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SOLITARY RAMBLES. 
 
< 
 p 
 
THE 
 
 HUNTER m THE PRAIRIES. 
 
 ISHMAH. 
 
 ' He had by this time overcorae all his prejudices against his white master." 
 
 t 
 
 LONDON : 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 
 
SOLITARY RAMBLES 
 
 ADVENTUEES OE A HUNTEE IN THE PEAIEIES. 
 
 BY JOHN PALLISER, Esq. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MUEKAY, ALBEMAELE STREET. 
 
 i8£a 
 
LUMUON : 
 BRADBURY AND EVAHS, PBlnTEBS, WHITEFEIARS. 
 
TO 
 
 MY BROTHEE SPORTSMEN OE ENGLAND, 
 IRELAND, AND SCOTLAND. 
 
 Dearly beloved Bretheen, 
 
 I was induced, on my return from America, to 
 collect the very scanty contents of an imperfect journal 
 which recorded, for the perusal of a few intimate friends, 
 my experiences of adventure in the far West. These 
 kind critics afterwards tempted me to enlarge the 
 circle of my readers, by many assurances of the indul- 
 gence which a courteous public extends towards 
 deficiencies of style and composition in a writer, more 
 accustomed to the use of the rifle and hunting-knife 
 than to that of the pen. 
 
 In this age of literature, when so many works of 
 imagination are appearing every day, I should despair of 
 such a mere matter-of-fact story finding any place in the 
 attention or interests of the reading world, did I not 
 firmly rely on your sympathies. 
 
 Without farther apology, therefore, I will preface my 
 story by an attempt to give you the benefit of what 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 experience I have acquired in outfitting for distant 
 hunting expeditions, in the hope that it may prove of 
 use to such of you as may contemplate similar excursions!,' 
 in helping you to provide yourselves with things which 
 are really necessary, and also to avoid burthening your- 
 selves with what is cumbersome, and comparatively 
 useless. 
 
 Of guns, the most valuable and indispensable is the 
 plain, smooth-bore, double-barrelled gun, about fourteen 
 to twelve in the bore. Let it be made by a first-rate 
 maker, one who himseK superintends the manufacture 
 of every portion of his guns ; for, in a country where 
 there are no gunsmiths to ran to in case of an accident, 
 the breaking of a trigger or a shear, or the failure of 
 some screw of inferior metal or workmanship, may 
 involve the most serious consequences. I, for my own 
 part, as well as both my brothers, in our numerous 
 hunting expeditions in America, India, and Ceylon, have 
 always used the guns and rifles of Trulock & Son, of 
 Dawson Street, Dublin, which, for accuracy, power^ and 
 . trustworthiness, I have seldom seen equalled, and never 
 excelled. Nothing gives the sportsman so much con- 
 fidence in using the heavy charges required in elephant- 
 shooting, as the knowledge that the barrels in his hands 
 have been forged by a good maker. 
 
 I do not deny that good barrels may be made in 
 Birmingham > but I am convinced that there is nothiaff 
 like the master's eye over a gun in every stage of its 
 constraction. For close and dangerous shooting I know 
 nothing equal to the double-barreUed, smooth-bore srni 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 You can load it more rapidly, and handle it more 
 quickly and dexterously than any other, also at the same 
 time sufficiently depend upon it for accuracy as far as 
 sixty or seventy yards. 
 
 Next in importance I MrovlA suggest a single- 
 barrelled two-grooved rifle, which I much prefer to the 
 poly- or many-grooved, for the reasons that with the 
 former you can use a larger charge of powder without 
 danger of the bullet tripping j you may fire a greater 
 nimiber of shots without fouling the barrel or losing in 
 accuracy, and if you use fancy conical projectiles, you 
 may do so with less chance of damage to your rifle. 
 
 Were I so circumstanced that I could take a third 
 gun with me, it would be a double-barrelled, two-grooved 
 rifle, whose execution at long range, though below that 
 of the single rifle, is of course far more accurate than that 
 of the smooth-bore : experience has, indeed, satisfied me 
 that, for a very long shot, you never can count upon the 
 same precision with a double as with a single barrel. 
 Even supposing the barrels to be perfectly parallel, 
 (which is almost an impossibility), still the direction of 
 recoil of each when fired is different, and has a different 
 effect upon the flight of the bullet ; so that barrels^ which 
 would throw almost exactly parallel when discharged 
 from a vice, wiU slightly diverge from each other when 
 fired from the shoulder. You must not infer from these 
 remarks that I undervalue the double rifle. Por deer- 
 shooting, especially, it is invaluable, and often, when I 
 have missed a deer with the first barrel, has the animal 
 stood stiU at the report, as if from curiosity, and afforded 
 
DEDICATION.- 
 
 me a second shot. I merely would not have you expect 
 too much from it, or reckon that its accuracy of execution 
 beyond one hundred and fifty yards is equal to that of 
 a good single-barrel rifle. 
 
 As to cahbre, sportsmen of the Western are much at 
 variance with those of the Eastern world, the former 
 preferring the smaR bullet of thirty-two, forty, or even 
 fifty to the pound, while their East Indian brethren are 
 as strongly in favour of the large ball, running from 
 sixteen to twelve, or even eight only to the pound. The 
 refison of this discrepancy I fancy is this, that the 
 difficulty of obtaining good powder is much greater in 
 the West than in the East ; for, the larger the ball, the 
 greater the necessity for superior powder.* Eor my 
 own part, I should be inclined to select a size carrying 
 from twenty-four to sixteen to the pound. 
 
 In your choice of knives, do not be induced to en- 
 cumber yourself with any thick-bladed, highly-iHuminated 
 cutlery of the German yager hshion: they are very hand- 
 some to look at, when hung up over a chimney-piece, 
 but very ineffective in the field, wearying and blistering 
 the hands, and splintering against the bones of any large 
 animal. The best knife for hunting purposes, in my 
 opinion, is a good, plain, wooden-handled butcher knife : 
 let the handle be long, and the blade thin. 
 
 * By increasing your otarge beyond a certain quantity yoti do not 
 iacrease the force. No more powder will ignite than is sufficient to 
 cover the bullet if it ia placed on a table and powder poured gently 
 over it untU it is concealed. If you hear your ball strike the object 
 fired at, it is a pretty sure indication of deficiency of force, either in the 
 quantity or the quaKty of the powder. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 , In horses, your great object should be to combine 
 the greatest hardiness ■with the highest courage. A 
 thorough-bred horse yon can train to rush at anything ; 
 his being timid at first, or apt to shy, has nothing to do 
 with any absence of courage. By patience and perse- 
 verance, you will teach hiTin to charge any animal, not 
 excepting a grisly bear : while a common, badly bred 
 brute, will not even pursue a bison. Mules, for packing, 
 are, in some respects, superior to horses j but they cannot 
 support intense cold nearly so well. I strongly advise 
 especial and constant attention to saddles. Go where 
 you win, and all over the world, you wiU find nothing 
 to equal the English saddle. Provide yourselves with 
 them at any cost, and transport them at any incon- 
 venience. When on the prairie, travel with a blanket 
 saddle-cloth. You will find it a comfortable addition 
 to your bed ; but be careful before putting the saddle 
 over it on the horse, that there is no crease in its folds ; 
 for a sore on your horse's back is a serious inconvenience 
 to a long journey. It is a good plan, before fastening 
 the girths, to pass your forefinger under the saddle- 
 cloth, and lift it shghtly off the horse's withers. 
 
 For clothing, I think there is nothing like Scotch 
 woollen stuffs ; leather, after all, is but an inconvenient 
 substitute for these j for though it has its advantages 
 in point of wear, it is horribly uncomfortable in wet 
 weather, and dries as hard and stiff as parchment. 
 
 Keep your gun-powder in air-tight packages j ex- 
 posure to the atmosphere weakens it. Do not burthen 
 yourselves uselessly by trying to. forestal a thousand 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 imaginary necessities. Beyond your guns and horses, 
 with their several appurtenances, you will absolutely 
 require nothing on the prairie but your knife, flint and 
 steel, and pipe, an iron ladle for melting lead, a tin mug, 
 and two iron kettles — one for cooking, the other for 
 boiling coffee — with iron covers to them, which will 
 respectively do for frying meat, and for roasting your 
 coffee. 
 
 Before leaving the Settlements, provide yourselves with 
 lead, tobacco, coffee, sugar, salt, needles, awls, strong 
 thread, and shoemaker's wax, and also one or two 
 dressed skins, for making and mending mocassins ; and 
 with this equipment, you may pass from Independence 
 to the Pacific Ocean, 
 
PAGE 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The stai't — Gen. Tom Thum'b — Halifax — Astor House — American 
 Hallways — Philadelphia — Baltimore Beauties — A Clinical 
 Professor — Mark Tapley's Eden — The great Missouri — 
 Drinks — New Orleans — Night Adventure — Creole Ladies — 
 Col. White's Oratorio of "David" 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arkansas Forests — Deer shooting — The Major's good shots — Fire- 
 pan-hunting — Fine fat Bucks — StUl-hnnting — First night in 
 the Woods — Panther shot — Black bait for an Alligator — 
 Assassination of a Bear 38 
 
 CHAPTER III, 
 
 Mammoth Caves — Stalactite Architecture — Ancient America — 
 Rambles in the Earth — Mummy found — Subterranean Ball — 
 St. Louis Hunting Club — A good Run — A fat Buck killed — 
 Hospitable Hunters — Kentucky talked down — American Fur 
 Company 66 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Old Mr. Kipp — ^Preparing for the Start — Mormons — Camping at 
 Night — Duck Shooting — Gigantic Vegetation — Prsurie on 
 Fire — Port Tennillion- — Scalp Dance — A Dog Feast — A 
 Woman Bought and Saved — Hint from a Bullet — Fort Pierre 82 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 Clear Atmosphere — See Bu&alo — ^Arrival at Fort Union — ^BnfEilo 
 Hunting — Winter sets in — ^Hunting Party — Escape from a 
 War Party — ^A Bace for life or Death — ^Wanton Cruelty of 
 the Sioux — A Heroic old Bull — Domestic Calves and Bison 
 Bull 105 
 
 CHAPTEE TI. 
 
 Tossed by a Buffalo — Elk Shooting — ^Wolves — Spoil a Cannibal 
 Feast — ^Ishmah — Hard up for Meat — Owen M'Kenzie's Post 
 —The Traders 139 
 
 CHAPTEE Vn. 
 
 Glutton Feast — My TnflTfl.n Companion — Hunting in Snow — ^Roast 
 Loin of Wolf — Black-tail Deer — ^BapaciouB Beauties — ^Another 
 Journey — ^A Long Shot — ^Indian Voracity — ^Larpenter's Post 
 — Start for the Minitarees — ^Awfnl Night — ^Peekay and the 
 Bull— Eeach Fort Berthold 168 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 Mr. Chardon — ^Boucharville — Geese put their heads together 
 
 Ice breaks np — ^A Cold Bath — Arrive at the Fort — ^Prepara- 
 tions — An Afternoon's Hunt — Elk shows Fight— Shot at 
 Sundown — Hard Work -i go 
 
CONTENTS. ■ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Hunt on the Yellow Stone — Grosse Corne Hunting — A Beautiful 
 Camp — Beaver — Good Hunting Country — Cat Fishing — Skin 
 Boat Building — Tailoring — Crow Indians — Descend the 
 YelloTV Stone — Surprise a Crow Camp — Return to Fort 
 Union 217 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Dispose of the meat — Descend the Missouri — A War party — They 
 decline the attack — Obtain two more followers — Kill a 
 young Bear — The grisly Bear — A breakfast of Marrow — 
 — Nearly kill two Eagles with a ball — Chase and capture 
 two Bison calves — Return to Minitaree Village — Scaffoldings 
 for the dead — Indian games — Death of Mr. Chardon . . 244 
 
 €> 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Another hunting expedition — The Turtle Mountains — Dangerous 
 hunting coimtry — My last Buflalo hunt — Sold by an Antelope 
 — Attacked by and kill a grisly Bear — Her cub shows fight 
 — Depart from Turtle Mountain — Attack a grisly Bear — More 
 grisly Bears — Mr. Denig's adventiire — Bear smashing a 
 Buffalo — Murray and his Mackinaw boats — The Pipe of 
 Peace — Shake hands with an old Enemy — An Indian Battle 
 — Cannibalism — Arrival of the "Martha" — Death of poor 
 Smith 264 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Leave the Indian country — A blasted Cannon — Mr, Mackenzie — 
 Ishmah forages for himself — The Yellow Fever — Doctor 
 Farrell — Qeneial Taylor's Address — "Beauty's" History 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 aad Adventures — ^Marriage Feast — ^My pretty Hostess — A 
 Musical Smash — ^Bruiu takes care of Number One — "Beauty" 
 creates a Sensation — Bruin rescues the Antelope — The 
 Balize 289 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Snipe and Duck shooting — ^Norwegian Sportsman — A wounded 
 AUigator proves a disagreeable Boating Companion — ^Negro 
 torn by an Alligator— " The Falcon" — Chagres — Storming 
 the Spanish Fort — Tropical Thunderstorm — Panama — Santa 
 Anna Cathedral— The Pope inexorable— Home by English 
 Mail Steamer ...,..., 310 
 
LIST or ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 — ♦ — 
 
 Pase 
 CLOSE QUABTEKS WITH A (SRISLT BEAR . . Fnmtispiecc. 
 
 ISHMAH ......■• yigtiette Title. 
 
 COMPLETE SUMMERSAULT 120 
 
 PITCHED BATTLE BETWEEN A HEROIC OLD BULL AND A BISON 133 
 
 DOMESTIC CALVES AND BISON BULLS PASTURING TOGETHER . . 138 
 
 WAPITI THROWN ABACK IN EORCINO THROUGH A THICKET . 144 
 
 A DANGEROUS SNAP SHOT 212 
 
 MT LAST BUEFALO HUNT 268 
 
EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 The start. — Gen. Tom Thnml). — Halifex. — Astor House. — American 
 Railways. — ^Philadelphia. — Baltimore Beauties. — A Clinical Pror 
 fessor. — Mark Taple/s Eden. — The great Missouri. — Drinks. — 
 New Orleans. — Night adventure. ^Creole Ladies. — Col. White's 
 Oratorio of " David." 
 
 After all "ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute," 
 thought I, as the long row of busy docks at Liverpool 
 slowly receded in the distance ; and we bade a last 
 farewell to old England, as the gallant " Cambria " 
 steamed majestically down the broad waters of 
 the Mersey, in the ever-to-be-remembered year of 
 Grace, 1847, 
 
 With all the eagerness of a college student, who 
 casts aside his dull books and duller tutors for a 
 burst after the partridges, or for the more noble and 
 exciting pursuit of the antlered lords of the forest 
 and mountain, had I looked forward to a visit to the 
 New World ; determined to make acquaintance with 
 
EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. i. 
 
 our Trans-Atlantic brethren, and to extend my visit 
 to the regions stUl inhabited by America's abori- 
 ginal people, — now, indeed, driven far westward of 
 their rightful territories, and pressed backwards into 
 that ocean of prairies extending to the foot of the 
 great Eocky Mountains. 
 
 It was with something Uke a sense of. disappoint- 
 ment that, the excitement of our departure over, the 
 last friend shaken by the hand, and the last hurried 
 farewell exchanged, I felt that what I had so long 
 dwelt on in anticipation was at last about to be 
 realised ; so iuconsistent, indeed, is our nature, that 
 our keenest yearnings often lead but to our bitterest 
 disappointments, and the possession most ardently 
 sought, affords, when attained, but too frequently, 
 the least gratification. 
 
 The bustle incidental to a start, when a large 
 number of passengers are on board, affords, how- 
 ever, little time for philosophising. At first the 
 luggage seems inextricable, and the confusion 
 interminable ; but time, patience, and perseverance 
 gradualy dispose of all our difficulties, and we shake 
 into our places very soon after the docks are cleared. 
 
 I found on board some very pleasant and enter-, 
 taining fellow-passengers, and was not a little 
 surprised, on entering the state-cabin, to hear 
 the most unnatural shrUl little pipe exclaiming, 
 "Waiter! bwing me a Welsh wabbit:" after 
 
cHip. I.] GENERAL tOM THUMB. 3' 
 
 some difficulty I discovered its possessor, who, 
 creeping from under shawls and ladies' work- 
 baskets, scrambled into the middle of the saloon, 
 stuck his LiUiputian hands into his little pockets, 
 and looked at us as much as to say, "What do 
 you think of that ? " 
 
 We fovmd little " General Tom Thumb '" a very 
 amusing companion; and any of my readers who 
 may have experienced the dulness of a sea voyage 
 can imagine that he proved a most acceptable 
 addition to our society : he was the smallest 
 specimen of human nature it has ever been my 
 lot to behold, but a remarkable exception to the 
 generality of dwarfs, being not only intelligent, but 
 active and weU proportioned. 
 
 There he stood, sprucely attired in a little mid- 
 shipman's dress, his tiny patent-leather boots the 
 miracle of a fit. 
 
 Early, next morning, we passed along the south 
 coast of Ireland, recognising successively Dun- 
 more, Tramore's three towers, with its colossal 
 metal man stretching forth his threatening arm to 
 warn the mariner from that inhospitable coast, and, 
 finaEyf, Ardmore's round tower — the last aged 
 memorial of the Old World. 
 
 But— 
 
 Hurrah, the bell for breakfast ! 
 
 Hark to the mingled din 
 Of knife, and fork, and hissing chops 
 
 That stewards are bringing in. 
 
 B 2 
 
EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. 
 
 The fiery skipper's pricking fast 
 
 His fork into the dish, 
 Despatching quickly his repast 
 
 Of coffee, eggs, and fish. 
 In burst the guests, and on they rush 
 
 Around the jolly tar, 
 'Who calls on semi-seasick folks 
 
 To prosecute the war. 
 
 And a right good breakfast we had, for the fare 
 onboard the " Cambria " was unexceptionable, com- 
 bining all the excellencies of American, English, 
 and even French cookery. Alas, however, even the 
 means of fortification provided by a batterie de 
 cuisine Francaise was no sufficient protection 
 against the fell sea-serpent monster, who soon 
 numbered many of my fellow-passengers among his 
 victims. A strong head-wind and chopping sea 
 made many a mournful gap among the ranks at 
 our capital table. But the severest misfortune of all 
 was the total loss of our ladies' society ; they, poor 
 tilings, suffering so severely as to be entirely con- 
 fined to their cabins till within a short period of 
 our arrival. 
 
 The little General, however, remained unscathed, 
 and, despite the too audible miseries of most of his 
 fellow-passengers, held on the even tenor of his way, 
 swallowing his toasted cheese and sipping bottled 
 porter. I was particularly favoured with his notice. 
 A great amusement of his consisted in climbing aU 
 over me ; now standing on my shoulder, then 
 
CHAP. I.] GENERAL TOM THUMB. 5 
 
 balancing himself on my head on one foot, and 
 finally leaping into the pocket of my shooting-jacket 
 until he burst through the lining of it. He was, on 
 the whole, a very good, tractable little feUow, and 
 listened , attentively to my lectm-es on the evils of 
 play ; but, alas,. I fear they had but small effect, for 
 the little wretch was an inveterate gambler, and 
 up to all the mysteries of whist, hewker poker, and 
 bragg. I forget at present his exact height ; but, as 
 far as I can recollect, he measured twenty-four or 
 twenty-five inches ; had light hair, a pretty childish 
 face, was about sixteen or seventeen years of age, and 
 weighed fifteen pounds — the weight of a good- sized 
 leg of mutton. Barnum, the well-known entre- 
 preneur, was with him constantly, and behaved 
 with the utmost kindness to his young charge, 
 never urging the child to do anything to which he 
 showed much disinclination, yet, at the same time, 
 exercising a very necessary and wholesome authority 
 over him. His father and mother also travelled in 
 his suite, and were certainly above the average 
 height: his mother appeared a kind and amiable 
 person ; she informed me that she had two daughters 
 in Canada, where she usually resided, and that she, 
 her husband, and relatives were Canadians, and the 
 little General, consequently, a subject of her Majesty 
 Queen Victoria. Some of my fellow-passengers told 
 me that Barnum had, by the exhibition of Tom 
 
RAMBLES AND ADTENTURES. [chap. i. 
 
 Thumb, cleared in a few years the enoiinous sum of 
 lOO.OOOi. It is satisfactory to add, that I was 
 informed he had acted most liberally towards the 
 parents, having greatly increased the stipulated 
 amount for the little General's exhibition. 
 
 About the middle of the passage, a conversation 
 arising relative to the sufferings of the poor in 
 Irelaaid, an American gentleman suggested a sub- 
 scription in aid of the funds then raising for theii- 
 relief; and the proposition having been ably seconded 
 by a Canadian merchant, the result exceeded our 
 expectations in a collection of 120Z. 
 
 About this period the weather became more severe, 
 and the motion of the vessel, consequently, very 
 trying to those who had not yet got their sea-legs ; 
 but the wind suddenly fell one afternoon, and I shall 
 never forget the magnificent sight afforded by the 
 masses of unbroken waters as they reared themselves 
 aloft ahead, and threatened us for a moment with 
 annihilation ; — then, while bearing us up to heaven, 
 fled away from under our feet to unite themselves with 
 the horizon in our wake. Descending the steps of the 
 companion to the dining-room was strongly suggestive 
 of the descent from the sublime to the ridiculous. 
 Legs of mutton became animated, sirloins of beef 
 whirled along like boomerangs from one end of the 
 table to the other, spreading devastation on every 
 side, and effecting strange combinations of soup and 
 
OHAP. I.] HALIFAX. 7 
 
 sausages, pickles and port wine, custard and pudding 
 floating in bottled potter, &c. 
 
 The first land we made was Halifax, where we 
 found it necessary to put in for a fresh supply of 
 coal. During the very short delay of the Cambria 
 in port, I seized the opportunity for a stroU through 
 the strieets of the town, but the night was so intensely 
 dark that I could see little to describe. The ground 
 was covered with snow; many sledges I passed 
 seemed to be very handsome equipages ; the horses 
 attached to them bearing bells round their necks, or 
 perhaps fastened to their collars, for the greater 
 security of the foot-passengers, who were thereby 
 warned of their approach in sufficient time to get 
 out of the way. It was very cold weather ; and we 
 left the harbour again ia about three hours after 
 we had arrived, the business of taking in coal 
 being transacted very rapidly. 
 
 Between Halifax and Boston our voyage was 
 most prosperous ; the weather so beautiful as to 
 entice our ladies once more on deck, and all eyes 
 were turned westward to catch the first glimpse 
 of land; The pilot from Boston boarded us the 
 following day, and we soon rode triumphantly in, 
 greeted by shouts and cannon from the sur- 
 rounding vessels in the harbour. 
 
 After our liiggage had been cursorily examined 
 at the Custom. House, we stowed it and ourselves, as 
 
RAMBLES AND ADVBNTUEES. L«hai'. i. 
 
 we best could, into tlie different vehicles destined 
 to convey us to the several hotels to which they 
 belonged ; and I cannot help remarking the great 
 contrast between the different methods adopted, with 
 respect to strangers and their luggage, in the Custom 
 House searcJiers of our own and most other 
 European coimtries, and of that of our Trans- 
 Atlantic brethren; while I may observe that 
 courteous treatment, ia that it gratifies the feelings 
 of a stranger, has also the effect of disarming 
 and dissuading him from any attempt at fraud or 
 concealment. 
 
 I could expect to find but little that was new in 
 a place so often described as Boston. I discovered 
 one fact, however, which may interest future 
 travellers, — viz., that smoking is not allowed in the 
 streets at night ; foi", having lighted a cigar, I ^vas 
 quietly strolling along the pavement, when I was 
 accosted by a casual passenger, with " Sir, I guess 
 you ail- a stranger ! " — " Sir, you are an uncommon 
 good guesser," was my reply; but I soon found by 
 the sequel of om' conversation that, however 
 abruptly it had commenced, tlie motive of my 
 querist was a kind one, and tliat I was committing 
 a breach of the laws, which might have subjected 
 me to a severe penalty. 
 
 The American Hotel in Boston is an excellent 
 one ; and the rooms being heated witli hot water, 
 
 & 
 
<IiiAP. I.] AMEMCAN RAILWAYS. 9 
 
 renders them most comfortable, notwithstanding tlie 
 extreme coldness of the weather. 
 
 Between Boston and New York the journey was 
 performed partly by railway and pai-tly by steam- 
 boats of the finest class, most luxuriously fitted up. 
 The captain of our boat prudently remained all 
 night at New London, on account of the weather, of 
 which these boats ai'e by no means independent. 
 Next day we resumed the railway ofice more to 
 New York. 
 
 An American railway canfiage reminds one a 
 little of Wombwell's waggon for transporting wild 
 bieasts, so far as its external appearance is con- 
 cerned ; and tliere is abundance of room inside for 
 the passengers to walk up and down, the seats 
 being so arranged as to allow an uninteiTupted 
 passage from one end of each carriage to the 
 other. They contain open stoves, round wliich 
 you may sit occasionally, and change your place 
 from time to time, which all those who are in the 
 habit of travelling know to be a great luxury ; besides 
 this, the carriages themselves are so closely chained 
 together in succession, that you can wallt from one 
 end of tlie train to the other. The seats, or benches 
 rather, in tlie carriages are ranged in rows down 
 each side of the passage, and at right angles to it ; 
 except in tlie vicinity of the stoves, where passengers 
 are at liberty to sit in any direction they please, on 
 
10 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. i. 
 
 camp chairs left for that purpose. I may also here 
 mention a very good regulation adopted with regard 
 to the luggage ; brass tickets are chained to each 
 separate trunk or portmanteau, and duplicates of 
 these tickets are given to the passenger, who need 
 have no further trouble mth his luggage thaa 
 giving them to a help (i.e. servant) on arriving at 
 his destination. 
 
 At New York I stayed at the Astor House, a 
 magnificent " block " {i.e. building), far larger than 
 any hotel I ever beheld in the Old World. Many 
 of my readers will doubtless remember the hotels of 
 L'Empereur Romain, and L'Hotel de Eussie in 
 Frankfort ; the Astor House I thought strongly 
 resembled these, though on a still larger scale — 
 indeed I doubt whether it be not larger than both 
 these hotels put together. The platform anterior 
 to the huge hall door is reached from the street 
 by double rows of large stone staircases. The 
 charges I found moderate. Breakfast, dinner, and 
 supper are performed much in the same way as the 
 table d'hote on the Continent, except with far greater 
 rapidity. At breakfast here, I ate for the first 
 time cakes made from the flour of buckwheat, 
 which I thought excellent, and deserving a place 
 among the many luxuries of even an English 
 country-house ; in shape and size they resemble a 
 m.u£Bn — in consistence, a pancake, but they are 
 
OHAT. 1.] PHILADELPHIA. 11 
 
 rougher, and of a dark brown colour. These cakes 
 are eaten either with butter, like muffins, or with 
 refined molasses, contained in glass jars, shaped 
 something like claret decanters, which are placed at 
 intervals all along the extensive breakfast table. 
 Neither is the hominy, which consists of rice and 
 Indian-corn meal, mixed and fried in butter, to be 
 despised. The waiters were Irish, Germans, and 
 men of colour. 
 
 I started about the 25th of March, on a cold but 
 brilliantly beautiful day, at about nine o'clock in the 
 morning, for Philadelphia, and, on my arrival, 
 drove immediately to the Mansion House Hotel. 
 Having no time to lose, I walked out to see the 
 town ; and although I was in some degree prepared 
 to like Philadelphia, I had no idea what a splendid 
 city it is, its beautiful houses beiag very regular, and 
 mostly built of brick; and, from their wide pave- 
 ments, the excellent repair in which they are 
 kept, and the splendid shops and lofty buildiags, 
 the streets struck me as being reaUy magnificent. 
 The extraordiaary cleanliness of the city particularly 
 attracts one's admiration: it is occasioned princi- 
 pally by the abundant supply of water which is 
 afforded by the water- works of the Schuylkill; 
 handsome cast-iron pumps are among the most 
 promiuent features in the streets, and its public 
 buildings are both graceful and classical. 
 
12 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. i. 
 
 After a hasty dinner attended by four huge, 
 clean, jolly, sable vagabonds, whose language, pecu- 
 liar pronunciation, and absurd attempts at jokes 
 amused me greatly, I resumed my journey by 
 railway to Baltimore. The view as you leave 
 Philadelphia is very beautiful. For some distance, as 
 you recede from the town, you behold the whole 
 city stretched out before you, forming a splendid 
 panorama. On the right, above the. town, are the 
 celebrated water-works by which it is suppHed with 
 water from the Schuylkill, and to the left is the 
 broad estuary of the Delaware, covered with vessels 
 of aU sizes, from the light pilot-boat to the lordly 
 three-decker. 
 
 We reached Baltimore the same evening. This 
 rapid journey southward causes, in the com-se of one 
 single day, a most sensible change in temperatm-e 
 and climate, such as we might perhaps experience in 
 the Old World, if we were to breakfast at Moscow, 
 and dine at Naples. 
 
 Into Baltimore, according to Jonathan's go-ahead 
 principles, we drove the train, right through the 
 streets, to the imminent, danger of the lives of its 
 peaceful citizens, though not of their liberties, there 
 being no barrier to prevent their getting up a little 
 Juggernaut oblation of themselves to their favourite 
 goddess. In the railway carriage, I sat next a 
 gentleman who, from natural pohteness, or from a 
 
CHAP. 1.] BALTIMORE BEAUTIES. 13 
 
 lively dread of Dickens and Txollope, restrained 
 himself from spitting out of the window, which was 
 at my other side ; hut when the exigencies of 
 expectoration required, took off his hat and tested 
 its waterproof qualities in a manner not yet usual in 
 this part of the world. I inferred from this that he 
 must have heard of the American in England, who 
 spitting across a fellow-passenger out of the window 
 of a stage-coach, learned how little his apology 
 was appreciated when he observed, " I guess I 
 cleared you." 
 
 Baltimore is mostly binlt of brick, but there are 
 also many handsome stone buildings, and it is 
 altogether a noble city. I had little time to see 
 much of it, but was struck with the principal streets, 
 which, both in size and paving, &c., ai-e equal to 
 any I ever saw. The shops are handsomely 
 lighted up in the evening, and the crowded streets 
 exhibited a numerous and well-dressed population; 
 I had heard of the beauty of the Baltimore women, 
 and was not disappointed in them, for I never saw so 
 many pretty faces before in so short a time. 
 
 A splendid fire took place that night in Baltimore, 
 which was extinguished, fortunately, without any 
 farther effects than giving us a good appetite for our 
 supper; the attack on which was most firrious, and 
 the consumption far more extensive than that of the 
 fire we had assisted to put out. 
 
14 UAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohai-. !■ 
 
 At Cumberland, we took the stage-coach across 
 the Alleghany range of mountains to Wheeling^ 
 •which is not far from the head of the navigation of 
 the river Ohio, An American stage-coach is a very 
 primitive, rough sort of conveyance, something like 
 the diligence on the Continent, but far stronger itf 
 construction, both as to wheels and springs, and 
 calculated to meet the very severe shocks to which 
 the nature and state of the roads necessarily subject- 
 it. It is built to accommodate, or rather torture, 
 nine persons inside, and as many outside as have 
 the skill or the courage to sit along with the 
 driver. This functionary is truly a wonderful man. 
 He drives four horses, at a very tolerable pace, over 
 a road where the depth of the ruts and the number 
 of stumps of trees baffle description. When the 
 wheel strikes one of the latter, the centrifugal effect 
 is subKme. The top of my head was so battered 
 against the roof of this notable conveyance, that, after 
 awhile, I preferred sharing the driver's fortunes out- 
 side, notwithstanding the cold encountered among 
 these hills, from which, however, the continual exer- 
 tion of clinging on was quite sufficient to prevent my 
 suffering. But how our Jehu contrived to drive, to 
 manage the drag (which he did by means of a screw 
 handle on his right), and to remain on the box, is a 
 mystery that to this day I am unable to solve. This 
 road the coachman declared to me to have been ' 
 
OHAP. I.] ALLEGHANIES. 15 
 
 usually a very good one, although it unavoidably fell 
 into a bad state of repair in winter. 
 
 I never saw a more beautiful range of mountains 
 than the Alleghanies — fuU of deep dark gorges and 
 ravines, through which the road winds, now under 
 lofty precipices, reminding me of some of the passes 
 in the Tyrol — now along a high crest of mountain, 
 overlooking a vast extent of beautiful country — ^now 
 through some thick primeval forest, capital lurking- 
 places for bears, wolves, and panthers, or painters, 
 as they are there called. During a great part of the 
 day, we travelled up the Monogahela Eiver, 
 celebrated all over the States for the whiskey made 
 along its banks. Every now and then we made a 
 rapid descent at full gallop down some deep gorge 
 filled with snow, into which, at this season, the 
 beams of the sun never penetrate. Coal of the 
 finest kind is found all through the Alleghanies in 
 greM quantities, and in the towns along the road 
 it is to be bought at four-and-sixpence a ton. 
 
 I reached Wheeling, heartily sick of stage-coach 
 travelling, but consoling myseK with the reflection 
 that the rest of my journey to New Orleans was to 
 be by the river. 
 
 Here I first beheld those justly-celebrated Ame- 
 rican river-steamboats, so indicative of the enterprise 
 and commercial prosperity of the country. By 
 means of these vessels, the productions of the most 
 
16 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. i. 
 
 remote parts of the interior are transferred to suit- 
 able markets at a trifling expense to the producer • 
 so that the furs and skins from the remotest savages, 
 the wheat and Indian corn of the agriculturist, the 
 cotton and the sugar of the planter, are rendered 
 valuable and profitable by the free choice among the 
 many market towns studding the baaks of its rivers, 
 from the remote Missouri, Ohio and Arkansas, to 
 New, Orleans, where the Mississippi, roUs its vast 
 united flood into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. 
 These boats are flat-bottomed, and not built with 
 a view to durability, a fact which, together with 
 the economical manner of their constructiony 
 render them often very dangerous to the lives and 
 limbs of the numerous passengers that crowd their 
 decks. 
 
 Much has bejen said of the comparative merits of 
 the high-pressure and low-pressure engines. But 
 I am inclined to believe that the high-pressure 
 engine would be quite sufficiently safe, provided the 
 captains of the boats were chosen a little more judi- 
 ciously from men conversant with steam-engines in 
 general, and particularly with the nature and capa. 
 bilities of the machinery under their command. It 
 is true there is a practical engineer immediately 
 controlling the said machinery ; but the poor felloW 
 is frequently obliged seriously to overtax the powers 
 of the engine, by the frantic anathemas of the 
 
OHAP. I.] GOING AHEAD. 17 
 
 captain — " D — n you, go ahead ! fire up there ! fire 
 up, will you ? " when excited either by the speed of a 
 boat astern of him, or by his eagerness to over- 
 haul a "tarnation oppositioner" ahead, who is no 
 doubt bent on securing all the passengers from the 
 next town on the river. 
 
 On account of the low state of the water in the 
 Ohio, I took my passage as far as Louisville in a 
 small stern-wheel boat. These steamers are driven 
 by one wheel only, which is placed astern; they 
 draw very little water, and are available in places 
 where others could not answer the purpose so well. 
 My travelling companions were very entertaining. 
 Their inquisitiveness amused more than it annoyed 
 me ; for I was prepared for it, by the accounts of 
 English authors, many of whom, I think, have 
 animadverted on it too severely. They certainly, so 
 far as I myself was concerned, quite compensated 
 me for their tendency to ask questions by their 
 great readiness in answering them, and I must say I 
 found a general willingness amongst them to be 
 communicative and obliging to a stranger, and the 
 greatest deference towards any one that spins a yarn 
 for them — a tendency to which I dare say most of my 
 brother sportsmen will confess. "Who has not, after 
 a hard and successful run in the pursuit of an elk, 
 or a fortunate skirmish with a bear, been inveigled 
 into a minute detail of the chase or contest, with a 
 
 
 
18 ' RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [oh^p. I. 
 
 description of every trivial circumstance from the 
 start to the death ? or, even after its lucky termination, 
 who has not dilated on the fine condition of the 
 animal, and the. size of its horns, boring you with 
 his sensations as he strides beside his weary horse, 
 heavily laden with the trophies of his successful 
 encounter ? However, we must hope that the world 
 is very charitable, and allows a fair license to sports- 
 men as well as to other enthusiasts. 
 
 The next day we were thrown into great confusion 
 on board, by the announcement that one of the ladies 
 was about to contribute an additional little member 
 to our society. At the time she was taken ill I was 
 sitting in the cabin talking to an amusing youngster 
 of some seventeen years of age. I could not 
 better describe him, than by referring my readers to 
 the portrait of Bob Sawyer, in " Pickwick," of whieh 
 character he very strongly reminded me. He wore 
 a rough blue coat, which he had decidedly outgrown, 
 for the sleeves were far up his arms ; shirt sleeves 
 he had none — at aU events they did not figure in the 
 visible of his costume, which really was very perfect 
 without them, especially as its style was consistently 
 maintained by a total absence of shirt-collar. He 
 for some time eagerly observed the lady's husband, 
 who was just then deploring the absence of medical 
 aid, and imploring the captain to do some such 
 impossibility as to put the vessel about, and go back 
 
CHAP. I.] A CLINICAL PROFESSOR. 19 
 
 again, when my Bob Sawyer broke in at the top of 
 his voice, with " Hullo, mister, now don't rile your- 
 self for nothing ; I'm a medical man, and passed m 
 clinicals, and will fix her nicely and handsomely ; " 
 then jumping up, and slapping the poor old negro 
 nurse (who was ia tears) on the shoulder, added, 
 " Come, look alive," and ran in to the assistance of 
 the invalid forthwith. In less than half an hour he 
 sauntered slowly back to his seat, and calling to a 
 friend, observed, "I say, Tom, an almighty fine boy, 
 and rich folks I calculate:" and then proceeded 
 to discuss with bim the propriety of asking twenty 
 dollars for " the job" as they termed it. Bob 
 Sawyer, in the difficulty of agreement, even doing 
 me the honour of appealing to me. I could only 
 suggest a valuation of the baby, and a commission of 
 so many cents on the dollar. This would not do 
 however. Tom was conscientious and firm, said 
 that it would not be right to tak& an unfair 
 advantage of the way in which the gentleman and 
 lady were circumstanced, and that his Mend ought 
 not to ask more than the regular fee of eight dollars. 
 "What the amount ultimately received by our 
 clinical professor was, I did not learn; but the 
 next morning I observed him called aside by the old 
 black nurse, who took him to visit her mistress, 
 whence he presently returned to me, vowing the 
 lady's husband to be "a real trump, and an almighty 
 
 , c 2 
 
20 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [oHAP. i. 
 
 fine gentleman, by G — ." We arrived that day at 
 St. Louis, where it had been the lady's intention to 
 have remained for her confinement and recovefy? 
 but the poor thing was obliged to stay on board 
 instead, and I felt for her when I heard the deafen^ 
 ing continuous roar of the steam-escapement close 
 to the cabin where she was a prisoner. 
 
 As I intended returning to Louisville again, I 
 stayed there but one day, and proceeded on another 
 boat bound for St. Louis (Missouri), as far as Cairo, 
 at the mouth of the Ohio, where that river joins the 
 Mississippi. On landing and looking about me I 
 soon became convinced that Cairo must be the spot 
 that suggested to Dickens his description of " Eden," 
 and Martin Chuzzlewit's and Mark Tapley's doings 
 there when bent on seeking their fortunes in the 
 Western States. Cairo really is a dreary waste; 
 great, exertions were once made to bank it up and 
 reclaim it by damming the rivers so as to form a 
 site for a market town ; but all attempts have 
 hitherto utterly failed, and it still is, as it will I 
 thiak long remain, an unhealthy swamp. The 
 hotel, when I was there, was a floating one, 
 constructed out of a condemned river steamer, the 
 lower part of which was fitted up as a store or shop, 
 the upper part requiring no change in its internal 
 arrangements. 
 
 I went out with my double-barrelled gun whilst 
 
OHAP. I.] LIFE IN A RIVBR STEAMER. 21 
 
 waiting for a New Orleans boat, and after some 
 wading brought back several ducks and quails. 
 Early next morning a Mississippi steamer passed, 
 and in her I took my passage for New Orleans. 
 " The Great Missouri " was then the most splendid 
 vessel on the river, and phed between St. Louis and 
 New Orleans. The ladies' sitting-room cabin was 
 most beautifully furnished, affording all the luxuries 
 of sofas, rocking-chairs, and a pianoforte. This 
 room, as in aU river steamers, is a continuation of 
 the general dining cabin, the ladies having the 
 power of shutting it off at any time in tlie evening 
 when they wish to retire by pushing together 
 concealed sliding doors, which meet in the middle. 
 The sleeping cabins are ranged along the sides of 
 this saloon, the doors opening inwards from it. 
 Each of them contains two berths, but when there 
 are not a great many passengers you can secure the 
 whole room to yourself by paying a little more than 
 the usual fare. Outside these, again, there is a 
 passage round on the deck of the steamer, enabling 
 the passengers to walk about in the open air 
 protected from the sun's rays by the hurricane deck, 
 and from this external walk there are glass doors 
 into the bed-rooms on the side opposite to that by 
 which you enter from the dining saloon. The 
 hurricane deck overhead is supported by stanchions, 
 connecting it with the passengers' deck on which it 
 
22 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES: [chap. t. 
 
 stands. On the liurricane deck, again, is placed- 
 the pilot's glass-house or caboose, covered vsith a 
 wooden roof rendered waterproof. From his position 
 he can command a good view of the river — a power 
 he stands much in need of in order to avoid the 
 numerous snags and shallows which perpetually 
 present themselves ahead, threatening, the safety of 
 the boat. I ought here perhaps to inform my reader? 
 that a " snag ' is a tree, or part of a large tree, 
 whose progress down the river has been arrested by 
 the accumulation of sand or earth or some such 
 cause, and as it is frequently quite hidden from 
 view, the experienced eye of the pilot alone can 
 discover its presence by the peculiar ripple of the 
 water at the spot where his dangerous enemy Ues 
 concealed. A keen power of observation in this 
 respect is only to be acquired by long attention and 
 practice, like that arrived at by the hunter who 
 tracks his game on the prairie. 
 
 We proceeded at a tremendous pace in this 
 beautiful boat, averaging eighteen or nineteen miles 
 an hour, the stream running strongly in our favour. 
 We passed vast tracts of forest on either side, chiefly" 
 consisting of cotton trees, presenting various suc- 
 cessions of growth, which have a very pretty effect, 
 and are caused by the river, on account of its abrupt 
 curves, continually changing its course, and those 
 banks of sand and mud which it conseqiiently 
 
OHAP. 1.] LIFE IN A EIVEK STEAMER. 23 
 
 abandons receiving from the wings of the wind into 
 their genial soil the seeds shed by the old patriarchal 
 trees. The successive gradations of the miniature 
 woods thus formed make a pleasing variety in the 
 otherwise monotonous character of the landscape, 
 and often suggested to me reflections on the simi- 
 larity in the human world of the progress of 
 population from mother countries to their colonies. 
 The principal use made of the cotton tree is to 
 provide fuel for the steamers, which is hewn down, cut 
 up, and piled by contract on the river's bank, and 
 carried on board by the crew called the deck hands 
 of the steamer. This operation of taking in wood 
 oecurs about three times in the twenty-four hours, 
 and occupies about an hour and a half at each time, 
 the men having to carry the logs on their shoulders 
 along a couple of planks thrown out from the side 
 of the boat on to the bank ; so that you can 
 frequently go ashore while the boat is " wooding." 
 
 Life on board a river boat resembles life at an 
 hotel, only it is a great deal pleasanter. A beU rings 
 a little after sunrise : you get up and proceed to the 
 washing-house, next to which, by paying a few cents, 
 you can have a bath. At your exit from this you 
 win most likely find a grinning negro barber bowing 
 and scraping at the bath-room door, soliciting per- 
 mission to test upon your chia, for a trifliag consi- 
 deration, his powers of easy shaving. That operation 
 
24 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, i.' 
 
 has tardly terminated when you hear the bar-keepepi' 
 vociferating, "Now, then, gentlemen, come on; 
 come on; choose your drinks. What sjiall I fix 
 you, sir ? " , Then commences the dynasty of 
 brandy-smashes, mint-juleps, gin-slings, and 
 wiiskey-cocktails, and you may finally observe 
 some of the gentlemen sitting down to breakfast with 
 tears in their eyes, the effect of some awful gulp of 
 alcohol and wormwood, elegantly denominated a 
 phlegm-cutter. A bell gives the signal for breakfast, 
 but even before that time you will see each man 
 standing behind his chair, holding it tightly by the 
 back, and ready to vault into his as soon as the iron 
 tongue, impelled by Snowball's sable arm, strikes 
 the galvanic shock among the guests. 
 , The Captaia sits at the head of the table and his 
 lieutenant at the foot ; opposite to each of these 
 gentlemen is plalced a large ■ dish of hissing hot 
 beefsteaks, on a pewter receiver filled with hot 
 water, which is kept boiling by a spirit-lamp placed 
 underneath. The guests are attended by negro 
 servants, who hand about coffee, tea, &c. After the 
 first breakfast is served the second breakfast,- for the 
 officers and those that are not exactly passengers,, 
 after which follows the third breakfast, for the 
 people of colour. The passengers, while aU this is 
 going • on, sit outside and in front of the cabin 
 smoking, and reading the papers, which they always 
 
OHAP. I.] LIFE IN A RIVER STEAMER. 25 
 
 have the opportunity of exchanging for later news 
 at the different towns where they touch for freight 
 or passengers. Your day passes cheerfully from the 
 consciousness of proceeding at a rapid rate towards 
 your destination, coupled with the enjoyment of 
 being able to read and write at your ease, and 
 having plenty of room to eat, drink, smoke, and 
 enjoy yourself. Previous to the announcement of 
 dinner, the passengers again assemble at the bar, 
 the keeper of which is at his post, displaying 
 prodigies of activity in supplying the demands of 
 his customers, some of whom keep him pretty well 
 employed until the dishing of dinner commences, 
 when they fly to their chairs as at breakfast. 
 During dinner scarcely anything was drunk but 
 water. After the cloth was removed the company 
 removed themselves, and not even a glass of wine 
 was called for. I completely failed in getting an 
 amusing acquaintance to assist me in discussing a 
 bottle of Madeira, the invariable answer to my re- 
 quest being, " I thank you, I have eaten my dinner." 
 The habit of taking these stimulating drinks 
 before eating is attributable to the relaxing influ- 
 ences of the climate in the southern States; the 
 stomach requiring a kind of tonic to provoke an 
 appetite and strengthen digestion. I do not think 
 the habit a good one, having always found, in my 
 experience of hot climates, that stimulants do more 
 
26 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUEES. [chap. 
 
 harm than good when taken with the view of 
 acquiring an appetite ; the safest way being to wait 
 without eating until the appetite arrives, or, if 
 possible, treat yourself to half an hour's sleep before 
 dinner. I subsequently found that in the large 
 towns the custom of drinking wine in the English 
 way, i. e., leisurely and sociably after dinner, is 
 gradually becoming the habit of the wealthier and 
 more influential merchants. 
 
 Occasionally, though not frequently, you meet the 
 most eligible society on board the large river steam- 
 boats, particularly when the hot season induces many 
 of the higher classes of society to migrate north- 
 wards, at which period they frequently form parties to 
 travel together ; and on these occasions, when the 
 party thus formed has been so attractive as to 
 include many agreeable young ladies, I have often 
 IcQown young men (old acquaintances, perhaps) join 
 it expressly for the river voyage and the pleasure of 
 their society, and enjoy lots of music and dancing 
 in the spacious ladies' saloon purposely fitted up for 
 that object. 
 
 "We proceeded rapidly southward, passing frequent 
 cotton plantations, which afford almost constant 
 light work to the negroes, both in keeping the crop 
 free from weeds, and finally gathering it; tiU, at 
 last, the whirUng panorama on each side of us 
 rolled Missouri and Arkansas from our view 
 
CHAP. I.] NEW ORLEANS. 27 
 
 revealing to our eyes the lands and sugar-planta- 
 tions of Louisiana. 
 
 As you approach New Orleans the scene becomes 
 very interesting, and the eye is greeted with a 
 strange contrast of luxuriant plantations studded with 
 orange trees, where aromatic shrubs and rare plants 
 may be traced to the gentle hand and graceful taste 
 of the high-born Creole lady, gradually and diffi- 
 dently intruding themselves on the vast outskirts of 
 dreary forest, dismal swamp, and impenetrable 
 cane brake. New Orleans cannot fail to strike a 
 visitor with vivid emotions of pleasure and surprise. 
 It is, you may say, reclaimed from the river by 
 banks called " levees," somewhat in the same 
 manner as in Holland. The town is divided into 
 several municipalities, and though these are sepa- 
 rated one from another by but a single street, yet 
 on one side of it you may imagine yourself in 
 England, and on the other forget that you are not 
 in France — so strongly are the characteristic dif- 
 ferences marked in all you see around you ; in the 
 buildings, manners, even in the sign-boards over the 
 stores and shops, which are printed in different 
 languages . in the opposite municipalities. This 
 difference is quite as remarkable in the inhabitants 
 themselves. The American is essentially English, 
 despite his affectation of the contrary ; he is so in 
 his business habits, in his conversation, in his 
 
28 
 
 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap- !■ 
 
 preference for spending his evenings at home with 
 his wife and family, instead of at public amuse- 
 ments. The Creole, although his position may be 
 that of a man of business, is yet quite wanting in 
 the daring speculation and unremitting industry of 
 the Anglo-Saxon; seeking to support himself by 
 economy and bargaining, while the American is 
 striving to increase his fortune by extending his' 
 operations. It is of his time, not of his money, that 
 he is economical ; of his dollars indeed he is most 
 liberal, and frequently lavish. The Creole considers*^ 
 his business at a certain hour of the day terminated, 
 and his unambitious evening is devoted to the 
 journal, the Theatre Fran9ais, and a cup of coffee? 
 The American, if occasion require, will bum the 
 midnight oil in his of&ce, and may often be found at 
 two o'clock in the morning winding up the pressure 
 of additional business for the departure of the 
 weekly British steamer. 
 
 Upon landing I went to the St. Charles Hotel, 
 an enormous building in Grecian architecture, with 
 a fine St. Paul's-hke dome, more resembling a large's 
 cathedral than a hotel, and presenting a most 
 imposing appearance from the river. There, 
 however, I did not remain long, for on presenting 
 my letters of introduction I dined with some new 
 friends, who persuaded me most kindly to take up 
 my residence in their house during my stay. 
 
CHAP. I.] CREOLE LADIES. 29 
 
 There is a great charm about New Orleans : the 
 old style of Spanish architecture wraps round it a 
 feeling of romance which, alas ! there is so much in 
 America's civilisation calculated to suppress. 
 
 The verandalis, partes cocheres, and small Creole 
 houses, built of wood, only one story high and 
 opening into the street, are very picturesque. 
 I enjoyed myself greatly there, and shall never 
 forget the kindness and hospitality that greeted me 
 on every side. Among the Creoles there is a 
 simplicity and cordiality that soon induces the 
 stranger to feel himself at home with them, parti- 
 cularly if he is from " la Grande Bretagne," in 
 which case he is sure to meet with an universal 
 welcome. 
 
 I ought here perhaps, to explain to my readers 
 the strict meaning of the term " Creole ; " at all 
 events the sense in which the word is used in 
 America. Creole means born in the country; and 
 the term is generally applied to the :des'cendants of 
 the old French and Spanish founders of the colony : 
 indeed you could not offend or hurt the feelings of a 
 Creole gentleman or lady more, than by supposing 
 either of them even in the remotest degree of 
 coloured origin. The marked distiaction which I 
 found in the French and English parts of the town, 
 as I have akeady described, I found as strongly 
 characterised among the inhabitants. The Creole, 
 
30 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUKES. [ohap. i. 
 
 rich or poor, you can easily distinguish, hy the 
 i'rench cut of his clothes and hat, and perhaps 
 a French-trimmed heard. Probably he is dirty 
 and unshaven, chary of displaying too much or too 
 clean linen. Look at the American over the way as 
 he rolls along, his clothes not made by " a tarnation 
 French snip," but aU bought at the ready-made 
 clothes store : his face is well shaven, and although 
 he wears a beard it is not allowed to trespass on the 
 chin : he wears no gloves, but his hands are always 
 clean, and so is his scrupulously white linen, of 
 which he makes rather an extensive display, for he 
 seldom wears a waistcoat, and his loose coat is 
 always unbuttoned. In his bosom he wears a large 
 pin, may be a diamond, may be a piece of glass. 
 Well, go ahead Jonathan : with all your faults (and 
 which of us is without them ?) you are a fine noble 
 fellow ! 
 
 How difficult it is to admire and appreciate with- 
 out comparing ! Comparisons are odious ; but avoid 
 them you cannot, when the contrast between the 
 American and the Creole lady is so strongly pre- 
 sented to the stranger's observation as on his intro- 
 duction to New Orleans society. The poor American 
 lady is like an exotic plant. In the first place, the 
 climate disagrees with her ; she is languid from the 
 heat, and her good looks rapidly fade. Then she 
 dresses badly, though expensively; her choice of 
 
CHAP. I.] CREOLE LADIES. 31 
 
 colours is extensive but not good, and when she is 
 dressed her clothes cling about much as you could 
 fancy they would had she fallen into the river and 
 been drawn out again. If she dances she does so 
 awkwardly, and a quadrille or two (for she seldom 
 ventures on a higher flight) soon fatigues her. 
 
 The Creole, on the contrary, combiaes the naivete 
 of the Spanish girl, with the polished elegance 
 of the French lady whose toilet she scrupulously 
 imitates. Though not expensively dressed, her 
 beautifully rounded figure is attired with an 
 exquisite neatness that makes her at once the 
 ornament of the opera and the light and life of the 
 baU-room. She is passionately fond of dancing, in 
 the enjoyment of which she is as gracefiil as she is 
 indefatigable. 
 
 I had taken apartments ia the Eue Eoyale, 
 situated in the old Spanish-looking part of the town. 
 The similarity of many of its buildings led me into 
 a strange mistake, which I mention here as indicative 
 of the absence of all apprehension of danger at night 
 from robbers or any other cause. On my return 
 from an evening party, I wandered up and down the 
 Eue Eoyale by the light of a beautiful moon, 
 which was then at its full, at which time the lamps 
 in the streets are not lighted, nor indeed are they 
 needed, and the absence of all artificial light 
 greatly contributed to the beauty of the quaint old 
 
32 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. I. 
 
