction in which I was
travelling. Indians are wonderfully quick at seeing a
new arrival at a camp, or post ; so that my approach
hecame, as I afterwards heard, a matter of great discus-
sion amongst them. One or two ran off to meet me,
and approached in a friendly manner. It was a great
treat to hear the sound of another human voice, and
even to hear my own in conversation once more ; our
colloquy progressed rapidly, partly by language, but
principally by signs, at which they are very expert ;
and the result was that I did not camp at all, as they
took me to the gentleman in charge of the post, where
I arrived late at night. Here I was kindly welcomed,
and joined my host at a delicious supper of buffalo-
tongues, — rich cow-tongues cooked with buffalo marrow,
which had been preserved in the autumn when the
animals were fat, and I enjoyed it the more, as I had
been living during the v.^hole of my solitary journey on
nothing but the leanest meat.

The Indians at this post were then very badly off, in
consequence of the dearth of buffalo in that country,
and were just about migrating. They generally hang
about a trading post as long as they possibly can, in
order to beg, borrow, barter, or steal anything they can
get out of the traders, whose patience is sometimes
severely tried. Indians, however, on the whole, are
very easily managed, if their character is properly un-
derstood. I have invariably found it the best way to
fraternize with a great man or chief, make him some
little presents, and then tell him that you depend on
his good faith, and the fact of his being a great man,
for the security of your property. For several days
after my arrival, I employed myself in going round the
different lodges of the Indians and visiting them. The

THE TRADEKS. 119

men were always most friendly, the women very retirinc;
and timid, until I came to know them well, when a
good deal of their shyness wore off. One of them
observed to me, on my calling her to look through a fine
telescope belonging to one of the traders : " Well, the
white men know by this [here she moved her hand as if
writing] what happens very far off, and with this [touch-
ing the telescope] they see what is a long way off ; now
have they invented anything by which they can hear
what is saying a long way oSV

At the White Eiver post, I availed myself of Owen
Mackenzie's hospitable welcome, and remained in his
log-house along with another trader of the American
Fur Company.

Besides these two gentlemen were two other white
traders, who had established themselves in a log-house
at little more than gun-shot distance from them. At
first I found them very unfriendly towards one another ;
however^ I endeavoured to persuade them of the ab-
surdity of allowing any hostile feeliDgs existing between
the rival companies at home to influence them in their
personal intercourse with one another, endeavouring to
show them what a melancholy pictm-e it was to contem-
plate discord among three or four isolated individuals,
never seeing the face of a fellow-creature save occasional
wandering savages, and partly by argumeuts, but princi-
pally by ridicule, perfectly succeeded in placing them
all on the most friendly terms ; so much so, that they
used to laugh afterwards at the fools they had been. I
since found that inciting hostile feelings among their
several employes is a policy pursued by. the rival com-
panies, and I received many a malediction (though not
in my hearing), for the success of my efforts in making
peace.

Accordingly, Mackenzie and I fraternized with
Martin and Frederick. The former was a Frenchman,

120 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

li fine, tall, handsome fellow, with splendid abilities.
Many a time did lie entertain ns half the night through
in his log-house with his anecdotes and experiences,
while his poor Indian wife lay yawning in bed, not
understanding a word that was said, but unable to sleep
from liis wonderfully loud way of speaking, which was
always accompanied by the most energetic gesticulation.
A great many of his stories had the merit of being
invented by himself, as well as collected from the beaver-
trappers and hunters of these extensive regions. Frede-
rick was the very opposite of Martin, which probably
accounted for their having lived together so long on
such friendly terms ; he was short, pursy, jolly, and
matter-of-fact, and it was very amusing to hear him
trip up Martin, as he frequently did, in some brilliant
i'mpromptu account, by a short, pithy proof that the
narrator was wrong, both as to facts and chronology-
My friend, Owen Mackenzie, was a particularly fine
young fellow, about twenty-one, a splendid rider, first-
rate shot, and, taken on the whole, on foot and on horse-
back, the best hunter I ever saw. His prowess was put
to the test soon after my arrival, for meat becoming
scarce in the Indian camp, a party of Indians contrived
to root up, at night, the picket of the storehouse, and
carry off all the meat that had been stored for the winter's
consumption. In the morning we had the satisfaction
of finding ourselves without anything to eat. Our party
at that post then consisted of three or four labourers,
one under-trader, an Indian woman, two children, Owen,
and myself. As soon as we had discovered our loss on
the following morning, we had nothing for it but to set
out and hunt, and a long tedious day we had of it too.
I returned home unsuccessful ; but Owen killed a deer,
and singularly enough found the animal not far from our
hut, as we were returning home in the evening despair-
ing of success. Although the meat was very lean, we

GLUTTON FEAST. 121

had plenty of marrow fat ; and if the worst came to the
worst, we could help ourselves to the dried tongues,
which, as an article of trade with the Fur Company,
had been hanging from the roof of the hut we slept in,
and so escaped the marauding hands of the Indians.

CHAPTER VIL

Glutton Feast. — My Indian Companion.— Hunting in Snow. — Eoast
Loin of Wolf. — Blacktail Deer. — Rapacious Beauties. — Another
Journey. — A Long Shot. — Indian Voracity, — Larpenter's Post,
— Start for the Minitarees. — Awful Night. — Peekay andthe Bull..
— Eeach Fort Berthold.

Mackenzie and I received one evening an invitation
from the Indians to one of their Glutton Feasts. The
peculiarity of the ceremony obliges the guests to eat the
meat when almost boiling, and they also vie with each
other to prove which of them can eat most with the
greatest rapidity. When we entered the lodge we found
a fire lighted in the centre, and about a dozen Indians
seated cross-legged around it, holding dishes or bowls
cut out of solid blocks of wood. Armed with these they
impatiently awaited the onslaught.

The signal was then given by two youths beating a
drum, which deafening row was accompanied by the
most frantic yelling ; the hashed meat was then poured
out into the bowls of the guests, and in this boiling
state they commenced devouring it, but notwithstanding
the burning of fingers and scalding of throats, they con-
trived to consume such enormous quantities as to cause
their stomachs perceptibly to distend. During the whole
time of this disgusting exhibition the drums continued
beating, and the two lads never ceased howling.

122 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES.

At this feast I met an Indian, who afterwards became
a great ally of mine. As soon as the glutton feast had
terminated, my new acquaintance accompanied me home
to our log-house ; and we had a long semi-telegraphic
conversation over hunting matters, as we discussed an
Indian pipe and a cup of coffee together.

He was one of the few Indians I ever met who was a
good deer and elk hunter ; for although the generality
of those among them who possess horses are fine riders,
and unmatched in following buffalo on horseback with
bow and arrows, yet they are neither keen nor very suc-
cessful in the pursuit of game on foot.

To any one skilled in using a bow, the silent arrow is
far the most effectual way of " getting fat meat,'' as the
Indians term it. The fat cows are always the swiftest ;
5.nd the awkwardness of loading a gun, together with
the alarm attending its discharge, will generally afford
the toxophilite Indian the greater triumph at the
termination of the run.

But with a gun few of them are good shots. The fire-
arms supplied by the American Fur Company are
neither good nor hio;hly prized by these Indians, most
of whom would infinitely prefer a large green or scarlet
blanket to the best gun you could offer them. Per-
cussion guns they never will use, nor could I, ever dis-
cover their reason for objecting to them. But my new
acquaintance was a remarkable exception to this rule ;
being a very keen hunter, he had purchased a fine long
gun from the Hudson Bay Company's traders, in every
respect superior to any he could obtain at the American
Company's posts. This formidable weapon never missed
fire ; its serviceable, although ckmsy lock, was provided
with a main-spring strong enough for a vermin-trap.

^ The hunter himself was a fine tall handsome fellow,
with mild and polished manners. I was particularly
struck on the first evening of our acquaintance with the

HUNTING IN SNOW. 123

gracefulness of his gestures, as he sat talking in our log-
house, moving his hands and arms with the ease and
dignity of the most accomplished rhetorician.

Before we parted that night, we arranged to hunt in
company the following day ; and next morning, accord-
ing to agreement, he came and woke me very early ; for
we had far to go, in order to hunt with any chance of
success, as game was very scarce around the Indian
camp. I was unsuccessful ; but he shot a deer, which
we drew home over the snow before night, by attaching
the hind legs to a leather band fastened round our
shoulders, and so dragged it along to the post.

Meat was then a valuable article among the Indians,
who were very badly off, buffalo having abandoned that
part of the country, and these tribes being far too
! improvident when meat is plenty in summer, to dry the
overplus and store it in time for a winter supply.

Up to this time it had been my intention to push
eastward and southward back to the United States
i during the winter ; but finding no likelihood of obtain-
jing any travelling companions, and fearing to^ undertake
so long a journey alone during this terrible mnter
I season, I now gave up the idea altogether, and deter-
I mined to remain in the Indian territories until the ice
I broke up on the Missouri river.

I We generally had abundance of meat, such as it was,
j lean deer-meat being wretched food.

One day my Indian companion and I were out for
many hours, and though hunting most indefatigably,
had bagged nothing. It came on to snow slightly in
the afternoon, and I had turned about, and was making
for our rendezvous, which was at the corner of a wood
not far off, when I saw, at a little distance, something
grey, lying down. I looked carefully, and sav/ a wolt,
which, on approaching, appeared to me dead, and there-
fore did not remove the gun- cover from my rifle. I

124 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

walked close to the spot, and was surprised a second
time by the brute jumping up and scampering off at full,
speed. I lost as little time as I could in tearing off' my
gun-cover, cocked my rifle, and made an excellent shot,
rolling the wolf over and over. On coming up, I found
I had killed a very fine she-wolf, in prime condition. I
reloaded, and put back ray rifle in the gun-cover, heaved
my prize on my shoulders, freshened my way as much
as possible, and, nearing our rendezvous, had the
pleasure of seeing the Indian rapidly aproaching me.

He quite surprised me by the delight he showed at my
having secured the wolf.

We made ourselves pretty comfortable in the willows,
near the river, and, under a bank to windward, with a
good roaring fire at our feet, and well sheltered by walls
of snow, which we scraped up with slabs of drift-wood,
we sat down and cooked our wolf, the Indian assuring
me all the while that it was a great deal nicer than lean
deer-meat. Hungry, however, as a whole day's unsuc-
cessful hunting had made me, I was still very unwilling,
in spite of his assurances, to try it ; but the evident relish
with which I saw him eating it, quite disarmed me of
my prejudices against wolf-meat ; and, in fine, I feasted
on the fat ribs, which proved most palatable, and cer-
tainly very superior to lean venison. My companion
laughed at observing me completely conquer my scru--
ples, and detach a couple more ribs off the savoury
fore-quarter then hissing at the fire ; we certainly
enjoyed our supper that night, nor was my stomach a
whit the worse for the strange food, with which it had
been astonished.

After supper we lighted our pipes, and smoked, dozed,
and conversed alternately till sunrise, when we roasted
more of the wolf, ate a good breakfast, and again con-
tinued our hunting.

As the weather looked threatening, we determined t©

STALKING THE DEER. 125

keep together ; and had not been hunting long when
we descried four or five deer in some scattered willows.
My companion being far my superior in approaching
game, I desired him to stalk them, and he presently
succeeded in stealing on within about a hundred and
forty yards of them. After some hesitation, and pre-
senting his gun twice, he decided not to fire, but
stretching his hand cautiously behind him, made a
signal for me to approach : I crawled upon my hands
and knees, drawing my rifle after me in its leather gun-
cover, until I came to where he had waited for me, in
fear of missing the deer himself, for he never liked a
long shot, and considered these too far.

It is always difiicult to shoot with a heavy rifle when
kneeling ; I made use, therefore, of my companion's
shoulder for a rest, and taking a careful shot, sent my
bullet throuo-h the lunojs of the nearest buck : all the
deer dashed forward, but it was easy to see that mine
could not go far, and a short run brought us up to where
he had fallen dead.

We were now such a distance from home that we
deliberated for a little what course to pursue, and at
last we proceeded to bury our game in the snow, heap-
ing it well to keep off the wolves, and sticking up a
long pole with a red handkerchief fluttering from it to
mark the spot. We then set off home, determining to
bring our dogs with their travails next morning to the
place and draw it home. Although it was still early,
we did not hunt any more that day, as we were very
tired from having sat without beds over a fire all night,
but we shot one or two prairie-hens and three rabbits.
We had an excellent supper that night ; M'K. treated
us to choice cured buffalo-tongue and marrow-fat,
with coffee ; these tongues were not provisions for our
use, being articles of trade for transport to the United
States, where they fetch a good price ; but when we

126 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

were short of meat we were obliged to appropriate
one or two, which Owen Mackenzie very nnwiilino-ly
granted, unless on special occasions when he and I
rewarded ourselves with one of them after a successful
hunting excursion.

V\^ell do I remember how these tongues addressed
themselves to the feelings of us hungry hunters, intentlv
watching them as they hung in clusters from the
beams of the roof which formed their rostrum, whence
they sent forth an appeal more eloquent than the
language of a Demosthenes ; true, the tongues were
silent, but they were fat ! When well boiled they are
delicious, the rind then peels off, and they become
tender, plump, and juicy.

Next morning we started off for our deer which we
had buried in the snow, taking Ishmah with his travail,
together with another Indian dog which followed my
companion.

^ On our way to the place I got a shot at a wolf,
which I killed ; we buried him after skinning him,
and proceeded on our journey for some way, when at a
distance my companion perceived three black-tailed
deer on the higher hills_ overhanging the river. He
started in pursuit, while 1 remained to take care of the
dogs, that they should not interfere with him and spoil
his stalk. I had an excellent view then of both the
hunter and his game, which he approached with great
skill ; at last he got a shot, on which the animals
rushed off, but one hobbled in the rear ; the bullet had
broken his leg. _ A most exciting race then commenced
between the Indian and his broken-legged deer, up and
down^ the hill over the frozen snow, my companion
evincing the most astonishing powers of endurance in
his persevering pursuit, gradually regaining the ground
he had lost in loading as he ran ; till, far in the distance
I saw a puff of smoke, and before the faint report of his

BLACK-TAIL DEER. 127

long gun reached my ear, I had the satisfaction of
descrying the deer stretched in the snow.

I fastened one dog behind the sledge of the other,
which I led by a string tied round his neck, and in
this way ran along the river, keeping in sight of my
companion, and joined him shortly after the fall of the
black-tail deer.

These are a peculiar species found only in these
regions, differing from the Virginian breed in the horns,
which are longer, and curve more upwards ; their
meat, however, is not nearly so good, nor are they
so difficult to approach. A black ring round the tail
forms a striking characteristic, as also their very large
ears ; the hair of the animal's coat is long, and very
handsomely coloured ; in size they exceed the Virginian,
i and equal the Scotch.

This deer I do not think has ever graced any of
our private or public zoological collections in England.
It is, however, a beautiful animal, and its skin makes
I the best and most serviceable light leather.
1 Our chase after the black-tail did not take us much
iout of our way, so I remained behind, skinning and
[cutting it up, while the Indian went on with his dog
: and travail in order to fetch the deer I had killed the
day before. The day was brilliantly fine, without any
;wind ; and I sat by a driftwood fire that I lighted to
await the arrival of my companion, who returned in a
few hours, and we went home together, my dog lugging
along a whole deer to his share, while the Indian and I
had to carry a hind-quarter each on our shoulders to
enable the other dog to draw the rest of the meat to our
post, which we reached by moonlight.

Next day I witnessed a most unamiable display of
feminine feeling towards a poor old woman, to whom I
had given a little meat. I had resisted the importu-
nities of several of the younger women, whose husbands

128 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

were either too timid or too indolent to hunt for them.
This old creature, however, being perfectly helpless,
and not having a claim on anybody, I cut her off an
abundant supply for more than a hearty meal ; but as
she was hobbling off in great glee, clutching the meat
and dra-ndng her robe tightly over her, she failed in
escaping the keen, brilliant, black eyes of three young
squaws, who immediately gave chase, and were not
long in coming up with her, where (as she afterwards
informed me) the following conversation took place —
" Are not you ashamed,'' exclaimed the three, " an old
woman like you, to have meat to eat when three fine
young women like us are starving ? What do young
men care for old wretched ugly creatures like you ?
It is for us that they care, therefore you are not to eat
meat while we are hungry/' So in accordance with the
laws practised between the weak and the strong, these
three young harpies forcibly dispossessed her of the
meat, with which they decamped ; and the poor old
woman came back to me for more, which I gave her as
soon as I had heard her story confirmed by a by-
stander, and desired her to go and cook it near to where
I was cleaning my rifle.

This old lady, I was informed by the Indians, had
seen more than ninety summers ; she seemed, however,
to enjoy a very good appetite, and despatched the tough
meat with which I had supplied her with such ease and
celerity, that curiosity induced me to undertake an
investigation of the state of her teeth. After a little
persuasion, she allowed me to look into her mouth, when
to my utter astonishment I beheld every tooth in her
head perfect, the back teeth firmly wedged together
like so many blocks of the whitest ivory.

The weather now became very fine, and the snow had
evaporated to such an extent, that we were able to bring
out horses with us ; but, so scarce was meat, that one

WHITE MANS INFLUENCE. 129

evening, when my Indian hunting companion and I
were returning with a couple of horses well laden with
venison, from an elk and two deer we had killed that
day, we had considerable difficulty in saving our precious
cargo from the hungry crowd that gathered around us ;
nor do I think we should have succeeded in guarding it,
but for the interference of the soldiers of the post, who
came up to our assistance.

I ought here perhaps to explain to my readers, that
the soldiers of a trading post are chosen men of the
Indians, conspicuous for their honesty, fidelity to the
traders, and their general readiness to uphold the white
men. Their zeal is frequently highly commendable ;
and I have witnessed noble and disinterested acts of
these gentlemen of nature, which would have shamed
many professing a better creed, but practising a more
selfish course.

Indians have a great idea of a kind of mysterious
influence attending a white man, as to safety when in
his company ; and I have frequently, in my hunting
excursions, been attended by Indians in districts where
nothing short of forming themselves into a strong party
would induce them to venture.

On one of these occasions my Indian was very much
influenced by this feeling, and acknowledged that he
would not cross the Missouri, and hunt at that great
distance from the camp, unless in my company, for fear
of the war-parties.

There certainly were some grounds for apprehension
on that account, as war-parties, from one tribe or other,
are the whole year trying to make onslaughts on the dif-
ferent encampments on the borders of the Missouri, in
order either to get scalps or steal horses.

At one time the Sioux, at another time the Blackfeet,
are down upon them. Frequently, indeed, a number of
their own party form themselves into a gang, and devise

ISO RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

some scheme for depredation, in which attempt they
themselves perhaps get surprised and cruelly murdered.
In these winter expeditions they are subject to the
greatest sufferings from cold and privations ; and it
sometimes happens that they are overtaken on the
prairie by a snow-storm, and frozen to death.

On my return to the States, I learned from Mr.
Murray, the commander of the Crow trading post
(whom my readers will remember I have already intro-
duced to their acquaintance), that a war-party of seven-
teen Crow Indians started for scalps and horses against
the Blackfeet, in the very depth of winter : they were
caught in a snow-storm, and not one survived to tell the
tale.

Martin, and his coadjutor Frederick, were most hos-
pitable fellows. Owen and I used often to go over and
spend the evening with them ; on which occasions we
were entertained with coffee and Martin's amusing
stories ; and I was now very glad to return the civility,
by contributing some meat -to their store.

One evening, when we were quietly engaged over
a game of eucre, one of the workmen came and told us
that a large wolf was prowling outside at a little distance,
attracted, no doubt, by the offal of two deer that Owen
and I had killed that morning, so close to the post,
that we dragged them whole along the snow, and
skinned and cut them up before the door of our house.

We took up our rifles all ready loaded, quietly opened
the door, and, by the light of a nearly full moon, saw a
splendid cream-coloured fellow busy at the offal of the
deer. We both let fly at him, shattering his hind-leg ;
whereupon he made off on the other three, as hard as he
could go. I threw my rifle against the wall of the house,
and started in pursuit, together with Owen, followed by
Martin, Frederick, and several workmen. Owen and I
had a fine run, all the while vociferating and imploring

CARIFEL. 181

some one of our attendants to give us a stick, stone, or
anything to hammer the wolf, whom we couki just barely
keep up with, and knowing that if either of us once
stooped for a weapon, or missile of any kind, he could
never catch up to him again. At last, some one
running behind me put a good strong stick into my
hand ; and at the same time Owen, finding himself
likewise supplied with one from another man who was
following us, we hammered away at the wolfs head till
we secured him. He was an amazingly fine wolf, of the
largest species, of a cream-white colour ; his skin was
very large, and the fur so fine, that I saved it for my
collection.

Next day almost all the Indians broke up camp and
moved off, and among them my Indian hunting com-
panion ; the loss of whose society I felt very much, for
he had been a great ally of mine.

Shortly after this our party was increased by the
arrival of Carifel. This little fellow had been once a
free trapper in the mountains, but who (in consequence
of the great depression in the price of beaver) had after-
wards taken service with the Fur Compan}'. He was a
jolly little French Canadian, and represented the perfect
picture of a voyageur as he walked in, dressed in a blue
blanket coat, ornamented mocassins, a blue sailor's cap
on his head, his snow-shoes fastened round his neck, and
a new brass-mounted bad Belgian carbine in his hand.
He, hovrever, prudent little man, was not at all de-
pendent on the performance of this last item of his
equipment, but had still a goodly store of dried buifalo-
meat, which he had carefully laid in for the journey,
and had strapped behind his shoulders along with his
buffalo-robe and blanket, which formed his bed when he
camped at night.

Shortly afterwards, in about the middle of March,
the weather broke again, and we had a tremendous

k2

132 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

snow-storm for three days, during which our meat was
completely consumed.

The day after the termination of the snow-storm was
very fine, and Mackenzie and I went out hunting ; nor
had we gone far before we found, to our infinite satis-
faction, fresh tracks of deer, evidently driven to shelter
in that point by the recent snow-storm. We followed
the tracks to the edge of the point, and came in sight of
two or three deer out in the open prairie, a long way off.
Owen slowly drew up his rifle, singling the nearest, and
made a magnificent shot, bringing the animal right down
on the spot with a shot in the neck, at the short distance
of SOO yards ! During this time we continued to hear
shot after shot in rapid succession from Carifel, in the
direction opposite to that by which we had ourselves
entered. " He will set the whole wood on fire before he
stops,'"' I observed ; but Mackenzie replied, " Ah, he
must be in some scrape, and firing for us to come to his
assistance.'''

On this suggestion, we both started off in the direc-
tion that this incessant firing appeared to come from ;
but we had not gone very far, when the firing ceased,
and not long after we met Carifel himself returnino-,
quite crest-fallen. " Qu avez-vous done, Carifel f"
said I. "Oh, monsieur!" replied he, " C'etait une
bande de biche ;" and he went on to describe how he
got among a herd of elk, and set-to firing away, unper-
ceived by them, till the poor animals got so terrified,
that they kept trotting backwards and forwards, as
if paralyzed by fear, until Carifel had discharged every
bullet he had ; and the only result was a suspicion
of having wounded a doe. That really was too much
for the patience of us hungry mortals to endure. We
rated and abused him ; but the little fellow took it all in
good part, and joined in the laugh at his own expense.

