On the western bank of the Mississippi, twelve miles below the
_embouchure_ of the Missouri, stands the large town of Saint Louis,
poetically known as the "Mound City." Although there are many other
large towns throughout the Mississippi Valley, Saint Louis is the true
metropolis of the "far west"--of that semi-civilised, ever-changing belt
of territory known as the "Frontier."
Saint Louis is one of those American cities in the history of which
there is something of peculiar interest. It is one of the oldest of
North-American settlements, having been a French trading port at an
early period.
Though not so successful as their rivals the English, there was a degree
of picturesqueness about French colonisation, that, in the present day,
strongly claims the attention of the American poet, novelist, and
historian. Their dealings with the Indian aborigines--the facile manner
in which they glided into the habits of the latter--meeting them more
than half-way between civilisation and savage life--the handsome
nomenclature which they have scattered freely, and which still holds
over the trans-Mississippian territories--the introduction of a new race
(the half blood--peculiarly French)--the heroic and adventurous
character of their earliest pioneers, De Salle Marquette, Father
Hennepin, etcetera--their romantic explorations and melancholy fate--all
these circumstances have rendered extremely interesting the early
history of the French in America. Even the Quixotism of some of their
attempts at colonisation cannot fail to interest us, as at Gallipolis on
the Ohio, a colony composed of expatriated people of the French court;--
perruquiers, coachbuilders, tailors, _modistes_, and the like. Here, in
the face of hostile Indians, before an acre of ground was cleared,
before the slightest provision was made for their future subsistence,
the first house erected was a large log structure, to serve as the
_salon du Lal_!
Besides its French origin, Saint Louis possesses many other points of
interest. It has long been the _entrepot_ and _depot_ of commerce with
the wild tribes of prairie-land. There the trader is supplied with his
stock for the Indian market--his red and green blanket--his beads and
trinkets--his rifles, and powder, and lead; and there, in return, he
disposes of the spoils of the prairie collected in many a far and
perilous wandering. There the emigrant rests on the way to his
wilderness home; and the hunter equips himself before starting forth on
some new expedition.
To the traveller, Saint Louis is a place of peculiar interest. He will
hear around him the language of every nation in the civilised world. He
will behold faces of every hue and variety of expression. He will meet
with men of every possible calling.
All this is peculiarly true in the latter part of the summer season.
Then the motley population of New Orleans fly from the annual scourge of
the yellow fever, and seek safety in the cities that lie farther north.
Of these, Saint Louis is a favourite "city of refuge,"--the Creole
element of its population being related to that kindred race in the
South, and keeping up with it this annual correspondence.
In one of these streams of migration I had found my way to Saint Louis,
in the autumn of 18--. The place was at the time filled with loungers,
who seemed to have nothing else to do but kill time. Every hotel had
its quota, and in every verandah and at the corners of the streets you
might see small knots of well-dressed gentlemen trying to entertain each
other, and laugh away the hours. Most of them were the annual birds of
passage from New Orleans, who had fled from "yellow Jack," and were
sojourning here till the cold frosty winds of November should drive that
intruder from the "crescent city;" but there were many other _flaneurs_
as well. There were travellers from Europe:--men of wealth and rank who
had left behind them the luxuries of civilised society to rough it for a
season in the wild West--painters in search of the picturesque--
naturalists whose love of their favourite study had drawn them from
their comfortable closets to search for knowledge under circumstances of
extremest difficulty--and sportsmen, who, tired of chasing small game,
were on their way to the great plains to take part in the noble sport of
hunting the buffalo. I was myself one of the last-named fraternity.
There is no country in the world so addicted to the _table d'hote_ as
America, and that very custom soon makes idle people acquainted with
each other. I was not very long in the place before I was upon terms of
intimacy with a large number of these loungers, and I found several,
like myself, desirous of making a hunting expedition to the prairies.
This chimed in with my plans to a nicety, and I at once set about
getting up the expedition. I found five others who were willing to join
me.
After several _conversaziones_, with much discussion, we succeeded at
length in "fixing" our plan. Each was to "equip" according to his own
fancy, though it was necessary for each to provide himself with a riding
horse or mule. After that, a general fund was to be "raised," to be
appropriated to the purchase of a waggon and team, with tents, stores,
and cooking utensils. A couple of professional hunters were to be
engaged; men who knew the ground to be traversed, and who were to act as
guides to the expedition.
About a week was consumed in making the necessary preparations, and at
the end of that time, under the sunrise of a lovely morning, a small
cavalcade was seen to issue from the back suburbs of Saint Louis, and,
climbing the undulating slopes in its rear, head for the far-stretching
wilderness of the prairies. It was our hunting expedition.
