26 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



senger pigeon, now an extinct variety, but which were more 

 abundant sixty years ago than blackbirds are today, and 

 which were often seen in larger flocks than any flocks of 

 blackbirds of the present time. That night two Indians 

 armed with bows and arrows, and accompanied by a little 

 Indian boy about twelve years old came to the camp and 

 asked permission to sleep by our fire. This was granted 

 and at bed time they curled up in their buffalo robes, and 

 kept quiet until after the morning fire was started. They 

 were clothed with a band around the middle, with an apron 

 or flap suspended before and behind extending about half 

 way to the knees. Each adult Indian also had a good buf- 

 falo robe thrown over the shoulders and moccasins on his 

 feet. The boy had nothing on except a short cotton shirt. 

 We had Johnny cake for breakfast next morning and Mrs. 

 Knapp gave the Indians a quantity of the dough, which they 

 cooked in the ashes, covering it with coals. The little In- 

 dian found the place where I had cleaned the pigeons, and 

 taking the entrails, stripped them through his fingers so 

 as to press out what was on the inside, and then broiled 

 them with the gizzards, heads and feet, upon the coals. 

 These with the hot roasted Johnny cake were eaten with 

 evident relish. 



Leaving the camp on the little Papillion, we passed over 

 the divide and down the western slope to the Elkhorn river. 

 Here there was a rope ferry, the rope being attached to a 

 tree on either side of the river, and to this two short ropes 

 with pulleys, these shorter ropes being connected with the 

 ferry boat or scow, which was carried across the river by 

 the force of the current. 



The country now became very flat and moist, as we 

 had entered upon the great Platte valley, which we were 

 to follow in an almost directly west course for more than 

 six hundred miles. The road was wet and heavy until after 



