The Great Salt Lake Trail

Front matter

THE GREAT SALT LAKE TRAIL PHOTO BY PACH. COL. W. F. CODY and COL. HENRY INMAN. THE GREAT SALT LAKE TRAIL BY COLONEL HENRY INMAN LATH ASSISTANT QUARTERMASTER, UNITED STATES ARMY AUTHOR OF "THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL," ETC. AND COLONEL WILLIAM F. CODY " Buffalo Bill " LATE CHIEF OF SCOUTS Wefa fgorft THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1898 All rights reserved Copyright, 1S98, By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Xortoooft $rcse J. S- Cushing & Co. — Eerwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A.

Preface

There are seven historic trails crossing the great plains of the interior of the continent, all of which for a por tion of their distance traverse the geographical limits of what is now the prosperous commonwealth of Kansas. None of these primitive highways, however, with the exception of that oldest of all to far-off Santa Fe, has a more stirring story than that known as the Salt Lake Trail. Over this historical highway the Mormons made their lonely Hegira to the valley of that vast inland sea. On its shores they established a city, marvellous in its con ception, and a monument to the ability of man to over come almost insuperable obstacles — the product of a faith equal to that which inspired the crusader to battle to the death for the possession of the Holy Sepulchre. Over this route, also, were made those world-renowned expeditions by Fremont, Stansbury, Lander, and others of lesser fame, to the heart of the Rocky Mountains, and beyond, to the blue shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Over the same trackless waste the Pony Express exe cuted those marvellous feats in annihilating distance, and the once famous Overland Stage lumbered along through the seemingly interminable desert of sage-brush and alkali dust — avant-coimeres of the telegraph and the railroad. v

PREFACE.

VI One of the collaborators of this volume, Colonel W. F. Cody (" Buffalo Bill "), began his remarkable career, as a boy, on the Salt Lake Trail, and laid the foundations of a life which has made him a conspicuous American figure at the close of this century. It is not the intention of the authors of this work to deal in the slightest manner with Mormonism as a religion. An immense mass of literature on the subject is to be found in every public library, both in its defence and in its condemnation. The latter preponderates, and often seems to be inspired by an inexcusable ingenuity in exaggeration. Of the trials of the Mormons during their toilsome march and their difficulties with the government during the Civil War, this work will treat in a limited way, but its scope is to present the story of the Trail in the days long before the building of a railroad was believed to be possible.

It will deal with the era of the trapper, the scout, the savage, arid the passage of emigrants to the gold fields of California — when the only route was by the overland trail — and with the adventures which marked the long and weary march. PAGE 63 CONTENTS Preface v

Chapter I

Proposed Exploring Expedition across the Northern Part of the Continent in 1774 — Sir Alexander Mackenzie's Expedition — The Expedition of Lewis and Clarke — Hunt's Tour in 1810 — March of Robert Stuart eastwardly 1

Chapter II

Captain Ezekiel Williams' Expedition to the Platte Valley in 1807 — Character of the Old Trapper — The Outfit of his Men — Crosses the River — Immense Herds of Buffalo — Death of their Favourite Hound — -A Lost Trapper — A Prairie Burial — A Wolf-chase after a Buffalo — An Indian Lochinvar — The Crow Indians — Their Country — Rose, the Scapegoat Refugee — The Lost Trappers — A Battle with the Savages 32

Chapter III

General W. H. Ashley's Trapping Expedition — Jim Beckwourth's Story — Two Axe — Kill Fourteen Hundred Buffaloes — The Surround — Expedition is divided — Boats are built — Green River Suck — Indians murder Le Brache — Beckwourth meets Castenga

Chapter IV

Captain William Sublette's Expedition in 1832 — They meet Nathaniel J. Wyeth's Party — Arrive at Green River Valley — Attacked by Indians — Antoine Godin shoots a Blackfoot Chief — Fight between Whites, Flatheads, and Blackfeet — An Indian Heroine — CONTENTS VIII PAGE 81 07 Major Stephen H. Long's Scientific Expedition in 1820 — Captain Bonneville's Expedition in 1832 — Lieutenant John C. Fremont's Expedition in 1842 to the Wind River Mountains

Chapter V

Trading-posts of the Great Fur Companies — Fort Vasquez — Fort Laramie — Fort Platte — Fort Bridger — Incidents at Fort Platte — A Drunken Spree — Death and Burial of Susu-Ceicha — Insult to Big Eagle — Bull Tail's Effort to sell his Daughter for a Barrel of Whiskey — A Rare Instance of a Trader's Honour .

