Fight with the Grisly Bears. Page 211 
 
THE 
 
 BACKWOODSMAN; 
 
 OR, 
 
 fife on % |ni)i;tn Jfronfier. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 SIR C. F. LASCELLES WRAXALL, Bart., 
 
 AUTHOR OF “ THE BLACK PANTHER,” ETC. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY LOUIS GUARD , 
 ENGRAVED BY JOHN ANDREW. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY T. O. H. P. BUKNHAM. 
 NEW YORK: OLIVER S. FELT. 
 
 1 8 66 . 
 
Stereottped bt C. J. Peters <fc Sok, 
 No. 13 Washington Street. 
 
 Press of Geo. C. Kand & Avert. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. MY SETTLEMENT 5 
 
 II. THE COMANCHES 10 
 
 III. A FIGHT WITH THE WEICOS 15 
 
 IV. HUNTING ADVENTURES 22 
 
 V. THE NATURALIST 51 
 
 VI. MR. KREGER’S FATE 40 
 
 VII. A LONELY RIDE 52 
 
 VIII. THE JOURNEY CONTINUED G3 
 
 IX. HOMEWARD BOUND 76 
 
 X. THE BEE-HUNTER 89 
 
 XI. THE WILD HORSE 98 
 
 XII. THE PRAIRIE FIRE 106 
 
 XIII. THE DELAWARE INDIAN Ill 
 
 XIV. IN THE MOUNTAINS . . . ** . . . .122 
 
 XV. THE WEICOS 130 
 
 XVI. THE BEAR-HOLE 137 
 
 / XVII. THE COMANCHE CHIEF 146 
 
 XVIII. THE NEW COLONISTS 161 
 
 XIX. A BOLD TOUR 171 
 
 XX. THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 178 
 
 XXI. LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS 189 
 
4 
 
 Contents. 
 
 CHAP. PAQB 
 
 XXII. BEAVER-IIUNTERS 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 199 
 
 XXIII. THE GRISLY BEARS 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 205 
 
 XXIV. ASCENT OF THE BIGHORN 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 215 
 
 XXV. ON THE PRAIRIE 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 233 
 
 XXVI. THE COMANCHES 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 246 
 
 XXVII. HOME AGAIN . 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 
 . 
 
 256 
 
 XXVIII. THE MESCALEROS 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 
 . 
 
 269 
 
 XXIX. THE SILVER MINE 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 274 
 
 XXX. THE PURSUIT . 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 285 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAG* 
 
 An Unexpected Visitor 28 
 
 Face to Face 64 
 
 Ocelots hunting in Couples 181 
 
 Beavers building a Dam 199 
 
 Fight with the Grisly Bears ....... 211 
 
 Buffaloes crossing a River 236 
 
 Trusty and the Alligator 281 
 
 The Torture 290 
 
 1 
 
THE BACKWOODSMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MY SETTLEMENT. 
 
 My blockhouse was built at the foot of the mountain-chain 
 of the Rio Grande, on the precipitous banks of the River 
 Leone. On three sides it was surrounded by a fourteen-feet 
 stockade of split trees standing perpendicularly. At the 
 two front corners of the palisade were small turrets of the 
 same material, whence the face of the wall could be held 
 under fire in the event of an attack from hostile Indians. 
 On the south side of the river stretched out illimitable prai- 
 ries, while the northern side was covered with the densest 
 virgin forest for many miles. To the north and west I had 
 no civilized neighbors at all ; while to the south and east 
 the nearest settlement was at least two hundred and fifty 
 miles distant. My small garrison consisted of three men, 
 who, whenever I was absent, defended the fort, and at other 
 times looked after the small field and garden as well as the 
 cattle. 
 
 As I had exclusively undertaken to provide my colony 
 with meat, I rarely staid at home, except when there was 
 some pressing field work to be done. Each dawn saw me 
 leave the fort with my faithful dog Trusty, and turn my 
 
 5 
 
6 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 horse either toward the boundless prairie or the mountains 
 of the Rio Grande. 
 
 Very often hunting kept me away from home for several 
 days, in which case I used to bivouac in the tall grass by 
 the side of some stream. Such oases, though not frequent, 
 are found here and there on the prairies of the far West. 
 One of these favorite spots of mine lay near the mountains, 
 about ten miles from my abode. It was almost the only 
 water far and wide, and here formed two ponds, whose 
 depths I was never able to sound, although I lowered large 
 stones fastened to upwards of a hundred yards of lasso. 
 The small space between the two ponds was overshadowed 
 by the most splendid magnolias, pecan-nut-trees, yuccas, 
 evergreen oaks, &c., and begirt by a wall of cactuses, aloes, 
 and other prickly plants. I often selected this place for 
 hunting, because it always offered a large quantity of game 
 of every description, and I was certain at any time of find- 
 ing near this water hundreds of wild turkeys, which con- 
 stitute a great dainty in the bill of fare of the solitary 
 hunter. 
 
 After a very hot spring day I had sought the ponds, as it 
 was too late to ride home. The night was glorious ; the 
 magnolias and large-flowered cactuses diffused their vanilla 
 perfume over me ; and thousands of insects sported round 
 my small camp-fire. 
 
 My dog and horse played around me for a long time, un- 
 til, quite tired, they lay down by the fire-side, and all three 
 of us slept till dawn, when the gobbling of the turkeys 
 aroused us. The morning was as lovely as the night. I 
 freshened up the fire, boiled some coffee, roasted the breast 
 of a turkey, into which I had previously rubbed pepper and 
 salt, and finished breakfast with Trusty, while Czar, my 
 famous white stallion, was greedily browzing on the damp 
 
My Settlement. 
 
 7 
 
 grass, and turned his head away when I went up to him 
 with the bridle. I hung up the rest of the turkey, as well 
 as another I had shot on the previous evening, and a leg of 
 deer meat, in the shadow of a magnolia, — as I did not 
 know whether I might not return to the spot that evening, — 
 saddled, and we were soon under way for the mountains, 
 where I hoped to find buffalo. 
 
 I was riding slowly along a hollow in the prairie, when a 
 rapidly approaching sound attracted my attention. In a 
 few minutes, a very old buffalo, covered with foam, dashed 
 past me, and almost at the same moment a Comanche In- 
 dian pulled up his horse on the rising ground about fifty 
 yards from me. As he had his bow ready to shoot the 
 buffalo, the savage made his declaration of war more quick- 
 ly than I, and his first arrow passed through my game-bag 
 sling, leather jacket and waistcoat, to my right breast, while 
 two others whizzed past my ear. To pluck out the arrow, 
 seize a revolver, and dig the spurs into my horse, were but 
 one operation ; and a second later saw me within twenty 
 yards of the redskin, who had turned his horse round, and 
 was seeking safety in flight. After a chase of about two 
 miles over awfully rough ground, where the slightest mis- 
 take might have broken my neck, the Indian’s horse began 
 to be winded, while Czar still held his head and tail erect. 
 I rapidly drew nearer, in spite of the terrible blows the 
 redskin dealt his horse, and when about thirty paces behind 
 the foe, I turned slightly to the left, in order, if I could, to 
 avoid wounding his horse by my shot. I raised my re- 
 volver and fired ; but at the same instant the Indian disap- 
 peared from sight, with the exception of his left foot, with 
 which he held on to the saddle, while the rest of his body 
 was suspended on the side away from me. With the cessa- 
 tion of the blows, however, the speed of his horse relaxed, 
 
8 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and I was able to ride close up. Suddenly the Indian re- 
 gained his Seat, and urged on his horse with the whip ; I 
 fired and missed again, for I aimed too high, in my anxiety 
 to spare the mustang. We went on thus at full gallop till 
 we reached a very broad ravine, over which the Indian 
 could not leap. He therefore dashed past my left hand, 
 trying, at the same moment, to draw an arrow from the' 
 quiver over his left shoulder. I fired for the third time ; 
 with the shot, the Comanche sank back on his horse’s 
 croup, hung on with his feet, and went about a hundred 
 yards farther, when he fell motionless in the tall grass. As 
 he passed me, I had noticed that he was bleeding from the 
 right chest and mouth, and was probably already gone to 
 the happy hunting-grounds. I galloped after the mustang, 
 which soon surrendered, though with much trembling, to 
 the pale face ; I fastened its bridle to my saddle-bow, led 
 both horses into a neighboring thicket, and reloaded my 
 revolver. 
 
 I remained for about half an hour in my hiding-place, 
 whence I could survey the landscape around, but none of 
 the Indian’s comrades made their appearance, and I there- 
 fore rode up to him to take his weapons. He was dead. 
 The bullet had passed through his chest. I took his bow, 
 quiver, and buffalo-hide, and sought for the arrows he had 
 shot at me as I rode back. I resolved to pass the night at 
 the ponds, not only to rest my animals, but also to conceal 
 myself from the Indians, who, I felt sure, were not far off. 
 
 I was not alarmed about myself, but in the event of pursuit 
 by superior numbers, I should have Trusty to protect, and 
 might easily lose the mustang again. 
 
 I reached the springs without any impediment, turned 
 my horses out to grass in the thicket, and rested myself in 
 the cool shade of the trees hanging over the' ponds. A 
 
My Settlement. 
 
 9 
 
 calm, starry night set in, and lighted me on my ride home, 
 which I reached after midnight. The mustang became 
 one of my best horses. It grew much stronger, as it was 
 only four years old when I captured it ; and after' being 
 fed for awhile on maize, acquired extraordinary powers of 
 endurance. 
 
CHAPTER n. 
 
 THE COMANCHES. 
 
 The summer passed away in hunting, farm-work, build- 
 ing houses, and other business, and during this period I had 
 frequently visited the ponds. One evening I rode to them 
 again, in order to begin hunting from that point the next 
 morning. If I shot buffaloes not too far from my house, I 
 used to ride back, and at evening drive out with a two- 
 wheeled cart, drawn by mules, to fetch the meat, and salt it 
 for the probable event of a siege. As I always had an 
 ample supply of other articles for my garrison and cattle, 
 and as I had plenty of water, I could resist an Indian at- 
 tack for a long time. Large herds of buffalo always appear 
 in the neighborhood so soon as the vegetation on the Rocky 
 Mountains begins to die out, and the cold sets in. For a 
 week past, these wanderers had been moving southwards ; 
 but, though their appearance may be agreeable to the hun- 
 ter in these parts, it reminds him, at the same time, that 
 his perils are greatly increased by their advent. Numerous 
 tribes of horse Indians always follow these herds to the 
 better pasturage, and traverse the prairie in every direction, 
 as they depend on the buffalo exclusively for food. The 
 warmer climate during the winter also suits them better, as 
 they more easily find forage for their large troops of horses 
 and mules. 
 
 At a late hour I reached the ponds, after supplying my- 
 self en route with some fat venison. Before I lit my fire, I 
 10 
 
The Co mane he s. 
 
 11 
 
 also shot two turkeys on the neighboring trees, because at 
 this season they are a great dainty, as they feed on the ripe 
 oily pecan-nuts. I sat till late over my small fire, cut every 
 now and then a slice from the meat roasting on a spit, and 
 bade my dog be quiet, who would not lie down, but con- 
 stantly sniffed about with his broad nose to the ground, and 
 growling sullenly. Czar, on the contrary, felt very jolly : 
 had abundant food in the prairie-grass, and snorted every 
 now and then so lustily, that the old turkeys round us were 
 startled from their sleep. It grew more and more quiet. 
 Czar had lain down by my side ; and only the unpleasant 
 jeering too-wlioot of the owl echoed through the night, and 
 interrupted the monotonous chorus of the hunting wolves 
 which never ceases in these parts. Trusty, my faithful 
 watchman, was still sitting up with raised nose, when I 
 sank back on my saddle, and fell asleep. The morning was 
 breaking when I awoke, saturated with dew ; but I sprang 
 up, shook myself, made up the fire, put meat on the spit, 
 and coffee to boil, and then leapt into the clear pond whose 
 waters had so often refreshed me. After the bath I break- 
 fasted, and it was not till I proceeded to saddle my horse 
 that I noticed Trusty’s great anxiety to call my attention to 
 something. On following him, I found a great quantity 
 of fresh Indian signs, and saw that a large number of horses 
 had been grazing round the pond on the previous day. I 
 examined my horse-gear and weapons, opened a package of 
 cartridges for my double-barrelled rifle, and then rode in 
 the direction of the Leone. I had scarce crossed the first 
 upland and reached the prairie, when Czar made an attempt 
 to bolt, and looked round with a snort. I at once noticed 
 a swarm of Comanches about half a mile behind me, and 
 coming up at full speed. There was not a moment to lose 
 in forming a resolution : I must either fly or return to my 
 
12 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 natural fortress at the springs. I decided on the latter 
 course, as my enemies were already too near for my dog to 
 reach the thicket or the Leone before them ; for, though the 
 brave creature was remarkably powerful and swift-footed, 
 he could not beat good horses in a long race. 
 
 I therefore turned Czar round, and flew back to the ponds. 
 A narrow path, which I had cut on my first visit, through 
 a wall of prickly plants led to the shady spot between the two 
 ponds, which, on the opposite side, were joined by a broad 
 swamp ; so that I had only this narrow entrance to defend. 
 The thicket soon received us. Czar was fastened by the 
 bridle to a wild grape-vine ; my long holster-pistols were 
 thrust into the front of my hunting-shirt ; the belt that held 
 my revolvers was unbuckled, and I was ready for the at- 
 tack of the savages. Trusty, too, had put up the stiff* hair 
 on his back, and by his growling showed that he was 
 equally ready to do his part in the fight. The Indians had 
 come within a few hundred yards, and were now circling 
 round me with their frightful war-yell, swinging their 
 buffalo-hides over their heads, and trying, by the strangest 
 sounds and gestures, either to startle my horse or terrify 
 me. I do not deny that, although used to such scenes, I 
 felt an icy coldness down my back, at the sight of these 
 demons, and involuntarily thought of the operation of scalp- 
 ing. I remained as quiet as I could, however, and resolved 
 not to expend a bullet in vain. The distance was gradually 
 reduced, and the savages came within about a hundred and 
 fifty yards, some even nearer. The boldest came within a 
 hundred and twenty yards of me, while the others shot some 
 dozen arrows at me, some of which wounded the sappy cac- 
 tuses around me. The savages continually grew bolder, 
 and it was time to open the ball ; for attacking is half the 
 battle when engaged with Indians. 
 
The Comanches. 
 
 13 
 
 I therefore aimed at the nearest man, — a powerful, stout, 
 rather elderly savage, mounted on a very fast golden-brown 
 stallion, — and at once saw that the bullet struck him : in 
 his fall he pulled his horse round towards me, and dashed 
 past within forty yards, which enabled me to see that the 
 bullet had passed through his body, and he did not need a 
 second. About one hundred yards farther on he kissed 
 the ground. After the shot, the band dashed off, and 
 their yell wa^ augmented to a roar, more like that of a 
 wounded buffalo than human voices. They assembled about 
 half a mile distant, held a short consultation, and then re- 
 turned like a whirlwind towards me, with renewed yells. 
 The attack was now seriously meant, although the sole 
 peril I incurred was from arrows shot close to me. I led 
 Czar a few paces in the rear, behind a widely spreading 
 yucca, ordered Trusty to lie down under the cactuses, re- 
 loaded my gun, and, being a bit of Indian myself, I disap- 
 peared among the huge aloes in front of me, pulling my 
 stout beaver hat over my eyes. I allowed the tornado to 
 come within a hundred and sixty paces, when I raised my 
 good rifle between the aloes, pulled the trigger, and saw 
 through the smoke, a redskin bound in the air, and fall 
 among the horses , hoofs. A dense dust concealed the band 
 from sight ; but a repetition of the yells reached my ear, and 
 I soon saw the savages going away from me ; whereon I 
 gave them the contents of the second barrel, which had a 
 good effect, in spite of the distance, as I recognized in the 
 fresh yells raised, and the dispersion of the band. The In- 
 dians, ere long, halted a long way off ; but after a while 
 continued their retreat. I understood these movements 
 perfectly well : they wanted to give me time to leave my 
 hiding-place, and then ride me down on the plain. Hence 
 I waited till the Comanches were nearly two miles off, and 
 
14 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 watched them through my glass as they halted from time 
 to time, and looked round at me. I was certain that we 
 now had a sufficient start to reach the forest on the Leone 
 without risk. My rifle was reloaded, and my pistols were 
 placed in the holsters. I stepped out of my hiding-place, and 
 mounted my horse, which bore me at a rapid pace towards 
 my home. The enemy scarce noticed my flight ere they 
 dashed down from the heights after me like a storm-cloud. 
 I did not hurry, however, for fear of fatiguing Trusty, but 
 selected the buffalo-paths corresponding with my direction, 
 (thousands of which intersect the prairies like a net) ; and at 
 the end of the first mile felt convinced that we should reach 
 the forest all right, which now rose more distinctly out of the 
 sea of grass. So it was : we dashed into the first bushes 
 only pursued by five Indians, where I rode behind some 
 dwarf chestnuts, dismounted, and prepared to receive my 
 enemies. They remained out of range, however, and in 
 a short time retired again. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 A FIGHT WITH THE WEICOS. 
 
 As I mentioned, my fort stood on the south side of the 
 Leone river, and in front of it lay one of the richest and 
 most fertile prairies, which ran to the bank of Mustang 
 Creek, a small stream running parallel to the Leone. The 
 prairie between the Leone and this stream was about five 
 miles broad ; and often, when I had spent the day at home, 
 I rode off to pass the night there, in order to shoot at day- 
 break as much game as my horse could comfortably carry, 
 and be back to breakfast. I had found, in a coppice close 
 to the stream, a small grassy clearing, where Czar was 
 always comfortable. Around it stood colossal primaeval 
 oaks and magnolias, in whose shade many varieties of 
 evergreen bushes formed an impenetrable thicket. In this 
 thicket I had built a sort of hut of buffalo hides, in which 
 I hid away a frying-pan, an old axe, and a coffee-pot. At 
 this spot I passed many a hot summer night, for I found 
 there a cool, quiet bed, which the sun never reached, and 
 ran no risk of being betrayed by my camp-fire and dis- 
 turbed by the Indians. 
 
 After one of these hot days, I rode Czar out of the fort, 
 and Trusty, released from the chain, sprang joyfully at my 
 horse’s head, delighted at getting into the open country 
 again. We went slowly towards the thickly- wooded bank 
 of the creek, which bordered the prairie ahead of us like 
 a purple strip, through large gay fields of flowers, with 
 
 15 
 
16 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 which the prairie is adorned. Wherever the eye turned, it 
 fell on herds of deer that were sheltering themselves from 
 the burning sun under isolated elms. As I rode along, my 
 eye was certainly rejoiced by this abundance of game, but I 
 did not change my direction on that account, because I was 
 not at any great distance from the thickets in advance of 
 the forest on Mustang Creek, where I could approach the 
 game with much less trouble. 
 
 I had hardly reached these advance woods, ere I saw a 
 very large stag standing in the shadow of an old elm-tree, 
 driving away the flies with its antlers, and feeding on the 
 fine, sweet mosquito grass, which is much more tender in 
 the shade than where it is exposed to the burning sunbeams. 
 The beautiful creature was hardly sixty paces from me, and 
 I seized my rifle, which was lying across the saddle in front 
 of me. In a moment, Czar, who was well acquainted with 
 this movement, halted, buried his small head in the grass, 
 and began seeking the green young shoots which are 
 covered by the dry withered stalks. I shot the deer, and as 
 I saw that it could not go far, I allowed Trusty to catch it, 
 which always afforded him great delight. I rode up, threw 
 the bridle, before dismounting, over the end of a long pen- 
 dant branch, and then dragged the deer into the shade to 
 break it up, and cut off the meat I intended to take with 
 me. I had knelt down by the deer, and just thrust in my 
 bowie-knife, when Trusty, who was sitting not far from 
 me, began growling, and on my inquiring what was the 
 matter, growled still more loudly, while looking in the di- 
 rection behind me. I knew the faithful creature so well 
 that I only needed to look in his large eyes to read what he 
 washed to tell me. They had turned red, a sure sign of his 
 rising anger : but I believed that wolves were at hand, 
 which were his most deadly enemies, because he had fared 
 
A Fight with the Weicoc. 
 
 17 
 
 badly from their claws now and then before I could get up 
 to free him from his tormentors. I ordered Trusty to be 
 quiet, as I heeded the dangers which had beset me for years 
 much less than I had done at the beginning of my border- 
 life, and bent down again over the deer, when Trusty 
 sprang, with furious barks, towards the quarter where lie 
 had been looking. I quickly rose, and on turning round 
 saw two perfectly naked Indians, armed with guns, leap 
 out of the tall grass about sixty yards from me, and dash 
 away like antelopes. My first step was to seize my rifle, 
 which was leaning against the tree ; but the savages took an 
 enormous bound over one of the clumps of plum-trees, and 
 disappeared from sight. In a few minutes I had unfastened 
 Czar, and rushed after the Indians through the many wind- 
 ings between the close-grown bushes. They had gained a 
 great start, and had increased it by leaping over clumps, 
 which I was compelled to ride round ; still I kept them 
 pretty constantly in sight, and reached the open prairie in 
 front of the creek at the moment when the savages had 
 Crossed about half of it. I gave Czar a slight touch of the 
 spur, and urged him on with the usual pat on his powerful 
 hard neck ; he leaped through the grass as if he hardly 
 touched the ground, and I was obliged to set my hat tightly 
 on my head for fear of losing it, for the pressure of the 
 atmosphere was so great that I could hardly breathe. 
 
 The Indians ran like deer, but the distance between us was 
 speedily lessened, and I was only sixty yards behind them, 
 when they were still fifty from the forest. I stopped my 
 horse, leaped off, aimed with my right-hand barrel at the 
 savage farthest ahead, and dropped him. In the mean while 
 the other Indian reached the skirt of the wood, and sprang 
 int) the shade of an old oak, at the moment when the bead 
 of my rifle covered him. I fired and saw him turn head 
 2 
 
18 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 over heels. At this moment Trusty came panting over the 
 prairie, who had remained behind as I had leapt over some 
 clumps which he was obliged to skirt ; he saw the first In- 
 dian leap out of the grass, like a hare which has been shot 
 through the head, and his legs seemed too slow for his 
 growing fury ; a loud shout urged him on still more, and in a 
 few seconds he and the savage disappeared in the tall grass. 
 A frightfully shrill yell, which echoed far and wide through 
 the forest, proved that the Indian was feeling Trusty’s 
 teeth, and the heaving grass over them showed that it was 
 a struggle for life or death. Loading my rifle detained me 
 for a few minutes at the spot whence I had fired ; then I 
 ran up to Czar, who had strayed a little distance, and rode 
 to the battle-field. The contest was over ; the savage was 
 dead, and Trusty’s handsome shaggy coat was spotted with 
 blood. He was standing with his fore-paws on his enemy, 
 and tearing out his throat. A dog like Trusty was invalu- 
 able to me, and for my own preservation I dared not 
 assuage the creature’s savageness ; besides, the man was 
 dead, and it was a matter of indifference whether the buz- 
 zards devoured his body or Trusty tore it piecemeal. In 
 the mean while I fastened the dead man’s short Mexican 
 cscopeta , hunting-pouch, and necklace to my saddle ; then I 
 called Trusty off, mounted Czar, and rode back to my deer, 
 as I did not dare venture into the forest, where a large 
 number of these Weicos were very probably lying in am- 
 bush. The two had come down from the mountains to the 
 banks of Mustang Creek, whither the great quantity of 
 game of all descriptions had attracted them ; on hearing 
 my shot, they crept up unnoticed, had got within distance 
 of me, and in a few seconds would doubtless have settled 
 me, had not my faithful watcher scented them, or remarked 
 their movements in the grass. 
 
A Fight with the Weicos. 
 
 19 
 
 On coming within sight of my deer, I saw that a dozen 
 buzzards had collected, some on the trees, others circling 
 slowly in the air, and watching with envious glances three 
 wolves which had already begun greedily to share my deer. 
 Although I hardly ever expended a bullet on these torment- 
 ors, I was annoyed at their impudence, for though they saw 
 me coming, they did not interrupt their banquet. I shot 
 one of them, a very old red she-wolf, took the loins and 
 legs of the deer, hung them to my saddle, and rode home 
 to pass the night. 
 
 My dogs inside the fort announced to the garrison the ar- 
 rival of a stranger, and they were no little surprised to see 
 me return at so unusual an hour. The gate was opened ; 
 and, after Czar had been relieved of his rather heavy bur- 
 den, I led him once more into the grass to let him have 
 a good roll ; and, after he had been put into the stable with 
 a feed of Indian corn, I described the events of the day at 
 the supper-table. My news aroused the apprehensions of 
 my men, for they knew the vengeful spirit of these Weicos, 
 and we therefore resolved to keep watch during the night. 
 We were still smoking and talking at midnight, when the 
 dogs, of which I had fourteen, began making a tremendous 
 row. They all ran out through the small apertures left for 
 the purpose in the stockade, and stood barking on the river- 
 bank at some foe on the other side, at the spot where my 
 maize-field in the forest joined the river. It was a pitch-dark 
 and calm night. We listened attentively, and could dis- 
 tinctly hear the trampling of dry brushwood in the field. 
 It might be occasioned by buffalo, which had broken 
 through the fence, and were regaling on my maize. But 
 these animals rarely move at night, and there was a much 
 greater probability of Indians being there. We gently 
 opened the gate. I took my large duck gun, which held 
 
20 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 sixteen pistol bullets in each barrel, and crawled down on 
 my stomach to the river-bank, where I lay perfectly quiet. 
 When I arrived there, one of my dogs was yelping ; and I 
 distinctly heard the twang of a bow-string. I noticed the 
 quarter very carefully : the river was only forty yards 
 across, and the direction was shown me still more plainly 
 by the crackling of brushwood. I shot one barrel there, 
 upon which human cries and a hurried flight were audible ; 
 then I sent the second after it, and fresh groans echoed 
 through the quiet forest, and mingled with the roar of my 
 two shots. I remained lying in the grass, as I might be 
 easily seen against the starry sky from the other bank, 
 which was thirty feet lower. The leaping and running 
 through the maize retired farther and farther towards the 
 wood, and scarce reached my ear, when suddenly a wild 
 war-yell resounded in the forest, which was answered by 
 countless wolf-howls on the prairie behind me. This was 
 the last outbreak of fury on the part of the Indians, of 
 whom I never saw any thing more beyond the various 
 bloody traces which they left in the field. We found sev- 
 eral arrows sticking in the river-bank, whose form led me 
 to conclude that the assailants were Cato Indians. The 
 damage I received from this nocturnal visit only consisted 
 in the trampled maize and a harmless wound which one of 
 my dogs had received from an arrow in the leg. The 
 morning was spent in following the trail of the savages to 
 the prairie on the other side of the forest, where a number 
 <of horses had awaited these night-wanderers, and borne 
 them away. In the afternoon, I rode again to Mustang 
 Creek with one of my people, to the spot where the second 
 Indian had disappeared on the previous day. The entrance 
 into the wood, and the roots of the old oak, were covered 
 with blood. I sent Trusty on ahead to see whether the 
 
A Fight with the Weicos. 
 
 21 
 
 road was clear, and if we could penetrate into the gloom of 
 the forest without danger. We cautiously followed the dog, 
 who kept the blood-marked trail, and reached the river, on 
 whose bank the Weico was sleeping the last sleep. lie was 
 cold and stiff : my bullet had passed through his brown 
 sides. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HUNTING ADVENTURES . 
 
 It is scarce possible to form an idea of the abundance of 
 game with which the country near me was blessed in those 
 days. I consumed a great quantity of meat in my house- 
 hold, owing to the number of dogs I kept ; but I really pro- 
 cured it as if only amusing myself. There were certainly 
 days on which I shot nothing. At times I did not get sight 
 of a buffalo for a week, or the prairie-grass was burnt down 
 to the roots, which rendered it extremely difficult to stalk 
 the game, while just at this period, when the first green 
 shoots spring up, the animals principally visit the open 
 plains, whence they can see their pursuers for a long dis- 
 tance. For all that, though we had generally a superabun- 
 dance of meat, and too often behaved with unpardonable 
 extravagance, I have frequently killed five or six buffaloes, 
 each weighing from a thousand to fifteen hundred pounds, 
 in one chase, lasting perhaps half an hour, and then merely 
 carried off their tongues and marrow-bones. Often, too, I 
 have shot one or two bears, weighing from five to eight 
 hundred pounds, and only taken home their paws and a few 
 ribs, because the distance was too great to burden my horse 
 with a large supply of meat. I could always supply our 
 stock in the vicinity of my fort, although at times we were 
 compelled to put up with turkeys, or fish and turtle, with 
 which our river literally swarmed. 
 
 22 
 
Hunting Adventures. 
 
 23 
 
 Bear-meat formed an important item in our larder ; or, 
 more correctly speaking, bear’s grease, which was of ser- 
 vice in a great many ways. 
 
 These animals were very numerous in my neighborhood. 
 In spring and summer they visited the woods, where with 
 their cubs they regaled upon wild plums, grapes, honey, 
 and young game of all sorts, and at times played the deuce 
 in my maize-field. In autumn the rich crop of pecan-nuts, 
 walnuts, acorns, chestnuts, and similar fruits, kept them in 
 our forests ; and in winter they sought rocky ravines and 
 caves, where they liybernated. Very many took up their 
 quarters in old hollow trees, so that at this season I had 
 hardly any difficulty in finding a bear in my neighborhood. 
 Trusty was a first-rate hand at this, for he found a track, 
 and kept to it as long as I pleased ; and at the same time 
 possessed the great advantage that he never required a leash, 
 never went farther than I ordered him, and never followed 
 game without my permission. When a bear rose before 
 me, it rarely got fifty paces away, unless it was in thorny 
 bushes, where the dog could not escape its attack ; for, so 
 soon as the bear bolted, Trusty dug his teeth so furiously 
 into its legs, and slipped away with such agility, that the 
 bear soon gave up all attempts at flight, and stood at bay. 
 It was laughable to see the trouble the bear was in when 
 I came up ; how it danced round Trusty, and with the 
 most ridiculous entrechats upbraided his impudence ; while 
 Trusty continually sprang away, lay down before Bruin, 
 and made the woods ring with his bass voice. Frequently, 
 however, the honest dog incurred great peril during this 
 sport, and his life more than once depended on my oppor- 
 tune arrival. 
 
 In this way I followed, one warm autumn day, a remark- 
 ably broad bear-trail on the mountains of the Rio Grande. 
 
24 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 Trusty, halting fifty yards ahe&d pf me, showed me that it 
 stopped at a small torrent, where the bear had watered on 
 the previous night. I dismounted, examined the trail care- 
 fully, and saw that it was made by a very old fat bear : it 
 was in the fatting season, when the bear frequently inter- 
 rupts its sleep, and pays a nocturnal visit to the water. At 
 this season these animals are very clumsy and slow, and 
 cannot run far, as they soon grow scant of breath ; they 
 soon stop, and can be easily killed by the hunter, — always 
 supposing that he can trust to his dog and horse, for any 
 mistake might expose the rider to great danger. I ordered 
 Trusty to follow the trail : it ran for some distance up the 
 ravine, then went up the bare hill-side, which was covered 
 with loose bowlders and large masses of rock, into the valley 
 on the opposite side, in the middle of which was a broad, 
 but very swampy pool, girdled by thick thorny bushes. 
 Trusty halted in front of this thicket, looked round to me, 
 and then again at the bushes, while wagging his long tail. 
 I knew the meaning of this signal, and that the bear was 
 not far off. I ordered the dog on, and drew a revolver 
 from my belt ; feeling assured that the bear would soon 
 leave the underwood, and seek safety in flight. Trusty dis- 
 appeared in the bushes, and his powerful bark soon re- 
 sounded through the narrow valley. It was an impossi- 
 bility for me to ride through the thicket ; hence I galloped to 
 the end of the coppice, and saw there the bear going at a 
 rapid pace up the opposite steep hill, with Trusty close at 
 its heels. I tried to cross the swamp ; but Czar retreated 
 with a snort, as if to show me the danger of the enterprise. 
 By this time, Trusty had caught up to the bear at the top of 
 the hill, and furiously attacked it in the rear. The bear 
 darted round with extraordinary agility, and was within an 
 ace of seizing Trusty ; but, after making a few springs at 
 
Hunting Adventures. 
 
 25 
 
 the dog, it continued its hurried flight, and disappeared 
 with Trusty over the hill-top. I had ridden farther up the 
 water when I heard my dog baying : I drove the spurs into 
 my horse, and, with one immense leap, we were both in the 
 middle of the swamp up to the girths ; then, with an inde- 
 scribable effort, Czar gave three tremendous leaps, which 
 sent black mud flying round us, and reached the opposite 
 firm ground with his fore-feet, while his hind-quarters sunk 
 in the quivering morass. With one spring I was over his 
 head, when I sank in up to the knees, and, after several tre- 
 mendous exertions, the noble fellow sprang ashore, trem- 
 bling all over. Trusty's barking, as if for help, continually 
 reached me as I galloped up the steep hill-side : I arrived 
 on the summit at the moment when the bear sprang at 
 Trusty, and buried him beneath its enormous weight. My 
 alarm for the faithful dog — my best friend in these soli- 
 tudes — made me urge Czar on : he bounded like a cat over 
 the remaining rocks ; and I saw Trusty slip out from under 
 the bear in some miraculous way, and attack it again on 
 the flank. I halted about ten paces from the scene of 
 action, held my rifle between the little red fiery eyes of the 
 bright black monster, and laid it lifeless on the bare rocks. 
 The greatest peril for dogs is at the moment when the bear 
 is shot ; for they are apt to attack it as it falls, and get 
 crushed in its last convulsive throes. I leapt off Czar, who 
 was greatly excited by the sharp ride, went up to Trusty, 
 who was venting his fury on Bruin’s throat, examined him, 
 and found that he had received three very serious wounds, 
 two on the back and one over the left shoulder-blade, which 
 were bleeding profusely, though in his fury he did not seem 
 to notice them. I took my case from the holster, and sewed 
 up his wounds, during which operation he lay very patiently 
 before me, and looked at me with his large eyes as if ask- 
 
26 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 ing whether this were necessary. Then I took off my 
 jacket and set to work on the bear, stripped it, and put the 
 hide as well as a hundred-pounds* weight of the flesh on 
 Czar’s back. If my readers will bear in mind that the sun 
 was shining on my back furiously, and that I was on a bare 
 blazing rock, they will understand that I was worn out, and 
 longed for a cool resting-place. The bear weighed at least 
 eight hundred pounds ; and it requires a great effort to turn 
 such an animal over. 
 
 I was a good hour’s ride from the shade of the Leone, 
 and only half that distance to the mountain springs I have 
 already described. I therefore selected the latter, although 
 they took me rather farther from home. I walked, although 
 I made Czar carry my jacket, weapons, and pouch, and 
 reached my destination in the afternoon, with my two faith- 
 ful companions at my heels. Czar had a hearty meal after I 
 had bathed him in the pond ; and poor Trusty, whose wounds 
 had dried in the sun, and pained him terribly, felt comfort- 
 able in the cool grass, and did not disturb the linen rag 
 which I moistened every now and then. Nor did I forget 
 myself : I rested, bathed, and, after a while, enjoyed the liver 
 and tongue of the old vagabond, until the evening breeze 
 had cooled the air ; and I reached home partly on foot, 
 partly on horseback. 
 
 I rode at daybreak down the river towards the moun- 
 tains : a cold, refreshing breeze was blowing, which had an 
 invigorating effect upon both men and animals. Czar was 
 full of playfulness. He often pretended to kick at Trusty, 
 his dearest friend, who was trotting by his side, shook his 
 broad neck, and could hardly be held in. Trusty ran 
 ahead, every now and then rolled in the tall grass, kicked 
 up the earth behind him, and then looked up at me with a 
 loud bark of delight. I, too, was in an excellent humor ; 
 
Hunting Adventures. 
 
 27 
 
 the small birds-of-paradise, with their long black-and-white 
 tails and crimson breasts, fluttered from bush to bush. The 
 humming-birds darted past me like live coals, and suddenly 
 stopped as if spell-bound in front of some flowers, whence 
 they sucked the honey for a few seconds with their beaks, 
 and then hummed off* to another fragrant blossom. Count- 
 less vultures described their regular circles over my head ; 
 above them gleamed against the ultramarine sky the bril- 
 liant white plumage of a silver heron, or the splendid pink 
 of a flamingo ; whilst high up in ether the royal eagles 
 were bathing in the sunshine. The prairie was more beau- 
 tiful this day than I had ever seen it ; it was adorned by 
 every designation of bulbous plants, — the prevailing flora 
 in the spring. 
 
 Lost in admiration of these natural beauties, I reached 
 the hilly ground near the mountain springs ; and first 
 learned from Czar’s tugging at the bridle, and his repeated 
 bounds, that I had come in sight of a herd of about forty 
 buffaloes, that did not appear to notice me yet. Probably 
 they were engaged with that portion of the beauties of 
 nature which most interested them ; for, at any rate, they 
 all had their huge, shaggy heads buried in the fresh young 
 grass. I was never better inclined to have a jolly chase 
 than on this day, and the same was the case with Czar and 
 Trusty. I let loose the reins, drew a revolver, and dashed 
 among the astounded herd, looking for a plump bull. Sur- 
 prised and disturbed, these philosophers turned their heads 
 towards the mountains, raised their tails erect, and started 
 in their awkward gallop, with the exception of one old fel- 
 low, the very one I had selected for the attack. He looked 
 after the fugitives for a while, as if reproaching them with 
 their cowardice ; shook his wild shaggy mane several 
 times ; and then dashed furiously at me with his head down. 
 
28 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 I was so surprised at this unexpected attack, that I did not 
 fire, but turned my horse to fly. The buffalo pursued me 
 some thousand yards, keeping rather close ; while his com- 
 panions halted, and seemed to be admiring the chivalric 
 deed of their knight. At length he stopped, as he had con- 
 vinced himself that he could not catch up to me, and 
 stamped with his long-haired front legs till the dust flew up • 
 in a cloud around him. I turned my horse, and raised my 
 rifle, to make more sure of hitting the bull, as his deter- 
 mined conduct had imbued me with some degree of respect. 
 I fired, and wounded him in the side, a little too far back : 
 at the same instant he dashed ahead again ; but then thought 
 better of it, and tried to rejoin the flying herd. I now set 
 Trusty on him, who soon brought him at bay ; and I gave 
 him a bullet from the revolver. Again he rushed at me, 
 and again fled. In this way, pursuing and pursued in turn, 
 I had given him five bullets, when he left the herd in a 
 perfect state of mania, and dashed after me. I made a 
 short turn with my horse ; the bull rushed past ; I turned 
 Czar again towards the buffalo ; and, as I passed, I put a 
 bullet through his heart at the distance of three yards. 
 The monster fell to the ground in a cloud of dust, and 
 raised up a heap of loose sand, which it stained with its 
 dark blood. 
 
 To my surprise, I noticed that Trusty did not come up 
 to the fallen buffalo, but rushed past it, loudly barking, 
 to the thicket at the springs, whence I saw an immense 
 panther leap through the prickly plants. I galloped round 
 the ponds, and saw the royal brute making enormous leaps 
 through the tall prairie-grass towards the mountains. 
 Trusty was not idle either, and was close behind it. I 
 spurred Czar, and kept rather nearer the mountains, so as 
 to cut off the fugitive’s retreat, and drive it farther out on 
 
An Unexpected Visitor. Page 28 
 

 
 
 
Hunting Adventures. 
 
 29 
 
 the plains, while my hunting-cry incessantly rang in its 
 ears. It had galloped about a mile when we got rather 
 close to it : it altered its course once more, and climbed up 
 an old evergreen live-oak, among whose leafy branches it 
 disappeared. I called Trusty to heel, stopped about fifty 
 yards from the oak to reload my right-hand barrel, and 
 then rode slowly round, looking for a gap in the foliage 
 through which to catch a glimpse of this most dangerous 
 animal. The leaves were very close ; and I had ridden 
 nearly round, when I suddenly saw its eyes glaring at me 
 from one of the main branches in the middle of the tree. 
 I must shoot it dead, or else it would be a very risky enter- 
 prise ; and Czar’s breathing was too violent for me to fire 
 from his back with any certainty. I cautiously dismounted, 
 keeping my eye on the panther, held a revolver in my left 
 hand, brought the bead of my rifle to bear right between 
 the eyes of the king of these solitudes, — and fired. With a 
 heavy bump, the panther fell from branch to branch, and 
 lay motionless on the ground. I kept Trusty back, waited 
 a few moments to see whether the jaguar was really dead, 
 as I did not wish to injure the beautiful skin by a second 
 bullet unnecessarily, then walked up, and found that the 
 bullet had passed through the left eye into the brain. It 
 had one of the handsomest skins I ever took : it is so large, 
 that I can quite wrap myself up in it, and now forms my bee 
 coverlet. When I had finished skinning it, and cut out the 
 tusks with the small axe I always carried in a leathern 
 case, I rode back to my buffalo, with the skin proudly 
 hanging down on either side of my horse. On getting 
 there, I led Czar through the narrow entrance into the 
 thicket, where I came upon a freshly killed large deer, one 
 of whose legs was half eaten away. It was the last meal 
 of the savage beast of prey, and I was surprised it had left 
 
30 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 its quarry. The noise of the buffalo and the horse gallop- 
 ing, Trusty’s bass voice, and the crack of the revolver in 
 such close vicinity, must have appeared dangerous to it ; 
 and it had fancied it could slip off unnoticed. 
 
 My buffalo was very plump ; it supplied me and Trusty 
 with an excellent dinner ; and for dessert I had the marrow- 
 bones roasted on the fire, and split open with my axe, 
 which, when peppered and salted, are a great delicacy. A 
 little old brandy from my flask, mixed with the cold spring- 
 water, was a substitute for champagne : my sofa was the 
 body of the deer, covered with the skin of its assassin. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE NATURALIST. 
 
 Years had passed since the first establishment of my 
 settlement, but it was still the greatest rarity to see a 
 strange white face among us ; and, though I visited the 
 nearest town more frequently than at the outset, it led to 
 no settled intercourse. I rode there several times a year, 
 taking to market on mules my stock of hides, wax, tallow, 
 &c., and brought back provisions, tools, powder, and lead. 
 On these occasions, I received the letters which had arrived 
 for me in the interval, posted my own, took my packets of 
 books forwarded from New York, and then my intercourse 
 with the world was at an end for six months. The mules 
 and horses certainly left traces during these rides in the 
 clayey soil ; but they were soon destroyed by heavy rains, 
 or trampled by herds of passing buffaloes, and thus hidden 
 from the most acute eyes. Moreover, on these journeys I 
 never kept the same road, as I always guided myself 
 by the compass, and altered my course according to 
 the seasons, as I had to pass spots which were inun- 
 dated at certain periods, and others where water, at 
 t’mes, was very scarce. The first two -thirds of the 
 country was a wretched sandy region, without grass, on 
 which stunted oaks grew here and there, very mountainous 
 and dry, where no one would dream of settling or under- 
 going the perils of a pioneer for the sake of the land. 
 Nearer to me no one ventured to come, as many attempts 
 
 81 
 
32 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 had been made to settle on this fertile soil, but had all 
 turned out unhappily ; the last of them entailing the de- 
 struction of a family of nineteen persons. On my hunting 
 expeditions I often saw their bones bleaching in the sun. 
 As I said, no change had occurred in my position, save that 
 my mode of life was safer and more comfortable ; the 
 country alone still remained a solitude, which no isolated 
 visitor could enter without staking his scalp. 
 
 Hence, I was greatly surprised, one morning, when the 
 sentry came into my house, and informed me that a white 
 man was riding alone along the river, mounted on a mule, 
 which is the most unsuitable of animals in the Indian coun- 
 try. I ran with a telescope to the turret at the south-east 
 end of the fort, and not only found the watchman's state- 
 ment confirmed, but also that the man had not even a 
 weapon, unless it was hidden in two enormous packs which 
 dangled on each side of his mule. The rider drew nearer, 
 at one moment emerging on the ridges, and then disappear- 
 ing again in the hollows. At length our growing curiosity 
 was satisfied ; and a white man, a German, saluted us with 
 an innocently calm smile. On my asking how he had come 
 here alone and unarmed, he said cheerfully, “Well, from 
 the settlement. I was able to find your mule-track quite 
 easily. Mr. Jones accompanied me for a whole day, and 
 during the last four I have seen nobody.” It soon came 
 out that his name was Kreger, and that he was a botanist, 
 who had come to examine the flora about us which had 
 not yet been collected. For this purpose, he brought with 
 him two enormous bundles of blotting-paper, which hung 
 on his Lizzy, — so he called his gallant charger, — and, 
 like wool-bags in a battery, might have protected him 
 against Indian arrows, if he had had any missiles to reply 
 with ; but he only had a pistol in his trowsers’ pocket, which 
 
The Naturalist. 
 
 33 
 
 would not go off, in spite of all the experiments we 
 made with it. Everybody had warned him of the danger 
 to which he exposed himself on his journey to me ; and the 
 last pioneer he passed, a Mr. Jones, had tried to keep him 
 back by force ; but he had merely laughed, and declared 
 that an Indian could not touch him on his Lizzy. 
 
 We all tried to make him understand how madly he had 
 behaved, and that it was only by a miracle he had escaped 
 the notice of the redskins, which must have entailed his in- 
 evitable death, during his long, solitary journey to us, and 
 while sleeping at night by a large fire. lie merely smiled 
 at it all, and said that it could not be quite so bad, while 
 making repeated applications to his snuff-box. As regarded 
 his intentions of making his excursions from my house, I 
 told him it was impossible ; because, when I went out hunt- 
 ing, I did not waste my time over plants, and he, as no 
 sportsman, would be a nuisance to me : on the other hand, 
 we could not think of letting him wander about alone, the 
 danger of which I confirmed by telling him various adven- 
 tures of mine. For all this I received him hospitably ; 
 gave him a place to sleep in, and a seat at table ; showed 
 him where to find corn for Lizzy, where he could wash his 
 sheets, — in a word, made him as comfortable as lay in my 
 power. 
 
 I had long intended to explore more distant countries 
 than those I had visited during my sporting excursions, 
 especially the continuation of our plateaux to the north, and 
 had made my arrangements for this tour when Mr. Kreger 
 surprised us by his advent. On the day after his arrival, 
 we took a walk round the fort and the garden, during which 
 he broke off the conversation every moment, and plucked 
 some rare plant to put in his herbal, which he called his 
 cannon ; and laughed at the revolver in my belt, and the 
 
34 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 rifle I carried. I told him that I intended to make a jour- 
 ney, in which, if he liked to accompany me, he would be 
 able to make his researches, as my hunting on this trip 
 would be restricted to my meat supply. He w r as delighted, 
 and agreed to come with me, to which I consented on con- 
 dition of his riding one of my horses ; and I recommended 
 the mustang, whose powers of endurance I knew, and tried 
 to prove by telling him how it came into my possession. 
 But it was of no avail, for none of my cattle possessed the 
 qualities of his Lizzy ; and he offered a bet that no one 
 could catch her. For the sake of the joke, the mustang and 
 the mule were soon saddled : a mosquito-tree on the prairie, 
 about half a mile from the fort, was selected as the goal ; 
 and away we started through the tall grass. It was really 
 surprising how fast Lizzy went, cocking up her rat-like tail 
 and long ears : she accepted with pleasure the shower of 
 blows that fell on her, and reached the goal only twenty 
 yards behind me. I laughed most heartily at the amusing 
 appearance of our naturalist, and expressed my admiration 
 at his mule’s pace ; but remarked at the same time, that, for 
 no consideration in the world would I ride her in the coun- 
 try I intended visiting, because I was well acquainted with 
 the obstinacy of mules, and knew, that, when called on to 
 show their speed, they refuse to do so, and neither fire nor 
 sword could induce them. All such remarks, however, 
 produced no change in Kreger’s invincible faith in hi3 
 favorite ; and as if he had assumed a portion of Lizzy’s 
 obstinacy through his long, friendly relations with her, he 
 irrevocably adhered to his resolution of only entrusting his 
 carcass to her during the impending excursion. 
 
 Our preparations, which were very simple, occupied us 
 about a week : they consisted in removing Czar’s shoes, 
 and rubbing his hoofs frequently with bear’s grease ; grind- 
 
The Naturalist. 
 
 35 
 
 ing coffee, and forcing it into bladders ; and in plaiting two 
 new lassoes, for which I fetched two new buffalo-hides, in 
 which chase the botanist accompanied me, and felt a pride 
 in having given me an indubitable proof of his Lizzy’s 
 powers ; for she followed close at Czar’s tail during the 
 entire hunt. 
 
 * 
 
 The day for our start arrived, and the morning was spent 
 in saddling our horses, and arranging our baggage in the 
 most suitable way for both horse and rider, — a most impor- 
 tant thing in these hot regions ; for the horse’s back is easily 
 galled, and then you are compelled to go on foot, which is 
 very wearisome and fatiguing in a country where there are 
 no roads. The naturalist at length completed his equipment 
 of Lizzy, who looked more like a rhinoceros than a cross 
 between a horse and a donkey. In front of the saddle hung 
 the two bales of blotting-paper over the large bear-skin 
 holsters, which, in addition to two pistols I had supplied, 
 were crammed with biscuit, coffee, pepper and salt, snuff, &c. 
 Over the saddle hung two leathern bags, fastened together 
 by a strap, on which the rider had his seat. Behind the 
 saddle, a frying-pan, coffee-pot, and tin mug, produced a 
 far from pleasing harmony at every movement of the ani- 
 mal. Over the whole of this, a gigantic buffalo-hide was 
 stretched, and fastened with a surcingle round Lizzy’s stout 
 body ; so that, like a tortoise, she only displayed her head 
 and tail, and caused a spectator the greatest doubt as to 
 what genus of quadruped she belonged. In order to com- 
 plete the picture, Lizzy had two enormous bushes of a sum- 
 mer plant, which we call “ Spanish mulberry,” stuck behind 
 her ears, as a first-rate specific to keep the flies’ off. I had 
 repeatedly told Kreger of the absurdity of covering Lizzy 
 with this coat of mail, in which she would melt away. But 
 he said that I, too, had a skin over my saddle ; and he 
 
36 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 wanted his to protect him at night against rain and dew. 
 On the back of this monster our naturalist mounted, dressed 
 in a long reddish homespun coat, trowsers of the same ma- 
 terial, though rather more faded, with Mexican spurs on 
 his heels, with wheels the size of a dollar, and a broad- 
 brimmed felt hat, under which his long face, with the large 
 light-blue eyes and eternally-smiling mouth, peeped out. 
 Over his right shoulder hung his huge botanizing case, and 
 over his left a double-barrelled gun of mine, loaded with 
 slugs ; his hat Mr. Kreger had also adorned with a green 
 bush, and, sitting erect in his wooden Mexican stirrups, he 
 swung his whip, and declared his readiness to start. I rode 
 Czar, and the only difference from my ordinary equipment 
 was that I had a bag full of provisions hung on the saddle 
 behind me : this, and a little more powder and lead than 
 usual, was all the extra weight Czar had to carry, and toa 
 insignificant for him to feel. With a truly heavy heart I 
 bade good-by to Trusty, and most earnestly commended 
 him to the care of my men. I could not take him with me* 
 to an unknown country, where I might feel certain of get- 
 ting into situations where I must trust to the speed of my 
 horse, and Trusty might easily get into trouble. The fire- 
 arms I left at the service of my garrison, and, consisting 
 of nearly fifty rifles and fowling-pieces, were carefully in- 
 spected. We then rode off, and soon heard the gate of the 
 fort bolted after us. 
 
 It was the afternoon when we rode down to the river-side, 
 and waded through the stream. 
 
 I rode first, and Lizzy followed obediently after me, 
 though it cost some persuasion to make my companion 
 refrain from riding a few yards lower down, in order to 
 pluck some specimens of the beautiful aquatic plants grow- 
 ing on the surface, for he fancied it was no depth ; while ho 
 
The XcUuraUsL 
 
 37 
 
 and his Lizzy, heavily laden as they were, would have sunk, 
 and never reached the bank again alive. We reached the 
 opposite side without any difficulty, and followed a deep- 
 trodden buffalo-path into the forest, which runs with a 
 breadth of several miles along the river. 
 
 Our path ran with a hundred windings through the 
 solemn silence : it seemed as if every living creature tliat 
 had sought this sanctuary, or fled from the heated plain, 
 were silently revelling in its beauty, and gratefully reposing 
 in its coolness ; not a bird or insect could be heard, not 
 even the sound of a falling leaf interrupted the tranquillity ; 
 and only the footfalls of our animals, and the snorting of 
 Czar, echoed through the forest. 
 
 The sun was rather low when we rode through the wide 
 prairie ; and we could only advance slowly, because the 
 grass at many spots came up to my horse’s back : our cattle 
 were very worn, and poor Lizzy panted painfully under her 
 harness, while the perspiration poured from her in streams. 
 The sun was setting when we reached a small affluent of 
 the Leone, where I knew of a good camping-place, at which 
 I determined to spend the night. We unloaded our ani- 
 mals, which I soon completed, as I merely undid the belly- 
 band. pulled saddle and all over Czar's croup, removed the 
 bit, and then gave him a few taps on his damp back as a 
 sign that he could go wherever he pleased. My companion 
 was much longer in removing all the articles of his house- 
 hold from Lizzy's back ; and, when he had finished, she was 
 a gruesome sight. White foam and dust had matted her 
 long hair ; her ears hung down, and almost touched the 
 ground ; and her generally melancholy face was rendered 
 still more so by the bushes waving over it. I really felt 
 sorry for the poor wretch, and bluntly told Mr. Kreger that 
 I would not ride a step farther with him unless he left the 
 
38 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 buffalo-hide here. He was also convinced, by his Lizzy’s 
 wretched appearance, that she could not carry this weight 
 for long ; and we agreed that I should tan the hide of the 
 first deer I shot, and let him use it. Lizzy was led into the 
 grass, and tied to a bush ; and we arranged our bivouac for 
 the night. Kreger fetched dry wood and water ; I lit the 
 fire, set coffee to boil, spitted strips of the turkey breast and 
 liver, rubbed the meat in with pepper and salt, and put it 
 to roast. Then I laid my horse-rug on the grass, with the 
 saddle, holsters, and saddle-bag on it ; hung the bridle and 
 lasso on a branch ; and took my seat in front of the fire on 
 my tiger -skin, while watching the naturalist, who was 
 making a thousand arrangements, as if we were going to 
 remain at least a month here. 
 
 It had grown dark; supper was over. We fetched our 
 animals and took them to water. Lizzy was hobbled in the 
 grass near our camp ; and Czar lay down behind a bush, 
 but kept his head up for a long time as if looking for some- 
 body. It was Trusty, his playmate, that he missed ; nor 
 did I feel altogether comfortable under my rug. I dreamed 
 nearly the whole night of Indians, and continually woke, 
 when I made up the fire, and lay down again with my rifle 
 on my arm. The botanist, on the contrary, slept like a top, 
 packed up in his buffalo-hide, with his head on an open 
 bundle of blotting-paper ; at the same time, he snored 
 nearly the whole night, which did not help to improve my 
 rest. Before daybreak Czar got up, shook himself, and 
 walked up to Lizzy, who still lay half dead in the grass, as 
 if to wish her good-morning. I roused my companion. 
 We led the cattle to water ; and, while I got breakfast, I 
 advised Mr. Kreger to make some botanical researches, 
 which he did. He came back with such an armful of 
 plants, that I told him I thought he had better not take 
 
The Naturalist. 
 
 39 
 
 more than one specimen of each ; as otherwise, by the end 
 of our journey, Lizzy would be unable to carry the load. 
 He laid the plants in the blotting-paper, bound his bundles ; 
 and, ere we started, I rolled up the buffalo-hide with the 
 hair outwards, and thrust it between two branches of a 
 thickly leaved tree, where it would remain until our return. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MR. KREGER’S FATE. 
 
 We had a good day’s journey to our next bivouac, and I 
 was acquainted with the country so far. We rode rather 
 sharply, in spite of the tall grass, and at mid-day reached 
 another small affluent of the Leone, where we granted our- 
 selves and/ our cattle a few hours’ rest. During this time, 
 I went down to the river-side, and shot a large deer, whose 
 hide I conveyed to our resting-place, along with some of 
 the meat and the skull. After scraping the skin quite clean, 
 I split the skull, took out the brains, made them into a thin 
 paste with water, smeared the skin on the inside with this, 
 and then rolled it up tight, and gave it to Mr. Kreger fo 
 carry, promising to get it ready for use next day. Brains 
 dress skins famously, and this is the way in which the In- 
 dians prepare them. After lying in this state for four and 
 twenty hours, they are washed clean, hung up in the shade, 
 and, while damp, pulled over the sharp edge of a plank, or 
 the back of a bowie-knife, till they are quite dry ; which 
 makes the skin as smooth and soft as velvet. In order to 
 prevent a skin prepared in this way from turning hard 
 when exposed to the wet, it is spread over a hole in the 
 ground, in which rotten wood is kindled ; and it is smoked 
 on both sides till it becomes quite yellow. My botanist 
 employed the halt in exposing the plants plucked in the 
 morning to the sun, while he collected fresh ones. The 
 
 40 
 
Mr. Kregers Fate. 
 
 41 
 
 greatest heat was past ; and it was about three p.m. when 
 we set out again. The country here became more broken ; 
 the prairies were not so extensive, and here and there were 
 covered with clumps of trees and bushes. The grass was 
 not so tall as on the flat prairies, which considerably ac- 
 celerated the pace of our cattle. Lizzy, especially, seemed 
 to feel the difference between yesterday and to-day, and 
 trotted lightly and cheerfully by the side of Czar, who on 
 such tours always ambled, — a pace which is very pleasant 
 for the rider, does not tire the horse, and gets over the 
 ground wonderfully quick. 
 
 At nightfall we reached Turkey Creek, as I had chris- 
 tened it from the great number of those birds I found here. It 
 was still light enough to choose a good spot for our bivouac, 
 where we were near water : we were tolerably hidden, and 
 had very good grass for our cattle. This evening, however, 
 Czar was hobbled ; that is to say, a short line round his 
 neck was hooked to a padded ring he always wore on his 
 near forefoot, so that he was obliged to keep his head to 
 the ground, or his foot in the air, and hence could only 
 walk. 
 
 Lizzy was again picketed, and we kept a watchful eye 
 on the animals during the two hours they were grazing ; 
 for I had nearly reached the end of my terra cognita , and 
 the border of regions which had never yet been visited by 
 palefaces. Ere we went to sleep, the logs were covered 
 with ashes, the cattle fastened to trees close to us, and we 
 lay down to rest after supper ; but I could not sleep so 
 soundly as when I had Trusty by my side : the slightest 
 sound disturbed me, and it was always a long time ere I 
 fell asleep again. About midnight I started up, and fancied 
 I had been dreaming about a storm ; I looked up, and saw 
 that all the stars had disappeared : at the same moment the 
 
42 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 surrounding landscape was lit up by a flash of lightning ; 
 and a violent thimder-clap rolled down the valley. I sprang 
 up, blew the fire into a flame, laid wood on it, and woke 
 the snoring naturalist, who asked, in great alarm, about 
 the cause of being disturbed. I advised him to do as I did : 
 then broke off an armful of bushes, laid them in a heap, 
 put my pistols and bags on it, with the saddle over them, 
 covered them with the horse-rug, and laid the jaguar-skin 
 over all ; after which I helped Kreger to put his traps in 
 safety, in which he greatly missed the buffalo-hide. 
 