I had for some time been very apprehensively ob-

ANOTHER JOURNEY. 133

serving the short supply of copper caps with which I
was now provided, and which, notwithstanding all my
care and economy, was rapidly decreasing. One evening
that I announced this alarming intelligence to Frederick,
he advised my endeavouring to obtain a supply from
some fellow-traders, who also, in opposition to the
American Fur Company, had established themselves
about seventy miles off, on La Riviere a Couteau. For-
tunately, about this time, Owen Mackenzie was sending
a despatch on business to Fort Union, together with
three workmen, whose services were not required at our
little post, and of whom we were glad to get rid, as the
additional burthen of supporting them with our rifles, in
a country where game had become very scarce, was any-
thing but desirable.

We accordingly all started one line morning ; each
"coyageur with his buffalo-robe and blankets strapped to
his shoulders, together with three days' supply of meat,
to be renewed at the post where I hoped to obtain the
anti-corrosives.

Ishmah followed me, attached to his travail, and
relieving me from the task of having anything besides
my rifle to carry ; and thus we travelled until a little
after noon, when we came in sight of two Assineboyne
lodges, on the bank of the Missouri ; here we sat down
to cook, but of course, the Indians from the two lodges
soon collected round us ; consisting of three men — one
of whom was a fine old fellow, — three or four women,
and about ten or twelve young people of six years and
upwards ; they were very badly off for meat, and about
starting to join their friends on White River ; but on
seeing us, of course, came to look for what they could
obtain. Having but little meat for ourselves, we could not
spare them much ; however, we gave one or two of them
a little, after which one of the young lads came to ine,
and pointing in the direction of some high rugged hills

134 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

at the opposite side of the river, told me he thought he
could distinguish three animals — probably elk ; but his
report was contradicted by the others, who declared
" Onijah,'' or " There is nothing/' However, shortly
after, the young fellow came back to me, and said, "My
friend, there are now four things ; and there could not be
another unless they were alive : they must be animals/'
I thought the boy's reasoning so cogent that I sent
another Indian to reconnoitre, who soon returned, de-
claring the boy to be right. This Indian then proposed
that we should go in pursuit ; but the men with me were
tired, and would not undertake the severe task of scaling
the steep, slippery, snow-covered heights. The poor
Indian appealed most imploringly to me, and, clasping
his hands, said, " My friend, I have no gun, but I will
go ; " and, looking wistfully at a flint gun in the hands
of one of the xoyageui^s of my party, he asked him to
lend it to him. I requested the man to lend him the
gun (which he stood in no need of for the rest of the
day, being with two other friends, the one armed with
my double-barrelled gun, the other with a rifle) ; he
did not, however, consent until I proposed a termination
of the point at issue by a trial of strength between us,
when he then reluctantly resigned the M'Adamizer into
the hands of the delighted Indian. At this juncture
the old man leaped up, exclaiming, "And I will come, too,
to bring home the meat." We then set off", all three, to
cross the river : arrived on the opposite bank, we found the
ascent very difficult, both on account of the nature of
the ground and the steepness of the wild, rugged hills,
with their intervening hollows filled up with avalanches
of snow. I had not much time to contemplate the
extraordinary scene around me as I waited a moment
to draw breath after the first two or three steeps ; but
observed the wonderful peculiarity in this grand scenery,
revealing every here and there, as a field of snow had

" MAUVAISE TERRE.'' 185

slidden down from a towering height, pinnacles of bright
red clay, formed in mounds, minarets, and tall, slender,
spire-like Gothic steeples, many of them striped with
blue bands. The combinations of colours in this won-
derfully strange scenery was heightened by the effect of
an evenino- sun shedding sparkling rays over crystallized
patches of the snow which had fallen from their dizzy
heio-hts. However, on we pushed over the steep, slip-
pery red clay, rendered still more difficult of ascent by
the constant drip of water from snow, which rested on
many o-rass-capped heights. On reaching the extensive
plain of one of the hills, we saw the animals we had
been in pursuit of, standing not one hundred yards
from the ledo-e on which we had clambered. They
proving to be four blacktail bucks, I drew up my rifle,
but on° pulling the trigger, the cap alone exploded, the
noise of which alarmedThe deer, who started off, leaving
us in despair of ever seeing them again. I was much
surprised at the result, and adopted the best remedy ;
cutting a little peg of wood with my knife from my
loading-stick, I hammered it into the pillar, then putting
on a cap, I succeeded in discharging my rifle, loaded
again, and resumed the line the deer had taken. After
we had followed on the tracks for some time, we came m
sio'ht of them at a very long distance off, midway on
the ascent of a range of hills separated from the height
on which we were standing by a wide valley filled by
avalanches of snow, a passage over which would have
engulfed us. What the exact distance between myself
and the deer may have been, I cannot exactly say; but
measuring with my eye,— which then was pretty weU
trained to calculating distances,— I considered them
about a quarter of an English mile from where I stood.
I consulted the Indian, who assured me— as the wind
^as— it was almost impossible to go round all that dis-
tance, which involved a detour of three miles, at the

136 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

very least, in order to head up the valley, even if they
would so long remain on a ledge of bare cliff where no
feeding, or other inducement, was likely to detain them.
Eeluctantly I drew up my rifle and tired ; the Indian
then seizing me by the arm, declared he saw the shingle
splinter in line of the deer I fired at ; and, stretching
his arms to their full length, said, " My friend, you were
that too low down/' I put in as much powder as I
could venture, without risking the bullets " tripping,''
and wrapping a rather thicker leather patch than usual,
I thus drove the tight-fitting ball down for a second shot.
The Indian lay along the ground to look under the smoke
as I discharged the second shot — aiming very high.
He now assured me that he saw the stone crumble one
arm's length lower than the feet of the same animal.
Although I thought him a good deal indebted to his
imagination for these announcements, yet I nevertheless
loaded again as before, and on seeing a spot on the cliff,
right over about ten feet above the deer's back, I raised
my rifle this time, aiming as if to strike this — which
happened to be very well defined on the cliff; I fired —
the deer now made a start to spring forward, but slipped
down backwards, and commenced moving for some time
in a retrograde direction. The moment the others ob-
served that their companion was injured, they dashed
ofi" along the ledge a little way, and out of sight over
the mountain, leaving their wounded companion, who
soon stood still. The Indian got greatly excited, and
begged I would allow him to go alone after the wounded
deer, and that I would remain for a land-mark for him
while he started off to head the valley, saying, " My
friend, it's your deer ; I only want to go and kill him : I
am sure of him, he can't run away." I gladly consented to
his plan,_ and soon lost sight of him. I lighted my pipe,
and anxiously awaited his re-appearance on the brow of
the opposite range ; at last he came in sight again, run-

LARPENTEE S POST.

ning all right for the spot ; and in about three-quarters
of an hour from the time he started, he re-appeared, and
having attained the ledge of shingle, was rapidly ap-
proaching the object of his pursuit. The deer fell in
attempting to escape him — rose again ; but fell to rise
no more, as I saw the final puff of smoke issue from my
companion's gun in the distance.

Following the line of the hills, I at length reached
the spot, when I found the Indian awaiting me, having
skinned and cut up our prize. Shortly afterwards we
were joined by the old man, and dividing the load of
meat into three portions, we turned our faces homeward,
descending with difficulty the " Mauvaise terre','' as
these hills are termed in the parlance of the country.
We re-crossed the ice, and reached camp some time
after night-fall. Our arrival was the signal for a grand
feasting ; a fire was lighted in the centre of one of the
lodges, and cooking commenced ; we all then sat round
the fire, and most astounding powers of consumption
and digestion were exhibited that night ; for our small
party not only consumed the whole blacktail deer, but
even all the meat with which we had been provided for our
journey by Owen previous to our departure. The greater
part of the night was spent in feasting, and next morn-
ing we resumed our route ; camped an hour before
sunset, and, after a fruitless attempt on my part to stalk
up a buffalo bull, went supperless to bed. Next morning
was very fine; we rose early, and reached Mr. Larpenter's
post late in the evening. This was a very miserable
hut, and the supply of dry meat with which he and his
companions were provided so small, that I made but
one day's halt. I obtained a plentiful supply of caps
from the opposition traders, who lived very comfortably,
having had abundant opportunities of laying in a store of
buffalo-meat by purchase from the Indians in the early
part oi the autumn.

138 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

These traders were about to send a despatch back to
Martin's post, so that their messenger and I travelled
together ; we were plentifully supplied with dry meat,
and therefore were not delayed by being obliged to stop
on our journey in order to hunt ; and, finally, before
the termination of the week, I was re-established in my
old quarters again with Owen Mackenzie, to whom my
fine supply of copper caps now rendered me doubly
welcome.

After this the weather became so very fine, that
nothing could persuade the few Indians still about us
that we were not in the month of April. Frederick
proposed going down with a couple of horses and an
attendant to the Minitaree Fort ; Peekay, the well-
known Indian, from whose squaw I had purchased
Ishmah, proposed to go with him ; and a couple of
Indians having previously arrived, bringing me a most
kind and hospitable invitation from Mr. Chardon, who
commanded at that post, I determined to accompany
the party thither.

We accordingly set out one fine sunny morning, and
though the weather at this treacherous season of the
year is never to be trusted, the day continued so very
fine that Frederick was quite overcome with the heat
of the sun, and walked considerably in the rear, with
his coat off, puffing and blowing like a grampus. We
certainly formed a strange medley ; first, Frederick and
myself ; then Peekay and squaw, with their dogs and
travails among which, and drawing my worldly goods,
figured Ishmah conspicuously in the van ; and lastly,
the man in charge of the two poor miserable horses,
packed with some articles of Indian trade, such as
blankets, knives, vermilion, and especially gunpowder,
of which they were taking the Minitarees a good supply,
havirfg heard that they were likely to be short of that
useful article there.

AWFUL NIGHT. 139

We proceeded as far as Knife River, when, Frederick
being very tired from his walk of ten miles in the snow,
we stopped to rest for a little time, and then proceeded
to walk across the Grand Detour.

The Grand Detour is a sinuosity in the river, form-
ino' a bend of about forty miles in length ; but the
chord, or, in popular words, the short cut, of which is
hardly fourteen.

At the commencement of this walk, I reasoned with
them on the inexpediency of attempting to divide the
journey, and urged the terrible position we should be in
if caught in a snow-storm on the prairie ; but nothing
would persuade Peekay that we were not in the month
of April ; consequently the short cut was decided upon
in spite of my remonstrances.

We had proceeded about four miles, when we came
to a narrow thread of ice, where two or three trees
indicated a small frozen stream : but so steep was its
bank, and so deep had the snow drifted into this
can tee, that we had to cut the trees down with our axe,
and bring them up on to the top of one of the numerous
little hills which formed the range, and between which
the snow had drifted to the inconvenient depth I have
described. When we had brought up our wood and lit
the fire, some cooked, some unpacked the horses, and
the old woman superintended the dogs. At last, having
arranged everything comfortably, and stowed by our
sides "the different articles of the trade, including the
gunpowder, we fell to at our supper. Night was then
coming on, and it began to rain slightly ; but we
brightened up the fire again, little knowing what was
in store for us. Shortly after dark the wind veered
round to the north-east, accompanied by snow, and at
last it blew so hard as to oblige us to put out the fire,
especially on account of the gunpowder. Owing to our
exposed situation, the wind mercilessly drove sparks,

140 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

and even lighted brands, whirling amongst us, turn
which way we would, as the eddies of wind drove
furiously down the gullies against our little encamp-
ment from all points of the compass. Old Peekay and
his wife collected every blanket and skin they could
muster. I seized my buffalo-robe and blankets, called
Ishmah to me, round whom I put my arms, and
hugging him close to my breast, shivered through the
night.

Never shall I forget the horrible hours of suspense I
passed, expecting every instant the feeling of sleep to
overpower me, knowing the fatal consequences and
fearing an inability to resist it. I found my faithful
dog an invaluable friend, and really believe he was the
means of saving my life ; for I seemed to feel the
caloric, as it issued from him, preserve my body from
turning into stone. Day at last dawned, and the wind
abated. We contrived to move to a lesg-exposed situa-
tion, where we lighted a roaring fire, and warmed our-
selves, then renewed our journey, reaching the opposite
extremity of the Grand Detour by nightfall.

Our supper that night was a very scanty one of dried
buffalo-meat, the last of the provision with which
Martin had supplied us. As for the unfortunate dogs
that accompanied the Indian Peekay and his squaw,
they, poor wretches, had not eaten a morsel for weeks ;
and so awful an array of starved spectres never were
seen.

The day after we reached the end of the Grand Detour
was very fine ; but although we passed over some likely
country, I was unlucky, and could not find any game
for some time. At length, one of us espied an old
buffalo bull in the distance, and I determined to start
in pursuit of him, although he was a very great
distance off.

As I was adjusting my snow-shoes and girding up

PEEKAY AND THE BULL. . 141

my loins, old Peekay lighted his long Indian pipe, and
waved it towards the four points of the compass, making
medicine ; he then threw himself down on the ground,
and uttered aloud the following words, as near as I can
recollect Frederick's repetition of them to me ; for by
the time he had smoked his pipe, or commenced
addressing the Great Spirit, I was already a good
step on my way. " 0 Great Spirit, you see the state
we are now in ; we have no meat, neither myself nor
my squaw, and our dogs are sinking for want ; we
shall lose all our property, for the dogs are too tired to
drag it any longer ! 0 Great Spirit, help us therefore, and
bring us some meat." His prayer ended, the old fellow
went along the edge of the timber skirting the river,
while I was far ahead trying to stalk up the bull, which
I had hopes of succeeding in doing, on account of the
inequalities of the ground where he was lying. The
walk, or run, was very severe ; but after taking a great
round to avoid giving the animal my wind, I succeeded in
getting within 200 yards of him perhaps, when, unfor-
tunately, in one of those fitful gusts of wind which
broken hilly ground always renders so treacherous and
uncertain, the bull scented me, never stopped for a
moment's look, but wheeled round and dashed off as
terrified as if I had been close to him. I could not
blame myself for the contingency, and consoled myself
with the reflection of there being fortune in hunting as
well as a fortune of war. I had watched the bull's
movements for nearly a mile as he ran headlong from
me, when what was my astonishment at beholding a
faint puff of smoke issue from a little thicket of
willows in the horizon. I heard no report ; but a
careful eager look satisfied me that the bull had fallen.
I hurried off to the place as fast as I could, and found
that old Peekay, who had not fired a gun or killed game
for many years, and who was, in fact, an infirm old

142 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

man, had been walking through those very willows
alongside of which the bull had shaped his course, when
the animal passed the old man so close, as to enable
him to send his ball through the heart at a distance of
not more than ten or twelve paces. This was a most
extraordinary combination of chances, — if chances they
may have been called, — as the buffalo had a whole
hemisphere of prairie over which to escape from me,
and nothing at all calculated to induce him to make
for the only point where destruction awaited him.
It seemed as if the poor old man's prayer had been
heard, and meat had been sent him at his utmost
need.

We camped, quietly cooked, ate, and saved some
meat for the rest of the journey, which we were unable
to continue that day, as our unfortunate dogs so gorged
themselves on the carcase of the bull, that when we
harnessed them they actually lay down and howled ; so
on their account I was not sorry for the day's rest.

On the 1st of April I reached Fort Berthold, the
trading post of the Minitaree Indians, very late at
night. A slight thaw having commenced that day,
rendered the passage of several creeks and ravines very
dangerous, particularly for the horses. However, we
arrived at last. Frederick and his man betook them-
selves to the wooden lodge of their fellow-traders, and
I availed myself of Mr. Chardon's hospitable invitation
to the fort.

BOUCHARVILLE. 143

CHAPTER VIII.

Mr, Cliardon. — Boucharville.— Geese put their heads together. — Ice
breaks up. — A Cold Bath. — Arrive at the Fort.— Preparations. —
An Afternoon's Hunt, — Elk shows Fight. — Shot at Sundown.—
Hard Work.

I FOUND poor Mr. Chardon very ill, with a violent
attack of Rheumatism ; but my arrival cheered him
very much, and what little news I could bring him of
his friends at Fort Union and the White River posts
was very acceptable.

The Minitarees are a noble, interesting people. They
are most absurdly termed Grosventres by the French
traders, there being not the slightest foundation for
branding them with that epithet.

From this time, with the exception of one fall of
snow on the 4th of April, the weather began to wear
the aspect of spring ; and the breaking up of the ice on
the river was daily expected, as in some places it had
become rotten, and was no longer deemed sound enough
to bear horses.

April 6th. — Boucharville, one of the most celebrated
of the hunters and trappers of the Indian regions, came
into the fort. The poor fellow had been most unfortu-
nate ; he had, in an untoward hour and under the
influence of his evil genius, entered into a project of
trapping wolves, foxes, mink, &c., during the winter,
and had established himself — together with two other
companions — on a lake, about forty miles north of the
post ; but the winter having been more than usually
severe, he lost his horses, and made by no means a
successful hunt ; besides which, he had all his traps
stolen by Indians, and finally had a great escape of

144 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

being taken by a war-party. I had a long conversation
with him as to the best direction to take for a hunting
expedition, and found he was thoroughly acquainted
with the whole country. He was one of those quiet,
patient fellows, that never put themselves into a passion
or get flurried about anything ; his appearance was
very much in his favour — a manly, handsome counte-
nance, with large and deep-set blue eyes. He was
dressed, as the hunters usually are, in elk-skin coat and
mocassins, and deer- skin trousers, with a hunting-knife
fastened in his belt, and in his hand he held his rifle,
the sight of which he had accidentally broken off", and
was deploring its loss, while endeavouring to supply its
place with a small piece of lead, which he was whittling
with a knife.

" Ha ! Boucharville, vous avez ete malheureux, et
j'en suis bien fache.''

'• Oui, Monsieur, j'ai eu de la misere ; mes chevaux
sont morts, et mes pieges sont voles, mais me voici en-
fin !^^

After a long talk, I proposed that, as soon as the ice
broke up in the Missouri, we should start ofi" on foot
back to Fort Union, making nearly straight across the
prairie instead of following the sinuosities of the river,
as I had done in my winter journey ; and we proposed,
when we arrived at Fort Union, to take my horses and
proceed on horseback up the Yellow Stone River, — •
intending, with the proceeds of our hunting, to descend
the stream again in boats made of bull-hides. He
liked the project, and so it was made a bargain. He
was married to an Indian woman in the village ; so he
borrowed a horse, went back to the lake for what few
furs and property he still had, and returned home to
the village to await the breaking up of the ice. About
this time poor Mr. Chardon became worse : the rheu-
matism had attacked him very severely in both legs,

GEESE PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER. 145

and he was unable to stand ; but I never saw a man
more patient under suffering or more grateful when any
one relieved the wearisome^ dreary hours by sitting and
talking with him.

The snow now began rapidly to pass away, and the
smaller rivers and springs were open ; ducks, geese,
outardes, and swans came hovering over our heads. I
had again recourse to my Trulock, but, alas ! shot was
not to be had ; so I was obliged to make it as well as I
could ; first I tried pricking holes in a card, fixed in a
small wooden frame, and pouring melted lead upon it —
taking care to keep it perpetually in motion, by shaking
it backwards and forwards.

But I found the following a better plan ; i. e.^ to beat
the lead quite flat, and cut it into little bars, about
seven-eighths of an inch square, which we divided across,
so as to form little cubes one-eighth of an inch every
way. These we made as like grains of shot as we could,
by putting them into a small metal boiler in the kitchen
of the fort, and rolling them round and round with a
smooth stone along with some ashes. With this very
imperfect substitute for shot, I contrived to kill some
ducks and geese. The latter were very difficult to obtain,
as they always settled in exposed situations, where their
long necks enabled them to see for a great distance
round, and to be aware of the least sign of danger.
One very windy day, and under shelter of a bank at a
spring which supplies a little unfrozen pool, I contrived
to crawl along the ground so stealthily that I came
within thirty yards of a fine flock of wild geese. Their
heads were all close together in an admirable line for a
raking shot, as I lay on my chest in fear and trembling,
chuckling with delight at my good luck ; I stole the
gun up cautiously to the front, and a fine raking shot I
made. I did not stop to count how many I had mowed
down with the first discharge, but fired the second

L

146 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

barrel at one on the -wing as he rose, knocking him
over by the side of his companions. I found I had
floored six at the first shot, and having picked them up,
and the victim of my left barrel also, walked home in
triumph with seven geese on my back, which proved a
very grateful accession to our tough and scanty supply
of meat in the larder : they all agreed that the geese in
this instance had put their heads together to some
purpose !

The 17th of April was a memorable day. About
daybreak the ice broke up on the Great Missouri
river ; the explosion, as the water burst the rotten
mass upwards, was like distant thunder. We rushed
to the high bank on which the fort is built, and from
its gate watched the various-sized packs of frozen blocks
floating by, roaring with a splendid sound as mass after
mass passed onward forcing aside all resistance, and
sweeping everything before it. The ice continued to
roll by for thirty hours, keeping up a continuous roar —
it was a beautiful and, to me, a very novel sight.

I now bethought myself of starting on my journey to
Fort Union for my horses, and therefore engaged two
more men to complete my party. One of these was
Percy, a stout, active French Canadian ; the other was
a French half-breed named Paquenode : these I re-
quired in order to keep the camp, mind the horses, and
cook, while Boucharville and I hunted. I also hired a
horse belonging to one of these men, which enabled me
to bring kettles, blankets, buifalo-robes, and, in short,
to tr?uvel very comfortably. We took with us a small
supply of dry meat, some coffee, a little bag of biscuits
which Mr. Chardon gave me, and a large quart-bottle
full of molasses to sweeten our coffee. This hung from
our pack-saddle, and — wonderful to relate — notwith-
standing all the vicissitudes of the journey, and the
incessant and sometimes violent oscillations to which it

A COLD BATH. |47

was subjected as it smmg from the saddle, the contents
lasted us for the entire journey !

During our march we had frequent opportunities of
procuring eggs from nests of the waterfowl, which begin
to lay at this season of the year : they proved a great
treat to us, particularly as the supply of dried meat we
had brought with us was very small ; so much so, that
both meat and eggs failing, our rations were reduced on
the fifth day of our journey to one biscuit each.

Early next morning we were passing along the side
of the river, very hungry, and making a short march
with the intention of hunting in the afternoon. Percy
carried a double-barrelled gun loaded with buck-shot,
and was walking near the pack-horse, Ishmah and his
travail following me, when we were astonished by the
sudden appearance of four antelopes climbing up the
bank close at hand. Owing to the steepness of the
bank, they did not come in ^sight of us until they had
reached the summit ; the moment they did so they
wheeled round, but not before Percy fired and shot one,
which rolled down the bank into the water, and was
carried down the stream. Boucharville and I tugged
at our gun- covers ; his he could not remove quickly
enough ; I tore away the thong of mine — which had
run into a knot — with my teeth, and cocked my rifle.
By this time the other three antelopes were swimming
away in the broad stream ; a little eddy in the rapid
current turned one of them broadside to me ; I fired,
hitting the animal between wind and water, behind the
shoulder, — its head drooped, as, floating dead on the
surface of the water, it was carried down the stream
after its companion. Percy then performed a splendid
feat ; he ran down the side of the river far enough to
enable him to undress, — which he partly did in running,
— jumped into the half-frozen water, along which the
blocks of ice were still at intervals coursinsi:, striking^

J.2

148 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

out boldly, laid his hand on the first carcase, then with
great exertion reached the second as it floated by, and
brought both into the bank : this was the more fortu-
nate, for half a minute more would have swept them
past the bend into the rapids beyond where the scene
occurred, and involved not only the loss of our game,
but a considerable risk to this brave fellow.

