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TRAVELS 
 
 FROM 
 
 OCEAN TO OCEAN, 
 
 AND FUOM 
 
 THE LAKES TO THE GULF 
 
 THE NARRATIVE OF 
 
 A TWELVE YEARS' RAMBLE, AND WHAT 
 
 WAS SEEN AND EXPERIENCED: 
 
 EMBKACINO 
 
 Journeys East, West, North, South; Life and Scenes in the Mountains, 
 
 upon the Prairies, and along the Lakes and Rivers of the West ; 
 
 Tours with Buffalo-Hunters; Travels among the Indians; Their 
 
 Life and Habits Described; Strolls in the Cotton-Fields, 
 
 Orange-Groves, and Forests of the "Sunny South," 
 
 with Notes on Southern Life and Scenery; also 
 
 a description of various Cities and Towns in 
 
 the United States visited by the Writer, 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 '"'•The Chix>pewa's Last Turn,'''' and '•'■Sioux Cai 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 HARRISBURG, PENN.: 
 AMOS H. GOTTSCHALL, PUBLISHER 
 
 1882. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881. by 
 
 AMOS H. ClOTTSCHALL, 
 
 In tlie oifice of the Librarian ot Congress, at Washington, D. (J. 
 
 KLECTKOTYPED BY FERGUSON BROTHERS A CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Reader, this is a narrative of my travels and ad- 
 ventui-es, written in a plain, unvarnished style. It 
 is said that "Truth is stranger than fiction," and, 
 without egotism, (I am devoid of personal vanity) I 
 believe that my worldly experience, for width and 
 ever-changing phases, has been exceeded by that of 
 few men of my years. 
 
 Having ran away from home in early boyhood, 
 and being a wanderer for twelve years, my life has 
 been one of singular experiences, and full of "ups 
 and downs." 
 
 The work was written under widely-contrasting 
 circumstances. In Indian camps, amid the scenes 
 of savage life; on the puffing steamboat and the 
 rushing cars ; on the prairie and the mountain ; on 
 the placid lake and the ever-restless ocean ; in the 
 printing-office and the jostling hotel ; in the lonely 
 forest and amid the city's din ; by the roaring cat- 
 aract and the silent river ; in the hut of the hunter 
 and pioneer, and in the parlor of civilization. 
 
 While I trust that the book will be entertaining, 
 I am confident that it embodies a wholesome lesson 
 
 (iii) 
 
IV PHEFACE. 
 
 for all rimaway-inclined-boys, and all persons of a 
 roving, dissatisfied disposition, as well as being a 
 useful and instructive book in giving a description 
 of people, things and places, as I found them. 
 
 It is one thing to sit at home by the cozy fireside 
 and read a traveler's narrative, and, in the imagina- 
 tion, follow him through all of his experiences, but 
 it is quite another thing to fully appreciate them. 
 
 I am frequently asked whether I regret the time 
 I spent in roving, and my answer is invariably this : 
 "No; but I would not again go through and en- 
 dure what fell to my lot for the wealth of kings !'^ 
 
 My journeys have led me into every state in the 
 Union, but one, and into nearly all of the AVestern 
 Territories, into every city and town of importance 
 in the United States, and into the country of the 
 Pawnee, Shoshonee, Ute, Pahute, Digger, Sioux, 
 Ponca, Arickaree, Chippewa, Winnebago, and other 
 Indians, among whom I have lived and traveled. 
 
 Four times have I crossed the North American 
 Continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific, have 
 made five tours through the Southern States, and 
 beside these, I have taken various sejoarate trips to 
 the Sioux Indians of Dakota. 
 
 With eyes and pencil ever on the alert, I made a 
 note of whatever I observed which I deemed would 
 make my book entertaining and useful, and I now 
 place my humble efforts before, I hope, a very kind- 
 judging and appreciative public. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER 1. PAOK 
 
 Early historj'—When a child I desire to travel— Hints and sug- 
 gestions for dissatistied boys — I run away from home when ten 
 years old — Regrets on leaving mother— How I felt about going 
 home — Advice of a seaman— Precious is the memory of Child- 
 hood—The selftshness of human nature— Books as friends. 9 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 I leave home again, and enter a Philadelphia law-office— On to 
 Chicago— Newspapers and the fire— " Ho! for California!" — 
 How I traveled and made a settling-down-fund — San Francis- 
 co and its people — The effect traveling has upon the heart and 
 mind— The "'Golden State" — Arrow points of the Wapoo Indi- 
 ans- Napa Valley— Burtalo Bill. 24 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 New York— Philadelphia— I start for the "Sunny South"— Bal- 
 timore, Washington, Richmond and Libby Prison— Atlanta- 
 Old colored "uncles" and "aunties" of the South— The pres- 
 ent relation between former master and former slave— A for- 
 tune awaits the man who can invent a machine for picking 
 cotton — How the cotton, rice, sugar, turpentine and tar are 
 produced— Montgomery and Mobile— How the Northern man 
 is treated by the Southerners— New Orleans. 33 
 
 CHAPrER IV. 
 
 Walking across a trestle-bridge at night with snakes and alliga- 
 tors for companions— The colored people of the South— Their 
 comic phrases— St. Louis— The Western prairies— A gorgeous 
 scene— Reflections— The agony of thirst — Buffaloes at home. 43 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Denver City— Scenery in the Rocky Mountains— Starving men 
 eating their mules— Qrasshoppers— The Echo Canyon— Forti- 
 fications of the Mormons— The One Thousand Mile" Tree— Salt 
 Lake City — A printing-office on the move — Brigham Young — 
 The Utah Sulphur Springs— The Nevada Desert— Humboldt 
 Wells— The Sierra Nevada Mountains— Snow sheds— Caution 
 of the Indians— The Pahute— Great Salt Lake— In dangerous 
 quarters with Pawnee Indians— A list of my Indian relics. 5X 
 
 (V) 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER YI. lA.iE 
 
 Red man, move on— Yankton— Dakota— The Santee Indians— Baking 
 bread in the baby's wash-pan— The prairie grass— Minnesota— De- 
 troit— Niagara Falls— Buffalo— Lancaster City and County— Penn- 
 sylvania—My restlessness— Brooklyn— New Haven— Providence- 
 Boston— Albany— Troy— A race with an engine— A dishonest pair. G'.> 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 1 join a party of buffalo hunters— A storm- The camp-fire— Life of a 
 hunter— Willow Springs— The first buftalo— The prairie fire— A 
 scene of confusion— The powder— An old landmark— The buffalo- 
 trails— The beauty of a prairie sunset— Wild horses of the plains- 
 U'Fallou's Camp— Hunting the bison. ^0 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Republican River and Valley— An Indian girl's grave among 
 the branches of a weeping-willow — Bleditatiuns — Snow water as a 
 luxury — The singular effects of mirage on the plains — Pangs of 
 hunger— Eating raw meat — The Smoky Hill Kiver 89 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 Mountain scenery in Colorado— The cactus x>lant at home— A 
 lonely journey through the wilds — "Koughing it"— How the 
 buffaloes diminish— The Ute Indian— Mode of sacrificing In- 
 dian ponies— Emigrants in camp— Lost on the prairie in the 
 night— Chicago— A school for the study of human nature— 
 The Missouri Kiver Country— A beautiful land— I visit the 
 Sioux— A friendly squaw— lUideness of the Arickarees. 97 
 
 CHAPTEK X . 
 
 Scenes in Bismarck— North Dakota— I am stoned by the Chip- 
 l)ewas— Lodges and canoes ot the Chippewas— A narrow es- 
 cape from a watery grave — "Come in the liouse and see us" — 
 Braincrd — I return home — Toledo, Cleveland, Erie. Keadinic 
 and Harrisburg— A white woman's life among Indians— They 
 compel her to join them in tlieir wars against the whites— A 
 deadly tomahawk— She drowns a squaw and then escapes— 
 The St. Lawrence — Ogdensburg — Tlie Canadians — Onward — 
 Davenport and Des Moines — History of the Sioux Indians— 
 A vocabulary of their language, and names of their chiefs. 112 
 
 CHAFPEK XI. 
 
 I find a wliite lady missionary living alone among the Sioux— 
 The scali>dance — A savage scene — Death of an Indian cliild — 
 I am detected while examining Indian graves— How I gained 
 the Iriendship of the Indians — Home again — My experience 
 as a publisher— Not weary of traveling — A friendly engineei- — 
 Sterling, jMadison and Portage City— How the Sioux demolish 
 a printing-office — Sioux Falls — The Sioux pipe-stone quarry — 
 My ideal liome — Tlie author of "Sweet Home" — Thoughts— 
 A deserted hut. and what I found there— A scant dinner— I 
 move southward— Kansas City, Fort Scott, Topeka, Lincoln— 
 On ttie prairies— Suffering for water— Thouirhts of mother— 
 Niobrara— I lind a little white girl held captive by the Sioux. 128 
 
ro A' TENTS. vil 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The su}»i)0!<e(l origin of the Indians — Their aiipearance and dis- 
 liositiou — Desire to torture— Tlie lite ot tlie squaws— What is 
 done by tlieui — Indian mode of burial— Medicine men— Their 
 steam batli— Indian eourtsliip and marriage— " How many po- 
 nies is slie worth '.'"—Naming children— Their language— The 
 reason tliey have no beard — Raising dogs for food — Supersti- 
 tions—Indian implements— Sports— Drymg meat— Religion- 
 Camp— Contents of a wigwam— A Sioux who desired to have 
 three da.ys' rations for one meal — How tliey cooli and eat — An 
 Indian mother's " hush-a-by -baby"— How infants are treated. 149 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Round forTexas— Liifeof the Pennsylvania German farmers- 
 Alexandria, Manassas and Lynchburg— Colored people— Both 
 sides of slavery — "Don't ax war he got dem chickens" — Bris- 
 tol, Jonesborough and Knoxville — Contrast between Northern 
 and Southern people— Something about ladies— A printer's 
 instinct— Chattanooga and its surroundings— A perilous ride 
 on a locomotive — Memphis, Little Kock, Texarkana, Dallas — 
 A modern Sodom— How "the poor editor" is intimidated in 
 Texas at the point of a revolver— Climate of the state. 165 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 I leave Texas for Dakota — Camping — A narrow escape — Indian 
 Territory— Lawrence and Leavenworth— Joseph, chief of the 
 Nez Perces— A romantic lady— St. Joseph, Council BluHs, 
 < )maha, Cheyenne, Ogden, Sacramento, Oakland and Sioux 
 City— Winnebagoes— A visit to Spotted Tail's village— Camp 
 scenes— Standing Elk— Breakfast— A feather-dance— Spotted 
 Eagle — How a Sioux treats his mother-in-law — How my beef 
 disappeared— A Sioux account of Custer's fight— Finger-bones 
 tor a necklace — Indian hospitality— I am ottered a Sioux Avife. 179 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Around the lodge fire with my Sioux friends— A good chief— I 
 return to Si)otteil Tail's camp— How an Indian tells where he 
 was born — I am given a Sioux name — Bellowing Bufialo — A 
 grass-dance — Fast Dog's account of the Overland Mail rob- 
 lierv — Spotted Tail divides the coin— Fast Dog sliook hands 
 with the whites while the rest Avere shooting into them — Black 
 Crow — Out in a snow storm — A ride behind High Shield — An 
 Indian family moving— Four-legged bed-fellows— I refuse an 
 otter of marriage with a dusky maid whose mother wanted a 
 white son— A pet dog — Big Turkey— Scenes en Ponca River. 198 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Petrified wood on the prairies — Sorrel Horse— A wild squaw- 
 Sitting Bull— A visit to Two Strike and Spotted Tail— How 
 they look and live— I get weary of Indian life— Sioux mourn- 
 ing for their dend — Kindness o"f Cherry Stone— A squaw one 
 hundred and thirty years old — A singular sight — Friends in a 
 time of need — Honored with a feast of dog's meat— A Ponca 
 grave-yard — Alone with the dead — My adventure with a skel- 
 eton—Solemn thoughts— xV Western farm for fourteen dollars. '208 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER Xyil. i'A(iK 
 
 Bound for Florida— Peterslmr^— Southern war relics— Weklon— 
 Pie-king cotton— Tlie Southern people— How pea-nuts grow— V 
 rabbit trap— A hero of the Confederacv— Southern pineries— 
 My camp-tire— A thought for the future— Wilmington— An ol<l 
 plantation scene— The Florence war prison— A lady, disguised 
 as a man, goes to war with her husband and dies in prison— 
 The National Cemetery— Charleston— Beauty of the Southern 
 ladies— Savannah— A Southern poor man's home— The station 
 in life which attords the most happiness— A curious printing 
 j,ress— A lady whose knowledge of the world was limited— A 
 pretty, but stern, widow— Time heals oursoiTOW. 220 
 
 CHAPTER X Y 1 II . 
 Christmas Day in Florida— Sunshine and flowers— The Floi'ida 
 climate— Sweet potatoes— Jacksonville- Ripe "strawberries on 
 New Year's Day, under the shade of orange-trees— Aspect of 
 the Southern gentleman's home— The banana trees— Spanish, 
 or hanging-moss— An ancient Indian mound— Fernandina— 
 The ocean beach— The palm, or palmetto-tree and plant— A 
 palmetto-house— A curious place for a hen's nest— Forests of 
 Florida— Home of the cactus and century plants— An OKange 
 grove— My friends— The oysters at home— A candy-pulling— 
 Indian relics— The colored folks— The race considered— Why 
 Avon't the good ones get to Heaven?— Orange-blossoms— The 
 l)arting of friends— The boon ol true friendship. 233 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Farewell to Florida — A voyage on the Atlantic Ocean— Trenton, 
 Camden and Wilmington— P'rom flower-beds to snow-banks— 
 Altoona, Pittsburgh, Fort AVayne and Dubuque— Scenery on 
 the Upper Mississippi— St. Paul -Carver's Cave— Fort S'nell- 
 ing— Minnehaha Falls— Minneajjolis— St. Anthony's Falls — 
 "The Father of Waters"— Fort Ripley— A Chippewa is killiMl 
 by Ms tribe for marrying a white woman — An Indian goes to 
 sleep with a pipe in his mouth— Saint Louis River— Duluth— 
 Yessels ice-bound in Lake Superior in tlie jnonth of May— A 
 sailing voyage on the lake— Bayfield— Milwaukee. 24'i 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 1 start for Tennessee and Kentucky— A voyage on Chesapeake 
 Bay— Norfolk and Portsmouth— Yirginia— Old Indian flints- 
 Nashville and Bowling Green — Mammoth Cave — A wonderful 
 underground world lull of amazing sights— Dazzling rooms, 
 avenues, pits, arches, lakes, rivers, spires, domes, crystalliza- 
 tions, pillars, starry grottoes and gorges— A daughter prom- 
 ises her mother that she will never marry the best man on top 
 of the earth, and then marries him in this dungeon— Petrified 
 Indians— The doom of i)eople lost in this cave— Louisville. In- 
 dianapolis, Columbus and Cincinnati— A steamboat tri[) on 
 the Ohio River— Obituary of Professor S. S. Haldeman. 261 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 I start for Florida again, resolving to make this my last trip— 
 . "No ])lace like home"— A Avreck washed ashore— Yariations 
 of climate between Florida and the North— Past and ])reseiit 
 of the Capital City of Pennsylvania— A reverie— I at last set- 
 tle down to roam no more — Food for thought. '_'7«> 
 
NARRATIVE OF TRAVELS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 An old farm-lioiise with meadows wide, 
 And sweet with clover on each side ; 
 A bright-eyed boy, who looks from out 
 The door with woodbine wreathed about, 
 And wishes his one thought all day : 
 •' Oh ! if I could but fly away 
 From this dull spot the world to see, 
 How happy I should be!" 
 
 Amid the city's constant din, 
 A man who round the world has been, 
 "Who, 'mid the tumult and the throng. 
 Is thinking, thinking all day long: 
 " Oh ! could I only tread once more 
 The field-path to the ftirm-house door; 
 The old, green meadow could I see. 
 How happy I should be!" 
 
 Anon-. 
 
 EARLY HISTORY — WHEN A CHILD I DESIRE TO TRAVEL — HINTS 
 AND SUGGESTIONS FOR DISSATISFIED BOYS— I RUN AWAY 
 FROM HOME WHEN TEN YEARS OLD — REGRETS ON LEAVING 
 MOTHER — HOW I FELT ABOUT GOING HOME — THE ADVK'K 
 OF A SEAMAN— PRECIOUS IS THE MEMORY OF CHILDHOOD— 
 THE SELFISHNESS OF HUMAN NATURE— BOOKS AS FRfENDS. 
 
 I WAS born in the year 1854, near Lancaster, 
 Pennsylvania. Early in life the desire to leave my 
 home, and see the world and its people outside of 
 my quiet, narrow sphere, was the leading theme of 
 mv childish thoughts and plans. ^ 
 
 (9) 
 
10 NARRATIVE 
 
 To be able, sometime in' the future, to live with 
 the Indians in their native wilds, and to travel over 
 the vast extent of country between the Atlantic and 
 the Pacific, and the Great Lakes and the Gulf of 
 Mexico, was my aim and object even from the time 
 I could read a book or understand a map. 
 
 When the news of the trouble with the Sioux, at 
 New Ulm, Minnesota, in 1862, reached my home, I 
 w^as only eight years old, but the stories that I had 
 heard about the Indians, and their wild, nomadic 
 life, so impressed my young mind, that I resolved 
 to see and know these people. My fondest hopes 
 have been iuWj realized, and I now wish in vain for 
 the happy, serene experience of my cliildhood days. 
 
 AVhen a little school-boy, I read the poem which 
 heads this chapter, and I well remember that I, at 
 the time, wondered whether I would, like the sub- 
 ject of the poem, ever see so much of the world 
 that I would become weary of its animation, and 
 long for the peaceable country life which I was so 
 eager to leave — such, indeed, is now my experience. 
 
 "Amid the city's constant din," where the shift- 
 ing circumstances of life have called me to take up 
 my abode, my mind often dwells upon my joyous 
 boyhood days, and the lovely meadows and fields 
 of my early country home, with those poetical, hal- 
 lowed feelings that raise the soul above its prison- 
 house of clay, and seem to usher it into channels 
 above this bustling world. 
 
TRAVELS. 11 
 
 A longing to live with the Indians, and to travel 
 and see the country, is a ioWy from which few boys 
 are exempt ; ye^ffo life so abounds with hardships. 
 
 Very few travelers, as a rule, become fully tired 
 of roving. Generally speaking, the more a person 
 sees, the more they desire to see, consequently the 
 contented mind and happiness of a man who never 
 cared to roam, is unknown to the restless traveler. 
 
 Kemember, boys, it is one thing to sit behind the 
 stove at home, and "build air castles" about leaving 
 home to go out into the world, but quite another 
 thing to find the kind of experience you anticipate. 
 Outside of your home and immediate circle of real 
 friends, you will find this to be a very cold, unap- 
 preciative, thoughtless, selfish world. 
 
 Accept the admonition of one who has "lived and 
 learned." Stay at home! At least never leave it 
 with the sole intention of "seeing the world." ^ The 
 happiest and most contented people are those who 
 are not slaves to a roving disposition and a discon- 
 tented mind, and are blessed with that earthly par- 
 adise of love, peace and comfort — a happy home. 
 
 When I recall the many narrow escapes I made 
 from a sudden death, I am convinced that a kind, 
 lenient Providence led me safely through, and He 
 who sees our inner being, knows that henceforth I 
 am determined to discard the fading things of this 
 life, and cheerfully tread that "narrow path" which 
 leads to the "Land of immortalitv. " 
 
12 NARRATIVK 
 
 Books and paj^ers were always far more desirable 
 companions to me, than gay and giddy comj^any, 
 hence, I was generally considerelR, quiet, old-fash- 
 ioned boy, a title which I suppose is still appropri- 
 ate, for an increase of years and worldly experience 
 has taught me, that while deep and unassuming peo- 
 ple are seldom imderstood or appreciated by those 
 shallow souls whose entire depth of thought and 
 mind is ever on their tongue's end, quiet, observing 
 men and women are generally more successful in 
 the end. 
 
 It is very noticeable, too, that real, genuine socia- 
 bility, charitable intent and kmdness of heart, are 
 much more generally found among them, than it is 
 among the other class. But we are all here togeth- 
 er, and should live m peace and harmony, one with 
 another. While we do not admire the thoughtless 
 and giddy, we will endeavor to overlook their weak- 
 ness with charity. 
 
 To some of my readers, the above assertions may 
 seem like self -laudation or irony, but such is far 
 from being the case ; for it is prompted by an hum- 
 ble heart, and one, that I tinist, abounds in love 
 and sympathy for its fellow beings. The right- 
 thinking reader mil at once recognize the spirit 
 in wliich it was written. 
 
 But I must return to the actual thread of my nar- 
 rative. Thoughts of running away from home, and 
 plans for carrying them out, filled my mind at an 
 
TRAVELS. 13 
 
 early age. My parents, seeing the drift of my in- 
 clinations, and knowing to what they would lead, 
 did all in their power to convince me that I should 
 banish them ; but all their counsel and expostula- 
 tions were in vain. 
 
 Finally, I concluded to run away; and in the 
 month of July, 1864, when in my tenth year, I left 
 my kind, loving mother, father, sisters and broth- 
 ers, to face the storms and rebuffs of this cold, un- 
 friendly world. 
 
 The anguish and suffering this cruel act caused 
 my mother, cannot well be described. None but a 
 mother can realize it. I have since often wonder- 
 ed how I could be so ungrateful as to cause that 
 mother, who had never shown me aught but loving 
 kindness, so much sorrow and anxiety by my way- 
 wardness and disobedience. But thus it is in life, 
 our past errors and short-comings are ever a source 
 of remorse and regret to us. 
 
 One bright, sunny day, while playing with my 
 little sister, near our home in Marietta, Pennsylva- 
 nia, the thought occurred to me that the time had 
 now come for me to start out and see the world. I 
 was bare-footed at the time, and not wanting to 
 travel in that condition, I slyly pretended to my 
 sister that the pebbles on the river bank, where I 
 had promised to take her, would hurt my feet, and 
 requested her to run home and get my shoes. 
 
 Not knowing my intentions, she started for the 
 
14 NARRATIVE 
 
 house immediately, and when she returned with the 
 shoes, I made some excuse to get away from her, 
 and when out of her sight, I started off as fast as 
 my hmbs could carry me, going I scarcely knew 
 where — but to see the country, as I su^Dposed. 
 
 The first night I stopped at the house of a Mr. 
 Henry Sheirich, a short distance below" Mount- 
 ville, and nine miles from my home, having been 
 left at that place by a railroad conductor who was 
 unwilling to carry a little boy that was traveling 
 away from home, and could not give a good ac- 
 count of himself. 
 
 The wife of Mr. Sheirich was much surj^rised 
 to find such a young boy out m the world alone, 
 and her kind, motherly attention reminded me of 
 home and my own mother, whom I knew" was in 
 painful suspense, wondering what had become of 
 her boy. 
 
 I managed to keep up spirits pretty well during 
 the day, but when evenmg came, and the gentle 
 voice of my mother callmg me from play, did not 
 greet me as usual, I felt much depressed. "Wlien 
 bedtime arrived, and there was no kmd mother to 
 give me a "good-night kiss," I heartily wished my- 
 self in my own little bed at home. 
 
 W[\en I awoke, the smi was shining brightly, and 
 that, with the other cheering influences of a beauti- 
 ful summer mommg in the country, greatly revived 
 my drooping spirits. The night before, I had al- 
 
TRAVELS. 15 
 
 most resolved to turn back, but now my good reso- 
 lution departed entirely. 
 
 Bidding my hosts adieu, I walked to Lancaster, 
 where I took the cars for the Gap, a small village 
 about fifteen miles distant. I i)aid my fare with 
 the httle savings of pocket-money which I had laid 
 by for a traveling fund, though the whole amount 
 in store was but a few dollars. 
 
 I found an uncle at the Gap, and surprised him 
 more than a little, but I managed to make some ex- 
 cuse for being alone, wliich I supposed satisfied 
 him, but he knew considerable more about boys 
 than I did, and had liis own opmion as to the man- 
 ner in which I had left home. 
 
 After remainmg a week, I started for home, to all 
 appearances, but I left the cars at Lancaster, in- 
 tending to go some other direction the next day. 
 That night I stopped at Shober's Hotel, and while 
 waiting to be shown to a room, a son of the pro- 
 prietor began to question me in a way that put me 
 ill at ease, and after a few remarks, he said: 
 
 " I know your father well, and there is an adver- 
 tisement here in the Lancaster Express^ which, I 
 think, concerns yoii, as a lost boy of your name 
 and description is w^anted by his parents at Mari- 
 etta ; but go to bed now, and in the morning I will 
 see that you get home." 
 
 I could not well deny that I was the boy referred 
 to in the advertisement, and I started for my room 
 
IG NARRATIVE 
 
 feeling rather "crest-fallen." The room which had 
 been assigned me happened to be one that I had 
 once occupied with my father, while visiting the 
 city with him, and it served to remind me of x^ar- 
 ents and home. 
 
 The next morning, I arose very early and left the 
 house, for sorry as I now was that I had left home, 
 I did not want to be taken back as a "runaway- 
 boy." Sometime during the day I visited an aunt, 
 who was living near the city, and after remaining a 
 few days, she succeeded in making me promise to 
 return to my parents and be a good boy. 
 
 To run away was easy enough, but to go back 
 again, after leaving in that way, and acknowledge 
 my fault, did not seem near so easy. I arrived at 
 Marietta toward evening, but I did not start for 
 home till dark, and then I walked in the middle of 
 the street, for I did not want any of my playmates 
 to have any fun at my expense just then. 
 
 Upon reacliing the house, I had not sufficient 
 courage to go in. The door was open, and between 
 the pahngs of the yard fence, I could see my father 
 reading by the evening lamp, but my mother was 
 not present, and I grew mournfully sad with bitter 
 reflections. Crouched there in the dark, so sad and 
 unhappy, these thoughts came to my mind, " Well . 
 it looks as though they can get along without me, 
 and I guess I am not their boy any more, and so I 
 might as well go way again." 
 
TRAVELS. 17 
 
 The next morning, ho^YfcY:^, I walked into the 
 yard where my father was picking pears, and by 
 way of introducing myself, I said : '' Well, how do 
 they turn out?" 
 
 "Pretty well," he replied, "but where have you 
 been?" he asked. 
 
 "Why, I was down to see uncle Henr}'," I an- 
 swered, with as much composure as I could. 
 
 By this time my mother and sisters, hearing my 
 voice, came out to greet the "prodigal." Mother, 
 of course, first thought of giving me some break- 
 fast, but father (fathers are never so forgiving, kind 
 and thoughtful, as mothers are) thought that the 
 first and most important thing to give me, just 
 then was a lecture. 
 
 Everything was now past and forgiven, but I 
 did not appreciate it. The desire to travel and see 
 the world, was as strong as ever, and two weeks 
 after my return, all my promises and resolutions 
 were discarded, and I stole away from home and 
 went to Philadelj)hia, riding from Lancaster in a 
 freight-car loaded with leaf-tobacco in boxes, and a 
 sultry, uncomfortable ride it was. 
 
 For several days I wandered up and down the 
 streets, seeing the sights of the great metropolis, 
 and lingering about the shij)s at the whai-ves. All 
 was new, strange and wonderful to me, and I noted 
 the various and amazing phases of city life, with 
 all the gaping astonishment of the coiuitry boy on 
 
18 NARRATIVE 
 
 his first visit to the city. The city's splendor, Hfe, 
 din and confusion, however, has now no charm for 
 me, and I love the calm,, quiet, ^Deaceful country. 
 
 The yearning desire of my boyhood days was to 
 see the world as it existed outside of my quiet home 
 and narrow sphere, but the desire has been entirely 
 satisfied ; and after more than an orduiary worldly 
 experience, for one of my years, I have come to re- 
 alize that one of the greatest degrees of earthly hap- 
 piness is obtained by the imsophisticated, free and 
 joyous country boy at home. I have learned that 
 we can become thoroughly goaded with our own 
 desires. 
 
 A home in the countr}^ is the most beautiful and 
 enchanting of all earthly homes. Here we are far 
 more with Nature, and can have sweet communion 
 with the' firmament, the forests, the streams, the 
 birds, the flowers 1 A true home, where love, con- 
 fidence and kind thoughtfulness for the comfort of 
 others exist, must surely, to some extent at least, 
 resemble Heaven itself, where all is love, jDeace and 
 harmony. 
 
 One day, while in Philadelphia, I found an uncle 
 who was living on Ai'ch Street, and I presented my- 
 self to him looking rather shabby and travel-worn. 
 After a seasonable \dsit, he purchased me a suit of 
 clothes, a railroad ticket to my home and requested , 
 the conductor to see me safe to my destmation. 
 
 I left the train at Lancaster, however, as I had 
 
TRAVELS. 10 
 
 done before. While iii this city I met several half- 
 grown boys who were forming a plan among them- 
 selves to run away from their homes and endeavor 
 to enter the Union Army as drummer-boys. As a 
 matter of course, I wanted to join them, not know- 
 ing that .a ten-year-old boy would be too young to 
 handle an army drum. But the boys refused to ac- 
 cept me as one of their party, and then put me on 
 a freight-train bound for Philadelphia. 
 
 One evening, being tired and sleepy from a day's 
 wandering about the city, I climbed upon the plat- 
 *form of a railroad-car, which was standing on Mar- 
 ket Street, and soon fell asleep. Shortly after, a 
 policeman came along and aroused me, sayifig, "My 
 little fellow, I can't allow this." 
 
 Learning that I was a little "runaway," and alone 
 at night in the great city, he treated me very kindl}^ 
 and taking me mto a confectionary-store, proceeded 
 to purchase some dainties for me, but I was so badly 
 frightened that I had no desire for food. 
 
 After passing the night in a cell, with another oc- 
 cupant, who informed me that he was a furloughed 
 soldier belonging to the Northern Army, one of the 
 officers of the police-station took me to my uncle, 
 Avho, after giving me some counsel, kept me in the 
 house until my father came for me, he having been 
 instructed of my whereabouts by a despatch from 
 the uncle. 
 
 This time I started for home without havine* an 
 
20 NARRATIVE 
 
 opportunity to leave the cars at Lancaster, as usual, 
 and on my arrival, I was treated with kindness and 
 consideration by parents and friends. Still, I had 
 not yet seen the world, and I made several other 
 ventures of a similar kind. 
 
 On these trips I generally had a hard time, and 
 always ended the journey by arriving at the paren- 
 tal abode about the end of the second week, hungry 
 and sadly dilapidated. 
 
 If boys, who have good homes and kind parents, 
 knew what a life of hardship and suffering awaits 
 them, when they Ic^.ve the comforts of their homes' 
 to seek j^leasure m traveling, they would think dif- 
 fer en tl'>% of it. No matter where we may go, home 
 is the center toward which our heart will turn. 
 
 Boys, stay at home, give up all ideas of roving, 
 and learn a good mechanical trade, or what is much 
 better, go to the country and learn to raise wheat 
 and potatoes, "^^^len you have acquired that art, 
 go to the bountiful West, or the " Smmy South, " 
 where the Government gives a free farm, of 160 
 acres of good land, to every applicant. 
 
 It has long since been proven that farming is the 
 surest and best road to health, wealth and happi- 
 ness. The cities are greatly crowded mth clerks 
 and ^professional men who scarcely make a meager 
 living, wliile the broad, free, beautiful and boimte- 
 ous country invites all to its bosom. 
 
 I snpjoose the world must have some travelers, 
 
TRAVELS. 21 
 
 but there are few people who are adapted to en- 
 dure the hardships and privations of the traveler, 
 who leaves beliind him all the comforts and conve- 
 niences of home and civilization to accept the ac- 
 commodations tendered by strangers, or the life 
 he finds in the wilderness. 
 
 On one of the latter trips referred to, I went to 
 Philadelphia and the state of Delaware. Eeaclung 
 Beading, I undertook to do the cooking on a Schuyl- 
 kill Canal boat until I arrived in Philadelphia. At 
 tliis city I stepx^ed on board the steamer Major 
 Reyhold and went to New Castle, Delaware, finally 
 reaching home on foot. On the other journey I 
 proceeded to the city of Baltimore, by way of Ches- 
 apeake Bay, after walkmg fifty miles along the Sus- 
 quehanna Kiver, to Havre de Grace, at the mouth 
 of the river. After a short stay in this city, I re- 
 turned by the same route. 
 
 One day, while on the wharf at Baltimore, the 
 captain of an English ship, whom I had requested 
 to take me to sea with him, said: 
 
 "Go home and tell yovir mother to bury you, for 
 that will be better for you than a hfe at sea." 
 
 On reaching my home, I attended school until I 
 was fifteen years of age. It seemed to be next to 
 impossible, however, to banish my thii'st for travel 
 and adventure ; it was a part of my very existence. 
 In daytime my thovights were of sight-seeing, and 
 at night my dreams were of Indians and their wild, 
 
22 NARRATIVE 
 
 romantic life. But my fondest hopes have been 
 reahzed, and I now yearn in vain for the happy, 
 peaceful days of my early boyhood. 
 
 How precious are the memories of our childhood 
 days, when a dear, loving mother was ever ready 
 and willmg to administer to our wants and happi- 
 ness. Then no heart-pangs and life struggles fell 
 to our lot — all was sweet peace and pleasure. 
 
 I sometimes think that when we are surroimded 
 by the selfishness, vanity and avarice of the world, 
 the recollection of our mother and her teachings, 
 are, to a great extent, a safeguard against the evils 
 that surround us, and like a faithful monitor, ap- 
 peals to our better nature, and tends to raise us 
 above the petty things of earth. 
 
 There are few of us who do not, at some time or 
 other durmg our journey through life, look back 
 uj)on the joyous, happy spring-time of our exis- 
 tence, with feelings of strangely mingled pleasure 
 and sadness. But taking an active part in the af- 
 fairs of everyday-life, invariably leads us into chan- 
 nels that allow very little room for the contempla- 
 tion of bygone-days, or the existence and growth 
 of the finer sentiments of humanity, and we drift 
 into a sj)here where the gratification of self is the 
 object ever in view. 
 
 I firmly believe that the monster, selfishness, is 
 the source of half of all human ills. We are too 
 much in pursuit of our own interests and aims, and 
 
TRAVELS. 23 
 
 give too little tlioiiglit or attention to the wants 
 and feelings of our fellow beings. In our hurry to 
 gain some coveted goal, we unkindly and thought- 
 lessly push all others aside, regardless of sensitive 
 natures and generous hearts. What would be con- 
 sidered the height of rudeness and ill-manners in 
 society, or the home-circle, is entirely overlooked 
 in the business arena and the common walks of life. 
 How genial and consoling is the company of good 
 books. Friends may leave us, the world may seem 
 cold and neglectful, but our books are always the 
 same true, unselfish and interesting companions, 
 whether our communion with them be in the lux- 
 urious parlor, the scantily furnished garret, beneath 
 the branches of a drooping willow or riding along 
 in the railway-coach. We can read a book and im- 
 agine ourselves having a face to face conversation 
 with its author, for his very heart and mind are 
 portrayed on every page. 
 
24 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 stern winter never comes in tliat auspicious clime, 
 The fields are florid with unfading prime ; 
 From the bleak pole no winds inclement blow, 
 Mould the round hail, or flake the fleecy snow ; 
 But I'rom the Pacific the land inhales 
 The unceasing murmur of western gales. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 1 leave home again, and enter a philadelphia lawyer's 
 office — on to chicago — newspapers and the fire — 
 "ho! FOR California!" — how i traveled and made a 
 
 SETTLING-DOWN-FUND AT THE SAME TIME— SAN FRANCISCO 
 AND ITS PEOPLE— THE EFFECT TRAVELING HAS UPON THE 
 HEART AND MIND — THE "GOLDEN STATE'— ARROW POINTS 
 OF THE WAPOO INDIANS — NAPA VALLEY — BUFFALO BILL. 
 
 In the fall of 1869, when in my sixteenth year, I 
 again left home, more than ever determined to see 
 something of the world. My first point of desti- 
 nation was Philadelphia, where I obtained a situa- 
 tion as copyist for Edward Wain and W. H. Sut- 
 ton, lawyers occupying offices on AValnut Street. 
 
 After remaining six months I visited the cities of 
 New York and Albany, and then, after retummg to 
 my home for a short time, I proceeded to Chicago. 
 Here I secured a good position in the office of the 
 Chicago Sun, pubhshed by H. L. Goodall & Co. 
 
 During the burning of Cliicago, in October, 1871, 
 
TRAVELS. 25 
 
 most all the newspaper offices in the city, except 
 the Sun office, were consumed by the flames, and 
 as news was scarce, there was a great demand for 
 the remaining papers, which were published almost 
 in the midst of the ashes. So, with some of the 
 other office hands, I started out as a news-boy, and 
 until the other journals made their appearance, I 
 made some money, as I sold the papers at ten, fif- 
 teen, twenty -five and fifty cents a coj^y. 
 
 Shortly after the fire I became restless, and leav- 
 ing my situation, I went to Pennsylvania. After 
 visiting my home, I started for Omaha, Nebraska, 
 stopiDing at Cincinnati, St. Louis and Kansas City. 
 
 At Omaha I secured a pass to California from 
 the Hon. George Frost, of the Union Pacific Kail- 
 road. I remember the genial-hearted gentleman 
 and his most excellent wife, with profound respect. 
 
 Durmg my travels I made it an object to lay by 
 a small sum of money each w^eek or month, toward 
 what I termed my settlhig-doian-fund, and the ex- 
 act amount had to be saved, even if I was in need 
 of a dinner, or a place to lay my head. As I never 
 learned the use of cards, liquor and tobacco, no 
 dimes were spent for such things. 
 
 "When I became weary of the monotony of travel- 
 ing, I took my place at the printers' type-case un- 
 til the desire to move on overcame me. Some- 
 times, when tired of the confinement and tedious- 
 ness of the printing office, I would try the canvass- 
 
26 NARRATIVE 
 
 ing business, for I was generally successful at that, 
 and besides, I liked to be in the open air, and get 
 around to see the ladies and the babies. 
 
 In tliis way I managed to see the coiuitry and 
 increase my fund at the same time. This is not re- 
 ferred to by way of self-commendation — far from 
 it, for I dislilie any sentiment or motive that savors 
 of boasting, show or pride ; but as the incident is 
 a part of my narrative I insert it. 
 
 I generally managed to get free passage over the 
 railroad and steamboat lines through the kindness 
 and courtesy of the officials and the newspaper fra- 
 ternity, though at times I was obliged to -rough it, 
 and on many occasions I walked hundreds of miles 
 along railroads, and through the mterior, having 
 in that way, a far better opportunity of seeing the 
 country than could be obtained by faster travel. 
 
 During my travels I held situations on the fol- 
 lowing newspapers, and I remember the i^roprie- 
 tors, and my brother workmen, with kindness and 
 respect : 
 
 Star- Vindicator — McAllister, Indian Territory, 
 
 Commercial — Chattanooga, Tennessee, 
 
 Sun — Wilmington, North Carolina, 
 
 Messenger — Petersburg, Virginia, 
 
 Union — Jacksonville, Florida, 
 
 Mirror — F ernandina, Florida, 
 
 Okefenokean — DuPont, Georgia, 
 
 Sun — Chicago, Illinois, 
 
TRAVELS. 27 
 
 Herald — Dixon, Illinois, 
 
 Pantagraph — Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory, 
 
 Post — Neosho Falls, Kansas, 
 
 Herald — Wyandotte, Kansas, 
 
 Republican — West Point, Nebraska, 
 
 Pioneer — Niobrara, Nebraska, 
 
 News — Texarkana, Texas, 
 
 Advocate — McKinney, Texas, 
 
 Times — Clianute, Kansas, 
 
 Republican — Ottawa, Kansas, 
 
 Progress — Rock Falls, Illinois, 
 
 Independent — Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory, 
 
 News Letter — Olatlie, Kansas, 
 
 Independent — Burlington, Kansas, 
 
 Republican — ^AValioo, Nebraska, 
 
 Journal — Neligh, Nebraska, 
 
 Citizen — Bonhomme, Dakota, 
 
 Advocate — Huntsville, Alabama, 
 
 Courier — Tyler, Texas, 
 
 News — Denison, Texas, 
 
 Advance — Clietopa, Kansas, 
 
 Plaindealer — Garnett, Kansas, 
 
 Gazette — Onawa, Iowa, 
 
 Fireside Companion — St. Paul, Minnesota, 
 
 Journal — Northfield, Minnesota, 
 
 Courier — Bristol, Tennessee, 
 
 Recorder — Savannah, Georgia, 
 
 News — McGregor, Iowa, 
 
 News — Duluth, Minnesota. 
 
28 NARRATIVE 
 
 As I passed over the great Western Plains and 
 the Kocky Mountains, while on my way to Califor- 
 nia, in the month of November, I saw very Httle of 
 interest, as the country along the way was clothed 
 in a monotonous mantle of snow and ice ; so I pass 
 over the trip without giving it further notice. But 
 elsewhere in the work, will be found a description 
 of a jom^ney across the Contment in summer time. 
 
 After visiting Sacramento and San Francisco, I 
 went up to the Calistoga Hot Sulphur Springs, sit- 
 uated sixty miles north of San Francisco, near the 
 Petrified Forest. 
 
 San Francicco is situated on a peninsula between 
 the Bay of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. It 
 is the largest city and the great commercial r>-^->- 
 of the Pacific Coast, and is justly styled the '^ New- 
 York of the Western Coast." The population of 
 this city includes people from almost every part of 
 the world, the largest foreign element being the 
 Chinese. 
 
 The entrance to the harbor is excellent, and is 
 called the "Golden Gate." Vessels and steamers 
 ply between San Francisco and almost every port in 
 the known world. 
 
 Sir Francis Drake, an English navigator, visited 
 the Pacific Coast in 1579, and spent several months 
 in the harbor of the Bay of San Francisco. He 
 named the country "New Albion," and claimed it 
 for the British Government. No steps, however, 
 
TRAVELS. 29 
 
 were ever taken by the English to ratify the claim, 
 and it became a Spanish possession. In 1848 it 
 was acquired by the United States, since which time 
 California, and San Francisco especially, has grown 
 in wealth and commercial importance, to a marvel- 
 ous extent. 
 
 The discovery of gold in California, to which the 
 city of "big bonanza men" owes its existence, was 
 made in 1848, on the American Fork of the Sacra- 
 mento River, by an American named Marshall, who 
 was employed to build a saw-mill by General Sut- 
 ter, a Swiss settler. 
 
 Great and rich as California is as a gold produ- 
 cing state, the agricultural resources are more valu- 
 able, and the shipment of wheat is very large. 
 
 The climate of San Francisco is most deHghtful, 
 snow and ice are unknown, and the flowers never 
 cease to bloom, while during the warmest months, 
 a breeze from the ocean almost constantly passes 
 over the city. There is no winter in the valleys of 
 California, though the mo^tain tops are covered 
 with snow all the year, and the two seasons are 
 known as "the wet and the dry months." 
 
 The people of San Francisco are noted for be- 
 ing fast money-makers, energetic, sociable and gen- 
 erous in the extreme. Many of them crossed the 
 Plains in ox-teams, in the early days of immigra- 
 tion to the "El Dorado," and having suffered hard- 
 shiiDS and poverty before reaching the golden vein, 
 
30 NARRATIVE 
 
 they have become better and nobler after the trial. 
 
 By traveling, a person gains a knowledge of hu- 
 man nature, and of men and things generally, that 
 cannot be obtained so well in any other way. I 
 do not think I "know it all," however. What little 
 I have learned of the world has taught me to place 
 upon self, a depreciation that was once contrary to 
 my disposition. Learning that " one half the world 
 don't know how the other half lives," and that none 
 of us can fully understand or appreciate another's 
 actions and motives, has taught me charity and hu- 
 niihty that was once foreign to my nature. 
 
 Cahfornia is noted for its fine fruit and vegeta- 
 bles, as well as for its immense yield of wheat. In 
 the southern part of the state, oranges, lemons and 
 other semi-tropical fruits are produced. The nat- 
 ural scenery of the state is grand, and is not sur- 
 passed in any other part of the Union. The Yose- 
 mite Valley and Falls, the Big Tree Groves, Hot 
 Sulphui' Springs, Petrified Forest and the majestic 
 SieiTa Nevada Mountams, are some of the natural 
 wonders of tliis favored "Golden State." 
 
 The scenery at the upper end of Napa Valley is 
 beautiful and romantic. Deep, rocky gorges, in 
 wliich leap bright, flasliing torrents, formed by the 
 melting snow on the far distant momitain tops, or 
 the inexhaustible springs in the hills, are on every 
 hand ; beautiful, fragrant flowers bend in the cool 
 breeze that wafts their sweet perfume through the 
 
TRAVELS. 31 
 
 lovely green valleys ; birds of rare plumage warble 
 their notes among the branches of grand old trees, 
 and dart from limb to limb, as the tramp of the 
 hunter beneath, breaks the solitude of, the forest. 
 
 While hunting in the mountains, near Calistogp, 
 I found arrow heads that had been made by the 
 Wapoo Indians out of black lava. They were sim- 
 ilar in formation to flint arrow heads, that I have 
 smce found in various parts of the states and terri- 
 tories. Since the Indians can secure iron and steel 
 for manufacturing their implements, they make very 
 little use of flint and bone. 
 
 Napa Valley lies between two thickly timbered 
 mountain ridges, and is well watered by numerous 
 small streams. The valley was originally owned by 
 the Wapoo Indians, a few of whom still linger on 
 their once favorite hunting-ground. 
 
 After passing a few weeks in California, and hav- 
 ing some grand hunts m the forests, I returned to 
 Pennsylvania. Soon after leavmg Ogden, Utah, I 
 was detained at several points on the Union Pacific 
 Railroad, by snow blockades, so that I was three 
 weeks in making the trip. 
 
 While I was at North Platte, Nebraska, W. F. 
 Cody, otherwise known as "Buffalo Bill," was pre- 
 paring to start for the buffalo range, as a guide for 
 the Russian Duke Alexis and a party of bordermen. 
 
 Mr. Cody is a man of fine personal appearance, 
 and his countenance indicates him to be a man of 
 
32 NARRATIVE 
 
 line organization and generous impulses, and few 
 people, not knowing his history, would su^^pose 
 that quiet, mild-looking man, to be the bold and 
 fearless hunter and guide he is. Mr. Cody has a 
 wife, and calls Omaha his home. He is a man of 
 education and refinement, and has served in the Ne- 
 braska Legislature, as well as j)erformed the irk- 
 some duty of the author ; still, he j)i'ef ers the wild 
 life of the hunter, trapper and guide. 
 
 Missing the train at North Platte, one morning, 
 I concluded to start out on foot, mtending to get 
 on a train the next day at some station further on. 
 After following the "iron trail" all day, over an ap- 
 parently boundless prairie, I reached a "dug-out," 
 or under-ground dwelling, near AVillow Island, in 
 tlie evening. 
 
 I had been guided to the place by the light of the 
 fire glomng out of the chimney. As I apx^roached 
 the subterranean cabin, I was made aware of my 
 nearness to it, hj striking my head against a dead 
 dee*" that had been hung up near the door, but 
 which I could not see on account of the darkness. 
 
 I was kindly received by the six or eight sturdy, 
 warm-hearted hunters whom I found there, and 
 supper, consisting of venison, warm biscuit and 
 coffee, was immediately prepared for nle. After 
 spending a few hours in story-telling, we retii'ed 
 to a comfortable bed of blankets and robes. 
 
TRAVELS. 33 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Long years ago, ere my hair turned gray, 
 
 Friends gathered round de ole cabin home, 
 Happy, contented, we passed de time away, 
 
 But now dey's in Heaven, and beck'ning me to come. 
 
 Massa and Missus both sleep on de hill, 
 
 Where little birds their songs love to sing, 
 Time has done its work, and used de ole place up, 
 
 De weeds are high, de fence is down, and dried up is de spring. 
 
 H. DUMARS. 
 
 NEW YORK— PHILADELPHIA— I START FOR THE PUXXY SOUTH— 
 BALTIMORIC — WASHINGTON — RICHMOND — THE LIBBY PRISON — 
 ATLANTA — OLD COLORED "UNCLES" AND "aUNTIES" OP THE 
 SOUTH — THE PRESENT RELATION BETWEEN FORMER MASTER 
 AND FORMEll SLAA'E — A FORTUNE AWAITS THE MAN WHO 
 WILL INVENT A MACHINE FOR PICKING COTTON— HOW THE 
 COTTON, RICE, SUGAR, TURPENTINE AND TAR ARE MADE- 
 MONTGOMERY— MOBILE— HOW THE NORTHERN TRAVELER IS 
 TREATED BY THE" SOUTHERN PEOPLE— NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 The next morning I bid the hunters aclien, and 
 continued my journey eastward to New York and 
 Philadelphia, by way of Chicago and Pittsbnrgh. 
 
 New York is the chief city and the greatest com- 
 mercial metropolis in America. The harbor is one 
 of the best in the world, and the number of vessels 
 that arrive annually, is estimated at about twenty 
 thousand. The masts of the ships are so numerous, 
 and so close together, that they resemble, at a dis- 
 tance, a forest of branchless trees. 
 
34 NARRATIVE 
 
 Broadway is probably the handsomest street in 
 the world, and presents a wonderful scene of ani- 
 mation and business. It is six miles in length, and 
 contains a large number of splendid marble and 
 iron buildings. The resident population of the city 
 is over a million, and the number of strangers in 
 the city, on any day, is supposed to be from one to 
 two hundi'ed thousand. 
 
 The present site of the city was visited by Henry 
 Hudson, in 1609, and soon afterward, a colony of 
 Dutch went to the place and erected a fort and a 
 few houses, naming the place New Amsterdam. 
 
 Philadelphia is, without any exception, the finest 
 and most attractive city in the United States. A 
 very pleasing feature of the " Quaker City" is the 
 beauty and cleanlmess of its streets, and the mag- 
 nificence of its buildings, both public and private. 
 The miles and miles of w^hite marble door-steps, 
 and door and window-sills, found in most all parts 
 of the metrox3olis, is something not so universally 
 met with in any other city. 
 
