Irving, Washington, 1783-1859 [1835], A tour on the prairies, from The Crayon miscellany, volume 1 (Carey, Lea, & Blanchard, Philadelphia) [word count] [eaf221v1].
To look up a word in a dictionary, select the word with your mouse and press 'd' on your keyboard.
Main text
-- --
CHAPTER I.
The Pawnee Hunting Grounds; Travelling Companions;
a Commissioner; a Virtuoso; a
Seeker of Adventures; a Gil Blas of the Frontier;
a Young Man's anticipations of pleasure.
[figure description] Page 017.[end figure description]
In the often vaunted regions of the Far West,
several hundred miles beyond the Mississippi, extends
a vast tract of uninhabited country, where
there is neither to be seen the log house of the
white man, nor the wigwam of the Indian. It
consists of great grassy plains, interspersed with
forests and groves, and clumps of trees, and watered
by the Arkansas, the grand Canadian, the
Red River, and all their tributary streams. Over
these fertile and verdant wastes still roam the
Elk, the Buffalo, and the wild horse, in all their
native freedom. These, in fact, are the hunting
grounds of the various tribes of the Far West.
Hither repair the Osage, the Creek, the Delaware
and other tribes that have linked themselves
with civilization, and live within the vicinity
of the white settlements. Here resort also,
the Pawnees, the Comanches, and other fierce,
and as yet independent tribes, the nomades of
-- 018 --
[figure description] Page 018.[end figure description]
the prairies, or the inhabitants of the skirts of
the Rocky Mountains. The regions I have mentioned
forms a debateable ground of these warring
and vindictive tribes; none of them presume
to erect a permanent habitation within its borders.
Their hunters and “Braves” repair thither
in numerous bodies during the season of game,
throw up their transient hunting camps, consisting
of light bowers, covered with bark and skins,
commit sad havoc among the innumerable herds
that graze the prairies, and having loaded themselves
with venison and buffalo meat, warily
retire from the dangerous neighbourhood.
These expeditions partake, always, of a warlike
character; the hunters are all armed for action,
offensive and defensive, and are bound to
incessant vigilance. Should they, in their excursions,
meet the hunters of an adverse tribe,
savage conflicts take place. Their encampments,
too, are always subject to be surprised
by wandering war parties, and their hunters,
when scattered in pursuit of game, to be captured
or massacred by lurking foes. Mouldering
skulls and skeletons, bleaching in some dark ravine,
or near the traces of a hunting camp, occasionally
mark the scene of a foregone act of
blood, and let the wanderer know the dangerous
nature of the region he is traversing. It is the purport
of the following pages to narrate a month's
-- 019 --
[figure description] Page 019.[end figure description]
excursion to these noted hunting grounds, through
a tract of country which had not as yet been explored
by white men.
It was early in October, 1832, that I arrived
at Fort Gibson, a frontier post of the Far West,
situated on the Neosho, or Grand River, near its
confluence with the Arkansas. I had been travelling
for a month past with a small party, from
St. Louis, up the banks of the Missouri, and
along the frontier line of agencies and missions,
that extends from the Missouri to the Arkansas.
Our party was headed by one of the commissioners
appointed by the government of the
United States to superintend the settlement of
the Indian tribes migrating from the east to the
west of the Mississippi. In the discharge of his
duties, he was thus visiting the various outposts
of civilization.
And here let me bear testimony to the merits
of this worthy leader of our little band. He was
a native of one of the towns of Connecticut, a
man in whom a course of legal practice and political
life had not been able to vitiate an innate
simplicity and benevolence of heart. The greater
part of his days had been passed in the bosom
of his family and the society of deacons, elders,
and select men, on the peaceful banks of the Connecticut;
when suddenly he had been called to
mount his steed, shoulder his rifle, and mingle
-- 020 --
[figure description] Page 020.[end figure description]
among stark hunters, back woodsmen, and naked
savages, on the trackless wilds of the Far West.
Another of my fellow travellers was Mr. L—,
an Englishman by birth, but descended from a
foreign stock; and who had all the buoyancy
and accommodating spirit of a native of the Continent.
Having rambled over many countries,
he had become, to a certain degree, a citizen of
the world, easily adapting himself to any change.
He was a man of a thousand occupations; a
botanist, a geologist, a hunter of beetles and butterflies,
a musical amateur, a sketcher of no mean
pretensions, in short, a complete Virtuoso; added
to which, he was a very indefatigable, if not
always a very successful, sportsman. Never had
a man more irons in the fire, and, consequently,
never was man more busy or more cheerful.
My third fellow traveller was one who had accompanied
the former from Europe, and travelled
with him as his Telemachus; being apt,
like his prototype, to give occasional perplexity
and disquiet to his Mentor. He was a young
Swiss Count, scarce twenty-one years of age,
full of talent and spirit, but galliard in the extreme,
and prone to every kind of wild adventure.
Having made this mention of my comrades,
I must not pass over unnoticed, a personage
of inferior rank, but of all pervading and
-- 021 --
[figure description] Page 021.[end figure description]
prevalent importance: the squire, the groom, the
cook, the tent man, in a word, the factotum,
and, I may add, the universal meddler and marplot
of our party. This was a little swarthy,
meagre, French Creole, named Antoine, but familiarly
dubbed Tonish: a kind of Gil Blas of
the frontiers, who had passed a scrambling life,
sometimes among white men, sometimes among
Indians; sometimes in the employ of traders,
missionaries and Indian agents; sometimes mingling
with the Osage hunters. We picked him
up at St. Louis, near which he has a small farm,
an Indian wife, and a brood of half blood children.
According to his own account, however,
he had a wife in every tribe; in fact, if all this
little vagabond said of himself were to be believed,
he was without morals, without caste, without
creed, without country, and even without
language; for he spoke a jargon of mingled
French, English and Osage. He was, withal, a
notorious braggart, and a liar of the first water.
It was amusing to hear him vapour and gasconade
about his terrible exploits and hair-breadth
escapes in war and hunting. In the midst of
his volubility, he was prone to be seized by a
spasmodic gasping, as if the springs of his jaws
were suddenly unhinged; but I am apt to think
it was caused by some falsehood that stuck in
his throat, for I generally remarked that
-- 022 --
[figure description] Page 022.[end figure description]
immediately afterwards there bolted forth a lie of the
first magnitude.
Our route had been a pleasant one, quartering
ourselves, occasionally, at the widely separated
establishments of the Indian missionaries, but in
general camping out in the fine groves that border
the streams, and sleeping under cover of a
tent. During the latter part of our tour we had
pressed forward in hopes of arriving in time at
Fort Gibson, to accompany the Osage hunters
on their autumnal visit to the Buffalo prairies.
Indeed the imagination of the young Count had
become completely excited on the subject. The
grand scenery and wild habits of the prairies
had set his spirits madding, and the stories
that little Tonish told him of Indian braves and
Indian beauties, of hunting buffaloes and catching
wild horses, had set him all agog for a dash
into savage life. He was a bold and hard rider,
and longed to be scouring the hunting grounds.
It was amusing to hear his youthful anticipations
of all that he was to see, and do, and enjoy,
when mingling among the Indians and participating
in their hardy adventures; and it was
still more amusing to listen to the gasconadings
of little Tonish, who volunteered to be his faithful
squire in all his perilous undertakings; to
teach him how to catch the wild horses, bring
down the buffalo, and win the smiles of Indian
-- 023 --
[figure description] Page 023.[end figure description]
princesses;—“And if we can only get sight of
a prairie on fire!” said the young Count—“By
Gar, I'll set one on fire myself!” cried the little
Frenchman.
CHAPTER II.
Anticipations disappointed; New Plans; Preparations
to join an Exploring Party; Departure
from Fort Gibson; Fording of the
Verdigris; An Indian Cavalier.
The anticipations of a young man are prone
to meet with disappointment. Unfortunately
for the count's scheme of wild campaigning, before
we reached the end of our journey, we
heard that the Osage hunters had set forth
upon their expedition to the Buffalo grounds.
The count still determined, if possible, to follow
on their track and overtake them, and for this
purpose stopped short at the Osage Agency, a
few miles distant from Fort Gibson, to make
inquiries and preparations. His travelling companion
Mr. L. stopped with him; while the
commissioner and myself proceeded to Fort
Gibson, followed by the faithful and veracious
Tonish. I hinted to him his promises to follow
-- 024 --
[figure description] Page 024.[end figure description]
the count in his campaignings, but I found the
little varlet had a keen eye to self-interest. He
was aware that the commissioner, from his official
duties, would remain for a long time in the
country, and be likely to give him permanent
employment, while the sojourn of the count
would but be transient. The gasconading of the
little braggart, was suddenly therefore, at an end.
He spake not another word to the young count
about Indians, buffaloes, and wild horses, but putting
himself tacitly in the train of the commissioner,
jogged silently after us to the garrison.
On arriving at the fort, however, a new chance
presented itself for a cruise on the prairies.
We learnt that a company of mounted rangers,
or riflemen, had departed but three days previous,
to make a wide exploring tour, from the
Arkansas to the Red river, including a part of
the Pawnee hunting grounds, where no party of
white men had as yet penetrated. Here, then,
was an opportunity of ranging over those dangerous
and interesting regions under the safeguard
of a powerful escort; for the commissioner in
virtue of his office could claim the service of this
newly raised corps of riflemen, and the country
they were to explore, was destined for the settlement
of some of the migrating tribes connected
with his mission.
Our plan was promptly formed and put into
-- 025 --
[figure description] Page 025.[end figure description]
execution. A couple of Creek Indians were sent
off express, by the commander of Fort Gibson,
to overtake the rangers and bring them to a halt
until the commissioner and his party should be
able to join them. As we should have a march of
three or four days through a wild country, before
we could overtake the company of rangers,
an escort of fourteen mounted riflemen, under
the command of a lieutenant, was assigned us.
We sent word to the young count and Mr. L.
at the Osage Agency, of our new plan and
prospects, and invited them to accompany us.
The count, however, could not forego the delights
he had promised himself in mingling with
absolutely savage life. In reply, he agreed to
keep with us, until we should come upon the
trail of the Osage hunters, when, it was his fixed
resolve to strike off into the wilderness in pursuit
of them; and his faithful Mentor, though
he grieved at the madness of the scheme, was
too staunch a friend to desert him. A general
rendezvous of our party and escort was appointed,
for the following morning, at the Agency.
We now made all arrangements for prompt
departure. Our baggage had hitherto been
transported on a light wagon, but we were now
to break our way through an untravelled country,
cut up by rivers, ravines, and thickets, where
a vehicle of the kind would be a complete
-- 026 --
[figure description] Page 026.[end figure description]
impediment. We were to travel on horseback, in
hunters' style, and with as little incumbrance as
possible. Our baggage, therefore, underwent a
rigid and most abstemious reduction. A pair of
saddle-bags, and those by no means crammed,
sufficed for each man's scanty wardrobe, and,
with his great coat, were to be carried upon the
steed he rode. The rest of the baggage was
placed on pack-horses. Each one had a bear-skin
and a couple of blankets for bedding, and there
was a tent to shelter us in case of sickness or
bad weather. We took care to provide ourselves
with flour, coffee, and sugar, together
with a small supply of salt pork for emergencies;
for our main subsistence we were to depend upon
the chase.
Such of our horses as had not been tired out in
in our recent journey, were taken with us as pack-horses,
or supernumeraries; but as we were going
on a long and rough tour, where there would
be occasional hunting, and where, in case of
meeting with hostile savages, the safety of the
rider might depend upon the goodness of his
steed, we took care to be well mounted. I procured
a stout silver-grey; somewhat rough, but
staunch and powerful; and retained a hardy
pony which I had hitherto ridden, and which,
being somewhat jaded, was suffered to ramble
along with the pack-horses, to be mounted only
in case of emergency.
-- 027 --
[figure description] Page 027.[end figure description]
All these arrangements being made, we left
Fort Gibson, on the morning of the tenth of October,
and crossing the river in the front of it,
set off for the rendezvous at the Agency. A
ride of a few miles brought us to the ford of the
Verdigris, a wild rocky scene overhung with
forest trees. We descended to the bank of the
river and crossed in straggling file, the horses
stepping cautiously from rock to rock, and in a
manner feeling about for a foothold beneath
the rushing and brawling stream.
Our little Frenchman Tonish, brought up the
rear with the pack-horses. He was in high glee,
having experienced a kind of promotion. In
our journey hitherto he had driven the wagon,
which he seemed to consider a very inferior
employ; now he was master of the horse.
He sat perched like a monkey behind the
pack on one of the horses; he sang, he shouted,
he yelped like an Indian, and ever and anon
blasphemed the loitering pack-horses in his jargon
of mingled French, English and Osage,
which not one of them could understand.
As we were crossing the ford we saw on the
opposite shore a Creek Indian on horseback.
He had paused to reconnoitre us from the brow
of a rock, and formed a picturesque object, in
unison with the wild scenery around him. He
wore a bright blue hunting shirt trimmed with
-- 028 --
[figure description] Page 028.[end figure description]
scarlet fringe; a gaily coloured handkerchief was
bound round his head something like a turban,
with one end hanging down beside his ear; he
held a long rifle in his hand, and looked like a
wild Arab on the prowl. Our loquacious and
ever meddling little Frenchman called out to
him in his Babylonish jargon, but the savage
having satisfied his curiosity tossed his hand in
the air, turned the head of his steed, and galloping
along the shore soon disappeared among
the trees.
CHAPTER III.
An Indian Agency. Riflemen. Osages, Creeks,
trappers, dogs, horses, half-breeds. Beatte the
huntsman.
Having crossed the ford, we soon reached
the Osage Agency, where Col. Choteau has his
offices and magazines, for the despatch of Indian
affairs, and the distribution of presents and supplies.
It consisted of a few log houses on the
banks of the river, and presented a motley frontier
scene. Here was our escort awaiting our
arrival; some were on horseback, some on foot,
some seated on the trunks of fallen trees, some
-- 029 --
[figure description] Page 029.[end figure description]
shooting at a mark. They were a heterogeneous
crew; some in frock coats made of green blankets;
others in leathern hunting shirts, but the
most part in marvellously ill cut garments, much
the worse for wear, and evidently put on for rugged
service.
Near by these was a group of Osages: stately
fellows; stern and simple in garb and aspect.
They wore no ornaments; their dress consisted
merely of blankets, leathern leggins, and moccasons.
Their heads were bare; their hair was
cropped close, excepting a bristling ridge on the
top, like the crest of a helmet, with a long scalp
lock hanging behind. They had fine Roman
countenances, and broad deep chests; and, as
they generally wore their blankets wrapped
round their loins, so as to leave the bust and arms
bare, they looked like so many noble bronze
figures. The Osages are the finest looking Indians
I have ever seen in the west. They have
not yielded sufficiently, as yet, to the influence
of civilization to lay by their simple Indian garb,
or to lose the habits of the hunter and the warrior;
and their poverty prevents their indulging
in much luxury of apparel.
In contrast to these was a gaily dressed party
of Creeks. There is something, at the first
glance, quite oriental in the appearance of this
tribe. They dress in calico hunting shirts, of
-- 030 --
[figure description] Page 030.[end figure description]
various brilliant colours, decorated with bright
fringes, and belted with broad girdles, embroidered
with beads: they have leggins of dressed
deer skins, or of green or scarlet cloth, with
embroidered knee bands and tassels: their moccasons
are fancifully wrought and ornamented,
and they wear gaudy handkerchiefs tastefully
bound round their heads.
Beside these, there was a sprinkling of trappers,
hunters, half-breeds, creoles, negroes of
every hue; and all that other rabble rout of nondescript
beings that keep about the frontiers,
between civilized and savage life, as those equivocal
birds, the bats, hover about the confines of
light and darkness.
The little hamlet of the agency was in a complete
bustle; the blacksmith's shed, in particular,
was a scene of preparation; a strapping negro
was shoeing a horse; two half-breeds were fabricating
iron spoons in which to melt lead for bullets.
An old trapper, in leathern hunting frock
and moccasons, had placed his rifle against a
work bench, while he superintended the operation,
and gossipped about his hunting exploits;
several large dogs were lounging in and out of
the shop, or sleeping in the sunshine, while a little
cur, with head cocked on one side, and one ear
erect, was watching, with that curiosity common
to little dogs, the process of shoeing the horse,
-- 031 --
[figure description] Page 031.[end figure description]
as if studying the art, or waiting for his turn
to be shod.
We found the Count and his companion, the
Virtuoso, ready for the march. As they intended
to overtake the Osages, and pass some time
in hunting the buffalo and the wild horse, they
had provided themselves accordingly; having,
in addition to the steeds which they used for
travelling, others of prime quality, which were
to be led when on the march, and only to be
mounted for the chase.
They had, moreover, engaged the services of
a young man named Antoine, a half-breed of
French and Osage origin. He was to be a kind
of Jack-of-all-work; to cook, to hunt, and to take
care of the horses; but he had a vehement propensity
to do nothing, being one of the worthless
brood engendered and brought up among the
missions. He was, moreover, a little spoiled by
being really a handsome young fellow, an Adonis
of the frontier, and still worse by fancying
himself highly connected, his sister being concubine
to an opulent white trader!
For our own parts, the Commissioner and
myself were desirous, before setting out, to procure
another attendant well versed in wood
craft, who might serve us as a hunter; for our
little Frenchman would have his hands full when
in camp, in cooking, and on the march, in taking
-- 032 --
[figure description] Page 032.[end figure description]
care of the pack-horses. Such a one presented
himself, or rather was recommended to us, in
Pierre Beatte, a half-breed of French and Osage
parentage. We were assured that he was acquainted
with all parts of the country, having
traversed it in all directions, both in hunting and
war parties; that he would be of use both as
guide and interpreter, and that he was a first
rate hunter.
I confess I did not like his looks when he was
first presented to me. He was lounging about,
in an old hunting frock and metasses or leggins,
of deer skin, soiled and greased, and almost japanned
by constant use. He was apparently
about thirty-six years of age, square and strongly
built. His features were not bad, being shaped
not unlike those of Napoleon, but sharpened
up, with high Indian cheek bones. Perhaps the
dusky greenish hue of his complexion, aided his
resemblance to an old bronze bust I had seen of
the Emperor. He had, however, a sullen, saturnine
expression, set off by a slouched woollen
hat, and elf locks that hung about his ears.
Such was the appearance of the man, and his
manners were equally unprepossessing. He was
cold and laconic; made no promises or professions;
stated the terms he required for the services
of himself and his horse, which we thought
rather high, but showed no disposition to abate
-- 033 --
[figure description] Page 033.[end figure description]
them, nor any anxiety to secure our employ.
He had altogether more of the red than the white
man in his composition; and, as I had been
taught to look upon all half-breeds with distrust,
as an uncertain and faithless race, I would gladly
have dispensed with the services of Pierre Beatte.
We had no time, however, to look about for any
one more to our taste, and had to make an arrangement
with him on the spot. He then set
about making his preparations for the journey,
promising to join us at our evening's encampment.
One thing was yet wanting to fit me out for
the Prairies—a thoroughly trust-worthy steed:
I was not yet mounted to my mind. The grey
I had bought, though strong and serviceable,
was rough. At the last moment I succeeded in
getting an excellent animal; a dark bay; powerful,
active, generous-spirited, and in capital condition.
I mounted him with exultation, and
transferred the silver grey to Tonish, who was
in such ecstasies at finding himself so completely
en Cavalier, that I feared he might realize the
ancient and well known proverb of “a beggar
on horseback.”
-- 034 --
CHAPTER IV.
The Departure.
[figure description] Page 034.[end figure description]
The long drawn notes of a bugle at length
gave the signal for departure. The rangers filed
off in a straggling line of march through the
woods: we were soon on horseback and following
on, but were detained by the irregularity of
the pack-horses. They were unaccustomed to
keep the line, and straggled from side to side
among the thickets, in spite of all the pesting
and bedeviling of Tonish; who, mounted on his
gallant grey, with a long rifle on his shoulder,
worried after them, bestowing a superabundance
of dry blows and curses.
We soon, therefore, lost sight of our escort,
but managed to keep on their track, thridding
lofty forests, and entangled thickets, and passing
by Indian wigwams and negro huts, until towards
dusk we arrived at a frontier farm house,
owned by a settler of the name of Berryhill.
It was situated on a hill, below which the rangers
had encamped in a circular grove, on the
margin of a stream. The master of the house
received us civilly, but could offer us no accommodation,
for sickness prevailed in his family.
-- 035 --
[figure description] Page 035.[end figure description]
He appeared himself to be in no very thriving
condition, for though bulky in frame, he had a
sallow, unhealthy complexion, and had a whiffling
double voice, shifting abruptly from a treble
to a thorough bass.
Finding his log house was a mere hospital,
crowded with invalids, we ordered our tent to
be pitched in the farm yard.
We had not been long encamped, when our
recently engaged attendant, Beatte, the Osage
half-breed, made his appearance. He came
mounted on one horse, and leading another,
which seemed to be well packed with supplies
for the expedition. Beatte was evidently an
“old soldier,” as to the art of taking care of himself
and looking out for emergencies. Finding
that he was in government employ, being engaged
by the commissioner, he had drawn rations
of flour and bacon, and put them up so as to be
weather proof. In addition to the horse for the
road, and for ordinary service, which was a
rough, hardy animal, he had another for hunting.
This was of a mixed breed like himself, being a
cross of the domestic stock with the wild horse
of the prairies; and a noble steed it was, of
generous spirit, fine action, and admirable bottom.
He had taken care to have his horses well
shod at the Agency. He came prepared at all
points for war or hunting: his rifle on his
-- 036 --
[figure description] Page 036.[end figure description]
shoulder, his powder horn and bullet pouch at his
side, his hunting knife stuck in his belt, and coils
of cordage at his saddle bow, which we were
told were lariats, or noosed cords, used in catching
the wild horse.
Thus equipped and provided, an Indian hunter
on a prairie is like a cruiser on the ocean,
perfectly independent of the world, and competent
to self-protection and self-maintenance.
He can cast himself loose from every one, shape
his own course, and take care of his own fortunes.
I thought Beatte seemed to feel his independence,
and to consider himself superior
to us all, now that we were launching into the
wilderness. He maintained a half proud, half
sullen look, and great taciturnity; and his first
care was to unpack his horses, and put them in
safe quarters for the night. His whole demeanour
was in perfect contrast to our vapouring,
chattering, bustling little Frenchman. The latter,
too, seemed jealous of this new comer. He
whispered to us that these half-breeds were a
touchy, capricious people, little to be depended
upon. That Beatte had evidently come prepared
to take care of himself, and that, at any moment
in the course of our tour, he would be liable to
take some sudden disgust or affront, and abandon
us at a moment's warning: having the means of
shifting for himself, and being perfectly at home
on the prairies.
-- 037 --
CHAPTER V.
Frontier Scenes. A Lycurgus of the Border.
Lynch's Law. The danger of finding a Horse.
The Young Osage.
[figure description] Page 037.[end figure description]
On the following morning, (Oct. 11,) we were
on the march by half-past seven o'clock, and
rode through deep rich bottoms of alluvial soil,
overgrown with redundant vegetation, and trees
of an enormous size. Our route lay parallel to
the west bank of the Arkansas, on the borders
of which river, near the confluence of the
Red Fork, we expected to overtake the main
body of rangers. For some miles the country
was sprinkled with Creek villages and farm
houses; the inhabitants of which appeared to
have adopted, with considerable facility, the
rudiments of civilization, and to have thriven in
consequence. Their farms were well stocked,
and their houses had a look of comfort and
abundance.
We met with numbers of them returning from
one of their grand games of ball, for which their
nation is celebrated. Some were on foot, some
on horseback; the latter, occasionally, with gaily
dressed females behind them. They are a well
made race, muscular and closely knit, with well
-- 038 --
[figure description] Page 038.[end figure description]
turned thighs and legs. They have a gipsey fondness
for brilliant colours, and gay decorations,
and are bright and fanciful objects when seen at
a distance on the prairies. One had a scarlet
handkerchief bound round his head, surmounted
with a tuft of black feathers like a cock's tail.
Another had a white handkerchief, with red
feathers; while a third, for want of a plume, had
stuck in his turban a brilliant bunch of Sumach.
On the verge of the wilderness we paused to
inquire our way at a log house, owned by a
white settler or squatter, a tall raw boned old
fellow, with red hair, a lank lantern visage,
and an inveterate habit of winking with one
eye, as if every thing he said was of knowing
import. He was in a towering passion. One
of his horses was missing; he was sure it had
been stolen in the night by a straggling party of
Osages encamped in a neighbouring swamp;
but he would have satisfaction! He would make
an example of the villains. He had accordingly
caught down his rifle from the wall, that invariable
enforcer of right or wrong upon the frontiers,
and, having saddled his steed, was about to sally
forth on a foray into the swamp; while a brother
squatter, with rifle in hand, stood ready to accompany
him.
We endeavoured to calm the old campaigner
of the prairies, by suggesting that his horse
-- 039 --
[figure description] Page 039.[end figure description]
might have strayed into the neighbouring woods;
but he had the frontier propensity to charge
every thing to the Indians, and nothing could
dissuade him from carrying fire and sword into
the swamp.
After riding a few miles further we lost the
trail of the main body of rangers, and became
perplexed by a variety of tracks made by the
Indians and settlers. At length coming to a log
house, inhabited by a white man, the very last
on the frontier, we found that we had wandered
from our true course. Taking us back for some
distance, he again brought us to the right trail;
putting ourselves upon which, we took our final
departure, and launched into the broad wilderness.
The trail kept on like a straggling foot path,
over hill and dale, through brush and brake, and
tangled thicket, and open prairie. In traversing
the wilds it is customary for a party either of
horse or foot to follow each other in single file
like the Indians: so that the leaders break the
way for those who follow, and lessen their labour
and fatigue. In this way, also, the number of a
party is concealed, the whole leaving but one
narrow well trampled track to mark their course.
We had not long regained the trail, when, on
emerging from a forest, we beheld our raw
boned, hard winking, hard riding knight errant
-- 040 --
[figure description] Page 040.[end figure description]
of the frontier, descending the slope of a hill,
followed by his companion in arms. As he
drew near to us, the gauntness of his figure and
ruefulness of his aspect, reminded me of the
description of the hero of La Mancha, and he
was equally bent on affairs of doughty enterprise,
being about to penetrate the thickets of
the perilous swamp, within which the enemy lay
ensconced.
While we were holding a parley with him on
the slope of the hill, we descried an Osage on
horseback issuing out of a skirt of wood about
half a mile off, and leading a horse by a halter.
The latter was immediately recognised by our
hard winking friend as the steed of which he
was in quest. As the Osage drew near, I was
struck with his appearance. He was about
nineteen or twenty years of age, but well grown,
with the fine Roman countenance common to
his tribe, and as he rode with his blanket wrapped
round his loins, his naked bust would have
furnished a model for a statuary. He was
mounted on a beautiful pie-bald horse, a mottled
white and brown, of the wild breed of the prairies,
decorated with a broad collar, from which
hung in front a tuft of horse hair dyed of a bright
scarlet.
The youth rode slowly up to us with a frank
open air, and signified by means of our
-- 041 --
[figure description] Page 041.[end figure description]
interpreter Beatte, that the horse he was leading had
wandered to their camp, and he was now on his
way to conduct him back to his owner.
I had expected to witness an expression of
gratitude on the part of our hard favoured cavalier,
but to my surprise the old fellow broke out
into a furious passion. He declared that the
Indians had carried off his horse in the night,
with the intention of bringing him home in the
morning, and claiming a reward for finding him;
a common practice, as he affirmed, among the
Indians. He was, therefore, for tying the young
Indian to a tree and giving him a sound lashing;
and was quite surprised at the burst of indignation
which this novel mode of requiting a service
drew from us. Such, however, is too often the
administration of law on the frontier, “Lynch's
law,” as it is technically termed, in which the
plantiff is apt to be witness, jury, judge, and executioner,
and the defendant to be convicted and
punished on mere presumption: and in this way
I am convinced, are occasioned many of those
heart burnings and resentments among the Indians,
which lead to retaliation, and eventuate
in Indian wars. When I compared the open,
noble countenance and frank demeanour of the
young Osage, with the sinister visage and high
handed conduct of the frontiers-man, I felt little
-- 042 --
[figure description] Page 042.[end figure description]
doubt on whose back a lash would be most
meritoriously bestowed.
Being thus obliged to content himself with the
recovery of his horse, without the pleasure of
flogging the finder into the bargain, the old Lycurgus,
or rather Draco, of the frontier, set off
growling on his return homeward, followed by
his brother squatter.
As for the youthful Osage, we were all prepossessed
in his favour; the young Count especially,
with the sympathies proper to his age
and incident to his character, had taken quite a
fancy to him. Nothing would suit but he must
have the young Osage as a companion and
squire in his expedition into the wilderness.
The youth was easily tempted, and, with the
prospect of a safe range over the buffalo prairies
and the promise of a new blanket, he turned his
bridle, left the swamp and the encampment of
his friends behind him, and set off to follow the
Count in his wanderings in quest of the Osage
hunters.
Such is the glorious independence of man
in a savage state. This youth, with his rifle,
his blanket, and his horse, was ready at a moment's
warning to rove the world; he carried
all his worldly effects with him, and in the absence
of artificial wants, possessed the great
-- 043 --
[figure description] Page 043.[end figure description]
secret of personal freedom. We of society are
slaves, not so much to others, as to ourselves;
our superfluities are the chains that bind us,
impeding every movement of our bodies and
thwarting every impulse of our souls. Such, at
least, were my speculations at the time, though I
am not sure but that they took their tone from
the enthusiasm of the young Count, who seemed
more enchanted than ever with the wild chivalry
of the prairies, and talked of putting on the Indian
dress and adopting the Indian habits during
the time he hoped to pass with the Osages.
-- 044 --
CHAPTER VI.
Trail of the Osage Hunters. Departure of the
Count and his party. A deserted War Camp.
A vagrant Dog. The encampment.
[figure description] Page 044.[end figure description]
In the course of the morning the trail we were
pursuing was crossed by another, which struck
off through the forest to the west in a direct
course for the Arkansas river. Beatte, our half-breed,
after considering it for a moment, pronounced
it the trail of the Osage hunters; and
that it must lead to the place where they had
forded the river on their way to the hunting
grounds.
Here then the young Count and his companion
came to a halt and prepared to take leave of
us. The most experienced frontiers-men in the
troop remonstrated on the hazard of the undertaking.
They were about to throw themselves
loose in the wilderness, with no other guides,
guards, or attendants, than a young ignorant half-breed,
and a still younger Indian. They were
embarrassed by a pack-horse and two led horses,
with which they would have to make their way
through matted forests, and across rivers and
morasses. The Osages and Pawnees were at
-- 045 --
[figure description] Page 045.[end figure description]
war, and they might fall in with some warrior
party of the latter, who are ferocious foes; besides,
their small number, and their valuable
horses would form a great temptation to some of
the straggling bands of Osages loitering about
the frontier, who might rob them of their horses
in the night, and leave them destitute and on
foot in the midst of the prairies.
Nothing, however, could restrain the romantic
ardour of the Count for a campaign of Buffalo
hunting with the Osages, and he had a game
spirit that seemed always stimulated by the idea
of danger. His travelling companion, of discreeter
age and calmer temperament, was convinced
of the rashness of the enterprise; but he
could not control the impetuous zeal of his
youthful friend, and he was too loyal to leave
him to pursue his hazardous scheme alone. To
our great regret, therefore, we saw them abandon
the protection of our escort, and strike off
on their hap-hazard expedition. The old hunters
of our party shook their heads, and our half-breed,
Beatte, predicted all kinds of trouble to
them; my only hope was, that they would soon
meet with perplexities enough to cool the impetuosity
of the young Count, and induce him to
rejoin us. With this idea we travelled slowly,
and made a considerable halt at noon. After
resuming our march, we came in sight of the
-- 046 --
[figure description] Page 046.[end figure description]
Arkansas. It presented a broad and rapid
stream, bordered by a beach of fine sand, overgrown
with willows and cotton wood trees.
Beyond the river, the eye wandered over a beautiful
champaign country, of flowery plains and
sloping uplands, diversified by groves and clumps
of trees, and long screens of woodland; the
whole wearing the aspect of complete, and even
ornamental cultivation, instead of native wildness.
Not far from the river, on an open eminence,
we passed through the recently deserted
camping place of an Osage war party. The
frames of the tents or wigwams remained, consisting
of poles bent into an arch, with each end
stuck into the ground: these are intertwined
with twigs and branches, and covered with bark
and skins. Those experienced in Indian lore,
can ascertain the tribe, and whether on a hunting
or a warlike expedition, by the shape and
disposition of the wigwams. Beatte pointed
out to us, in the present skeleton camp, the wigwam
in which the chiefs had held their consultations
round the council fire; and an open area,
well trampled down, on which the grand war
dance had been performed.
Pursuing our journey, as we were passing
through a forest, we were met by a forlorn,
half-famished dog, who came rambling along the
trail, with inflamed eyes, and bewildered look.
-- 047 --
[figure description] Page 047.[end figure description]
Though nearly trampled upon by the foremost
rangers, he took notice of no one, but rambled
heedlessly among the horses. The cry of “mad
dog” was immediately raised, and one of the
rangers levelled his rifle, but was stayed by the
ever ready humanity of the commissioner. “He
is blind!” said he. “It is the dog of some poor
Indian, following his master by the scent. It
would be a shame to kill so faithful an animal.”
The ranger shouldered his rifle, the dog blundered
blindly through the cavalcade unhurt, and
keeping his nose to the ground, continued his
course along the trail, affording a rare instance
of a dog surviving a bad name.
About three o'clock, we came to a recent
camping place of the company of rangers: the
brands of one of their fires was still smoking;
so that, according to the opinion of Beatte, they
could not have passed on above a day previously.
As there was a fine stream of water close by,
and plenty of pea-vines for the horses, we encamped
here for the night.
We had not been here long, when we heard
a halloo from a distance, and beheld the young
Count and his party advancing through the
forest. We welcomed them to the camp with
heartfelt satisfaction; for their departure upon
so hazardous an expedition had caused us great
uneasiness. A short experiment had convinced
-- 048 --
[figure description] Page 048.[end figure description]
them of the toil and difficulty of inexperienced
travellers like themselves making their way
through the wilderness with such a train of
horses, and such slender attendance. Fortunately,
they determined to rejoin us before night-fall;
one night's camping out might have cost them
their horses. The Count had prevailed upon
his protegee and esquire, the young Osage, to
continue with him, and still calculated upon
achieving great exploits with his assistance, on
the Buffalo prairies.