The two antelopes afforded us quite a sufficiency of
food to last until our arrival at Fort Union, which we
reached early on the ninth day after our departure from
the Minitarees.

Arrived at Fort Union, I found things in a sad state ;
the hunters of the fort had been twice out for meat, and
could find neither buffalo, elk, nor deer ; one of them,
Smith, an excellent hunter, had wounded an elk, and in
pursuing him through the timber had lost his mule,
which he had brought out with him to bring home the
meat. The Indians, who had congregated about the
fort, of course were starving ; all being afraid to cross
the river and hunt up the Yellow Stone, for fear of
attacks from either Blackfeet or Sioux. As to the
points about the fort, my brother- sportsmen can well
fancy how thoroughly thrashed they must have been by
that time with the two white hunters hunting for the
fort, and a bevy of Indians, all likewise eager in the
pursuit, and depending upon their exertions for their
very existence. The latter were in such a state that the
traders had actually threatened to fire on their own
Indians, to keep them from rushing into the post
The dried meat, with which the fort is always stored in
case of game failing, had been badly saved the year
before, consequently was unfit to eat ; notwithstanding
which, they gave one excellent meal to myself and men,
and afterwards I went out to inspect my horses left the
winter before, now only two in number, and in very bad
condition. My friend Owen had most kindly given me

PREPARATIONS. 149

an order, allowing me the nse of his splendid thorough-
bred buffalo-horse, the finest I ever met with in America.
He was a tall, powerful animal, with clean, sound fore-
legs, and grand haunches, very deep over the heart (so
much so that it was difficult to prevent his saddle from
slipping backwards), and on the whole, in good con-
dition. So my stud now consisted of four horses,
inclusive of the one I had brought up with me from the
Minitarees.

The first thing I set about was to find the party
in saddles, bridles, and halters ; next, to lay in a store
of powder, lead, and copper caps, together with three
kettles and four tin mugs, besides a fair supply of coffee,
sugar, and salt. A hatchet and two beaver-traps com-
pleted our equipment, and having set out all these our
worldly possessions in the yard in front of the post, and
counted over everything carefully, we proceeded to
saddle up, Mr. Denig (who was now in charge of the
fort) urging us to make haste out of the way as soon as
possible, not half liking the prospect of having to supply
us with another meal. We divided equally amongst
the four horses, by means of ingeniously-contrived thongs
on the pummels and cantles of the saddles, the responsi-
bilities of the various stores, each man carrying his own
tin mug with him. The smith then brought out
Bouchar°ville's rifle, which he had properly sighted, and
taking up our guns, we bade good-bye to Mr. Denig and
the inmates of the fort, and rode away.

We now found ourselves once more thrown upon our
own resources in a country from which the game was almost
driven away ; but Boucharville and I were well aware,
that if we could once cross the Missouri below the
mouth of the Yellow Stone, and then proceed up the left
bank of that river, we should, before we had traversed
ten miles of country, be in the midst of plenty. But
here we were unable to cross ! the water still intensely

150 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

cold, three of my four horses in such wretched condition,
that I dreaded the idea of transporting them over with
such precarious assistance as that of a raft, particularly
when only constructed of drift-wood, and with the very
insufficient means which our skill and resources could
supply. However, I was determined to make the best
of it, and we rode down to the next point in the river,
and encamped nearly opposite the mouth of the Yellow
Stone. The weather was so windy that we gave up all
idea of taking our horses across it for at least two days
more ; so, as soon as we had found good grazing-ground
for the poor animals, Boucharville and I set out to hunt
in the point where we were camped. We were both
very tired ; a previous journey of eight days' marching,
our disappointment of the rest a couple of days' lounge
in the fort would have given us, and, above all, the
dread we had of making our poor horses cross by means
of any raft that we could construct, all combined to put
us out of spirits. Very unexpectedly we got two shots
at deer that day, notwithstanding the scarcity of game.
Boucharville broke the leg of one deer ; but did not get
him, and finally he went to bed, having had nothing
more than a cup of coffee for supper. While we were
hunting that afternoon, Paquenode and Percy had con-
structed a very comfortable little hut by driving a frame-
work of sticks into the ground, taking a large piece of
lodge-skin for a cover, and piling up great pieces of
bark for the back and sides of this notable edifice. So
spreading our robes and blankets on the ground inside,
with the saddles as pillows for our heads, we lighted
a good fire outside at our feet, and made ourselves com-
fortable for the night. Our house was constructed in
good time, for we had fortunately anticipated a fine
downfall of rain. It continued to pour all night ; but
we hardly suffered any inconvenience from the rain, and on
the whole, with the exception of having nothing to eat, were

AN AFTERNOON HUNT. 151

very comfortable. After all, we could not complain,
even in that particular, having had at eight o'clock that
morning a splendid breakfast of elk, fat salted buffalo-
tongues, coffee, and, what is rare luxury in that country,
delicious bread.

Early next morning Boucharville started oft" to hunt ;
but I remained behind, doubting very much the possi-
bility of procuring any meat where we were. Before he
departed, however, I charged him to return shortly after
noon to camp, when I proposed saddling the horses, and
setting off for a few miles together down the river to a
very fine point I knew, having hunted it successfully
the previous winter, before my first departure from Fort
Union. I then lighted my pipe, and afterwards went
to sleep. By-and-by the day turned out fine, and we
proceeded to dry our robes and blankets, v>-ipe the saddles,
clean the bits, and the few stirrup-irons (for we had
but five to four saddles) that we possessed. My own
saddle I had complete, it being an excellent one that I
had brought up with me in the autumn ; but the other
three boasted of but one stirrup-iron apiece. I subse-
quently learnt, under Boucharville's tuition, to make admi-
rable wooden substitutes for these while on the prairie.

Soon after two o'clock, Boucharville returned to camp
without having had a single shot ; so, in accordance
with my plan of the morning, we brought in and saddled
the two best horses (/. e. Mackenzie's and my old mare),
and rode three or four miles along the prairie down the
river to my favomite point. This was a very fine wood,
about nine miles long, and from four to five deep, inter-
spersed with lovely glades, and beautiful feeding-grass
for deer and elk. We continued riding alternately
through these and thick willows, till, on emerging from
a copse of the latter, we came in sight of a' band of some
fifteen or twentv wapiti feedino; in a lars-e oiade. We
immediately fastened up the horses, and crept noise-

152 HAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

lessly on foot under cover of the brushwood towards the
spot. Arrived at the utmost verge of our friendly
shelter, we had the mortification to find that we were
too far to risk a shot, there being fully 230 yards between
us and them. We held a council of war, and after some
hesitation, determined to steal back to the horses, ride
some way round, and come upon them from a direction
at right augles to the one we had just tried, where we
could see a clump of rose-bushes, which we fancied con-
siderably nearer to the elk, and which we intended to
try and reach by approaching from an easterly instead of
a northerly direction, we being then between them and
the river. Accordingly we crept back on our hands and
knees ; nor did we get up and run towards the horses
until we were well out of sight of the wapiti. We then
mounted and rode half a mile or so round to the east,
when having again tied up the horses, we crawled as
before upon our hands and knees, and reached the ex-
tremity of the rose-bushes unperceived. Here there
was a large tree, behind which I could stand up quite
screened from view of the elk, while Boucharville knelt
on one knee at the edge of the cover, a position in which
he could shoot very well, for he used to make a rest for
his rifle, by sticking his ramrod and loading-stick firmly
into the ground across each other ; I, who never could
shoot well from a rest, preferring to stand up. We were
now about 150 yards from the nearest of the band. I
chose a fine old stag, while Boucharville, with an eye to
superior meat, singled out a doe. We drew up our rifles
slowly, and both shots went ofi" together. The smoke
hung heavily for a second or two ; when it cleared
away, we espied one of the wapiti lying down. The
next instant down rolled the stag also. We agreed
to advance at tlie same moment, lest one or other of the
animals should be able to get up and escape. On
eoming near my stag, he struggled to rise, but, unable

SHOT AT SUNDOWN. 153

to gain his feet, rolled back again. I looked towards
the other, when what was my surprise at witnessing a
regular combat between Boucharville and his wounded
elk, now transformed into a very formidable antagonist.
Springing on her haunches, she was striking furiously
at him with her fore-feet : one hoof missed him, but
the other fell on his rifle, which he held up for his protec-
tion, and smashing both his ramrod and his loading-
stick, beat him down on his knees. Rising a second
time, she was about to repeat the attack, when my bullet
caught her in the side of the head behind the eye, and
with a splendid bound she fell lifeless on the broad of
her back. I had made a quick and necessarily a rather
dangerous shot, but I was in luck that day. '' Sacre
enfant du diable ! '' exclaimed Boucharville, as he half-
rose from the ground, but looking at nothing till he had
satisfied himself that his rifle was uninjured; "mais
qui I'aurait cru ? Ma foi ! '' continued he, laughing,
" j^ai bien echappe, une biche a un cote et une balle a
lautre ! "

Leaving him to cut up the meat, I ran off for the
horses, which I brought up. The day was beginning to
wane, and we had some way to go home to camp ; so we
made all haste to pack the horses, and placing the
heavy hides under us and over the meat, we climbed up
on the poor brutes, and jogged homewards. I still remem-
ber well the beautiful sunset I gazed on that evening
as my horse almost staggered along under his unmerciful
burden. At length the long-drawn shadows in our
wake faded quite away, and the sun disappeared behind
a ridge of hills to the westward in a splendid sheet of
gold. All at once, in strong relief against this light,
I saw some deer playing and running sportively back-
wards and forwards, appearing and vanishing by turns
on the brow of the hill. I left my horse to graze, and
stole nearer on foot, quite invisible to them upon the

154 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

dark prairie. When I came within shot, one deer was
standing nearly broadside in bold and clear relief against
the amber sky ; drawing my rifle slowly up, I found
I could catch a glimpse of the sight between the deer's
belly and the hill, and again above his back. I repeated
the movement several times, as, unconscious of danger,
the animal stood perfectly still ; and having finally
satisfied myself, raised my left hand once more, and on
losing view of the sight against the deer's body, pulled
the trigger. It was now so dark that I could see nothing
more. I ran up the bluff, and soon discovered, by his
frantic floundering, a jolly fine old buck with a bullet
through his brain. I shouted to Boucharville, who was
astonished on coming up to find me standing over my
prize, skinning away as hard as I could. With his
assistance the necessary operations were soon concluded,
and dividing the meat between the two poor already
overladen horses, we jogged on to camp ; I in a high
state of delight, Boucharville not half relishing my
having fired a shot so near camp (then not two miles
distant), for fear of its attracting the notice of
prowling Indians. We reached home late, and wel-
comed by the plaudits of my two hungry horse-guards,
who had everything in readiness for cooking dinner ;
we feasted till far into the night, chatting over our
adventures.

Before turning in for the night, we determined that
early next morning we would take all our surplus meat
to the fort, and exchange it for divers things we yet
wanted to complete our equipment. All slept sound,
with the exception of Boucharville, who never closed
his eyes for fear that Indians having heard my last
shot, might track out our camp and steal the horses
as they were grazing about. Morning, however, dawned
cheerily, revealing them to our view, all safe and sound.
It was a lovely day ; and each, as he tightened his belt^

HARD WORK. 155

felt that he had much to do, and was well up to his
work. We packed two horses with as much meat as
we could possibly spare, and, mounting the other two,
Boucharville and I rode to the fort, leading our beasts
of burden. Breakfast was ready when we arrived ; and
we revelled on bread and fresh eggs (the hens laying
very well, although fed, like the pigs, exclusively on
meat). Mr. Denig after breakfast gave me, in exchange
for the venison, an excellent four-oared skiff belonging
to the fort, some awls, needles, strong thread, and fish-
hooks. The skiff was exactly what I wanted to take
the horses across the river, which in these parts was
nearly half a mile wide ; and, delighted with this
arrangement, I sent Boucharville and the three horses
back to camp, with directions to send up men to take
the skiff down the river to the fittest place for crossing.
As soon as it was done, we commenced the arduous
task. Owen's horse I took first : he was a fine, thorough-
bred fellow, and swam in gallant style ; the mare not
so well ; and the last proved an exception to the gene-
rality of horses, in refusing to swim altogether. I held
his head, however, above water, while my companions
rowed with might and main, and after considerable
exertion and loss of time, during which we made great
leeway down the stream, we succeeded in getting him
over. I thanked my stars that we crossed in a good
skiff ; and am quite sure that had we attempted to take
the brute across with a raft of our own construction, he
would certainly have been drowned, and we might very
probably have been obliged either to let him go adrift
or to have shared the same fate with him. XVe were
not long in returning and bringing over the rest of our
traps ; and that done, I immediately proceeded to bury
my valuable boat under the willows on the south bank
of the Yellow Stone, close to the junction of the
Missouri ; for having had some experience of the appro-

156 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

priating propensities of tlie younger Indians, and rightly
judging that they would soon be in that neighbourhood
on thefr way down the river for their spring trade with
Fort Union, I thought it prudent to put my property
out of their reach ; and so hid it carefully in_ a fine sandy
deposit, where we could recover it again without much
trouble.

CHAPTER IX.

Hunt on the Yellow Stone.— Grosse-Corne Hunting.— A Beautiful
Camp.— Beaver.— Good Hunting Country.— Cat Fishing.- Skin-
boat Building,— Tailoring.— Crow Indians.— Descend the Yellow
Stone. — Surprise a Crow Camp. — Eeturn to Tort Union.

Next morning we commenced our hunting excursion up
the Yellow Stone, starting at a very early hour, and
found game more and more abundant as we proceeded
from the mouth of the river, every now and then start-
ing a deer, or coming in sight of a long continuous file
of° antelopes. These march in line, sometimes for
several miles together, and, by imitating the movements
of their leader, exhibit the most striking effects, re-
sembling military evolutions : they simultaneously
whirl round their white breasts and red flanks, like
the " Right face !— Left face i" of a regiment on
parade. Obedient to the motions of their leader, when
he stops, all stop : he stamps and advances a step, the
slight similar impulse waves all down along the line ; he
then gives a right wheel, and round go all their heads
for one last look ; finally, he gives the right face about,
and away " their ranks break up like clouds before a
Biscay gale.'' Stately wapiti wandered on the plain,
feeding not far from the willows, to whose friendly

o

GROSSE-GORNE HUNTING. 157

shelter in they crashed the moment we presented our-
selves to their view. And as we approached steep
frowning cliffs, overhanging the river, I saw, for the
first time, the wild sheep or grosse corne of the Rocky
Mountains, balancing themselves, chamois-like, on the
tops of most inaccessible crags, whither they had rushed
on first catchino; sight of us. The oTosse corne, or bio^-
horn, partakes both of the sheep and the deer in its
appearance, and in its habits resembles the chamois of
Switzerland, being quite as watchful, possessing equal
facilities of bounding over fissures, and clambering up
similar inaccessible places. This wild sheep is stoutly
built, and its feet are stronger and larger than those of
the deer. The animal's light dusty-brown colour con-
forms to Nature's law, and resembles those shingly rocks
to which it clings for protection ; a very slight quantity
of wool grows about the ears and neck, also about the
knees ; the rest of its coat consists of strong coarse hair,
white on the rump, and tail tipped with black. Both
the female and the male carry horns ; those of the
former resembling the little horns of a goat, only flatter,
while those of the male are of a ponderous size ; out of
all proportion to the apparent strength of so small an
animal, they grow somewhat similarly to those of a
common ram, only vastly larger. I have measured
some that curved more than usual, as much as two feet
eight inches in length ; the hollow part is capable of
containing two quarts of water, and is twenty-three
inches in circumference at the orifice. The cartilagi-
nous processes on which the horns grow are very strong,
and so also is the frontal bone, with which they form
one mass, so solid as to enable the animal safely to fling
himself on his head from very considerable heights. I
wa^s told that when some of these rams reach a great
age, frequent instances have been observed of the horns
curving in such a direction, as that their points re-grow

158 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

into the animars head, and thus terminate its existence ;
of this phenomenon, however, I never myself was a
•witness.

Arrived at this range of hills, I immediately called a
halt, determining to have a hunt after big-horn ; and
leaving my two men, Paquenode and Percy, to make
camp and look after the horses, Boucharville and I
started after the sheep.

We found them very wary game, and almost impos-
sible to approach ; once I clambered to within fair
shooting-distance of a ram, concealed from his view by
a sheltering crag ; but the moment my head and rifle
were raised for aiming over this ledge of rock, he was off
with one bound, disappearing down a fissure in the rocks,
where I thought the animal would have been dashed to
pieces. Unlike the deer, who will generally stand and
gaze a moment, as if tr3ang to make you out, the wild
sheep is so shy and wary, as well as ^pick-sighted, that
the moment he sees the slightest strange object above a
bank or rock, he is instantly off.

I got, after much toil and difficulty, a tolerably fair
shot at a ewe, but missed her, being blown by the con-
stant climbing. These volcanic rocks and hills are very
deceptive in their appearance; and their similarity
causes much difficulty in obtaining an approach to any
spot from a direction different to that from which you
obtained the first view ; for, on descending and creeping
round their bases, the rugged cHffs assume appearances
differing widely from those which presented themselves
from the preceding summits. At last, however, I suc-
ceeded in circumventing a fine old ram ; and carefully
and noiselessly we ascended the cliff commanding a view
of our game, unconsciously standing about sixty yards
below us, close to some stunted cedars. I pointed my
rifle downwards, and as the echo and smoke of the shot
rolled away, I saw that my bullet had broken his back,

GROSSE-CORNE HUNTING. 159

and sent him floundering below. At the report of the
shot, two lambs bounded off, and Boucharville instantly
started in pursuit of them, answering my remonstrances
by declaring them to be such excellent eating.

I therefore left him to his own devices, and clambered
down to my ram, which I had ample time to survey with
o-reat delidit ; and so lono- was I observino- his ma'inifi-
cent proportions, that I did not commence skinning and
cutting him up until I heard my companion's rifle crack ;
and, shortly after, a second report conveyed to my ima-
gination what had been the probable fate of the lambs :
however, I was satisfied, as I had not been a sharer in
the murder of the innocents. So, knowing that Bouchar-
ville would most likely send me assistance from camp, I
lighted my pipe, and, after a few puffs, lay down and went
fast asleep ; from which I was awakened by the arrival
of my two horse-guards, who had come for the meat,
which, tog-ether with the skin and horns, we took home
to camp.

On our return, we found Boucharville busy roasting
two loins of lamb, and boiling more ; so, after stretching
the ram's skin, I sat down beside him, and found the
Iambs, I must confess, much better meat than the tough
old ram "we had just brought in.

Next day, feeling a little stiff from the effects of the
grosse-corne hunting of the day before, we determined
to stick to the woods and level country. Accordingly,
Boucharville and I hunted up the left bank of the
Yellow Stone. The scenery was splendid, the river
being very circuitous and beautifully wooded ; rose-
trees, willows, and numerous and beautiful rhododendra
were strewn over the plain in advance of the heavy
timber. We returned late, bringing in the skins of
two wapiti, three deer, and an antelope to camp,
together with a portion of the meat.

After we had continued hunting and travelling for

160 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

some days up the Yellow Stone, our skins and furs,
naturally enough, accumulated so fast that we found, if
we went on much longer at the same rate, we should be
forced to leave some of these behind us on the prairie.
Sooner, therefore, than lose these, I determined on look-
ing out for the next favourable spot for a camp, and
chose a beautiful site at the mouth of the Big Horn
River, one of the tributaries of the Yellow Stone, and
about 100 miles from its junction with the Great Mis-
souri. The scenery at this spot was splendid, and at
the termination of the point the grass was excellent.
The green brushwood luxuriated all around, giving the
whole region an appearance of being well cared for, so
utterly did that spot differ from the vast wastes on
the Great Missouri's banks. The woods were thickly
stocked with evergreens and shrubs now flowering ; the
river rolled majestically along, and for some distance
the beautiful grass which carpeted its alluvial deposit
grew luxuriantly, without being rank. This plain was
terminated to the south-west by high rocky, broken
hills, almost inaccessible in some parts, where grosse
corne abounded ; and finally, the crowning advantage in
the position I had taken up was, that buffalo were to be
found there also, one of my men, sent out to reconnoitre,
having reported large bands feeding on the neighbour-
ing prairie. The spring was now making rapid strides,
and bringing up the young curly grass in great abun-
dance. Stretching an awning of skins to the south, to
protect ourselves from the sun's rays, which were now
becoming a little too warm, we ranged out all our bag-
gage, skins, and other trophies, and then set to work
cleaning guns, mending mocassins, harness, &c., which
occupied the greater part of the day. In the evening
Boucharville accompanied me for a short distance up
the Big Horn River, where we were hunting, when he
suddenly came to a halt, exclaiming, " Tenez, monsieur,

THE BEAVER. IGI

il y a des castors ici, voyez ! '' and he drew my attention
to a couple of trees of considerable size, cut down by tlie
industrious little beaver, forming a dam almost across
the stream, and leaving me to contemplate this extra-
ordinary monument of their sagacity, he rode back to
camp for the traps. On his return, he set them under
water in runs, which they had made by passing constantly
backwards and forwards on their journeys to and from
the water ; as a means of enticing them, he smeared
on the plate of the trap a stuff termed •' Medicine Tt
Castor,'' consisting, I beheve, of an extract from their
kidneys, in approaching to smell which, the poor little
beast springs the trap, and is victimized.

These industrious little creatures ibrm their habi:a-
tions of trees hewn down, and cut up into logs witli
their teeth, cementing them together vdth branches and
mud plastered with their broad tails, which they use as
trowels.

Some years ago a tame beaver was kept at Fort
Union. This animal, notwithstanding all the com-
forts of his abode in the fort, every now and then took
a buikling mania into his head, used to cut and collect
wood most indefatigably ; and on one occasion, when he
could not find wood enougli for his purpose, was dis-
covered cutting up the legs of one of the chairs mio
logs. During these periods of working, he used to
sharpen his teeth from time to time.

The entrance into a beaver's hut is generally under
water, and you will almost always observe two chambers,
one constructed below, and the other high and dry above
the water : bark is spread on the floor of the latter
chamber, which is always kept scrupulously clean. In-
deed the skill and intelligence displayed by the animal
seems gTeater than that which instinct can dictate, not
merely in choosing its timber, but also by cutting the
tree down with its indefatigable little tusks, in such a

162 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

way as to make it fall exactly in the direction it wishes,
above the intended place of residence : so that, when it
cuts it up into lengths, it can swim down stream, steer-
ing the logs to their destination.

iBefore breakfast next morning we went to visit the
traps, and found a beaver struggling in each ; one had
been taken by the foreleg, which was fractured high up,
the other was caught across the jaws. My companion
put them out of pain by striking them on the back of
the head with a stick. ^ When I saw the helpless strug-
gles of these poor intelligent little creatures, I was seized
with remorse, and determined forthwith that there should
be no more beaver-trapping.

As Boucharville and I subsequently were conversing
on the habits and wonderful intelligence of the animal,
he thus strikingly expressed himself: " Monsieur, ils
sont une esp^ce de monde.''

Fortunately for these little people, silk, which is now
manufactured'^ into hats, has proved an excellent substi-
tute for their fur, previously so valuable ; and now that
beaver-skin has fallen from eight and nine dollars a
pound to a dollar and one and a half dollar, avarice and
self-interest will no longer ply the instruments of their
destruction, and sweep^'the ingenious little population
off their Western waters.