The cavalcade consisted of eight mounted men, and a waggon with its full
team of six tough mules. These last were under the _manege_ of "Jake"--
a free negro, with a shining black face, a thick full mop, and a set of
the best "ivories," which were almost always uncovered in a smile.
Peeping from under the tilt of the waggon might be seen another face
strongly contrasting with that of Jake. This had been originally of a
reddish hue, but sun-tan, and a thick sprinkling of freckles, had
changed the red to golden-yellow. A shock of fiery hair surmounted this
visage, which was partially concealed under a badly-battered hat.
Though the face of the black expressed good-humour, it might have been
called sad when brought into comparison with that of the little red man,
which peeped out beside it. Upon the latter, there was an expression
irresistibly comic--the expression of an actor in broad farce. One eye
was continually on the wink, while the other looked knowing enough for
both. A short clay-pipe, stuck jauntily between the lips, added to the
comical expression of the face, which was that of Mike Lanty from
Limerick. No one ever mistook the nationality of Michael.
Who were the eight cavaliers that accompanied the waggon? Six of them
were gentlemen by birth and education. At least half that number were
scholars. The other two laid no claim either to gentleness or
scholarship--they were rude trappers--the hunters and guides of the
expedition.
A word about each one of the eight, for there was not one of them
without his peculiarity. First, there was an Englishman--a genuine type
of his countrymen--full six feet high, well proportioned, with broad
chest and shoulders, and massive limbs. Hair of a light brown,
complexion florid, moustache and whiskers full and hay-coloured, but
suiting well the complexion and features. The last were regular, and if
not handsome, at least good humoured and noble in their expression. The
owner was in reality a nobleman--a true nobleman--one of that class who,
while travelling through the "States," have the good sense to carry
their umbrella along, and leave their title behind them. To us he was
known as Mr Thompson, and, after some time, when we had all become
familiar with each other, as plain "Thompson." It was only long after,
and by accident, that I became acquainted with his rank and title; some
of our companions do not know it to this day, but that is of no
consequence. I mention the circumstance here to aid me in illustrating
the character of our travelling companion, who was "close" and modest
almost to a fault.
His costume was characteristic. A "tweed" shooting jacket, of course,
with eight pockets--a vest of the same material with four--tweed
browsers, and a tweed cap. In the waggon was _the hat-box_; of strong
yellow leather, with straps and padlock. This was supposed to contain
the dress hat; and some of the party were merry about it. But no--Mr
Thompson was a more experienced traveller than his companions thought
him at first. The contents of the hat-case were sundry brushes--
including one for the teeth--combs, razors, and pieces of soap. The hat
had been left at Saint Louis.
But the umbrella had _not_. It was then under Thompson's arm, with its
full proportions of whalebone and gingham. Under that umbrella he had
hunted tigers in the jungles of India--under that umbrella he had chased
the lion upon the plains of Africa--under that umbrella he had pursued
the ostrich and the vicuna over the pampas of South America; and now
under that same hemisphere of blue gingham he was about to carry terror
and destruction among the wild buffaloes of the prairies.
Besides the umbrella--strictly a weapon of defence--Mr Thompson carried
another, a heavy double-barrelled gun, marked "Bishop, of Bond Street,"
no bad weapon with a loading of buck-shot, and with this both barrels
were habitually loaded.
So much for Mr Thompson, who may pass for Number 1 of the hunting
party. He was mounted on a strong bay cob, with tail cut short, and
English saddle, both of which objects--the short tail and the saddle--
were curiosities to all of the party except Mr Thompson and myself.
Number 2 was as unlike Number 1 as two animals of the same species could
possibly be. He was a Kentuckian, full six inches taller than Thompson,
or indeed than any of the party. His features were marked, prominent
and irregular, and this irregularity was increased by a "cheekful" of
half-chewed tobacco. His complexion was dark, almost olive, and the
face quite naked, without either moustache or whisker; but long straight
hair, black as an Indian's, hung down to his shoulders. In fact, there
was a good deal of the Indian look about him, except in his figure.
That was somewhat slouched, with arms and limbs of over-length, loosely
hung about it. Both, however, though not modelled after the Apollo,
were evidently full of muscle and tough strength, and looked as though
their owner could return the hug of a bear with interest. There was a
gravity in his look, but that was not from any gravity of spirits; it
was his swarth complexion that gave him this appearance, aided, no
doubt, by several lines of "ambeer" proceeding from the corners of his
mouth in the direction of the chin. So far from being grave, this dark
Kentuckian was as gay and buoyant as any of the party. Indeed, a light
and boyish spirit is a characteristic of the Kentuckian as well as of
all the natives of the Mississippi Valley--at least such has been my
observation.
