70 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 



misery, at a fire by himself staring into the blaze with 

 vacant countenance, his long matted hair hanging in 

 unkempt masses over his face, begrimed with the dirt 

 of a week, and pallid with the effects of ardent drink 

 was suffering from the usual consequences of having 

 "kept it up" beyond the usual point, paying the 

 penalty in a fit of "horrors" as delirium tremens is 

 most aptly termed by sailors and the unprofessional. 



In another part, the merchants of the caravan and 

 the Indian traders superintended the lading of the 

 waggons, or 'mule packs. They were dressed in civilised 

 attire, and some were even bedizened in St Louis or 

 Eastern City dandyism, to the infinite disgust of the 

 mountain men, who look upon a bourge-way (bourgeois) 

 with most undisguised contempt, despising the very 

 simplest forms of civilisation. The picturesque appear- 

 ance of the encampment was not a little heightened by 

 the addition of several Indians from the neighbouring 

 Shawnee settlement, who, mounted on their small 

 active horses, on which they reclined, rather than sat, 

 in negligent attitudes, quietly looked on at the novel 

 scene, indifferent to the " chaff" in which the thoughtless 

 teamsters indulged at their expense. Numbers of 

 mules and horses were picketed at hand, whilst a large 

 heard of noble oxen were being driven towards the 

 camp the wo-ha of the teamsters sounding far and 

 near, as they collected the scattered beasts in order to 

 yoke up. 



As most of the mountain men were utterly unable 

 to move from camp, Luke and La Bonte, with three or 



