Page:Rocky Mountain life.djvu/13

 eONTENTS. In connciL Journey to White river. High winds and snow Intense guf- feringa and painful results. I35 CHAPTER XII. Another drunken spree. Horses devoured by wolves. An upset. A blowing up. Daring feat of wolves&#59; A girl offered for liquor. Winter on the Platte. Boat building. Hunting expedition. Journey up the Platte, island camp. Narrow escape. Snow stonn. Warm Spring. Pass of the PiaiLe into the prairies. A valley. Bitter Cottonwood. Indian forts. Wild fruit. Roct- diggmg. Cherry tea and its usea. Geology of the &#39;country. Soils, grasses herbs, plants, and purity of atmosphere. Horse-shoe creek, a. j&#62;auiher. Prairie dogs and their peculiarities. 143 CHAPTER XIIL The Creek valley. The Platte as a mountain stream. Canon. Romantic pros- pect. Comical bear story. Perilous encounter with a wounded bull. Ge- ological remarks. Division of party. Safety of spring travel. La Bonte&#39;s creek. Remarks by the way. Service-berry. Deer Creek. General observations. Moccasin making. Box-elder. Bear killed. Excellence of its flesh. Different kinds of bears in Oregon and the mountains. The grizzly bear, his nature and habits. jgg CHAPTER XIV. Desperate encounter with a grizzly bear, and extraordinary instance of suffering. Close contest. A comical incident. Cross Platte. Canon camp. Sage trees. Mountain sheep, and all about them. Independence Rock &#59; why so called, and description of it. Devil&#39;s Gate. Landscape scenery. 159 CHAPTER XV. Return route. Oregon trail from Independence Rock through the Soutli Pass. Cross the Sweet Water and Platte. Mountain Fowl. Journey up Medicme Bow. Dangerous country. A fight with the Sioux. The &#34; Carcague.&#34; A surprise. Viait to the Crow village. Number and character of the Crow nation. Selling a prisoner for tobacco Descripticm of I^ramie I&#39;laina. 165 CHAPTER XVI. Sibille&#39;s-hole. Novel bitters. Chug^vater. Gold. Curiosity. Affaii&#39;s at the Fort. Amusements. (Gambling among squaws, and games played. Squaw dres»3s, and riding fasluon. Items of interest to the curious, proving the in- tercourse of the ancient Romans with the people of this continent. 173 OHAi^TER XVU. Singulai exhibition of natural affection. Embark for the Stales. Scarcity of proYudonB and consequent hardship and suflfering. Extraordinary daring of