MY FAMILY HISTORY--MY FATHER, ONCE A CAPTAIN IN THE BRITISH ARMY, COMES
TO AMERICA AND MARRIES UNCLE JEFF'S SISTER--HE SETTLES ON A FARM IN
OHIO--CLARICE AND I ARE BORN--MY GRANDFATHER'S FARM DESTROYED BY A
FLOOD--THE NEXT YEAR OUR FARM IS BURNT--MY FATHER RESOLVES TO MIGRATE TO
THE WEST--WE SET OFF IN WAGGONS WITH AN EMIGRANT TRAIN--PROSPEROUS
COMMENCEMENT OF JOURNEY--PROVISIONS RUN SHORT--I WITNESS A BUFFALO
HUNT--THE EMIGRANTS SUFFER FROM CHOLERA--MY MOTHER DIES--MANY OF THE
EMIGRANTS TURN BACK--MY FATHER PERSEVERES--FIERCELY ATTACKED BY
INDIANS--WE KEEP THEM AT BAY--AGAIN ATTACKED, WHEN A STRANGER COMES TO
OUR ASSISTANCE--CLARICE GIVES HIM A BOOK--HE PROMISES TO READ IT--WE
CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY, AND REACH FORT KEARNEY--REMAIN THERE FOR SOME
MONTHS--MY FATHER, THOUGH STILL SUFFERING, INSISTS ON SETTING OUT
AGAIN--HE SOON BECOMES WORSE, AND DIES--I AM DIGGING HIS GRAVE, WHEN AN
EMIGRANT TRAIN COMES BY--UNCLE JEFF IS THE LEADER, AND WE ACCOMPANY HIM
TO ROARING WATER.
But the readers of my Journal, if so I may venture to call it, would
like to know how Clarice and I came to be at Uncle Jeff's farm. To do
so, I must give a little bit of my family history, which probably would
not otherwise interest them.
My father, Captain Middlemore, had been an officer in the English army,
but sold out and came to America. Being, I suspect, of a roving
disposition, he had travelled through most of the Eastern States without
finding any spot where he could make up his mind to settle. At length
he bent his steps to Ohio; in the western part of which he had one night
to seek shelter from a storm at the farm of a substantial settler, a Mr
Ralph Crockett (the father of Uncle Jeff). Mr Crockett treated the
English stranger with a hospitality which the farmers of Ohio never
failed to show to their guests. He had several sons, but he spoke of
one who seemed to have a warm place in his heart, and who had gone away
some years before, and was leading a wild hunter's life on the prairies.
"I should like to fall in with him," said my father. "It is the sort of
life I have a fancy for leading,--hunting the buffalo and fighting the
Red Indian."
"Better stay and settle down among us, stranger," said Mr Crockett.
"In a few years, if you turn to with a will, and have some little money
to begin with, you will be a wealthy man, with broad acres of your own,
and able to supply the Eastern States with thousands of bushels of
wheat. It is a proud thing to feel that we feed, not only the people of
our own land, but many who would be starving, if it were not for us, in
that tax-burdened country of yours."
My father laughed at the way in which the Ohio farmer spoke of Old
England; but notwithstanding that, he thought the matter over seriously.
He was influenced not a little, too, I have an idea, by the admiration
he felt for the farmer's only daughter, Mary Crockett.
My father had the price of his commission still almost intact; and it
was looked upon as almost a princely fortune to begin with in that part
of the world. So, as he received no hint to go,--indeed, he was warmly
pressed to stay whenever he spoke of moving,--he stayed, and stayed on.
At last he asked Mary Crockett to become his wife, and promised to
settle down on the nearest farm her father could obtain for him.
Mr Crockett applauded his resolution; and he purchased a farm which
happened to be for sale only a few miles off, and gave him his daughter
for a wife. She had gone to school in Philadelphia, where she had
gained sufficient accomplishments to satisfy my father's fastidious
taste; and she was, besides being very pretty, a Christian young woman.