 While we were occupied with these preparations, the 
 thunder rolled almost uninterruptedly ; and the incessant 
 flashes kept the tall trees brilliantly illumined. From the 
 north we heard a sound like a distant waterfall ; and the 
 turmoil soon rose to the mournful howling of the tempest 
 which is only to be heard in these regions. I was well ac- 
 quainted with the approaching spirit of the storm, for I had 
 often met it ; hence I went up to Czar, put on his head-gear, 
 and threw the bridle over my shoulder, giving Kreger a hint 
 to do the same with Lizzy. But he had quite lost his head, 
 and ran first to his heap of traps and then to the mule, when 
 the storm burst over our heads in all its fury, and made 
 the primeval trees crack in their very roots. It swept 
 the earth, and carried away with it an avalanche of dust, 
 leaves, and branches : our fire stretched out long tongues 
 of flame over the ground, and sent its sparks whirling 
 through the coal-black night into the gloomy wood. The 
 groans of the hurricane were blended with the deafening 
 peals of thunder, which at every second made the earth 
 tremble under our feet ; and I had the greatest difficulty in 
 making Kreger understand that he should come to me. I 
 had selected a young white-oak, whose branches were inter- 
 laced with creepers, to shelter myself and Czar, and had 
 
Mr. Kregers Fate. 43 
 
 got out of the way of two lofty planes which were singing 
 their death-plaint. 
 
 The fury of the storm still increased ; blast followed blast, 
 crash followed crash ; the crowns of the two planes bent 
 more and more ; and, with a shock resembling an earth- 
 quake, they suddenly fell across our fire, which scattered in 
 all directions like a bursting shell, and hurled logs and 
 brands over our heads. Czar started back, and in his 
 terror would have broken half a dozen lassoes, had I not 
 been prepared for this, and followed him with the bridle, 
 while Lizzy dragged my companion, who would not loose 
 the lasso, for a long distance through the grass. 
 
 The first drops of rain now fell, and I knew that the 
 greatest fury of the storm had passed. I led Czar back 
 under the oak, held my rifle with the hammer down under 
 my arm-pit, shouted to Kreger to follow me, and stood as 
 erect under my broad-brimmed hat as I could. The rain 
 fell in torrents, so that in a few minutes we had not a dry 
 thread on us ; a stream flowed between our feet, and the 
 storm chilled us to the marrow. We stood silent, like her- 
 ons ; and, though it was so dark that we could not see each 
 other, we were contented at being still alive, and having 
 our horses with us. It rained till nearly morning, which 
 was never more heartily greeted than by us two ; and, ere 
 long, a clear blue sky cheered us. The greatest difficulty 
 was to light the fire again. My traps had remained per- 
 fectly dry, as they were protected by the bushes underneath, 
 and the storm had been unable to touch them : I had the 
 means of making fire ; but dry wood was not so easy to pro- 
 cure : still I succeeded in getting some out of a hollow old 
 oak, and the botanist’s blotting-paper helped to kindle the 
 flame. It was scarce blazing ere we laid armfuls of dead 
 wood from the fallen trees upon it, and soon produced such 
 
44 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 a heat, that it dried us in a very short time. Kreger’s traps 
 had become rather wet ; but the damage could be easily re- 
 paired : and we did not the less enjoy our breakfast on that 
 account. The sun came out with its warming, cheering 
 beams, and lit up the ruin which the storm had created dur- 
 ing the night ; while a calm glad smile on the face of sur- 
 rounding nature seemed to contradict the possibility of its 
 being capable of any such wild passion. 
 
 We were ready to start at a tolerably early hour ; but an 
 obstacle offered itself which threatened to take us far out 
 of our course. The usually insignificant stream had swollen 
 into such a rapid torrent, and spread so far over its banks, 
 that we could not hope to cross it. 
 
 I had no intention to stop here, and preferred aiding up 
 the stream, in order to try and find a ford where we could 
 cross without danger. We rode for a good two hours 
 along the bank. The trees continually grew scantier, and 
 the road more difficult through scattered bowlders and rocks. 
 Between these, huge ferns sprang up, and, with the fallen 
 trees, frequently blocked the way, so that we had to make a 
 long circuit to fetch the river again. At length we reached 
 a spot where the stream was more contracted ; and an old 
 cypress lay across it, which had been probably levelled by 
 some storm. I went across the trunk, cut a long bough, and 
 sounded the ground on the opposite bank : it rose at a steep 
 pitch from the water, and was firm, so that I had no doubt 
 but that our animals could easily clamber up it. I took the 
 packages off Czar, carried them across, then fastened the 
 lasso to my horse’s bridle-ring, and crossed the stream with 
 it, shouting to him to follow me. The bank on his side 
 was rather steep, which fact he had discovered by feeling 
 with his fore-feet ; but he leaped with all four feet into the 
 stream, bounded, up the other bank, and set to work on 
 
 » 
 
Mr . Kregers Fate. 
 
 45 
 
 the grass, which had been freshened by the last night’s 
 rain. Kreger followed my example ; but Lizzy would not 
 venture the leap : I therefore went across, suddenly seized 
 her hind-quarters, and pushed her into the stream, which 
 she entered head-foremost, but soon reached the other side 
 uninjured. 
 
 We loaded again, and rode down the stream opposite the 
 spot where we had spent the night. It was mid-day by this 
 time ; and, though the heat was not oppressive, our animals 
 required a rest. We dined, and mounted again at about 
 two o’clock. From this point, the country was quite strange 
 to me ; and it was necessary to make sure of the direction 
 in which we proceeded. I compared the compass let into 
 my rifle-but with the one I had in my pocket ; and we rode 
 at a quick pace toward the north-west. 
 
 The country again became flat, but very pleasant for our- 
 selves and our horses. 
 
 About six in the evening, we crossed another small 
 stream, which probably also flows into the Rio Grande, 
 where we could have spent the night very comfortably ; 
 but we only filled our gourds, let our steeds take a hearty 
 drink, and rode on, as we could at all events pass the night 
 now without water. At about nine o’clock, we reached, 
 with pleasant conversation, the end of the post-oaks, 
 through whose middle a clear stream wound. We greeted 
 it gladly ; for it is always disagreeable to camp without 
 water near at hand. Our animals were soon unpacked, a 
 small fire was lit in the thickest bushes ; and, at about eleven 
 o’clock, we lay down, with Czar and Lizzy by our side, 
 hoping for a better night than the last. We slept glori- 
 ously, and awoke the next morning invigorated, and in the 
 best spirits. 
 
 The sun had just risen over the horizon when we mounted 
 
y 
 
 46 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and rode over the plain, after taking, with the help of the 
 compass, the nearest direction to the forest rising in the 
 blue distance above the wide prairie. According to my 
 calculation, it was about ten miles off. The prairie was 
 very flat, and only a few mosquito-trees grew on it here 
 and there ; which sufficed to estimate distances, for that is a 
 difficult job without such marks. I told Kreger it would be 
 better for us to push on, now the road was good ; for a feel- 
 ing of anxiety involuntarily oppressed me on this broad 
 plain, where we could be so easily observed from the woods 
 that formed a semicircle round it. I spoke to Czar every 
 now and then ; and we had nearly reached the middle of the 
 prairie when my horse gave a start, and tried to break into 
 a gallop. I attempted to pacify him ; but he soon began 
 snorting, and could not be held in. 
 
 I had examined the prairie on either side of us ; and, 
 when I looked behind, to my horror I saw a band of Indi- 
 ans coming after us at full speed, in frout of a cloud of 
 dust. My next glance was at the forest ahead of us, to 
 calculate how far it still was ; and then my eyes fell in ter- 
 ror on the mule at my side. The band of Indians consisted 
 of at least a hundred, and hence must belong to a powerful 
 tribe, possessing the best horses and weapons. I turned 
 deadly cold when I looked at Kreger, who as yet had no 
 idea of our peril, and was carelessly whistling. I made 
 the utmost efforts to remain quiet, or at least to appear so, 
 in order not to terrify my companion, and begged him to 
 urge on his mule, while I loosed the rein of my snorting 
 steed, and allowed it to make a few forward bounds. 
 Whether Kreger noticed a change in my countenance or 
 voice I do not know ; but he looked round, and uoticing 
 the approaching savages, with the ejaculation, “ Great 
 Heavens, Indians ! ” he drove his enormous spurs into his 
 
Mr. Kreger s Fate. 
 
 47 
 
 mule’s flanks, and pulled his bridle so tight that the exces- 
 sively sharp bit lacerated the wretched Lizzy’s mouth. 
 Kreger had turned deadly pale. He looked wildly around 
 him, and showered blows with his whip on Lizzy’s hind- 
 quarters. At his first movements, I foresaw what would 
 happen, and tried to make him understand, that, if he let go 
 the reins, Lizzy would be sure to follow Czar ; and we should 
 be able to reach ihe forest, where the Indians could not hurt 
 us. He did not hear, — he did not see. A picture of horror, 
 he stared fixedly before him ; and Lizzy, putting her head 
 between her legs, began kicking out behind. The danger 
 grew every minute ; for the yell of the cannibal horde, 
 borne on the breeze, was already echoing in our ears. I 
 rode up to Kreger, and tried to drag the reins out of his 
 hand ; but it was of no use ; no prayers, no remonstrances, 
 reached his ear. It was almost impossible for me to hold 
 Czar in any longer ; for at one moment he reared, at another 
 bounded onward. 
 
 The Indians during this time had drawn so near that I 
 could hear their several voices, and distinguish the bright 
 colors with which their faces were painted. Our lives were 
 in the greatest danger. My horse was terribly excited ; and 
 any slip on his part would infallibly entail my death. Once 
 more I shouted to Kreger to be reasonable, and let go the 
 reins ; but he did not hear me. Minutes pressed. I let 
 Czar go, and flew like the wind away from the hapless 
 man, who was left to his fate ; and my staying longer would 
 be of no avail. I quieted my horse, and looked back at my 
 unfortunate companion. The horde was now close behind 
 him ; in a second, a dense cloud of dust surrounded him and 
 the savages, while a yell of triumph, whose cause I could 
 guess only too well, reached my ears. I pressed closer 
 to Czar, patted his neck, and away we flew like light. I 
 
48 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 looked round again ; a dense mob of redskins was after 
 me ; and, by their inhuman yells, they gave me to under- 
 stand that I was to be their victim also. 
 
 The distance between us, however, had been increased. 
 I drew a fresh breath ; and my passion soon dispelled my 
 feelings of pity, and its sister, fear. The forest rose rap- 
 idly before me, and my safety only depended on this ques- 
 tion : Was there a stream on this side the wood? Firmly 
 resolved, even in that event, to force Czar in, I clung closer 
 to him with my knees, and gave him a cheery chirrup. 
 Like a swan he flew over the grass towards the woods, 
 whose single trees I already distinguished. There was no 
 river on this side ; and I soon reached the dense foliage, 
 and led Czar snorting and champing in, while my pursuers, 
 now few in number, stopped a long way from me on the 
 prairie. I took out my handkerchief, and waved it at them 
 to annoy them ; for I would but too gladly have avenged my 
 unhappy comrade : but they turned round, and I went 
 
 along the buffalo-path into the forest, dragging Czar after 
 me. 
 
 For about an hour I walked through the gloomy shade, 
 cutting my way among the numerous creepers, till I reached 
 a stream whose banks were quite forty feet above the 
 water. The forest, on both sides of the path where it led 
 down to the river, was so overgrown with thorns, that it 
 was impossible to go up or down the river-side, especially 
 with a horse ; nor would it do to stay here all night with 
 Czar, as there was nothing for him to eat, and, in event of 
 pursuit, I could be easily tracked. Hence, I soon made up 
 my mind, mounted Czar, hung my pistol-belt and saddle- 
 bags over my shoulders, took my rifle in my right hand, 
 and forced him to follow the path down to the stream. It 
 was so steep, that walking was impossible ; but the faithful 
 
Mr. Kregers Fate. 
 
 49 
 
 creature, once on the steep, half slipped, half fell, into the 
 river, as the bank was very smooth and slippery. The 
 waves, as he fell in, broke over the saddle-bow ; but the 
 horse at once raised the whole of its back above the surface, 
 and, snorting and puffing, passed the crystalline flood. 
 
 In spite of the rapid current, we reached the other side, 
 when the path again ran up the bluff ; but, had it been a 
 few yards lower down, the horse would never have been 
 able to climb the steep. The bank, as it was, was very high 
 and precipitous ; but my steed’s strength was equal to the 
 emergency, and burying its delicate feet in the soft, loose 
 soil, it sprang up the bank, forcing me to cling round its 
 neck, lest I should slip off behind. 
 
 I led Czar into the nearest thicket, unsaddled and hobbled 
 him, and lit a small fire, partly to dry my clothes, partly to 
 make a cup of hot coffee ; for I had turned chill, and felt 
 quite worn out, I had chosen my bivouac, so that I could 
 see for a long distance along the road I had come, and kept 
 my weapons in readiness, so that I might sell my life as 
 dearly as possible, were I pursued. The scene of horror I 
 had witnessed so lately, the probably frightful death of the 
 naturalist, rose vividly before me ; and, though I had ac- 
 customed myself to society again for a very short time, I 
 now felt very lonely, and reproached myself for having ever 
 consented to let Kreger ride a mule on this journey, when 
 I knew the great danger. That he had fallen a victim to 
 this error there could be no doubt ; still I resolved to make 
 certain of his fate. 
 
 Night set in, the fire had burnt low, Czar lay close to 
 me ; and I threw myself over his neck, patting him for his 
 pluck and fidelity : he was very tired, and frequently gave 
 a sigh, nor did he stir the whole night through. I remained 
 awake till near morning ; and, although I dozed now and 
 
50 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 then, I was soon aroused by the hoot of an owl, the yell 
 of a wolf, or the mournful cry of a panther ; and I then 
 listened to the sound of every falling leaf and every leaping 
 squirrel. The night was cool, too, the ground under me 
 rather damp, and the dew very heavy ; so that I really 
 awaited daylight with longing. Czar, however, would not 
 get up, and I let him lie ; for I knew that he needed rest, 
 and I might very possibly be obliged to trust to his powers 
 during the day. I had drunk a cup of coffee, and eaten a 
 slice of venison by the time my faithful comrade rose. I 
 led him down to the water, and saw a number of turkeys 
 taking their morning draught at the river-side, but dared 
 not fire for fear of betraying myself. It was about ten 
 o’clock when I started down the stream again to find a con- 
 venient ford. The forest grew thinner, the shores flatter, 
 and I soon found a deeply trampled buffalo-path which con- 
 veyed me without difficulty across the river ; for, though it 
 was very wide, it was quite shallow. Within half an hour 
 I was again on the same prairie where Czar had saved me 
 yesterday, and where the poor botanist had probably met 
 his fate. I cautiously examined the whole plain with my 
 glass, and could not see any thing except a few herds of 
 buffalo, and a number of deer grazing carelessly among 
 them. I rode up the forest-side to the path, where I found 
 my previous trail, which was crossed by later hoofmarks, 
 and then proceeded cautiously in the direction of the spot 
 where I had left my companion. 
 
 While still a long way off, I saw the fearful sight before 
 me. The sun lit up his bloody corpse stretched out on the 
 grass. I rode up to him, and found that he was lying on 
 his back, without his scalp, and covered all over with lance 
 and arrow wounds. None of his clothing had been left 
 him ; the only things I found were my destroyed pistols and 
 
Mr. Kregers Fate . 
 
 51 
 
 double-barrelled gun, from which I removed the locks : 
 even the blotting-paper had been taken, though for what 
 purpose was a mystery. I would have gladly dragged the 
 body to the wood, and buried it ; but the distance was too 
 great to do so without help. I therefore bade him a sileut 
 farewell, and turned my horse to the ford where I had 
 crossed the river that morning. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A LONELY RIDE. 
 
 My route led me from here through a very fine country, 
 consisting of undulating* plateaux, covered with splendid 
 mosquito-grass, and picturesquely broken up by post-oaks. 
 It was still early in the evening when I neared one of these 
 mounds, and let my horse refresh itself in a rippling stream 
 at its base. The stream came straight down from the 
 thicket on the mound ; and the spot pleased me so well, that 
 I resolved to pass the night there. I rode up the hill to tho 
 wood, whose tall trees chiefly consisted of holm-oaks, with 
 a thick undergrowth of rhododendra and azaleas. 
 
 Here I encamped and hobbled Czar, who mercilessly 
 plucked many a beautiful flower, and champed it between 
 his teeth with the tender grass. I then took my rifle in 
 order to see whether there was any dangerous animal in the 
 wood, which was about a thousand yards in diameter. I 
 had crept through it, and met nothing except a few old does 
 that had their fawns hidden here ; and, when I stepped out 
 on to the prairie, I saw a herd of large male antelopes graz- 
 ing about a thousand yards from me. This graceful ani- 
 mal, though frequent in our parts, is rarely killed by the 
 sportsman ; for it is the most shy of animals. Great curi- 
 osity alone brings it at times in the vicinity of the watch- 
 ing gun, and hence I tried to attract the bucks grazing 
 ahead of me. I chose a spot covered with rather tall grass, 
 lay down on it with my cocked rifle by my side, but drew 
 62 
 
A Lonely Ride. 
 
 53 
 
 my ramrod out, and fastened my handkerchief to it. I then 
 whistled so loudly, that the sound reached the antelopes. 
 All looked round towards me at once ; and I raised one foot 
 in the air, and lowered it again a minute after. I saw that 
 tliey had noticed it, and were leaping about ; I then raised 
 the pocket-handkerchief, and lowered it again ; upon which 
 the herd got in motion, led by one of the largest bucks. 
 They came near me in a large circle ; but I continued my 
 telegraphic motions till the antelopes, urged by their fatal 
 curiosity, came within shot ; and their leader fell bleeding 
 among the flowers, giving the flying herd a sad parting glance 
 with its large beauteous eyes. I jumped up and fired my 
 second barrel after the fugitives. Clap ! I heard the bullet 
 enter the mark ; and another buck fell on the grass after a 
 few more bounds. 
 
 I cut off the best lumps of game, and went back to the 
 dark shade, in which Czar greeted me with a whinny of 
 delight, and rested on my horse-rug, refreshed by the deli- 
 cious perfumes of hyacinths, jonquils, daffodils, and narcis- 
 suses, that surrounded me. The night was warm ; and I 
 required no fire after I had finished supper. I slept splen- 
 didly, with Czar at my side ; and the sun ,was high when I 
 awoke to find my horse browsing on the grass within reach 
 - of his tether. I washed Czar clean, which I never neg- 
 lected whin I had the chance, and rode out of my arbor 
 down the side of the hill, whence I could survey the coun- 
 try before me for many miles. 
 
 A glorious picture was spread out. The sun was not 
 very high yet, so that the shadows over the landscape were 
 rather long ; and the light mist gave the distance that red- 
 dish-blue tone which renders a landscape with a rich, bold 
 foreground so exquisite. 
 
 For two days I wandered through these gardens of na- 
 
54 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 ture, without being checked by any material obstacle. On 
 the third day, I reached the mountains ; and at evening 
 found myself at the height where the limestone leaves off 
 and the red granite begins. To my surprise I saw a splen- 
 did spring flowing from a narrow fissure in the granite, 
 with sufficient grass growing near it to give Czar his supper 
 and breakfast. I stopped here for the night, and had a glo- 
 rious view from this stony height. 
 
 Day awoke me from a refreshing sleep as the sun was 
 gilding the summits of the mountains that emerged from 
 the sea of fog at my feet, round which the large eagles were 
 circling. Greatly invigorated, I bade adieu to my pleasant 
 resting-place, and led Czar over the rocks to the nearest val- 
 ley, which soon received us under its shady trees. I trav- 
 ersed the valley for about two hours in a northern direction, 
 following the course of a clear stream which ran through, 
 with a thousand windings, like a mighty snake, and was 
 framed in on both sides by thick bushes and old overgrown 
 trees. 
 
 About mid-day, as I was following one of these wind- 
 ings, I suddenly found myself a few paces from a camp of 
 Cato Indians, and a general “ Ugh ” reached my ear, as the 
 men, about thirty in number, sprang up ; and we gazed at 
 each other in surprise, watching for a signal of peace or 
 war. My presence of mind did not desert me ; and know- 
 ing that these savages, when they have their wives and chil- 
 dren with them, prefer a peaceful understanding, I waved a 
 good-morning to them with a pleasant smile, and rode, 
 holding my rifle and watching every movement of the men, 
 to the next bend in the river, while the savages looked after 
 me with open mouth, as if petrified. When I had got 
 round a curve and was protected by the bushes, my first 
 idea was to give Czar the spur, and gallop away ; but this 
 
A Lonely Ride. 
 
 55 
 
 would only have been a challenge to the Indians to pursue 
 me : hence I made him amble, as well as he could manage 
 it in the tall grass, and hastened to get out of this unpleas- 
 ant company. It was highly probable that the savages 
 would follow me, if only to get hold of my fine horse : 
 hence I was obliged to calculate my next steps. I had but 
 the choice of two ways, — either to throw out the savages 
 by riding in the water and on stony ground, where they 
 could not follow my trail, and then concealing myself at 
 some easily defended spot, — or else to ride quickly away 
 from them so far that they could not follow me on their 
 wretched horses. The former was difficult and dubious, as 
 the Indian’s eye surpasses the nose of the best pointer ; and 
 hence I chose the other, trusting to my horse’s speed. 
 
 I cut off a slice of the antelope’s leg, which was hanging 
 on my saddle, about enough for supper, and left the rest be- 
 hind, not to give my horse any unnecessary weight : then I 
 set Czar at a sharp trot where the grass was dry ; and, when 
 I reached barren ground, made him amble, — a pace at 
 which he could do his mile in three minutes when put to it, 
 though he took eight minutes when not hurried, and could 
 go on for hours without a rest. I followed the course of 
 the water, and, at the end of some hours, reached a gorge 
 where the river ran through perpendicular rocks, and where 
 my horse had scarce room to pass. I could see the water 
 for nearly two miles ahead : the current was wilder and 
 swifter here ; and, on looking down at its surface, I noticed 
 several spots where the water rippled and foamed as it ran 
 over rocks and stones. On both sides of the pass, the gran- 
 ite walls rose many hundred feet, so that it was impossible to 
 scale them ; and though, farther to the right and left, buf- 
 falo-paths ran up them, the Indians must be well aware of 
 this fact, and were probably lying in ambush for me there, 
 
56 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 as they must have noticed from my course that I was quite 
 a stranger to the country. There was only one choice for 
 me, and I quickly made up my mind. I put my holsters 
 over my shoulder, placed in them those articles which 
 must not be wetted, and guided Czar into the river, in 
 which he floated down with me at a tremendous pace past 
 the rock-walls. I was not at all afraid about swimming 
 him for an hour : the sole danger of the undertaking con- 
 sisted in the large masses of rock over which the stream 
 broke, and against which we ran in less than ten minutes. 
 The river-bed was here rather wider, and hence, fortunately, 
 the stream not so violent, or else we should probably both 
 have found a watery grave. My alarm lest Czar had in- 
 jured himself was alleviated by his speedy return to the sur- 
 face ; and, as be blew the water from his nostrils, we followed 
 the stream to a wall of rock, where I noticed that the water 
 was calm at the right hand end. I steered for this point ; 
 and we swam unimpeded through this channel into the deep 
 water till the valley opened again before us, and my brave 
 horse trod on the sand. I led him into the grass, examiued 
 him carefully, and found that he was slightly grazed on the 
 near foreleg and the knee ; but this caused me no apprehen- 
 sion. I let him rest in the shade for half an hour, as he 
 was greatly excited, gave him all the white sugar I had 
 brought expressly for him, and which was now wet ; and 
 then continued my journey along the river, as the grass, 
 which must have been burnt here late in winter, and the 
 fresh-grown crop had not yet sprung up, did not impede 
 Czar’s speed. 
 
 The valley constantly grew wider, and trended to the 
 west. I left it at about six p.m., and followed a stream 
 which ran from the north. Going along it till night-fall, I 
 reached its source in the mountains, and was at least forty 
 
A Lonely Ride. 
 
 57 
 
 miles from the Indians, when I unsaddled Czar, and hot bled 
 him in the soft grass. I felt quite secure here, for I was no 
 longer frightened about pursuit by the Catos ; and it was not 
 probable that accident would lead other Indians here at so 
 late an hour, when they never march except for some spe- 
 cial reason. Czar was tired, and soon came to me, holding 
 up his hobbled leg, begging me to set him at liberty ; and, 
 when I had thrown the lasso over his neck, he stretched his 
 delicate limbs on the grass. I, too, fell back on my saddle, 
 and slept so soundly till morning, that I did not once look 
 after the fire ; and, on waking, did not find a spark among 
 the ashes. It was soon lighted again, and breakfast pre- 
 pared, before which I had a bath in the spring. Then I 
 lit a pipe, washed Czar all over, and left the well-head, go- 
 ing towards the mountains in the north. 
 
 The road was so steep and fatiguing, that I dismounted : 
 still, I seemed to be on a path at times trodden by buffaloes, 
 which was continued when I reached the top, where a wide 
 table-land, covered with rich vegetation, was expanded be- 
 fore me. On all sides I saw herds of grazing buffalo ; but, 
 though my mouth watered for a slice of hump and a marrow- 
 bone, I did not like to distress my horse, or go too far away 
 from him while stalking. I rode quietly on through the 
 tall grass, resolved only to shoot some animal I could ride 
 up to, and succeeded in doing so towards evening, when I 
 saw something dark moving in the grass, which I recog- 
 nized as a black wolf. In a second I was off Czar’s back, 
 as I should be very glad of such a skin ; and was just about 
 to fire, /when I saw, on the other side of a ditch I had not 
 observed in the tall grass, a very large bear running away. 
 Owing to the high plants, I could not fire ; and, forgetting 
 my former resolution, I leapt on Czar’s back, and flew after 
 the fat fellow. His road led through a number of low mos- 
 
58 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 quito-trees, so that I was obliged to bend down over my 
 horse’s neck to escape being caught in the branches. I was 
 close to the bear ; but it coursed so rapidly under the 
 branches, that I could not give it a shot from my revolver. 
 At length we emerged from the trees ; and I flew a few 
 yards after the bear, when suddenly Czar made such a leap 
 to the right, that I must have been thrown, had it not been 
 for the heavy holsters that kept me on. I turned the horse 
 round again, and then noticed that the bear had disappeared 
 in a gap before me ; and, on drawing near, I found a canon , 
 going down a hundred feet sheer ; and about twenty feet 
 wide at this part. It was a gully washed out by the rain, 
 which I had not observed, owing to the tall grass. I dis- 
 mounted, and walked to the spot where the bear had 
 disappeared ; saw that the bushes had been uprooted about 
 thirty feet lower down, but could not discover a trace of the 
 bear. I owed it solely to the agility of my horse, that I 
 had not followed the bear down the precipice ; and I will- 
 ingly resigned the delicate ribs, which, in imagination, I 
 had seen roasting at my camp-fire. 
 
 I continued my journey over the grassy plateau. The 
 sun poured its last vertical beams on the dry soil, which 
 was intersected by deep cracks a foot in breadth. There 
 was not a breath of air : my horse became very warm, and 
 looked in vain for water in the deep, dry ditches. I, also, 
 pined for a fresh draught ; for the water in my pouch had 
 become quite warm, and Czar could not swallow it when I 
 poured some into his mouth. My horse-rug was so hot, 
 that I was hardly able to sit on it ; and the barrels of my 
 rifle almost blistered my hand. I stopped several times in 
 the shade of an isolated tree to draw a little breath ; but 
 this did not advance my journey : and I could not possibly 
 spend the night here without water. How far I still had 
 
A Lonely Ride. 
 
 59 
 
 to ride to the next stream I did not know ; but I was aware 
 that I might travel for days in these mountains without find- 
 ing a spring or a stream. The sun was on my left hand 
 when I reached the end of this plateau ; but, instead of per- 
 ceiving the longed-for sign of water, a poplar-tree, I saw 
 before me almost impassable hills covered with loose stones, 
 that rose behind one another like sugar-loaves. I could 
 only reckon on an hour’s daylight ; and it was highly prob- 
 able that I should have to pass an unpleasant night. So 
 far as I could see northward, the hills were piled on each 
 other, without offering a prospect of water : hence I turned 
 my horse westward, on the chance of reaching the valley 
 which ran along parallel with the plateau. The rocks over 
 which I wearily climbed were red-hot, and burnt my feet ; 
 and, at the^same time, I suffered intolerable thirst. I had 
 shared the last water in my flask with Czar. My mouth 
 was very dry and my tongue clove to the palate. In vain I 
 looked from every height I reached for the longed-for sign, 
 and wandered up hill and down, till the sun sank behind the 
 distant blue mountains, and the first shadows of night 
 spread over the land. I had passed over several hills in 
 this manner, when I saw a valley before me in the twilight, 
 which I greeted with renewed hopes ; but the darkness set 
 in so rapidly, that I was unable to continue my journey. 
 Feeling quite knocked up, I threw myself on the warm 
 rocks, holding Czar by the rein, to wait for the rising 
 moon. 
 
 I had rested about an hour ere it grew light enough to 
 continue my journey ; and I soon reached the plain, where, 
 unfortunately, the grass grew very high. I was obliged to 
 mount my horse again, for it was impossible to walk 
 through the grass ; and, though I was very sorry to do it, I 
 urged the poor creature on, while he continually strove, by 
 
60 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 hanging his head and shaking his neck, to make me under- 
 stand it was high time to go to rest. I had continued my 
 journey for two hours without stopping, when the grass 
 grew shorter, my horse, every now and then, stepped on 
 stones, and I saw a tree or two again. I had probably 
 passed the lowest part of the valley ; and, as I had found no 
 water in it, there was no prospect of doing so at a greater 
 elevation. I was awfully tired and sleepy ; and my horse 
 was quite as bad : I therefore unsaddled under an elm, 
 fastened Czar to the tree by his long lasso, and, in ten min- 
 utes, I was dreaming of cool crystalline water ; but, for all 
 that, woke at daybreak exhausted and feverish ; and, to my 
 horror, missed my horse. 
 
 I sprang up, surveyed the wide plain, and who can de- 
 scribe my delight when I saw Czar’s white coat shining, a 
 few hundred yards off, over a small mimosa-bush, behind 
 which he was enjoying the fresh grass in a hollow? The 
 knot of the lasso had come undone ; and thus Czar had been 
 able to look about for more agreeable fodder. I led him 
 nearer my bivouac, and was just going to light my fire, 
 when I saw smoke rising in the west, about three miles 
 from me. I quickly pocketed my flint and steel, saddled, 
 and rode towards the highest part of the ridge, which divided 
 the valley in half. When I had nearly reached the top, I 
 dismounted, and crawled to the highest point, whence I 
 surveyed the valley, and observed an Indian camp, round 
 which some three hundred horses and mules were grazing. 
 I saw, through the grass, that the various families were sit- 
 ting at the fires in front of their leathern tents, with the ex- 
 ception of a few children that were playing about. The 
 camp was on the other side of a stream which wound 
 through the valley from the north. Though I longed so for 
 water, I must avoid the neighborhood of these savages, who 
 
A Lonely Ride. 
 
 61 
 
 » might prove very dangerous to me in such an unknown and 
 desolate country. I rode back through the valley in which 
 I had spent the night, and into the mountains on its eastern 
 side ; for, if I had followed the valley to reach the river, I 
 must have been noticed by the Indians, on my white horse. 
 The road was tiring, as I was frequently obliged to walk ; 
 and the heat on these barren hills soon rendered my thirst 
 intolerable. 
 
 It was a mid-day when I, with a firm resolution to ride 
 to the water, cost what it might, guided my horse down a 
 ravine, and suddenly saw before me the fresh verdure of 
 plants which only grow at very damp spots, under a heap 
 of dry piled-up trees, among which a number of turkeys 
 were rujming : I forgot the Indians and the risk, shot two 
 old gobblers, and threw myself between the tall ferns, over 
 the cold springs that welled up among them, in order to 
 quench my fearful thirst. I lay for nearly half an hour, 
 ate a bit of biscuit, and, as I could not fully quench my 
 thirst, continually applied to the spring. This was one of 
 the most glorious meals I ever enjoyed ; and I believe that 
 I would sooner have defended myself against a whole tribe 
 of Indians than leave this spot unsatisfied. The shade 
 here was not sufficient, however ; and hence, I went a 
 little lower down the stream, with Czar and my two tur- 
 keys, where I found a cooler resting-place under a group 
 of elms and oaks. After this, hunger began to be felt ; for 
 with the exception of a small slice of antelope, and a little 
 biscuit, I had eaten nothing since the preceding morning. 
 I set to work on one of the turkeys, and spitted such a 
 quantity of the meat, fat and lean, that I was obliged to 
 laugh at myself. The exterior of the meat hardly began 
 to get roasted, ere I cut it away. In the mean while, the 
 coffee was getting ready, and I concluded my repast ; after 
 
62 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 which I found great difficulty in keeping my eyes open. I 
 fetched Czar, who had also enjoyed himself, and fastened 
 him to a tree ; took my rifle in my arms ; and, in a few 
 minutes, was fast asleep, forgetting all the dangers that 
 surrounded me. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE JOURNEY CONTINUED. 
 
 At about five o’clock, I was awakened by the sun, whose 
 oblique beams were able to reach me through the trees. I 
 felt refreshed and strong ; made Czar get up, saddled, and 
 followed^he stream, which led me to the river I had seen 
 in the morning. I approached the valley cautiously, when 
 I rode out of the mountain gorge, and carefully surveyed it 
 with my glass, without finding a trace of the Indians any- 
 where. It was very important for me to know whether 
 they had gone up or down the river (the latter was the 
 more probable), because most of the buffalo-herds I had 
 seen lately were going southward ; and the savages, as a 
 rule, follow these animals. As the banks of the river were 
 not high, I rode into it, watered my horse, and, without 
 any difficulty, reached the other side ; when I was soon on 
 the path of the Indians, who had gone south, as I expected. 
 I rode up this trail northwards, in order, if possible, to 
 reach, before sunset, some stream coming from the moun- 
 tains, as I would not pass the night where I was ; for it 
 appeared to be a pass greatly used by Indians : so that I 
 ran greater danger here of meeting fresh hordes than I did 
 among the hills. I rode very quickly, and, at sunset, 
 turned into a narrow valley bordered on either side by very 
 lofty precipices. For about two miles, I followed the tor- 
 rent, which wound through loose blocks of granite ; and fre- 
 quently could scarce get through the tall ferns and reedy 
 
 63 
 
64 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 plants which grew between the wildly scattered bowlders. 
 The gorge gradually became narrower, and the granite walls 
 steeper ; and, in the twilight, I saw the end of it no great 
 distance from me. 1 
 
 I had dismounted, and was going with Czar round a 
 block of granite, when a large stag dashed past me from 
 the end of the gorge, hardly fifty yards off ; and I distinctly 
 saw another darker colored animal bounding after it, through 
 the tall grass. In an instant, the flying stag, with its broad 
 antlers thrown back, was twenty yards from me, and 
 bounded over a rock close by ; while, at the same moment, 
 a panther of enormous size covered the track of the deer 
 with its gigantic paws. It had scarce touched the ground, 
 however, ere the bullet from my rifle crashed through its 
 shoulder-blade ; and the crack, echoing through the gorge, 
 thundered in its ears. The panther ran its head into the 
 grass, while its hind-quarters flew up in the air ; but, at the 
 next instant, it rose furiously in the grass, showing its daz- 
 zlingly white teeth, and stretching out its claws to leap on 
 me. I held my rifle firmly to my shoulder ; and, as the 
 animal rose, fired at the white stripe under the throat. 
 The bullet passed through its breast ; and, rising on its hind 
 legs, it turned a somersault, and died with a furious kick. 
 It was very old, and had probably inhabited this tempting 
 spot for many years, to surprise the game that came here 
 to drink at the spring, and enjoy the fresh, green pasturage. 
 Eight feet long, from the snout to the tail, the prince of the 
 valley lay stretched out before me ; and round it the bones 
 of its victims were bleaching in the grass. I went up to 
 Czar, who, probably recognizing his foe, had run some 
 hundred yards down the valley, and was looking after me 
 with his head up. I led him up to the slain panther ; but 
 it needed much persuasion ere he would draw quite close to 
 
+ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Journey Continued. 
 
 65 
 
 this arch-foe of his race. After making Czar stand by the 
 panther a while, — which I dragged about, to remove his nat- 
 ural fear of the creature, — I led him to the end of the ravine, 
 where the ground was covered with young, tender grass, 
 unsaddled him, and laid my traps under the evergreen oaks, 
 in order to prepare my camp. 
 
 As the darkness had greatly increased, I ran back to the 
 panther, fastened the lasso round its neck, and dragged it 
 to my camping-place, intending to skin it in the morning. 
 I lit the ffre, prepared supper, and lay down on my horse- 
 rug ; every now and then turning the spit, or piling up the 
 sticks round the coffee-pot. 
 
 The night passed without the slightest disturbance ; and, 
 at dawn, I skinned my panther, which had a great number 
 of scars ; principally arrow and lance wounds, as it seemed. 
 After cleaning the skin from all fleshy particles, I spread it 
 out to dry at the fire, while I bathed, and swallowed my 
 breakfast. I sought all round the bivouac for weapons or 
 other articles belonging to the dead man, but found none ; 
 and, as the sun was already high, I set out on my wander- 
 ings again. 
 
 Just as I reached the entrance of the gorge, I saw a herd 
 of seven buffalo-bulls grazing. In a second, I leaped off 
 Czar, and ran from stone to stone, till I got within ten yards 
 of the shaggy monsters, from which I was only separated 
 by a rock. I crept under this on the ground, till I had 
 the buffaloes before me : the nearest one stood motionless, 
 with its broad, hairy forehead turned towards me ; and 
 I aimed at the centre of it, although I had often tried in 
 vain to kill a buffalo by a shot through the head. This 
 time, however, the bullet did its work ; and the other bulls 
 fled round the rock towards the valley. As the fat buffalo 
 would supply me with food for several days, I fetched my 
 5 
 
66 
 
 Tlie Backwoodsman. 
 
 horse, took the axe hanging from the saddle, and set to 
 work cutting out the sirloin ; while Czar grazed by my 
 side, and now and then licked up the blood. I removed a 
 piece of the hide from the hump, in order to secure a part 
 of the streaky meat ; cut out the tongue between the jaws, 
 as I could not think of opening the mouth ; took two mar- 
 row-bones, and left the remaining fourteen hundred pounds 
 of meat for the wolves and buzzards. All these dainties 
 were hung about my saddle : for the hotter the sun shines 
 on them, the less does the meat putrefy. With a parting 
 glance at the ravine, I again struck the Indian trail, which 
 I followed northwards up the river. 
 
 At two p.m., I crossed the river, as it trended to the 
 west, and followed a beautiful valley for some hours, to 
 the north-east, where I did not notice a single trace of 
 horses or Indians ; while the path I had hitherto been fol- 
 lowing seemed to be exclusively made by nomadic savages. 
 
 At about six in the morning, I reached a spot where two 
 streams joined ; and I could not make sure of water farther 
 up the valley. Hence I followed the eastern arm, and 
 reached, at sunset, the hills bordering the valley, between 
 which I bivouacked, as I had every thing I required. For 
 several days I continued to follow a northern course. The 
 character of the soil varied as before ; the mountains had 
 the same shape, were bare at top, and covered with loose 
 stones, between which a few low cactuses, aloes, and torch- 
 weeds grew. I also rode over a good deal of table-land, 
 but got away from it as soon as I could ; for, through the 
 entire want of water, the ground here grows very hot, and 
 you are thoroughly roasted. 
 
 I found the grass on the prairie not very high, which 
 made it easier going for my horse, but more difficult for 
 me to approach the game, which appeared remarkably shy 
 
The Journey Continued. 
 
 67 
 
 and restless. My stock of meat was exhausted ; and I ate 
 my biscuit and salt tongue as rarely as possible, so as to 
 have food by me in case of need. I dared not ride down 
 the buffalo, as my white horse could be easily distinguished 
 from the uplands ; and I must spare his strength. Nor did 
 I care to go far from Czar afoot, as a single foot Indian 
 might easily be hidden in the grass, and reach him more 
 quickly than I could. Hence I deferred my chase till I 
 reached the woods that rose ahead of me. 
 
 I rode over the rolling prairie, till, on emerging from a 
 hollow, I saw three very plump old deer grazing not far 
 from me, behind a few low mosquito-bushes. I sprang off 
 Czar, hobbled him, and crawled on my stomach through the 
 grass towards the deer, dragging my rifle after me. Al- 
 though I had got within shot, I wished to advance a few 
 more yards in order to reach a hollow where I should be 
 able to kneel and fire. On reaching it, I pulled my rifle 
 after me, and was just about to fire, when a monstrous rat- 
 tlesnake glided away from under my hand. I sprang up 
 in terror, watched it darting through the grass with head 
 erect, and away fled my deer over the prairie ; and I had 
 had all my trouble for nothing. 
 
 I was very much annoyed, sent some strong language 
 after the snake, and returned to my horse, who had been 
 taking advantage of his rest in the long grass. I took off 
 his hobble, and rode towards the forest, which seemed invit- 
 ing me to enter its friendly shade. It was mid-day when I 
 reached the wood, thirsting for a fresh drink. I hung my 
 hat on the saddle, and greedily inhaled the cool breeze that 
 blew through the majestic trees, and then followed on foot a 
 buffalo-path, which wound between the bushes. It led me 
 to a clear stream, which poured over loose masses of stone, 
 between rather high banks. I let Czar glide down, for the 
 
68 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 path was very steep ; watered him, and made him leap up 
 the other bank ; then I filled my gourd, and quenched my 
 thirst with the cold water. 
 
 I was just going to remount, when I heard the sound of 
 a herd of peccaries, or Mexican swine, coming towards me, 
 probably in search of water. As the undergrowth was not 
 very dense on the side of the stream, I was able to see them 
 coming for some distance. There were about twenty old 
 pigs with a lot of sucklings : they ran very slowly, and I 
 had time to pick out a fat boar. I shot it, sprang on my 
 horse at once, and, as I expected, found the whole 
 herd dash furiously after me. I had room before me, and 
 dashed through them into the forest. They did not follow 
 me ; and I granted them time to bid adieu to their fallen 
 comrade, while I led Czar into the wild oats which grew 
 luxuriantly here. In a quarter of an hour, I rode back to 
 my game. The herd had retired ; and I at once cut away 
 the musk-gland which the boar had on its back, of the size 
 of an egg ; for, if I had allowed it to grow cold, it would 
 have been impossible to eat the meat, owing to the power- 
 ful musky taste. 
 
 I rode for about two miles along the skirt of the next 
 forest I came to without finding a buffalo-path ; and yet 
 the forest was so densely overgrown with thorns and bram- 
 bles, that I could not enter it without a path. At length I 
 found one, which had been probably trodden for centuries 
 by millions of buffaloes. I followed it into the wood, and 
 soon reached a small river, whose steep banks were about 
 eight feet high. Here I refreshed my horse and myself, 
 and followed the path on the opposite side, where the forest 
 grew clearer ; and I soon caught a glimpse of the prairie. 
 The bushes and a few isolated trees ran for some distance 
 out into the prairie. I dismounted, and led my horse to the 
 
The Journey Continued . 
 
 69 
 
 last bushes, in order to survey the plain ere I intrusted my- 
 self to it, and because I was undecided whether I would 
 not bivouac here. I had advanced to the furthermost 
 bushes, which were brightly illumined by the western sun ; 
 and I found the prairie was populated by a few deer and 
 buffaloes, whose evident watchfulness and restlessness I 
 could not ascribe to my appearance. I looked down the 
 wood to the rocks, and, to my terror, saw close under them, 
 on the prairie, a war-party of about a hundred and fifty In- 
 dians, who were riding towards the forest, one behind the 
 other. I sprang in front of my horse, in order to cover its 
 bright chest, and hurriedly raised my telescope. They 
 were Lepans. I knew them by their plumed lances, gayly- 
 decorated shields, and fine horses ; for these Indians are the 
 best-mounted and most warlike on the Western steppes. I 
 stood as if petrified, for fear lest they might see a move- 
 ment on my part, while I held Czar by the rein. They had 
 not yet seen me ; for they rode past, and drew close to the 
 wood : a few yards farther and they would have been out 
 of sight, and the danger momentarily passed. Suddenly, 
 however, the whole party halted, and pointed towards me. 
 I had been seen ; there could be no doiibt of the fact : for I 
 noticed through my, glass that they were holding their 
 hands over their eyes, to have a better look at me. There 
 was not a mile between us ; my horse had been travelling 
 all day. The wood was very narrow, and the path leading 
 through it very broad. I was aware of the courage of 
 these Lepans, and saw no salvation save in the endurance of 
 my horse. With one leap I was on his back, threw away 
 the flesh, and darted into the wood, with the whole band of 
 savages after me like a whirlwind. The river made a 
 number of bends, which I was compelled to follow. The 
 Indians’ horses were extremely swift : this was the first 
 
70 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 time I had ever known any horses to keep up with mine. 
 But I had not yet called on Czar : I now drove the spurs 
 into him, and let go the reins. I flew round the next corner, 
 and then round the next, ere the Indians reached the first, 
 which was a good mile behind. At this moment, I saw that 
 the river-bank was covered for the next half-mile with loose 
 pebbles. I turned Czar round, and leapt him down the 
 eight-foot bank into the river, whose bottom, composed of 
 soft sand and shallow water, he reached without injury. I 
 then galloped up the stream in the direction I had just 
 come, covered by the tall bank, and the wood between it 
 and the prairie, calculating that the Indians would not miss 
 my track among the loose stones, but would gallop through 
 them to the next angle of the wood, which would give me 
 a grand start. I remained at a gallop for about a hundred 
 yards, so that the water met over my head, until I reached 
 a deeper spot, where Czar was obliged to swim for a short 
 distance. At this moment, I heard the savage horde dash 
 past, and the war-yell of these unchained demons echoing 
 through the forest ! Probably the short extent of deep 
 water saved me, for, at this spot, only a few thin bushes 
 grew on the bank ; and, though the savages were some dis- 
 tance off, they would infallibly have noticed the water being 
 dashed up by Czar. I again reached a firm bottom, and 
 followed the stream as quickly as I could ; while the yells 
 of the Indians were audible a long way behind me. 
 
 I was beginning to feel more secure, when my progress 
 was impeded by large masses of rock, between which the 
 shallow water rippled. I leapt on one of these blocks, and 
 gave Czar a gentle pull to follow me : he sprang up, clam- 
 bered across, and reached, without injury, a good sandy bot- 
 tom on the other side. I hurried down the stream — partly 
 swimming, partly climbing — till I saw the lofty rocks on 
 
The Journey Continued. 
 
 71 
 
 my right through the forest, and hence knew that I was be- 
 low the spot where the Lepans had halted when they first 
 sighted me. I still followed the stream, although the water 
 came up to my horse’s girths ; but it suddenly made a 
 curve, and ran close past the rocks, at a spot where they 
 opened like a narrow gateway, leaving a passage for a riv- 
 ulet that flowed from the interior. The entrance through 
 the granite walls was not more than thirty feet wide, and 
 the gorge about a hundred feet deep, beyond which was 
 a beautiful tittle valley enclosed by the rocks, about a mile 
 in length, through which the stream rippled. 
 
 I rode up the rivulet ; on both sides of which the most 
 exquisite flowers grew. Sitting down on a rock at the en- 
 trance, I listened, but did not hear a sound of my pursuers. 
 That the Lepans had overriden my trail was certain : but it 
 was equally certain that they would ride back, when they 
 noticed their error, and find my track ; for my horse, in 
 leaping into the stream, had left distinct marks on the 
 bank, and its track might also be followed in the sandy bed. 
 
 While I was thus weighing my situation, I inspected my 
 fire-arms, which had got slightly wet, put on fresh caps, 
 and was taking a look at my water-tight powder-flask, when 
 a yell echoed through the wood from the east. I knew its 
 meaning perfectly well : the Lepans had found my trail, and 
 were assembling fora consultation. At this sound, all pros- 
 pect of an amicable arrangement departed ; and I was deter- 
 mined, in the event of an attack, on defending myself here, 
 as, in case of need, I could always escape down the stream. 
 
 All became silent again ; evening spread her veil over 
 the earth ; the silver herons and flamingoes uttered their 
 hoarse cry as they flew homewards ; and the owl announced 
 the setting-in of night. The outlines of the trees and rocks 
 continually grew more indistinct ; and it was time to fetch 
 
72 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 up Czar, who was nibbling the tender grass along the 
 stream. 
 
 Suddenly a loud, long, lasting yell was raised, which, 
 however, seemed much farther off, and to come from the 
 prairie on the south side of the forest. Probably, the Lc- 
 pans had found my trail through the prairie ; but it was a 
 satisfactory sign to me that they had not attempted to follow 
 me along the river-bed. In all other directions, my hiding- 
 place was unassailable, unless there was a second entrance 
 into the valley in my rear, as was probable. It had already 
 grown so dark, that I could not distinguish my white horse 
 from the rocks, although the stars shone brilliantly above 
 me. Before it was quite dark, I sat down by the side of 
 Czar, to prevent him lying down. I grew very sleepy ; but 
 the yell of the Indians still sounded too loudly in my ears 
 for me to indulge in repose. I tried to keep awake by 
 smoking, which helped for a while ; but smoking in perfect 
 darkness is no enjoyment : hence I soon grew tired of it, 
 and tried to keep awake by walking up and down. Czar, 
 too, was tired of standing : he stamped impatiently with 
 his fore-feet, and tried the strength of the lasso by tugging 
 at it. At length, nature claimed her dues ; and I could not 
 possibly keep awake any longer : I took off Czar’s load, 
 laid it in the darkness against the stone to which he was 
 secured, spread out my rug, and lay down on it with my rifle 
 on my arm. Czar was not long in following my example, 
 and tried, as usual, to have a roll before going to sleep, 
 which might have injured me or the saddle in the darknesg : 
 hence I pressed his head to the ground ; and we were both, 
 ere long, as soundly asleep as the rocks around us. 
 
 Day was scarce breaking when I started up and looked 
 around me. Czar lay motionless ; and I did not disturb 
 him. I went out of the gorge, and brought in some dry 
 
The Journey Continued. 
 
 73 
 
 wood, lit a fire, and made coffee, being obliged to breakfast 
 on my biscuits and salt tongue ; for the dainty lumps of 
 pork I had cut yesterday had probably served a wolf for 
 supper. While I was breakfasting, my faithful steed raised 
 his head, and rested it on my knee, that I might remove 
 the bridle which I had left on during the night. I did so ; 
 hobbled him out in the grass, and then sat down again at 
 my small fire, where I could see along the river and up 
 the valley behind me, whose steep granite walls were just 
 beginning to be illumined by the rising sun. I was very 
 curious to learn whether there was another entrance besides 
 the one I commanded ; for, if not, it was very possible that 
 my hiding-place was unknown to the Indians, as the steep 
 hills around did not reveal that they concealed such a fairy- 
 like kingdom in their interior. 
 
 It was about nine o’clock, when, after washing and sad- 
 dling Czar, I rode off to examine the secrets of the wonderful 
 valley. I looked around at the lofty walls of granite, but 
 could not notice any other connection with the external 
 world but the one through which I had come. The valley, 
 about a mile in diameter, was covered with a most luxuri- 
 ant crop of vyoung grass, and a number of clumps of trees 
 and bushes, through which the rivulet wound. It struck 
 me as curious that I saw no game on such rich pasturage ; 
 for, excepting a flock of turkeys, I had put up nothing, 
 although I had reached the centre. The turkeys were very 
 shy, and ran off vrhen I dismounted to shoot one ; but, just 
 as I was going to mount again, an old cock came running 
 up ; and my bullet put a speedy end to his existence. The 
 report had hardly begun to echo through the rocks, ere a 
 swarm of aquatic birds of all sizes rose right in front of me, 
 like flies in the sunshine ; but as I remained quietly seated 
 on the grass, reloading my rifle, they soon settled down 
 
74 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 again. I walked through the bushes, and noticed a large 
 pond with flat banks covered with all sorts of gayly plum- 
 aged birds, among which herons and flamingoes occupied a 
 prominent place. The banks were literally covered with 
 these birds, — some of which were standing sentry on one 
 leg, while others were up to their knees in the water, and 
 engaged in catching frogs. When I stepped out of the 
 bushes, all the birds rose again : a portion seated them- 
 selves, with loud croaks, on the nearest trees, while the rest 
 rose in the air, and proceeded in various directions to less 
 disturbed regions. It now appeared as if all the inhabitants 
 of the valley had left it ; and I was not sorry at having 
 secured a good meal, for my stomach was beginning to com- 
 plain about neglect. I hung the turkey on my saddle, and 
 rode to the pond, whose banks were so trampled by the 
 birds that not a single blade of grass grew on them ; but I 
 noticed a great number of jaguar-tracks, some old, others 
 quite recent. The animals to which these tracks belonged 
 must consequently live in the valley, as they could not climb 
 over the rocks, and had not passed my night-quarters. It 
 was now clear to me why this splendid pasture was so de- 
 serted, and only visited by birds ; while hundreds of buffa- 
 loes and deer would have found abundant food. I rode 
 nearly round the valley, with a revolver in my hand, as I 
 expected at any moment to meet the landlord ; but I did 
 not see him ; and not a living creature remained in the 
 valley but the few turkeys which had probably strayed 
 thither. I rode back to my bivouac, as it was mid-day, and 
 both myself and Czar felt hungry, and prepared a part of 
 the turkey for dinner, while Czar had a hearty feed of 
 grass. When we had finished our meal, I tied him up 
 close to me under the overhanging rocks, where the sun did 
 not fall on us. I threw wood on the fire, and lay down to 
 
The Journey Continued. 
 
 75 
 
 sleep, to make up for the last night’s lost rest. The sun 
 was hardly illumining the tops of the eastern mountains of 
 the valley when I awoke invigorated, and led my horse out 
 into the grass again. 
 
 \ 
 
 i 
 
 f 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 I 
 
 I had already made up my mind to spend the night 
 here ; so I got about my supper at an early hour, and soon 
 carried a good stock of wood to .my camp, with which to 
 keep up my fire during the night. I slept undisturbed till 
 daybreak, took a refreshing bath in the cold stream while 
 my breakfasjt was getting ready, then rode Czar into a 
 deep spot, washed him thoroughly, and was soon ready to 
 leave this mysterious but so pleasant spot, with the resolu- 
 tion to visit it again, sooner or later. . 
 
 My road led into the river again, on whose rippled sur- 
 face the night-mist rolled along with the current. But, on 
 further reflection, I saw how many obstacles now stood in 
 my way. The current was very powerful ; and the waves 
 broke against my horse’s strong chest ; the bottom, covered 
 with loose bowlders, rendered its footsteps unsteady, and 
 constantly put it in danger of falling. At length I reached 
 the bed of rocks, which blocked the entire breadth of the 
 river, over which Czar had clambered with such agility : it 
 now seemed to me purely impossible that a horse could 
 achieve such a feat, although the marks of his shoes proved 
 to me the contrary. I would not venture, however, to 
 make my horse leap it again ; but took my axe out of its 
 sheath, entered the water, which was shallow here, and cut 
 away the creepers and bushes hanging over the bank ; and 
 thus formed a much better path beneath them over a very 
 76 
 
Homeward Bound. 
 
 77 
 
 few large but flat stones. I led Czar across, and then 
 slowly walked on, constantly thrusting on one side the vines 
 hanging with a length of fifty feet over the water, in order 
 to force myself through them. 
 
 After great exertions, I at length reached the buffalo- 
 path by which I had crossed the river on the previous day 
 but one ; and followed it again to the skirt of the wood : 
 but this time with greater caution. I left Czar behind in 
 the thick bushes, and crept out alone to the edge of the 
 prairie, and examined the latter carefully with my glass. 
 The grassy expanse before me, far as I could see, was cov- 
 ered with countless buffaloes and numerous deer, which 
 were grazing' quietly and carelessly ; and I recognized, at a 
 great distance, a large troop of wild horses, which must 
 consist of several hundred. These were the surest signs 
 that no Indian had shown himself, On this day, upon the 
 plain : so I returned to my horse, and pursued my journey 
 northward through this prairie. 
 
 In about an hour, I drew near the horses, which were 
 giving vent to their playfulness by rearing, kicking, and 
 galloping about. I rode along a hollow under the hill, in 
 order to get as near them as I could ; in which I perfectly 
 succeeded, as the wind was favorable. I rode to within a 
 short distance of them, under the hill on which they were 
 standing, when Czar scented them, suddenly raised his 
 head, and expressed his delight at the friendly meeting by 
 a loud snort. In an instant, the troop dashed up to greet 
 the stranger. It was led by a coal-black, very powerful 
 stallion, whose mane, some five feet in length, flew wildly 
 round his broad neck. The thunder of their hoofs rolled 
 along like a tempest towards me, till we faced each other 
 at a distance of about twenty paces. The black stallion fell 
 as if struck by lightning ; and the nearest horses fell upon 
 
78 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 i 
 
 him in the wildest confusion, "while Czar gave them to un- 
 derstand by a friendly whinny that there was really no 
 reason for such fear. It was a wondrously beautiful sight, 
 when these noble, powerful animals rose again, and flew 
 over the grassy sea, like smoke before the blast ; the black, 
 with wildly flying mane, flashing eyes, and scarlet nostrils, 
 at their head. I looked after them for a long time, and re- 
 gretted that I could not risk leading a captured horse home, 
 as I could have easily thrown my lasso over the stallion. 
 
 Czar was beside himself that he wns not allowed to join 
 in the race, and tried, for a long time, to check the speed 
 of the fugitives by his snorts : he danced ; threw his croup 
 from one side to the other, and furiously tore at the bit ; 
 but it was all of no use, and serfdom still lay on his broad 
 neck, even though with rosy bonds. 
 
 The sun was rather low on the horizon, when I found 
 myself about five miles from what seemed to be a very 
 large forest, behind which rose the mountains which I had 
 noticed a few days previously in the azure distance when I 
 took my first glance at this valley. I leapt from my horse, 
 hobbled it, and crawled through the grass after two very 
 old stags, — one of w r hich w r as quietly grazing behind a fallen 
 mosquito-tree, while the other, as if it had noticed some- 
 thing, thrust its thick neck over the stump in my direction. 
 I had left my hat with Czar, in order to attract less atten- 
 tion, and the sun shone hotly on my head ; but what will 
 not a hunter readily endure if it enabled him to draw nearer 
 the game? At length, there w’ere about one hundred yardn 
 between us ; and I had reached a small patch of flowering 
 jalap-trees, which covered me. I raised myself on one 
 arm, and fired, aiming at the head. I saw that the deer 
 was hit close to the heart : it ran about fifty paces with its 
 comrade, and then fell dead. 
 
Homeward Bound . 
 
 79 
 
 After reloading, I rode up to the deer, and laid in some days* 
 supply of meat, hung it on the saddle, and continued my 
 journey to the forest, which I entered, about sunset, by a very 
 broad open buffalo-path. I was sure that the forest was trav- 
 ersed by a stream, and resolved to seek the latter ere I se- 
 lected my night-quarters. I followed the path with my rifle 
 on the saddle-bow, when suddenly my horse gave a start ; 
 and a very old bear entered the path hardly twenty yards 
 ahead of me, stopped, and, with its head turned from me, 
 began nibbling at the roots of a few small bushes. It took 
 scarce a moment to raise my rifle and pull the trigger ; and 
 in the next I pulled Czar round, and rode for the prairie. 
 On looking round, however, I perceived that the bear had 
 only sprung a few yards after me, and was now half sitting, 
 half lying on the path, and showing its savage teeth. When 
 I slowly approached it, I noticed that its fury Was height- 
 ened with every step I took ; and only its inability to rise 
 prevented it from attacking me. I therefore rode close 
 up, and sent a second bullet through its head. It was a 
 very heavy fat bear ; and I was really sorry that I could 
 turn it to so little account. 
 
 Not very far from this spot I found the stream, and re- 
 solved to pass the night on its bank, as the forest on the 
 other side seemed very extensive, and it was doubtful 
 whether I should find there good provender for my horse. 
 I watered Czar, filled my bottle, and rode back to the bear, 
 from which I cut a paw, the tongue, and some ribs. I then 
 camped in the forest at a spot where the most splendid wild 
 oats awaited my horse. The paw was put to cook in the 
 ashes for the next morning ; but the ribs were to make their 
 appearance on the supper-table. 
 
