Summer Trip Through the South--Indian Agencies--Canadian
River--Lion Fight--Red River--Double Mountain--Staked Plains--Pecos
River--Indian Skirmish--Santa Fe, New Mexico--Return to the
Arkansas Valley--Description of the Plains--Mirage--Dangers of the
Prairie--Wild Horses and How Captured--Creasing Animals.
When the April sun of 1878 was high in the heavens, we bid farewell to
our valley friends and wound merrily down the river. The _green grass_
had begun to show itself, and the valley was _lovely_; and the little
birds sported and sung in the bushes and little trees along the
river-banks. As the houses became more and more numerous, we began to
realize that we were going _east_ to where _somebody lived_. Following
the river on down, we passed through the _Creek_ and _Cherokee_
agencies, and also the _Chocktaw_ country, and were very much interested
in our Indian observations. The _Cherokees_ are far advanced in
civilization, and are _by far_ the most intelligent tribe.
They have _school-houses_, and _churches_, and pretty villages; and some
have carpet upon their floors. They appear to _enjoy_ their new mode of
living, and take pride in their pretty homes. I may also state that
there are some very _pretty girls_ among them. All the agency lands that
we passed through were the best that the sun ever warmed. Though Uncle
Sam reaches forth his bountiful hand whenever the weakest red man asks,
most of the tribes appear restless; and though there is much game in the
territory, and notwithstanding that they are let out of the agency once
a year to hunt over the wide wild country, their eyes are restless,
their faces itch for the war-paint, and they long to sally forth beneath
the white-eagle plume, to ring the valleys with their wild war-whoop,
and wash the hatchet in the white man’s blood. The farming implements
furnished them are left to rust, and they indolently exist upon the
nation’s bounty.
Every Indian nation in the United States to-day, who will _receive_
them, have _beautiful_ reservations, which are the very _gardens of the
Union_; and their every want is most _bounteously_ supplied. The only
tribes that are to-day _suffering_ are those who will not _receive_ from
the hand of plenty. But in _spite_ of all this, there are some of the
tribes breaking from their agencies every few months and committing
their bloody outrages, which boil a human’s blood; and the _clemency_ of
the Government is exhibited by its capturing the murderers and placing
them back upon their homes, giving them new blankets and rifles, and
telling them not to do so again,--_sometimes_ giving them a _trial_, but
rarely giving them the _deserved penalty_. Persons seated in their
comfortable _mansions_ in the land from whence savagedom has long since
been driven, and where the protecting arm of _civilization_ is thrown
around them, are prone to speak of the _poor Indian_ eking out a
miserable livelihood from the western deserts and barren mountains, and
continually persecuted and provoked by the cruel _white man_, only
waiting for an opportunity to kill them off. _Oh, fie!_ Go see what _I_
have seen, and learn the _truth_, and your sympathies will be banished
by _bitter scorn_. Go see the poor emigrant, who has taken his little
family to a new home in the sundown land, shot down at his labor and
scalped in the furrow, his dear wife and innocent babes _crushed with
the hatchet_, their blood spilled upon the cabin floor, and their brains
spattered against the wall. Go
[Illustration: THEIR CRUELTY.]
experience realities, and have your all and dearest on earth torn from
you, and hear their heart-rending cries as they are carried off by
savage demons, and see how the red devils can _mock mercy_ and torture
_helpless innocence_; and if the fire within your bosom does not kindle
and you do not say that the devils _have it only too good_, there must
be little soul within. God knows that _I_ would be the last to mention
_violence_; but I have seen decency outraged and sweet infancy tortured,
and have witnessed _so many sickening sights_ that my blood boils
whenever I think of them and my right arm twitches for vengeance. The
first tribe that starts a war should be made _an example_ of, and the
last wretch laid low; then outbreaks would be fewer. As it is, there is
continually trouble all along the frontier, and no man is safe. If the
Government would only empower a company of _cow-boys_ and _hunters_ to
pursue them when out on the war-path, there would be less damage and
severer _reprimands_; but until the soldiers capture them, with their
blue ribbon and military maneuvers, the devils have done all the
mischief they want to do and are ready to surrender.
The Indians all _appear friendly_; but a chance is all that is wanted to
place your scalp bleeding upon a pole while they sing their bloody songs
around it. It is their nature.
“And as long as his skin is rough and red,
His cruel heart is the devil’s bed.”
We followed the river to its junction with the Canadian. This is a most
splendid country. Here God again does the raining, and no irrigation is
needed. The agencies are the same. We then concluded to go up the
Canadian to the west. It was not long, however, until we had left the
rich farming country and were again upon the dry, sandy wilderness. The
country for some distance upon either side of the river is intensely
rough, rocky, barren, and sandy. Great herds of cattle range along the
river and up and down all its tributaries. As we went to the west trees
grew few and scrubby and dwarf-bushes grew among the rocks and bluffs,
and little streams of clear water came tumbling down over the rocks from
the springs away under the barren hills. We often thought of the
mountains as we wound along, and we thought we must be near the
jumping-off place. We killed several deer and antelopes among the hills,
and saw some strange-looking tracks in the sand at the water.
