346 FALSI ACCOUIfTS. 



At night, I encamped at thie base of the mountains, upon the right hand 

 fork of Sonblet's creek, and the next day reached the Fort. 



The laat ten or twelve miles of the route (leading over an unbroken 

 prairie) were travelled during- a heavy fall of snow, which rendered the air 

 BO dark it was impossible to see a dozen yards in advance. But what 

 added still more to the uncertainty of my course was the frequent vari- 

 ance of the wind, changing the position of the grass, and otherwise io- 

 creasin^ the constant liability to misjudge. Notwithstanding these accu- 

 mulated difEcuIties, I struck the Piatte river only half a mile below the in 

 tended point. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



N«WB}«p«r».— False reporte.— Singular grasses.— Sale of skins at Fort Lancaster.-^ Ab 

 excursion. — An incident. — Camp. — Huge horns. — Leopard. — Panther. — Slaughtei 

 of eagles. — Dressing skins. — The hunter's camp. — Vasques' creek. — The weather. — 

 Return of comrades to Fort. — Sweets of solitude. — Exposure in a snow-storm. — 

 The caiion of S. Fork Plaite. — A ridge. — A valley. — Beautiful locality.— Choice 

 8it« for a settlement. — Flowers in February. — A himting incident.— Fate of the pre- 

 mature flowers. — Adventure with a sheep. — Discovered by Indians. — A pleasant 

 meeting. — Camp at Crystal creek. — Thoughts of home. — Resolve on gomg. — Com- 

 mence journey. — The caravan. — " Big Timber." — Country to the " Crossing."— 

 Big Salt Bottom. — Flowers. — A stranger of other lands. — DifHculty with Indiana. 

 — " Friday." — Tedious travelling. — No timber. — Detention. — Country. — Pawnee 

 Fork. — Mountain and Spanish companies. — Spy Buck, the Sawnee war chief.— 

 Pawnee Fork. — Cure for a rattlesnake's bite. — Further detention. — Sketch of ad- 

 jacent country. — Pawnee Rocks. — En route with Friday. — Musquitoes. — Observa- 

 tions. — Friday as a hunter. 



The different trading companies had just arrived from the States, bring- 

 ing their winter stock of goods, and, what was still more acceptable to me, 

 a bundle of newspapers. Every item of intelligence contained in the lat- 

 ter was greedily devoured, but what afforded me no little amusement was 

 the palpable falsity and ignorance their editors exhibited in relation to mat- 

 ters of this country. 



For instance, in giving the particulars of tlie murder of Charvis, a Mexi 

 ean trader, which occurred in March, 1843, the crime was represented as 

 having been committed near the Little Arkansas, b}- a party of Texana 

 on their way to join Col. Warficld, who was then encamped in tkal vicinily 

 with forty men ! whereas, at that time Col. Warfield had only nine men 

 with him, and was at least three hundred miles from the Little Arkansas 

 and further, the murderers of Charvis were not Texans ! 



Subsequently, an article in another paper came under my observation 

 referring to a statement made to the National Institute, by an officer of the 