 The night was dark, and rendered the light which my fire 
 cast upon the dark-green roof above my head all the more 
 
r 
 
 80 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 attractive, while the giant brightly illumined trunks looked 
 like pillars supporting it. I lay on my tiger-skin, and 
 amused myself with counting the blood-red funnel-shaped 
 flowers of the bignonia, which swung in long, drooping fes- 
 toons from one tree to the other, and, lit up by my fire, 
 resembled so many red-glass lamps. My eyes gradually 
 closed, the pictures of dreams became more and more 
 blended with those of reality, until a calm sleep fell on me 
 to strengthen and refresh me. 
 
 Day w as breaking w hen I opened my eyes ; and the scene 
 which had so sweetly lulled me to sleep had faded away. 
 The fire was out ; and, instead of the glow-worms, a gray 
 mist lay over the bushes, the grass around me was very damp, 
 and the bear’s black hide was silvered over with dew. 
 From all sides the loud chuckling of the turkeys reached 
 me, and I felt a tickling in my forefinger to bend it upon one 
 of these birds ; but then I looked at the mountain of flesh 
 which lay before me, and rested my rifle a£ain against the 
 tree, and went to the fire to pull the paw out of the ashes. 
 The fire soon burnt brightly, and dispersed the cold, damp 
 air around me : I put coffee on, and a bear’s rib before the 
 fire, led Czar to the stream, and refreshed myself and him. 
 Then I returned to the fire, led my horse into the oats, and 
 paid my respects to the bear’s paw and rib. The sun was 
 also darting his rays through the trees, when I was ready 
 to start, and rode through the stream towards the dense 
 forest. 
 
 I rode for about three hours in this labyrinth, passing 
 from one buffalo-path to another, until the ground began to 
 grow more uneven, and here and there large masses of rock 
 rose between the trees. I dismounted, and was leading my 
 horse up a narrow path by the side of a great bowlder, 
 when I suddenly saw, on raising my head, the entire forest 
 
Homeward Bound. 
 
 81 
 
 
 literally covered with wild cattle. I returned to the* rock, 
 as a meeting with these most dangerous animals on an im- 
 practicable path like this was not desirable, and, hanging 
 the bridle over a branch, I again ascended the height in 
 order to convince myself in what direction the cattle were 
 going. The herd passed me, bound westward ; and I am 
 certain I saw over three hundred head pass. 
 
 From this point gradually rose a bald, desolate mountain- 
 range that ran from east to west, and whose base was cov- 
 ered with bad grass and a few scattered granite rocks. I 
 might calculate on wandering about there for weeks before 
 again reaching watered valleys. Hence I resolved to alter 
 my course and go farther east, until I reached the moun- 
 tains which were the source of all the streams I had lately 
 crossed, and return'home along their base. 
 
 It was already noon ; and I was still on the outside of the 
 forest, when I noticed a tolerably beaten path in an angle 
 where the forest jutted out farther into the mountains. I 
 was very glad of it. I threw my leathern jacket over the 
 saddle, hung my hat by its side, and followed the path 
 which ran between the rocks that rose among the trees and 
 led deeper into the forest. 
 
 Suddenly a sound reached my ear resembling the fall*of 
 distant water ; and the nearer I drew, the more distinct it 
 became. It was possible that the river here took a wide 
 curve to the foot of the mountains ; and I greeted it with 
 delight. I soon saw that I was not mistaken ; for, on turn- 
 ing a large rock, I stood close in front of a waterfall, which 
 aroused my admiration both through the peculiarity of its 
 shape and the refreshing coolness that it spread far and 
 wide beneath the shady trees. A powerful mountain tor- 
 rent, about thirty yards wide, fell over an immense rock 
 twenty feet high, down upon another rock, which had been 
 - 6 
 
82 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 hollowed to a depth of about three feet by the water which 
 had fallen on it for centuries, and formed a basin, over 
 whose front the agitated foamidg stream dashed at a height 
 of about forty feet over widely scattered masses of rocks 
 and aged trees suspended between them, while on either 
 side enormously lofty trees laid their thick crowns together 
 over the roaring cataract, and repulsed the inquisitive sun- 
 beams. I soon stripped Czar, and hobbled him, lit a small 
 fire, put the coffee-pot on it, and lay down on my blanket 
 close to the fall, in order to make a sketch of it. 
 
 When I was sufficiently rested, I went up to the basin, 
 undressed, and leapt into the foaming water. I remained 
 till about five o’clock at this Diana’s bath, as I christened 
 it ; and it is known by that name to all the hunters who 
 have since visited it. It was too early, however, for me to 
 camp ; hence I mounted my horse, and rode up once more 
 to bid adieu to the cataract. 
 
 Far through the forest I was followed by the roaring of 
 the fall, till the rustling of the river I was approaching 
 overpowered it. At about one hour before sunSqt, I reached 
 the prairie at the southern end of the forest, and until night- 
 fal] followed its skirt in an easterly direction, till I reached 
 a spot where the stream emerged from it. I camped here, 
 quite concealed, and on the next day rode eastward towards 
 the mountains. From this point, I altered my course to the 
 south, and rode fhere for several days. One afternoon, 
 when greatly troubled by thirst, I reached a pleasant grass 
 valley, on which several mosquito-trees grew : a fresh 
 stream wound through the verdant bottom, and a few deer 
 were grazing on either bank. I dismounted to refresh my- 
 self with the eagerly desired draught, and grant my horse a 
 little rest. A very large deer was standing over two hun- 
 dred yards off, and staring intently at me. I was well 
 
Homeward Bound. 
 
 83 
 
 stocked with meat ; but the query whether I could hit it led 
 me away as it had so often done, and, while sitting on the 
 bank, I fired at it. The deer bled, ran a short distance in a 
 circle, and then fell lifeless on the ground. After reloading, 
 I went up to it to fetch the fillet ; and, while engaged in fast- 
 ening it to my saddle, I noticed two foot Indians, one armed 
 with a rifle, the other with bow and arrows, come out from 
 behind some bushes, and advance some twenty yards before 
 they caught sight of me. I saw their terror and amaze- 
 ment, and that one of them crossed his arms on his breast, 
 and laid his arms on his shoulders, which, among them, is a 
 sign of friendship. I made them a signal to be off, and 
 assured them of my friendly sentiments in the same way. 
 Upon which they described a large circle round me, and 
 escaped from sight a long way down the stream. I felt 
 convinced that several of their tribe were hunting in the 
 vicinity, as they must have heard my shot, and would as- 
 suredly not have emerged so carelessly from behind the 
 bushes, had they not believed it was fired by one of their 
 comrades. I put Czar at a sharp amble, as the grass was 
 not high, and hurried down into the valley, while carefully 
 looking round in order to escape this menacing place. 
 
 About sunset I reached another small stream, where I 
 halted, lit a fire, and prepared my supper, while Czar was 
 enjoying his. Here I rested till night had 3et in ; then 
 saddled again, filled my gourd, and rode on for about five 
 miles. Here I led my horse into a thicket which ran be- 
 tween two steep hillocks, and remained in it during the 
 night. It was very probable that the Indians had informed 
 their comrades of the presence of a pale-face, and that they 
 had followed me to my camp-fire, but had been unable to 
 strike my trail in the darkness. 
 
 From this point, my journey was for several days a most 
 
The Backwoodsman. 
 
 84 - 
 
 fatiguing and far from pleasant one. I constantly wont up 
 and down barren, stony hills, and found scarce grass enough 
 to feed my horse : we also both suffered from the want of 
 water, which was the more perceptible on the bare, heated 
 rocks. 
 
 I at length again reached the limestone region : but I 
 must have been a great deal too far east ; for the mountain- 
 c hain was much lower than at the spot where I had crossed 
 it. This view was soon confirmed when I went down into 
 the valley, and found all the streams I crossed small and in- 
 significant. The country continually became more pleasant 
 and rich, the valleys grew broader, and the vegetation was 
 more luxuriant, than in the desolate melancholy ravines I 
 had been lately riding along. I daily expected to see well- 
 known mountains, and looked about more especially for a 
 very high point on a mountain-chain on which the Indians 
 had built a pyramid of large stones. 
 
 One morning 1 had just left camp, and was riding through 
 an extensive prairie, when I fancied I could recognize this 
 landmark, and convinced myself, by the aid of my glass, 
 that I was not mistaken. I felt myself at home again, 
 although this point was a good day’s journey from my 
 house : still, I knew in what direction my road lay, and 
 eagerly went along it. 
 
 Late at night, I rode along the bank of a river, which T 
 took for one of the western arms of Turkey Creek ; and 
 was forced to halt, and pass the night here, by the numer- 
 ous rocks that rose from the tall grass and ferns. The next 
 morning I passed the spot where I crossed the river with 
 the unfortunate Kreger, by means of the trunk of the tree ; 
 and at noon, reached the camp where the storm had treated 
 us so ill. The revived memory of the unhappy man was 
 very painful to me ; and I hurried from the spot, in order 
 
Hotneward Bound. 
 
 85 
 
 to get rid of the blood-stained picture of the scalped natu- 
 ralist. I now came again into my own hunting-grounds, 
 where nearly every tree and shrub reminded me of a fine 
 chase ; and my desire for home, and my faithful Trusty, 
 urged me on. I rode late into the night, till I reached, at 
 ten o’clock, a camping-place, where I and Czar had often 
 stopped before. It was evident that the sensible creature 
 recognized his home, and again sought the same spot to 
 rest, where he had before stretched his beautiful limbs. 
 
 When day broke, I rose from my blanket with a feeling 
 resembling that I felt on my birthday when a child ; but 
 soon wretched doubts forced themselves on me, whether I 
 should find my little colony all right. Czar, on this day, 
 was washed extra clean ; all the beards of the turkeys I 
 had shot on the tour were fastened on the bridle ; the beau- 
 tiful skin of the tiger, shot on the mountains, was laid over 
 the panther-skin to display it in the best way ; and I then 
 continued my ride towards the fort, which I hoped to 
 reach at noon, with a joyously beating heart. The grass 
 however, was so high, and rendered going so fatiguing 
 for my horse, that I advanced but slowly, and did not 
 reach our first resting-place at the commencement of the 
 tour till noon. Czar was very hot and tired, so I did not 
 ride on, as I had intended, but unsaddled, and boiled coffee, 
 while the horse was reposing in the shady grass. When 
 the greatest heat was passed, and I had washed Czar down 
 in the stream, I started again homewards, and saw, as the 
 sun was setting, my beloved virgin forest appear above the 
 prairie, and the two immense poplars indicating the spot 
 where the buffalo-path that led to my settlement entered 
 the forest. It was about ten miles off, so that I could cal- 
 culate on reaching home by nightfall without any great 
 effort. 
 
86 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 I had ridden through a small wood, and had advanced 
 into the prairie some hundred yards, when I noticed, on my 
 left, at about a mile distance, five horse Indians emerge 
 from a clump of oaks. Their horses were going at what 
 is called a dog-trot, although it seemed to be increased or 
 diminished according to Czar’s pace. I looked at them 
 through my glass, and saw that only two of them had bows 
 and the other three were unarmed. As their appearance 
 did not cause me any apprehension, I quietly followed my 
 road at a gentle walk. We constantly came nearer ; and I 
 soon saw that the Indians designed to meet me on the path. 
 I therefore held my horse in, so that they reached the path 
 when I was about one hundred yards distant from them. 
 They stopped ; and, when they saw that I did the same, one 
 of the armed men turned his horse towards me, and rode a 
 few paces nearer. I made signs to them to go their 
 way ; and, when I saw they 'had no result, I leapt from 
 my , horse, and raised my rifle, again intimating to them to 
 ride on. They now shouted to me, “ Kitchi, ICitchi, Dela- 
 ware, Delaware ! ” the names of friendly tribes, and at 
 the same time made the signals of amity. I, however, 
 signalled to them again, and raised my rifle to my shoul- 
 der ; upon which, they spoke together, and went up the 
 • hill very slowly, one behind the other, till I lost sight of 
 them. 
 
 The suspicions which I entertained of all Indians in- 
 duced me also to ride up the hill to see what had become 
 of them. To my great surprise, I saw them a long distance 
 ahead, galloping across the prairie. This sudden haste 
 could not be explained through fear of me. It must hdve 
 another cause which I could only find in the fact that their 
 camp was no great distance off ; and that they wished to 
 inform their tribe of my presence, so as to cut me off on the 
 
Homeward Bound. 
 
 87 
 
 prairie, and lay wait for me in the woods on the Leone. 
 From the direction they followed, if the tribe were en- 
 camped no great distance from the path that led into the 
 wood, they could get there before me ; whence I soon made 
 up my mind, and galloped off to another ford of the Leone, 
 about twenty miles higher up. Czar galloped nearly the 
 whole distance ; and I reached the forest before sunset. I 
 was now safe, for no one could pass through the wood on 
 horseback ; and the narrow buffalo-path could be easily de- 
 fended. I reached the Leone, welcomed it with heartfelt 
 joy, and hurried down the opposite bank, towards my home. 
 About three miles from it, I had to cross a hill, whence I 
 could see my fort. I approached its crest with a loudly 
 beating heart ; because I must here obtain certainty as to 
 the fate of my settlement. 
 
 I looked across the valley ; and, on the other side, I saw 
 the fort glistening through the gloom, A heavy load fell 
 from my heart : I took my glass ; every thing was quiet ; 
 the smoke rose straight from the kitchen ; and, suddenly, 
 two of my dogs ran up from the river, and disappeared, 
 through the palisades, into the interior of the fort. 
 Czar, too, knew perfectly well that he was going home ; for, 
 though I had ridden him unusually hard, he kept up his 
 amble, while usually, when he was tired, he had a habit of 
 stopping, and biting the grass. 
 
 It had grown very dark when I rode up the last hill, to 
 my fort, and was received by the loud barking of my dogs 
 which dashed through the holes in the palisades. But all 
 their voices were overpowered by Trusty’s bass from the 
 interior of the building. The dogs soon recognized me ; 
 and, springing up to Czar, expressed their delight at my 
 return by loud whining. I now raised my hunting-cry, 
 which was responded to by Trusty tugging furiously at his 
 
88 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 chain, and a hearty welcome from my garrison. The chain 
 of the gate fell, and Trusty flew out and up at me, so that 
 I was hardly able to keep my feet under his demonstrations 
 of delight. My three comrades received me most heartily, 
 and strove to show how much they were attached to me. 
 My horses and mules raised their voices from the interior 
 of the fort ; and Czar answered them by his friendly whin- 
 nies# 
 
 When the first greeting was over, my three men asked 
 almost simultaneously, “But where is Mr. Kreger?” I 
 pointed to heaven, and intimated, by a short “ by and by,” 
 that I would tell them all about it presently. Czar was 
 soon liberated from his burden, rolled himself heartily at 
 his old place in the grass, and consoled himself with his 
 long-absent maize-leaves, while I doffed my travelling ac- 
 coutrements indoors, and made myself comfortable by a 
 wash, and change of dress. We were soon seated round 
 the old table at supper, at which I refreshed myself with a 
 draught of fresh milk ; and then I described the unhappy 
 fate of my companion Kreger. An almost unanimous u Did 
 I not foretell it ? ” burst at the end of my narrative from the 
 lips of my comrades, who all felt great sympathy in the un- 
 happy man’s fate. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BEE-HUNTER. 
 
 I was the first to rise from my bed when day broke, and 
 went forth to enjoy the cooling breeze. Czar was not yet 
 awake, and merely raised his head a little from the ground, 
 gazing at me with his glorious eyes as if he wished to say 
 that it was too soon to rise, and then laid his head down on 
 the ground again, and accepted my patting without stirring. 
 
 After breakfast I saddled the cream-color, for which the 
 saddle-girths had grown much too tight, and rode with one 
 of my men and Trusty to the other side of the river, to- 
 wards the old buffalo-path that led to the prairie ; we 
 reached the skirt of the wood, and had not ridden far through 
 it, when Trusty, who was ahead, stopped and . looked 
 % up at me. I dismounted, and perceived a number of foot- 
 steps made by moccasons. A little farther on, the grass 
 was trampled down by a great number of horse’s hoofs. 
 My foreboding was then confirmed. The entire Indian 
 tribe had laid wait for me in the woods ; and I should cer- 
 tainly have fallen a victim to their treachery if my good 
 star had not warned me of their design. I silently thanked 
 my guardian angel, who had already led me through so 
 many dangers, and rode back to the fort, which I reached 
 shortly before noon, with a very fat deer I had shot on 
 passing through the wood, and which hung across my com- 
 rade’s saddle. 
 
 A few days’ rest at home did me a wonderful deal of 
 
 89 
 
90 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 good ; and I felt remarkably comfortable. Early one morn- 
 ing, I was engaged in shoeing Czar’s forefeet (as I always 
 kept a stock of shoes and nails by me), after which I re- 
 turned to my room to write letters, as I intended to send one 
 of my men in a few days with commissions to the nearest set- 
 tlement. I had been writing about half an hour, with Trusty 
 lying under the table in the middle of the room, when the 
 door opened, and I, of course, expected it was one of my 
 people. Trusty, however, sprang up, barking, from under 
 the table, and pulled me down as I tried to hold him back 
 by the tail. In an instant, the furious animal leaped at the 
 throat of a stranger dressed in leather, who came into the 
 room with a long Kentucky rifle, pulled him down, and 
 would certainly have killed him in a few minutes if I had 
 not thrust my hands between the dog’s jaws, and forced 
 them open, though his teeth were buried deep in my fingers. 
 
 With all my strength I lay on the desperate dog ; and 
 my men dragged the stranger out of the door, while I was 
 scarce able to hold back the animal, which leaped up madly 
 at the closed door. I hurried out to the stranger, in whom 
 I recognized a bee-hunter, who had paid me a visit about a 
 year previously. He was seriously hurt, though not mor- 
 tally, as it seemed. I at once took him into the house ; 
 continually applied cold bandages, and nursed him as well 
 as I could during the four days he remained with me. 
 Then I discharged him, after stocking him amply with 
 powder and ball, coffee and salt, needles, thread, and other 
 articles, and begging him, when he next visited me, to 
 knock at my door first. I was very anxious not to have 
 these bee-hunters against me, as they might prove even 
 more dangerous than savages. They are generally scape- 
 gallows from the States, and live in the desert with their 
 horse and rifle by hunting, and collecting honey and wax ; 
 
The Bee-Hunter. 
 
 91 
 
 the former of which they pack in fresh-sewn deer-hides, and 
 carry it with the wax and peltry to the Indian settlements, 
 for the purpose of selling or swapping. He left me perfectly 
 contented, and with assurances of gratitude and friend- 
 ship ; and I was very glad to get rid of this unbidden guest. 
 
 One evening, as the sun was setting, I felt the necessity 
 of hearing the crack of my rifle. I rode down the river to 
 a small pond on the prairie, which was filled with rain- 
 water in the winter and retained it till far into the summer. 
 Strangely enough, all animals prefer this water to- any 
 other, and will go a long distance to drink it. I led Czar 
 into the bushes, threw his bridle over a branch, and sat 
 down on the edge of the forest, upon the roots of an old 
 oak, waiting for the game that might come to water. 
 
 It was growing dark when a herd of deer came across 
 the prairie, and posted themselves on a hill behind the pond. 
 They were all rather large ; but one of them had antlers far 
 larger than the rest. After a short halt, they advanced up 
 to the water-hole, with the big deer at their head. It had 
 drunk, and was raising its head w T ith the mighty antlers, 
 when I pulled the trigger ; and the bullet struck behind the 
 shoulder-blade. He ran away from the other deer to a 
 broad, rather deep ravine, formed by the torrents, and 
 which gradually grew narrower. I mounted Czar, after 
 reloading, and rode after the deer, which suddenly rose be- 
 fore me, and leaped up the steep wall of the ravine. It 
 was already very dark, and I was afraid of losing the deer ; 
 hence 1 called Trusty to follow it. Nothing could please 
 him better ; he ran after it up the wall, and pursued it into 
 the prairie with loud barking. As the spot was too steep 
 for me, I ran back ; and, when I reached the prairie low er 
 down, I saw the deer proceeding towards the woods, and 
 two dogs instead of one following it. I gave Czar the 
 
92 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 reins in order to cut the deer off ; but Trusty caught it at 
 the moment, and the supposed second dog, an enormous 
 white wolf, attacked my dog. All three lay atop of each 
 other, when I leaped from my horse within shot, and hur- 
 ried to the scene of action. The wolf noticed me, and tried 
 to bolt ; but Trusty held it tightly, and I ran within ten 
 paces of them. The two animals were leaping up savagely 
 at each other, when my bullet passed through the wolf’s 
 side, and Trusty settled it. The deer, which had thirty 
 tines, had got up again, but soon fell on a leap from Trusty, 
 and I killed it. I then rode home, fetched a two- wheeled 
 cart drawn by a mule, drove out with one of my men, and 
 brought back the deer and the wolf, whose skin, though 
 not so fine as in winter, still made an excellent carpet, under 
 our dining-table. 
 
 There was nothing to do now in the fields ; hence we 
 seldom went there ; and our visits were limited to one of us 
 crossing the river at daybreak in a canoe hollowed out of 
 a monstrous poplar, and walking round the field with a 
 fowling-piece, in order to put a check to the countless squir- 
 rels which sprang over the fence to reach the forest at day- 
 break, partly because they did great damage to the young 
 maize, partly because they supplied an excellent dish for 
 breakfast. 
 
 I was taking this walk one morning round the field, 
 when I saw on the railings at the hinder end several whole 
 stalks hanging, and found one on the ground in the forest. 
 I went into the field, and found large spaces where all the 
 stalks had been pulled up and carried off, but could not 
 recognize a trail on the soil, which was thickly overgrown 
 with weeds and grass. I followed the trail into the forest, 
 and found, at no great distance from the first maize-stalk, a 
 footprint on the ground, which seemed made only with the 
 
The Bee -Hunter. 
 
 93 
 
 heel, and which I took for a moccason. The maize, how- 
 ever, was not ripe yet, and not even large enough for boil- 
 ing ; and hence it seemed to me improbable that Indians 
 had carried off the plants. I sought farther, and soon 
 found a quite distinct enormous bear’s footprint, which in- 
 dicated the thief more clearly. When evening came, I and 
 one of my men seated ourselves in the maize with Trusty, 
 on a couple of chairs we carried there. I had my large 
 double-barrel loaded with pistol-bullets, and my cc mrade a 
 double rifle. We sat for a long time, as the moon shone 
 now and then ; but at length we grew tired of waiting, and 
 I got up to go home, but at the same moment fancied I 
 could hear the crackling of drift-wood. I fell back on my 
 chair ; at the same moment, the railing in front of me grew 
 dark, and almost immediately Bruin appeared with his 
 broad chest, and peered about in all directions. Piff ! paff ! 
 I let fly both barrels at him : he disappeared behind the 
 railing ; and we could hear him dashing through the wood. 
 We went home ; and on the next morning at daybreak, we 
 followed the trail along which Trusty led us to the dead 
 bear, which had only run a mile. Its fat and meat fully 
 compensated for the damage it had effected in the field. 
 
 One morning my men were busily engaged in hanging up 
 the dried meat in the smoke-house, when one of them came 
 running up to me, and informed me that a herd of buffaloes 
 was coming up close to the garden on the river. I seized 
 my rifle and darted out, shouting to my men to keep back 
 the dogs, but to let them all loose when I waved my hand- 
 kerchief. I ran out of the fort, and in a stooping posture 
 along a prairie hollow, in order to get before the buffaloes, ‘ 
 which were marching two and two in a long row up from 
 the river to the prairie, and lay down in the long grass un- 
 der an elevation for which they were steering. I had been 
 
94 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 lying there but a few minutes when the first bulls appeared 
 on the heights ; and I shot one of them, though without 
 showing myself. The buffalo stopped, sank on its knees, 
 and fell over, while the others gathered round it, looked at 
 it for a long time, and then tried to make it get up by push- 
 ing it with their horns. If you do not show yourself, you 
 can in this way kill a great number of these animals, as 
 they are not frightened by the sound of a rifle. 
 
 After reloading, I rose on one knee and shot a second, 
 which I hit in the knee, however, instead of behind the 
 shoulder. I saw that it had noticed me ; for it turned 
 round, and, with its head down, dashed upon me from the 
 heights. I sprang up, and waved my. handkerchief, and 
 then threw myself full-length in a narrow gully, while the 
 hunting-cry of my people in the fort reached my ear ; and I 
 recognized Trusty’s voice among my dogs. 
 
 I heard the thunder of the savage bull approaching me, 
 as it made the ground shake under me ; and I looked up, 
 expecting every minute to see the monster leap over me ; 
 but, when it was within about twenty yards of me, it stopped 
 with a terrible roar, as it had lost me, and now saw my 
 dogs dashing up the valley like unchained furies. Prince 
 Albert, one of my young bloodhounds, was the foremost, 
 and behind him came Lady Elssler, his bitch, both equally 
 fast and courageous. They dashed past me. I rose, and 
 now came Trusty with his mouth wide open, furious that 
 another dog should dare to assault the enemy before him. 
 My hunting-cry echoed far over the prairie, where the two 
 bloodhounds hung by the thick hide of the infuriated bufialo 
 on its wounded side, while Trusty pinned its monstrous 
 muzzle, in which he buried his fangs, which never loosed 
 their hold. 
 
 The bufialo fell back a few paces, aud then rose, with 
 
The Bee -Hunter . 
 
 95 
 
 Trusty still hanging to its snout, on its colossal hind-legs, 
 snorting furiously. I could not shoot, on account of the 
 dog ; and the raging brute dashed over the prairie, holding 
 Trusty in the air, who only every now and then was able to 
 touch the ground with his feet. Ere long, however, the 
 whole pack had caught up with the fugitives ; and the brave 
 dogs hung like leeches from the buffalo’s shaggy coat. Still 
 it dashed on wiih them* towards the river, at a spot where 
 the bank was forty feet high. 
 
 I looked after them with terror, for there was no doubt 
 but that the buffalo would dash over ; and, in that case, most 
 of my dogs, and Trusty more especially, would be buried 
 beneath it. A few more leaps, and they would have 
 reached the precipice ; but at this moment the monster rose 
 in the air, and turned over, covered by my dogs. It roared 
 and raged, till the sound echoed through the forest, but was 
 unable to get on its fore-legs again, because Trusty kept its 
 head pinned down to the ground. I could hardly breathe 
 when I reached the buffalo : I held my rifle to its broad 
 forehead, and sent a bullet through its hard skull. The 
 fight was at an end ; and Trusty came up to me, panting, 
 and waggiug his tail, while he looked up to me as much as 
 to say that it had been a tough job. He limped a little ; 
 and Leo, a very brave dog, had a considerable wound be- 
 tween the ribs ; but none of the others were hurt. 
 
 We returned to the fort, and were preparing to fetch the 
 meat in the cart, when we saw a horseman coming down 
 the river, who soon dismounted at the gate, and walked up 
 to me with a pleasant good-morning, and shook my hand. 
 He was indubitably the handsomest man I had ever seen ; 
 and the beauty of his form was heightened by his tight- 
 fitting and neatly made leathern dress. 
 
 Without asking him who he was, I gave him the hearty 
 
96 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 welcome which his amiability claimed, led him to the 
 dining-room, had his luggage brought into the fort, and his 
 horse put in a stall and supplied with maize-leaves. Then 
 a breakfast was set before my guest ; and after begging him, 
 in the old Spanish fashion, to make my house his home, I 
 apologized for being obliged to leave him a little while, as 
 I had shot some buffaloes close by, which I wanted to get 
 home. 
 
 “Will you allow me to assist you? I am a good hand 
 at it,” was his reply. He had soon finished his breakfast, 
 and went with me out of the fort to the river-bank where 
 the buffalo lay. Although I had introduced Trusty to the 
 stranger, the dog still pressed between him and me, which 
 he noticed and remarked. 
 
 “ You have a fine hound there, who has grown up in the 
 desert. I have heard of him before. He is no friend of 
 bee-hunters, and yet he does not seem savage with me.” 
 
 I begged him not to touch Trusty, as he might misunder- 
 stand it, and we soon reached my quarry. The stranger, 
 whose name was Warden, as he told me, laid aside his 
 leathern jacket, which was tastily ornamented with friuge, 
 turned up his shirt-sleeves, displaying thus his finely formed 
 muscular and white arms, and drew a splendid hunting-knife 
 from its sheath. We set to work together in skinning the 
 buffalo, in which operation Warden displayed a remarkable 
 skill, then broke it up ; and, while my people carried the 
 meat to the fort, we proceeded to the other buffalo higher up 
 the prairie, and prepared it in the same way for removal. 
 
 After supper, while we were lying on the grass on the 
 river-bank, my guest told me that he was a native of Mis- 
 souri, the son of a farmer, but had been compelled by un- 
 fortunate circumstances to quit home, and had been living 
 for five years as a desert-hunter. At first he remained on 
 
The Bee -Hunter. 
 
 97 
 
 the frontiers of his own State ; but the cold winters had con- 
 tinually driven him to the south, until he at last got so far 
 down to a country whose climate agreed better with him. 
 He remained a whole week with me, and made himself 
 useful during the day through his skill in making all sorts 
 of trifles ; while in the Evening he described in a most 
 lively manner the numerous dangers he had fortunately 
 escaped, and the many fights he had had with the redskins 
 during the five years. 
 
 7 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE WILD HORSE. 
 
 • 
 
 The departure of Warden was very painful to me ; and 
 the evenings, which I generally spent alone, grew very 
 long, as I had before gossipped half the night away with 
 him. Hence I went to bed early, and followed my old 
 habit of rising before daybreak. I generally took my rifle, 
 went with Trusty across the river to the forest, and watched 
 for game. 
 
 I was cautiously walking one morning along this my 
 favorite spot, and inhaling the thousand perfumes which 
 had filled the recesses of the forest during the tranquil 
 night, avoiding every dry branch for fear of startling its 
 denizens, while Trusty followed at a short distance all my 
 windings round the bushes and fallen trees. It had become 
 tolerably light, when I fancied I heard a rustling at an open 
 spct, in the centre of which stood several very large pecan- 
 nut trees. I stood still for a moment and listened, holding 
 my breath, for a repetition of the noise. I heard it again, 
 like the breaking of twigs ahead of me, but, in spite of my 
 utmost efforts, could not perceive that even a leaf was 
 moving. 
 
 Once again the same breaking and rustling reached me ; 
 and, on looking up accidentally, I saw a thick, black lump 
 shining among the foliage of the pecan-trees. I soon dis- 
 tinguished a young bear busily engaged in drawing to it 
 
 08 
 
The Wild Horse. 
 
 99 
 
 with its long paws the thin branches of the nut-tree, and 
 putting the unripe nuts in its mouth. I quickly sprang 
 under the tree, so as to make sure of the bear, which was 
 about the size of a sheep ; but I remembered its mamma, 
 who might be in the neighborhood, and easily come up to 
 fetch her pet home. I stationed myself under the tree on 
 which the cub was, and made Trusty lie down by my side, 
 as he was beginning to growl, and pressing his nose against 
 the tree. 
 
 The bear saw me, and became greatly alarmed ; sprang 
 from one branch to the other, and looked timidly down to 
 me. I did not move, but listened carefully to every sound 
 in the vicinity, while my neighbor came down to the first 
 floor, above my head ; and, sitting among the lowest 
 branches, produced a cry like that of little children. It 
 soon repeated its wail, and I heard far away in the forest a 
 hob, hob, hob, hob, coming towards me. I sprang up, and 
 placed myself behind the trees, after again forcing Trusty’s 
 head into the grass. I distinctly distinguished by the leaps 
 that it was an old bear hastening to the help of her cub. I 
 pointed my rifle in the direction whence it was coming, and 
 suddenly it parted the foliage in front of me with its broad 
 shoulders, whereupon I gave a loud u pst.” In a second 
 the bear sat up on its hind-quarters ; and, as the fire flashed 
 from my barrel, it made a couple of leaps towards me, but 
 was rolled over by a second bullet through the head, while 
 I shouted a “ Down, sir ! ” to Trusty, who was on the 
 point of springing up. I drew a revolver, ran up to the 
 old bear, and sent a bullet through her brain, as she was 
 still furiously hitting out with her terrible paws. 
 
 I next reloaded my rifle, and looked up at my neighbor, 
 who had fled to the top of the tree, and was swinging with 
 the branches. I called Trusty away from under the tree, 
 
100 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 bade him lie down in the grass behind me, and gave the 
 cub something which brought it down like a ball, crashing 
 through the foliage to the ground, when I put the other bar- 
 rel to its forehead, and stopped its young bearish existence. 
 After reloading, I broke it up, to give Trusty his share 
 of the spoil, — the kidneys, the only bear -meat he ever 
 touched unless he was very hungry. I then hastened 
 home ; and, after breakfast, I went back to the forest with 
 one of my men and three mules, when we broke up the old 
 bear, and carried the meat home on two of the animals, 
 and the cub entire on the third. 
 
 Thus several weeks passed, during which I went little 
 beyond the immediate vicinity of my house, in order to lay 
 in our stock of meat either in the morning or evening, when 
 the heat was less oppressive. During the day we were cut- 
 ting steps in the perpendicular river-bank, out of which a 
 very strong spring gushed about ten feet from the top, and 
 building a small dairy over it. 
 
 After finishing my job, most of my stores were nearly 
 expended, and I required a number of new tools. Hence I 
 went myself to the nearest settlement, sold there my stock 
 of hides, honey, wax, and tallow, and took home the arti- 
 cles I needed on my pack animals. While at the settlement, 
 I met, at the store-keeper’s with whom I was bargaining, a 
 Mexican lad, sixteen years of age, who had accompanied a 
 brace of mules brought here from Mexico for sale, and had 
 remained as waiter at the hotel. His name was Antonio ; 
 and he offered to go with me and stop. He was recom- 
 mended to me by an acquaintance as a first-rate horseman 
 and lassoer ; and, as he pleased me in other respects, I ac- 
 cepted his offer, and he rode with me home. 
 
 Antonio’s skill in riding was extraordinary : it was all 
 the same to him whether he had a bridle or not, whether 
 
The Wild Horse . 
 
 101 
 
 he sat in a saddle or bare-backed ; once on the animal’s 
 back, no rearing or kicking could throw him. 
 
 He also threw the lasso with a master hand. I have fre- 
 quently seen him at full gallop catch a mule by the foot 
 which I indicated. 
 
 Between the fort and the mountain-spring there were 
 always a great number of wild horses, especially in the 
 vicinity of a considerable elevation on the prairie, whose 
 highest point was covered with a small, very thick wood, 
 where a white stallion resided with his harem. Owing to 
 his beauty and noble blood, the Indians revered this animal 
 with superstitious fear. The hunters had tried for years in 
 vain to capture him, and the bards of America had raised 
 him to immortality in their ballads and narrations. 
 
 I have seen and admired this horse a countless number 
 of times, as my hunts so frequently passed in his region, 
 and quite as often I have yearned to possess, and revolved 
 the means to get him into my power. This was one of the 
 reasons why I took Antonio into my service. 
 
 The mare was now treated with very great attention, 
 both as regards food and cleanliness and exercise : she had 
 no more grass, and the corn given her was previously sifted. 
 She was ridden every morning by Antonio ; and the distance 
 she had to gallop was daily increased. Then she was led 
 about for about half an hour, and, when brought back to 
 her stall, rubbed down till she was quite dry and cool. 
 Towards evening she was taken out again for half an hour’s 
 walk, and before she went to rest had a douche or a swim in 
 the river. In a fortnight she hardly turned a hair after gal- 
 loping several miles ; she had grown thinner, but her flesh 
 was firmer, and her golden-brown hair so fine that every 
 vein could be traced under the skin. In the mean while, 
 Antonio had been practising with the lasso, and had 
 
102 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 horribly tormented my mules with this disagreeable instru- 
 ment. 
 
 The preparations lasted three weeks ; after which, on a 
 cool morning,, we left the fort, — Antonio riding a mule and 
 leading Fancy, one of my colonists on the cream-color, and 
 I on Czar, in order to seek the stallion, and, if possible, 
 deprive him of liberty. It was one of those days — not* 
 rare in our country — when the sky is covered with a thin 
 stratum of clouds, which deprive it of its glorious azure, 
 and which, though it does not conceal the sun, breaks the 
 power of its beams. At the same time there was a breeze, 
 so that the day was more like autumn than summer. Wo 
 rode down the river, and soon saw the height emerge from 
 the prairie, in whose vicinity the stallion usually had his 
 headquarters. Our horses were very active ; Czar coquet- 
 ted by the side of his lady friend, Fancy, in his most ele- 
 gant prancing movements ; shook his bit, and snorted 
 through his moist nostrils, while turning his dark, large 
 eyes towards the lady ; Fancy, conscious of her noble breed, 
 walked delicately along, and carefully selected the foot- 
 paths. 
 
 While still some distance off, I noticed to the side of the 
 wood on the knoll a dark patch, which I recognized through 
 my glass as horses, but could not make certain whether it 
 was our stallion’s family. We approached slowly, and from 
 every new height distinguished more clearly the shape of the 
 animals. I had no doubt about it being the troop we were 
 in search of, although I could not yet notice the stallion. 
 A broad valley still lay between us when we halted ; and I 
 saw through my glass the snow-white creature rise from 
 the grass and look across at us, while many horses of the 
 troop still lay on the ground around him. We rode down 
 into the valley ; the stallion stood motionless and gazed at 
 
The Wild Horse. 
 
 103 
 
 us, but when we reached the bottom, he suddenly trotted 
 about among his troop. All the horses lying on the grass 
 leapt up, looked at us, formed into a body, and dashed at a 
 gallop over the heights. 
 
 Antonio now sprang into Fancy’s saddle, gave his mule 
 to our companion, took the lasso in his right hand, and 
 only waited for my signal to give his horse her head. The 
 -stallion came towards us at a swinging trot, while we moved 
 forward at a fast pace, and bent low over our horses’ necks. 
 A finer picture could not be painted. He carried his small 
 head high ; long white locks floated over his broad forehead, 
 and his long mane danced up and down at every step, while he 
 raised his tail straight out, and its long curling milk-white 
 hairs fluttered in the breeze. Ilis broad back glistened as 
 if carved out of Carrara marble ; and his powerful shoulders 
 and thighs were supported on graceful little feet. 
 
 I rode behind Antonio. The stallion was not fifty yards 
 from us when I shouted to the Mexican, “ Forward ! ” and 
 Fancy flew at such a pace towards the stallion that she came 
 within five yards of him ere he recovered from his terror. 
 The moment for his fate to be decided had arrived. He 
 turned round, and made an enormous leap ahead, that 
 showed me the flat of his hind-hoofs, while he held his 
 head aside, and looked back after his pursuer. The lasso 
 flew through the air, the noose fell over the stallion’s head, 
 but it hung on one side of his muzzle ; and the next instant 
 the lasso was trailing on the ground behind Fancy. The 
 stallion seemed to know that it was a fetter which had 
 touched him, for he shot away from the man like lightning. 
 Antonio coiled up the lasso again, aud followed him over 
 hill and vale, over grass and bowlders, at full gallop, just 
 as the tornado darts from the mountain into the plain. 
 Czar was beside himself at the idea of being last ; but I 
 
104 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 purposely held him back, partly not to excite the mare, 
 partly to save his strength. There was still a hope that 
 the stallion, living as he did on grass, would not keep his 
 wind so long as our horses ; and, though he was now several 
 hundred yards ahead, we might be able to catch him up. 
 Up to this point, however, we had not gained an inch upon 
 him ; and our horses were covered with foam, though both 
 still in good wind. 
 
 We had been following the stallion for about two hours 
 when he turned off to the mountains, and flew up them with 
 undiminished speed. The ground now became very stony 
 and unsafe ; but he seemed to be as much at home on it as 
 on the soft grass-land he had just left. He reached the 
 summit between two steep mountains, and disappeared 
 from our sight behind them. We dashed past the spot 
 where we had seen him last ; but the noble creature had 
 reached the steep wall on the other side of the valley when 
 we dashed down into it. 
 
 I saw plainly that he had a difficulty in keeping at a gal- 
 lop on this steep incline. We gained a deal of ground 
 down hill and through the grassy valley, and reached the 
 wall before the stallion was at the top of it. Full of hope, 
 I could no longer remain in the background. Digging both 
 spurs into Czar, I flew on, past Fancy, and reached the sum- 
 mit to find the stallion trotting scarce fifty yards ahead of 
 me. Fancy was close behind me ; and I shouted to Antonio 
 to follow me. But my cry seemed to have poured fresh 
 strength through the brave fugitive’s veins ; for he dashed 
 down into the valley, leaving behind the white foam with 
 which he was covered, at every bound he made on the rocky 
 ground. Gnce again I drew nearer, and was only forty 
 yards from him, when I saw ahead of us a yawning canon , 
 out of which the gigantic dry arms of dead cypresses 
 
The Wild Horse. 
 
 105 
 
 emerged. Here the stallion must turn back, and fall our 
 prey while ascending the hill again. 
 
 But he went straight towards the abyss : it was not pos- 
 sible, — he could not leap it. I.remained behind him, and, 
 in my terror for the noble creature’s life, held my breath. 
 One more bound, and he reached the canon; and with the 
 strength of a lion, and that desperation which only the 
 threatened loss of liberty can arouse, he drew himself 
 together and leapt high in the air across the gap, which was 
 more than forty feet wide. 
 
 I turned Czar round towards the hill, and kept my eyes 
 away from the fearful sight, so that I might not see the end 
 of the tragedy ; but Antonio uttered a cry, and I heard the 
 word “over.” I looked round, and saw the stallion rising 
 on his hind-legs upon the opposite deeper bank ; and, after a 
 glance at us, he trotted off quite sound down'the ravine, and 
 disappeared behind the nearest rock. 
 
 We stopped, leapt from our horses, and looked at each 
 other for a long time in silence ; then I solemnly vowed 
 never to make another attempt to deprive this princely ani- 
 mal of liberty. Our horses were in a very excited condi- 
 tion ; the water poured down them in streams, and the play 
 of their lungs was so violent that they tottered on their legs. 
 We let them draw breath a little, and then led them slowly 
 back to the mountain-springs, where we intended io give 
 them a rest ere we returned home. In the afternoon we 
 reached the spot, excessively fatigued, and found there our 
 comrade, who greeted us with a regretful “ That was a 
 pity ! ” and had already spread our dinner on a horse-cloth. 
 
 We stopped here till the evening, and then started for the 
 fort, which we reached late at night. 
 
\ 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE PRAIRIE FIRE. 
 
 The summer passed away amid sporting pleasures, which, 
 though they always consist of very monotonous events and 
 results, still do not lose their charm for the man who feels a 
 true passion for the chase. 
 
 We had been busily engaged for a week in making some 
 machinery on the river by which to employ the water-power 
 in turning a mill to grind the maize. 
 
 Owing to this I had not gone out much ; and we were all 
 longing for good fresh meat. As there were a good many buf- 
 faloes in the very neighborhood, I resolved to hunt them on 
 the morning after our mill was finished, as one of my men 
 had seen large herds during the day on the prairie across 
 the river. The morning arrived, but with it sprang up a 
 very violent westerly wind ; and a few light, straggling 
 clouds proved that it would not sink in such a hurry. In 
 doubt whether to ride out or wait another day, my men 
 persuaded me to the former course, as the chase would 
 probably be soon over. Hence I rode off, but left Trusty 
 at home, as on these prairies the dry grass was extraordi- 
 narily high, and it would tire him too much to force his way 
 through it, especially if we had to go quickly. I was soon 
 across 'in the wood, where, though the wind did not meet 
 me, still it shook the tall trees so terribly that the dry wood 
 constantly whizzed round my head. I reached the prairie 
 106 
 
The Prairie Fire. 
 
 107 
 
 on the other side of the forest, and saw several herds of 
 buffalo in the distance. 
 
 Binding my hat firmly under my chin, I rode through 
 the tall grass in a northern direction towards them. The 
 storm grew more violent, and laid the grass so flat on the 
 ground, that I could not think of putting my horse beyond a 
 walk in any other direction than with the wind, as, when 
 the wind is blowing fiercely, all game is usually more 
 cautious than in calm weather, as it has to make up by the 
 sight for what it loses in smell. After several hours of use- 
 less exertion I turned to the east, towards a spot on which 
 some scattered oaks grew. Here I fancied it would be easier 
 to approach the game. 
 
 The distance to the first tree-covered hill was about five 
 miles : and I saw through my glass, at the elevations behind, 
 a great number of buffaloes, which, however, seemed to be 
 in a strange state of excitement. My horse found it hard 
 walking, owing to the dry grass, in which Czar was com- 
 pelled to part the sharp tangled stalks at every step. I 
 looked constantly towards the highland, and remarked, 
 while the storm howled past my ears, that the sky was 
 growing obscured, and that the sunshine was not so bright 
 as it had been a few moments previously. I looked around 
 me ; the heavens appeared to be veiled by a gray mist, and 
 grew darker behind me, and on the edge of the prairie 
 were perfectly black. I felt a cold shudder ; for I knew the 
 fearful element which had become allied with the storm, 
 and would roar over the plain, scattering ruin around. The 
 prairie was on fire. It is true that I could not yet see the 
 fire ; but the black smoke-clouds rose higher and higher on 
 the horizon, and the storm soon bore them past me over 
 the last blue patch of sky. Only one chance of escape re- 
 mained. I must reach a knoll where the grass was shorter ; 
 
108 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and, without reflecting, I gave Czar the spurs and his head, 
 and flew in rivalry of the storm-wind over the grassy plains 
 before me. 
 
 Czar ran with long leaps through the tall grass, looking 
 neither to the right nor left. With every moment it grew 
 darker around me ; and the reflection of the spreading sea 
 of flame more and more tinged my horse’s snow-white neck. 
 It was not his ordinary strength that urged the horse to 
 reach the knoll, but the force which desperation imparts to 
 men and animals, but soon wears them out and ends in 
 utter exhaustion. The sharp spurs, and the thunder behind 
 him, urged my horse constantly on at a mad speed ; but I 
 felt his bound gradually lose its lightness and force. 
 
 I was not far from the hill in front of me : once more the 
 spurs and my shrill hunting-cry ; and I flew up the knoll, 
 and hobbled my trembling, snorting horse on the bare 
 table-land, which was covered with pebbles and thin patches 
 of grass. I ran back to the tall grass with a lucifer in my 
 hand, lit it, and in an instant the flames rose, struggling 
 wildly against the storm, and darted round my hill, till 
 they joined on its eastern side, and dashed along like an 
 avalanche with the howling storm. I now looked back for 
 the first time, holding my brave horse by the bridle, at the 
 fearfully animated plain, and watched the dark living forms 
 hurrying past on either side of the knoll. The whole ani- 
 mal world seemed assembled here, and to be exerting their 
 last strength in escaping a death by fire. On both sides 
 beneath me thundered past in wild confusion herd after 
 herd, — buffaloes, horses, deer, and antelopes were pressed 
 together ; and between them rushed bears, tigers, panthers, 
 and wolves, one after the other, with their faces averted 
 from the glow, which the storm blew with a thick black 
 cloud of ashes over the land. Dark, black night now en- 
 
The Prairie Fire. 
 
 109 
 
 compassed me : only a pale reddish glare gleamed through 
 the dense ashes. The heat was stifling : I and my horse — 
 who, trembling all over, yielded to his fate — turned our 
 backs to it ; and the stream of fire passed us on both sides, 
 crackling and hissing. 
 
 Gradually daylight returned, and the sky became blue 
 over my head. Thousands of large and small predaceous 
 birds followed the flames, and fell now and then in them. 
 On all sides lay the black carcasses of the countless victims 
 which this prairie-fire had destroyed ; and many animals, 
 struggling with death, were rolling in their agony on the 
 plain. Czar and I were completely covered with ashes. I 
 now mounted my horse to get away as quickly as possible 
 from this scene of destruction and death, and reach the 
 green forests of the Leone by the straightest line. 
 
 About a mile from the wood on the Leone, I saw, to my 
 great surprise, on my right hand, a very large deer and a 
 horse walking together across the plain to the wood. They 
 tottered along slowly side by side, and seemed not to notice 
 me at all. I rode up to them : I fancied they had been 
 blinded by the fire, but it was not so ; for they now stopped, 
 and gazed at me with their bright eyes, as if imploring me 
 not to prevent them from reaching the wood. Both were 
 slightly scorched, though the horse had lost mane and tail : 
 they appeared to have suffered more from excessive exer- 
 tion, and to be yearning for the water of the Leone. I 
 could easily have killed the deer ; but I pitied the creature, 
 and besides did not care to eat its hunted flesh, or put a fur- 
 ther load on Czar. Hence I quitted tbe poor creatures, and 
 reached the wood, which is not very broad here, and soon 
 after the river, where Czar refreshed himself for a long 
 time in the cool waters. 
 
 It was evening when I reached home, tired, and without 
 
110 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 booty. My people had seen, by the smoke which covered 
 the sky over them, that the prairie was on fire ; and they 
 were very anxious about me on account of the violent storm. 
 I soon sought my bed, and slept till the sun rose. 
 
CHAPTER XIH. 
 
 THE DELAWARE INDIAN. 
 
 One day, after dinner, when we had drunk coffee, my 
 sentry shouted that a party of Indians were coming ,up 
 the river ; and I perceived through my telescope that they 
 must belong to one of the civilized tribes, as they were not 
 armed with lances, and bows and arrows, but with fire- 
 arms, and wore clothes, if we may call them such, consist- 
 ing of leathern breeches^md jackets, and a colored handker- 
 chief wound round the head like a turban. There were ten 
 Indians who halted at the great gate of the palisade which 
 enclosed my fort in a large semicircle, with both its ends 
 joining the river. They shouted, “ Captain !” and then 
 gave me to understand that they wished to speak with me. 
 I went out, accompanied by Trusty, with my large gun 
 loaded with slugs on my arm, and found that the men be- 
 longed to a tribe of friendly Delaware Indians, whose chief 
 I knew, and who had several times camped in the very 
 neighborhood, and paid me a visit. 
 
 They told me they had encamped several miles down the 
 river, where they had arrived on the last evening ; their 
 chief had sent them to tell me that the prairie-fire on the 
 previous morning had been caused by the negligence of his 
 men ; but that it had spread against their will, and had not 
 been purposely caused. Then they asked whether the chief 
 would be allowed to visit me, and rode back to camp after 
 I had appointed his visit for the morrow. 
 
 \ 
 
 ill 
 
112 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 The next morning, at about seven o’clock, the chief of 
 the Delawares duly rode up with three of his men. They 
 bound their horses by lassos to pickets which they drove 
 into the ground, carried their baggage into the fort, and 
 accepted my invitation to enter the house, where our parlor 
 and kitchen were. Delawares have always been on the 
 most friendly terms with the United-States Government, 
 fought on their side against England, in the War of Libera- 
 tion, and have assumed a number of customs from the 
 whites. They have, as their property, a district of land on 
 the Kansas, where their villages are situated ; and their 
 squaws, children, and old people carry on agriculture and 
 cattle-breeding, while the men, with some of the squaws, 
 hunt in the desert for nine months of the year. 
 
 The Delawares are generally got^d-looking ; the men tall 
 and well built, with expressive, marked features, aquiline 
 noses, large dark eyes, long black hair, and not a very red- 
 dish-brown complexion. The women are small, but neat 
 and pretty ; and, in spite of their darker hue, produce a 
 pleasing impression through their regular, sharply cut fea- 
 tures, dark curly hair, and brilliant coal-black eyes. They 
 dress themselves with some degree of taste. Their clothes 
 consist of gayly painted deer-hide ornamented with beads, 
 and the gayest calicoes, which they obtain from the Govern- 
 ment trading-posts by bartering peltry for them. 
 
 After our guests had taken their places, I lit a pipe, and 
 handed it to the chief, who, after taking some twenty pulls 
 at it, passed it to his next man ; and so it went from hand 
 to hand, or rather from mouth to mouth, till it returned to 
 me. During this ceremony of the pipe of peace, not a word 
 was spoken ; but the chief now broke the silence. After 
 puffing out a portion of the swallowed smoke in a dense 
 cloud from his lips and nostrils, he told me they were the 
 
The Delaware Indian. 
 
 113 
 
 best friends of the white men, and would remain so, and 
 intended to stay for some weeks in the neighborhood for 
 the purpose of hunting. I assured them that we enter- 
 tained the same feelings towards them, and that I intended 
 to pay them a return visit at their camp. 
 
 After this, dinner was served up, which they greatly en- 
 joyed. They behaved with great propriety at it, were 
 acquainted with the use of knives and forks ; and it could 
 be seen by their conduct that they frequently came into con- 
 tact with white men. After dinner, the chief imparted to 
 me, that his people wished to have a deal with me, and 
 swap tanned deer and antelope skins for powder, lead, and 
 flints. I told him I should be delighted, and should expect 
 them in the afternoon. One of them, who called himself 
 44 Black Tiger,” pleased me remarkably. He was a young, 
 good-looking man, of about eighteen, tall, thin, with an 
 open, kindly face, and displayed great animation and con- 
 versational powers for an Indian. He spoke English very 
 well, and seemed much attached to me, which he repeatedly 
 told me, and at last displayed more fully by expressing a 
 wish to remain with me. I took it for a joke, laughed, 
 and told him, that, in that case, I would build him a house 
 for himself, and give him every thing he wished to have. 
 
 They then rode away, after indicating the position of the 
 sun when they intended to return in the afternoon for the 
 purpose of making the barter. At about four, p.m., some 
 twenty Delawares dismounted in front of the fort, and dis- 
 played their wares on the prairie. No tribe prepares hides 
 so finely as this one ; and I was very glad to obtain a num- 
 ber of them for use by myself and my men, as we made 
 our clothes out of them, and were unable to prepare them 
 so handsomely ourselves. The exchange was soon arranged 
 to mutual satisfaction, although I had given but little pow- 
 8 
 
 * 
 
114 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 der, lead, flints, and pressed tobacco in proportion. The 
 chief was presented with a small portion of the above 
 articles, as is the custom on such occasions ; and then the 
 whole party followed me into the fort, where I regaled 
 them with coffee and bread. 
 
 When they prepared to depart, the chief told me that one 
 of his men, Black Tiger, would stop with me, as I had of- 
 fered to build him a house, and give him every thing he re- 
 quired. He would, in return, be a very good friend to me ; 
 and he (the chief) would hear, on his return in the follow- 
 ing year, whether he remained a Delaware. I saw. now 
 that it was no jest, and replied that I would be a good 
 friend to him as to all the Delawares. On parting, I gave 
 him the assurance that I would visit them next morning at 
 their camp. Black Tiger remained behind in great delight, 
 carried, his saddle and pack into the fort, placed his long 
 rifle and hunting-pouch in the parlor, and then came to me, 
 begging I would build him the promised house. I inti- 
 mated to him that this would take some time ; but, in the 
 mean while, I would give him a handsome tent. I fetched 
 a very large white and red striped marquee, and asked him 
 where I should put it up for him. He pointed out a spot 
 at the eastern end of the fence, under an elm-tree, on the 
 slope over the river ; and, when I told him that I locked the 
 fort-gate at night, he laughed, and replied, that, in that 
 case, he would shut up his house too. 
 
 He was quite beside himself with joy when the handsome 
 tent was up, and the long red, white, and blue American 
 pennant floated over it. He now refused to have another 
 house, as this one was much finer than mine. A trench 
 was dug round the tent to carry off the rain-water ; and the 
 ground inside was covered with some buffalo-hides, after 
 which Tiger carried in his baggage and weapons, quite de- 
 
The Delaware Indian . 
 
 115 
 
 lighted with his house. In order to delight him even more, 
 I hung upon the tent-post a looking-glass, put in a chair, and 
 gave my young friend a gay-colored silk handkerchief, with 
 which he bound his fine black hair on the right side of his 
 head, and let the end hang over his shoulder. After supper, 
 my new guest went to his tent ; and, when we closed the 
 fort, a merry fire was still blazing before it, behind which 
 he sat on his stool, and smoked a short pipe which I had 
 also given him. 
 
 The next morning, almost before sunrise, I went to Ti- 
 ger, and saw him turning some spits at the fire, on which 
 he had placed the breast of a turkey, while by his side lay 
 another young cock, which, as he said, he had fetched for 
 me. He had been hunting on the other side of the river, to 
 which he had crossed in my canoe. An hour after, he 
 came to breakfast with me, and enjoyed it heartily, espe- 
 cially the milk and bread. Then he went to his tent, and 
 slept till I called him to ride with me to the camp of his 
 tribe. 
 
 I had mounted Czar, and one of my men the cream-color, 
 when my young Tiger rode up to us in full costume. The 
 lower part of his face, from the corners of his mouth to 
 the ear-tips, was painted pure red with vermilion ; from 
 this a black stripe ran to the eyes, while the edges of the 
 eyelids were again thickly daubed with vermilion. His 
 hair, fastened with the silk handkerchief, hung oveV his 
 shoulders ; and in front of his chest he had hung from a 
 leathern thong the looking-glass from his tent, which com- 
 pletely covered it. He glowed with pride and joy, and was 
 of opinion that his brothers in camp would stare when they 
 saw him with these splendid things. 
 
 Tiger was mounted on a magnificent piebald, with an 
 enormous black mane and tail. The saddle was of wood, 
 
116 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and home manufacture, and from it hung two large wooden 
 stirrups by leathern straps. Over the saddle lay a shaggy 
 buffalo-hide, under which the tomahawk, fastened to the 
 saddle-bow, and a rolled-up lasso, peeped out. The bridle 
 was composed of leathern straps fastened under the horse’s 
 jaw with a slipknot ; and vermilion-dyed strips of deer-hide 
 were plaited in the mane. The long single rifle hung 
 downwards over Tiger’s left shoulder, while he laid his 
 powerful fore-arm on the stock. A small medicine-bag of 
 beaver-skin hung on his right side, and on the strap pass- 
 ing over his right shoulder a number of strips of shaggy 
 buffalo-hide were fastened as a rest for the rifle. The 
 young rider’s dress consisted of leathern breeches adorned 
 on the sides with a delicate fringe of the same material, 
 and fastened at top by a strap to the short leathern petticoat 
 that "was gathered round his hips, and decorated with very 
 long fringe. On his feet he had deer-hide moccasons, 
 round his neck was a collar of very large white beads, very 
 finely cut out of shells, and round his arms was a number 
 of polished brass rings. He sat his horse nobly, and turned 
 his flashing black eyes in all directions. 
 
 We soon reached the Delaware camp, hobbled our 
 horses in the grass close by, and went up to the chief, who 
 was lying at his fire, in front of his great buffalo-hide tent, 
 and beiug served with food by his two young squaws. 
 Without rising, he invited us to sit down by his side, and 
 smoke the pipe of peace with him, -while he silently gazed 
 in admiration at Black Tiger. The camp consisted of some 
 forty tents of white buffalo-hides, erected under clumps of 
 trees on the river-bank, and before which an equal number 
 of fires was burning. From the trees around hung a num- 
 ber of skins of every description, stretched out to dry in the 
 sun ; while men, women, and children lay round the fire, 
 
I 
 
 The Delaware Indian. 117 
 
 and were eating their dinner. A heap of dogs were run- 
 ning about the camp, while some hundred horses and mules 
 were grazing around. We sat down on a buffalo-hide by 
 the chiefs fire ; and he at once told us about his journey 
 which he had made in spring in the Rocky Mountains : he 
 •wished to remain during the winter in the South, and next 
 spring pay a visit to his home on the Kansas. He described in 
 a very animated way the hunts he had made there, and the 
 bloody fights with hostile tribes ; gave me a very attrac- 
 tive description of the mountains, rivers, and valleys of 
 those parts ; and remarked, with a slightly jealous look, 
 that I occupied the best land. I answered him that this 
 land was free as before to friendly Indians like the Dela- 
 wares : the latter could sleep the more tranquilly, because 
 I only pursued the foes of my Indian friends, and had cast 
 my bullets solely for them. This speech produced a . very 
 good effect upon my red friend ; and, with a cordial laugh, 
 he took my hand in his two, and shook it with an expres- 
 sion of the most hearty and sincere friendliness. Soon after, 
 he said a few words to one of his squaws ; and one of his 
 little ones, about four years of age, came out of the tent 
 soon after, dragging an enormous tanned, exquisitely painted 
 buffalo-hide, which he presented to me, while his father 
 nodded kindly. 
 