She often spoke of her brother Jeff with warm affection, for he, when at
home, had ever showed himself to be a loving, kind brother; indeed, Mary
was his pet, and if anybody could have induced him to lead a settled
life, she might have done it. He had had, somehow or other, a quarrel
with her one day,--little more than a tiff,--so off he went into the
woods and across the prairies; and, as it turned out, he never came
back. She was not the cause of his going, for he had been thinking
about it for a long time before, but this tiff just set the ball
rolling.
My parents were perfectly happy in their married life, and might have
remained so had it not been for my poor father's unsettled disposition.
I was born, then Clarice; and both my father and mother devoted all the
time they could spare from the duties of the farm to our education.
Clarice was always a bright, intelligent little creature, and rapidly
took in all the instruction she received. My mother's only unhappiness
arose from the thought of sending her to Philadelphia,--where she might
have to complete her education, as she wished her to become as perfect a
lady as our father was a thorough gentleman. He, being well informed,
was able to instruct me, and I made as much progress as my sister.
Rough in some respects as were our lives, we found the advantage of
this, as we could enjoy many amusements from which we should otherwise
have been debarred. Clarice learned to play and sing from our mother;
and I was especially fond of drawing, an art in which my father was well
able to instruct me.
But our family, hitherto prosperous, were now to suffer severe reverses.
My grandfather's property lay in a rich bottom, and one early spring
the floods came and swept away his corn-fields, destroyed his meadows,
and carried off his cattle. One of my uncles was drowned at that time,
another died of fever caught from exposure, and a third was killed by
the fall of a tree. The old man did not complain at God's dealing with
him, for he was a true Christian, but he bowed his head; and he died
shortly afterwards, at our house. My father's property had escaped the
floods, but the following summer, which was an unusually dry one, a fire
swept over the country. It reached our farm, and although my father had
timely notice, so that he was able to put my mother and us into one of
the waggons, with the most valuable part of his household property, the
rest was enveloped in flames shortly after we had left the house. The
next day not a building, not a fence, remained standing. The whole farm
was a scene of black desolation.
"We have had a pretty strong hint to move westward, which I have long
been thinking of doing," said my father. "Many who have gone to the
Pacific coast have become possessed of wealth in half the time we have
taken to get this farm in order. What do you say, Mary?"
Our mother was always ready to do whatever he wished, although she would
rather have remained in the part of the country where she was born and
still had many friends.
"I should say, let us go eastward, and purchase a small farm in some
more civilised district; we can then send our children to school, and be
able to see them during the holidays," she observed.
"We ourselves can give them such schooling as they require," replied my
father. "You will make Clarice as accomplished as yourself, and I will
take good care of Ralph. It is not book learning a lad requires to get
on in this country. He is a good hand at shooting and fishing,
understands all sorts of farm work, and is as good a rider as any boy of
his age. He will forget all these accomplishments if we go eastward;
whereas if we move westward, he will improve still more. And as he is
as sharp as a Yankee, he will do well enough in whatever line he
follows."
The truth was, my father had made up his mind to go in the direction he
proposed, and was not to be turned aside by any arguments, however
sensible, which my mother might offer. So it was settled that we should
make a long journey across the prairie. As for the difficulties and
dangers to be encountered, or the hardships to which my mother and
Clarice would be exposed, he did not take these into consideration.
There are people with minds so constituted that they only see one side
of a question; and my father was unhappily one of these.
He proposed to unite himself with some respectable party of emigrants,
who would travel together for mutual protection. He considered that
they might thus set at defiance any band of Indians, however numerous,
which they might encounter.
The two farms were no doubt much inferior in value to what they would
have been with buildings, outhouses and fencings, standing crops and
stock; yet, even as they stood, they were worth a good sum, for they
were already cleared--the chief work of the settler being thus done.
However, they realised as much as my father expected, and with a
well-equipped train and several hired attendants we set out.
