Crossing the Plains, Days of '57

, equipped with a small wagon, covered with white ducking, arched over bows, similar to the covering on most of the emigrant wagons; drawn by two

een further aroused by certain alleged acts of the whites along the emigrant road; and that the feeling was now so intense that even they, our informants, were alarmed, notwithstanding their long, intimate and friendly intercourse with these Indians; and, believing themselves no longer safe among the tribe,

eard, cropped short. He wore a deer-skin blouse, leathern breeches; broad, stiff-brimmed hat, low crown, flat top, decorate

English, with a free use

ing near us, they placed themselves at the rear of our train, and

s of adventure; and listened, open-mouthed, to descriptions of life among

cial risk incurred by individuals who wandered away from the train, thus inviting a chance of being shot by Redskins, ambushed among the bunches of sagebrush. They were especially ear

inquired-and seemed almost to tr

defend yourselves,

that question as a "Give-away." All the day, since these three joined us, we had felt that they might be spies

th a hundred and twenty-five shots for the first round; that we could reload

ter to a four-foot muzzle-loader, and from a single-barreled shotgun on up to a Sharp's repeating rifle. The weapon last mentioned carried a rotating cylinder, for five shells, and was the latest thing i

position in the rear of our train once more, carrying a small white flag, mounted on a pole fastened to their wagon. Upon being asked the purpose of th

of sight was too hazardous to be done or considered; adding that therefore the

ame

e obtained a first look at our three protegés. He at once indicated the man wearing the big,

with the Indians who k

and every man of us became a detective. The leading men of our party put their heads together in council. The situ

and the terrible shock he had sustained two days previously, had so prostrated him that he was unable to make haste. Arrangemen

ritory of the savage Shoshones; they felt it would be safe for them to dispense with our kind esco

ghly distrustful of the three men who had made themselves appendages of our train, feared an attack would be made on our camp that night. Suspicion had developed into a fixe

was not more than a hundred yards from where our vehicles were arranged,

ons, in order that the three strangers should not know our arrangements. There was an understanding that, if there should be an attack during the night, the first thing to do was, if possible, to shoot t

g-except that at the break of day the thr

at some unguarded moment and unpleasant place, to make us trouble; for their absence did not remove the impression