202 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



several of them had been thrown, yet only one was severely 

 hurt, and he had his collar-bone injured by a fall. By 

 seven o'clock all were assembled, and we sat down to a savoury 

 dinner, the chief part of which was buffalo humps and tongues; 

 and most palatable they seemed to hungry men. After 

 picketing- our weary horses so that they could graze, all retired 

 to bed except the solitary sentinel, but we could get little 

 sleep, owing to the wild, melancholy howling of the wolves, and 

 the deep bellowing of the buffaloes, which frequently ap- 

 proached close to our fires. We were up early the next morning, 

 as we intended to bring in the animals we had killed, for to hunt 

 on that day with our wearied steeds was out of the question. 



After breakfast we sallied forth, but we had not proceeded 

 more than two miles before we met a courier, who informed us 

 that he had ridden from Kearney Junction, some sixtv or 

 seventy miles distant, to inform the settlers that the Indians 

 were expected to make a raid on the valley, under pretence of 

 coming there to hunt. He reported that a telegram had been 

 received at Kearney the previous evening that a large body 

 of Sioux were encamped south of Sydney, and that their 

 destination was evidently the Republican Valley. This news 

 caused us to feel somewhat alarmed, so we concluded to take 

 what meat we could obtain in a couple of hours, and retreat 

 into Kansas if the road to the north was closed against us. 

 We therefore hastened our work, and in about three hours had 

 four waggon-loads of meat and hides. Returning to camp, \ve 

 struck tents at once, and set out on the march to Kearney 

 Junction, and arrived there the next day, just as a large 

 party of panic-stricken Pawnees entered it, for they, like our- 

 selves, had the utmost fear of encountering their worst foes, 

 for the most deadly hatred exists between both tribes, and they 

 show no mercy to each other whenever they meet. On making 

 inquiries at the telegraph office, I learned that the marauders 

 were stopped by some companies of cavalry, and were sent 

 back to their reservation, but as I had had enough of hunting 

 for the time, I did not return to the valley. 



I heard it estimated in this town that there were over a 

 thousand hunters, including ihe Indians, in the Republican 