Chapter VI

The Most Desolate of Deserts made to blossom as the Rose — The Mormon Hegira — Pilgrims' Outfit- — Curious Guide-posts — The Hand-cart Expedition — Sufferings and Hardships during the Exodus — An Impending War — General Harney 's Expedition — Mormon Tactics — Destroy the Supplies — Privations of the United States army — President backs down — Salt Lake City — Brigham Young's Vision — The Temple 110

Chapter VII

Mountain Meadows Massacre — Indians attack the Wagons — Lee offers Protection — Ambushed by Lee — Lee flies to the Mountains — Mormon Church acquitted — Execution of John D. Lee — Temporary Toll-bridges — Indian Raids on Cattle Ranches — Stuttering Brown — Graves along the Trail 135

Chapter VIII

The Problem of the Mails between Atlantic and Pacific — The World-famed Pony Express — Necessity for it — Its Originator — The Firm of Majors, Russell, & Waddell — The Route — Organization — Its Paraphernalia — Daring Riders — J. G. Kelley's Story — Colonel Cody's Story — Incidents and Stories — Old Whipsaw and Little Cayuse, the Pawnee — Slade, the Desperado — The Lynching of Slade — Establishment of the Telegraph . . . CONTENTS IX PAGE 211 257 294

Chapter IX

Discovery of Gold near Pike's Peak — Exodus from Missouri — The Creation of the Overland Stage Route to the Pacific Coast — Messrs. Russell and Jones' Failure — Russell, Majors, & Waddell's Successful Establishment of a New Line — Hockaday and Liggett's "One-horse" Affair — Advent of the First Stage-coach into Denver — Financial Embarrassment — Ben Holliday — Description of the Outfit of the Route — Incidents and Adventures

Chapter X

Scenery and Historical Localities on the Route of the Old Trail — Loup Fork — De Smet's Account of a Waterspout — Wood River — Brady's Island — Ash Hollow — Johnson's Creek — Scott's Bluff — Independence Rock and its Legend — Chimney Rock — Crazy Woman's Creek — Laramie Plains — Legends and Traditions about the Great Salt Lake — Early Surveys . . . 225

Chapter XI

The Indian Tribes of the Salt Lake Trail — The Otoes — I-e-tan — Blue-Eyes shot by I-e-tan — The Pawnees — Their Tribal Mark — Legends and Traditions — Human Sacrifices — Folk-lore CHAPTER XH The Sioux Nation — Cause of their Hatred for the Whites — A Chief of the Brule' Sioux tells a Story — The Scarred- Arms — Story of the Six Sioux and the Mysterious Woman — The Place of the Death Song — Wa-shu-pa and Ogallalla — Indian Fight at Ash Hollow — Indian Tradition of a Flood 278

Chapter XIII

The Crows — Council at Fort Philip Kearny in July, 1866 — A-ra-pooash — Jim Beckwourth in a Fight between Crows and Blackfeet — Beckwourth and the Great Medicine Kettle — The Missionary and the Crows — The Legend of the Blind Men — The Pis-kun . X CONTENTS PAGE 309 341 382 418 452

Chapter XIV

Folk-lore of Blackfeet — The Lost Children — The Wolf-Man — The Utes — Massacre of Major Thornburgh's Command on the White River — The Great Chief Ouray — Piutes — Their Theories of the Heavens — The Big Medicine Springs — Closed Hand — Man afraid of his Horses — No Knife — Sitting Bull — Spotted Tail .

