h
THIRTY YEARS
OF
ARMY LIFE ON THE BORDER.
COMPRISING
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INDIAN NOMADS OF THE PLAINS;
EXPLORATIONS OF NEW TERRITORY;
A TRIP ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN THE WINTER;
DESCRIPTIONS OP THE HABITS OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS FOUND IN THE
WEST, AND THE METHODS OF HUNTING THEM;
WITH INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF DIFFERENT FRONTIER MEN,
&o., &o.
BY COLONEL R. B. MARCY, U. S. A.,
AUTHOR OF "the PRAIRIE TRAVELER."
55®ftj) ■Numerous EUustrations.
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1866.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one tliousand eiglit
hundred and sixty-six, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of tlie Sontliern District of
New York.
INTRODUCTORY.
In this age of many books, it is hardly possible that any
new publication can need an apology or an explanation. I
have been persuaded by many friends that the contents of
the book which is herewith presented to the public are not
without value as records of a fast vanishing age, and as
truthful sketches of men of various races, whose memory
will shortly depend only on romance, unless some one who
knew them shall undertake to leave outlines of their pecul-
iar characteristics.
More than thirty years of service in the United States
Army, a large portion of the time on the frontiers, on the
prairies, or among the far Western mountains, have given
me some experience in the life of the frontiersman, as well
as made me the frequent companion of the hardy trappers,
the pioneers, the advance-guards of civilization, while it has
been necessary for me to meet on either friendly or hostile
terms nearly all the aboriginal tribes of the prairies.
If any excuse were needed for the publication of sketches
somewhat desultory and disconnected as these will prove,
I am persuaded that excuse may be found in the simple
fact that all these subjects of my description — men, condi-
tions of life, races of aboriginal inhabitants, and adventur-
ous hunters and pioneers — are passing away. A few years
more, and the prairie will be transformed into farms, the
X INTRODUCTORY.
mountain ravines will be the abodes of busy manufactur-
ers, the aboriginal races will have utterly disappeared, and
the gigantic power of American civilization will have taken
possession of the land from the great river of the West to
the very shores of the Pacific. It can not be entirely in
vain that any one contributes that which he knows from
personal experience, however little, to aid in preserving the
memory of the people and the customs of the West in the
middle of the nineteenth century. The wild animals that
abound on the great plains to-day will soon be as unknown
as the Indian hunters who have for centuries pursued them..
The world is fast filling up. I trust I am not in error when
I venture to place some value, however small, on every
thing which goes to form the truthful history of a condi-
tion of men incident to the advance of civilization over the
continent — a condition which forms peculiar types of char-
acter, produces remarkable developments of human nature
— a condition, also, which can hardly again exist on this or
any other continent, and which has therefore especial value
in the sum of human history. This is the only apology
which I have to offer for the anecdotes of persons and the
sketches of frontier life which I have ventured to make a
part of this volume. Such people will probably not again
be found in the future life of the race, and unless some rec-
ord be made of them, it is by no means certain that genera-
tions to come will not regard them as solely the creatures
of fiction, in whose pages they have for the most part hith-
erto been described.
The portions of the volume devoted to relations of per-
sonal adventure, as well as those which refer to the gener-
al characteristics of the Western countrv, to modes of travel
INTRODUCTORY. XI
and life on the prairies, the advice 1 bave given to those
who may be called, either in public service or for private
purposes, to cross the great plains, the accounts of hunting,
and descriptions of Western game and the methods of pur-
suing and killing it — all these parts of the volume are of-
fered to the public in the hope that they may have prac-
tical value, and be of public as well as private benefit.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
THE INDIANS OF THE PLAINS.
The Indians of the Plains not described in Bancroft's History. — Different in
Habits from the Eastern Tribes. — First discovered by Coronado. — Simi-
larity in Habits with the Arabs. — Pantomimic Language. — Characteristics
of different Tribes Page 17
CHAPTER n.
COMANCHE INDIANS.
Comanche Indians. — Local Subdivisions of the Tribe. — Nomads. — Dirain-
nishing in Numbers. — Fear of visiting the Whites. — Courtship. — Poly-
gamy.— Is-sa-keep. — Receiving Guests. — Council. — Singular Custom. —
Propensity for Horse-racing. — Kickapoo Horse-race. — War Expeditions.
— Method of Recruiting. — Mexican Prisoners. — Parker Family. — Treat-
ment of Negroes. — Visit to the Fort. — Mourning Ceremonies. — Ideas of
the Bible. — Opinion of the Whites. — Medicine Lodges. — Ideas of their own
Importance. — Way to treat them. — Belief in the Deity 43
CHAPTER IlL
INDIAN WARFARE.
Indian Warfare. — French Army in Algeria. — Turkish Method of Warfare.
— Tracking Indians. — Telegraphing by Smokes. — Delawares, Shawnees,
and Kickapoos. — Guides in the Great Desert. — The Khebir. — Delaware's
Idea of the Compass. — Black Beaver. — Jealousy of his Wife. — Coman-
che's Ideas of the Whites. — John Bushman. — Marriage Relations. — Jim
Ned. — Great Horse-thief. — Comanche Law. — Juan Galvan. — Kickapoos
good Hunters. — Respect for Law 67
B
XIV CONTENTS. »
CHAPTER IV.
PUEBLO INDIANS.
Pueblo Indians. — Early Discovery. — Situations of their Towns. — Moquis. —
Coronado's Expedition. — Visit to Santa Domingo. — Laguna. — Christmas
Ceremonies. — Church Services. — Bird Orchestra. — Dances. — Moqui Vil-
lages.— Peculiar Dances. — Feasting. — Origin of the Moquis. — Marriage
Ceremony. — Estufas. — Pottery. — Extensive Ruins. — Large Houses. —
Casas Grandes Page 97
CHAPTER V.
KED KIVER EXPEDITION,
Red River Expedition. — Order. — Early Efforts to explore it. — Navigable
Portion. — Copper Ores. — New Ore. — Dr. Hitchcock's Opinion. — Great
Gypsum Belt. — Cause of bad Taste in the "Water. — Witchita IMountains.
— Extent of Choctaw Reservation. — Beautiful Country. — Visit of Witche-
taws. — Buffaloes. — Comanche Trails. — Buffalo Chase. — Panther killed. —
Unaccountable Appearance of Water. — South Winds. — Encamping. —
Head of North Fork. — Visit to Canadian River. — Mirage. — Head of Salt
Fork. — Laiio-Estacado. — Prairie Dog Town. — Leaving the Train. — Bad
Water. — Suffering from the Effects of bad Water. — Reach the Head of
the main Fork of Red River. — Beautiful Scenery. — Bears. — Remarkable
Canon 114
CHAPTER VI.
Turning homeward. — Peculiar Basin. — Another Panther killed. — Witchita
Mountains. — Mount Scott. — Buffalo Chase. — Witchetaw Villages. — Fine
Soil. — Reported Massacre. — Mexican Prisoners. — Accused of Horse-steal-
ing.— Arrival at Fort Arbuckle. — Anxiety of Friends. — Review of Char-
acteristics of the Country passed over. — Ranges of the Indians 154
CHAPTER VII.
INDIAN RESERVATIONS.
Arrival at Fort Belknap. — Troubles of the Sm.ill Tribes of Texas. — Jose
Maria. — Council. — Major Neighbors. — Wolf Dance. — Comanche Visit to
the Tonkawas. — Admiration for the Major's Wardrobe. — Enlists in a
War Expedition. — Little Witchita River. — Rig Witchita River. — Perilous
Position of Major Neighboi-s. — Head of Big Witcliita. — Bad Water. —
Reach Brazos Uivcr. — Head of tlic Brazos. — Abundance of Game. — Ke-
tumsce. — Clear Fork of the Brazos. — Council. — Location of the Reserva-
tions.— Summary. — Double Mountain Fork. — Mesquit Tree. — Mesquit
Gum. — Civilizing Comanches 170
CONTENTS. XV
CHAPTER VIII.
WINTER EXPEDITION OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Winter Expedition over the Kocky Mountains. — Objects of the Expedition.
— General Scott's Opinions. — Leaving Fort Bridger. — Desertion of Indian
Guide. — Descending Mountain. — Singular Corral. — Eeach Grand Eiver.
— Ute Indians. — Commence the Ascent of the Rocky Mountains. — Snow.
— Cache Luggage. — Mules giving out and dying. — Provisions consumed.
— Commence eating Mules. — Ptarmigan. — Getting lost. — New Guide. —
Excellent Conduct of the Soldiers. — Destitute Condition. — Bivouac. —
Reach the Summit of the Mountains. — Send Messengers to Fort Massa-
chusetts.— Return of the Messengers. — Joy of the Party. — Mariano. —
Overeating. — Arrival at Fort Massachusetts. — Arrival at Taos. — Compar-
ative Qualities of different Animals in Snow Page 224
CHAPTER IX.
RETURN TRIP TO UTAH.
Return Trip to Utah. — Route of the March. — Organization of the Party. —
Order to Halt. — Fontaine-qui-boidlle. — Herd of Elk. — Arrival of Re-en-
forcements.— Terrible Snow-storm. — Stampede. — Storms. — Platte River.
— Denver City. — Arrival at Fort Bridger. — Entrance into Salt Lake
City. — Scarcity of Mormons. — Salt Lake. — Bathing. — Mormon Industry.
— Proclamation by Brigham Young. — Mormon Depredations. — Order of
Daniel H. Wells. — Interview with Captain Van Vliet. — Tone of the Pul-
pit and Press. — Benediction by Heber Kimball 251
CHAPTER X.
UNEXPLORED TERRITORY.
Unexplored Territory. — Lack of geographical Information in 1849. — Wagon
Road from Fort Smith. — New Road from Dona Ana. — Great Canon of
the Colorado. — Visit of the Spaniards. — Mr. Kern's Opinions. — Tall Race
of Men. — Height of the Canon. — Attempts to explore it. — Splendid Scen-
ery.— Mineral Considerations. — Method for exploring the Canon sug-
gested 276
CHAPTER XI.
HUNTING.
Hunting. — Its Benefits to the Soldier. — Disposition of Fire-arms. —Nama-
quas. — Tracking. — Horse Tracks. — Elk Hunt. — Faculties of Indians,
— Deer Hunting. — Rifles. — Antelope. — Bear. — Lassoing Grizzlies. — Am-
ateur Sportsman. — Big-Horn. — Buffalo. — Rapidly diminishing. — H. H.
Siblev's Remarks. — Range of the Buffalo. — Chasing on Horseback. —
Xvi CONTENTS.
Stalking.— Winter Hunting.— The Beaver.— The Prairie Dog.— Hints to
Sportsmen Page 283
CHAPTER XII,
PIONEERS OF THE WEST.
Pioneers of the West. — Frontier Settlers. — Night at a Log Cabin. — Effects
of drinking Mint Juleps. — A young Cadet's Arrival at West Point. — Prai-
rie Belle. — Texas Surveyor. — Dinner in Arkansas.— Night in Arkansas.
—New Use of Tea. — Yankee Curiosity illustrated.— Propensity for roam-
ing.— Meeting a Fellow-statesman in Mexico. — An old Acquaintance. —
Southern Curiosity. — Virginia Hospitality. — Perversion of the English
Language.— Arrival in the Settlements in 1849. — A Texas Clergyman's
Experience.— Frontier Settlers of Texas. — Major Neighbors's Experience.
— The Six-man Team.— Texas Volunteers. — Recuperative Character of
the Frontiersman illustrated 356
CHAPTER XIII.
MOUNTAINEERS.
Mountaineers. — Jim Bridger. — His Troubles with the "Danites." — Sir
George Gore. — Tim Goodale and Jim Baker. — Bear Fight.— Singular
Duel. — IMariano. — Mr. Clyburn. — His Adventures in the Mountains. —
His Return to the Settlements.— Narrow Escape on Rock River. — Indian
Law 399
CHAPTER XIV.
CAPTAIN MARTIN SCOTT.
Captain Martin Scott. — The Coon Story. — The Bear-hunter. — The Horse-
race.— Courting Days, — Rifle and Pistol Shooting. — His Duel. — Expedi-
tion with Explorers. — Hunting in Texas.— Wonderful Dog. — "Tally
Ho!" — Return Home to Bennington. — His Death 424
THIRTY YEARS OF
ARMY LIFE ON THE BORDER.
CHAPTER I.
THE INDIANS OF THE PLAINS.
The Indians of the Plains not described in Bancroft's History. — Different in
Habits from the Eastern Tribes. — First discovered by Coronado. — Simi-
larity in Habits with the Arabs. — Pantomimic Language. — Characteristics
of different Tribes.
In the third volume of Bancroft's History of the United
States may be found a very circumstantial, comprehensive,
and reliable account of the aborigines, who, from the time
of the advent of Europeans, have inhabited that portion of
our territory lying east of the Mississippi River, and the
author, in this connection, has presented many highly in-
teresting facts relative to their habits, languages, institu-
tions, and religions ; but, with the exception of a brief allu-
sion to the partially civilized eastern Sioux or Dacotahs,
he as yet has said nothing concerning the Comanche, Kio-
way, Cheyenne, and other numerous and warlike tribes
that range over the great plains west of the Mississippi.
Several years' service in the district of country frequent-
ed by this peculiar type of the Indian race has frequently
thrown me in contact with different tribes, and thereby af-
forded me good opportunities for observing their peculiari-
ties and habits, and for collecting the facts which follow.
Whatever common anatomical or phrenological charac-
teristics physiologists may have detected in the skulls of
the great families of the Algonquin, Iroquois, Cherokee, or
B*
18 DISCOVERY OF THE PRAIRIE INDIANS.
Catawba tribes, and those of the natives on the Pacific
Coast, yet between the habits, languages, and institutions
of the Red Men who roam over the Plains, and those of the
Indians so elaborately described by our distinguished histo-
rian, there exists as wide a contrast as can be found be-
tween the Bedouins of the desert and the denizens of Lon-
don, Paris, or New York.
The earliest information we have of the prairie tribes is
contained in Castenada's account of the daring expedition
of Coronado, which was sent out from Cicuya, New Mexico,
in search of the "golden city" of Quivera, during the sum-
mer of 1541.
After marching for several days, the party encountered
"an Arab people called Querechos, who lived in buffalo-
skin tents, and subsisted exclusively on the raw flesh of
those animals." Continuing their march in an easterly di-
rection, the Spaniards reached extensive plains, covered
with countless herds of buffalo and their erratic enemies,
the Indian nomads of the prairies. These people had no
horses then, but they possessed great numbers of dogs,
which were used to transport their luggage as they follow-
ed the migrations of the buffalo. They were a mild, peace-
able race of people, who extended to the Spaniards the
warmest hospitality and friendship, and they were not ad-
dicted to those horrible practices which prevailed among
some of the Indians in New Mexico and Sonora. They
"jerked" or dried the meat, and made the pemmican, at
that early period, in precisely the same manner as it is pre-
pared at the present day by the half-breeds upon the Red
River of the North, and they still continue to use the dogs
as pack animals.
From this it appears that the Indians seen by the Spanish
explorers were the same type of aborigines as are now found
roaming over the vast prairies of North America, and with
HABITS OF THE NATIVES. 19
the exception of the changes incident to the introduction
of the horse, their habits and manner of living in the six-
teenth century were precisely the same as they are at the
present moment. The whimsical caprices of fashion hold
no tyrannical sway over their beaux and belles. They
are not obliged to send three thousand miles to ascertain
what particular colored ribbon would be authorized to
adorn a bonnet during the succeeding month, or what spe-
cial style of neck-tie would meet the approbation of the
heau monde in Paris. The material and cut of their gar-
ments to-day are precisely the same as they were three
hundred years ago ; indeed, so uniform and permanent is
their method of conducting all the affairs of life, that an
expert has only to examine the remains of an old camp-
fire, or even a moccasin, in order to determine what partic-
ular tribe of Indians passed that way.
The habits of all the prairie tribes assimilate very closely
to each other in some respects, as, for example, they all fol-
low the buffaloes ; use the bow and arrow, lance and shield ;
take the war-path, and light their battles mounted on horse-
back, in the open prairie; transport their lodges and all
their worldly effects wherever they go ; never till the
ground, but subsist exclusively on fresh-meat diet. All
use the sweat or medicine lodges, and religiously believe in
the efficacy of incantations and jugglery in curing diseases,
preparing for war, the chase, etc. On the contrary, the na-
tives of the Eastern States, from the time of the first dis-
covery of the country, lived in permanent villages, where
they cultivated fields of corn, and possessed strong attach-
ment for their ancestral abodes and sepulchres. Seldom
wandering far from home, they did not use horses, but al-
ways made their war and hunting expeditions on foot, and
sought the cover of trees on going into action.
In their treatment of prisoners of war there has been
20 ARABS AND PRAIRIE INDIANS.
also a very marked dissimilarity. The Eastern aborigines,
although they put their victims to tortures of the most ap-
palling character, seldom, if ever, violated the chastity of
the females ; while, on the contrary, the prairie Indians do
not put their prisoners to death by prolonged tortures, but
invariably compel the females to submit to their lewd em-
braces. I have known of several well-authenticated in-
stances where their barbarous treatment of females has
proved this conclusively.
As there seems to be a most striking physical similitude
between the deserts of Arabia, and the steppes of Central
Asia, and the prairie mesas of our own country, a marked
resemblance is also observed in the habits and customs of
the respective inhabitants. The Arabs of the desert, the
Tartar tribes, and the aboriginal occupants of the prairies,
are alike wanderers, having no permanent abiding-places,
transporting their lodges or tents wherever they go, and
where these are pitched there are their homes. They alike
permit no authorities to control them but such as receive
the unanimous sanction of the masses, and the rule of their
leaders is guided by the counsels of their wise old men, who
in many instances allay dissensions and curb the impetuos-
ity of ambitious younger warriors, whose thirst for fame
would otherwise involve the nation in protracted wars.
Their government is essentially patriarchal, guided by wise
and fraternal councils. They are insensible to the wants
and luxuries of civilization, and know neither poverty nor
riches, vice or virtue, and are alike exempt from the de-
plorable vicissitudes of fortune. Theirs is a happy state
of social equality, which knows not the perplexities of po-
litical ambition or the crimes of avarice. They are alike
the most expert horsemen in the world, and possess the
same fond attachment for the animal. I once made an ef-
fort to purchase a favorite horse from a chief of one of the
BEDOUIN HORSE. 21
bands of the Southern Comanches (Se-na-co), and offered
him a large price, but he could not be persuaded to part
with him. He said the animal was one of the fleetest in
their possession, and if he were to sell him it would prove
a calamity to his whole band, as it often required all the
speed of this animal to insure success in the buffalo chase ;
that his loss would be felt by all his people, and he would
be regarded as very foolish ; moreover, he said (patting his
favorite on the neck), "I love him very much."
The like estimation in which the horse is held among the
Eastern nomads is illustrated in a very interesting story
related by Mr. W. C. Prime in his " Boat Life in Egypt and
Nubia." He says : " Speaking of horses as we rode along,
one of the governor's officers told me a story of an old sheik
of the Bedouins that I have seen in print in two or three
forms, but never precisely in this :
" He was old and poor. The latter virtue is common
to his race. He owned a tent, a Nubian slave, and a mare ;
nothing else. The mare was the fleetest animal on the des-
ert. From the Nile to the Euphrates fame of this animal
had gone out, and kings had sought in vain to own her.
The love of the Bedouin for his horse is not that fabled af-
fection that we read of in books. This love is the same af-
fection that an American nabob has for his gold, or rather
that a poor laborer has for his wages. His horse is his life.
He can rob, plunder, kill, and destroy ad libitum if he have
a fleet steed. If he have none, he can do nothing, but is the
prey of every one who has. Acquisition is a prominent
feature of Arab character, but accumulation is not found in
the brain of a son of Ishmael. The reason is obvious. If
he have wealth he has nowhere to keep it. He would be
robbed in the night. He would, indeed, have no desire to
keep it ; for the Bedouin who murders you for a shawl, or
a belt, or some gay trapping, will give it away the next day.
22 NUBIAN SLAVE.
"Living this wandering life, the old sheik was rich in
this one mare, which was acknowledged to be the fleetest
horse in Arabia.
"Ibrahim Pasha wished the animal, as his father had
wished before him. lie sent various offers to the old
sheik, but in vain. At length he sent a deputation, with
five hundred purses (a purse is five pounds), and the old
man laughed at them.
" ' Then,' said Ibrahim Pasha, ' I will take your mare.'
" ' Try it.'
" He sent a regiment into the desert, and the sheik rode
around them, and laughed at them, and the regiment came
home.
" At last the sheik died from a wound recdved in a fray
with a neighboring tribe. Dying, he gave to his Nubian
slave all that he had — this priceless mare — and the duties
of the blood revenge.
"The faithful slave accepted both, and has ever since
been the terror of the Eastern desert. Yearly he comes
down like a hawk on the tents of that devoted tribe, and
leaves a ball or a lance in man or woman. No amount of
blood satisfies his revenge ; and the mare and the black
rider are as celebrated in Arabia as the wild huntsman in
European forests, and much better known."
The only property of these people, with the exception of
a few articles belonging to their domestic economy, consists
entirely in horses and mules, of which they possess great
numbers. These are mostly pillaged from the Mexicans,
as is evident from the brand which is found upon them.
The most successful horse-thieves among them own from
fifty to two hundred animals.
In their political and domestic relations thcre^fe also a
similarity to the Old "World nomads. They are governed
by a chief, the tenure of whose ofiice is hereditary so long
WAR EXPEDITIONS. 23
as his administration meets the approbation of his follow-
ers. He leads them to war, and presides at their delibera-
tions in council ; but should he disgrace himself by any act
of cowardice or maladministration, they do not hesitate to
depose him and place a more competent man in his stead.
Their laws are such as are adapted to their peculiar situa-
tion, and are sanctioned by the voice of the people. Their
execution is vested in the subordinate chiefs, or captains, as
they are called, and they are promptly and rigidly enforced.
In respect to the rights of property, their code is strictly
Spartan. They are perhaps as arrant freebooters as can be
found upon the face of the earth ; and they regard stealing
from strangers as perfectly legitimate and honorable, and
that man who has been most successful in this is the most
highly honored by his tribe ; indeed, a young man who
has not made one or more of these expeditions into Mexico
is held in but little repute. In evidence of this, I was told
by an old chief of the ISTorthern Comanches, called Is-sa-
keep, that he was the father of four sons, who he said were
as fine young men as could be found ; that they were a
great source of comfort to him in his old age, and could
steal more horses than any young men in his band.
As these forays are often attended with much toil and
danger, they are called "war expeditions." It not unfre-
quently happens that but six or eight young men set out
upon one of these adventures, and the only outfit each re-
quires is a horse, with the war equipments, consisting of
the bow and arrows, lance and shield, with occasionally a
gun. Thus prepared, they set out upon a journey of a
thousand miles or more, through a perfectly wild and deso-
late country, dependent for subsistence wholly upon such
game as they may chance to find. They make their way
to the northern provinces of Mexico, where they lie in wait
near some hacienda until a favorable opportunity offers to
24 BOW AND ARROW.
sweep dowu upon a solitary herdsman, and, with the most
terrific yells, drive before them all the animals they desire.
Wo to the panic-stricken ranchero who fails to make a
precipitate retreat, as they invariably kill such men as of-
fer the slightest impediment to their operations, and take
women and children prisoners, whom they hold in bondage
of the most servile character. They are sometimes absent
from their tribes two years or more before their success
is sufficient to justify their returning with credit to them-
selves.
The use of the bow, which is the favorite arm and con-
stant appendage of the prairie Indian, and which he makes*
use of exclusively in hunting the buffalo, is taught the boys
at a very early age ; and by constant and careful practice,
they acquire a degree of proficiency in the art that renders
them, when grown up to manhood, formidable in war, as
well as successful in the chase. Their bows are made of
the tough and elastic wood of the "bois d'arc," or Osage
orange [Madura aurantiaca)^ strengthened and re-enforced
with the sinews of the deer wrapped firmly around them,
and strung with a cord made of the same material. They
are not more than one half the length of the old English
long-bow, which was said to have been sixteen hands'
breadth in length. The arrows are twenty inches long, of
flexible wood, with a triangular point of iron at bne end,
and two feathers, intersecting each other at right angles, at
the opposite extremity. At short distances the bow, in the
hands of the Indian, is effective, and frequently throws the
arrow entirely through the huge carcass of the buffalo. In
using this instrument, the Indian warrior protects himself
from the missiles of an enemy with a shield of circular
form, covered with two thicknesses of hard, undressed buf-
falo hide, separated by a space of about an inch, which is
stuffed with hair; this is fjustened to the left arm by two
INDIAN WOMEN. 25
bands, in such a manner as not to interfere with the free
use of the hand, and offers such resistance that a rifle-ball
will not penetrate it unless it strikes perpendicular to the
surface. They also make use of a war-club, made by bend-
ing a withe around a hard stone of about two pounds
weight, which has been previously prepared with a groove
in which the withe fits, and is thereby prevented from slip-
ping off. The handle is about fourteen inches long, and
bound with, buffalo hide.
The men are about the medium stature, with bright, cop-
per-colored complexions and intelligent countenances, in
many instances with aquiline noses, thin lips, black eyes
and hair, with but little beard. They never cut the hair,
but wear it of very great length, and ornament it upon state
occasions with silver and beads. Their dress consists of
leggins and moccasins, with a cloth wrapped around the
loins. The body is generally naked above the middle, ex-
cept when covered with the buffalo robe, which is a con-
stant appendage to their wardrobe. The women are short,
with crooked legs, and are obliged to crop their hair close
to their heads. They wear, in addition to the leggins and
moccasins, a skirt of dressed deer-skin. They also tattoo
their faces and breasts, and are far from being as good look-
ing as the men.
Notwithstanding these people are hospitable and kind
to strangers, and^ftpparently amiable in their dispositions,
yet, when a warrior conceives himself injured, his thirst
for revenge knows no satiety. Grave and dignified in his
deportment, and priding himself upon his coolness of tem-
per and the control of his passions, yet, when once pro-
voked, he, like the majority of his race, is implacable and
unrelenting ; an affront is laid up and cherished in his
breast, and nothing can efface it from his mind until ample
reparation has been made. He has no idea of forgiveness :
26 INDIAN TOILET.
the insult must be atoned for by blood. ^Yitll other tribes,
quarrels can often be settled by presents to the injured
party ; but with the prairie Indians, the law of equity is
such that no reconciliation can take place until the reproach
is wiped out with the blood of their enemy. They make
no use of money except for ornaments. Like other tribes,
they are fond of decking themselves with paint, beads, and
feathers ; and the young warrior often spends more time at
his toilet than the most conceited coxcomb that can be found
in civilized life. Bright red and blue are their favorite col-
ors ; and vermilion is an important article in the stock of
goods of one of their traders. This they always carry about
their persons; and whenever they expect to meet stran-
gers, they always (provided they have time) make their
"toilet with care, and paint their faces. Some few of their
chiefs who have visited their Great Father at Washington
have returned strongly impressed with the numerical pow-
er and prosperity of the whites ; but the great majority of
them, being entirely ignorant of every thing that relates to
us, and a portion of them having never even seen a white
man, believe the prairie Indians to be the most powerful
people in existence; and the relation of facts which conflict
with this notion, by their own people, to the masses of the
tribes at their prairie firesides, only subjects the narrator to
ridicule, and he is set down as one whose brain has been
turned by the necromancy of the pale-faQes, and is thence-
forth regarded as wholly unworthy of confidence.
The Northern and Middle Comanches, as well as the Ki-
oways, Cheyenncs, Sioux, and other tribes, subsist almost
exclusively upon the flesh of the buffalo, and are known
among the Indians as "buffalo eaters;" and they are gen-
erally found upon the trails of those animals, migrating
with them from place to place, as the seasons come around,
over those vast and inhospitable plains of the West, which
tp
HEALTH OF THE PRAIRIES. -27
are, for the most part, not susceptible of cultivation, and
seem destined in the future, as in the past, to be the abode
of these wandering savages. This barren district, however,
exhibits one characteristic which compensates for many of
its asperities, as, perhaps, no part of the habitable globe is
more favorable to health and the continuation of human
existence than this. Free from marshes, stagnant water,
great bodies of timber, and all other sources of poisonous
malaria, and open to every wind that blows, this immense
grassy expanse is purged from impurities of every kind,
and the air imparts a force and vigor to the body and mind
which repays the occupant in a great measure for his de-
privations. Nature, which almost every where exhibits
some compensation to man for great hardships, has here
conferred upon him health, the first and best of her gifts.
It is a fact worthy of remark that man, in whatever situa-
tion he may be placed, is influenced in his modes of exist-
ence, his physical and moral condition, by the natural re-
sources of cHmate, soil, and other circumstances around him,
over the operations of which he has no control. Fortunate-
ly, such is the flexibility of his nature that he soon learns
to adapt himself to the hardest and most untoward circum-
stances, and, indeed, ultimately becomes not only reconciled
to his lot, but persuades himself that his condition is far
preferable to that of most others.
The example of our Western -border settlers is illustra-
tive of this fact, as they continue to move farther and far-
ther west as the settlements encroach upon them, prefer-
ring a life of dangerous adventure and solitude to personal
security and the comforts and enjoyments of society ; and
what was at first necessity to them becomes in time a
source of excitement and pleasure.
The nomadic Indian of the prairies demonstrates the po-
sition still more forcibly ; free as the boundless plains over
28 LASSOING ANTELOPE.
which he roams, he neither knows nor wants any luxuries
beyond what he finds in the buffalo or the deer around
him. These serve him with food, clothing, and a covering
for his lodge, and he sighs not for the titles and distinctions
which occupy the thoughts and engage the energies of civil-
ized man. His only ambition consists in being able to cope
successfully with his enemy in war, and in managing his
steed with unfailing adroitness. He is in the saddle from
boyhood to old age, and his favorite horse is his constant
companion. It is when mounted that the prairie warrior
exhibits himself to the best advantage; here he is at home,
and his skill in various manoeuvres w^hich he makes avail-
able in battle — such as throwing himself entirely upon one
side of his horse, and discharging his arrows with great ra-
pidity toward the opposite side from beneath the animal's
neck while he is at full speed — is truly astonishing. Many
of the women are equally expert, as equestrians, with the
men. They ride upon the same saddles and in the same
manner, with a leg upon each side of the horse. As an
example of their skill in horsemanship, two young women
of one of the bands of the Northern Comanches, while we
were encamped near them, upon seeing some antelopes at
a distance from their camp, mounted horses, and, with las-
sos in their hands, set off at full speed in pursuit of this
fleetest inhabitant of the plains. After pursuing them for
some distance, and taking all the advantages which their cir-
cuitous course permitted, they finally came near them, and,
throwing the lasso with unerring precision, secured each
an animal, and brought it back in triumph to the camp.
Every warrior has his war-liorse, which is the fleetest that
can be obtained, and he prizes him more highly than any
thing else in his possession, and it is seldom that he can be
induced to part witli him at any price. He never mounts
him excci>t when going into battle, the buffalo chase, or
GUARD DETAILS. 29
upon state occasions. On his return from an excursion he
is met at the door of his lodge by one of his wives, who
takes his horse and attends to its wants with the utmost
care. The prairie warrior performs no menial labor; his
only occupation is in war and the chase. His wives, who
are but little dearer to him than his horse, perform all the
drudgery. He follows the chase, he smokes his pipe, he
eats and sleeps ; and thus he* passes his time, and in his
own estimation he is the most lordly and independent sov-
ereign in the universe.
The mode of life of the prairie tribes, owing to their un-
settled and wandering habits, is such as to render their con-
dition one of constant danger and apprehension. The se-
curity of their numerous animals from the encroachments
of their enemies, and their constant liability to attacks,
make it imperatively necessary for them to be at all times
upon the alert. Their details for herdsmen are made with
as much regularity as the guard details at a military post ;
and even in times of the most profound peace, they guard
their animals both night and day, while scouts are often
patrolling upon the adjoining heights to give notice of the
approach of strangers, when their animals are hurried to a
place of security, and every thing made ready for defense.
The manner in which they salute a stranger is somewhat
peculiar, as my own reception at one of their encampments
will show. The chief at this encampment was a very cor-
pulent old man, with exceedingly scanty attire, who, imme-
diately on our approach, declared himself a great friend of
the Americans, and persisted in giving me evidence of his
sincerity by an embrace, which, to please him, I forced my-
self to submit to, although it was far from agreeable to my
own feelings. Seizing me in his brawny arms while we
were yet in the saddle, and laying his greasy head upon
my shoulder, he inflicted upon me a most bruin -like
C
^
30 INDIAN RECEPTIONS,
squeeze, which I endured with a degree of patient forti-
tude worthy of the occasion; and I was consoling myself
upon the completion of the salutation, when the savage
again seized me in his arms, and I was doomed to another
similar torture, with his head on my other shoulder, while
at the same time he rubbed his greasy face against mine in
the most affectionate manner ; all of which proceeding, he
gave me to understand, was to be regarded as a most dis-
tinguished and signal mark of affection for the American
people in general, whom, as he expressed it, he loved so
much that it almost broke his heart ; and in particular for
myself, who, as their representative, can bear testimony to
the strength of his attachment. On leaving his camp, the
chief shook me heartily by the hand, telling me at the same
time that he was not a Comanche, but an American ; and
as I did not feel disposed to be outdone in politeness by an
Indian, I replied in the same spirit that there was not a
drop of Anglo-Saxon blood in my veins, but that I was
wholly and absolutely a Comanche, at which he seemed de-
lighted, duly understanding and appreciating the compli-
ment. These people are hospitable and kind to all with
whom they are not at war; and on the arrival of a stranger
at their camps a lodge is prepared for him, and he is enter-
tained as long as he chooses to remain among them. They
are also kind and affectionate to each other, and as long as
any thing comestible remains in the camp, all are permitted
to share alike; but with these exceptions, they are pos-
sessed of but few virtues. Polygamy is sanctioned, and is
very common among them, every man being allowed ns
many wives as he can support.
A few years ago the Comanches (for what reason I could
not learn) took an inveterate dislike to the negroes, and
massacred several small parties of those who attempted to
escape from the Seminoles and cross the Plains for the pur-
HOSTILITY TO NEGROES. 31
pose of joining Wild Cat upon the Eio Grande Upon in^
quiring of them the cause of their hostility to the blacks,
they replied that it was because they were slaves to the
whites ; that they were sorry fbr them. I suspect, howev-
er, that they were actuated by other motives than they
cared about acknowledging, and that instead of wishing to
better their condition by sending them to another world,
where they would be released from the fetters of bondage,
they were apprehensive, if they permitted them to pass
quietly, that in time Wild Cat's followers upon the Eio
Grande would augment to such a degree that he would in-
terfere with their marauding operations along the Mexican
borders. These people, who are so extremely jealous of
their own freedom that they will often commit suicide rath-
er than be taken prisoners, are the more prone to enslave
others, and this dominant principle is carried to the great-
est extreme so far as regards their women. A beast of
burden and a slave to the will of her brutal master, yet,
strange as it may appear, the woman seems contented with
her lot, and submits to her fate without a murmur. The
hardships imposed upon the females are most severe and
cruel. The distance of rank and consideration which ex-
ists between the black slave and his master is not greater
than between the prairie warrior and his wife. Every de-
grading office that is imposed upon the black by the most
tyrannical master, falls, among these j)eople, to the lot of
the wretched female. They, in common with other In-
dians, are not a prolific race; indeed, it is seldom that a
woman has more than three or four children. Many of
these, owing to unavoidable exposure, die young ; the boys,
however, are nurtured with care, and treated with great
kindness by their mothers, while the girls are frequently
beaten and abused unmercifully. I have never seen an
idiot, or one that was naturally deformed, among them.
32 PANTOMIME.
Of all the Indians I had before encountered, there were
none who had not an extreme fondness for spirituous liq-
uors. The prairie tribes that I have seen say the taste of
such liquor is not pleasant, that it makes fools of them, and
that they do not desire it. If there are exceptions to this,
I think they may be set down as factitious rather than nat-
ural, the appetite having been created by occasional mdul-
gence in the use of a little at a time.
Their diet is very simple ; as I said before, from infan-
cy to old age, their only food, with the excej)tion of a few
wild plants which they find on the prairies, is fresh meat,
of which, in times of plenty, they consume enormous quan-
tities. In common with many other tribes, they can, when
necessity demands it, abstain from eating for several days
without inconvenience, and they are enabled to make up at
one meal the deficiency. All of them are extravagantly
fond of tobacco, which they use for smoking, mixed with
the dried leaves of the sumach, inhaling the smoke into
their lungs, and giving it out through their nostrils. Their
language is verbal and pantomimic. The former consists
of a very limited number of words, some of which are com-
mon to all the prairie tribes. The latter is used and under-,
stood with great facility and accuracy by all the tribes from
the Gila to the Columbia, the motions and signs to express
ideas being common to all.
This pantomimic vocabulary, which is exceedingly grace-
ful and significant, when oral communication is impractica-
ble, constitutes the court language of the Plains ; and, what
was a fact of much astonishment to me, I discovered that it
was nearly the same as that practiced by the mutes in one
of our deaf and dumb institutions that I visited. For ex-
ample, there were some five or six boys directed to take
their places at the black-boards and interpret what I pro-
])osed to say. I then, by pantomimic signs, told them that
INDIANS AND MUTES. 33
I went on a buffalo hunt, saw a herd, chased them on horse-
back, fired my gun and killed one, cut it up, ate some of
the meat, and went to sleep — every word of which was
written down upon the black-board by each boy as rapidly
as the signs were made, excepting that all made the com-
mon mistake of taking the buffalo for deer.
The name of each tribe of Indians has a signification,
which is represented by a sign that is well understood by
them all.
The Comanche, or "Snake," is indicated by making with
the hand a waving motion, in imitation of the crawling of
the reptile.
The Cheyenne, or " Cut Arm," by drawing the hand
across the arm to imitate cutting it with a knife.
The Arapahoes, or " Smellers," by seizing the nose with
the thumb and forefinger.
The Sioux, or "Cut-throats," by drawing the hand across
the throat.
The Pawnees, or "Wolves," by placing a hand on each
side of the forehead, with two fingers pointing to the front,
to represent the narrow, sharp ears of the wolf.
The Crows, by imitating the flapping of the bird's wings
with the palms of the hands.
On approaching strangers the prairie Indians put their
horses at full speed, and persons not familiar with their pe-
culiarities and habits might interpret this as an act of hos-
tility ; but it is their custom with friends as well as ene-
mies, and should not occasion groundless alarm.
When a party is discovered approaching thus, and are
near enough to distinguish signals, all that is necessary in
order to ascertain their disposition is to raise the right hand
with the palm in front, and gradually push it forward and
back several times. They all understand this to be a com-
34 MARTIAL AMBITION,
•
mand to halt, and if they are not hostile it will at once be
obeyed.
After they have stopped, the right hand is raised again
as before, and slowly moved to the right and left, which
signifies "I do not know you. Who are you?" They
will then answer the inquiry by giving their signal. If
this should not be understood, they may be asked if the}^
are friends by raising both hands grasped in the manner
of shaking hands, or by locking the two forefingers firmly
while the hands are held up. If friendly, they will respond
with the same signal ; but if enemies, they will probably
disregard the command to halt, or give the signal of anger
by closing the hand, placing it against the forehead, and
turning it back and forth while in that position.
No people, probably, on the face of the earth are more
ambitious of martial fame, or entertain a higher apprecia-
tion for the deeds of a daring and successful warrior than
the North American savages of the Plains. The attain-
ment of such reputation is the paramount and absorbing
object of their lives; all their aspirations for distinction in-
variably take this channel of expression. A young man is
never considered worthy to occupy a seat in council until
he has encountered an enemy in battle, and he who can
count the greatest number of scalps is the most highly hon-
ored by his tribe. This idea is inculcated from their earli-
est infancy. It is not surprising, therefore, that with such
weighty inducements before him, the young man who, as
yet, has gained no renown as a brave or warrior, should be
less discriminate in his attacks than older men who have
already acquired a name. The young braves should, there-
fore, be clo.scly watched when encountered on the Plains.
The prairie tribes arc seldom at peace with all their
neighbors, and some of the young braves of a tribe are al-
most always absent upon a war excursion. These forays
YOUNG WARRIORS. 35
sometimes extend into the heart of the northern states of
Mexico, where the Indians have carried on successful inva-
sions for many years. They have devastated and depopu-
lated a great part of Sonora and Chihuahua. The objects
of these forays are to steal horses and mules, and to take
prisoners ; and if it so happens that a war-party has been
unsuccessful in the accomplishment of these ends, or has
had the misfortune to lose some of its number in battle,
they become reckless, and will often attack a small party
with whom they are not at war, provided they hope to es-
cape detection. The disgrace attendant upon a return to
their friends without some trophies as an offsSt to the loss
of their comrades is a powerful incentive to action, and
they extend but little mercy to defenseless travelers who
have the misfortune to encounter them at such a conjunc-
ture.
While en route from New Mexico to Arkansas in 1849 I
was encamped near the head of the Colorado River, and
wishing to know the character of the country for a few
miles in advance of our position, I desired an officer to go
out and make the reconnoissance. I was lying sick in my
bed at the time, or I should have performed the duty my-
self. I expected the ofiicer would have taken an escort
with him, but he omitted to do so, and started off alone.
After proceeding a short distance he discovered four mount-
ed Indians coming at full speed directly toward him, when,
instead of turning his own horse toward camp, and endeav-
oring to make his escape (he was well mounted), or halt-
ing and assuming a defensive attitude, he deliberately rode
up to them ; after which the tracks indicated that they pro-
ceeded about three miles together, when the Indians most
brutally killed and scalped my most unfortunate but too
credulous friend, who might probably have saved his life
had he not, in the kindness of his excellent heart, imagined
36 MURDER OF AN OFFICER.
thq,t the savages would reciprocate bis friendly advances.
He was most woefully mistaken, and bis life paid tbe for-
feit of bis generous and noble disposition,
I bave never been able to get any positive information
as to tbe persons wbo committed tbis murder, yet circum-
stances render it bigbly probable tbat they were a party of
young Indians wbo were returning from an unsuccessful
foray, and tbey were unable to resist tbe temptation of tak-
ing tbe scalp and borse of tbe lieutenant.
A small number of wbite men, in traveling upon tbe
Plains, sbould not allow a party of strange Indians to ap-
proacb tbem' unless able to resist an attack under tbe most
unfavorable circumstances.
It is a safe rule, wben a man finds bimself alone in tbe
prairies, and sees a party of Indians approaching, not to al-
low tbem to come near bim, and if tbey persist in so doing,
to signal tbem to keep away. If tbey do not obey, and be
be mounted upon a fleet borse, be sbould make for tbe near-
est timber. If the Indians follow and press bim too close-
ly, be sbould halt, turn around, and point bis gun at tbe
foremost, which will often bave the effect of turning them
back, but he sbould never draw trigger unless be finds that
his life depends upon tbe shot; for, as soon as bis gun. is
discharged, bis sole dependence, unless he have time to re-
load, must be upon the speed of his borse.
Tbe Indians of the Plains, notwithstanding tbe encomi-
ums that have been heaped upon their brethren who for-
merly occupied the Eastern States for their gratitude, have
not, so far as I have observed, the most distant conception
of tbat sentiment. You may confer numberless benefits
upon them for years, and the more that is done for tbem
the more they will expect. They do not seem to compre-
hend the motive which dictates an act of benevolence or
charity, and tbey invariably attribute it to fear or the ex-
1)
baker's views. 39
pectation of reward. When they make a present, it is with
a view of getting more than its equivalent in return.
I have never yet been able to discover that the Western
wild tribes possessed any of those attributes which among
civilized nations are regarded as virtues adorning the hu-
man character. They have yet to be taught the first rudi-
ments of civilization, and they are at this time as far from
any knowledge of Christianity, and as worthy subjects for
missionary enterprise, as the most untutored natives of the
South Sea Islands.
The only way to make these merciless freebooters fear or
respect the authority of our government is, when they mis-
behave, first of all to chastise them well by striking such a
blow as will be felt for a long time, and thus show them
that we are superior to them in war. They will then re-
spect us much more than when their good-will is purchased
with presents.
The opinion of a friena of mine (Jim Baker), who has
passed the last twenty-five years of his life among the In-
dians of the Eocky Mountains, corroborates the opinions I
have advanced upon this head, and although I do not en-
dorse all of his sentiments, yet many of them are deduced
from long and matured experience and critical observation.
He sa3's:
" They are the most onsartainest varmints in all creation,
and I reckon tha'r not mor'n half human ; for you never
seed a human, arter you'd fed and treated him to the best
fixins in your lodge, jist turn round and steal all your
horses, or ary other thing he could lay his hands on. No,
not adzackly. He would feel kinder grateful, and ask you
to spread a blanket in his lodge ef you ever passed that
a-way. But the Injun he don't care shucks for you, and is
ready to do you a heap of mischief as soon as he quits your
feed. Ko, Cap.," he continued, " it's not the right way to
40 BAKKK'ti VIEWS.
give um presents to buy peace; but ef I war governor of
these yeer United States, I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd in-
vite um all to a big feast, and make b'lieve I wanted to
have a big talk ; and as soon as I got um all together, I'd
pitch in and sculp about half of um, and then t'other half
would be mighty glad to make a peace that would stick.
That's the way I'd make a treaty with the dog'ond, red-
bellied varmints; and as sure as you're born, Cap., that's
the only way."
I suggested to him the idea that there would be a lack
of good faith and honor in such a proceeding, and that it
would be much more in accordance with my notions of
fair dealing to meet them openly in the field, and there en-
deavor to punish them if they deserve it. To this he re-
plied :
"Tain't no use to talk about honor with them, Cap.;
they hain't got no such thing in um ; and they won't show
fair fight, any way you can fix it. Don't they kill and
sculp a white man when-ar they get the better on him?
The mean varmints, they'll never behave themselves until
you give um a clean out-and-out licking. They can't onder-
stand white folks' ways, and they won't learn um ; and ef
you treat um decently, they think you are afeard. You
may depend on't. Cap., the only way to treat Injuns is to
thrash them well at first, then the balance will sorter take
to you and behave themselves."
It is highly important to every man passing through a
country frequented by Indians to know some of their hab-
its, customs, and propensities, as this will facilitate his in-
tercourse with friendly tribes, and enable him, when he
wishes to avoid a conflict, to take precautions against com-
ing in collision with those who are hostile.
Almost every tribe has its own way of constructing its
lodges, encamping, making fires, its own style of dress, by
INDIAN LODGES. 41
some of wbicla peculiarities the experienced frontiersman
can generally distinguisli them.
The Osages, for example, make their lodges in the shape
of a wagon-top, of bent rods or willows covered with skins,
blankets, or the bark of trees.
The Kickapoo lodges are made in an oval form, some-
thing like a rounded haystack, of poles set in the ground,
bent over, and united at top ; this is covered with cloths or
bark.
The Witchetaws, Wacos, Towackanies, and Tonka was
erect their hunting lodges of sticks put up in the form of
the frustum of a cone and covered with brush.
All these tribes leave the frame- work of their lodges
standing when they move from camp to camp, and this, of
course, indicates the particular tribe that erected them.
The Delawares and Shawnees plant two upright forked
poles, place a stick across them, and stretch a canvas cov-
ering over it, in the same manner as with the " tente d'abrV
The Sioux, Arapahoes, Cheyennes, Utes,"" Snakes, Black-
feet, and Kioways, make use of the Comanche lodge, cov-
ered with dressed buffalo hides.
All the prairie Indians I have met with are the most in-
veterate beggars. They will flock around strangers, and,
in the most importunate manner, ask for every thing they
see, especially tobacco and sugar ; and, if allowed, they will
handle, examine, and occasionally pilfer such things as hap-
pen to take their fancy. The proper way to treat them is
to give them at once such articles as are to be disposed of,
and then, in a firm and decided manner, let them under-
stand that they are to receive nothing else.
A party of Keechis once visited my camp with their
principal chief, who said he had some important business
to discuss, and demanded a council with the capitan. After
consent had been given, he assembled his principal men.
42 KEECHI COUNCIL.
and, going through the usual preliminary of taking a hiy
smoke, he arose, and with a great deal of ceremony com-
menced his pompous and flowery speech, which, like all
others of a similar character, amounted to nothing, until he
touched upon the real object of his visit. He said he had
traveled a long distance over the prairies to see and have a
talk with his white brothers; that his people were very
hungry and naked. He then approached me with six
small sticks, and, after shaking hands, laid one of the sticks
in my hand, which he said represented sugar, another sig-
nified tobacco, and the other four, pork, flour, whisky, and
blankets, all of which he assured me his people were in
great need of, and must have. His talk was then con-
cluded, and he sat down, apparently much gratified with
the graceful and impressive manner with which he had ex-
ecuted his part of the performance.
It then devolved upon me to respond to the brilliant ef-
fort of the prairie orator, which I did in something like the
following manner. After imitating his style for a short
time, I closed my remarks by telling him that we were
poor infantry soldiers, who were always- obhgcd to go on
foot; that we had become very tired of walking, and would
like very much to ride. Furthermore, I had observed that
they had among them many fine horses and mules. I then
took two small sticks, and imitating as nearly as possible
the manner of the chief, placed one in his hand, which I
told him was nothing more nor less than a first-rate horse,
and then the other, which signified a good large mule. I
closed by saying that I was ready to exchange presents
whenever it suited his convenience.
They looked at each other for some time witliout speak-
ing, but finally got up and w'alkcd away, and I was not
troubled with them again.
COMANCHE INDIANS. 43
CHAPTER 11.
COMANCHE INDIANS.
Comanche Indians. — Local Subdivisions of the Tribe. — Nomads.— Dimin-
nishing in Numbers. — Fear of visiting the Whites. — Courtship. — Poly-
gamy.— Is-sa-keep. — Receiving Guests. — Council. — Singular Custom. —
Propensity for Horse-racing. — Kickapoo Horse-race. — War Expeditions.
— Method of Recruiting. — Mexican Prisoners. — Parker Family.— Treat-
ment of Negroes. — Visit to the Fort. — Mourning Ceremonies.— Ideas of
the Bible. — Opinion of the Whites. — Medicine Lodges. — Ideas of their own
Importance. — Way to treat them. — Belief in the Deity.
Of all the prairie tribes, with perhaps the exception of
the Dacotahs or Sioux, the Comanches are the most numer-
ous and warlike. They have been variously estimated as
numbering from 12,000 to 18,000 souls ; probably the for-
mer is nearest the truth. They have three local grand di-
visions, namely, the Northern, Middle, and Southern, and
designated by them as Tennawas, Yamparacks, and Coman-
ches. These are subdivided into smaller bands, each hav-
ing its separate chief or captain.
The division of the nation known as the "Southern Co-
manches" remains permanently within the limits of the ter-
ritory pertaining to Texas. It consists of two bands, each
of which has its principal and subordinate chiefs, and they
do not of late years acknowledge the sovereignty of a com-
mon ruler and leader in their united councils nor in war.
The names of their two principal chiefs were in 1854 "Se-
naco" and " Ketumsee." The aggregate number in the two
bands at that period was about 1100 souls.
These peopTe lead a predatory and pastoral life, roving
44 SOUTHERN COMANCHES,
from place to place in search of game for their own sub-
sistence and grass for their animals. Their range extends
from the Red River to the Colorado. In the summer they
are sometimes found upon the former stream, but the win-
ters are always passed upon the waters of the Brazos and
Colorado, where the grass remains fresh and green during
the winter season, and the climate is mild and agreeable.
As the buffaloes have entirely abandoned their hunting
grounds, and do not now extend their migrations south of
Red River in this direction, and as these Indians do not
venture to cross that stream in pursuit of them, they derive
no sustenance from the flesh of these animals, or clothing
from their skins, and they are reduced to the necessity of
depending upon the deer and antelope for food and raiment.
Fortunately, in this mild and genial climate they require
but little clothing.
In a country like theirs, where the game is by no means
abundant, the means for sustaining life are exceedingly pre-
carious and uncertain, and the Indians who depend exclu-
sively upon the fruits of the chase are often subjected to
great privations and sufferings; and were it not for their
horses and mules, which are made use of for food when
nothing else can be obtained, many of them would perish
from hunger. They formerly possessed great numbers of
these animals, but they are rapidly diminishing, and I ob-
served a very sensible decrease in five years.
They have lived so long near the border white settlers
that they are familiar with many of their customs and hab-
its, but, like their red kindred in other places, they unfortu-
nately only see fit to adopt such as are detrimental to them.
They are becoming addicted to the use of that banc of their
race, ardent spirits, and arc much more idle and licentious
than before they came in contact with the pale-faces. Dis-
eases induced by tlicir immoral practices, with the almost
MIDDLE COMANCHES. 45
continual wars in whicli they have been engaged, have
probably contributed largely to the great aggregate of mor-
tality among them. They themselves acknowledge that
their numbers are rapidly diminishing, and that it is only
a few years since they were much more populous than at
present. Many of them have the discernment to foresee
that the only means by which they can preserve their iden-
tity as a nation, for any great length of time, is in an im-
mediate abandonment of their present nomadic life, and the
adoption of agricultural habits.
It can not be exj)ected that the male adults of the present
generation will cast aside their national prejudices against
tilling the soil (which they regard as the occupation of a
slave), and at once fall into habits of industry ; but may it
not be hoped that the women and children can be taught
the rudiments of agriculture, and the next generations de-
rive profit therefrom ?
The "Middle Comanches," as their designation implies,
occupy the country lying between the other divisions of
the tribe. There are two bands in this branch of the na-
tion, called " No-co-nies" and " Ten-na-was." Their prin-
cipal chiefs arc named " Pah-hah-eu-ka," " Po-hah-cot-o-
wit," and " Choice."
From the best information that can be obtained, they are
supposed to number about 3500 souls. They spend the
winters in Northwestern Texas, and in the summer move
north, across the Eed and Canadian Elvers, toward the Ar-
kansas, in pursuit of the buffaloes. They migrate with the
game and seasons. They are more in a state of nature than
the Southern Comanches, still using the buffalo skin for a
covering, and seldom visiting the white settlements.
They are on terms of peace and friendship with their
neighboring brethren on either side of them, and seem to
form an intermediate connecting link between them.
46 NORTHERN COMANCHES.
They interchange visits with their neighbors, and one of
their sub-chiefs was present with them when they met us
upon the Brazos.
They have occasionally seen the white traders, and a few
of them have visited some of the outer settlements upon
the Colorado, but they generally have but a very vague
conception of the customs, numbers, and power of the
whites. Some years since I chanced to meet with one of
their chiefs at a trading-post near the Canadian. He had
left his band on Red River, and come in alone to visit a
Cherokee trader, and stated that he had endeavored to pre-
vail upon some of his people to accompany him, but they
all declined, upon the supposition that he was embarking
upon a desperate expedition, where his life would be placed
in imminent jeopardy, and they were not disposed to en-
counter the risks attending such a reckless adventure.
The " Northern Comanches" are much more wild than
either of the others we have spoken of. Through summer
and winter they range the plains upon the trails of the buf-
faloes. At one time their larder is overstocked and they
gorge themselves to repletion, while at another time they
are famishing for the aliment necessary to sustain life. All
of them are alike a race of hunters, depending from day to
day upon the results of the chase.
The country they inhabit extends from the Arkansas to
Red River, and it is but seldom that they have met with
any whites, and when I saw them in 1849 none of them
had ever seen a house, with the exception of a few who had
been in Mexico.
Although I have not been able to obtain sufficient data
to enable me to arrive at any thing like a satisfixctory esti-
mate of the numbers of this branch of the nation, yet there
is no doubt that they greatly exceed the aggregate of the
other two.
COMANCHE COURTSHIP. 49
The Comanches suppose their original progenitors came
from the west.
Polygamy is prevalent among them, every man having
as many wives as he can support.
Their courtship is as brief as it is peculiar. When he de-
sires to marry, the suitor provides himself with horses, and
such goods as he thinks will be acceptable to the father of
his intended, takes them to the lodge occupied by the head
of the family, and then seats himself near by to await the
result of the negotiation. The father then comes out, ex-
amines what has been offered, and, if it is satisfactory, leads
out his daughter and hands her over to the bridegroom, and
the marriage ceremony is completed. The girl has no voice
in the matter, and has no alternative but to submit to the
decision of her father.
This summary method of match-making often leads to
family dissension ; and as young girls are often compelled
to unite their fortunes with old men, this not unfrequently
results in subsequent elopements with younger lovers. In
such cases, the husband pursues the truants ; and their for-
mer practice anthorized him, in case he overtook them, to
put them to death ; but now they generally compromise tlie
matter by an equivalent in horses, after which the girl be-
comes the property of her lover.
Ketumsee, the chief of one of the bands of Southern Co-
manches, a man at least sixty years old, had four wives, the
eldest of whom was not over twenty years of age. They
seemed very fond of the old man, and would sit by the
hour combing his hair and caressing him. I showed one
of them a photographic likeness of my wife, which seemed
to interest her very much, and she frequently requested me
to allow her to look at it afterward. S^e seemed to imag-
ine that it was living, and would point to the eyes and
smile, as much as to say it could see.
E
50 IS-SA-KEEP.
I upon one occasion asked her how she would like to
leave Ketumsee and go home with me. She in reply
pointed to the photograph, and drew her other hand across
her throat, most significantly indicating that, in her judg-
ment, my house would be any thing but a safe place for
her, and as I was rather inclined to the same opinion my-
self, I did not feel disj)Osed to discuss the subject any far-
ther.
It was formerly regarded by the Comanches as an essen-
tial part of genuine hospitality that their guests should have
wives assigned to them during their stay in camp. This
custom, however, is now pretty much abandoned. In 1849,
while en route to New Mexico, I met with a very large band
of Northern Comanches, commanded by a venerable old
chief called Is-sa-keep (Wolf's Shoulder). He requested us
to encamp at a certain place, as he wished to hold a council
with us. I complied with his request, and the next morn-
ing he, with about a dozen of his principal men, dressed
and painted in the most fantastic manner, rode into our
camp with great pomp and ceremony, dismounted at my
tent, and after embracing me a la Mexicano (only, to use a
trite phrase, "a good deal more so," as they nearly squeezed
the breath out of my body), they seated themselves around
the door of my tent, and intimated that they were ready
for a " big talk." I informed them that we were escorting
emigrants to California, and that in all probability many
more would, from time to time, travel over the same road,
and that our authorities would hold them responsible if these
people were molested. I also informed them that our gov-
ernment, by treaty with Mexico, had obligated itself to put
a stop to farther depredations upon the people of that coun-
try by Indians living within our territor}'-, and that all Mex-
ican prisoners in their hands must be turned over to our au-
thorities forthwith, etc.
AVERSION TO LIQUOR. 51
Is-sa-keep replied that the talk was very good except in
the two particulars of horse-stealing and returning prison-
ers, which made him very sad.
After the council was concluded I mixed a glass of weak
brandy toddy and offered it to the chief He tasted the
beverage and passed it to the next, and from him it went
around the entire circle, all the Indians taking a si|), but at
the same time making grimaces, as if it was not pleasant.
The glass was handed back to me by the chief, with the re-
mark that it was not good, as it took away their senses and
made fools of them.
Shortly after this I observed my interpreter,^Black Bea-
ver, engaged in quite an animated discussion with the chief,
which led me to inquire what they were talking about. At
this time there were probably five hundred emigrants and
soldiers collected directly around our circle, all manifesting
the utmost curiosity to hear everything that was said. Bea-
ver, in reply to my question, then said, "He say, captain, he
bring two wife for you," pointing to two girls who were
sitting near by. I was a good deal embarrassed at such a
proposition, made in presence of so large an assembly, but
told Beaver to inform the chief that this was not in accord-
ance with the customs of the white people ; that they only
' had one wife at home, and were not at all disposed to mar-
ry others when abroad. This was interpreted to Is-sa-keep,
and, after a brief consultation, Beaver interpreted, "He say,
captain, you the strangest man he never see ; every man he
seen before, when he been travlin' long time, the fust thing-
he want, xoifeP
Lieutenant John Buford (afterward Greneral Buford), who
was attached to my command at this time, had, just previ-
ous to our departure from Arkansas, received from his un-
cle in Kentucky a present of one of the finest of his large
stud of thorough-bred horses, and he had taken great pains
62 PROPENSITY FOR RACING.
to keep him up in good running condition during our trip.
He liad heard of the inveterate propensity -of the Coman-
ches for horse-racing, and expected they might be disposed
to try the speed of some of their own animals with his. As
we were all anxious to witness the comparative racing qual-
ities of the full-blooded stock and the Indian horses, we in-
quired of the chief if he was inclined to enter any of his
Horses against that of the lieutenant. He said he was very
fond of the sport, but that, unfortunately, all of their fleetest
horses were then absent on a buffalo hunt ; but if, on our re-
turn, we still wished to try the experiment, he would will-
ingly bet as many horses as we chose to risk upon the re-
sult, provided we would consent to run fourteen miles.
The race did not, therefore, come off at that time, but
Beaver seemed to be fully impressed with the conviction
that if it had, our thoroughbred would have been beaten.
As an evidence in favor of this supposition, he said he
once accompanied a party of Kickapoos, who had pur-
chased a very fleet race-horse from a white man in ISfis-
souri, and took him a long distance out into the Plains for
the express purpose of running him against the Comanche
horses. They conducted him very carefully, packing grain
for him the entire distance, and took with them a large
number of other horses to wager with Comanchcs, and
they all expected confidently to make a good speculation.
They arrived at the Comanche camp, and made bets of
all their horses and their blankets, and the preliminaries
of the contest were satisfactorily arranged for all parties.
Beaver, who was the guest of the principal chief, felt the
most perfect confidence, and was disposed to venture every
thing he possessed, but his host endeavored to dissuade
him from betting on the race at all, telling liim he would
be certain to lose his property. He persisted, however,
and the chief took all his bets. The race was run, and, to
WAR EXPEDITIONS. 53
the astonishment and discomfiture of the Kickapoos, their
horse was badly beaten. The magnanimous chief then
told Beaver to take back his horses, and never again to
venture in a speculation, the success of which depended
upon beating the Comanches in horse-racing.
The vanquished sportsmen, with the single exception of
my friend Beaver, returned home on foot, partially deprived
of their clothing, and a good deal chopfallen, and, as I un-
derstand, resolved from thenceforth never to repeat the ex-
periment.
WAR EXPEDITIONS.
When a chief desires to organize a war-party, he pro-
vides himself with a long pole, attaches a red flag to the
end of it, and trims the top with eagle feathers. He then
mounts his horse in his war costume, and rides around
through the camp singing the war-song. Those who are
disposed to join the expedition mount their horses and fall
into the procession ; after parading about for a time, all dis-
mount, and the war-dance is performed. This ceremony is
continued from day to day until a sufiicient number of vol-
unteers are found to accomplish the objects desired, when
they set out for the theatre of their intended exploits.
As they proceed upon their expedition, it sometimes hap-
pens that the chief with whom it originated, and who inva-
riably assumes the command, becomes discouraged at not
finding an opportunity of displaying his warlike abilities,
and abandons the enterprise ; in which event, if others of
the party desire to proceed farther, they select another lead-
er and push on, and thus so long as any one of the party
holds out.
A war-party is sometimes absent for a great length of
time, and for days, weeks, and months their friends at home
anxiously await their return, until suddenly, from afar, the
64 PRISONERS.
shrill war-cry of an avant courier is heard proclaiming the
approach of the victorious warriors. The camp is in an in-
stant alive with excitement and commotion. Men, women,
and children swarm out to meet the advancing party.
Their white horses are painted and decked out in the most
fantastic style, and led in advance of the triumphant pro-
cession ; and, as they pass around through the village, the
old women set up a most unearthly howl of exultation,
after which the scalp-dance is performed with all the pomp
and display their limited resources admit of, the warriors
having their faces painted black.
When, on the other hand, the expedition terminates dis-
astrously by the loss of some of the party in battle, the rel-
atives of the deceased cut off their own hair and the tails
and manes of their horses as symbols of mourning, and
howl and cry for a long time.
The Comanches always have among them Mexican pris-
oners, whom they have captured when they were youn^
children, and have raised and adopted into the nation-
They seem readily to embrace the habits of the Indians,
and intermarry with them.
I had in my employ for some considerable time a young
man named Parker, who, with a sister, were captured by
the Comanches on the borders of Texas when they were
only six or eight years old. The Indians murdered all the
family with the exception of these two children and their
mother ; the latter, fortunately, was absent from home at
the time. They carried the children away to their prairie
haunts, where they kept them for several years, until at
length a Delaware trader purchased the boy' and brought
him to Fort Gibson, from whence he was sent home to his
mother's house. She was, of course, greatly rejoiced to sec
him again, but deplored the loss of her daughter, and pre-
vailed upon the young man to return into the Plains, hunt
TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. 55
up the Comanches, and endeavor to purchase his sister from
them.
He went, found the camp, and used every argument in
his power to prevail upon his sister to leave the Indians
and return home with him, but it was of no avail. She
told him that she knew no mother except her adopted In-
dian parent; that her husband, children, and friends, and
all else that she held dear on earth, were there, and there
she was resolved to remain for the remainder of her life.
He left her and returned^ home alone, and, if she is living,
she is probably with the savages yet.
A few years since there was another white man living in
Western Texas who was captured by the Comanches when
a small boy, and lived with them until he was grown up.
On his return to his relatives he had become so thorough-
ly Comancheized that, at times when he felt hungry, he
would take his rifle, go out into his father's pasture, shoot
down an ox, and, after cutting off a steak, build a fire, and
cook it on a stick, leaving the remainder for the wolves ;
and it was some considerable time before his family could
convince him of the impropriety of this improvident pro-
ceeding.
A Delaware trader, in 1850, brought into the settlements
two negro girls which he had obtained from the Comanches.
It appeared that they had been with a number of Seminole
negroes who attempted to cross the Plains to join Wild Cat
upon the Rio Grande.
The party had been intercepted by the Indians, and ev-
ery one, with the exception of these two girls, put to death.
They were taken to the camp, where the most inhuman
barbarities were perpetrated upon them. Among other
fiendish atrocities, the savages scraped through their skin
into the flesh, believing that beneath the cuticle the flesh
was black like the color upon the exterior. They burned
56 SWAPPII^'G WIVES.
tbem with live coals to ascertain whether fire produced the
same sensations of pain as wnth their own people, and tried
various other experiments which were attended with most
acute torture. The poor girls were shockingly scarred and
mutilated when I saw them.
While I was stationed at Camp Arbuckle, on the Cana-
dian River, in 1850, a band of prairie Indians came in to
see us, and, as this was probably the first time they had
ever entered a white man's habitation, every thing was
novel to them, and their curiosity was very much excited.
The chief examined various articles of furniture, books, and
pictures, but nothing seemed to attract his attention so
much as an oil-cloth rug upon the floor. It was covered
with bright colors, which appeared to take his fancy amaz-
ingly, and he scrutinized it very closely. He scraped it
with his finger nails, and, wetting his fingers, tried to wash
off the coloring; and, after he had seen all that interested
him, inquired if the President had sent me all those things
from Washington. My wife showed him specimens of em-
broidery, which pleased him so much that he paid her the
compliment of proposing to exchange wives with me, and,
upon my referring him to her for a decision, he informed
me that he was not in the habit of trading with squaws, but
if I would only say the word, he was ready to swcq) right
off.
When a Comanche warrior dies, he is buried on the sum-
mit of a high hill, in a sitting posture, with his fiice to the
east, and his buflalo robe and all his scanty wardrobe with
him. Ilis best horses and all his war implements are killed
and destroyed, and the remainder of his animals have their
manes and tails shaved close, and the women of the family
crop their hair as a symbol of aflliction and mourning. Aft-
er the death the relatives and friends of the deceased as-
semble morning and evening outside the camp, where they
MRS. SANTA ANA. 67
crj and cut themselves with knives for half an hour or
more ; and this sometimes lasts for a month.
When any person dies the corpse is buried immediate-
ly. The death of a young warrior is always greatly la-
mented, and the mourning ceremonies continue a long time ;
but when an old man dies they only mourn for him a few
days, upon the principle that his services were no longer
useful to his people.
In 1849 I met with the widow of a prominent chief of
the Southern Comanches, " Santa Ana," who had then been
dead about three years ; yet she still continued the mourn-
ing ceremonies, and every evening, just before sunset, she
could be seen on a hill adjacent to the camp crying and
howling most piteously. This woman possessed a large
number of very valuable horses and mules, and she had re-
ceived several very advantageous offers to renew matrimo-
nial relations with leading men of the tribe, but she declined
them all, and seemed devoted to the memory of her depart-
ed husband.
She did not associate much with the men, but pitched
her lodge at a distance from all others ; and I was informed
that there was no man in the tribe who could excel her in
hunting. She was said to have killed in one morning near
Fort Chadbourn fourteen deer.
She was one of the most dignified and distino-uished-look-
o o
ing persons we saw in the tribe.
These Indians believe that all, after death, go to a place
in the spirit world where there is no scarcity of buffalo, and
where their condition is supremely happy provided they
have taken a plenty of scalps and stolen a goodly number
of horses in this world. They also believe that the Great
Spirit permits them to revisit the earth in the night-time,
but requires them to return to the spirit hunting-grounds
before the dawn of day.
58 IDEAS OF THE BIBLE.
While witli the Southern Comaiiches I showed a Bible to
Senaco, and endeavored, through the medium of a good in-
terpreter, to make him comprehend its import. Among oth-
er things, I stated to him that it was a talk which had been
communicated to our forefathers by the Great Spirit, and
by them carefully handed down from generation to genera-
tion to us.
I then asked him if his people had ever heard of this
book before. He answered in the negative, and added that
in his opinion this talk emanated from the God of the white
man, as the Comanches' God was so far distant in the sky
that they could not hear him speak, and when they- wished
to communicate with him they were obliged to do it through
the medium of the sun, which they could see and hold con-
verse with.
They are desirous of procuring from whomsoever they
meet testimonials of their good behavior, which they pre-
serve with great care, and exhibit upon all occasions to
strangers as a guarantee of future good conduct.
On meeting with a chief of the Southern Comanches in
1849, after going through the usual ceremony of embracing,
and assuring me that he was the best friend the Americans
ever had among the Indians, he exhibited numerous certifi-
cates from the different white men he had met with, testify-
ing to his friendly disposition. Among these was one that
he desired me to read with special attention, as he said he
was of the opinion that perhaps it might not be so compli-
mentary in its character as some of the others. It was in
these words :
" The bearer of this says he is a Comanche chief, named
Senaco ; that he is the biggest Indian and best friend the
whites ever had ; in fact, that he is a first-rate fellow ; but
I believe he is a d — d rascal, so look out for IximP '
I smiled on reading the paper, and, looking up, found the
EXCHANGING PRESENTS. 59
chief's eyes intently fixed upon mine with an expression of
the most earnest inquiry. I told him the paper was not as
good as it might be, whereupon he destroyed it.
Five years after this interview I met Senaco again near
the- same place. He recognized me at once, and, much to
my surprise, pronounced my name quite distinctly.
. These Indians, like most others, are accustomed, in their
diplomatic intercourse, to exchange presents, and they seem
to have no idea of friendship unaccompanied by a substan-
tial token in this form. Moreover, they measure the strength
of the attachment of their friends by the magnitude of the
presents they receive. In the talk which I held with Is-sa-
keep, I took occasion to say that the President of the United
States was the friend of his red children, and desired to live
at peace with them all. He, in reply, said he was much
astonished to hear this; for, judging from the few trifling
presents I had made his people, he had formed the opinion
that the "Big Captain" of the pale-faces held them in but
little estimation.
The limited intercourse that has existed between -the Co-
manches and the whites does not appear to have prepos-
sessed the former much in our favor, as the following inci-
dent, which was related to me by Mr. Israel Fulsom, a very
intelligent and educated Chickasaw, goes to show. Upon
a certain occasion, while he was visiting them, he remarked
to the chief that it was only a few years since the people
of his own nation were equally as uncivilized as the Co-
manches, but that, through the instrumentality of the white
missionaries, they had been induced to abandon their pre-
carious hunting habits, and had learned to read and write,
and to cultivate the soil, so that they were then enabled to
live in the same manner as the white people, and were al-
ways supplied with abundance of food.
The chief replied that he had no doubt there were some
60 OPINIONS OF WHITE MEN.
advantages to be derived from education, and that he had
often given the subject his serious consideration, but that
the pale-faces were all such arrant rascals that he was afraid
to let them take up their abode with his people. Where-
upon Mr. Folsom suggested to him that probably he had
met with only the bad specimens of the white race, and
that he himself had known very many good men among
them who had conferred important benefits upon the Eed
Man.
The. Comanche replied that possibly such might be the
case, but he had always been under the impression that
there were but few, if any honest white men. He said far-
ther, that if the Chickasaws would send out one of their
educated men to teach their children to read and write,
they would have no objections.
Like other Indians, they submit with imperturbable sto-
icism and apathy to misfortunes of the most serious charac-
ter, and, in the presence of strangers, manifest no surprise
or curiosity at the exhibition of novelties ; yet this appar-
ent indifference is assumed, and they are, in reality, very in-
quisitive people. In every village may be seen small struc-
tures, consisting of a frame-work of slight poles, bent into a
semi-spherical form, and covered with buffalo hides. These
are called medicine lodges, and are used as vapor-baths. The
patient is seated within the lodge, beside several heated
stones, upon which water is thrown, producing a dense hot
vapor, which brings on a profuse perspiration, while, at the
same time, the shamans, or medicine-men, jvho profess to
have the power of communicating with the unseen world,
and of propitiating the malevolence of evil spirits, are per-
forming various incantations, accompanied by music, on the
outside. Such means are resorted to for healing all dis-
eases; and I am also informed that their young men are
obliged to undergo a regular course of steam-bathing before
OPINIONS OF THEMSELVES. " 61
they are considered worthy of assuming the responsible du-
ties of warriors. The knowledge they possess of their early
history is very vague and limited, and does not extend far-
ther back than a few generations. They say that their fore-
fathers lived precisely as they do, and followed the buffalo ;
that they came from a country toward the setting sun,
where they expect to return after death. They acknowl-
edge the existence and power of a great supernatural agent,
who directs and controls all things ; but this power they
conceive to be vested in the sun, which they appeal to on
all occasions of moment.
As I remarked before, the Northern Comanches are fully
impressed with the conviction that theirs is the most pow-
erful race in existence, and in 1854 some of their chiefs
sent a message to the commanding officer of one of our
military posts to the effect that, as soon as the grass ap-
peared in the spring, he intended paying him a visit, when
he might expect to receive a severe whipping, and lose all
his animals. Shortly afterward the post was abandoned,
and our interpreter informed me that the Indians verily be-
lieved it was in consequence of the threat they had made.
The question as to what line of policy will the most
speedily and effectually bring these Indians into subjection
to the dictates of our authorities, and control their future
movements, is one fraught with difficulties, but must sooner
or later be met.
The limits of their accustomed range are rapidly con-
tracting, and their means of subsistence undergoing a cor-
responding diminution. The white man is advancing with
rapid strides upon all sides of them, and they are forced to
give way to his encroachments. The time is not far distant
when the buffaloes will become extinct, and they will then
be compelled to adopt some other mode of life than the
chase for a subsistence.
F
62 PROPER POLICY.
Excepting a portion of the Southern Comanches, they
have not as yet taken the first step toward civilization, and
are entire strangers to labor or husbandry. The Indians
must live, and when the Plains will not afford them a main-
tenance, they will unquestionably seek it from their neigh-
bors. No man will quietly submit to starvation when food
is within his reach, and if he can not obtain it honestly he
will steal it, or take it by force. If, therefore, we do not in-
duce them to engage in agricultural avocations, we shall, in
a few years, have before us the alternative of exterminating
the race or feeding them perpetually.
That they are destined ultimately to extinction does not,
in my mind, admit of a doubt, and it may be beyond the
agency of human control to avert such a result. But it
seems to me in accordance with the benevolent spirit of our
institutions that we should endeavor to make the pathway
of their exit from the s|)here of human existence as smooth
and easy as possible, and I know no more effectual way of
accomplishing this than by teaching them to till the soil.
For the reasons before mentioned, it may at first be nec-
essary for our government to assert its authority over them
by a prompt and vigorous exercise of the military arm, and
as soon as this is felt and acknowledged, the fostering hand
of government should be kindly extended to them, and
strong inducements offered to all who are disposed to labor,
and every assistance given them upon the new sphere of
action. In doing this, we discharge a debt of honor to the
Eed Man, and confer upon him benefits of vastly more im-
portance than by giving him presents of money and goods,
the greater part of which are oftentimes stolen by corrupt
agents and unprinci])lcd traders. The tendency of the
policy I have indicated will be to assemble these people in
communities where they will be more readily controlled,
and I predict from it the most gratifying results.
TEXAS RANGERS. 68
The predatory incursions of the ISTorthern and Middle
Coraanches upon the western borders of Texas and the
northern states of Mexico were carried on successfully and
uninterruptedly for many years. During the existence of
the republic of Texas, the pioneers of that country were
continually harassed by bands of these freebooters, and the
result of their efforts shows how difficult it was to subdue
them in war.
From 1838 to 184:2, the republic was involved in contin-
ual hostilities with these Indians, and during a portion of
that time they had a large force in the field, many of whom
were frontier settlers, whose sinews of iron and frames of
oaken firmness had undergone such a system of training
that they were enabled to set at defiance the vicissitudes of
the most capricious climate, and were capable of enduring
almost any amount of exposure 'and fatigue. These men
were commanded by energetic and experienced leaders, and
were well qualified to fill their stations.
Thus organized, they constituted the renowned " Texas
Eangers," who are to this day held up by their statesmen
as examples of the most successful Indian fighters that our
country has produced.