Early one pretty morning, as we were strolling up the ravines in search
of game, I noticed Charles stop suddenly, and dropping behind a rock he
beckoned me to him. He pointed up the river to where some bushes were
shaking; and crawling closer, by the aid of our glass we found it to be
a large lion feasting upon the carcass of a deer. We crept away, and
after gathering the other boys we held a council and determined to
_tackle_ him, let come what would. We cautiously crept along under rocks
and brush until we were within one hundred and fifty yards of him, when
he _spied_ us, and uttering a loud roar, crouched low upon his prey. Now
was our time; so, resting my rifle upon a rock, I deliberately fired. He
was almost hidden in the brush, and I struck him in the shoulder. He
uttered a terrible roar, and bounded toward us with his shattered blade.
We had shrunk from the lion _behind the bars_; but, my Lord, here we
were in the same _cage_ with him, and no chance to shrink. I tell you, a
lion can jump like _thunder_ with _three legs_; and he came directly at
_me_. The boys were flanked upon either side, and they were to reserve
their loads until he was near enough to be sure. I waited until I could
see his eyes bat, and he was about to make his last spring, and then
pulled; but, great God! the cartridge failed. I dodged behind a large
rock, and as he sprung down over my head, with his powerful paws
extended and his great claws protruding like bayonets, his low growl
sounded like the voice of hell; and though things looked a little
_cloudy_, I never conceded for _one moment_ that I was ever created for
lion-meat. The blood-hound sprung forward and sunk his huge teeth into
his hind leg; but he was no more to the infuriated animal than a gad-fly
would be to a buffalo, and before I could shove a new cartridge home he
was again crouched to spring, when the boys rushed forward, and, with
the muzzles of their rifles so close that the hair was singed, sent
three well-directed balls grinding through his body. The shots all went
near the heart, and he never arose from the earth, but rolled over upon
his side, and with a low, gurgling groan, trembled and died. It was
_sport_, _all through_; but I enjoyed _this stage_ of the proceedings
better than any other. As he lay there, with his nine feet of power
stretched upon the sand so closely to me that I could feel his
dying-breath and touch his shaggy mane, I felt happy that he was dead.
He was nine feet in length, and was the most powerful lion we had ever
seen. Some of his teeth were two inches long; and after looking
carefully at the huge mouth and powerful jaws, I concluded that I was at
one time nearer being lion-meat than I had before believed. The
blood-hound stood proudly by, wagging his tail as though waiting for the
praise for killing him. Poor fool! He was not as much as a gray-back in
the folds of the shirt of a professional tramp. I felt very glad that I
did not tackle the animal alone. We carefully examined every cartridge
we had. Charles said if I could have caught the tail I might have gone
to thunder and fought my own battle, like he did with the buffalo. We
looked carefully around that day, expecting to find the mate; but we saw
no more, and the next morning journeyed on.
When we were about the center of the territory we struck south for the
Red River, which bounds the territory on the south. We struck the
Washita River, Wild Horse Creek, and many other small streams, finding
many cattle along every water, and game in all directions. Great herds
of buffaloes were daily seen heading to the north. There being plenty of
good water all along the route from the Canadian to the Red River, the
journey was a _pleasant_ one. The country of the Red River was rough as
the Canadian, and was good for naught but raising stock. We left the
Red River and went down the Big Washita; and then on to the Brazos, and
down its head-waters to the Double Mountain, Texas, which we had been
told was the range of the main buffalo-herd of the south. The story was
certainly correct, for they were here by the thousands; and not being
nearly so wild as where we had hunted, it was no more to shoot a buffalo
here than to kill a cow. The country was rough, and destitute of all but
short grass; and though there were _cattle here_, they were not nearly
so numerous as at _other places_ where we had been. There was a little
ranch now and then stuck in among the rocks--and one man stays in each;
but they carry their lives in a _holy pocket_ every day and night. They
have become somewhat _reconciled_ to this hermit-life, and do not give
the danger its full weight. This is about as _wild_ a country as lies
within the borders of our _Union_; and if a person had the material, and
were prepared, he could make crooked whisky here without molestation by
the authorities.
