531 Ex. Doc. No. 41. ^ 



camp fires; which negligence having caused the destruction of the 

 ___jja*t«re g r u n ds7~ou r mules would wander off, and we frequently- 

 lost much of thq day in catching thera. Ia is^ n a Worn! e r that the 

 Indian looks with hatred upon the whites, who go about spreading 

 desolation, by their shameful waste of pasture grounds which the 

 Great Bting has planted. This winter the buffalo have almost de- 

 serted the river, because there isno grass for them; and the ladian, 

 forced by the inclemencies of the season to seek. shelter in the 

 timber, which grows only on the banks of the river, must now 

 travel a long way from his village before he can obtain meat 

 enough for his subsistence. There should be some measures taken 

 to protect the prairies from being set on fire. 



February 5.— We had scarcely left camp, when the wolves and 

 ravens clustered around the smoking embers of our camp fires. 

 During the day Laing killed a wolf, and he also killed a badger, 

 taxus labradoricus," Continuing our march, we passed beyond 

 Uie point where the road turns off which goes direct to Pawnee 

 Fork, and passing three miles beyond Jackson's grove, encamped 

 m the open prairie. . 



For fuel, we used the ^^ bois de vache," and the pools of melted 

 snow near our camp supplied us with water. In the evening we 

 twice heard the report of a gun; but, as we had noticed during the 

 daylresh signs of wagons and oxen, we supposed we had overtaken 

 a party of teamsters who had gone on from Bent's Fort, and who 

 liad_taken the direct road to Pawnee Fork. 



■uary 6. — This morning when we arose, the buffalo were nu- 

 merous all around our camp. Vie began to get every thing ready 

 tor the march, and sent off the guard for the mules; it returned with- 

 out them, and reported that not one of our animals could be found. 



i now sent Pilka; in a few hours he returned, and reported that 

 the Indians had carried off our mules; he had found their trail, 

 which led off to the north. This trail was perfectly straight; there 

 were no signs ot any mule having turned aside to crop the tempt- 

 ing grass, through which their course sometimes led. We no longer 

 doubted that the mules had been carried off by the Indians. I 

 questioned the guard, and learned that the mules had run into camp 

 as the day was dawning, but they were driven out again, as they 

 were tearing the wagon covers with their teeth, ancl destroying 

 every thing they could get hold of. Had the guard been used to 

 ♦K^l .^T'^^ Indians, the conduct of the mules would have caused 



Feb 



What 



H 



were we to doi To pursue the Indians on foot was vain. 

 ,.^ yye now left with our wagons containing our beddine and 



lir:iT ^Kir"" "^^ ^^^^^^^ "°^ ^-^ -^le Z walk ?o^r the 

 !^fn J.]n • T """^ "^^^ *" ^^ *^^"^ ^'ti^ all the geological and 



SS^rv II lYTr'"''t^^- '^' ^°^»ection of obje^s of natural 

 historj, which had been obtained in Xew M.^\nJ t .u.,,...^ nf 



ew Mexico? I thouo-ht of 

 toliToS. r-^;^..'"'"-^l^"'' '?'S^"§ ^"t° t^^ States; but whit was 



Mm with Z^rn -'-'''^ manj_ Some of my men proposed leaving 

 mm with the provisions, to abide his chance on the prairie- " for," 



said tney, "must we all die for this one man; is it^not beUer th'at 



'* 



