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10 START ON A NEW ROUTE. 
Missouri for one wholly untried, from the bor- 
ders of Arkansas, where the pasturage springs 
up nearly a month earlier. It is true, that 
such an attempt to convey heavily laden 
wagons through an unexplored region was 
attended with considerable risk; but as | was 
farniliar with the general character of the 
plains contiguous to the north, I felt little or 
no apprehension of serious difficulties, except 
from what might be occasioned by regions of 
sandy soil. I have often been asked since, 
why we did not steer directly for Chihuahua, 
as our trade was chiefly destined for that 
place, instead of taking the circuitous route 
via Santa Fé. I answer, that we dreaded a 
journey across the southern prairies on ac- 
count of the reputed aridity of the country in 
that direction, and I had no great desire to 
venture directly into a southern port in the 
present state of uncertainty as to the condi- 
tions of ent 
Suitable arrangements having been made, 
and a choice stock of about $25,000 worth of 
goods shipped to Van Buren on the Arkansas 
river, we started on the evening of the 21st 
of April, but made very little progress for the 
first eight days.) While we were yet but ten 
or fifteen miles from Van Buren, an incident 
occurred which was attended with very mel- 
ancholy results. A young man named Hays, 
who had driven a wagon for me for several 
months through the interior of Mexico, and 
thence to the United States in 1838, having 
heard that this expedition was projected, 
