122 ON THE FEONTIEE. 



a bale of tobacco, a few strings of red peppers, soap, Indian 

 corn for our animals ; clothing, blankets, ammunition, arms, 

 traps, cooking utensils ; instruments a diminutive medicine- 

 chest, a small kit of gunsmith's and blacksmith's tools, axes, 

 shovels, picks, pans, ropes, a grindstone, sledges, drills and 

 gads, a keg of blasting-powder, a coil of fuse ; " fifth chains " 

 for double teaming over bad places, spare single and double 

 trees ; extra waggon-tongues and axle-grease pots, slung 

 alongside; and lastly, but not least in estimation, some 

 currant jelly, and the materials for an old-fashioned English 

 plum-pudding, which, with roast venison, turkey, and all 

 procurable hunters' delicacies, was to make our Christmas 

 dinner. 



The traps were twenty in number beaver-traps that, 

 with their chains, weighed eight pounds apiece. So, 

 though we had cut down everything necessary to take 

 along to the least prudent amount, our waggons were 

 heavily enough laden, considering the length of the 

 contemplated trip, and the badness, or rather non-exist- 

 ence, of roads in the country we were to travel over 

 before arriving at our ultimate destination that old 

 centre of trade and mining, the ancient Mexican city of 

 Albuquerque. 



Hunting was not only to be our chief recreation to while 

 away time that would otherwise be spent in inactivity, 

 but was calculated upon as a means to provide our daily 

 meat. The beaver-traps were taken because we were 

 keen trappers, thoroughly enjoying that pursuit, and 

 besides that beavers are excellent eating, their fur was 

 then up in the market. Every pelt we might have to 



