Ba 
“287 2 174 J 
ee us saa semen and keeping Lhe seonits ber Wielaeni itr ive 
us notice of the approach of Indians. As we passed by the eel ich 
was: immediately below us, horsemen were galloping to eae eee oups 
of people were gathered around those who were wounded'and dead, and 
who were being brought in from the field. -We conitinieid eS press on, and, 
crossing another fork, which came in from the right, after having — 
fifteen miles from.the —— fortified ourselves strongly in the pines, 
short distance from the rive 
During the afternoon, Pike? s Peak had heen plainly in view before a 
and, from our | encampment, bore N. 87° E. by compass. This was 
familiar object, and it had for us the face of an old friend. At its foot 
were the spri’ where we had spent a pleasant day in coming out, Near 
it were the habitations of civilized mem; and it overlooked the broad 
smooth plains, which promised us an easy journey to our home. 
next day we left the river, which continued its course wipaitle 
Pike’s Peak; and salehig a southeasterly direction, in es ten miles we 
crossed a gentle ridge, and, issuing from the , found ourselves 
involved emnong: broken spurs of the mountains whiel border the great 
prairie plains. Although broken and extremely rugged, the country was 
very interesting, being well watered by numerous affiluents to the Arkansas 
river, and covered with grass and a variety of trees. The streams, which, 
in the upper part of their course, ran through grassy and open hollows, 
after a few miles all descended into deep and impracticable cafions, through 
which they found their way to the Arkansas valley. Here the buffalo 
trails we had followed were cspered — the hills, or crossed over into 
the more open valleys of other strea 
During the day our road was fatiguing and difficult, foutinlnny us much, 
by its steep and rocky character, of our travelling the year before~ 
‘the: Wind river ‘mountains ; but always at night we found some grassy 
] timber ; 
on the creeks, oak was Raga’; but the aneucledvel Cio (pop- 
ulus angustifolia,) of unusually large size, and seven or eight feet in 
circumference, was the prineipal tree. With these were mingléd a variety of 
shrubby trees, which aided to make the ravines almost Di in Genie 
After several days’ laborious travelling, we sueceeded eating 
ourselves from the mountains, and on the morning of the sth’ iaicliee 
immediately at their foot,on a handsome tributary to the Arkansas river. 
In the afternoon we descended the stream, winding our way along the 
bottoms, which were densely wooded with oak, and in the evening en- 
camped near the main river. ence ne next day our road along the 
Arkansas, and meeting on the way a war y of Arapahoe Indians 2 ae 
had recently: been committing some Somipse Gi Bent’s fort, killing stoe stock 
and driving ' off harses,) we arrived before sunset at the Pueblo, near ‘the 
mouth of the’ Fontaine-qui-bowit river, where we had the pleasure to find 
‘a number of. our old acquaintances. The little settlement appeared in @ 
thriving condition; and i in the interval of our absen another had been 
established on comes river, some thirty miles above. 
‘June 30.—Our moved rapidly down ees eae, along the 