 At the wharves of the Delaware River, vessels 
 and steamships from almost every known port, can 
 be seen arriving and departing, and present a scene 
 of commotion only to be witnessed at the w^harves 
 of a great city. Philadelphia contains many public 
 buildings of 'interest, among which are the State 
 House, in which independence was declared in the 
 year 1776, the Permanent Centennial Buildings, 
 
TRAVELS. 35 
 
 the Mint, Girarcl College, the Navy Yard, Laurel 
 Hill Cemetery and the Fairmomit Park and Water 
 Works, the latter two resorts being situated along 
 the banks of the beautiful Schuylkill Kiver. 
 
 The population of the city is nearly one million, 
 and there are more houses in the place than there 
 are in any other city in the Union. Philadelphia is 
 the greatest manufacturing city in America, there 
 being about ten thousand manufactories. The city 
 was laid out by William Penn, in 1682, from whom 
 it received its name, which means "brotherly love." 
 
 Upon reaching Philadelpliia, on my trip from the 
 AVest, I obtained. a clerkship in a store, where I re- 
 mained several months, and then started on a tour 
 through the Southern States. 
 
 Baltimore was the first objective point. This is 
 sometimes called the "Monumental City," as it 
 contains a large number of fine memorial works of 
 art. The place has much the air and appearance 
 of a. Southern city. The people are polite and 
 courteous, refined and hosjoitable, and loud in the 
 praise of their beautiful city. 
 
 The shipping and other commercial interests of 
 Baltimore are extensive. Much of the Lake Supe- 
 rior coi^per is used here. The manufacturing in- 
 terests of the city are large. 
 
 In due time I reached Washington, the city of 
 "magnificent distances," as well as of delightful 
 little jjarks, or squares, that are almost constantly, 
 
36 NARRATIVE 
 
 during- pleasant weather, thronged with a grand 
 and lavish display of wealth and luxury. Yet there 
 is no other city in the Union where the contrast 
 between the rich and the poor is so marked as it is 
 in Washington. The home of the humble work- 
 man, in many instances, is but a few squares from 
 the princely apartments of the portly senator, and 
 almost within a stone's cast of the great CajDitol 
 Building, are old and dilai)idated frame shanties, 
 the abode of poverty and suffering. 
 
 Washington, like Baltimore, contains a large col- 
 ored population, some of whom are well educated 
 and in comfortable circumstances, while their less 
 fortunate brethren live in want and ignorance, but 
 they are blessed with a fair portion of cheerfulness, 
 which is a leading trait in the character of the race. 
 
 After leaving Baltimore and Washington, the 
 traveler going south, at once becomes aware of a 
 marked change m the appearance of the comitry. 
 Red sandy soil and pine timber here predominate. 
 As he passes Alexandria and proceeds on, to Rich- 
 mond, he finds the country 2:>resents about the same 
 general aspect. 
 
 Richmond, the capi a! of Virginia, is finely situ- 
 ated on the James River, and owing to its location, 
 it somewhat resembles Kansas City or St. Paul. It 
 contains numerous flour mills and tobacco factories. 
 
 AMiile in Richmond I visited the famous Libby 
 Prison, situated at the corner of Nineteenth and 
 
TRAVELS. 37 
 
 Gary Streets, where so many Northern prisoners 
 were confined during the late war. The place is 
 now occupied by Libby & Son, as a tobacco house. 
 
 The. ceiling, walls, floor and window-sills, were 
 covered wdtli the names of the prisoners, and the 
 dates of their capture, written with lead-pencils and 
 caiwed with pen-knives. 
 
 Leaving Kichmond, I continued southward, and 
 passed through the staid old towns of Charlotte, 
 Columbia and Augusta. The private dwellings of 
 these cities are generally embowered in orchards, 
 groves of magnolia and other semi-tropical trees, 
 lawns and tastefully arranged flower gardens, which 
 is a beautiful and characteristic feature of Southern 
 towns and cities. 
 
 Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, is next reached. 
 This city has growii wonderfull}^ since the war, and 
 has much the spirit and energy of a AVestern town. 
 It is an important railroad center, and is noted for 
 its iron works and other industries. 
 
 One day, while near West Point, Alabama, I met 
 a venerable old colored woman as I was walking 
 toward the town, and being pleased with her good- 
 natured, sunny face, I concluded to have a chat 
 with her. Upon addressing her kindly as, "auntj^" 
 a broad smile iTluminated her aged face, and she 
 exclaimed somewhat as follows: 
 
 ''De Lor' bress you honey! I 'spects you's a 
 geminan from de Norf. Dis ole black woman aint 
 
38 NARRATIVE 
 
 got edicashiim, but she knows a man what comes 
 from *Yankeedom' de berry minute her ole eyes 
 see de chile." 
 
 There are thousands of old colored "uncles" and 
 "aunties" all through the South, who, having been 
 the faithful servants and companions of "massa" 
 and "missus" for many years, still linger about "de 
 ole plantation," and generally being kindly provided 
 for by their former owners, are now passing their 
 declining days in comparative ease. Being too old 
 to assist in the cotton-field or rice-patch, they linger 
 about the old home that sheltered them before the 
 days of freedom. 
 
 Some Northern people entertain the idea that the 
 Southerners have a deep and bitter animosity for 
 th^ colored freedmen, but that, to a great extent, is 
 an error. It is both beautiful and affecting to see 
 the friendship and respect that exists between the 
 former master and the former slave when a meeting 
 takes place. No matter how far "Uncle Ben" or 
 "Aunt Dinah" may roam, now that they are free, 
 they will return to see "de ole place," and to pay 
 "der 'spects to de white folks." 
 
 Still, after all, I have no hesitancy in asserting, 
 that much as I love the South and its people, I dis- 
 like slavery, and deem the lyrincipU to be wrong. 
 
 Cotton is the leading product of the South, but 
 South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, 
 produce the most. When the seed becomes ripe 
 
TRAVELS. 39 
 
 the pods open, and the beautiful snow-wliite cotton 
 ai^pears. In the fall it is picked — a labor perform- 
 ed entirely by hand, as no machine for picking 
 cotton has ever been invented, and a limitless for- 
 tune awaits the man who will produce the machine. 
 
 There surely is, somewhere, an ingenious Yankee 
 with brains enough to construct the required in- 
 strument, for which service he would be laden with 
 the gratitude, honors and dollars of his Southern 
 brethren. 
 
 Lines of merry colored people, male and female, 
 glide between the rows of plants and crowd the 
 fleecy product into bags carried for the purpose. 
 It is afterward put into large baskets and conveyed 
 to the cotton-gin. When the cotton comes from 
 the pod it is mixed with the seed, but a machine 
 for separating them was invented over a hundred 
 years ago by a Yankee named Eli Whitney. 
 
 In shape and color, rice resembles wheat, but it 
 requires a low, wet soil. When first planted, it is 
 covered Avith water, but after it takes root, it must 
 be kept dry. The fields are traversed by small 
 canals, from which the rice-patch can be overflowed 
 in a short time. It requires a large capital and 
 much care, to reap a good crop of rice. 
 
 Sugar-cane is cultivated extensively in the states 
 of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. 
 When the cane is fit to cut, it is stripped of the 
 tops and leaves, cut into short pieces, tied into 
 
40 NARRATIVE 
 
 bundles and carried to the mill. The cane is then 
 crushed between iron rollers, and the juice which is 
 secured, is boiled until it becomes syrup. It is 
 then stirred in coolers imtil it forms into grains, 
 when it is put into casks having holes in the bottom, 
 and left to di'ain into large tanks. What remains 
 in the hogshead is brown sugar, and what drij^s 
 into the tank is molasses. 
 
 Turpentine is the sap of the pine tree, and is ob- 
 tained by cutting a small cavity, called a box, into 
 the trunk of the tree. This is done in the winter, 
 or wet season, and in the spring the sap begins to 
 flow into the box. It next undergoes a distilling 
 process, and after being .barrelled, it is ready for 
 the market. 
 
 In the production of tar, a cave is made in the 
 earth and filled with pine wood, this next being 
 covered with ground, in order to keep out the air. 
 The wood is then fired, and the sap of the pine runs 
 into a huge pan at the bottom of the cave and be- 
 comes tar. Rosin is extracted from turpentine in a 
 crude state. 
 
 Montgomery, Alabama, has somewhat the appear- 
 ance of Albany, New York, on account of its high 
 location. It is the capital of the great cotton state, 
 and is finely located on the Alabama River. 
 
 Mobile is situated on a bay, thirty-five miles u^) 
 from the Gulf of Mexico. It is probably next to 
 New Orleans as a commercial and shipping point. 
 
TRAVELS. 41 
 
 To use an expression quite common throughout the 
 South, "cotton is king" in Mobile, and the majority 
 of the male residents are interested in the staple, 
 either directly or indirectly. 
 
 Here reside some of the "merchant princes" of 
 tliis "sunny clime," and the enchanting villas and 
 grand mansions of the city are occupied by men 
 who owe their wealth to the cotton-plant. 
 
 Mobile, like Charleston and Savannah, is noted 
 for the hospitality and courteous demeanor of its 
 inhabitants. 
 
 The suburbs of the city are charming, and the 
 avenues are lined with fine retired residences, sur- 
 rounded with clusters of beautiful orange and live- 
 oak trees, which abound in this locality. 
 
 The city does an immense shipping trade with 
 Northern and Euroj)ean sea-ports, and regular lines 
 of steamers run to Cedar Keys, New^ Orleans and 
 other points. A large number of sailing craft also 
 ply between Mobile and Appalachicola, St. Marks 
 and other local gulf ports. 
 
 I freely assert, as I think all observing Northern 
 men will, who travel through the South, that the 
 inhabitants of this "land of perpetual sunshine and 
 flowers" are as warm-hearted, generous and court- 
 eous, as any people in this wide world. 
 
 On my way to New Orleans from Mobile, I pass- 
 ed over a railroad running through a large swamp, 
 and the alligators and serpents were ever present. 
 
42 NARRATIVE 
 
 New Orleans is the great commercial mart of the 
 South, and is a bee-hive of industry. Its shipping 
 trade with all parts of the Avorld ranks next to that 
 of Boston, New York, Philadelphia br Baltimore. 
 The great New Orleans Levee, from which millions 
 of dollar's worth of cotton, sugar, rice and molasses 
 is annually shipped to '^Yankeedom" and foreign 
 countries, presents a scene of life and confusion that 
 exists, perhaps, no where else. 
 
 It is milike Northern cities in many respects, as 
 indeed, are all Southern towns. The most notice- 
 able difference in New Orleans being the foreign 
 appearance and customs of many of the residents, 
 who are the descendants of the French settlers. 
 
 In the country around New Orleans are grand 
 and luxurious villas, the homes of princely planters, 
 where Southern wealth and refinement are fully 
 represented. Surrounded by live-oak, magnolia, 
 orange, lemon and banana trees, is the mansion 
 of the man counting the annual profit of his sugar 
 plantations by thousands of dollars. 
 
TRAVELS. 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 A-Cross the prairies toward the west, 
 
 We rode at day's declining- ; 
 What radiant pictures we beheld, 
 
 la heavenly ether shining ! 
 
 Sweet stars above, sweet flowers beneath, 
 
 Shine in the twilight faintly, 
 While rising in the dusky east, 
 
 The moon grows white and saintly. 
 
 Margaret S. Sibley. 
 
 WALKING ACROSS A TRESTLE BRIDGE AT NIGHT WITH SNAKES 
 AND ALLIGATORS FOR COMPANIONS— THE COLORED PEOPLE 
 OF THE SOUTH — THEIR COMIC PHRASES — ST, LOUIS — THE 
 WESTERN PRAIRIES— A GORGEOUS SCENE— REFLECTIONS — 
 THE AGONY OF THIRST— THE BUFFALO AT HO.ME— KANSAS. 
 
 Leaving New Orleans, I moved north, shaping 
 my course toward St. Louis. I left the city one 
 evening and w^alked to a point about eight miles 
 distant, where I expected to meet a train going 
 to Jackson, Mississippi. 
 
 The railroad, for part of the way, was built upon 
 low piles through a large swamp, and as I stepped 
 from tie to tie, in the darkness, huge serpents and 
 alligators would leap from the trestle into the water 
 beneath, the splashing as they reached the water, 
 adding greatly to my already uncomfortable frame 
 of mind. Sometimes I would approach within a 
 
44 NARRATIVE 
 
 few feet of the reptiles before they would spring 
 into the water, and owing to the darkness, I could 
 not see them until I approached close to them. 
 
 On my way up to St. Louis I i^assed through 
 Jackson, Grenada and Water Valley, going by rail- 
 road, and crossing the Mississippi at Columbus, 
 Kentucky, into the state of Missouri. 
 
 The country adjacent to the Mississippi River, 
 lying between New Orleans and St. Louis, is more 
 level and marshy than other sections of the South, 
 but the other characteristics of both the country 
 and people,. correspond with the general features. 
 
 Bread, whether made of wheat flour or corn-m'eal, 
 is generally eaten warm, and cold l^read or biscuit 
 is seldom placed uj)on the table. A great deal of 
 corn-meal is used by both the rich and the poor, it 
 being prepared in the shape of hominy, grits, hoe- 
 cake and pone. 
 
 The colored people are healthy and robust, and 
 are ever happy and cheerful. So long as they have 
 a pound of bacon and a peck of corn-meal in the 
 cabin, they are contented, and strangers to "dull 
 care." These i^eople are very fond of coifee, and 
 when their financial resources are low, they substi- 
 tute various ingredients. Among them is inarched 
 corn ground like coifee, or the corn-meal browned ; 
 this is really a better substitute than might be 
 supposed. A good old colored "aunty," in Georgia, 
 once made me a cup of corn-coffee, and I must say 
 
TRAVELS. 45 
 
 that it was, in her language, "right smart coffee." 
 
 The colored people have a peculiarity of speech 
 that is truly amusing, and I quote a few phrases for 
 the reader : 
 
 "Massa, lemme toa.t dat package? I's done gone 
 and done it ! Pass on dar, nigga, dat chicken got 
 de epizudom! Lookey heah, honey, don't pester 
 dis chile, 'cause I fling you over de fence, shuah!" 
 
 St. Louis, situated on the Mississippi twenty-one 
 miles below the mouth of the Missouri, is in several 
 respects a singular place. The j)eople have much 
 the manner and appearance of Southerners, while 
 the city itself resembles Pliiladelphia in the names 
 and location of the streets ; and the iron-works 
 give some parts of the city no small semblance to 
 the black and smoky city of Pittsburgh. 
 
 In size and importance St. Louis ranks above 
 Cincinnati and next to Chicago. It is the largest 
 inland steamboat port in the world. It is in direct 
 river communication with New Orleans, Memphis, 
 Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, St. Paul, Oma- 
 ha and Sioux City, as well as with the forts and In- 
 dian agencies on the Upper Missouri. 
 
 From St. Louis I proceeded to AVamego, Kansas, 
 by the way of Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka. 
 Between Wamego and Ellsworth, a point further 
 west, I beheld, for the first time in summer, the 
 mighty Western Prairies in all their gorgeous splen- 
 dor. It was a lovely, a grand sight, and one to fill 
 
46 NARRATIVE 
 
 the heart and mind with sentiments and thoughts 
 far above the strife and contentions of the crowded 
 districts, where wealth, dress and honors leave so 
 little time and room for purer thoughts and aims, 
 and for the enjoyment of the beauties of Nature. 
 
 As far as the eye could reach, on every hand, was 
 the level prairie, relieved occasionally by enchant- 
 ing little valleys intersected by graceful slopes and 
 ridges of conical-shaped mounds, covered with tall, 
 waving grass and prairie flowers. Millions of acres 
 were thus adorned with beautiful wild flowers and 
 blossoms of almost every shade and color, which 
 covered the earth with a mantle of variegated hues. 
 The heavens were singularly clear, and objects on 
 the prairie could be seen at a remarkable distance. 
 Belts and fringes of cottonwood and willow, marked 
 the course of winding streams, that gave life and 
 vigor to the vegetation around. 
 
 Notwithstanding the trials and disappointments 
 we suffer here, the world has some pleasures and 
 attractions for all of us, and Ave have much to be 
 thankful for. God gives us beauty and grandeur 
 of mountain, plain and sea, and Beemingly, from the 
 rippling water, the singing birds and the blooming 
 flowers, comes a voice of love and cheer, that tends 
 to soothe the grieving soul and rouse its slumber- 
 ing energies to renewed activity. 
 
 Missing the train at Ellis, Kansas, I started for 
 Park's Fort on foot, as I had been informed that 
 
TRAVELS. 47 
 
 the distance was but three miles. After travehng 
 for some time under a scorching hot sun, I found 
 that I had been deceived in the distance to the fort. 
 
 Soon I experienced the parching sensation of 
 thirst, so dreaded by the traveler on the plains. 
 The railroad, the Kansas Pacific, here traverses a 
 dry, barren plain known as the American Desert. 
 It is utterly destitute of water, the nearest stream 
 being the Smoky Hill Eiver, twelve miles distant. 
 Even this is merely a brook, which at this point, is 
 so narrow that a horse could leap across it. 
 
 I had walked about ten miles' when the intense 
 heat, and the suffering brought on by thirst, made 
 me very faint. As I looked over the broad expanse 
 of barren waste on all sides of me, I became much 
 discouraged. Not a single human habitation could 
 be seen, and the only living object within the scope 
 of my vision, was a few straggling herds of antelope 
 and villages of prairie dogs. 
 
 That strange, death-like calm, so peculiar to the 
 plains, prevailed over all, making my situation still 
 more desolate. This, with my dreary surroundings, 
 served to increase my misery , and the two iron rails 
 glittering in their sandy bed, reminded me most 
 vividly of civilization. 
 
 Upon reaching each successive elevation that lay 
 in my course, I hoped to see the fort, but nothing 
 but a vast tract of dry, stenle table-land met my 
 eager gaze. My suffering increased at every step, 
 
48 NARRATIVE 
 
 and finally I started to the river for water, not 
 thinking" that I might never reach it in my exhaust- 
 ed condition. 
 
 After walking about a mile, I abandoned the un- 
 dertaking, and returned to the railroad. I was now 
 nearly overcome with thirst and heat ; my tongue 
 was jDarched and swollen, my eyes were dim and 
 painful, and an inward burning heat seemed to be 
 consuming me. I became confused, and found that 
 my mind, as well as my body, was overj^owered by 
 the agony of thirst. 
 
 On reaching a large pile of railroad-ties, near the 
 track, I climbed upon it to look once more for an 
 evidence of water, but nothing but long ridges of 
 dark, barren bluffs and dry, sandy ravines, wrapped 
 in the dim screen of smoky haze, met my view ; and 
 the false, fascinating mirage, delineating imaginary 
 streams of rippling water, mocked my failing eyes. 
 
 In a fit of despair I sank to the ground, conclud- 
 ing that there I must die. I lay on the shady side 
 of the ties, with face downward, thinking to prolong 
 life by the earth's moisture. This is the last resort 
 of plainsmen when suffering for water. 
 
 Objects around me were no longer plainly visible, 
 and I felt that I was fast falling a prey to that in- 
 describable stupor, that knows no waking, when 
 occasioned by the pangs of thirst. 
 
 Finally, arousing from the lethargy into which I 
 had fallen, I made another effort to reach the river, 
 
TRAVELS. 49 
 
 but in vain. I passed several buffalo-wallows and 
 ravines on the way, but not a drop of water could I 
 find. The ground, in some places, was strewn with 
 dead buffaloes that had been killed merely for their 
 hides, and I searched the decaying carcasses in vain, 
 for a drop of blood or moisture to quench the burn- 
 ing flame within me. 
 
 At last, I fancied that I noticed some object in 
 the distance, but my mind and eyes were so effect- 
 ed, that I doubted the reality of it, at first ; but as 
 I proceeded toward it, urged onward by the hope of 
 finding water, I could discern two horses, and next 
 a wagon containing two men. 
 
 I felt confident that the wagon contained some 
 water, and with renewed effort I started toward it. 
 My feelings upon receiving an answer in the affirm- 
 ative, to my inquiry for water, cannot well be por- 
 trayed. At first, I was too weak and nerveless to 
 hold the*water-keg that was handed to me, but by 
 degrees, my strength returned somewhat, and then 
 I found relief from the terrible pangs of thirst. 
 
 My benefactors proved to be buffalo hunters, on 
 their way to Ellis with a load of hides. After rest- 
 ing awhile, I started for Park's Fort, which was the 
 first station west of Ellis, and twenty miles distant 
 instead of three, as I had been informed before I 
 started out from the latter place. 
 
 In a short time after leaving the hunters, the 
 west-bound express train came along, and signaling 
 
50 NARRATIVE 
 
 for the engineer to stop, I stepped on board and 
 rode to the fort. 
 
 To this day, I seldom pass a stream of water or 
 a spring", without recalling my experience on the 
 American Desert. A bright, sparkling river, creek 
 or ri-sTilet, is now, to my eyes, one of the most en- 
 chanting objects of Nature. 
 
 I remained a few days with the soldiers at Park's 
 Fort, and then went to Denver, Colorado. 
 
 I was now in the buffalo range of Kansas, and as 
 I rode along on the cars, the shaggy monsters were 
 roaming over the prairie in glorious freedom. This 
 was in the summer of 1872, and the buffaloes were 
 not so plenty as they had been a few years previous, 
 when the railroad was first completed ; then they 
 were so numerous that the trains had to be stopped 
 in order to let the animals cross the track. 
 
 In referring to the American Desert, in western 
 Kansas, I would not lead the reader to suppose 
 that the whole state is a barren w^aste — far from it. 
 Kansas is one of the garden states of the West, but 
 there is a narrow district, extending from southern 
 Nebraska, through western Kansas, to the Indian 
 Territory, that is so destitute of vegetation and 
 water, and so productive of sandy plains and beds 
 of alkali, that it has received the appellation of the 
 American Desert. 
 
TRAVELS. 61 
 
 CHAPTEK y. 
 
 Oh, a boundless realm is the mighty West! 
 
 A realm that a king might sigh for, — 
 With its precious gold, and its silver white, 
 And its prairies broad, and mirages bright; 
 
 ' Tis a land we well might hie for ! 
 
 What mountains tower in the peerless West, 
 
 High up in the azv;re sky-lands ! 
 Their broAvs bedecked with the virgin snow, 
 They gaze afar o"cr the plains below— 
 
 O'er forests, lakes and highlands. 
 
 WTiat pathless woods in the lordly West 
 Keach forth from her cloud-capped mountains? 
 
 How grand are her turbulentlnland seas 
 
 Whose billows roll in the stormy breeze — 
 Lured out from their mystic fountains I 
 
 Thos. L. Smith. 
 
 DENVER CITY— SCENERY IX THE ROCKY MOUXTAIXS— STARYIKO 
 SOLDIERS EATIXG THEIR MULES — GRASSHOPPERS — THE ECHO 
 CAXYOX — OLD MORMON BATTLEMEXTS — THE OXE THOUSAND 
 MILE TREE— SALT LAKE CITY — A PRIXTING OFFICE OX THE 
 MARCH — BRIGHAM YOUXG — THE UTAH SULPHUR SPRIXGS — 
 THE NEVADA DESERT — HUMBOLDT WELLS— SCEXES IX THE 
 SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS — SNOW SHEDS — THE CAUTION' 
 OF THE INDIANS — THE OLD PAHUTE — THE GREAT SALT 
 LAKE — IN CLOSE QUARTERS WITH THE PAWNEE INDIANS — 
 A LIST OF MY INDIAN CURIOSITIES AND OTHER RELICS. 
 
 Denver, tlie capital of Colorado, is a handsome 
 young city, and has had a wonderful growth. It is 
 finely situated on the plains, twelve miles from the 
 foot of the Rocky Mountains, whose snow-caj)ped 
 peaks rise grandly among the fleecy clouds, and like 
 
62 NARRATIVE 
 
 grim sentinels, seem to guard the city. Denver is 
 the great center of trade for the mining and stock- 
 raising districts of Colorado and New Mexico. 
 
 After spending a few days in this " City of the 
 Plains," I visited Golden City, situated fourteen 
 miles distant, in the mountains. I then returned 
 to Denver and started for the Pacific Coast, by way 
 of Greely, Cheyenne and Salt Lake City. 
 
 The lover of Nature finds ample material for ad- 
 miration and thought, while traveling over the great 
 Union Pacific Railroad, between Cheyenne and Og- 
 den. One continuous scene of mountain chains, 
 rugged ravines, mighty torrents and cataracts, arid 
 wastes and alkaline deserts, relieved, at intervals, 
 by lovely little valleys, through whose bosom flow 
 streams of cool, sparkling water, contmually meets 
 the eye on every hand. 
 
 North of the railroad, tower the Black Hills, and 
 south of it, is the most massive range of the Eocky 
 Mountains. Sherman is the summit-level of the 
 railroad, and the highest point in America, or 2:>er- 
 haps in the world, reached by the locomotive. 
 
 Great mountains of rock, whose grim and ever 
 shadowy outlines seem to portray traces of temple, 
 spire and pyramid, the weird grandeur of which ^s 
 most marvelous and striking, is to be seen at every 
 turn. Many of these rocks consist of red sandstone, 
 and fancy sees them showing the scidptor's magic 
 handicraft. 
 
TRAVELS. 53 
 
 At Fort Bridger, before the existence of the rail- 
 road, three regiments of United States troops, who 
 had been sent out to light the Mormons, in 1857, 
 endured terrible suffering. Closed in on all sides 
 by the deep winter snows, in the very heart of the 
 bleak mountains, and the wagon suj^ply-train cap- 
 tured by the enemy, they were obliged to kill and 
 eat their mules ; even the skins of the mules were 
 eaten by the starving soldiers. Many died from 
 hunger and cold, as no food from the East reached 
 them imtil the close of the following summer. 
 
 This section of the West is still inhabited by the 
 Snake, or Shoshonee Indians, and groujos of them 
 often make their appearance on some neighboring 
 ridge or spur of the mountains, and watch the puff- 
 ing "iron-horse" as it dashes through the mountain 
 solitude and proclaims to the red man, that, "West- 
 ward the star of empire takes its way," regardless 
 of the rights, feelings and interests of the much 
 abused Indians. 
 
 The chief of the Shoshonee Indians is Washakie, 
 a man much respected by Western people who can 
 appreciate a truly "good Indian." In the charac- 
 ter of this fine old chief are beautifully blended the 
 traits of truth and honesty. He has not been on 
 the war-path against the wliites for years, but in 
 the summer of 1879 a part of his tribe was hostile, 
 and killed a number of settlers, carried women into 
 captivity, destroyed houses, stock, etc. 
 
54 NARRATIVE 
 
 Some places in Wyoming the grasshoppers are 
 so plenty that when they settle u^oon the ground, 
 the traveler finds walking very unpleasant and fa- 
 tiguing, as the shoes become slippery from crusliing 
 the insects. A person who has never seen a large 
 swarm of grasshoppers in the West, can have but 
 a faint idea of their number, or the injury they can 
 inflict upon vegetation. They often descend in a 
 heavy, blinding shower, and their number is so im- 
 mense that they darken the sun like a cloud. 
 
 Echo Canyon, on the line of the Union Pacific 
 Kailroad, is one of the most sublime sights in North 
 America. It is a deep, precipitous cavity, seven or 
 more miles in length, and half a mile wide. On 
 one side it is bordered by high, rocky cliffs, hun- 
 dreds of feet in height, worn into numerous fancy 
 and grotesque shapes by the rushing water, while 
 on the other side it is closed in by a chain of bluffs. 
 In the deep ravme thus formed, flows a mighty, 
 dashing stream. 
 
 In some places, vast piles of granite and boulder 
 cause the channel to break, and half-way down the 
 canyon, the stream becomes quite narrow, but much 
 stronger and more rapid, while the banks, or rather 
 walls, are more precipitous. The rocky embank- 
 ments here form many fantastic outlines, which in 
 the dark shadows of the mountains, imagination 
 can picture to be almost any object. 
 
 Near the end of the canyon, on the mountains. 
 
TRAVELS. 55 
 
 ten Imndred feet above the valley, are the remams of 
 a fort which the followers of Brigham Young bnilt 
 when the United States troops were pursuing them. 
 Here the Mormons threw down upon the heads of 
 their pursuers, rocks and stones which they had 
 collected for the purpose. 
 
 A few miles from Echo Canyon, at a place called 
 the Narrows, is a solitary pine tree on the bank of 
 a stream. No other tree is near it, and what gives 
 it a name and notice, is the singular fact that it is 
 just one thousand miles from the Missouri Eiver. 
 Uioon the tree is a board bearing this inscription: 
 "One Thousand Mile Tree." 
 
 In this -Ndcinity there are several curious freaks of 
 nature to be seen in the rocky masses, known as 
 Pulpit Kock, Witches' Rocks, Gate and the Shde. 
 All are wild looking and weird, and their singular 
 and uncouth appearance in the gloomy wilds, fills 
 the traveler with feelings of awe and solemnity. 
 
 Continuing westward, I reached Ogden and Salt 
 Lake City. These towns were laid out with good 
 taste and judgment by the Mormons, and they are 
 beautiful and interesting. 
 
 According to the statement of the late Brigham 
 Young, the site of Salt Lake City w^s first seen by 
 him in a dream. AVhen he entered the Salt Lake 
 Basin, he found a stream of fresh water bubbling 
 up from the earth, and he at once named it "City 
 Creek." He then commenced the building of Salt 
 
56 NARRATIVE 
 
 Lake City, whicli is situated in one of the grandest 
 and most picturesque sections of the Far West. 
 
 The Mormons carried a printing-office with them 
 across the plains, when they moved from Nauvoo, 
 Ilhnois, to the wilds of Utah, and a newspaper was 
 published on the march, the edition being dropped 
 along the way for the emigrants of the caravan. 
 
 Of course, there were a great many discouraged 
 and weary people in the party who needed the aid 
 and stimulating influence of printer's ink to revive 
 them ; and the valor, skill and fortitude of the ed- 
 itors and j)rinters, who under such overwhelming 
 difficulties, "got out the paper," deserve the admi- 
 ration of all. 
 
 The Mormon metropohs is situated near the foot 
 of the AVahsatch Mountains, the ever snow-covered 
 peaks of which, furnish much of the water that flows 
 through the streets of the city. These streams are 
 pure and cool, and flow on each side of the streets, 
 keej)ing the locust shade trees in beautiful foliage 
 during the hot summer months. 
 
 The private residences are of almost every imag- 
 inable style, and surrounded by orchards and fine 
 gardens. Many of the houses, especially those built 
 during the early days of the settlement, consist of 
 adobe. The city covers an area of eight or more 
 square miles, and contains a jDopulation of about 
 twenty thousand. 
 
 The late home of the Mormon leader stands iu 
 
TRAVELS. 57 
 
 from the street, a short distance, and is quite an 
 imiDosing structure. The gardens around it are 
 handsomely laid out, and carefully cultivated. 
 
 Brigham Young was a good-looking old man, and 
 retained his vigor of body and mind almost to his 
 last days. He died at the advanced age of eighty 
 years. In ajopearance, he was stout and robust, his 
 eyes were mild and drowsy looking, and the exj^res- 
 sion of his compressed lips denoted good-nature, 
 rather than firmness ; he wore no beard except short 
 chin-whiskers extending to the ear. He had more 
 the apx^earance of an unassuming, honest farmer, 
 than a great financier, a marvelous manager and the 
 husband of nineteen wives. 
 
 After spending three weeks in Salt Lake City, I 
 started for California, travelmg over the Utah Cen- 
 tral and the Central Pacific Railroads. 
 
 Sunset on the Great Salt Lake is a grand sight ; 
 rich and gorgeous is the coloring of mountain-peak, 
 rocky canyon and placid lake, when they are all en- 
 veloped in " the dying halo of departing day." The 
 heart swells wdth admiration as the traveler stands 
 and views these enduring evidences of a living God 
 in his works. 
 
 The air from the lake is pure, cool and invigor- 
 ating, and silence reigns over all ; not a sound mars 
 the solemn calm as the mellow light of the moon 
 tinges the peaceful lake, and illuminating the dark 
 mountam, presents a scene that pen cannot picture. 
 
58 NARRATIVE 
 
 Between Salt Lake City and Ogden, a few miles 
 ff'om the lake, are several hot sulphur springs. A 
 very unpleasant sulphurous odor proceeds from 
 them, though they are said to contain rare medical 
 properties. The temperature of the springs is 102 
 degrees, Fahrenheit. 
 
 Much of the country in Nevada, traversed by the 
 Central Pacific Railroad, is supposed by geologists, 
 to have been, at a remote period of time, the bed 
 of a great sea. The utter desolation and barrenness 
 of the section can scarcely be imagined ; in some 
 places, the ground is so thickly covered with alkali, 
 that at first sight, especially at a distance, the sub- 
 stance is often supposed to be lime or snow. 
 
 Water is exceedingly scarce, and what little does 
 exist, is found in natural wells in the bottom of 
 deep ravines. Among these, the Huml^oldt Wells 
 are the largest. There are about twenty of them, 
 situated in a little valley which they water. These 
 wells are very deep, and are believed to be the cra- 
 ters of extinct volcanoes. 
 
 At nearly every station on the line of the road, 
 between Ogden and San Francisco, Indians of the 
 Shoshonee, Ute, Pahute, Digger and other tribes 
 made their appearance, gaudily painted and orna- 
 mented. These Indians subsist principally uj^on 
 small game and roots, though at times, they move 
 north, into Idaho and Montana, where they himt 
 mountain-sheep, bears, deer and other game. 
 
TRAVELS. 59 
 
 At Trnckee, California, a grand view of the Sierra 
 Nevada Mountains is obtained. The wild, shaggy 
 and towering summits are covered with snow every 
 month in the year, and contrast vividlj^ with the 
 deep blue sky which they seem to touch. The 
 mountain sides are crowned with grand old pines 
 of at least a century's growth. 
 
 The valleys and dells are beautiful and romantic, 
 and most every one contains a glittering stream, 
 which, continually leaping over the cragg}^ rocks, 
 casts it pearly sj)ray on every side, and fills the 
 forest and glens with wild, unceasing prattle. 
 
 There are some beautiful fresh water lakes in this 
 vicinity, among the largest of which are the Lakes 
 Tahoe and Donner. The water is clear as crystal, 
 and very deep, and affords an abundance of fish. 
 
 Between the summit of the mountains and the 
 city of Sacramento, the railroad traverses a success- 
 ion of tunnels and snow-sheds, so close together, 
 that for miles, they appear like one tunnel or shed. 
 There are over fifty miles of snow-sheds, and they 
 are very necessary, for some places in the moun- 
 tains, the snow falls to a depth of fifteen feet, but 
 between the western base of the mountains and the 
 Pacific Ocean, winter is unknown. 
 
 The plan of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific 
 Oceans by a railroad, was first suggested to the 
 American people by Asa Whitney, of New York. 
 At a meeting held in Philadelphia, in 1846, numer- 
 
60 NARRATIVE 
 
 Oils 231'ojects for executing the great enterprise were 
 formed. It was not, however, until 1863 that a 
 company was organized, and in the following year, 
 the first ground was broken. 
 
 On the 10th of May, 1869, the track-layers of the 
 Union and Central Pacific Railroads met, and form- 
 ed a junction near the head of the Great Salt Lake, 
 thus completing a continuous iron band from New- 
 York to San Francisco. 
 
 After visiting Sacramento, Oakland and San Fran- 
 cisco, I shaped my course eastward. The desire to 
 travel ever kept me moving. Lea\dng Sacramento 
 one morning, on foot, I walked to a pomt about 
 fifty miles distant. I traveled nearly all of the fol- 
 lowmg night through the mountains, and toward 
 morning, foot-sore and weary, I lay down m an old 
 hut, near the railroad, and fell asleep. 
 
 At various places on the way, during the night, 
 I saw the camp-fires of Indians, who were fishing 
 in the mountain streams, but I did not go to them 
 for food or shelter, fearing to wander over rocks 
 and torrents in the darkness of night. 
 
 Near Truckee, I visited a camj) of Washoe In- 
 dians. I purchased a string of shell-beads from an 
 old warrior whom I met in the camp, but both he 
 and his wife gave me to understand that they had 
 such a poor opinion of a white man's honesty, that 
 I would have to jilace the money in their hands be- 
 fore they would part with the beads. 
 
TRAVELS. 61 
 
 On the Humboldt Eiver, near Winnemucca, in 
 Nevada, I entered a village of Pahute Indians, and 
 was kindly received by them. I was sociably enter- 
 tained in the lodge of an old, scar-covered chief, 
 Avho graciously showed me his implements of war 
 and the chase, also a fine collection of furs. 
 
 Near Monument Eock, in Utah, on my way to the 
 East, I took a bath in Great Salt Lake. The sur- 
 face of the lake, near the shore, is covered with 
 dead insects, and the shore is lined with pure crys- 
 tallized salt, formed by the evaporation of the w^ater 
 that dashes upon the beach. 
 
 The water is dark and sluggish, and destitute of 
 fish or any living thing, but a species of sea-gull 
 inhabits its surface. The lake is so strongly im- 
 pregnated vdth salt, that the motion of the bather 
 causes the salt to rise from the bottom, where the 
 water is shallow, and upon emerging from the lake, 
 he is surprised to find pure, white salt in his hair, 
 ears, nose and eyes. 
 
 It is said that in this lake a live human body can- 
 not sink, and I know 'by personal experience, that 
 some peculiarity of the water prevents the bather 
 from remaining beneath the surface. Nine barrels 
 of this water evaporated, will produce one barrel of 
 pure salt. Where water is drained oif of shallow 
 inlets of the lake, the crystallized salt is often found 
 in vast beds, two and three inches in depth. In the 
 year 1877, the firm of Lawrence & Burgess, who 
 
62 NARRATIVE 
 
 have a salt manufactory on the lake shore, produced 
 1,000 tons of salt by evaporation. 
 
 Ogden, Utah, is the junction of the Union and 
 Central Pacific Railroads, and is situated thirty-six 
 miles north of Salt Lake City, which it somewhat 
 resembles in general characteristics. 
 
 Between North Platte and Grand Island, in Ne- 
 braska, by permission of the fireman, I rode on the 
 front part of a locomotive. It was a lovely summer 
 night, and all Nature seemed wrapped in slumber 
 as the huge, fiery monster dashed through the wdld 
 prairie solitudes like a thing of life, arousing the 
 timid antelope, the watchful Avolf and the yelping 
 coyote from their lair in the tall, rank grass. 
 
 Several miles south of Grand Island, I visited a 
 village of Pawnee Indians, situated on the Platte 
 River. At that time, the summer of 1872, these 
 Indians had a good buffalo range, were very inde- 
 pendent and quite troublesome to the settlers in 
 western Nebraska, frequently killing ranchmen and 
 herders, driving off stock, etc. 
 
 When I entered their camp they were very rude, 
 and soon began to search my pockets, and make 
 themselves otherwise unpleasantly familiar. They 
 then led me into a lodge full of armed and painted 
 w^arriors, where I was searched again. I began to 
 get uneasy, and arose to leave the wigwam, but an 
 Indian compelled me to sit down again. He then 
 tried to take my revolver, but I repulsed him, and 
 
TRAVELS. 63 
 
 retained it in my hand with the muzzle toward him. 
 
 They crowded aronnd me still closer, and one 
 young brave came in and stood by my side with a 
 glittering tomahawk in his hand. At this juncture, 
 an old gray-headed warrior entered the lodge in a 
 hasty manner, and addressing me with the usual 
 Indian salute of " How ! How !" led me out from the 
 presence of the other Indians. Then, with a smile 
 indicating friendship and protection, he conducted 
 me to his lodge, w^here I was safe from further mo- 
 lestation or danger. 
 
 In my experience with the Indians, I generally 
 found warm friends among the old men and women, 
 when the younger people were selfish and hostile. 
 They would give me the best accommodations their 
 lodges afforded, call me their son and urge me to 
 remain with them always. I also made it an object 
 to become on terms of friendship with the young 
 children, and thus won the confidence and respect 
 of their parents. Among the Yankton Sioux and 
 Spotted Tail's tribe of Brule Sioux, were some little 
 boys and girls to wiiom I became much attached, 
 and I passed some pleasant hours amusing and in- 
 structing them. 
 
 After a short stay in camjD, during which I visited 
 different tents, and saw the Indians at their various 
 occupations of pounding corn, dressing hides and 
 preparing food, I returned to the railroad. 
 
 Upon reaching Omaha I went up to Sioux City, 
 
G4 NARRATIVE 
 
 and from there I started for Yankton, Dakota, on 
 foot, there being no raHroad to Yankton at that 
 time. My route lay over a beautiful prairie district 
 of Southern Dakota, between the Missouri River on 
 the south, and a chain of huge, treeless bluffs on 
 the north. 
 
 About ten miles from Yankton I was overtaken 
 by a rain-storm, and not being near shelter at the 
 time, I was obliged to face it. In an hour or more, 
 however, I came in sight of a house about a mile 
 distant. Hungry, weary and wet to the skin, I was 
 urged onward by the hope of shelter and a warm 
 supper, and I was not disappointed. 
 
 Ul3on reaching the house, I was met at the door 
 by a Miss Jennie Hayes, a bright, handsome young 
 lady, who comprehenduig my condition at a glance, 
 invited me into the house at once, and removing my 
 wet coat, she immediately suj)piied a dry one of her 
 father's in its place. 
 
 After tea, I naturally wondered what was to be- 
 come of me ; the rain was still falling in torrents, 
 and the thought of continuing my journey was not 
 pleasant. As the men were in Yankton on business, 
 I could scarcely expect to remain over night, but 
 my kind j^oung hostess and her good mother, divi- 
 ning my thoughts, relieved my mind in this wise : 
 " You must not think of going further to-night, and 
 we will endeavor to make you comfortable," they 
 said. So the affiiir was arranged, satisfactory to all. 
 
TRAVELS. 65 
 
 During my travels and residence among the va- 
 rious Indian tribes, I collected a number of their 
 implements of war, the chase and domestic use, a 
 portion of which I still retain, and append the list 
 for the perusal of the reader. 
 
 On several occasions I was engaged by Professor 
 S. S. Haldeman, of Chickies, Pennsylvania, to make 
 expeditions through the Southern States for the 
 purpose of opening ancient Indian mounds ; I also 
 traveled among the Sioux Indians in Dakota, and 
 the Chippewas of the Upper Mississippi, purchasing 
 for liim stone implements, in occasional use by the 
 Western Indians. A description of these journej-s 
 is given elsewhere in the work. 
 
 Mr. Haldeman has one of the finest and most 
 valuable individual collections of Indian antiquities 
 in existence; many of his objects being suj^erior to 
 those of the National Collection at Wasliington. 
 
 The Professor has devoted more than fifty years 
 to the study and research of the antiquities of the 
 North American Indians, and being a wealthy man 
 with a liberal hand, he has spent money in the cause 
 Avithout flinching. His collection is designed to be 
 a gift to the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Phila- 
 delphia, but all duplicates will be distributed among 
 other institutions. 
 
 The following objects are only those wliich I find 
 in my oa\ti collection, what I secured for Mr. S. S. 
 Haldeman are not mentioned. 
 
66 NARRATIVE 
 
 Leggins — ^Brule squaw, Ponca Kiver, Dakota. 
 Stone pipe — Sioux, Missouri Kiver, Dakota. 
 Shot poucli — Chippewa, Northeastern Dakota. 
 Indian rope — Santee Sioux, Southern Dakota. 
 Glass beads — Shoshonee, near Ogden, Utah. 
 Iron arrow-23oints — Sioux, Cheyenne River, Dakota. 
 Horn spoon — Ponca, Niobrara River, Dakota. 
 FHnt-tipped arrow — Sioux, Ponca River, Dakota. 
 Knife sheath — Chippewa, Northern Minnesota. 
 Stone pij)e — Ponca, Missouri River, Dakota. 
 Shell beads — Washoe, near Truckee, California. 
 Iron arrow-heads — Pawnee, Central Nebraska. 
 Snow shoe — Chipi^ewa, Northern Minnesota. 
 Shell beads — Sioux squaw, Cheyenne River, Dakota. 
 Stone pipe — ^Brule Sioux, Ponca River, Dakota. 
 Indian hair — Pahute, Humboldt River, Nevada. 
 Ear ornaments — Sioux, Cheyenne River, Dakota. 
 Ornamented rawhide — Arickaree, North Dakota. 
 Iron tomahawk — Ponca, Missouri River, Dakota. 
 Moccasins — Sioux squaw, Ponca River, Dakota. 
 Stone pipe — Chippewa, Northern Minnesota. 
 Hunting knife — Arickaree squaw. North Dakota. 
 Neck ornament — Sioux, Missouri River, Dakota. 
 Black lava arrow-heads — Calistoga, California. 
 Indian pottery etc. — M. Burney's Forest, Florida. 
 Ornamented birch-bark — Chij^pewa, Minnesota. 
 Stone war-club — Sioux, Ponca River, Dakota. 
 Bow and arrows — Sioux, Missouri River, Dakota. 
 Stone hoe — Mr. J. Wiley, Bainbridge. Pennsylvania. 
 
TRAVELS. 67 
 
 Flint arrow-heads, stone tomahawk, chisels, knife, 
 borers, corn pestles, polishing stone, scraper — 
 ancient Indian village sites and fishing camps on 
 the Susquehanna River ; presented by Mr. Jacob 
 L. Stehman, of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Indian pottery, stone tomahaw^k and pipe-stems — 
 Mr. J. H. Wittmer, Washington, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Stone tomahawk — Columbia, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mormon relics — Salt Lake City, Utah. 
 
 Palm-tree wood — Mr. B. Rich, Fernandina, Florida. 
 
 Stone tomahawk — Marietta, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Stone pipe — Sioux, Missouri River, Dakota. 
 
 Wooden beads — Chinaman, San Francisco. 
 
 Moss agates — ^Wyoming Territory. L 
 
 Indian hair — Sioux, Ponca River, Dakota. 
 
 Cinnamon bear's claw — Wyoming Territory. 
 
 Fire relics — Cliicago, Illmois, October, 1871. 
 
 Knife sheath — Sioux, Cheyenne River, Dakota. 
 
 Stone tomahawk — Grant Siple, Washington, Penn. 
 
 Flint spear-head — Juniata County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Petrified shells — Lakes Erie and Michigan. 
 
 Knife sheath — Park's Fort, Kansas. 
 
 Gold, silver, lead, copper — Colorado and Nevada. 
 
 Flint arrow-heads — Florida, Prof. S. S. Haldeman. 
 
 Indian pottery — ^vicinity of Amelia River, Florida- 
 Buffalo horns and teeth — Plains of Kansas. 
 
 Red pipe-stone — Sioux Indian Quarry, Minnesota. 
 
 Sea-beans — Captain J. F. Rich, Fernandina, Fla. 
 
 Petrified shark-teeth — Charleston, South Carolina. 
 
68 NARRATIVE 
 
 Petrified bone — Bluffs of Soutliern Dakota. 
 Petrified wood — Colorado and California. 
 Stone image — Mr. J. Hanes, Wrightsville, Penn. 
 Sea-shells, star-fish, etc. — Fernandina, Florida. 
 Indian drawings — Sioux, Ponca River, Dakota. 
 
 PHOTOGRAPHS. 
 
 Spotted Tail and Two Strike, Sioux chiefs. 
 
 Fast Dog, Sioux warrior. 
 
 Little Crow, Sioux chief, executed for leading the 
 
 Minnesota massacre of 1862. 
 Scalp of Little Crow. 
 Crossing Sky, Bad Boy and Big Dog, chiefs of the 
 
 Chij^pewa bands. 
 Jim, Pahute chief. 
 Washakie, Shoshonee chief. 
 Groups of various bands. 
 Scenes in Salt Lake City. 
 Brigham Young and Josej)h Smith. 
 
TRAVELS. 69 
 
 CHAPTEEVI. 
 
 There is a time— 'tis evening — 
 
 AVhen the swallows homeward tly ; 
 "When the golden rays of sunset 
 
 Gild anew the western sky ; 
 When the varied forms of life, 
 
 Throughout Nature^cease to roam, 
 But for me, the weary wanderer. 
 
 There seems to be no home. 
 
 Thus I ever, ever wander, 
 
 While the seasons come and go, 
 Ever searching — never finding. 
 
 What my heart so longs to know ; 
 But the searching will be ended, 
 
 And the wanderer cease to roam, 
 When, at last, he really finds 
 
 His own dear ideal home. 
 
 L. Gr. Wilson. 
 
 RED MAN, MOVE ON— YANKTON CITY— DAKOTA— THE SANTEE 
 INDIANS— BAKING BREAD IN THE BABY'S WASH-PAN— THK 
 PRAIRIE GRASS — MINNESOTA — DETROIT — NIAGARA FALLS — 
 BUFFALO— LANCASTER CITY AND COUNTY— PENNSYLVANIA — 
 MY RESTLESSNESS— BROOKLYN— NEW HAVEN— PROVIDENCE- 
 BOSTON— ALBANY— TROY— A RACE WITH A LOCOMOTIVE- 
 HOW A DISHONEST COUPLE, IN KANSAS, SECURED A FARM. 
 
 The site of Yankton City, the capital of Dakota, 
 was once occupied by the camp of " Shah-pah Mah- 
 to," (Dirty Bear,) a chief of the Yankton Sioux. At 
 the time of my first visit to the place in 1872, it 
 was a small frontier town, sixty-five miles from the 
 nearest railroad. Passing through the place, on my 
 
70 NARRATIVE 
 
 way to the Indian country, during the summers of 
 1873, 1874, 1877 and 1878, I found it to be a very 
 thriving, energetic city, teeming with hfe and busi- 
 ness. It now contains numerous blocks of brick 
 business houses and other buildings, beside many 
 handsome and costly private residences. Yankton 
 has become a railroad town, and also communicates 
 with Upper Dakota and Montana by a line of fine 
 Missouri River steamboats. 
 
 Prior to the year 1858, what is now known as 
 Dakota, was unceded land, and belonged to the 
 Sioux Indians. In that year a treaty was made 
 with the Sioux, and the land taken from them ; it 
 was not organized as a territory, however, until the 
 Tvdnter of 1861. 
 
 During the years 1862 and 1863, the immigration 
 to Dakota v/as almost entirely stopped by the Sioux 
 war. Hundreds of settlers were killed in Minne- 
 sota and Dakota at that time ; but a great change 
 has since taken place, and the fine soil and lovely 
 prairies and valleys are rapidly luring emigrants to 
 seek homes witliin its borders. 
 
 Dakota is very large, and as yet, only a small 
 part of it, comparatively, is settled by the whites, 
 the remainder being still the hunting-ground of the 
 Sioux and other Indian tribes. 
 
