PERILOUS JOURNEY
After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction
City, without delay or accident. The trip was not lacking in
interesting details. The monotony of the never ending prairie was at
times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope. On one occasion they
delayed our train for several hours. An enormous herd of thousands upon
thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.
Bellowing, crowding, and pushing, they were not unlike the billows of
an angry sea as it crashes and foams over the submerged rocks of a
dangerous coast. Their rear guard was made up of wolves, large and
small. They followed the herd stealthily, taking advantage of every
hillock and tuft of buffalo grass to hide themselves. The gray wolf or
lobo, larger and heavier than any dog, and adorned with a bushy tall
was a fierce-looking animal, to be sure. The smaller ones were called
coyotes or prairie wolves, and are larger than foxes and of a
gray-brown color. These are the scavengers of the plains, and divide
their prey with the vultures of the air.
At times we passed through villages of the prairie dog, consisting of
numberless little mounds, with their owners sitting erect on top. When
alarmed, they would yelp and dive into their lairs in the earth. These
little rodents share their habitations with a funny-looking little owl
and the rattlesnake. I believe, however, that the snake is not there as
a welcome visitor, but comes in the role of a self-appointed assessor
and tax gatherer. I picked up and adopted a little bulldog which had
been either abandoned on the cars or lost by its owner, not then
thinking that this little Cerberus, as I called it, should later prove,
on one occasion, to be my true and only friend when I was in dire
distress and in the extremity of peril.
The town of Junction City, which numbered less than a score of
buildings and tents, was in a turmoil of excitement, resembling a nest
of disturbed hornets. Several hundred angry-looking men crowded the
only street, every one armed to the teeth. The great majority were
dark-skinned Mexicans, but here and there I noticed the American
frontiersman, the professional buffalo hunter and scout. These were men
of proved courage, and I observed that the Mexicans avoided looking
them squarely In the face; and when meeting on the public thoroughfare,
they invariably gave them precedence of passage.
I found opportunity to hire out to a pleasant-looking young Mexican as
driver of a little two-mule provision wagon. In this manner I earned my
passage across the plains. Don Jose Lopez, that was his name, said that
I need not do much actual work, as he would have his peons attend to
the care of the mules and have them harness up as well. He also told me
that we would have to delay our departure until every team present in
the town had its cumulation of cargo. They dared not travel singly, he
said, for the Indians were very hostile. In consequence whereof our
departure was delayed for six weeks. I camped with the Mexicans and
accustomed myself very soon to their mode of living. The fact that I
understood their language and spoke it quite well was a never-ending
surprise and mystery to them. I took dally walks over the prairie to
the junction of two creeks, a short distance from the town, bathed and
whiled away the time with target practice, and soon became very
proficient in the use of firearms.
The banks of these little streams would have made a delightful picnic
ground, covered as they were by a luxuriant growth of grasses and
bushes and some large trees also, mostly of the cottonwood variety. But
there were no families of ladies and children here to enjoy the lovely
spot. A feeling of intense uneasiness seemed to pervade the very air
and a weird presentiment of impending horror covered the prairie as
with a ghostly shroud. The specter of a wronged, persecuted race ever
haunted the white man's conscience. In vain did the red man breast the
rising tide of civilization. In their sacred tepees, their medicine men
invoked the aid of their great Spirit and they were answered.
The Spirit sent them for an ally, an army of grasshoppers, which
darkened the sun by its countless numbers. It impeded the progress of
the iron horse, but not for long. Then he sent them continued drouth,
but the pale face heeded not. "Onward, westward ever, the star of
empire took its course."
We camped out on the prairie within a short distance and in full sight
of the town. I made the acquaintance of a merchant, Mr. Samuel
Dreifuss, who kept a little store of general merchandise. This
gentleman liked to converse with me in the German tongue and was very
kind to me, even offering to employ me at a liberal salary, which I, of
course, thankfully declined. One morning after breakfast I went to this
store to purchase an article of apparel. The door was unlocked and I
entered, but found no one present. I waited a while, and as Mr.