The operations of the Eangers, as with our own troops
that have been stationed along the Rio Grande frontier,
were generally directed against war-parties, which were well
mounted, and only suffered themselves to be approached
when it suited their purposes, as they could at any time
make their escape to their distant homes in the north,
where they were out of reach from pursuit.
In this protracted warfare it was seldom that any deci-
sive advantages were gained over the Indians, and after ex-
pending her utmost energies in the vain attempt to chastise
them into subjection, the' sparsely-populated republic was
finally compelled to resort to the peace policy.
64 RELIGION,
One of tlie most prominent features in the religious
creeds of tlie natives of this continent, and a coincidence
of faith common to tbem all, so far as I have been able to
learn, is the remarkable fact that thej universally acknowl-
edge the existence of, and pay homage to, one great and
almighty Spirit.
They are Theists of the least sensual stamp ; and that they
have seldom, if ever, been idolaters, is a fact that is well es-
tablished in the history of the race from the discovery of
America. It is true that many of the tribes are in the
habit of making their supplications to the great Disposer
of Events through the medium of the sun, moon, or earth.
This, however, is only true so far as these media are to be
considered as symbolic of the real deity. They are not re-
garded as in themselves possessing the power of supreme
divinity, but as intermediate agents through which wish-
es are communicated to the Creator.
In some other nations of the Old "World the type has
sometimes been adopted as the real and actual deity or ob-
ject of worship.
"Sun-worship" seems to have been universal over the
Old World, It has been found in Egypt, Cbaldea, Persia,
Greece, India, Scandinavia, Lapland, Britain, Germany, and
many other countries, "The fire -worshipers" had been
tauglit by their fothers to worship the sun and the fire, as
emblems of the god of the world. They ceased to look be-
yond the emblem, and worshiped it as the real deity. In
Mexico and Peru the Incas and priests claimed to be " chil-
dren of the sun." But the Indians of North America have
continued to look beyond the symbol to the being it repre-
sented. They have never been idolaters. They have nev-
er worshiped the emblem in the place of the true deity.
And still, in their figurative language, they often speak as
if they considered the sun as their god. They often call
RELIGION. 65
themselves "children of the sun," as well as "sonls made
of fire," etc. The Indian warrior and orator Tecumseh, at
the conclusion of a speech, was told that his "father," the
Governor of Indiana, desired him to take a chair. He re-
jected it with scorn. "My father!" said the indignant
chief, throwing himself on the ground; "the sun is my fa-
ther, and the earth is my mother, and I will repose upon
her bosom !"*
In evidence of what I have stated, I remark that Dn
Pratz found the Indians in the Mississippi Yalley worship-
ing a " great and most perfect Spirit, compared with whom
all other things were as nothing, and by whom all things
were made."
Lewis and Clarke, fifty years ago, found the Indians in-
habiting the Upper Missouri possessing a religious faith
which consisted exclusively in a firm belief in the exist-
ence of " 07ie great SjjiriT who ruled the destinies of men.
Eoger Williams expressed the conviction that if any
white man doubted the existence of the God of the uni-
verse, "the Indians could teach him."
The venerable missionary Heckewelder, after forty years'
residence among the Delawares, said that habitual devotion
to the Supreme Being was one of the most prominent traits
in the mind of the Eed Man.
Notwithstanding the high veneration that these people
entertain for the Great Spirit, and the remarkable fact that
among those I have known there is nothing in their vocab-
ularies that enables them to give oral - expression to an
oath, yet, as strange as it may appear, the first expressions
they learn after coming in contact with the white race are
invariably those of profanity and obscenity, and this can
only be accounted for from the fact that their earliest asso-
* Theology of the American Indians, National Quarterly Keview, June,
1863.
F*
66 CIVILIZATION.
ciations among the whites are with unprincipled Indian
traders and immoral frontiersmen, who teach them all our
vices, and none of our virtues.
Most of the Eastern tribes of Indians have, through the
efforts of missionaries and philanthropists, been taught the
rudiments of our revealed religion, and many of them have
been worthy Christians, exercising a good influence over
their red brethren. But thus far, no such efforts have ever
been made to improve the moral or physical condition of
the Comanches; no missionaries have, to my knowledge,
ever visited them, and they have no more idea of Christian-
ity than they have of the religion of Mohammed. We find
dwelling almost at our doors as barbarous and heathenish
a race as exists on the face of the earth ; and while our be-
nevolent and philanthropic citizens are making such efforts
to ameliorate the condition of savages in other countries,
should we not do something for the benefit of these wild
men of the prairies? Those dingy noblemen of nature, the
original proprietors of all that vast domain included be-
tween the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific, have been de-
spoiled, supplanted, and robbed of their just and legitimate
heritage by the avaricious and rapid encroachments of the
ivhite man. Numerous and powerful nations have already
become exterminated by unjustifiable wars that he has
waged with them, and by the effects of the vices he has in-
troduced and inculcated ; and of those that remain, but few
can be found who are not contaminated by the pernicious
influences of unprincipled and designing adventurers. It
is not at this late day in our power to atone for all the in-
justice inflicted upon the Red Men; but it seems to me that
a wise policy would dictate almost the only recompense it
is now in our power to make — that of introducing among
them the light of Christianity and the blessings of civiliza-
tion, with their attendant benefits of agriculture and the
arts.
CIVILIZED WARFARE. 67
CHAPTER III.
INDIAN WARFARE.
Indian "VVaifare. — French Army in Algeria. — Turkish Method of Warfare.
— Tracking Indians. — Telegraphing by Smokes. — Delawares, Shawnees,
and Kickapoos. — Guides in the Great Desert. — The Khebir. — Delaware's
Idea of the Compass. — Black Beaver. — Jealousy of his Wife. — Coman-
che's Ideas of the Whites. — John Bushman. — Marriage Relations. — Jim
Ned. — Great Horse-thief. — Comanche Law. — Juan Galvan. — liickapoos
good Hunters. — Respect for Law.
The art of war, as taught and practiced among civilized
nations at the present day, is no doubt well adapted to the
purposes for which it was designed, viz., the operations of
armies acting in populated districts, furnishing ample re-
sources, and against an enemy who is tangible, and makes
use of similar tactics and strategy. But the modern schools
of military science are but illy suited to carrying on a war-
fare with the wild tribes of the Plains,
The vast expanse of desert territory that has been an-
nexed to our domain within the last few years is peopled
by numerous tribes of marauding and erratic savages, who
are mounted upon fleet and 'hardy horses, making war the
business and pastime of their lives, and acknowledging
none of the ameliorating conventionalities of civilized war-
fare. Their tactics are such as to render the old system al-
most wholly impotent.
To act against an enemy who is here to-day and there
to-morrow ; who at one time stampedes a herd of mules
upon the head waters of the Arkansas, and when next
heard from is in the very heart of the populated districts
of Mexico, laying waste haciendas, and carrying devasta-
68 TRUE MILITARY POLICY.
tion, rapine, and murder in his steps ; who is every where
without being any where ; who assembles at the moment
of combat, and vanishes whenever fortune turns against
him ; who leaves his women and children far distant from
the theatre of hostilities, and has neither towns nor mao^a-
zines to defend, nor lines of retreat to cover; who derives
his commissariat from the country he operates in, and is
not encumbered with baggage-wagons or pack-trains ; who
comes into action only when it suits his purpose, and never
without the advantage of numbers or position — with such
an enemy the strategic science of civilized nations loses
much of its importance, and finds but rarely, and only in
peculiar localities, an o^^portunity to be put in practice.
Our little army, scattered as it has been over the vast
area of our possessions, in small garrisons of one or two
companies each, has seldom been in a situation to act suc-
cessfully on the offensive against large numbers of these
marauders, and has often been condemned to hold itself al-
most exclusively upon the defensive. The morale of the
troops must thereby necessarily be seriously impaired, and
the confidence of the savages correspondingly augmented.
The system of small garrisons has a tendency to disorganize
the troops in proportion as they are scattered, and renders
them correspondingly inefiicient. The same results have
been observed by the French army in Algeria, where, in
18-i5, their troops were, like ours, disseminated over a vast
space, and broken up into small detachments stationed in
numerous intrenched posts. Upon the sudden appearance
of Abd el Kader in the plain of Mitidja, they were defeat-
ed with serious losses, and were from day to, day obliged
to abandon these useless stations, with all the supplies they
contained. A French writer, in discussing this subject,
says :
" We have now abandoned the fatal idea of defending
FRENCH IN ALGERIA. 69
Algeria by small intrenclied posts. In studying the char-
acter of the war, the nature of the men who are to op-
pose us, and of the country in which we are to operate, we
must be convinced of the danger of admitting any other
system of fortification than that which is to receive our
grand depots, our magazines, and to serve as places to re-
cruit and rest our troops when exhausted by long expedi-
tionary movements.
" These fortifications should be established in the midst
of the centres of action, so as to command the principal
routes, and serve as pivots to expeditionary columns.
" We owe our success to a system of war which has its
proofs in twice changing our relations with the Arabs.
This system consists altogether in the great mobility we
have given to our troops. Instead of disseminating our
soldiers with the vain hope of protecting our frontiers with
a line of small posts, we have concentrated them, to have
them at all times ready for emergencies, and since then the
fortune of the Arabs has waned, and we have marched
from victory to victory.
" This system, which has thus far succeeded, ought to
succeed always, and to conduct us, God willing, to the
peaceful possession of the country."
In reading a treatise upon war as it is practiced by the
French in Algeria, by Colonel A. Laure, of the 2d Alge-
rine Tirailleurs, published in Paris in 1858, 1 was struck
with the remarkable similarity between the habits of the
Arabs and those of the wandering tribes that inhabit our
Western prairies. Their manner of making war is almost
precisely the same, and a successful system of strategic
operations for one will, in my opinion, apply to the other.
As the Turks have been more successful than the French
in their military operations against the Arab tribes, it may
not be altogether uninteresting to inquire by what means
70 TURKISH SOLDIEliS.
these inferior soldiers have accomplished the best re-
sults.
The author above mentioned, in speaking upon this sub-
ject, says :
" In these latter days the world is occupied with the or-
ganization of mounted infantry, according to the example
of the Turks, where, in the most successful experiments
that have been made, the mule carries the foot-soldier.
" The Turkish soldier mounts his mule, puts his provi-
sions upon one side and his accoutrements upon the other,
and, thus equipped, sets out upon long marches, traveling
day and night, and only reposing occasionally in bivouac.
Arrived near the place of operations (as near the break of
day as possible), the Turks dismount in the most profound
silence, and pass in succession the bridle of one mule through
that of another in such a manner that a single man is suffi-
cient to hold forty or fifty of them by retaining the last
bridle, which secures all the others; they then examine
their arms, and are ready to commence their work. The
chief gives his last orders, posts his guides, and they make
the attack, surprise the enemy, generally asleep, and carry
the position without resistance. The operation terminated,
they hasten to beat a retreat, to prevent the neighboring
tribes from assembling, and thus avoid a combat.
" The Turks had only three thousand mounted men and
ten thousand infantry in Algeria, yet these thirteen thou-
sand men sufficed to conquer the same obstacles which
have arrested us for twenty-six years, notwithstanding the
advantage we had of an army which was successively re-
enforced until it amounted to a hundred thousand.
" Why not imitate the Turks, then, mount our infiintry
upon mules, and reduce the strength of our army?
" The response is very simple :
" The Turks are Turks — that is to say, Mussulmans —
ARABS. 71
and indigenous to the country; the Turks speak the Arabic
language ; the Deys of Algiers had less country to guard
than we, and they care very little about retaining possession
of it. They are satisfied to receive a part of its revenues.
They were not permanent ; their dominion was held by a
thread. The Arab dwells in tents; his magazines are in
caves. When he starts upon a war expedition, he folds
his tent, drives far away his beasts of burden, which trans-
port his effects, and only carries with him his horse and
arms. Thus equipped, he goes every where ; nothing ar-
rests him ; and often, when we believe him twenty leagues
distant, he is in ambush at precisely rifle range from the
flanks of his enemy.
" It may be thought the union of contingents might re-
tard their movements, but this is not so. The Arabs, wheth-
er they number ten or a hundred thousand, move with
equal facility. They go where they wish and as they wish
upon a campaign ; the place of rendezvous merely is indi-
cated, and they arrive there.
" What calculations can be made against such an organi-
zation as this?
"Strategy evidently loses its advantages against such
enemies ; a general can only make conjectures ; he marches
to find the Arabs, and finds them not ; then, again, when
he least expects it, he suddenly encounters them.
" When the Arab despairs of success in battle, he places
his sole reliance upon the speed of his horse to escape de-
struction : and as he is always in a country where he can
make his camp beside a little water, he travels until he has
placed a safe distance between himself and his enemy."
TRACKING INDIANS.
When an Indian sentinel intends tof watch for an enemy
approaching from the rear, he selects the highest position
72 TEAILING INDIANS.
available, and places himself near the summit in such an
attitude that his entire body shall be concealed from the
observation of any one in the rear, his head only being ex-
posed above the top of the eminence. Ilere he awaits with
great patience so long as he thinks there is any possibility
of danger, and it will be difficult for an enemy to surprise
him or to elude his keen and scrutinizing vigilance. Mean-
while his horse is secured under the screen of the hill, all
ready when required. Hence it will be evident that, in
following Indian depredators, the utmost vigilance and cau-
tion must be exercised to conceal from them the movements
of their pursuers. They are the best scouts in the world,
proficient in all the artifices and stratagems available in bor-
der warfare, and when hotly pursued by a superior force,
after exhausting all other means of evasion, they scatter in
different directions; and if, in a broken or mountainous
country, they can do no better, abandon their horses and
baggage, and take refuge in the rocks, gorges, or other hid-
ing-places. This plan has several times been resorted to
by Indians in Texas when surprised, and, notwithstanding
their pursuers were directly upon them, the majority made
their escape, leaving behind all their animals and other
property.
For overtaking a marauding party of Indians who have
advanced eight or ten hours before the pursuing party are
in readiness to take the trail, it is not best to push forward
rapidly at first, as this will weary and break down horses.
The Indians must be supposed to have at least fifty or sixty
miles the start ; it will, therefore, be useless to think of over-
taking them without providing for a long chase. Scouts
should continually be kept out in front upon the trail to re-
connoitre and give preconcerted signals to the main party
when the Indians are espied.
In approaching all eminences or undulations in tlic prai-
INDIAN FIGHTING. 73
ries, the commander should be careful not to allow any con-
siderable number of his men to pass upon the summits un-
til the country around has been carefully reconnoitred by
the scouts, who will cautiously raise their eyes above the
crests of the most elevated points, making a scrutinizing
examination in all directions ; and, while doing this, should
an Indian be encou-ntered who has been left behind as a
sentinel, he must, if possible, be secured or shot, to prevent
his giving the alarm to his comrades. These precautions
can not be too rigidly enforced when the trail becomes
" warm ;" and if there be a moon, it will be better to lie by
in the daytime and follow the trail at night, as the great
object is to come upon the Indians when they are not an-
ticipating an attack. Such surprises, if discreetly conduct-
ed, generally prove successful.
As soon as the Indians are discovered in their bivouac,
the pursuing party should dismount, leave their horses un-
der charge of a guard in some sequestered place, and, be-
fore advancing to the attack, the men should be instructed
in signals for their different movements, such as all will
easily comprehend and remember. As, for example, a pull
upon the right arm may signify to face to the right, and a
pull upon the left arm to face to the left ; a pull upon the
skirt of the coat, to halt ; a gentle push on the back, to ad-
vance in ordinary time ; a slap on the back, to advance in
double quick time, etc., etc.
These signals, having been previously well understood
and practiced, may be given by the commander to the man
next to him, and from him communicated in rapid succes-
sion throughout the command.
I will suppose the party formed in one rank, with the
commander on the right. He gives the signal, and the
men move off cautiously in the direction indicated. The
importance of not losing sight of his comrades on his riffht
G
74 INDIAN FIGHTING.
and left, and of not allowing them to get out of bis reach,
so as to break the chain of communication, will be apparent
to all, and great care should be taken that the men do not
mistake- their brothers in arms for the enemy. This may
be prevented by having tv^o pass-words, and when there be
any doubt as to the identity of two men who meet during
the night operations, one of these words may be repeated
by each. Above all, the men must be fully impressed with
the importance of not firing a shot until the order is given
by the commanding officer, and also that a rigorous person-
al accountability will be enforced in all cases of a violation
of this rule.
If the commander gives the signal for commencing the
attack by firing a pistol or gun, there will probably be no
mistake, unless it happens through carelessness by the acci-
dental discharge of fire-arms.
I can conceive of nothing more appalling, or that tends
more to throw men off their guard and produce confusion,
than a sudden and unexpected nigh"t-attack. Even the In-
dians, who pride themselves upon their coolness and self-
possession, are far from being exempt from its effects ; and
it is not surprising that men who go to sleep with a sense
of perfect security around them, and are suddenly aroused
from a deep slumber by the terrific sounds of an onslaught
from an enemy, should lose their presence of mind.
TELEGRAPHING BY SMOKES.
The transparency of the atmosphere upon the Plains is
such that objects can be seen at great distances; a mount-
ain, for example, presents a distinct and bold outline at fifty
or sixty miles, and may occasionally be seen as far as a
hundred miles.
The Indians, availing themselves of this fact, have been
in the habit of practicing a system of telegraphing by
TELEGEAPHING. 76
means of smokes during the day and fires by night, and, I
dare say, there are but few travelers who have crossed the
mountains to Cahfornia that have not seen these signals
made and responded to from peak to peak in rapid succes-
sion.
The Indians thus make known to their friends many
items of information highly important to them. If enemies
or strangers make their appearance in the country, the fact
is telegraphed at once, giving them time to secure their ani-
mals, and to prepare for attack, defense, or flight.
" War or hunting parties, after having been absent a long
time from their erratic friends at home, and not knowing
where to find them, make use of the same preconcerted sig-
nals to indicate their presence.
Very dense smokes may be raised by kindling a large
fire with dry wood, and piling upon it the green boughs of
pine, balsam, or hemlock. This throws off a heavy cloud
of black smoke which can be seen very far.
This simple method of telegraphing, so useful to the sav-
ages both in war and in peace, may, in my judgment, be
used to advantage in the movements of troops co-operating
in separate columns in the Indian country.
I shall not attempt at this time to present a matured sys-
tem of signals, but will merely give a few suggestions tend-
ing to illustrate the advantages to be derived from the use
of them.
For example, when two columns are marching through
a country at such distances apart that smokes may be seen
from one to the other, their respective positions may be
made known to each other at any time by two smokes
raised simultaneously or at certain preconcerted intervals.
Should the commander of one column desire to commu-
nicate with the other, he raises three smokes simultaneous-
ly, which, if seen by the other party, should be responded
76 SIGNALS.
to in the same manner. They would then hold themselves
in readiness for any other communications.
If an enemy is discovered in small numbers, a smoke
raised twice at fifteen minutes' interval would indicate it;
and if in large force, three times with the same intervals
might be the signal.
Should the commander of one party desire the other to
join him, this might be telegraphed by four smokes at ten
minutes' interval.
Should it become necessary to change the direction of
the line of march, the commander may transmit the order
by means of two simultaneous smokes raised a certain
number of times to indicate the particular direction ; for
instance, twice for north, three times for south, four times
for east, and five times for west ; three smokes raised twice
for northeast, three times for northwest, etc., etc.
By multiplying the combinations of signals a great vari-
ety of messages might be transmitted in this manner; but,
to avoid mistakes, the signals should be written down and
copies furnished the commander of each separate party,
and they need not necessarily be made known to other per-
sons.
During the day an intelligent man should be detailed to
keep a vigilant look-out in all directions for smokes, and
he should be furnished with a watch, pencil, and paper, to
make a record of the signals, with their number, and the
time of the interval between them.
DELAWARES, SHAWNEES, AND KICKAPOOS.
It is highly important that parties making expeditions
through an unexplored country should secure the services
of the best guides and hunters, and I know of none who
are superior to the Dclawarcs and Shawnee Indians. Tlicy
have been with me upon several different occasions, and I
KHEBIRS. 77
fiave invariably found them intelligent, brave, reliable, and
in every respect well qualified to fill their positions. They
are endowed with those keen and wonderful powers in
woodcraft which can only be acquired by instinct, practice,
and necessity, and which are possessed by no other people
that I have heard of, unless it be the khebirs or guides who
escort the caravans across the great desert of Sahara.
General E. Dumas, in his treatise upon the " Great Des-
ert," published in Paris, 1856, in speaking of these guides,
says:
"The khebir is always a man of intelligence, of tried
probity, bravery, and skill. He knows how to determine
his position? from the appearance of the stars ; by the expe-
rience of other journeys he has learned all about the roads,
wells, and pastures ; the dangers of certain passes, and the
means of avoiding them ; all the chiefs whose territories it
is necessary to pass through ; the salubrity of the difi'erent
localities ; the remedies against diseases ; the treatment of
fractures, and the antidotes to the venom of snakes and
scorpions.
"In these vast solitudes, where nothing seems to indi-
cate the route, where the wind covers up all traces of the
track with sand, the khebir has a thousand ways of direct-
ing himself in the right course. In the night, when there
are no stars in sight, by the simple inspection of a handful
of grass, which he examines with his fingers, which he
smells and tastes, he informs himself of his locale without
ever being lost or wandering.
" I saw with astonishment that our conductor, although
he had but one eye, and that defective, recognized perfectly
the route ; and Leon, the African, states that the conductor
of his caravan became blind upon the journey from oph-
thalmia, yet by feeling the grass and sand he could tell
when we were approaching an inhabited place.
G*
78 DELAWARES.
"Our guide had all the qualities which make a good
khebir. He was young, large, and strong ; he was a mas-
ter of arms; his eye commanded respect, and his speech
won the heart. But if in the tent he was affable and win-
ning, once en route he spoke only when it was necessary,
and never smiled."
The Delawares are but a minute remnant of the great
Algonquin family, whose early traditions declare them to
be the parent stock from which the other numerous branch-
es of the Algonquin tribes originated. And they are the
same people whom the first white settlers found so numer-
ous upon the banks of the Delaware.
When William Penn held his council with the Delawares
upon the ground where the city of Philadelphia now stands,
they were as peaceful and unwarlike in their habits as the
Quakers themselves. They had been subjugated by the
Five Nations, forced to take the appellation of squaws, and
forego the use of arms ; but after they moved West, beyond
the influence of their former masters, their naturally inde-
pendent spirit revived, they soon regained their lofty posi-
tion as braves and warriors, and the male squaws of the
Iroquois soon became formidable men and heroes, and so
have continued to the present day. Their war-path has
reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean on the west, Hud-
son's Bay on the north, and into the very heart of Mexico
on the south.
They are not clannish in their dispositions like most oth-
er Indians, nor by their habits confined to any given local-
ity, but are found as traders, trappers, or hunters among
most of the Indian tribes inhabiting our continent. I even
saw them living with the Mormons in Utah. They are
among the Indians as the Jews among the whites, essential-
ly wanderers.
The Shawnees have been associated with the Delawares
THE COMPASS. 79
185 years. They intermarry and live as one people. Their
present places of abode are upon the Missouri River, near
Fort Leavenworth, and in the Choctaw Territory, upon the
Canadian River, near Fort Arbuckle. They are familiar
with many of the habits and customs of their pale - faced
neighbors, and some of them speak the English language,
yet many of their native characteristics tenaciously cling to
them.
Upon one occasion I endeavored to teach a Delaware the
use of the compass. He seemed much interested in its
mechanism, and very attentively observed the oscillations
of the needle. He would move away a short distance, then
return, keeping his eyes continually fixed upon the needle
and the uniform position into which it settled. He did not,
however, seem to comprehend it in the least, but regarded
the entire proceeding as a species of necromantic perform-
ance got up for his especial benefit, and I was about put-
ting away the instrument when he motioned me to stop,
and came walking toward it with a very serious but incred-
ulous countenance, remarking, as he pointed his finger to-
ward it, " Maybe so he tell lie sometime."
BLACK BEAVER.
In 1849 I met with a very interesting specimen of the
Delaware tribe whose name was Black Beaver. He had for
ten years been in the employ of the American Fur Com-
pany, and during this time had visited nearly every point
of interest within the limits of our unsettled territory. He
had set his traps and spread his blanket upon the head wa-
ters of the Missouri and Columbia ; and his wanderings had
led him south to_the Colorado and Gila, and thence to the
shores of the Pacific in Southern California. His life had
been that of a veritable cosmopolite, filled with scenes of
intense and startling interest, bold and reckless adventure.
80 DELAWARE CHARGE.
He was with me two seasons in the capacity of guide, and
I always found him perfectly reliable, brave, and compe-
tent. His reputation as a resolute, determined, and fearless
warrior did not admit of question, j^et I have never seen a
man who wore his laurels with less vanity.
When I first made his acquaintance I was puzzled to
know what to think of him. He would often, in speaking
of the prairie Indians, say to me,
" Captain, if you have a fight, you mustn't count much
on me, for I'ze a big coward. When the fight begins I
'spect you'll see me run under the cannon ; Injun mighty
'fraid of big gun.''
I expressed my surprise that he should, if what he told
me was true, have gained such a reputation as a warrior ;
whereupon he informed me that many years previous, when
he was a young man, and before he had ever been in battle,
he, with about twenty white men and four Dclawares, were
at one of the Fur Company's trading-posts upon the Upper
Missouri, engaged in trapping beaver. While there, the
stockade fort was attacked by a numerous band of Black-
feet Indians, who fought bravely, and seemed determined to
annihilate the little band that defended it.
After the investment had been completed, and there ap-
peared no probability of the attacking party's abandoning
their purpose, " One d — d fool Delaware" (as Black Beaver
expressed it) proposed to his countrymen to make a sortie,
and thereby endeavor to effect an impression upon the
Blackfcet. This, Beaver said, was the last thing he would
ever have thought of suggesting, and it startled him prodig-
iously, causing him to tremble so much that it was with
difficulty he could stand.
He had, however, started from home with the fixed pur-
pose of becoming a distinguished brave, and made a great
effort to stifle his emotion. He assumed an air of dcterm-
A BRAVE MAN. 81
ination, saying that was tlie very idea lie was just about to
propose ; and, slapping bis comrades upon tbe back, started
toward the gate, telling them to follow. As soon as the
gate was passed, he says, he took particular care to keep in
the rear of the others, so that, in the event of a retreat, he
would be able to reach the stockade first.
They had not proceeded far before a perfect shower of
arrows came falling around them on all sides, but fortu-
nately without doing them harm. Not fancying this hot
reception, those in front proposed an immediate retreat, to
which he most gladly acceded, and at once set off at his ut-
most speed, expecting to reach the fort first. But he soon
discovered that his comrades were more fleet, and were
rapidly passing and leaving him behind. Suddenly he
stopped and called out to them, " Come back here, you
cowards, you squaws; what for you run away ^nd leave
brave man to fight alone ?" This taunting appeal to their
courage turned them back, and, with their united efforts,
they succeeded in beating off the enemy immediatelj^
around them, securing their entrance into the fort.
Beaver says when the gate was closed the captain in
charge of the establishment grasped him warmly by the
hand, saying, " Black Beaver, you are a brave man ; you
have done this day what no other man in the fort would
have the courage to do, and I thank you from the bottom
of my heart."
In relating the circumstance to me he laughed most
heartily, thinking it a very good joke, and said after that
he was regarded as a brave warrior.
The truth is, my friend Beaver was one of those few he-
roes who never sounded his own trumpet ; yet no one that
knows him ever presumed to question his courage.
At another time, while Black Beaver remained upon the
head waters of the Missouri, he was left in charge of a
82 BLACK BEAVEK.
"cache'^ consisting of a quantity of goods buried to prevent
their being stolen by the Indians. During the time he was
engaged upon this duty he amused himself by hunting in
the vicinity, only visiting his charge once a day. As he
was making one of these periodical visits, and had arrived
upon the summit of a hill overlooking the locality, he sud-
denly discovered a large number of hostile Blackfeet occu-
pying it, and he supposed they had appropriated all the
goods. As soon as they espied him, they beckoned for him
to come down and have a friendly chat with them.
Knowing that their purpose w^as to beguile him into their
power, he replied that he did not feel in a talking humor
just at that time, and started off in another direction, where-
upon- they hallooed after him, making use of the most in-
sulting language and gestures, and asking him if he consid-
ered himself a man thus to run away from his friends, and
intimating that, in their opinion, he was an old woman, who
had better go home and take care of the children.
Beaver says this roused his indignation to such a pitch
that he stopped, turned around, and replied, "Maybe so;
s'pose three or four of you Injuns come up here alone, I'll
show you if I'ze old womans." They did not, however, ac-
cept the challenge, and Beaver rode off.
Although the Delawares generally seem quite happy in
their social relations, yet they are not altogether exempt
from some of those minor discords which occasionally creep
in and mar the domestic harmony of their more civilized
pale-faced brethren.
I remember, upon one occasion, I had bivouacked for the
night with Black Beaver, and he had been endeavoring to
while away the long hours of the evening by relating to me
some of the niost thrilling incidents of his highly adventur-
ous and erratic life, when at length a hiatus in the conver-
sation gave me an opportunity of asking him if he was a
A JEALOUS WIFE. 83
married man. He hesitated for some time; then looking
up and giving his forefinger a twirl, to imitate the throwing
of a lasso, rei^lied, " One time me catch 'um wife. I pay-
that woman, his modeler^ one hoss — one saddle — one bridle
— two plug tobacco, and plenty goods. I take him home
to my house — got plenty meat — plenty corn= — plenty every
■thing. One time me go take walk, maybe so three, maybe
so two hours. When I come home, that woman he say,
'Black Beaver, what for you go way long time?' I say,
' I not go nowhere ; I just take one littel walk.' Then that
woman he get heap mad, and say, ' No, Black Beaver, you
not take no littel walk. I know what for you go way;
you go see nodder one ivoman.'' I say, ' Maybe not.' Then
that woman she cry long time, and all e'time now she mad.
You never seen'Merican woman that a-way?"
I sympathized most deeply with my friend in his distress,
and told him for his consolation that, in my opinion, the
women of his nation were not peculiar in this respect ; that
they were pretty much alike all over the world, and I was
under the impression that there were well-authenticated in-
stances even among white women where they had subject-
ed themselves to the same causes of complaint so feelingly
depicted by him. Whereupon he very earnestly asked,
"What you do for cure him? Whip him?" I replied.
No; that, so far as my observation extended,! was under
the impression that this was generally regarded by those
who had suffered from its effects as one of those chronic
and vexatious complaints which would not be benefited by
the treatment he suggested, even when administered in
homoeopathic doses, and I believed it was now admitted by
all sensible men that it was better in all such cases to let
nature take its course, trusting to a merciful Providence.
At this reply his countenance assumed a dejected ex-
pression, but at length he brightened up again and triumph-
84 COMANCHE INCREDULITY.
antly remarked, " I tell you, my friend, what I do ; I ketch
'um nodder one wife when I go home."
Black Beaver had visited St. Louis and the small towns
upon the Missouri frontier, and he prided himself not a lit-
tle upon his acquaintance with the customs of the whites,
and never seemed more happy than when an opportunity
offered to display this knowledge in presence of his Indian
companions. It so happened, upon one occasion, that I had
a Comanche guide who bivouacked at the same fire with
Beaver. On visiting them one evening according to my
usual practice, I found them engaged in a very earnest and
apparently not very amicable conversation. On inquiring
the cause of this, Beaver answered, " I've been telling this
Comanche what I seen 'mong the white folks."
I said, "Well, Beaver, what did you tell him ?"
"I tell him 'bout the steam -boats, and the rail-roads, and
the heap o' houses I seen in St. Louis."
"Well, sir, what does he think of that?"
"HesayTzed— dfool."
"What else did you tell him about?"
"I tell him the world is round, but he keep all e'timo
say, ' Hush, you fool ! do yous 'pose I'ze child. Haven't I
got eyes? Can't I sec the prairie? You call him round?'
He say, too, ' Maybe so I tell you something you not know
before. One time my grandfather he make long journey
that way (pointing to the west). When he get on big
mountain, he seen heap water on t'other side, jest so flat he
can be, and he seen the sun go straight down on t'other
side.' I then tell him all the serivers he seen, all e'time the
water he run; s'pose the world flat, the water he stand
still. Maybe so he not b'lieve me?"
I told him it certainly looked very much like it. I then
asked him to explain to the Comanche tlic magnetic tele-
graph. He looked at me earnestly, and said,
JOHN BUSHMAN. 85
"What you call that magnetic telegraph?"
I said, " You have heard of New York and New Or-
leans?"
"Oh yes," he replied.
*"Very well; we have a wire connecting these two cities,
which are about a thousand miles apart, and it would take
a man thirty days to ride it upon a good horse. Now a
man stands at one end of this wire in New York, and by
touching it a few times he inquires' of his friend in New
Orleans what he had for breakfast. His friend in New Or-
leans touches the other end of the wire, and in ten minutes
the answer comes back — ham and esrgs. Tell him that,
Beaver,"
His countenance assumed a most comical expression, but
he made no remark until I again requested him to repeat
what I had said to the Comanche, when he observed,
" No, captain, I not tell him that, for I don't b'lieve that
myself"
Upon my assuring him that such was the fact, and that I
had seen it myself, he said,
"Injun not very smart; sometimes he's big fool, but he
holler pretty loud ; you hear him maybe half a mile ; you
say 'Merican man he talk thousand miles. I 'spect you try
to fool me now, captain ; maybe so you lie^
JOHN BUSHMAN.
Previous to my departure from Fort Washita upon my
Red Eiver expedition, I employed five Delawares and Shaw-
nees as guides and hunters. One of them, by the name of
John Bushman, who could speak English and Comanche
fluently, was constituted interpreter and the head man of
the Indians.
I directed him to tell his comrades that I proposed to
pay each of them one dollar per day during the time we
H
86 A QUESTION OF WAGES.
sbould be absent. With this all seemed to be satisfied, and
I supposed every thing was arranged to suit them ; but it
seemed that Bushman had conversed with Black Beaver
upon the subject previous to leaving home, and Beaver had
informed him that he had received tVom me two dollars and
a half per day, and suggested to John that he would prob-
ably get the same compensation for his services. I was
not advised of this, however, and supposed he would only
expect the same pay as the other Indians, until one day,
after he had acted as interpreter for me with a party of
prairie Indians who had visited our camp, he came to me
and said, "You not tell me yet, captain, how much you
goin' give me."
I replied that I had stated to him distinctly before leav-
ing Fort Washita that each Delaware would receive one
dollar a day. He answered,
"I no understand urn that-a-way, captain. Black Bea-
ver he say maybe so give um two dollar half one day."
I told him Black Beaver was not authorized to make
contracts for me ; moreover, I added, a dollar a day was
good pay, but in consideration of his acting as interpreter,
I would allow him an additional per diem of half a dollar,
which was more than he had any right to expect ; that I
was disposed to compensate him liberally, but that the gov-
ernment had no money to throw away by jDaying three
prices for a thing.
John acquiesced in this decision, but in a vcr}'' surly
mood, and did not recover his usual spirits for some days.
At length, however, he seemed to be content, and on our
return to Fort Arbuckle, after I had settled with him, and
as he was about leaving for his home, I said to him,
" Well, John, you are going home now. In case I make
another expedition into the Plains, would 3'ou like to ac-
company mc?" "No," he replied, very abruptly. "And
FOLLOWING A TRAIL, 87
why not, pray ?" " Because that government he hain't got
no money to throw away."
John Bushman had acted as interpreter for me at Fort
Arbuckle, when I first established that post, and he was a
true specimen of the Indian type — dignified, reserved, and
taciturn, self-reliant, independent, and fearless.
He was a man of eminently determinate and resolute
character, with great powers of endurance, and a most acute
and vigilant observer, distinguished by prominent powers
of locality and soun,d judgment. These traits of character,
with the abundant experience he had upon the Plains, made
him one of the very best guides I ever met with. He
never sees a place once without instantly recognizing it on
seeing it the second time, notwithstanding he may ap-
proach it from a different direction ; and the very moment
he takes a glance over a district of country he has never
seen before, he will almost invariably point out the partic-
ular localities (if there are any such) where water can be
found, when to others there seems nothing to indicate it.
An incident which was related to me as occurrinsr with
one of these guides a few years since, forcibly illustrates
their character. The officer having charge of the party to
which he was attached sent him out to examine a trail he
had met with on the prairie, for the purpose of ascertaining
where it would lead to. The guide, after following it as far
as he supposed he would be required to do, returned and
reported that it led off into the prairie to no particular
place, so far as he could discover. He was told that this
was not satisfactory, and directed to take the trail again,
and to follow it until he gained the required information.
He accordingly went out the second time, but did not re-
turn that day, nor the next, and the party, after a time, be-
gan to be alarmed for his safety, fearing he might have
been killed by the Indians. Days and weeks passed by.
88 EASY DIVORCE.
but Still nothing was heard of the guide, until, on arriving
at the first border settlement, to their astonishment, he
made his appearance among them, and, approaching the
commanding officer, said, "Captain, that trail which you or-
dered me to follow terminates here." He had, with indom-
itable and resolute energy, traversed alone several hund-
red miles of wild and desolate prairie, with nothing but his
gun to depend upon for a subsistence, determined this time
to carry out the instructions of his employer to the letter.
John Bushman had been married for many years, and
had several children when I first met him, but his wife
was getting in years, and he resolved to provide himself
with a younger companion. Accordingly, he one day intro-
duced into his household a young Mrs. Bushman, which pro-
ceeding very much exasperated the elder matron. Shortly
after this innovation upon his domestic relations, I called
at his cabin, and, observing the two squaws looking very
demure and sad, I asked John what the trouble was. He
replied, pointing to the elder, " That woman, he mad."
Then, turning toward the other, he said, "That one be mad
too, captain."
The day following the elder wife took her children, and
left John to enjoy his honeymoon without farther molest-
ation.
The marriage contract among the Dclawares and Shaw-
nees, it appears, is only binding so long as it suits the con-
venience and wishes of the parties. It can be revoked at
any time when either party feels disposed ; and a woman
who leaves her husband is authorized by their laws to
take with her all the personal property which she possessed
at the date of the marriage. It can not be alienated, and
her husband does not acquire the slightest claim upon it.
This law of property, I think, is a very just and wise pro-
vision, because it makes the woman somewhat independent
JIM NED. 89
of her husband, and, no doubt, frequently deters a tyran-
nical man from maltreating his wife. In the instance al-
luded to, Bushman's wife carried away all the horses be-
longing to the family, as they were her property.
JIM NED.
This somewhat remarkable specimen of humanity is a
Delaware, united with a slight admixture of the African.
He had a Delaware wife, and adopted the habits of that
tribe, but at the same time he possessed all the social vivac-
ity and garrulity of the negro. He was, however, exceed-
ingly sensitive upon the subject of the African element in
his composition, and resorted to a variety of expedients to
conceal it from strangers, one of which was by shaving off
his kinky locks, and keeping his head continually covered
with a shawl "a la Turk."
When I first met Jim in 1849, he had the reputation of
being one of the most expert, daring, and successful horse-
thieves among the southwestern tribes. The theatre of his
exploits was not confined to our territory, but his forays
often extended into Mexico, and it was seldom that he re-
turned empty-handed.
Although he was generous and hospitable in his disposi-
tion, yet he was eminently vindictive and revengeful to-
ward those who interfered with his favorite pursuit, and it
was said that several of his tribe had with their lives paid
the penalty of incurring his displeasure.
My friend Black Beaver used to talk to me a great deal
about this noted freebooter, but was very far from being
prepossessed in his favor. They had, it seems, upon a cer-
tain occasion, a difficulty which came near resulting in a
serious quarrel. Jim, no doubt thinking that his antece-
dents were of a character to deter any one who knew him
from voluntarily placing himself in a hostile attitude to-
H*
90 UNFAITHFULNESS PUNISHED.
ward liim, remarked to Beaver, in the course of tbe discus-
sion that ensued, " I suppose, sir, you've heard of one Dela-
ware man that people call Jim Nedf To which Beaver
replied " that he had several times heard of the individual
named."
"Very well," Jim said. "Have you not also heard that
when a man incurs his displeasure, the climate becomes
very sickly for him, and that he does not generally live
long after it?"
Beaver was no coward, and, knowing the fact of the oth-
er's sensitive disposition, he replied, " I'ze not very rich In-
dian just now; I hazn't got much money, but maybe so
I'ze got enough to pay for one d — d nigger, s'poze I kill
him."
Jim Ned had been a great deal among the wild tribes of
the Plains, and was familiar with many of their customs
and peculiarities. He was with me for several weeks in
1854, and related to me several incidents in his life, which
interested me not a little.
As we were sitting by our camp-fire one evening, he
asked me if I knew how the prairie Indians punished an
incontinent wife. I replied that I did not, unless it was by
cutting off an ear, or the end of her nose. He then related
to me the following incident, which came under his own
observation.
Some years before, it appeared, he had been the guest of
a Comanche chief, who was encamped with his band near
the head waters of the Brazos. This chief was possessed
of large herds of horses, that were tended and cared for by
some six or eight wives of various ages, from eighteen to
fifty.
During Jim's visit, one of the youngest and most attract-
ive of these damsels was prevailed upon by a young brave
to leave her lord, and elope with him ujoon a war expcdi-
JUAN GALVAN. 91
tion into Mexico. The old chief expressed much indigna-
tion toward bis truant spouse and her lover, and threatened
all manner of punishments on their return. Time passed
by, and in the course of about two months the pair returned
to the encampment. The chief soon learned that they were
there, and on the following morning, just before daybreak,
awoke Jim Ned, saying to him, "Get up, my friend ; I want
you to see a specimen of Comanche law." He w^as dressed
in his full war costume, with his face painted in various
fanciful colors, and his horse saddled at the door of his
lodge. He seated himself near Jim,. lighted his pipe, and,
pulling several whiffs, passed it to him, after which he took
his lance, mounted his horse, and rode out into the camp,
and in a short time returned with his truant companion
behind him.
They dismounted before the lodge, and he told the wom-
an to sit down in a place which he designated ; then, load-
ing his rifle, he approached her, and directed her to cross
her feet one above the other. When this was done, he
placed the muzzle of his gun directly over them and fired,
the ball passing though the centre of both feet. "Now,"
he said, "run away again if you like." The friends of the
woman then approached and carried her off. This, Jim
says, is Comanche law.
JUAN GALVAN.
"While I was serving in Southern Texas, on the borders
of Mexico, I became acquainted with an interesting speci-
men of the primitive inhabitants of that wild and sterile
region.
He was a Mexican, by the name of Juan Galvan, who
had passed all his life (about fifty years) upon a ranch near
Lerado, on the Rio Grande.
He had often been attacked and robbed by the prairie
92 A CUNNING TKICK.
Indians, who, even as late as 1854, when I was there, would
occasionally make raids upon the country.
Galvan was regarded as one of the best guides in the
country. He understood all the mysteries of trailing and
"signs" perfectly, and was often employed as guide for par-
ties of troops sent out on scouts in pursuit of Indians. He
was a brave man, and wore the scars of many battles in
which he had been engaged against the savages.
He related to me several interesting adventures in his
experience, which forcibly illustrated the habits and peculi-
arities of the Indian race.
Among others, he told me that he was, some years be-
fore, with a command of our troops in pursuit of and upon
a fresh trail of Indians, when, as they entered a dense thick-
et of chaparral bordering an arroya, they suddenly came
u23on the enemy prepared to give battle.
Our men immediately made the attack, and charged into
the chaparral. Galvan fired at an Indian who, a moment
before, had discharged his gun at him, and his shot took
effect, as he supposed, for the Indian fell upon the ground
uttering the most pitiful groans. He did not stop to give
him another shot, supposing he had received his death-
wound, but pushed on to give battle to others.
When he had passed on about one hundred yards, how-
ever, much to his astonishment up jumped the identical
savage, slapping his chest, and in a most triumphant tone
crying out in Spanish, " Nada, nada, nada! Bueno, bueno,
bueno !" (Nothing, nothing, nothing ! Good, good, good !)
and at the same time he fired his gun at him, which, it ap-
peared, he had loaded w^hilc in the act of playing the part
of the dead Indian.
At another time Galvan was out with Lieutenant Hud-
son and a detachment of our soldiers upon the trail of a
party of Comanches, whom they overtook iu an arroya.
KICKAPOOS. . 93
The Indians, seeing there was no chance for escape, scat-
tered, took cover, and commenced fighting. In a short time
they espied the lieutenant, and cried out in Spanish, " Mira !
mira ! curahoe capitano Americano" (look ! look ! d — d
American captain) ; and immediately several of them seem-
ed determined to kill him. One approached him very close,
and discharged several arrows at him, when the lieutenant
ran up and seized him by the hair of the head, and attempt-
ed to cut him down with his sabre, but unfortunately the
arm was so dull that he was unable to inflict much injury
upon him, and the savage turned upon him with an arrow,
and stabbed him so severely that he died in a few days.
KICKAPOO INDIANS.
This minute fraction of what was once a formidable tribe
of Indians is now reduced to a very few warriors, a portion
of whom, in 1854, lived upon the Choctaw reservation near
the Witchita River.
They, like the Delawares and Shawnees, are well armed
with good rifles, in the use of which they are very expert,
and there are no better hunters or warriors upon the bor-
ders. They hunt altogether on horseback, and after a par-
ty of them have passed through a section of country, it is
seldom that any game is left in their trace.
They are intelligent, active, and brave, and frequently
visit and traffic with the prairie Indians, and have no fears
of meeting these people in battle, provided the odds are not
more than six to one against them.
•The manner in which they execute justice upon their
own people who have been guilty of infractions of their
laws is shown in the following case of the murder of the
Comanche agent. Colonel Stem, and another man, who were
traveling together near Fort Belknap in 1853.
They were within about ten miles of the fort when they
9:4 MURDER PUNISHED.
were fired upon by two Indians, who missed them, but im-
mediately attacked with their rifles clubbed and beat them
to death.
The murderers made their escape, and no clew could be
obtained of them for a long time, until at length the com-
manding of&cer of Fort Belknap received information that
induced him to believe the perpetrators of the deed were
Kickapoos, living near Fort Arbuckle. Accordingly, he
sent an officer to that j)Ost, and the chief of the Kickapoos
was called in, and told that there were good reasons for be-
lieving that some of his band had committed the act. He
was then told that those persons must be given up to our
authorities, and, if they attempted to escape, they must be
shot down, and evidence of their identity brought to the
fort.
The chief replied that their head men had been in coun-
cil upon the same subject all the previous night, and that
they had taken the matter into very serious consideration.
The facts had been reported by a boy who was in company
with the Indians when the deed was perpetrated. The
murderers had made their escape, but the chief stated that
his young warriors were already on their trail, and would
probably overtake them, and as soon as they were appre-
hended they should be given up.
The chief then returned to his village, and soon afterward
one of the murderers was brought in, and immediately
bound, placed upon a horse, and they started with him to
the fort. Before they reached there, however, he threw him-
self from the horse, cut his bonds with a knife he had con-
cealed in his leggins, and attempted to flee, but he was im-
mediately shot down through the heart by his guard, and
his body carried into the fort and exhibited to the com-
manding officer. The chief then said that all his warriors
were in pursuit of the other man, and would probably ap-
A brother's justice, 95
prebend him ; that he had sent them out in pairs, or twos;
and that, should any of the whites meet with a single Kick-
apoo out by himself in any direction, they could kill him
without hesitation ; they would be certain to have executed
the right one.
•Sgveral days elapsed without any information from the
fugitive, when a runner came in and communicated the fol-
lowing facts. It appeared that the Indian, on leaving his
village, had made his way to another camp upon the Cana-
dian River, where he had a brother living. On entering
the village, he went toward his brother's lodge, exclaiming,
in a loud tone of voice, " I am the murderer of the two
white men near Fort Belknap, and if any man wishes to
take my life, here I am, ready to die." No one molesting
him, he passed on to his brother's lodge, and seating him-
self, partook of supper ; then, turning to his brother, said,
" Here I am, my brother, a fugitive from justice. I would
have gone and joined the Comanches, but I was fearful I
should starve before I found them. I am hunted down like
a wild beast. I am like a wounded deer, that can not get
away. I had nowhere else to go but to you." He contin-
ued talking with his brother for some time, when finally the
latter invited him to walk outside of the camp, where they
could have a more free interchange of views. As soon as
they were a short distance from the village, the brother
stepped back, raised his tomahawk, and with a single blow
felled the murderer to the ground, but did not kill him.
He then seized him, saying, " My brother, I have repeatedly
warned you of the consequences of following the path you
have, and told you that it would ultimately lead you to dis-
grace and ruin. You have violated the laws of your tribe
and of the United States, and you have thereby brought the
nation into difficulty with the pale-faces, and they expect
ample reparation for the deed you have committed, and it
96 REGARD FOR LAW.
now becomes my duty to kill you." He then deliberately
put him to death, and immediately went and reported the
fact to the chief, who at once assembled a council of the
principal men, and, after addressing them, and explaining
the nature of the case, he called for a volunteer to cut off the
head of the murderer, saying that the distance to the fort
was too great to transport the body, and, as the command-
ing officer required positive evidence that the man had been
killed, it became necessary that they should take the head
to him. No one volunteering, he said, " As no one seems
willing to do this act, I shall be obliged to do it myself;"
which he accordingly did, and carried the head, with a
strong escort, to Fort Arbuckle.
The foregoing incident evinces a high regard for law, and
an inflexibility of spirit in the execution of its mandates
seldom found among any people, and it exhibits the Kick-
apoo character in vivid and faithful colors.
PUEBLO INDIANS. 97
CHAPTER IV.
PUEBLO INDIANS.
Pueblo Indians. — Early Discovery. — Situations of tlieir Towns. — Moqnis. —
Coionado's Expedition. — Visit to Santa Domingo. — Laguna. — Christmas
Ceremonies. — Church Services. — Bird Orchestra. — Dances. — Moqui Vil-
lages.— Peculiar Dances. — Feasting. — Origin of the Moquis. — Marriage
Ceremony. — Estufas. — Pottery. — Extensive Ruins. — Large Houses. —
Casas Grandes.
Three hundred and twenty-nine years ago, and eighty-
tliree years before the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth,
a Franciscan missionary, named Marcus de Niza, with that
spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion to the interests of his
Church which characterized the monks of his order, soli-
tary and alone traversed the vast expanse of desert coun-
try lying between the city of Mexico and the Gila Eiver,
and penetrated into the very heart of New Mexico, where
he^ discovered a class of aborigines living in houses and
towns, and far more advanced in the arts than any others
that have been met with since within the limits of our pos-
sessions. These Indians cultivated cotton, and manufac-
tured cloth from it. They also understood the art of mak-
ing and cploring a very superior quality of pottery.
Their villages or towns were generally located in the
most elevated and defensible positions, and regularly laid
out into streets and public squares like European cities.
Their houses were two, three, four, and sometimes as many
as seven stories high, and occasionally pierced with loop-
holes for defense, but invariably the entrances were from
the roofs, with no doors upon the sides. They cultivated
I
98 CORONADO'S EXPEDITION.
corn, were industrious and unwarlike in their habits, and
seemed to live comfortably and happy.
This same class of Indians still exists in New Mexico,
and, with the exceptions of some few modifications brought
about by the introduction of domestic animals and the com-
mingling of the Catholic religion with their own primitive
forms of Aztec worship, their habits, customs, and religion
are almost precisely the same to-day as they were when
first seen by the Spanish priest. These Indians are now
called "Pi^eifos," or people who live in towns.
The most remarkable specimens of the Pueblos that I
have heard of are the Moquis, who occupy seven towns or
villages situated in ti very inaccessible locality, about mid-
way between the Eio del Norte and the Colorado Eiver,
and a short distance north of the Little Colorado. But
very few of our people have ever visited them, and it is a
most striking fact that this section, which, after Florida,
was the first of our present possessions visited by Euro-
peans, should be the last to be explored by the present gen-
eration.
The first successful attempt to explore this region was
made while Nuiio de Guzman was President of New Spain
in 1540, and was, as I said before, intrusted to the command
of Francisco Vasquez Coronado. The expedition consisted
of 300 volunteers, mostly Spaniards of good families, who
were induced to join the enterprise under the belief that
they were to be led direct to the veritable " El Dorado."
They marched to Sonora, and thence, crossing the Gila,
traveled two weeks through the desert north of that stream,
until at length they reached one of the towns they were in
search of, called Cibola, which they found built upon an
elevated cliff, the houses having three and four stories, erect-
ed in terrace form, and the approaches to the summit of the
cliff so narrow and steep as to be very diflicult of access.
V A PUEBLO VISITED. " 99
Nevertheless, " Coronado assailed it sword in band, and car-
ried it in an hour."
From thence he proceeded east to another larger town,
called Tigoeux, on the Rio Grande, where he made his
head-quarters during the winter of 1540-1. At this place,
which some suppose to have been near Isletta, "some of
the houses were seven stories in height, and rose above the
rest like towers, having embrasures and loopholes."
From thence he made his expedition into the Plains,
where he encountered the prairie Indians and vast herds
of buffalo, and returned to Gran Quivera, on the Pecos
River,
Upon the occasion of Coronado's visit to New Mexico he
had a large number of sheep, and it is probable that the
flocks of sheep seen among the Pueblo Indians at the pres-
ent day sprang from those introduced by Coronado.
I visited one of these pueblo towns {Santa Dominga) in
184:9. On our entrance the streets seemed to be deserted,
and we were for some time unable to find any person to
guide ns to the residence of the governor (cacique). At
length, however, we reached the house and ascended a lad-
der to the roof, and thence by another ladder descended
through a trap-door into the principal room of the house.
This method of ingress and egress must have originated
from purposes of defense, as when the exterior ladder is
removed there is no way of entering the establishment.
Immediately on our appearance the governor set before us
some meat and tortillas, and gave us an invitation "to m^,"
and the same ceremony was observed in all the houses we
visited. It seemed to be a universal custom with them.
While we were conversing with the governor, who was a
very dignified and sensible old Indian, we heard strange
noises in the street, and, on looking out, saw four young
Indians dressed in a very peculiar tight-fitting costume of
100 CALLING OUT WORKMEN.
different colors, sometbing. like those we see upon the
clowns in a circus. Around their heads were wreaths of
wheat, and in their hands they carried gourds containing
small pebbles, which they kept continually shaking.
They were going from house to house in a kind of mo-
notonous dancing gait, at the same time crying out some-
thing in Indian which we could not understand, and as they
passed along they would strike the exterior ladders of cer-
tain houses. The alcalde informed us that they were his
criers, who were calling out the people to work in the field,
and this ceremony, it aj^peared, was gone through with ev-
ery day.
This pueblo was on the Rio Grande, in the settled jDart
of the territory, and the Indians were accustomed to see
Americans almost every day; yet they have preserved
their national characteristics intact, and have not adopted
any of the habits of the whites.
The Moqui Indians, who also live in pueblos or towns,
are so remote from the settlements, and in such an inac-
cessible country, that but very few white men have ever
visited them.
Surgeon P. G. S. Ten Brocck, United States Army, in
1851-2, paid a visit to the Pueblo of Laguna, and also to
the Moqui villages, where he spent several da3^s, having a
good opportunity afforded him of witnessing their peculiar
ceremonies and customs; and as his description of the re-
markable idiosyncracies of this anomalous race (or rather
type of a race) is highly interesting and truthful, I have
taken the liberty of making some extracts from a paper
furnished by him to Mr. 11. R. Schoolcraft.
lie attended church on Christmas at Laguna, and gives
his impressions in the following words: "The church was
quite a large building of stone, laid up in mud, and is sur-
mounted by a wooden cross. It is long and narrow, and
PUEBLO WOESHIP. 101
the walls are whitewashed in much the same style that the
Indians paint their earthen-ware. The front is continued
about ten feet above the roof, the whole overtopped by a
cross, and in this wall are three arches containing as many
sized bells, whose tones are by no means Orphean, and which
are tolled by Indians standing on the roof, and pulling cords
attached to the different clappers. (Query : where did the
bells come from ?)
" The Indians appear greatly delighted in jingling these
bells upon all occasions ; but this morning they commenced
very early, and made, if possible, more noise than usual.
After breakfast I entered church and found the people as-
sembling for worship, the men in their best blankets, buck-
skin breeches, and moccasins, and the squaws in their gay-
est tilmas. Many of the latter wore blankets of red cloth
thrown over the ordinary colored tilma or manta. Candles
were lighted at the altar, within the limits of which were
two old men performing some kind of mystic ceremony.
Soon an old, ragged, dirty-looking Mexican commenced re-
citing the rosary of the Virgin Mary, and all who under-
stood Spanish joined in the responses. When the rosary
was finished, this same old fellow sang a long song in praise
of Montezuma, which he afterward told me was written
by himself, the burden of which was ' Cuando ! cuando !
nabro otis Montezuma, cuando !'
" This being ended, some other ceremonies which I did
not understand were gone through with by the Indians;
speeches were made by the governor and some of the old
men, and the congregation then quietly dispersed to pre-
pare themselves for the pastimes of the afternoon. As they
passed out I noticed that a great many of them carried in
their hands little baskets containing images, some of sheep
and goats, others of horses, cows, and other domestic ani-
mals, and others, again, of deer and beasts of the chase,
I*
102 BIRD ORCHESTRA.
quite ingeniously wrought in mud or dough. Inquiring
the reason of this, I was told that it was their custom from
time immemorial that those who had been successful with
herds, in agriculture, in the chase, or any other way, car-
ry images (each of that in which he had been blessed dur-
ing the past year) to the altar, there to lay them at the feet
of the Great Spirit,
"But I have deferred until the last what was to me by
far the most curious and interesting in this singular Christ-
mas service — ^I mean the orchestra. Just over the entrance
door there was a small gallery, and no sooner had the
Mexican commenced his rosary than there issued from this
a sound like the warbling of a multitude of birds, and it
was kept up until he had ceased. There it went, through
the whole house, bounding from side to side, echoing from
the very rafters — fine, tiny warblings, and deep-toned, thrill-
ing sounds. The note of the wood-thrush and the trillings
of the Canary bird, were particularly distinct. What could
it mean? I determined to find out, and, having worked
my way up into the gallery, I there found fifteen or twenty
young boys lying down upon the floor, each with a small
basin two thirds full of water in front of him, and one or
more short reeds perforated and split in a peculiar manner.
Placing one end in the water, and blowing through the
other, they imitated the notes of different birds most won-
derfully. It was a curious sight; and, taken altogether, the
quaintly painted church, the altar with its lighted candles
and singular inmates, the kneeling Indians in their pictur-
esque garbs, and, above all, the sounds sent down by the
bird orchestra, formed a scene not easily forgotten. I be-
lieve I was more pleased with this simple and natural
music than I have ever been with the swelling organs and
opera -singers who adorn the galleries of our churches at
home. About four o'clock this afternoon a party of seven
CURIOUS DANCE. 103
men and as many squaws appeared in the yard in front of
the church, accompanied by an old man bearing a tombe,
and commenced one of their dances.
" The tombe is a peculiar drum, used by all the Indians in
this country at their festivals. It is made of a hollow log
about two and a half feet long, and fifteen inches in diame-
ter. A dried hide, from which the hair has been removed,
is stretched over either end, and to one side a short pole is
lashed, to support the instrument when played upon. A
drum-stick, like those used for the bass drum, but with a
longer handle, is employed in playing, and with this they
pound away with great energy, producing a dull roar, which
is audible at a considerable distance, and is almost deafen-
ing to one unaccustomed to it, if approached too near. The
dancers were accompanied by a band of elderly men, who
immediately commenced singing in time with the bum-
bum of the tombe. All the dancers appeared in their best
attire, the men and squaws wearing large sashes, most
fancifully worked and dyed, and also eagle and turkey
feathers in their hair and hanging down their backs, and
from the waist of each was suspended a skin of the silver-
gray fox. The men's legs were naked from the knee down,
and painted red. Their hair hung loose upon their shoul-
ders, and both men and women had their hands painted
with white clay in such a way as to resemble open-work
gloves. The women had on beautifully- worked mantas,
and were barefooted, with the exception of a little piece
tied about the heel, which looked like that part of an em-
broidered slipper. They all wore their hair combed over
their faces in a manner that rendered it utterly impossible
to recognize any of them. Every man carried in his hand
a gourd partly filled with little pebbles, which he shook in
exact time with the music. They dance a kind of hop-
step, and the figure is something like the countermarch,
104 THE MOQUIS.
the couple leading up toward the church, and then turning,
filed back again. The women keep their elbows close to
their sides, and their heels pressed firmly together, and do
not raise the feet, but shuffle along with a kind of rolling
motion, moving their arms, from the elbows down, with
time to the step. At times each man dances around his
squaw, while she turns herself about, as if her heels formed
a pivot on which she moved. Dancers, tombe, and singers
keep most excellent time, and there is no discord among
the gourds. After dancing a short time in front of the
church, they went into the Plaza and continued till dark,
when they separated."
These dances were continued on the 26th, 27tb, and 28th
of December, in the same manner as on Christmas.
On the 31st of March, 1852, the doctor visited the Mo-
quis at their villages. He says of them, " Between eleven
and twelve to-day we arrived at the first towns of Moqui.
All the inhabitants turned out, crowding the streets and
house-tops to have a view of the white men. All the old
men pressed forward to shake hands with us, and we were
at once feasted upon guavas and a leg of mutton broiled on
coals. After the feast we smoked with them, and they
then said that we should move our camp in, and that they
would give us a room and plenty of wood for the men, and
sell us corn for the animals; accordingly, our command
was moved into town.
" The three villages here are situated on a strong bliiff
about 300 feet high, and from 30 to 150 feet wide, wbich is
approached by a trail passable for horses at only one point.
This is very steep, and an hour's work in throwing down
stones, with which it is in many places built up, could ren-
der it utterly inaccessible to horsemen. At all other points
they have constructed footpaths, steps,. etc., by which they
pass up and down. The side of the rock is not perfectly
DANCE OF MOQUIS. 105
perpendicular, but, after a sheer descent of 60 or 70 feet,
there are ledges from five to eight yards wide, on which
they have established their sheep-folds. The bluif is about
800 yards long, and the towns are some 180 yards apart.
" The houses are built of stone, laid in mud (which must
have been brought from the plain below, as there is not a
particle of soil upon the rock), and in the same form as the
other jDueblos. They are whitewashed inside with white
clay. Hanging by strings from the rafters I saw some cu-
rious and rather horrible little Aztec images, made of wood
or clay, and decorated with paint and feathers, which the
guide told me were ' saints ;' but I have seen the children
playing with them in the most irreverent manner."
Speaking of the dances of the Moquis, the doctor says :
"The dance of to-day has been a most singular one, and
differs from any I have seen among the other Pueblo In-
dians, the dresses of the performers being more quaint and
rich. There were twenty men and as many women, ranged
in two files. The dresses of the men w^ere similar to those
before described, except that they wear on their heads large
pasteboard towers, painted typically, and curiously decora-
ted with feathers, and each man has his face entirely cover-
ed with a visor made of small willows with the bark peeled
off", and dyed a deep brown. The women all have their
hair put up in the manner peculiar to virgins ; and immedi-
ately in the centre, where the hair is parted, a long, straight
eagle's feather is fixed. But by far the most beautiful part
of their dress is a tilma of some three and a half feet square,
which is thrown over the shoulders, fastened in front, and,
hanging down behind, reaches half way below the knee.
This tilma is pure white. Its materials I should suppose
to be cotton or wool. Its texture is very fine, and it has
one or more wide borders of beautiful colors, exceedingly
well wrought in and of curious patterns. The women also
106 MOQUI MUSIC.
wear visors of willow sticks, which are colored a bright yel-
low, and arranged in parallel rows like Pandean pipes. On
each side of the files is placed a small boy, who dances or
canters up and down the line, and is most accurately mod-
eled after the popular representation of his satanic majes-
ty's imps. "With the exception of a very short-fringed tu-
nic reaching just below the hip-joint, and a broad sash fast-
ened around the waist, the boy is entirely naked. The
whole body is painted black, relieved by white rings placed
at regular intervals over the whole person. The appear-
ance of these little imps as they gamboled along the line of
dancers was most amusing. They had neither a tombe ac-
companiment nor^a band of singers; but the dancers fur-
nished their own music, and a most strange sound it was,
resembling very much the noise, on a large scale, of a swarm
of blue-bottle-fiies in an empty hogshead. The dance was
a most monotonous one, the dancers remaining in the same
place, and alternately lifting their feet in time to the song
and the gourds. The only change of position was an occa-
sional ' about face.'
"When they first came in, two old men, who acted as
masters of ceremonies, went along the whole line, and, with
a powder held between the thumb and fore finger, anoint-
ed each dancer on the shoulder. After dancinor a while
in the mode above described, the ranks were opened, and,
rugs and blankets being spread upon the ground, the vir-
gins squatted on them, while the men kept up a kind of
murmuring dance in front. Every third or fourth female
had at this time a large hollow gourd placed before her, on
which rested a grooved piece of wood, shaped like an old-
fashioned wash-board, and by drawing the dry shoulder-
blade of a sheep rapidly across this, a sound was produced
similar to that of a watchman's rattle. After pei-formiiig
the same dance on each side of tlic Plaza, they left, to re-
MASKS AND AMUSEMENTS. 107
turn again in fifteen minutes; and tlius they kept it up
from sunrise till dark, when the dancing ceased.
"As appendages to the feast, they had clowns who served
as messengers and waiters, and also to amuse the spectators
while the dancers were away. The 'first batch consisted of
six or eight young men in breech -clouts, having some
comical daubs of paint on their faces and persons, with
wigs made of black sheepskins. Some wore rams' horns
on their heads, and were amusing themselves by attempts
at dancing, singing, and running races, when they were
attacked by a huge grizzly bear (or rather a fellow in the
skin of one), which, after a long pursuit and many hard
fights, they brought to bay and killed. They then imme-
diately opened him, and took from out of his body a quan-
tity of guavas, green corn, etc., which his bcarship had un-
doubtedly appropriated from the refreshments provided for
the clowns. But no sooner had they disposed of Bruin
than a new trouble came upon them in the shape of two
ugly little imps, who, prowling about, took every opportu-
nity to annoy them ; and when, by dint of great persever-
ance, they succeeded in freeing themselves from these mis-
shapen brats, in rushed eight or ten most horrible-looking
figures (in masks), all armed with whips, which they did
not for a moment hesitate to apply most liberally to any of
the poor clowns who were so unlucky as to fall into their
clutches. They even tied some hand and foot, and laid them
out in the Plaza.
"It seemed they were of the same race as the imps, and
came to avenge the treatment they had received at the
hands of the clowns, for the ' limbs of Satan' returned al-
most immediately, and took an active part in their capture,
and in superintending the flaggellating operations. Such
horrible masks I never saw before ; noses six inches long,
mouths from car to ear, and great goggle eyes as big as
108 GREAT FATHER AND MOTHER.
half a hen's egg, hanging by a string partly out of the
socket.
" The simple Indians appeared highly delighted with
these performances, and I must avow having had many a
hearty laugh at their whimsicalities.
"While the dances were going on, large baskets filled
with guavas of different forms and colors, roasted corn,
bread, meat, and other eatables, were distributed by the vir-
gins among the spectators. The old governor tells me this
evening that it is contrary to their usages to permit the fe-
males to dance, and that those whom I supposed to be
young virgins were in fact young men, dressed for the oc-
casion. This is a custom peculiar to the Moquis, I think,
for in all other pueblos I visited the women dance.
" The government of these people is hereditary, but does
not necessarily descend to the sons of the incumbent; for
if the people prefer any other blood relation, he is chosen.
"The population of the seven villages I should estimate
at 8000, of which one half is found in the first three. They
say that of late years wars and diseases have greatly de-
creased their numbers. They spoke of fevers and disease,
which I supposed to be phthisis and pertussis. They ob-
serve no particular burial rites. They believe in the exist-
ence of a Great Father, who lives where the sun rises, and a
Great Mother, who lives where the sun sets. The first is
the author of all the evils that befall them, as war, pesti-
lence, famine, etc. ; and the Great Mother is the very re-
verse of this, and from her are derived the blessings they
enjoy. In the course of the 'talk,' the principal governor
made a speech, in which he said, 'Now we all know that
it is good the Americans have come among us, for our
Great Father, who lives where the sun rises, is pacified; and
our Great Mother, who lives where the sun sets, is smiling,
and, in token of her approbation, sends fertilizing showers
MOQUI AGRICULTURE. 109
(it was snowing at the time), which will enrich our fields,
and enable us to raise the harvest whereby we subsist,'
" Of their origin they give the following account:
" Many, many years ago, their Great Mother brought from
her home in the west nine races of men, in the following
forms: first, the deer race; second, the sand race; third,
the water race ; fourth, the bear race ; fifth, the hare race ;
sixth, the prairie-wolf race ; seventh, the rattlesnake race ;
eighth, the tobacco-plant race ; ninth, the seed-grass race.
Having placed them on the spot where their villages now
stand, she transformed them into men, who built the pres-
ent pueblos, and the distinction of races is still kept up.
One told me he was of the sand race, another the deer, etc.
They are firm believers in metempsychosis, and say that
when they die they will resolve into their original forms,
and become bears, deer, etc. The chief governor is of the
deer race.
" Shortly after the pueblos were built, the Great Mother
came in person, and brought them all the domestic animals
they now have, which are principally sheep and goats, and
a few very large donkeys. The sacred fire is kept contin-
ually burning by the old men, and all I could glean from
them was that some great misfortune would befall their
people if they allowed it to be extinguished. They know
nothing of Montezuma, and have never had any Spanish
or other missionaries among them. All the seeds they pos-
sess were brought from where the morning star rises. They
plant in May or June, and harvest in October or Novem-
ber. They do not plow or irrigate, but put their seeds in
the sand, and depend upon the rains for water. They raise
corn, melons, pumpkins, beans, and onions; also a cotton
of which I procured a specimen, and a species of mongrel
tobacco. They have also a few peach-trees, and are the
only Pueblo Indians who raise cotton. Thev have no
K
110 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.
small grain of ahy kind. They say they have known the
Spaniards ever since they can remember. About twenty
years ago, a party of some fifteen Americans, the first they
ever saw, came over the mountains and took the Zuni trail.
Six years afterward, another party, with four females, pass-
ed through.
" Their mode of marriage might well be introduced into
the United States, with the Bloomer costume. Here, in-
stead of the swain asking the hand of the fair one, she se-
lects the young man who is to her fancy, and then her fa-
ther proposes the match to the sire of the lucky youth.
This proposition is never refused. The preliminaries being
arranged, the young man, on his part, furnishes two pairs
of moccasins, two fine blankets, two mattresses, and two
sashes used at the feast; while the maiden, for her share,
provides an abundance of eatables, when the marriage is
celebrated by feasting and dancing.
"Polygamy is unknown among them; but at any time,
if either of the parties become dissatisfied, they can divorce
themselves, and marry others if they please. In case there
are children, they arc taken care of by the respective grand-
parents. They are simple, happy, and most hospitable peo-
ple. The sin of intoxication is unknown among them, as
they have no kind of fermented liquors. When a stranger
visits one of their houses, the first act is to set food before
him, and nothing is done ' till he has eaten.'
" In every village are one or more edifices under ground,
and you descend a ladder to get into them. They answer
to our village groceries, being a place of general resort for
the male population. I went into one of them. In the
centre was a small square box of stone, in which was a fire
of guava bushes, and around this a few old men were
smoking. All around the room were Indians naked to the
'breech-clout;' some were engaged in sewing, and others
spinning and knitting.
HARXO. Ill
" On a bench in tlie background sat a warrior most ex-
travagantly painted, who was undoubtedly undergoing some
ordeal, as I was not allowed to approach him. They knit,
weave, and spin, as in the other pueblos, and, besides, make
fabrics of cotton.
" The villages of the Moquis are seven in number, and
more nearly correspond to the seven cities of Cibola than
any which have yet been discovered. They are situated
in the same valley — they are upon a bluff. Oraivaz, called
Musquins by the Mexicans, is almost due west from the
bluff, and about thirty miles distant. There is another
town at twenty miles west by south, and two more about
south-southwest, and some eight or ten miles distant from
the first three. Of these, the two at the southern extremity
of the bluff are the largest, containing probably 2000 in-
habitants ; Oraivaz is the second in size. They all speak
the same language except Harno, the most Northern town
of the three, which has a language and some customs pecul-
iar to itself
"It seems a very singular fact that, being within 150
yards of the middle town, Harno should have for so long a
period its own language and customs. The other Moquis
say the inhabitants of this town have a great advantage
over them, as they perfectly understand the common lan-
guage, and none but the people of Harno understand their
dialect. The women are the prettiest squaws I have yet
seen, and are very industrious. Their manner of dressing
the hair is very pretty. While virgins, it is done up on
each side of the head in two inverse rolls, which bear some
resemblance to the horns of the mountain sheep. After
marriage they wear it in two large knots on each side of
the face. These people' make the same kind of pottery as
the Zunians and Lagunians."
Notwithstanding the country west of the Rio del Norte
112 OTHER EXPEDITIONS.
presents so barren and forbidding an aspect that it is only
here and there along the immediate borders of the few wa-
ter-courses that the soil will yield any returns to the hus-
bandman, yet this country was once much more populous
than at present. The numerous ruins of houses and towns
scattered all over the country most incontestably establish
this fact; moreover, the character of these ruins goes to
show that the people who erected them were more ad-
vanced in architecture than the Pueblo's, Or any other In-
dians now existing in that country.
Captain Sitgreaves, in his expedition from Zuni to the
Colorado, passed for nine miles through a continuous suc-
cession of these ruins, in a locality where there was no wa-
ter for many miles, which induced him to believe that the
disintegration of the rocks from the surrounding heights
had filled up the beds of the streams, and rendered the sit-
uation of this ancient city uninhabitable.
Captain J. H. Simpson, United States Engineers, who in
1849 was attached to an expedition made into the Navahoe
country, in Northwest New Mexico, describes the ruins of
several enormous houses he met with, which were built of
stone, in a style of architecture and masonry far better than
that we find in the pueblos that arc now occupied. Some
of these houses contained from 100 to 160 rooms, each upon
the ground floors, all, excepting the estufas, of small dimen-
sions, and not exceeding twelve by eight feet in area; the
doors only about three feet by two, and the windows some
twelve inches square, with no chimneys. They all had the
large underground council-rooms, or estufas, like those in
the pueblos of the present day, and this would seem to in-
dicate that they were built by a race of people having sim-
ilar habits; yet the Pueblo Indians do not pretend to know
any thing about their origin. All that can be gleaned from
them upon the subject is, that thoy are ^^casas grandes''' (big
OLD WOOD. 113
houses), which is very apparent. What appears very mys-
terious to me in regard to it is that the beams, rafters, and
floors in some of these ruins should have remained for so
great a length of time as sound and perfect as they were
when put in, in some instances even exhibiting the print
of the dull (probably) stone axe used in cutting them.
If the origin of these ruins was of a date anterior to the
discovery of New Mexico by the Spaniards, I can only ac-
count for the preservation of the wood-work from the fact
of the extreme purity and dryness of the atmosphere.
K*
114 KED RIVER EXPEDITION.
CHAPTER V.
RED RIVER EXPEDITION.
Red River Expedition. — Order. — Early Efforts to explore it. — Navigable
Portion. — Copper Ores. — New Ore. — Dr. Hitchcock's Opinion. — Great
Gypsum Belt. — Cause of bad Taste in the Water. — Witchita Mountains.
— Extent of Choctaw Reservation. — Beautiful Country. — Visit of Witche-
taws. — Buffaloes. — Comanche Trails. — Buffalo Chase. — Panther killed. —
Unaccountable Appearance of Water. -^ South Winds. — Encamping. —
Head of North Fork. — Visit to Canadian River. — Mirage. — Head of Salt
Eork. — Laiio-Estacado. — Prairie Dog Town. — Leaving the Train. — Bad
Water. — Suffering from the Effects of bad Water. — Reach the Head of
the main Fork of Red River. — Beautiful Scenery. — Bears. — Remarkable
Canon.
On the 5tli of March, 1852, 1 received the following order:
(special orders, no. 33.)
"Adjtitant Generals Office, Washington, March 5, 18G2.
" Captain R. B. Marcy, 5th Infantry, with his company as
an escort, will proceed, without unnecessary delay, to make
an examination of the Red River and the country border-
ing upon it, from the mouth of Cache Creek to its sources,
according to the special instructions with which he will be
furnished.
* * * * * * «•
" Brevet Captain G. B. McClcllan, Corps of Engineers, is
assigned duty with this expedition. * * * *
"By command of Major General Scott.
" (Signed) R, Jones, Adjutant General"
As some of the most interesting events connected witli
this expedition may possess sufficient attraction for many
who feel an interest in such matters to compensate them for
EARLY RED RIVER EXPLORATIONS. 115
the perusal, I have determined to give them a passing no-
tice here.
I had spent the greater portion of the three previous
years in exploring the country lying upon the Canadian
River of the Arkansas, and upon the head waters of the
Trinity, Brazos, and Colorado Rivers of Texas.
During this time my attention had frequently been called
to the remarkable fact that a great portion of one of the
largest and most important rivers in the United States had
remained up to that late period wholly unexplored and un-
known. The only information we had upon the subject
was derived from Indians, and was, of course, very indefi-
nite and unsatisfactory ; in a word, the country embraced
within the basin of Upper Red River had always been to
us a ^^ terra incognita.''''
Several enterprising travelers had at different periods at-
tempted to explore this river, but as yet none had succeed-
ed in finding its head waters.
