FOREST AND STREAM 
333 
Across the Continent in “The Sixties” 
The cook made some hot coffee, and pro¬ 
duced a plentiful supply of cold meat and bread, 
than which nothing ever tasted better. Buffalo, 
and wolf skins, were spread upon the floor; 
and glad enough we were to pull off our boots, 
use our overcoats as pillows, and with our feet 
to the fire, secure three or four hours of rest 
and sleep before the regular time for rising. 
We decided on an early start, and this time 
our progress was to be entirely on foot, fol¬ 
lowing the road to the next station, while the 
sled with the mails, etc., would be sent over 
another route where they would not encounter 
such deep snow. 
We, it was explained, could walk on the crust, 
where the horses, on account of the recent warm 
weather, would break through, and be unable to 
move. 
We delayed starting on our pedestrian trip 
until we could see the sled upon its way. In 
order to enable it to start at all, it was neces¬ 
sary to break a road ahead with a band of 
horses. 
Accordingly some of the reserve animals were 
brought out of the corral adjoining the stable, 
and all hands united in starting them on the 
course they were to follow. How far this road 
breaking was continued I do not know, but in 
the short distance that we saw it before start¬ 
ing on our separate way, the sharp crust had 
cut the legs of the poor creatures so that they 
left a pink trail behind them from the blood 
which flowed. At a little after seven we five 
“passengers” started on our walk of about fif¬ 
teen miles over the old road to the next sta¬ 
tion where we were to meet the sled. The day 
was fair and the sun shining brightly, so that 
for two or three hours, we got on well, admir¬ 
ing the many impressive views of snow-cov¬ 
ered mountains around us. In two -or three 
places the road was cut through belts of lodge 
pole pine, but generally over open stretches of 
snow. As the sun mounted in the sky, the air 
became much warmer, and softened the snow 
crust to such an extent that frequently we would 
break through, and go in so deeply we had to 
crawl out upon our hands and knees before get¬ 
ting upon our feet. Our exertions and the heat 
made us extremely thirsty; eating snow was 
only an aggravation and wherever a little water 
had gathered in the footprints of a horse we 
would lie down and drink. It was a great re¬ 
lief when about one o’clock in the afternoon, 
we saw the station a half mile ahead, and as 
we drew nearer observed the sled standing in 
front of it. It had arrived about half an hour 
before. 
After dinner the sled load was again trans¬ 
ferred, this time to a mud wagon, and once 
more we enjoyed the satisfaction of riding. 
There was still some snow; but Bridgers Pass 
was behind us, and our road down hill. In an 
hour or two our wheels were on bare ground, 
and at Muddy Creek station there was no snow 
near. 
The road was very heavy though, and all 
By “Lexden.” 
(Continued from last week.) 
afternoon and night we crawled along at prob¬ 
ably not more than three miles per hour. At 
about daylight on April 2nd, we reached Powder 
Springs station, and early as it was, had break¬ 
fast, as the next stop would be at Bitter Creek 
several hours ahead. 
The country through which we now traveled 
was dreary in the extreme, but not so bad as 
that which one sees from the window of a Pull¬ 
man car on the Union Pacific Railway; for we 
were far to the south where the streams head, 
and where there were springs and some grass 
besides the ever present sage brush. We saw 
some antelope, and one large band of elk, all 
apparently cows and calves, the bulls having no 
antlers at that season of the year. The day 
was one of brilliant sunshine and our course 
took us along the' northern edge of some low 
hills, with Bitter Creek Valley on our right 
toward the north. The road here was rather 
good; and we were indulging in the novelty of 
traveling at a trot, when suddenly our driver 
pulled his horses to a stop, and called out, 
“Boys, there are some Indians on horses ahead 
of us, proably there won’t be any trouble, but 
if there is, you might as well be ready, there 
is no telling what them fellers are up to.” 
From my convenient place in the middle seat 
I thrust out my head, and saw a mile farther 
on where we must pass, a dozen or more ob¬ 
jects so distorted by the shimmering atmosphere 
that I could never have recognized them as 
horsemen. 