Our Kentuckian was costumed just as he would have been upon a cool
morning riding about the "woodland" of his own plantation, for a
"planter" he was. He wore a "Jeans" frock, and over that a long-tailed
overcoat of the best green blanket, with side pockets and flaps. His
jeans pantaloons were stuck into a pair of heavy horse-leather pegged
boots, sometimes known as "nigger" boots; but over these were "wrappers"
of green baize, fastened with a string above the knees. His hat was a
"broad-brimmed felt," costly enough, but somewhat crushed by being sat
upon and slept in. He bestrode a tall raw-boned stood that possessed
many of the characteristics of the rider; and in the same proportion
that the latter overtopped his companions, so did the steed out-size all
the other horses of the cavalcade. Over the shoulders of the Kentuckian
were suspended, by several straps, pouch, horn, and haversack, and
resting upon his toe was the butt of a heavy rifle, the muzzle of which
reached to a level with his shoulder.
He was a rich Kentucky planter, and known in his native state as a great
deer-hunter. Some business or pleasure had brought him to Saint Louis.
It was hinted that Kentucky was becoming too thickly settled for him--
deer becoming scarce, and bear hardly to be found--and that his visit to
Saint Louis had something to do with seeking a new "location" where
these animals were still to be met with in greater plenty. The idea of
buffalo-hunting was just to his liking. The expedition would carry him
through the frontier country, where he might afterwards choose his
"location"--at all events the sport would repay him, and he was one of
the most enthusiastic in regard to it.
He that looms up on the retrospect of my memory as Number 3 was as
unlike the Kentuckian, as the latter was to Thompson. He was a disciple
of Esculapius--not thin and pale, as these usually are, but fat, red,
and jolly. I think he was originally a "Yankee," though his long
residence in the Western States had rubbed the Yankee out of him to a
great extent. At all events he had few of their characteristics about
him. He was neither staid, sober, nor, what is usually alleged as a
trait of the true bred Yankee, "stingy." On the contrary, our doctor
was full of talk and joviality--generous to a fault. A fault, indeed;
for, although many years in practice in various parts of the United
States, and having earned large sums of money, at the date of our
expedition we found him in Saint Louis almost without a dollar, and with
no great stock of patients. The truth must be told; the doctor was of a
restless disposition, and liked his glass too well. He was a singer
too, a fine amateur singer, with a voice equal to Mario's. That may
partly account for his failure in securing a fortune. He was a
favourite with all--ladies included--and so fond of good company, that
he preferred the edge of the jovial board to the bed-side of a patient.
Not from any fondness for buffalo-hunting, but rather through an
attachment to some of the company, had the doctor volunteered. Indeed,
he was solicited by all to make one of us--partly on account of his
excellent society, and partly that his professional services might be
called into requisition before our return.
The doctor still preserved his professional costume of black--somewhat
russet by long wear--but this was modified by a close-fitting fur cap,
and wrappers of brown cloth, which he wore around his short thick legs.
He was not over-well mounted--a very spare little horse was all he had,
as his funds would not stretch to a better. It was quite a quiet one,
however, and carried the doctor and his "medical saddle-bags" steadily
enough, though not without a good deal of spurring and whipping. The
doctor's name was "Jopper"--Dr John Jopper.
A very elegant youth, with fine features, rolling black eyes, and
luxuriant curled hair, was one of us. The hands were well formed and
delicate; the complexion silky, and of nearly an olive tint; but the
purplish-red broke through upon his cheeks, giving the earnest of
health, as well as adding to the picturesque beauty of his face. The
form was perfect, and full of manly expression, and the pretty sky-blue
plaited pantaloons and close-fitting jacket of the same material, sat
gracefully on his well-turned limbs and arms. These garments were of
"cottonade," that beautiful and durable fabric peculiar to Louisiana,
and so well suited to the southern climate. A costly Panama hat cast
its shadow over the wavy curls and pictured cheek of this youth, and a
cloak of fine broad cloth, with velvet facings, hung loosely from his
shoulders. A slight moustache and imperial lent a manlier expression to
his chiselled features.
This young fellow was a Creole of Louisiana--a student of one of the
Jesuit Colleges of that State--and although very unlike what would be
expected from such a dashing personage, he was an ardent, even
passionate, lover of nature. Though still young, he was the most
accomplished botanist in his State, and had already published several
discoveries in the _Flora_ of the South.