Chapter XV

Sioux War of 1863 — Spotted Tail — George P. Belden's Account — Sergeants Hiles and Rolla — Belden and Nelson have an Adventure — Belden maps the Country — Guarding Ben Holliday's Coaches — An Involuntary Highwayman — Capturing Sioux at Gilman's Ranch — Morrow's Ranch — Bentz and Wise — Attack on the Ambulance — Peace Commission — Massacre of Colonel Fetterman's Command at Fort Phil Kearny

Chapter XVI

Buffalo Bill's Adventures on the Salt Lake Trail — In Charge of a Herd of Beef Cattle — Kills an Indian — With Lew Simpson — Held up — Attacked at Cedar Bluffs — A Brush with Sioux — The Print of a Woman's Shoe — Capture a Village — Buffalo Bill shoots Tall Bull

Chapter XVII

Buffalo Bill's Adventures continued — ■ Hunting at Fort McPherson — Indians steal his Favourite Pony — The Chase — Scouting under General Duncan — Pawnee Sentries — A Deserted Squaw — A Joke on McCarthy — Scouting for Captain Meinhold — Texas Jack — Buckskin Joe — Sitting Bull and the Indian War of 1876 — Massacre of Custer and his Command — Buffalo Bill takes the First Scalp for Custer — Yellow Hand, Son of Cut Nose — Carries Despatches for Terry — Good-by to the General CHAPTER XVIH Around the Camp-fire in a Trapper's Bivouac — Telling Stories of the Old Trail — Old Hatcher's Trip to the Infernal Regions — Colonel Cody's Story of California Joe — A Practical Joke CONTENTS XI PAGE

Chapter XIX

More Stories of the Trail — Frazier and the Bear — An Indian Elopement — The Ogallallas and the Brulfe — Chaf-fa-ly-a — Kit Carson on the Yellowstone — Battle with the Blackfeet — Carson, Bridger, and Baker on the Platte — Jim Cockrell — Peg Leg Smith 477

Chapter XX

The Story of the Building of the Union Pacific Railroad — Extract from General Sherman's Memoirs — General Dodge's Description of the Country when he first saw it — Explorations for a Route — Conference with President Lincoln — Location of the Military Post of D. A. Russell and the Town of Cheyenne — Driving the Last Spike LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Colonel Henry Inman and Colonel W. F. Codt . Frontispiece FULL-PAGE PLATES BY F. COLBURN CLARKE. FACING PAGE On the Shores of the Great Salt Lake ..... 40 A Mormon Emigrant Train 120 The Pony Express 198 Camping on the Platte 300 "Broncho Busting" 386 A Sioux War-party 484 On the Site of the Old Trail 508 Map of the Great Salt Lake Trail 389 INITIALS AND TAILPIECES BY THOMPSON WILLING.

Chapter I Proposed Exploring Expedition Across The Northern Part Of The Continent

IN 1774 SIR ALEXANDER MACKENZIE'S EXPEDITION THE EXPEDITION OF LEWIS AND CLARKE HUNT'S TOUR IN 1810 MARCH OF ROBERT STUART EAST- WARDLY S early as a hundred aud thirty -five years ago, shortly after England had acquired the Canadas, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had been an officer in the British provincial armj-, conceived the idea of fitting out an expedition to cross the continent between the forty-third and forty-sixth degrees of north latitude. His intention was to measure thebreadth of North America at its widest jiart, and to find some place on the Pacific coast where his government might establish a military post to facilitate the discovery of a " northwest passage," or a line of communication between Hudson's Bay and the Pacific Ocean. E l In 1774 he was joined in his proposed scheme by Mr. Richard Whitworth, a member of the British Parliament, and a man of great wealth.

Their plan was to form a company of fifty or sixty men, and with them to travel up one of the forks of the Missouri River, explore the mountains, and find the source of the Oregon. They intended to sail down that stream to its mouth, erect a fort, and build vessels to enable them to continue their discov eries by sea. Their plan was sanctioned by the English government, but the breaking out of the American Revolution defeated the bold project. This was the first attempt to explore the wilds of the interior of the continent. Thirty years later Sir Alexander Mackenzie crossed the continent on a line which nearly marks the fifty-third degree of north latitude. Some time afterwards, when that gentleman published the memoirs of his expedition, he suggested the policy of opening intercourse between the two oceans.

By this means, he argued, the entire command of the fur trade of North America might be obtained from latitude forty-eight north, to the pole, excepting in that territory held by Russia. He also prophesied that the relatively few American adventurers who had heen enjoying a monopoly in trapping along the Northwest Coast would instantly disappear before a well-regulated trade. The government of the United States was attracted by the report of the English nobleman, and the expedition of Lewis and Clarke was fitted out. They accomplished in part what had been projected by Carver and Whit worth. They learned something of the character of the region heretofore regarded as a veritable terra incognita. On the 14th of May, 1804, the expedition of Lewis and Clarke left St. Louis, following the course of the Missouri River, and returning by the same route two years later.

