CONTENTS 



Chapter I. Arrival at St. Louis — Preparations for the journey — Saque In- 

 dians — 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 — A colored charon — Comfortable quarters — Young 

 men of the west — Reflections on leaving home — Loquacity of the inhabi- 

 tants — Gray squirrels — Boonville — Parroquets — Embarkation in a steam- 

 boat — Large catfish — Accident on board the boat — Arrival at Independence — 

 Description of the town — Encampment of the Rocky Mountain company — 

 Character of the men — Preparation for departure — Requisites of a leader — 

 Backwoods familiarity — Milton Sublette and his band — Rev. Jason Lee, the 

 missionary — A letter from home — Mormonites — Military discipline and its 

 consequences, 9 



Chapter. II. Departure of the caravan — A storm on the prairie — Arrange- 

 ment of the camp — Kanzas Indians — Kanzas river — Indian lodges — Passage 

 of the river — Buffalo canoes — Kanzas chief — Upper Kaw village — their wig- 

 wams — Catfish and ravens — Return of Mr. Sublette — Pawnee trace — Deser- 

 tion of three men — Difficulties occasioned by losing the trail — Intelligence of 

 Mr. Sublette's party — Escape of the band of horses — Visit of three Otto In- 

 dians — Anectlote of Richardson, the chief hunter — his appearance and cha- 

 racter — White wolves and antelopes — Buffalo bones — Sublette's deserted 

 camps — Lurking wolves, ■ .27 



Chapter III. Arrival at the Platte river — Wolves and antelopes — Anxiety of 

 the men to sec bufl'alo — Visit of two spies from the Grand Pawnees — -Forced 

 march — A herd of buffalo — Elk — Singular conduct of the horses — Killing a 

 buffalo — Indian mode of procuring buffalo — Great herd — Adventure with an 

 Indian in the tent — Indian feat with bow and arrow — Notice of the Paw- 

 nee tribes — Disappearance of the buffalo from the plains of the Platte — A 

 hunting adventure — Killing a buffalo — Butchering of a bull — Shameful de- 

 struction of the game — Hunters' mode of quenching thirst, . . . .42 



Chapter IV. Change in the face of the country — Unpleasant visitation — N. 

 fork of the Platte — A day's journey over the hills — Poor pasture — Marmots — 

 Rattlesnake and gopher — Naturalist's success and sacrifices — A sand storm — 

 Wild horses — Killing of a doe antelope — Bluffs — The Chimney — " Zip 

 Koon," the young antelope — Birds — Feelings and cogitations of a naturalist — 

 Laramie's fork — Departure of two " free trappers" on a summer " hunt" — 

 Black hills — Red butes — Sweet-water river, and Rock Independence — Avo- 

 cets — Wind river mountains — Rocky Mountain sheep — Adventure with a 

 grizzly bear — Rattlesnakes — Toilsome march, and arrival at Sandy river — 

 Suffering of the horses — Anticipated delights of the rendezvous, . . 57 



Chapter V. Arrival at the Colorado — The author in difficulty — Loss of a 

 journal, and advice to travelling tyros — The rendezvous — Motley groups in- 

 festing it — Rum drinking, swearing, and other accomplishments in vogue — 

 Description of the camp — Trout — Abundance of game — Cock of the plains — 



