TRAPPNG IN NEBRASKA 1866-7. 
A consultation was held by the disheartened members 
of the firm. Buffalo announced his acceptance of the 
situation as presented,and speaking for himself, thoughthe 
had had safficent amusement in trapping off his summer’s 
“wages, and now would look up some other occupation. 
; Our remaining traps were gathered together and de- 
_positedin cache on a point of bench land where they still 
»remain—for all the writer knows. 
| During the month of December 1866, the writer found 
‘himself with a contract on his hands in clearing up the 
wood and brush froma small island near the mouth of 
pthe Loup Fork of Platte River, in which my help mainly ° 
consisted of about one dozen robust Pawnee ‘women. 
' After a successful finish, in company with a young 
_Inishman named Scully we jointly proposed a midwinter 
trip to the headwaters of Shell Creek, or Tes-car-pe- 
: dus-lkeets as the Pawnees called this little stream. 
On the day of our propcsed departure however, an 
» oaly child of the brother of my partner sickened and died 
: nd had therefore the alternative left me to goalone, or 
| remain in waiting for some-weeks. I choose the former 
! proposition and prepared to move. For this I hired 
| my donnage and traps carted to the outward settle- 
| ment about 18 miles from the Creek’s mouth and from 
' thence loading up with as much of the articles as I 
' could carry pushed forward up along the frozen stream 
in the hope of reaching a place known to the Pawnees 
as the Never Freezing Springs in which they had averred 
‘was teeming with otter and mink. After an all day 
walk and just as a violent blizzard was succeeding a fall 
/ of snow I espied a bunch of trees, in which a few dry 
q boughs were hastily gathered to start a fire while able to 
7 ‘doso. In following the bottom of the creek I espieda 
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