INTRODUCTION 13 



hoss ' par exempie, was really pretty much of a 

 gentleman, as was La Bonte. Bill Williams, 

 another ' hard case,' and Rube Herring, were 

 * some ' too. 



" The scene where La Bonte joins the Chase 

 family is so far true, that he did make a sudden 

 appearance J but, in reality, a day before the In- 

 dian attack. The Chases (and I wish I had not 

 given the proper name*) did start for the Platte 

 alone, and were stampeded upon the waters of 

 the Platte. 



" The Mexican fandango is true to the letter. 

 It does seem difficult to understand how they con- 

 trived to keep their knives out of the hump-ribs 

 of the mountaineers ; but how can you account for 

 the fact, that, the other day, 4000 Mexicans, with 

 13 pieces of artillery, behind strong intrencliments 

 and two lines of parapets, were routed by 900 

 raw Missourians; 300 killed, as many more 

 wounded, all their artillery captured, as well as 

 several hundred prisoners ; and that not one 

 American was killed in the affair? This is positive 

 fact. 



" I myself, with three trappers, cleared a fan- 

 dango at Taos, armed only with bowie-knives — 



* In accordance with this suggestion, the name was 

 changed to Brand. The mountaineers, it seems, are more 

 sensitive to type than to tomahawks; and poor Ruxton, who 

 always contemplated another expedition among them, would 

 sometimes jestingly speculate upon his reception, should 

 they learn that he had shown them up in print. 



