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CHOLERA OX THE PLAIXS. 77 



At New Fort Lyon we caiiglit tlie first glimpse of the Eocky 

 Mountains, For in tlie clear soft light of sunset, far away 



to the westward two hroad flat cones were seen 



New Fort Lyon. t i t * ^ 



to break the hitherto endless level of the horizon. 

 These were the lofty summits of the Spanish Peaks, more than 

 100 miles distant. 



The day after om^ arriyal, a hunting party of gentlemen 

 arrived from the East. They had had very poor sport on the 

 way, and brought the unwelcome news that cholera had broken 

 out on the plains, and was rapidly advancing westward. The 

 38tli Eegiment of coloured troops had been ordered from Fort 

 Leavenworth, in eastern Kansas, to Fort Union, in l^ew 

 Mexico ; and just before starting, this terrible scourge showed 

 itself amongst the soldiers. A regiment thus infected, ought 

 certainly not to have been allowed to traverse the country, and 

 spread the contagion j but all efforts to stop it proved of no 

 avail, so that these troops brought death and mourning, first 

 amongst the new towns and settlements and the railway 

 employes along the Smoky Hill Eiver, and then infected Fort 

 Dodge and other places on the Arkansas. In this latter 



district, the hunting party came in contact with it, and 

 suffered much from choleraic diarrhoea in consequence. While 

 camped at Fort Lyon, the tent of our geologist, and that in 

 which I lodged, happened to be situated next to the new. 

 arrivals, and we both suffered considerably from dian-hoea in 

 consequence. In the meantime, the coloiu-ed regiment kept 

 gradually approaching ; and Colonel Penrose, the post com- 

 mander at ISTew Fort Lyon, on hearing that they had reached 

 ' the old fort, sent out a messenger to request that they should 

 not proceed farther. The answer retm^ned was, that daily 

 change of camp was necessary for the preservation of the men, 

 and that the epidemic was fast abating, although, in fact, 