 While we were sitting thus coseyly together, several of the 
 Indians in the other tents prepared to go hunting, mounted 
 their horses, called their dogs, and rode off ; while othei s 
 got their fishing-tackle ready, or sported with the girls at the 
 fire. Two young squaws went out in front of the camp, 
 followed by several youths, and stood side by side to try 
 their speed in running. I looked for a long time at these 
 graceful little savages, as they teased each other, and 
 bounded about with the most pleasing movements : then I 
 
118 
 
 The Backwbodsm an . 
 
 once more assured the chief of my friendship, and rode back 
 to the fort. 
 
 Our horses had enjoyed a rather long rest, when I one 
 morning rode across the river with Tiger to the northern 
 prairies for the purpose of procuring fresh meat. We had 
 been an hour under way when we reached a stream which 
 winds through the prairie to the Leone, and is densely over- 
 grown on both banks with birch - bushes. The stream 
 through its windings forms here almost an island, as it 
 flows past again only a few yards from its own bed. I saw 
 from a distance a remarkably fat buffalo in the young, fresh 
 grass of this island, and on the other side, in the prairie, a 
 herd of about four hundred of these animals. I dismounted 
 behind the birches, and left Tiger with the horses : then I 
 sprang through the stream, and crawled on my stomach 
 through the grass towards the buffalo ; Trusty following me 
 exactly in the same way. The buffalo continued to graze, 
 and did not seem to notice me at all. The sun burnt 
 fiercely, although the breeze was very fresh ; and I became 
 frightfully hot on this march. The buffalo was one of the 
 largest bulls in the herd, and seemed to have selected this 
 luxuriant spot for itself : it frequently looked across to its 
 friends, and drove away with its huge fat tail and horns 
 the flies, tvhicli on this day were most troublesome. Not 
 far from it grew an old mosquito-tree, the only one on this 
 round, rather large meadow ; and a very long, strong, but 
 withered branch grew horizontally out of its trunk, about 
 four feet from the ground. 
 
 I was near enough to shoot with certainty, but the buf- 
 falo was turned from me ; and I was obliged to wait till it 
 moved before I could kill it. I lay for a long time motion- 
 less, with Trusty behind me, whose head I pressed down to 
 the ground. At last the bull started round, as the flies had 
 
119 
 
 The Delaware Indian. 
 
 probably given it too fierce a sting, and exposed its whole 
 enormous side to me. I aimed just behind the shoulder- 
 blade, and, as soon as I had fired, laid myself flat on the 
 ground. The buffalo darted round several times, looking 
 for its enemy, but then tottered against the tree, where it 
 leant against the withered branch to keep itself from falling, 
 while it burst into a fearful roar, and rolled its enormous 
 head. I gave Trusty a nod, and with a few leaps he was 
 in front of the buffalo, and pinned it by the nose. I had 
 just reloaded when the bushes parted on the other side of 
 the meadow at a hundred points, the whole herd of buffa- 
 loes dashed through, and galloped towards me. They had 
 heard the complaints of their lord and Trusty’s furious 
 barking, and hurried up to help their comrade. I stood 
 quite exposed ; and expected, that, on seeing me, they would 
 take to flight ; but they dashed on straight towards me. 
 The foremost of the herd were only thirty paces from me 
 when I took out my white pocket-handkerchief, and waved 
 it in the air. The ranks now broke, and the terrified ani- 
 mals dashed past me on the right and left ; upon which I 
 sent two bullets after them, which certainly went home, 
 but were carried away by the wounded. Tiger, at this 
 moment, came through the bushes with the horses, and said 
 to me laughingly, that, if I had not had the handkerchief, 
 the herd would certainly have run over me. We went up 
 to the shot buffalo, while our horses grazed near us, 
 paunched it, and then put up a number of white rags we 
 had brought for the purpose, and fastened to sticks, and 
 laid a white cloth over it to keep off the carrion crows. 
 Then we mounted our horses for the purpose of riding 
 home, and fetching the meat in the mule-cart. 
 
 We were in our saddles when a herd of about four hun- 
 dred buffaloes appeared on a rise in the prairie, halted in 
 
120 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 a long point, and stared at us in amazement. The distance 
 was scarce three hundred yards. Tiger looked at me with 
 a smile, and cried, u Alligator Creek ! ” while pointing to 
 the herd. I made him a sign to ride on ; and we were soon 
 galloping behind the flying buffaloes, which pressed close 
 together, and thundered on ahead of us in a cloud of dust. 
 Tiger’s clear hunting-yell urged the terrified monsters to a 
 more rapid flight ; and in ten minutes we approached a 
 swampy stream which crossed the prairie obliquely, and 
 which we had christened u Alligator Creek,” from the 
 number of those animals in it. The banks were very steep, 
 and above twelve feet high, the water almost dried up, 
 and the deep bed only contained black thick mud. 
 
 The dense mass hastened before us towards the banks of 
 the river-bed, and rushed down into the swampy bottom 
 with deafening roars and grunts. Buffalo after buffalo fell 
 into the ravine, till we pulled up on the bank above them, 
 and laughed at their confusion, and the efforts with which 
 they ascended the other bank, all coated with mud. I fan- 
 cied that at least one-half must break their necks ; but not 
 one of them remained in the mud. They forced their way 
 to the other bank atop of each other, and sprang, apparently 
 at least, quite unhurt ujJ it. 
 
 We now rode the shortest way to the forest on the Leone, 
 and again crossed the stream on which I had shot the bull, 
 about three miles below the spot where it lay. We passed 
 through the thick bushes out into the prairie ; but Trusty 
 did not follow us. He trotted down the stream, stopped 
 every now and then, looked up to me, and gave his deep 
 bark. I looked at him curiously, for I knew that he was 
 on some track, when all at once he disappeared in the 
 bushes, and stopped. I gave Czar, whom the well-known 
 voice had rendered impatient, his head, and soon reached 
 
The Delaware Indian. 
 
 121 
 
 the bushes among which Trusty was baying, with a revol- 
 ver in my hand. I turned Czar into a gap between the 
 bushes, when suddenly the shaggy head of a furious buffalo 
 rose above the bank within a yard of me. My startled 
 horse swerved, and cleared the bushes by a tremendous 
 leap, while the monster dashed past me with a roar, and 
 galloped across the prairie. I soon got out of the bush, 
 however, and went after it, while Tiger came to meet me. 
 I was close behind the bull, when Tiger flew past it, and 
 gave it a bullet from his long rifle near the neck. The 
 buffalo followed the piebald with terrible fury, dyeing the 
 prairie with its blood, when I darted past it, and gave it a 
 bullet from my revolver, behind the shoulder-blade, which 
 lamed its left fore-leg. Trusty now attacked it in the flank ; 
 and it stood at bay, holding its head close to the ground, 
 with its nose between its fore-feet, and holding one of its short 
 sharp horns against the dog. The buffalo stood motionless, 
 with its tail erect, while Trusty sprang barking before it, 
 waiting for the moment when it should raise its head. But 
 its hour had arrived. I rode within twenty yards, and shot 
 it through the heart : it fell lifeless. 
 
4 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 It was on a bright, healthy morning in November, that 
 I, accompanied by Tiger and Trusty, left the fort, and rode 
 down the river towards the Rio-Grande Mountains. I had 
 never made any excursions far beyond that river, and, even 
 when hunting, had rarely reached its banks, as it is enclosed 
 on both sides by savage rocky mountains, which neither 
 man nor brute can easily traverse. Tiger had formerly been 
 several times on the other side of the Rio Grande, and told 
 me there was more game, and, more especially, more bears 
 there, while rich valleys ran between the mountains. 
 Hence I resolved to spend some weeks in those regions, and 
 provided myself for this tour with provisions, some buffaJo- 
 robes, and a small tent ; which articles were carried by 
 Jack, a most excellent mule. The animal followed .my 
 horse without being led ; and I may say that it could not be 
 kept away from it except by force. We had no trouble 
 with it but to saddle and load it in the morning, and take 
 ofl‘ its burden again at night. It would certainly stop now 
 and then at a fresh patch of grass, and snatch a few mouth- 
 fuls ; but then it galloped after us again, and followed at our 
 heels. 
 
 We rested at noon at the mountain-springs, which I had 
 not visited fon some time ; and we were forced to cut an en- 
 trance into the little thicket, as it was completely overgrown. 
 They rewarded us on our arrival with some fat turkeys, 
 122 
 
In the Mountains. 
 
 123 
 
 which were never absent there, and whose delicate meat we 
 enjoyed, while our horses rested from their hot march over 
 the open prairies. About three, p.m., we started again, and 
 rode in a northern direction towards the foot of the moun- 
 tains ; as Tiger told me, that, higher up, a river ran towards 
 the Rio Grande, with a rather broad valley on either side ; 
 and I believed that this stream must be Turkey Creek. We 
 crossed the Leone towards evening at a shallow spot well 
 known to me. 
 
 It was a favorite spot of mine, where we took the load 
 off our animals. A cheerful fire soon blazed, and threw its 
 light upon them, while they lay in the young grass around 
 us. The moon had not set when we had finished supper, and 
 fell into a refreshing sleep. The eastern sky was already 
 tinged with red, when I woke, and saw several spits with 
 meat already put before the fire. The horses were grazing 
 round our camp ; but I missed Tiger, whose weapons lay on 
 his buffalo-hide. I went a little way round the bushes, and 
 saw him on the open prairie, on his knees, with folded hands 
 and uplifted face, awaiting the appearance of the sun, in 
 order to offer his adoration to it. I heard him speaking 
 softly to himself as it sent its first beams towards us ; and 
 he continued his prayer till it had fully risen above the hori- 
 zon : then he rose, and with a pleasant smile came back to 
 his seat at the fire. He then produced his small mirror and 
 box of vermilion, laid the former on his crossed knees, and 
 painted his face, as he supposed, very grandly : then he 
 arranged his splendid hair with a comb I had given him, 
 rubbed it with bear’s grease, and tied it up with strips of 
 red leather. 
 
 It was late when we started, and continued our journey 
 in a northern direction. The prairies here grew narrower ; 
 the woods closer connected, and the country more uneven. 
 
124 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 Although we kept as far as we could from the mountains on 
 our left, we crossed small streams, which either came down 
 from the mountains, and went to form the larger streams 
 with which they flowed through the hills to the Rio Grande, 
 or which had their sources in the eastern plateaus, and pur- 
 sued the same course. 
 
 We had ridden the whole morning, and not fired a shot at 
 game, although we had seen a good deal. Our fresh meat 
 was quite finished ; and I was just saying to Tiger that it 
 would soon be time to shoot something, as the dinner-hour 
 was at hand, when I saw turkeys running in a small scrubby 
 patch ahead of us, and made Trusty a sign to follow them. 
 In an instant he put them up ; but, as a dense forest rose just 
 before us, they all but one entered its impenetrable foliage. 
 The latter, an old cock, rose straight in the air, and settled 
 on the top of a very tall cypress which grew on the skirt of 
 the forest, and whose roots were washed by a small spring. 
 It waved backwards and forwards on the thin branch, -as if 
 challenging the hunter who would dare to fire at it, while 
 Trusty leapt up at it, and barked loudly. Tiger looked at 
 me laughingly, pointed upwards, and asked, “ What do you 
 think?” I gave him a nod to try his luck. He sprang 
 from the piebald, took a long aim, fired, and the cock did 
 not stir, but continued to oscillate, and look down at Trusty. 
 I felt an itch to try my skill. I sprang from m^ horse, 
 raised my rifle, and with the detonation the haughty bird 
 opened its wings for the last time, fell like a ball, and smote 
 the ground heavily. Tiger laughed, and said that he would 
 have brought it down too, if it had not swung so on the 
 bough. 
 
 We could not have chosen a better spot than this for our 
 mid-day rest, as our horses found the best grass, the clearest 
 spring-water flowed close past us, and the virgin forest 
 
In the Mountains. 
 
 125 
 
 offered us its cool shade. We therefore quickly unsaddled, 
 hobbled our horses, and set to work cooking the turkey. 
 We unwillingly left this pleasant spot a few hours later, 
 and were obliged to ride a couple of miles up the forest 
 before we found a buffalo-path wide enough for us to pass 
 through. For about an hour, we rode through the leafy 
 labyrinth, ere we reached the open plain again on the other 
 side. Here Tiger rode up to me again ; and, talking and 
 jesting, we kept our horses at a brisk amble, while Jack 
 trotted after us. 
 
 Suddenly I heard a “ hugh ! ” from Tiger’s lips ; and, 
 pointing to the ground before us, he stopped, and said that 
 the buffalo-dung on the path was quite fresh, and the ani- 
 mals must be in the vicinity. He galloped on ; and we soon 
 reached a narrow wood, which ran through the prairie in 
 nearly the same direction we were following, and through 
 whose centre ran a small stream. We had scarcely reached 
 this wood, ere Tiger leapt from his horse, pointed to the 
 ground before us, then pointed to his ears, and made a mo- 
 tion with his hands as if breaking a stick. He sprang 
 away with the lightness of an antelope, scarce touching the 
 ground with his toes, and never treading on a branch which 
 might produce a sound : then he suddenly stopped, lowered 
 his head slightly, and listened for some minutes, — after 
 which, he shot ahead again at such a pace that I could 
 hardly keep up with him. He presently lay down on the 
 ground, and made me a sign with his hand that the buffaloes 
 were entering the water just under us, and were going across 
 to the prairie. In a few minutes he leapt up again, signed 
 to me to follow him, and flew down the wood, through the 
 stream, and up the other bank, where we arrived, behind 
 the last bush on the prairie, just as the buffaloes had only 
 gone a fe\y yards along it, and two of them were stand- 
 
126 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 * ing on the other side of the bush, and staring intently at 
 us. 
 
 We both had our rifles raised, and I gave Tiger a nod to 
 fire first. I kept the sight between the eyes of the buffalo, 
 standing on the right ; and, as the flame poured from Tiger’s 
 gun, I fired, and ran round the bush to be able to use the 
 other barrel ; but it was unnecessary, for the two gigantic 4 
 animals were rolling on the ground at the last gasp. Ti- 
 ger’s buffalo was shot through the heart ; and the bullet had 
 smashed the skull of mine. We hurried to our horses, and 
 packed the best bits of our ample booty on faithful Jack’s 
 back. 
 
 The sun was not very high above the mountains ; but it 
 was too early to spend the night here. Our cattle had 
 rested a little ; and so we merely allowed them to drink, 
 filled our own bottles, and rode merrily on in a northern 
 course. Tiger was remarkably colloquial on this evening ; 
 and the time slipped away, and we scarce noticed that the 
 night had spread its dark wings over the road, which now 
 wound between conical barren hills. I remarked to my 
 comrade that we should have a hard camp, which he denied ; 
 and, moving his hand across a long chain of hills in front of 
 us, he said that we should sleep softly on the other side of 
 it. While saying this he laid his cheek on his hand and 
 closed his eyes. 
 
 It was late when we reached this chain of hills. The 
 mountain-side was very steep : although we selected the 
 lowest spot to cross, we were obliged to dismount, and lead 
 our horses. Our foothold grew more and more uncertain 
 on the loose pebbles ; and our horses, too, were obliged to 
 exert themselves in clambering over the many large stones 
 with which the ravine was covered. 
 
 While we were clambering on in this way, Trusty sud- 
 
In the Mountains. 
 
 127 
 
 denly growled, trotted a few yards past us with bristling 
 hair, and then barked into the depths behind us. Tiger 
 said a jaguar was following us, and put his rifle under his 
 arm. We at length reached the top, where we let our ani- 
 mals breathe, and looked back for a long time at the valley 
 behind us, but could see nothing of our pursuer, although 
 Trusty continued to growl. 
 
 We descended the hill, and in an hour reached the grassy 
 damp bottom, where we remounted, and shortly after pulled 
 up on the bank of a large river whose other side was bor- 
 dered by a thick wood. Here we unloaded our cattle, and 
 soon sank into the most tranquil sleep ; leaving to faithful 
 Trusty the care of our safety. His powerful voice soon 
 awoke us, however, and made us clutch our rifles. We 
 called him- back, stirred up our fire ; and, as we could see 
 nothing of a foe, we fell asleep again. The faithful dog 
 awoke us again several times ; but, when morning broke, he 
 lay rolled up by the fire, and was fetching up the rest he 
 had lost in the night. 
 
 We were up at an early hour; and Tiger found in the 
 dewy grass not far from our camp the trail of a very large 
 jaguar, which had prowled round it during the night, and 
 disquieted Trusty. We bathed in the deep, clear river, 
 then breakfasted, and set out again. 
 
 We had been marching for three hours, when the country 
 became clearer, the mountains formed into large masses, 
 and the valleys between grew wider. It was twilight ; and 
 we had, as I thought, surmounted the last short but steep 
 rise, when Czar suddenly darted back, and a jaguar ap- 
 peared about thirty yards ahead, gazed at me for a moment, 
 lay down flat on the grass, and drew up its hind legs for a 
 spring. This did not take an instant ; and I had pointed 
 my rifle over the neck of my rearing steed at my enemy, 
 
128 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 when it made its first leap. At this moment I fired, but 
 heard simultaneously the crack of another rifle behind me. 
 Czar turned round at my shot, and almost leapt on Tiger, 
 who was standing behind me on foot, and then darted down 
 the hill. I shouted to him to stop my*horse, and saw the 
 jaguar appear on the top of the steep. I sent my second 
 bullet through its chest ; and it rolled down towards me in 
 the most awful fury. I called Trusty to me, and fired a 
 couple of revolver-shots into the gigantic body of my foe, 
 which ere long gave up the ghost with savage convulsions. 
 My first bullet had passed through its left side ; but Tiger’s 
 had seriously hurt the spine behind the left shoulder. Ti- 
 ger’s shot had certainly gained the victory, as it robbed the 
 brute of its springing power ; and it caused him great delight 
 when I acknowledged his victory, and surrendered to him 
 the fine large skin, which I bought of him on the same 
 evening for a number of trifles to be delivered when we 
 returned home. 
 
 It was rather dark when I lit a large fire, and we set to 
 work stripping off the fine spotted skin of the royal beast. 
 As it was very uncertain whether we should find water, we 
 unsaddled, hobbled the cattle, and put on the coffee water to 
 boil. We soon had the jaguar’s huge skin off, and hung it, 
 stretched on young cedar-branches on a tree close to the fire, 
 to dry. Then we prepared supper, drank coffee, and ere 
 long were asleep near our horses, while Trusty patrolled 
 round camp. 
 
 A splendid morning awoke us from our dreams, and dis- 
 played to us the wild but beautiful scenery w$ had noticed 
 ou the previous evening. We had camped at the entrance 
 of a plateau, bordered on the east by the cedar-clad hills 
 sloping down to the Rio Grande, while on the west # a chain 
 of large mountains ran northward. The plateau was abun- 
 
In the Mountains. 
 
 129 
 
 dantly covered with grass ; but its surface did not display 
 the same monotony as those lying to the east of the Rio 
 Grande : it was covered with patches of wood, and here 
 and there huge masses of rock arose. We marched north- 
 ward ; and, as the mountains to the west appeared to us too 
 difficult, we soon crossed a splendid small stream where we 
 watered our horses and filled our flasks. For three days 
 we followed its course through this park ; at times over 
 fresh green prairies, at others through thick woods or can - 
 ons. We met a great many antelopes and deer, but only 
 saw a few buffaloes at a great distance. 
 
 9 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE WEICOS. 
 
 On the third evening we approached the western moun- 
 tain-chain whiqh bordered the northern end of the plain we 
 were crossing. Our road slowly rose, while we steered 
 towards a gap in the mountains, where we hoped to find an 
 available path. For an hour, our path was steep, and vege- 
 tation had nearly entirely disappeared ; only a few reeds 
 were visible in the crevices between the rocks. 
 
 All at once Tiger shouted to me to halt, and immediately 
 after I heard him utter “ Pah,” in his Indian language. It 
 was water he wished to indicate ; and he told me he could 
 hear the rustling of a stream. Our path grew rather 
 broader, and ran into the granite masses on our left, while 
 on our right the slope was not so steep, and sank into the 
 ravine between a few large blocks of stone. We had scarce 
 gone one hundred yards when the road before us proved to 
 be blocked by scattered masses of stone, between which 
 stunted oaks and bushes grew, while I found myself in 
 short grass, which Czar greedily attacked. I shouted to 
 Tiger that I could go no farther ; and he led his piebald up 
 to my side, who, with the never-failing Jack, also went at 
 the grass. Tiger was of opinion that it was a famous spot, 
 as the water was close at hand below us, and disappeared 
 among the rocks. He soon returned, dragging after him 
 several dry branches, which we broke up, and lit a fire, 
 which soon lit up the immediate neighborhood. 
 
 130 
 
The Weicos. 
 
 131 
 
 The fire was supplied with large logs, and we then 
 wrapped ourselves in our skins, and slept till daybreak. 
 We blew up our fires, put on our horses’ bridles, and led 
 them down the hillside to water, along a path on which we 
 now distinctly noticed fresh buffalo-signs. We then turned 
 back to reach our Camp again. Tiger led his piebald in 
 front, but stopped, and said he felt much inclined to climb 
 up the opposite wall of the gorge, as it was full of crev- 
 ices, in which, doubtless, bears were hyberuating. I 
 hence took his horse’s bridle, and called Czar to follow 
 me, while Jack completed the party, and Trusty trotted on 
 ahead. 
 
 After a fatiguing climb, I again reached our camp, where 
 I hobbled the cattle in the grass, and sat down to the fire to 
 get breakfast ready. I had just finished, and lit a pipe, 
 when the crack of a rifle reached me from the opposite 
 wall ; and I supposed that Tiger had shot a bear, when, a 
 few moments later, a second shot was fired, and the fright- 
 fully shrill sound of the Indian war-whoop echoed through 
 the gorge. There was no doubt but that Tiger had come 
 into collision with hostile Indians. The yell rolled down 
 the valley ; and ere long two shots were fired in rapid suc- 
 cession. I quickly threw our saddles and baggage behind 
 large rocks, and led the piebald some way down the slope, 
 while Czar and Jack followed me : then I fastened the cat- 
 tle up to trees a little off the path, and sent n\y hunting-cry 
 across the gorge at the full pitch of my lungs. Tiger at 
 once answered me. I ran down to the pond and up the op- 
 posite wall, continually uttering my cry and receiving an 
 answer. Trusty went a little ahead to clear the way ; and 
 then I climbed on from rock to rock, until another shot was 
 fired, and I heard Tiger’s yell higher up the mountain. I 
 carefully noticed the direction whence ttye yell came ; nnd, 
 
132 
 
 The Bach woodsman. 
 
 calling Trusty to me, I ran forward rapidly, though cau- 
 tiously, between the scattered bowlders. 
 
 I was sending before a small grass-covered mound when 
 Trusty growled and sniffed : I went up in a stooping posture, 
 and hardly had reached the top when I saw Tiger with his 
 back turned to me, holding in one hand his rifle, in the 
 other the bleeding scalp of his murdered foe, and gazing at 
 the latter, who lay outstretched in the grass : without turn- 
 ing, he told me that the Weico had almost sent him to his 
 fathers, but his heart trembled, and hence he aimed badly. 
 Tiger had seen his enemy first, and fired soonest, but 
 missed ; and the other had not hit him either as he ran. Ti- 
 ger pursued him ; and both reloaded while running, till the 
 Weico reached the spot where he now lay, and the Dela- 
 ware sprang on the grass-plot a little higher up. The 
 Weico fired and missed again ; and Tiger in response sent a 
 bullet through his loins, though without being aware that 
 he had hit him. The Weico disappeared in the grass, and 
 Tiger too, as he fancied the other was reloading ; but when 
 lie had performed the same operation himself, and saw noth- 
 ing of his foe, he crept to an adjacent rock which he 
 mounted, and saw the other in the grass reloading, upon 
 which he sent a bullet through his heart, and speedily 
 scalped him. Tiger now took his conquered foe’s gun, 
 medicine-bag, beads, and armlets, and made me a sign to 
 return to the horses, while he sprang from rock to rock 
 with the lightness of a deer. 
 
 We saddled, and soon left our camp, as Tiger said there 
 were several Weicos in the neighborhood ; for on the previ- 
 ous evening they had made each other signs with the owl- 
 lioot. Our road ran from here close to the precipice, and 
 for some few hundred yards was very difficult. We were 
 obliged to lead the horses, and make them leap over several 
 
The Weicos. 
 
 133 
 
 granite blocks, while the grass grew to a man’s height be- 
 tween the loose stones ; and we could not see where we 
 stepped. Here, however, the road became better, and led 
 us in a pretty valley through which a stream wound, while 
 on both sides granite walls begirt it to a height of at least 
 three hundred feet. 
 
 The stream wound out of the forest close by. I had 
 gone to it to fill my bottle, when I noticed a number of bees 
 on the bank, which, however, did not fly into the wood, but 
 into the prairie before us. I called up Tiger, who seated 
 himself by my side ; and we accurately observed their course 
 by the compass, and saw that they all flew to an old plane- 
 tree which grew in the grass about a thousand yards from 
 us. We went up to the tree, and found that the bees went 
 to a very large bough, which had an opening at the top. 
 We fetched our weapons and axes, and brought out our 
 cattle under the plane, where I also ordered Trusty to lie 
 down. Then we went up to the tree, whose stem was at 
 least eight feet in diameter, threw a lasso over the lowest 
 branch, clambered up it, and went to the branch containing 
 the bees. It was at least a foot and a half in thickness ; 
 and we had to work with our small axes for nearly an hour 
 before it gave way, and fell with a crash to the ground ; 
 whereon the startled bees rose like a pillar of smoke, and 
 swarmed off towards the forest. We soon went down the 
 lasso, and began eating the clear honey which flowed out 
 of the broken branch. We ate, and took pieces of the 
 largest combs to our camp, where we laid them in the 
 shade. 
 
 We had eaten heartily of it, when we set out about three 
 p.m., and continued our journey down the stream. The 
 sun was sinking behind the mountains on our left, when we 
 again struck the stream which we had left in pursuing a 
 
134 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 northern course, and resolved to pass the night here. We 
 had unsaddled, hobbled our horses, and lit a fire, when 
 Tiger took his rifle, and went towards the western hills to 
 see whether he could procure any fresh game, as our stock 
 was entirely exhausted. The sun had set, the time hung 
 heavy at the fire ; so I rose, took my rifle, and walked 
 slowly down the stream, while Trusty ran ahead in the 
 scrub. I had hardly gone a hundred yards when I noticed 
 that the stream turned to the west a little lower down ; and 
 its banks were covered with rocks. Suddenly there was a 
 crash in the scrub ahead of me ; and I heard a loud wail 
 which filled me with terror, for I knew the sound but too 
 well, — it was the wail of a jaguar-cub, which Trusty held 
 in his teeth. I ran up, and saw him shaking one, while an- 
 other was escaping in the bushes. As I knew exactly what 
 would happen, I looked around, with my cocked rifle in my 
 hand, and saw the mother coming down with terrible 
 bounds from the oak-clumps higher up. There was not a 
 tree near ; and I must await it in the open. Trusty placed 
 himself close to my side ; and, with every hair bristling, he 
 uttered his most savage bass-notes through his gnashing 
 teeth. The only thing now was to hit, or else Trusty at 
 least was lost, and myself too, very probably. Forty paces 
 from me the infuriated brute crouched, displaying its fangs, 
 and lashing its sides with its long, spotted tail. When I 
 shot, the beast turned over, but then flew towards me with 
 a fresh spring. I shot again ; and it rolled on the ground. 
 I went up close to it, and fired a revolver-bullet through its 
 head, whereon it fell lifeless. 
 
 After reloading, I went back to camp to wait for Tiger, 
 whom I had also heard firing. It was dark when I heard 
 him coming, and saw his brown, elastic form coming 
 through the bushes. Over his right shoulder hung two 
 
The Weicos . 
 
 135 
 
 deer-legs ; and the stripped-off meat of the back was thrown 
 across the barrel of his long rifle, which rested on his left 
 shoulder. He threw down his load, lay on his stomach on 
 the river-bank, and quenched his thirst. Then he returned 
 to the fire, and said that I had been shooting too, and inti- 
 mated by three fingers the number of shots I had fired. I 
 answered him that my deer was lying down the stream, but 
 we would sup first, and then fetch it. 
 
 We now attacked the excellent venison, and enjoyed a 
 hearty supper, when I gave Tiger a sign to follow me. I 
 led him to the jaguar ; and he uttered a loud cry when he 
 saw it lying on the grass with the cub by its side. The 
 moon lit us while we stripped off its splendid skin, which 
 was larger than the one we had obtained a few days previ- 
 ously. We then stretched out the large hide, put it in front 
 of the fire, and slept quietly and undisturbed till morning. 
 
 On this day we followed the stream, which flowed for 
 about five miles westward, but then suddenly turned round 
 a tall hill to the east, and probably fell into the Rio Grande. 
 Here we left it, however, and rode up a small stream which 
 joined it, and came from the west. We followed the nar- 
 row valley through which it ran, and found there a rather 
 broad, though at times stony road. It was bordered on 
 both sides by granite hills, and ran rather steeply up to the 
 heights, where it expanded into a table-land. This plateau 
 lay on the top of the mountains which we had seen to the 
 west when riding up ; and I resolved to follow it in that 
 direction, so as, if possible, to reach the declivity on the 
 other side before night surprised us, as the barrenness of 
 these lofty plateaus recalled unpleasant reminiscences. 
 
 Our road down to the plain, though not very steep, was 
 fatiguing and wearisome, as the hillside was here and there 
 cut up by broad canons , which we were compelled to ride 
 
136 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 round. As we were going down one of these ravines, one 
 of the beautiful leopard-cats, so frequent in these mountains, 
 sprang out of the loose stones not far from us. I sent Trusty 
 after it down the ravine ; and ere long he began barking. 
 We hurried on as quickly as we could ; and, on looking 
 down, I saw the beautifully spotted creature crouching on an 
 isolated rock, while Trusty was leaping round it, and bark- 
 ing. It was too far to fire with a certainty of killing ; for, 
 though Trusty was quite as strong, he might easily be so 
 injured as to be unfitted for the fatigue of our tour. Hence 
 I dismounted, and crept near the stone on which the leop- 
 ard-cat lay. I went up high enough to see it, and sent a 
 bullet through its head. The rock was too high for me to 
 climb up it and fetch the beast down, so I was obliged to 
 wait till Trusty arrived. I raised him on to the rock, and 
 he pulled the creature down. Then I returned to our cattle, 
 while Tiger stripped the cat, and brought me the skin. 
 
 i 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE BEAR-HOLE. 
 
 For about a week we traversed this extensive plain, 
 first northward, following the base of the hills we had 
 crossed, and then westward, towards the more western 
 ranges. Everywhere Ve found the richest soil, and water 
 in abundance, as well as game of every description, and 
 many wild horses. We lived like fighting cocks, always 
 had the best buffalo-meat, as many deer as we wanted, and 
 also killed several antelopes. In a narrow patch of wood, 
 Trusty aroused a one-year-old bear from its winter sleep, 
 which it was enjoying under some old fallen trees, and 
 drove it out into the prairie. We followed it; and Trusty 
 pinned it to the spot by a few bites in its breeches. I was 
 just going to fire when Tiger cried to me not to do so, 
 sprang from liis horse, and ran towards the bear, laughing 
 and leaping, with his long knife drawn. Trusty leaped, 
 barking, in front of the irritated animal, which showed its 
 teeth savagely, and kept him off with its fore-paws, while 
 Tiger crept behind it, and — worthy of his name — leapt 
 past the bear, digging his knife into its side. The bear 
 made a blow at him, but too late ; and Trusty attacked it 
 on the other flank. Tiger soon passed again behind the 
 bear, and buried his knife between its ribs ; and thus the 
 two fought till the bear fell breathless, and Tiger stabbed it 
 to the heart. He was not a little proud of his grand exploit, 
 laughed, and said that he had killed an old bear in the same 
 
 137 
 
138 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 way once, but had unfortunately lost his good dog. I was 
 obliged to promise him a son of Trusty, to whom he hence- 
 forth especially gave his friendship. The bear weighed 
 some hundred pounds, and supplied us with excellent meat, 
 in addition to its skin. We packed a good lot of it on 
 honest Jack, and improved our meal with it that evening at 
 the foot of the Rio-Grande Mountains. 
 
 Here the limestone rocks ran down to the plain ; and, on 
 the distant heights, we could again notice dark masses of 
 cedar-forests, which had so impeded our progress. In the 
 evening we again reached our stream ; and though it was 
 still early, and the grass not particularly good, we un- 
 saddled, and arranged our camp. While I was thus occu- 
 pied, Tiger took his rifle, and soon disappeared among the 
 rocks, which were scattered about in enormous blocks on 
 our left, while on the right they were several hundred feet 
 high, and displayed numerous rifts, out of which a tree 
 here and there grew. Tiger soon returned, and told me he 
 knew where a very old bear was asleep. We would go and 
 fetch it next morning : it was lying in a rock crevice ; and, 
 judging from its track, it must be a sturdy fellow. 
 
 Day had scarce broken ere we quickly finished our 
 breakfast, and, in a short time, came to a spot where good 
 grass grew : here we unsaddled, fastened our horses to a 
 tree, and then ascended the hillside, which became steeper 
 the farther we got. Quite at the top, between the highest 
 peaks, Tiger went to an overhanging rock, and stopped be- 
 fore an opening only a few feet wide, which ran downwards. 
 Here he plucked a quantity of long dry grass from between 
 the stones, rolled it rapidly into a long, thick, loose band, 
 and then made me a sign to stand near the hole : he next 
 lit the torch, and crawled on all fours, with his rifle, into the 
 rocks. I could hear only for a few minutes the sound he 
 
The Bear-Hole. 
 
 139 
 
 produced by crawling farther into the cave, and then there 
 was a silence again. I stood with Trusty for some time 
 without hearing the slightest sound ; when suddenly a 
 stifled echo, resembling a powerful gust of wind, came out 
 of the crevice, and directly after, a scratching and rustling 
 were audible, advancing towards the orifice, till, all at once, 
 a heavy black bear appeared with a bleeding face. 
 
 I was standing only a few yards from the cave, and, for 
 the sake of Tiger, wished to let it come out entirely ere I 
 fired, as I felt convinced that the brute was wounded ; and, 
 by firing prematurely, I might turn it back on my comrade. 
 I pressed close to the rock ; and the bear had made some 
 forward bounds, when I sent both bullets through it, al- 
 though without checking its pace. The bear disappeared 
 behind the nearest rock ; and, at the same moment, Tiger 
 came out of the cave all right, and ran off as quickly as a 
 deer after the bear. I followed, and was compelled to use 
 every exertion to keep Tiger in sight, when I noticed, that, 
 in running, he reloaded, and, suddenly sinking on one knee, 
 fired. But he at once sprang up again ; and, while reload- 
 ing, sprang from stone to stone, till he knelt once more and 
 fired. I kept as close as I could behind him, and was run- 
 ning up a rather steep incline, over large masses of stones, 
 when I heard Tiger’s rifle crack for the third time. In a 
 few minutes, I got round a large rock table, and saw him 
 carelessly sitting on a stone, and reloading. When I went 
 up to him, he raised his left arm, and pointed to a heap 
 of piled-up rocks, where, to my surprise, I saw the bear 
 peeping over one of them, like a preacher in his pulpit. 
 It had flown there, mortally wounded, to defend itself, and 
 showed us its bleeding terrible range of teeth. 
 
 I quickly loaded, and shot it through the head, upon 
 which it rolled down from its elevation. I took out my 
 
140 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 pocket-book, and made a sketch of the rocks, while Tiger 
 skinned and broke up the bear. I did not notice the latter 
 retire ; but, when I missed him, I rose and looked about for 
 him. On going a few paces round the rock,. I saw him on 
 his knees, among the bushes, praying, while before him 
 smoke curled up from a fire of leaves. I quietly walked 
 nearer, and heard him muttering to himself, while a piece 
 of the bear hung before him on the bush over the smoke. 
 He soon rose, came up to me ; and, when I asked him what 
 he had been about, he laughed cunningly, and answered 
 that this meal of meat out of the bear’s chest was for the 
 god of hunting. 
 
 We hurried back to our horses, which took us nearly 
 half an hour, although we went for the most part down hill. 
 They whinnied as we approached, and waited impatiently to 
 be noticed. Tiger mounted his piebald, and rode back to 
 the bear to fetch the skin, claws, and some of the meat, 
 and was back in camp by noon. We merely drank coffee, 
 packed our animals, and laid the bear’s enormous ragged 
 skin, with the fleshy side upwards, over Jack, who looked 
 terrible in consequence. 
 
 We still followed the rocky valley up till about evening, 
 when we reached a capital spot for our cattle, and I had 
 dismounted to pass the night here ; but Tiger pointed to the 
 north, where the sky was slightly overcast, and then up the 
 hill, where brushwood was hanging about the loose stones, 
 and said, “We must go higher up the stream, or else we 
 should sleep in the water.” He now showed me that this 
 brushwood had been lodged among the stones by the swollen 
 stream, and we consequently camped higher up. For the 
 first time during this tour, our tent was put up, and our bag- 
 gage placed under it. Then we dug a deep trench round it, 
 and laid in an ample stock of firewood. We lit the fire 
 
The Bear-Hole. 
 
 141 
 
 under a large rock, so that it was protected from the north 
 wind, and drove strong pickets into the ground in order to 
 fasten up our cattle close to the tent. We consequently let 
 them graze by the water side till it grew dark, and then 
 led them up to the camp, where we secured them, and 
 on the next morning continued our journey along the woods 
 till, to our great joy, we found a much-trampled buffalo-track, 
 by which we entered them. It led us down between two 
 high hills ; and hence I was afraid lest it might be a path, 
 which, made by animals grazing on the hill down to a 
 stream, would terminate there. In half an hour, we reached 
 some large springs which gushed out of a rock, and flowed 
 in a south-eastern direction through a very narrow gorge 
 covered with bushes, dry wood, and over-arching cedars. 
 The path, however, ran hence, to our great joy, eastward ; 
 and we dismounted, as the cedar-branches hung too near 
 over the path. 
 
 We had almost reached the top, where only a few cedars 
 stood before us. Suddenly I fancied I could hear a tremen- 
 dous rustling some distance off*. I cautiously ascended to 
 the top of the hill, and saw here, about forty yards ahead 
 of me, three enormous condors, one of which was standing 
 on the ground with expanded wings, while the other two 
 were springing round it, and rising each time some feet 
 from the ground. I sank on one knee, and sent a bullet 
 into the broad chest of the first ; while the other two flut- 
 tered their wings with a frightful yell, and soon rose high 
 in air above me. Just as I was going to fire the second 
 barrel, Tiger’s rifle cracked behind me ; and the eagle I was 
 aiming at turned over in the air, and fluttered down. I 
 turned round to the third, and fired at it as it was soaring 
 over the depths near us. I saw the bullet enter the soft 
 feathers under the belly ; and it shot like a dart with out- 
 
142 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 stretched wings between the hills, where it disappeared 
 among the dark cedars. 
 
 Tiger had cut off his eagle’s head by the time I ran up to 
 mine, and found under it an antelope, which the brave bird 
 had just killed, and which had only lost its eyes and tongue. 
 Its body was but slightly ripped up ; but the whole back was 
 covered with blood, which flowed from countless small holes 
 produced by the eight-inch long claws of these rulers of the 
 air. Tiger was beside himself for delight ; for the wing 
 and tail feathers of these birds are the greatest ornaments an 
 Indian knows, and he will readily give his best horse for 
 them. He wears them on the band which confines his hair ; 
 and the claws, sewn on a strap, form a necklace. I told 
 him I intended to skin mine, and take it home to stuff ; but 
 he was of opinion that he must fetch the feathers of the 
 third condor, which had fallen into the valley ; and he at 
 once disappeared. I did not consider it possible to get down 
 there, and utterly so to find the eagle ; for I had watched it 
 fly at least a mile. I at once set to work skinning my 
 bird, and had not finished when Trusty growled, and Tiger 
 really soon ran up with the spoils of the other bird. 
 
 It was noon when we mounted our horses, and rode down 
 the stony incline. We moved along around the hills again, 
 and seemed hardly to leave the spot ; for we frequently rode 
 for half an hour, and then suddenly found ourselves again 
 in front of an old withered tree, or a rock emerging from 
 the cedars which we had seen before. We rode without 
 interruption until the sun hid itself behind the liigest peaks, 
 and cast long shadows over the hills glistening in the even- 
 ing light. 
 
 We halted in one of the countless hollows of these stony 
 mountains where rain-water had collected, and decent grass 
 grew on a small open space, took the burdens off our very 
 
The Bear-Hole. 
 
 143 
 
 wearied horses, and soon lay on our skins near the fire. A 
 very large dry cedar-trunk rose with its upper half out of 
 the coppice. We lit our fire against its side, so that it soon 
 began to smoulder, and gave out a great heat. During the 
 night, we scarce needed to look at it, and in the morning 
 found small flames still playing round the half-burnt tree. 
 Ere long, however, we mounted, in order to bid farewell 
 the sooner to these inhospitable forests, and see once more 
 the frontiers of my home, — the Rio Grande. 
 
 We pressed on, uphill and downhill, at one moment rid- 
 ing, at another leading our horses, and frequently impeded 
 by wide torrents and broad ravines. About noon, we had a 
 prospect of a deep, rocky valley, on whose sides no cedars 
 were to be seen, and greeted it as the bed of the long-looked- 
 for river. 
 
 We were obliged to go higher up the hills here on ac- 
 count of numerous obstacles, and lost sight of the river for 
 a while ; still the sun had a good hour before setting when 
 we entered a broad buffalo-path which led down in a 
 straight line to the river. I soon recognized on this road 
 objects I had seen before, and was now certain that the 
 eastern river was the river of my home. 
 
 The sun was setting as we trotted up the Leone in order 
 to reach a camping-place in the hills, where I had rested 
 many a night undisturbed, and to which I knew the road 
 perfectly. 
 
 ‘When near our destination, we were riding slowly up the 
 last ascent, w T hen Tiger uttered his familiar expression of 
 surprise, u Hugh ! ” and, turning round, pointed behind him, 
 to the Rio Grande. I looked back, and saw a column of 
 flame rising on the hills on the opposite side, which rapidly 
 spread southward. The flames covered the whole hill ; and 
 the brilliantly illumined smoke-clouds rolled away over 
 
144 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 them. The fiery waves poured savagely and uninterrupt- 
 edly from hill to hill, checked their speed but for a short 
 time in the deep valleys, and then darted with heightened 
 fury up the next hill, devouring every thing that came in 
 their way. The cedar-woods were on fire, and probably 
 our last night’s camp-fire was the cause of it. The violent 
 wind had doubtless blown the ashes of the burning truuk 
 into the coppice, and assailed the surrounding cedars ; ere 
 long the whole southern horizon was a sea of fire, out of 
 which here and there isolated hills, spared by the flames, 
 rose like black islands. We lay till late at night by our 
 small camp-fire, and watched the terribly beautiful scene, 
 regretting our incautiousness or neglect, which had entailed 
 such fearful destruction. How many thousand animals had 
 found a martyr’s death on that night ! and how probable it 
 was that Indians resting there had been devoured by the 
 flames ! After lying silently for a long time looking across, 
 Tiger uttered the words, “ Poor Indians sleep warm ! ” ac- 
 companied by a deep sigh. 
 
 It was not till morning that fatigue overpowered us, and 
 we fell back on cur saddles. We awoke when the sun was 
 pouring its golden light over the world, and brilliantly illu- 
 mined the gloomy scene of desolation. 
 
 We crossed the Leone about noon, at the same pretty spot 
 as when we began our journey, and soon saw the pleasant 
 mountain-springs on our right. Our cattle also knew that 
 we were going home, and increased their pace. At length 
 we reached the hill where the first view of the fort could be 
 obtained, and joyfully greeted its gray wooden walls. It 
 was still early when we rode up to my settlement from the 
 adjoining valley ; and two shots of rejoicing welcomed us 
 from the western turret of the fort, to which we responded 
 by firing our rifles. Every thing was in the old state, the 
 
/ 
 
 The Bear-Hole. 145 
 
 garrison healthy, and the cattle in excellent condition : the 
 only change that had occurred was, that one of my mares 
 had enriched me with a young Czar, that several calves had 
 been dropped, and some dozen little pigs more were running 
 about the fort. 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER XVH. 
 
 THE COMANCHE CHIEF. 
 
 I felt very comfortable in my pretty house ; and Tiger 
 informed me with great satisfaction that no one had been in 
 his tent during our absence, in accordance with a promise I 
 gave him when we set out. For some days we hardly left 
 the fort, but enjoyed a rest. Tiger tanned the skins we had 
 brought home. I stuffed my condor, at which my young 
 friend was greatly amazed, and firmly declared that I re- 
 stored the bird to life. After this we rolled cigars, made 
 new clothes, repaired our saddles and bridles, and employed 
 ourselves with the thousand domestic jobs which gather 
 even during a short absence. But, after we had attended to 
 the chief matters, several wants became visible which we 
 could only satisfy on the prairie. Thus, among others, our 
 substitute for sugar, honey, was expended ; and at the sup- 
 per-table we resolved on going out on this hunt the next 
 morning, if it was fine. 
 
 The morning dawned bright and calm ; and both condi- 
 tions are required for a winter bee-hunt, as, at this season, 
 the bees only work in warm weather, and their course can- 
 not be watched when the wind is blowing hard. We got 
 ready immediately after breakfast, Tiger and I, armed as 
 usual ; but Antonio and one of my colonists provided with 
 heavy, sharp axes and buckets, while Jack carried two 
 empty casks, a copper kettle, large wooden spoons, and a 
 tin funnel. Thus we trotted over the spangled prairie 
 146 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 147 
 
 across to Mustang Creek, crossed it and its thick wood by a 
 broad buffalo-path, and then rode down the prairie to a fork 
 formed by the forest on an affluent of the Mustang, joining 
 that on the latter river. 
 
 Here we halted, stuck a long pole, on which a small tin 
 frying-pan was fastened, into tbe ground, lit dry touchwood 
 in it, and laid on the top a piece of comb in which some 
 honey remained. Not far from this we put up another pole, 
 with a paper smeared with honey upon it. The smoke of 
 the boiling wax and honey serves the bees cruising over the 
 prairie as a guide to the paper ; and soon the busy gatherers 
 arrive from all the bee-trees in the neighborhood, load them- 
 selves as heavily as they can, and then go straight home in 
 a direct line. The hunter now observes in which direction 
 the greatest number of the insects swarm, because this 
 leads him to expect a richer tree as well as a shorter dis- 
 tance to go. When he has decided on his route, he follows 
 the swarm with his bait as far as he can see it, then puts 
 up the pole again, and waits till they settle, or the honey 
 ones move and then fly home. Thus he follows the indus- 
 trious insects, till, by their restless activity, they show him 
 the spot where their treasures, collected during many years, 
 are concealed ; and he then disturbs the colony with cruel 
 hand, robs it of its laboriously gathered stores, kills thou- 
 sands of the colonists, and drives the rest away homeless. 
 
 We, for our part, behaved no better, except that we had 
 brought sacks in which to carry the shelterless bees home, 
 and give them an abode. A very large swarm went towards 
 the Leone, and another to the affluent on the left. We de- 
 cided for the former, however ; and in less than half an hour 
 found ourselves in front of a gigantic maple that grew on 
 the skirt of the forest, in whose long trunk, between the 
 lowest branches, the orifice of the tree was completely 
 
148 
 
 The Bachwoodsrrian. 
 
 covered with the insects. We hobbled our horses some dis- 
 tance from the tree ; lit a fire near it ; and two of us set to 
 work with the axes to cut it down. Tiger and I had the 
 first turn ; and, when we were tired, the two others took our 
 place, till we, thus working in turn, made the proud tree fall 
 with its whole weight on the grass, where its splinters flew 
 a long way around. 
 
 Each of us seized a firebrand, and ran with buckets, 
 spoons, and knives to the cracked part of the trunk, where 
 the honey was exposed, while the bees circled high above us 
 in the air in a dense swarm. The firebrands were laid on 
 the ground near the honey ; old damp wood was laid on 
 them to increase the smoke ; and we hurriedly cut out the 
 comb, and poured the liquid honey into a bucket, which we 
 emptied into the kettle which was slightly warmed by the 
 fire. Honey runs from the cells with a gentle heat ; and, 
 when it is liquid enough, the latter are pressed between two 
 boards till all the honey runs out, after which it is strained 
 through a coarse sieve into the cask. 
 
 By the time we had secured our booty, it was noon ; and 
 we recovered from our fatigue over a cup of coffee and 
 maize-cake : then we went back to the spot we had started 
 from, and followed the swarm to the small affluent, where 
 we found the bees in another old plane close to the prairie. 
 We also robbed this tree : it was even richer than the first, 
 and contained layers of honey probably fifteen years old, 
 the oldest of which were nearly black. When we had fin- 
 ished this job, our two casks were full, and the bucket loaded 
 with quite fresh comb. 
 
 Evening had arrived ; and the bees had collected in a 
 dense mass on a branch of the felled tree. We held an 
 open sack under them, shook them in, and then rode back 
 to the first tree, whose colony we also took. We returned 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 149 
 
 home with our sweet stores, emptied our sacks into two 
 hollow trees, and placed them on a scaffolding near the fort. 
 The honey was conveyed to the storeroom, and the wax 
 melted, and laid by, when cold, in plates. The Indians keep 
 their honey and bear-lard in fresh deer-hides, which they slit 
 as little as possible in skinning. They cut off the neck and 
 legs, sew the openings up very tightly with sinews, fill the 
 skin, and close tho last opening in the same way, into which 
 they thrust a reed, and squeeze the honey, as they want it, 
 through the latter. The honey keeps in this way very well, 
 and is easier to carry on horseback than in hand-vessels. 
 We employed the honey in every way sugar is used in the 
 civilized world. We sweetened our coffee and tea with it, 
 employed it in cooking various dishes, in preserving fruit, 
 such as grapes, plums, mulberries, &c. In a word, it fully 
 took the place of that expensive and hardly procurable pro- 
 duct of civilization, and could always be obtained in such 
 quantities that we never ran short of it. When hunting in 
 the neighborhood, we very often found bee-trees, which we 
 marked in order to plunder them as we wanted. 
 
 One afternoon, when Tiger had ridden off at an early 
 hour in pursuit of game, I took my gun to go after geese 
 down the river, which I heard croaking from the fort. I 
 went out wuthout calling a dog, and ran down to the water. 
 I passed the garden and the ford, where the river winds to 
 the north in the wood, and went into the bushes, in order to 
 approach the geese, which I had seen about a hundred yards 
 farther on. All at once I heard something like the footfall 
 of a horse echo through the forest on the opposite side. I 
 listened, and convinced myself that I was not mistaken. 
 Tiger had gone southward in the morning to Mustang 
 Creek ; and I could not imagine how he was now returning 
 from the north. I lay down among the bushes, so as to 
 
150 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 keep an eye on the ford : the noise drew nearer, till a 
 mounted Indian appeared on a path on the opposite side, 
 who stopped there, and looked cautiously around. 
 
 After a while, the redskin crossed the ford ; ascended the 
 opposite bank ; and, taking his long rifle in his right hand, he 
 led his horse into a thick bush about forty paces ahead of 
 me. There he fastened it up, laid his rifle across his left 
 arm, and shook fresh powder into the pan from his horn. 
 What could the Indian intend? and to what tribe did he 
 belong? These questions occured to me simultaneously with 
 the suspicion that he might probably have hostile designs. 
 My gun was loaded with not very heavy shot ; but it carried 
 as far as the Indian’s rifle, though it did not kill so cer- 
 tainly. I had, however, some slugs in my hunting-pouch ; 
 and, while he was repriming, I, as I lay flat on the ground, 
 pulled out two of the largest bullets that fitted my gun. I 
 thrust them both into the barrels, and then slowly drew the 
 ramrod, pressed two paper wads on the bullets, and returned 
 the ramrod to its place. 
 
 During this, the Indian had returned his powder-horn to 
 its place, taken his tomahawk from the saddle and thrust it 
 through his belt, woven several large leafy branches of ev- 
 ergreen, myrtle, and rhododendron under his saddle, so that 
 they concealed the color of his light horse, and then, leaving 
 the path, went in a stooping posture through the wood 
 towards my garden. I cautiously followed him at a dis- 
 tance of about one hundred yards, bending down close to 
 the ground, continually keeping behind the bushes, and dis- 
 appearing in the grass when he stopped, or made a move- 
 ment as if to look round. He seemed, however, only to 
 keep his eye on the garden, and bent lower the nearer he 
 got to it. Suddenly he fell into the tall grass between the 
 evergreen-bushes, and disappeared from my sight. Had he 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 151 
 
 heard me, or seen me fall down? The point now was, 
 which of us should see the other first. The grass in which 
 I lay was not very high ; but green bushes hung down to the 
 ground in front of me, too close to be seen through by my 
 foe, but still leaving me sufficient gaps through which to 
 peep ; while the bushes round him were scrubby, and the 
 grass alone concealed him. If he had seen me, he would 
 certainly not remain lying, as he would have the worst 
 of it. 
 
 I had raised myself sufficiently to survey his place, and 
 after a while noticed the grass waving a little to the left of 
 the spot where I had last seen him. Every thing became 
 still and motionless again ; and we lay thus for nearly a 
 quarter of an hour, when I saw the Indian raise his head 
 out of the grass, and look about him : he had not noticed 
 me yet, or else he would not have exposed himself so reck- 
 lessly to my fire. He rose slowly, and glided towards the 
 garden : he got closfc to the fence, which was made of ten 
 logs placed in a zigzag over each other, and on the outer- 
 side were heaped up the branches of the trees from which 
 the wood for the palisades had been cut. I had put this up 
 to prevent the buffaloes and deer from forcing their way into 
 the garden. 
 
 The Indian now stepped close to the wall of dry branches, 
 while I lay in the bushes about a hundred yards behind him. 
 He stopped, looked into the garden for a long time, and 
 then round the wood : he then stooped, and crept under the 
 brushwood up to the fence, seated himself cross-legged close 
 to the latter, and laid his rifle across one of the logs. While 
 he was working his way through the branches and brush- 
 wood, I crept on all-fours nearer to him, and remained be- 
 hind an oak about forty yards from him. Just as I reached 
 the tree, I broke a thin, dry branch with my hand ; and the 
 
152 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 very slight sound scarce reached the savage’s ear, ere he 
 started round, and gazed intently in my direction. I did 
 not stir, but held my gun firmly, with the determination 
 that he should not leave the spot alive. 
 
 He looked towards me for nearly a quarter of an hour, 
 still trusting to the sharpness of his ears, when Suddenly 
 one of my men, who was coming down from the fort with 
 two buckets to fill at the spring, could be heard whistling 
 on the other side of the garden. The Indian started round, 
 thrust his rifle through the fence, pointed at the spring, and 
 knelt down behind its long barrel. At the same instant, I 
 sprang out from behind the oak, raised my gun, and sent 
 the charge of the right-hand barrel between the savage’s 
 shoulders : he leapt up, and, while doing so, I gave him 
 the second charge ; after which he fell backwards into the 
 brushwood. I shouted to my man, who, in his alarm, was 
 running back to the fort, and rushed to the Indian, who was 
 writhing in his blood, and striking around with hands and 
 feet. My comrade hurried through the garden, and, clam- 
 bering over the fence, gazed down at the shot man in hor- 
 ror. I explained to him in a few words how accident had 
 preserved his life, as the savage had been lying in wait for 
 him, and had his rifle pointed at him ; and I then buried my 
 knife in the heart of the quivering savage. We took his 
 rifle and medicine-bag, fetched his horse after I had re- 
 loaded, and took it up to the fort, where we fastened it in- 
 side the enclosure. 
 
 I impatiently waited for Tiger to obtain an explanation 
 from him, as I feared lest the shot man might be a Dela- 
 ware. The evening came, and Tiger was not back yet. A 
 thousand suppositions, a thousand suspicions, involuntarily, 
 crossed my mind. Could Tiger be a traitor? could the 
 Delawares have broken their long-tried friendship with the 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 153 
 
 white men? We drove our cattle in earlier than usual, rode 
 them down to water, laid our weapons ready to hand, and 
 prepared to oppose any possible attack. I went to the 
 eastern turret, and gazed over the wide prairie, when I sud- 
 denly noticed far on the horizon a black point that seemed 
 strange to me. I looked through my glass, and, to my great 
 delight, recognized the large white spots of Tiger’s piebald. 
 
 I now felt lighter at heart, ran down, and waited for him 
 at the gate. At length he rode up to me from the last hol- 
 low, loaded with deer and bear meat and the hide of a 
 small bear, leapt from his horse, and heartily shook my 
 hand. I told him what had happened ; and he listened most 
 attentively. His eyebrows were contracted, and his usually 
 pleasant eyes flashed savagely. He said nothing but “ Kit- 
 chi kattuh ! ” made me a sign to enter the fort ; and when we 
 reached the dining-room, where the dead man’s hunting-bag 
 lay, he cried, “ Kitchi ! ” placed two fingers of his right hand 
 before his mouth so that they seemed to be emerging from 
 it, and repeated, u Kitchi ! ” i.e ., two tongues. He then led 
 me out of the fort, when he stopped, and said to me that 
 the false kitchi had laid watch for him in the garden, and in- 
 tended to take his life, so that the Delawares might fancy 
 we had killed him, and take their revenge on us. It had in- 
 deed gradually grown a custom in the fort, that Tiger, when 
 he was at home, fetched fresh water from the spring before 
 supper ; and his supposition appeared to be well founded. 
 Still, the unexpected appearance of one of my men seemed 
 to have turned the kitchi from his original purpose, because 
 he was on the point of sending the bullet intended for Tiger 
 through the chest of the latter. 
 
 We soon forgot this incident, and went on with our win- 
 ter avocations as before. 
 
 One morning the dogs barked in an unusual manner ; and 
 
154 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 one of my men ran up to me, and told me that one of my 
 buffalo calves, which I had captured in the last summer, 
 and of which I possessed eight, had leapt into the river be- 
 cause the dogs were tormenting it. 
 
 Just as we were taking the saved buffalo up to the fort, 
 the sentry came to me, and announced that five white men 
 were riding down the river ; upon which I went to the turret, 
 and saw that the new arrivals were three white men, a ne- 
 gro, and a mulatto. About half an hour later, the strangers 
 rode up to the fort, and dismounted at the gate ; while the 
 colored men took their horses, and unsaddled them. A fine- 
 looking man of nearly sixty years of age advanced to me, 
 shook my hand, and introduced himself to me as a Mr. Lasar 
 from Alabama, one of his young companions as his son 
 John, and the other as his cousin Henry, of the same name. 
 The old gentleman had something most elegant and attrac- 
 tive about his appearance, which evidenced lengthened inter- 
 course with the higher social circles : over his high bronzed 
 forehead shone his still thick though silvery hair, while 
 long black eyebrows overshadowed his light-blue eyes ; and 
 his fresh complexion seemed to protest against his white 
 hair. Though fully six feet high, he carried himself with 
 the strength of a man of thirty ; and his bright, merry eyes 
 proved that his mind was still youthful. He was an old 
 Spaniard ; had settled, when a young man, in Alabama ; and, 
 though the blue eyes contradicted his origin, it was mani- 
 fested in all the rest of his countenance. His son John was 
 shorter and lighter built, with black curling hair, and very 
 dark but pleasant eyes, a nice looking youth of seventeen ; 
 and cousin Henry, a young man of twenty odd, of middle 
 height, and narrow between the shoulders, showed by his 
 auburn hair and gray eyes that his blood was mixed. 
 