 I spent a short time in a Santee Sioux camp in a 
 large grove of wild plum trees, near Yankton, and 
 met there an old time-worn warrior, who on the oc- 
 
TRAVELS. 71 
 
 casion of an Indian raid, I was informed, took an 
 infant out of its cradle and thrust it into the fire, 
 thus roasting it aHve. 
 
 This heartless old fiend, after some conversation 
 in broken English and by means of signs, showed 
 me a beautiful red stone pipe and tomahawk com- 
 bined, for which he wanted some "mus-is-cow," or 
 money. After jDurchasing it I left the \allage, con- 
 cluding my first visit among the Sioux. The toma- 
 hawk is now in the collection of Prof. Haldeman. 
 
 The next day I went to the main camp of the 
 Santees, situated about thirty miles further up the 
 Missouri, on the Nebraska side. These Indians 
 are the remnant of the band of Sioux that commit- 
 ted the terrible massacre of men, women and chil- 
 dren, at New XTlm, Minnesota, in 1862, mider the 
 leadership of Little Crow. 
 
 The Indian women, in general, are not noted for 
 cleanlmess in their cooking arrangements, and not 
 a few of their customs, m this branch, often remmd 
 me of a statement made by the wife of an Indian 
 missionary, who said that when dining T\^th an In- 
 dian family in New Mexico, she ate bread that was 
 baked in the pan the baby had been washed in. 
 
 Leaving the Indians, I returned to Sioux City, 
 and then started for St. Paul. At that time the 
 railroad between St. Paul and Sioux City was not 
 completed, and I walked from Le Mars to lona, a 
 point just reached by the railroad graders. 
 
72 NARRATIVE 
 
 As I walked alone over the then almost unsettled 
 prairies of Northwestern Iowa, I found the luxur- 
 iant grass, in some places, from seven to nine feet 
 high. Its rankness and height were often a sorrce 
 of much annoyance to me, as it sometimes hid the 
 surrounding country from view, so that I could not 
 see whether I was traveling in the right direction 
 or not. 
 
 Minnesota, from its southern boundary to Fort 
 Eipley, a point about two hundred miles northward, 
 is a most enchanting prairie country, pleasantly in- 
 terspersed with lovel}^ lakes, whose pebbled shores 
 are fringed with romantic little groves. This is a 
 fair representative of the natural features of the 
 whole state, excepting the northern part, which con- 
 sists of dense pine forests. 
 
 There are thousands of miniature lakes i?i "Minne- 
 sota, all clear, glittering and abounding in fish. In 
 the northern forests deer, bear and other game are 
 quite plenty. Minnesota is a Sioux Indian word, 
 and signifies ''cloudy, or turbid water." It has al- 
 ways been the favorite hunting-ground of the Sioux. 
 
 After spending a few days in St. Paul, I went to 
 Milwaukee, and thence to Chicago. Then, passing 
 through Northern Indiana, I visited the flourishing 
 city of Detroit, the metropolis of Michigan. It is 
 situated on a neck of water that connects Lakes 
 Erie and Huron. Large quantities of grain, pork 
 and coj^per-ore are shi232:)ed to Eastern cities. The 
 
TRAVELS. 78 
 
 early history of Detroit was one of struggles and 
 battles against the hostile Indians of the surround- 
 ing country. 
 
 Leaving Detroit, I started for Buffalo, passing 
 on through Canada, to the Susj)ension Bridge and 
 Niagara Falls. As the traveler stands on the grand 
 old weather-beaten Table Rock and looks on the 
 mighty sheet of bright blue water, or lingers on the 
 narrow foot-path under the falls, the vastness, the 
 power of the falls is only first recognized. Its di- 
 mensions, breadth and volume might be given, but 
 that would not be doing justice to Niagara Falls. 
 A pen description cannot convey a true or satisfac- 
 tory conception of its power and majestic grandeur. 
 
 Buffalo is situated at the eastern extremity of 
 Lake Erie, and is a great thoroughfare for travel 
 and traffic between the East and the AVest. Regu- 
 lar lines of fine iron steamships ply between this 
 port and Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, 
 Milwaukee, Duluth and other lake towns. Beside 
 these, there are many sailing-vessels and steamboats 
 constantly arriving and departing, during the navi- 
 gable season ; the Great Lakes being fresh water, 
 navigation closes for a short time during the winter. 
 
 On niy way home, I passed through the staid old 
 city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This place was 
 founded in the early days of Pennsylvania's settle- 
 ment, and has many of the characteristics of an old 
 town. It is the county seat of Lancaster County, 
 
74 NARRATIVE 
 
 which has been justly called, "The Garden of the 
 Keystone State." 
 
 My travels have taken me into every state in the 
 Union, except one, and without egotism or undue 
 laudation, I freely assert that for beautiful farms, 
 fine buildings, comfortable and hajDpy homes, where 
 peace and plenty abide, bright streams, charming 
 valleys and delightful groves, Lancaster County, 
 Pennsylvania, is superior to any district of country 
 I ever visited. 
 
 Perhaps one of the most pleasing features of the 
 locality is its generous, friendly people. The quiet, 
 imassuming farmers of Lancaster County are noted 
 for these traits, and their kind-hearted, sensible and 
 plainly-attired wives and daughters, are an excellent 
 model for some of their giddy, loose-tongued, shal- 
 low, gossiping town sisters. 
 
 No one, who has mingled much with the world, 
 could travel long among the farming commimity of 
 Pennsylvania without learning that the truer forms 
 of Christianity, and the finer sensibilities of the 
 human heart, are more generally found in rural dis- 
 tricts, than it is amid the city's din and strife. 
 
 "VVliile in Pennsylvania, I made several local jour- 
 neys through Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Cumber- 
 land, Perry and Lebanon Counties. These are all 
 agricultural districts, and contain a large portion 
 of the wealth and population of the State, also the 
 most beautiful and productive valleys. 
 
TRAVEhS. 75 
 
 After visiting my home, I made a tour througli 
 the New England States, for I cculd not content 
 myself, or remain long at one place, and this rest- 
 less spirit ever kept me wandering from one point 
 to another. Within late years, however, I have be- 
 come weary of traveling, and now as eamstly desire 
 to settle down, as I once did to travel. 
 
 I had become so accustomed to camping out in 
 the West, and "roughing it" generally, that I could 
 not sleep well in a bed, upon returning to civiliza- 
 tion, but preferred to lie upon the floor or other 
 hard surface. The rumbling of car-wheels and the 
 noise of a pufiing steamboat always made me rest- 
 less and uncomfortable unless I was going along 
 with them ; and in dreams, I was often carried back 
 to the land of my Indian friends and their wild, ro- 
 mantic surroundings. 
 
 On my way North I visited the various cities on 
 my route, also those upon the course by which I 
 returned. I always wanted to see everything in 
 my reach, and I generally deemed time, trouble and 
 fatigue a secondary consideration. 
 
 Brooklyn, separated from New York City by the 
 East River, contains a population of nearly half a 
 million people. Here reside many of the business 
 men of New York. Steamboats run between the 
 two cities every few minutes during the day. 
 
 New Haven is situated on a small bay, four miles 
 from Long Island Sound. It is the seat of Yale 
 
76 NARRATIVE 
 
 College, and is noted for its extensive manufactures. 
 
 Providence is the semi-state capital of Rhode Is- 
 land, and is the second city, in size, in New Eng- 
 land. It is located at the head of Narraganset Bay, 
 and is connected with surrounding cities by a net- 
 work of railroads. 
 
 Boston is one of the oldest and most interesting 
 cities in the United States. Here were enacted 
 some of the most eventful phases of the Colonial 
 War. Beside bemg a great manufacturing city, it 
 is esj)ecially noted for its many benevolent, art and 
 literary institutions. Boston may well be called the 
 home of authors, the work-shop of printers and the 
 market-place of publishers. It is an important sea- 
 port, and does a large shij)ping trade with all parts 
 of the world. 
 
 UlDon lea\dng the state of Maine, on my return 
 journey, I visited Concord, Manchester, Nashua 
 and Fitchburg, and then on to Troy by way of the 
 Hoosac Tunnel. 
 
 Troy is situated on the Hudson River, six miles 
 above Albany and at the head of navigation. It is 
 largely engaged in manufacturing stoves, steel, etc. 
 
 Albany, the capital of New York, is a beautiful, 
 stirring and wealthy city. During the summer, fine 
 steamboats run on the Hudson River, between Al- 
 bany and New York City. The Hudson is famed 
 for its beauty and the grandeur of the scenery on 
 its banks. 
 
TRAVELS, 77 
 
 From Albany I continued southward. Beaching 
 Gun Powder River (which might be more properly 
 called back-water from Chesapeake Bay), between 
 Philadelphia and Baltimore, with a fellow-traveler, 
 late one night, we proceeded to walk over the rail- 
 road bridge, which was merely a trestle-work about 
 a mile in length. All we had to walk upon was a 
 board about a foot wide, placed upon the cross-ties. 
 
 When about half way across the bridge we were 
 startled by the shrill whistle of a locomotive, and, 
 upon turning round, we saw to our horror, the head- 
 light of the south-bound express just entering upon 
 the trestle-work. I had faced death before, but as I 
 saw the fier}^, puffing engine approaching like some 
 enraged demon ready to destroy me, I felt as though 
 my time had now come. 
 
 There being but a single track upon the trestle, 
 there was no room to hold on to any part of it un- 
 til the train would ^ass. Only one avenue of escape 
 was open to us, and that was flight. The frost of 
 the night made the foot-board so shppery that we 
 were liable, at every bound, to plunge into the free- 
 zing water beneath. 
 
 There was no time to lose, for the train was so 
 near, that it shook the board we were upon. So, 
 on and on we went, while the ponderous, roaring 
 locomotive gained upon us at every revolution of 
 its wheels. We knew that life depended upon our 
 exertion, and we pressed onward without faltering. 
 
78 NARRATIVE 
 
 A lifetime of thought was condensed into the 
 time of a few moments. My comfortable home, 
 kind mother and my early childhood days, vividly 
 appeared to my mind. At last, faint and terrified, 
 we reached the end of the bridge, just in time to 
 leap aside and escape from being crushed by the 
 locomotive at our heels. 
 
 The remainder of the night we walked along the 
 railroad, and suifered severely from the inclemency 
 of the weather, as every place where we might have 
 secured shelter, was closed for the night. Early in. 
 the morning, however, we noticed a light a short 
 distance ahead of us, and upon approaching nearer, 
 we found that it proceeded from a small cabin. We 
 soon reached the house, and were kindly entertam- 
 ed by the inmates, a genteel colored family. 
 
 From Baltimore I went to Cincinnati, and then 
 returned to Philadelphia, where I clerked in a store 
 until spring, when I started for Jvansas. 
 
 When about to cross the Steubenville Bridge, on 
 the Pan Handle Railway, on my way from Cincin- 
 nati to Philadelplua, the train I was on ran into 
 another passenger-train just after it had crossed 
 the bridge. For a few minutes after the shock, a 
 panic raged among the passengers, but fortunately 
 no person was injured, not even the engineer or 
 fireman of either train, for after doing all in their 
 power to check the speed of their trains, they jum- 
 ped from their engines before they collided. 
 
TRAVELS. 79 
 
 A frontier town is an object of interest. The 
 streets, which are either muddy or dusty, in the 
 spring of the year, are thronged with emigrants 
 waiting for an opportunity to "enter their claims" 
 upon the free land they have selected. Groups of 
 cattle-herders, hunters and' ranchmen* dressed in 
 buckskin and carrying the indispensable revolver, 
 are constantly to be seen, as well as small j)arties 
 of Indians who come to town to do their trading. 
 
 An energetic, but dishonest- married couple, in 
 Kansas, took advantage of "Uncle Sam," to the ex- 
 tent of a farm, in this wise : They had secured a 
 homestead in the customary way, but not satisfied 
 with one farm, and desiring the unoccupied section 
 adjoining their land, they secured a divorce by mis- 
 representing their family affairs, and when the late 
 vdie became an unmarried woman, she was entitled 
 to 160 acres of Government land ; so she obtained 
 the free tract next to the farm of her late husband, 
 after which they were married again. 
 
80 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTEKVII. 
 
 See ! a dusky line approaches : hark ! the onward, surging roar, 
 Like the din ol" wintry breakers on a sounding wall of shore ; 
 Dust and sand behind them whirling, snort the foremost of the van^ 
 And their stubborn horns are clashing through the crowded caravan. 
 
 Myriad hoofs will scar the prairie, in our wild, resistless race, 
 And a sound, like mighty Avaters, thunders down the desert space: 
 Yet the rein may not be tightened, nor the rider's eyes look baclv — 
 Death to him Avhose speed should slacken, on the angry bison's track ! 
 
 Look not on him as he staggers, — 'tis the last shot he will need! 
 More shall fall, among his fellows, ere we run the mad stampede, — 
 Ere we stem the brinded breakers, while the wolves, a hungry pack, 
 Howl around each grim-eyed carcass, on the bloody bison's track! 
 
 Bayaud Tatlor. 
 
 I JOIN A PARTY OF BUFFALO IirXTEK?— A STORM— THE CAMP 
 FIRE— LIFE OF A HUNTER— WILLOW SPRINGS— TUJi FIRST 
 BUFFALO— A PRAIRIE FIRE— A SCENE OF CONFUSION— THE 
 POWDER—AN ANCIENT LAND MARK— BUFFALO TRAILS— THE 
 BEAUTY OF SUNSET ON THE PRAIRIES— THE WILD HORSE OF 
 THE PLAINS— O'FALLON'S CAMP— HUNTING THE BISON. 
 
 After a short stay at Topeka and Ellsworth, I 
 moved on to Fort Wallace. Here I joined a party 
 of buffalo hunters, who were about to start for the 
 Republican River, about ninety miles north of the 
 fort. Our outfit consisted of three hunters and my- 
 self, four horses and two wagons for hauling hides, 
 a set of cooking utensils, several Sharps' rifles, a 
 supply of provisions, blankets and ammunition. 
 
 The first day we did not travel far, owing to a 
 
TRAVELS. 81 
 
 storm which prevailed. The wind blei^v a perfect 
 hurricane, and filled the air with sand and gravel, 
 even pebbles were blown about with such force as 
 greatly to annoy the horses, as well as ourselves. 
 Finally, we concluded to camp in a deep ravine till 
 morning, hoping the storm would then abate. 
 
 After unhitching the horses and securing them to 
 a stake, by means of a lariat, some "buffalo-chips" 
 were gathered, with which a fire was made. Supper 
 was next prepared, the meal consisting of warm 
 bread, baked in a Dutch oven, meat and coffee. 
 
 I used the skull of a dead buffalo as a stool at 
 the supper-table, which consisted of the original 
 prairie-sod, while the hunters seated themselves on 
 the ground, Indian-fashion. When the meal was 
 over, we spent several hours in conversation. 
 
 My companions were brave, true-hearted men, 
 and had spent years on the plains, hunting, trap- 
 ping and scouting. I became warmly attached to 
 them, and will ever remember them kindly. If I 
 ever meet them again, or learn their whereabouts, 
 it will afford me great pleasure to present each one 
 of them a copy of my narrative, in memory of the 
 pleasant weeks I passed with them on the western 
 plains of Kansas. Unfortunately, however, I have 
 no clue to their i^resent abiding place, neither do I 
 know their proper names, for they were known on 
 the plains as, Pat, Short-cake Henry, Legs, English, 
 Mc Cabe and Tarantula Jack. 
 
82 NARRATIVE 
 
 When bedtime arrived some blankets and robes 
 were laid ux)on the groimd, under one of the wag- 
 ons, and a large piece of canvas was then spread 
 over the wagon and fastened to the wheels ; thus 
 making a very snug tent, where we slept warm and 
 comfortable. 
 
 The next morning after breakfast, we proceeded 
 on our way, but the wind was still so strong that 
 we traveled but a few miles, and then camped again 
 in a ravine. There was no water near, and as we 
 did not want to dispense with "our coffee," some 
 snow, that had fallen during the night, was gather- 
 ed and melted, the grass and sand which adhered 
 to it, not injuring the flavor of the coffee. 
 
 The following day we reached a small valley, or. 
 rather a meadow, containing several pools of stand- 
 ing, alkaline water, which are known to hunters and 
 bordermen generally, as Willow SiDnngs. They are 
 situated about fifteen miles north of Fort Wallace. 
 
 A few hundred yards from the springs, one of the 
 hunters shot a huge male buffalo that was alone on 
 the bluff-side browsing. So here we concluded to 
 camp until the weather became calm. 
 
 One of our men, not using proi)er caution while 
 starting a fire for cooking purposes, came very near 
 causing the death of the whole j)arty. The grass 
 around us being rank and dry, it ignited immedi- 
 ately, and fanned by the strong wind, the flames 
 almost surrounded us before we could comprehend 
 
TRAVELS. 83 
 
 our situation. The horses had not been unhitched, 
 and si^ringing into the wagons, the terrified beasts 
 bore us rapidly away. 
 
 On, and on we went, the fire gaining upon us all 
 the time, while the prairie and meadow behind us, 
 now appeared like a great, rolling wave of hissing, 
 rushing, roaring flame. Shortly the fire curled up 
 around the wagons, and in a few minutes more, the 
 horses were bounding through the fire. 
 
 At this juncture, one of the hunters exclaimed: 
 "Look out for the powder!" and the fright and 
 confusion that followed, can not well be described. 
 The powder was carried for reloading the metallic 
 cartridge-shells for the breech-loading rifles, and 
 there was a quantity of it in the wagons. 
 
 One of the men, having more presence of mind 
 than the rest of us, turned the horses, with some 
 difficulty, and drove them back on to the burned 
 district, where we were comparatively safe. Not 
 having taken any of the utensils out of the wagons, 
 nothing was destroyed by the fire. But the horses 
 were severely scorched, and we were all well singed 
 upon the hands and face. 
 
 As the fire started some distance from where the 
 buffalo was shot, and as the wind was coming in 
 the right direction to carry the flames still further 
 away, the animal was not scorched in the least. 
 
 After pulling up some grass, and burning a space 
 around us, in order to have a bare place, and con- 
 
84 NARRATI VE 
 
 sequently a safe one, to camp on, the buffalo was 
 skinned and the choice parts of the meat secured. 
 
 All night long the fire raged around us, and for 
 miles the plains appeared like a mighty sea of fiery- 
 billows, that illuminated the earth and sky with a 
 fearful, yet majestic glare. Wa.tch was kej^t during 
 the night, lest after all our precautions, the wind 
 changing, would drive the fire upon us from some 
 other direction. For a day after, the air was black 
 and stifling, and our course was strewn with the 
 bones of animals that had fallen a prey to the fire. 
 
 Wood was very scarce all along the way, and fre- 
 quently, we did not see a particle in a day's travel. 
 But "buffalo-chips" could be found in gi'eat abun- 
 dance, and they were an excellent substitute, for a 
 hotter and more lasting fire could be made with 
 them than could be produced with wood. 
 
 I can remember of seeing but one fair-sized tree, 
 or part of one rather, between Fort Wallace and 
 the Kepublican. Just before reaching the Willow 
 Springs, we came to the trunk of a large tree des- 
 titute of bark and branches, and standing alone on 
 the prairie. 
 
 The buffaloes had resorted to this old land-mark 
 for years, as a means of relief from fleas, and it was 
 worn as smooth as glass where the monsters had 
 rubbed their shaggy sides against it. There were 
 numerous buffalo-trails leading from the streams, 
 many miles distand, to this old trunk. The trails 
 
TRAVELS. 85 
 
 had been worn to a depth of ten and twelve feet. 
 
 During* the next few days we traveled over a sec- 
 tion of the American Desert, after which we came 
 to a very beautiful prairie country, abounding with 
 buffaloes, antelope, wolves and prairie-dogs. 
 
 No more buffaloes were killed than were deemed 
 necessary for j^resent use, as the hunters were on 
 their way to the Republican River in order to get 
 some hides which they had left there to dry, when 
 on the previous hunt. 
 
 The country on all sides of us, swarmed with the 
 bison. So great were their numbers, that at times, 
 the plains, for miles in extent, were covered with 
 immense herds of the animals ; and the dust caused 
 by the thousands of restless hoofs, arose around 
 them like a cloud. At times we were obliged to halt 
 and let them pass us, for in their wild, unwavering 
 gallops they were liable to crush us beneath their 
 23onderous hoofs. 
 
 It was now about the middle of April, and the 
 storm being over, the sun made its appearance, to 
 the great delight of our little party. The grass 
 soon began to sprout, the first delicate blossoms of 
 spring pushed forth, the birds fluttered about with 
 loud and joyous melodies and all Nature seemed to 
 rejoice at the change. 
 
 To the lover of Nature, a feeling of mingled sad- 
 ness and pleasure is experienced by the effect of a 
 sunset on the prairies. The golden beams stream 
 
86 NARRATIVE 
 
 along tiie surface of the ever waving grass and tinge 
 it with a gorgeous hue, as the great orb of clechn- 
 ing day buries itself in the distant ocean of bound- 
 less ether. Then slowly the face-like moon seems 
 to emerge from the eastern horizon, and proceeds 
 along the starry sky. 
 
 Soon the solemnity of night prevails. The notes 
 of warbling birds are no longer heard, and the buffa- 
 loes and antelope are at rest. There is no moving 
 to and fro of the hunter, or stampeding of the start- 
 led herd. Occasionally, the sharp, piercing yelp of 
 the gray wolf and coyote sounds uj)on the still air, 
 but all else is silent ; Nature, like the weary traveler, 
 has ended the duties of the day, and He who never 
 sleeps watches over all. 
 
 One day we discovered three wild horses grazing 
 in a beautiful little meadow, about half a mile dis- 
 tant. We endeavored to get near them unobserved, 
 but they scented us, and then, with a toss of their 
 beautiful heads, bounded swiftly away, and shortly 
 after disappeared behind a ridge of grassy bluffs. 
 
 They v/ere perfect beauties, jet black and glossy, 
 with mane and tail almost touching the ground. It 
 was a grand sight to see them gallox^ing over the 
 green prairies and sloxDes at a speed that bid defi- 
 ance to all pursuers. 
 
 One night we camped in a very large and deep 
 cavity, which had the appearance of having been 
 formed by volcanic eruption at some remote period 
 
TRAVELS. 87 
 
 of time. The place is known to hunters and trap- 
 pers as "OTallon's Camp," and as it is close to the 
 old "Starvation Trail," it very likely received that 
 name from some adventurous guide, while escorting 
 a company of emigrants across the plains, in the 
 early days of immigration to California. 
 
 While approaching the place, we were almost sur- 
 rounded by an immense herd of buffaloes, which, 
 owing to its size, and a number of little calves that 
 were with it, made very slow progress, and we were 
 obliged to stop and let it pass. 
 
 The time for camping, in the evening, was hailed 
 with delight, for then we could rest from the march 
 and have a good time around the camp fire. Warm 
 as the day may be, on the plains, the night air is 
 cool and bracing. 
 
 Our camp was always pitched in the same general 
 position, on the aj)proach of evening, and the duty 
 of frying meat, making coffee and baking bread was 
 about the same at each camp. 
 
 In some places, along our route, the ground was 
 strewn with the carcasses of bison that had been 
 slain merely for their hides. I have seen the plains, 
 for miles on every hand, so thickly strewn with dead 
 buffaloes that it was difficult to travel with a team. 
 Sometimes the hunters will decoy and follow up a 
 large herd for days, finally slaying the last animal. 
 
 When they desire to shoot a number of buffaloes, 
 they first kill a few of the females, when the rest 
 
88 NARRATIVE 
 
 of the herd generally crowd around the fallen ones, 
 bellowing and moaning in a manner painful to hear. 
 The hunters then lie concealed in the grass, and 
 shoot them down at leasure. In this way, one man 
 often kills fifty buffaloes before he lises from his 
 place of ambush. 
 
 So long as the game does not see the foe, or scent 
 him, it will linger about the dead and wounded com- 
 panions. For meat, young cows are singled out of 
 a herd, and after securing the tongue, a part of one 
 of the hind-quarters, and perhaps a piece of liver, 
 the rest is left for the wolves and vultures. 
 
 No little danger is incurred while hunting. At 
 times, a herd will suddenly become frightened, and 
 dashing away in a moment, will crush both hunters 
 and horses beneath their feet. In a close encount- 
 er, the hunter, after seeing his game fall, retires to 
 a safe distance, in order to avoid the terrible death 
 lunge which a badly wounded bison seldom fails to 
 make, for, although the animal may fall at the first 
 sh(5t, it generally regains its feet before dropping 
 in death. 
 
 Although I have seen many thousands of bison, 
 and wasted no small amount of lead and patience 
 upon them, I never saw one drop under my aim. I 
 could kill a squirrel or a rabbit, and even a duck on 
 the wave, T;\dth a rifle or revolver, but I could not 
 bring down a buffalo at a distance of one hundred 
 yards, as I could not strike them in the heart. 
 
TRAVELS. 89 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 In the far-away land, where the buffaloes roam, 
 Where balmy winds fan the plains of the west ; 
 
 'Mid lovely flowers, of many hues. 
 They laid the Indian maiden to rest. 
 
 Where merry birds, with brightest wings, 
 
 Sing their songs above her grave, 
 And the moonbeam's calm and pearly rays, 
 
 With weeping-willows, o'er it wave. 
 
 A. H. G. 
 
 THE REPUBLICAN RIVER AND VALLEY— AN INDIAN MAIDEN'S 
 GRAVE AMONG THE BRANCHES OF A WEEPING WILLOW — 
 MEDITATIONS— SNOW WATER AS A LUXURY— THE SINGULAR 
 EFFECTS OF MIRAGE ON THE PLAINS — PANGS OF HUNGER — 
 EATING RAW MEAT— THE SMOKY HILL RIVER. 
 
 About noon of the last day's travel, our eager 
 eyes beheld the high bluffs on the north bank of the 
 Republican River, and upon going a little further, 
 the course of the river could be traced by the belt 
 of timber and shrubbery that grew upon its banks. 
 
 Soon we could see the water sparkling in the sun, 
 and appearing in the distance, like a mere thread of 
 silver, when a shout of joy and thankfulness arose 
 from our thirsty, jaded little company. 
 
 At the river we found three other hunters who 
 had been left to take care of the hides which we 
 were in quest of. The names of the new members 
 were Tarantula Jack, Legs and English. They had 
 
90 NARRATIVE 
 
 built themselves a rude hut on a hill-side, both for 
 a dwelling place, and as a means of protection from 
 the Indians. 
 
 The Eepublican at this point is both narrow and 
 shallow, although it amply waters a lovely little 
 valley, the green grass, budding flowers, trees and 
 vines of which, formed a pleasing contrast to some 
 of the dry, dusty plains we had traversed. 
 
 In the bosom of this beautiful, secluded valley, 
 where the river formed a semi-circle, inclosing a 
 charming, grass-covered plat of ground, stood a 
 solitary weeping- willow tree, in whose branches had 
 been placed the dead body of a young Sioux Indian 
 woman, in accordance with one of their modes of 
 disposing of the dead. 
 
 The tree stood within a few feet of the river's 
 edge, and the drooping branches almost, touched 
 the bright, rippling water. 
 
 My companions were some distance away, and as 
 I stood there alone, wdth nothing to mar my medi- 
 tations and the solemn calm that prevailed, save the 
 low, pleasent murmur of the peaceful river as it 
 flowed on its lonely course, I was strangely impress- 
 ed with the idea of ^ death in this enchanting oasis, 
 far from the din, contention and vexation of the 
 world, and of a grave among the green boughs of 
 a drooping-willow, with the bright sunshine, spark- 
 ling water and singing birds for companions. 
 
 The eagles and vultures had visited the body 
 
TRAVELS. 91 
 
 sometime before, and scattering the bones on the 
 ground beneath the tree, left them for the wolves 
 to pick, and the sun to bleach. At the foot of the 
 tree, among the bones, I found a small buckskin 
 bag containing some sugar, also a bunch of black 
 thread. The Indians had deposited these articles 
 with the body. 
 
 As I turned to leave the spot, with sadness and 
 awe, it occurred to my mind that the finely bleached 
 and symmetrically formed skull would be far better 
 preserved among my Indian mementos, than in the 
 Valley of the Republican, where it would be crush- 
 ed by the ponderous hoofs of the buffaloes ; but I 
 left it where I found it, believing that if its late im- 
 mortal tenant could express its wish, it would be to 
 leave it to crumble to dust on the moss-grown bank 
 of the peaceful river. 
 
 The bluffs in the vicinity of the river, were al- 
 most constantly thronged with buffaloes going to 
 and from the water, and the hunters would lie in 
 the grass and shoot them at pleasure. 
 
 After resting a few days, the buffalo-hides were 
 placed u]3on the wagons, when we started to return 
 to Fort Wallace. Leaving the Repubhcan behind 
 us with regret, we started to cross the monotonous 
 expanse of prairies, sand-hills, bluffs and ravines 
 that lay in our course. . 
 
 The weather, during the day, was now warm and 
 sultry, and when we arrived at O 'Fallon's Camp, I 
 
92 NARRATIVE 
 
 filled the water-kegs with snow, which I found in 
 the deep gorges that were protected from the snn 
 by over-hanging rocks and shrubbery; and while 
 it lasted, we had a luxury rare and refreshing. 
 
 The mirage on the AVestern Prairies is a singular 
 phanomenon, which might be termed Nature's art 
 of photography. This illusion is caused by the re- 
 flection of the sun's rays upon objects remote from 
 the place where the mirage portrays them. 
 
 Towns, mountains, forests, lakes and rivers are 
 often seen in the veil-like, waving halo that limits 
 the scope of sight, and aj)pears like the white glow 
 of intense heat rising from the earth. 
 
 No matter how long the traveler may journey in 
 the direction of the objects pictured, he will never 
 reach them, and they will appear no nearer than 
 when he first noticed them. Many men have died 
 from the indescribable agony of thirst, while hunt- 
 ing the sheet of pure, transparent water that the 
 false, fascinating mirage had represented to them. 
 
 On account of the intense transparency of the 
 atmosphere on the plains, objects can be seen at an 
 almost incredible distance. A band of Indians, or 
 a herd of buffalo can be distinguished, on a clear 
 day, at a distance of twenty and thirty miles. A 
 ridge of bluffs that may apjDcar to be no more than 
 ten miles distant, is frequently three times as far. 
 At Willow Springs, thirteen miles from the Kansas 
 Pacific Eailroad, I plainly saw the cars running on 
 
TRAVELS. 93 
 
 the track, and could readily distinguish the engine 
 from the other cars, as well as see the smoke rising 
 from the stack. 
 
 The ever snow-capped Pike's Peak, in Colorado, 
 can be seen from the Kansas Pacific Railroad, at a 
 point eighty miles distant, towering grandly among 
 the fleecy clouds, from which at first sight, it is dif- 
 ficult to recognize it. It can also be seen from the 
 Platte River, at a distance of over a hundred miles. 
 
 When about sixty miles from Fort Wallace, we 
 found ourselves short of provisions, owing to negli- 
 gence on the part of the hunter whose duty it was 
 to lay in the supplies, and as we were in a section 
 of country where game was very scarce, the pangs 
 of hunger soon commenced to be keenly felt. 
 
 Troubles, it is said, never come singly, and this 
 was our experience. In addition to the low state of 
 our stores, and the scarcity of game, we lost the 
 trail, and after traveling for miles in various direc- 
 tions, at random, the horse-feed became exhausted, 
 just as we were about entering upon a sandy desert 
 destitute of grass. As a natural consequence of the 
 new misfortune, the over-burdened horses became 
 weak, and therefore, could travel but slowly. 
 
 When the flour was all used, and the last piece 
 of bread was dealt out, our prospects were gloomy. 
 One of the men divided the only remaining bread 
 into seven equal parts. This was to be shared out 
 among the six famishing persons, and after each of 
 
94 NARRATIVE 
 
 US had received a share — a piece about two inches 
 square — the seventh part remained. With one ac- 
 cord, my companions declared that, '' the stranger 
 must have it," and with all cheerfulness, the mite of 
 bread was given to me. 
 
 The hunters held out well, and seemed to find 
 relief from the gnawings of hunger, by a free use 
 of tobacco, but never having used the weed, save 
 for friendship's sake when among the Indians, I 
 could not resort to such means successfully. 
 
 For three days and nights we fasted, with the ex- 
 ception, however, that the hunters had the tobacco 
 and I retained a handful of green coffee. The last 
 piece of buffalo meat we had on the trip, we pre- 
 tended to roast on the fire, but the most of it was 
 eaten raw, for we were too hungry to be particular 
 about the cooking. 
 
 The himters became so weak and nerveless from 
 want of food, that when an occasional group of an- 
 telope or buffaloes made its appearance, they were 
 unable to shoot accurately enough to kill any. 
 
 One night, toward the end of the journey, two of 
 the horses wandered away, and thus put a stop to 
 our traveling for a time. Finally, we concluded to 
 push on to Willow Springs with one team, where I 
 remained with it, while the hunters started out in 
 different directions in search of the lost horses. 
 
 I remained alone all day, and taking one of the 
 rifles and some cartridges, I searched the prairies 
 
TRAVELS. 95 
 
 and bluffs for a buffalo or an antelope, but in vain. 
 
 In the evening the hunters returned with the 
 missing horses, and the next day we reached the 
 little town of Wallace, on the Kansas Pacific Rail- 
 road, three miles from Fort Wallace. 
 
 Soon after arriving, we proceeded to the Kail- 
 road House, where we did justice to the ample 
 meal that had been prepared for us. 
 
 Daring our long and painful fast of three days 
 and nights, my companions bore up well, and were 
 even cheerful and in good spirits ; but with me it 
 was otherwise. After giving me the last mouthful 
 of bread, they doubtless, through kindness for me, 
 endeavored to cheer and encourage me, by hiding 
 all evidences of their own suffering. 
 
 Toward the end of the journey, the gnawings of 
 hunger were keenly felt by me, and the singular 
 optical illusion of an abundance of food and the 
 actual ceremony of feasting at a table filled with 
 luxuries, were most vividly presented to my eyes 
 and mind by an influence that I am unable to ac- 
 count for. 
 
 I could see my mother at home frying meat, and 
 I imagined that I saw the fat bubbling up in the 
 pan, and smelled the tempting odor of the meat. I 
 had always been very fond of apple-dumplings, and 
 (according to my way of seeing things at that time) 
 huge piles of them were lying upon the desert. 
 
 One day, while in New York City, I noticed in 
 
96 NARRATIVE 
 
 one of the markets, a German woman selling batter- 
 cakes, and now, in my singular condition of mind, I 
 fancied m} self eating batter-cakes without number. 
 I distinctly remember of making a a^ow to myself, 
 that if I ever reached civilization again, I would 
 have a woman to bake cakes for me from morning 
 till night. 
 
 The cause of these singular freaks of the mind, 
 was probably due to the pangs of hunger and the 
 weakness of the general system, brought on by the 
 
 • want of food. 
 
 Before going further west, I visited the Smoky 
 Hill River. This stream received its name from 
 the presence of a veil of dim and dream}^ vapor, 
 which during the summer, continually hangs over 
 the river and surrounding mounds. 
 
 The vicinity of this river, at certain times of the 
 year, is a favorite hunting-ground of the Cheyenne, 
 Pawnee and Sioux Indians, it being an excellent 
 buffalo range. Here the Indians also catch many 
 wild horses by means of the lasso. 
 
 I visited the river alone, and all Nature seemed 
 wrapped in a serene repose that was most delight- 
 ful to one who loves the sweet calm of Nature's 
 solitude. The birds sang merril}' over my head, the 
 peaceful river glided noiselessly along and the wind 
 
 , was soft and balmy, but at times, assumed a deeper 
 tone, and rustled through the foliage in strains as 
 mournful as those of an ^olian harp. 
 
TRAVELS. 97 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 I hear the tread of pioneers 
 
 Of nations yet to be ; 
 The first low wash of waves where soon 
 
 Shall roll a human sea, 
 
 I hear the far-off voyager's horn ; 
 
 1 see the Yankee's trail — 
 His foot on every mountain-pass, 
 
 On every stream his sail. 
 
 Uehind the scared squaw's birch canoe, 
 
 The steamer smokes and raves. 
 And city lots are staked lor sale 
 
 Above old Indian graves. 
 
 Whittier. 
 
 MOrXTATN SCENERY IN' COLORADO— THE CACTUS PLAXT ON" ITS 
 NATIVE SOIL — A LONELY JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDS— 
 "roughing it" — HOW THE BUFFALOES DIMINISH— THE UTE 
 INDIAN— MODE OF SACRIFICING INDIAN PONIES— EMIGRANTS 
 IN CAMP— LOST ON THE PRAIRIES AT NIGHT— CHICAGO— A 
 SCHOOL FOR THE STUDY OF HUMAN NATURE— THE MISSOURI 
 RIVER COUNTRY— A BEAUTIFUL LAND— I VISIT THE SIOUX— 
 A FRIENDLY SQUAW— RUDENESS OF THE ARICKARKES. 
 
 From Fort Wallace I went to Denver, and then 
 down to Colorado Springs and the Garden of the 
 Gods, at the foot of Pike's Peak ; finally reaching 
 Pueblo by way of the Denver & Eio Grande Rail- 
 road, and the old Santa Fe wagon-trail, which runs 
 along the base of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 The mountain scenery in Colorado is very grand. 
 
98 NARRATIVE 
 
 Beautiful streams of clear, sparkling water, fed by 
 the ever snow-capped peaks, dizzy heights, fearful 
 precipices and mighty cataracts, meet the eye on 
 every side. 
 
 Along the foot of the mountains, in this section, 
 is to be found a species of the tall, branching cac- 
 tus, covering vast tracts of land. I found many of 
 the stalks from four to eight feet in height. This 
 plant, like the sage-brush and prickly-pear, is gen 
 erally found in sandy, barren places, and does not 
 thrive well if removed to a more fertile locality. 
 
 I procured some of the cactus seed, and sent it 
 on to Mr. Joseph "Windolph, a florist of Marietta, 
 Pennsylvania. This gentleman succeeded in rais- 
 ing a healthy stalk, but upon being transplanted, it 
 drooi)ed and died, the soil not being suitable for it. 
 
 From the old Mexican town, of Pueblo I started 
 for Sargent, Kansas, which was then the terminus 
 of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Eailroad, one 
 hundred and fifty miles distant. My route was 
 along the banks of the Arkansas River, and I made 
 the journey alone, armed only with a revolver. 
 
 At times, I subsisted upon rabbits which I shot 
 along the way and roasted upon forked sticks ; and 
 occasionally I found a lone ranchman, when I was 
 always kindly received and hospitably entertained. 
 
 One day, after having walked about a week, I 
 reached a solitary log hut, and, to my great aston- 
 ishment, I saw through tlie open door, a white - 
 
TRAVELS. 99 
 
 woman making bread, and a baby quietly sleeping 
 in its cradle. Such a domestic scene I never ex- 
 pected to see in a country which was still the home 
 of the Indians and buffaloes. 
 
 Her husband w^as hunting game, or performing 
 some other pioneer duty, but the good wife warmly 
 welcomed me, and was as much pleased and sur- 
 l^rised to see a white face as I was. She did not 
 appear to fear the Indians, and judging by a huge 
 revolver that was lying in the room, I supposed 
 she would have shown battle, had they attempted 
 to molest her or her household. 
 
 For miles along the river, between Bent's Fort 
 and Fort Lyon, the ground was strewn with thous- 
 ands of dead buffaloes that had been killed during 
 the previous winter merely for their hides, wliich 
 at Fort Dodge, were worth two dollars apiece. 
 
 At the time of my journey, the spring of 1873, 
 the Arkansas Valley was an unsettled district, and 
 the roaming ground of the Cheyenne, Araj^ahoe 
 and Ute Indians ; but a marvelous change has been 
 wrought since that time. The red men have gone 
 further into the interior, the locomotive now thun- 
 ders through the country from the Missouri to the 
 Eio Grande, and the grazing-ground of the bison 
 has been turned into wheat fields. 
 
 One day I met a Mexican riding upon a mustang 
 pony, and coming U}) to me, he addressed me in 
 Mexican and asked me for some tobacco. Unable 
 
100 NARRATIVE 
 
 to accommodate him, and disliking his countenance, 
 I bade him adieu and started to leave him. But he 
 detained me, and then tried to take my over-coat, 
 which I carried on my arm. 
 
 Becoming indignant at this, I looked straight in- 
 to his glittering, snake-like eyes, and gave him to 
 imderstand that one Mexican could not well take 
 my coat. He then rode a^vay, and I resumed my 
 journey unmolested. 
 
 One evening I noticed some object on the roof 
 of a log hut, near 'the river. Approaching it, I saw 
 that it was an Indian sleeping. The house had 
 been deserted sometime before, and the Indian was 
 a member of a large band of Utes w^ho had crossed 
 the river shortly before my arrival. 
 
 I climbed upon the roof, and after a short con- 
 versation, by means of signs, I shook hands with 
 him and then proceeded on my way. 
 
 In a little while, I came to the deserted camp of 
 the Indians. The fires were still smoking, show- 
 ing that the Utes had left but a short time before. 
 They had tortured a pony before leaving camp, and 
 I found it still alive and suffering terribly. 
 
 The flesh had been cut away from the lower jaw% 
 so that the bone was exposed. Three wooden pins, 
 about a foot in length, had been forced through 
 the neck, and held in position by a piece of raw- 
 hide rope firmly tied around the throat. When I 
 neared the pony, it strove violently, and groaned 
 
TRAVELS. 101 
 
 "with agony. I could have shot the poor creature, 
 and reheved it from misery, but I feared the report 
 of my revolver would bring a party of Indians up- 
 on me. 
 
 As I turned to leave, the animal moved its head 
 and moaned piteously, as though asking me to helj) 
 it. So I cut the thong and loosened the pins, this 
 being all I could do in safety, and then proceeded 
 on my lonely way. 
 
 At Sand Creek, near Fort Lyon, I passed the 
 spot where Mrs. Clara Blynn and her little baby 
 boy w^ere captured by the Cheyenne Indians, in 
 1868, after the savages had killed most of the men 
 belonging to the company of emigrants, of which 
 Mrs. Blynn and child were members. 
 
 The captives were talien by Santana's party, and 
 carried to a Kiowa Indian village on the Washita 
 Eiver. After suffering terribly at the hands of the 
 savages, the mother and babe were killed by their 
 cruel captors just as the late General Custer and 
 his men charged upon the Indian camp. 
 
 While in Ottawa, Kansas, in the spring of 1878, 
 I met Mrs. Blynn 's parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. F. 
 Harrington, and a sad and heart-rending account 
 of the affair was given me by the aged and heart- 
 broken parents. After the Indians fled from their 
 village, the soldiers found Mrs. Blynn and her boy 
 lying dead among the bodies of some of the fallen 
 savages. Although the soldiers had a battle with 
 
102 NARRATIVE 
 
 the Indians while Mrs. Blynn was in the camp, it 
 was not supposed that she was accidentally shot by 
 the troops, but was killed by the Indians because 
 they could not bear her away in the flight. 
 
 Major Elliott and liis companions found the two 
 bodies lying close together, and after some prej^ar- 
 ation, tenderly carried them to one of the garrisons, 
 where, in one grave, the young mother and child 
 peacefully sleep. 
 
 While on this march I came to a camp of return- 
 ing Arkansas emigrants, who had stopped for a few 
 days' rest. They greeted me with genuine border 
 hospitality, and as I was travel-worn and weary, I 
 concluded to sto]3 with them a day or two and rest. 
 
 In the party was a boy about sixteen years old, a 
 bright, handsome young fellow, a good hunter and 
 one of the best marksmen I ever saw. We soon 
 became warm friends, and together, we had some 
 fine hunts. The river and prairie sloughs, in the 
 vicinity, w^re alive with wild geese and ducks, and 
 we could lie in the grass and shoot them at will. 
 
 I started for the settlement, about ten miles dis- 
 tant, one evening, thinking I would have no trouble 
 in finding the way. I was greatly mistaken in that, 
 however, and on the approach of darkness, I wan- 
 dered among the disagreeable alkaline sloughs and 
 became utterl}^ confused, not knowing which way to 
 turn, or in what direction the settlement was. 
 
 The sky was cloudy and threatening, and soon 
 
TRAVELS. 103 
 
 the darkness of night came upon me. At times, I 
 could not see ten steps ahead of me, save when the 
 passing clouds momentarily permitted the rays of 
 the moon to illuminate my dismal surroundings. 
 
 Sometimes, while groping through the tall and 
 tangled grass, I would stumble into a j)ond with a 
 loud splash, and the mingled caclding, shrieking 
 and flapping of wings of the hundreds of ducks and 
 geese that were frightened, broke upon the silent 
 night air with a horrid and gloomy sound. 
 
 Hoping to attract the attention of the emigrants 
 I had left, I discharged my revolver several times, 
 but no answermg salute was given, the emigrants 
 probably fearing an Indian ambuscade. At every 
 discharge of my pistol (my true and only compan- 
 ion on many a journey in the western wilds) flocks 
 of ducks and geese arose from their resting place 
 in great fright and confusion. 
 
 At last, after wandering about till after midnight, 
 I espied, in the distance, the faint glow of a dying 
 camp fire. I j^roceeded toward it immediately, and 
 upon reaching it, I found myself at the camp of the 
 emigrants I had left a few hours before. 
 
 After building up the fire, I dried my . clothes, 
 which had become drenched with water, and then, 
 after taking a cup of hot coffee, I retired to one of 
 the wagons, in which I slept soundly till morning. 
 
 The next day I reached Sargent, and after a short 
 stay there, I proceeded on to Chicago, by way of 
 
104 NARRATIVE 
 
 Emporia, Topeka, Atchison, Quincy and Galesburg. 
 
 Chicago, situated on the southwestern shore of 
 Lake Michigan, is one of the most extraordinary 
 evidences of American growth and development in 
 the country. Chicago is said to be a Pottawatomie 
 Indian word, meaning "the place of a skunk." 
 
 The site of the j^resent city was mentioned by a 
 Frenchman named Perrot, w^ho visited the spot, a 
 low marsh at the time, in 1671. The Government 
 erected Fort Dearborn there in 1803, but it was de- 
 stroyed by the Indians in 1812. In the year 1832 
 Chicago contained but a few families, now it is a 
 great and growing city, containing half a million 
 souls. In commercial importance, it ranks as the 
 third or fourth city in the Union, but for business 
 energy, rapid growth and all that is known by the 
 term "fast," Chicago probably outstrips all other 
 cities in the country. 
 
 Chicago is the largest wheat and live-stock mart 
 in the world, as well as the greatest railroad center. 
 It is estimated that about four hundred trains of 
 cars enter and leave the city daily. 
 
 There is j^robably no better place for reading the 
 human face — that printed index of the heart and 
 mind — than on the crowded, bustling streets of a 
 great city. Here the various forms of character 
 and disposition are most strikingly j^ortrayed ; the 
 kind and the unkind, the proud and the humble, 
 the merry and the sad, the charitable and the uu- 
 
TRAVELS. ](J5 
 
 charitable, are all mingled together in one moving, 
 striving mass, triiveling, apparently, unconsciously 
 and thoughtlessly, toward one goal — the grave ! 
 
 After remaining several weeks in Chicago, I went 
 to Des Moines, and thence to Yankton, Dakota, at 
 which place I embarked in the steamboat Miner for 
 Fort Lincoln and Bismarck, about eight hundred 
 miles distant, by the course of the ever winding 
 Missouri River, though by land, the distance is not 
 much more than half as far. 
 
 We were two weeks in making the voyage, and 
 being the month of July, the mosquitoes were very 
 annoying. The officers and soldiers at the military 
 stations along the way, wore buckskin gloves, and 
 upon their hats and caps they had small hoops, to 
 which were fastened a piece of thin gauze, covering 
 the face and neck, thus securing protection against 
 the insects. 
 
 The boat was in charge of Captain Kelley and 
 Mr. Tim Burleigh, old Pennsylvanians and compe- 
 tent steamboat men. 
 
 The Missouri River, in many respects, is one of 
 the greatest and most interesting streams in the 
 world. It is the main feeder of the Mississippi, 
 after flowing in a very circuitous course for a dis- 
 tance of over three thousand miles, and draining 
 all of the country between the eastern base of the 
 Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River divide. 
 
 The Missouri rises in the mountains of northwest 
 
lOG NARRATIVE 
 
 Montana, and its principal tributaries t^-e the Yel- 
 low Stone, Little Missouri, Cheyenne, White Earth, 
 Niobrara, Platte and Kansas Eivers. These secon- 
 dary streams obtain their volume from the Tongue, 
 Big Horn, Powder, Ponca, Loup Fork, Smoky Hill 
 and Republican Rivers, and they, in turn, are fed 
 by hundreds of creeks and rivulets. 
 
 All this vast ramification of water has been most 
 judiciously^ distributed over the land of the mighty 
 West by a kind Providence, and at once proclaims 
 the lovely, blooming prairies to be a suitable home 
 for many of the inhabitants of the crowded East. 
 
 Along the Missouri, in Dakota and Nebraska, are 
 fine forests of cotton-wood, box-elder and willow. 
 Shortly after leaving the river, however, the open 
 prairie is reached, where no timber is found, except 
 along the creeks and ravines. In some places, the 
 treeless prairies and bluffs reach the river's brink, 
 forming grand and picturesque lawns and uj)lands, 
 all covered, during the summer months, with wild 
 flowers and blossoms of the most beautiful hues. 
 
 The time can not be very far distant, when the 
 settler's substantial cabin, his fields of wheat, herds 
 of cattle and flocks of sheep, will be seen on this 
 vast expanse of sea-like monotony. Surely, if there 
 are anywhere, inviting farms and homes for many 
 of the- poor and oppressed of the densely crowded 
 communities, they are to be found on the luxuriant 
 prairies of the Far West. 
 
TRAVELS. 107 
 
 Cannon Ball River, a tributary of the Missouri, 
 is very pure and clear, and retains its own transpar- 
 ency for some distance after joining the muddy and 
 turbulent receptacle. It received its name from the 
 singular fact that its shores are lined with almost 
 perfectly round stones resembling cannon balls. 
 
 On the Missouri, between Yankton and Bismarck, 
 are situated Forts Randall, Sully, Pierre, Rice and 
 Lincoln. The Indian agencies and trading posts, 
 between the two points, are known as the Santee, 
 Yankton, Crow Creek, Brule, Cheyenne, Grand and 
 Standing Rock. 
 