At a very early period officers were sent out by the
French government to explore Red River, but their exam-
inations appear to have extended no farther than the vicin-
ity of the present town of Natchitoches, Louisiana. On the
3d of May, 1806, three years after the cession to the United
States, by the First Consul of the French Republic, of that
vast territory then known as Louisiana, a small party known
as the Exploring Expedition of Red River, consisting of
Captain Sparks, Mr. Freeman, Lieutenant Humphry, and
Dr. Curtis, with seventeen private soldiers, embarked at St.
Catharine's Landing, near Natchez, Mississippi, and started
to ascend Red River to its sources.
This party encountered many difficulties and obstructions
in the navigation of the river, among the numerous bayous
in the vicinity of the great raft, but finally overcame them
all, and found themselves above this formidable obstacle.
116 pike's expedition.
They were, however, here met by a large force of Spanish
troops, the commander of which forced them to turn back
and abandon the enterprise.
Another expedition was fitted out in 1806 by our gov-
ernment, and placed under the command of that enterpris-
ing young traveler. Lieutenant Pike, who was ordered to
ascend the Arkansas River to its sources, thence to strike
across the country to the head of the Red River, and de-
scend that stream to Natchitoches. After encountering
many privations and intense sufferings in the deep snows
of the lofty mountains about the head waters of the Ar-
kansas, Lieutenant Pike arrived finally upon a stream
running to the east, which he took to be Red River, but
which subsequently proved to be the Rio Grande. Here
he was taken by the Governor of New Mexico and sent
home by way of Chihuahua and San Antonio, thus putting
a stop to his explorations.
General Wilkinson, under whose orders Lieutenant Pike
was serving at the time, states, in a letter to him after his
return, as follows : " The principal object of your expedi-
tion up the Arkansas was to discover the true position of
the sources of Red River. This was not accomplished."
Lieutenant Pike, however, from the most accurate informa-
tion be could obtain, gives the geographical position of the
sources of Red River as in latitude 33° N., and longitude
104° W. Again, in 1819-20, Colonel Long, of the United
States Topographical Engineers, on his return from an ex-
ploration of the Missouri River and the country lying be-
tween that stream and the head of the Arkansas, undertook
to descend the Red River from its sources. The colonel,
in speaking of this in his interesting report, says : " We
arrived at a creek having a westerly course, which we took
to be a tributary of Red River. Ilaving traveled down
its valley about two hundred miles, we fell in with a party
' long's expedition. 117
of Indians, of the nation of ' Kaskias,' or ' Bad Hearts,' who
gave us to understand that the stream along which we were
traveling was Eed Eiver. We accordingly continued our
march down the river several hundred miles farther, when,
to our no small disappointment, we discovered it was the
Canadian of the Arkansas, instead of Eed Eiver, that we
had been exploring.
" Our horses being nearly worn out with the fatigue of
our long journey, which they had to perform barefooted,
and the season being too far advanced to admit of our re-
tracing our steps and going back again in quest of the
source of Eed Eiver, with the possibility of exploring it
before the commencement of winter, it was deemed advis-
able to give over the enterprise for the present and make
our way to the settlements on the Arkansas. We were
led to the commission of this mistake in consequence of
our not having been able to procure a good guide acquaint-
ed with that part of the country. Our only dependence in
this respect was upon Pike's map, which assigns to the
head waters of Eed Eiver the apparent locality of those of
the Canadian."
Dr. James, who accompanied Colonal Long, in his jour-
nal of the expedition, says: "Several persons have recent-
ly arrived at St. Louis, in Missouri, from Santa Fe, and,
among others, the brother of Captain Shreeves, who gives
information of a large and frequented road, which runs
nearly due east from that place, and strikes one of the
branches of the Canadian ; that, at a considerable distance
sbuth of this point, in the high plain, is the principal source
of Eed Eiver. .
" His account confirms an opinion we had previously
formed, namely, that the branch of the Canadian explored
by Major Long's party in August, 1820, has its sources near
those of some gtream which descends toward the west into
118 Humboldt's mistake.
the Rio del Norte, and, consequently, that some other re-
gion must contain the head of Red River." He continues:
" From a careful comparison of all the information we
have been able to collect, we are satisfied that the stream
on which we encamped on the 31st of August is the Rio
Raijo of Humboldt, long mistaken for the sources of Red
River of Natchitoches. In a region of red clay and sand,
whore all the streams become nearly the color of arterial
blood, it is not surprising that several rivers should have
received the same name; nor is it surprising that so accu-
rate a topographer as the Baron Humboldt, having learned
that a red river rises forty or fifty miles east of Santa Fe,
and runs to the east, should conjecture it might be the
source of Red River of Natchitoches.
"This conjecture (for it is no more) we believed to have
been adopted by our geographers, who have with much
confidence made their delineations and their accounts to
correspond with it."
Hence it will be seen that up to this time there was no
record of any traveler having reached the sources of Red
River, and that the country upon the head waters of that
stream had heretofore been unexplored. The Mexicans,
and Indians on the borders of Mexico, are in the habit of
calling any river, the waters of which have a red appear-
ance, "Rio Colorado," or Red River, and they have applied
this name to the Canadian in common with several others;
and as many of the prairie Indians often visit the Mex-
icans, and some even speak the Spanish language, it is
a natural consequence that they should adopt the same
nomenclature for rivers, places, etc. Thus, if a traveler in
New Mexico were to inquire for the head of Red River, he
would most undoubtedly be directed to the Canadian, and
the same would also be the case in the adjacent Indian
country. These facts will account for the mistake into
DR. Gregg's rio negro. 119
which Baron Humboldt was led, and it will also account
for the error into which Colonel Long and Lieutenant Pike
have fallen in regard to the sources of the stream which we
call Red Eiver.
Dr. Gregg, in his "Commerce of the Prairies," tells ns
that on his way down the south bank of the Canadian his
Comanche guide, Manuel (who, by-the-by, traveled six hund-
red miles with me upon the Plains, and whom I always
found reliable), pointed out to him breaks or bluffs upon a
stream to the south of the Canadian, near what we ascer-
tained to be the true position of the head of the north
branch of Red River, and where it approaches within twen-
ty-five miles of the Canadian, These bluffs he said were
upon the "Rio Negro," which the doctor supposed to be
the Witchita River ; but, after having examined that section
of country, I am satisfied that the north branch of Red
River must have been alluded to by the guide, as the
Witchita rises farther to the east. It therefore seems prob-
able that "Rio Negro" is the name which the Mexicans
have applied to Red River of Louisiana.
Having organized my party, and laid in a supply of pro-
visions for our expedition at Fort Belknap, on the Brazos
River, in Texas, we, on the 1st day of May, left that post,
and on the 9th we reached the mouth of Cache Creek, the
point at which we were ordered to commence our examina-
tions.
This point was at that time about two hundred miles, by
the meanderings of the river, above the remotest white set-
tlements where steam-boats had yet reached. I am confi-
dent, however, that at a high stage there will be sufficient
depth of water to allow small steamers to ascend the river
about fifty miles above Cache Creek.
At a low stage of water the river becomes very shallow,
and can then be forded at almost any point. At the mouth
120 MARCYLITE.
of Cache Creek the Red River was about two hundred
yards wide and four feet deep, with a current of three miles
per hour.
Cache Creek takes its rise in the Witchita chain of
mountains. It is, at the mouth, one hundred and fifty feet
wide and three feet deep, flowing rapidly over a hard clay
and gravel bed, between high, abrupt banks, through a val-
ley about a mile wide of rich alluvium, and bordered by
timber, which is the best I met with west of the Cross Tim-
bers, and well adapted for building purposes. The soil in
the valley is admirably suited for the culture of all kinds
of grain ; and an analysis of the subsoil by Professor Shep-
hard, of Amherst College, showed that it possessed strong
and enduring constituents.
Just before we reached Cache Creek we passed a small
stream, where we picked up several pieces of copper ore
lying upon the surface, where the rains had washed away
the turf
The analysis of these specimens by Professor Shephard
is alluded to in his report as follows: "The most interest-
ing of the copper ores submitted by Captain Marcy was a
specimen from the main or South Fork of Red River, near
the "Witchita Mountains.
"It is a black, compact ore, strongly resembling the black
oxide of copper from the Lake Superior mines, for which
substance I at first mistook it. It was partially coated by
a thin layer of the rare and beautiful atacamite.
"This is the first instance in which this species has been
detected in North America. On subjecting the black ore
to a close investigation, it proves to be a substance hitherto
undescribed, and it affords me much pleasure to name it, in
honor of the very enterprising and successful explorer to
whom mineralogy is indebted for the discovery, Marcylite.
In small fragments it melts in the heat of a candle, to the
COPPER ORE, 121
flame of which it imparts a rich blue and green color. This
is especially striking when a blowpipe is employed. The
slightest heat of the instrument suffices for the fusion of
the ore. The chloride of copper is volatilized, and spreads
over the charcoal support, from which the splendid green
color rises also. Analysis gave the following as the com-
position of the ore:
Copper 54.30
Oxygen and Chlorine 36.20
Vfater 0.50
100.00,
with traces of Silica.
" The above is undoubtedly a very valuable ore for cop-
per, as it is very rich in metal, and easy of reduction in the
furnace."
We discovered traces of copper ore in several other lo-
calities on Eed Eiver, and also upon the Big Witchita, in
1854, but it generally occurred in small detached frag-
ments, from the size of a pea to that of a hen's egg. With
one exception, however, we saw no veins of the ore.
While upon this subject, I take occasion to relate a cir-
cumstance that occurred while I was stationed at Camp Ar-
buckle, on the Canadian Eiver, during the autumn of 1850.
My old Delaware guide, Black Beaver, one day came to
me, and, taking me aside, very mysteriously and cautiously
pulled out from his pocket several large pieces of green car-
bonate of copper, at the same time saying, "Maybe so mon-
ey." I assured him that it was copper, and asked him if it
was abundant where he found it. He said there was "a
heap^ And upon my inquiring whether he was willing to
show me the locality, he said, " Bob Jones (a rich Chicka-
saw) he say, s'poze find um copper mine, give um four hund-
red dollars." I informed him that I was willing to pay the
same amount, provided the ore was sufficiently abundant,
L
122 DELAWARE LAW.
and an arrangement was made with him to go with me the
following morning to the place where he obtained the spec-
imens. I made my arrangements, accordingly, for an early
departure ; but Beaver did not make his appearance ; and,
after my patience was exhausted in waiting, I rode over to
his house, where I found him looking very sulky, and hav-
ing apparently made no preparations for the trip. I asked
him if he was ready to go. He replied, "I s'pect maybe so
I not go, captain." "Why not?" I inquired. He said,
"Delaware law, s'pozc show um 'Merican man mine, kill
um." I then endeavored to convince him that there was
no danger of any one knowing where we proposed to go ;
but he had fully determined not to have any thing farther
to do with it, and I could not persuade him to change his
resolution.
I however succeeded subsequently in discovering the lo-
cality without his agency, and found a considerable quan-
tity of detached pieces of the ore, some of which were as
large as a man's head. It was lying upon the surface of
the ground ; but we found no vein. I believe, however, as
we traced the surface ore for at least three hundred yards
in a direct line, that excavations might discover a vein be-
neath this line.
We afterward sent a wagon, and transported a load of
this ore to Fort Smith, and it was sent thence to New Or-
leans and Liverpool, where it was smelted by a Welch
mining company, and the proceeds paid all the expenses of
the transportation. Farther than this, nothing was ever
done.
Doctor Edward Hitchcock, in speaking of the prospects
for copper in the country upon Eed River, says :
" How much copper may be expected in such a region
as that on Red River I have no means of judging, because
I know of no analogous formation ; but as we have proof
GREAT GYPSUM FOEMATION. 123
that it is an aqueous deposit, and that igneous agency has
been' active not far off (this is a strongly-marked character-
istic upon the Big AVitchita), it would not be strange if the
vicinity of the Witchita Mountains should prove a prolific
locality."
From the geological formation of the Witchita Mount-
•ains, and the character of the quartz and the black sand
which we observed there, we were induced to believe that
gold might be found, but Dr. Hitchcock did not appear to
regard this as of much consequence. He says: "But,
though your discovery of gold (we found only one small
specimen) will probably excite m"ore attention, I feel that
the gVeat gypsum deposits of the West which you have
brought to light will be of far more consequence to the
country."
In several of my exploring expeditions I had passed
through the great gypsum belt alluded to by the doctor, in
an easterly and westerly direction, at six different points of
latitude, from the Canadian Eiver on the north to the Rio
Grande on the south, and have observed it extending in a
course nearly northeast and southwest over the entire dis-
tance. It is from 50 to 100 miles wide, and about 350
miles in length, and is embraced within the meridians 99
and lO-lJ of west longitude, and the 32d and the 36th par-
allels of north latitude.
In many places I have observed all the varieties of gyp-
sum, from the common plaster of Paris of commerce, to
pure selenite, and among specimens of the latter were some
pieces three feet by four in surface, and two inches in thick-
ness, and as perfectly transparent as any crown glass I ever
saw. Placing one of these specimens upon the page of a
book, at a short distance ofp, it was impossible to tell that
any thing covered it, so perfectly plain did the letters show
beneath the plate.
124 DR. Hitchcock's remarks.
It is to be regretted that I could not have brought home
some of these beautiful specimens, but mj means of trans-
portation were too limited to allow it.
Wherever I have encountered this mineral I have inva-
riably found the water bitter and unpalatable, which arises
from the decomposition of the rock, as an analysis of the
water has shown that the taste depends upon the presence
of three salts in nearly equal proportions, two of which, sul-
phate of magnesia or Epsom salts, and chloride of sodium,
are very sapid.
Dr. Hitchcock remarked upon the formation :" I do not
wonder that you were deeply impressed with the vast ex-
tent of this deposit."
Professor D. D. Owen, in his late valuable report of a
geological survey of Wisconsin, Iowa, etc. (1852), describes
a gypseous deposit twenty to thirty feet thick, and occupy-
ing an area from two to three square miles ; and he sajs
that "for thickness and extent this is by far the most im-
portant bed of plaster-stone known west of the Appalachian
chain, if not in the United States." The distinguished pro-
fessor did not of course know, when he wrote this, that
there was in the United States another deposit of this min-
eral several thousand times as large as the one mentioned
by him.
The only other gypsum formations in the world known
to geologists which compare with this in magnitude are
those desci'ibed by Mr. Darwin in his admirable work on
the geology of South America, and are situated along the
western slope of the Cordilleras, and in Patagonia and Chili.
Some of tlicse beds occur of the enormous thickness of six
thousand feet, and others are eleven hundred miles in sur-
face extent.
Dr. Hitchcock adds : " The specimens of this gypsum put
into my hands correspond with your descriptions. One of
THE WITCHITA CHAIN. 125
them, of snowj whiteness, and compact, it seems to me
might answer for delicate gypseous alabaster, so extensive-
ly wrought in other lands for monumental purposes. The
selenite was regarded among the ancients as the most deli-
cate variety of alabaster, and was employed by the wealthy,
and in palaces for windows, under the name oi Phengites.
It has the curious property of enabling a person within the
house to see all that passes abroad, while those abroad can
not see what is passing within ; hence Nero employed it in
his palace. If the splendid plates which you describe oc-
cur in any quantity, it may hereafter be of commercial
value, as it certainly will be of mineralogical interest."
One of the most prominent features of the country in the
Eed Eiver basin is the Witchita chain of mountains. The
following quotations from my journal, written upon the
ground, will give my impressions as I passed through them.
" The chain is about fifty miles in length, and from five
to fifteen miles wide, running about south 60° west. These
mountains, and those at the head of the Brazos River, are
the only elevations of any considerable magnitude in all
that vast expanse of territory included between the Eed
and the Pecos Eivers. Eising, as they do, in the midst of
a vast naked prairie, they present a most striking and anom-
alous feature in the scenery of that otherwise monotonous
landscape.
" Their conformation is generally of a coarse, soft, flesh -
colored granite, the peaks conical, occasionally terminating
in sharp points, standing at intervals of from one fourth to
one mile apart. Eed Eiver passes directly through the
western extremity of the chain.
" The more we have seen of the country about these
mountains, the more pleased we have been with it. In-
deed, I have never visited any country that, in my opinion,
possessed greater natural local advantages for as^riculture
126 SOIL AND CLIMATE.
than this. Bounteous Nature seems here to have strewed
her favors with a lavish hand, and to have held- out every
inducement for civilized man to occupy it. The numerous
tributaries of Cache Creek, flowing from granite fountains,
and winding, like net-work, in every direction through the
valleys in the mountains — with the advantages of good
timber, soil, and grass, the pure, elastic, and delicious cli-
mate, with a bracing atmosphere — all unite in presenting
rare inducements to the husbandman. It would only be
necessary for our practical farmers to visit this locality;
they could not be otherwise than pleased with it. And
were it not for the fact that the greater part of the most
desirable lands lie east of the 100th meridian of longitude,
and within the limits of that vast territory ceded by our
government to the Choctaws in 1831, it would be purchased
and settled by our citizens in a very few years. As it is
now situated, far beyond the limits of the settlements, and
directly within the range of the Comanches, it is of no use
to the Choctaws themselves, as they seldom venture among
the prairie tribes, and do not even know the character of
this part of their own territory. They have a superabund-
ance of fertile lands bordering upon the Red and Canadian
Rivers, near the. white settlements of Texas -and Arkansas,
and they prefer occupying those to going farther out. They
have thrown aside their primitive habits in a great degree,
and abandoned the precarious and uncertain life of the
hunter for the more quiet avocation of the husbandman.
They look upon, the wild Indian in much the same light
as we do, and do not go among them ; indeed, there is but
little in common with them and the wild Indians."*
* TIic liiiuls included within the Clioctaw rcscn-ation, which are not oc-
cupied or made use of hy tlicm, are embraced within the ()7th and lOOth
degrees of west longitude, and are bounded upon the north and south by
the Canadian and Rod T?ivers, being about one hundred and eighty miles in
TIMBER. 127
The remarks which follow were made while we were
encamped at an old Witchetaw village near the eastern ex-
tremity of the mountains,
" Our camp is upon a branch of Cache Creek, about a
mile above the village last occupied by the Witchetaws, be-
fore they left the mountains. Here they lived and planted
corn for several years, and they exhibited much taste and
judgment in selecting this site for their town. It is situated
upon an elevated plateau, directly along the south bank of
the creek, and commands an extended view of the country
to the north, south, and east. From its commanding posi-
tion it is well secured against surprise, and is, by nature,
one of the most defensible places I have seen.
" The landscape here presented to the eye has a most
charming diversity of scenery, consisting of mountains,
woodlands, glades, water-courses, and prairies, all laid out
and arranged in such, peculiar order as to produce a most
delightful effect upon the senses.
" This must have been a favorite spot for the Indians,
and why they have abandoned it I can not imagine, unless
it was through fear of the Comanches.
"The soil here, in point of fertility, surpasses any thing
we have before seen, and the vegetation in the old corn-
fields, consisting of rank weeds twelve feet high, was so
dense that it was difficult to force a horse through it.
" The timber is sufficiently abundant for all purposes of
the agriculturist, embracing over-cup (oak), post-oak, black
walnut, pecan, hackberry, ash, black or Spanish oak, elm,
and China. We found here the wild passion-flower, and a
beautiful variety of the sensitive plant, which we had not
before met with.
length by fifty in width, and constituting an aggregate of about nine thou-
sand square miles of valuable and productive lands, or one thousand square
miles more than the State of Massachusetts.
128 PETROLEUM.
"The creek, just above the village, flows directly at the
base of a perpen'dicular wall of porphyritic trap, 300 feet
high, and studded with dwarf cedars, which, taking shallow
root in the crevices of the formation, receive their meagre
sustenance from the scanty decomposition of the rocks.
" This interesting escarpment has a columnar structure,
with parallel flutings traversing the face in a vertical direc-
tion from top to bottom, and has the appearance of being
the vertical section of a round hill that has been cleft asun-
der, and one half removed.
" All the sides of this hill, except that upon the creek,
are smooth, with gentle and easy slopes, covered with grass
up to the very verge of the acclivity. On riding up the
smooth ascent of this eminence, and suddenly coming upon
the edge of the giddy precipice, one involuntarily recoils
with a shudder at the appearance of this strange freak of
Nature. Large veins of quartz traversed this formation,
and, upon examination, it was found to be cellular, like
sponge or honey-comb, with the cells filled with liquid
naphtha, about the consistency of tar, and having a strong
resinous odor. (It has since occurred to me that this might
have been the jDct^pleum now so extensively known in
commerce.)
"On the 27th of May, shortly after we had pitched our
tents upon Otter Creek, a large party of Indians made their
appearance on the opposite bank, and requested us to cut a
tree for them to cross upon, as they wished to have a ' talk
with the capitan.' Accordingly, we cut down a tall tree,
which fell across the stream, and they came over, and en-
camped near us.
"They proved to be a hunting party of Witchetaws, about
150 in number, and were commanded by an old chief, 'Ca-
naje-IIexie.' They had with them a lai'ge number of
horses and mules, hcavil}^ laden witli jtM-kod buffalo meat,
DISCOURAGING ACCOUNTS. 129
and ten wild horses -which they had lassoed upon the prai-
rie. They said they had been in search of us for several
days ; having learned we were coming up Red River, they
were desirous of knowing what our business was in this
part of their country. I replied to them that I was going
to the head of Red River for the purpose of visiting the
Indians, cultivating their friendship, and delivering to them
' a talk' from the Great Captain of all the whites, who, in
token of his kindly feelings, had sent some presents to be
distributed among such of his Red children as were friends
to Americans ; and as many of them continue to regard
Texas as a separate and independent republic, I endeav-
ored to impress upon them the fact that the inhabitants of
that state were of the same nation as the whites in other
parts of the United States. I also told them that all the
prairie tribes would be held responsible for the depreda-
tions committed against the people of Texas, as well as
elsewhere in our territories. I made inquiries concerning
the country through which we still had to pass in our jour-
ney.
"They said we would find one more stream of good wa-
ter about two days' travel from here ; that we should then
leave the mountains, and after that find no more fresh wa-
ter to the sources of the river. The chief represented the
river from where it leaves the mountains as flowing over
an elevated, flat prairie country, totally destitute of water,
wood, or grass, and the only substitute for fuel that could
be had was the buffalo 'chips.' They remarked in the
course of the interview that some few of their old men had
been to the head of the river, and that the journey could
be made in eighteen days by rapid riding; but the ac-
counts given by those who had made the journey were of
such a character as to deter others from attempting it.
They said we need have no apprehension of encountering
130 ^ANT OF WATER.
Indians, as none ever visited that section. I inquired of
them if there were not holes in the earth where the water
remained after rains. They said no ; that the soil was of
so porous a nature that it soaked up the water as soon as it
fell. I then endeavored to hire one of their old men to ac-
company me as guide ; but they said they were afraid to
go into the country, as there was no water, and they were
fearful they would perish before they could return. The
chief said, in conclusion, that perhaps I might not credit
their statements, but that I would have abundant evidence
of the truth of their assertions if I ventured much farther
with my command. This account of the country ahead of
us was truly discouraging, and we had any thing but an
agreeable prospect before us. As the Indians, from their
own statements, had traveled a great distance to see us, I
distributed some presents among them, with a few rations
of pork and flour, for which we received their acknowledg-
ments in their customary style — by begging for every thing
else they saw.
"About 25 miles below this the main river had forked,
and we had taken the north branch.
"After passing the mountains, we arrived at a point where
the branch we were upon again divided into two nearly
equal branches.
"The water in the south branch (which I called the
' Salt Fork') is bitter and nauseating. The water in the
north branch, which we ascended, was not sweet, but could
be drank. It was at the confluence 105 feet wide, three
feet deep, with a rapid current.
'■'■June 1. One of the Delawarcs caught two bear cubs
in the mountains to-day, one of which he brouglit in liis
arms to camp. He seems perfectly contented, and we shall
take the young brute along with us.
"Our course here leaves the mountains, and we launch
GAME. 131
out into the prairie before us, whicli appears to be an unin-
terrupted level plain as far as the eye can penetrate. I
can not leave these mountains without a feeling of sincere
regret. The beautiful and majestic scenery throughout the
whole extent of the chain, with the charming glades lying
between them, clothed wnth luxuriant sward up to the very
bases of the rugged sides, besides the many springs of deli-
cious water bursting forth from the solid walls of granite,
and bounding along over the debris at the base, forcibly re-
mind me of my own native hills, and the idea of leaving
these for the desert plains gives rise to an involuntary feel-
ing of sadness similar to that I experienced on leaving home.
" Our course led us up along the North Fork over a very
monotonous country, with nothing of special interest until,
on the 4th of June, as I was riding with one of the Dela-
wares in advance of the train, we suddenly (as we rose upon
an eminence) came in sight of four buffalo cows, with their
calves, very quietly grazing in a valley below us. We at
once put spurs to our horses, and, with our rifles in readi-
ness, set off at a brisk gallop in pursuit, but, unfortunately,
the animals had 'the wind' of us, and instantly bounded
away over the prairie at full speed. We followed about
three miles, but they had so much the start that we could
not overtake them without giving our horses more labor
than we cared about, and so abandoned the chase.
" Our greyhounds caught two deer in fair chase upon the
open prairie, and they had several races in pursuit of ante-
lopes, but had not as yet been able to come up with them.
We occasionally saw a few wild turkeys, but they were not
as abundant here as we found them below. There were
several varieties of birds around our camp, among which
we observed the white owl, meadow lark (which I have seen
every where I have traveled), mocking-bird, kingbird, swal-
low, quail, etc.
132 BUFFALO.
" We passed the trail of a large party of Comanclies on
the 6th, going south with their families and lodges. The
Comanches, during the past year, have not been friendly
with the Delawarcs and Shawnees, and although there have
as yet been no organized demonstrations of hostilities, they
have secretly killed several men, and, in consequence, our
hunters entertain a feeling of revenge toward them. They,
however, go out alone every day on their hunts, six or
eight miles from the command, and seem to have no fears
of the Comanches. They are liable to encounter them at
any moment, and, being poorly mounted, they could not es-
cape by running ; their only alternative in such an event
would be to act on the defensive. I have cautioned them
several times, but they say they are not afraid to meet any
of the prairie Indians provided the odds are not greater
than six to one. They are well armed with good rifles, the
use of which they understand perfectly, and are very de-
termined and brave fellows.
^'■June 7. Taking two of the Indians this morning, I went
out for the purpose of making an examination of the sur-
rounding country, and ascertaining whether good water
could be found upon our route for our next encampment.
"We had gone about three miles in a westerly direction,
when we struck a fresh buffalo track leadins; north ; think-
ing we might overtake him, we followed up the trace until
we came near the summit of an eminence upon the prairie,
when I sent one of the Indians (John Bull) to the top of
the hill, which was about one fourth of a mile distant, to
look for the animal. He had no sooner arrived at the
point indicated than we saw him make a signal for us to
join him by riding round rapidly several times in a circle,
and immediately put off at full speed over the hills, AYe
set out at the same instant upon a smart gallop, and on
reaching the crest of the hill discovered the terrified animal
A PANTHER. 133
fleeing at a most furious pace, with John Bull in hot pursuit
about 500 yards behind him. As we followed on down the
prairie we had a fine view of the chase. The Delaware was
mounted upon one of our most fractious and spirited horses,
that had never seen a buffalo before, and, on coming near
the animal, he seemed perfectly frantic with fear, making-
several desperate surges- to 'the right and left, any one of
which must have inevitably unseated his rider had he not
been a most expert and skillful horseman. During the time
the horse was plunging and making such efforts to escape,
John, while he controlled him with masterly adroitness,
seized an opportunity and gave the buffalo the contents of
his rifle, breaking one of his fore legs, and somewhat re<
tarding his speed ; he still kept on, however, making good
running, and it required all the strength of our horses to
bring us alongside of him. Before we came up, our most
excellent hunter, John Bull, had recharged his rifle and
placed another ball directly back of the shoulder ; but so
tenacious of life is this animal, that it was not until the oth-
er Delaware and myself gave him four additional shots that
we brought him to the ground.
"On our return we observed a pack of wolves, in com-
pany with a multitude of ravens, making merry over the
carcass of the buffalo we had killed in the morning.
" In the evening, shortly after we had turned out our an-
imals to graze, and had made every thing snug and com-
fortable about us, ourselves reclining very quietly after the
fatigue of the day's march, one of the hunters came into
camp and informed us that a panther had crossed the creek
but a short distance above, and was coming toward us.
This piece of intelligence, as may be supposed, created no
little excitement in our quiet circle. Every body was up
in an instant, seizing muskets, rifles, or any other weapon
that came to hand, and, followed by all the dogs in camp, a
M
134 TIMID DOGS,
very general rush was made toward the spot indicated by
the Delaware. On reaching the place, we found where the
animal, in stepping from the creek, had left water u];)on his
track, which was not yet dry, showing that he had passed
within a short time. We pointed out the track to several
of the dogs, and endeavored, by every means which our in-
genuity could suggest, to inspire them with some small de-
gree of that enthusiasm which had animated us. We coax-
ed, cheered, and scolded, put their noses into the track,
clapped our hands, pointed in the direction of the trail, hiss-
ed, and made use of divers other canine arguments to con-
vince them that there was something of importance on hand,
but it was all to no purpose. They did not seem to enter
into the spirit of the chase, or to regard the occasion as one
in which there was much glory to be derived from follow-
ing in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessor. On the
contrary, the zeal which they manifested in starting out
from camp suddenly abated as soon as their olflictories came
in contact with the track, and it was with very great diffi-
culty that we could prevent them from running away. At
this moment, however, our old bear-dog came up, and no
sooner had he caught a sniff of the atmosphere than, sud-
denly coming to a stop and raising his head into the air, he
sent forth one prolonged note, and started off in full cry
upon the trail. He led off boldly into the timber, followed
by the other dogs, which had now recovered confidence,
with the men at their heels, cheering them on and shouting
most vociferously, each one anxious to get the first glimpse
of the panther. They soon roused him from his lair, and,
after making a few circuits around the grove, he took to a
tree.
"I was so fortunate as to reach the spot a little in ad-
vance of the party, and gave him a shot which brought liim
to the ground. The dogs tlicn closed in wilh liim, and oth-
STRANGE SUPPLY OF WATER. 135
ers of the party, coming up directly afterward, fired sev-
eral shots which took effect, and he was dead. He proved
to be a fine specimen of the North American cougar, meas-
uring eight and a half feet from the nose to the end of his
tail.
"We encamped one evening upon a small creek which,
with the exception of some pools of standing water, was
dry. In the course of an hour, however, some of the men,
who had been up the creek, came running back into camp
greatly excited, and crying, "Here comes a plenty of water,
boys !" And, sure enough, in a few minutes, to our aston-
ishment and delight (as we were doubtful about having a
supply), a perfect torrent came rushing down the dry bed
of the rivulet, filling it to the tops of its banks, and contin-
ued running, turbid, and covered with drift and froth, as
long as we remained. Our Delawares looked upon this as
a special favor from the Great Spirit, and a favorable au-
gury to the success of our enterprise. To us it was a most
mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, as there had been
no rain for three days, with a cloudless sky. If the stream
had been of much magnitude, we should have supposed
that the water came from a distance, where there had been
rains, but it did not rise over three or four miles from where
we encamped. I have always since regretted that I did not
follow up the stream to its source, as I might have discov-
ered from whence the water came.
" Upon the Plains south of the Canadian, where I have
traveled during the summer months, a strong breeze has
usually sprung up about eight o'clock in the morning, and
lasted until after night, reaching its maximum intensity
about three o'clock in the afternoon. This breeze comes
from the south, and generally rises and subsides with as
much regularity as the sea-breeze upon the Atlantic coast,
which fact has given rise to the opinion that it emanates
136 PLAN OF CAMP.
from the Gulf of Mexico. However tliis may be, these cool
and bracing winds temper the atmosphere, heated to inten-
sity by the almost vertical rays of the sun, rendering it
comfortable and pleasant even in midsummer.
'-''June 11. We crossed Sweetwater Creek at three o'clock
this morning, and traveled eight miles in a westerly course,
when we crossed two fresh Indian trails, which, from the
circumstance of there being no trace of lodge-poles, our
guide pronounced to have been made by war-parties ; and
he says that he has, during the day, seen four Indians upon
a hill in the distance, but they turned on seeing him, and
galloped off. The fact of their not being disposed to com-
municate with us looks suspicious, and they may have hos-
tile intentions toward us ; but, with our customary precau-
tions, I think we shall be ready to receive them, either as
friends or enemies.
"Our usual method of encamping is, where we can find
the curve of a creek (which has generally been the case), to
place ourselves in the concavity, with the wagons and tents
extending around in a semicircle, uniting at each extremity
of the curve of the creek, so as to inclose a sufficient space
for the command ; thus we are protected on one side by the
creek, and upon the other by the line of wagons and tents.
Immediately after reaching our camping-ground, all the an-
imals are turned out to graze, under charge of the team-
sters, who are armed, and remain constantly with them,
keeping them as near the command as the supply of grass
will permit. "We generally commence the day's march
about three o'clock in the morning, and arc ready to en-
camp by eleven o'clock; this gives ample time for the ani-
mals to graze before night, when they are driven into camp.
The horses and mules are picketed within the inclosurc,
while the oxen are tied up to the wngons; sentinels are
then posted upon each side of the encampment, and kept
PROPER day's march. 137
constantly walking in such directions that they may have
the animals continually in view.
"Many have supposed that cattle in a journey upon the
Plains would perform better and keep in better condition
by allowing them to graze in the morning, before starting
upon the day's march, which would involve the necessity
of traveling during the heat of the day. These persons are
of opinion that animals will only feed at particular hours
of the day, and that the remainder of the day must be allot-
ted them for rest and sleep, and that, unless these rules are
adhered to, they will not thrive. This opinion, however, is,
I think, erroneous ; and I also think that cattle will adapt
themselves to any circumstances, so far as regards their
working hours and their hours of rest. If they have been
accustomed to labor at particular hours of the day, and the
order of things is at once reversed, the working hours being
changed into hours of rest, they may not do as well for a
few days, but they soon become accustomed to the change,
and eat and rest as well as before.
" By starting at an early hour in the morning during the
summer months, the day's march is over before it becomes
very warm ; whereas (as I have observed), if the animals
are allowed to graze before starting, the march must con-
tinue during the middle of the day, when the animals (par-
ticularly oxen) will suffer much from the heat of the sun,
and, so far as my experience goes, will not keep in as good
condition as when the other plan is pursued. I bave adopt-
ed this course, and our oxen have continued to improve
upon it. Another and important advantage to be derived
from this is found in the fact that the animals, being tied
up at night, are not liable to be lost or stolen."
We continued on up the North Fork of Eed Eiver until
the 16th of June, when we reached the sources of this stream.
The following is an extract from m v journal of that day :
M* " . '
138 SOURCE OF NORTH FORK.
'"'■June 16. Striking our tents at three o'clock this morn-
ing, we followed up the south bank of the river, which runs
in a westerly course for eight miles, when it suddenly turns
to the southwest, and here the elevated bluffs which we
have had in view for several days past approach the river
upon each side, until there is but a narrow gorge or caiion
for the passage of the stream. These blliffis are composed
of calcareous sandstone and clay, rising precipitously from
the banks of the stream to the height of three hundred feet,
when they suddenly terminate in the almost perfectly level
plain of the 'Llano estacado.' Here the river branches
out into numerous ramifications, all running into the deep
gorges of the plain. Taking the largest, we continued up
it, riding directly in the bed of the stream for about five
miles, when we reached the source of this branch of the
river, and, by ascending upon the table lands above, we
could see the heads of the other branches which we had
passed a few miles below.
" The latitude at this place, as determined by several ob-
servations of Polaris, is 85° 35' 3". and the longitude 101°
55'. These results make our position only about twenty-
five miles from the Canadian River; and as I am anxious
to determine how our observations conform to those we
made in ascending that stream in 1849,1 propose taking ten
men, and leaving the main body of the command to guard
our oxen and stores, to make a trip in a due north course
to the Canadian. This will serve to show the connection
between that stream and a certain known point upon the
head of the north branch of Eed River, and is, in my opin-
ion, a geographical item which it is important to establish
and confirm by actual observation, particularly as the Cana-
dian has by several travelers been mistaken for Red River.
" At our encampment of this evening is the last running
water we have found in ascending this branch of Red River.
BOTTLE DEPOSITED. 139
AYe are near the junction of the last brancli of any magni-
tude that enters the river from the north, and about three
miles from the point where it debouches from the plains,
in a grove of large cotton wood-trees upon the south bank
of the river. Under the roots of one of the largest of these
trees, which stands near the river, and below all others in
the grove, we buried a bottle containing the following mem-
orandum :
" 'On the 16th day of June, 1852, an exploring expedi-
tion, composed of Captain R. B. Marcy, Captain G. B. McClel-
lan. Lieutenant J. Updegraflf, and Dr. G. C. Shumard, with
fifty -five men of Company "D," 5th Infantry, encamped
here, having this day traced the north branch of Red River
to its sources. Accompanying the exj)edition were Captain
J. H. Strain, of Fort Washita, and Mr. J. R. Suydam, of New
York city.'
"On the 17th, accompanied by eleven of our party, I
started in a northerly direction to go in search of the Cana-
dian River, leaving the main party encamped on Red River.
"Our route led us immediately out upon the elevated
plateau of the Staked Plain, where the eye rested upon no
object of relief within the scope of vision, and our Dela-
ware guide, John Bushman, whom I had informed that we
expected to reach the Canadian that day, expressed great
incredulit}'- as to the reliance to be placed upon our astro-
nomical conclusions. He asked me, ' How you know may-
be so Canadian twenty -five miles?' I informed him that
this was determined by observations upon the moon and
stars. The expression of his countenance indicated that
he regarded us either as ' big medicine men' or fools, and
when we reached the summit of the plain before mention-
ed, he turned to me and said, ' Maybe no Canadian there'
(pointing to the east). It certainly did not look much like
it; but, after traveling about fifteen miles, our eyes were
140 McClellan's creek.
suddenly gladdened by the appearance of a valley before
us, which I at once recognized as that of the Canadian, and,
after traveling about ten miles farther, we found ourselves
upon that stream.
" This was a matter of much gratification to us, as it con-
firmed the accuracy of our calculations regarding the geo-
graphical position of the sources of the North Fork of Ked
Eiver. John Bushman was evidently greatly astonished a^
the precision of the estimates, and was now prepared to be-
lieve in our powers to almost any extent. He came to me
that evening and said, 'I want you, captain, to look at stars
agin, and tell me where Comanches gone ;' and I could not
persuade him that we were incapable of determining the
exact location of every Indian camp in the country by sim-
ply looking at the stars with a telescope.
"The point where we struck the Canadian is at the mouth
of a small stream called Sandy Creek, upon the map of the
road I made from Fort Smith to Santa Fe in 1849. This,
being near longitude 101° 45', and latitude 35° 68', makes
our calculations for this and the head of Ked Eiver ap-
proximate very closely.
"On the 20th of June we turned south toward the Salt
Fork, and, after going twelve miles, skirting the border of
the Staked Plain from whence issued the numerous tributa-
ries of the North Fork, we reached the valley of a very
beautiful stream, twenty feet wide and six inches deep,
running rapidly over a gravelly bed, through a valley
about a mile wide, of sandy soil, with large cottonwood-
trees along the banks. I have called this ' ^McClellan's
Creek,' in compliment to my friend Captain McClellan,
who I believe to bo the first white man that ever set eyes
upon it.
" We were happy, on arriving here, to find the water per-
fectly pure and palatable; and we regard ourselves as most
u
o
MIRAGE. 1-1
Q
singularly fortunate in having favorable ■weather. The
rains of the last two days have made the atmosphere de-
lightfully cool, and afford us water in many places where
we had no reason to expect it at this season of the year.
"During the middle of the day, when the earth and the
adjacent strata of the air had become heated by the almost
vei-tical raj^s of the sun, we observed, as usual, upon the
'Llano estacado,' an incessant tremulous motion in the
lower strata of the atmosphere, accompanied by a most sin-
gular and illusive mirage. This phenomenon, which so
bitterly deluded the French army in Egypt, and has been
observed in many other places, is here seen in perfection.
" The very extraordinary refraction of the atmosphere
upon these elevated plateaus causes objects in the distance
to be distorted into the most wild and fantastic forms, and
often exaggerated to many times their true size. A raven,
for instance, would present the appearance of a man walk-
ing erect, and an antelope often be mistaken for a horse or
buffalo. In passing along over this thirsty and extended
plain in a warm day, the eye of a stranger is suddenly glad-
dened by the appearance of a beautiful lake, with green
and shady groves directly upon the opposite bank. His
heart beats with joy at the prospect of speedily luxuriating
in the cool and delicious elemenl before him, and he urges
his horse forward, thinking it very strange that he does not
reach the oasis. At one time he imagines that he has made
a sensible diminution in the distance, and goes on with re-
newed vigor and cheerfulness ; then again he fancies that
the object recedes before him, and he becomes discouraged
and disheartened ; and thus he rides for miles and miles,
and still he finds himself no nearer the goal than when he
first saw it;' when, perhaps, some sudden change in the
atmosphere would dissipate the illusion, and disclose to him
the fact that he had been following a mirage.
14:4: INDIAN BATTLE-GROUND.
" On the 22d we struck the principal branch of the Salt
Fork near where it debouches from the Staked Plain,
and directly at the source is an elevated hill, with abrupt
sides, terminating in a level summit, somewhat in the form
of a truncated cone.
" We were much gratified in finding the water at the
head of this branch, as in the North Fork, sweet and whole-
some. This settles the question that these branches of Eed
River do not take their rise in salt plains, as has been very
generally supposed. On the contrary, the water at their
sources, in the eastern borders of the Staked Plain, is as
pure as can be desired ; and this ch"^racter continues upon
all the confluents until they enter the gypsum formation,
when they become impregnated with salts that impart a
new character to the water, which continues to its junction
with the Mississippi.
" Upon the rocky bluffs bordering the river we found
silicified wood in great quantities strewed about over a dis-
tance of two miles. The petrifaction was most perfect, ex-
hibiting all the fibres, knots, and bark as plainly as in the
native state, and was quite like cottonwood.
" Near the place where we pitched our tents on the 22d
was an old Indian encampment, where John Bushman dis-
covered that a battle had been fought within the two pre-
ceding months. The evidences of this were apparent from
the remains of a large fire upon which the victorious party
had burned the lodges and other efifects of the vanquished.
Pieces of the lodge poles, and a quantity of fused glass
beads, with small pieces of iron and other articles pertain-
ing to their domestic economy, which had partially escaped
the conflagration, were found scattered about the camp.
" On the 24th we left the Salt Fork, and, striking south
over very rough and undulating prairies, we, on the 27th,
came in sight of the valley of the Ke-che-a-qui-ho-no, or
PEAIRIE DOG TOWN.
145
the principal branch of Eed Eiver. Directly in front of
us we could see the high table lands of the Llano estacado
towering up some eight hundred feet above the surround-
ing country, and bordered by precipitous escarpments, cap-
ped with a stratum of snow-white gypsum, which glistened
in the sun's rays like burnished silver,
" Our route from the Salt Fork led us through an almost
continuous dog town, which has probably suggested the
PKAIRIE DOG TOWN.
name the Comanches have applied to the main branch of
the Red River of Ke-che-a-qui-ho-no, or ' Prairie-Dog-Town
River.'
" The river where we struck it was nine hundred yards
wide, flowing over a sand}^ bed, with but little water in the
channel, and the valley was inclosed on each side by rug-
ged hills and deep gorges.
" On the 28th, after marching eight miles, we reached the
N
146 A GROTTO.
base of the elevated cliffs tkat border tlie Llano estacado,
which spreads out to the south and west like the steppes
of Central Asia in an apparently illimitable desert.
" I supposed, from the appearance of the country in the
distance, that I should be able to find a passage for our
wagons along at the foot of these cliffs ; but, on closer ex-
amination, we found the ground so much cut up by abrupt
ridges and deep gullies that it was impracticable to take
our train any farther up this branch of the river. Accord-
ingly, I determined to leave it here, and, with a small es-
cort of ten men, to push on and endeavor to reach the
sources of the river.
" Taking provisions for six days, packed on mules, we
started on the 29th, and were obliged to follow directly in
the bed of the river, as the banks on both sides were so
rough as to render it very difficult to travel over them.
"In one of the deep ravines which we encountered on
the south side of the river we discovered a grotto inclosed
with gypsum rocks, which appeared to have been worn out
by the action of water, forming an arched passway. The
sides were perfectly smooth, and composed of strata of
three distinct bright colors, green, pink, and white, ar-
ranged in such order as to give it an appearance of singular
beauty.
" We found a small rill of water issuing from this cavern,
and on tracing it up discovered a spring of very cold wateiJ'
bursting out from the solid rock. The day was very warm
(the thermometer standing at twelve o'clock M. at 104° Fah-
renheit in the shade), and the reflection of the sun's rays
from the white sand in the bed of the river made it exceed-
ingly oppressive. We were much exhausted and very
thirsty, and we all took huge draughts of this water; but,
as soon as the cold sensation passed away, we discovered
that the water was highly charged Avith salts, and very bit-
SALTS IN WATER. I'iT
ter and unpalatable. Indeed, the water in the river and in
all the tributaries we jDassed was of the same character.
We bivouacked that night at a small pool of bitter water,
and our intense thirst caused us to drink it freely, but, in-
stead of allaying, it only served to increase it.
"At daylight on the 30th we were in the saddle again,
and set out at a brisk pace, hoping to find some good water
during the day.
" The lofty escarpments which bounded the valley on
each side rose precipitously from near the water's edge to
the enormous altitude of from five to eight hundred feet,
and in many places there was not room for a horse to pass
between the foot of the acclivity and the water.
" It was altogether impossible to travel upon either bank
of the river, and the only place where a horse could pass
was directly along the defile of the river bed. "We found
frequent small rivulets flowing into the river through the
deep glens on each side, but the water in*them all was im-
pregnated with the nauseating salts. A very good imita-
tion of this compound may be made by dissolving a tea-
spoonful of Epsom salts in a tumbler of sweet water.
" Our noon halt was upon the river, and we sent our
Delawares out in all directions to search for fresh water, but
they all returned unsuccessful. At this time we had be-
come so much affected by the frequent and unavoidable
use of the water that we experienced constant burning
pains in the stomach, attended with loss of appetite, and
the most vehement and feverish thirst. We endeavored to
disguise the taste of the water by making coffee with it,
but it retained the same disagreeable properties in that form
that it had in the natural state.
"At four in the evening we again pushed forward up
the river, praying most devoutly that we might reach the
end of the gypsum formation before night, and that the riv-
148 SUFFERING FROM THIRST.
er, -which was still of very considerable magnitude, would
branch out and soon come to a termination.
" Four miles from our halting-place we passed a large af
fluent coming in from the north, above which there was a
very perceptible diminution in the main stream ; and in go-
ing a few miles farther, we passed several more, causing a
still greater contraction in its dimensions. All these afflu-
ents were similar in character to the parent stream, bor-
dered with lofty and precipitous bluffs, with gypsum veins
running through them similar to those upon the main river,
*' Toward evening we arrived at a point where the river
divided into two forks of about equal dimensions. We
followed the left, which appeared somewhat the largest, and
here found the bluffs receding several hundred yards from
the banks upon each side, leaving a very beautiful and
quiet little nook, wholly unlike the stern grandeur of the
rugged defile through whicli we had been passing. This
glen was covereel with a rich carpet of verdure, and em-
bowered with the foliage of the graceful china and aspen,
and its rural and witching loveliness gladdened our hearts
and refreshed our eyes, long fatigued with gazing upon
frowning crags and deep, shady ravines.
"After traveling twenty-five miles we encamped upon
the main river, which had now become reduced to one
hundred feet in width, and flowed rapidly over a sandy
bed.
"Although we were suffering most acutely from the ef-
fects of the nauseating and repulsive water in the river, yet
we were still under the painful necessity of using it. Sev-
eral of the men had been taken with violent cramps in the
stomach and vomiting, yet they did not murmur ; on tlie
contrary, they were cheerful, and indulged in frequent jokes
at the expense of those who were sick. The principal top-
ic of conversation with them seemed to be a discussion of
PURE WATER AGAIN. 149
the relative merits of the different kinds of fancy iced
drinks which could be procured in the cities, and the prices
that could be obtained for some of them if they were with-
in reach of our party. Indeed, it seems to me that we were
not entirely exempt from the agitation of a similar subject ;
and, from the drift of the argument, I have no doubt that a
moderate quantity of Croton water, cooled with Boston ice,
would have met with a very ready market in our little
mess. Indeed, if I mistake not, one of the gentlemen of-
fered as high as two thousand dollars for a single bucket of
the pure element; but, unfortunately for him, this was one
of those rare occasions in which money was not sufficiently
potent to obtain the object desired.
" We spread our blankets, and endeavored to obliterate
the sensation of thirst in sleep; but, so far as I was con-
cerned, my slumbers were continually disturbed by dreams,
in which I fancied myself swallowing huge draughts of ice-
water.
" We saddled up at a very early hour on the 1st of July,
and pushed forward up the river for several miles, when
we passed a large affluent putting in from the north. A
few miles farther brought us to another; and, in the course
of the forenoon, several tributaries had been passed, which
reduced the main stream into a narrow channel of only
twenty feet wide; and here its bed, which had every where
below been sandy, suddenly changed to rock ; the water,
which before had been turbid, flowing clear and rapidly over
it, and, to our great delight, it was entirely free from salts.
"After undergoing the most intense sufferings from
drinking the disgusting fluid below here, we indulged freely
in the pure and delicious element as we ascended along the
narrow dell through which the stream found its way.
" After following up for two miles the tortuous mean-
derings of the gorge, we reached a point where it became
150 SOURCE OF RED RIVER.
SO miicli obstructed with huge piles of rock that we were
obliged to leave our animals, and clamber up the remainder
of the distance on foot.
" The gigantic escarpments of sandstone, rising to the
giddy height of 800 feet upon each side, gradually closed
in as we ascended, until they were only a few yards apart,
and finally united overhead, leaving a long, narrow corri-
dor beneath, at the base of which the head spring of the
principal or main branch of Eed Eiver takes its rise. This
spring bursts out from its cavernous reservoir, and, leaping
down over the huge masses of rock below, here commences
its long journey to unite with other tributaries in making
the Mississippi the noblest river in the universe. Directly
at the spring we found three small cottonwood-trees, one
of which was blazed, and the fact of our having visited the
place, 'with the date, marked upon it.
"On beholding this minute rivulet as it wends its tortu-
ous course down the stecjj descent of the canon, it is diffi-
cult to realize that it forms the germ of one of the largest
and most important rivers in America, floating steamers
upon its bosom for nearly 2000 miles, and depositing an
alluvion along its borders which renders its valley unsur-
passed for fertility.
" We took many copious di-aughts of the cool and re-
freshing water in the spring, and thereby considered our-
selves, with the pleasure we received from the beautiful
and majestic scenery around us, amply remunerated for all
our fatigue and privations. The magnificence of the views
that presented themselves to our eyes as we approached
the head of the river exceeded any thing I had ever be-
held. It is impossible for me to describe the sensations
that came over me, and the exquisite pleasure I experi-
enced as I gazed upon these grand and novel pictures,
"These stupendous escarpments of solid rock, rising pre-
SCENERY AT THE SOURCE. 151
cipitouslj from the bed of the river to such a height as, for
a great portion of the day, to exclude the rays of the sun,
were worn away, by the lapse of time and the action of the
water and the weather, into the most fantastic forms, that
required but little effort of the imagination to convert into
works of art, and all united in forming one of the grandest
and most picturesque scenes that can be imagined. We
all, with one accord, stopped and gazed with wonder and
admiration upon a panorama which was now for the first
time exhibited to the ejes of civilized man. Occasionally
might be seen a good representation of the towering walls
of a castle of the feudal ages, with its giddy battlements
pierced with loopholes, and its projecting watch-towers
standing out in bold relief upon the azure ground of the
pure and transparent sky above. In other places, our fan-
cy would metamorphose the escarpments into a bastion
front, as perfectly modeled and constructed as if it had been
a production of the genius of Yauban, with redoubts and
salient angles all arranged in due order. Then, again, our
fancy pictured a colossal specimen of sculpture, represent-
ing the human figure, with all the features of the face dis-
tinctly defined. This, standing upon its lofty pedestal,
overlooks the valley, as if it had been designed and exe-
cuted by the Almighty Artist as the presiding genius of
these dismal solitudes.
" All here was crude Nature, as it sprung into existence
at the fiat of the Almighty Architect of the universe, still
retaining its primeval type, its unreclaimed sublimity and
wildness, and it forcibly inspired me with that veneration
and awe which are so justly due to the high antiquity of
Nature's handiworks, and which seem to increase as we
consider the solemn and important lesson that is taught us
in reflecting upon their permanence when contrasted with
our own fleeting and momentary existence.
152 RETURN TO CAMP.
" We clambered up to the summit of the escarpment,
over the head of the spring, and here found ourselves upon
the level plain of the Llano estacado.
"The approximate geographical position of this point, as
determined by courses and distances from the place where
we left the train, is in latitude 8-i° 42' north, and longitude
103° 7' 11" west; and its elevation above the sea, by care-
ful barometric observations, is 2450 feet.
" The moment we passed the gypsum formation (about
three miles from the head of the river) the water became
pure and sweet.
"We were undoubtedly the first white men who had
ever visited the locality, and, from the great difficulty of its
access, I doubt if any others will go there very soon.
" Near the head of the river we saw numerous fresh loear
tracks, and several of the animals themselves, two of which
we killed, but they generally made their escape into the
rocky defiles, where we were unable to follow them.
" One of our Delawares (John Bull) had quite an excit-
ing brush with a large bear, but did not succeed in getting
alongside of him, as he was mounted upon the same frac-
tious horse which he rode in the bufQilo chase, and he be-
came perfectly furious and unmanageable the moment he
saw the bear. This is often the case, and there is nothing
that frightens a horse so ijiuch as one of these animals. '
" We returned to our camp where we left the train, at
the foot of the defile or canon throuQ;h which the river
passed, on the 3d of July, the distance to the head of the
river being sixty-five miles. "
I could not determine in my own mind whether this re-
markable defile had been formed, after a long lapse of time,
by the continued action of the current, or had been pro-
duced by some great convulsion of Nature, or whether both
causes had contributed to its formation, some paroxysmal
CANONS OF RED RIYER. 153
convulsion having first given birth to an extensive fissure,
and the ceaseless erosion of the water having afterward re-
duced it to its present condition ; but the following remarks
of the late Dr. Hitchcock upon the subject are quite con-
clusive.
"Your account of the remarkable canons of Red River,
where it comes out from the borders of the ' Llano estaca-
do,' as given in your lecture before the American Geo-
graphical and Statistical Society, has been read by me with
great interest. For several years past I have been engaged
in studying analogous phenomena to this, which seems to
me a neglected part of geology. The canons of our south-
western regions are among the most remarkable examples
of erosions on the globe, and' the one on Red River seems
to me to be on a more gigantic scale than any of which I
have found a description. You seem in doubt whether this
gorge was worn away by the river, or is the result of some
paroxysmal convulsion. You will allow me to say that I
have scarcely any doubt that the stream itself has done the
work. The fact that when a tributary stream enters the
main river it passes through a tributary cailon, seems to me
to show conclusively that these gorges were produced by
erosion, and not by fractures ; for how strange would it be
if fractures should take those ramifications and curvatures
which a river and its tributaries present. And, moreover,
I find cases where I can prove, from other considerations,
that streams of water (existing and ancient rivers) have
eaten out gorges quite as difficult to excavate as any of the
canons of the "West ; so that, if we must admit that rivers
have done a work equally great in one case, all presump-
tion is removed against their doing the same in other cases.
I have a great number of facts, which I hope to be able, if
life be spared, to present to the public on this subject, and I
am very glad to add the canons of Red River to the num-
ber."
154 THE KE-CHE-A-QUI-HO-NO,
CHAPTER VI.
Turning homeward. — Peculiar Basin. — Another Panther killed.— Witchita
Mountains. — Mount Scott. — Buffalo Chase. — Witchetaw Villages. — Fine
Soil. — Reported Massacre.— Mexican Prisoners. — Accused of Horse-steal-
ing.—Arrival at Fort Arbuckle.— Anxiety of Friends.- Review of Char-
acteristics of the Country passed over. — Ranges of the Indians.
On the 4tli of July we turned our faces homeward, and
traveled along down the " Ke-che-a-qui-ho-no." Our first
camp was made at a very peculiar pond of water. It is al-
most round, about 250 feet in diameter, with the water 30
feet deep, and perfectly transparent and sweet. The sur-
face of the water is some 20 feet below the top of the bank,
the sides of which are nearly perpendicular ; and the sur-
rounding country, for several miles, rises to the height of
from 100 to 200 feet. As this pond seems to be supplied
by springs, and has no visible outlet, it occurred to me that
there might be a subterraneous communication which car-
ried off the surplus water and the earth from the depression
of the reservoir.
On approaching this pond previous to our encamping,
one of the officers and myself, who were in advance of the
command, espied a huge panther very leisurely walking
away in an opposite direction ; and as, in hunters' parlance,
we "had the wind of him," it enabled me to ride sufficient-
ly near to give him a shot before he discovered us. lie
made a tremendous leap into the air, and, running a short
distance, fell dead, shot directly through the heart.
We continued down the river, over an arid, sandy coun-
try, almost entirely destitute of timber or good water, until
HEAD OF KE-CHE-A-QUI-HO-NO.
THE WITCHETAWS. 157
the 15th, when we again entered the Witchita Mountains,
and skirted along the southeastern base for two days.
The soil here is of excellent quality, and sustains a
heavy vegetation. In addition to the advantages of rich
soil, good timber, and water, which every where abound near
these mountains, may be added the great salubrity of the
climate. The atmosphere in these elevated regions is cool,
elastic, and bracing, and the breezes which sweep across the
Plains temper the heat of the sun, and render the atmos-
phere, even in midsummer, cool and comfortable.
The particular district embracing the Witchita Mount-
ains has for many years been occupied and (with much jus-
tice, it seems to me) claimed by the Witchetaw Indians, who
have a tradition that their original progenitor issued from
the rocks of these mountains, and that the Great Spirit gave
him and his posterity the country in the vicinity for a her-
itage, and here they continued to live and plant corn for a
long time.
Notwithstanding this claim of the "Witchetaws, which the
fact of occupancy and possession has guaranteed to them,
yet the whole of this beautiful country, as far as the 100th
degree of west longitude, is included in the grant made by
the United States to the Choctaws, who thereby possess the
greater part of the lands upon Upper Red River that are
really valuable.
The Witchetaws are an insignificant tribe in point of num-
bers, not having more than about 500 souls in the nation,
and are not, of course, prepared to substantiate or enforce
their title to this country ; and, indeed, I very much doubt
if they have any claims upon the consideration or generosi-
ty of our government, being the most notorious and invet-
erate horse-thieves upon the borders, as the early frontier
settlers of Texas can testify; and they are only held in
restraint now by fear of the troops near them. They have
158 MOUNT SCOTT.
always been extremely jealous of the motives of the white
people who have wished to penetrate to the interior of their
country, and have, upon several occasions, driven off j)ar-
ties who attempted to examine the country about the
Witchita Mountains.
The Choctaws and Chickasaws do not occupy more than
one fourth of their reservation, and the remaining three
fourths is of sufficient dimensions to form a new Territory,
which is far better adapted to agriculture than any other
of our Territories.
On the 18th we passed through the mountains and en-
camped upon the bank of a stream on the north side. Our-
positiou here was directly at the base of the most elevated
peak in the Witchita chain, which, in honor of our distin-
guished lieutenant general, I named " Mount Scott." Tow-
ering as it does above all surrounding eminences, this peak
presents a very imposing feature in the landscape, and a
conspicuous landmark for many miles around. The altitude
above the base, as determined with the sextant, is 1135 feet.
To the north of Mount Scott lies one of the most beau-
tiful valleys I ever saw. It is about three miles wide, in-
closed between two ranges of mountains, and through it
winds a lovely stream of pure water about fifty yards wide,
the lively current of which rushes wildly down over an al-
most continuous succession of rapids and rocky defiles. It
is fringed with gigantic pecan, over-cup, white ash, elm, and
hackberry trees. About the base of the mountains we found
the post-oak, and toward their summits the red cedar grows.
While encamped at this place, I took my rifle, and,
mounting a small Indian pony belonging to my servant,
started up the creek for the purpose of hunting deer. I had
only gone about two miles, when I suddenly discovered a
buffalo bull cropping the grass under some oaks near the
creek. No sooner, however, did I sec him, than, raising his
INDIAN VILLAGES. 159
head, and giving one look in the direction from which I
was approaching, he set off at a spanking gallop over the
prairie. I applied the rowels most vigorously to the di-
minutive beast I bestrode, and endeavored, by making a
cut-off over the hills, to get within rifle range, but the ut-
most efforts of the pony were unequal to the task, and all
I could do was to give him a running salute as he passed
at 200 yards distance.
On the 19th, as we were passing along a small tributa-
ry of the Witchita called Eush Creek, we suddenly came in
sight of several squaws, who were collecting the tall grass
which grows along the banks of the creek. They no soon-
er espied us than they jumped upon their horses, and were
about making off. Some of them, however, stopped at the
command of our interpreter, while one or two galloped away
in the direction of their village to give notice of our ap-
proach. They proved to be Witchetaws and Wacos, and, in-
forming us that their villages were about four miles in ad-
vance, invited us to pay them a visit. We passed through
the villages, which lay directly in our route, and encamped
about half a mile below them, in the valley of Rush Creek.
Immediately on our arrival we were accosted by a large
crowd of men, who were anxious to learn where we had
been, and whether we had met with any Comanches; and
as it was very seldom that any whites had ever visited them
before, they seemed very glad to see us, probably anticipa-
ting presents.
There were two villages here, occupied by the two tribes
just mentioned. They were situated in the rich and fer-
tile valley of Rush Creek, where they cultivated corn, peas,
beans, pumpkins, and melons. They had no agricultural
implements except a small hoe, with which they prepared
the ground for the reception of the seed, and performed
all other work in the cultivation of the crop. The prolific
160 LODGES.
nature of the soil gave tliem bountiful returns, and were it
not for their improvident natures, they might, with little
labor, have suffieient for the whole year. But, like other
Indians, they only cared for the present, and, from the time
the corn was fit for roasting, they were continually eating
and feasting until it was consumed.
' The village of the Witchetaws had 42 lodges, each con-
taining two families of about ten persons. These lodges
are made by erecting a frame-work of poles, placed in a cir-
cle in the ground with the tops united in an oval form, and
bound together with numerous withes" or wattles, the whole
nicely thatched with grass ; and, when completed, it makes
a very commodious and comfortable domicil. The interior
arrangements are such that every person has a bunk, raised
from the ground and covered with buffalo hides, forming a
couch which is far from being uncomfortable. When seat-
ed around their fires in the centre of the lodges, they have
an air of domestic happiness about them which I did not
expect to find.
The lodges are about 25 feet in diameter at the base,
25 feet high, and in the distance have very much the ap-
pearance of a group of haystacks. With the exception
of a few families that live upon the Canadian, the whole
Witchctaw nation is contientrated at this place; their num-
bers do not exceed 500 souls. They have, during the early
settlement of Texas, given more trouble to the people upon
the northern borders of that state than any other Indians.
They have no regard for truth, will steal, and are wholly
unworthy of confidence, and their vicious propensities are
now only kept in check from fear.
Living, as they do, between the white settlements and
the prairie tribes, they are at the mercy of both ; they seem
to be conscious of this fact, and express a desire to be on
terms of friendship with all their neighbors. At my ur-
REPORTED MASSACRED. 161
gent request they presented us with several bushels of green
corn, which was very acceptable, as we had seen no veg-
etables for several months.
The Wacos live about a mile from the Witchetaws, in
a village constructed like the other. There are 20 lodges
in this village, and about 200 souls. Their habits and cus-
toms are similar to the Witchetaws, with whom they fre-
quently intermarry, and are upon the best and most friendly
terms.
Both of these tribes subsist for a great portion of the
year upon buffalo and deer, and wear the buffalo robes like
the Comanches. They also use the bow and arrow for kill-
ing game ; some of them, however, are provided with rifles,
and are good shots. They have a large stock of horses
and mules, many of which are the small Spanish breed
with the Mexican brand upon them, and have probably
been obtained from the prairie tribes ; while others are
large, well -formed animals, and have undoubtedly been
stolen from the border whites.
Wc learned from these Indians, much to our surprise,
that a report had been made to the commanding officer of
Fort Arbuckle, by a Keechi Indian, to the effect that our
whole party had been overpowered and massacred by the
Comanches near the head of Red River.
The account given by the Indian was so circumstantial
and minute in every particular, showing a perfect knowl-
edge of all our movements, with our numbers and equip-
ments, that the information was evidently communicated
by persons who had been near us, and observed our move-
ments. This accounted for the fact of the Indians avoid-
ing us upon all occasions.
They probably regarded us as out on a hostile expedi-
tion, and may have supposed that the report of our mas-
sacre would deter other troops from following us.
O*
162 WHITE PRISONERS.
The old chief To-se-quash informed us that Pah-hah-
eu-ka's band of " Middle Comanches," in consequeqce of
some of their people having been killed near one of our
military posts in Texas, were greatly exasperated, and
would fight the whites whenever they met them.
The following morning I sent for the chiefs of the two
villages, for the purpose of endeavoring to persuade them
to surrender to us two Mexican prisoners in their posses-
sion, one a man about forty years of age, and the other a
boy of fifteen.
The man had been with the Indians since he was a
child, and said he did not wish to leave them ; that he had
become as great a rascal as any of them (to which I gave
full credence), and should not feel at home any where else.
It appeared, however, that the boy had only been with
them a few months. He stated that he was kidnapped by
the Kioways from his home near Chihuahua ; that, in con-
sequence of their brutal treatment, he escaped, and made his
way to the Witchita Mountains, where a Witchetaw hunt-
er found him in nearly a famished state, and brought him
to this place. He said he had been kindly treated b}'' the
Witchetaws, but was anxious to leave them and go with us.
He appeared to be very intelligent, and could read and
write in his own language.
In a talk with the chiefs, I told them that the Ameri-
can people were now on terms of friendship with the Mex-
icans, and that by treaty we had obligated ourselves to re-
turn to them all prisoners in the hands of Indians in our
territory, and to prevent farther depredations being com-
mitted upon them ; that the principal chief of the whites
(the President) would not regard any tribe of Indians as
friends who acted in violation of this treaty ; that he con-
fidently hoped and expected all the tribes who were friend-
ly to our people would comply strictly with the require-
STEALING HORSES. 163
ments of the treaty, and give up all prisoners in their pos-
session. I then requested them to release to me the boy,
and told them if they did this I should make them some
presents of articles that had been sent out by the President
for such of his Bed children as were his friends. They hes-
itated for a long time, stating that the boy belonged to a
Waco, and he loved him so much that it was doubtful if he
could be persuaded to part with him. Whereupon I told
them that if they released the boy quietly, I should reward
them; but otherwise I had determined to take him from
them by force, and if compelled to resort to this course,
should give them nothing in return. This appeared to
have the desired effect, and they said if I would make the
family into which he had been adopted a few presents, in
addition to what I had promised them, they would release
him. I accordingly distributed the presents, and took pos-
session of the boy. Upon turning him over to us they di-
vested him of the few rags of covering that hung about his
person, and reluctantly gave him to us; and he made his
exit from the Witchetaw nation in the same costume in
which he entered the world. We soon had him comforta-
bly clothed, and he was much delighted with the change.
While we were out on the Plains we had found two
Indian horses, and had them in our possession on our ar-
rival at the Witchetaw villages.
One of the officers of our party had, previous to our de-
parture from Fort Belknap, lost a very fine horse, and he
had discovered subsequently that some of To-se-quash's
band had stolen it. I mentioned the circumstance to the
chief, and required him either to return the horse or give
another in place of it. At first he denied that his people
had taken the horse ; but, upon our showing conclusively
that such was the case, he acknowledged the act, but said
that we had stolen two of their horses, and when those were
1(54 OBITUARY NOTICES.
returned he would restore ours. It appeared that some of
their hunters had lost two horses which we had found, and,
although we did not look upon the two cases as being ex-
actly parallel, yet we returned one of their horses, and gave
the other to the lieutenant.
About daylight on the 28th the party marched into Fort
Arbuckle, where we found our friends much astonished
and delighted at our sudden reappearance among them,
when they had supposed us all massaci'ed by the Co-
manches.
The report had been generally believed by the officers,
and the commanding officer at Fort Arbuckle had made an
official report of the circumstances to the War Department.
We immediately dispatched letters to our friends, inform-
ing them of our safety, and, after making the necessary ar-
rangements for returning the escort to Fort Belknap, I set
out for Washington.
On reaching home, I learned that my father's family had
been so fully convinced of the truth of the absurd rumors
in regard to us that they had all put on mourning at-
tire, and a funeral sermon had been preached upon the oc-
casion. Besides this, I had the novel satisfaction of reading
in the papers several quite complimentary obituary articles
upon the death of Captain Marcy.
In a comprehensive review of the physical characteris-
tics of the particular section of Red Eiver which is com-
prised within the limits of the district assigned to the atten-
tion of the expedition, it will not perhaps be considered
irrelevant to make a few general observations upon the
more prominciit features of the country bordering upon
this stream, from its confluence with the Mississippi to its
sources. It will be observed, by reference to a map of the
country embracing the basin of this river, tliat in ascending
from the mouth, its general direction as liigh as Fulton,
TOPOGRAPHY. 165
Arkansas, is nearly north and south ; that here it suddenly
changes its course, and maintains a direction almost due
east and west to its sources. One of the first peculiarities
which strikes the mind on a survey of the topography of
this extensive district of country is the general uniformity
of its surface: with the exception of the Witchita range, no
extensive chains of lofty mountains diversify the perspec-
tive, and but few elevated hills rise up to relieve the mo-
notony of the prospect. Another distinguishing feature of
this river is, that the country on its upper waters differs in
every respect from that in the vicinity of its mouth. The
valley is found to comprise two great geographical sections,
each having physical characteristics entirely distinct from
the other. The main branch of the river, from the point
where it debouches out of the Staked Plain, flows through
an arid prairie country almost entirely destitute of trees,
over a broad bed of light and shifting sands, for a distance,
measured upon its sinuosities, of some 600 miles. This
country, for the most part, is subject to periodical seasons
of drought, which preclude the possibility of cultivation ex-
cept by means of artificial irrigation. It then enters a coun-
try covered with forest-trees of gigantic dimensions, grow-
ing upon an alluvial soil of the most pre-eminent fertility,
which sustains a very diversified sylva, and affords to the
planter the most bountiful returns of all the products suit-
ed to this latitude. On entering this section of the river
we find that the borders contract, and the water, for a great
portion of the year, washes both banks, at a high stage, car-
rying away the loose alluvium from one side and deposit-
ing it upon the other in such a manner as to produce con-
stant changes in the channel, and to render the navigation
difficult. This character prevails through the remainder
of its course to the Delta of the Mississippi, and throughout
this section it is subject to heavy inundations, which often
166 CHARACTER OF RIVER COURSE,
flood the bottoms to such a degree as to produce very seri-
ous consequences to the planters, destroying their crops,
and, upon subsiding, occasionally leaving a deposit of white
sand over the surface, rendering it thenceforth entirely bar-
ren and worthless.
Below the great raft a chain of lakes continues to skirt
the river for more than 100 miles: these are supposed to
have been formed in the ancient channels and low grounds
of former streams, whose discharge had gradually been ob-
structed by an embankment formed of the sedimentary
matter brought down the river from above.
These lakes are from five to fifiy miles in length, from
a quarter to three miles wide, and are filled and emptied
alternately as the floods in Eed River rise and fall ; they
serve as reservoirs, which, in the inundations of the banks
of the river, receive a great quantity of water, and, as it sub-
sides, empty their contents gradually, thereby tending to
impede the rapid discharge of the floods upon the Delta.
Like all rivers of great length which drain a large extent
of country, Eed River is subjected to periodical seasons of
high and low water. The floods occur at very uniform
epochs, but the quantity and elevation of the water, as well
as its continuance at a high stage, vary constantly.
During the winter the water often remains high for sev-
eral months, but the heavy rise which has almost invariably
been observed during the month of June often subsides in
a very few days.
The estimated distance, by the meanderings of the stream,
from the mouth to Preston, Texas, is 1600 miles, and from
this point to the sources of the main branch 500 more,
making the entire length of the river 2100 miles.
On emerging from the timbered lands upon Red River
into the Great Plains, we pass through a strip of forest cnlled
the Cross Timbers. This extensive belt of woodland, which
VEGETATION. 167
forms one of the most prominent and anomalous features
upon the face of the country, is from five to thirty miles
wide, and extends from the Arkansas Eiver in a southwest-
erly direction to the Brazos, some 400 miles.
At six different points where I have passed through it,
I have found it characterized by the same peculiarities ;
the trees, consisting principally of post-oak and black-jack,
standing at such intervals that wagons can without diffi-
culty pass between them in any direction. The soil is thin,
sandy, and poorly watered. This forms a boundary-line,
dividing the country suited to agriculture from the great
prairies, which for the most part are arid and destitute of
timber. It seems to have been designed as a natural bar-
rier between civilized man and the savage, as upon the east
side there are numerous spring-brooks flowing over a high-
ly prolific soil, with a superabundance of the best of timber,
and an exuberant vegetation, teeming with the delightful
perfume of flowers of the most brilliant hues ; here and
there interspersed with verdant glades and small prairies,
affording inexhaustible grazing, and the most beautiful nat-
ural meadows that can be imagined ; while on the other
side commence those barren and desolate wastes, where but
few small streams greet the eye of the traveler, and these
are soon swallowed up by the thirsty sands over which
they flow. Here but little woodland is found, except on
the immediate borders of the water-courses.
From the point where Red River leaves the timbered
lands, the entire face of the country, as if by the wand of a
magician, suddenly changes its character. The bluffs now
approach nearer the river, and the alluvial bottoms, which
below here have been exceedingly rich and productive, con-
tract, and do not support thtt dense and rank vegetation
which characterizes the lower portion of the valley. The
undergrowth of cane-brakes and vines disappears, and is no
168 FAVORITE INDIAN RESORT.
more seen tliroiigliout the entire extent of the valley. The
lands adjacent gradually rise, and exhibit broad and eleva-
ted swells of surface, with spacious valleys intervening, and
the soil continues to become more and more sterile as we
ascend, until we reach the 101st degree of latitude. From
this point, with but few exceptions, there is no more arable
land.
The Comanches and Kiowas resort in great numbers to
the waters of the North Fork of Eed Kiver. Vestiges of
their camps were every where observed along the whole
course of the valley ; and the numerous stumps of trees
which had been cut down by them at different periods in-
dicated that this had been a favorite resort for them during
many years.
In several places we found camps that had only been
abandoned a few days, and some where the fires were still
burning. From the great extent of surface over which the
grass was cropped at some of these places, and from the
multitude of tracks, it was evident that these Indians were
supplied with an immense number of horses ; and they had
been, without doubt, attracted here by the superior quality
of the grass, and the abundance of the sweet cottonwood,
upon the bark of which they feed their horses in the winter
season.
Should the government authorities ever have occasion
to communicate with these Indians, many of them can be
found here during the autumn and winter months. In the
summer season they travel north in pursuit of the buffalo,
generally ranging between the North Fork of the Canadian
and the Arkansas Ilivcr.
The elevated table lands in which Red River, Brazos,
and Colorado take their rise!^ extend from the Canadian
River in a southerly course to near the Rio Grande, some
four hundred miles, between the 32d and 37th parallels of
THE STAKED PLAIN. 169
latitude. In places it is nearly two hundred miles wide,
and is embraced within the 101st and 104th meridians of
longitude. Its elevation above the sea is two thousand four
hundred and fifty feet at the head of Eed River. It is very
level, smooth, and firm, and spreads out in every direction
as far as the eye can reach, without a tree, shrub, or any
other herbage to intercept the vision. The traveler, in
passing over it, sees nothing but one vast, dreary, and mo-
notonous waste of barren solitude. It is an ocean of desert
prairie, where the voice of man is seldom heard, and where
no living being permanently resides. The almost total ab-
sence of water causes all animals to shun it ; even the In-
dians do not venture to cross it except at two or three
points, where they find a few small ponds of water. I was
told in New Mexico that, many years since, the Mexicans
marked out a route with stakes across this plain, where
they found water ; and hence the name by which it is
known throughout Mexico, of " El Llano estacado," or
the " Staked Plain."
F
170 INDIAN RESERVATIONS.
CHAPTER VII.
INDIAN RESERVATIONS.
Arrival at Fort Belknap. — Troubles of the Small Tribes of Texas. — Jose
Maria. — Council. — Major Neighbors. — Wolf Dance. — Comanche Visit to
the Tonkawas. — Admiration for the Major's Wardrobe. — Enlists in a
War Expedition. — Little Witchita River. — Big Witchita River. — Perilous
Position of Major Neighbors. — Head of Big Witchita. — Bad Water. —
Reach Brazos River. — Head of the Brazos. — Abundance of Game. — Ke-
tumsee. — Clear Fork of the Brazos. — Council. — Location of the Reserva-
tions.— Summary. — Double Mountain Fork. — Mesquit Tree. — Mesquit
Gum. — Civilizing Comanches.
In 1853, the Legislature of Texas passed an act authoriz-
ing tbe general government to have selected and surveyed,
from any vacant lands within the limits of the state, reser-
vations amounting to twelve leagues, for the exclusive use
of the Indians inhabiting that Territory.
I was, in 1854, selected by the War Department to go out
into the unsettled parts of the state, and, in conjunction with
Major Neighbors, special agent for those Indians, to locate
and survey these reservations.