 I conducted the strangers to the parlor, and set before 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 155 
 
 them a breakfast ; among the dishes being one of duck’s 
 breast in jelly. The old gentleman was greatly surprised, 
 and said that he had not expected to find any thing at my 
 house beyond very good game and roasted marrow-bones. 
 When I treated them to French wine and cigars, and they 
 surveyed the ornaments of my room, they expressed the ut- 
 most surprise at the amount of comfort they found ; and 
 John said that I had every thing precisely as his father in- 
 tended to have it when he settled here. The old gentleman 
 now informed me of his intention to come into my neigh- 
 borhood, and requested my advice and aid. lie had a cot- 
 ton plantation in Alabama ; but the number of his negroes 
 had increased so considerably, that he could not employ 
 them all on his estate, and must hire out the majority at 
 very low wages. Land was too high in price there ; so he 
 preferred taking up Government land here, and .submitting 
 to the privations and dangers of a life on the border. He 
 now proposed to inspect the land, then return, and send on 
 John with fifty negroes, so as to get a maize-crop ready, 
 while he would follow in autumn with his family and five 
 hundred slaves. I was very glad to have such neighbors ; 
 so I gladly offered him my services in showing him as much 
 fine land as he wanted close to mine. 
 
 My guests rested for a few days, and amused themselves 
 with inspecting my farm and arrangements, and making 
 small hunting-trips in the vicinity, in which old Mr. Lasar 
 eagerly joined. It is true that he shot deer and turkeys 
 with his large fowling-piece loaded with swan-shot, through 
 which many a head escaped him ; and I reproached him for 
 doing so, as I considered this shameful butchery. He al- 
 lowed his fault, but said that no other weapon was employed 
 in shooting where he came from ; but, when he came out to 
 join me, lie would also introduce the rifle. 
 
156 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 After my guests had rested sufficiently, I rode with them 
 over to the Mustang River, passed through its woods, and 
 followed its course southward to its junction with the Rio 
 Grande. Here we turned back up the stream, and rode 
 along the forest to our morning track, so that the strangers 
 had ample opportunity for examining the land on both sides 
 of the river. Mr. Lasar was much pleased, and at once 
 decided on this land, as it fully satisfied all his wishes. 
 We reached home at a late hour ; and Lasar was so perfectly 
 contented, that he proposed returning home at once ; but I 
 urged him to look at other land to the north of me, for 
 which tour we made our necessary preparations on the next 
 day. On the third morning, we rode up the Leone to the 
 spot where my border-line crossed it two miles from the 
 fort. From this point to the source of the river lay very 
 fine land too, although the woods were not so extensive as 
 lower down it. 
 
 We spent the night at the well-head, and then rode north- 
 wards to Turkey Creek, in which tour we found a great 
 deal of land well adapted for ploughing, although the small- 
 er quantity would have rendered it better suited for small 
 settlers. Still the country here aroused Mr. Lasar’ s admi- 
 ration ; and he declared, that, before two years had passed, it 
 should be all occupied by friends of his from Alabama. I 
 reminded him of the human skulls and bones, which I had 
 shown him at the sources of the l^eone, belonging to settlers 
 murdered by the Indians, who had come from Georgia, and 
 only enjoyed the pleasures of a border-life for a few months. 
 He said, however, that so many families must arrive simul- 
 taneously as would hold the Indians within bounds. For 
 his own part, he decided on Mustang River ; and, on reach- 
 ing the fort again, he rested two more days with me, which 
 we employed in talking over and settling every thing. On 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 157 
 
 this occasion, I proposed to hire of him twelve negroes whom 
 he could send with his son ; for I wanted to begin cotton 
 planting. He agreed most willingly, as, w'hen he settled, 
 he would require a good many things of me, such as maize, 
 pigs, cows, fowls, tallow, bear’s grease, &c. ; and we could 
 deduct their value from the rent. On the third morning, I 
 accompanied my guests some distance, and then rode home 
 with the brightest prospects for the future. 
 
 A most unexpected event brightened my hopes for the 
 future even more. A few days after Lasar’s departure, a 
 party of seven Comanche Indians came riding up the river, 
 armed with unstrung bows, and no lances. They rode up 
 to the fence ; and one of them shouted, “ Captain, good 
 friend ! ” and I went out to them, and asked what they 
 wanted. One of them spoke English very well, and ap- 
 peared to me a Mexican, who had probably been stolen by 
 them in childhood, and had since lived among them. He 
 said that the chief of all the Comanches, Pahajuka (the 
 man in love), had sent them to ask me whether he might 
 come and make friendship with me. He had heard that I 
 was a good friend to other Indians, and wished me to become 
 his friend as well. The message greatly surprised me, as 
 hitherto, w T hen I had come in contact with men of this 
 nation, we had used our weapons. My first feeling was a 
 suspicion that they wished to effect by treachery what they 
 had not been able to do by arms : still I would not entirely 
 repulse them, and said, that if they were speaking to me 
 with one tongue, and desired my friendship, I would readily 
 give it to them ; but, if they were double-tongued, I would 
 become still more their enemy ; and, in that case, they 
 would not be able to sleep peacefully in these parts. 
 
 I told them at the same time that I should expect their 
 chief on the next morning : on which their speaker intimated 
 
158 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 that their tribe were encamped a long way off, and Paha- 
 juka had sent them down from there ; but, when the sun 
 rose for the tenth time, he would be here. I promised to 
 wait for him on the appointed morning ; and then the sav- 
 ages rode away, and soon disappeared behind the last hill 
 on the prairie. Whatever might be the results of the im- 
 pending confereuce, I was resolved to make every effort to 
 produce, if possible, more pleasant relations between myself 
 and the Comanches, as by far the greater number of Indians 
 who visited our country belonged to this nation ;• and the 
 incessant hostilities with them became the more annoying 
 to me, in proportion as my cattle and property became 
 augmented. 
 
 At length the day arrived on which the chief of the Co- 
 manches had appointed his visit ; and at about seven, a.m., 
 three of these savages came up to the fort to inform me 
 that their leader was encamped half an hour’s distance off 
 in the woods of the Leone, and expected me there. I asked 
 Tiger’s advice ; and he advised me to ride out, as the Co- 
 manches meant honestly. I therefore saddled, and rode 
 (accompanied by Tiger, one of my colonists, and Trusty) out 
 to the Indians, and told them they could ride on, and I 
 would follow. We soon reached the spot where Pahajuka 
 was encamped ; and I noticed, to my satisfaction, that only 
 a squaw and a single man were seated at his fire. 
 
 I dismounted, left my man with the horses, and walked 
 up to the chief, who now rose, and folded me in his arms 
 twice. Then his squaw came to me, and evidenced her 
 friendship in the same way. Pahajuka was a man of about 
 sixty years of age, of middle height, plump, and possessing 
 a very pleasant, kindly appearance. He was entirely 
 dressed in deer-liide ; had very fine beads round his neck ; 
 and in his raven-black hair he had fastened a tail of plaited 
 
The Comanche Chief. 
 
 159 
 
 buffalo-hair five feet in length, on which a dozen round 
 silver plates, four inches in width, were fastened. He wore 
 this tail hanging over his right arm ; and it seemed to me as 
 if this ornament was only worn on solemn occasions, as I 
 never saw it again, though I met this savage frequently. 
 The squaw was a powerful, stout, extremely pleasant ma- 
 tron, who appeared to take a great interest in establishing 
 friendly relations between us. She was very talkative ; and 
 the interpreter could scarce keep pace with her tongue. 
 
 After the first explanations why they desired my friend- 
 ship, the squaw fetched several sorts of dried meat in 
 leathern bags, spread them on a buffalo-hide, and begged 
 me to take the meal of friendship with them. Tiger, too, 
 sat down ; and my other companion was obliged to do the 
 same. It tasted very poor to us, whose tongues were 
 spoiled by the culinary art ; still we did our best, and the 
 same with the pipe, which Pahajuka sent round afterwards. 
 When these forms had been gone through, the old squaw 
 packed up her traps again on her mule, and mounted it, 
 while the chief seated himself on a similar animal, which 
 was of very rare beauty. 
 
 We now rode, followed by the Indians, to the fort, where 
 the latter camped outside,, while Pahajuka and his squaw 
 sat down in our parlor. I had coffee and pastry served up 
 to them, both of which it seemed they had taken before ; 
 and they disposed of them heartily. Then I gave them 
 both a pipe and tobacco ; and then the conversation began, 
 in which the interpreter’s services were greatly called upon. 
 They told me, that, before I came into these parts, the Co- 
 manches had always been able to sleep here quietly, and their 
 children and cattle had grown fat ; but, since I had been 
 here, their hearts had always beaten with terror, and they 
 were unable to sleep at their fire at night. They now 
 
160 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 wished to make peace with me, and, when they came to 
 me, carry their weapons into my house, and fold their 
 arms, so that their cattle might graze in peace, and their 
 children grow fat. 
 
 My guests remained three days with me ; after which I 
 dismissed them with numerous trifling presents, consisting 
 of articles of clothing, colored handkerchiefs, tobacco, a 
 couple of blankets, small hand-glasses, &c. I accompanied 
 them on their first day’s journey, slept with them that night, 
 and then took leave with promises of a speedy meeting. 
 Afterwards they visited me regularly several times a year ; 
 and, as they had predicted, all the tribes of their nation 
 came in turn to make peace with me ; and their example 
 was followed by others, such as the Mescaleros, Kioways, 
 Shawnees, &c. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE NEW COLONISTS. 
 
 A few months had passed since my Alabama friends left 
 me ; and I had heard nothing more of them, when, one 
 morning, the watchman told me, with great joy, that a long 
 train of men, draught cattle, and carts, was coming down 
 the river. I soon recognized through my glass young La- 
 sar and his cousin Henry, surrounded by a large number of 
 negroes. The train moved very slowly onwards, and did 
 not stop before the fort for some hours, when I greeted the 
 new-comers most heartily. John had sixty odd strong 
 negroes with him,* twelve of whom were intended for me ; 
 and brought stores and tools with him on five large wag- 
 ons, each drawn by six oxen. He had made the journey 
 by steamer, via New Orleans, and partly on the Rio Grande. 
 When they landed, he brought the draught cattle, and had 
 reached me without any accident. I kept them a few days 
 with me to let them rest, and then proceeded with them 
 across to Mustang River, where they camped on the ground 
 selected by Mr. Lasar. 
 
 They chose for their maize-field a spot in the advance 
 woods where the soil was rich and loose ; and the trouble 
 of blazing the trees and ploughing round them was saved. 
 The negroes advanced in their job with almost incredible 
 rapidity ; and, in a short time, a field of some hundred 
 acres was cleared, ploughed, and fenced. 
 
 My life from this time underwent a change. I had 
 11 161 
 
162 
 
 The Bachroodsman . 
 
 twelve negroes at my disposal, and must so employ them as 
 not only to get their hire out of them, but also attain the 
 object for which I had hired them ; namely, making a profit. 
 
 Summer arrived with a rich harvest, and with it again 
 fresh, uninterrupted toil. My neighbors had also been re- 
 warded for their exertions by an immense maize-crop, and 
 employed the late summer in building larger houses for the 
 reception of Tasar and his family. Strangers came to 
 prospect the land in our neighborhood ; and all went away 
 contented, with an assurance that they would soon settle 
 here. 
 
 In autumn, Mr. Lasar arrived with his wife, two daugh- 
 ters, and a younger son, and brought with him about five 
 hundred negroes, a number of fine horses and splendid cat- 
 tle. Our social circumstances thus advanced a stage. This 
 highly educated and amiable family offered me pleasures 
 which appeared to me quite new and attractive ; and I did 
 not reflect that I had bidden farewell to them some few 
 years back through sheer weariness. The deer-hide dress 
 was now frequently changed for the costume of former 
 days, the razors looked up, an old negres3 hired who knew 
 how to wash and iron ; and imperceptibly many long-forgot- 
 ten follies and considerations crept into our simple, natural 
 life. Civilization, however, had set its foot in our paradise 
 once for all ; and nothing was able to oppose its rapid ad- 
 vance. 
 
 The winter brought several large planters to Mustang 
 River, above Lasaris estate ; and the land towards the north- 
 ern rivers wa3 occupied by others, while to the south of us 
 the settlements of the Rio Grande also increased. 
 
 The other side of the Rio Grande was less changed ; and 
 game will be protected there for many years to come by 
 the ins urmountable mountains that surround the valleys; 
 
The New Colonists. 
 
 163 
 
 but it required a much greater outlay of time to seek the 
 game there which formerly auimated the immediate vicinity 
 of my residence. Tiger was beginning to grow impatient, 
 and often said to me that the game in our vicinity had now 
 got too many eyes and feet, and he would go northwards to 
 the great mountains before spring arrived. For a long time 
 past, I had been desirous of passing through the Rocky 
 Mountains ; but never was the yearning greater to throw 
 myself once more into the arms of virgin Nature than at 
 this moment, when civilization drew me back by force into 
 its sphere. In spite of the repeated representations which 
 reason and my material interests urged against such an 
 undertaking, I resolved to start in February for these un- 
 known countries. One of my men was an excellent farmer, 
 and in every way deserving of my entire confidence, so that 
 I could with safety place the management of my settlement 
 in his hands ; while one of the other two, of the name of 
 Konigstein, insisted on accompanying me ; to which I read- 
 ily assented, as he had given me a thousand proofs of his 
 fidelity and devotedness. With these qualities, so valuable 
 for me, he united a determination and courage which noth- 
 ing could daunt ; and I have often seen him in the most des- 
 perate circumstances laughingly defy the danger. John 
 Lasar was enthusiastic when I told him of my intention : 
 he earnestly desired to accompany me, and begged me to 
 procure his father’s consent. The enterprise appeared to 
 the old gentleman rather daring, and he made all pos- 
 sible objections ; but he at last yielded to our entreaties, 
 and equipped his son with a brace of splendid revolvers, 
 while I supplied him with one of my double-barrelled guns. 
 Konigstein was armed with a double rifle, but also carried 
 in a leathern sheath fastened to his saddle a four-barrelled 
 gun, two pistols in his belt, and two in his holsters. 
 
164 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 While we were engaged in making our preparations for 
 the great journey, several of Lasar’ s friends arrived from 
 Alabama ; among them being two young men, a Mr. Mac- 
 Donald and a Mr. Clifton, who came to me with John, and 
 earnestly asked my leave to form the party. I was glad to 
 have them, as their exterior was very pleasing, and our 
 number was still small for a journey in which thousands of 
 dangers and fatigues awaited us. We worked hard at get- 
 ting ready, in which John’s elder sister materially assisted 
 us. New suits of deer-hide were made, two small tents 
 prepared, and a large sheet varnished to make it water-tight, 
 and thus protect our baggage from the rain. Then biscuits 
 were baked ; coffee, salt, pepper, and sugar stamped into 
 bladders ; a small cask filled with cognac, cartridges made, 
 and our saddlery inspected : in short, there were a thousand 
 matters to attend to ; and thus the last days of January 
 found us with all hands full of work for our expedition, 
 while we had appointed February first for the start. 
 
 On the last day of January, there was a grand review in 
 front of the fort, where we appeared fully equipped for a 
 start, in order to inspect everything, and discover anything 
 that might still be wanting. 
 
 Pleased, and full of enthusiasm about our enterprise, we 
 spent the day ; and, on saying good-by in the evening, Lasar 
 promised to accompany us with his family, and spend the 
 first night of o\ir camp-life with us. The next morning 
 found us busied at an early hour in arranging our baggage, 
 and d’viding it among our cattle. 
 
 We had almost completed our preparations when we saw 
 a long train of riders coming from Mustang River over the 
 prairie, led by a gentleman on a powerful dapple-gray, and 
 a lady on a black horse. They were our friends from the 
 Mustang : at their head rode old Mr. Lasar on a fine Vir- 
 
The New Colonists. 
 
 105 
 
 ginian thorough-bred ; and by his side pranced a coal-black 
 stallion, who did honor to his pure Andulasian descent from 
 his muzzle to the tip of his flying tail, and, proud of the 
 load he carried on his back, bowed his strength before the 
 delicate hand which guided him by a dazzlingly white 
 bridle. Julia, Lasar’s eldest daughter, was the mistress 
 of this splendid animal. Her tall, graceful form, her bril- 
 liant black locks falling under her tall hat, her dark eyes 
 overshadowed by long lashes, and the long white feather 
 which waved in her hat, reminded me of her noble ancestry 
 in the days of Ferdinand and Isabella. Behind them rode 
 John Lasar by his mother’s side on a chestnut mare of 
 pure Arab blood ; then came the youngest daughter and the 
 youngest son, MacDonald and Clifton, several neighbors 
 from the Mustang, and lastly loaded pack-horses, with a 
 number of mules. The caravan came over the last height 
 to the fort, and was joyfully welcomed by us. A cup 
 carved out of a buffalo-horn, filled with Sauterne, was 
 handed to the guests on horseback, and then also emptied 
 by us to the toast of a pleasant journey and fortunate re- 
 turn ; and we at once took leave of home for an indefinite 
 period. 
 
 The end of our journey, as we had temporarily arranged, 
 was the highest yet known point on the Rocky Mountains, 
 the Bighorn, which is situated in the forty-second degree of 
 latitude, and to which we had a distance of about eight 
 hundred miles to ride. And so we turned our horses away 
 from home towards these unknown regions. 
 
 We had chosen Turkey Creek as our halting-place, and 
 rode at a quick pace in order to reach our camping-ground 
 by daylight. At noon we made a short halt at an affluent 
 of the Leone, to give our ladies time to dine, and at the 
 same time allow our horses to graze. During this short 
 
166 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 delay, the buffalo-horn, filled with wine, was passed round, 
 and was accompanied by singing and merriment. No one 
 appeared to reflect that the next morning would bring a 
 parting more or less hard for us all ; but all yielded to their 
 gay humor without a check. At about one o’clock, we held 
 the ladies’ stirrups ; helped them on their horses again ; and, 
 ere long, the whole party were moving northward. The 
 short rest had done the cattle good ; and they hastened in a 
 quick amble across the prairie, which was already begin- 
 ning to be adorned with its spring beauty. 
 
 While riding through a narrow coppice, we suddenly saw 
 before us, at no great distance, a herd of grazing buffaloes, 
 which, for a moment, gazed at us in astonishment, and did not 
 appear to have formed a decision as to whether they should 
 bolt, or stand an attack. A loud hunting-shout ran along 
 our ranks ; and I saw on all sides pistols and revolvers being 
 torn from the belts. In vain did I strive to master the en- 
 thusiasm of my comrades, and hold them back by the ob- 
 servation that we were heavily loaded, were not hunting, 
 but commencing a long journey, in which we must spare 
 the strength o^ our horses. Away the cavalry flew after 
 the piebald. I could hardly hold back my impetuous steed 
 by the side of Miss Julia’s black, whom the very sharp bit 
 alone prevented from bolting, till the lady uttered a wish to 
 follow the chase, as these were the first buffaloes she had 
 seen. Her younger sister joined her ; and thus only Lasar 
 and his wife, the negroes and pack-animals, remained behind. 
 
 On flew the noble black stallion, guided by the steady 
 hand of his young mistress, from whose hat the white 
 feather floated, while the ends of the long red scarf tied 
 round her riding-habit fluttered behind her. I held Czar in 
 a little, so as not to excite the black horse too much ; while 
 Julia’s sister’s pony followed us at some distance, and be- 
 
The New Colonists. 
 
 107 
 
 Hind it honest, heavily loaded Jack came panting, whom the 
 negroes had been unable to keep in the ranks of the pack- 
 cattle. We were soon close to the flying herd, whose thun- 
 dering hoofs drowned the sound of my comrades’ pistols. 
 We dashed past an enormous buffalo, which had sunk, seri- 
 ously wounded, with its hind-quarters on the ground, and, 
 standing on its huge fore-legs, was holding its broad shaggy 
 head towards us. Immediately after, we saw another quit 
 the ranks in front of us, and dash after John, who was fly- 
 ing before it on his fast mare. I shouted to Julia to check 
 her horse, in which she succeeded after some efforts ; and 
 we now rode up to the wounded buffalo, which, with head 
 down, was preparing for action. We stopped about fifty 
 yards from it ; when John, who saw that I had raised my 
 rifle, shouted to me not to fire, as he wished to kill the ani- 
 mal himself. He fired; and the buffalo rolled over in a 
 crashing fall. Our comrades also collected in the distance 
 round one of the animals, which, being wounded, stood at 
 bay, and was soon killed. Then they rode back with shouts 
 of triumph, and stopped with us till Mr. and Mrs. Lasar 
 came up. The ladies were delighted with the savage 
 though splendid scene, and confessed that hunting possessed 
 an attraction which might easily render a man passionately 
 fond of it. We left the negroes behind with a few pack- 
 animals to take the hides and best meat from the killed 
 buffaloes, then ordered them to follow our trail, and rode on 
 to the camping-ground on Turkey Creek, which we reached 
 at sunset. 
 
 Lasar’s spacious marquee was quickly put up, and the 
 long pennants hoisted over it : in front of this tent a large 
 fire was lit, and buffalo-hides spread round it, on which the 
 ladies reclined. We attended to the horses, carried our 
 baggage to other fires at which we intended to spend the 
 
168 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 night, and then gradually collected in front of Lasar’s tent, 
 where the coffee was already boiling, and various kettles for 
 supper were standing in the ashes. The negroes, too, soon 
 rode up with heavily loaded cattle ; and each of us put some 
 of the meat on a spit in front of the fire, or laid a marrow- 
 bone to roast. The night was magnificent : not a breath 
 of air stirred the dark leaves of the primeval evergreen live- 
 oaks, which spread out their long horizontal branches over 
 our heads. Between them, the moon, in its first quarter, 
 spread its silvery light over us ; and the sky was covered 
 with twinkling stars. In the dark distance, we could hear 
 the notes of nocturnal birds of passage (which proved to us, 
 by their northward flight, that the winter there could no 
 longer be very severe), till these notes were lost in the rus- 
 tling of the adjacent stream, which filled up every pause in 
 our animated conversation. 
 
 We sat for a long time round the brightly burning fire, 
 till the ladies retired inside the tent ; and we proceeded to 
 our several fires, and wrapped ourselves in our buffalo-robes. 
 Trusty alone still sat with his nose in the air when my eyes 
 closed ; and it was his voice woke me, when one of Lasar’s 
 negroes rose. I also leaped up, led Czar — though he felt 
 no particular inclination to rise — into the grass, took my 
 rifle, and went to the river, where I could hear the gobbling 
 of the turkeys. It was still too dark to shoot with certainty, 
 when I got under the lofty pecan-nut trees which stood on 
 its banks. On their highest branches the birds were sitting, 
 and saluting the dawn. I listened to them for a long time 
 ere I raised my rifle, and sent a bullet through one of them. 
 It fell from branch to branch, and startled the others, which 
 flew off noisily ; while the hundreds standing ou the trees 
 around timidly thrust out their long necks, but would not 
 leave their night-quarters. 
 
The New Colonists. 
 
 169 
 
 The cock had fallen into the river, and was flapping its 
 wings violently in the quiet waters ; so I cut a stick with a 
 hook in order to pull it in. I had scarce secured it, ere a 
 platoon-fire burst forth all round me from my comrades* 
 rifles, whom my shot had aroused from sleep ; and I now 
 ran up to take part in the morning’s sport. They produced a 
 terrible slaughter among the poor foolish birds ; and each of 
 them carried at least two to camp. I went down the river a 
 little way, however, to have a bath. When I returned, all 
 were busy, and seeking by occupation to avoid beginning a 
 conversation which must necessarily hinge on the approach- 
 ing leave-taking. The ladies helped in getting breakfast 
 ready, the young men packed up their traps, the negroes 
 struck the tent and rolled it up, and old Mr. Lasar went 
 from one to the other offering his advice. At length noth- 
 ing more was left but to eat breakfast, saddle the horses, 
 and say good-by. When all were mounted, we turned our 
 horses towards the river, waving a farewell to our friends 
 as long as we could see them. 
 
 We soon passed through the wood on to the prairie, which 
 ran along its north side ; and halted to have a last inspection 
 of our small corps. I, who had been elected captain, now 
 assumed my duties, as from this moment our journey really 
 began. I examined how the goods were divided among the 
 mules (of which animals two others accompanied us, besides 
 Jack, Sam, and Lizzy, whom John Lasar had supplied); 
 for it is important on such a journey to take the greatest 
 care that the animals are not galled by the saddles or bag- 
 gage. 
 
 * When I had convinced myself that every thing waS in 
 order, I called my party’s attention to the fact, that strict 
 obedience to my regulations was indispensably necessary 
 for our common safety. Tiger was intrusted with the 
 
170 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 guidance, and always rode about a hundred yards ahead ; 
 while one of us formed the rear-guard by the mules. I had 
 with Tiger a long consultation as to the route we should fol- 
 low ; and, while I proposed to keep more to the north-west, 
 he insisted on a due north direction. I was of opinion that 
 the lowest passage to the north would be found at the spot 
 where the Rio-Grande Mountains sloped down to the east 
 and joined the San-Saba Mountains ; while, on the other 
 hand, Tiger asserted that the mountain-chain could be 
 passed most easily due north, near the sources of the Rio 
 Colorado. 
 
 The weather was glorious, and the sun poured down its 
 cheering beams upon us from a clear sky. With jokes and 
 anecdotes, our hearts filled with expectation of the marvels 
 that lay before us, we trotted after the quick-footed piebald, 
 who appeared as pleased as his master to leave the civiliza- 
 tion of the pale-faces behind him. 
 
 Four fine days we passed over these extensive plains, 
 from whose lap higher and steeper hills gradually rise, until 
 the latter form into a chain, and impart to the landscape the 
 character of mountainous scenery. We were among the 
 spurs of the San-Saba Mountains, which do not run so far 
 south hero as they do farther west ; and everywhere found 
 water for ourselves, and provender for our cattle. But now 
 the stone-covered hills gradually became higher and the val- 
 leys narrower : we frequently crossed large ranges of table- 
 land, on which the mosquito-grass grows scantily ; and, as 
 this is the only sort that remains green in winter, we could 
 not let any opportunity slip to feed our cattle when we came 
 across good pasturage. We need not be so anxious about 
 w’ater, as nearly all the valleys between these mountains are 
 supplied with it in winter. 
 
A 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A BOLD TOUR. 
 
 We had been going for several days through the moun- 
 tains with considerable difficulty, when one afternooD we 
 reached a splendid pasturage. 
 
 We resolved to remain here till the next day, because 
 both our horses and ourselves required rest. My comrades 
 wished to obtain permission to go out hunting, as Tiger had 
 already done so without asking my leave ; for he paid little 
 heed to our laws. John Lasar and Mac, as we called Mac- 
 Donnell for the sake of shortness, went off in different direc- 
 tions. The former followed the spring which joined a stream 
 about a mile from us, whose banks were covered with a dense 
 undergrowth, while Mac went north into the hills. The 
 rest of us remained in camp. Shortly before sunset, Mac 
 returned, told us he had shot a large deer and two turkeys 
 close at hand, put a pack-saddle on Sam, and went with 
 Antonio to fetch the game. He had scarce left ere Tiger 
 came in, and triumphantly informed us that he had killed a 
 big bear in its lair, and we must go and fetch it in the 
 morning ; for it was dark when Mac and Antonio returned 
 with the game, and John had not turned up yet, which ren- 
 dered us rather anxious. Still I had heard him fire several 
 times, so he could not be far off ; but I was afraid that an 
 accident had happened to him, as it was now getting on for 
 nine o’clock. We repeatedly fired our guns ; and, though 
 
 171 
 
172 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 it was so late, Tiger went down the stream and raised his 
 hunting-yell, but received no reply. At night it was impos- 
 sible to follow his trail, so we lay down to sleep ; but at 
 daybreak we swallowed our breakfast and prepared to go in 
 search of John. I took Tiger and Mac with me, and told 
 Antonio to follow us on Jack. Trusty trotted ahead ; and 
 we had not gone many hundred yards from camp when 
 John came riding down between the hills. We were very 
 anxious to learn what had caused him to spend the night 
 away ; and he now told us that he had got among a herd of 
 peccaries in the wood, and, after shooting one of these ani- 
 mals, was compelled to seek shelter in a tree which they* in- 
 vested. Although he shot several of them, they did not 
 retreat, and hence he was obliged to wait for daybreak. 
 Of course, he had passed the night in the cold, shelterless ; 
 and was now very anxious for rest. He rolled himself in 
 his buffalo-robe, while I, with Tiger, Antonio, and Mac, 
 left camp in order to fetch the bear. We took Jack and 
 Lizzy with us to carry ropes and an axe. 
 
 We ascended the hills on the east for about half an hour, 
 till Tiger went round a lofty rock, and showed us a small 
 round opening about six feet above the spot where we were 
 standing. Tiger crept into the hole with a lasso to noose 
 the bear’s throat. He soon came out again ; and we all 
 three tried, but in vain, to drag it out with the rope. We 
 harnessed Jack in front, and Tiger crept in again to the 
 bear to push. Now matters went better, and the black mon- 
 ster soon appeared in the opening, and rolled down the little 
 slope to us. Jack and Lizzy, startled at the sudden appari- 
 tion, leapt on one side, but were soon pacified ; and we be- 
 gan skinning and breaking up the animal. I was anxious 
 to have a look at the interior of its abode, and crawled into 
 the entrance, which was at first very narrow, but then wi- 
 
A Bold Tour. 
 
 173 
 
 dened, and at length became two walls leaning together at 
 the top, but about eight feet apart at the bottom. The floor 
 of the cave was covered with cedar-branches, on which the 
 bear reposed. I lighted a wax-taper, and was thus enabled 
 to examine the cave narrowly. Tiger had crept up to the 
 bear with a lighted wisp of grass in his hand, shot it in the 
 left eye, and killed it on the spot. 
 
 We packed the best of the meat and fat, as well as the 
 skin, on our mules, and returned to camp, where we arrived 
 at about ten o’clock. We packed up, and were under way 
 again by two, p.m., following Tiger, who led us through the 
 m<iuntain-passes, which here became much steeper. We 
 rode nearly the whole day up hill, and only at intervals 
 came to small table-lands, on which our cattle rested for a 
 while. 
 
 After a tiring ride the sun began to decline, and illumined 
 the red bare granite mountains that now rose before us, and 
 which we could still have reached ; but as we found grass 
 and water here, and our cattle longed for rest, we halted, 
 and made our camp. We were all hungry and tired, and 
 hence enjoyed the capital bear-ineat, and stretched ourselves 
 before the fire in our buffalo-robes, where we awaited the 
 morning without any disturbance. Refreshed and strength- 
 ened, we gazed down from our elevation at the dense clouds 
 which filled the valleys below us, while the dark sky in the 
 east over the mountains continually became redder, until all 
 at once the sun appeared like a burning ball over the distant 
 misty blue range of hills. 
 
 We had, for a long time, been enjoying this strange 
 scene, and were on the point of going down to the rocky 
 valley, when a loud yelling and barking was heard on our 
 right, beneath us, which rang through the valley, as if 
 raised by a thousand animals. It rapidly drew nearer ; and, 
 
174 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 on looking in the direction of the sound, we saw, at the foot 
 of the precipice on which we were standing, a foam-covered 
 old buffalo dash-past with a pack of about fifty white wolves 
 at its heels. The old fellow seemed very tired, and with 
 flying mane raised its weary feet in its gallop, spurred on 
 by the yells of its blood-thirsty pursuers. It soon disap- 
 peared with its tormentors round the rock, and far into the 
 valley we heard the wild chase ; but certainly the hunted 
 brute eventually fell a prey to the furious band. It is only 
 at this season that the white wolves collect in large packs, 
 when they make very daring attacks on the largest animals, 
 and even man ; and many a Western hunter has before this 
 fallen their victim. 
 
 We rode down into the valley, following a very deeply 
 trodden buffalo-path, which ran between the blocks of gran- 
 ite, some of which were as tall as a house, and at noon 
 reached a small stream in its centre, which ran westward. 
 
 Our horses had here excellent grazing-grounds, which are 
 much larger than they had appeared to us from the moun- 
 tains ; and as we did not wish to hasten our journey and 
 reach the north too soon, where the vegetation was still * 
 dead, we resolved to rest here for a few days. Still, as the 
 stream might perhaps swell rapidly, we thought it better to 
 pass it, and camp higher up. It was about fifty yards wide, 
 and rather rapid ; and the buffalo-path on which we were 
 went down into it at such a pitch, that it was difficult to 
 convey our traps across. Tiger and I, consequently, went 
 up the stream in search of a spot easier of access. 
 
 About a mile farther on, we came to a buffalo-path, so 
 deeply trodden in the bank, that it led with a lower pitch to 
 the water, while on the other side the bank was low, and 
 the stream shallow : we therefore hurried back to camp, 
 and marched up the river with our baggage. 
 
A Bold Tour. 
 
 175 
 
 For three days we rested our horses here, uid amused 
 ourselves with fishing and hunting, for which the valley 
 afforded every opportunity, as all sorts of game swarmed, 
 and the covered ground enabled the hunter to approach it. 
 
 On the morning we had appointed for our departure, 1 
 was awakened by the yell of a jaguar. I sprang up, and % 
 heard it again at no great distance from our camp. Our 
 fire was rather low, and hence it had ventured rather near- 
 er to us ; and our cattle had probably aroused its appetite for 
 blood. I made Tiger a sign to go with me, took my rifle, 
 and crawled, with Trusty at my heels, in the direction 
 whence I had heard the jaguar. The grass was very damp, 
 so that we could creep on without making the slightest 
 noise. We stopped and listened. I fancied I had heard 
 the puffing sound I had previously noticed with these ani- 
 mals, and which, I believe, is produced by their blowing 
 out the dew which impedes their organs of scent. I heard 
 it again, and not very far off, when suddenly the sharp, 
 snapping yelp was raised close before us. I hurried up 
 some rocks, and saw the huge creature standing on a small 
 clearing about thirty yards from me. The- grass on which 
 it was standing was still rather dark ; and only the highest 
 haulms displayed heavy drops of dew, while the breaking 
 dawn was reflected in the brute’s smooth, yellow-black, spot- 
 ted body. I had fallen on one knee on the grass, when 
 the royal brute again raised its half-open throat, and uttered 
 its murderous cry, accompanied by a blast of its hot breath, 
 which rose like a strip of mist in the cold breeze. It stood 
 motionless. I rested my arm, that held the rifle, on my 
 knee ; and every thing was so still, that I could distinctly 
 hear my heart beat. I now fired ; and, with an awful roar, 
 the brute first rose straight in the air, then turned over, and 
 writhed in the grass. I had shot it near the heart, and in 
 

 Tke BaaxojdsntaH. 
 
 a few minutes it was quite dead. Tiger was greatly de- 
 lighted with the splendid skin, which he stripped off the brute 
 with extraordinary skill, and left the huge daws on it. 
 
 At about ten o’clock we were ready to start, and rode 
 through a narrow gorge towards the hill ahead of us. which 
 soon brought us to a wide plateau, on which we and our 
 horses were greatly troubled by the sun, as the breeze was 
 very slight. For several days, we proceeded without any 
 great difficulty through the mountains, which constantly 
 surprised us both on the heights and in the valleys with the 
 most beautiful landscapes. 
 
 The farther we went from the river, the le^s steep the 
 mountains’ sides became, and the valleys widened again. 
 On the following day, we crossed two other rivers, which 
 were arms of the Colorado, and went down towards the 
 northern spurs of the San-Saba Mountains. The mountain- 
 chains here ran severally over larger surfaces, on which a 
 great many hills rose ; but they had nearly all already 
 donned the garb of the prairies. They were covered with a 
 red grass that is rather hard, but does not die in winter, 
 while in the lowlands grew the fine hair-like mosquito- 
 grass. We found here again large troops of wild horses, 
 though we had seen none on the mountains, and enormous 
 quantities of game of all sorts. The prairie more espe- 
 cially was covered with buffaloes as far as we could see. 
 W e were constantly supplied with the finest meat, which we 
 shot in passing, wiihout stopping any length of time or tir- 
 ing our horses. 
 
 One afternoon, however, we noticed among a herd of 
 buffaloes two white ones, which excited our cupidity ; and 
 we resolved to hunt them. We left Antonio and Konigstein 
 behind with the mules, laid aside our superfluous baggage, 
 ani slowly approached the buffaloes. They were standing 
 
A B>>mi Tw 
 
 in 
 
 an a knob cn the prairie. an* d a* to rise rirher 
 
 up ere they wok to rz =r t- We rahiced after them. an»d 
 '■'ere soon in their rani*. which mve w*y y we tressed -- 
 and spread on loch sides with such r.:inr and snrrninr a* 
 deafened ibe thundering ns*e « their L:«i. The no 
 while animals, an «4i boil and a cow. were rizb: in ne 
 from. Iz, spile of the choking ck*ad of css in which we 
 were infolded, ve kepi them in sight. and at hs got un no 
 them. Tiger was some paces ahead, an-i rm up to the buf- 
 faloes ; but. at the moment when be raised Lis long rube to 
 lire. the bcii turned on him. and the piebald raxe a tremen- 
 dous Siam Tiger I :«s: Lis balance. a n d would assuredly ha~e 
 fallen, had be not caught hold of the mane, and sprung inn 
 his rearing horse. At the same inscan:, the human received 
 our bullets, and dashed furiously frsc after one, then al- 
 ter the ocher, while being comiruaZy wounded afresh, until 
 it at last sank on its knee exhausted, and referred the death- 
 shot from Tiger's ride. I now rode back to those in the 
 rear and brought them to the -dead WL while the others 
 shinned 7_e h.ie *:i-ni.l — ~er- ig-Lairei mi 
 shaggy, and snowy- white without spots. A white bn mi; is 
 a rarity. The savage Indians regard it with supterseduous 
 awe. ar^d make a sacrifice of ■■■>(! 1m ere they attack 
 and kill it. They set an extraordinarily high value an the 
 hide of such an animal, and either use n as a valuable pres- 
 ent. or sell it for a large sum. After the ball was killed. I 
 Lai the greatest diffi culty in keeping Tiger trim fchowfug 
 the herd, which was out of sight, in order to take the hide 
 of the white cow : and it was not dll I assured hint that the 
 hi de of the dead one belonged to him. and that I would pur- 
 chase it of him, that be remained with as. An hour later 
 the bargain was concluded, and my Indian perfeeny con- 
 tented. 
 
 n 
 
s 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. * 
 
 We now reached open plains, where only here and there 
 an isolated mosquito-tree or a thickly foliaged elm offers a 
 little shade on the boundless glowing surface, and the sky 
 forms the horizon all around. To these single shady trees 
 the deer and antelopes fly in the mid-day heat, and lie down 
 close together, so that you may be always certain to find 
 game under these trees so long as their leaves are standing. 
 At the same season the grass is high also ; and it is easy for 
 the hunter to creep, unseen, within shot, and shoot the fattest 
 deer through the head. Even at the time of our visit, when 
 the leaves had fallen, these animals frequently reposed un- 
 der the scattered trees, and rose as we passed ; forty or fifty 
 in number gazing anxiously at us. The buffalo, on the 
 other hand, always remains in the sunshine, and seems able 
 to endure the greatest heat, but also the greatest cold, before 
 all other quadrupeds. 
 
 One afternoon I was riding with Tiger about a mile 
 ahead of our party, in order to have a better chance of ap- 
 proaching game, when we heard two shots behind us. We 
 looked round, and saw our friends gathered in a knot on a 
 small knoll, and a swarm of about fifty Indians galloping 
 round them. We gave our horses the spurs, and flew back 
 to them, while Tiger raised a hideous yell, in which I sup- 
 ported him to the best of my strength. Our friends now 
 fired a general salvo at the assailants, which knocked over 
 178 
 
The Rocbj Mountains. 
 
 179 
 
 two horses ; bat their riders were immediately picked up by 
 their comrades. On seeing U3, the savages took to flight 
 with grewsome yells. We rode up to our companions, who 
 had placed all the animals in the centre to protect them. 
 Konigstein had luckily seen some horses’ heads over the 
 crest of the next hill which aroused his suspicions, and had 
 employed, the time in assuming a posture of defence, or else 
 we should probably have lost our mules. Tiger saw, from 
 the saddles of the shot horses, that they belonged to the 
 Mescaleros, who are considered the most savage tribe in the 
 West, and would certainly not have given up their attack so 
 soon, had they not recognized Tiger’s war-whoop as that of 
 the Delawares. The number of Mescalero3 i3 not large ; 
 and they are constantly at war with many other tribes, so 
 that they do not care to make fresh enemies among their 
 red brothers. This little danger, which we escaped without 
 loss, was not unpleasing to me, as our precautions, which 
 had nearly been forgotten, were aroused once more by it. 
 
 For about a week, we marched through a very pleasant 
 country, and arrived at a rather large river, which Tiger 
 stated to be the Brazos, and which falls into the gulf to the 
 eastward of the Colorado. I had seen it before at San Fe- 
 lipe, but would not have recognized it ; for there it moves 
 sluggishly through a thick-wooded bed of heavy clay, and 
 has a dirty red color, while here it rolls merrily over rocks, 
 and it3 crystal surface is covered with a snow-white foam. 
 From this point we proceeded to the north-west, as Tiger 
 noticed that we had gone a little too far east, and would 
 have much greater difficulty in crossing the rivers than far- 
 ther west, where, though the country is mountainous, the 
 streams nearer their sources are smaller and more frequent. 
 
 On a warm day. we had been riding without a halt over 
 desolate, stony hills, and were quite exhausted. When our 
 
180 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 tired and thirsty horses clambered up a barren height, we 
 suddenly looked down into a lovely valley covered with 
 fresh verdure, through which a broad stream wound. The 
 view soon enlivened horse and rider ; and we merrily hur- 
 ried down to the bank of the stream. We had hardly 
 reached it, and ridden our horses in to let them quench their 
 thirst, when a long train of Indians appeared on the oppo- 
 site height bordering the valley, and came straight towards 
 us. Tiger looked at them for a moment, and told us to 
 wait here while he rode across to see who they were. We 
 dismounted, led our horses together, and got our weapons in 
 readiness. Tiger galloped through the valley to the hill- 
 side down which the Indians were coming, and checked his 
 piebald at its foot. We saw him making signs from a 
 distance to the approaching horsemen, which were answered 
 iu the same way ; and, ere long, the whole party pulled up 
 around him. They held a long consultation, and then rode 
 towards us, with Tiger at their head. They were Kicka- 
 poos out on a hunting-expedition, and had recently left \heir 
 villages on the Platte, where they have settlements like the 
 Delawares, and their squaws and old men grow crops and 
 breed cattle. 
 
 I had a long conversation with the chief, in which Tiger 
 played the interpreter ; told him the purpose of our journey, 
 invited him to visit me on the Leone next winter, and asked 
 him how far it was to the next water. He assured me that we 
 should come to good water and grass before the sun sank be- 
 hind the mountains ; and so we parted, very glad to get away 
 from the fellows whose appearance was any thing but satis- 
 factory. The party consisted of about eighty men, twenty 
 squaws, and a number of small children. They had already 
 unpacked their horses and prepared their camp to halt here, 
 as we rode away from them over the hills, and Tiger came 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Ocelots hunting in Couples. Page 181. 
 
The Rocky Mountains. 
 
 181 
 
 up to me, saying, “ Kickapoo no good ; two tongues.” I 
 had heard before that these Indians were false, spiteful, and 
 hostile to white men ; and only the advantage they derive 
 from being on friendly terms with the United States induces 
 them not to appear publicly as their enemies. 
 
 We quickly advanced, aud reached at a rather early hour 
 a valley in which we found grass and water, and chose our 
 camp at a spot where the stream ran close under a preci- 
 pice, while on this side was a small copse in which we could 
 fasten our cattle at night. It w,as an almost circular kettle 
 enclosed by steep limestone walls, which had an opening 
 only on one side, through which the bright stream flowed. 
 About midnight Trusty aroused us by his loud savage bark : 
 he was at the opening of the valley, and would not lie down 
 again ; but we could not discover his motive, as it was quite 
 dark. Tiger fancied, however, that the Kickapoos were 
 trying to steal some of our horses. When day broke and 
 cast its first faint light over the gray walls of the valley, 
 I awoke, and saw at the entrance a herd of deer apparently 
 browsing down the stream. As it was still rather dark, I 
 hoped to be able to approach them behind the few leafless 
 bushes that grew on the bank, as crawling through the 
 dewy grass was too fatiguing a job to be rewarded by a 
 deer, especially as we still had a supply of game. 
 
 I crept down the stream, and had got within shot, when 
 I made a forward leap in order to reach a rather thick 
 bush, from which I could fire more conveniently. At the 
 same instant, the deer started apart in terror ; and I saw that 
 an ocelot had leaped on the back of one of them, which 
 laid back its broad antlers, and galloped down the stream, 
 while a second cat followed it with long high bounds. Two 
 of the terrified deer darted past me ; but I did not fire, as I 
 felt an interest in watching the hunt of the two beasts of 
 
182 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 prey, which I followed as quickly* as I could out of the val- 
 ley. The deer ran about a mile down the stream, then 
 reared and fell over backwards ; when the second cat also 
 sprang on it, and hung on its neck. 
 
 The deer collected its last strength, and tried to rise on its 
 hind-legs, but sank exhausted, and sent its plaintive cries 
 echoing through the mountains. I crept, unseen by the 
 beasts of prey, within thirty yards of the scene of battle, 
 and shot the first, while I missed the second, as it bolted, 
 but sent Trusty after it, and soon heard him at bay lower 
 down the stream. I soon reloaded, and hurried after 
 Trusty, who was barking round a small oak in which the 
 ocelot had sought shelter. I shot it down and dragged it 
 up to the other, which was lying by the dead deer. All 
 were up in our camp, as they had heard my shots ; and 
 John and Konigstein hurried towards me to see what I had 
 killed. My clothes were as wet as if I had been in the 
 river ; and I turned myself before our fire, while the others 
 went out with Jack to bring in the game. Higher north I 
 did not come across these small leopards, while farther 
 south they are very frequent. 
 
 For several days longer, our road ran through mountains 
 which were bordered by savage precipices, and crossed by 
 grassy valleys ; then we rode for some days across open, 
 boundless prairies, and again reached low ranges of hills, 
 between which we crossed the southern arm of Red River, 
 which divides Texas from Arkansas, and falls into the 
 Mississippi in Arkansas after flowing a distance of nearly 
 a thousand miles. 
 
 The Rocky Mountains now rose in the west, and glistened 
 with their snowy peaks, while around us the plants an- 
 nounced spring by their bursting buds. We drew nearer to 
 them, although in this way our route became far more fa- 
 
The Rocky Mountains. 
 
 183 
 
 tiguing than farther eastward, where the wide prairies ex- 
 tend to the north. But Tiger employed this precaution in 
 order to get out of the way of the great Indian hordes pur- 
 suing the buffalo, who do not find in these mountains suffi- 
 cient food for their troops of horses and mules, and cannot 
 hunt the buffaloes there so well as on the prairie. 
 
 We had been winding for some days through wildly ro- 
 mantic mountain-gorges ; and our eyes were involuntarily 
 fixed on the distant reddish mountains which rose in the 
 north towards the transparent sky. 
 
 I was riding with Tiger ahead of our party, when, on 
 turning a rock, we saw a very plump bear leap from the 
 bank through the shallow but foaming stream, and disap- 
 pear in a coppice opposite. It was too quick to enable us 
 to fire ; and, when we reached the spot where we first saw it, 
 we found a large elk lying behind some thick prickly bushes, 
 which was still warm, and hence must have been recently 
 killed. One leg was torn up, but the rest was in good con- 
 dition ; and we halted to await our friends, and put the game 
 on the mules. When I was about to dismount, Tiger re- 
 marked that the bear would return to the elk in the evening ; 
 and as we should soon be obliged to camp, owing to the 
 growing darkness, we could hunt it. 
 
 Our friends came up, and we marched about a mile far- 
 ther, where we found excellent grass in a gorge on the left 
 of the river. We unsaddled, hobbled our cattle, and pre- 
 pared supper, although it was rather early. The question 
 then was, who of us should go after the bear ; and, as all 
 wished to do so, we agreed that the dice should decide. 
 The lot fell on myself, Clifton, and Konigstein ; and with- 
 out delay we took our weapons, and walked down the 
 stream to the spot where the elk lay. We advanced cau- 
 tiously, as the bear might already be at its quarry ; and, as 
 
184 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 we noticed nothing of it, we selected our posts no great dis- 
 tance from the elk. I was at the centre, behind a large 
 rock ; Konigstein lay on my right, near the stream, in the 
 dry grass behind some bushes ; and Clifton was on my left, 
 ered by a fallen dead tree. 
 
 We had a good wind ; and, if the bear returned, we should 
 have it under our guns, and it would hardly be able to 
 escape. We sa£ without moving. The sun sank behind the 
 mountains and scarce illumined the heights, while around 
 us the gloom was already gathering : there was not a 
 breath of air ; and only the buzzing and chirruping of in- 
 sects and the rustling of the stream disturbed the silence. 
 Trusty, who had hitherto been lying at my feet, raised his 
 head, looked at the thicket opposite, and then up to me. I 
 shook my finger at him not to growl, which he quite under- 
 stood, and thrust his head down on the ground. Directly 
 after, I heard a cracking in the thicket, which soon became 
 more distinct. At length the bear burst out of the scrub, 
 and came down a small path to the stream. We had 
 agreed not to fire until it reached the elk on this side. It 
 stopped for a few minutes in the water to drink, then leapt 
 from stone to stone up the bank, and walked slowly towards 
 the elk. The bear had scarce reached the prickly bush ere 
 we fired simultaneously ; and it rolled over, but got up again, 
 and leapt into the water. Clifton and Konigstein sent two 
 bullets after it, which, however, did not seem to hurt it 
 much, for it dashed ahead to the other bank. Konigstein 
 at once leapt, revolver in hand, into the stream after the 
 bear, and was standing between it and me, when he put a 
 bullet into its leg at a short distance. The bear, noticing 
 its pursuer, turned, and went towards him with a hoarse 
 roar, while Konigstein, still standing in the water, put a 
 second bullet into its chest. I ran up and fired my rifle- 
 
The Rocky Mountains. 
 
 185 
 
 bullet into the left breast of the furious animal, while Clif- 
 ton gave it another in the belly from his long pistol. The 
 bear fell into the water but a few yards from Konigstein, 
 who, seeing it rise on its fore-paws, shot it through the 
 head with his revolver. Though the water was shallow, it 
 was so rapid that it would have carried the bear away ; so 
 we both threw away our weapons, leapt into the stream to 
 Konigstein, and dragged the beast to land. Here we let it 
 lie, reloaded, and returned to camp, where our comrades 
 were, greatly pleased at the lucky result of our hunt. We 
 waited till the moon had risen, then took two mules ; and I 
 proceeded with Tiger and John to our quarry, in order to 
 fetch its skin and the best meat. 
 
 It was late when we got back to camp : still our appetite 
 had been excited again*; and, instead of going to sleep, we 
 sat joking round the fire, each with some spitted bear-meat 
 before him. The coffee-pot also went the round ; and the 
 steaming pipe accompanied us to our buffalo-hides, on which 
 we lay conversing for some time. Clifton insisted that he 
 ought to be rewarded handsomely by Konigstein for saving 
 his life by the pistol-shot ; while the latter tried to prove to 
 him that he had aimed too low to hit the bear’s heart, and 
 hence, as a punishment, ought to have its paw stuck on his 
 hat. The answers, however, gradually became rarer ; and 
 we soon were all fast asleep. 
 
 I was awakened by the cold about an hour before day- 
 light, sprang up, poked the fire, which was nearly burnt 
 out, wrapped myself in my buffalo-robe, and fell asleep 
 again soundly, till my comrades shouted to me that the cof- 
 fee was ready. We soon mounted, crossed the stream with- 
 out difficulty, and followed a buffalo-path up the hills. Our 
 journey during the last day had been fatiguing for the 
 horses ; and, in spite of the long distance we had ridden, we 
 
186 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 had advanced but little northwards : so we gladly followed 
 an easterly course, which brought us nearer the great prai- 
 ries. From here we also noticed that the highest mountain- 
 peaks were a little farther to the west, and consequently off 
 our track. 
 
 The sky became overcast ; and in the afternoon it began 
 raining, so that we were obliged to put our buffalo-robes 
 over us, and at night pitched our small tents to protect us 
 from the heavy, incessant rain. During the night, we were 
 frequently obliged to feed the fire to keep it burning ; and in 
 the morning we saw no sign that the clouds were about to 
 break. 
 
 Thus the whole day and the next night passed ; and it 
 was not till ten the next morning that we saw a patch of 
 blue sky. John and Mac went out shooting together, and 
 killed some turkeys and a deer, which they brought into 
 camp on Sam. Tiger went out alone, and returned in the 
 evening with two deer-legs and a beaver, having surprised 
 the latter on land. Our supper-table was hence splendidly 
 covered again ; and we greatly enjoyed the beaver-tail, 
 which is one of the best dishes the West offers. 
 
 Our various skins, tents, blankets, &c., were now tolera- 
 bly dry ; and the next morning we left camp, and travelled 
 northwards, towards the sides of the mountains, and the 
 spurs they shoot out, into the great prairies. Two days 
 later we altered our course again to the west, in order not 
 to leave the mountains, which here enclosed large patches 
 of grass-land. 
 
 One evening we reached a stream, which came down 
 from these mountains through a rather wide valley, which 
 Tiger told us was an arm of the Canadian River that falls 
 into the Arkansas. When we reached the river-bank, we 
 found its water very turbid, and so swollen that we could 
 
The Rocky Mountains. 
 
 187 
 
 not ride through, owing to the furious current. Hence we 
 unloaded, though it was still rather early, and found our- 
 selves on a steep bank, where the stream could not hurt us, 
 even if it rose higher. The night passed undisturbed : 
 morning displayed a bright, cloudless sky, and promised us 
 a beautiful day ; but the river had not fallen so much as we 
 expected, and we preferred awaiting its fall here to going 
 higher up and seeking a shallower spot. 
 
 The sun had scarce risen over the low hills in the east 
 when I took my rifle and went down the river with Trusty 
 to try my luck in hunting, and had scarce gone a hundred 
 yards when I saw some head of game, which were too large 
 for our ordinary deer and too dark-colored, and yet did not 
 resemble elks. 
 
 I crept nearer, and convinced myself they were giant 
 deer, which are not uncommon in the Andes. I shot at a 
 very large stag, which had already shed its antlers ; and it 
 rushed upon me, but soon turned away, and I gave it the 
 second bullet. It went some hundred yards bleeding pro- 
 fusely, SP that I expected every moment to see it fall ; then 
 stopped ; and I employed the time to reload, and get within 
 pighty yards of it. I was on the point of firing, when it 
 dashed away and got out of sight. I put Trusty on the 
 trail, and followed him, crossing the brook several times up 
 the valley towards our camp, as I fancied. At length I 
 saw the stag standing under an old oak ; and I succeeded in 
 getting within shot. I fired, and saw the' bullet go home ; 
 but, for all that, the deer ran up a hill on the left, and disap- 
 peared. My eagerness in following the animal was more 
 and more aroused : I reloaded, and went with Trusty alter 
 the bleeding trail, over the hill and down the other side, 
 then through a thicket in the valley, and over another hill to 
 a stream, where I at last found the stag dead. It was a 
 
188 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 splendid giant deer, distinguished from our royal harts by 
 its size, blackish-brown coat, and proportionately higher 
 fore-legs. I broke it up, gave Trusty his share ; and it was 
 not till I was ready to start that I thought of my road to 
 camp. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 It was near noon, and I had generally walked fast I 
 looked around me, and tried to recollect the numerous wind- 
 ings I had made, but soon saw it was impossible to recall 
 them, as I had paid no attention to them during the chase. 
 I now looked at my compass : I knew that the stream on 
 which we were camping ran down the valley from west to 
 east, and that hence I was on its southern side, to the east- 
 ward of our camp. I must therefore go due north to reach 
 the stream, and then follow it in order to reach camp. 
 
 The first hour passed ; but I saw no sign of the river. 
 The second hour, during which I doubled my pace, 
 passed in the same manner. I looked repeatedly at the 
 compass on my rifle-stock and the one I carried in my 
 pocket. My calculation was correct ; of that there could 
 be no doubt : but how was it that I had not yet reached the 
 river? I was certain of my matter, and laughed at myself 
 for imagining for a moment that I had lost my way. I 
 marched cheerily on, especially up the hills, as I fancied 
 I should see the looked-for river from each of them, and 
 did not notice that I was exerting myself excessively. 
 A certain anxiety crept over me involuntarily. I hurried 
 on the faster, the deeper the sun got behind the mountains : 
 I ran down the^hills and hurried up them, dripping with 
 perspiration, with a strength which only the feeling of im- 
 pending danger can arouse. My energy and presence of 
 mind still mastered my growing anxiety, as I hoped, felt 
 
 189 
 
190 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 almost convinced, that I should soon reach the river which 
 had disappeared in so extraordinary a way, until at last the 
 sun sank behind the highest peaks of the Cordilleras, and 
 the gloom of night spread its mantle over the earth. Ex- 
 haustion followed long unnatural exertion so suddenly, that 
 I sank down on the last hill I ascended ; and my strength of 
 mind and body gave way utterly. In a few minutes I fell 
 into a deep sleep, and must have lain there for five hours, 
 as, when I woke, I felt on my watch that it was midnight. 
 I remembered every thing I had hitherto done ; and the last 
 thought which had accompanied me up to my unconscious- 
 ness startled me out of it, — the thought that I had lost my 
 way. 
 
 When I got up, my faithful Trusty nestled up to me and 
 licked my hands, as if wishing to remind me that he was 
 still with me, and I was not quite deserted. I threw my 
 arm round his strong neck, and pressed him firmly to me ; 
 for at this moment he was an unspeakable comfort, and re- 
 stored my resolution and strength of will. I had sufficient 
 powder and bullets for my weapons : this was a precaution 
 which I had constantly urged on my comrades since our 
 start, — never to go out with half-filled powder-horn or a few 
 bullets for the sake of convenience. 
 
 My box was full of lucifers ; and I had also flint, steel, 
 and punk. I carried bandages and a housewife, as well as 
 a little bottle of old brandy in my knapsack, and a rather 
 large gourd at my side. I sprang up, and went cautiously 
 down hill to reach the valley, in which, on the previous 
 evening, I had looked in vain for the river. The darkness 
 and the rocky sloping route made my walk very difficult ; 
 but still I reached my destination at the end of an hour, 
 and entered a very narrow valley, in which I soon found 
 enough dry wood under the trees to light a fire. Close by 
 
Lost in the Mountains. 
 
 191 
 
 I found a fallen tree, to which I carried the burning logs, in 
 order to produce a longer lasting fire to throw out more 
 heat ; then I piled up a heap of bushes^ and brushwood, laid 
 myself on it, with my bag under my head, and, after drink- 
 ing some brandy and water, fell asleep as soundly as if I 
 had been in my bed on the Leone. 
 
 The sun was high in the heavens when I awoke. I felt 
 as strong as usual, and lit a fire for breakfast, drank some 
 more water from my gourd, and went northwards in good 
 spirits. I had been walking near an hour, and had crossed 
 several stony hills, when I looked down into a narrow 
 gorge, in which alders and poplars grew, leading to the sup- 
 position of water ; and, on going down, I noticed an old ani- 
 mal quietly grazing. I crawled very cautiously nearer to it, 
 for now I seriously needed some meat ; and, on looking up 
 from a deep ditch excavated by the rain, I saw a small deer 
 by the side of the old one, which was staring at me over the 
 bushes. I fired, and saw the deer dart among the bushes, 
 but knew that it bore death in its heart. The old animal 
 dashed close past me ; but I did not fire, as I was certain of 
 securing the deer, and did not care to waste a bullet unneces- 
 sarily. 
 