Of course the expedition was to him a delightful anticipation. It would
afford the finest opportunity for prosecuting his favourite study in a
new field; one as yet almost unvisited by the scientific traveller. The
young Creole was known as Jules Besancon.
He was not the only naturalist of the party. Another was with us; one
who had already acquired a world-wide fame; whose name was as familiar
to the _savans_ of Europe as to his own countrymen. He was already an
old man, almost venerable in his aspect, but his tread was firm, and his
arm still strong enough to steady his long, heavy, double-barrelled
rifle. An ample coat of dark blue covered his body; his limbs were
enveloped in long buttoned leggings of drab cloth, and a cap of sable
surmounted his high, broad forehead. Under this his blueish grey eye
glanced with a calm but clear intelligence, and a single look from it
satisfied you that you were in the presence of a superior mind. Were I
to give the name of this person, this would readily be acknowledged.
For certain reasons I cannot do this. Suffice it to say, he was one of
the most distinguished of modern zoologists, and to his love for the
study we were indebted for his companionship upon our hunting
expedition. He was known to us as Mr A-- the "hunter-naturalist."
There was no jealousy between him and the young Besancon. On the
contrary, a similarity of tastes soon brought about a mutual friendship,
and the Creole was observed to treat the other with marked deference and
regard.
I may set myself down as Number 6 of the party. Let a short description
of me suffice. I was then but a young fellow, educated somewhat better
than common; fond of wild sports; not indifferent to a knowledge of
nature; fond almost to folly of a good horse, and possessing one of the
very best; not ill-looking in the face, and of middle stature; costumed
in a light hunting-shirt of embroidered buckskin, with fringed cape and
skirt; leggings of scarlet cloth, and cloth forage-cap, covering a flock
of dark hair. Powder-flask and pouch of tasty patterns; belt around the
waist, with hunting-knife and pistols--revolvers. A light rifle in one
hand, and in the other a bridle-rein, which guided a steed of coal
blackness; one that would have been celebrated in song by a troubadour
of the olden time. A deep Spanish saddle of stamped leather; holsters
with bearskin covers in front; a scarlet blanket, folded and strapped on
the croup; lazo and haversack hanging from the "horn"--_voila tout_!
There are two characters still undescribed. Characters of no mean
importance were they--the "guides." They were called respectively,
Isaac Bradley and Mark Redwood. A brace of trappers they were, but as
different from each other in personal appearance as two men could well
be. Redwood was a man of large dimensions, and apparently as strong as
a buffalo, while his _confrere_ was a thin, wiry, sinewy mortal, with a
tough, weasel-like look and gait. The expression of Redwood's
countenance was open and manly, his eyes were grey, his hair
light-coloured, and huge brown whiskers covered his cheeks. Bradley, on
the other hand, was dark--his eyes small, black, and piercing--his face
as hairless as an Indian's, and bronzed almost to the Indian hue, with
the black hair of his head closely cropped around it.
Both these men were dressed in leather from head to foot, yet they were
very differently dressed. Redwood wore the usual buckskin
hunting-shirt, leggings, and moccasins, but all of full proportions and
well cut, while his large 'coon-skin cap, with the plume-like tail, had
an imposing appearance. Bradley's garments, on the contrary, were
tight-fitting and "skimped." His hunting-shirt was without cape, and
adhered so closely to his body that it appeared only an outer skin of
the man himself. His leggings were pinched and tight. Shirt, leggings,
and moccasins were evidently of the oldest kind, and as dirty as a
cobbler's apron. A close-fitting otter cap, with a Mackinaw blanket,
completed the wardrobe of Isaac Bradley. He was equipped with a pouch
of greasy leather hanging by an old black strap, a small buffalo-horn
suspended by a thong, and a belt of buffalo-leather, in which was stuck
a strong blade, with its handle of buckhorn. His rifle was of the
"tallest" kind--being full six feet in height--in fact, taller than he
was, and at least four fifths of the weapon consisted of barrel. The
straight narrow stock was a piece of manufacture that had proceeded from
the hands of the trapper himself.
Redwood's rifle was also a long one, but of more modern build and
fashion, and his equipments--pouch, powder-horn and belt--were of a more
tasty design and finish.
Such were our guides, Redwood and Bradley. They were no imaginary
characters these. Mark Redwood was a celebrated "mountain-man" at that
time, and Isaac Bradley will be recognised by many when I give him the
name and title by which he was then known,--viz. "Old Ike, the
wolf-killer."
Redwood rode a strong horse of the half-hunter breed, while the
"wolf-killer" was mounted upon one of the scraggiest looking quadrupeds
it would be possible to imagine--an old mare "mustang."