I had already explored a great portion of Northern and
Western Texas, and was perfectly familiar with the charac-
ter of the country upon Red River, Trinity, some sections
of the Brazos, and Colorado; but up to that time there was
no record of any white man having explored the Brazos
or the Big Witchita Rivers to their sources. As these
streams were included within the limits of Texas, and as I
deemed it desirable to locate the Indians as for as possible
away from the white settlements, I determined to explore
INDIANS IN TEXAS. 171
the streams alluded to. Accordingly, after procuring a suit-
able escort and outfit, I proceeded to Fort Belknap, on the
Brazos River, where I was joined by Major Neighbors, with
several Delawares for guides, interpreters, and hunters.
The Indian tribes in Texas at that time were the South-
ern Comanches, Witchetaws, Wacos, Towackanies, lonies,
Anahdakas, Caddos, Tonkawas, and Keechis.
These Indians, with the exception of the Comanches,
constituted minute remnants of what were once formidable
tribes, but now the aggregate of their slender numbers would
hardly reach 2500 souls.
The borderers of Texas have often made war upon them
without the slightest provocation, and have, time and time
again, robbed them of their fields, and forced them to aban-
don their agricultural improvements, and remove farther
and farther away as the white settlers encroached upon
them. They have been robbed, murdered, and starved,
until they have' been reduced to mere skeletons of nomi-
nal tribes, which, when we went among them, w^ere so much
disheartened and discouraged that they were perfectly will-
ing to submit to any change that held out to them the least
guarantee of security.
These tribes are disposed to live in peace and harmony
with the whites, and all they ask is to be allowed to cultivate
their little patches of ground without farther molestation.
They all possess a greater or less number of horses, and
many of their young men follow the chase, while the old
men, women, and children stay at home, and raise corn,
beans, peas, watermelons, squashes, etc.
•They have, as a general rule, kept their races pure and
unadulterated from admixture with the whites, yet it is said
that many of their women are far from being chaste.
Soon after our arrival at Fort Belknap, Major Neigh-
bors and myself called the chiefs of the small tribes togeth-
172 JOSE MAKIA.
er, and held a council witli tbem concerning the settlement
upon the new reservations.
The lonies and Anahdakas were represented by their
chief Jose Maria, who has the blopd of both tribes in his
veins. He was a fine specimen of his race, about sixty
years of age, with an erect, elastic carriage, and a dignified
and commanding demeanor.
A young and very intelligent chief, named Tiner, who
commands that portion of his tribe living upon the Brazos
Eiver, appeared for the Caddos.
The Witchetaws and Wacos were represented in the per-
son of an old chief, called Ock-a-quash, a full-blooded
Witchetaw, who contends with another chief, "OcAe-yWi,"
for the precedency of rank.
A subordinate chief or captain, called Ulsioclcs, was the
representative of the Towackanies.
Major Neighbors and myself, after the council was con-
vened, informed the Indians that we had been sent out by
the United States authorities to locate reservations for
them, and that the government expected, as soon as this
was done, they would go upon the lands, and there make
their permanent abodes.
Jose Maria stated that he and his people were perfectly
well aware that their Great Father (the President) had
abundant power to send them wherever he chose ; but, if it
was convenient, he would prefer having their lands assign-
ed to them below Fort Belknap, upon the Brazos. That, if
this favor was granted him, as soon as the lands were sur-
veyed and marked out, he should be ready to take posses-
sion of them with his followers. Tie appeared to have the
welfare of his tribe at heart, and wished to get the best lo-
cation of lands possible for them. He says his people
have a tradition that they originally emanated from the hot
sjDrings of Arkansas ; that from them they moved to Kcd
A PERSECUTED PEOPLE. 173
Eiver, in the vicinity of Natchitoches, where they resided
many years, but Were driven by the whites from that sec-
tion of country to the Brazos, where they had lived ever
since. That they had been driven from their homes several
times by the whites since they came upon the Brazos, and
that they now cherished the hope that their troubles were
^ended, and that they would in future have permanent
homes for their families. He added that he would prefer
to be settled as near the fort as possible, in order that he
might receive protection against the incursions of the prai-
rie tribes. That heretofore he had had his enemies, the
pale-faces, on one side of him, and those lawless robbers,
the Comanches, on the other; but that, of the two evils, he
rather preferred being near the former, as they generally
allowed him to eat a portion of what he raised, but that
the Comanches took every thing; and although the whites
had heretofore been equally prone to make v^ar upon them,
yet, if they must die, they should prefer to make their en-
trance into the spirit land with full bellies, and for this rea-
son he would, if it was agreeable to us, take his chances on
the Brazos, near the fort.
These views were concurred in by Tiner and Ock-a-
quash. The chief of the Towackanies said they were not
authorized to enter into any definite arrangements for their
people, but would go home and lay the proposition before
them, when they would decide whether they would remain
where they were in the Choctaw nation, or remove into
Texas.
The Tonkawas were not represented in the council, and,
indeed, they were generally regarded as renegades and
aliens from all social intercourse with the other tribes.
They were more like the Digger Indians of the Eocky
Mountains than any others I have met with, never attempt-
ing to cultivate the soil or build houses. They lived in
ITJr MAJOR KEIGHBORS.
temporary bark or brush tenements, affording but little pro-
tection from the weather, and derived a miserable, meagre
subsistence from fish, small animals, reptiles, roots, or any
thing else that afforded the least nutriment. They were
the most ragged, filthy, and destitute Indians I have seen ;
and their ideas of comfort and their manner of living are
but one grade above those of the brutes. Indeed, the fol-
lowing incident, which was related to me by my friend and
associate. Major Neighbors, would rather favor the hypoth-
esis that in their own judgment, at least, there may be some
remote consanguinity between them and a very ignoble
quadruped.
It appears that, during the existence of the Eepublic of
Texas, the major was appointed agent for the Tonkawas,
and went out into the Plains and took up his abode with
them. After about a year he succeeded in gaining their
confidence, and ingratiated himself into especial good stand-
ing and favor with the principal chief, who manifested
every disposition to oblige him whenever an opportunity
offered.
These Indians, in common with all the aborigines of this
continent, were eminently superstitious, believing in the
agency of invisible spirits in controlling the every-day af-
fairs of life, and in the efficacy of " medicine-bags" and
charms in healing diseases, etc. They also, like the other
tribes, had their national dances for different important oc-
casions, and among these ceremonies was one which seem-
ed to me very curious, and entirely different from any oth-
er I had heard of. It was called the " Wolf Dance,^^ and
was intended to commemorate the history of tlieir origin
and creation. Their traditions have handed down to them
the idea that the original progenitor of the Tonkawas
was brought into this world through the agency of the
wolves.
WOLF. DANCE. 177
The dance is always conducted witli the utmost solemni-
ty and secrecy, and with all the pomp and ceremony their
limited means allows ; and it was only by the most urgent
entreaty, and the exercise of all his influence with the chief,
that he was permitted to become a spectator upon the im-
portant occasion, and then upon the express condition that
it should be kept secret from the other Indians.
Before the performance commenced he was clandestinely
introduced into a large dance-lodge, where he was secreted
by the chief in such a position that he could jobserve what
was going on without himself being seen.
Soon after this, about fifty warriors, all dressed in wolf
skins from head to feet, so as to represent the animal very
perfectly, made their entrance upon all-fours in single file,
and passed around the lodge, howling, growling, and mak-
ing other demonstrations peculiar to that carnivorous quad-
ruped.
After this had continued for some time, they began to
put down their noses and sniff the earth in every direc-
tion, until at length one of them suddenly stopped, uttered
a shrill cr}'-, and commenced scratching the ground at a
particular sj^ot. The others immediately gathered around,
and all set to work scratching up the earth with their
hands, imitating the motions of the wolf in so doing ; and,
in a few minutes, greatly to the astonishment of the major,
they exhumed from the spot a genuine live Tonkawa, who
had previously been interred for the performance.
As soon as they had unearthed this strange biped, they
ran around, scenting his person and examining him through-
out with the greatest apparent delight and curiosity. The
advent of this curious and novel creature was an occasion
of no ordinary moment to them, and a council of venerable
and sage old wolves was at once assembled to determine
what disposition should be made of him.
178 VISIT OF aOMAJSrCHES.
The Tonkawa addressed them as follows: "You have
taken me from the spirit laud where I was conteuted and
happy, and brought me into this world where I am a stran-
ger, and I know not what I shall do for subsistence and
clothing. It is better you should place me back where
you found me, otherwise I shall freeze or starve."
After mature deliberation the council declined returning
him to the earth, and advised him to gain a livelihood as
the wolves did ; to go out into the wilderness, and rob, kill,
and steal wherever opportunity presented. They then
placed a bow and arrows in his hands, and told him with
these he must furnish himself with food and clothing ; that
he could wander about from place to place like the wolves,
but that he must never build a house or cultivate the soil ;
that if he did he would surely die.
This injunction, the chief informed the major, had al-
ways been strictly adhered to by the Tonkawas.
The Tonkawas, in point of numbers when comj^arcd
with the Comanches, are a very insignificant tribe; and the
latter, whenever they come in contact, always exercise a
most arbitrary and domineering control over them. As
an instance of this, while my friend Neighbors was quar-
tered with them, a war-party of forty Comanches, led by
the chief Mo-ko-cho-pe, came into camp, and, riding up to
the chief's lodge, ordered him, in a most abrupt and dicta-
torial manner, to take charge of their horses and prepare
supper for them, as they proposed spending the night
there. Every thing they directed was promptly done, feven
to furnishing them with forty of their most attractive girls,
which, according to the customs of some of the tribes at
that period, was regarded as essential to perfect hospitality.
In the mean time the major was endeavoring to place
himself on as favorable a footing as possible with the chief,
telling him who he was, and that the authorities of the re-
DENUDED AGENT. 179
public desired to establish and preserve peaceable relations
with all the prairie tribes, but more especially with the Co-
manches.
The chief did not exactly respond to these friendly sen-
timents ; on the contrary, he said he believed the whites
were generally great rascals; nevertheless, he acknowledged
that my friend appeared to be an exception to the rule, and
that he was rather inclined to like him than otherwise ; and
he even condescended to express considerable admiration
for the new coat he wore. The major, understanding the
import of the compliment, at once pulled off the garment
and gave it to him. Another Indian then came up and
gave his especial approbation to the cut of his vest, another
considered his pants very becoming, while others thought
his cravat, boots, and stockings were very comfortable.
All of these articles were taken off and distributed as they
were mentioned, until at length the agent of the Lone-star
republic found himself divested of all his apparel, with the
exception of his linen shirt, out of a wardrobe which he
had but recently procured from Austin.
The figure which the warriors cut with his garments
must have been ludicrous in the extreme ; and the major
said that, notwithstanding he was almost in a state of na-
ture himself, yet, when he saw one of these people, with only
a satin vest, or a coat, pants, or cravat, strutting about with
all the pride of a city exquisite, he was unable to pre-
serve his dignity, and laughed most heartily.
After they had stripped him of every thing they could
get, they applauded his liberality in the highest terms, and
acknowledged that he was a first-rate fellow ; indeed, they
thought he was almost good enough to be a Comanche;
and, as an evidence of their good opinion, they were willing
he should join them in the horse-stealing expedition upon
which they were then bound ; and, as an incentive to his
ibO DEPARTURE FROM FORT BELKNAP.
ambition, tbcy promised, in the event of his good behavior,
that they would give him a Comanche wife, and adopt him
into the tribe on their return.
lie knew the effect of declining this flattering offer would
be to incur their displeasure, and set out with them, determ-
ined to make his escape the first opportunity that offered.
After traveling several days they arrived at a Mexican
ranch, where there were large herds of cattle, and, as they
were quite hungry, the major, at the request of the chief, ap-
plied to the proprietor for some beef, and promised him
payment through the Indian Bureau on his return to Aus-
tin. The old man, however, declined letting his beef go
unless the money was paid upon the spot. When this was
reported to Mo-ko-cho-pe, he went to the Mexican himself,
and told him that if he delivered to them two beeves with-
in half an hour's time it might be well with him, but if the
beeves were not turned over at the time named he would
burn his ranch and destroy all his cattle.
This had the desired effect, and the beef was delivered
very soon.
A few days after this the major made his escape from
the Indians and returned to Austin, where he was enabled
to replenish his wardrobe. •
After concluding our "talk" with the Indians at Fort
Belknap, we set forward to explore the country upon the
Big Witchita and the head waters of the Brazos. This re-
gion was then a "terra incognita," and has not been occu-
pied by white men since.
The following extracts from my journal, giving my im-
pressions of the country as I passed over it, will probably
convey a more accurate idea of this section than can be
given in any other way.
" On the 15th of July we left Fort Belknap, and traveled
back on the. Preston road for fourteen miles to the ' Cotlon-
LITTLE WITCHITA RIVER. 181
luood Spring^'' upon the large prairie east of that post. Here
we encamped, and at an early hour the following morning
left the road, striking out into the prairie with a course a
few degrees west of north toward the Little Witchita Eiver,
passing over a rolling country covered with groves of mes-
quit-trees, and intersected by several spring-branches (trib-
utaries to 'Salt Creek'), flowing through valleys clothed
with a dense coating of verdure, and teeming with a multi-
tude of beautiful flowers of brilliant hues, the aroma from
which filled the atmosphere with a most delicate and fra-
grant perfume.
"We made our camp at a fine large spring near the head
of one of the branches of the west fork of the Trinity.
" Our course the next day was northwest for six miles,
crossing several small tributaries of the Trinity, all of which
were wooded wuth mesquit, and occasionally a grove of
post-oak was seen, with here and there a Cottonwood or
willow tree along the banks.
" Tlie water in all these branches is clear and palatable,
and may be relied on throughout the season.
"The geological features of this section are characterized
by a predominance of dark sandstone, which in many places
crops out or is laid bare by the action of water, and is cov-
ered with detached fragments of volcanic scoria.
" We are encamped to-night upon a confluent of the
'Little Witchita,' which is here bordered by high, abrupt,
rocky blufis. The .water stands in pools along the bed of
the stream, and, although by no means good, it is drink-
able.
" Our course on the morning of the 18th was nearly west,
gradually deflecting to the southward, for the purpose of
avoiding the numerous branches of the Witchita, but we
soon discovered they would take us too far out of our
course, and turned north, crossing them at right angles.
Q
182 BEAUTIFUL SCENERY.
" Our march this morning led us along a gradual slope
of beautiful and picturesque country, interspersed with mes-
quit glades and prairie lawns, for about eight miles, when
we found ourselves, 'on reaching the crest of the ascent,
upon the summit level of three streams, the 'Brazos,' 'Trin-
ity,' and the ' Little Witchita.' Here a most beautiful pan-
orama was opened out to our view. On our left, in the
distance, could be seen the lofty cliffs bordering the Brazos,
while in front of us, toward the sources of the Little Witch-
ita, were numerous conical mounds, whose regular and sym-
metrical outlines were exhibited with remarkable truth
and distinctness on a background of transparent blue sky.
On our right, several tributaries of the Little Witchita, em-
bellished with light fringes of trees, flowed in graceful sin-
uosities among green flowering meadows, through a basin
of surpassing beauty and loveliness as far to the east as the
eye could reach — all contributing enticing features to the
romantic scenery, and producing a most pleasing effect upon
the senses.
"We continued the same course on the 19th, crossing
several more of the Witchita tributaries, which caused us
considerable detention in excavating banks and construct-
ing bridges to cross our train.
" The soil in the valleys of all these streams is a rich mel-
low alluvion of a highly productive character, and, were it
not for the scarcity of timber which begins to be apparent,
this would undoubtedly prove a desirable farming locality.
"The adjacent uplands are broken and rolling, but the
soil possesses the elements of fertility. Upon the summit
of the bluffs, at the head of the streams we are now passing,
nothing can be seen toward the west but one unbroken ex-
panse of prairie, spreading out beyond till it is lost in the
dim distance.
"In previous communications to the War Department, I
SCARCITY OF TIMBER. 183
have spoken of tlie great deficiency' of building timber
where I have traveled west t)f the ^ Gross Timbers.'' It may
be added here that the same facts are observed in this sec-
tion ; and although mesquit is found sufficient for fuel, yet
there is a great scarcity of timber suitable for building pur-
poses. There are, however, many quarries of stone, which
might answer as a substitute.
" If this country is ever densely populated by agricultur-
ists, a new era in husbandry must be instituted. ISTature
seems to demand this. Instead of clearing up timbered
lands for the plow, as in the Eastern States, it will be nec-
essary to cultivate timber ; indeed, this has already been
commenced in some Western prairies with successful re-
sults.
" We find an abundance of game throughout this section,
and our hunters are enabled to keep the entire command
supplied with fresh meat, so that we have had no occasion
to make use of our beef cattle.
" Our noon halt to-day was upon the summit of a hill,
where we found a spring of cool, wholesome water, sur-
rounded with a luxuriant crop of grass, which afforded our
cattle the very best pasturage.
" After noon we continued on for about eight miles over
mesquit glades, when we arrived in a broad lowland val-
ley, through which meanders a stream about twenty feet
wide and two feet deep. This proved to be the main trunk
of the Little Witchita. Its banks are about ten feet high,
very abrupt, and skirted with elm and cottonwood. The
water has a slightly brackish taste, but is palatable.
" We remained in camp on the 20th, making preparations
to leave the train and escort at this place, while Major
Neighbors and myself proposed to make an excursion to-
ward Eed River. As we should, under any circumstances,
be obliged to return this way, and could move much more
18-1 SWARM OF BEES.
rapidly with pack mules than with our wagons, and as we
did not anticipate meeting hostile Indians in this direction,
we determined to take with us only our Delawares and three
soldiers. Accordingly, on the following morning, we start-
ed at an early hour in a course nearly due east down the val-
ley of the creek upon which we had encamped, and, after
descending fifteen miles, arrived at a point where another
large tributary from the north united with the main branch.
Directly at the confluence our Indians discovered a swarm
of bees, that had taken up their abode in a dry limb of a gi-
gantic old cottonwood-tree. We were anxious to get the
honey, but a small hatchet was the only substitute for an
axe in our possession ; and as chopping down the tree with
this was out of the question, I was upon the point of leav-
ing the industrious little insects in quiet possession of the
fruits of their labors, when one of the Delawares resorted to
the ingenious expedient of climbing a small tree standing-
near the Cottonwood, and, on reaching the top, swung him-
self within reach of the limb that contained the desired
treasure. He was soon seated upon it, and, fastening to it
a lariat which was thrown to him, we seized the other end,
and with our united efforts broke off the part containing
the honey, which afforded us all a bountiful feast. We then
resumed our journey down the stream, and traveled thirteen
miles before we encamped.
" The character of the country along the valley is similar
to that at our last camp. The soil is exceedingly rich, pro-
ducing a heavy crop of grass, but the valley is subject to
inundation, and no woodland is seen except directly along
the banks of the stream.
" The valley varies from half a mile to two miles in width,
and is shut in by rolling uplands, entirely void of any tim-
ber save mesquit.
"There are timbered lands below this point, but they are
PECAN FORK. 185
mostly disposed of by the state, and are not now vacant ;
we did not, therefore, deem it advisable to proceed any far-
ther in this direction, and on the morning of the following
day turned north toward the Big Witchita Eiver, not ex-
pecting to find any more tributaries to the Little "Witchita,
but, after traveling about five miles, we crossed another
nearly as large as the main branch. This proved to be the
most northerly confluent. It was twelve feet wide, the
banks high, and lined with large pecan -trees, and, as we
have seen none of this timber upon the other branches, it
occurred to us that it might appropriately be named the
' Pecan Fork.' The water during this drj- season stands in
pools along the bed of the creek, but it is free from salts
and palatable.
" There is more timber along this branch than upon the
others, but away from the stream no woodland is seen, and
the soil here does not appear to be as prolific as upon the
other branches.
"Leaving the valley of the 'Pecan Pork,' we continued
on in a north course over a very elevated prairie for seven
miles, which brought us upon the crest of the ridge dividing
the waters of the ' Little' from those of the ' Big Witchita,'
from whence we descended by a smooth and regular grade
for eight miles, and entered the valley of the latter stream,
making our noon halt in a grove of hackberry-trees, near a
pool of muddy water.
" After dinner we crossed the valley, which was here
about three miles wide, and found ourselves standing upon
the bank of the Big Witchita, and, ascending about four
miles, discovered a large spring of cold pure water bursting
out from the bank near the river, and here made our biv-
ouac for the night.
"After a long and tiresome march, through an atmos-
phere heated almost to suffocation by the intense rays of a
Q*
186 BIG AVITCHITA.
southern sun, it is difficult for one who has not experienced
the sensation to conceive the exquisite pleasure imparted
by a drink of cold water, particularly after being deprived
of it for a long time. Such was the case with us upon this
occasion, and every one now seemed perfectly happy and
contented with himself and all the world.
" The ' Big Witchita' Eiver at this point is 130 yards
wide and three feet deep, with a current of about three
miles per hour. The water is of a reddish cast, and rather
turbid, but does not contain so much sedimentary matter as
the water of the Little Witchita. It is so excessively bitter
and nauseating to the taste that it can only be drilnk in
cases of the greatest extremity, and is similar to the water
of Red River.
" We are at this place about twenty-five miles above the
mouth of the river (one of our Delawares having visited this
locality before and estimated the distance), yet the river is
wider here than at its confluence with Red River.
"It never rises above its banks, which are from ten to
twenty feet high, and although its general direction is near-
ly east and west, it frequently flows toward all points of the
compass within a short distance. Its course is very tortu-
ous, running from one side to the other of a valley about
four miles wide, bounded upon both sides by lofty bluffs.
The soil in the valley is a dark red and exceedingly rich
alluvion, covered with the very best grass ; unfortunately,
however, the almost total absence of woodland, and the
very great scarcity of good water, will render this section
unsuited to the purposes of agriculture.
"With the exception of a scanty skirt of cottonwood-
trees along the course of the river (and even this, in many
places, entirely disappears), there is no timber in this part
of the valley. These considerations influenced us in reject-
ing this as a locality suited to the wants of the Indians, ex-
cept for purposes of hunting.
BEAVER CREEK. 187
"On tbe morning of the 23d we reluctantly took our de-
parture from the cold spring, crossed the river, and ascend-
ed a large tributary which entered from the northwest,
about four miles above our camp of last night. This stream
is about thirty yards wide and two feet deep, and flows with
a lively current over a stratum of rock and gravel, between
high banks bordered with cottonwood and hackberry trees.
The water is bitter, but not so unpalatable as that in the
principal branch. It is clear, and probably issues from the
gypsum formation.
"We observed several places where the beavers had left
evidences of their industry, and in one spot they had quite
recently cut down several large trees. This suggested to
us the name we have applied to this pretty stream, ' Beaver
Creek.'
"We made our noon halt upon it, about twelve miles
above its mouth, and partook of a sumptuous dinner of fish
and soft-shell turtle, with which the stream abounds.
"We have been exceedingly annoyed for a few days past
with horse-flies. They are enormously large, and their sav-
age attacks upon our animals cause them much acute suf-
fering. A dark blue variety that 1 saw was nearly, if not
quite as large &s a small humming-bird, and they no sooner
light upon an animal than the blood follows copiously.
"We left the creek in the evening and traveled back to
the Big Witchita, making our camp upon the north bank,
near some pools of fresh water in a ravine.
"In the morning we turned south, and directed our course
for camp, where we arrived about twelve o'clock, found ev-
ery thing quiet, and our animals in fine condition for our
onward march,
"An early departure was made on the following morn-
ing, and we marched twelve miles along the south bank of
the creek, making our camp at some pools of muddy water.
188 COPPER AND IRON.
As we ascend this stream, the timber along the banks di-
minishes in size and quantity, and at this place the few trees
that are seen do not average more than fifteen feet in height.
"We are now near the sources of the principal branch of
the Little Witchita, and as our course from hence will prob-
ably lead us along the ridge dividing the Brazos from the
Big Witchita, the waters of both of which are wholly unfit
for use, we sent our Indians out, soon after we encamped, to
search for good water in advance. They returned in the
evening and reported a supply fifteen miles distant.
"We resumed our march the next day, in a course a lit-
tle south of west, along the high prairie 'divide,' malcing
our night halt upon the summit of a very elevated bluff
bordering the valley of the Big Witchita, and about 400
yards distant from a small spring of water in a deep ravine.
"In our course to-day we passed near a very prominent
mound, standing upon the crest of the dividing ridge where
it has the greatest elevation. From its anomalous conform-
ation and peculiar outline, it presents an eminently conspic-
uous landmark, and can be distinguished for many miles in
all directions.
" At the base of this mound we discovered some rich
specimens of the blue carbonate of copper, and near this we
also observed a vein of iron ore, fifteen feet in thickness, of
exceedingly rich quality.
"The dwarf red cedar first" shows itself upon the bluffs
of the Big Witchita, in the vicinity of our camp, and, with
the exception of a few mesquit-trees, it is the only wood in
this section.
"On the morning of the 27th we again sent our Dela-
wares in advance to search for water, as we were fearful, if
we proceeded on with our ox-teams without taking this
precaution, we might be obliged to encamp without that
most necessary element. As the country in this direction
WAR-PARTY. 189
is becoming so exceedingly arid, we have resolved, after go-
ing as far as we find water sufficient for all our animals, to
leave the train with a majority of the escort, and push rap-
idly on, with a few mounted men and pack animals, to the
sources of the river. Our Indians returned in the evening
with their horses much jaded, and reported that they could
find no good water within a distance of twenty-five miles,
save one small spring, only affording sufficient for a few
men.
"We therefore, on the following morning, found a suita-
ble place to encamp our train, about ten miles south of the
Big Witchita, upon a small tributary of the Brazos, where
the water was good, and the grass and fuel abundant. On
visiting this spot, Major Neighbors at once recognized it as
the place where, a long time since, he had remained for sev-
eral weeks the guest of a former chief of the Southern Co-
manches (Mo-ko-cho-pe). He had good reasons for retain-
ing a vivid recollection of the locality, as during his stay
here his life was placed in imminent jeopardy. A war-par-
ty of Northern Indians, on their return from a foray into
Mexico, in passing along the borders of Texas had lost one
of their number in a skirmish with some of the frontier-
men, and, on their arrival at Mo-ko-cho-pe's camp, learning
that my friend Neighbors was there, they at once determ-
ined that he should be the victim to atone for the death of
their comrade. They accordingly insisted upon his being
given up to them, and enforced their arguments with threats
of vengeance upon their hosts in the event of a refusal to
comply with their demands.
" Mo-ko-cho-pe replied to them that Major Neighbors
was his friend and guest, and that if he did not protect
him he should be guilty of a flagrant breach of hospitality ;
that he would never give his sanction to such an outrage,
and if they persisted in carrying out their designs, they
190 LEAVE THE TRAIN.
would first have to kill bim, as he was resolved to protect
him at all hazards. AVhen the council was over, Mo-ko-
cho-pe informed the major of the result, and advised him
to remain constantly with him during the stay of the war-
riors, lie complied implicitly with this advice, and was
not sorry when the war-party took its departure for home.
"On the following morning, after giving directions to
Lieutenant Pearce for moving the camp, Major Neighbors,
the doctor, and myself, accompanied by five Indians and
four soldiers, all well mounted, with pack mules loaded with
the few supplies that were absolutely necessary for a twelve
days' trip, including four five-gallon India-rubber water-
sacks, set out with the firm resolve to see the head of the
Big Witchita and Brazos Rivers before our return.
"Although our numbers were small, and we were about
to penetrate into the heart of a country infested by Indians
of the most lawless propensities, yet the scarcity of water
com-pelled us to adopt this course in order to proceed any
farther in this direction.
" Our course for the first ten miles was nearly west, along
upon the crest of the lofty cliffs bordering the valley of the
Witchita, when we turned to the north, and descended by a
very tortuous course the precipitous sides of the bluffs, at
the base of which we struck the trail of a party of Indians
traveling to the north with five stolen horses. They had
passed about ten days previous, and were moving slowly, all
of which was evident from the fact that the whites never
vjsit this section, and that five of the horses whose tracks
we saw were shod.
" Continuing on up the valley for fifteen miles, we had
the good fortune to discover a small spring of cold pure
water near the bank of the river, and here we bivouacked
for the night.
"We had taken the jorccaution in the morning to fill
FIRE IN CAMP. 191
m
our India-rubber sacks with water, but, after traveling a
few hours exposed to the hot rays of the sun, the taste of
the water became so rank and disagreeable that we could
not drink it. 1 had, however, previous to leaving New
York city, purchased for ray own use a canteen made of
the gutta-percha, and I was happy to find that this did not
impart any disagreeable properties to water, even after re-
maining for several days exposed to the sun's rays in an
atmosphere heated to a temperature of 102° in the shade.
" I take this occasion to remark that, in my opinion, the
gutta-percha is far preferable as a material for water ves-
sels to the India-rubber, and I have no hesitation in recom-
mending for use in a southern climate the water-tanks and
canteens made of this material.
" The India-rubber, after it has been manufactured for a
few months, besides communicating an unwholesome taste to
water, becomes adhesive, and destroys the fabric upon which
it is spread, whereas the gutta-percha, after five months' ex-
posure in the climate of Texas, did not adhere in the least,
and was unimpaired by use.
" An accident occurred this evening which gave us no
little alarm. While we were bathing in the river we heard
the cry of fire, and, running back to camp, discovered the
grass burning furiously, and, in spite of the vigorous ef-
forts of the Indians, already in close proximity to our equi-
page. We dashed in, and were fortunate enough to secure
most of the articles before the flames reached them.
"As we are now just entering the country where gypsum
is the predominating rock, and as we had satisfied ouiselves
in our former travels that the chances for finding good wa-
ter in a section where this mineral abounds are but few, we
-pushed forward as rapidly as possible up the river, crossing
several small streams, all of which we tasted, but found the
character of the water similar to that in the main river.
192 SOURCE OF BIG WITCHITA.
After traveling twenty-seven miles we found tlie river re-
duced to a width of only thirty yards. We continued on
for ten miles farther, hoping every turn would disclose to
us a fresh-water tributary, but we were disappointed, and
encamped upon a small affluent of bitter water, which we
were obliged to make use of Several of the party have
been attacked with diarrhoea and cramps in the bowels
from drinking the water, and it causes all to feel more or
less unconifortable.
" The portion of the valley over which we have been
passing for the last forty miles is barren and sandy, and
the only woodland is upon the bluffs, which are covered
with dwarf cedar, with an occasional lonely cottonwood or
mesquit in the valley. Here and there may be seen a small
patch of wild rye or gramma grass, but the principal herb-
age in the valley is a coarse variety of grass unsuited to the
palates of our animals.
"On the following morning we left our salt-water biv-
ouac at an early hour, and traveled rapidly on through
the rough and intricate labyrinth of cedar bluffs which are
closing in near the river bank, and rendering it necessary
to pass over them in threading the narrow defile of the val-
ley. A few miles brought us to a point where the river
separated into several branches, all having their origin in
the valley before us. Taking the principal one of these,
we followed it up for several miles through the lofty bluffs
bounding the valley, until wc reached its source upon the
plateau above. We found ourselves here about two hund-
red and fifty feet above the bed of the stream, and, on turn-
ing toward the valley from whence we had just emerged, a
most beautiful and extensive picture greeted our eyes
— the different confluents of the Witchita dividing as they
neared their sources into numerous ramifications, all of
which we were enabled from our lofty observatory to
DESOLATE COUNTRY. 193
trace iu their tortuous meanderings to the very heads, and
beyond these could be discerned the dim outline of a
range of mountains, which stretched away to the south to-
ward the Brazos. All united in forming a landscape pleas-
ing to the eye ; but this is the only feature iu the country
which has left an agreeable impression upon my memory,
and I bade adieu to its desolate and inhospitable borders
without the least feeling of regret, for it is, in almost every
respect, the most uninteresting and forbidding land I have
ever visited. A barren and parsimonious soil, affording lit-
tle but weeds and coarse unwholesome grass, with an inter-
mixture of cacti of most uncomely and grotesque shapes,
studded with a formidable armor of thorns which defies the
approach of man or beast, added to the fact already alluded
to of the scarcity of wood or good water, would seem to
render it probable that this section was not designed by the
Creator for occupation, and I question if the next century
will see it populated by civilized man. Even the Indians
shun this country, and there were no evidences of their
camps along the valley, so that the bears (which are numer-
ous here) are left in undisturbed possession. On leaving
the Witchita, we traveled south toward the Brazos for six
miles through mesquit groves, when we were rejoiced to
find a miniature spring of fresh water dripping slowly out
from under a rock near the crest of the ridge dividing the
waters of the Witchita from those of the Brazos. After
suffering intensely from thirst for two days, it may be im-
agined that it made our hearts glad to taste the pure ele-
ment once more.
" As there was no reservoir to retain the water as it is-
sued from the rocks, we went to work with our knives and
tin cups, and in a few minutes each of us had excavated a
small hole in the hard clay, which soon filled, and gave us
a most refreshing draught. I am not prepared to say that
E
194 BRAZOS RIVER.
it was equal to Croton water cooled with Eockland ice (be-
ing of a deep brown color, and thick with sediment), yet I
doubt if the good people of Gotham ever enjoyed their
boasted and justly renowned beverage more than we did
this. It was free from salts — that was sufficient for us —
and we did ample justice to its merits, as numerous cupsful,
which disappeared in rapid succession down our parched
and feverish throats, abundantly evinced.
"Our course from the spring was nearly parallel with the
chain of mountains now distinctly visible, apparently about
fifteen miles to our right. The direction of the chain seems
to be nearly north and south, and extends off, as far as the
eye can reach, toward the Brazos. Our route lay in the
direction of one of the most prominent peaks of the chain,
which was a very perfect cone, and apparently symmetrical
upon all sides. Many of the other peaks, however, were
truncated and irregular. Twelve miles' travel brought us
to a branch of the Brazos, fifty feet wide and two feet deep,
with a rapid current flowing over a bed of quicksand, and
the water, as usual, bitter and unpalatable.
"On the 1st of August we continued on toward the con-
ical peak of the mountains for twelve miles, when we struck
another branch of the Brazos, which was spread out over a
broad bed of loose sand that absorbs most of the water. We
followed up the north bank of this for a few miles, when
we encountered still another tributary, of an entirely differ-
ent appearance. It was shut in by high, abrupt clay banks,
the water clear, deep, and covered with water grasses, very
much like one of our northern spring-brooks, and I felt the
utmost confidence that we should find the-water fresh, but
it proved to be, if possible, worse than that in the other
branches,
" It is thirty yards wide, from two to fifteen feet deep,
and runs through a valley about two miles wide, with no
trees uj)()n its banks.
MOUNTAINS. 195
" It was literally alive with a multitude of large cat and
bufifalo fish, several of which we caught and cooked for our
dinner, and can vouch for their good flavor.
"After dinner we crossed the stream, which we called
'Catfish Fork,' and in eight miles passed the Round Mount-
ain, making our camp in the mountains five miles beyond.
" We find many spring-brooks issuing from the sides of
the mountains, but, unfortunately, the formation here is gj'p-
sum, and all the streams are bitter.
" On the following morning we made our way with dif-
ficulty over the rugged mountainous region for several
miles, when we reached the base of a high peak, which we
determined to ascend. Accordingly, leaving our horses in
charge of the men, we clambered up the precipitous sides
of the eminence, and, on attaining the summit, found our-
selves in a position overlooking the surrounding country
for a great extent in all directions.
" The principal trunk of the Brazos, which was about
two miles to the south, could be traced in its course through
the mountains to the west to its very source, and beyond
this, after passing a plain of several miles in extent, could
be seen another group of mountains much more elevated
than those we are now traversing. They seem to be about
forty miles distant, and present much the appearance of
some of the most elevated spurs in the Witchita range, and
fully as elevated.
"The outline of the crest of this group is more deeply
serrated and irregular, and the apices of the peaks more
acute than those of the range we are now standing upon,
having every appearance of upheaval and volcanic origin.
If this conclusion is correct, they are probably composed of
primitive rocks, and, from their geographical position and
the direction of the group, both of which are nearly in the
direct line connecting the two primitive ranges of the
196 HEAD OF BRAZOS RIVER.
Guadalupe and Witchita, it has occurred to me that tliis
might be an intermediate outcrop of the same continuous
chain. I was surprised to find these lofty mountains at the
sources of the Brazos, as I had before supposed the entire
face of the country lying between the Pecos and Eed Eiv-
ers to be one continuous and unbroken plain, and that the
Brazos, like the Red and Colorado Rivers, had its origin in
the table lands of the Llano estacado. On facing to the
east, and looking back over the country we had been trav-
ersing, it seemed to be an almost perfectly smooth and lev-
el surface, without a hill or valley, through which we could
trace the several tributaries of the Brazos, as they flowed
on in graceful curves, until they finally united in one coni-
mon receptacle, generally known as the main or 'Salt Fork.'
This we followed with our eyes for many miles, when it
gradually disappeared in the murky atmosphere in the dis-
tance.
"After feasting our eyes for some time upon this rare
and magnificent scenery, we reluctantly turned our steps
down the mountain, and rode forward to the river.
"It was a broad, shallow stream, very similar to the other
branches I have described, about forty yards wide, with a
bed of light quicksand, and the water very saline to the
taste. We were subsequently told by the Comanches that
above this point, upon the plain between the two ranges of
mountains, this stream passes over a field of salt (chloride
of sodium), and thatubove that the water is palatable.
"After traveling ten miles south from the Brazos we left
the gypsum formation, and at length discovered a pool of
fresh water. We were all much rejoiced at our good for-
tune, and bivouacked for the night, determined to solace
ourselves at this oasis for the privations of the past three
days.
"The water was free from salt?, but hc;ivily charged
WAR-PARTY. 197
■with sediment, and we were obliged to boil it for some
time, and remove from the surface a very considerable per-
centage of thick vegetable matter before it was fit for use.
" For two days past we have seen an extensive fire on
the prairie to the southwest, and supposed it was made by
some of Pah-hah-eu-ka's band, who, our Delawares say, are
ranging somewhere in this vicinity ;. but we subsequently
learned from the Comanches that a war-party of one hund-
red and fifty northern Comanches, Kioways, Arapahoes,
Cheyennes, and Sioux passed here about this time on their
way to join another party of one hundred of their people
who had passed farther west, with the intention of rendez-
vousing at the crossing of the Rio Grande, below the Pre-
sidio del Norte, from whence they proposed to penetrate
Mexico, indiscriminately putting to death men, women, and
children, laying waste haciendas, driving off animals, and
doing all the mischief in their power.
" Thus they proposed to avenge the death of nearly a
hundred of their comrades* who last winter were entrapped
by the Mexicans in a mountain pass near Durango, and
met with a just punishment for their many unprovoked
atrocities.
" They have been in the habit of visiting the different
towns in northern Mexico for the ostensible purpose of
traffic, and professing, at th& same time, the most devoted
friendship, and often even making treaties of amity and
peace, wherein they pledge themselves forever to regard
their dupes as brothers, and to refrain in future from com-
mitting depredations upon them, while, pending the nego-
tiations, they are looking around to see where they can
operate to the best advantage, when suddenly they disap-
pear from the neighborhood, driving off animals, and kill-
ing all who oppose their designs.
" These outrages had been repeated so often that the
P*
198 COMANCHES DEFEATED.
Mexicans, -upon the occasion we have alluded to, resolved
to turn the tables upon them. They accordingly met the
Indians with much apparent friendship, and invited them
to hold a council, for the purpose of discussing the prelimi-
naries of a treaty of peace.
" The council was convened in a valley of the mountains,
the only approaches to which were through certain passes
that could easily be defended by a few men. These they
had taken the precaution to guard with a good number of
soldiers, who, as soon as the council commenced its deliber-
ations, fell upon the astonished Comanches, and put nearly
all of them to death. The few that escaped wandered back
to their homes in the north, where they told the sad tale of
their disaster, and there was mourning for a long time. A
feeling of indignation was aroused, with an insatiable thirst
for revenge, which resulted in fitting out the Jarge party I
have spoken of What would have been our fate had we
encountered them it is impossible to tell ; we were, however,
perfectly contented to return home without seeing them.
" The foregoing facts were detailed to us by several of
the Comanches, and corroborated by the Delawares, and I
have no doubt are strictly correct.
" I have not learned the result of this expedition, but the
presumption would be that a party of this magnitude, com-
posed of the choice spirits of several different warlike tribes,
all burning with a thirst for revenge, and animated by a
spirit of rivalry and desire for distinction, which such an
alliance would undoubtedly engender, would not return
without making an effort to accomplish their designs, and
I fear the Mexicans have suffered a terrible retribution.
" I was very desirous of extending our explorations to
the mountains beyond the head of the Brazos, but my asso-
ciate, Major Neighbors, was unwilling to go farther in that
direction, as he had already suffered much from drinking
SOUTH FORK OF BRAZOS, 199
the gypsum water ; as, moreover, one of the soldiers had
become very much debilitated from the same cause, I re-
luctantly abandoned the project, and contented myself with
merely seeing from a distance the position of some of the
sources of the river, without visiting the localities 'in pro-
pria persona.' I am enabled, however, from the view I ob-
tained upon the summit of the mountain, and from the
courses I noted down, with compass in hand, at several dif-
ferent points on our route, to trace the streams with con-
siderable accuracy, and to approximate to the distances.
" The next morning we directed our course toward the
eastern extremity of a low mountain, nearly south from our
last camp, which I recognized as the same I had seen in
1849, from the point where the Dona Ana road strikes a
stream which has heretofore been known as the double
mountain fork of the Brazos. My Delaware guide (Black
Beaver) upon that occasion correctly informed me that this
mountain was near the South Fork of the Brazos.
" On reaching the South Fork we found it similar in
character to the branch we passed yesterday, and about the
same magnitude. Immediately after crossing it we ascend-
ed the mountain, which was here composed of sandstone
and gypsum, and covered with cedar bushes.
" Upon the summit was an extensive plateau very much
resembling the Llano estacado, and it is highly probable
this may be a spur of that plain.
" Toward the east from this elevation nothing could be
seen but one continuous mesquit flat, dotted here and there
with small patches of open prairie, while in the opposite
direction, in a due west course, we discerned the elevated
mountains beyond the head of the Brazos. Two peaks pre-
sented themselves to the view from this position, the out-
line of which was similar to the figure on the following page.
"After leading our horses down the mountain, or pla-
200 GAi[E ABUNDANT.
teau, we turned our faces toward tlie train and traveled un-
til ten o'clock at night, encamping at a" pool of despicable
water, with which we manufactured a cup of salt coffee, and
with a venison steak, cooked by friend Neighbors in his
best camp style (which, 'by-the-by,' would not bring dis-
credit upon a professional cuisiniere), we managed to make
a supper.
" On the following morning we saddled up earlj^ and
rode rapidly forward, hoping to find some good water for
our breakfast. Eighteen miles brought us to some pools
of water in the bed of a creek, where we breakfasted, and
continued on down the bank of the stream for eight miles,
when we encountered a terrific thunder -shower, which
called into requisition all our gutta-percha and India-rub-
ber habiliments, and those of the party who were not pro-
vided with them were thoroughly drenched.
" The country through which we are now passing is gen-
tly undulating and covered with mesquit-trees. The soil is
very rich, producing several varieties of gramma and mes-
quit grasses, and begins to be watered with streams of fresh
water.
"The deer and turkeys are plenty in this section, and
our hunters have no difficulty in supplying us with fresh
meat. We now and then see an antelope; I have, how-
ever, met with very few during the entire trip, and they
seem to have almost disappeared since I was in this coun-
try in 184:9.
" "We encamped upon the creek, where we found a sup-
ply of good runniuir wator, and the following morning
A CHARMING VALLEY. 201
passed another larger stream flowing from the south. We
here left the main creek and turned to the left, ascending a
small spring-branch for twelve miles, finding water along
the entire distance.
"This stream runs south 20° west, and takes its rise
upon the south side of the ridge dividing the Clear Fork
from the Salt Fork of the Brazos. It will always afford a
sufficiency of good water for the largest trains in the dry-
est seasons, and I have no doubt that the large creek en-
tering from the south, before mentioned, would supply wa-
ter for many miles farther in the direction of its course.
Had we known these facts before leaving the main body
of the escort, we would have had no difficulty in bringing
the train much nearer the sources of the Brazos.
" Passing the sources of the spring-creek, in the even-
ing we traveled fifteen miles over mesquit uplands, and en-
camped at a spring of good water. Our course the next
morning was north 20° east for fifteen miles, which carried
us to the borders of a valley inclosed with a barrier of
lofty and rugged hills, which shut out the bleak northers
that in the winter sweep across these prairies.
" From. the crest of these hills the valley below presented
a carpet of verdant grasses, besprinkled with a profusion of
flowers of the most vivid hues, through the midst of which
meandered one of the most beautiful streams of pure water
I have seen in this country.
" We entered this charming valley, and on reaching the
banks of the creek discovered that a large party of Kicka-
poos, with their usual good taste, had occupied this localit}^
for a hunting camp. The skeletons of their lodges (fifty-
six in number) were still standing, and, judging from the
piles of deer's hair which we observed in several places,
and the bones scattered over the ground in all directions,
they must have made a successful hunt while here. Our
202 HOT WEATHER.
Indians pronounced it four weeks since the camp liud been
occupied.
" Passing the creek, we continued on for ten miles, when
we again struck the main trunk of the Brazos, and, ascend-
ing five miles, our eyes were once more gladdened by the
sight of the encampment of the escort.
" We joined our comrades, and, after the privations we
had necessarily been subjected to during our excursion, en-
joyed exceedingly the few luxuries our remaining stores
afforded.
"The weather during our absence had been very hot
(the thermometer sometimes at 102° Fahrenheit in the
shade), we had been obliged to ride during almost the en-
tire day for the whole journey, yet the trip had not been
without its attractions, and we trust the information we
have obtained concerning this hitherto unknown region
will be of sufficient importance to compensate us for our
trouble.
" Those of us who had suffered from the effects of the
g3'psum water were relieved as soon as we left that min-
eral. Even the soldier who had been so very ill was al-
most entirely restored on our arrival at the main camp.
"In conversing with the Comanchcs afterward upon this
subject, they said they always avoided this country as much
as possible ; that whenever they had visited it they had in-
variably been afflicted with diarrhosa, and several of their
children had died from the effects of it.
" On the morning of the 7th we struck our camp and
crossed the river with our train, descending upon the south
side to the old Kickapoo camp, where we remained on the
day following, and examined the creek to its confluence
with the Brazos.
"The valley is about a mile wide, the soil productive
and well watered, but, with the exception of mcsquit and
KETUMSEE. 203
a few hackberrj -trees, there is no timber, which we regard
as an insuperable objection to selecting this as a reserve for
the Indians. There are, however, many quarries of the
very best building stone in the valley, which might serve
a white population in lieu of timber, and this may yet be-
come a superior farming locality. The deep prolific soil
would unquestionably produce bountiful returns of any
grain suited to this latitude, and would, for a long term of
years, require no fertilizing auxiliaries.
" Our course on the following day was southeast, over a
mesquit country for twelve miles, making our camp on a
small tributary of the Brazos, where we found an abund-
ance of good living water.
" Our course the next day was the same, over a very un-
dulating and, in places, broken country, traversed by sev-
eral small spring-branches of good water, between which
we passed through groves of mesquit, but possessing little
other interest until we reached a large creek running to-
ward the Brazos, which winds through a broad valley in-
closed with hills upon either side, and has more timber
upon its borders than any we have seen above. The wa-
ter is good, and the high banks have sufficient capacity to
contain it all at the highest stage. This valley would be a
good position for an Indian reserve, but it is disposed of
and not now vacant.
" Quite a sensation was created in our camp during the
afternoon by several strangers whom we saw in the dis-
tance crossing the valley and coming toward us. On their
arrival they proved to be a Comanche chief (Ketumsee),
with two of his wives, who had come to pay us a visit. He
stated that they had received a message from us some time
since requesting the chiefs of the Southern Comanches to
meet us, and that he had for several da3'S endeavored to
prevail upon some of the principal men to accompany him.
204 CAPTAIX VAX BEUREX.
but they all made objections, and he finally determined to
set out alone in search of us. He had been traveling fast
for six days, and had only struck our trail the day previ-
ous, and he was apparently very glad to overtake us. We
gave him a cordial welcome, and told him we would make
him as comfortable as possible while he chose to remain
our guest. He is a tall, fine-looking man, about fifty-five
years of age, with an open, intelligent countenance, and as-
sures us (which of course we are expected to believe) that
he is the best friend to the whites in the Comanche nation.
He acknowledges that there are others who profess friend-
ship, but are not necessarily sincere. Taking his word for
it, he is not one of that stamp. He stated that his own
band, with but few exceptions, are disposed to avail them-
selves of the present opportunity to change their wander-
ing life, and learn to live like their more civilized brethren.
He also says that they are as yet perfectly ignorant of ev-
ery thing relating to agriculture, and it will be necessary
for their Great Father to send them farmers to teach them
before they can attempt it.
"Ketumsee brought with him a letter from the com-
manding officer at Fort Chadbourn, in which he communi-
cated to us the melancholy intelligence of the death of
Captain Van Beuren, and expressing his opinion that some
members of Ketumsee's band were implicated in the out-
rage.
"In reply to our interrogatories upon this subject, he,
with much apparent frankness and sincerity, gave us his
version of the matter, which was, in substance, as follows :
"He asserts that nearly all the depredations which are
committed by the Indians in Texas can be traced directly
to the Northern tribes. That all the depredating parties
are organized among these Indians, but that occasionally
one of them passes his camp, when they talk to his young
EARLY BREAKFAST. 205
men, and endeavor to persuade them to join the expedi-
tion. That he has always given them good advice, en-
treating them to refrain from making war upon the whites,
and showing them that they have nothing to gain by so
doing. They are perfectly aware that we are much more
powerful than themselves, and that they will be held to a
strict account for any atrocities they may commit. He
says his counsels are generally listened to and adopted by
his warriors, but that now and then an impetuous young
man, more anxious than others for distinction, will not take
his advice or obey his commands, and goes oif with a war-
party. Such, he says, might have been the case in the re-
cent affair alluded to, and one of his band may have been
engaged therein, but he did not think that he should be
held responsible for such acts, after he had done all in his
power to prevent them. He states farther, that those of his
people who make war upon the whites must take the con-
sequences to themselves, as they will receive no counte-
nance or protection from him. Whether he is sincere or
not in what he has stated we have no means of determin-
ing, but his manner certainly impressed us with confidence
in his good faith.
"On the morning of the 11th we left our camp before
daylight, and traveled ten miles in the same course as the
day previous, which carried us into the valley of a fine
stream of running water, with several varieties of timber
upon its borders. The soil in the valley is arable in the
highest degree, and the natural resources of the locality ful-
fill all the conditions necessary for making good farms.
This section is appropriated, and not available for the In-
dians.
"On the following morning we breakfasted at the very
unfashionable hour of one o'clock, and were en route an
hour afterward in a southwest course toward the high ridge
S
206 TOO FAR EAST.
dividing the main Brazos from the Clear Fork, and at ten
o'clock crossed the road leading to Dona Ana, encamping
near the Fort Belknap and Phantom Hill road, at a point
ten miles east of the crossing of the Clear Fork.
"It was our intention to have intersected this road twen-
ty miles farther west, but our guide was in this instance at
fault, and although I repeatedly expressed my opinion that
our course was leading us too far east, the Delawares be-
lieved they were right, and we suffered them to proceed.
"As they have generally been very correct in their judg-
ment regarding courses and localities, this error must be re-
garded as an exception to the general rule. The}', like all
their brethren with whom I have been associated, are more
perfect in the art of woodcraft than any people I have ever
known. They are full of expedients for all emergencies,
and their great experience upon the prairies renders their
services highly valuable.
" Soon after crossing the California road, which I had
traveled in 1849, we entered a section covered with large
mesquit-trees, beneath which were innumerable large sun-
flowers, spreading over the entire country as far as we could
see, and giving it a brilliant yellow hue.
"These continued as far as the crossing of the Clear Fork
of the Brazos, upon the Phantom Hill road, which point
we reached the next day about ten o'clock A.M.
"A change takes place in the physiognomy of the coun-
try in passing from the main or Salt Fork to the beautiful
Clear Fork of the Brazos, which seems almost magical.
"We here find, within the small space of a day's travel,
all that is rude, barren, and uninteresting in nature, in close
proximity to that which is most pleasing and beautiful in
pastoral scenery.
"Nature here evinces, in this sudden transition, a caprice
that I have rarely observed in contiguous localities. In-
A CONTRAST. . 207
deed, I doubt if two streams can be found in widely sepa-
rated districts that present a greater contrast.
"The waters of the former stream are red, heavily loaded
with earthy matter^exceedingly bitter to the taste, and flow
sluggishly over a bed of quicksand, through a valley almost
destitute of timber, while the waters of the latter flow rap-
idly over a bed of limestone and gravel of dazzling white-
ness, which exhibits their purity and limpidity in such a
manner that the smallest objects are distinctly visible at the
depth of fifteen feet, while the banks are clothed with a va-
riety of trees of gigantic dimensions, covered in many places
with parasitical dependences, which overshadow the stream,
and are reflected from the surface of the pure water in the
same colors that they present when directly seen.
" The valley teems with a rich and verdant herbage,
which exhibits the amazing fecundity of the soil, and every
thing here reminds us of all that is most picturesque and
charming in a highly cultivated country.
"The stream is here twenty-five yards wide, inclosed upon
each side by high, precipitous banks, which contain the wa-
ter at the highest stages, and are lined with pecan, hackber-
ry, black walnut, and other trees, which in many places
along the lowlands spread out over spaces of considerable
extent, constituting a goodly amount of timber suitable for
building purposes or fuel.
"About six miles below the crossing the oak-timbered
lands commence, and continue along the course of the
stream upon both banks to its confluence with the main
Brazos.
"The greater portion of the land in this direction is,
however, taken up by individuals.
"The valley of the Clear Fork is, in this vicinity, from
one quarter of a mile to two miles in width, and is every
where bountifully supplied with cool fresh water spring-
208 AGRICULTURE.
brooks. Limestone, wbicli is here the predominating rock,
is found in the greatest profusion, and is better adapted for
building purposes than any I have ever seen before. It
has been shaped out by natural causes into cubes and other
symmetrical figures of convenient dimensions, with smooth
surfaces and perfect angles in such a manner as to be al-
ready dressed for the hands of the mason.
"TVe were much rejoiced on arriving here to find evi-
dences of civilization in this far Western Indian country.
" A former agent of the Comanches (Colonel J. Stem)
some years since purchased a tract of land here, upon which
he determined to open a farm,
" The experiment was made by turning over the sod with
a prairie plow, and planting the seed (corn and oats) upon
it. No other labor was expended in the way of hoeing or
plowing, but it grew up most luxuriantly, and produced a
very bountiful yield of grain.
" It has now been planted for three successive seasons,
and in every instance with good results ; while during the
same period, in some of the populated sections farther east,
the crops have failed. During the past summer, the uni-
versal drought throughout the Southwestern States caused
an almost entire failure in the corn crop, but here they did
not suffer in the least.
" Thus far the cultivation of this farm has realized hand-
some profits to its proprietor, and he finds a ready market
for his produce at Fort Belknap, at good prices.
" These facts may seem foreign to the subject matter of
a report of this character, but I have brought them to notice
as an evidence of the fertility of the soil, and an argument
in support of the adaptation of this locality to the wants of
the Indians.
"There are numerous remains of old Comanche camps
throughout the valley, showing that this has for many years
QUA-QUA-HO-NO — PAINT CREEK. 209
been a favorite resort for them. All tbe best varieties of
the gramma and mesquit grasses are found here, and ani-
mals require no other forage during the winter months ; in-
deed, we are told that they thrive and keep in better condi-
tion during the winter than in the summer.
" There are not so many flies here as in the more heavily
timbered districts to the east, from which cattle suffer se-
verely, and I verily believe there is no place in the unf-
verse better suited to ' stock raising' than this,
"We made our encampment on the bank of the Clear
Fork, at a large spring of cold, delicious water, which gush-
ed forth from the bank about half a mile below Stem's
ranch. As there is a vacant tract of land of sufficient extent
for one reservation lyin^ upon the river above here, we de-
termined to make a halt for the purpose of examining it, and
in the mean time send Ketumsee for the other chiefs of the
Southern Comanches, who were about seventy miles off.
" On the following morning Major Neighbors and my-
self ascended the river about eight miles to the confluence
of another tributary, called by the Comanches Qua-qua-ho-
no, and by the whites Paint Creek. We ascended this
branch to the crossing of the California road, where we
bivouacked for the night, and I made my bed under the
same tree .where I pitched my tent in 1849. It was here
that I met Senaco's band of Comanches upon that occasion.
"We turned our steps toward camp at an early hour on
the next day, and passed down upon the north side of the
river, thus making a careful examination of the tract of
country noted as vacant upon the map furnished us from
the General Land Office, which we find contains a good
share of rich valley land along the borders of the stream,
well suited to the culture of grain or plants. The uplands
adjoining are undulating, with rich grassy slopes covered
with mesquit-trees, well adapted for pasturage.
S*
210 SENACO.
"As we were returning to camp we met two Indians from
Scnaco's camp, with a message from him desiring us to put
no rehance in the statements of Ketumsee, as he did not au-
thorize him to talk for the nation.
"Although Senaco is acknowledged by all to be the rul-
ing spirit of the Southern Comanches, and claims and holds
that position in their united deliberations, yet his band and
that of Ketumsee are otherwise separate and independent.
Ketumsee is an ambitious and astute leader, pursuing a dis-
creet and complaisant policy in the government of his fol-
lowers calculated to enhance his popularity, and he has al-
ready alienated several of Senaco's band, who have trans- ■
ferred their allegiance to him. This has engendered a feel-
ing of ill will and jealousy between them that causes each
to be suspicious of the motives of the other, and it was
probably this that induced him to think he might be mis-
represented to us. ■
" Senaco, with several sub-chiefs and a chief of the Mid-
dle Comanches, having arrived on the 20th, we assembled
them in council in the evening, for the purpose of ascer-
taining their views upon the subject of the proposed settle-
ment.
" As I had just come from "Washington, the Indians were
anxious I should tell them what their Great Father's wish-
es were. I accordingly stated to them that I had been sent
into their country to select and survey a tract of land suit-
able for cultivating corn and raising cattle; that their agent
had been appointed to assist me in this duty ; that their
Great Father at Washington was sorry to see his Red chil-
dren upon the prairies suffering for food, and desired to
place them in a situation where they would be more com-
fortable. To eflPect this, he proposed to locate them upon
the lands we were about to select, and have them taught to
cultivate it.
INDIAN FARMERS. 211
" In illustrating the benefits that would accrue to them,
I remarked that the buffaloes had within a few years entire-
ly left their hunting-grounds; the deer and other game
were rapidly disappearing from the Plains, and in a few
years they and their children would be compelled to resort
to some other life than the chase for a subsistence.
" They would not be permitted to depredate upon their
neighbors, and there would be no alternative left them but
that of tilling the soil.
" That I had for twenty years lived near and become ac-
quainted with several other tribes of Indians who once lived
as they do, upon the uncertain results of the chase, but by
the advice of the whites they were induced to give up their
wandering habits, established permanent habitations, and
learned to plant corn and raise cattle, and were now living
like the whites, having an abundance to eat and weg,r dur-
ing the entire year ; and I believed it was only necessary
for them to make the experiment to satisfy themselves that
they and their children would be much benefited.
"I told them, farther, that I presumed the President would
send them farmers to instruct them, and supply them with
agricultural implements and provisions to subsist them un-
til they could raise their first crop. That their agent and
the military authorities stationed near them would see that
they were not molested by the whites, and that their rights
were respected by their neighboring brethren. But that,
in return for these favors, they would be expected to obey
all the orders of our government, and remain firm friends
to the whites.
"In conclusion, I desired them to deliberate well upon
what I had said, and when they had done so, we should be
glad to hear what they had decided upon.
" After conferring together for some time in a low tone
of voice, and passing around the pipe, Senaco rose, and, in
a very dignified manner, said :
212 SENACO'S SPEECH.
" ' What I am about to saj is the sentiment of all my
people ; what Senaco says the Comanche nation say. "We
have heard the talk which our Great Father has sent us
by our friend Captain Marcy, and our reply to it will be
straightforward and the truth.
" ' We very well remember what our former chief " Mo-
ko-cho-pe" told us before he died, and we endeavor to car-
ry out his wishes after he is gone from us. He advised us
to take the counsels of the whites and be governed by
them, and they would benefit us. This has sunk deep into
our hearts, and we shall not soon forget it.
" ' We are very glad to hear the talk which has been
sent us at this time ; it makes our hearts warm, and we feel
happy that our Great Father remembers his poor Red chil-
dren in the prairies.
" 'We accept the talk, and shall endeavor to accede to
all that is required of us.
" ' I am pleased to see Captain Marcy once more. I well
remember meeting him five years since near this very
place, and I was glad when I was told he was to meet us
here.'
" After closing his remarks, we asked them many ques-
tions, the answers to which satisfied us that a majority of
them were disposed to make a trial of the experiment in
farming; yet, as it is altogether a new thing to them (neither
they nor their forefathers from time immemorial having
ever planted a seed), some of them are evidently fearful
they will not be benefited by it, and they asked us why
the government was so anxious to have them abandon their
old mode of life at this particular time.
"They desired us to locate their land upon the Clear
Fork of the Brazos, where they have been in the habit of
spending the winter, and have very serious objections to
settling farther north, as they say they entertain the same
PRESENTS. 213
fears of the Kortbern Indians as their brethren upon the
Brazos.
"After finishing the business of the council, Major Neigh-
bors distributed among them the presents that had been
purchased for them, which, with some rations I issued them,
made them seemingly very happy, and their camp was a
scene of feasting during the remainder of their stay with
us. They, like other Indians, are extravagantly fond of
corn, and the chief said he hoped we would give them a
good allowance of this, as otherwise he would not be able
to prevent the women from stealing it from the plantation
in our vicinity.
" On the following morning, Major Neighbors and my-
self, leaving the command upon the Clear Fork, went in to
Fort Belknap, for the purpose of making a more minute
examination of the country below that post than we had
been enabled to do previous to our departure upon our ex-
pedition up the Brazos.
" We found upon our map a vacant tract of country ly-
ing below the junction of the Clear Fork, and as this was
the only available locality suited to the wishes of the Bra-
zos Indians, we directed our attention exclusively to it. It
is situated on both sides of the river, which divides it into
two equal parts of four leagues each, and is in every par-
ticular well adapted to the uses of two separate tribes.
" There is a large body of valley land of the most pre-
eminent fertility upon either side of the stream, extending
throughout the entire length of the tract. This, upon both
sides, is bordered by mesquit uplands, covered with luxu-
riant gramma grasses, affording the best pasturage, and ad-
joining this a range of mountains, covered with oak timber
extends upon each side to the north and south lines, bound-
ing the reservations.
" Each tract has a river front of upward of twenty-six
214 SUMMARY.
miles, affording an abundance of water at all seasons for
their animals. Then there are several streams of fresh wa-
ter, fed from springs, which will always supply them with
water for their own use. The pure water of the Clear Fork
(the largest confluent in this section) modifies the salts in the
main stream to such a degree that animals drink it readily
and thrive upon it.
" Summary.
"A brief and comprehensive glance at the general phys-
ical geography of this section of country, a portion of which
has been noticed in detail in the foregoing narrative, will
disclose the considerations which influenced us in making
the selections for the Indian reservations. .
" Before entering upon the discharge of the duties as-
signed us in our letters of instructions from the Depart-
ments of War and Interior, we procured from the General
Land Office of Texas a map of that portion of the state to
which our attention was directed, upon which all the va-
cant domain was indicated. A perusal of the foregoing
journal will show that a great share of the most desirable
lands, bordering the streams in the country over which we
passed, has been disposed of by the state, and was not then
available for Indian purposes. We, however, found many
spots where all the natural requisites were at hand for mak-
ing good farms, but, in almost every instance, these vacant
tracts were not of sufficient magnitude to constitute reserva-
tions of the dimensions required.
"From the examination I had before made of that por-
tion of Northern Texas lying upon the waters of Red,
Witchita, and the Canadian llivers, west of the 100th me-
ridian of latitude, I was of the opinion that a much better
locality could be found near the Big Witchita or the Bra-
zos Rivers.
GENERAL FEATURES. 215
"The different confluents of Little Witchita are bordered
by lands wbicli are very highly productive to their very
sources ; and in that portion of the valley near Red River,
woodland is sufficiently plenty for the purposes of the
farmer, but this is appropriated, and in that section of the
• valley which is vacant there is a deficiency of timber. As
I have observed before, however, the fine building-stone
found throughout the valley may answer the purposes of a
white population, and this may yet offer sufficient induce-
ments to attract settlers.
"The country embraced within the valley of the Big
Witchita presents in its physical aspect two remarkable di-
visions, distinct belts as it were, extending along the course
of the stream, with entirely different topographical features.
Commencing at Red River, and ascending the stream for
seventy-five miles, the valley, which is from one to five
miles wide, is smooth and regular, the soil highly fertile,
and covered with a luxuriant vegetation. And upon the
borders of this savanna a chain of bluffs terminates the ele-
vated prairie lands adjoining, from whence issue many
springs of pure, wholesome water ; but, with the exception
of a few cottonwood-trees upon the immediate borders of
the river, there is no woodland throughout this section.
" The upper division of the river finds its way through a
valley more contracted than that spoken of, and the soil is
much more sterile, being a mixture of clay and sand unsuit-
ed to the rapid development of vegetation. The bluffs rise
from the base to a much greater height, and approach near-
er the river bank, and are covered with a variety of stunted
red cedar bushes, indicating a great increase in the general
elevation of the country. The surrounding plains assume
a lonely, melancholy, and arid aspect, producing in the mind
a sadness which contrasts strikingly with the feeling inspired
upon the most unimpressible temperament by the beauty of
216 THE MOUNTAINS,
a landscape embellished with verdant woodlands and smil-
ing prairies, garnished with multitudes of gorgeous flowers.
" Above the sources of the Big Witchita a range of
mountains stretch away to the south for about forty miles,
embracing all the principal upper confluents of the Brazos.
These mountains are composed principally of gypsum and
sandstone, and stand out in bold relief upon the vast prairie
lands surrounding. They are clothed with a scanty growth
of dwarf cedar and cacti toward the bases, while the sum-
mits are denuded of all vegetation, which, with the rugged
disposition of the strata, adds to the general imposing effect
upon the beholder, and strangely contrasts with the smiling
aspect of the prairies that sweep off to the east and south
from below.
" The gypsum rock, which imparts to all the water in
this section those peculiar and unpalatable properties that
have been mentioned, will render this country uninhabita-
ble by man for any great length of time.
" On leaving these dreary solitudes and turning to the
east down the right bank of the Brazos, we soon enter a
much more inviting section of country. We here encount-
er several tributaries of the Clear Fork, affording pure
water, and the geological formation rapidly changes. The
gypsum rock is only seen in detached masses, and its place
is soon entirely occupied by lime and sandstone.
"Although in our expedition to the sources of the Big
Witchita and the Brazos we were unsuccessful in discover-
ing a suitable location for the Indians, yet it is thought that
the results of our labors will not be entirely devoid of util-
ity or interest. The geographical knowledge we have ob-
tained of this hitherto unexplored region enables me to
complete a sketch of the only tributaries of the Brazos that
were before unknown. It will be observed that upon the
map accompanying my report, a large stream (the Double
AN IMAGINARY RIVER. 217
Mountain Fork of the Brazos), which has before been noted
upon all the maps of this section, is wanting. This imag-
inary river has heretofore been supposed to enter the main
Brazos about thirty miles above Fort Belknap, and is even
found delineated upon the surveyor's maps that were sent us
from the General Land Office of Texas, with surveys noted
upon it. On our return from the head waters of the Bra-
zos we traveled down the south bank of the stream until
we arrived within forty miles of Fort Belknap, when we
struck south for the Clear Fork, expecting to cross the
Double Mountain Fork before we reached it, but, to our
surprise, the Clear Fork was the first stream of magnitude
we encountered, so that the Double Mountain Fork has no
existence.
" On my return from New Mexico in 1849, 1 struck quite
a large stream running to the east about thirty-five miles
west of the crossing of Paint Creek. I was then given to
understand by ray Delaware guide that this was the 'Double
Mountain Fork of the Brazos,' but our observations now
prove it to have been Paint Creek.
" The geological information we have secured is also re-
garded as important.
"I had upon my former expeditions traced a great belt
of gypsum from the Canadian River across the Plains in a
southwesterly course for several hundred miles toward the
Rio Grande.
" We have traced the continuation of this formation
where it intersects the valley of the Big Witchita, and
thence across the different branches of the Brazos. Near
the head of the Brazos it presents a solid stratum of the
enormous thickness of five hundred feet. It occurs in va-
rious shades of purity, from the common plaster of Paris
to pure selenite, quite similar in appearance to that upon
the Red and Canadian Rivers.
T
218 THE MESQUIT-TRKE.
" In the journeys I had made before upon the Pkiins I
had observed the rnesquit-tree extending over vast tracts
of country, and I had noticed some of its useful properties,
such as its durability and its adaptation for fuel, but I was
never so fully impressed with its many valuable qualities
as during the past summer.
" It covered a great portion of the country over which
we traveled, an-d our attention was especially attracted to
an exudation of gum from its trunk and branches, which,
upon tasting, we pronounced to be closely allied to the gum-
arabic of commerce.
"This tree was first brought to the notice of the public by
Dr. Edwin James, Assistant Surgeon United States Arm}^,
who met with it in his trip to the Eocky Mountains M'ith
Colonel Long, forty-seven years ago. It is a variety of the
acacia, and possesses many properties in common with other
species of that group of plants.
"What the exact geographical range of the tree is we
are as yet (with a great portion of our territory unexplored)
unable to define ; my own observations, however, warrant
nie in asserting confidently that it is only indigenous to the
great plains of the West and South, extending far beyond
the limits of most other varieties of trees, and it would
seem from its locality to have been planted by an all-wise
Providence with special reference to the wants of the occu-
pants of a section of country suitable to the growth of no
other tree.
" Between the twenty-sixth and thirty-sixth parallels of
north latitude, within the ninety-seventh and one hundred
and third meridians of longitude, it is found abundant]}-,
often constituting vast tracts of woodland, and is, indeed,
almost the only silva of the section. It is also found in
very many places between the Kocky Mountain range and
the Pacific Ocean, but appears to flourish better and to
VALUE OF MESQUIT. 219
attain greater dimensions in the vicinity of the Gila River
than in any other locality I have heard of west of the Rio
del Norte.
" In going north from the parallel of thirty-three degrees
(in the direction I have traveled) the trees gradually be-
come smaller and smaller, until at last they are mere bushes;
and, finally, on arriving near the latitude of thirty-six de-
grees they entirely disappear.
" The vast geographical range of the mesquit-tree, and
its many useful properties, some of which will be enumer-
ated in the sequel, renders it available, and I have no doubt
it is destined to become highly important to the future oc-
cupants of a large section of our new territory.
' " It is a tree of short, scrubby growth, the stock averag-
ing from four to fifteen inches in diameter, and seldom at-
taining a height, including its top, of more than twenty feet.
The limbs are short, crooked, and thickly studded with long,
sharp thorns; the leaves pinnated, and the leaflets are long
and elliptical ; the bark is a dark gray, resembling that of
the peach-tree ; the wood coarse-grained, very brittle ; and
the heart, which constitutes nearly the entire tree, somewhat
like the darker varieties of mahogany.
" It burns readily, even when green, with a bright, cheer-
ful flame, leaving a residue of coals almost as perfect in form
as the original wood, making a very hot fire, and is, indeed,
the best fuel I have ever seen, hickory not excepted.
" It possesses durability in an eminent degree, and is, in
consequence, much used for building in Southern Texas
and Mexico. As an evidence of its lasting qualities, I have
seen pieces of the wood, in a perfect state of preservation,
imbedded in the stones of an old ruin upon the Nueces
River, in Texas, which must have been exposed to the
weather for very many years, as the stones had become
partially disintegrated, and were crumbling away with age,
while the wood remained sound.
220 ST. John's bread.
"The mcsquit is often found upon the most elevated and
arid prairies, far from water-courses, but will, I believe, only
grow upon soil of the first quality ; and so well is this fact
established, that the mesquit groves, or 'flats,' as they are
called, are sought after in Western Texas as the most de-
sirable spots for cultivation, and they have thus far proved
exceedingly productive. The trees stand at wide intervals,
upon ground covered with a dense carpet of verdure, and a
stranger, on approaching one of the groves, can not resist
the impression that he has a peach orchard before him, so
striking is the resemblance. The blossoms put forth in
June, and a fruit appears in the form of a long, slender
bean, from which the Mexicans make a cooling and pleasant
beverage. These beans ripen in September, when they fall
to the ground, and afford sustenance to wild horses, deer,
antelope, and turkeys.
" The pod is highly saccharine and nutritious, and is
used for food by the natives of the Plains, as well as those
west of the Eocky Mountains. The Indians upon the Col-
orado and Gila Rivers pulverize and press them into cakes,
which are said to be quite palatable.
" They make most excellent forage for horses and mules,
and there are many instances where they have sustained
those of the California emigrants upon some of those long
' journadas,' or sandy and barren deserts, toward the Pacific.
"A tree very similar to the mesquit, 'called the carob-
tree,' is found in the south of Spain. It affords a bean like
the mesquit, which is imported under the name of 'Algaro-
ba bean.' It is used for food in Spain, and is there called
'St. John's Bread.' It was this bean that often constituted
the only forage of the English cavalry horses during the
war of 1811 and 1812.
"The species of acacia from which the gum-arabic of
commerce is obtained (the acacia vera) is a hard, withered-
MESQUIT GUir. 221
looking tree, with a crooked stem and gray bark, very like,
in external appearance, the raesquit.
" The gum of the mesquit exudes from the trunk and
branches wherever there is an abrasion in the bark. It is
also produced when a cut is made with a sharp instrument,
in the same manner as the sap is drawn from the sugar ma-
ple. It commences exuding in July, and continues until
the last of September. It is, at first, in a translucent and
nearly fluid state, but soon hardens by exposure to the sun
and air •, and if there is no rain (and there seldom is any at
this season), it forms in globules upon the bark, and can be
collected in large quantities ; and I have no doubt it will
eventually become an important article of commerce, an-
swering all the purposes of the gum-arabic of the shops.
" Specimens of the gum collected by us were submitted
to Dr. John Torrey, who kindly returned to me the follow-
ing remarks upon the subject, which, coming from so dis-
tinguished a source, will be read with interest :
" ' The collection of plants made by Dr. James in his expe-
dition to the Rocky Mountains was submitted to me for ex-
amination, an account of which, with descrijDtions of all the
new species that it contained, I j^ublished in the "Annals of
the New York Lyceum of Natural History" in 1827 (vol.
ii., p. 161-25-1). The mesquit was found to be a new spe-
cies of the genus Prosopis of Linnseus, to which I gave the
name of P. gland ulosa, and a figure of the plant accompa-
nied the description. The eminent botanist, Mr. Bentham,
who has made a special study of the Leguminosa, considers
the section Algaroba of Prosopis as a distinct genus. His
views were adopted in the " Flora of North America" by
Dr. Gray and myself, so that the plant is there described as
"Algaroba glandulosa" (Torr. and Gray, H. N. Amer., i., p.
899). Twelve or more other species are natives of Mexico
and the western coast of South America. All of them bear
a longf, compressed pod, which is filled with a sweet, nutri-
T^
222 DR. torrey's opiniox.
tious pulp. These pods were used for food by Major Long's
party. They constitute, also, a most valuable fodder for
animals,
" ' For several years I have known that a gum, allied to
the gum-arabic, exuded from the trees, especially where
they were wounded. Specimens of the gum were long ago
brought to me by different travelers from New Mexico and
Western Texas, but I never examined the substance par-
ticularly till I received a supply of it from you a few days
ago. At your request I submitted it to examination, and
compared it with the well-known gum-arabic.
" ' The mesquit or algaroba gum is intermediate in ap-
pearance between the darker kinds of gum-arabic and cher-
ry-tree gum. Portions of it, however, are almost colorless,
and have the roughish surface and cracked structure that
belong to the better kinds of gum-arabic. The portion that
you sent me was probably not gathered with particular care,
for some of it has particles of bark attached to the lumps,
or disseminated through them.
" 'On testing the solubility of the gum in cold water, it
dissolved as readily as gum-arabic, and the mucilage, though
of a brownish tint, was destitute of bitterness or other un-
pleasant flavor, and it is strongly adhesive. When the so-
lution is poured into a shallow vessel, and left to spontane-
ous evaporation, it leaves the gum in transparent brilliant
plates, having all the qualities of the original gum.' 'If the
gum can not be gathered without a small portion of dirt
being entangled in it, the best plan would be to dissolve it
in water, and let the dirt subside, or separate it by strain-
ing. The mucilage might then be dried, the thin plates of
gum bleached in the sun, and afterward pulverized.
"'You are perhaps aware that the trees affording the
mesquit gum and gum-arabic belong to the same natural
group of plants, so it is not remarkable that they so strong-
ly resemble each other.' "
THE COMANCHE RESERVATION. 223
As the history of the experiment of civilizing the Coman-
ches may possess some interest to many of my readers, I re-
mark, in concluding my account of these reservations, that
Ketumsee and his followers settled upon the lands designed
for them, and under the able superintendence of their agent,
Major Neighbors, and the instruction of farmers provided
by the United States government, they made commendable
progress in the rudiments of agriculture. Their women
and children worked in the fields and were cultivating good
crops of grain, and their condition was undergoing such
rapid improvement when contrasted with their former rov-
ing life and their precarious means of gaining a livelihood,
that there is no question in my mind, if they had been un-
molested, the next generation would have found them agri-
culturists and not hunters. But this desirable end was not
destined to be consummated.
