- 
{ 474. J 24 
the conntry; he was to proceed to the American soil fort..at: the 
mouth of Laramie’s fork, and await my arrival, which would be prior to 
the 16th, as on that and the following night would occur some occultations 
which I pane desirous to obtain at that plac 
.—Before breakfast, all was ie Oa "We had one led horse in ad- 
dition to ae we rode, and a pack mule, destined to carry our instruments, 
provisions, and baggage ; the last two articles not being of very eam 
weight. The instruments consisted of a sextant, artificial horizon, &c., 
Darnene!st, spy glass, and compass. The chronometer I of course kept “4 
i had ordered the cook to put up for us some flour, coffee, and 
sugar, at our rifles were to furnish the rest... One blanket, in addition to 
his saddle and saddle blanket, furnished the materials for each mANeee bed, 
ne Ww as provided with a.change of linen. All we e armed 
Pies! rifles., rg datle barrelled guns; and, in addition to these, Semeat 
re furnished with excellent pistols. Thus acqnntiart, we 
took . paciha breakfast with our friends, and se 
Our journey the first day afforded nothing of 3 jnterest.. “We shot 
a. buffalo toward sunset, and, having obtained some meat for our evening 
meal, en encamped where a little timber afforded us the means of making a 
fire. Hetoe disposed our meat on roasting sticks, we proceeded to un- 
pack our bales in search of coffee and sugar, and flour for bread. With _ 
the exception of a little parched coffee, unground, we found nothing. Our. 
cook had neglected to put it up, or it had been somehow a ge Tired 
- and hungry, with tough bull meat without-salt, (for -we-had not bee n able 
to kill a. ee anda little bitter.coffee, we sat down in silence to our mis- 
a very. disconsolate party ; for yesterday’s feast. was yet fresh 
emories, an was our first as with misfortune. Each man 
ee his blanket and laid himself down silently ; for the worst part of these 
s, that ney. make people ill-humored. Today we had travelled 
a 2 thirty x mil 
Finding. that our present excursion “would be attended with 
gute h) hardship, and unwilling to.expose more persons t 
sary, [ determined to. send Mr. Preuss back to the. party. His horse, me 
on in no-condition to support the journey; and accordingly, after 
bre kfast, he took the road across the-hills, attended by one of m a 
es miles from our resting place-we crosted the bed of a consid- ; 
ow entirely dry—a bed of sand, a grove of w 
» Were the remains. of a. a fort, ‘constructed. of 
_. It.was apparently very old, and had probably been 
0 ameestile encounter among the roving tribes. Its. soli- 