 I reloaded, went back to the bloody trail, and found the 
 deer dead, about thirty yards ahead. I broke it up, skinned 
 it, and placed the rump and bits of the liver before the fire 
 which I lit, while Trusty had the kidneys, and then amused 
 himself with the shoulder-blades. 
 
 The day passed without my hearing the echo of a shot ; 
 And the sun was rather low when I reached a small stream 
 whose banks were both rather thickly covered with wood. 
 I resolved to spend the night here, as I had wood and wa- 
 ter, and was protected from the weather, which had got up 
 rather fiercely since the afternoon. 
 
192 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 After breakfast, I hung the two skins on my back, and 
 followed the valley for about three miles ere I crossed the 
 heights to the north. On reaching the saddle of the moun- 
 tain, the idea occurred to me for the first time, that the 
 lost river must necessarily flow to the north ; and I was 
 amazed at myself for not thinking of this sooner. Hence 
 I marched due west, and saw about noon a chain of hills 
 whose direction lay northward, which animated me with 
 fresh hope of finding my comrades again. At the foot of 
 these hills, from which spurs stretched out eastward like 
 ribs, the valleys were thickly wooded, and displayed gener- 
 ally a richer vegetation than the small gulleys in which I 
 had hitherto been marching. With much difficulty and toil 
 I reached the mountain-chain in a few hours, exhausted and 
 starving ; but the longing to learn whether I should find at 
 its top a pleasanter change in my prospects did not let me 
 rest. I selected the least steep spot, and climbed up over 
 loose bowlders, which constantly rolled away under me and 
 brought me down. I had only one hand at my service to 
 hold on to the few mimosa-bushes or to pull myself up ; for 
 I carried my rifle in the other, and would sooner have in- 
 jured myself than it. 
 
 At last I climbed the last patch, bathed in perspiration 
 and red-hot ; and words fail to describe the joyous surprise 
 which befell me on seeing before me the wooded vale and 
 river which I had been seeking so long in vain. In the 
 first joy of my heart, I forgot that it was still very uncertain 
 whether I should find my comrades there, and that my ex- 
 istence might depend on a charge more or less in my po^| 
 session. I fired my rifle, and listened attentively to its echo 
 as it rolled away along the mountains. I halted for a long 
 time, awaitiDg an answer, but to no effect. I looked long 
 up the river with my excellent telescope to try and discover 
 
Lost in the Mountains. 
 
 193 
 
 smoke, but also without success. I had been resting for 
 about half an hour, and cooling myself in the fresh breeze, 
 when I seized my rifle, and proceeded down to the valley, 
 which I reached in a much shorter time. I went up it to 
 the foot of the hills, where I had fewer obstacles to contend 
 with than in the wood that covered the river-banks, till the 
 declining sun as well as hunger and fatigue warned me to 
 select my camp. 
 
 I had gone a considerable distance when the sun stood 
 over the distant hills, for I had walked on without resting, 
 and had no rocks to scale. I turned off to a spring in the 
 wood, and threw off my skins on the first bushes I came 
 to, as they fatigued me too much, though their weight was 
 not great. My fire was soon lighted at the roots of a stump, 
 a stock of wood collected, my meal made, and supper 
 eaten, which consisted of the remainder of the bear-meat. 
 Before I entered the wood, I had looked up to the hills 
 above me, and reflected whether at nightfall I should light 
 a fire there, which would certainly be seen a long way down 
 the river. I might possibly give my friends a hint of my 
 whereabouts, but equally well betray my lialting-place to 
 hostile Indians, who, if any were in the neighborhood, 
 would see something unusual in it. But then, again, it was 
 an easy matter to hide myself from them, and, as I was 
 without a horse, seek a refuge which could easily be de- 
 fended. I resolved to carry out my design, took my weapons, 
 and went up the hills, whose summit I reached at nightfall. 
 I then collected fallen branches and brushwood round an 
 old stone, piled them up to a great height ; and the fire 
 quickly darted up, crackling and roaring. I carried up a 
 great number of logs from the trees lying around, and 
 threw them on the fire, which reminded me of the bonfires 
 we used to light at home when I was a boy. When I 
 13 
 
194 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 thought the pile of wood large enough to last at least an 
 hour, I left the hill and went to the nearest knoll, where I 
 sat down near some rocks, and lit a pipe, which enjoyment I 
 only allowed myself morning and night, in order to make 
 my tobacco last as long as possible, as the leaves of the su- 
 mach, which are a good substitute for tobacco, were not to 
 be had. 
 
 I had been sitting there for about half an hour, when 
 Trusty got up, uttered an almost inaudible growl, and gazed 
 at the slope under my feet. I pressed his head to the 
 ground, laying myself on the top of him, and distinctly 
 heard beneath me light human voices and some footsteps, 
 which went under the precipice, to the hill on whose top 
 my fire was burning. What had I better do? Should I 
 call out ? They might be my friends ; but, if they were 
 strange Indians, I should expose myself to unnecessary 
 danger : if they were my friends, on reaching the fire, they 
 would certainly make themselves known by their voices or by 
 firing. I remained perfectly quiet, and gazed steadfastly at 
 my fire. After a while I saw a dark object moving before 
 it, then another and another ; and I was soon able to see 
 clearly, through my telescope, that the men moving round 
 it wore no hats. They were consequently Indians ; and t 
 was very glad I had not betrayed myself. 
 
 All at once I saw, a long way off to the south-west, a light, 
 which rapidly grew larger, and, in spite of the great dis- 
 tance, so increased that I could distinctly perceive the 
 smoke through my glass. I greeted it with a loudly beat- 
 ing heart as the answer of my friends : for no one in these 
 dangerous regions lights a widely gleaming fire save under 
 6uch circumstances, and I -was now certain I should join 
 them again next day ; for they were safe to keep up the 
 fire, so as to show me my course by its smoke. I remained 
 
Lost in the Mountains . 
 
 195 
 
 quietly seated under the rocks, and did not think of sleep, 
 though I was very tired ; for I did not dare return to my 
 camp, as the fire was certainly still burning there, and the 
 Indians would have seized my skins, whose absence I now 
 severely felt. I was beginning to chill ; and, as I could 
 not await daylight on these bare heights, I resolved to 
 march during the night as well as I could. I crept, in a 
 stooping posture, from my seat to the nearest hollow, which 
 ran down from the hills to the valley ; and, on reaching the 
 foot of them, I walked slowly on through the darkness. 
 
 I had been walking for about an hour, and had fallen 
 several times, though without hurting myself, when I heard 
 a shot right ahead of me. It was doubtless fired by my 
 friends, who were seeking me in spite of the darkness : my 
 fatigue disappeared, and I walked with greater certainty 
 over the bare, sloping ground. I soon heard another shot, 
 and now could no longer refrain from answering it. I 
 fired, and soon after heard two shots responding to me. It 
 was a terribly tiring walk ; for, though it was bright star- 
 light, I could not distinguish the bowlders and small hollows 
 sufficiently to avoid them. I also got several times among 
 prickly scrub and swamps between the hill-sides. 
 
 I was just forcing my way out of such a damp spot over- 
 grown with thorns, when the crack of a rifle rang from the 
 hill-side in front of me ; and I at the same time heard Tiger’s 
 hunting-yell, though a long way off. I fired again, and was 
 again answered by two shots. I breathed freely, and hur- 
 ried over the slippery rocks ; and just as I came under a 
 hill-slope I heard Tiger’s shrill yell over me. I answered 
 with all my might ; and ere long this faithful friend and the 
 equally worthy Konigstein welcomed me. Their joy, their 
 delight, were indescribable. Trusty sprang round us as if 
 mad, in order to display his sympathy ; and I was obliged 
 
196 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 to call to him repeatedly, and order him to be quiet, ere he 
 mastered his delight. It was a strange meeting among 
 these wild mountains, whose dark forms we could now dis- 
 tinguish against the starlit sky, while the deepest night lay 
 around us. Tiger proposed to light a fire ; but, when I told 
 him that Indians had passed me and gone to the fire, he said 
 it was better for us to keep moving. I was too tired, how- * 
 ever, and must rest first ; so we lay down under some large 
 rocks- where the wind did not reach us. I took Trusty in 
 my arms, and pressed him to me to keep him warm. 
 
 In order not to fall asleep, I now told my comrades how 
 I had fared, and heard that Tiger had explained my disap- 
 pearance to my friends precisely in this way. At length 
 the first gleam of coming day showed itself, and was sa- 
 luted in the valley by the voices of numerous turkeys. We 
 leapt up, went down to the wood, where these early birds 
 were standing on the trees, and brought two of them down. 
 
 A fire blazed ; and the breasts of the turkeys twirled before 
 it while we warmed ourselves at it. Kbuigstein had a tin 
 pot and coffee with him, which improved our meal ; and, 
 when the sun was beginning to shine warmly, we started for 
 the camp, from which we were about five miles distant, and 
 where news of me was anxiously awaited. 
 
 The joy at meeting again was great. From a distance 
 we were welcomed with shots : all ran to meet us, and each 
 wanted to be the first to shake my hand and express his joy 
 at my rescue, as they all, except Tiger, had given me up for 
 lost. Czar raised his head and the fore-foot buckled to it, 
 and neighed in delight at seeing me, while Trusty ran up 
 to him, and leapt on his back. All were in the most cheer- 
 ful temper ; and a thousand questions and answers flew 
 round our camp-fire. 
 
 My friends had gone in search of me on the evening when 
 

 Lost in the Mountains. 197 
 
 I did not return to camp, and Tiger had found the turkey 
 shot by me, and followed my trail to the first stony knoll 
 over which I pursued the wounded stag; but from this 
 point he had been unable to find my track, and returned to 
 camp when darkness set in. The next morning at daybreak 
 he returned to the same spot, and had gone ahead of my 
 trail in a wide curve, in order, if possible, to recognize it in 
 crossing. Towards evening he had really succeeded in 
 finding first Trusty’s trail and then mine in the valley 
 where I shot the deer on the first morning, and reached the 
 spot where I made my breakfast off its meat. But from 
 this point every sign disappeared ; and any farther search 
 would be useless, as night had set in. Afterwards they lit 
 a large fire on the nearest height, and kept it up all night, 
 though I had not noticed it. On the next morning, Tiger 
 left camp at an early hour with Konigstein, and told the 
 others that they would be back in eight days if they did not 
 find me before. They looked for me during the whole day, 
 and had just collected wood on a knoll over the river to 
 light a signal fire, when they saw mine flashing against the 
 dark sky, and hurried towards me. 
 
 After all the events of the last restless days had been 
 sufficiently discussed, I longed for rest. I made my bed in 
 the shade of a live-oak, covered myself with a buffalo-robe, 
 and, giving my comrades directions not to wake me under 
 any pretext, I slept undisturbed till the sun withdrew its 
 last beams from the valley, and sank behind the glittering 
 peaks of the Andes. I felt strengthened ; and, after dip- 
 ping my head in the river to refresh me, I sat down with 
 my friends and ate a hearty supper, composed of all the 
 dainties of hunters’ fare. 
 
 The next morning found us mounted at an early hour to 
 
198 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 scale the heights on the other side of the river, whence we 
 followed its course in the next valley. 
 
 Towards evening we reached a small stream which wound 
 through the mountains to Canadian River, and offered us a 
 very pleasant camping-place through the fine grass on its 
 flat banks, as well as an abundance of dry wood. 
 
 We were lying in the twilight round our fire, when we 
 heard, a long way up the valley, the hoot of an owl, and at 
 the same time saw a large, very white bird flying along the 
 dark precipice. We all seized our rifles to bring it down, 
 when it settled on a projecting rock opposite to us. None 
 of us had ever seen a bird like it before. Several of my 
 comrades ran up nearer to it, and fired simultaneously : 
 it swung itself in the air, however, with a loud flapping of 
 wings, and circled round our camp, flying no great distance 
 above me. I had more luck than my friends ; for I tumbled 
 it over with a broken wing. It was a snow-white owl of 
 extraordinary size, and with such beautiful plumage that I 
 kept its skin to stuff. I therefore killed it, hung it up, and 
 on the next morning skinned it, and prepared the skin for 
 carriage. 
 
Beavers building a Dam. Page 199. 
 
t 
 
 4 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 BEAVER-HUNTERS. 
 
 We reached Canadian River, which, however, here 
 trended so to the east, that we took the first opportunity of 
 crossing the hills that bordered it, and pursuing our course 
 towards the north. On the other side of them, which we 
 reached about noon, we came to another small stream, on 
 whose banks we saw a number of peeled trees, and also 
 found here a beaver-lodge. We rode through the stream, 
 and had left it about a mile behind U9, when we suddenly 
 heard a shout in our rear, and saw a man, who had sta- 
 tioned himself on an isolated rock, and was making signs to 
 us. Tiger told me he was a beaver-trapper. We rode 
 back to bid this son of the desert good-day, and hear 
 whether we could be of any service to him. When we 
 drew nearer, the tall, dark form disappeared from the 
 rocks ; and a man stepped from the thicket on our left, with 
 a long rifle in his hand, and came up to us with the ques- 
 tion, ‘‘Where from, strangers?” 
 
 I rode up to the stranger, and replied, “ From the Leone 
 on the Rio Grande,” and offered him my hand, which he 
 shook heartily. “ Are you a trapper? and where from? ” I 
 asked him. “ From Missouri : my name, Ben Armstrong, has 
 been known for the last forty years in the Rocky Mountains ; 
 and 1 Rave now been back for a year from the old State.” 
 He invited us to go to his camp and spend the night with 
 him, as he longed to hear something about events in the old 
 
 199 
 
200 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 States. We accepted his invitation, and followed him along 
 a narrow path through the bushes and rocks to a spot some 
 hundred yards above the pond, where we dismounted in 
 front of some thick scrub, and passed through it with our 
 host. 
 
 Antonio and Konigstein went down to the pond with our 
 horses, where there was excellent grass, and watched over 
 them in turn with my other comrades. I saw a track of a 
 horse leading to our host’s abode, and asked him whose it 
 was ; to which he replied, that on this trip, for the first 
 time in his life, he had taken a partner, a young Kentucki- 
 an of the name of Gray, who was at present out hunting on 
 horseback, to get some venison, as they were sick of beaver- 
 meat. 
 
 The sun had not set when our friendly host’s partner ar- 
 rived with his horse loaded w r ith deer-meat. He was 
 greatly surprised at finding so large a party, and very 
 pleased to have an opportunity of hearing news from the 
 States, even though it was not of the freshest. He was 
 young and tall, with a healthy, merry face, brown eyes, 
 pleasant mouth, a commencing beard, and long, dark-brown 
 curls hanging over his shoulders. His tight-fitting leathern 
 dress was made with more coquettishness than Armstrong’s, 
 and displayed his handsome person ; while a broad-brimmed, 
 black beaver-hat, slightly pulled over one ear, imparted to 
 his whole appearance something resolute and determined. 
 
 Our cattle were now brought up, and fastened to the with- 
 ered trees in the open space ; then we laid dow r n on our skins 
 round the fire, and enjoyed the beaver-tails, while our hosts 
 paid special attention to our biscuits and coffee, 'which were 
 a rarity for them. After supper, Armstrong sent the whis- 
 key-cup round again ; then pipes were lighted, and we first 
 answered the thousand questions asked us about the state 
 
Beaver-Hunters. 
 
 201 
 
 of affairs at home, and which principally referred to politics. 
 When this subject was exhausted, Armstrong spoke, and 
 told us the principal events of his life since he last bade 
 farewell to civilization. We listened to the stories till a 
 late hour, when fatigue at length closed our eyes. 
 
 At the first beam of dawn, we led our cattle into the grass, 
 got breakfast ready, ‘and then went with Armstrong about 
 half a mile down the stream, w r here he had traps still set. 
 We pulled up three beavers with the bushes floating on the 
 water ; and our host remarked, that now there was ouly 
 one old fellow left, who had escaped his traps several times, 
 and would not go near them again in a hurry. On return- 
 ing to camp, we packed our animals, and took leave of our 
 kind hosts, to whom, to their great joy, we gave a portion 
 of our stock of coffee. We then described to them accu- 
 rately the district where we had seen the numerous beaver- 
 lodges, and, wishing them all possible luck, rode again up 
 the mountain’s side, where we had heard Armstrong shout. 
 
 For several days we followed our course without any par- 
 ticular difficulties, while the country retained much the same 
 character. Eastward the low hills lay at our feet in the 
 extreme distance, between which we could watch the vari- 
 ous mountain-torrents for a long way, while here and there 
 the rich green of the fresh turf peeped out between the red 
 masses. Our path frequently wound along the precipices, 
 where it could be seen for a long distance like a white 
 stripe, and it did not seem possible to pass along it ; but, 
 when we reached the spot, our horses stepped lightly over 
 it, and we found that it looked worse than it really was. 
 
 Thus, towards evening, when the sun was sinking behind 
 the mountains, we saw our path suddenly disappear behind 
 an abrupt precipice, and expected a dangerous bit. When 
 we arrived there, we considered it really better to dismount, 
 
202 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and lead our horses. The path constantly grew narrower 
 under the precipice, and the abyss beneath us steeper and 
 deeper at every step. We advanced, as it was no longer 
 possible to turn back, and with each foot our situation be- 
 came more serious. We wound round the face of the rock, 
 and looked down into a dizzy ravine, whose bottom was 
 already hidden by the gloom. The path was only a few 
 feet wide, and, at many places, washed away by the rain. 
 Tiger, with his piebald, was ahead of me, and was leading 
 his horse by a long bridle : all at once he cried to me, 
 “ Take care ! ” and I saw his horse step down, and then 
 spring up again. The rain had excavated the path here to 
 some depth, and by its side the' rocks went dowp sheer. 
 Without hesitation, I seized the end of the bridle, quickly 
 crossed the dangerous spot, and Czar did the same gallantly. 
 Kbnigstein followed me, and then one after the other till the 
 mules at length came up. Jack was ahead : he went cau- 
 tiously up and down, and I saw the basket on his left side 
 graze the precipice : still he got across safely. Lizzie fol- 
 lowed at his heels ; but Sam swerved when he arrived at 
 the spot, made a leap to get across, struck his basket 
 against the precipice, and was hurled out into the abyss, 
 down which he fell, with all four fSet in the air. A general 
 “ Ah ! ” was the sole sound that passed our lips ; for we 
 were not yet out of danger ourselves. Ere long, however, 
 the path grew broader, and ran over a grassy plateau, 
 whence we could look back at the dangerous point and into 
 the dark abyss. 
 
 The loss of Sam was serious to us ; for he carried our 
 coffee, spirits, several buffalo-robes, and articles of clothing. 
 A little coffee was still packed on Jack, as we had opened a 
 fresh bladder that very morning, and that animal carried all 
 the articles for daily consumption. We unpacked, as the 
 
Beaver- Hunters. 
 
 203 
 
 sun had set, and we did not know what roads we might 
 still find. We had grass for our hungry cattle, and water 
 for ourselves we carried with us. The night was very cold, 
 and we missed a good wood-fire terribly. We rolled our- 
 selves tighter in our blankets and skins, but could not keep 
 warm ; and were glad when daylight came, and we could 
 make our blood circulate by moving about. 
 
 It was very early when we rode off with our buffalo-robes 
 over our shoulders : we pulled the large woollen blankets, 
 that hung over the saddle, across our lap, so as to keep our 
 knees warm ; and, throwing the bridle on the horse’s neck, 
 we put our hands in our jacket-pockets. Our path continu- 
 ally ran upwards, and went up and down from one moun- 
 tain saddle to another. We saw several bears climbing up 
 the rocks, for in these remote regions they are not very 
 particular as to the mode of going home ; and came across a 
 herd of antelopes, some of which we shot. About noon we 
 reached a hollow between two ranges of hills, where we 
 found fresh grass, and a stream whose banks were covered 
 with low bushes. 
 
 We noticed, about a mile to our left, at the spot where 
 the stream ran out of a precipitous and very narrow gorge, 
 eight buffaloes quietly grazing, and resolved to hunt them. 
 We left our cattle under Antonio’s charge, and crept tow- 
 ards the animals. Here my comrades hid themselves in a 
 dry bush overgrown with raspberry-creepers, that stood 
 nearly at the centre of the opening ; and Tiger and I crept 
 up to the buffaloes, which were standing at the highest 
 point of the ravine : we reached some bushes not more thau 
 ten yards from the animals without their perceiving us, and 
 lay down on the ground in the midst of them. We had 
 each selected a buffalo, when they stared into our bush with 
 tails erect, as they had probably scented us. We fired to- 
 
204 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 gether ; and at the same moment there was a trampling 
 over us, as if a cavalry regiment were charging. I jumped 
 up, and fired again at the flying monsters, which now had to 
 run the gantlet of my comrades’ guns. One dropped close 
 to them, and the second fell a little farther on, while the 
 rest galloped down the stream. Tiger sprang up too, and 
 cut off a buffalo near our bush, which, he said, was the one I 
 had shot : his had fled with the others. For my part, I had 
 not seen it ; for the powder-smoke still hung over my rifle, 
 when the brutes charged over us, and we might consider 
 ourselves fortunate that they had not trampled us with their 
 huge feet. We skinned one of them, in order to use the 
 skin as a substitute for the one we had lost, although an un- 
 tanned buffalo-hide is a very clumsy thing to carry on pack- 
 animals. 
 
 We laid in a stock of the best meat, took all the marrow- 
 bones and tongues, and then followed a very decent path, 
 which here left the main road, aud went down the stream 
 eastward. 
 
 For two days we followed our path, and crossed various 
 streams which flowed more to the south, till the low hills 
 became more scattered, and the glens between them wider. 
 The vegetation was springing up here ; and the good pastur- 
 age induced us to grant our cattle some rest, as they had 
 been on short commons lately. We selected a very pretty 
 camping-place, where a small stream ran under a precipice, 
 and was covered on one side with scrub and a few leafy 
 trees, while on the north and east a rich prairie opened out, 
 and to the west the forest became thicker. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE GRISLY BEARS. 
 
 The next morning we followed the river for some hours, 
 and then entered a path which ran northward through a 
 lateral valley. We had done a good day’s march, and were 
 busy preparing supper in a small wood at a spring, when 
 Trusty began barking, and we heard the sound of horses. 
 We all ran to our horses, and brought them together, while 
 we got our weapons in readiness ; when Tiger leapt out of 
 the bushes, and shouted some words we did not understand, 
 to which no answer was given, though the sound of the 
 horses’ hoofs ceased. Tiger hurried back ; shouted to us to 
 fasten up our horses in the thicket, which was effected in a 
 moment ; and then post ourselves round it, behind the trees, 
 as he believed that they were hostile Indians. All at once 
 a single voice was heard not far from us, whose language 
 was equally incomprehensible to us, but which Tiger at once 
 replied to ; and, springing up behind his tree, he uttered his 
 hunting yell. He ran in the direction where we had heard the 
 voice, and shouted to me they were friends, — Delawares. 
 Our joy was great ; for our position would not have been a 
 favorable one if we had been attacked here by a superior 
 force : it was dark, and our thicket was commanded by 
 thick scrub ; so that our cattle, at any rate, would have been 
 exposed to bullets or arrows from a close distance. Tiger 
 now came up to our fire with an Indian, whom we soon 
 joined ; and he introduced to us his friend, the chief of a 
 Delaware tribe, whom he called Young Bear. Several of 
 
 205 
 
206 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 his men soon joined us, most of whom spoke English, and 
 all were very friendly to us. They seemed all to have 
 known, for a long time, that Tiger was living with us. 
 Every one questioned him, and appeared satisfied with his 
 answers. The chief remained at our fire, while his people 
 went to camp close at hand. He stopped to supper, and then 
 returned to his camp. 
 
 The next morning we visited the Delawares, and were 
 pleased at the cordiality with which they welcomed us. 
 There were about forty warriors, about half as many 
 squaws, and a heap of children. They had at least a hun- 
 dred horses and mules with them, some of which were re- 
 markably handsome. Clifton requested me to ask Young 
 Bear whether he could supply him. with a good horse, as 
 his people appeared to have more than they required. The 
 chief spoke to them on the subject ; and, ere long, several 
 came up with horses, which I advised Clifton, however, to 
 decline, as they were not good ; for I was aware they 
 would produce their worst horses first. After we had in- 
 spected and declined a number of horses, a young Indian 
 came up with a black horse which was really handsome. 
 It was a powerful, finely-proportioned animal, and showed 
 in all points its noble breed. The price he asked was two 
 hundred dollars ; upon which I offered him thirty ; and, after 
 a long chaffering, we agreed on fifty, which Clifton paid. 
 He was delighted with his purchase, and had long reason to 
 be satisfied ; for the horse turned out most useful and excel- 
 lent in every respect. 
 
 We breakfasted, Young Bear sharing the meal with us, 
 and were busily preparing for a start, when the chief came 
 to me and said that one of his men was inclined to go with 
 us, and it would be better for us to have him with us : he 
 had often been on the Rocky Mountains, and was acquainted 
 
The Grisly Bears. 
 
 207 
 
 with the tribes living there, while Tiger was only a young 
 man. I was much pleased at the offer, which seemed to me 
 to be made chiefly on Tiger’s account. I told the chief I 
 should be very glad, and we would pay the man for his ser- 
 vices : he had better ask him what he expected. The In- 
 dian, a powerful man, between thirty and forty years of 
 age, now came forward ; and we agreed that we should pay 
 him five dollars for every month he spent with us till we 
 returned home. He was very pleased, fetched his horse, 
 and joined our party. We stopped, at the camp of our 
 friends, bade them a hearty farewell, and marched north- 
 ward, animated by fresh courage. 
 
 Our new comrade, whose name was White Owl, was a 
 very quiet, good-tempered, and sensible man, who, in a 
 short time, gained the good will of all. 
 
 In a few days we reached open prairies : the mountains 
 to the west seemed here much farther off, and resembled 
 blue clouds. We marched for eight days due north, during 
 which time we crossed many rivers flowing to the east, and 
 came across hunting-Indian tribes repeatedly. 
 
 We proceeded west-north-west, in order to enter the real 
 Rocky Mountains, and see the Spanish peaks, the highest in 
 this range, which lie to the south of the Arkansas, from 
 which river we were now no great distance. During these 
 days we generally ascended and crossed a number of small 
 streams that flowed from these mountains to the Arkansas, 
 and alway found good provender for our cattle on their banks. 
 We reached a mountain-saddle, and, on its plateau, a rather 
 frequented path, which appeared to have been originally 
 made by buffaloes, though we noticed old horse-tracks upon 
 it. The path became very fatiguing for our cattle, as it was 
 covered with flinty bowlders, some of which had very sharp 
 edges, and injured the hoofs. At the same time, we found 
 
208 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 but little food for them on this bleak elevation ; and noticed 
 with sorrow that they were losing both flesh and strength. 
 
 We had been following this path for four days, when we 
 were compelled to lead our horses, and expose our own feet 
 to the sharp- pebbles ; for all were more or less lame, and 
 unable to carry us any farther. We marched from sunrise 
 to dusk, without meeting with grass or a drop of water. 
 The sun had set ; and night would long before have put an 
 end to our journey, had not the moon lighted us. Tiger, 
 who had gone on ahead, awaited us on a knoll with the 
 cheering news that there was excellent pasturage here for 
 our cattle, and water probably no great distance off. A 
 crackling fire of brushwood soon illumined the surrounding 
 scenery, as we found plenty of wood to keep it up. Late at 
 night we lay around it, and watched our cattle enjoying the 
 sweet grass ; for we felt a reluctance to fetch them in and 
 tie them up. At last, however, weariness compelled us to 
 place them in our vicinity, under Trusty’s charge, so that we 
 might rest after our exertions. 
 
 Morning showed us that we had camped in a small glen, 
 which, being watered by numerous springs, displayed a rich 
 vegetation for its elevated situation. We were very pleased 
 to have reached this oasis, and resolved to let our cattle rest 
 here for at least a week, not only to enable them to regain 
 their strength, but also to give vegetation more time to 
 sprout. 
 
 We made many hunting excursions, but always on foot, 
 as we wished to grant our cattle perfect rest, and we could 
 get through the mountains better in this way. 
 
 Our stock of game was again reduced to the dry flesh of 
 an elk ; when at daybreak I cooked a bit of it for breakfast, 
 and, after eating it, seized my weapons, and left the camp 
 with Trusty to go in search of better game. I followed the 
 
The Grisly Bears. 
 
 209 
 
 stream some distance, and soon reached the bare slopes 
 which ran down to the Arkansas. 
 
 I noticed several elks, as well as a single buffalo ; and had 
 walked about half an hour along the rocky strata, when I 
 reached a group of stones, which attracted my attention by 
 their remarkable and picturesque arrangement. I had 
 walked to the base of this mass of stone, and was examin- 
 ing its strange torm, when, on looking back to the river, I 
 noticed three dark forms, which were moving sideways 
 towards me up the steep, and were scarce half a mile from 
 me. At the first glance I recognized in them three grisly 
 bears, rapidly advancing at a sling-trot behind one another. 
 I knew the danger of meeting these savage brutes, and 
 quickly measured the distance back to camp. But I was on 
 foot, and felt as if I had lead boots on, which bound me to 
 the spot. It was hopeless to think of escaping : the animals 
 were following a course, as if they wished to pass above the 
 rocks near which I was standing, when they must cross the 
 recent track of myself and Trusty, which they would indu- 
 bitably follow at once. 
 
 Only one chance of escape is left the man it pursues, and 
 that is a tree ; for this bear cannot climb. But then there 
 was not a tree anywhere around ; and, besides, I could not 
 take Trusty up one with me, and he must be saved. I had 
 no time for reflection, as the peril rapidly approached. I 
 laid my rifle on the first layer of rock, seized Trusty round 
 the body, hoisted him on my shoulders, and helped him on 
 the rock, up which he scrambled : with one bound I was by 
 his side, then aided him up the second and third layers, and 
 laid myself close to him on the uppermost blocks, where I 
 placed my weapons and ammunition ready to hand. 
 
 If the bears passed under my fortalice, I would let them go 
 in peace ; for in that case it was probable they would not 
 14 
 
210 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 find ray track : but, if they passed above it, I must throw 
 away n.o opportunity to render them harmless as soon as 
 possible. I peeped over the rock with my rifle, when the 
 three monsters were scarce fifty yards from me, proceeding 
 to cross my trail above me. An old she-bear slouched care- 
 lessly along in front ; close behind her followed a gigantic, 
 very old he-bear ; and a short distance in the rear came a 
 rather smaller male. The old one drew up to the she-bear, 
 and laid his right paw on her leg ; but she was greatly 
 offended by this caress, and dealt my lord such blows with 
 her enormous paws, that the hair flew out of him. He 
 sprang back : she sat up, showing her frightful teeth, and 
 with her side turned to me. I pressed my barrel firmly 
 against the rock, and pointed it at the heart of the she- 
 bear. I fired : she crossed her paws over her face, and 
 sank lifeless in a second. The old bear ran up to her, and 
 laid his paws over her ; but his rival came up, and a fearful 
 struggle began between the two monsters, in which they 
 rolled over and over, and tore out each other’s grayish-brown 
 wool in great masses. The old bear had the best of it, how- 
 ever, and sat up, uttering frightful growls at the smaller 
 bear. By this moment I had reloaded, and sent a bullet 
 into the brute, near the heart. With one bound it leapt on 
 its foe, which tried to escape it ; but the* old bear held it 
 i tight in its fore-claws, and dug its mqnstrous teeth into the 
 other’s back. The other bear defended itself desperately, 
 and soon found that the old brute’s strength was giving 
 way : it sprang on it, and buried its tusks in its chest, and, 
 standing over it, tore it up with its two hind-paws. 
 
 I was certain of the victory, and was so careless as not to 
 reload my rifle, but fired my second barrel at the younger 
 bear, without concealing myself properly behind the rock. I 
 hit it well ; but it scarce felt my bullet ere it turned its sav- 
 
The Grisly Bears. 
 
 211 
 
 age head towards me, and galloped towards the rock with an 
 awful roar. In an instant it reached the base of my fort- 
 ress, and sprang with its fore-legs on the first layer, while it 
 opened its blood-stained throat, and, with smoking breath, 
 uttered the most fearful sounds. At the moment when it 
 raised itself on the rock, I held my revolver as near as I 
 could, and fired between its small, glowing eyes : it fell 
 back, but at once got up again, and tried still more furiously 
 to scale the rock by springing with all four feet at once upon 
 the first stage, and raised its blood-dripping face just under 
 me. I had pulled out my second revolver, and held it 
 cocked in my left hand. I pointed both barrels at the mon- 
 ster’s head, and fired them together: it turned over, and- 
 rolled motionless on to the ground. I looked at the two 
 others, which still lay quiet side by side, and could scarce 
 believe my eyes as they gazed down on the victory which I 
 had gained over these three terrors of the desert. I quickly 
 reloaded, and looked around carefully from my fort, espe- 
 cially in the direction from whence the brutes had come ; for 
 other male bears might easily follow their track. I could 
 see nothing to alarm me, and now sprang down from the 
 rock with Trusty, went cautiously up to the bears, and 
 found them all lifeless. They were three monstrous brutes : 
 the old bear must have weighed at least fifteen hundred 
 pounds, the she-bear one thousand, and the smaller bear 
 eight hundred. 
 
 I had had enough sport for to-day, and fled from the 
 battle-field, as I was fearful of the advance of other foes. I 
 went straight to camp, and was saluted by a hurrah, as my 
 early return indicated a successful hunt. I had the two 
 mules got ready, and invited the Indians and John to go 
 with me. They all wanted to know what I had killed ; but 
 I merely told them that I had killed a heap of game, as 
 
 
212 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 \ . \OK * ] | ■ ^ h ■ 
 
 they would soon see. We made a hurried dinner, and then 
 started with the mules. We soon reached the slope, and 
 rode quickly down to the river, during which I constantly 
 saw my rock fort ; but it was too far to notice my quarry. 
 My comrades believed that the game lay on the river, and 
 kept their eyes turned towards the latter ; while I led them 
 a little to the west of my rock, to keep them from seeing 
 the bears as long as I could. When we were in a right 
 line with them, I turned aside, and we suddenly caught 
 sight of them. The amazement and surprise of the Indians 
 were very great, and were expressed by the most extraordi- 
 nary outbreaks. They danced as if stung by a tarantula, 
 swinging their rifles over their heads, round the dead bears, 
 and imitated their roar in a remarkable manner. At one 
 moment they crept close to the ground up to the animals, 
 then ran past them with fierce yells, or leapt over them, 
 swinging their guns with wild shouts of delight. After 
 they had finished this dance of triumph, they sat down on 
 the old bear, sharpened their knives on small stones they 
 took out of their medicine-bag, and wished to cut off its 
 claws. I told them, however, that I wished to keep this 
 skin with the claws on, but the two others were at their 
 disposal ; with which they were perfectly satisfied. We 
 skiuned the largest bear, and cut out the best meat and the 
 fat, which we intended to take with us. We took the paws 
 and fat of the other two, after the Indians had appropriated 
 the claws. I pulled all the tusks out of the three heads, 
 and we now packed the mules to convey our booty to camp. 
 As we intended to remain a few days here, I asked the In- 
 dians if they would dress the large skin for me ; to which 
 they readily assented : for this purpose they split the head 
 with an axe, and took out the braius. 
 
 We repeatedly change our camping-ground, partly to get 
 
213 
 
 The Grisly Bears. 
 
 fresh grass for our cattle, partly to have a new stock of dry 
 wood at hand ; and thus went farther down the stream. 
 We stopped here nearly a fortnight ; by which time our 
 horses were quite restored, my large skin dressed, and we 
 bade good-by to the glen which had given us such a kind re- 
 ception. We followed the path again which had brought 
 us here ; and in a few hours reached the Arkansas, on 
 which we found excellent pasture. 
 
 We had ridden up the river for two days, when we 
 reached an arm of it coming from the north, up which we 
 proceeded for a day, and met with no special difficulties. 
 On the fourth morning, however, our bank became very 
 rocky, and we rapidly ascended towards the mountains. We 
 spent several nights without fire or water ; and even dur- 
 ing the day, the latter, as well as grass, was very scarce. 
 We here crossed the highest point we had yet reached, and 
 the snow peaks did not appear to be very far from us ; still 
 we found sufficient grass for our cattle in the gullies between 
 the mountains. 
 
 We halted for a day at one of these grassy spots ; and I 
 went with Tiger early from camp to procure meat, when a 
 flock of mountain sheep drew us farther into the mountains. 
 We had fired several bullets at them to no effect, and fol- 
 lowed them in growing excitement from one rock to an- 
 other, until, some hours later, we reached a plateau which 
 was shrouded in fog. Our sheep flew over this, and dis- 
 appeared in the mist. We stood amazed at this phenome- 
 non, whose cause we could not explain ; for it was a clear, 
 bright morning, and the hills around shone in the brightest 
 sunshine. We went up to the plain, and found, to our sur- 
 prise, that the mist covering it came from hot springs, 
 which rose to the surface in immense numbers, the highest 
 with a jet of about three feet. 
 
214 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 % 
 
 We had no lack of game, but saw, to our great regret, 
 our supply of salt running out ; for the greater part of it was 
 lost with unlucky Sam. Our clothes, too, were beginning 
 to get defective, especially our linen, as we had lost our 
 changes on the same occasion. Our good spirits did not 
 desert us, however, but enabled us to endure all the fatigues 
 of this mountain tour. We passed two nights on fields of 
 snow, where we could hardly find sufficient firing to prepare 
 our supper. 
 
 At length our route descended to lower hills, and we 
 reached at their base a plain, which, as it seemed, was en- 
 closed by even loftier mountains, whose saddles still bore 
 the signs of winter ; while on the streams in this elevated 
 valley, which our Indians called Salade Park, May was 
 flaunting in her spring garb. Although the vegetation that 
 surrounded us here could not be called luxuriant, it did our 
 cattle a deal of good. For a long time past, we saw, for 
 the first time, herds of wandering buffaloes, among which 
 -we produced great destruction, as we had long been yearn- 
 ing for their marrow-bones and tongues. 
 

 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 INCEST OF THE BIGHORN. 
 
 In a week we crossed the Talley by short stages, and 
 again reached the loftier mountains. One afternoon we 
 arrived at a stream where we resolved to pass the night, as 
 we did not know whether we should find water farther on. 
 Tiger at once hastened off to look for game ; and, as my 
 comrades preferred a rest, I set out to try my lock too. I 
 told Antonio to follow me on Lizzy, that I might not have 
 to carry the game myself ; aDd had got about a mile from 
 camp, when I noticed, from a clump of oaks, a herd of deer 
 on a grassy spot ahead of me, which looked like the ordi- 
 nary Virginia deer, but were darker colored. I took up a 
 deer-call to draw them toward me. as the spot where I was 
 standi ag was too barren for me to be able to stalk them. I 
 posted myself near an oak. and Antonio sat on Lizzy, be- 
 hind me. The herd advanced toward me on hearing my 
 call, and were near enough, when Antonio cried to me, 
 “ Here, here ! ” I fancied he was alluding to the approach- 
 ing deer, and whispered that I could see them ; but he re- 
 peated his Here : ” and presently added, “Look to your 
 right ! ” I turned, and saw an enormous snow-white bear 
 forty yards from me. I tried to fire ; but the bear got be- 
 hind a large oak. and then behind another, and so was a 
 good distance off ere I could despatch a bullet after it, 
 which I heard enter a tree. It escaped me, as I had left 
 Trusty in camp ; for his feet were sore from running over 
 
 SIS 
 
216 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 sharp stones lately. The bear heard the call, and hurried 
 up, believing that there was booty for it. It was only a 
 variety of the common black bear. I would gladly have 
 secured its beautiful skin, as it is a rarity ; but it was out 
 of my reach : and hence I returned to the deer, which, after 
 my shot, had disappeared in a distant wood. I went after 
 them, and found them grazing again : when I emerged from 
 the bushes, I shot a large deer, and found, to my surprise, 
 that it belonged to a genus I had never seen before. 
 
 Our road rapidly ascended from here to the higher moun- 
 tains, and became daily steeper, and poorer in vegetation : 
 still the path we followed was very fair, so that we rather 
 rapidly surmounted the heights, on whose small plateaus 
 our cattle were able to rest again. We left behind us in a 
 few days many mountain-chains with their narrow valleys, 
 when suddenly the mountains before us became covered 
 with snow, and we were soon in the wintry landscape 
 again. We suffered terribly from the cold, as our clothes 
 were not at all suited for such a temperature ; and though 
 we wrapped ourselves in our skins, we could not keep warm. 
 
 On the following day, our road ran principally over snow- 
 covered rocks. At last, early one morning, after spending 
 the night at a very poor fire, we ascended a saddle, whence 
 we looked down into a plain, whose end in the blue misty 
 distance was bordered by high mountains, while on the 
 west and east it was begirt by immense ranges, whose lower 
 chains ran down sharply on both*sides in the most remark- 
 able shapes. 
 
 We hastened to the lower regions, and on the third day 
 reached the river, whose course we followed. 
 
 We marched for about a week near this river, till we 
 reached a bend, when it suddenly trended to the west, and 
 thence pursued its uninterrupted course through the enor- 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 217 
 
 mous plains. I had been determined from the commence- 
 ment of the journey to get as high as I could up this peak, 
 and hence steered towards it. 
 
 On the second evening we reached the outer hills, and 
 resolved to take our cattle as far as was safe regarding food 
 for them, and then continue our journey afoot. It was the 
 second half of June, the weather splendid, and the heat, 
 at times, oppressive by day, while the nights remained ex- 
 traordinarily cold. The farther we advanced in the moun- 
 tains, the scantier food became for our cattle ; but on that 
 account they were all the safer during our absence from an 
 attack of hostile Indians, who rarely venture so far into the 
 mountains. On the third day, after crossing a considerable 
 chain of mountains, we reached a small glen, which, on the 
 east side, was enclosed by precipices, and on the south-west 
 offered an open view of the mountains of Old Park. It was 
 covered with good grass, amply supplied with pine-wood, 
 and watered by a beautiful stream, which forced its way 
 through the ravine by which we had entered. This spot 
 exactly satisfied our purpose, as it was remote from regular 
 paths, protected against possible storms, and could be easily 
 defended. Hence we formed our camp here, conveyed our 
 traps under overarching rocks, where they were protected 
 against storm and rain, and hunted for somfe days in the 
 neighborhood in order to provide those who remained be- 
 hind with food for some time. I had selected Tiger to 
 accompany me, and wished only to take one other of my 
 comrades with me, while the other four remained in camp. 
 I proposed that John, Mac, and Clifton should draw lots as 
 to who should accompany me ; but the two latter gave way 
 in favor of John, who gratefully accepted. 
 
 On the morning of our departure I rolled up my large 
 bear-skin, and sewed straps to it, in order to be able to carry 
 
The Backwoodsman. 
 
 * 
 
 218 
 
 it on my back ; John and Tiger did the same with buffalo- 
 hides ; and, ere long, all our preparations for a start were 
 completed. 
 
 We walked bravely up the mountains, from one chain to 
 the other ; Tiger being ahead, and Trusty behind. Some- 
 times we came to paths along which we went pleasantly ; 
 at others we crept on hands and feet up the steep granitic 
 strata ; and with every hour we had a more extensive view 
 to the west. On the first day we covered a considerable 
 distance ; at least five and twenty miles. Towards evening 
 we came to a stream ; and though it was still early, we 
 halted, as we found plenty of scrub in the vicinity with 
 which to light a fire and roast our meat. The air was pure 
 and clear, but it soon became very cold ; and so soon as 
 the sun sank behind the mountains, we rolled ourselves up 
 in our hides. We had collected a large stock of wood, in 
 order to be able to make a blaze quickly, but determined to 
 keep it up all night ; but we had forgotten our fatigue, 
 which soon made 11s fall asleep, and we did not wake till 
 daybreak. 
 
 Dawn aroused us, and animated thq extensive landscape 
 around us, whose glens were covered by a thick, damp fog, 
 while a fresh breeze blew round the heights. We soon fin- 
 ished breakfast*; and, when the sun shone on the first peaks 
 of the western mountains, we were again ascending the 
 mountain in the direction of our object. 
 
 We soon recognized the impossibility of reaching these 
 icy heights : still it appeared to us feasible to scale the back 
 of the mountain farther to the north, as we noticed there, in 
 a deep gap which ran almost to the summit, isolated spots 
 free from snow. 
 
 We continued our journey, and soon reached snow, which 
 only remained, however, on the north side. The air became 
 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 219 
 
 very cold, which rendered breathing difficult ; and we could 
 not walk fast. Evening surprised us completely surrounded 
 by snow ; and we had to go a long distance ere we found, 
 under southern precipices, a spot where the sun had melted 
 it away. Here we slept ; and my comrades woke me several 
 times, and asked -whether I was not frozeu : they could not 
 close an eye, while I was tolerably warm. They shook mo 
 again before daybreak, and we continued our journey, pull- 
 ing our skins tightly round us. 
 
 At eleven in the forenoon, we at last scaled the highest 
 point after excessive toil, and stood on a wide snow-field, 
 which sloped down on the east to a hollow, behind which 
 other snow mountains rose, and in the extreme distance the 
 sky formed the background. Before us, in the west, 
 stretched out a scene "which I cannot find words to describe 
 faithfully. 
 
 Our eyes were fixed for a long time on this grand land- 
 scape, and we found it difficult to bid it a last farewell ; but 
 the cold warned us to start, so that night might not surprise 
 us on these inhospitable heights, on which we did not see a 
 sign of a living creature. It was one o’clock : we once 
 more bade adieu to the cold, desolate spot which had af- 
 forded us this enchanting prospect, and then hastened to our 
 last night’s camping-place, where we arrived with frozen 
 beards. 
 
 On the next day we joined our comrades again all right, 
 found them in the best spirits, and our cattle rested and 
 strong* 
 
 We started on the morning after our return to camp, and 
 went back through Old Park, and up an arm of the Colora- 
 do. We followed its windings across the hills to the point 
 where, as a mountain torrent, it formed the most exquisite 
 cascades in falling over the rocks. 
 
220 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 The next morning we finished packing our cattle at an 
 early hour, and were about leaving our camp, when we saw, 
 behind the rock in the valley, the smoke of many fires rising, 
 which indicated a very large Indian camp. We must em- 
 ploy the precaution of first finding out to what tribe tliey 
 belonged, and in what direction they were going : so we 
 rode down into the glen, and concealed ourselves in the 
 thick wood. Tiger and I then went to the rock, and 
 climbed to the top of it, whence we could survey the valley 
 on the opposite side. Who can describe our surprise on 
 seeing at our feet a large, animated camp, with all the signs 
 of civilization? From the numerous gay tents, pennants 
 blew out in the fresh breeze ; and, between, men, hor- 
 ses, and mules were moving in the strangest confusion. 
 Here and there laggards crept out of the tents, and ran off 
 to the stream to remove the last traces of sleep in its clear 
 waters. Round the fire, other men, in the strangest cos- 
 tumes, were busied in preparing breakfast, while others 
 were proceeding to and from the stream with horses and 
 mules. Our amazement was great, and our joy knew no 
 bounds. I pulled out the last remnant of a pocket-handker- 
 chief, fastened it to the end of my rifle, and then discharged 
 both barrels, while swinging my white flag high above my 
 head. I saw that the attention of all the occupants of the 
 camp was directed to us, and many arms were raised, point- 
 ing at us. A salvo of at least fifty shots answered my 
 greeting, and handkerchiefs were waved in the air. We 
 soon descended from our observatory, and hurried back to 
 our comrades to impart the pleasant news to them ; and we 
 galloped along the stream, round the rock, and towards the 
 camp, where our little party were received with a thunder- 
 ing hurrah. 
 
 In an instant we were surrounded by a crowd of curious 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 221 
 
 persons, who assailed us with a thousand questions. I gave 
 Antonio and Konigstein the charge of our cattle and traps, 
 and then went with my other friends into camp, following 
 the eager crowd, who led us to a large marquee in the cen- 
 tre, from which a long white pennant floated. A man came 
 to meet me w'hose features seemed familiar to me at the first 
 glance, and on whose face I could plainly read that I pro- 
 duced the same impression on him. We offered each other 
 a hand with an inquiring glance ; and, after the first few 
 words of greeting, I recognized an old acquaintance, Lord 
 
 S , whom I had last seen, ten years before, on the east 
 
 of the continent. The pleasure of meeting again was height- 
 ened by the most peculiar circumstances under which it took 
 place. 
 
 We sat down at the fire ; and I described my journey to 
 this spot, and my plans for its continuation. A thousand 
 questions interrupted my story ; and, when we reached the 
 present moment, we leapt back to the time of our last meet- 
 ing, and followed the course of my life up to the commence- 
 ment of the present tour. 
 
 The whole company consisted of about eighty persons : 
 they had about one hundred animals with them, most of 
 which they purchased of Indians at the fort where they left 
 the steamer, and had also taken a dozen of the latter into 
 their service. 
 
 I remained with my comrades four days in camp, during 
 which time we were favored with the most splendid weather ; 
 and on the fifth we got ready, after breakfast, to continue 
 our journey, and bade adieu to our friends, who intended to 
 
 spend some time here. My friend S had supplied us 
 
 with all the requisite stores for the pleasant continuation of 
 our tour, had pressed upon us many luxuries, and given us 
 a perfectly new outfit, so that we were now better equipped 
 
222 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 than when we began our journey. Owl and Tiger were 
 handsomely remembered; at which they felt very happy, 
 hung themselves and their horses with numerous ornaments, 
 and never let their looking-glasses out of their hand. 
 
 We were now reduced again to our own small number, 
 but were in a very different state from that prior to our 
 meeting with our new friends, as we had all our wants 
 again supplied ; and they now afforded us double enjoyment 
 after the lengthened privation. 
 
 We had again reached a valley which runs between the 
 Rocky Mountains, and is called New Park. The moun- 
 tains on both sides drew very closely together here, and at 
 some spots hardly left space for the river to pass, which 
 was swollen by numerous torrents, and already had a rath- 
 er powerful current. 
 
 One evening we reached a rather lofty point, where we 
 found a little grass and a few live-oaks : the river rustled 
 below us, scarce a mile distant, through the rocks, and re- 
 ceived there a spring which ran from a small coppice near 
 us. We had been awakened on the previous night by a 
 sudden shower ; and, as our traps had been lying about us 
 uncovered, many of them were wet through before we could 
 get them under shelter in the darkness. As the sky was 
 also overcast this evening, we thought it advisable to put 
 up our small tents. After supper, we gathered our traps 
 together under the tarpaulin, on which we laid large stones, 
 and then crept into our tents, after wishing each other good- 
 night. 
 
 An icy-damp breeze awoke me suddenly ; and, when 1 
 started out of my sleep, the storm drove the cold rain 
 through the entrance of the tent into my face, and violently 
 shook its sides. I roused Konigstein, and was about* to 
 jump up, when a violent blast raised the tent above us, and 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 223 
 
 carried it off into the darkness, while streams of rain 
 lashed us. All my companions shared the same fate, and 
 ran about in the darkness seeking their blankets, hats, and 
 articles of clothing. At the same time, we heard the sound 
 of flying horses, probably ours, which, startled by the flap- 
 ping of our tents, had torn themselves loose. We ran to 
 the spot where we had secured them, and only found Czar 
 and John’s mare, but no sign of the others except the broken 
 lassoes. In the darkness I had thrown my large bear-skin 
 over me, and concealed my weapons under it. So I re- 
 mained with Czar, turning my back to the storm, and bade 
 him be quiet, while I saw the others running back and for- 
 wards like shadows. 
 
 The storm grew more furious still ; and the powerful tor- 
 nado seemed desirous of carrying away with it every thing 
 that did not bend before it. I leant my shoulder against a 
 young oak in order to keep on my feet ; but the tree often 
 bent so low as to touch the ground with its foliage. My 
 comrades had disappeared, — at least I could not notice 
 them anywhere ; for the darkness was so dense that I could 
 not see a yard before me. It was impossible to call to each 
 other, as you could not even hear your own voice. At the 
 same time the rain still poured down in almost a horizontal 
 direction, and formed a stream round my feet. There was 
 lightning in the north ; but neither thunder nor lightning 
 had approached us, until suddenly the eastern mountains 
 were lit up by brilliant flashes, which displayed their white 
 peaks, and the ground trembled beneath a tremendous clap 
 of thunder. For more than an hour, the lightning did not 
 cease for longer than a few seconds ; and the thunder roared 
 uninterruptedly between the hills. But at last the storm 
 moved up the valley, and left an impenetrable darkness be- 
 hind. We gradually came together again, and would assur- 
 
224 ^ The Backwoodsman. 
 
 edly have laughed at each other had this been the time for 
 it : for we were wet to the skin ; stood in the cold night 
 breeze upon saturated, bottomless ground ; and, what was 
 worst of all, most of our cattle had bolted. It was simply 
 impossible to light a fire : so we made no attempt to do so, 
 as we could not seek dry materials in the darkness. Noth- 
 ing was left us but to wait quietly till day arrived, which, 
 on this occasion, seemed to delay terribly. 
 
 At length, the new light gleamed over the hills, and we 
 could soon distinguish objects around. We had a melan- 
 choly prospect : here lay a wet buffalo-robe, a blanket, or a 
 leathern jacket; tfiere some hats were half buried in the' 
 mud ; farther on, we saw one of our tents hanging on an 
 oak : wherever we looked, storm and rain had left traces 
 of their destruction. A joyous surprise was prepared for 
 us with the return of light, — we saw honest Jack grazing 
 higher up the valley, and Konigstein’s cream-color follow- 
 ing him. Tiger and Owl soon set out to seek the other 
 horses, which would be easily found if no accident had 
 happened to them ; and there were no thick woods in this 
 valley to hide them from us. We fetched up Jack and the 
 cream-color ; and, while the Indians followed the trail of the 
 horses, we sought, under the stones, dry grass and roots 
 with which to light a fire, which caused us great difficulty, 
 and only succeeded after several failures. Then we put up 
 sticks round it in order to dry our traps, and finally looked 
 up those which had been blown away. The articles under 
 the tarpaulin had remained quite dry, as the water ran 
 through the brushwood on which we had laid them, while 
 the heavy stones kept the cover down. In time, we got 
 every thing in order again ; and about noon we saw our 
 Indians coming down the valley, and driving oufc animals 
 before them, which they had found a long way in the moun- 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 225 
 
 tains in two parties. During the whole day, we were occu- 
 pied in repairing damages. The tents had to be mended, 
 the broken lassoes reknotted, the saddles and bridles cleaned 
 from mud and dirt : in short, the whole day was spent in 
 getting ready to start again. The next morning, however, 
 we mounted again, and no one could notice that our equip- 
 ment had suffered severely. 
 
 It was a \v arm afternoon when we cut off a large bend 
 which the river described, and, riding over a grassy plain, 
 got several miles away from it. The sun shone hotly on 
 our backs ; the horses walked with drooping heads through 
 the tall grass ; and we jolted silently in our saddles, every 
 now and then putting straight the embroidered blankets on 
 which we sat, as folds in them become disagreeable in hot 
 weather. I was riding on the left wing of our cavalcade, 
 and had turned to Trusty, who was stalking behind Czar 
 with hanging tail, when, on looking across the prairie, I 
 fancied I saw about half a mile off two human forms con- 
 ceal themselves in the grass. Without checking my horse, 
 I called Tiger up, and imparted to him what I fancied I had 
 seen. He advised me not to look round, as he was riding 
 on my right hand, and without exciting suspicion, while 
 talking to me, could keep in sight the entire plain on our 
 left. We had been riding on for a long time, when Tiger 
 suddenly pulled round his piebald, and galloped across the 
 prairie in the direction where I believed I had seen the 
 men. We stopped to look after him, and watched him ride 
 through the grass, but presently turn his horse towards us. 
 He told me they were probably Blackfoot Indians : how- 
 ever, he was of opinion that we must be on our guard here, 
 so that they might not get hold of any of our horses ; for 
 these Indians had eyes in the darkness, and could walk 
 more softly than sleep. 
 
 15 
 
226 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 During the following night, we again encamped on the 
 river, and fastened our horses near camp, where Trusty 
 mounted guard over them. He appeared extremely restless, 
 got up several times, went growling round our camp, and 
 barked frequently ; but our rest was not otherwise disturbed. 
 Early the next morning, as we were folding up our furs, 
 Tiger returned to the fire, saturated with dew. He had 
 gone over the neighborhood, and said there was a number 
 of Blackfeet close by : the dog had prevented them from 
 approaching our camp at night ; but they could not be an 
 entire tribe, or else they would have ventured an attack by 
 day. He had found several tracks going round our camp 
 at some distance. 
 
 We followed the river to the spot where the Medicine-bow 
 River falls into it ; and Tiger and Owl made an excursion 
 along its banks, and brought in the news that some forty 
 Blackfeet had crossed the river, probably expecting that we 
 would follow the Platte farther up to the Black Mountains, 
 to watch for us, and attack us in the narrow passes. They 
 told us these enemies would not leave us till we had passed 
 that region, and we must constantly keep a watchful eye on 
 them. We camped on this side of the Medicine-bow River, 
 and talked over our farther tour over the camp-fire ; and 
 Owl was of opinion that we should do better by following 
 the course of this river, and effecting our retreat through 
 Lamarie Plains, between the Medicine and Black Moun- 
 tains, as on this route we should be less troubled by In- 
 dians than on the great Eastern Prairies, and, with the 
 exception of buffaloes and wild horses, might expect to find 
 much more game there. We heard Tiger, who was of the 
 same opinion, and soon agreed to follow this road. 
 
 We fished in the river till it grew quite dark, and had 
 just put supper on the fire, when Tiger and Owl took 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 227 
 
 their rifles, and, after telling us to keep a bright look-out 
 for the Blackfeet, went up the river, and- soon disappeared. 
 I ordered Konigstein to mount guard at the end of the small 
 wood in which we had camped, at the spot where it joined 
 the Platte, and promised to relieve him in an hour. We 
 thus changed sentries until about eleven o’clock, when I re- 
 lieved John. It was not very dark, although the moon was 
 not shining ; and, sitting on the ground, I could not only 
 see across the Platte, but distinguish objects in the grass 
 for some distance. Trusty lay by my side, with his head 
 resting on his crossed paws : suddenly, however, he raised 
 his nose, and I heard his low growl, which I stopped by a 
 wave of my hand. He kept his nose turned obstinately up 
 stream, in which direction I also kept my eyes fixed on the 
 grass. I felt with the hand I had laid on Trusty that his 
 attention was growing greater ; for he began trembling 
 all over, which he did when he was forced to master his 
 growing excitement. 
 
 Still I could not distinguish any thing that appeared to 
 me strange. The grass in front of me was not tall, and 
 there were but few patches of scrub. All at once I fancied 
 that a bush, about fifty yards from me, had moved ; but it 
 might be imagination, as I had been gazing at it so intently. 
 A profound silence brooded over the landscape, which was 
 only interrupted by the continuous monotonous rustling of 
 the river. In our camp no voice was audible ; and the 
 bright fire, which had lit up the surrounding trees and 
 bushes, had burned down, and only indicated its position bv 
 a glimmering light. When I took my post half an hour 
 previously, Owl and Tiger had not returned, and since then 
 I had not heard them arrive. The air was very damp and 
 cold, and the grass around me felt quite wet. I now fan- 
 cied I could be certain that the bush had moved. I rose a 
 
228 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 little, and looked at it more sharply : it moved again, and a 
 dark object, in the shape of a large stone, slowly rose out 
 of the grass. Now I could entertain no doubt it was a liv- 
 ing creature ; but what could it be? That was a matter of 
 indifference to me, so long as it was not either Tiger or 
 Owl, and they would not approach our camp so cautiously 
 and suspiciously. It could be none but a Blackfoot. I 
 rose on one knee, cautiously lifted my rifle, and aimed, as 
 well as 1 could for the darkness, at the object whose indis- 
 tinct outline now covered nearly the whole bush. 
 