We were now prepared to cross the _staked plains_, which had been
reported to us as a broad, dry, and barren country; that it required
several days’ journey to cross, upon which many persons had perished,
and where, several years ago, a whole company of soldiers had been led
by the Indians whom they were pursuing, and there became bewildered and
died in this waterless region. We filled our barrel and three skins with
water from a cool, crystal spring that bubbled from beneath a rock and
headed the Colorado River, and steered due west for the Rio Pecos in New
Mexico. The first night out we camped upon a dry, barren plain, level as
a floor, and almost destitute of grass, all animation having
disappeared. We traveled beneath the burning sun; and resting at night
upon the broad couch of nature, we breathed the light, warm air. It was
all the same in any direction, with no object to obstruct the vision,
and not one cloud to dim the splendor of the setting sun. On the eve of
the third day out our attention was attracted to some white objects upon
the prairie ahead, and which, upon coming up, we found to be the
skeletons of four men bleaching in the sun. The _thirsty reptile_ had
doubtless _strangled_ them; and as we stood gazing upon the whitened
forms, we thought of the agonies of that last hour. They must have lain
there for some years, for there was not even a vestige of else but the
bones. They had undoubtedly cast away everything to hurry on; and when
the weakest fainted, the others in their delirium sunk by his side, all
determined to soar upon the same wings to the land beyond, where the
crystal fountains are flowing freely.
The weather being so warm and the air so dry, our horses required _much
water_; and though we could somewhat gauge _ourselves_, we were
compelled to give them what they wanted. We were just as saving,
however, as we _dared_ be, and upon the morning of the fifth day out we
tapped the last skin and the last water. This was just like mother’s
bread. When the flour is all gone and the horses have the epizooty so
that no one can go to the mill, and the _boys_ once find out the _facts_
in the case, the last loaf is saturated with _honey_, and every one can
make a meal upon _bread_ and _coffee_. We stretched this out until noon
on the _sixth day_, when there was but one gallon left, and that almost
warm enough to cook eggs. Morning dawned, and the sun rolling from the
horizon in all its grandeur had to us little attraction. Things began
to look badly. Six days upon a plain level as a floor and dry as the
internal regions, and not an object yet in sight, I tell you is a bad
report. We had long been out of _corn_; and the grass being so scarce
our horses were pretty well gaunted, and now no water. How long would
they hold out? Just before we hooked up I took the field-glass and from
the wagon surveyed the surroundings. Looking carefully to the west I saw
broken country. Oh, joy! And when I spoke the boys shouted aloud. We
knew that we were now safe, and we would sleep that night by the purple
stream. The hills were a great way off, and if the horses could have
known, as we did, that just ahead gurgled the life-giving stream, we
would have spanned the journey in half the time. However, when within
about a mile of the hills they appeared to smell water, and pointing
their ears they sped hastily along. But in spite of our eagerness we
came among the hills by the moonbeam’s misty light. There was the
stream, rippling clear and cool; and it is needless to say that was to
us a merry night. We sat up all night talking of the dangers of the
country, and contrasting the might of the _roaring lion_ with the power
of the _quiet monster_, _thirst_.
In the morning we took our rifles and started among the hills to get
some _meat_ for breakfast. We were not out long before Dave’s rifle rung
out sharply in the still morning air. Going to him, we found him with a
large buck deer; and we had a splendid venison roast for breakfast. The
country was very rough, and hung upon the edge of the plain like a great
ruffle, and to the west tossing higher and higher. There were a few
_buffaloes_ here also. We stayed in this camp several days, living upon
the best of meat, and recruiting our horses upon the rich grass of the
valley. There were also a few _cattle_ straggling along the river; and
they were wilder than the _buffaloes_. We at length moved up the river
and came among some dwarf timber; and to sit in the shade of these
little trees was more pleasant to us than any other period of our lives.
The _wolves_ were very _numerous_ here; and we were compelled to sleep
by the fire every night to keep our clothes from being torn by these
foul-mouthed creatures, who would howl within the very limits of our
camp, and terrify our horses so that we had to tie them to trees with
double ropes.
It is somewhat amusing to see them capture their game--sometimes taking
down a large buffalo bull or even a wild horse. If the game is in a
flock or herd, they cautiously surround it, and gradually round them up
to close quarters. If they are antelope or deer, as they break through
the guard several are usually captured; but if they are buffaloes, they
watch for a calf to come to the outside of the bunch, and pop! they have
him. Sometimes as many as twenty wolves surround a herd; and to see with
what cuteness and tact they execute their work is interesting in the
extreme. When they are very hungry they will tackle most any animal.
They sport carelessly around until he is off his guard, and then dash
upon him; and while some run at the head, the main aim is to cut the
ham-string. I have seen large bulls disabled in this way and at the
entire mercy of a pack of hungry wolves, who sometimes tear their
satisfaction from the living animal and leave him struggling in his
agonies. Their teeth are sharp and their jaws are like vices; and they
sometimes snap a large piece out of an animal, and then let him run
away.
New Mexico is noted for its _poisonous reptiles_ and _insects_, such as
rattlesnakes, scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas, etc., and finding them
creeping upon most every hill-side, we were compelled to be very
_careful_ lest we should tramp, sit, or lie upon some destructive
stinger.
