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Show 420 Ex. Doc. No. 41. leads alongside of a torrent shut in < loscly b) rufYcred ro 1·ks that beetle overhca_d; such a pas$ that a few bold men ;~uld there hold an army at dchan re . Armijo, kno,~ing the <tth anlages of this plarp tlll'<' \\ up br. lW? rks on the crc~t of clilfs on ho lh s~d('s of the 'raiio n, filled ~~~~·m w1th armed men, who also coll~dP d pdes of huge fragments of rol'k t~ hurl d o w~ upon the heads of us her<•t ics. li e also st.1tioned, omt• p1eces of ar ttllcry, so a ' to have a swe<' I)inc)' fire alo ncr the 1.0 .1 1 . e 1o st.n {? tlH :m 1) y an " a b att~". ' " l'onstruded obl ' th trunkb s of t he• l(' c' d<a.: lri-and · o it1 e n who l c l rr· c e ·s , w tl h· the end~· of t h c I i wl) ·'~' '<'· } 1 ".... l' l) .~. n l 1' «' < a 111 pomte< outward, of ertng an ur~pcnC'tra b le barrier to a caval ry chnrg(.'. As our army approach ed ArmiJO relreat<•d "ltttyc1•011 ''Ob 1 ) · . ' ' .: Ill'< llH'Ill<• o s q u ~ , J u r a r o n m o n r o \ c I H.: c r , " an d U l' n e r a 1 K c a r 11 y en t c r e d ant a_ 14 • • on the 18th day of A ugnst. Tlns JOyful news made me the more au xi ou~ to hun)' on to S· t F •·, but my · c 1 "an n 1 ~ o ~ e I)' was c x l rem e y . I o w, a s m )' ::-; i c k 11 c s · h a c1 b c 1• n so pro ongcc: Sccmg that I took an intrr<· ~t in the ne1tural hi . tory· of theb '< ou· ntry, the gentlemen of the f'ot·t \\. 0 ll 1(1 C1 < l ·L1 y Y ·L S ·l l ~y to?m., nngLng ra.rc plant and min eraL; and I a! > ~ucct•cd~d 1ll l cnJ·J sl1ngb the servtces of ' e\ end C·J 1c • Y [ 1· l' n n · u c 1 an who w t' r t' oungmg a out the lrading po t On the 26tl A l' · snry train of 42 · 1· '1 1 ugu. , a commts-y , ' I 1 'h. I wagons .aron.•c · 'he teamster ~ rc fu, <·d to ,,.0 bc- 01H lf' P acr as the1r artie 1 [ · 0 them to f . tl' . D · ' c. 0 (lgrt' l'men t dul not reqwtrt• go UJ tel . unng the dn)· M . N . f 'V I. who ha<l remained with 1 , •••. ' . ~ ' · out. e, .o v ~1s ungton , C l . n c e' e 1 , m t < I h a d b c en ~ 1 c k k LIU I I y J> r· o urc< me 'Ome orn tl 1 · ] · ... ' killdeer pl over cln'l~atlo··ogtca .sp '<'linens; among the. e w rt' the 1' . Tl ' '. c < •lUS voc tfcrous, the doYe (.'dOI)istes C'li'O- mcnsts. le men m their l . . . , ' . ~ ' with fishing. Cat fi~h and hi .~~s~tlc moml'nl. amu ed .thrm. t·h~~ ever seen in these wat ., ~ oty /had arc the only londH J haVt· though they may not' b~ s~ anc ~·e l ou?d them v~ry palatab le, nl- ~ upcrior or the ro ck fi sh o~ ~!~ni)e< ·W·il·h rthc Wlllt'1e fi ~~ of Lake so famous for his 't<lveut . . otCo ,n1:1 ~· ~o- day, Captam \Valkl·r, h • Utes lll a dornta paid . 't 11 as a party c n c amp e tl on the b a k , f c ,' ~ us n v 1 s 1 • . t.' north of the fo.t and is tl . ,< 11 s. ~ the nYcr about 8 nllle, Price's regiment 'cor,.}· ·llehte ahwatttng tlJe arrival of Colonl• l I ' v ll c l e as a s u J) p I y of 1 A l ante ope anti deer wer(.' quite , b 1 · c.' .. mu cs. s t te Mr. Marcellus St. Vrain wcnto~tc .~nl m. the. VlCmi.ty of his ramp, '* week in hunting, and obtain reli ·r"'/.th hun, mtcnd111g to spend ~l the fort. c tom the close confin ement ot . Tltursday, .11/lgust 27.-Anxiou . . . m good time, I set about JHrchasit;~ ntt nngc all tny pr<'parattou:-good lookin(Y ones but th I b mulel'l, aud bought some \ 1'1'} l I l b ' cy wcrr not yet broke t tl I l .J Hll t lem harucssed, and crot Pilk n o te < n.lug ll. He was one of tlJOse ln~d a, nn ol<l \'oyagcur, to dnve them. kinds of difTi <'u lty 1 · n tll' Y 1~ eu who had become inured to all and, having often been e I· c. r,v tce of tl A · ' 1 b le. m~n can } ur Company, called fortl1 all tl p ,lCC< Y n ecc~s 1ty In mcrfYl'n cics which . . ' tc resources of } · . · · b . . ctltty of doing well C\ er 'thin 1h1 ~ 1l1gcntHty, had acqt~tred a ia-know the nece ity of 1. ) 1 . g t ,,t he underto ok. ~uc.:h men ( 1 < t•n 1ne'· 'a 1·e eve r r ea <1 y 1· n t ·1 111 e o f da n g e r , .. ' Ex. Doc. No. 41. 