-- 049 --
CHAPTER VII.
News of the Rangers. The Count and his Indian
Squire. Halt in the woods. Woodland
scene. Osage village. Osage visiters at our
evening camp.
[figure description] Page 049.[end figure description]
In the morning early, (Oct. 12) the two Creeks
who had been sent express by the commander
of Fort Gibson, to stop the company of rangers,
arrived at our encampment on their return.
They had left the company encamped about
fifty miles distant, in a fine place on the Arkansas,
abounding in game, where they intended to
await our arrival. This news spread animation
throughout our party, and we set out on our
march at sunrise, with renewed spirit.
In mounting our steeds, the young Osage attempted
to throw a blanket upon his wild horse.
The fine, sensitive animal took fright, reared and
recoiled. The attitudes of the wild horse and
the almost naked savage, would have formed
studies for a painter or a statuary.
I often pleased myself in the course of our
march, with noticing the appearance of the
young Count and his newly enlisted follower, as
they rode before me. Never was preux
-- 050 --
[figure description] Page 050.[end figure description]
chevalier better suited with an esquire. The Count
was well mounted, and, as I have before observed,
was a bold and graceful rider. He was
fond, too, of caracoling his horse, and dashing
about in the buoyancy of youthful spirits. His
dress was a gay Indian hunting frock of dressed
deerskin, setting well to the shape, dyed of
a beautiful purple, and fancifully embroidered
with silks of various colours; as if it had been
the work of some Indian beauty, to decorate a
favourite chief. With this he wore leathern pantaloons
and moccasons, a foraging cap, and a
double barrelled gun slung by a bandaleer
athwart his back: so that he was quite a picturesque
figure as he managed gracefully his
spirited steed.
The young Osage would ride close behind
him on his wild and beautifully mottled horse,
which was decorated with crimson tufts of hair.
He rode with his finely shaped head and bust
naked; his blanket being girt round his waist.
He carried his rifle in one hand, and managed
his horse with the other, and seemed ready to
dash off at a moment's warning, with his youthful
leader, on any mad-cap foray or scamper.
The Count, with the sanguine anticipations of
youth, promised himself many hardy adventures
and exploits in company with his youthful
-- 051 --
[figure description] Page 051.[end figure description]
“brave,” when we should get among the buffaloes,
in the Pawnee hunting grounds.
After riding some distance, we crossed a narrow,
deep stream, upon a solid bridge, the remains
of an old beaver dam; the industrious
community which had constructed it had all
been destroyed. Above us, a streaming flight
of wild geese, high in air, and making a vociferous
noise, gave note of the waning year.
About half past ten o'clock, we made a halt
in a forest, where there was abundance of the
pea-vine. Here we turned the horses loose to
graze. A fire was made, water procured from
an adjacent spring, and in a short time our little
Frenchman, Tonish, had a pot of coffee prepared
for our refreshment. While partaking of
it, we were joined by an old Osage, one of a
small hunting party who had recently passed
this way. He was in search of his horse,
which had wandered away, or been stolen. Our
half-breed, Beatte, made a wry face on hearing
of Osage hunters in this direction. “Until we
pass those hunters,” said he, “we shall see no
buffaloes. They frighten away every thing,
like a prairie on fire.”
The morning repast being over, the party
amused themselves in various ways. Some
shot with their rifles at a mark, others lay asleep
half buried in the deep bed of foliage, with their
-- 052 --
[figure description] Page 052.[end figure description]
heads resting on their saddles; others gossiped
round the fire at the foot of a tree, which sent
up wreaths of blue smoke among the branches.
The horses banqueted luxuriously on the pea-vine,
and some lay down and rolled amongst
them.
We were overshadowed by lofty trees, with
straight, smooth trunks, like stately columns;
and as the glancing rays of the sun shone through
the transparent leaves, tinted with the many
coloured hues of autumn, I was reminded of
the effect of sunshine among the stained windows
and clustering columns of a Gothic cathedral.
Indeed there is a grandeur and solemnity
in some of our spacious forests of the west,
that awaken in me the same feeling that I have
experienced in those vast and venerable piles,
and the sound of the wind sweeping through
them, supplies occasionally the deep breathings
of the organ.
About noon the bugle sounded to horse, and
we were again on the march, hoping that we
might arrive at the encampment of the rangers
before night; as the old Osage had assured us
it was not above ten or twelve miles distant.
In our course through a forest, we passed by a
lonely pool, covered with the most magnificent
water-lilies that I ever beheld; among which
swam several wood ducks, one of the most
-- 053 --
[figure description] Page 053.[end figure description]
beautiful of water-fowl, remarkable for the
gracefulness and brilliancy of its plumage.
After proceeding some distance farther, we
came down upon the banks of the Arkansas, at
a place where tracks of numerous horses all entering
the water, showed where a party of Osage
hunters had recently crossed the river on their
way to the buffalo range. After letting our
horses drink in the river, we continued along its
bank for a space, and then across prairies, where
we saw a distant smoke, which we hoped might
proceed from the encampment of the rangers.
Following what we supposed to be their trail,
we came to a meadow in which were a number
of horses grazing: they were not, however, the
horses of the troop. A little farther on, we
reached a straggling Osage village, on the banks
of the Arkansas. Our arrival created quite a
sensation. A number of old men came forward
and shook hands with us all severally;
while the women and children huddled together
in groups, staring at us wildly, chattering and
laughing among themselves. We found that
all the young men of the village had departed
on a hunting expedition, leaving the women and
children and old men behind. Here the Commissioner
made a speech from on horseback; informing
his hearers of the purport of his mission,
to promote a general peace among the
-- 054 --
[figure description] Page 054.[end figure description]
tribes of the west, and urging them to ay aside
all warlike and bloodthirsty notions, and not to
make any wanton attacks upon the Pawnees.
This speech being interpreted by Beatte, seemed
to have a most pacifying effect upon the
multitude, who promised faithfully that as far as
in them lay, the peace should not be disturbed;
and indeed their age and sex gave some reason
to hope that they would keep their word.
Still hoping to reach the camp of the rangers
before nightfall, we pushed on until twilight,
when we were obliged to halt on the borders of
a ravine. The rangers bivouacked under trees,
at the bottom of the dell, while we pitched our
tent on a rocky knoll near a running stream.
The night came on dark and overcast, with
flying clouds, and much appearance of rain.
The fires of the rangers burnt brightly in the
dell, and threw strong masses of light upon the
robber-looking groups that were cooking, eating
and drinking around them. To add to the wildness
of the scene, several Osage Indians, visiters
from the village we had passed, were mingled
among the men. Three of them came and
seated themselves by our fire. They watched
every thing that was going on round them in
silence, and looked like figures of monumental
bronze. We gave them food, and, what they
most relished, coffee; for the Indians partake
-- 055 --
[figure description] Page 055.[end figure description]
in the universal fondness for this beverage, which
pervades the West. When they had made their
supper, they stretched themselves, side by side,
before the fire, and began a low nasal chant,
drumming with their hands upon their breasts,
by way of accompaniment. Their chant seemed
to consist of regular staves, every one terminating,
not in a melodious cadence, but in the
abrupt interjection huh! uttered almost like a
hiccup. This chant, we were told by our interpreter,
Beatte, related to ourselves, our appearance,
our treatment of them, and all that
they knew of our plans. In one part they spoke
of the young Count, whose animated character
and eagerness for Indian enterprise had struck
their fancy, and they indulged in some waggery
about him and the young Indian beauties, that
produced great merriment among our half-breeds.
This mode of improvising is common throughout
the savage tribes; and in this way, with a
few simple inflections of the voice, they chant
all their exploits in war and hunting, and occasionally
indulge in a vein of comic humour and
dry satire, to which the Indians appear to me
much more prone than is generally imagined.
In fact, the Indians that I have had an opportunity
of seeing in real life, are quite different
from those described in poetry. They are by
-- 056 --
[figure description] Page 056.[end figure description]
no means the stoics that they are represented;
taciturn, unbending, without a tear or a smile.
Taciturn they are, it is true, when in company
with white men, whose good will they distrust,
and whose language they do not understand;
but the white man is equally taciturn under like
circumstances. When the Indians are among
themselves, however, there cannot be greater
gossips. Half their time is taken up in talking
over their adventures in war and hunting, and
in telling whimsical stories. They are great
mimics and buffoons, also, and entertain themselves
excessively at the expense of the whites
with whom they have associated, and who have
supposed them impressed with profound respect
for their grandeur and dignity. They are curious
observers, noting every thing in silence,
but with a keen and watchful eye; occasionally
exchanging a glance or a grunt with each other,
when any thing particularly strikes them: but
reserving all comments until they are alone.
Then it is that they give full scope to criticism,
satire, mimicry, and mirth.
In the course of my journey along the frontier,
I have had repeated opportunities of noticing
their excitability and boisterous merriment
at their games; and have occasionally noticed
a group of Osages sitting round a fire until a
late hour of the night, engaged in the most
-- 057 --
[figure description] Page 057.[end figure description]
animated and lively conversation; and at times
making the woods resound with peals of laughter.
As to tears, they have them in abundance,
both real and affected; at times they make a
merit of them. No one weeps more bitterly or
profusely at the death of a relative or friend:
and they have stated times when they repair to
howl and lament at their graves. I have heard
doleful wailings at daybreak, in the neighbourhood
of Indian villages, made by some of the
inhabitants, who go out at that hour into the
fields, to mourn and weep for the dead: at such
times, I am told, the tears will stream down
their cheeks in torrents.
As far as I can judge, the Indian of poetical
fiction is like the Shepherd of pastoral romance,
a mere personification of imaginary attributes.
The nasal chant of our Osage guests gradually
died away; they covered their heads with their
blankets and fell fast asleep, and in a little while
all was silent, excepting the pattering of scattered
rain drops upon our tent.
In the morning our Indian visiters breakfasted
with us, but the young Osage who was to
act as esquire to the Count in his knight errantry
on the prairies, was no where to be found.
His wild horse, too, was missing, and, after many
conjectures, we came to the conclusion that he
had taken “Indian leave” of us in the night.
We afterwards ascertained that he had been
-- 058 --
[figure description] Page 058.[end figure description]
persuaded so to do by the Osages we had recently
met with; who had represented to him
the perils that would attend him in an expedition
to the Pawnee hunting grounds, where he might
fall into the hands of the implacable enemies of
his tribe; and, what was scarcely less to be
apprehended, the annoyances to which he would
be subjected from the capricious and overbearing
conduct of the white men; who, as I have witnessed
in my own short experience, are prone
to treat the poor Indians as little better than
brute animals. Indeed, he had had a specimen
of it himself in the narrow escape he made from
the infliction of “Lynch's law,” by the hardwinking
worthy of the frontier, for the flagitious
crime of finding a stray horse.
The disappearance of the youth was generally
regretted by our party, for we had all taken
a great fancy to him from his handsome, frank,
and manly appearance, and the easy grace of
his deportment. He was indeed a native born
gentleman. By none, however, was he so much
lamented as by the young Count, who thus suddenly
found himself deprived of his esquire.
I regretted the departure of the Osage for his
own sake, for we should have cherished him
throughout the expedition, and I am convinced
from the munificent spirit of his patron, he
would have returned to his tribe laden with
wealth of beads and trinkets and Indian blankets.
-- 059 --
CHAPTER VIII.
The Honey Camp.
[figure description] Page 059.[end figure description]
The weather, which had been rainy in the
night, having held up, we resumed our march at
seven o'clock in the morning, in confident hope
of soon arriving at the encampment of the rangers.
We had not ridden above three or four
miles when we came to a large tree which had
recently been felled by an axe, for the wild
honey contained in the hollow of its trunk,
several broken flakes of which still remained.
We now felt sure that the camp could not be
far distant. About a couple of miles further
and some of the rangers set up a shout, and
pointed to a number of horses grazing in a
woody bottom. A few paces brought us to the
brow of an elevated ridge, from whence we
looked down upon the encampment. It was
a wild bandit, or Robin Hood, scene. In a
beautiful open forest, traversed by a running
stream, were booths of bark and branches, and
tents of blankets, temporary shelters from the
recent rain, for the rangers commonly bivouack
in the open air. There were groups of rangers
in every kind of uncouth garb. Some were
-- 060 --
[figure description] Page 060.[end figure description]
cooking at large fires made at the feet of trees;
some were stretching and dressing deerskins;
some were shooting at a mark, and some lying
about on the grass. Venison jerked, and hung
on frames was drying over the embers in one
place; in another lay carcasses recently brought
in by the hunters. Stacks of rifles were leaning
against the trunks of the trees, and saddles,
bridles, and powder horns hanging above them,
while the horses were grazing here and there
among the thickets.
Our arrival at the camp was greeted with acclamation.
The rangers crowded about their comrades
to inquire the news from the fort: for our
own part, we were received in frank simple hunter's
style by Capt. Bean, the commander of the
company; a man about forty years of age, vigorous
and active. His life had been chiefly passed
on the frontier, occasionally in Indian warfare,
so that he was a thorough woodsman, and a first
rate hunter. He was equipped in character;
in leathern hunting shirt and leggins, and a
leathern foraging cap.
While we were conversing with the Captain,
a veteran huntsman approached, whose whole
appearance struck me. He was of the middle
size, but tough and weather proved; a head
partly bald and garnished with loose iron-grey
locks, and a fine black eye, beaming with
-- 061 --
[figure description] Page 061.[end figure description]
youthful spirit. His dress was similar to that of the
Captain, a rifle shirt and leggins of dressed
deerskin, that had evidently seen service; a
powder horn was slung by his side, a hunting
knife stuck in his belt, and in his hand was an
ancient and trusty rifle, doubtless as dear to him
as a bosom friend. He asked permission to go
hunting, which was readily granted. “That's
old Ryan,” said the Captain, when he had gone,
“there's not a better hunter in the camp; he's
sure to bring in game.”
In a little while our pack-horses were unloaded
and turned loose to revel among the pea-vines.
Our tent was pitched; our fire made; the half
of a deer had been sent to us from the Captain's
lodge; Beatte brought in a couple of wild turkeys;
the spits were laden, and the camp kettle
crammed with meat; and to crown our luxuries,
a basin filled with great flakes of delicious honey,
the spoils of a plundered bee-tree, was given us
by one of the rangers.
Our little Frenchman Tonish was in an ecstasy,
and tucking up his sleeves to the elbows,
set to work to make a display of his culinary
skill, on which he prided himself almost as much
as upon his hunting, his riding, and his warlike
prowess.
-- 062 --
CHAPTER IX.
A Bee Hunt.
[figure description] Page 062.[end figure description]
The beautiful forest in which we were encamped
abounded in bee trees; that is to say, trees in
the decayed trunks of which wild bees had established
their hives. It is surprising in what
countless swarms the bees have overspread the
far west, within but a moderate number of years.
The Indians consider them the harbinger of the
white man, as the Buffalo is of the red man;
and say that, in proportion as the bee advances,
the Indian and Buffalo retire. We are always
accustomed to associate the hum of the bee-hive
with the farm house and flower garden, and to
consider those industrious little animals as connected
with the busy haunts of man, and I am
told that the wild bee is seldom to be met with
at any great distance from the frontier. They
have been the heralds of civilization, steadfastly
preceding it as it advanced from the Atlantic
borders, and some of the ancient settlers of the
west pretend to give the very year when the
honey bee first crossed the Mississippi. The
Indians with surprise found the mouldering trees
-- 063 --
[figure description] Page 063.[end figure description]
of their forests suddenly teeming with ambrosial
sweets, and nothing, I am told, can exceed the
greedy relish with which they banquet for the
first time upon this unbought luxury of the wilderness.
At present the honey bee swarms in myriads,
in the noble groves and forests that skirt and intersect
the prairies, and extend along the alluvial
bottoms of the rivers. It seems to me as if
these beautiful regions answer literally to the
description of the land of promise, “a land flowing
with milk and honey;” for the rich pasturage
of the prairies is calcuated to sustain herds
of cattle as countless as the sands upon the seashore,
while the flowers with which they are
enamelled render them a very paradise for the
nectar-seeking bee.
We had not been long in the camp when a
party set out in quest of a bee tree; and, being
curious to witness the sport, I gladly accepted
an invitation to accompany them. The party
was headed by a veteran bee hunter, a tall lank
fellow in homespun garb that hung loosely about
his limbs, and a straw hat shaped not unlike a
bee-hive; a comrade, equally uncouth in garb,
and without a hat, straddled along at his heels,
with a long rifle on his shoulder. To these succeeded
half a dozen others, some with axes and
some with rifles, for no one stirs far from the
-- 064 --
[figure description] Page 064.[end figure description]
camp without his fire-arms, so as to be ready
either for wild deer or wild Indian.
After proceeding some distance we came to
an open glade on the skirts of the forest. Here
our leader halted, and then advanced quietly to
a low bush, on the top of which I perceived a
piece of honey-comb. This I found was the
bait or lure for the wild bees. Several were
humming about it, and diving into its cells.
When they had laden themselves with honey
they would rise into the air, and dart off in a
straight line, almost with the velocity of a bullet.
The hunters watched attentively the course they
took, and then set off in the same direction,
stumbling along over twisted roots and fallen
trees, with their eyes turned up to the sky. In
this way they traced the honey laden bees to
their hive, in the hollow trunk of a blasted oak,
where, after buzzing about for a moment, they
entered a hole about sixty feet from the ground.
Two of the Bee hunters now plied their axes
vigorously at the foot of the tree to level it with
the ground. The mere spectators and amateurs,
in the mean time, drew off to a cautious distance,
to be out of the way of the falling of the tree
and the vengeance of its inmates. The jarring
blows of the axe seemed to have no effect in
alarming or disturbing this most industrious community.
They continued to ply at their usual
-- 065 --
[figure description] Page 065.[end figure description]
occupations, some arriving full freighted into
port, others sallying forth on new expeditions,
like so many merchantmen in a money making
metropolis, little suspicious of impending bankruptcy
and downfall. Even a loud crack which
announced the disrupture of the trunk, failed to
divert their attention from the intense pursuit of
gain; at length down came the tree with a tremendous
crash, bursting open from end to end,
and displaying all the hoarded treasurers of the
commonwealth.
One of the hunters immediately ran up with a
whisp of lighted hay as a defence against the
bees. The latter, however, made no attack and
sought no revenge; they seemed stupified by the
catastrophe and unsuspicious of its cause, and
remained crawling and buzzing about the ruins
without offering us any molestation. Every one
of the party now fell to, with spoon and hunting
knife, to scoop out the flakes of honey-comb
with which the hollow trunk was stored. Some
of them were of old date and a deep brown
colour, others were beautifully white, and the
honey in their cells was almost limpid. Such of
the combs as were entire were placed in camp
kettles to be conveyed to the encampment; those
which had been shivered in the fall were devoured
upon the spot. Every stark bee hunter
was to be seen with a rich morsel in his hand,
-- 066 --
[figure description] Page 066.[end figure description]
dripping about his fingers, and disappearing as
rapidly as a cream tart before the holyday appetite
of a schoolboy.
Nor was it the bee hunters alone that profited
by the downfall of this industrious community;
as if the bees would carry through the similitude
of their habits with those of laborious and gainful
man, I beheld numbers from rival hives,
arriving on eager wing, to enrich themselves
with the ruins of their neighbours. These busied
themselves as eagerly and cheerfully as so many
wreckers on an Indiaman that has been driven
on shore; plunging into the cells of the broken
honey combs, banqueting greedily on the spoil,
and then winging their way full freighted to
their homes. As to the poor proprietors of the
ruin, they seemed to have no heart to do any
thing, not even to taste the nectar that flowed
around them; but crawled backwards and forwards,
in vacant desolation, as I have seen a
poor fellow with his hands in his breeches pocket,
whistling vacantly and despondingly about the
ruins of his house that had been burnt.
It is difficult to describe the bewilderment and
confusion of the bees of the bankrupt hive who
had been absent at the time of the catastrophe,
and who arrived from time to time, with full
cargoes from abroad. At first they wheeled
about in the air, in the place where the fallen
-- 067 --
[figure description] Page 067.[end figure description]
tree had once reared its head, astonished at finding
it all a vacuum. At length, as if comprehending
their disaster, they settled down in clusters
on a dry branch of a neighbouring tree,
from whence they seemed to contemplate the
prostrate ruin, and to buzz forth doleful lamentations
over the downfall of their republic. It was
a scene on which the “melancholy Jacques”
might have moralized by the hour.
We now abandoned the place, leaving much
honey in the hollow of the tree. “It will all be
cleared off by varmint,” said one of the rangers.
“What vermin?” asked I. “Oh bears, and
skunks, and raccoons, and 'possums. The bears
is the knowingest varmint for finding out a bee
tree in the world. They'll gnaw for days together
at the trunk till they make a hole big
enough to get in their paws, and then they'll
haul out honey, bees and all.”
-- 068 --
CHAPTER X.
Amusements in the Camp. Consultations. Hunters'
fare and feasting. Evening scenes. Camp
melody. The fate of an amateur Owl.
[figure description] Page 068.[end figure description]
On returning to the camp, we found it a scene
of the greatest hilarity. Some of the rangers
were shooting at a mark, others were leaping,
wrestling, and playing at prison bars. They
were mostly young men, on their first expedition,
in high health and vigour, and buoyant with anticipations;
and I can conceive nothing more
likely to set the youthful blood into a flow, than
a wild wood life of the kind, and the range of
a magnificent wilderness, abounding with game,
and fruitful of adventure. We send our youth
abroad to grow luxurious and effeminate in Europe;
it appears to me, that a previous tour on
the prairies would be more likely to produce
that manliness, simplicity, and self-dependence,
most in unison with our political institutions.
While the young men were engaged in these
boisterous amusements, a graver set, composed
of the Captain, the Doctor, and other sages and
leaders of the camp, were seated or stretched out
on the grass, round a frontier map, holding a
-- 069 --
[figure description] Page 069.[end figure description]
consultation about our position, and the course
we were to pursue.
Our plan was to cross the Arkansas just above
where the Red Fork falls into it, then to keep
westerly, until we should pass through a grand
belt of open forest, called the Cross Timber,
which ranges nearly north and south from the
Arkansas to Red river; after which, we were
to keep a southerly course towards the latter
river.
Our half-breed, Beatte, being an experienced
Osage hunter, was called into the consultation.
“Have you ever hunted in this direction?” said
the Captain. “Yes,” was the laconic reply.
“Perhaps, then, you can tell us in which direction
lies the Red Fork.”
“If you keep along yonder, by the edge of
the prairie, you will come to a bald hill, with a
pile of stones upon it.”
“I have noticed that hill as I was hunting,”
said the Captain.
“Well! those stones were set up by the Osages
as a land mark: from that spot you may have a
sight of the Red Fork.”
“In that case,” cried the Captain, “we shall
reach the Red Fork to-morrow; then cross the
Arkansas above it, into the Pawnee country, and
then in two days we shall crack buffalo bones!”
The idea of arriving at the adventurous
-- 070 --
[figure description] Page 070.[end figure description]
hunting grounds of the Pawnees, and of coming upon
the traces of the buffaloes, made every eye
sparkle with animation. Our further conversation
was interrupted by the sharp report of a
rifle, at no great distance from the camp.
“That's old Ryan's rifle,” exclaimed the Captain;
“there's a buck down, I'll warrant:” nor
was he mistaken; for, before long, the veteran
made his appearance, calling upon one of the
younger rangers to return with him, and aid in
bringing home the carcass.
The surrounding country, in fact, abounded
with game, so that the camp was overstocked
with provisions, and, as no less than twenty beetrees
had been cut down in the vicinity, every
one revelled in luxury. With the wasteful
prodigality of hunters, there was a continual
feasting, and scarce any one put by provision
for the morrow. The cooking was conducted
in hunters' style: the meat was stuck upon tapering
spits of dogwood, the ends of which were
thrust into the ground, so as to sustain the joint
before the fire, where it was roasted or broiled
with all its juices retained in it in a manner that
would have tickled the palate of the most experienced
gourmand. As much could not be
said in favour of the bread. It was little more
than a paste made of flour and water, and fried
like fritters, in lard; though some adopted a
-- 071 --
[figure description] Page 071.[end figure description]
ruder style, twisting it round the ends of sticks,
and thus roasting it before the fire. In either
way, I have found it extremely palatable on the
prairies. No one knows the true relish of food
until he has a hunter's appetite.
Before sunset, we were summoned by little
Tonish to a sumptuous repast. Blankets had
been spread on the ground near to the fire, upon
which we took our seats. A large dish, or bowl,
made from the root of a maple tree, and which
we had purchased at the Indian village, was
placed on the ground before us, and into it were
emptied the contents of one of the camp kettles,
consisting of a wild turkey hashed, together
with slices of bacon and lumps of dough. Beside
it was placed another bowl of similar ware, containing
an ample supply of fritters. After we
had discussed the hash, the ribs of a fat buck,
which stood impaled on two wooden spits, and
broiling before the fire, were planted in the
ground before us, with a triumphant air, by little
Tonish. Having no dishes, we had to proceed
in hunters' style, cutting off strips and slices
with our hunting-knives, and dipping them in
salt and pepper. To do justice to Tonish's
cookery, however, and to the keen sauce of the
prairies, never have I tasted venison so delicious.
With all this, our beverage was coffee, boiled in
a camp kettle, sweetened with brown sugar,
-- 072 --
[figure description] Page 072.[end figure description]
and drunk out of tin cups: and such was the
style of our banqueting throughout this expedition,
whenever provisions were plenty, and as
long as flour and coffee and sugar held out.
As the twilight thickened into night, the sentinels
were marched forth to their stations around
the camp; an indispensable precaution in a
country infested by Indians. The encampment
now presented a picturesque appearance. Camp
fires were blazing and smouldering here and
there among the trees, with groups of rangers
round them; some seated or lying on the
ground, others standing in the ruddy glare of the
flames, or in shadowy relief. At some of the
fires there was much boisterous mirth, where
peals of laughter were mingled with loud ribald
jokes and uncouth exclamations; for the troop
was evidently a raw, undisciplined band, levied
among the wild youngsters of the frontier, who
had enlisted, some for the sake of roving adventure,
and some for the purpose of getting a
knowledge of the country. Many of them were
the neighbours of their officers, and accustomed
to regard them with the familiarity of equals
and companions. None of them had any idea
of the restraint and decorum of a camp, or ambition
to acquire a name for exactness in a profession
in which they had no intention of continuing.
-- 073 --
[figure description] Page 073.[end figure description]
While this boisterous merriment prevailed at
some of the fires, there suddenly rose a strain of
nasal melody from another, at which a choir of
“vocalists” were uniting their voices in a most
lugubrious psalm tune. This was led by one of
the lieutenants; a tall, spare man, who we were
informed had officiated as schoolmaster, singingmaster,
and occasionally as methodist preacher,
in one of the villages of the frontier. The chant
rose solemnly and sadly in the night air, and reminded
me of the description of similar canticles
in the camps of the Covenanters; and, indeed,
the strange medley of figures and faces
and uncouth garbs, congregated together in our
troop, would not have disgraced the banners of
Praise-God Barebones.
In one of the intervals of this nasal psalmody,
an amateur owl, as if in competition, began his
dreary hooting. Immediately there was a cry
throughout the camp of “Charley's owl! Charley's
owl!” It seems this “obscure bird” had
visited the camp every night, and had been fired
at by one of the sentinels, a half-witted lad,
named Charley; who, on being called up for
firing when on duty, excused himself by saying,
that he understood that owls made uncommonly
good soup.
One of the young rangers mimicked the cry
of this bird of wisdom, who, with a simplicity
-- 074 --
[figure description] Page 074.[end figure description]
little consonant with his character, came hovering
within sight, and alighted on the naked
branch of a tree, lit up by the blaze of our fire.
The young Count immediately seized his fowling-piece,
took fatal aim, and in a twinkling the poor
bird of ill omen came fluttering to the ground.
Charley was now called upon to make and eat
his dish of owl-soup, but declined, as he had not
shot the bird.
In the course of the evening, I paid a visit to
the Captain's fire. It was composed of huge
trunks of trees, and of sufficient magnitude to
roast a buffalo whole. Here were a number of
the prime hunters and leaders of the camp, some
sitting, some standing, and others lying on skins
or blankets before the fire, telling old frontier
stories about hunting and Indian warfare.
As the night advanced, we perceived above
the trees to the west, a ruddy glow flushing up
the sky.
“That must be a prairie set on fire by the
Osage hunters,” said the Captain.
“It is at the Red Fork,” said Beatte, regarding
the sky. “It seems but three miles distant,
yet it perhaps is twenty.”
About half past eight o'clock, a beautiful pale
light gradually sprang up in the east, a precursor
of the rising moon. Drawing off from the
Captain's lodge, I now prepared for the night's
-- 075 --
[figure description] Page 075.[end figure description]
repose. I had determined to abandon the shelter
of the tent, and henceforth to bivouack like
the rangers. A bearskin spread at the foot of a
tree was my bed, with a pair of saddle-bags for
a pillow. Wrapping myself in blankets, I
stretched myself on this hunter's couch, and
soon fell into a sound and sweet sleep, from
which I did not awake until the bugle sounded
at daybreak.
-- 076 --
CHAPTER XI.
Breaking up of the Encampment. Picturesque
march. Game. Camp scenes. Triumph of
a young hunter. Ill success of old hunters.
Foul murder of a Polecat.
[figure description] Page 076.[end figure description]
(Oct. 14.) At the signal note of the bugle
the sentinels and patrols marched in from their
stations around the camp and were dismissed.
The rangers were roused from their night's repose,
and soon a bustling scene took place.
While some cut wood, made fires and prepared
the morning's meal, others struck their foul
weather shelters of blankets, and made every
preparation for departure; while others dashed
about, through brush and brake, catching the
horses and leading or driving them into camp.
During all this bustle the forest rang with
whoops, and shouts, and peals of laughter; when
all had breakfasted, packed up their effects and
camp equipage, and loaded the pack-horses, the
bugle sounded to saddle and mount. By eight
o'clock the whole troop set off in a long straggling
line, with whoop and halloo, intermingled
with many an oath at the loitering pack-horses,
and in a little while the forest which for several
-- 077 --
[figure description] Page 077.[end figure description]
days had been the scene of such unwonted bustle
and uproar, relapsed into its primeval solitude
and silence.
It was a bright sunny morning, with that pure
transparent atmosphere that seems to bathe the
very heart with gladness. Our march continued
parallel to the Arkansas, through a rich and
varied country; sometimes we had to break our
way through alluvial bottoms matted with redundant
vegetation, where the gigantic trees
were entangled with grape vines, hanging like
cordage from their branches; sometimes we
coasted along sluggish brooks, whose feebly
trickling current just served to link together a
succession of glassy pools, embedded like mirrors
in the quiet bosom of the forest, reflecting
its autumnal foliage, and patches of the clear
blue sky. Sometimes we scrambled up broken
and rocky hills, from the summits of which we
had wide views stretching on one side over distant
prairies diversified by groves and forests,
and on the other ranging along a line of blue and
shadowy hills beyond the waters of the Arkansas.
The appearance of our troop was suited to
the country; stretching along in a line of upwards
of half a mile in length, winding among
brakes and bushes, and up and down the defiles
of the hills: the men in every kind of uncouth
garb, with long rifles on their shoulders, and
-- 078 --
[figure description] Page 078.[end figure description]
mounted on horses of every colour. The pack-horses,
too, would incessantly wander from the
line of march, to crop the surrounding herbage,
and were banged and beaten back by Tonish
and his half-breed compeers, with volleys of
mongrel oaths. Every now and then the notes
of the bugle from the head of the column, would
echo through the woodlands and along the hollow
glens, summoning up stragglers, and announcing
the line of march. The whole scene reminded
me of the description given of bands of buccaneers
penetrating the wilds of South America,
on their plundering expeditions against the
Spanish settlements.
At one time we passed through a luxuriant
bottom or meadow bordered by thickets, where
the tall grass was pressed down into numerous
“deer beds,” where those animals had couched
the preceding night. Some oak trees also bore
signs of having been clambered by bears, in quest
of acorns, the marks of their claws being visible
in the bark.
As we opened a glade of this sheltered meadow,
we beheld several deer bounding away in
wild affright, until, having gained some distance,
they would stop and gaze back, with the curiosity
common to this animal, at the strange intruders
into their solitudes. There was immediately a
sharp report of rifles in every direction, from
-- 079 --
[figure description] Page 079.[end figure description]
the young huntsmen of the troop, but they were
too eager to aim surely, and the deer, unharmed,
bounded away into the depths of the forest.
In the course of our march we struck the
Arkansas, but found ourselves still below the Red
Fork, and, as the river made deep bends, we
again left its banks and continued through the
woods until nearly eight o'clock, when we encamped
in a beautiful basin bordered by a fine
stream, and shaded by clumps of lofty oaks.
The horses were now hobbled, that is to say,
their fore legs were fettered with cords or
leathern straps, so as to impede their movements,
and prevent their wandering from the camp.
They were then turned loose to graze. A number
of rangers, prime hunters, started off in different
directions in search of game. There was
no whooping or laughing about the camp as
in the morning; all were either busy about the
fires preparing the evening's repast, or reposing
upon the grass. Shots were soon heard in various
directions. After a time a huntsman rode
into the camp with the carcass of a fine buck
hanging across his horse. Shortly afterwards
came in a couple of stripling hunters on foot, one
of whom bore on his shoulders the body of a
doe. He was evidently proud of his spoil, being
probably one of his first achievements, though
he and his companion were much bantered by
-- 080 --
[figure description] Page 080.[end figure description]
their comrades, as young beginners who hunted
in partnership.
Just as the night set in, there was a great
shouting at one end of the camp, and immediately
afterwards a body of young rangers came
parading round the various fires, bearing one of
their comrades in triumph on their shoulders.
He had shot an elk for the first time in his life,
and it was the first animal of the kind that had
been killed on this expedition. The young
huntsman, whose name was M`Lellan, was the
hero of the camp for the night, and was the
“father of the feast” into the bargain; for portions
of his elk were seen roasting at every fire.
The other hunters returned without success.