After they had made some considerable improvements
upon their lands, their value was so much enhanced that
they became an object worthy the attention of those lawless
border robbers that inhabit Western Texas, and, as I was
informed, they organized a large force, went to the reserva-
tion, and, without the slightest provocation from the In-
dians, attacked and indiscriminately murdered many of the
men, women, and children. Those that escaped the foul
massacre made their way into the Plains, and this pretty
much broke up the settlement.
Major Neighbors, who subsequently commented severely
upon the turpitude of the act, was shortly afterward shot in
the back by one of the cowardly assassins, and died in a
short time.
Senaco and his band never settled upon the reservation,
but made war upon the whites for attempting to coerce
them into the measure, and they continue to roam over the
Plains to this dav.
224 WINTER EXPEDITIOX.
CHAPTER VIII.
WINTER EXPEDITION OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Winter Expedition over the Kocky Mountains. — Objects of the Expedition.
— General Scott's Opinions. — Leaving Fort Bridger. — Desertion of Indian
Guide. — Descending Mountain. — Singular Corral. — Reach Grand River.
— Ute Indians. — Commence the Ascent of the Rocky Mountains. — Snow.
— Cache Luggage. — ]\Iules giving out and dying. — Provisions consumed.
— Commence eating Mules. — Ptarmigan. — Getting lost. — New Guide. —
Excellent Conduct of the Soldiers. — Destitute Condition. — Bivouac. —
Reach the Summit of the Mountains.— Send Messengers to Fort Massa-
chusetts.— Return of the Messengers. — Joy of the Party. — Mariano.—
Overeating. — Arrival at Fort M.assachusetts. — Arrival at Taos. — Compar-
ative Qualities of different Animals in Snow.
During tbe month of November, 1857, while our troops
were encamped at Fort Bridger, in Utah Territory, I was
ordered, with a command of forty enhsted men, to cross the
mountains by the most direct route into New Mexico, and
procure supplies.
As but little, if any thing, is known to the public at»out
this expedition, and as a great deal has been written and.
said concerning others of a similar character, which, per-
haps, were of no more importance in their results than this,
I trust that a brief account of some of the most prominent
incidents connected with that journey will not prove unin-
teresting.
The objects of this march are set forth in the following
extracts from the report of the Secretary of War for 1858.
He says: "The destruction of our trains by the Mormons,
and the di.sasters which nocessarilv flowed from it, drove
REPORT OF SECRETARY OF WAR. 225
General Johnston to the necessity of sending a detachment
of men to New Mexico for supplies essential to enable him
to prosecute his march with all practicable dispatch.
" This expedition was intrusted to Captain E. B. Marcy,
of the 5th Infantry ; and, without intending to make an in-
vidious comparison between the services of officers where
all are meritorious, it is but just to bring the conduct of
this officer and his command to your especial notice. It
may be safely affirmed that, in the whole catalogue of haz-
ardous expeditions scattered so thickly through the history
of our border warfare, filled as many of them are with ap-
palling tales of privation, hardship, and suffering, not one
surpasses this, and in some particulars it has been hardly
equaled by any.
"Captain Marcy left Fort Bridger on the 24th day of
November, 1857, with a command of forty enlisted men,
and twenty-five mountain men, besides packers and guides.
Their course lay through an almost trackless wilderness,
over lofty and rugged mountains, without a pathway or
human habitation to guide or direct, in the very depth of
winter, through snows, for many miles together, reaching
to the depth of five feet. Their beasts of burden very rap-
idly perished until very few were left ; their supplies gave
out; their luggage was abandoned; they were driven to
subsist upon the carcasses of their dead horses and mules ;
all the men became greatly emaciated ; some were frost-
bitten, yet not one murmur of discontent escaped the lips
of a single man. Their mission was one of extreme im-
portance to the movements of the army, and great disaster
might befall the command if these devoted men failed to
bring succor to the camp. They had one and all volun-
teered for this service, and, although they might freeze or
die, yet they would not complain.
" After a march of fifty-one days, they emerged from the
226 THANKS OF GENERAL-IN-CHIEF".
forests, and found themselves at Fort Massachusetts, in
New Mexico.
"During their whole march Captain Marcy shared all
the privations of the common soldier, marching, sleeping,
and eating as they did."
After my return to Fort Bridger, I had the honor of re-
ceiving the following letter :
"Head-quarters of the Army, New York, May 29, 1858.
" Sir, — I am instructed by the general-in-chief to say to
you, in reply to your letter of the 29th of March (reporting
my movements), that the unconquerable energy, patience,
and devotedness to duty displayed by yourself and the
command intrusted to your skillful guidance and direction,
have been highly appreciated by himself, and that the un-
usual sufferings and hard labor to which the troops were
exposed in accomplishing their arduous march in the depth
of winter has been made known to the whole country by
the public press. * * '^' "''' The general-in-chief will
not fail to commend your admirable conduct to the special
notice of the War Department.
" I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed) "Geo. W. Lay, Lieut. Col and A. D. C.
" Captain R. B. Marcy, 5tli Infantry."
When we left Fort Bridger there was only six inches of
snow on the ground, and my guides, as well as other mount-
ain men, were of opinion that we should not, at that early
season, find over two feet of snow upon the summit of the
mountains. They also believed that we could make the
trip to Fort Massachusetts, New Mexico, in twenty-five
days; but, to make sure of having enough provisions, I
deemed it wise to take thirty days' supply, which, with our
luggage, was packed upon sixty-six mules.
THE START, 227
' After bidding adieu to our friends at Fort Bridger, we
proceeded down Henry's Fork to its confluence with Green
Eiver, where we forded the latter stream, and followed a
trail that led us to the foot of the mountain dividing Green
from Grand Eiver. Here we found three lodges of Digger
Utes, and engaged one of them to act as guide over the
mountain. Our first day's march from here up a very cir-
cuitous canon brought us to the top of this mountain, where
we found the snow nearly two feet in depth. We en-
camped at the head of the canon, and, after supper, our In-
dian guide came to me and expressed some doubt as to
whether we were in possession of the articles he had been
promised for his services, and Jim Baker, the interpreter,
advised that they should be shown to him. Accordingly,
the knife, powder, lead, and paint were spread out before
him ; and, although I rather disapproved the proceeding,.
Baker allowed him to take possession of them.
Before I lay down for the night I posted sentinels around
the camp, and directed the guard to keep careful watch
upon the Indian. About midnight I was awakened by
the sergeant of the guard, who reported that he believed
our Indian guide intended deserting, as he had placed his
rifle and all his other effects in such a position that he
could seize them instantly, and he appeared to be watch-
ing for an opportunity to break away. I repeated to the
sergeant the order to guard him closely, and directed him,
if he made any attempt at deserting us, to seize and tie
him.
In the course of an hour the sergeant returned with the
intelligence that, in spite of all his vigilance, the fellow had
broken away from the guard and escaped. I regretted
this, because we wanted his services to pilot us across the
summit of the mountain on the following day. We were
obliged, however, to set out without him, and, shortly after
228 A NATURAL CORRAL.
emerging from the caiion, found ourselves upon a level
plateau about ten miles wide. Our track led us across this
elevated table-land, which we found terminating in a tow-
ering and almost perpendicular cliff or bluff, bordering the
valley of Grand River, and some two thousand feet above
it. On reaching this lofty escarpment, it did not seem pos-
sible that our mules could descend it, and, indeed, I had
been previously told that there was but one place for fifty
miles along this cliff where the declivity was practicable
for animals, and this was at a point where the Indians had
cut out a narrow path along the face of the bluff, winding
around over rocks and along the brinks of deep chasms.
We bivouacked in the snow directly upon the verge of
this precipice, where we had a magnificent view of the val-
ley of Grand River and the Rocky Mountains beyond. Im-
mediately after we halted I sent out Baker to search for
the trail leading into the valley, and it was not until late at
night that he discovered it. In the morning we entered the
tortuous defile and commenced the descent, which we found
exceedingly precipitous and slippery. Our pack mules
had great difficulty in keeping their footing. Occasionally
one of them would fall, and, with his pack, roll over and
over for thirty or forty feet down the rocks, until he was
brought up by a tree or projecting crag. At length, how-
ever, after numerous tumbles and somersaults, we reached
the valley at the base, and, to our surprise, found the grass
green, and not a particle of snow upon the ground, while,
as I said before, directly over our heads, upon the summit
of the plateau, it lay two feet deep. We discovered at this
place a naturally inclosed pasture, containing about two
hundred acres, surrounded by an almost perpendicular trap
wall some two hundred feet in height, and with but one
opening of not more than a hundred yards»wide. Our ani-
mals were all turned into this natural corral, and a herds-
DIGGER INDIANS. 229
man stationed at the opening secured them as perfectly as
if they had been shut up in a stable.
We picked up a horse here that had become very fat
upon the rich hunch grass. He had probably been lost or
abandoned by the Indians. We appropriated the animal,
and subsequently used him for food in the mountains.
Oil the 8th of December we struck Grand Eiver near
the confluence of its two principal branches, the Uncompa-
dre and l\ie Bunkara. We forded them, but with much dif-
ficulty, as the water was deep and rapid, and filled with
floating ice, and encamped at the base of the " Elk Mount-
ain," near the remains of an old Indian trading establish-
ment, which had formerly been occupied by a man named
Eobedeau, of St. Louis, who wandered out into this remote
wilderness many years ago, but was subsequently driven
away and his buildings burned by the Indians.
We were at this point within a few miles from the west-
ern base of the Rocky Mountains, which rose in formidable
proportions in front of us, and appeared covered with a
heavy coating of snow. Thus far our journey had been
pleasant, and we had encountered no serious obstacles.
Our animals had found abundance of grass, and were in fair
condition.
But, as the guides informed me that we were to enter the
mountains at this point, their appearance gave me serious
apprehensions for the future. We here fell in with a large
band of Digger Ute Indians, who were subsisting upon rab-
bits, bugs, crickets, etc. They came flocking around us as
soon as we arrived, examining every thing, and begging
for such articles as happened to take their fancy. They
were a ragged, villainous-looking set, and we had our hands
full in keeping the women from stealing every thing that
came in their way.
They had a good manj^ ponies ; but, although we offered
U
230 DISCOURAGEMENT.
large prices for some of tliem, we could not iudace tliem to
part with a single one. Their curiosity appeared a good
deal exercised to ascertain our business in tbeir country ;
and when we informed them that we were bound for New
Mexico, they expressed great astonishment, and would point
to the mountains and shiver as if with cold.
I endeavored to persuade the chief to accompany us as
guide to the summit of the mountains, and offered him
the value of three horses in goods, but be peremptorily re-
fused, saying that he was not yet ready to die, and that, un-
less we turned back, or stopped and passed the winter with
them, we would all inevitably perish. My interpreter asked
him if he took us for a set of old women, who would be in-
timidated by a little snow ; and added, that he had alwaj^s
before taken him for a warrior and a man, but now he had
discovered his mistake, and he would advise him to go back
to his lodge, cover up warm, and assist his squaw in tend-
ing the babies; that we were of the masculine gender; we
had started to cross the mountains into New Mexico, and
were going to accomplish it at all hazards, and if he did not
feel dispo.-ed to go, we could dispense with his services.
This taunt had no effect upon him, however. He persisted
in refusing to go with us, saying tbat all we had would not
be sufficient to induce him to attempt the journey. I then
asked him bow much snow he supposed we would find in
the mountains? He replied that be was not positive as to
the exact depth, but that he crossed over the same route
we proposed to travel in the autumn, when the leaves were
commencing to fall, and that he then found about one foot
upon the summit; that there had been a great deal of rain
in the valley since that time, which he presumed had its
.equivalent in snow upon the mountains, and he was of
opinion that we might encounter from four to five feet, and
perhaps even more than that. He concluded by saying,
DEEP SNOW. 281
" You may think I do not tell the truth, but if you will
only cast your eyes toward the mountains you can see for
yourselves that the snow is there."
On the following morning (the 11th day of December),
in despite of the gloomy and discouraging prospects held
out to us by the Digger chief, we packed up our mules
and commenced the ascent of the western slope of the
Rocky Mountains. "We had proceeded but a few miles
when the snow began very seriously to impede our prog-
ress. On the second day it became still deeper, with a
crust upon the surface, which cut the legs of our animals
seriously, and caused some of them to refuse their work.
We, however, pushed on, until at length we found the snow
so deep that they could no longer force their way througli
it, and I was now obliged to resort to a new order of march.
Up to this time we had, for the security of our animals,
adopted the plan of marching with an advanced guard, im-
mediately followed by the pack mules, with the main party
in rear.
I now placed the greater part of the command in front,
in single rank, so as to break a track fOr the animals. This
was, of course, very hard work upon a few of the leading
men ; and, in order to equalize the labor as much as possi-
ble, I directed that every man, as he came in front, should
retain that position a certain length of time, after which he
was permitted to turn out of the track and allow all the
others to pass him, taking his place in rear. B}^ these al-
ternations the work was very much lightened, and, after
all the party had passed, a good track was left for the ani-
mals. And they really required all our care, as, from the
time we entered the mountains, they received no other sus-
tenance than what they derived from the bitter pine-leaves.
The effects of this novel and unwholesome forage soon be-
gan to manifest itself upon them. They became weak and
232 BREAKING THE TRACK.
exhausted, and at length began to give out and die. I was
then obliged to cache^ or hide, all our surplus luggage, which
reduced the weight of the packs very considerably. Not-
withstanding this, they continued to perish. One day we
lost five, and another day as many as eight died out of our
little stock. This gave me very serious uneasiness, as our
supply of provisions was becoming very small, and I knew,
after these were gone, our only dependence for subsistence
must be upon our famished animals. Our beef cattle had
nearly all been consumed, and our stock of bread was very
limited. I felt the necessity of husbanding the strength of
my men and animals as much as possible. I therefore or-
dered the command to throw away every article of baggage
they had remaining excepting one blanket each and their
arms and ammunition. They cheerfully complied with the
order, and we thus made another very material reduction
in the weight of our packs, which enabled our enfeebled
animals to proceed with more ease.
The snow increased day after day as we ascended, until
it was four feet deep, and was so dry and light that the
men, walking in an upright position, would sink to their
waists, and could not move. One of the guides made a
pair of snow shoes, and attempted to walk upon them, but
they sank so deep in the soft snow that it was impossible
to use them.
Our only alternative now, in the deepest snow, was for
the three or four leading men of the party to lie down and
crawl upon their hands and feet, each man following in the
tracks of the leader, and all placing their hands and feet in
the same holes. This method packed the snow so that,
after a few men had passed, it bore up the others, and was
sufficiently firm to sustain the mules after all the men had
traversed it.
The leading man was generally able to go about fifty
. OUT OF TOBACCO. 233
yards before he became exhausted ; but I had one soldier,
named McLeod, of the 10th Infantry, whose powers of en-
durance exceeded those of any other man I have ever
known. He would generally, when his turn came to lead
the party, make about four times the distance of any other
man. He was always in good spirits, and never became
weary or discouraged, and his example had a most cheer-
ing effect upon his comrades. One bitter cold day, after
having labored very hard, we halted for a few moments,
and made fires to warm our feet. While standing over the
fire, I took out my pipe, and, cutting a little tobacco from a
small piece I had remaining, indulged myself in a smoke,
the men having used their last tobacco some ten days be-
fore. McLeod was standing near me at the time, and, be-
ing desirous of doing something to show my appreciation
of his valuable service, I handed him the precious morsel
of tobacco, and asked him if he would not like to smoke.
He replied, "No, I thank you, captain, I never smoke." I
suggested that he was very fortunate in not being addicted
to the habit at a time when tobacco was so very scarce.
After a moment's hesitation, he said, ^^ I sometimes take a
cheiv,^^ when I told him to help himself, which he did, and
immediately exclaimed, " I never tasted any thing so good
in my life; I would have given ten dollars for that, cap-
tain."
Notwithstanding I reduced the rations one half, our pro-
visions were all consumed long before we reached the top
of the mountains, and we were then entirely dependent
upon our famished animals for food.
Our first repast upon the novel regimen was from a colt
belonging to Tim Goodale's Indian wife, who accompanied
us, and underwent the hardships of the trip with astonish-
ing patience and fortitude.
She cried very bitterly when the colt was killed, as it
l^
*
' .
234 . MULE-STEAKS.
had always been her pet ; but she realized the necessity of
the sacrifice, and was consoled upon niy promising her an-
other on our arrival in New Mexico.
We found the meat well-flavored, tender, and palatable.
Our next meal was from a very old, lean, and tough mare
which had given out and could perform no farther service.
This we found any thing but a "bonne bouche." We were,
however, very hungry, and ate it.
After this our only diet for twelve days consisted of
starved mules as they became exhausted and could go no
farther. Twelve of my men had frozen their feet so badly
as to be unable to walk, and we were obliged to appropri-
ate all our serviceable animals to carry them. I had given
up my own horse to one of these men, and took his place
in the snow with the others. We had not a single morsel
of any thing left to eat except these animals. If we had
had some salt we would have done better, but that was all
gone. I was in the habit of sprinkling a little gunpowder
upon my mule-steaks, and it did not then require a very
extensive stretch of the imagination to fancy the presence
of both pepper and salt.
This lean meat did not, however, by any means satisfj^
the cravings of the appetite, and we were continually long-
ing for fat meat. Although we consumed large quantities
of the mule meat, yet within half an hour from the time we
had finished our meals we would feel as hungry as before
we had eaten.
One day, as we were making our weary way through the
deepest snow near the summit of the mountains, and when
we were suffering severely from the intense cold, and the
piercing winds which sweep over those high altitudes, my
guide, Tim Goodale, called out to me from the front, and
pointing toward a snow-bank, said there were some birds
he had never but once before seen.
WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN. 235
I cast my eyes in tbe direction indicated, but could dis-
cern nothing until the birds rose up and flew away. We
subsequently killed two of them, and, upon examination,
found them about the size of the partridge of the North, or
the pheasant of the South. They were as white as the snow
itself, without a single colored feather, and their method of
flying, and their appearance in other respects, was very sim-
ilar to that of the grouse. I was quite confident we had
discovered a new variety of that species of bird, until two
specimens which were sent to Professor Baird, of the Smith-
sonian Institute, showed them to be the ^^ Sagojuis leucunis,''^
or white-tailed ptarmigan, a species of which but two or
three specimens are said to be found in any ornithological
collections, and those are in Europe. This beautiful bird,
which, in its winter plumage, is as white as the snow upon
which we invariably found them, was before supposed to be
confined to that part of the Eocky Mountain chain north
of latitude 5-i° north. The specimens sent to Professor
Baird are said by him to be the first indications of their
occurrence within the limits of our possessions, and it ex-
tends their supposed range about a thousand miles to the
south.
These birds were the only glimpses of animal life that we
had met with, outside of our own party, during thirty days
that we were struggling through the deep snow.
The following is an extract from my journal, written on
the evening of the 1st of January.
" This morning dawned upon us with gloomy auspices,
far from promising to us a happy New Year. We have
been engaged since daylight this morning in wallowing
along through snow at least five feet deep, and have only
succeeded, by the severest toil, in making about two miles
during the entire day. From our bivouac to-night we can
see the fires of last night, and in the darkness they do not
236 COCHETOPE PASS.
appear over a rifle-sliot distant. The leading men have
been obliged to crawl upon their hands and knees to pre-
vent sinking to their necks, and could only go a few yards
at a time before they were compelled, in a state of complete
exhaustion, to throw themselves down and let others take
their places.
" Gallant fellows ! Many of them are almost barefooted,
and several whose feet have been frozen have suffered in-
tensely from pain and cold. Yet every soldier, without a
single exception, has performed every thing I required of
him cheerfully and manfully ; they have never faltered,
or uttered a murmur of complaint. I feel for them from
the bottom of my heart, and I should be recreant to my
duty as their commander if I neglected to give expression
to my profound gratitude for the almost superhuman efforts
put forth by them to extricate the party from our perilous
position."
At one period of this toilsome journey, while we were
ascending the Eagle-tail Eiver, a branch of the Grand Elv-
er, my guide made a mistake, and took the wrong direc-
tion for the "Cochetope Pass," the point at which we were
aiming, and which was, as I was well aware, the only place
where it was possible for us to cross tlie summit of the
chain, as on the north and south of this passway the mount-
ains were much more elevated, and the snow so deep at
that season that it would have been utterly impossible for
us, in our enfeebled and famished condition, to have forced
our way through it. It was only fifty miles south of the
Cochetope Pass that General Fremont attempted to pene-
trate these mountains from New ]V[exico, and encountered
so much snow that all his animals perished, and he was
forced to turn back, with the loss of several of his men, be-
fore the party was extricated from their j^erilous position.
We traveled the greatest part of the day in the wrong di-
LOSING THE WAY. 237
rection ; and after we had bivouacked for the night, one of
my employes, a' Mexican by the name of Miguel Alona,
came to me and told me that we had left the right direc-
tion in the morning, and, pointing toward a depression in
the mountains at right angles to the course we had taken,
some thirty miles distant, said that was the Cochetope Pass.
I asked him how it happened that he knew any thing about
the country. He replied that he had been there before, and
that he knew it well. Whereupon I called up the guide,
and upon questioning him in regard to it, he admitted that
the face of the country, buried as it was in deep snows, pre-
sented so different an appearance from what it did in the
summer season, when he had traversed it before, that it was
possible he might have been mistaken ; but still he be-
lieved he was right. I did not blame him, as this might
have occurred with any one; but this first exhibition of
doubt on his part caused me great uneasiness, and I now
regarded our situation as involving us in imminent peril.
We had advanced too far to retrace our steps, and the only
alternative left us was to go forward ; and I asked the Mex-
ican if he was willing to act as guide, telling him I would,
in addition to his regular pay, make him a handsome pres-
ent for his services, provided he conducted us in safety to
New Mexico ; but I also informed him that if at any time
I discovered he was leading us in a wrong 'direction, I
should hang him to the first tree.
He was quite displeased at this, saying that he was sorry
I should think he would attempt to deceive me. I told
him all I required was for him to be sure he was right, and
to think over the matter deliberately, and come back and
let me know if he was willing to enter into the agreement
upon the terms proposed by me. He returned in a short
time and said, "I'll risk my neck on it, captain." "Yery
well," I replied, "you are guide."
238 BRAVE SOLDIERS.
From this time the uncertainty of our position, and the
knowledge of the fact that if we failed to strike the Coche-
tope Pass we must all inevitably perish, gave me great anx-
iety, and prevented me from sleeping for several nights.
There was not the slightest sign of a road, trail, or foot-
mark to guide us ; all was one vast, illimitable expanse of
snow as far as the eye could penetrate ; and the mountains
rose before us, peak upon peak, until they were lost in the
clouds. Not a living animal outside of our own party was
seen for man 3^, many long days; all was dreary, desolate
solitude ; but my noble soldiers struggled manfully ahead,
and not a single murmur or complaint ever was heard to
come from them ; on the contrary, they endeavored to give
me encouragement, and requested the senior sergeant to in-
form me that they had observed for a few days past that I
looked melancholy, and they desired him to say to me that
they were willing to eat mule meat, or to undergo any oth-
er privations that I might think necessary, and that they
would work for me as long as they could stand upon their
legs. As before stated, I had already required them to
throw away all their personal baggage except one blanket
each, and the poor fellows were extremely destitute of ev-
ery thing. They had worn out their shoes, and had patch-
ed them with mule hides as long as they would hang to-
gether, when some of them were obliged to wrap their feet
in pieces of blankets or of their coat-tails to keep them
from freezing. Many of them had worn out their pants,
and their legs were greatly exposed.
The dazzling reflection of the sun's rays from the snow
was very painful, and made several of the men snow blind ;
but we found a remedy for this by blacking our foccs with
powder or charcoal.
The greatest deprivation we experienced, however, and
the one which caused more suffering among the men than
EILLY, THE MULE. 239
any other, was the want of tobacco. All our tobacco was
consumed long before we reached the summit of the mount-
ains, and no one who has not been accustomed to the use
of the weed can imagine the intense longing produced by
being suddenly deprived of it.
An incident occurred while we were in the mountains
which struck me at the time as being one of the most re-
markable and touching evidences of devotion that I have
ever known evinced among the brute creation.
On leaving Fort Leavenworth with the army for Utah in
the previous summer, one of the officers rode a small mule,
whose kind and gentle disposition soon caused him to be-
come a favorite among the soldiers, and they named him
" Billy." As this officer and mj^self were often thrown to-
gether upon the march, the mule, in the course of a few
days, evinced a growing attachment for a mare that I rode.
The sentiment was not, however, reciprocated on her part,
and she intimated as much by the reversed position of her
ears, and the free exercise of her feet and teeth whenever
Billy came within her reach. But these signal marks of
displeasure, instead of discouraging, rather seemed to in-
crease his devotion, and whenever at liberty he invariably
sought to get near her, and appeared much distressed when
not permitted to follow her.
On leaving Camp Scott for Now Mexico Billy was among
the number of mules selected for the expedition. During
the march I was in the habit, when starting out from camp
in the morning, of leading off the part}^, and directing the
packmen to hold the mule until I should get so far in ad-
vance with the mare that he could not see us ; but the mo-
ment he was released he would, in spite of all the efforts of
the packers, start off at a most furious pace, and never stop
or cease braying until he reached the mare's side. We soon
found it impossible to keep him with the other mules, and
he was finally permitted to have his own way.
240 BRUTE CONSTANCY.
In tbe course of time we encountered the deep snows in
the Rocky Mountains, where the animals could get no for-
age, and Billy, in common with the others, at length be-
came so weak and jaded that he was unable any longer to
leave his place in the caravan and break a track through
the snow around to the front. lie made frequent attempts
to turn out and force his way ahead, but after numerous
unsuccessful efforts he would fall down exhausted, and set
up a most mournful braying.
The other mules soon .began to fail, and to be left, worn
out and famished, to die by the wayside. It was not, how-
ever, for some time that Billy showed symptoms of becom-
ing one of the victims, until one evening after our arrival
at camp I was informed that he had dropped down and
been left upon the road during the day. The men all de-
plored his loss exceedingly, as his devotion to the marc
had touched their kind hearts, and many expressions of
sympathy were uttered around their bivouac fires on that
evening.
Much to our surprise, however, about ten o'clock, just as
we were about going to sleep, we heard a mule braying
about half a mile to the rear upon our trail. Sure enough,
it proved to be Billy, who, after having rested, had followed
upon our track and overtaken us. As soon as he reached
the side of the marc he lay down and seemed perfectly con-
tented.
The next day I relieved him from his pack, and allowed
him to run loose; but during the march he gave out, and
was again abandoned to his fate, and this time we certainly
never expected to see him more. To our great astonish-
ment, however, about twelve o'clock that night the sonor-
ous but not very musical notes of Billy in the distance
aroused us from our slumbers, and again announced his ap-
proach. In an instant the men were upon their feet, gave
BIVOUAC IN THE SNOW. 241
three hearty cheers, and rushed out in a body to meet and
escort him into camp.
But this well-meant ovation elicited no response from
him. He came reeling and floundering along through the
deep snow, perfectly regardless of these honors, pushing
aside all those who occupied the trail or interrupted his
progress in the least, wandering about until he found the
mare, dropped down by her side, and remained until morn-
ing.
When we resumed our march on the following day he
made another desperate effort to proceed, but soon fell down
exhausted, when we reluctantly abandoned him, and saw
him no more.
Alas ! poor Billy ! your constancy deserved a better fate ;
you may, indeed, be said to have been a victim to unre-
quited affection.
The method of constructing our bivouac was for each set
of two or three men to dig a hole about seven or eight feet
square down through the snow to the ground, where a bed
was made of soft pine twigs, over which a blanket was
spread. Two forked sticks were then set upright in the
snow to the windward of the centre, and across them a hor-
izontal pole was laid, and extending from this to the snow
a thick covering of pine bushes was placed, forming a sort
of roof that shielded us perfectly from the wind. This ar-
rangement, with good fires at the bottom of the pits, ena-
bled us to keep tolerably warm during the coldest nights.
We suffered more from the cold during the daytime, and
it was while marching that the men froze their feet.
From some cause or other which was incomprehensible
to me, the men were often attacked with violent cramps in
the stomach, even before they commenced eating mule meat,
and the symptoms in all cases were nearly the same. I in-
variably administered for it a dose of about twenty grains
X
242 THE TOP OF THE PASS.
of blue mass, which afforded temporary relief, but on the
second or third day following the complaint generally re-
turned in a more aggravated form than at first, and I then
gave another dose of about thirty grains of the same medi-
cine, which never failed to effect a permanent cure.
After I had placed Miguel in the position of guide, we
struggled along up the western slope of the mountains as
rapidly as the snow and our exhausted condition would
permit, and, at the expiration of ten days, found ourselves
upon the summit of a mountain, which the guide pro-
nounced the long-looked-for Cochetope Pass — that Mecca
of our most ardent aspirations.
Although I was by no means certain he was right, yet I.
was much rejoiced, and I now felt in a great measure re-
lieved from the burden of responsibility which had given
me such anxiety and distress of mind during the last twen-
ty days and nights.
From the crest of the great continental vertebral column
of the Rocky Mountain chain, with one foot standing upon
the earth drained by the waters of the Pacific, and the oth-
er upon that from which flowed a tributary to the Atlantic,
we could see in the east, stretching off from the foot of the
mountains, a vast plain, extending to the south as far as the
eye could reach. This, the guide informed me, was the val-
ley of the Rio del Norte ; and a mountain, which we could
discern on the opposite side of this valley, apparently a
hundred miles distant, he said was near Fort Massachu-
setts.
As we still had three ffood mules remaininor, I determ-
ined to send forward Mariano and Miguel to Fort Massa-
chusetts, to bring us back supplies, as we were now reduced
to a state bordering on starvation. Accordingly, I wrote a
letter to the commanding officer, telling him our situation,
and requesting him to forward us succor as soon as possible.
THE RELIEF. 243
These men took the good mules and started, and we fol-
lowed on their tracks, expecting they would return to us
with the supplies in about six or seven days ; but we con-
tinued on the trail, until finally the snow had covered it
up, so that we could no longer see it, and at length, after
ten days, as the men did not return, we concluded they
must have perished or been lost. On the eleventh day we
reached the extended valley at the base of the mountains,
and, for the first time in thirty days, found a little dry grass
appearing above the snow. As our few remaining mules
were greatly famished, I concluded to make a halt for a
day at this place and let them graze. We had not yet seen
a human being outside of our own party since we left Grand
Eiver, thirty-one days before, and we were all anxiously
looking out for the return of our messengers from Fort
Massachusetts. Nothing appeared, however, until near sun-
set, when one of the soldiers, upon an elevation near camp,
cried out, " There comes two men on horseback ;" and,
sure enough, in a few moments, up galloped our long-absent
companions upon fresh horses, firing their revolvers, and
making other demonstrations of joy.
We knew from their fresh horses that they had reached
the fort and that we were now saved, and the exhibition of
joy manifest among the command exceeded any thing of
the kind ever beheld. Some of the men laughed, danced,
and screamed with delight, while others (and I must con-
fess I was not one among the former) cried like children.
I had not slept half an hour at a time for twenty days
and nights, and was reduced from 170 to 131 pounds in
weight, and, of course, my nervous system was not at that
juncture under very good control. My joy was too great,
under the circumstances, to find utterance in noise or lev-
ity ; on the contrary, I mentally offered up sincere thanks
to thejj^lmighty for delivering us from the horrible deatli
of starvation.
244 BRANDY.
The mere accident of Miguel's happening to be with us,
without any doubt, saved our lives, as without him we
could never have found the pass, and must have perished
in the mountain.
As soon as Mariano arrived he was surrounded by the
men, eagerly entreating him for tobacco, when he produced
a large plug of Cavendish, and threw it among them. It
was in an instant torn to pieces and distributed, but one
man had been omitted in the division, and I heard him of-
fer ten dollars, or a month's pay, for a quid.
Mariano informed me that he had delivered my letter to
Captain Bowman, the commanding ofiicer at Fort Massa-
chusetts, who at once dispatched three wagons with sup-
plies for us ; that these wagons left the fort with him, and
were then probably about fifty miles back, as he had come
very rapidly. I at once turned him back, with an order
for the man in charge to drive night and day until he met
ns; and early on the following morning we resumed our
march, and had not gone over ten miles, when, much to our
delight, we met the wagons, and immediately went into
camp. I was obliged to guard them very closely, to pre-
vent the men from getting at the provisions, as I was fully
aware of the danger of overeating after long abstinence.
Among other things which Captain Bowman had kindly
sent me was a jug of brandy, and, as I thought this a prop-
er occasion to indulge my men in the good cheer that they
had been so long deprived of, I issued to each of them a
moderate drink of the liquor, but, much to my astonish-
ment, in a short time many of them were very much under
the influence of it, and some even crazy drunk. It had
acted upon their empty stomachs much more potently than
I had anticipated, but I felt no inclination to censure them
for this ; on the contrary, I entertained a feeling some-
what similar to that of General Jackson when a charge of
a
<
at
<!
O
•A
>
FORT MASSACHUSETTS. 2-17
drunkenness was made to him against an officer who had
rendered conspicuous services in the war of 1812, and he re-
plied that Colonel C.'s gallant conduct in battle authorized
him to continue drunk during the remainder of his life, if
he thought proper. I conceived that my men had a per-
fect right to get drunk after what they had endured.
We had a most luxurious supper, and all enjoyed it
hugely ; but during the night, several of the men, not feel-
ing satisfied with the soup I had thought it wise to confine
them to, had gone to the wagons and prevailed upon the
sentinels to allow them to take enough to gorge themselves
so much that the next morning found them suffering most
excruciating torture, and one of the poor fellows died the
next day.
On the fourth day after this we marched into Fort Mas-
sachusetts, and were most hospitably received by the offi-
cers and soldiers of the garrison, who supplied us with
clothing, provisions, and every thing else we needed.
As we approached the fort, one of the officers compli-
mented us by saying that he took us for a band of prairie
Indians. Not more than one half of the men had any caps,
and but few had any remains of trowsers below the knees.
Their feet were tied up with mule hides, pieces of blankets,
coat-tails, etc., and they certainly were rough and ragged-
looking specimens of United States soldiers. As for my-
self, I am confident my own wife would not have recog-
nized me. I had set out from Fort Bridger with a ward-
robe of stout material suited to the rough work which I ex-
pected to encounter, but I had divided this among my des-
titute men until I was myself reduced to a scanty allow-
ance. Among other garments I had remaining was a sol-
dier's overcoat, from the skirts of which I was in the habit
of cutting off pieces to patch my pants and stockings ; and
as rents in these were of every-day occurrence, by the time
248 Mariano's suppers.
I reached the fort there was but very little left of my orig-
inal coat-tails.
Mariano and Miguel, whom I had sent forward with the
message to the commanding officer, had experienced great
suffering from hunger upon their trip, and had been obliged
to kill one of their mules for food before they arrived at
the fort.
Mariano took lodgings with a Mexican living in the fort,
and immediately ordered a bountiful supper, which he said
he devoured with exceeding gusto, and called for more.
After this had been disposed of, he says he smoked his
pipe and related incidents of his journey to the family until
about nine o'clock, when he began to feel hungry again,
and offered the hostess two dollars if she would cook him
another supper, which she willingly did, and he again did
ample justice to its merits. This he thought would suffice
him until morning. Accordingly, he laid down and went
to sleep ; but during the night he awoke, and, to his sur-
prise, found himself again very hungry. The family were
all abed, and asleep at this time; the fire was out, and he
was loth to disturb them, and he endured the cravings of
his appetite for some time ; but at length, not being able to
stand it any longer, he called out to the woman of the
house, telling her if she would be so kind as to get up and
cook him one more supper he would give her five dollars.
This tempting offer had the effect he desired, and he ate
the fourth repast, which he smilingly informed me enabled
liim to worry through the remainder of the night.
Some of my readers may be incredulous regarding the
powers of Mariano for accomplishing such gastronomic
feats ; but when it is considered that he was a half-breed
Indian, and had been trained to their habits from infancy,
it will not appear at all surprising to those who arc familiar
with Indian life.
MONTE. 249
From Fort Massachusetts we marched to Taos, New
Mexico, where I paid off the citizens of my party, and of
these Mariano received some five hundred dollars for his
arduous and valuable services, which I thought would
prove sufl&cient to supply all his wants for a long period ;
but my credulity was greatly taxed on the following morn-
ing when he told me his money was all gone, and asked
me for a loan of five dollars. I said to him, " Is it possible
you have been robbed?" He replied, "No, but me lose
him all at monte, messieur." I gave him the modest loan
he solicited, accompanied with an injunction against visit-
ing the mont^ bank again.
He thanked me for the advice, but at the same time ob-
served, raising his eyes and shrugging his shoulders, "May-
be some time me win, messieur."
A few days after this I dispatched him back to Fort
Bridger, via the South Pass, with a letter to General John-
ston reporting our arrival in New Mexico. The return
journey he accomplished successfully, and was handsomely
rewarded by the general for his services.
As it may be a subject of some interest to those who
should ever have occasion to travel through deep snow to
know the relative qualities of different animals, and their
powers of endurance in this description of work, I will re-
mark that I set out upon this journey with horses, mules,
and oxen, the latter to be used as food.
I found, as soon as we struck snow three feet deep, that
the mules directly became disheartened, laid down, and
would not exert themselves. The horses seemed more am-
bitious, and would push their way through the snow as
long as possible; but they soon became weary, and gave
out from exhaustion ; while the oxen slowly and deliberate-
ly plowed their way through the deep snow for a long time
without becoming jaded. Moreover, they seemed to derive
250 THE ox.
much better sustenance from tlie pine leaves, and from
browsing upon other trees, than the horses and mules. I
am so well satisfied upon this subject that, if I was ever
obliged to make another journey over the mountains in
winter (which God forbid), I would take no other animals
but oxen. They could be packed with luggage, and used
as beef when required. There is also less danger of their
stampeding or being stolen by Indians than with horses or
mules.
RETURN TRIP. 251
CHAPTER IX.
RETURN TRIP TO UTAH.
Return Trip to Utah. — Route of the March. — Organization of the Party. —
Order to Halt. — Fontaine-qui-bouilk. — Herd of Elk. — Arrival of Re-en-
forcements.— Terrible Snow-storm. — Stampede. — Storms. — Platte River.
— Denver City. — Arrival at Fort Bridger. — Entrance into Salt Lake
City. — Scarcity of Mormons. — Salt Lake. — Bathing. — Mormon Industry.
— Proclamation by Brigham Young. — Mormon Depredations. — Order of
Daniel H. Wells. — Interview with Captain Van Vliet. — Tone of the Pul-
pit and Press. — Benediction by Heber Kimball.
Having- accomplished the objects of my mission to New-
Mexico by procuring animals and other supplies sufficient
to enable the troops at Fort Bridger to make an early
march into Salt Lake Valley, I, on the loth day of March,
left Fort Union on my return for Utah, intending to pass
around the eastern base of the mountains near Pike's Peak,
and the head waters of the Arkansas and Platte Rivers,
following the Cherokee trail from the " Cache la j^oicdre^
The command was well organized, and we made rapid
progress for about two hundred and fifty miles, when, on
the 27th day of March, I received an order from the gen-
eral commanding in New Mexico to halt and await re-en-
forcements.
It appeared that General Johnston, commanding the
troops in Utah, had received information that the Mor-
mons intended sending out a force of their people to inter-
cept our party, and stampede, scatter, or steal our animals.
This information induced General Scott to believe that a
force superior in numbers to that I had at my disposal was
necessary to insure our safe return.
252 FONTAINE-QUI-BOUILLE.
I regretted the delay caused by this order, as I felt con-
fident we were sufficiently strong to cope with any force
the Mormons would be likely to send against us. More-
over, I had anticipated that the "iSbrnfe" might take "it into
their heads to pay their respects to us before we reached
Fort Bridger, and had made such dispositions in the organ-
ization of the party as in my judgment would have ren-
dered us perfectly secure against any molestations from
them. I had about a hundred of the best trailers, hunters,
and Indian fighters in New Mexico, and I intended, as soon
as we reached a point where there was any probability the
Mormons would come, to keep these men continually scout-
ing at least a day in advance of the main command with
the animals and supplies. They would, I believed, have
discovered the presence of the Mormons before the latter
were aware of our proximity, and my plan was to have the
Mexicans, who were perfectly au fait in all such matters,
either take or stampede all the Mormons' animals, thereby
turning the tables upon them, and placing them on foot.
But I had no discretion. I was obliged to obey the order,
and went into camp upon the head waters, of a small tribu-
tary of the Arkansas called ^^ Fontai7ie-qui-bouiUe,^^ directly
at the foot of Pike's Peak, and near a very peculiar spring,
which gives the name to the stream.
This beautiful fountain issues from the centre of a basin,
or rather bowl, about six feet in diameter, and throws out a
column of water near the size of a man's arm. The recep-
tacle, which is constantly filled, but never runs over, seems
to have been formed by the deposit of salts from the water,
and is as perfectly symmetrical and round as if it had been
cut out with a chisel.
As the fountain is constantly playing and never over-
flows, it of course has a subterraneous outlet.
The most remarkable feature, however, in the Fontaine-
HERD OF ELK. -, 25S
qui-houille is the peculiar taste of the water. It is puDgent
and sparkling, and somewhat similar in taste to the water
from the Congress Springs at Saratoga, but sweeter, and,
to my palate, pleasanter. We drank it every day in large
quantities without perceiving- any ill effects from it, and
the men made use of it instead of yeast in raising their
bread, which induced the belief that it contained soda, or
some other alkali. The Indians believe it to possess some
mysterious powers, the purport of which I could not learn ;
but there were a great many arrows, pieces of cloth, and
other articles that they had deposited in the spring, proba-
bly as offerings to the "big medicine" genius that presided
over it.
We remained at this place a month, during which time
we amused ourselves in hunting elk, mountain sheep, and
black-tailed deer, all of which were very abundant in the
surrounding country, and our larder was constantly sup-
plied with the most delicious game.
I remember that one morning, just at daybreak, I was
awakened by my servant, who told me there was a large
herd of elk in close proximity to the camp. I ran out as
soon as possible, and saw at least five hundred of these
magnificent animals drawn up in line, like a troop of cav-
alry horses, with their heads all turned. in the same direc-
tion, and from the crest of a high projecting cliff looking
in apparent wonder and bewilderment directly down upon
us. It was to me a most novel and interesting spectacle.
The noise made in the camp soon frightened them, how-
ever, and they started for the mountains. They were pur-
sued for some distance by our hunters, who succeeded in
killing six before they escaped.
On the 30th day of April, our re-enforcements having
joined us, we gladly resumed our march for Utah, and at
about one o'clock encamped upon the ridge that divides
Y
254 A FIEKCE STORM.
the Arkansas from the Platte Eivers. The day was bright,
cheerful, and pleasant, the atmosphere soft, balmy, and de-
lightful, the fresh grass was about six inches high, the trees
had put forth their new leaves, and all nature conspired in
giving evidence that the sombre garb of winter had been
cast aside for the more verdant and smiling attire of spring.
Our large herds of animals were turned out to graze upon
the tender and nutritious grass that every where abounded.
Our men were enjoying their social jokes and pastimes after
the fatigues of the day's march, and every thing indicated
contentment and happiness.
This pleasant state of things lasted until near sunset,
when the wind suddenly changed into the north: it, turned
cold, and soon commenced snowing violently, and continu-
ed to increase until it became a frightful winter tempest,
filling the atmosphere with a dense cloud of driving snow,
against which it was utterly impossible to ride or walk.
Soon after the storm set in one of our herds of three hund-
red horses and mules broke furiously away from the herds-
men who were guarding them, and, in spite of their utmost
efforts, ran at full speed, directly with the wind, for fifty
miles before they stopped. Three of the herdsmen fol-
lowed them as far as they were able, but soon became ex-
hausted, bewildered, and lost on the prairie.
One of them succeeded in finding his way back to camp
in a state of great prostration and suffering. One of the
others was found frozen to death in the snow, and the third
was discovered crawling about upon his hands and knees,
in a state of temporary delirium, after the tempest sub-
sided.
This terrific storm exceeded in violence and duration
any thing of the kind our eldest mountaineers had ever be-
held.' It continued with uninterrupted fury for sixty con-
secutive hours, and during this time it was impossible to
ANIMALS IN A STORM. 257
move for any distance facing the wind and snow. One of
our employes, who went out about two hundred yards from
camp, set out to return, but was unable to do so, and perish-
ed in the attempt.
The instincts of all our animals, excepting the herds al-
luded to, led them to seek shelter in a grove of timber near
camp, where they were somewhat protected from the fury
of the gale. But several antelopes were found frozen upon
the prairie after the storm.
We had with us a flock of sheep, which scattered through-
out the timber in every direction during the storm, and
afterward were nearly as wild as deer ; they, like the in-
sane herdsman, seemed to have lost their senses.
I have noticed that horses and mules, during a severe
storm upon the prairies, will generally turn their heads
from the wind, and stand quiet until it is over. For in-
stance, while we were en route for Utah, on the 30th of
July, 1857, near the Big Blue, a very severe storm sudden-
ly arose, which soon brought with it hailstones as large as
pigeon's eggs. These formidable missiles pelted the com-
mand so severely, that to me, who possess an exceedingly
keen appreciation of the ridiculous, the cavalcade presented
one of the most farcical and ludicrous pictures I ever be-
held.
The instant the hailstones commenced striking the ani-
mals they probably supposed it a severe application of the
whip, and started off furiously in every direction, without
any regard to each other or to the road, and without sub-
mitting to the slightest control from their drivers or riders.
The mules especially seemed perfectly frantic with terror.
They plunged, kicked, and jumped, and in the mean time
the hailstones rapidly increased in size, and added a corre-
sponding re-enforcement to the momentum of their blows.
The mules brayed with agony and fright; they threw off
Y*
258 A HAIL-STOKM.
their riders, overturned many of the wagons, and produced
a universal stampede among the entire command.
My own mule, which I was riding at the time, was no
more quiet or reconciled to the existing condition of things
than the others. She made several very desperate efforts
at lofty vaulting when she felt the first hailstones, and came
very near unseating me, but I managed to quiet her suffi-
ciently to dismount, and attempted to hold her from run-
ning away. I soon found, however, that the hail was giv-
ing me some very severe raps upon my face and hands, and
that it was necessary for me to seek some protection. I ac-
cordingly, with great difficulty, took off my saddle while
the mule was plunging and kicking vigorously, and let her
go, then squatted down upon the grou-nd and covered my
head with the saddle, which guarded it against the frozen
missiles. My hands, however, projected over the edges of
the saddle, and received several hard knocks that took off
the skin.
After the animals broke loose, they soon discovered that
they did not escape the hail by running, and they all of
their own accord stopped, turned their tails to windward,
and remained perfectly quiet in that position until the storm
ceased.
In Western and Southern Texas, during the autumn and
winter months, storms arise suddenly, and are generally ac-
companied by a north wind, which is very severe ujoon
men and animals ; and although the mercury seldom indi-
cates the freezing point, yet these storms are sometimes so
terrific as to compel travelers to hasten to the nearest shel-
tered spot to save their lives, and I have known of several
instances where men and animals have perished in these
"iVor///ers," as they are called. During the winter season
the climate here is generally as mild and genial as the May
atmosphere in New York ; but when a Norther appears,
A FLOOD. 259
the temperature often undergoes a sudden depression of
many degrees in a few minutes, the perspiration is checked,
and the system receives a shock, against which it requires
great vital energy to bear up. Men and animals are not
in this latitude prepared for these capricious atmospheric
changes, and, as I said before, they often perish under their
effects.
While passing near the head waters of the Colorado of
Texas in the autumn of 1849, 1 left one of my camps at
daylight in the morning, with a mild and soft atmosphere,
tempered with a gentle breeze from the south, but had trav-
eled only a short distance when the wind suddenly whipped
around into the north, bringing with it a furious chilling
rain, and in a few minutes the ground became so soft and
heavy as to make the labor of pulling the wagons over it
very exhausting upon our mules. When we went into
camp the animals were in a profuse sweat, and the rain was
pouring down in torrents upon thenft It continued to
rain incessantly, as hard as I ever saw it in a violent thun-
der-shower, for upward of thirty consecutive hours, and it
seemed as if the heavens were pouring out upon us a sec-
ond deluge.
A ravine near us, which was dry when we encamped,
was, on the following morning, a rapid stream of sufficient
magnitude to float an ocean steam-ship, and the ground was
every where covered with water.
We had great difficulty, on our first arrival in camp, in
making a fire ; for, as soon as it was started a little, the rain
would put it out, like dashing a bucket of water upon it,
and we were obliged finally to hold blankets over it until
the wood was thoroughly kindled.-
Our mules were unharnessed as soon as we reached the
camping-ground and turned out to graze, but, instead of
feeding as usual, they turned their heads from the wind,
260 LOSS OF MULES.
and remained in tliat position, chilled and trembling, with-
out making the least effort to move ; and on the following
morning, thirty-five out of our herd of one hundred and
ten had perished, while those still alive could hardly be
said to have any vitality left. They were drawn up with
cold, and could with difficulty walk.
We cut up our tents and wagon-covers to' protect them
from the storm, which still continued with unabated fury,
and drove them about until a little vital energy was re-
stored, after which they commenced eating grass and re-
cuperated, but it was three days before they were sufficient-
ly recovered to resume the march.
I made a mistake in driving the mules after the ^^Norih-
er" commenced. Had I halted at once, and encamped bc'
fore they became heated and wearied, they would probably
have eaten the grass, and this, I have no doubt, would have
fortified them against the effects of the storm ; but, as it
was, their blood became heated from overwork, and the sud-
den chill brought on a reaction which proved fatal.
If an animal eats his forage plentifully, there is but little
danger of his perishing with cold.
The loss of our animals obliged us to abandon several of
our wagons, and every thing else we could possibly dis-
pense with, before we were able to continue our journey.
I subsequently learned that the Comanches appropriated
this property, and used the iron in making arrow-points
and lancc-heads.
"With these observations in regard to the storms I have
encountered in different latitudes, I will now invite the read-
er to return with me to Squirrel Creek, where we left the
command in the snow-storm.
At the termination of this frightful tempest there was
about three feet of snow upon the ground, but the warm
rays of the sun soon melted it, and, after collecting together
ORIGIN OF DENVER CITY. 263
our stampeded animals, we again set forward for Utah, and
on tlie third day following struck the South Platte at its
confluence with Cherry Creek.
We found the river at such a high stage, and so rapid,
that we were compelled to encamp here for four days and
construct a flat-boat, in which we crossed our entire party.
There was at that time but one white man living within
one hundred and fifty miles of the place, and he was an In-
dian trader named Jack Audeby, upon the Arkansas.
While our ferry-boat was being constructed, one of our
citizen employes washed from the sands of Cherry Creek a
small amount of gold-dust, which he showed to me. Soon
afterward he was discharged and went to St. Louis, and in
a short time the miners commenced flocking to the locality,
and laid out a town which has continued to flourish ever
since, and at this time contains several thousand inhabit-
ants. It is called ^^ Denver Citij,^^ and I feel quite confident
that the representations made by our discharged teamster
in St. Louis and other places were the origin of the loca-
tion and establishment of a new city and Territory.
As we anticipated finding the North Platte 'Eiver (some
two hundred miles in advance) above a fording stage, we
determined to haul our flat-boat to that point. According-
ly, we mounted it upon a stout wagon drawn by a team of
twenty mules, and transported it the entire distance. We
did not use it, however, as the river was fordable. We left
the boat there, and it was often used by travelers afterward,
and I believe it still remains at the same place.
Nothing worthy of special mention occurred to us after
this, and we reached Fort Bridger with our supplies on the
9th day of June.
Soon after our arrival at Fort Bridger, General Johnston
marched his command into Salt Lake Valley, and we en-
camped in a "church pasture" on the other side of Jor-
261 SALT LAKE CITY.
dan, opposite to and about a mile distant from Salt Lake
City.
We marched through the city with colors flying and
bands playing, but, to our astonishment, we only saw here
and there a very few persons. The city seemed to have
been deserted, and those that we did see were apparently so
busily occupied that they never even condescended to look
toward our sacrilegious cavalcade of Gentiles, This was the
first body of troops of any magnitude that had ever made
its appearance in this remote part of the universe ; yet one
would have thought, from the perfect indifference with
which our advent was looked upon by the Saints, that the
event was of every-day occurrence.
"While in the Territory, I visited that vast natural deposit
of chloride of sodium, Salt Lake, and with several friends
tried the experiment of bathing in it. We waded out from
the shore until the water reached our arm-pits, when our
feet were raised from the bottom and we remained suspend-
ed. The specific gravity of the water is so great that we
were enabled to float upon the surface without moving hand
or foot. We folded our arms and sat up in the lake, only
sinking to near the arms, and we floated about like corks.
The sensation was most novel and peculiar.
The fact is, that the entire volume of the lake is a satura-
ted solution of salt, the water being charged to its maximum
capacity, and we were told that four buckets of the water
made, when evaporated, one fourth the volume of pure salt.
The wind was blowing quite fresh while we were in the
lake, and the spray fell upon our heads and in our eyes,
causing most acute pain. In a very few minutes after we
came out of the water our bodies were incrusted with an
armor of salt, and our hair was also frosted over with it,
giving us the appearance of very great longevity. We felt
exceedingly uncomfortable in this saline covering, and were
SALT LAKE. 265
puzzled as to how we should dispose of it, until some one
suggested that we should go to a fresh-water spring near by,
and dissolve the salt, which we did. We did not see a fish
or any other living animal or reptile in the lake, and I doubt
if animal life could be sustained there.
As is very generally known, this vast body of water
(something like eighty by thirty miles in extent) receives
several quite large fresh- water streams, but has no visible
outlet.
Ever since it was first discovered it has beerj constantly
contracting, and the water receding from the shores. The
water of the Salt Lake has a greater specific gravity, and a
greater amount of solid matter than any other known, with
the exception of that of the Dead Sea.
One hundred parts of the water by weight were found
to contain, after evaporation, 22.422 of solid matter, in which
were the following constituents :
Chloride of Sodium 20.196
Sulphate of Soda 1.834
Chloride of Magnesium 0.252 *
22.282,
with a trace of Chloride of Calcium.
The analysis of the Salt Lake waters, as given by Colonel
Fremont, for 100 parts of solid matter, is as follows :
Chloride of Sodium 97.80
" " Calcium 0.61
" " Magnesium 0.24
Sulphate of Soda 0.23
» " Lime 1-12
100.00
One hundred parts in weight of the Dead Sea water gave
24.580 of solid contents, or 2.298 more than the water of
Salt Lake.
The following analysis of the Dead Sea water at different
dates and by different chemists, shows some very different
constituents from those in Salt Lake.
Z
266
MORMON INDUSTRY.
Chloride of Calcium
" Magnesium,
" Sodium
" Manganese.
" Potassium..
Bromide of Magnesium
Suljjliate of Zinc ,
Water
IJe. Marcet.
1807.
3.920
10.246
10.3G0
0.0.34
75.420
GaY-LU88AC.
Dn. AiMous.
1818.
1839.
3.980
2.438
1.5.310
7.370
6.950
7.839
0.005
0.852
0.201
0.075
73.7G0
81.220
The specific gravity of the Dead Sea water, as given by
the above-named authorities, is as follows. The water was
taken at the boiling point, and contrasted with the pure
water at 1000.
Dr. Marcet, I21I. Gay-Lussac, 1228. Dr. Apjohn, 1 153.
Specific gravity of Salt Lake Water 1.170
Stanley, in liis work on Sinai and Palestine, gives the
level of the Dead Sea as 1300 feet below that of the Medi-
terranean, while the level of Salt Lake is 4200 feet above
the ocean. Both of these peculiar lakes receive fresh-water
Jordans, and have no outlets.
The Mormons are a very industrious people, and no one
is allowed to remain idle in their community. Their prin-
cipal occupation is farming, which they pursue with unre-
mitting patience and perseverance.
The cultivation of the soil in this valley is attended with
a vast amount of labor, as the soil produces nothing with-
out artificial irrigation, and this involves the necessity of
excavating canals for long distances to bring the water
from the mountain streams, after which it is distributed
over the fields in small ditches.
The construction, repairs, and tending of these numerous
water communications requires so much extra labor that
one man can cultivate only about four acres of ground, or
not much more than one tenth the amount that he could
in the Eastern States, where no irrigation is required.
In view of these facts, it struck me that no otlicr people
A PROCLAMATION. 267
but the Mormons or Mexicans would ever think of becom-
ing farmers in Utah, when there is so much vacant, uncul-
tivated domain east of the mountains, where the rains from
heaven irrigate and fertilize the soil.
Before we reached Utah we heard many rumors con-
cerning the unfriendly disposition of the Mormons toward
the United States government, and their determination to
resist by force, if necessary, our entrance into Salt Lake
Yalley, but we did not give much credence to these reports
until we received the following proclamation of Brigham
Young:
" Prodamatioji hy the Governor.
" Citizens of Utali,-. — We are invaded by a hostile force,
who are evidently assailing us to accomplish our over-
throw and destruction.
" For the last twenty -five years we have trusted officials
of the government, from constables and justices to judges,
governors, and presidents, only to be scorned, held in de-
rision, insulted, and betrayed. Our houses have been plun-
dered and then burned, our fields laid waste, our principal
men butchered while under the pledged faith of the gov-
ernment for their safety, and our families driven from their
homes to find that shelter in the barren wilderness, and that
protection among hostile savages which were denied them
in the boasted abodes of Christianity and civilization,
" The Constitution of our common country guarantees to
us all that we do now, or have ever claimed.
"If the constitutional rights which pertain unto us as
American citizens were extended to Utah accordins^ to the
spirit and meaning thereof, and fairly and impartially ad-
ministered, it is all that we could ask, all that we ever asked.
" Our opponents have availed themselves of prejudice
existing against us because of our religious faith, to send
268 THE PROCLAMATION.
out a formidable host to accomplish our destruction. We
have had no privilege, no opportunity of defending our-
selves from the false, foul, and unjust aspersions against us
before the nation.
"The government has not condescended to cause an in-
vestigating committee, or other person, to be sent to inquire
into and ascertain the truth, as is customary in such cases,
" We know those aspersions to be false, but that avails
us nothing. We are condemned unheard, and forced to
an issue with an armed mercenary mob, which has been
sent against "us at the instigation of anonymous letter-writ-
ers, ashamed to father the base, slanderous falsehoods which
they have given to the public ; of corrupt officials, who
have brought false accusations against us to screen them-
selves in their own infamy, of hireling ^^nes^s and hoitilnrj
editors, who prostitute the truth for filthy lucre's sake.
"The issue which has been thus forced upon us compels
us to resort to the great first law of self-preservation, and
stand in our own defense, a right guaranteed to us by the
genius of the institutions of our country, and upon which
the government is based.
"Our duty to ourselves, to our families, requires us not
tamely to be driven and slain, without an attempt to pre-
serve ourselves. Our duty to our country, our holy relig-
ion, our God, to freedom and liberty, requires that we
should not quietly stand still and see those fetters forging
around which are calculated to enslave and bring us in
subjection to an unlawful military despotism, such as can
only emanate (in a country of constitutional law) from
usurpation, tyranny, and oppression.
" Tlierefore, I, Brigham Young, Governor and Superin-
tendent of Indian Affairs for the Territory of Utah, in the
name of the people of the United States in the Territory
of Utah,
A MORMON LETTER. 269
"1st. Forbid all armed forces of every description from
coming into this Territory, under any pretense whatever.
"2d. That all the forces in said Territory hold them-
selves in readiness to march at a moment's notice to repel
any and all such invasion.
" 3d. Martial law is hereby declared to exist in this Ter-
ritory from and after the publication of this proclamation,
and no person shall be allowed to pass or repass into or
through, or from the Territory, without a permit from the
' proper ofl&cers.
"Given under my hand and seal at Great Salt Lake City,
Territory of Utah, this 15th day of September, A.D. 1857,
and of the Independence of the United States of America
the 82d.
(Signed) " Brigham Young."
With this proclamation came, by express from Salt Lake
City, the following :
" Governor's Office, Utah Territory, )
Great Salt Lake City, Sept. 29, 1857.)^
"To the officer commanding the forces now invading Utah Territory:
" Sir, — By reference to the Act of Congress passed Sep-
tember 9, 1850, organizing the Territory of Utah, publish-
ed in a copy of the Laws of Utah, herewith forwarded, p.
146-7, you will find the following: 'Section 2. And he it
further enacted^ That the executive power and authority
in and over said Territory of Utah shall be vested in a gov-
ernor, who shall hold his office for four years, and until his
successor shall he ajy'pointed and qualified^ unless sooner re-
moved by the President of the United States. The gov-
ernor shall reside within said Territory, shall be command-
er-in-chief of the militia thereof,' etc.
" I am still the Governor and Superintendent of Indian
Affairs for this Territory, no successor having been appoint-
270 A COOL PROPOSITION.
ed and qualified, as provided bj law, nor have I been re-
moved by the President of the United States. By virtue
of the authority thus vested in me, I have issued and for-
warded you a copy of my proclamation forbidding the en-
trance of armed forces into this Territory. This you have
disregarded" (great presumption, this !). "I now farther di-
rect that you retire forthwith from the Territor}^, by the
same route you entered. Should you deem this impracti-
cable, and prefer to remain until spring in the vicinity of
your present position at Black's Fork or Green Eiver, you
can do so in peace and unmolested, on condition"' — (now
comes the cream of the joke) — " that you deposit your arms
and ammunition with Lewis Robinson, Quarter-master-gen-
eral of the Territory, and leave in the spring as soon as the
condition of the roads will permit you to march. And
should you fall short of provisions, they can be furnished
you upon making the proper applications therefor.
" General D. 11. Wells will forward this, and receive any
communication you may have to make.
" Very respectfully, etc.,
(Signed) " Brigham Young, Governor, etc."
Shortly after this the Mormons burned two of our supply
trains, containing a large amount of stores for the use of the
troops during the winter. They drove off our cattle, and
committed other acts of hostility toward us.
On the 16th of October I caught some ^Mormons carrying
supplies to the parties that were committing depredations
upon us, and upon the person of one of them (a major) I
found several papers, one of which was as follows :
"Head-quarters Eastern Expedition,")
Camp near Cashecove, Oct. 4, 1857. )
" ;Major Joseph Taylor,— You will proceed with all
possible dispatch, without injuring your animals, to the Or-
GEXERAL WELLS's ORDERS. 271
egon Eoad, near the head of Bear Eiver, north by east of
this place. Take close and correct observations of the
country on j^our route. "When you approach the road,
send scouts ahead to ascertain if the invading troops have
passed that way. Should they have passed, take a con-
cealed route and get ahead of them. Express to Colonel
Burton, who is now on that road and in the vicinity of the
troops, and effect a junction with him, so as to operate in
concert,
" On ascertaining the locality or route of the troops, pro-
ceed at once to annoy them in every possible way. Use
every exertion to stampede their animals, and set fire to
their trains. Burn the whole country before them and on
their flanks. Keep them from sleeping by night surprises.
Blockade the road by. felling trees, or destroying the fords
when you can. Watch for opportunities to set fire to the
grass on their windward, so as, if possible, to envelop their
trains. Leave no grass before them that can be burned.
Keep your men concealed as much as possible, and guard
against surprise. Keep' scouts out at all times, and commu-
nication open with Colonel Burton, Major McAllister, and
O. P. Rockwell, who are operating in the same way. Keep
me advised daily of your movements, and every step the
troops take, and in which direction.
" God bless you and give you success.
"Your brother in Christ,
(Signed) " Daniel H. Wells.
"P.S. — If the troops have not passed, or have turned in
this direction, follow in their rear, and continue to annoy
them, and stampede or drive off their animals at every op-
portunity. D. H. Wells."
Brigham Young, in an interview with Captain Yan Yliet,
of the Army, who was sent to Salt Lake City to confer
272 BRIG HAM YOUNG'S VIEWS.
with the Mormon authorities, complained that our govern-
ment officials had taken for truth ex jiarte statements, made
against them by men of notoriously immoral characters,
who had become prejudiced against them without cause,
and, without giving them any opportunity to defend them-
selves, had made premature decisions adverse to his people.
lie thought it due to him and his followers, especially
while he regarded himself as ex officio the chief magistrate
of the Territory, to have given him a hearing. Instead of
this, he said, the government had instituted proceedings of
a most unusual and rigorous character, sending out a very
large armed force, with a menacing aspect, to coerce tliem
into subjection to laws which they had always respected
and obeyed. He added, "I can, with my people, keep out
the forces now approaching us, and I shall most positively
do so. No United States soldier shall enter this valley.
And if they attempt to pass Fort Bridger, I shall first have
all the grass between that point and this city burned up.
If that docs not stop them, I shall then make use of all the
means within my control to resist by force, if necessarj^,
their approach."
Captain Van Yliet said to him that he might possibly
succeed in keeping out during the winter the troops now
en route, but that he must be aware that this step would be
looked upon by our government as an insult of no ordi-
nary character, and that a .sufficient number of troops to
chastise them would certainly be sent out in the spring.
lie replied, "I am conscious of that; but I have four
years' supply of provisions on hand ; and before M'e will
submit to a military rule, we will burn and destroy every
liouse, fence, tree, and other vestige of improvement in this
valley, and retreat to the mountains, where we can live un-
molested in the enjoyment of our religion."
He was then asked how he would receive Governor
A MORMON WRITEE. 273
Cummings on his arrival. He replied, " I would very qui-
etly place him in a carriage, and politely escort him out of
the Valley."
The foregoing proclamation, and orders subsequently is-
sued, show conclusively that Brigham was sincere in what
he said to Captain Van Vliet.
The Mormon leaders were all intensely exercised upon
the subject of our approach, and gave vent to their feelings
in the pulpit and in their papers.
In an article which I saw in the Deseret News, the writer
very ably and ingeniously set forth the grievances of the
Saints from the time of Joe Smith up to that moment. His
arguments were, however, somewhat specious and sophisti-
cal, and not in all respects sustained by fact ; as, for exam-
ple, he said that the United States had not sent armed
forces into other Territories to assist the Federal authorities
in the execution of law, when he must have known that
troops had repeatedly been employed in similar service,
and that a portion of the very force designed for Utah was
at that moment detained in Kansas for precisely the same
object. He also said that the people of other Territories had
always been allowed to elect their own rulers, when it was
known to every body that the people of the Territories gen-
erally have nothing to do with the iippointment of Territo-
rial ofl&cers ; that, on the contrary, these officers are in al-
most all cases selected from other places, and sent to the
Territories. Utah, in that regard, had been more favored
than any other Territory, as their prophet and ruler had
been permitted to occupy the governor's seat a longer pe-
riod than usual.
In one of the numbers of the Deseret News were several
speeches made by the leaders, all of which breathed forth
sentiments teeming with war to the knife. Brigham said
"he had always prophesied that there was a time coming
274 PULPIT ORATORY.
when the cord that bound the Saints to the world must be
severed, and when a military force was sent to Utah to
kill him and his people, then would be the time to cut it."
The following racy specimen of pulpit orator}^, although
not very chaste or classic in its character, emanated from
the fulminating and explosive brain of that '■^father in Is-
rael,^^ Brother Ileber Kimball, about that time. It was in
the form of a benediction to his ^'^ck.
" May the Almighty bless you , may the peace of God
be with you, and with your childion, and with your chil-
dren's children forever and ever ; and may God Almighty
curse our enemies (voices, ' Amen 1'). I feel to curse my
enemies ; and when God won't bless them, I do not think
he will ask me to bless them. If I did, it would be to put
the poor curses to death who have brought death and de-
struction on me and my brethren, upon my wives and chil-
dren that I buried on the road between the States and this
place.
" Did I ever wrong them out of a dime ? ISTo ; but I
have fed thousands when I never received a dime. Poor
rotten curses ! and the President of the United States, in-
asmuch as he has turned against us, and will take a course
to persist in pleasing the ungodly curses that are howling
xiround him for the destruction of this people, he shall be
cursed in the name of Israel's God ; and I curse him, and
all his coadjutors in their cursed deeds, in the name of
Jesus Christ, and by the authority of the holy priesthood,
and all Israel shall say 'Amen!'
" Send two thousand five hundred troops here, my breth-
ren, to make a desolation of this people ! God Almighty
helping mc, I wnll fight until there is not a drop of blood in
my veins. Good God ! I have wives enough to whip out
the United States ! Amen."
In speaking of the ajiproach of the army upon another
MANNA FOR MORMONS. 275
occasion, we have the following Biblical illustration from
the same orator. " Will we have manna ? Yes, the United
States have seven hundred wagons loaded with about two
tons to each wagon, with all kinds of things , and then
seven thousand head of cattle ; and there is said to be two
thousand five hundred troops with this, and that, and the
other.
" That is all right. Suppose the troops don't get here,
but all these goods and cattle come? well, that would be a
mighty help to us ; that would clothe up the boys and girls,
and make them comfortable ; and then remember there is
fifteen months' provisions besides. I am only talking about
this. Suppose it extends four or five years, and they send
one hundred tliousand troops and provisions, and goods in
proportion, and every thing else got here and they did not,
etc., etc."
The sequel of the Mormon expedition is well known to
the public.
276 UNEXPLORED TERRITORY.
CHAPTER X.
UNEXPLORED TERRITORY.
Unexplored Territory. — Lack of geographic*! Information in 1849. — Wagon
Road from Fort Smith. — New Road from Dona Ana. — Great Canon of
tlie Colorado. — Visit of the Spaniards. — Mr. Kern's Opinions. — Tall Race
of Men. — Height of the Canon. — Attempts to explore it. — Splendid Scen-
ery. — Mineral Considerations. — Method for exploring the Canon sug-
gested.
Previous to onr occupation of the Territory of New
Mexico in 1846, but little was known concerning the phys-
ical features of the greater part of that country, and almost
the entire section of Northwestern New Mexico embraced
between the Rio del Norte and the Rio Colorado of Califor-
nia had been, up to that period, a " terra incognitaP Indeed,
as late as 1849, our authorities at Washington possessed so
little information in regard to the country west of the Rio
del Norte, that I was ordered to escort emigrants from Fort
Smith, Arkansas, to Santa Fc, New Mexico, under the sup-
position that there were direct practicable wagon-roads from
the latter point to San Francisco ; but, on our arrival at
Santa Fd, we learned, from the most experienced guides of
the country, that the most direct known wagon-route to the
Pacific coast left the Rio del Norte some three hundred
miles below Santa Fc, thus making a deflection of a right
angle from the course which we had traveled. We had
discovered and rendered passable an excellent wagon-road
from the point of our departure in Arkansas to Santa Fd,
according to our instructions, but the information regarding
the country west of Santa Fu showed conclusively that our
UNEXPLORED REGIONS. 277
road, in connection with that down the Gila, deviated so
much from a direct track across the continent, that it would
not subserve the purposes of subsequent emigration, I
therefore made inquiries from all persons I could meet with
who knew any thing about the country east of the Del
Korte in regard to the practicability of making a wagon-
road directly back from the point on that river where the
emigrants turned west toward the Gila to Fort Smith. The
greater part of the guides of the country informed me that
there were several ranges of mountains intervening, and
were of the opinion that I would have difficulty in finding
a passage through them. I, however, heard of a Comanche
Indian, living among the Mexicans, who was reported to be
familiar with the section over which I desired to pass, and
I consulted him. He said he knew the country as far east
as the head waters of the Brazos, and that he could guide
me over a route that was entirely safe for wagons from
Dona Ana to that stream, and he would insure us water
every night. Our own guide, Black Beaver, was confident
he could pilot us from the Brazos to Fort Smith ; accord-
ingly, we returned over that route directly across the coun-
try indicated, making a most excellent road, which was
traveled for several years afterward by California emi-
grants.
Since that time several exploring parties have traversed
portions of northwestern New Mexico, and the information
gained by our officers who have campaigned against the
Indians in that section has added greatly to our stock of
geographical knowledge ; but it presents such an exceeding-
ly barren, rough, and forbidding aspect, and has been so
difficult of access on account of the hostility of the Indians,
that but few white men have ventured into it, so that some
portions still remain unexplored. There is, for example, a
section of some two hundred miles or more of the Colorado
2A
278 THE COLORADO CANOK".
Eiver that has never, so far as we have any record, been
traversed by a white man, and that I beheve to be at the
present moment about the only part of our vast possessions
of which we have not some knowledge.
I refer to that portion of the Colorado extending from
near the confluence of Grand and Green Rivers, which is
known as the " Big Carbon of the Colorado." This canon
is without doubt one of the most stupendous freaks of Na-
ture that can be found upon the face of the earth. It ap-
pears that by some great paroxysmal convulsive throe in
the mysterious economy of the wise laws of Nature, an ele-
vated chain of mountains has been reft asunder, as if to ad-
mit a passage for the river along the level of the grade at
the base. The walls of this majestic defile, so far as they
have been seen, are nearly perpendicular ; and although wc
have no exact data upon which to base a positive calcula-
tion of their altitude, yet our information is amply suffi-
cient to warrant the assertion that it far exceeds any thing
of the kind elsewhere known.
The first published account of this remarkable defile was
contained in the work of Castenada, giving a description of
the expedition of Don Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in
search of the " seven cities of Cibola" in 1540-1.
lie went from the city of Mexico to Sonora, and from
thence penetrated to Cibola; and while there, dispatched
an auxiliary expedition, under the command of Don Garcia
Lopez de Cardenas, to explore a river which emptied into
the Gulf of California, called "i?w del Tison,^^ and which,
of course, was the Hio Colorado.
On reaching the vicinity of the river, he found a race of
natives of very great stature, who lived in subterranean
tenements covered with straw or grass. He says, when
these Indians traveled in cold weather, they carried in their
hands a firebrand, with which they kept themselves warm.
THE COLORADO CANON. 279
Captain Sitgreaves, who in 1852 met the Mohave In-
dians on the Colorado River, says " they are over six feet
tali ;" and Mr. R. H. Kern, a very intelligent and reliable
gentleman, who was attached to the same expedition, and
visited the lower part of the great caiion of the Colorado,
says, " The same manners and customs (as those described
by Castenada) are peculiar to all the different tribes inhab-
iting the valley of the Colorado, even to the use of the
brand for warming the body. These Indians, as a mass,
are the largest and best-formed men I ever saw, their aver-
age height being an inch over six feet."
The Spanish explorer says he traveled for several days
along on the crest of the lofty bluff bordering the canon,
which he estimated to be three leagues high, and he found
no place where he could pass down to the water from the
summit. He once made the attempt at a place where but
few obstacles seemed to interfere with the descent, and
started three of his most active men. They were gone the
greater part of the day, and on their return informed him
that they had' only succeeded in reaching a rock about one
third the distance down. This rock, he says, appeared from
the top of the canon about six feet high, but they informed
him that it was as high as the spire of the cathedral at Se-
ville in Spain.
The river itself looked, from the summit of the canon, to
be something like a fathom in width, but the Indians as-
sured him it was half a league wide.
Antoine Lereux, one of the most reliable and best-in-
formed guides in New Mexico, told me in 1858 that he had
once been at a point of this canon where he estimated the
walls to be three, miles high.
Mr. Kern says, in speaking of the Colorado : " No other
river in North America passes through a canon equal in
depth to the one alluded to. The description (Castenada's)
280 LIEUTENANT IVES'S EXPEDITION.
is made out with rare truth and force. We had a view of
it from the San Francisco Mountain, N. M., and, judging
from our own elevation, and the character of the interven-
ing country, I have no doubt the walls are at least five
thousand feet in height."
The mountaineers in Utah told me that a party of trap-
pers many years since built a large row-boat and made
the attempt to descend the river through the defile of the
canon, but were never heard from afterward. They prob-
ably dashed their boat in pieces, and were lost by being
precipitated over sunken rocks or elevated falls.
In 185- Lieutenant Ives, of the United States' Engineers,
was ordered to penetrate the canon with a steamer of light
draught. He ascended the river from the Gulf as high as
a little above the mouth of the gorge, but there encountered
rapids and other obstacles of so serious a character that he
was forced to turn back and abandon the enterprise, and
no other efforts have since been made under government
auspices to explore it.
A thorough examination of this canon might, in my
opinion, be made by taking small row-boats and ascending
the river from the debouche of the gorge at a low stage of
water. In this way there would be no danger of being car-
ried over dangerous rapids or falls, and the boats could be
carried around difficult passages. Such an exploration
could not, in my judgment, prove otherwise than intensely
interesting, as the scenery here must surpass in grandeur
any other in the universe.
Wherever we find rivers flowing through similar forma-
tions elsewhere, as at the ^^ dalles''' of the Columbia and Wis-
consin Rivers, and in the great canons of Red and Canadian
Rivers, although the escarpments at those places have noth-
ing like the altitude of those upon the Colorado, yet the
long-continued erosive action of the water ujion the rock
GOLD AND SILVER. 281
has produced the most novel and interesting combinations
of beautiful pictures. Imagine, then, what must be the ef-
fect of a large stream like the Colorado traversing for two
hundred miles a defile with the perpendicular walls tower-
ing five thousand feet above the bed of the river. It is im-
possible that it should not contribute largely toward the
formation of scenery surpassing in sublimity and pictur-
esque character any other in the world. Our landscape
painters would here find rare subjects for their study, and
I venture to hope that the day is not far distant when some
of the most enterprising of them may be induced to pene-
trate this new field of art in our only remaining unexplored
territory. I am confident they would be abundantly re-
warded for their trouble and exposure, and would find
subjects for the exercise of genius, the sublimity of which
the most vivid imaginations of the old masters never
dreamed of.