After breakfast Boucharville and I went in quest of
buffalo in the direction indicated by Percy, who had, as
above mentioned, been out to reconnoitre. We rode,
each leading a spare horse. Boucharville took his rifle •
to stalk them on foot, while I, anxious to test the
powers of Owen's fine horse, which was now so much
improved in condition, took my double-barrelled Trulock
for a run on horseback, intending, if possible, to pick
out a barren cow, as they afford the choicest meat at
this time of year.

We approached a herd of buffalo very successfully—

BUFEALO-CHASE. 163

thanks to intervening hills and the irregularities which
the prairie aiforded — and when about 400 yards from
our game, hobbled Boucharville's mare and the two
pack-horses. I then tightened the girths of my saddle,
poured some loose powder into the right-hand pocket of
my hunting-shirt, and waited quietly until Boucharville
stalked up the nearest of the bulls. As soon as he
reached a favourable position within shot, he fixed his
temporary rest as usual, and after a deliberate aim,
fired. I could see that the animal was well hit, from
the convulsive start he gave, merely cantering a little
way, and then stopping ; the rest of the herd, on hear-
ing the shot, looked up ; but seeing nothing, went on
grazing again. I remained concealed to let Bouchar-
ville have a second shot. Accordingly he loaded — on
his knees all the time — and replacing his rest, selected
another bull about 1 00 yards off. "At the instant of
the report the animal floundered forward, stumbled,
recovered himself, stumbled again, and finally came
thundering to the ground. The whole herd now rushed
off at full speed, the cows leading the van, and the bulls
bringing up the rear, and last of all Boucharville's first
victim, rapidly fallino; behind. It was now my turn ; so
putting a couple of bullets in my mouth, I gave chase,
and galloping first up to Boucharville's wounded bull,
shot him down on his tracks as I passed. Then, load-
ing as I rode, I soon outstripped the bulls, and got
alongside of the cows ; but they vvere so thin and
miserable, being most of them in calf, that I was several
minutes before I could single one out. At last I spied
a barren cow that seemed to promise good meat, and,
firing into her, wounded her, so that I easily separated
her from the rest, and after giving her a couple of turns,
passed and shot her with the other barrel

I was now more than a mile from the scene oi
Boucharville's exploit with the bulls ; but knowing

m2

1.64 RAMBLES AlTD ADVENTURES.

t^at he would soon find me, I took off my saddle, tied
mv horse's fore-feet together with a strong soft band of
leather, and, taking off" the bridle, turned him loose t©
fTaze, and set to work to cut up my cow. She was m
wonderful condition, with nearly two fingers' fat on the
loin, surprising for that time of year. As soon as
Bcucharviiie had skinned and cut up his two bulls, he
joined me, and we brought the three skins and most of
the meat to camp.

The evening was beautiful, and Peekay and Paquenode
had o-one to iish ; so leaving Boucharville to unload and
look "after the horses, I strolled down the bank of the
river to see what sport they had had. I came upon
them unperceived, and never was more amused. A
■very large timber snag, about fourteen feet long, and
Yery thick, lay fast a little way out in the stream : to
this they had waded, and, perched one on each end of
it, were intently absorbed in their occupation. Their
trousers were tucked up to their knees, and as they sat
squatting on their heels on the log in tlie most rigid
silence, "each eagerly grasping his miserable little rod
with both hands, their long hair, which had got wet,
and had been pushed back from their faces, sticking
out behind, they looked exactly like two famished cor-
morants on the watch ready to pounce upon any luck-
less fish that might pass up stream. I waded out, and
stood behind them some time unperceived, not a syllable
being exchanged between them. At last the silence
was broken by my bursting into a fit of uncontrollable
laughter, in which they joined most heartily, as soon as
they recovered from the surprise I had given them.
They had caught three very fine cat-fish, about two
and a half pounds each, and before I left them they
caught a fourth ; upon which we all returned to camp,
and^enjoyed, for the first time, fresh fish, in addition to
^^ood bufialo-meat and coffee, for supper.

CAT-PISHING. 165

The cat-fish is one of the finest flavoured I ever ate.;
firm, white, and very rich ; the men called it " barbue/'
It is a quaint little fish, like a miniature dolphin ; has
double fins, besides those on its back, and a prepos-
terously long beard-like excrescence from each side of
its mouth.

After supper I called a council of war, and determined
to set about building a boat, to convey our skins and
furs to the mouth of the Yellow Stone ; and accord-
ingly, next morning after breakfast, we set to work.
The boat was to be constructed of the skins of the two
bulls stretched on a willow frame, which we accom-
plished in the followmg way. Two long and tolerably
strong pieces of willow were cut, and lashed together to
form a keel, about fourteen feet long ; at about tvrenty
inches from each extremity of this keel a notch was
made half-way through the wood, so that we could bend
it upwards to form a sharp stem and stern to our boat ;
then, completing the skeleton of a punt, or rather of a
flat-bottomed canoe, we fastened willow-knees at regular
intervals, tied tight to the keel and round the frame ;•
and cutting the head parts of the hides of the bulls low
down on the neck, sewed them together with awl and
sinew at that part ; and while reeking, and before they
had time to get stiff, threw them over the wicker frame,
lashing them on with elk-skin cord. While Boucharville
and I were busy at this work, my two men were occu-
pied cutting all the meat up in large thin pieces, and
dr)'ing it in the sun.

I was at this time very badly off for clothes. My
large 'i'i'inter grey woollen shooting-coat (or capote) was
completely worn out ; over and over again I had patched
it with pieces of blanket, but still the rents were made
worse, and at last it went utterly to pieces. I had,
however, with me an elk-skin, which had been uncom-
monly well dressed by one of the men while I was at

166 KAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES.

Fort Union ; this I took and cut into a hunting-shirt
■with loose sleeves, sewing it up partly with buflPalo
sinew and partly with thread procured at the fort ; the
dressed skin of a small deer furnished the pockets in
front, and it was subsequently ornamented for me with
porcupine-work by some Indian women, on my return
to the fort. The fit was not of much consequence, as
my belt confined it round me. I found this a most
effective hunting-shirt, for no brushwood could tear it ;
and it now hangs up among my other trophies as fit for
service as ever. Although it was a simple thing in
itself, to cut out and make the hunting-shirt, yet it
took me three days, inasmuch as I was obliged first to
smoke the leather in order to prevent its shrinking and
hardening like parchment, every time it got wet ; next
to cut it out without the help of scissors, and with my
hunting-knife only ; and, lastly, to sew the strong,
tough material together without a thimble, which was
very tedious indeed.

The day after my hunting-shirt was completed, I
went in chase of grosse-cornes with Boucharville, and we
killed a couple of ewes, in excellent condition. I was
greatly pleased at coming within shot of, and unobserved
by, a very fine old ram, who was standing among some
stunted cedars in rough, rocky ground. Two exposed
cedar-roots crossed above the surface in such a position
as, from where I stood, to form a cross right against the
fore-shoulder of the animal ; so, profiting by this mark,
and arguing that if my bullet passed within an inch or
two on either side of the point of intersection, it would
he sure to strike a mortal part, I aimed right for it, —
fired, and on the smoke clearing off, perceived my ram
bounding unscathed from cliff to cliff. I had the
curiosity to go and examine the spot, and found, to my
surprise, that one root had grown into the other, and
that my bullet was buried deep in the wood at that

TAILORING. 167

very place, whence I cut it out with my knife and
brought it home in my pocket. We lived like lighting-
cocks in my little Yellow Stone camp : I used every
day to sit down to several kinds of meat, besides fish.
One day we actually supped on buffalo-beef, elk -meat,
venison, antelope's-liver, and wild mutton, besides the
luxuries of cat-fish and marrow-bones. Coffee and
sugar were lasting very fairly, and so was the salt ; but,
plenty as the meat was, I did not allow it to be wasted ;
and, as we had more than we could carry away in our
skin boat, I determined to build a second, so as- to
convey it all to Fort Union.

My nether garments, also, were by this time in a sad
state of dilapidation, although they had been so fi\^-
quently patched with leather, so that it was very di^y^
cult to say of what material they had originally consiste^'o
I disliked very much the idea of undertaking the con-
struction of a pair of trousers, as I had found the
hunting- shirt such an arduous task, and therefore
deferred the evil day as long as I could. One fine
morning, however, I went in pursuit of a very fine
wapiti stag, which, with several others, was feeding in
some brushwood, about a mile and a half from camp.
As I was crawling towards him on my hands and knees,
a sharp stake caught me a little below the knee in one
of the numerous rents which ornamented my garments,
and neatly rem.oved the entire protection of my right
leg. A brother sportsman can easily suppose that I did
not allow the loss of a gaiter to check my progress, but
stalked up my elk, got a shot, wounding him very
severely, and after a hard run, killed him ; but so far
from the spot where I had lost my leg-cover, that I
made no attempt to find it again ; and had no other
j-esource but to make myself a new pair of inexpressibles
with all possible despatch. By Boucharville's advice, I
determined to go in quest of black-tailed deer for my

16S RAMBLES AND ADYENTCilEi',

material — their skins producing the leather best adaptetl
for trousers. So next day, we mounted our two best
horses and followed up the river for a few miles until we
came to La Riviore, a little tributary of the Yellow
Stone. We took the traps with us, but did not see any
Yery recent signs of beaver. I fell in with an enormouB
Virginian doe and got quite close to her in the wood
before she saw me. She was about the size of a full-
grown Scotch hind, and was nearly as large a specimen
as the giant buck I killed one night in Arkansas ; but
my horse was so restless that I could neither get down
unobserved nor fire from liis back ; and so she escaped.

We continued along little watercourses, and trying
the brushwood on the hills, till Boucharville got a shot
at a black-tailed buck, but missed him, as I did also a
doe. After a good deal of hard work, we shot a black-
tailed doe each : the meat was not very good, so we did
not burden the horses with it, but brought the skins to
camp. On the morrow I occupied myself in dressing
them, ■inth Boucharville's assistance, and the following
day finished and smoked them, and began to cut out.
The celebrated Rout, of Portsmouth, who was once
known to affirm that he passed sleepless nights over the
cutting out of trousers, could not have taken greater
pains than I did with mine ; still I wasted the cabbage
to such an extent, that before the completion of my
work; I had to sacrifice another deer at the shrine of the
Sartorian god.

In this life, I believe, it is impossible to realize half
our wishes and expectations ; one cause of disappoint-
ment always remained to render incomplete the enjoy-
ment of the splendid sport I revelled in every day. If I
wished to shoot from horseback, a ride of a few miles
afforded me most splendid runs ; if I wished to hunt
wapiti, the points on the river contained them in just
sufficient abundance to afford that amount of toil and

GOOD HUNTING COUNTRY. 16^

labour without which nothing that is obtained is duly
appreciated : of deer I had a considerable number :
black-tailed deer I could always obtain by going a few
miles' distance to look for them ; the grosse-cornes I
could sometimes see swinging, as it were, and balancing
themselves on tops of the cliffs as I sat in my own
camp ; antelopes, too, were constantly to be seen, and
many a prowling wolf I nailed by disposing offal in
places easily approachable ; or, should I feel lazy, and
merely inclined to practise my rifle-shooting, in order, as
they say in Ireland, ^^to keep my hand in,'"' I could
always find lots of pheasants and one or two rabbits.
Notwithstanding all this, one species of sport yet lacked
me — I could find no grisly bear. I hunted long and
carefully for them ; but, strange to say, the whole time
I was on the Yellow Stone, I did not meet with a single
one. I had, it is true, fallen in with their tracks, which
were quite unmistakable, and these, too, frequently quite
fresh ; and had often ridden or walked tracking them for
long distances, but always to some watercourse where I
lost the foot-prints among the shingles, or on some
substance too hard for me to trace them any further.

The camp was now full of meat, and my men had
occupied all their leisure hours, and most of the time
while I was hunting and tailoring, in preserving it.
The season was now late in May, and I determined to
return down the Yellow Stone to Fort Union, there to
take up the skiff that we had buried at the mouth of
the river, and to rovr down from thence to the Minitaree
Fort — about two hundred and eighty miles down the
Missouri ; my grand object being, if possible, to make
another hunting-trip, and try my fortunes in grisly-
bear hunting before the return of the American Fur
Company's steamer in July.

While I lay in camp one morning, turning this scheme-
over in my mind, Boucharville came running in to me,

170 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

and said, quietly, " Ma foi, monsieur, voila les Peaux
Eouges ! '' I immediately jumped up and discovered
some Indians on the opposite side of the river. Our
horses were not far off, and both they and Perey, who
was with them, were hidden from the Indians by the
willows of the point on our side. The latter were
evidently not endeavouring to conceal themselves, but
were running to and fro on foot and on horseback.
They were so far off, Boucharville could not distinguish
whether there were any women amongst them or not —
a point I was most anxious to determine, as that would
have satisfied us as to whether it was a war-party or
not. I felt, however, tolerably convinced that they were
Crows, and in all probability the party for the spring
trade at Fort Union. They might possibly have been
Blackfeet, and consequently a war-party ; in Avhich case
we should have had a fight for it, had they seen us. At
this moment Boucharville and I were immensely amused
by Paquenode, one of my men, rushing into camp, in a
state of extreme terror, with his eyes starting out of his
head : first he begged a horse In order to gallop away
and escape ; then he implored for the bull-skin boat
to try and get off down the river. The more we laughed
at him, the more he stamped and cried, until at last the
scene became so ludicrous, that I thought Boucharville
• — who was in general the gravest, quietest fellow in the
world — would have died of laughter. Perey then came
in and could not help laughing too ; he had caught sight
of the Indians on their first appearance, and had cleverly
taken all the horses and fastened them in the willows,
and had afterwards gone out through the point on foot
and reconnoitred. He pronounced them to be Crows,
but he was furious with Paquenode, who, in his terror,
had actually seized on Mackenzie's splendid thorough-
bred horse, and, but for Percy's violent interference,
would have been at that very moment galloping over the

CROW INDIANS. 171

prairie. However, although the probabilities were
strongly in favour of their being Indians of a friendly
tribe, I determined, if possible, to remain concealed, in
the hope that they would pass us by unobserved ; as they
were most likely young reckless savages, very anxious to
distinguish themselves by making a "coup,'' and who
by hanging about our trail to steal the horses, might
give me some trouble. My plan gucceeded perfectfy ;
and notwithstanding the Argus eyes of so many Indians,
we escaped unperceived, which I was glad enough of ;
for, although some Indians individually may be very
tractable, yet collectively they are a great bore, and the
constant begging to which they subject one is anything
but agi'eeable.

Boucharville and I went out after the bulls as soon
las they were well away, in order to get materials for a
isecond boat. We killed one each, very large, old
specimens, and set to work at once at our new canoe,
which we completed late the following evening. Next
morning I despatched Percy and Paquenode with the
|four horses back to Fort Union, across the prairie, a
Idistance of not more than ninety miles, as the crow flies.
jThis journey I rightly calculated they would perform in
Ithree days without knocking up the horses, which, by
this time, had had abundance of rest, fine pasture, and
ifair play. We gave them plenty of meat for the
jjourney, a kettle to boil it in, and in fact everything
ithey required. Boucharville and I determined to
descend quietly by water ; and although this was by far
the longest way, being nearly three times as long as the
land route, yet the rapidity with which the Yellow Stone
iflows, almost made up for the difference.
! The first thing we had to do was to find driftwood
[suitable for making us each a light paddle. In this we
jsoon succeeded, and having packed the two boats, we
placed ourselves, one in the bow and the other in the

172 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

Stern of the foremost boat, having the second lashed en
and towing in our wake, and commenced our descent of
this noble river. The scenery on the Yellow Stone
differs slightly in it^ general character from that of the
Missouri, the points being shorter, the river more rapid,
and consequently more sinuous. Sometimes tall cliffs
overhung the stream where the points terminated,
presenting a fine appearance as their dark forms frowned
overhead, while up their summits could be discovered
the grosse-cornes bounding from crag to cra^g ; sometimes
we passed a noble wood just then in its richest green,
and crowded with vegetation in all stages of progress
and decomposition. Frequently did I stop my paddle
to admire the magnificent landscapes presented to my
view ; the foregrounds of them formed by tremendous
trees torn down along with large portions of the earth
which had previously borne them, at those spots w^here
the violence of the stream had undermined the banlvS.
The trees were all different from our European ones,
but bearing in their foliage the character of ash, oak,
alder, and birch ; besides those less known to us, as
cocoa and rhododendrons, which were now beginning to
Wow, and presented a beautiful appearance. Willows
were, as usual, in abundance, pushing in advance of the
timber like the tirailleurs and skirmishers thrown out
in the van of an advancing army ; at the end of the
point they commenced like osiers thickly crowded, the
switches increasing in size until they become timber,
and sufficiently large to contend for air and light with
the other forest trees. A strong stunted growth of rose-
bushes was always to be seen as an under-cover ; and as
we passed along, we could spy at a distance deer cara-
colling about, and splendid elk stupidly roving through
the woods with their noses poked straight out, and now
seeming to bewail the loss of their fallen antlers. The
work of paddling was so very light, that we contin\ied

SUKPKISE A GROW CAMP. .173

on till late in the evening ; the moon, although not in
the full, sufficiently revealing the snags to prevent our
falling foul of them. As we were tlms rapidly stealing
down the river, I heard voices talking, and called
Boncharville's attention to it : but his hearins; not beincr
so quick as mine, he did not perceive any sound for
some time, until at last he exclaimed, " Tenez, monsieur,
nous dcvons prendre garde ; " so v/e allowed ourselves
tx) be carried dov;n for a minute or two whichever way
the water listed. "We presently made them out to be
the voices of Indians ; but I soon quieted Boucharville's
apprehensions, as I could distinguish those of women
amongst them — a proof that it was no war-party ; upon
which we determined to pay the speakers a visit.
We accordingly kept well in the centre of the stream,
and were not long before we saw their fire upon the
bank. We passed beyond the spot for upwards of a
quarter of a mile, and fastening our boats, walked back
along the beach to their encampment. Guided by the
glare of the fire, we were soon close to them, and could
unperceived survey the whole party, which consisted of
two old men, one old woman, and six young ones of
between fifteen and twenty years of age : four boys of
about thirteen or fourteen completed the circle. Their
horses were close into cimp , and we saw at a glance
that they were a part of the trading-party on their way
to Fort Union, as the heavy packs of bufialo-robes
?Fhich the horses had that day borne were piled around
the encampment. We remained for some time contem-
plating the scene : they had chosen a most picturesque
position at the conjunction of a little river tributary to
the Yellow Stone ; three large green oaks headed the
camp, at the foot of which a kind of awning of elk-skin
was stretched over the old men's heads, a bright fue
was burning at their feet, and both the women and
boys were sittiDg around or bustling about cooldDg.

174 RAMBLES ANI7 ADVKNTURES.

*' AUons, Boucharville/' said I, and we walked boldly
in. Had a shell burst among them, they could not
have been more terrified ; the girls and boys ran away
screaming ; one of the old men seized a gun, another
Lis bo\Y and arrows. However, we soon re-assured
them, and on a further examination, one of the old men
recognised an acquaintance in Boucharvilie, who having
once been hunter at the Crow post, was known to all
the principal men of that tribe; so that in a few minutes
we were seated round the fire with them. Of course I
could not understand a word of the conversation ; but
Boucharvilie spoke fluently, and Indians are so wonder-
fully intelligent and quick at comprehending signs, that
you can, by their help, make them understand almost
anything. I soon saw that they were short of meat,
so Itold Boucharvilie to slip out quietly (taking care
that none of them followed him), and bring them some
from the boats. I made use of this latter precaution,
fearing that some of the boys might steal our things,
and was by no means inclined to trust them too far.
Boucharvilie soon returned with the meat, which was
very welcome, and we all supped together.

As soon as supper was over we returned to our boats,
notwithstanding their anxiety that we should spend the
night with them. Arrived, we lighted a driftwood fire,
for it was very cold, made ourselves some coffee, and
turned in for the night.

Next morning we rose very early and got under
way : about noon, however, it came on to blow so
hard that we were obliged to put in to the bank of
the river. At sunset, when the wind went down, we
voyaged on for two or three hours ; and the following
evening, after a long day's paddling, reached the mouth
of the Yellow Stone. My horses had just arrived
with Paquenode and Perey. All the Crow Indians
came in, including the party we had met on our descent.

DESCEND THE MISSOURI. 175

They were deliglited to see us, and ornamented my
elk-skin hunting-shirt on the breast, and along the
sleeves, with a most brilliant porcupine-work edged
with blue glass beads in return for the meat I had
given them.

CHAPTER X.

Dispose of the meat, — Descend tlie Missouri. — A War-party. — They
decline the attack. — Obtain two more followers, — Kill a young
Bear. — The grisly Bear, — A breakfast of Marrow.— Nearly kill
two Eagles with a ball. — Chase and capture two Bison Calves. —
Eeturn to Minitaree Village. — Scaffoldings for the Dead. — Indian
Games. — Death of Mr. Chardon.

I PAID a short visit at Fort Union, where I disposed of
my meat, and received my supplies of powder, lead,
coffee, and sugar ; after which we again assembled in
the camp we had occupied previous to our departure
from the Missouri to hunt up the Yellow Stone.
Although I was visited in my camp by several Crow
Indians, I was fortunate enough not to lose anything,
which was possibly owing to the sharp look-out we kept.
At last they all came and camped round me, and I
found on inquiry that they intended going down to the
Minitarees on a visit, for the Crows and Grosventres
have always been on friendly terms, and I believe were
originally the same tribe. I thought this, therefore, a
Vv;ry good opportunity to send my horses back to Fort
Berthold, and descend the Missouri in my skiff. Ac-
cordingly I sent off Feekay with the four horses to
accompany the Crows on their land journey, while
Boucharville, Paquenode, and I, proceeded to disinter
the skiff which we had buried at the mouth of the
Yellow Stone, and in less than two hours were floating

176 BAMBLES AND ADVEl^TUEES.

once more along the broad waters of the Missouri. We
pulled and steered alternately, relieving each other of
the hard work at intervals. The boat was a heavy one
for three oars ; but the stream was rapid, and we
descended at the rate of more than five miles an hour:
for two days, camping at night on the river's bank.
Ishmah accompanied us ; his place being in the bow of
the boat, where he used to rush with the greatest delight
and lie down, keeping his head out of the way of being
punched by the fists and oar-handles of the rowers.

On the morning of the third day I was attracted, by
some very tempting rocky-looking cliffs overhanging the
left bank of the river, to try and get a shot at some
grosse-cornes. We put ashore, but as there was no
timber near the spot, we had all to go to some little dis-
tance before we came to a suitable place for our camp.