The captain had observed the tracks of a buffalo,
which must have passed within a few days, and
had tracked a bear for some distance until the
foot prints had disappeared. He had seen an
elk too, on the banks of the Arkansas, which
walked out on a sand bar of the river, but before
he could steal round through the bushes to get a
shot, it had re-entered the woods.
Our own hunter, Beatte, returned silent and
sulky, from an unsuccessful hunt. As yet he
had brought us in nothing, and we had depended
for our supplies of venison upon the Captain's
mess. Beatte was evidently mortified, for he
looked down with contempt upon the rangers,
-- 081 --
[figure description] Page 081.[end figure description]
as raw and inexperienced woodsmen, but little
skilled in hunting; they, on the other hand, regarded
Beatte with no very complacent eye,
as one of an evil breed, and always spoke of
him as “the Indian.”
Our little Frenchman Tonish also, by his incessant
boasting, and chattering, and gasconading,
in his balderdashed dialect, had drawn upon
himself the ridicule of many of the wags of the
troop, who amused themselves at his expense in
a kind of raillery by no means remarkable for its
delicacy; but the little varlet was so completely
fortified by vanity and self-conceit, that he was
invulnerable to every joke. I must confess,
however, that I felt a little mortified at the sorry
figure our retainers were making among these
moss troopers of the frontier. Even our very
equipments came in for a share of unpopularity,
and I heard many sneers at the double barrelled
guns with which we were provided against
smaller game; the lads of the west holding “shot
guns,” as they call them, in great contempt, thinking
grouse, partridges, and even wild turkeys as
beneath their serious attention, and the rifle the
only fire-arm worthy of a hunter.
I was awakened before day-break the next
morning, by the mournful howling of a wolf, who
was skulking about the purlieus of the camp,
attracted by the scent of venison. Scarcely had
-- 082 --
[figure description] Page 082.[end figure description]
the first grey streak of dawn appeared, when a
youngster at one of the distant lodges, shaking
off his sleep, crowed in imitation of a cock, with
a loud clear note and prolonged cadence, that
would have done credit to the most veteran
chantcileer. He was immediately answered
from another quarter, as if from a rival rooster.
The chant was echoed from lodge to lodge, and
followed by the cackling of hens, quacking of
ducks, gabbling of turkeys, and grunting of swine,
until we seemed to have been transported into
the midst of a farm yard, with all its inmates in
full concert around us.
After riding a short distance this morning, we
came upon a well worn Indian track, and following
it, scrambled to the summit of a hill, from
whence we had a wide prospect over a country
diversified by rocky ridges and waving lines of
upland, and enriched by groves and clumps of
trees of varied tuft and foliage. At a distance to
the west, to our great satisfaction, we beheld the
Red Fork rolling its ruddy current to the Arkansas,
and found that we were above the point
of junction. We now descended and pushed
forward, with much difficulty, through the rich
alluvial bottom that borders the Arkansas. Here
the trees were interwoven with grape vines,
forming a kind of cordage, from trunk to trunk
and limb to limb; there was a thick
-- 083 --
[figure description] Page 083.[end figure description]
undergrowth, also, of bush and bramble, and such an
abundance of hops, fit for gathering, that it was
difficult for our horses to force their way through.
The soil was imprinted in many places with
the tracks of deer, and the claws of bears were
to be traced on various trees. Every one was
on the look out in the hope of starting some
game, when suddenly there was a bustle and a
clamour in a distant part of the line. A bear!
a bear! was the cry. We all pressed forward to
be present at the sport, when to my infinite,
though whimsical chagrin, I found it to be our
two worthies, Beatte, and Tonish, perpetrating a
foul murder on a polecat, or skunk! The animal
had ensconced itself beneath the trunk of a
fallen tree, from whence it kept up a vigorous
defence in its peculiar style, until the surrounding
forest was in a high state of fragrance.
Gibes and jokes now broke out on all sides at
the expense of the Indian hunter, and he was
advised to wear the scalp of the skunk as the
only trophy of his prowess. When they found,
however, that he and Tonish were absolutely
bent upon bearing off the carcass as a peculiar
dainty, there was a universal expression of disgust;
and they were regarded as little better
than cannibals.
Mortified at this ignominious debut of our two
hunters, I insisted upon their abandoning their
-- 084 --
[figure description] Page 084.[end figure description]
prize and resuming their march. Beatte complied
with a dogged, discontented air, and
lagged behind muttering to himself. Tonish,
however, with his usual buoyancy, consoled
himself by vociferous eulogies on the richness
and delicacy of a roasted polecat, which he
swore was considered the dantiest of dishes by
all experienced Indian gourmands. It was with
difficulty I could silence his loquacity by repeated
and peremptory commands. A Frenchman's
vivacity however, if repressed in one way, will
break out in another, and Tonish now eased off
his spleen by bestowing volleys of oaths and dry
blows on the pack-horses. I was likely to be
no gainer in the end, by my opposition to the
humours of these varlets, for after a time, Beatte,
who had lagged behind, rode up to the head of
the line to resume his station as a guide, and I
had the vexation to see the carcass of his prize,
stripped of its skin, and looking like a fat sucking
pig, dangling behind his saddle. I made a
solemn vow, however, in secret, that our fire
should not be disgraced by the cooking of that
polecat.
-- 085 --
CHAPTER XII.
The Crossing of the Arkansas.
[figure description] Page 085.[end figure description]
We had now arrived at the river, about a
quarter of a mile above the junction of the Red
Fork; but the banks were steep and crumbling,
and the current was deep and rapid. It was
impossible, therefore, to cross at this place; and
we resumed our painful course through the
forest, despatching Beatte ahead, in search of a
fording place. We had proceeded about a mile
further, when he rejoined us, bringing intelligence
of a place hard by, where the river, for
a great part of its breadth, was rendered fordable
by sand bars, and the remainder might easily
be swam by the horses.
Here, then, we made a halt. Some of the
rangers set to work vigorously with their axes,
felling trees on the edge of the river, where with
to form rafts for the transportation of their baggage
and camp equipage. Others patrolled the
banks of the river farther up, in hopes of finding
a better fording place; being unwilling to risk
their horses in the deep channel.
It was now that our worthies, Beatte and Tonish,
had an opportunity of displaying their
-- 086 --
[figure description] Page 086.[end figure description]
Indian adroitness and resource. At the Osage
village which we had passed a day or two before,
they had procured a dry buffalo skin. This
was now produced; cords were passed through
a number of small eylet holes with which it was
bordered, and it was drawn up, until it formed
a kind of deep trough. Sticks were then placed
athwart it on the inside, to keep it in shape; our
camp equipage and a part of our baggage were
placed within, and the singular bark was carried
down the bank and set afloat. A cord was attached
to the prow, which Beatte took between
his teeth, and throwing himself into the water,
went ahead, towing the bark after him; while
Tonish followed behind, to keep it steady and to
propel it. Part of the way they had foothold,
and were enabled to wade, but in the main current
they were obliged to swim. The whole
way, they whooped and yelled in the Indian
style, until they landed safely on the opposite
shore.
The Commissioner and myself were so well
pleased with this Indian mode of ferriage, that
we determined to trust ourselves in the buffalo
hide. Our companions, the Count and Mr. L.,
had proceeded with the horses, along the river
bank, in search of a ford which some of the
rangers had discovered, about a mile and a half
distant. While we were waiting for the return
-- 087 --
[figure description] Page 087.[end figure description]
of our ferrymen, I happened to cast my eyes
upon a heap of luggage under a bush, and descried
the sleek carcass of the polecat, snugly
trussed up, and ready for roasting before the
evening fire. I could not resist the temptation
to plump it into the river, when it sunk to the
bottom like a lump of lead; and thus our lodge
was relieved from the bad odour which this savoury
viand had threatened to bring upon it.
Our men having recrossed with their cockleshell
bark, it was drawn on shore, half filled with
saddles, saddlebags, and other luggage, amounting
to a hundred weight; and being again placed
in the water, I was invited to take my seat. It
appeared to me pretty much like the embarcation
of the wise men of Gotham, who went to sea in
a bowl: I stepped in, however, without hesitation,
though as cautiously as possible, and sat
down on top of the luggage, the margin of the
hide sinking to within a hand's breadth of the
water's edge. Rifles, fowling-pieces, and other
articles of small bulk, were then handed in, until
I protested against receiving any more freight.
We then launched forth upon the stream, the
bark being towed as before.
It was with a sensation half serious, half comic,
that I found myself thus afloat, on the skin of a
buffalo, in the midst of a wild river, surrounded
by wilderness, and towed along by a half savage,
-- 088 --
[figure description] Page 088.[end figure description]
whooping and yelling like a devil incarnate.
To please the vanity of little Tonish, I discharged
the double barrelled gun, to the right
and left, when in the centre of the stream. The
report echoed along the woody shores, and was
answered by shouts from some of the rangers,
to the great exultation of the little Frenchman,
who took to himself the whole glory of this Indian
mode of navigation.
Our voyage was accomplished happily; the
Commissioner was ferried across with equal
success, and all our effects were brought over in
the same manner. Nothing could equal the
vain-glorious vapouring of little Tonish, as he
strutted about the shore, and exulted in his superior
skill and knowledge, to the rangers. Beatte,
however, kept his proud, saturnine look, without
a smile. He had a vast contempt for the ignorance
of the rangers, and felt that he had been
undervalued by them. His only observation
was, “Dey now see de Indian good for someting,
any how!”
The broad, sandy shore where we had landed,
was intersected by innumerable tracks of elk,
deer, bears, raccoons, turkeys, and water-fowl.
The river scenery at this place was beautifully
diversified, presenting long, shining reaches, bordered
by willows and cottonwood trees; rich
bottoms, with lofty forests; among which
-- 089 --
[figure description] Page 089.[end figure description]
towered enormous plane trees, and the distance was
closed in by high embowered promontories.
The foliage had a yellow autumnal tint, which
gave to the sunny landscape the golden tone of
one of the landscapes of Claude Lorraine. There
was animation given to the scene, by a raft of
logs and branches, on which the Captain and
his prime companion, the Doctor, were ferrying
their effects across the stream; and by a long
line of rangers on horseback, fording the river
obliquely, along a series of sand bars, about a
mile and a half distant.
-- 090 --
CHAPTER XIII. THE CAMP OF THE GLEN.
Camp gossip. Pawnees and their habits. A
hunter's adventure. Horses found, and men
lost.
[figure description] Page 090.[end figure description]
Being joined by the Captain and some of the
rangers, we struck into the woods for about half
a mile, and then entered a wild, rocky dell, bordered
by two lofty ridges of limestone, which
narrowed as we advanced, until they met and
united; making almost an angle. Here a fine
spring of water rose from among the rocks, and
fed a silver rill that ran the whole length of the
dell, freshening the grass with which it was carpeted.
In this rocky nook we encamped, among tall
trees. The rangers gradually joined us, straggling
through the forest singly or in groups;
some on horseback, some on foot, driving their
horses before them, heavily laden with baggage,
some dripping wet, having fallen into the river;
for they had experienced much fatigue and
trouble from the length of the ford, and the
depth and rapidity of the stream. They looked
not unlike banditti returning with their plunder,
-- 091 --
[figure description] Page 091.[end figure description]
and the wild dell was a retreat worthy to receive
them. The effect was heightened after
dark, when the light of the fires was cast upon
rugged looking groups of men and horses; with
baggage tumbled in heaps, rifles piled against
the trees, and saddles, bridles, and powder-horns
hanging about their trunks.
At the encampment we were joined by the
young Count and his companion, and the young
half-breed, Antoine, who had all passed successfully
by the ford. To my annoyance, however,
I discovered that both of my horses were missing.
I had supposed them in the charge of
Antoine; but he, with characteristic carelessness,
had paid no heed to them, and they had
probably wandered from the line on the opposite
side of the river. It was arranged that Beatte
and Antoine should recross the river at an early
hour of the morning, in search of them.
A fat buck, and a number of wild turkeys being
brought into the camp, we managed, with the
addition of a cup of coffee, to make a comfortable
supper: after which, I repaired to the Captain's
lodge, which was a kind of council fire
and gossiping place, for the veterans of the
camp.
As we were conversing together, we observed,
as on former nights, a dusky, red glow in the
west, above the summits of the surrounding
-- 092 --
[figure description] Page 092.[end figure description]
cliffs. It was again attributed to Indian fires on
the prairies; and supposed to be on the western
side of the Arkansas. If so, it was thought they
must be made by some party of Pawnees, as the
Osage hunters seldom ventured in that quarter.
Our half-breeds, however, pronounced them
Osage fires; and that they were on the opposite
side of the Arkansas.
The conversation now turned upon the Pawnees,
into whose hunting grounds we were about
entering. There is always some wild untamed
tribe of Indians, who form, for a time, the terror
of a frontier, and about whom all kinds of fearful
stories are told. Such, at present, was the
casewith the Pawnees, who rove the regions between
the Arkansas and the Red River, and the
prairies of Texas. They were represented as
admirable horsemen, and always on horseback;
mounted on fleet and hardy steeds, the wild race
of the prairies. With these they roam the great
plains that extend about the Arkansas, the Red
River, and through Texas, to the Rocky Mountains;
sometimes engaged in hunting the deer
and buffalo, sometimes in warlike and predatory
expeditions; for, like their counterparts, the
sons of Ishmael, their hand is against every one,
and every one's hand against them. Some of
them have no fixed habitation, but dwell in tents
of skins, easily packed up and transported, so
-- 093 --
[figure description] Page 093.[end figure description]
that they are here to-day, and away, no one
knows where, to-morrow.
One of the veteran hunters gave several anecdotes
of their mode of fighting. Luckless, according
to his account, is the band of weary
traders or hunters descried by them, in the midst
of a prairie. Sometimes, they will steal upon
them by stratagem, hanging with one leg over
the saddle, and their bodies concealed; so that
their troop at a distance has the appearance of
a gang of wild horses. When they have thus
gained sufficiently upon the enemy, they will
suddenly raise themselves in their saddles, and
come like a rushing blast, all fluttering with
feathers, shaking their mantles, brandishing their
weapons, and making hideous yells. In this way,
they seek to strike a panic into the horses, and
put them to the scamper, when they will pursue
and carry them off in triumph.
The best mode of defence, according to this
veteran woodsman, is to get into the covert of
some wood, or thicket; or if there be none at
hand, to dismount, tie the horses firmly head to
head in a circle, so that they cannot break away
and scatter, and resort to the shelter of a ravine,
or make a hollow in the sand, where they may
be screened from the shafts of the Pawnees.
The latter chiefly use the bow and arrow, and
are dexterous archers; circling round and round
-- 094 --
[figure description] Page 094.[end figure description]
their enemy, and launching their arrows when
at full speed. They are chiefly formidable on
the prairies, where they have free career for
their horses, and no trees to turn aside their arrows.
They will rarely follow a flying enemy
into the forest.
Several anecdotes, also, were given, of the
secrecy and caution with which they will follow,
and hang about the camp of an enemy, seeking
a favourable moment for plunder or attack.
“We must now begin to keep a sharp look
out,” said the Captain. “I must issue written
orders, that no man shall hunt without leave, or
fire off a gun, on pain of riding a wooden horse
with a sharp back. I have a wild crew of young
fellows, unaccustomed to frontier service. It
will be difficult to teach them caution. We are
now in the land of a silent, watchful, crafty people,
who, when we least suspect it, may be around
us, spying out all our movements, and ready to
pounce upon all stragglers.”
“How will you be able to keep your men
from firing, if they see game while strolling round
the camp?” asked one of the rangers.
“They must not take their guns with them,
unless they are on duty, or have permission.”
“Ah, Captain!” cried the ranger, “that will
never do for me. Where I go, my rifle goes.
I never like to leave it behind: it's like a part
-- 095 --
[figure description] Page 095.[end figure description]
of myself. There's no one will take such care
of it as I, and there's nothing will take such care
of me as my rifle.”
“There's truth in all that,” said the Captain,
touched by a true hunter's sympathy. “I've
had my rifle pretty nigh as long as I have had
my wife, and a faithful friend it has been
to me.”
Here the Doctor, who is as keen a hunter as
the Captain, joined in the conversation. “A
neighbour of mine says, next to my rifle, I'd as
leave lend you my wife.”
“There's few,” observed the Captain, “that
take care of their rifles as they ought to be taken
care of.”
“Or of their wives either,” replied the Doctor,
with a wink.
“That's a fact,” rejoined the Captain.
Word was now brought that a party of four
rangers, headed by “old Ryan,” were missing.
They had separated from the main body, on the
opposite side of the river, when searching for a
ford, and had straggled off, nobody knew whither.
Many conjectures were made about them, and
some apprehensions expressed for their safety.
“I should send to look after them,” said the
Captain, “but old Ryan is with them, and he
knows how to take care of himself and of them
too. If it were not for him, I would not give
-- 096 --
[figure description] Page 096.[end figure description]
much for the rest; but he is as much at home
in the woods or on a prairie, as he would be in
his own farm yard. He's never lost, wherever
he is. There's a good gang of them to stand
by one another; four to watch and one to take
care of the fire.”
“It's a dismal thing to get lost at night in a
strange and wild country,” said one of the
younger rangers.
“Not if you have one or two in company,”
said an older one. “For my part, I could feel
as cheerful in this hollow as in my own home,
if I had but one comrade to take turns to watch
and keep the fire going. I could lie here for
hours, and gaze up to that blazing star there,
that seems to look down into the camp as if it
were keeping guard over it.”
“Aye, the stars are a kind of company to
one, when you have to keep watch alone. That's
a cheerful star too, somehow; that's the evening
star, the planet Venus they call it, I think.”
“If that's the planet Venus,” said one of the
council, who, I believe, was the psalm-singing
schoolmaster, “it bodes us no good; for I recollect
reading in some book that the Pawnees
worship that star, and sacrifice their prisoners
to it. So I should not feel the better for the
sight of that star in this part of the country.”
“Well,” said the sergeant, a thorough-bred
-- 097 --
[figure description] Page 097.[end figure description]
woodsman, “star or no star, I have passed many
a night alone in a wilder place than this, and
slept sound too, I'll warrant you. Once, however,
I had rather an uneasy time of it. I was
belated in passing through a tract of wood, near
the Tombigbee river; so I struck a light, made
a fire, and turned my horse loose, while I stretched
myself to sleep. By and bye I heard the
wolves howl. My horse came crowding near
me for protection, for he was terribly frightened.
I drove him off, but he returned, and drew nearer
and nearer, and stood looking at me and at
the fire, and dozing, and nodding, and tottering
on his fore feet, for he was powerful tired. After
a while, I heard a strange dismal cry. I thought
at first it might be an owl. I heard it again,
and then I knew it was not an owl, but must be
a panther. I felt rather awkward, for I had no
weapon but a double-bladed penknife. I however
prepared for defence in the best way I
could, and piled up small brands from the fire,
to pepper him with, should be come nigh. The
company of my horse now seemed a comfort
to me; the poor creature laid down beside me
and soon fell asleep, being so tired. I kept
watch, and nodded and dozed, and started awake,
and looked round, expecting to see the glaring
eyes of the panther close upon me; but somehow
or other, fatigue got the better of me, and
-- 098 --
[figure description] Page 098.[end figure description]
I fell asleep outright. In the morning I found
the tracks of a panther within sixty paces.
They were as large as my two fists. He had
evidently been walking backwards and forwards,
trying to make up his mind to attack me; but,
luckily, he had not courage.”
(Oct. 16.) I awoke before daybreak. The
moon was shining feebly down into the glen,
from among light drifting clouds; the camp fires
were nearly burnt out, and the men lying about
them, wrapped in blankets. With the first streak
of day, our huntsman, Beatte, with Antoine, the
young half-breed, set off to recross the river, in
search of the stray horses, in company with
several rangers who had left their rifles and
baggage on the opposite shore. As the ford
was deep, and they were obliged to cross in a
diagonal line, against a rapid current, they had
to be mounted on the tallest and strongest horses.
By eight o'clock, Beatte returned. He had
found the horses, but had lost Antoine. The
latter, he said, was a boy, a greenhorn, that
knew nothing of the woods. He had wandered
out of sight of him, and got lost. However,
there were plenty more for him to fall in company
with, as some of the rangers had gone
astray also, and old Ryan and his party had not
returned.
We waited until the morning was somewhat
-- 099 --
[figure description] Page 099.[end figure description]
advanced, in hopes of being rejoined by the
stragglers, but they did not make their appearance.
The Captain observed, that the Indians
on the opposite side of the river, were all well
disposed to the whites; so that no serious apprehensions
need be entertained for the safety
of the missing. The greatest danger was, that
their horses might be stolen in the night by
straggling Osages. He determined, therefore,
to proceed, leaving a rear guard in the camp, to
await their arrival.
I sat on a rock that overhung the spring at
the upper part of the dell, and amused myself
by watching the changing scene before me.
First, the preparations for departure. Horses
driven in from the purlieus of the camp; rangers
riding about among rocks and bushes in
quest of others that had strayed to a distance;
the bustle of packing up camp equipage, and
the clamour after kettles and frying pans borrowed
by one mess from another, mixed up with
oaths and exclamations at restive horses, or others
that had wandered away to graze after being
packed: among which, the voice of our little
Frenchman, Tonish, was particularly to be distinguished.
The bugle sounded the signal to mount and
march. The troop filed off in irregular line
down the glen, and through the open forest,
-- 100 --
[figure description] Page 100.[end figure description]
winding and gradually disappearing among the
trees, though the clamour of voices and the
notes of the bugle could be heard for some time
afterwards. The rear guard remained under
the trees in the lower part of the dell, some on
horseback, with their rifles on their shoulders;
others seated by the fire or lying on the ground,
gossiping in a low, lazy tone of voice, their horses
unsaddled, standing and dozing around: while
one of the rangers, profiting by this interval of
leisure, was shaving himself before a pocket
mirror stuck against the trunk of a tree.
The clamour of voices and the notes of the
bugle at length died away, and the glen relapsed
into quiet and silence, broken occasionally by
the low murmuring tone of the group around
the fire, or the pensive whistle of some laggard
among the trees; or the rustling of the yellow
leaves, which the lightest breath of air brought
down in wavering showers, a sign of the departing
glories of the year.
-- 101 --
CHAPTER XIV.
Deer shooting. Life on the prairies. Beautiful
encampment. Hunter's luck. Anecdotes of the
Delawares and their superstitions.
[figure description] Page 101.[end figure description]
Having passed through the skirt of woodland
bordering the river, we ascended the hills, taking
a westerly course through an undulating country,
of “oak openings,” where the eye stretched
over wide tracts of hill and dale, diversified
by forests, groves, and clumps of trees.
As we were proceeding at a slow pace, those
who were at the head of the line descried four
deer grazing on a grassy slope about half a mile
distant. They apparently had not perceived
our approach, and continued to graze in perfect
tranquillity. A young ranger obtained permission
from the Captain to go in pursuit of them,
and the troop halted in lengthened line, watching
him in silence. Walking his horse slowly
and cautiously he made a circuit until a screen
of wood intervened between him and the deer.
Dismounting then, he left his horse among the
trees, and creeping round a knoll, was hidden
from our view. We now kept our eyes intently
fixed on the deer, which continued grazing,
-- 102 --
[figure description] Page 102.[end figure description]
unconscious of their danger. Presently there was
the sharp report of a rifle; a fine buck made a
convulsive bound and fell to the earth; his companions
scampered off. Immediately our whole
line of march was broken; there was a helter
skelter galloping of the youngsters of the troop,
eager to get a shot at the fugitives; and one of
the most conspicuous personages in the chase
was our little Frenchman Tonish on his silver
grey; having abandoned his pack-horses at the
first sight of the deer. It was some time before
our scattered forces could be recalled by the
bugle, and our march resumed.
Two or three times in the course of the day
we were interrupted by hurry scurry scenes of
the kind. The young men of the troop were
full of excitement on entering an unexplored
country abounding in game, and they were too
little accustomed to discipline or restraint to be
kept in order. No one, however, was more
unmanageable than Tonish. Having an intense
conceit of his skill as a hunter, and an irrepressible
passion for display, he was continually
sallying forth, like an ill broken hound, whenever
any game was started, and had as often to be
whipped back.
At length his curiosity got a salutary check.
A fat doe came bounding along in full sight of
the whole line. Tonish dismounted, levelled
-- 103 --
[figure description] Page 103.[end figure description]
his rifle, and had a fair shot. The doe kept on.
He sprang upon his horse, stood up on the saddle
like a posture master, and continued gazing after
the animal as if certain to see it fall. The doe,
however, kept on its way rejoicing; a laugh
broke out along the line, the little Frenchman
slipped quietly into his saddle, began to belabour
and blaspheme the wandering pack-horses, as if
they had been to blame, and for some time we
were relieved from his vaunting and vapouring.
In one place of our march we came to the
remains of an old Indian encampment, on the
banks of a fine stream, with the moss grown
sculls of deer, lying here and there about it. As
we were in the Pawnee country, it was supposed,
of course, to have been a camp of those formidable
rovers; the Doctor, however, after considering
the shape and disposition of the lodges, pronounced
it the camp of some bold Delawares,
who had probably made a brief and dashing excursion
into these dangerous hunting grounds.
Having proceeded some distance further, we
observed a couple of figures on horseback, slowly
moving parallel to us along the edge of a naked
hill about two miles distant; and apparently reconnoitering
us. There was a halt, and much
gazing and conjecturing. Were they Indians?
If Indians, were they Pawnees? There is something
exciting to the imagination and stirring to
-- 104 --
[figure description] Page 104.[end figure description]
the feelings, while traversing these hostile plains,
in seeing a horseman prowling along the horizon.
It is like descrying a sail at sea in time of war,
when it may be either a privateer or a pirate.
Our conjectures were soon set at rest by reconnoitering
the two horsemen through a small spy
glass, when they proved to be two of the men
we had left at the camp, who had set out to rejoin
us, and had wandered from the track.
Our march this day was animating and delightful.
We were in a region of adventure; breaking
our way through a country hitherto untrodden
by white men, excepting perchance by some
solitary trapper. The weather was in its perfection,
temperate, genial and enlivening; a
deep blue sky with a few light feathery clouds,
an atmosphere of perfect transparency, an air
pure and bland, and a glorious country spreading
out far and wide in the golden sunshine of
an autumnal day; but all silent, lifeless, without
a human habitation, and apparently without a human
inhabitant! It was as if a ban hung over
this fair but fated region. The very Indians
dared not abide here, but made it a mere scene
of perilous enterprise, to hunt for a few days,
and then away.
After a march of about fifteen miles west we
encamped in a beautiful peninsula, made by the
windings and doublings of a deep, clear, and
-- 105 --
[figure description] Page 105.[end figure description]
almost motionless brook, and covered by an
open grove of lofty and magnificent trees. Several
hunters immediately started forth in quest of
game before the noise of the camp should frighten
it from the vicinity. Our man, Beatte, also took
his rifle and went forth alone, in a different course
from the rest.
For my own part, I laid on the grass under
the trees, and built castles in the clouds, and indulged
in the very luxury of rural repose. Indeed
I can scarcely conceive a kind of life more
calculated to put both mind and body in a healthful
tone. A morning's ride of several hours diversified
by hunting incidents; an encampment in the
afternoon under some noble grove on the borders
of a stream; an evening banquet of venison,
fresh killed, roasted, or broiled on the coals;
turkeys just from the thickets and wild honey
from the trees; and all relished with an appetite
unknown to the gourmets of the cities.
And at night—such sweet sleeping in the open
air, or waking and gazing at the moon and stars,
shining between the trees!
On the present occasion, however, we had not
much reason to boast of our larder. But one
deer had been killed during the day, and none
of that had reached our lodge. We were fain,
therefore, to stay our keen appetites by some
scraps of turkey brought from the last
-- 106 --
[figure description] Page 106.[end figure description]
encampment, eked out with a slice or two of salt pork.
This scarcity, however, did not continue long.
Before dark a young hunter returned well laden
with spoil. He had shot a deer, cut it up in an
artist like style, and, putting the meat in a kind of
sack made of the hide, had slung it across his
shoulder and trudged with it to camp.
Not long after, Beatte made his appearance,
with a fat doe across his horse. It was the first
game he had brought in, and I was glad to see
him with a trophy that might efface the memory
of the polecat. He laid the carcass down by
our fire without saying a word, and then turned
to unsaddle his horse; nor could any questions
from us about his hunting draw from him more
than laconic replies. If Beatte, however, observed
this Indian taciturnity about what he had
done, Tonish made up for it by boasting of what
he meant to do. Now that we were in a good
hunting country he meant to take the field, and,
if we would take his word for it, our lodge would
henceforth be overwhelmed with game. Luckily
his talking did not prevent his working, the doe
was skilfully dissected, several fat ribs roasted
before the fire, the coffee kettle replenished, and
in a little while we were enabled to indemnify
ourselves luxuriously for our late meagre repast.
The Captain did not return until late, and he
returned empty handed. He had been in
-- 107 --
[figure description] Page 107.[end figure description]
pursuit of his usual game, the deer, when he came
upon the tracks of a gang of about sixty elk.
Having never killed an animal of the kind, and
the elk being at this moment an object of ambition
among all the veteran hunters of the camp,
he abandoned his pursuit of the deer, and followed
the newly discovered track. After some
time he came in sight of the elk, and had several
fair chances of a shot, but was anxious to bring
down a large buck which kept in the advance.
Finding at length there was danger of the whole
gang escaping him, he fired at a doe. The shot
took effect, but the animal had sufficient strength
to keep on for a time with its companions. From
the tracks of blood he felt confident it was mortally
wounded, but evening came on, he could
not keep the trail, and had to give up the search
until morning.
Old Ryan and his little band had not yet rejoined
us, neither had our young half-breed Antoine
made his appearance. It was determined,
therefore, to remain at our encampment for the
following day, to give time for all stragglers to
arrive.
The conversation this evening, among the old
huntsmen, turned upon the Delaware tribe, one
of whose encampments we had passed in the
course of the day; and anecdotes were given of
their prowess in war and dexterity in hunting.
-- 108 --
[figure description] Page 108.[end figure description]
They used to be deadly foes of the Osages, who
stood in great awe of their desperate valour,
though they were apt to attribute it to a whimsical
cause. “Look at the Delawares,” would they
say, “dey got short leg—no can run—must stand
and fight a great heap.” In fact the Delawares
are rather short legged, while the Osages are
remarkable for length of limb.
The expeditions of the Delawares, whether of
war or hunting, are wide and fearless; a small
band of them will penetrate far into these dangerous
and hostile wilds, and will push their encampments
even to the Rocky Mountains. This
daring temper may be in some measure encouraged
by one of the superstitions of their creed.
They believe that a guardian spirit, in the form
of a great eagle, watches over them, hovering in
the sky, far out of sight. Sometimes, when well
pleased with them, he wheels down into the
lower regions, and may be seen circling with
wide spread wings against the white clouds; at
such times the seasons are propitious, the corn
grows finely, and they have great success in
hunting. Sometimes, however, he is angry, and
then he vents his rage in the thunder, which is
his voice, and the lightning, which is the flashing
of his eye, and strikes dead the object of his
displeasure.
The Delawares make sacrifices to this spirit,
-- 109 --
[figure description] Page 109.[end figure description]
who occasionally lets drop a feather from his
wing in token of satisfaction. These feathers
render the wearer invisible, and invulnerable.
Indeed, the Indians generally consider the feathers
of the eagle possessed of occult and sovereign
virtues.
At one time a party of the Delawares, in the
course of a bold excursion into the Pawnee
hunting grounds, were surrounded on one of the
great plains, and nearly destroyed. The remnant
took refuge on the summit of one of those
isolated and conical hills that rise almost like
artificial mounds, from the midst of the prairies.
Here the chief warrior, driven almost to despair,
sacrificed his horse to the tutelar spirit. Suddenly
an enormous eagle, rushing down from the
sky, bore off the victim in his talons, and mounting
into the air, dropped a quill feather from his
wing. The chief caught it up with joy, bound
it to his forehead, and, leading his followers
down the hill, cut his way through the enemy
with great slaughter, and without any one of his
party receiving a wound.
-- 110 --
CHAPTER XV.
The search for the Elk. Pawnee stories.
[figure description] Page 110.[end figure description]
With the morning dawn, the prime hunters
of the camp were all on the alert, and set off in
different directions, to beat up the country for
game. The Captain's brother, Sergeant Bean,
was among the first, and returned before breakfast
with success, having killed a fat doe, almost
within the purlieus of the camp.
When breakfast was over, the Captain mounted
his horse, to go in quest of the elk which he
had wounded on the preceding evening; and
which, he was persuaded, had received its death
wound. I determined to join him in the search,
and we accordingly sallied forth together, accompanied
also by his brother, the sergeant,
and a lieutenant. Two rangers followed on
foot, to bring home the carcass of the doe which
the sergeant had killed. We had not ridden
far, when we came to where it lay, on the side
of a hill, in the midst of a beautiful woodland
scene. The two rangers immediately fell to
work, with true hunters' skill, to dismember it,
and prepare it for transportation to the camp,
while we continued on our course. We passed
-- 111 --
[figure description] Page 111.[end figure description]
along sloping hill sides, among skirts of thicket
and scattered forest trees, until we came to a
place where the long herbage was pressed
down with numerous elk beds. Here the Captain
had first roused the gang of elks, and, after
looking about diligently for a little while, he
pointed out their “trail,” the foot prints of which
were as large as those of horned cattle. He
now put himself upon the track, and went quietly
forward, the rest of us following him in Indian
file. At length he halted at the place where the
elk had been when shot at. Spots of blood on
the surrounding herbage showed that the shot
had been effective. The wounded animal had
evidently kept for some distance with the rest
of the herd, as could be seen by sprinklings of
blood here and there, on the shrubs and weeds
bordering the trail. These at length suddenly
disappeared. “Somewhere hereabout,” said
the Captain, “the elk must have turned off from
the gang. Whenever they feel themselves mortally
wounded, they will turn aside, and seek
some out-of-the-way place to die alone.”
There was something in this picture of the
last moments of a wounded deer, to touch the
sympathies of one not hardened to the gentle
disports of the chase; such sympathies, however,
are but transient. Man is naturally an
animal of prey; and, however changed by
-- 112 --
[figure description] Page 112.[end figure description]
civilization, will readily relapse into his instinct
for destruction. I found my ravenous and sanguinary
propensities daily growing stronger upon
the prairies.