We had _two beds_, and John and myself slept together. One lovely
moonlight night, after we had all retired, and my mind was resting upon
the border of slumber, I was startled by John uttering a war-whoop and
leaving the bed in a single leap. Being about half asleep, and thinking
that perhaps the _devil_ was under the cover, I did not take _time_ to
_rise_, but started to _roll_; and being near the bank of a little
stream that emptied into the river, I never stopped rolling until I
splashed into the water. I was then thoroughly awakened, and felt as
though I was not afraid of the devil if he were there. The rest of the
boys came to the rescue with their colors flying, and pulling off the
covers we found two large _rattlesnakes_ on John’s side of the bed. They
were swelled with rage and rattled furiously. We had never known them to
crawl into a _bed_. After killing them, we moved the bed and found a
hole in the ground under it. We then concluded that they were out when
we lay down, and in trying to find the way back they got into the bed;
and John hearing the rattle left the bed just as the reptile was ready
to strike. We were always careful after that never to build upon
another’s homestead.
The _centipede_ is a brown-colored worm of about the thickness of a
lead-pencil, and three inches in length when _full grown_. It has a
great number of legs, and at the end of each a little black needle which
is worked in and out at pleasure like a cat’s claw. _These_ are the
_stings_, and whenever the worm is _crossed_ it sinks them. The venom
from the rattlesnake is not to be compared with its effect. When they
are found upon the body, the only _safe_ way is to be _perfectly
motionless_, and not _disturb_ them, and they will often crawl
harmlessly away; but should the person _move_ or _excite_ them, they
will sink their deadly claws and run across the person rapidly, and
beyond all remedy the flesh will rot to the bone in a short time. I
_once_ saw the _effect_ of a _sting_. We were one sunny day sitting with
some greasers upon the shady side of an _adobe_ house near Santa Fe,
when a large _centipede_ dropped from the roof of the house down upon
the naked breast of one of them. He struck at it and tried to knock it
off quickly as possible; but in spite of his efforts it ran clear across
his body, and in a few hours he died with his body terribly swelled.
They are regarded the most deadly of all animals or insects in the West;
and for the benefit of my _readers_ who may sometime journey in their
land, I would advise and pray that should one of these stingers get upon
your body, be careful to not disturb it, for the _danger_ is utter ruin.
The _tarantula_ is a very large _spider_, with large, strong legs, and
can jump four or five feet. It _bites_ instead of _stings_; and though
its bite is not _deadly_ like the centipede’s, it is nevertheless very
_painful_, and swells the parts fearfully, _sometimes_ resulting in
death. They are a _peaceful_ insect; but when _tormented_ they become
very angry, and will jump at their enemy in great fury. These two
insects are very numerous in New Mexico, and it is very dangerous to
sleep on the ground; and citizens are all the time cautious.
While speaking of poisonous _animals_ and _insects_, I might also
mention that the _skunk_ out here is _also_ very dangerous. They will
come to your _bed_ at _night_ and bite you; and the bite has never been
known to fail to produce _hydrophobia_. It is a question much discussed
whether it is the effect of the _general_ skunk-bite, or whether there
are just _certain ones_ which are _themselves_ afflicted with
hydrophobia. The general _opinion_ is, however, that any skunk’s bite
will produce the effect. The subject acts just as though bitten by a
mad-dog, and it is said that there is no remedy when once bitten. I saw
a man by the name of Jones, in Texas, die in the most horrible agony
from a skunk-bite he had received away up in Nebraska eighteen months
before. These skunks are in appearance like our eastern skunks; but
whether they are equally _poisonous_ I do not know. The cow-boys are
always on the alert for skunks.
We moved on up the river; and one evening as I rode down a deep ravine a
half mile north of camp I discovered smoke arising out of a deep gulch
just below. I recognized it as an _Indian_ fire. I tied my pony to a
bush in a deep hollow and cautiously crawled down upon the camp. I got
within about three hundred yards of them, and peeping out from behind a
bluff I saw four Indians, who, from their dress, I recognized to be
_Kiawas_, from the pan-handle country. Two were smoking their pipes, and
the other two were broiling meat upon a stick before a little fire; and
just below them were twelve good ponies grazing in the ravine. Knowing
the _Kiawas_ to be _horse-thieves_, and finding them here under such
_suspicious circumstances_, I concluded that they had been out
_stealing_ and were just returning with their booty. Creeping cautiously
away, I got my pony and rode off to camp; and after informing the boys
of what I had seen, we concluded to rescue the ponies from their red
captors. So, just after twilight we moved quietly upon the camp--John
and myself upon ponies, and Dave and Charles on foot. When we were
within a hundred yards of the camp and, unnoticed, we halted and took a
careful survey of the ground. A cool wind had sprung up that evening,
and by a bright little fire lay the four bodies in blankets, while fifty
yards below grazed the twelve hobbled ponies in the bright moonlight.
Their front feet were tied closely together with ropes, and they were
compelled to step very short. Our plans were formed as follows: We would
open upon them with four rifle shots; and while the footmen kept up the
fire, the horsemen were to leave with them their rifles, and with
six-shooters in hand dash between the camp and the ponies, and with
wild whoops run off the horses. Whang! went the rifles, and away we flew
toward the camp. Two of the Indians did not appear to wake up; but the
other two sprung from the fire like _wild deer_. We ran upon the herd
shouting and yelling, and the boys keeping a brisk fire all the while.