 Spanish buildings along the street as they reflected 
 the moonbeams in strong relief -with the dark 
 shadows they show in their wake. The weather 
 being very warm, doors were thrown open, muslin 
 and gauze curtains fluttered from open windows, as 
 if waving in invitation to the cooHng night breeze to 
 come and refresh the slumbers of those who heavily 
 slept inside. After wandering up and down some 
 time, while finishing my half-smoked cigar, I 
 suddenly became aware that I was unable to dis- 
 cover my lodgings, my observation of that morning 
 not having been sufficiently accurate to enable me to 
 recognise any difference between one house and 
 anpther in the pale uncertain moonlight. After a 
 little hesitation, I entered that which I thought most 
 probable to be the right one, and passing througli 
 the porte cochh-e, I went upstairs, found doors and 
 windows aU thrown open ; and I continued for some 
 time wandering through rooms where the gilding 
 of beautiful pictures glanced in the moonlight. I 
 had not gone far when I felt I had mistaken the 
 house. Curiosity, however, induced me to wander 
 a little further before retracing my steps. My 
 situation forcibly reminded me of the account of 
 Don Alphonso, in Gil Bias, when driven by the 
 storm to take shelter in the old Spanish house, 
 through which he continued wandering from room 
 to room, amidst splendid furniture, partially lighted 
 
CHAP. I.] NIGHT ADVENTURE. 33 
 
 by expiring lamps, until he reached the apartment 
 of Seraphiae, where he found the beautiful widow 
 sleeping heavily and uneasily, through the sultry 
 Spanish midsummer night. These reflections, how- 
 ever, were quickly interrupted by a lady's voice, 
 calling out, "Who is there?" I rephed hastily, 
 informing her of my having taken apartments in the 
 Eue Eoyale that morning, and also of having for- 
 gotten both the number of the house and the name 
 of its owner. " Was it Mr. So and So's, or was it 
 Colonel S.," she kindly suggested; but quite in 
 vain, nothing could bring it back to my memory. 
 "Well!" at length she replied, "as my brother is 
 gone to the country, you can sleep in his room to- 
 night. Take the first turn at the foot of the steps, 
 cross the large landing-place, and go into the room 
 at the head of the large stairs. Stay ; I will give 
 you a light." After a short pause, I heard, at the 
 other side of the closed door, a crackling noise, 
 announcing the ignition of a lucifer match, and 
 immediately afterwards a Ughted candle made its 
 appearance, as well as a very pretty little jewelled 
 hand, neatly pressed at the wrist with a very pretty 
 little lace friU. Having taken the proffered candle^ 
 I -thanked my hostess, and easily found my way to 
 the room she had described, where I slept most 
 comfortably. In the morning I was awakened by 
 an old negro woman, who brought me a cup of 
 
34 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. i. 
 
 coffee, returning, before my toilet was completed, 
 with a pair of handsome ivory-backed hair-brushes 
 belonging to her mistress, together with her 
 compliments to know if I had slept well. I made 
 acquaintance with Mrs. C, the heroine of this 
 adventure, in society afterwards. She laughed 
 heartily at it, and said she had not been in the 
 least alarmed. The idea of any one having come 
 in to rob the house had never entered her head. 
 
 Soon after my arrival at New Orleans, I accom- 
 panied Colonel White on a visit to his sugar- 
 plantation, about thirty miles down the river. He 
 had been away for some time ; his arrival in the 
 evening was, therefore, a signal for general rejoicing 
 among his negroes, who lighted a bonfire on the 
 bank of the river to celebrate the event. I was 
 much struck at the evident delight they evinced at 
 seeing him once more among them, as the more 
 favoured ones crowded round to shake hands with 
 him. How different, thought I, from our precon- 
 ceived notions in England, of the condition of 
 negroes in the Slave States of America, an impres- 
 sion stiU further confirmed, when I subsequently 
 visited their neat little dwellings. 
 
 The Colonel's house was very comfortable, sm-- 
 rounded by a beautiful, well-kept garden ; and by his 
 sugar plantation — a very extensive one, and admirably 
 weU managed. 
 
onAi". I.] COLONEL WHITE'S. 35 
 
 Early the next morning, a neatly dressed old 
 negro woman, with a coloured cotton handkerchief 
 tied round her head, awoke me, bringing me at the 
 same time a cup of hot, strong coffee, to assist me 
 in shaking off the shackles of the drowsy god. I 
 then rose, dressed, and joined the Colonel in a ride 
 through his plantation, returned to a capital break- 
 fast, after which we visited the different houses and 
 machineries connected with the manufacture of the 
 cane ; the Colonel, from time to time, endeavouring 
 to initiate me into the mysteries of sugar. At ten 
 o'clock we dined, after which I started off to wage 
 war on the snipes, which I found in abundance in 
 and around where cane had been, and in swampy 
 patches where the reeds were cut away. The 
 Colonel continued riding about on horseback con- 
 templating tlie sport. In many places the reeds 
 were so thick that it was difficult to find those 
 birds that happened to fall dead ; however, I 
 bagged twenty-one brace out of twenty-three and 
 a half, to the great satisfaction of the Colonel, 
 who enjoyed the sport quite as much as myself, 
 accompanying the fall of each bird with a hearty 
 cheer. 
 
 In the evening, the Colonel produced a bottle of 
 old Irish whiskey; giving me, after supper, and 
 over our tumbler of punch, an admirable description 
 of the battle of New Orleans at which he was 
 
35 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. i, 
 
 liimself present, being an aide-de-camp and par- 
 ticular friend of General Jackson's ; the attack of 
 the English he described as a splendid one, but, 
 considering the circumstances under which the 
 Americans were entrenched, and effectually pro- 
 tected by their admirable breast-work of cottop 
 bales, it must have been — as the event subsequently 
 proved — a most imadvisable undertaking. The 
 Colonel, indeed, with an oath, declared it the most 
 frantic piece of infatuation on the part of the English 
 General, only to be accounted for on the suppositiqi 
 of his being drunk at the time. 
 
 The lie of snipes is most tmcertain, and the 
 place where they abound to-day wiU be abandoned 
 by them to-morrow. The following day, I found but 
 five birds on the spot which had afforded me the 
 greatest number of shots the day before ; of these 
 I fired at and shot three, and the next day — ^befor^ 
 starting to New Orleans — -I ran out and finished 
 the other two, before the steamer arrived by which 
 we returned to town in the evening. On my retum 
 to New Orleans, I found a grand musical perform- 
 ance, in the shape of an Oratorio in process of 
 rehearsal, for the purpose of raising funds to defray, 
 the expenses of the new organ for the large Episco- 
 palian Church in Canal Street, and aU the musical 
 amateurs in the town hard at work getting up 
 the oratorio of " David," composed by Sigismond' 
 
CHAP. I.] ORATORIO OF " DAVID." 87 
 
 Neukoimn. The conductor, Mr. Courteau, who 
 was acquainted with me, requested me to join, and 
 persuaded me to take one of the solo parts. 
 
 Shortly after this, the general rehearsal came 
 off in the church, with organ and orchestra. The 
 choruses went beautifully; hut the solos were 
 decided failures, the amateur voicies not being either 
 sufficiently powerful nor sufficiently trained to sup- 
 port solo parts in so large a building, with an 
 orchestra. The committee were obliged to obtain 
 the assistance of the singers of the Italian Opera — 
 Madame Fleur Jolie (Prima-Donna), Madame Favi, 
 Mrs. Wilcox, and the tenore, M. Duffet ; aU of 
 whom offered their services, without remuneration. 
 The basso, however, was too mercenary to follow 
 their example ; I was, therefore, obliged to sing his 
 part as well as my own. "When Goliath, therefore, 
 was defunct, I appeared again as King Saul, much to 
 the amusement of several of my friends, who declared 
 that " I took a vast deal of killing, by G — ." 
 
 I remained several weeks in New Orleans, with 
 my kind friends, passing my time very pleasantly 
 at balls, dinner-parties, and excursions to Lake 
 Pontchartrain, and took my leave amidst hearty 
 farewells and faithful promises to return again to 
 New Orleans. 
 
3S RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ii. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arkansas forests. — Deer shooting. — ^The Majors good shots. — ^Fire-P«n- 
 hTinting. — ^Fine fet Bncks. — Still-hirating. — First night in the 
 Woods. — ^Panther shot. — Black bait for an Alligator. — ^Assassmk- 
 tion of a Bear. 
 
 I PEOCEEDED up the Mississippi and Arkansor 
 rivers, liaving determined to try huntuig in the 
 Arkansas country, of which I had heard a very good 
 report. I introduced myself to Mr. Keatts, the 
 owner of a fine cotton plantation, who hospitably 
 welcomed me to his house, and proposed my 
 remaining a day or two with him, at the end of 
 which time, he promised to accompany me to his 
 brother-in-law's, about twenty miles distant, which 
 place he recommended me to make my head- quarters. 
 
 My host's residence was a handsome, com- 
 fortable house, built of wood, its large roof and 
 wide surrounding verandah rendering it very 
 picturesque. The day on which I arrived was 
 oppressively hot, so, in the evening, we sat out in the 
 verandah sipping our coffee and smoking our cigai^ 
 and surveying the lovely moonlight sfjene before us. 
 
OHAP. 11.] ARKANSAS FORESTS. 39 
 
 The climate was Italian ; in the foreground, the 
 moon's rays capriciously displayed the very beau- 
 tiful shrubs and flowers with which Keatts had so 
 tastefully ornamented his garden, and, behind them, 
 the colossal forms of forest trees, not planted by 
 man's hand. Silence, however, was far from 
 reigning over the scene ; my European ears being 
 bewildered with the quaint, yet not discordant cries 
 of the Whip-poor-WUl, interrupted every now and 
 then, as if impatiently and angrily, by the cry of his 
 rival chatterer, Whip-poor-Will's-widow* — sounds 
 differing so much from those of our little musical 
 birds, as strongly to remind me of absence from 
 home, of a new world, and of a creation where " night 
 unto night showeth knowledge." The fire-flies, too, 
 literally " glanced among myrtle-boughs, as if dis- 
 tracted by the incessant cheeping of gigantic 
 grasshoppers." 
 
 Two days afterwards, we were joined by Keatts's 
 
 * The Whip-poor-Will is rendered interesting by the mysterious 
 veneration in which he is held by so many of our fair friends in 
 Arkansas, who evidently (although unwilling to confess it) deem 
 him a bird of ill omen. He is a species of the Goatsucker tribe, of a 
 dark-brown colour, with black stripes, and curiously mottled ; head 
 not so dark, with an enormous mouth; a strong bill, slightly 
 curved at the extremity ; and is furnished, no doubt for the greater 
 facility of securing his prey, with long whalebone-like hairs extend- 
 ing beyond the bill. He feeds on insects, is seldom seen on the 
 wing in the day-time, and flies close to the ground, and like a swallow. 
 The Whip-poop-WiU's-widow is very like him ; but perhaps a different 
 species, and not so large. 
 
40 RAMBLES AND A&VENTURES. [osap. tt. 
 
 brother, an excellent deer hunter, and we aU three 
 moved off next morning on horseback to the brother- 
 in-law's, with guns, saddle-bags, &c. ; and, on the 
 next day after our arrival, sallied forth to commence 
 our hunting ; Keatts, who, though an excellent shot, 
 was not a strong man, or capable of enduring 
 much fatigue, taking my double-barrel, intending to 
 operate with buck-shot, while his brother and I 
 shouldered our rifles. After riding for a few miles 
 through the most beautiful and Ukely forest, and 
 along glades of inviting scrub-oak, we came to what 
 is called a deer-lick. These deer-licks are either 
 deposits of salt or patches of land strongly impreg- 
 nated with salt, to which the deer are attracted, 
 probably by feeling themselves surfeited with the 
 rank grass on wMch they browse, for they generally 
 feed early in the morning and late in the evening, 
 and the time when they are chiefly to be found at 
 the licks, is after noon and before midnight. 
 
 Arrived at a well-known Uck, we unsaddled our 
 horses and picketted them, and contrived, by lighting 
 a fire to windward of them, and supplying it with a 
 heap of green wood, to envelop the poor animals in 
 the smoke it created, in order, as much as possible, 
 to protect them from the attacks of the flies, 
 which prove a perfect pest in this country. THb 
 accomplished, Keatts clambered up into a tree 
 commanding a good view of the lick, armed with 
 
CHAP. II.] A FRIEND IN A DIFFICULTY. 41 
 
 my double-barrelled gun, while we, with our long 
 rifles, went to seek our fortunes in a rather 
 more laborious way. 
 
 We agreed, if possible, to meet on the bank of a 
 little stream, and halt for mid-day, it being then 
 the height of summer. After each had hunted 
 some time unsuccessfully, we met at our rendezvous, 
 but had hardly lighted our fire, when we were 
 roused by the snorting and whistling of a deer. 
 I raised myself slowly on one knee, and fortunately, 
 before he could bound away back into the thicket, 
 planted a bullet behind his shoulder. He dashed 
 forward with his head thrust downwards for a few 
 paces, rolled over, and expired. I was rather pleased 
 at my success, and, immediately, set to work at 
 skinning him, alas ! how awkwardly H I had more 
 difficulty in removing the skin from that one deer, 
 than I should have found, twelve months afterwards, 
 in shredding off the hides of two bison bulls. But, 
 though my companion assisted me, we had hardly 
 flayed and cut up our game, when I heard my 
 double-barrel go off with a tremendous report. 
 " Hullo, Harry ! " I exclaimed, " that report is too 
 strong for my gun; I am sure all's not right;" and, 
 so strongly were my suspicions raised, that we 
 l)oth started off to see whether anything really was 
 the matter. We w.ere not far from the deer-lick 
 vvhere we had left Keatts, when we heard him as we 
 
42 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, ii, 
 
 approached, feebly calling "Help ! help ! " and found 
 the poor fellow lying at the foot of the tree in which 
 we had left him perched like a squirrel that morning, 
 but now hardly able to speak from pain and exhaus- 
 tion, and a fine fat buck (much larger than the one I 
 had killed) lying about fourteen paces off. The 
 catastrophe was in this wise. Keatts, perched up 
 on the branch, contrived in some way or other to let 
 off both barrels of the gun together at the deer,.the 
 result of which was the simultaneous downfal of 
 sportsman, gun, and game. The poor fellow was 
 considerably hurt, but much more frightened ; for- 
 tunately, however, no bones were broken, which, from 
 the height of the branch and the distance he must have 
 fallen, was rather surprising. "We paid dear for our 
 sport that day. Poor Keatts was laid up in ordinary 
 for a couple of weeks at least, and I had the felicity of 
 beholding my poor double-barrel shattered to pieces. 
 We continued deer-shooting for a few days longer, 
 after which my friend was obliged to return to one 
 of his plantations. The house of his brother-in-lawj 
 Mr. Thibault, was a pleasant hospitable cottage, and 
 himself an excellent sportsman. "We rose at day- 
 break, breakfasted at sun-rise on fried venison and 
 pork, corn dodgers, and coffee, and then saUied forth 
 to our shooting, seldom returning before supper- 
 tune, after various success, sometimes unfortunate 
 and sometimes with horses heavy laden with the 
 
CHAP. II.] PAN-HUNTING. 43 
 
 spoils of our hmit. After supper we used to 
 chat over our adventures for awhile, and then 
 turned in for the night. 
 
 One evening we determined to go out pan- 
 hunting, a species of sport, which, for the edification 
 of my hrethren on this side of the Atlantic, I must 
 endeavour to explain. It is a method of hunting 
 deer at night. An iron pan attached to a long 
 stick serving as a handle, is carried in the left 
 hand over the left shoulder; near where the left 
 hand grasps the handle is a small projecting stick, 
 forming a fork on which to rest the rifle in firing. 
 The pan is filled with burning pine knots, which 
 being saturated with turpentine, shed a brilliant and 
 constant light all round, shining into the eyes of 
 any deer that may come in that direction and 
 making them look like two balls of fire. The effect 
 is most curious to those unaccustomed to it, and 
 surprised me very much the first time that a deer 
 came and stared at my light. I drew up my rifle, 
 aimed as well as I was able, for I could but imper- 
 fectly trace the line of my sight, although marked 
 with chalk (a plan we adopt when shooting wild 
 ducks by night in England), and fired, but my 
 inquisitive buck bounded off unscathed, as did 
 another at which I had a tolerably fair shot also 
 that night. 
 
 ,My friend, however, bagged one, whereupon 
 
44 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [OTAF- h. 
 
 we halted, and having lighted our fire in a nice 
 spot surrounded by giant trees, sat down by the 
 side of it, and, lulled by its cheerful crackling, 
 alternately dozed and chatted tUl I forgot my 
 disappointment at failing in pan-hunting, and 
 composed myself to sleep. My companion, how- 
 ever, having killed his deer was in great spirits and 
 talkative ; so finding it quite impossible to baulk Ms 
 communicative humour I roused myself by filling 
 and lighting my pipe, and made up my mind to 
 listen. " WeU, now ; I vow," said he, " this pan- 
 hunting is an almighty dangerous sort of thing,' 
 only to think on what happened the Major about 
 this time two years." (My readers must know that 
 the Major in question had that morning breakfaste'4 
 with us.) " It's not forgotten yet ; we rile him still 
 about it." " Well," I replied, " I remember yOU 
 alluded to something this morning which had 
 happened to him that seemed to me to amuse yoil 
 much more than it amused the Major." "Amused 
 him ! " he exclaimed, " well now, I'll tell you the 
 whole perticklers, and if you think it ought to have 
 amused him I'll eat my hat, and that's a fact. Well, 
 now; here goes. About this time two years the 
 Major takes it into his head to go out pan-hunting; 
 now, he never was at no time anything of a hunter, 
 in no-ways : but away he goes one dark night, and 
 as soon as he sees glaring before him the eyes- of a 
 
CHAP, n.] SUNDAY IN ARKANSAS. 45 
 
 fine tarnation big buck, he draws his bead {anglici 
 sight of rifle) upon him, and downs him. Up gets 
 another, and off a Httle way. ' That must be the 
 doe,' thinks the Major, so he loads up, and away he 
 goes after her, and soon comes up facing her again : 
 crack goes his rifle again, and he downs her too. 
 Well ; he thought he had played this time, so he 
 makes his way home, fixes himself a stiff drink, and 
 iuto bed, and in the morning starts a couple of 
 niggers with an old horse to bring home the meat : 
 but, behold you ! no tidiags of the deer, so he goes 
 off himself, and when he got to the place. Holy 
 Moses ! what should he see, stark and stiff before 
 him, but his beautifol brood mare plummed right 
 between the eyes, and about twenty steps further the 
 foal, too, dead enough this time, and no mistake." 
 
 Soon after the completion of my friend's story 
 morning dawned — Sunday morning ! None can so 
 well appreciate " the breezy call of incense-breathiag 
 morn " as those who have felt the bracing influence 
 of a fine night's sleep in the forests of the West. 
 The blue robia flutters among the boughs; the 
 mocking-bird ridicules the jay's cry of disappoint-, 
 ment at the still unripe fruit ; the woodpecker 
 hammers for his food on the hollow trunks of the 
 decrepit giants of the forest; earth and air are 
 again full of life. 
 
 The rich vegetation ia this hot climate, and its 
 
46 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. n. 
 
 rapid decomposition and reproduction, give birth to 
 
 a vast quantity of insect life, for the consumption of 
 
 which nature has provided great numbers of the 
 
 different species of woodpecker. This bird is 
 
 furnished not only with a formidably long bill, but 
 
 with a tongue which he can protrude considerably 
 
 beyond the extremity of it, and which is armed with 
 
 barbs enabling him to reach and spear the insect at 
 
 once iu the decayed wood between the clefts of the 
 
 bark. If he cannot, he taps away on the hollow 
 
 part, making a sufficient concussion to detach 
 
 his prey from the bark inside and cause it t6 
 
 roU down into some cavity or place where he can 
 
 secure it ; for, unassisted by his wings, he has the 
 
 power of runniag all over the stems of the trees 
 
 which form his hunting-grounds. In addition to 
 
 this facility, he is enabled to maintain a stationary 
 
 position by forcing the stiff feathers with which his 
 
 tail is provided, against the inequalities in the bark : 
 
 besides this, he is further assisted by the backward 
 
 growth of two of his claws. The finest specimen of 
 
 these birds is the ivory-bill woodpecker, whose 
 
 operations I have often watched with much interest 
 
 and amusement. By sticking his bm on different 
 
 portions along the stem of the tree, he seems, by the 
 
 sound, to discover, where a hollow exists, and the 
 
 moment he is satisfied of having found a valuable 
 
 place, like au accomplished little woodsman, the 
 
CHAP. II.] MORE PAN-HUNTING. 47 
 
 bird drives his powerful bill, causing the chips to 
 fly, till he has succeeded in hewing his way into a 
 luxurious colony of insects. 
 
 We secured our horses at sunrise, packed our 
 solitary deer, and returned to breakfast. All the 
 household we found busily engaged in making the 
 necessary arrangements to receive the preacher, a 
 most excellent, humble man, who undertook four 
 different districts of the country, visiting each place 
 alternately once a month. I was surprised at the 
 nimiber of our Kttle congregation, many of whom had 
 come from some distance to attend. The discourse 
 was both instructive and void of pretension, com- 
 mencing and terminating with prayers, partly 
 from the Church of England Liturgy and partly 
 extempore. When it was concluded, we all sat 
 down to dinner. At each side of me was a fine 
 blooming Arkansas lass, who had ridden twenty- 
 four miles through the woods to this primitive, but 
 sincere, service. 
 
 The afternoon of the day following I occupied 
 in cleaning my rifle, and spHciag the handle of my 
 fire-pan, and at night started off again with my kind 
 host to make a iresh attempt at this, to me, novel 
 and amusiag way of hunting. We proceeded on 
 foot to a favourite lick for stags ; for, strange to 
 say, there are some licks to which stags only repair, 
 and where a doe is seldom or never found. Near 
 
48 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [cs^s. 
 
 this we halted, and collected, and with our litt 
 
 axe dressed up the pine knots for our hunting 
 
 pans, besides a spare supply which we kept at oi 
 
 rendezvous. The night was most favourable, bein 
 
 pitch-dark, and after creeping about for sometime, 
 
 beheld, from the light thrown from my pan, a pai 
 
 of shining balls of fire moving up and down a shoi 
 
 distance off. At first I took them for fireflies ; bul 
 
 on more attentive observation, I saw, by thai 
 
 simultaneous motion, that they must be the eyes of 
 
 deer. After groping a little farther in that directioi 
 
 the eyes again appeared, and as they began t 
 
 approach, the distance between them seemed gra 
 
 dually to increase, like the lamps of a travelling 
 
 carriage to a spectator watchiag its progress toward 
 
 him, till the animal came so near that I covli 
 
 trace his outline ; so, holding my pan steadily oi 
 
 my shoulder with the left hand, I raised my rifli 
 
 with the right, the barrel resting ia the notch before 
 
 mentioned, and suspecting, that, at night, from no 
 
 being able to determine the hind sight, one is apt t( 
 
 shoot high in catching the front one clearly, ] 
 
 aimed so low that I could hardly, from force of habit 
 
 persuade myself to pull the trigger. When I fired 
 
 the deer gave a convulsive bound into the shades o: 
 
 night, and I thought he was lost. Presentiy, anothei 
 
 came, and, as soon as he approached withia abou 
 
 thirty paces, as well as I could judge by th( 
 
CHAP. II.] PAN-HUNTING. 49 
 
 appearance of the eyes (for I could not see his 
 outline), he began to snort and whistle, " Wheeoo, 
 whoo," which indicated plainly three things to me : — 
 First, that the deer I had just fired at was struck 
 and bleeding. Secondly, that this one smelt the 
 blood. Thirdly, that there was, therefore, no chance 
 of my getting a nearer shot, and that I had very little 
 time to lose if I intended to fire at aU. I, therefore, 
 drew up my rifle, aimed a foot under the eyes, and 
 pulled the trigger. All was silent : the eyes had 
 disappeared. I listened eagerly, but heard nothing, 
 loaded again, and waited a long time. Then I heard 
 Thibault fire ; the wounded buck ran in the direction 
 of a pool of water in which I soon heard him kicking 
 and splashing. I put down my pan, and rushed to .the 
 place, and my Mend coming up at the same time, we 
 secured him, and drew him away by a circuitous 
 route out of the neighbourhood. 
 
 I had resumed my hunting-pan and rifle, and was 
 leaning against a tree, when like some phantom, 
 the faint dusky outline of an enormous stag walked 
 noiselessly up, and was actually passing me. It 
 made me, from the high state of excitement in 
 which I then was, almost superstitious enough to 
 fancy him the departed shade of an ancient denizen 
 of these primeval forests. I fired rapidly as he 
 passed in front of me. On receiving the baU, he 
 rushed violently oS; but, from the way in which I 
 
fiO RAMBLES AND ADYENTURES. [chap, i 
 
 keard him thrash the hushes, I knew I had a goo 
 chance of finding him at dayhreak. I had hard! 
 loaded again, when three or four pairs of glowini 
 eyes presented themselves, glancing about in severa 
 directions. I fired a chance, shot at one, whid 
 fortunately brought the animal down on his trackS; 
 hearing him struggling on the ground, I feared, bj 
 the sound, that he was not for one moment saf^ 
 I then threw down rifle and pan, and rushe^ uj 
 knife in hand. It was fortunate that I did so, foi 
 the stag was recovering, and just as I had seized 
 him with my left hand by one of his horns, whicli 
 being then only in the velvet, it broke in mj 
 grasp, so that I was compelled to drop my knife, 
 and hold on to him with both hands, holloaing 
 loudly for assistance, till the animal tore the froat 
 and sleeve of my shirt with his fore-feet, and made 
 such a powerful fight, that had it not been for 
 Thibault, who came up, attracted by my shouts, and 
 stabbed him through the heart, I should not only 
 have lost my stag, but have got the worst of it into 
 the bargain. 
 
 I do not think I ever longed so much for daybreak, 
 being all this time in suspense as to the result of 
 my first three shots ; but morning beamed at last, 
 when, guided by the blood, we immediately com- 
 menced our search. I found the first buck I had 
 fired at struck behind the fore - shoulder ; he had 
 
OHAP. II.] FIVE FAT BUCKS KILLED. 51 
 
 run about forty yards from where he had received 
 the ball, and was lying dead. The second had 
 fallen upon the spot, the bullet having passed 
 through his head. Thibault found the third — and a 
 most splendid animal he was — the largest buck, we 
 both agreed, we had ever seen. I have shot a 
 great many since then, but never one of so great 
 a size. Altogether, we numbered five capital fat 
 bucks, one two years old, one three years old, two 
 four years old, and one colossal old patriarch, 
 whose head, however, was no use for my collection, 
 his horns, at this time of year, being mere soft 
 excrescences. 
 
 We had hard work to skin and cut up our game 
 before the flies came to torment us ; when just as 
 we had finished, a friend rode down to the scene of 
 action, leading a couple of spare horses for us. So 
 we jogged off home in high spirits to a late 
 breakfast, at a little after eight, and after stretching 
 and nailing up our deer-skins, and canvassing our 
 night's adventures, James Keatts, who was suf- 
 ficiently recovered to move back to his plantation, 
 and I took leave of our kind host and hunting 
 companion, and departed in different directions : I 
 carrying, as trophies of the hunt, seventeen prime 
 skins which I carefully saved, July being the best 
 month in the year for buckleather. 
 
 Shortly after I had parted from Keatts, while 
 
 E 2 
 
62 EAMBLES AND ADVENTTJKES. [chap. n. 
 
 walldng one day through the woods in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Lake Jefferson looking for deer, I 
 perceived the smell of smoke, which I found pro- 
 ceeding from a fire that had been piled up with 
 green wood, and, to leeward of which, I saw, with 
 great satisfaction, three fine deer, who had evidently 
 taken up this position to screen themselves from 
 the attacks of the flies which plague them greatly, 
 and cause their heads and ears to be in constant 
 motion. In fact, it is the twitching of the ears of a 
 deer that, nine times out of ten, betrays his locality 
 to the eye of an experienced himter; for the eye, 
 from long practice, acquires a habit of seizing 
 instantly on every object in motion, so as to occupy 
 its utmost attention until it is satisfied as to the 
 cause of the movement. Again, nature has so 
 assimilated the colour of all the creatures of her 
 animated world to those of the surrounding vege- 
 tation, that, divested of their distinguishing attribute, 
 motion, it is difficult to detect them. Even among 
 the scanty vegetation in our northern latitudes, our 
 experience testifies in favour of this remarkable 
 provision, by which animals, without much means 
 of defence, are enabled, ia some measure, to evade 
 their many enemies. 
 
 Thus, if you go to a mountaia in the highlands 
 either of Scotland, or other countries (for there is a 
 great similarity in all highlands, both as regards 
 
OHAP. n.] SIMILARITY OF ANIMALS TO VEGETATION. 53 
 
 their animals and vegetation), you will notice a 
 gradation of colours from the base to the summit ; 
 at the base and where the ground is dark, the moor- 
 fowl and hares wear the same dark hue, the former 
 so nearly approaching the colour of the ground as 
 not to be discernible imless in motion. Higher 
 up the mountain, if there are vast tracts almost 
 destitute of vegetation, and where the prevaihng 
 colour of the rock is blue or grey, there you will 
 find hares of the same hue, commonly called " blue 
 hares." Among some of the sombre cliffs in the 
 mountainous parts of Ireland, black rabbits are 
 found. Further up again, when we ascend the 
 mountains that are capped with never yielding 
 snow, the hares (of course more seldom met with) 
 are generally pure white. But the most remarkable 
 instance is that of the ptarmigan, which seldom 
 or never quits the snowy peaks. This bird is a 
 species of grouse, to which it is closely allied, and 
 in its habits and appearance the same, it is quite 
 white in winter, while, in summer, when the snow 
 lies in patches, the bird becomes slightly tinged 
 with brown and grey. All sportsmen know how 
 difi&cult it is to discover a partridge which thus in 
 comparative safety seeks its food, from the wonderful 
 combination of colours in its various brown feathers, 
 which are striped with, straw tints, thus completing 
 the similarity in the bird's appearance to the 
 
64 EAMBLES AND ADTENTUKES. [chap. ii. 
 
 Stubble which surrounds it. Neither is the rank 
 and wild vegetation of a tropical climate dis- 
 obedient to this law ; enabling the spotted leopard 
 to lie hidden by leaves when crouching along the 
 horizontal bough speckled with lichens and dis- 
 colorations in the bark, and screening the striped 
 tiger with the similarly vertical reeds of an Indian 
 jungle. 
 
 But to return to my narrative : I stalked noise- 
 lessly up to the deer, hiding behind the trees, and 
 taking advantage of their heads being turned away 
 to gain a nearer and a nearer tree, tiU at last, well 
 in shot, I fired at the nearest, which fell unob- 
 served by the others, who merely gave two or three 
 graceful bounds, and but slightly alarmed by the 
 report of the shot, recommenced feeding at a little 
 distance off. So, having quietly loaded, I crept 
 round and had effectually, as I fancied, concealed 
 myself behind a good sized tree, when one of them 
 suddenly turned and stared straight towards my cover, 
 evidently suspecting something wrong, and trying to 
 make me out. As he stood facing me, I fired, the ball 
 passing through his throat and stretching him lifeless. 
 The third deer did not stop to inspect his fallen 
 comrade, but sprang off at fuU speed. I was very 
 busy skinning my prizes, when a negro man arrived 
 from Keatts's on horseback with a double-barrelled 
 gun across his saddle (a most rare article in those 
 
CHAP. 11.] FIRST CAMP ALONE IN THE FOREST. 55 
 
 parts) and leading another horse for me to ride hack 
 to his master's. 
 
 I did not, however, fancy returning home that 
 night, so, as I was near the lake, and the sight of 
 " Snowball's scattering-iron " made me feel inclined 
 for a Httle wild-fowl shooting, I determined though 
 in a very fever-and-agueish sort of place, to camp out 
 for the first time alone. Before, however, sending 
 the man hack with his horses, I obtained his assist- 
 ance to collect some wood, light my fire, and pack 
 the meat for my friends, all of which, except 
 some tit-bits for my supper, and the skins, I loaded 
 on the horse that I was to have ridden. I laid an 
 embargo on the double-barrelled gun and also on a 
 bottle of whiskey that Blackey had with him, and 
 as my own saddle-bags contained some biscuits and 
 salt besides powder and shot, and, by great good 
 luck, some swan-drops, and I had a fin mug fastened 
 to the pummel of my saddle, I considered myself 
 " pretty weU fixed off for the night." 
 
 I roasted my venison very awkwardly, and cooked 
 some liver and kidney infamously. I remember 
 this circumstance particularly, because it was the 
 first night I had ever camped out solus. It is only 
 when left to our own resources, that we sportsmen 
 of England feel how very Httle we are in the habit 
 of doing for ourselves, and how helpless we are 
 rendered by all our civilisation. Very delightful 
 
56 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ii. 
 
 though, is that same refinement of sport in England, 
 where you rise in the morning, not too early, and 
 shave with hot water ; a substantial breakfast with 
 a cup of delicious cream-softened tea awaits you in 
 the breakfast-room ; your guns are as clean as if 
 they had not been used at all the day before ; and 
 you take them without the slightest compunction 
 from the hands of that invaluable individual called 
 the gamekeeper, who is to attend you throughout 
 the day, and who tells you not to - trouble yourself 
 by carrying too great a weight of shot, as he has a 
 supply with which to replenish your little two pound 
 Sykes' : finally, when the day's shooting is over, 
 it matters little what the contents of the bag -may 
 be so far as dinner is concerned ; your own- or your 
 host's larder is quite independent of your day's 
 contribution, and the excellent dinnerwiwaitingyouis 
 not the less sumptuous in consequence of the gun 
 not having been held straight, or the birds having 
 been wild. Your fair lot is cast in the lap of 
 England, a clime where running is unnecessary-^ 
 fatigue is unknown, beyond that wholesome amount 
 of exertion which is just sufficient to put you in 
 wind and spirits for the merry dance that winds up 
 the evening. 
 
 Such thoughts as these were passing through my 
 mind as I sat by my solitary fire, but they presented 
 themselves in much more forcible contrast on 
 
CHAP. II.] A PANTHER SHOT. 57 
 
 subsequent occasions when I found myself, after 
 an unsuccessful day's hunting, tired, cold, and very 
 hungry in the wild plains of the Eocky Mountains. 
 
 On the present occasion, however, being very 
 comfortable and amply provided for, I lit my pipe 
 and mixed myseK some grog from the contents of 
 Blackey's whiskey bottle, and having drawn one of 
 the charges of shot from my double-barrelled gun 
 and in its place supplied one of swan-drops, I laid 
 it beside me, and had sat smoking and musing for 
 some time, when I perceived a pair of eyes shining 
 very brightly in the fire-light a short distance off. 
 I was puzzled, for they seemed too low to be those 
 of a 'deer, and when I took up my gun they dis- 
 appeared.- Presently, however, I saw them again ; 
 and it then occurred to me that they might be 
 those of a welf, attracted probably by the offal 
 of the deer close by, so I retreated a little way, 
 leaving him a free passage to encourage his nearer 
 approach, stationing myself, at the same time, in a 
 more favourable position for a shot. By-and-by, I 
 descried the faint outline of some crouching animal 
 stealing towards the place where the offal lay and 
 affording me a fair broadside. I fired and saw no 
 more of him, but I thought it prudent to wait till 
 day-break to commence my search, as I did not much 
 like undertaking it alone in the dark; so I contented 
 myself with a slight sketch of whiskey-and-water 
 
58 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. n. 
 
 and another pipe and laid down to sleep. In the 
 morning, I discovered how fortunate I had been; 
 for, a short distance off and stone dead, lay a 
 splendid panther. I was greatly elated by my 
 night's performance ; and, instead of starting off 
 along the lake as I had intended, I remained to 
 carefully flay off and stretch my panther's skin, 
 which done, I renewed my fire and cooked and ate 
 a comfortable breakfast. Then, having arranged 
 everything to my satisfaction during my absence, I 
 took the double-barrel and sallied forth for some 
 duck-shooting. 
 
 Several species of ducks are to be met with on 
 the lakes and morasses in this part of the country. 
 I was fortunate enough to come across two or three 
 different ones in the course of my morning's sport. 
 One was a specimen of the pin-tail duck, a fine 
 but very shy bird; his plumage shaded with the 
 most beautiful browns intermixed with white. This 
 duck has a remarkable black patch picked out with 
 white on the back of his neck, long black feathers 
 in the tail, while his head is of soft rich brown 
 colour, and exhibits altogether a very handsome 
 appearance. Some wood-ducks also fell to my gun 
 this morning, very handsome fellows, with splendid 
 green plumage and a white stripe reaching from the 
 bill to the eye and beyond it round the neck. They 
 are web-footed, and provided, besides, with tolerably 
 
CHAP. II.] DUCK SHOOTING. 59 
 
 strong claws to enable them to perch on trees. I 
 bagged five or six, but lost several, as I did not dare 
 venture too far into the water on account of the 
 alligators. Securing all I could reach to my belt, 
 I walked back to camp, and, on my way, shot a good- 
 sized rattlesnake. I tried to skin him, but the flies 
 forced me to abandon tfie attempt, from which I 
 was indeed still farther discouraged by my having 
 blown the head to pieces, and so rendered him of 
 Httle use or ornament to my collection. 
 
 I found my host himself awaiting my return with 
 the horses, greatly delighted at the fall of the 
 panther, as he had been a considerable sufferer 
 from the depredations of similar animals, and I had 
 the pleasure of fighting my battles o'er again as we 
 rode home together to his house. 
 
 I will close this chapter by recounting two hunting 
 adventures of my brother Frederick, who, the year 
 previous to my departure for America, had hunted a 
 good deal on the borders of Lake Jefferson, in the 
 Arkansas country. After my return to England, 
 we often talked over our adventures together, so I 
 have determined to chronicle the following for the 
 entertainment of my readers, as nearly as possible 
 in my brother's words : — 
 
 " One day when comfortably seated with Jackson 
 and his family in the neighbourhood of Lake 
 Jefferson, a little nigger came running in, shouting, 
 
60 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, n.' 
 
 • Oh, massa ! terrible big alligator ; him run at me.'' 
 When we got him to speak a little more coherently 
 it appeared that he had been bathing in the Lake, 
 and that an alligator had suddenly rushed at him, 
 and when the boy, who luckily was not in deep 
 water, had escaped by running to land, the brute 
 had actually pursued him 'for some distance along 
 the shore. We instantly loaded our rifles and 
 started off in quest of the monster, accompanied by 
 the boy, who came as guide. After carefully ex- 
 ploring the bank and reeds, though imsuccessfoH;^ 
 we concealed ourselves in hopes of seeing him rise 
 to the top of the water when he thought the coast 
 was clear ; but, as we waited a long time without 
 any result, we proposed what certainly was a most 
 nefarious project, namely, to make the boy strip off 
 his clothes and start him into the water again as a 
 bait for the alligator. It was some time before we 
 could get the boy to come round to our view of the 
 matter : his objections to our plan were very strong, 
 and his master's threats failed completely, as indeed 
 they generally did, for he was the kindest hearted 
 man in the world to his negroes. At last I coaxed 
 him with a bright new dollar. This inducement 
 prevailed over his fears, and the poor boy began to 
 undress, his eyes aU the while reverting alternately 
 from the water to the dollar, and from the dollar to 
 the water. We told him we did not want him to go 
 
3HAP. n.] BLACK BAIT FOR AN ALLIGATOR. 61 
 
 in SO deep as to be obKged to swim. ' By golly, 
 then, me go for dollare ; ' and in he walked, but had 
 hardly reached water higher than his knees, when 
 crash went the reeds, and the little fellow cut in 
 towards our place of concealment at an astonishing 
 pace, pursued by the alligator. The savage beast, as 
 before, came right out on the bank, where we nailed 
 him with two capital shots through the head that 
 effectually checked his career. He struggled vio- 
 lently, but uselessly, to regain his congenial element, 
 and, after two or three furious lashes of his ponderous 
 tail, sullenly expired. The triumph of the boy was 
 complete : had he like another infant Hercules 
 strangled the alligator with his own hands, he could 
 not have been more delighted : he yelled out, ' Me 
 so berry glad," tumbled head overheels, walked on 
 his hands, and exhibited every symptom of nigger 
 
 joy- 
 
 " Shortly after, a settler on Lake Jefferson hearing 
 of my success, asked me to assist him in attacking a 
 large black bear that had done a great deal of 
 mischief, and destroyed several of his pigs. Jackson 
 had often pursued him, but the brute had always 
 succeeded ia dodging his attacks, sometimes beatiag 
 off the dogs before he could come up to the scratch, 
 at others evadiag the silent stalker ia the high reeds 
 of the forest. As I had never had the good luck to 
 faU ia with Bruin, though I had often seen his 
 
62 
 
 EAMBLES AND ADTENTUBES. [chap. ii. 
 
 tracks, I gladly consented, and we lost no time in 
 setting off. ' Here are tlie brute's tracks again,' he 
 exclaimed, as he pointed to some footprints, evidently 
 those of a very large bear, and which he immediately 
 recognised as belonging to his old enemy. ' Loot 
 to your caps, and make sure of no snapping,' said 
 he, as he put on a fresh one ; ' I guess this lad is 
 not to be trifled with.' On we went on the tiptoe of 
 expectation, until the tracks at last led us into a 
 dense cane-brake, where we could make but slow 
 progress, and had to use the utmost care to avoid 
 making an alarm from the rattling of the canes. 
 Unfortunately, at last, one of us trod upon a hori- 
 zontal stick, which snapped loudly, and we had the 
 mortification of hearing Bruin start off with a growli 
 and a crash through the canes close ahead, but of 
 course unseen by either of us. It was of no use to 
 pursue ; we could only creep slowly on, while he 
 could run like a dog through a field of grass. 
 
 "Poor Jackson ! how I pitied him : he looked at 
 me, the picture of dismay, with his eyebrows up to 
 the roots of his hair. I consoled him by proposing 
 a new hunt at night, and, after holding a council 
 of war, we decided on adopting the following 
 stratagem : — E. Jackson knew a favourite pass of the 
 bears, from the cane-brake to where the pigs were in 
 the habit of feeding in the wood, ' so,' said he, ' we 
 can set my rifle for him and the old musket that my 
 
CHAP, n.] SPRING-GUN SHOOTING. 63 
 
 father took from an Indian, to whom it was given 
 by the Britishers ; so now we'll slope home and fix 
 them off, as you say, to-morrow night.' 
 
 " On reaching his house I looked up the musket in 
 question, an old George III. Rex; and what with 
 cleaning, repairing, and setting up the tackle for 
 fixing both it and the rifle, it was late in the 
 afternoon of the next day before we started with 
 our apparatus complete. The rifle we set next to 
 the cane-brake, as we were after all our work not 
 quite sure that the old musket would go off (time 
 and rust having destroyed almost all the steel-facing 
 of the hammer), but we were determined to try it 
 at all events after the trouble we had had, so we 
 placed it further towards the wood, having loaded it 
 with five drachms of powder, a ball, and twenty 
 buck-shot. All being arranged to our satisfaction, 
 we retired to some distance to await the result.* 
 
 " The night was bitterly cold, but we dared not light 
 
 * I might as well perhaps take this opportunity of initiating my 
 brother-sportsmen into the mysteries of setting a spring-gun, or 
 rather what is termed a spring-gun, in Arkansas. The stock of a 
 gun is firmly lashed to a tree, and the muzzle to a stake firmly 
 driven into the ground, the gun being adjusted so as to point at 
 right angles to the path the animal is expected to take, and presentee^ 
 at such a distance from the ground, as that, when discharged, it 
 should lodge its contents in the region of the heart. A fine string is 
 then attached to the trigger, and passed round a piece of polished 
 stick behind the trigger, and then passed forward again beyond the 
 path the animal is expected to take. The opposite end of the 
 string is then fastened to a tree at the opposite side from the gun. 
 
64 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ii. 
 
 a fire near our bear's path, and, what was worse, we 
 could not prudently smoke ; so, being without that 
 protection, and armed only with our knives, we thought 
 it safest to climb a tree close at hand, out of the way 
 of bears, wolves, and panthers. We sat on a branch 
 till far into the night, hearing no sounds but the cry 
 of the Whip-poorAVill and his widow, the howling of 
 wolves, and the dismal hooting of the owls. At last 
 we began to get very drowsy, and could hardly 
 prevent ourselves from tumbling off our perch, 
 whispering from time to time, 'I fear he's, not 
 coming to-night ; ' or, 'I don't give him up yet,' 
 when snap went the cap of the rifle ! Mutual 
 ejaculations of disgust escaped us, for we fancied 
 our main hopes dashed to the ground ; but they 
 were scarcely uttered, when we heard brave old 
 George III. go off with the most tremendous 
 explosion. We scrambled down instantly, and ran 
 to the scene of action, knife in hand. As the 
 night was very dark, Jackson, knowing the ground 
 better than I did, got there before me, and while 
 endeavouring to follow him, I heard a fearful cry 
 for help, succeeded by a dead silence. I ran up to 
 the spot, and came in for such a scene ! the bear 
 
 The string must neither be slack, nor have any strain on it, otherwise 
 the gun will not remain on full cock. When the animal passes, 
 his chest comes against the string across his path, a slight push 
 strains it sufficiently to draw the trigger, and he is a gone 
 coon. 
 
CHAP, il] assassination OF A BEAR. 65 
 
 lying dead, and Jackson prostrate upon him, 
 paralysed with fright, caused by his having run 
 against the bear in the dark, and rolled over the 
 carcase, naturally enough fancying the bear a living 
 beast, and himself a dead man. ' My God, are you 
 hurt ? ' I exclaimed ; but found, on raising him up, 
 neither blood nor broken bones : in short, 
 
 " ' The man recovered of the fright, 
 The hecur it was that died.' 
 
 " The old flint musket had done its duty well, and 
 planted bullet and swan-drops just in the mortal 
 place behind the shoulder. Soon afterwards, morning 
 dawned, and we returned to the house well repaid 
 for our night's watching. Our host was greatly 
 elated at our success ; but I, who had not suffered 
 the loss of any pigs, felt rather ashamed, I confess, 
 of the share I had taken in the assassination of the 
 previous night." 
 
68 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. m 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Mammoth Caves. — Stalactite ArdiitectiiTe. — Ancient America. — 
 Rambles in tte Eartli. — ^Munimy found. — Subterranean Ball.— 
 St. Louis Hunting Clut. — A good run. — A fat Buck killed.— 
 Hospitable Hunters. — Kentucky talked down.— American For 
 Company. 
 
 I LEFT off hunting in Arkansas with reluctance*; 
 but, as I knew that an expedition was preparing to 
 start from Independence for the Eocky Mountains, 
 I thought it best to see about getting up the 
 Mississippi again. ^Finding, however, when I 
 reached St. Louis, that I had stiU some time to 
 spare, I resolved on an excursion to Louisville, en 
 route for the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky. 
 
 Louisville is a very pleasant flourishing town on 
 the Ohio, and, as I had several letters of introduction, 
 I made the acquaintance of some very charming 
 people, and was so fortunate as to find many of 
 them also on the eve of starting for the caves, where 
 the fashionable watering-place and summer residence 
 of the haute voUe of Louisville is situated. 
 
 Arrived at our destination, I presented my letter 
 of introduction to the great Doctor Cronan, the 
 
CHAP, m.J MAMMOTH CAVES. 67 
 
 famous ^sculapius and proprietor of the caves, 
 which are directly on, or rather, under his property. 
 Dr. Cronan has built a most extensive and com- 
 fortable hotel, comprising all the luxuries of baths, 
 a fine large dining-room, and splendid ball-room, 
 with a gallery at one end for the orchestra, which 
 includes some first-rate German brass instrument 
 players. The whole range of buildings forms three 
 sides of a square, built of wood, and most invitingly 
 cool and comfortable. 
 
 The caves are a few minutes walk from the hotel. 
 You descend to the entrance by a flight of steps, 
 about forty feet deep, at the end of which you are 
 handed a lamp. At first you descend gradually 
 along a wide passage, which soon terminates sud- 
 denly in an extensive cavern, so vast that its sides 
 are scarcely visible by the faint light of the lamps 
 with which each visitor is provided. The earth is 
 rugged and broken, and intersected by rivers, two of 
 which are crossed in a small sldff. On our first 
 day's excursion, we followed one range of the 
 ramifications of caverns and passages to the end, 
 where it terminated in solid rock, a distance of 
 more than nine miles underground. We entered 
 the caves after breakfast, and did not return 
 till eight in the evening, after a subterranean walk 
 of eighteen or nineteen miles, up and down hill, 
 over shingly mountains, along torrents, and: across 
 
 r 2 
 
EAMBLES AND ADTENTUEES. [obap, in. 
 
 rivers of subterranean waters; sometimes squeezing 
 our bodies through passages like mere fissureSj then 
 suddenly emerging into a vast cavern, similar to our 
 Matlock Cave in Derbyshire ; sometimes through a 
 corridor resembling the shaft of a mine ; and finally 
 over a range of shingly hiUs some hundreds of feet 
 in height. 
 
 We caught some fish with a landing-net in these 
 rivers, and found them, by a wonderful dispensation 
 of nature, without eyes or any organs adapted to the 
 reception of light. The stalactites in some places 
 present a most fantastic appearance, covering the 
 roof and sides of the cave with beautiful and delicate 
 wreaths of flowers, sparkling like alabaster and as 
 white as the driven snow. In one cavern, about 120 
 feet in length and 60 in width, they descend and 
 connect the roof with the ground, thus forming the 
 cave into a perfect old gothic church ; each pair 
 of the massive, natural columns, forming at their 
 junction with the roof a complete and beautiful arch, 
 
 From the appearance of these stalactites, the 
 Doctor told me that opinions had been formed by 
 geologists as to the probable age of the caves, and 
 periods long antecedent to the creation of man have 
 been pronounced to be the date of their formation. 
 It is said that they must now have been in existence 
 85,000 or 26,000 years. The columns measure, as 
 well as I can remember, about 14 feet in circum- 
 
OHAP. III.] ANCIENT AMERICA. 
 
 ference on the average. I can scarcely venture an 
 opinion upon this subject myself, but certainly the 
 manner in which the Mammoth Caves were formed 
 appears to me to have been due to volcanic agency, 
 by which, in the first instance, cracks or fissures 
 were produced in the crust of the earth, and 
 afterwards cleared and enlarged by the action of 
 water. 
 
 Among other objects of interest are still to be 
 seen several remnants of mummies, indicative of a 
 very early state of civihsation, and probably of an 
 era long anterior to that of Indian tribes, dependent 
 altogether for subsistence on the resources of 
 hunting. The limits of these notes will not 
 allow of my entering into a discussion on American 
 Antiquities, but many who have studied the subject 
 with much attention agree in believing America to 
 have been discovered by Europeans, enturies 
 before the arrival of Columbus, and testify to the 
 evidently Eoman character of remains stOl apparent 
 in the State of Ohio. 
 
 Little doubt exists as to the fact of these caves 
 having been formerly inhabited, as hearths, 
 evidently constructed with a view to contain fires, 
 have been found in many of the passages ; but no 
 conjecture can be made as to the period of their 
 construction, save that they exhibit no apparent 
 traces of European connections. 
 
70 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUKES. [ohap. m. 
 
 Some time after the discovery of these wonderful 
 caves, an American gentleman of the name of 
 Ward, who, by all accounts, must have been a very 
 courageous and experienced explorer, undertook, 
 with a number of men, to trace out one or two 
 of the numerous ramifications, and although they 
 adopted every precaution that prudence could 
 suggest to facilitate the retracing of their steps, 
 such as marking stone flags at the passages by 
 which they should return with hands pointing and 
 arrows flying towards the direction of the caves' 
 mouth, yet they were very nearly lost" and did not 
 emerge from their rambles in the "Inferno" till 
 long after midnight, most of their lamps having 
 burned out, while many were the apprehensions of 
 their never again beholding the light of day. The 
 account of this exploring expedition strongly 
 reminded me of the warning of Glaucus's daughter 
 to ^neas — 
 
 Faoilis descensus Averno, 
 Sed revocare gradum, superaaque evadere ad auras, 
 Hoc opus, Lie labor est. 
 
 So few traces of the mummies are now left at the 
 places where they were discovered, that although my 
 curiosity was much excited, I could not find sufS- 
 cient data to compare them with Egyptian ones; 
 splinters of beech bark and shreds of flax-cloth were 
 the only traces I could find; but I read with much 
 
CHAP. m.J MUMMY FOtTND. 71 
 
 interest Mr. Ward's description of a mummy found, 
 which he was allowed to carry away with him, and 
 which I will here transcribe : — 
 
 " It is a female about six feet in height, and so 
 perfectly dried as to weigh but twenty pounds when 
 I found it. The hair on the back part of the head 
 is rather short, and of a sandy hue ; the top of the 
 head is bald, and the eyes sunk into the head ; the 
 nose, or that part whicli is cartilaginoua, is dried 
 down to the bones of the face ; the lips are dried 
 away, and discovered a fine set of teeth, white as 
 ivory. The hands and feet are perfect, even to the 
 nails, and very delicate, like those of a young person, 
 but the teeth are worn as much as in a person at" 
 the' age of fifty." 
 
 Doctor Cronan deplored the loss of this mummy, 
 which was so perfect. Near her were found many 
 curious little objects, totally dissimilar to anything 
 Indian, among which were a carved wooden cup and 
 a little reed whistle. 
 
 During my stay a new crevice in the rocks was 
 observed, and, after some perseverance, was made 
 passable and found to open into a large gallery, 
 in some places of considerable size, in others 
 diminishing in height and width. It extended 
 about five miles, and was terminated by a piece 
 of subterranean water and solid rock. 
 
 No species of vegetation grows in these caves, nor 
 
72 RAMBLES AND ADTENTURES. [chap. m. 
 
 did I even find any kinds of moss. The tempera- 
 ture is always uniform, uninfluenced by that of the 
 external air, which renders them, consequently, 
 comfortable iu winter, and delightfully cool in 
 summer. The air inside is very pure ; so much so, 
 that invalids have tried the experiment of remainiLg 
 for weeks underground, and, notwithstanding the 
 inevitable gloom that must have attended their 
 sojourn in such a dreary abode, have found them- 
 selves greatly invigorated, and their appetites much 
 increased. One gentleman recovered in a most 
 wonderful manner, after a residence of several 
 months in a cottage there, which was pointed out 
 to me. 
 
 The young ladies had, the year before, voted it 
 too hot to dance above ground, and had actually 
 planned and given a subterranean baU ; choosing a 
 very fine cavern, spacious enough, but not too large 
 to admit of its being properly Hghted, and having a 
 boarded floor laid down for the occasion. I saw 
 some vestiges of the arrangements still remaining; 
 and my fair friends assured me that as soon as their 
 numbers were a little more augmented by the 
 advancing watering season, they intended to give 
 another, and were kind enough to press me to stay 
 for it. Our evenings during my visit to the caves 
 were truly delightful, and passed away but too 
 rapidly between music, dancing, and moonlight 
 
CHAP. iii.J HUNTING CLUB. 73 
 
 rambles amidst the delightful scenery of that lovely 
 spot. I tore myself away with regret, and returning 
 to Louisville, took boat up to St. Louis. 
 
 As soon as I arrived there, I commenced prepara- 
 tions for my Rocky Mountain expedition, and pro- 
 vided myself with everything except horses, which 
 I learned were much better, and more easily pro- 
 cured in the neighbourhood of Independence. 
 Having still two days to spare before the departure 
 of a boat for the latter place, I accepted an invita- 
 tion from Mr. Cohen, the president of the hunting 
 club at St. Louis, to join their party in an early 
 hunt next morning ia the Illinois country, on the 
 opposite side of the river. 
 