After looking about for a little while, the
Captain succeeded in finding the separate trail
of the wounded elk, which turned off almost at
right angles from that of the herd, and entered
an open forest of scattered trees. The traces
of blood became more faint and rare, and occurred
at greater distances: at length they
ceased altogether, and the ground was so hard,
and the herbage so much parched and withered,
that the foot prints of the animal could no longer
be perceived.
“The elk must lie somewhere in this neighbourhood,”
said the Captain, “as you may know
by those turkey-buzzards wheeling about in the
air: for they always hover in that way above
some carcass. However, the dead elk cannot
get away, so let us follow the trail of the living
ones: they may have halted at no great distance,
and we may find them grazing, and get
another crack at them.”
We accordingly returned, and resumed the
trail of the elks, which led us a straggling course
over hill and dale, covered with scattered oaks.
Every now and then we would catch a glimpse
of a deer bounding away across some glade of
-- 113 --
[figure description] Page 113.[end figure description]
the forest, but the Captain was not to be diverted
from his elk hunt by such inferior game. A
large flock of wild turkeys, too, were roused by
the trampling of our horses; some scampered
off as fast as their long legs could carry them:
others fluttered up into the trees, where they remained,
with outstretched necks, gazing at us.
The Captain would not allow a rifle to be discharged
at them, lest it should alarm the elk,
which he hoped to find in the vicinity. At length
we came to where the forest ended in a steep
bank, and the Red Fork wound its way below
us, between broad sandy shores. The trail descended
the bank, and we could trace it, with
our eyes, across the level sands, until it terminated
in the river, which, it was evident, the gang
had forded on the preceding evening.
“It is needless to follow on any further,”
said the Captain. “The elk must have been
much frightened, and, after crossing the river,
may have kept on for twenty miles without
stopping.”
Our little party now divided, the lieutenant
and sergeant making a circuit in quest of game,
and the Captain and myself taking the direction
of the camp. On our way, we came to a buffalo
track, more than a year old. It was not
wider than an ordinary foot-path, and worn deep
into the soil; for these animals follow each other
-- 114 --
[figure description] Page 114.[end figure description]
in single file. Shortly afterwards, we met two
rangers on foot, hunting. They had wounded
an elk, but he had escaped; and in pursuing
him, had found the one shot by the Captain on
the preceding evening. They turned back, and
conducted us to it. It was a noble animal, as
large as a yearling heifer, and lay in an open
part of the forest, about a mile and a half distant
from the place where it had been shot.
The turkey-buzzards, which we had previously
noticed, were wheeling in the air above it. The
observation of the Captain seemed verified.
The poor animal, as life was ebbing away, had
apparently abandoned its unhurt companions,
and turned aside to die alone.
The Captain and the two rangers forthwith
fell to work, with their hunting-knives, to flay
and cut up the carcass. It was already tainted
on the inside, but ample collops were cut from
the ribs and haunches, and laid in a heap on the
outstretched hide. Holes were then cut along
the border of the hide, raw thongs were passed
through them, and the whole drawn up like a
sack, which was swung behind the Captain's
saddle. All this while, the turkey-buzzards were
soaring over head, waiting for our departure, to
swoop down and banquet on the carcass.
The wreck of the poor elk being thus dismantled,
the Captain and myself mounted our
-- 115 --
[figure description] Page 115.[end figure description]
horses, and jogged back to the camp, while the
two rangers resumed their hunting.
On reaching the camp, I found there our young
half-breed, Antoine. After separating from Beatte,
in the search after the stray horses on the
other side of the Arkansas, he had fallen upon
a wrong track, which he followed for several
miles, when he overtook old Ryan and his party,
and found he had been following their traces.
They all forded the Arkansas about eight
miles above our crossing place, and found their
way to our late encampment in the glen, where
the rear guard we had left behind was waiting
for them. Antoine, being well mounted, and
somewhat impatient to rejoin us, had pushed on
alone, following our trail, to our present encampment,
and bringing the carcass of a young bear
which he had killed.
Our camp, during the residue of the day, presented
a mingled picture of bustle and repose.
Some of the men were busy round the fires,
jerking and roasting venison and bear's meat,
to be packed up as a future supply. Some were
stretching and dressing the skins of the animals
they had killed; others were washing their
clothes in the brook, and hanging them on the
bushes to dry; while many were lying on the
grass, and lazily gossiping in the shade. Every
now and then a hunter would return, on horseback
or on foot, laden with game, or empty
-- 116 --
[figure description] Page 116.[end figure description]
handed. Those who brought home any spoil,
deposited it at the Captain's fire, and then filed
off to their respective messes, to relate their
day's exploits to their companions. The game
killed at this camp consisted of six deer, one
elk, two bears, and six or eight turkeys.
During the last two or three days, since their
wild Indian achievement in navigating the river,
our retainers had risen in consequence among
the rangers; and now I found Tonish making
himself a complete oracle among some of the
raw and inexperienced recruits, who had never
been in the wilderness. He had continually a
knot hanging about him, and listening to his extravagant
tales about the Pawnees, with whom
he pretended to have had fearful encounters.
His representations, in fact, were calculated to
inspire his hearers with an awful idea of the
foe into whose lands they were intruding. According
to his accounts, the rifle of the white
man was no match for the bow and arrow of
the Pawnee. When the rifle was once discharged,
it took time and trouble to load it again,
and in the mean time the enemy could keep on
launching his shafts as fast as he could draw his
bow. Then the Pawnee, according to Tonish,
could shoot, with unerring aim, three hundred
yards, and send his arrow clean through and
through a buffalo; nay, he had known a Pawnee
shaft pass through one buffalo and wound
-- 117 --
[figure description] Page 117.[end figure description]
another. And then the way the Pawnees sheltered
themselves from the shots of their enemy:
they would hang with one leg over the saddle,
crouching their bodies along the opposite side
of their horse, and would shoot their arrows
from under his neck, while at full speed!
If Tonish was to be believed, there was peril
at every step in these debateable grounds of the
Indian tribes. Pawnees lurked unseen among
the thickets and ravines. They had their scouts
and sentinels on the summit of the mounds that
command a view over the prairies, where they
lay crouched in the tall grass; only now and
then raising their heads to watch the movements
of any war or hunting party that might
be passing in lengthened line below. At night,
they would lurk round an encampment; crawling
through the grass, and imitating the movements
of a wolf, so as to deceive the sentinel
on the outpost, until, having arrived sufficiently
near, they would speed an arrow through his
heart, and retreat undiscovered. In telling his
stories, Tonish would appeal from time to time
to Beatte, for the truth of what he said; the
only reply would be a nod or shrug of the shoulders;
the latter being divided in mind between
a distaste for the gasconading spirit of his comrade,
and a sovereign contempt for the inexperience
of the young rangers in all that he considered
true knowledge
-- 118 --
CHAPTER XVI.
A sick camp. The march. The disabled horse.
Old Ryan and the stragglers. Symptoms of
change of weather, and change of humours.
[figure description] Page 118.[end figure description]
(Oct. 18.) We prepared to march at the
usual hour, but word was brought to the Captain
that three of the rangers, who had been attacked
with the measles, were unable to proceed, and
that another one was missing. The last was an
old frontiers-man, by the name of Sawyer, who
had gained years without experience; and having
sallied forth to hunt, on the preceding day,
had probably lost his way on the prairies. A
guard of ten men was, therefore, left to take care
of the sick, and wait for the straggler. If the
former recovered sufficiently in the course of
two or three days, they were to rejoin the main
body, otherwise to be escorted back to the garrison.
Taking our leave of the sick camp, we shaped
our course westward, along the heads of small
streams, all wandering, in deep ravines, towards
the Red Fork. The land was high and undulating,
or “rolling,” as it is termed in the west;
-- 119 --
[figure description] Page 119.[end figure description]
wit a poor hungry soil mingled with the sandstone,
which is unusual in this part of the country,
and chequered with harsh forests of post-oak
and black-jack.
In the course of the morning, I received a
lesson on the importance of being chary of one's
steed on the prairies. The one I rode surpassed
in action most horses of the troop, and was of
great mettle and a generous spirit. In crossing
the deep ravines, he would scramble up the steep
banks like a cat, and was always for leaping the
narrow runs of water. I was not aware of the
imprudence of indulging him in such exertions,
until, in leaping him across a small brook, I felt
him immediately falter beneath me. He limped
forward a short distance, but soon fell stark
lame, having sprained his shoulder. What was
to be done? He could not keep up with the
troop, and was too valuable to be abandoned on
the prairie. The only alternative was to send
him back to join the invalids in the sick camp,
and to share their fortunes. Nobody, however,
seemed disposed to lead him back, although I offered
a liberal reward. Either the stories of Tonish
about the Pawnees had spread an apprehension
of lurking foes, and imminent perils on the
prairies; or there was a fear of missing the trail
and getting lost. At length two young men stepped
forward and agreed to go in company, so that,
-- 120 --
[figure description] Page 120.[end figure description]
should they be benighted on the prairies, there
might be one to watch while the other slept.
The horse was accordingly consigned to their
care, and I looked after him with a rueful eye,
as he limped off, for it seemed as if, with him,
all strength and buoyancy had departed from
me.
I looked round for a steed to supply his place,
and fixed my eye upon the gallant grey which I
had transferred at the Agency to Tonish. The
moment, however, that I hinted about his dismounting
and taking up with the supernumerary
pony, the little varlet broke out into vociferous
remonstrances and lamentations, gasping and almost
strangling, in his eagerness to give vent to
them. I saw that to unhorse him would be to
prostrate his spirit and cut his vanity to the quick.
I had not the heart to inflict such a wound, or to
bring down the poor devil from his transient vainglory;
so I left him in possession of his gallant
grey; and contented myself with shifting my
saddle to the jaded pony.
I was now sensible of the complete reverse
to which a horseman is exposed on the prairies.
I felt how completely the spirit of the rider depended
upon his steed. I had hitherto been able
to make excursions at will from the line, and to
gallop in pursuit of any object of interest or curiosity.
I was now reduced to the tone of the
-- 121 --
[figure description] Page 121.[end figure description]
jaded animal I bestrode, and doomed to plod on
patiently and slowly after my file leader. Above
all, I was made conscious how unwise it is, on
expeditions of the kind, where a man's life may
depend upon the strength, and speed, and freshness
of his horse, to task the generous animal by
any unnecessary exertion of his powers.
I have observed that the wary and experienced
huntsman and traveller of the prairies is always
sparing of his horse, when on a journey; never,
except in emergency, putting him off of a walk.
The regular journeyings of frontiers-men and
Indians, when on a long march, seldom exceed
above fifteen miles a day, and are generally about
ten or twelve, and they never indulge in capricious
galloping. Many of those, however, with whom
I was travelling, were young and inexperienced,
and full of excitement at finding themselves in
a country abounding with game. It was impossible
to retain them in the sobriety of a
march, or to keep them to the line. As we
broke our way through the coverts and ravines,
and the deer started up and scampered off to the
right and left, the rifle balls would whiz after
them and our young hunters dash off in pursuit.
At one time they made a grand burst after what
they supposed to be a gang of bears, but soon
pulled up on discovering them to be black
wolves, prowling in company.
-- 122 --
[figure description] Page 122.[end figure description]
After a march of about twelve miles we encamped,
a little after mid-day, on the borders of
a brook which loitered through a deep ravine.
In the course of the afternoon old Ryan, the
Nestor of the camp, made his appearance, followed
by his little band of stragglers. He was
greeted with joyful acclamations, which showed
the estimation in which he was held by his
brother woodmen. The little band came laden
with venison; a fine haunch of which the veteran
hunter laid, as a present, by the Captain's fire.
Our men, Beatte and Tonish, both sallied
forth, early in the afternoon, to hunt. Towards
evening the former returned, with a fine buck
across his horse. He laid it down, as usual, in
silence, and proceeded to unsaddle and turn his
horse loose. Tonish came back without any
game, but with much more glory; having made
several capital shots, though unluckily the wounded
deer had all escaped him.
There was an abundant supply of meat in the
camp; for, beside other game, three elk had
been killed. The wary and veteran woodmen
were all busy jerking meat, against a time of
scarcity; the less experienced revelled in present
abundance, leaving the morrow to provide for
itself.
On the following morning, (Oct. 19,) I succeeded
in changing my pony and a reasonable
-- 123 --
[figure description] Page 123.[end figure description]
sum of money for a strong and active horse.
It was a great satisfaction to find myself once
more tolerably well mounted. I perceived,
however, that there would be little difficulty in
making a selection from among the troop, for
the rangers had all that propensity for “swapping,”
or, as they term it, “trading,” which pervades
the West. In the course of our expedition,
there was scarce a horse, rifle, powder
horn, or blanket, that did not change owners
several times; and one keen “trader” boasted
of having by dint of frequent bargains changed
a bad horse into a good one, and put a hundred
dollars in his pocket.
The morning was lowering and sultry, with
low muttering of distant thunder. The change
of weather had its effect upon the spirits of the
troop. The camp was unusually sober and
quiet; there was none of the accustomed farm-yard
melody of crowing and cackling at day-break;
none of the bursts of merriment, the
loud jokes and banterings, that had commonly
prevailed during the bustle of equipment. Now
and then might be heard a short strain of a song,
a faint laugh, or a solitary whistle; but in general,
every one went silently and doggedly about
the duties of the camp, or the preparations for
departure.
When the time arrived to saddle and mount,
-- 124 --
[figure description] Page 124.[end figure description]
five horses were reported as missing; although
all the woods and thickets had been beaten up
for some distance round the camp. Several
rangers were despatched, to “skir” the country
round, in quest of them. In the mean time, the
thunder continued to growl, and we had a passing
shower. The horses, like their riders, were
affected by the change of weather. They stood
here and there about the camp, some saddled
and bridled, others loose, but all spiritless and
dozing, with stooping head, one hind leg partly
drawn up so as to rest on the point of the hoof,
and the whole hide reeking with the rain, and
sending up wreaths of vapour. The men, too,
waited in listless groups the return of their comrades,
who had gone in quest of the horses; now
and then turning up an anxious eye to the drifting
clouds, which boded an approaching storm.
Gloomy weather inspires gloomy thoughts. Some
expressed fears that we were dogged by some
party of Indians, who had stolen the horses in
the night. The most prevalent apprehension,
however, was, that they had returned on their
traces to our last encampment, or had started
off on a direct line for Fort Gibson. In this
respect, the instinct of horses is said to resemble
that of the pigeon. They will strike for home
by a direct course, passing through tracts of
-- 125 --
[figure description] Page 125.[end figure description]
wilderness which they have never before traversed.
After delaying until the morning was somewhat
advanced, a lieutenant with a guard was
appointed to await the return of the rangers,
and we set off on our day's journey, considerably
reduced in numbers; much, as I thought,
to the discomposure of some of the troop, who
intimated that we might prove too weak-handed,
in case of an encounter with the Pawnees.
-- 126 --
CHAPTER XVII.
Thunder storm on the prairies. The storm encampment.
Night scene. Indian stories. A
frightened horse.
[figure description] Page 126.[end figure description]
Our march for a part of the day, lay a little
to the south of west, through straggling forests of
the kind of low scrubbed trees already mentioned,
called “post-oaks,” and “black-jacks.” The
soil of these “oak barrens” is loose and unsound;
being little better at times than a mere quicksand,
in which, in rainy weather, the horse's hoof slips
from side to side, and now and then sinks in a
rotten, spongy turf, to the fetlock. Such was
the case at present in consequence of successive
thunder showers, through which we draggled
along in dogged silence. Several deer were
roused by our approach, and scudded across the
forest glades; but no one, as formerly, broke
the line of march to pursue them. At one time,
we passed the bones and horns of a buffalo, and
at another time a buffalo track, not above three
days old. These signs of the vicinity of this
grand game of the prairies, had a reviving effect
on the spirits of our huntsmen; but it was
of transient duration.
-- 127 --
[figure description] Page 127.[end figure description]
In crossing a prairie of moderate extent, rendered
little better than a slippery bog by the recent
showers, we were overtaken by a violent
thunder-gust. The rain came rattling upon us
in torrents, and spattered up like steam along
the ground; the whole landscape was suddenly
wrapped in gloom that gave a vivid effect to the
intense sheets of lightning, while the thunder
seemed to burst over our very heads, and was
reverberated by the groves and forests that
checquered and skirted the prairie. Man and
beast were so pelted, drenched, and confounded,
that the line was thrown in complete confusion;
some of the horses were so frightened as to be
almost unmanageable, and our scattered cavalcade
looked like a tempest-tossed fleet, driving
hither and thither, at the mercy of wind and
wave.
At length, at half past two o'clock, we came
to a halt, and, gathering together our forces,
encamped in an open and lofty grove, with a
prairie on one side and a stream on the other.
The forest immediately rung with the sound of
the axe, and the crash of falling trees. Huge
fires were soon blazing; blankets were stretched
before them, by way of tents; booths were
hastily reared of bark and skins; every fire
had its group drawn close round it, drying and
warming themselves, or preparing a comforting
-- 128 --
[figure description] Page 128.[end figure description]
meal. Some of the rangers were discharging and
cleaning their rifles, which had been exposed to
the rain; while the horses, relieved from their
saddles and burthens, rolled in the wet grass.
The showers continued from time to time,
until late in the evening. Before dark, our
horses were gathered in and tethered about the
skirts of the camp, within the outposts, through
fear of Indian prowlers, who are apt to take
advantage of stormy nights for their depredations
and assaults. As the night thickened, the
huge fires became more and more luminous;
lighting up masses of the overhanging foliage,
and leaving other parts of the grove in deep
gloom. Every fire had its goblin group around
it, while the tethered horses were dimly seen,
like spectres, among the thickets; excepting
that here and there a grey one stood out in
bright relief.
The grove thus fitfully lighted up by the ruddy
glare of the fires, resembled a vast leafy dome,
walled in by opaque darkness; but every now
and then two or three quivering flashes of lightning
in quick succession, would suddenly reveal
a vast champaign country, where fields and
forests, and running streams, would start, as it
were, into existence for a few brief seconds,
and, before the eye could ascertain them, vanish
again into gloom.
-- 129 --
[figure description] Page 129.[end figure description]
A thunder storm on a prairie, as upon the
ocean, derives grandeur and sublimity from the
wild and boundless waste over which it rages
and bellows. It is not surprising that these awful
phenomena of nature should be objects of superstitious
reverence to the poor savages, and that
they should consider the thunder the angry voice
of the Great Spirit. As our half-breeds sat
gossiping round the fire, I drew from them some
of the notions entertained on the subject by
their Indian friends. The latter declare that
extinguished thunderbolts are sometimes picked
up by hunters on the prairies, who use them for
the heads of arrows and lances, and that any
warrior thus armed is invincible. Should a
thunder storm occur, however, during battle, he
is liable to be carried away by the thunder, and
never heard of more.
A warrior of the Konza tribe, hunting on a
prairie, was overtaken by a storm, and struck
down senseless by the thunder. On recovering,
he beheld the thunderbolt lying on the ground,
and a horse standing beside it. Snatching up
the bolt, he sprang upon the horse, but found,
too late, that he was astride of the lightning. In
an instant he was whisked away over prairies,
and forests, and streams, and deserts, until he
was flung senseless at the foot of the Rocky
Mountains; from whence, on recovering, it
-- 130 --
[figure description] Page 130.[end figure description]
took him several months to return to his own
people.
This story reminded me of an Indian tradition,
related by a traveller, of the fate of a warrior
who saw the thunder lying upon the ground,
with a beautifully wrought moccason on each
side of it. Thinking he had found a prize, he
put on the moccasons; but they bore him away
to the land of spirits, from whence he never returned.
These are simple and artless tales, but they
had a wild and romantic interest heard from the
lips of half-savage narrators, round a hunter's
fire, in a stormy night, with a forest on one side,
and a howling waste on the other; and where,
peradventure, savage foes might be lurking in
the outer darkness.
Our conversation was interrupted by a loud
clap of thunder, followed immediately by the
sound of a horse galloping off madly into the
waste. Every one listened in mute silence.
The hoofs resounded vigorously for a time, but
grew fainter and fainter, until they died away
in remote distance.
When the sound was no longer to be heard,
the listeners turned to conjecture what could
have caused this sudden scamper. Some thought
the horse had been startled by the thunder;
others, that some lurking Indian had galloped
-- 131 --
[figure description] Page 131.[end figure description]
off with him. To this it was objected, that the
usual mode with the Indians is to steal quietly
upon the horse, take off his fetters, mount him
gently, and walk him off as silently as possible,
leading off others, without any unusual stir or
noise to disturb the camp.
On the other hand, it was stated as a common
practice with the Indians, to creep among a
troop of horses when grazing at night, mount
one quietly, and then start off suddenly, like
mad. Nothing is so contagious among horses
as a panic: one sudden break away of this
kind, will sometimes alarm the whole troop, and
they will set off, helter skelter, after the leader.
Every one who had a horse grazing on the
skirts of the camp was uneasy, lest his should
be the fugitive; but it was impossible to ascertain
the fact until morning. Those who had
tethered their horses felt more secure; though
horses thus tied up, and limited to a short range
at night, are apt to fall off in flesh and strength,
during a long march; and many of the horses
of the troop already gave signs of being way-worn.
After a gloomy and unruly night, the morning
dawned bright and clear, and a glorious sunrise
transformed the whole landscape, as if by magic.
The late dreary wilderness brightened into
a fine open country, with stately groves, and
-- 132 --
[figure description] Page 132.[end figure description]
clumps of oaks of a gigantic size, some of which
stood singly, as if planted for ornament and
shade, in the midst of rich meadows; while our
horses, scattered about, and grazing under them,
gave to the whole the air of a noble park. It
was difficult to realize the fact that we were so
far in the wilds beyond the residence of man.
Our encampment, alone, had a savage appearance;
with its rude tents of skins and blankets,
and its columns of blue smoke rising among the
trees.
The first care in the morning, was to look after
our horses. Some of them had wandered to a
distance, but all were fortunately found; even
the one whose clattering hoofs had caused such
uneasiness in the night. He had come to a
halt about a mile from the camp, and was found
quietly grazing near a brook.
The bugle sounded for departure about half
past eight. As we were in greater risk of Indian
molestation the farther we advanced, our
line was formed with more precision than heretofore.
Every one had his station assigned him,
and was forbidden to leave it in pursuit of game,
without special permission. The pack-horses
were placed in the centre of the line, and a strong
guard in the rear.
-- 133 --
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Grand Prairie. Cliff Castle. Buffalo tracks.
Deer hunted by Wolves. Cross Timber.
[figure description] Page 133.[end figure description]
After a toilsome march of some distance
through a country cut up by ravines and brooks,
and entangled by thickets, we emerged upon a
grand prairie. Here one of the characteristic
scenes of the Far West broke upon us. An immense
extent of grassy, undulating, or as it is
termed, rolling country, with here and there a
clump of trees, dimly seen in the distance like a
ship at sea; the landscape deriving sublimity
from its vastness and simplicity. To the south-west,
on the summit of a hill, was a singular
crest of broken rocks, resembling a ruined fortress.
It reminded me of the ruin of some Moorish
castle, crowning a height in the midst of a
lonely Spanish landscape. To this hill we gave
the name of Cliff Castle.
The prairies of these great hunting regions differed
in the character of their vegetation from
those through which I had hitherto passed. Instead
of a profusion of tall flowering plants and
long flaunting grasses, they were covered with
a shorter growth of herbage called Buffalo grass,
-- 134 --
[figure description] Page 134.[end figure description]
somewhat coarse, but, at the proper seasons, affording
excellent and abundant pasturage. At
present it was growing wiry, and in many places
was too much parched for grazing.
The weather was verging into that serene but
somewhat arid season called the Indian Summer.
There was a smoky haze in the atmosphere
that tempered the brightness of the sunshine
into a golden tint, softening the features of
the landscape, and giving a vagueness to the
outlines of distant objects. This haziness was
daily increasing, and was attributed to the burning
of distant prairies by the Indian hunting parties.
We had not gone far upon the prairie before
we came to where deeply worn footpaths were
seen traversing the country: sometimes two or
three would keep on parallel to each other, and
but a few paces apart. These were pronounced
to be traces of buffaloes, where large droves had
passed. There were tracks also of horses, which
were observed with some attention by our experienced
hunters. They could not be the tracks
of wild horses, as there were no prints of the
hoofs of colts; all were full grown. As the
horses evidently were not shod, it was concluded
they must belong to some hunting party of
Pawnees. In the course of the morning, the
tracks of a single horse, with shoes, were
-- 135 --
[figure description] Page 135.[end figure description]
discovered. This might be the horse of a Cherokee
hunter, or perhaps a horse stolen from the whites
of the frontier. Thus, in traversing these perilous
wastes, every footprint and dint of hoof becomes
matter of cautious inspection and shrewd
surmise; and the question continually is, whether
it be the trace of friend or foe, whether of recent
or ancient date, and whether the being that
made it be out of reach, or liable to be encountered.
We were getting more and more into the game
country: as we proceeded, we repeatedly saw
deer to the right and left, bounding off for the
coverts; but their appearance no longer excited
the same eagerness to pursue. In passing along
a slope of the prairie, between two rolling swells
of land, we came in sight of a genuine natural
hunting match. A pack of seven black wolves
and one white one were in full chase of a buck,
which they had nearly tired down. They crossed
the line of our march without apparently perceiving
us; we saw them have a fair run of
nearly a mile, gaining upon the buck until they
were leaping upon his haunches, when he plunged
down a ravine. Some of our party galloped
to a rising ground commanding a view of the
ravine. The poor buck was completely beset,
some on his flanks, some at his throat: he made
two or three struggles and desperate bounds, but
-- 136 --
[figure description] Page 136.[end figure description]
was dragged down, overpowered, and torn to
pieces. The black wolves, in their ravenous
hunger and fury, took no notice of the distant
group of horsemen; but the white wolf, apparently
less game, abandoned the prey and scampered
over hill and dale, rousing various deer
that were crouched in the hollows, and which
bounded off likewise in different directions. It
was altogether a wild scene, worthy of the
“hunting grounds.”
We now came once more in sight of the Red
Fork, winding its turbid course between well
wooded hills, and through a vast and magnificent
landscape. The prairies bordering on the
rivers are always varied in this way with woodland,
so beautifully interspersed as to appear to
have been laid out by the hand of taste; and
they only want here and there a village spire,
the battlements of a castle, or the turrets of an
old family mansion rising from among the trees,
to rival the most ornamented scenery of Europe.
About midday we reached the edge of that
scattered belt of forest land, about forty miles in
width, which stretches across the country from
north to south, from the Arkansas to the Red
River, separating the upper from the lower prairies,
and commonly called the “Cross Timber.”
On the skirts of this forest land, just on the edge
of a prairie, we found traces of a Pawnee
-- 137 --
[figure description] Page 137.[end figure description]
encampment of between one and two hundred
lodges, showing that the party must have been
numerous. The scull of a buffalo lay near the
camp, and the moss which had gathered on it
proved that the encampment was at least a year
old. About half a mile off we encamped in a
beautiful grove, watered by a fine spring and
rivulet. Our day's journey had been about fourteen
miles.
In the course of the afternoon we were rejoined
by two of Lieutenant King's party, which
we had left behind a few days before, to look
after stray horses. All the horses had been
found, though some had wandered to the distance
of several miles. The lieutenant, with seventeen
of his companions, had remained at our
last night's encampment to hunt, having come
upon recent traces of buffalo. They had also
seen a fine wild horse, which, however, had galloped
off with a speed that defied pursuit.
Confident anticipations were now indulged,
that on the following day we should meet with
buffalo, and perhaps with wild horses, and every
one was in spirits. We needed some excitement
of the kind, for our young men were growing
weary of marching and encamping under
restraint, and provisions this day were scanty.
The captain and several of the rangers went
out hunting, but brought home nothing but a
-- 138 --
[figure description] Page 138.[end figure description]
small deer and a few turkeys. Our two men,
Beatte and Tonish, likewise went out. The former
returned with a deer athwart his horse,
which, as usual, he laid down by our lodge, and
said nothing. Tonish returned with no game,
but with his customary budget of wonderful
tales. Both he and the deer had done marvels.
Not one had come within the lure of his rifle
without being hit in a mortal part, yet strange
to say, every one had kept on his way without
flinching. We all determined, that from the accuracy
of his aim, Tonish must have shot with
charmed balls, but that every deer had a charmed
life. The most important intelligence brought
by him, however, was, that he had seen the fresh
tracks of several wild horses. He now considered
himself upon the eve of great exploits,
for there was nothing upon which he glorified
himself more than his skill in horse catching.
-- 139 --
CHAPTER XIX.
Hunters' anticipations. The rugged ford. A
wild horse
[figure description] Page 139.[end figure description]
(Oct. 21.) This morning the camp was in a
bustle at an early hour: the expectation of falling
in with buffalo in the course of the day
roused every one's spirit. There was a continual
cracking off of rifles, that they might be
reloaded: the shot was drawn off from double-barreled
guns, and balls were substituted. Tonish,
however, prepared chiefly for a campaign
against wild horses. He took the field, with a
coil of cordage hung at his saddle-bow, and a
couple of white wands, something like fishing-rods,
eight or ten feet in length, with forked
ends. The coil of cordage thus used in hunting
the wild horse, is called a lariat, and answers to
the laso of South America. It is not flung, however,
in the graceful and dexterous Spanish
style. The hunter, after a hard chase, when he
succeeds in getting almost head and head with
the wild horse, hitches the running noose of the
lariat over his head by means of the forked
stick; then letting him have the full length of
-- 140 --
[figure description] Page 140.[end figure description]
the cord, plays him like a fish, and chokes him
into subjection.
All this Tonish promised to exemplify to our
full satisfaction; we had not much confidence
in his success, and feared he might knock up a
good horse in a headlong gallop after a bad one:
for, like all the French creoles, he was a merciless
hard rider. It was determined, therefore, to
keep a sharp eye upon him, and to check his
sallying propensities.
We had not proceeded far on our morning's
march, when we were checked by a deep
stream, running along the bottom of a thickly
wooded ravine. After coasting it for a couple
of miles, we came to a fording place; but to
get down to it was the difficulty, for the banks
were steep and crumbling, and overgrown with
forest trees, mingled with thickets, brambles,
and grape-vines. At length the leading horseman
broke his way through the thicket, and his
horse putting his feet together, slid down the
black crumbling bank, to the narrow margin of
the stream; then floundering across, with mud
and water up to the saddle-girths, he scrambled
up the opposite bank, and arrived safe on level
ground. The whole line followed pell mell after
the leader, and pushing forward in close order,
Indian file, they crowded each other down the
bank and into the stream. Some of the
-- 141 --
[figure description] Page 141.[end figure description]
horsemen missed the ford, and were soused over
head and ears; one was unhorsed, and plumped
head foremost into the middle of the stream:
for my own part, while pressed forward, and
hurried over the bank by those behind me, I
was interrupted by a grape-vine, as thick as a
cable, which hung in a festoon as low as the
saddle-bow, and, dragging me from the saddle,
threw me among the feet of the trampling horses.
Fortunately, I escaped without injury, regained
my steed, crossed the stream without further
difficulty, and was enabled to join in the merriment
occasioned by the ludicrous disasters of
the fording.
It is at passes like this that occur the most
dangerous ambuscades and sanguinary surprises
of Indian warfare. A party of savages, well
placed among the thickets, might have made
sad havoc among our men, while entangled in
the ravine.
We now came out upon a vast and glorious
prairie, spreading out beneath the golden beams
of an autumnal sun. The deep and frequent
traces of buffalo, showed it to be one of their
favourite grazing grounds; yet none were to be
seen. In the course of the morning, we were
overtaken by the lieutenant and seventeen men,
who had remained behind, and who came laden
with the spoils of buffaloes; having killed three
-- 142 --
[figure description] Page 142.[end figure description]
on the preceding day. One of the rangers,
however, had little luck to boast of; his horse
having taken fright at sight of the buffaloes,
thrown his rider, and escaped into the woods.
The excitement of our hunters, both young
and old, now rose almost to fever height; scarce
any of them having ever encountered any of
this far famed game of the prairies. Accordingly,
when in the course of the day, the cry of
buffalo! buffalo! rose from one part of the line,
the whole troop were thrown in agitation. We
were just then passing through a beautiful part
of the prairie, finely diversified by hills and
slopes, and woody dells, and high, stately groves.
Those who had given the alarm, pointed out a
large black looking animal, slowly moving along
the side of a rising ground, about two miles off.
The ever-ready Tonish jumped up, and stood
with his feet on the saddle, and his forked sticks
in his hands, like a posture-master or scaramouch
at a circus, just ready for a feat of horsemanship.
After gazing at the animal for a moment, which
he could have seen full as well without rising
from his stirrups, he pronounced it a wild horse;
and dropping again into his saddle, was about
to dash off full tilt, in pursuit, when, to his inexpressible
chagrin, he was called back, and
ordered to keep to his post, in rear of the baggage
horses.
-- 143 --
[figure description] Page 143.[end figure description]
The Captain and two of his officers now set
off to reconnoitre the game. It was the intention
of the Captain, who was an admirable
marksman, to endeavour to crease the horse;
that is to say, to hit him with a rifle ball in the
ridge of the neck. A wound of this kind paralyzes
a horse for a moment; he falls to the
ground, and may be secured before he recovers.
It is a cruel expedient, however, for an ill directed
shot may kill or maim the noble animal.
As the Captain and his companions moved
off laterally and slowly, in the direction of the
horse, we continued our course forward; watching
intently, however, the movements of the
game. The horse moved quietly over the profile
of the rising ground, and disappeared behind
it. The Captain and his party were likewise
soon hidden by an intervening hill.
After a time, the horse suddenly made his appearance
to our right, just ahead of the line,
emerging out of a small valley, on a brisk trot;
having evidently taken the alarm. At sight of
us, he stopped short, gazed at us for an instant
with surprise, then tossing up his head, trotted
off in fine style, glancing at us first over one
shoulder, then over the other, his ample mane
and tail streaming in the wind. Having dashed
through a skirt of thicket, that looked like a
hedge-row, he paused in the open field beyond,
-- 144 --
[figure description] Page 144.[end figure description]
glanced back at us again, with a beautiful bend
of the neck, snuffed the air, and then tossing
his head again, broke into a gallop, and took
refuge in a wood.
