LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 51 



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 undis- 

 guised contempt, despising the very simplest forms of 

 civilisation. The picturesque appearance of the encamp- 

 ment 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 re- 

 clined 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 herd of noble oxen were being driven to- 

 wards 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 four 

 of the most sober, started in company, intending to wait on 

 " Blue," a stream which runs into the Caw or Kanzas River, 

 until the " balance " of the band came up. Mounting their 

 mules, and leading the loose animals, they struck at once 

 into the park-like prairie, and were speedily out of sight of 

 civilisation. 



It was the latter end of May, towards the close of the 

 season of heavy rains, which in early spring render the 

 climate of this country almost intolerable, at the same time 

 that they fertilise and thaw the soil, so long bound up by 

 the winter's frosts. The grass was everywhere luxuriantly 

 green, and gaudy flowers dotted the surface of the prairie. 

 This term, however, should hardly be applied to the beau- 

 tiful undulating scenery of this park-like country. Unlike 

 the flat monotony of the Grand Plains, here well-wooded 

 uplands, clothed with forest-trees of every species, and pic- 

 turesque dells, through whicli run clear bubbling streams 

 belted with gay-blossomed shrubs, everywhere present 