 At four o'clock, therefore, next morning, and 
 sorely against my will, I was obliged to jump out of 
 bed, to the music of old Mr. Cohen's horn. I dressed 
 with all speed, and on going down found a very fine 
 horse (though rather too fiery a steed to shoot from) 
 waiting for me in the street. I took my double- 
 barrelled gun, which I had repaired and set to rights 
 after its fall from the tree in Arkansas. The rest of 
 the party, about six in number, came dropping in 
 one by one ; we rode down the river for some distance, 
 to a ferry, where we crossed, with our horses. The 
 ferry-boat was worked by a pair of horses in the 
 stem, pacing round and round as in a mill, and 
 working a kind of capstan, so impelled the boat 
 
74 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ni. 
 
 backwards and forwards. Landing on the other 
 side, we found ourselves in the free State of lUinois, 
 and the dogs waiting for us. 
 
 Before proceeding very far, we came to a most 
 inviting country for game, beautiful rich pasturage, 
 broken by wooded glens ; affording at once feeding- 
 ground, shelter, and water for deer. At that season 
 of the year, however, the grass is unfortunately so 
 high, that, even when on horseback, it is very 
 difficult to get a fair sight of the deer ; for, as they 
 bound oif, it closes so rapidly behind them, as 
 merely to afford a snap shot in their direction. 
 
 We put the dogs to in a beautiful glen of birch 
 and scrub-oak, ranging ourselves along the outside 
 of the wood on the high grassy plain, about sixty or 
 eighty yard's from one another. Presently we heard 
 them give tongue ; every gun was cocked, and all 
 eyes strained to catch a glimpse of the deer, when 
 an old buck bounded out of the cover at a grand 
 pace ; his horns, however, were covered with velvet, 
 for I could see the shreds hanging from them even 
 at the distance I was stationed. Bang ! bang ! went 
 old Cohen's double-barrelled gun, but the deer 
 bounded on unhurt; then, suddenly turning, ran 
 the gauntlet past two young men, escaping four 
 shots more, and went off uninjured, leaping grace- 
 fully into the air now and then, as if in conscious 
 pride of the daring feat he had performed. "Whilst 
 
CHAP, in.] A GOOD RUN. 75 
 
 we were drawing another cover, similar to the first, 
 several of the party got snap shots at outlying deer, 
 but they likewise escaped. My horse had, unfor- 
 tunately, such a fear of the gun, that once, when a 
 doe started up near me in the long grass, the brute, 
 anticipating the report of the gun, wheeled right 
 round on his hind legs, turning my back to the 
 direction in which she was maldng off, and so lost 
 me my shot. 
 
 About three-quarters of an hour afterwards, much 
 to my surprise, I heard, as I thought, our dogs 
 giving tongue at a great distance off, and in a totally 
 different direction from that where we were drawing 
 cover. I set off at full speed, and in this particular 
 found my horse's performance fuUy equal to what 
 his appearance promised, for he took me through 
 the long grass, which nearly switched my eyes out, 
 to the wooded hills on the other side of the plain at 
 a clipping pace. As I neared, the bayiug of the 
 dogs came louder and louder. " Have I a chance of 
 cutting him off?" thought I to myself as I urged 
 on my horse, whose bottom was wonderful. At last 
 the course I was pursuing, as most likely to effect 
 my object, Cwhich, after all, was a complete chance,) 
 led into a wood too thick to allow of anything of a 
 pace on horseback, nevertheless I dashed on, barely 
 slackening speed till absolutely compelled to stop by 
 some fallen trees, when, throwing myself off my 
 
76 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, m, 
 
 horse, whom I left to his own devices, after a short 
 run on foot I was crossed hy the stag in full 
 career. I took a snap shot, and struck him in the 
 flank, being blown a little by riding and running. 
 He turned and was soon lost to view. On going to 
 the spot where I had fired at him I saw some 
 blood, which made me hope that the dogs might 
 still find him ; so, drawing my knife, I blazed a 
 couple of trees, and went back to look for my 
 horse, whom I fortunately found with very Utile 
 trouble. I had scarcely mounted him again before I 
 heard the sound of a horn in the rear, and to the left 
 on the hni side, and a shout of, " "Who fired that 
 shot?" "I!" I replied; and, on riding up, found 
 to my astonishment, that I had fallen in with quite 
 another hunting party, and another pack of hounds. 
 I immediately apologised, and hoped I had not 
 spoiled their sport. To which the owner of the 
 dogs and the horn replied, " You are most welcome ! 
 your deer's here ; a very fair buck. I guess you 
 were near missing, though. Only for that one 
 buck-shot through the kidneys you would not have 
 got him. There are one or two in the paunch, but of 
 no account. We had lost him but for you. How 
 was you so lucky as to fix yourself there below, and 
 aU ? " I explained the whole matter in very few words, 
 whereupon they insisted on my staying with them 
 and sharing their corn-cake, cold boiled pork, and 
 
OHAP. m.] HOSPITABLE HUNTERS. 77 
 
 whiskey, on the plea that I should lose myself in 
 going back to look for my own party, but in reality 
 to exercise that innate love of hospitality for which 
 all the Americans are so justly celebrated. They 
 even commenced packing the deer upon my horse ; 
 but I would not hear of it, and insisted upon the 
 right of its belonging to the owner of the dogs. We 
 then sat down to a capital lunch, near a running 
 stream, which afforded us the " cold without " to 
 qualify our whiskey, one of the party good-naturedly 
 offering to accompany me afterwards to the ferry to 
 show me the way, as I had made such a round in 
 the course I had taken in my pursuit of the stag, 
 which he not only did, but also crossed with me. 
 I think, however, I was indebted for the society 
 of my entertaining companion to the bright eyes of 
 a very pretty widow, who presided at a bar on the 
 Missouri side of the water, and to whose bar he 
 insisted on taking me, in order, as he said, to treat 
 me to a particularly fine whiskey cock-tail, after 
 which I shook hands with him, and rode back to 
 St. Louis, leaving him to bask in the sunshine of 
 the little widow's tender glances. 
 
 I rejoined my hunting companions of the morning 
 at supper, at the planter's house, which was my 
 hotel. They were surprised to hear of my after- 
 noon's adventure, as they fancied I had gone home 
 long, before. We spent a noisy evening, towards the 
 
78 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. m. 
 
 termination of which a most singular bet was made. 
 Old Mr. Cohen was universally considered a great 
 talker, so much so, that he even admitted it himself; 
 but this evening a formidable rival appeared against 
 him in the person of a strange character from 
 Kentucky, who fairly met him on his own ground, 
 and after supper evinced such unceasing powers of 
 conversation, that old Mr. Cohen was unable to gel 
 in a word, and was fain to claim a hearing. " Let 
 me speak, let me speak," he gasped several times,' 
 but with no avail ; tiU, at last, the fool's argument 
 was resorted to, and a bet made which should talk 
 the longest. An umpire was chosen to determine 
 which of the two loquacious combatants should be 
 the winner; but, a:s might naturally be supposed, 
 none of us had the patience to sit out the contest; 
 so we went off to bed, leaving a plentiful supply 
 of brandy, sugar, and iced-water. Next mornings 
 at a quarter-past five, victory was declared for 
 Missouri, the umpire returning at that hour and 
 finding the Kentucky man fast asleep in his arm- 
 chair, and old Mr. Cohen sitting up close beside 
 him and whispering in his ear. 
 
 i started next day up the Missouri river for 
 Independence, where I arrived in less than a weekj 
 and met the party with whom I intended to travel 
 across the prairies. 
 
 Every year at the beginning of September, the 
 
OHAP. in.] THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY. 79 
 
 American Fur Company sends o£f an expedition to 
 the different trading posts on the banks of the 
 Missouri and Yellow Stone rivers. This caravan 
 is composed of the traders, workmen, artificers, and 
 hunters of the company, who go up to their forts or 
 trading posts according to theii* engagements with 
 Messrs. Pierre, Chateau, and Cie., of St. Louis, who 
 constitute the branch establishment in that town. 
 The goods conveyed into the Indian territory for 
 the purchase, or rather barter, of furs and skins, are 
 brought up the Missouri from St. Louis in a steam- 
 boat once a year. This vessel starts in the early 
 part of May, at the time most fitted to take advan- 
 tage of the rise in the upper Missouri, caused by 
 the melting of the snows on the Indian plains and 
 the Eocky Mountains ; and, after depositing the 
 various articles and wares for barter with which it 
 supplies the trading posts, terminates its voyage at 
 Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellow Stone, 
 where that river falls into the great Missouri, 
 arriving thither about the end of July, at which 
 time the Missouri feels the maximum accession to 
 its waters. The mouth of the Yellow Stone is up- 
 wards of 2000 miles from St. Louis ; this distancej 
 therefore, is accomplished by the intrepid Httle 
 steamer, through a most difficult navigation and 
 against a current running six miles an hour, within 
 the space of from seven to eight weeks : the descent 
 
80 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. hi. 
 
 occupies about eight or nine days. This steamer 
 carries up all the articles most prized by the North 
 American Indians, with the exception of ardent 
 spirits or any intoxicatiug liquor. I could hardly 
 detail aU the articles brought up . for the fur-trade, 
 but the principal ones are guns, powder, lead, coffee, 
 sugar, tobacco, and white, blue, red, and green 
 blankets ; also vermilion, and blue and white glass 
 beads. The articles obtained from the Indians in 
 exchange are chiefly buffalo-robes and the undressed 
 skins of elk, deer, antelope, wolf, with a few of the 
 giisly bear. The rarer and more valuable furs are 
 sought for and purchased for the contiuental market, 
 by the Hudson's Bay Company, whose territories 
 lie to the northward — the climate of which being so 
 much colder produces furs of still greater value. 
 
 Generally speaking, the colder the climate thp 
 more valuable the fur. Even the same animal in 
 the same region, will bear a far more valuable fur 
 if the winter reaches a greater intensity of cold than 
 what is ordinary in the districts ; so much so that 
 connoisseurs in furs will talk of the winters of '34 
 and '46, as connoisseurs in wine do of the great 
 ■vintages of '36 and '42. Indeed, my own admiration 
 of beautiful furs is so great, that I cannot help so 
 far participating in their feelings as to think it would 
 be delightful if we could induce our English ladies 
 to take a wider range, and to select from all the 
 
CHAP. III.] FINE FURS. 81 
 
 valuable furs found in those regions ; above all 
 things, to exercise more discrimination in the choice 
 of their so frequently misnamed sables, for it is sad 
 to see a beautiful creature most exquisitely dressed 
 in all other respects, but bearing on her graceful 
 shoulder a long strip of painted rubbish, imposed on 
 her, no doubt as a real sable boa, but to the eye of 
 an observing admirer of handsome furs, as easily 
 distinguishable from this as is a printed calico from 
 a Chinese crepe shawl. 
 
 "Why do our ladies adopt the sable (which com- 
 paratively is not a valuable fur) to the utter exclu- 
 sion of the more rare as well as beautiful kinds, 
 such as the black, blue, and silver-grey foxes ; if 
 these were but a little more seen and known, I am 
 certain the taste of our countrywomen would no 
 longer allow the Hudson Bay Company to. send them 
 to foreign countries in search of purchasers more 
 capable of appreciating them. 
 
RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ,iv. 
 
 CHAPTEE IV, 
 
 Old Mr. Kipp. — ^Preparing for the Start. — Mormons. — Camping at 
 Night. — Duck Shooting. — Qigantie Vegetation. — Prairie on Fire.— 
 Fort Vermillion. — Scalp Dance. — A Dog Feast. — A Woniaii 
 Bought and Saved. — Hint from a Bullet. — Fort Pierre. 
 
 I LEFT the river-steamer at Independance, and 
 made my way over to the farm of Mr. Kipp, 
 a member of the American Furr Company, and 
 leader of the Autumn expedition every year into 
 the Indian country of the Upper Missouri, which 
 escort it was my intention to join in the first 
 instance. 
 
 Mr. Kipp was a hardy old veteran, who, althougH 
 upwards of sixty years of age, used every year to 
 ride from his farm, near Independance, up to the 
 mouth of the Yellow Stone river, a distance of 
 1500 or 1600 miles; he had already ridden thi* 
 journey upwards of twenty times in so many suc-_ 
 cessive years, returning down on the Furr Company'A 
 barges or mackinaw boats every summer to St. Loiiis, 
 in charge of the skins and furrs obtained by the 
 traders from the Indians. 
 
CHAP. IT.] PREPARING FOR THE START. 83 
 
 I arrived in the midst of his preparations for 
 his journey, and obtained his assistance in pur- 
 chasing horses. This delayed us for one day, so 
 that we did not leave till the 2nd of September, a 
 date which I remember from his observing to me 
 that it was the first time for many years, that he 
 had failed in getting under way on the first of that 
 month. Our travelling party consisted of about 
 seventeen or eighteen; namely — old Kipp, the 
 leader; Mr. Murray, a Scotchman in the service of 
 the Company, and in charge of Fort Alexander, on 
 the Yellow Stone, the trading post of the Crow 
 Indians, who was also on his way up to that post : 
 we were accompanied by a hardy set of Frenchmen 
 (almost all the employes of the Company being 
 French) some of Creole and some of Canadian 
 origin — the latter technically termed voyageurs — 
 docile, patient, enduriag feUows, with constitutions 
 like iron, well practised in journeys of this kind 
 and character. Each man was mounted, and led a 
 second horse packed with his clothes or provisions, 
 or whatever might be wanting on the journey: one 
 of these men was assigned to me to mind my pack- 
 horse and carry a spare gun, and I found old 
 Alexandre a most amusing and useful vagabond. 
 
 We had grand confusion at starting ; kicking 
 horses, obstinate mules, packs slipping off, &c., with 
 the usual amount of oaths and maledictions; but 
 
 G 2 
 
84 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. iv. 
 
 things fell into working-order after a while, and 
 we continued our course without much further 
 disturbance. 
 
 For the first two or three days our route lay 
 through a very thinly inhabited country, with farm- 
 houses at intervals, at which we put up for the night 
 as we went along, and at some of which we found 
 capital quarters, both as regarded board and lodging; 
 of the latter, Mr. Kipp, Mr. Murray, and I availing 
 ourselves, while the men camped out. "We passed 
 through a good deal of country enclosed and culti- 
 vated by the Mormons. I need not here mention 
 their peculiar tenets in religion, for they are tolerably 
 well known to most of my readers, nor the various 
 enormities of which they are accused, such as hold- 
 ing a plurality of wives, &c. At all events, they are 
 an indefatigable set of men, agricultural, as well as 
 religious, enthusiasts, and the pioneers of a future 
 civilisation ; for the day is not far distant when, by 
 their means, the Eed Man and the buffalo will be 
 swept off the face of the earth. The last spot where 
 we saw white faces was the Council Bluffs, the 
 trading post and the residence of a Government 
 agent, where we remained a day supplying ourselves 
 with coffee, sugar, and biscuit, salt pork, and beans, 
 as we did not expect for some time yet to reach a 
 good hunting country. 
 
 I will give here a description of our first night's 
 
CHAP. IV.] CAMPING AT NIGfHT. 85 
 
 camp, which will suffice for all, as each night's 
 work was little more than a repetition of the same 
 operations. A little before sunset, we unsaddled 
 and unpacked our horses, placing the packs and 
 saddle of each rider in a separate pile at equal 
 distances so as to form a circular enclosure, about 
 ten paces in diameter, and after watering and 
 "hobhng" the horses, i.e. attaching the fore and 
 hiud legs on one side together by means of an iron 
 chain, with a leathern strap round the fetlock, to 
 prevent their straying, we turned them loose to graze ; 
 not till then considering ourselves at hberty to attend 
 to our own comforts. Our first business was, then, 
 to cut and gather wood and to light a fire in the 
 centre of the circle, fetching some water in the kettles, 
 and putting the meat on to cook, and making our 
 beds of saddle-cloths, blankets and buffalo robes: 
 this done, we roasted our coffee berries, and having 
 wrapt them in a piece of deer or buffalo skin and 
 pounded them on the stump of a tree with the back 
 of a hatchet, put them in our coffee-pot and boiled 
 them ; and the meat being cooked by the time this 
 process was over, and the coffee made, we fell to 
 with great appetite. After supper we lighted our 
 pipes, and then each turned in when he felt 
 incliaed, and, with his feet to the fire, slept as only 
 travellers in the prairie can sleep. Before day, 
 we were up again, unhobled and watered our horses. 
 
EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. it. 
 
 loaded the packs, and were all in the saddle by 
 sun-rise. We rode on till about eleven o'clock, 
 when we camped again for breakfast, letting the 
 horses graze for a couple of hours ; at one, starting 
 off again to pursue our march till near dark. 
 
 One day we arrived a little after noon at a very 
 nice situation for camping, near a lake. Our salt 
 meat was out, we had nothing but beans, and, on 
 account of the Indians having recently scoured the 
 country, we had not met with any heavier game than 
 ducks and teal ; so the hunters and I set off to 
 try and get a supply of these, but, to my infinite 
 astonishment, I found that neither of them could 
 shoot on. the wing. It was amusing to see how 
 astounded they were at my knocking over a fine 
 mallard that came wheeling over our heads; they 
 insisted on its being a chance shot, and would not 
 be persuaded of the contrary until I brought down 
 several successively, and at last, with a most satis* 
 factory right and left, silenced their scepticism 
 completely. They were greatly delighted : " mais 
 comment diable, monsieur, faites-vous 9a ? " said one 
 hardy old veteran to me. I offered to instruct him, 
 but could not get him to fire rapidly enough, as he 
 was afraid of wasting his ammunition, which was 
 very expensive. I remember I had to work hard for 
 my ducks that evening ; they aU fell in the water, 
 and I had to swim for them, but they formed a great 
 
oHiP. IV.] GIGANTIC VEGETATION. 87 
 
 addition to the boiled beans we had lately been 
 reduced to. 
 
 Next evening, we were threatened with rain, and 
 the manner in which we protected ourselves will 
 show how ingeniously travellers in the prairies 
 obviate the difficulties which arise. Camping near 
 some wiUows, we cut of these a sufficient quantity 
 to enable each of us to form a semi-circular hut for 
 himself by bending and sticking the. extremities of 
 each osier into the ground, so as to form a succession 
 of arches, after which by weaving in a few pliant 
 sallies along the top and sides of this frame-work, 
 we made it sufficiently firm to support- spare skins, 
 saddle cloths, and buffalo robes, imder the shelter 
 of which we crept in and made our beds. 
 ; The vegetation in this part of the prairie was very 
 rank, and in some places gigantic, the grass growing 
 over thousands of acres from five to eight feet high, 
 For two days we travelled through this without 
 intermission, occasionally meeting with willows and 
 small spots of timber. Everything around — the 
 huge coarse grass — weeds that I never saw before, 
 rank and tangled in their unchecked growth — and 
 the eternal illimitable sweep of the undulating 
 prairie, impressed on me a sense of vastness quite 
 overwhelming. 
 
 One afternoon, on a day when we had made an 
 early camp, I started with a hunter, to see if we 
 
88 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. it. 
 
 could find anything to eat with our boiled beans. 
 We had to wade along through the grass to a range 
 of hUls about a mUe and a half out of the direction 
 of our journey, our progress being rendered still 
 more tedious and fatiguing by the old fallen timber- 
 trees, six or seven feet in diameter, over the trunks 
 of which we had to make our way as they lay about 
 in hundreds across our path, overthrown by age 
 and tempests. I know not when I have felt so 
 forcibly conscious of my own insignificance, as when 
 struggling through this immense waste, and feeling 
 as though I were suddenly carried backward into 
 some remote and long past age, and as though I 
 were encroaching on the territories of the Mammoth 
 and the Mastodon. Nor was my astonishment the 
 less, when at length we attained the hills, to meet 
 with a succession of deep, dry watercourses, with 
 oaks of enormous size growing along them, and so 
 close against the steep sides, that their topmost 
 branches lay on the bank, overlapping the grassy 
 plain. 
 
 I soon, however, abandoned my reverie, and kept 
 a sharp look out, for we began to see signs of game ; 
 and, after a while, were pretty well rewarded for our 
 trouble and fatigue by killing a deer apiece, a turkey, 
 and a blue-winged teal, but we were dreadfully tired, 
 and but for a bright moon, could never have returned 
 to the party that night. Our airival was the signal 
 
CHAP. IT.] PRAIRIE ON FIRE. 
 
 for a second supper, all being eager enough to taste 
 the venison, which, to men who had lived so long 
 upon beans, was a great treat. 
 
 One night we were considerably alarmed at seeing 
 to windward of us a lurid glare of red light, by which 
 we soon knew that the prairie was on fire. We 
 instantly started up and kindled the -grass between 
 our position and the approaching conflagration, so 
 as to burn away the intervening material, and cut off 
 the progress of the flames by depriving them of 
 food, carefully extinguishing our own fire at ihe 
 same time of course. It was a splendid and terrible 
 sight ! The fire did not, in fact, come within several 
 miles of where we stood, but at night it always 
 appears much nearer and the danger more imminent 
 than is really the case. Conjecture was rife among 
 my more experienced fellow travellers as to its cause, 
 but all agreed in arguing no good from it. " Ah, 
 Monsieur ! " said one old fellow to me, " les peaux 
 rouges sont en chemin." He meant the Indians, 
 and the next day proved him to be right, for on 
 reaching Fort Vermillion (the second trading post 
 of the Furr Company on the Missouri) about noon, 
 we saw, to our surprise, from the hills commanding 
 a view of the plain skirting the river by the fort, the 
 lodges or tents of the Sioux Indians and some wild 
 Greatures, indistinctly visible in the distance, running 
 to and fro on foot and on horseback. 
 
90 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUKES. [chap. it. 
 
 "I never, in all my experience of life in the 
 prairies, witnessed the awful wonders of a prairie 
 on fire ; but a brother-sportsman of mine, who was 
 very near losing both horses and mules from a fright- 
 ful event of the kind, gave me the following descrip- 
 tion of his experience of one, shortly after my 
 return, which I here transcribe : — ' We had seen, 
 during the latter part of our day's journey, a 
 remarkable appearance in the eastern horizon ; and 
 during supper observed a smell of burning, and a 
 few light cinders fell about the camp, and presently 
 we remarked that the luminous appearance in the 
 east had very much augmented. There being a 
 little hill in front of us, we could not see distinctly 
 what caused it ; but having consulted together, we 
 agreed that it proceeded from a prairie on fire, whichj 
 however, was a long way off. About eight o'clock 
 the smeU of burrdng and the glare having materially 
 increased, we walked up to the top of the hill, when 
 a spectacle presented itself to us the most grand 
 that can well be conceived. The whole horizon, 
 from north to south, was one wall of fire, blazing up 
 in some places to a great height, at others merely 
 smouldering in the grass. It was, however, at leasts 
 eight miles off ; but the wind seemed to set in our 
 direction, so we instantly returned, and took 
 measures to preserve the camp. We were in a 
 corner, as it were, on the bank of the stream, with 
 
OHAP. IV.] PRAIEIE ON FIRE. 91 
 
 a good deal of brushwood running up on our left, 
 and the ground sloping up gradually from the creek 
 to the top of the hill. Our guides, on looking at 
 the fire, said that it would not harm us — " ce n'est 
 rien — ^le vent change." In short, they would do 
 nothing. In about twenty minutes, however, it 
 approached so near, that there was no time to be 
 lost, and all hands were immediately employed in 
 burning a road across the face of the hill, so as to 
 stop the fire at that part. A more picturesque scene 
 could hardly be imagined. The night was very 
 dark, but as far as the eye could reach, all across 
 the horizon, about four miles in front of us, was a 
 broad, bright, lurid glare of fire, with a thick canopy 
 of smoke hanging over it, whose fantastic wreathsj 
 as they curled iu the breeze, were tinged with the 
 red reflection of the flames. Even at that distance 
 we could hear the crackling and rushing of the fire, 
 which, as it advanced, caused a strong wind, and 
 every now and then a brighter flame would shoot 
 high up into the black cloud of smoke over the top 
 of the hill, illuminating for an instant our tents and 
 wagons in the dark hollow, and giving a momentary 
 glimpse of the horses which were picketed on the 
 side of the rise, on the crest of which the figures of 
 the men engaged in lighting the opposition fire 
 (which, as it became too extended, they beat down 
 with blankets, only suffering it to burn a space 
 
92 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. it. 
 
 about twelve feet broad, right across tbe line of the 
 advancing conflagration,) stood out in strong relief 
 against- tHe glowing wall of Hglit beyond them ; and 
 as they ran about tossing their arms and waving the 
 blankets and little torches of lighted grass, they 
 looked in the distance like demons rather than men. 
 "We had no time to look at the picturesque, however^ 
 for every moment (owing to their previous obstinacy 
 in neglecting to take precautions in time) became 
 more pregnant with danger, and by the time they 
 had burned as much as would only about half cover 
 the camp, the fire was raging in the bottom at the 
 other side of the hill. I ran up for an instant to 
 the top, and shall never forget the scene. Although 
 still half a mUe off, the fire seemed close to me, 
 and the heat and smoke were almost intolerable, 
 while the dazzling brightness of the flames made it 
 painful to look at them ; they were in three lines 
 nearly parallel, the first of which was just below 
 me, burning with a rushing noise, and crackling as 
 it caught the dry grass, that gave an idea of total 
 destruction which it is impossible to convey, and 
 stretching away, over hill and dale for twelve or 
 fourteen miles on each side of me, lighting up the 
 sides of the hills and the little groves of wood far 
 away. The two lines in the rear were not so much 
 connected, and seemed rather hcking up any httle 
 spots of grass which had escaped at first. Eveiy 
 
CHAP. IV.] PRAIRIE ON FIRE. 93 
 
 now and then a prairie hen would flirr past, flying 
 in a wild uncertain manner, as if fear had almost 
 deprived it of the use of its. wings; while aU the 
 songsters of the grove were wheeling ahout among 
 the trees, uttering the most expressive cries of 
 alarm, and the melancholy hooting of several owls, 
 and wailing yells of the wolves, together with the 
 shouts and cries of the men almost drowned occa- 
 sionally by the roaring of the flames, added to the 
 savage grandeur of the scene, and one could have 
 fancied the end of all things was at hand. On 
 returning to the camp, I found all hands cutting 
 the lassoes and halters of the mules, some of which 
 galloped off instantly into the river, where they 
 remained standing till the hurricane of flame had 
 passed over ; the others, seemingly trusting them- 
 selves instinctively more to man than to their own 
 energies in such an emergency, followed us up the 
 space which we had burned, and remain ed quietly there ^ 
 trembling indeed, but without an effort to escape. 
 By the time the animals were collected in this spot^ 
 the fire was blazing on the top of the hill, and we 
 all rushed away with blankets to arrest its progress, 
 if possible, at the part which we had left unguarded; 
 all our efforts would have been in vain, however, 
 and our tents and everyiiiing else must have been 
 consumed, but that, just at that weak point, the 
 grass suddenly became thin and scanty, with much 
 
94 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. iv. 
 
 stony groirnd, and we had the satisfaction of seeing 
 the flames stopped there and turned off to the 
 northward along the edge of the brushwood. It was 
 really terrific to be, as we were, trying to break it 
 down in the very middle of the blaze (which, aftei? 
 all, was so narrow that where the flames were not 
 high, you could jump across it) ; we were, indeedj 
 nearly suffocated by the smoke and heat. As soon 
 as we perceived the fire turned off we returned to 
 the camp and horses ; and all danger was over, but 
 the sight of the three lines of fire stretching up the 
 rising grounds behind the camp, just like the 
 advance of a vast army, was magnificent; and it 
 was still more extraordinary to watch the manner in 
 which the fire passed itself on, as it were, over the 
 tops of the highest trees, to the height of at least 
 forty or fifty feet. The whole scene lasted altogether 
 about two hours, and nothing could be conceived 
 more awfully grand. The extraordinary rushing 
 and crackling sound of the flames was one of the 
 most terrific parts of it, and when one considers 
 that the grass .is no where more than five or six 
 feet high, it is difficult to imagine how the flattie 
 blazes up to such a vast height as it did. The conr 
 trast presented, two hours afterwards, was most- 
 striking. Instead of the brilliant glare of the fire, 
 and lurid appearance of the sky, there reigned' an 
 impenetrable darkness, earth and sky being alik?. 
 
CHAP. IV.] FORT VEKMILLION. 9§ 
 
 shrouded in a black gloom, whicli could almost be 
 felt ; not a star was to be seen, and the air retained 
 a suffocating, sulphureous smell, as if Satan him- 
 self had passed over the earth. We could not 
 distinguish objects at ten paces distance, and were 
 right glad when a fresh breeze came gently breath- 
 ing over the prairie, dissipating the murky vapours 
 still hanging in the atmosphere ; and a fine starlit 
 sky with a sharpish frost at length relieved us from 
 the close choking feeling we had experienced for 
 hours before. This prairie fire had travelled at the 
 rate of five miles an hour, bringing with it a strong 
 gale of wind ; for otherwise the night was quite calm, 
 both before and after it had passed over.' " 
 
 As we descended the hills we crossed a large 
 extent of plain approaching Fort VermiQion, which 
 we found surrounded by the Indian camp. The 
 fort itself was a very miserable little place, tenanted 
 by a few sickly whites, servants of the American 
 Fur Company. The surrounding Indian camp 
 consisted of a band of 600 Sioux, including men, 
 women, and children. 
 
 An Indian camp is a very striking sight, par- 
 ticularly in fine weather, when the warriors have 
 returned from a successful foray, or expedition, 
 laden with spoils and trophies. In this instance 
 the braves had just come back after an excursion 
 against the Ottoe Indians, a tribe living to the S.E., 
 
96 RAMBLES AND ADVBNTUEES. [ohav.sIV. 
 
 whom it seems they surprised, and of whom they 
 slew a considerahle number. One poor felloWj 
 from the description they gave me through the 
 interpreter, must have made a desperate resistance) 
 mortally wounding one Sioux and severely injuring 
 two others, before he was overpowered by numbers, 
 Below and behind the Fort were ranged the Indian 
 lodges or tents, made of dressed skins of the buffalo, 
 cut and sown together in such a manner as to form, 
 when raised on the poles, a sort of cone, but open at 
 the top to allow the smoke to escape. The inmates 
 were all out, arrayed in all their finery, to celebrate 
 the occasion, and I witnessed the grand scalp dance 
 which took place round the scalp of the poor Ottoej 
 elevated on a high pole in the midst. The men 
 were dressed in fuU costume, with feathers and 
 facds painted either black or red: the women in 
 red or blue blankets, with their beads, necklaces, 
 and embroidered gaiters. The dance was certainly 
 a most characteristic and novel sight. They form a 
 circle round the pole on which the scalp is mounted 
 aloft, standing shoulder to shoulder, and placing the 
 feet together so as to touch at the knees and ancles : 
 they then hop round in little steps, hardly bending 
 the knees to the measure of the most frantic 
 bellowing ; the men howling " yo-ho, 6-ho-ho." the 
 women, "ya-M, a-ha-ha," in a horrible monotonous 
 chaunt, which with children screaming, horses 
 
CHAP. IV.] SCALP DANCE. 97 
 
 kicking, dogs growling and fighting, and drums 
 beating, formed such a scene of confusion and 
 uproar as baffled description. When the dance was 
 over I bought the scalp, and also the poor devil's 
 head-dress, made of the scalp of a black bear, for 
 which I gave about fifteen rounds of ammunition 
 and a striped cotton shirt. It is needless for me, 
 however, to enter into a description of Indian 
 manners and customs in this place, as they are 
 already accurately and elaborately detailed in 
 Mr. Catlin's admirable work on this subject. 
 
 During the time we halted at the Fort, Mr. Kipp, 
 Murray, and I were invited by the Chief to a dog- 
 feast : the meat was reaUy not bad, but at the time 
 it was not pleasant as I sat eating it to see the 
 skuU of the unfortunate animal boUed quite bare of 
 flesh grinning at us from a conspicuous place. 
 However, the time was, not many months after- 
 wards, when I should have been right glad of 
 anything half so good ; and even then, it was a not 
 unwelcome change from the dried meat we were 
 eating in the Fort. Our host recounted, during the 
 feast, the wondrous achievements of their war-party, 
 whose triumphant rejoicings we had just been 
 witnessing, telling us that among other exploits 
 they had taken a poor woman prisoner whom, they 
 were going to put to death with great solemnity. 
 We were, however, I'm happy to say, fortunately 
 
9S 
 
 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. iv. 
 
 able to dissuade them from their cruel purpose, and 
 by making a subscription, Messrs. Kipp and Murray 
 on the part of the company, and I, on my owa 
 account, bought her from her enemies and set her 
 free at night. I am sure my readers will be glad to 
 know that, as I afterwards learnt, she got safely 
 home to her husband and children, who had luckily 
 escaped the massacre. She ran aU night, and lay 
 concealed during the day, and guiding her course by 
 the stars, regained her own tribe at the end of two 
 days and two nights, half starved, but very happy. 
 
 Next morning on rising, we found three of our 
 best horses stolen ; fortunately, however, they were 
 none of mine, which was the more lucky, as I had 
 but three, and none therefore to spare. In the 
 night the Indians had rooted up the pickets of the 
 Fort in front of the horses' heads behind the stable, 
 got themselves in and the horses out. " WeU, well ; 
 goodness, gracious me ! " exclaimed poor old Mr. 
 Kipp on seeing how an entrance had been effected. 
 I endeavoured to console him by telling bim what a 
 proof it was of the uncertainty of human affairs, 
 since on leaving the stables the previous evening 
 he had even taken the precaution of locking the door 
 before the steeds were stolen. We found that it was 
 not the Indians camped around us who were the 
 culprits, but some audacious rascals who had pursued 
 us a long way, and had, no doubt, been unable to 
 
CHAP. IV.] A CLEVER HOSSE. 
 
 carry out their plan before, from our guarding the 
 horses so carefully at night, while out on the prairie. 
 Pursuit of course was useless. In the evening, 
 however, by wonderful good luck, the best of the 
 three horses broke away from his captors, and 
 returned to us of his own accord. 
 
 The following day there was a great council of the 
 Chiefs, at which they determined to start on the 
 morrow for their autumn hunt. We travelled a 
 couple of days in their company, as they requested 
 us not to move on in advance for fear of frightening 
 the game, if there should be any. Accordingly, the 
 following day orders were given by the chiefs to get 
 under way and take down the lodges. 
 
 The whole labour of erecting the lodges or tents 
 in the morning and taking them down at night 
 devolved on the women. The poles which support 
 the tents form the carriage on which they are drawn, 
 together with pots, kettles, children, puppies, &c., 
 by the horses and dogs; the women being also 
 obliged to harness the dogs and horses, untackle 
 ihem, water item, and catch them ; the men all the 
 time sitting still and looking on. 
 
 The moving of the eamp was a very pretty and 
 steiking scene. Behind the mounted Indians 
 followed those who had no horses ; then, in a 
 long row, the horses drawing the lodge' potes 
 fastened to a strad^e, the other ends trailing on 
 
 H 2 
 
100 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. iv. 
 
 the ground. On these poles is a kind of receptacle 
 for the different cooking kettles and other property. 
 The dogs are harnessed in like manner, and horses 
 and dogs keep an unhroken line, together with their 
 attendant women, who have very severe tasks to 
 perform. Our day's journey was not very long: 
 the men rode in every direction, looking out for 
 buffalo; but as yet without success. Next day a 
 halt was ordered at about ten o'clock by the chiefs, 
 who gave strict orders that no inmate of the camp 
 should proceed beyond a certain distance, and that 
 all dogs straying out of bounds were to be shot. 
 The young men went out again after buffalo. My 
 horses were tired, having come such a long journey, 
 and as I did not expect to meet with much game I 
 determined to let them rest, and set off alone with 
 my double-barrelled gun to look for ducks along a 
 little creek, near which we were camped. 
 
 I had not gone above a qu^ter of a mile when I 
 was suddenly startled by the rteQrt of a gun just 
 behind me, and a bullet whizzed^^bse past my ear. 
 I turned quickly round, and saw a»Indian lower his 
 gun, having fired at and missed me. I easily came 
 up with him as he was attempting to load, and 
 completely cowed him by holding the muzzle of my 
 gun to his face, with both barrels cocked, making 
 him knock under in very quick style. An old Indian, 
 who fortunately happened to be near, and seeiag 
 
CHAP. IV.] HINT FROM A BULLET. 101 
 
 things were taking a serious turn between us, came 
 up, and by signs explained the matter. The fact 
 ■was that I had not understood the proclamation of 
 the morning, and had unintentionally transgressed 
 it, and this was their way of letting me know it. It 
 aU, however, terminated very well, and most fortu- 
 nately for me, to whom the consequences might have 
 been fatal, and I took the precaution of getting the 
 old fellow who had acted as mediator between us 
 to accompany me for the rest of the day under 
 pretence of picking up the ducks. I found him 
 quite invaluable as a retriever, for he recovered 
 several birds that I should otherwise have given up 
 for lost. One duck> in particular, late in the 
 evening, fell under a bank ; when I got tired of 
 Searching for it, the old Sioux would not give it up, 
 and after three-quarters of an hour's wading above 
 his knees in water, pulled it out, much to his own 
 satisfaction and my surprise, from under the opposite 
 side of the river. 
 
 No buffalo had been seen when we arrived in 
 camp that night. Mr. Kippj Murray, and I had 
 quite a laugh at the Indians as we plucked and 
 boiled the small game I had brought in. I did not 
 fail, however, to call my old retriever, and make him 
 sit down and share, on which he exclaimed " How ! " 
 and seemed much delighted. 
 
 On the morrow our troublesome companions, the 
 
102 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. it. 
 
 Indians, took a more Southerly direction, leaving us 
 to go our own way, which we were not sorry to do. 
 We continued travelling all that day and part of the 
 next, when we came in sight of two or three Indian 
 lodges. On going up we found that one of them 
 belonged to an Indian whom old Mr. Kipp knew, 
 and whom he had formerly seen at Fort Pierre. 
 He invited us into his tent to eat buffalo, sayiag 
 that he had made a good hxmt and had fat meat in 
 his lodge ; and there, for the first time in my life, I 
 tasted buffalo meat. To say what I think of its 
 flavour and its excellence would be but to repeat all 
 the encomiums upon it that I have ever heard or 
 read. It is decidedly the best meat I ever tasted, 
 and I have eaten as great a variety as most people^ 
 The fat is peculiarly delicious, and more like that of 
 turtle than beef, over which it has a decided supe- 
 riority in delicacy of flavour, and in not surfeiting 
 those who even feast immoderately upon it. 
 
 We took leave of our hospitable Indian, and 
 travelled onwards until we reached an island in the 
 Missouri, where the A. F, C* tried to establish a 
 farm, for which the site was thought peculiarly 
 favourable, the river forming such a complete; 
 substitute for a fence, on aU sides. The^- project 
 succeeded for awhile, but the predatory dispOBition 
 of those most incorrigible, untameable thieves of 
 * Ameiican Fur Company. 
 
GHAP. ly.] FORT PIEEEE. 103 
 
 red-skins, soon broke out. They killed the cattle, 
 burned the hay, and stole the com when ripe, and 
 actually had the impudence to offer it for sale to the 
 F. C. traders, who " o temporal o mores ! " bought it 
 back from them at a blanket or 100 rounds of 
 ammunition a bushel. 
 
 Shortly afterwards we came opposite Fort Pierre, 
 built on the other (i. e. south) side of the river. We 
 fired some shots as a signal, on which they sent 
 boats to take us and our horses across ; and we were 
 by no means sorry to find ourselves comfortably 
 installed in time for breakfast in the finest of the 
 Fur Company's Stations on the Missouri. In fact, 
 Pierre is the largest fort belonging to the F. C.'s 
 traders. It consists of a large space about 120 
 yards square, enclosed by piles of timber 24 feet 
 high driven well into the ground. The roofe of the 
 stores and trading houses are attached to two of the 
 sides, with the stables, straw-yards, carpenters' and 
 blacksmiths' shops, and a dairy for such cows as may 
 escape the marauding hands of the Indians. A flag- 
 staff, gaily rigged, stands in the centre of the square, 
 and the whole establishment has a most inviting 
 look to a set of weary travellers on jaded horses, and 
 who, with the exception of the aforesaid buffalo 
 feast, had not fared over well for many days past. 
 Here, therefore, we remained a day or two to refresh 
 the horses, which were looking miserably worn and 
 
104 EAMBLBS AND ADVENTURES. [chap. iv. 
 
 thin, and to revel in fresh meat and new mUk for 
 the benefit of our own health. "We retailed, of 
 course, all the news from below, which though stale 
 enough to us was very acceptable here. Major 
 Drips was in command : had been in his younger 
 days a great leader of trapping parties in the 
 mountains, and was now a sober, steady trader. 
 
CHAP, v.] CLEAR ATMOSPHERE. 105 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Clear Atmosphere. — See Bufifalo. — ArriTal at Fort Union. — Buffalo- 
 Hunting. — ^Winter sets in. — Hunting Party;— Escape from a War 
 Party. — A race for life or death. — ^Wanton cruelty of the Sioux.-^- 
 A heroic old bull.- — ^Domestic CalTes and Bison Bull. 
 
 We left Fort Pierre on the 5th or 6th of October 
 to pursue our journey, and generally found timber 
 to camp in for breakfast at mid- day, and also for 
 supper and sleeping at night, but were much incon- 
 venienced by want of fresh-water, which disagreed 
 with old Mr. Kipp and many of the men. "We had 
 long entered the high prairies. The atmosphere in 
 these regions is extremely healthy, and its effect 
 upon the constitution something wonderful; so 
 much so, that persons never suffer from coughs or 
 colds ; the complaint is quite unknown. I have 
 frequently in the morning risen from a sound sleep, 
 under a down-pour of rain and found my shoulder on 
 the side I had lain, in a pool of water, have got up 
 and ridden on, cold and shivering, till the sun rose 
 and his genial rays thoroughly warmed and dried 
 me ; and yet have taken no harm. So clear is the 
 
106 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEBS. [ohap. t. 
 
 air that the natural range of sight is greatly extended, 
 and distant' objects may be clearly and easily seen, 
 which in these islands, or in the States of America, 
 it would be impossible to recognise or define. It is 
 almost like looking through a telescope. 
 
 Another peculiarity is the great difficulty a person 
 imaccustomed to the prairie finds in ascertaining 
 the relative distances of objects, and consequently ia 
 estimating their size. I have frequently made, 
 myself, and seen others make the blunder of mis- 
 taking a buffalo bull for a crow, or more frequently 
 a crow for a buffalo buU. My readers may be 
 inclined to smile at this ; but I will answer for it 
 that if any of them have ever stood upon the sea 
 shore with a sailor and compared their estimate of 
 distances with his, they wiU have found a consi- 
 derable difference, and so it is upon the prairie. 
 The eye ranges over a sea of short waving grass 
 without a single intervening object to afford it the 
 accustomed means of estimatiug relative size and 
 distance. The appetite in this healthy region is 
 also greatly increased, and I have been told by 
 American physicians that many are the instances 
 where consumption has been completely eradicated 
 from the constitutions of people travelling up into 
 these regions, even under circumstances exposing 
 them to very great hardships. 
 
 The difficulty of finding water here seemed rather 
 
CHAP, v.] SEE BUFFALO. 107 
 
 on the increase, until late one day we saw a herd of 
 antelope, always a sure sign of its not being very far 
 off. The next most important thing was to find it, 
 as one of the party observed. " Never mind," said 
 old Mr. Kipp ; " leave the horses to themselves, and 
 they win find it." We dropped the reins upon their 
 necks as he directed : one or two of the old stagers 
 pricked up their ears, stood still for a little while, 
 turned aside from the course we were pursuing, and 
 walked us straight to a beautiful spring. It was the 
 only pure, fine-flavoured water we had enjoyed since 
 leaving Fort Pierre, and we had entirely to thank 
 our poor suffering horses for finding it. We accord- 
 ingly camped here for the night, but as there was 
 a scarcity of timber, we were obliged to make 
 our fire of dry buffalo dung, of which there was 
 abundance, and which proved a very tolerable 
 substitute when gathered in sufficient quantity. 
 
 We were now advanced some considerable distance 
 in the country of the buffalo, but had not as yet met 
 with any. The next day, however, before eleven 
 o'clock, we actually did come in sight of the long 
 wished-for game. At first the dark grotesque out- 
 lines of two old out-straggling buUs loomed over a 
 rising hill ; they remained a moment to conteniplate 
 us, and then cantered off at a very leisurely pace, 
 tossing their great heads at every stride. We 
 allowed them to go unmolested, as few of our horses 
 
108 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, v, 
 
 were in condition to follow them, and we were in 
 hopes that, by waiting a little, we might come across 
 some cows, which would prove a much greater 
 prize to us. But we saw no more that day. 
 
 On the morrow, Mr. Murray and I observed a 
 bull in a ravine, so we stalked and shot him ; but he 
 proved so old, lean, and tough, that we left him to 
 the wolves. 
 
 It is almost unnecessary for me to give any 
 description of the buffalo, as both he and his habits 
 must have so often come under the observation of 
 my readers in the writings of travellers and the 
 descriptions of naturalists. It should, however, be 
 remembered, that the animal commonly called 
 buffalo in America, is the bison. Though not so 
 tail as the large breeds of our cattle, they are 
 larger and deeper in the body ; the shoulders and 
 fore-quarters being very heavy, and the hind- 
 quarters very light. The fuU-grown bull is im- 
 mensely shaggy, especially about the head, which is 
 covered with such a vast quantity of fur, wool, and 
 long hair hanging down over his eyes and almost 
 concealiug the horns, as to give it the appearance of 
 being one-third the size of the whole body. In the 
 winter month he is covered all over with thick, 
 long, and curly fur ; a mane of light brown hair and 
 fur, like that of a lion, only larger, envelopes his 
 neck ; a long glossy black beard hanging from bis 
 
OHAP. v.] SEE BUFFALO. 109 
 
 chin like a deep fringe sweeps the ground ; which, 
 with his savage-looking muzzle and promiijent black 
 eye flashiag between the tangled locks of his hair, give 
 him altogether a most ferocious appearance. Inreality, 
 however, he is a timid animal, and it is only when 
 he imagines himself unable to escape that he becomes 
 desperate, and therefore dangerous from his immense 
 strength. Finally, this strange-looking creature is 
 supported on short slender legs, more resembling 
 those of a deer than an ox, and fringed, like his 
 throat, with masses of coarse shining black hair, 
 about a foot long, as far as the knee ; his hind legs 
 being so bent under him and so slight, as to give at 
 first sight the impression of weakness, as if over- 
 weighted by his huge carcase ; an impression, how- 
 ever, soon effaced when you see him galloping up 
 a steep bill where no horse could follow, or along a 
 narrow ledge that would scarcely afford footing to a 
 goat. The cow is swifter than the buU and much 
 smaller; she does not calve until fuUy four years 
 old, nor does the bull breed till nearly that age. 
 In winter, strange to say, they migrate northward, 
 and collect in great numbers on the banks of the 
 Missouri, to find shelter iu the timber, and browse 
 upon the willows, or coarse grass, still uncovered by 
 snow. Taken altogether, they are a curious and 
 interesting animal, and uncommonly good, eating. 
 At three o'clock on the 27th of October we 
 
110 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUilES. [ohap. t. 
 
 arrived at Fort Union, the termination of our 
 journey, fight glad to rest ourselves and our tired 
 horses, who looked miserable enough and scarcely 
 able to survive the winter. Fort Union is situated 
 about three miles westward of the junction of the 
 Missouri and Yellow Stone rivers, and built ia a 
 similar style to Fort Pierre. It is in the Assineboine 
 territory, and is the depot of the Fur Company's 
 trade through the Upper Missouri. 
 
 Several of the principal Indians came to welcome 
 old Mr. Kipp, who was a great favourite. There 
 were two bands, one of whom had pitched their 
 lodges about thirteen miles below the Fort on the 
 river, and the other settled themselves about six 
 miles above the Fort to the westward, and all agreed 
 in declaring the buffalo abundant in that part of the 
 country. After a day or two's rest, therefore, I 
 started off with the hunter of the Fort in quest of 
 them. The day was very fine, and we rode each a 
 hack, leading a hunter (or runner). We had not 
 gone more than three or four mUes, when we came 
 in sight of a very fine herd of buffalo ranging to the 
 north-east of us. Eiding some distance round, in 
 order to avoid giving them the wind, and screened 
 by some hiUs and broken ground, we approached as 
 near as we could unperceived; then dismounting 
 from our hacks, we tightened the girths of our 
 runners, and mounting them, prepared for the chase. 
 
3HAP. v.] BUFFALO HUNTING. Ill 
 
 Holding our loaded guns in rest, we started at full 
 speed. Away went the huge mass raising ^ whirl of 
 dust over the plain, followed by us iu hot pursuit. 
 We soon overhauled them, and continued loading and 
 &ring away into the herd. My companion shot twoi, 
 but my first attempt was a total failure ; however, I 
 was more fortunate the second time, and brought 
 down a fine four-year old bull. 
 
 Buffalo-hunting is a noble sport, the animal being 
 swift enough to give a good horse enough to do to close 
 with him ; wheeling round with such quickness as to 
 baffle both horse and rider for several turns before 
 there is any certainty of bringing him down. Added 
 to which, there is the danger of being charged by 
 one old bull while in pursuit of another ; this, 
 however, they will not often do, unless when blown 
 by the awkwardness of a bad hunter, in chasing 
 them too far, when they turn and get desperate. 
 
 The first object in approaching a herd of buffalo 
 should be to get as near as possible before charging 
 them ; then, rush in with your horse at fuU speed, 
 single out one animal, and detach him from the 
 herd, which you will soon do, and after a turn 
 or two be able to get a broadside shot, when you 
 should endeavour to strike him behind the fore- 
 shoulder. While reloading slacken your iorse's 
 speed to a hand gallop. The general method of 
 loading is to empty the charge from the ham slung 
 
112 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, v. 
 
 round your neck into the palm of your hand, 
 whence you can more easily pour it down the 
 barrel; you then take a bullet wet out of your 
 mouth, and throw it down upon the powder; by 
 which means you avoid the necessity of using the 
 ramrod, a most inconvenient process when riding 
 fast on horseback. I found it from experience 
 better to dispense with both powder-horn, ramrod, 
 and copper caps altogether, and use a Hght self- 
 priming flint gun, carrying the powder loose in the 
 skirt "pockets of my shooting-coat, and thereby 
 having no further delay than to thrust my hand, in 
 for it and empty it down the barrel of my gun; 
 accuracy in quantity at such close quarters being of 
 small importance. Taking the bullet from the 
 mouth is both the quickest and safest method of 
 loading; quicker than fumbling for it in your 
 pocket, and safer, because its being wet causes it 
 to stick for a moment without rolling forward on 
 depressing the muzzle to take aim ; and my brother 
 sportsmen are doubtless aware of the danger of 
 leaving an empty space in the barrel between the 
 powder and the ball. I would not, however, recom» 
 mend any one to depend too much upon the 
 detention of the wet bullet, but to fire immediately 
 on lowering the muzzle. I ought here to mention, 
 that in running buffalo you never bring the gun to 
 your shoulder in firing, but present it, as in the 
 
CHAP, v.] BEEP rBli$us BUFFALO. 113 
 
 plate, across the pummel of the saddle, calculating 
 the angle with your eye and steadying yourself 
 inomentarily hy standing in the stirrups as you take 
 aim. This is difficult to do at first, and requires 
 considerahle practice ; but the facility once acquired, 
 the ease and unerring steadiness with which you can 
 shoot is most satisfactory, and any one -accustomed 
 to this method condemns ever afterward the lifting 
 of a gun to the shoulder whilst riding at speed, as 
 the most awkward and unscientific bungling. 
 
 "We dfew tip our horses, and proceeded to skin 
 and cut up the animals, and were soon joined by the 
 drays despatched from the Fort for the purpose of 
 taking home the meat. What we had killed that 
 day was very good and tolerably fat. I have before 
 adverted to the excellence of bison beef, and the 
 superiority of its fat over that of the domestic ox ; 
 but before leaving the subject, I will state two 
 instances in which I myself saw this superiority 
 fully estabKshed. 
 
 Old Mr. Kipp, at Christmas, thinking to give all 
 the employes and voyageurs of the Furr Company at 
 Fort Union a great treat, had for some time previously 
 ,been fattening up a very nice small-boned heifer 
 cow, which was killed in due time, in prime condition. 
 All who had been reckoning on the treat this would 
 afford them, sat down in high expectation of the 
 ensuing feast; but after eating a little- while in 
 
114 KAMBLES AND ADV^NTUKES. [chap. v. 
 
 /<- ^ ■ 
 
 silence, gradually dropped off one by one to the bison 
 meat which was also* on the table, and were finally 
 unanimous in condemning the beef, which they said 
 was good enough, but nothing remarkable, and the 
 fat sickening. A plate-full of it was also given, as 
 ordinary buffalo beef, to an Indian woman in another 
 room at the Fort, on the same occasion ; she pro- 
 nounced it good food, but said she, "it is both 
 coarse and insipid," and the fat, if she were to eat 
 much of it, would make her sick. 
 
 I mention these circumstances, having been one 
 of the very few who have seen the comparative 
 merits of the two meats tested by Europeans, 
 Americans and Indians at the same time, and heard 
 the unanimous verdict in favour of the wild bison. 
 
 Not many days after my arrival at Fort Union, 
 winter burst in on the vast region of prairie, bringing 
 aU its terrors with it. A snow-storm of three days' 
 duration, accompanied by a strong north-westerly 
 wind, kept us all prisoners in the Fort, the river 
 partly froze, leaving but a narrow channel towards 
 the opposite bank. I managed to cross, however, 
 in a boat belonging to the Fort,' and killed a very 
 fine three-year old buck, but did not see any ell^ 
 which game I was most anxious to meet. 
 
 Among the gentlemen at the trading-post, I found 
 a good sportsman and first-rate rifle shot in my 
 friend Mr.Denig; the accuracy of whose shooting was 
 
CHAP, v.] WINTEK SETS.,IN. 115 
 
 ^—\ 
 
 surprising even to me, who had had considerable 
 practice. He was frequently my companion when 
 my excursions did not lead me very far from the 
 Fort, where as physician and interpreter he was 
 obliged to be in constant attendance. Rabbits and 
 prairie hens were our principal game on these occa- 
 sions. We used our rifles only; and while I was 
 content with bringing the birds down any way that I 
 best could, my companion, four times out of five, 
 would smash their heads or cut them off altogether. 
 Prairie hens although not wild, seldom allow you to 
 approach within fifty yards. They do not mind the 
 report of the rifle, and when a number are on the 
 same tree you may bag most of them by commencing 
 with the lowest, so that his fall from the tree may not 
 alarm his companions. This bird is evidently a 
 species of grouse and stands as tall, but perhaps not 
 quite so heavy ; it is beautifully speckled with two or 
 three greys, orange, white, and brown. In the 
 breeding season the male exhibits two large orange 
 coloured gills, with which he makes a strange drum- 
 ming noise, audible at a great distance on the prairie. 
 Its flavour is much affected by what it feeds on, and 
 in this part of the country where its principal food 
 is rosebuds, is not nearly so good as in civilised 
 districts, where it eats Indian corn by wholesale. 
 
