Crossing the Plains, Days of '57

RY EMIGRANT. J

s the lords of that portion of the plains over

and moccasins, a five-point Mackinaw blanket, these comprising for him a complete suit. The blanket he used as an outer garment, when needed, and for his cover at night. Many of the more important "big injins" owned also a buffalo robe. This was the whole hi

haw-

the art of handshaking, and his awkwardness and mimicking attempts in the effort were as amusing to us as satisfactory, apparently, to him. His vocal greeting, with slight variation from time to time, was in such words-with little regard

shy and not easy to take, but we captured a few of some varieties. Some members of the party demonstrated that fishing was good in the Rocky Mountain streams. Naturally the men were hopeful of

n fifty thousand. Such an aggregation would consume days in passing a given point, and in case of a stampede, all other animals in its path were doomed to destruction. A herd of buffaloes quietly grazing

herd of buffaloes was seen, quietly grazing on the plain

below the position of the herd, where we tied our horses, then crept along, under cover of the creek bank, till w

nearest us, and both fired. The entire herd galloped wildly away, continuing till all pa

ard where we were, moving with leisurely tread and manner perfectly unconcerned. Notwithstanding our re

in no hurry about anything. Captain John and I felt

till its top caught in the fork of another tree, and rested at a gentle incline upward from where it had grown. At the roots of this fallen tree we concealed ourselves, to wait, hoping that the big anim

y hard-thumping heart-beats would be audible and frighten him away. Co

ottom of the bank and was about to drink, Captain John whispered our agreed signal: "One, two, three;" we fired, simultaneously, and repeated. The big fellow stood still for a mom

owered his head, pawed the earth and shook his mane. His whole body became vibrant with the obvious desire to fight,-and no antagonist in sight. Uttering a tremendous grunt, he arched his back again, stamping with all four feet,

of vantage we co

afely into the fork of the tree, we continued to shoot from our coign of vantage till the big fellow dropped. When he ceased to kick or give any sign of belligerency, we came down and approached hi

ney

lso had the satisfaction of observing signs of jealousy on

r it. Its appearance, from our distant view, resembled a stone chimney from which the building had been burned away, as it stood, solitary on the flat earth at the south

ward was taken from western Nebraska to become the Territory of Colorado, and later still, the State of that name. Looking over and past the locality

vehicle had between its wheels a box containing the man's supplies of food and camp articles, wi

visited us overnight. The next morning he was invited to tie his cart behind one of our wagons and ride with us. He replied that he would be pleased to do so, but was anxious to make all possible speed, and felt that he could not wait on

arly stages, and those involving difficulties and of grave import were mainly a part of our experiences toward the close of the long pilgrimage. Such an order of events might be presumed as a natural sequence, as the route l

unpretentious but droll young fellow, named John C. Aston, whose age was about twenty-five. This younger ele

and too long in the sleeves. But all knew "Jack" to be an excellent fellow. His principal fault, if it could be so termed, was a superabundance of good-nature, a willingness at all times to joke and be joked. He had a fund of stories-in some of which he pictured himself the hero-with

hat he sang f

very time he sang it, carried "Jack" again to his old home in the Sunny South, and seemed to give him surcease from all the ills of life. Of that song a single verse is here reproduced, with deep regret that the other sixteen are lost, with all exce

ays of by

will come

with the gi

, down in

lee, al

down in

e-schoner," or astride a mule, the attitude described often resulted in his being accused of napping while on duty. The climatic conditions peculiar to the plains, and the slow, steady movement of the conveyances, were conducive to drowsiness

no one could make him angry or resentful. For this reason, he wa

or hitching the teams, he was not at his post. A search finally revealed him, still rolled in his bedding, fast asleep. When several calls failed to arouse him, one of the boys tied an end of a rope around "Jack's" fee

ilee, a

down in

he delinq