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Show l•~x. Doc. No. 41. r i v er v .. i 1 h 011 t t r o ubI<' wIt t' n · t h t' y got p 1 t' n 1 y of wood ; t he s n ~ Vt ~tnr lu wt· had Y''HI\'l'd:ty, and tht• di--cnmfitur.(' produ t·td by thl· lrclnt Ltlwt of h;~ul 1 ng tl11• ,, ,, ~nil, bad p11t tltt m 111 no Vt·ry plt' cl.,tllt lt n tuor. Thq wi:-.h 1·d tltat I would ll'l t~lt' tll l'"dl 1ht.• lnd tan!'S as :-nou a~ tlH·y r;utu• arro!-s tltt· rt\t·r; tlte ln _d1nnH c.une~ t t•y <.•nlt·J'ed <Hll ·· 1 ·1r c.tnl ', , 1 tl "·' l'", ltlt' d in:-• .t ·•·w tly to 1wr•• <'lvt' the lt·t••h n 1n::1 that W i\S • btt.rn- . r T Ira 1 h l' h \. il r Is 0 r Illy [> .l r t )' • t h (' y !-1 0 II d n n w II h () ll t d a rill g t 0 1 l g ' . . . l . . ~1 pp•·o,1 1 hour lin·~; lbt•rl' w.r:--: h11t.~1x or .t·q~h t wtth th~· · lll' f . now, but h~ approil ·h1·d :u la:-.t and ollt·rl·d l11S hand, a.ncl lllltiH'cltatcly tbt• con {id< ' lll'l' of tht• n·st ~t' t' trlt' d to bl' n ·stOrl'd. 111 my ow11 mind, l did Itut doubt but. that ~ht·sr• fl'llows ha i rohiH·d 11~; ::>\il l l rou ltl rH: \'t: r kill any of th•·tn 1n l'l)ld blood, no \\Ciuld I 1 ou~tnt tb.tt til) lrll' ll ~l1otlld shoot thrrn down. \ \' I' t ul d t I )I' Ill t l) b r i II g (}\' l' I' s 0 lJl (. 0 r l Ia t. i r m II I c s ; t h (.' y b r 0 ll g h (· h,o, but nLI:.;t•d to ll'l tt:. haH· thc·m, unl1..:~ Wt' ga\e tl,(' lll mud. mo11· th :111 tht·y tl ~lutlly 1-!l'l in f,,ir tradt•. \Vt 11.111 ll' fr our harne:-s lllar J a(' b :on ' s grovt'; tl P mull'~ co ultl no tltl'll IH· ;l l\;tt· ltl·d to tlll· wagon"; and, <1~ to buywg a llltde fc, , •ll)'-l'lf, whirh my mt·n in. itt d upon wy d oing, I. fl:lt pnfl·rtl} ,, !ll rr~~~ to siJ:\1'1' the hard.l1ips of my party, :1 nd unwdltng to <·ou n- 1t·n•ttll t' what I ('0 11 !-i clcrcd art itnposillOll Oil the p:ut or tlu· l11dians T h (. ln d i .lll s I . n l1 <; in ll in· h i l'l it a I i () 11' 0 n a c l' 0 u n t 0 f 1 h (' t r 0 ll h l t~ tla·) had bad to gtl tltl·ir rr~ull·s ;~ern~, the river; tb<' ) immrdiatt' ly ltrto~se d, :nd 'l' pn·pared lo takl' ' ll(l our lin"' ot)mHch. V!<• now found that :111 '' c \\ b1l'11 had been ll'ut to the I awut>t·s , wttl , .. hieh to rn r«rlll'll lh t· it·t·, had not bt•t•n n·turnt•d ; the Iud ia ns ~1001i b • '2 ··ziug :1t '·' fl tl tll thc o ppo itt> b,1uk, "hill' their mulu;, S(':tlttrr,. .dong the 1irn :-. idt·, \H·rt· quit·tly gro~zing. l ('alll·d the tnvn _to g<· ll1er; :\nd, lt.t\i r•g 1wo of them in rh argl' of tht· w.1gon and Slcl, lJJ:1n, th l' 1'1'!-t of' u~ stnn l'd o{1' in put SUil of the Ju dian.