Rocky Mountains. 485 



gination often representing a herd of antelopes, or other ani- 

 mals, seen at a distance, and perhaps distorted by the loom- 

 ing of the prairie, as so many mounted Indians. We had of- 

 ten found ourselves more grossly abused by our eye-sight, 

 than is supposed in this instance, having mistaken turkeys for 

 bisons, wolves for horses, &cc. 



28th. We breakfasted, and left our encampment before 

 5 o'clock. We had not proceeded far when we discovered 

 about thirty wild horses at a distance before us. They had 

 taken our scent, and run off in a fright, when we were a mile 

 distant. Their activity and fleetness surpassed what we had 

 expected from this noble animal in his savage state. In the 

 course of the day we saw other herds, but all at a distance. 

 The country south of the Platte contains, as we are informed, 

 vast numbers of horses. They are of the domesticated stock 

 introduced by the Spaniards, but they multiply rapidly in 

 their present state of regained freedom, and are apparently 

 wilder than any of the native occupants of this country. They 

 are of various colours, and of all sizes, there being many 

 colts, and some mules, among them. Their playfulness 

 seemed to be excited, rather than their fears, by our appear- 

 ance, and we often saw them, more than a mile distant, leap- 

 ing and curvetting, involved by a cloud of dust, which they 

 seemed to delight in raising. 



About some sandy ridges, which we passed in the middle 

 of the day, several miliary rattle snakes were seen, two of 

 which were killed. These had been occasionally met with 

 all along the Platte, but were by no means numerous. Mr. 

 Pcale killed a female antelope, without leaving our line. 

 The animal had not been able to satisfy its curiosity, and stood 

 at a little distance gazing at us, until it was shot down. 



During the day we passed three small creeks discharging 

 into the Platte from the northwest. One of these, called by 

 the Indians Bat-so-ah, or Cherry creek, heads in the Rocky 

 Mountains. On these creeks are a few small cotton-wood 