The horses were so frightened that they jumped with both front feet
together, and moved off down the ravine pretty rapidly. After running
them about a half mile we ceased our noise, and the ponies slackened.
Then we rode among them and dismounted to cut the hobbles, knowing the
necessity of taking all or run the risk of being overtaken. It was to be
quick work, for the two Indians who woke up were sure to come for the
horses as quickly as possible. We had cut the hobbles of _eleven_, and
had them roped together; but one pretty dark horse had run off down a
gulch. John held the captives and I ran off to get the other. He was
pretty wild, and I followed him about a quarter of a mile before I could
get to him. At length he became quiet, and going up to him I cut the
hobbles, and had just fastened it on his head when an Indian rushed from
behind the bluff at my very side. Seeing me alone, I suppose he took me
to be his comrade; and running up muttering something in the Kiawa
tongue, he sprung upon the pony’s back. This was my opportunity, and
seizing my six-shooter I struck him a furious blow in the face; and as
he fell to the ground I mounted and rode off for John. I do not suppose
the horse was ever _backed_ before; and instead of going _toward John_,
he went in the other direction full bent. I had a rope through his
mouth; but finding him unmanageable, and not having _time_ to _break
colts_, I succeeded in checking him; and springing to the ground I shot
him through the body and cut off his artery, and ran off on foot. As I
went up the ravine I saw a person coming down, and springing to one side
I crouched behind a rock. As he went by I saw it was the _Indian_ with
his rifle in his hand. He passed within six feet of me; but I only
wanted the _ponies_, and did not want to kill an Indian unless it was
absolutely necessary for my own safety. After he had passed I ran on. I
soon met Dave and Charles, who having heard the shot, supposed that I
was in trouble and were coming to my assistance. We all went back to
where I left John, but he was gone; and going on, we found him in camp,
with the horses. We then moved out, and never halted until the sun was
darting his bright rays upon us. We had been moving as rapidly and
quietly as _possible_; but knowing that we would be _trailed_, we kept a
mounted guard among the hills upon either side of the wagon, to keep
from being surprised by the enemy, who might head us off.
The next evening we came to a trading-post called Alamo, on the Pecos
bank; and about eight o’clock, as we were seated upon a bench in the
post, four cow-boys rode up, and dismounting, walked in to the bar, with
the bells jingling upon their spurs and their six-shooters dangling at
their sides. They set their broad hats back upon their heads, and one
big fellow, with his shirt open and his breast naked, called us all up
and we drank together. They were not satisfied until we had taken
several rounds; and though the drinks were _two bits_ apiece, they were
as free as though they were but three cents. Knowing that it would not
do to refuse to drink with _cow-boys_, when they ask, we drank with
them, but touched it lightly. We talked and laughed together as though
we were old friends; and at length they said they were out on a
horse-hunt. They said that a few days before, as they were camped upon
Salt Lake, fifty miles to the west, some Kiawa Indians had dashed into
their camp, and, killing the cook, ran off twelve good ponies. They
_described_ them and told the _brand_, and we were sure that we had the
horses. We told them of our capture, and they recognized the ponies at
sight. We told them that we had left two thieves sleeping by a little
fire in a ravine fifty miles below, and had killed one stubborn pony.
They said what we had done was well done; but it must be finished. They
said they had been bothered a great deal with these Kiawa and Comanche
devils, who constantly hung upon their range, shooting down every lone
cow-boy and running off every horse they could get, and they had made up
their minds to give them some of their own medicine. The next morning
they rode off, bright and early, swearing that if they could be found
the _other two_ would be sleeping by the fire _that night_. They
insisted upon our going along; but it was not our _mission_ to _kill
Indians_, and we refused. We were satisfied that if the story had been
rightly told, our work had been rightly done; and we moved on up the
river.
The country was very _rough_; but we kept along the river, and in a few
days were in _Santa Fe_, the capital of New Mexico, and the terminus of
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. The town is located among the
hills, and stage-roads are worn deep in several directions. The old,
abandoned Santa Fe trail, which we had crossed so many times in our
hunts, wound like a serpent down the hill-side into the town. It had
been _some time_ since we had seen _frame houses_, and they appeared to
us as grand as Roman cathedrals; and for several days we enjoyed the
novelty of civilization very much. There were large _stock-yards_ here,
and many thousand head are annually shipped from this place.
Stock-raising and mining are all that can be done among these hills and
bluffs.
We now steered due north and came into the valley of the Rio Grande del
Norte. We found great herds of cattle here, feeding over this pretty,
rich range; and there were many little ranches upon the banks of the
river.
We then struck _north-east_, passing by the Fishery Peak and going up
the Purgatory River to the Arkansas. We felt as though we were at _home_
when we stood upon the green bank of this river; and the
settlers--especially the girls--with whom we had become acquainted prior
to our going south, were apparently glad to see us back, and welcomed us
to their little _adobe_ homes and rustic hospitalities.