There were earlier explorations, far to the south, but none of them reached as high up as the Platte. Lewis and Clarke themselves merely viewed its mouth. In 1810 a Mr. Hunt, who was employed by the North west Fur Company, and Mr. Donald M'Kenzie, with a number of trappers under their charge, were to make a journey to the interior of the continent, but, hampered by the opposition of the Missouri Fur Company, they were compelled to abandon the enterprise, and it was not until the beginning of 1812 that their historic journey was commenced. On the 17th of January, while their boats landed at one of the old villages established by the original French colonists of the region then known as the Province of Louisiana, they met the celebrated Daniel Boone, who was then in his eighty-fifth year, and the next morning they were visited by John Coulter, who had been with Lewis and Clarke on their memorable expedition eight years previously.1 Since the return of Lewis and Clarke's expedition, Coulter had made a wonderful journey on his own account.

He floated down the whole length of the Missouri River in a small canoe, accomplishing the passage of three thousand miles in a month. On the 8th of April Hunt's party came in sight of Fort Osage,2 where they remained for three days, and were delightfully entertained by the officers of the garrison. On the 10th they again embarked and ascended the Mis souri. On the 28th the party landed at the mouth of the Platte and ate their breakfast on one of the islands there. 1 This John Coulter was the first white man to see and describe the wonders of what is now the National Park. His account, however, was received as a frontier lie, and the truth of his statements were not verified until long after the hardy adventurer's death. 2 Fort Osage, on the Missouri River, was on the site of the present town of Sibley, where the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe' Railroad crosses that stream.

THE GREAT SALT LAKE TP.AIL After passing the mouth of the river Platte, they camped on its banks a short distance above Papillion Creek. On the 10th of May they reached the village of the Omahas, camped in its immediate neighbourhood, and on the 15th of the same month they started for the interior of the continent. Their route lay far north of a line drawn par allel to the Platte Valley, but they entered it after trav elling through the Black Hills, somewhere near the headwaters of the river from which the beautiful valley takes its name. After untold hardships and sufferings the party arrived at Astoria on the following February, having travelled a distance of thirty-five hundred miles. They had taken a circuitous route, for Astoria is only eighteen hundred miles, in a direct line, from St. Louis.

The first authentic account of an expedition through the valley of the Platte was that of Mr. Robert Stuart, in the employ of John Jacob Astor. He was detailed to carry despatches from the mouth of the Columbia to New York, informing Mr. Astor of the condition of his venture on the remote shores of the Pacific. The mission en trusted to Mr. Stuart was filled with perils, and he was selected for the dangerous duty on account of his nerve and strength. He was a young man, and although he had never crossed the Rocky Mountains, he had already given proofs, on other perilous expeditions, of his compe tence for the new duty. His companions were Ben Jones and John Day,1 both Kentuckians, two Canadians, and some others who had become tired of the wild life, and had determined to go back to civilization.

They all left Astoria on the 29th of June, 1812, and reached the headwaters of the Platte, thence they travelled 1 John Day was a remarkable man. His life was full of wonderful ad ventures. He became insane while on this expedition of Stuart's, and was sent back to Astoria, but shortly afterwards he died there. The well known John Day's River was so called in his honour. down the valley to its mouth, and embarked in boats for St. Louis. AVhen they reached the Snake River deserts, great sandy plains stretched out before them. Only occasionally were there intervales of grass, and the miserable herbage was saltweed, resembling pennyroyal. The desponding party looked in vain for some relief from the lifeless landscape. All game had apparently shunned the dreary, sun-parched waste, but hunger was now and then appeased by a few fish which they caught in the streams, or some sun-dried salmon, or a dog given to them by the kind-hearted Sho shones whose lodges they sometimes came across.

At last the party tired of this weary route. They determined to leave the banks of the barren Snake River, so, under the guidance of a Mr. Miller who had previously trapped in that region, they were conducted across the mountains and out of the country of the dreaded Black feet. Miller soon proved a poor guide, and again the party became bewildered among rugged hills, unknown streams, and the burned and grassless prairies. Finally they arrived on the banks of a river, on which their guide assured them he had trapped, and to which they gave the name of Miller, but it was really the Bear River which flows into Great Salt Lake. They continued along its banks for three days, subsisting very precariously on fish. They soon discovered that they were in a dangerous region. One evening, having camped rather early in the afternoon, they took their fishing-tackle and prepared to fish for their supper.