Dreifuss did not appear, I knocked at the bedroom door, which was
connected with the store. Receiving no response to my knocks, I opened
the door and entered. There was poor Mr. Dreifuss lying stone dead on
his couch. I knew that he was dead, for his hands were cold and clammy
to the touch. I was struck with astonishment. The day before had I
spoken to him, when he appeared to be hale and hearty. There were some
ugly, black spots on his face, and I thought that it was very queer. I
did not see any marks of violence on his person and nothing unusual
about the premises. I looked around carefully, as a boy is apt to do
when something puzzles him. Then I thought I would go up-town and tell
about this strange circumstance.
The store was the first building met with in the town if a person came
from the railway station. As I went toward the next house, which was a
short distance away, I was hailed by a tall, broad-shouldered man with
long hair, who commanded me to halt. I kept right on, however, meaning
to tell him about my gruesome discovery. As I advanced toward him he
retreated, and I called to him to have no fear, as I did not intend to
shoot. The big man shook with laughter and cried, "Hold, boy, stop
there a minute until I tell you something. They say that 'Wild Bill'
never feared man, but I fear you, a mere boy. Did you come out of that
store?" "Yes, sir," I said. "And did you see the Jew?" "Yes, sir," I
answered; "Mr. Dreifuss is dead." "How do you know that?" he
questioned. "His hands feel cold as ice," I said, "and there is a black
spot on his nose." Again the man laughed and said, "Do you know what
killed him?" "I do not know, sir," I answered, "but I was going uptown
to inquire." "Well," said the scout, "Mr. Dreifuss had the cholera."
"That's too bad," said I; "let us go back and see if we can be of any
assistance." "No, you don't," said the long-haired scout; "I have been
stationed here, as marshal of the town, to warn people away from the
place. You take my advice and go to the creek and plunge in with all
your clothes and play for an hour in the water, then dry yourself, go
back to camp, and keep mum!" This was the year of the cholera. It
started somewhere down south, and many people died from it in the city
of St. Louis, and it followed the railway through Kansas to the end of
the track. Many soldiers died also at Fort Harker, which was farther
out West on the plains.
At last we started on our perilous journey, an imposing caravan of one
hundred and eighty wagons, each drawn by five yoke of oxen. Our force
numbered upward of two hundred and fifty men, the owners, teamsters,
train masters or mayordomos and the herders of the different outfits;
all were Mexicans except myself.
Several days were spent in crossing the little stream formed by the
confluence of two creeks. The water was quite deep and had to be
crossed by means of a ferryboat. Here I met with my first adventure,
which nearly cost me my life. My wagon was loaded with supplies and
provisions and with several pieces of oak timber, intended for use in
our train. When I drove down the steep bank on to the ferryboat, the
timbers, which were not well secured, slid forward and pushed me off my
seat, so that I fell right under the mules just as they stepped on the
ferry. The frightened mules trampled and kicked fearfully. I lay still,
thinking that if I moved they would step on me, as their hoofs missed
my head by inches only. I thought of my mother and how sorry she would
be if she could see me now, but I was thinking, ever thinking and lay
very still. Then my guardian angel, in the person of a Mexican, crawled
under the wagon from the rear end and pulled me by my heels, back to
safety under the wagon. When I came out from under I threw my hat in
the air and gave a whoop and cheer, at which the Mexicans were greatly
enthused. They yelled excitedly and our mayordomo exclaimed: "Caramba,
mira que diablito!" (Egad, see the little devil!)
We traveled in two parallel lines, about fifty feet apart and kept the
spare cattle and remounts of horses, as also the small provision teams
between the lines. A cavalcade of train owners and mayordomos was
constantly scouting in all directions, but they never ventured out of
sight of the traveling teams. We started daily at sunrise and traveled
till noon or until we made the distance to our next watering place.
Then we camped and turned our live stock out to rest and crop the
prairie grass. After several hours we used to resume our journey until
nightfall or later to our next camping ground. Every man had to take
his turn about at herding cattle and horses during the nighttime. Only
the cooks were exempt from doing herd and guard duty.
We pitched our nightly camps by forming two closed half circles of our
wagons, one on each side of the road so as to form a corral. By means
of connecting the wagons with chains, this made a strong barricade,
quite efficient to repulse the attacks of hostile Indians, if defended
by determined men. Every freight train when in camp was a little fort
in itself and an interesting sight at nighttime, when the blazing fires
were surrounded by men who were cooking and passing the time in various
ways. Some were cleaning and loading their guns, others mended their
clothes. Here and there you would find some genius playing dreamy,
monotonous Spanish airs on the guitar, in the midst of a merry group of
dancing and singing young Mexicans, many of whom were not older than I.