It was now late in the month of September, and we concluded to go into
some kind of business and stay in the valley that winter. We had now
gone over a great territory of prairie; and the brief history of our
travels has perhaps given the reader a faint idea of the nature of the
country and the occupations of the people. But the _whole country_,--the
climate, the inhabitants, and their occupations,--is so different from
the states--as called by western men--that it is difficult, even with
the most _minute description_, to conceive of the great country of the
plains as it really _is_ without _visiting_ this curious land.
We have stated that we left the agricultural land in east Nebraska and
Kansas, and that then before us stretched the historical plains--the
fountain of mysteries and the land of secrets. Imagine a great country,
consisting of many states and territories, and containing millions of
acres, with not even the smallest tree or bush, but covered with
_buffalo-grass_, which grows about six inches high and then curls up,
forming a mattress about three inches thick. Through this mighty dry
domain course the rivers as marked upon the map. The banks are
_usually_--though not _always_--skirted with a light growth of
cotton-wood trees; and the valleys are narrow, and fringed upon either
side by great bluffs whose foot-hills usually roll some distance into
the plain. Now, between these rivers there is very often a stretch of
several hundred miles, and sometimes not a drop of water; but usually
there is water to be found in drives of fifty and one hundred
miles--sometimes closer and sometimes much farther. These little waters
are very seldom _running streams_, but are small pools standing in deep
gulches, and sometimes a little lake resting in a small bowl at the foot
of a bluff. The country is always _rough_ where there is _water_; and
old plainers can always tell when they are near it. The gulches that
have water standing in them, like the rivers, usually have small _trees_
also. Now, between these waters the plain is generally almost as level
as a floor; and standing there, the horizon looks perfectly round. Along
the _waters_ the grass is thick and luxuriant, but gradually grows
shorter as you leave; and the long, dry stretches are often very lightly
covered. As you travel along over the level plains it appears as though
there is a raise just ahead all the time; and where it looks level as a
floor there are often great gulches which can not be seen until coming
almost upon their very banks. Sometimes you will come into several miles
of very soft sand, with hardly a spire of _grass_ upon it. Now, persons
who _understand_ this country know just where the waters lie, and
_prepare_ for the trip; and very often where another person would
_perish_ they could find water in a few hundred yards under a rock at
the foot of a hill.
There is much _mirage_ upon the plains, and it is much worse some days
than others. It looks as though there were a pretty, _rolling river_, or
sometimes a _large lake_, but a mile or so off. Nothing is _plainer_;
and the imitation is so complete that old plainers are sometimes
deceived in a country they do not know. It is caused from an unequal
refraction of the lower stratums of the atmosphere; and when _animals_
are in it they are loomed up to twice their _natural_ height. An
_antelope_ is often taken for a _buffalo_, and sometimes a bone or a
buffalo-chip looks like an animal. Objects often appear inverted. To a
tender-foot the deception is often so complete that many a poor,
perishing person, in whose eyes were fast gathering the shades of death,
exhausted his last efforts in trying to reach the _imaginary river_, and
his last breaths were drawn in the belief that he was dying within sight
of the cool, flowing waters. I had read many stirring stories of this
country, and had often heard of the strange peculiarities to be
witnessed and experienced here; but, though my _imaginings_ were
_extensive_, I had never indulged in delusion sufficient to think of the
country in anything near its reality. Ah! many a skeleton lies bleaching
upon the hill-side, with no tomb-stone to tell its name or age nor any
one to tell the secret of his death. I have often thought that if the
Angel of Death would read to the world his _prairie record_ some of the
accounts would swell the heart of the most calloused desperado and wring
a tear from the wickedest eye.
The _legends_ of the plains are _numerous_, and persons who have never
been here would naturally consider them _fabulous_, and the most gross
_exaggerations_; but I know now, from experience, that the worst is
reasonable. From the country being _all alike_, and no objects to guide
the way,--no, not even a weed, or the smallest bush, or distinguishable
hill or valley,--when persons once lose their way they are as completely
lost as though they were as blind as a granite monument fifty miles from
living man. It is somewhat _singular_, but it is a fact many times
verified, that usually when persons lose their way in this country their
_minds_ wander, and they do not even recognize their own camps when they
come in sight of them. It appears that the average person is so
_horrified_ at the thought of being lost and alone in a broad wild
country, where the wild beast growls among the hills, and where the dry
sands reflect perishment into their very eyes, and no one to direct
their course, that the effect is natural.
A story is told of an outfit crossing over a dry prairie in the
pan-handle country. The first night out from water a young man who had
lately come from the states went out among the hills with his rifle to
look for deer. He did not _know_ the _danger_, and unconsciously
wandered a mile away. When the sun was getting low he turned for camp.