 Most of the forts and agency buildings are con- 
 structed of native chalk-stone, and standing upon 
 the bluffs overlooking the surrounding country for 
 miles, they present a very imposing appearance. 
 
 The officers of the boat were very kind and ac- 
 commodating to me ; I remember Mr. A. Chapman, 
 one of the crew, w^ith respect, for many courtesies 
 and attentions shown me. 
 
 Sometimes, when landing for wood, or to leave 
 freight for the Government posts, I would go on 
 shore to visit the Indians and see the coimtry, ac- 
 companied by Mr. Chapman, who was thoroughly 
 • acquainted with the country and its wild, nomadic 
 inhabitants. 
 
 As we steamed up the river, between its narrow 
 fringes of cotton-wood and willow, we could see 
 Indian life in most all of its various phases, and a 
 
108 NARRATIVE 
 
 strange and vivid contrast was presented between 
 the savage life on shore, and the steam conveyance 
 of civiHzation jDloughing its way through the water, 
 and carrying its evidences of the white man's en- 
 hghtenment and power. 
 
 On the bhiffs, just back of the river, as well as 
 in the timber along the banks, could be seen Indian 
 scaffolds, and hundreds of them were scattered all 
 along the way. The corj^ses had been placed up- 
 on these scaffoldings according to the customary 
 Sioux mode, and the red, blue and gray blankets 
 in which the bodies had been wrajDj^ed, could be 
 readily distinguished. 
 
 I was eager to go ashore sometimes, and examine 
 some of the deposits, but the officers of the boat 
 would not allow me to do so, as they feared the ire 
 of the Indians. The Sioux sometimes fire upon the 
 j^assing boats, and great care is therefore taken by 
 the officers to give them as little cause for hostility 
 as possible. 
 
 "We frequently passed Indian villages scattered 
 for miles along the river, and hundreds of the in- 
 habitants would watch us for hours, as we glided 
 around the bends of the ever-winding stream. At 
 times, they would follow us along the shore for a 
 distance of five and ten miles, demanding pay for 
 wood which we had obtained on the shore, for the 
 wood-yards were few and far apart. 
 
 One dav I noticed several Sioux bovs crawlinof 
 
TRAVELS. 109 
 
 along the river bank with bows and arrows in their 
 hands, and nj^on observing them closer, I saw that 
 they were watching three ducks on the river. As 
 our boat would have frightened the game before 
 the Indians could get a fair shot at it, I raised my 
 trusty revolver and fired. Two of the ducks arose 
 and flew away, but the third was fished out of the 
 water by the gratified Indians, and with many un- 
 couth evidences of thanks to the wdiite man, they 
 climbed to the top of the steep bank, where they 
 had a dance. 
 
 The boat stopped nearly a day at the Cheyenne 
 River Indian Agency, and in the mean time, I went 
 to a large village of Ogallala, UnkjDapa and Minne- 
 conjon Sioux, situated about three miles from the 
 agency. As I neared the camj), I noticed a number 
 of Indians running about in great excitement, and 
 I became much alarmed, for I did not know but 
 that they' were preparing to receive the lone visitor 
 with murderous intent. But, as I learned shortly 
 after, they were preparing to jDursue a herd of run- 
 away ponies. 
 
 At first, I was handled rather roughly by some 
 of the young men, who gave me to understand that 
 I was on dangerous ground, and that their stone 
 war-clubs were just the thing to use in putting me 
 out of the way. 
 
 I managed to get away from them, however, .by 
 seeking safety in a lodge occupied by an old squaw. 
 
110 NARRATIVE 
 
 and a girl about seventeen years of age — mother 
 and daughter I supposed. Some of the Indians 
 were about to follow me into the lodge, when the 
 old squaw, to use an expression often heard among 
 her white sisters, "gave them a piece of her mind," 
 after which they left and troubled me no further. 
 
 The young squaw was the finest type of Indian 
 beauty I ever saw ; but I trust my lady readers Tvill 
 not doubt my assertion when I state that I am not 
 near so much an admirer of female beauty, as I am 
 of female kindness of heart, mildness of voice and 
 manner, depth of mind, modesty of dress and de- 
 portment and a total absence of that loud, loose, 
 gidd3% gossiping tongue, that will ever repulse and 
 disgust, no matter what the attractions of face or 
 form may be. 
 
 The young squaw was seated on a robe when I 
 entered, ornamenting a pair of handsome leggins, 
 and upon looking up from her work, she greeted 
 me very courteously, and bade me to be seated on 
 a robe, while the old squaw, according to Indian 
 politeness when entertaining visitors, placed some 
 dried meat before me. 
 
 Before I left they presented me an ornamented 
 knife-sheath and a string of beads, as mementos of 
 my visit, and I, likewise, left them some trii%kets. 
 
 In an Arickaree Indian camp, near Fort Lincoln. 
 I was handled roughly, and some of the Indians 
 assailed me with fire-brands. 
 
TRAVELS. Ill 
 
 Previous to my visit to the Sioux Indians near 
 Cheyenne River Agency, I had very Httle experi- 
 ence with that tribe, knew but a few words of the 
 language and was a stranger among them. But I 
 have since made various journeys among the Sioux 
 of Dakota, and have learned to speak with them in 
 their own tongue, noted their customs and mode of 
 life and have made warm friends among them. 
 
 The kindness, protection and hospitality that I 
 received at their hands, when alone with them in 
 their camps, far from the power of my own people, 
 and surrounded by some of the most hostile Sioux 
 in the West, wdll ever be the basis of kindly feeling 
 and sympathy for this poor, down-trodden race. 
 
 In 1878, after returning from a two weeks' visit 
 to Spotted Tail's main camp, then on Ponca River, 
 Dakota, where I had been sent by a western jour- 
 nal, the New York Herald desired me to make an 
 expedition to Sitting Bull's tribe for the purpose of 
 furnishing letters for the paper, as well as to try to 
 bring about a treaty of peace between Sitting Bull 
 and the Government ; but Secretary Schurz, upon 
 being consulted by the Herald people, declined to 
 favor the project. He probably had more faith in 
 the efforts of the military in annihilating the tribe 
 by attempting a second '-Custer charge," than he 
 had in the efforts of a solitary man who was not a 
 stranger among the Sioux, and who knew how to 
 gain a point with them. 
 
 b 
 
112 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 To the west of Minnesota, 
 
 And beyond the silv'ry Sioux, 
 ]^ies a country called Dakota 
 
 AVliere the skies are ever blue; 
 So, stranger, come and find a home, 
 
 If fortune you pursue, 
 'Tis a glorious land of prairies grand, 
 
 And the skies forever blue. 
 
 John Brennan. 
 
 SCENES IN* lUSM.vnCK — XORTH DAKOTA — I AM STOXED BY THE 
 CHIPPEWAS — I.ODGES AX1> CANOES OK THE CHIPPEWAS — A 
 XABKOW ESCAPE FROM A WATERY GRAVE — "COME IN THE 
 HOrsE AND SEE FS" — BRAINERD— I RETURN TO MY HOME — 
 TOLEDO, CLEVELAND, ERIE, UEADIXG AND HARRISRURG — 
 A WHITE woman's CAPTIVITY AMONG THE INDIANS— THEY 
 COMPEL HER TO JOIN THEM IN THEIR WARS AGAINST THE 
 WHITES — THE DEADLY TOMAHAWK — SHE DROWNS A SQUAW 
 AND THEN ESCAPES — THE ST. LAWRENCE — OGDENSBURG — 
 THE CANADIANS — ONWARD—DAVENPORT AND DES MOINES — 
 HISTORY OF THE SIOUX INDIANS — A VOCABULARY OF THEIR 
 LANGUAGE, AND NAMES OF THEIR CHIEFS TRANSLATED. 
 
 Reaching Bismarck, I remained a few days, and 
 then started for Brainerd, Minnesota, a small town 
 'situated on the Mississippi RiVer, about a hundred 
 and fifty miles from its source. 
 
 Bismarck is situated on a fine prairie, about two 
 miles from the Missouri River. It does a lucrative 
 trade with the Black Hills, the military posts and 
 
TRAVELS. 113 
 
 i 
 
 Indian agencies. At the time of my visit the town 
 was in its infancy, and hke all border towns, it w^as 
 often the scene of strife and bloodshed. 
 
 The Tribune, now a journal of power and influ- 
 ence, had been started but a few weeks before, and 
 occuj^ied a little frame shanty, through the crevices 
 of which, it was not difficult to see daylight. 
 
 Calling at a lawyer's office, a log hut, intending 
 to have a chat with the proprietor about affairs in 
 general, I found the legal gentleman lying upon the 
 office-floor, the prairie sod, sound asleep, while the 
 client's chair, a huge buffalo skull, was lying in one 
 'corner of the hut, as though there was not a land- 
 contest to be settled. I let him sleep undisturbed. 
 
 The country traversed by the Northern Pacific 
 Railroad, in Dakota, betw^een the Missouri and the 
 Red River of the North, is grand and beautiful. 
 For a distance of forty miles, in some places, the 
 track lies upon what appears to be a perfect level. 
 These tracts stretch in every direction, and the eye 
 is lost in a halo of dreamy and ethereal space as it 
 endeavors to penetrate their dimensions. 
 
 In summer time, the face of the country appears 
 like a sea of green, waving billows, the sameness of 
 w^hich, is occasionally relieved by small groves and 
 belts of cotton-w^ood w^hich border the creeks, that 
 in the distance, appear like huge, shining serpents 
 winding through the tall grass. 
 
 AVhen these beautiful prairies of Dakota become 
 
114 NARRATIVE 
 
 more generally kn(?wn, thousands of emigrants will 
 seek no further for farms and homes after they en- 
 ter upon their lovely, productive surface. 
 
 One morning, when about fourteen miles west of 
 Brainerd, I noticed several Chippewa Indians a few 
 rods ahead of me. They soon began to stone me, 
 but as they were right in my course, I walked on, 
 managing to dodge all the stones they threw. As 
 soon as I reached them, they searched my pockets, 
 and tried to take my revolver, but I held it in my 
 hand ready for action, so they concluded to let me 
 retain it. 
 
 Only one of them was armed, his weapon being 
 an old muzzle-loading shot gun. I requested him 
 to let me examine it, which he did. I then made 
 him understand that I wanted to discharge it and 
 see if it was a good gun. At this he became very 
 angry, and told me that he had but one gun-cap. 
 
 I knew if that cap was off the gun, he would be 
 harmless, but Avith it on, he would likely use it, in 
 order to get my clothes and pistol, and then sink 
 my body in one of the neighboring lakes. So I re- 
 moved the cap from the tube, and droj^ped it into 
 the sand, and while i^retending to look for it, I was 
 careful to tramp it deeper. 
 
 They all became enraged at this, but there was 
 no remedy, and suddenly changing their demeanor, 
 they invited me to accompan^^ them to their lodges 
 in the forest : but I declined to do it, after which I 
 
TRAVELS. 115 
 
 proceeded on my way, and they soon after disap- 
 peared among the pines. 
 
 A few miles further on, I noticed a smoke in the 
 timber, and upon going up to it, I found a small 
 Chippewa camp. The only occupants at the time, 
 were a little Indian girl and a young baby. As 
 soon as the little squaw espied me, she began to 
 cry lustily, and picking up the baby, ran away and 
 hid in some bushes. 
 
 Being unable to speak a word of the Chippewa 
 language, I could not convince the child that I was 
 harmless, so I continued on my way. 
 
 I soon reached two other camps in the woods, 
 where I found the Indians living in tents made of 
 birch-bark. Several of the women were dressine: 
 deer skins and making moccasins, while the braves 
 were playing a game of chance, which very much 
 resembled the white man's game of billiards. 
 
 For a table they used a blanket spread upon the 
 ground, and for balls they substituted rifle bullets, 
 while their ramrods served as cues. 
 
 These Indians had huckle-berries in abundance, 
 standing about in birch-bark baskets, and minus 
 sugar and cream, I had a luxury delicious and re- 
 freshing. As I left the camp, I noticed an Indian 
 scalp n^ar one of the lodges, which I supposed had 
 been taken in a fight with the Sioux, some time be- 
 fore, as small bands of both tribes occasionally get 
 together, when a liattle is the result. 
 
116 ^ NARRATIVE 
 
 In a beautiful grove of pines, on the bank of the 
 Mississippi, I visited a large camp of Chijopewas, 
 and was kindly entertained by them. They had 
 secured a young pig in one of the settlements, and 
 after removing the bristles, pierced it through and 
 through with a pointed stake, and then suspended 
 it over a lire to roast, laying the stake which held 
 the pig, across the top of two forked posts. 
 
 A fine old chief invited me to remam and join 
 them at the feast, but not admiring the manner in 
 which they had dressed the pig, I declined. After 
 that, when traveling among the Indians, a lack of 
 cleanUness in the cooking arrangements was not a 
 great source of inconvenience to my appetite, for 
 hunger and an open-air life, created a relish for 
 food that untidiness in cooking could not remove. 
 
 During the summer months, these Indians sub- 
 sist prmcipally upon fish, wild ducks and berries, 
 all of wliich abound in Minnesota. In the fall and 
 winter, they gather large quantities of hazel-nuts, 
 and hunt deer, bears and other game. 
 
 The Chij)pewas make their lodges out of birch- 
 bark, instead of skins, as most Inchans do. Their 
 canoes, baskets and other implements of general 
 use, are constructed of the same material. 
 
 The light birch-bark canoe is to the Chipj)ewa 
 as useful and necessary a means of transportation 
 and travel, in his land of lakes and rivers, as the 
 Indian pony is to the Sioux of the prairie. 
 
TRAVELS. 117 
 
 The women and cliildren, like the warriors, are 
 expert with the canoe, and it is wonderful how 
 rapidly they can j^ropel it through the water with 
 a small paddle. A bark canoe that will hold three 
 persons, is so light, that a squaw will carry it for 
 miles on her head. 
 
 The Chippewas of Northern Minnesota are divi- 
 ded into bands, known as the Leech Lake, Kabbit 
 Lake, Eed Lake and Gull Lake bands. The chiefs 
 of the different bands are Bad Boy, Crossing Sky 
 and Big T>og. 
 
 One day, while alone on the bank of the Missis- 
 sippi, I resolved to try my skill at j^addling one of 
 the Lidian canoes which I found there, the owners, 
 at the time, being absent. I soon had the craft in 
 the water, but the instant I stepped into it, over it 
 went, bottom side up, and throwing me head first 
 into the river, which was deej) at the very brink. 
 
 I could not swim an inch, and how I got out, I 
 can not to this day conceive. A strange, indescri- 
 bable influence seemed to control me, and without 
 knowing by what means, I reached the shore. 
 
 I remember going down twice, and it seemed a 
 long, long time before I reached the bottom, and 
 then again arose to the surface. Like a flash my 
 childhood days came to my mind, and I fancied I 
 could see my mother at home, and hear her voice 
 as plain as I ever did. 
 
 My escape from a watery grave was miraculous, 
 
118 NARRATIVE 
 
 but He who watches over all, willed it so, and to 
 Him I owe my grateful homage. 
 
 After reaching the bank, and drawing the canoe 
 ont of the water, I proceeded to Brainerd, drench- 
 ed thoroughly, and resolving to meddle no more 
 with an Indian bark canoe. On entering the town, 
 Mr. Frank Eussel, a resident of the place, who was 
 sitting on the piazza of his house, began a conver- 
 sation with me, addressing me about as follows: 
 
 "Well, stranger, how do you find roving these 
 days'? I spent sixteen years at it before I married 
 and settled down, and I know something about it. 
 Come in the house and see us! The 'latch-string' 
 at my house always hangs on the outside for the 
 rover, and my wife has a warm place in her heart 
 for the traveler far from home." 
 
 When I last heard of Mr. Russel, he was doing 
 well, and was an engineer on the Wisconsin Cen- 
 tral Railroad. 
 
 There is a time, I believe, when the ardor of all 
 roving dispositions grows cold, and longs for home . 
 life and its comforts. A young "brother printer," 
 in North Carolina, gave me a hint in the following 
 language, as near as I now remember : 
 
 "A man never knoAvs what happiness, comfort 
 and contentment are, until he settles down, secures 
 a good, sensible wife, has a sweet little child to pet 
 when he goes home, and a rocking-chair and a pair 
 of easy slipj)ers to rest in." 
 
TRAVELS. 119 
 
 Brainerd is one of the prettiest towns, of the 
 kind, I ever visited. It is a forest town, and is en- 
 tirely surrounded by grand old pines ; even in the 
 streets and private yards, are to be seen the tall, 
 straight, evergreen sentinels. 
 
 The streets resemble well-regulated parks more 
 than business thoroughfares. The pleasant aroma 
 of the pines is ever present, and there is a pleasing 
 contrast between the cozy white dwellings and the 
 green foliage, which are so closely mingled. 
 
 Brainerd is a trading point for the Chippewas, 
 and nearly every day, there are some of them in 
 the town. In winter, they bring in game and furs, 
 and during the summer, they sell berries, fish and 
 birch-bark baskets. 
 
 Leaving Minnesota, I started for Philadelphia, 
 going by way of Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Erie 
 and Reading. 
 
 Toledo, on Maumee River, four miles from Lake 
 Erie, is one of the best lake harbors, and is largely 
 engaged in shipping and commerce. 
 
 Cleveland, like Toledo, is a lake port, and a ship- 
 building point. The city contains many factories, 
 and is a prominent railroad center. 
 
 Erie, on Lake Erie, is the only lake town of im- 
 portance in Pennsylvania. It is a busy, thriving 
 city, and does a large trade in coal and oil. 
 
 Reading, Pennsylvania, is situated on the Schuyl- 
 kill, fifty-two miles above Philadelphia, and is the 
 
120 NAKRATn'E 
 
 center of a fine farming district. The residents of 
 this locahty, are kno^Ti as the "Pennsylvania Ger- 
 mans," who are the descendants of the Germans 
 by whom that section of country was first settled. 
 These people are noted for their generosity, and 
 quiet, plain mode of life. 
 
 After remaining a short time in Pliiladelphia, I 
 went to Harrisburg, where I obtained a situation 
 on the Temperance Blessing, joublished b}^ Mr. C. L, 
 Boyer. Here I remained for six months, and then 
 went to Canada, but returned to Pennsylvania a 
 short time after. 
 
 Harrisbui'g, the capital of Pennsylvania, is finely 
 situated on the Susquehanna, and is surroimded 
 b}' beautiful river and mountain scenery. On the 
 river's bank, facing the city, is the grave of John 
 Harris, after whom the city was named. The grave 
 is inclosed by a neat iron fence, and the old trunk 
 of a huge and ancient tree, to which the Indians 
 had bound Harris, and then attempted to torture 
 him, is also within the inclosure. 
 
 About the year 1745, my father's grandmother, 
 Barbara Haehnlen, then a little girl seven years of 
 age, was captured by the Indians, on the Susque- 
 hanna, near where Harrisburg now stands. Both 
 of her parents, and one little sister, were killed. 
 The Indians bent to the ground two young trees, 
 and after tying the child to them, allowed them to 
 fiy apart, thus tearing her to pieces. 
 
TRAVELS. 121 
 
 The little girl was then placed in a canoe with 
 several Indians, and taken to the opposite shore. 
 A storm j^revailed at the time, and the child being- 
 bound and helpless, was exposed to its fury until 
 an old squaw covered her with a blanket. 
 
 As she grew older, the Indians compelled her to 
 join them in their wars against the whites, and in 
 one of their battles she received shot m her arm 
 that could never be safely removed. During one 
 of their fights with the settlers she drew a toma- 
 hawk from a white man's skull, where it had been 
 thrown with mierring aim by one of the Indians. 
 For this act she came very near losing her life. 
 
 On one occasion, after the cajotive had been a 
 number of years with the Indians, and while help- 
 ing a squaw to wash some clothes on the bank of a 
 stream, she suddenly pushed her into the water, 
 and then struck her on the head and arms with a 
 club until she sank. Eimning to the village, some 
 distance away, she informed the Indians that the 
 squaw had fallen into the river. 
 
 Taking advantage of the excitement occasioned 
 by this report, the captive escaped. For several 
 days she secreted herself in a hollow tree, that was 
 surrounded by water. The Indians followed her 
 so closely that, at times, she could hear them talk, 
 and once their dogs went up to the tree, but did 
 not discover her, as she had thrown them off her 
 trail by wading in the water. 
 
122 NARKATIVE 
 
 AVlien the savages left for camp, she crept from 
 her hiding ]3lace, and after a long and wearisome 
 journey through the wilderness, reached the white 
 settlements, having been in captivity about twenty 
 years. She 'subsequently married, and her child- 
 ren and grandchildren would often gather about 
 the huge, old-fashioned fireplace, during the long 
 winter evenings, to hear her relate her adventures 
 while a captive among the Indians. 
 
 She died in 1822, then a gray-headed woman up- 
 wards of eighty years of age, and her ashes rest in 
 the old cemetery at Petersburg, Lancaster County, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Beaching Ogdensburg, New York, on my way to 
 Canada, I crossed the St. Lawrence to Prescott, on 
 the Canadian side, and from there I proceeded to 
 Brockville by way of the Grand Trunk Railway. 
 
 Although it was the month of March, and the 
 weather was intensely cold, the river was open for 
 navigation. The St. Lawrence, owing to its great 
 depth, seldom closes entirely, even during severe 
 winters. It is a magnificent river, and on account 
 of its vastness, and the blue color of its waters, it 
 resembles the lakes, of which it is the outlet. 
 
 Ogdensburg is one of the most northern towns 
 in the state of New York, and is a prominent point 
 for travel and traffic between the United States and 
 the British Provinces. 
 
 The Canadians are a hearty, vigorous people, and 
 
TRAVELS. 128 
 
 love tlieir coimtiy. The ladies are plump and rosy, 
 good-natured and sensible, and wear thick, Avoolen 
 stockings and fur-caps. 
 
 A few months after my return from Canada. I 
 made a tour to the Indian country of Dakota, by 
 way of Chicago, Davenport, Des Moines and Fort 
 Dodge. 
 
 Davenport, on the Mississippi, at the foot of the 
 Upper Eapids, is a fine city, and a great lumber 
 market. On E-ock Island, opposite the city, is the 
 Central Armory of the United States. 
 
 Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, is situated on 
 the river which bears its name, and is one of the 
 largest and most flourishing cities in the state. 
 
 The Indians I visited were the Yankton Sioux, 
 and their camp was pleasantly located on the north 
 bank of the Missouri, sixty miles above the city of 
 Yankton, and thirty miles below Fort Randall. 
 
 In the early days of America, when the white 
 settlements were confined to the Atlantic Coast, 
 the Sioux Indians occupied what is now the states 
 of "Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, but within the 
 last half century they have been principally identi- 
 fied Avith localities further west. Father Alloue, a 
 Catholic priest, who visited a tribe of the nation 
 on the shora of Lake Superior, in 1665, was in all 
 probability, the lirst white man who ever ventured 
 to form the acquaintance of the Sioux. 
 
 In 1766, Captain Jonathan Carver, a bold and 
 
124 NARRATIVE 
 
 resolute traveler, made a lengthy tour among the 
 Sioux Indians of the then miexplored interior of 
 North America. He passed the winter of that year 
 among the Sioux, near Big Stone Lake, which now 
 forms a part of the line between Minnesota and 
 Dakota. He visited the Red Pipe-stone Quarry 
 with the Indians, during his sojourn among them, 
 and as he probably was the first white man to see 
 the Sioux Mecca, the stone would be more justly 
 known as Carverite, instead of Catlinite. 
 
 Those fearless, devoted Indian travelers, Catlin 
 and Schoolcraft, men who spent much time and 
 money traveling among the American Aborigines, 
 probably obtained a far better knowledge of their 
 general manners and customs, than any other men 
 who ever mingled among these strange, interesting 
 people of the forests and plains. 
 
 The Sioux were once known as "Naudowessie," 
 but within the last century they have assumed the 
 present appellation, which they claim was given by 
 white men. There are over twelve different tribes 
 in the Sioux Nation, among which the principal are 
 the Unkpapa, Ogalalla, Brule, Yankton, Titonwan, 
 Minneconjon and Saus Arcs. 
 
 I append a short lexicon of the Sioux language. 
 The words are spelled according to the sound in 
 j^ronouncing them, and I insert only nouns, as the 
 Indian names of objects will 2:)robably be the most 
 interesting to the reader. 
 
TRAVELS. 125 
 
 Arrow — We-hink-pe. Antelope — Tah-to-kali-dalm. 
 Ax — Un-spah. Ant — Tali- j us-kali. 
 Buifalo — Tali-ton-kah. Book — Wo-wah-pe. 
 Bow — E-tah-ze-po. Baby — Ho-ke-slie-yo-pali. 
 Bed — 0-win-ja. Bag — Wo-ju-hah. Bear — Mah-to. 
 Ball— Tah-pah. Bark— Cahn-hah. Blood— We-ah. 
 Bead — Wahn-ali-pin. Beard — Pu-tin-hah. 
 Beaver — Cah-pah. Bed — 0-wahn-kah. 
 Bird — Zit-kali-dahn. Boat — Wah-tah. 
 Bone — Hu-liii. Buckskin — Tali-liah. 
 Cannon — Mah-zah-kan-ton-kah. Chin — E-ko. 
 Canoe — Cahn-wah-to. Captive — Wy-ah-kah. 
 Cat — Enmu-slimi-kah. Cave — Mali-cor-do-kahn. 
 Chicken — Ahn-pah-hoto-nah. Chief — To-kah-pah. 
 Coffee — Pe-j u-ta-sajD-pah. Corn — Wahm-ne-he-zah. 
 Deer — Tock-cah. Dew — Coo. Dog — Shun-kah. 
 Eagle — Wahn-me-dee. Elk — Her-ah-kah. 
 Ear — No-gee. Earth — Mah-gah. Eye — Ish-tah. 
 Fire — Pa-tah. Face — E-tee. Father — Ah-tee. 
 Feast — Wo-tah-pe. Friend — Ko-dah. 
 God — Wah-kahn-ton-kah. Gun — Mah-zah-kin. 
 Husband — He-nah-coo. . Horse — Shunk-ton-kah. 
 Heart — Tah-cahn-tah. Home — Te-yah-tah. 
 House — Te-pee. Hand — Nah-pee. Hill — Pah-hah. 
 Island — We-tah. Ice — Cah-gah. Iron — Mah-zah. 
 Jar — Mah-kalvche-gah. Joint — 0-ke-hee. 
 Knife — Me-nah. Knee — Hu-pah-hu. 
 Lake — Me-dee. Lead — Mah-zah-zu. 
 Lasso — We-kahn. Leggin — Hun-skah. 
 
126 NARRATIVE 
 
 Man — "We-cash-ali. Mother — E-iiali. Moose — Ta. 
 
 Medicine — Pe-j e-hn-tah. Meat — Tali-do. 
 
 Nose — Po-gee. Neck — Tali-hu. Nest — Ho-pee. 
 
 Opossum — He-tonk-tahn-kali. Onion— Pe-sliin. 
 
 Paddle — Wahm-nah-hec-ali. Pig — Kn-cnsh. 
 
 Pain — Woy- ah-zahn. Path — Cahn-cor. 
 
 Pine — Wah-ze-cahn. Prairie — Tin-tah. 
 
 Quail — Pah-win-j ah. Quarry — In-yan-o-gah-pe. 
 
 Eiver — Wock-pah-dahn. Rabbit — Mosh-ten-cah. 
 
 Sister — Tunk-she. Salt — Min-is ku-yah. 
 
 Skull — Pah-hu-hu. Sky----Mock-pe-ah. 
 
 Smoke — So-tah. Snow — Wah. Sun — Wee. 
 
 Spoon — Tu-ke-kah. Star — We-choi3-pee. 
 
 Scalp — "We-cah-pah. Song — 0-do-wan. 
 
 Tomahawk — Onsx^e-cahn-pe-dahn. Teeth — Hee. 
 
 Tobacco — Calm-dee. Tongue — Che-pee. 
 
 Uncle — Deck-she. Under-clothes — Mah-hen-unpe. 
 
 Vine — We-yo-we. Valley — s-mah-kah. 
 
 Water — Minne. Water-fall — Minne-hah-hah. 
 
 Yesterday — Nah-ahn-hin. Youth — Kash-kah. 
 
 I give the following translations of Sioux names 
 according to the Indian method of arranging the 
 words^of a sentence, which is, in many cases, the 
 reverse of the English mode. Thus the English 
 version of "Mock-pe-ah Alu-tah," would become 
 "Cloud Red." 
 
 In the general construction of the language, the 
 Sioux name the noun first, followed by the quali- 
 fying words, and the verb last. 
 
TKAVEL8. 127 
 
 Sitting Bull— Tah-toii-kah 0-tali-kah. 
 Red Cloud — Mock-pe-ali Alu-tali. 
 Spotted Tail — Sinte E-lish-kali. 
 Long Dog — Sliun-kali Han-skah. 
 Broad Trail — Calm-coo Ton-kali. 
 Pretty Bear — Mah-to Wash-ta. 
 Little Knife — Me^nali Cliis-te-nali. 
 Cloud Horn — Pe-te-he Mock-pe-ah. 
 Standing Elk — Her-ah-kah Nali-zin 
 Spotted Eagle — Wahn-me-dee E-lish-kah. 
 Medicine Lake — Me-dee Pe-ju-tah. 
 Bellowing Buffalo — Tah-ton-kah Ho-ton. 
 Fast Dog — Slmn-kah Lu-zali. 
 Long Pumpkin — AValm-nu Han-skah. 
 Painted Face — E-tee Sam-yah. 
 High Shield — Wah-cahn-kah Han-skah. 
 Standing Bear— Mah-to Nah-zin. 
 Two Strike — No-pah Gosh-pah. 
 Crazy Horse — Shunk-ton-kah He-nah-she-kin-yalm. 
 Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses — Shunk-ton-kah-Tah-wa- 
 e-tahn-kahn-Ko-ke-pah-We-cash-ah. 
 
128 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 No friendly roof— no home, 
 No light from open doors at evening greeting 
 Our weary coming— no fond, happy meeting, 
 
 No matter where we roam, 
 
 No home. 
 
 No quiet, peaceful hearth 
 Round which the little ones with faces bright 
 ]May smile and prattle, in the cheerful light. 
 
 In innocence and mirth, 
 
 No home. 
 
 Axon. 
 
 I FIND A WHITE FEMALE MISSIOXARY LIVIXG ALOXE AMONG 
 THE SIOUX— THE SCALP DANX'E— A SAVAGE SCENE— DEATH 
 OF AN INDIAN CHILD— I AM DETECTED WHILE EXAMLNING 
 AN INDIAN GRAVE — HOW I WON THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE 
 INDIANS — HOME AGAIN — MY EXPERIENCE AS A PUBLISHER — 
 NOT YET AVEARY OF TRAVELING — A FRIENDLY ENGINEER — 
 STERLING, MADISON AND PORTAGE CITY— HOW THE SIOUX 
 DEMOLISH A PRINTING OFFICE—SIOUX FALLS— THE INDIAN 
 PIPE-STONE QUARRY— MY IDEAL HOME— THE AUTHOR OF 
 "sweet home"— THOUGHTS— a DESERTED HUT, AND WHAT 
 I FOUND THERE — A SCANT DINNER— I MOVE SOUTHWARD- 
 KANSAS CITY, FORT SCOTT, TOPEKA AND LINCOLN — ON THE 
 PRAIRIES— SUFFERING FOR WATER — THOUGHTS OF MOTHER — 
 NIOBRARA — I FIND A LITTLE WHITE GIRL HELD CAPTIVE BY 
 THE SIOUX INDIANS. 
 
 After spending a few days with the Yanktons, I 
 started for a Ponca village, located twenty miles 
 further down the Missouri, near the mouth of the 
 Ponca. Walking all da}^ through the Sioux camps, 
 which were scattered along the river for a distance 
 
TRAVELS. 129 
 
 of about fifteen miles, I reached Chotean Creek. 
 Here the Sioux informed me that a white lady was 
 living among them and teaching theil' children. 
 
 I w^as much surprised to hear this, and resolved 
 to call upon the lady. Proceeding to her dwelling, 
 a comfortable log hut, I was received courteously, 
 and with no little surprise, for a white face w^as not 
 an everyday sight in that locality. 
 
 I foimd this missionary to be Miss Louise Buch- 
 annan, of Michigan, w4io had been sent among the 
 Sioux as a teacher, by the EjDicopal Church. For 
 several years previous, she had been laboring m 
 Northern Minnesota among the Chippewas. 
 
 She was highly educated and accomplished, and 
 had a fine library, which must have been a source 
 of comfort and company to her, shut out as she 
 was, from civilization. 
 
 She had a log school-house near her dwelling, in 
 which the Sioux children received the primary ele- 
 ments of an education. About five hundred Sioux 
 w^ere li^dng within half a mile of her house, but so 
 thoroughly had she gained their love and respect, 
 that she lived in their midst without fear or moles- 
 tation. The men would never enter the dwelling 
 without being invited to do so, and when calling 
 upon some errand concerning their children, they 
 Avould transact the business at the door. 
 
 I passed the night at the house of the estimable 
 teacher, as also did an Indian family who were her 
 
130 NARRATIVE 
 
 particularly trusted Sioux friends. AVe had a nice 
 supper, and witli the exception of the conduct of 
 one of the little Indian boys, who wanted to eat 
 New York jelly with his fingers, the affair jiassed 
 off as pleasantly as though we had been in a civil- 
 ized community. 
 
 The lady has since married and left the Mission. 
 I trust the reader joins me in wishing that, in her 
 new mission, the same kindness and respect . may 
 be her reward that crowned her labors among the 
 Sioux- Indians. 
 
 The next morning I crossed the Missouri with 
 an Indian, in a canoe, and then proceeded to the 
 Ponca Indian camp, about five miles distant. The 
 first night I witnessed a scal^D-dance, which had 
 been brought about in tliis wise : Several Brules 
 from Spotted Tail's village, then on White Earth 
 Eiver, had been shot while stealing ponies near the 
 Ponca village, and as the two tribes are hereditary 
 enemies, a scalp-dance was the result. 
 
 The bloody scalps, hands and arms of the dead 
 Sioux, were placed upon poles erected for the pur 
 l^ose, and after this was done, the exalting Ponca 
 warriors assembled to perform the dance, adorned 
 and i:)ainted in the most frightful manner. Some 
 were partly covered with buifalo hides, beneath 
 which, the hideously painted and distorted face, 
 only half revealed by the flickering blaze of the 
 council-fire, presented a terribly wild picture. 
 
TRAVELS. 131 
 
 A number of braves formed in a circle around 
 the looles to which the scalps had been fastened. 
 Inside the circle of warriors was a fire, over which 
 were hanging several huge x:)ots containing dogs' 
 meat. About three hundred Indians took part in 
 the ceremony, all jumping and stamping with such 
 power, as to shake the ground beneath them. 
 
 As usual, on such occasions, they made the most 
 outlandish gestures, and assumed the wildest and 
 most uncouth attitudes imaginable, all the while 
 shouting the fearful war-hooj^, and striking toward 
 each other with their weapons as though they were 
 the most deadly enemies. At intervals of about 
 twenty minutes, they all stopped dancmg, and seat- 
 ing themselves ui)on the ground, cross-legged, each 
 one was served with a dishful of the dogs' meat by 
 old men who officiated as waiters. 
 
 The chief, after disposing of his portion, made a 
 short speech, and then resumed his seat, when the 
 Indians arose and began to dance again. Soon the 
 yelling and leaping would grow more furious and 
 faster, and as they became still more excited, their 
 glittering, snake-like, black eyes protruded with a 
 fiendish, indescribable appearance, as they gnashed 
 their teeth, and by simultaneous sounds, tried to 
 imitate the sibilant, gurgling sound of the death- 
 struggles of their victims. 
 
 The scene Avas shocking in the extreme, as the 
 gory scalps were held aloft in the light of the fire, 
 
132 NARRATIVE 
 
 and the half naked and reehng forms were dimly- 
 visible by the faint glow of the dying blaze. 
 
 This ceremony is generally performed at night, 
 consequently its terrible characteristics are greatly 
 heightened by the weird glare of the glimmering 
 fire. They always end these dances by fierce barks 
 and yelps, resembling that of savage dogs. 
 
 The next morning an Indian child died in the 
 village, and there was much weeping and lamenting 
 among the relations. The chief made a consolatory 
 speech to the parents of the deceased child. 
 
 While with these Indians I endeavored to exam- 
 ine some graves, but I was so closely watched that 
 I never succeeded in the undertaking. One time, 
 when about to climb upon a scaffold containing an 
 embalmed body, a slight rustle in the bushes near 
 by attracted my attention, and a moment after a 
 party of squaws confronted me, and in an excited 
 manner, bade me leave the spot at once, before the 
 warriors could discover me. Upon going to the 
 camp, I did not learn that the squaws had said 
 any thing to the men about it. 
 
 The Poncas were kind and friendly, and in the 
 heat of excitement, when they were engaged in the 
 scal^D-dance, and when I was the only white man 
 in all that savage band, they invited me to a seat 
 in their midst, requested me to join them at their 
 feast of dogs' meat, and were as respectful to me 
 as though they were in sight of Fort Randall. 
 
TRAVELS. 133 
 
 When Hearing an Indian camp that I had never 
 visited before, I assumed an air of boldness and 
 self-possession that was often difficult to do. An 
 unconcerned and fearless demeanor is greatly ad- 
 mired and respected by the Indians. 
 
 When with the Sioux, I could find friends and 
 "make myself at home" in any village I entered. 
 The idea of a solitary white man walking right in- 
 to their midst, and speaking their own language, 
 at once won their confidence and protection. Of 
 course, when a traveler "is in Rome, he does as 
 the Romans do," as far as it is j)olicy to do so. I 
 could sit on the ground, cross-legged, with them, 
 eat out of the same dish, smoke the pipe when it 
 was passed around, sleep upon their fur-beds, ride 
 their ponies, use the bow and arrows, accompany 
 them to their councils and dances, and lastty, but 
 not the least feature in my method of pleasing 
 them, I could pet their dogs and babies. 
 
 So long as a man can find favor in the eyes of 
 the ladies and the babies, he is on the safe side, be 
 he in a Sioux camp or a civilized domicile, and the 
 men will be only in the background. This is logic 
 that few will denj^ 
 
 Leaving the Poncas, I started for the town of 
 Niobrai-a, but upon reaching the Running Water, 
 or Niobrara River, eleven miles from the Indian 
 camp, I found that I could not ford it. Some of 
 the Ponca tribe had a village on this stream, but 
 
134 NARRATIVE 
 
 had deserted it a few days before tlu-ougli fear of 
 the raiding Sioux. 
 
 As I could not wade the river on account of the 
 treacherous beds of quick-sand, of which its bottom 
 is mostly formed, I returned to the main camp of 
 the Poncas, and there crossed the IVIissouri, then 
 going to Sioux City instead of Niobrara. Contmu- 
 ing eastward, I arrived at home in due season, in 
 September, 1874. 
 
 Here I commenced the manufacture and sale of 
 several little domestic articles, and the publication 
 of some household recipes, in which I was success- 
 ful, and I found the business to be a very valuable 
 means of educating myself m business habits, and 
 the ways of the world generally. Next I purchased 
 a printing-office and published the first edition of 
 this work, a little j)amphlet of fifty-four pages. It 
 was well received by the public, and the issue was 
 exhausted in a few months. A second edition was 
 then printed, and it met with a like reception. 
 
 I was not then weary of travelmg, as I now am, 
 and, after arranging m}^ affairs at home, and going 
 to see the Centennial Exhibition, at PhiladeliDhia, 
 I started for the West. Reaching Bellaire, Ohio, I 
 met Mr. F. Trembly, an engineer on the Baltimore 
 and Ohio Railroad, with whom I rode to Moni'oe- 
 ville, two hundred miles distant. He was a very 
 friendly, courteous young man, and I had a pleas- 
 ant ride on his iron-horse. 
 
TRAVELS. 135 
 
 At Eock Falls, Illinois, I secured a position on 
 the Progress, and while in this office I formed the 
 acquaintance of Dr. H. C. Clements, a physician of 
 Sterling, Illinois, and a genial, warm-hearted man. 
 I remember both the Doctor and his good lady 
 with kindness and respect. 
 
 Sterling is an attractive little city handsomely 
 located on Rock Eiver, opposite Rock Falls, and 
 one hundred and ten miles west of Chicago. It 
 is the home of many former Pennsylvanians. 
 
 In a few months, I went to Wisconsin, and from 
 there to St. Paul and Minneapolis ; thence to Elk 
 Point, Dakota, byway of Maikatoand Sioux City. 
 
 From Beloit, Wisconsin, I rode up to Madison 
 on a passenger-train locomotive, by permission of 
 Mr. James Hecox, the gentlemanly engineer. 
 
 Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, is situated 
 between Lakes Mendota and Monona. During the 
 summer the lakes are a favorite resort for boating 
 and fishing, and in the winter the novel sport of 
 gliding over their frozen surface in sail-sleighs, is 
 enjoyed by the people. 
 
 From Madison I went to Lodi, then across the 
 country to Portage City. This is a pretty place, 
 located on the AVisconsin River, near the site of 
 old Fort Winnebago. 
 
 Reaching St. Paul, I met Mr. George Dyer, an 
 old school-mate, who had located in the city a few 
 years before and gone into business. 
 
136 NARRATIVE 
 
 At Minneapolis I was emj)lo3^ed awhile in the 
 printing establishment of Jndd & Company, after 
 which I went to Dakota. From Elk Point I con- 
 tinued on to Sioux Falls, a frontier town situated 
 one hundred miles distant, on the Sioux River. 
 
 This journey I performed alone, and on foot, 
 over one of the most enchanting prairie districts 
 the sun ever shone upon. I enjoj^ed the trip very 
 much, rough and lonesome as it was, for in being 
 surrounded by the beauties of Nature, not yet at 
 the mercy of civilization's blighting hands, I ever 
 found pleasure and enjoyment not to be obtained 
 within the pale of civilization. 
 
 The town of Sioux Falls is pleasantly located 
 on the site of the old fort whose name it bears, 
 and almost within hearing of the leaping, roaring, 
 foaming Sioux Falls, the sight of which is partly 
 obstructed by the timber growing upon an island 
 in the river just above the cataract. 
 
 Here I secured a situation on the Independent, 
 also on the Pantagraph, and remained until the 
 desire to move on prompted me to lay aside tlie 
 labors of the printing-office, and seek the air and 
 attractions of the outer world. 
 
 Shortly after the town was laid out, and when it 
 contained that magic institution of civilization and 
 l^rogress — a printing-office — the place was raided 
 by the Sioux Indians. They broke the press into 
 pieces, melted the type together for the j^nrpose of 
 
TRAVELS. 137 
 
 making pipes, and "pied" the material generally. 
 
 What the poor editor and printers did, I know 
 not, but it is safe to suppose that the savages saw 
 in these over-worked, poorly-paid knights of the 
 "quill and stick," nothing to excite fear; and if 
 they faithfully promised the Sioux that they would 
 never join the "Indian ring," or suj)port in their 
 future palmers, the present defective and dishonest 
 "Indian policy," their lives were probably spared. 
 
 About a mile from the town, the Sioux Eiver, a 
 very quiet prairie stream, suddenly awakens from 
 its wonted lethargy and calmness, and nearing a 
 succession of massive red boulders, becomes one 
 dasliing, whirling, roaring body of spray and foam, 
 and, with a tremendous, rushing sound, leaps over 
 the rocky chasms, thus forming the picturesque, 
 romantic and fascinating Sioux Falls. 
 
 The falls were a favorite resort of the Indians 
 from time immemorial, and even since the whites 
 have encroached upon their lands and rights, they 
 visit the locality. 
 
 From this place I went up to the Sioux Indian 
 Red Pipe Stone Quarry, about fifty miles distant. 
 It is situated in southwestern Minnesota, several 
 miles from the Dakota line. My' route, for forty 
 miles, lay over a very beautiful prairie country, in 
 close proximity to the Sioux River, then leaving 
 that stream, I reached the quarry by traveling ten 
 or twelve miles due east. 
 
138 NARRATIVE 
 
 The traveler approaching this quarry from the 
 west, reaches Pipe-stone Creek soon after leaving 
 the Sioux River, of which the creek is a tributary. 
 The water is cool and delicious, and so clear that 
 every fish and pebble can be distinctly seen upon 
 the bottom. At this stream I found the deserted 
 camp of a hunting or traj^j^hig party. 
 
 The quarry is about one mile in length, and less 
 than one sixteenth of a mile in wddth. Lying, as 
 it does, upon one side of a bluff, it can be seen for 
 miles before reaching it, and at a distance, owing 
 to the innumerable juttings and irregular excava- 
 tions made by the Indians while procuring their 
 pipe-stone, it resembles an Indian camp with sing- 
 ular and striking similarity. 
 
 The stone is taken out of the quarry in layers 
 from one to two inches thick. It is very easy to 
 carve, and is susceptible of a fine polish. Most of 
 the stone is of a dark red color, but sometimes a 
 layer of a lighter shade is found, which is often 
 beautifully variegated with white and yellow spots 
 and streaks. 
 
 Some geographical writers, who, perhaps, were 
 unwilling to walk two hundred miles through the 
 wilderness to see the quarry, erroneously describe 
 it and its contents as a bank of red clay, out of 
 which the Indians get the material to make their 
 sun-baked pipes. But the substance is a species 
 of magnesian mineral, and resembles soap-stone. 
 
TRAVELS. 139 
 
 Kegardiiig the formation of this stone, there are 
 two traditions current among the Sioux. One of 
 them is that, at the time of the Flood, all the bad 
 Sioux were washed to the spot and turned into 
 this stone. The other account is that, many years 
 ago, the Sioux and the Chippewas had a battle on 
 the present site of the quarry, and the blood that 
 was shed sank into the ground and formed into 
 red stone. 
 
 For centuries the Sioux have secured stone for 
 making j^ipes at this place, and they guard it with 
 jealous care and never allow other Indians to visit 
 it, though they willingly sell them pipes. Once a 
 year, a delegation of Indians from various tribes 
 of the Sioux nation journey to the quarry for the 
 purpose of worship, and m order to secure some 
 of the supposed sacred stone. 
 
 The ground at the quarry is always strewn with 
 bones, and other remains of banquets held by the 
 Indians when on their pilgrimage to the place. 
 
 Near the foot of the quarry are three immense 
 circular-shaped rocks, which are known to hunters 
 and bordermen as "The Three Maidens." They 
 are close together, and are the only rocks of the 
 kind for miles around. The Indians say that a 
 young warrior committed suicide by leaping from 
 the top of one of the rocks to the ground below, 
 on account of some heart-trouble, for which, as is 
 generally the case, a maiden was to blame. 
 
140 NARRATIVE 
 
 In the spring and early summer, there are three 
 beautiful streams of water which flow through the 
 quarry, and leaping through the huge cavities, and 
 over the red stone, form lovely and picture, que 
 torrents and water-falls. 
 
 The prairie scenery in the vicinity is grand and 
 enchanting. The beauty which has endeared this 
 section of country to the hearts of the Sioux for 
 many generations, will be the means of alluring the 
 ever-intruding white man. 
 
 From the quarry I walked to the settlement of 
 Luverne, about thirty miles distant, and carried a 
 portion of the stone with me, out of which I will 
 have made a pipe-stone top center-table, if I ever 
 become so fortunate as to sail into that harbor of 
 l^eace, contentment, and shelter from the storms of 
 life's buffeting elements, namely, a haj^py, comfort- 
 able home of my own. 
 
 The event of my settling down was frequently a 
 subject of thought, and I always looked forward 
 to the time with pleasure. Many times have I, as 
 I walked along the streets of some city or village, 
 stopped before a dwelling to observe, by the aid of 
 the evening lamp, my ideal home-scene. 
 
 Perhaps around the table were the mother and 
 little ones (two is the limit to my idea of the num- 
 ber of little ones), sewing, reading, or engaged in 
 some i^arlor-game, while the husband, home from 
 the labors of the day, occupied an easy chair, as he 
 
TRAVELS. 141 
 
 read in silence, or aloud, the news of the day or 
 the contents of some favorite book. 
 
 If a sweet, rosy, dimpled little baby was creep- 
 ing about the floor, trying to catch the cat, poking 
 the fire, or engaged in some other baby pranks, 
 and a melodeon occupied a place in the room, as 
 well as the j)ictures and other little adornments 
 that should grace the home, my ideal was perfect. 
 
 The reader, should he or she be a married man 
 or woman, may possibly deem me unjust for not 
 giving the mother-in-law a prominent place in the 
 happy home-scene ; but the dear old lady was at a 
 neighbor's house complaining about her son-in-law, 
 and telling how much better catnip-tea was made, 
 juid babies managed when she was young, so she 
 passed from my mind. 
 
 A great and good writer once declared that one 
 hour of domestic happiness w^as worth more than 
 a lifetime of pleasure found in business, wealth or 
 any other channel. 
 
 If my imagination has soard too high into the 
 realms of fancy, the reader will surely admit that 
 even a poor printer is entitled to live in a castle, 
 though it be merely in the air. 
 
 How sad to know that J. Howard Payne, the 
 author of the beautiful and immortal song, known 
 in every civilized land as Home, Sweet Home, was 
 a homeless wanderer. He was inspired with the 
 idea of this soul-stirring melody while walking the 
 
142 NARRATIVE 
 
 streets of London, ^yondermg where he would get 
 food and lodging. 
 
 He once mformed a correspondent that after he 
 composed the lines that had been forced out of. 
 his heart by absolute want of a home, and when 
 their melody had become familiar to everj^ soul, he 
 often found himself wandering through the streets 
 of some great city, without a shilling to pay for a 
 dinner, or a place to lay his head; and that, too, 
 while he could see, through the half-open window- 
 blinds of some comfortable home, a hapjDy family 
 circle who were singing the popular song in joyful 
 strains, unconscious of the fact that the author of 
 their song, who was a penniless, heart-broken man, 
 was looking upon them. 
 
 This man, an American, never had a home, and 
 he once informed a friend that he desired to die 
 in a foreign country, and be buried by strangers. 
 At last, the United States Government appointed 
 him Consul at Tunis, where he died in 1852. 
 