421 and never allow th<•ir courag(' to bt• <lamped, or their t hcerfulncss loude tl by the diffil'ulties w1lh which they may be :nrround •cl. Although he hacl nev ·r drivl'n b<•forc, yet he at once threw himself into the saddle of the whl'cl mu1<.· an<l look the rein ·. T wice the mules ran ofT with the wagon, ancl, notwithslancling Pilka was obl igt•d to thro \\ him ·elf out of the saddle, he at length succ ·cded 111 • ubduing th •m. 1 had uow recon·rcd my health snlllciently to walk down a Hight of steps unaich·d, and I rejoicc<l with gr at joy to find myself gaining strength so rapidly. Mr. H olt pr' ented me with a 1> •autful ~kin of a wild cat, (Felis rufa,) su<'h a i. found in the n<.·i~hborhood. Jlc inform<·d me that the wild cat frequ ·ntly attack" the oxen, pringing upon their backs or chest, and wouncling thl·rn terribly with its sharp rlaw ·. The wound thus produced 111'<' extremely poi.'onous. Great infiamation ancl S\\ ·!ling bf the injur{•d part ensuf·, atHL often the oxen die, although the wounds may lH• but skin deep. On the other hand, the wounds made by the wolH·s ht.·al rapidly, although the ox may have its hams so much torn to pi •c·es that onQ would think its recovrry impossibl •. Whene \ er any one of the cattle raised at this place has wan cl ert.:d off, and i-.; alta<..:k('d by either of the above mentwnecl beasts of prey, it bellows loutlly for help, nnd the rest f th<' herd alway. ru ·h to th · rescue. In the winter season the wolves be ·ome extrem ly hold, and will attack any an imal they may Jn(•ct alone upon the prairies, with the cxc<•ption of man. On the 2 th of Augu:l Wl' ha1l an arrival of from 40 to 50 commis. ary wagons. The teamst rs crowded into the "patio," and f rom thence commenced a minute scrutiny of every objt•cl around them, greatly to our annoyance, and unf,\vorahlc to .their eharac~cr for p olit ·ne~s. 'fo-<lny "Nah co-men c,' or" Old Bark, ' a chtef of 1ht• Cheyennefi, anrl on<' of my last year's friend s, entered my room. li e appeared delig hted to meet with. me again, antl sorr~ to sec mt• looking so cma,·iatcd . Aft<'r rcgnrdtng me for a short tu~e in silence, he plat:ecl his hand upon his h<•art and ~luttcr~d hts fmgrr" rapidly to intimate that m; puis<· had been bcat111.g w1t~1 the high <' 'C cit l' m 'n t of fey e r. As l \\ as g I ad to me d w tl h hun, I trPatcd him to .otnt' hard bread t1nd to ~om<' molass 'S and water. During tile morning Captain Walk •r sent me .some fin~ venison, but what <1 elt gh tc<l me (' X c ee ding 1 y wa.s the prom tse I rcc . ned from the hun1t•r who brought it, that h<· wou~d procure me skms of t~e thn·e different , ariclic~ of 1rrotmd qutrr('ls t l1 at ar<' to be had m thi!:\ par l of the country · als~ that of the prairie dog; for although the l as l m e nt i on c d an i 1;1 a 1 i s w c 11 known , y c t the skins arc rare 1 Y l o b <· m c t w i t h in cab i n d :::; o f ~ o o 1 o g y . W h c n s h o t with t h c rifle, ~l1' skin is too badly injurc<l o h<· presencd. 'l'hl·n· we r<''sotrH· me1~ <'lll'i-LillJH'd ne<n tht' fort who p:ocurcd .5 or 6 prairi(• dog" by pouring watl'r into their burrows until the ammal ~ we~c driven out. Th ') soon becaml' p<'rfcctly tame, and were ean1ccl tnto the sc ttl{·menl by their ewncrs a few days before I 1a•ard of the circum tance . Jlugust 29.-Doctor llcwpstcad, one of the ~·esidents here, made made me a present of a numbt•r of mineral:-; wluch he had collected. |