 Bang ! the flame flashed from the rifle ; and a hollow 
 plump into the river followed a few seconds later, before 
 the smoke had risen on the damp atmosphere. I looked at 
 the dark, shining surface of the water, and noticed that 
 large circles surrounded a black spot, and were moving 
 with it towards the middle of the stream. I fired my sec- 
 ond barrel at it : I clearly saw through the gloom that the 
 motion of the water became very violent at the moment, 
 but then it was all over ; and the next minute the current 
 flowed on as usual, and nothing on its surface revealed what 
 was passing in its depths. I had scarce fired the second shot 
 when my comrades dashed up under arms. I quickly told 
 them what had happened ; and we remained under arms, 
 awaiting the return of our Indians, of whom we had as yet 
 heard nothing. About an hour later, they returned ; and 
 Tiger at once asked why we had been firing : then he told 
 us what had happened to him, and that my shots had robbed 
 them of several Blackfeet scalps. They had crossed the 
 river a little higher up, at a point where it was shallow, 
 and lay down on its banks, as they expected that the sav- 
 ages would return during the night to try and get hold of 
 our horses. Shortly before I fired, Tiger had heard and 
 seen the branches of a neighboring bush parted ; but after 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 229 
 
 that all became quiet again. Tiger fancied that their num- 
 ber was considerable ; but we had nothing more to fear 
 from them on this night, and could go to sleep in peace. 
 However, we posted sentries till daybreak, when I and 
 Tiger examined the spot at which I had fired. We found 
 that my bullet had cut away a spray in the centre of the 
 bush, and noticed the track of an Indian, which was dis- 
 tinctly marked on the bank ; and Tiger recognized it as that 
 of a Blackfoot. Owl swam across the river, and examined 
 the opposite shore to see whether he had landed there, but 
 could not discover any sign, ^nd, pointing to the river, 
 supposed he was sleeping under that. 
 
 We slept quietly till eight o’clock, then breakfasted, and 
 packed our animals so as to continue our journey on the 
 new plan. Tiger said that the Blackfeet would be cheated 
 out of a day, for they were awaiting us farther down the 
 Platte ; and, if they had not their horses with them, they 
 could not catch us up before morning. If their number was 
 large, however, as he believed, they had their horses with 
 them, and would be camping in the thickets on the opposite 
 side of Medicine-bow River. It was nearly noon when we 
 struck camp and marched up the river. After riding past a 
 stony knoll, round which the river described a short curve, 
 we reached a stream flowing between deep banks, which fell 
 into the Platte, and was densely overgrown with alders. 
 The spot pleased us to spend the night at ; and we were en- 
 gaged in unpacking our cattle, when suddenly a fearful yell 
 rang behind us, which came towards us, accompanied by a 
 dense cloud of dust. “The Blackfeet!” all shouted, and seized 
 their weapons. Tiger, however, shouted to us to follow him, 
 as he led his piebald through the alders into the stream ; and 
 the next minute all the cattle were left in charge of Anto- 
 nio, who fastened them to the bushes. 
 
230 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 We had scarce returned to the bank when a body of forty 
 Indians dashed up to us like a tornado : lying behind their 
 horses’ necks, and covering their left side with their large 
 shields, they allowed a. very small portion of their bodies to 
 be seen. We permitted them to come within fifty yards 
 before we fired. The band hesitated ; and we saw through 
 the dust several horses lying on the ground, and many of 
 the horsemen engaged in taking others up behind them, 
 while the greater number galloped back to the hill, and ut- 
 tered a frightful yell. They had not galloped far, however, 
 when one of them, mounted on a powerful black horse, 
 darted to their head, and, casting himself in their way, 
 swung his long lance before them. His horse reared in 
 front of the flying horde, and the thundering voice of the 
 leader distinctly reached us through the yelling. At the 
 next instant the band turned back, with the warrior on 
 the black horse in front of them. We had reloaded ; and I 
 shouted to my comrades to expend but one bullet, and re- 
 serve the other for shorter range. The savages had galloped 
 up to within about the same distance as before, when I 
 shouted, “ Fire ! ” and aimed myself at the leader of the band. 
 The black horse reared, and fell over with its rider ; while 
 another horse fell dead by its side, whose rider ran with the 
 speed of an arrow after his comrades, who were now flying 
 in the utmost confusion. The rider of the black horse, how- 
 ever, had scarce fallen with it ere he crept from under it ; 
 and, at the same instant, we saw Tiger leap out of the wil- 
 low-bushes on the river bank, and, swinging his tomahawk, 
 catch up the Blackfoot warrior with a few leaps. The lat- 
 ter fell back a pace, and threw his iron axe at Tiger with 
 such force, that, missing its mark, it flew far out into the 
 river. Tiger now buried his axe with lightning speed in 
 the chest of his recoiling foe, and both fell to the ground 
 
Ascent of the Bighorn. 
 
 231 
 
 like two intertwined snakes. It was the work of a few 
 minutes ; and the yell of the flying Indians was still ringing 
 in our ears when we dashed up to the combatants in order 
 to help Tiger. It was no longer necessary, however ; for he 
 rose from off his lifeless foe, and, setting his knee on the 
 other’s bent-back neck, he passed his knife round the head, 
 and tore off his scalp. During this time, Owl had scalped 
 the other Blackfoot ; and our Indians danced frantically 
 round the dead men, waving the reeking scalps and knives, 
 while the blood poured down Tiger’s back from a gaping 
 wound in his left shoulder. At length they concluded their 
 dance of victory, and then our Indians plundered their slain 
 foes and the dead horses. The dress of these Blackfeet is 
 made of leather, with remarkable taste, adorned with paint- 
 ings and long fringes, porcupine-quills, shells, scalp-locks, 
 and colored pebbles : the leather is smoked of a very dark 
 hue, and gives the savages a gloomy and terrifying aspect. 
 Their weapons are lances, bows and arrows, tomahawks, and 
 knives : only a few have fire-arms. 
 
 I examined Tiger’s wound, which had only cut the flesh 
 „ obliquely, and was produced by his enemy’s knife ; while 
 the latter had a bullet through his left thigh, a gaping wound 
 in his chest, and a stab in his heart. Tiger had run down 
 to the willows on the river, without our noticing him, after 
 the first attack of the Blackfeet, and had thence fired at the 
 chief, whom he afterwards killed with his knife. “ Now,” 
 he said, “ we can sleep. The Blackfeet have lost their head, 
 and will go home and tell how the Delawares have some 
 more of their scalps in their tents : their squaws will not 
 even take their dead with them, and not let them sleep with 
 their fathers.” 
 
 We camped close to the stream, but posted sentries all 
 through the night, as I feared lest we might have to oppose 
 
232 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 a nocturnal surprise. The night, however, passed undis-r 
 turbed ; but we heard incessantly a fearful yelling of 
 wolves, which prowled round our camp, but, owing to the 
 huge fire, did not dare approach the corpses, which lay not 
 far from us in the grass. The next morning we quitted the 
 spot, for which movement the numerous wolves were 
 watching ; and they attacked the dead Indians and horses 
 almost before we had crossed the stream. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 ON THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 We hastened up the river for five days, during which 
 time we crossed a number of small streams which fell into 
 it. Then we reached the eastern spurs of the Medicine 
 Mountains, in which the river rises, and pours over the 
 rocks in the shape of a large torrent. Here we crossed it ; 
 and, following the base of these hills in the plain, we reached, 
 on the second evening, a small stream, which flows for at 
 least a hundred miles due east through this broad plain. 
 Here we refreshed ourselves and camped, though it was 
 early in the afternoon, and amused ourselves with shooting 
 geese and swans. On the next evening we came to a sim- 
 ilar lake, with fresh-water streams on its western side, so 
 that we again had a splendid camp, and took advantage of 
 the opportunity to bathe in the lake. 
 
 During the next day our road again ran over a desolate, 
 melancholy plain ; but towards evening we saw a low wood 
 in the distance, and reached another arm of the river which 
 runs through the Black Mountains to Fort Lamar ie. 
 
 The next morning we left the river and went south, and 
 for the whole day without finding water. The sun sank be- 
 hind the hills, and nowhere was there a tree or a sign of 
 water. The grass, too, was bad ; but our cattle were very 
 weary, and we, too, longed for rest. We made a poor fire 
 of hois de vache and small bushes, large enough to cook our 
 supper : then we put up our tents, and secured our traps 
 
 233 
 
234 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 under the tarpaulin on a bed of stones ; for the sky was 
 overcast, and led to expectation of rain. At nightfall it 
 began to blow and rain, and went on the whole night till 
 daybreak, when the clouds gathered together again, and, 
 hanging on the base of the mountains, displayed the snow- 
 peaks brilliantly illumined by the sun. We quickly started, 
 and marched from this disagreeable spot, looking for pleas- 
 anter signs ahead. At length, towards noon, wood rose 
 again from the barren surface. We drove our animals into 
 a quicker pace ; and, in a few hours, were resting again on 
 a river fringed by trees, upon glorious grass, which our 
 starving cattle eagerly devoured. It was still very early, 
 and we all felt inclined to go hunting, as the rain had re- 
 freshed the country ; and the verdure of the forest and the 
 meadow does the eyesight good. A few preferred fishing in 
 the neighboring stream : several went up the river to hunt, 
 while I went down it, accompanied by Trusty only. I had 
 gone about a couple of miles along the skirt of the wood, 
 when I saw something moving on the prairie behind some 
 very low bushes. I crept cautiously up to the last bush, 
 and before me stood, at about the distance of a hundred and 
 twenty yards, a herd of some forty large and old giant stags. 
 The beautiful animals, the pride of the animal world, stood 
 in a long line before me, with their faces turned to me, and 
 raised their powerful antlers like a forest of horns. It was 
 a sight whose beauty only a sportsman can estimate. I lay 
 for some minutes lost in contemplation ; but, when I raised 
 my knee and rifle, the whole herd turned and galloped past 
 me. I had long had my eye on the largest stag ; for its ant- 
 lers rose far above the others with their broad lines. I 
 aimed behind the shoulder, and fired ; heard the bullet dis- 
 tinctly go home, and saw, that, though it was bleeding pro- 
 fusely, it kept up with the others. The next largest stag 
 
I 
 
 On the Prairie. 235 
 
 being just behind this one, I fired the second barrel at it ; 
 heard the thud of the bullet again, and saw that it was mor- 
 tally wounded ; but it, too, remained in line, and I watched 
 the stags till they disappeared a long way off in a hollow. 
 
 I loaded ; and, on reaching the spot where the stags were 
 hit, Trusty at once put his nose to the blood-trail and 
 stopped, looking up at me. I made him a sign that it was 
 all right ; and, when he had gone a little distance, he went 
 off slightly to the right, took up the trail of the second stag, 
 and then again pointed with his nose to the ground, while 
 looking at me inquiringly. I again urged him on ; and he 
 went first to one trail, then to the other, till I was able to 
 look down into the valley, where I saw the two stags lying 
 dead, hardly ten yards apart. I hastened up to them, and 
 counted, on the antlers of the largest, eight and thirty tines, 
 and on the smaller one six and twenty : the length of the 
 two antlers was between five and six feet ; and their weight, 
 between thirty and forty pounds. After looking at them for 
 a while in delight, I broke them up, gave Trusty his share, 
 cut out a couple of grinders as a recollection, and then went 
 back to camp, when my comrades were equally pleased at 
 the result of my sport. The other hunters had also been 
 fortunate, and had killed a fat buffalo, while the anglers had 
 pulled a number of large fish out of the river. Owl went 
 with Antonio and Konigstein to my stags, in order to fetch 
 their skins and meat ; and I requested them to bring me the 
 antlers of the largest one, as I wished, were it possible, to 
 carry them home. Though we liked the place so much, we 
 left it again next morning, abundantly supplied with the 
 best game ; and Jack trotted after us, with the enormous 
 antlers on the top of his packages. 
 
 Before us the valley wound between partly wooded low 
 hills, behind which the higher base now rose. For several 
 
236 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 days we marched along this valley, till on one afternoon we 
 looked down from a hill on the blue crystalline waters of 
 the Southern Platte, which, coming down from the Medicine 
 Hills, rustled through the valley at our feet. The river was 
 large even here, and shot, with the speed that characterizes 
 the streams in this country, and with many windings, between 
 its wood-clad banks. Before us, where the river described 
 a sharp curve, the banks were stony on both sides, and 
 seemed, from time immemorial, to have been used by the 
 inhabitants of these countries as a ford. At this moment, 
 when, probably for the first time, the eyes of white men 
 rested on this ford, a countless herd of buffaloes was occu- 
 pied in crossing. They were coming southward from the 
 mountains, and pressed shoulder to shoulder in dense masses 
 to water in the river ; while others came down the hills in 
 a black line. The roars of these thirsty wanderers filled the 
 air, and rang through the hills in a thousand echoes. They 
 dashed by hundreds impetuously from the high bank into 
 the deep, rapid stream, on either side of the ford, and drifted 
 with it into the dark overarching wood. We stopped for a 
 long time, gazing down at this scene, and awaiting the end 
 of the herd, whose head had disappeared some time previ- 
 ously in the valley on our left, while dense masses still 
 continued to pour down without a check from the hills to 
 the water. At length, at the end of an hour, only a few 
 laggards came, after at least five thousand buffaloes had 
 crossed the river ; and yet the number of these animals is 
 said to be quite insignificant compared with what it was 
 twenty years ago. We were obliged to let the wanderers 
 pass, as we also wanted to cross the river, though in the 
 opposite direction ; and we should have run a risk of the 
 whole herd marching over us, had wo got in their way. 
 We now rode down into the river; but, although so great 
 
Buffaloes crossing a River. Page 236. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 - M 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On the Prairie. 
 
 237 
 
 a number of huge animals had passed through it, the water 
 was as clear and bright as if a stone had never been stirred 
 on its bottom. We watered our cattle, and followed the 
 path by which the buffaloes had found their way to this 
 ford, on the supposition that they had rendered it quite pas- 
 sable, and that they had come from the southern prairies to 
 which we were bound. 
 
 We had scaled the first hill, when we saw, about two 
 miles off, a few buffaloes trotting towards us, which had 
 probably lagged behind, and now wanted to catch up with 
 the herd. We rode, about thirty yards off the path, to a spot 
 where we were covered by rocks, and commanded the slop- 
 ing path down to the water. Ere long we heard the heavy 
 trot of the approaching animals on the stony ground ; and 
 presently several cows, and behind them a fat old bull, 
 came past us. We all fired together ; and the old bull 
 rolled over and over down the slope, and lay dead at the 
 bottom. We took, as usual, its tongue, marrow-bones, and 
 loins, and left the rest to those that came after us. 
 
 We could not have found a finer road through these hills : 
 broad and trodden smooth, it wound along the crags, so that 
 we were often able to advance at a quick amble. It fre- 
 quently ran over dizzy precipices, whence we surveyed the 
 pleasant valleys, whose dark shadow seemed to invite us ; 
 while the hot sun, and its reflection from the bare rocks 
 over which we were marching, was hardly rendered endura- 
 ble by the fresh breeze blowing up here. We crossed a 
 number of small streams, which came down from the west- 
 ern hills, and all flowed to the Platte, until, at the end of a 
 week, we again reached the latter river at the point where 
 a large affluent, coming from the Bighorn, joined it. 
 
 We crossed this southern arm of the Platte, and camped 
 on the other side of it, in order to grant our cattle a few 
 
238 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 days’ rest there, where the most splendid grass, and a cool, 
 thick wood, covered its bank. 
 
 Our horses and pack-cattle were recruited, and we, too, 
 had recovered from the fatigue of our journey over the las,t 
 mountains : hence we set out again, and, casting many a 
 parting glance at the Bighorn, we followed the Platte in an 
 eastern direction, till at noon we reached a well-trodden path 
 which runs from Fort St. Brain on the southern arm of this 
 river down to the Missouri. We crossed it, and proceeded 
 more to the south-west, in order to escape the numerous 
 Indian hordes going up and down this path. A few days 
 after, we crossed the hills we had seen from our last camp ; 
 and the sky now rested before us on the interminable horizon 
 of the prairie. 
 
 For nearly a week we marched over this green plain 
 with scarce any change in the scene. At length hills rose 
 on the horizon ; and we soon saw again the darker verdure 
 of forests, which received us into their shady gloom towards 
 evening. In this tour we were so broiled by the sun that 
 we entered the wood with delight, and at once resolved to 
 rest a few days here, if, as we anticipated, there was water 
 at hand. We hurried along a buffalo-path into the depths 
 of the forest, and soon heard to our delight the rustling of a 
 neighboring river, whose banks we speedily reached ; and it 
 proved to be a rapidly flowing stream overhung by tall 
 ferns. We unloaded our cattle in a small clearing off our 
 path, lit a fire, and really built tabernacles, as we made a 
 roof of bushes between several young oaks, which kept off 
 every sunbeam, and in whose immediate vicinity were trees 
 enough to tie up our cattle every night. 
 
 After resting our cattle for some days, I went out one 
 morning after breakfast to hunt, and have a nearer view of 
 the country round. I rode in a southern direction, followed 
 
On the Prairie. 
 
 239 
 
 by Trusty, and, in going off, said to my comrades, that, if I 
 lost my way, I would follow the course of one of these 
 streams till it joined the river ; then I would wait till they 
 came to me, in which they could not fail, as we knew that 
 all these small streams joined. 
 
 In a few hours I had crossed several of these streams, and 
 had ridden out of a wood into a small prairie glade, when 
 suddenly a horse Indian darted towards me with a furious 
 yell from a thicket of tall oaks, and swung his bow over his 
 head, while his long lance hung on his right arm. It was too 
 late to dismount and make use of my rifle. I quickly drew 
 my revolver, put Czar at a gallop, and flew towards the In- 
 dian, turning my horse to the left, as he on his right side 
 could make less use of his bow than I could of my revolver. 
 However, he soon perceived my object, and guided his chest- 
 nut to get on my left hand ; aud we galloped on in the same 
 direction some distance out of shot. Suddenly, however, he 
 turned and dashed towards me, with his bow raised over 
 the head of his rapid steed. I, too, had urged Czar to his 
 full speed ; aud, when we were about sixty yards apart, I 
 fired. I had not expected to hit ; still it was possible ; and 
 I had five shots left in my weapon. The savage’s horse 
 leaped on one side, stumbled, and fell forward on its chest. 
 A few blows of the whip forced it to make a last effort ; but 
 it then sank lifeless under its rider, who disappeared like 
 lightning in the not very high grass behind it. 
 
 At the moment when I saw his horse fall, I turned mine 
 away, and pulled up about one hundred yards distant. The 
 horse lay with its back turned to me, and the Indian was 
 concealed behind its belly. I took out my telescope to try 
 and get a better sight of my enemy : but it was of no use ; 
 he had disappeared. All at once I saw an arrow shoot up 
 behind the horse, and fly towards me in a large curve ; but 
 
240 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 I easily pulled Czar out of its way, and it sank harmless by 
 my side, with its point in the grass. While the Indian was 
 firing the arrow, I distinctly saw his hands holding the bow 
 projecting above the horse’s belly. I leapt from Czar’s 
 back, threw the bridle over his shoulder, and fired with my 
 rifle at the horse’s back. I heard the thud of the bullet ; but 
 the savage did not show himself. I reloaded both rifle and 
 revolver, and walked at the same distance round the dead 
 horse till I got to the side on which its hind-quarters lay. 
 I could now look under its belly, and saw the Indian creep 
 under the animal’s chest, and roll himself up behind it in a 
 ball : still, the surface by which he was hidden was now too 
 small to cover him entirely, and I could distinguish the 
 upper part of his body. I fired again, and noticed a quick, 
 convulsive movement on the part of the foe, but only at the 
 moment of firing. I had recourse to my glass once more, 
 and saw that his head was now under the horse’s chest, but 
 his legs lay behind its neck, and he was peeping at me be- 
 tween its forelegs. I reloaded, and now, having become 
 much calmer, I aimed again at my mark. I fired, and at 
 once saw the savagoF throw up his legs, then try to rise, but 
 fall back again. I drew closer to him, and watched him 
 through the glass, as he had got a little way from the horse. 
 He did not stir, and lay on his back ; but he was an Indian, 
 and such a man a white man must not trust even in death. 
 I fired again, and heard my bullet go home ; but he remained 
 motionless. After reloading, I walked with cocked rifle 
 nearer, and found that life had left him, and that he had my 
 second bullet in his right hip, the third in his head over the 
 right ear, and the last in his chest ; while I found one bullet 
 in the horse’s chest, and another in its back. I only gazed 
 for a few minutes at the corpse, took his bow, and quiver of 
 arrows, hung them on my horse, and speedily beat a retreat, 
 
On the Prairie. 
 
 241 
 
 as the comrades the dead man were certainly not far off, 
 and might very easily be on the road to the spot, guided by 
 my shots. I rode back on my trail, and soon reached camp, 
 when I told my friends what had happened. 
 
 Tiger was out hunting, and not yet returned. I ordered 
 a rapid start, had the horses packed, and every thing ready 
 to be off. We had scarce completed our preparations, when 
 Tiger, bathed in perspiration, came back along my track, 
 and said he had heard my shots, followed their direction, 
 and found the Indian and his horse. He was a Pawnee, 
 whose tribe was certainly close at hand ; and when his 
 companions missed him they would seek him, and easily 
 find us too ; in which case we should run a great danger, as 
 they were brave men. He quickly packed his horse, and 
 in a few minutes we left camp. Tiger rode ahead into the 
 stream, and we followed him, riding singly down the water, 
 which offered us no obstacles beyond here and there a fallen 
 tree, as it ran over pebbles, was nowhere deep, and had flat 
 banks. Evening arrived, and the sun was already low on 
 the western horizon. We marched almost constantly in 
 the stream, till we found on its right bank a wide plain 
 covered with pebbles, when we turned off to the south at a 
 right angle. We reached on the other side of the plain a 
 similar stream, which was also overshadowed by trees ; en- 
 tered a thicket, and dismounted to let our horses graze 
 without unsaddling them, and to await nightfall. The 
 moon was already up ; and, though her light did not bril- 
 liantly illumine the country, it was sufficiently strong to 
 enable us to distinguish objects at a slight distance. We 
 then left our hiding-place, marched out of the thicket into 
 the prairie, and urged our horses on at a quick pace. 
 Without interruption, we hurried on through the silence of 
 the night, which was only disturbed by the howling of the 
 16 
 
242 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 countless wolves, and the roar of the buffaloes we put up, 
 until, shortly before daybreak, the moon withdrew her light 
 from us, and the darkness did not allow us to advance. 
 We sat down on the damp grass round our cattle, and 
 waited till the first new light appeared on the eastern hori- 
 zon ; then we remounted, and hurried on towards a distant 
 strip of wood which rose before us on the prairie. The sun 
 was standing high in the heavens when we reached it, 
 and led our wearied animals to a stream. Here we un- 
 saddled, and let them graze, hobbled, in a small glade, 
 while we prepared breakfast at a small fire. 
 
 We were very tired, and, after the meal, could hardly 
 keep awake. We posted sentries in turn to watch the plain 
 behind us, and kept lively by smoking, and telling stories. 
 Our cattle wanted sleep more than "^rass, and we were sorry 
 at being obliged to saddle them after a short rest ; but Ti- 
 ger and Owl insisted on our going on, as we were certainly 
 pursued by the Pawnees, and could only escape them by 
 keeping the start we had on them. It was hardly noon 
 when we started again, and spurred our horses on towards 
 the southern prairie. They only moved because they felt 
 the sharp steel in their sides ; and w T e were obliged to lead the 
 mules by lassoes, and appoint a man to drive them, as they 
 refused to follow. The heat was oppressive ; there was not 
 a breath of air ; and the plants- on the plain we crossed 
 hung their leaves in exhaustion ; an incessant buzzing of the 
 insects in the grass tilled the motionless air ; aud a trembling, 
 dazzling light lay on the wide expanse around us. The 
 sweat rau in streams from our cattle, and was mixed with 
 the blood which the countless mosquitoes sucked from their 
 coat, so that under their belly their color could not be dis- 
 tinguished. But, not noticing their sufferings or fatigue, we 
 urged ?hem ou, and looked back at the distant horizon to 
 
On the Prairie . 
 
 243 
 
 / 
 
 see whether our pursuers appeared on it, till the sun sank, 
 and in the distance a wood rose, which crossed the prairie 
 to the east like a mist. Tiger said that we should be safe 
 there : this was the wood running along the Arkansas, and 
 the horses of the Pawnees could not go so far without a 
 rest. The sun mercifully withdrew his beams ; and the 
 moon’s cool light showed us our road, when we expended 
 the last strength of our cattle, and so reached the forest. 
 
 We had ridden over fifty miles since yesterday morn- 
 ing, a greater part of the distance without any path, through 
 rather tall grass, and over stony soil. On the whole route 
 we had been exposed to the burning sun, and only once had 
 been able to cool our fevered lips at a stream. We rode 
 into the wood, and followed a buffalo-path, but had not 
 ridden far, when Tiger, who w r as ahead, stopped,* saying he 
 had lost the path, and could go no farther. The foliage 
 over us was so thick, that only here and there the moon’s 
 pale light stole through it, and only a few leaves and small 
 spots on the branches glistened like silver in the obscurity. 
 We turned our horses in all directions, seeking the path ; 
 but, after going a few yards, were continually stopped by 
 the hanging Creepers. Tiger now leapt from his horse, and 
 sought in the darkness dry grass, which he twisted into a 
 torch, and came to me to light it. It soon spread a light 
 < around ; and while I held it up, Tiger collected a larger stock 
 of dry grass, and made a thicker torch, which we lit, and 
 soon found an issue from this impenetrable thicket. 
 
 We soon reached a small arm of the Arkansas, on whose 
 fresh, cool water we and our cattle fell insanely. We now 
 lit a fire, though there was no graos for the cattle near at 
 hand, as the small, open spot on the bank of ; the rushing 
 stream was surrounded by a dense wall of forest. At this 
 moment, however, rest was more necessary than food ; and 
 
244 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 our cattle had scarce been freed from their load, when they 
 all sank on the ground, and fell into a deep sleep : we did 
 the same, and, after drinking several draughts, fell back 
 on our saddles, and forgot that we still stood a risk of being 
 caught up by the Pawnees. We had collected our fire into 
 a small pile, so that it only coaled, and spread no light over 
 the crests of the tall trees, which might possibly have been 
 noticed from the prairie. We slept, without moving a limb, 
 till the turkeys in our neighborhood awoke us ; and, though 
 Tiger and Owl protested most strongly against it, we shot 
 four of the birds, resolved to defend ourselves to the best of 
 our ability if the shots betrayed us to our pursuers. 
 
 Tiger now mounted his piebald, rode through the river, 
 and soon disappeared in the forest on the other bank, where 
 he sought pasture for our cattle. In half an hour he re- 
 turned, and told us that, between this wood and the Arkan- 
 sas, there was a fine prairie, on which we should find excel- 
 lent grass for them. We followed him across the river, 
 and out of the wood, to a small glade, which was over- 
 shadowed by close-growing trees. Here we camped, and 
 prepared breakfast, while our cattle greedily browsed on 
 the fresh, dewy grass. We rested here till the sun cast the 
 shadow of the forest far across the prairie : then we set out 
 again, and rode to the Arkansas, which here rolls its foam- 
 ing waters between low banks. 
 
 The sun had just set when we came to a stream running 
 towards the Arkansas, and covered on this side with 
 bushes, while, on the other, the most splendid grass hung 
 over its crystalline waters. We watered our cattle, and 
 then rode down stream on the other side, as the pasturage 
 seemed morq luxuriant lower down. In a few minutes we 
 reached a small cascade, where the stream fell over rocks 
 about ten feet, and below this fall formed a deep basin, 
 
On the Prairie. 
 
 24 & 
 
 whose bottom was also composed of stone slabs, and on one 
 side was overhung by rock strata about twenty feet in 
 height, which covered a considerable space near the basin, 
 whose bottom and sides also consisted of bare stone. We 
 camped on the top of this overhanging ledge, as a number 
 of medlar-trees grew there, to which we could fasten our 
 horses at night round the camp ; and at the same time the 
 richest grass grew all around. We unsaddled, hobbled the 
 horses in the grass, lit a fire, and put the supper before it, 
 and then went to bathe in the basin under the rock. After 
 we had cooled and refreshed ourselves, we supped, and then 
 prepared our resting-place ; but John took his weapons and 
 skins, and said he would sleep on the stream under the 
 crag, as it was much cooler and pleasanter there, and he 
 should not feel the heavy dew so much as in the grass. 
 We wished him pleasant dreams, and shouted to him not to 
 let himself be devoured by a bear. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE COMANCHES. 
 
 Our route ran from here through the most pleasing and 
 rich countries, crossed by numerous streams running east- 
 ward. We had been marching for nearly a month through 
 this pleasant region to the south, and had crossed the Red 
 Arm as well as several other affluents of the Arkansas, 
 when one evening we reached the Saline. 
 
 We crossed the river, and went through the wood on its 
 south side, and had just unsaddled our horses, and picketed 
 them in the prairie, when suddenly several hundred horse 
 Indians came round the nearest angle in the wood, and 
 halted a few yards from us, while we gazed at each other 
 in amazement, Al the head of them rode a single Indian, 
 with a smoking piece of wood, who at the sight of us gave 
 a piercing yell. We saw that great excitement was pro- 
 duced in the ranks of the caravan, and that the men col- 
 lected in the foreground, while the squaws and children 
 hurried to the rear, and hastily drew back the numerous 
 pack animals. We, too, ran at full speed to our horses, 
 and were rcmoviug them to the bushes, when Tiger shouted 
 to me that they were Comanches. The name at once tran- 
 quillized me ; and I told him I believed they would do noth- 
 ing hostile to us when they heard my name. He went 
 towards the savages, and shouted my name to them : upon 
 246 
 
T7ie Comanche*. 247 
 
 which they raised loud cries ; and an old man, on a large 
 mule, trotted towards us, in whom I recognized my friend 
 Pahajuka. He was followed by his squaw, and both testi- 
 fied their joy at seeing me. The whole band was now 
 coming towards us, when Pahajuka checked them in a loud 
 voice and with commanding gestures. They turned away, 
 and disappeared again, soon after, round the angle of the 
 wood. He told me his people were impudent, and would 
 rob us if he did not keep them away, and for that reason 
 he had ordered them to camp lower down the river. Both 
 the old folks dismounted, and sat down on their buffalo- 
 robes, while Antonio lighted a fire before them. I sat 
 down with them, and gave them a couple of cigars. We 
 prepared our supper, which my savage friends shared and 
 enjoyed ; and the squaw gave full vent to her eloquence. 
 She told me they were going to the sources of the Puerco, 
 on the western side of the Sacramento Mountains, where a 
 great council of all the Comanche tribes was about to be 
 held. 
 
 The next morning, Pahajuka, his squaw and daughter, 
 again shared our breakfast, and then prepared to go on, 
 w r hile w T e resolved to rest for the day. The two old peopie 
 were very sorry at being obliged to leave us, but promised 
 without fail to come to my house after the great council 
 on Puerco River, and remain some time. 
 
 We halted this day on the Northern Canadian River in 
 order to rest our cattle, which had the most splendid pas- 
 ture here ; and the next morning marched south again. 
 Towards evening we reached a spring which ran out of a 
 low range of hills. Here we found a pleasant camping-spot, 
 and followed the course of this stream on the following day 
 to the Southern Canadian River, on whose bank we un- 
 saddled, after crossing it with much difficulty. From this 
 
*248 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 ■\ 
 
 point we altered our course, as we went up stream, in order 
 to reach its springs, the southernmost of which well up in 
 the Sacramento Mountains, at the point where the latter 
 form a low pass which separates them from the mountain- 
 chain which runs parallel with the Puerco River, in nearly 
 a southern direction, to the San Saba Mountains, and form 
 an extensive rich valley between themselves and the former 
 river. 
 
 Our road now ran along the south side of the Canadian 
 River to the west, and in a few days the Sacramento 
 Mountains rose before us. We reached an affluent of this 
 river, on which, some miles farther up, the iron stone was 
 said to lie with which Tiger told us the god of hunting had 
 killed a Weico. As it would not take us very far out of 
 our course if we rode to it, I requested Tiger to lead us to 
 it. Before sunset we reached a prairie, round which the 
 little wooded stream ran in a semicircle; and saw, in the 
 centre of it., the stone rising about three feet out of the short 
 grass. 
 
 We slept here for the night, and had to hear several times 
 the story of the Weico who was slain with this stone. The 
 next morning we left the river, marching westward along 
 the mountains, and camped again on the banks of Canadian 
 River. For about a week we followed this course to the 
 spurs of the Sacramento Mountains, where we left the river, 
 and went along the former to the south, until, in a fortnight, 
 we reached the sources of the Red River, which flow from 
 the eastern slopes of these mountains. We rode up them to ' 
 their source among the granite rocks, where we found at a 
 considerable height a splendid camping-place, on which we 
 found the remains of several Indian camps, made by foot 
 Indians, who do not carry large tents with them. 
 
 The springs at which we camped welled up under im- 
 
The Comanches. 
 
 249 
 
 mense granite crags, which rose in terraces, and formed in 
 front of them a small basin, in which they collected and 
 flowed in a rivulet through the plain on which our cattle 
 were grazing, and thence to the wide prairies which we had 
 recently crossed. 
 
 Day had scarce broken on the next morning, when we 
 prepared breakfast ; and the sun had not risen over the 
 eastern horizon, and the valleys were still covered with 
 mist, when we were already mounted, and going up the path, 
 to take advantage of the cool of the morning, as, during the 
 day, we might calculate on great heat upon these barren 
 rocks. The morning was splendid. The fresh, cool moun- 
 tain breeze refreshed us ; and every plant, every blade of 
 grass between the rocks, seemed to, enjoy the treat. We had 
 ascended a considerable height when the sun spread its 
 beams over the earth. Our path ascended from hill to hill, 
 till, at about ten o’clock, we reached a barren table-land, 
 which in some parts was broad and others narrow, and 
 overshadowed by crags* It was now very hot, however, in 
 spite of the violent breeze ; but a rest without any shade 
 could not refresh us. The stony strata along which we 
 rode, and which at times were deeply trodden in, reflected 
 the sunbeams, and rendered the heat almost unendurable. 
 Our animals dripped with perspiration, and trotted on with 
 hanging heads, as if anxious to get away from this glowing 
 surface. .Nowhere, however, did we see a spot to receive 
 us in its shade, as the sun was vertical, and the few lofty 
 rocks we passed cast no shadow. Our cattle became more 
 and more tired, and at last hardly able to move, when the 
 sun had sunk a long way on the western horizon. We 
 halted several times in the shadow of large rocks to let our 
 cattle breathe, and gave them the juicy, pear-shaped fruit 
 of the cactus, which grew here abundantly ; and they eagerly 
 
250 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 devoured it. Such a rest could not do us much good, and 
 so we continually urged our horses on, till, after passing 
 about sunset between tremendous crags, we found a broad 
 path, which soon wound down the eastern slope, when, 
 about a mile farther on, we saw a copse of low cypresses. 
 With great delight we accepted their invitation, and fol- 
 lowed the path which ran iuto a small glen, where we found 
 good grass and splendid spring-water. 
 
 We allowed our cattle to graze till far into the night, 
 when they lay down, and we brought them near our fire, and 
 slept quietly till dawn. 
 
 The sun had scarce risen, when we left this spot, and has- 
 tened back to the road across the ridge. Our cattle walked 
 quickly along the path in the cool, morning breeze ; and at 
 about nine o’clock, Guadaloupe hills lay to the north-west, 
 while the western mountains on the opposite side of the Pu- 
 erco opened, and allowed us a view through a broad pass of 
 the Rio Grande and Paso del Nortd. . Though it was so 
 grand up here, we longed to be down below on the banks of 
 the Puerco, and resolved to seize the first opportunity of 
 descending afforded us by a direct path. During the whole 
 day, however, we only found indistinct traces where buffa- 
 loes had descended the western slopes, till at about four p.m. 
 we found a very practicable path, which crossed ours from 
 east to west, and which we went down. The path ran down 
 from the spring ; and we followed it for about half an hour, 
 till about nightfall we reached a small, leafy coppice, in 
 which we camped. Tiger and Owl were of opinion that the 
 path led down to the valley, as it ran past the springs, and 
 because a path corresponding with it had run down the 
 eastern side of the mountains. 
 
 The next morning we ate our last meal at a very early 
 breakfast ; and Tiger saddled his horse to make certain 
 
The Comanches . 
 
 251 
 
 whither the path ran, and also to try and shoot a deer or an 
 antelope, of which there were large numbers on these moun- 
 tains. During this time we wished to let our cattle graze 
 and recover, as they greatly needed rest ; and, in the event 
 of our being obliged to ride back to the ridge, we wished to 
 halt here till the next day. The sun had just risen when 
 Tiger left us. We lay in the shade of the closely growing 
 elms and popfprs, and were drinking coffee at noon, as Tiger 
 had not yet returned, when we suddenly heard the footsteps 
 of a horse beneath us, and, directly after, saw the piebald 
 come round the precipice. Our surprise was great, how- 
 ever, on seeing that the horse’s handsome white seemed 
 dyed quite red on the neck and breast ; and Tiger too, when 
 he drew nearer, was quite bloody. I hurried towards him, 
 and saw, to my terror, that he had serious wounds on his 
 left shoulder, and that the blood covered his arm and the 
 whole of his left side. I took his rifle, helped him off his 
 horse, and went back with him into the shade of the elms, 
 while Antonio looked after the piebald. Tiger now told us 
 he had been riding about three miles down the stream 
 through a small coppice, when suddenly an immense jaguar 
 leapt at his horse’s neck, but at the same instant he buried 
 his hunting-knife between the beast’s ribs. At this moment 
 he slipped off his terrified, rearing horse ; the jaguar buried 
 its claws in his right shoulder, while he dealt it several 
 stabs ; and it then fell dead. The piebald bolted down the 
 stream as fast as his legs would carry him over the stoues, 
 and Tiger believed that he should never see him again, 
 when he noticed him on a bleak crag : he shouted to him 
 from a distance, and the faithful creature at once hurried 
 up to him. He then washed his own and the horse’s 
 wounds, and returned to us, suffering great pain. He had 
 four wounds on his shoulder, close together, as if cut with a 
 
252 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 knife, and which ran about four inches down his arm. The 
 foremost was so deep, that I was obliged to sew it up. I 
 bandaged him as well as I could, laid all the rags we pos- 
 sessed in a moist state on the wound, and made him moisten 
 them pretty frequently in the neighboring stream. Then I 
 examined the poor piebald, who had on his back four deep 
 wounds from the jaguar’s fangs, and several injuries on the 
 neck from the claws : still none appeared dangerous ; and, 
 though the throat swelled considerably, constant washing 
 soon produced an alleviation. 
 
 Owl now went up the hills in search of game, while I 
 proceeded down the stream with Antonio and Konigstein to 
 fetch the jaguar’s hide. We reached the scene of action, 
 where the jaguar lay outstretched on the bank, and the 
 ground was trampled by the horse’s hoofs. The animal had 
 five knife-stabs near the heart ; and the earth and grass 
 around were dyed with its blood, while we were able to fol- 
 low the blood-stained track of Tiger and the piebald down 
 the stream. My two comrades at once set to work remov- 
 ing the splendid skin, while I followed the path for the pur- 
 pose of procuring meat. 
 
 I had gone some distance without getting within shot, 
 though I frequently saw game ; and the low position of the 
 sun w T arned me to commence my return to camp. I was 
 following a small affluent of the stream, which came down 
 from the hills a little more to the south, in order not to re- 
 turn by the same road I had come, when I suddenly heard 
 about half a mile off a roar that exactly resembled that of 
 a lion. I ran in the direction whence the sound came, and 
 soon saw, on the bank of the stream, two giant stags en- 
 gaged in a most furious contest, and surrounded by a herd 
 of does, and, farther on, some large stags on the watch. I 
 ran up within forty yards of them unnoticed, while, with 
 
The Comanches. 
 
 253 
 
 their huge antlers intertwined, they butted each other, and 
 frequently sank on their knees. I shot the largest, which 
 fell ; and its enemy at once buried its tines in the flanks of 
 its overpowered foe, not suspecting that the same rifle which 
 had slain its opponent still held a deadly bullet in readiness. 
 I could easily have killed it, but preferred a fawn, w'hich 
 was standing no great distance off, and killed it. I now got 
 up behind the rocks to reload, and the startled herd darted 
 off to the mountains. I went up to the stag, which had two 
 and twenty tines, and was very plump ; after which I hur- 
 ried to reach camp before it grew dark, and met Owl, who 
 had shot nothing. As we had nothing left to eat, we at once 
 started with Jack to fetch in the game, taking some fire- 
 brands of pine-wood as torches. The night was dark ; but 
 the torchlight illumined all the objects around the more dis- 
 tinctly in consequence. Antonio walked in front ; I followed 
 with^Trusty ; and Konigstein, with Jack, formed the rear. We 
 soon reached the stags, and loaded Jack with a large supply 
 of meat, with which we arrived in camp about ten o’clock. 
 Our hunger was great, as we had eaten nothing since morn- 
 ing ; and we sat till a late hour round the fire, turning our 
 spits. 
 
 It was scarce daylight when I took my weapons and went 
 to pay another visit to the rutting stags, John accompany- 
 ing me. We reached the spot where I had shot the stags, 
 and heard thence the roars of the animals echoing through 
 the valleys. They were standing, however, rather higher 
 up the stream, as they probably remembered my last night’s 
 visit. We pressed through the tall ferns, from which the 
 dew dripped upon us like rain, and reached a plateau that 
 hung over a dizzy precipice. Here stood the game, and, 
 nearest to us, an old stag, which had its proud antlers 
 thrown back, its thick swollen neck outstretched, and was 
 
254 
 
 The Backwoodsman 
 
 roaring furiously. All around, the other stags responded 
 from the hills ; and we listened for a long time to the con- 
 cert of these jealous lovers ere we thought of hunting them. 
 As it was the first giant stag John had had a chance of fir-' 
 ing at, I readily granted him the first shot, and allowed him 
 to stalk the stag. The majestic animal, hit by my com- 
 rade’s deadly 'bullet, fell on its knee in the midst of a roar, 
 raised its head once or twice, and then fell lifeless on the 
 scanty grass that covered the rock. John could not master 
 his delight, and ran up to the stag ; by doing which he put 
 an end to our sport here for this morning, as all the deer 
 flew at the sight of him. The stag had six and twenty 
 tines, and a pair of colossal antlers, whose ends were like 
 shovels. We broke it up, threw the paunch over the pre- 
 cipice, and hoisted John’s white handkerchief near it, in 
 order to keep beasts of prey aloof. 
 
 It was still very early : the first sunbeams were just 
 illumining the highest points of the steep precipice on the 
 opposite side of the abyss on which we were standiug ; and 
 the cool breeze was too refreshing for us to think of hurry- 
 ing back to camp. We followed the plateau, therefore, 
 from which the opposite one continually retired, until the 
 gorge widened into a rocky glen, from which colossal 
 masses of stone rose in wild confusion. Far down the val- 
 ley, at the point where it trended to the east, round the 
 opposite hillside, we distinctly noticed a path which ran 
 along the base of the mountains, and was probably the con- 
 tinuation of the one on which we were camped. As we 
 still heard numerous stags roaring, we advanced till we 
 were able to look down into the valley on the east, and fol- 
 low our path for a long distance through it. We stopped to 
 gaze at the wondrous forms of the mountains. I took out 
 my telescope, looked at the path, and saw, a long way off, 
 
/ 
 
 The Comanches. 
 
 255 
 
 dark forms moving among the rocks, which I soon dis- 
 covered to be a large party of horse Indians. No doubt 
 but the path they were marching along was ours, and they 
 would be in our camp in less than hour, while we had a 
 good half-hour’s walk to it. We therefore turned, and hur- 
 ried at full speed to join our friends. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 HOME AGAIN. 
 
 I 
 
 Tiger advised us to saddle at once, while he and Owl 
 carefully removed every thing that could betray our recent 
 presence here. All the logs were carried into the stream in 
 a deer-hide ; the horse excreta, and scraps of food, hidden in 
 the neighboring bushes ; and, after giving our camp the 
 appearance as if its occupants had left it some days pre- 
 viously, we led our horses over the firm stones down to the 
 stream where I had shot the stag on the previous evening, 
 and then along it till we could survey our path from a dis- 
 tance of about two miles from camp. Here we led our cattle 
 into a coppice where they were hidden from the Indians by 
 the bushes and rocks. Ere long the latter marched up the 
 path. Tiger recognized them as Apaches, who were prob- 
 ably on the road to the eastern trading-ports of the United 
 States, as they had their squaws and children and large 
 bales of hides with them. We let them pass in peace. 
 We then rode down the stream to the path, and put our 
 horses at a sharp amble in the direction from which the In- 
 dians had just arrived. 
 
 Our road was very fatiguing, and we were frequently 
 obliged to dismount, and lead our horses down the steep 
 slopes ; at the same time the path was covered with small 
 sharp stones, which rendered going down hill still more 
 wearisome to the cattle ; and it often ran over loose blocks 
 of stone, where they ran a great risk of breaking their legs. 
 Still all went well ; and towards evening we rode out be- 
 256 
 
Hmne Again. 
 
 257 
 
 tween the last hills into the fresh verdure of the Puqrco 
 Valley, and camped on the stream whose course we had been 
 following for some days, and which here ran as a small 
 river to the Puerco. 
 
 We marched thus without halt ing for about a week along 
 the hills, during which the mountain-chains on the west 
 of the Puerco constantly drew nearer to us, and contracted 
 the valley. We had followed our course one whole morn- 
 ing without finding water, till about two o’clock, p.m., when 
 the heat became unendurable, and we looked out ahead for 
 some shadow in which we could rest for a few hours. At 
 length we caught sight of a clump of trees, and, to our in- 
 describable joy, we saw distinctly that they were poplars 
 which retained their fresh foliage, — an infallible sign that 
 there was water near ; for such trees often stand in pools, 
 and, when the water dries up, their leaves turn yellow and 
 fall off. We urged our cattle on in order to reach the trees 
 as speedily as possible ; for now that we might expect 
 shadow, and probably water, we felt the sun’s heat doubly. 
 On these plains, objects are seen so clearly and distinctly for 
 incredible distances, that you often deceive yourself ; and 
 such was the case with these poplars : we constantly be- 
 lieved that we must reach them in a quarter of an hour, 
 and yet hours passed ere we really arrived. We hastened 
 into the thick shade of the old trees ; and I can scarce de- 
 scribe the cheerful feeling that possessed us all on seeing 
 close to them, instead of a pool of muddy slime, two ponds 
 of the clearest, freshest spring-water, one of which the pop- 
 lars overshadowed with their long branches. The cattle 
 were quickly unloaded, and, rolling themselves on the grass, 
 they dried their wet backs, while we, reclining on the turf, 
 inhaled the cooler air. The pools, like the mountain-springs 
 near my house, had no visible connection with any other 
 17 
 
258 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 water, but, for all that, retained their freshness, though 
 almost constantly exposed to the burning sun. 
 
 We lay without stirring, so a9 to avoid any movement 
 which might have impeded our rapid cooling. Not a breath 
 of air stirred, the easily agitated leaves of the poplars hung 
 motionless from the long stalks, while over the water lay 
 that quivering, dazzling glow, which announces the highest 
 degree of heat. 
 
 We watered our horses once again, and then trotted on in 
 order to cover a good bit of ground ; for the nearer we got 
 to our home, the greater grew our longing for it and all the 
 friends whom we had left there. 
 
 We continued our journey for about a week, and crossed 
 a number of small streams which ran into the Puerco, till 
 one noon we reached another rivulet, on whose shady bank 
 we resolved to rest. The moon had hitherto distinctly 
 shown us the buffalo-paths ; but here her rule was at an end, 
 and only now and then did a ray fall through the lofty 
 masses of fofiage which now roofed us over. We stopped 
 on a very trampled path, which we could not follow, how- 
 ever, through the forest ; for, even if our cattle kept the 
 road, the creepers hanging over it rendered our progress 
 dillicult. Our cattle were very thirsty ; and, as we had no 
 doubt of finding water in the forest depths, we resolved to 
 try and reach it. We dismounted, gathered dry grass, out 
 of which Owl and Tiger twisted torches, one of which we 
 lit, and then pressed on, leading, our horses. We had not 
 gone more than one hundred yards into the forest, when 
 Tiger cried that he was at the river ; and shortly after we 
 led our thirsty horses down the bank, and refreshed them in 
 the cool stream : we filled our gourds, and returned by the 
 same road to the prairie, where we fastened up our cattle in 
 the grass, and lit our fire. 
 
259 
 
 Home Again. 
 
 We stopped here till about three P.M.,and then continued our 
 journey southward. As the banks of the stream were very 
 steep here, we were delayed a little till we had all our bag- 
 gage across, but then rode for two hours without a halt 
 through the glorious shade of the forest, in whose gloom 
 only now and then a bright yellow patch was lit up by the 
 inquisitive sunbeams. 
 
 The next morning we followed the stream to the river, 
 and about noon reached the principal Indian patli that led 
 from these valleys over the San Saba Mountains, and 
 greatly facilitated our passage over them. On the third 
 morning, we looked down on the hills near our home, on 
 which we camped the same evening. The next day we 
 reached Turkey Creek at sunset, and would assuredly not 
 have camped, but ridden home without resting, had not our 
 cattle been so fatigued. It was very late ere we thought of 
 lying down to rest, and even then the conversation was 
 carried on for a long time. After the old fashion, the tur- 
 keys anitounced to us that day was breaking. Ou this oc- 
 casion, however, we did not shoot any, but each break- 
 fasted quickly, and got ready for going home. A little 
 more attention was paid this day to our costume : although 
 we could not make much of it with the greatest skill, still 
 we looked altogether tidier when we left camp, and each 
 galloped on to be the first. I was obliged to hint that we 
 still had a long way to go, and ought not to begin with gal- 
 loping. The journey to-day seemed very long to us, al- 
 though our horses advanced sturdily, as if they, too, noticed 
 that we were going home. At about ten o’clock we made a 
 half-way halt, and let our cattle rest for a few hours, while 
 we lit a fire at the same spot where we had made coffee at 
 the beginning of our journey, and drank it again : at about 
 two o’clock, however, we saddled and spread over the bag- 
 
260 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 gage of the mules the finest jaguar-skins, above which the 
 two splendid stags’ heads were displayed. 
 
 We were still busy with our horses, when suddenly Jack 
 kicked up behind, gave a few springs, and then trotted 
 along the path that led to the Leone. He would not be de- 
 prived of the pleasure of being first ; for, so soon as we 
 approached him, lie doubled his pace, and even galloped 
 when it appeared necessary. All our cattle now plainly 
 showed that they knew they were near home, and could not 
 be held in. Long before sunset we passed through the wood 
 on the Leone, and entered the prairie below the fort, where 
 we fired all our shots. We were greeted from the fort in 
 the same way ; and its inhabitants ran out to meet us, and 
 overwhelm us with congratulations. Every thing was as 
 before, except that another good harvest had been got 
 in ; that horses, cattle, pigs, and dogs had multiplied ; 
 and that numerous new settlers had arrived both north and 
 south. 
 
 John was impatient to get home, and left me n<5 time to 
 change my clothes, as I wished to accompany him. I there- 
 fore saddled Fancy, left Konigstein to look after Czar and 
 Trusty, and rode with my companion towards Mustang 
 River. From a distance we could see that the Lasars had 
 built a large, new house with glass windows and galleries, 
 whose whitewashed walls glistened through the gloom. We 
 had reloaded, and announced our return to our friends some 
 distance off. Soon after we saw white handkerchiefs wav- 
 ing, light dresses hurrying out of the garden-gate, and old 
 and young, black and white, hurried to meet us, and wel- 
 comed us with expressions of joy and congratulations. I 
 had to apologize for my dress, and retire ; but I was obliged 
 to stay to supper, which meal we took under the veranda ; 
 and after it we sat in the garden before the house, where the 
 
Home Again . 
 
 261 
 
 perfumes of splendid flowers surrounded us, which, illumined 
 by the moonbeams, formed graceful groups around us. 
 
 It was about midnight when I reached the fort, where I 
 found everybody up and also cheered by wine ; for I had 
 ordered Konigstein, when I rode away, to give them a treat. 
 I, however, soon sought my bedroom with Trusty, and 
 slept, with open doors and windows, till the sun stood high 
 in the heavens. I hastened down to the river ; and, after a 
 bath, the old trunks were opened, and the garb of olden 
 times was taken out. 
 
 Some weeks passed ere I was quite at home again, all 
 the works looked after, others to be undertaken arranged, 
 and repairs and improvements carried out. I frequently 
 came across the Lasars ; visited, with the old gentleman, 
 the new settlers in the neighborhood ; consulted with him 
 about making roads and bridges, and was appealed to by 
 him in any important undertakings in his private affairs. 
 Although we now felt no alarm about the Indians coming to 
 the numerous new settlements, their friendly visits now 
 grew wearisome and disagreeable. Every moment a new 
 tribe arrived, of whom we had scarce heard, to make friend- 
 ship with us, and receive presents. Something must be 
 given them, else we ran a risk that they would take it out 
 on our cattle, or fire the prairie when a violent wind was 
 blowing, or take some other revenge which would do more 
 injury than the value of the presents. They no longer ven- 
 tured on open hostilities within range of our settlements : to 
 such only the more distant squatters were exposed, who 
 lived nearer to the desert. 
 
 Shortly after our return arrived a Mr. White from Vir- 
 ginia, with his wife, two sous of twelve and fourteen years 
 of age, and two younger daughters. He applied to Lasar 
 and myself to show him a good bit of land on which he 
 
262 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 could settle. The people pleased us : they were friendly and 
 honest, lived on good terms together, as we noticed on our 
 frequent visits to their camp on the Leone, and were the 
 right sort to defy such a mode of life. Lasar and I resolved 
 to take them under our wing, and induced them to settle at 
 our old camping-place on Turkey Creek ; for which purpose 
 we set out early one morning with them, Lasar ordering 
 twenty negroes to come with us, and prepare an abode for 
 the new-comers. We built for them there, in a few days, a 
 neat double block-house ; that is to say, two houses about 
 twenty yards apart, over which, and the space between, one 
 long roof was thrown. Then we surrounded the house with 
 a palisade, in which they could lock their cattle at night ; 
 and fitted for them a lot of wood, with which they could 
 fence in a garden. Lasar gave them a handsome cow, and 
 I gave them a breeding sow, some fowls, and maize to eat 
 and to sow for the coming spring. White was one of those 
 resolute, unswerving men, who, after struggling for a long 
 time with misfortune in the civilized world, turn their at- 
 tention to the western deserts, where they try to extort from 
 fate what has been refused to them elsewhere. With his 
 peculiar energy and restless execution of every thing he had 
 once undertaken, he set to work in his new home, in order, 
 as soon as possible, to lay the foundation of his own and his 
 family’s future prosperity : but, unfortunately, he was only 
 able to see the foundation ; for the garden was hardly fenced 
 in, and the maize-field taken in hand, ere he fell ill, and a 
 violent fever carried him off* in a few days. His eldest son, 
 Charles, rode over to me to bring me the melancholy news, 
 and tell me that his mother wished to speak to me. I rode 
 across the next morning with Konigstein and a negro. The 
 widow was sitting inconsolably by the side of her dead hus- 
 band, without any plan for the future ; and on my entrance 
 
Home Again . 
 
 263 
 
 pointed, with sobs, and unable to utter a word, to the dead 
 body. I at once ordered the negro to dig a grave, and 
 buried the poor fellow ; after which I sat down by the widow’s 
 fcide, and tried to give her some consolation by offering her 
 my assistance. I proposed to her to settle near me till her 
 sons were old enough to look after their present farm ; but 
 she was of opinion that they were able to do so already, 
 although not strong enough to do the heavy field-work, such 
 as clearing the land from bushes and trees, as well as 
 felling and ‘clearing the wood itself. If this could be 
 done for her, she would not leave the spot, as her lads 
 could plough, and use the pick, while both fired a rifle as 
 well as any frontierman ; and she too, if it came to the 
 point, knew how to use her husband’s fowling-piece. I 
 made every possible objection to her plan of living here 
 alone, but promised my help and Lasar’s if she insisted on 
 adhering to it. 
 
 The next morning I said good-by to the woman who was 
 determined to stop here, and promised to send her help to 
 prepare her garden and fence, and bring her a few trifles for 
 her comfort. I got home at an early hour, and rode in the 
 evening to Lasar’s to tell him what had happened. The 
 old gentleman at once declared that he would send John off 
 the next morning with the requisite number of slaves to ar- 
 range every thing for the widow ; and all the members of 
 the family vied with each other in displaying their sympa- 
 thy by sending articles of clothing and stores of every de- 
 scription. In a week, every thing was in order at White’s ; 
 the garden was laid out, and a field of five acres prepared 
 for planting with maize, beans, gourds, and potatoes. The 
 best varieties of vegetables were sown in the garden, and 
 seeds of all sorts given to the widow. The woman had, 
 for the present, only to keep the garden in order, while the 
 
284 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 sons procured game, which they could shoot, at times, from 
 their own door ; for all her other wants were amply sup- 
 plied. Thus peace and contentment soon returned to this 
 house, and the love of her children restored Mrs. White 
 the activity and determination which the loss of her hus- 
 band had palsied. 
 
 Shortly after peace bad settled dbwn again on this soli- 
 tary abode, the widow was seated, as usual, in the cool pas- 
 sage with her daughters, while her second son, Ben, had 
 gone to the spring to fetch water, and Charles had gone 
 into the neighboring wood with his rifle. All at once the 
 very sharp dogs which guarded the family made an un- 
 usual disturbance, and ran barking across the yard that 
 surrounded the house. Mrs. White jumped up, and saw 
 several Indians standing in front of the nearest wood, and 
 then retire into it again directly after. She seized the 
 horn, sounded it with all her might ; then ran into the 
 room, and took down her deceased husband’s fowling-piece, 
 that was loaded with slugs, with a resolution and courage 
 such as has grown almost entirely strange to the feminine 
 sex in civilization, and is only found on rare occasions on 
 its outermost frontier on this continent. In a few minutes, 
 Ben ran up and found his mother already behind the pal- 
 isade, with the gun in her hand. “ Quick, Ben, your 
 rifle ! ” she cried to her twelve-year-old son ; “ but don’t 
 forget your bullet, boy ; ” and then blew the horn again. 
 The dogs now came in again, and Mrs. White closed the 
 hole in the fence through which they passed. All at once, 
 a frightful yell was heard from the wood, and from its 
 gloom sprang a swarm of some thirty red-skinned fiends, 
 who dashed over the grass towards the house with an aw- 
 ful war-cry. “ Don’t fire, Ben, till I have loaded again ! ” 
 Mrs. White cried, and then rapidly discharged both bar- 
 
Home Again. 
 
 265 
 
 rels, sending some forty leaden pellets among the char- 
 ging horde. The effect of the two shots, at hardly fifty 
 yards’ distance, was so tremendous, that the horde darted in 
 all directions as if struck by lightning ; and eight remained 
 on the grass, while the others ran howling to the wood. 
 “ Fire, Ben ! ” Mrs. White cried to her son, who had 
 thrust his rifle through the palisades, while she poured a 
 handful of slugs down her gun, and placed two cotton wads 
 upon them. Ben fired into the thickest of the fugitives ; 
 and one of them fell, with his feet in the air, while the 
 yells of the others filled the air. “ I have hit, mother,” 
 the boy said, as he poured fresh powder down the barrel. 
 “ Bravo, Ben ! but where is Charles ? He ought to have 
 been here by this time, as he has not been gone long. Run 
 into the house and have a look at Fanny and Bessie, but 
 come back again directly.” Thus Mrs. White called to her 
 son while she was hurriedly making cotton wads, which 
 she moistened with her lips, and threw back her long, raven 
 hair which hung over her shoulders. u Mother, Charles is 
 coming with Kitty ! ” Ben cried, as he ran out of the house, 
 and hurried to the hind part of the fence to open the gate 
 for theii* cow Kitty, which was trotting over the grass in 
 front of Charles. The latter had heard the horn and the 
 shots, and yells of the Indians, as he hurried home ; had 
 come across Kitty, and had driven her home. 
 