 So completely were my horses knocked up from 
 the effects of their long journey that they did not 
 
 1 '^ 
 
116 RAMBLES AND ADYENTURES. [chap. t. 
 
 recover their condition at all during the winter, and 
 were therefore of little or no use to me at Fort 
 Union. Frequently, however, during my stay at 
 that post, meat was scarce, and on these occasions 
 I obtained a reluctant consent from old Mr. Kipp 
 to ride a very gallant little grey buffalo-runner when 
 I wanted to hunt on horseback. He was a powerful 
 sagacious little animal, and eventually we under- 
 stood each other thoroughly. An Indian horse is 
 almost entirely guided by the balance of his rider's 
 body, when I leaned, therefore, towards the left 
 on approaching any particular cow, he pertina- 
 ciously pursued her, and on my firing used to sheer 
 off in the most dexterous manner, for having once 
 had a rip from a buffalo horn, he was far too wise 
 to trust himself within reach again. 
 
 The best hunters of buffalo are the English half« 
 breeds on the Red Eiver, from Lord Selkirk's settle- 
 ments ; they will in passing a buffalo at fuU speed 
 hit him mortally behind the shoulder at fifty yards, 
 five times out of six. 
 
 A violent snow-storm about Christmas-time nearly 
 put an end to my hunting buffalo on horseback, and 
 a strange epidemic at the same time broke out among 
 the inhabitants of the Fort, and spread hke wildfire ; 
 a sort of cold that affected the throat like mumps, 
 internall y^ and externally. So many of the men were 
 laid up with it that the remainder could hardly supplj 
 
OHAP. v.] BLANKET HUNTING. 117 
 
 the Fort with wood for fuel, which they cut from the 
 neighhouring point. Fortuii^,tely, however, the 
 iavalids began to recover before the healthy ones 
 were taken ill ; but at last both the hunters were 
 affected, and the labour of procuring meat for the 
 Fort devolved on my friend Mr. Denig and myself. 
 This for a long time we were able to do with great 
 ease, as the buffalo were sure to be found ia the 
 timber skirting the river on both sides, so that 
 we could easily stalk them ; and when we had killed 
 one or two, send out people to skin, cut them up, 
 and take them back to the Fort in a dray or sledge. 
 FiaaUy, alas ! my friend, the physician himself, was 
 laid low with this complaint. He had a name for 
 it, as doctors have for every ailment, whether they 
 know anything about it or not, but that did not 
 much assist him in its cure, for he fared no better 
 than the rest. 
 
 I started off one day by myself after a large herd 
 of buffalo, about three miles westward of the Fort, 
 adopting the novel expedient of carrying with 
 me a white blanket in order to stalk them. 
 I took such a com'se as not to give the herd my 
 wind, and with the cover afforded by the timber on 
 the point, succeeded in getting within a couple of 
 hundred yards of them. I crept forward on my hands 
 and knees covered by the blanket, which prevented 
 them from distinguishing me amidst the surrounding 
 
118 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. v. 
 
 snow, and enabled me to approach until I came 
 •within shot. I continued creeping about and around 
 them, singling out the best and fattest of the cow8 
 for upwards of an hour, and it was not until I 
 had laid five of their number low that they smelt a 
 rat, and bolted off unanimously tossing their sliaggy 
 heads and ploughing up the snow. 
 
 Being perfectly satisfied with the abundance of 
 meat I had obtained, I proceeded to cut out the 
 tongues, which I fastened with thongs to my belt. 
 Then leaving my blanket on one animal, my cap stuck 
 on my loading stick on another, a pocket-handkerchief 
 fluttering from the horns of a third, &c., to keep 
 off the wolves, I ran off at full speed to the Fort, 
 which I entered just as the twelve o'clock beU was 
 giving the signal for dinner. 
 
 We had buffalo and venison that day of my own 
 providing, but dressed with most delicious bear's 
 ^ease and buffalo marrow by a capital cook. It 
 happened to be Thursday, our pudding day, which 
 will account to my readers for my making such haste 
 home. 
 
 Dinner over, I requested old Mr. Kipp to give 
 me a couple of experienced men with a dray, in 
 order to cut up and bring home my buffalo meat, 
 but so numerous were the sufferers from " the 
 mumps," that not one could be spared, and the day 
 was too cold to induce the women to come to my 
 
CHAP, v.] SKINNING AND CUTTING UP. 119 . 
 
 assistance ; I returned alone tlierefore to the grMmd 
 where my bisons lay, and with two pack-horses, 
 endeavoured to bring home as much of the meat as 
 possible. I commenced with the finest one, the robe 
 of which was beautiful, and proceeded to cut her 
 up, though not without a good deal of exertion 
 and repugnance at first. One soon, however, gets 
 over that sort of squeamishness. So slow and 
 awkward, however, were my first attempts at cutting 
 up this heavy game, that night closed around me 
 ere I finished a second buffalo ; so that all I could 
 carry away was the skin of the finest, with the ribs, 
 loins, &c., of two cows, leaving three fine animals 
 untouched,, to be devoured by the wolves, which 
 mortified me exceedingly, especially as it was chiefly 
 owing to my awkwardness and want of practice in 
 skinning and dissecting heavy game. It was night- 
 fall ere I arrived with my heavily laden horses at 
 the F(k. 
 
 . In two days all the fresh meat I had brought in 
 that evening was gone, and the buffalo were four 
 or five miles off; taking my friend the little grey 
 (the especial favourite of the old gentleman's,) I 
 stole out with him unperceived, and had a splendid 
 run, flooring a cow, and wounding a buU, which I 
 left for the present, and then stretching away at 
 full speed, I pursued after another uncommonly 
 fine fat cow. She gave me an awful chase, turning 
 
120 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [onAP. v. 
 
 and doubling incessantly. My little horse was 
 sorely at a disadvantage in the snow, and began 
 to show symptoms of distress; but I eould not 
 manage to get a broadside shot. At last making 
 one more push, I got pretty close behind her, and 
 raising myself in my stirrups, fii'ed down upon 
 her. The effect was grand. She dropped at the 
 report, the bullet breaking her spine. My little 
 horse unable to stop himself rolled right over her, 
 making a complete summersault, and sending me, 
 gun and all, flying clean over both of them into 
 a snow drift. I leaped up, ran back to my horse, 
 which I caught without much difficulty, and was 
 glad to find no more hurt than myself. My gun 
 was fiUed with snow of course, but otherwise unin- 
 jured. I certainly was in luck that day, for the 
 guard of the horses at the Fort joined me soon after- 
 wards ; he had seen the buffalo running, and came 
 to my assistance to secure and pack the meat, so 
 that I was enabled to get home and put my gallant 
 little grey quietly into his stable again. 
 
 The weather now became intensely cold, and a 
 fierce northerly wind, accompanied by a good deal 
 of snow again kept us all for some time prisoners ia 
 the Fort. We led a very routine sort of life while 
 our durance lasted. We rose when the bell rang, 
 and repaired to the dining-room and a cheerful 
 cotton-wood fire ; shortly afterwards our mulatto 
 
!'► 
 
 
 s - 
 
 "i 
 
 m I ;, 
 
 J! .• 
 
CHAP, v.] A TRAPPER'S VISIT. 121 
 
 cook served breakfast, consisting of fried buffalo and 
 venison, round breakfast cakes of wheaten flour, (a 
 supply of which is brought up every year by the 
 steamer,) and excellent coffee, with the luxuries of 
 cream and butter. At twelve we had a dinner very 
 similar to breakfast, with the exception of coffee, 
 wliich we drank again at supper. 
 
 We were occasionally favoured with visits by the 
 Indians from the upper and lower camps, who came 
 sometimes from motives of curiosity, sometimes to 
 beg tobacco, sugar, a knife, vermilion, or some such 
 trifle, and assisted to pass away the time by accounts 
 of their war-parties and exploits. I heard some 
 astonishing stories of the daring adventures and 
 hair-breadth escapes of some of the hardy hunters 
 and trappers of the prairie, a race now rapidly 
 becoming extinct, owing to the great fall in the 
 price of beaver, from the recent introduction of silk 
 into the manufacture of hats. These veterans of the 
 prairie, so admirably described in Mr. Euxton's book, 
 (the best collection of trapper stories I ever came 
 across,) are subject to constant vicissitudes of wealth 
 and poverty, starvation and plenty, and have continual 
 intercourse with the forts or trading-posts through- 
 out the Indian country, to exchange their furs for 
 ammunition, beaver-traps, a saddle, or sometimes 
 even a horse, if they have sufficient equivalents to 
 purchase so expensive an article in that country. 
 
122 EAMBLES AND ADTBNTUBES. [chap. v. 
 
 On some occasion of this sort, old Williams made 
 his appearance at the Fort, to the astonishment of all, 
 who had supposed him dead a long while before, as 
 he had been one of a party surprised by the mountain 
 Blackfoot Indians; but as it afterwards appeared, 
 had made his escape, he being the only survivor. 
 After mutual congratulations, Mr. Denig asked him 
 to recount his adventure, which he did in a most 
 interesting and solemn way. He and several other 
 trappers had been hunting for beaver on one of the 
 tributaries of the Yellow Stone, or Platte, I forget 
 which now, and after their day's toil had camped in 
 supposed security with the horses m their neighbour^ 
 hood, and were lying by their fire after supper 
 soundly wrapped in that sleep from which they 
 were to rise no more, when Williams dreamedj 
 " Grod Almighty appeared to me," said he, slowly 
 and solemnly, "in flames and sparkling flashes of 
 fire, and said, ' Williams, you have been a very 
 wicked man, I have saved your life very often, and 
 you have not profited by it, but I will save you once 
 more.' " Bang, bang, bang ! went the guns of an 
 Indian war-party close by, and most of his com- 
 panions rolled from the sleep of time into eternity, or 
 on rising to flee from the danger, were immediately 
 massacred. Williams, however, clubbing his rifle 
 in one hand, and grasping his knife in the other, 
 rushed right at the spot from which the shots were 
 
OHAP. T.] START FOR A HUNT. 123 
 
 fired, and consequently broke through the enemy, 
 and got clear off: for those that had fired were 
 but few; the larger number of the savages being 
 ranged at the opposite side, in order more effectually 
 to destroy the whole party by intercepting them as 
 they fled from the obvious danger. " Well, Williams," 
 said Mr. Denig, after a pause, " and is it a warning 
 you have profited by?" "Well," replied the old 
 fellow, " I don't know ; I've worked very hard at my 
 traps and paid all my debts ; I've given up swearing 
 and that sort o' thing, and if I knew anything else 
 I'd do it." Most likely .the sleeping hunter was 
 inspired with this vision in a moment of time at the 
 instant dawn of returning consciousness, when 
 awakened by the explosion of the fire-arms which 
 had suggested the dream. 
 
 Our snow-storm lasted about three days, and was 
 succeeded by cold brilliant sunny weather. The 
 Chief of the upper camp and his brother sent an 
 old Indian with a message to me, and an offer to 
 accompany me for one or two days' hunting on the 
 Yellow Stone. Accordingly, we started next day, 
 joined by one of the hunters of the Fort and two 
 boys about sixteen or seventeen years of age, who 
 came for the purpose of. assisting us in skinning, 
 cutting up, and packing the meat. After crossing 
 the Missouri a little below the Fort, and pro- 
 ceeding some way up the Yellow Stone, we came in 
 
124 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. v. 
 
 sight of a splendid band of upwards of 100 elk. 
 Never shall I forget the grand and imposing 
 appearance they presented ! Like a regiment of 
 cavalry they passed along the plain, the old stags 
 with wide branching antlers leading the van. We 
 immediately left onr horses with the old man and 
 boys, and crossing the ice, the Chief and the hunter 
 took the left side of the river, and his brother and I 
 the right. We got several shots, and succeeded, 
 after a good deal of running and hard work, in 
 bagging three of them. Ramsay, the hunter, and 
 the Chief fired several shots, whereupon the elk 
 rushed to our side of the river, and I got a shot at 
 a noble stag bearing a splendid pair of antlers; I 
 struck him behind the fore -shoulder, upon which he 
 started, and rushed forward crashing through the 
 willows at a great pace. We pursued as fast as we 
 could make our way through the snow, and after 
 a long hard run, two more shots brought him 
 down ; he made one final effort to escape, and fell 
 struggling on the snow where he soon expired. I 
 was greatly pleased at my success, but so utterly 
 blown that I threw myself forward with my elbows 
 on the ground to assist my efforts to breathe ; but 
 by following the Indian's example, and eating a 
 handful of snow, I was soon reheved. I now thought 
 I had ample leisure to examine my noble elk, which 
 measured five feet three inches in height from the 
 
CHAP, v.] HUNTING PARTY. 125 
 
 top of the shoulder, and upwards of six and a half 
 feet round the body; but the Indian would not 
 allow me to stay, pointing forward and saying, 
 " cooa, coona"tcome, friend). So we set off again, 
 and before evening closed he shot a deer, which we 
 skinned, cut up, and hung in a tree. Covering it with 
 the skin, we left it till next morniag, as it was 
 rather too far for the boys to go for it that night. 
 This done, we ran back at a jog-trot to camp, 
 and on our way overtook the boys with the meat 
 of my elk cut up and covered with its hide, all 
 safely packed on the back of the horse they were 
 leading. 
 
 As we approached we were cheered by the red 
 glare of the fire flickering through the wOlows, and 
 shedding warm tints on the leafless frozen trees. 
 The snow around the fire was partly scraped away, 
 forming a sheltering wall behind our backs as we 
 sat. Elk-meat spitted on short sticks, with the 
 sharpened end stuck in the , ground, was roasting in 
 all directions. Eamsay and the Chief had kUled two 
 elks, a stag and doe, and wounded several others 
 which they did not get. The herd had got perfectly 
 terrified at the firing on both sides, and kept trotting 
 backwards and forwards literally panic-struck, so 
 much so, that had they shot only tolerably well, they 
 must have killed many more, as they actually fired 
 eleven times between them. Indians, in general. 
 
126 KAMBIiES ANI> ADVBNTUEES. [chap. v. 
 
 shoot very badly, and in their pursuit of game 
 depend most on their skill, craft, and patience in 
 approaching, and also on their wonderful powers of 
 running. I found the. elk good, solid, wholesome 
 meat, very like our beef; but the fat is disagreeable 
 to eat, it is white .and hard, getting cold as it were, 
 immediately in the mouth. 
 
 On putting my hand in my pouch after supper, I 
 found that I had lost my pipe, which, when the old 
 man understood from Ramsay, who interpreted for 
 me, he asked, " where ? " I said I did not know, 
 but that I supposed it must have been at the place 
 where I dismounted. Upon which he said, "we 
 will go and find it," and to my surprise got up, took 
 a burning piece of wood from the fire, and led the 
 way. After poking along for about 100 yards he 
 stopped, stooped down, and searching for a little 
 while, pointed out to me with a modest self-satisfied 
 chuckle, the short white clay pipe lying on the snow 
 close to the prints of my feet, made on dismounting 
 from my horse. 
 
 The younger of the two Indians that hunted with 
 me was the Chief, although my friend, the elder 
 one, was a far finer feUow in every way ; he sat 
 there a perfect gentlemain of nature, dignified in 
 carriage, with a mild voice and graceful manner. 
 I complimented him on his running, and reminded 
 Jiim how completely he had stumped me up that 
 
CHAP, v.] INDIAN SKIEMISH. 127 
 
 afternoon, to which he merely replied with the 
 mildest gesture, " Your gun" (alluding to my rifle) 
 " is very heavy and mine is light." 
 
 Next morning we lay rather late under our 
 buffalo robes and blankets as it had come on to 
 snow; but as the flakes fell light and large, it 
 cleared off in two or three hours, and when it 
 was over we freshened up the fire, cooked and eat 
 a Kttle breakfast, took up our guns again and 
 separated, agreeing to meet at the end of the point 
 of timber. Ramsay, the hunter, and I took one side, 
 and the two Indians continued along on the other. 
 
 We had been hunting about two hours without 
 any success, when, in our rear, and at the other side of 
 the Missouri, we heard rapid heavy firing, and were 
 not long in guessing the cause. We divined, as we 
 afterwards found rightly, that a battle was fighting 
 between the Assineboines and their enemies, the 
 Sioux, and we were in the rear of the latter. 
 Ramsay was as brave as a lion, and we agreed not 
 to attempt to gain the Fort until we found not only 
 our Indians, but the old man and boys. We started 
 off to join the latter, in hopes that the Chief and his 
 brother would also adopt the same plan under the 
 circumstances, instead of adhering to our arrange- 
 ment of meeting at the point. WhUst walking along 
 the ice on the river under the right bank, looking for 
 a spot where we could climb up, we observed twc) 
 
128 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. v. 
 
 Sioux Indians running at full speed towards us. They 
 came very close before they perceived us, clothed as 
 we were in white blanket capotes, and walking under 
 a snow-covered bank. " Now," exclaimed Eamsay, 
 in very broken English, and at the same time cocMng 
 his gun, "you take left hand one and I the right, 
 and we will hammer them," I, however, protested 
 against the absurdity of interfering in Indian quarrek, 
 being quite content to save my own bones without 
 breaking any of theirs. In order to join our friends 
 we had to ascend the bank and cross a belt of wood, 
 which we successfully did, although not without a 
 little apprehension of lurking enemies. We found, 
 on reaching the old /man and the boys, that the Chief 
 and his brother had kready joined them, and the boys 
 had brought in the horses, so we all mounted together 
 and rode off for the river. We crossed the ice, 
 and on arriving at the opposite side, found the 
 enemy had taken to the timber eastward, while we 
 had taken care to cross well to the westward of them. 
 Their attack turned out a complete failure, for they 
 had not succeeded in taking the Assineboines by 
 surprise, and we arrived on the scene of action only 
 in tmi^ J see the Sioux, who were aH on foot, 
 move into the timber to avoid the onset of both 
 bands of mounted Assineboines, one from the west, 
 and the other from the east camp. We hiened 
 on to the Fort, where they were rejoiced to se^ti4 
 
CHAP, v.] A RACE FOR LIFE AND DEATH. 129 
 
 thinking, from the enemy having crossed down the 
 Yellow Stone, that they must have seen and 
 surprised us, in which case we should most probably 
 never have been heard ^of more. They must, how- 
 ever, have crossed considerably above us, and to 
 this we no doubt owed our escape ; at least, so we 
 concluded, from the account given us at the Fort, 
 whence the whole affair was seen, the particulars of 
 which were as follows :— 
 
 The horse-guard was driving the horses out in the 
 morning as usual, to seek what little grass or few 
 willow tops they could get to browse on, in order to 
 save the hay, which was scarce, and had not gone 
 very far over the river before his sharp eye detected 
 one or two of the scouts prowling about. He very 
 quickly drove all the horses back into the Fort again. 
 Shortly afterwards three Assineboine lads of from 
 seventeen to nineteen years of age, came to sell some 
 wolf skins, at the Fort. They were warned by the 
 traders that their enemies were in the neighbourhood, 
 and had been seen that morning, but, Indian-like, 
 would not believe it, taking it into their heads that 
 Mr. Kipp had some object in detaining them. The 
 eldest said, " Come let us go," and they set off in 
 spite of all warning and advice, for the lower camp, 
 about thirteen miles off. They had not gone above 
 two hundred yards when they were seen from the 
 timber at the other side of the Missouri, where the 
 
130 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. t. 
 
 main body of one hundred Sioux were concealed. 
 The progress of the poor boys, whom it was now 
 quite impossible to apprise of their danger, was 
 watched through a telescope from the Fort. Uncon- 
 scious of their perilous situation they at last sat 
 down in a sheltered sunny spot, about two miles 
 from the Fort, and commenced smoking the long 
 Indian pipe, which, according to native custom, they 
 handed from one to another. Several of the Sioux 
 were now seen running through the willo^^and 
 timber, creeping stealthily under the bank of the 
 frozen river. Both pursuers and pursued were 
 distinctly visible from the Fort ; the powers of the 
 telescope approximating now the cheerful laughing 
 faces of the unconscious boys, now the crouching 
 forms of their enemies, and increasing to a painful 
 degree the feeling of their inability to avert their 
 apparently inevitable doom. Suddenly, when the 
 Sioux were within gun-shot of their prey, one of the 
 lads was seen to give a sHght start (an Indian is never 
 entirely off his guard) ; all three glancing once behind 
 them, gave a convulsive bound, and thep cemAenced 
 the race for life or death. Thirteen miles must have 
 been run by these brave lads through deep snow, in 
 an hour and a half. At last, towards the end of the 
 race, their blood-thirsty pursuers by firing several 
 shots alarmed the Assiueboine camp, of the posi- 
 tion of which they were ignorant, and for which 
 
CHAP, v.] WANTON CRUELTY. 131 
 
 the boys were making ; so that the latter had not 
 reached it when its inmates were abeady on the 
 alert. The warriors and braves assembled rapidly, 
 and instantly dispatched a messenger to the western 
 camp' with tidings of what had occurred, and direc- 
 tions for moimted men to go down to their assistance, 
 which, by passing along the brow of the hills where 
 the snow was less deep, they speedily did. The 
 Assineboines by this movement appeared both ia 
 front and rear of their enemies, who, having no 
 horses, were compelled to betake themselves to the 
 timber, with several of their party wounded. The 
 heavy firing which we had heard now commenced, 
 but as the combatants kept at a very respectful 
 distance from each other, the result of this great 
 battle was that one of the Sioux was slain and fell 
 into the hands of the Assineboines, who immediately 
 scalped him, and celebrated next day a grand scalp 
 dance, similar to one I have already described. 
 We were very sorry that evetiing to learn that these 
 rascally Sioux had shot a good many of our milch- 
 cows — nearly half of them, indeed — with their arrows, 
 and several of them fatally. The first intimation we 
 had of ijr wasvffbm seeing their fine old thorough- 
 bred bull walk Micross the river, tracking his course 
 with blood, into the Fort, and up to the foot of the 
 staff from which floated the colours of his country, 
 and there sink down and expire. Poor fellow ! I 
 
 K 2 
 
132 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEBS. [ohap. t. 
 
 often rejoice that I knew not when Ramsay and I met 
 the two Sioux what barbarities they had just been 
 practising on our poor cattle, or I fear I should have 
 acted on his suggestion, and have shot them both. 
 
 The loss of this handsome, noble animal was 
 universally regretted in the Fort, for besides his great 
 value as their only means of continuing the breed of 
 domestic cattle in that remote region, he proved 
 most useful in drawing home many a heavy load of 
 meat, and much of the wood for the fuel in the 
 Fort; as a tribute to his memory, I must here 
 record a single combat of his with a bison, which, 
 according to the description of his keeper, " Black 
 Joseph," must have been truly Homeric. 
 
 About three months prej^ous to ifiy arrival at 
 Tort Union, andrin th/Mghft of the bjoffalo breeding 
 season, when their bulls are sometimes very fierce, 
 Joe was taking the Fort Union bull with a cart, into 
 a point on the river above the Fort, in order to draw 
 home a load of wood, which had been previously cut 
 and piled ready for transportation the day before, 
 when a very large old bison bull stood right in the 
 cart track, pawing up the earth, and roaring, ready 
 to dispute the passage with him. On a nearer 
 approach, instead of flying at the sight of the man 
 that accompanied the cart, the bison made a head- 
 long charge. Joe had barely time to remove his 
 bull's head-stall and escape up a tree, being 
 
CHAP, v.] A HEfiOIC OLD BULL. 133 
 
 utterly unable to assist his four-footed friend, whom 
 he left to his own resources. Bison and bull, now in 
 mortal combat, met midway with a shock that made 
 the earth tremble. Our previously docile gentle 
 animal suddenly became transformed into a furious 
 beast, springing from side to side, whirling round 
 as the buffalo attempted to take him iu flank, alter- 
 nately upsetting and righting the cart again, which 
 he banged from side to side, and whirled about as 
 if it had been a band-box. Joe, safe out of harm's 
 way, looked down from the tree at his champion's 
 proceedings, at first deploring the apparent disad- 
 vantage he laboured under, from being harnessed to 
 a cart ; but when the fight had lasted long and 
 furious, and it was evident that both combatants had 
 determined that one or other of them must fall, his 
 eyes were opened to the value of the protection 
 afforded by the harness, and especially by the thick 
 strong shafts of the cart against the short horns of 
 the bison, who, although he bore him over and over 
 again down on his haunches, could not wound him 
 severely. On the other hand, the long sharp horns 
 of the brave Fort Union bull began to tell on the 
 furrowed sides of his antagonist, until the final 
 charge brought the bison, with a furious bound, 
 dead under our hero's feet, whose long fine drawn 
 horn was deep driven into his adversary's heart. 
 With a cheer that made the woods ring again, down 
 
134 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. v. 
 
 clambered Joe, and whHe triumphantly caressing 
 also carefully examined his chivalrous companion, 
 who, although bruised, blown, and covered with 
 foam, had escaped uninjured. 
 
 It required all Joe's nigger eloquence to persuade 
 the bull to leave the slain antagonist, over whom he 
 long stood watching, evidently expecting him to get 
 up again to renew the combat, Joe all the while 
 coaxing him forward with, " Him dear good buU, 
 him go home now, and do no more work to-day," 
 which prospect, "black Joe," in common with all 
 his sable brethren, considered as the acme of 
 sublunary felicity. 
 
 Indians out on a war-party spare neither age 
 nor sex, considering any murders of women or 
 children, not only as just reprisals for former 
 injuries, but even as actions worthy of proclamation 
 in council and at the war- dance ; formerly, however, 
 they never waged war, nor committed any depre- 
 dations against the whites, on the plea of their 
 being " medicine," or mysterious people. Catlin 
 met even with civilities from war-parties during his. 
 wanderings. Unfortunately, however, instances have 
 occurred some few years ago, of white men joining 
 in Indian encounters, the consequence of which now 
 is that they are no longer safe from their attacks, 
 unless in a position to malie a good fight of it. 
 I set out early one fine morning in January, and 
 
OHAP. v.] FEMININE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. 135 
 
 killed two fat buffaloes not far from the Fort. This 
 
 was at the time that the mumps had placed all spare 
 
 hands on the sick-list. As the spot where the 
 
 buffaloes had fallen was not more than two miles 
 
 from the Fort, I threw my saddle-cloth on one, and 
 
 some portion of my clothing to frighten the wolves 
 
 from the other, and returned to dinner, after which 
 
 I invited some of the ladies of the Fort to come and 
 
 cut them up. The day was beautiful, the sun 
 
 brilliant, and not a breath of air stirring. I put a 
 
 horse to one of the sleighs, and took three of the 
 
 fair ones on it, — ^two, wives of gentlemen, the third 
 
 the " placens uxor" of the blacksmith at the Fort. 
 
 It was quite a party of pleasure for them, and by 
 
 the way in which they performed the cutting-up, 
 
 that operation seemed to afford a considerable share 
 
 of their enjoyment. They skinned and sliced slowly 
 
 and deliberately, and with evident rehsh, not only 
 
 dabbling in the blood, but actually drinldng 
 
 it, the youngest laughing at my aversion, and 
 
 offering me some in the palms of her hands. The 
 
 ^horse-guard saw us from a distance, and came to 
 
 help; but when he began to make the incision 
 
 inside instead of down the outside of the hind leg, 
 
 and would so have spoiled its shape for making a 
 
 robe, she effectually stopped him by smashing his 
 
 hat down over his eyes, exclaiming, "Wihcatko" 
 
 {i.e. fool), and laughing heartily at the figure he cut 
 
136 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [chap. v. 
 
 when bonneted: the good-natured fellow taking it 
 in very good part. 
 
 As the cold increased the wolves howled most 
 dismally, and the cadences of voices from a high 
 key to a low one, and vice versa, were most extra- 
 ordinary, and sometimes so extravagantly dismal 
 as to be quite ludicrous. There appeared to me 
 to be three different kinds of wolves, in which 
 impression I was confirmed by the hunters and 
 Indians, altliough scientific men assert that there is 
 but one. But I have shot a great many, and there 
 certainly seemed to me to be three distinct species : 
 the large white wolf, or buffalo Wolf, the grey wolf, 
 and the kit wolf. The remnants of my slaughtered 
 buffaloes in and on the outskirts of the timber, 
 or points, frequently afforded me opportunities of 
 stalldng up the wolves, at which I was very success- 
 ful, for their gait is so smooth as to render them a 
 much easier mark than deer when running, and I 
 could hit them then with almost the same certainty 
 as when standing still. There is no food for which 
 these brutes have a greater relish than that of their 
 own species : and I have always found myself pretty 
 certain of getting a second shot a few hours after 
 killing one, by removing the skin and placing his 
 carcase in a favourable spot for stalking, which is 
 always more or less difficult, as their senses of 
 smell, sight, and hearing are very acute. 
 
CHAP, v.] DOMESTIC CALVES AND BISON B0LLS. 137 
 
 I found a strange peculiarity in the large white 
 wolf, who sleeps so soundly as frequently to allow of 
 a very near approach ; once I came so close upon 
 one of them as to think him dead, and was on the 
 poiat of examining him, when he suddenly woke 
 up and started off at full speed. So near was I to 
 him, that I was able to remove my gun-cover in 
 time to send a bullet after him, which effectually 
 stopped his career. 
 
 I found wolf-shooting not only capital sport but 
 profitable employment, being allowed in barter the 
 value of two dollars a-piece for white wolf skins, 
 one and a half dollars for the grey, and seventy- 
 five cents for the kit -wolf- skins. The hunters used 
 to kiU them sometimes with traps set at night ; but 
 when one was once seen caught, all the wolves 
 were for a long time very wary. 
 
 During my stay at Fort Union, I was frequently 
 surprised at the friendly relations between our 
 domestic cattle and the buffaloes, among whom 
 they mingled without the slightest hesitation. This 
 circumstance is the more remarkable from the fact 
 that the auroch of Lithuania, which is of all the 
 ox genus most similar in species to the bison, 
 evinces the utmost antipathy to domestic cattle, 
 furiously attacking either cow or bull whenever they 
 chance to meet them. I was still more astonished, 
 on attentively observing this friendly intercourse. 
 
138 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. v. 
 
 to see our little calves apparently preferring the 
 companionship o£ the bison, particularly that of 
 the most colossal bulls, to that of their own 
 species. I took an opportunity one morning of 
 investigating the reason of this more closely, and 
 availing myself of some broken ground beyond which 
 I saw three of our poor little half-starved calves 
 in company with two gigantic bulls, I crept up 
 very carefully and lay under the brow of a hiU, 
 not fifty yards from the nearest in order to observe 
 them, and was not long in discovering that 
 the bison has the power of removing the snow 
 with his admirably shaped shovel-nose, so as to 
 obtain the grass underneath it. His little com- 
 panions, unable to remove the frozen obstacle for 
 themselves, were thankfully and fearlessly feed- 
 ing in his wake ; the little heads of two of them 
 visible every now and then, contesting an exposed 
 morsel under his very beard. It was an interesting 
 sight, and I crept softly away again, so as not to 
 disturb them. 
 
 Although the bison scrapes the snow with his 
 nose, I do not think he does so with his hoofs. I 
 have frequently seen the snow, where buffalo have 
 been feeding, stained with slight signs of blood, 
 and after haviag shot them, found the noses 
 of both cow and bull sore from the constant 
 shovelling. 
 
^'ti^s4^nii, ^'*' 
 
CHAP. VI.] PRAIRIE FOWL. 139 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 Tossed by a Buffalo. — Elk Shooting. — ^Wolves. — Spoil a Caimibal Feast. 
 — Ishmali. — Hard up for Meat. — Owen M'Kenzie's Post. — The 
 Traders. 
 
 One beautiful clear cold morning in January, I 
 started to shoot some prairie fowl. These birds 
 were too wild to shoot with shot, ^specially with the 
 very inadequate powder imported by the traders into 
 the Indian country, so I took my single -barrelled 
 rifle, and shot them off the branches of the high 
 trees where they used to sit sunning themselves, 
 taking the lowest first, that his fall might not alarm 
 his companions. This sort of shooting is very pretty 
 rifle practice, especially as the prairie hen does not 
 always fly away if you miss, but allows a second 
 shot. Indeed I have sometimes been amused at 
 seeing the unconscious bird, on feeling the wind of 
 the bullet, peck with his bUl in the direction of it, 
 giving an angry chuckle as it whizzed past him. 
 
 I had not been long at this sport when an Indian 
 overtook me, and said in Sioux, " Ho ! my friend 
 {how coonah), I saw the track of your long foot in 
 
140 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ti. 
 
 the snow." He wanted me to help him in stalking 
 up three buflFalo bulls that were feeding in some 
 willows at a little distance. I accordingly started off 
 with him, and when we came within about a third of 
 a mile of the spot, I went carefully round to leeward, 
 and directed the Indian to go and give them his 
 wind by approaching on the other side, as soon as he 
 thought I had reached my intended post, whither I 
 knew they would make in order to pass through to the 
 open plain. So accurately had the Indian calculated 
 time and distance, that I was hardly at my place 
 when a huge bull thundered head-long by me, and 
 received a shot low and close behind the shoulder as 
 he passed. He stumbled on for about ten paces, 
 and lay quietly down. I waited to reload, and on 
 going up found him stone dead. The Indian then 
 joined me, and said that the other two bulls had 
 not gone far, but had taken different directions, so 
 we agreed that he should pursue one, and I the 
 other. 
 
 I soon came in sight of mine. He was standing 
 a little way off on the open plain, but the skirting 
 willows and brushwood afforded me cover within 
 eighty yards of him, profiting by which I crept up, 
 and taking a deliberate aim, fired. The bull gave a 
 couYulsive start, moved off a little way, and turned 
 his broadside again to me. I fired again, over a 
 hundred yards this time ; he did not stir. I loaded 
 
CHAP. VI.] TOSSED BY A BUFFALO. 141 
 
 and fired the third time, whereupon he turned and 
 faced me, as if about to show fight. As I was loading 
 for a fourth shot he tottered forward a step or two, 
 and I thought he was about to fall, so I waited for a 
 little while, but as he did not come down I deter- 
 mined to go up and finish him. Walking up, there- 
 fore, to within thirty paces of him, till I could 
 actually see his eyes rolling, I fifed for the fourth time 
 directly at the region of the heart, as I thought, but 
 to my utter amazement up went his tail and down 
 went his head, and with a speed that I thought him 
 little capable of, he was upon me in a twinkling. I 
 ran hard for it, but he rapidly overhauled me, and 
 my situation was becoming anything but pleasant. 
 Thinking he might, like our own bulls, shut the eyes 
 in making a charge, I swerved suddenly to one side 
 to escape the shock, but, to my horror, I failed in 
 dodging him, for he bolted round quicker than I did, 
 and affording me barely time to protect my stomach 
 with the stock of my rifle, and to tm-n myself side- 
 ways as I sustained the charge, in the hopes of 
 getting between his horns, he came plump upon me 
 with a shock like an earthquake. My rifle stock 
 was shivered to pieces by one horn, my clothes torn 
 by the other; I flew into mid-air, scattering my 
 prairie hens and rabbits, which had hitherto hung 
 dangling by leathern thongs from my belt, in all 
 directions, till landing at last, I fell unhurt in the 
 
142 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vi. 
 
 snow, and almost over me — fortunately not quite — 
 rolled my infuriated antagonist, and subsided in a 
 snow drift. I was luckily not the least injured, the 
 force of the blow having been perfectly deadened by 
 the enormous mass of fur, wool, and hair that clothed 
 his shaggy head-piece. 
 
 As the next day proved alike beautifully calm 
 and sunny, I started off to the scene of my yester- 
 day's adventure, in hopes of finding a wolf busy at 
 the carcase of the buffalo. Nor was I disappointed, 
 for as I came near the spot I saw a splendid cream- 
 coloured wolf tearing away at the remains of my late 
 antagonist. I crept up imder cover of the brush- 
 wood, tQl within forty yards of him, when he cantered 
 off, affording me a delightful cross shot to the left, 
 which brought him quickly to with a bullet through 
 his flanks. With a slight guttural growl he turned, 
 snapped at the wound, performed a brilliant summer- 
 sault, and after rolling over twice or thrice, ex- 
 pired. I then proceeded to take off the finest wolf- 
 skin I ever saw before or since, and one which to 
 this day is much admired by many brother sports- 
 men. After which, fastening one end of my belt 
 to the hind feet, I dragged the carcase to a favour- 
 able spot, and one easily approachable, in order to 
 obtain a shot at the next feUow that might come 
 to feast on the remains of his comrade. 
 
 As this was not likely, however, to occur for 
 
CHAP. VI.] ELK SHOOTING. 143 
 
 some hours, I left the place determining to return 
 thither in the evening, and started off through the 
 timber in quest of deer. After walking carefully 
 for about a couple of hours, I fell in with fresh elk 
 tracks, which I noiselessly and cautiously pursued 
 for some distance, keeping a vigilant watch on all 
 sides for any object in motion however trivial, till 
 as I neared the end of the point out in the willows, I 
 saw the whole band slowly defiling ; the stately old 
 stags bearing their ponderous antlers almost on theii* 
 haunches. I had been obliged to go very fast and 
 to do that without making a noise in a thick wood 
 is no easy matter; the continual stooping to 
 avoid the rustling of branches rendering it very 
 laborious, especially when running with a heavy 
 rifle. At last I gained range near enough for a 
 broadside shot at a very fine stag. I drew up my 
 rifle and took a deliberate aim, breathless as I was. 
 I heard the ball crack against his ribs, and knew 
 instantly by the sound that the charge of powder 
 had been too small. The next instant the whole 
 herd were bounding away at full speed. I followed 
 after them almost in despair at losing my noble 
 Wapiti.* Beyond the edge of the willows away 
 they went over the open plain skirting the river. 
 
 * Elk ia the name given in the common parlance of the country 
 to the Wapiti, similarly to the term buffalo, which is used in speaking 
 of the bison. 
 
144 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. vi. 
 
 Once out of the trees, without waiting to untie 
 my snow-shoes, I drew my knife and cut the 
 thong by which they hung from my neck, slipped 
 my feet into them, and pressed on with redoubled 
 speed, my hopes reviving rapidly as I saw my stag 
 begin to fall in the rear of the band, and his pace 
 slacken to a sling trot. By my delay with the snow- 
 shoes I had recovered my wind, and the compara- 
 tive ease I experienced as they bore me over the 
 broad bosom of the snow, while the wapiti floundered 
 almost breast deep, inspired me with fresh confi- 
 dence. At last my stag fell, got up, gave a few 
 struggling bounds, and fell again on my approach. 
 Seeing he could not escape, I pursued the others, 
 now hidden from my sight by the river's bank, but 
 only reached the ice's edge in time to see them gain 
 the willows out of shot on the opposite shore. 
 
 One of the grand stags in particular excited my 
 admiration. In rushing against the strong grey 
 willows his ponderous branching horns received 
 such a shock as to fling him over backwards on the 
 frozen river ; the clatter of his antlers I could hear 
 loudly, even at the distance where I stood; but, 
 nothing daunted, with nose up in the air, and his 
 antlers lying along his flanks, he renewed the charge, 
 and with one more desperate effort crashed through, 
 followed by the terrified band, who, one by one, 
 were rapidly lost to my view as the willows closed 
 
CHAP. VI.] WAPITI. 145 
 
 round them. Feeling that further pursuit would be 
 useless I retraced my steps to where the elk I had 
 shot had fallen, and found him a magnificent prize 
 indeed. An animal upwards of five feet high at the 
 shoulder, and bearing ponderous antlers. I could 
 not but think how many of my Scottish brother 
 sportsmen would have sympathised in the triumph 
 with which I surveyed his magnificent proportions. . 
 
 Although there are many points in which the red 
 deer and the wapiti, or elk-stag, assimilate, they are 
 nevertheless totally different animals. The wapiti 
 in the day-time chooses the thickest cover in which 
 to conceal himself, nor does he leave it except for 
 pasture or water. A whole band will migrate at a 
 time from one point to another, and their pace is 
 then a splendid trot, never breaking into a gallop, 
 unless they are alarmed. In general appearance 
 the wapiti is not only much larger than the Scotch 
 deer, but formed in far more massive proportions — 
 proportions calculated for the support of his pon- 
 derous antlers, which he does not, however, carry so 
 majestically as the Scotch deer does his little ones. 
 The head and horns of a large male, measuring 
 from five feet eight inches to six feet two inches, 
 vriU weigh sixty or seventy pounds ; the horns grow 
 in a 'direction almost parallel with the line of the 
 forehead ; so that when the animal is trotting, the 
 antlers lap over his flanks and protect him from the 
 
lie RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vi. 
 
 lashing of the heavy willows ; the points, when the 
 antlers are in that position, bending backwards and 
 inwards, in such a manner as to remove all elastic 
 obstacles from his headlong career. I have some- 
 times stood amazed to see one of these enormous 
 animals carried at one siagle bound out of view in 
 a densely thick wood, where one might suppose 
 such a stack of antlers would have wedged him in 
 the trees beyond aU chance of escape. The head 
 itself is about the size of that of a Devonshire cow, 
 and of a dark bay colour. The neck and dewlap are 
 furnished with a splendid black mane ; the forelegs 
 are clean, made like those of a very large handsome 
 mule, with hoofs as large as those of a four year-old 
 bull. The eye is encircled by hair of a pale buff 
 colour, similar to that on the rump of the animal. 
 The body changes in colour at every season of the 
 year; its summer coat is of a strong red colour, 
 which again turns into a bluish hue^ gradually 
 approaching the winter grey of the willows as the 
 season advances, nor does it begin to assume its 
 summer tint again until spring has nearly clothed 
 all nature in her favourite green. In the breeding 
 season, the wapiti* chaunts the most beautiful 
 
 * It is a remarkable fact, that though a tract of wood may 
 contain wapiti, yet the difficulty of seeing them in time to 
 obtain a shot, or indeed of finding them at all, requires so much 
 practice, that an inexperienced hand might wander through tlie 
 points of a western river all day and find none, or, what is much 
 
CHAP. VI.] WOLVES. 147 
 
 musical sound in all the animal creation ; it is like 
 the sound of an enormous soft flute, uttered in a 
 most coaxing tone, thus : 
 
 -fl 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 *> *-" 
 
 
 I had still sufficient daylight to visit the carcase 
 of the wolf I had shot in the morning, so piling up a 
 quantity of fallen timber and branches in a grotesque 
 fashion over the elk, to preserve it from the prying 
 voracity of the wolves, I retraced my steps, and on 
 approaching the spot carefully, spied a brother 
 cannibal tearing ravenously at the remains of his 
 probably quondam comrade. I shot him dead 
 
 more disteartening, tread across a rotten stick, or otherwise 
 accidentally snap a twig or branch, and thus afford himself the 
 gratification of observing the animal's tail Vfave up and down as 
 it disappears in the distance. 
 
 We had an instance of this at Fort Union in the case of a 
 Kentucky man, who, though an excellent shot with a rifle at a 
 mark or at prairie hens on the trees, and constantly challenging us 
 hunters to a trial of skill, was, from being a bad rider, very 
 unsuccessful at buffalo ; and when the hunters returned laden with 
 meat after a fortunate run, used to say, "Well ! now that's mighty 
 fine, but rU astonish you yet at deer and elk in the woods;" 
 accordingly one day he set off with Smith and Ramsay, the Fort 
 Union hunters, who afterwards told me, that they had taken a good 
 hunt of three days, camping out twice, and bagged five elk and 
 seven deer ; but the Kentucky rifle man, accustomed to such plain 
 clear marks a,s turkeys and squirrels perched on tree-top, could 
 not get a single shot ; and even on more than one occasion lost 
 the hunters their chance, by their endeavouring to afford hitu a 
 shot at game pointed out in vain to him, but which their keen 
 practised eyes found no difBculty in detecting. 
 
 L 2 
 
148 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vi. 
 
 without the smallest compunction, not even giving 
 him the chance of a run, and speedily possessed 
 myself of his magnificent skin, which I took with 
 me, not reaching the Fort till long after dark. Next 
 day they very gcod-naturedly brought in the antlers 
 of my elk along with the meat, which, thanks to my 
 precautions, had escaped the depredations of the 
 wolves, who, poor brutes, suffer horribly from the 
 pangs of hunger, and will at those times dare almost 
 anything short of an attack on man. 
 
 Among the numerous dogs that used to come 
 prowling about Fort Union from the Indian camps 
 was a very fine specimen of a mongrel, between y, 
 white buffalo wolf and a common Indian bitch. This 
 fellow was quite white, like his sire, and furnished 
 both with the hair of the dog and a fine undergrowth 
 of fur, which he had in common with the wolf. The 
 skin of his nose was also like that of his sire, quite 
 white. The Fort was his favourite resort, where, on 
 the fine frosty moonlight nights, he used to howl in 
 the most piteous and intolerable manner, disturbing 
 old Mr. Kipp's slumbers to that degree, that notwith^ 
 standing the intense cold, and much to my amuse- 
 ment, the old gentleman used to rush out in his 
 shirt, roar at him and pelt him with sticks, or any 
 other missUe that came to hand, and then run back 
 half frozen into bed again. 
 
 I took a great fancy to this dog, discovered his 
 
CHAP. Ti.] ISHMAH. 149 
 
 owners, and sent a message to them by a young 
 Indian, who came to the Fort one day. Accordingly, 
 the same evening arrived an old Indian named 
 Peekay, and his old squaw; they came to the door 
 of the room where Mr. Denig and I had heeil 
 smoking for some hours. First entered the old 
 woman to negotiate the sale of the dog, but had no 
 sooner crossed the threshold than she was seized 
 with a violent fit of coughing ; after a few efforts to 
 articulate, she rushed out of the room again, and We 
 were considerably entertained at hearing her receive 
 a sound scolding from the old man outside. He, in 
 his turn, now came in to trade the dog (as they say 
 ia Indian parlance), but had no sooner made his 
 appearance, than he too retreated in a paroxysm of 
 coughing. "We then heard them laughing heartily 
 outside. Shortly afterwards old Peekay returned, 
 and as soon as his limgs were a little accustomed to 
 the atmosphere of the room, we entered on the 
 negotiation, and I finally purchased the dog with 
 his travail and harness. 
 
 I presently found, however, that was far more 
 easily done than the dog secured, for his fear 
 of white men was so great, that I do believe it 
 would have been a difficult matter to approach near 
 enough to shoot him had I been so disposed. The 
 moment he saw me he used to run off to the distance 
 of about 250 yards, and in spite of all my coaxing 
 
150 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vi. 
 
 him to allow me a nearer approach, kept most 
 studiously at that distance, retreating slowly or 
 rapidly, according as I advanced in my endeavours 
 to cultivate a nearer acquaintance. At last I had to 
 go away and obtain the old squaw's assistance, who 
 brought him back with a rope round his neck, the 
 drag of which he obeyed with great reluctance, and 
 as soon as he came in sight of me made the most 
 violent efforts to escape. I took him into the Fort, 
 however, and having fastened him up, brought him 
 some meat, but he would not eat it. I threw it before 
 him and retired to some distance, when, instead of 
 taking -the meat, he seized the cord in his mouth, at 
 the same time placing his paw upon it, drew his teeth 
 two or three times quicldy across it, severing it com- 
 pletely, and dashed right through the window and out 
 of the Fort ; his splendid white bushy tail carried 
 straight out behind him like a fox's brush. " Holy 
 Moses !" exclaimed Mr. Denig, " don't he streak it 
 like a flash of greased lightning ! " Poor " Ishmah ! " * 
 how well I afterwards learned to guess what mis- 
 chief he had been about, or what misdemeanour he 
 intended to perpetrate when he carried his tail, which 
 was usually curled over his back, in that manner. 
 
 Old Peekay's wife brought him back to me next 
 day, and harnessed him to his travail, which I 
 commenced packing, for I was on the point of 
 
 * So named from an Indian word descriptive of hia fine thick fur. 
 
OHAP. VI.] WINTER JOURNEY. 151 
 
 starting witli a couple of voyageurs on a journey to 
 White River. My effects consisted of a dressed 
 leather elk- skin, a buffalo robe, two blankets, three 
 or four pairs of mocassins, a large and a small tin 
 mug, (the former for cooking, the latter for drinking 
 from,) half a stone of lead for bullets, powder, and 
 coffee. I was accompanied for a little way by two 
 voyageurs from the Fort, in charge of a couple of 
 mules harnessed to a sleigh, who were proceeding 
 with goods, in order to set up in opposition to some 
 new traders who had established themselves in an 
 Assineboine camp. 
 
 The snow was deep, and the difficulty of dragging 
 the sleigh very great. At night, or rather towards 
 evening, some little while before sunset, we chose a 
 suitable place for our camp, generally among willows 
 surrounded by timber. We then cut down two 
 ■good sized trees, which we laid parallel to each 
 other along the snow, forming a basis for building 
 our fire on, and collected wood, lighted our fire, and 
 proceeded to cook as I have before described. In 
 addition, however, to preparing their own suppers, 
 the men had to supply the mules with food, for 
 the country was covered with snow, and the poor 
 animals could procure nothing for themselves. For 
 this purpose the voyageurs cut down cotton-wood of 
 a certain growth, about the thickness of a man's 
 leg ; this they cut into lengths of three feet or so, 
 
152 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUBES. [ohap. ti. 
 
 and then piled them in the vicinity of the fire 
 sufficiently near to thaw the bark from the wood, 
 and to render it easily removable by a drawing- 
 knife, with which these men are expressly provided, 
 and thus they supply the animals under their charge- 
 It was amusing sometimes to observe the poor mules 
 intently watching the operation. My dog, however, 
 like myself, depended on what I could provide with 
 my rifle. 
 
 In order to supply ourselves and the mules with 
 water, we had to cut through the ice of the Missouri 
 between three and four feet thick, and sometimes 
 more, with a hatchet. As for Ishmah nothing would 
 induce him to drink out of this hole, so he generally 
 quenched his thirst by eating snow. Notwith- 
 standing the great thickness of the ice, broken 
 spaces remain open during the whole winter all 
 along the river, at intervals varying two, three, or 
 four miles from one another. These breaks are 
 termed air-holes, and frequently extend their surface 
 of unfrozen waters over acres. Along the edges of 
 these air-holes the ice is so thin as to render an 
 approach to the water's edge very dangerous, where, 
 like glass, it wiU suddenly crush under foot, pre- 
 cipitating man or beast into a resistless current of 
 water, quickly forcing them under the ice's opposite 
 edge to a fearful frozen tomb. These air-holes, on 
 account of the weakness of their surrounding ice, 
 
CHAP. VI.] THE FROZEN MISSOURI. 153 
 
 cause the drowning of a great many buffalo, elk, and 
 even some few bears, tempted probably by a fine 
 sunny day to leave tbeir winter retreat for an 
 hour or two prowling on the ice. This fact im- 
 pressed me with the idea, that those remains of our 
 gigantic fossil fallow deer now dug out from bogs in 
 Ireland were perhaps thus destroyed, which would 
 account both for the localities where they are usually 
 discovered, and for the numbers found together in 
 one spot. Some have fancifully supposed that they 
 were domesticated, in proof of which theory they 
 assert that the skulls of dogs have been found along 
 with them ; but this I do not think to be the case, for 
 all that ever were shown to me as found with the 
 remains of these fossil deer, are the skulls of very 
 large bears. 
 . Ishmah had a horror of approaching these 
 air-holes which nothing would induce him to 
 overcome. It was some time before he became 
 friends with me, and for the first two days of my 
 journey from Fort Union, had to be dragged behind 
 the sledge. By and by, however, he gradually over- 
 came his aversion to white men, at first following 
 at £he distance of nearly a quarter of a mile, and 
 then by degrees venturing of his own accord on a 
 nearer approach, encouraged by some pieces of 
 meat which I threw to him from time to time. On 
 awaking one morning I found him lying close to my 
 
154 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vr. 
 
 side on the edge of my buffalo robe, but the instant 
 I put out my hand to caress him, he bolted off to a 
 respectful distance, which he gradually lessened, 
 coming nearer and nearer till he became compara- 
 tively quite friendly towards me. 
 
 Shortly afterwards my two companions parted from 
 me and proceeded to their destination, whilst I 
 remained alone with my faithful dog, bound for Fort 
 Mackenzie. Ishmah had by this time overcome all 
 prejudices against a white master, and a more faith- 
 ful, efficient, and devoted creature never breathed. 
 From morning till night he struggled on, drawing 
 his travail laden with all my effects, and in addition 
 to their weight, meat from the last deer I had shot. 
 I travelled generally along the ice, and during the 
 whole of my solitary journey I never ventured far 
 from the river — a very necessary precaution in that 
 country, where an unhappy voyageur, tempted by a 
 fine day or bright sunshine, ventures on a short cut 
 across one of the many gigantic bends of the tortuous 
 upper Missouri, and perhaps the very moment 
 previous to the accomplishment of his object might 
 be the commencement of a pitiless storm, veiling all 
 woods and other objects from his sight in wreaths 
 of whirling snow, causing its victim to wander 
 generally roimd and round in a small circle, perhaps 
 all the while close to the shelter so eagerly sought : 
 in vain he endeavours to reach material wherewith 
 
CHAP. VI.] ISHMAH. ISg 
 
 to light a fire, until at last thrown down numbed, 
 he lies wrapped up in his frozen shroud. 
 
 The woods along the banks of the river afforded me 
 timber, already fallen and in every stage of decom- 
 position wherewith to light a fire at night; and when 
 I stood and looked about me to choose a convenient 
 spot near an ice-hole, Ishmah used to gaze into my 
 face as if he could read my thoughts, and whine as 
 much as to say, " I am tired too." When I trampled 
 down the snow, cut and strewed the willows and 
 proceeded to collect the wood, he used to watch me 
 eagerly, and prick up his ears when he saw me take 
 the flint and steel from my pouch and the dry 
 inner bark of the cotton-wood tree from my chest 
 in which to kindle the spark. The fire secure and 
 burning well, I turned my attention to him, unhar- 
 nessed him, unpacked his travail, and placed it aloft 
 against the side of a tree to protect the leather 
 straps from the voracity of the wolves. This done 
 I spread my bed and filled the kettles with water, 
 took a handful of coffee-berries from my bag, which 
 I roasted in the cover of the kettle, then wrapping 
 them up in a piece of leather, I pounded them on a 
 stump and put them in the smaller kettle to boU, 
 reserving the large one for the meat. These culinary 
 proceedings Ishmah used to regard with the most 
 intense interest, turning back from time to time as 
 the eddies of pungent smoke from the damp fuel 
 
156 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. vi. 
 
 compelled him to avert his eyes. When supper was 
 at last cooked and despatched (quickly enough on 
 his part, poor feUow, for his share was sometimes 
 very scanty), he sat up close beside me as I smoked 
 my pipe and sipped my coffee ; and when at last I 
 got into bed he used to lie down at the edge of the 
 robe with his back close up against my shouldersj 
 and so we slept till morning. As soon as it was 
 daylight we rose, Ishmah submitted patiently to be 
 harnessed, and we resumed our march. 
 
 This was our routine for several days until the 
 meat was exhausted. I then ceased travelling at 
 twelve o'clock, so as to allow myself time to hunt 
 for supper and prepare camp for the night. My 
 difficulties in foraging were considerably increased 
 by the necessity of the dog's following me, and I had 
 at first much difficulty in teaching him to keep 
 behind, but I succeeded eventually, and was fortunate 
 that day in stalking and knocking over an old buffalo 
 bull. I helped myself to the tongue, kidneys, two 
 marrow bones, and a plentiful supply of meat, and 
 was returning well laden to the spot where I had 
 left the dog's travail, when, to my horror, I perceived 
 a wolf there, which started off long before I could 
 get within shooting distance. I ran up to the spot 
 and found that the brute had already commenced 
 making a meal of the harness, and had eaten the 
 straps and a part of the collar. Fortunately, how: 
 
CHAP. VI.] HIS ELOPEMENT. 157 
 
 ever, the mischief was easily repaired, as I had spare 
 leather and materials for sewing, and merely afforded 
 me a little occupation after supper, ere I lay 
 down for the night. I had now an ample supply of 
 meat for some time, and for two days more marched 
 on as usual, when another catastrophe, and one 
 which might have proved very serious, occurred to 
 me on my solitary journey. 
 
