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Show ALONG LODGE POLE CREEK. 29 I started to dismount, determined to have a shot, and when in the act of doing so, the pistol was accidentally discharged, the ball taking effect in the neck of the horse, and he stag gered for a while as if fatally wounded. My own head was so near the pistol at the time, that for a moment or two I could not realize whether I was shot and reeling, or the horse under me. The rattlesnake was also found along this 1 as well as other parts of the route. As they lay sunning themselves in the road, the men several times came near treading upon them ; but when he made known his presence by sounding his rattle, he was given a pretty wide berth until despatched. This was always attended to as faithfully as if the soldier regarded it as a sacred duty. One man would mash his head with the butt of his gun, and another would immedi ately grab the rattles from his tail. This was my first ex perience with his snakeship, and I haven't the slightest af finity for him. The noise made by a species of grasshop per is so similar, that I have more than once been startled by it, thinking it was a snake. This part of our journey was lonesome enough, though the route is much more direct to Utah and beyond ; the emigrants avoid it because of the danger of being attacked by Indians ; the mail coaches pass south of it by way of Denver ; and not even our old companions, the telegraph posts are to be found here they go north to Laramie. From the Platte to a point near the Big Laramie Riverr where we again struck the stage line, a solitary train was all we saw to break the monotony of our daily marches ; and, save the drivers of this train, not a human face was seen, except those of our own- command, in a journey of ten days and nearly 200 miles. The train belonged to the sutler at Fort Bridger, and was on the way to the river to bring out goods. Two of the ladies were to stop at the post it was from, and many were the inquiries made con cerning the quarters at the post, and various other matters that they considered would be conducive to their comfort there. We passed the remains of a train burnt by the Indians |