The first part of our journey was tolerably easy; the emigrants were
good-humoured, we had abundance of provisions, the country was well
watered, and the cattle could obtain plenty of rich grass to keep up
their strength. But as soon as we got out of the more civilised
districts our difficulties began. Some of the rivers were very
difficult to cross, and often there was no small danger of the waggons
sticking fast in some spots, or being carried down by the current in
others; then we had hills to surmount and rocky ground to pass over,
where there was no herbage or water for our beasts.
My father kept aloof as much as possible from the other emigrants, so
that we did not hear of the complaints they were making. At last a
rumour reached us that the owners of several of the waggons were talking
of turning back. We had met at different times two or three trains of
people who had given up the journey, and these had declared that the
hardships were greater than any human beings could bear; but my father
had made up his mind, and go on he would, even if he carried his own
waggons alone over the prairie. A few Indians hovered round us at
times, but our rifle-shots warned them to keep off; and at night we
encamped, under my father's direction, in military fashion, with the
waggons placed so as to form a fortification round the camp.
Our fresh provisions had come to an end, too, and it now became very
important that we should procure game.
We had encamped one evening, when several Indians approached, making
signs that they were friends. They proved to belong to a tribe which
had been at peace with the white people. Our guide knew one of them,
and we had no doubt that they could be trusted. They have long since
been driven from their old hunting-grounds, and I forget even the name
of the tribe. When they heard that we were in want of fresh food, they
said that if any of our hunters would accompany them they would show us
where buffalo could be found; and that we might either shoot them
ourselves, or that they would try to kill some for us.
Few of our people, although hardy backwoodsmen, were accustomed to
hunting; and few, indeed, had ever seen any buffalo. But my father,
feeling the importance of obtaining some fresh meat, volunteered to
go,--directing a light cart to follow, in order to bring back our
game,--and I obtained leave to accompany him.
One of the Indians could speak English sufficiently well to make himself
understood by us. Talking to my father, and finding that even he had
never shot any buffalo, the Indian advised that we should allow him and
his people to attack the herd in their own manner, as the animals might
take alarm before we could get up to them, and escape us altogether. My
father agreed to this, saying that, should they fail, he would be ready
with his rifle to ride after the herd and try to bring down one or more
of them. This plan was agreed to, and we rode forward.
I observed our Indian friend dismount and put his ear to the ground
several times as we rode forward. My father asked him why he did this.
He replied that it was to ascertain how far off the buffalo were: he
could judge of the distance by the sound of their feet, and their
occasional roars as the bulls engaged in combat. Not an animal,
however, was yet visible.
At last we caught sight of a number of dark objects moving on the
prairie in the far distance.
"There is the herd!" exclaimed the Indian; "we must now be wary how we
approach."
Still we went on, the animals being too busily engaged in grazing, or in
attacking each other, to observe us. At last the Indian advised that we
should halt behind a knoll which rose out of the plain, with a few
bushes on the summit. Here we could remain concealed from the herd.
So, having gained the foot of the knoll, we dismounted; and leaving our
horses in charge of the men with the cart, my father and I climbed up to
the top, where by crouching down we were unseen by the herd, although we
could observe all that was going forward.
The Indian hunters now took some wolf-skins which had been hanging to
their saddles, and completely covering themselves up, so as to represent
wolves, they began to creep towards the herd, trailing their rifles at
their sides; thus they got nearer and nearer the herd. Whenever any of
the animals stopped to look at them, they stopped also; when the buffalo
went on feeding, they advanced. At length each hunter, having selected
a cow, suddenly sprang to his knees and fired, and three fine animals
rolled over; though, had the buffalo bulls known their power, they
might, with the greatest ease, have crushed their human foes. On
hearing the shots, the whole herd took to flight.
"Well done!" cried my father. "I should like to have another, though;"
and hurrying down the hill, he mounted his horse and galloped off in
chase of the retreating herd.
Heavy and clumsy as the animals looked, so rapidly did they rush over
the ground that he could only got within range of two or three of the
rearmost. Pulling up, he fired; but the buffalo dashed on; and,
unwilling to fatigue his horse, my father came back, somewhat annoyed at
his failure.