·, who n< :-.Oilll('f' saw tlli ~ mo \ l ' lllt:nt than tlH•y h,tslily g.ttht•red tlt<:ir mul,·s az11: .~l t ,If\' f'nr tht· ~nud hill s. To pu 1suc thu;t· fellows ""'=' l' \ idt·ntl) vain, ,trlll \\ l' Y<'rt• forced to g •vc up Odr axt•, an1l again put uur· s ·lv(' •; into tht· !taCt'"· \Vl' nan·la·d twehe milt•:. nu,in~ th<' fir " t half of o nr j ourn£•y :-.Ollll' of' th e P"" 111 t•s·conlllllll'd to do~ our trail. Tlw 1-tng uagl· of tl:e Pawnl't'S bears a r.;r•·at rc..;r l.nhl anrc> to that of tbt· H1cart·' :,. Thad a lH r::>on in my patty who onre trad<·d with tht• la~t 111t lttion l· cl ttihe. llc ll'c·o•rulzt·tl man)- ot the \\ Ords thal d11· Pa\\ltc·t· ... ll "<'d. Our comm11 ni~.tti ons w re, howe,cr, t:arrieti on l>) t h c nH a n ·; o f tIt e p il n t o m i tn i I' l an g 11 ;.~ <q • a 1..: 11 o \\ led g c· of w hi ch i~ of \l·ry gn.·at 'alut•, a~ the variot7s '::.igns ~ ~·('Ill to bt 1ltll\'l' r:-;ally adopted as 1JpiL.d of tht• same thin~·; amorw all tht· p r a i r i l' l11 d i a n ~ . h l·',!Jrw11'.7f 1 :?-Notwitll~t.llu1inf~ 1he ~ now !-.1orm of the lOth , tlH• g- rottnd \\ il'l .dnwst t'tlilrtly fnt' from snow, e\:r<•p t in the t avint•· a1 d l1eds of c·rl' l'k" ,., hC'r t· it \\ :1<:; llol l· ..... posecl tn t!.l' '" iud. 1'11•· :-un ~h liJP fc .rth witlr g-rl'al 'i .\~o r, aud wt• marciH·d mor<' n1pidly th:111 'Wl' had dont· O!l any prt•l' l' dintr day. At t 1·n o'rloC'k pe c1 o~stt.! t he mouth of "Coon cru.:k,' .mtl ~bout [i, e o"dod wt· formc tl ou.x Ex. Doc. No. 41. 539 cnmp on the banks of the" I>awn <'fork" Th ig dny \~t' marrhed nwn· than twt'nty-one milt•s. On the rn<HI w · found two more stt·t•rs. With them we n·pla<" •d tho:-;~· whtl'll wt• had ..; tartt·d wrtll ·n thl• lllOrntng, and which w 'r<• almo-.: t t·xhau !' H·d . \Vht•u wt• first came i!l sig ht of the timbt·r on" P awn\'t' fork," my chil·f clnXiPt} waH to kt·ep my llH'n from lau ori11~ tno !-t Vt·rt ly; tht· wal-!ou ran along at th • ratt· of thrt·c mile~ :lll hour, and J w .:-; oh lll.!;t'd to walk r n pi d I y in or d l' r to k c· t' p o u l of t h t · \\ o1 y . My who!,• party had don t• thyir duty bran·ly; in tht' mo~t lit<"ral S<'t18t', wt> had worked lik · hor~£"'L l en •tld 11ol a'-k nty trH'Il to do mort•. Should a hravy fa ll of snow c·nmt· it wonld hl' impo:-;:• ihl(" to prOC' l'f•d w1th thl' wa gon. 1, llH·rl':'orl', clt· tnruin ~: d to give c•fl rh. on<' nR mu('h provi::;ion ns h' would dHl O'' l' In ('any on our romrn~ pt·dl·stri an t'X<' llf' ·ion to the st"ttll·m ·ut::i . \Vl' had nnw hl'lw<·tn 280 aud :300 milt'S to