SUPPLIES FOR THE ROAD. 35 



falo, than all the delicacies wMcli were ever de- 

 vised to provoke the most fastidious appetite. 



The ordinary supplies for each man's con- 

 sumption during the journey, are about fifty 

 pounds of flour, as many more of bacon, ten. 

 of coffee and twenty of sugar, and a little 

 salt. Beans, crackers, and trifles of that de- 

 scription, are comfortable appendages, but be- 

 ing looked upon as dispensable luxuries, are 

 seldom to be found in any of the stores on the 

 road. The buffalo is chiefly depended upon 

 for fresh meat, and great is the joy of the tra- 

 veller when that noble animal first appears in 

 sight. ( 



The w^agons now most in use upon the 

 Prairies are manufactured m Pittsburg ; and 

 are usually drawn by eight mules or the same 

 number of oxen. Of late years, however, I 

 have seen much larger vehicles employed, 

 with ten or twelve mules harnessed to each, 

 and a cargo of goods of about five thousand 

 pounds in weight. At an early period the 

 horse was more freq^uently in use, as mules 

 were not found in great abundance ; but as 

 soon as the means for procurhig these 

 animals increased, the horse was gradu- 

 ally and finally discarded, except occasioE* 

 ally for riding and the chase. 



Oxen having been employed by Major 

 Riley for the bago^age wagons of the escort 



wliich was furnished the caravan of 1829, 

 they were found, to the surprise of the traders, 

 to perform almost equal to mules. Since that 

 time, upon an average, about half of the wa- 



