110 NEW TEACKS IN NOETH AMEEICA. 



4 



means of support during the winter except the rations supplied 

 to them by their agent; sometimes they return with fine 

 robes and di-ied meat, as well as with trophies won from their 

 neighbours. A few of these people can be taught to attend 

 to cattle ; but it is a hopeless task to try to teach them agri- 

 cultural pursuits. The hatred of labour is in their blood^^ 

 and it cannot be eradicated : their extinction therefore 

 only a matter of time. 



The Utes tan hides better than any other tribe, so that 

 buffalo-robes are the most valuable articles of trade amongst 

 them. There was a good stock of robes at the store, fron 

 amongst which I selected one, which became my blanke 

 thi'oughout all my subsequent Avanderings, There is nothin 



r 



J 



SO necessary for a traveller in the Far West as a good buffalo 

 robe. 



Besides the various interests of which Mr. Maxwell has, up 



time, been 



be 



that of mining 



watched him on the mornins: of mv denartm^e, while h 



panned out a little gold from the stream that dashed pa 

 house. Some sixteen miles up that stream a few miners 

 already at work, earning fifty dollars a day by washin 

 yellow grains out from the sand. This was startling 



for the proprietor of all the country around. He did not, 

 however, ask them ^^ what they meant by trespassing on his 

 property;'' but he welcomed them as friends — sent thciB 

 timber from his saw-mill and sheep from his flocks. 



At the very time that these rough prospectors from 

 Colorado were disclosing to him the gold that lay hidden in 

 the bed of the river which turned his mill, the geologist and 

 the treasurer of our Railway Company came to examine tli 

 coal-fields over wliicli his cattle were grazing. 