Card-playing seemed, however, to be their favorite pastime; all
Mexicans are inveterate gamesters, who look upon the profession of
gambling as an honorable and desirable occupation.
After the first day out I did not see an inebriated man in the whole
party. The Mexicans are really a much maligned and slandered people.
They are often charged with the sin of postponing every imaginable
thing until manana, but, to do them justice, I must say that they drank
every drop of liquor they carried on the first day out; also ate all
the dainties which other people would have saved and relished for days
to come. Surely, not manana, but ahora, or "do it now" was their
soul-stirring battle cry on this occasion.
After several days of travel we encountered herds of buffalo and
mustangs or wild horses, and when our scouts reported numerous Indian
signs, we advanced slowly and carefully, momentarily expecting an
ambuscade and attack. Our column halted frequently while our horsemen
explored suspicious-looking hillocks and ravines.
A dense column of smoke rose suddenly in our front, and I saw several
detachments of Indian warriors on a little hill, who were evidently
reconnoitering, and spying our strength, but did not expose themselves
fully to view. Simultaneously columns of signal smoke arose in all
directions round about. Instantly our lines closed in the front and
rear and we came to an abrupt halt. What I saw then made my heart sink,
for the drivers seemed to be paralyzed with terror. The very men who
had heretofore found a great delight in trying to frighten me with
tales of Indian atrocities were now themselves scared out of their
wits. Young and inexperienced though I was, I realized that to be now
attacked by Indians meant to be slaughtered and scalped. Some of the
men were actually crying from fright, seeming to be completely
demoralized. I noticed how one of our men in loading his musket rammed
home a slug of lead, forgetting his charge of powder entirely. The
sight of this disgusted me so that I became furious, and in the measure
that my anger rose my fear subsided and vanished. I railed at the poor
fellow and abused and cursed him shamefully, threatening to kill him
for being a coward and a fool. I made him draw the bullet and reload
his musket in a proper manner.
When I grew older I acquired the faculty to curb the instinctive
feeling of fear which is inborn in all creatures and undoubtedly is a
wise provision of nature, necessary to the continuance of life and
conducive to self-preservation. Knowing that all men who ever lived and
all who now live must surely die, I failed to see anything particularly
fearful in death. I may truthfully say that I have several times met
death face to face squarely and feared not. On these occasions I tried
not to escape what seemed to be my final doom, but in the dim
consciousness of mind that I should be dead long enough anyway, I tried
to delay my departure to a better life as long as possible, exerting
myself exceedingly to accomplish this purpose. Undoubtedly this must
have made me a very undesirable person to contend with in a fight.
Luckily for me, I have never been afflicted with a quarrelsome or
vindictive mind. This is not a boastful or frivolous assertion, but is
uttered in the spirit of thankfulness to the allwise Creator of Heaven
and earth.
Looking around, I beheld a sight which cheered me mightily. There, a
few yards ahead of my wagon, was a great hole in the ground, made by
badgers; or it may have been the palace of a king of prairie dogs.
Quickly I drove my team forward, right over it. Then, pretending to be
rearranging my cargo, I took out the end gate of my wagon and covered
the hole with it. Next, I wet some gunny sacks and placed them on the
ground under the board. Now, thought I, here is my chance for an
honorable retreat if anything should go wrong. I intended to close up
the hole behind me with the wet sacks, taking the risk of snake bites
in preference to the tender mercies of the Indians. As these ground
lairs take a turn a few feet down and are connected with various
underground passages and have several outlets, I had a fair prospect to
escape should the Indians discover my whereabouts, for they could
neither burn nor smoke me out, and were not likely to take the time to
reduce my fort by starvation. It took me but a very short time to make
my preparations, and I did it unnoticed by my companions, who seemed
fully preoccupied with their own troubles.
A horseman galloped up to our division, a great, swarthy,
fierce-looking man, bearded like the pard. This man did not act like a
scared person. One glance at the frightened faces of his countrymen
sufficed to enlighten and also to enrage him.
"Senores," he said, "I perceive you are anxious and ready for a fight.