 Ishmah's relationship to the Lupus family was 
 often productive of much inconvenience to me, as 
 he used to run off and engage ia play with the young 
 wolves, chasing and being chased by them ia turn. 
 At first I was amused at this indication of his wild 
 origia, but became subsequently much annoyed, 
 and on one occasion seriously alarmed at the result 
 of these gambols. One day, after a long march, I 
 was looking out for a convenient camping-place, 
 when a she-wolf crossed the ice at some distance 
 from where I was standing. In spite of all my 
 exertions and threats, Ishmah. immediately gave chase 
 and they continued their gambols, until I attempted 
 to approach them, when, of course, the wolf made off 
 at fuU speed followed by my dog with his travail 
 behind him, loaded with everything I then possessed 
 in the world. I followed shouting after him in vain 
 until he entirely disappeared from my view, after 
 which I continued running on the tracks, till dark- 
 ness obliged me to abandon the pursuit, and I found 
 
158 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vi. 
 
 myself a long way from timber, out on the broad 
 prairie, alone on a vast barren waste of snow stretch- 
 ing around me on every side. 
 
 My sensations were anything but enviable, on 
 reflecting that I was about one hundred miles from 
 any known habitation, and nearly one hundred and 
 fifty from my destination, destitute of robe and 
 blankets, with but very little powder iu my horn 
 and only two bullets in my pouch. In short I was 
 in a pretty considerable sort of a " fix," and had 
 nothing for it but to make tracks again with all speed 
 for the timber. Fortunately I found my way back 
 to the river without much difficulty. It was a beauti- 
 ful moonlight night, which enabled me to collect 
 some fallen wood, and having lighted a fire, I seated 
 myself beside it, . and began to consider the proba- 
 bilities of my ever reaching a trading post alive, in 
 the event of Ishmah not returning, and how I should 
 economise my ammunition and increase my rate of 
 travelUng, so as to effect this object. My prospects 
 were dismal enough, nor did I feel cheered as the 
 cold north breeze froze the perspiration which had 
 run down my forehead and face, and formed icicles in 
 my beard and whiskers, thai jingled like beUs as I 
 shook my head in dismissing from my mind one 
 project after another. At last resignujg myself to 
 my fate I took out my pipe determined to console 
 myself with a smoke, when, alas ! on feeling for 
 
OHAP. Ti.] CONSEQUENCES OF THE ELOPEMENT. 159 
 
 tobacco I found that was gone too. This was the 
 climax of my misfortunes ! I looked to the north ' 
 star and calculated by the position of the Plough 
 that it must have been about ten o'clock, the time at 
 which in England we have our knees under the 
 mahogany, surrounded by friends, discussiag a bottle 
 of the best and awaiting the summons to tea in the 
 drawing-room. I tried to see a faint similarity to 
 the steam of the tea-urn in the smoke from the 
 snow-covered wood on my dreary fire, and endea- 
 voured to trace the forms of sweet familiar faces in 
 the embers, till I almost heard the rustling of fresh 
 white crepe dresses round me, when, hark ! I did 
 hear a rustle — ^it approaches nearer, nearer, and I 
 recognise the scraping of Ishmah's travail on the 
 snow; another moment and the panting rascal was 
 by my side ! I never felt so relieved, and laughed 
 out loud from sheer joy, as I noticed the conscious- 
 ness he showed by his various cringing movements 
 of having behaved very badly. I was too weU 
 pleased, however, at his reappearance to beat him, 
 particularly when I found nothing of his harness 
 and load either missing or injured in the sKghtest 
 degree. Even the portion of meat which I had 
 secured from the last deer I shot was untouched ; 
 so that I had nothing to do but unpack the travail, 
 make my bed, and cook our supper. 
 
 The next day was very cold, in consequence of a 
 
160 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUKES. [ohap. vi, 
 
 northerly wind -whicli blew pretty hard. In these 
 regions the cold in winter is always easily supportable 
 in calm weather ; but the cold, when accompanied by 
 wind, becomes so piercing, that great care and con- 
 stant activity are requisite when traTelling to avoid 
 frost-bites. I therefore collected a quantity of fallen 
 and decayed timber and bark, and built myself a 
 comfortable little hut, in which I weathered the 
 storm tolerably well. Towards noon it began to 
 snow, and continued all night, filling all the crevices 
 between the layers of bark, wiUow, &c., that formed 
 the roof and sides of my cabin, thus further con- 
 tributiag to my comfort, which was only disturbed 
 at intervals of a few hours, by my having to go out 
 and renew my fire. The following day I continued 
 my journey until a little after noon, when, having no 
 more meat, I unharnessed the . dog and set off to 
 hunt for my supper. That game was very scarce 
 here, I soon found, as I searched fruitlessly for 
 tracks in the recently fallen snow. I hunted long 
 and hard, but in vain ; night was stealing on me, 
 and I was compelled to avail myself of the small 
 portion of daylight that remained to retrace my 
 steps to the spot where I had left my travail, where 
 I made my camp, and went supperless to bed. 
 
 Next morning I arose, and debated with myself 
 for some time, whether I should begin by another 
 hunt in this unpromising region, or pack up and 
 
CHAP. Ti.] HAIiD UP FOE. MEAT. 161 
 
 resume my journey until after noon, as I had done 
 on the previous day. After a little deliberation I 
 adopted the latter plan, and travelled on until ahout 
 noon, when I feU in with some fresh Wapiti tracks. 
 These I pursued for a long distance, and at last 
 came in sight of some does, who unfortunately were 
 so far out on the plain, as to defy every possible 
 effort of mine to approach them. My stalk was 
 unsuccessful, from inability to conceal myself and 
 my dog; had I tied him up I knew his fre^ntic 
 howling would soon put every living thing in these 
 regions on the alert, so I was compelled to let hiin 
 come too. He followed as I had trained him, never 
 attempting to precede me, but all my efforts proved 
 fruitless; my game escaped without my being able 
 even to venture a shot, and I had the mortification 
 of seeing these stately and graceful creatures break 
 away at a rapid trot, which they soon increased to a 
 gallop that speedily carried them out of sight, and 
 thus vanished my chance of supper for another 
 night. I felt very hungry indeed, and was besides 
 very tired. I slept feverishly, awaked at interval^ 
 from visions of the most rare and deHcious dishes 
 placed before me. I dreamed I stood before the 
 hospitable mansion of an old friend, who led me, in 
 spite of my incongruous costume, into his brilliantly 
 lighted parlour, and placed me down to a table 
 loaded vyith all the delicacies of every season and 
 
162 EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. vr. 
 
 climate under heaven, including two soups and a 
 turbot ! At last, when powdered footmen removed 
 the richly-chased covers off these exquisite delicacies, 
 I started up wide awake, to look on nought but snow, 
 and finally I solaced myself with a pipe. On the day 
 following I hunted long and hard till considerably 
 after noon without success. The painful sickening 
 sensation of hunger had now quite left me, and I 
 suffered much less on the third than on the second 
 day. Strange to say I had not the least apprehen- 
 sion for the future, but felt perfectly confident the 
 whole time, that sooner or later I should fall iu with 
 game. At last I came to some fresh tracks of deer, 
 and soon made out that the animal had not only 
 been walking quietly, but was in the willows close 
 by ; this I rightly guessed by the zigzag direction of 
 the tracks ; for deer, before lying down, walk slowly 
 from side to side, as if hesitating where to stop. , I 
 remained perfectly stUl for some time, looking 
 intently with an eye sharpened by hunger, and at 
 length observed something • stir in the willows ; it 
 was a deer ; evening was advancing, and he was 
 goiag out to feed. I waited anxiously as he came 
 on, slowly feeding, most fortunately towards me, 
 until he approached to within about 100 yards, 
 and then stopped. I drew up my rifle, and would 
 have fired ; but he came still nearer, feeding slowly 
 forward till he was scarcely sixty yards off, when 
 
OHAP. VI.] WHITE EIVER POST. 163 
 
 I took a steady deliberate shot as he turned 
 his flank towards me. I heard the bullet crack 
 against the shoulder; he rushed a short distance 
 back, and rolled over in the snow. To my great 
 satisfaction wood was close at hand, so I made a 
 fire and cut away a little venison, which I broiled 
 slightly, and eat sparingly of, giving the rest to my 
 dog. I then made a rope of the deer's skin, and 
 fastening one end to the carcase and the other 
 round my shoulders, dragged it to my camp of 
 the previous night, where I cooked and eat a 
 most enormous supper, smoked my pipe, and slept 
 comfortably. 
 
 Two days more travelling brought me near the 
 end of my journey ; on the evening after, and just 
 as I was looking for a favourable position to camp, 
 I saw some Indians at a distance in the direction in 
 which I was travelling. Indians are wonderfully 
 quick at seeing a new arrival at a camp, or post; 
 so that my approach became, as I afterwards heard, 
 a matter of great discussion amongst them. One 
 or two ran off to meet me, and approached in a 
 friendly manner. It was a great treat to hear the 
 sound of another human voice, and even to hear my 
 own in conversation once more ; our colloquy pro- 
 gressed rapidly, partly by language, but principally 
 by signs, at which they are very expert; and the 
 result was that I did not camp at all, as they took, 
 
 u 2 
 
164 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. ti. 
 
 me to the gentleman in charge of the post, where I 
 arrived late at night. Here I was kindly welcomed, 
 and joined my host at a delicious supper of buffalo 
 tongues, — rich cow tongues cooked with buffalo 
 marrow, which had been preserved in the autumn 
 when the animals were fat, and I enjoyed it the 
 more, as I had been living during the whole of my 
 solitary journey on nothing but the leanest meat. 
 
 The Indians at this post were then very badly off, 
 in consequence of the dearth of buffalo in that 
 country, and were just about migrating. They 
 generally hang about a trading post as long as they 
 possibly can, in order to beg, borrow, barter, or steal 
 anything they can get out of the traders, whose 
 patience is sometimes severely tried. Indians, how- 
 ever, on the whole are very easily managed, if their 
 character is properly understood. I have invariably 
 found it the best way to fraternise with a great man 
 or chief, make him some little presents, and then 
 tell him that you depend on his good faith, and the 
 fact of his being a great man for the security of your 
 property. For several days after my arrival I 
 employed myself in going round the different lodges 
 of the Indians and visiting them. The men were 
 always most friendly, the women very retiring and 
 timid, until I came to know them well, when a good 
 deal of their shyness wore off. One of them observed 
 to me on my calling her to look through a fine 
 
165 
 
 CHAP. VI.] THE TKADEKS. 
 
 telescope belonging to one of the traders ; " Well, 
 the white men know by this (here she moved her 
 hand as if writing) what happens very far off, and 
 with this (touching the telescope) they see what is 
 a long way off; now have they invented anything 
 by which they can hear what is saying a long way 
 off?" 
 
 At the White Eiver post, I availed myself of 
 Owen Mackenzie's hospitable welcome, and remained 
 in his log-house along with another trader of the 
 American Fur Coinpany. 
 
 Besides these two gentlemen were two other white 
 traders, who had established themselves in a log- 
 house at little more than gun-shot distance from 
 them. At first I found them very unfriendly 
 towards one another; however, I endeavoured to 
 persuade them of the absurdity of allowing any 
 hostile feelings existing between the rival companies 
 at home to influence them in their personal inter- 
 course with one another, endeavouring to show them 
 what a melancholy picture it was to contemplate 
 discord among three or four isolated individuals, 
 never seeing the face of a fellow-creature save occa- 
 sional wandering savages, and partly by arguments, 
 but principally by ridicule, perfectly succeeded in 
 placing them all on the most friendly terms ; so 
 much so, that they used to laugh afterwards 
 at the fools they had been. I since found that 
 
166 EAMBLES AND ADTENTITRES. [ohap. ti. 
 
 inciting hostile feelings among their several employes 
 is a policy pursued by the rival companies, and I 
 received many a malediction (though not in my 
 hearing), for the success of my efforts in making 
 peace. 
 
 Accordingly, Mackenzie and I fraternised with 
 Martin and Frederick. The former was a French- 
 man, a fine, tall, handsome fellow, with splendid 
 abilities. Many a time did he entertain us half the 
 night through in his log-house with his anecdotes 
 and experiences, whUe his poor Indian wife lay 
 yawning in bed not understanding a word that was 
 said, but unable to sleep from his wonderfully loud 
 way of speaking, which was always accompanied 
 by the most energetic gesticulation. A great many 
 of his stories had the merit of being invented 
 by himself, as well as collected from the beaver- 
 trappers and hunters of these extensive regions. 
 Frederick was the very opposite of Martin, which 
 probably accounted for their having lived together 
 so long on such friendly terms ; he was short, pursy, 
 jolly, and matter-of-fact, and it was very amusing to 
 hear him trip up Martin, as he frequently did, in 
 some brilliant impromptu account, by a short 
 pithy proof that the narrator was wrong, both as 
 to facts and chronology. My friend, Owen 
 Mackenzie, was a particularly fine young feUow, 
 about twenty-one, a splendid rider, first-rate shotj 
 
CHAP. VI.] OWEN MACKENZIE. 157 
 
 and, taken on the whole, on foot and on horseback, 
 the best hunter I ever saw. His prowess was put 
 to the test soon after my arrival, for meat becoming 
 scarce in the Indian camp, a party of Indians con- 
 trived to root up at night the picket of the store- 
 house, and carry off all the meat that had been 
 stored for the winter's consumption. In the morn- 
 ing we had the satisfaction of finding ourselves 
 without anything to eat. Our party at that post 
 then consisted of three or four labourers, one 
 under-trader, an Indian woman, two children, Owen, 
 and myself. As soon as we had discovered our loss 
 on the following morning, we had nothing for it but 
 to set out and hunt, and a long tedious day we 
 had of it too. I returned home unsuccessful, but 
 Owen killed a deer, and singularly enough found 
 the animal not far from our hut, as we were 
 returning home in the evening despairing of 
 success. Although the meat was very lean we had 
 plenty of marrow fat, and if the worst came to 
 the worst we could help ourselves to the dried 
 tongues, which as an article of trade with the Fur 
 Company had been hanging from the roof of the 
 hut we slept in, and so escaped the marauding 
 hands of the Indians. 
 
168 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. th. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Grlutton Feast.— My Indian Companion. — Hunting in Snow. — Roast 
 loin of Wolf. — BlacktaU Deer. — ^Rapacious Beauties. — Anotlier 
 Journey. — A Long Shot. — ^Indian Voracity. — Larpenter's Post.—' 
 Start for the Minitarees. — Awfal Night. — Peekay and the Bull.-^ 
 Eeaeh Fort Berthold. 
 
 Mackenzie and I received one evening an invita- 
 tion from the Indians to one of their Glutton Feasts. 
 The peculiarity of the ceremony obliges the guests 
 to eat the meat when almost boiling, and they also 
 vie with each other to prove which of them' can 
 eat most with the greatest rapidity. When we 
 entered the lodge we found a fire lighted in the 
 centre, and about a dozen Indians seated cross- 
 legged around it, holding dishes or bowls cut out 
 of solid blocks of wood. Armed with these they 
 impatiently awaited the onslaught. 
 
 The signal was then given by two youths beating 
 a drum, which deafening row was accompanied by 
 the most frantic yelling ; the hashed meat was then 
 poured out into the bowls of the guests, and in this 
 boiling state they commenced devouring it, but 
 
CHAP. VII.] GLUTTON FEAST. 169 
 
 notwithstanding the burning of fingers and scalding 
 of throats, they contrived to consume such enormous 
 quantities as to cause their stomachs perceptibly to 
 distend. During the whole time of this disgusting 
 exhibition the drums continued beating, and the two 
 lads never ceased howling. 
 
 At this feast I met an Indian, who afterwards 
 became a great ally of mine. As soon as the 
 glutton feast had terminated, my new acquaintance 
 accompanied me home to our log-house, and we 
 had a long semi-telegraphic conversation over hunt- 
 ing matters, as we discussed an Indian pipe and a 
 cup of coffee together. 
 
 He was. one of the few Indians I ever met who 
 was a good deer and elk hunter ; for although the 
 generality of those among them who possess horses 
 are fine riders, and unmatched in following buffalo 
 on horseback with bow and arrows, yet they are 
 neither keen nor very successful in the pursuit of 
 game on foot. 
 
 To any one sMUed in using a bow, the silent 
 arrow is far the most effectual way of " getting fat 
 meat," as the Indians term it. The fat cows are 
 always the swiftest, and the awkwardness of loading 
 a gun, together with the alarm attending its dis- 
 charge, will generally afford the toxophilite Indian 
 the greater triumph at the termination of the run. 
 
 But with a gun few of them are good shots. The 
 
170 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vn. 
 
 firearms supplied by the American Fur Company- 
 are neither good nor highly prized by these Indians, 
 most of whom would infinitely prefer a large green 
 or scarlet blanket to the best gun you could offer 
 them. Percussion guns they never will use, nor 
 could I ever discover their reason for objecting to 
 them. But my new acquaintance was a remarkable 
 exception to this rule; being a very keen hunter, 
 he had purchased a fine long gun from the Hudson 
 Bay Company's traders, in every respect superior 
 to any he could obtain at the American Company's 
 posts. This formidable weapon never missed fire ; 
 its serviceable, although 'clumsy, lock was provided 
 with a main-spring strong enough for a vermin trap. 
 
 The hunter himself was a fine tall handsome 
 fellow, with mild and poHshed manners. I was 
 particularly struck on the first evening of our 
 acquaintance with the gracefulness of his gestures 
 as he sat talking in our log-house, moving his 
 hands and arms with the ease and dignity of the 
 most accomplished rhetorician. 
 
 Before we parted that night, we arranged to hunt 
 in company the following day, and next morning 
 according to agreement he came and woke me very 
 early ; for we had far to go in order to hunt with any 
 chance of success, as game was very scarce around 
 the Indian camp. I was unsuccessful ; but he shot 
 a deer, which we drew home over the snow before 
 
CHAP, vii.] HUNTING? IN SNOW. 171 
 
 night, by attaching the hind legs to a leather band 
 fastened round our shoulders, and so dragged it 
 along to the post. 
 
 : Meat was then a valuable article among the 
 Indians, who were very badly off, buffalo having 
 abandoned that part of the country, and these tribes 
 being far too improvident when meat is plenty in 
 simimer, to dry the overplus and store it in time for 
 a winter supply. 
 
 Up to this time it had been my intention to push 
 eastward and southward back to the United States 
 during the winter; but finding no likelihood of 
 obtaining any travelling companions, and fearing to 
 undertake so long a journey alone during this 
 terrible winter season, I now gave up the idea 
 altogether, and determined to remain in the Indian 
 territories until the ice broke up on the Missouri 
 river. 
 
 We generally had abundance of meat, such as it 
 was, lean deer-meat being wretched food ! 
 
 One day my Indian companion and I were out for 
 many hours, and though hunting most indefatigably, 
 had bagged nothing. It came on to snow slightly 
 in the afternoon, and I had turned about, and was 
 making for our rendezvous, which was at the corner 
 of a wood not far off, when I saw, at a Httle distance, 
 something grey lying down. I looked carefully and 
 saw a wolf, which on approaching appeared, to me 
 
172 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. vn. 
 
 dead, and therefore did not remove the gun-cover 
 from my rifle. I walked close to the spot, and was 
 surprised a second time by the brute jumping up and 
 scampering off at full speed. I lost as little time as 
 I could in tearing off my gun-cover, cocked my rifle, 
 and made an excellent shot, rolling the wolf over and 
 over. On coming up I found I had killed a very fine 
 she wolf in prime condition. I reloaded, and put 
 back my rifle in the gun-cover, heaved my prize on 
 my shoulders, freshened my way as much as possible, 
 and nearing our rendezvous, had the pleasure of 
 seeing the Indian rapidly approaching me. 
 
 He quite surprised me by the delight he showed 
 at my having secured the wolf. 
 
 We made ourselves pretty comfortable in the 
 willows near the river, and, under a bank to wind- 
 ward, with a good roaring fire at our feet, and well 
 sheltered by walls of snow which we scraped up with 
 slabs of drift wood, we sat down and cooked our 
 wolf, the Indian assuring me aU the while that it 
 was a great deal nicer than lean deer-meat. Hungry, 
 however, as a whole day's unsuccessful hunting had 
 made me, I was still very unwilling, in spite of his 
 assurances, to try it, but the evident relish with which 
 I saw him eating it, quite disarmed me of my pre- 
 judices against wolf-meat, and, in fine, I feasted on 
 the fat ribs, which proved most palatable, and cer- 
 tainly very superior to lean venison. My companion 
 
OHAP. Til.] EOAST LOIN OF WOLF. 173 
 
 laughed at observing me completely conquer my 
 scruples, and detach a couple more ribs off the 
 savoury fore-quarter then hissing at the fire; we 
 certainly enjoyed our supper that night, nor was my 
 stomach a whit the worse for the strange food, with 
 which it had been astonished. 
 
 After supper we lighted our pipes, and smoked, 
 dozed, and conversed alternately tiU sunrise, when 
 we roasted more of the wolf, eat a good breakfast, 
 and again continued our hunting. 
 
 As the weather looked threatening, we determined 
 to keep together ; and had not been hunting long 
 when we descried four or five deer in some scattered 
 wiUbws. My companion being far my superior in 
 approaching game, I desired him to stalk them, and 
 he presently succeeded in stealing on within about 
 a hundred and forty yards of them. After some 
 •hesitation, and presenting his gun twice, he decided 
 not to fire, but stretching his hand cautiously 
 behind him, made a signal for me to approach ; I 
 crawled upon my hands and knees, drawing my rifle 
 after me in its leather gun-cover, until I came to 
 where he had waited for me, in fear of missing the 
 deer himself, for he never liked a long shot, and 
 considered these too far. 
 
 It is always difficult to shoot with a heavy rifle 
 when kneeling; I made use, therefore, of my com- 
 panion's shoulder for a rest, and taking a careful 
 
174 EAMBLES AND ABVENTUEES. [ohap. vii. 
 
 shot, sent my bullet through the lungs of the nearest 
 buck ; all the deer dashed forward, but it was easy 
 to see that mine could not go far, and a short run 
 brought us up to where he had fallen dead. 
 
 We were now such a distance from home that we 
 deliberated for a little what course to pursue, and 
 at last we proceeded to bury oui' game in the snow, 
 heaping it well to keep off the wolves, and stick- 
 ing up a long pole with a red handkerchief flutter- 
 ing from it to mark the spot. We then set off 
 home, determining to bring our dogs with their 
 travails next morning to the place and draw it 
 home. Although it was still early, we did not hunt 
 any more that day, as we were very tired from 
 having sat without beds over a fire aU night, but we 
 shot one or two prairie-hens and three rabbits. We 
 had an excellent supper that night ; M'K. treated 
 us to choice cured buffalo-tongue and marrow-fat, 
 with coffee : these tongues were not provisions for 
 our use, being articles of trade for transport to 
 the United States where they fetch a good price; 
 but when we were short of meat we were obhged 
 to appropriate one or two, which Owen Mackenzie 
 very unwillingly granted, unless on special occasions 
 when he and I rewarded ourselves with one of them 
 after a successful hunting excursion. 
 
 Well do I remember how these tongues addressed 
 themselves to the feelings of us hungry hunters, 
 
CHAP, yn.] BLACKTAIL DEER. 175 
 
 intently watching them as they hung ia clusters 
 from the beams of the roof which formed their 
 rostrum, whence they sent forth an appeal more 
 eloquent than the language of a Demosthenes ; 
 true the tongues were silent, but they were fat! 
 When well boiled they are delicious, the riud then 
 peels off, and they become tender, plump, and 
 juicy. 
 
 Next morning we started off for our deer which 
 we had buried in the snow, taking Ishmah with his 
 travail, together with another Indian dog which 
 followed my companion. 
 
 On our way to the place I got a shot at a wolf, 
 which I killed ; we buried him after skioniag him, 
 and proceeded on our journey for some way, when 
 at a distance my companion perceived three black- 
 tailed deer on the higher hiUs over-hanging the 
 river. He started in pursuit, while I remained to 
 take care of the dogs, that they should not interfere 
 with him and spoil his stalk. I had an excellent 
 view then of both the hunter and his game, which 
 he approached vrith great skill; at last he got a 
 shot, on which the animals rushed off, but one 
 hobbled in the rear ; the bullet had broken his leg. 
 A most exciting race then commenced between the 
 Indian and his broken-legged deer, up and down 
 hill over the frozen snow, my companion evincing 
 the most astonishing powers of endurance in his 
 
176 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. vii. 
 
 persevering pursuit, gradually regaining the ground 
 he had lost in loading as he ran ; till, far in the 
 distance I saw a puff of smoke, and before the faint 
 report of his long gun reached my ear, I had the 
 satisfaction of descrying the deer stretched iu the 
 snow. 
 
 I fastened one dog behind the sledge of the other, 
 which I led by a string tied roimd his neck, aad in 
 this way ran along the river ;keeping in sight of my 
 companion, and joined him shortly after the fall of 
 the blacktail deer. 
 
 These are a peculiar species found only in these 
 regions, differing from the Virginian breed in the 
 horns, which are longer and curve more upwards | 
 their meat, however, is not nearly so good, nor are 
 they so difficult to approach. A black ring round 
 the tail forms a striking characteristic, as also their 
 very large ears ; the hair of the animal's coat is long 
 and very handsomely coloured ; in size they exceed 
 the Virginian, and equal the Scotch. 
 
 This deer I do not think has ever graced any of 
 our private or public zoological collections in 
 England. It is, however, a beautiful animal, and 
 its skin makes the best and most serviceable light 
 leather. 
 
 Our chase after the blacktail did not take us 
 much out of our way, so I rein&ined behind, skin- 
 ning and cutting it up, while the Indian went on 
 
oBAP. vn.] RAPACIOUS BEAUTIES. 177 
 
 with his dog and travail in order to fetch tlie deer 
 I had killed the day before. The day was brilliantly 
 fine, without any wind ; and I sat by a driftwood 
 fire that I lighted to await the arrival of my 
 companion, who returned in a few hours, and we 
 went home together, my dog lugging along a whole 
 deer to his share, while the Indian and I had to 
 carry a hind quarter each on our shoulders to 
 enable the other dog to draw the rest of the meat 
 to our post, which we reached by moonlight. 
 
 Next day I witnessed a most unamiable display 
 of feminine feeling towards a poor old woman, to 
 whom I had given a little meat. I had resisted the 
 importunities of several of the younger women, 
 whose husbands were either too timid or too indolent 
 to hunt for them. This old creature, however being 
 perfectly helpless, and not having a claim on any 
 body, I cut her off an abundant supply for more 
 than a hearty meal ; but as she was hobbling off in 
 great glee, clutching the meat and drawing her robe 
 tightly over her, she failed in escaping the keen, 
 brilliant, black eyes of three young squaws, who 
 iimnediately gave chase, and were not long in 
 coming up with her, where (as she afterwards in- 
 formed me) the following conversation took place — 
 " Are not you ashamed," exclaimed the three, " an 
 old woman like you, to have meat to eat when three 
 fine young women like us are starving ? What do 
 
178 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vn. 
 
 young men care for old wretched ugly creatures 
 like you ? It is for us that they care, therefore you 
 are not to eat meat while we are hungry." So in 
 accordance with the laws practised between the 
 weak and the strong, these three young harpies 
 forcibly dispossessed her of the meat, with which they 
 decamped ; and the poor old woman came back to 
 me for more, which I gave her as soon as I had 
 heard her story confirmed by a bye-stander, and 
 desired her to go and cook it near to where I was 
 cleaning my rifle. 
 
 This old lady, I was informed by the Indians had 
 seen more than ninety summers, she seemed, how- 
 ever, to enjoy a very good appetite and dispatched 
 the tough meat with which I had supplied her 
 with such ease and celerity, that curiosity induced 
 me to undertake an investigation of the state of her 
 teeth. After a little persuasion, she allowed me to 
 look into her mouth, when to my utter astonish' 
 ment I beheld every tooth in her head perfect, the 
 back teeth firmly wedged together like so many 
 blocks of the whitest ivory. 
 
 The weather now became very fine, and the 
 snow had evaporated to such an extent, that we were 
 able to bring out horses with us ; but, so scarce was 
 meat, that one evening, when my Indian hunting 
 companion and I were returning with a couple of 
 horses weU laden ^ith venison, from an elk and two 
 
CHAP. VII.] WHITR MAN'S INFLUENCE. 179 
 
 deer we had killed that day, we had considerable 
 difficulty in saving our precious cargo from the 
 hungry crowd that gathered around us; nor do I 
 think we should have succeeded in guarding it, but 
 for the interference of the soldiers of the post who 
 came up to our assistance. 
 
 I ought here perhaps to explain to my readers 
 that the soldiers of a trading post are chosen men 
 of the Indians conspicuous for their honesty, 
 fidehty to the traders, and their general readiness 
 to uphold the white men. Their zeal is frequently 
 highly commendable, and I have witnessed noble 
 and disinterested acts of these gentlemen of nature, 
 which would have shamed many professing a better 
 creed, but practising a more selfish course. 
 
 Indians have a great idea of a kind of mysterious 
 influence attending a white man as to safety when in 
 his company, and I have frequently, in my hunting 
 excur^ons, been attended by Indians in districts 
 where nothing short of forming themselves into a 
 strong party would induce them to venture. 
 
 On one of these occasions my Indian was very 
 much influenced by this feeling, and acknowledged 
 that he would not cross the Missouri and hunt at 
 that great distance from the camp, unless in my 
 company, for fear of the war-parties. 
 
 There certainly were some grounds for apprehen- 
 sion on that account, as war-parties, from one tribe 
 
 N 2 
 
180 RAMBLES AND ADVENTtJKES. [ohap. tii. 
 
 or other, are the whole year trying to make on- 
 slaughts on the different encampments on the 
 borders of the Missouri, in order either to get 
 scalps, or steal horses. 
 
 At one time the Sioux, at another time the 
 Blackfeet, are down upon them. Frequently, 
 indeed, a number of their own party form them- 
 selves into a gang and devise some scheme for 
 depredation, in which attempt they themselves 
 perhaps get surprised and cruelly murdered. 
 In these winter expeditions they are subject 
 to the greatest sufferings from cold and priva- 
 tions, and it sometimes happens that they are 
 overtaken on the prairie by a snow-storm and frozen 
 
 to death. 
 
 On my return to the States, I learned from 
 Mr. Murray, the commander of the Crow trading- 
 post (whom my readers will remember I have 
 already introduced to their acquaintance), that a 
 war-party of seventeen Crow Indians started for 
 scalps and horses against the Blackfeet, in the very 
 depth of winter ; they were caught in a snow storm, 
 and not one survived to tell the tale. 
 
 Martin and his coadjutor, Frederick, were most 
 hospitable feHows. Owen and I used often to go 
 over and spend the evening with them, on which 
 occasions we were entertained with coffee and 
 Martin's amusing stories, and I was now very glad 
 
CHAP. VII.] A MOONLIGHT HUNT. 181 
 
 to return the civility, by contributing some meat to 
 their store. 
 
 One evening, when we were quietly engaged over 
 a game of eucre, one of the workmen came and told 
 us that a large wolf was prowling outside at a little 
 distance, attracted, no doubt, by the offal of two 
 deer that Owen and I had killed that morniag, so 
 close to the post that we dragged them whole along 
 the snow, and skinned and cut them up before the 
 door of our house. 
 
 We took up our rifles aU ready loaded, quietly 
 opened the door, and by the light of a nearly full 
 moon saw a splendid cream-coloured fellow busy at 
 the offal of the deer. We both let fly at him, 
 shattering his hiad leg, whereupon he made off on 
 the other three as hard as he could go. I threw my 
 rifle agaiast the wall of the house, and started in 
 pursuit together with Owen, followed by Martin, 
 Frederick, and several workmen, Owen and I had 
 a fine run, all the while vociferating and imploring 
 some one of our attendants to give us a stick, stone, 
 or anything to hammer the wolf, whom we could just 
 barely keep up with, and knowing that if either of 
 us once stooped for a weapon, or missile of any 
 kind, he could never catch up to him again. At last 
 some one running behind me put a good strong 
 stick into my hand, and at the same time Owen, 
 finding himself likewise supplied with one .from 
 
182 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. vii. 
 
 another man who was following us, we hammered 
 away at the wolf's head till we secured him. He was 
 an amazingly fine wolf of the largest species, of a 
 cream white colour ; his skin was very large, and the 
 fur so fine that I saved it for my collection. 
 
 Next day almost all the Indians broke up camp, 
 and moved off, and among them my Indian hunting 
 companion, the loss of whose society I felt very 
 much, for he had been a great ally of mine. 
 
 Shortly after this our party was increased by the 
 arrival of Carifel. This little fellow had been once 
 a free trapper ia the mountains, but who (in con- 
 sequence of the great depression in the price of 
 beaver) had afterwards taken service with the Fur 
 Company ; he was a jolly little French Canadian, 
 and represented the perfect picture of a voyageui 
 as he walked in, dressed in a blue blanket coat, 
 ornamented mocassins, a blue sailor's cap on his 
 head, his snow shoes fastened round his neck, and a 
 new brass-mounted bad Belgian carbine in his hand. 
 He, however, prudent little man, was not at all 
 dependent on the performance of this last item of 
 his equipment, but had still a goodly store of dried 
 buffalo meat, which he had carefully laid in for the 
 journey, and had strapped behind his shoulders 
 along with his buffalo robe and blanket which 
 formed his bed when he camped at night. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, in about the middle of March, 
 
CHAP. VII.] CARIFEL. 183 
 
 the weather hroke again, and we had a tremendous 
 snow-storm for three days, during which our meat 
 was completely consumed. 
 
 The day after the termination of the snow-storm 
 was very fine, and Mackenzie and I went out 
 hunting, nor had we gone far, before we found, 
 to our infinite satisfaction, fresh tracks of deer 
 evidently driven to shelter in that point by the 
 recent snow-storm. "We followed the tracks to the 
 edge of the point, and came in sight of two or three 
 deer out ia the open prairie a long way off. Owen 
 slowly drew up his rifle, singling the nearest, and 
 made a magnificent shot, bringing the animal right 
 down on the spot with a shot in the neck, at the 
 short distance of 300 yards I During this time we 
 continued to hear shot after shot in rapid succession 
 from Carifel, iu the direction opposite to that by 
 which we had ourselves entered. " He will set the 
 whole wood on fire before he stops," I observed; 
 but Mackenzie replied, " Ah, he must be in some 
 scrape, and firing for us to come to his assistance." 
 
 On this suggestion we both started off in the 
 direction that this incessant firing appeared to come 
 from ; but we had not gone very far, when the firing 
 ceased, and not long after we met Carifel himself 
 returning quite crest-fallen. " Qu'avez-vous done, 
 Carifel?" said I. "Oh, monsieur!" replied he, 
 " C'6tait une bande de biche ; " and he went on to 
 
184 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. vir. 
 
 describe how he got among a herd of elk, andset-* 
 to firing away, unperceived by them, tOl the poor 
 animals got so terrified, that they kept trotting 
 backwards and forwards as if paralysed by feai-, 
 until Carifel had discharged every bullet he had, 
 and the only result was a suspicion of having 
 wounded a doe. That really was too much for the 
 patience of us hungry mortals to endure. We rated 
 and abused him ; but the little fellow took it all in 
 good part, and joined in the laugh at his own expense. 
 I had for some time been very apprehensively 
 observing the short supply of copper caps with 
 which I was now provided, and which, notwith- 
 standing all my care and economy, was rapidly 
 decreasing.' One evening that I announced this 
 alarming intelligence to Frederick, he advised my 
 endeavouriug to obtain a supply from some fellow- 
 traders, who also, in opposition to the American 
 Fur Company, had established themselves about 
 seventy miles off, on La Eiviere a Couteau. 
 Fortunately about this time, Owen Mackenzie was 
 sending a dispatch on business to Fort Union, 
 together with three workmen, whose services were 
 not required at our little post, and of whom we 
 were glad to get rid, as the additional burthen of 
 supporting them with our rifles, ia a country where 
 game had become very scarce, was anything but 
 desirable. 
 
CHAP, vii.] ANOTHER JOURNEY. 185 
 
 We accordingly all started one fine morning. 
 Each voyageur witli his buffalo-robe and blankets 
 strapped to his shoulders, together with tliree days 
 supply of meat, to be renewed at the post where I 
 hoped to obtain the anti-corrosives. 
 
 Ishmah followed me attached to his travail, and 
 relieving me from the task of having anything 
 besides my rifle to carry, aiid thus we travelled 
 until a little after noon, when we came in sight of 
 two Assineboyne lodges, on the bank of the 
 Missouri ; here we sat down to cook, but of course 
 the Indians from the two lodges soon collected 
 round us, consisting of three men — one of whom 
 was a fine old feUow, — three or four women, and 
 about ten or twelve young people of six years and 
 upwards ; they were very badly off for meat, and 
 about starting to join tlieir friends on White 
 River, but on seeing us, of course came to look for 
 what they could obtain : having but little meat for 
 ourselves, we could not spare them much, however 
 we gave one or two of them a little, after wliich one 
 of the young lads came to me, and pointing in the 
 direction of some high rugged hills at the opposite 
 side of the river, told me he thought he could 
 distinguisli three animals — probably elk — but 
 his report was contradicted by the others, who 
 declared " Onijah," or " There is nothing." How- 
 ever shortly after the young fellow came back to 
 
186 RAMBLES AND ADYENTURES. [ohap. to. 
 
 me and said, " My friend, there are now four things, 
 and there could not be another unless they were 
 alive, they must be animals." I thought the boy's 
 reasoning so cogent that I sent another Indian to 
 reconnoitre, who soon returned, declaring the boy 
 to be right. This Indian then proposed that we 
 should go in pursuit, but the men with me were 
 tired, and would not undertake the severe task of 
 scaling the steep, slippery, snow-covered heights. 
 The poor Indian appealed most imploringly to 
 me, and, clasping his hands, said, "My friend, 
 I have no gun, but I will go ; " and, looking wist- 
 fully at a flint gun in the hands of one of the 
 voyageurs of my party, he asked him to lend it to 
 him. I requested the man to lend him the- gun, 
 (which he stood in no need of for the rest of the 
 day, being with two other friends, the one armed 
 with my double-barrelled gun, the other with a rifle ; ) 
 he did not, however, consent until I proposed a 
 termination of the point at issue by a trial of 
 strength between us, when he then reluctantly 
 resigned the M'Adamiser into the hands of the 
 delighted Indian ; at this juncture the old man 
 leaped up, exclaiming, " And I will come, too^ to 
 bring home the meat." We then set ofi', all three, 
 to cross the river; arrived on the opposite bank 
 we found the ascent very difficult, both on account 
 of the nature of the ground and the steepness of 
 
CHAP. VII.] "MAUVAISE TEERE." 187 
 
 the wild rugged hills, with their intervening hollows 
 filled up with avalanches of snow. I had not much 
 time to contemplate the extraordinary scene around 
 me as I waited a moment to draw breath after the 
 first two or three steeps ; hut observed the wonder- 
 fed peculiarity in this grand scenery, revealing every 
 here and there as a field of snow had sHdden down 
 from a towering height, pinnacles of bright red 
 clay, formed in mounds, minarets, and tall, slender, 
 spire-like gothic steeples, many of them striped 
 with blue bands. The combinations, of colours in 
 this wonderfally strange scenery was heightened by 
 the effect of an evening sun shedding sparkling rays 
 over crystallised patches of the snow which had 
 fallen from their dizzy heights. However, on we 
 pushed over the steep, slippery red clay, rendered 
 still more difficult of ascent by the constant drip of 
 water from snow, which rested on many grass- 
 capped heights ; on reaching the extensive plain 
 of one of the hiUs, we saw the animals we had 
 been in pursuit of, standing not one hundred 
 yards from the ledge on which we had clambered. 
 They proving to be four blacktail bucks, I drew up 
 my rifle, but on pulling the trigger the cap alone 
 exploded, the noise of which alarmed the deer, who 
 started off leaving us in despair of ever seeing them 
 again: I was much surprised at the result, and 
 adopted the best remedy; cutting a little peg of 
 
188 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUEES. [chap. vn. 
 
 wood with my knife from my loading-stick, I 
 hammered it into the pillar, then putting on a cap, 
 I succeeded in discharging my rifle, loaded again, 
 and resumed the line the deer had taken ; after we 
 had followed on the tracks for some time, we 
 came in sight of them at a very long distance off, 
 midway on the ascent of a range of hOls separated 
 from the height on which we were standing by a 
 wide valley filled by avalanches of snow, a passage 
 over which would have engulfed us. "What the 
 exact distance between myself and the deer may 
 have been, I cannot exactly say, but measuring with 
 my eye — which then was pretty weU trained to 
 calculating distances — I considered them about a 
 quarter of an English mile from where I stood. 
 
 I consulted the Indian, who assured me — as the 
 wind was — it was almost impossible to go round 
 aU that distance, which involved a detour of three 
 miles, at the very least, in order to head up the 
 valley, even if they would so long remain on a ledge 
 of bare cliff where no feeding, or other inducement, 
 was likely to detaia them ; reluctantly I drew up 
 my rifle and fired. The Indian then seizing me by 
 the arm, declared he saw the shingle splinter in 
 line of the deer I fired at ; and, stretching his arms 
 to their full length, said, " My friend, you were that 
 too low down." I put in as much powder as I 
 could venturej without risking the bullets "tripping," 
 
CHAP. Til.] A LONG SHOT. 189 
 
 and wrapping a rather thicker leather patch than 
 usual, I thus drove the tight-fitting hall down for a 
 second shot ; the Indian lay along the ground to 
 look under the smoke as I discharged the second 
 shot — aiming very high. He now assured me that 
 he saw the stone crumble one arm's length lower 
 than the feet of the same animal. Although I 
 thought him a good deal indebted to his imagination 
 for these announcements, yet I nevertheless loaded 
 again as before, and on seeing a spot on the cliff, 
 right over about ten feet above the deer's back, I 
 raised my rifle this time, aiming as if to strike this 
 — ^which happened to be very well defined on the 
 cliff ; I fired— the deer now made a start to spring 
 forward, but slipped down backwards, and com- 
 menced moving for some time in a retrograde 
 direction. The moment the others observed that 
 their companion was injured, they dashed off along 
 the ledge a little way, and out of sight over the 
 mountain, leaving their wounded companion, who 
 soon stood still. The Indian got greatly excited, 
 and begged I would allow him to go alone after the 
 wounded deer, and that I would remain for a land- 
 mark for him while he started off to head the valley, 
 saying, " My friend, it's your deer ; I only want to 
 go and kill bim : I am sure of him, he can't nm 
 away." I gladly consented to his plan, and soon 
 lost sight of him. I lighted my pipe, and anxiously 
 
190 RAMBLES AND APVBNTUEES. [ohap. 
 
 awaited his re-appearance on the brow of the oppo- 
 site range ; at last he came in sight again, runniag 
 all right for the spot, and in about three-quartera 
 of an hour from the time he started, he re-appeared^ 
 and having attained the ledge of shingle, was 
 rapidly approaching the object of his pursuit. 
 The deer feU in attempting to escape him — ^rose 
 again: — but fell to rise no more, as I saw the final 
 puff of smoke issue from my companion's gun in 
 the distance. 
 
 Following the line of the hills, I at length 
 reached the spot, when I found the Indian awaiting 
 me, having skinned and cut up our prize. Shortly 
 afterwards we were joined by the old man, and 
 dividiag the load of meat into three portions we 
 turned our faces homeward, descending with diffi-: 
 culty the " Mauvaise terre," as these hills are termed 
 in the parlance of the country. We re-crossed the 
 ice, and reached camp some time after night-faU. 
 Our arrival was the signal for a grand feasting; a fire 
 was lighted in the centre of one of the lodges, and 
 cooking commenced ; we aU then sat round the fire,, 
 and most astounding powers of consumption and, 
 digestion were exhibited that night, for our small 
 party not only consumed the whole blacktail deer, 
 but even all the meat with which we had been pro- 
 vided for our journey by Owen previous to our 
 departure. The greater part of the night was 
 
OHAP. vii.] LARPENTER'S POST. 191 
 
 spent in feasting, and next morning we resumed our 
 route ; camped an hour before sunset, and, after a 
 fruitless attempt on my part to stalk up a buffalo 
 buU, went supperless to bed. Next morning was 
 very fine; we rose early and reached Mr. Larpenter's 
 post late in the evening. This was a very miserable 
 hut, and the supply of dry meat with which he and 
 his companions were provided so small, that I made 
 but one day's halt. I obtained a plentiful supply of 
 caps from the opposition traders, who lived very 
 comfortably, having had abundant opportunities of 
 laying in a store of buffalo-meat by purchase from 
 the Indians in the early part of the autumn. 
 
 These traders were about to send a dispatch back to 
 Martin's post, so that their messenger and I travelled 
 together; we were plentifully supphed with dry meat, 
 and therefore were not delayed by being obliged to 
 stop on our joiu-ney in order to hunt ; and, finally, 
 before the termination of the week, I was re-esta- 
 blished in my old quarters again with Owen 
 Mackenzie, to whom my fine supply of copper caps 
 now rendered me doubly welcome. 
 
 After this the weather became so very fine, ttiat 
 nothing could persuade the few Indians still about 
 us that we were not in the month of April, 
 Frederick proposed going down with a couple of 
 horses and an attendant to the Minitaree Fort; 
 Peekay, the well known old Indian, from, whose 
 
192 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. tii. 
 
 squaw I had purchased Ishmah, proposed to go -with 
 him; and a couple of Indians having previously 
 arrived, bringing me a most kind and hospitahle 
 invitation from Mr. Chardon, who commanded at 
 that post, I determined to accompany the party 
 thither. 
 
 We accordingly set out one fine sunny morning , 
 and though the weather at this treacherous season 
 of the year is never to be trusted, the day continued 
 so very fine that Frederick was quite overcome with 
 the heat of the sun, and walked considerably in the 
 rear, with his coat off, puf&ng and blowing like a 
 grampus. We certainly formed a strange medley ; 
 first, Frederick and myself, then Peekay and squaw, 
 with their dogs and travails, among which, and draw- 
 ing my worldly goods, figured Ishmah conspicuously, 
 in the van ; and lastly, the man in charge of the two 
 poor miserable horses, packed with some articles of 
 Indian trade, such as blankets, knives, vermilion, 
 and especially gunpowder, of which they were 
 taking the Minitarees a good supply, having heard 
 that they were likely to be short of that useful 
 article there. 
 
 We proceeded as far as Knife Eiver, when, 
 Frederick being very tired from his walk of ten 
 mUes in the snow, we stopped to rest for a httle. 
 time, and then proceeded to walk across the Grand* 
 Detour. 
 
CHAP. VII.] AWFUL NIGHT. 193 
 
 The Grand Detoiir is a sinuosity ia the river, 
 forming a bend of about forty miles in length ; but 
 the chord, or, in popular words, the short cut of 
 which is hardly fourteen. 
 
 At the commencement of this walk, I reasoned 
 with them on the inexpediency of attempting to 
 divide the journey, and urged the terrible position 
 we should be in if caught in a snow-storm on the 
 prairie ; but nothing would persuade Peekay that we 
 were not in the month of April, consequently the 
 short cut was decided upon in spite of my 
 remonstrances. 
 
 We had proceeded about four miles, when we 
 came to a narrow thread of ice, where two or three 
 trees indicated a small frozen stream ; but so steep 
 was its bank, and so deep had the snow drifted into 
 this cantee, that we had to cut the trees down with 
 our axe, and bring them up on to the top of one of 
 the numerous little hills which formed the range, 
 and between which the snow had drifted to the 
 inconvenient depth I have described. When we 
 had brought up our wood and lit the fire, some 
 cooked, some unpacked the horses, and the old 
 woman superintended the dogs. At last, haying 
 arranged everything comfortably, and stowed by our 
 sides the different articles of the trade, including 
 the gunpowder, we fell to at our supper. Night 
 was then coming on, and it began to rain slightly ; 
 
194 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vn. 
 
 but we brightened up the fire again, little knowing 
 what was in store for us. Shortly after dark the 
 wind veered round to the north-east, accompanied 
 by snow, and at last it blew so hard as to oblige us 
 to put out the fire, especially on account of the gun- 
 powder ; owing to our exposed situation the wind 
 mercilessly drove sparks, and even lighted brands 
 whirling amongst us, turn which way we would, as 
 the eddies of wind drove furiously down the gullies 
 against our little encampment from all points of the 
 compass. Old Peekay and his wife collected every 
 blanket and skin they could muster. I seized my 
 buffalo-robe and blankets, called Ishmah to me, 
 round whom I put my arms, and hugging him close 
 to my breast, shivered through the night. 
 
 Never shall I forget the horrible hours of sus- 
 pense I passed, expecting every instant the feeling 
 of sleep to overpower me, knowing the fatal con- 
 sequences and fearing an inability to resist it. I 
 found my faithful dog an invaluable friend, and 
 really believe he was the means of saving my life ; 
 for I seemed to feel the caloric, as it issued from 
 him, preserve my body from turning into stone. 
 Day at last dawned, and the wind abated. We 
 contrived to move to a less exposed situation, where 
 we lighted a roaring fire, and warmed ourselves, 
 then renewed our journey, reaching the opposite 
 extremity of the Grand D6tour by nightfall. 
 
CHAP. VII.] PEEKAT AND THE BULL. 195 
 
 Our supper that night was a very scanty one of 
 dried buffalo-meat, the last of the provision with 
 which Martin had supplied us. As for the unfor- 
 tunate dogs that accompanied the Indian Peekay 
 and his squaw, they, poor wretches, had not eaten a 
 morsel for weeks, and so awful an array of starved 
 spectres never were seen. 
 
 The day after we reached the end of the Grand 
 Detour was very fine ; hut although we passed over 
 some likely country I was unlucky, and could not 
 find any game for some time. At length, one of us 
 espied an old buffalo bull in the distance, and I 
 determined to start in pursuit of him, although he 
 was a very great distance off. 
 
 As I was adjusting my snow shoes and girding up 
 my loins, old Peekay lighted his long Indian pipe, 
 and waved it towards the four points of the compass, 
 making medicine ; he then threw himself down on 
 the ground, and uttered aloud the following words, 
 as near as I can recollect Frederick's repetition of 
 them to me; for by the time he had smoked his 
 pipe, or commenced addressing the Great Spirit, I 
 was already a good step on my way. " Great 
 Spirit, you see the state we are now in, we have no 
 meat neither myself nor my squaw, and our dogs 
 are sinking for want ; we shaU lose all our property, 
 for the dogs are too tired to drag it any longer ! 
 Great Spirit, help us therefore, and bring us 
 
 o 2 
 
196 RAMBLES AND ADYENTUEES. [ohap. ra. 
 
 some meat." His prayer ended, the old fellow went 
 along the edge of the timber skirting the river, 
 while I was far ahead trying to stalk up the bull, 
 which I had hopes of succeeding in doing, on 
 account of the inequalities of the ground where he 
 was lying. The walk, or run, was very severe ; but 
 after taking a great round to avoid giving the 
 animal my wind, I succeeded in getting within 
 200 yards of him perhaps, when, unfortunately, in 
 one of those fitful gusts of wind, which broken hilly 
 ground always renders so treacherous and uncertain, 
 the bull scented me, never stopped for a moment's 
 look, but wheeled round and dashed off as terrified 
 as if I had been close to him. I could not blame 
 myself for the contingency, and consoled myseK 
 with the reflection of there being fortune in hunting 
 as well as a fortune of war. I had watched the 
 buU's movements for nearly a mile as he ran head- 
 long from me, when what was my astonishment 
 at beholding a faint puff of smoke issue from a 
 little thicket of willows in the horizon. I heard no 
 report, but a careful eager look satisfied me that the 
 bull had fallen. I hurried off to the place as fast as 
 I could, and found that old Teekay, who had not 
 fired a gun or killed game for many years, and who 
 was, in fact, an infirm old man, had been walking 
 through those very willows alongside of which the 
 buU had shaped his course, when the animal passed 
 
CHiP. vn.] REACH POET BERTHOLD. 197 
 
 the old man so close, as to enable him to send his 
 ball through the heart at a distance of not more 
 than ten or twelve paces. This was a most extra- 
 ordinary combination of chances — if chances they 
 may have been called — as the buffalo had a whole 
 hemisphere of prairie over which to escape from 
 me, and nothing at aU calculated to induce him to 
 make for the only point where destruction awaited 
 him. It seemed as if the poor old man's prayer 
 had been heard, and meat had been sent him at 
 his utmost need. 
 
 We camped, quietly cooked, ate, and saved some 
 meat for the rest of the journey, which we were 
 unable to continue that day, as our unfortunate dogs 
 so gorged themselves on the carcase of the bull, that 
 when we harnessed them they actually lay down and 
 howled ; so on their account I was not sorry for the 
 day's rest. 
 
 On the 1st of April I reached Fort Berthold, the 
 trading post of the Minitaree Indians, very late at 
 night; a slight thaw having commenced that day, 
 rendered the passage of several creeks and ravines 
 very dangerous, particularly for the horses. How- 
 ever, we arrived at last. Frederick and his man 
 betook themselves to the wooden lodge of their 
 fellow traders, and I availed myself of Mr. Chardon's 
 hospitable invitation to the Fort. 
 
198 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. Tin 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Mr. Chardon. — ^Boucharville. — Geese put their heads together. — lo 
 treaks up. — A Cold Bath. — Arrive at the Fort. — Preparations.— 
 An 'Afternoon's Hunt. — Elk shows Fight. — Shot at Sundown.— 
 Hard Work. 
 
 I FOUND poor Mr. Chardon very ill, with a violen 
 attack of rheumatism ; but my arrival cheered hin 
 very much, and what little news I could briag hin 
 of his friends at Fort Union and the White Eive] 
 posts, was very acceptable. 
 
 The Minitarees are a noble interesting people 
 They are most absurdly termed Grosventres bj 
 the French traders, there being not the slightes' 
 foundation for branding them with that epithet. 
 
 From this time, with the exception of one fall o 
 snow on the 4th of April, the weather began t( 
 wear the aspect of spring ; and the breaking up o 
 the ice on the river was daily expected, as in som( 
 places it had become rotten, and was no longe; 
 deemed sound enough to bear horses. 
 
 April 6th. Boucharville, one of the most cele 
 
CHAP, viii.] BOUCHAKVILLE. 199 
 
 brated of the hunters and trappers of the Indian 
 regions, came into the fort. The poor fellow had 
 been most unfortunate; he had, in an untoward 
 hour and under the influence of his evU genius, 
 entered into a project of trapping wolves, foxes, 
 mink, &c., during the winter, and had established 
 himself — together with two other companions — on 
 a lake, about forty miles north of the post, but the 
 winter having been more than usually severe, he 
 lost his horses, and made by no means a successful 
 hunt ; besides which he had all his traps stolen by 
 Indians, and finally had a great escape of being 
 taken by a war-party. I had a long conversation 
 with him as to the best direction to take for a hunt- 
 ing expedition, and found he was thoroughly 
 acquainted with the whole country. He was one of 
 those quiet, patient fellows, that never put them- 
 selves into a passion or get flurried about anything ; 
 his appearance was very much in his favour — a 
 manly, handsome countenance, with large and deep- 
 set blue eyes. He was dressed as the hunters 
 usually are, in elk-skia coat and mocassins, and 
 deer-skin trousers, with a hunting-knife fastened in 
 his belt, and in his hand he held his rifle, the sight 
 of which he had accidentally broken off, and was 
 deploring its loss, whUe endeavouring to supply its 
 place with a small piece of lead, which he was 
 whittling with a knife. 
 