The three animals which had been killed were quickly cut up, and we
loaded our cart with the meat; after which the Indians accompanied us
back to the camp to receive the reward we had promised. The supply of
fresh meat was very welcome, and helped to keep sickness at a distance
for some time longer.
After this we made several days' journey, the supply of fresh provisions
putting all hands into better spirits than they had shown for some time.
There was but little chance, however, of our replenishing our stock
when that was exhausted, for we saw Indians frequently hovering round
our camp who were not likely to prove as friendly as those we had before
met with, and it would be dangerous to go to any distance in search of
game, as there was a probability of our being cut off by them.
We had soon another enemy to contend with, more subtile than even the
Redskins. Cholera broke out among the emigrants, and one after another
succumbed. This determined those who had before talked of going back to
carry out their intentions; and notwithstanding the expostulations of my
father and others, they turned round the heads of their cattle, and back
they went over the road we had come.
I had by this time observed that my mother was not looking so well as
usual. One night she became very ill, and in spite of all my father and
two kind women of our party could do for her, before morning she was
dead. My father appeared inconsolable; and, naturally, Clarice and I
were very unhappy. We would willingly have died with her.
"But we must not complain at what God ordains," said Clarice; "we must
wish to live, to be of use to poor papa. She is happy, we know; she
trusted in Christ, and has gone to dwell with him."
Clarice succeeded better than I did in soothing our poor father's grief.
I thought that he himself would now wish to go back, but he was too
proud to think of doing that. He had become the acknowledged leader of
the party, and the sturdy men who remained with us were now all for
going forward; so, after we had buried our dear mother in a grove of
trees which grew near the camp, and had built a monument of rough stones
over her grave, to mark the spot, we once more moved forward.
We had just formed our camp the next day, in a more exposed situation
than usual, when we saw a party of mounted Indians hovering in the
distance. My father, who had not lifted his head until now, gave orders
for the disposal of the waggons as could best be done. There were not
sufficient to form a large circle, however, so that our fortifications
were less strong than they had before been. We made the cattle graze as
close to the camp as possible, so that they might be driven inside at a
moment's notice; and of course we kept strict watch, one half of the men
only lying down at a time.
The night had almost passed away without our being assailed, when just
before dawn those on watch shouted out--
"Here they are! Up, up, boys! got in the cattle--quick!"
Just as the last animal was driven inside our fortifications the enemy
were upon us. We received them with a hot fire, which emptied three
saddles; when, according to their fashion, they lifted up their dead or
wounded companions and carried them off out of the range of our rifles.
Our men shouted, thinking that they had gained the victory; but the
Indians were only preparing for another assault. Seeing the smallness
of our numbers, they were persuaded that they could overwhelm us; and
soon we caught sight of them moving round so as to encircle our camp,
and thus attack us on all sides at once.
"Remember the women and children," cried my father, whose spirit was now
aroused. "If we give in, we and they will be massacred; so we can do
nothing but fight to the last."
The men shouted, and vowed to stand by each other.
Before the Indians, however, got within range of our rifles, they
wheeled round and galloped off again, but we could still see them
hovering round us. It was pretty evident that they had not given up the
intention of attacking us; their object being to weary us out, and make
our hearts, as they would call it, turn pale.
Just before the sun rose above the horizon they once more came on,
decreasing the circumference of the circle, and gradually closing in
upon us; not at a rapid rate, however, but slowly--sometimes so slowly
that they scarcely appeared to move.
"Do not fire, friends, until you can take good aim," cried my father, as
the enemy got within distant rifle range. "It is just what they wish us
to do; then they will come charging down upon us, in the hope of finding
our rifles unloaded. Better let them come sufficiently near to see
their eyes; alternate men of you only fire."
The savages were armed only with bows and spears; still they could shoot
their arrows, we knew, when galloping at full speed.