It was the first time I had ever seen a horse
scouring his native wilderness in all the pride
and freedom of his nature. How different from
the poor, mutilated, harnessed, checked, reinedup
victim of luxury, caprice, and avarice, in our
cities!
After travelling about fifteen miles, we encamped
about one o'clock, that our hunters
might have time to procure a supply of provisions.
Our encampment was in a spacious
grove of lofty oaks and walnuts, free from under
wood, on the border of a brook. While
unloading the pack-horses, our little Frenchman
was loud in his complaints at having been
prevented from pursuing the wild horse, which
he would certainly have taken. In the mean
time, I saw our half-breed, Beatte, quietly saddle
his best horse, a powerful steed of a half-savage
race, hang a lariat at the saddle-bow, take a rifle
and forked stick in hand, and, mounting, depart
from the camp without saying a word. It was
evident he was going off in quest of the wild
horse, but was disposed to hunt alone.
-- 145 --
CHAPTER XX. THE CAMP OF THE WILD HORSE.
Hunters' stories. Habits of the Wild Horse.
The Half-breed and his prize. A horse chase.
A wild spirit tamed.
[figure description] Page 145.[end figure description]
We had encamped in a good neighbourhood
for game, as the reports of rifles in various directions
speedily gave notice. One of our hunters
soon returned with the meat of a doe, tied up
in the skin, and slung across his shoulders. Another
brought a fat buck across his horse. Two
other deer were brought in, and a number of
turkeys. All the game was thrown down in
front of the Captain's fire, to be portioned out
among the various messes. The spits and camp
kettles were soon in full employ, and throughout
the evening there was a scene of hunters' feasting
and profusion.
We had been disappointed this day in our
hopes of meeting with buffalo, but the sight of
the wild horse had been a great novelty, and
gave a turn to the conversation of the camp for
the evening. There were several anecdotes told
-- 146 --
[figure description] Page 146.[end figure description]
of a famous grey horse, that has ranged the prairies
of this neighbourhood for six or seven years,
setting at naught every attempt of the hunters
to capture him. They say he can pace and rack
(or amble) faster than the fleetest horses can run.
Equally marvellous accounts were given of a
black horse on the Brasis, who grazed the prairies
on that river's banks in the Texas. For years
he outstripped all pursuit. His fame spread far
and wide; offers were made for him to the
amount of a thousand dollars; the boldest and
most hard riding hunters tried incessantly to
make prize of him, but in vain. At length he
fell a victim to his gallantry, being decoyed under
a tree by a tame mare, and a noose dropped
over his head by a boy perched among the
branches.
The capture of the wild horse is one of the
most favourite achievements of the prairie tribes;
and, indeed, it is from this source that the Indian
hunters chiefly supply themselves. The wild
horses that range those vast grassy plains, extending
from the Arkansas to the Spanish settlements,
are of various forms and colours, betraying
their various descents. Some resemble the
common English stock, and are probably descended
from horses that have escaped from our
border settlements. Others are of a low but
strong make, and are supposed to be of the
-- 147 --
[figure description] Page 147.[end figure description]
Andalusian breed, brought out by the Spanish discoverers.
Some fanciful speculatists have seen in them
descendants of the Arab stock, brought into
Spain from Africa, and thence transferred to
this country; and have pleased themselves with
the idea, that their sires may have been of the
pure coursers of the desert, that once bore Mahomet
and his warlike disciples across the sandy
plains of Arabia.
The habits of the Arab seem to have come
with the steed. The introduction of the horse
on the boundless prairies of the Far West, changed
the whole mode of living of their inhabitants.
It gave them that facility of rapid motion,
and of sudden and distant change of place,
so dear to the roving propensities of man. Instead
of lurking in the depths of gloomy forests,
and patiently threading the mazes of a tangled
wilderness on foot, like his brethren of the north,
the Indian of the West is a rover of the plain;
he leads a brighter and more sunshiny life; almost
always on horseback, on vast flowery prairies
and under cloudless skies.
I was lying by the Captain's fire, late in the
evening, listening to stories about those coursers
of the prairies, and weaving speculations of my
own, when there was a clamour of voices and
a loud cheering at the other end of the camp;
-- 148 --
[figure description] Page 148.[end figure description]
and word was passed that Beatte, the half-breed,
had brought in a wild horse.
In an instant every fire was deserted; the
whole camp crowded to see the Indian and his
prize. It was a colt about two years old, well
grown, finely limbed, with bright prominent
eyes, and a spirited yet gentle demeanour. He
gazed about him with an air of mingled stupefaction
and surprise, at the men, the horses, and
the camp fires; while the Indian stood before
him with folded arms, having hold of the other
end of the cord which noosed his captive, and
gazing on him with a most imperturable aspect.
Beatte, as I have before observed, has a greenish
olive complexion, with a strongly marked
countenance, not unlike the bronze casts of Napoleon;
and as he stood before his captive horse,
with folded arms and fixed aspect, he looked
more like a statue than a man.
If the horse, however, manifested the least
restiveness, Beatte would immediately worry
him with the lariat, jerking him first on one side,
then on the other, so as almost to throw him on
the ground; when he had thus rendered him
passive, he would resume his statue like attitude
and gaze at him in silence.
The whole scene was singularly wild; the
tall grove, partially illumined by the flashing fires
of the camp, the horses tethered here and there
-- 149 --
[figure description] Page 149.[end figure description]
among the trees, the carcasses of deer hanging
around, and in the midst of all, the wild huntsman
and his wild horse, with an admiring throng
of rangers, almost as wild.
In the eagerness of their excitement, several
of the young rangers sought to get the horse by
purchase or barter, and even offered extravagant
terms; but Beatte declined all their offers.
“You give great price now;” said he, “to-morrow
you be sorry, and take back, and say d—d
Indian!”
The young men importuned him with questions
about the mode in which he took the horse,
but his answers were dry and laconic; he evidently
retained some pique at having been undervalued
and sneered at by them; and at the same
time looked down upon them with contempt as
greenhorns, little versed in the noble science of
woodcraft.
Afterwards, however, when he was seated by
our fire, I readily drew from him an account of
his exploit; for, though taciturn among strangers,
and little prone to boast of his actions, yet his
taciturnity, like that of all Indians, had its times
of relaxation.
He informed me, that on leaving the camp,
he had returned to the place where we had lost
sight of the wild horse. Soon getting upon its
track, he followed it to the banks of the river.
-- 150 --
[figure description] Page 150.[end figure description]
Here, the prints being more distinct in the sand,
he perceived that one of the hoofs was broken
and defective, so he gave up the pursuit.
As he was returning to the camp, he came
upon a gang of six horses, which immediately
made for the river. He pursued them across the
stream, left his rifle on the river bank, and putting
his horse to full speed, soon came up with
the fugitives. He attempted to noose one of
them, but the lariat hitched on one of his ears,
and he shook it off. The horses dashed up a
hill, he followed hard at their heels, when, of a
sudden, he saw their tails whisking in the air,
and they plunging down a precipice. It was
too late to stop. He shut his eyes, held in his
breath, and went over with them—neck or nothing.
The descent was between twenty and
thirty feet, but they all came down safe upon a
sandy bottom.
He now succeeded in throwing his noose
round a fine young horse. As he galloped along
side of him, the two horses passed each side of
a sapling, and the end of the lariat was jerked
out of his hand. He regained it, but an intervening
tree obliged him again to let it go. Having
once more caught it, and coming to a more
open country, he was enabled to play the young
horse with the line until he gradually checked
and subdued him, so as to lead him to the place
where he had left his rifle.
-- 151 --
[figure description] Page 151.[end figure description]
He had another formidable difficulty in getting
him across the river, where both horses
stuck for a time in the mire, and Beatte was
nearly unseated from his saddle by the force of
the current and the struggles of his captive.
After much toil and trouble, however, he got
across the stream, and brought his prize safe
into the camp.
For the remainder of the evening, the camp
remained in a high state of excitement; nothing
was talked of but the capture of wild horses;
every youngster of the troop was for this harum
scarum kind of chase; every one promised himself
to return from the campaign in triumph,
bestriding one of these wild coursers of the
prairies. Beatte had suddenly risen to great
importance; he was the prime hunter, the hero
of the day. Offers were made him by the best
mounted rangers, to let him ride their horses in
the chase, provided he would give them a share
of the spoil. Beatte bore his honours in silence,
and closed with none of the offers. Our stammering,
chattering, gasconading little Frenchman,
however, made up for his taciturnity, by
vaunting as much upon the subject as if it were
he that had caught the horse. Indeed he held
forth so learnedly in the matter, and boasted so
much of the many horses he had taken, that he
began to be considered an oracle; and some of
-- 152 --
[figure description] Page 152.[end figure description]
the youngsters were inclined to doubt whether
he were not superior even to the taciturn
Beatte.
The excitement kept the camp awake later
than usual. The hum of voices, interrupted by
occasional peals of laughter, was heard from
the groups around the various fires, and the
night was considerably advanced before all had
sunk to sleep.
With the morning dawn the excitement revived,
and Beatte and his wild horse were again
the gaze and talk of the camp. The captive
had been tied all night to a tree among the other
horses. He was again led forth by Beatte, by
a long halter or lariat, and, on his manifesting
the least restiveness, was, as before, jerked and
worried into passive submission. He appeared
to be gentle and docile by nature, and had a
beautifully mild expression of the eye. In his
strange and forlorn situation, the poor animal
seemed to seek protection and companionship
in the very horse that had aided to capture him.
Seeing him thus gentle and tractable, Beatte,
just as we were about to march, strapped a light
pack upon his back, by way of giving him the
first lesson in servitude. The native pride and
independence of the animal took fire at this indignity.
He reared, and plunged, and kicked,
and tried in every way to get rid of the
-- 153 --
[figure description] Page 153.[end figure description]
degrading burthen. The Indian was too potent for
him. At every paroxysm he renewed the discipline
of the halter, until the poor animal,
driven to despair, threw himself prostrate on
the ground, and lay motionless, as if acknowledging
himself vanquished. A stage hero,
representing the despair of a captive prince,
could not have played his part more dramatically.
There was absolutely a moral grandeur
in it.
The imperturbable Beatte folded his arms,
and stood for a time, looking down in silence
upon his captive; until seeing him perfectly
subdued, he nodded his head slowly, screwed
his mouth into a sardonic smile of triumph, and,
with a jerk of the halter, ordered him to rise.
He obeyed, and from that time forward offered
no resistance. During that day he bore his
pack patiently, and was led by the halter; but
in two days he followed voluntarily at large
among the supernumerary horses of the troop.
I could not but look with compassion upon
this fine young animal, whose whole course of
existence had been so suddenly reversed. From
being a denizen of these vast pastures, ranging
at will from plain to plain and mead to mead,
cropping of every herb and flower, and drinking
of every stream, he was suddenly reduced
to perpetual and painful servitude, to pass his
-- 154 --
[figure description] Page 154.[end figure description]
life under the harness and the curb, amid, perhaps,
the din and dust and drudgery of cities.
The transition in his lot was such as sometimes
takes place in human affairs, and in the fortunes
of towering individuals:—one day, a prince of
the prairies—the next day, a pack-horse!
-- 155 --
CHAPTER XXI.
The fording of the Red Fork. The dreary forests
of the “Cross Timber.” Buffalo!
[figure description] Page 155.[end figure description]
We left the camp of the wild horse about a
quarter before eight, and, after steering nearly
south for three or four miles, arrived on the
banks of the Red Fork, at, as we supposed,
about seventy-five miles above its mouth. The
river was about three hundred yards wide, wandering
among sand bars and shoals. Its shores,
and the long sandy banks that stretched out into
the stream, were printed, as usual, with the
traces of various animals that had come down
to cross it, or to drink its waters.
Here we came to a halt, and there was much
consultation about the possibility of fording the
river with safety, as there was an apprehension
of quicksands. Beatte, who had been somewhat
in the rear, came up while we were debating.
He was mounted on his horse of the
half wild breed, and leading his captive by the
bridle. He gave the latter in charge to Tonish,
and without saying a word, urged his horse into
the stream, and crossed it in safety. Every
thing was done by this man in a similar way,
-- 156 --
[figure description] Page 156.[end figure description]
promptly, resolutely, and silently, without a previous
promise or an after vaunt.
The troop now followed the lead of Beatte,
and reached the opposite shore without any
mishap, though one of the pack-horses wandering
a little from the track, came near being
swallowed up in a quicksand, and was with
difficulty dragged to land.
After crossing the river, we had to force our
way, for nearly a mile, through a thick canebrake,
which, at first sight, appeared an impervious
mass of reeds and brambles. It was a
hard struggle; our horses were often to the
saddle-girths in mire and water, and both horse
and horseman harassed and torn by bush and
brier. Falling, however, upon a buffalo track,
we at length extricated ourselves from this morass,
and ascended a ridge of land, where we
beheld a beautiful open country before us;
while to our right, the belt of forest land, called
“The Cross Timber,” continued stretching away
to the southward, as far as the eye could reach.
We soon abandoned the open country, and struck
into the forest land. It was the intention of the
Captain to keep on south-west by south, and
traverse the Cross Timber diagonally, so as to
come out upon the edge of the great western
prairie. By thus maintaining something of a
southerly direction, he trusted, while he crossed
-- 157 --
[figure description] Page 157.[end figure description]
the belt of forest, he would at the same time
approach towards the Red River.
The plan of the Captain was judicious; but
he erred from not being informed of the nature
of the country. Had he kept directly west, a
couple of days would have carried us through
the forest land, and we might then have had an
easy course along the skirts of the upper prairies,
to Red River; by going diagonally, we
were kept for many weary days toiling through
a dismal series of rugged forests.
The Cross Timber is about forty miles in
breadth, and stretches over a rough country of
rolling hills, covered with scattered tracts of
post-oak and black-jack; with some intervening
valleys, that at proper seasons would afford
good pasturage. It is very much cut up by deep
ravines, which, in the rainy seasons, are the beds
of temporary streams, tributary to the main rivers,
and these are called “branches.” The
whole tract may present a pleasant aspect in
the fresh time of the year, when the ground is
covered with herbage; when the trees are in
their green leaf, and the glens are enlivened by
running streams. Unfortunately, we entered
it too late in the season. The herbage was
parched; the foliage of the scrubby forests was
withered; the whole woodland prospect, as far
as the eye could reach, had a brown and arid
-- 158 --
[figure description] Page 158.[end figure description]
hue. The fires made on the prairies by the Indian
hunters, had frequently penetrated these
forests, sweeping in light transient flames along
the dry grass, scorching and calcining the lower
twigs and branches of the trees, and leaving
them black and hard, so as to tear the flesh of
man and horse that had to scramble through
them. I shall not easily forget the mortal toil,
and the vexations of flesh and spirit, that we
underwent occasionally, in our wanderings
through the Cross Timber. It was like struggling
through forests of cast iron.
After a tedious ride of several miles, we came
out upon an open tract of hill and dale, interspersed
with woodland. Here we were roused
by the cry of buffalo! buffalo! The effect was
something like that of the cry of a sail! a sail!
at sea. It was not a false alarm. Three or
four of those enormous animals were visible to
our sight grazing on the slope of a distant hill.
There was a general movement to set off in
pursuit, and it was with some difficulty that the
vivacity of the younger men of the troop could
be restrained. Leaving orders that the line of
march should be preserved, the Captain and two
of his officers departed at a quiet pace, accompanied
by Beatte, and by the ever forward Tonish;
for it was impossible any longer to keep
the little Frenchman in check, being half crazy
-- 159 --
[figure description] Page 159.[end figure description]
to prove his skill and prowess in hunting the
buffalo.
The intervening hills soon hid from us both
the game and the huntsmen. We kept on our
course, in quest of a camping place, which was
difficult to be found; almost all the channels of
the streams being dry, and the country being
destitute of fountain heads.
After proceeding some distance, there was
again a cry of buffalo, and two were pointed
out on a hill to the left. The Captain being absent,
it was no longer possible to restrain the
ardour of the young hunters. Away several of
them dashed, full speed, and soon disappeared
among the ravines: the rest kept on, anxious to
find a proper place for encampment.
Indeed we now began to experience the disadvantages
of the season. The pasturage of
the prairies was scanty and parched; the pea-vines
which grew in the woody bottoms were
withered, and most of the “branches,” or streams
were dried up. While wandering in this perplexity,
we were overtaken by the Captain and
all his party, except Tonish. They had pursued
the buffalo for some distance without getting
within shot, and had given up the chase, being
fearful of fatiguing their horses, or being led off
too far from camp. The little Frenchman,
-- 160 --
[figure description] Page 160.[end figure description]
however, had galloped after them like mad, and
the last they saw of him, he was engaged, as it
were, yard-arm and yard-arm, with a great
buffalo bull, firing broadsides into him. “I tink
dat little man crazy—somehow,” observed Beatte,
dryly.
-- 161 --
CHAPTER XXII. THE ALARM CAMP.
[figure description] Page 161.[end figure description]
We now came to a halt, and had to content
ourselves with an indifferent encampment. It
was in a grove of scrub-oaks, on the borders of
a deep ravine, at the bottom of which were a
few scanty pools of water. We were just at
the foot of a gradually sloping hill, covered with
half withered grass, that afforded meagre pasturage.
In the spot where we had encamped,
the grass was high and parched. The view
around us was circumscribed and much shut in
by gently swelling hills.
Just as we were encamping, Tonish arrived,
all glorious, from his hunting match; his white
horse hung all round with buffalo meat. According
to his own account, he had laid low two
mighty bulls. As usual, we deducted one half
from his boastings; but now that he had something
real to vaunt about, there was no restraining
the valour of his tongue.
After having in some measure appeased his
vanity by boasting of his exploit, he informed
us that he had observed the fresh track of horses,
-- 162 --
[figure description] Page 162.[end figure description]
which, from various circumstances, he suspected
to have been made by some roving band of
Pawnees. This caused some little uneasiness.
The young men who had left the line of march
in pursuit of the two buffaloes, had not yet rejoined
us: apprehensions were expressed that they
might be waylayed and attacked. Our veteran
hunter, Old Ryan, also, immediately on our
halting to encamp, had gone off on foot, in company
with a young disciple. “Dat old man will
have his brains knocked out by de Pawnees yet,”
said Beatte. “He tink he know every ting, but
he don't know Pawnees, any how.”
Taking his rifle, the Captain repaired on foot
to reconnoitre the country from the naked summit
of one of the neighbouring hills. In the
mean time, the horses were hobbled and turned
loose to graze in the adjacent fields; and wood
was cut, and fires made, to prepare the evening's
repast.
Suddenly there was an alarm of fire in the
camp! The flame from one of the kindling
fires had caught to the tall dry grass: a breeze
was blowing; there was danger that the camp
would soon be wrapped in a light blaze. Look
to the horses!” cried one; “drag away the
baggage!” cried another. “Take care of the
rifles and powder-horns!” cried a third. All
was hurry-scurry and uproar. The horses
-- 163 --
[figure description] Page 163.[end figure description]
dashed wildly about: some of the men snatched away
rifles and powder-horns, others dragged off saddles
and saddlebags. Meantime, no one thought
of quelling the fire, nor indeed knew how to
quell it. Beatte, however, and his comrades
attacked it in the Indian mode, beating down
the edges of the fire with blankets and horse-cloths,
and endeavouring to prevent its spreading
among the grass; the rangers followed their
example, and in a little while the flames were
happily quelled.
The fires were now properly kindled on places
from whence the dry grass had been cleared
away. The horses were scattered about a small
valley, and on the sloping hill side, cropping the
scanty herbage. Tonish was preparing a sumptuous
evening's meal from his buffalo meat, promising
us a rich soup and a prime piece of roast
beef: but we were doomed to experience another
and more serious alarm.
There was an indistinct cry from some rangers
on the summit of the hill, of which we
could only distinguish the words, “The horses!
the horses! get in the horses!”
Immediately a clamour of voices arose; shouts,
inquiries, replies, were all mingled together, so
that nothing could be clearly understood, and
every one drew his own inference.
“The Captain has started buffaloes,” cried
-- 164 --
[figure description] Page 164.[end figure description]
one, “and wants horses for the chase.” Immediately
a number of rangers seized their
rifles, and scampered for the hill top. “The
prairie is on fire beyond the hill,” cried another,
“I see the smoke—the Captain means we shall
drive the horses beyond the brook.”
By this time a ranger from the hill had reached
the skirts of the camp. He was almost breathless,
and could only say that the Captain had
seen Indians at a distance.
“Pawnees! Pawnees!” was now the cry
among our wild-headed youngsters. “Drive
the horses into the camp!” cried one. “Saddle
the horses!” cried another. “Form the line!”
cried a third. There was now a scene of clamour
and confusion that baffles all description.
The rangers were scampering about the adjacent
field in pursuit of their horses. One might
be seen tugging his steed along by a halter,
another without a hat, riding bare-backed; another
driving a hobbled horse before him, that
made awkward leaps like a kangaroo.
The alarm increased. Word was brought
from the lower end of the camp that there was
a band of Pawnees in a neighbouring valley.
They had shot old Ryan through the head, and
were chasing his companion! “No, it was not
old Ryan that was killed—it was one of the
hunters that had been after the two buffaloes.”
-- 165 --
[figure description] Page 165.[end figure description]
“There are three hundred Pawnees just beyond
the hill,” cried one voice. “More, more!” cried
another.
Our situation, shut in among hills, prevented
our seeing to any distance, and left us a prey to
all these rumours. A cruel enemy was supposed
to be at hand, and an immediate attack apprehended.
The horses by this time were driven
into the camp, and were dashing about among
the fires, and trampling upon the baggage. Every
one endeavoured to prepare for action; but here
was the perplexity. During the late alarm of
fire, the saddles, bridles, rifles, powder-horns,
and other equipments, had been snatched out of
their places, and thrown helter skelter among
the trees.
Where is my saddle?” cried one. “Has any
one seen my rifle?” cried another. “Who will
lend me a ball?” cried a third, who was loading
his piece. “I have lost my bullet pouch.” “For
God's sake help me to girth this horse!” cried
another; “he's so restive I can do nothing with
him.” In his hurry and worry, he had put on
the saddle the hind part before!
Some affected to swagger and talk bold; others
said nothing, but went on steadily, preparing
their horses and weapons, and on these I felt
the most reliance. Some were evidently excited
and elated with the idea of an encounter
-- 166 --
[figure description] Page 166.[end figure description]
with Indians; and none more so than my young
Swiss fellow traveller, who had a passion for
wild adventure. Our man, Beatte, led his horses
in the rear of the camp, placed his rifle against
a tree, then seated himself by the fire in perfect
silence. On the other hand, little Tonish, who
was busy cooking, stopped every moment from
his work to play the fanfaron, singing, swearing,
and affecting an unusual hilarity, which made
me strongly suspect that there was some little
fright at bottom, to cause all this effervescence.
About a dozen of the rangers, as soon as they
could saddle their horses, dashed off in the direction
in which the Pawnees were said to have
attacked the hunters. It was now determined,
in case our camp should be assailed, to put our
horses in the ravine in rear, where they would
be out of danger from arrow or rifle ball, and
to take our stand within the edge of the ravine.
This would serve as a trench, and the trees and
thickets with which it was bordered, would be
sufficient to turn aside any shaft of the enemy.
The Pawnees, beside, are wary of attacking
any covert of the kind; their warfare, as I have
already observed, lies in the open prairie, where,
mounted upon their fleet horses, they can swoop
like hawks upon their enemy, or wheel about
him and discharge their arrows. Still I could
not but perceive, that, in case of being attacked
-- 167 --
[figure description] Page 167.[end figure description]
by such a number of these well mounted and
warlike savages as were said to be at hand, we
should be exposed to considerable risk from the
mexperience and want of discipline of our newly
raised rangers, and from the very courage of
many of the younger ones who seemed bent on
adventure and exploit.
By this time the Captain reached the camp,
and every one crowded round him for information.
He informed us, that he had proceeded
some distance on his reconnoitering expedition,
and was slowly returning towards the camp,
along the brow of a naked hill, when he saw
something on the edge of a parallel hill, that
looked like a man. He paused, and watched
it; but it remained so perfectly motionless, that
he supposed it a bush, or the top of some tree
beyond the hill. He resumed his course, when
it likewise began to move in a parallel direction.
Another from now rose beside it, of some one
who had either been lying down, or had just
ascended the other side of the hill. The Captain
stopped and regarded them; they likewise
stopped. He then lay down upon the grass,
and they began to walk. On his rising, they
again stopped, as if watching him. Knowing
that the Indians are apt to have their spies and
sentinels thus posted on the summit of naked
hills, commanding extensive prospects, his doubts
-- 168 --
[figure description] Page 168.[end figure description]
were increased by the suspicious movements of
these men. He now put his foraging cap on
the end of his rifle, and waved it in the air.
They took no notice of the signal. He then
walked on, until he entered the edge of a wood,
which concealed him from their view. Stopping
out of sight for a moment, he again looked
forth, when he saw the two men passing swiftly
forward. As the hill on which they were walking
made a curve toward that on which he stood,
it seemed as if they were endeavouring to head
him before he should reach the camp. Doubting
whether they might not belong to some large
party of Indians, either in ambush or moving
along the valley beyond the hill, the Captain
hastened his steps homeward, and, descrying
some rangers on an eminence between him and
the camp, he called out to them to pass the
word to have the horses driven in, as these are
generally the first objects of Indian depredation.
Such was the origin of the alarm which had
thrown the camp in commotion. Some of those
who heard the Captain's narration, had no doubt
that the men on the hill were Pawnee scouts,
belonging to the band that had waylaid the
hunters. Distant shots were heard at intervals,
which were supposed to be fired by those who
had sallied out to rescue their comrades. Several
more rangers, having completed their
-- 169 --
[figure description] Page 169.[end figure description]
equipments, now rode forth in the direction of the
firing; others looked anxious and uneasy.
“If they are as numerous as they are said to
be,” said one,” and as well mounted as they generally
are, we shall be a bad match for them with
our jaded horses.”
“Well,” replied the Captain, “we have a
strong encampment, and can stand a siege.”
“Ay, but they may set fire to the prairie in
the night, and burn us out of our encampment.”
“We will then set up a counter fire!”
The word was now passed that a man on
horseback approached the camp.
“It is one of the hunters! It is Clements!”
“He brings buffalo meat!” was announced by
several voices as the horseman drew near.
It was, in fact, one of the rangers who had
set off in the morning in pursuit of the two buffaloes.
He rode into the camp, with the spoils
of the chase hanging round his horse, and followed
by his companions, all sound and unharmed,
and equally well laden. They proceeded to
give an account of a grand gallop they had had
after the two buffaloes, and how many shots it
had cost them to bring one to the ground.
“Well, but the Pawnees—the Pawnees—
where are the Pawnees?”
“What Pawnees?”
“The Pawnees that attacked you.”
-- 170 --
[figure description] Page 170.[end figure description]
“No one attacked us.”
“But have you seen no Indians on your
way?”
“Oh yes, two of us got to the top of a hill to
look out for the camp, and saw a fellow on an
opposite hill cutting queer antics, who seemed
to be an Indian.”
“Pshaw! that was I!” said the Captain.
Here the bubble burst. The whole alarm
had risen from this mutual mistake of the Captain
and the two rangers. As to the report of
the three hundred Pawnees and their attack on
the hunters, it proved to be a wanton fabrication,
of which no further notice was taken;
though the author deserved to have been sought
out, and severely punished.
There being no longer any prospect of fighting,
every one now thought of eating; and here
the stomachs throughout the camp were in unison.
Tonish served up to us his promised regale
of buffalo soup and buffalo beef. The soup
was peppered most horribly, and the roast beef
proved the bull to have been one of the patriarchs
of the prairies: never did I have to deal
with a tougher morsel. However, it was our
first repast on buffalo meat, so we ate it with a
lively faith; nor would our little Frenchman
allow us any rest, until he had extorted from us
an acknowledgment of the excellence of his
-- 171 --
[figure description] Page 171.[end figure description]
cookery; though the pepper gave us the lie in
our throats.
The night closed in without the return of old
Ryan and his companion. We had become accustomed,
however, to the aberrations of this
old cock of the woods, and no further solicitude
was expressed on his account.
After the fatigues and agitations of the day,
the camp soon sunk into a profound sleep, excepting
those on guard, who were more than
usually on the alert; for the traces recently seen
of Pawnees, and the certainty that we were in
the midst of their hunting grounds, excited to
constant vigilance. About half past ten o'clock
we were all startled from sleep, by a new alarm.
A sentinel had fired off his rifle and run into
camp, crying that there were Indians at hand.
Every one was on his legs in an instant. Some
seized their rifles; some were about to saddle
their horses; some hastened to the Captain's
lodge, but were ordered back to their respective
fires. The sentinel was examined. He declared
he had seen an Indian approach, crawling
along the ground; whereupon he had fired upon
him, and run into camp. The Captain gave it
as his opinion, that the supposed Indian was a
wolf; he reprimanded the sentinel for deserting
his post, and obliged him to return to it. Many
seemed inclined to give credit to the story of the
-- 172 --
[figure description] Page 172.[end figure description]
sentinel; for the events of the day had predisposed
them to apprehend lurking foes and
sudden assaults during the darkness of the night.
For a long time they sat round their fires, with
rifle in hand, carrying on low, murmuring conversations,
and listening for some new alarm.
Nothing further, however, occurred; the voices
gradually died away; the gossipers nodded and
dozed, and sunk to rest; and, by degrees, silence
and sleep once more stole over the camp.
-- 173 --
CHAPTER XXIII.
Beaver-dam. Buffalo and horse tracks. A Pawnee
trail. Wild horses. The young hunter
and the bear. Change of route.
[figure description] Page 173.[end figure description]
On mustering our forces in the morning,
(Oct. 23,) old Ryan and his comrade were still
missing; but, the Captain had such perfect reliance
on the skill and resources of the veteran
woodsman, that he did not think it necessary to
take any measures with respect to him.
Our march this day lay through the same kind
of rough rolling country; checquered by brown
dreary forests of post-oak, and cut up by deep
dry ravines. The distant fires were evidently
increasing on the prairies. The wind had been
at northwest for several days; and the atmosphere
had become so smoky, as in the height of
Indian summer, that it was difficult to distinguish
objects at any distance.
In the course of the morning, we crossed a
deep stream with a complete beaver dam, above
three feet high, making a large pond, and doubtless
containing several families of that industrious
animal, though not one showed his nose
-- 174 --
[figure description] Page 174.[end figure description]
above water. The Captain would not permit
this amphibious commonwealth to be disturbed.
We were now continually coming upon the
tracks of buffaloes and wild horses; those of
the former, tended invariably to the south, as we
could perceive by the direction of the trampled
grass. It was evident, we were on the great
highway of these migratory herds, but that they
had chiefly passed to the southward.
Beatte, who generally kept a parallel course
several hundred yards distant from our line of
march, to be on the look out for game, and who
regarded every track with the knowing eye of
an Indian, reported that he had come upon a
very suspicious trail. There were the tracks of
men who wore Pawnee moccasons. He had
scented the smoke of mingled sumach and tobacco,
such as the Indians use. He had observed
tracks of horses, mingled with those of a
dog; and a mark in the dust where a cord had
been trailed along; probably the long bridle,
one end of which the Indian horsemen suffer to
trail on the ground. It was evident, they were
not the tracks of wild horses. My anxiety began
to revive about the safety of our veteran
hunter Ryan, for I had taken a great fancy to
this real old Leatherstocking; every one expressed
a confidence, however, that wherever Ryan
was, he was safe, and knew how to take care of
himself.
-- 175 --
[figure description] Page 175.[end figure description]
we had accomplished the greater part of a
weary day's march, and were passing through a
glade of the oak openings, when we came in
sight of six wild horses, among which I especially
noticed two very handsome ones, a grey and
a roan. They pranced about, with heads erect,
and long flaunting tails, offering a proud contrast
to our poor, spiritless, travel-tired steeds.
Having reconnoitered us for a moment, they set
off at a gallop, passed through a woody dingle,
and in a little while emerged once more to view,
trotting up a slope about a mile distant.
The sight of these horses were again a sore
trial to the vapouring Tonish, who had his lariat
and forked stick ready, and was on the point of
launching forth in pursuit, on his jaded horse,
when he was again ordered back to the pack-horses.
After a day's journey of fourteen miles in a
southwest direction, we encamped on the banks
of a small clear stream, on the northern border
of the Cross Timbers; and on the edge of those
vast prairies, that extend away to the foot of the
Rocky Mountains. In turning loose the horses to
graze, their bells were stuffed with grass to prevent
their tinkling, lest it might be heard by some
wandering horde of Pawnees.
Our hunters now went out in different directions,
but without much success, as but one deer
-- 176 --
[figure description] Page 176.[end figure description]
was brought into the camp. A young ranger
had a long story to tell of his adventures. In
skirting the thickets of a deep ravine, he had
wounded a buck which he plainly heard to fall
among the bushes. He stopped to fix the lock
of his rifle, which was out of order, and to reload
it: then advancing to the edge of the thicket,
in quest of his game, he heard a low growling.
Putting the branches aside, and stealing
silently forward, he looked down into the ravine
and beheld a huge bear, dragging the carcass of
the deer along the dry channel of a brook, and
growling and snarling at four or five officious
wolves, who seemed to have dropped in to take
supper with him.
The ranger fired at the bear, but missed him.
Bruin maintained his ground and his prize, and
seemed disposed to make battle. The wolves,
too, who were evidently sharp set, drew off to
but a small distance. As night was coming on,
the young hunter felt dismayed at the wildness
and darkness of the place, and the strange
company he had fallen in with; so he quietly
withdrew, and returned empty handed to the
camp, where, having told his story, he was heartily
bantered by his more experienced comrades.
In the course of the evening, old Ryan came
straggling into the camp, followed by his
-- 177 --
[figure description] Page 177.[end figure description]
disciple, and as usual was received with hearty gratulations.
He had lost himself yesterday, when
hunting, and camped out all night, but had found
our trail in the morning, and followed it up.
He had passed some time at the beaver dam,
admiring the skill and solidity with which it had
been constructed. “These beavers,” said he,
“are industrious little fellows. They are the
knowingest varment as I know; and I'll warrant
the pond was stocked with them.”
“Aye,” said the Captain, “I have no doubt
most of the small rivers we have passed are
full of beaver. I would like to come and trap
on these waters all winter.”
“But would you not run the chance of being
attacked by Indians?” asked one of the company.