It appeared to him as plainly as the hills before him, that to turn back
was to go toward camp. So, turning to his left, he took down a ravine,
still looking for game, and sure that he was near camp. On he went, and
the sun sunk low in the horizon. Soon darkness veiled the day, and he
was still out, and had walked many miles. He drew out his _compass_; but
he did not know whether he was north, south, east, or west from camp,
and thrilled with the thought of his probable condition, he became
completely bewildered and walked rapidly all night. The camp was in a
_deep ravine_, and the boys supposing their tender-foot companion to be
_lost_, went to the top of a hill and built a large fire with
buffalo-chips, and fired their guns and loudly hallooed; but all to no
purpose. In the morning _search_ was made. The country was sandy and
_lightly_ covered with _grass_, and he could be trailed. Two of the
boys, well mounted, started in pursuit. They followed to the east about
a mile, and then winding to the south about a mile and a half he made a
complete circle of about two miles, and went around three times almost
in the same tracks, and then started off zigzag to the west. About noon
an object was seen seated upon the side of a hill in the distance, and
hurrying up the lost John was found. He had become completely deranged,
and had torn every vestige of clothing from his body, and was holding
the compass in his hand. He was so completely bewildered that he did not
even recognize his _own comrades_, and it was _several hours_ before his
mind regained its equilibrium and he fully comprehended his position. He
then said that it seemed as though camp must be near and could be
readily found; but when he once became convinced that he was lost, he
became so completely bewildered that the compass was no more use to him
than a box without a needle. He said the hills and valleys all looked
_alike_, and there was not a bush, or weed, or anything whatever to mark
his course, much less a _neighbor to direct the way_.
This is only _one_ of _hundreds_ of cases; and I have heard of persons
horribly _mutilating_ themselves in their mad agonies. The facts given
are perfectly _credible_, for I have felt their force by experience. I
recollect that one warm spring morning in south Colorado, the fog hung
over the prairie like the mist upon the ocean, and a horse could be
distinguished but a few hundred yards. I had stayed all night with some
cow-boys on Bear Creek, and saddling my pony I started out among the
bluffs to steer my way over the plain to our camp upon the Cimaron,
thirty miles below. I had no _compass_ with me, but I had crossed the
country so often that I thought it would be no trouble, even in the
midst of the mighty fog, to grope my way. I had scarcely left the
cotton-wood tops in the mist when I came to another creek. This seemed
very strange, for I only knew of _one creek_ in the country; but not
willing to believe that I was _again_ crossing _Bear Creek_, I kept
pushing on. I saw some men camped in a ravine just below, and saw their
_horses_ grazing among the hills; but I thought they must be _hunters_,
and the creek must be one that I had not seen. I went on until I had
crossed _six creeks_; and I made up my mind that there was something
_wrong_, and that I must be circling my own camp on Bear Creek. I had
lost the location of the _boys_ I saw awhile ago, and I rode down to the
stream, and to _save my life_ I could not tell which way the _water_
ran. I dismounted and set my rifle on the ground, and before my left
foot was removed from the stirrup the pony became frightened and dashed
away. Losing my grip upon the horn I was jerked down, and the horse
started off kicking down the creek. He dragged me about fifty yards,
and I began to think it did not make much difference which way the water
ran, when I succeeded in getting a square kick at the stirrup with my
right foot, and _luckily_ out it came. The pony, now free, ran off down
the creek. After following him about three miles, I came into the camp
of an old hunter (Barney Gowe), whom I had not met for some months. My
_pony_ stopped with _his_ horses and was easily captured. I then asked
Barney where I _was_, and he thought I was codding him; but becoming
_convinced_ of my situation he laughed heartily and told me to stay for
dinner and the world would turn _right side up again_ after awhile. It
was full two hours before all was _right_, and all at once the whole
valley appeared natural. There were the little stone monuments upon the
bluffs above to guide the hunter and cow-men, and which had _directed
me_ many a time. The little trees, whose _very limbs_ I now recognized,
looked as of old, and the little stream, as it rippled along, seemed to
laugh at the strange conduct of its _old friend_. I was three miles
below where I stayed _all night_; and I had been rounding my own camp
four or five times, and did not recognize _it_ nor the _boys_. They
said they _saw_ me going around and did not know what I meant. The next
morning the fog had _cleared away_ and the trip was made without
difficulty. I only mention these facts to more _fully picture_ in the
imagination of the reader the country with its attending circumstances
and peculiarities as it _really is_, and to warn those who read these
lines that should they ever become bewildered and lost in this desert
land to be calm, keep possession of their mind, and sit down until the
country turns _around again_.
After explaining the nature of the country, the reader can now perhaps
better understand the _sports_ and _occupations_ as they are hereinafter
explained. There are often car-loads of _mustang ponies_ shipped to the
states; and people wonder how they are captured--some supposing that
they are caught with the _lasso_. I can say that there are _few_ wild
horses caught with the _lariat_, and _they_ are only captured by the
hunter hiding himself at the water and catching them as they come down
to drink, or by taking advantage of the ground and making an angling run
upon the herd and cutting them off. _Blooded horses_ have been brought
to this country for this sport, and it has been found that the
_fleetest horse_ can seldom succeed in bringing his rider to the side of
a fully grown mustang. These animals are found in several of the western
states and territories, along the waters of the wild lands. There are
usually between _twenty_ and _fifty_ in a herd, but I have known _one
hundred_ to be in a single herd. Each herd has a distinct range, usually
about ten miles across, and which they can seldom be forced to leave.