When they returned to their camp, they were surprised to see a number of savages prowling round. They proved to be Crows, whose chief was a giant, very dark, and looked the rogue that they found him to be. He ordered some of his warriors to return to their camp, near by, and bring buffalo meat for the starving white men. Notwithstanding the apparent kindness of this herculean chief, there was something about him that filled the white men with distrust. Gradually the number of his warriors increased until there were over a score of them in camp. They began to be inquisitive and troublesome, and the whites felt great concern for their horses, each man keeping a close watch upon the movements of the 1 ndians. As no unpleasant demonstrations had been made by the savages, and as the party had bought all the buffalo meat they had brought, Mr. Stuart began to make preparations in the morning for his departure.

The savages, however, were for further dealings with their newly found pale friends, and above everything else they wanted gunpowder, for which they offered to trade horses. Mr. Stuart de clined to accommodate them. At this they became more impudent, and demanded the powder, but were again refused. The gigantic chief now stepped forward with an impor tant air, and slapping himself upon the breast, he gave the men to understand that he was a chief of great power. He said that it was customary for great chiefs to exchange presents when they met. He therefore requested Mr. Stuart to dismount and give him the horse he was riding. Mr. Stuart valued the animal very highly, so he shook his head at the demand of the savage. Upon this the Indian walked up, and taking hold of Mr. Stuart, began to push him backward and forward in his saddle, as if to im press upon him that he was in his power.

Mr. Stuart preserved his temper and again shook his head negatively. The chief then seized the bridle, gave it a jerk that scared the horse, and nearly brought Mr. Stuart to the ground. Mr. Stuart immediately drew his pistol and presented it at the head of the impudent savage. Instantly his bullying ended, and lie dodged behind the horse to get away from the intended shot. As the rest of the Crow warriors were looking on at the movement of their chief, Mr. Stuart ordered his men to level their rifles at them, but not to fire. Upon this demonstration the whole band incontinently fled, and were soon out of sight. The chief, finding himself alone, with true savage dissim ulation began to laugh, and pretended the whole affair was intended only as a joke. Mr. Stuart did not relish this kind of joking, but it would not do to provoke a quarrel; so he joined the chief in his laugh with the best grace he could affect, and to pacify the savage for his failure to procure the horse, gave him some powder, and they parted professedly the best of friends.

It was discovered, after the savage had cleared out, that they had managed to steal nearly all the cooking utensils of the party. To avoid meeting the savages again, Mr. Stuart changed his route farther to the north, leaving Bear River, and following a large branch of that stream which came down from the mountains. After marching twenty-five miles from the scene of their meeting with the Crows, they camped, and that night hobbled all their animals. They preserved a strict guard, and every man slept with his rifle on his arm, as they suspected the savages might attempt to stampede their horses. Next day their course continued northward, and soon their trail began to ascend the hills, from the top of which they had an extended view of the surrounding country. Not the sign of an Indian was to be seen, but they did not feel secure and kept a very vigilant watch upon every ravine and defile as they approached it.

Making twenty one miles that day, they encamped on the bank of another stream still running north. While there an alarm of Indians was given, and instantly every man was on his feet with rifle ready to sell his life only at the greatest cost. Indians there were, but they proved to be three miserable Snakes, who were no sooner informed that a band of Crows were in the neighbourhood, than they ran off in great trepidation. Six days afterward they encamped on the margin of Mud River, nearly a hundred and fifty miles from where they had met the impudent Crows. Now the party began to believe themselves beyond the possibility of any further trouble from them, and foolishly relaxed their usual vigilance. The next morning they were up at the first streak of day, and began to prepare their breakfast, when suddenly the cry of "Indians!

Indians! to arms! to arms!" sounded through the camp. In a few moments a mounted Crow came riding past the camp, holding in his hand a red flag, which he waved in a furious manner, as he halted on the top of a small divide. Immediately a most diabolical yell broke forth from the opposite side of the camp where the horses were picketed, and a band of paint-bedaubed savages came rushing to where they were feeding. In a moment the animals took fright and dashed towards the flag -bearer, who vigorously kicked the flanks of his pony, and loped off, followed by the stampeded animals which were hurried on by the increasing yells of the retreating savages. When the alarm was first given, Mr. Stuart's men seized their rifles and tried to cut off the Indians who were after their horses, but their attention was suddenly attracted by the yells in the opposite direction.

