Born Of Fire

Purchase at alibris.com
( 4.7/5.0 ★ | 260 downloads )
-- Click the link to download --

https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=*C/UgjGtUZ8&offerid=1494105.26
539780312942311&type=15&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alibris.com%2Fsearch%2
Fbooks%2Fisbn%2F9780312942311
Born Of Fire

ISBN: 9780312942311
Category: Media > Books
File Fomat: PDF, EPUB, DOC...
File Details: 12.3 MB
Language: English
Website: alibris.com
Short description: Good The cover shows normal wear. Fast shipping and
order satisfaction guaranteed. A portion of your purchase benefits
Non-Profit Organizations, First Aid and Fire Stations!

DOWNLOAD: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=*C/UgjGtUZ8&
offerid=1494105.26539780312942311&type=15&murl=http%3A%2F%2F
www.alibris.com%2Fsearch%2Fbooks%2Fisbn%2F9780312942311
 Born Of Fire

• Click the link: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=*C/UgjGtUZ8&offerid=1494105.2653978031294231

• Don’t miss the chance to explore our extensive collection of high-quality resources, books, and guides on
our website. Visit us regularly to stay updated with new titles and gain access to even more valuable
materials.
.
along down from Granada, and this, with a good square mess of roast
venison, made us feel first-rate. We sat around the fire talking and chatting
and broiling venison most of the night; and there was not much of the deer-
saddle left in the morning. We then hooked up our ponies; and though they
were a little wild, we went prancing along for the Cimaron. We came into
camp at sunset and found the boys well, but very uneasy lest we had lost
our compass and become bewildered, or had been cut off by the Indians. We
had exchanged teams, and had a great deal of promiscuous experience since
we parted; and this, with the story of the cupboard, furnished enough
narrative with which to interest John and Charles the greater part of the
night. Charles said it was all right to take the doors if there were no ready-
made cupboard in the house; otherwise, it was a sin (in Colorado). We
spread our blankets and lay down late in the night, and slept sweetly. We
arose at the dawning of the morn, and after a good mess of buffalo-meat,
with nice warm biscuits, we went out in the soft morning air. As we stood
upon the hill-side at the river’s edge, the zephyrs fanned us like the breath
of heaven; and the sun, as it rolled from the eastern sky, appeared to us
more majestic than ever before. Away down the valley we could see the
buffaloes feeding upon the rich pasture; and upon the brow of a hill to the
south were two large wolves, feasting upon an antelope they had just killed.
In our native Ohio we had seen the buffalo behind the strong high fence,
and the wolf in the iron cage; but here they were with their wild neighbors
in the garden of nature, ruminating in the free, open air. The scene was
striking; and it was all natural; the hand of man had not figured there; and
though far from civilization, we felt happy, and the Cimaron waters
appeared to smile upon us as they hurried by.
We spent a few days in exploring the surrounding country, and went far
up and down the river acquainting ourselves with the hills and valleys.
The hide season was now here, and being well prepared, we expected to
take many a pelt, and have lots of sport. We had prepared ourselves with a
great many little pegs, and with these we pinned to the ground, flesh side
up, the hides that we gathered, until the hill-side in front of our door was
pretty well covered. Every now and then we met a brother hunter upon the
plains; and with him we had many a pleasant chat, and learned the history
of the country from the present back through many years. It is interesting to
listen to the tales of the old hunters who roamed the wild prairie thirty years
ago, and who have ever since neighbored with wild animals and savages,
and reaped a livelihood from the western wilds. They say that many years
ago, when they first came to the country, if a person were upon a slight
elevation when the herd was passing by, the valley would be covered with
buffaloes as far as the eye could reach, rendering the whole country a dark,
moving mass, and compelling the Forty-niners en-route for California to
stop over for whole days, until the herd crossed over. Though there were
small herds of thirty and forty moving in all directions, the main herd
moved in a body, and unlike cattle, kept closely together. Before the time of
railroads through the West, they used to hunt all winter and dry the hides,
and haul them east in the spring, making large profits. But when the Kansas
Pacific, Union Pacific, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads were
built, the buffaloes were very plenty; and meat being in good demand, and
having an outlet for the shipment of hides, great numbers of hunters
