B30 ,fc. Doc. Noll. 



to give him foodj and, after he had left us, we found that he had 

 carried off a powder horn and bullet pouch belonging to one of the 



men. 



We had hard work all day, as the snow was deep. When we 



came to cross the ravines and beds of streams that unite with the 

 Arkansas, we found that all the snow had drifted to the eastern 

 l^ank, which we were obliged to ascend. These drifts were from 

 five to six feet or more in depth; the mules sunk to their bellies- 

 -and struggled through with great difficulty; the wagons sunk until 

 -their ^'beds'^ rested on the surface of the snow; still we crossed 

 these places, although they were sometimes thirty or forty feet 

 wide; and in the face of these difficulties we made a march of thir- 

 teen miles. 



When we encamped, we were again obliged to suffer for the un- 

 pardonable negligence of persons who preceded us, for the prairies^ 

 for miles around, had been laid waste by fire. Fortunately, the ice 

 'was in such a state that we could cross to the opposite side, and to 

 the islands; but we were obliged to work hard, in covering the. 

 ice with sand, -so as to make a path for our mules. We found plenty 

 ^f wood on the islands. It had been brought there by the river. • 



January 30. — Yesterday, the road was so covered with snow that 

 we were obliged to guide our course by the river; butj this morn- 

 'ing, we again found the road. It was, however, with great diffi- 

 culty that we managed to keep in it. Although the sun shone, and 

 the snow thawed very much, still our progress was difficult. It re- 

 -quired the greatest perseverance to accomplish eleven miles. We 

 encamped in a bottom of tall swamp grass; here we found some old 

 wagons; we were obliged to burn them, for' the river was in such 

 a state that we could not cross upon the ice. 



One of my men told me of a method of catching buffalo that I do 

 not recollect to have ever heard ; he says that the Ricarees make piles 

 of buffalo dung so as to look like men, and arrange these piles in 

 two lines which, gradually approaching, lead to a pen. Having 

 .driven the buffaloes between these two lines, the animals run on, 

 without daring to cross these lines, and are caught. 



January 31. — We have another day of brilliant sunshine; indeed, 

 it seemed hot. The snow began to melt away. rapidly. 



After a march of five miles, we met Mr. Sublette who was travel- 

 ling with important letters to Santa Fe. Soon afterwards, we met 

 a train of six wagons belonging to Messrs. Bullard & Hook, of 

 Missouri. It had been to the crossing of the Arkansas to raise some\ 

 *' caches," which some of the proprietors of this train had been 

 obliged to make early in the fall. 



We now received news of the* conquest of Monterey, and we also 

 leard that our forces were being concentrated at Tampico, prepara- 

 tory to marching upon the city of Mexico. 



Shortly after passing these people, we encountered some wolves 

 following their trail. So intent were the wolves in their employ- 

 ment that they came quite close to us, holding their heads near the 

 ground asthey scented the tracks of the men, when one of my party 

 levelled his rifle and killed the foremost. These animals have be. 