 On my way to Luverne I had a rough journey 
 over bluffs and through sloughs, and a very fierce 
 prairie storm prevailed all the time. When about 
 half-way to the settlement, I came to an old log 
 hut. It had been deserted by the owners, and the 
 only occupant I found, was a forlorn-looking owl, 
 which screeched hideously w^hen I climbed in the 
 cabin, in order to get a handful of wheat which I 
 noticed in one corner. 
 
TRAVKLS. 143 
 
 Putting some of the grain in my hat, and taking 
 an old can, that had done service as a candle-stick, 
 I started to a neighboring slough for some water, 
 after wliicli I sat down upon the ground to dine. 
 This is what Mark Twain calls "roughing it," and 
 it is a type of a traveler's experience in the wilds of 
 the far West. 
 
 From Luverne I proceeded southward, passing 
 through Sioux City, St. Joseph and Kansas City. 
 After a short stay at Fort Scott, Kansas, I visited 
 Parsons, Neosho Falls, Burlington, Junction City, 
 Lawrence and Topeka. and worked at the printing 
 business at different points along the way. 
 
 Kansas City, on the Missouri, is the largest and 
 most important place between the Mississippi and 
 the Pacific Ocean. It is a marvelous mart of trade 
 and business commotion, and is the center of a net- 
 work of railroads. Steamboat communication with 
 all Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio River ports is 
 also enjoj'ed by this rising metropolis. 
 
 Fort Scott is a pretty, growing town, and bids 
 fair to become an important point. It is a place of 
 trade for a wide scope of farming country. Fort 
 Scott coal has secured a reputation in the West for 
 quality and quantity. 
 
 Topeka, said to mean "big potato" in one of the 
 Indian languages, is the capital of Kansas, and is 
 located on the Kansas River. From here I went 
 to Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska. 
 
144 NARRATIVE 
 
 This is a very thriving, energetic, yonng capital, 
 finely located in a beautiful prairie region. It is a 
 railroad center, and a grain market of importance. 
 
 While in Lincoln I was engaged in the print- 
 ing and publishing house of Robinson & Hyde, 
 and after fulfilling my engagement with the firm, I 
 started for Niobrara, on the Missouri Eiver, about 
 one hundred and fifty miles north of Lincoln. 
 
 This journey I performed on foot, as there were 
 no railroads to that place, but the scenery on the 
 Vi-'dj amply rewarded me for the fatiguing march. 
 
 After crossing the Platte River, my course was 
 through the beautiful Elkhorn Valley, which a few 
 years ago, was the hunting-ground of the Omaha, 
 Pawnee and Ponca Indians. 
 
 •While walking across the prairie near Elkhorn 
 River, I found a very large stone tomahawk, such 
 as were used by the Indians before they could get 
 iron. It must have been used only on sj)ecial oc- 
 casions, and it was so heavy that I was obliged to 
 leave it behind, much as I desired to possess it. 
 
 Between Neligh and Niobrara, a distance of fifty 
 miles, the country was then but sparsely settled, 
 and I did not see a house in half a day's travel. 
 The heat was very oppressive, and I walked thirty 
 miles before reaching water, so that my suffering- 
 from thirst became severe. 
 
 I had missed the regular trail, or I would have 
 foimd water long before I did. Several times I 
 
TRAVELS. 145 
 
 became exhausted, and lying down in the grass, I 
 hoped to find relief in its cooling shade. 
 
 Reader, unless you have traveled on the plains 
 of the West, under a scorching sun, without water, 
 you can have but a faint idea of the agony brought 
 on by such experience. 
 
 In my misery my thoughts went back to my far- 
 distant home, and to my kind, gentle mother. We 
 seldom realize a mother's love and worth until by 
 death, or some other cause, she has been placed far 
 beyond our reach, and her voice of love and sym- 
 j^athy no longer greets our ears. 
 
 At last, I noticed a flock of birds hovering over a 
 little meadow, between some undulating table-land, 
 and ujDon going to the place as fast as my limbs 
 would carry me, I found a pool of dark, brackish 
 water, sheltered from the sun's rays by the high 
 grass that grew in its shallow bed. 
 
 With a heart full of thankfulness to the Giver of 
 all, I quenched my thirst, and then pushed on. In 
 a little while, faint and ill, I reached a dwelling, in 
 which I was kindly received and cared for by the 
 inmates, the family of a Mr. James Anderson. 
 
 The next day I reached Niobrara, and accepted 
 a position on the Pioneer, the official organ of the 
 Northwestern military posts and Indian" agencies, 
 published by Messrs. Fry & Draper. 
 
 Niobrara is advantageously situated on a grand 
 prairie, at the confluence of the Missouri and Nio- 
 
146 NARRATIVE 
 
 brara Rivers, and is the seat of the United States 
 Land Office of Knox County, which district com- 
 j)nses some of the most beautiful and inviting land 
 in the West. 
 
 Niobrara is forty miles above Yankton, and as it 
 is the last town on the Central Black Hills Route, 
 it has become a popular outfitting point for miners, 
 travelers and prospectors. Being within two days' 
 journey of the Indian country, a j^rofi table trade is 
 carried on with the knights of the plains. 
 
 While in the Pioneer office I sometimes had In- 
 dian callers, who would loiter about and smoke, as 
 I performed the various duties of "getting out the 
 paper." As they set a good example for civilized 
 printingroffice bores by not meddling with "copy," 
 or confiscating "exchanges," they were tolerated. 
 
 Becoming weary of office confinement, I started 
 .for the Yankton Sioux village. Here were Indians 
 who had taken part in the Minnesota massacre, at 
 New Ulm, in 1862, also at the previous carnage at 
 Spirit Lake, on the line of Iowa and Minnesota, 
 which occurred in 1856. 
 
 One day, while walking through the camp, I was 
 astonished to find a little, blue-eyed girl, seven or 
 eight years old, in a lodge with an Indian family. 
 She was dressed and adorned like the Indian girls, 
 and was happy and contented. 
 
 The sight of the little child among the savages, 
 filled my mind with strange and varied conjectures. 
 
TRAVELS. 147 
 
 Immediately I asked myself this question: "How 
 did she come among them, and where are her pa- 
 rents?" A burning cabin, father and mother slain 
 and the little orphan carried away into captivity, 
 was the first scene to be imagined. 
 
 I addressed her in the Sioux tongue: "To-ken, 
 chis-te-nah wah-se-cah wee?" (How do you do, little 
 white woman?) She came to me immediately, and 
 was glad to see one of her own race. Much of her 
 earty life had been forgotten, but she informed me 
 that her name was Curry, that the Indians killed 
 her mother and that her father and sister lived in 
 the Brule camp. 
 
 While I was with the Yanktons a pony was sac- 
 rificed by a squaw. I had heard her mourning on 
 the bluffs one night, as I lay on a bed of robes in 
 an Indian lodge, and the next morning I joined a 
 group of Indians who were standing around the 
 dying pony. Her husband had died, and in order 
 that his spirit might be joined, as she thought, on 
 its journey to the "happy hunting-ground" by that 
 of the pony, she sacrificed it by phmgmg a knife 
 into its side, from which wound it bled to death. 
 
 One day while seated in company with an Indian 
 famih% with a heavy pipe-stem in my hand, I very 
 thoughtlessly struck what I supposed to be a roll 
 of furs, when to my surprise and mortification, a 
 scream came from the bundle. A squaw at once 
 sprang forward, unwrapped the package and took 
 
148 NARRATIVE 
 
 up a pretty, squalling, kicking, young pappoose, 
 which the roll of furs proved to contain. 
 
 I endeavored to pacify the mother .by explain- 
 ing to her that I knew nothing of the baby being 
 in the bundle, but she seemed to doubt it, and eyed 
 me angrily. The father, however, looked upon the 
 affair as the j)ardonable mistake it was, and so said 
 nothing about it. 
 
 "While watching two squaws painting the inside 
 of a robe, an Indian who had just returned from a 
 hunt, and who had not previously been aware of 
 my presence in the camp, upon seeing me, raised 
 his rifle and pointed it at me. Acting upon the 
 impulse of the moment, I drew my revolver and 
 presented it toward him, when he lowered his gun 
 and approached me in a friendly manner. 
 
 After shaking my hand firmly, he proposed that 
 we should practise with the revolver, which we did, 
 but he would give me no explanation for his con- 
 duct upon first seeing me. 
 
TRAVELS. 149 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Far in the dark old forest glades, 
 
 Where kalmias bloom around, 
 They had their place of youthful sport, 
 
 Their childhood's hunting-ground; 
 And swinging lightly in the vines 
 
 That o'er the wigwaiu hung. 
 The golden robins, building near, 
 
 About their dwelling sung. 
 
 J. T. Fields. 
 
 THE SUPPOSED ORIGTX OF THE INDIAXS— THETR APPEARAXCR 
 AND DISPOSITION— DESIRE TO TORTURE— THE LIFE OF THB 
 SQUAWS— WHAT THEY MUST DO— INDIAN MODE OF BURIAL — 
 MEDICINE MEN— THE STEAM BATH— INDIAN COURTSHIP ANft 
 MARRIAGE — "HOW MANY PONIES IS SHE WORTH ?"— NAMES 
 OF CHILDREN — LANGUAGE— THE REASON THE INDIANS HAVK 
 NO BEARD— RAISING DOGS FOR FOOD— SUPERSTITIONS— WAR 
 IMPLEMENTS— GAMES— DRYING MEAT— RELIGION— A CAMP— 
 THE CONTENTS OF A WIGWAM— THE INDIAN WHO DESIRED 
 THREE DAVS' RATIONS FOR ONE MEAL— HOW THEY COOK 
 AND EAT— AN INDIAN MOTHER'S " HUSH-A-BY-BABY" SONG- 
 TREATMENT OF INFANTS— SECRET SOCIETIES. 
 
 During my travels among the Indians I had an 
 opportimity to observe their customs and mode of 
 hfe, and I trust a chapter devoted to this subject 
 will interest the reader. 
 
 The Indians seem to know very little about their 
 origin, and the accounts they give are widely con- 
 flicting. The most substantial theory advanced by 
 them, is, that at a very remote age, their ancestors 
 
150 NARRATIVE 
 
 emigrated to this country from another continent, 
 and made the voyage in canoes, through a narrow 
 neck of water. PerhajDS they _came from Asia, by 
 way of Behring's Strait. 
 
 As a race, the North American Indians are tall, 
 muscular and well formed. Having a dark copper 
 color, high cheek-bones, long, black hair, flashing, 
 restless, black eyes, their personal appearance, in 
 general, is fierce and intimidating. * 
 
 Their demeanor toward strangers is sullen and 
 reserved. They regard every movement with sus- 
 picion, and are ever uneasy and watchful when in 
 the presence of people w^hom they do not know or 
 understand. When talking the}^ are slow, cautious 
 and weigh well the words they utter. 
 
 They are shrewd and cunning in many respects, 
 still, owing to their disadvantages, they are most 
 outrageously swindled by some of the whites. It 
 has been said that they are devoid of the finer sen- 
 timents of mankind, but this, to a great extent, is 
 an error. ' Hospitality, sociability and lave for the 
 beauty of Nature, are some of the redeeming traits 
 in the character of these people. 
 
 They are taught from infancy that the w^iite man 
 is their enemy, and to fear and despise him, i^ one 
 of the first lessons an Indian child receives from 
 its parents, hence their cruelty toward their white 
 foes. But is it any wonder that such feelings find 
 a dwelling place within the savage breast t 
 
TRAVELS. • 151 
 
 A desire to torture is exhibited by the young at 
 an early age. They dehght in burning and mutila- 
 ting any little animal that falls into their power. 
 I once saw several Yankton Sioux boj'-s standing 
 around a pole, to wliich they had fastened a bird 
 by means of a thorn piercing its. body. First one 
 of them would pull out a wing, then another a leg, 
 or some feathers, at the same time laughing and 
 shouting with delight. 
 
 No woman can have more than one husband, but 
 a man can have as many wives as he can support. 
 The wife does the more domestic labors, such as 
 cutting wood, carrying water, erecting lodges, etc., 
 while the husband j)erforms the most fatiguing and 
 difficult duty of scouring the prairies, climbing the 
 mountain sides and fording the rivers, in qiiest of 
 game for the wife and little ones. 
 
 The idea that the squaws must do all the work, 
 while their liege lords do nothing but bask in the 
 sunshine and smoke their pijDes, originated in the 
 imagination of the novelist. It is true the squaws 
 work hard, but they don't do all that is done, nor 
 the half of it. The Indian wife is generally con- 
 tented, and if she knew as much about the average 
 civilized husband as some of her white sisters do, 
 it is not probable that she would exchange places 
 with them. 
 
 Among different tribes, different modes of dispo- 
 sing of the dead prevail. The Sioux usually put 
 
152 NARRATIVE 
 
 the body upon an elevated platfonn, or among the 
 branches of high trees. The platform or scaffold, 
 is from six to ten feet high, and is made by driving 
 four forked posts into the ground, poles next being 
 laid across the top of the posts, and secured in the 
 crotch with raw-hide thongs ; other poles are then 
 thrown across. Upon this frame the body is \mt, 
 wrapped in a blanket or buffalo robe, and securely 
 fastened with strips of buckskin. 
 
 All the personal proj^erty of the deceased, such 
 as robes, ornaments, weapons and cooking utensils, 
 are deposited with the body. In some cases, even 
 the favorite horse and dog are led under the j^lat- 
 form and shot, or strangled to death, in order, as 
 the Indians believe, that their spirits may join their 
 master's in "the land of cloudless skies.'' 
 
 There are always a number of these corpse re- 
 ceptacles near every stationary village, though they 
 may be seen almost any place on the plains, in the 
 Sioux country, and always upon a bluff, or^elevated 
 spot of ground. 
 
 There is something singularly impressive in the 
 appearance of a Sioux cemetery. Nothing disturbs 
 the solemn calm that reigns, save the sharp yelp of 
 the hungry wolf, or the flight of shrieking vultures, 
 as their freedom in the dreary solitude is disturbed 
 by the tread of some venturesome traveler whose 
 curiosity leads him to the spot, or by the approach 
 of some Indian desiring to place U2:)on the body of 
 
TRAVELS. 153 
 
 a departed friend, a few trinkets, or some food and 
 water, which he imagines the spirit will come for. 
 
 The Chipjiewas and some of the Poncas place 
 the body in a grave, in a sitting posture, with the 
 face toward the East. The grave is not filled up, 
 but a shed made of limbs and bark is erected over 
 it. Thus the body can be seen at any time, and as 
 the Indians generally embalm their dead, putrefac 
 tion does not take place. ' 
 
 On the death of an Indian, the lamentations of 
 the friends are fearfully wild and distressing ; they 
 cut off their hair, blacken their faces, torture their 
 bodies and give vent to their grief in franticness. 
 
 Among all tribes there is a class of individuals 
 known as "medicine men," to whom the Indians 
 resort in time of sickness. Although they make 
 use of herbs, they have more faith in their horrid 
 incantations. These doctors are very superstitious, 
 and have an awe-inspiring ]30wer over the Indians. 
 
 While in Si^otted Tail's camp, I often lay awake 
 for hours at night, kept from sleep by the hideous 
 groans and howls of somte "medicine man," who 
 was in a neighboring lodge endeavoring to drive 
 off the evil spirit which he supposed sickened his 
 patient. An old Sioux doctor showed me two tiny, i 
 round stones which he said enabled him to check 
 diseases. I, of course, did not dare to dis^Dute the 
 truth of his assertion. He informed me that he|" 
 had found the stones in the Black Hills. ' 
 
154 NARRATIVE 
 
 They have certain times for making medicines, 
 and conceal from each other a knowledge of the 
 process. It is generally made in a lodge kept for 
 the jDiirpose, and is called by the Sioux, ''pe-ju-tah 
 te-pee," (medicine lodge). The contents of these 
 lodges, or their appearance inside, I know nothing 
 at all about, for I was never even allowed to peep 
 into one of them. At nearly every lodge-door in a 
 village, there are medicine-bags, containing herbs, 
 fastened to a pole. 
 
 They have great faith in the steam-bath, which is 
 procured in the following manner: First a tent, 
 oval-shaped at the toj), is made of poles securely 
 covered with hides and blankets. Heated stones 
 are then carried into the tent, and cold w^ater pour- 
 ed upon them. As the lodge becomes well filled 
 with steam thus formed, the patient is introduced 
 in a nude condition. 
 
 ' When a young brave goes courting, he paints his 
 face, dons his best breech cloth and moccasins, and 
 drawing liis blanket over his head and face, leaving 
 an opening only large enough to see through, pro- 
 ceeds to meet his lady-love. Generally there is not 
 as much love in Indian courtships as there is room 
 for. and more wives are bought than won. 
 
 A 3'oung man seeing a maiden whom he thinks 
 would make a good, joatient, uncomplaining wife, at 
 once proceeds to flatter her, makes her some pres- 
 ents, and then learns from her parents or friends 
 
TRAVELS. • • 155 
 
 how many j^onies she is worth. Then, too, society 
 among the savages is infested with the "scheming 
 mamma" the same as it is in civihzation, and she 
 is ever looking for the "splendid chance." 
 
 Indians usually receive their names from objects 
 surrounding them. They are Nature's offspring, 
 and from it every want is supplied. The forests, 
 moiuitains, plains, lakes and rivers, are their only 
 text-books, and in them they are well versed. 
 
 Although a child receives a name at its birth, it 
 is liable, in after years, to receive another, as events 
 may occur in its lifetime that, according to Indian 
 ideas, may suggest a new one. 
 
 Kotwithstanding the great resemblance of one 
 tribe to another, in general character, habits and 
 13ersonal appearance, and their intercourse by war, 
 captivity and marriage, there is as much difference 
 in the language of the various tribes as there is in 
 that of the English, French or German. 
 
 The fact that the Indians have no beards is easily 
 accounted for, as they pluck out every vestage of 
 hair as fast as it appears on their face, commencing 
 in boyhood. They have small tweezers made of 
 wire, which they buy from the traders, and every 
 time they dress and paint, they examine their faces 
 carefully, and pull out any sign of a beard which ^ 
 they find. The eye-brows are likewise extirpated, il 
 
 Among most tribes the dog is considered to be a 
 sacred animal, and a feast of dogs' meat is always 
 
156 NARRATIVE 
 
 an important accompaniment of a council or dance. 
 The Sioux devote much time and attention to rais- 
 ing dogs for food. They are great pets, and have 
 the freedom of the lodge. Often have I been kept 
 awake at night by the Indian dogs, who were either 
 fighting and snarling about the meat in the lodge, 
 or searching among the cooking utensils for food, 
 while my dusky companions were in "the land of 
 dreams," ignorant of the canine commotion. 
 
 Superstition has full sway among these people, 
 and, in consequence, they suffer needlessly. They 
 believe it necessary to solicit the extremes of heat 
 and cold, to fast for days at a time, and to cut and 
 injure their bodies. They think that the spirits of 
 their departed enemies return to earth to torture 
 them. To touch the fire with a knife, or to walk 
 between the fire and a jierson smoking a jpipe, is an 
 omen of evil to come. 
 
 The bow and arrows have not been cast aside, 
 but are still quite popular, more because they are 
 Indian weapons than because the rifle would not 
 supply their place. To a great extent, stone imple- 
 ments of war and domestic use are things of the 
 past. However, the old stone war-clubs are still 
 to be found occasionally among some tribes, but in 
 most cases, they were made years ago by the more 
 primitive Indians, and are now retained by their 
 descendants as precious relics of the days when 
 there were few white peoj^le on Indian ground. 
 
TRAVELS. 
 
 167 
 
 Stones somewhat shaped Hke 
 an egg, and having one end flat- 
 tened, which was occasioned by 
 contact with a hard surface, and 
 containing a hght groove around 
 the middle of them, have often 
 been found by collectors of Indi- 
 an relics. Speculations regarding 
 their use were entertained. 
 
 While in Spotted Tail's camp, in 1878, I saw a 
 few of these stones in use. They served the com- 
 bined purpose of war-club, corn and meat pounder 
 and plum masher. A hammer was made of them 
 in the following manner : A piece of green wood, 
 about two and a half feet long, and half an inch 
 thick, had been bent double over the stone, and 
 being fitted into the groove, was there secured by 
 tying the laps together. The whole frame, except- 
 ing the thick end of the stone, was then covered 
 with raw-hide. 
 
 These implements are rare, and highly prized by 
 
158 NARRATIVE 
 
 the Indians, but after some i^ersuasion, and by pay- 
 ing a high price, I obtained one from each of the 
 Sioux warriors Cherry Stone and High Shield. 
 
 The engravings on the preceding i^age represent 
 the stone alone, and after it is covered and made to 
 do service as an implement of war and home use. 
 
 One of the Sioux sports is called the "tah-pah" 
 (ball) game. It is very much like what is known as 
 " shinny" by school-boys. There are always two 
 contesting parties, and the victorious one secures 
 the pledges, which generally consist of blankets, 
 robes, weapons or trinkets. The women engage in 
 the game with as much zeal as the men do. In the 
 summer evenings, after the duties of the day are 
 over, the squaws gather in groups, each one armed 
 with a stick about eighteen inches long, and curved 
 at one end, and from sun down till dark, they make 
 the village ring with their shouts of laughter and 
 mirth, as they pursue the bounding ball. 
 
 When more meat is obtained than is needed at 
 the time, the squaws cut it into thin strips and put 
 it upon 23oles, after which it is dried in the sun and 
 air. Although much meat is preserved in this way 
 during the summer, it is generally pure and sweet. 
 This is probably owing to the dry atmosphere of 
 the Western prairies. 
 
 Very few religious rites are i^erformed by these 
 l)v:^ople, but they all believe in the existence of two 
 invisible, ruling spirits^ the one good and kind, the 
 
TRAVELS 159 
 
 other evil, unkind and ever annoying them. They 
 recognize fair weather, an abundance of game, etc., 
 the gift ef the Great Spirit. . 
 
 After attacking a settlement, dwelling or wagon- 
 train, the men, if any survive the assault, are shot, 
 or tortured to death, and the women and children, 
 should the Indians conclude to spare them, are re- 
 tained as captives. 
 
 The camp-ground is usually selected in a grove, 
 near a streran of running water, or a spring, but 
 when on the prairies, these desirable features must 
 be disjDensed with to some extent. Some of these 
 camps are quite extensive, often containing from 
 five hundred to a thousand lodges, and averaging 
 about five people to a lodge. 
 
 In the evening, during the summer months, an 
 Indian village presents an interesting scene in the 
 life of these people. Some of the women, old and 
 young, are passing to and fro with loads of wood, 
 meat, water and cooking-utensils ; brawny warriors 
 sit about in groups in the open air. smoking their 
 pipes, mending weapons or recounting adventures ; 
 half naked and entirely nude children caper about 
 in joyous freedom; young braves and dusky maids 
 take their starlight-rambles; even the ponies and 
 dogs form part of the scene as they stroll through 
 the camp with perfect liberty. 
 
 A lodge is made in the following manner : From 
 twelve to twenty yellow pine poles, about twenty 
 
160 NARRATIVE 
 
 feet in length, and stripped of the bark, are firmly 
 tied together at the thin end, and after being put 
 into an upright position, are carefully spread apart 
 at the base, in order to form a staunch frame. A 
 covering of raw hide is then placed over it. 
 
 An oj^ening is left at the top, where the ends of 
 the poles meet, to let the smoke pass out. The 
 lodge is entered by a small opening which serves 
 as a door, but it is so small that a person must en- 
 ter in a stooping position. A light, wooden frame 
 which is covered with a piece of raw-hide, is used 
 as a shutter, or door. 
 
 The contents of an ordinary lodge are composed 
 of this list : Half a dozen Indians of various sizes, 
 a number of dogs, some blankets and robes, bags 
 made of ornamented raw-hide, clothing, weaj)ons, 
 cooking utensils, the pony's harness, wood, w^ater, 
 food and various other things. Full, crowded and 
 packed, as it may seem to the reader, there is still ■ 
 room in the lodge for visitors, a fire in the center, 
 and implements not in general use. The available 
 part of a lodge is circular in form, and embraces a 
 space of about ten feet i-n diameter. 
 
 During wet, stormy days, when there was little 
 going on outside, I passed some pleasant hours in 
 their cozy little tents. On such occasions the In- 
 dians, both old and young, would gather about me 
 and request me to teach them, and tell them about 
 the wliites and their mode of life. 
 
TRAVELS. 161 
 
 They often kept up the lodge-fire till midnight, 
 or so long as I would remain awake and talk. In 
 turn, they would sing for me, or relate their deeds 
 in war and on the hunt. 
 
 I used to tell the Sioux that I intended to make 
 a " wo-wah-pe" (book) for the white peoj^le to read, 
 and that in it I would describe the Indian mode of 
 life, and inform my people just how I fared at the 
 hands of the Indians. This always pleased them, 
 and doubtless influenced them to treat me well. 
 
 In the ravines, and along the rivers and creeks, 
 in the AVestern Territories, wild fruit, berries and 
 vegetables abound. Plums, cherries, grapes, cur- 
 rants, strawberries, raspberiies and huckleberries, 
 reach a high state of perfection, and are delicious. 
 The squaws gather and dry large quantities for the 
 winter months. 
 
 Wild potatoes, onions, turnips, artichokes and 
 peas, are also found. The peas, however, would 
 hardly be considered as being entitled to the name, 
 in the East, on account of their non-resemblance to 
 domestic peas; but the Sioux name is "om-ah-ne- 
 cha," which means peas, therefore I so term them. 
 They grow on low, bushy stalks, the leaves of which 
 somewhat resemble those of the parsnip. In ap- 
 pearance they look like small, green tomatoes, but 
 taste like asparagus. 
 
 The Indians have no regular time for eating. If 
 food is scarce, or if there is none to be had, they 
 
162 NARRATIVE 
 
 will fast all of one day, and eat a dozen times the 
 next. I have often been astonished to see how an 
 Indian could dispose of quantities of half-cooked 
 meat at any hour of the day or night, jet dj^sjDepsia 
 and other comjDlaints of the stomach are rare. 
 
 A Sioux having been promised food enough for 
 three days, in pay for some service he did one of 
 the officers at Fort Randall, said : 
 
 "Let me have it all for dinner. I don't want to 
 be bothered by carrying it in my hands." 
 
 Meat is generally roasted or broiled ; sometimes 
 it is boiled or stewed. Large pieces containing a 
 great deal of bone, are propped up against the tire 
 and left to roast by degrees. Small pieces are j^ut 
 on a sharpened stake and held over the fire, when 
 they desire to roast or broil it, but when it is to be 
 boiled or stewed, they place it in a pot and suspend 
 it over the fire. All meat is cooked rare, and often 
 they prefer it entirely raw. 
 
 The Sioux squaws used to chant a song that al- 
 ways appeared strangely melancholy and affecting, 
 and seemed so much like a solemn dirge, that I 
 hesitated about inquiring the nature of it. When 
 I did so, I was greatly surprised upon being told 
 that the women were singing their babies to sleep. 
 
 I afterward observed that these gloomy strains 
 as effectually sent the little pappoose to "• the land 
 of dreams," as the "hush-a-by-baby" of the white 
 mother puts her child to sleep. 
 
TRAVELS. 163 
 
 An Indian mother loves her baby as much as any 
 other mother loves hers, and she treats it jnst as 
 tenderly in her own way. It gets no corn starch, 
 farina or other delicacies, neither is it ever choked 
 "with paregoric, squills or soothing-syrup. While it 
 is debarred from all these, articles so well known to 
 the majority of white infants, it can eat more half 
 cooked meat, sleep longer and cry harder, than its 
 baby brothers and sisters in civilization. 
 
 The pappoose is furnished a limited wardrobe at 
 birth, and when the child becomes old enough to 
 run alone, it is deprived of every vestige of dress 
 during warm weather, until it reaches its fifth year. 
 This is done in order to impart a rugged constitu- 
 tion, and to give room for the full development of 
 the muscles and limbs. 
 
 The pappoose is carried in a small, tight-fitting 
 receptacle made of raw hide or twigs, which rests 
 on the mother's back, and is held in place with a 
 buckskin strap suj^ported by her forehead. 
 
 The Indian women are tolerably good cooks, the 
 limited material and resources l^eing duly noted. 
 But very little can be said in their favor regarding 
 cleanliness in their culinary affairs. The hampered 
 way in which a family lives in a small tent, makes 
 tidiness a secondary consideration. 
 
 Among the Sioux there is a secret and beneficial 
 society. They have laws and rules that must be 
 obeyed as promptly as those of the Odd Fellows, 
 
164 NARRATIVE 
 
 Masons or Knights of Pythias. The meetings are 
 Oldened with ''a talk," then follow a dance and the 
 other business of the meeting. The object of the 
 order is help for the needy members. 
 
 The Indians are human nature in a savage, uncul- 
 tured state, and, as such, on account of their mani- 
 fold disadvantages and prejudice, are, as a people, 
 cruel, treacherous and revengeful toward the white 
 race. But they have always been so outrageously 
 swindled by the whites, that much of their conduct 
 can be overlooked. 
 
 Among Indians, as among all other people, no 
 matter how harsh and relentless, there are many 
 truly noble, sympathetic, generous natures. Then 
 with charity — the natural outgrowth of our many 
 advantages in a civilized and Christian land — let 
 us overlook their failings, remembering that we are 
 all the children of the one Great Spirit. 
 
TRAVELS. 165 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Take nie home to the place where I first saw light. 
 
 To the sweet ".Sumiy South," take me ht)me, 
 Where the mocking-bird sung me to sleei) every night. 
 
 Ah ! whj- was I tempted to roam. 
 
 Take me home to the place where magnolias grow. 
 
 To my cot in the evergreen shade, 
 Where the tlowers on the river's green margin may blow 
 
 Their sweets on the bank where we i)layc<!. 
 
 An ox. 
 
 BOUND FOR TEXAS — LIFE AMONG THE PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN' 
 FARMERS— ALEXANDRIA, MANASSAS AND LYNCHBURG— THK 
 COLORED PEOPLE — BOTH SIDES OF SLAVERY — "DON'T AX 
 WAR HE (JOT DEM CHICKENS" — BRISTOL — JONESBOROUGH — 
 KNOXVILLE— THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE NORTHERN AND 
 SOUTHERN PEOPLE — THE LADIES — A PRINTERS INSTINCT- 
 CHATTANOOGA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS— A PERILOUS RIDE 
 ON A LOCOMOTIVE— MEMPHIS, LITTLE ROCK, TEXARKANA, 
 DALLAS — A MODERN SODOM — HOW "THE POOR EDITOR" IS 
 INTIMIDATED AT THE POINT OF A REVOLVER IN TEXAS— 
 THE CLIMATE— THE COTTON FIELDS— NATURAL FEATLRES. 
 
 On leaving the Yanktons, I returned to Penn- 
 sylvania, where I remained till January, 1878, and 
 then started for Texas, by way of York, Baltimore, 
 Washington, Lynchburg, Knoxville, Chattanooga, 
 Memphis and Little Eock. 
 
 York, Pennsylvania, an old and wealthy interior 
 city, is located on Codorus Creek, eighty -nine miles 
 from Philadelphia, and fifty-nine from Baltimore. 
 
l(](j NARRATIVE 
 
 It is engaged in the manufacture of railroad cars 
 and farming implements, and is the county seat of 
 York County, a fine agricultural district. 
 
 The farmers of this county, like those of Lan- 
 caster, Lebanon, Berks, Lehigh and other eastern 
 counties of Pennsylvania, are known far and wide 
 as the "Pennsylvania Germans," an upright, sturdy 
 class of people, ^fho are noted for their generosity 
 and hospitality to both friends and strangers. 
 
 They are plain and unassuming in their manners, 
 remarkably destitute of suspicion, hate, hypocrisy 
 and pride, and are not encumbered by the useless 
 forms and styles of city people. "When friends or 
 strangers happen to meet them while at meals, or 
 about meal time, they present no lavish or stereo- 
 typed form of invitation. They will say : 
 
 '•Doo, belibsht doch, zum mit-dag esse," (you, 
 of'-<!ourse, will stay for dinner.) or, ''Kum setz dich 
 by, un nems mit uns wes mere hen"(come sit up, 
 and accept what we have). They seldom help com- 
 pany, but say: 
 
 "Yets, helf dich selver" (now, help yourself). 
 
 Just before the Battle of Gettysburg, during the 
 Rebellion, a straggling i^arty of our friends from 
 the Southern Land visited York County, and some 
 of them, w^e believe, expressed themselves thus : 
 
 "Well, boys, we have reached 'the land of milk 
 and honey.' Here wheat bread, apple-pies and beef, 
 grow upon every fence- rail. Let each try to find a 
 
TRAVELS. 167 
 
 wife among these Dutch girls, stop right here, and 
 leave 'Dixie' do her own lighting on a corn-ln-ead 
 and bacon diet." 
 
 The language these people speak is a dialect of 
 the South German, and is simple, less involved, and 
 requires fewer words to exj^ress an idea than other 
 German dialects. 
 
 The first attempt at literature in the Pennsylva- 
 nia German language was by Dr. Harbaugh, author 
 of 'S Alt Schul-haus an der Krick, (The Old School- 
 house on the Creek,) and other poems, which, after 
 his death, were issued under the title of Harbaugli's 
 Jiarfe, (Harbaugli's Harj)). The poetic merit of 
 the work gained for it great popularity and a wide 
 circulation. 
 
 In 1879 another book of poems in the same dia- 
 lect, under the title of \S Alt Marik-haus Mittes in 
 der Schtadt, un de Alte ZeAe, (The Old Market-hou^ 
 in the Middle of the Town, and the Olden Times,) 
 was written and published by H. L. Fisher, a well- 
 known, lawyer of York, Pennsylvania, and a relative 
 of the deceased Dr. Harbaugh. 
 
 This latter work is in two principal parts, con- 
 tains nearly three hundred pages and is illustrated 
 with over one hundred engravings. The whole is 
 a poetic production of literary merit, pathos and 
 original humor. It goes right home to the heart 
 of the reader who appreciates home-life among the 
 Pennsvlvania German farmers, and who loves these 
 
168 NARRATIVE ^ 
 
 mild, quiet, kind-hearted j^eople. The work is one 
 grand, vivid, interesting panorama-like view of farm 
 life among the Pennsylvania Germans of several 
 generations ago, as well as of the present time. 
 
 On reaching Baltimore, Washington and Alex- 
 andiia, the traveler from the North finds that much 
 of the Southern element and custom exists among 
 the people. Even in Baltimore this is more notice- 
 able than might be supposed, more so than it is in 
 "Washington, for in the latter city are found people 
 from every state and territory in the Union, as well 
 as from all parts of the civilized world. 
 
 A heavy snow fell while I was in AVasbington, and 
 extended as far south as East Tennessee, and in the 
 mountains between Lynchburg and Bristol, it was 
 deeper than it had been for years before. 
 
 Alexandi'ia, on the Potomac Eiver, seven miles 
 Ijglow Washington, is a city of about sixteen thous- 
 and people. The river here forms a good harbor, 
 and considerable light shipping is carried on. The 
 asj^ect of the city, and the manners and customs of 
 the people, are emj^hatically Southern, and at once 
 after lea\ing the Potomac and proceeding south, 
 the traveler cannot fail to see that he has departed 
 from "Yankeedom" and is entering '-Dixie." But 
 he will meet as good people as he left behmd. 
 
 Manassas, twentj'-eight miles from Alexandria, is 
 a small village that has gained a place in history on 
 account of having been in close proximity to the 
 
TRAVELS. 169 
 
 formidable Battles of Manassas, fought dm-ing the 
 late Civil War. The stranger passing through this 
 quiet little town is surprised and pained on hearing 
 its citizens recall the scenes of bloodshed and strife 
 that once destroyed its peacefulness. 
 
 Lynchburg is situated on a bluff overlooking the 
 James River and some of the most picturesque up- 
 lands in ''Old Virginia. " It is surrounded by an 
 extensive tobacco-raising country, and is the center 
 of the Virginia tobacco trade. 
 
 My travels led me into every Southern State, and 
 into all the principal Southern cities and towns, but 
 I never saw a more complete representation of the 
 colored element, as it appears in the streets on Sat- 
 urday afternoon, than I did in Lynchburg. 
 
 Although the snow was a foot in de]3th, which is 
 not usual in this place, hundreds of colored folks, 
 of both sexes, and of almost every size and age to 
 be found, were loitering about the streets. WoniQji 
 and children were either eying the contents of the 
 store-wdndows, watching the finely-dressed ladies or 
 chatting with their friends, while the men were tam- 
 pering with politics, watching for an opportunity to 
 ''tote dat package right down to de ke-ars," or ur 
 ging through the streets, stubborn oxen drawing 
 two- wheeled carts containing " de colla'd ladies and 
 gemmen from de country." 
 
 No matter how jDOor, ragged or abused they may 
 be, they are ever happy and cheerful among them- 
 
170 NARRATIVE 
 
 selves, and polite and obliging to •' deni stucked up 
 white folks." 
 
 Although some of the former slaves were abused, 
 ()l)pressed and regarded as being no better than an- 
 imals, by some ignorant, cruel, small-souled masters, 
 their cheerful temperament doubtless proved to be 
 a comfort in the midst of their hardships. 
 
 There were some heartless masters who worked 
 their slaves from four o'clock in the morning till ten 
 o'clock at night, whipped them shamefully and did 
 not give them even enough fat bacon and corn-meal 
 to eat ; but it must be remembered that this was the 
 exception, and not the general rule. 
 
 I would not have the reader understand me as as- 
 serting that all the slaves were harshh^ dealt with, 
 or that the Southerners are harsh, cold-hearted and 
 cruel, for such is as far from being a fact as that the 
 beautiful orange-groves and cotton-fields could be 
 si^ccessfully transplanted on the snow-clad sumnjits 
 of the Alleghany Mountains. 
 
 About the first words a traveler hears as the cars 
 stop at a station in the South, are these : " Here's 
 yer nice, tender chicken, hot coffee and waffles I" and 
 the next moment, good-natured old Sambo or Aunt 
 Hannah comes to the car-Avindow, carrying on his 
 or her head a large waiter containing nicely fried 
 chicken and waffles, as well as a shining coffee-pot 
 full of steaming Java. 
 
 A too in(|uisitive Yankee traveler once asked --old 
 
TRAVELS. 171 
 
 uncle" where lie '^ raised" the chickens he was then 
 selling, and the reply ^s'as in words about like these : 
 
 " Look he-all boss, I reckon you's from de Norf. 
 and if dat am de case, you, to be course, is a friend 
 ob de black race. So please don't ax dis chile war 
 he got de chickens." 
 
 Bristol, Tennessee, through which the west line 
 of Virginia passes, is a village of about thirty- five 
 hundred inhaljitants, and is surrounded by a moun- 
 tainous region. It is noted as a rendezvous for the 
 runaway lovers of Virginia. As marriages between 
 minors are not valid in Virginia, Bristol is a place 
 of shelter for the matrimonially -inclined rising gen- 
 eration of the ''Old Dominion State." Here they 
 can readily obtain license, secure the services of a 
 minister and thus defy the wrath of an angry father 
 and a troublesome mother-in law. 
 
 Jonesborough, thirty-two miles from Bristol, on 
 the railroad leading on to Knoxville, contains aboui^ 
 fifteen hundred people, but it is one of the oldest 
 towns in Tennessee. It is surrounded by a good 
 limestone farming country, which only requires the 
 industry of a Northern element to make it what it 
 was before the ravages .of war blighted its surface. 
 
 tTonesborough is the seat of Martin Academy, an 
 institution of learning for both sexes, where the pri- 
 mary branches, as well as Greek, Latin, French, &c., 
 are taught. The academy is under the management 
 of the Bev. W. G. Barker, a Southern gentleman of 
 
172 NARRATIVE 
 
 wide experience as an educator, and possessed of 
 frank, genial manners. 
 
 Knoxville, on the Holston, or Tennessee River, is 
 an attractive little city of about twelve thousand in- 
 habitants. It is handsomely located on bluffs, and 
 commands a fine view of the surrounding country. 
 During high water, steamboats ascend the river to 
 this point from Chattanooga. It was laid out in 
 1794, and was once the seat of State Government. 
 
 A great difference exists between the people of 
 the North and the South, in manners, customs and 
 general way of thinking and doing. Northern peo- 
 jile are better educated, quicker in thought and act, 
 more energetic and persevering, and brighter and 
 smarter in their general make up, than thek friends 
 in the South ; but they are far from being as kind, 
 sociable, generous and hospitable, as the i)eople of 
 the South are. 
 
 If you ask a Northern man the distance to a place, 
 he will "take you in" with one sweeping glance of 
 his calculating eyes, and, answering your question- 
 in an instant, is gone. But ask a Southern man the 
 same question and he will be three times as long in 
 answering it, but he will do it in such a kind, frank 
 and interested manner, that the time he consumes is 
 not regretted. 
 
 Should you make a similar inquiry of a Southern 
 countryman, his answer would probably be this : 
 
 "Wall, stranger, it's right smart of a distance. I 
 
TRAVELS. 173 
 
 reckon it's nigh on ten miles, and it's a sorter bad 
 road, too. What might yom' name be?" 
 
 A contrast between the Northern and Southern 
 ladies is very noticeable. Northern ladies are more 
 forward, self-reliant and business-like, than most of 
 their Southern sisters are. But the Southern lady 
 is handsomer, kinder and gentler. 
 
 A Northern lady can make a shh-t, mend trowsers 
 and wash and dress her own baby, but a Southern 
 lady usually turns this duty over to a black servant. 
 
 Yery little yeast bread is used in the South, but 
 warm biscuits are a three times- a- day luxury. They 
 are usually baked in a Dutch oven, in the fire-place, 
 as the abundance of wood in the South naturally 
 prompts the people to dispense with coal-stoves, and 
 cling to the cheerful, old-fashioned fire-hearth. 
 
 In the mansion of the rich man, as well as in the 
 negro hut, sweet potatoes, hominy, corn-bread and 
 bacon, form a favorite meal. Southern ladies know 
 how to spread their tables with good things, and 
 they have the articles in theu' pantries to do it with, 
 but there seems to be some merit in fat pork and 
 corn-bread that induces them to give it prominence. 
 
 As I trust that my little book will find its way in- 
 to many homes in the beautiful Southern land, I 
 hope that none of my lady readers will be offended 
 at thus having their culinary affairs tampered with 
 by a meddlesome "Yankee," for I love the South 
 and its people — all the ladies included. 
 
174 NARRATIVE 
 
 One day I was hailed by a young man who said : 
 " Say, stranger, are you a printer t I always think I 
 can recognize a brother typograj)her as far off as I 
 can see him." , 
 
 Between Lynchburg and Chattanooga the country 
 is mountainous, but the soil is more productive than 
 that of the level and pine-timbered sections of the 
 Southern States. Fine forests of oak, chestnut and 
 hickory abound, also noble springs and streams. 
 
 Chattanooga, on the Tennessee River, is a grow- 
 ing city, and a railroad center of importance. It is 
 largely engaged in manufacturing iron, and is called 
 '•the Pittsburgh of the South." The city is envi- 
 roned by lofty, timbered mountains, the highest of 
 which is the Lookout Mountain. Chattanooga was 
 the scene of some terrible battles fought during the 
 Rebellion. A great many Northern people have lo- 
 cated here since the war. 
 
 After working awhile on newspapers in Chatta- 
 nooga, and in Huntsville, Alabama, I j^roceeded to 
 Memphis, thence on to Texas. 
 
 Leaving Huntsville one night, I rode to Tuscum- 
 bia on a locomotive with the engineer, and I shall 
 never forget the ride. It was a night run, and we 
 were behind time, but the engineer wanted to j^ass 
 the reverse-bound train at the usual point. 
 
 About two o'clock in the morning we started from 
 a little town five miles distant from the place where 
 the trains were accustomed to pass each other. AVe 
 
TiJAVEI.S. 175 
 
 were so late that the engineer of the other train 
 would naturally think that we were greatly behind 
 time, and suppose that instead of trying to pass at 
 the usual place, we would lay over at some other 
 point beyond him. 
 
 A collision, therefore, somewhere on the five miles 
 of track, was very apt to occur. A grade was just 
 ahead, which was very disadvantageous to us, but 
 the engineer pulled the throttle- valve open, and the 
 fireman shoveled coal into the roaring furnace until 
 the perspiration rolled in great drops from his face. 
 
 The conductor came over the top of the train to 
 the locomotive and asked the engineer what he was 
 doing and where he was going. ''To meet the train 
 li^■e miles from here !" was the answer. In vain the 
 conductor urged him to go back, and not run the 
 risk of meeting the other train half-way, he put on 
 every available pound of steam, and watched the 
 track ahead. 
 
 As the ponderous machine thundered over the 
 rails at the rate of a mile a minute, many thoughts 
 crowded through my mind, while in almost breath- 
 less suspense I gazed in front for the head-light of 
 the locomotive which I expected would dash into us 
 every time we rounded a curve. 
 
 After we left the grade, the momentum and rock- 
 ing of the locomotive was fearful. I looked for it 
 to leave the track, or crush into the other train at 
 anv second. 
 
176 NARRATIVE 
 
 At such a time — when deatli stares us in the face, 
 man's weakness and insignificance comes vividly to 
 mind, and we eagerly turn to Him, whom, in our 
 daily Avalks of life, we are so prone to forget. 
 
 My own face, of coursg, I could not see, but the 
 conductor's was the wdldest and most distressed I 
 ever saw. Even the engineer became frightened at 
 his own rashness. The few moments seemed like 
 hours, but at last we whirled around the curve that 
 hid the side-track from view, and saw the head-light 
 of the other train just as it Avas leaving the switch. 
 
 Instantly both engineers shut off steam, but the 
 locomotives could only be stopped within a few feet 
 of each other. A sigh of relief burst from each of 
 us when the engine ceased to move, and all realized 
 that a horrible death had been escaped. 
 
 Memphis, situated on the Mississippi River, at 
 the head of perpetual steamboat navigation, is the 
 largest Southern commercial center north of New 
 Orleans. Prior to the war, the people of Memphis 
 were very w^ealthy, but many of them have since ex- 
 perienced a reverse of fortune. 
 
 From this point I went to Little Rock, Ai'kansas, 
 a handsome little city finel}- located on the Arkansas 
 River. An air of comfort and neatness pleasing to 
 a stranger, surround the homes of this capital city. 
 
 Passing through the swamps and pine forests of 
 Southwestern Ai'kansas, I entered the "Lone Star 
 State" at Texarkana. Here I found a border town 
 
TRAVELS. 177 
 
 full of life and energy, as well as saloons and faro- 
 banks. From here I proceeded to Marshall, thence 
 to Tyler, where I worked awhile on the Courier^ and 
 then Avent to Dallas, Sherman and Denison. 
 
 Of all the cities I ever visited, North or South, 
 East or West, Dallas, considering its size, contains 
 more business energy, more fast men and women, 
 less morality, more day and night card playing and 
 more unmasked wickedness, than any of them. 
 
 Dallas differs from all the other Southern cities in 
 point of morality and refinement. Its population 
 consists of people from almost ever}' country in the 
 world, and the elements of the genuine Southern 
 city are not to be found in this modern Sodom. 
 
 At McKinne}' I stopped a few days with T. E. 
 Bomar, editor of the Advocate, and assisted him to 
 get out an issue of his paper. He related to me 
 the following circumstance, which occurred in his 
 experience as an editor while publishing a paper in 
 Sherman, during the late war, when revolvers and 
 bowie-knives were in daily use in Texas : 
 
 He published an item that was true and proper, 
 concerning one of the cit}' des^oerados, which so en- 
 raged the individual, that he went to the office of 
 publication armed with a six shooter. Going up to 
 Mr. Bomar, he commenced the following dialogue: 
 
 " Is the editor in ?" 
 
 "Yes sir!" 
 
 ''Are vou the manf 
 
178 NARRATIVE 
 
 "I am!" 
 
 "Did YOU Avrite that item about mef 
 
 "Yes sir!" 
 
 "Well sir, (drawing his pistol) it's a falsehood!" 
 
 "Yes!" 
 
 "Of course, you will take it all back!" 
 
 "Certainly, sir, certainly!" 
 
 The victorious intimidator than left the office, as 
 a sigh of rehef burst from the horror-stricken quill- 
 driver, who realized that he had narrowly escaj^ed 
 an editor's possible fate. 
 
 When the Northern States are snow-bound, the 
 climate in Texas is warm and delightful. In most 
 parts of the state winter is unknown, and the grass 
 and flowers are ever present. The change from 
 Pennsylvania's rigid clime to this land of sunshine 
 and flowers, was truly enchanting. 
 
 At a distance, the vast fields of cotton, when in 
 bloom, resemble great tracts of snow. Cotton is 
 one of the principal crops of the state. 
 
 The eastern part of the state, from the west line 
 of Louisiana to the Trinity River, consists largely 
 of immense pine forests, imder-brush and swamps. 
 The w^estern section is one vast tract of undulating 
 prairie land. In the extreme northwest the surface 
 becomes mountainous, and in the southwest is El 
 Llano Estacado or Staked Plain, a table-land des- 
 titute of water, grass or timber. Buflaloes, wild- 
 horses and antelope, still roam the prairies. 
 
TRAVELS. 179 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Along the winding Ponca 
 
 Stretcli the wigwams of the Sioux. 
 Half hiil in gra^^s and flowers. 
 
 And o'erhung by slviep ot blue. 
 
 A. H. V 
 
 I LEAVE TEXAS FOR DAKOTA — CAMPING— A NARROW ESCAPE— 
 THE INDIAN TERRITORY— LAWRENCE AND LEAVENWORTH — 
 JOSEPH, CHIEF OF THE NEZ PERCES— A ROMANTIC LADY— 
 ST. JOSEPH, COUNCIL BLUFFS, OMAHA, CHEYENNE, OODEN, 
 SACRAMENTO, OAKLAND, SIOUX CITY— THE WINNEBAGOES— 
 I VISIT SPOTTED TAILM VILLAGE— CAMP SCENES— STANDINtJ 
 ELK— A BREAKFAST— A FEATHER DANCE— SPOTTED EAGEE— 
 HOW A SIOUX TREATS HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW— HOW MY BEEl' 
 DISAPPEARED— AN INDIAN'S ACCOUNT OF CUSTER'S BATTLE— 
 FINGER-BONES FOR A NECKLACE— INDIAN HOSPITALITY— 1 
 AM OFFERED A SIOUX WIFE— A STORM— TAKLNG NOTES. 
 
