NARRATIVE 



OF A 



JOURNEY ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, &c. 



CHAPTER I, 



Airival at St. Louis— Preparations for the journey — Saqiie Indians Their 



appearance, dress, and manners— Squaws — Commencement of a pedestrian 

 tour — Sandhill cranes — Prairie settlers — Their hospitality — Wild pigeons, 

 golden plovers and prairie hens — Mr. P. and his daughters — An abundant 



repast — Simplicity of the prairie maidens — A deer and turkey hunt Loutre 



Lick hotel — Untoelcome bed-fellows — Jl colored sharon — Comfortable quar- 

 ters — Young men of the west — Reflections on leaving hmne — Loquacity of 

 the inhabitants — Gray squirrels — Boonville — Parroquets — Embarkation in 

 a steamboat — Large catfish — Accident on board the boat — Arrival at Indepen- 

 dence — Description of the town — Procure a supply of horses — Encampment 

 of the Rocky JMonntain company — Character of the men — Preparation for 

 departure — Requisites of a leader — Backwoods familiarity — JMilton Sublette 

 andhis band — Rev. .Tason Lee, the missionary — A letter from home — JMormon- 

 ites — JMilitary discipline and its consequences. 



On the evening of the 24th of March, 1834, Mr. NuxxALLand 

 myself arrived at St. Louis, in the steamboat Boston, from Pitts- 

 burg. 



On landing, we had the satisfaction to learn that Captain 

 Wyeth was already there, and on the afternoon of the next day 

 we called upon him, and consulted him in reference to the outfit 

 which it would be necessary to purchase for the journey. He 

 accompanied us to a store in the town, and selected a number 

 of articles for us, among which were several pairs of leathern 



