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Show 526 Ex. Doc. No. 41. for l<'~H ·t ng tll C SI· C·1 c, t}1e numb. <'r of whom harl . increa, sed Qto s·e ve. n• _,1 cl for obtaining pr('vi. IOns for the n·st ~f the JOU•IH y. wtng to ) 1 t f·l' " ·1 1·1 t ·1 cs ., ffo 1 dt'd m c by Cat) tcu n Enos, 1 was nab lt:d to t 1 <> g n:a ' '"' · • · · I I b conclude my pr<• paratton~ that cvt•ntng, so t~tat 1t wouf 1 not e te-l' l' ~ ~ ,11 y t 0 r1 t'l a in t h c wagon on t h c fo II ow 1n g day or m or c t 1 an 01w 01: two b outs. 1 1 The theru1omd<•r has ht' f'n nil. day ~ r ,~r n , clcgrre~ >e. ~w ZE'fo; :1n< I I was t o I1I tll .' , t , for •~ ev<.'nd na)' S •[ HL'Ytnu~, the l(mpet<lturc of the air bad lH·< n nf the ~atnc degree ~~ eoldnt·:-s. . January 20.-This morning was bttt(·r l':o ld, although th ete wns .· 1 At •·lev••n o'rlodc my Jlarty nrrtv<'d. VV(' at on<:<' eom Il{)Wllll . '-'"' ) ,, . b)" d I Cl·o ·, 11 rr tlt(' Arkun-.as rivL·r. 1 o do thts, W<' were o tgc lllCll('(' ( :-. :-. h • . . I to rany s;111(1 and . prl'ad it (!\' l'r the sltppery 1~e on _t t~· ~oute. ~e h<.td st lt·rlt·d . . \\ though the H'<' was generally <'~g ltt _ IIH hls thuk, ' <.'lin one plan·, tor tile brt.'adth ~>f stx ft•et,. tlH• ~aptd curr~· nt was ), unn •t u gT (;· 1'·"··'t 1••, this c·i rtum~tancc m crcascd tnc ddiu~ulty or cross-wgA. s s · 1 • I · t 0 0 n :1 :-; w · r P a c h t> d t lH, fort, t h e s 1 ? c we': c nun < n~ o a com-fortable room '""here thc•y were to n ,ma111 unttl next spruq;, wh('n th<·y might Tl'~urn to the Uuitcd Statt·s. Our :1X<'S and tools_ were sharpeJH·d, our wagons exam ined, and we to<,k the pr<· ~a utton to obtain :w <Xtra axldrce. In t""o hours_we _were agatn on the ma reh, and at even in~ formed our <.'amp ::,1x m t1 <•s to the ca t ward nf the fort. l\[ y f r i en d s at R en t s l•~ o. r ~ c a u t ion r d m c w it h n • ~a r d to t h c w a~ t 0 f g 1 a~ s on the burn t p r a ll'll' s b l' t w c e n P ;, w n c c I• o 1 k _a n d Co u n c 11 G ro\ c. 1 then· fore det<·rmincu to save my ~or_n unttl w~ should reach thr burnt prairirs, and until then permtlttng the anllnals to run loost>. . '" . \V e h:Hl a 1 n ·ady u~r<l ('lgh t of the fourteen fanegas; w h1ch we ha<l obtainrtl at "Las Vt.'gas." January 2 1. - Thc ::;un was half an hour high be fore we left ca_mp; we had an t•xccl lcnt road, it was Rrnooth and very hard, whereforE>, althon~h we moved at an ea~y gait, we r<'ached the " llig 'l'tmbrrs,n ~lnd en <.:<1m pcd an hour bt' fore su n~et. Not far fro rn o 11 r camp, t h. ere are t h c 1 u in s of some o 1 d t r ad in g houses. II,, r e w c r e so tn e t mmen~~ cot_ton wood trt' s, which were alrrady fcllc<!; wi~h them w,e built ro;Htng firt·s. We were now twenty seven mt!es from Ben~ g Fo rt, ;md bad ~ped our way so p lcasan tl y, that we oncci vcd bnlliant bopt>R of our future progress. J(unwry 22.-We soon came in sight of the Chryenne Joclgrs. The lnd ans bad all gathered here, where thPy might have Rhelter from the storms of winter. Thoughout our day's journ(.·y, we. saw 1ht>ir lotll!t'~ lining the banks and ·overing tl e islands of tile nver. The" Hi~ T11uhets" ail\nd an endless upply of wood, and on t.he p la i n s, on t h e ~ o u t h i d c o f t h c r i v <' r, t h c g r ass is v c r y goo d , ~ 1.1 d e the unfailiug waters of the Atkansas, in addition to the re(}utsttea alrcad) menlioncd, make this spot one of the most eligible for the erec-tion of a. military de,.ot, in Ci-lse the government iutt'nds to maintain its intercourse with New Mexico. W c met a white trader amongst the Cheyennes, who warned 1111 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 527 ;~gainst the Arrapahocs, who, he said, were daily coming in witb hnds of cat tle and numbt·rs of M<·\ican scalp". Auout ~UIISI'I, as we wer • travt·lling slowly a.lono· t} u 1 f tlw river, an fndian approat"hed us lll"tl-i, n cr ~igl,t" t b I ·)(' an cs o camp; 1a c sa ·1 1 1 tL, 1at ht' had a l a r~rc ~U't >l>'ly\ of'" " dr· i . 