AJifcrnoN rORMED. '^^ 



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loved of his wife and little ones. What wiD he that I give him so they 



•orrow not? „ t<.i u i. . i- 



Indian. Now, ray heart blesses the pale face. If he would beatow iiu 

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

 CO, that my pipe may be filled to the undying friendship of him and Ins 



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

 Indian, after shaldng hands with each one of our party, took his hcrse and 

 departed to his village. 



Where, let me r.sk, do we find, in civilized countries an instance ot nobk 

 generosity equal to that of the poor ravage ? 



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

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

 chcs and catching wild horses. This, by the way, reminds me of not hav- 

 mg as yet described tlie manner of peri\>rming the latter feat. 



In taliing wild horses, two methods a.-e res^orted to, alike displaying con- 

 siderable tact and ingenuity. Oi these the following is the most common : 



A large party of Indians, mou-ited on their fleetest cliargers, havmg dis- 

 covered a band of these animals, cartfnlly approach from the leeward, scat- 

 tering thcmKelvef! to a distan-e of (igbt or ten mile:-: along the course their 

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

 a given signal, by the neartsl Indian, wlio is relieved by tlie next in suc- 

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

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

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

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

 pursuers. , 



Another plan frequently adopted is, to erect a Btout fence from side to 

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

 then 60 started as necessarily to be driven within the enclosure, when theij 

 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 thmg, 

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

 way, and are far more di:<posed to re-assert their birthright of freedom 

 at the first opportunity that occurs. 



Our visitors communicated tlie important intelligence tliat a detachmeiit 

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

 on its way to Arkansas ; wiiich statement was lurtiier corroborated by cer- 

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

 of us, and, weak as we were numerically, none expressed any other feehng 

 than that of a wiUingness 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 tht 

 igonizixig cfiects of thirst. One of our pack-horses, also, took the " stem' 

 peffe," and ran oflTwith his entire load, consisting principally of ammim^ 

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



About noon the succeeding day, we reached our destination, whcM ■ 