 Leaving Texas, I started to Dakota Territory. 
 One night, while passing through the Indian Terri- 
 tory, I camx^ed out with two travelers about forty 
 miles north of the Red River. After cooking our 
 supi^er, we made a bed of limbs and prairie-grass, 
 and then built a fire, to keep off the wolves that 
 were prowling around. 
 
 One day, while walking along the Boggy River 
 in company with a Choctaw Indian, he suddenly 
 drew his revolver and fired at some animal in the 
 timber, near l:»y, and came very near shooting me 
 
180 NARRATIVE 
 
 instead. He was a few feet in advance of me when 
 he stopped to draw his revolver, and not noticing 
 what he was doing, I walked on, and w^as so close 
 to him when he fired, that the pow'der burned my 
 face, as I was on the side from which he fired. 
 
 At McAlister, Indian Territory, I worked awhile 
 on the Star Vindicator, a journal printed partly in 
 the English and partly in the Indian language. I 
 then resumed my journey northward. 
 
 The portion of the Indian Territory traversed 
 by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway consists 
 of undulating prairie, which, as yet, is very thinly 
 settled by the whites. Railway stations are from 
 twenty to thirty miles apart, and generally consist 
 of nothing more than a frame depot and the few 
 buildings occupied by the raihvay employes. 
 
 Vinita, situated in the northeastern part of the 
 territory, and at the crossing of the Missouri, Kan- 
 sas 6i Texas, and the St. Louis and San Francisco 
 Railways, is a small border town partly inhabited 
 by civilized Cherokee Indians. It will probably, in 
 the future, become a prominent trade-center. 
 
 Lawrence, on the Kansas River, is a beautiful 
 city, and contains about ten thousand people. It 
 figured prominently in the Kansas slavery troubles 
 of 1854, but upon its handsome stree'ts and in its 
 happy, refined homes remain no trace of the strife 
 and bloodshed for which it was once noted. 
 
 .Leavenworth, on the Missouri River, is the me- 
 
TRAVELS 181 
 
 tropolis of Kansas. Before the event of railroads 
 west of the Missouri, Leavenworth was one of the 
 j^rincipal outiitting points for overland emigrants. 
 The population is twenty-two thousand. 
 
 The population of cities and towns as found in 
 this work, is according to the local census of the 
 respective places up to 1879. 
 
 Two miles from the City of Leavenworth is Fort 
 Leavenworth, the finest and most handsomely sit- 
 uated military post in the West. Within late years 
 it has been used merely as a supply post for forts 
 further West. 
 
 Near this garrison I visited Chief Joseph and 
 his band of Nez Perces Indians, with whom the 
 whites had been at war the sunnner previous, but 
 who were now captives of the Government. There 
 were four hundred in the party, all encamped in 
 the timber along the Missouri. 
 
 When I informed them that I had lived among 
 the Sioux, they became very friendly, and wanted 
 to know how many days' travel it was to the Sioux 
 country, as the greater j^art of the tribe had joined 
 Sitting Bull in Montana before Chief Joseph sur 
 rendered to the military. 
 
 I was sociably entertained by Joseph, and given 
 a seat on his couch, where he was sitting when I 
 entered his lodge. He showed me some letters of 
 recommendation that had been given him by mili- 
 tary men, before the intrusion of squatters upon 
 
182 ' NARRATIVE 
 
 his reservation had forced him to go to war. He 
 also exhibited a gokl ring, which a romantic white 
 lady had given him for the privilege of helping her- 
 self to a kiss. 
 
 He is a man of line presence, but is modest and 
 unassuming. He talks but little, seems absorbed 
 in thought and is quiet and reserved. He is a man 
 Avhom an observer of human nature would, at once, 
 recognize as having more depth of mind than idle 
 j)rattle and boasting on the end of his tongue. 
 
 After leaving the Nez Perces, I proceeded on my 
 journey, going by the way of Atchison, St. Joseph, 
 Council Bluffs, Sioux City and Yankton. Atchison 
 and St. Joseph are fine, thriving towns, situated on 
 the Missouri. 
 
 Council Bluffs is located on the Missouri, oppo- 
 site Omaha. It is bounded on the east by a ridge 
 of high, timbered bluffs. Lewis and Clark, who 
 ascended the Missouri to its source, in 1806, held a 
 council with the Indians on the site of the city, and 
 from that circumstance it received its name. 
 
 Omaha is situated on highlands, on the western 
 bank of the Missouri. It is the largest city in the 
 State of Nebraska, and is a great trading point for 
 a wide scope of farming country. It is the head- 
 quarters of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, 
 which is a great support to the city. 
 
 The principal cities on the line of the Union and 
 Central Pacific Railroads, which I visited while on 
 
TRAVELS. 183 
 
 my trips to California, are Fremont, Grand Island, 
 North Platte, Cheyenne, Ogden, Sacramento and 
 Oakland. 
 
 The first three mentioned places are line, grow- 
 ing towns, and are in the midst of excellent farm 
 and stock raising districts. 
 
 Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, is one of the 
 principal supply points for the Black Hills and the 
 Big Horn and Yellow Stone Countries. In early 
 days, it was the scene of many bloody encounters 
 between the bordermen and hunters who formed 
 the population of the place. 
 
 Ogden, Utah, a Mormon city, is situated between 
 the Ogden and Weber Rivers. A stream of water 
 flows on each side of the streets, w^hich is a very 
 attractive and jDleasing feature. The buildings are 
 small, but are enchantingly embowered in orchards 
 and gardens. 
 
 Sacramento, the capital of California, is located 
 on the Sacramento River. The houses are built of 
 brick, and the streets are broad and well shaded by 
 fine trees. Steamboats ply between this city and 
 San Francisco. I remember with pleasure, a trip 
 between the two cities on the steamer New World. 
 
 It is not an unusual sight to see the bearing fig- 
 trees towering ab(jve the dwellings. The Chinese 
 form a fair portion of the population, and make a 
 good livelihood, still, many of them think that the 
 ''Mellican man no good, muchee rob poor Chinee." 
 
184 NARRATIVE 
 
 Oakland is the terminus of the Pacific Raih-oad, 
 and is situated on the eastern shore of the Bay of 
 San Francisco, two miles from the metropolis, with 
 which it is connected by a ferry. It is a handsome 
 place, and is surrounded by delightful villas, vine- 
 yards and forests. 
 
 I beg the reader's pardon for this digression, 
 and will now resume the account of my journey 
 from Texas to Dakota. 
 
 Leaving Council Bluffs, I proceeded up to Sioux 
 City. This is a pretty place, on the Missouri, live 
 miles from the Dakota line. 
 
 About thirty miles below Sioux City, I visited a 
 camp of "Winnebago Indians. In various respects 
 they resemble the Chippewas, and construct their 
 lodges with bark and a species of water reed. 
 
 Reaching Yankton, Dakota, I continued on up to 
 Niobrara, Nebraska. From this point I w^as sent 
 to Spotted Tail's camp by a western journal. In 
 the Sioux village I prepared several sketches on 
 Indian camp life for the paper, and though copied 
 by the New York Herald and other journals, I in 
 sert extracts from them in this chaj)ter. 
 
 Writing has always been a pleasure to me, for I 
 seem to be holding intercourse with dear, unseen 
 friends, who receive my printed thoughts as a face 
 to face conversation. With an author's pardonable 
 wlnm, I love to fancy myself visiting the firesides 
 where my modest little book is read, and to imag 
 
TRAVELS. 185 
 
 me the warm hearts and smiUng faces I would find. 
 
 To all those friends whose forms I have never 
 seen, and whose voices I have never heard, I send 
 greeting, with kind wishes for happiness and pleas- 
 ant paths. 
 
 Crossing the Missouri River to the Dakota side, 
 I proceeded up the river to a point near Choteau 
 Creek, where I crossed over again, landing near the 
 mouth of Ponca River; then traveling along that 
 stream until the Indian village was reached. 
 
 The camp consisted of nearly the entire Brule 
 Sioux nation, and contained about eight hundred 
 lodges and five thousand Indians. This immense 
 village was scattered along the river for a distance 
 of fifteen or more miles. 
 
 Entering the narrow, but beautiful valley of the 
 Ponca, a scene ever grand and fascinating to me, 
 lay before me. As far as the eye could reach, were 
 the tall, white lodges, and groups of gaily dressed 
 Indians: some hurrying to and fro, others sitting 
 on the ground, in clusters, or galloping across the 
 hills after stampeding ponies. 
 
 At first, upon entering the camp, the Sioux were 
 rather rude, and regarded me with suspicion, but 
 upon learning that I had lived among their people 
 before, and understood their language, they became 
 quite friendly. 
 
 Entering the lodge of Standing Bear, he greeted 
 me cordially, and was very communicative. After 
 
18G NARRATIVE 
 
 8ome conversation, we took dinner, the meal con- 
 sisting- of meat and coifee, placed on a blanket, on 
 the lodge floor — the naked ground. 
 
 As I proceeded up the valley, the lodges, as well 
 as the Indians, became more numerous, while the 
 bluffs, on both sides of the river, were strewn with 
 hundreds of ponies grazing. - 
 
 The first night I stopped with Standing Elk, and 
 was treated with kindness and attention. He in- 
 formed me that, when he was a young man, his old 
 father used to tell him to stop fighting the whites 
 and be their friend. The military, however, know 
 that he has not always followed this advice. 
 
 Some years ago, Spotted Tail and a band of his 
 warriors robbed the Overland Mail Coach of the 
 money it contained, and murdered the escort and 
 passengers. He was captured by the soldiers, and 
 taken to the East, accompanied by Standing Elk 
 who succeeded in having him restored to his tribe. 
 
 He desired to know why I ventured to his camp, 
 and was much pleased when I informed him that 
 I had always taken an interest in his race, sympa- 
 thized with them in their oppression by the whites, 
 and would give a good account of them upon my 
 return to civilization. 
 
 He had but one wife, and remarked, that when 
 at AVashington to see the President, he saw that 
 white men had only one wife, and as he deemed it 
 good polic}^, he concluded to follow their example. 
 
TRAVELS. 187 
 
 When bedtime arrived, a comfortable couch was 
 made for me by Mrs. Standing Elk, and I lay down 
 to sleep, while the noise of the drums and whoops 
 of the wild dancers in a neighboring lodge, rang 
 upon the still night air. 
 
 As I lay there, surrounded on all sides by these 
 strange, nomadic people in their primitive charac 
 teristics, ray thoughts reverted to my own singular 
 situation. Though alone in the heart of the camp, 
 at midnight, and at the mercy of the Indians, fear 
 hardly entered my mind, for I was with the Sioux, 
 a people who have always been more hostile and 
 troublesome to the Government than any other In 
 dians in the West, ^^et among whom I have seldom 
 found aught but kindness and friendship, when I 
 might readily have been killed and scalped. 
 
 Sometime during the night a storm arose, and 
 considerable rain fell, but I slept comfortably and 
 dry. In the morning, I wondered where the dry 
 wood to make a fire with, was to come from, but 
 Mrs. Standing Elk enlightened me by drawing a 
 pile of dry brush from under her bed, with which 
 she started a fire, afterward adding some wet wood 
 from the outside 
 
 For breakfast we had hot cakes, meat and coffee. 
 The Indians are not very fond of bread; but having 
 a little agency flour sometimes, they occasionally 
 make bread, or a kind of short-cake. Meat alone, 
 without salt or pepper, is a favorite article of food. 
 
188 NARRATIVE 
 
 During the day I witnessed the feather dance, a 
 ceremony which does not differ much from other 
 dances common among the Sioux The drummers 
 assembled m the. dance lodge first, and commenced 
 the strange, weird music of the ceremony. Then 
 callers went about the village arousing the dancers. 
 
 Soon the tent, a veiy large one made by putting 
 several ordinary sized ones together, was filled with 
 the most hideously painted and adorned warriors it 
 is possible to imagine, all sitting cross legged, in a 
 circle Several large kettles containing the flesh of 
 dogs, were placed in the middle of the lodge, for 
 the feast A few of the Indians then arose up and 
 began to dance to the music of the drums. 
 
 At intervals of fifteen or twenty minutes they 
 would sit down to rest, and recount their exploits 
 in war. Then they would arise again, and continue 
 the dance, joined each time, by more Indians, until 
 even' brave in the lodge was leaping and whooping 
 
 The whole ceremony was wild and furious in the 
 extreme, and presented a scene of mingled paint, 
 feathers, bells, beads and half naked Indians, that 
 baffles a just description. Their faces were daubed 
 with red, yellow, blue and black paint, while their 
 heads were adorned with feathers and porcupine 
 quills, and their legs with bells and other trinkets. 
 
 Several squaws were seated directly behind the 
 drummers, and, at intervals, sang the praise of the 
 assembled braves, as is the custom at such dances. 
 
TRAVELS. 189 
 
 111 the course of an hour, one of the dancers took a 
 chister of feathers, which was secured to a belt, 
 and fastened it upon his back. He then danced for 
 about ten or more minutes, and afterward made a 
 short speech. 
 
 One of the Indians then placed a piece of dogs^ 
 meat into the mouth of each of about half of the 
 ^varriors assembled, and after flourishing another 
 piece above his head, and uttering a few words in a 
 low tone, he threw it into the fire as an offering to 
 the Great Sinrit. Each brave was then served with 
 a dishful of the meat. 
 
 While the men were dancing, a number of squaws 
 had a grand feast all to themselves, on the prairie, 
 several hundred yards from the dance-lodge ; but 
 some who did not at'tend the feast, stood before the 
 lodge watching the dancers. 
 
 The following night I witnessed another dance, 
 but it was much wilder in its character than some 
 others, and the Indians carried with them a number 
 of theh' weapons and a few human scalps, which, in 
 the dim light of the waving fire-brands, I supposed 
 to be those of white women. The sight of these 
 trophies of carnage filled my mind with awe and 
 forebodings, but I revealed not my thoughts, nor 
 asked questions concerning the scalps. 
 
 The speakers brandished their pistols, and sjDoke 
 much about the wrongs inflicted upon them by the 
 whites. Two little boys, gaily dressed and painted. 
 
190 NARRATIVE 
 
 also took part in the dance. Tliey j^i'obal^ly were 
 the sons of a chief, and were behig mustered into 
 the rank of Sioux warriors. 
 
 It being customary to place food before a visitor, 
 and a great breach of Indian politeness for him to 
 refuse it, no matter how often he may have eaten 
 during the day, I was astonished at my appetite. 
 
 One evening, while near Spotted Eagle's lodge^ 
 he very kindly invited me to pass the night in h's 
 wigwam. Although I informed himself and t\i\es 
 that I had already eaten su2)i)er, I noticed a change 
 came over their dusky countenances, and so I tried 
 to eat some of the meat that was placed before me. 
 
 Si^otted Eagle had two wives, who were cousins, 
 and they seemed to agree very well. One of them 
 made a comfortable bed near the fire for me, and as 
 the night was cold, Spotted Eagle covered me ^^ ith 
 his own blanket, in addition to the covering already 
 furnished me. 
 
 In the morning we went visiting, and while in a 
 neighboring lodge, an old squaw looked in, but left 
 immediately. Spotted Eagle at the same moment 
 covered his head with his blanket. It was one of 
 his mothers-in-law, and as a Sioux warrior seldom 
 speaks to his mother-in-law, or even looks at her, if 
 he can avoid it, the unexpected meeting caused the 
 strange conduct of both. 
 
 Such a state of affairs, although far from being 
 right or agreeal)le, would l)e quite satisfactory to 
 
THAVELS. 191 
 
 many married men in ci\-ilization, who are troul)le(l 
 by meddlesome mothers-in-law. 
 
 One day while I was in the village, some of tlu; 
 Indians shot a herd of cattle which they had driven 
 from one of the settlements on the Missouri. A 
 grand time was had at the slaughter, and the feasts 
 that followed were characteristic of the gormandi- 
 zing propensity of the Indians. 
 
 Going to where they were cutting up one of the 
 animals, I found a group of men, women, children 
 and dogs, gathered around the carcass, eating raw 
 meat with an evident relish. The marrow, lieait, 
 liver and brains, seemed to be their choice of the 
 beef. The children and squaws were hunting out 
 the marrow while the bones were yet warm. 
 
 An old warrior, who ^vas devouring the raw beef 
 with the appetite of a ravenous wolf, invited me to 
 join him, and when I declined, he laughed derisively 
 at my white-womanish notion, while the women and 
 children jeered the white man who could not eat 
 uncooked meat. 
 
 When their merriment was over, they gave me a 
 piece of steak which I had selected, and I then pro- 
 ceeded to a lodge, near by, where an Indian gave 
 me a pan and some salt, when I fried the meat. 
 
 Taking a piece out of the pan to see if it needed 
 to remain longer on the tire, I told the Indian to 
 help himself, and he did so. After stirring the tire, 
 I reached for the pan. when, to my surprise. I saw 
 
192 NARRATIVE 
 
 that it was about empt}', and the Indian was smack- 
 ing his hps and preparing for a smoke. 
 
 Seeing some young braves fishing in the Ponca 
 River, which, by the way, is only a small creek, I 
 concluded to join them, but their hooks were dull, 
 and so I could catch no fish. 
 
 I then offered to shoot at a mark with the j'oung 
 men, which they readily agreed to. Soon a crowd 
 collected, and many trials were made, AMiite Turtle 
 proving himself to be the best marksman. 
 
 After the trial was over, Brave Bull, the nimblest 
 Indian, in both tongue and limbs, I ever saw, asked 
 me to accompany him to his lodge. Here I met a 
 warrior who had taken part in the Sioux resistance 
 of Custer's attack upon their village. He had a 
 number of finger-bones on a cord around his neck, 
 wearing them both as an ornament, and as a troph}" 
 of his success in battle. 
 
 As General Custer and every man in his party 
 fell in the battle with Sitting Bull, the accounts of 
 the affair were very unreliable and contradictory, 
 having been based alone upon supposition and the 
 appearance of the battle-field after the Indians had 
 left. The Western newspaper story to the effect 
 that one of its rej)orters interviewed Sitting Bull 
 soon after the fight, and was informed by him that 
 Custer and his men stood on a little hill, and fell 
 '•like shocks of corn," one after another — Custer 
 last — api)ears to be about as near the truth as some 
 
TRAVELS. 193 
 
 other newspaper '^ accounts" that originate in the 
 brilHant minds of the enterprising, but not over- 
 truthful sensational reporters. 
 
 The following account of the fight, though unlike 
 any other I ever heard or read, was related to me 
 by Indians who had left Sitting Bull shortly after 
 the battle, and had joined Spotted Tail's tribe. I 
 give it to the reader without hesitancy, as I deem it 
 to be as reliable, or at least as plausible, as any of 
 the accounts heretofore published : 
 
 The Sioux said that when General Custer attack- 
 ed their camp, they were in a narrow valley through 
 which flowed a stream, which from their description, 
 must have been a branch of the Little Big Horn. 
 Upon entering the valley, Custer suddenly found a 
 small camp consisting of about one hundred tents, 
 which he attacked furiously, and slaughtered men, 
 Avomen and children, like cattle, before the warriors 
 had time to make any available resistance. 
 
 Some of the Indians who escaped, dashed off on 
 horseback to the main village, where Sitting Bull 
 and Crazy Horse were encamped with a large and 
 well armed body of warriors, and informed them 
 what was happening at the little outskirt-camp. 
 
 General Custer, being elated by his easily-won 
 victory so far, probably supposed that he could 
 successfully cope with any body of Indians that he 
 might meet. He, however, as circumstances prove, 
 knew not that a few miles distant, was the most 
 
194 NARRATIVE 
 
 war-like band of warriors perhaps ever assembled 
 west of the Mississippi since Black Hawk's Avar. 
 
 Od the arrival of this startling news, the Indians 
 hurriedly i)repared for battle, and then, like a vast, 
 sweeping wave, pressed through the valley, bearing 
 down upon the doomed Custer and his command. 
 Maddened at the sight of their dead friends, the 
 Sioux rushed upon the troops with fearful yells and 
 war-hoops. 
 
 General Custer now, for the first time, must have 
 realized his grave error with a fainting heart, as his 
 men drooped and wavered before the overwhelming 
 host that surrounded them. Seeing that the Sioux 
 outnumbered him fiftj^ to one, he hastily endeavored 
 to retreat, but the Indians actually rode in among 
 the soldiers, and with repeating rifles and revolvers, 
 carried on a carnage seldom equaled in warfare. 
 
 The troops became so intimidated and confused 
 at sight of the fearful odds that confronted them, 
 that they offered very little resistance after firing 
 the first volley. 
 
 The affair was over in thirty mimites, and instead 
 of Custer and his men falling close together on a 
 little hill, as some reports declared, the Indians said 
 that those who escajoecl the first onslaught, uncon- 
 sciously retreated toward a high embankment over- 
 hanging the little stream, where they were pressed 
 to leap over into the rocky stream below, and those 
 who were not killed l)v the fall, the Indians shot. 
 
TRAVELS. 105 
 
 One night the weather, though it was now about 
 the middle of April, became quite cold and stormy, 
 and when I retired, the Indians divided their bed- 
 ding with me. A robe and two blankets were found 
 for me to lie upon, the men then covered me with 
 three blankets and asked if I was comfortable. 
 
 Sometime during the night I. awoke, and by the 
 dim light of the dying embers, I could discern the 
 forms of my dusky companions who were now fast 
 asleep, each person being covered with but a single 
 blanket, or rather a part of one, for two slept un- 
 der one blanket, while the rain and sleet beat upon 
 the lodge furiously. 
 
 Here was an exhibition of Indian hospitality, and 
 it eftected me not a little to think that they would 
 cover me — one of the much despised white race — 
 with three blankets, while the}' had but half a one 
 apiece, and that, too, on one of the coldest nights 
 of the season. Surely, there is within the Indian 
 breast, that fount of human kindness and affection, 
 the existence of which, it is so popular to doubt. 
 
 Brave Bull desired me to teach him to read and 
 write, in order, as he said, that the whites could not 
 cheat him. With a lead-pencil I made the letters 
 of the alph[ibet, and succeeded in teaching him to 
 pronounce them, also to spell words of one syllable. 
 He displaced an unusually good memory, and was 
 very apt and eager to learn. 
 
 Medicine Lake wanted me to remain with' him to 
 
196 NARRATIVE 
 
 teach his family, saying that he and his Avife would 
 be a good father and mother to me. He said: 
 
 '' I will pay you Avith ponies, or any thing I have 
 that you might want, and I will give you my best 
 daughter for a wife, if a^ou will remain here, be my 
 son and teach our children." 
 
 The Indians desired to know what my profession 
 was, and when I informed them that I was a jDrinter 
 — one Avho makes ''speaking books and papers" — 
 they we¥e pleased, and requested me to remember 
 them honestly in my new book. 
 
 Sometimes, Avhile among the Sioux, I had papers 
 with me containing articles on Indian life that I had 
 written while on some previous visit to the tribe ; 
 these I would explain to the Sioux, who were eager 
 listeners, and were amazed to learn, that what had 
 transj^ired among their people a short time before, 
 was chronicled upon the printed sheet before them. 
 
 One night a terrific storm raged, blowing down a 
 number of tents, and the rain fell in torrents. The 
 lodge I slept in leaked considerably, and I awoke to 
 find mj'self lying in a pool of water. Toward day, 
 the Avind broke the lodge in several places, causing 
 quite a commotion among the women and children, 
 and all of us got a thorough di-enching. 
 
 The Sioux conducted me to a dry lodge, where I 
 remained until another one was erected over the old 
 poles, when they returned for me again. 
 
 As the storm continued all day, accompanied by 
 
TRAVEIiS. VJl 
 
 6now and sleet, I remained inside talking with the 
 people and taking notes. Crowds of Indians, of 
 all ages, from the old, graj^-headed warrior down to 
 the little, tottering paj^ppose, gathered around me 
 in amazement, w^ondering how the white man could 
 put upon paper what he had seen and heard among 
 their people. 
 
 One day I saw an Indian abuse his wife shame- 
 fully, striking her in the face and kicking her in the 
 breast. The screams of the squaw^ soon brought a 
 crowd around her, but no one offered to interfere, 
 for a Sioux husband's power is absolute. 
 
 They parted wdth me reluctant^, still thinking 
 that they could induce me to remain and live with 
 them. Upon leaving, I was obliged to shake hands 
 with eveiy member of the different families wdth 
 whom I had become intimately acquainted. I was 
 expected to eat and smoke in every lodge. "Wlien 
 about to leave a lodge, thinking that now I could 
 slip away, some one from another tent, would come 
 and say: 
 
 "The white man must come and have meat and 
 coffee with us before he goes." 
 
 AMiile among the Sioux, I w^as obliged to smoke 
 their pipes w ith them, in order to gain their esteem 
 and goodwill, though I never indulge in the habit 
 outside of an Indian camp. 
 
 Leaving the village at last, I shaped my course 
 eastward, and reached Niobrara in due time. 
 
198 NARHATIVE 
 
 CHAPTEE XV.. 
 
 In the l)osom of the valley. 
 
 Distant from the white man's home, 
 
 There in childish glee and treedom 
 The Indiaw children roam. 
 
 A. II. (;. 
 
 AUOLNI) THE LODGE FIRE WITH MY SlOfX FKIEXnS — A GOOD 
 OLD CHIEF — I RETURN' TO SPOTTED TAIL'S CAMP — HOW AX 
 INDIAN TELLS WHERE HE WAS BORX — I AM GIVEN A NEW 
 NAME — BELLOWING BUFFALO — A GRASS DANCE — FAST DOG's 
 ACCOUNT OF THE OVERLAND MAIL ROBBERY — SPOTTED TAIL 
 DIVIDES THE MONEY— FAST DOG SHOOK HANDS WITH THE 
 WHITES AS THE REST WERE SHOOTING INTO THEM — BLACK 
 CROW — IN A SNOW STORM — A RIDB KEHIND HIGH SHIELD — 
 AN INDIAN FAMILY MOVING — FOUR-LEGGED BED-FELLOWS — 
 HOW T REFUSED A MARRIAGK WITH A DUSKY MAID WHOSE 
 MOTHER WANTED A WHITE SON — A PET DOG— BIG TURKEY — 
 SCENES ON PONCA PRAIRIE— REFLECTIONS. 
 
 In a few weeks after reaching the settlement, I 
 again journeyed to the Sioux country, going in the 
 interest of Professor Hakleman, who engaged me 
 to obtain from the Sioux, certain stone implements 
 of war and domestic use, for his donation to the 
 Academy of Natural Sciences, at Philadelphia. 
 
 I stopped one night in a lodge with a family that 
 I had met a year before, while traveling among the 
 same tribe. During the evening Ave sj^ent several 
 hours in conversation, before retiring, and as usual 
 when seated around the evening fire with my dusky 
 friends, I was happy and contented. 
 
TKAVELS. 199 
 
 The chief of the Yankton Sioux in Strike-the-Ree. 
 He is an old man, and for years has not been on the 
 war-path against the whites, but on several occa- 
 sions, within late years, some of his braves joined 
 other bands in their raids upon the whites. 
 
 Leaving the Yanktons, I went to Spotted Tail's 
 village again, and experienced a long and tii'esome 
 journey over prairies and bluffs, and across ravines 
 and dry creek beds. 
 
 While looking for Brave Bull's tent, I was hailed 
 by Bellowing Buffalo, who had seen me in the camp 
 while on my previous visit. He invited me into his 
 lodge, where his wife presented me a pair of hand- 
 somely beaded buckskin leggins. 
 
 In the evening, a very old squaw came in, and in 
 a little while, several others entered who appeared 
 to be nnich younger. They were all surprised to 
 find a white man in the camp, and were somewhat 
 alarmed, thinking that I was a npy from some fort. 
 When I called the old woman "'e-nali-tahn-kah," or 
 grandmother, they became more friendl}'. 
 
 The old squaw informed me that she was ])orn 
 near the Falls of the Missouri, many years before, 
 and that she was the grandmother of the squaws 
 who were with her, they being married and having 
 giown children. 
 
 About the first questions an Indian asks a friend, 
 are, "AVhere are you from? Have you a wife and 
 children ? Are your parents living? When did you 
 
200 NARRATIVE 
 
 leave home?" They answer all such questions as 
 freely as they ask them. 
 
 They generally designate the place of their birth 
 by the position of rivers and mountains, which they 
 di'aw very accui'ately. 
 
 Bellowing Buffalo, desiring to give me an Indian 
 name, declared that I should be known as, ''Wee 
 Ton-kah," or High Sun. He was led to name me 
 thus from the fact that it was noon w^hen I arrived 
 at his tent, or w^hen the sun was on the meridian, 
 according to the Indian method of reckoning the 
 time of mid-day. 
 
 In the evening, I visited the lodge of Fast Dog, 
 and after dis^^osing of a dishful of boiled corn, and 
 smoking the "peace-pipe" w^iich he had carried to 
 "Washington when on a trip to see the President, I 
 accompanied him to a neighboring dance-lodge, in 
 order to see the braves perform the grass -dance. 
 
 This dance resembled all the others that I had 
 seen, with this exception, however: Each warrior, 
 upon entering the lodge, placed a small bunch of 
 grass over the top of two forked sticks, which had 
 been previously driven into the ground. 
 
 When I became weary of hearing the whoops of 
 the dancers, I returned to the lodge of Bellowing 
 Buffalo to sleep, as I had promised to do before I 
 left. The family had already retired, but a bed of 
 robes had been prepared for me, and I lay down 
 to sleep without a thought of fear. 
 
TRAVELS. 201 
 
 The next day I returned to Fast Dog's lodge, as 
 he had expressed a desire to have a talk with me. 
 He informed me that he had never killed a white 
 man, or stolen a white man's horse. I did not dis- 
 pute his assertion, but I had other opinions. 
 
 According to his account, when Spotted Tail and 
 his followers were shooting into the whites of the 
 Overland Mail Coach, on the Platte River, some 
 years ago, he did all he could to prevent them, and 
 w4ien he found that Sj^otted Tail was determined 
 to shoot as long as one white man remained alive, 
 he went among the whites and shook hands with 
 them, so as to convince them that if they all fell 
 under the fire of his companions, he alone was a 
 friend as far as it was possible for him to be one. 
 
 After all the white men were killed. Spotted Tail 
 broke open the money-box, and retaining some of 
 the coin for himself, shared the remainder among 
 his braves. Fast Dog and his family watched me 
 earnestly as I noted down what he told me, and as 
 I finished writing, he said: ''Make a paper out of 
 that, and make every one who reads it give you a 
 dollar, some sugar, coffee and tobacco." 
 
 In this lodge I met a young black man who had 
 lived among the Sioux since childhood. He was 
 dressed like the Indians, spoke their language and 
 took part in their dancies and ceremonies. He was 
 a favorite among the Sioux, and was known by the 
 name of Black Crow. 
 
202 NARRATIVE 
 
 After leaving this camp, which consisted of the 
 Wash-ah-zah band of the Sioux nation, I started 
 for the main Brule village, situated about fifteen 
 miles further up the Ponca, twenty miles from its 
 confluence with the Missouri. 
 
 It was now the beginning of May, and the day 
 previous was warm and pleasant, but during the 
 night, as is often the case in Dakota and Nebraska, 
 at this time of the year, the weather changed very 
 suddenly, growing quite cold. 
 
 In the morning some sleet fell, and the sky was 
 dark and threatening, but I concluded to pursue 
 my journey, hoping that the storm would soon be 
 over. A short time after leaving camp, snow fell 
 in great, blinding flakes, and soon the grass and 
 flow^ers were covered with a mantle of white. 
 
 After traveling a few miles up the valley, I saw 
 an Indian riding toward me. When he came up, 
 he informed me that his family was moving up to 
 the camp, and having lost his ax, he had returned 
 to hunt it. After some parleying, he allowed me to 
 ride behind him on his pony, but he insisted upon 
 carrying my revolver until the village was reached, 
 for an Indian is not at ease while an armed w^hite 
 man is behind him. 
 
 We rode a nimble little ponj-, and as the Indian 
 was eager to overtake his family, we Avent over the 
 ground at a rapid rate. When obliged to cross the 
 bluffs, or descend the steep declivities of the ever- 
 
TRAVELS. 203 
 
 winding- Ponca, it was astonishing to me how very 
 sure-footed and cautions the pony was. 
 
 Upon rea'?hing the summit of a hill that lay in 
 our course, the loud neighing of the pony informed 
 us that we were near the moving party, and soon 
 we came in sight of the caravan. 
 
 A number of Indians on the move is a singular 
 sight. A conveyance for transporting household 
 goods, babies, old and infirm people, pet dogs, etc., 
 is made by securing a lodge-pole to each side of a 
 pony, leaving one end of them trail on the ground. 
 Across these poles tw^o pieces of wood are tied, in 
 order to keep them from spreading, and the space 
 between the poles is then covered with raw-hide, 
 thus forming a convenient receptacle. 
 
 The trails made by a large party traveling this 
 way, are frequently worn to a depth of ten or more 
 inches ; as the ponies travel in single file, the poles 
 constantly drag in one furrow. These trails resem- 
 ble those made by buffaloes when traveling toward 
 water courses. 
 
 B}" the time the village was reached, I was wet 
 to the skin. from the snow and sleet that had melted 
 on my clothes. My companion, whose name was 
 High Shield, conducted me to the lodge of one of 
 his friends, where we dried our clothes and obtained 
 dinner, while his poor, patient wife and his mother 
 erected the lodge, exposed to the storm. Much as 
 I pitied them, I would hardly have been allowed 
 
204 NARRATIVE 
 
 to render them the assistance they so much needed. 
 
 In the evening, after taking supper with High 
 Shield, we visited his twin brother, Long Pumpkin. 
 These two Indians, together witn Medicine Lake, 
 Brave Bull, Bellowing Buffalo, Spotted Eagle and 
 Cherry Stone, were the best friends I had among 
 the Sioux Indians. They became warmly attached 
 to me, and were always ready to befriend me, and 
 the shelter of their lodges, the use of their ponies 
 and weapons, were ever at my disposal. 
 
 That night, while stopping in High Shield's tent, 
 his wife put a raw-hide net at the head of my bed, 
 in order to keep the dogs from entering at a rent 
 in the lodge at that place. But they would not be 
 kept in the cold, and found some other way to get 
 into the lodge. Having been awakened from sleep 
 by the movement of something on my bed, I found 
 a huge dog lying by my side, while another one was 
 trying to creep beneath the blankets. The night 
 being too cold and stormy to compel even a dog to 
 sleep out, I shared my couch with them. 
 
 One of Big Star's wives wanted to give me her 
 sixteen-year-old daughter for a wife, but I declined 
 to accept her kind offer, and informed her that the 
 daughter was too young, that I was a sedate, old- 
 fashioned young man, that I liked old women best 
 and, moreover, I had no desire to taste the bliss of 
 married life until I had seen more of the world, 
 To this the mother said : 
 
TRAVELS 205 
 
 " She will get old soon enough, and you should 
 see how she can work, and what nice leggins she 
 can make." 
 
 In the estimation of the mother, this was a fair 
 argument in the daughter's favor, but I evaded the 
 contract the mother desired. 
 
 The next day I visited an eccentric old warrior 
 named Two Elks. He had a little pet dog that 
 seemed to understand every word he spoke to it. 
 The dog had a buckskin robe, which was covered 
 with bead-work. The old man was a much greater 
 curiosity than either the dog or its blanket, and, in 
 all probability, he was the only i^eculiarity of this 
 kind in the world. The Indians declared that he 
 became a raving maniac whenever a strange woman 
 entered his lodge. There are, without a doubt, no 
 small number of white married ladies who would 
 be glad to see their truant husbands become insane 
 at the sight of a strange woman. 
 
 While seated in a wigwam one day, Big Turkey, 
 the Indian who killed Sergeant Dougherty on the 
 Loup Fork of the Platte Kiver, a few years ago, 
 came in and greeted me warmly. I did not like his 
 countenance, and was cautious in my conversation 
 with him. 
 
 One day I walked out to the bluffs overlooking 
 the valley and surrounding country. The storm 
 had passed over a week before, and all Nature now 
 seemed to rejoice at the change. The vallej^, plains 
 
206 NARKATHE 
 
 and bluffs, were covered with a carpet of green, 
 and the prairie violet and lioney-snckle were just 
 beginning to bud. 
 
 As far as the eye could see, up or down the river, 
 were the tall, white wigwams, forming a striking 
 contrast to the deep green of the valley and hills 
 around them, while in the east and west were vast 
 chains of bluffs, between ^^dlose ridges were little 
 valleys, or meadows-, opening into the greater one 
 of Ponca River. 
 
 The Indian village was romantically situated in 
 the bosom of the valley, the sparkling little Ponca 
 continually winding through it. As I stood upon 
 the topmost bluff and gazed around me, a mighty 
 expanse of waving grass, resembling the ocean, met 
 my view. 
 
 I could see the surrounding country for miles in 
 extent. What a glorious sight lay before me! A 
 view to make the soul exjpand with lofty thoughts 
 and sentiments, and to cause the frail tenement to 
 sink into insignificance before its splendor. 
 
 On all sides were the lovely prairies, bluffs and 
 valleys, covered with beautiful grass and budding 
 flowjrs in all the glory of enchanting spring-time. 
 
 Far awciy toward the eastern horizon, was the 
 swift-flowing Niobrara, whose course was marked 
 out by the belt of timber that lined its banks, and 
 in the north were to be seen the high chalk-stone 
 bluffs, between whose ruofo-ed sides was confined 
 
THAVKLS. 207 
 
 the muddy, turbulent Missouri. I stood, and noted 
 all with the poetical emotions of pleasaint melan- 
 ohol}^ which the majestic scenery of the West ever 
 awakens in the breast of the lover of Nature. 
 
 As I looked over the Indian village in the valley 
 below, these thoughts came to my mind: "Soon 
 all will be changed ! The pioneer's i^low will over- 
 turn the prairie sod, and his drill will deposit the 
 grains of wheat and corn soon to spring up instead 
 of the prairie grass and flowers. The white man's 
 substantial house will take the place of the Indian 
 wigwam, and the puffing iron-horse, bringing with 
 it the commerce and luxuries of civilization, will 
 thunder through the valley now occupied by the 
 Indian village.'* 
 
 Many times I have thus stood on the grand hills 
 and plains of the AVest, far from the contentions 
 and vanities of civilization, with heart and mind 
 enchanted by the marvelous beauty of this strange, 
 bewilderino- countrv. 
 
208 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTEE XYI. 
 
 -■ !.!s. for them ! their day is nearly o'er 
 
 ic-ir tires recede toward the "Western shore; 
 eir children look, by power oppressed, 
 
 . eyond the mountains of the West. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 I'KTRIFIEI) WOOD ON THE PRAIRIES — SORREL HORSE — A WILI> 
 SQUAW — SITTIXa BULL — I VISIT TWO STRIKE AND SPOTTED 
 TAIL — HOW THE GREAT CHIEFS LOOK AXD LIVE AT THEIR 
 HOMES— I AT LAST RECOME WEARY OF THE INDIAN LIFE — 
 SIOUX MOURNING FOR THEIR DEAD— KINDNESS OF CHERRY 
 STONE— BEAR-THAT-LOOKS-BEHIND— A SQUAW ONE HUNDRED 
 AND THIRTY YEARS OLD— A SINGULAR SIGHT— FRIENDS IN 
 TIME OF NEED — HONORED WITH A FEAST OF DOG'S MEAT — 
 A PONCA INDIAN GRAVE YARD — ALONE WITH THE DEAD — 
 MY ADVENTURE WITH A SKELETON — A SOLEMN THOUGHT — 
 A HOME ON THE WESTERN PRAIRIES — HOW TO OBTAIN AN 
 EXCELLENT FARM IN THE WEST FOR FOURTEEN DOLLARS. 
 
 In many places on the prairies, far from timber 
 of any kind, are found petrified wood and bones 
 in great quantities. These singular remains of by- 
 gone centuries, seem to substantiate the theory of 
 scientific men who say that the plains of the West 
 were once the bottom of a vast inland sea. There 
 is also an Indian tradition to the effect that a great 
 body of water once rolled over the country. 
 
 Sorrel Horse, a son-in-law of Two Strike, came 
 into a lodge where I was one night, but the family 
 did not seem to like him, and although we were 
 
TRAVELS. 209 
 
 taking supper at the time, the people of the lodge 
 did not invite him to join us. As all the rest thus 
 slighted him, I gave him half the contents of my 
 plate, and began a conversation with him. 
 
 My attention aj^peared to make him thoughtful, 
 but he said nothing about it at the time. It was 
 easy to see that he was pleased, as well as affected. 
 About an hour later, after having left the lodge, he 
 came in and handed me a choice j^iece of meat. 
 
 He had promised to see me safe to Two Strike's 
 camp, the next morning, so when I w^as ready to go 
 I went in search of him, and found him engaged 
 in a dance, but he left the group of warriors and 
 accompanied me to the camp, about three or four 
 miles further up the river. 
 
 AVe were frequently obliged to cross the stream 
 over huge trees that had been cut down in such a 
 manner, that they fell lengthwise across the narrow 
 river, and formed good foot-bridges. 
 
 The wife of Sorrel Horse saw us coming, and at 
 once began to prepare food for us. Entering the 
 lodge, he spread a buffalo-robe for me to sit upon. 
 I gave him a few blank pages from my diary to 
 draw some pictures upon, and when he had com- 
 pleted them, he presented them to me, saying that 
 I should take them home with me. 
 
 One of these drawings represent Sorrel Horse 
 hunting buffaloes, surprising his enemies and stam- 
 peding their joonies. Another shows the interior 
 
210 NARRATIVE 
 
 of his tent, his wife making moccasins, and myself 
 watching the process. 
 
 While seated in the lodge, an old squaw entered 
 with an ax in hand, and seeing me. rushed toward 
 Qie instantly with the ax raised above her head, as 
 though she intended to strike me. Grasping a gun 
 that lay at my side, I presented it toward her, and 
 was compelled to strike her in the breast with the 
 nuizzle of it before she desisted. She then went 
 out of the lodge immediately. 
 
 I had never seen the squaw before, and what her 
 intention was, I could not learn, for Sorrel Horst 
 was silent, and would give me no explanation. I 
 supposed that she belonged to either the party of 
 Crazy Horse or Roman Nose, many of whom had 
 joined the Brules shortly after the Custer battle, 
 and that having lost some friends in the light, she 
 had concluded to find revenge by killing me. 
 
 Sitting Bull, chief of the Unkpapa Sioux, is de- 
 scribed as being of medium height and well built, 
 though slightly bow-legged. The expression of his 
 countenance is fierce and cruel. He has a full face, 
 prominent nose, massive jaw-bones, piercing, blood- 
 shot black eyes and large perceptive organs. He 
 is said to have been bom near Sj^irit Lake, Iowa, 
 about the year 1835. 
 
 Approaching the lodge of Two Strike, I found 
 the chief seated on the ground in front of it, with 
 a little group of his warriors. After smoking for a 
 
TRAVELS. 211 
 
 few minutes with the party, he conducted me into 
 his tent, where he showed me some photograj^hs 
 of himself that had been taken in Washington, by 
 Alexandria Gardener, of 921 Pennsylvania Avenue. 
 He also had a card of Cornell & Amerman, dry- 
 good merchants at 79 Leonard Street, New York,' 
 and a report of the council held by the President 
 and the visiting Indian chiefs of the Sioux nation, 
 at Washington, in September, 1877. 
 
 These things, which had been given to him while 
 he was in the East, he had carefully tied up in an 
 old calico rag, and seemed to prize them highly. 
 
 Two Strike went with me to the tent of Spotted 
 Tail, about three miles distant. Nearing the lodge, 
 we found the great chief at the door watching the 
 young men engaged in horse-racing. He grasped 
 my hand warml}% and after a few passing remarks, 
 we entered his lodge, where we had some meat and 
 a smoke. 
 
 According to Spotted Tail's account, and the cal- 
 culations I made from it, he was born about 1823, 
 near the source of the Niobrara River, and became 
 a chief when in his twenty-eighth year. He is tall 
 and straight, but rather slender, and finer featured 
 than the Indians generally are. He is quiet and 
 reserved, and the general expression of his face is 
 mild and genial, but his closed lips indicate great 
 decision, while his deep, thoughtful eyes betoken a 
 reserve will-power. 
 
212 NARRATIVE 
 
 At the time of my visit, he had four wives and 
 twelve children. His main tent was an extra large 
 one, and was better furnished, in the way of robes, 
 cooking utensils, etc., than the lodges of the other 
 Indians. The chief was about the most neglected- 
 looking object about the place, his dress consisting 
 of the indispensable breech-cloth, an old shu't, and 
 coarse moccasins that no longer com23letely covered 
 his feet. 
 
 In answer to my inquiry as to how he obtained 
 his name, he said: 
 
 "My father's name was 'Wild Cat,' and when I 
 was a little boy, an old white trapper, who used to 
 visit our village, said that because I was a young 
 'Wild Cat,' he would name me after a small j^art 
 of a wild-cat. So, as the tail, which is spotted, is a 
 small part of the animal, he said that I should be 
 known as 'Spotted Tail.'" 
 
 He informed me that he had been at war with all 
 of his enemies, and when I asked him whether he 
 had killed many of his foes, he said : " Yes, or I 
 could not have become a chief and remained one." 
 Both Two Strike and Spotted Tail, gave me one 
 of their photographs which had been taken while 
 the chiefs were in Washington. 
 
 Every day there were ball games, foot races, bow 
 and arrow trials and feasts, and half the hours of 
 night were occupied by wild dances and the howls 
 and groans of the "medicine men," so that I at last 
 
TRAVELS. 213 
 
 became weary of Indian life, and wished myself in 
 civilization again. 
 
 A number of deaths occmTed while I was among 
 these Indians, and the lamentations of the friends 
 of the deceased were both horrid and affecting. A 
 child died one da}' in a lodge near the one in which 
 I was stopping, and I was made aware of the fact 
 as I entered the village, by seeing the body lying 
 outside of the lodge, wrapped in a blanket. The 
 friends of the child passed the night on the bluffs, 
 near by, weeping in the most heart-rending manner. 
 
 On my way back to the Missouri I was overtaken 
 by a rain storm, while near one of the Brule camp;-. 
 I was quite wet by the time I reached the village, 
 and upon entering a lodge, I informed the Indians 
 that I desired the shelter of their tent. The owner, 
 who proved to be Cherry Stone, at once welcomed 
 me to a seat on a blanket, near the fire. 
 
 In the evening I passed a pleasant time with the 
 family and the other Indians who came to see me. 
 Cherry Stone and his wife gave me several Indian 
 relics to take east with me. 
 
 The next morning, after passing the night with 
 Cherry Stone, I rode with him to White Thunder's 
 village, where I visited an old warrior named Bear- 
 that-Looks-Behind. As he was an old graj^-headed 
 man, I asked him how old he was, and he said that 
 he had seen eighty-live snows. 
 
 He then conducted me to a little, old, weather- 
 
214 NARRATIVE 
 
 beaten lodge, which was no more than five feet in 
 diameter. It was so low that I could look in at the 
 top where the poles met, and such a sight as met 
 my view, I never saw before, and in all probability. 
 I will never see the like again. Seated on a buffalo 
 robe, was the bony figure of a woman, bent almost 
 double, and having just enough flesh on the frame 
 to convince me that the object was not a skeleton 
 over which a parchment sack had been drawn. 
 
 This was the old man's mother, and when he in- 
 formed her that the white man was there, she put 
 her skeleton-like hand through a rent in the lodge, 
 and greeted me in a voice scarcely audible. Then 
 her eighty-live-year-old son crawled into the lodge, 
 and bade me folloAv him. for the rain was falling in 
 torrents at the time. 
 
 The lodge was just large enough to hold us in a 
 stooping posture, and, upon leaviiig, we were com- 
 pelled to back out on our hands and knees. The 
 old squaw and her pet dog were both sitting upon 
 the same fiu'-bed, and a dishful of meat and some 
 water had been ])laced within her reach. Some lire 
 was smouldering in the center of the lodge when 
 we entered, but as the smoke pained my eyes, the 
 old man extinguished it. 
 
 The little patch of hair on her head was entirely 
 white, while her face and limbs appeared to be but 
 skin and bone. As I looked upon her shrunken 
 frame, in which it seemed almost impossible for life 
 
TRAVELS. 215 
 
 to exist, tliH thought occurred to me that she had 
 Hved to see generation after generation come and 
 go, while she still remained, pent up in a little coop 
 because her days of usefulness were over. 
 
 I had deemed her son to be venerable, but when 
 I saw the mother and her son together, the wide 
 contrast in their appearance was truly amazing, and 
 I fancied the old gray-headed, man looked boj'ish. 
 The squaw informed me that she was born near a 
 stream that rises in the Black Hills, and that her 
 name was Wali-ol-lie. 
 
 According to her own account, as well as that of 
 her son and all the other old Indians I questioned 
 concerning her, she had reached the almost unpar- 
 alleled age of one hundred and thirty years. If 
 this statement is true, she must have been born in 
 1748, before the Eevolutionary AVar, and when the 
 Atlantic States were yet inhabited by Indians. 
 
 Incredible as this may appear, I believe it to be 
 correct, and could the reader have seen that emaci- 
 ated, mummy-like, unearthly looking figure, he also 
 would agree with me. 
 
 Before leaving, she informed me that a donation 
 toward buying some goods for a new dress, when 
 some of her people could visit the traders, would 
 be acceptable. So I gave her money to purchase 
 the first female garment of which I ever had the 
 honor of being the author. 
 
 One bright, sunny morning, after a farewell visit 
 
216 NARRATIVE 
 
 to Good Wash, Bellowing Buffalo and Fast Dog, 
 I started for the Niobrara Settlement. As I stood 
 upon the bluffs overlooking the vast Indian camps, 
 on mj departure, and looked for the last time upon 
 these strange, interesting people to whom I had 
 become so singularly attached, and among whom I 
 had ever found hospitality and protection, feelings 
 akin to sorrow and regret came over me. 
 
 My route, between the Ponca and Niobrara, lay 
 over a succession of high bluffs, dry creek beds and 
 rugged ravines. As I had a heavy load of Indian 
 relics to carry upon my back, the journey was very 
 fatiguing. Between some of the hills were delight- 
 ful little valleys, through which flowed tiny streams 
 of pure, delicious water, that gave life and vigor to 
 the vegetation around, and formed a jDleasant relief 
 for the eyes weary of looking upon sand hills and 
 sage-brush. 
 
