Page:Rocky Mountain life.djvu/202



CHAPTER XX.
Old acquaintances. Indian murders. Mode of travelling in a dangerous country. Mexican traders. Summary way of teaching manners. Fort Lancaster and surrounding country. Resume journey. Cherry creek and connecting observations. Sketch of the Arapahos, their country, character, &c. Camp of free traders. Blackfoot camp. Daugherty's creek. Observations relative to the Divide. Mexican cupidity. Strange visitors. The lone travellers. Arrive at the Arkansas. General remarks. Curious specimens of cacti. Fontaine qui Bouit, or Natural Soda fountain. Indian superstition. Enchanting scenery. Extraordinary wall of sandstone.

AT Fort Lancaster I was gratified by meeting with several acquaintances of the previous winter, two of whom had been comrades during a part of my unfortunate and adventurous voyage down the Platte.

My appearance created no little surprise and pleasure, on all sides. Queries of various kinds were industriously plied, relative to the latest news from the States, and also in reference to the miseries and hardships undergone during the interval of my absence. The dangers of our mode of travelling were freely expatiated upon, and numerous instances of recent Indian hostilities cited to prove our "fool daring."

Among the latter was an outrage perpetrated by the Chyennes, only two weeks previous, in the murder of three white men, —one of whom was the oldest trapper in the mountains, and had been for some time engaged in the fur trade.

The murderers had the impudence to ask a scalp-feast from the commandant of the Fort, according to custom in case of overcoming their enemies in battle! The hair, however, being recognized as that of a white man, no feast was given. When accused of the murder, they apologized by saying the poor fellow was suffering greatly at the time from recent wounds, and they had killed him out of pity!

In our mode of travelling, we always used due precaution to avoid surprise and attack. This is easily done, while among buffalo, by noticing their movements, —as these animals invariably flee across the wind upon the approach of man, and neither Indians nor whites can traverse their range without setting the whole country in motion.

We observed another plan of caution by frequently ascending some eminence, and scanning the wide expanse, far and near.

Our general practice was to travel till night, and camp without fire in the open prairie, thus precluding the possibility of being discovered, even though in the immediate vicinity of Indians.

A party of three or four men can pass through a dangerous country and avoid coming in contact with enemies, provided they exercise a needful vigilance much more easily than one of larger numbers. With a large company