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Show [ 243] 34 come; uneasy I did not feel, but very hungry; I had no provisions, but I coulu make a fire; and, as I es pied two doves in a tree, I tried to kill one; bur it needs ~ ueucr mark man than mvself to kill a little bird wirh a rille. I nmde a large fire, however, lighr ed my pipe-this true friend of mine in every emergency- laid down, and let my thoughts wander to the far East. lt was not many minutes afler when I heard rhe tramp of a horse, and my fairhful companion was by my side. lie IJHu found the party, who had beea delayed by rnakiug rheir cache, abont seven miles below. 'ro rhe good supper which he brought with lt irn 1 did ample justice. Ile had forgott en salt ; and 1 tried the f'old ie r's substilule in time of war, and used gunpowder ; but it nnswered badly- bitter enough, bnt no flavor of kirch n salt. I slept well ; and was only disturbed by two owls, which were attracted by the fire, and took tht'ir place in the tree under which we slept. 1,heir music seemed as disagreeable to my companion as to my elf ; he fhed his rifle twice, and then 1 hey let us alone. July 7.--At nbout 10 o'clock, the party arrived; and we continued our journ 'Y through a country which ofl'cred but liltle to interest the traveller. The soil was much more 8andy than in the vall ey below the con1l11ence of the fork s, nnd the face of th e country no Jonger present ed the refre~ hing green which had hitherto characterized iL 'rhe rich grass was now found only in disper"ed spott:, on low grounds, and on the bottom land of the stremns. A long drought, joined to extreme heat, had so parched up the upper prairi es, that they were in many places bald, or covered only wirh n thin growth of yellow and poor grn ss. The nature of th e soil renders it extrem ely nsc ptible to the vicissitudes of the climate. Between the forks, nnd from th eir junction to the Blark Hills, the formation consi~ts of marl an<.l n soft earthy linJ eston e, wir h gmnitic sandstone. Such a formation can not give rise to a steril e soil ; and on our return in Scpternbrr, when the country had been wat ered by freqn ent rnins, the vall ey of the Plnlte looked Jike a garden ; co rich was the verdure of the grasses, and so luxuriant the b1oorn of abundant flowers. The wild sage lJcgins to make irs appearance, and timber is so scarce that we generally made 011r fires of the bois de vaclw .. With th e exception of now and then an isolated tree or two, sranuing like a lighthou~c on the river bank, there is none whatever to be seen. July 8.-0ur road to-day was a solirnry one. No game made its appraran ce,. not even a uufltdo or a stray anr elope ; and nothing occurred to lJreak the· nwnotony until about 5 o'clock, when the caravan made a sndden halt . 'fhere was a galloping in of scoms and horsemen from every side- a hurrying to and fro in noisy confu~ion ; rilles were taken from their cover ; buller. pouches examin ed: in short, th ere was the cry of" Indian "heard again. I had become so much nccustorned to these alarms, that now they made bu t little impre sion on me; and, before I had time to become excited, the new comers were ascertained to lJe whit es. It was a large party of tmders and trappers, conducted by Mr. Bridger, a man well known in the history of the country. As th e sun was low, and th ere was a fi"ne grass patch not far ahead, they turned back and encamped for the night with us. Mr. Bridcrer was iu~ ited to supper; and, nfrer the table-cloth was removed, we Jistened~vith eager mte~cst to an account of their adventures. Wltnt they hnd mel, we would be likely to encounter ; the chances which had befall n them would probably ?nppcn to us; and we looked upon their life af.l a picture of our own. Ilc lllformed ,'\s tha~ the condition of the country had brcome CXCC'C'ding-ly dangerous. lite Swux, \vIto had been lJauly dispo~ed had broken out into { I • "' |