At a sign from one of their leaders they suddenly put their horses to
full speed, at the same time giving vent to what I can only describe as
a mingling of shrieks and shouts and howls, forming the terrific Indian
war-whoop. They were mistaken, however, if they expected to frighten
our sturdy backwoodsmen. The first of our men fired when they were
about twenty yards off. Several of the red warriors were knocked over,
but the rest came on, shooting their arrows, and fancying that they had
to attack men with empty firearms. The second shots were full in their
faces, telling therefore with great effect; while our people raised a
shout, which, if not as shrill, was almost as telling as that of the
Indian war-whoop. The first men who had fired were ramming away with
all their might to reload, and were able to deliver a second fire; while
those who had pistols discharged them directly afterwards.
The Indians, supposing that our party, although we had but few waggons,
must be far more numerous than they had expected, wheeled round without
attempting to break through the barricade, and galloped off at full
speed,--not even attempting to pick up those who had fallen.
The women and children, with Clarice, I should have said, had been
protected by a barricade of bales and chests; so that, although a number
of arrows had flown into our enclosure, not one of them was hurt.
On looking at my father, I saw that he was paler than usual; and what
was my dismay to find that an arrow had entered his side! It was
quickly cut out, although the operation caused him much suffering. He
declared, however, that it was only a flesh wound, and not worth taking
into consideration.
The Indians being still near us, we thought it only too probable that we
should again be attacked. And, indeed, our anticipations were soon
fully realised. In less than half an hour, after having apparently been
reinforced, they once more came on, but this time with; the intention of
attacking only one side.
We were looking about us, however, in every direction, to ascertain what
manoeuvres they might adopt, when we saw to the westward another body of
horsemen coming across the prairie.
"We are to have a fresh band of them upon us," cried some of our party.
"No, no," I shouted out; "they are white men! I see their rifle-barrels
glancing in the sun; and there are no plumes above their heads!"
I was right; and before many minutes were over the Indians had seen them
too, and, not liking their looks, had galloped off to the southward.
We received the strangers with cheers as they drew near; and they proved
to be a large body of traders.
"We heard your shots, and guessed that those Pawnee rascals were upon
you," said their leader, as he dismounted.
He came up to where my father was lying by the side of the waggon.
"I am sorry to see that you are hurt, friend," he said. "Any of the
rest of your people wounded? If there are, and your party will come on
to our camp, we will render you all the assistance in our power."
"Only two of our men have been hit, and that but slightly; and my wound
is nothing," answered my father. "We are much obliged to you, however."
"Well, at all events I would advise you to harness your beasts and move
on, or these fellows will be coming back again," said the stranger. "We
too must not stay here long, for if they think that our camp is left
unguarded they may pay it a visit." His eye, as he was speaking, fell
on Clarice. "Why! my little maiden, were you not frightened at seeing
those fierce horsemen galloping up to your camp?" he asked.
"No," she answered simply; "I trusted in God, for I knew that he would
take care of us."
The stranger gazed at her with surprise, and said something which made
her look up.
"Why! don't you always trust in God?" she asked.
"I don't think much about him; and I don't suppose he thinks much about
such a wild fellow as I am," he said in a careless tone.
"I wish you would, then," she said; "nobody can be happy if they do not
trust in God and accept his offer of salvation, because they cannot feel
secure for a moment without his love and protection; and they will not
know where they are to go to when they die."
"I have not thought about that," said the stranger, in the same tone as
before; "and I do not suppose I am likely to find it out."
"Then let me give you a book," said Clarice, "which will tell you all
about it."
She went to the waggon, and brought out a small Bible.
"There! If you will read that, and do what it tells, you will become
wise and happy."
"Well, my dear, I will accept your book, and do as you advise me. I
once knew something about the Bible, before I left home, years and years
ago; but I have not looked into one since."
Without opening the book, the stranger placed it in his breast-pocket;
then, after exchanging a few words with my father, who promised to
follow his advice, he left the camp and rejoined his companions.
My father, being unable to ride without difficulty, had himself placed
in the waggon by the side of Clarice; and the animals being put to, we
once more moved on to the westward, while we saw our late visitors take
an easterly course.