A consideration, however, of vastly greater financial and
national importance than those alluded to above, which
might, and probably would result from a thorough explo-
ration of this part of the river, is the development of its
mineral wealth.
In 1849 I met in Santa Fc that enterprising pioneer, Mr.
F. X. Aubrey, who had just returned from California, and
en route had crossed the Colorado near the outlet of the Big
Canon, where he met some Indians, with whom, as he in-
formed me, he exchanged leaden for golden rifle-balls, and
these Indians did not appeaf to have the slightest apprecia-
tion of the relative value of the two metals.
That gold and silver abound in that region is fully estab-
lished, as those metals have been found jn niany localities
both east and west of the Colorado. Is it not, therefore,
probable that the walls of this gigantic crevice will exhibit
many rich deposits? Companies are formed almost daily,
2 A
*
282 EL DORADO.
and large amounts of money and labor expended in sink-
ing shafts of one, two, and three hundred feet, with the con-
fident expectation of finding mineral deposits ; but here Na-
ture has opened and exposed to view a continuous shaft
two hundred miles in length and five thousand feet in
depth. In the one case we have a small shaft blasted out
at great expense by manual labor, showing a surface of
about thirty-six hundred feet, while here Nature gratuitous-
ly exhibits ten thousand millions of feet extending into the
very bowels of the earth.
Is it, then, at all without the scope of rational conjecture
to predict that such an immense development of the interi-
or strata of the earth — such a huge gulch, if I may be al-
lowed the expression, extending so great a distance through
the heart of a country as rich as this in the precious met-
als, may yet prove to be the El Dorado which the early
Spanish explorers so long and so fruitlessly sought for ; and
who knows but that the government might here find a
source of revenue sufficient to liquidate our national debt?
Regarding the exploration of this river as highly import-
ant in a national aspect, I in 1853 submitted a paper upon
the subject to the "War Department, setting forth my views
somewhat in detail, and offering my services to perform the
work; but there was then no appropriation which could be
applied to that object, and the Secretary of War for this
reason declined ordering it.
HUNTING. 283
CHAPTER XL
HUNTING.
Hunting. — Its Benefits to the Soldier. — Disposition of Fire-arms. — Nama-
quas. — Tracking. — Horse Tracks. — Elk Hunt. — Faculties of Indians.
— Deer Hunting. — Rifles. — Antelope. — Bear. — Lassoing Grizzlies. — Am-
ateur Sportsman. — Big -Horn. — Buff"alo. — Rapidly diminishing. — H. H.
Sibley's Remarks. — Range of the Buffalo. — Chasing on Horseback. —
Stalking. — Winter Hunting. — ^The Beaver. — The Prairie Dog. — Plints to
Sportsmen.
I KNOW of no better school of practice for perfecting men
in target-firing, and the use of fire-arms generally, than that
in which the frontier hunter receives his education. One
of the first and most important lessons that he is taught im-
presses him- with the conviction that, unless his gun is in
good order and steadily directed upon the game, he must
go without his supper ; and if ambition does not stimulate
his efforts, his appetite will, and ultimately lead to success
and confidence in his own powers.
The man who is afraid to place the butt of his piece
firmly against his shoulder, or who turns away his head at
the instant of pulling trigger (as soldiers often do before
they have been drilled at target-practice), will not be likely
to bag much game or to contribute materially toward the
result of a battle. The successful hunter, as a general rule,
is a good shot, will always charge his gun properly, and
may be relied upon in action. I would, therefore, when in
garrison or at permanent camps, encourage ofl&cers and sol-
diers in field-sports. If permitted, men very readily culti-
vate a fondness for these innocent and healthy exercises.
284 HUNTERS AND SOLDIERS.
and occupy their leisure time ia their pursuit ; whereas, if
confined to the narrow limits of a frontier camp or garrison,
having no amusements within their reach, they are prone
to indulge in practices which are highly detrimental to
their physical and moral condition.
By making short excursions about the country they ac-
quire a knowledge of it, become inured to fatigue, learn the
art of bivouacking, trailing, etc., etc., all of which will be
found serviceable in border warfare ; and, even if they
should perchance now and then miss some of the minor
routine duties of the garrison, the benefits they would de-
rive from hunting would, in my opinion, more than coun-
terbalance its effects. Under the old regime it was thought
that drills, dress-parades, and guard-mountings comprehend-
ed the sum total of the soldier's education, but the experi-
ence of the last ten years has taught us that these are only
the rudiments, and that to combat successfully with Indians
we must receive instruction from them, study their tactics,
and, where they suit our purposes, copy from them.
The union of discipline with the individuality, self-reli-
ance, and rapidity of locomotion of the savage is what we
should aim at. This will be the tendency of the course in-
dicated, and it is believed by the writer that an army com-
posed of well-disciplined hunters will be the most efficient
of all others against the only enemy we now have to en-
counter within the limits of our vast possessions.
I find some pertinent remarks upon this subject in a
very sensible essay by " a late captain of infantry" (U. S.).
He says :
" It is conceived that scattered bands of mounted hunt-
ers, with the speed of a horse and the watchfulness of a
wolf or antelope, whose faculties arc sharpened by their ne-
cessities ; who, when they get short of provisions, separate
and look for something to eat, and find it in the water, in
HUNTING TO BE EXCOURAGED. 285
the ground, or on the surface ; whose bill of fare ranges
from grass-seed, nuts, roots, grasshoppers, lizards, and rat-
tlesnakes up to the antelope, deer, elk, bear, and buffalo,
and who have a continent to roam over, will be neither sur-
prised, caught, conquered, overawed, or reduced to famine
by a rumbling, bugle-blowing, drum-beating town passing
through their country on wheels at the speed of a loaded
wagon.
" If the Indians are in the path and do not wish to be
seen, they cross a ridge, and the town moves on, ignorant
whether there are fifty Indians within a mile or no Indian
within fifty miles. If the Indians wish to see, they return
to the crest of the ridge, crawl up to the edge, pull up a
bunch of grass by the roots, and look through or under it
at the procession."
Although I would always encourage men in hunting
when permanently located, yet, unless they are good woods-
men, it is not safe to permit them to go out alone in march-
ing through the Indian country, as, aside from the danger
of encountering Indians, they would be liable to become
bewildered and perhaps lost, and this might detain the en-
tire party in searching for them. The better plan upon a
march is for three ar four to go out together, accompanied
by a good woodsman, who will be able with certainty to
lead them back to camp.
The little group could ascertain if Indians are about, and
would be strong enough to act on the defensive against
small parties of them ; and, while they are amusing them-
selves, they may perform an imj)ortant part as scouts and
flankers.
An expedition may have been perfectly organized, and
every thing provided that the wisest forethought could sug-
gest, yet circumstances beyond the control of the most ex-
perienced traveler may sometimes arise to defeat the best
286 DISPOSITION OF ARMS.
concerted plans. It is not, for example, an impossible con-
tingency that the traveler may, by unforeseen delays, con-
sume his jjrovisions, lose them in crossing streams, or have
them stolen by hostile Indians, and be reduced to the ne-
cessity of depending upon game for subsistence. Under
these circumstances, a few observations upon the habits of
the different animals that frequent the Plains, and on the
best methods of hunting them, may not be altogether de-
void of interest or utility in this connection.
Previous to describing the methods of hunting the differ-
ent animals, I propose to give a few useful hints regarding
tire-arms, and other items of information which will be
found important to those who should have occasion to go
out into the Plains. First I notice the disjDosition of fire-
arms.
The mountaineers and trappers exercise a very wise pre-
caution, on lying down for the night, by placing their arms
and ammunition by their sides, where they can be seized at
a moment's notice. This rule is never departed from, and
they are therefore seldom liable to be surprised. In Par-
kyns's " Abyssinia" I find the following remarks upon this
subject :
"When getting sleepy, you return your rifle between
your legs, roll over, and go to sleep. Some people may
think this is a queer place for a rifle ; but, on the contrary,
it is the position of all others where utility and comfort are
most combined. The butt rests on the arm, and serves as
a pillow for the head ; the muzzle points between the knees,
and the arms encircle the lock and breech, so that you have
a smooth pillow, and are always prepared to start up armed
at a moment's notice."
I have never made the experiment of sleeping in this
way, but I should imagine that a gun-stock would make
rather a hard pillow.
ARMY AND NAVY REVOLVERS. 287
Many of our experienced frontier officers prefer carrying
their pistols in a belt at their sides to placing them in hol-
sters attached to the saddle, as in the former case they are
always at hand when they are dismounted; whereas, by
the other plan, they become useless when a man is un-
horsed, unless he has time to remove them from the saddle,
which, during the excitement of an action, would seldom be
the case.
Notwithstanding Colt's army and navy sized revolvers
have been in use for a long time in our army, officers are
by no means of one mind as to their relative merits for
frontier service. The navy pistol, being more light and
portable, is more convenient for the belt, but it is very
questionable in my mind whether these qualities counter-
balance the advantages derived from the greater weight of
powder and lead that can be fired from the larger pistol,
and the consequent increased projectile force.
This point is illustrated by an incident which fell under
my own observation. In passing near the " Medicine-Bow
Butte" during the spring of 1858, 1 most unexpectedly en-
countered and fired at a full-grown grizzly bear; but, as
my horse had become somewhat blown by a previous gal-
lop, his breathing so much disturbed my aim that I missed
the animal at the short distance of about fifty yards, and
he ran off. Fearful, if I stopped to reload my rifle, the bear
would make his escape, I resolved to drive him back to the
advanced guard of our escort, which I could see approach-
ing in the distance ; this I succeeded in doing, when sever-
al mounted men, armed with the navy revolvers, set off in
pursuit. They approached within a few paces, and dis-
charged ten or twelve shots, the most of which entered the
animal, but he still kept on, and his progress did not seem
materially impeded by the wounds. After these men had
exhausted< their charges, another man rode up armed with
288 CARRYING FIRE-ARMS.
the army revolver, and fired two shots, which brought the
stalwart beast to the ground. Upon skinning him and
making an examination of the wounds, it was discovered
that none of the balls from the small pistols had, after pass-
ing through his thick and tough hide, penetrated deeper
than about an inch into the flesh, but that the two balls
from the large pistol had gone into the vitals and killed
him. This test was to my mind a decisive one as to the
relative efficiency of the two arms for frontier service, and
I resolved thenceforth to carry the larger size.
Several different methods are practiced in slinging and
carrying fire-arms upon horseback. The shoulder-strap,
with a swivel to hook into a ring behind the guard, with
the muzzle resting downward in a leather cup attached by
a strap to the same staple as the stirrup-leather, is a very
handy method for cavalry soldiers to sling their carbines;
but, the gun being reversed, the jolting caused by the mo-
tion of the horse tends to move the charge and shake the
powder out of the cone, which renders it liable to burst the
gun and to miss fire.
An invention of the Namaquas, in Africa, described by
Galton in his Art of Travel, is as follows :
" Sew a bag of canvas, leather, or hide, of such bigness as
to admit the butt of the gun pretty freely. The straps that
support it buckle through a ring in the pommel, and the
thongs by which its slope is adjusted fasten round the girth
below. The exact adjustments may not be hit upon by an
unpracticed person for some little time, but, when they are
once ascertained, the straps need never be shifted. The gun
is perfectly safe, and never comes below the arm-pit, even
in taking a drop leap ; it is pulled out in an instant by bring-
ing the elbow in front of the gun and close to the side, so
as to throw the gun to the outside of the arm; then, lower-
ing the hand, the gun is caught up. It is a bungling way
ACCIDENTS FROM FIRE-ARMS. 289
to take out the gun while its barrel lies between the' arm
and the body. Any sized gun can be carried in thi's fash-
ion. It offers no obstacle to mounting or dismounting."
This may be a conveniejit way of carrying the gun ; I
have never tried it. Of all methods I have used, I prefer,
for hunting, a piece of leather about twelve inches by four,
with a hole cut in each end ; one of the ends is placed over
the pommel of the saddle, and with a buckskin string made
fast to it, where it remains a permanent fixture. When the
rider is mounted, he places his gun across the strap upon
the saddle, and carries the loose end forward over the pom-
mel, the gun resting horizontally across his legs. It will
now only be necessary occasionally to steady the gun with
the hand. After a little practice the rider will be able to
control it with his knees, and it will be found a very easy
and convenient method of carrying it. When required for
use, it is taken out in an instant by simply raising it with
the hand, when the loose end -of the strap comes off the
pommel.
The chief causes of accidents from the use of fire-arms
arise from carelessness, and I have always observed that
those persons who are most familiar with their use are in-
variably the most careful. Many accidents have happened
from carrying guns with the cock down upon the cap.
When in this position, a blow upon the cock, and some-
times the concussion produced by the falling of the gun,
will explode the cap; and, occasionally, when the cock
catches a twig, or in the clothes, and lifts it from the cap, it
will explode. With a gun at half-cock there is but little
danger of such accidents ; for, when the cock is drawn back,
it either comes to the full-cock, and remains, or it returns
to the half-cock, but does not go down upon the cone. An-
other source of very many sad and fatal accidents resulting
from the most stupid and culpable carelessness is in persons
2B
290 CAPTAIN SCOTT'S ADVICE.
Standing before the muzzles of guns and attempting to pull
them out of wagons, or to draw them through a fence or
brush in the same position. If the cock encounters an ob-
stacle in its passage, it will, of.course, be drawn back and
fall upon the cap. These accidents are of frequent occur-
rence, and the cause is well understood by all, yet men con-
tinue to disregard it, and their lives pay the penalty of their
indiscretion. It is a wise maxim, which applies with espe-
cial force in campaigning on the prairies, ^^ Always look to
your gun, but never lei your gun Idok at you^
An equally important maxim might be added to this :
Never to jwint your gun at another^ whether charged or un-
charged, and never' cdlow another to jioint his gun at you.
Young men, before they become accustomed to the use of
arms, are very apt to be careless, and a large percentage of
gun accidents may be traced to this cause. That finished
sportsman and wonderful shot, my friend Captain Martin
Scott, than whom a more gallant soldier never fought a
battle, was the most careful man with fire-arms I ever
knew, and up to the time he received his death -wound
upon the bloody field of Molino del Eey he never ceased
his cautionary advice to young officers upon this subject.
His extended experience and intimate acquaintance with
the use of arms had fully impressed him with its import-
ance, and no man ever lived whose opinions upon this sub-
ject should carry greater weight. As incomprehensible as
it may appear to persons accustomed to the use of fire-arms,
recruits are very prone, before they have been drilled at
target practice with ball cartridges, to place the ball below
the powder in the piece. Officers conducting detachments
through the Indian country should therefore give their
special attention to this, and require the recruits to tear the
cartridge and pour all the powder into the piece before the
ball is inserted.
TRACKING. 291
As accidents often occur in camp from the accidental
discharge of fire-arms that have been capped, I would rec-
ommend that the arms be continually kept loaded in cam-
paigning, but the caps not placed upon the cones until they
are required for firing. This will cause but little delay in
an action, and will conduce much to security from accidents.
When loaded fire-arms have been exposed for any con-
siderable time to a moist atmosphere, they should be dis-
charged, or the cartridges drawn, and the arms thoroughly
cleaned, dried, and oiled. Too much attention can not be
given in keeping arms in perfect firing order.
*
TRACKING.
I know of nothing in the woodman's education of so
much importance, or so difiicult to acquire, as the art of
trailing or tracking men and animals. To become an adept
in this art requires the constant practice of years, and with
some men a life-time does not suffice to learn it.
Almost all the Indians whom I have met with are profi-
cient in this species of knowledge, the faculty for acquiring
which appears to be innate with thero. Exigencies of
woodland and prairie life stimulate the savage from child-
hood to develop faculties so important in the arts of war
and of the chase.
I have seen very few white Ynen who were good trailers,
and practice did not seem very materially to improve their
faculties in this regard ; they have not the same acute per-
ceptions for these things as the Indian or the Mexican. It
is not apprehended that this difficult branch of woodcraft
can be taught from books, as it pertains almost exclusively
to the school of practice, yet I will give some facts relating
to the habits of the Indians that will facilitate its acquire-
ments.
A party of Indians, for example, starting out upon a war
292 FOLLOWING TRAILS.
excursion, leave their families behind, and never transport
their lodges ; whereas, when they move with their families,
they carry their lodges and other effects. If, therefore, an
Indian trail is discovered with the marks of the lodge-poles
upon it, it has certainly not been made by a war-party ; but
if the track do not show the trace of lodge-poles, it will be
equally certain that a war or hunting party has passed that
way, and if it is not desired to come in conflict with them,
their direction may be avoided. Mustangs or wild horses,
when moving from place to place, leave a trail which is
sometimes difficult to distinguish from that made by a
mounted party of Indians, especially if the mustangs do
not stop to graze. This may be determined by following
upon the trail until some dung is found, and if this should
lie in a single pile, it is a sure indication that a herd of
mustangs has passed, as they always stop to relieve them-
selves, while a party of Indians would keep their horses in
motion, and the ordure would be scattered along the road.
If the trail pass through woodland, the mustang will occa-
sionally go under the limbs of trees too low to admit the
passage of a man on horseback.
An Indian, on coming to a trail, will generally tell at a
glance its age, by what particular tribe it was made, the
number of the party, and many other things connected with
it astounding to the uninitiated.
I remember, upon one occasion, as I was riding with a
Delaware upon the prairies, we crossed the trail of a large
party of Indians traveling with lodges. The tracks appear-
ed to me quite frcsli, and I remarked to the Indian that we
must be near the party. "Oh no," said he, "the trail was
made two days before, in the morning," at the same time
pointing with his finger to where the sun would be at about
eight o'clock. Then, seeing that my curiosity was excited
to know by what means he arrived at this conclusion, he
A BEAR-TRACK. 293
called my attention to the fact that there had been no dew
for the last two nights, but that on the previous morning it
had been heavy. He then pointed out to me some spears
of grass that had been pressed down into the earth by the
horses' hoofs, upon which the sand still adhered, having
dried on, thus clearly showing that the grass was wet when
the tracks were made.
At another time, as I was traveling with the same Indian,
I discovered upon the ground what I took to be a bear-
track, with a distinctly-marked impression of the heel and
all the toes. I immediately called the Indian's attention to
it, at the same time flattering myself that I had made quite
an important discovery, which had escaped his observation.
The fellow remarked with a smile, "Oh no, captain, maybe
so he not bear-track." He then pointed with his gun-rod
to some spears of grass that grew near the impression, but I
did not comprehend the mystery until he dismounted and
explained to me that, when the wind was blowing, the
spears of grass would be bent over toward the ground, and
the oscillating motion thereby produced would scoop wut
the loose sand into the shape I have described. The truth
of this explanation was apparent, yet it occurred to me that
its solution would have baf&ed the wits of most white men.
Fresh tracks generally show moisture where the earth
has been turned up, but after a short exposure to the sun
they become dry. If the tracks be very recent, the sand
may sometimes, where it is very loose and dry, be seen run-
ning back into the tracks, and by following them to a place
where they cross water, the earth will be wet for some dis-
tance after they leave it. The droppings of the dung from
animals are also good indications of the age of a trail. It
is well to remember whether there have been any rains
within a few days, as the age of a trail may sometimes be
conjectured in this way. It is very easy to tell whether
2B*
294 INDIANS IN FLIGHT.
tracks have been made before or after a rain, as the water
washes off all the sharp edges.
It is not a difficult matter to distinguish the tracks of
American horses from those of Indian horses, as the latter
are never shod ; moreover, they are much smaller.
In trailing horses, there will be no trouble while the
ground is soft, as the impressions they leave will then be
deep and distinct ; but when they pass over hard or rocky
ground, it is sometimes a very slow and troublesome pro-
cess to follow them. Where there is grass, the trace can be
seen for a considerable time, as the grass will be trodden
down and bent in the direction the party has moved;
should the grass have returned to its upright position, the
trail can often be distinguished by standing upon it and
looking ahead for some distance in the direction it has been
pursuing; the grass that has been turned over will show a
different shade of green from that around it, and this often
marks a trail for a long time.
Should all traces of the track be obliterated in certain
localities, it is customary with the Indians to follow on in
the direction it has been pursuing for a time, and it is quite
probable that in some place where the ground is more fa-
vorable it will show itself again. Should the trail not be
recovered in this way, they search for a place where the
earth is soft, and make a careful examination, embracing
the entire area where it is likely to run.
Indians who find themselves pursued and wish to escape^
scatter as much as possible, with an understanding that
they are to meet again at some point in advance, so that, if
the pursuing party follows any one of the tracks, it will in-
variably lead to the place of rendezvous. If, for example,
the trail points in the direction of a mountain pass, or to-
ward any other place which affords the only passage
through a particular section of country, it would not be
HORSE-TRACKS.
295
worth while to spend much time in hunting it, as it would
probably be regained at the pass.
As it is important in trailing Indians to know at what
gaits they are traveling, and as the appearance of the tracks
of horses are not familiar to all, I have in the following cut
HOKSE-TKACKS AT OEDINARY SPEED.
represented the prints made by the hoofs at the ordinarj"
speed of the walk, trot, and gallop, so that persons, in fol-
296 POINTS OF COMPASS.
lowing the trail of Indians, may form an idea as to the
probability of overtaking them, and regulate their move-
ments accordingly.
In traversing a district of unknown country where there
are no prominent landmarks, and with the view of return-
ing to the point of departure, a pocket compass should al-
ways be carried, and attached by a string to a button-hole
of the coat, to prevent its being lost or mislaid; and on
starting out, as well as frequently during the trip, take
the bearing, and examine the appearance of the country
when facing toward the starting-point, as a landscape pre-
sents a very different aspect when viewed from opposite
directions. There are few white men who can retrace their
steps for any great distance unless they take the above pre-
cautions in passing over an unknown country for the first
time ; but with the Indians it is different ; the sense of lo-
cality seems to be innate with them, and they do not re-
quire the aid of the magnetic needle to guide them.
Upon a certain occasion, when I had made a long march
over an unexplored section, and was returning upon an en-
tirely different route without either road or trail, a Dela-
ware, by the name of "Black Beaver," who was in my par-
ty, on arriving at a particular point, suddenly halted, and,
turning to me, asked if I recognized the country before us.
Seeing no familiar objects, I replied in the negative. He
put the same question to the other white men of the party,
all of whom gave the same answers, whereupon he smiled,
and in his quaint vernacular said, "Injun he don't know
nothing. Injun big fool. White man mighty smart; he
know heap." At the same time he pointed to a tree about
two hundred yards from where we were then standing, and
informed us that our outward trail ran directly by the side
of it, which proved to be true.
Another time, as I was returning from the Coniancho
LOST ON THE PRAIRIES. 297
country over a route many miles distant from the one I
had traveled in going out, one of my Delaware hunters,
who had never visited the section before, on arriving upon
the crest of an eminence in the prairie, pointed out to me a
clump of trees in the distance, remarking that our outward
track would be found there. I was not, however, disposed
to credit his statement until we reached the locality, and
found the road passing the identical spot he had indicated.
This same Indian would start from any place to which
he had gone by a sinuous route, through an unknown
country, and keep a direct bearing back to the place of de-
parture ; and he assured me that he has never, even during
the most cloudy or foggy weather, or in the darkest nights,
lost the points of compass. There are very few white
men who are endowed with these wonderful faculties, and
those few are only rendered proficient by matured experi-
ence.
I have known several men, after they had become lost in
the prairies, to wander about for days without exercising
the least judgment, and finally exhibit a state of mental
aberration almost upon the verge of lunacy. Instead of
reasoning upon their situation, they exhaust themselves
running ahead at their utmost speed without any regard to
direction, "When a person is satisfied that he has lost his
way, he should stop and reflect upon the course he has been
traveling, the time that has elapsed since he left his camp,
and the probable distance that he is from it; and if he is
unable to retrace his steps, he should keep as nearly in the
direction of them as possible ; and if he has a compass, this
will be an easy matter; but, above all, he should guard
against following his own track around in a circle with the
idea that he is in a beaten trace.
When he is traveling with a train of wagons which leaves
a plain trail, he can make the distance he has traveled from
298 THE STARS AS GUIDES.
camp the radius of a circle in which to ride around, and be-
fore the circle is described he will strike the trail. If the
person has no compass, it is always well to make an obser-
vation, and to remember the direction of the wind at the
time of departure from camp; and as this would not gener-
ally change during the day, it would afford a means of keep-
ing the points of the compass.
In the night Ursa Major (the Great Bear) is not only use-
ful to find the north star, but its position, when the pointers
will be vertical in the heavens, may be estimated with suf-
ficient accuracy to determine the north even when the nortli
star can not be seen. In tropical latitudes, the zodiacal
constellations, such as Orion and Antares, give the east and
west bearing, and the Southern Cross the north and south,
when Polaris and the Great Bear can not be seen.
It is said that the moss upon the firs and other trees in
Europe gives a certain indication of the points of compass
in a forest country, the greatest amount accumulating upon
the north side of the trees. But I have often observed the
trees in our own forests, and have not been able to form
any positive conclusions in this way.
In the autumn of 1844 I made a hunting excursion upon
the peninsula of Michigan, in the vicinity of Saginaw Bay.
That part of the country was then perfectly in a state of
nature, and probably continues so to this day, as it is a cold,
barren region, covered with heavy pine and tamarack trees,
growing upon a miserable soil, illy adapted to the purposes
of the agriculturist. In this wild and lonely section there
were at that time a good many elk, and I started out for
the purpose of trying my skill in hunting the noble beast,
which I had then never had the pleasure of seeing. I en-
gaged for a guide an old Chippeway Indian named '■'■ Peio-
xoanquad^'' who had passed the greater portion of his life in
hunting moose, elk, bears, and deer in that \Q.yy locality,
PETOWANQUAD. 299
and was j)erfectly well acquainted with the haunts and
habits of those animals.
He told me that, many years before this, he was hunting
here in the winter season at a time when the snow was so
deep that he was obliged to use snow-shoes ; that during
the course of hisjiunt he struck the tracks of seven moose,
which he followed until he came within rifle range, and
succeeded in killing two of them. The other five made
their escape for the time, but he proceeded on the trail un-
til he killed another, and thus he went on for three days,
bivouacking at night upon the tracks, and at the expiration
of this time he had killed the entire gang, with a large
black bear which he encountered during the time. He
then returned home and called out a sufficient number of
Indians to go with hand-sleds and bring in the meat.
After we had reached the hunting-ground we made our
bivouac in the woods, and prepared to try our luck the fol-
lowing morning,
Petowanquad, who was master of ceremonies upon tke
occasion, cautioned us against firing our guns or making
other noises, as he said the sense of hearing in the elk was
so very acute that at the slightest unusual noise they would
take alarm and run away.
At daylight the next morning Petowanquad and myself
shouldered our rifles and started out with two dogs in leash,
and we had not gone far before I saw some tracks which
to me appeared fresh, but the Indian said they were made
the day previous, and that the animals then were probably
far off. We soon saw others, which he said had been made
during the past night, but these were not sufficiently fresh
to answer his purposes. Afterward we came to others,
which he decided to have been made some three hours be-
fore ; but still he did not seem inclined to follow them, and
so we traveled on until it got to be about ten o'clock, when
300 SHOOTING ELK.
we Struck the tracks of five elk, which the Indiuu, in a low
tone of voice, informed me had just passed, and were in all
probability close by us at that time, whereupon we un-
leashed the dogs, w^ho instantly bounded away upon the
tracks into a dense thicket of brush, and in a very few
minutes we heard them giving tongue most vociferously
on the other side, and rapidly making their way up the
bank of a small creek. The Indian was nearly as much
excited as I was myself, and we started in pursuit at the
top of our speed. After we had run about half a mile my
ardor began to abate somewhat ; I became thoroughly
blown, and seated myself upon a log to rest, telling the In-
dian to follow the sound of the dogs, and keep them within
hearing until they brought the animals to bay, but under
no circumstances to fire at them, as I was ambitious to have
the honor of killing them myself. He proceeded on, and
in a few minutes I heard him call to me. On joining him
he informed me that the dogs had brought a large buck elk
"to bay" in the creek just above where we then were,
whereupon I approached the sound of the dogs' voices,
and saw an immense elk, with antlers at least five feet long,
standing in the bed of the creek, with his head erect, and
the two dogs jumping up and biting his nose and ears, at
the same time keeping up a furious barking. I leveled my
rifle and placed an ounce of lead directly back of his shoul-
der, at which he trotted off, but the excellent dogs brought
him to bay again directly, when with the Indian's rifle I
gave him another shot near the same place, but it was not
until I had fired another ball into his head that I brought
him down. lie was a magnificent fellow, weighing at least
five hundred pounds, and his horns were so large that they
were a full load for the Indian in returning to our camp.
This was my first elk, and, as may be imagined, I felt very
proud of the exploit.
THE DEER. 301
The main object I had in view in describing this hunt
here was to show the great accuracy with which the expe-
rienced Indian hunter will at a glance, from the appearance
of a track, approximate to the time when the game passed.
I endeavored to learn from the Indian the secret of this
wonderful faculty ; he could not, however, enlighten me,
saying that it was in his head, but he could not explain it ;
I am therefore convinced that a knowledge of this art can
only be attained by long-continued practical application
and experience.
From our camp to the point where we struck the fresh
elk tracks was some eight or ten miles in a direct line, over
a densely - timbered, flat country, without a single hill,
stream, or other landmark to break the monotony of the
surface. I noticed, in passing over it in the morning, that
the Indian would occasionally kick up some dry leaves
with his feet, and, in returning, I observed that we passed
near some of these places ; but my astonishment was very
great when he stopped suddenly and requested me to fire
off my rifle, which I did, and immediately our companions
in the camp called out to us but a short distance off. Al-
though I considered myself a tolerably good woodsman,
yet I had not the slightest conception we were then any
where near our camp that we had left in the morning.
There was so much sameness in the appearance of this
section that one of our young Indians got lost on the same
day, and did not find his way back until he went to the
lake and followed out our trail.
THE DEER.
Of all game quadrupeds indigenous to this continent, the
common red deer is probably more widely dispersed from
north to south and from east to west over our vast posses-
sions than any other. They are found in all latitudes from
2C
302 DECREASE OF GAME.
Hudson's Bay to Mexico, and they clamber over the most
elevated peaks of the western sierras with the same ease
that they range the eastern forests or the everglades of
Florida. In summer they crop the grass upon the sum-
mits of the Rocky Mountains, and in winter, when the snow
falls deep, they descend into sheltered valleys, where they
fall an easy prey to the Indians.
Besides the common red deer of the Eastern States, two
other varieties are found in the E^ocky Mountains, viz., the
"black-tailed deer," which takes its name from. the fact of
its having a small tuft of black hair upon the end of its
tail, and the long-tailed species. The former of these is con-
siderably larger than the Eastern deer, and is much darker,
being of a very deep-yellowish iron-gray, with a yellowish
red upon the belly. It frequents the mountains, and is
never seen far away from them. Its habits are similar to
those of the red deer, and it is hunted in the same way.
The only difference I have been able to discern between
the long-tailed variety and the common deer is in the length
of the tail and body. I have seen this animal only in the
neighborhood of the Rocky Mountains, but it may resort to
other localities.
Although the deer are still abundant in many of our for-
est districts in the East, and do not appear to decrease very
rapidly, yet there has within a few years been a very evi-
dent diminution in the numbers of those frequenting our
Western prairies. In passing through Southern Texas in
1846, thousands of deer were met with daily, and, astonish-
ing as it may appear, it was no uncommon spectacle to see
from one to two hundred in a single herd ; the prairies
seemed literally alive with them ; but in 1855 it was sel-
dom that a herd of ten was seen in the same localities. It
seemed to me that the vast herds first met with could not
have been killed off by the hunters in that sparscly-popu-
DEER - STALKING, 303
lated section, and I was puzzled to know what had become
of them. It is possible they may have moved off into Mex-
ico ; they certainly are not in our territory at the present
time.
Sportsmen have never been, and probably never will be,
unanimous in their opinions regarding the best arm for
deer-hunting. The relative efl&ciency of the rifle and the
smooth-bored fowling-piece has been a fruitful theme for
discussion among the respective advocates of each for many
years, and some very cogent arguments have been adduced
in support of both sides of the question.
In driving deer with dogs, where the hunter is stationed
upon a "runway," and seldom has an opportunity of get-
ting any other than a running shot, and this oftentimes in
dense cover, I should unquestionably give the preference to
a large gauged shot-gun. I should also choose the same de-
scription of gun to hunt deer on horseback in thick cover,
where the game is lying down, and generally springs up
suddenly and is out of sight before a rifle could be brought
to bear with much certainty upon it ; but when it comes to
still-hunting deer, there is no comparison, in my judgment,
between the relative merits of the two arms.
Any one who has been in the habit of deer-stalking
knows that it is generally difficult to approach nearer to
them than about one hundred yards ; he also will be aware
of the fact that a smooth-bored gun, even when charged
with Ely's wire buck-shot cartridges, is a very • uncertain
weapon at greater distances than about sixty or seventy
yards ; while, on the other hand, it will be equally appar-
ent to him that a good rifle, in the hands of an experienced
shot, is perfectly reliable at all distances under one hundred
and fifty yards.
That man who can not kill a deer at one hundred yards
with a good rifle had better throw it aside, take the shot-
804 RIFLES.
gun, and turn his attention to smaller game, for he certainly
never will become proficient as a deer-hunter.
One of the most conclusive arguments I know of upon
this subject is found in the fact that all our frontier hunt-
ers, who rely exclusively upon their guns to furnish them
subsistence, use only the rifle ; and, indeed, I have never
known a very expert deer-stalker that would make use of
any other arm.
The rifles that are manufactured in the Eastern States
are designed for small game or target practice, and are, for
the most part, of small calibre, carrying from about eighty
to one hundred round balls to the pound. While it is ad-
mitted that these missiles, when fired with great accuracy
through the vitals of a deer, will bring him to the ground,
yet it is contended that if they only penetrate the fleshy
parts of the animal, or even pass through the entrails, they
are often insufficient to stop him ; whereas, if a deer be
wounded with a large ball, he will bleed much more free-
ly, and will sooner become exhausted.
I have always been much more successful with a large-
calibred rifle than with a small one ; and I am of the opin-
ion that a gauge admitting about thirty-two round balls to
the pound is the most efficient, not only for deer-shooting,
but for all the other large-game quadrupeds found upon
our continent.
A hunting rifle should not be shorter in the barrel than
thirty inciies (I prefer thirty-four inches), as this length in-
sures a good line of sight, and gives a desirable balance to
the gun when brought to the shoulder. A shorter barrel
may throw the ball with as much accuracy, but it is more
easily thrown out of the proper line of direction, and does
not allow sufficient interval between the front and back
sights.
The weight of metal in the barrel is a consideration of
RIFLE SIGHTS. 305
importance, but will depend somewhat upon the physical
powers of the individual. A heavy barrel recoils less than
a light one, and, consequently, throws the projectile with
more precision ; but a delicate man can not carry a very
heavy rifle upon his shoulder all day without too great a
tax upon his powers of endurance. Some of our stout and
hardy frontiermen, like the Swiss mountaineers, may carry
a rifle of twenty pounds' weight, but this I deem unneces-
sarily large. A rifle weighing entire from ten and a half
to twelve pounds is, in my judgment, heavy enough for
hunting purposes. It does not recoil perceptibly when
properly charged, and is not cumbersome for men of ordi-
nary physique.
A great variety of complicated elevating back-sights
have been brought to the notice of the public within the
past few years, and some of them received with favor
among military men. They are graduated, and designed
to be elevated or depressed as the firing distance increases
or diminishes. Theoretically they are correct in principle,
and perhaps, for military arms, they may be found advan-
tageous when the distances can be determined with accu-
racy ; but when the enemy is manoeuvring, and continual-
ly occupying different positions, the distances must, for the
most part, be estimated. Under such circumstances, it
strikes my mind that but little, if any, practical utility will
be attained from the use of this awkward and cumbersome
appendage.
The open back-sight is, in my opinion, the only one that
should ever be used upon a hunting-rifle. After it is firm-
ly attached to the gun, the point-blank distance can be as-
certained by experiment, and the sights adjusted to the
proper distance. If the object is at a greater or less dis-
tance, the hunter draws a coarser or finer sight, and by
practice he will become enabled to make this estimate with
2C*
306 , HABITS OF DEER.
a good deal of accuracy ; whereas, if lie have the elevating
sight upon his rifle, he must stop to regulate it to the dis-
tance the game happens to show itself before he can fire,
and by the time this is done, unless the game is more ac-
commodating than I have usually found it, he will be dis-
appointed.
The only objection I have discovered in the use of the
open sight is, that when the sun's rays strike it at particu-
lar angles it produces a glimmering in the notch, which pre-
vents drawing a fine sight ; but this difficulty is, in a great
degree, overcome by a very ingenious and simple device,
which originated with one of my Kocky Mountain guides.
It consists in having a semi-spherical concavity drilled into
the top of the sight, with the circumference tangent to the
outer front and rear edges of it. The notches are then cut
so as to be in a vertical plane with the axis of the piece
when the sight is fixed in position. This orifice effectually
screens the notches and prevents any glimmering.
The front sights upon the rifles found in the shops in
Northeastern States are generally too short, and our West-
ern hunters always knock them off" and put on others.
This sight should be about an inch long, and shaped ac-
cording to the opposite diagram. The hunters generally
make them of a piece of silver cut from the edge of a half
dollar.
Twenty years' experience in deer-hunting has taught me
several facts relative to the habits of the animal, which,
when well understood, will be found of much service to the
inexperienced hunter, and greatly contribute to his success.
The best target-shots are not necessarily the most skillful
deer-stalkers. One of the great secrets of this art is in
knowing how to approach the game without giving alarm,
and this can not easily be done unless the hunter sees it be-
RIFLE SIGHTS.
307
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fore he is himself discovered. There are so many objects
in the woods resembling the deer in color that none but a
practiced eye can often detect the difference.
When the deer is reposing he generally turns his head
from the wind, in which position he can see an enemy ap-
proaching from that direction, and his nose will apprise
him of the presence of danger from the opposite side. The
best method of hunting deer, therefore, is across the wind.
308 WALKING UP TO DEER.
While the deer are feeding, early in the morning and a
short time before dark in the evening are the best times to
stalk them, as they are then busily occupied and less on
the alert. When a deer is espied with his head down, crop-
ping the grass, the hunter advances cautiously, keeping his
eyes constantly directed upon him, and screening himself
behind intervening objects, or, in the absence of other cov-
er, crawls along upon his hands and knees in the grass, un-
til the deer hears his step and raises his head, when he
must instantly stop and remain in an attitude fixed and mo-
tionless as a statue, for the animal's vision is his keenest
sense. When alarmed he will detect the slightest move-
ment of a small object, and, unless the hunter stands or lies
perfectly still, his presence will be detected. If the hunter
does not move, the deer will, after a short time, recover
from his alarm and resume his grazing, when he may be
again approached. The deer always exhibits his alarm by
a sudden jerking of the tail just before he raises his head.
I once saw a Delaware Indian walk directly up within
rifle range of a deer that was feeding upon the open prairie
and shoot him down ; he was, however, a long time in ap-
proaching, and made frequent halts whenever the animal
flirted his tail and raised his head. Although he often
turned toward the hunter, yet he did not appear to notice
him, probably taking him for a stump or tree.
When the deer are lying down in the smooth prairie, un-
less the grass is tall, it is difficult to get near them, as they
are generally looking around, and become alarmed at the
least noise.
The most auspicious season of the year for still-hunting
deer in a northern latitude is immcdiatelv after the first
light falls of snow during the early part of winter. Tlie
game is then "m seowo?/," fat, well-flavored, and the fawns
sufiiciently grown to take care of themselves.
DEER IN COVER. 309
When the ground is covered with a soft carpet of three
or four inches of snow, the hunter passes over it without
making much noise by the crackling of twigs or the rus-
tling of leaves under his feet.
Moccasins are preferable for this kind of hunting to boots
or shoes, especially in the cold and dry weather, for the rea-
son that they are more soft and yielding, and do not occa-
sion so much noise by crushing twigs or striking against
hard substances, and are therefore less liable to startle the
game.
In starting out at early dawn, after there has been a light
snow during the preceding night, the hunter may be cer-
tain, should he encounter a track, that it is fresh, and that
the animal is not very far distant. He then, in a region
where the deer are not very abundant, takes the trail and
follows it; but, in doing this, he should not keep his eyes
constantly fixed upon the ground, but walk cautiously along
near the track, carefully avoiding stepping upon dry brush,
or breaking off overhanging limbs of trees, and attentively
scrutinizing all the ground in front within rifle range.
Where the deer has been moving directly along, without
stopping to lie down or wandering about to eat, it ;svill not
be necessary to exercise so much caution, as the animal
will probably be found some distance in advance ; but
whenever the track takes a direction toward a thicket of
brush, a morass covered with tall grass or rushes, or, in-
deed, toward any other place affording dense cover, where
the animal might be likely to lie down, the hunter should
at once leave the trail and make a wide detour around
upon the lee side of such covert, keeping his eyes intently
occupied in scrutinizing every object within the area. Aft-
er passing entirely around the copse in this manner, and
arriving at the point of departure, if he has not crossed the
track on the opposite side, he knows that the deer is within
310 RUNNING DEER.
the circle he has described, and he then makes sure that his
rifle is in good firing order; and, carrying it in such a po-
sition that it can be brought to bear upon the object in the
shortest possible time, he begins to contract the circle by
gradually approaching nearer the covert, and keenly search-
ing every place where it is possible for the deer to make
his bed. To insure success in the execution of this very
adroit and strategic approach, it is absolutely necessary that
the hunter should move with a slow and regular gait, but
on no account stop, or make any unusual demonstration,
until he discovers the game and is in readiness to deliver
his shot, as, in the event of his being very near, the deer
will oftentimes jump up and run at the instant he makes a
halt, whereas if he moves steadily along with a measured
step, as if he intended to pass by, they will generally lie
close, and sometimes I have even seen them lower their
heads upon the ground to hide from the hunter.
The antlers of the bucks, before they shed them, can oft-
en be seen over the tops of the tall grass or low brush when
they are lying down, and the long erect ears of the does are
the first objects that make their appearance under the same
circumgtances.
The hunter must be careful not to allow his eyes to catch
those of the deer when he discovers him, as I am informed
by a finished sportsman and an experienced deer-stalker
(although I have never observed the fact m3^self) that in
such event the animal will instantly jump up and run.
During the ^'■running season''^ the bucks follow on the
trail of the does in a fast walk or slow trot, and, as they are
then eagerly occupied in the pursuit of their object, they
are not easily diverted from it. The hunter may then fall
in behind them after they pass him, and, following up rap-
idly, approach within rifle range without difliculty.
The "running season" in the Northern States generally
WOUNDED DEER. 311
commences ia October, and lasts about a month ; but in the
Southern States it is about a month later. During this sea-
son the bucks run themselves down, become poor, their
necks swell to an enormous size, and the venison is then
rank and unfit for the table.
A wounded deer can be followed without difiicultj upon
the snow; 'and if the blood that flows from the wound is
of a light red or pink color, it is a certain indication that
the animal has been struck in the vitals, and will not run
far. In the summer season a wounded deer will generally
seek the water, and, hiding under the shelving banks of
rivers,, or in the grass upon the borders of ponds, sink his
body, only keeping his head exposed ; it then becomes nec-
essary to search very closely to discover his hiding-place.
When a deer has been alarmed by a hunter upon his
track, he often runs a long distance before he recovers from
his fright, and it requires a long and exhausting chase to
come up with him again ; even then he will be likely to
keep an eye to the rear for a- considerable time, and it will
require great caution to approach within shooting distance.
I have always, under such circumstances, thought it better
to abandon the track and look for another.
When a deer has but one leg broken he makes good
running, and a man on foot will find it very difficult to
overtake him without a dog to bring him " to bay," I re-
member one instance where I broke both fore legs of a doe
just above the knees, yet, notwithstanding these severe
wounds, she ran off upon the stumps nearly half a mile be-
fore I succeeded in securing her.
Another very successful method of deer-stalking, which
is practiced a. good deal in the sparsely-populated districts
of Texas and Mexico, where the game is abundant, and ac-
customed to grazing in the vicinity of cattle and horses, is
by making use of a gentle and tractable horse or mule, and
312 SHOOTING WITH A HOKSE.
approaching as near the deer as can conveniently be done
without giving alarm (about 800 yards) ; the hunter then
dismounts, attaches one end of his wiping-stick, or other
small rod, to the bridle-bit by means of a string ; he then
takes the opposite end of the rod in one hand, his rifle in
the other, and, placing himself near the horse's shoulder on
the opposite side from the deer, so as to be screened from
their observation by the horse, he moves off very slowly in
a direction not directly toward the game, but so as to pass
within the desirable rifle range, and upon the lee side.
With the stick he is enabled to guide his horse, stop him,
or turn him in any direction he may desire. In this man-
ner he proceeds in a slow walk, carefully covering himself
behind the horse, and gradually bearing toward the deer.
■During the approach the deer will sometimes take alarm,
raise their heads, and cast a startled and inquiring look at
the horse. Should this occur, the hunter will at once stop
and allow his horse to crop the grass, while he himself low-
ers his head so as to be entirely screened from the deer.
As soon as they regain their composure and resume their
grazing, he proceeds again, and will generally be able to
get within short rifle range, when he can stoop down and
fire under his horse's belly or neck. If, however, the stalk-
ing-horse has not been trained to this particular method of
hunting, or is alarmed at the report of fire-arms, the hunter
should carry the lariat rope in his hand, and, when he is
sufficiently near the deer, drop the guiding-stick, and allow
his horse to pass on, while he remains upon the ground be-
hind, and places himself in position to fire at the instant he
is uncovered by the horse. I have often hunted in this
way, and with good success. I observed, however, after a
particular herd had been stalked several times, that the}'
became wary, after which it was necessary to unsaddle be-
fore commencing the ap])r()ach.
BLEATING DEER. 313
Another successful, but not very sportsmanlike method
of deer -stalking is resorted to by the unscrupulous pot-
hunters in Western Texas and Mexico, and which is so en-
tirely different from any other I have ever heard of that it
is worthy of a notice for its originality. It consists in
making use of a dry and stiff ox-hide, to one end of which
a rope is attached. A yoke of well- trained and gentle oxen
are then hitched to the rope, and the hunter drives out into
the prairies where the deer resort. When he discovers a
herd, and has approached as near as can be done without
disturbing them, he seats himself upon the hide, and, with-
out speaking or making any other noise, directs the team
with his whip toward the game. During the approach, he
allows his cattle to move slowly, and occasionally to stop
and crop the grass. He is well screened by the oxen and
the prairie grass, and will find it a very easy matter to
drive within short rifle range without being discovered.
After killing a deer, he places it upon his drag, and drives
on in search of others.
The Indians are in the habit of using a small instrument
which imitates the bleat of the young fawn, with which
they lure the doe within range of their rifles. The young
fawn gives out no scent upon its track until it is sufficient-
ly grown to make good running, and instinct teaches the
mother that this wise provision of nature to preserve the
helpless little quadruped from the ravages of wolves, pan-
thers, and other carnivorous beasts, will be defeated if she
remains with it, as her tracks can not be concealed. She
therefore hides her fawn in the grass, where it is almost im-
possible to see it, even when very near it, goes off to some
neighboring thicket within call, and makes her bed alone.
The Indian pot-hunter, who is but little scrupulous as to
the means he employs in accomplishing his ends, sounds
the bleat along near the places where he thinks the game
2D
314 BUCK FEVER.
is lying, and the unsuspicious doe, who imagines that her
offspring is in distress, ruslies with headlong impetuosity
toward the sound, and often goes within a few yards of the
hunter to receive her death-wound.
This is Auel sport, and can only be justified when meat
is scarce, which is very frequently the case in the Indian's
larder.
It does not always comport with a man's feelings of se-
curity, especially if he happens to be a little nervous, to
sound the deer-bleat in a wild region of country. I once
undertook to experiment with the instrument myself, and
made my first essay in attempting to call up an antelope
which I discovered in the distance. I succeeded admirably
in luring the wary victim within shooting range, had raised
upon my knees, and was just in the act of pulling trigger,
when a rustling in the grass on my left drew my attention
in that direction, where, much to my surprise, I beheld a
huge panther within about twenty yards, bounding with gi-
gantic strides directly toward me. I turned my rifle, and
in an instant, much to my relief and gratification, its con-
tents were lodged in the heart of the beast.
Many men, when they suddenly encounter a deer, are
seized with nervous excitement, called in sporting parlance
the ^^huckfever,^^ which causes them to fire at random. Not-
withstanding I have had much experience in hunting, I
must confess that I am never entirely free from some of the
symptoms of this malady when firing at large game, and I
believe that in four out of five cases where I have missed
the game my balls have passed too high. I have endeav-
ored to obviate this by sighting my rifle low, and it has
been attended with more successful results. The same re-
marks apply to most other men I have met with. They
fire too high when excited.
THE ANTELOPE. 817
THE ANTELOPE.
This animal frequents the most elevated bleak and naked
prairies in all latitudes from Mexico to Oregon, and consti-
tutes an important item of subsistence with many of the
prairie Indians. It is the most wary, timid, and fleet ani-
mal that inhabits the Plains, It is about the size of a small
deer, with a heavy coating of coarse, wiry hair, and its flesh
is more tender and juicy than that of the deer. It seldom
enters a timbered country, but seems to delight in cropping
the grass from the elevated swells of the prairies. When
disturbed by the traveler, it will circle around him with the
speed of the wind, but does not stop until it reaches some
prominent position whence it can survey the country on all
sides, and nothing seems to escape its keen vision. They
will sometimes stand for a long time and look at a man,
provided he does not move or go out of sight ; but if he
goes behind a hill with the intention of passing around and
getting nearer to them, he will never find them again in the
same place. I have often tried the experiment, and invari-
ably found that, as soon as I went where the antelope could
not see me, he moved ofii'. Their sense of hearing, as well
as vision, is very acute, which renders it difficult to stalk
them. By taking advantage of the cover afforded in bro-
ken ground, the hunter may, by moving slowly and cau-
tiously over the crests of the irregularities in the surface,
sometimes approach within rifle range.
The antelope possesses a greater degree of curiosity than
any other animal I know of, and will often approach very
near a strange object. The experienced hunter, taking ad-
vantage of this peculiarity, lies down and secretes himself '
in the grass, after which he raises his handkerchief, hand,
or foot, so as to attract the attention of the animal, and thus
often succeeds in beguiling him within shooting distance.
2D*
818 THE BEAR,
In some valleys near the Kooky Mountains, where the
pasturage is good during the winter season, they collect in
immense herds. The Indians are in the habit of surround-
ing them in such localities and running them with their
horses until they tire them out, when they slay large num-
bers.
The antelope makes a track much shorter than the deer,
very broad and round at the heel, and quite sharp at the
toe ; a little experience renders it easy to distinguish them.
THE BEAR.
Besides the common black bear of the Eastern States, sev-
eral others are found in the mountains of California, Oregon,
Utah, and New Mexico, viz., the grizzly, brown, and cinna-
mon varieties ; all have nearly the same habits, and are hunt-
ed in the same manner.
From all I had heard of the grizzly bear, I was induced
to believe him one of the most formidable and savage ani-
mals in the universe, and that the man who would deliber-
ately encounter and kill one of these beasts had performed
a signal feat of courage which entitled him to a lofty posi-
tion among the votaries of Nimrod. So firmly had I be-
come impressed with this conviction, that I should have
been very reluctant to fire upon one had I met him when
alone and on foot. The grizzly bear is assuredly the mon-
arch of the American forests, and, so far as physical strength
is concerned, he is perhaps without a rival in the world ;
but, after some experience in hunting, my opinions regard-
ing his courage and his willingness to attack men have very
materially changed.
In passing over the elevated table-lands lying between
the two forks of the Platte River in 1858, 1 encountered a
full-grown female grizzly bear, with two cubs, very quietly
reposing upon the open prairie, several miles distant from
A COWARDLY MOTHER. 319
any timber. This being the first opportunity that had ever
occurred to me for an encounter with the ursine monster,
and being imbued with the most exalted notions of the
beast's proclivities for offensive warfare, especially when in
the presence of her offspring, it may very justly be imag-
ined that I was rather more excited than usual. I, howev-
er, determined to make the assault. I felt the utmost confi-
dence in my horse, as she was afraid of nothing ; and, after
arranging every thing about my saddle and arms in good
order, I advanced to within about eighty yards before I was
discovered by the bear, when she raised upon her haunches
and gave me a scrutinizing examination. I seized this op-
portune moment to fire, but missed my aim, and she started
off*, followed by her cubs at their utmost speed. After re-
loading my rifle, I pursued, and, on coming again within
range, delivered another shot, which struck the large bear
in the fleshy part of the thigh, whereupon she set up a most
distressing howl and accelerated her pace, leaving her cubs
behind. After loading again I gave the spurs to my horse
and resumed the chase, soon passing the cubs, who were
making the most plaintive cries of distress. They were
heard by the dam, but she gave no other heed to them than
occasionally to halt for an instant, turn around, sit up on
her posteriors, and give a hasty look back ; but, as soon as
she saw me following her, she invariably turned again and
redoubled her speed. I pursued about four miles and fired
four balls into her before I succeeded in bringing her to
the ground, and from the time I first saw her until her
death-wound, notwithstanding I was often very close upon
her heels, she never came to bay or made the slightest dem-
onstration of resistance. Her sole purpose seemed to be to
make her escape, leaving her cubs in the most cowardly
manner.
Upon three other different occasions I met the mountain
320 A LADY AND A WOLF.
bears, and once the cinnamon species, which is called the
most formidable of all, and in none of these instances did
they exhibit indications of anger, but invariably ran fi'om
me. While I was returning from New Mexico to Utah in
1858, 1 encountered a large gray bear, which I drove for
two miles in the same manner that a wild cow is driven.
I was well mounted, and could ride around the bear when-
ever I desired, and this enabled me to turn the animal in
any direction, and thus I drove him directly back to the
command, where he was killed.
Such is my experience with this formidable monarch of
the mountains. I believe that if a man came suddenly
upon the beast in a thicket, where it could have no previ-
ous warning, he might be attacked ; and it is possible that
a large grizzly bear might attack a man on foot in the open
prairie, and in some instances they have been known to
make war upon men on horseback ; but I have always ob-
served that an acquaintance with the larger wild animals
of our country makes them much less formidable than they
are represented to us when in the distance.
It has generally been considered a very daring feat for
General Putnam when he entered a cave and killed a wolf,
and the spot is to this day pointed out as the scene of a
most wonderful performance ; whereas those persons who
understand the cowardly nature of the wolf, and are ftimil-
iar with their habits, are perfectly aware that such an un-
dertaking is not attended with the slightest danger. I
knew a woman who, in the night-time, hearing a disturb-
ance in her poultry-yard, went out and met a large wolf
carrying off one of her turkeys. She had a very great ap-
preciation for her turkeys, as they were the only ones with-
in a hundred miles, and she pursued the wolf, made him
drop the turkey, and run away.
If any one should liave any doubt regarding this stnto-
GENERAL VAN VLIET. 321
ment, I beg to refer him to my wife, who was the owner of
the turkeys. She, however, did not know what animal she
had pursued until a sentinel saw the wolf.
It is my opinion, from all I have seen of the grizzly bear,
that if he gets the ivind or sight of a man on horseback at
any considerable distance, he will endeavor to get away as
soon as possible. I am so fully impressed with this con-
viction, that I should hunt the animal (provided I was well
mounted on a reliable horse) with a feeling of as much se-
curity as I would have in hunting the buffalo. My expe-
rience in hunting the grizzly bear differs materially from
that of some of my acquaintances.
General Van Vliet, who at one time was stationed at Fort
Laramie, was hunting in the Black Hills, when he suddenly
came into close proximity with a large grizzly bear, and
gave him a shot, wounding him in one of the fore legs.
This only served to exasperate the animal, and, instead of
running away, he tot)k the offensive, and charged upon the
general, who was mounted upon a good horse, but he had
never before seen one of the hideous-looking monsters, and
was so much terrified at his appearance that he became al-
most paralyzed, and could hardly move ; and the most vig-
orous application of the spurs had no effect in accelerating
-his speed, until the bear came up and struck him in the
buttock with one of his huge paws, which restored his pow-
ers of locomotion, and he bounded off with lightning speed,
and carried his rider out of danger. The general subse-
quently killed the bear.
My first bear was killed in rather a novel manner, in the
hills bordering Pecan Bayou, Texas, in 1850, while I was
examining the country with the view of establishing a new
military post. Attached to my command were several Del-
aware hunters, to whom I had expressed an earnest desire
of adding the ursine monarch to the list of my hunting tro-
322 INDIANS DRIVING A BEAR.
phies, and they very obligingly promised to afford me ev-
ery facility in their power to gratify my ambition.
One day, while hunting alone, in an exceedingly wild and
solitary locality, I heard in the distance the sound of loud
whooping and screaming of Indians, who apparently were
approaching toward me. I was in the woods at the time,
and could not discern objects very far off, but as this was
in a section frequented by wild Indians, I thought it by no
means improbable that the sounds proceeded from some of
them, and I hastened to a position behind a large rock
where I could screen myself and horse, and at the same
time observe every thing in front. The sound continued
to advance, until at length, to my great relief (for I must
confess I was considerably excited just then), I discovered
a black bear emerge from the woods, with three of the Del-
awares whooping most vociferously in hot pursuit, and all
coming directly to where I stood. I mounted my horse,
and, joining in the chase, had the good fortune to kill the
bear at the first shot.
The Indians informed me that they had driven the ani-
mal for nearly a mile, and were on the way back to the
command for the express purpose of giving me an oppor-
tunity to kill it. He had, several times during* the dnve,
taken to trees, but in every instance they had climbed up
and shaken him down. They laughed most heartily in de-
scribing to me the efforts of the animal to make his escape
from them, and congratulated me on the occasion of killing
my "y«-.s/ hear.''''
Black Beaver says he was once in a canoe pursuing a
black bear that had taken the water to cross the Missouri
liivcr. On coming near the animal he gave him a shot,
but the ball only grazed the top of his head, and he turned,
swam up to the canoe, and, placing his paws upon the gun-
wale, seemed determined to get in. Not feeling inclined to
SAGACITY OF BEARS. 325
take such a passenger into his frail craft, he endeavored to
keep him off by striking him over the head with his dis-
charged rifle, but this only had the effect to infuriate him,
and make him the more persistent in his apparent determ-
ination to embark in the dug-out. He then resorted to an
expedient he had heard of, but never before practiced. It
was, to lay his paddle across upon the top of the bear's
neck, which caused him to let go his hold upon the canoe,
seize the paddle on each side of his neck, and immediately
sink to the bottom, and he was drowned.
The grizzly, like the black bear, hibernates in winter,
and makes his appearance in the spring, with his claws
grown out long, and very soft and tender ; he is then poor,
and unfit for food.
I have heard a very curious fact stated by several old
mountaineers regarding the mountain bears, which, of
course, I can not vouch for, but it is given by them with
great apparent sincerity and candor. They assert that no
instance has ever been known of a female bear having been
killed in a state of pregnancy. This singular fact in the
history of the animal seems most inexplicable to me, unless
she remains concealed in her brumal slumber until after
she has been delivered of her cubs.
I was told by an old Delaware Indian that when the bear
has been traveling against the wind and wishes to lie down,
he always turns in an opposite direction, and goes some dis-
tance away from his first track before making his bed. If
an enemy then comes upon his 'trail, his keen sense of smell
will apprise him of the danger. The same Indian mention-
ed that when a bear had been pursued and sought shelter
in a cave, he had often endeavored to eject him with smoke,
but that the bear would advance to the mouth of the cave,
where the fire was burning, and put it out with his paws,
then retreat into the cave again. This would indicate that
2E
326 LASSOING BEARS.
Bruin is endowed with some glimpses of reason beyond the
ordinary instincts of the brute creation in general, and, in-
deed, is capable of discerning the connection between cause
and effect. Notwithstanding the extraordinary intelligence
which this quadruped exhibits upon some occasions, upon
others he shows himself to be one of the most stupid brutes
imaginable. For example, when he has taken possession of
a cavern, and the courageous hunter enters with a torch and
rifle, it is said he will, instead of forcibly ejecting the in-
truder, raise himself upon his haunches and cover his eyes
with his paws, so as to exclude the light, apparently think-
ing that in this situation he can not be seen. The hunter
can then approach as close as he pleases and shoot him
down.
LASSOING GRIZZLY BEARS.
The Spanish vaqueros of California, who, by the constant
exercise of their vocation, become astonishingly expert in
throwing the lasso, occasionally capture the grizzly bear
with it. As this curious and somewhat hazardous method
of hunting is well described by Mr. J. Eoss Browne, in his
interesting book on California, I do not know how to give
a better idea of it than to quote his own words. It appear-
ed that while he was in the valley of the Santa Margucrita,
he saw a large animal coming toward him pursued by four
horsemen, upon which he concealed himself in a ravine.
He says : " Scarcely had I partially concealed myself when
I heard a loud shouting from the men on horseback, and,
peeping over the bank, saw within fifty or sixty paces a
huge grizzly bear, but no longer retreating. He had faced
round toward his pursuers, and now seemed determined to
fight. The horsemen were evidently native Californians,
and managed their animals with wonderful skill and grace.
The nearest swept down like an avalanche toward the bear.
A GRIZZLY LASSOED. 827
while the others coursed off a short distance in a circling
direction to prevent his escape. Suddenly swerving a lit-
tle to one side, the leader whirled his lasso once or twice
around his head, and let flj at his game with unerring aim.
The loop caught one of the fore paws, and the bear was in-
stantly jerked down upon his haunches, struggling and
roaring with all his might. It was a striking instance of
the power of the rider over the horse, that, wild with ter-
ror as the latter was, he dared not disobey the slightest
pressure of the rein, but went through all the evolutions,
blowing trumpet -blasts from his nostrils, and with eyes
starting from their sockets. Despite the strain kept upon
the lasso, the bear soon regained his feet, and commenced
hauling in the spare line with his fore paws so as to get
within reach of the horse. He had advanced within ten
feet before the nearest of the other horsemen could bring
his lasso to bear upon him. The first throw was at his
hind legs — the main object being to stretch him out — but
it missed. Another more fortunate cast took him round
the neck. Both riders pulled in opposite directions, and
the bear soon rolled on the ground again, biting furiously
at the lassos, and uttering the most terrific roars. The
strain upon his neck soon choked off his breath, and he
was forced to let loose his grasp upon the other lasso.
While struggling to free his neck, the two other horsemen
dashed up, swinging their lassos and shouting with all their
might so as to attract his attention. The nearest, watching
narrowly every motion of the frantic animal, soon let fly
his lasso, and made a lucky hitch around one of his hind
legs. The other, following quickly with a large loop, swung
it entirely over the bear's body, and all four riders now set
up a yell of triumph, and began pulling in opposite direc-
tions. The writhing, pitching, and straining of the pow-
erful monster were now absolutely fearful. A dust arose
328 AN AMATEUR SPORTSMAN.
over him, and the earth flew up in every direction. Some-
times by a desperate effort he regained his feet, and actu-
ally dragged one or more of the horses toward him by
main strength ; but whenever he attempted this, the others
stretched their lassos, and either choked him or jerked
him down upon his haunches. It was apparent that his
wind was giving out, partly by reason of the long chase,
and partly owing to the noose around his throat. A gen-
eral pull threw him once more upon his back. Before he
could regain his feet, the horsemen, by a series of dexterous
manoeuvres, wound him completely up, so that he lay per-
fectly quiet upon the ground, breathing heavily, and utterly
unable to extricate his paws from the labyrinth of lassos in
which he was entangled. One of the riders now gave the
reins of his horse to another and dismounted. Cautiously
approaching, with a spare riata he cast a noose over the
bear's fore paws, and wound the remaining part tightly
round the neck, so that what strength might still have been
left was speedily exhausted by suffocation. This done, an-
other rider dismounted, and the two succeeded in binding
their victim so firmly by the paws that it was impossible
for him to break loose. They next bound his jaws to-
gether by means of another riata^ winding it all the way
up around his head, upon which they loosened the fastening
around his neck so as to give him air. When all was se-
cure, they freed the lassos and again mounted their horses,"
The bear was secured, and subsequently hauled away for
a grand bull-fight.
AN AMATEUR SPORTSMAN.
Although four expert vaqueros might with safety at-
tempt and succeed in capturing a full-grown grizzly boar,
yet I should imagine that it would hardly be advisable for
one or two men to undertake the same feat.
l|iiil*iiii|i///i|i,^^^ kMMlf
2E
*
AN amateur's lasso. 331
I have heard it stated that a naval officer many years
ago made the experiment of hunting the animal with the
■ lasso, but his success was by no means as decisive as in the
instance related by Mr. Browne. This officer had, it ap-
peared, by constant practice upon the ship while making
the long and tiresome voyage round the Horn, acquired
very considerable proficiency in the use of the lasso, and
was able, at twenty or thirty paces, to throw the noose over
the head of the negro cook at almost every cast. So con-
fident had he become in his skill, that on his arrival upon
the coast of Southern California he employed a guide, and,
mounted upon a well-trained horse, with his lasso properly
coiled and ready for use, be one morning set out for the
mountains with the firm resolve of bagging a few grizzlies
before night. He had not been out a great while before he
encountered one of the largest specimens of the mighty
beast, whose terrific aspect amazed him not a little ; but, as
he had come out with a firm determination to capture a
grizzly, in direct opposition to the advice of his guide he
resolved to show him that he was equal to the occasion.
Accordingly he seized his lasso, and, riding up near the an-
imal, gave it several rapid whirls above his head in the
most artistic manner, and sent the noose directly around
the bear's neck at the very first cast ; but the animal, in-
stead of taking to his heels and endeavoring to run away
as he had anticipated, very deliberately sat up on his
haunches, facing his adversary, and commenced making a
very careful examination of the rope. He turned his head
from one side to the other in looking at it ; he felt it with
his paws, and scrutinized it very closely, as if it was some-
thing he could not comprehend. In the mean time the
officer had turned his horse in the opposite direction, and
commenced applying the rowels to his sides most vigorous-
ly, with the confident expectation that he was to choke the
332 CATCHING A TARTAR.
bear to death and drag him off in triumph ; but, to his as-
tonishment, the horse, with his utmost efforts, did not seem
to advance. The great strain upon the lasso, however, be-
gan to choke the bear so much that he soon became en-
raged, and gave the rope several violent slaps, first with one
paw and then with the other ; but, finding that this did not
relieve him, he seized the lasso with both paws, and com-
menced pulling it in hand over hand, or rather paw over
paw, and bringing with it the horse and rider that were at-
tached to the opposite extremity. The officer redoubled
the application of both whip and spurs, but it was all of no
avail; he had evidently "caught a Tartar," and, in spite
of all the efforts of his horse, he recoiled rather than ad-
vanced. At this intensely exciting and critical juncture he
cast a hasty glance to the rear, and, to his horror, found
himself steadily backing toward the frightful monster, who
sat up with his eyes glaring like balls of fire, his huge
mouth wide open and frothing with rage, and sending forth
the most terrific and deep-toned roars. He now, for the
first time, felt seriously alarmed, and cried out vociferously
for his guide to come to his rescue. The latter responded
promptly, rode up, cut the lasso, and extricated the ama-
teur gentleman from his perilous position. He was much
rejoiced at his escape, and, in reply to the inquiry of the
guide as to whether he desired to continue the hunt, he said
it was getting so late that he believed he would capture no
more grizzlies that day.
I do not, of course, pretend to vouch for the authenticity
of the foregoing narrative ; I have merely given it in the
way it was related to me, as a good story, the truth of
which the reader can judge of as well as myself. I have
no doubt, however, that an animal of such extraordinary
proportions, possessing such enormous development of bone
and muscle, and whose strength is asserted as sufficient to
THE BIG-HORN. 333
enable him to drag off a full-grown buffalo, could compete
successfully with a California horse in a contest of physical
powers. I therefore see nothing improbable in the account
given above.
THE BIG-HORN".
The big-horn or mountain sheep, which has a body like
the deer, with the head of a sheep, surmounted by an enor-
mous pair of short, heavy horns, is found throughout the
Eocky Mountains, and resorts to the most inaccessible peaks
and to the widest and least-frequented glens. It clambers
over almost perpendicular cliffs with the greatest ease and
celerity, and skips from rock to rock, cropping the tender
herbage that grows upon them.
It has been supposed by some that this animal leaps
down from crag to crag, lighting upon his horns, as an evi-
dence of which it has been advanced that the front part of
the horns is often much battered. This I believe to be er-
roneous, as it is very common to see horns that have no
bruises upon them.
The old mountaineers say they have often seen the bucks
engaged in desperate encounters with their huge horns,
which, in striking together, made loud reports. This will
account for the marks sometimes seen upon them.
The flesh of the big-horn, when fat, is more tender, juicy,
and delicious than that of any other animal I know of, but
it is a ho7i houche which will not grace the tables of our city
epicures until a railroad to the Rocky Mountains affords the
means of transporting it to a market a thousand miles dis-
tant from its haunts.
In its habits the mountain sheep greatly resembles the
chamois of Switzerland, and it is hunted in the same man-
ner. The hunter traverses the most inaccessible and broken
localities, moving along with great caution, as the least un-
334 BUFFALO.
usual noise causes them to flit away like a phantom, and
they will be seen no more. The animal is gregarious, but
it is seldom that more than eight or ten are found in a
flock. When not grazing they seek the sheltered sides of
the mountains, and repose among the rocks.
BISON OR BUFFALO.
This largest and most useful animal, that is indigenous to
this continent, was first seen by Europeans in an individual
specimen exhibited to Cortez and his followers in a kind of
menagerie, or zoological collection of Montezuma at Mexico
in 1521. The animal had been procured in the north, and
brought here by the natives, to whom the Aztec monarch
intrusted the collection of rare birds and quadrupeds.
It was not, however, until the expedition of Coronado
into New Mexico in 1541 that the vast ranges of the quad-
ruped were discovered. The Spanish explorers found none
throughout the mountainous districts of New Mexico, but
met with the herds in countless numbers in the prairies east
of the Del Norte, in the region about the South Fork of the
Arkansas.
Castenada's narrative has the following: "On Coronado
went, traversing immense plains, seeing nothing for miles
together but skies and herds of bison ; hundreds of these
were killed."
De Soto, in the same year, met with the buffalo after he
crossed the Mississippi River, and penetrated into the coun-
try now embraced within the limits of Arkansas and Mis-
souri. De Soto applied the term vaca to the animal, and
the word hrtiuf was afterward given by the French, which
merely indicated its identity with the species of our domes-
tic cattle. Linnajus gave it the name of bison, in contra-
distinction to the Asiatic buffalo; but the name by which
the peculiar species in our country is generally known is
" buflulo."
BUFFALO NEAR THE ATLANTIC. 835
In a work published at Amsterdam in 1637, called " New
English Canaan," by Thomas Morton, one of the first set-
tlers of New England, he says : " The Indians have also
made description of the great heards of well-growne beasts
that live about the parts of this lake (Erocoise), now Lake
Champlain, such as the Christian world (until this discov-
ery) hath not bin made acquainted with. The beasts are
of the bigness of a coue, their flesh being very good foode,
their hides good leather, their fleeces very useful, being a
kind of woole, as fine almost as the woole of the beaver, and
the salvages do make garments thereof. It is tenne yeares
since first the relation of these things came to the eares of
the English."
It is stated by another author (Purchas) that as early as
in 1613 the adventurers in Virginia discovered a "slow
kinde of cattell as bigge as kine, which were good meate,"
In a work published in London in 1589, by Hakluyt, it
is said that in the island of Newfoundland were found
"mightie beastes, like to camels in greatness, and their
feete were cloven." He adds: "I did see them farre off,
not able to descerne them perfectly ; but their steps (tracks)
showed their feete were cloven, and bigger than the feete of
camels. I suppose them to be a kind of buffes, which I
read to bee in the countrej^s adjacent, and very many in
the firme land."
It is supposed by some that these animals may have been
the musk-ox. They were found by Captain Franklin as
high as 60° north latitude. I am inclined to doubt this,
however, as the musk-ox has not, I believe, been found in
large herds.
What were formerly the precise limits of the buffalo
range the history of the early settlement of the country
does not inform us. That it embraced nearly all that vast
area lying between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mount-
336 RANGE OF BUFFALO.
ains there is abundant evidence to show. They were also
found in Illinois and Indiana, and extended south as far as
Ohio and Kentuckj- ; but there is no record of their having
ever been seen within the present limits of Florida, although
it is only a few years since they were abundant in the same
latitude on the opposite side of the Gulf, in Texas. It is
but a few years since some of the animals were seen in the
timbered country near the head of the St. Francis Eiver, in
Arkansas. They formerly thronged the present area of
Kentucky, and they were said to have extended their east-
ern range to the shores of Lake Erie. They were also at
one time abundant in Southern Wisconsin, and crossed the
Mississippi above the Falls of St, Anthony, in Minnesota,
for the last time, it is believed, in 1820.
Two buffaloes were killed by the Sioux Indians upon
the "Trempe a I'Eau," in Upper Wisconsin, in 1832, "and
they are supposed to have been the last specimens of the
noble bison which trod, or will ever again tread the soil
of the region lying east of the Mississippi Eiver" (H. H.
Sibley).
If the statements of Morton, Purchas, and Hakluyt are
to be relied upon, the buffalo formerly extended his wan-
derings as far east of the Alleghany range as the Atlantic
Ocean.
The western limits of the buffalo range at an early period
are not certainly defined, but they have seldom been seen
on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
They go into high northern latitudes even to the present
day, and often pass the winter in the mountainous districts,
where the snow remains upon the ground during the entire
winter. Early in the spring of 1858 I found them in the
mountains at the head of the Arkansas and South Platte
Pivers, and there was every indication that this was their
permanent abiding-place. It is not more than half a cen-
DESTRUCTION OF BUFFALOES. 337
tury since the buffalo thronged in countless multitudes over
nearly all that vast area included between Mexico and the
British Possessions. Lewis and Clarke, in descending the
Missouri in July, 1806, estimated that at one place they be-
held twenty thousand buffaloes at a single view. At an-
other place they saw such a multitude of the animals cross-
ing the river that the stream for a mile was so filled up
they could not proceed until the herd had passed.
The buffaloes formerly ranged free and uninterrupted
over the Great Plains of the West, only guided in their
course by that faithful instinct which invariably led them
to the freshest and sweetest pastures. Their only enemy
then was the Indian, who supplied himself with food and
clothing from the herds around the door of his lodge, but
would have looked upon it as sacrilege to destroy more
than barely sufficient to supply the wants of his family.
Thus this monarch of the Plains was allowed free range
from one extremity of the continent to the other. But this
happy state of things was not destined to continue. With
the advent of the European an enemy appeared, who made
war upon them, and the insatiate slaughter inflicted upon
them by this avaricious stranger in a few years produced a
very sensible diminution in their numbers, and greatly con-
tracted the limits of their wanderings. This enemy, in his
steady advance, also caused the original proprietor of the
soil to recede before him, and to diminish in numbers al-
most as rapidly as the buffalo. Thousands of these animals
were annually slaughtered for their skins, and often for
their tongues alone ; animals whose flesh is sufficient to af-
ford sustenance to a large number of men are sacrificed to
furnish a bo7i louche for the rich epicure. This wholesale
slaughter on the part of the white man, with the number
consumed by the Indians, who are constantly on their trail,
migrating with them as regularly as the season comes
2F
338 H. H. Sibley's views.
round, with the ravenous wolves that are always at hand
to destroy one of them if wounded, gives the poor beast
but little rest or prospect of permanent existence. It is
only fourteen years since the western borders of Texas
abounded with buffaloes ; but now they seldom go south of
Eed Eiver, and their range upon the east and west has also
very much contracted within the same time, so that they
are at present confined to a narrow belt of country between
the outer settlements and the Kocky Mountains. With this
rapid diminution in their numbers, they must, in the course
of a very few years, become exterminated.
In a very interesting paper upon this matter, written by
the Hon. H. H. Sibley, of Minnesota, who is himself an ex-
cellent sportsman, and perfectly well acquainted with the
subject upon which he treats, I find the following:
" The multitudes of these animals (buffaloes) which have
hitherto darkened the surface of the great prairies on the
west of the 'Father of Waters' are fast wasting away under
the fierce assaults made upon them by the white man as
well as the savage. From data which, although not mathe-
matically correct, are sufficiently so to enable us to arrive
at conclusions approximating the truth, it has been esti-
mated that for each buffalo robe transported from the In-
dian country at least five animals are destroyed. If it be
borne in mind that very few robes are manufactured of the
hides of buffalo, except of such as, in hunter's parlance, are
killed when they are in season — that is, during the months
of November, December, and January, and that even of
these a large proportion are not used for that purpose, and
also that the skins of cows are principally converted into
robes, those of the males being too thick and heavy to be
easily reduced by the ordinary process of scraping, togeth-
er with the fact that many thousands are annually destroy-
ed through sheer wantonness by civilized as well as savage
RANGE OF BUFFALO. 339
men, it will be found that the foregoing estimate is a mod-
erate one. From the Missouri region, the number of robes
received varies from 40,000 to 100,000 per annum, so that
from a quarter to half a million of buffalo are destroyed in
the period of each twelve months. So enormous a drain
must soon result in the extermination of the whole race ;
and it may be asserted with certainty that in twenty years
from this time, the buffalo, if existing at all, will be only
found in the wildest recesses of the Eocky Mountains. The
savage bands of the West, whose progenitors have from
time immemorial depended mainly upon the buffalo, must,
with them, disappear from the earth, unless they resort to
other means of subsistence, under the fostering care of the
general government."
