30 EIvDORADO 



make their weary way back to the States to their old 

 homes and friends. Many were ill prepared for so 

 long a journey, and by careless and imprudent driving 

 and management their teams would give out or die, 

 when they would take what they could carry on their 

 backs and travel on foot. Women, especially, from 

 Missouri and Arkansas, would be seen attempting the 

 journey on foot. I have seen men trundling wheel- 

 barrows with all their earthly goods, others with an 

 ox or cow "packed" as the only means of conveyance. 

 Women, under the most adverse and trying circum- 

 stances, exhibited far more patience, fortitude and res- 

 ignation to the inevitable than men. In sickness es- 

 peciaH-y^-their care and sympathy was almost indispen- 

 sable. Their help and encouragement were always 

 greatly prized. 



In consequence of the large amount of travel on 

 the plains, game had become somewhat scarce. A few 

 buffalo, antelope and mountain sheep were now and 

 then seen, and occasionally one w.ould be killed by 

 the hunters of our party : so we were quite well sup- 

 plied with meat. That of the antelope is very similar 

 to venison. Nothing is finer than the steak of a young 

 buffalo, and to preserve what we were unable to con- 

 sume fresh we cut it into long strips and "jerked," or 

 dried it over a slow fire on sticks, in the same manner 

 as our "foremothers" dried pumpkin for family use. 

 Prepared in that wav it was verv palatable and nu- 

 tritious and could be kept a long time. 



Before leaving the Pawnee country and entering 

 that of the Sioux, one of our boys, while hunting, had 

 gone farther into the hills in pursuit of game than was 

 safe, and was unable to reach camp before nightfall. 