march. \Vc dderrnineu to a ,·o mpli~h thi . jo urn<·y in tv.'C: nty day~. Two of n•y men, Jhown and Pr cston, a~ n' t'd to ~tay with th C' E~i d( man. They were now on tlw hi~h Io,ul, \\lhre tlu·y.wou ld s ·e cvt·ry OIH' who pas cd, an d would hav<·. b ~·fo re a ~rrtat whiJ,., :tl\ opportunity of joiuing the rdum party, wl1it:h wa"' prt'paring to 1l'a "<' Santa F6 when my command ~d out. \.Yhd t• ltt•rL' thvy wnultl have everything they enuld wi ~h. Tht·n· wa~ au alnllldaut s ~tppl y of tin her, au •vcr failing stn·am of good watl'r, .1nd we wo uld he obliged tO Jt'fl \'C a Jarge quantity Of' prOYistOn...:, HS flO OllP would can• to load his own back for the gratifieat1on of his srom,trh. l"ebnsary 1:3 -We now st•t cnnv stly to work, n1.tlcing our pae k :of pr o vi ~ions and bedding as ligh t and compad aq possibl ·. W(• ba kl·d all tlw bread we intt'nded to ('arry .. ll~ad1 one pnnid. d him:- it" lf with 20 hisruit or r oll~ , one for each thy. \Vt• also took a ft•w p o u u d s o f d ried buff a I o me at , w h i r h is I i ~ h t :1 n d (·or 11 p a 't , but ~ w <'I I:-; up in b o iIi n g wat er. \ V e e '' e h h a cl a tin C' n p, wIt i c h w o u I d , on an t·uwr~ency, ans\n'r for a. ('Oifl'e pot. \Vt·, tltt•n·fnn·, added the luxuri<·s of <.:offer and ~uga r. As fo r hcddlll~~ ' a huff.do robe u n d a b I a n k e t w t • r c a II t h at an y on e w o u I d b c 'N i II i n f~ o c a r r y t h r e (' lwndrcd md~..· s , when he rt•<·o ll ee t: t l1e additionell wt· i~ht of his provi~ ions. 13ut I adopted a pl an whi ch madl' nry blankl'l \'rOrth two. I hnd it Sf'WCd so as to form a u:tg. Thi -, tntling as it 111<1) seem !!_;rt.'atly augntt•nted my romfort. \Ve wt•rc al l of us very car(•fnl to dry our clothi ng b fore goi ng to bt·d; no on<' who observes this pr er aution, and who is provalctl with a huffa lo robe, neecl <'' cr g~'t fr ozt'n . Pl'l>1·ua?'?J 1~ .-l :-;till found me.ans to carry my Nlw l\ft'xican ~}H' c im(•n s furtlu•r 011. My books and ~owe of my papns \\'t·re put 111 to abo\: an d "cn<'hrd; for ~r eatr·r salt•ty the spot wa: fix(•d :·w as to rt Sl'mDll' a gra,·c , and a tomu ~t onc or board Wcl<.i l'rt'l ttd to Ioatk tJJ<• spot, and cngran· rl with the name of" Tom PtH·o," "ho 11.rith ''Tolll Bi1·n·' wtre, a<.:C'ord in ~ to some of my llll'll' tbl· mot famouR pet :-:on~ in Nev.· 1\Texiro; pl'rlwps thes t• pl'rc.;ort-; origi11alt·<l o n I y i 11 t h t.' i r nH. t am o r p h o s e s o f t h c v. o r d s ' ' t a m p o c o '' a u d d t a m bit·n." The mo ~ t ' alua.blc uo~ was la ~lll! U to the fore axle of the \\ agOHj |