200 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. viii. 
 
 " Ha ! Boucharville, tous avez et6 malheureux et 
 j'en suis bien fache." 
 
 " Oui, Monsieur, j'ai eu de la mis6re; mes chevaux 
 sont morts, et mes pifeges sont voltes, mais me voici 
 en fin ! " 
 
 After a long talk, I proposed that, as soon as the 
 ice broke up in the Missouri, we should start off 
 on foot back to Fort Union, making nearly straight 
 across the prairie instead of following the sinuo- 
 sities of the river, as I had done in my winter 
 journey ; and we proposed, when we arrived at 
 Fort Union, to take my horses and proceed on 
 horseback up the Yellow Stone Eiver,- — ^intending, 
 with the proceeds of our hunting, to descend the 
 stream again in boats made of bull's hides. He 
 liked the project, and so it was made a bargain. 
 He was married to an Indian woman in the village ; 
 so he borrowed a horse, went back to the lake for 
 what few furs and property he stiU had, and returned 
 home to the village to await the breaking up of the 
 ice. About this time poor Mr. Chardon became 
 worse : the rheumatism had attacked him very 
 severely in both legs, and he was unable to stand ; 
 but I never saw a man more patient under suffer- 
 ing or more grateful when any one relieved the 
 wearisome dreary hours by sitting and talking with 
 him. 
 
 The snow now began rapidly to pass away and 
 
CHAP. Till.] GEESE PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER. 201' 
 
 the smaller rivers and springs were open ; ducks, 
 geese, outardes, and swans came hovering over our 
 heads. I had again recourse to my Trulock, but 
 alas ! shot was not to be had, so I was obliged to 
 make it as well as I could; first I tried pricking 
 holes in a card, fixed in a small wooden frame, and 
 pouring melted lead upon it — taking care to keep 
 it perpetually in motion, by shaking it backwards 
 and forwards. 
 
 But I found the follovdng a better plan "; i. e. to 
 beat the lead quite flat, and cut it into little bars, 
 about seven-eighths of an inch square, which we 
 divided across so as to form little cubes one-eighth 
 of an inch every way. These we made as like 
 grains of shot as we could by putting them into a 
 small metal boiler in the kitchen of the fort, and 
 rolling them round and round with a smooth stone 
 along with some ashes. With this very imperfect 
 substitute for shot, I contrived to kill some ducks 
 and geese ; the latter were very difficult to obtain, 
 as they always settled in exposed situations, where 
 their long necks enabled them to see for a great 
 distance round, and to be aware of the least sign of 
 danger. One very windy day, and under shelter of 
 a bank at a spring which supplies a little unfrozen 
 pool, I contrived to crawl along the ground so 
 stealthily that I came within thirty yards of a fine 
 flock of wild geese. Their heads were all close 
 
202 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. thi. 
 
 together in an admirable line for a raking shot 
 as I lay on my chest in fear and trembling, 
 chuckling with delight at my good luck; I stole 
 the gun up cautiously to the front, and a fine raking 
 shot I made. I did not stop to count how many I 
 had mowed down with the first discharge, but fired 
 the second barrel at one on the wing as he rose, 
 knocking him over by the side of his companions, 
 I found I had floored six at the first shot, and 
 having picked them up, and the victim of my left 
 barrel also, walked home in triumph with seven 
 geese on my back, which proved a very grateful 
 accession to our tough and scanty supply of meat 
 in the larder : they all agreed that the geese in this 
 instance had put their heads together to some 
 purpose ! 
 
 The 17th of April was a memorable day. About 
 day-break the ice broke up on the Great Missouri 
 river ; the explosion, as the water burst the rotten 
 mass upwards, was Hke distant thunder. We 
 rushed to the high bank on which the fort is 
 built, and from its gate watched the various sized, 
 packs of frozen blocks floating by, roaring with a 
 splendid sound as mass after mass passed onward; 
 forcing aside aU resistance and sweeping every-; 
 thing before it. The ice continued to roU by for 
 thirty hours, keeping up a continuous roar — ^it was 
 a beautiful and, to me, a very novel sight. 
 
CHAP. Tin.] ICE BEOKEN UP. 203 
 
 I now bethought myself of starting on my jour- 
 ney to Tort Union for my horses, and, therefore, 
 engaged two more men to complete my party. One of 
 these was Perey, a stout, active French Canadian, 
 the other was a French haK-breed named Paque- 
 node : these I required in order to keep the camp, 
 miad the horses, and cook, while Boucharville and 
 I hunted. I also hired a horse belonging to one 
 of these men, which enabled me to bring kettles, 
 blankets, buffalo-robes, and, in short, to travel very 
 comfortably. "We took with us a small supply of 
 dry meat, some coffee, a little bag of biscuits which 
 Mr. Chardon gave me, and a large quart-bottle 
 fuU of molasses to sweeten our coffee, this hung 
 from our pack-saddle, and — ^wonderful to relate — 
 notwithstanding all the vicissitudes of the journey, 
 and the incessant and sometimes violent oscillations 
 to which it was subjected as it swung from the saddle, 
 the contents lasted us for the entire journey ! 
 
 During our march we had frequent opportunities 
 of procuring eggs from nests of the waterfowl, which 
 begin to lay at this season of the year ; they proved 
 a great treat to us, particularly as the supply of 
 dried meat we had brought with us was very small, 
 so much so that, both meat and eggs failing, our 
 rations were reduced on the fifth day of our journey 
 to one biscuit each. 
 
 Early next morning we were passing along the 
 
204 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. viii. 
 
 side of the river, very hungry ; and making a short 
 march with the intention of hunting ia the after- 
 noon. P6rey carried a double-barrelled gun loaded 
 with buck-shot, and was walking near the pack- 
 horse, Ishmah and his travail following me, when 
 we were astonished by the sudden appearance of 
 four antelopes climbing up the bank close at 
 hand. Owing to the steepness of the bank, they 
 did not come in sight of us until they had reached 
 the summit ; the moment they did so they wheeled 
 round, but not before Perey fired and shot one, 
 which rolled down the bank into the water, and 
 was carried down the stream. Boucharville and I 
 tugged at our gun-covers ; his he could not remoYe 
 quickly enough; I tore away the thong of inine> 
 — which had run into a knot — ^with my teeth, and 
 cocked my rifle. By this time the other three 
 antelopes were swimming away in the broad stream; 
 a little eddy in the rapid current turned one of them 
 broadside to me ; I fired, hitting the animal between 
 wind and water, behind the shoulder, — ^its head 
 drooped, as floating dead on the surface of the 
 water, it was carried down the stream after its 
 companion. Perey then performed a splendid feat j 
 he ran down the side of the river far enough to enable 
 him to undress — which he partly did in running- 
 jumped iuto the half-frozen water, along which the 
 blocks of ice were still at intervals coursing, 
 
CHAP, viu.] A COLD BATH. 205 
 
 striking out boldly, laid his hand on the first car- 
 case, then with great exertion reached the second 
 as it floated by, and brought both into the bank : 
 this was the more fortunate, for half a minute more 
 would have swept them past the bend into the 
 rapids beyond where the scene occurred, and 
 involved not only the loss of our game, but a 
 considerable risk to this brave fellow. 
 
 The two antelopes afforded us quite a sufficiency 
 of food to last until our arrival at Fort Union, which 
 we reached early on the ninth day after our departure 
 from the Minitar6es. 
 
 Arrived at Fort Union, I found things in a sad 
 state ; the hunters of the fort had been twice out 
 for meat, and could find neither buffalo, elk, or 
 deer ; one of them. Smith, an excellent hunter, had 
 wounded an elk, and in pursuing him through the 
 timber had lost his mule, which he had brought out 
 with him to bring home the meat. The Indians, 
 who had congregated about the Fort, of course were 
 starving; all being afraid to cross the river and 
 hunt up the Yellow Stone for fear of attacks from 
 either Blackfeet or Sioux. As to the points about 
 the fort, my brother sportsmen can well fancy how 
 thoroughly thrashed they must have been by that time 
 with the two white hunters hunting for the Fort, and 
 a bevy of Indians, all likewise eager in the pursiait, 
 and depending upon their exertions for their very 
 
206 
 
 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. tii 
 
 existence ; the latter were in such a state that ti 
 traders had actually threatened to fire on their ow 
 Indians, to keep them from rushing into the post 
 The dried meat, with which the fort is always storei 
 in case of game failing, had heen hadly saved th 
 year before, consequently was unfit to eat ; notwith 
 standing which, they gave one excellent meal to my 
 self and men and afterwards I went out to inspec 
 my horses left the winter before, now only two ii 
 number, and in very bad condition. My friend Owei 
 had most kindly given me an order, allowing me the 
 use of his splendid thorough-bred buffalo-horse,,the 
 finest I ever met with in America. He was a tall 
 powerful animal, with clean, sound forelegs, and 
 grand haunches-, very deep over the heart (so much 
 so that it was difficult to prevent his saddle from 
 slipping backwards), and on the whole in good 
 condition. So my stud now consisted of four 
 horses, inclusive of the one I had brought up with 
 me from the Minitarees. 
 
 The first thing I set about was to find the party 
 in saddles, bridles, and halters ; next, to lay in a 
 store of powder, lead, and copper caps, togeliier 
 with three kettles and four tin mugs, besides a fair 
 supply of coffee, sugar, and salt. A hatchet and 
 two beaver traps completed our equipment, and 
 having set out aU these our worldly possessionsfl 
 the yard in front of the post, and counted ov® 
 
CHAP, vni.] PREPAEATIONS. 207 
 
 everytiiing carefully, we proceeded to saddle up, 
 Mr. Denig (who was now in charge of the Fort) 
 urging us to make haste out of the way as soon as 
 possible, not half liking the prospect of having to 
 supply us with another meal. We divided equally 
 aipongst the four horses, by means of ingeniously 
 contrived thongs on the pummels and cantles of the 
 saddles, the responsibilities of the various stores, 
 each man carrying his own tin mug with him. The 
 smith then brought out Boucharville's rifle which he 
 had properly sighted, and taking up our gims, we 
 bade good-bye to Mr. Denig and the iamates of the 
 Fort, and rode away. 
 
 We now found ourselves once more thrown upon 
 our own resources in a country»tfrom which the 
 game was almost driven away ; but Boucharville 
 and I were well aware, that if we could once cross 
 the Missouri below the mouth of the Yellow Stone, 
 and then proceed up the left bank of that river, we 
 should, before we had traversed ten nules of country, 
 be iu the midst of plenty. But here we were 
 unable to cross ! the water still intensely cold, 
 three of my four horses in such wretched con- 
 dition, that I dreaded the idea of transporting them 
 over with such precarious assistance as that of a 
 raft, particularly when only constructed of drift- 
 wood, and with the very insuf&cient means which 
 our skill and resources could supply. However, I 
 
208 
 
 KAMBLES AND ADTENTUBES. [chap. Tin. 
 
 was determined to make the best of it, and we rode 
 down to the next point in the river, and encamped 
 nearly opposite the mouth of the Yellow Stone, 
 The weather was so windy that we gave up all 
 idea of taking our horses across it for at least 
 two days more, so as soon as we had found good 
 grazing-ground for the poor animals, Boucharville 
 and I set out to hunt in the point where we were 
 camped. We were both very tired; a previous 
 journey of eight days' marching, our disappointment 
 of the rest a couple of days lounge in the Fort 
 would have given us, and, above all, the dread we 
 had of making our poor horses cross by means of 
 any raft that we could construct, all combined to put 
 us out of spiritao Very unexpectedly we got twQ. 
 shots at deer that day, notwithstanding the scarcity, 
 of game. Boucharville broke the leg of one deer ; but 
 did not get him, and finally we went to bed, haviiif 
 had nothing more than a cup of coffee for supper. 
 While we were hunting that afternoon, Paquenod^, 
 and P6rey had constructed a very comfortable little 
 hut by driving a framework of sticks into th-e 
 ground, taking a large piece of lodge- skin for a 
 cover, and piling up great pieces of bark for the 
 back and sides of this notable edifice. So spread- 
 ing our robes and blankets on the ground inside, 
 with the saddles as piUows for our heads, we 
 lighted a good fire outside at our feet, and made 
 
CHAP. VIII,] PREPARATIONS. 209 
 
 ourselves comfortable for the night. Our house 
 was constructed in good time, for we had fortunately 
 anticipated a fine downfal of rain. It continued to 
 pour all night ; but we hardly suffered any incon- 
 venience from the rain, and on the whole, with the 
 exception of having nothing to eat, were very 
 comfortable. After all we could not complain^ even 
 in that particular, having had at eight o'clock that 
 morning a splendid breakfast of elk, fat salted 
 buffalo tongues, coffee, and, what is rare luxury in 
 that country, delicious bread. 
 
 Early next morning BoucharviUe started off to 
 hunt ; but I remained behind, doubting very much 
 the possibility of procuring any meat where we 
 were, Before he departed, howevSr, I charged him 
 to return shortly after noon to camp, when I pro- 
 posed saddling the horses, and setting off for a few 
 miles together down the river to a very fine point I 
 knew, having hunted it successfully the previous 
 winter before my first departure from Fort Union. 
 I then lighted my pipe, and afterwards went to'sleep. 
 By-and-by the day turned out fine, and we proceeded 
 to dry our robes and blankets, wipe the saddles^ 
 clean the bits, and the few stirrup-irons (for we had 
 but five to four saddles) that we possessed. My own 
 saddle I had complete, it being an excellent oHe 
 that I had brought up with me in the autumn ; but 
 the other three boasted of but one stirrup-iron 
 
210 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. Ym: 
 
 a piece. I subsequently learnt, under Boucliarville's 
 tuition, to made admirable wooden substitutes for 
 these -wbile on the .prairie. 
 
 Soon after two o'clock, Boucharville returned to 
 
 camp without having had a single shot. So, iii 
 
 accordance with my plan of the morning, we brought 
 
 in and saddled the two best horses, (i.e., Mackenzie's 
 
 and, my old mare,) and rode three or four imles 
 
 along: the prairie down the river to my favourite 
 
 point. This was a very fine wood, about nine miles 
 
 long, and from four to. five deep, interspersed witti 
 
 lovely glades, and beautiful feeding-grass for deer and 
 
 elk. "We eontiiiued riding alternately through these 
 
 and thick willows tilL, on emergiag from a copse of 
 
 the latter, we came in sight of a band of some 
 
 fifteen or twenty wapiti feeding in a large glade. 
 
 "We immediately fastened up the horses, and crept 
 
 nqiselessly on foot under cover of the brushwobd 
 
 towards the spot. Arrived at the utmost verge of 
 
 pur friendly shelter-, we had the mortificatioh to 
 
 find that we were too far to risk a shot, there being 
 
 fully 230 yards between us and them.. We held a 
 
 council of war, and after some hesitation, determined 
 
 to steal back to the horses, ride some way round, 
 
 and come upon them from a direction at right 
 
 angles to the one we had just tried, where we could 
 
 see a clump of rose-bushes, which we fancied 
 
 conliderably nearer to the elk, and which we 
 
OHAP. Till.] AN AFTERNOON HUNT. 211 
 
 intended to try and reach by approaching from an 
 easterly instead of a northerly direction, we being 
 then between them and the river. Accordingly we 
 crept back on our hands and knees ; nor did we get 
 up and run towards the horses until we were well 
 out of sight of the wapiti. We then mounted and 
 rode half a mile or so round to the east, when 
 having again tied up the horses, we crawled as 
 before upon our hands and knees, and reached the 
 extremity of the rose-bushes imperceived. Here 
 there was a large tree, behind which I could stand 
 lip quite screened from view of the elk, while 
 Boucharville knelt on one knee at the edge of the 
 cover, a position in which he could shoot very well, 
 for he used to make a rest for his rifle, by sticking 
 his ramrod and loading-stick firmly into the ground 
 across each other; I, who never could shoot well 
 from a rest, preferring to stand up. We were now 
 about 150 yards from the nearest' of the band. I 
 those a fine old stag, while Boucharville, with an 
 eye to superior meat, singled out a doe. We drevst 
 up our rifles slowly, and both shots went off together. 
 The smoke hung heavily for a second or two ; when it 
 cleared away, we espied one of the wapiti lying down. 
 The next instant down roUed the stag also. We 
 agreed to advance at the same moment lest one or 
 other of the animals should be able to get up and 
 escape. On coming near my stag, he struggled to rise, 
 
 p 2 
 
212 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUIIES. [ohap. vm. 
 
 but uQable to gain his feet rolled back again. I looked 
 towards the other, when what was my surprise at 
 witnessing a regular combat between Boucharvill^ 
 and Ids wounded elk, now transformed into a Very 
 formidable antagonist. Springing on her haunche^» 
 she was striking furiously at him with her fore-feet; 
 one hoof missed him, but the otherfell on his rifle, 
 which he held up for his protection, and smashing 
 both his ramrod and his loading- stick, beat him. 
 down on his knees. Eising a second time, she was 
 about to repeat the attack, when my bullet caught 
 her in the side of the head behind the eye, and 
 with a splendid bound she fell lifeless on the broad 
 of her back. I had made a quick and necessarily a 
 rather dangerous shot, but I was in luck that day, 
 " Sacr6 enfant du diable ! " exclaimed BoucharviUe, 
 as he half rose from the ground> but looking at 
 nothing till he had satisfied himself that his rifle 
 was uninjured ; " mais qui I'aurait cru ? Ma foi ! " 
 continued he, laughing, "j'ai> Men 6chapp§, une 
 biche a un c6t6 et une balle a I'autre !" 
 
 Leaving him to cut up the meat, I ran off for the 
 horses, which I brought up. The day was beginning 
 to wane, and we had some way to go.home to camp, 
 so we made all haste to pack the .horses, and placing 
 the heavy hides under us and lOver the meat, we 
 climbed up on the poor brutes, and jogged home's 
 wards. I still remember well the beautiful sunset 
 

 '-#A 
 
 
214 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. tiii. 
 
 the two poor already overladen horses, we jogged on 
 to camp ; I in a high state of delight, Boucharville 
 not half relishing my having fired a shot so near 
 camp, (then not two mUes distant,) for fear of its 
 attracting the notice of prowling Indians. We 
 reached home late, and welcomed by the plaudits of 
 my two hungry horse-guards, who had evei?ything in 
 readiness for cooking dinner, we feasted till far 
 into the night, chatting over our adventures. 
 
 Before turning in for the night, we determined 
 that early next morning we would take all our 
 surplus meat to the Fort, and exchange it for divers 
 things we yet wanted to complete our equipment. 
 All slept sound with the exception of Boucharville, 
 who never closed his eyes for fear that Indians 
 having heard my last shot, might track out our 
 camp and steal the horses as they were grazing 
 ab6ut. Morning, however, dawned cheerily reveal- 
 ing them to our view, all safe and sound. It was 
 a lovely day : and each, as he tightened his belt, felt 
 that he had much to do, and was well up to Ms 
 work. We packed two horses with as much meat 
 as we could possibly spare, and, mounting the other 
 two, Boucharville and I rode to the Fort, leading 
 our beasts of burden. Breakfast was ready when 
 we arrived; and we revelled on bread and fresh 
 eggs (the hens laying very well although fed like' the 
 pigs, exclusively on ineat). Mr. Denig after break- 
 
CHAP. VIII.] HARD WORK. 215 
 
 fast gave me, in exchange for the venison, an 
 excellent four-oared skiff ^belonging to the Fort, 
 some awls, needles, strong thread, and fish-hooks. 
 The skiff was exactly what I wanted to take the 
 horses across the river, which in these parts was 
 near half a mUe wide. And, delighted with this 
 arrangement, I sent Boucharville and the three 
 horses back to camp, with directions to send up 
 men to take the skiff down the river to the fittest 
 place for crossiug. As soon as it was done, we 
 commenced the arduous task. Owen's horse I 
 took first ; he was a fine thorough-hred fellow, and 
 swam in gallant style : the mare not so well, and 
 the last proved an exception to the generality of 
 horses, in refusing to swim altogether. I held his 
 head, however, ahove water while my companions 
 rowed with might and main, and after considerahle 
 exertion and loss of time, during which we made 
 great leeway down the stream, we succeeded in getting 
 him over. I thanked my stars that we crossed iv a 
 good skiff; and am quite sure that had we attempted 
 to take the brute across with a raft of our own 
 construction, he would certainly have been drowned, 
 and we might very probably have been obliged either 
 to let him go adrift or to have shared the same fate 
 with him. We were not long in returning and 
 bringing over the rest of our traps ; and that done, 
 I immediately proceeded to bury my valuable boat 
 
216 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. vm. 
 
 under the willows on the south bank of the Yellow 
 Stone, close to the junttion of the Missouri, for 
 having had some experience of the appropriating pro-> 
 pensities of the younger Indians, and rightly judging 
 that they would soon be in that neighbourhood on 
 their way down the river for their spring trade with 
 Fort Union, I thought it prudent to put my pro- 
 perty out of their reach ; and so hid it carefully in 
 a fine sandy deposit, where we could recover it again 
 without much trouble. 
 
CHAP. IX.] HUNT ON THE YELLOW STONE. 217 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Hunt on the Yellow Stone. — Grosse Come Hunting. — A Beautiful 
 Camp. — ^Beaver. — Good Hunting Country. — Cat Fishing. — Skin 
 Boat Building. — Tailoring — Crow Indians.^ — Descend the Yellow 
 Stone — Surprise a Crow Camp. — Return to Fort Union. 
 
 Next morning we commenced our hunting 
 excursion up the Yellow Stone, starting at a very 
 early hour, and found game more and more abun- 
 dant as we proceeded from the mouth of the river, 
 every now and then starting a deer, or coming in 
 sight of a long continuous file of antelopes. These 
 march in line, sometimes for several miles together, 
 and, by imitating the movements of their leader, 
 exhibit the most striking effects, resembling military 
 evolutions ; they simultaneously whirl round their 
 white breasts and red flanks, like the "Right face ! — 
 Left face ! " of a regiment on parade. Obedient 
 to the motions of their leader ; when he stops, all 
 stop : he stamps and advances a step, the slight 
 similar impulse waves all down along the line ; he 
 then gives a right wheel, and round go all their 
 heads for one last look; finally, he gives the right 
 
218 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 face about, and away "their ranks break up like 
 clouds before a Biscay gale." Stately wapiti 
 wandered on the plain, feeding, not far from the 
 willows, to whose friendly shelter in they crashed 
 the moment we presented ourselves to their view. 
 And as we approached steep frowning cliffs over- 
 hanging the river, I saw, for the first time, the wild 
 sheep or grosse corne of the Eocky Mountains, 
 balancing themselves, chamois -like, on the tops of 
 most inaccessible crags, whither they had rushed 
 on first catching sight of us. The grosse corne or 
 big-horn, partakes both of the sheep and the deer 
 in its appearance, and in its habits resembles the 
 chamois of Switzerland, being quite as watchful, 
 possessing equal facilities of bounding over fissures, 
 and clambering up similar inaccessible places. 
 This wild sheep is stoutly built and its feet are 
 stronger and larger than those of the deer.^ The 
 animal's light dusty-brown colour conforms to 
 nature's law, and resembles those shingly rocks to 
 which it clings for protection ; a very slight quantity 
 of wool grows about the ears and neck, also about 
 the knees ; the rest of its coat consists of strong 
 coarse hair, white on the rump, and tail tipped with 
 black. Both the female and the male carry horns ; 
 those of the former resembling the little horns of 
 a- goat, only flatter, while those of the male are 
 of a ponderous size ; out of all proportion to the 
 
CHAP. IX.] GROSSE CORNE HUNTING. 219 
 
 apparent strength of so small an animal, they grow 
 somewhat similarly to those of a common ram, 
 only vastly larger. I have measured some that 
 curved more than usual, as much as two feet eight 
 inches in length, the hoUow part is capable of 
 containing two quarts of water, and is twenty-three 
 inches in circumference at the orifice. The carti- 
 Idginous processes on which the horns grow are 
 very strong, and so also is the frontal bone with 
 which they form one mass, so sohd as to enable the 
 animal safely to fling himself on his head from 
 very considerable heights. I was told that when 
 some of these rams reach a great age, frequent 
 instances have been observed of the horns curving 
 ia siich a direction, as that their points re-grow 
 into the animal's head, and thus terminate its 
 existence ; of this phenomenon, however, I never 
 myself was a witness. 
 
 Arrived at this range of hiUs, I immediately 
 called a halt, determining to have a himt after big- 
 horn, and, leaving my two men, Paquenode and 
 Pei-ey to make camp and look after the horses> 
 Boiicharville and I started after the sheep. 
 
 We found them very wary game, and almost 
 impossible to approach; once I clambered to within 
 fair shooting-distance of a ram, concealed from 
 his view by a sheltering crag, but the moment 
 my head and rifle were raised for aiming, over this 
 
220 UAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [chap. ix. 
 
 ledge of rock, he was off with one bound, dis- 
 appearing down a fissure in the rocks, where I 
 thought the animal would have been dashed to 
 pieces. Unlike the deer, who will generally stand 
 and gaze a moment, as if trying to make ,you out — 
 the wild sheep is so shy and wary as well as quick« 
 sighted, that the moment he sees the slightest 
 strange object above a bank or rock, he is instantly 
 off. 
 
 I got, after much toU and difficulty, a tolerably 
 fair shot at a ewe, but missed her, being blown by 
 the constant climbing. These volcanic rocks and 
 hnis are very deceptive in their appearance, and 
 their similarity causes much difficulty in obtaining 
 an approach to any spot from a direction different 
 to that from which you obtained the first view ; for 
 on descending and creeping round their bases, the 
 rugged cliffs assume appearances differing widely 
 from those which presented themselves from the 
 preceding summits. At last, however, I succeeded 
 in circumventing a fine old ram ; and carefully and 
 noiselessly we ascended the' cliff commanding a view 
 of our game unconsciously standing about sixty 
 yards below us, close to some stunted cedars. I 
 pointed my rifle downwards, and as the echo and 
 smoke of the shot roUed away, I saw that my bullet 
 had broken his back,- and sent him floundering 
 below. At the report of the shot, two lambs 
 
CHAP. IX.] GROSSE COENE HUNTING. 221 
 
 bounded off, and Boucharville instantly started 
 in pursuit of them, answering my remonstrances by 
 declaring them to be such excellent eating. 
 
 I therefore left him to his own devices, and 
 
 clambered down to my ram, which I had ample 
 
 time to survey with great delight, and so long was 
 
 I observing his magnificent proportions, that I did 
 
 not commence skinning and cutting him up until 
 
 I heard my companion's rifle crack, and shortly 
 
 after a second report conveyed to my imagination 
 
 what had been the probable fate of the lambs ; 
 
 however, I was satisfied, as I had not been a sharer 
 
 in the murder of the innocents. So, knowing that 
 
 Bottcharville would most likely send me assistance 
 
 from camp, I lighted my pipe, and, after a few puffs, 
 
 lay down and went fast asleep ; from which I was 
 
 awakened by the arrival of my two horse-guards, 
 
 who had come for the meat, which, together with 
 
 the skin and horns, we took home to camp. 
 
 On our return, we found Boucharville busy 
 roasting two loins of lamb, and boiling more ; so 
 after stretching the ram's skin, I sat down beside 
 him, and found the lambs — I must confess— much 
 better meat than the tough old ram we had just 
 brought in. 
 
 Next day, feeling a little stiff from the effects of 
 the grosse come hunting of the day before, we 
 determined to stick to the woods and level country. 
 
222 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUBES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 Accordingly, Boucharville and I, hunted up the left 
 bank of the Yellow Stone. The scenery was 
 splendid : the river being very circuitous and beau- 
 tifully wooded — ^rose trees, willows, and numerous 
 and beautiful rhododendra were strewn over the 
 plain in advance of the heavy timber. We retm-ned 
 late bringing in the skins of two wapiti, tliree 
 deer, and an antelope to camp, together with a 
 portion of the meat. 
 
 After we had continued hunting and travelling for 
 some days up the Yellow Stone, our skins and furs, 
 naturally enough, accumulated so fast that we found, 
 if we went on much longer at the same rate, wa 
 should be forced to leave some of these behind us 
 on tlie prairie. Sooner, therefore, than lose these, I 
 determined on looking out for the next favourable 
 spot for a camp, and chose a beautiful site at the 
 mouth of the Big Horn River, one of the tributaries 
 of the Yellow Stone, and about .100 miles, from its 
 junction with the Great Missouri. The scenery at 
 this spot was splendid, and at the termination of the 
 point the grass was excellent. The green brushwood 
 luxuriated all around, giving the whole region an 
 appearance of being well-cared for, so utterly did 
 that spot differ from the vast wastes on. the Great 
 Missouri's banks. The woods were thickly stocked 
 with evergreens and shrubs now flowering. The 
 river rolled majestically along, and for some 
 
OHAP. IX.] BEAUTIFUL CAMP. 
 
 distance the beautiful grass which carpeted its 
 alluvial deposit grew luxuriantly without heing 
 rank. This plain was terminated to the south-west 
 by high rocky broken hills, almost inaccessible in 
 some parts where grosse come abounded,, and 
 finally the crowning advantage in the position I had 
 taken up was, that bufiald were to be found there 
 also, one of my men sent out to reconnoitte, 
 having reported large bands feeding on the neigh- 
 bouring prairie, The spring was now making rapid 
 strides, and bringing: up the young curly grass 
 in great abundance. Stretching an awning of skins 
 to thfe south, to protect ourselves from the sun's 
 rays, which were now becoming a little too. warm, 
 we 'ranged out all our baggage, skins, and other 
 trophies, and then set to work cleaning guns, 
 mending mocassins, harness, &c., which occupied the 
 greater part of the day. In the evening Boucharville 
 accompanied me for a short distance up the Big Horn 
 Eiver where we were hunting, when he suddenly came 
 to a halt, exclaiming, " Tenez, monsieur, il y a des 
 castors ici, voyez ! " and he drew my attention to a 
 couple of trees of considerable size cut down by the 
 industrious little beaver, forming a dam almost 
 across the stream, and leaving me to contemplate 
 this extraordinary monument of their sagacity, he 
 rode back to camp for the traps. On his return, he 
 set them under water, in runs which they had made 
 
224 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 by passing constantly backwards and forwards on 
 their journeys to and from the water; as a means of 
 enticiQg them, he smeared on the plate of the trap 
 a stuff termed " Medicine a Castor," consisting, I 
 believe, of an extract from their kidneys, in 
 approaching to smeU which, the poor Httle beast 
 springs the trap, and is victimised. 
 
 These industrious little creatures form their 
 habitations of trees hewn down, and cut up into 
 logs with their teeth, cementing them together with 
 branches and mud plastered with their broad tails, 
 which they use as trowels. 
 
 Some years ago a tame beaver was kept at Fort 
 Union. This animal, notwithstanding aU the com- 
 forts of his abode in the Fort, every now and then 
 took a building mania into his head, used to cut 
 and collect wood most indefatigably ; and on one 
 occasion, when he could not find wood enough for 
 his purpose, was discovered cutting up the legs of 
 one of the chairs into logs. During these periods 
 of working, he used to sharpen his teeth from time 
 to time, 
 
 The entrance into a beaver's hut is generally 
 under water, and you will almost always observe 
 two chambers, one constructed below, and the other 
 high and dry above the water ; bark is spread 
 on the floor of the latter chamber, which is always 
 kept scrupulously clean. Indeed the skill and 
 
BHAP. IX.] BEAVEE. 225 
 
 intelligence displayed by the animal seems greater 
 than that which instinct can dictate, not merely in 
 choosing its timber, but also by cutting the tree 
 down with its indefatigable little tusks, in such a 
 way as to make it fall exactly in the direction it 
 wishes, above the intended place of residence ; so 
 that, when it cuts it up into lengths, it can swim 
 down stream, steering the logs to their destination. 
 
 Before breakfast next morning we went to visit 
 the traps, and found a beaver struggling in each; 
 one had been taken by the foreleg, which was frac- 
 tured high up, the other was caught across the jaws. 
 My companion put them out of pain by striking 
 them on the back of the head with a stick. When 
 I saw the helpless struggles of these poor intelligent 
 little creatures I was seized with remorse, and 
 determined forthwith that there should be no more 
 beaver trapping. 
 
 As Boucharville and I subsequently were con- 
 versing on the habits and wonderful intelligence of 
 the animal, he thus strikingly expressed himself, 
 " Monsieur, Us sont une esp6ce de monde." 
 
 Fortunately for these little people, silk, which is 
 now manufactured into hats, has proved an excellent 
 substitute for their fur, previously so valuable ; and 
 now that beaver-skin has fallen from eight and nine 
 dollars a pound to a dollar and one and a half 
 dollar, avarice and self-interest will no longer ply 
 
226 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 the instruments of their destruction, and sweep the 
 ingenious little population oS their Western waters. 
 After breakfast BoucharviUe and I went in quest 
 of buffalo in the direction indicated by Perey, who 
 had, as above mentioned, been out to reconnoitre. 
 We rode, each leading a spare horse. Boueharville 
 took his rifle to stalk them on foot, while I, 
 anxious to test the powers of Owen's fine horse, 
 which was now so much improved in condition, took 
 my double-barrelled Trulock for a run on horseback, 
 intending, if possible, to pick out a barren cow, as 
 they afford the choicest meat at this time of year. 
 
 We approached a herd of buffalo very successfully 
 — thanks to intervening hills and the irregularities 
 which the prairie afforded — and when about 400 
 yards from our game, hobbled Boucharville's mare 
 and the two pack-horses. I then tightened the 
 girths of my saddle, poured some loose powder into 
 the right hand-pocket of my hunting shirt, and 
 waited quietly until BoucharviUe stalked up the 
 nearest of the bulls. As soon as he reached a 
 favourable [position within shot, he fixed his 
 temporary rest as usual, and after a deliberate aim, 
 fired. I could see that the animal was well hit, 
 from the convulsive start he gave, merely cantering 
 a little way, and then stopping; the rest of the 
 herd, on hearing the shot, looked up, but seeing 
 nothing, went on grazing again, I remained con- 
 
CHAP. IX.] A FAT COW KILLED. 227 
 
 cealed to let Boucharville have a second shot. 
 Accordingly he loaded — on his knees all the time — 
 and replacing his rest, selected another bull about 
 100 yards off. At the instant of the report the 
 animal floundered forward, stumbled, recovered 
 himself, stumbled again, and finally came thunder- 
 ing to the ground. The whole herd now rushed 
 off at full speed, the cows leading the van, and 
 the buUs bringing up the rear, and last of all 
 BoucharviUe's first victim, rapidly falling behind. 
 It was now my turn, so putting a couple of bullets 
 in my mouth, I gave chase, and galloping first up to 
 Boucharville's wounded bull, shot him down on his 
 tracks as I passed. Then, loading as I rode, I 
 soon outstripped the bulls, and got alongside of the 
 cows ; but they were so thin and .miserable, being 
 most of them in calf, that I was several minutes 
 before I could single one out. At last I spied a 
 barren cow that seemed to promise good meat, and, 
 firing into her, wounded her, so that I easily 
 separated her from the rest, and after giving her a 
 couple of turns, passed and shot her with the other 
 
 barrel. 
 
 I was now more than a mile from the scene of 
 BoucharviUe's exploit with the bulls; but knowing 
 that he would soon find me, I took off my saddle, 
 tied my horse's fore-feet together with a strong soft 
 band of leather, and, taking off the bridle, turned 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ix. 
 
 him loose to graze, and set to work to cut up my 
 cow. She was in wonderful condition, with nearly 
 two fingers fat on the loin, surprising for that time 
 of year. As soon as Boucharville had skinned and 
 cut up his two bulls he joined me, and we brought 
 the three skins and most of the meat to camp. 
 
 The evening was beautiful, and Peekay and 
 Paquenode had gone to fish, so leaving Boucharville 
 to unload and look after the horses, I strolled down 
 the bank of the river to see what sport they had had. 
 I came upon them unperceived, and never was more 
 amused. A very large timber snag, about fourteen 
 feet long, and very thick, lay fast a little way out in 
 the stream : to this they had waded, and, perched 
 one on each end of it, were intently absorbed in 
 their occupation. Their trousers were tucked up 
 to their knees, and as they sat squatting on their 
 heels on the log in the most rigid silence, each 
 eagerly grasping his miserable little rod with both 
 hands, their long hair, which had got wet, and had 
 been pushed back from their faces, sticking out 
 behind, they looked exactly like two famished 
 cormorants on the watch ready to pounce upon any 
 luckless fish that might pass up stream. I waded 
 out, and stood behind them some time unperceived, 
 not a syllable being exchanged between them. At 
 last the sUence was broken by my bursting into a fit 
 of uncontrollable laughter, in which they joined 
 
CHAP. IX.] CAT-FISHING. 229 
 
 most heartily, as soon as they recovered from the 
 surprise I had given them. They had caught three 
 very fine cat-fish, about two and a half pounds each, 
 and before I left them they caught a fourth ; upon 
 which we all returned to camp, and enjoyed, for the 
 first time, fresh fish, in addition to good buffalo meat 
 and coffee, for supper. 
 
 The cat-fish is one of the finest flavoured I ever 
 ate ; firm, white, and very rich ; the men called it 
 " barbue." It is a quaint little fish, hke a miniature 
 dolphin ; has double fins, besides those on its back, 
 and a preposterously long beard-like excrescence 
 from each side of its mouth. 
 
 After supper I called a council of war, and 
 determined to set about building a boat, to convey 
 our skins and furs to the mouth of the Yellow 
 Stone ; and accordingly, next morning after break- 
 fast, we set to work. The boat was to be constructed 
 of the skins of the two buUs stretched on a willow 
 frame, which we accomplished in the following way. 
 Two long and tolerably strong pieces of willow were 
 cut, and lashed together to form a keel, about 
 fourteen feet long; at about twenty inches from 
 each extremity of this keel a notch was made half 
 way through the wood, so that we could bend it 
 upwards to form a sharp stem and stern to om- 
 boat ; then, completing the skeleton of a punt, or 
 rather of a flat-bottomed canoe, we fastened willow 
 
230 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ix. 
 
 knees at regular intervals tied tight to the keel and 
 round the frame ; and cutting the head parts of the 
 hides of the hulls low down on the neck, sewed 
 them together with awl and sinew at that part; 
 and while reeking, and hefore they had time to get 
 stiff, threw them over the wicker frame, lashing them 
 on with elk-skin cord. While Boucharville and 
 I were busy at this work, my two men were occupied 
 cutting all the meat up in large thin pieces, and 
 drying it in the sun. 
 
 I was at this time very badly off for clothes. 
 My large winter grey wooUen shooting-coat (or 
 capote) was completely worn out; over and over 
 again I had patched it with pieces of blanket, but 
 still the rents were made worse, and at last it went 
 utterly to pieces. I had, however, with me an elk- 
 skin, which had been uncommonly well dressed by 
 one of the men while I was at Fort Union ; this 
 I took and cut into a hunting- shirt with loose 
 sleeves, sewing it up partly with buffalo sinew and 
 partly with thread procured at the fort ; the dressed 
 skin of a smaU deer furnished the pockets in front, 
 and it was subsequently ornamented for me with 
 porcupine work by some Indian women, on my 
 return to the Fort. The fit was not of much con- 
 sequence, as my belt confined it round me. I 
 found this a most effective hunting shirt, for no 
 brushwood could tear it ; and it now hangs up 
 
CHAP. IX.] TOO GOOD A SHOT I 231 
 
 among my other trophies as fit for service as ever. 
 Although it v?as a simple thing in itself, to cut out 
 and malie the hunting-shirt, yet it took me tliree 
 days, inasmuch as I was obliged first to smoke the 
 leather in order to prevent its shrinking and harden- 
 ing like parchment, every time it got wet ; next to 
 cut it out without the help of scissors, and -with 
 my hunting-knife only ; and, lastly, to sew the 
 strong, tough material together without a thimble, 
 which was very tedious indeed. 
 
 The day after my hunting-shirt was completed, 
 I went in chase of grosse come with Boucharville, 
 and we killed a couple of ewes, in excellent condition. 
 I was greatly pleased at coming within shot of, 
 and unobserved by, a very fine old ram, who was 
 standing among some stunted cedars in rough, rocky 
 ground. Two exposed cedar roots crossed above 
 the surface in such a position as, from where I 
 stood, to form a cross right against the fore -shoulder 
 of the animal ; so, profiting by this mark, and 
 arguing that if my bullet passed within an inch or 
 two on either side of the point of intersection it 
 would be sure to strike a mortal part, I aimed 
 right for it, — fired, and on the smoke clearing off, 
 perceived my ram bounding unscathed from cliff to 
 cliff. I had the curiosity to go and examine the 
 spot, and found, to my surprise, that one root had 
 grown into the other, and that my bullet was buried 
 
232 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ix. 
 
 deep in the wood at that very place, whence I cut it 
 out with my knife and brought it home in my 
 pocket. We lived like fighting-cocks in my little 
 YeUow Stone camp ; I used every day to sit down 
 to several kinds of meat, bfesides fish. One day 
 we actually supped on bufi'alo-beef, elk-meat, 
 venison, antelope's-liver, and wild mutton, besides 
 the luxuries of cat-fish and marrow-bones. Coffee 
 and sugar were lasting very fairly, and so was the 
 salt ; but, plenty as the meat was, I did not allow 
 it to be wasted ; and, as we had more than we could 
 carry away in our skin boat, I determined to build 
 a second, so as to convey it all to Fort Union. 
 
 My nether garments, also, were by this time in a 
 sad state of dilapidation, although they had been 
 so frequently patched with leather, so that it was very 
 difficult to say of what material they had originally 
 consisted. I disliked very much the idea of under- 
 taking the construction of a pair of trousers, as 
 I had found the hunting shirt such an arduous 
 task, and therefore deferred the evil day as long as 
 I could. One fine morning, however, I went in 
 pursuit of a very fine wapiti stag, which, with several 
 others, was feeding in some brushwood, about a 
 mile and a half from camp. As I was crawling 
 towards him on my hands and knees, a sharp 
 stake caught me a little below the knee in one 
 of the numerous rents which ornamented my gar- 
 
CHAP. IX.] TAILORING. 283 
 
 ments and neatly removed tlie entire protection of 
 my right leg. A brother sportsman can easily 
 suppose that I did not allow the loss of a gaiter 
 to check my progi-ess, but stalked up my ells, got 
 a shot, wounding him very severely, and after a 
 hard run, lolled him ; but so far from the spot 
 where I had lost my leg-cover, tliat I made no 
 attempt to find it again ; and had no other resource 
 but to make myself a new pair of inexpressibles with 
 all possible dispatch. By Boucharville's advice, 
 I determined to go in quest of black-tailed deer 
 for my material — tlieir skins producing the leather 
 best adapted for trousers. So next day, we mounted 
 our two best horses and followed up the river for 
 a few miles until we came to La Eivi6re, a little 
 tributary of the Yellow Stone. We took the traps 
 with us, but did not see any very recent signs of 
 beaver. I feU in with an enormous Virginian doe 
 ■and got quite close to her in the wood before she 
 saw me. She was about the size of a full-grown 
 Scotch hind, and was nearly as large a specimen 
 as the giant-buck I killed one night in Arkansor ; 
 but my horse was so restless that I could neither 
 get down unobserved nor fire from his back, and so 
 she escaped. 
 
 We continued along little watercourses, and • try- 
 ing the brushwood on the hills tiU Boucharville 
 got a shot at ft black-tailed buck, but missed 
 
234 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 him, as I did also a doe. After a good deal of hard 
 work, we shot a black-tailed doe each: the meat 
 was not very good, so we did not burden the horses 
 with it, but brought the skins to camp. On the 
 morrow I occupied myself in dressing them, with 
 Boucharville's assistance, and the following day 
 finished and smoked them, and began to cut out. 
 The celebrated Eout, of Portsmouth,- who was once 
 known to affirm that he passed sleepless nights 
 over the cutting out of trousers, could not have 
 taken greater pains than I did with mine ; still I 
 wasted the cabbage to such an extent, that before 
 the completion of my work, I had to sacrifice 
 another deer at the shrine of the Sartorian god. 
 
 In this life, I believe, it is impossible to realise 
 half our wishes and expectations ; one cause of 
 disappointment always remained to render incom- 
 plete the enjoyment of the splendid sport I revelled 
 in every day. If I wished to shoot from horseback, 
 a ride of a few miles afforded me most splendid 
 runs ; if I wished to hunt wapiti, the points on the 
 river contained them in just sufficient abundance 
 to afford that amount of toil and labour, without 
 which nothing that is obtained is duly appreciated ; 
 of deer I had a considerable number;, black-tailed 
 deer I could always obtain by going a few miles 
 distance to look for them; the grosses cornes I could 
 sometimes see swinging, as it were, and balancing 
 
onAP. IX.] GOOD HUNTING COUNTRY. 235 
 
 themselves on tops of the chflfs as I sat in my own 
 camp ; antelopes, too, were constantly to be seen, 
 and many a prowling wolf I nailed by disposing 
 offal in places easily approachable; or, should I 
 feel lazy and merely inclined to practise my rifle- 
 shooting, in order, as they say in Ireland, " to keep 
 my hand in," I could always find lots of pheasants 
 and one or two rabbits. Notwithstanding all this, 
 one species of sport yet lacked me — I could find 
 no grisly bear. I hunted long and carefully for 
 them ; but, strange to say, the whole time I was 
 on the Yellow Stone, I did not meet with a single 
 one. I had, it is true, fallen in with their tracks, 
 which, were quite unmistakeable, and these too 
 frequently quite fresh ; and had often ridden or 
 walked tracking them for long distances, but always 
 to some watercourse where I lost the foot-prints 
 among the shingles, or on some substance too hard 
 for me to trace them any further. 
 
 The camp was now full of meat, and my men had 
 occupied all their leisure hours, and most of the 
 time while I was hunting and tailoring, in pre- 
 serving it. The season was now late in May, and 
 I determined to return down the Yellow Stone to 
 Fort Union, there to take up the sldff that we had 
 buried at the mouth of the river, and to row down 
 from thence to the Minitaree Fort — about two 
 hundred and eighty miles down the Missouri ; my 
 
236 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 grand object being, if possible, to make another 
 hunting trip, and try my fortunes in grisly bear- 
 himting before the return of the American Fur 
 Company's steamer in July. 
 
 While I lay in camp one morning, turning this 
 scheme over in my mind, Boucharville came running 
 in to me, and said, quietly, " Ma foi, monsieur, 
 voila les Peaux Eouges ! " I immediately jumped 
 up and discovered some Indians on the opposite 
 side of the river. Our horses were not far off, and 
 both they and Perey, who was with them, were 
 hidden from the Indians by the willows of the 
 point on our side. The latter were evidently not 
 endeavouring to conceal themselves, but. were 
 running to and fro on foot and on horseback. 
 They were so far off Boucharville could not dis- 
 tinguish whether there were any women amongst 
 them or not — a point I was most anxious to deter- 
 mine, as that would have satisfied us as to whether 
 it was a war-party or not. I felt, however, tolerably 
 convinced that they were Crows, and in aU 
 probability the party for the spring-trade at Fort 
 Union. They might possibly have been Black- 
 feet, and consequently a war-party, in which case 
 we should have had a fight for it had they seen us. 
 At this moment Boucharville and I were immensely 
 amused by Paquenode, one of my men, rushing 
 into camp, in a state of extreme terror, with his 
 
CHAP. IX.] CROW INDIANS. 
 
 237 
 
 eyes starting out of his head; first he begged a 
 horse in order to gallop away and escape ; then he 
 implored for the bull-skin boat to try and get off 
 down the riyer. The more we laughed at him, the 
 more he .stamped and cried, until at last the scene 
 became so ludicrous, that I thought Boucharville 
 —who was in general the gravest, quietest fellow in 
 the world — would have died of laughter. P6rey 
 then came in and could not help laughing too ; he 
 had caught sight of the Indians on their first 
 appearance, and had cleverly taken aJl the horses 
 and fastened them in the willows, and had after- 
 wards gone out through the poiut on foot and 
 reconnoitred. He pronounced them to be Crows, 
 but he was furious with Paquenode, who, in his 
 terror had actually seized on Mackenzie's splendid 
 thoroughbred horse, and, but for Perey's violent 
 interference would have been at that very moment 
 galloping over the prairie. However, although the 
 probabilities were strongly in favour of their being 
 Indians of a friendly tribe, I determined, if possible, 
 to remain concealed, in the hope that they would 
 pass us by unobserved ; as they were most likely 
 young reckless savages, very anxious to distinguish 
 themselves by making a " coup," and who by 
 hanging about our trail to steal the horses, might 
 give me some trouble. My plan succeeded per- 
 fectly ; and notwithstanding the Argus eyes of so 
 
238 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 many Indians, we escaped unperceived, which I was 
 glad enough of ; for, although some Indians indi- 
 vidually may be very tractable, yet collectively they 
 are a great bore, and the constant begging to which 
 they subject one, is anything but agreeable. 
 
 BoucharvOle and I went out after the bulls as soon 
 as they were well away, in order to get materials for 
 a second boat. "We killed one each, very large, old 
 specimens, and set to work at once at our new 
 canoe, which we completed late the following 
 evening. Next morning I despatched P6rey and 
 Paquenode with the four horses back to Fort Union, 
 across the prairie, a distance of not more than ninety 
 miles, as the crow flies. This journey I rightly 
 calculated they would perform in three days without 
 knocking up the horses, which, by this time, had had 
 abundance of rest, fine pasture, and fair play. We 
 gave them plenty of meat for the journey, a kettle 
 to boil it in, and in fact, everything they reqtured. 
 Boucharville and I determined to descend quietly 
 by water, and although this was by far the longest 
 way, being nearly three times as long as the land 
 route, yet the rapidity with which the Yellow Stone 
 flows, almost made up for the difference. 
 
 The first thing we had to do was to find drift- 
 wood suitable for making us each a light paddle. 
 In this we soon succeeded, and having packed the 
 two boats, we placed ourselves, one in the bow and 
 
CHAP. IX.] DESCEND THE YELLOW STONE. 239 
 
 the other in the stern of the foremost boat, having 
 the second lashed on and towing in our wake, and 
 commenced our descent of this noble river. The 
 scenery on the Yellow Stone differs slightly in its 
 general character from that of the Missouri, the 
 points being shorter, the river more rapid, and 
 consequently more sinuous. Sometimes tall cliffs 
 overhung the stream where the points terminated, 
 presenting a fine appearance as their dark forms 
 frowned over head, while up their summits could be 
 discovered the grosse come bounding from crag to 
 crag ; sometimes we passed a noble wood just then in 
 its richest green, and crowded with vegetation in all 
 stages of progress and decomposition. Frequently 
 did I stop my paddle to admire the magnificent 
 landscapes presented to my view ; the foregrounds 
 of them formed by tremendous trees torn down 
 along with large portions of the earth which had 
 previously borne them, at those spots where the 
 violence of the stream had undermined the banks. 
 The trees were all different from our European 
 ones, but bearing ia their foliage the character of 
 ash, oak, alder, and birch, besides those less known 
 to us, as cocoa and rhododendrons, which were now 
 beginning to blow, and presented a beautiful 
 appeajance. Willows were, as usual, in abundance, 
 pushing in advance of the timber like the tirailleurs 
 and skirmishers tbrown out in the van of an 
 
2i0 EAMBLKS AND ADTENTURES. [ohap. ix. 
 
 advancing army; at the end of the point they 
 commenced like osiers thickly crowded, the switches 
 increasing in size until they become timber, and 
 sufficiently large to contend for air and light with 
 the other forest trees. A strong stunted growth of 
 rose-bushes was always to be seen as an under- 
 cover, and as we passed along, we could spy at a 
 distance deer caracolling about, and splendid elk 
 stupidly roving through the woods with their noses 
 poked straight out, and now seeming to bewail the 
 loss of their fallen antlers. The work of paddling 
 was so very light, that we continued on till late in 
 the evening; the moon, although not in the full, 
 sufficiently revealing the snags to prevent our 
 falling foul of them. As we were thus rapidly 
 stealing down the river, I heard voices talking, and 
 called Boucharville's attention to it ; but his hearing 
 not being so quick as mine, he did not perceive any 
 sound for some time, until at last he exclaimed, 
 " Tenez, monsieur, nous devons prendre garde ; " so 
 we allowed ourselves to be carried down for a minute 
 or two which ever way the water listed. We. pre- 
 sently made them out to be the voices of Indians ; 
 but I soon quieted Boucharville's apprehensions, as I 
 could distinguish those of women amongst them — a 
 proof that it was no war-party, upon which we 
 determined to pay the speakers a visit. We 
 accordingly kept well in the centre of the stream, 
 
CHAP. IX.] SURPRISE A CROW CAMP. 241 
 
 and were not long before we saw their fire upon the 
 bank. We passed beyond the spot for upwards of a 
 quarter of a mile, and fastening our boats, walked 
 back along the beach to their encampment. Guided 
 by the glare of the fire, we were soon close to them, 
 and could unperceived survey the whole party, which 
 consisted of two old men, one old woman and six 
 young ones of between fifteen and twenty years of 
 age, four boys of about thirteen or fourteen com- 
 pleted the circle. Their horses were close into 
 camp, and we saw at a glance that they were a part 
 of the trading-party on their way to Fort Union, 
 as the heavy packs of buffalo-robes which the horses 
 had that day borne were piled around the encamp- 
 ment. We remained for some time contemplating 
 the scene : they had chosen a most picturesque 
 position at the conjunction of a little river tii- 
 butary to the YeUow Stone ; three large green 
 oaks headed the camp, at the foot of which a kind 
 of awning of elk-skin was stretched over the old 
 men's heads, a bright fire was burning at their feet, 
 and both the women and boys were sitting around 
 or bustling about cooking. " Allons, Boucharville," 
 said I, and we walked boldly in. Had a shell 
 burst among them they could not have been more 
 terrified; the girls and boys ran away scream- 
 ing, one of the old men seized a gun, another his 
 bow and arrows. However we soon re-assured 
 
242 KAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. ix. 
 
 them, and on a further examination one of the old 
 men recognised an acquaintance in Boucharville 
 who having once been hunter at the Crow post, 
 was known to all the principal men of that tribe, so 
 that in a few minutes we were seated round the fire 
 with them. Of course I could not understand a 
 word of the conversation ; but Boucharville spoke 
 fluently, and Indians are so wonderfully intelligent 
 and quick at comprehending signs that you can, by 
 their help, make them understand almost anything. 
 I soon saw that they were short of meat, so I 
 told Boucharville to slip out quietly, (taking care 
 that none of them followed him,) and bring them 
 some from the boats. I made use of this latter 
 precaution, fearing that some of the boys might 
 steal our things, and was by no means inclined to 
 trust them too far. Boucharville soon returned 
 with the meat, which was very welcome, and we 
 all supped together. 
 
