OCR Text |
Show 18 turned out next morning by the herds, for the day. Desi~ nate your herdSJ every night. It is necessary, frequent· Iy, to stake them inside of the caral. 'Vhen it is unsafe to turn your stock out on the plains to feed, yeu will have to secure them with ropes, to stakes, driven firmly in 'the ground. The camp must at all times be guarded by sentinels, every man in the company taking his turn. No shooting of fire arms should be allowed, as false alarms are frequently raised by such carelessness.N ever allow guns to be capped or cocked in camp ; deaths have occurred from carelessness in this particular.- Never allow an Indian to come within your lines under any pretext-they seldom have a good object in view. They use every conceivable artifice at times, to elude the vigilence of the sentinels, often dressing themselves as various animals, so as to steal upon your cattle unawares. When every thing is ready for a start from the frontier, appoint a place as a point of rendesvous, for the persons to compose your party. Get out in the Indian country before you organise your company, which, proceed to do by selecting the best man in the company. Let him be cool, prudent and energetic. After travel· { ~ ing a few days, you have become acquainted with the qualities of the different men in your company. Elect the best one-let there be no electioneeriag for favorites -calculate to submit to the directions of the Captain elect. If subordinate officers are needed, elect them.- .as the best way, cultivate a spirit of civility and accommodation, let there be no contention or intrigues in your camp. If dissensions break out in your camp, separate peacably. Do not be in too great a hurry to get ahead. Every thing being/arranged to your satisfaction, begin now to" catch up,'' and move onward. From the State line to the Platte, a complete description of the / 19 road is not required. On one road the small streams are numerous, well timbered, and generally, in dry seasons, g~od to c.ross. Some few, where the banks are steep, will require some care. You will have to lower the wagons down into the creek on one side, and lift them out on the other. On the other route from St. Joseph, all the streams are bridged. You cannot, on an average, make more than fifteen miles a day. At the J{ansas crossing, distance one hundred miles., you will find a ferry owned by two Indians. The charge for crossing is one dollar a wagon ; horses, or loose stock, you can swim across. About ten miles above, there is a mission station of the M. E. church, where any blacksmith work can be done, which accidents may have rendered necessary. The first stream of any size you reach after cross· ing the Kansas, is the Big Vermillion. Its banks are steep, the current is rapid, its bottoms are about a mile in width, covered in part with timber.. Lat. 39.45.08.W. L. 96 ° 32'35". If you have time you may get a mea! of fresh fish here. Twenty-four miles further you cross the "Big Blue." Between those points, there is neither water nor wood. You must take enough wood and water to last you across. When you cross the Blue, you find a large spring of fine water near a creek". This stream , is about one hundred and twenty feet wide, rapid current, grav'el bed, timber plenty. If you find any of these stre~ms high, you must camp and wait till they go down. If you conclude to cross at all hazards, cut down a couple of cotton trees, make "dug outs,'~ place them eight feet apart, and lay " puncheons " across them for the wagons to cross on. A good "pickle" can be made of 1 the '"' prairie pea," which grows (on a vine similar to the common pea vine) in great plenty here, and is as lar ge as a walnut. They are eaten in times of scarcity. · |