“Oh, as to that, it would be safe enough here,
in the winter time. There would be no Indians
here until spring. I should want no more than
two companions. Three persons are safer than
a large number for trapping beaver. They can
keep quiet, and need seldom fire a gun. A bear
would serve them for food, for two months, taking
care to turn every part of it to advantage.”
A consultation was now held as to our future
progress. We had thus far pursued a western
course; and, having traversed the Cross Timber,
were on the skirts of the Great Western
-- 178 --
[figure description] Page 178.[end figure description]
Prairie. We were still, however, in a very rough
country, where food was scarce. The season
was so far advanced that the grass was withered,
and the prairies yielded no pasturage. The
pea-vines of the bottoms, also, which had sustained
our horses for some part of the journey,
were nearly gone, and for several days past the
poor animals had fallen off wofully both in
flesh and spirit. The Indian fires on the prairies
were approaching us from north, and south, and
west; they might spread also from the east, and
leave a scorched desert between us and the frontier,
in which our horses might be famished.
It was determined, therefore, to advance no
further to the westward, but to shape our course
more to the east, so as to strike the north fork of
the Canadian, as soon as possible, where we
hoped to find abundance of young cane; which,
at this season of the year, affords the most nutritious
pasturage for the horses; and, at the same
time, attracts immense quantities of game.
Here then we fixed the limits of our tour to the
Far West, being within little more than a day's
march of the boundary line of Texas.
-- 179 --
CHAPTER XXIV.
Scarcity of bread. Rencontre with Buffaloes.
Wild Turkeys. Fall of a Buffalo bull.
[figure description] Page 179.[end figure description]
The morning broke bright and clear, but the
camp had nothing of its usual gaiety. The concert
of the farm-yard was at an end; not a cock
crew, nor dog barked; nor was there either
singing or laughing; every one pursued his avocations
quietly and gravely. The novelty of
the expedition was wearing off. Some of the
young men were getting as way-worn as their
horses; and most of them, unaccustomed to the
hunter's life, began to repine at its privations.
What they most felt was the want of bread,
their rations of flour having been exhausted for
several days. The old hunters, who had often
experienced this want, made light of it; and
Beatte accustomed, when among the Indians,
to live for months without it, considered it a
mere article of luxury. “Bread,” he would say
scornfully, “is only fit for a child.”
About a quarter before eight o'clock, we turned
our backs upon the Far West, and set off in
a southeast course, along a gentle valley. After
riding a few miles, Beatte, who kept parallel
-- 180 --
[figure description] Page 180.[end figure description]
with us, along the ridge of a naked hill to our
right, called out and made signals, as if something
were coming round the hill to intercept us.
Some who were near me cried out that it was a
party of Pawnees. A skirt of thickets hid the
approach of the supposed enemy from our view.
We heard a trampling among the brushwood.
My horse looked toward the place, snorted and
pricked up his ears, when presently a couple of
huge buffalo bulls, who had been alarmed by
Beatte, came crashing through the brake, and
making directly towards us. At sight of us they
wheeled round, and scuttled along a narrow defile
of the hill. In an instant half a score of
rifles cracked off; there was a universal whoop
and halloo, and away went half the troop, helter
skelter in pursuit, and myself among the
number. The most of us soon pulled up, and
gave over a chase which led through birch and
brier, and break-neck ravines. Some few of
the rangers persisted for a time; but eventually
joined the line, slowly lagging one after another.
One of them returned on foot; he had
been thrown while in full chase; his rifle had
been broken in the fall, and his horse, retaining
the spirit of the rider, had kept on after the buffalo.
It was a melancholy predicament to be
reduced to; to be without horse or weapon in
the midst of the Pawnee hunting grounds.
-- 181 --
[figure description] Page 181.[end figure description]
For my own part, I had been fortunate
enough recently, by a further exchange, to get
possession of the best horse in the troop; a fullblooded
sorrel of excellent bottom, beautiful
form, and most generous qualities.
In such a situation, it almost seems as if a
man changes his nature with his horse. I felt
quite like another being, now that I had an animal
under me, spirited yet gentle, docile to a
remarkable degree, and easy, elastic and rapid
in all his movements. In a few days he became
almost as much attached to me as a dog; would
follow me when I dismounted, would come to
me in the morning to be noticed and caressed;
and would put his muzzle between me and my
book, as I sat reading at the foot of a tree. The
feeling I had for this my dumb companion of
the prairies, gave me some faint idea of that attachment
the Arab is said to entertain for the
horse that has borne him about the deserts.
After riding a few miles further, we came to
a fine meadow with a broad clear stream winding
through it, on the banks of which there was
excellent pasturage. Here we at once came to
a halt, in a beautiful grove of elms, on the site
of an old Osage encampment. Scarcely had we
dismounted, when a universal firing of rifles
took place upon a large flock of turkeys, scattered
about the grove, which proved to be a
-- 182 --
[figure description] Page 182.[end figure description]
favourite roosting place for these simple birds.
They flew to the trees, and sat perched upon
their branches, stretching out their long necks,
and gazing in stupid astonishment, until eighteen
of them were shot down.
In the height of the carnage, word was
brought that there were four buffaloes in a neighbouring
meadow. The turkeys were now abandoned
for nobler game. The tired horses were
again mounted, and urged to the chase. In a
little while we came in sight of the buffaloes,
looking like brown hillocks among the long
green herbage. Beatte endeavoured to get
ahead of them and turn them towards us, that
the inexperienced hunters might have a chance.
They ran round the base of a rocky hill, that
hid us from the sight. Some of us endeavoured
to cut across the hill, but became entrapped
in a thick wood, matted with grape vines. My
horse, who, under his former rider had hunted the
buffalo, seemed as much excited as myself, and
endeavoured to force his way through the bushes.
At length we extricated ourselves, and galloping
over the hill, I found our little Frenchman Tonish,
curvetting on horseback round a great
buffalo which he had wounded too severely to
fly, and which he was keeping employed until
we should come up. There was a mixture of
the grand and the comic, in beholding this
-- 183 --
[figure description] Page 183.[end figure description]
tremendous animal and his fantastic assailant. The
buffalo stood with his shagged front always presented
to his foe; his mouth open, his tongue
parched, his eyes like coals of fire, and his tail
erect with rage; every now and then he would
make a faint rush upon his foe, who easily evaded
his attack, capering and cutting all kinds of
antics before him.
We now made repeated shots at the buffalo,
but they glanced into his mountain of flesh
without proving mortal. He made a slow and
grand retreat into the shallow river, turning upon
his assailants whenever they pressed upon him;
and when in the water, took his stand there as
if prepared to sustain a siege. A rifle ball, however,
more fatally lodged, sent a tremour through
his frame. He turned and attempted to wade
across the stream, but after tottering a few
paces, slowly fell upon his side and expired. It
was the fall of a hero, and we felt somewhat
ashamed of the butchery that had effected it;
but, after the first shot or two, we had reconciled
it to our feelings, by the old plea of putting
the poor animal out of his misery.
Two other buffaloes were killed this evening,
but they were all bulls, the flesh of which is
meagre and hard, at this season of the year. A
fat buck yielded us much more savory meat for
our evening's repast.
-- 184 --
CHAPTER XXV.
Ringing the wild Horse.
[figure description] Page 184.[end figure description]
We left the buffalo camp about eight o'clock,
and had a toilsome and harassing march of two
hours, over ridges of hills, covered with a ragged
meagre forest of scrub-oaks, and broken
by deep gullies. Among the oaks I observed
many of the most diminutive size; some not
above a foot high, yet bearing abundance of
small acorns. The whole of the Cross Timber,
in fact, abounds with mast. There is a
pine-oak which produces an acorn pleasant to
the taste, and ripening early in the season.
About ten o'clock in the morning, we came to
where this line of rugged hills swept down into
a valley, through which flowed the north fork of
the Red river. A beautiful meadow about half
a mile wide, enamelled with yellow autumnal
flowers, stretched for two or three miles along
the foot of the hills, bordered on the opposite
side by the river, whose banks were fringed
with cottonwood trees, the bright foliage of
which refreshed and delighted the eye, after
being wearied by the contemplation of monotonous
wastes of brown forest.
-- 185 --
[figure description] Page 185.[end figure description]
The meadow was finely diversified by groves
and clumps of trees, so happily dispersed, that
they seemed as if set out by the hand of art.
As we cast our eyes over this fresh and delightful
valley, we beheld a troop of wild horses,
quietly grazing on a green lawn, about a mile
distant to our right, while to our left, at nearly
the same distance, were several buffaloes; some
feeding, others reposing and ruminating among
the high rich herbage, under the shade of a
clump of cottonwood trees. The whole had
the appearance of a broad beautiful tract of pasture
land, on the highly ornamented estate of
some gentleman farmer, with his cattle grazing
about the lawns and meadows.
A council of war was now held, and it was
determined to profit by the present favourable
opportunity, and try our hand at the grand hunting
manœuvre, which is called ringing the wild
horse. This requires a large party of horsemen
well mounted. They extend themselves in each
direction, singly, at certain distances apart, and
gradually form a ring of two or three miles in
circumference, so as to surround the game. This
has to be done with extreme care, for the wild
horse is the most readily alarmed inhabitant of
the prairie, and can scent a hunter at a great
distance, if to windward.
The ring being formed, two or three ride
-- 186 --
[figure description] Page 186.[end figure description]
towards the horses, who start off in an opposite
direction. Whenever they approach the bounds
of the ring, however, a huntsman presents himself
and turns them from their course. In this
way, they are checked and driven back at every
point; and kept galloping round and round this
magic circle, until, being completely tired down,
it is easy for the hunters to ride up beside them,
and throw the lariat over their heads. The
prime horses of most speed, courage, and bottom,
however, are apt to break through and escape,
so that, in general, it is the second rate
horses that are taken.
Preparations were now made for a hunt of
the kind. The pack-horses were taken into the
woods and firmly tied to trees, lest, in a rush of
the wild horses, they should break away with
them. Twenty five men were then sent under
the command of a lieutenant, to steal along the
edge of the valley within the strip of wood that
skirted the hills. They were to station themselves
about fifty yards apart, within the edge of
the woods, and not advance or show themselves,
until the horses dashed in that direction. Twenty
five men were sent across the valley, to steal
in like manner along the river bank that bordered
the opposite side, and to station themselves
among the trees. A third party of about the
same number, was to form a line, stretching
-- 187 --
[figure description] Page 187.[end figure description]
across the lower part of the valley, so as to connect
the two wings. Beatte and our other half-breed
Antoine, together with the ever officious
Tonish, were to make a circuit through the
woods, so as to get to the upper part of the valley,
in the rear of the horses, and to drive them
forward into the kind of sack that we had formed,
while the two wings should join behind them
and make a complete circle.
The flanking parties were quietly extending
themselves, out of sight, on each side of the valley,
and the residue were stretching themselves,
like the links of a chain, across it, when the wild
horses gave signs that they scented an enemy:
snuffing the air, snorting, and looking about. At
length they pranced off slowly toward the river,
and disappeared behind a green bank. Here,
had the regulations of the chase been observed,
they would have been quietly checked and turned
back by the advance of a hunter from among
the trees; unluckily, however, we had our wild-fire
Jack-o'-lantern little Frenchman to deal with.
Instead of keeping quietly up the right side of
the valley, to get above the horses, the moment
he saw them move toward the river, he broke
out of the covert of woods, and dashed furiously
across the plain in pursuit of them, being
mounted on one of the led horses belonging to
the Count. This put an end to all system. The
-- 188 --
[figure description] Page 188.[end figure description]
half-breeds, and half a score of rangers joined
in the chase. Away they all went over the
green bank; in a moment or two the wild horses
reappeared, and came thundering down the
valley with Frenchman, half-breeds and rangers,
galloping like mad, and yelling like devils behind
them. It was in vain that the line drawn across
the valley attempted to check and turn back the
fugitives. They were too hotly pressed by their
pursuers; in their panic they dashed through the
line, and clattered down the plain. The whole
troop joined in the headlong chase, some of the
rangers without hats or caps, their hair flying
about their ears, others with handkerchiefs tied
round their heads. The buffaloes, who had been
calmly ruminating among the herbage, heaved
up their huge forms, gazed for a moment with
astonishment at the tempest that came scouring
down the meadow, then turned and took to heavy
rolling flight. They were soon overtaken:
the promiscuous throng were pressed together
by the contracting sides of the valley, and away
they went, pell-mell, hurry-scurry, wild buffalo,
wild horse, wild huntsman, with clang and clatter,
and whoop and halloo, that made the forests
ring.
At length the buffaloes turned into a green
brake, on the river bank, while the horses dashed
up a narrow defile of the hills, with their
-- 189 --
[figure description] Page 189.[end figure description]
pursuers close at their heels. Beatte passed
several of them, having fixed his eye upon a
fine Pawnee horse, that had his ears slit, and
saddle marks upon his back. He pressed him
gallantly, but lost him in the woods. Among
the wild horses was a fine black mare, far gone
with foal. In scrambling up the defile, she tripped
and fell. A young ranger sprang from his
horse, and seized her by the mane and muzzle.
Another ranger dismounted, and came to his assistance.
The mare struggled fiercely, kicking
and biting, and striking with her fore feet, but a
noose was slipped over her head, and her struggles
were in vain. It was some time, however,
before she gave over rearing and plunging, and
lashing out with her feet on every side. The
two rangers then led her along the valley by
two long lariats, which enabled them to keep at
a sufficient distance on each side, to be out of
the reach of her hoofs, and whenever she struck
out in one direction, she was jerked in the other.
In this way her spirit was gradually subdued.
As to little Scaramouch Tonish, who had
marred the whole scheme by his precipitancy,
he had been more successful than he deserved,
having managed to catch a beautiful cream-coloured
colt, about seven months old, that had
not strength to keep up with its companions.
The mercurial little Frenchman was beside
-- 190 --
[figure description] Page 190.[end figure description]
himself with exultation. It was amusing to see him
with his prize. The colt would rear and kick,
and struggle to get free, when Tonish would
take him about the neck, wrestle with him, jump
on his back, and cut as many antics as a monkey
with a kitten. Nothing surprised me more, however,
than to witness how soon these poor animals,
thus taken from the unbounded freedom of
the prairie, yielded to the dominion of man. In
the course of two or three days the mare and
colt went with the led horses, and became quite
docile.
-- 191 --
CHAPTER XXVI.
Fording of the North Fork. Dreary scenery of
the Cross Timber. Scamper of horses in the
night. Osage war party. Effects of a peace
harangue. Buffalo. Wild horse.
[figure description] Page 191.[end figure description]
Resuming our march, we forded the North
Fork, a rapid stream, and of a purity seldom to
be found in the rivers of the prairies. It evidently
had its sources in high land, well supplied
with springs. After crossing the river, we again
ascended among hills, from one of which we had
an extensive view over this belt of cross timber,
and a cheerless prospect it was; hill beyond hill,
forest beyond forest, all of one sad russet hue—
excepting that here and there a line of green
cottonwood trees, sycamores, and willows, marked
the course of some streamlet through a valley.
A procession of buffaloes moving slowly up the
profile of one of those distant hills, formed a
characteristic object in the savage scene. To
the left, the eye stretched beyond this rugged
wilderness of hills, and ravines, and ragged
forests, to a prairie about ten miles off, extending
in a clear blue line along the horizon. It
was like looking from among rocks and
-- 192 --
[figure description] Page 192.[end figure description]
breakers upon a distant tract of tranquil ocean. Unluckily,
our route did not lie in that direction;
we still had to traverse many a weary mile of
the “cross timber.”
We encamped towards evening in a valley,
beside a scanty pool, under a scattered grove of
elms, the upper branches of which were fringed
with tufts of the mystic misletoe. In the course
of the night, the wild colt whinnied repeatedly;
and about two hours before day, there was a
sudden stampedo, or rush of horses, along the
purlieus of the camp, with a snorting and neighing,
and a clattering of hoofs, that startled most
of the rangers from their sleep, who listened in
silence, until the sound died away like the rushing
of a blast. As usual, the noise was at first
attributed to some party of marauding Indians:
but as the day dawned, a couple of wild horses
were seen in a neighbouring meadow, which
scoured off on being approached. It was now
supposed that a gang of them had dashed through
our camp in the night. A general mustering of
our horses took place, many were found scattered
to a considerable distance, and several were
not to be found. The prints of their hoofs, however,
appeared deeply dinted in the soil, leading
off at full speed into the waste, and their owners,
putting themselves on the trail, set off in
weary search of them.
-- 193 --
[figure description] Page 193.[end figure description]
We had a ruddy daybreak, but the morning
gathered up grey and lowering, with indications
of an autumnal storm. We resumed our march
silently and seriously, through a rough and cheerless
country, from the highest points of which
we could descry large prairies, stretching indefinitely
westward. After travelling for two
or three hours, as we were traversing a withered
prairie, resembling a great brown heath, we
beheld seven Osage warriors approaching at a
distance. The sight of any human being in
this lonely wilderness was interesting; it was
like speaking a ship at sea. One of the Indians
took the lead of his companions, and advanced
towards us with head erect, chest thrown forward,
and a free and noble mien. He was a
fine looking fellow, dressed in scarlet frock and
fringed leggings of deer skin. His head was
decorated with a white tuft, and he stepped forward
with something of a martial air, swaying
his bow and arrows in one hand.
We held some conversation with him through
our interpreter, Beatte, and found that he and
his companions had been with the main part of
their tribe hunting the buffalo, and had met with
great success; and he informed us, that in the
course of another day's march, we would reach
the prairies on the banks of the Grand Canadian,
and find plenty of game. He added, that
-- 194 --
[figure description] Page 194.[end figure description]
as their hunt was over, and the hunters on their
return homeward, he and his comrades had set
out on a war party, to waylay and hover about
some Pawnee camp, in hopes of carrying off
scalps or horses.
By this time his companions, who at first stood
aloof, joined him. Three of them had indifferent
fowling-pieces; the rest were armed with
bows and arrows. I could not but admire the
finely shaped heads and busts of these savages,
and their graceful attitudes and expressive gestures,
as they stood conversing with our interpreter,
and surrounded by a cavalcade of rangers.
We endeavoured to get one of them to
join us, as we were desirous of seeing him hunt
the buffalo with his bow and arrow. He seemed
at first inclined to do so, but was dissuaded
by his companions.
The worthy Commissioner now remembered
his mission as pacificator, and made a speech,
exhorting them to abstain from all offensive acts
against the Pawnees; informing them of the
plan of their father at Washington, to put an
end to all war among his red children; and
assuring them that he was sent to the frontier to
establish a universal peace. He told them, therefore,
to return quietly to their homes, with the certainty
that the Pawnees would no longer molest
them, but would soon regard them as brothers.
-- 195 --
[figure description] Page 195.[end figure description]
The Indians listened to the speech with their
customary silence and decorum; after which,
exchanging a few words among themselves, they
bade us farewell, and pursued their way across
the prairie.
Fancying that I saw a lurking smile in the
countenance of our interpreter, Beatte, I privately
inquired what the Indians had said to
each other after hearing the speech. The leader,
he said, had observed to his companions, that,
as their great father intended so soon to put an
end to all warfare, it behooved them to make the
most of the little time that was left them. So
they had departed, with redoubled zeal, to pursue
their project of horse stealing!
We had not long parted from the Indians before
we discovered three buffaloes among the
thickets of a marshy valley to our left. I set
off with the Captain and several rangers, in
pursuit of them. Stealing through a straggling
grove, the Captain, who took the lead, got within
rifle shot, and wounded one of them in the
flank. They all three made off in headlong
panic, through thickets and brush-wood, and
swamp and mire, bearing down every obstacle
by their immense weight. The Captain and
rangers soon gave up a chase which threatened
to knock up their horses; I had got upon the
traces of the wounded bull, however, and was
-- 196 --
[figure description] Page 196.[end figure description]
in hopes of getting near enough to use my pistols,
the only weapons with which I was provided;
but before I could effect it, he reached the foot
of a rocky hill, covered with post-oak and brambles,
and plunged forward, dashing and crashing
along, with neck or nothing fury, where it
would have been madness to have followed him.
The chase had led me so far on one side, that
it was some time before I regained the trail of
our troop. As I was slowly ascending a hill, a
fine black mare came prancing round the summit,
and was close to me before she was aware.
At sight of me she started back, then turning,
swept at full speed down into the valley, and up
the opposite hill, with flowing mane and tail,
and action free as air. I gazed after her as long
as she was in sight, and breathed a wish that so
glorious an animal might never come under the
degrading thraldom of whip and curb, but remain
a free rover of the prairies.
-- 197 --
CHAPTER XXVII.
Foul weather encampment. Anecdotes of bear
hunting. Indian notions about omens. Scruples
respecting the dead.
[figure description] Page 197.[end figure description]
On overtaking the troop, I found it encamping
in a rich bottom of woodland, traversed by a
small stream, running between deep, crumbling
banks. A sharp cracking off of rifles was kept
up for some time in various directions, upon a
numerous flock of turkeys, scampering among
the thickets, or perched upon the trees. We
had not been long at a halt, when a drizzling
rain ushered in the autumnal storm that had
been brewing. Preparations were immediately
made to weather it: our tent was pitched, and
our saddles, saddlebags, packages of coffee,
sugar, salt, and every thing else that could be
damaged by the rain, were gathered under its
shelter. Our men, Beatte, Tonish, and Antoine,
drove stakes with forked ends into the ground,
laid poles across them for rafters, and thus
made a shed or pent-house, covered with bark
and skins, sloping towards the wind, and open
towards the fire. The rangers formed similar
-- 198 --
[figure description] Page 198.[end figure description]
shelters of bark and skins, or of blankets stretched
on poles, supported by forked stakes, with
great fires in front.
These precautions were well-timed. The
rain set in sullenly and steadily, and kept on,
with slight intermissions, for two days. The
brook which flowed peaceably on our arrival,
swelled into a turbid and boiling torrent, and
the forest became little better than a mere
swamp. The men gathered under their shelters
of skins and blankets, or sat cowering round
their fires; while columns of smoke curling up
among the trees, and diffusing themselves in the
air, spread a blue haze through the woodland.
Our poor, way-worn horses, reduced by weary
travel and scanty pasturage, lost all remaining
spirit, and stood, with drooping heads, flagging
ears, and half closed eyes, dozing and steaming
in the rain; while the yellow autumnal leaves,
at every shaking of the breeze, came wavering
down around them.
Notwithstanding the bad weather, however,
our hunters were not idle, but during the intervals
of the rain, sallied forth on horseback to
prowl through the woodland. Every now and
then the sharp report of a distant rifle boded
the death of a deer. Venison in abundance
was brought in. Some busied themselves under
the sheds, flaying and cutting up the carcasses,
-- 199 --
[figure description] Page 199.[end figure description]
or round the fires with spits and camp kettles,
and a rude kind of feasting, or rather gormandizing,
prevailed throughout the camp. The axe
was continually at work, and wearied the forest
with its echoes. Crash! some mighty tree
would come down; in a few minutes its limbs
would be blazing and crackling on the huge
camp fires, with some luckless deer roasting before
it, that had once sported beneath its shade.
The change of weather had taken sharp hold
of our little Frenchman. His meagre frame,
composed of bones and whip-cord, was racked
with rheumatic pains and twinges. He had the
tooth-ache—the ear-ache—his face was tied up—
he had shooting pains in every limb: yet all
seemed but to increase his restless activity, and
he was in an incessant fidget about the fire, roasting
and stewing, and groaning, and scolding,
and swearing.
Our man Beatte returned grim and mortified,
from hunting. He had come upon a bear of
formidable dimensions, and wounded him with
a rifle shot. The bear took to the brook, which
was swollen and rapid. Beatte dashed in after
him and assailed him in the rear with his hunting
knife. At every blow the bear turned furiously
upon him, with a terrific display of white
teeth. Beatte, having a foot hold in the brook,
was enabled to push him off with his rifle, and,
-- 200 --
[figure description] Page 200.[end figure description]
when he turned to swim, would flounder after,
and attempt to hamstring him. The bear, however,
succeeded in scrambling off among the
thickets, and Beatte had to give up the chase.
This adventure, if it produced no game,
brought up at least several anecdotes, round the
evening fire, relative to bear hunting, in which
the grizzly bear figured conspicuously. This powerful
and ferocious animal, is a favourite theme
of hunters' story, both among red and white
men; and his enormous claws are worn round
the neck of an Indian brave, as a trophy more
honourable than a human scalp. He is now
scarcely seen below the upper prairies, and the
skirts of the Rocky Mountains. Other bears
are formidable when wounded and provoked,
but seldom make battle when allowed to escape.
The grizzly bear, alone, of all the animals of our
western wilds, is prone to unprovoked hostility.
His prodigious size and strength, make him a
formidable opponent; and his great tenacity of
life often baffles the skill of the hunter, notwithstanding
repeated shots of the rifle, and wounds
of the hunting knife.
One of the anecdotes related on this occasion,
gave a picture of the accidents and hard shifts,
to which our frontier rovers are inured. A hunter,
while in pursuit of a deer, fell into one of
those deep funnel-shaped pits, formed on the
-- 201 --
[figure description] Page 201.[end figure description]
prairies by the settling of the waters after heavy
rains, and known by the name of sink-holes.
To his great horror, he came in contact, at the
bottom, with a huge grizzly bear. The monster
grappled him; a deadly contest ensued in which
the poor hunter was severely torn, and bitten,
and had a leg and an arm broken, but succeeded
in killing his rugged foe. For several days
he remained at the bottom of the pit, too much
crippled to move, and subsisting on the raw flesh
of the bear, during which time he kept his
wounds open, that they might heal gradually
and effectually. He was at length enabled to
scramble to the top of the pit, and so out upon
the open prairie. With great difficulty he crawled
to a ravine, formed by a stream, then nearly
dry. Here he took a delicious draught of water,
which infused new life into him; then drag
ging himself along from pool to pool, he supported
himself by small fish and frogs.
One day he saw a wolf hunt down and kill a
deer in the neighbouring prairie. He immediately
crawled forth from the ravine, drove off
the wolf, and, lying down beside the carcass of
the deer, remained there until he had made several
hearty meals, by which his strength was
much recruited.
Returning to the ravine, he pursued the course
of the brook, until it grew to be a considerable
-- 202 --
[figure description] Page 202.[end figure description]
stream. Down this he floated, until he came to
where it emptied into the Mississippi. Just at
the mouth of the stream, he found a forked tree,
which he launched with some difficulty, and, getting
astride of it, committed himself to the current
of the mighty river. In this way he floated
along, until he arrived opposite the fort at
Council Bluffs. Fortunately he arrived there in
the day time, otherwise he might have floated
unnoticed, past this solitary post, and perished in
the idle waste of waters. Being descried from
the fort, a canoe was sent to his relief, and he
was brought to shore more dead than alive,
where he soon recovered from his wounds, but
remained maimed for life.
Our man Beatte had come out of his contest
with the bear, very much worsted and discomfited.
His drenching in the brook, together
with the recent change of weather, had brought
on rheumatic pains in his limbs, to which he is
subject. Though ordinarily a fellow of undaunted
spirit, and above all hardship, yet he
now sat down by the fire, gloomy and dejected,
and for once gave way to repining. Though in
the prime of life, and of a robust frame, and apparently
iron constitution, yet, by his own account
he was little better than a mere wreck.
He was, in fact, a living monument of the hardships
of wild frontier life. Baring his left arm,
-- 203 --
[figure description] Page 203.[end figure description]
he showed it warped and contracted by a former
attack of rheumatism; a malady with which the
Indians are often afflicted; for their exposure
to the vicissitudes of the elements, does not produce
that perfect hardihood and insensibility to
the changes of the seasons that many are apt to
imagine. He bore the scars of various maims
and bruises; some received in hunting, some in
Indian warfare. His right arm had been broken
by a fall from his horse; at another time his
steed had fallen with him, and crushed his left
leg.
“I am all broke to pieces and good for nothing;”
said he, “I no care now what happen to
me any more.” “However,” added he, after a
moment's pause, “for all that, it would take a
pretty strong man to put me down, any how.”
I drew from him various particulars concerning
himself, which served to raise him in my estimation.
His residence was on the Neosho, in
an Osage hamlet or neighbourhood, under the superintendence
of a worthy missionary from the
banks of the Hudson, by the name of Requa,
who was endeavouring to instruct the savages in
the art of agriculture, and to make husbandmen
and herdsmen of them. I had visited this agricultural
mission of Requa in the course of my
recent tour along the frontier, and had considered
it more likely to eventuate in solid
-- 204 --
[figure description] Page 204.[end figure description]
advantages to the poor Indians, than any of the mere
praying and preaching missions along the border.
In this neighbourhood, Pierre Beatte had his
little farm, his Indian wife, and his half-breed
children; and aided Mr. Requa in his endeavours
to civilize the habits, and meliorate the
condition of the Osage tribe. Beatte had been
brought up a Catholic, and was inflexible in his
religious faith; he could not pray with Mr.
Requa he said, but he could work with him,
and he evinced a zeal for the good of his savage
relations and neighbours. Indeed, though his
father had been French, and he himself had been
brought up in communion with the whites, he
evidently was more of an Indian in his tastes,
and his heart yearned towards his mother's nation.
When he talked to me of the wrongs and
insults that the poor Indians suffered in their intercourse
with the rough settlers on the frontiers;
when he described the precarious and
degraded state of the Osage tribe, diminished in
numbers, broken in spirit, and almost living on
sufferance in the land where they once figured
so heroically, I could see his veins swell, and
his nostrils distend with indignation; but he
would check the feeling with a strong exertion
of Indian self-command, and, in a manner,
drive it back into his bosom.
He did not hesitate to relate an instance
-- 205 --
[figure description] Page 205.[end figure description]
wherein he had joined his kindred Osages, in
pursuing and avenging themselves on a party of
white men who had committed a flagrant outrage
upon them; and I found, in the encounter
that took place, Beatte had shown himself the
complete Indian.
He had more than once accompanied his
Osage relations in their wars with the Pawnees,
and related a skirmish which took place on the
borders of these very hunting grounds, in which
several Pawnees were killed. We should pass
near the place, he said, in the course of our tour,
and the unburied bones and sculls of the slain
were still to be seen there. The surgeon of
the troop, who was present at our conversation,
pricked up his ears at this intelligence. He was
something of a phrenologist, and offered Beatte
a handsome reward if he would promise him
one of the sculls.
Beatte regarded him for a moment with a
look of stern surprise.
“No!” said he at length, “dat too bad! I
have heart strong enough—I no care kill, but let
the dead alone!”
He added, that once in travelling with a
party of white men, he had slept in the same
tent with a doctor, and found that he had
a Pawnee scull among his baggage: he at
once renounced the doctor's tent, and his
-- 206 --
[figure description] Page 206.[end figure description]
fellowship. “He try to coax me,” said Beatte, “but I
say no, we must part—I no keep such company.”
In the temporary depression of his spirits,
Beatte gave way to those superstitious forebodings
to which Indians are prone. He had sat
for some time, with his cheek upon his hand,
gazing into the fire. I found his thoughts were
wandering back to his humble home, on the
banks of the Neosho; he was sure, he said, that
he should find some one of his family ill, or dead,
on his return: his left eye had twitched and
twinkled for two days past; an omen which
always boded some misfortune of the kind.
Such are the trivial circumstances which, when
magnified into omens, will shake the souls of these
men of iron. The least sign of mystic and sinister
portent, is sufficient to turn a hunter or a warrior
from his course, or to fill his mind with apprehensions
of impending evil. It is this superstitious
propensity, common to the solitary and savage
rovers of the wilderness, that gives such
powerful influence to the prophet and the
dreamer.
The Osages, with whom Beatte had passed
much of his life, retain these superstitious fancies
and rites in much of their original force.
They all believe in the existence of the soul after
its separation from the body, and that it carries
-- 207 --
[figure description] Page 207.[end figure description]
with it all its mortal tastes and habitudes. At
an Osage village in the neighbourhood of Beatte,
one of the chief warriors lost an only child, a
beautiful girl, of a very tender age. All her
playthings were buried with her. Her favourite
little horse, also, was killed, and laid in the grave
beside her, that she might have it to ride in the
land of spirits.
I will here add a little story, which I picked
up in the course of my tour through Beatte's
country, and which illustrates the superstitions
of his Osage kindred. A large party of Osages
had been encamped for some time on the borders
of a fine stream, called the Nickanansa.
Among them was a young hunter, one of the
bravest and most graceful of the tribe, who was
to be married to an Osage girl, who, for her
beauty, was called the Flower of the Prairies.
The young hunter left her for a time among her
relatives in the encampment, and went to St.
Louis, to dispose of the products of his hunting,
and purchase ornaments for his bride. After
an absence of some weeks, he returned to the
banks of the Nickanansa, but the camp was no
longer there: the bare frames of the lodges and
the brands of extinguished fires alone marked
the place. At a distance he beheld a female
seated, as if weeping, by the side of the stream.
It was his affianced bride. He ran to embrace
-- 208 --
[figure description] Page 208.[end figure description]
her, but she turned mournfully away. He dreaded
lest some evil had befallen the camp.
“Where are our people?” cried he.
“They are gone to the banks of the Wagrushka.”
“And what art thou doing here alone?”
“Waiting for thee.”
“Then let us hasten to join our people on the
banks of the Wagrushka.”
He gave her his pack to carry, and walked
ahead, according to Indian custom.
They came to where the smoke of the distant
camp was seen rising from the woody margin
of the stream. The girl seated herself at
the foot of a tree. “It is not proper for us to
return together,” said she; “I will wait here.”
The young hunter proceeded to the camp
alone, and was received by his relations with
gloomy countenances.
“What evil has happened,” said he, “that ye
are all so sad.”
No one replied.
He turned to his favourite sister, and bade her
go forth, seek his bride, and conduct her to the
camp.
“Alas!” cried she, “how shall I seek her?
She died a few days since.”
The relations of the young girl now surrounded
him, weeping and wailing; but he refused
-- 209 --
[figure description] Page 209.[end figure description]
to believe the dismal tidings. “But a few moments
since,” cried he, “I left her alone and in
health; come with me, and I will conduct you
to her.”
He led the way to the tree where she had
seated herself, but she was no longer there, and
his pack lay on the ground. The fatal truth
struck him to the heart: he fell to the ground
dead.
I give this simple little story almost in the
words in which it was related to me, as I lay by
the fire in an evening encampment on the banks
of the haunted stream where it is said to have
happened.