 As soon as supper was over we returned to our 
 boats, notwithstanding their anxiety that we should 
 spend the night with them. Arrived— we lighted 
 a drift-wood fire, for it was very cold, made ourselves 
 some coffee, and turned in for the night. 
 
 Next morning we rose very early and got under 
 way : about noon, however, it came on to blow so 
 hard that we were obliged to put in to the bank of 
 the river. At sunset when the wind went down we 
 
OHAP. IX.] RETURN TO FORT UNION. 243 
 
 voyaged on for two or three hours ; and the follow- 
 ing evening after a long day's paddling reached the 
 mouth of the Yellow Stone. My horses had just 
 arrived with Paquenode and P6rey. AU the Crow 
 Indians came in, including the party we had met 
 on our descent. They were delighted to see us, 
 and ornamented my elk-skin hunting-shirt on the 
 breast, and along the sleeves, with the most bril- 
 liant porcupine-work edged with blue glass beads 
 in return for the meat I had given them. 
 
 R 2 
 
244 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. x. 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 Dispose of the meat — Descend the Missouri — ^A War paorty — They 
 decline the attack — Obtain two more followers — Kill a young Bear 
 — The grisly Bear — A breakfast of Marrow — Nearly kill two 
 Eagles with a ball — Chase and capture two Bison calyes — ^Return 
 to Minitaree Village — Scaffoldings for the dead — Indian games — 
 Death of Mr. Chardon. 
 
 I PAID a short visit at Fort Union, where I dis- 
 posed of my meat, and received my supplies of 
 powder, lead, coffee, and sugar ; after which we 
 again assembled in the camp we had occupied pre- 
 vious to our departure from the Missouri to hunt 
 up the Yellow^ Stone. Although I was visited in 
 my camp by several Crow Indians, I was fortunate 
 enough not to lose anything, which was possibly 
 owing to the sharp look-out we kept. At last they all 
 came and camped round me, and I found on inquiry 
 that they intended going down to the Minitarees on 
 a visit, for the Crows and Grosventres have always 
 been on friendly terms, and I believe were originally 
 the same tribe. I thought this, therefore, a very 
 good opportunity to send my horses back to Fort 
 Berthold and descend the Missouri in my skiff. 
 
OHAP. X.] DESCEND THE MISSOURI. 245 
 
 Accordingly I sent off Peekay with the four horses 
 to accompany the Crows on their land journey, while 
 Boucharville, Paquenode, and I proceeded to dis- 
 inter the skiff which we had buried at the mouth 
 of the Yellow Stone, and in less than two hours 
 were floating once more along the broad waters of 
 the Missouri. We pulled and steered alternately, 
 relieving each other of the hard work at intervals. 
 The boat was a heavy one for three oars ; but the 
 stream was rapid, and we descended at the rate of 
 more than five miles an hour for two days, camp- 
 ing at night on the river's bank. Ishmah accom- 
 panied us ; his place being in the bow of the boat 
 where he used to rush with the greatest delight and 
 lie down keeping his head out of the way of being 
 punched by the fists and oar-handles of the rowers. 
 
 On the morning of the third day I was attracted 
 by some very tempting rocky looking cHffs over- 
 hanging the left bank of the river, to try and get a 
 shot at some grosse come. We put ashore, but as 
 there was no timber near the spot we had all to go 
 to some little distance before we came to a suitable 
 place for our camp. 
 
 There we tied up the boat to the roots of a drifted 
 tree, and having arranged a rendezvous, Paquenode 
 set about making a camp-fire whUe Boucharville 
 and I started off sheep-hunting. We were not long 
 before we came in sight of some, on the broken 
 
246 EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. x. 
 
 country at the back of the cUffs, and were creeping 
 cautiously round to get to leeward of them, when 
 Boucharville suddenly stopped, and bidding me lie 
 down, put his hand up to shade his eyes, and stooping 
 at the same time as low as possible, pointed out to 
 me some objects at a distance, and but partly visible 
 on account of an intervening slope. It was with 
 the greatest difficulty I could see them, and it was 
 only after a long look that I became satisfied they 
 were a band of elk. We continued oiir course 
 for a little while, when BoucharviUe exclaimed with 
 great earnestness, " Tenez, monsieur, 9a que nous 
 avons vu a cette heure, ce n'est pas la biche j'en 
 suis sur ; je pense bien qu'Us sont les Peaux 
 Eouges ! " I quite laughed at the idea, but 
 BoucharviUe was positive now. "Nous verrons," 
 said he, " wagh ! " and so strongly did he suspect 
 the existence of danger, that I agreed to go back 
 with him to Paquenode. We had hardly reached 
 the camp, and were detailing the suspicious 
 appearances we had seen, when suddenly a large 
 war-party of naked painted savages seemed to spring 
 out of the earth and make towards us. Paque- 
 node' s terror was at its height ia an instantj but 
 fortunately, though shaking all over and his teeth 
 clattering like castanets, he was too frightened to 
 run. BoucharviUe and I at once agreed that our 
 only chance of safety was to stick to the timber* 
 
OHAP. X.] WAR PARTY DECLINES ATTACKING. 'Wf 
 
 where, if things came to the worst, we could raake 
 a retiring fight of it ; and in this determination we 
 were much- re-assured by our acquaintance with 
 Indian courage and warfare, knowing that, however 
 eager they may be in the pursuit of scalps and horses, 
 they are always most careful to avoid any loss on 
 their own side; whereas, from our advantageous 
 position in the timber, any attack upon us must 
 have cost them several lives. So each taking his 
 post behind a tree, with a couple of bullets in his 
 mouth, we awaited a further advance. After a 
 good deal of seeming hesitation, the Indians 
 appeared to have come to the unanimous decision 
 of leaving us alone, and drew off; so, skirting the 
 timber to the point where our boat was moored we 
 reached it unobserved by the enemy, and were soon 
 running down stream. Fortunately the rascals had 
 never seen our boat or they would have been certain 
 to have cut off our retreat, and so altogether our 
 escape was a lucky one. 
 
 As we were on our way, Boucharville exclaimed, 
 alluding to our companion, " N'est-ce pas une chose 
 terrible quand un homme a peur comme 9a ! " but 
 it was constitutional with him. Boucharville related 
 to me a characteristic anecdote of him while we 
 were cooking our supper. " Souviens-tu, Paquenode, 
 lorsque les Sioux sont venus en guerre centre les 
 Grosventres la-bas au Fort de Monsieur Chardon ? " 
 
248 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUKES. [chap. x. 
 
 (t. e. the Minitaree Fort.) " Ah ! laisse-moi done 
 tranquille ! " replied poor Paquenode, who felt that he 
 was being roasted as well as the supper. I insisted, 
 however, on knowing the whole story, whereupon 
 Boucharville, in spite of Paquenode's numerous 
 interruptions, informed me, that on the occasion 
 alluded to, the Sioux had come in a war-party 
 against the Minitarees and an excellent battle was 
 fought — a much better one than usually takes place 
 between hostile Indians — in which the Minitarees 
 were victorious. When the period of rejoicing 
 arrived, which invariably succeeds an Indian 
 victory, Paquenode, whom nobody had noticed 
 during the tumult of the engagement, was to b© 
 seen in the midst of the revellers, the gayest of 
 the gay and the bravest of the brave, recounting 
 his mighty deeds of the morning in true Indian 
 style. It was observed as rather strange, however, 
 that a good deal of dried mud was sticking about 
 the collar and shoulders of his blue capote. 
 Now the weather it seems had been wet, and it so 
 happened that a pit had been recently dug in which 
 to stow some of the Minitaree corn, and into this 
 pit foot-prints led ; these, it was quite clear, did not 
 in the least resemble Paquenode's ; no, not at all ! 
 The interruptions to BoucharviUe's story here 
 became so frequent and vehement, that the rest must 
 be left to the reader's imagination as it was to mine. 
 
CHAP. X.] OBTAIN TWO MORE FOLLOWERS. 249 
 
 As we were proceeding down the river the 
 following day, we observed two white trappers on 
 the bank. We immediately put ia to accost them, 
 when, to our utter amazment, they both ran away, 
 leaving their bull-skin boat, some good meat, divers 
 excellent peltries, and a beaver-skin or two, in our 
 hands. Bourcharville, however, followed them, and 
 succeeded in persuading one of them to come back. 
 He told us that his name was Dauphin, that he had 
 been in the employ of the Fur Company, had run into 
 debt for traps and outfit, gambled away everything, 
 and when he saw us was under the impression that 
 my boat had been dispatched in pursuit of him 
 from some of the Company's posts. He was much 
 comforted on learning who I was, as he said he was 
 out of powder and had no lead : that the only 
 weapons he and his comrade possessed, were a very 
 bad rifle, which leaked in the pan, and but seldom 
 went off, and a pistol that stuck at half-cock, and that 
 they were then actually employed in making bows 
 and arrows : he added, that they would gladly come 
 with me if I would accept their services, and on my 
 assenting started off to find his companion, congra- 
 tulating himself on his good-luck in having fallen in 
 with me. I, therefore, chose a convenient place for 
 camping, and after an hour or so, the fugitive, 
 Gard6pee by name, was ushered into my presence. 
 We now mustered a party of five, which promised to 
 
250 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. x, 
 
 render the management of our skiff a much less 
 lahorious affair. Cheered by the comfortable 
 prospect now before them, these j^oungsters re- 
 counted their adventures, and indeed seemed to 
 have got on very well until their firearms had 
 become almost unserviceable, and their ammunition 
 nearly exhausted. On the morrow we found two 
 good pieces of driftwood calculated to make a couple 
 more oars, which we were not long in completing ; 
 and then, with Ishmah in the bow, and Paquenode 
 steering, we went along in capital style. 
 
 Next day was so windy that we could not con- 
 tinue our descent, so I went out to look for black- 
 tailed deer in little thickets of brushwood on the old 
 red sandstone hiUs about the mouth of Knife Eiver. 
 I shot a fine buck, and was busy skinning it, when 
 I heard " Monsieur, venez ici ! " loudly shouted. I 
 looked up, and just saw the figure of Dauphin vanish 
 over the brow of a hill. Of course I followed with 
 my loaded rifle, and on reaching the summit, beheld 
 a bear standing on his hind legs and staring about 
 him in every direction, while Dauphin, concealed 
 from his view by a rock, was industriously snapping 
 his pistol at him. On seeing me, the brute shuffled off 
 at a great pace ; but when I came up with Dauphin, 
 the latter, imitating the croaking of a buffalo-calf, 
 brought him back again a little way, so that I got a 
 shot at him, and hit him in the flank, though blown 
 
CHAP. X.] KILL A YOUNG BEAR. 251 
 
 as I was by my ascent, I could hardly hold my 
 breath to take aim. The bear clawed at the spot 
 where the ball struck him, and charged up to within 
 twenty paces of us while I was reloading, where* 
 upon Dauphin snapped his pistol again at him 
 without effect. Fortunately for us, Bruin was only 
 a two-year old, and afraid to rush in, though large 
 enough to have smashed both of us, defenceless as 
 we were at the moment, and, before I could get on 
 my percussion-cap, bolted over the brow of the hill. 
 I was stiU so thoroughly blown from my run over 
 the rocky ground that I gave up my heavy rifle to 
 Dauphin, who threw down the useless pistol and 
 started in chace, I following him. He soon got a 
 shot at the bear, who turned round, clawed at the 
 wound, gave a savage growl, and ran into one of 
 those little clumps which always mark a water- 
 course in the hilly country. I took the rifle again, 
 loaded and pursued the enemy right into the clump 
 in spite of the remonstrances of Dauphin, and 
 getting a sight of him flrst, gave him a finishing 
 shot between eye and ear. Although he was but 
 a young bear, only in his third year, it was with 
 great difficulty that we could drag him out; he 
 measured five feet four inches from the rump to the 
 muzzle, and his claws were three inches and three- 
 quarters long. Had he been fully grown, and 
 possessed of that amount of courage and ferocity 
 
252 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUBES. [ohap. x: 
 
 with which the old grisly bears, both male and 
 female, are endowed, it would certainly have fared 
 badly with us that day. However, we skinned our 
 prize with great satisfaction, and I was exceedingly 
 pleased with the pluck and daring of my companion, 
 who had been twice charged by the bear, and whose 
 pistol had twice snapped. 
 
 The grisly bear is an animal very little known in 
 this country, the damp climate of which does not 
 agree with him. The celebrated Cathn brought 
 over one or two specimens ; but they met with the 
 fate that almost invariably attends pets, an untimely 
 end ! There are now some young specimens of the 
 grisly bear at the Zoological Gardens of the Regent's 
 Park, but I fear they do not promise well ; they are 
 not attaining the size to which their age entitles 
 them. The grisly bear is poetically and justly 
 called monarch of the Eocky Mountains, a name to 
 which his size and ferocity fully entitle him, as he 
 roams over these vast solitudes fearless of every- 
 thing. The full-grown male measures eight feet 
 six inches from muzzle to stern, and about that size 
 round the body; his feet are in shape something 
 like those of a negro, and are about eighteen inches 
 in length, armed with claws fully five inches long ; 
 his arms and legs are enormously powerful, and 
 as he walks and trots, he moves the hind and 
 fore-foot together on the same side, and rolls his 
 
CHAP. X.] THE GRISLY BEAR. 253 
 
 head at every step. In colour he varies a good deal 
 from a common brown to a beautiful steel-grey. 
 He differs materially from the common brown bear 
 in the size and shape of the head, which is much 
 larger, and also in the fore-legs, which are not only 
 much stouter, but covered with very strong wiry 
 black hair, while his claws are much longer and 
 stronger than those of the brown bear. Naturalists 
 are divided in their opinion as to whether the 
 grisly bear climbs trees or not ; but I am perfectly 
 convinced that he does not. Men have told me of 
 escapes they have had from them by ascending 
 trees; and one trapper named Joe Uno told me, 
 that he once had a mocassia torn off his foot while 
 in the act of escapiag up a tree, by the stroke of 
 the ponderous paw of a grisly bear, which, however, 
 was unable to follow him, and sat for a considerable 
 time at the foot of the tree watching for him to 
 come down. 
 
 The evening was very wet and windy, and next 
 morning I awoke with a terrible toothache. I felt 
 as if aU my teeth were too long, and eating my 
 breakfast was attended with such pain that I was 
 compelled to relinquish the task, (though I had a 
 fine appetite,) and to solace myself with a pipe while 
 my companions were discussing tough buffalo and 
 venison. As I lay in view of the river, I saw some 
 dozen buffalo buUs descend the opposite bank, 
 
25i RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. x. 
 
 plunge into the stream, and commence crossing the 
 river. I ran down to the spot where I knew they 
 would land, having observed it the day before, and 
 reached it just in time to conceal myself as the 
 foremost bull ascended the bank. He passed close 
 to me, receiving as he did so, a mortal wound ; he 
 pawed the ground, looked about him, saw nothing 
 upon which to vent his rage, laid down, and died. I 
 knew that, being the foremost bull, he was most 
 likely the one in the best order, so I drew my knife; 
 and soon possessed myself of the four marrow- 
 bones ; then stripping off some of his strong hide, I 
 made a cord of it, and loading myself with them, 
 returned to camp provided with a breakfast more 
 suitable to the state of my teeth. I roasted the 
 bones and made a most delicious meal of the rich, 
 soft marrow. It was so good, that Boucharville and 
 Dauphin, to whom I lent my rifle, went after the 
 rest, and in a couple of hours returned laden with 
 marrow-bones. I remained the rest of the day in 
 hopes of finding a bear, but was disappointed. In 
 the evening I went down, accompanied by Dauphia, 
 to the spot where I had shot the buU, in hopes of 
 finding a wolf there, but as we drew near it a wary 
 prowler that had been feasting himself, perceived our 
 approach, and sloped off before I could get within shot 
 of him. I observed a strange fluttering, however, at the 
 carcase, and looking carefully to discover the cause, 
 
onAP. X.] NEARLY KILL TWO EAGLES WITH A BALL. 25S 
 
 saw, to my surprise, two eagles fighting like bantam 
 cocks for the possession of the carcase. At last, one 
 of them flew up, and perched on a branch of the tree 
 overshadowing the fallen bull; the other immediately 
 pursued and renewed the fight, striking fiercely with 
 beak and claws at his adversary, who appeared to me 
 to be parrying with his wings the strokes of his 
 assailant's talons. I raised my rifle while about 
 sixty yards from the combatants, but unfortunately, 
 as I drew the trigger, the attacking eagle soared up 
 a httle and thus escaped the bullet, which, passing 
 right through the breast of the other, brought him 
 to the ground. Had I fired the fractional part of a 
 second sooner, I should have performed the curious 
 feat of killing two eagles at one shot with a single 
 ball! 
 
 The morrow was a long hard day for my men. 
 They had to make the whole of the Grand Detour, 
 a distance of upwards of forty miles, while I took by 
 myself a short cut across the prairie, agreeing to put 
 up some obvious mark on the bank of the river 
 where I should stop, and to provide supper for the 
 party, as our meat was nearly finished. We 
 accordingly parted company ; the men in the boat, 
 taking their circuitous route by the river, and I my 
 straight line across the prairie for the opposite 
 extremity of the bend, a distance of about fifteen 
 miles — ^Ishmah, sorely against his will, remaining in 
 
256 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. x. 
 
 the boat. I reached the end of my journey long 
 before the others, chose a point for a convenient 
 camping-place, and went out to hunt. I was for- 
 tunate enough to kill a fine four-year-old buck as he 
 was on his way to drink at the river, and by shooting 
 him in his tracks found I had no distance to drag 
 him, as the spot where he feU was not thirty yards 
 from the river, and in a straight path for bringing 
 water up and down in the kettles. I therefore 
 skinned him at once, and fastening his hide to a 
 stick projecting horizontally from a tree over- 
 hanging the river as a beacon to my companions, I 
 lit my fire, cut up the game, and sat patiently 
 awaiting their arrival. They came before simset, 
 and had no difficulty in observing the deer's-skin. 
 As the sun sank in clouds of purple and gold, 
 betokening a windy morrow, we lashed our boat well 
 up, took plenty of things ashore, in short unloaded 
 almost aU the cargo, and made ourselves comfortable 
 for the night. Morning dawned, accompanied with 
 a wind that effectually prevented any progress that 
 day, so Dauphin, Boucharville, and I took a ramble 
 to survey the prairie beyond the timber where we 
 were encamped, leaving Paquenode and Gardep6e to 
 take care of the camp and boats. As we emerged 
 from the point, we came in sight of a large herd of 
 buffalo cows lying chewing the cud on a fine grassy 
 spot. Many of them we perceived to be heavy in 
 
CHAP. X.] CHASE OF A BISON CALF. 257 
 
 calf, while some were fat and barren ; and I may 
 here take this opportunity of mentioning a conclu- 
 sion at which I have arrived from careful observation 
 of these animals, which is, that they only breed 
 every second year ; for the cow remains with the 
 bull as early as the end of June, or beginning of 
 July, and does not calve until the end of May or 
 commencement of June following, from which I 
 infer that she carries her calf for at least ten or 
 eleven months, two months longer than the period 
 of gestation with our own cattle. On seeing the 
 cows lying in that position, Dauphin and I crept 
 round behind a rising ground, and arranged that 
 Boucharville should endeavour to get within shot 
 of one of the barren cows ; but before we separated, 
 Dauphin, whose quick eye was always on the alert, 
 suddenly exclaimed, "Tenez, Boucharville, voyez ! " 
 and, pointing to one of the lean, distended cows, 
 continued, "cette vache va faire son veau a cette 
 heure; attendez un peu avant d'approcher ! " and 
 hardly were the words out of his mouth, when she 
 leaped up and calved with one very slight effort. 
 "Allons, I'attrapper!" exclaimed I, and leaving 
 Boucharville staring after us in utter astonishment, 
 we started in pursuit of the little fellow. The cow 
 of course went off, and at a tolerable pace, followed 
 by the calf, at an astonishing rate for so young a 
 beast. Dauphin wanted to shoot the mother, in 
 
258 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. x. 
 
 order not only to shorten the race, but to increase 
 our chance of rearing the calf, by cutting off the 
 cow's udder when dead, but that, of course, I would 
 not allow, and ended tte discussion by knocking up 
 the muzzle of the rifle which he was using with the 
 barrel of my gun. Then bidding him foUow my 
 example, I threw down my gun to lighten myself, 
 calling on BoucharviUe to take care of the two ; and 
 drawing our belts a hole tighter, we dashed off 
 again up hill and down dale, till at last we stretched 
 away right out along the prairie for five or six miles. 
 By and by the little calf began to show symptoms 
 of failing, and the cow allowing her instinct of self- 
 preservation to overcome her maternal attachment, 
 made the best of her way off, and crossing some 
 inequalities in the ground, was lost to the sight of 
 her offspring. The little fellow then stopped, where- 
 upon Dauphin, who possessed a wonderful facility 
 for imitating the calls of animals, immediately began 
 to grunt like a buffalo-cow, and to our great amuse- 
 ment the little beast turned about, cocked up his 
 taU, and came galloping back to us. We then turned 
 about, and to our great delight it frisked round us 
 all the way into the camp. I was most anxious to 
 get it to the Fort as early as possible, for I knew 
 that if I could do so in time, I might by chance be 
 able to rear it on pounded Indian corn and luke- 
 warm water. 
 
OHAP. X.] CAPTURE OF ANOTHER CALF. 259 
 
 Very early next morniBg we repacked our boats, 
 got in our little calf, whom we dosed with strong 
 broth for want of more congenial nourishment, and 
 took our course down the river again, in hopes of 
 reaclung the Fort that night. We pulled very hard, 
 not stopping to eat at twelve o'clock ; but about that 
 hour, and while in the act of rounding a point, we 
 came across a whole band of buffalo in the act of 
 crossing the river. "We could pull faster. than they 
 could swim, so, cutting our skin-boats adrift, with a 
 triumphant yell, we steered the skiff right among the 
 snorting throng, and singling out a brave little calf 
 that was swimming Mke a water-rat, we gave chase. 
 Young as he was — and he could not have been more 
 than a day or two old — he gave us a great deal of 
 trouble, turning and dodging with wonderful quick- 
 ness. At length, in endeavouring to swim against 
 stream, the little wretch was drifted back alongside 
 the boat and captured ; so that we had now a pair of 
 these interesting animals on board. "We pulled on 
 in great spirits till some time after sunset, but were 
 unable, with aU our exertions, to reach the Fort 
 that night ; so we camped and cooked, drenched our 
 little calves with strong broth, drank the last of our 
 coffee, and after talking over our adventures, turned 
 in for the night. I thanked my men very heartily, 
 and gave them all praise for the immense exertions 
 they had used to aid me in obtaining the calves and 
 
 s 2 
 
260 RAMBLES AND ADTENTUEES. [chap. x. 
 
 bringing tliem safely to the Fort, as I had the 
 greatest anxiety to convey the bison to Europe — 
 an object which I am happy to say I subsequently 
 succeeded in effecting. 
 
 Next morning we got under way at daybreak. 
 AVhen near the Fort I saw a splendid male antelope 
 with the largest head of horns I ever saw. I 
 imshipped my oar, drew up my rifle, and missed 
 him, on which he very quietly walked on a pace or 
 two. BoucharvUle then handed me his rifle ; I 
 fired, but unfortunately the bullet striking just 
 above the animal's eye, so shattered the skull as to 
 make it unfit for my collection. We pulled into the 
 Fort in time for breakfast, welcomed by poor 
 Mr. Chardon, who was the bourgeois, or head 
 manager, of Fort Berthold. He had then been for 
 a long time ill with rheumatism, and on my return 
 to the Fort I found him worse. He seemed quite 
 to long for any one to talk to him and enliven the 
 weary hours that he passed on his sofa hardly able 
 to stir, so I occupied myseK in making some shot; 
 while I recounted my adventures to him, or laid 
 plans for future expeditions. In the evening I 
 generally joined the Indians, and sat with the old 
 men watching the women playing at ball, or the 
 young men at their different games. My horses had 
 arrived quite safely with Perey and the party of 
 Crow Indians; so that on the whole my hunting 
 
SCAFFOLDINGS FOR THE DEAD. 261 
 
 expedition had turned out most prosperously. The 
 weather had now become warm, and the place was 
 decidedly unhealthy, owing to the vile habit these 
 Indians have of not burying their dead. Instead of 
 doing so, they place them aloft on a framework of 
 sticks ; so that, around the camp, you see these 
 scaffoldings in all directions, bearing bodies in 
 every stage of decomposition, and merely wrapped 
 each in an old buffalo robe. Near each is also 
 hung his mediciae, i. e. any little thing that during 
 his lifetime he may have deemed a preservative 
 against danger, or a charm against sickness, or 
 miraculous agent assisting him to find buffalo, &c. : 
 his pipe likewise, if he had one, is also laid beside 
 him, and a bow and arrows, which it is supposed he 
 will hereafter need when admitted to the hunting- 
 grounds of the blessed. A strange anomaly seems, 
 however, to prevail, and one inconsistent with this 
 great apparent respect for the dead, namely, that an 
 Indian will not hesitate to appropriate any part of 
 the dead man's paraphernalia, provided he replaces 
 it by an article of the same kind no matter how 
 inferior or how much previously injured; for 
 instance, if an Indian has an arrow without feathers 
 or headless, he does not scruple to exchange it for 
 the best arrow in the deceased's quiver. When the 
 skuUs fell off, they used to place them in circles, 
 together with, I believe, some of enemies which 
 
262 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap, x- 
 
 they may have taken as trophies — at least, those of 
 such as were slain near their village. Their houses, 
 unlike those of the Assineboines, are built of wood 
 cut in piles and plastered with mud, and in out- 
 ward shape resemble apple-dumplings; so that, 
 when the boys race about the village, they run over 
 the tops of them with the utmost ease. I was much 
 amused one evening at witnessing a game of this 
 nature. One young feUow, of about eighteen, was 
 shaded along the ribs with white chalk in such a 
 way as with his red skin to look ludicrously like an 
 antelope. On his head they bound the horns of an 
 old forcifer male antelope dexterously attached to a 
 piece of the skin, the ends of which he tied under his 
 chin, forming altogether a most entertaining cari- 
 cature of the animal. He then stood on the top of 
 one of the houses in the centre of the village, and 
 on a concerted signal the pursuit commenced, the 
 ANTELOPE being chased by half-a-score of other 
 youngsters, tiU he was at last out dodged by numbers 
 and captured. Besides these we had horse races, 
 the Indians betting sometimes very cooUy, at other 
 times with great excitement, and always paying their 
 bets of skins, blankets, sugar, tobacco, &c., with 
 most praiseworthy honesty. 
 
 A day or two afterwards poor Mr. Chardon re- 
 quested me to write his will for him, which I did. 
 He dictated everything correctly and sensibly, and 
 
OHAP. X.] DEATH OF MR. CHARDON. 263 
 
 the day after signing it, died surrounded by us 
 all, detailing to us with his last breath how some 
 years before he had gone out after a buffalo with 
 another man, and while passing through some 
 willows behind his companion, his gun had gone off, 
 shooting the latter dead at his feet. Unfortunately 
 they were known to have quarrelled, and were never 
 on very good terms with one another, so that some 
 had unjustly accused him of having designedly shot 
 the unfortunate man ; but poor Mr. Chardon's last 
 words were, " As I am going before my God, it was 
 an accident." Poor feUow ! I felt very much cast 
 down at his death, and as I had ever since my 
 arrival at the Fort suffered from dysentery, occa- 
 sioned by the smeU of aU the dead bodies about 
 the village, I went to Boucharville's lodge, and 
 sounded bim as to his feelings upon the subject of a 
 second hunt. " Monsieur," he replied, " oii vous 
 allez, moi, je suive ! je partirai ce soir si vous voulez." 
 So we finally arranged to set off next day, convey 
 the horses across with my skiff, hunt up the little 
 Missouri, and try the Turtle Mountains, famous for 
 grisly bear. 
 
264 KAMBLES AND ADTENTUUES. [chap. xi. 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 Another hunting expedition. — The Turtle Mountains. — Dangerous hunt- 
 ing country. — My last Buffalo hunt. — Sold by an Antelope. — 
 Attacked by and Mil a grisly Bear. — Her cub shows fight. — Depart 
 from the Turtle Mountains. — Attack a grisly Bear.— More grisly 
 Bears. — Mr. Denig's Adventure. ^Bear smashing a Buffalo, — 
 Murray and his Mackinaw boats. — The Pipe of Peace. — Shake 
 hands with an old enemy. — An Indian Battle. — Cannibalism. — 
 AiTival of the " Martha." — Death of poor Smith. 
 
 As on the former occasion, I laid in good store of 
 
 powder, lead, copper caps, awls, and coffee, to which 
 
 I added a large quart bottle of molasses as a 
 
 substitute for sugar, that article being rather scarce 
 
 at the Fort. With saddles, bridles, &c., I was well 
 
 provided, so that my arrangements were quickly 
 
 made ; my horses crossed well, and I did not 
 
 experience anything like the difficulties attending 
 
 my start from the Yellow Stone. I got well away on 
 
 the opposite prairie, and once out of sight and smell 
 
 of the Fort, my spirits rose, my appetite returned, 
 
 and the dysentery departed. We camped late in 
 
 the evening beside a refreshing stream, which flowed 
 
 through a beautiful copse, and spread our beds 
 
 among the now fragrant rose-bushes ; what a change 
 
CHAP. XI.] THE TtlUTLE MOUNTAINS. 265 
 
 from the noxious atmosphere of the Fort ! We sat 
 long talking of poor Mr. Chardon as we smoked our 
 pipes and sipped our coffee after supper, tiU one by 
 one fatigue overcame us, and we slept soundly till 
 dawn. Much refreshed we arose, stirred the embers 
 of our fire, ate our breakfast, brought in the horses, 
 and were soon in the saddle and en route. That day 
 we shot a fat buffalo cow, and carried with us the 
 hide and marrow-bones ; and two nights afterwards 
 camped within an hour or two's ride of the Turtle 
 Mountains, which we reached early on the fourth 
 day of our journey from Fort Berthold. Approach- 
 ing Turtle Eange from the eastward, you pass over 
 a level grassy prairie, out of which, like an island 
 from the sea, rises " La Montague de Tortue " 
 far excellence. A light band of vapour veiled the 
 splendid landscape from, our eyes, revealing above 
 and below its gauzed drapery the hiU sides belted 
 with wood, and intersected with little threads of 
 rivers marked by rugged lines of timber and scrub 
 fruit trees, the favourite resort of grisly bears in 
 the autumn ; at which season they congregate, as I 
 was told by Boucharville, in such numbers as to 
 prevent any one from hunting through them except 
 on horseback, and at great risk even then. To this 
 fact, however, I am unable to bear testimony, as I 
 arrived there only in the month of June, far too 
 soon for fruit. 
 
266 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xi. 
 
 As we ascended, the day grew very warm; the 
 sun chased away the mist, and ridges and declivities 
 in the mountains, hitherto unperceived, showed them- 
 selves before us. We continued to ride up and down 
 through cedars, green oak, rhododendrons, and aU kinds 
 of wild fruit trees, tUl we reached a little river at a 
 spot where a party of Miaitarees had camped the year 
 before. They had built a triangular lodge of long 
 wooden poles, like hop-poles, piling them in the 
 shape of a cone, and so closely as to render the hut 
 bullet-proof — a necessary precaution, . as they could 
 never venture there save in fear of their lives, the 
 position lying in the regular pass of the Sioux, when 
 they go to war either with them or the Crows. We 
 took possession of the hut, not sorry to feel our- 
 selves in a bullet-proof shelter, in a place where, I 
 must admit, we ran some risk of being surprised by 
 an Indian war-party, but I was so anxious to hunt 
 the grisly bear that I could not endure the idea of 
 leaving the country without a closer acquaintance 
 with the monarch of these mountains. As a general 
 rule, the more dangerous the country the greater 
 the probability of finding abundance of game, 
 showing in more ways than one the truth of the 
 old sportsman's adage, "the more danger the 
 more sport." This part of the country is so evi- 
 dently the line of direction between the three 
 hostile tribes, that none of them dare venture into 
 
CHAP. XI.] MY LAST BUFFALO HUNT. 267 
 
 it for hunting purposes, except when driven to 
 desperation by hunger, they endeavour to snatch 
 their game from between the jaws of Scylla and 
 Charybdis. Much therefore as I enjoyed the 
 locahty for a hunting camp, seeing buffalo on all 
 sides, elk feeding in the distance, and fresh deer 
 tracks in every direction, leading to and from the 
 inviting streams that ran down the slopes, Bouchar- 
 ville did not reUsh it at all, and began already to 
 calculate how soon we were to go away. My hunting 
 days I knew to be drawing to a close ; the steamer 
 of the American Fur Company would be due very 
 soon, and I had not much time to spare. After 
 breakfast I saddled Owen's horse, and descended the 
 hiU for a run at buffalo. I chose a band of cows, 
 most of whom had calved, and whose little ones 
 scampered at their heels ; passing these easily, I 
 detected one or two fat barren ones in the van and 
 gave chase. Some bulls who had caught sight of 
 the running cows now began to run also, and bulls 
 and cows intermingled were soon pelting along in 
 a confused mass. I did not care to fire at the 
 former, and was pressing on after a fat cow I had 
 selected, when one of the bulls a little blown by the 
 race stood still for a moment, and as I doubled 
 across him after my cow, made a headlong rush at 
 me ; I could not pull in, and to turn was destruction ; 
 I had nothing for it but to lift my horse, and giving 
 
268 EAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [chap. xi. 
 
 him a tremendous cut with the whip, he sprang into 
 the air, and just cleared the bull when in the act of 
 charging. I felt my horse's hind legs carried aside 
 as they caught the brute's shoulder, or head, or 
 neck, I can't say which, but we dashed on happily 
 unhurt, and the next instant I was passing the cow 
 when, standing up iu the stirrups, I gave her a shot 
 that brought her roUing on the plain. I now care- 
 fully examined Owen's horse, and thanked my stars 
 that we had escaped unscathed, resolving in my 
 own mind that it should be the very last time I 
 would ever run buffalo mounted on a friend's horse. 
 Mackenzie's horse was a magnificent animal and 
 nearly thorough-bred, and although the gentlest 
 creature in the world, possessed the most indomi- 
 table spirit, as a subsequent adventure wUl show. 
 I brought away the hide, fleeces, the eight marrow- 
 bones, and my favourite piece the brochet, so that 
 we fared sumptuously that day. Next morning I 
 went out to hunt with Boucharville. Pursuing a 
 westerly direction on leaving the camp, we made for 
 a more rocky part of the range where the frowning 
 overhanging cliffs gave a promise of big-horn on our 
 way. As we went I got a long shot at an antelope 
 (for which I dismounted expressly), and the animal 
 instantly dropped, whereupon I remounted, and, not 
 stopping to load, rode up to the spot, and found him 
 a fine old male with large full-grown horns. 
 

 \: 
 
 I <l 
 
 
CHAP. XI.] SOLD BY AN ANTELOPE. 269 
 
 Boucharville now came up congratulating me upon 
 my having got such a fine specimen for my collec- 
 tion, and as I sat quietly upon my horse discussing 
 the length of the shot, he dismounted, and drew his 
 knife for the purpose of skinning the apparently 
 lifeless animal, but before doing so began to sharpen 
 it upon his steel, which hung at the belt of his 
 hunting- frock, when, to our amazement, the antelope, 
 after one or two convulsive struggles, jumped up 
 and bounded off safe and sound, turning about 
 when a couple of hundred yards off to look back 
 at us as if in ridicule, and again darting away bade 
 us a final adieu. As soon as we recovered from 
 our surprise we both burst out laughing. I dis- 
 mounted and loaded, and we went on to the cliffs 
 close by. We rode for some distance along the base, 
 but seeing no sheep crossed the ridge, leading the 
 horses after us up the ascent, and over rocks and 
 places over which the poor animals could hardly 
 scramble, accomplishing this with great difficulty. 
 We had hardly commenced our descent on the other 
 side when BoucharviUe's quick eye perceived under 
 the cliffs, about 300 feet below, a doe-elk feeding in 
 a glade surroxinded with thickets of fruit trees and 
 rose-bushes. With his usual deliberation he drew 
 out and stuck crosswise in the ground his ramrod 
 and loading stick for a rest, and a deliberate shot 
 brought the elk down on her tracks. The spot from 
 
270 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. 
 
 which he had fired was so steep that we were obliged 
 to turn back and take a more circuitous course to 
 reach her. Boucharville, who had not loaded, went 
 at that moment to a stream about thirty paces from 
 where the wapiti lay, saying, " Je vais laver ma 
 carabine ; " and I leaving my horse to graze, having 
 taken off his bridle and unrolled his halter, was 
 busy, knife in hand, removing the elk's skin, when 
 Boucharville, who by this time had his rifle barrel 
 in the stream, and was sponging away very dili- 
 gently, suddenly shouted, " Un ours ! un ours ! " 
 and at the same instant a she grisly bear emerged 
 from a cherry thicket charging right at him. 
 Boucharville, dropping his rifle barrel, sprang back 
 into a clump of rose-bushes, when the bear, losing 
 sight of him, stood on her hind legs, and I then 
 saw she had a cub of a good size with her. I at 
 first ran to assist my companion ; but seeing him 
 safe and the bear at fault, I rushed back to the 
 horse to secure him, fearing that were he to smell 
 the bear, he would soon speed his way over the 
 prairie, and be lost to me for ever. Seeing me 
 run, the bear instantly charged after me; and 
 when, having reached the horse, and roUed the 
 halter a couple of times round my arm, I turned 
 about to face her, she rose on her hind legs. I did 
 not like, however, to venture so long a shot, as I had 
 only a single-barrelled rifle in my hand, and paused 
 
CHAP. XI.] KILL A GRISLY BEAR. 271 
 
 a moment ; when she altered her intention, turned 
 aside, and followed the direction taken by her cub. 
 I then caught a glimpse of her as she ran to tlie 
 left, and fired through the bushes, but only hit her 
 far back in tlae flank, on which she immediately 
 checked her onward course, and wheeling round and 
 round, snapped at her side, tearing at the wound 
 with her teeth and claws, and, fortunately for me, 
 afforded me sufficient time to enable me to load 
 again ; my ball was hardly down, when a shout from 
 BoucharviUe warned me that the fight was only 
 commencing. "Gardez-vous, gardez-vous, monsieur; 
 elle fonce encore," and on she furiously rushed at 
 me. I had barely time to put on my copper cap, 
 and as she rose on her hind legs, I fired, and sent 
 my bullet through her heart. She doubled up, and 
 rolled from the top to the bottom of the slope, where 
 she expired with a choking growl. BoucharviUe 
 now joined me, but we did not venture to approach 
 the enemy until I had loaded, and we ascertained 
 that she was safe dead by pelting sticks and stumps 
 at the carcase. All this time my noble horse stood 
 as firm as a rock ; had he reared or shied, I should 
 have been in a serious scrape. 
 
 I was greatly rejoiced at my good fortune. She 
 proved a fine old bear, measuring seven and a half 
 feet in length, with claws four and a half inches 
 long. We immediately set-to and skinned her. 
 
272 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUKES. [chap. 
 
 preserving the claws. I then brought up the horse, 
 and laid the skin upon his back ; he, strange to say^ 
 offering no resistance, nor evincing the slightest fear 
 or objection to carry it — a most unusual thing, for 
 horses in general are terrified at the smell of a 
 bear, and I never saw one since that would allow me 
 to throw a bearskin across his back. 
 
 Dauphin, on our reaching camp, and relating our 
 adventure, took a couple of coils of rope and his 
 rifle, and started off to try and catch one of the 
 young bears. I thought the prospect of his finding 
 them so doubtful, that I did not accompany him, 
 and was afterwards very sorry I did not; for, after 
 being some hours away, he returned, having shot 
 one little bear, and attacked the other with a view 
 of capturing him alive. The little brute, however, 
 fought so fiercely as to tear his clothes, and cut him 
 with his sharp claws. Dauphin had fortunately 
 provided himseK with a good thick stick; but, 
 notwithstanding this advantage, he was right glad to 
 relinquish the fight, and leave it a drawn battle. At 
 one time, he told me, his adversary had secured his 
 leg, and very nearly succeeded in dragging it to his 
 mouth, in which event he would have hurt him 
 severely, when a couple of hard blows on the nose 
 made him let go his hold, but only to renew his charge 
 again and again, notwithstanding repeated thwacks 
 on the head from the young himter's stick. " Et, 
 
CHAP. XI.] DEPART FROM TURTLE MOUNTAIN. 27S 
 
 monsieur," continued Dauphin, " enfin U est 6chapp6, 
 le s'cre petit enfant du diable ! " The skin he had 
 brought home was a beautiful one, as indeed are the 
 skins of all young grisly bears, whose fur is thick, of 
 a tawny colour, with a stripe of a darker hue along 
 the back, and so long and shaggy that it shakes up 
 and down as the animal shuffles along. In the 
 evening I took a ride with Dauphin, more to enjoy 
 the exquisite landscape than for the purpose of 
 hunting. Our course lay through cedars and 
 rhododendrons, and we found regular paths in aU 
 directions made by elk and buffalo, who travel 
 through every wood. In the whole of this region 
 there is not a thicket or point that is not rendered 
 easy to traverse from this cause, and it will be easily 
 imagined that a succession of these heavy animals 
 following in each other's wake would soon form a 
 very convenient riding track. We returned about 
 sunset with the skins of two wapiti, now valuable 
 as being in the red. As we sat round our camp- 
 fire at night, Boucharville remonstrated much on 
 the danger we ran by remaining in this delightful 
 spot, and pressed me so hard, that before going to 
 rest I reluctantly consented that we should depart 
 the following day, taking a northerly direction until 
 we should fall in with the little Missouri, -which we 
 would foUow up and down to hunt for bear and 
 big-horn. Accordingly we started on the morrow. 
 
274 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xi. 
 
 Dauphin travelling on foot, as his horse was heavily 
 laden with the trophies of our hunt in the Montagn-e 
 de Tortue, and before noon we arrived at some very 
 rocky, shingly hills, over and along which we rode with 
 much difficulty, having frequently to dismount and 
 lead our horses. Dauphin here descried a grisly 
 bear lying down and sunning himself on a ledge of 
 rock high up the side of a hUl, and, contrary to my 
 directions, instead of waiting for us, ran on while 
 Boucharville and I were loosening the halters of our 
 horses so as to catch them again more easily, and, 
 under cover of the rocks, got within forty yards of 
 the bear unperceived. He took deliberate aim, but 
 missed him ; the bear instantly made off for ; a 
 thicket of brush wood, while I, not a little annoyed, 
 ran along the base of the cHffs to cut off his retreat, 
 but all to no purpose ; the brute passed me at some 
 distance, giving me a snap-shot at him which did 
 not take effect, reached the timber, and the ground 
 being too hard for us to track him, finally got away 
 unscathed. As may be supposed, I was in no 
 enviable humour ; Dauphin kept out of my way, and 
 I rode silently and sulkily forward. At last my 
 philosophy prescribed a whiff of the pipe, which I 
 drew out, struck a light, and my wrath soon vanished 
 in smoke. 
 
 On reaching the little Missouri, the weather looked 
 gloomy and threatened rain, so Boucharville engaged 
 
CHAP. XI:] ATTACK A GRISLY BEAE. 275 
 
 to build a very comfortable " cabane." This expe- 
 rienced rover of mountains, woods, and prairies, was 
 up to a thousand little expedients to obviate diffi- 
 culties and alleviate inconveniences, and was doubly 
 anxious to render me comfortable now that I had 
 acceded to his wishes, and abandoned my hunting 
 elysium, the " Montagne de Tortue." Leaving 
 Dauphin to assist him and look after the horses, I 
 went up the river with my double-barrelled gun to 
 look for ducks ; but they were very wild, and I 
 bagged none. At length I came to the putrid 
 carcase of a bull, and on the mud all around saw the 
 tracks of a large old bear, some of which led from 
 the carrion along a dry watercourse, and looked 
 very fresh. I drew my shot charges, rammed down 
 a couple of bullets, and followed the tracks, over an 
 undulating prairie, tiU at a distance I descried a very 
 large bear walking leisurely along. I approached 
 as near as I could without his perceiving me, and, 
 lying down, tried Dauphin's plan of imitating the 
 lowing of a buffalo calf. On hearing the sounds, he 
 rose up, displaying such gigantic proportions as 
 almost made my heart fail me; I croaked again, 
 when, perceiving me, he came cantering slowly up. 
 I felt that I was in for it, and that escape was 
 impossible, even had I declined the combat, so 
 cocking both barrels of my Trulock, I remained 
 kneeling until he approached very near, when I 
 
 T 2 
 
276 EAMBLES AND ADYENTUEBS. [ohap. xi: 
 
 suddenly stood up, upon which the bear, with an 
 indolent roaring grunt, raised himself once more 
 upon his hind legs, and just at the moment wheii-he 
 was balancing himseK previously to springing on 
 me, I fired, aiming close under his chin : the ball 
 passing through his throat, broke the vertebrae of 
 the neck, and down he tumbled, fl'oundering like a 
 great fish out of water, till at length he reluctantly 
 expired. I drew a long breath as I uncocked . my 
 left barrel, feeling right glad at the successful issue 
 of the combat. I walked round and round my huge 
 prize, surveying his proportions with great delight ; 
 but as it came on to rain, I was obliged to lo§e no 
 time in skinning him. 1 got soaked through before 
 I succeeded in removiug his tremendous hide, and 
 then found it too heavy for me to take away ; so 
 I was obliged to return to camp without the trophy 
 of my conquest. It was dark when I arrived. 
 Boucharville and Dauphin had bmlt a most com- 
 fortable Kttle hut of logs and bark, and having laid 
 down the skins and spread our beds inside, with the 
 saddles at our heads for piUows, and a good roaring 
 fire outside at our feet, we feU heartily to our supper 
 of elk meat and coffee. 
 
 At daybreak next morning I repaired on horse- 
 back to the scene of my conflict with the bear, and 
 found, to my great delight, on my arrival at the 
 spot, that neither, the skin nor the carcase of the 
 
CHAP. XI.] MORE GRISLY BEARS. 277' 
 
 bear had been touched by the wolves. This fact 
 confirmed to me the testimony of the hunters and 
 trappers of these parts as to the great awe in which 
 the grisly bear is held by the wolves and lesser 
 animals of prey. If a bear kills an animal, or finds 
 a dead carcase on the prairie, he appropriates it, 
 and though many a hungry prowler passing by may 
 look wistfully at the choice morsel, it is like the 
 eastern monarch's share, "taboo;" and even when 
 the mountain monarch is absent, the print of his 
 paw is a seal sufficient for its security. It cost me 
 considerable exertion to place the reeking hide on 
 my saddle ; but I succeeded at last, and climbing on 
 the top of it, lighted my pipe and rode back into 
 camp. Eiding along, towards noon we descried 
 another bear, a lean hungry-looking monster, 
 prowling about searching for pommes blanches, and 
 to judge from his appearance, Hkely to afford us a 
 pretty severe fight. In approaching him we did not 
 take any precaution to avoid giving him our wind, 
 concluding, from my former experience, that he 
 would not decline the combat ; but in this instance 
 I was mistaken, for rusliing away down a ravine, he 
 was soon lost to our view. This result, although it 
 disappointed me at the time, yet gave me a further 
 insight into the disposition and habits of the 
 aiiimal, and agreed with the accounts I had heard 
 from many hunters and trapperS with whom I had 
 
278 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xi. 
 
 previously conversed on the subject, namely, that 
 a grisly bear will, in most instances, run away from 
 a man on getting Ms wind unless previously; 
 wounded, or under such circumstances as to make 
 him think that he cannot escape. Old Mr. Kipp of 
 Fort Union told me that once, when on one of his 
 numerous journeys from the States, he was in the 
 Indian country, and had gone out of camp with his 
 double-barrelled gun to look for ducks, he was 
 seen from a distance by a grisly bear who came 
 cantering towards him. The day was fine, and the 
 old gentleman did not know which way the wind 
 blew, but had sufficient presence of mind to pluck 
 off some of the woolly material of which his blue 
 blanket capote was composed and throw it into the 
 air ; and marking the direction of the current, ran a 
 little distance round till he got full in the line of it, 
 and then stood bolt upright facing Bruin, who rose 
 on his hind legs for a moment surveying the tough 
 old man, and then shuffled off, shaking his head as 
 if he considered him meat rather too savoury for 
 his palate. 
 
 The whole of that portion of territory between 
 the Turtle Mountains and the Little Missouri is an 
 excellent country for bear; indeed, in the fruit 
 season there are sometimes too many to be con- 
 sistent with safety for the hunters. The pursuit 
 of these animals is always more or less attended 
 
CHAP. XI.] ME. DENIG'S ADVENTURE. 279 
 
 with danger, as the frightful story of George Glass 
 and La Jennesse, who, with many other hunters 
 and trappers, have fallen victims to the ferocity of 
 the grisly bear, abundantly testifies. Indians will 
 not attack them unless in considerable numbers. 
 When an Indian descries a bear he immediately 
 goes and proclaims it in the camp, whereupon all 
 hands saUy out to attack their formidable enemy, 
 and I do not think that an Indian would allow one 
 to fire at a grisly bear if he could possibly prevent 
 it, in confirmation of which I may here mention an 
 anecdote of my friend Mr. Denig. He was out 
 hunting on foot with an Indian one fine sunny day 
 towards the end of spring, when, as they passed 
 some rocky ground, his companion directed his 
 attention to an object about fifty or sixty yards 
 below them, which was nothing less than the head 
 and fore-paws of a very large , grisly bear which had 
 crept to the front of his wintering hole, and was 
 basking in the sun. " Hah," said the Indian, " now 
 I will go and raise the camp." Mr. Denig, who was 
 a first-rate rifle-shot, scouted the idea, telling the 
 Indian that he would plant his rifle -bullet right in 
 the centre of the bear's forehead, (wlaich I have not 
 the least doubt he would have done, and, so have 
 killed tlie animal on tlae spot,) but to his astonish- 
 ment the Indian cocked his gun in a threatening 
 attitude. My friend thus finding himself between two 
 
280 RAMBLES AND ADYENTUEES. [chap. xi. 
 
 enemies, one in front and the other in the rear, did not 
 much relish his position, and moved away from the 
 spot beckoning to the Indian to follow him, and when 
 away from their common danger, called him to 
 account for his conduct. I forget what excuse the 
 man gave ; but it was not at aU satisfactory to 
 Denig, who made the fellow walk home before him 
 with the pan of his gun open, prudently adopting 
 that course in preference to a harsher mode of pro- 
 ceeding. The sequel of the adventure was, that 
 the man informed the camp of the position of the 
 bear ; they all turned out, fired a number of shots, 
 and the bear got away. 
 
 We now altered our line of march, and took the 
 direction in which the last bear had gone, and after 
 a couple of hours or ^o, observed either him or 
 another of his species a short distance a-head. We 
 approached more carefully this time and on foot, 
 and when within easy range, Dauphin called him up 
 with his admirable imitation of a buffalo calf, and we 
 poured the contents of two rifles and a double- 
 barrelled gun into his breast and head, and rolled 
 him lifeless on the prairie. This was not the one 
 we had seen in the morning, being in much better 
 condition. We brought home his skin for a trophy, 
 and the paws for supper, camping again that night^ 
 on the Little Missouri. We had now such con- 
 fidence in one another that we considered no bear' 
 
OHAP. XI.] BEAR SMASHING A BUFFALO. 281 
 
 could escape us; but our skins had so greatly 
 accumulated that we determined to reach the mouth 
 of the river as soon as possible ; this we did 
 in two days, and once more found ourselves, by 
 Boucharville's excellent guidance, on the banks of 
 the Great Missouri. 
 
 In camp that night, after supper and enjoying a 
 cup of coffee and a pipe, the conversation naturally 
 enough turned upon grisly bears. Boucharville 
 told us, that when encamped one night by the side 
 of a stream in the Blackfoot country, where he was 
 trapping beaver, three bears, attracted by the smell 
 of their meat which was cooking, came charging 
 into camp, driving him and his companions out in 
 such haste, that they could take nothing with them, 
 and there retained forcible possession until they had 
 consumed every particle of meat, and turned over 
 the saddles and every item of their equipment in 
 their greedy curiosity. On another occasion he was 
 going round to examine his traps, and was watching 
 a band of buffalo as they emerged from the rivei-, 
 and slowly ascended the bank, when he saw a 
 bear (previously concealed in a deep rut) spring 
 up and dash the foremost bull to the ground, 
 ploughing his sides with his monstrous claws and 
 rending his heart and vitals by a succession of 
 tremendous blows. Although, in general, the bear 
 easily vanquishes his less formidable opponent the 
 
282 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xi. 
 
 buffalo, I heard a very well authenticated instance 
 related by old Provost at the Minitaree, in which 
 both parties suffered so severely as mutually to 
 resign the conflict, move off a little way in opposite 
 directions, and lie down and die. 
 
 Next day, on stretching and counting my skins, 
 I determined to make another buU-skin boat to 
 convey them down the river to Fort Berthold, and 
 dispatched BoucharvUle and Dauphin to kill a 
 couple of bulls for that purpose. We divided our 
 time between hunting and boat-building, and while 
 at breakfast next morning were astonished by the 
 unusual sight on these silent lonely waters, of two 
 large Mackinaw boats belonging to the Fur Com- 
 pany. I hailed them, and found that they had 
 come from the Crow Post on the Yellow Stone. 
 Mr. Murray, of Fort Alexander, my old travelling 
 companion of the year before in our ride from 
 Independence, was in charge of them ; he put 
 ashore on recognising me, and we discussed past 
 times over a cup of coffee and a pipe, after which he 
 continued his voyage. A Mackinaw boat is the 
 conveyance for most of the sldns and furs traded 
 from the Indians, in exchange for those articles 
 brought up by the Company's steamer. They are, 
 as weU as I remember, (for I did not examine them 
 accurately) about twenty feet long and flat-bottomed, 
 principally filled with buffalo robes, with a very 
 
CHAP. XI.] THE PIPE OF PEACE. 283 
 
 small vacant space left in the middle for the 
 accommodation of any hourgeois or person in 
 charge. The whole is covered over with lodge 
 skin, except where the benches for the rowers are 
 situated, fore and aft. I believe the oars are always 
 double -banlced, and the steersman, or patron, is 
 commander of the boat's crew ; he is generally the 
 strongest man of the party, of which he constitutes 
 Ijimself officer, volunteering to fight any one who 
 offers to supersede him. 
 