There we tied up the boat to the roots of a drifted
tree, and having an-anged a rendezvous, Paquenode set
about making a camp-fire, vfhile Boucharville and I
started off sheep-hunting. We were not long before we
came in sight of some, on the broken country at the
back of the cliffs, and were creeping cautiously round to
get to leeward of them, when Boucharville suddenly
stopped, and bidding me lie down, put his hand up to
shade his eyes, and stooping at the same time as low as
possible, pointed out to me some objects at a distance,
and but partly visible, on account of an intervening
slope. It was with the greatest difficulty I could see
them, and it was only after a long look that I became
satisfied they were a band of elk. We continued our
course for a little while, when Boucharville exclaimed
with great earnestness, " Tenez, monsieur, 9a que nous
avons vu a cette heure, ce n'est pas la biche, j'en suis sur ;
je pense bien qu'ils sent les Peaux Eouges I" I quite
laughed at the idea, but Boucharville was positive now.
"** Nous Ycrrons,'' said he, ^'wagh!''' and so strongly

WAE-PARTY DECLINES ATTACKING. 177

dill he snspecfc the existence of danger, that I agreed t<j
go back with him to Paquenode. We had hardh/roached
the camp, and -^vere detailing the suspicious appearances
we had seen, when suddenly a large war-party of naked
painted savages seemed to spring out of the eartli and
make towards us. Paquenode's terror was at its height
in an instant, but fortunately, though shaking all over,
and his teeth chattering like castanets, he was too
frightened to run. Boucharville and I at once agreed
that our only chance of safety was to stick to the timber,
where, if things came to the worst, we could make a
retiring fight of it ; and in this determination we were
much re-assured by our acquaintance with Indian
courage and warfare, knowing that, however eager they
may be in the pursuit of scalps and horses, they are
always most careful to avoid any loss on their own side ;
whereas, from our advantageous position in the timber,
any attack upon us must have cost them several lives.
So each taking his post behind a tree, with a couple of
bullets in his mouth, we awaited a further advance.
After a good deal of seeming hesitation, the Indians
appeared to have come to the unanimous decision of
leaving us alone, and drew off ; so, skirting the timber
to the point where our boat was moored, we reached iV
unobserved by the enemy, and were soon running down
stream.. Fortunately the rascals had never seen our
boat, or they would have been certain to have cut off
our retreat ; and so, altogether, our escape was a lucky
one.

As we were on our way, Boucharville exclaimed,
alluding to our companion, '' N'est-ce pas une chose
terrible quand un homme a peur comme ca ! '' but it
was constitutional with him. Boucharville related to
me a characteristic anecdote of him, while we were cook-
ing our supper. " Souviens-tu, Paquenode, lorsque ies
Sioux sont venus en guerre centre Ies Grosventres la-bas

178 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES,

au Fort de Monsieur Chardonr' {i.e. the Minitaree
Fort). "Ah! laisse-moi done tranquille !'' rephed
poor Paquenode, who felt that he was being roasted as
well as the supper. I insisted, however, on knowing
the whole story ; whereupon Boucharville, in spite of
Paquenode's numerous interruptions, informed me, that
on the occasion alluded to, the Sioux had come in a
war-paKy against the Minitarees and an excellent battle
was fought,— a much better one than usually takes place
between hostile Indians,— in which the Minitarees were
Yictorions. When the period of rejoicing arrived, which
invariably succeeds an Indian victory, Paquenode, whom
nobody had noticed during the tumult of the engage*
ment, was to be seen in the midst of the revellers, the
gayest of the gay and the bravest of the brave, recount*
Tno; his mighty deeds of the morning in true Indian
Style. It was observed as rather strauge, however, that
a good deal of dried mud was sticking about the collar
and shoulders of his blue capote. Now the weather it
seems had been wet, and it so happened that a pit had
been recently dug, in which to stow some of the Mini-
taree corn ; and into this pit footprints led : these, it
was quite clear, did not in the least resemble Paque-
node's ; no, not at all ! The interruptions to Bouchar-
ville's story here became so frequent and vehement, that
the rest must be left to the reader's imagination, as it
was to mine.

As we were proceeding down the river the following
day, we observed two white trappers on the bank. We
immediately put in to accost them, when, to our utter
amazement, they both ran away, leaving their bull-skin
boat, some good meat, divers excellent peltries, and a
beaver-skin or two, in our hands. Boucharville, how-
ever, followed them, and succeeded in persuading one of
them to come back. He told us that his name was
Dauphin ; that he had been in the employ of the Fur

OBTAIN TWO MORE FOLLOWERS. 179

Company ; bg,d run into debt for traps and outfit ;
gambled array everything ; and when he saw us, was
under tlie impression that my boat had been despatched
in pursuit of him from some of the company's posts.
He was much comforted on learning who I was, as he
said he was out of powder, and had no lead ; that the
only weapons he and his comrade possessed were a very
bad rifle, which leaked in the pan, and but seldom went
off, and a pistol that stuck at half-cock ; and that they
were then actually employed in making bows and arrows :
he added, that they would gladly come with me, if I
would accept their services : and on my assenting,
started off to find his companion, congratulating himself
on his good luck in having fallen in with me. I there-
fore chose a convenient place for camping ; and after an
hour or so, the fugitive, Gardepee by name, was ushered
into my presence. We now mustered a party of five,
which promised to render the management of our skiff
a much less laborious affair. Cheered by the comfort-
able prospect now- before them, these youngsters re-
counted their adventures, and, indeed, seemed to have
got on very well, until their fire-arms had become almost
unserviceable, and their ammunition nearly exhausted.
On the morrow^ we found two good pieces of driftwood,
calculated to make a couple more oars, which we were
not long in completing ; and then, with Ishmah in tho
bow, and Paquenode steering, we went along in capital
style.

Next day was so windy, that we could not continue
our descent ; so I went out to look for black-tailed deer,
in little thickets of brushwood, on the old red sandstone
hills about the mouth of Knife Eiver. I shot a fine
buck, and was busy skinning it, when I heard, " Mon-
sieur, venez ici i" loudly shouted. I looked up, and
just saw the figure of Dauphin vanish over the brow of
a hill. Of course, I followed with my loaded rifle, and,

n2

180 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

on reaching the summit, beheld a bear standing on his
hind-legs, and staring about him in every direction,
while Dauphin, concealed from his view by a rock, was
industriously snapping his pistol at him. On seeing
me, the brute shuffled off at a great pace ; but when I
came ap with Dauphin, the latter, imitating the croak-
ing of a buffalo-calf, brought him back again a_ little
way, so that I got a shot at him, and hit him in the
flank, though, blown as I was by my ascent, I could
hardly hold my breath to take aim. The bear clawed
at the spot where the ball struck him, and charged up
to within twenty paces of us, while I was reloading ;
whereupon Dauphin snapped his pistol again at him
without effect. Fortunately for us, Bruin was only a
two-year- old, and afraid to rush in, though large enough
to have smashed both of us, defenceless as we were at
the moment, and, before I could get on my percussion-,
cap, bolted over the brow of the hill. I was still so
thoroughly blown from my run over the rocky ground,
that I gave up my heavy rifle to Dauphin, who threw
down the useless pistol, and started in chase, I following
him. He soon got a shot at the bear, who turned round,
clawed at the wound, gave a savage growl, and ran into
one of those little clumps which always mark a water-
course in the hilly country. I took the rifle again,
loaded, and pursued the enemy right into the clump, in
spite of the remonstrances of Dauphin, and, getting a
sight of him first, gave him a finishing shot between eye
and ear. Although he was but a young bear, only in
his third year, it was with great difficulty that we could
drag him out ; he measured five feet four inches from
the rump to the muzzle, and his claws were three inches
and three-quarters long. Had he been fully grown^ and
possessed of that amount of courage and ferocity with
which the old grisly bears, both male and female, are
endowed, it would certainly have fared badly with us

THE GRISLY BEAR. 18i

that day. However, we skinned our prize with great
satisfaction ; and I was exceedingly pleased with the
pluck and daring of my companion, who had been
twice charged by the bear, and whose pistol had twice
snapped.

The grisly bear is an animal very little known in this
country, the damp climate of which does not agree with
him. The celebrated Catlin brought over one or two
specimens ; but they met with the fate that almost
invariably attends pets — an untimely end. There are
now some young specimens of the grisly bear at the
Zoological Gardens of the Regent's Park ; but I fear
they do not promise well ; they are not attaining the
size to which their age entitles them. The grisly bear
is poetically and justly called monarch of the Kocky
Mountains — a name to which his size and ferocity fully
entitle him, as he roams over these vast solitudes fearless
of everything. The full-grown male measures eighi: feet
six inches from muzzle to stern, and about that size
round the body ; his feet are in shape something like
those of a negro, and are about eighteen inches in
length, armed with claws fully five inches long ; lii^
arms and legs are enormously powerful ; and as he
walks and trots, he moves the hind and fore foot
together on the same side, and rolls his head at every
step. In colour he varies a good deal, from a common
brown to a beautiful steel-grey. He differs materially
from the common brown bear in the size and shape of
the head, which is much larger, and also in the fore-
legs, which are not only much stouter, but covered with
very strong wiry black hair, while his claws are much
longer and stronger than those of the brown bear.
Naturalists are divided in their opinion as to whether
the grisly bear climbs trees or not ; but I am perfectly
convinced that he does not. Men have told me of
escapes they have had from them by ascending trees ;

182 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

and one trapper, named Joe Uno, told me tliat he once
had a mocassin torn off his foot, while in the act of
escaping up a tree, by the stroke of the ponderous paw
of a grisly bear, which, however, was unable to follow
him, and sat for a considerable time at the foot of the
tree, watching for him to come down.

The evening was very wet and windy, and next
morning I awoke with a terrible toothache. I felt as if
all my teeth were too long ; and eating my breakfast
was attended with such pain, that I was compelled to
relinquish the task (though I had a fine appetite), and
to solace myself with a pipe, while my companions were
discussing tough buffalo and venison. As I lay in view
of the river, I saw some dozen buffalo-bulls descend the
opposite bank, plunge into the stream, and commence
crossing the river. I ran down to the spot where I
knew they would land, having observed it the day
before, and reached it just in time to conceal myself as
the foremost bull ascended the bank. He passed close
to me, receiving, as he did so, a mortal wound ; he
pawed the ground, looked about him, saw nothing upon
which to vent his rage, lay down, and died, I knew
that, being the foremost bull, he was most likely the
one in .the best order ; so I drew my knife, and soon
possessed myself of the four marrow-bones ; then strip-
ping off some of his strong hide, I made a cord of it,
and loading myself with them, returned to camp pro-
vided with a breakfast more suitable to the state of my
teeth. I roasted the bones, and made a most delicious
meal of the rich soft marrow. It was so good, that
Boucharville and Dauphin, to whom I lent my rifle,
went after the rest, and in a couple of hours returned
laden with marrow-bones. I remained the rest of the
day in hopes of finding a bear, but was disappointed;
In the evening I went down, accompanied by Dauphin,
to the spot where I had shot the bull, in hopes of finding

NEARLY KILL TWO EAGLES WITH A BALL. 183

a wolf there ; but as we drew near it, a wary prowler,
that had been feasting himself, perceived our approach,
and sloped off before I could get within shot of him. I
observed a strange fluttering, however, at the carcass,
and, looking carefully to discover the cause, saw, to my
surprise,, two eagles fighting like Bantam cocks for the
possession of the carcass. At last, one of them flew up
and perched on a branch of the tree overshadowing the
fallen bull ; the other immediately pursued and renewed
the fight, striking fiercely with beak and claws at his
adversary, who appeared to me to be parrying with his
wings the strokes of his assailant's talons. I raised my
rifle, while about sixty yards from the combatants ; but
unfortunately, as I drew the trigger, the attacking
■eagle soared up a little, and thus escaped the bullet,
which, passing right through the breast of the other,
brought liim to the ground. Had I fired the fractional
part of a second sooner, I should have performed the
curious feat of killing two eagles at one shot with a
single ball !

The morrow was along, hard day for my men. They
had to make the whole of the Grand Detour, a distance
©f upwards of forty miles, while I took by myself a
short cut across the prairie, agreeing to put up some
obvious mark on the bank of the river where I should
stop, and to provide supper for the party, as our meat
was nearly finished. We accordingly parted company ;
the men in the boat taking their circuitous route by
the river, and I my straight line across the prairie for
the opposite extremity of the bend, a distance of about
fifteen miles ; Ishmah, sorely against his will, remaining
in the boat. I reached the end of my journey long
before the others, chose a point for a convenient camp-
ing-place, and went out to hunt. I was fortunate
enough to kill a fine four-year-old buck as he was on
bis way to drink at the river, and by shooting him in

184 B AMBLES AND ADVENXURES.

Ms tracks, found I had no distance to drag him, as the
spot where he fell was not thirty yards from the river,
and in a straight path for bringing water iip and down
in the kettles. I therefore skinned him at once, and
fastening his hide to a stick projecting horizontally
from a tree overhanging the river, as a beacon to my
companions, I lit my fire, cut up the game, and sat
patiently awaiting their arrival They came before
sunset, and had no difficulty in observing the deer's
skin. As the sun sank in clouds of purple and gold,
betokening a windy morroAv, we lashed our boat well
up, took plenty of things ashore ; in short, unloaded
almost all the cargo, and made ourselves comfortable for
the night. Morning dawned, accompanied with a wind
that effectually prevented any progress that day ; so
Dauphin, Boucharville, and I took "a ramble to survey
the prairie beyond the timber where we were encamped,
leaving Paquenode and Gardepee to take care of the
camp and boats. As we emerged from the point, we
came in sight of a large herd of buffalo-cows lying
che^ving the cud on a fine grassy spot. Many of them
we perceived to be heavy in calf, while some were fat
and barren ; and I may here take this opportunity of
mentioning a conclusion at which I have arrived from
careful observation of these animals, which is, that they
only breed every second year ; for the cow remains
with the bull as early as the end of June, or beginning
of July, and does not calve until the end of May or
commencement of June following, from which I infer
that she carries her calf for at least ten or eleven
nionths, two months longer than the period of gestation
with our own cattle. On seeing the cows lying in that-
position, Dauphin and I crept round behind a rising
ground, and arranged that Boucharville should en-
deavour to get within shot of one of the barren cows ;
but before we separated, Dauphin, whose quick eye

CHAJ5E OF A BISON CALF. 185

\7as always on the alert, suddenly exclaimed, •• Tenez,
Boucliarville, vojez ! "' and, pointing to one of the leau^
distended cows, continued, '• cette vache va faire son
veau h cette heure : attendez un peu avant d'approcher !''
and hardly were the words out of his mouth, when she
leaped up and calved with one very slight effort. ' • Aliens,
Tattrapper ! '"' exclaimed I, and leaving Boucharville
staring after us in utter astonishment, we started in
pursuit of the little fellow. The cow, of course, went
off, [md at a tolerable pace, followed by the calf, at an
ristonishing rate for so young a beast. Dauphin wanted
to shoot the mother, in order not only to shorten the
race, but to increase our chance of rearing the calf, by
cutting off the cow's udder when dead^ but that, of
course, I would not allow, and ended the discussion by
knocking up the muzzle of the rifle which he was using
with the barrel of my gun. Then bidding him follow
my example, I threw down my gun to lighten myself,
calling on Boucharville to take care of the two : and
drawing our belts a hole tighter, we dashed off" again up
hill and down dale, till at last we stretched away right
Out along the prairie for five or six miles. By-and-by
the little calf began to show symptoms of failing, and
the cow, allowing her instinct of self-preservation to
overcome her maternal attachment, made the best of
her way off, and crossing some inequalities in the
ground, was lost to the sight of her offspring. The
Httie fellow then stopped : whereupon Dauphin, who
possessed a wonderful facility for imitating the calls of
animals, immediately began to gnmt like a buffalo-cow.
and to our great amusement the little beast turned
about, cocked up his tail, and came galloping back to
us. We then turned about, and to our great delight it
frisked round us all the way into the'camp. I was
meet anxious to get it to the fort as early as possible,
for I knew that if I could do so in time, I might by

186 BAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

chance he able to rear it on poimded Indian corn and
lukewarm water.

Very early next morning we repacked our boats, got
in our little calf, whom we dosed with strong broth for
want of more congenial nourishment, and took our
course down the river again, in hopes of reaching the
fort that night. We pulled very hard, not stopping to
eat at 12 o'clock ; but about that hour, and while in
the act of rounding a point, we came across a whole
band of buffalo in the act of crossing the river. We
could pull faster than they could swim, so, cutting our
sk'n-boats adrift, with a triumphant yell, we steered the
skiff right among the snorting throng, and singling out
a brave little calf that was swimming like a water-rat,
we gave chase. Young as he was — and he could not
have been more than a day or two old — he gave us a
great deal of trouble, turning and dodging with wonderful
quickness. At length, in endeavouring to swim against
stream, the little wretch was drifted back alongside thei
boat and captured ; so that we had now a pair of these
interesting animals on board. We pulled on in great
spirits till some time after sunset, but were unable, with
all our exertions, to reach the fort that night ; so we
camped and cooked, drenched our little calves with
strong broth, drank the last of our coffee, and after
talking over our adventures, turned in for the night.
I thanked my men very heartily, and gave them all
praise for the immense exertions they had used to aid
me in obtaining the calves and bringing them safely to
the fort, as I had the greatest anxiety to convey the
bison to Europe — an obje.ct which I am happy to say I
subsequently succeeded in effecting.

Next morning we got under way at daybreak. When
near the fort, I saw a splendid male antelope, with
the largest head of horns I ever saw. I unshipped my\
oar, drew up my rifle, and missed him, on which he verj

SCAFFOLDINGS FOE THE DEAD. 187

quietly walked on a pace or two. Boucharville then
handed me his rifle ; I fired, but unfortunately the
bullet striking just above the animal's eye, so shattered
the skull as to make it unfit for my collection. We
pulled into the fort in time for breakfast, welcomed by
poor Mr. Chardon, who was the bourgeois, or head
manager, of Fort Berthold. He had then been for a
long time ill with rheumatism, and on my return to the
fort I found him worse. He seemed quite to long for
any one to talk to him and enliven the weary hours
that he passed on his sofa hardly able to stir ; so I
occupied myself in making some shot, while I recounted
my adventures to him, or laid plans for future expedi-
tions. In the evening I generally joined the Indians,
and sat with the old men watching the women playing
at ball, or the young men at their different games. My
horses had arrived quite safely with Percy and the party
of Crow Indians ; so that on the whole my hunting
expedition had turned out most prosperously. The
weather had now become warm, and the place was
decidedly unhealthy, owing to the vile habit these
Indians have of not burying their dead. Instead of
doing so, they place them aloft on a framework of
sticks ; so that, around the camp, you see these scaffold-
ings in all directions, bearing bodies in every stage of
decomposition, and merely wrapped each in i-.n old
buffalo-robe. Near each is also hung his medicine, i. e.
any little thing that during his lifetime he may have
deemed a preservative against danger, or a charm against
sickness, or miraculous agent assisting him to find
buffalo, &c. : his pipe likewise, if he had one, is also
laid beside him, and a bow and arrows, which it is
supposed he will hereafter need when admitted to the
hunting-grounds of the blessed. A strange anomaly
seems, however, to prevail, and one inconsistent with
this great apparent respect for the dead ; namely, that

188 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

an Indian will not hesitate to appropriate any part of
the dead man's paraphernalia, provided he replaces it
by an article of the same kind, no matter hovf inferior
or how much previously injured ; for instance, if an
Indian has an arrow without feathers or headless, he
does not scruple to exchange it for the best arrow in the
deceased's quiver. When the skulls fell off, they used
to place them in circles, together with, I believe, some
of enemies which they may have taken as trophies — at
least, those of such as were slain near their village.
Their houses, unlike those of the Assineboines, are
built of wood cut in piles and plastered with mud, and
in outward shape resemble apple-dumplings ; so that,
when the boys race about the village, they run over the
tops of them with the utmost ease. I was much
amused one evening at witnessing a game of this
nature. One young fellow, of about eighteen, was
shaded along the ribs with white chalk in such a way
as with his red skin to look ludicrously like an antelope.
On his head they bound the horns of an old forcifer
male antelope dexterously attached to a piece of the
skin, the ends of which he tied under his chin, forming
altogether a most entertaining caricature of the animal.
He then stood on the top of one of the houses in the
centre of the village, and on a concerted signal the
pursuit commenced, the antelope being chased by
half a score of other youngsters, till he was at last out-
dodged by numbers and captured. Besides these, we
had horse-races, the Indians betting sometimes very
coolly, at other times with great excitement, and always
paying their bets of skins, blankets, sugar, tobacco, &c.,
with most praiseworthy honesty.

A day or two afterwards poor Mr. Chardon requested
me to write his will for him, which I did. He dictated
everything correctly and sensibly, and the day after
Bigning it, died surrounded by us all, detailing to us

DEATH OF ME, CHARDOIT. 189

•??ith his last breath how some years before he had gone
out after a buffixlo with another man, and while passing
throng'h some willows behind his companion, Iiis gun
had gone off, shooting the latter dead at his feet. Un-
fortunately, they were known to have quarrelled, and
were never on very good terms with one another, so that
some had unjustly accused him of having designedly
shot the unfortunate man ; but poor Mr. Chardon's
last words were, "As I am going before my God, it
was an accident." Poor fellow ! I felt very much cast
down at his death, and as I had ever since my arrival
at the fort suffered from dysentery, occasioned by the
smell of all the dead bodies about the village, I went to
Boucharville's lodge, and sounded him as to his feelings
upon the subject of a second hunt. " Monsieur,'' he
replied, '' oii vous allez, moi, je suive! je partirai ce soir
si vous voulez." So we finally arranged to set off next
day, convey the horses across with my skiff, hunt up
the Little Missouri, and try the Turtle Mountains,
famous for grisly bear.

CHAPTEH XL

Another Hunting Expedition. — The Turtle Mountains. — Dangerous
Hunting Country. — My last Buffalo Hunt. — Sold by an Antelope.
— Attacked by and kill a grisly Bear. — Her cubs hows fight. —
Depart from the Turtle Mountains. — Attack a grisly Bear. —
More grisly Bears. — Mr. Denig's Adventure. — Bear smashing a
Buffalo. — Murray and his Mackinaw Boat5. — ^The Pipe of Peace.
— Shake hands with an old enemy. — An Indian Battle. — Canni-
balism.— Arrival of the Martha. — Death of poor Smith.

As on the former occasion, I laid in good store of powder,
lead, copper caps, awls, and coffee, to which I added a
large quart bottle of molasses as a substitute for sugar,
that article being rather scarce at the fort. With sad-

190 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

dies, bridles, &c., I was well provided, so that 1113
arrangements were quickly made ; my horses crossed
well, and I did not experience anything like the diffi-
culties attending my start from the Yellow Stone. ]
got well away on the opposite prairie ; and, once out oi
sight and smell of the fort, my spirits rose, my appetite
returned, and the dysentery departed. We camped late
in the evening beside a refreshing stream, which flowed
through a beautiful copse, and spread our beds among
the now fragrant rose-bushes." What a change from the
noxious atmosphere of the fort ! We sat long talking
of poor Mr. Chardon as we smoked our pipes and sipped
our coffee after supper, till one by one fatigue overcame
ns, and we slept soundly till dawn. Much refreshed, we
arose, stirred the embers of our fire, ate our breakfast,
brought in the horses, and were soon in the saddle and
en route. That day we shot a fat buffalo-cow, and
carried with us the hide and marrow-bones ; and two
nights afterwards camped within an hour or two's ride
of the Turtle Mountains, which we reached early on the
fourth day of our journey from Fort Berthold. Approach-
ing Turtle Range from the eastward, you pass over a
level grassy prairie, out of which, like an island from
the sea, rises "La Montague de Tortne " par e.Tcelle7ice.
A light band of vapour veiled the splendid landscape
from our eyes, revealing above and below its gauzed
drapery the hill-sides belted with wood, and intersected
with little threads of rivers, marked by rugged lines of
timber and scrub fruit-trees, the favourite resort of:
gTisly bears in the autumn ; at which season they con-
gregate, as I was told by Boucharville, in such numbers
as to prevent any one from hunting through them ex-
cept on horseback, and at great risk even then. To this
fact, however, I am unable to bear testimony, as I
arrived there only in the month of June, far to soon for
fruit.