 Every thing was quiet, and the Indians did not make the 
 slightest sound. Charles and his mother secured the two 
 fence gates with logs of wood ; and then the mother went 
 to her young children, leaving her sons orders to call her 
 if they saw any thing of the Indians. The day passed 
 without the savages making a fresh attack on the settle- 
 ment ; but the greater, on that account, grew the widow’s 
 alarm, lest they should take advantage of the night to sati- 
 
266 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 ate their vengeance. Towards evening, she bade her sons 
 lie down and sleep, so that they could keep awake during 
 the night while she kept guard in front of the house. The 
 sun set, and darkness was lying over the country, when 
 Mrs. White and her two sons took their places behind the 
 palisade, and carefully surveyed the open prairie. It was 
 about nine o’clock, when they saw the light of a fire com- 
 ing through the wood, rapidly grow larger, and presently 
 appear on its outermost edge. Again the fearful yell was 
 raised with which the savages always accompany their 
 attack, and the light moved from the forest over the grass. 
 A dark object moved across the plain towards the house, 
 and the light shone out on both sides of it. The object 
 slowly drew nearer ; and Mrs. White soon saw that it was 
 a framework of bushes, behind which the Indians were 
 concealed, and pushing it before them. This leafy wall 
 had advanced within twenty yards, when Charley and Ben 
 fired at it ; and the groans of the wounded w^ere distinctly 
 heard amid the yells of the assailants. For all that, the 
 wall moved slowly forward, and, in a few minutes, leaned 
 against the corner of the palisade ; after which, flames sud- 
 denly darted up, and set the fence on fire. The savages had 
 brought a heap of dry wood with them behind the screen, 
 piled it up against the palisade, and kindled it ; after which 
 they rah back about forty yards, and lay down flat in the 
 grass. 
 
 The space behind the fence round the house was now so 
 brilliantly illuminated, that Mrs. White feared lest the sav 
 ages might fire arrows through the palisades at her boys « 
 hence she retired with them into the house, and went uj 
 under the roof, whither she took her daughters too ; while, 
 the dogs ran furiously along the palisade. Then she raised 
 several of the shingles with which the roof was covered, 
 
Home Again. 
 
 267 
 
 and placed others under them, so that she could survey the 
 brilliantly lighted prairie, where she saw the Indians lying 
 in the short grass. At the same instant, however, sparks 
 fell down from the roof ; for the savages had fired a num- 
 ber of burning arrows, which set fire to the dry shingle 
 roof of cedar-wood. An inhuman yell of joy from the 
 savages greeted the first flash of the flames, which soon as- 
 cended with a crackling sound. “ Charles, the axe ! ” Mrs. 
 White shrieked to her son, while she thrust her double-bar- 
 rel through the roof, and fired at a group of savages lying 
 together in the grass, who doubtless fancied themselves safe 
 from the besieged. The unhurt men leaped up with a yell, 
 and darted back to the wood ; while the second barrel was 
 fired after them, and again brought down several. Charles 
 handed his mother the axe, with which she soon made a 
 hole in the roof, and pulled out the blazing shingles ; so 
 that the fire was extinguished in a few moments. Then 
 she ran, with axe and gun, down into the yard, reloaded, 
 and checked the fire at the palisades, which, as there was 
 no wind, spread very slowly, and was speedily put out. 
 The corner of the palisade was certainly burnt down, and 
 there was a large opening in it, while outside a large heap 
 of burning coals remained from the fire. Mrs. White, with 
 her sons* help, pulled the small cart which had conveyed 
 their little property hither into the opening, and then filled 
 up all the gaps with logs of firewood. The night was 
 passed under arms ; and, when dawn lit up the cquntry, the 
 heroic woman looked out of the roof at the battle-field in 
 front of her fortress, without being able to see a trace of 
 Indians. The savages had carried off the corpses of their 
 comrades in the darkness, and had probably departed with 
 them in the night, to let them rest with their fathers ; for 
 the Indians take the dead bodies of their friends with them, 
 
268 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and carry them hundreds of miles to the burial-place of the 
 tribe. 
 
 Late on the following night, the barking of my dogs 
 awoke me ; and when I shouted out of the fort, asking who 
 was there, Charles White announced himself, and told me 
 what had happened. I had his wearied horse looked after, 
 gave him a bed, and early next morning rode with him to 1 
 Lasar to consult with the latter what was to be done. 
 This humane man soon formed a resolution, and told me 
 he would let a faithful old negro, who was not of much use 
 to him, live at Mrs. White's. He could sow a bit of land 
 with cotton, the proceeds of which would be his own ; and 
 the family would have a protector in him, as he was an ex- 
 cellent shot, and a fearless, determined man. Within an 
 hour we were mounted, and rode past my fort in order to 
 fetch Owl and Tiger. We arrived in the evening at 
 White’s, where we saw the damage done by the savages, 
 and then heard the story from Mrs. White’s own lips, on 
 which occasion she praised Ben’s bravery, who, during the 
 narration, stood by his mother’s side with her arm thrown 
 round him. The woman was most grateful for our kind- 
 ness and sympathy, and said that with the help of the old 
 negro, Primus, she would withstand a whole Indian tribe. 
 Primus remained there, and this settlement was really 
 never again disquieted by Indians. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE MESCALEROS. 
 
 Shortly after the occurrence on Turkey Creek, I was 
 sitting, one afternoon, in the veranda before my house, and 
 drinking coffee, when I saw, a long way down the prairie, 
 a cloud of dust coming down the river. Curious as to who 
 it could be, I went into the house and fetched my telescope. 
 I saw three Indians on horseback, — a man in front, and 
 two squaws following him. They rode very fast, in spite 
 of the great heat, and soon came up the hill to the fort. I 
 went out to them ; and all three came through the palisade 
 gate, and pulled up in front of my house. The warrior 
 leapt from his horse, while the two girls remained seated 
 on theirs. He told me in English that a tribe of Indians 
 wished to make friendship with me, and the chief had sent 
 to inquire whether he would be allowed to pay me a visit 
 with his people. I asked him to what nation they be- 
 longed ; which question appeared, as it seemed, to be dis- 
 agreeable to him, and he passed it over in silence. He then 
 said something to the two girls which I did not understand, 
 and then told me they were Mescaleros, but not of those 
 who made the attack on Mrs. White. The chief of the 
 latter was no good friend of the white men ; but the father 
 of these two girls was a very good friend, and hence he 
 wished to come and tell me so himself. 
 
 The sun had' already set, and darkness was spreading 
 over the landscape, when my princesses trotted out proudly 
 
 269 
 
270 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 into the prairie, wrapped in their blankets, with an assur- 
 ance that they would return early the next morning with 
 the whole tribe. At an early hour, I had a very large ket- 
 tle of coffee made and extra bread baked before the cattle 
 were driven out to pasture ; a fat ox was driven into the 
 enclosure, the dogs were chained up, and I ordered my men 
 to keep the fort closed, as the Indians whom I wished to 
 enter it would be led through my house, which stood at the 
 south-eastern angle, and had an entrance through the pali- 
 sade. 
 
 At the appointed hour we saw the party of Indians com- 
 ing down the river, and soon halt in front of my fence. I 
 went out, received the chief with the usual ceremony, and 
 saluted his two daughters, who, on this day only, wore 
 snow-white, bran-new petticoats, painted in the brightest 
 colors with very considerable taste. The chief was a man 
 of about fifty years of age, about six feet high, with broad 
 shoulders and arched chest, regular, handsome features, 
 straight nose, sharp black eyes, lofty forehead, and — a 
 rarity among the Indians — a heavy mustache twisted into 
 points. He had a haughty, imposing mien, and something 
 very determined in his appearance, which was, however, 
 kindly and hearty, so that we fraternized in a few mo- 
 ments. I proposed to lead him and his daughters to my 
 house : but he turned to his tribe, and said something I did 
 not understand ; upon which two men stepped out of the 
 mob, and joined us. We reached the gallery in front of 
 my house, to which I had had all my chairs carried, in 
 order, if possible, to keep the interior clear for the curious 
 guests. I made them sit down at table, and handed the 
 chief the pipe I had myself lighted ; he passed it to his 
 neighbors, and so it went the round ; while the two girls 
 swung themselves in the rocking-chair, or the hammock 
 
The Mescalei'os. 
 
 271 
 
 hung up in the gallery, and smoked cigars. After the calumet 
 of peace had passed round, the chief informed me of the 
 purpose of his visit, — to make peace with me, — and intro- 
 duced the other two Indians to me as the Chief of Peace 
 and the Sage in Council, in which the Mexican acted as 
 interpreter. 
 
 We had finished dinner, and I told the chief that I now 
 wished to give his men their dinner ; on which he rose, and 
 said that he had better be present, or else no order would 
 be kept. We went out in front of the palisade, after I had 
 locked my house-door, unseen by the two girls, and had 
 the caldron of coffee, sweetened with honey and mixed 
 with milk, brought out, as well as the bread, which last 
 the chief distributed among the various families, telling 
 them to use in coffee-drinking their own utensils, which 
 consisted of shells, horns, and cocoa-nuts. There were 
 above two hundred souls in camp, though among them all 
 were only forty warriors. 
 
 I now showed the chief the fat ox which I had shut up 
 in the cow’s milking enclosure, remarking, at the same time, 
 that I intended to give it to his people ; and asked whether 
 it should be shot now, to which he assented. Konigstein 
 brought me a rifle, and I shot the ox through the skull ; 
 after which some of the Indians skinned, and carried the 
 joints to camp. Ere long some thirty fires were lighted, 
 round which the Indians lay and roasted the meat, while 
 constantly running to the coffee-caldron to fill their vessels. 
 
 We again took our seats in the veranda, and I ordered 
 the coffee and cake, which my guests tremendously en- 
 joyed ; then I gave them all cigars to smoke, after which 
 the chief told me that his people were well satisfied, were 
 very good friends of mine, and would remain so. 
 
 Evening arrived : we supped, and, when the moon had 
 
272 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 fully risen, went out to the Indian camp, as the chief 
 wished to spend the night with his men, because the latter 
 might be alarmed about him if he slept in the fort with 
 me. We had hardly reached the first fire, when we heard 
 a fearful row at the other end of the camp ; and the chief 
 ran with his two colleagues in the direction of it. I was 
 anxious about what was going on there, and hastened after 
 them, accompanied by the two Indian girls. Two young 
 men had quarrelled, and were engaged in' a violent dispute 
 when we came up, while the voices of the chief and his 
 colleagues were raised to a loud key. Suddenly, however, 
 the two men rushed to different fires, seized their bow3 and 
 arrows, flew about a hundred yards apart into the prairie, 
 and in a few minutes disappeared from sight. The chief 
 shouted after them ; but no one pursued them. The Mexi- 
 can was standing not far from us at the next fire, and I 
 called him up to give me an explanation of the disturbance. 
 Pahnawhay, however, explained to me, with a few very in- 
 telligible signs, that the two young men loved the same 
 girl, and she had given her affection to both ; upon which 
 they quarrelled, and had run off to kill one another. The 
 Mexican confirmed this statement ; on which I asked why 
 no one tried to prevent it ; but I received the laughing 
 reply, as if the thing were self-evident, that this was impos- 
 sible. 
 
 In a very short time all became quiet again in camp, as 
 if nothing extraordinary had happened ; and, after I had sat 
 for a while with the chief, I wished him good-night. 
 
 Day had hardly dawned when I opened my door, and 
 stepped out into the gallery to greet the fresh morning. I 
 had another caldron of coffee and a great quantity of maize 
 bread carried to the camp ; invited the chief and bis two 
 councillors of state and his daughters to breakfast ; after 
 
The Mescaleros. 
 
 273 
 
 which he told me that our friendship was now eternally 
 concluded, and that he would depart with an easy mind. 
 I made him a number of trifling presents, such as blankets, 
 tobacco, looking-glasses, vermilion, &c. ; gave the daughters 
 several keepsakes as well ; and my guests quitted me, ap- 
 parently remarkably well satisfied. 
 
 During the two days, Owl and Tiger had not shown them- 
 selves, as the Delawares, though not open enemies, are not 
 on very friendly terms with the Mescaleros ; and so they 
 went off hunting. Owl had received his wages long before, 
 but still remained with us, as he seemed to enjoy himself, 
 in which our cooking played a great part ; but he now 
 came one morning to me, and said the time had arrived 
 when he promised to join his family, and so he must leave 
 us, as he did not wish to render his friends alarmed about 
 his safety. He rode to Lasar’s, and took his leave, when 
 he received handsome presents. I, too, gave him numer- 
 ous trifles for his fidelity and devotedness ; and he went off, 
 accompanied by Tiger, promising to pay me a visit very 
 shortly. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE SILVER MINE. 
 
 It was now the busiest time in the fields. The storms 
 had blown down a great number of huge dried trunks stand- 
 ing in the fields, which had to be cut up, and rolled away ; 
 which business was one of our hardest jobs. Moreover, I 
 had the field enlarged ; fenced in a very large extent of land, 
 part prairie, part forest, where I could turn my mares and 
 colts out ; and, on rainy days, had wood felled to let it dry, 
 and afterwards employ it for building-purposes. Axe and 
 plough were equally active on the Mustang, and on many 
 smaller streams in the vicinity, where civilization had set 
 its foot. Thus whole patches of forest disappeared before 
 man’s busy hand, and the soil was robbed of its natural 
 protection : the roots were turned up to be burnt or rot, and 
 the earth was thus forced to receive and generate seeds for- 
 eign to it. The prairies, which, a few years back, had only 
 been traversed by the desert animals, were now inhabited 
 by herds of tame domestic creatures attached to a home ; 
 and the traveller’s ear in these regions was no longer 
 startled by hearing the unexpected sound of a cattle bell. 
 
 But Nature will not allow laws to be prescribed to her 
 without taking vengeance, or have changes made in her 
 domestic arrangements forcibly by Jiuman hands. With 
 the felling of forests, and the turning-up of the soil, she 
 sends diseases which check her insulter in the work he has 
 begun, and punish him for his audacious inroads. For my 
 274 
 
The Silver Mine. 
 
 275 
 
 part, I had as yet been spared, while all my companions 
 had been ill. 
 
 It was a very hot day when I rode to the nearest town, 
 as usual, only provided with a blanket, and, during the 
 nights, lay by my fire in the open air, with it pulled over 
 me. I remained several days in town, and, during the pe- 
 riod, felt a never before known ailing, and a reduction of my 
 strength. My business being ended, I rode off about noon 
 to reach the next house, whose inhabitants were friends of 
 mine. I arrived there about an hour before sundown, but 
 found the family in a great state of disorder, as the head of 
 it had just died of a violent attack of fever. Although I 
 felt very unwell, I did not like to be troublesome to the 
 family, and rode on after a short halt. My illness increased 
 with every quarter of an hour : at one moment I shook with 
 cold, at another I felt as if I were being burnt alive, and 
 my head ached as if it would burst. I rode on, although I 
 could hardly sit my horse, and at last tottered in the saddle, 
 quite incapable of thinking : at the same time, an indescri- 
 bable burning thirst tortured me, and my tongue seemed to 
 cleave to my roof ; while I had a singing in my ears, as if 
 there were thousands of grasshoppers inside my head. 
 
 It was nearly dark when I reached the middle of a very 
 wide plain, that was covered with fine, very white sand, 
 and in which the horse, at every step, sank above the 
 hocks. I could no longer remain in the saddle ; dismount- 
 ed, sat down on the red-hot sand, fell back, and became 
 perfectly unconscious : presently I fell into a profound 
 sleep, from which I did not wake till the next morniug. I 
 looked around in surprise, and it was some time ere I could 
 remember what had brought me here. I jumped up, and 
 Trusty, the faithful, leapt barking around me ; but I did not 
 see Czar. My feet would hardly carry me, and my head was 
 
276 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 as heavy as if I had lead inside it. I looked for my horse’s 
 track, dragged myself along it, and, to my great consolation, 
 saw the faithful creature in a hollow, nibbling some cac- 
 tuses, and saddled and bridled as I had left him on the pre- 
 vious evening. I got on to his back with difficulty, and 
 turned him in the direction of home. Thirst now began to 
 grow unendurable. The sun burst forth, and poured its 
 burning beams upon me with such fury, that I fancied I 
 should never be able to reach a pool, about five and twenty 
 miles distant, which contained the only water in the neigh- 
 borhhood. This pond was at last the only thought of which 
 I was capable : at the same time my head threatened to 
 burst, and the fever shook me mercilessly. My horse 
 walked along the familiar path through the heat, and bore 
 me, when the sun was vertical, down a sand-hill to the edge 
 of the pond, where I sank powerless, and crawled to the 
 water in order to moisten my burning lips. But it was no 
 water, but a thick, dark-red mud, which was nearly boil- 
 ing, and in which buffaloes had been wallowing vety shortly 
 before. No matter. I lay with my mouth over the thick 
 fluid, and swallowed as much of it as I could. It was really 
 a comfort, for the dryness of my throat was removed ; but 
 my helplessness was so great, that I could not resolve to 
 leave the spot, though I lay exposed to the burning sun on 
 the hot sand, and was only a short distance from shady 
 trees. 
 
 I lay as I was, and had but one thought, — that the sun 
 must kill me here ; but still I could not muster up the cour- 
 age to go away. At length, towards evening, when the 
 sun was lower, the terrible fever gave way a little. I crept 
 slowly into the shade, and soon was asleep under the tree. 
 It was quite dark when I awoke, and, though very faint, my 
 head was clearer. I went up to Czar, who had been graz- 
 
The Silver Mine. 
 
 277 
 
 ing by my side all this time, got into the saddle, and con- 
 tinued my journey, on which the pleasant light of the new 
 moon lit me, and the cool evening breeze refreshed me. I 
 rode till ten o’clock, when I reached the Lynx Spring, 
 which I had christened after one of those animals that I had 
 found dead here many years ago, and whose water was the 
 best for miles around. I was quickly off Czar’s back 
 among the roots of the magnolia, beneath which the spring 
 bubbled up ; and I drank as if I should never be satisfied. 
 I had a biscuit and a paper of coarse sugar about me. This 
 was my supper ; and I washed it down with the pure fluid. 
 I felt much refreshed, drew many a deep breath in the pow- 
 erful breeze, and gazed at the patches of light around me 
 which were thrown by the moon through the dense foliage, 
 and through the violent motion of the leaves trembled, and 
 continually altered their shape. It was a very dangerous 
 spot, as this water was the only spring for miles round, 
 and wandering Indians often select it as their destination 
 after travelling for a day through the desolate, waterless 
 sand-plain3 ; but I would not have ridden away, even if I 
 had been compelled to defend myself against a whole tribe. 
 I had a few good cigars about me, and lit one, which I 
 smoked^ leaning against a tree, and, as I fancied, inhaling 
 fresh strength at every breath. 
 
 It was about midnight, when I set out to reach a camp- 
 ing-place at which I should not be so threatened as at the 
 present one ; and, after filling my gourd with water, I rode 
 away, faintly lighted by the waning moon. I knew the 
 road thoroughly, and the outline of the trees was sufficient 
 to enable me to keep my course. I could, if my horse went 
 at any pace, reach, within an hour, a well-known camping- 
 place at which I had passed many a night, and which lay 
 but a little way off my route. It certainly had no water, 
 
278 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 but excellent grass for my horse ; and hence various sorts 
 of game could generally be found there. The main point 
 was that it lay some distance from the principal Indian 
 path, and was tolerably concealed, so that a fire could be 
 lighted there without any great risk of being seen from a 
 distanced It soon became very dark, after the moon had 
 sunk behind the hills in front of me ; and I was obliged to 
 yield the reins to Czar, and leave it to him to find the road, 
 while I sent Trusty on a little way ahead to make certain 
 there was no danger. Every now and then, however, I 
 saw by familiar clumps of trees or knolls that I was still on 
 the right track ; and I approached my destination rather 
 quickly, considering the circumstances. The country 
 through which I rode consisted more or less of sandy hills, 
 covered with isolated black oaks without any scrub, under 
 which grew a very tall grass, disliked by cattle, which had 
 now eutirely decayed. So far as I could judge in the dark- 
 ness, I was no longer any great distance from my camping- 
 place ; for I saw in a hollow, on my left, a wood running 
 along my route, and which I knew to be a swampy patch, 
 in which all the rain-water of the neighborhood collected. 
 On my saddle hung several new tin cups, and a coffee-pot 
 of the same material, which rattled at every movement of 
 my horse, and thus produced a ringing sound which could 
 be heard for some distance. I dismounted, and twined dry 
 grass between them to keep them quiet. 
 
 I had just remounted my horse, and was riding up a hill, 
 when suddenly bright flames sprang up not far behind the 
 latter, and illumined the whole country around. In terror 
 I stopped my horse, and saw, in a few minutes, that not 
 only on the right of the hill the flames rose to the branches 
 of the surrounding oaks, but that the fire was spreading 
 with extraordinary fury on my right and in my rear. 
 
The Silver Mine. 
 
 279 
 
 There was only one opening in this circle of fire, on my 
 right, near the swamp. I turned Czar round, and galloped 
 through the low oaks and tall grass towards the valley, in 
 which I was obliged to trust to the safe foothold of my 
 horse, as I could not see a sign of a path. The wind luck- 
 ily was not very violent, or else I could not have escaped : 
 as it was, I reached the wood before the fire darted down 
 into the bottom behind me. I stood here on moist ground, 
 between green bushes which the flames could not reach, 
 and saw that they had fired the oaks, and converted each 
 of them into a fiery pyramid. The whole country ahead of 
 me was now a mass of fire, whose tongues rose over fifty 
 feet, in which the flames of the trees could be recognized 
 by their dark-red hue, while above them the ruddy clouds of 
 smoke rose to the sky. Ere long, however, the burning 
 oaks stood alone like pillars of fire on the denuded knolls, 
 and the sparks flew out of them with a terrible roaring and 
 crackling. I stood before this fire till day broke and 
 showed me the black skeletons of the still burning trees, 
 and the dark smoke-clouds rising above them. Ere long, 
 only small flames crept round the bare trunks. I mounted 
 my horse to get away from this scene of conflagration, and 
 rode up the wood, being obliged frequently to draw nearer 
 to the burning trees to escape the swampy ground, until at 
 last I was compelled to pass through the fire, owing to the 
 impassable nature of the ground. The smoke, the black 
 ash, and the heat were almost unendurable, and frequently 
 heavy branches fell close to me. I rode as sharply as I 
 could, and in an hour reached an open burnt clearing, 
 where I was once more able to draw fresh breath. The 
 fire had undoubtedly been lit simultaneously at different 
 points for the purpose of burning me by the Indians : but 
 none of them had ventured on to the prairie leading down 
 
280 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 to the bottom ; as I could see over it, and, if a fire had been 
 lit there, I could have detected the culprits. 
 
 I hurried along in the refreshing morning breeze, and 
 arrived about noon at a stream, on whose bank I turned 
 into the adjoining wood, and granted my horse and myself 
 a rest. On the road I had shot a turkey, which pacified 
 my hunger and Trusty’s ; and I strengthened myself by a 
 sound sleep, from which I did not awake till evening. Du- 
 ring the whole day I had felt tolerably well, but looked with 
 terror for the next, as I must expect that my fever would 
 return every second day : so I rode, till a rather late hour, 
 in order to reach a camp where I w T as tolerably certain I 
 could pass the day without disturbance. Before I rode off, 
 I dug up some roots of the tulip-tree, and chewed them, 
 swallowing the juice, till I reached camp. These roots are 
 one of the best remedies against fever which Nature offers 
 in these regions. I slept till the sun disturbed me, and 
 woke with aching head and weary limbs. I took Czar to 
 graze, and then lay down on my blankets, after placing my 
 gourd full of fresh water by my side. The attack of fever 
 was not very violent : about two, p.m., I was able to con- 
 tinue my journey, and slept that night on an affluent of the 
 Mustang. The next morning, I mounted at an early hour, 
 in order to reach the fort as soon as possible ; and made 
 Czar step out, as I felt very well. 
 
 About ten o’clock, I rode through a prairie which ran 
 dow to the Mustang, which here, an insignificant stream, 
 flowed between high banks over loose pebbles, and was only 
 deep at isolated spots. The prairie was covered with 
 clumps of tall cactuses and sunflowers ; and I was riding 
 between some of them, when a large stag got up before me, 
 and stopped a little way ahead. I turned Czar half round, 
 and shot the stag, which fell, but got up again, and ran off 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trusty and the Alligator. Page 281. 
 
The Silver Mine. 
 
 281 
 
 to the Mustang. As I saw that it was very sick, I sent 
 Trusty after it, who soon disappeared with it in a thicket ; 
 and I had scarcely reloaded, when I heard his hoarse bark, 
 and recognized by its tone that he was occupied with some- 
 thing else than the stag. I went up the wood as fast as 
 Czar could carry me, leapt off, and ran through the bushes 
 to the bank where I heard Trusty’s voice. A mortal terror 
 assailed me on seeing Trusty in shallow water near a deep 
 spot, with his left hind-leg in the jaw of an alligator, whose 
 skull he was smashing with his teeth, though this did not 
 make it open its clinched teeth. I sprang at one bound 
 into the river, in order to prevent the horrible brute from 
 reaching deep water, to which it was retreating, and was 
 only a few feet from it. I sprang on the beast’s back, held 
 it between my knees tightly, and lifted it into the shallow 
 water, while it lashed its tail madly. I now pulled out a 
 revolver, held it against the hinge of the jawbone, and fired 
 one bullet after the other, till the bones were splintered, and 
 the lower jaw fell off, liberating Trusty from his arrest. I 
 examined him, and found that his leg-bone was not injured, 
 though the flesh had suffered severely : at the sameiime he was 
 losing much blood, and appeared to be enduring great pain. 
 The stag lay close to the scene of contest ; so I drew it 
 ashore, and cut off the haunches : then I fetched Czar, 
 bound one of them on either side of the saddle, packed a 
 lot of bushes on the lot, and spread my blanket over them, 
 on which I raised Trusty, after I had bound up his wounds 
 as well as I could with wet pocket-handkerchiefs. I reached 
 home in the afternoon, and at once made a decoction of the 
 roots of the tulip and pomegranate and willow bark in or- 
 der to check the fever, which it soon effected, combined 
 with a strict regimen. 
 
 Tiger returned, after accompanying his friend to the Pu- 
 
282 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 erco River, whence the latter travelled on alone to Santa 
 F4, at which place he had promised to meet his friends 
 about this time. My young Indian friend now complained 
 very often that I allowed him to ride out hunting alone, 
 which was most disagreeable to him, as I did not permit 
 him to take Trusty, who was of such great value in the 
 bear-hunts, which are principally carried on at this season. 
 I had certainly placed Leo, an excellent dog, at his service ; 
 but he was only half the value of Trusty. One evening, 
 Tiger returned from hunting, and told me that he knew 
 where a very large bear was sleeping, but it would be diffi- 
 cult to get at it, as it was living in an old cypress that grew 
 in the middle of the river, and was too large to fell. He 
 described the spot to me, and I at once recognized the tree. 
 We talked about the matter at supper, and resolved to make 
 an attempt to get hold of the sleeper on the next day. 
 
 On the following morning we put our weapons, axes, and 
 dinner in the canoe, and floated down the river in it. It 
 was carried along by the current like a dart, so that we 
 were obliged to steer very carefully between the numerous 
 rocks. In an hour we stopped at the cypress, which was 
 nearly six feet in diameter. We cut down some saplings 
 on the bank, conveyed them to one side of the tree, and 
 fastened them together so as to form a raft on which we 
 could stand ; we then placed the canoe on the other side of 
 the tree, and set to work with our axes felling it. In addi- 
 tion to Tiger and myself, Konigstein and Antonio had 
 come, so that one of us was always able to rest. About 
 noon we had got some distance through the tree ; and as we 
 had heard nothing of the bear, we began greatly to doubt 
 whether it was in it : but Tiger insisted, in spite of our 
 laughter and chaff, that it was sleeping .there. We dined, 
 drank the health of the occupant of the tree, and then set 
 
The Silver Mine. 
 
 283 
 
 to work again. In a few hours, the supports of the tree be- 
 came so weak, that it was time to take precautions lest it 
 should fall on us. We had hewn it on the side of the raft, 
 towards which it naturally hung ; and we now all proceeded to 
 our canoe, and held ourselves in readiness to push off at any 
 moment. We gave the tree a few more cuts, and ere long 
 we heard the first sound of cracking in its wood. We were 
 certain that it could only fall over the raft ; and the only 
 danger was that it might slip backwards from the stump, in 
 •which case we might easily be sunk. A couple more blows, 
 and the lofty crown of the cypress bent more over the raft ; 
 one more stroke, and it groaned and cracked at its base : 
 we pushed off, and with a frightful crash it fell into the 
 river, and splashed up the water so high that we were com- 
 pletely wet through, while the splinters and broken branches 
 flew in all directions. We involuntarily held our heads 
 down into the boat, which was raised a great height by the 
 waves ; but after the first oscillation we all burst into a 
 hearty laugh, and mockingly asked Tiger, “ Where is our 
 bear? ” At the same moment, however, the bear leapt out 
 of the middle of the splinters covering the surface of the 
 river ; and while the water poured down, and prevented it 
 from seeing, it laid its huge fore-paws on the floating pieces 
 of wood, and sought a support, by means of which it could 
 lift itself out of the disagreeable element. “ The bear ! ” 
 everybody shouted ; and we seized our rifles, and fired at it. 
 At the moment when it reached the stern of our boat, and 
 was trying to get into it by means of its paws, Kouigstein 
 ran at the brute with his sharp axe, and buried it deep in 
 the skull of the enormous animal, and then drove into its 
 carcass the bent iron point of the boat-hook to prevent it 
 from sinking. We pulled quickly ashore, where we hauled 
 in our quarry with lassos. 
 
284 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 Antonio ran back to the fort, and fetched our cart with 
 two mules, with which he joined us before sunset. With 
 the help of the animals, we pulled first the bear and then the 
 canoe on land ; rolled the former into the cart ; then raised 
 the canoe on the back of it, where we secured it ; and so 
 drove back to the fort, with the stern of our boat trailing 
 along the grass. The bear gave us a large quantity of 
 splendid fat, and its smoked flesh long supplied our table. 
 
4 
 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 THE PURSUIT. 
 
 Lasak and I were occupied for several weeks on the set- 
 tlement of Messrs. Clifton and MacDonnell and a Mr. Wil- 
 son. The latter had arrived from Georgia, with a consider- 
 able fortune and numerous negroes ; and the three young 
 men settled together on Turkey Creek, in the neighborhood 
 of Widow White. We helped them by word and deed ; 
 and, in a short time, a very large lot of ground was cleared 
 and sown with maize, although it was late in the year for 
 it, and a large garden laid out, and the necessary buildings 
 erected at a spot where, very recently, an axe had never 
 been laid against a tree, or a plough had turned a furrow 
 in the earth. The three young men set eagerly about the 
 heavy work which such a new settlement demands, and 
 were busy the whole day in the garden or the field, or else 
 in felling wood. While doing so, they often forgot that 
 they and not we were now living on the outermost Indian 
 frontier, and constantly went from home unarmed. They 
 went into the woods with an axe to fell trees, or rode with- 
 out any weapons into the prairie to drive home their milch 
 kine or fetch their draught oxen. Lasar and I had fre- 
 quently blamed them for this negligence, but it was of no 
 use ; and often, when we visited them, one or the other was 
 away from home unarmed. While we, during the years that 
 we had no neighbors, when working in the field, chained up 
 our dogs round it, in order to be informed of the approach 
 
 285 
 
286 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 of stalking Indians, and carried our rifles either on the 
 plough or on our backs, they ploughed and worked for days 
 without a dog or any other weapon but their hands. Their 
 dwelling stood on the south bank of the river, where it 
 joined the prairie ; but they had their field on the northern 
 side, in a wood which extended for a considerable distance. 
 
 At an early hour one morning, they all three crossed the 
 river with a few negroes, in order to thin the growing 
 maize crop ; which operation is generally performed in the 
 morning, as you are obliged to stoop constantly, which is 
 very fatiguing in the hot sun. All three took their weap- 
 ons into the field, and rested them against the fence, as they 
 thought it too much trouble to carry them on their backs. 
 They followed the rows of maize, one behind the other, 
 from one end of the field to the other, and were again near- 
 ing the spot where they had placed their rifles, when sud- 
 denly some fifty Indians dashed over the fence with a loud 
 war-yell, and attacked them. They could not think of 
 flight, as the Indians surrounded them before they could 
 recover from their first terror. Resistance was equally im- 
 possible, as they were quite unarmed ; and hence the sole 
 chance of escape lay in the mercy of the barbarians to 
 whom they surrendered. The two negroes were accident- 
 ally at the other end of the field, and, at the first glimpse 
 of the Indians, leapt over the fence into the woods to save 
 themselves by hiding in its recesses. On looking round, 
 they saw that each of the three young men was surrounded 
 by a party of Indians busied in tying his arms behind his 
 back. They ran through the wood to the river, swam 
 across it, and, on reaching the houses, leapt with the other 
 negroes on horses and mules, fled with the utmost speed 
 towards the south, across the prairie, and reached my fort 
 before sunset, horrified, and half frightened to death. 
 
The Pursuit. 
 
 287 
 
 The terrible news aroused all my people. I at once sent 
 a negro to Lasar’s to tell him of what had happened, and, 
 at the same time, beg him to join me as speedily as possi- 
 ble, in order to pursue the Indians, and, if possible, save 
 the prisoners, during which time we made our preparations 
 for immediate departure. I had provisions got ready and 
 packed on a mule, which, this time, was not faithful Jack, 
 as he had been galled by a badly fastened saddle : after 
 this, a stock of ammunition was laid in, and we sat down 
 to supper, which meal we had hardly finished when our 
 friends from Mustang Creek, eight in number, galloped 
 over the prairie, led by old Lasar himself, who was fire 
 and flame, and vowed revenge like the youngest of us. 
 Tiger, Antonio, Konigstein, and one of the colonists of the 
 name of Lambert, accompanied me ; and we were soon ur- 
 ging our horses at full speed through the gloomy forest. 
 
 Tiger led our party, who trotted on as long as the moon- 
 light lasted, but then fell into a walk, and, towards morn- 
 ing, reached the deserted blockhouses of the prisoners. 
 We expected that' the Indians would have burnt them 
 down, but found them uninjured, which proved to us in 
 what haste they must have departed with their quarry. 
 We rode through the river into the wood, and found the 
 spot where the savages had lifted their prisoners over the 
 fence, and led them to its northern end. Here we found 
 the traces of numerous horses galloping in the direction of 
 the northern mountains. Tiger examined all the signs very 
 carefully, and, after we had followed the trail for about an 
 hour, dismounted, and sought about in the grass. Ere long 
 he stretched out his arms, and parted fingers to the north 
 and north-west, and told me that the fellows we were pur- 
 suing had divided here, and were pursuing different routes ; 
 
 which fact I was also able to recognize after a slight inves- 
 
 ♦ 
 
288 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 tigation. I asked Tiger what we were to do ; but he 
 laughed, and, joining his hands together, and pointing to 
 the north, he stated that the Indians would come together 
 again on the other side of the mountains in two days. 
 
 We now followed a trail which ran along a deeply trod- 
 den buffalo-path, and reached, before sunset, a spot in a 
 valley covered with isolated rocks, trees, and bushes, 
 which was bordered on both sides by steep hills. Here 
 Tiger suddenly stopped, and leapt from his horse. I rode 
 up to him ; and he showed me on the bare rocks that sev- 
 eral horses had left the track, and turned off to the left 
 down the glen. He showed me several pebbles which had 
 been turned over by the horses, and on the rocks the graze 
 of their hoofs, as well as here and there a trampled leaf or 
 a broken blade of grass. He followed this trail carefully, 
 and requested me to follow him, while making a sign to 
 the others to remain on the path. A few thousand yards 
 farther on, the track wound between large masses of stone, 
 till we reached a clearing, on the other side of which we 
 found signs of an extinguished fire near a spring. Tiger 
 picked up a blackened bit of wood, and showed me by rub- 
 bing it with his finger that the wood was still wet, and 
 hence, as it lay in the open sunshine, must have gone out 
 shortly before. He now begged me to call up our com- 
 rades, so that we might rest ourselves and our tired horses 
 here for a little while. I rode up to them ; and, when we 
 returned to Tiger, he showed us, behind the spring, the 
 shambles where one of the unhappy prisoners had ended 
 his life. On a large flat stone, we saw a quantity of cur- 
 dled, half-dry blood, and behind it lay the entrails of a 
 man. Round the stone we found marks of boot-heels, 
 which had probably belonged to the murdered man, and 
 had been put on by one of the savages. Our fury against 
 
The Pursuit. 
 
 289 
 
 them was terrible, and we would gladly have pursued them 
 without resting, had our horses been able to carry us ; but 
 they were too tired, and greatly required a rest. 
 
 We supped, and slept till near day, and by dawn we 
 were following the trail again, along the path which we 
 had quitted on the previous evening. Without halting 
 longer than was necessary, we rode hard all day through 
 the most impassable regions of the San Saba Mountains, 
 and reached in the evening the prairies on their north side. 
 We were still on the same trail, which had been made by 
 five or six horses, and unsaddled when the sun had long 
 disappeared behind the hill ; and Tiger was unable to follow 
 the trail. We had ridden very sharply, so that our horses 
 would hardly touch the good fodder here offered them ; and 
 we had no sooner watered them in an adjacent stream than 
 they lay down in the grass with a long breath, and fell 
 asleep. We did not tie them up, so that they might graze 
 directly they awoke, but kept up a good fire the whole 
 night, and posted a sentinel. 
 
 At daybreak we were en route again, and hurrying after 
 Tiger, who led us along the foot of the mountains. About 
 coon, we rode through one the streams that flow into the 
 Colorado, and found in the wood on its bank a deserted 
 camp, from which the fugitives could not be gone long, as 
 the bushes and weeds trampled by the horses were not dry 
 yet. We merely watered our horses, and then urged them 
 on ; for Tiger believed that we must catch up the Indians 
 that same evening, as their horses were tired, and did not 
 raise their feet high from the ground. Evening arrived : 
 and, in the distance, another forest rose out of the prairie, 
 which we reached with night ; but our foe had gone farther 
 on, and we were compelled to halt again, as we could not 
 follow their trail. Our guide consoled us with the morrow, 
 id 
 
2£)0 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 and said their horses could not last out any longer. We 
 rode the whole day, however, without seeing any thiug of 
 the Indians, save the track of their horses. About sunset 
 we rode into another forest, in which we hoped to find run- 
 ning water : we soon halted on its bank, and noticed, on the 
 other side, the last camping-place of the Indians ; for several 
 of then- fires were still burning, and Tiger said that they 
 now supposed themselves out of danger, and would not ride 
 so fast. We crossed the stream, in order to occupy the de- 
 serted camp ; but had scarce reached it, when Tiger called 
 to me, and pointed to a young tree with a smooth shining 
 bark, the lower part of which was dyed with blood. He 
 told me that one of the white men had been murdered here : 
 the Indians had tied him up to the tree, and fired arrows at 
 him ; and the bark displayed numerous marks of their 
 points. At the height of a man the tree was sprinkled with 
 blood ; and over it we found a deep cut, which appeared to 
 have been made by a tomahawk. The Indians seemed to 
 have come together again here ; for a number of fires had 
 been lighted, and the trampled ground indicated a large 
 troop of horses. We all insisted on riding on at once ; but 
 Tiger reminded us that it was impossible to follow the trail, 
 and by over-riding it we might easily lose much time, and 
 give the cannibals a chance of escape. 
 
 Our impatience had attained the highest pitch : all were 
 ready to start, but it was still too dark : we stood by our 
 grazing cattle, and counted the minutes till dawn appeared, 
 and allowed us to see the track of our enemies once more. 
 Then we hastened on, and joyfully greeted every thicket in 
 front of us, as we hoped to find the cannibals in it, and be 
 able to take vengeance on them for our friends. Our hopes 
 were frequently disappointed ; and the sun was approach- 
 ing the western hills when we still urged on our awfully 
 

 
 
The Pursuit. 
 
 291 
 
 tired horses, following the trail of the Indian horses,, which 
 could not possibly be far from us, as their excreta on 
 the path plainly indicated. Once again a wood rose before 
 us on the prairie, but it was still so distant that we could 
 not hope to reach it before dark. Tiger told me that we 
 must either ride very sharply, so as to reach the wood by 
 daylight, or camp on this side, and approach the wood at 
 dawn ; as we should get the worst of it if we came upon the 
 6avagcs in the darkness. We resolved on the former 
 course, and collected the last strength of our animals. 
 Spurring and flogging, we went on at a trot or a gallop, as 
 if certain of reaching our destination to-day. Oue of our 
 friends might possibly be saved by a few minutes* sharp 
 riding, and so we paid no heed to the fatigue and pace of 
 our horses. We rapidly approached the wood ; but so did 
 the sun the hills, which soon spread their lengthened shad- 
 ow over the plain. The country before us became more 
 uneven, and covered with large blocks of stones ; and here 
 and there rose an isolated clump of trees and bushes, while 
 the forest appeared to be half an hour’s ride distant. The 
 darker it grew, the sharper we rode ; and we dashed at a 
 gallop between the rocks towards a patch of young oaks, 
 with Tiger some distance ahead of us. While galloping 
 round some rocks, I saw him suddenly turn his piebald 
 towards us, and halt in the clump of trees, which we reached 
 in a few minutes ; and Tiger informed us that the savages 
 were sleeping no great distance ahead, on the barreu bank 
 of a river. 
 
 Our excitement was frightful : trembling with eagerness, 
 we fastened our steaming horses to the long branches of the 
 young oaks, thrust our holster pistols in our belts, and ad- 
 vanced, leaving Antonio with the horses, silently and noise- 
 lessly after Tiger, when it had been arranged that I should 
 
292 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 give the signal for a general attack by firing first. The 
 moon was high, but lighted us poorly ; the daylight, how- 
 ever, had not quite faded away, when we emerged from the 
 rocks, and reached a small knoll, over which we saw almost 
 invisible columns of smoke rising at various points. We 
 spread out here in a long line, and crept up the hill, covered 
 by some isolated rocks. When we reached the top, we saw' 
 the savages about thirty yards from us, collected round 
 several fires. A deadly silence brooded over the slightly 
 illumined landscape, which was only broken by the rustling 
 of the rapid stream, on whose banks the Indians were en- 
 camped. The glow of the fires cast a dark-red reflection 
 over the brown bodies of the reclining savages sufficient to 
 enable us to see them more distinctly, while the light of the 
 moon illumined the sights on our rifles. 
 
 All our barrels were pointed at the cannibals ; and we 
 could hear our hearts beating, while they did not suspect 
 the approaching vengeance, and were most of them asleep. 
 The wide chest of one of the ruffians was lit up by the fire 
 right in front of me, while he was gazing into the ashes 
 with his head resting on his right arm. The sight of my 
 rifle was pointed at his heart, when I pulled trigger. At 
 the same moment, the rifles of all my comrades cracked y 
 and directly after we fired our second barrels among the 
 rising Indians, who for a moment raised their war-yell, but. 
 then fled in great confusion, and dashed into the river, be- 
 neath the fire of our revolvers and pistols. In this faintly 
 lighted scene of fury and terror, the long red and white 
 striped silk handkerchief on Tiger’s head waved, the broad 
 blade of his heavy knife glistened in his right hand, his 
 shrill voice filled the ears of the cannibals with the war-cry 
 of the Delawares ; and, immediately after the first shot, he 
 flew, worthy of his name, among them, and spread death 
 
The Pursuit. 
 
 293 
 
 / 
 
 among their ranks. Trusty, too, forgot his usual obedience, 
 and pinned one of the savages, by the throat, who had fired 
 an arrow at him : he killed the Indian * in a few minutes, 
 and then dragged him about in the grass, satiating his fury. 
 In a short time the battle-field was deserted by the enemy, 
 with the exception of two and twenty killed and wounded 
 they left on it, the latter of whom Tiger soon sent to join 
 the former with his tomahawk. His war axe flew from 
 skull to skull, and with every blow drove a soul but of its 
 earthly tenement ; after which he raised the hair of several 
 whom he had killed in action. 
 
 The fight was hardly over, when a familiar voice called 
 several of our names, especially Lasar’s, mine, and Tiger’s. 
 It came from a little way off the camp, and reached us but 
 faintly. We ran in the direction, and, to our joyful sur- 
 prise, found MacDonnell bound hand and foot, lying on the 
 grass behind a rock. His bonds were quickly cut ; but he 
 was unable to get up. We bore him to the nearest fire, blew 
 it into a bright flame, and now looked at the death-like face 
 of our poor friend, who, since his captivity, had endured 
 death in a thousand shapes, and envied his two comrades 
 their release from torture. He was so fatigued that he was 
 unable to sit up. The joy at our appearance, and the fear 
 lest we might go away again without finding him, had given 
 him the strength to raise his voice ; but now a greater faint- 
 ness naturally set in, and he could scarce make signs to us 
 to give him water. The fresh draught was handed him ; 
 then we laid him on a bed made of buffalo-skin, and left 
 him to sleep, which, with the consciousness that he was 
 saved, and among friends, did him more good than any thing 
 else we could have offered him. The large fire lit up the 
 plain around us, and displayed the victims we had sacrificed 
 to the blood of our friends : farther on, it shone on the 
 
294 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 great number of utterly exhausted Indian horses, most of 
 which were lying fastened to lassos among the large stones 
 in the grass. Although we did not apprehend any attack 
 from the fugitive savages, many of whom had doubtless 
 killed themselves by leaping off the high banks into the 
 river, which dashed over rocks, and who, too, possessed no 
 weapons that could be dangerous to .us r we still posted sen- 
 tries on both sides of the camp, and lit large fires in order 
 to be able to watch the horses, as it was very probable that 
 the Indians would attempt to recover them towards morn- 
 ing, after the moon had gone. down. Our own horses we 
 tied up in the grass close to camp, and then lay down by 
 turns to rest as far as our stale of excitement permitted 
 it. 
 
 Morning dawned without our having been disturbed ; and, 
 with the growing light, we began to survey the field of 
 battle, and investigate the details of the events of last even- 
 ing. The savages were a tribe of Mescaleros ; and, as we 
 afterwards learned, the same who had made the attack on 
 Mrs. White a few months before. Among the dead was 
 their chief, who had been killed by the first shot fired, 
 which was the principal reason why the assailed did not 
 offer a greater resistance ; for they only discharged a few 
 arrows, one of which hit Trusty, while another passed 
 through Konigstein’s thigh. The weapons lay scattered 
 about the battle-field. C)n the lofty bank were distinct signs 
 where the fugitives had leapt off it ; but we found below no 
 signs of them on the rocks jutting out of the river, as they 
 had apparently fallen into the deep water between them. 
 For all that, there was no doubt but that many had not 
 reached the opposite bank alive ; for the stream was too 
 rapid for a man to swim across it. 
 
 Our friend MacDonnell still lay motionless asleep, and 
 
The Pursuit . 
 
 295 
 
 we did not disturb him. It was bright daylight when John 
 Lasar summoned us to the fires of the savages, where we 
 found the roasted and partially-gnawn bones of one of the 
 murdered men, while Konigstein discovered other remains 
 of the dead bodies behind a rock. At about ten o’clock, 
 MacDonnell woke, and felt greatly strengthened. We gave 
 him food and a cup of wine to drink ; but he was very weak, 
 and terribly excited, so that we prohibited him from talking 
 about his own sufferings or those of his own comrades. 
 About noon, we prepared to start and carry off the horses, 
 of which we had captured forty-six, among them being seve- 
 ral first-rate animals. Tiger at once sought out the leader 
 of the troop, — an old mare, whose head and tail were 
 hung with all sorts of ornaments ; and so soon as he led it 
 away, all the others would follow it. He bound the mare 
 to a tree, let loose the other horses, and wound the lassos 
 round their necks, upon which' they all collected round the 
 old mare. We then saddled our horses ; selected the best 
 saddle of the savages, a very handsome Mexican one, for 
 MacDonnell ; put it on one of the captured horses which 
 appeared good-tempered and safe, and covered it with a 
 buffalo-hide, a large quantity of which we also found ; then 
 we lifted our suffering friend on the horse. Tiger marched 
 ahead of us, leading the mare behind us by a lasso, and 
 followed by all the Indian horses, while we rode behind, 
 and drove on the laggards. Thus we rode slowly to the 
 south, and camped at sunset in a narrow strip of wood on a 
 stream, where we found good pasture for the numerous 
 horses. We merely fastened up the leading mare and our 
 own cattle near the fire. . 
 
 During the night we posted four sentries, and lit up the 
 Indian horses with large fires. It passed without disturb- 
 ance, and the next morning we continued our progress to 
 
296 
 
 The Backwoodsman . 
 
 the south. We now made but short marches, as our own 
 horses were very tired ; but the captured ones were so ex- 
 hausted that we could hardly drive them on with long sticks. 
 We, on several occasions, unsaddled at noon, because we 
 found good pasturage on water, and rested till the next 
 morning, so that we might not have to spend the night at a 
 worse spot. 
 
 One evening we found ourselves in the middle of an- 
 open prairie, on which only isolated mosquito-trees could 
 be seen, and camped at a spot where there were several 
 ponds, and an old fallen mosquito-tree lay, which, judging 
 from the fire-marks, had offered burning materials to ear- 
 lier travellers across this plain. The nearest woods to the 
 south lay on the remotest horizon on the San Saba Moun- 
 tains, and we did not calculate on reaching them till the 
 next day. We lay in a hollow of the prairie, between two 
 small elevations, and fastened our riding-horses and the 
 leading mare to lassos driven into the ground, while the 
 captured horses grazed on the bottom. The evening was 
 splendid ; and, as Mac was all right again, we were in the 
 best spirits. After supper, the conversation turned on the 
 captured horses ; and we resolved to throw dice for them. 
 The mare was allotted to me without throwing, as I gave 
 up my chance of all the rest. Ere long, all the horses had 
 owners. Antonio and Lambert* resolved to try theirs the 
 next morning, as they were not very well mounted ; and 
 everybody praised the good qualities of his horse, and ex- 
 pounded how the animals must be treated and ridden to 
 make first-raters of them. Thus the night arrived, during 
 which we again posted sentries on the nearest mounds ; but 
 it passed without any alarm. Day dawned : we blew up 
 our fire, and got breakfast ready, while the horses were 
 grazing around us. The sun rose while we were lying 
 
The Pursuit. 
 
 297 
 
 carelessly on our buffalo-robes round the fire and drinking 
 coffee ; when suddenly a fearful yell reached our ears over 
 the next height, and a band of thirty horse Indians thun- 
 dered down the hillside towards us, waving in one hand 
 their buffalo-robes over their heads, shaking in the other 
 tin pots, gourds, and buffalo-bladders filled with pebbles, 
 and uttering the strangest and most awful yells. In an in- 
 stant the troop passed us, and dashed right through our fire 
 and camp. They went over us like a tornado ; and our ter- 
 rified horses, which had torn themselves loose, dashed over 
 the prairie in front of them, trailing the broken lassos after 
 them. Before we had seized our rifles, the Indians were 
 so far off, that the bullets we sent after them produced no 
 effect ; and we silently stared after them till they disap- 
 peared from sight over the last rising ground on the prairie. 
 We asked each other with our eyes what was to be done ; 
 but no one was yet able to speak : the fright and the heavy 
 loss had fallen upon us too unexpectedly, and it was long 
 ere we could think of the immediate future. At length all 
 eyes w r ere turned to me, as if I could help them. This 
 confidence restored my power of speech ; and I told my 
 companions in misfortune that I was able to lead them 
 home without horses, and that Macdonnell’s life was worth 
 more than our animals. 
 
 I had hardly spoken to this effect, when Konigstein 
 shouted to me, and pointed in the direction where the 
 horses had disappeared ; and, though it was so far off, I 
 recognized Czar and the cream-color flying over the prai- 
 rie, pursued by five Indians. I ran towards them as fast as 
 my legs would carry me, and fired a bullet at the Indians, 
 long out of range, but which they must have heard u pin- 
 ging ; ” for they gave up their pursuit, and merely fired a few 
 harmless arrows after the horses, which now dashed up to 
 
298 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 me, and stopped panting and snorting. Czar came up to 
 me, arid laid his head on my shoulders, while looking round 
 in wild terror after his pursuers. I led him into camp, 
 where both the horses were greeted with loud shouts of joy. 
 We now held a grand council, and soon agreed to cache 
 our baggage in a hollow near at hand, cover it with tuff, 
 and then start for home on foot, in which, of course, we 
 could only cover short distances : at the same time, we ar- 
 ranged that Mr. Lasar should ride the cream-color, and 
 Mac Czar, while we also packed our food on the animals. 
 
 The whole day passed before we had cached our bag- 
 gage, so that we slept another night at this inhospitable 
 spot. The next morning we saddled and packed ; and, after 
 carefully taking the direction of the nearest tree with the 
 compass, we began our wearisome journey. On reaching 
 the tree, we blazed it with a knife, and then started for 
 another, and so on, carefully marking each, so that vve 
 might be able to find our way back to our traps from tree 
 to tree. The road to the San Saba Mountains, through 
 the tall prairie-grass, was one of the unpleasantest I ever 
 followed. There, however, the ground, though hilly and 
 stony, was still adapted for human feet ; and we soon grew 
 accustomed to walking. Tiger had not a word to say for 
 himself : he was revolving vengeance on the Lepans, who 
 had stolen his faithful piebald, and swore that the Dela- 
 wares should take many of their scalps in return. 
 
 After several weeks of unspeakable fatigue and priva- 
 tion, we at length arrived one evening at Widow White’s, 
 who received us with great cordiality and delight. We at 
 once sent her son to the fort to fetch riding-horses for all 
 of us, as we had had quite enough walking ; and stopped 
 the while with our kind hostess. Late the next evening, 
 the long-looked-for horses arrived from the Leone : we let 
 
The Pursuit . 
 
 299 
 
 them rest for the night, and on the next morning said good- 
 by to the widow, and started for home, which we reached 
 at an early hour, and found horses there for Lasar and his 
 companions to carry them at once to Mustang River. The 
 loss of Lasar’s handsome horse and of John’s mare again 
 caused fresh sorrow in the family, with whom they had 
 been favorites ; but I willingly put up with the loss of my 
 two horses and mules, and considered myself remarkably 
 fortunate in recovering Czar and the cream-color. The 
 last lesson which we gave the Mescaleros seemed to have 
 had an intimidating effect on the Indians generally, as we 
 neither saw nor heard any thing of them for several montli9. 
 
 Tiger, during this period, rode a splendid black horse of 
 mine, which I had been always obliged to leave at home, as 
 it was too timid and impetuous for hunting-purposes. Now 
 that it was ridden daily, it became a first-rate horse ; and 
 Tiger often said that it was better than his piebald. Great 
 was my surprise when Tiger knocked me up early one 
 morning ; and, on going out of my house, I saw the piebald 
 quietly grazing. On waking, Tiger had found it tied up in 
 front of his tent, and told me that the Lepans were fright- 
 ened because his tribe would come in the autumn and 
 learn their hostile behavior. . With a sad look he re- 
 marked, that he would now be obliged to give me back the 
 black horse, he supposed ; and was quite beside himself with 
 joy when I told him that I made him a present of it. 
 
 In the course of the summer, friendly Indians visited me, 
 but never stopped long ; and gave me to understand that I 
 lived too much among the white men. It would be much 
 better for me to move nearer to them, and then they would 
 visit me more frequently. Thus arrived one evening, just 
 before sunset, my old friend Pahajuka, accompanied by his 
 good old squaw and his grand-daughter and a few Co- 
 
300 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 \ 
 
 manches. The joy of the old folk was great ; and they 
 said, that, had not the white men blocked the road to me, 
 they would willingly stay some time with me ; but, as it 
 was, we were daily more separated. The people remained 
 some weeks with me ; but one morning they came into my 
 room, and the old lady said with tears that this was the 
 last visit they would pay me, as the road to me was grow- 
 ing too narrow. I was obliged to promise them a visit at 
 the parts where the buffalo still grazed, and the antelopes 
 and stags had not so many feet as here. 
 
 After breakfast, I saddled Czar, and rode with my guests 
 to the mountaiu-springs, where we spent the night ; and the 
 next morning we took leave of one another. I promised to 
 join them the next winter on the Puerco, when a great 
 council of the Comanches was to take place. They often 
 looked with tears in their eyes in the direction of the fort : 
 then they offered me their hand once again, and rode off, 
 never again to cross the threshold of my house, to which 
 they were so attached. 
 
 Tiger, too, seemed dissatisfied at the new settlements, 
 and could not understand how people could have an objec- 
 tion to his pulling down the fences, and riding across the 
 fields to save distance. They had also forbidden him tak- 
 ing dry corn-leaves for his horse out of the stacks, or fast- 
 ening his piebald to the grand stockade in front of the 
 house while he went in to beg a drink of water. What I 
 had long foreseen happened : he was beginning to feel the 
 trammels of civilization, and wrestled against them, while 
 its comforts still attracted him. Shortly after Pahajuka’s 
 departure, Tiger’s tribe arrived in the neighborhood of the 
 fort, and the chief paid me a visit with several of his war- 
 riors. He told me that Tiger wished to go home with 
 them in order to see his relations, and return to me in the 
 
The Pursuit. 
 
 801 
 
 following spring. Though I felt sorry for it, I saw that he 
 could not remain much longer in our settlement without 
 parting from us on unfriendly terms : hence I offered no 
 objection ; and on the day of their departure I accompanied 
 them as far as Widow White’s, as I wanted to pay a visit 
 to Mac on Mustang River. I took a hearty farewell of 
 Tiger, as I wai really attached to him ; and he was obliged 
 to promise me a visit ere long. 
 
 The next day I rode to Macdonneli’s, when I found every 
 thing prospering. His field had produced a rich maize 
 crop, and was now covered with beans, potatoes, melons, 
 gourds, &c. His orchard already contained fine young 
 trees : his garden supplied him and his negroes with 
 magnificent vegetables. The yard round his house was 
 crowded with poultry of every description, and the interior 
 of his block-house was very neat and tidy. A large new 
 patchwork quilt was thrown on his bed : over the mantle- 
 piece was a handsome looking-glass ; and by its side hung 
 the framed portraits .of three men, which are very fre- 
 quently found in frontier-houses, and by which the Ameri- 
 cans do not pay themselves the worst compliment. They 
 represent the greatest, the best, and the most useful men of 
 our century, — Washington, Alexander von Humboldt, and 
 Liebig. 
 
 The now frequently traversed road from Turkey Creek 
 to the Leone shortened the distance between the two rivers 
 much, as the greater portion of it could be galloped over. 
 I reached the fort again at an early hour, and helped Ko- 
 nigstein in his preparations for a start on the next morning. 
 He was going with Antonio, Lambert, and several pack 
 animals, to fetch our saddles and traps, which we cached, 
 after the loss of our cattle in the prairie, to the north of 
 the San Saba Mountains. 
 
802 
 
 The Backwoodsman. 
 
 Although we are still living on the frontier of the des- 
 ert, We have now, in front, of us, a line of settlements fa- 
 cing the Indians, which keep off us the ordinary dangers of 
 a frontier life ; and we are rarely reminded, by the personal 
 appearance of these savages in our vicinity, that their hunt- 
 ing-grounds are not a great distance from us. 
 

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