The traveler, in crossing the Plains from Texas or Ar-
kansas, through Southern New Mexico to California, does
not, at the present day, encounter the buffalo. Upon the
direct route from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe they are
almost invariably met with between the 99th and 102d
meridians of longitude, and they are often seen upon the
South Platte, along the road from St. Joseph to Denver
and Fort Laramie, in the vicinity of Fort Kearney.
In 1859 I passed across from the Missouri Eiver at Fort
Eandall to Fort Laramie, a distance of three hundred and
sixty miles, over a country that has very seldom been trav-
eled by a white man, and, to my surprise,! did not see a
buffalo, and there was no indication of their having been
upon the immediate track I followed for three years. They
are rapidly disappearing, and a very few years will, at the
present rate of destruction, be sufficient to exterminate the
species.
There are two methods generally practiced in hunting
the buffalo, viz., running them on horseback, and stalking,
or still hunting. The first method requires a sure-footed
340 BUFFALO CHASING.
and tolerably fleet horse that is not easily frightened. The
buffalo cow, which makes much better beef than the bull,
when pursued by the hunter runs rapidly, and, unless the
horse be fleet, it requires a long and exhausting chase to
overtake her.
When the buffaloes are discovered, and the hunter intends
to give chase, he should first dismount, arrange his saddle-
blanket and saddle, buckle the girth tight, and make every
thing about his horse furniture snug and secure. He should
then put his arms in good firing order, and, taking the lee
side of the herd, so that they may not get " the wind" of him,
he should approach in a walk as close as possible, taking
advantage of any cover that may offer. His horse then,
being cool and fresh, will be able to dash into the herd, and
probably carry his rider very near the animal he has select-
ed before he becomes alarmed.
If the hunter be right-handed, and uses a pistol, he should
approach upon the left side, and when nearly opposite and
close upon the buffalo, deliver his shot, taking aim a little
below the centre of the body, and about eight inches back
of the shoulder. This will strike the vitals, and generally
render another shot unnecessary.
When a rifle or shot-gun is used the hunter rides up on
the right side, keeping his horse well in hand, so as to be
able to turn off if the beast charges upon him ; this, howev-
er, never happens except with a buffalo that is wounded,
when it is advisable to keep out of his reach.
The buffalo has immense powers of endurance, and will
run for many miles without any apparent effort or diminu-
tion in speed. The first buffiilo I ever saw I followed about
ten miles, and when I left him he seemed to run faster than
when the chase commenced.
As a long buffalo -chase is very severe labor upon a
horse, I would recommend to all travelers, unless they have
STALKING, 341
a good deal of surplus horse-flesh, never to expend it in
this sport.
Still hunting, which requires no consumption of horse-
flesh, and is equally successful with the other method, is rec-
ommended. In stalking on horseback, the most broken
and hilly localities should be selected, as these will furnish
cover to the hunter, who passes from the crest of one hill to
another, examining the country carefully in all directions.
When the game is discovered, if it happen to be on the lee
side, the hunter should endeavor, by making a wide detour,
to get upon the opposite side, as he will find it impossible
to approach within rifle range with the wind.
When the animal is upon a hill, or in any other position
where he can not be approached without danger of disturb-
ing him, the hunter should wait until he moves off to more
favorable ground, and this will not generally require much
time, as they wander about a great deal when not grazing ;
he then pickets his horse, and approaches cautiously, seek-
ing to screen himself as much as possible by the undula-
tions in the surface, or behind such other objects as may pre-
sent themselves; but if the surface should offer no cover,
he must crawl upon his hands and knees when near the
game, and in this way he can generally get within rifle
range.
Should there be several animals together, and his first
shot take effect, the hunter can often get several other shots
before they become frightened. A Delaware Indian and
myself once killed five buffaloes out of a small herd before
the remainder were so much disturbed as to move away.
Although we were within the short distance of twenty yards,
yet the reports of our rifles did not frighten them in the
least, and they continued grazing during all the time we
were loading and firing.
The sense of smelling is exceedingly acute with the buf-
2F*
342 HAZARDOUS HUNTING.
falo, and they will take the wind from the hunter at as
great a distance as a mile.
When the animal is wounded, and stops, it is better not
to go near him until he lies down, as he will often run a
great distance if disturbed ; but if left to himself, will in
many cases die in a short time.
When bufiiiloes are grazing upon an open flat prairie
where the grass is short, affording no cover, the Indians
stalk them by covering themselves with a light-colored
blanket, and crawling along the ground on their hands and
knees to the leeward of the herd, and at the same time
dragging their guns or bows and arrows along with them.
If proper caution is used, they are thus enabled to reach
the desired proximity, and may even approach directly into
the midst of the herds without giving alarm.
It very rarely happens that there is any danger resulting
from this method of approach unless the hunter by a care-
less shot gives an animal a slight flesh-wound, which only
tends to irritate him. Instances have occurred under such
circumstances when the hunter's life has been exposed to
imminent jeopardy. I once knew a case of this kind in
which an experienced buffalo-hunter was pursued by a
young bull for several hundred yards, and he only effected
his escape by passing over an elevated swell in the prairie
and hiding in some tall grass which he was so fortunate as
to find at this critical juncture. The buffalo, on reaching
the top of the eminence, cast a glance around, but, not dis-
covering his adversary, abandoned the pursuit and walked
away in another direction.
When a man on foot is pursued by a buffalo, if he will
drop some object, such as his coat, hat, or other article of
dress, this will often divert the animal's attention, and he
will stop and vent his rage upon it, thus giving the hunter
time to get out of danger.
LOSING HORSES. 343
When a herd of buffalo is pursued they generally run in
a solid mass, keeping close together, but with the cows near
the front and inside, so that it is necessary, in order to reach
them, to penetrate the dense phalanx of bulls occupying
the outside. This may be done by riding along with the
herd and gradually inclining toward the centre as openings
present themselves ; this, however,^is a feat attended with
some hazard, and should not be attempted by any one with-
out a well-trained and sure-footed horse, as, in the event of
being unhorsed, the hunter would inevitably be trampled to
pieces under the feet of the buffalo.
It is dangerous to chase a herd of buffalo when they niise
such a dust as to make it difl&cult to see them or to judge
accurately of their position.
The hunter should never leave his horse near a herd of
buffalo without tying him, as horses will often start off with
the buffalo, and are sometimes irretrievably lost in this
way. One of our officers, en route to Utah, jumped from
his horse, and, leaving him without tying, ran forward to
shoot a buffalo, when, much to his astonishment, his horse
suddenly took to his heels, joined the fleeing herd with sad-
dle, bridle, and other accoutrements, continued with it far
over the prairies out of sight, and has not, I believe, been
heard from since.
The tongues, humps, and marrow-bones are regarded as
the choice parts of the animal. The tongue is taken out by
ripping open the skin between the prongs of the lower jaw-
bone, and pulling it out through the orifice. The hump
may be taken off by skinning down on each side of the
shoulders and cutting away the meat, after which the hump
ribs can be unjointed where they unite with the spine.
The marrow, when roasted in the bones, is delicious.
My friend, General Sibley, in the interesting paper before
344 BOW AND ARROW.
alluded to, makes some pertinent remarks upon the buffalo
chase, from which I take the liberty of quoting the fol-
lowing :
"The chase of the buffalo on horseback is highly excit-
ing, and by no means unattended with danger. The in-
stinct of that animal leads him, when pursued, to select the
most broken and difficult ground over which to direct his
flight, so that many accidents occur to horse and rider- from
falls, which result in death, or dislocation of the limbs of
one or both. When wounded, or too closely pressed, the
buffalo will turn upon his antagonist, and not unfrequently
the latter becomes the victim in the conflict, meeting his
death upon the sharp horns of an infuriated bull.
"In common with the moose, the elk, and others of the
same family. Nature has furnished the buffalo with exquisite
powers of scent, upon which he principally relies for warn-
ing against danger. The inexperienced voyager will often
be surprised to perceive the dense masses of these cattle
urging their rapid flight across the prairie, at a distance of
two or three miles, without any apparent cause of alarm,
unaware, as he is, of the fact that the tainted breeze has be-
trayed to them his presence while still far away.
" The bow and arrow, in experienced hands, constitute
quite as efficient a weapon in the chase of the buffalo as the
fire-arm, from the greater rapidity with which the discharges
are made, and the almost equal certainty of execution. Tlie
force with which an arrow is propelled from a bow, wielded
by an Indian of far less than the ordinary ph3'sical strength
of white men, is amazing. It is generally imbedded to the
feather in the buffalo, and sometimes even protrudes on the
opposite side. It is reported among the Dacotahs or Sioux
Indians, and generally credited by them, that one of their
chiefs, Wah-na-tah by name, who was remarkable, up to
the close of his life, for strength and activity of frame, and
WINTER HUNTING. 345
wlio was equally renowned as a hunter and warrior, on one
occasion discharged an arrow with sufficient force entirely
to traverse the body of a female buffalo, and to kill the calf
by her side. For the accuracy of this statement I do not,
of course, pretend to vouch. The arrow is launched from
the bow while the body of the victim is elongated in mak-
ing his forward spring, and the ribs, being then separated
from each other as far as possible, allow an easy entrance
to the missile between them.
"The same instant is taken advantage of by such of the
Western Indians as make use of long lances wherewith to
destroy the buffalo. Approaching ^sufficiently near to the
particular cow he has selected for his prey, the hunter al-
lows the weapon to descend and rest upon her back, which
causes her at first to make violent efforts to dislodge it.
After a few trials the poor beast becomes accustomed to the
touch, and ceases farther to notice it in her great anxiety to
escape from her pursuer, who then, by a dexterous and
powerful thrust, sheathes the long and sharp blade into
her vitals, and withdraws it before the animal falls to the
ground. This mode of slaughter is successful only with
those who have fleet and well-trained horses, and who have
perfect reliance upon their own coolness and skill.
"When the alternate thawing and freezing during the
winter months have formed a thick crust upon the deep
snows of the far Northwest, the buffalo falls an easy victim
to the Indian, who glides rapidly over the surface upon his
snow-shoes, while the former finds his powers of locomotion
almost paralyzed by the breaking of the icy crust beneath
his ponderous weight. He can then be approached with
absolute impunity, and dispatched with the gun, the arrow,
or the lance.
" It sometimes happens that a whole herd is surrounded
and driven upon the clear ice of a lake, in which case they
846 HYBRIDS.
spread out and fall powerless, to be mercilessly massacred
by their savage pursuers. It is a well-known fact that, sev-
eral years since, nearly a hundred buflaloes attempted to
cross Lac qui Parle^ in Minnesota, upon the ice, which, not
being sufficiently strong to bear so enormous a pressure,
gave way, and the whole number miserably perished. The
meat furnished a supply of food for many weeks to the
people at the neighboring trading-post, as well as to the In-
dians, and to the wolves and foxes.
" In the northern part of Minnesota, on both sides of the
line dividing the United States from the British Posses-
sions, there is to be found a large population, consisting
mostly of mixed bloods. These men possess, in an emi-
nent degree, the physical energy and powers of endurance
of the white man, combined with the activity, subtlety, and
skill in hunting of the Indian. They are fine horsemen,
and remarkably dexterous in the chase of the buffalo.
Ualf farmer and half hunter, they till the ground, and raise
fine crops" of wheat and other cereals, while semi-annually
they repair to the buffalo region to procure meat, which
they cure in divers ways, and dispose of to our own citizens,
and to the Hudson Bay Company for the supply of their
inland trading-posts. Being numerous, and well supplied
with liorses, oxen, and carts, the number of buffaloes annu-
ally slaughtered by them is astonishing."
It has been thought by many persons that the buffalo
would cross with the domestic cattle, and I have several
times seen domestic animals upon the frontier which were
said to have been hybrids of the two species of the Bos
family, but I am very firm in the belief that there are no
properly authenticated instances where these animals have
bred tosrether. A trader among the Chickasaws collected
about forty bufialo some years since, and, although they
were herded with his domestic cattle for two years, he in-
formed me that they never crossed.
WONDERFUL SAGACITY. 347
THE BEAVER.
I know of no animal concerning which the accounts of
travelers have been more extraordinary, more marvelous
or contradictory, than those given of the beaver.
By some he has been elevated in point of intellect almost
to a level with man. He has been said, for instance, to con-
struct houses with several floors and rooms ; to plaster the
rooms with mud in such a manner as to make smooth walls,
and to drive stakes of six or eight inches in diameter into
the ground, and to perform many other astounding feats,
which I am induced to believe are not supported by credi-
ble testimony.
Laying aside these questionable statements, there is quite
sufficient in the true natural history of the animal to excite
our wonder and admiration.
On the 12th of June, 1852, 1 encamped upon a small
tributary of the North Fork of Eed River, near where a
community of beavers had just completed the construction
of a new dam.
Upon an examination of their works, we were both as-
tonished and delighted at the wonderful sagacity, skill, and
perseverance which they displayed.
In the selection of a suitable site, and in the erection of
the structure, they appeared to have been guided by some-
thing more than mere animal instinct, and exhibited as cor-'
rect a knowledge of hydrostatics, and the action of forces
resulting from currents of water, as the most scientific mill-
wright would have done.
Having chosen a spot where the creek was narrow, and
the banks on each side sufficiently high to raise a head of
about five feet, they selected two cottonwood-trees some
fifteen inches in diameter, situated above this point, and
having an inclination toward the stream ; these they cut
348 BEAVER DAM.
down witb their teeth (as the marks upon the stumps plain-
ly showed), and, floating them down to the position for the
dam, they were placed across the stream with an inclination
downward, the butt ends uniting in the centre. These con-
stituted the foundation upon which the superstructure of
brush and earth was placed, in precisely the same manner
as a brush dam is built by our millwrights, with the bushes
and earth alternating and packed closely, the butts in all
cases turned down the stream.
After this was raised to a sufficient height, the top was
covered with earth except in the centre, where there was
a sluice or waste-wier to let off the superfluous water when
the creek rose so high as to endanger the structure. In
examining the results of the operations of these ingenious
quadrupeds, it occurred to me that the plan of constructing
our brush dams may have been originally suggested by
witnessing those made by the beavers, as they are so very
much alike.
I observed at one place above the pond where they had
commenced another dam, and had progressed so far as to
cut down two trees on opposite sides of the creek ; but as
they did not fall in the right direction to suit their pur-
poses, the work was abandoned.
During the month of April, 1858,1 found upon one of the
head branches of the South Platte Eiver, in the mountains
near Pike's Peak, a place where the beavers had dammed
the creek for three miles in such a manner as to form a
continuous succession of ponds or slack- water for the entire
distance. There were a large number of dams, and all in
good repair, which, with the stumps of the freshly-cut wil-
lows, showed conclusively that there were an immense
number of the animals there; yet, although we were upon
the creek for several hours, we did not see one of them.
They are exceedingly timid and shy, and at the slightest
PET BEAVER. 349
noise take alarm and hide themselves in their houses, the
entrance to M^hich are hidden beneath the surface of the
water.
The only way they can be seen is to lay concealed and
quiet near their dams about sunset, when they will come
out to work or play, and in this manner they are often
killed by the hunters.
A friend of mine related to me an amusing incident con-
nected with a pet beaver which he had caught when he
was quite young, and raised.
He was in the habit of leaving him in his cabin, with the
door fastened, while he visited his traps.
Upon one of these occasions, he found on his return that
the beaver had accidentally upset the water-bucket, and,
seeing the stream running down the floor, he had attempted
to make a dam to stop it. All the tables, benches, blank-
ets, skins, and every thing else movable in the cabin had
been piled across the floor in the vain effort of the animal
to prevent the escape of his favorite element.
PRAIRIE DOG.
This interesting and gregarious little specimen of the
mammalia of our country is indigenous to the most of our
far Western prairies, from Mexico to the northern limits of
our possessions, and has often been described by those who
have traveled on the Plains ; but as there are some facts
in relation to their habits that I have never seen mentioned
in any published account of them, I trust I shall be pardon-
ed if I add a few remarks to what has already been said.
In the selection of a site or position for their towns, they
appear to have special reference to their food, which is a
species of short, wiry grass, and a variety of cactus growing
upon the Plains, where there is often no water near ; in-
deed, I have sometimes seen their towns upon the elevated
2G
350 HIBERNATING.
table-lands of New Mexico, where there was no water upon
the surface of the ground within twenty miles, and where
it could not probably have been found by excavating a
hundred feet. This fact has induced me to believe that
they do not require that element, without which most oth-
er animals perish in a short time.
As there are generally no rains or dews during the sum-
mer months where these dog communities are found, and
as the animals xiever wander far from home, I think I am
warranted in coming to the conclusion that they require no
water beyond what the grass affords. That they hiber-
nate, passing the winter in a lethargic or torpid state, is ev-
ident from the fact that they lay up no sustenance for the
winter, and that the grass in the vicinity of their burrows
dries up in the autumn ; the earth freezes hard, and renders
it utterly impossible for them to procure food in the usual
manner.
When the prairie dog first feels the approach of the
sleeping season (generally about the last days of October),
he closes all the passages to his dormitory, to exclude the
cold air, and betakes himself to his brumal slumber with
the greatest possible regularity and care. He remains
housed tintil the warm days of spring, when he removes
the obstructions from his door, and again appears above
ground as lively and frolicsome as ever. I have been in-
formed by the Indians that a short time before a cold
storm in the autumn all the prairie dogs may be seen in-
dustriously occupied with weeds and earth closing the en-
trances to their burrows. They are sometimes, however,
observed reopening them while the weather is still cold and
stormy, but mild and pleasant weather is always certain to
follow. It appears, therefore, that instinct teaches the little
quadruped when to expect good or bad weather, and to
make his arrangements accordingly.
LARGE TOWX. 351
Iq passing through their villages the traveler is often
obliged to turn out of his course to avoid the mounds of
earth thrown up around their holes. The animals are seen
in countless numbers sitting upright at the mouths of their
domicils, and presenting in the distance very much the ap-
pearance of the stumps of small trees ; and so incessant is
the clatter of their barking, that it requires but little effort
of the imagination to fancy one's self surrounded by the
busy hum of a city.
The immense numbers of these animals in some of these
towns or warrens may be conjectured from the large area
which they cover.
One near the head of Bed River which we passed was
about thirty miles long. Supposing its dimensions in other
directions to have been the same, it would have embraced
a space of six hundred and twentj'-five square miles, or
eight hundred and ninety-six thousand acres. Estimating
the burrows to have been twenty yards apart, and each
family containing four or five dogs, the aggregate popula-
tion would have excelled in numbers any city of the uni-
verse.
A species of small owl, about the size of a quail, is fre-
quently found in the mouths of the burrows occupied by
the dogs, whether for the purpose of procuring food, or for
some other object, I do not know. They do not, however,
as some have asserted, burrow with the dogs ; and when ap-
proached, instead of entering the holes, they invariably fly
away.
It has also been said that the rattlesnake is a constant
companion of the prairie dog; but this is a mistake, for I
have sometimes passed for days through their towns with-
out seeing one. They are, however, often met with in the
burrows with the dogs, and for this reason it has been sup-
posed by some that they were welcome guests with the pro-
352 HINTS TO SPORTSMEN.
prietors of the establishments ; but we have satisfied our-
selves that this is a domestic arrangement entirely at vari-
ance with the wishes of the dogs, as the snakes prey upon
them, and consequently must be considered as intruders.
One snake which we killed was found to have swallowed a
full-grown dog.
When the prairie dog is full grown he is of a light brown
color, about the size of a gray rabbit, with a bushy tail
some four inches long, and shaped very much like a young
bull pup.
HINTS TO SPORTSMEN.
To those persons who are desirous of ^Darticipating in the
exciting amusement of a buffalo chase, and doubtless there
are many such, a few words in regard to the most comfort-
able and expeditious routes for reaching the localities where
the animals can with certainty be met with will not be
amiss in this connection. I have known several English
sportsmen who crossed the Atlantic for no other purpose
but that of enjoying the pleasures of a buffalo hunt, who,
on their arrival, seemed to be impressed with the idea that
the best, if not, indeed, the only route to the hunting-
grounds was by St. Paul, and thence to the Eed River of
the North. This is a very erroneous notion, as it is seldom
that buffalo are found within four or five hundred miles of
St. Paul ; besides, in the section of country west of Red
River, the ranges of the buffixlo are so variable and uncer-
tain that it is seldom they can be found two consecutive
seasons in the same eastern localities, the courses taken by
the herds from year to year depending in a great measure
on the way they are driven by the Indians, and upon other
circumstances contingent upon grass, water, etc., which are
without the scope of anticipation or previous calculation.
Til is, however, is not the case in the direction of New Mex-
STARTING-POINT. 353
ico and Colorado, where the ranges are more uniform and
reliable,
A party leaving 'New York City can by rail reach the
Missouri Eiver at St. Joseph or Atcheson in less than three
days, and from thence the overland stages will, in three or
four days more, carry them with absolute certainty near
the buffalo on either the Fort Kearney or Fort Eiley routes.
At these forts the most accessible hunting localities can be
ascertained, and some of the ofi&cers, or other persons who
are acquainted with the country, will generally be found
ready to join the hunt.
Should the aspirations of any of our Eastern sportsmen
induce them to venture an encounter with the grizzly bear,
they will, unless they go to the Pacific or ascend the Mis-
souri Eiver very high, be obliged to travel a long distance
over the Plains in order to accomplish the object. In 1858
these animals were abundant about the head waters of the
Arkansas and Platte Elvers, and they were often seen in
the vicinity of Pike's Peak and the present site of Denver
City ; but as that country has been so much frequented and
settled since I visited it, I doubt if many are left there at
the present time. The Black Hills, in the neighborhood of
Fort Laramie, I should regard as the most likely place for
finding the animal now.
From the Missouri Eiver at Atcheson or Leavenworth to
Fort Laramie is about seven hundred miles, but the road is
excellent, and the grass, wood, and water are abundant upon
the entire route. While the Indians remain hostile it would
not, of course, be safe for a small party to venture into that
section for pleasure ; but, after the Indian difiiculties are
terminated, I know of no summer excursion that would be
more delightful or conducive to health than for a party of
gentlemen, who are fond of shooting and excitement, to
start out from the Missouri Eiver with their own transpor-
2G*
35-1 HEALTH ON THE PRAIRIES.
tation and camping arrangements, passing through the buf-
falo range south of Fort Kearney, and along the North
Platte River to the Black Hills, thence turning south,
skirting the eastern base ot the mountains, crossing the
head waters of the Laramie and other branches of the
Platte River, and through the Parks to Denver City ; re-
turning home by the Arkansas or the Republican Fork of
the Kansas, upon either of which routes buffalo are always
found. Nothing can be imagined more pure, elastic, and
invigorating than the summer atmosphere in the country
that would be traversed in this way. The climate of the
plains and the mountains is of so salubrious a character,
that invalids, whose healths have been seriously impaired
by sedentary occupations in the damp, changeable, and foul
atmosphere of our crowded cities, often derive great benefit
from it, and are rapidly restored to perfect health. Several
cases of this character have come under my own observa-
tion, one of which was a gentleman of New York City, who
had for several years been suffering from a complication
of complaints that kept him almost continually in the hands
of the physicians, without any apparent prospect of restora-
tion to health. lie accompanied me for four months upon
the Plains, and returned home entirely free from disease,
and has been hale, hearty, and robust ever since. lie has
"thrown physic to the dogs," and the doctors have lost one
of their very best patrons.
Besides the grizzly bears that would be found upon the
route I have indicated, elk, black-tailed deer, antelope, and
occasionally mountain sheep will be met with in the vicin-
ity of the mountains.
The most favorable season of the year for leaving the
Missouri River is about the middle of May. The grass
then affords good pasturage for animals, the roads are dr\'
and firm, and the temperature is mild and agreeable.
OUTFIT. 355
An outfit of wagons, teams, and other requisites for tlie
expedition can be procured at reasonable rates at St. Jo-
seph, Atcheson, Leavenworth City, and at other points of
departure on the Missouri Eiver. A guide who knows
the country is indispensable, especially after reaching the
mountains, and one such can generally be found at the
places mentioned.
356 PIONEERS OF THE WEST.
CHAPTER XII.
PIONEERS OF THE WEST.
Pioneers of the West. — Frontier Settlers. — Night at a Log Cabin. — Eti'ects
of drinking Mint Juleps. — A young Cadet's Arrival at West Point. — Prai-
rie Belle. — Texas Surveyor. — Dinner in Arkansas. — Night in Arkansas.
— New Use of Tea. — Yankee Curiosity illustrated. — Propensity for roam-
ing.— Meeting a Fellow-statesman in Mexico. — An old Acquaintance. —
Southern Curiosity. — Virginia Hospitality. — Perversion of the English
Language. — Arrival in the Settlements in 1849. — A Texas Clergyman's
Experience. — Frontier Settlers of Texas. — Major Neighbors's Experience.
— The Six-man Team. — Texas Volunteers. — Recuperative Character of
the F'rontiersman illustrated.
The object I have in view in the following pages is to
contribute something, in as attractive and reliable a form as
I am able, to perpetuate the true characteristics of the fron-
tiersman, the greater part of which I have obtained from
long personal intercourse and observation. My sketches
may perhaps be regarded as crude and unfinished, but, so
far as they extend, they may be relied on as faithful repre-
sentations of real existing specimens, and without any col-
oring of romance.
It may be thought by some that I am endowed with a
more vivid conception of the ludicrous and mirthful than
is desirable in the character of a historian or a biographer;
indeed, I am rather inclined to this opinion myself. The
farcical always possessed far greater attractions for me than
the tragic; in fact, I may say that tragedy is my abhor-
rence. I seldom read the newspaper accounts of horrible
murders ; and when I visit a theatre, it is not for the pur-
pose of getting my feelings wrought up to the crying pitcli,
FRONTIER SETTLERS. 357
but I go there for the express object of indulging in a good
hearty laugh. The ordinary every-day affairs of life have
enough commingling of tragedy to answer my aspirations,
without the necessity of paying for a box in which to un-
dergo three hours' agony and torture from listening to a
mock representation of it. Let it not, therefore, surprise
the reader if he should find that in the following illustra-
tions I have drawn largely from the comic elements in the
characters of the classes represented.
FRONTIER SETTLERS.
The ideas, habits, and language of the population upon
the borders of Arkansas and Texas are eminently peculiar,
and very different from those of any other people I have
ever before met with in my travels; they seem to consti-
tute an anomalous and detached element in our social
structure. Their sparsely scattered forest habitations, be-
ing far removed from towns or villages, and seldom visit-
ed by travelers, almost entirely exclude them from inter-
course with the civilized world, and they are nearly as ig-
norant of what is transpiring outside their own immediate
sphere as the savages themselves. They seldom or never
see a newspaper, and could not read it if they did ; and I
honestly believe that many of them could not tell whether
General Jackson, Mr. Lincoln, or Mr. Johnson is President
of the United States at the present time.
Some of the most salient traits in the character of this
singular type of the Anglo-Saxon race have been exhibited
in a conspicuous light among the specimens I have encoun-
tered upon the frontier, and I now propose to introduce
some of them to the notice of the reader.
I remember, upon one occasion, after riding all day
through a dense forest region in Northwestern Texas, in
the winter of 1850-1, without the slightest indication of a
358 A TEXAN HOSTESS.
road or even trail to guide me, and during a severe storm
of snow and rain, and without having met with a single hu-
man being during the entire day, that I suddenly came out
into a small clearing, in the centre of which was a very di-
minutive log cabin, from whence arose a cheerful smoke, in-
dicating the presence of occupants. This was a very pleas-
ant surprise to me, as I had confidently calculated on being
obliged to bivouac for the night alone in the woods, and
this, during such a cold storm, would have been any thing
but agreeable. I therefore gladly turned my jaded horse
toward the hut, and, on my approach, a woman, some half
a dozen children, and about as many dogs emerged there-
from.
After passing the customary salutations of the country,
and exchanging particular inquiries as to the past and pres-
ent condition of each other's health, I begged to inquire if
I could be accommodated with lodgings for the night, to
which the woman very obligingly replied, "Wall, now,
stranger, my ole man he ar out on a bar track, but I sort-o-
reckon maybe you mought git to stay ;" she, however, for
ray consideration, added "that thar war narry show of
vittles in the house barrin some sweet taters and a small
chance of corn." As I was very hungry, and did not feel
disposed to put up with such meagre fare, I dismounted,
tied my horse, took my rifle, and went out into the woods
in quest of something more substantial for supper, and for-
tunately had not gone far before I succeeded in killing a
deer, which I packed to the house, and, by the aid of my
^'■couteau de chasse,''^ soon had nicely dressed. My hostess and
the children seemed highly delighted at my success, as they
had seen no meat for several days, and the old lady com-
plimented me by asking " what my name mought be ;"
and upon my informing her that it was Marcy, she said
"she knowd a heap o' Massys down in ole Massasip,^^ and
NARROW QUARTERS. 359
that "me an him (Davy, her husband) allers 'lowed that
them thar Massjs was considdible on bar and other var-
mints." She then told me, if I would grind some corn in a
coffee-mill which was fastened against the corner of the
house, that she would bake a poen for me. Accordingly, I
set to work, and, after about half an hour's steady applica-
tion, succeeded in producing from' the rickety old machine
about a quart of meal, which was speedily converted into
a cake. This, with some of the ribs of the fat venison well
roasted, and a cup of good coffee produced from my saddle-
bags, made a most substantial and excellent supper. After
this was over I lighted my pipe, and, seating myself before
the cheerful log fire, for the first time since my arrival took
a survey of the establishment
It consisted of one room about fourteen feet square, with
the intervals between the logs not chinl^ed, and wide enough
in places to allow the dogs to pass in and out at their pleas-
ure. There was an opening for the door, which was closed
with a greasy old beef's hide, but there were no windows,
and no floor excepting the native earth. The household
furniture consisted of two small benches of the most primi-
tive construction imaginable, and two bedsteads, each made
by driving four forked stakes into the ground, across which
poles were placed, and then covered transversely by flour-
barrel staves, the whole structure surmounted by a sack of
prairie hay, upon which I observed the remains of an
antiquated coverlid that had evidently seen much service.
The table furniture consisted of one tin milk-pan, three tin
cups, two knives and three forks, two of the latter having
but one prong each. The (out ensemble gave every indica-
tion of the most abject destitution and poverty ; indeed, the
hostess informed me that she had not, previous to my ar-
rival, tasted sugar, tea, or coffee for three months ; yet, as
strange as it may appear, she seemed entirely contented
360 BED AND BOARD.
witb her situation, and considered herself about as well to
do in the world as the most of her neighbors. She had
emigrated to this remote and solitary spot from Mississippi
about two years previously, and not the slightest trace of a
road or trail had since been made leading to the locality
from any direction, and she informed me that her nearest
neighbor was some fifteen miles distant.
Upon her remarking that her husband was occasionally
absent for several days at a time, I inquired if she was not
afraid to stay alone in this wild, out-of-the-way place. She
said "No; that when Davy was away the dogs kept the
varmints off, and that mighty few humans ever com'd that-
a-way."
After finishing my pipe, and getting my clothes well
dried, and feeling quite fatigued and sleepy, I asked the
woman where I should sleep. She replied, " Stranger, 3'ou
take that thar bed with the boys, and I'll take this yere
with the gals."
Now the width of the bed indicated for my use was
measured with a flour-barrel stave, and was already occu-
pied by three boys, two on the back side and one at the
foot. It therefore became a question of some considerable
interest to me as to how I should manage to stow myself
away in such contracted quarters, especially in view of the
fact that my longitudinal meridian was some twelve inches
greater than the space allotted me. Nevertheless, as I was
not very exclusive or particular in my notions, I turned in,
and for some time tried to sleep, but my position between
the three bedfellows was so much cramped and distorted
that I found it impossible to get any repose. I did not,
however, like the idea of disturbing the boys, but the case
seemed to me a desperate one: I must have some sleep, and
the only alternative, under the circumstances, was to make
the effort to secure a greater area ; I therefore very quietly
WRITING A LETTER. 361
administered a pinch upon my nearest juvenile neighbor,
who was sound asleep, which caused him to scream most
lustily. His mother, probably thinking that he was dream-
ing, or suddenly taken with the nightmare, called out from
the other bed, " Now, Dave, ef yer don't get shut o' that thar
yellin, yer'l wake up the stranger." This admonition qui-
eted him for a while, but as soon as he was asleep again I
gave him another sharp pinch, which made him cry out
more vociferously than before, while at the same time I
was exerting my utmost efforts in giving a good imitation
of the loftiest pitch of snoring. The mother then got up,
came to our bed, and shaking the boy, told him "ef he
didn't dry up that hollerin she woodn't 'low him to sleep
'long with the stranger no more, no how." Another well-
timed and vigorous pinch, as soon as he had fallen asleep
the third time, accomplished my object. He was taken up ;
but, as his mother was lifting the pugnacious young gentle-
man out of the bed, he had become so fully sensible of
what was passing that he began to suspect I had something
to do with his disturbance, and hit me quite a severe blow
in the side with his hard little fist. I, however, after this
episode, slept soundly till morning.
Before I left the house my hostess inquired of me if I
knew how to write ; and, upon learning that my education
had extended that far, she desired me to act as her amanu-
ensis, while she dictated a letter to a friend " way down in
ole Massasip." Having a pencil and some old letters in my
pocket, I told her I would take down what she desired to
communicate, copy it in ink on my return to the fort, and
send it for her through the post, which seemed to give her
great pleasure ; whereupon I seated myself, and asked her
what she wished me to write. She said :
" Tell um, stranger, thar's narry fever-n'agur down this-
a-way."
2H
362 TAKING A CHAK.
"Very well," I said, "that is down; what shall I say
next?"
" Tell um, stranger, Davy he raised a powerful heap o'
corn and taters this year."
" Yes," I said ; " what next?"
" Tell um, stranger, thar's a mighty smart chance o' var-
mints in these yere diggins."
And thus she went on throughout the entire letter, which
she " 'lowed was a peart hand write." I transcribed it lit-
erally in her own words on my return home, and forward-
ed it to its destination in Mississippi, and I sincerely hope
the good woman has received an answer ere this.
While marching a battalion of my regiment from Little
Rock to Fort Towson during a very warm day in the au-
tumn of 1848, 1 made a halt at a respectable-looking fjirm-
house near the Choctaw line in Arkansas, and, seeing a
woman sitting out upon the portico, I rode up for the pur-
pose of making some inquiries regarding the roads. She
returned my salutation, and very politely invited me to
"'light and have a char." I dismounted, took the chair,
and complimented the good woman upon the neat and com-
fortable appearance of her surroundings. She said " it was
tollible far, considerin they had com'd thar and commenced
deadnin the trees and maulin the rails only five years
afore." I should have imagined, however, from the very
limited extent of her knowledge of the surrounding coun-
try, that she had but just arrived, or that she had been hi-
bernating during the five years mentioned. As our road
forked near the house, I asked her which of the two would
lead us to a small town on our route about ten miles dis-
tant. She replied that "she didn't adzactly mind, but she
sort'r reckon'd her nigger gal mought tell me ;" where-
upon she called out in a loud, shrill voice, " 0-o-o-oh Ge-
rushe !" but, as the servant did not respond, she said,
AN OLD GAL. 363
" Whar is that nigger ?" and again cried out, in a still loud-
er and more prolonged tone of voice, " 0 — o — o — o — o — oh
Gerushe ! ! !" but the strength of her lungs seemed to have
been so nearly expended in the effort of giving proper em-
phasis to the letter 0, that the name of the servant was
called in a quick, faint, and barely audible voice. The last
call had the desired effect, and soon a venerable negress, at
least seventy years old, and who struck me as being pretty
well advanced for a "gal," approached, and, after dropping
a polite courtesy to me, asked what she could do for "mis-
sus." The latter, in a sharp, petulant, but exhausted tone,
indicating that the previous effort to rouse her sable domes-
tic had been rather too much for her, said, " You lazy, no
'count nigger, you gess tell this yere stranger whar these
yere roads goes to, right quick, do ye hear?" Gerushe very
promptly replied, " Wall, mass'r, I 'specs I'ze guine to tell
you all about it : Mass'r Jeemes he 'lowed this yere left-
hand one he guine down to Wash-un-tum, and that thar
t'other one he guine to Choctaw na-shum." I then asked
the woman of the house the distance to the nearest post-
office, but of this she had not the remotest idea, and again
referred me to the servant, who at once gave me the in-
formation. Several other inquiries which I made of the
mistress of the house only served to exhibit her ignorance
of and indifference to every thing that was transpiring
around her. She almost invariably appealed for informa-
tion to her antiquated African "gal," who seemed to be
much better posted than her mistress ; indeed, she appeared
to be her sense-bearer, performing not only her physical
drudgery, but also her mental functions.
During the course of our conversation the proprietor of
the establishment, a stalwart, leather-stocking specimen of
a backwoodsman, came home, leading his horse, with a deer
packed upon each side, followed by several dogs, and carry-
364 A SPECIMEN FRONTIERSMAN.
ing a huge rifle across his shoulder. I congratulated him
upon his success in hunting, and observed that the deer
must be abundant in that neighborhood. On the contrary,
he said they were getting very scarce ; that when he first
arrived in that section " thar war right smart o' deer; they
war numerous then," he said; but, although he had been
out in the woods all the morning, he had only killed three,
besides " bustin" two caps at another which he did not get.
He then commenced the following dialogue :
" Ar you gwine fur to jine ole Zack down in Mexico ?"
" No, sir, the Mexican war is ended, and we are now en
route for the Choctaw nation."
" Whar did ye come from, stranger ?"
" We came last from Pascagoula."
" Mought you be the boss hossifer of that thar army ?"
pointing to the men,
"I am the commanding officer of that detachment, sir."
" Wall, Mr. Hossifer, be them sure 'nuff sogers, or is they
make b'lieve chaps, like I seen down to Orleans?"
" They have passed through the Mexican war, and I
trust they have proved themselves not only worthy the ap-
pellation of real, genuine soldiers, but of veterans, sir."
" Now I gest want to know one thing more, boss ; be
them chaps reg-lars, or be they melish ?"
" I assure you that they belong to the regular army of
the United States."
Then, pointing to my uniform, he added, ^'Appericntly,
then, fightin's your trade ?"
"I adopted the profession of arms at an early age," I re-
plied,
" War you at tht Orleans fight, whar our boys gin sich
particlar fits to olc Pack?" (Packenham I suppose he
meant).
I answered that, though a pretty old soldier, my commis-
sion did not date quite so far back as 1814.
A SPECIMEN FRONTIEKSMAN. 365
" Wall, ole boss, you moughtn't a been thar, but you
ain't no chicken now, sure." He continued: "One time
me an him, Ike Thompson, we went on a sogerin spree."
"Ah! indeed; in what place did you serve, pray?"
"In severial places; but the last pop we fout at the bat-
tle of the Hoss-shoe, whar we and ole Hickry cleaned out
the Ingines."
" That was a most decisive and sanguinary battle," I ob-
served.
" I calkerlate, Mr. Hossifer, that war the most c?e-cisivest
and the most san-^'Mw-ariest fight you ever seen in all yer
born days. We boys, we up and pitched in thar, and we
gin the yaller-bellies the most ^arr-ticlar hail Columby.
We chawed um all up ; we laid um out cold'r nur a wedge ;
we saved every mother's son of um — we did that thar lit-
tle thing, boss."
I replied that I had no doubt very many of the Indians
were killed, but that I had always been under the impres-
sion that some of them made their escape ; and, in fact, I
was very confident that several Creek Indians were then
living upon the Canadian Eiver who participated in the
battle of the Horse-shoe. He said he " rayther reckon'd
not ;" but, at all events, he was quite certain " ef any of
the dogond varmints did git away, they war d — d badly
wounded, sartin sure."
He then produced a bottle of whisky, and gave me a
pressing invitation "to liquor," remarking that "he war
not too proud to take a horn with a fellur-soger, even if he
war a reg-lar."
After having taken the drink, he approached me, and in
a serious tone said, " Thar's narry paper tuck in this yere
settle-wen^, but I hearn tell that Gin-ral Jackson ar dead ;
maybe you mought heer'd some talk 'bout it as you com'd
'long the road, stranger ?"
2 11*
366 MINT JULEPS.
I answered that I had not the slightest doubt of the fact,
and that, in mj opinion, it was very generally believed
throughout the United States that the general had died at
the Hermitage as long ago as 1845.
Quite an amusing incident was related to me as having
occurred in Washington County, Arkansas, during the early
settlement of that section of the state ; and, although I can
not vouch for its perfect authenticity, yet, as it is eminently
characteristic of the habits of the people who inhabited thi^t
country when I first visited there, and as it also illustrates
a prominent feature in the customs of the Virginians,! ven-
ture to relate it, even if not wholly new.
It appeared that a traveler from the Old Dominion, while
en route for Texas, stopped at a house in Western Arkansas
for the purpose of feeding his horse, and obtaining some
rest and refreshment for himself after a hard ride in a hot
summer's day. On entering the hospitable farm-house, he
was politely invited to take a seat, and shortly afterward a
jug of whisky was produced, and he was solicited by the
proprietor to join him in a social glass. He most cheerful-
ly complied with the request, but found the liquor of very
inferior quality and exceedingly unpalatable. On receiv-
ing an invitation to take a second glass, he intimated that
he was very fond of mint juleps, and, if there were no par-
ticular objections, he would prefer to take the next drink in
that form. His host, it appeared, had never before heard
of the mixture, but expressed a perfect willingness to be in-
ducted into the mystery of compounding it; whereupon the
gentleman from the Old Dominion stepped out into the in-
closure in front of the house, picked some fresh mint from
a large patch growing there, and with cold water direct from
the spring, and some brown sugar, he soon manufactured
two juleps, which, although not quite equal, perhaps, to those
that can be obtained in some of the luxurious saloons of our
"the OLE man's dead, STRANGER." 367
large cities, yet were far from being unpalatable to a thirsty
traveler, and certainly were a very great improvement upon
the " hold face!'' in its crude, native state.
The Arkansian pronounced it excellent, and very soon
called upon his guest to concoct another, which he consid-
ered still better than the first, and before they parted quite
a number of the fascinating compounds had been imbibed,
and the host had learned the secret of manufacturing them.
The Virginian continued on his journey toward Texas, «
and in due course of time set out to return. On arriving
at the house before-mentioned, he concluded he would call
and renew his acquaintance with his friendly old host.
Accordingly, he rode up to the gate, and seeing one of the
boys of the family standing near, asked him, " How is the
old gentleman, your father, ni}'- son ?"
The boy, with an air of the most perfect indifference, re-
plied, " Why, the ole man's dead, stranger."
" Is it possible ? How long since ?"
" About two weeks, stranger."
" Ah, indeed ! Pray what was the matter with the poor
old gentleman, my son ?"
"Waal, now, stranger, I'll tell ye what it war. Thar
war an old fellar from Virgine, he com'd along this way
last summer, and he jist ups and larns the ole man to drink
greens in his licker, and you can bet your life on't it
knocked him higher nor a kite !"
Upon the Virginian's suggesting to the boy that it might
have been possible the bad quality of the whisky exercised
a more deleterious influence upon his father's health than
the mint, he replied,
"No, stranger, it war not the whisky, for we've allers
used licker in our family, and though it made old mom
powerful weak, yet it never phazed ole pop arry time — no,
it war the greens, as sure as yer born."
368 FREE DRINKING.
As the Virginian had not been recognized by the young
man, and did not feel disposed to incur the responsibility
of having recommended the introduction of such a fatal in-
gredient into the family beverage, he went on his way, if
not a better, certainly a wiser man than before.
Among the characteristics of the people of the United
States, I know of no custom which exhibits a more marked
contrast in their habits and those of their cousins on the
« other side of the Atlantic than that of the interchange of
civilities over the social glass. Whenever friends meet, in
this country, at a private house or a hotel, it is seldom that
they separate without "renewing the assurances" of their
mutual esteem by taking a drink together; and if they are
on the " temperance list," they take a glass of beer, lemon-
ade, or any thing else that suits their inclinations, but the
person extending the invitation always expects to pay the
bill. This practice is especially prevalent in the South-
western States; and in some places, if a man takes a drink
at the bar of an inn, and does not invite all those around to
join him, even though they may be strangers to him, he is
looked upon with contempt.
An acquaintance of mine, living in the Cherokee coun-
try, once visited Little Eock, and stopped at the Anthony
House. Feeling fatigued and thirsty after a hard ride, he,
. on entering the hotel, went to the bar and called for. a glass
of liquor, wlien, to his astonishment, he said, "Fourteen men
who were sitting around stepped up and 'lowed they'd take
sugar in thar'n !" He paid for the fifteen drinks, as it was
in strict conformity with the customs of the country, but he
did not visit the bar again.
As is well understood, the corps of cadets of the Militar}'
Academy at West Point is composed of young men who
are appointed from all sections of the United States, and
occasionally may be seen among them frontier youths who,
A GREEN CADET. 369
on their first arrival, have seen but little of the world, and
are exceedingly primitive and unsophisticated.
I remember very well, while I was at the institution, that
a young man from the remote Western borders, near the
Cherokee nation, who had never in his life been over a few
miles from home, received a letter of appointment to the
Military Academy through the representative from his Con-
gressional district.
His father furnished him with a horse, saddle, and bridle,
and with his slender wardrobe packed in a capacious pair
of saddle-bags, he set out on his long journey for West
Point. After many days' hard riding (there were no rail-
roads then) he at length arrived in Jersey City, where, after
selling his horse, he took his saddle-bags on his arm, and,
crossing the ferry, entered New York, with the intention of
^'■^putling up''' at the first respectable tavern he could find.
He passed up Courtlandt Street and Broadway with his
eyes continually searching for the sign-post and swinging-
sign which he supposed to be the universal evidence of a
tavern throughout the civilized world, but his search was in
vain. He found nothing but one vast conglomeration of
stores, shops, and private houses ; not a single tavern did he
meet with. Finally, after becoming considerably fatigued
in wandering about the streets, he discovered the sign of an
oyster saloon, and, as he had never before had an opportu-
nity of testing the merits of the bivalves, he entered the
establishment, and, putting down his saddle-bags, informed
the waiter that "he didn't mind if he tuck a few of them ar
oysters hisself ;" and in answer to the inquiry of how many
he desired to have, said "he reckon'd about half a peck."
They were accordingly set before him raw, "on the half-
shell." He did not at all fancy their appearance ; yet, as
he observed persons all around him devouring them with
much apparent relish, he selected one of the largest, and.
370 ARRIVAL AT WEST POINT.
after scrutinizing it very attentively for a moment, put it in
bis mouth ; but no sooner had it come in contact with his
palate than it was ejected, with intense disgust, half way
across the room ; at the same time he called out to the
waiter, "Look a yere, mister, take off these yere nasty var-
mints, and bring me some bacon and eggs."
Soon after this he delivered a letter of introduction, with
which he had been provided, to a gentleman in the city,
who kindly showed him to a hotel, and assisted him in pur-
chasing a trunk and a suitable wardrobe; and on the fol-
lowing morning he took the steamer for his destination,
and, in due course of time, was landed upon the wharf at
West Point.
Now his letter of appointment required him to report in
person to the superintendent. Colonel Thayer, who was a
very refined, courteous, and dignified gentleman, but, at the
same time, he was exceedingly rigid in enforcing the strict-
est discipline, and the highest respect for rank and military
authority. My young friend, after ascertaining where the
colonel's quarters were situated, shouldered his trunk (he
was then about six feet high, and powerfully developed),
and staggered under its weight up the steep hill to the su-
perintendent's house, put down his trunk upon the steps,
and was at once admitted into the colonel's presence.
Unlike most of the cadets on their first introduction to
this dignitary, he was not in the slightest degree abashed,
but felt entirely self-possessed, and, taking a chair close to
the colonel, and looking him attentively in the face, said,
"Ole man, ar you Colonel, or Captain, or whatever-you-
call-um Thayer?" To which the old gentleman very
gravely replied, " I am Colonel Thayer, sir." " Wall, now,
look-a-yere, Kurn^\ said the youth, " this y%re hill o' yourn
am a breather; ef it ain't, d — n me."
The colonel soon comprehended what kind of a specimen
A PRAIRIE BELLE. 871
of humanity he had before him, and directed his orderly to
show him to the barracks, where he was soon inducted into
the mysteries of wholesome discipline.
As it may be a matter of curiosity with some to know
what success this untutored youth of the forest met with
in his academical career, I add, for their information, that
he applied himself zealously to his studies, attained a good
standing in his class, and, on graduating, was an accom-
plished gentleman and scholar, who reflected credit upon
the institution, and was afterward favorably known as the
author of a History .of Texas,
A PRAIRIE BELLE.
As I was returning from the Plains,- after having ex-
plored the Brazos Kiver to its sources in 185-i, I met, near
the most remote frontier house, three girls, who were ac-
companied by a young man, who were picking wild grapes
beside the road. We learned from them that they lived
but a short distance in advance, and that there was a very
fine spring, with good camping-ground, near their house,
and we resolved to halt there for the night.
As we had a vacant seat in our wagon, and as the party
were on foot, I inquired if one of the young ladies would
nx)t like to ride with us to the house. One of them assent-
ing, my .companion, a New York gentleman, very politely
extended his hand to assist her ; but, instead of accepting
it, she made a sudden leap from the ground over the side
of the vehicle, and landed directly by his side. This extra-
ordinary acrobatic feat of agility, which would have done
credit to the Eavel family, or any other professional artistes,
took us by surprise, and as we proceeded toward the house
we entered into conversation with her, and were greatly
diverted by the originality of her ideas, and the perfect
freedom and abandon with which she gave expression to
372 THE FRONTIER STYLE.
them. She appeared to be about eighteen years of age,
with rather a mascuHne physique, her figure tall, erect, and
lithe, but well rounded, and exceedingly graceful and femi-
nine in outline, the incarnation of perfect health and vigor.
Her face was thoroughly browned by exposure and exer-
cise in the open air (she had probably never seen or heard
of such a hothouse appendage as a sun-shade), and was con-
stantly lighted up with a cheerful, happy expression, indi-
cating an overflowing exuberance of spirits, which dissem-
inated an atmosphere around her, the fascination of which
was irresistible to those who came within its influence ;
and her laughing, dancing blue eyes seemed ever on the
qui Vive for . fun and ff olic. She wore a closely - fitting
bloomer costume,-with a jaunty little straw hat upon one
side of her head, fastened under the chin with a pretty pink
ribbon, and her luxurious natural hair curled in ringlets all
over her shoulders.
She was evidently the reigning belle of the neighbor-
hood, as well as the favorite s'poiled child of her family;
and she was just as wild, untamed, and free from the ab-
surd, tyrannical conventionalities of society as the mustangs
that roamed over the adjacent prairies.
My companion related «to her some of the most remark-
able incidents of our expedition, which seemed to interest
her vastly; but, at the same time, her credulity appeared
to be somewhat taxed, and would occasionally find utter-
ance in such ejaculations as, ^^ Oh, git outP^ "Tozt go-long
nowr '■'•Look at liimP'' etc., which seemed the spontaneous
outbursts of her impulsive nature, and rather in the char-
acter of a soliloquy than seriously intended to express doubt
as to the truth of the narrative.
In one instance she became intensely absorbed in my
friend's account of a visit we received from the Comanches,
and some of tlic peculiar habits of those people, and gave
AFRAID OF WOLVES. 373
vent to her feelings by administering a violent slap upon
bis knee, and at the same time exclaiming, " The lie — e — e
— II you say^ stranger /" giving particular emphasis to and
dwelling upon the most objectionable word in the sentence.
She inquired very particularly about our camping ar-
rangements, and manifested a good deal of curiosity con-
cerning the shape, capacity, and material of our tent. She
had never seen one, it appeared, and I remarked to her that
after ours was pitched, if she would honor us with a call,
she would have a good opportunity of seeing how very
comfortable we could make ourselves in camp. At this
she turned around, facing me, applied her thumb to her
nose with her fingers extended, closed one eye, and, with
her countenance assuming a most ludicrously severe ex-
pression, observed, "/'??z afraid of loolves^ ole hossy
As I was quite unconscious of having intended any dis-
respect to the young lady, I was a good deal surprised at
this exhibition of indignation. What signification her re-
mark was intended to convey I have never yet learned ; I
certainly never for a moment imagined that any resem-
blance could be detected between the carnivorous quadru-
ped so pointedly alluded to and ourselves, even had we
been attired in "sAeep's clothing^ From the savage ex-
pression her countenance assumed, however, I did not feel
inclined to press her for an explanation, and changed the
subject as soon as possible.
While surveying Indian reservations in the wilds of
Western Texas during the summer of 1854, 1 encountered
a deputy state surveyor traveling on foot, with his compass
and chain upon his back. I saluted him politely, remarking
that I presumed he was a surveyor, to which he replied,
" I reckon, stranger, I ar that thar individoal."
I had taken the magnetic variation several times, alwaj^s
with nearly the same results (about 10° 20') ; but, in order
21
374 AN INVARIABLE COMPASS.
to verify my observations, I was curious to learn how they
accorded with his own working, and accordingly inquired
what he made the variation of the compass in that localit}'.
He seemed struck with astonishment at the question, took
the compass from his back, laid it upon a log near by, then
facing me, and pointing with his finger toward it, said,
"Stranger, do yer see that thar in-strn-menif^ to which I
replied in the affirmative. He continued : " I've owned her
well-nigh goin on twenty year. I've put her through the
perarries and through the timber, and now you look-a-yere,
stranger, you can jist bet yer life on't she never t'ar-ried
arry time, and ef you'll foller her sign ye'll knock the cen-
tre outer the north star ; she never lies, she dojiH.^^
He seemed to consider my interrogatory as a direct in-
sinuation that his compass was an imperfect one, and hence
his indignation. Thinking I should not get any important
iriformation concerning the magnetic variation from this
surveyor, I begged his pardon for questioning the accuracy
of his instrumeiit, bade him good-morning, and continued
my journey.
On my return to Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the autumn
of 1852, after having explored the Red River to its sources,
and upon the occasion when it was very generally supposed
that our party had all been overpowered and put to death
by the Indians, I set out with two gentlemen of the party.
Captain McClellan and a friend from New York, who had
accompanied us for the benefit of his health, en route for
Rock Roe, the steam-boat landing on "White River, a dis-
tance of some two hundred miles.
The health of my invalid companion was not yet suffi-
ciently restored to enable him to digest the heavy balls that
were usually set before travelers in that country under the
name of biscuit, and he laid In at Fort Smith a good supply
of baker's bread and tea for our journey.
NOT MASSACRED. 375
Our first halt, after we left Fort Smith, was at a planta-
tion house some twenty-five miles out. "We drove up to
the gate, and I entered the house, where I found a woman
lying upon a bed, sufifering from a severe attack of rheuma-
tism. I apologized for disturbing her, and remarked that I
had called for the purpose of ascertaining if two companions
and myself could be accommodated with dinner.
She said her servants were all out in the field, and she
could not at that time think of taking them from their
work. I then asked her how long she had been ill, and
whether she had a good physician to attend her, etc. She
replied that the only doctor she had confidence in was Dr.
Shumard, and, as he had been killed by the Indians, she
did not feel inclined to call upon any other. Now Dr.
Shumard had been the surgeon upon my recent expedition,
and had returned with me to Fort Smith.
I inquired of the lady if she was quite certain that the
doctor had been massacred by the savages. She said there
was not the slightest doubt upon the subject, as he was with
Captain Marcy, who, with every soul in the party, were put
to death by the Comanches. I then asked her if I could
prove to her that Dr. Shumard was alive and well, and at
that very time at his home in Fort Smith, whether she
would allow her servants to come in and get us dinner, to
which she. most willingly assented ; whereupon, making a
profound obeisance to her, I said, " I have the honor, mad-
am, of presenting myself to you as the identical Captain
Marcy whom you suppose to have been killed by the In-
dians ; and I also have the pleasure to inform you that
your physician returned with me yesterday to Fort Smith,
and in the best possible state of health."
She immediately screamed out at the top of her voice,
"You Jim, go out into the field, and tell Sally to come
here quick, and get these gentlemen some dinner ; do you
376 TOAST AND TEA.
hear?" Sally soon made her appearance, and in a short
time set before us a very excellent repast, to which we did
ample justice, and, bidding our hostess good-by, resumed
our journey.
On the second day out from the fort we halted for the
night at a resjpectable-looking farm-house, where we were
informed we could be accommodated with lodgings, and
my New York companion readily obtained from the host-
ess a promise to make a nice dish of toast and a cup of tea
for supper.
In due course of events our supper was announced, and we
seated ourselves at the table, wliich, according to the custom
of the country, was spread under the portico of the house.
The dishes before us consisted of fried bacon floating in
grease, some corn-bread in the shape of hand grenades, and
a quantity of glutinous, half-baked hot biscuit, neither of
which seemed calculated to tempt the appetite of the gen-
tleman from New York, who called for the toast. The land-
lady replied that " she had it on a fryin., and she 'lowed it
would soon be done." Captain McClellan and myself ex-
changed significant glances at this information, but my
friend from New York did not appear to appreciate the
joke, and asked "what the devil she meant by frying toast."
She assured him it was all right, as he would soon see for
himself. When it came on the table it appeared that she
had taken the loaf, cut it in two parts, placed them in a
pan, and fried them in grease for about half an hour. My
friend did not seem to relish this method of cooking, and
explained to the hostess in detail the proper method of
making toast; whereupon she said, "Oh, you want burnt
bread ; I thought you wanted toast."
The woman evidently did not know much more about
making tea than she did of the proper method of preparing
the toast.
A POPULOUS BED. 877
Indeed, it js very seldom that tea can be found among
these people ; and, although they all make excellent cof-
fee, very many of them never drank a cup of tea in their
lives. A lady of my acquaintance, in traveling from Fort
Towson to Shreveport some twelve years since, knowing
the difficulty of procuring her favorite beverage in that
section, had provided herself with about a pound of choice
green tea, and at one of her stopping-places upon Red
River requested the woman of the house to make her a
cup of it. When the supper was announced my friend in-
quired for her tea; the woman said, "Wall, now, marm, I
put them dried greens o' yourn in the pot mor'n a half
hour ago, and they've been bilin ever since, and I've
changed the water three times, but tain't no use, I reckon ;
thar so bitter now that no woman in Rackensack (Arkan-
sas) can eat um."
After the supper was concluded a room with three beds
was assigned to our use, and we congratulated ourselves
on the prospect of obtaining a comfortable night's repose.
Shortly after we had retired, however, I felt something, as I
imagined, crawling upon my legs, and made several rapid
passes with my hand for the purpose of catching the intrud-
er; but without success; he constantly eluded my grasp;
and, after many failures, the tickling sensation still continu-
ing,! quietly got up, lit a candle, returned to the bed and
pulled down the clothes, when, without the slightest exag-
geration, I sincerely believe that, at a moderate estimate,
at least ten thousand bedbugs greeted my eyes. There was
a perfect army of them, marching and countermarching in
all directions, apparently seeking whom they might devour.
As the prospect for sleep did not appear very encouraging
here, I took my own blanket, went out into the inclosure in
front of the house, and lay down upon the grass. As I
was passing out, the gentleman from New York called out,
2 1*
I
\
f
y.
378 CURIOSITY.
>
"What in thunder is it that tickles my legs so?" I re-
plied, " Nothing at all," and recommended him to go to
sleep and remain quiet. It was but a sliort time, however,
before both my companions joined me, and we all passed
the remainder of the night upon the grass.
The people of the New England States are proverbial for
their curiosity, and it is sometimes difficult to elude their
inquisitive and perse-vering tact in gaining the information
they desire. For example, I was traveling through Wis-
consin during the early period of its settlement in 1838,
and stopped overnight at a small log tavern in Janesville,
on Eock River. The house, on my arrival,''Was occupied
by a number of travelers, all crowded into one small room,
and among them I observed a man evidently from New
England, who made himself conspicuous by questioning
every one as to where ho was from, where he was going,
what his business was, etc., etc.
During the evening he accosted me by saying, "Frona^.
Madison, mister?" ^
Not feeling disposed to gratify his impertinent proclivi-
ties, I abruptly replied, "No, sir."
He then said, "Oh, yer from Mineral Pint, hay?"
"No."
"Goin tuMilwakee?"
" No."
"Oh, maybe yer goin tu Racine?"
"No, sir, no, I tell you." I then asked him if there were
any other items of information upon which I could enlight-
en him. He hesitated for an instant, then continued :
"Live at Prairie du Chien, mister?"
"No."
" Mabby ye live at Gerlena?"
"No, sir."
" Where du ye make it yer hum?"
ROVERS. 379
I replied " nowhere in particular," but informed him that
the peculiar idiosyncrasy of my individual ixnchant rather
inclined me to adopt a cosmopolitan life. This answer ap-
peared to puzzle him greatly, and the only reply he made
was to raise his hands, turn up his eyes, and exclaim, "You
"doan't say so, neou, du yer." He suspended his interroga-
'■ tories here, but evidently resolved to watch me closely.
Now the fact is, I was at that time stationed at Fort
Winnebago, and en route for Chicago, but I firmly resolved
that the Yankee (I am one myself, and have a right to tell
them their faults) should not discover it if I could possibly
prevent it. Soon afterward, however, my companion du
roya^e entered, and approaching me, said, "I w:ish,Marcy,
on your return from Chicago, you would remember me
very kindly to the ofiicers at Winnebago."
The inquisitive individual instantly jumped up, and with
a most gratified expression of countenance exclaimed, "Oh,
Mr. Marcy, je make it yer hum tu Winnebago, doan't ye,
and yer going tu Chicago, ain't ye ?"
I w\as considerably annoyed at his triumph, but the only
retaliation I was able to inflict upon him was to suggest
that, in my opinion, it would be just as well for him if he
would attend to his own affairs, and let other people alone.
Another trait in the character of the New England m^an
which is fully as marked as their desire to obtain informa-
tion is their erratic cosmopolitan propensity for locomotion
and roaming. They are eminently social and gregarious
in their dispositions and habits, but at the same time they
are very far from being local or clannish in their proclivi-
ties, and they may be found dispersed throughout almost
all the habitable parts of the universe.
At the time the army under Greneral Taylor occupied
Brownsville, opposite Matamoras, during the spring of 1846,
■we found it very difficult to procure supplies of vegetables
380 A YANKEE-MEXICAN.
and fruits, and I had, for the first time, turned my attention
to the Spanish language as the only means of communica-
ting with the Mexicans, and had, with a great deal of diffi-
culty, mastered a few useful phrases, when one day I start-
ed out in search of supplies for our mess.
I had not gone far before I met an old Mexican (as I
supposed), dressed in full Spanish costume, with slashed
trowsers, gilt buttons, and broad -brimmed sombrero, and
followed by several senoras and senoritas leading huros
packed with vegetables. I halted, and pointing to a good-
sized cabbage, said, "Quantus pour este, senor?" (How
much for that, sir?) To which the man, to my astonish-
ment, answered, " Abeout tue bits ;" upon which I said,
" You speak English very well, seiior." He rejoined,
"Well, I think I or-tue — I come from Massachusetts.''
Upon inquiry, I learned that this man was born and
raised only about twenty miles from my own native towm,
and that he had emigrated to Texas some thirty years be-
fore ; was engaged in General Green's expedition at Mier,
captured and taken to Mexico as a prisoner, and subse-
quently confined in the Castle of Perote for a long time,
but was finally released, and found his way back to Mata-
moras, where he had lived ever since, adopting the Mexi-
can costume and habits.
The propensity of the New Englanders for wandering
does not seem to be confined to the male sex, as the fol-
lowing little incident will show.
During the summer of 1864, 1 was descending the Mis-
sissippi River en route from Little Rock, when the steamer
I was upon stopped to wood at an island where a contra-
band wood-yard had been established under government
protection.
While the steamer was receiving its fuel I walked out
upon shore, where I found quite a group of log-huts erected
A RECOGNITION. ■ 381
for the use of the negroes. In the door of one of tlieni I
saw an elderly white woman standing, and entered into
conversation with her. After a few minutes she asked me
if I was attached to the array, and on my giving an affirm-
ative answer, she continued, " What may I call your name ?"
I said "Marcy." " What, R B. Marcy ?" "Yes." "Ean-
dolph B. Marcy ?" I repeated " Yes." " Are you from
Massachusetts?" "Yes." "From Hampshire County?"
" Yes." " From Greenwich ?" " Yes." " The son of L.
Marcy?" "Yes." " Well, then, I made your shirts when
you went to West Point." Of course I was very much as-
tonished, and begged to ask whom I had the honor of ad-
dressing, and how it happened that she had wandered so far
from the place of her nativity. She stated that she had
been sent out here by some Christian benevolent associa-
tion to teach the freedmen's children, and she was, I be-
lieve, the only white female upon the island ; at all events,
I saw no other.
It is very true that the New Englanders seem to be pos-
sessed with an irresistible 'penchant for accumulating as
large a stock as possible of useful information, nevertheless
I have observed the same dominant proclivities in the char-
acter of the Southern and Western people ; with them, how-
ever, they are manifested in a more direct and blunt man-
ner.
A friend of mine, who was traveling in Alabama upon
one occasion, met a man in the road who accosted him as
follows : " Whar ar ye from, stranger?" He, knowing the
prejudices of the Southern people against the "Yankees,"
although he had never been there in his life, replied, " From
Eichmond."
At this answer the man said, "I once know'd a heap o'
people in Richmond, and I've got right smart of kin-folks
thar too ; maybe you mought know Jim Johnson, of Main
382 HOSPITALITY.
Street?" to which my friend was obliged to answer in
the negative. "Wall, now, stranger, do yer know Jake
Brown, on Broad Street?" He said he had not the pleas-
ure of his acquaintance either. Several other interrogato-
ries about Kichmond were asked and replied to in a similar
manner, greatly to the confusion of my friend, who, not-
withstanding the Southern prejudices against New En-
glanders, resolved the next time he was questioned to tell
the truth.
He soon afterward met another man, who said to him,
" "Whar did ye come from, stranger?"
"I came from Connecticut, sir."
"TFAar did ye say?"
" From Connecticut."
"Connecticut? Connecticut?" repeated the man, with a
puzzled look ; " wall, now, stranger, I don't mind hearin o'
that thar town afore, I be dogond ef I do."
Virginians are proverbial for their hospitality, and I have
no doubt that very many of them richly deserve the envia-
ble reputation they have acquired for the liberal, open-
handed manner in which they entertain their guests ; but I
am compelled to acknowledge that in my travels I have
found exceptions to this rule.
In 1849 I made a road from New Mexico, passing
through Northern Texas to Arkansas, which was traveled
for several years by California emigrants, thus affording a
good market to the farmers along the adjacent country for
their produce.
In 1854 I passed over this road again, and stopped for
dinner at a plantation owned by a Mr. McCarty, from Vir-
ginia, who, on my arrival, seemed highly delighted to see
me again, remarking that if I had only notified him I was
coming that way, he would have given me the biggest bar-
becue that country had ever seen.
BORDER DIALECTS. 383
He complimented me by saying that I had done more
for the country than any other man living, and if I would
run for Congress in that district he would insure my elec-
tion. I thanked him for his kind wishes in my behalf, and
informed him that I should not be able to stay for the bar-
becue, but that, if it was perfectly convenient, we would
with pleasure dine with him.
• After dinner I hesitated for some time about offering
compensation to our host, but finally did so by -asking him
how much we were indebted for our dinner. He replied,
" Only six bits apiece, Cap." (The usual price in that coun-
try was two bits.)
As we were preparing to leave, he remarked, " You must
give us a call on your return, sir, and stay overnight with
us, sir ; I want to show you a specimen of genuine old Vir-
ginia hospitality, sir^ He then directed one of the negroes
to bring up our horses, and, as we were mounting, said,
" Gentlemen, don't give that bo}- Jake two bits apiece for
taking care of your horses; don't do it, gentlemen." (We
had then made no demonstrations toward rewarding the
boy.)
From the price we paid for our dinner, it occurred to me
that if the barbecue had come oif, the Virginian's hospital-
ity might have proved rather an expensive affair to me.
The people inhabiting the rural districts of the South-
western States have, as the reader has probably observed,
adopted many words and phrases which are not found in
Webster's Dictionary, or sanctioned by any of our gram-
marians. They have also taken the liberty of changing
the pronunciation of many words in such a manner, and
applying them in such novel ways, that it is almost impos-
sible for one not familiar with these peculiarities to com-
prehend their meaning in ordinary conversation. For in-
stance, they call bear, bar ; door, doo ; chair, char ; stair.
384 AN OVERCKAP,
star ; crop, crap ; etc., etc. They say, "1 made right smart
o' craps this year," or " How ar ye crappin on't?" etc. But
I heard this word used in a still more singular connection
w^hile I was making the passage across the Gulf from New
Orleans to Powder-horn, in company with Mr. Kendall, for-
merly of the New Orleans Picayune, and several other very
agreeable gentlemen, who were en route to Texas.
Shortly after leaving New Orleans our attention -was di-
rected to a newly-married couple on board, who presented
the most extraordinary contrast in size that I have ever
met with. The man was exceedingly diminutive — I should
imagine about five feet high, and probably not exceeding
one hundred pounds in weight ; while, on the other hand,
his bride was a most buxom and ponderous j^ersonage, and,
as I verily believe, weighed at the smallest calculation two
hundred and fifty pounds. The contrast was so marked,
and indeed ludicrous, that they were the objects of irresist-
ible observation and comment whenever they made their
appearance together.
One day I was standing upon the upper deck of the
steamer while the happy pair were promenading back and
forth, arm in arm, when a passenger, who was evidently a
backwoodsman, a2)proached me, and, pointing toward them,
said, "Now, Cap., don't you sorter reckon that thar little man
thar has a leetle bit overcrapt hisselff'' I concurred with
him in what I took to be the import of his agricultural fig-
ure, and observed that, in my opinion, the young gentleman
would have his hands full in the event of any future dis-
cord which should lead to a personal encounter between
them. lie turned and walked away, remarking, " As sure
as yer born, he's a mighty small chance of a man to have
such a powerful heap o' wife."
As we were coming into the border settlements of Texas
from my first expedition across the Plains in 1849, after an
LOST AND FOUND. 885
absence of eight months, during which time we had not
heard a word from our friends at home, one of the first
houses we met with upon our route was that of a planter
by the name of Butt, who possessed a large force of negroes,
and cultivated extensive crops. As may be imagined, our
wardrobes, after a long march through an unexplored coun-
try from New Mexico, were in a somewhat dilapidated con-
dition, and our tattered costumes were not such at this time
as to give any indication that we held commissions in the
United States Army, or to impress a stranger very favor-
ably toward us.
I started out from camp at an early hour in the morning,
in advance of the command, and, riding up to Mr. Butt's
gate, saw a man standing upon the piazza, whom I took to
be the proprietor of the establishment, and inquired if he
had any corn for sale. He, in a very curt and indifferent
manner, after casting a glance at me, said, "Yes, I've a plen-
ty of corn ;" and in reply to my inquiry as to whether he
would sell me some, he said, "Yes, sir, if you've got money
to pay for it."
I told him that, unfortunately, our finances were then
pretty low, but, if it would answer his purposes, I would
give him an order upon the quartermaster at Fort Wash-
ita, which I assured him would be a good voucher for the
payment of the corn. This proposition seemed to strike
him with surprise, and, after looking attentively at me for
a moment, he came out to the gate, invited me to alight
and walk into the house. He then inquired of me what
part of the country I came from, and on my replying that I
was just in from the Plains, he said, "Ah indeed! pray did
you hear any thing from Captain Marcy as you passed
through the Indian country ?" Now the fact was, we had
been expected for several weeks, and serious fears were be-
ginning to be entertained by our friends for our safety. I
2K
386 LOST AND FOUND,
answered his question by assuring him that I had several
times met the individual he seemed to take such an interest
in, and, indeed, that we had traveled together for a consid-
erable distance.
"Is it possible?" said he. "Well, sir, can you give me
any information as to his whereabouts at this time, for his
wife has been at Fort Washita several weeks, in a state of
considerable anxiety, awaiting tidings from him ?"
I replied that I had no doubt the lady had a proper ap-
preciation of the perils her husband had been subjected to,
but that I knew him well, as we had been raised and were
schoolmates together ; indeed, I said, the origin of our ac-
quaintance might be dated some forty years back. I, how-
ever, quietly intimated to him that it might be just as well
for him to say nothing about the exact number of years to
Mrs. M , as I was under the impression that she was a
little sensitive upon this particular subject. I then added
that, according to the best of my knowledge and belief, the
captain was the identical personage with whom he was con-
versing at that very instant. Of course he was greatly as-
tonished, and told me that his corn, hay, house, and every
thing it contained, were all at my disposal.
I frequently met Mr. Butt afterward, and am indebted to
him and his accomplished lady for many hospitalities which
they have extended to me.
In passing through the interior settlements of Texas, Ar-
kansas, and Southwestern Missouri, the traveler rarely sees
a church or school-house. The few places of public wor-
ship that are met with in this country are generally located
in the vicinity of springs and in groves of timber, where
semicircular tiers of benches are placed, with a pulpit in
the centre, something in the form of a decapitated sentry-
box, the whole having no other covering but the branches
of the trees, surmounted by the canopy of the heavens;
A BOLD PARSON. 387
and it is only occasionally, at wide intervals of time, when
a circuit or other itinerant preacher happens to come around,
that they have an opportunity of listening to any elucida-
tion of the Scriptures. The consequence is, that these peo-
ple have but little appreciation of the sanctity and holiness
of the principles inculcated by our Christian religion, and
do not, in many cases, entertain a proper respect and rev-
erence for the teachers of this religion.
The Eeverend Mr. C , who had spent the greater
part of his life in endeavoring to improve the spiritual con-
dition of the people in Western Texas, was at one time ap-
pointed chaplain for a military post at which I chanced to
be stationed, and related to me several quite amusing inci-
dents connected with his professional career in that country.
He was a man of most unexceptionable moral and re-
ligious character, besides being an educated and refined gen-
tleman; but, at the same time, he possessed an irascible
and explosive temperament, which required the exercise of
all his powers of self-discipline to keep it under proper
subjection. For example, he once learned that a certain
deacon of his church had made allegations which were
highly detrimental to his character, and wholly untrue.
This roused his indignation to such a pitch that, upon the
impulse of the moment, he seized a cowhide, and started
out with the firm determination of giving him a sound flag-
ellation ; but, before reaching the deacon's residence, it oc-
curred to him that this was rather an improper proceeding
for a man of his profession, and, after a little reflection, he
abandoned his purpose.
While riding his circuit at one time in the sparsely-set-
tled country bordering Red River, he wandered from his
customary route, and was overtaken by night near the
house of a gambler of notoriously desperate character,
whose hostility to religious persons had been evinced upon
388 A BOLD PARSON.
numerons occasions, and was proverbial. It was generally
believed that he had been guilty of more heinous practices
than that of obtaining money by the exercise of the tricks
of his profession, and it was even hinted that some of the
travelers who had taken lodgings at his house had very
mysteriously disappeared. Mr. C was perfectly aware
of these facts, and would have preferred other quarters ;
but he was a valorous " soldier of the Cross," of whom it
might very truly be said " that he feared neither man nor
the devil," and he did not hesitate to stop. As he rode up
to the door, he overheard the man observe to his wife,
" There comes that d — d old parson. I suppose he wants
to stay overnight ; but if he thinks I am going to put up
with his praying and psalm-singing, he is very much mis-
taken. I'll make him pay his bill in different coin from
that." He paid no attention to the ill-natured remark, but,
dismounting, entered the house, and informed the surly pro-
prietor that he- intended passing the night with him. To
which the man rei^lied that perhaps he would suspend his
decision upon that subject until he had ascertained whether
his presence would be agreeable. To this he made no an-
swer, excepting, as he pulled off his overcoat, he observed
that he had come to stay. When supper was announced,
and all were seated at the table, the gambler seized his knife
and fork, and was about commencing his repast, when the
clergyman raised his hands as in the act of invoking a bless-
ing, and, at the same time, cast a stern look of inquiry at
him, which caused him to drop his knife and fork, and in
an indignant tone to say, ^^ Let er slide, parson.''^ He was
evidently much annoyed at the rather arbitrary and dicta-
torial manner in which the clerical gentleman exercised his
ecclesiastical prerogatives upon his premises, and hardly
condescended to address any conversation to him during
the evening. The clergyman, however, was i^ot at all in-
TEXAN PIONEERS. 389
timidated or disconcerted by these manifestations of dissat-
isfaction and ill-humor, and resolved, when the time ap-
proached for retiring to bed, that he would perform his
customary evening family service. Thereupon he drew
from his pocket a Bible, and in a very solemn and stern
manner motioned to the gambler to bring him a small
table. He complied with the summons, seized the table,
and in a manner as if to ventilate his indignation, slammed
it down in front of his guest ; then, resuming his seat, com-
menced whistling the " Arkansas Traveler." The clergy-
man said nothing, but looked a severe reprimand at him
while he significantly pointed his finger to the Bible. This
had the desired efiect. He ceased his derisive whistling,
and, with a inost disgusted air, said, " Well, d — n it, par-
son, hile ahead.''''
The night passed quietly, the morning service was per-
formed, and, as my friend was about taking his departure,
he opened his purse and inquired the amount of his bill,
and received the following laconic reply : " Not a d — d
cent, parson ; go along about your business ; but don't
come psalm-singing around my house any more, for I won't
stand it."
Among the pioneers who, under the inducements held
out by Mexico, first emigrated to Texas from the United
States, were many worthy citizens, who entered this new
field of enterprise with the design of making permanent
homes for their families ; but with these were commingled
adventurous spirits, who sought excitement and danger ;
also individuals of desperate fortunes, who had nothing to
lose ; as well as refugees from justice, who deemed this the
safest asylum to escape the penalties due to their crimes.