The savages, as they supposed, intended to make a raid on their camp equipage, and they all turned to save it. But when the horses had been secured the reserve party of savages dashed by the camp, whooping and yelling in triumph, and the very last one of them was the gigantic chief who had tried to joke with Mr. Stuart. As he passed the latter, he checked up his animal, raised himself in the saddle, shouted some insults, and rode on. The rifle of one of the men, Ben Jones, was instantly levelled at the chief, and he was just about to pull the trigger, when Mr. Stuart exclaimed, " Not for jrour life! not for your life, you will bring destruction upon us all! " It was a difficult matter to restrain Ben, when the target could be so easily pierced, and he begged. " Oh, Mr. Stuart, only let me have one crack at the infernal rascal, and you may keep all the pay that is due me."

" By heavens, if you fire, I will blow your brains out ! " exclaimed Mr. Stuart. By that time the chief was far beyond rifle range, and the whole daring band of savages, with all the horses, were passing out of sight over the hills, their red flag still waving and the valley echoing to their yells and demoniacal laughter. The unhorsed travellers were dismayed at the situation in which they found themselves. A long journey was still before them, over rocky mountains and wind-swept plains, which they must now painfully traverse on foot, carrying on their backs everything necessary for their subsistence. They selected from their camp equipage such articles as were absolutely necessary for their journey, and those things which they could not carry were cached. It required a whole day to make ready for their wearisome inarch.

Next morning they were up at the break of day. They had set a beaver-trap in the river the night before, and rejoiced to find that they had caught one of the ani mals, which served as a meal for the whole party. On his way back with the prize, the man who had gone for it, casually looking up at a cliff several hundred feet high, saw what he thought were a couple of wolves look ing down upon him. Paying no attention to them, lie walked on toward camp, when happening to look back, he still saw the watchful eyes peering over the edge of the precipice. It now flashed upon him that they might not be wolves at all, but Indian spies. On reaching camp he called the attention of Stuart and his companions to what he had observed, and at first they too entertained the idea that they were wolves, but soon satisfied themselves that they were savages.

If their sur mises were true, the party was satisfied that the where abouts of their caches were known, and determined that their contents should not fall into the hands of the sav ages. So they were opened, and everything the men could not carry away was either burned or thrown into the ri/er. On account of this delay they were not able to leave the place until about ten o'clock. They marched along the bank of the river, and made but eighteen miles in two days, when they were obliged to stop and build two rafts with which to cross the stream. Discovering that their rafts were very strong and able to withstand the roughness of the current, instead of crossing, they floated on down the river. For three days they kept on, staying only to camp on land at night. On the evening of the third day, as they approached a little island, much to their joy they discov ered a herd of elk.

A hunter who was put on shore wounded one, which immediately took to the water, but being too weak to stem the current it was overtaken and drawn ashore. As a storm was brewing, they camped on the bank where they had drawn up the elk. They remained there all the next day, protecting themselves as best they could from the rain, hail, and snow, Avhich fell heavily. Now they employed themselves by drying a part of the meat they had secured ; and when cutting up the carcass of the animal, they discovered it had been shot at by hunters not more than a week previously, as an arrow-head and a musket-ball were still in the wounds. Under other cir cumstances such a matter would have been regarded as trivial, but as they knew the Snake Indians had no guns, the presence of the bullet indicated that the elk could not have been wounded by one of them.

They were aware that they were on the edge of the Blackfeet country, and as these savages were supplied with firearms, it was sur mised that some of that hostile tribe must have been lately in the neighbourhood. This idea ended the peace of mind they had enjoyed while they were floating down the river. For three more days they stuck to their rafts and drifted slowly down the stream, until they had reached a point which in their judgment was about a hundred miles from where they embarked. The lofty mountains having now dwindled to mere hills, they landed and prepared to continue their journey on foot. They spent a day making moccasins, packing their meat in bundles of twenty pounds for each man to carry, then leaving the river they marched toward the northeast. It was a slow, wearisome tramp, as a part of the wa}r lay through the bottoms covered with cottonwood and willows, and over rough hills and rocky prairies.