DANGEROUS HUNTING COUNTRY. 191

As we ascended, the day grew \ery warm-; the sun
chased away the mist, and ridges and declivities in the
mountains^ hitherto unperceived, showed themselves
before us. We continued to ride up and down through
cedars, green oak, rhododendrons, and all kinds of wild
fruit-trees, till we reached a little river at a spot where
a party of Minitarees had camped the year before. They
had built a triangular lodge of long wooden poles, like
hop-poles, piling them in the shape of a cone, and so
closely as to render the hut bullet-proof — a necessary
precaution, as they could never venture there save in
fear of their lives, the position lying in the regular pass
of the Sioux when they go to war either with them or
the Crows. We took possession of the hut, not sorry to
feel ourselves in a bullet- proof shelter, in a place where,
I must admit, we ran some risk of being surprised by
an Indian war-party ; but I was so anxious to hunt the
grisly bear, that I could not endure the idea of leaving
the country without a closer acquaintance with the
monarch of these mountains. As a general rule, the more
dangerous the country the greater the probability of
finding abundance of game, showing in more ways than
one the truth of the old sportsman's adage, '^ the more
danger the more sport.'' This part of the country
is so evidently the line of direction between the three
hostile tribes, that none of them dare venture into it
for hunting purposes, except when driven to despera-
tion by hunger, they endeavour to snatch their game
from between the jaws of Scylla and Charybdis. Much,
therefore, as I enjoyed the locality for a hunting-camp,
seeing buifalo on all sides, elk feeding in the distance,
and fresh deer-tracks in every direction, leading to and
from the inviting streams that ran down the slopes,
Boucharville did not relish it at all, and began already
to calculate how soon we were to go away. Sly hunting
days I knew to be drawing to a close ; the steamer of

192 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

the American Fur Company would be clue very soon,
and I had not much time to spare. After breakfast I
saddled Owen's horse, and descended the hill for a run
at buffalo. I chose a band of cows, most of whom had
calved, and whose little ones scampered at their heels :
passing these easily, I detected one or two fat barren
ones in the van, and gave chase. Some bulls who had
caught sight of the running cows now began to run
also, and bulls and cows intermingled were soon pelting
along in a confused mass. I did not care to fire at
the former, and was pressing on after a fat cow I had
selected, when one of the bulls, a little blown by the
race, stood still for a moment, and as I doubled across
him after my cow, made a headlong rush at me ; I
could not pull in, and to turn was destruction ; I had
nothing for it but to lift my horse, and giving him a
tremendous cut with the whip, he sprang into the air,
and just cleared the bull when in the act of chargiDg.
I felt my horse's hind-legs carried aside as they caught
the brute's shoulder, or head, or neck, I can't say
which ; but we dashed on happily unhurt, and the next
instant I was passing the cow, when, standing up in the
stirrups, I gave her a shot that brought her rolling on
the plain. I now carefully examined Owen's horse,
and thanked my stars that we had escaped unscathed,
resolving in my own mind that it should be the very
last time I would ever run buffalo mounted on a friend's
horse. Mackenzie's horse was a magnificent animal,
and nearly thorough-bred, and although the gentlest
creature in the world, possessed the most indomitable
spirit, as a subsequent adventure will show. I brought
nway the hide, fleeces, the eight marrow-bones, and my
favourite piece, the brochet, so that we fared sumptu-
ously that day. Next morning I went out to hunt with
Boucharville. Pursuing a westerly direction on leaving
the camp, we made for a more rocky part of the range

/ s

.jW>t'^\H

SOLD BY AN ANTELOPE. 193

^hero tlie frowning overhanging cliffs gave a promise of
big-horn on our way. As we went, I got a long shot at
an antelope (for which 1 dismounted expressly), and the
animal instantly dropped ; whereupon I remounted, and,
not stopping to load, rode up to the spot, and found
him a fine old male with large full-grown horns.
Boncharville noAv came up congratulating me upon my
having got such a fine specimen for my collection, and
as I sat quietly upon my horse discussing the length of
the shot, he dismounted, and drew his knife fol* the
purpose of skinning the apparently lifeless animal, but
before doing so, began to sharpen it upon his steel,
■which hung at the belt of his hunting-frock, when, to
our amazement, the antelope, after one or two convulsive
struggles, jumped up and bounded off safe and sound,
turning about when a couple of hundred yards off, to
look back at us as if in ridicule, and again darting
away, bade us a final adieu. As soon as we recovered
from our surprise, we both burst out laughing. I dis-
mounted and loaded, and we went on to ^he cliffs close
by.^ We rode for some distance along the base, but
seeing no sheep, crossed the ridge, leading the horses
after us_ up the ascent, and over rocks" and places
over which the poor animals could hardly scramble,
accomplishing this with great difficulty. We had hardly
commenced our descent on the other side, when Bonchar-
ville s quick eye perceived under the cliffs, about 300
feet below, a doe elk feeding in a glade surrounded
with thickets of fruit-trees and rose-bushes. With his
usual deliberation, he drew out and stuck crosswise in
the ground his ramrod and loading-stick for a rest, and
a deliberate shot brought the elk down on her tracks.
The spot from which he had fired was so steep, that we
were obliged to turn back and take a more circuitous
<;ourse to reach her. Boncharville, Avho had not loaded,
went at that moment to a stream about thirty paces

0

194 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

from where tlie wapiti lay, saying, " Je vais laver ma
carabine ;" and I, leaving my horse to graze, having
taken off his bridle and nnrolled his halter, was busy,
knife in hand, removing the elk's skin, when Bouchar-
Yille who by this time had his rifle-barrel m the
stream, and was sponging away very diligently, suddenly
shouted, " Un ours ! un ours ! '' and at the same instant
a she o-risly bear emerged from a cherry-thicket, charging
rio'ht lit him. Boucharville, dropping his rifle-barrel,
spl-ano' back into a clump of rose-bushes, when the bear,
losino° sio-ht of him, stood on her hind-legs, and I then
saw slie had a cub of a good size with her. I at first
ran to assist my companion ; but seeing him safe and
the bear at fault, I rushed back to the horse to secure
him, fearing that, were he to smell the bear, he would
soon speed his way over the prairie, and be lost to me
for ever. Seeing me run, the bear instantly charged
after me ; and when, having reached the horse, and
rolled the halter a couple of times round my arm, i
turned about to face her, she rose on her hmd-legs. I
did not like, however, to venture so long a shot, as J.
had only a sinc^le-barrelled rifle in my hand, and paused
a moment ; when she altered her intention, turned
aside, and followed the direction taken by her cub. I
then caught a glimpse of her as she ran to the left, and
fired through the bushes, but only hit her far back m the
flank ; on which she immediately checked her onward
course ; and wheeling round and round, snapped at her
side, tearing at the wound with her teeth and daws,
and' fortunately for me, afforded me sufficient time to
enable me to load again ; my ball was hardly down,
when a shout from Boucharville warned me that the
fight was only commencing. " Gardez-vous, gardez-
vous, monsieur ; elle fonce encore,'' and on she furi-
ously rushed at me. I had barely time to put on my
copper cap, and as she rose on her hind-legs, I fired,

KILL A GRISLY BEAR. 195

and sent my bullet through her heart. She doubled up,
and rolled from the top to the bottom of the slope,
where she expired with a choking growl. Bouchar-
yille now joined me, but we did not venture to approach
the enemy until I had loaded, and we ascertained that
she was safe dead, by pelting sticks and stumps at the
carcass. All this time my noble horse stood as firm as
a rock ; had he reared or shied, I should have been in a
serious scrape.

I was greatly rejoiced at my good fortune. She
proved a fine old bear, measuring seven and a half feet
in length, with claws four and a half inches long. We
immediately set to and skinned her, preserving the
claws. I then brought up the horse, and laid the skin
upon his back ; he, strange to say, offering no resist-
ance, nor evincing the slightest fear or objection to carry
it — a most unusual thing, for horses in general are ter-
rified at the smell of a bear ; and I never saw one since
that would allow me to throw a bearskin across his
back.

Dauphin, on our reaching camp, and relating our
adventure, took a couple of coils of rope and his rifle,
and started off to try and catch one of the young bears.
I thought the prospect of his finding them so doubtful,
that I did not accompany him, and was afterwards very
sorry I did not ; for, after being some hours away, he
returned, having shot one little bear, and attacked the
other with a. view of capturing him alive. The little
b r te, however, fought so fiercely as to tear his clothes,
ai cut him with his sharp claws. Dauphin had fortu-
nrtdy provided himself with a good thick stick ; but,
no -withstanding this advantage, he was right glad to
r quish the fight, and leave it a drawn battle. At
0 time, he told me, his adversary had secured his leg,
a^ very nearly succeeded in dragging it to his mouth ;
in which event he would have hurt him severely, when

o2

196 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

a couple of hard blows on the nose made him let go his
hold, but only to renew his charge again and again, not-
withstanding repeated thwacks on the head from the
young hunter's stick. " Et, monsieur," continued
Dauphin, " enfin il est echappe, le s'cre petit enfant du
diable ! " The skin he had lorought home was a beau-
tiful one, as indeed are the skins of all young grisly
bears, whose fur is thick, of a tawny colour, with a
stripe of a darker hue along the back, and so long and
shaggy, that it shakes up and down as the animal
shuffles along. In the evening I took a ride with
Dauphin, more to enjoy the exquisite landscape than for
the purpose of hunting. Our course lay through cedars
and rhododendrons, and we found regular paths in all
directions made by elk and buffalo, who travel through
every wood. In the whole of this region here is not a
thicket or point that is not rendered easy to traverse
from this cause ; and it will be easily imagined that a
succession of these heavy animals following in each
other's wake would soon form a very convenient riding-
track. We returned about sunset with the skins of two
wapiti, now valuable as being in the red. As we sat
round our camp-fire at night, Boucharville remonstrated
much on the danger we ran by remaining in this
delightful spot, and pressed me so hard, that before
going to rest I reluctantly consented that we should
depart the following day, taking a northerly direction
until we should fall in with the Little Missouri, which
we would follow up and down to hunt for bear and big-
horn. Accordingly we started on the morrow, Dauphin
travelling on foot, as his horse was heavily laden with
the trophies of our hunt in the Montague de Tortue,
and before noon we arrived at some very rocky, shingly
hills, over and along which we rode with much diffi-
culty, having frequently to dismount and lead our
horses. Dauphin here descried a grisly bear lying down

ATTACK A GRISLY BEAR- 197

and sunning himself on a ledge of rock high up the side
of a hill, and, contrary to my directions, instead of wait-
ing for us, ran on -while Boucharville and I were loosen-
ing the halters of our horses so as to catch them again
more easily, and, under cover of the rocks, got within
forty yards of the hear unperceived. He took deliberate
aim, but missed him ; the bear instantly made off for a
thicket of brushwood, while I, not a little annoyed, ran
along the base of the cliffs to cut off his retreat ; but all
to no purpose ; the brute passed me at some distance,
giving me a snap-shot at him which did not take effect,
reached the timber, and the ground being too hard for
us to track him, finally got away unscathed. As may be
supposed, I was in no enviable humour ; Dauphin kept
out of my way, and I rode silently and sulkily forward.
At last my philosophy prescribed a whiff of the pipe,
which I drew out, struck a light, and my wrath soon
vanished in smoke.

On reaching the Little Missouri, the weather looked
gloomy and threatened rain, so Boucharville engaged to
build a very comfortable " cabane.'' This experienced
rover of mountains, woods, and prairies, was up to a
thousand little expedients to obviate difficulties and
alleviate inconveniences, and was doubly anxious to
render me comfortable, now that I had acceded to his
wishes, and abandoned my hunting elysium, the
" Montague de Tortue.'' Leaving Dauphin to assist
him and look after the horses, I went up the river with
my double-barrelled gun to look for ducks ; but they
were very wild, and I bagged none. At length I came
to the putrid carcass of a bull, and on the mud all
around saw the tracks of a large old bear, some of wliich
led from the cpa'rion along a dry watercourse, and looked
very fresh. I drew my shot charges, rammed down a
couple of bullets, and followed the tracks over an undu-
lating prairie, till at a distance I descried a very large

J 98 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

bear walking leisurely along. I approached as near as I
could without his perceiving me, and, lying down, tried
Dauphin's plan of imitating the lowing of a buffalo-calf.
On hearing the sounds, he rose up, displaying such
gigantic proportions as almost made my heart fail me ;
I croaked again, when, perceiving me, he came canter-
ing slowly up. I felt that I was in for it, and that
escape was impossible, even had I decHned the combat ;
so cocking both barrels of my Trulock, I remained
kneeling until he approached very near, when I suddenly
stood up, upon which the bear, with an indolent roarino-
grunt, raised himself once more upon his hind-legs, and
just at the moment w^hen he was balancing himself pre-
viously to springing on me, I fired, aiming close under
his chin : the ball passing through his throat, broke the
vertebrae of the neck, and down he tumbled, floundering
like a great fish out of water, till at length he reluct^
antly expired. I drew a long breath as I uncocked my
left barrel, feeling right glad at the successful issue of
the combat. I walked round and round my huge prize,
surveying his proportions with great delight ; but as it
came on to rain, I was obliged to lose no time in skin-
ning him. I got soaked through before I succeeded in
removing his tremendous hide, and then found it too
heavy for me to take away ; so I was obliged to return to
camp without the trophy of my conquest. It was dark
when I arrived. Boucharville and Dauphin had built a
most comfortable little hut of logs and bark, and having
laid down the skins and spread our beds inside, with the
saddles at our heads for pillows, and a good roaring fire
outside at our feet, we fell heartily to our supper of elk-
meat and cofiee.

At daybreak next morning I repaired on horseback
to the scene of my conflict with the bear, and found, to
my great delight, on my arrival at the spot, that neither
the skin nor the carcass of the bear had been touched

MORE GRISLY BEARS. 199

by tlie wolves. This fact confirmed to me the testimony
of the hunters and trappers of these parts, as to the great
awe in which the grisly bear is held by the wolves and
lesser animals of prey. If a bear kills an animal, or finds
a dead carcass on the prairie, he appropriates it ; and
though many a hungry prowler passing by may look wist-
fully at the choice morsel, it is like the eastern monarch's
share, "taboo;*' and even when the mountain monarch
is absent, the print of his paw is a seal sufficient for its
security. It cost me considerable exertion to place the
reeking hide on my saddle ; but I succeeded at last,
and climbing on the top of it, lighted my pipe and
rode back into camp. Riding along, towards noon we
descried another bear, a lean, hungry-looking monster,
prowling about searching for pommes blanches, and, to
judge from his appearance, likely to afford us a pretty
severe fight. In approaching him, we did not take any
precaution to avoid giving him our wind, concluding,
from my former experience, that he would not decline
the combat ; but in this instanos I was mistaken, for
rushing away down a ravine, he was soon lost to our
view. This result, although it disappointed me at the
time, yet gave me a further insight into the disposition
and habits of the animal, and agreed with the accounts
I had heard from many hunters and trappers with whom
I had previously conversed on the subject ; namely, that
a grisly bear will, in most instances, run away from a
man on getting his wind, unless previously wounded, or
under such circumstances as to make him think that
he cannot escape. Old Mr. Kipp, of Fort Union, told
me that once, when on one of his numerous journeys
from the States, he was in the Indian country, and had
gone out of camp with his double-barrelled gun to
look for ducks ; he was seen from a distance by a grisly
bear, who came cantering towards him. The day was
fine, and the old gentleman did not know which way the

200 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

wind blew, but had sufficient presence of mind to pluck
oif some of the woolly material of which his blue blanket
capote was composed, and throw it into the air ; and
marking the direction of the current, ran a little distance
round, till he got full in the line of it, and then stood
bolt upright facing Bruin, who rose on his hind-legs for
a moment surveying the tough old man, and then
shuffled off, shaking his head as if he considered him
meat rather too savoury for his palate.

The whole of that portion of territory between
the Turtle Mountains and the Little Missouri is an
excellent country for bear ; indeed, in the fruit season
there are sometimes too many to be consistent with
safety for the hunters. The pursuit of these animals i&
always more or less attended with danger, as the fright-
ful story of George Glass and La Jennesse, who, with
many other hunters and trappers, have fallen victims to
the ferocity of the grisly bear, abundantly testifies.
Indians will not attack them unless in considerable
numbers. When an Indian descries a bear, he im-
mediately goes and proclaims it in the camp, whereupon
all hands sally out to attack their formidable enemy ;
and I do not think that an Indian would allow one to
fire at a grisly bear if he could possibly prevent it ; in
confirmation of which, I may here mention an anecdote
of my friend Mr. Denig. He was out hunting on foot
with an Indian one fine sunny day towards the end of
spring, when, as they passed some rocky ground, his
companion directed his attention to an object about
fifty or sixty yards below them, which was nothing less
than the head and fore-paws of a very large grisly^ bear
which had crept to the front of his wintering'' hole, and
was basking in the sun. "Hah,'' said the Indian,
"now I will go and raise the camp.'' Mr. Denig, who
was a first-rate rifle-shot, scouted the idea, telling the
Indian that he would plant his rifle-bullet right in the

Mn. denig's ADVENTUHE. 201

centre of the bear's forehead (^vhich I have not the least
doubt he would have done, and so have killed the animal
on the spot), but to his astonishment the Indian cocked
his gun in a threatening attitude. My friend thus find-^
ing himself between two enemies, one in front and the
other in the rear, did not much relish his position, and
moved away from the spot, beckoning to the Indian to
follow him ; and when away from their common danger,
called him to account for his conduct. I forget what
excuse the man gave ; but it was not at all satisfactory
to Denig, who made the fellow walk home before him
mth the pan of his gun open, prudently adopting that
course in preference to a harsher mode of proceeding.
The sequel of the adventm*e was, that the man informed
the camp of the position of the bear ; they all turned
out, fired a number of shots, and the bear got away.

We now altered our line of march, and took the
direction in which the last bear had gone, and after a
couple of hours or so, observed either him or another of
his species a short distance ahead. We approached
more carefully this, time and on foot, and when within
easy range, Dauphin called him up with his admirable
imitation of a buffalo-calf, and we poured the contents
of two rifles and a double-barrelled gun into his breast
and head, and rolled him lifeless on the prairie. This
was not the one we had seen in the morning, being in
much better condition. We brought home his skin for
a trophy, and the paws for supper, camping again that
night on the Little Missouri. We had now such con-
fidence in one another that we considered no bear could
escape us ; but our skins had so greatly accumulated
that we determined to reach the mouth of the river
as soon as possible ; this we did in two days, and
once more found oui'selves, by Boucharville's excellent
guidance, on the banks of the Great Missouri.

In camp that night, after supper, and enjoying a cup

202 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

of coffee and a pipe, the conversation naturally enouo-h
turned upon grisly bears. Boucharville told us, that
when encamped one night by the side of a stream in the
Blackfoot country, where he was trapping beaver, three
bears, attracted by the smell of their meat which was
cooking, came charging into camp, driving him and his
companions out in such haste, that they could take
nothing with them, and there retained forcible posses-
sion until they had consumed every particle of meat,
and turned over the saddles and every item of their
equipment in their greedy curiosity. On another occa-
sion he was going round to examine his traps, and was
watching a band of buffalo as they emerged from the
river and slowly ascended the bank, when he saw a
bear (previously concealed in a deep rut) spring up and
dash the foremost bull to the ground, ploughing his
sides with his monstrous claws and rending his heart
and vitals by a succession of tremendous blows. Al-
though, in general, the bear easily vanquishes his less
formidable opponent the buffalo, I heard a very well
authenticated instance related by old Provost at the
Minitaree, in which both parties suffered so severely as
mutually to resign the conflict, move off a little way in
opposite directions, and lie down and die.

Next day, on stretching and counting my skins, I
determined to make another bull-skin boat to convey
them down the river to Fort Berthold, and despatched
Boucharville and Dauphin to kill a couple of bulls for
that purpose. We divided our time between hunting
and boat-building, and while at breakfast next morning
were astonished by the unusual sight on these silent
lonely waters, of two large Mackinaw boats belonging
to the Fur Company. I hailed them, and found that
they had come from the Crow post on the Yellow Stone.
Mr. Murray, of Fort Alexander, my old travelling
companion of the year before in our ride from Independ-

THE PIPE OF PEACE. ZOo

ence, was in charge of them ; he put ashore on recog-
nising me, and we discussed past times over a cup of
coffee and a pipe, after which he continued his voyage.
A Mackinaw boat is the convej-ance for most of the
skins and furs traded from the Indians, in exchange for
those articles brought up by the company's steamer.
They are, as well as I remember (for I did not examine
them accurately), about twenty feet long and flat-bot-
tomed, principally filled with buffalo-robes, with a very
small vacant space left in the middle for the accommo-
dation of any bourgeois or person in charge. The whole
is covered over with lodge-skin, except where the benches
for the rowers are situated, fore and aft. I believe the
oars are always double-banked, and the steersman, or
patron, is commander of tlie boat's crew ; he is gene-
rally the strongest man of the party, of which he con-
stitutes himself officer, volunteering to fight any one
who offers to supersede him.

At the mouth of the Little Missouri I shot my fifth
and last grisly bear. The time was now rapidly ap-
proaching for the arrival of the annual steamer at the
Minitaree post ; so one fine morning early in July, I
packed my kettles, skins, arms, fee, into my skin boat,
and Boucharville and I, each with a paddle in hand-,
stepped in and floated down the river to the fort, leaving
the horses to go by land. All reached our destination
in the evening. We recrossed the horses with our Fort
Union skiff that had already done me such signal service,
and, welcomed by my friend, Mr. Dawson, I quietly
ensconced myself in the fort to await the arrival of the
American Fur Company's steamer. I found all the
inmates preparing for a great Indian ceremony which
was about to take place, in consequence of the Sioux
having sent a message to the Minitarees, that it was
their desire to form a deputation of warriors who should
come up and smoke a pipe of peace. The notice having

20.4 KAMBLES AND ADVENTUKES.

reached the fort some days previously, the party at length
arrived. All sat arrayed in their greatest finery of
robes, Indian porcupine-adorned shirts, head-dresses of
eagles' feathers, ornamented leggings and mocassins,
and with a. great array of medicine-pipes. Several
long speeches were made on both sides, after which a
large caldron of coffee was produced and placed in the
centre of the circle. It was interesting to see these
fellows, hitherto always at war with each other, prac-
tising, on this occasion, ceremonies meant to produce an
impression of the utmost mutual amity, though indi-
cating to an observant spectator little more than a
hollow truce ; a haughty look, or a reserved gesture,
every now and then conveying the offensive sense of an
implied superiority. I was not a little surprised at
being recognised by one of these hostile chiefs, who
held out his hand in a most cordial manner to me, and
on my asking him, with the interpreter's assistance,
where he had seen me, informed me that he was the
leader of the war-party which had nearly surprised ug
when we left the skiff on the Missouri to hunt big-horn,
and from which I protected myself and my followers by
a timely retreat into the timber. I asked him why he
did not attack us ; to which he replied, " We could
have killed you all ; but you would have killed several
of us while running from us behind the trees ; for white
men shoot far.'' I sat and smoked with him for a while,
and afterwards made him a present of some tobacco, so
that we parted excellent friends.