 During the journey a rain storm arose, and for 
 several hours, I was obliged to face it. As I came 
 to a creek, near its confluence with the Missouri, I 
 was greeted by the welcome sight of several Sioux 
 lodges, on a little plat of ground near the creek. 
 
 Foot-sore, weary, hungry and wet to the skin, I 
 quickened my pace, urged onw^ard by the prospect 
 of shelter. Upon entering one of the tents, I was 
 invited to a seat near the Are. I noticed that the 
 squaws were boiling meat, and soon I, with all the 
 other inmates of the lodge, was given some of it. 
 
TRAVELS. 217 
 
 Seeing that the flesh was that of some small an- 
 imal, I asked them what it was, and they smilingly 
 replied that it was a young antelope Avhich one of 
 the warriors had shot. But after I had eaten some 
 of it, the Indians began to laugh, and then asked 
 nie how I liked dog's meat. 
 
 I now comprehended the joke they had played 
 upon me, but as I was very hungry, and the meat 
 being savor}', I proceeded with the repast. 
 
 When the rain ceased, I continued on ni}- route, 
 and during the afternoon I reached a Ponca Indian 
 grave-yard, where I examined a number of graved 
 This place of burial was situated on a high bluff, 
 within a stone's cast of the Missouri and overlook- 
 ing the surrounding country for miles. 
 
 I found the bodies in a sitting posture, with the 
 face toward the East. No earth had been placed 
 upon them, the covering being robes and blankets. 
 A small roof of limbs and bark had been erected 
 over the graves, and by removing these, or looking 
 through the crevices, the bodies could be seen. 
 
 Although the Indians embalm the bodies of the 
 dead, the flesh finalty wastes away. In one grave I 
 found a huge, grinning skeleton, sitting upright jis 
 it had been placed. The covering of blankets had 
 decayed and crumbled to dust, and nothing but a 
 naked skeleton remained. The limbs were almost 
 covered with cups and dishes that had contained 
 food and water, which the Poncas had placed there 
 
218 NARRATIVE 
 
 for the aecoinmoclation of the sj^irit, on its visit to 
 the body. These Indians beHeve that the spirits of 
 the deceased return to view the body, and partake 
 of the food which is prepared for them. 
 
 The upper part of the skull was covered with a 
 turban, which did not have the decayed aj^pearance 
 of the other contents of the grave. My curiosity 
 being- aroused at this, I touched the skull with my 
 walking-stick, when lo ! it fell from the bony frame 
 with a dull, heavy sound and rolled among the old 
 cups and dishes. 
 
 Becoming alarmed at my movements, and fearing 
 that they would lead me into trouble, I started to 
 leave, when to my surprise, I saw a Ponca boy, who 
 had dismounted from his pony, examining my bun- 
 dle of Sioux relics, which I had left a few hundred 
 yards from the grave-yard. 
 
 As he was interested in the relics, he did not see 
 me. and I instantly took advantage of this to leave 
 the graves. He soon mounted his horse and took 
 my bundle along with him. but I hailed him, when 
 he stopped and waited until I got up to him. 
 
 He was somewhat surprised to find a white man 
 there alone, but I told him that I was no stranger 
 to his j^eople, that I had been to Spotted Tail's 
 village and was now on my way to the settlement. 
 
 So we parted friendly, he promising to carry my 
 package on to the Niobrara River, where he lived. 
 Upon reaching the river, alvvif an. liour aftrward, I 
 
TRAVELS. 219 
 
 found a number of Poncas encamped on its bank, 
 and my relics were handed to me by one of tlieui. 
 
 While there alone with the dead, and seeing what 
 we must all come to — a mere handful of repulsive 
 clay and ashes — the utter hollowness and delusion 
 of this world, with its riches, honors and pride, was 
 most vividly presented to my mind. A very forcible 
 truth was shown me by the grinning skeletons and 
 mouldering bodies, which, a short time before, had 
 been full of lire and activity. 
 
 I found the river so high and turbulent that I 
 could not cross it in a canoe, so I was compelled to 
 return to the mouth of the Ponca, where I crossed 
 the Missouri, and then journeyed to the settlement 
 by another route. After a short stay in Niobrara, 
 I went down to Yankton, and then proceeded on 
 to my home in Pennsylvania. 
 
 A few years ago, the country" between Yankton 
 and Niobrara was but a tract of wild x^i'airie, but 
 marvelous changes have since taken place. Good 
 farms and buildings have appeared with a rapidity 
 that is wonderful. 
 
 A few miles back from the river, there is plenty 
 of Government land to be obtained. All that is re- 
 quired in order to get a farm in the West for the 
 sum of fourteen dollars, is to have the chosen tract 
 surveyed, and then entered at the land-office of the 
 district in which the land lies, pay the fees, which 
 are the fourteen dollars, and tlien im]:)rove the land. 
 
220 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 In Dixie Land I take niy stand, 
 To live and die in Dixie Land. 
 
 Away down Soutli in tlie tieldsof cotton. 
 Persimmon seeds and a sandy bottom. 
 
 • Axox. 
 
 BOUND FOR FLORIDA — PKTERSBURCJ — S^OUTHKRX WAR RELICS — 
 WELDOX — PICKING THE COTTON — THE SOUTHERN- PEOPLE — 
 HOW PEA-NUTS GROW — A RABBIT TRAP — A HERO OF THE 
 CONFEDERACY — PINE FORESTS OF THE SOUTH — MY CAMP 
 FIRE AMONG THE PINES— A THOUGHT FOR THE FUTURE— 
 • -WILMINGTON— AN OLD PLANTATION SCENE — THE FLORENCE 
 WAR-PRISON — A I>A1)Y, DISGUISED AS A MAN, GOES TO WAR 
 WITH HER HUSBAND AND DIES IN PRISON — THE NATIONAL 
 CEMETERY — CHARLESTON — BEAUTY OF SOUTHERN LADIES — 
 SAVANNAH — A SOUTHERN POOR MAN'S HOME — THE STATION 
 IN LIFE WHICH AFFORDS THE MOST HAPPINESS — A CURIOUS 
 PRINTING-PRESS — A LADY WHOSE KNOWLEDGE OF MEN AND 
 THE WORLD WAS LIMITED— A PRETTY, BUT STERN, WIDOW 
 WHO DID NOT LIKE " YANKEES"— TIME HEALS ALL SORROW. 
 
 After staving at home a few months, I started 
 for Florida in the interest of Professor Haldeman, 
 who employed me to explore some of the ancient 
 Indian mounds, in order to obtain antiquities for 
 his collection. 
 
 Going by way of York, Baltimore, Washington 
 and Eichmond, I, in due time, reached Petersburg, 
 Virginia. This city is located on the Appomattox 
 River, and is a harbor for light-draught ships. The 
 
TRAVELS. . 221 
 
 place figured prominently during tlie war, as the 
 remaining breast-works near the city indicate. 
 
 Weldon, on the Roanoke River, is a small town 
 surrounded by vast pine forests. Like Petersburg, 
 it had a fair share of soldiers and skirmishes to en- 
 dure at the time of the Rebellion. 
 
 Between Petersburg and Weldon the cotton-belt 
 begins, and groups of merry, colored folks, of both 
 sexes, old and young, are to be seen gliding along 
 between the rows of cotton, picking the spotless 
 product into baskets, while they sing their home- 
 made songs, and jest with all the vigor, and in the 
 idioms peculiar to the race. 
 
 Persimmons abound throughout the South, but 
 very little use is made of them by the people, still, 
 when properly dried, they are not inferior to dates. 
 
 Pea-nuts are very productive in the Carolinas, and 
 form a profitable crop. They are planted and cul- 
 tivated similar to the string-bean. The stalks also 
 resemble those of the string-bean. When ripe, the 
 stalks are pulled up and stacked like hay. After 
 the roots, to which the nuts adhere, are dry, the 
 process of picking commences. 
 
 A favorite sjiort of the colored people is catching 
 rabbits and opossums by means of a trap called a 
 gum. This trap generally consists of a piece of a 
 hollow log, about two feet in length, and closed at 
 one end, while at the other is the trap-door. 
 
 At Warsaw, North Carolina, I stopped one night 
 
222 NARRATIVE 
 
 with a gentleman ayIio had taken part in the Battle 
 of Gettysburg, on the Confederate side, and though 
 he had lost an arm there, he had a good opinion of 
 the Northern people. 
 
 In the evening, as we sat before the blazing fire 
 of resinous pine, joined by his accomplished lady 
 and interesting children, many old and interesting 
 reminiscences of the war were related by my host, 
 and the doings of both "Yankees" and ''Kebels," 
 Avere good-naturedly related. 
 
 An important industry of North Carolina is the 
 manufacture of rosin, tiirpentine, tar and pitch, the 
 product of the pine tree. The shipment of these 
 articles from Wilmington to Northern and foreign 
 ports is very large. 
 
 Some of the pine forests of the South are very 
 beautiful. The trees are lofty and straight, many 
 of them not having a single crook for a distance of 
 fifty feet from the ground. Some places the sur- 
 face is quite level, and covered with a fine growth 
 of .wire-grass, giving the forest the aj^pearance of 
 a well-regulated park. 
 
 AVhile hunting Indian mounds, I often camped 
 in these pineries at night, and slept on a bed made 
 of wire-grass and branches of young trees, beside 
 a blazing fire of pine faggots. 
 
 Often, as I sat alone by my camp-fire, preparing 
 my frugal meal of roasted sweet-potatoes, packing 
 Indian relics, or taking notes, my thoughts would 
 
TRAVELS. 228 
 
 dwell upon the siiigulcir inclinations that prompted 
 me to lead such a roving life. 
 
 As the hooting of the lonely night-owl sounded 
 through the woods, and the wind sighed dreaiily 
 through the pines, causing a singular melancholy 
 feeling to steal over me, I would mentally ask my- 
 self this question : '' AVill I, when all my traveling 
 and hardships are over, be so fortmiate as to settle 
 down successfully, and have a happy, comfortable 
 home of my own — a haven of peace and content- 
 ment, in this struggling, tumultuous world?" 
 
 Wilmington, North Carolina, is a seaport town, 
 and, like Charleston and Savannah, it does a large 
 shipping trade with American and European ports. 
 The city contains many handsome residences, which 
 are surrounded by grounds tastefully arranged and 
 cultivated. The j)eople are ver}^ sociable, kind and 
 frank, and the traveler leaves them with regret. 
 
 One night, while at Flemington, North Carolina, 
 my attention was attracted by the sound of a banjo 
 and the shnflfiing of feet, in a cabin near b}^ Upon 
 entering the jDlace, I found a colored man playing 
 a banjo and singing an old plantation song, while 
 another was dancing to the time of the music, sur- 
 rounded by twenty or thirty other black men and 
 boys, all in a high state of excitement. 
 
 They made room for me by the tire as I entered, 
 and when I asked them to present one of the most 
 p 'pular scenes on "de old plantation," during the 
 
224 NARRATIVE 
 
 days of slavery, they cleared a wider space, and for 
 the next hour, they danced and sang as these black 
 folks only can. 
 
 There was a singular and ludicrous mingling of 
 half-naked legs, woolly heads, rolling eye-balls and 
 glittering teeth, that I never saw before. The glare 
 of the fire, and the waving pine torches that were 
 held by some of the dancers, added a grotesque, 
 Aveird appearance to the whole scene. 
 
 On leaving the place, I promised to mention the 
 affair in print. This pleased them very much, and 
 one of them exclaimed: "Dat's right sah! I am 
 York AYilliams!" 
 
 Near Florence, South Carolina, is the noted war 
 prison where so many Northern prisoners of war 
 were confined during the Rebellion. The prison, 
 which at the time of my visit remained about as it 
 had been when containing the prisoners, was but a 
 large tract of sandy low-land, encircled by a stock- 
 ade, on the outside of which was a dee]) trench. 
 
 Mrs. Florena Budwin, a Northern lady, who was 
 unwilling to have her husband enter the army and 
 leave her at home, accompanied him, disguised as a 
 man. In course of time, they, with other Union 
 soldiers, were captured by the Confederates, and 
 confined at Andersonville, Georgia. 
 
 When a number of the Andersonville prisoners 
 were transferred to Florence, Mrs. Budwin was one 
 <jf the number, but her husl^and was not. Being 
 
TRAVELS. 225 
 
 loath to make known their relation, Mrs. Biidwin 
 left, and her husband remained. They never met 
 again, for Mr. Budwin died soon after they parted. 
 
 The lady's disguise was so. perfect, that her sex 
 was not known until sometime after she had been 
 at Florence, when she died in confinement. 
 
 Half a mile from the stockade is the grave-yard, 
 where the bodies of three thousand Northern men 
 were buried. The Government has since built a 
 fine brick wall around the cemetery, and erected a 
 white marble tomb-stone to the memory of each of 
 the men, as well as otherwise beautified the place. 
 
 A large flag waves from a stafl", near the foot of 
 which is a conical-shaped heap of cannon balls, and 
 a little further on, like grim sentinels, stand two 
 huge cannons, in an upright position. The whole 
 aspect of the place tends to fill the visitor with a 
 feeling of awe and solemnity. 
 
 A rose-bush, larger and finer than any other in 
 the cemetery', blossoms and blooms over the grave 
 that contains the remains of Florena Budwin and 
 her babe. Died in a distand land, far from home 
 and friends ; how sad to contemplate ! 
 
 A gentleman from Philadelphia was ajopointed 
 by the Government to take care of the cemetery. 
 He has a comfortable brick house in the enclosure, 
 and receives a salary of a thousand dollars a year. 
 
 Approaching the city of Charleston, a very fine 
 section of bottom land is reached, which produces 
 
226 . NARRATIVE 
 
 strawberries, peas, beans, etc., in March and April. 
 There are also many enchanting groves of grand 
 old live-oak trees, enveloped in fanciful wreaths, 
 fringes and veils, of the beautiful Spanish, or gray, 
 hanging-moss. 
 
 Charleston is a city of which the Southerners are 
 proud, but the" j)eople, more than any other feature 
 of the city, call forth the praise and admiration of 
 the traveler. Some of the most thoroughly kind, 
 hospitable, unselfish people I ever met, were these 
 Charlestonians. 
 
 The dwellings have a luxurious, home-like aspect 
 about them, and are most delightfully embowered 
 in groves and clusters of orange, lemon, magnolia 
 and other tropical trees. The inhabitants are very 
 refined, well educated and courteous. 
 
 The South has always been noted for the beauty 
 of its ladies, and while I do not admire beauty of 
 face or form, near so much as I do female cheerful- 
 ness of disposition, kindness of heart and plain, 
 unassuming manner of dress, speech and general 
 deportment, I heartily admire the charming ladies 
 of Charleston for the fulness in which they possess 
 all these features of loveliness. 
 
 In addition to beautiful parks which adorn the 
 city, the Battery forms a grand promenade, from 
 which the docks and shipping present an interest- 
 ing sight. The population is fifty-four thousand. 
 
 The Southern pine is much stronger impregnated 
 
TRAVELS 227 
 
 ^-ith rosin than that found in Cahfornia, or in the 
 pine sectijny ()f Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan 
 and Pennsylvania, and it makes a hotter and more 
 lasting fire, and is more easity ignited. Wood that 
 contains a fair portion of rosin, is said to be "fat." 
 As a consequence of the universal use of pine as 
 fuel in the South, the old-fashioned fire-place, fire- 
 dogs and tongs, still remain household necessities. 
 In the country, the rooms of the poor people are 
 often illuminiated by a pine torch, placed in some 
 convenient nook or corner. 
 
 Between Charleston and Savannah are immense 
 deposits of petrified bones, of both land and sea 
 monsters. Within late years these deposits have 
 been utilized. Many mills are engaged in grindino- 
 the substance, after which it is mixed with certain 
 chemicals, and sold for fertilizing purposes. 
 
 I was shown over the AVando Phosphate Works, 
 about ten miles from Charleston, by the foreman 
 of the place. Here I found bones of animals of 
 mammoth size, also tusks, sharks' teeth, etc. 
 
 At Jacksonborough, South Carohna, I passed a 
 day very pleasantly with a late Charleston news- 
 paper man. He was a representative type of the 
 generous-hearted, sociable Southern gentleman, and 
 were he not as modest of himself and works as the 
 retired journalist is, I would take the liberty to say 
 more about him and his estimable family. 
 
 For twenty years he had been a hard-working 
 
228 NARRATIVE 
 
 newspaper man, and at the age of fifty he retired 
 from the field, longing to leave the din and bustle 
 of the city, as well as the manifold cares incident 
 to a journalistic life. 
 
 In the afternoon, we drove into the country, and 
 passed through a fine forest of i^ine and live-oak, 
 through which wound a grand, avenue-like road, on 
 each side of which were tall trees, covered with a 
 mantle of gray moss, hanging in graceful, weaving 
 clusters and ringlets. 
 
 Continuing southward, I reached Savannah, one 
 of the most beautiful cities in the South. Nearly 
 all of the squares contain a delightful little park, 
 and fine shade trees grow along both sides of the 
 streets, giving the city a very j)leasing appearance. 
 Here, as in all the other Southern cities, much care 
 and attention is given to the cultivation of j^ards, 
 lawns, gardens and flower beds, which speaks w^ell 
 for the taste of the peoj^le. AVhile the exterior of 
 their homes are thus adorned with things pleasing 
 to the eye, the interior is embellished with the good 
 and pure in art and literature. 
 
 Those refined, jDoetic souls who find in the field, 
 sky and sea, or in art and literature, beauties that 
 call forth their love and devotion, have a heart and 
 mind elevated far above the i3ride, selfishness and 
 avarice, of the small-souled, narrow-minded beings 
 of earth, and live in a S23here of inward peace and 
 happiness unknown to the giddy and thoughtless. 
 
TRAVELS. 229 
 
 Savannah lies on the Savannah River, eighteen 
 miles from the ocean. It is a large cotton market, 
 and it also does an extensive trade in lumber and 
 ship-supplies. Like other coast cities of the South, 
 it is connected with Baltimore, Philadelphia, New 
 York and Boston, by regular lines of steamships. 
 The population is about twenty-nine thousand. 
 
 AA^iiie on my travels among strangers, and when 
 dejected and weary of sight-seeing, a letter from 
 home, or some distant friend, was an oasis to the 
 mind. A kind missive, like a kind word, is, indeed, 
 a soothing balm to the troubled and discouraged 
 soul. It is prized as a precious emblem of friend- 
 ship and affection, and tends to raise us above the 
 petty cares and contentions of life. 
 
 Few pumps are seen in the countr}^ and water is 
 drawn by means of a very primitive apparatus. A 
 post is driven into the ground, and upon the top of 
 it is fastened a long, swinging shaft, much heavier 
 at one end than at the other. To the light end, a 
 bucket is tied, and the shaft is so balanced on the 
 post, that the bucket can be let down into the well 
 and drawn up full of water by a small child. 
 
 The home of tlie poor man, in the country, is not 
 inferior to that of the Western pioneer, and it has 
 some advantages over the latter. AVood for fuel, 
 ancl timber for building, can, in many places, be had 
 for the labor of cutting it. This, in addition to a 
 mild climate and an abundance of water, are great 
 
230' NARRATIVE 
 
 advantages that many AVesteni peoj^le do not have. 
 
 The houses of the poor people are usually built 
 of logs. These dwellings generally have no more 
 than one or two rooms, and no upper apartments. 
 Each room is about fifteen feet long and twenty 
 feet wide. In some parts of the South, the cost of 
 building a house of this kind is but a few dollars. 
 
 All the cooking is done in a huge lire-place, the 
 utensils being an iron pot, a frying-j^an, coliee pot 
 and Dutch oven. The winters are so mild that the 
 doors are left open half the time. Southerners in 
 the countrj', seldom lock their doors upon retiring 
 to bed, and many of their doors are without lock 
 and key. This is not occasioned by extreme care- 
 lessness or poverty, but simply because they have 
 more faith and confidence in humanity than many 
 other people have. 
 
 There was always something cheerful and fascin- 
 ating to me in the bright, generous glow of a tire 
 of pine wood in a Southern home, and some of the 
 most pleasant acquaintances I formed while on my 
 travels, were around the evening fire, in the South. 
 
 My rambles have brought me into the mansions 
 of the wealthy and honored, and into the hovels of 
 the poor and lowly, as well as into the abodes of 
 the middle class, and I firmly believe that the last 
 named class are by far the happiest. They are not 
 annoyed by the many cares and temptations of the 
 rich, nor the trials and poverty of the extremely 
 
TRAVELS. 231 
 
 poor, but having a fair portion of the necessaries 
 of life, they dwell in a sphere of contentment and 
 happiness, and seem to glide smoothly through life. 
 
 Between the Okefenoke Swamp, in Georgia, and 
 the Florida hne, is Dn Pont, a small station on the 
 Atlantic & Gulf Kailroad. At the time of my visit 
 to the place in December, 1878, it contained about 
 thirty houses, and a printing-office, from which was 
 issued the Okefenokean. 
 
 The press upon which the paper was printed was 
 a curiosity. The form of tyjDe was placed on a flat 
 stone, which rested on a pine table. The form was 
 inked with a hand-roller, and after the blank sheet 
 was placed upon the tyi)e, a round pine log, wdth 
 the bark off, and covered with a bed- blanket, was 
 rolled over the form, and produced the impression. 
 
 Upon the press was printed various kinds of job- 
 work, and, according to the brazen announcement 
 of the editor, it was done "in the highest style of 
 the art, and with neatness and despatch!" If this 
 press had appeared in the fifteenth century, Lau- 
 rentius, Gutenberg, Faust and Schoeffer, inventors 
 of "the art preservative," would, in all probability, 
 have concluded that they were not the pioneers of 
 the printing business. 
 
 Near Jasper, Florida, a lady whose knowledge of 
 men and the world was limited, learning that I was 
 a Peiuisylvaniau, eyed me sharply, and at the same 
 time said that she had always deemed "Yankees" 
 
232 NARRATIVE 
 
 to be very large men, with red hair and bhie eyes. 
 
 Some of the Southern folks, who lost slaves and 
 other property during the war, have not a friendly 
 feeling toward the Northerners, though, to a great 
 extent, the old war-feeling of hatred and bitterness 
 has died out. 
 
 A very handsome little black-eyed widow, living 
 in Suwanee, Florida, who, during the Rebellion had 
 resided in great splendor in Savannah, said to me : 
 
 "'Since the 'Yankees' robbed me of my home and 
 slaves, I have been obliged to do all my own work, 
 besides following the occupation of dress-maker as 
 a means of supporting my little family. Had one 
 of you ' Yankees' entered my house soon after the 
 war, I would have broom-sticked you out, for then 
 I hated the sight of a 'Yankee'. Time, however, 
 which is the greatest healer of all our sorrows, has 
 made me more lenient toward your people." 
 
 Some of the grand old pine forests of the South 
 are natural parks of rare beauty, and many of them 
 are still the home of bears, deer and other game. 
 
 Along the shores of the widely- sung 'sSuwanee 
 River," in Florida, are to be found ihe petrified 
 remains of mammoth land and water animals. 
 
TRAVELS. 233 
 
 CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 Florida, the beautiful " Land of Flowers,'* 
 Of sunshine bright and blooming bowers; 
 "Within whose pale of perpetual summer, 
 Is a home and a welcome for every comer. 
 
 We glance far down through the plney vales. 
 Where Si»anish moss hangs in clusters and trails. 
 And magnolias bend in the cool sea breeze 
 That ever rustles among the palmetto-trees. 
 
 A.1I.<;. 
 
 christmas day i.v florida — srxshink and flowers — tuv, 
 florida clfmate — swekt potatoes — jacksoxville — kipk 
 strawberries 0\ new year's day under the shade of 
 oran(;e-trees — aspect of the soithern gentleman' < 
 home— the banana trees— spanish, or hanging-moss— 
 an ancient indian molnd — fernandina— the beach — 
 the palm, or palmetto-tree and plant— a palaieito 
 
 HOUSE— A CURIOUS PLACE FOR A HEN's NEST— FORESTS OK 
 KLORfDA- HOME OF THE CACTUS AND CENTURY PLANTS — 
 AN ORAN«E-(JROVE — MY FRIENDS — THE OYSTER AT HOME — 
 A CANDY PULLING— INDIAN RELICS— THE COLORED FOLKS— 
 THE RACE CONSIDERED— WHY WON'T THE GOOD ONES GET 
 TO HE?VVEN?— ORANGE BLOSSOMS— PARTING OF FRIENDS— 
 THE BOON OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 
 
 I REACHED Live Oak, Florida, on Christmas Eve, 
 and the following day I went over to Lake City, a 
 handsome place which received its name from the 
 beautiful little lakes in the vicinity. On each side 
 of the streets are rows of fine live-oak shade trees, 
 and in almost every yard and garden are clusters of 
 orange and banana trees, many of them towering 
 
234 NARRATIVE 
 
 above the house-tops, and all bearing fruit in great 
 abundance, and of line quality. 
 
 It was both wonderful and enchanting to walk 
 along the streets on Christmas and see the orange- 
 trees bending under their weight of ripe, golden 
 fruit, the roses in bloom, and the people sitting in 
 the open air. 
 
 While Christmas Day in Florida was as pleasant 
 and warm as a June day is in the Northern States, 
 there were three feet of snow at Buffalo, and four 
 inches at St. Louis and Cincinnati, wdiile the great 
 Mississippi Kiver was ice-bound from St. Paul to 
 the Kentucky line. 
 
 The winter weather of Florida resembles the de- 
 lightful, balmy Indian Summer of the North. In 
 Southern Florida, frost is a curiosity, and even as 
 far north as the Georgia line, ice as thick as glass, 
 seldom forms, and then only upon standing water 
 in troughs, etc. Running water never freezes, and 
 there are old men and women in Florida who never 
 saw snow or ice. • 
 
 Sweet potatoes are one of the principal crops of 
 the soil, and form an important article of food for 
 both rich and poor. They grow much larger and 
 more abundantly here than they do in the North, 
 and are of a much finer flavor. 
 
 From Lake City I went to Jacksonville. This is 
 the largest city in Florida, and a favorite resort for 
 Northern people who desire to escape the rigor of 
 
TRAVELS. 235 
 
 the Northern winter. It is a seaport town situated 
 on the St. Johns River, about eighteen miles from 
 the Atlantic. The population is twelve thousand. 
 
 The first day of January was warm and delight- 
 ful, and under the shade of the orange- trees were 
 ripe strawberries and vegetables. In the yards and 
 gardens, in almost every part of the city, are to be 
 seen the orange trees bending under their weight of 
 yellow fruit. Unless plucked, some oranges always 
 remain upon the trees until they blossom again for 
 another crop. 
 
 Ice of an excellent quality is manufactured here 
 by a chemical process, and large quantities are slso 
 shipped from the North. 
 
 Since the war, the Southern gentleman does not 
 live in the state of ease and luxury which he once 
 enjoyed. The groups of house and lielcl negroes, 
 formerly held as slaves, are no longer found in the 
 capacity of such, though they still linger about the 
 old home that sheltered them long before the days 
 of freedom, the stately abo.de of the once princely 
 planter has a dilapidated aspect, and the dazzling 
 splendor, wealth and gaiety, that reigned supreme 
 within the palatial mansion, are, to a great extent, 
 things of the past. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this reverse of fortune, the 
 Southern lady and gentleman are, in general, kind, 
 genial and hospitable to all, and the Northern man 
 who travels among them must be small-souled and 
 
236 NARRATIVE 
 
 narrow minded, if he fails to realize that a sad and 
 unnecessary desolation was brought upon an excel- 
 lent and generous people by his own countrymen. 
 
 Bananas are grown in all parts of Florida. The 
 tree upon which they grow is from eight to twenty 
 feet high, and is of but one year's growth, as the 
 tree, or rather its branches, die soon after the crop 
 has been gathered, but the roots retain life, and the 
 following season, give birth to another tree. 
 
 In Florida, as w^ell as in other Southern States, 
 is found the pretty Spanish, or hanging-moss. It 
 is of a grayish color, and is from four to eighteen 
 inches in length. It sometimes covers the trees like 
 a mantle, hanging in graceful, waving clusters from 
 the branches. The forests are often thus adorned 
 for miles in extent, the trees, at a distance, resem- 
 bling those of a Northern forest when coated with 
 snow or ice. 
 
 This moss is extensively used in the manufacture 
 of mattresses, sofas, etc., and it is almost equal to 
 hau- for the purpose. It grows suspended in the 
 air from the branches of trees, receiving no nutri 
 ment from the earth, and being destitute of roots. 
 The Southern ladies decorate their parlors with it, 
 and it seems to thrive there as well as it does upon 
 the trees, presenting a beautiful and rustic effect. 
 
 In a large pine forest, owned by Mr. M. Burney, 
 hving near Callahan, Florida, I opened an ancient 
 Indian mound. It was about four feet above the 
 
TRAVELS. 237 
 
 level of the ground, and over a hundred feet m cir- 
 ciunferenee. On the top of the mound was a j)hie 
 tree about two feet thick at the trunk, the roots of 
 which were a great annoyance to me while opening 
 the sepulchre, and I found a small root growing in 
 the hollow of a man's leg-bone. 
 
 Several feet from the top of the mound, I found 
 a number of human bones in an advanced state of 
 decay, also some red clay pottery. At one place I 
 dug up a skull, by the side of which was a clay jar 
 that had been placed there with the body, and had 
 contained either food or water. 
 
 The bodies had been in the ground so long, that 
 most of the bones had crumbled to dust, and the 
 remains could be distinguished from the white sand 
 only by the gray, ashy color. Most of the i^ottery 
 had likewise crumbled. 
 
 AVhile digging in this old monument of a bj^gone 
 age and race, I was reminded of the fact that dust 
 and ashes is all that will, in a few years, remain of 
 this daily-dying tenement of the soul. How little 
 we realize the truth of this, surrounded as we are, 
 by the vanities and cares of life, yet how important 
 that it should have our foremost contemplation. 
 
 I reached Fernandina, Florida, on the seventh of 
 January, 1879, and accepted a situation in one of 
 the printing-offices, where I remained till the last 
 of March, when I returned to the North. 
 
 From my place at the type-case or press, I could 
 
238 NARRATIVE 
 
 see from the open office-windows, the orange trees 
 full of fruit, the roses in gorgeous bloom, and the 
 little, barefooted boys and girls playing upon the 
 green lawns, and all this, too, while the Northern 
 States w^ere white with snow and ice. 
 
 Fernandina contains a population of about three 
 thousand, and is situated on the Amelia Kiver, two 
 miles from the Atlantic. The streets are wide and 
 well shaded with fine live-oak trees. Delightful and 
 balmy as the days are, the evenings are no less en- 
 chanting, and an evening walk u23on the Shell-road 
 leading to the ocean, a stroll upon the Old Town 
 Board-walk, or out to the Draw bridge, was a very 
 pleasant recreation after the duties of the day. 
 
 Fernandina is one of the most attractive places 
 in the state to test the allurements of the Floridan 
 winter. What is called winter, is only so in name, 
 in all other respects it is bright, glorious, blooming 
 June, with all the accompaniments of singing birds, 
 blooming flowers and sapphire skies. 
 
 It does a fair shipping trade in fruits, vegetables, 
 palmetto-goods and lumber, and ocean steamships 
 run from this port to New York and England. 
 
 The dooi« and windows are kept open half the 
 time, while fur-caps and overcoats are a curiosity. 
 Crops can be planted and gathered at all seasons of 
 the 3'ear, and many children are always barefooted. 
 
 Two miles from Fernandina is one of the finest 
 ocean beaches on the Atlantic Coast, and it is much 
 
TRAVELS. 239 
 
 frequented for drives and promenades. It is ever 
 lined with beautiful shells, thousands of which are 
 carried to far-away Northern homes as relics. 
 
 In Florida, as well as in Georgia, South Carolina 
 and the Gulf States, the palm, or palmetto-tree and 
 plant, are found in great abundance. The leaf con- 
 sists of thin, branching blades resembling daggers. 
 The tree, which is sometimes known as the cabbage- 
 j^almetto, is from twenty to one hundred feet high, 
 aiid the plant, or saw-palmetto, is from two to six 
 feet in height. 
 
 The bud of the palm-tree is boiled and eaten by 
 some people, and it is said to taste very much like 
 boiled cabbage. There is no difference between the 
 leaves of the tree and plant, other than that those 
 of the tree are much the larger. The young leaves 
 of the plant are used for making hats, fans, paper, 
 l)askets, mats, etc. 
 
 The leaf of the palm-tree is about a yard long, 
 and two feet wide, while the stem of the leaf, which 
 sprouts directly from the trunk, (the tree is without 
 limbs,) is iwMii four to six feet in length. During a 
 shower of rain, the shelter of a palm-tree is almost 
 as good as that of a roof. 
 
 The palm-tree of the South is supposed to be of 
 the same kind as that mentioned in the Bible. The 
 devout Roman Catholics of both the North and the 
 South, obtain Florida palm-leaves for the purpose 
 of decoratin<>' their cathedrals. 
 
240 NARRATIVE 
 
 The roofs of houses, and houses entire, are made 
 of pahn-leaves m Florida. I once visited a house 
 of this kind, near Fernandina, joined by some kind 
 friends who desired to show me a pahnetto-home. 
 AYe found the inmates, an intelhgent famiW, hving- 
 in great convenience. In one room a Dutch-oven, 
 containing a fire, served as a stove, and in another 
 apartment a heap of earth, upon which was a fire, 
 answered the same purpose. Both fires, I beUeve, 
 were used while cooking. 
 
 No inconvenience from smoke was experienced, 
 as it immediately went through the palmetto -roof. 
 This was evident from the fact that a fine old hen 
 was comfortably nestled upon a bed in one of the 
 rooms, where she was accustomed to lay her egg, 
 regardless of her surroundings. 
 
 The forests of Florida are beautiful and inviting. 
 The ground is covered with Nature's carpet of va- 
 riegated colors — wild flowers and blossoms of the 
 most beautiful hues, and in great variety. 
 
 Florida, like Texas, is the home of the mammoth 
 cactus. Here are to be found many different kinds, 
 some of them growing to a height of from four to 
 twelve feet. The century -plant and other tropical 
 flowers also flourish here. 
 
 Orange culture is the principal occupation of the 
 Floridan planters. An orange-grove has somewhat 
 tlie appearance of a Northern peach -orchard. The 
 oranjre-tree does not bear until it becomes seven or 
 
TRAVELS. 241 
 
 eight 3'ears old. A full-grown tree produces from 
 five hundred to a thousand, and even fifteen hun- 
 ch'ed oranges. In Orange County, Florida, are vast 
 forests of wild orange-trees, but as they, of course, 
 were never grafted, the fruit, though abundant, is 
 very sour, and unht for eating. Native trees bear 
 sweet oranges only after having been grafted with a 
 scion of the Itahan orange-tree. 
 
 Almost every person who owns a strip of ground, 
 though it be no more than a small spot in front of 
 then' house, have one or more orange-trees. It is no 
 unusual sight to see trees, full of fji>.ut, smTOimding 
 the little negro cabins. 
 
 In addition to oranges, are grown bananas, figs, 
 lemons, pine-apples, limes, sugar-cane, cotton, rice 
 and other tropical products. 
 
 "\Miile at Fernandina I formed the acquaintance 
 of an old Gulf ship captain and his family, living a 
 few miles from town. They w^ere the dearest, best 
 friends I ever met among strangers, and the many 
 pleasant times I spent with them, I will not forget, v 
 
 The Captain, a hale, good-natured gentleman, had 
 served in the Confederate Army, and had been con- 
 fined in the North as a prisoner. AMien peace was 
 restored, he commanded his own ship, a passenger 
 craft, from St. Marks to Appalachicola, on the Gulf 
 of Mexico. Becoming tu-ed of sea-faring life, as all 
 the "old salts" finally do, he "fui'led his sails and 
 cast anchor on land." 
 
242 NARRATIVE 
 
 The river and salt-water bajous, near his home, 
 abounded with fish, oysters and clams, and we had 
 some fine boat excui-sions after this kind of game, 
 the affaii' generally ending with an oyster-suj^per, or 
 an out-door oyster-roast, at the home of my friend, 
 Avhere the presence of his wife and family added to 
 the pleasui'e of the occasion. 
 
 An oyster-bed is a curious and interesting sight. 
 At low tide, the bars upon wliich the oysters grow, 
 are entirely out of water, when the oysters can be 
 gathered by going to the bars in a boat. Many of 
 the bars are so thickly covered that it is impossible 
 to walk upon them without stepping upon oj^sters. 
 
 Oysters always grow with their mouth upward, 
 and they are often found in bunches, and upon old 
 drift-wood, rocks, etc. The clusters growing upon 
 bars somew^hat resemble, in shape and position, a 
 tract of dwarf cactus. 
 
 These beds, of course, var}- in size, some of them 
 are not more than ten or twenty feet in circumfer- 
 ence, while others contain many acres. Oysters are 
 l^ublic property about Fernandina, and they are so 
 abundant that any person can obtain all they desire 
 merely for the trouble of gathering them. 
 
 One day, while engaged in the monotonous duty 
 of feeding a printing-press, I was handed an invi- 
 tation to attend a candy-pulling, to be held at the 
 residence of one of the citizens of Fernandina. I 
 foiuid some of the visitors alreadv assembled when 
 
TRAVELS. 243 
 
 I anived, and soon the ceremony began. After the 
 candy had been boiled, it was placed upon plates 
 to cool. Each one of the ladies then took some of 
 it in her hands and proceeded to the parlor. 
 
 Never having been at a cand^'-pulling before, and 
 not knowing just what was expected of me, I was 
 rather perplexed. However, a bright little damsel, 
 perhaps divining my thoughts, came to my rescue, 
 and giving me one end of her candy, said: "Now 
 we will pull this until it becomes light." 
 
 So we pulled and pulled, exchanging ends again 
 and agam, while her chatty tongue kept ample pace 
 with her nimble fingers. Finalty, she declared that 
 it looked "ever so nice," and then giving me half 
 of the candy, we proceeded to test its merits. 
 
 The vicinity of Fernandina was once the favorite 
 resort of the Georgia and North Florida Indians, 
 who went there for the purpose of obtaining fish, 
 oysters and clams. In some places, near the city, 
 there are tracts of land so thickly covered with old 
 oyster-shells — the relics of Indian feasts — that the 
 ground is unfit for cultivation. 
 
 Here I found some ancient Indian pottery that 
 had been used at oyster-feasts. Accompanied with 
 that which I had obtained in a mound, previously 
 mentioned in this chapter, I shipped it to the late 
 Professor Haldeman. 
 
 In the suburb of Fernandina, towering above the 
 dwellings like a grand monarchical pyramid of the 
 
244 NARRATIVE 
 
 American aborigines, stands a vast Indian mound, 
 the largest, perhaps, in the United States. Some 
 rehcs, I believe, have been found in it, but an ex- 
 tended exploration of the mound was never made. 
 
 The colored folks throughout the South are very 
 gracious to the whites, and I truly believe that the 
 average Southern man and woman have ever been, 
 and are still, about the best friends the blacks ever 
 had. This is a broad assertion for a Northerner to 
 make, still, I am not a Rebel, and would not buy 
 or sell flesh and blood that encased a soul. 
 
 It has often been a question in my mind whether 
 many of these good old black men and women will 
 not find a seat in the Kingdom, while some of the 
 stiff-necked, lordly white people will be compelled 
 to occupy a locality not to be desired by their once 
 meek and lowly servants. 
 
 I am not one of the white men who believe that 
 the colored people are the descendants of a certain 
 species of the brute creation, or that they have no 
 soul, and less brains than a dog. Ignorant, little- 
 souled white people may ill-treat and despise this 
 poor, oppressed race, but if they ever become so 
 fortunate as to "walk the streets of the Cit}'," they 
 will be surprised to find black j)eople there. 
 
 On Sunday evening, March 23, prior to my de- 
 parture from Florida, I attended chiu'ch with some 
 friends, and as we walked along the streets, the air 
 was laden with the sweet fragrance of the orange 
 
TRAVELS. 245 
 
 blossoms from hundreds of trees tliat bloomed at 
 almost every dwelling. 
 
 During- my travels and sojourns, I made some 
 dear- friends and many pleasant acquaintances, all 
 of whom I will ever remember with love and kind- 
 ness, though our future life and interest may drift 
 far aj^art. 
 
 This is a world of partings, and the sooner this 
 fact is realized, the better it will be for us, as we 
 will then be more able to bear the pain. 
 
 True friendship ! What a vast depth of love and 
 beauty is comprised in this one sentence ; yet how 
 barren and meaningless it is when uttered by the 
 cold, hollow voice of the world ! We find but few, 
 very few, real, sincere, unselfish friends. To find a 
 kindred being wdth a heart warm, tender and true, 
 is a boon I appreciate more than any other. The 
 value of a true friend, one that understands us, and 
 one with whom we can have free and harmonious 
 interchange of thought, is far more desii-able than 
 all other worldly possessions. 
 
 Hazlitt once said that he desired but one thing 
 to make him happy, and that was a true friend, and 
 at another time he declared that, his heart shut up 
 in its prison-house of clay, had never met a kindred 
 lieart to commune with. 
 
246 NARRATIVE 
 
 CHAPTEK XIX. 
 
 A land of lovely lakes that gem 
 Her pleasant surface o'er and o'er; 
 
 A land of prairies broad and Aast 
 Like seas that never knew a shore. 
 
 A land where mighty rivers rise, 
 Where stately pine trees proudly grow, 
 
 "Where pleasant brooks forever run, 
 And Minnehaha's waters flow. 
 
 Thos. L. Smith. 
 
 FAKKWELL TO FLORIDA— A VOYAGE OX THE ATLANTIC OCEAX— 
 TREXTOX, CAMDEX AXD WILMIXGTOX — FROM FLOWER-BEDS 
 TO SXOW-BAXKS— ALTOOXA, PITTSBURGH, FORT WAYXE AXD 
 DUBUQUE— SCEXERY ALOXG THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER — 
 ST. PAUL— carver's CAVE— FORT SXKLLIXG— THE FALLS OF 
 MIXXEHAHA— MIXXEAPOLIS— THE FALLS OF ST, AXTHOXY— 
 "THE FATHER OF WATERS" — FORT RIPLEY — A CHIPPEWA IS 
 KILLED BY HIS TRIBE FOR MARRYIXG A WHITE WOMAX — 
 AX IXDIAN FALLS ASLEEP WITH A PIPE IX HIS .MOUTH — 
 THE ST. LOUIS RIVER — DULUTH — VESSELS ICE-BOUXD IX THE 
 GREAT LAKE IX THE MOXTH OF MAY — A SAILIXG VOYAGE 
 OX LAKE SUPERIOR— JAYFIELD — MILWAUKEE. 
 
 Getting aboard the steamer Brichjdon, I started 
 for the North, g'omg from Fernandina to Savannah 
 by way of the Inside Route. Between these ports 
 are vast ocean-inlets, or salt-water bayous, through 
 which, at times, the steamer passed with difficulty, 
 owing to the ebb of the tide. The scenery on tMI 
 route is wild and tropical, and in some places, the 
 shores are lined with groves of palm-trees. 
 
TRAVELS. 247 
 
 At Savannah I sailed for New York in the fine 
 steamship Gate City, and arrived in that port after 
 a comparatively smooth voyage of fifty hom-s, still, 
 I did not escape the spell of sea-sickness which, in 
 most all cases, falls to the lot of a person unaccus- 
 tomed to the rocking, plunging motion of a vessel 
 at sea. 
 
 I made the voyage in this handsome iron craft 
 through the courtesy of Captain Dagget, the com- 
 mander, a quiet, unassuming man, who has grown 
 gray on the ocean-wave. The sailors informed me 
 that the sea was calm for the season, but at times, 
 the waves rolled to a height of fifteen and twenty 
 feet, and" the huge steamer tossed and lurched like 
 a great, living monster battling to escape from the 
 angry, lashing billows. 
 
 Shortly after reaching New York, I went over to 
 Pliiladelphia, by way of Newark and Trenton, and 
 then proceeded on to Marietta, Pennsylvania, the 
 home of my cliildhood. 
 
 Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, is situated 
 on the Delaware, at the head of steamboat naviga- 
 tion, thirty miles above Philadelphia. It contains 
 a jDOjDulation of thirty thousand. 
 
 Camden, New Jersey, opposite Philadelphia, is a 
 handsome city, and the residence of many persons 
 whose place of business is in Philadelphia. It is 
 a great thoroughfare, during the summer, for travel 
 to and from Cape May and Atlantic City. Its pop- 
 
248 NARRATIVE 
 
 Illation is estimated to be about thirty thousand. 
 
 On the Delaware, thii'ty niiles below Camden, is 
 AVilmington, the largest town in Delaware. It is a 
 tlii'ivmg, wealthy place, containing forty thousand 
 people. The citj^ is engaged in the manufacture of 
 railroad passenger-cars, steamboats, woolen goods, 
 gunpowder and machinery. 
 
 I reached home on the first of April, and experi- 
 enced some cold weather and several snowrstorms 
 during the month, which I keenly felt, and which 
 were a marked contrast to the sunshine, fi-uit and 
 flowers, that I had just left. 
 
 One bright, sunny morning in the latter part of 
 the follo^\'ing May, I left for the West. Starting 
 from the quiet, old village of Marietta, almost over- 
 shadowed by the sentinel-like Koimd Top and the 
 Chickies Kock, from whose commanding summits 
 can be seen the most enchanting rural scenes in the 
 country, I, in due time, reached Altoona, and then 
 proceeded across the mountains to Pittsbm'gh. 
 . Altoona, situated near the foot of the Alleghany 
 Mountains, is a very stnring, energetic city. It is 
 emphatically a railroad town, and contains the car- 
 shops and locomotive-factorj^ of the Pennsylvania 
 Raih'oad. The population is sixteen thousand. 
 
 Pittsburgh, located at the junction of the Alle- 
 ghany and Monongahela Eivers, is the largest coal 
 and u'on mart in America, and is surroiuided with 
 numerous and extensive mines of both materials. 
 
TRAVELS. 249 
 
 The furnaces, rolling-mills and other works, are so 
 numerous that the smoke from their chimneys ever 
 hangs over the city like a black, threatening cloud. 
 A large river trade is done with the Southern and 
 Western cities, by steamboats. Pittsburgh contains 
 about one hundred and twenty thousand people. 
 
 Fort Wayne, one of the most important cities in 
 Indiana, is a prominent railroad center, and is also 
 largely engaged in manufacturing machinery", etc. 
 
 Continuing westward, I reached St. Paul, going 
 through Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque and Northlield. 
 
 Dubuque, lying upon high bluffs overlooking the 
 Mississippi River and the surrounding country for 
 miles, is an attractive town. Considerable trade is 
 carried on with the different river jDorts. Lead in 
 large quantities is mined near Dubuque. The city 
 claims a poj^ulation of twenty-six thousand. 
 
 The Mississippi, between Clinton and Prairie du- 
 Chien, and further up, is very similar in its general 
 character and surroundings, to the Missouri and its 
 adjacent country between Omaha and Sioux City, 
 and that further north. 
 
 The bluffs along the Mississippi, between these 
 points, are liigh and rugged In some places, they 
 are covered with fine groves of cottonwood, maple, 
 birch, butternut and plum trees, in other localities, 
 they are entirely destitute of timber. 
 
 These hilk consist of sandstone and limestone 
 and their bare and broken sides, as they approach 
 
250 NARRATIVE 
 
 the water, present objects of interest. It requires 
 no great stretch of the imagination to fancy these 
 objects to be the rnins of temple, castle and spire. 
 
 From St. Anthony's Falls to the Uj^iDer Rapids, 
 near Davenport, a distance of three hundred miles, 
 the Mississippi, during severe winters, is a safe and 
 unbroken thoroughfare for travel by sleighs. The 
 farmers frequently transport their crops to market 
 by this mode of river navigation. 
 
 At Northfield, Minnesota. I had the pleasure of 
 meeting Mr. Thos. L. Smith, the printer-poet. He 
 is a gentleman of kindly heart and genial manners, 
 and has won a host of friends and admirers by the 
 gi-ace and beauty of his poems. The verses which 
 head chapters five and nineteen of this work, were 
 written expressly for it by Mr.* Smith. 
 
 St. Paul is situated on the Mississippi, near the 
 head of steamboat navigation, and nearly twenty- 
 one hundred miles from its mouth. A Frenchman, 
 named Pierre Parrant, was the first white man who 
 located on the ground now occupied by St. Paul. 
 He built the first log house here in 1838, and then 
 began to trade with the Indians. 
 
 Although Parrant was the first to locate, he had 
 not been the first to visit the spot. In 1680 Father 
 Louis Hennepin, a Jesuit missionary, visited this 
 place while being held in captivity by the Indians, 
 and in 1766 Captain Jonathan Carver, held a grand 
 council with the Sioux in a lari^e cave which bears 
 
TRAVELS. 251 
 
 his name, and which is located half a mile from the 
 city steamboat landing. 
 
 St. Paul does a very large trade with the states 
 and territories of the Northwest. It is handsomely 
 situated upon three j^lateaux of land, and is partly 
 encircled by a ridge of timber-crowned bluffs, that 
 rise grandly above their surroundings. The pop- 
 ulation is lifty thousand. In the suburbs are many 
 costl}^ and beautiful private residences, and most 
 elegantly-arranged grounds. 
 
 The natural scenery near St. Paul is enchanting, 
 and that beheld from the river bridge, or Summit 
 Avenue, is sublime. The winding stream, rugged 
 bluffs, sloping mounds, and the grand Minnesota 
 Valley bej^ond, are sights to call forth admiration. 
 
 "While in St. Paul, I was engaged in setting tyjDe 
 on the History of St. Paul, a graphic and elegantly 
 illustrated account of the city's past and present, 
 published by T. M. Newson, the pioneer j)ublisher 
 of the city, whose books and magazine, the Fire- 
 side Companion, are models of typographical beauty 
 and literary merit. 
 
 Carver's Cave is located at the foot of a bluff, on 
 the east bank of the Mississippi. Its entrance is 
 about nine feet wide and five feet high. Entering- 
 the first room, an arena-like cavity about fifteen feet 
 high and thirty feet wide, the floor, sides and roof, 
 are found to consist of soft, white sandstone. 
 
 A short distance from the mouth of the cavern a 
 
252 NARRATIVE 
 
 beautiful little lake begins, and extends be3'ond the 
 scope of Adsion. Its water is very calm, clear and 
 €ool, and has no visible feeder. Various smaller 
 <'hambers branch off from the main cave. 
 