There are some very fine-looking animals in these wild gangs, and as
they dash over the range their manes waive back over their rumps, and
their tails spread gracefully after them. I saw a _Mexican_ capture a
fine iron-gray stallion that (perhaps in scratching his head) had caught
his hind foot in his long entangled mane.
Now they are _captured_ as _follows_: Of course, in each range there is
_water_, and usually--as I have already said--where there is water there
is some small timber; but should there be none upon the range of the
herd you wish to _capture_, go some place _else_ and get it, and after
picking out a good location somewhere upon the range, build up a high,
strong _corral_ large enough to hold the herd you wish to capture. Leave
an entrance at one side, and run a lane from the entrance divergingly
into the prairie, until the lane is about one hundred yards wide at the
mouth. Now for the _chase_. Get four horses, well shod, and put two to a
light wagon, and put in feed and provisions for several days; and get a
man to drive. Have two good riding-ponies, and tie one behind the wagon
and _mount_ the _other_. Now start after the herd in a _walk_, and let
the _wagon_ follow just in sight of you. Of course, the first day the
mustangs will burn the prairie, and you will not be in sight of them
_half the time_; but just keep on, and never break the _walk_. The
wagon, of course, will not travel nearly as far as _you_ do, for, as the
herd circles, the driver can cut across. Choose a moonlight season, and
at first go all night, keeping them excited so that they neither eat nor
drink. The second day you can keep in sight all day; but they become
very much _excited_ at seeing themselves _pursued_, and will run frantic
here and there, and by _cutting across_ you need not go half their
distance. You can get to the wagon to _change ponies_ and get a _bite_
when you wish. Go this way, _night_ and _day_, for about _three days_,
when they will become hungry and weak, and you can get close. You can
now sleep at night and chase during the day. If any of the range has
been burned over, or the ground is otherwise rough, their _feet_ become
sore and they can be captured _sooner_; but _usually_ about the _tenth
day_ you can ride up to the herd and drive them along. When _this_ is
the case, take a _whip_ and _force_ them along until they are so worried
that you can ride among them and handle them any way. Now drive them to
the _corral_ and fasten them in. Now rope them together closely with
strong ropes, and drive them to the railroad for _shipment_ or to the
_ranch_ to break _for use_. While they are _weak_ they are easily
broken. _Large herds_ are often captured in this way; and there are men
who, _every spring_ when the grass is short and the ponies are poor,
make this a _business_, and from it realize large profits.
There are many fine, large, branded horses, which have escaped from the
_hunters_, _cow-men_, _emigrants_, and the _Government_, now running
with the wild herds, and, of course, belong to whoever captures them.
When there are several _large mules_ or _fine horses_ in a bunch, it
tickles the hunter mightily; and not having forgotten their _former_
lives, they render the herd easier to be caught, and are not much
trouble to re-break.
Now this is the way the _herds_ are captured; but of course there are
captures made now and then in _different ways_. The hunter sometimes
conceals himself near the water where the herd comes down to drink, and,
watching his opportunity, _creases_ his animal; that is, he shoots him
through the neck about an inch from the top and just in front of the
shoulders. This will _stun_ the animal so that he will fall and not
recover for some minutes, in which time you can bind him fast. _This_
is, though, _scientific_ work, and none but a _fine shot_ need
_undertake it_; for a little _too high_ does _no_ good, and the least
_too low_ does _too much_ good entirely.
Now, there yet remains to be explained the _stock_ business, which is so
extensively carried on in this country, and to which nearly the whole
prairie country is so peculiarly adapted. Were I to tell to persons who
had never been here of the millions of cattle and sheep that are
pastured here, and of the thousands that are annually shipped to the
states, it would be incredibly received. As before said, the prairie is
covered with _buffalo-grass_, which is next to _mountain bunch-grass_,
which is said to be the strongest grass in the world. It usually grows
_thickly_ and about six inches long, and curls up--though of course
_this_ depends upon the range. It usually _rains_ and _snows_ some in
the _winter_ and _spring_ seasons, but during the _summer_ season it
never sprinkles; and you can be just as sure of it as of the wrath to
come. I have often thought that this would be a fine place to make hay.
The snows and rains dampen the earth, and in the spring, when the grass
springs forth and the prairie world is wrapped in its green mantle,
there is no part of the earth more beautiful. About the first of May the
grass is usually _grown up_, and it stays green until about _August_,
when--except in the valleys--it all dries up in the hot sun and dry air,
and cattle eat it like hay. It is then the _strongest_. And stock-men
hate to see the fall rains come; for they say it takes the _strength_
out of the _grass_.