swarmed the prairie, and the slaughter of the animal was wholesale. Good
robe hides then being worth four and five dollars, the animal, rich and
delicious, and for which many a poor eastern family would be thankful,
after being stripped of its winding-sheet, was left to decay in the sun or be
devoured by the howling wolves. They say they used to lie down upon the
prairie and shoot; and the longer they shot, and the more they killed, the
thicker they came around; and they often found it necessary to get out of the
way to keep themselves from being trampled into the earth. In this way they
were slaughtered by thousands. The number became rapidly reduced, until
to-day the main herd consists of but a few thousands, and small herds of
twenty and thirty wander here and there, reclining upon the soft plain and
nipping the rich grass from the hills that once echoed the bellowings of the
innumerable herd. The great numbers spoken of somewhat startled us, and
sounded more like a fable than a pleasant story; but when we traveled over
the plains and saw sometimes fifty and sixty skeletons almost on a heap,
and whole acres almost covered with bones whitening in the sun, and
sometimes being able to jump from one buffalo-head to another for several
hundred yards (especially in the Republican Valley), we were persuaded to
believe what we were told.
Upon reflection, it seems a sin that these animals were shot down in such
great numbers only for the pelts, and so much of the best meat in the world
left to waste in the sun or be devoured by the wild, carnivorous animals of
the prairie; but the truth is, no cattle or sheep could be raised or any use
made of the country so long as these mighty herds continued to trample it.
The hunters say they used to start out in the morning without a cent in their
pockets, and at night they would often have pelts enough, together with the
meat they found sale for along the railroad, to pay them seventy-five or one
hundred dollars, which they would gamble and drink away before morning,
very often. “Ah!” say they, “we have been here many years, and have spent
many a fortune in the vile dens so numerous in the West; but the great herds
have now almost faded away, and instead of having plenty, as we might
have, we are now poor men, wandering over the plains for a living.”
It used to be very dangerous to be in the way when they were upon a
stampede, for they were as irresistible as the ocean wave; and it is said that
more than one outfit, horses and all, has been trod into the dust by the
trampling thousands that made the valleys roar. But stampedes have for
some years ceased to be very dangerous, and buffalo-hunting has for some
time been a science, and is practiced as follows: A person or company, with
teams, saddle-ponies, ammunition, and provisions, go out to where the
buffaloes range, and there make a head-quarter camp,—usually a dug-out,
for timber is scarce,—and there unload. When the herd is killed and
frightened away from camp, one or two stay in camp to watch over what is
left there and the rest start out with wagons in the following order: The
hunter has a big cartridge-rifle,—usually a one-hundred-grain Sharpe, or
one hundred and twenty grains, which is called a big fifty,—fifty caliber.
These guns weigh from twelve to eighteen pounds, and carry from a mile
and a half to two miles. He also has a large belt, with loops to hold forty or
fifty cartridges, and a good knife. One man usually does the shooting for the
outfit, though two sometimes go together. The skinner or skinners, with
ammunition, beds, and provisions, follow with the wagon or wagons, and
keep just in sight of the hunter. When he sees a herd he crawls and creeps
until he is within shooting distance, and fires down the leader. The herd will
not fly without a leader; and until they have a new one selected he is again
ready, and downs him. Watching his chances, and being a good shot, in this
way he sometimes succeeds in getting down fifty or sixty buffaloes. One
man said he one time shot down one hundred and sixty in one stand. When
the blood begins to flow freely the herd becomes very much excited; and
while horning the wounded ones and pawing in the blood, with tails lashing
the air, and almost deafening you with their bellowing, it is enough to
terrify an inexperienced hunter. And any person who has been there, I
assure you, will make himself just as scarce as possible on such occasions;
for a wounded buffalo is very dangerous. When the herd leaves,—from the
hunter ceasing to fire, or making a mis-shot,—the skinners come up and go
to work, and the hunter follows up the herd on foot and takes down one
here and there, and tries for another stand, which depends very much upon
his skill as a hunter. Sometimes this chase is kept up all day, and the hunter
has no success until about sundown, when they have become somewhat