We each brought our revolvers around to a 
convenient position, and saw that the cylinders 
were all right, and that we had some extra car¬ 
tridges (of combustible paper) handy. The 
weapons we carried were no toys. Those long 
Colt revolvers would do deadly work at two 
hundred yards if the user could hold right, and 
Mr. H. of Montana and our Mormon friend 
were sure they could attend to that part of it. 
My own pistol was a very fine English arm. 
Tranters Patent, about 2 inches shorter than 
the army Colt, only a shade less in calibre, and 
a self-cocker, but I was not skillful enough to 
make it effective at long range. Meantime we 
were confidently approaching at a trot, the party 
who were grouped together at one side of the 
road evidently waiting for us. What was my 
surprise to see as we drew near, that the ap¬ 
parent leader of the party, who sat on his horse 
in front of the rest, and nearest to the road, 
was a white man as shown by his long yellow 
hair. He was equipped in all respects like the 
rest of them; and notwithstanding his com¬ 
plexion, might have passed for an Indian but 
for his hair. 
All of the party carried guns, but nearly all 
were very antiquated arms. Most of them had 
no saddles, but only a skin of some sort fast¬ 
ened upon his steed, by a girth. 
The three or four saddles were of the familiar 
United States army type, probably taken in some 
of the desparate fights of the previous summer, 
by their present owners or by other Indians 
from whom they had been bought. 
As the coach came along side the white man 
held up his open hand, our driver pulled up, 
and the modest request was made in English 
for some tobacco and matches if we could spare 
any. The passengers were all out of the coach 
as soon as it stopped, and finding so trifling a 
contribution was to be asked of us, we each 
put a handful of tobacco into a spare handker¬ 
chief, and someone added a box of matches, the 
luxuries were presented to the white chief, and 
received with a familiar “Much obliged." He 
said none of them spoke any English except 
himself, that they were Arrapahoes, adding, “I 
am an Arrapahoe myself.” 
Most of the party stared at us sullenly or af¬ 
fected not to notice us, though they, of course, 
would derive as much advantage as anyone from 
getting the tobacco and the much prized matches. 
One of the warriors seeing a prairie dog sit¬ 
ting up at the entrance of its hole some fifty 
yards away dismounted from his horse, dropped 
the reins upon the ground, and took a shot at 
it with his rifle. He missed his mark, for I saw 
the ball strike beyond, and the animal dived into 
its hole, unhurt. The savage could not hide his 
look of mortification at his failure, but sulkily 
reloaded and again mounting his horse joined 
the others. 
I concluded he was cohsidered a good marks¬ 
man, and wished to show his skill, but happened 
that time to have bad luck. The others took 
no apparent notice of his shot; there was not a 
smile or a grunt; but probably they rallied him 
about his bad showing when we were gone, 
for an Indian has a great appreciation of such 
a joke as that. 
Having finished his business with us, the 
leader said a comprehensive “Good bye” and 
turning their horses’ heads, the Indians all rode 
off to the southward, at a rapid pace. 
They were probably upon a horse-stealing ex¬ 
pedition against the Utes or Shoshones; but as 
an attempt was made that same day, by a party 
of Indians, to stampede some stock from Rock 
Spring where we took dinner, only an hour or 
two after we left, this may have been the same 
band. We heard of it at our supper station by 
a telegraphic message from the former place. 
They only got away with three or four head, 
were shot at several times, but so far as known, 
nobody was hurt. 
We reached Green River several miles south 
of where the Union Pacific crosses the stream, 
and where there is now a town of the same 
name; at about three o’clock in the morning 
of- April 3rd, and as the driver dared not at¬ 
tempt the ford until broad daylight, we were 
obliged to sit in the coach for a couple of 
hours waiting, and doing nothing. When you 
are on the go, the motion of the vehicle seems 
to keep your blood in circulation, and it is 
not nearly so cold as simply waiting; my Mor¬ 
mon friend and I got out our pipes, and smoked, 
but as the rest still tried to sleep, we could not 