Early one morning after this, when breakfasting at
the fort, one of my followers, the valiant Paquenode,
with whom my readers are already acquainted, ran in
screaming and shouting like a maniac, rushed across
the room, and would have succeeded in carrying off my
double-barrelled Trulock, had I not darted to the rescue.
As soon as I had succeeded in inducing the man to

AN INDIAN BATTLE. 205

Bpeak coherently, I learnt that a war- party of Sioux
from the Teton River had been seen and reported to the
village : they were then some miles distant. Not
wishing to have anything to do with Indian battles, I
prudently excused myself from the honour of joining
the Minitarees, and going out with them to fight the
Teton Sioux, preferring to post myself on the highest
point of the fort with an excellent telescope, and view
the combat in safety. Far away along the plain, at a
great distance from the fort, the hostile parties met (if
drawing up at the respectful distance of two or three
hundred yards can be called meeting) , and the firing
began on both sides. The sight was very picturesque.
From my post I could see the strong puffs of smoke
issuing from either line — the result of the double charges
which Indians universally use in battle, under the erro-
neous impression that they give superior efficacy to the
bullets, as well as to strike terror into the hearts of
their enemies, while at intervals the braves rushed
backwards and forwards on horseback, appearing and
disappearing by turns through the clouds of smoke.
At last, in rode one of the Minitarees with a scalp in
his hand, and was instantly surrounded by a crowd of
women and youngsters triumphantly screaming and
yelling. This battle, however, did not entirely termi-
nate in favour of the Minitarees, as they had one man
slain on their side and carried off by the Sioux horse-
men, who dragged him ignominiously along the ground
by leathern thongs till they reached their own party,
where they scalped him in safety. The skirmish now
terminated ; the Sioux retired, and the Minitarees
returned to their village in triumph, dragging the body
of their unfortunate victim along with them. Then
commenced a truly disgusting sight ; the boys shot
arrows into the carcass of their fallen enemy, while their
women with knives cut out pieces of the flesh, which

206 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

they broiled and ate. I turned away chilled with
horror, and the whole scene haunted me for hours, and
frequently afterwards.

Late in July the American Fur Company's steamer
Martha arrived from St. Louis at the Minitarees' post ;
numbers crowding to see this ever-astonishing pheno-
menon. The principal men, or chiefs, went foremost,
evidently, by their manner and bearing, implying that
this was a great display of courage on their parts ; the
women and younger portion of the population gradually
approaching until the escape of the steam commenced,
which, occurring under water, caused a deafening roar,
and drove hundreds helter-skelter flying from the bank
of the river. Although the steamer annually arrives at
this place, it ever affords fresh wonder and astonishment
to these simple people ; and though an Indian never
likes to betray emotion, and always endeavours to con-
ceal any feelings of surprise, the " Maunteshishi'' is
always more than a match for his stoicism. Catlin
mentions that the Mandans, who were the most in-
telligent and philosophical of all the Upper Missouri
Indians, used to say that ''this big medicine canoe
must have eyes, for how could it always choose the
deepest part of the fiver, and keep in the channel and
avoid the snags,'' an impression which remains in a
great measure to this day. I myself heard the obser-
vation made in almost the same words ; nor do they
yet fully understand how its motions can be directed
by the man at the helm, or rather by the pilot in his
caboose.

A few days previous to the termination of its voyage,
the steamer was fired into by a war-party of Rhees,
one of whose bullets took effect ; and after passing
through two or three boarded divisions below, split
itself on an iron bar : one half buried itself in the
woodwork, and the other striking one of the deck hands^

LEAVE THE INDIAN COUNTRY, 207

named Smith, in the back of the neck, divided the
spine, and killed him on the spot. The poor fellow,
I was told, was the father of a large family, depending
on him for support. His death was nnrevenged ; for,
although many an American on board grasped his
rifle, any further proceedings were stayed by the agents
of the Fur Company, who preferred silently submit-
ting to the loss of their follower sooner than run any
risk, as they themselves expressed it, " of spoiling the
trade.''*

CHAPTER XII.

Leave the Indian country. — A blasted Cannon. — Mr. Mackenzie. — ■
Ishmah forages for himself. — The Yellow Fever. — Doctor Farrell.
— General Taylor's Address. — " Beauty's " History and Adven-
tures.— Marriage Feast. — My pretty Hostess. — A Musical Smash.
Bruin takes care of Number One. — " Beauty " creates a Sensa-
tion,— Bruin rescues the Antelope. — The Balize,

I CONFESS I left the Indians and the Upper Missouri
with great regret, and it was with a sigh that I
embarked with all my buffalo-robes, grisly bear and
wolf-skins, elk-horns, &c. &c., and steamed away down
for St. Louis. The Martha was a most splendid river
boat for her size, furnished with engines of more than
ordinary power, on account of the rapid current she had
to stem towards the far-western part of her course.
Boucharville and my faithful followers accompanied me
on board, and after many a hearty shake of the hand
and mutual good wishes, away dashed and splashed the
Martha^ rounding the point, and concealing the Mini-

* These two gentlemen were French, not Americans,

:208 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

taree village from my view as the last cheer of my
hunting companions fell faintly on my ear.

How I enjoyed the milk, butter, bread, vegetables,
pies, and puddings of civilized life, after so many months
of animal food, may be imagined. The sudden change
disagreed a good deal with me at first ; but those inva-
luable remedies, brandy and cigars, soon restored me.
The following day, as the boat was wooding, the black
.steward (to whose care I had consigned Ishmah, with an
injunction not to lose him on any account) came up
to me and said, '' Saar, your dog is such a vrery
onaudest dog, that if you don't take care, you will
lose him ;'' and on my asking for a further expla-
nation of his meaning. " Why, saar, it's now two days
I have him tied up in my care, and his bed and
fixins is as clean as when you fust chained him,
and he's now cry in' from pain : ah ! he's a wery
maudest dog, wery I " The man was perfectly right.
I unchained the poor fellow, and allowed him a little
exercise on shore. Fortunately he was not afraid of
returning to the boat when wooding was over, and
henceforth was at perfect liberty, being o[uite sagacious
•enough not to lose me.

Before reaching St. Louis, we arrived at the point of
junction between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers ;
the Mississippi's clear stream causing a ridge of back-
water distinctly dividing the colours of the two currents.
Their united Avaters from this point into the Gulph of
Mexico were falsely named by a mistake of the engi-
neers who first surveyed the country, Mississippi ; the
nature and tinge of the Missouri being distinctly
marked from far above the mouth of the Yellow Stone
till it empties itself, after joining the clear blue water
•of the Mississippi, below New Orleans, into the Gulph of
Mexico. On coming in sight of St. Louis, and in
order to signalize our arrival, two men of our party,

A BLASTED CANNON. 209

together with myself, got hold of an old mortar gun
which was on board the Martha, and had been bought
cheap of the U.S. artillery, having been condemned by
them as unsafe. This we loaded and placed in the
bow of the boat, I having primed it with powder from
my own horn. On putting a match to the touch-hole,
a stunning explosion followed, and the gun instantly
disappeared, being utterly shivered to pieces : this was
the last ever seen of that piece of ordnance, whose
fragments sank into the waters of the mighty Missis-
sippi, '' and left not a wreck behind." Providentially,
none of us were seriously hurt : one fellow fell stunned
on deck from the fright, the other man's leg was
slightly cut, and I received two minute particles of
metal scaling in the cheek, a large piece of the gun
flying back and cutting an iron bar right across, close
to my face, and having no further effect than to make
me then and there for ever renounce meddling with
condemned cannons again.

Arrived at St. Louis, I lost not a moment in seeking
a ready-made clothes store, there to change my self-
manufactured habiliments for a costume more calculated
to escape observation in a civilized community, and,
with Ishmah at my heels, was threading my way
through the less conspicuous streets until I was unfor-
tunately obliged to cross the fashionable parade of
St. Louis ; and had hardly reached the corner opposite,
and was congratulating myself on having effected my
escape, vrhen I ran against the parasol of a lady, who
started on seeing my horrible leather costume all stained
and daubed with blood and grease. '' Gracious ! how
d'ye do, Mr. Palliser?'' she exclaimed, compelling me
to stop and shake hands, and, vastly entertained at my
confusion, purposely detained mc by a volley of ques-
tions, in order to enjoy more leisurely the discomfiture
she had caused me by intercepting my headlong flight.

p

210 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

" Oh ! what dreadful creature is that V she continued,
starting back on seeing Ishmah ; '' you are quite sure
he won't tear me to pieces ? Well, go away with your
wolf ; but pray come and dine with us. My husband
will be delighted at your having come back safe, and
wiU ask you a thousand questions about your adven-
tures/' (I may here mention that the gentleman^
alluded to had been long resident in the Indian country,,
and, among many other distinguishing qualifications,
Mr. Mackenzie, of St. Louis, still bears the palm, as
having been the best rider and ablest buifalo-hunter of
all the whites that ever were on the Upper Missouri.).
I soon provided myself at the store with things suf-
ficient for present emergencies, and proceeded to
Mr. Mackenzie's, where I enjoyed the best of dinners
and wines. Over the latter we sat up together, com-
paring notes and impressions to a late hour, I frequently
reminding him of brilliant hunts, and many other of
his achievements and adventures, related to me by
Indians and trappers of the country, but which he had
for the most part himself forgotten. None can like
sportsmen so thoroughly enjoy the luxury of passing the
bottle, when they sit together retailing and listening to
their mutual adventures ; for hunting, in the extended
acceptation of the term, is one of those very few occu-
pations, in the pursuit of which sportsmen good and
true are never actuated by envy, jealousy, or unworthy
emulation.

The Planters' Hotel, where I put up during my stay
at St. Louis, was very full, and among the numbers
who dined at the table every day were many choice
spirits from the western regions and Rocky Mountains-
Some idea may be formed of the number of guests, and
of the dishes provided for them, from the fact that the
first removal of the iron covers is attended with such a
thundering crash as to startle a stranger, and leave him.

THE YELLOW FEVEE. 211

in utter astonisliment as to its cause ; the only similar
effect, I am aware of, being that produced at Exeter
Hall, when the turning of the leaf of a little book by-
each of the audience at the same moment resembles a
hailstorm on the roof of the building. Ishmah ivas so
terrified, that he ran right away into the town, followed
by his hatless master, who had to leave his dinner for
the pursuit, and only brought him back again with
considerable difficulty. Here my friend Owen and I
met again. It may be supposed we found the fare
excellent, especially when our reminiscences carried us
back to the period of lean deer-meat and frozen water ;
and often, as one of us raised the decanter of iced
Madeira or cool claret to help the other, did we accom-
pany the action with some such expression as, " What
wouldn't you or I have given for such stuff as this on
the prairie, eh?" Ishmah, now no longer terrified at
the dish-covers, was not content with beholding his
master enjoying the good things of this life, but con-
trived unobserved to creep to the sideboard within reach
of the dishes. In one instant his fore-paws were on it,
and he had helped himself to a calf s head, with which
savoury prize he decamped at racing speed, his bushy
tail stretching out, like a fox's brush, behind him ; the
waiters merely pointing after him and winking to one
another, evidently enjoying the joke.

The weather now became very warm, and as I knew
it would prove still hotter further south, I left my
bisons in the Missouri country, intending to return and
transport them early in winter, when the weather should
have become cooler, as I did not wish them to incur
any danger from the heat during their passage to New
Orleans, or the still more fiery ordeal of crossing the
Mexican Gulf on their passage to England. Business
compelled me to go to New Orleans at once, where I
arrived just in time to meet some old country friends

p2

212 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

previous to tkeir annual migration. New Orleans has
the name of being a much more unhealthy place than
it really is : numbers fly away at midsummer in order
to escape yellow fever. This complaint is also repre-
sented as a far more serious evil than is now the case.
Formerly physicians did not properly understand its
treatment ; but now the experienced medical men ^ are
so thoroughly up to it, that when taken in time, it is
more quickly and easily cured than any other fever,
and possesses this great advantage, that when recovered,
the patient may consider himself acclimatized, and proof
from a recurrence of yellow fever or any other, save the
dreaded fever and ague, otherwise called chills and
fever, of which I ever had the greatest horror, but
always luckily escaped. But soon after my arrival in
New Orleans, I was returning home one evening, when
I felt myself seized with an attack of yellow fever ;
whereupon I made haste to bed, and sent for my
countryman Dr. Farrell. He soon set me to rights
again ; for, on the third morning, I was perfectly well,
and before the end of the week, found myself in much
better health than my doctor, who was literally worn
out with attendance on twenty-seven yellow-fever
patients, every one of whom, however, finally recovered.
I was sitting with him after dinner, a few days subse-
quently, when we received an alarm that one of his
patients, in the height of yellow fever delirium, had
mounted the rail of a balcony outside his bed-room
window in deshahille, imagining himself on horseback,
and had, as might naturally be expected, fallen into the
street. The poor fellow, on being picked up, looked
wistfully in the doctor's face, and said, " Oh ! doctor,
that was a monstrous high horse, for I never suffered so
much from a fall from horseback in my life \" I am
happy to say, for the gratification of my sympathizing
readers, that this poor fellow, although much hurt at

GENERAL TAYLOR's ADDRESS. 213

the time, ultimately recovered yellow fever, bruises, and
all. What rendered the scene at the same time ludicrous
as well as painful, was Farrell's rage at the nigger nurses,
on both of whom he wanted to operate with the cat-o'-
nine-tails, and turning sternly round to me, told me
that he saw nothing to laugh at in such gross neglecc
of his patients.

A few days afterwards I crossed the Lake Ponchar^
train to Pass Christian, a beautifully-situated and
favourite summer retreat of the fashionables of New
Orleans. Vigorous and extensive preparations were in
progress for a large ball, which was to be given to
General Taylor. Montgomery's hotel was the scene
chosen for the festivities — a large building containing a
splendid ball-room, where, previous to the commence-
ment of the dancing, an address was presented to the
general, to which "the old gentleman read his reply.
Unfortunately, however, this document had been so
badly written for him, that he stuck hard^ and fast
several times in its perusal ; but, by holding it up from
time to time to the light of a chandelier, and with the
help of a few suggestions from by-standers, he finally
achieved it. Of course, this very much delighted the
young ladies, who evinced much greater pleasure than
they would have shown at a more elaborate rhetorical
display. Dancing succeeded, quadrilles, polkas, redo was,
and waltzes, separated by intervals of delightful walks
in the open air through the gardens, which were lighted
with coloured lamps strewn among the laurels, so as to
form words recounting the victories of the good and
gallant old general whose triumphs we were celebrating.
The entertainment, on the whole, was most successful,
and terminated with a capital supper.

In the month of October I returned again tp St.
Louis, in order to convey my bisons and other animals
down the Mississippi. I had now quite a menagerie to

214 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. .

take with me ; consisting of one very large old bison cow,
one cow rising two years old, and the two calves, one
black bear, two Virginian deer, an exquisitely beautiful
little forcifer antelope, and Ishmah. Of all these ani-
mals, the most remarkable one was my old bison cow.
Beauty, whose history, as well as I could gather, was,
that she had been some years previously attracted from
the prairie by the hay which a distant Mormon farmer,
beyond the outskirts of the settlements, was in the habit
of providing for his milch cows during the winter, and
that, from being accustomed by degrees to the society of
the cows, she at length lost all apprehensions of danger
from the men who attended on her domestic companions ;
and, although she at first fled away on their approach,
she afterwards became so perfectly tame, as to allow her-
self to be driven home along with the milch-cows. In
the breeding season she used to disappear from the
country altogether, but invariably returned, before the
severity of winter recommenced, to the society of the
farmer's cows, where no one molested her. This animal,
being old and very fat, they had sent down to St. Louis,
with the intention of selling her to a butcher, rightly
judging that purchasers would easily be found curious
enough to pay a high price for bison beef, in order
themselves to test its so frequently reported excellence.
But, most fortunately, I was just in time to avert her
fate, and, by paying a higher sum, terminated a bargain
pending between the man to whom she was consigned
and the butcher in treaty for her, and finally consigned
her to Ireland, where she has since become the mother
of two splendid calves. She is a magnificent creature,
weighing thirteen and a half cwt., and far surpassing in
size any specimen that has ever been obtained for a
zoological collection, having attained her full growth
and strength long before the period of her acquaintance
with the dairy cows. The gentleness and intelligence

MY BISON-COW ''beauty." 215

of this enormous animal was truly wonderful, rendering
her transport very easy. On my embarking her for the
first time, she quietly suffered herself to be led along the
main-deck of the river-boat, passing fearlessly by the
liissing engines on either side to the place prepared for
her astern. My other bisons were not so easily managed ;
but, being then young, we were able to master them.
Unfortunately, in recapturing one of my calves, the
animal broke its back, an accident which I regretted
very much, and the more so, that I had captured him
and his companion myself, and was particularly anxious
to bring them both safely to England. Herr Zoller,
however, a wealthy butcher in St. Louis, happened to
have one which he kept as a pet, and which was growing
rather too large for the confined place where he was
obliged to put" her ; so, on my wanting to buy her, he,
with that frankness for which Germans are so conspicu-
ous, made me a present of her, on my paying the expenses
which her transport from the Indian country had cost
him ; and Madame Zoller (for so I named her) is now
in Ireland, in daily expectation of a prosperous accouche-
ment. The bear, antelope, and Ishmah were all on most
friendly terms — an object I had taken great pains to
efiect ; and I used frequently to see Bruin and the
antelope eating at the same head of cabbage together.

My obliging friend Herr Zoller, a few days before I
left, invited me to a German wedding. The bride was
the daughter of one of the wealthy members of the cor-
poration of butchers, all of whom, indeed, seemed very
well off — a circumstance which Zoller explained to me
as resulting from the law in Prussia and the Rhenish
provinces, ordaining that no one shall practise the trade
of a butcher without paying to the government a sum
considerable for people in their rank of life ; so that
none but young citizens with good prospects are taught,
and consequently many of them, when qualified, keep

216 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

their capital and migrate to the United States. The
bridal party, and all their guests and friends, assembled
at the German Gardens, about two miles from my hotel,
in the outskirts of St. Louis. The proprietor kept most
excellent German wines, and had a very large ball-room
attached to his establishment, and a splendid orchestra
of brass instruments in his pay. He gave the entertain-
ment, and provided the capital supper, on condition that
all except the bridal party should pay for the wine they
drank. About nine o'clock in the evening dancino'
commenced, the orchestra playing Strauss's and Lan-
ner's quadrilles and waltzes to perfection, besides all the
best and latest polkas and galops, not excepting the
celebrated Railway and Sturm Marsch. Urged by
these, I became so exhilarated as to run down and seek
the lady of the establishment, who was busy in the lower
regions, ^ superintending the culinary operations of her
handmaidens. My proposal of dancing the Sturm
Marsch galop with her was at first received vvith utter
astonishment ; but after a little persuasion, her pretty
features relaxed into a smile ; and she began to make
excuses as numerous as the dishes she was preparing.
Her husband would be angry at the work being neg-
lected ; perhaps the maids would want to dance too, if
she once began, and so on. A little persuasion, how-
ever, soon removed these obstacles ; and at last, upon
my protesting, in reply to her question, " Are you
serious, or are you laughing at me V that I would quit
the premises forthwith, if she did not comply. '' Lieber
herr Je I" she said, " look at my dress.'' " Well, take
off your apron/' I replied. She laughed, and turning to
one of the maids, bid her bring water, soap, and towel,
" and the cap with the ribbons," adding, as she smoothed
her beautiful hair, and looked coquettishly at me, '' You
know there is no reason for looking uglier than one
really is !" At last the cap was adjusted ; but just as

A MUSICAL SMASH. 217

we reached the ball-room, the galop was drawing to a
conclusion. This, however, I had foreseen ; and in
consequence of a message previously despatched to the
orchestra, the moment our hostess and I entered, the
Sturm Marsch raged with redoubled fury, and soon bore
us off flying before the gale. A glance from her hus-
band, however, caused my Cinderella to dive into the
lower regions again, before the termination of the dance,
exclaiming, as I caught the last glimpse of her, '' Well !
perhaps after supper.'' I continued to wander about,
and turned my attention to the bride ; but she was
''hasslich'' — plain, so I consoled myself with supper,
and sent a dozen of wine to the orchestra, which I
afterwards heard had been presented to them with the
compliments of the great English lord from the " Felzen
Gebirge.'' After supper I regained my beautiful hostess,
who, in addition to a more becoming change in her dress,
had donned a pair of newer shoes, that did not come off
every moment in dancing. Shortly after we reappeared,
the Hockheimer was finished in the gallery, whence, in
gratitude or honour to me, "God save the Queen''
rang out its thrilling harmonies from seventeen brass
throats. I felt so touched by the compliment, that I
think I should have sent another dozen aloft, but for
the expostulations of my fair partner, who was appre-
hensive of its influence on the music. I remained so
late, that all the omnibuses had returned to town,
except the one destined for the conveyance of the
orchestra, with whom I took my place at two in the
morning, to return to the planter's house. In conversa-
tion with them, I happened to ask if they knew a
favourite polka of mine. " Oh, ja !" and in an instant
all the brass instruments were blazing away in the con-
fined space of the crowded omnibus. Fortunately, how-
ever, before the drum of my ear gave way, the axletree
did, and down we came with a jolt that put an end to

218 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

harmony ; off rolled one of tlie wheels, and — *' chaqu un
pour soi '' — each had to make his way home as well as
lie could.

Soon afterwards I bid farewell to St. Louis. The
steamboat which was to convey my menagerie had two
large provision-barges in tow lashed alongside of her,
containing Indian corn, wheat, cotton, and hay, freight
to New Orleans, in consequence of which she was
unable to continue her voyage at night ; so allowing
this to start before me with all my live lumber on board,
I took passage in another, and travelHng all night as
well as day, stopped at Cairo (otherwise the immor-
talized "city of Eden'' in "Martin Chuzzlewit '') on
the mouth of the Ohio. Eden really did prove a "jolly''
place to me, though not in Mark Tapley's acceptation
of the word ; for as I arrived there very early in the
morning, I immediately sallied out to hunt, rightly cal-
culating that the other boat could not overtake me much
before noon on the following day. I had a most suc-
cessful hunt, and shot two very fine bucks, which I
dragged out of the woody swamp to a waggon-track and
left there, heaping wood upon the carcases to protect
them from vultures, and purposing to send a horse for
them on my return. I also l)agged a brace of turkeys,
which I carried on my back, and reached the hotel
(which was a condemned river steamboat) very late in
the evening. Next morning an American farmer most
kindly volunteered to find and bring home my venison,
as I could not risk the loss of my passage by going in
quest of it myself. About ten o'clock he returned with
the stags in a light cart just as the steamer came up,
and in time to put them on board, whence they were
stowed in the ice-box, and finally eaten by my friends
in New Orleans, who found them excellent, and likewise
the turkeys, which were very fat.

One day, after a heavy shower of rain, I was sum-

BRUIX TAKES CARE OP NUMBER OXE. 219

moned on deck by the peals of laugliter over the dining
cabin. On going above to discover the cause of the
merriment, I saw that the bear was gone, and his chain
broken. The pilot, who had been relieved a few minutes
before, now led me forward to inspect his caboose, which
was surrounded by the passengers and deck-hands all in
fits of laughter. I could not make out the cause of it at
first, until one of the bystanders pulled a corner of the
blanket of the pilot's bed, when, to my surprise, the
jerk was answered by an indolent growl ! — my friend
Bruin having got drenched by the shower, had broken
his chain in disgust, and actually found his way to the
pilot's bed, clambered into it, and rolled himself com-
fortably up in the blankets. The good-humoured pilot
was not in the least angry, but, on the contrary, highly
amused, replying to my apologies as I kicked out his
strange bed-fellow, '"' Oh ! never mind, mister ; why,
what's the hindrance to the blankets being dried again V
and " Well, well, now ! Ill be d — d if he ain't a
knowin' coon." I thought to myself, whether one of
my countrymen, or indeed I myself, would have taken
the joke in such good part.

