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Show 334 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. had come out to the mountains with Russel's party of Califor. nia emigrants. One of his chief objects as he gave t ' ou, was to kill an Indian ; an exploit which he afterwards succeeded in achieving, much to the jeopardy of ourselves, and others who had to pass through the country of the dead Pawnee's enraged rela. tives. I-Iaving become disgusted with his emigrant associates, he left them, and had some time before set out with a party of com. panions for the head of the Arkansas. I-Ie sent us previously a letter, intimating that he would wait until we arrived at Bent's Fort, and accompany us t~ence to the settlements. When however he came to the fort, he found there a party of forty men about to make the homeward journey. He wisely preferred to avail himself of so strong an escort. Mr. Sublette and his companions also set out, in order to overtake this com. pany ; so that on reaching Bent's Fort, some six weeks after, we found ourselves deserted by our allies and thrown once more upon our own resources. But I am anticipating. When, before leaving the settle. ment, we had made inquiries concerning this part of the coun. try of General Kearney, Mr. Mackenzie, Captain Wyeth, and others well acquainted with it, they had all advised us by no means to attempt this southward journey with fewer than fif. teen or twenty men. The dange:r consists in the chance of encountering Indian war-parties. Sometimes, throughout the whole length of the journey, (a distance of three hundred and fifty miles,) one does not meet a single human being; frequently, however, the route is beset by Arapahoes and other ~n~rien~ly tribes; jn which case the scalp of the adventurer is m 1mm1 nent· pen·1 · As to the escort of fifteen or twenty men, ~mch a force of whites could at that time scarcely be collected THE LONELY JOURNEY. 335 in the whole country ; and had the case been otherwise, the expense .of securing them, together with the necessary number of horses, would have been extreme} y heavy. We had resolved, however, upon pursuing this southward course. There were, indeed, two other routes from Fort Laramie ; but both of these were less interesting and neither was free from danger. Being unable therefore to procure the fifteen or twenty men recommended, we determined to set out with those we had already in our employ; Henry Chatillon, Delorier and Raymond. The men themselves made no objection, nor would they have made any had the journey been more dangerous; for Henry was without fear, and the other two without thought. Shaw and I were much better fitted for this mode oftravelling than we had been on betaking ourselves to the prairies for the first time a few months before. The daily routine had ceased to be a novelty. All the details of the journey and the camp had become familiar to us. vV e had seen life under a new aspect; the human biped had been reduced to his primitive condition. We had lived without law to protect, a roof to shelter, or garment of cloth to cover us. One of us at least had been without bread, and without salt to season his food. Our idea of what is indispensable to human existence and • enJoyment had been wonderfully curtailed, and a horse, a rifle and a knife seemed to make up the whole of life's necessaries. For these once obtained, together with the skill to use them, all else that is essential would follow in their train, and a host 0 : luxuries besides. One other lesson our short prairie experience had taught us ; that of profound contentment in the present, and utter contempt for what the future might bring forth. |