70 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 



Crossing Vermilion, the trappers arrived on the fifth day at 

 " Blue," where they encamped in the broad timber belting the 

 creek, and there awaited the arrival of the remainder of the party. 



It was two days before they came up ; but the following day 

 they started for the mountains, fourteen in number, striking a trail 

 which follows the " Big Blue" in its course through the prairies, 

 which, as they advanced to the westward, gradually smoothed 

 away into a vast unbroken expanse of rolling plain. Herds of 

 antelope began to show themselves, and some of the hunters, leav- 

 ing the trail, soon returned with plenty of their tender meat. 

 The luxuriant but coarse grass they had hitherto seen now 

 changed into the nutritious and curly buffalo grass, and their 

 animals soon improved in appearance on the excellent pasture. 

 In a few days, Avithout any adventure, they struck the Platte 

 River, its shallow waters (from which it derives its name) spread 

 ing over a wide and sandy bed, numerous sand bars obstructing the 

 sluggish current, nowhere sufficiently deep to wet the forder's knee. 



By this time, but few antelope having been seen, the party ran 

 entirely out of meat ; and, one whole day and part of another 

 having passed without so much as a stray rabbit presenting itself, 

 not a few objurgations on the buffalo grumbled from the lips of 

 the hunters, who expected ere this to have reached the land of 

 plenty. La Bonte killed a fine deer, however, in the river bottom, 

 after they had encamped, not one particle of which remained after 

 supper that night, but which hardly took the rough edge off their 

 keen appetites. Although already in the bufialo range, no traces 

 of these animals had yet been seen ; and as the country afforded 

 but little game, and the party did not care to halt and lose time 

 in hunting for it, they moved along hungry and sulky, the theme 

 of conversation being the well remembered merits of good bufialo 

 meat — of "fat fleece," "hump-rib," and "tender-loin;" of deli- 

 cious " boudins," and marrow bones too good to think of La 

 Bonte had never seen the lordly animal, and consequently but half 