On arriving at New Orleans, my first care was to
provide an abode for my bisons and other animals, and
next a ship in which to transport them. Some weeks,
however, elapsed before I succeeded in engaging their
passage by the Abbe lllno, commanded by Captain Crozier,
who took the liveliest interest in the success of my pro-
ject. It was most amusing to witness the consternation
of the horses, as well as the astonishment of the people,
on seeing the bisons, particularly the large cow, as she
passed along the streets from the stables to the river, and
then on ship-board ; in fact, I found it necessary, in
transporting her from place to place, to send some one in
advance, to caution any who might have horses in their
charge ; and this precaution, I am convinced, prevented

220 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

some serious accidents. One old gentleman, who was
riding a very fresh young horse, had just barely time to
dismount and hold him, by the advice of my outrider^
when he commenced trembling and snorting as he winded
the cow ; and finally, on her nearer approach, broke
right away from the gentleman, and rushing wildly
through the town, was not retaken without considerable
difficulty.

I engaged a carpenter to build me a wooden house,
which the captain allowed to be screwed firmly on to
the deck of the vessel, affording me every assistance in
his power, and the aid of his own ship's carpenter : this
house was divided into compartments, and lined with
canvass, well stuffed and padded, to prevent any injury
to the bisons from their being knocked about, in the
event of rough weather. The other animals were very
easily stowed away. The bear proved to be the most
entertaining member of the whole ship's company ; he
ate, drank, and played with the sailors, and proved such
a source of amusement to them, that the captain, whom
I since have had ihe pleasure of meeting, told me that
he would gladly engage always to take a bear with him
when he went to sea in future. Bruin was also great
friends with the little antelope, and proved on one
occasion a most valuable ally. A friend of mine,
Mr. Fisher, was leading the latter through the streets
to the vessel, while I was following a short distance
behind with the bear, when the antelope was attacked
by a large mastiff ; my friend kept the brute off with
his stick as well as he could, calling loudly to me foif
assistance. I rushed to the rescue "instantly, but soon
found that the bear not only ran faster than I did, but
was determined to tackle the mastiff himself; so, letting
go his chain, I cheered him on at the dog, who, finding
himself attacked, turned on the bear, and a splendid
fight ensued. At first Bruin fought only with his

THE EALIZE. 221

powerful arms, flinging the dog over and over several
times, till at last the latter, cheered on by his owner to
renew the fight, succeeded in giving the bear a pretty
sharp pinch ; upon which Bruin, getting furious, threw
himself on his antagonist, and hugging him in his arms,
endeavoured to tear him with his teeth. I thought it
was all up now with the luckless dog, and felt rather
sorry for his fate, when I heard his stifled gurgling ;
fortunately, however, with a last spasmodic struggle
prompted by despair, the poor dog extricated himself,
and ran away howling.

I embarked on board the vessel ^Yith my menagerie,^
and proceeded down to one of the numerous mouths of
the Mississippi, called the Balize ; intending, as soon as
the vessel put to sea, to borrow a boat, and endeavour
to obtain some duck-shooting. As we descended, we
passed continual sugar-plantations, dotted with the
residences of their owners, until we reached chaos again,
where trees disappear, and reeds and canes mark the
silent waste, — the contemplation of which is in the last
degree depressing to the spirits.

The village of the Balize consists of a few wooden
houses built on piles, and inhabited by fishermen, and
those in charge of the lighthouse there ; and so thorough
a swamp is this miserable spot, that the paths to, and in
front of the houses, are along planks of wood. At the
request of Captain Crozier, the officer in charge of the
place lent me a very fine boat, and a negro who had
been in the habit of sailing her. Next morning at higli
water the Ahhellino passed the bar of the river, and
sailed for Liverpool ; while Fisher and I, with our
negro boatman, set out on a cruise after ducks, snipe,
and allifi:ators.

222 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

CHAPTER XIII.

Snipe and Duck-shooting. — Norwegian Sportsman. — A wounded
Alligator proves a disagreeable Boating Companion, — Negro
torn by an Alligator. — The Falcon, — Chagres. — Storming the
Spanish Fort. — Tropical Thunderstorm. — Panam^. — Santa Anna
Cathedral. — The Pope inexorable. — Home by English Mail
Steamer.

We enjoyed tolerable sport by getting out of the boat,
where the swamp was sufficiently firm to bear us with-
out sinking more than knee-deep. While beating over
those places that were free from canes, we shot a few
snipes, one or two ducks, and some teal ; and, after a
hard day's rowing, and wading nearly up to the middle
in water, we arrived at a miserable hut, tenanted by a
very poor sickly couple, with a large unhealthy family.
The poor people invited us with a welcome to all their
miserable little hovel afforded ; but as I had brought
with me plenty of biscuits, pork, cheese, a box of
sardines, coffee, sugar, brandy, and cigars, besides a
little money, my poor hosts were not long l3efore they
discovered that ''they had entertained angels unawares.'^
The following day we repaired to a flooded swamp, the
beat of several men who were in the habit of shooting
wild fowl for the New Orleans market. We found a
Norwegian with his canoe very hard at work, with
whom I fraternized : he was at first rather disappointed
at seeing us, but I soon assured him that we would not
spoil his sport. First I bought one or two teal he had
killed, and secondly told him, if he would take us to
the passes in his canoe, I would in the evening pur-
chase from him whatever we three had bagged in the day.
He then proceeded to place us one after the other — as
the canoe could only contain two persons at a time — in

DISAGREEABLE BOATING COMPANION. 223

ambush, at two passes over whicli the water-fowl were
constantly in the habit of flying, and ensconced himself
in his own retreat ; when, by means of an instrument,
he imitated the cackling of water-fowl, bringing them
over his head ; and, on his firing, they frequently flew
towards Fisher's or my retreat, affording us fair shots ;
so that in the evening we mustered a bag of nine ducks,
seven teal, and three or four snipes.

Late that night, as we were silently gliding across
the mouth of one of the passes of the river by the light
of a splendid full moon, and before a gentle breeze, the
negro pointed out what he asserted to be an alligator,
lying asleep on a large snag in the water. For some
time I thought it only a second crooked stem lying
against the snag, twisted in some fantastical shape :
however, I drew the shot out of a heavy duck -gun that
lay in the bow of the boat, and not having a bullet
about me, substituted a charge of buck-shot. Seeing
that the wind was favourable, I desired the negro to
steer close alongside ; and we soon passed within eight
or ten yards of the brute, on which I gave him a shot
in the head, which I thought had done for him. We
lQ3t not a moment in securing him ; the nigger got out
and fastened a rope round over the fore-part, and a
hitch round the tail, and after a good haul we three
heaved him into the boat, an undertaking that gave
us enough to do. We had hardly completed our task,
and taken a horn in honour of the event, when —
even while congratulating ourselves on our success in
safely stowing him along the bottom of the boat, — up
rose his ponderous tail, descending in the following
second with a slash that made the knees of the boat
shake again.

^' By golly, master,'' said our black boatman, '' I wish
him nebber had come into this boat ;" and we heartily
wished our prize in his more congenial element again.

224 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

as lasli after lash of his ponderous tail followed in rapid
succession, breaking up the thwarts, which one after
another went flying about, either striking us or falling
into the water, accompanied by groans from blacky ;
"who grasped his shins with his hands, in sure indication
of the utmost nigger uneasiness. I was utterly per-
, plexed, — not daring to fire for fear of swamping the
boat, — and unable with my knife to pierce through his
tremendous scales. Fortunately, however, our sound
little Yankee craft stood the leviathan shocks, and at
length the alligator safely expired ; when we drew a
long breath again, put up our helm, and reached the
squatter's hut again before the moon disappeared. Next
day we hailed a tug steamer, which picked us up, and
took us back to New Orleans.

A few days afterwards my friend Mr. Taylor and
I crossed the river from New Orleans to the Algiers side,
breakfasted with Mr. Gardere, with whom we after-
wards went in two canoes alligator-shooting. We wounded
one or two, which we failed in getting : however, I think
the principal reason of our want of success was Taylor's
comic songs, which he persevered in singing, notwith-
standing all our remonstrances.

While sculling among these flooded swamps, we
steered through a lovely grove of orange-trees, stretching
at each side of the Bayou, along which we were gliding ;
these contrasted most wonderfully with the dismal rank
vegetation in this but partially explored region, and I
afterwards learned how the growth of this beautiful
orange-grove was to be accounted for. A party, more
than twenty years previous to my visit, had been out
•duck-shooting there, having, among other eatables,
brought out a quantity of oranges with them, which
they had then and there eaten, and throwing away the
skins into a luxuriant deposit, the seedlings had sprouted
up ; and now a most beautiful orange-grove remains to

THE

225

this day to mark the spot. On our way back to
Mr. Gardere's house, and near the cultivated portion of
his plantation, he pointed out a single tree on the bank
of the Bayou, down which we were paddUng, and told
me that the tree in question had been the means of
saving a man's life. One of his negroes, a few_ years
ago, was asleep near this watercourse after his dinner,
when he was awakened by the clenching of the teeth of
an alligator across the calf of his leg. The monster, in
spite o'f the most frantic resistance of the negro, was
rapidly dragging him down to the water, on his way to
which he fSunately passed the tree, which his victim
immediately grasped in his arms, and held on by the
trunk, until his screams summoned the rest ^ of the
negroes to the spot : their arrival fortunately induced
the alligator to let go his hold, and rush back into the
water again, leaving the man's leg dreadfully lacerated.
The man subsequently recovered, but remains lame for
life, from the fearful manner in which the muscles of his
leg had been lacerated by the alligator. Negroes have
often informed me that the flesh of the alHgator is very
good, and eats like beef; however, I never put its
flavour to the test.

The time had now arrived for my departure from
New Orleans— a period which I shall ever look back
upon with regret. I had been so hospitably received,
and had made so many friends, that my farewell round
of visits threw me into a fit of the blue devils, from
which I did not recover till far on my way towards the
Havannah by the American West Indian mail steamer.

AYe were unable to land at Havannah, owing to a
perverse notion the Spanish authorities had taken into
their heads, that passengers from New Orleans were
contaminated ; but I had an excellent view of the har-
bour. In the evening the Falcon steamer came along-

Q

226 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

side for onr Californian friends, and I shifted my traps
into her, preferring to alter my route home, and going
round by the Isthmus of Darien, to performing qua-
rantine on a .Sppinish hulk, surrounded by Spanish
sentries, a victim of extortionating victuallers, and the
companion probably of sufferers from various malignant
fevers.

Our trip to Chagres on board the Falcon was very
pleasant indeed ; the passage cost j823, and our table
comprised every delicacy of the season, and ice in the
greatest abundance. The captain of the Falcon,
Thompson, was the life and soul of the party, and
devoted much of his time to his passengers, encouraging
gaiety in every way. This steamer was a great deal
more comfortable than our Eno-lish ones, admitting of an
immense dining-saloon, at the head of which the shaft
of the wheels passed through. On our way into breakfast
and dinner, however, we had to stride over it continually^
a great source of merriment at the expense of the ladies,
as we suggested the very superior advantages of Bloomer
costumes in such emergencies ; for as it of course
constantly revolved, they could not step upon it.

Most of my fellow-passengers were adventurous spirits
bound for the Californian mines. Amongst them, how-
ever, were some distinguished American officers going
out on official appointments ; among whom were Mr. King,
member of Congress, empowered to treat on the subject
of boundary-lines with the Mexican government. Colonel
Hawker, and Captain Ringgold, who distinguished
himself so highly in the United States South Pacific
exploring expedition.

After a most delightful passage of thirteen days, we
came early in the morning of the 2nd of May in sight
of Chagres. Here I landed, Captain Thompson having
very kindly sent me on shore in his own boat ; being

'' CHAGRES." 227

determined to visit Panamii^ and see some of the
western coast of tlie isthmus.

Chagres Bay is a most lovely spot ; there for the first
time I beheld a tropical climate in its full grandeur,
with ever-verdant woods growing actually down to the
sea ; distorted mangroves, new and strange fruits, canes,
and palms, in the greatest abundance and luxuriance,
^s in a scene from a fairy tale. Sugar-cane, which had
never been the prey of man's covetousness, grows free
and wild to the extravagant height of seventeen feet,
while the banana-leaf, sharped like a gigantic ace of
spades, expands its length of sixteen feet, and measures
five feet across.

A fine old Spanish fort (built, some say, by Pizarro,
others by pirates) stands on a splendid bold angle of
cliff, itself a strong and very curious old place. The
houses of Chagres are built of canes, lofted in the same
way, and thatched with leaves : the inhabitants are
mostly very poor and miserable. A wonderful con-
glomeration of races, bred between the white, red, and
blacks, has taken place in this peninsula ; they are a
docile, laborious set, and if only directed by a.ny enter-
prising leader, would soon render their country a fertile
one, and become themselves a thriving community. It
is a great mistake to state, as some travellers have
done, that they are a set of lazy, idle rascals, for such
is really not the case ; if set to do any kind of work,
no matter how laborious, they will go through with it.

I ordered a canoe for Gorgona, almost the head of the
navigation of the Chagres river ; and while the men
were cooking and eating their dinners, preparing the
canoe, &:c., I went with an American acquaintance to
visit the fort, — the easiest ascent to which, even on the
land side, was very steep. On arriving near the open
gate of the fort, the garrison, which consisted of five

q2

228 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

men, refused us admission unless we paid them, and at
the same time harred the wicket. My friend then drew
a most awful-looking bowie-knife, while I, applying my
shoulder to the wicket, burst it open, when we both
quietly marched on, and without noticing the garrison,
•continued to inspect the diiferent objects which most
interested us. The guns of the fort were long thirty-
twos, of most costly-looking material, a sort of bell*
metal perhaps, but certainly a composition in which
silver largely entered. On these beautiful pieces of
ordnance the arms of Spain were magnificently em-
blazoned ; also the date when they were cast. I regret,
however, that I omitted to make a note of it ; but my
impression is, that the figures are a.d. 1573. The
guns are in a fine state of preservation, though their
carriages are in various stages of decomposition, crum-
blino; from a^ie, and most of them are crushed beneath
the weight of the superincumbent metal. On our
departure we found the garrison drawn up in front of
the gate by which our exit was to be effected, each
armed with his rusty musket without a bayonet. A
glance satisfied me that they were, even if loaded, not
very likely to go off ; so my companion and I halted ;
handing me his tremendous bowie-knife to flourish, he
drew a five-barrelled revolver, while I threatened, in a
mixture of bad Italian and worse Latin — which I in-
tended for Spanish — that hostilities would instantly
commence on our side if they did not immediately open
the wicket- gate, which summons they at last sulkily
obeyed.

In the evening, at a little before sunset, I commenced
my ascent of the Chagres river. The wild, tangled
tropical vegetation along the banks was indescribably
grand, and the air was filled with the discordant screams
of macquaws, parrots, and parroquets of all sizes. We

TROPICAL THUNDERSTORM. 229

paddled along by the light of a splendid moon till very
late, when we reached a small village ; the houses of
which, like those of Chagres, were constructed of reeds
and thatched with cocoa-leaves. The sound of a drum
announced that a fandango was taking place in front of
the houses on the bank. I went ashore, preceded by
my boatman, who soon escaped, got drunk, and left me
in the lurch ; so findino; I had nothino- for it but to
submit to circumstances and make the best of it, I
joined the dancers, and when the fandango was over,
was invited into one of the houses, where I passed the
night. One-half of this habitation was lofted inside
with strong canes fastened together ; and the very
primitive substitute for a staircase was a large log of
wood quite in the rough, with one end on the ground
and the other leaning against the edge of the loft, and
having notches cut in it, by means of which the inmates
of the house went up or down — an exercise requiring
considerable practice and expertness to accomplish with
safety.

I rose before daylight, anxious to perform as much of
the remainder of my journey as possible before the
noonday heat should overtake us. I had considerable
difficulty in finding my two boatmen, but at last got
under way, though not before I was obliged to dissipate
some of the fumes of the foreo;oinoj nio;ht's carouse
from the senses of the elder of the two by a wholesome
stern application of the flat of my paddle ; whereupon
he jumped up with the utmost alacrity, rubbed the part
affected, took his place in the boat, and paddled away
as briskly as ever. The day became so hot at twelve
o'clock, that we did not resume our journey until
after four, and we had hardly started again, when
a violent thunderstorm commenced. I was greatly
entertained with the proceedings of my men, who

2S0 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

intently watched for the first symptoms of rain ;
and as soon as they sa-'.T pretty clear indications of
" agua/' undressed themselves, stripping off every
single article of apparel, and, rolling them up in a
piece of oiled cloth with which each was provided,
quietly went on paddling in a calm which was truly
awful, Nature seeming to collect her energies for the
fearful hurst which succeeded ; even the noisy birds
feeling the influence, and hushing their discordant
cries. At last the storm broke. The thunder, instead
of rolling, broke overhead with a crash like ten thou-
sand gongs — a stunning, maddening sound, utterly
unlike the sublime, awe-inspiring roll in our latitudes ;
the wr.rm rain poured down in massive columns, almost
checking my breath, as mouth and nostrils filled at
each respiration. And now for the first time in my life
I saw a tree struck by lightning, the flash falling on
one a short distance off, riving the huge trunk, and
sending the splinters flying far and wide from the spot.
The storm did not last long, but suddenly, as the
change of a panorama, gave way, to a lovely sunset ;
the little monkeys crept along to the extremities of the
branches, to stroke and dry their dripping fur, and
parrots and ma^quaws flew about and screamed as
noisily as ever.

Even before we reached Gorgona, the ascent of the
Chagres river became very difficult, the stream proving
too strong for us to make any further way with our
paddles, and we were consequently obliged to punt our
way along with the boat-poles. I reached Gorgona
early on the following day, whence I took a pony to
Panama, where I arrived on the evening of the third
day from Chagres. My ride on that day was a very
easy on^, for although there was no regularly-made
road, the track was very clearly defined, and led through

SANTA ANNA CATHEDRAL. 2S1

forests, up and down hills, along Yallevs, and densely
wooded causeways : so thick was the parasitical and
orchidaceous vegetation, that to penetrate the woods in
any direction but that indicated by the path would
have been impossible, without the aid of the very long
knife or sword used by the natives to cut throuo-h the
tangled mass. Every here and there the track was
strewn with dying and dead horses, some far advanced
in decomposition ; while the white bleaching skeletons
could be seen dotted all along it in advance from every
rising ground and crest of hill during the journey.

Panama is a most curious and interesting old Spanish
town, and, with the exception perhaps of a small part
of New Orleans, utterly different in architecture from
any town on the Atlantic coast of America. It Avas
late and nearly dark Vvhen I arrived ; but, even before
reaching the walls, I was hailed by some Americans,
inquiring the news from the United States. Their
numbers rapidly increased to a large assembly, and 1
had to rein up my tired horse and answer, I fear but
very vaguely, to many anxious inquiries, giving them
finally a very spurious account of the state of politics
in their country since their absence, in a speech which
I made to them from horseback. It seems I had, by
travelling so rapidly, anticipated the mail, which did
not arrive till the following day.

The next day was Sunday, and I went to visit the
cathedral of Santa Anna, one of the oldest European
structures in America : its architecture was notliing
wonderful ; and the only things calculated to attract
either interest or curiosity, are the large and beautiful
shells with which it is ornamented on the outside.
I went to hear mass there, and was struck with the
wonderful rapidity with which the old xescovo got
through it, and said as much to an old man with whom

232 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

I had made acquaintance the day before, and who was
accompanying me. " Ah/' he replied, " he has such
beautiful fighting-cocks, and a great match comes off
at eleven o'clock, and he wants to be in time, for one of
his own cocks is going to fight, and he has backed him
heavily.''

The great influx of Americans bound for the gold-
diggings raised the price of everything ; I was much
interested by the accounts I heard of San Francisco
and the Sacramento, which I need hardly transcribe
here. The wages were enormous. Mrs. Smith, wife
of the commandant of the territory, used to pay <£2 a
day wages for her kitchen-maid, and .€1,500 a year for
a house in San Francisco. Tradesmen's wages were
also most extravagant — a carpenter's, twenty dollars ;
but those who made the most money were saddlers, by
mending bridles, saddles, and pack-saddles. The ac-
counts brought down from San Francisco while I was
staying at Panama fully confirmed all that I had pre-
viously heard in the States ; the quantity of gold found
was immense, common working-hands in the short space
of four months amassing fortunes.

On the following evening, as I was in the balcony
of the hotel sitting with some American acquaintances,
we heard " a cry break out which soon swelled into a
shout " from all the Americans in Panama, some six or
seven hundred ; and so headlong was the rush through
the crowded streets, that it was some time before we
succeeded in discovering its cause ; till, at last, several
booming cannon-shots from the sea announced the arrival
of one of the great American steamers from New York
round the Horn ; and the shouts of triumph from the
poor fellows that were reckoning on her arrival were
quite thrilling. We rowed out to visit her next day ;
she was a magnificent steamer, and the passengers of all

THE POPE INEXORABLE. 233

ranks and denominations were swarming in her like
bees about a hive. I thanked my stars that I was not
destined to become one of their number.

The next day I determined to enjoy the novel sensa-
tion of a swim in the Pacific Ocean ; but before I had
been two minutes in the water, I perceived a laro'e black
fin appear above the surface, quite close enough for me
to recognise it as that of a shark ; and not much relish-
ing his society, I scrambled ashore out of his way as fast
as I could.

The natives of Panama are Spanish both in costume
and appearance : the ecclesiastics wear long black gowns
and three-cornered hats : they are not very bigoted. I
was surprised, on the Sunday evening, when walking
in the neighbourhood of one of the churches, to see four
very well-dressed priests seated on a large balk of timber
in the street, playing cards. They seemed very much
interested in their game, and did not notice my ap-
proach at first, till one of them, after a little time,
perceiving me looking over them, assured me that they
were not playing for money. Many of these poor fellows
are very peaceable and harmless members of society.
They acknowledge the supremacy of Rome, and are
sometimes made to feel it. Shortly before my arrival
there, they had received a communication from the Pope,
conveying a refusal to a petition which had been
addressed to his holiness by the clergy of Panama, for
permission to marry, and which stated, among other
arguments, that the evils arising from the prohibition
of the marriage of priests were much worse than any
which could possibly result from its permission. But
though this was urged in very strong terms, and signed
by nearly all the priests, the license was peremptorily
refused.

From Panama I returned to Chagres md Gorgona,

234 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES.

and had a miserable time of it. My horse dropped
dead under me ; the heat was excessive, and I had to
walk, or rather wade, more than half the distance on
foot through deep mud, into which I sometimes sank
above my knees ; while, to increase my misery, a storm
came on, nearly drowning me, and leaving me drenched
to the skin, and wretched to the last degree. At last,
however, I reached my destination, and took boat from
Gorgona, descending the river at a rapid rate to Chagres,
where I arrived in time to take passage by the English
■"^Yest Indian steamer back to Endand.

THE END.

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