I hope the Indians will accommodate us, as we are greatly in need of a
little sport. It may happen that some of you will lose your scalps, and
I hope that it is not you, Senor Felipe Morales. I should be very sorry
for your poor old mother and your crippled sister, for who will support
them if you should fail them? As for you, Senor Juan, it does not
matter much if you never again breathe the air of New Mexico. Your
young little wife has not yet had an opportunity to know you fully,
anyway, and your cousin, the strapping Don Isidro Chavez, will surely
take the best care of her. They say he calls on her daily to inquire
after her welfare. Senor Cuzco Gonzales, as you might be unlucky enough
to leave your bones on this prairie, I would advise you to make me heir
to your garden of chile peppers. To be sure, I never saw a more
tempting crop! Mayhap you will have no further use for chile, as the
Indians are likely to heat your belly with hot coals, in lieu of
peppers."
Then he called for the cook. "Senor Doctor," he said, "prepare the
medicine for this man, who is too sick to load a musket properly, and
had to be shown how to do so by a little gringo, as I observed a while
ago. Hold him, Senores." And they held him down while the cook
administered the medicine, forcing it down his unwilling throat. The
medicine was compounded from salt, and the prescribed dose was a
handful of it dissolved in a tin cupful of water. This seemed to revive
the patient's faltering spirit wonderfully. The cook, a half-witted
fellow, was another man who seemed to have no fear. His eyes shone
wickedly and he was stripped for the fight. A red bandanna kerchief
tied around his head, he glided stealthily about, thirsty for Indian
blood as any wolf. They told me that his mother and sister had died at
the hands of the cruel Apaches.
To me the rider said, "Senor Americanito, I know your gun is loaded
right and is ready to shoot straight. Look you, if you plant a bullet
just below an Indian's navel, you will see him do a double somersault,
which is more wonderful to behold than any circus performance you ever
saw."
Here was a man good to see, a descendant of the famous Don Fernando
Cortez, conquistador, and molded on the lines of Pizarro, the wily
conqueror of Peru, and he heartened our crew amazingly. He exhorted the
men to be brave and fight like Spaniards, and he prayed to the saints
to preserve us; and piously remembering his enemies, he called on the
devil to preserve the Indians. Such zealous devotion found merited
favor with the blessed saints in Heaven, for they granted his prayer,
and the Indians did not attack us that day.
On the following day, Don Emillo Cortez came again and asked me to ride
with him as a scout. He had brought a young man to drive the team in my
stead. Gladly I accepted his invitation. He arranged a pillion for his
saddle and mounted me behind him, facing the horse's tail. Then he
passed a broad strap around his waist and my body and armed me with a
Henry repeating rifle, then a new invention and a very serviceable gun.
In this manner I had both hands free and made him the best sort of a
rear guard. We cantered toward a sandy hill on our left. A coyote came
our way, appearing from the crest of the hill. The animal was looking
back over its shoulder and veered off when it scented us. Don Emilio
halted his horse. "That coyote is driven by Indians," said he; "do you
think you can hit it at this distance?" I thought I could by aiming
high and a little forward. At the crack of my rifle the coyote yelped
and bit its side, then rolling on the grass, expired. "Carajo! a dead
shot, for Dios!" exclaimed Don Emilio. "That will teach the heathen
Indians to keep their distance; they will not be over-anxious to meet
these two Christians at close quarters!"
We were not molested on this day nor on the next, but on the day
thereafter we were in terrible danger. The Indians fired the dry grass,
and if the wind had been stronger we must have been burned to death. As
it was we were nearly suffocated from traveling in a dense smoke for
several hours. Then, fortunately, we reached the bottom lands of the
Arkansas River and were safe from fire, as the valley was very wide and
covered with tall green grass which could not burn; and no sooner was
the last wagon on safe ground than the fire gained the rim of the green
bottomland. Our oxen were exhausted and in a bad plight, so we
fortified and camped here for several days to recuperate before we
forded the river. This took up several days, as the water was quite
high and the river bottom a dangerous quicksand. To stop the wheels of
a wagon for one moment meant the loss of the wagon and the lives of the
cattle, perhaps. The treacherous sands would have engulfed them. Forty
yoke of oxen were hitched to every vehicle, and we had no losses. On
the other side we found the prairie burned over, and we traveled all
day until evening in order to reach a suitable camping place with
sufficient grass for our animals. As there was no water and the cattle
were suffering, we were compelled to drive our herd back to the river
and return again that same night. The rising sun found us under way
again, and by noon we came to good camping ground with an abundance of
grass and water.