My father, however, made but slow progress towards recovery; his wound
was more serious than he had supposed, and it was too clear that he was
in a very unfit state to undergo the fatigue of a journey.
We at length reached Fort Kearney, on the Platte River, where we met
with a kind reception from the officers of the garrison, while my father
received that attention from the surgeon he so much required. The rest
of our party were unwilling to delay longer than was necessary; but the
surgeon assured my father that he would risk his life should he
continue, in the state in which he then was, to prosecute his journey.
Very unwillingly, therefore, he consented to remain,--for our sakes more
than his own,--while our late companions proceeded towards their
destination. We here remained several months, of course at great
expense, as both our men and animals had to be fed, although we
ourselves were entertained without cost by our hospitable hosts.
At last another emigrant train halted at the post, and my father,
unwilling longer to trespass on the kindness of his entertainers,
insisted on continuing his journey with them. The surgeon warned him
that he would do so at great risk; observing that should the wound,
which was scarcely healed, break out again, it would prove a serious
matter. Still, his desire to be actively engaged in forming the new
settlement prevailed over all other considerations, and on a fatal day
he started, in company with about a dozen other waggons. The owners,
who were rough farmers, took very little interest either in my poor
father or in us.
We had been travelling for about ten days or a fortnight when my father
again fell ill. He tried to proceed in the waggon, but was unable to
bear the jolting; and we were at length obliged to remain in camp by
ourselves, while the rest of the train continued on the road. Our camp
was pitched in an angle formed by a broad stream on the side of a wood,
so that we were pretty well protected should enemies on horseback attack
us. My father proposed to remain here to await another emigrant train,
hoping in a short time to be sufficiently recovered to move on. But, to
our great grief, Clarice and I saw that he was rapidly sinking. He
himself did not appear to be aware of his condition; and fearing that it
would aggravate his sufferings were he to think he was about to leave
us, young as we were, in the midst of the wild prairie among strangers,
we were unwilling to tell him what we thought.
The men with us began to grumble at the long delay, and declared their
intention of moving forward with the next emigrant train which should
come by. But what was our dismay, one morning, to find that both the
villains had gone, carrying off the cart, and a considerable amount of
our property! We were not aware at this time, however, that they had
managed to get hold of the chest which contained our money. Our father
was so ill, too, that we did not tell him what had occurred; and that
very evening, as Clarice and I were sitting by his side holding his
hands, he ceased to breathe.
At first we could not persuade ourselves that he was dead. That was
indeed a terrible night. I felt, however, that something must be done,
and that the first thing was to bury our poor father. We had spades and
pick-axes in the waggon, so, taking one of each, I commenced my
melancholy task near the banks of a stream.
I was thus engaged when I heard Clarice cry out; and on looking up I saw
a small emigrant train passing, which must have been encamped at no
great distance from us down the river. Fearing that they might pass
without observing us, I ran forward shouting out, entreating the leader
to stop. The train immediately came to a standstill, and a man advanced
towards me, in whom I soon recognised the person to whom Clarice had
given the book many months before.
"Why, my man," he said, "I thought I knew you! How are your sister and
your father? He had got an ugly hurt, I recollect, when I saw him."
"He is just dead," I answered.
"Dead!" he exclaimed; "and are you two young ones left on the prairie
alone?"
"Yes," I replied; "our men have made off, and I was going to beg you to
take us along with you."
"That I will do right gladly," said the stranger.
When I told him how I was engaged, he immediately sent some of his men,
and they at once set to work and dug a deep grave. Our poor father
having then been placed in it, they raised over it a pile of heavy logs.
"I wish we could have done better for him," said the stranger; "but many
a fine fellow sleeps under such a monument as that."
I need not dwell upon our grief as we watched these proceedings. I was
sure that the sooner Clarice was away from the spot the better it would
be for her; so, as the leader of the emigrant train did not wish to
delay longer than was necessary, I assisted in harnessing the animals to
our waggon, and we at once moved on.