-- 210 --
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A secret expedition. Deer bleating. Magic balls.
[figure description] Page 210.[end figure description]
On the following morning we were rejoined
by the rangers who had remained at the last encampment,
to seek for the stray horses. They
had tracked them for a considerable distance
through bush and brake, and across streams,
until they found them cropping the herbage on
the edge of a prairie. Their heads were in the
direction of the fort, and they were evidently
grazing their way homeward, heedless of the
unbounded freedom of the prairie so suddenly
laid open to them.
About noon the weather held up, and I observed
a mysterious consultation going on between
our half-breeds and Tonish: it ended in
a request that we would dispense with the services
of the latter for a few hours, and permit
him to join his comrades in a grand foray. We
objected that Tonish was too much disabled by
aches and pains for such an undertaking; but
he was wild with eagerness for the mysterious
enterprise, and, when permission was given him,
seemed to forget all his ailments in an instant.
In a short time the trio were equipped and on
-- 211 --
[figure description] Page 211.[end figure description]
horseback; with rifles on their shoulders and
handkerchiefs twisted round their heads, evidently
bound for a grand scamper. As they
passed by the different lodges of the camp, the
vainglorious little Frenchman could not help
boasting to the right and left, of the great things
he was about to achieve; though the taciturn
Beatte, who rode in advance, would every now
and then check his horse, and look back at him
with an air of stern rebuke. It was hard, however,
to make the loquacious Tonish play “Indian.”
Several of the hunters, likewise, sallied forth,
and the prime old woodman, Ryan, came back
early in the afternoon, with ample spoil, having
killed a buck and two fat does. I drew near
to a group of rangers that had gathered round
him as he stood by the spoil, and found they
were discussing the merits of a stratagem sometimes
used in deer hunting. This consists in
imitating, with a small instrument called a bleat,
the cry of the fawn, so as to lure the doe within
reach of the rifle. There are bleats of various
kinds, suited to calm or windy weather,
and to the age of the fawn. The poor animal,
deluded by them, in its anxiety about its young,
will sometimes advance close up to the hunter.
“I once bleated a doe,” said a young hunter,
“until it came within twenty yards of me, and
-- 212 --
[figure description] Page 212.[end figure description]
presented a sure mark. I levelled my rifle three
times, but had not the heart to shoot, for the
poor doe looked so wistfully, that it in a manner
made my heart yearn. I thought of my own
mother, and how anxious she used to be about
me when I was a child; so to put an end to the
matter, I gave a halloo, and started the doe out
of rifle shot in a moment.”
“And you did right,” cried honest old Ryan.
“For my part, I never could bring myself to
bleating deer. I've been with hunters who had
bleats, and have made them throw them away.
It is a rascally trick to take advantage of a mother's
love for her young.”
Towards evening, our three worthies returned
from their mysterious foray. The tongue of
Tonish gave notice of their approach, long before
they came in sight; for he was vociferating
at the top of his lungs, and rousing the attention
of the whole camp. The lagging gait and reeking
flanks of their horses, gave evidence of hard
riding; and, on nearer approach, we found them
hung round with meat, like a butcher's shambles.
In fact they had been scouring an immense
prairie that extended beyond the forest, and
which was covered with herds of buffalo. Of
this prairie, and the animals upon it, Beatte had
received intelligence a few days before, in his
conversation with the Osages; but had kept the
-- 213 --
[figure description] Page 213.[end figure description]
information a secret from the rangers, that he
and his comrades might have the first dash at
the game. They had contented themselves with
killing four; though, if Tonish might be believed,
they might have slain them by scores.
These tidings, and the buffalo meat brought
home in evidence, spread exultation through the
camp, and every one looked forward with joy
to a buffalo hunt on the prairies. Tonish was
again the oracle of the camp, and held forth by
the hour to a knot of listeners, crouched round
the fire, with their shoulders up to their ears.
He was now more boastful than ever of his skill
as a marksman. All his want of success in the
early part of our march, he attributed to being
“out of luck,” if not “spell bound;” and finding
himself listened to with apparent credulity,
gave an instance of the kind, which he declared
had happened to himself, but which was evidently
a tale picked up among his relations, the
Osages.
According to this account, when about fourteen
years of age, as he was one day hunting,
he saw a white deer come out from a ravine.
Crawling near to get a shot, he beheld another
and another come forth, until there were seven,
all as white as snow. Having crept sufficiently
near, he singled one out and fired, but without effect;
the deer remained unfrightened. He
-- 214 --
[figure description] Page 214.[end figure description]
loaded and fired again, and again he missed
Thus he continued firing and missing until all
his ammunition was expended, and the deer remained
without a wound. He returned home
despairing of his skill as a marksman, but was
consoled by an old Osage hunter. These white
deer, said he, have a charmed life, and can only
be killed by bullets of a particular kind.
The old Indian cast several balls for Tonish,
but would not suffer him to be present on the occasion,
nor inform him of the ingredients and
mystic ceremonials.
Provided with these balls, Tonish again set
out in quest of the white deer, and succeeded
in finding them. He tried at first with ordinary
balls, but missed as before. A magic ball, however,
immediately brought a fine buck to the
ground. Whereupon the rest of the herd immediately
disappeared and were never seen
again.
Oct. 29. The morning opened gloomy and
lowering; but, towards eight o'clock the sun
struggled forth and lighted up the forest, and the
notes of the bugle gave signal to prepare for
marching. Now began a scene of bustle and
clamour, and gaiety. Some were scampering
and brawling after the horses, some were riding
in bare backed, and driving in the horses of their
comrades. Some were stripping the poles of
-- 215 --
[figure description] Page 215.[end figure description]
the wet blankets that had served for shelters;
others packing up with all possible despatch,
and leading the baggage horses as they arrived,
while others were cracking off their damp rifles
and charging them afresh, to be ready for the
sport.
About ten o'clock, we began our march. I
loitered in the rear of the troop as it forded the
turbid brook, and defiled through the labyrinths
of the forest. I always felt disposed to linger
until the last straggler disappeared among the
trees and the distant note of the bugle died upon
the ear, that I might behold the wilderness relapsing
into silence and solitude. In the present
instance, the deserted scene of our late
bustling encampment had a forlorn and desolate
appearance. The surrounding forest had been
in many places trampled into a quagmire. Trees
felled and partly hewn in pieces, and scattered
in huge fragments; tent poles stripped of their
covering; smouldering fires, with great morsels
of roasted venison and buffalo meat, standing in
wooden spits before them, hacked and slashed
by the knives of hungry hunters; while around
were strewed the hides, the horns, the antlers
and bones of buffaloes and deer, with uncooked
joints, and unplucked turkeys, left behind with
that reckless improvidence and wastefulness
which young hunters are apt to indulge when in
-- 216 --
[figure description] Page 216.[end figure description]
a neighbourhood where game abounds. In the
mean time a score or two of turkey buzzards, or
vultures were already on the wing, wheeling
their magnificent flight high in the air, and preparing
for a descent upon the camp as soon as
it should be abandoned.
-- 217 --
CHAPTER XXIX.
The Grand Prairie. A Buffalo Hunt.
[figure description] Page 217.[end figure description]
After proceeding about two hours in a southerly
direction, we emerged towards mid-day
from the dreary belt of the Cross Timber, and
to our infinite delight beheld “the great Prairie,”
stretching to the right and left before us.
We could distinctly trace the meandering course
of the Main Canadian, and various smaller
streams, by the strips of green forest that bordered
them. The landscape was vast and beautiful.
There is always an expansion of feeling in
looking upon these boundless and fertile wastes;
but I was doubly conscious of it after emerging
from our “close dungeon of innumerous
boughs.”
From a rising ground Beatte pointed out to
the place where he and his comrades had killed
the buffaloes; and we beheld several black objects
moving in the distance, which he said were
part of the herd. The Captain determined to
shape his course to a woody bottom about a
mile distant and to encamp there, for a day or
two, by way of having a regular buffalo hunt, and
getting a supply of provisions. As the troop
-- 218 --
[figure description] Page 218.[end figure description]
defiled along the slope of the hill towards the
camping ground, Beatte proposed to my messmates
and myself, that we should put ourselves
under his guidance, promising to take us where
we should have plenty of sport. Leaving the
line of march, therefore, we diverged towards
the prairie; traversing a small valley, and ascending
a gentle swell of land. As we reached
the summit, we beheld a gang of wild horses
about a mile off. Beatte was immediately on
the alert, and no longer thought of buffalo hunting.
He was mounted on his powerful half-wild
horse, with a lariat coiled at the saddle bow, and
set off in pursuit; while we remained on a rising
ground watching his manœuvres with great solicitude.
Taking advantage of a strip of woodland,
he stole quietly along, so as to get close to
them before he was perceived. The moment
they caught sight of him a grand scamper took
place. We watched him skirting along the horizon
like a privateer in full chase of a merchantman;
at length he passed over the brow of a
ridge, and down into a shallow valley; in a few
moments he was on the opposite hill, and close
upon one of the horses. He was soon head and
head, and appeared to be trying to noose his
prey; but they both disappeared again below
the hill, and we saw no more of them. It turned
out afterwards, that he had noosed a
-- 219 --
[figure description] Page 219.[end figure description]
powerful horse, but could not hold him, and had lost
his lariat in the attempt.
While we were waiting for his return, we
perceived two buffalo bulls descending a slope,
towards a stream, which wound through a ravine
fringed with trees. The young Count and
myself endeavoured to get near them under covert
of the trees. They discovered us while we
were yet three or four hundred yards off, and
turning about, retreated up the rising ground.
We urged our horses across the ravine, and gave
chase. The immense weight of head and shoulders
causes the buffalo to labour heavily up hill;
but it accelerates his descent. We had the advantage,
therefore, and gained rapidly upon the
fugitives, though it was difficult to get our
horses to approach them, their very scent inspiring
them with terror. The Count, who had a
double barrelled gun loaded with ball, fired, but
missed. The bulls now altered their course, and
galloped down hill with headlong rapidity. As
they ran in different directions, we each singled
one and separated. I was provided with a
brace of veteran brass barrelled pistols, which
I had borrowed at Fort Gibson, and which had
evidently seen some service. Pistols are very
effective in buffalo hunting, as the hunter can
ride up close to the animal, and fire at it while
at full speed; whereas the long heavy rifles used
-- 220 --
[figure description] Page 220.[end figure description]
on the frontier, cannot be easily managed, nor
discharged with accurate aim from horseback.
My object, therefore, was to get within pistol
shot of the buffalo. This was no very easy matter.
I was well mounted on a horse of excellent
speed and bottom, that seemed eager for
the chase, and soon overtook the game; but the
moment he came nearly parallel, he would keep
sheering off with ears forked, and pricked forward,
and every symptom of aversion and alarm.
It was no wonder. Of all animals, a buffalo,
when close pressed by the hunter, has an aspect
the most diabolical. His two short black horns,
curve out of a huge frontlet of shaggy hair; his
eyes glow like coals; his mouth is open, his
tongue parched and drawn up into a half crescent;
his tail is erect, and tufted and whisking
about in the air, he is a perfect picture of
mingled rage and terror.
It was with difficulty I urged my horse sufficiently
near, when, taking aim, to my chagrin,
both pistols missed fire. Unfortunately the locks
of these veteran weapons were so much worn,
that in the gallop, the priming had been shaken out
of the pans. At the snapping of the last pistol I
was close upon the buffalo, when, in his despair,
he turned round with a sudden snort and rushed
upon me. My horse wheeled about as if on a pivot,
made a convulsive spring, and, as I had been
-- 221 --
[figure description] Page 221.[end figure description]
leaning on one side with pistol extended, I came
near being thrown at the feet of the buffalo.
Three or four bounds of the horse carried us
out of the reach of the enemy; who, having
merely turned in desperate self defence, quickly
resumed his flight. As soon as I could gather
in my panic-stricken horse, and prime the pistols
afresh, I again spurred in pursuit of the buffalo,
who had slackened his speed to take breath.
On my approach he again set off full tilt, heaving
himself forward with a heavy rolling gallop,
dashing with headlong precipitation through
brakes and ravines, while several deer and
wolves, startled from their coverts by his thundering
career, ran helter skelter to right and left
across the waste.
A gallop across the prairies in pursuit of
game, is by no means so smooth a career as
those may imagine, who have only the idea of
an open level plain. It is true, the prairies of
the hunting ground are not so much entangled
with flowering plants and long herbage as the
lower prairies, and are principally covered with
short buffalo grass; but they are diversified by
hill and dale, and where most level, are apt to be
cut up by deep rifts and ravines, made by torrents
after rains; and which, yawning from an
even surface, are almost like pitfalls in the way
of the hunter, checking him suddenly, when in
-- 222 --
[figure description] Page 222.[end figure description]
full career, or subjecting him to the risk of limb
and life. The plains, too, are beset by burrowing
holes of small animals, in which the horse is
apt to sink to the fetlock, and throw both himself
and his rider. The late rain had covered
some parts of the prairie, where the ground was
hard, with a thin sheet of water, through which
the horse had to splash his way. In other parts
there were innumerable shallow hollows, eight or
ten feet in diameter, made by the buffaloes, who
wallow in sand and mud like swine. These being
filled with water, shone like mirrors, so that the
horse was continually leaping over them or
springing on one side. We had reached, too, a
rough part of the prairie, very much broken and
cut up; the buffalo, who was running for life,
took no heed to his course, plunging down break-neck
ravines, where it was necessary to skirt the
borders in search of a safer descent. At length
we came to where a winter stream had torn a
deep chasm across the whole prairie, leaving
open jagged rocks; and forming a long glen bordered
by steep crumbling cliffs of mingled stone
and clay. Down one of these the buffalo flung
himself, half tumbling, half leaping, and then
scuttled along the bottom; while I, seeing all
further pursuit useless, pulled up, and gazed quietly
after him from the border of the cliff, until he
disappeared amidst the windings of the ravine.
-- 223 --
[figure description] Page 223.[end figure description]
Nothing now remained but to turn my steed
and rejoin my companions. Here at first was
some little difficulty. The ardour of the chase
had betrayed me into a long, heedless gallop. I
now found myself in the midst of a lonely waste,
in which the prospect was bounded by undulating
swells of land, naked and uniform, where,
from the deficiency of landmarks and distinct
features, an inexperienced man may become bewildered,
and lose his way as readily as in the
wastes of the ocean. The day too, was overcast,
so that I could not guide myself by the
sun; my only mode was to retrace the track
my horse had made in coming, though this I
would often lose sight of, where the ground was
covered with parched herbage.
To one unaccustomed to it, there is something
inexpressibly lonely in the solitude of a prairie.
The loneliness of a forest seems nothing to it.
There the view is shut in by trees, and the imagination
is left free to picture some livelier scene
beyond. But here we have an immense extent
of landscape without a sign of human existence.
We have the consciousness of being far, far beyond
the bounds of human habitation; we feel
as if moving in the midst of a desert world. As
my horse lagged slowly back over the scenes of
our late scamper, and the delirium of the chase
had passed away, I was peculiarly sensible to
-- 224 --
[figure description] Page 224.[end figure description]
these circumstances. The silence of the waste
was now and then broken by the cry of a distant
flock of pelicans, stalking like spectres
about a shallow pool; sometimes by the sinister
croaking of a raven in the air, while occasionally
a scoundrel wolf would scour off from
before me; and, having attained a safe distance,
would sit down and howl and wine with tones
that gave a dreariness to the surrounding solitude.
After pursuing my way for some time, I descried
a horseman on the edge of a distant hill,
and soon recognised him to be the Count. He
had been equally unsuccessful with myself; we
were shortly afterwards rejoined by our worthy
comrade, the Virtuoso, who, with spectacles
on nose, had made two or three ineffectual shots
from horseback.
We determined not to seek the camp until we
had made one more effort. Casting our eyes
about the surrounding waste, we described a herd
of buffalo about two miles distant, scattered
apart, and quietly grazing near a small strip of
trees and bushes. It required but little stretch
of fancy to picture them so many cattle grazing
on the edge of a common, and that the
grove might shelter some lowly farm house.
We now formed our plan to circumvent the
herd, and by getting on the other side of them,
-- 225 --
[figure description] Page 225.[end figure description]
to hunt them in the direction where we knew
our camp to be situated: otherwise, the pursuit
might take us to such a distance as to render it
impossible for us to find our way back before
night-fall. Taking a wide circuit therefore, we
moved slowly and cautiously, pausing occasionally,
when we saw any of the herd desist from
grazing. The wind fortunately set from them,
otherwise they might have scented us and have
taken the alarm. In this way, we succeeded in
getting round the herd without disturbing it. It
consisted of about forty head, bulls, cows and
calves. Separating to some distance from each
other, we now approached slowly in a parallel
line, hoping by degrees to steal near without exciting
attention. They began, however, to
move off quietly, stopping at every step or two
to graze, when suddenly a bull that, unobserved
by us, had been taking his siesta under a clump
of trees to our left, roused himself from his lair,
and hastened to join his companions. We were
still at a considerable distance, but the game had
taken the alarm. We quickened our pace, they
broke into a gallop, and now commenced a full
chase.
As the ground was level, they shouldered
along with great speed, following each other in
a line; two or three bulls bringing up the rear,
the last of whom, from his enormous size and
-- 226 --
[figure description] Page 226.[end figure description]
venerable frontlet, and beard of sunburnt hair,
looked like the patriarch of the herd; and as if
he might long have reigned the monarch of the
prairie.
There is a mixture of the awful and the comic
in the look of these huge animals, as they
bear their great bulk forwards, with an up and
down motion of the unwieldy head and shoulders;
their tail cocked up like the queue of pantaloon
in a pantomine, the end whisking about
in a fierce yet whimsical style, and their eyes
glaring venomously with an expression of fright
and fury.
For some time I kept parallel with the line,
without being able to force my horse within pistol
shot, so much had he been alarmed by the
assault of the buffalo, in the preceding chase.
At length I succeeded, but was again balked by
my pistols missing fire. My companions, whose
horses were less fleet, and more way-worn,
could not overtake the herd; at length Mr. L.
who was in the rear of the line, and losing ground,
levelled his double barrelled gun, and fired a
long raking shot. It struck a buffalo just above
the loins, broke its back bone, and brought it to
the ground. He stopped and alighted to despatch
his prey, when borrowing his gun which
had yet a charge remaining in it, I put my horse
to his speed, again overtook the herd which was
-- 227 --
[figure description] Page 227.[end figure description]
thundering along, pursued by the Count. With
my present weapon there was no need of urging
my horse to such close quarters; galloping along
parallel, therefore, I singled out a buffalo, and
by a fortunate shot brought it down on the spot.
The ball had struck a vital part; it would not
move from the place where it fell, but lay there
struggling in mortal agony, while the rest of the
herd kept on their headlong career across the
prairie.
Dismounting, I now fettered my horse to prevent
his straying, and advanced to contemplate
my victim. I am nothing of a sportsman: I had
been prompted to this unwonted exploit by the
magnitude of the game, and the excitement of
an adventurous chase. Now that the excitement
was over, I could not but look with commiseration
upon the poor animal that lay struggling
and bleeding at my feet. His very size
and importance, which had before inspired me
with eagerness, now increased my compunction.
It seemed as if I had inflicted pain in proportion
to the bulk of my victim, and as if there were
a hundred fold greater waste of life than there
would have been in the destruction of an animal
of inferior size.
To add to these after qualms of conscience,
the poor animal lingered in his agony. He had
evidently received a mortal wound, but death
-- 228 --
[figure description] Page 228.[end figure description]
might be long in coming. It would not do to
leave him here to be torn piecemeal, while yet
alive, by the wolves that had already snuffed
his blood, and were skulking and howling at a
distance, and waiting for my departure, and by
the ravens that were flapping about, croaking dismally
in the air. It became now an act of mercy
to give him his quietus, and put him out of
his misery. I primed one of the pistols, therefore,
and advanced close up to the buffalo. To
inflict a wound thus in cool blood, I found a totally
different thing from firing in the heat of the
chase. Taking aim, however, just behind the
fore-shoulder, my pistol for once proved true;
the ball must have passed through the heart, for
the animal gave one convulsive throe and expired.
While I stood meditating and moralizing over
the wreck I had so wantonly produced, with
my horse grazing near me, I was rejoined by
my fellow sportsman, the Virtuoso; who, being
a man of universal adroitness, and withal, more
experienced and hardened in the gentle art of
“venerie,” soon managed to carve out the
tongue of the buffalo, and delivered it to me to
bear back to the camp as a trophy.
-- 229 --
CHAPTER XXX.
A comrade lost. A search for the camp. The
Commissioner, the wild horse, and the buffalo.
A wolf serenade.
[figure description] Page 229.[end figure description]
Our solicitude was now awakened for the
young Count. With his usual eagerness and
impetuosity he had persisted in urging his jaded
horse in pursuit of the herd, unwilling to return
without having likewise killed a buffalo. In
this way he had kept on following them, hither
and thither, and occasionally firing an ineffectual
shot, until by degrees horseman and herd
became indistinct in the distance, and at length
swelling ground and strips of trees and thickets
hid them entirely from sight.
By the time my friend, the amateur, joined
me, the young Count had been long lost to view.
We held a consultation on the matter. Evening
was drawing on. Were we to pursue him, it
would be dark before we should overtake him,
granting we did not entirely lose trace of him
in the gloom. We should then be too much
bewildered to find our way back to the encampment;
even now, our return would be
-- 230 --
[figure description] Page 230.[end figure description]
difficult. We determined, therefore, to hasten to
the camp as speedily as possible, and send out
our half-breeds, and some of the veteran hunters,
skilled in cruising about the prairies, to search
for our companion.
We accordingly set forward in what we
supposed to be the direction of the camp. Our
weary horses could hardly be urged beyond a
walk. The twilight thickened upon us; the
landscape grew gradually indistinct; we tried
in vain to recognize various landmarks which
we had noted in the morning. The features of
the prairies are so similar as to baffle the eye
of any but an Indian, or a practised woodsman.
At length night closed in. We hoped to see the
distant glare of camp fires; we listened to catch
the sound of the bells about the necks of the
grazing horses. Once or twice we thought we
distinguished them: we were mistaken. Nothing
was to be heard but a monotonous concert of
insects, with now and then the dismal howl of
wolves mingling with the night breeze. We
began to think of halting for the night, and
bivouacking under the lea of some thicket. We
had implements to strike a light; there was
plenty of firewood at hand, and the tongues of
our buffaloes would furnish us with a repast.
Just as we were preparing to dismount, we
heard the report of a rifle, and shortly after, the
-- 231 --
[figure description] Page 231.[end figure description]
notes of the bugle, calling up the night guard.
Pushing forward in that direction, the camp
fires soon broke on our sight, gleaming at a distance
from among the thick groves of an alluvial
bottom.
As we entered the camp, we found it a scene
of rude hunters' revelry and wassail. There
had been a grand day's sport, in which all had
taken a part. Eight buffaloes had been killed;
roaring fires were blazing on every side; all
hands were feasting upon roasted joints, broiled
marrow-bones, and the juicy hump, far-famed
among the epicures of the prairies. Right glad
were we to dismount and partake of the sturdy
cheer, for we had been on our weary horses
since morning without tasting food.
As to our worthy friend, the Commissioner,
with whom we had parted company at the outset
of this eventful day, we found him lying in
a corner of the tent, much the worse for wear,
in the course of a successful hunting match.
It seems that our man Beatte, in his zeal to
give the Commissioner an opportunity of distinguishing
himself, and gratifying his hunting
propensities, had mounted him upon his half
wild horse, and started him in pursuit of a huge
buffalo bull, that had already been frightened
by the hunters. The horse, which was fearless
as his owner, and, like him, had a considerable
-- 232 --
[figure description] Page 232.[end figure description]
spice of devil in his composition, and who, beside,
had been made familiar with the game,
no sooner came in sight and scent of the buffalo,
than he set off like mad, bearing the involuntary
hunter hither and thither, and whither he would
not—up hill and down hill—leaping pools and
brooks—dashing through glens and gullies, until
he came up with the game. Instead of sheering
off, he crowded upon the buffalo. The
Commissioner, almost in self defence, discharged
both barrels of a double barrelled gun into the
enemy. The broadside took effect, but was
not mortal. The buffalo turned furiously upon
his pursuer: the horse, as he had been taught
by his owner, wheeled off. The buffalo plunged
after him. The worthy Commissioner, in great
extremity, drew his sole pistol from his holster,
fired it off as a stern chaser, shot the buffalo full
in the breast, and brought him lumbering forward
to the earth.
The Commissioner returned to camp, lauded
on all sides for his signal exploit; but grievously
battered and way-worn. He had been a hard
rider per force, and a victor in spite of himself.
He turned a deaf ear to all compliments and
congratulations; had but little stomach for the
hunter's fare placed before him, and soon retreated
to stretch his limbs in the tent, declaring
that nothing should tempt him again to mount
-- 233 --
[figure description] Page 233.[end figure description]
that half devil Indian horse, and that he had
enough of buffalo hunting for the rest of his life.
It was too dark now to send any one in search
of the young Count. Guns, however, were fired,
and the bugle sounded from time to time, to
guide him to the camp, if by chance he should
straggle within hearing; but the night advanced
without his making his appearance. There was
not a star visible to guide him, and we concluded
that wherever he was, he would give up wandering
in the dark, and bivouack until daybreak.
It was a raw, overcast night. The carcasses
of the buffaloes killed in the vicinity of the
camp, had drawn about it an unusual number of
wolves, who kept up the most forlorn concert
of whining yells, prolonged into dismal cadences
and inflexions, literally converting the surrounding
waste into a howling wilderness. Nothing
is more melancholy than the midnight howl of a
wolf on a prairie. What rendered the gloom
and wildness of the night and the savage concert
of the neighbouring waste the more dreary
to us, was the idea of the lonely and exposed
situation of our young and inexperienced comrade.
We trusted, however, that on the return
of daylight, he would find his way back to
the camp, and then all the events of the night
would be remembered only as so many savoury
gratifications of his passion for adventure.
-- 234 --
CHAPTER XXXI.
A hunt for a lost Comrade.
[figure description] Page 234.[end figure description]
The morning dawned, and an hour or two
passed without any tidings of the Count. We
began to feel uneasiness lest, having no compass
to aid him, he might perplex himself and
wander in some opposite direction. Stragglers
are thus often lost for days; what made us the
more anxious about him was, that he had no provisions
with him, was totally unversed in “wood
craft,” and liable to fall into the hands of some
lurking or straggling party of savages.
As soon as our people, therefore, had made
their breakfast, we beat up for volunteers for a
cruise in search of the Count. A dozen of the
rangers, mounted on some of the best and
freshest horses, and armed with rifles, were
soon ready to start; our half-breeds Beatte and
Antoine also, with our little mongrel Frenchman,
were zealous in the cause; so Mr. L. and
myself, taking the lead, to show the way to the
scene of our little hunt, where we had parted
company with the Count, we all set out across
the prairie. A ride of a couple of miles
brought us to the carcasses of the two buffaloes
-- 235 --
[figure description] Page 235.[end figure description]
we had killed. A legion of ravenous wolves
were already gorging upon them. At our approach
they reluctantly drew off, skulking with
a caitiff look to the distance of a few hundred
yards, and there awaiting our departure, that
they might return to their banquet.
I conducted Beatte and Antoine to the spot
from whence the young Count had continued
the chase alone. It was like putting hounds
upon the scent. They immediately distinguished
the track of his horse amidst the trampings
of the buffaloes, and set off at a round pace,
following with the eye in nearly a straight
course, for upwards of a mile, when they came
to where the herd had divided, and run hither
and thither about a meadow. Here the track of
the horse's hoofs wandered and doubled and often
crossed each other; our half-breeds were like
hounds at fault. While we were all at a halt,
waiting until they should unravel the maze,
Beatte suddenly gave a short Indian whoop, or
rather yelp, and pointed to a distant hill. On
regarding it attentively we perceived a horseman
on the summit. “It is the Count!” cried
Beatte, and set off at full gallop, followed by
the whole company. In a few moments he
checked his horse. Another figure on horseback
had appeared on the brow of the hill. This
completely altered the case. The Count had
-- 236 --
[figure description] Page 236.[end figure description]
wandered off alone; no other person had been
missing from the camp. If one of these horsemen
was indeed the Count, the other must be an
Indian. If an Indian, in all probability a Pawnee.
Perhaps they were both Indians; scouts
of some party lurking in the vicinity. While
these and other suggestions were hastily discussed,
the two horsemen glided down from the profile
of the hill, and we lost sight of them. One
of the rangers suggested that there might be a
straggling party of Pawnees behind the hill, and
that the Count might have fallen into their hands.
The idea had an electric effect upon the little
troop. In an instant every horse was at full
speed, the half-breeds leading the way; the
young rangers as they rode set up wild yelps
of exultation at the thoughts of having a brush
with the Indians. A neck or nothing gallop
brought us to the skirts of the hill, and revealed
our mistake. In a ravine we found the two
horsemen standing by the carcass of a buffalo
which they had killed. They proved to be two
rangers, who, unperceived, had left the camp a
little before us, and had come here in a direct
line, while we had made a wide circuit about the
prairie.
This episode being at an end, and the sudden
excitement being over, we slowly and coolly retraced
our steps to the meadow; but it was some
-- 237 --
[figure description] Page 237.[end figure description]
time before our half breeds could again get on
the track of the Count. Having at length found
it, they succeeded in following it through all its
doublings, until they came to where it was no
longer mingled with the tramp of buffaloes, but
became single and separate, wandering here and
there about the prairies, but always tending in
a direction opposite to that of the camp. Here
the Count had evidently given up the pursuit of
the herd, and had endeavoured to find his way
to the encampment, but had become bewildered
as the evening shades thickened around him,
and had completely mistaken the points of the
compass.
In all this quest our half-breeds displayed that
quickness of eye, in following up a track, for
which Indians are so noted. Beatte especially,
was as staunch as a veteran hound. Sometimes
he would keep forward on an easy trot; his eyes
fixed on the ground a little ahead of his horse,
clearly distinguishing prints in the herbage,
which to me were invisible, excepting on the
closest inspection. Sometimes he would pull
up and walk his horse slowly, regarding the
ground intensely, where to my eye nothing was
apparent. Then he would dismount, lead his
horse by the bridle, and advance cautiously
step by step, with his face bent towards the
earth, just catching, here and there, a casual
-- 238 --
[figure description] Page 238.[end figure description]
indication of the vaguest kind to guide him onward.
In some places where the soil was hard,
and the grass withered, he would lose the track
entirely, and wander backwards and forwards,
and right and left, in search of it; returning occasionally
to the place where he had lost sight of it,
to take a new departure. If this failed he would
examine the banks of the neighbouring streams,
or the sandy bottoms of the ravines, in hopes of
finding tracks where the Count had crossed.
When he again came upon the track, he would
remount his horse, and resume his onward
course. At length, after crossing a stream, in
the crumbling banks of which the hoofs of the
horse were deeply dented, we came upon a high
dry prairie, where our half-breeds were completely
baffled. Not a foot print was to be discerned,
though they searched in every direction;
and Beatte at length coming to a pause, shook
his head most despondingly.
Just then a small herd of deer, roused from
a neighbouring ravine, came bounding by us.
Beatte sprang from his horse, levelled his rifle,
and wounded one slightly, but without bringing
it to the ground. The report of the rifle was almost
immediately followed by a long halloo from
a distance. We looked around but could see
nothing. Another long halloo was heard, and at
length a horseman was descried, emerging out
-- 239 --
[figure description] Page 239.[end figure description]
of a skirt of forest. A single glance showed
him to be the young Count; there was a universal
shout and scamper, every one setting off full
gallop to greet him. It was a joyful meeting to
both parties; for, much anxiety had been felt by
us all on account of his youth and inexperience,
and for his part, with all his love of adventure,
he seemed right glad to be once more among his
friends.
As we supposed, he had completely mistaken
his course on the preceding evening, and had
wandered about until dark, when he thought of
bivouacking. The night was cold, yet he feared
to make a fire, lest it might betray him to some
lurking party of Indians. Hobbling his horse
with his pocket handkerchief, and leaving him to
graze on the margin of the prairie, he clambered
into a tree, fixed his saddle in the fork of the
branches, and placing himself securely with his
back against the trunk, prepared to pass a dreary
and anxious night, regaled occasionally with
the howlings of the wolves. He was agreeably
disappointed. The fatigue of the day soon
brought on a sound sleep; he had delightful
dreams about his home in Switzerland, nor did
he wake until it was broad daylight.
He then descended from his roosting place,
mounted his horse, and rode to the naked summit
of a hill, from whence he beheld a trackless
-- 240 --
[figure description] Page 240.[end figure description]
wilderness around him, but, at no great distance,
the Grand Canadian, winding its way between
borders of forest land. The sight of this river
consoled him with the idea that, should be fail in
finding his way back to the camp, or, in being
found by some party of his comrades, he might
follow the course of the stream, which could not
fail to conduct him to some frontier post, or Indian
hamlet. So closed the events of our hap-hazard
buffalo hunt.
-- 241 --
CHAPTER XXXII.
A Republic of Prairie Dogs.
[figure description] Page 241.[end figure description]
On returning from our expedition in quest of
the young Count, I learned that a burrow, or
village, as it is termed, of prairie dogs had been
discovered on the level summit of a hill, about
a mile from the camp. Having heard much of
the habits and peculiarities of these little animals,
I determined to pay a visit to the community.
The prairie dog is, in fact, one of the
curiosities of the Far West, about which travellers
delight to tell marvellous tales, endowing him
at times with something of the politic and social
habits of a rational being, and giving him systems
of civil government and domestic economy,
almost equal to what they used to bestow upon
the beaver.
The prairie dog is an animal of the coney
kind, and about the size of a rabbit. He is of
a sprightly mercurial nature; quick, sensitive,
and somewhat petulant. He is very gregarious,
living in large communities, sometimes of several
acres in extent, where innumerable little
heaps of earth show the entrances to the subterranean
cells of the inhabitants, and the well
-- 242 --
[figure description] Page 242.[end figure description]
beaten tracks, like lanes and streets, show their
mobility and restlessness. According to the
accounts given of them, they would seem to be
continually full of sport, business, and public
affairs; whisking about hither and thither, as if
on gossiping visits to each other's houses, or
congregating in the cool of the evening, or
after a shower, and gambolling together in
the open air. Sometimes, especially when the
moon shines, they pass half the night in revelry,
barking or yelping with short, quick, yet weak
tones, like those of very young puppies. While
in the height of their playfulness and clamour,
however, should there be the least alarm, they
all vanish into their cells in an instant, and the
village remains blank and silent. In case they
are hard pressed by their pursuers, without any
hope of escape, they will assume a pugnacious
air, and a most whimsical look of impotent
wrath and defiance.
