Page:Route Across the Rocky Mountains with a Description of Oregon and California.djvu/130

Rh benefit, worthy of consideration. But is so here. If a company is strong and united, there is no security that it will long continue so; if it is weak to-day, it is no reason that it will not be weaker to-mor-row.

We found the Emigration scattered near five hundred miles, and the number of persons composing it, were about three thousand. They were in fine spirits, and high hopes, and far ahead of either of the Emigrations who had gone previously. We found Buffalo on Sweet Water, where we were able, by halting a few days, to recruit our stock of provisions.

On the 21st, we met a Mr. Sublet, brother to the celebrated mountaineer, William Sublet, who informed us, that there was a large party of Sioux, somewhere below, in the vicinity of the North Fork, and near the trail; and that eight of them, a few days before had pursued one of their hunts, within a short distance of their camp. He gave, as his opinion, that it would be impossible for us to pass them without their seeing us, and that if they saw us, they would take our horses, and perhaps our hair, unless we could beat them in a fight. We were only seventeen men, and to complete the consolation, there were, probably, about eighty lodges of Sioux; with which there would be about seven hundred warriors. We had no alternative, but to proceed with caution. We sometimes traveled in the night, and always smothered our camp fires before it grew dark; prevented all unnecessary firing of guns, made our encampments as secluded as possible, and kept the strictest watch, both day and night. Under such circumstances, it was easy to make an Indian spy out of a rock, or a charging war party out of a whirlwind. We saw their trail, but Providence, our caution, or their absence, prevented us from seeing them, and them from seeing us.

We arrived at Fort Lauramie, without molestation or difficulty, on the 27th of July. Here we were doomed to suffer another very great diminution in our numbers. The majority of our little company, having become tired of long traveling, determined to dispose of their animals, and enjoy a few days of repose, in a place where they would be confident of security, and free from the toil and anxiety attendant upon our perilous way. Their intention was to go across to Fort St. Peters, on the Missouri River, in connection with the American Fur Company's wagons which were to start in a short time, with Buffalo robes, for that place. The Trading Companies here, had undertaken to send their robes down the Platte River in boats, but the River falling, left the broad channel almost