LIFE SKETCHES OF A JAYHAWKER 9 



approaching object, but firing was strictly prohibited unless you thought 

 an enemy approached. 



We did not want any false alarms, but like many others we grew care- 

 less of danger. Many of us went two or three miles from camp, often being 

 away all day hunting and looking over the country. I remember that two of 

 us travelled a long distance on the bank of the river, when, without any 

 warning an Indian appeared before us. At the same time geese were flying 

 overhead and the Indian said "Shoot, shoot". My companion raised his gun, 

 and I made a quick dash to lower it, and said "we had better not waste our 

 shot, for I don't like the looks of things". We had moved but a few steps 

 when arrows rained down all about us, but not an Indian in sight, except 

 the one we had spoken with. After a short distance more, beyond the 

 range of arrows, we turned and saw over a dozen Indians raising up out of 

 the grass. 



I was carrying a very fine rifle with twenty-seven pieces of silver 

 mounting, and I think this was what they wished. We must have been a 

 little out of range for them to shoot directly at us, but a falling arrow would 

 answer their purpose just as well. It is needless to relate that all possible 

 haste was made for our train, ten miles away. Of course our story was 

 rather doubted by the other boys, and we were joshed about the scalps we 

 didn't take. 



Somewhere in the Western part of Iowa we passed the grave of the 

 Indian Chief, Black Hawk, of Black Hawk War fame. It was near the bank 

 of a small stream, the name of which I've forgotten. We had a little mis- 

 hap here in rafting the stream. Our raft was going along nicely when in 

 some way the wagon went to the bottom of the river, out of sight. The 

 stream was sluggish, and we didn't have much difficulty in fishing the 

 wagon out. Fortunately the load had been transferred to another wagon, 

 but we did have one load damaged on another occasion when the wagon 

 turned over crossing a stream. This was quite serious, as three barrels of 

 hard bread were entirely ruined. 



About twenty miles from the Missouri River we came to the winter 

 quarters of the Mormon excursion of 1846 and 1847. There was no one 

 there, but we secured a Mormon Guide Book, and it proved of great assist- 

 ance. They had measured the roads, and distances from camp to camp were 

 recorded. The entire distance from the winter quarters to Salt Lake City 

 was a thousand and thirty-one miles, and but two houses in the entire dis- 

 tance. These were at Fort Lorima and Fort Bridger. 



At the first fort there were twenty soldiers, and at the latter only 

 Bridger and some Indians. I just mention a little incident here. Several 

 of us boys had gone ahead of the train and were enjoying ourselves asking 

 Bridger questions. He was an old montaineer and could give us good ad- 

 vice. While we were talking, Indians began to pour in from different quar- 

 ters, very much excited and saying Indians were coming. Everybody hustled 

 around, the Indians flocked in, the doors were barred, rifles made ready for 

 the scrap, when a pack train hove in sight. It was an emigrant train from 

 Arkansaw, and being the first one from that direction, from a distance, it 

 was natural to infer they were Indians. 



Things like this and happenings of interest, made the time pass rapidly. 

 Soon after passing Wood River we came into the buffalo country. Here we 