 At the mouth of the Little Missouri I shot my 
 fifth and last grisly bear. The time was now 
 rapidly approaching for the arrival of the annual 
 steamer at the Minitaree Post ; so one fine morning 
 early in July I packed my kettles, skins, arms, &c., 
 into my skin boat, and Boucharville and I, each 
 with a paddle in hand, stepped in and floated down 
 the river to the Fort, leaving the horses to go by 
 land. All reached our destination in the evening. 
 We recrossed the horses with our Fort Union skiff 
 that had already done me such signal service, and 
 welcomed by my friend, Mr. Dawson, I quietly 
 ensconced myself in the Fort to await the arrival of 
 the American Fur Company's steamer. I found all 
 the inmates preparing for a great Indian ceremony 
 which was about to take place, in consequence of 
 the Sioux having sent a message to the Minitarees, 
 that it was their desire to form a deputation of 
 
284 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. xi. 
 
 warriors who should come up and smoke a pipe of 
 peace. The notice having reached the Fort some 
 days previously, the party at length arrived. All 
 sat arrayed in their greatest finery of robes, Indian 
 porcupine adorned shirts, head-dresses of eagles': 
 feathers, ornamented leggings and mocassins, and 
 with a great array of medicine pipes. Several long 
 speeches were made on , both sides, after which a 
 large cauldron of coffee was produced and placed in 
 the centre of the circle. It was interesting to see 
 these fellows, hitherto always at war with each 
 other, practising, on this occasion, ceremonies 
 meant to produce an impression of the utmost 
 mutual amity, though indicating to an observant 
 spectator little more than a hollow truce; a 
 haughty look, or a reserved gesture, every now and 
 then conveying the offensive sense of an implied 
 superiority. I was not a little surprised at being 
 recognised by one of these hostUe chiefs, who .held 
 out his hand in a most cordial manner to me, and 
 on my asking him, with the interpreter's assistance, 
 where "he had seen me, iiiformed me that he was 
 the leader of the war-party which had nearly 
 surprised us when we left the skiff on the Missouri 
 to hunt big-horn, and from which I protected 
 myself and my followers by a timely retreat into the 
 timber. I asked him why he did not attack us ; to 
 which he repUed, " We could have killed you aU; 
 
CHAP. XI.] AN INDIAN BATTLE. 285 
 
 but you would have killed several of us while 
 Tunning from us behind the trees, for white men 
 shoot far." I sat and smoked with him for awhile-, 
 and afterwards made him a present of some tobacco, 
 so that we parted excellent friends. 
 ■ Early one morning after this, when breakfasting 
 at the Fort, one of my followers, the valiant 
 Paquenode, with whom my readers are already 
 acquainted, ran in screaming and shouting like a 
 maniac, rushed across the room, and would have 
 succeeded in carrying off my double-barrelled Tru- 
 lock had I not darted to the rescue. As soon as I 
 had succeeded in inducing the man to speak 
 coherently, I learnt that a war-party of Sioux from 
 the Teton River had been seen and reported to the 
 village ; they were then some nailes distant. Not 
 wishing to have .anything to do with Indian battles, 
 I prudently excused myself from the honour of 
 joining the Minitarees, and going out with them to 
 fight the Teton Sioux, preferring to post myself on 
 the highest point of the Fort with an excellent 
 telescope, and view the combat in safety. Far 
 away along the plain, at a great distance from the 
 Fort, the hostile parties met (if drawing up at the 
 respectful distance ' of two or three hundred yards 
 can be called meeting), and the firing began on both 
 sides. The sight was very picturesque. . From my 
 post I could see the strong puffe of smoke issuing 
 
286 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xi. 
 
 from either line — the result of the double charges 
 which Indians universally use in battle, under the 
 erroneous impression that they give superior 
 efficacy to the bullets, as well as to strike terror 
 into the hearts of their enemies — while at intervals 
 the braves rushed backwards and forwards on 
 horseback, appearing and disappearing by turns 
 through the clouds of smoke. At last, in rode one 
 of the Minitarees with a scalp in his hand, and was 
 instantly surrounded by a crowd of women and 
 youngsters triumphantly screaming and yelling; 
 This battle, however, did not entirely terminate in 
 favour of the Minitarees, as they had one man slain 
 on their side and carried off by the Sioux horsemto, 
 who dragged him ignominiously along the ground 
 by leathern thongs tUI they reached their own party, 
 where they scalped liim in safety. The skirmish 
 now terminated; the Sioux retired, and the 
 Minitarees returned to their village in triumph, 
 dragging the body of their unfortunate victim along 
 with them. Then commenced a truly disgusting 
 sight ; the boys shot arrows into the carcase of 
 their fallen enemy, while their women with knives 
 cut out pieces of the flesh, which they broiled and 
 ate. I turned away chilled with horror, and the 
 whole scene haunted me for hours, and frequently 
 afterwards. 
 
 Late in July the American Fur Company's 
 
CHAP. XI.] ARRIVAL OF "THE MARTHA." 287: 
 
 steamer "Martha" arrived from St. Louis at the 
 Minitarees' Post: numbers crowding to see this 
 ever-astonishing phenomenon. The principal men, 
 or chiefs, went foremost, evidently by their manner 
 and bearing, implying that this was a great display 
 of courage on their parts, the women and younger 
 portion of the population gradually approachiag 
 mitil the escape of the steam commenced, which, 
 occurring under water, caused a deafening roar, and 
 drove hundreds helter-skelter flying from the bank 
 of the river. Although the steamer annually 
 arrives at this place, it ever affords fresh wonder 
 and astonishment to these simple people, and 
 though an Indian never likes to betray emotion, 
 and always endeavours to conceal any feelings of 
 surprise, the "Maunteshishi" is always more than 
 a match for his stoicism. Catlin mentions that the 
 Mandans, who were the most intelligent and phi- 
 losophical of aU the Upper Missouri Indians, used 
 to say that "this big medicine canoe must have 
 eyes, for how could it always choose the deepest 
 part of the river, and keep in the channel and avoid 
 the snags," an impression which remains in a great 
 measure to this day. I myself heard the observa- 
 tion made in almost the same words, nor do they 
 yet fuUy understand how its motions can be 
 directed by the man at the helm, or rather by the 
 pilot in his caboose. 
 
288 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUUES. [ohap. xi; 
 
 A few days previous to the termination of its 
 voyage, the steamer was fired into hy a war-party of 
 Ehees, one of whose bullets took effect ; and after 
 passing through two or three boarded divisions 
 below, spHt itself on an iron bar: one half buried 
 itself in the. woodwork, and the other striking one 
 of the deck hands named Smith in the back of the 
 neck, divided the spine, and killed him on the spot-. ' 
 The poor fellow, I was told, was the father of a 
 large family depending on him for support. His 
 death was unrevenged; for, although many an 
 American on board grasped his rifle, any fother 
 proceedings were stayed by the agents of the Fur 
 Company, who preferred silently submitting to the 
 loss of their follower sooner than run any risk,' 
 as they themselves expressed it, "of spoiling the 
 trade."* 
 
 * These two gentlemen were French, not Americans. 
 
CHAP. XII.] LEAVE THE INDIAN COUNTRY. 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 Leave the Indian country. — A blasted Cannon — Mr. Mackenzie. — 
 Ishmah forages for himself. — The Yellow Fever. — Doctor Farrell. 
 — General Taylor's Address. — "Beauty's "History and Adventures. 
 — Marriage Feast. — My pretty Hostess. — A Musical Smash. — ^Bmin 
 . , Wtes care of Number One. — " Beauty" creates a Sensation. — Bruin 
 resets the Antelope. — The Balize. 
 
 I CONFESS I left the Indians and the Upper 
 Missouri with great regret, and it was with a sigh 
 that I embarked with all my buffalo robes, grisly 
 bear and wolf skins, elk horns, &c. &c., and 
 steamed away down for St. Louis. The Martha 
 was a most splendid river boat for her size, fur- 
 nished with engines of more than ordinary power 
 on account of the rapid current she had to stem 
 towards the far western part of her course. 
 BoucharviUe and my faithful followers accompanied 
 me on board, and after many a hearty shake of the 
 hand and mutual good wishes, away dashed and 
 splashed the Martha, rounding the point, and con- 
 cealing the Minitaree village from my view as the 
 last cheer of my hunting companions fell faintly on 
 my ear. 
 
290 
 
 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUBES. [chap. xn. 
 
 How I enjoyed the milk, butter, bread, vegetables, 
 pies, and puddings of civilised Ufe after so many 
 months of animal food may be imagined. The 
 sudden change disagreed a good deal with me at 
 first, but those invaluable remedies, brandy and 
 cigars, soon restored me. The following day, as 
 the boat was wooding, the black steward (to 
 whose care I had consigned Ishmah, with an 
 injunction not to lose him on any account), came up 
 to me and said, " Saar, your dog is such a wery 
 maudest dog, that if you don't take care, you .wUl 
 lose him ; " and on my asking for a further ex- 
 planation of his meaning, " Why, saar, it's now two 
 days I have him tied up in my care, and his bed 
 and fixins is as clean as when you fust chained 
 him, and he's now cryin' from pain : ah ! he's a 
 wery maudest dog, wery ! " The man was perfectly 
 right. I unchained the poor fellow, and allowed 
 him a little exercise on shore. Fortunately he was 
 not afraid of returning to the boat when wooding 
 was over, and henceforth was at perfect liberty, 
 being quite sagacious enough not to lose me. 
 
 Before reaching St. Louis, we arrived at the 
 point of junction between the Missisippi and 
 Missouri rivers; the Missisippi's clear stream 
 causing a ridge of backwater distinctly dividing the 
 colours of the two currents. Their united waters 
 from this point into the Gulph of Mexico were 
 
CHAP, xn.] A BLASTED CANNON. 291 
 
 falsely named by a mistake of the engineers 
 who first surveyed the country, Missisippi ; the 
 nature and tinge of the Missouri being distinctly 
 marked from far above the mouth of the Yellow- 
 stone, till it empties itself, after joining the clear 
 blue water of the Missisippi, below New Orleans, 
 into the Gulf of Mexico. On coming in sight of 
 St. Louis, and in order to signalise our arrival, two 
 men of our party, together with myself, got hold of 
 an old mortar gun which was on board the Martha, 
 and had been bought cheap of the U. S. artillery, 
 having been condemned by them as unsafe. This 
 we loaded and placed in the bow of the boat, 
 I having primed it with powder from my own horn. 
 On putting a match to the touch-hole, a stunning 
 explosion followed, and the gun instantly dis- 
 appeared, being utterly shivered to pieces : this was 
 the last ever seen of that piece of ordnance, whose 
 fragments sank into the waters of the mighty 
 Missisippi, " and left not a wreck behind." Provi- 
 dentially, none of us were seriously hurt : one fellow 
 fell stunned on deck from the fright, the other man's 
 leg was slightly cut, and I received two minute 
 particles of metal scaliag in the cheek, a large piece 
 of the gun flying back and cutting an iron bar 
 right across, close to my face, and having no further 
 effect than to make me then and there for ever 
 renounce meddling with condemned cannons again. 
 
 u 2 
 
292 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xii. 
 
 Arrived at St. Louis, I lost not a moment in 
 seeking a ready-made clothes store, there to change 
 my self-manufactured habiliments for a costume 
 more calculated to escape observation in a civilised 
 community, and, with Ishmah at my heels, was 
 threading my way through the less conspicuous 
 streets imtil I was unfortunately obliged to cross 
 the fashionable parade of St. Louis ; and had hardly 
 reached the comer opposite, and was congratulating 
 myself on having effected my escape, when I ran 
 against the parasol of a lady, who started on seeing 
 my horrible leather costume all stained and daubed 
 with blood and grease. " Gracious ! how d'ye do, 
 Mr. Palliser ? " she exclaimed, compelling me to 
 stop and shake hands, and, vastly entertained at my 
 confusion, purposely detained me by a volley of 
 questions, in order to enjoy more leisurely the 
 discomfiture she had caused me by intercepting my 
 headlong flight. " Oh ! what dreadfnl creature is 
 that ? " she continued, starting back on seeing 
 Ishmah ; " you are quite sure he won't tear me to 
 pieces ? WeU, go away with your wolf; but pray 
 come and dine with us. My . husband will be 
 delighted at your having come back safe, and will 
 ask you a thousand questions about your adven- 
 tures." (I may here mention that the gentleman 
 alluded to had been long resident in the Indian 
 country, and, among many other distinguishing 
 
CHAP, xn.] MR. MACKENZIE. 293 
 
 qualifications, Mr. Mackenzie, of St. Louis, still 
 bears the palm, as having been the best rider 
 and ablest buffalo-hunter of all the whites that 
 ever were on the Upper Missouri.) I soon pro- 
 vided myself at the store with things sufficient 
 for present emergencies, and proceeded to Mr. 
 Mackenzie's, where I enjoyed the best of dinners 
 and wines. Over the latter we sat up together, 
 comparing notes and impressions to a late hour, I 
 frequently reminding him of brilliant hunts, and 
 many other of his achievements and adventures, 
 related to me by Indians and trappers of the 
 coimtry, but which he had for the most part himself 
 forgotten. None can like sportsmen so thoroughly 
 enjoy the luxury of passing the bottle, when they sit 
 together retailing and listening to their mutual 
 adventures; for hunting, in the extended acceptation 
 of the term, is one of those very few occupations, in 
 the pursuit of which sportsmen good and true are 
 never actuated by envy, jealousy, or unworthy 
 emulation. 
 
 The Planters' Hotel, where I put up during my 
 stay at St. Louis, was very full, and among the 
 numbers who dined at the table every day were 
 many choice spirits from the western regions and 
 Eocky Mountains. Some idea may be formed of the 
 number of guests and of the dishes provided for 
 them from the fact that the first removal of the iron 
 
294 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [oUap. xii. 
 
 covers is attended with such a thundering crash as 
 to startle a stranger, and leave him in utter asto- 
 nishment as to its cause ; the only similar effect, I 
 am aware of, being that produced at Exeter Hall, 
 when the turniag of the leaf of a little book by each 
 of the audience at the same moment resembles a 
 hailstorm on the roof of the building. Ishmah was 
 so terrified, that he ran right away into the town, 
 followed by his hatless master, who had to leave his 
 dinner for the pursuit, and only brought him back 
 again with considerable difficulty. Here my friend 
 Owen and I met again. It may be supposed we found 
 the fare excellent, especially when our reminiscences 
 carried us back to the period of lean deer meat 
 and frozen water ; and often, as one of us raised the 
 decanter of iced Madeira or cool claret to help the 
 other, did we accompany the action with some such 
 expression as, " What wouldn't you or I have given 
 for such stuff as this on the prairie, eh ? " Ishmah, 
 now no longer terrified at the dish-covers, was not 
 content with beholding his master enjoying the good 
 things of this life, but contrived unobserved to 
 creep to the sideboard within reach of the dishes. 
 In one instant his fore-paws were on it, and he 
 had helped himself to a calf's head, with which 
 savoury prize he decamped at racing speed, his 
 bushy tail stretching out, like a fox's brush, be- 
 hind him ; the waiters merely pointing after him 
 
CHAP, xii.] THE YELLOW FEVER. 295 
 
 and winking to one another, evidently enjoying 
 the joke. 
 
 The weather now became very warm, and as I 
 knew it would prove still hotter further south, I left 
 my bisons in the Missouri country, intending to 
 return and transport them early in winter, when the 
 weather should have become cooler, as I did not 
 wish them to incur any danger from the heat during 
 their passage to New Orleans, or the still more fiery 
 ordeal of crossing the Mexican Gulf on their 
 passage to England. Business compelled me to go 
 to New Orleans at once, where I arrived just in 
 time to meet some old country friends previous to 
 their annual migration. New Orleans has the name 
 of being a much more unhealthy place than it 
 really is : numbers fly away at Midsummer in order 
 to escape yellow fever. This complaint is also 
 represented as a far more serious evil than is now 
 the case. Formerly physicians did, not properly 
 understand its treatment ; but now the experienced 
 medical men are so thoroughly up to it, that when 
 taken in time, it is more quickly and easily cured 
 than any other fever, and possesses this great advan- 
 tage, that when recovered, the patient may consider 
 himself acclimatized, and proof from a recurrence of 
 , yellow fever or any other, save the dreaded fever and 
 ague, otherwise called chills and fever, of which I ever 
 had the greatest horror, but always luckily, escaped. 
 
296 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xii. 
 
 But soon after my arrival in New Orleans, I was 
 retiirning liome one evening, when I felt myself 
 seized with an attack of yellow fever, whereupon I 
 made haste to bed, and sent for my countrymanj, 
 Dr. Farrell. He soon set me to rights again ; for, 
 on the third morning, I was perfectly well, and 
 before the end of the week, found myself in much 
 better health than my doctor, who was literally worn 
 out with attendance on twenty-seven yellow feveT 
 patients, every one of whom however finally reco- 
 vered. I was sitting with him after dinner, a few 
 days subsequently, when we received an alarm that 
 one of his patients, in the height of yeUow fever 
 delirium, had mounted the rail of a balcony outside 
 his bed-room window in. deshabille, imagining him- 
 self on horseback, and had, as might naturally be 
 expected, fallen into the street. The poor fellow, 
 on beiag picked up, looked wistfully in the doctor's 
 face, and said, " Oh ! doctor, that was a monstrous 
 high horse, for I never suffered so much from a fall 
 from horseback in my life ! " I am happy to say, 
 for the gTatifleation of my sympathizing readers, 
 that this poor fellow, although much hurt at the 
 time, ultimately recovered yellow fever, bruises, and 
 all. What rendered the scene at the same time 
 ludicrous as well as painful was Farrell's rage at the 
 nigger nurses, on both of whom he wanted to 
 operate with the cat-o'-nine-taUs, and turning sternly 
 
OHAP. XII.] GENERAL TAYLOR'S ADDRESS. 297 
 
 round to me, told me that he saw nothing to laugh 
 at in. such gross neglect of his patients. 
 
 A few days afterwards, I crossed the Lake Pon- 
 chartrain to Pass Christian, a beautifully situated 
 and favourite summer. retreat of the fashionables of 
 New Orleans. Vigorous and extensive preparations 
 were in progress for a large ball which was to be 
 given to General Taylor. Montgomery's hotel was 
 the scene chosen for the festivities — a large building 
 containing a splendid ball-room, where, previous to 
 the commencement of the dancing, an address was 
 presented to the General, to which the old gentle- 
 man read his reply. Unfortunately, however, this 
 document had been so badly written for him, that 
 he stuck hard and fast several times in its 
 perusal; but, by holding it up from time to time to 
 the light of a chandelier, and with the help of a few 
 suggestions from by-standers, he finally achieved it. 
 Of course this very much delighted the young 
 ladies, who evinced much greater pleasure than they 
 would have shown at a more elaborate rhetorical 
 display. Dancing succeeded, quaditLles, polkas, 
 redowas, and waltzes, separated by intervals of 
 delightful walks in the open air through the 
 gardens, which were lighted with coloured lamps 
 strewn among the laurels, so as to form words 
 recounting the victories of the good and gallant 
 old General, whose triumphs we were celebrating. 
 
298 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. xii. 
 
 The entertainment, on the whole, was most suc- 
 'cessful, and terminated with a capital supper. 
 
 In the month of October I returned again to 
 St. Louis, in order to convey my bisons and other 
 animals down the Missisippi. I had now quite a 
 menagerie to take with me, consisting, of one very 
 large old bison cow, one cow rising two years old, and 
 the two calves, one black bear, two Virginian deer, 
 an exquisitely beautiful little forcifer antelope, and 
 Ishmah. Of all these animals, the most remarkable 
 one was my old bison cow. Beauty, whose history, as 
 well as I could gather, was that she had been some 
 years previously attracted from the prairie by the 
 hay which a distant Mormon farmer, beyond the 
 outskirts of the settlements, was in the habit of 
 providing for his milch cows during the winter, and 
 that, from being accustomed by degrees to the 
 society of the cows, she at length lost all appre- 
 hensions of danger from the men, who attended on 
 her domestic companions ; and, although she at first 
 fled away on their approach, she afterwards became 
 so perfectly tame, as to allow herself to be driven 
 home along with the milch cows. In the breeding 
 season she used to disappear from the country 
 altogether, but invariably returned before the 
 severity of winter recommenced to the society of 
 the farmer's cows, where no one molested her. 
 This animal being old ajid very fat, they had sent 
 
OHAP. XII.] MY BISON COW "BEAUTY." 299 
 
 down to St. Louis with the intention of selling her 
 to a butcher, rightly judging that purchasers would 
 easily be found curious enough to pay a high price 
 for bison beef, in order themselves to test its so 
 frequently reported excellence. But, most for- 
 tunately, I was just in time to avert her fate, and, 
 by paying a higher sum, terminated a bargain 
 pending between the man to whom she was con- 
 signed and the butcher in treaty for her, and finally 
 consigned her to Ireland, where she has since 
 become the mother of two splendid calves. She is 
 a magnificent creature, weighing thirteen and a half 
 cwt., and far surpassing, in size any specimen that 
 has ever been obtained for a zoological collection, 
 having attained her fuU growth and strength long 
 before the period of her acquaintance with the 
 dairy cows. The gentleness and intelligence of this 
 enormous animal was truly wonderful, rendering her 
 transport very easy. On my embarking her for 
 the first time, she quietly suffered herself to be led 
 along the main-deck of the river boat, passing 
 fearlessly by the hissing engines on either side to 
 the place prepared for her astern. My other bisons 
 were not so easily managed ; but being then young, 
 we were able to master them. Unfortunately, in 
 recapturing one of my calves, the animal broke 
 its back, an accident which I regretted very much, 
 and the more so, that I had captured him and his 
 
300 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. 
 
 companion myself, and was particularly anxious to 
 bring them both safely to England. Herr Zoller, 
 however, a wealthy butcher in St. Louis, happened 
 to have one which he kept as a pet, and which was 
 growing rather too large for the confined place 
 where he was obliged to put her ; so, on my 
 wanting to buy her, he, with that frankness for 
 which Germans are so conspicuous, made me a 
 present of her, on my paying the expenses which her 
 transport from the Indian country had cost him ; 
 and Madame Zoller (for so I named her) is now 
 in Ireland in daily expectation of a prosperous 
 accouchement. The bear, antelope, and Ishmah 
 were all on most friendly terms — an object I had 
 taken great pains to effect, and I used frequently to 
 see Bruin and the antelope eating at the same 
 head of cabbage together. 
 
 My obliging friend, Herr Zoller, a few days 
 before I left invited me to a German wedding. 
 The bride was the daughter of one of the wealthy 
 members of the corporation of butchers, all of whom 
 indeed seemed very weU off — a circumstance which 
 Zoller explained to me as resulting from the law in 
 Prussia and the Rhenish provinces, ordaining that 
 no one shall practise the trade of a butcher without 
 paying to the government a sum considerable for 
 people ia their rank of life ; so that none but young 
 citizens with good prospects are taught, and con- 
 
OHAP. xii.] MARRIAGE FEAST. 301 
 
 sequently many of them, when quaUfied, keep their 
 capital and migrate to the United States. The 
 bridal party and all their guests and friends 
 assembled at the German Gardens, about two 
 miles from my hotel, in the outskirts of St. Louis. 
 The proprietor kept most excellent German wines, 
 and had a very large ball-room attached to his 
 establishment, and a splendid orchestra of brass 
 instruments in his pay. He gave the entertainment 
 and provided the capital supper, on condition that 
 aU except the bridal party should pay for the wine 
 they drank. At about nine o'clock in the evening 
 dancing commenced, the orchestra playing Strauss's 
 and Lanner's quadrilles and waltzes to perfection, 
 besides aJl the best and latest polkas and galops, not 
 excepting the celebrated Eailway and Sturm Marsch. 
 Urged by these I became so exhilarated as to run 
 down and seek the lady of the establishment, who 
 was busy in the lower regions superintending the 
 culinary operations of her handmaidens. My pro- 
 posal of dancing the Sturm Marsch galop with her 
 was at first received with utter astonishment; but 
 after a little persuasion her pretty features relaxed 
 into a smile, and she began to make excuses as 
 numerous as the dishes she was preparing. Her 
 husband would be angry at the work being ne- 
 glected; perhaps the maids would want to dance too, 
 if she once began, and so on. A little persuasion. 
 
302 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xii. 
 
 however, soon removed these obstacles, and at last, 
 upon my protesting, in reply to her question, " Are 
 you serious, or are you laughing at me ? " that 
 I would quit the premises forthwith if she did not 
 comply. " Lieber herr Je !" she said, "look at my 
 dress." " Well ! take off your apron," I replied. 
 She laughed, and turning to one of the maids, bid 
 her bring water, soap, and towel, " and the cap with 
 the ribbons," adding, as she smoothed her beautiful 
 hair, and looked coquettishly at me, " You know 
 there is no reason for looking ugher than one really 
 is V At last the cap was adjusted; but- just as we 
 reached the ball-room the galop was drawing to a 
 conclusion. This, however, I had foreseen, and in 
 consequence of a message previously dispatched 
 to the orchestra the moment our hostess and I 
 entered, the Sturm Marsch raged with redoubled 
 fury, and soon bore us off flying before the gale. 
 A glance from her husband, however, caused my 
 Cinderella to dive into the lower regions again 
 before the termination of the dance, exclaiming, as 
 I caught the last ghmpse of her, " Well ! perhaps 
 after supper." I continued to wander about, and 
 turned my attention to the bride, but she was 
 " hasslich" plain, so I consoled myself with supper, 
 and sent a dozen of wine to the orchestra, which 
 I afterwards heard had been presented to them 
 with the compliments of the great English lord 
 
CHAP, xir.] A MUSICAL SMASH. 303 
 
 from the " Felzen Gebirge." After supper I re- 
 gained my beautiful hostess, who, in addition to a 
 more becoming change in her dress, had donned a 
 pair of newer shoes that did not come off every 
 moment in dancing. Shortly after we reappeared, 
 the Hockheimer was finished ia the gallery, whence, 
 in gratitude or honour to me, " God save the 
 Queen" rang out its thrilling harmonies from 
 seventeen brass throats. I felt so touched by the 
 compliment, that I think I should have sent another 
 dozen aloft but for the expostulations of my fair 
 partner, who was apprehensive of its influence on 
 the music. I remained so late that all the 
 omnibuses had returned to town, except the one 
 destined for the conveyance of the orchestra, with 
 whom I took my place at two in the morning, to 
 return to the planter's house. In conversation with 
 them I happened to ask if they knew a favourite 
 polka of mine. " Oh, ja ! " and in an instant aU the 
 brass instruments were blazing away in the confined 
 space of the crowded omnibus. Fortunately, how- 
 ever, before the drum of my ear gave way the axletree 
 did, and down we came with a jolt that put an end 
 to harmony; off rolled one of the wheels, and— r 
 " chaqu'un pour soi" — each had to make his way 
 home as well as he could. 
 
 Soon afterwards I bid farewell to St. Louis. The 
 steam-boat which was to convey my menagerie had 
 
304 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xii; 
 
 two large provision-barges in tow lashed alongside 
 of her, containing Indian corn, wheat, cotton, and 
 hay, freight to New Orleans, in consequence of 
 which she was unable to continue her voyage at 
 night. So allowing this to start before me with all 
 my live lumber on board, I took passage in another, . 
 and travelling aU night as weU as day, stopped at 
 Cairo (otherwise the immortalised " city of Eden" in 
 "Martia Chuzzlewit") on the mouth of the Ohio. 
 Eden did really prove a "jolly" place to me, though 
 not in Mark Tapley's acceptation of the word, for as 
 I arrived there very early in the morning, I imme- 
 diately sallied out to hunt, rightly calculating that 
 the other boat could not overtake me much before 
 noon on the following day. I had a most suc- 
 cessful hunt, and shot two very fine bucks, which I 
 dragged out of the woody swamp to a waggon track 
 and left there, heaping wood upon the carcases to 
 protect them from vultures, and purposing to send 
 a horse for them on my return. I also bagged a 
 brace of turkeys, which I carried on my back, and 
 reached the hotel (which was a condemned river 
 steam-boat) very late in the evening. Next morning 
 an American farmer most kindly volunteered to 
 find and bring home my venison, as I could not 
 risk the loss of my passage by going in quest of it 
 myself. About ten o'clock he returned with the 
 stags in a light cart just as the steamer came up, 
 
OHAP. xri.] BIIUIN TAKES CAUE OF NO. 1. '305 
 
 and in time to put them on board, whence they 
 were stowed in the ice-box, and finally eaten 
 by my friends in New Orleans, who found them 
 .excellent, and likewise the turkeys, which were 
 very fat. 
 
 One day, after a heavy shower of rain, I was sum- 
 moned on deck by peals of laughter over the dining 
 cabin. On going above to discover the cause of the 
 merriment, I saw that the bear was gone, and his 
 chain broken. The j)ilot, who had been relieved a 
 few miautes before, now led me forward to inspect 
 liis caboose, which was surrounded by the pas- 
 sengers and deck-hands all in fits of laughter. I 
 could not make out the cause of it at first, until one 
 of the bystanders pulled a corner of the blanket of 
 the pilot's bed, when, to my surprise, the jerk was 
 answered by an indolent growl ! — my friend Bruin 
 having got drenched by the shower, had broken 
 his chain in disgust, and actually found his way to 
 the pilot's bed, clambered into it, and roUed him- 
 self comfortably up in the blankets. The good- 
 humoured pilot was not in the least angry, but 
 on the contrary highly amused, replying to my 
 apologies as I kicked out his strange bed-feUow, 
 " Oh ! never mind, mister, why what's the hindrance 
 to the blankets being dried again," and "Well, 
 well, now ! I'll be d — d if he ain't a knowin' coon." 
 I thought to myself, whether one of my countrymen. 
 
306 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xii. 
 
 or indeed I myself would have taken the joke in 
 such good part. 
 
 On arriving at New Orleans, my first care was to 
 provide an abode for my bisons and other animals, 
 and next a ship in which to transport them. Some 
 weeks, however, elapsed before I succeeded in en- 
 gaging their passage by the " AbbeUino," commanded 
 by Capt. Crozier, who took the liveliest interest in 
 the success of my project. It was most amusing 
 to witness the consternation of the horses, as well 
 as the astonishment of the people, on seeing the 
 bisons, particularly the large cow, as she passed 
 along the streets from the stables to the river, and 
 then on ship-board ; in fact, I found it necessary, in 
 transporting her from place to place, to send some 
 one in advance, to caution any who might have 
 horses in their charge ; and this precaution, I am 
 convinced, prevented some serious accidents. One 
 old gentleman, who was riding a very fresh young 
 horse, had just barely time to dismount and hold 
 him, by the advice of my outrider, when he com- 
 menced trembling and snorting as he winded the 
 cow; and finally, on her nearer approach, broke 
 right away from the gentleman, and rushing wildly 
 through the town, was not retaken without con- 
 siderable difficulty. 
 
 I engaged a carpenter to build me a wooden 
 house, which the captain allowed to be screwed 
 
CHAP. xn.J BRUIN RESCUES THE ANTELOPE. 307 
 
 firmly on to the. deck of the vessel, affording me every 
 assistance in his power, and the aid of his own 
 sliip's carpenter : this house was divided into com- 
 partments, and lined with canvas, well stuffed and 
 padded, to prevent any injury to the bisons from their 
 being knocked about in the event of rough weather. 
 The other animals were very easily stowed away. 
 The bear proved to be the most entertaining 
 member of the whole ship's company; he eat, 
 drank, and played with the sailors, and proved such 
 a source of amusement to them, that the captain, 
 whom I since have had the pleasure of meeting, 
 told me that he would gladly engage always to take 
 a bear with him when he went to sea in future. 
 Bruin was also great friends with the little antelope, 
 and proved on one occasion a most valuable ally. 
 A friend of mine, Mr. Fisher, was leading the latter 
 through the streets to the vessel, while I was 
 following a short distance behind with the bear, 
 when the antelope was attacked by a large mastiff; 
 my friend kept the brute off with his stick as well as 
 he could, calling loudly to me for assistance. I 
 rushed to the rescue instantly, but soon found that 
 the bear not only ran faster than I did, but was 
 determined to tackle the mastiff himself ; so, letting 
 go his chain, I cheered him on at the dog, who, 
 finding himself attacked, turned on the bear, and a 
 splendid fight ensued. At first Bruin fought only 
 
 X 2 
 
308 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. ' [ohav. xii. 
 
 with his powerful arms, flinging the dog over and 
 over several times, till at last the latter, cheered on 
 by his owner to renew the fight, succeeded in giving 
 the bear a pretty sharp pinch ; upon which Bruin, 
 getting furious, threw himself on his antagonist, and 
 hugging him in his arms, endeavoured to tear him 
 with his teeth. I thought it was all up now with 
 the luckless dog, and felt rather sorry for his fate, 
 when I heard liis stifled gurgling; fortunately, 
 however, with a last spasmodic struggle prompted 
 by despair, the poor dog extricated himself and ran 
 awaj^ howling. 
 
 I embarked on board the vessel with my mena- 
 gerie, and proceeded down to one of the numerous 
 mouths of the Missisippi, called the Balize; in- 
 tending, as soon as the vessel put to sea, to borrow 
 a boat, and endeavour to obtain some duck-shooting. 
 As we descended, we passed continual sugar plan- 
 tations, dotted with the residences of their owners, 
 until we reached chaos again, where trees disappear, 
 and reeds and canes mark the silent waste, — the 
 contemplation of which is in the last degree 
 depressing to the spirits. 
 
 The village of the Balize consists of a few wooden 
 houses built on piles, and inhabited by fishermen, 
 and those in charge of the lighthouse there ; and so 
 thorough a swamp is this miserable spot, that the 
 paths to, and in front of the houses, are along planks 
 
CHAP. XII.] THE BALIZE. 309 
 
 of wood. At the fequest of Captain Crozier, tlie 
 officer in charge of the place lent me a very fine 
 boat, and a negro who had been in the habit of 
 Sailing her. Next morning at high water the 
 " AbbeUino " passed the bar of the river, and sailed 
 for LiYerpool ; while Fisher and I, with our negro 
 boatman, set out on a cruise after ducks, snipe, and 
 alligators. 
 
310 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xiii. 
 
 CHAPTEB XIII. 
 
 Snipe and Dnck shooting. — Norwegian Sportsman. — A -wounded 
 Alligator proves a disagreeable Boating Companion. — ^Negro torn by 
 an Alligator. — "The Falcon." — Chagres. — Storming the Spanish 
 Fort. — Tropical Thunderstorm. — FanaoiEi. — Santa Anna Cathedral. 
 — The Pope inexorable. — Home by English Mail Steamer. 
 
 We enjoyed tolerable sport by getting out of 
 the boat, where the swamp was sufficiently firm 
 to bear us without sinking more than knee 
 deep ; while beating over those places that were 
 free from canes, we shot a few snipes, one or two 
 ducks, and some teal ; and, after a hard day's 
 rowing, and wading nearly up to the middle in 
 water, we arrived at a miserable hut, tenanted by a 
 very poor sickly couple, with a large unhealthy 
 family. The poor people invited us with a welcome 
 to all their miserable little hovel afforded ; but as I 
 had brought with me plenty of biscuits, pork, cheese, 
 a box of sardines, coffee, sugar, brandy, and cigars, 
 besides a little money, my poor hosts were not long 
 before they discovered that " they had entertained 
 angels unawares." The following day we repaired 
 to a flooded swamp, the beat of several men who 
 
CHAP, xiii.] NORWEGIAN SPORTSMAN. 311 
 
 were in the habit of shooting wild fowl for the New 
 Orleans market We found a Norwegian with his 
 canoe very hard at work, with whom I fraternised ; 
 he was at first rather disappointed at seeing us, but 
 I soon assured him that we would not spoil his 
 sport. First I bought one or two teal he had killed, 
 and secondly told, him, if he would take us to the 
 passes in his canoe, I would in the evening purchase 
 from him whatever we three had bagged in the day. 
 He then proceeded to place us one after the other, — 
 as the canoe could only contain two persons at a 
 time — ^in ambush, at two passes over which the 
 water-fowl were constantly in the habit of flying, 
 and ensconced himself in his own retreat ; when, by 
 means of an instrument, he imitated the cackling 
 of wate/-fowl, briaging them over his head; and, 
 on his firing, they frequently flew towards Fisher's 
 or my retreat, affording us fair shots, so that in the 
 evening we mustered a bag of nine ducks, seven teal, 
 and three or four snipes. 
 
 Late that night, as we were silently gliding across 
 the mouth of one of the passes of the river by the 
 light of a splendid full moon, and before a gentle 
 breeze, the negro pointed out what he asserted to 
 be an alligator, lying asleep on a large snag in 
 the water. For some time I thought it only a 
 second crooked stem lying against the snag, twisted 
 in some fantastical shape : however, I drew the shot 
 
312 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. xni. 
 
 out of a heavy duck gun that lay in the bow of the 
 boat, and not having a bullet about me, substituted 
 a charge of buck-shot. Seeing that the wind was 
 favourable, I desired the negro to steer close along- 
 side ; and we soon passed within eight or ten yards 
 of the brute, on which I gave him a shot in the head, 
 which I thought had done for him. We lost not a 
 moment in securing him; the nigger got out and 
 fastened a rope round over the fore part, and a hitch 
 round the tail, and after a good haul we three heaved 
 him into the boat, an undertaking that gave us 
 enough to do. We had hardly completed our task, 
 and taken a horn in honour of the event, when — even 
 while congratulating ourselves on our success in 
 safely stowing him along the bottom of the boat, — 
 up rose his ponderous tail, descending in the 
 following second with a slash that made the knees of 
 the boat shake again. 
 
 " By goUy, master," said our black boatman, " I 
 wish him nebber had come into this boat ; " and we 
 heartily wished our prize in his more congenial 
 element again, as lash after lash of his ponderous 
 tail followed in rapid succession, brealdng up the 
 thwarts, which one after another went flying about, 
 either striking us or falling into the water, accom- 
 panied by groans from blacky; who grasped his- 
 shins with his hands in sure indication of the utmost 
 nigger uneasiness. I was utterly perplexed, — not 
 
CHAP. XIII.] A DISAGREEABLE BOATING COMPANION. 313 
 
 daring to fire for fear of swamping the boat, — 
 and unable with my knife to pierce through his 
 tremendous scales. Fortunately, however, our 
 sound little Yankee craft stood the leviathan 
 shocks, and at length the alligator safely expired ; 
 when we drew a long breath again, put up our 
 helm, and reached the squatter's hut again before 
 the moon disappeared. Next day we hailed a tug 
 steamer, which picked us up, and took us back to 
 New Orleans. 
 
 A few days afterwards my friend Mr. Taylor and 
 I crossed the river from New Orleans to the Algiers 
 side, breakfasted with Mr. Gardere, with whom we 
 afterwards went in two canoes alligator-shootiag. 
 We wounded one or two which we failed in getting : 
 however, I think the principal reason of our want 
 of success was Taylor's comic songs, which he 
 persevered in singing, notwithstanding all our 
 remonstrances. 
 
 WMle scuUing among these flooded swamps, we 
 steered through a lovely grove of orange trees, 
 stretchiag at each side of the Bayou, along which 
 we were gliding; these contrasted most wonder* 
 folly with the dismal rank vegetation in this but 
 partially explored region, and I afterwards learned 
 how the growth of this beautiful orange-grove was to 
 be accounted for. A party, more than twenty years 
 previous . to my visit, had been out duck-shooting 
 
314 RAMBLES AND ADVENTUEES. [ohap. xm.- 
 
 there, having, among other eatables, brought out a 
 quantity of oranges with them, which they had then 
 and there eaten, and throwing away the skins into 
 a luxuriant deposit, the seedlings had sprouted up ; 
 and now a most beautiful orange-grove remains to 
 this day to mark the spot. On our way back to 
 Mr. Gardere's house, and near the cultivated portion 
 of his plantation, he pointed out a single tree on 
 the bank of the Bayou, :down which we were 
 paddling, and told me that the tree in question had 
 been the means of saving a man's life. One of his 
 negroes, a few years ago, was asleep near this water- 
 course after his dinner, when he was awakened by the 
 clenching of the teeth of an alligator across the calf 
 of his leg. The monster, in spite of the most 
 frantic resistance of the negro, was rapidly dragging 
 him down to the water, on his way to which he 
 fortunately passed the tree, which his victim imme- 
 diately grasped in his arms, and held on by the 
 trunk, until his screams summoned the rest of the 
 negroes to the spot; their arrival fortunately 
 induced the alligator to let go his hold, and rush 
 back into the water again, leaving the man's leg 
 dreadfully lacerated. The man subsequently reco- 
 vered, but remains lame for life, from the fearful 
 manner in which the muscles of his leg had been 
 lacerated by the alligator. Negroes have often 
 informed me that the flesh of the alligator is very 
 
OHAP. xiii.] " THE FALCON." 815 
 
 good, and eats lilce beef ; however, I never put its 
 flavour to tlie test. 
 
 The time had now arrived for my departure from 
 New Orleans — a period which I shall ever look back 
 upon with regret. I had been so hospitably received, 
 and had made so many friends, that my fareweU. 
 round of visits threw me into a fit of the blue 
 devils, from which I did not recover till far on my 
 way towards the Havannah by the American West 
 Indian mail steamer. 
 
 We were unable to land at Havannah owing to 
 a perverse notion the Spanish authorities had talien 
 into their heads, that passengers from New Orleans 
 were contaminated ; but I had an excellent view of 
 the harbour. In the evening the Falcon steamer 
 came alongside for our Californian friends, and I 
 shifted my traps into her, preferring to alter my 
 route home, and going round by the Isthmus of 
 Daiien, to performing quai-antine on a Spanish hulk, 
 surrounded by Spanish sentries, a victim of extor- 
 tionating victuallers, and the companion probably of 
 sufferers from various malignant fevers. 
 
 Our ti-ip to Chagres on board the " Falcon" was 
 very pleasixnt indeed; the passage cost 23i., and 
 oui- table comprised every delicacy of the season, 
 and ice in the greatest abundance. The captain of 
 the Falcon, Thompson, was the life and soul of 
 the party, and devoted much of his time to Ms 
 
316 EAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xiii. 
 
 passengers, encouraging gaiety in every way. This 
 steamer was a great deal more comfortable than our 
 English ones, admitting of an immense dining- 
 saloon, at the head of which the shaft of the wheels 
 passed through; on our way into breakfast and 
 dinner, however, we had to stride over it continually, 
 a great source of merriment at the expense of the 
 ladies, as we suggested the very superior advan- 
 tages of Bloomer costumes in such emergencies ; 
 for as it of course constantly revolved, they could 
 not step upon it. 
 
 Most of my fellow-passengers were adventurous 
 Spirits bound for the Californian mines. Amongst 
 them, however, were some distinguished American 
 officers going out on official appointments ; among 
 whom were Mr. King, member of Congress, em- 
 powered to treat on the subject of boundary lines 
 with the Mexican government, Colonel Hawker, and 
 Captain Ringgold, who distinguished himself so 
 highly in the United States South Pacific exploring 
 expedition. 
 
 After a most delightful passage of thirteen days 
 we came early in the morning of the 2nd of 
 May xn.' sight of Chagres. Here I landed, Captain 
 Thompson having very kiadly sent me on shore in 
 his own boat; being determined to visit Panama, 
 and see some of the western coast of the Isthmus. 
 
 Chagres Bay is a most lovely spot ; there for the 
 
OHAP. XIII.] "CHAGRES." SIT 
 
 first time I beheld a tropical climate in its full 
 grandeur with ever-verdant woods growing actually 
 down to the sea ; distorted mangroves, new and 
 strange fruits, canes, and palms, in the greatest 
 abundance and luxuriance, as in a scene from a fairy 
 tale. Sugar-cane, which had never been the prey 
 of man's covetousness, grows free and wild to the 
 extravagant height of seventeen feet, while the 
 banana-leaf, shaped like a gigantic ace of spades, 
 expands its length of sixteen feet, and measures 
 five feet across. 
 
 A fine old Spanish fort (built, some say, by 
 Pizarro, others by pirates,) stands on a splendid bold 
 angle of cliff, itseK a strong and very curious old 
 place. The houses of Chagres are built of canes, 
 lofted in the same way, and thatched with leaves ; 
 the inhabitants are mostly very poor and miserable. 
 A wonderful conglomeration of races, bred between 
 the white, red, and blacks, has taken place in this 
 peninsula; they are a docUe laborious set, and if 
 only directed by any enterprising leader, would 
 soon render their country a fertile one, and become 
 themselves a thriving community. It is a great 
 mistake to state, as some travellers have done, that 
 they are a set of lazy, idle rascals, for such is really 
 not the case ; if set to do any kind of work, no 
 matter how laborious, they will go through with it, 
 
 I ordered a canoe for Gorgona, almost the head 
 
Si 8 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xiii. 
 
 of the navigation of the Chagres river ; and while 
 the men were cooking and eating their dinners, pre- 
 paring the canoe, &c., I went with an American 
 acquaintance to visit the fort, — the easiest ascent to 
 which, even on the land side, was very steep. On 
 arriving near the open gate of the fort, the garrison, 
 which consisted of five men, refused us admission 
 unless we paid them, and at the same time barred the 
 wicket. My friend then drew a most awful-looking 
 bowie-knife, while I, applying my shoulder to the 
 wicket, burst it open, when we both quietly marched 
 on, and without noticing the garrison, continued to 
 inspect the different objects which most interested 
 us. The guns of the fort were long thirty-twos, 
 of most costly-looking material, a sort of bell metal 
 perhaps, but certainly a composition in which 
 silver largely entered. On these beautiful pieces of 
 ordnance the arms of Spain were magnificently 
 emblazoned ; also the date when they were 
 cast. I regret, however, that I omitted to make a 
 note of it; but my impression is, that the figures 
 are a.d. 1573. The guns are in a fine state of 
 preservation, though their carriages are in various 
 stages of decomposition, crumbling from age, and 
 most of them are crushed beneath the weight of the 
 superincumbent metal. On our departure we found 
 the garrison drawn up in front of the gate by which 
 our exit was to be effected, each armed with his 
 
CHAP, xni.] STORMING THE SPANISH FORT. 319 
 
 rusty musket without a bayonet. A glance satisfied 
 me, that they were, even if loaded, not very Hkely to 
 go off, so my companion and I halted ; handing me 
 his tremendous bowie-knife to flourish, he drew a 
 five-barreUed revolver, while I threatened, in a 
 mixture of bad Italian and worse Latin — which I in- 
 tended for Spanish — ^that hostilities would instantly 
 commence on our side if they did not immediately 
 open the wicket-gate, which summons they at last 
 sulkily obeyed. 
 
 In the evening, at a little before sunset, I com- 
 menced my ascent of the Chagres river. The wild 
 tangled tropical vegetation along the banks was 
 indescribably grand, and the air was fiUed with the 
 discordant screams of macquaws, parrots, and parro- 
 quets of all sizes. We paddled along by the light of 
 a splendid moon till very late, when we reached a 
 small village ; the houses of which, Hke those of 
 Chagres, were constructed of reeds and thatched 
 with cocoa-leaves. The sound of a drum announced 
 that a fandango was taking place in front of the 
 houses on the bank. I went ashore, preceded by 
 my boatmen, who soon escaped, got drunk, and left 
 me in the lurch; so finding I had nothing for it 
 but to submit to circumstances and make the best 
 -of it, I joined the dancers, and when the fandango 
 was over, was invited into one of the houses, where 
 I passed the night. One-half of this habitation was 
 
320 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [chap. xui. 
 
 lofted inside with strong canes fastened together; 
 and the very primitive substitute for a staircase was 
 a large log of wood quite in the rough, with one end 
 on the ground and the other leaning against the 
 edge of the loft, and having notches cut in it, by 
 means of which the inmates of the house went up or 
 down — an exercise requiring considerable practice 
 and expertness to accomplish with safety. 
 
 I rose before daylight, anxious to perform as 
 much of the remainder of my journey as possible 
 before the noonday heat should overtake us, I had 
 considerable difficulty in finding my two boatmen, 
 but at last got under way, though not before 
 I was obliged to dissipate some of the fumes of the 
 foregoing night's carouse from tlie senses of the 
 elder of the two by a wholesome stern application 
 of the flat of my paddle, whereupon he jumped up 
 with the utmost alacrity, rubbed the part affected, 
 took his place in the boat, and paddled away as 
 briskly as ever. The day became, so hot at twelve 
 o'clock, that we did not resume our journey until 
 after four, and we had hardly started again, when a 
 violent thunderstorm commenced. I was greatly 
 entertained with the proceedings of my men, who 
 intently watched for the first symptoms of rain ; 
 and as soon as they saw pretty clear indications of 
 " agua," undressed themselves, stripping off every 
 single article of apparel, and, rolling them up in a 
 
CHAP. XIII.] TROPICAL THUNDERSTORM. 321 
 
 piece of oiled cloth with which each was provided, 
 quietly went on paddling in a calm which was 
 trnly awful, Nature seeming to collect her energies 
 for the fearful burst which succeeded; even the 
 noisy birds feeling the influence, and hushing their 
 discordant cries. At last the storm broke. The 
 thunder, instead of rolling, broke overhead with a 
 crash like ten thousand gongs — a stunning, mad- 
 dening sound, utterly unlike the sublime, awe- 
 inspiring roU in our latitudes ; the warm rain poured 
 down in massive columns, almost checking my 
 breath, as mouth and nostrils filled at each respi- 
 ration. And now for the first time in my life I saw 
 a tree struck by lightning, the flash falling on one a 
 short distance off, riving the huge trunk, and sending 
 the splinters flying far and wide from the spot. 
 The . storm did not last long, but suddenly, as the 
 change of a panorama, gave way to a lovely 
 sunset; the little monkeys crept along to the ex- 
 tremities of the branches to stroke and dry their 
 dripping fur, and parrots and macquaws flew about 
 and screamed as noisily as ever. 
 
 Even before we reached Gorgona, the ascent of 
 the Chagres river became very difficult, the stream 
 proving too strong for us to make any further way 
 with our paddles, and we were consequently obliged to 
 punt our way along with the boat-poles. I reached 
 Gorgona early on the following day, whence I took 
 
322 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. Iohap. xiii. 
 
 a pony to Panama, where I arrived on the evening 
 of the third day from Chagres. My ride on that 
 day was a very easy one, for although there was no 
 regularly-made road, the track was very clearly 
 defined, and led through forests, up and down hills, 
 along valleys, and densely wooded causeways : so 
 thick was the parasitical and orchidaceous vegetation, 
 that to penetrate the woods in any direction but that 
 indicated by the path would have been impossible, 
 without the aid of the very long knife or sword used by 
 the natives to cut through the tangled mass. Every 
 here and there the track was strewn with dying and 
 dead horses — some far advanced in decomposition — 
 ■whUe the white bleaching skeletons could be seen 
 dotted aU along it in advance from every rising 
 ground and crest of lull during the journey. 
 
 Panama is a most curious and interesting old 
 Spanish town, and, with the exception perhaps of a 
 small part of New Orleans, utterly different in 
 architecture from any town on the Atlantic coast of 
 America. It was late and nearly dark when I 
 arrived ; but, even before reaching the walls, I was 
 hailed by some Americans, inquiring the news from 
 the United States. Their numbers rapidly increased 
 to a large assembly, and I had to rein up my tired 
 horse and answer, I fear, but very vaguely to many 
 anxious inquiries, giving them finally a very spurious 
 account of the state of politics in their country 
 
CHAP. XIII.] SANTA ANNA CATHEDRAL. 323 
 
 since their absence, in a speech which I made to 
 them from horsehack. It seems I had, by travelling 
 so rapidly, anticipated the mail, T^^hich did not 
 arrive till the following day. 
 
 The next day was Sunday, and I went to visit 
 the cathedral of Santa Anna, one of the oldest 
 European structures in America: its architecture 
 was nothing wonderful ; and the only things calcu- 
 lated to attract either interest or curiosity, are the 
 large and beautiful shells vdth which it is orna- 
 mented on the outside. I went to hear mass there, 
 and was struck with the wonderful rapidity with 
 which the old vescovo got through it, and said as 
 much to an old man with whom I had made 
 acquaintance the day before, and who was accom- 
 panying me. " Ah," he replied, " he has such 
 beautiful fighting cocks, and a great match comes 
 off at eleven o'clock, and he wants to be in time, for 
 one of his own cocks is going to fight, and he has 
 backed him heavily." 
 
 The great influx of Americans bound for the gold- 
 diggings raised the price of everything; I was 
 much interested by the accounts I heard of San 
 Francisco and the Sacramento, which I need hardly 
 transcribe here. The wages were enormous. 
 Mrs. Smith, wife of the commandant of the terri- 
 tory, used to pay 2l. a day wages for her kitchen 
 maid, and 1,500Z. a year for a house in San 
 
324 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xiii. 
 
 Francisco. Tradesmen's wages were also most 
 extravagant — a carpenter's, twenty dollars; but 
 those who made the most money were saddlers, by 
 mending bridles, saddles, and pack-saddles. The 
 accounts brought down from San Francisco while I 
 was staying at Panama fully confirmed all that I 
 had previously heard in the States ; the quantity of 
 gold found was immense, common working hands in 
 the short space of four months amassing fortunes. 
 
 On the following evening, as I was in the 
 balcony of the hotel sitting with some American 
 acquaintances, we heard " a cry break out which 
 soon swelled into a shout " from all the Americans 
 in Panama, some six or seven hundred, and so 
 headlong was the rush through the crowded streets, 
 that it was some time before we succeeded in dis- 
 covering its cause ; till, at last, several booming 
 cannon shots from the sea announced the arrival of 
 one of the great American steamers from New York 
 round the Horn, and the shouts of triumph from the 
 poor fellows that were reckoning on her arrival 
 were quite thrUling. We rowed out to visit her 
 next day ; she was a magnificent steamer, and the 
 passengers of all ranks and denominations were 
 swarming in her hke bees about a hive. I thanked 
 my stars that I was not destined to become one 
 of their number. 
 
 The next day I determined to enjoy the novel 
 
CHAP, xin.] THE POPE INEXORABLE. 325 
 
 sensation of a swim in the Pacific Ocean, but 
 before I had been two minutes in the water, I 
 perceived a large black fin appear above the surface, 
 quite close enough for me to recognise it as that of 
 a shark, and not much rehshing his society, I 
 scrambled ashore out of his way as fast as I could. 
 
 The natives of Panama are Spanish both in 
 costume and appearance : the ecclesiastics wear long 
 black gowns and three-cornered hats ; they are not 
 very bigoted. I was surprised, on the Sunday 
 evening, when walking in the neighbourhood of one 
 of the churches, to see four very well-dressed priests 
 seated on a large baulk of timber in the street, 
 playing cards. They seemed very much interested 
 in their game, and did not notice my approach at 
 first, tin one of them, after a little time, perceiving 
 me looking over them, assured me that they were 
 not playing for money. Many of these poor fellows 
 are very peaceable and harmless members of society. 
 They acknowledge the supremacy of Eome, and are 
 sometimes made to feel it. Shortly before my 
 arrival there, they had received a communication 
 from the Pope, conveying a refusal to a petition 
 which had been addressed to his Holiness by the 
 clergy of Panama, for permission to marry, and 
 which stated, among other arguments, that the 
 evils arising from the prohibition of the marriage of 
 priests were much worse than any which could 
 
826 RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES. [ohap. xiir. 
 
 possibly result from its permission. But though 
 this was urged in very strong terms, and signed by 
 nearly all the priests, the license was peremptorily 
 refused. 
 
 From Panama I returned to Chagres vid Gorgona, 
 and had a miserable time of it. My horse dropped 
 dead under me ; tlie heat was excessive, and I had 
 to walk, or rather wade, more than half the distance 
 on foot through deep mud, into which I sometimes 
 sank above my knees ; while, to increase my 
 misery, a storm came on, nearly drowning me, and 
 leaving me drenched to the skin, and wretched to the 
 last degree. At last, however, I reached my desti- 
 nation, and took boat from Gorgona, descending the 
 river at a rapid rate to Chagres, where I arrived in 
 time to take passage by the English West Indian 
 steamer back to England. 
 
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