The prairie dogs are not permitted to remain
sole and undisturbed inhabitants of their own
homes. Owls and rattlesnakes are said to take
up their abodes with them; but whether as invited
guests or unwelcome intruders, is a matter
of controversy. The owls are of a peculiar
kind, and would seem to partake of the character
of the hawk; for they are taller and more
erect on their legs, more alert in their looks and
-- 243 --
[figure description] Page 243.[end figure description]
rapid in their flight than ordinary owls, and do
not confine their excursions to the night, but
sally forth in broad day.
Some say that they only inhabit cells which
the prairie dogs have deserted, and suffered to go
to ruin, in consequence of the death in them of
some relative; for they would make out this
little animal to be endowed with keen sensibilities,
that will not permit it to remain in the
dwelling where it has witnessed the death of a
friend. Other fanciful speculators represent the
owl as a kind of housekeeper to the prairie dog;
and, from having a note very similar, insinuate
that it acts, in a manner, as family preceptor,
and teaches the young litter to bark.
As to the rattlesnake, nothing satisfactory has
been ascertained of the part he plays in this
most interesting household; though he is considered
as little better than a sycophant and
sharper, that winds himself into the concerns of
the honest, credulous little dog, and takes him
in most sadly. Certain it is, if he acts as toadeater,
he occasionally solaces himself with more
than the usual perquisites of his order; as he is
now and then detected with one of the younger
members of the family in his maw.
Such are a few of the particulars that I could
gather about the domestic economy of this little
inhabitant of the prairies, who, with his pigmy
-- 244 --
[figure description] Page 244.[end figure description]
republic, appears to be a subject of much whimsical
speculation and burlesque remarks, among
the hunters of the Far West.
It was towards evening that I set out with a
companion, to visit the village in question. Unluckily,
it had been invaded in the course of the
day by some of the rangers, who had shot two
or three of its inhabitants, and thrown the whole
sensitive community in confusion. As we approached,
we could perceive numbers of the
inhabitants seated at the entrances of their cells,
while sentinels seemed to have been posted on
the outskirts, to keep a look out. At sight of us,
the picket guards scampered in and gave the
alarm; whereupon every inhabitant gave a short
yelp, or bark, and dived into his hole, his heels
twinkling in the air as if he had thrown a somerset.
We traversed the whole village, or republic,
which covered an area of about thirty acres;
but not a whisker of an inhabitant was to be
seen. We probed their cells as far as the ramrods
of our rifles would reach, but could unearth
neither dog, nor owl, nor rattlesnake. Moving
quietly to a little distance, we lay down upon
the ground, and watched for a long time, silent
and motionless. By and bye, a cautious old
burgher would slowly put forth the end of his
nose, but instantly draw it in again. Another,
-- 245 --
[figure description] Page 245.[end figure description]
at a greater distance, would emerge entirely;
but, catching a glance of us, would throw a
somerset, and plunge back again into his hole.
At length, some who resided on the opposite
side of the village, taking courage from the continued
stillness, would steal forth, and hurry off
to a distant hole, the residence possibly of some
family connexion, or gossiping friend, about
whose safety they were solicitous, or with whom
they wished to compare notes about the late
occurrences.
Others, still more bold, assembled in little
knots, in the streets and public places, as if to
discuss the recent outrages offered to the commonwealth,
and the atrocious murders of their
fellow burghers.
We rose from the ground and moved forward,
to take a nearer view of these public proceedings,
when, yelp! yelp! yelp!—there was a shrill
alarm passed from mouth to mouth; the meetings
suddenly dispersed; feet twinkled in the
air in every direction; and in an instant all had
vanished into the earth.
The dusk of the evening put an end to our
observations, but the train of whimsical comparisons
produced in my brain by the moral attributes
which I had heard given to these little
politic animals, still continued after my return
to camp; and late in the night, as I lay awake
-- 246 --
[figure description] Page 246.[end figure description]
after all the camp was asleep, and heard in the
stillness of the hour, a faint clamour of shrill
voices from the distant village, I could not help
picturing to myself the inhabitants gathered together
in noisy assemblage, and windy debate,
to devise plans for the public safety, and to vindicate
the invaded rights and insulted dignity of
the republic.
-- 247 --
CHAPTER XXXIII.
A Council in the Camp. Reasons for facing
homewards. Horses lost. Departure with a
detachment on the homeward route. Swamp.
Wild horse. Camp scene by night. The owl,
binger of dawn.
[figure description] Page 247.[end figure description]
While breakfast was preparing, a council was
held as to our future movements. Symptoms
of discontent had appeared for a day or two
past, among the rangers, most of whom, unaccustomed
to the life of the prairies, had become impatient
of its privations, as well as the restraints
of the camp. The want of bread had been felt
severely, and they were wearied with constant
travel. In fact, the novelty and excitement of
the expedition were at an end. They had
hunted the deer, the bear, the elk, the buffalo,
and the wild horse, and had no further object of
leading interest to look forward to. A general
inclination prevailed, therefore, to turn homewards.
Grave reasons disposed the Captain and his
officers to adopt this resolution. Our horses
were generally much jaded by the fatigues of
travelling and hunting, and had fallen away
-- 248 --
[figure description] Page 248.[end figure description]
sadly for want of good pasturage, and from being
tethered at night, to protect them from Indian
depredations. The late rains, too, seemed to
have washed away the nourishment from the
scanty herbage that remained; and since our
encampment during the storm, our horses had
lost flesh and strength rapidly. With every
possible care, horses, accustomed to grain, and
to the regular and plentiful nourishment of the
stable and the farm, lose heart and condition
in travelling on the prairies. In all expeditions
of the kind we were engaged in, the hardy Indian
horses, which are generally mustangs, or a
cross of the wild breed, are to be preferred.
They can stand all fatigues, hardships, and privations,
and thrive on the grasses and wild herbage
of the plains.
Our men, too, had acted with little forethought;
galloping off whenever they had a chance, after
the game that we encountered while on the
march. In this way they had strained and wearied
their horses, instead of husbanding their
strength and spirits. On a tour of the kind,
horses should as seldom as possible be put off of
a quiet walk; and the average day's journey
should not exceed ten miles.
We had hoped, by pushing forward, to reach
the bottoms of the Red river, which abound with
young cane, a most nourishing forage for cattle
-- 249 --
[figure description] Page 249.[end figure description]
at this season of the year. It would now take
us several days to arrive there, and in the mean
time many of our horses would probably give
out. It was the time, too, when the hunting parties
of Indians set fire to the prairies; the herbage,
throughout this part of the country, was
in that parched state, favourable to combustion,
and there was daily more and more risk, that
the prairies between us and the fort would be
set on fire by some of the return parties of
Osages, and a scorched desert left for us to traverse.
In a word, we had started too late in
the season, or loitered too much in the early part
of our march, to accomplish our originally intended
tour; and there was imminent hazard, if
we continued on, that we should lose the greater
part of our horses; and, besides suffering various
other inconveniences, be obliged to return
on foot. It was determined, therefore, to give
up all further progress, and, turning our faces to
the south-east, to make the best of our way back
to Fort Gibson.
This resolution being taken, there was an immediate
eagerness to put it into operation.
Several horses, however, were missing, and
among others those of the Captain and the Surgeon.
Persons had gone in search of them, but
the morning advanced without any tidings of
them. Our party in the mean time, being all
-- 250 --
[figure description] Page 250.[end figure description]
ready for a march, the Commissioner determined
to set off in the advance, with his original
escort of a lieutenant and fourteen rangers,
leaving the Captain to come on at his convenience,
with the main body. At ten o'clock,
we accordingly started, under the guidance of
Beatte, who had hunted over this part of the
country, and knew the direct route to the garrison.
For some distance we skirted the prairie,
keeping a south-east direction; and in the course
of our ride, we saw a variety of wild animals,
deer, white and black wolves, buffaloes, and wild
horses. To the latter, our half-breeds and Tonish
gave ineffectual chase, only serving to add
to the weariness of their already jaded steeds.
Indeed it is rarely that any but the weaker and
least fleet of the wild horses are taken in these
hard racings; while the horse of the huntsman
is prone to be knocked up. The latter, in fact,
risks a good horse to catch a bad one. On this
occasion, Tonish, who was a perfect imp on
horseback, and noted for ruining every animal
he bestrode, succeeded in laming and almost
disabling the powerful grey on which we had
mounted him at the outset of our tour.
After proceeding a few miles, we left the
prairie, and struck to the east, taking what
Beatte pronounced an old Osage war-track.
-- 251 --
[figure description] Page 251.[end figure description]
This led us through a rugged tract of country,
overgrown with scrubbed forests and entangled
thickets, and intersected by deep ravines, and
brisk running streams, the sources of Little River.
About three o'clock, we encamped by
some pools of water in a small valley, having
come about fourteen miles. We had brought
on a supply of provisions from our last camp,
and supped heartily upon stewed buffalo meat,
roasted venison, beignets, or fritters of flour fried
in bear's lard, and tea made of a species of the
golden rod, which we had found, throughout our
route, almost as grateful a beverage as coffee.
Indeed our coffee, which, as long as it held out,
had been served up with every meal, according
to the custom of the west, was by no means a
beverage to boast of. It was roasted in a frying
pan, without much care, pounded in a leathern
bag, with a round stone, and boiled in our prime
and almost only kitchen utensil, the camp kettle,
in “branch” or brook water; which, on the praries,
is deeply coloured by the soil, of which it
always holds abundant particles in a state of solution
and suspension. In fact, in the course of
our tour, we had tasted the quality of every variety
of soil, and the draughts of water we had
taken might vie in diversity of colour, if not of
flavour, with the tinctures of an apothecary's
shop. Pure, limpid water, is a rare luxury on
-- 252 --
[figure description] Page 252.[end figure description]
the prairies, at least at this season of the year.
Supper over, we placed sentinels about our scanty
and diminished camp, spread our skins and
blankets under the trees, now nearly destitute of
foliage, and slept soundly until morning.
We had a beautiful daybreak. The camp
again resounded with cheerful voices; every
one was animated with the thoughts of soon
being at the fort, and revelling on bread and
vegetables. Even our saturnine man, Beatte,
seemed inspired on the occasion; and as he
drove up the horses for the march, I heard him
singing, in nasal tones, a most forlorn Indian
ditty. All this transient gaiety, however, soon
died away amidst the fatigues of our march,
which lay through the same kind of rough, hilly,
thicketed country as that of yesterday. In the
course of the morning we arrived at the valley
of the Little River, where it wound through a
broad bottom of alluvial soil. At present it had
overflowed its banks, and inundated a great
part of the valley. The difficulty was to distinguish
the stream from the broad sheets of
water it had formed, and to find a place where
it might be forded; for it was in general deep
and miry, with abrupt crumbling banks. Under
the pilotage of Beatte, therefore, we wandered
for some time among the links made by this
winding stream, in what appeared to us a
-- 253 --
[figure description] Page 253.[end figure description]
trackless labyrinth of swamps, thickets, and standing
pools. Sometimes our jaded horses dragged
their limbs forward with the utmost difficulty,
having to toil for a great distance, with the water
up to the stirrups, and beset at the bottom with
roots and creeping plants. Sometimes we had
to force our way through dense thickets of
brambles and grape-vines, which almost pulled
us out of our saddles. In one place, one of the
pack-horses sunk in the mire and fell on his side,
so as to be extricated with great difficulty.
Wherever the soil was bare, or there was a sand
bank, we beheld innumerable tracks of bears,
wolves, wild horses, turkeys, and water-fowl;
showing the abundant sport this valley might
afford to the huntsman. Our men, however,
were sated with hunting, and too weary to be
excited by these signs, which in the outset of
our tour would have put them in a fever of anticipation.
Their only desire at present, was to
push on doggedly for the fortress.
At length we succeeded in finding a fording
place, where we all crossed Little River, with
the water and mire to the saddle girths, and
then halted for an hour and a half, to overhaul
the wet baggage, and give the horses time to
rest.
On resuming our march, we came to a pleasant
little meadow, surrounded by groves of
-- 254 --
[figure description] Page 254.[end figure description]
elms and cottonwood trees, in the midst of
which was a fine black horse grazing. Beatte,
who was in the advance, beckoned us to halt,
and, being mounted on a mare, approached the
horse gently, step by step, imitating the whinny
of the animal with admirable exactness. The
noble courser of the prairie gazed for a time,
snuffed the air, neighed, pricked up his ears,
and pranced round and round the mare in gallant
style; but kept at too great a distance
for Beatte to throw the lariat. He was a magnificent
object, in all the pride and glory of his
nature. It was admirable to see the lofty and
airy carriage of his head; the freedom of every
movement; the elasticity with which he trod
the meadow. Finding it impossible to get within
noosing distance, and seeing that the horse
was receding and growing alarmed, Beatte slid
down from his saddle, levelled his rifle across
the back of his mare, and took aim, with the
evident intention of creasing him. I felt a throb
of anxiety for the safety of the noble animal,
and called out to Beatte to desist. It was too
late; he pulled the trigger as I spoke; luckily
he did not shoot with his usual accuracy, and I
had the satisfaction to see the coal black steed
dash off unharmed into the forest.
On leaving this valley, we ascended among
broken hills and rugged, ragged forests, equally
-- 255 --
[figure description] Page 255.[end figure description]
harassing to horse and rider. The ravines, too,
were of red clay, and often so steep, that in
descending, the horses would put their feet together
and fairly slide down, and then scramble
up the opposite side like cats. Here and there
among the thickets in the valleys, we met with
sloes and persimmon, and the eagerness with
which our men broke from the line of march,
and ran to gather these poor fruits, showed how
much they craved some vegetable condiment,
after living so long exclusively on animal food.
About half past three, we encamped near a
brook in a meadow, where there was some scanty
herbage for our half famished horses. As
Beatte had killed a fat doe in the course of the
day, and one of our company a fine turkey, we
did not lack for provisions.
It was a splendid autumnal evening. The
horizon after sunset, was of a clear apple green,
rising into a delicate lake which gradually lost
itself in a deep purple blue. One narrow streak
of cloud, of a mahogany colour, edged with amber
and gold, floated in the west, and just beneath
it was the evening star, shining with the
pure brilliancy of a diamond. In unison with
this scene, there was an evening concert of insects
of various kinds, all blended and harmonized
into one sober and somewhat melancholy
note, which I have always found to have a
-- 256 --
[figure description] Page 256.[end figure description]
soothing effect upon the mind, disposing it to quiet
musings.
The night that succeeded was calm and beautiful.
There was a faint light from the moon,
now in its second quarter, and after it had set,
a fine star light, with shooting meteors. The
wearied rangers, after a little murmuring conversation
round their fires, sank to rest at an early
hour, and I seemed to have the whole scene to
myself. It is delightful in thus bivouacking on
the prairies, to lie awake and gaze at the stars;
it is like watching them from the deck of a ship
at sea, when at one view we have the whole
cope of heaven. One realizes, in such lonely
scenes, that companionship with these beautiful
luminaries that made astronomers of the eastern
shepherds, as they watched their flocks by night.
How often, while contemplating their mild and
benignant radiance, I have called to mind the
exquisite text of Job: “Canst thou bind the secret
influences of the Pleiades, or loose the
bonds of Orion?” I do not know why it was,
but I felt this night unusually affected by the
solemn magnificence of the firmament; and
seemed, as I lay thus under the open vault of
heaven, to inhale with the pure untained air, an
exhilarating buoyancy of spirit, and as it were,
an ecstasy of mind. I slept and waked alternately;
and when I slept, my dreams partook
-- 257 --
[figure description] Page 257.[end figure description]
of the happy tone of my waking reveries. Towards
morning, one of the sentinels, the oldest
man in the troop, came and took a seat near
me: he was weary and sleepy, and impatient to
be relieved. I found he had been gazing at the
heavens also, but with different feelings.
“If the stars don't deceive me,” said he, “it
is near daybreak.”
“There can be no doubt of that,” said Beatte,
who lay close by. “I heard an owl just now.”
“Does the owl, then, hoot towards daybreak?”
asked I.
“Aye, sir, just as the cock crows.”
This was a useful habitude of the bird of wisdom,
of which I was not aware. Neither the
stars nor owl deceived their votaries. In a short
time there was a faint streak of light in the east.
-- 258 --
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Old Creek encampment. Scarcity of provisions.
Bad weather. Weary marching. A hunter's
bridge.
[figure description] Page 258.[end figure description]
The country through which we passed this
morning, (Nov. 2) was less rugged, and of more
agreeable aspect than that we had lately traversed.
At eleven o'clock, we came out upon
an extensive prairie, and about six miles to our
left, beheld a long line of green forest, marking
the course of the north fork of the Arkansas.
On the edge of the prairie, and in a spacious
grove of noble trees which overshadowed a
small brook, were the traces of an old Creek
hunting camp. On the bark of the trees were
rude delineations of hunters and squaws, scrawled
with charcoal; together with various signs
and hieroglyphics, which our half-breeds interpreted
as indicating that from this encampment
the hunters had returned home.
In this beautiful camping ground we made
our mid-day halt. While reposing under the
trees, we heard a shouting at no great distance,
and presently the Captain and the main body of
-- 259 --
[figure description] Page 259.[end figure description]
rangers, whom we had left behind two days
since, emerged from the thickets, and crossing the
brook, were joyfully welcomed into the camp.
The Captain and the Doctor had been unsuccessful
in the search after their horses, and were
obliged to march for the greater part of the
time on foot; yet they had come on with more
than ordinary speed.
We resumed our march about one o'clock,
keeping easterly, and approaching the north
fork obliquely: it was late before we found a
good camping place; the beds of the streams
were dry, the prairies, too, had been burnt in
various places, by Indian hunting parties. At
length we found water in a small alluvial bottom,
where there was tolerable pasturage.
On the following morning, there were flashes
of lightning in the east, with low, rumbling
thunder, and clouds began to gather about the
horizon. Beatte prognosticated rain, and that
the wind would veer to the north. In the course
of our march, a flock of brandt were seen overhead,
flying from the north. “There comes the
wind!” said Beatte; and, in fact, it began to
blow from that quarter almost immediately,
with occasional flurries of rain. About half
past nine o'clock, we forded the north fork of
the Canadian, and encamped about one; that
our hunters might have time to beat up the
-- 260 --
[figure description] Page 260.[end figure description]
neighbourhood for game. In fact, a serious
scarcity began to prevail in the camp. Most
of the rangers were young, heedless, and inexperienced,
and could not be prevailed upon,
while provisions abounded, to provide for the
future, by jerking meat, or carrying away any
on their horses. On leaving an encampment,
they would leave quantities of meat lying about,
trusting to Providence and their rifles for a future
supply. The consequence was, that any
temporary scarcity of game, or ill luck in hunting,
produced almost a famine in the camp.
In the present instance, they had left loads of
buffalo meat at the camp on the great prairie;
and, having ever since been on a forced march,
leaving no time for hunting, they were now destitute
of supplies, and pinched with hunger.
Some had not eaten any thing since the morning
of the preceding day. Nothing would have
persuaded them when revelling in the abundance
of the buffalo encampment, that they would so
soon be in such famishing plight.
The hunters returned with indifferent success.
The game had been frightened away from this
part of the country, by Indian hunting parties,
which had preceded us. Ten or a dozen wild
turkeys were brought in, but not a deer had
been seen. The rangers began to think turkeys
and even prairie hens deserving of attention;
-- 261 --
[figure description] Page 261.[end figure description]
game which they had hitherto considered unworthy
of their rifles.
The night was cold and windy, with occasional
sprinklings of rain; but we had roaring
fires to keep us comfortable. In the night, a
flight of wild geese passed over the camp, making
a great cackling in the air; symptoms of
approaching winter.
We set forward at an early hour the next
morning, in a north-east course, and came upon
the trace of a party of Creek Indians, which
enabled our poor horses to travel with more
ease. We entered upon a fine champaign country.
From a rising ground we had a noble prospect,
over extensive prairies, finely diversified
by groves and tracts of wood land, and bounded
by long lines of distant hills, all clothed with the
rich mellow tints of autumn. Game, too, was
more plenty. A fine buck sprang up from
among the herbage on our right, and dashed off
at full speed; but, a young ranger by the name
of Childers, who was on foot, levelled his rifle,
discharged a ball that broke the neck of the
bounding deer, and sent him tumbling head over
heels forward. Another buck and a doe, besides
several turkeys were killed before we came
to a halt, so that the hungry mouths of the troop
were once more supplied.
About three o'clock we encamped in a grove
-- 262 --
[figure description] Page 262.[end figure description]
after a forced march of twenty five miles, that
had proved a hard trial to the horses. For a
long time after the head of the line had encamped,
the rest kept straggling in, two and three at
a time; one of our pack horses had given out,
about nine miles back, and a pony belonging to
Beatte, shortly after. Many of the other horses
looked so gaunt and feeble, that doubts were
entertained of their being able to reach the fort.
In the night, there was heavy rain, and the morning
dawned cloudy and dismal. The camp resounded,
however with something of its former
gaiety. The rangers had supped well, and were
renovated in spirits, anticipating a speedy arrival
at the garrison. Before we set forward on
our march, Beatte returned, and brought his pony
to the camp with great difficulty. The
pack horse, however, was completely knocked
up and had to be abandoned. The wild mare,
too, had cast her foal, through exhaustion, and
was not in a state to go forward. She and the
pony, therefore, were left at this encampment,
where there was water and good pasturage; and
where there would be a chance of their reviving,
and being afterwards sought out and brought to
the garrison.
We set off about eight o'clock, and had a day
of weary and harassing travel; part of the time
over rough hills, and part over rolling prairies.
-- 263 --
[figure description] Page 263.[end figure description]
The rain had rendered the soil slippery and
plashy, so as to afford unsteady foothold. Some
of the rangers dismounted, their horses having
no longer strength to bear them. We made
a halt in the course of the morning, but the
horses were too tired to graze. Several of
them laid down, and there was some difficulty
in getting them on their feet again. Our troop
presented a forlorn appearance, straggling slowly
along, in a broken and scattered line, that extended
over hill and dale, for three miles and
upwards, in groups of three and four widely
apart; some on horseback, some on foot, with
a few laggards, far in the rear. About four
o'clock, we halted for the night in a spacious forest,
beside a deep narrow river, called the Little
North Fork, or Deep Creek. It was late before
the main part of the troop straggled into
the encampment, many of the horses having
given out. As this stream was too deep to be
forded, we waited until the next day to devise
means to cross it; but our half-breeds swam the
horses of our party to the other side in the evening,
as they would have better pasturage, and
the stream was evidently swelling. The night
was cold and unruly; the wind sounding hoarsely
through the forest and whirling about the dry
leaves. We made long fires of great trunks of
trees, which diffused something of consolation,
if not cheerfulness around.
-- 264 --
[figure description] Page 264.[end figure description]
The next morning there was general permission
given to hunt until twelve o'clock; the
camp being destitute of provisions. The rich
woody bottom in which we were encamped,
abounded with wild turkeys, of which a considerable
number were killed. In the mean
time, preparations were made for crossing the
river, which had risen several feet during the
night; and it was determined to fell trees for
the purpose, to serve as bridges.
The Captain and Doctor, and one or two
other leaders of the camp, versed in woodcraft,
examined with learned eye the trees growing
on the river bank, until they singled out a couple
of the largest size, and most suitable inclinations.
The axe was then vigorously applied to their
roots, in such way as to ensure their falling directly
across the stream. As they did not reach
to the opposite bank, it was necessary for some
of the men to swim across and fell trees on the
other side, to meet them. They at length succeeded
in making a precarious foot way across
the deep and rapid current, by which the baggage
could be carried over: but it was necessary
to grope our way, step by step, along the
trunks and main branches of the trees, which
for a part of the distance were completely submerged,
so that we were to our waists in water.
Most of the horses were then swam across, but
-- 265 --
[figure description] Page 265.[end figure description]
some of them were too weak to brave the current,
and evidently too much knocked up to bear
any further travel. Twelve men, therefore,
were left at the encampment to guard these
horses, until by repose and good pasturage they
should be sufficiently recovered to complete
their journey; and the Captain engaged to send
the men a supply of flour and other necessaries,
as soon as we should arrive at the Fort.
-- 266 --
CHAPTER XXXV.
A look out for land. Hard travelling and hungry
halting. A frontier farm house. Arrival
at the garrison.
[figure description] Page 266.[end figure description]
It was a little after one o'clock when we again
resumed our weary way-faring. The residue
of that day and the whole of the next were
spent in toilsome travel. Part of the way was
over stony hills, part across wide prairies, rendered
spongy and miry by the recent rain, and
cut up by brooks swollen into torrents. Our
poor horses were so feeble, that it was with difficulty
we could get them across the deep ravines
and turbulent streams. In traversing the
miry plains, they slipped and staggered at every
step, and most of us were obliged to dismount
and walk for the greater part of the way. Hunger
prevailed throughout the troop; every one
began to look anxious and haggard, and to feel
the growing length of each additional mile.
At one time, in crossing a hill, Beatte climbed
a high tree, commanding a wide prospect, and
took a look out, like a mariner from the masthead
at sea. He came down with cheering
tidings. To the left he had beheld a line of
-- 267 --
[figure description] Page 267.[end figure description]
forest stretching across the country, which he
knew to be the woody border of the Arkansas;
and at a distance he had recognised certain
landmarks, from which he concluded that we
could not be above forty miles distant from the
fort. It was like the welcome cry of land to
tempest-tossed mariners.
In fact we soon after saw smoke rising from
a woody glen at a distance. It was supposed
to be made by a hunting party of Creek or
Osage Indians from the neighbourhood of the
fort, and was joyfully hailed as a harbinger of
man. It was now confidently hoped that we
would soon arrive among the frontier hamlets
of Creek Indians, which are scattered along the
skirts of the uninhabited wilderness; and our
hungry rangers trudged forward with reviving
spirit, regaling themselves with savoury anticipations
of farm-house luxuries, and enumerating
every article of good cheer, until their mouths
fairly watered at the shadowy feasts thus conjured
up.
A hungry night, however, closed in upon a
toilsome day. We encamped on the border of
one of the tributary streams of the Arkansas,
amidst the ruins of a stately grove that had
been riven by a hurricane. The blast had torn
its way through the forest in a narrow column,
and its course was marked by enormous trees
-- 268 --
[figure description] Page 268.[end figure description]
shivered and splintered, and upturned, with
their roots in the air: all lay in one direction,
like so many brittle reeds broken and trodden
down by the hunter.
Here was fuel in abundance, without the labour
of the axe: we had soon immense fires
blazing and sparkling in the frosty air, and lighting
up the whole forest; but, alas! we had no
meat to cook at them. The scarcity in the
camp almost amounted to famine. Happy was
he who had a morsel of jerked meat, or even
the half picked bones of a former repast. For
our part, we were more lucky at our mess than
our neighbours; one of our men having shot a
turkey. We had no bread to eat with it, nor
salt to season it withal. It was simply boiled
in water; the latter was served up as soup, and
we were fain to rub each morsel of the turkey
on the empty salt bag, in hopes some saline particle
might remain to relieve its insipidity.
The night was biting cold; the brilliant moonlight
sparkled on the frosty crystals which covered
every object around us. The water froze
beside the skins on which we bivouacked, and
in the morning I found the blanket in which I
was wrapped covered with a hoar frost; yet I
had never slept more comfortably.
After a shadow of a breakfast, consisting of
turkey bones and a cup of coffee without sugar,
-- 269 --
[figure description] Page 269.[end figure description]
we decamped at an early hour; for hunger is a
sharp quickener on a journey. The prairies
were all gemmed with frost, that covered the
tall weeds and glistened in the sun. We saw
great flights of prairie hens, that hovered from
tree to tree, or sat in rows along the naked
branches, waiting until the sun should melt the
frost from the weeds and herbage. Our rangers
no longer despised such humble game, but turned
from the ranks in pursuit of a prairie hen as
eagerly as they formerly would go in pursuit of
a deer.
Every one now pushed forward, anxious to
arrive at some human habitation before night.
The poor horses were urged beyond their
strength, in the thought of soon being able to
indemnify them for present toil, by rest and ample
provender. Still the distances seemed to
stretch out more than ever, and the blue hills
pointed out as landmarks on the horizon, to recede,
as we advanced. Every step became a
labour; every now and then a miserable horse
would give out and lie down. His owner would
raise him by main strength, force him forward
to the margin of some stream, where there
might be a scanty border of herbage, and then
abandon him to his fate. Among those that
were thus left on the way, was one of the led
horses of the Count; a prime hunter, that had
-- 270 --
[figure description] Page 270.[end figure description]
taken the lead of every thing in the chase of
the wild horses. It was intended, however, as
soon as we should arrive at the fort, to send out
a party provided with corn, to bring in such of
the horses as should survive.
In the course of the morning, we came upon
Indian tracks, crossing each other in various directions,
a proof that we must be in the neighbourhood
of human habitations. At length, on
passing through a skirt of wood, we beheld two
or three log houses, sheltered under lofty trees
on the border of a prairie, the habitations of
Creek Indians, who had small farms adjacent.
Had they been sumptuous villas, abounding with
the luxuries of civilization, they could not have
been hailed with greater delight.
Some of the rangers rode up to them in quest
of food: the greater part, however, pushed forward
in search of the habitation of a white settler,
which we were told was at no great distance.
The troop soon disappeared among the trees,
and I followed slowly in their track; for, my
once fleet and generous steed, faltered under
me, and was just able to drag one foot after the
other, yet I was too wearv and exhausted to
spare him.
In this way we crept on, until, on turning
a thick clump of trees, a frontier farm house
suddenly presented itself to view, It was a low
-- 271 --
[figure description] Page 271.[end figure description]
tenement of logs, overshadowed by great forest
trees, but it seemed as if a very region of Cocaigne
prevailed around it. Here was a stable
and barn, and granaries teeming with abundance,
while legions of grunting swine, gobbling turkeys,
cackling hens and strutting roosters,
swarmed about the farm yard.
My poor jaded and half famished horse, raised
his head and pricked up his ears, at the well known
sights and sounds. He gave a chuckling inward
sound, something like a dry laugh; whisked his
tail, and made great leeway toward a corn crib,
filled with golden ears of maize, and it was with
some difficulty that I could control his course,
and steer him up to the door of the cabin. A
single glance within was sufficient to raise every
gastronomic faculty. There sat the Captain of
the rangers and his officers, round a three legged
table, crowned by a broad and smoking dish of
boiled beef and turnips. I sprang off of my
horse in an instant, cast him loose to make his
way to the corn crib, and entered this palace of
plenty. A fat good humoured negress received
me at the door. She was the mistress of the
house, the spouse of the white man, who was
absent. I hailed her as some swart fairy of the
wild, that had suddenly conjured up a banquet
in a desert; and a banquet was it in good sooth.
In a twinkling, she lugged from the fire a huge
-- 272 --
[figure description] Page 272.[end figure description]
iron pot, that might have rivalled one of the famous
flesh pots of Egypt, or the witches' caldron
in Macbeth. Placing a brown earthen dish
on the floor, she inclined the corpulent caldron
on one side, and out leaped sundry great morsels
of beef, with a regiment of turnips tumbling after
them, and a rich cascade of broth, overflowing
the whole. This she handed me with an ivory
smile that extended from ear to ear; apologizing
for our humble fare, and the humble style in
which it was served up. Humble fare! humble
style! Boiled beef and turnips, and an earthen
dish to eat them from! To think of apologizing
for such a treat to a half-starved man from the
prairies; and then such magnificent slices of
bread and butter! Head of Apicius, what a banquet!
“The rage of hunger” being appeased, I began
to think of my horse. He, however, like an
old campaigner, had taken good care of himself.
I found him paying assiduous attention to the
crib of Indian corn, and dexterously drawing
forth and munching the ears that protruded between
the bars. It was with great regret that
I interrupted his repast, which he abandoned
with a heavy sigh, or rather a rumbling groan.
I was anxious, however, to rejoin my travelling
companions, who had passed by the farm-house
without stopping, and proceeded to the banks of
-- 273 --
[figure description] Page 273.[end figure description]
the Arkansas; being in the hopes of arriving
before night at the Osage Agency. Leaving
the Captain and his troop, therefore, amidst the
abundance of the farm, where they had determined
to quarter themselves for the night, I
bade adieu to our sable hostess, and again pushed
forward.
A ride of about a mile brought me to where
my comrades were waiting on the banks of the
Arkansas, which here poured along between
beautiful forests. A number of Creek Indians,
in their brightly coloured dresses, looking like
so many gay tropical birds, were busy aiding
our men to transport the baggage across the
river in a canoe. While this was doing, our
horses had another regale from two great cribs
heaped up with ears of Indian corn, which stood
near the edge of the river. We had to keep a
check upon the poor half famished animals, lest
they should injure themselves by their voracity.
The baggage being all carried to the opposite
bank, we embarked in the canoe, and swam our
horses across the river. I was fearful, lest in
their enfeebled state, they should not be able to
stem the current; but their banquet of Indian
corn had already infused fresh life and spirit into
them, and it would appear as if they were cheered
by the instinctive consciousness of their approach
to home, where they would soon be at
-- 274 --
[figure description] Page 274.[end figure description]
rest, and in plentiful cuarters; for no sooner had
we landed and resumed our route, than they set
off on a hand-gallop, and continued so for a
great part of seven miles, that we had to ride
through the woods.
It was an early hour in the evening when we
arrived at the Agency, on the banks of the Verdigris
river, from whence we had set off about a
month before. Here we passed the night comfortably
quartered; yet, after having been accustomed
to sleep in the open air, the confinement
of a chamber was, in some respects,
irksome. The atmosphere seemed close, and
destitute of freshness; and when I woke in the
night and gazed about me upon complete darkness,
I missed the glorious companionship of
the stars.
The next morning after breakfast, I again set
forward in company with the worthy Commissioner,
for Fort Gibson, where we arrived much
tattered, travel-stained and weather-beaten, but
in high health and spirits;—and thus ended my
foray into the Pawnee Hunting Grounds.
THE END.
|