As a necessary consequence, society composed of such
heterogeneous elements was eminently impulsive, unsettled,
and lawless. . During the revolution which was inaugurated
2K*
390 FREQUENCY OF MURDERS.
and carried on by them, and indeed for years after they
had secured their independence, many of the border set-
tlers held themselves amenable to no laws save those that
were enforced at the muzzle of the revolver and the point
of the bowie-knife. Even as late as 1854, after the forms
of statutory civil jurisdiction had been instituted under
legislative enactment, and courts had been established, the
authorities were, as a general rule, almost entirely disre-
garded, and virtually set at defiance by the lawless desper-
adoes along the borders, and crimes of the greatest turpi-
tude were perpetrated almost daily.
The law officers seldom, if ever, took cognizance of cases
where men were killed in personal encounters, and often-
times the most foul and premeditated murders were allowed
to pass by unnoticed.
To such an extent were these atrocities sometimes car-
ried, that the better classes of the people, seeing the impo-
tence of the legal authorities, and, in some instances, their
probable complicity with the jDcrpetrators of the crimes,
would become roused to such a pitch of indignation that
they occasionally took the law into their own hands, and
executed summary justice according to the code of Judge
Lynch.
Murderers were often allowed to escape trial or punish-
ment, but it was seldom that a man who had been guilty
of horse-stealing could avoid the extreme penalty of Lynch
law ; this was looked upon by them as the most unpardon-
able offense known to their legal calendar, and public sen-
timent was unanimous in pronouncing this a capital crime,
only to be expiated at the end of the halter.
While I was stationed upon the Kio Grande, a quiet, re-
spectable citizen, whom I happened to know, arrived at Rio
Grande City, opposite Comargo, and, entering a billiard sa-
loon, seated himself to observe the game. lie had not been
A DESPERADO. . 391
there long before a man who was an entire stranger to him
came in and blustered around a good deal, with the evident
intention of creating a disturbance. He made frequent in-
sulting remarks to persons in the room, endeavoring to
bully them into a quarrel, but they did not seem disposed
to come in collision with him. At length, however, he ap-
proached the stranger, and in an insulting tone said, " Per-
haps you may have something to say about it?"
"About what, sir?" he replied.
" Why, sir, about my being the best man in all Texas.
I make this assertion, and would like to see the man who
presumed to differ with me upon that subject."
The stranger was so much annoyed at these impertinent
remarks that he replied, "In my opinion, you, instead of
beino; the best, are about the worst man I have met with in
the state." This brought on a quarrel, which resulted in
both parties drawing their revolvers, and firing several
shots at each other in rapid succession. The man who gave
the insult was killed, and the other was so severely wound-
ed that he could not stand.
At this juncture a notorious desperado entered the estab-
lishment, and seeing the two men lying upon the floor, de-
manded to know what had happened, and on being in-
formed, drew his revolver, went up to the living man, who
was .stretched out perfectly powerless, and told him he in-
tended taking his life. The man begged of him to allow
him to see a friend in town for a moment, in order to make
some arrangements about his "family affairs. He told him
he would not permit it, and, holding the pistol near his
head, deliberately fired several balls into his brain, either
of which was suf&cient to take his life ; after which he
walked around the dead body of his victim for several
hours, defying every body, and challenging the community
to attempt his arrest. No one, however, felt disposed to
392 MAJOK NEIGHBORS.
encounter the fiend, and he was suffered to remain unmo- •
lested in town until the following day, when he mounted
his horse and quietly rode off.
These facts were related to me by a respectable gentle-
man of the place, who was an eyewitness to at least a por-
tion of the tragedy, and who made an effort to get up a par-
ty to lynch the murderer; but the friends of the latter were
so numerous that he was very glad to suspend proceedings.
The last time I heard of the desperado he was living at
San Antonio, and, for aught I know, is there still.
My friend, Major Neighbors, whom I have several times
before alluded to, related to me the following incident in
his experience among the early settlers of Texas :
He was, during the revolution, attached to the army in
the capacity of quartermaster, and upon one occasion had
purchased a quantity of corn from a farmer somewhere in
the neighborhood of Austin ; but, for want of the means of
transportation, could not remove it at the time, and ar-
ranged with the vendor to keep it in store until it could be
sent for. After a considerable lapse of time he procured
wagons and went for the corn ; but, on his arrival, the per-
son from whom it was purchased stated that he had a claim
against the government, and should not allow the grain to
be taken away until this claim was liquidated. The major
replied that, as the corn had already been paid for, he
should certainly take it, and accordingly directed his men
to load up the wagons, which was done ; but, as he was
about leaving, the man assured him that before he reached
Austin the corn would certainly be taken from him. The
major comprehended the import of the threat, and told the
man that he sliould encamp at a certain spring, where he
could be found until nine o'clock on the following morn-
ing, and that he should be ready to receive any proposi-
tions he'might have to make. He knew the man to be of
ABATING A NUISANCE. 398
desperate character, and anticipated trouble with him. He
therefore, on the following morning, cleaned, recharged, and
recapped his rifle, and awaited the issue. About nine
o'clock the man rode up with several of his associates, all
fully armed, and apparently prepared for battle ; but the
friends of the man did not seem disposed to engage in the
contest, and held a little back, while the principal individ-
ual dismounted and took a position behind an unoccupied
log hut, from whence he would occasionally show himself
around the corner and fire at the major with his revolver,
but did not hit him. The major then placed his rifle to his
shoulder, and, when his antagonist made his appearance
again, drew trigger; but the gun missed fire. He put on a
new cap, and missed the second time. He then deliberate-
ly pricked some powder into the cone, and recapped the
rifle, while, in the mean time, his antagonist was firing sev-
eral shots at him, none of which took effect. Then, raising
his rifle again, he fired, shot the man through the brain,
and he fell dead in his tracks. His companions then ap-
proached, and congratulated the major on having performed
a meritorious act in ridding the country of a bad subject,
who was a nuisance to the whole neighborhood.
Major Neighbors was attached to the celebrated Mier
expedition, and was taken prisoner, marched to the city of
Mexico, and thence to Pueblo, where he and his compan-
ions received very harsh treatment at the hands of the
Mexicans. He informed me that himself and five comrades
were every morning harnessed into a cart and conducted
by a guard to the city market, where supplies for the day
were procured, and hauled by this novel six-man team back
to the prison.
Notwithstanding the rigor of their treatment here, the
major said they were generally in good spirits, and many
practical jokes were perpetrated upon the simple-minded
394 A YANKEE TEAM.
soldiers who had them in charge. The ^^ off lead''' man in
the team before mentioned was very conspicuous in this
regard ; indeed, he seemed utterly unable to resist improv-
ing an opportunity for a good joke. As an instance, one
morning, while they were being driven into the market,
they were passing the stall of a very old Mexican woman,
whose peculiarly fantastic costume, and shriveled, haggard
countenance gave her more the appearance of a fiend than
a human being. As soon as the off leader caught a glimpse
of this hideous old woman, he cast a wink back at his com-
rades, and, suddenly raising his head and snorting like a
horse, started off in a trot, sheering around her, and gradu-
ally turning his head in imitation of a horse who shuns a
suspicious-looking object. All the other men entered into
the spirit of the joke, and followed him around, pretending
to be prodigiously frightened, and they all with one accord
set out at full speed down the Jalapa Road, with the cart
rattling along over the pavement behind them, and pursued
by the astonished guard, calling out in Spanish at the top
of their voices for them to halt. They paid no attention to
the order, but continued on for nearly a mile before the
guard was able to get around them and arrest their head-
way. The officer then came up, very much blown, and in
a most excited and angry tone demanded to know what
they meant by such insubordinate conduct. The ^^ off'lead-
er," who was the originator of the joke, asked him if he did
not observe that horrible old hag sitting in the market-
place. "Was that what frightened you so?" said the offi-
cer. "Wliy, certainly," he replied; "she did it, and we
could not help running away : did she not scare you too ?"
"No," he answered, slapping his breast, "I am a soldier,
and am not intimidated by such trifles." They were then
taken back to the market, and as they approached near tho
old woman, the officer, observing, as he thought, some indi-
GENERAL HOUSTOK 396
cations of another stampede, ordered two of his men to take
the leaders by the heads, and conduct them by a wide cir-
cuit around the object of their supposed terror.
They overheard the officer report the affair to the com-
mander of the fort on their return, and the latter affirmed,
as his candid opinion, that " los Gringos'^ (Yankees) were
great cowards after all.
In 1854 I had the pleasure of meeting Colonel McLeod,
who commanded the expedition to Santa Fe in 1841, so
graphically described by Mr. Kendall in his interesting nar-
rative of that expedition. Colonel McLeod was at one time
adjutant general of the republic of Texas when General
Houston was president, and he related to me several very
amusing anecdotes in relation to the general. I can not, of
course, give them to the reader in his peculiarly felicitous
and happy style, but I will attempt to convey as correct an
idea of the substance of one or two of them as possible.
At one time a large force of volunteers had been called
out to resist the encroachments of a numerous band of In-
dians, who were reported as advancing on Nacogdoches.
These troops were placed under command of General Rusk,
afterward United States Senator, and were composed of
frontier rangers, every man of whom considered himself
as good as the president, secretary of war, or any other dig-
nitary in the universe.
After the troops had been assembled, they were all desir-
ous of encountering the savages, and felt very confident of
their ability to defeat them ; but it appears that the presi-
dent, who was at General Rusk's head-quarters, entertained
a different opinion, and either entered into a treaty, or made
some other arrangements by which, the Indians were al-
lowed to escape without a battle. The troops were then dis-
banded and authorized to return home. On the following
day the streets of Nacogdoches were filled with them, and
396 QUIETING A VOLUNTEER.
there was a general jollification ; but, at the same time, it
appeared that great dissatisfaction was entertained against
the president for his pacific action in the matter, and some
of them did not hesitate to give expression to their feelings
in open denunciations of his course.
During the day Generals Houston and Kusk and Col-
onel McLeod were walking through the streets, when they
came near a large collection of men, and in their midst was
a young and stalwart disbanded volunteer, who had prob-
ably taken several drinks, and was expatiating in a most
excited and vociferous manner to the people around him.
The trio halted, and General Houston said, " It seems to
me. General Eusk, that you do not preserve very good or-
der or discipline among your men."
General Rusk replied that these men were disbanded,
and they were not then subject to his control. "Well,
Rusk," said the general, " come along with me, and I'll
show you how to dispose of such disorderly crowds." Col-
onel McLeod thought he would like to witness the gener-
al's method of enforcing discipline among the ^^ Mustangs,^^
and the three set off together. It was with great difficulty
that they were enabled to penetrate the dense mass of men
to where the unruly speaker was holding forth, but, by dint
of a good deal of Jiard squeezing, twisting, and turning,
they at length found themselves confronting the speaker,
when General Houston, in a very mild and amiable tone
of voice, after placing his hand on the young man's shoul-
der and looking him in the eye, said, " Are you not aware,
my young friend, that you are disturbing the peace and
quiet of this community, and that, too, sir, in the presence
of the President of the Republic?" The young man, who
the instant before had been screaming at the highest pitch
of his voice and gesticulating in tlic most excited manner,
suddenly ceased his harangue, and, turning upon the gen-
A HARD CASE. 897
eral, in a low but very emphatic tone, said, " J.re you Sam
Houston V
"I am, sir," he replied.
"Are you the President of the Eepublic ?"
" Yes, my young friend, I have the honor to bear that
distinguished cognomen." ,
At this the young man closed his fists, and, springing
like a tiger upon the general, knocked him down, while at
the same time he exclaimed, "Well, d — n you, Sam Hous-
ton, you are the very man I wanted to see ;" and it was
with great difficulty that they extricated the poor old man
from the clutches of the infuriated volunteer.
The stoical indifference with which the frontiersman sub-
mits to misfortunes of the most disastrous character is strik-
ingly exhibited in the following incident, which is related
by Captain Burton in his work on the "City of the Saints."
A man, traveling upon the desert of the Humboldt, was pass-
ing a solitary wagon standing in the road, without any team
attached, "and, seeing a wretched -looking lad nursing a
starving baby, asks him what the matter may be. ' Wall,
now,' responds the youth, 'guess I'm kinder streakt. Ole
dad's drunk ; ole mom's got the /^^/-sterics ; brother Jim be
playing poker with two gamblers ; sister Sal's down thar a
courtin' of a en-tire stranger ; this yere baby's got the di-
aree the wust sort ; the team's clean guv out ; the wagon's
broke down ; it's twenty miles to the next water — I don't
care a ef I never see Californey.' "
Another illustration will suffice to establish the philo-
sophical and recuperative nature of these people:
Governor , of Territory, was questioned
by an Eastern friend regarding the character and resources
of the country over which his official jurisdiction extended.
The governor, who was of sanguine temperament, replied
that it was generally regarded as possessing advantages over
2L
398 BANNOCK OR BUST.
almost any other of our new Territories ; indeed, he said he
had never seen or heard of but one man who was not cap-
tivated with it, and that individual did not remain long
enough to thoroughly appreciate its merits. The person
he alluded to was bound for Bannock, and had met with a
good many accidents upon the road, such as losing his cat-
tle, breaking his wagon, and in various other ways, which
would have disheartened most men ; but he was by no
means discouraged, and pushed forward with unabated vigor
until he lost all his animals except one ox and a small cow.
These, as a dernier resort, he yoked together, and they con-
stituted the only remaining motive power for his wagon.
Still he was undaunted in his purpose to accomplish the
journey he had undertaken, and, as an evidence of Jihis
fact, he had, with a piece of charcoal, written in large char-
acters upon the side of his w agon /^ Bannock or husV At
length, however, the severe labor proved too much for the
poor cow, and she died ; and, as if to complete the catalogue
of his disasters, his only remaining animal took it into his
head to stampede, and he was then left without any means
of transportation. About this time the governor was pass-
ing, and observed the man sitting over a small fire in rather
a disconsolate mood, but apparently endeavoring to keep
up his spirits by whistling " Hail Columbia !" The inscrip-
tion upon his wagon, however, had been erased, and a new
one substituted in its place, as follows — ^^ Busted, hy thun-
der T
MOUNTAINEERS. 399
CHAPTER XIII.
MOUNTAINEERS.
Mountaineers. — Jim Bridger. — His Troubles with the "Danites." — Sir
George Gore. — Tim Goodale and Jim Baker. — Bear Fight. — Singular
Duel. — Mariano. — Mr. Clyburn. — His Adventures in the Mountains. —
His Return to the Settlements. — Narrow Escape on Rock River. — Indian
Law.
Scattered here and there throughout the wilds of the
Rocky Mountains are still remaining a few of those semi-
civilized white men called "mountaineers," who wandered
from their homes in the Border States early in life, and en-
listed in the service of the different fur companies. Many
of these peculiar and interesting people have spent the
greater portion of their lives and grown gray in the rough
and adventurous life incident to their occupations as hunt-
ers and trappers, and the history of their experiences teems
with thrilling incident and reckless personal adventure.
At the time the American and Northwest Fur Companies
were at the height of their prosperity, and when beaver fur
was worth ten dollars a pound, these men were employed
in Montreal, St. Louis, and other places on the frontier for
a term of years, and from the time they left the settle-
ments until their return they seldom tasted bread, sugar,
tea, coffee, or vegetables. Like the prairie Indians, almost
their only subsistence from one year's end to another con-
sisted of fresh meat, and even this was only supplied by the
precarious results of the chase. The rifle furnished their
entire commissariat, and, as a necessary consequence in a
J:00 JIM BRIDGER.
locality where game did not abound, they were often sub-'
jected to great suffering from hunger.
Notwithstanding the privations and perils to which these
people were constantly exposed, and the slender pecuniary
profits which they derived from their avocations, strange
as it may appear, I have yet to see the first one of them
who did not become fascinated with the life, and it is sel-
dom if ever they can be prevailed upon to abandon it. It
seems to possess for them a charm of excitement and ro-
mance which no other occupation can supply.
I have known several of these men who returned to the
settlements after years spent in the Indian country, intend-
ing to abandon their roving life ; but they soon became
restless and discontented, and, after a brief period, went
back to the mountains and resumed the habits of the trap-
per.
Among these people, one of the most interesting speci-
mens it has been my fortune to meet with, and one who oc-
cupies an exalted position among his confrt^res as a success-
ful trapper and hunter, and who has no superior as a relia-
ble guide and bold Indian fighter, is the well-known veter-
an mountaineer Jim Bridgei\ who has passed the major por-
tion of his solitary life in the Eocky Mountains, far re-
moved from all intercourse with civilized society.
When I first met him at Fort Laramie in 1857, he was a
man about sixty years of age, tall, thin, wiry, and with a
complexion well bronzed by toil and exposure, with an in-
dependent, generous, and open cast of countenance indica-
tive of brave and noble impulses, which are characteristics
of the hunter generally. Ilis history, pregnant as it is
with scenes of startling personal incident, interested me su-
premely.
Bridger was a native of the " Old Dominion," and had
come to the head waters of the Missouri about thirty-four
JIM BRIDGER. 401
years before, and was there engaged for many years in
trapping. From thence he wandered south into California,
and ultimately established himself upon Black's Fork of
Green Eiver, one of the two principal tributaries of the
Colorado of California. Here he erected an establishment
which he called Fort Bridger, and here he was for several
years prosecuting a profitable traffic both with the Indians
and with California emigrants. At length, however, his
prosperity excited the cupidity of the Mormons, and they
intimated to him that his presence in such close proximity
to their settlements was not agreeable, and advised him to
pull up stakes and leave forthwith ; and upon his question-
ing the legality or justice of this arbitrary summons, they
came to his place with a force of " avenging angels," and
forced him to make his escape to the woods in order to
save his life. He remained secreted for several days, and,
through the assistance of his Indian wife, was enabled to
elude the search of the Daniies, and make his way to Fort
Laramie, leaving all his cattle and other property in posses-
sion of the Mormons.
From Laramie he, for the first time in thirty-one years,
returned to the States, and laid his case before the authori-
ties at Washington, and he was on his return when I met
him. As may be imagined, he did not entertain the most
friendly feelings for the ^^ Latter-day /S'amfe," and he would
not probably have gone very far out of his way to have
saved their, scidps, as he termed the savages' battle trophy.
Bridger had been the guide, interpreter, and companion
of that distinguished Irish sportsman. Sir George Gore,
whose peculiar tastes led him in 1855 to abandon the lux-
urious life of Europe and bury himself for over two years
among the savages in the wildest and most unfrequented
glens of the Eocky Mountains.
The outfit and adventures of this titled Nimrod, conduct-
2L*
•102 SIR GEORGE GORE. '
ed as thej were upon a most gigantic scale, probably ex-
ceeded any thing of the kind ever before attempted on this
continent, and the results of his exploits will compare favor-
ably with the performances of GTordon Gumming in Africa.
Some conception may be formed of the magnitude of his
equipment when it is stated that his party consisted of
about fifty persons, comprising secretaries, steward, cooks,
fly-makers, dog-tenders, hunters, servants, etc., etc. He was
provided with a train of thirty wagons, besides numerous
saddle-horses and dogs.
I met Sir George at St. Louis soon after his return from
the mountains, and found him affable and communicative.
lie related to me several of his adventures with the In-
dians, and showed me his guns of various descriptions and
calibres, suited to the destruction of all kinds of game, and
upon them I observed the names of Joe Manton, Purdy,
Westley Eichards, and other celebrated makers.
He informed me that during his protracted hunt he had
slaughtered the enormous aggregate of forty grizzly bears,
twenty-five hundred buffaloes, besides numerous elk, deer,
antelope, and other small game. He had brought back
with him a host of trophies, which would be abundant
vouchers for his performances on his return home.
Some persons will probably think it a very strange in-
fatuation that a nobleman like Sir George, possessing an
income of some $200,000 per annum, should voluntarily
withdraw from all society, and retire to the wilderness
among savages for two long years, exposed to all the perils
and privations consequent upon such a life ; but I assure
the denizens of cities that he required no sympathy from
them, as he was one of those enthusiastic, ardent sportsmen
who derived more real satisfaction and pleasure from one
day's successful hunting than can possibly be imagined by
those who have never participated in tliis exliilarating and
LITERATURE. 403
healtliful amusement. Besides, lie returned home with a
renovated constitution, good health and spirits, and a new
lease of perhaps ten years to his life, and, finally, he had
seen something of life out of the ordinary beaten track of
the great mass of other tourists.
Bridger often spoke to me about Sir George Gore, and
always commended him as a bold, dashing, and successful
sportsman, a social companion, and an agreeable gentleman.
Sir George's habit was to sleep until about ten or eleven
o'clock in the morning, when he took his bath, ate his
breakfast, and set out generally alone for the day's hunt ;
and Bridger says it was not unusual for him to remain out
until ten o'clock at night, and he seldom returned to camp
without augmenting the catalogue of his exploits.
His dinner was then ordered, to partake of which he
generally extended an invitation to my friend Bridger,
and after the repast was concluded, and a few glasses of
wine had been drunk, he was in the habit of reading from
some book, and eliciting from Bridger his comments there-
on. His favorite author was Shakspeare, which Bridger
" reckon'd was a leetle too highfalutin for him ;" more-
over, he remarked that he " ray ther calculated that thar big
Dutchman, Mr. Full-stuffs was a leetle bit too fond of lager
beer," and suggested that probably it might have been bet-
ter for the old man if he had imbibed the same amount of
alcohol in the more condensed medium of good old Bour-
bon whisky.
Bridger seemed deeply interested in the adventures of
Baron Munchausen, but admitted, after the reading was
finished, that "he be dogond ef he swallered every thing
that thar Baren Mountchawson said, and he thout he was a
durn'd liar." Yet, upon farther reflection, he acknowledged
that some of his own experience among the Blackfeet would
be equally marvelous, '"'■ ef writ doxon in a hooh.''''
404 GOODALE AND BAKER.
One evening Sir George entertained his auditor by read-
ing to him Sir Walter Scott's account of the battle of Wa-
terloo, and afterward asked him if he did not regard that as
the most sanguinary battle he had ever heard of. To which
Bridger replied, " Wall, now, Mr. Gore, that thar must 'a bin
a considdible of a skriramage, dogon my skin ef it mustn't;
them Britishers must 'a fit better thar than they did down
to Horleans, whar Old Hickry gin um the forkedest sort
o' chain-lightnin' that prehaps you ever did see in all yer
born days !" And upon Sir George's expressing a little in-
credulity in regard to the estimate Bridger placed upon this
battle, the latter added, "You can jist go yer pile on it, Mr.
Gore — you can, as sure as yer born."
Two veteran mountaineers, Tim Goodale and Jim Baker,
accompanied me as guides when I made my expedition over
the Rocky Mountains from Fort Bridger to New Mexico,
during the winter of 1857-8, to procure supplies for our lit-
tle army in Utah, and I am under great obligations to them
for the valuable assistance they rendered me in overcoming
the formidable obstacle presented by the deep snows we
encountered upon the lofty summits of those sierras, and I
shall never cease to regard them with the liveliest interest
and friendship. Tim Goodale was an intelligent man, of
fair education, and had traveled across the continent several
times to California. He had lived for many years among
the Indians, and had trapped beaver upon the head waters
of the Missouri, Columbia, and Colorado. He was an inti-
mate friend of Kit Carson, and they had often spread their
blankets together in their mountain bivouac.
Baker was a man of more limited experience and educa-
tion, but a generous, noble-hearted specimen of the trapper
type, who would peril his life for a friend at any time, or
divide his last morsel of food.
He was born in Tllinois, and lived at home until he was
GOODALE AND BAKER. 405
eighteen years of age, when he enlisted in the American
Fur Company, went to the mountains, and had remained
there ever since. He had married a wife, according to the
Indian custom, from the Snake tribe, and had lived with
the Indians for several years, adopting many of their hab-
its, ideas, and superstitions. He firmly believed in the effi-
cacy of the charms and incantations of the ^'■medicine-men'''
in curing diseases and divining where their enemy was to
be found, predicting the results of war expeditions, etc.
Unfortunately, however, for my friend Jim, he would oc-
casionally allow himself to take a glass of whisky beyond
what he could discreetly carry, and, when in this condition,
would sometimes Qovamit faux pas.
When I first met him, I inquired if he had traveled much
over the settled part of the United States before he came
out into the mountains, to which he replied, " Eight smart,
Cap." I then asked whether he had visited New York.
He said he had not. " Have you been in New Orleans?"
" No, I hasn't been to Horleans, Cap., but I'll tell you whar
I have been : I've traveled mighty nigh all over four coun-
ties in the State of Illinois !" and this, it appeared, was the
extent of his wanderings before leaving home.
Jim seemed fond of his squaw and children, and usually
treated them very kindly ; but his friend, Tim Goodale, in-
formed me that, upon one occasion, when he had taken a
drop of liquor too much, he came into his lodge, and ex-
pressed serious doubts regarding the faithfulness of his
wife ; whereupon Tim assured him that he had no grounds
for his suspicions, and endeavored to convince him of his
injustice, but without success. Jim was very indignant,
seized his hunting-knife, and, with an oath, said, " I'll cut
off one of her ears, Tim ;" and it was with great difficulty
that his friend prevailed upon him to desist from carrying
his purpose into execution. This was one of the Indian
406 SKULPING GRIZZLIES,
methods of punishing a truant spouse, and it seemed to Jim
the most appropriate for the present occasion.
When we reached the settlements in New Mexico, after
passing over the mountains. Baker concluded he would, for
the time being, cast aside his leggins, moccasins, and other
mountain gear, and adopt a civilized wardrobe ; according-
ly, he supplied himself with a complete outfit, and when I
met him shortly afterward he had undergone an entire
metamorphose. I remarked that I should hardly have
known him, so great was the change. He did not appear
to appreciate the compliment, however, and said, " Con-
found these yere store butes. Cap. ; they choke my feet like
hell." It was the first time in twenty years that he had
worn any thing but moccasins upon his feet, and they were
not prepared for the severe torture inflicted by the break-
ing in of a pair of badly-fitting new boots. He soon cast
them aside, and resumed the softer foot-gear of the mount-
ains.
Jim Baker had been in at the death of many a grizzly
bear, and related to me a number of thrilling accounts of
his encounters with this formidable quadruped. On one
occasion, while he was setting his traps, with a companion,
on the head waters of Grand Eiver, they came suddenly
upon two young grizzly bears, about the size of well-grown
dogs. He remarked to his friend that if they could "pitch
in and skulp the varmints with their knives," it would be
an exploit to boast of They accordingly laid aside their
rifles and " went in," Bridger attacking one and his com-
panion the other. He says the bears immediately raised
themselves upon their haunches, and were ready for the
encounter. He ran around, endeavoring to get an oppor-
tunity to give a blow from behind with his long knife ; but
the young brute was too quick for him, and turned as he
passed around so as always to confront him face to face.
ipll
If,' V \
SKULPIXG GRIZZLIES. 409
He knew if he came within reach of his paws that, although
young, he could inflict a formidable blow ; moreover, he
felt great apprehensions that the piteous howls set up by
the cubs would bring the infuriated dam to their rescue,
when their chances for escape would be small. These
thoughts passing rapidly through his mind made him ex-
ceedingly nervous, and anxious to terminate the combat as
soon as possible. He made many desperate lunges at the
bear, but the animal invariably warded them off with his
fore paws like a pugilist, and protected his body at the ex-
pense of several severe cuts upon his legs. This, however,
only served to exasperate him, and at length he took the
offensive, and, with his mouth frothing with rage, he bound-
ed toward Baker, who grappled with him and gave him a
death-wound under the ribs. While all this was going on
his companion had been furiously fighting the other bear,
and by this time had become greatly exhausted, and the
odds were turning decidedly against him. He entreated
Baker to come to his assistance at once, which he did ; but,
much to his astonishment, as soon as he entered the second
contest his companion ran off, leaving him to fight the bat-
tle alone. He was, however, again victorious, and soon had
the satisfaction of seeing his two antagonists stretched out
lifeless before him ; but he firmly resolved never again to
make war on a bear with a hunting-knife, saying that he
would "never fight narry nother grizzly without a good
shootin-iron in his paws."
Like the mountaineers generally. Baker was liberal to a
fault, and eminently improvident. He had made a great
deal of money in trading and trapping, but, at the annual
rendezvous of the traders, would spend the earnings of a
season in a few days' jollification. He told me that during
one season he had been particularly successful in accumu-
latiuET a verv larsfe amount of furs, from which he realized
2M
410 NOVEL DUEL.
the handsome sum of about nine thousand dollars, and he
resolved that he would abandon his mountain life, return
to the settlements, purchase a farm, and endeavor to live
comfortably for the remainder of his days. He accordingly
made his preparations to leave, and was upon the point of
departure, when a friend invited him to visit a monte bank
which had been opened in camp. He was easily persuaded
to take a little social parting amusement with his old
friends, whom he might never meet again, and accepted the
invitation, the result of which was that the aguardiente cir-
culated freely, and the following morning found him with-
out a cent of money ; he had lost every thing. His entire
plans were thus frustrated, and he returned to the hunting-
grounds with the Indians, where he had remained ever
since.
The last time I saw Jim was on my return to the States
from Utah. He had established a little store at the cross-
ing of Green River, and had for some time been doing a
fair business in traf&cking with the emigrants and trading
with the Indians ; but, shortly before my arrival, a French-
man had made his appearance there, and set up a rival es-
tablishment, which divided the limited trade, and very ma-
terially reduced the profits of Baker's business.
This engendered a bitter spirit of competition and hos-
tility, which soon culminated in a cessation of all social in-
tercourse between them ; and, about the time of my arrival,
it had reached such a pitch that I found Baker standing in
his door, with a pistol loaded and cocked in each hand,
pretty drunk and immensely excited. I dismounted, and
asked him the cause of all this disturbance. He replied,
" That thar yaller-bcllicd, toad-eatin jmrly-voo over thar,
and me, we've been havin a small chance of a skrimmage
to-day, we have, Cap." I remonstrated with him upon his
folly, but he continued: "The sneakin polecat, I'll raise
MARIANO. 411
his bar yet. I'll sculp him, Cap., ef he don't quit these yeare
diggins."
It appeared that they had an altercation in the morning,
which ended in a challenge, when they ran to their respect-
ive cabins, seized their revolvers, and from the doors, that
were only about one hundred yards apart, fired at each
other. They then retired into the cabins, took a drink of
whisky, reloaded their pistols, and again renewed the com-
bat. This peculiar duel had been kept up for several hours
when I arrived, but, fortunately for them, the whisky had
produced such an effect upon their nerves that their aim
was very unsteady, and none of their many shots had as
yet token effect.
I took away Baker's pistols, telling him that I was great-
ly astonished to find that a man of his usually good sense
should make such a fool of himself. He submitted quietly,
saying that he knew I was his friend, but he did not think
I would wish to have him take insults from a cowardly
Frenchman.
The following morning at daylight Jim called at my
camp to bid me good-by, and expressed great regret at what
had transpired the day before. He said this was the first
time since his return from New Mexico that he had allowed
himself to drink whisky, and when the whisky was in him
he had " narry sense."
Another peculiar specimen of the mountaineer genus
who accompanied me over the mountains was a half-breed
Frenchman and Indian by the name of Mariano. He had
spent all his life among the Indians, and for many years
had been in the service of the American and Northwest Fur
Companies. Besides the French, Spanish, and English, he
spoke the languages of several of the Indian tribes with
whom he had lived.
He was an intimate friend of the old patriarch mountain-
412 MK, CLYBURN.
eer Jack Kobinson, and when I met him their lodges were
pitched in the same valley.
While we were making our slow progress up the western
slope of the Eocky Mountains through snow from three to
five feet deep, at the rate of two or three miles a day, I found
Mariano's experience in the high northern latitudes, and
the ready resources which he always had at hand for every
emergency, of great service to me.
For example, he found a substitute for tea in the wild
mint which abounded in the line of our march, and a fair
imitation of tobacco was supplied by the inner bark of the
red willow.
Mariano's qualities have been more fully shown in an-
other part of the book.
While traveling in Wisconsin in the winter of 1835, 1 fell
in with a remarkably interesting and intelligent man by the
name of Clyburn, who accompanied me from Sheboygan to
Green Bay.
At that early period in the settlement of this now dense-
ly-populated state there was not a house between the two
places mentioned, and the only approximation to a road
was a narrow Indian trail, without a tree cut down or a
bridge made upon it.
I found Mr. Clyburn a very pleasant traveling companion,
and he very kindly whiled away the monotony of our long
and solitary ride through that dense wilderness by relating
to me several thrilling incidents in the history of his highly
eventful career. As his character for honor and veracity
are fully established, and will, I dare say, be vouched for
by the early settlers of Milwaukee, the reader may rest per-
fectly assured that every word of his narrative has the im-
press of reality and truth.
He informed me that at an early period in his life (some-
where about the year 1820 I think it was) he enlisted
TBAPPING. 413
at St. Louis to serve for five years in the private fur enter-
prise organized by General Ashley, and with this company
he went immediately to the head waters of the Missouri,
where he followed the vocation of trapper and hunter dur-
ing the entire term of his enlistment.
It was the practice of the agents in charge of the busi-
ness at that time to establish a grand depot for the deposit
of goods and the reception of furs, after which the em-
ployes were sent out in pairs and distributed over the best
trapping-grounds throughout the mountains, each two men
having a certain district of country assigned to them for
the season.
Mr. Clyburn and a companion were at one time assigned
to a district within the country frequented by the Blackfeet
Indians, who had always manifested a most implacable
spirit of hostility to the whites, and made war upon them
whenever they met.
The two companions, however, exercised the greatest
possible precaution in carrying on their trapping opera-
tions, setting and visiting their traps only at early dawn
and late in the evening, and lying concealed in some soli-
tary mountain glen during the daytime. Thus they con-
tinued their business during the entire season without
having been at all molested by their Indian enemies, and
they were richly rewarded for their labors by unusual suc-
cess. They had accumulated a' large amount of valuable
furs, which they packed upon their horses, and started to
return to the depot with them. After traveling a short
distance, they determined to cross a stream which lay in
their route, and had already entered a grove of timber that
covered the bottom lands, when all at once, to their perfect
amazement and horror, they emerged directly into a huge
encampment of Blackfeet Indians, Mr. Clyburn, who was,
under all circumstances, cool and self-possessed, motioned
2M*
414 BLACKFEET HOSPITALITY.
to his companion to follow him, and rode directly up to the
chief's lodge, telling him by signs that they were friends,
had come into his camp to pass the night, and claimed his
protection, thinking that this appeal to his hospitality, one
of the most prominent of the savages' virtues (if they pos-
sess any traits of character that are worthy that appella-
tion), might touch his pride, and possibly induce him to
spare their lives. The chief received them very coldly,
told them to dismount and sit down, and ordered some of
his wives to unpack their horses and give them supper.
He then required them to give an account of themselves,
and imperiously demanded to know how they dare pre-
sume to intrude upon his hunting-grounds, to all of which
they gave the most discreet replies they could invent upon
the spur of the occasion ; but the chief was evidently very
far from being satisfied or kindly disposed toward them.
The squaws set some buffalo meat before them, and their
savage host in a very surly and dictatorial manner told
them "to eatf but, although they had been traveling a long
time, and, under ordinary circumstances, would have done
ample justice to the fare, yet their surroundings upon the
present occasion were of such a character as almost entirely
to take away their appetites. They, however, in order to
do away with any exhibition of alarm on their part, forced
themselves to swallow some of the meat, then lit their pipes
and commenced smoking. Shortly after this, Clyburn, who
understood a little of the Blackfeet language, overheard the
chief tell some of his warriors that he and his companion
must be put to death. Now the encampment was situated
directly upon the river bank, and the chief's lodge where
they were seated was about a hundred yards distant. As
soon as Clyburn learned the fate which the Indians had in
store for them, he immediately resolved upon the course he
should pursue, and very quietly, in a low tone of voice, in-
NAEROW ESCAPE. 415
formed his friend what he had overheard, at the same time
directing him, as the only chance for saving their lives, to
keep constant watch upon his own movements, and to do
precisely as he did. He waited until nearly dark, when he
found an opportunity at a time the Indians seemed off their
guard, and had their eyes turned in another direction, to
spring to his feet, and with lightning speed to run rapidly
toward the river. His friend followed, but the Indians in-
stantly gave the war-cry, and, seizing their arms, pursued '
them closely, firing man}'- balls and arrows, some of which
passed in most disagreeable proximity to his person. He,
however, had the good fortune to reach the river, and
jumped in, diving deeply, and striking out with desperate
strides for the opposite shore, which he reached in safety,
and hid himself under the shelving bank. Here he awaited
in great anxiety for some time, until the Indians had given
up the search and returned to their camps, when he crawled
out and endeavored to get some trace of his friend, but
none was found, and he was never heard of afterward, so
that he must have been murdered by the savages.
My friend Clyburn was now reduced to first principles.
He had lost all his horses, guns, and traps, besides the pro-
ceeds of a year's labor. Indeed, he now found himself to-
tally destitute of every thing except the clothes upon his
back. He was very far from being discouraged, however,
and started at once for the rendezvous, where he arrived a
few days afterward, and, providing himself with another
outfit and companion, he returned to the trapping-grounds
with as good a heart as ever. This kind of life he pursued
until the expiration of his term of service, when, unlike the
most of the mountaineers, he resolved to go back to his
home, and for the future lead a civilized life. Accord-
ingly, after bidding adieu to his friends, he embarked in
one of the fleet of Mackinaw boats which were annually
■il6 START FOR HOME.
sent by the company with their furs down the Missouri
River to St. Louis. In the course of their trip they arrived
at the upper end of a narrow peninsula, made by a very
long detour in the river, which rendered it necessary for
the boats to pass many miles around, while the distance
across the neck of the peninsula was comparatively very
short. Thinking that perhaps he might find game here, he
obtained permission from the man in charge of his boat to
go ashore and take a hunt while the fleet was making the
passage around the bend, expecting to re-embark at the
lower extremity. He accordingly passed several hours in
hunting, without giving much heed to time, believing that
he could easily reach the designated point before the ar-
rival of the boats. On reaching the river bank, he seated
himself and quietly awaited their coming, but he remained
here one, two, and three hours without seeing them.
Thinking that possibly they might have been delayed
from some cause or other, he did not yet feel ^t all alarmed,
but after remaining here hour after hour in anxious expec-
tation until night, he began to think that the fleet must have
passed before he arrived, and that he was left alone in the
wilderness. He knew full well that the life of a trapper
was of but little moment in the estimation of those in charge
of the boats when put in comparison with the importance
of securing a speedy transit for a year's accumulation of the
company's furs, and he was also perfectly conscious of the
fact that he had no reason to expect that they would make
any halt on his account.
He, however, still clung to the hope that the boats might
yet be above him, and, after making a fire, took his station
upon the bank to await their coming ; but the night piissed
and no boats appeared, and he was now reluctantly com-
pelled to abandon all hopes of ever seeing them again. He
possessed a very good general knowledge of the country,
SOLITARY JOURNEY. 417
and, as near as he could calculate, he was at this point about
a thousand miles from the fort at Council Bluffs, the nearest
place where he could expect to reach a white man's habita-
tion. He had his rifle, with eight charges of powder and
ball, and with these he must provide himself with subsist-
ence during the long and solitary journey before him, or
perish in the attempt. It was a most appalling and des-
perate alternative, yet he was not to be discouraged by tri-
fles, and he at once set about making his preparations for
departure.
He struck out from the river bottom upon the prairies,
and took his course for Council Bluffs, traveling day after
day and night after night, and he says that, for several days
and nights after he set out, he was under such a fearful state
of anxiety in regard to his situation that he could neither
sleep nor eat. He husbanded his ammunition with great
care, only expending a charge when he became very hun-
gry and was sure of his game. He would then eat all he
could upon the spot, and carry with him the remainder.
In this manner he continued on until he wore out his moc-
casins and leggins, when the sharp prairie grass cut his
feet and legs so badly that he suffered intense pain there-
from.
Days and weeks passed by, his eyes eagerly sweeping the
field of vision in all directions, Not a solitary human be-
ing made his appearance during the whole time. At length,
after expending all his ammunition and consuming bis last
morsel of meat, he became greatly famished, and the only
nutriment he now had was derived from a few grasshoppers
and spiders which he met with in his track ; but these were
very far from satisfying the cravings of his voracious appe-
tite. He continued to press forward as long as he had a
particle of strength remaining, hoping every moment to see
some evidences of proximity to the fort, but on every side
418 GKEAT SUFFERING.
of liim was nothing but one vast expanse of dreary, deso-
late prairie solitude ; and, finally, he became so much ex-
hausted and so lame that he could go no farther, and was
forced to the conclusion that he must die upon the prairie.
The dread anticipation of such a death, in his enfeebled and
famished state, induced a condition of mind bordering upon
insanity, and, to add to his torture, the wolves now began
to mark him as their victim, and followed on his track for
several days, lapping the blood which dropped upon the
grass from his lacerated feet and legs.
In his delirious moments he would imagine himself raised
from the earth, and carried with giant strides through the
air. The wolves seemed to be transformed into savage-
Blackfeet warriors, who were bent upon his destruction,
and he underwent all the mental torture their actual pres-
ence would have produced. Still he staggered on, until
exhausted nature entirely gave way, and he sank down
upon the ground, expecting never to rise again.
He fell into a most profound sleep, which he thinks must
have continued many hours, and when he awoke, to his as-
tonishment, he felt very much refreshed. Ilis mental ab-
erration had left him; but it was with the greatest diffi-
culty that he succeeded, after several efforts, in rising to his
feet and slowly resuming his painful journey. His iron
will and indomitable firmness of purpose, however, aided
by a powerful physique, enabled him to conquer obstacles
which would have disheartened most men at the outset, and
he again pushed forward with renewed vigor toward the
fort. He traveled on without any sustenance until at length
he "became weary and exhausted again, and once more sank
down powerless upon the ground, and he now abandoned
all thoughts of ever rising again. He expected to die there,
and consigned his soul to his Maker. Yet another deep
sleep soon came over him, on awaking from which he again
ARRIVAL AT COUNCIL BLUFFS. 419
felt somewhat refreshed, and endeavored to rise to his feet,
but found himself unable to do so. At this time he was
near the summit of a hill, and he thought if he could reach
the crest he might perhaps be able to discover something
that would afford him relief Accordingly, he put forth all
his remaining powers, and, with the utmost difficulty, suc-
ceeded in crawling upon his hands and knees to the sum-
mit of the elevation, which proved to be a bluff bordering
the Missouri Valley ; and who can conceive of his joy and
astoui-shment when, on raising his eyes, he beheld, directly
in front of him, and only about half a mile distant, the flag
waving from the fort at Council Bluffs? His feelings on
beholding this welcome haven may be more easily imag-
ined than described. He was like a man who has been
brought from death unto life; and the consciousness of his
safety, after the horrible state of mental anxiety and torture
to which he had been subjected for weeks, overwhelmed
him with the most intense and heartfelt emotions of joy
and gratitude. He prostrated himself upon the earth, and
gave vent to his feelings by weeping for a long time, and
then offered up sincere thanks to the Almighty for his de-
liverance.
In the course of a few hours he was enabled to crawl to-
ward the fort, where he was kindlj'' received by the officers,
and nursed for several weeks before he was sufficiently re-
stored to resume his homeward journey.
After all the scenes of danger, privation, and suffering-
through which Mr. Clyburn had passed, he was delighted
to revisit once more the home of his childhood, and he con-
fidently anticipated that the remainder of his days would
pass in peace and quietness ; but in this he was greatly mis-
taken, as the following narrative will show.
He had, in 183-i, taken up his abode among the first set-
tlers at Milwaukee ; but the population soon increased to
420 POTAWATOMIES.
such an extent tha,t the place became too crowded to suit
him, and he was desirous of purchasing a farm in the beau-
tiful valley of Eock Kiver; and, as the government was
about bringing those lands into market, he, with a friend,
set out upon an expedition to explore that region, and make
selections of lands. They engaged a man to transport their
luggage to the bank of Rock River, where they cut down
a tree and constructed a " dug-ouf (canoe), in which they
embarked, and started on their voyage down the river.
As night approached they arrived at an old Kickapoo
villaee, which was then abandoned. It was raining at the
time, and as the bark lodges offered good shelter, they de-
termined to take up lodgings for the night in one of them.
Accordingly they made a landing, and commenced carry-
ing their baggage ashore, and the transfer was nearly com-
pleted, when, as Clyburn went into the lodge, and was in the
act of striking a light, he heard his companion give the
Indian salutation of " hoo-joo'^ to some person outside. On
going out he met two Indians, an old and a young man.
They shook hands with him, apparently in a friendly man-
ner, and informed him that they were Potawatomies. Rem-
nants of this tribe, as well as of the Kickapoos, Chippeways,
and Winnebagoes, then ranged over that section of country,
but they were supposed to be perfectly peaceable and well-
disposed toward the whites.
As soon as he had passed a few words with the Indians,
Clyburn told his friend to kindle a fire in the lodge, while
he would go out and collect some wood for the night. He
went out, picked up an armful of wood, and was returning,
when suddenly he heard a rifle-shot in the lodge, and, at
the same moment, a cry of distress from his companion,
and instantly afterward the two Indians bounded out of
the lodge and fired a shot at him, which broke his arm.
He dropped the wood and ran at the top of his speed into
FIRST COURT AT MILWAUKEE. 421
the woods, with the Indians after him' in eager pursuit.
Fortunately for him, it was now night, and, under cover of
the darkness, he was enabled to elude the search of his sav-
age pursuers. He concealed himself under a log, and heard
them prowling about near him for some time ; but they
finally gave up the search and went away. He then, with
great difficulty, managed to bind up his shattered arm with
his handkerchief, and started back toward Milwaukee. It
was raining very hard during all the night (I remember it
well, as I myself bivouacked in the woods near Sheboygan
on the same night), and Mr. Clyburn soon became exhaust-
ed from the loss of blood, and very wet and cold. He at-
tempted to strike a fire, but, in consequence of his broken
arm, was unable to hold the flint and punk. He continued
on, however, and the next day (I think it was) had the sat-
isfaction of reaching his home at Milwaukee.
A note was immediately dispatched to Fort Dearborn,
Chicago, the nearest military post, and an officer. Captain
Baxley, with a suitable force, was sent out to apprehend
the perpetrators of the deed. They found the body of the
murdered man, and arrested several Indians whom they
discovered near the locality. These were taken to Fort
Howard, Green Bay, where I was then stationed, and placed
in close confinement until they could be confronted by Mr.
Clyburn, who was laid up for several weeks with his wound,
and had just recovered sufficiently to travel when I met
him at Sheboygan. Although he had only seen the two In-
dians concerned in the murder for a moment, yet, on his ar-
rival at Fort Howard, he recognized them again instantly
among a dozen others.
The Indians then acknowledged themselves to have been
the guilty parties, and were tried for murder before the
first court ever held at Milwaukee. They were convicted,
the old man sentenced to be hung, and his son to imprison-
2N
422 INDIAN LAW.
ment for life. I was myself a witness upon the trial, hav-
ing heard the confession of the Indians at Green Bay,
The sentences of these Indians, owing, I believe, to some
flaw in the proceedings, were not executed. The stoical
imperturbability of the savage character was strikingly
illustrated when they received the information of the re-
sult.
The sheriff called the old man out of his cell and asked
him if he was aware that the day appointed for his execu-
tion had arrived. He, without changing the expression of
his countenance in the least, replied that he did not think
the time was so near at hand, but that he was ready, and,
shaking hands with us, bade us good-by. The sheriff then
told him that he was not to be executed, and was free to go
where he pleased, all of which he received with apparently
perfect indifference.
The reason assigned by these Indians for committing the
murder was that a relative of the old man's wife had been
killed by a sentinel at Fort Winnebago, and she, with the
instincts of her race, gave the old man no peace until he
had assuaged her thirst for revenge with the blood of a
white man. One of the peculiar characteristics of the In-
dians is that they never make allowances for accidents. If
a man, for example, by the accidental discharge of a gun,
happens to kill one of their people, they hold him just as
much responsible for the result as if he committed a will-
ful act of murder. Their legal code makes no distinction
between justifiable homicide and murder in the first degree.
While I was at Green Bay, a Frenchman, who was hunt-
ing deer in the night with a torch-light, seeing before his
canoe two eyes glistening like those of a deer, immediately
raised his rifle and fired. lie was, however, horrified, on
approaching the object, to find that, instead of a deer, he had
shot an Indian directly through the brain. He recognized
FIRE - HUNTING. ' 423
the man, and, taking the body in his canoe, carried it to the
lodge of his brother, to whom he related all the circum-
stances, expressing great regret at what had happened.
The Indian, instead of pardoning him, seized his rifle, and
killed the Frenchman upon the spot.
42-i GOON STORY.
CHAPTER XIV.
CAPTAIN MARTIN SCOTT.
Captain Martin Scott.— The Coon Story.— Tlie Bear-hunter.— The Horse-
i-ace.— Courting Days.— Rifle and Pistol Shooting. — His Duel. — Expedi-
tion with Explorers.— Hunting in Texas.— Wonderful Dog.— "Tally
Ho !" — Return Home to Bennington. — His Death.
When I first joined my regiment (the 5th United States
Infontry) at Fort Howard, Green Bay, in the spring of 1833,
I was assigned to " D" Company, then commanded by Cap-
tain Martin Scott, of coon notoriety.
The coon story has been so often related that it is prob-
ably familiar to many ; but as some may not have heard it,
and as I shall have a good deal to say about Captain Scott,
whose peculiar reputation it aptly illustrates, it may not be
amiss to give a brief repetition of it here.
The story, as I understand, first appeared in a newspaper
published in Utica, New York, in 1840, and the purport of
it was something like the following: Captain Scott, with
several friends, were supposed to have been hunting in the
woods, and had become separated. As they were passing
along, one of them discovered a raccoon sitting upon the
hifdiest limb of one of the tallest trees, and fired at him,
but missed the object and went on. Soon another of the
party made his appearance and delivered a shot, but with
the same result ; and after this, several others took shots at
him, but all were equally unsuccessful ; the coon was not
harmed. After a while, however, Captain Scott passed that
YOUNG BEAR-HUNTER. 425
way, and, seeing the raccoon, drew up his rifle, and was in
the act of pulling trigger, when the coon said to him, " Who
are you?" He replied, "My name is Scott." "What
Scott?" inquired the coon. "Why, Captain Scott." "Are
you Captain Martin Scott?" said the coon. "The same,"
was the answer. "Then," said the coon, "you need not
shoot; I'll come down."
This officer had served for many years at our most re-
mote frontier posts, and he had always borne the reputa-
tion of having been the best shot of his day. His ambition
consisted in owning the best horses, dogs, and guns, and he
was a thorough sportsman and hunter, besides being a faith-
ful and gallant soldier.
At an early day, when he was a boy only twelve years
of age, living at his home in Bennington,Yermont, a bear
made his appearance in that neighborhood, committing
great havoc among the farmers' sheep, and creating much
alarm among the timid inhabitants of the surrounding
country.
So great was the excitement produced by the advent of
this savage intruder that the people of several towns turned
out in mass to hunt him down. They organized into par-
ties to scour all the adjacent mountains and woodlands on
a certain day, and were to assemble at the hotel in Ben-
nington after the day's hunt was over.
Now our young hero felt an earnest desire to participate
in this exciting sport, but he was perfectly well aware that
his father would not give his consent to such a proposal if
it was suggested to him. He therefore very quietly got
up before daylight on the appointed day, took an old
smooth-bored gun of his father's, loaded it, and started out
alone into the mountain where the bear was last heard
from. He wandered about nearly all day, but without dis-
covering any signs of the animal, and at length turned to-
2N*
426 BEAR KILLED.
ward home; and, as he was descending the mountain, he
came to a shelving rock, and was just in the act of passing
over it, when suddenly he came upon the bear lying appar-
ently asleep just beneath where he stood. He at once
raised the gun to his shoulder and fired, and he fortunately
lodged its contents in the vitals of the beast, killing him in-
stantly. He then started for the tavern, where many of
the hunters had already congregated, and were relating to
each other the history of the day's experience. He told
them that he had killed the bear, but they did not believe
it possible, and it was with great difficulty that he finally
persuaded some of the men to go with him to verif)' his
statement. When they reached the place where the ani-
mal lay, they were amazed that so small a lad should have
had the temerity to attack such a monster. He was a huge
fellow, and they were obliged to construct a stout litter to
carry him into town. When they arrived at the entrance
of the village they mounted Martin upon the top of the
bear, and thus carried him in triumph through the street;
and on passing his father's house, the old gentleman came
out, and, in a very abrupt manner, said, " Come down from
there; what are you doing up there, sir?" The men re-
plied, " Let the boy alone, for he has killed the bear;" and
thus they went on to the tavern, where they celebrated the
event with great feasting and rejoicing. After this they
dubbed Martin the Bear-hunter, and he has often said to me
that this was the happiest day of his life.
Like other boys, young Scott was very fond of visiting
places of amusement, such as horse-races, trainings, town
meetings, etc., and, as he was a good rider, he was some-
times selected to ride races by the sporting fraternity of
that section.
In those days (before the time of horse-fairs) horse-racing
was looked upon by the New Englanders as a most im-
DEACON ROBINSOX. 427
moral and pernicious practice, and young Scott was never
allowed to make his appearance at such places with his fa-
ther's consent.
Upon one occasion, an unknown horse was brought to
Bennington by some sportsmen, who offered large wagers
upon his running against any other horse that could be
produced. Now a certain Deacon R , of that place,
was the owner of several fine horses, and among them was
one that was considered very fleet, but those disposed to
contest the wager so confidently offered on the strange
horse were perfectly well aware that a Presbyterian deacon
could not openly sanction and give countenance to such
diabolical immorality ; yet those who knew him well verily
believed if there was any one trait in the deacon's character
that was not in strict accordance with the requirements of
his church and with the sanctity of his ecclesiastical func-
tions, it was the weakness he manifested for owning the
fleetest horse in the country.
The men proposing to take up the gauntlet so defiantly
thrown out by the backers of the new horse entered the
deacon's favorite horse for the race, but with the express
stipulation that the race should come off in the night-time,
and should be kept a profound secret except to those di-
rectly interested. The terms having been satisfactorily
arranged, Martin Scott was selected as the jockey for the
deacon's horse ; and on the night designated for the con-
test, he stole very quietly into the stable, and, muffling the
horse's feet, led him out and took him to the race-track.
The judges were then posted, the riders mounted, and the
horses were off. It was a single straight dash of a mile,
and both horses were put to their speed, and kept constant-
ly down to their work from the word "go." But, as they
approached the "coming-out" place, the strange horse be-
gan to gain a little upon his antagonist, and at this moment
428 COURTSHIP.
of interest and excitement to all parties concerned, it looked
as if the deacon's horse was to be beaten, when suddenly
from behind a board fence near the track jumped up Dea-
con R himself, who in a very loud and excited
manner screamed out, "Put the whip to him, Martin ! put
the whip to him, I tell you !" Martin was perfectly as-
tounded and almost paralyzed at this unexpected appari-
tion, but, with nervous desperation, he made several vigor-
ous and well-timed applications of his whip, which caused
the horse to redouble his efforts and win the race by half a
length, at which the deacon, in the excitement of the mo-
ment, took off his hat and gave a lusty cheer ; but, instant-
ly afterward recollecting himself, and considering the ludi-
crous role he had been enacting in this somewhat farcical
performance, he assumed an indignant air, and approach-
ing Martin, who was holding the horse in great trepidation,
said, " Martin Scott, you young reprobate, you have stolen
my horse, sir, and, unless you instantly lead him back to
the stable, and give him a good rubbing down, I'll report
you to your father, sir !"
When young Scott arrived at the age of sixteen he fell
in love "with a young lady in a neighboring village, and re-
ceived her permission to pay his addresses ; but his father's
opinions upon the subject, being somewhat austere and dic-
tatorial, did not accord with his own, and compelled him to
conduct his courtship in a clandestine manner. He was in
the habit of waiting until his father went to bed, when he
would take a horse from the stable, pay a visit to his lady-
love, and return home before daylight. After one of these
weekly visits, he had just put his horse into the stable, and
had made some little noise in doing so, which awakened his
father, who ran out toward the stable, thinking that some
person was attempting to steal his horse. Martin saw him
approaching, and, unable to elude his observation, ran into
APPOINTED ENSIGN. 429
a corn-house near by and ascended a ladder into the loft,
with the old man close upon his heels.
It was dark at the time, and he hid himself in one corner
of the loft ; but his father groped around until he was sat-
isfied that the next instant he would be in his grasp, and
he saw but one method of escaping detection, which he in-
stantly resorted to. He leaped upon the poor old man, and
gave him a blow which knocked him down, and thus se-
cured an opportunity to make his escape to the house.
The old rnan soon recovered himself, however, and called
out, " Martin ! Martin ! come here quick ; there are robbers
about, and one of them has knocked me down." Martin
turned, and, running back to the corn-house, aided his fa-
ther for a considerable time in searching for the supposed
robber.
As he was plowing in the field one day during the year
1814, the postmaster of the village brought him a letter
marked " War Department, Adjutant General's Office," and
directed to Ensign Martin Scott, on opening which he
found a commission for himself as ensign in the United
States Army. He had made no application for the appoint-
ment, and its being conferred upon him was a mystery
which was never solved to the day of his death. He ac-
cepted his appointment, and forthwith joined his company
at Sackett's Harbor.
He was shortly afterward sent to the Western frontier,
where he found ample scope for the development of his
proclivities as a sportsman.
His reputation for accurate rifle and pistol shooting was
well deserved, and I am not aware that he was ever ex-
celled, if, indeed, he was ever equaled by any of his con-
temporaries.
One of his performances with the pistol, which I have
often heard vouched for by officers who had witnessed it.
430 TARGET PRACTICE.
and which appears to me to require more skill in the use
of the arm than any other feat I have heard of, was in tak-
ing two potatoes, throwing them into the air successively,
and putting a pistol ball through both of them as they
crossed, one going up and the other coming down.
Some of his performances in rifle-shooting I have wit-
nessed myself, and for great accuracy I must acknowledge
that they exceed any thing of the kind I have ever before
seen. One of the many instances where I have been pres-
ent at his shooting will, I presume, suffice to illustrate this.
He proposed to me, upon one occasion, that we should
take an old-fashioned United States yager that he had, and
determine which could load and fire three shots in the
shortest space of time, and make the best target. Accord-
ingly, a playing-card, with a spot or bull's-eye in the cen-
tre about the size of a dime, was attached to a log of wood,
and placed at seventy-five yards from where we proposed
to stand. Captain Scott then took the rifle uncharged, with
the powder-flask at hand, and the balls and patches in his
mouth, and he made the three shots " off-hand" in one min-
ute and twenty seconds, I then myself went to the target,
and found one round hole directly through the centre of
the bull's-eye. I was surprised at the precision of the shot,
but observed to the captain that the other two had entirely
missed the target. lie shook his head and called for an
axe, when we split the log, and found the three balls in one
mass, all having passed through the same round aperture
directly in the centre of the card.
The captain was also a very excellent marksman with a
bird-gun, and, although I have seen him fire numerous
shots, I do not remember ever to have known him to miss
his bird.
At a very early day, but a few years after the close of
the war in 1814, he was attached to the expedition under
EARLY HABITS OF THE OFFICERS. 431
the command of Greneral Atkinson, which ascended the
Missouri Kiver and established a military post at Council
Bluffs, which at that time was very far beyond the remotest
border settlements. The war had not improved the morals
of the army, and its effects were still seen among the oflS.-
cers, many of whom were addicted to cards and liquor, and
a man who did not participate in these dissipated pastimes
was considered as wanting in that spirit of social congeni-
ality which, according to their code, was indispensable to
an officer.
Captain Scott had never in his life drank a glass of ar-
dent spirits, played a game of cards, or used tobacco in any
form. He was liberal in his intercourse with his brother
officers, but was exceedingly parsimonious in his own per-
sonal expenses, and took good care of his money. This
was not in accord with the views of the officers around him,
and they soon gave vent to their feelings by petty slights
and annoyances, and by a gradual withdrawal from his so-
ciety. This finally culminated by all the officers, with three
exceptions, putting him in Coventry. He submitted to their
unjust persecution and insults as long as possible, but at
length it came to such a pass that he could endure it no
longer, and he took counsel with his three friends as to the
course he should pursue. They were unanimous in the opin-
ion that there were but two alternatives left to him : one
was to throw up his commission and leave the service at
once, and the other was to challenge the first man who should
insult him. He determined to adopt the latter course.
The officers were soon apprised of what had been decided
npon, and as Captain Scott was a much better pistol-shot
than any of them, they did not feel disposed to risk an en-
counter against such odds.
One of their friends, however, who was then stationed at
another post, was a celebrated shot, and had brought down
■132 CURING THE CONSUMPTION.
his antagonist in several duels. They dispatched a messen-
ger for him, and, on his arrival, he took the first opportuni-
ty to insult Captain Scott at the mess-table, and a challenge
immediately ensued. The preliminaries were arranged in
due form, and the parties came upon the ground. In giv-
ing me the history of this affair, Captain Scott said that he
had always opposed dueling from principle, and he would
not have believed that he could, under any circumstances,
have been drawn into one, but here he was ; and he ac-
knowledged that he was very considerably agitated, and
had determined to throw away his shot by firing into the
air, when he heard his antagonist remark that he had a
very disagreeable job on hand that morning, which was to
shoot a d — d Yankee. This, he said, roused his indigna-
tion to the highest pitch, and made him perfectly cool and
collected, and he firmly resolved to punish his adversary.
They took their positions and fired: Captain Scott re-
ceived a slight flesh-wound, but his adversary fell to the
ground, shot through the lungs. He was carried to the
hospital, and ultimately recovered. It is mentioned as a
curious circumstance that previous to this duel he had the
consumption, but the wound he received is supposed to
have effected a cure of that disease, and he lived for many
years afterward.
At the next meeting of the officers at the mess-table.
Captain Scott took occasion to inform them that he should
in future hold them personally responsible for any and
every insult offered to him. They did not seem disposed
to contest the matter any farther, and he was soon restored
to his proper social position.
The invincible determination of purpose and stubborn
perseverance with which he contended against obstacles
are strikingly shown in the following narrative, which I
received from his own lips.
EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 433
Somewhere about the year 1825 (I am not certain about
the precise date), the Scientific Exploring Expedition, con-
ducted by the naturahst Say, was organized by the govern-
ment, and Captain Scott, then stationed at Fort Snelhng,
was selected by the Secretary of War to command the es-
cort. It so happened that he was not a favorite with his
commanding officer, who determined that another officer
should be assigned to this desirable duty. Accordingly,
on the arrival of the scientific gentlemen at the fort, he in-
formed them that he could not furnish their escort from his
weak command, but that he would send Captain Scott to
Prairie du Chien for the necessary force, the distance be-
tween the two places by river being something like three
hundred miles, and the only means of transit at that early
day by Mackinaw boats. With these the captain started,
and, as he had favorable winds, he made a rapid trip, se-
cured his men, and returned to Fort Snelling in an almost
unprecedentedly brief period ; but what was his antonish-
ment, on his arrival, to find that the expedition had set out
immediately after his departure with an escort from the
garrison of Fort Snelling, commanded by another officer.
The expedition had been off about two weeks, and was
then probably some two hundred and eighty miles on its
way to Pembina. This, however, did not discourage Scott,
and he demanded from the commanding officer the priv-
ilege of following and overtaking the party. This could
not consistently be refused him, but at the same time he
was only allowed an escort of four men, with one old horse,
that was never known to go over about twenty miles with-
out breaking down, to transport his supplies. With this
outfit he started. As he had anticipated, the horse gave out
and was abandoned the first day out. They were obliged
to pack their luggage upon their backs, and in this manner
continued on rapidly day after day, until at length their
20
48-1 BUTANY BAY.
provisions were all exhausted excepting a few biscuits,
which were divided equally. No game was seen for sev-
eral days, and their only subsistence for a considerable
time was confined to one biscuit per man daily. Even
these were finally consumed, and for two days they had
nothing. They wore out their shoes, and became so lame
that it was with difficulty they could walk. The captain
saw that, under such circumstances, his prospects for over-
taking the main party were small. He therefore ordered
all his escort to turn back to the fort, and alone pushed for-
ward again. After a few days' rapid and toilsome march-
ing, he overtook the party near Pembina, assumed command
of the escort, and retained it throughout the remainder of
the expedition.
For several years after the establishment of the post of
Fort Snelling, all the lumber was procured by the labor of
the troops, and it had been the practice every year to send
an officer with a detachment of men to Kum Eiver, where
they passed the entire winter in cutting "saw-logs," and
rafted them down to the falls in the spring. This service
was any thing but agreeable to the ofiicers, and Eum Eiver
was designated by them as " Botany Bay ;" and some of
them even had the temerity to whisper it about that, by a
most astonishing coincidence, whenever an officer incurred
the displeasure of the commanding officer, it invariably be-
came his next detail for service at "Botany Bay." IIow-
ever this may have been, it is quite certain that Captain
Scott passed the following winter at Rum River.
Although Captain Scott possessed his firmness of nerve
and accuracy of sight up to the day of his death, yet his
qualities as a hunter were seriously impaired by age.
During the winter of 1845-6, while General Taylor's
army occupied Corpus Christi, Colonel Garland, Captains
Scott, McCall, and myself, went about a hundred miles up
SUCCESSFUL HUNT. 435
the Nueces upon a hunting expedition. Our hunt, after we
reached the ground, lasted four days, and the result was
we bagged twenty-seven deer, seventy-three wild turkeys,
four tiger-cats, besides quite a number of geese and ducks,
and of these Captain McCall and myself killed the greater
part. Captain Scott only killed one deer and a few turkeys.
I soon perceived that he considered his reputation as
somewhat damaged by these disparaging results, and, as we
were returning to Corpus Christi, he remarked to me that
it might be just as well not to mention to the officers at
camp which one of us bagged the greatest amount of game,
as this would not probably please the other two gentlemen.
I replied that it would be exceedingly unbecoming in me
to boast of my own exploits, therefore I should, of course,
say nothing upon the subject.
On our arrival at the encampment with the extraordinary
quantity of game, the officers collected around us, and mani-
fested a great desire to ascertain which of the four had ex-
celled in the hunt. I made an evasive answer, stating that
we had not been particular about keeping accurate count,
but that there was not probably much difference. The
question was then put to Captain Scott, who, after my gen-
erous reply, thought he must say something magnanimous
in return, and he answered that he was not altogether cer-
tain as to which had bagged the most game, but of one thing-
he was quite sure, and that was that he had seen a great
many deer-hunters in his day, but that he had never met
with one who could craivl, and sneaky and squirm up to a
deer like Marcy. I appreciated the motive which dictated
the remark fully, but, at the same time, I regarded the in-
tended compliment as somewhat equivocal in its import.
The captain was not upon all other occasions as magnani-
mous as he might have been toward those who attempted
to come in competition with him as marksmen or hunters.
•136 TARGET-SHOOTING.
While at Green Bay in 1833, 1 bad procured a rifled pis-
tol, which description of arm had only been in use a short
time then, and Captain Scott, having never before seen one,
was incredulous in regard to my assertions as to its per-
formances. The barrel of this pistol was about twelve
inches in length, and would throw a ball fifty yards with
as much accuracy as a rifle. Scott did not believe it, how-
ever, and often bantered me to give a specimen of its pow-
ers; but, not feeling disposed to subject myself to the ridi-
cule of this celebrated sportsman by incurring the risk of
making a possible failure in the presence of spectators, I de-
clined, until one day he proposed that we should go out
alone and try it, to which proposition I assented. In order
fully to appreciate the sequel of our target excursion, it
must be remembered that the captain was exceedingly eco-
nomical, and estimated a dollar at its full value. He had
that morning treated himself to a new and high-priced pock-
et-knife, with which he cut out a piece of paper about four
inches square, and fastened it to a board by sticking his
knife directly through the centre of it. I made a shot
standing fifty yards distant, and struck the lower part of
the paper. He expressed some astonishment at the preci-
sion of the shot, but gave it as his opinion that it was acci-
dental, and doubted if it could be done again. I assured
him that it was by no means the result of chance, and that,
in all probability, I should make a better shot the next
time ; indeed, I added that he must not be surprised if I
struck his new pen-knife (only the end of the handle was
exposed). He replied, "Never mind the knife; don't let
that give you the slightest uneasiness, sir; go ahead and
make your shot ; I'll be responsible for the knife." Where-
upon I raised the pistol and fired again, and at the same in-
stant the paper fell to the ground. Upon examination, we
discovered that the ball had hit tlie knife in the end of the
WONDERFUL DOG. 43
oi
handle, and split it into at least a dozen pieces. Scott made
no comments, but, looking daggers at me, abruptly turned
and walked off to his quarters, and it was some days before
he received me into favor again.
Captain Scott was at one time, while stationed at Prairie
du Chien, in possession of a wonderfully sagacious dog, a
cross of the setter and pointer. I never saw the animal
myself, but several of the of&cers of my regiment had fre-
quently witnessed his astonishing performances, and those
of them who are now living will doubtless vouch for the
■ truth of what I relate.
The captain would, for example, while sitting in his quar-
ters at the fort, with the dog at his feet, say to him, "Mark,
I want you to go over to the island and ascertain if there
are any woodcock there, and come back and tell me." The
dog would instantly go to the river, swim to the island,
and, after having hunted it over, return, and, if he had found
birds, run up to his master, then to the gun, wag his tail,
and make other demonstrations of joy, which made it per-
fectly apparent that he had been successful. Scott would
then tell the dog to get the canoe in readiness, and, strange
as it may appear, he would take the cushion in his mouth,
carry it to the river bank where the canoe was moored,
place it upon the seat, return for the paddle, carry that to
the canoe, then go back to Scott, and look up in his face
with an expression which indicated that all was ready.
The captain had at the same time another dog, which he
called Turk. These dogs, from their first acquaintance,
had never been on friendly terms, and they had many se-
verely contested encounters, which finally resulted in Turk's
gaining and retaining the mastery. Mark was emphatically
a vanquished dog, and, by his meek and submissive demean-
or in the presence of his adversary, he admitted as much.
Upon one occasion Turk had gained possession of a
2 0*
438 STRATEGY.
bonne louche in the form of a beef's bone, which he was
quietly enjoying by himself upon the parade-ground, when
Mark chanced to pass that way, and scented the choice mor-
sel. The longing, anxious look which he cast toward the
bone, as he circled around at a respectable distance, told
how desirous he was to participate in the feast ; but his ex-
perience had taught him that an attempt to contend with
his powerful adversary would only result in his own dis-
comfiture. He therefore prudently resolved to resort to
strategy in order to accomplish his ends. Accordingly, he
ran furiously outside the stockade inclosure and set up a
tremendous barking, as if something very extraordinary
had occurred ; upon which, as usual, all the dogs in the fort
hurried out of the gates to see what was the matter, and
among them was Turk, who, in the excitement of the mo-
ment, abandoned his bone. As soon as this was done, Mark
very quietly slipped back, seized the prize, and carried it to
a hiding-place where he could enjoy it at his leisure.
Mark was by no means a dog of regular habits, and would
often steal away from home and pass the night among his
canine companions of the opposite sex. For this he was
invariably punished, his master compelling him to stand
upon his hind feet, with his fore paws resting against the
wall, while the castigation was administered with a cow-
hide. In one instance, after having absented himself all
night, he returned home with a most dejected and penitent
air, and, seeing his master looking very angry at him, he
immediately went to the wall, placed himself in the posi-
tion he had been required to assume when he received his
previous punishments, and at the same time turned his
head around and looked at Scott, as much as to say "I am
ready."
In the course of time Mark waxed in years, and was no
longer able to endure the work required iu li anting, and
HUNTING NOMENCLATURE. 439
Captain Scott took him home to Bennington to pass the re-
mainder of his days in quiet retirement, and here he con-
tinued to make himself useful even in his dotage bj going
to the pasture every night and driving home the cows. It
certainly appeared as if this animal was endowed with
something beyond mere brute instinct, as he seemed to-
comprehend the relations existing between cause and ef-
fect.
Captain Scott was so very fond of his dogs, that I have
known him, upon the death of a favorite one, to walk his
room in great apparent distress of mind during the entire
night, and afterward place the body in a coffin, and, with
his boy Jack leading his hunting-horse draped in black, fol-
low it to the grave, and bury it with as much care and cer-
emony as if it had been a child.
He generally kept a pack of hounds, and would occa-
sionally take out his friends to participate in a deer or fox
drive ; but, upon these occasions, he invariably insisted that
every one should conform strictly with the most approved
rules of the chase. He was himself thoroughly posted in
all the technicalities of sporting lore, and he lost all respect
for those persons who misapplied or ridiculed the proper
use of sporting nomenclature. Thus he never failed to cor-
rect a man who called a line of geese '■Ui Jiock of geese^'' a
bevy of quails "a hrood of quails,'''' a herd of elk "a gang
of elk,'''' etc. He was an uncompromising stickler for the
correct and literal application of sporting language upon all
occasions, but more especially when in the field.
, This peculiarity of his was forcibly illustrated while our
army was lying at Corpus Cbristi in 18-i6. He proposed
that we should take his hounds and go out into a place
called the Rincon, where the large jackass rabbits were
abundant, and have a drive. Quite a number of officers
joined the party, and we started out under the guidance of
440 TALLY HO,
Captain Scott, who was the acknowledged master of the
hunt.
On arriving upon the ground near where the game was
supposed to be, the captain stationed the gentlemen around
upon the skirts of an extensive chaparral thicket, and pre-
pared to send in the dogs to drive out the rabbits. He gave
his last instructions, and specially enjoined upon every one,
on the instant a rabbit should make its appearance, to give
the view halloo oi '■'■ Tally lioP Now it so happened that
among the officers engaged in the hunt was Captain F.
B n, who was distinguished for his propensities as a
practical joker, and never was known to let an opportunity
escape for indulging in his favorite amusement.
The hounds were unleashed and taken into the chapar-
ral, and in a very few minutes they gave tongue most VO'
ciferously. All were waiting upon their posts with eager
anxiety to catch the first glimpse of the game as it emerged
from the brush, when suddenly, near the position of Captain
B n, bounded out a mule, with some twenty dogs in full
cry at her heels. At this instant of excitement we heard a
prolonged cry from the stentorian lungs of Captain B n
of '■'■Sally whoa! Sally whoa! Sally ivhoa!^^
The appearance of the terrified mule, and the ludicrous
metamorphose of Captain Scott's "view halloo," turned the
whole thing into a farce, which brought forth irresistible
peals of laughter from every one in the party excepting
Captain Scott. He did not smile ; on the contrary, his face
flushed, and assumed a most indignant expression. He
called off his dogs, and, looking daggers at Captain B n,
went back to camp. Immediately after this he sent a chal-
lenge to Captain B n, and it was with great difficulty
that their friends could adjust the matter to his satisfaction
without an exchange of shots.
"Witli the exception of the money he expended in horses,
RETURN HOME. .441
dogs, and guns, whicli were always of the very best descrip-
tion, Captain Scott, as I remarked before, was very econom-
ical in his own personal expenses ; he, however, did a great
deal toward supporting several members of his family who
were not very well to do in the world, and contributed
liberally toward this worthy object during his whole life.
Upon one occasion, after he had been absent ii; the Far
West for quite a number of years, and had accumulated a
considerable sum of money, he obtained a furlough for the
purpose of revisiting his friends in Bennington. He had
left there a poor farmer's boy, and he resolved to make a
respectable appearance on his return. He owned two of
the finest horses that I have ever seen, and a negro boy
for whom he paid five dollars a pound, and whom he sub-
sequently set free.
Captain Scott was seated in a beautiful new gig, drawn
by his magnificent white horse, followed by Jack dressed
in livery as an outrider, and mounted npon his thorough-
bred horse Dandy, and the rear of the cortege was brought
up by some twenty full-blooded dogs of various breeds and
descriptions. In this order he drove through the quiet
streets of Bennington and halted at the village inn, where
a great crowd of inquisitive citizens were soon assembled,
all manifesting the keenest anxiety to learn the name of
this distinguished stranger. No one, however, recognized
him as he entered the house and took his seat by the win-
dow. He did not remain long before he saw his brother
passing with a yoke of oxen, whereupon he went out and
accosted him, saying, " You have a very fine pair of oxen
there, sir; do they belong to you ?" His brother, not recog-
nizing him, answered that they were very good cattle, but
belonged to one of his neighbors, and that he was not able
to purchase them.
The captain then inquired what they could be had for,
442. HAPPY REUNION.
and when his brother mentioned the sum, he took out his
purse, handed him the amount, telling him that he liked
his appearance so much that he would make him a present
of the oxen. This most extraordinary liberality astonished
his brother, who could hardly believe it possible that a man
should show such munificence to a stranger. He, however,
took the. money, and expressed his profound gratitude to
his benefactor.
The captain then asked him where he lived, and remark-
ed that he would, if he had no objections, like to make him
a call, to which his brother replied that he rented a small
farm near by, and that it was only by the most rigid econ-
omy and industry that he could manage to support his
family and pay his rents, but that, of course, he would be
glad to receive a visit from one who had shown such gen-
erosity to him. He then inquired of his brother what price
the owner put upon the farm, adding that he believed he
should like to present him with that also. His brother
now looked attentively at him, and for the first time rec-
ognized him. They went home together, both exceedingly
happy. . . ' .
As those persons who are not familiar with the history
of Captain Scott may have some desire to know what be-
came of him, I will add, for their information, that he was
killed while gallantly leading forward his command in that
most sanguinary battle of the Mexican war, " Molino del
Rey."
Although, like the most of us, he had his faults, yet, upon
the whole. Captain Martin Scott was a pleasant companion,
an honorable man, a kind brother, and a gallant soldier. I
most sincerely respect his memory, and with all my heart
say, " Peace be to his ashes."
THE END.
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