 About two miles further up the river is another 
 cave. It is similar in appearance to Carver's, but a 
 running stream is found in it instead of a lake. 
 
 Five miles above St. Paul, at the junction of the 
 Mississippi and Minnesota, is Fort Snelling, about 
 the oldest militarv post in the Northwest, ha^dng 
 been erected in 1820. It is now used as a suj^ply 
 post for other forts and Indian agencies further in 
 the interior. It stands upon the summit of a large 
 white sandstone bluff, seventy feet above the banks 
 of the two rivers which wind around its base, and 
 commands a fine view of the surrounding country 
 for many miles. 
 
 The beautiful and romantic Falls of Minnehaha 
 are situated about midway between Fort Snelling 
 and Minneapolis, and are much \dsited by tourists 
 from the East and South. Minnehaha has a beauty 
 and grandem- peculiar to itself, which consists not 
 in depth of water or ruggedness of precipice. The 
 traveler, not acquainted with the exact location of 
 Minnehaha, could pass within two hundred yards 
 of it mthout being aware of his nearness to it, so 
 quiet and secluded is the beautiful cascade. 
 
 At high water, the falls are not more than sixty 
 feet wide, and the water, before it reaches the pre- 
 
TRAVELS. 253 
 
 cipice, is oiity a small, calm-flowing brook. But, all 
 at once, the modest little creek widens in its narrow 
 bed, and then reaching a flat sandstone rock, leaps 
 over its brink, and falling uj)on a bench of smaller 
 rocks below, forms the sparkling and ever-mnsical 
 Falls of Minnehaha. 
 
 The water dashes over the precij^ice in one even 
 and unbroken sheet, which is a singular and pretty 
 feature of the cascade. Behind the falls is a grand 
 promenade beneath an arch, which, although made 
 by the moulding hand of Nature, has the aspect of 
 having been carved out by man. Here the visitor 
 can walk or sit without inconvenience from dashing 
 spray, while the sheet of water leaps directly over 
 his head into the dark, narrow ravine below^ 
 
 Minnehaha was former 1}^ a favorite resort of the 
 Sioux Indians, from whom it received its present 
 name, which means, "Laughing Water." 
 
 Minneapolis, situated on the Mississippi, at the 
 Falls of St. Anthony, and ten miles above St. Paul, 
 is one of the handsomest cities in the West. It is 
 very energetic and flourishing, and contains about 
 fifty thousand people. 
 
 The country, for miles about the city, consists of 
 beautiful prairie land. Business houses of grand 
 proportions, and of fine architecture, are seen upon 
 all of the principal streets, while the mansions and 
 cottages, and the j)retty grounds that environ them, 
 have a rural attractiveness that is most enchanting 
 
254 NARRATIVE 
 
 after leaving' the din and bustle of the commercial 
 section of the city. 
 
 A very pleasing feature of Minneapolis homes is 
 the beautiful front yards, which have been banked 
 up with ground several feet above the level of the 
 streets, and are without any fence, while they form 
 lovely green plateaux, pleasantly interspersed with 
 fountains, statues and tlowers. 
 
 The city is extensively engaged in manufacturing 
 flour, lumber and woolen goods. Several bndges 
 span the Mississippi at this point, from which can 
 be had a grand view of the Falls of St. Anthony. 
 
 The falls are a great natural wonder. The river 
 here has a perpendicular fall of eighteen feet, and 
 the effect is very imposing. The water-power which 
 the falls furnish is very valuable, and is, jDrobably, 
 the strongest and most available in the country'. 
 
 The Falls of St. Anthony were discovered in the 
 year 1680, by Father Louis Hennei^iu, the Jesuit 
 missionar}^ who gave them the name they bear. 
 
 The river at Minneapolis, and for several miles 
 below the town, is rapid, and flows between high, 
 steep bluffs, which, during the summer, are clothed 
 in Nature's mantle of green, pleasantly dotted with 
 groves of butternut, oak and plum trees. 
 
 Leaving IVIinneapolis, I continued northward to 
 Brainerd, and from that place I proceeded over to 
 Duluth, on the head of Lake Superior. Between 
 Minneapolis and Brainerci the Mississippi is a yevj 
 
TRAVELS. ' 255 
 
 modest little stream, but it is quite valuable for the 
 pui'pose of floating logs to the Minneapolis mills. 
 The country along its banks consists of prairie, m- 
 terspersed with small groves of dwarf oak. 
 
 A few miles above the Falls of St. Anthony, the 
 rugged sandstone bluffs, which predominate for a 
 distance of five hundred miles below the falls, are 
 no longer seen, and the river banks are lower and 
 more sloping. 
 
 The Mississippi — '-the father of waters" — is one 
 of the wonders of America. -Having Itasca Lake 
 for its fountain head, or source, about thirty miles 
 north of Brainerd, by land, it traverses a section of 
 country thu'teen hundred miles in extent, although 
 the river, owing to its winding course, is twenty-hve 
 hundred miles in length. 
 
 After rising in a land where winter lingers long, 
 it sweeps through various shades of climate, finally 
 losing itself in the great Gulf of Mexico, upon the 
 shores of which summer perpetually exists. 
 
 About eighteen miles south of Brainerd. close to 
 the river's edge, is Fort Ripley. Near this place 
 the renowned Chippewa chieftain, Hole-in-the-Day, 
 was cruelly murdered by his own tribe because he 
 had married a white woman in Washington. 
 
 This Indian once held a council with the Sioux, 
 and several military men and their wives went to 
 see the ceremony. At this the Sioux became xevy 
 angry, and left, saying to Hole-in-the-Day that if 
 
256 NARRATIVE 
 
 he wanted to hold a council with "white squaws,'^ 
 he should do it alone. 
 
 This did not displease the Cliippewa leader, and 
 shaking ,each of the ladies cordially by the hand, 
 he said: 
 
 "I am happy to see so many sweet women here 
 with their winning smiles, and they are all welcome 
 to a seat on my side of the council." 
 
 AVliile walking through the forest near Brainerd 
 one morning, I noticed two Chippewa Indians lying 
 upon the ground a short distance in front of me: 
 and upon going up to them, I found that they were 
 sovmd asleep. 
 
 Having the appearance of being intoxicated, they 
 must have started from town for their camp, on the 
 previous night, but having drank too freely from a 
 suspicious-looking flask which they had with them, 
 they had become unable to reach their village, and 
 and had dropped down in a drunken sleep, where I 
 found them. 
 
 One of the Indians had fallen asleep with a pipe 
 in his mouth, where it still remained, while the rum- 
 clouded mind of the savage was in the supjoosed 
 "land of dreams." 
 
 The country between Brainerd and Duluth con- 
 tains vast tracts of land producing rasj)berries in 
 great abundance, and of a fine quality. During the 
 season, the Indians subsist chiefly ujDon this fruit. 
 prepared with maple-sugar of their own make. 
 
TRAVELS. 257 
 
 About tliirt}^ miles west of Dulntli the country 
 becomes hilly, and great heaps of jagged, broken 
 rocks are on every hand, while the vast pine forests 
 add a strangely wild grandeur to the scenery. 
 
 The St. Louis River, flowing into Lake Superior, 
 is a very dark and boisterous stream. Its bed and 
 shores, in some places, are almost one entire mass 
 of rocks, and it is ever rushing and surgmg on its 
 coui'se to the great inland sea. 
 
 Duluth is located upon a high, rocky bluff, facing 
 the head of Lake Superior, the muTor-like surface 
 of which, during a calm, reflects the town and its 
 surroundings vividly. While there is nothing verj^ 
 attractive about the town, the lake forms an object 
 of beauty and interest. 
 
 The winters are long and severe, but the people 
 prepare themselves for a siege of snow^ and ice, and 
 are attached to theii' Northern home. They speak 
 in glowing terms of the fine sleighing, coasting and 
 skating, they enjoy during the winter. 
 
 During my sojourn in the town, in the month of 
 August, the weather was cool and Autumnal, and 
 in the morning and evening, the tourists from the 
 South donned their overcoats. The population of 
 Duluth is about five thousand. 
 
 The water of Lake Superior is cold even in the 
 summer, and it is used by the citizens of Duluth 
 instead of well water. I was told that on July 4, 
 1875, some of the Duluth people obtained ice from 
 
258 NARRATIVE 
 
 among tlie rocks, along the lake shore, for making 
 ice-cream ; and in May of the same year, seventeen 
 vessels were ice-bonnd near Dulnth. 
 
 Lines of iron steamships ply between this port 
 and Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Erie 
 and Birftalo, and thousands of sailing vessels are 
 constantly, during the navigable season, ploughing 
 through' this and neighboring lakes, carrjdng their 
 cargoes of wheat, lumber, copper-ore, etc. 
 
 One fine morning, in the latter part of August. I 
 stepped aboard the schooner Emma, bound across 
 the lake from Duluth to Baj^field, Wisconsin, one 
 hundi'ed and three miles distant. The vessel was 
 in charge of Captain Fred. Herbert, and C. Leihy,. 
 the mate, both of Bayfield. These gentlemen have 
 been sailing upon the Great Lakes since boyhood, 
 and are thorough navigators. 
 
 AVe left port with a light breeze, which increased 
 as we receded from the shore, and in a little wlule, 
 we were in " the swell" of the mighty lake. Li our 
 rear was the highland city, and the rocky, pine-clad 
 North Shore, while directly in front of us, was the 
 vast expanse of rolling billows. 
 
 Lake Superior is four hundred and thirty miles 
 long, and at the widest place, it is one hundi'ed and 
 thirty miles from shore to shore, while its prmcipal 
 depth is nine hundred feet. The water is so clear 
 that objects can be seen at a distance of twenty or 
 thirty feet from the surface, and when the water is 
 
TRAVELS. 259 
 
 calm, it reflects objects as clearly as a mirror does. 
 
 The scenery on its shores is rather monotonous, 
 consisting, mostly, of rugged, timber-covered hills. 
 There are, as yet, no towns or settlements along the 
 lake shore between Duluth and Bayfield, with the 
 exception of one lighthouse and an Indian agency. 
 
 Never having traveled in a sailing vessel before, 
 I enjoyed the trip vel\v much, and passed the time 
 in sauntering about the ship with the sailor^, climb- 
 ing through the rigging, shooting at gulls from the 
 cross-trees on the masts, and otherwise making the 
 best of the voyage. 
 
 Captain Herbert was thoroughly acquainted with 
 the "ways of the world," and well knowing that a 
 newspaper man always expects free passage, and to 
 be feasted, petted and have his questions answered, 
 as an equivalent for the '• notice" he is expected to 
 write, this good-natured captain, after we had left 
 port, addressed me about as follows : 
 
 '• AVell, Mr. Editor, once again we are at sea, now, 
 the whole range of the craft, and all the crew, are 
 at your kind disposal ; make the best of us and the 
 accommodations, but don't publish to the world the 
 fact that sailors are the worst of humanity." 
 
 On reaching Bayfield, I accompanied him home 
 to tea, for he was eager to have me see his "prettj- 
 little wife." I was very hospitably entertained by 
 Mrs. Herbert, and found her to be a lady of edu- 
 cation and refinement, and one of those deep, quiet 
 
260 NARRATIVE 
 
 little women whom it is a pleasure to meet in these 
 days, when gaudy attire, loose, shallow conversation 
 and an aifected demeanor, characterize so many of 
 the fair sex. 
 
 Bayfield is a popular summer resort, and is very 
 finety situated on the northern coast of Wisconsin. 
 Being surrounded by the Apostle Islands, it is one 
 of the best sheltered ports on Lake Superior. It 
 is quJte an attractive town, the houses are neat and 
 cozy, and handsome maple shade trees and spark- 
 ling fountains adorn the streets. 
 
 The day following our arrival, Captain Herbert 
 set sail and conveyed me over to Ashland, sixteen 
 miles distant. Here I took the Wisconsin Central 
 Kailroad for Milwaukee, and from that city I went 
 to Chicago on the steamer Sheboygan, through the 
 kindness of Mr. Clark, the gentlemanly pru:ser. 
 
 Between Ashland and Stevens Point, a distance 
 of about two hundred miles, the railroad traverses 
 an immense, and almost unbroken pine forest, the 
 only inhabitants, beside a few bands of Chij^pewas, 
 being the railroad hands and some lumbermen. 
 
 Milwaukee is a handsome and wealthy city, and 
 is finely situated on Lake Michigan, eighty miles 
 north of Chicago. Its population is one hundi'ed 
 and twenty thousand, and the lake trade is large. 
 
 Beaching Chicago, I obtained a pass to my home 
 from the officers of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & 
 Chicago Bailway, arriving in Sej^tember, 1879. 
 
TRAVELS. 261 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Oh ! carry me back to Tennessee, 
 There let me live and die; 
 
 Among the fields of yellow corn, 
 Where my old iiarents lie. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 I START FOR TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY — A VOYAGE ON THK 
 CHESAPEAKE RAY — NORFOLK AND PORTSMOUTH — VIRGINIA- 
 INDIAN RELICS — NASHVILLE — BOWLING GREEN — THE GREAT 
 MAMMOTH CAVE OF KENTUCKY— AN UNDERGROUND WORLD 
 CONTAINING THE MOST AMAZING SIGHTS — DAZZLING ROOMS, 
 AVENUES, PITS, ARCHES, LAKES, RIVERS, CRYSTALLIZATIONS, 
 SPIRES, DOMES, PILLARS, STARRY GROTTOES AND GORGES — 
 A SLY DAUGHTER PROMISES HER MOTHER THAT SHE WILL 
 NEVER MARRY THE BEST MAN ON TOP OF THE EARTH. AND 
 THEN MABRYS HIM IN THIS DUNGEON — PETRIFIED INDIANS — 
 THE DOOM OF PEOPLE WHO BECOME LOST IN THIS CAVE — 
 LOUISVILLE, INDIANAPOLIS, COLUMBUS AND CINCINNATI— A 
 STEAMBOAT TRIP ON THE OHIO RIVER FROM CINCINNATI TO 
 PITTSBURGH — OBITUARY OF PROFESSOR S. S.HALDEMAN. 
 
 In February following, I went to l^ennessee and 
 Kentucky, for the purj^ose of exi:)loring the ancient 
 Indian camp-grounds, and the caves of these two 
 states, in quest of Indian relics for the lamented 
 Professor Haldeman. 
 
 Reaching Baltimore, I embarked for Norfolk in 
 the steamship Resolute, commanded b}^ Captain C. 
 Nelson, who very kindly tendered me the j^i'ivilege 
 of his vessel, pointed out objects of interest along 
 the route, and did much to make the trip pleasant. 
 
262 NARRATIVE 
 
 Steaming away from the busy docks, and out of 
 the harbor, we were soon ploughmg through the 
 briny waves of Chesapeake Bay. As the weather 
 was stormy, the waves were high, and the steamer 
 rocked and phmged considerably, and I experienc- 
 ed a spell of sea-sickness that reminded me of my 
 voyage from Savannah to New York. 
 
 Passing Hampton Roads and Fortress Monroe, 
 we entered the harbor of Norfolk. Here we found 
 at anchor, the United States men-of-war, Tennessee 
 and Powhatan. 
 
 At Baltimore the ground was covered with snow, 
 but upon reaching Norfolk, about one hundred and 
 eighty miles further south, no snow or ice could be 
 seen; the weather was mild and balmy, while the 
 grass was green, and the early vegetables already 
 above the surface. The change was as pleasant as 
 it was sudden. 
 
 Norfolk is situated on Elizabeth River, thirtj^-two 
 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Ports- 
 mouth. Its harbor is excellent, and admits vessels 
 of the largest size. There are vast oyster-beds near 
 the city, and the oyster trade is a leading industry. 
 
 Norfolk is a genuine Southern city, and a person 
 from the North has no difficulty in seeing that he 
 is in a city, and among people widely different from 
 those he has been used to. But he can hardly be 
 displeased, for the town has attractions peculiar to 
 itself, and the people are friendly and courteous. 
 
TRAVELS. 263 
 
 Portsmouth is connected with Norfolk b}^ a ferry, 
 and it is a handsome Httle city, containing thirteen 
 thousand people, which is a little more than half of 
 the number contained in Norfolk. Some railroad- 
 shops, manufactories and a navy-yard, are located 
 at Portsmouth. 
 
 The country people near these two cities are en- 
 gaged in growing early vegetables for Baltimore, 
 Philadelphia and New York markets. The colored 
 people are numerous, and perform nearly all of the 
 field labor. 
 
 From Norfolk I proceeded to Lynchburg. The 
 country between these places is rather level, and is 
 largely intersj^ersed with vast pine forests, but on 
 nearing the latter town, the surface becomes hilly, 
 and the land is more productive and much better 
 cultivated than the section lying between Norfolk 
 and Burkeville. 
 
 In the pine districts, wood can often be obtained 
 for the labor of cutting it. Stoves are seldom used 
 in the country, alid the old-fashioned fireplaces are 
 still popular. Lamps are often dispensed with, for 
 the blazing fire of resinous pine forms a light by 
 which a person can easily sew or read. The people 
 in Southern Virginia suffered considerably during 
 the war, from the devastation of both armies, and 
 they have not yet fully recovered from the blight. 
 
 Between Lynchburg and Bristol, the country is 
 mountainous, the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Moun- 
 
264 
 
 NARRATIVE 
 
 tains extending entirely across the western part of 
 the state. In man}'- places are found very excellent 
 agricultural and stock-raising localities, and much 
 better farms and buildings are seen here than in^ 
 the more eastern sections of Virginia. 
 
 There are many fine valleys in this district, and 
 some localities reminded me of old Pennsylvania. 
 EsjDCcially was this the case in the vicinity of the 
 Peaks of Otter and Big Lick ; here are settlements 
 of "Pennsylvania Germans," a class of people who 
 suiTound themselves with "peace and plenty." no 
 matter where they are. 
 
 Keacliing Bristol, I j^i'oceeded to Knoxville, and 
 after searcliing for Indian relics along the Holston 
 River, I went to Chattanooga and Nashville, thence 
 to Cincinnati, going by way of the Mammoth Cave 
 and Louisville, continuing my hunts for antiquities 
 at various points along the way. 
 
 Tennessee and Kentuck}^ were once the favorite 
 resorts of the Indians, as the imi^lements of wai- 
 and domestic use that are still found, amj^ly prove. 
 Near Knoxville and Chattanooga, in Tennessee, and 
 in the vicinity of Bowling Green, Mammoth Cave 
 and Elizabethtown, in Kentucky, remain traces of 
 vast arrow-head factories. The ground is strewn 
 with flint chips, and arrow-heads in various stages 
 of completion, from the rough flint rock to the per- 
 fect arrow-head. 
 
 A few miles from Knoxville T found evidences of 
 
TRAVELS. . ^w ; 
 
 an ancient Indian camp, and arrow-heads and frag- 
 ments of pottery still lay upon the surface. Near 
 the Mammoth Cave, and at the entrance of Indian 
 Cave, in Kentucky, I found some fine spear-heads, 
 arrow-heads, flint-knives, etc. 
 
 Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, is a neat and 
 attractive city, and is situated on the Cumberland 
 River, about two huncb'ed miles from its confluence 
 wdtli the Ohio. It contains thirty thousand peoj^le, 
 and is a prominent railroad and commercial center. 
 
 The dwellings are neither grand nor showy, for 
 the majority of them are neat little cottages, most 
 enchantingly environed by beautiful lawns, flower- 
 beds and orchards. The city's principal feature of 
 beauty is its neat, Q>07jy, rural-appearing homes. 
 
 At Nashville is located the printing, stereotj^ping 
 and publishing house of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, South, and many of its publications equal 
 any issued froni Northern cities, in regard to their 
 typographical beauty and general workmanship. 
 
 The country about Nashville is the richest in the 
 state. Here are found turnpike-roads, crops, farms 
 and houses, that remind a "Yankee" of home. On 
 the road leading from Nashville to Gallatin, are to 
 be seen some farms and buildings quite as fine as 
 the average of those found in Pennsylvania. Ohio 
 and Indiana. But since the war, both the land and 
 the buildings have been sadly neglected, and now 
 present a somewhat deserted and run down aspect, 
 
26(3 • NARRATIVE 
 
 compared with what they were previous to the war. 
 
 The extensive plantations, the groups of merry 
 black folks, the planters' grand mansions, in which 
 wealth, luxury and hospitality abounded, are now 
 far from being what they once were. 
 
 From Nashville I went up to Bowliug Green, in 
 Kentucky. This is a town of five thousand people, 
 and is surrounded by grand, timber-clad hills, that 
 stretch away in every direction as far as the eye can 
 reach. Leaving this town, I proceeded to Glasgow 
 Junction, where I left the railroad and went over 
 to see the world-renowned Mammoth Cave, seven 
 or eight miles distant, through a dense forest. 
 
 . At the Cave Hotel I met Mr. W. S. Miller, the 
 gentlemanly lessee and manager of the hotel and 
 cave, who kindly furnished me William, one of the 
 cave guides, some lamps, and all the necessary ac- 
 companiments for a stroll through this marvelous 
 underground world of wonders. 
 
 Although a man might travel in every country on 
 the globe, and see every thing that could interest a 
 traveler, except this cave, the greatest curiosity of 
 all would j^et remain to be seen. 
 
 I spent half a day in the cave with an intelligent 
 guide, and walked through its rooms and avenues 
 for a distance of nine miles, still, I am not compe- 
 tent to give the reader a proper description of its 
 awful sublimity, its amazing attractions. 
 
 The Mammoth Cave is situated in the southwest- 
 
TRAVELS. 267 
 
 ern section of Kentucky, ninetj'-iive miles south of 
 Louisville, and seven or eight miles from the Louis- 
 ville & Nashville Railroad. The mouth of the cave 
 is reached by a deep, rocky ravine, and the entrance 
 to it is twenty-live feet high and thirty feet wide. 
 
 The cave was undoubtedly formed by the actitui 
 of water and chemical agencies. The substances of 
 which the top, sides and floor, of the cave consist, 
 are generally limestone, gypsum, sulj^hate of soda, 
 alabaster and nitrate of lime, all of which, I believe, 
 bear a close chemical relation. 
 
 This Ccxvern consists not of one or a few cavities, 
 for it contains nearly two hundred rooms, avenues, 
 arenas, tunnels and pits, leading off into different 
 directions, and connecting with others that have, as 
 3'et, not been fully explored. 
 
 It is said that there are hundreds of rooms and 
 pits that have never been entered ; the total length 
 of those thoroughly known by the guides is about 
 one hundred miles. This, it should be understood, 
 is the united length of all the explored apartments. 
 Its main length, as far as known, is ten miles. 
 
 Many of these chambers have been beautifully 
 and symmetrically formed by Nature, though it is 
 difficult to dispel the idea that it was not done by 
 the hands of expert, imtiring workmen — by a race 
 of men long since extinct, yet leaving behind them 
 a monument of their art. Some of the rooms are 
 cu'cular in form, while the ceilings are as perfectly 
 
268 NARRATIVE 
 
 in unison with the general featm-e of the rooms, as 
 though they had been carved out of sohd rock by 
 the sculptor's handicraft. 
 
 The contents of these rooms consist of curiously 
 shaped rocks, and combinations of limestone and 
 gypsum, which by some singular agency, have been 
 wrought into almost every conceivable form, and in 
 the terribly silent gloom of this tomb-like place, a 
 visitor is filled mth feelings of awe and solemnity 
 that baffle description. 
 
 The sides, floors and ceilings, in some places, are 
 covered with crystals of gypsum and carbonate of 
 lime of great brilliancy and beauty, while the top 
 seems to be supported by immense stalactites and 
 stalagmites, which are as symmetrical in form as 
 the pillars that support a gi-and portico. 
 
 All the imaginary cave-retreats of highwaymen, 
 that novelists love to describe, sink into msignifi- 
 cance when compared with this, regarding beauty 
 and resemblance to the work of human hands. In 
 some rooms, the floor is quite level, and consists of 
 sand and gravel: in others the way is obstructed 
 by huge heaps of rock, yet on the sides or ceiling, 
 are no traces of the rock havuig fallen doTvn. 
 
 The dripping of water mmgled with chemicals — 
 princi23ally sulphate of soda, gypsum, alabaster and 
 saltpetre, together with oxide of iron, has become 
 solidified, and formed huge and almost transparent 
 pillars, wliich reach from floor to ceiling. They are 
 
TRAVELS. 269 
 
 to be seen in all stages of formation, from the time 
 they first crop out, imtil they reach from ceiling to 
 floor. In addition to these, there are various other 
 crystallizations and petrifactions, which somewhat 
 resemble human forms, animals, birds, trees, stars, 
 flowers, fruit, snow, icicles, etc., etc. 
 
 There are much larger objects which have been 
 formed by the same slow, dripping process, such 
 as huge arches, grottoes, spires, tables, bridges, etc. 
 Man}^ of these are studded with crystals which, in 
 the bright glare of the lamps, present scenes of the 
 most grotesque and dazzling beauty. 
 
 The cave contains some fine springs of ice-cold 
 water, which near the surface, is pure and pleasant 
 to the taste, but near the bottom it is very strongly 
 impregnated with sulphur. One of these springs, 
 known to the guides as Lake Purity, is perfectly 
 transparent, and had the guide not informed me of 
 it, I would have walked right into it, for without a 
 close examination, it was impossible, by the light of 
 a lamp, to see that any water intervened between 
 the gravelly bed that formed its bottom. 
 
 William, my guide, had been engaged in piloting 
 tourists about in the Mammoth Cave for fom'teen 
 years, and he was the most intelligent and well-read 
 colored man I ever met. He was versed in various 
 works of history and travels, and in the literature 
 of the times, and his knowledge of chemistry and 
 geology would be a credit to men who make much 
 
270 NARRATIVE 
 
 greater pretentions than this humble, plodding son 
 of Africa. 
 
 Thus it ever is, the hasty judgment and narrow- 
 mindedness of those shallow souls who can never 
 discover, beneath an unassuming, homely exterior, 
 qualities of heart and mind much superior to their 
 own, often contemptuously pass real worth without 
 knowing it, because their ignorance and pride ever 
 blinds them to the fact that brains and an honest 
 heart, is not, as a rule, heralded by a flashy attire 
 and a vaunting tongue. 
 
 In this subterranean world are lakes and rivers, 
 varying from one-fourth to three-fourths of a mile 
 in length, and from twenty to a hundred feet wide, 
 while their depth is from ten to thirty feet. Where 
 the water comes from, or where it goes to, is not 
 certainly known, though it is supposed to have an 
 imdiscovered connection with Green Kiver. 
 
 In these waters are found eyeless fish ; they are 
 of a peculiar species, and do not deposit eggs lilce 
 other fish, but give birth to their young. They are 
 perfectly white, and from four to eight inches long. 
 
 Shortly after entering the cave, the Eotunda is 
 reached. This is an immense arena-like cavity, one 
 hundred feet high. Its floor is still covered with 
 the remains of vats, and wooden w^ater-jDipes wliich 
 were used by saltpetre miners in 1812-14. Silence 
 here reigns supreme, and a person can count the 
 2)ulsations of his own heart by listening to its beat, 
 
TRAVELS. , 271 
 
 V 
 
 SO anmzingly silent is this most wonderful cavern. 
 • After leaving this place the visitor arrives at the 
 Methodist Church ; it is eighty feet in diameter and 
 forty feet high. A cluster of rocks twenty-five feet 
 high, forms a pulpit, and a number of logs, which 
 served as benches, still remain as they were left by 
 people who Avorshipj^ed there in the early part of 
 the present centurj^ 
 
 Near the Methodist Church is the Bridal Stand, 
 consisting of two icicle-shaped pillars, which reach 
 from floor to ceiling. A pretty story of w^oman's 
 love and cunning is connected with it. A young 
 lady once promised her mother that she would not 
 marry the best man on top of the earth. At last, 
 however, she met her fate, but not wanting to dis- 
 please her lover, or prove the vow to her mother to 
 be false, she artfully suggested to her betrothed a 
 plan of marriage in the Mammoth Cave. He very 
 cheerful^ accepted her proposition, and while the 
 minister performed the ceremony, the conscientious 
 bride stood between the two beautiful stalagmites 
 which have since been known as the Bridal Stand. 
 
 After the wedding, the dutiful daughter retm-ned 
 to her mother, and introducing her husband, gave 
 her mother to understand that, although she really 
 had the best man on top of the earth, she did not 
 marry him there. 
 
 The Star Chamber is an interesting feature. Its 
 ceiling consists of black gypsum, inteispersed with 
 
272 NARRATIVE 
 
 an occasional white spot formed by some freak of 
 Nature. When the guide partly conceals the lamps,' 
 these white spots, on their dark background, most 
 vividlj^ resemble the stars of the sky. 
 
 Some time ago the petrified bodies of an Indian 
 woman and a child were found in one of the pits. 
 They had probably wandered into the cave years 
 before the place was known to white men, and not 
 being able to find, their way out, had j)erished in 
 this mammoth tomb. My guide informed me that 
 he had found skulls, tomahawks, arrow-heads and 
 other traces of Indians, in the cave. 
 
 A person becoming lost in the cave, without any 
 hope of getting out, would probably perish from 
 mental agony. A visitor once wandered from his 
 l^arty, when his light became extinguished, and in 
 this terrible plight — left alone in utter darkness, in 
 the horrible * gloom of that unearthly solitude, he 
 became a raving maniac. 
 
 In this condition he secreted himself behind a 
 huge rock, where he remained for two days and a 
 night before the guides found him. While hunting- 
 him, they frequently passed his place of conceal- 
 ment, but he remained perfectly silent, and, when 
 by a mere accident, the guides discovered him, he 
 endeavored to get away from them. 
 
 One day a lady lingered so far behind her com- 
 pany that she could not hear thek voices, and while 
 trvinof to overtake her friends, she fell, extin^-uish- 
 
TRAVEI.S. 273 
 
 ing her light at the same iiionient. Tenitied at her 
 situation, she became insensible, and when found 
 by the guides, her mind was deranged, and she re- 
 mained insane for several years after. 
 
 The guides say that every year they are obliged 
 to go in search of visitors who foolishly wander oft' 
 from their party, and become utterly bewildered. 
 When found, they are generally crying or praying, 
 and, sometimes, insanity has akeady taken place. 
 
 It would be next to impossible for a person not 
 acquainted with the cavern, to find his way out, for 
 when once inside, a score of avenues, tunnels and 
 pits, lead off into every direction, and all of them 
 are so similar in form and general appearance, that 
 he would not know by which ones he had entered. 
 
 No mind can conceive, or pen fully portray, the 
 great sublimity, the wonderfully awe-inspiring in- 
 fluence, the manifold scenes of natural beauty, of 
 this silent, mammoth dungeon. 
 
 The Mammoth Cave is best reached by the way 
 of Cave City, a town on the Louisville & Nashville 
 Railroad. On the arrival of trains, a stage conveys 
 visitors to the cave, seven miles distant. The Cave 
 Hotel can accommodate two hundred guests, and it 
 is furnished in admirable style, while the table and 
 waiters are all that could be desired. 
 
 The country around the cave is wild and rugged, 
 consisting of a thickly-timbered mountain district. 
 The locality is. as secluded and sparsely settled as 
 
274 NAKIIATIVE 
 
 though it had not been a favorite resort for nearly 
 a hundred years. Witliin a short distance of the 
 hotel hunting, fishing and boating, can be enjoyed. 
 
 There are several smaller caverns in this \dcinity, 
 Avhicli may be branches of the Mammoth Cave, but 
 a connection has not been found. They vary from 
 one hundred yards to a mile in length, and in their 
 general aspect, they resemble the Mammoth Cave. 
 The principal ones are, Horse Cave, "VMiite's Cave. 
 Dickison's Cave, Indian Cave and Grand Cave. 
 
 From Cave Cit}^ I proceeded to Louisville. This 
 is a city of one hundi-ed and sixty thousand people, 
 and is a wealthy, stirring place. It is a prominent 
 railroad and steamboat town, and a manufacturing 
 point of importance. Handsome river steamers ply 
 between Louisville and the Ohio. Mississippi and 
 Missouri River ports. 
 
 Leaving this place, I continued on to Cincinnati. 
 Indianapolis, one hundred and nine miles north of 
 Louisville, is the capital of Indiana, and one of the 
 greatest railroad centers in the world. The country 
 around the city consists of jn'airie, and it is fertile 
 and very valuable. The population of Indianapolis 
 is about one hundred and fifteen thousand. 
 
 Columbus, the capital of Ohio, is located on the 
 Scioto River, and is largely engaged in manufactur- 
 ing iron, woolen and other goods. It contains over 
 fifty thousand inhabitants, and is surrounded by a 
 good agricultural district. 
 
TRAVELS. 275 
 
 Cincinnati, one of the principal "Western cities, is 
 .Bituated on the Ohio River, and does a large river 
 trade with Pittsburgh, Louisville, St. Louis, Mem- 
 phis, New Orleans and the Upper Mississippi and 
 Missouri River countries. The city is paftly envi- 
 roned by handsome, timber-clad hills, upon which 
 are many grand and costly private residences. The 
 place contains a population of about two hundi'ed 
 and twenty thousand, and in size and commercial 
 importance, it ranks as the third city in the West. 
 
 Cincinnati is about the only city of its size in the 
 country, from whose bustling docks can be seen the 
 calm, peaceful country, and the quiet farm-houses. 
 A short distance below Ludlow, on the Kentucky 
 side of the river, and four or five miles from the 
 principal business center of Cincinnati, can readily 
 be seen the quiet country homes nestled along the 
 base of the bluffs, which form a delightful contrast 
 to the eyes weary of gazing upon the dust and ever 
 «moke-begrimed city. 
 
 This city is connected with Covington and New- 
 port, Kentucky, by a fine suspension bridge. The 
 latter named places are thriving young cities, and 
 are largely engaged in various iron manufacturies. 
 The towns are surrounded, on the south, by timber- 
 crowned bluffs, beyond -which is the famous Blue 
 Grass section of Central Kentucky. 
 
 From Cincinnati I started for home, going up to 
 Pittsburgh on the steamer Katie Stockdnle, through 
 
276 NARRATIVE 
 
 the courtesy of Captain M. F. Noll, now command- 
 er of the fine new steamer Scotia, of Pittsburgh. 
 The Captain knew just how a traveling newspaper 
 man expects to be entertained, and much was done 
 to make the trip pleasant and enjoyable for me. 
 
 The natural scenery along the Upper Ohio is at- 
 tractive, and there are many pretty towns and noisy 
 cities, as well as secluded farms, to be seen upon 
 its banks. 
 
 Captain Noll is yet a young man, but he is a very 
 popular and efficient steamboat man, well known at 
 every landing between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh 
 for his qualities as a captain and a true gentleman, 
 having been running on Ohio Eiver steamers since 
 boyhood. He talks but little, is quiet and reserved, 
 yet courteous and respectful to all, and he has that 
 peculiar faculty of managing a steamboat and crew 
 without oaths or bluster. 
 
 There is an old saying to the effect that the table 
 of a steamboat is spread with the best in the land, 
 and I must say that the fare on this steamer was of 
 such quantity and quality, as to make the traveler 
 wish that steamboat fare would ever be his portion. 
 
 The distance from Cincinnati to Pittsbm-gh, by 
 river, is four hundi'ed and sixty-six miles, and the 
 principal places along the route are Huntingdon, 
 Parkersburg and AATieeling. The latter city is the 
 capital of West Virginia, and contains a population 
 of thktv thousand. It is an extensive coal and iron 
 
TRAVELS. 277 
 
 mart, and like Pittsbm-gh, it is constantly draped 
 in dense clouds of smoke and cinders which issue 
 from the many fm-nace and rolling-mill chimneys. 
 
 Soon after landing at Pittsburgh, I proceeded to 
 my home, where I arrived in April, 1880. 
 
 " Roughing it" on the plains, and in the forests 
 and mountains, in all kinds of weather, and among 
 all kinds of people, and suffering all the hardships, 
 fatigue, inconvenience and disappointments, which 
 fall to the lot of the hunter of antiquities, was not 
 always an agreeable task, but Professor Haldeman 
 was ever a prompt and liberal employer, and to his 
 kindness, generosity, and untmng zeal in collecting 
 the antiquities of the North American Indians, I am 
 indebted for many of my journeys. His influence 
 and letters always secured me favors and kindness 
 from the railroad and steamboat officials, as well as 
 from editors and others. 
 
 A few months after my return from the South, 
 this renowned scientist, linguist and author, died 
 very suddenly at his home at Chickies, Lancaster 
 County, Pennsylvania, aged sixty-eight years, leav- 
 ing a most estimable wife, and two sons and two 
 daughters to mourn his loss. 
 
 Professor S. S. Haldeman was born in the vear 
 1812, at Locust Grove Mills, Pennsylvania. Ot an 
 agi'eeable and vivacious address, he had a host of 
 friends, and the admiration and honor of the scien- 
 tific, educational and literarv men, of Ijoth America 
 
278 NARUATIVE 
 
 and Europe. He was the author of various stan- 
 dard scientilic, educational and other works^ and he 
 contributed largely to the scientific and educational 
 jom-nals of the day. 
 
 Early in life he directed his attention to science* 
 geology, conch ology, ethnology', language and the 
 antiquities of the Indians, in which he was an ac- 
 knowledged authority; and his cabinets and libra- 
 ries were among the best in existence. 
 
 He had traveled extensively on both Continents 
 in the interest of his favorite branches of science ; 
 and he was versed in the Ai-abic, German, Hebrew, 
 Latin, Greek, Welsh and other languages. A Phil- 
 adelphia journahst asserts that the Professor was 
 versed, to some extent, in every language that had 
 a literature. 
 
 He was always kind, generous, and a substantial 
 friend to all whom he deemed worthy of friendship 
 such as few men, save himself, knew how to show. 
 
 Frank and genial, honored by all, the most zeal- 
 ous advocate of truth, research and science, strick- 
 en at the brink of "three score years and ten," yet 
 in the very midst of a busy, useful life, we would 
 humbly lay the "wreath of immortelles" upon thy 
 honored o-ravei 
 
TRAVELS. 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 'Mid i)leasures <aiul palaces though we may roam, 
 
 Still, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home : 
 
 A charm from the skies seems to hallow it there, 
 
 "Which, go through the world, you'll not meet with elsewhere. 
 
 Home, home, sweet home ! 
 There's no i)lace like home! 
 
 An exile from home, pleasure dazzles in vain : 
 Ah ! give me my lowly thatch 'd cottage again ; 
 Tlie birds singing sweetly, that came at my call— 
 Oive me them, and that peace of mind dearer than all. 
 
 Home, home, sweet home ! 
 There's no place like home ! 
 
 J. Howard Payne. 
 
 r STA15T FOR Fl.OIUDA AGAIN, AND RESOLVE TO MAKE THIS MY 
 LAST TRir— "THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME"— A W^RECK 
 WASHED ASHORE — THE VARIATIONS OK CLIMATE BETWEEN 
 FLORIDA AND THE NORTH — THE PAST AND PRESENT OF THE 
 CAPITAL CITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — A REVERIE— I AT LAST 
 SETTLE DOWN TO ROAM NO MORE— FOOD FOR THOUGHT. 
 
 In the following winter I started for the South 
 again, making Florida my destination. From Penn- 
 sylvania I i^roceeded to Morristown, Tennessee, by 
 way of Hari^er's Ferrj^, Staunton and Bristol. 
 
 I had resolved to make this my last trip, intend- 
 ing upon my return, to locate and go into business, 
 for I had become heartily tired of traveling, and 
 longed for a more settled, secluded life. 
 
280 NARRATIVE 
 
 Go where we may, "there is no place Hke home." 
 The more we wander, the stronger this fact comes 
 home to om- hearts, and the older we get, the more 
 we realize and appreciate the truth of the saying. 
 
 In dwelling upon this theme of home, I am re- 
 minded of a very excellent home book entitled, The 
 Complete Home, by Mrs. Julia McNair Wright, w^ho, 
 perhaps, is the only woman in America that could 
 write such a practical and entertaining encyclopae- 
 dia of domestic matters, and at the same time so 
 harmoniously infuse into its pages the best counsel, 
 the cream of common sense, the brightest gems of 
 refined and ennobling sentiments, and envelop the 
 w^hole in the enchanting halo of a Christian tone. 
 
 The gifted authoress has put her soul, as well as 
 her life experience, into this, her best w^ork. The 
 contents, while bearing upon every department of a 
 complete home and its management, are character- 
 ized by a style that recognizes "Mother, Home and 
 Heaven," as the three dearest words in language. 
 
 The book is issued by J. C. McCurdy & Co., of 
 Philadelpliia, publishers of standard works, whose 
 imprint is enough to warrant for a book all that 
 beautiful engravings, handsome paper, clear print 
 and elegant binding can make it. 
 
 Reader, you probably think that this is a book- 
 notice, and you are right, as tlie fair authoress and 
 her publishers were so kind as to send me one of 
 their beautiful books. 
 
TRAVELS. 281 
 
 From Morristown I went across the country to 
 Asheville, a very pretty town picturesquely situated 
 in the mountains of Western North CaroHna ; then 
 I continued on toward the coast, passing through 
 Spartanburg, Cohimbia and Augusta. At Savannah 
 I sailed for Fernandina, Florida, in the steamship 
 St. Johns, and arrived in port on January 20, 1881. 
 
 I was warmly welcomed by kind friends whose 
 acquaintance I had formed while sojourning there 
 in the winter of 1879. The flowers were in bloom, 
 the grass was delightfully refreshing to the eyes 
 weary of gazing upon the snow-covered surface of 
 the North, and the birds sang joyous and cheering 
 melodies among the grand old moss-covered trees. 
 
 On the first day of February I walked out to the 
 ocean-beach for the purpose of hunting shells, and 
 the day was as warm and summer-like as is a Jime 
 day in the Northern States. 
 
 On the beach I found the evidence of one of the 
 most heart-rending phases of human suffering — a 
 wreck at sea. The hull of the ship had been diiven 
 ashore by the wind and waves, and now lay ujDon 
 the beach half buried in the sand. Pieces of masts, 
 battered trunks, part of a life-preserver, a spool of 
 thread and other remains of the ill-fated vessel, lay 
 about upon the beach. 
 
 On returning homeward, I found the variations 
 in the climate between Florida and the North quite 
 interesting. I left Fernandina on the 3d of March, 
 
282 NARRATIVE 
 
 a very warm day, while the earth was wrapped in a 
 mantle of luxuriant vegetation. Upon arriving at 
 Savannah, there was a marked contrast in the air, 
 which was much cooler, and the grass and flowers 
 were not so forward. At Charleston the weather 
 was still cooler, though the flowers were blooming. 
 Proceeding on to Wilmington, I found the weather 
 cold, and, during my stay there of one month, ice 
 formed several times. 
 
 I left Wilmington for Pennsylvania on the 16th 
 of April, and the air had by that time become warm 
 and genial, and Nature was arrayed in the beauty 
 of gorgeous spring-time; but one night's ride up 
 to Petersbui'g and Kichmond, wrought a greater 
 change than I had yet experienced on the route, 
 both in the atmosphere and vegetation, the latter 
 having just began to i^ush forth. Upon reaching 
 Pennsylvania, the weather was harsh and cold, and 
 vegetation only began to show signs of life. 
 
 Soon after reaching my native state I proceeded 
 to Harrisburg and went into business, for I had re- 
 solved that when I stopped traveling and settled 
 down, I would locate in the capital city of dear old 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Harrisburg was laid out in 1785, by John Harris. 
 It is handsomely situated on the east bank of the 
 limpid Susquehanna, whose sj^arkling waters, and 
 the romantic hills and mountains through which it 
 flows, form one of the most pleasing and majestic 
 
TRAVELS. 283 
 
 natural attractions to be found in the vicinity of 
 any American city. 
 
 On tlie opposite side of the river, a mile from the 
 din and commotion of the metropolis, can be seen 
 quiet farm-houses, pretty, rural cottage-homes and 
 enchanting groves and dells, wrap2:>ed in a sweet, 
 serene calm that- forms a most delightful contrast 
 to the noisy, bustling city so near by. 
 
 Harrisburg is a great railroad center, and it is es- 
 timated that more than one hundred trains of cars 
 arrive and depart, on the various roads, every day. 
 The city is extensively engaged in manufacturing 
 railroad-iron, various kinds of machinery, cars and 
 other things of general and domestic use. 
 
 The population is thirty thousand. The place is 
 surrounded by numerous little country towns, and 
 some of the most thickly settled and wealthy farm- 
 ing country in Penns3dvania. 
 
 The nature that loves to dwell in the sweet, poet- 
 ical reverie that takes the mind far back to bygone 
 times, can portray, in the imagination, the site of 
 the city before the ever-advancing white man first 
 planted his log hut upon its soil. 
 
 A ridge of lovely green bluffs on the background 
 overlooked the river, into which flowed pretty rills, 
 drained from springs on the mossy hillsides; the 
 beautiful island in the river, now facing the city, 
 was vocal with the melody of birds ; the towering 
 hills on the opposite shore, were adorned with the 
 
284 NARRATIVE 
 
 garb of Nature ; while the inviting groves echoed 
 with the laughter of Indian childi-en at play, the 
 love-chants of dusky maidens, and the shrill whooj^ 
 of j)anting warriors ; on the bosom of the noiseless 
 river glided the frail canoe, and in the deep forest 
 nestled the cozy, picturesque wigwam, from which 
 ciu'led in graceful, waving ringlets the blue smoke 
 that served as a beacon to guide the weary hunter 
 home to wife and little ones. 
 
 This, you see, is a mind-picture, di-awn by fancy, 
 but I ever have, and ever will have, such an affec- 
 tionate interest in the poor, ojopressed red race, 
 and have so often sojourned with them amid such 
 scenes, far from the haunts of white men, that, to 
 me, it appears to be a hkely sketch of what existed 
 near the site of the present city of Harrisbui'g two 
 hundred years ago. 
 
 In travehng a person gets a knowledge of human 
 nature, a keen faculty of reading a face — the index 
 to the very heart and mind — almost as readily as he 
 would read a piinted page. Indeed, a face might 
 be called the title-page to the inner work. 
 
 There is a saj'uig to the effect that api^earances 
 are sometimes deceiving, but this is a grave error 
 when applied to the human face. The dress and 
 general surroundings in life of a man, maj deceive 
 many regarding his financial affairs, or intellectual 
 capacity, but his face does not indicate a certain 
 shade of character while in his heart and mind the 
 
TRAVELS. 285 
 
 opposite exists. If we are deceived in a face, it is 
 not because it is a false photograph of the inner 
 being, but because we are not able to read it. 
 
 While I do not like the society of men near as 
 well as I love to commune with books, the forests, 
 the mountains, the birds, the flowers, I am an en- 
 thusiastic student of the many shades of mind and 
 soul as expressed in the human face. 
 
 Selfishness, pride, unkindness and narrowmind- 
 edness go hand in hand, and form the worst traits 
 in humanity. Unfortunately for those of us who 
 are peace-loving people, for we must either " step 
 upon, or be stepped upon," and as the heart of a 
 kind, sensitive man or woman revolts at the idea of 
 doings the former, we are at the mercy of any and 
 every coarse, cruel, nature that desires to injure us 
 wdth their vile, treacherous, slanderous tongue. A 
 great and good writer once remarked that a gentle 
 heart, like mellow fruit, hangs so low that any rude 
 passer can pluck it. 
 
 About the only way^o manage such creatures is 
 to keep out of their company as much as possible. 
 AVlien we must come in contact with them, we can 
 treat them kindly, but "hold them at a distance.'^ 
 A keen observer of human nature can "measm*e a 
 man at a glance," and decide upon the course to be 
 pursued in dealing with him. 
 
 Look into his face, his eyes especially, and take 
 the dimensions of his soul. If you are at all ex- 
 
286 NARRATIVE 
 
 pert, a moment will suffice to teach you what kmd 
 of a person is before you. AMienever a man slily 
 scrutinizes your dress and person, with a cold, cal- 
 culating eye, that never fails to indicate a vulgar, 
 dwarfed mind, and a selfish, unfeeling heart, utterly 
 destitute of the finer emotions of humanity, you 
 can conclude that it is best to form no deeper ac- 
 quaintance with him. 
 
 They are the ones who are ever on the alert to 
 take advantage of you for tlieii' own gain, or always 
 ready to offer a sharp, bitter insult, or rehearse an 
 unkind, false report concerning another, or speak of 
 an absent party in suspicious, depreciating terms. 
 Never take such a creature into your heart or con- 
 fidence, or you will make yoiu'self liable to suffer 
 insult and mortification whenever they feel disposed 
 to offer it. 
 
 We should never believe a word such a person 
 says to the disadvantage of another, especially if 
 the slandered party is unknown to us, for he may 
 be a far better man than the prattler. My sympa- 
 thies invariably go toward the party thus injured, 
 and I have a much better opinion of them than I 
 have of the petty tattler. 
 
 After all, if we have nothing good to say about a 
 person, it would be perfect kindness and charity to 
 say nothing bad, and to bury their failings in the 
 deep oblivion of silence. Peox3le who talk much do 
 not, as a rule, have a profound regard for truth. 
 
TRAVELS. 287 
 
 This fleeting life is far too short for hating, fault- 
 finding, backbiting and the many \ices that cling to 
 our poor, weak nature. I often wonder at the love 
 and patience the Almighty show^s towards us, his 
 thoughtless, disobedient creatures here. What are 
 we that w^e should live so contrary to his will? 
 
 Surely, we are but a shell of clay, which, as soon 
 as its immortal occupant leaves to test the realities 
 of eternity, becomes a mere handful of repulsive 
 matter that is hui-riedly put under the ground, and 
 there soon mingles with the dust, while the remain- 
 ing caravan of humanity moves on its daily rounds, 
 forgetting that the mouldering ashes in the grave 
 once occupied a place in its active ranlis. 
 
 I now come to the end of my narrative, I shall 
 roam no more. I have conquered the passion that 
 ever prompts the restless rover to move. I have, 
 I trust, settled down once for all, and in a quiet, 
 peaceful life, diligence m business, and child-like 
 trust in Him who ordereth all things well, I hope 
 to find liapi)iness, and contentment of mind that I 
 never knew before. 
 

 ^ iU 
 
 88 
 
.**^ ,0".^ ^J.^ 
 
 <* '••' .♦" ^•*'. 
 

 
 > 
 
 ,^^ 
 
 
 
 
 HECKMAN 
 
 BINDERY INC. |g| 
 
 ^^ AUG 88 
 
 N. MANCHESTFR