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ready learned to think bread a luxury ; but we could not proceed without 
animals, and our own were not capable of prosecuting the journey beyond 
the mountains without relief. . 
I had been informed that a large number of mules had recently arrived 
at Taos, from Upper California; and as our friend, Mr. Maxwell, was 
about to continue his journey to that place, where a portion of his family 
resided, I engaged him to purchase for me 10 or 12 mules, with the un- 
derstanding that he should pack them with provisions and other necessa-- 
ries, and meet me at the mouth of the Fontaine qui bouit, on the Arkan- 
sas river, to which point I would be led in the course of the surve . 
Agreeably to his own request. and in the conviction that his habits of 
life and education had not qualified him to endure the hard life of a voy- 
ageur, I discharged here one of my party, Mr. Oscar Sarpy, having furnished — 
him with arms and means of transportation to Fort Laramie, where he 
would be in the line of caravans returning to the States. 
At daybreak, on the 6th of July, Maxwell was on his way to Taos; and 
a few hours after we also had recommenced our journey up tlie Platte, 
which was continuously timbered with cottonwood and willow, on a gen- 
erally sandy soil. Passing on the way the remains of two abandoned 
forts, (one of which, however, was still in good condition,) we reached, in 
10 miles, Fort Lancaster, the trading establishment of Mr. Lupton. His post 
was beginning to assume the appearance of a comfortable farm: stock, hogs, ~ 
and cattle, were ranging about on the prairie; there were different kinds 
of poultry ; and there was the wreck of a promising garden, in which a 
considerable variety of vegetables had been in a flourishing condition, but 
it had been almost entirely ruined by the recent high waters. I remained 
to spend with him an agreeable hour, and sat o in a cold storm of rain, 
which was accompanied with violent thunder and lightning. We encamped 
immediately on the river, 16 miles from St. Vrain’s. Several Arapahoes, 
on their way to the village which was encamped a few miles above'us, 
z 
of the village, received tis (as probably strangers are always received to” 
whom they desire to show respect or regard) by throwing their arms around 
our necks and embracing us. 4 | ah eae 
It required some skill in horsemanship to keep the saddle during the per- ~ 
_ formance of this ceremony, as our American horses exhibited for them the 
same fear they have for a bear or any other wild animal. Having very few 
goods with me, I was only able to make them a meager present, accounting 
for the poverty of the gift by explaining that my goods had been left with 
the wagons in charge of Mr. Fitzpatrick, who was well known to them as 
the White Head, or the Broken Hand. I saw here, as I had remarked in- 
an Arapaho village the preceding year, near the lodges of the chiefs, tall” 
tripods of white poles supporting their spears and shields, which showed it 
to beca regular custom. . Beek oS 
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