8 LIFE SKETCHES OF A JAYHAWKER 



were spent. In fact I never realized how hard a pull it was until I came to 

 bid good-bye and started to drive away. I never felt so much like backing 

 out of any undertaking as I did then, but I had too much pride to stand 

 laughter, so the reins were gathered up and the expedition moved. 



That spring happened to be a very wet one, and the roads were almost 

 impassable. The streams were swollen and overflowing their banks, 

 bridges were washed away, and consequently much time had to be spent 

 repairing and building new ones. On many of the larger streams we con- 

 structed rafts of logs and rafted the wagons over, and the cattle were made 

 to swim. Through Iowa we found many prairie sloughs, and they seemed 

 bottomless. Here we had to cut sod and lay several thicknesses before we 

 could pass over. 



Having started early in the season we had to buy feed for the stock 

 until we reached the Missouri River, as the grass wasn't high enough to 

 keep the stock in travelling condition. 



Iowa, at this time, was very sparsely settled. Farm houses were 

 twenty miles and more apart, and we found here and there villages of 

 cheap unpainted houses. We found game in plenty, consisting chiefly of 

 deer, wild turkeys and prairie chickens. When we reached the Missouri 

 River at Council Bluff, we travelled down the river to Traders' Point, a 

 distance of ten or twelve miles. Here we remained for a week, waiting for 

 the grass to get a good start, arranging for a larger expedition. This point 

 was the end of the Settlements, and further on lay the Indian country. We 

 realized a larger body would be safer, but we found that it took more time 

 and we could make little headway with so large an expedition. So we 

 divided into companies, and in this way travelled faster. 



We had quite an experience crossing the Missouri River. The ferry 

 was a small scow and could carry but one empty wagon at a time. The 

 scow was propelled by two oars, two men at an oar, and the current was 

 very swift. Imagine the time it took to transport fifty wagons and the 

 loads; we had difficulty getting the cattle to swim at first. We didn't 

 realize that the sun shining on the water made much difference, so the first 

 time the cattle swam round and round for two hours, and we were compelled 

 to let them land again where they started. But next morning before sun- 

 rise we started a small boat with a couple of men having a steer in tow, 

 all the rest of the cattle followed without any trouble and made the opposite 

 shore safely. 



Our first experience with the Indians came with our first camp across 

 the river. Our camp fires were going nicely, supper was started, when we 

 heard gun shots, volley after volley. In a few minutes from over the ridge 

 came two to three hundred Pawnee Indians, riding at full run straight for 

 our camp. It was a few minutes work for us to get our rifles in readiness, 

 but the Indians put up a white flag, and they were allowed to enter camp. It 

 seemed that a party of the Sioux tribe had given them battle, the two being 

 at war, and the Pawnees had rushed to our camp expecting protection, but 

 we ordered them off, telling them we wished no trouble with the Sioux 

 as we had to travel their country, and wanted no enemies. We took the 

 precaution to organize our body with regular military style with Colonels 

 and Captains. For awhile we were very vigilant. Our picket guards were 

 stationed three hundred yards from camp, and had to lie down to see any 



