JDlfCnON FORMED, *15 



loved of his wife and little ones. What will he that I give him so thej 

 sorrow not? 



Indian. Now, ray heart blesses the pale face. If he would bestow his 

 gifts, what better couU I receive at his hand than a small present of tobao- 

 co, that my pipe may be liiied to the undying friendship of him and his 

 people. 



A few pieces of tobacco were accordingly given, and the good-hearted 

 Indian, after shaking hands with eacli one of our party, took lua hcrse and 

 ieparted to his village. 



Where, let me ask, do we find, in civilized countries an instance of nobk 

 generosity equal to that of the poor savage ? 



The Arapaho village, as we learned from our visitors, had been camped 

 m the vicinity several days, for the twofold purpose of awaiting the Cuman- 

 ches and catching wild horse?. This, by the way, reminds me of not hav- 

 mg as yet described the manner of performing, the latter feat. 



In taking wild horses, two methods are resorted to, alike displaying con- 

 siderable tact and ingenuity. (.)(' these the following is the most common : 



A large party of Indians, mounted on tiieir fleetest chargers, having dis- 

 covered a band of tiiese animals, carefully approach from the leev/ard, scat- 

 tering themselves to a distance of eight or ten miles along the course their 

 intended captives are expected to run. This done, the chase is started at 

 a given signal, by the nearest Indian, w'ho is relieved by the next in suc- 

 cession, and he by the next, and so on (taking their cue from the strategy 

 of wolves in their capture of the antelope) until these proud rangers of the 

 prairie, exhausted by their long-continued and vain efforts to escape, cease 

 to assert their native liberty, and fall easy prey to the lasso of their 

 pursuers. 



Anotlier plan frequently adopted is, to erect a stout fence from side to 

 side, between two impassable walls of rock. The unsuspicious band aie 

 then so started as necessarily to be driven witJiin the enclosure, when tlieii 

 ready pursuers, closing in upon the rear, take them without the trouble of 

 a long chase. 



Great numbers of wild horses are annually captured by these means, 

 which become domesticated in a very short time. But, as a general thing, 

 they are less adapted to hard service than those reared in the ordinary 

 -way, and are far more disposed to re-assert their birthright of freedom 

 at the first opportunity that occurs. 



Our visitors communicated the important intelligence that a detachment 

 of four hundred Mexicans had passed their village only two days previous, 

 on its way to Arkansas ; which statement was further corroborated by cer- 

 tain indications noticed in the trail. The enemy was evidently in pursuit 

 of us, and, weak as vve were numerically, none expressed any other feeling 

 than tliat of a willingness to meet him. 



From this camp, our course bore west-northwest for thirty or forty miles, 

 during which distance we found no water, and suflered greatly from tie 

 agonizing effects of thirst. One of our pack-horses, also, took the " stam- 

 fjetfe," and ran off* with his entire load, consisting principally of ammun^' 

 tion, and all our efforts to retake him proved abortive. 



About noon the succeeding day, we reached our destination* wktie a 



