ELDORADO 35 



the red blankets furnished by the government were con- 

 spicuous among the women. On one occasion a large 

 party mounted on ponies, apparently returning from a 

 hunt, was seen approaching in the distance, and as they 

 came near they made some hostile demonstrations by 

 whooping and flourishing their bows and arrows. They 

 rode to the head of our train and, dismounting, seized 

 the leaders by their bridles, thereby stopping the en- 

 tire train. Captain Hardy, with a few others, went 

 forward and after a short parley with them, they spread 

 a blanket upon the ground and we placed some food 

 and a few presents upon it, such as we had brought 

 with us expressly to distribute among the Indians, for 

 in such emergencies we believed it better to conciliate 

 them by friendly treatment than to make them enemies, 

 as others had sometimes done. After leaving Laramie 

 to enter the Black Hills, feed became scarce, in conse- 

 quence of the large number of trains preceding us, and 

 we were compelled to break up into smaller parties. 

 Ours consised of ten men and four wagons. The only 

 physician. Dr. Kirkbride, was one of our number. The 

 onlv feed to be obtained for our stock was bunch or 

 buffalo grass, and that, at times, only at long intervals. 

 Not infrequently we found it necessary to leave our 

 wagons by the roadside and take our animals one or 

 two miles to find grazing. 



