RECREA TIOJST. 



375 



thing more romantic than this can be 

 devised I should like to hear of it. As 

 the road is excellent, I have to take the 

 reins but seldom, and by the time we 

 reach Camp Floyd I have no doubt she 

 will be quite an adroit whip of a four- 

 in-hand team. Every now and then I 

 have to touch up one of the leaders 

 with the whip, but as I generally shout 

 out a name at the same time they are 

 beginning to learn their different cog- 

 nomens, and ' Gus ' or ' Cam ' sung out 

 in a loud voice is usually sufficient. 



"By the way, ' Gus' has fallen a vic- 

 tim to her love of finery, for on leaving 

 Leavenworth she put on a new collar 

 which has rubbed her neck so badly 

 that applications of cold water and ham 

 fat became necessary. I hope she will 

 soon be presentable again, even as Fan- 

 nie (my little four-year old daughter; 

 says, ' In a short naked dress.' Fannie 

 has now all the names by heart, and 

 sings out to them as she kneels on the 

 seat behind me. 



'Turkey, or Rock Creek, 15th. 



" We made a good march of about 17 

 miles, and camped on a beautiful stream, 

 with plenty of wood and good grass. 

 We got fine, clear, cool drinking water 

 from a spring a short distance from 

 camp. For the last two days we have 

 been travelling on a short cut, which 

 was not quite so smooth as the old 

 road, which we were glad enough to 

 strike again to-day, about 10 miles from 

 camp. It is said we will reach Fort 

 ' Carney ' to-morrow week. 



"Camp on the Big Sandy, Sunday, 1 7th. 



"We lie over here to rest to-day, in a 

 beautiful camp, right in the forks of the 

 Big Sandy and Little Blue, the latter 

 the largest stream in this part of the 

 country, now swollen by the rains, and 

 rushing down like a mill race. We 

 forded the Sandy and came across to a 

 position directly on the banks of the 

 Blue, where we are convenient to both 

 wood and water. 



' We got ice, on our arrival yesterday, 

 and, as we crossed the Sandy, bought 

 good rusks from a woman, living and 

 cooking in a tent, near the stream, 

 at 50 cents a dozen ; 30 cents got us a 

 dozen eggs, and this morning, while 

 writing, Lieutenant D. sent us over a 

 fine soft shell turtle, all nicely cleaned, 



with about a dozen eggs lying in the 

 shell. Two turtles were caught by the 

 officers last night in the Sandy. They 

 say we shall be on wild turkey ground 

 to-morrow, and I think even an English- 

 man could 'worry along' on soft shell 

 turtle and roast turkey. Of course, 

 nothing will be thought of to-day but 

 stewed turtle, with the accompani- 

 ments. The officers report plenty of 

 turtle in the Sandy, and a large party is 

 made up to fi>h for them to-day. I am 

 writing up this to take it over to the 

 mail station close by, carrying my gun 

 along, in case I should see anything to 

 shoot. 



" We enjoyed a good night's rest, and 

 slept till late this morning, breakfasting 

 at 9 o'clock, quite a fashionable hour 

 for the prairies. We are now about 105 

 miles from Kearnev, from which point 

 my next letter will probably be sent. 

 We may remain there several days to 

 get supplies." 



A traveller now, over the road de- 

 scribed in the journal, would, I suspect, 

 scarcely recognize the description. Ex- 

 cept as I passed over it the next year, 

 on the way in from Utah, I have not 

 seen it since; but the centre of popula- 

 tion, by the last census, is out there 

 somewhere, and the map shows that a 

 railroad is running up the valley of the 

 Little Blue to Hastings, and another up 

 the Big Blue to Crete. If my young 

 readers will get a map of the state of 

 Kansas, place a finger on Leavenworth, 

 on the Missouri river, at the eastern 

 edge of the state, as a starting point, 

 then pass the finger up in a north-west- 

 wardly direction till the junction of the 

 Big and Little Blue is reached, and 

 then up the valley of the latter to Fort 

 Kearney, on the Platte, in Nebraska, an 

 idea can be formed of the route we fol- 

 lowed, as described in the journal. It 

 will be perceived, too, how all the coun- 

 try lying to the west and south of that 

 is cut up into square counties, dotted 

 over with numerous towns, and crossed 

 in various directions by many railroads. 

 Some conception may be had of the 

 wonderful development which has taken 

 place in a region which we, 35 years 

 ago, passed over almost in its natural 

 state. The next leaves of the journal 

 will conduct us still farther up the val- 

 ley of the Little Blue, into and up the 

 valley of the Platte to Fort Kearney. 



