42 NAKRATIVE OF A JOURIVEV 



CHAPTER III. 



Arrival at the Platte river — Wolves and antelopes — Saline efflorescences — 

 Anxiety of the men to see buffalo — Visit of two spies from tlie Grand Paw- 

 nees—Forced march — A herd of bvffiilo — Elk — Singular conduct of the 

 liorses— Killing a hnffalo — Indian mode of proairing buffalo — Great herd — 

 Intention of the men to desert— Adventure with an Indian in the tent — Cir- 

 cumspection necessary — Indian feat with bow and arrow — J\~otice of the 

 Pawnee tribes — Disappearance of the buffalo from the plains of the Platte — 

 A hunting adventure — XiUing- a buffalo — Butchering of a bull — Shameful 

 desti^ction of the game — Hunters^ mode of quenching thirst. 



On the 18th of May we arrived at the Platte river. It is 

 from one and a half to two miles in width, very shoal ; large 

 sand flats, and small, verdant islands appearing in every part. 

 Wolves and antelopes were in great abundance here, and the 

 latter were frequently killed by our men. We saw, also, the 

 sandhill crane, great heron, (Ardea heroidas,) and the long- 

 billed curlew, stalking about through the shallow water, and 

 searching for their aquatic food. 



The prairie is here as level as a race course, not the slightest 

 undulation appearing throughout the whole extent of vision, in a 

 north and westerly direction ; but to the eastward of the river, 

 and about eight miles from it, is seen a range of high bluffs or 

 sand banks, stretching away to the south-east until they are lost 

 in the far distance. 



The ground here is in many places encrusted with an impure 

 salt, which by the taste appears to be a combination of the sul- 

 phate and muriate of soda ; there are also a number of little 

 pools, of only a few inches in depth, scattered over the plain, the 

 water of v.hich is so bitter and pungent, that it seems to pene- 