1, ., J> oIf 1t .tvc u·s <'ll- 1H ~ c () u 1 1 b · · . :-, tt HI ,t o lllhtl and d I In g 1 t t () ll s I r \\' (' w 0 u I d {' n ("llllj) 11 . I ., , ' r t I tc (' \' ('ll.t ng a uum b IT of squaws C"lU-H' 't o l' .I I l I S \-' I t1 cr l' ll 0 1 . .. 1. · t: · promt. s t·tI lllL'al. A I t h ouo h \\'(' }>aid< tht·tn wl ·II I < ,l,i Jl p' u rJ ll gIll rr l h 0 11 1 . h ·. ts Y.. e. p os,s .t .s .~ c t1, yd 1 '"" 1 \\ 1 t ~ u c u t r 111 k c t s t u·y <'ould not have b<'(' Jt JH·rf'••t·t ly. t f nr we 1o u n1I , a f ~l· t' t lH .•·t r <1 < 'partur<·, that thl'y ha d ca.. rr· i;·cl co of nf at'l nl t 1t ' 11 0 Jl axt·s, together wttb two f.?.llllR and a build pou c· lt 'fl 1 f ur curred al"ter my men had IH•t·n W'\rllt·d to I.e· . tl ~I'S(' Ill' ls oc- . 1 ' u upon te 1r g 11ard· r.' talll y, no pco1de can be more ~lci1lful in thie\ i 11g than the Uh·~·):~ Cilllt.'S . " . .lr111uary 2.3 -This ~norning, <lS soon <rs we nrosr we saw th T dtan::; n·turrdng. In front ('arne the chief of 11 ' - 11 · • c n, so o n a s 11 c w a s n (' " r e 11 o u ,,. It w e s ·1 w· t 1J · 1 ' " 1 a!.{(' an d as 1 t } 1 , • . • 1 ' . I· .· .. ,.. n' ,, ' c Ulrrlf•l :--ome ofthe Stfl u1 :llttclts. I he . quaws brought more 111 .. . ,1 b t 1 r· t n l~ c.a11y o f I· t unt1·1. all the mt:-.:iug articl('R W' t'·r'e nu· :--'orrtt•·d ust·'rl 1'h tco eltl d to I d m e that 1 f I w o u I d go u j) t 0 t h e " · II · . · 1 1 ' · wou I cI get t1I em; I . I .I g t. \\' tl 1 ' ' rn he t1c ' ' lllagc w.1s two mil<•s d1stan t t> ut rathn tl , loose our axt•s I rons(•ntcd to g-o. As soon . 1 s w'. 1 1'111 lodges the chief co rnrnt·n '('d h ar .tnguin,~ his <l;t'O J>:·e",J,>ap·ro :•tc· ted the . t } . . . . • ,l S (' II t 0 1'1 (\ ll votrc, an(, t len Invttcd m ' 111to h1s lodgr J . 1 t 1 1 - I n t f ·1 a 11 s t.: a rn c run n ·1 n g to us, a 11 d c•" e ry art, t·l 'e \V II ,l. I l C W ! I 1C th C' 1 s l 1 S I . . . f( ·~ 01'(..'( . hort y after ltJav tng c·amp we met a l'Oinf>'tny of· h } , b f. fl ) r~ . - . . I r en sen t r o rn >c n t s • or t , w m (.'ll \V 0 l act 1 t h a w ., g 0 11 I 0 ad 0 f . Ca p l a1·1 1 M urp 11 y at t ll c e ro~s·t ng of tir e A'r k·t < orn to m 'ct 11 -. 1.,.. 1 ' 1y, 1 J 'b tmows, t 1H ·y had only succeeded in gcttin.r' th'u·s' faru pot!n< C-tlh .·y. 1l C. avy to t h c fo r t. b c II r t.:t u rn At sundown we rcaehcd a spot where the river botto burnt; llO wood wns to ue hr~d. We Cl'O!-H;cd on•r t~n~ W('r(; :111' wltid1 was covered with willow husht·s· ],~;·c Wt·,. "r, :u1 1 l• :.r', s It C I tcrctI , b ul t l lC wt. llow brush was so, , ]icrht n "'" t ptt•J \' \'. ( . 1 11 ,J <'On 1 · 'II h " h ' !-. 11111('1 ~· tl 1'.1- }>11 y t at we lound not mu<"h romfort by our t':t lnJ> fi , , 1 moullt o f "13 "tg Sa nt I ern· k , " I oblat. ueJ a very c uri ousI •f s. . ·1- t . t le post·d to be ::111 in occrn m us. . · o:s~ l ' suP- .lanuary 24.- 0n ar.count of th~· prairie · hflvin f~ been burnt our m u I c ~ wan d • r t' d off tor fi \' e o r :-. 1 x rn i I e s. We d j d 11 0 t ret ~ w a unttl eleven o'clock. Tl111s WP wt•rt• obliger! to Jo c t1l ~. 1 o f t h · . . · e ut'~t J)art t s cl a y , o n :-t c co u n t o I t It c 1 ''~' x < ·u :a b I (' n t • g I i , , " 11 c c < {' , · eel It. ng travc 11 crs who had not exti11cruish ·d t1 ,..,... J s 0 me pre- 11·rr C"ltilJ> fi A f't h fi h . n l r l S . L'r t r trst t rt•e mtlt·s, our road bceame ·x trc 1nply I"(Ti. Jt We had to mareh through snow whi ch h.td laid on tht' ''ro 1 1 1 1cu • tim It h d h 1 1 1 1 . M Ullc some . c. a t awer, n111 tat afrcrw,trds froz<·u, sometrm!:'s bear- Ing up the wagons and mult·s; sometimes giving way so as to rt-ndcr our progre s slow and dtiTicult. .To-day we saw some buffalot•s I ~t>nt out somr of the men to klll one of them, but tl~t·y were Vt·ry shy, and thr !'llow upon ;ie ~round prevents one frorn npproal'hing witho11! ut•in!{ purc(•LV£'n. av1ng marched 22 mdcs, we r~.:acht!<l '• Little S,J.nd creek." ~Ve |