used to the crack of the rifle, and being tired and hungry they slacken up;
and while fighting the wounded ones the hunter gets in a few good shots,
and right there loads his wagons. When the wagons are well loaded they
start for camp to unload the hides and stretch them out to dry. Several
hundred hides being sometimes stretched out at one camp, it presents quite
an attractive scene. When the hides are dry, they are put in piles of ten
apiece, and staked and tied down. In the spring they are hauled to market.
Sometimes the meat is jerked, which is done as follows: The hump,
shoulder-clods, and saddles are the only parts used. This meat is cut in
strips as thick as a man’s wrist, and after being seasoned is hung upon
wooden racks in the sun, and a slow fire built under it to smoke; and in
about two days it is jerked. This meat can be taken to the mountains in the
spring and sold readily for fifteen and twenty cents per pound. This is the
way it is done; and when the herd changes its range, as it often does, you
must then pull up and follow, and again locate; though you can hunt from
one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles around one camp.
There is now another hunt; and that is the wolf-hunt. This is done with
strychnine. When you first come into a country (before there are so many
carcasses), just kill an antelope or buffalo, and while the meat is warm cut
out several hundred baits, an inch square, perforate them and put in a little
of the poison, and give the meat a little rubbing. Now put the baits in a sack,
and after tying one end of your picket-rope to the horn of your saddle and
the other end round a large piece of the meat, start upon a six or eight mile
circle around the carcass, dragging the fresh meat, and dropping a bait
every one hundred yards. In some parts of the plains, especially along little
waters, the wolves and skunks are very numerous; and after sunset they can
be heard howling in every direction, and they hurry to the newly-spilled
blood. When they strike the circle where the meat has been dragged they
will start around upon it, picking up the baits, and dropping at about the
second. In the morning the hunter mounts his pony and starts round his
circle, skinning the wolves and skunks, and often has a pony-load of pelts
from wolves, skunks, badgers, swifts, etc. The wolf-hides are worth two
dollars and fifty cents apiece, and the bounty is from fifty cents to five
dollars a head—according to the county. Skunks are worth forty-five cents,
and badger and swift hides are worth forty cents apiece. There is much to be
made at this business; and being well prepared for the full catalogue of
prairie sports, we cast our baits and shot our game.
We had very comfortable quarters upon the Cimaron, and the game was
also plenty here. The country upon either side of the river, for a half mile to
the north and south, was very rough; and in these deep gulches and pretty
ravines many a buffalo, deer, and antelope breathed out his last.
Just after twilight one night in December we were all in camp at head-
quarters when a great light to the north attracted our attention. The whole
northern sky suddenly turned red, and the heavens were lighted up as with
the lightning’s glare. Brighter and brighter it grew until the sight was grand
beyond all description. The very air began to turn warm, and the gale that
blew from the north brought with it great clouds of smoke. At length the
forked tongues of the flames began to dart up from behind the

THE PRAIRIE FIRE.

Bear Creek bluffs, thirty miles away, and soon the whole country, as far
as the eye could reach to the west and far to the east, was in a flame. The
grass was thick and tolerably high, and the flames rolled over the level
prairie like a tide upon the ocean and with mighty velocity. We set fire to
the grass upon the south side of the river, and with a roar it disappeared
over the hills. We then rushed our teams and wagons across the stream upon
the burned space and watched the oncome. The thirty miles were skimmed
in a short time, and buffaloes, deer, antelopes, and wolves came in a
tumultuous throng, howling and bellowing, with the fire close in the rear.
On came the conflagration, leaping, whizzing, and roaring like thunder; and
it was a sight to see the animals plunge precipitately into the stream. Now
and then an old, shaggy wolf would be outrun by the flames, and when the
hair began to singe such howling was never heard. The heat was so intense
that but few animals got through the blaze alive, and they were left in the
hot ashes, and came out pretty well singed and sore. The cattle of the
vicinity ran frantic in every direction, and some were suffocated. Our rich,
golden range was now blackened; and there was no pasture in the
surrounding country except the short, green grass in the valley. We were
now compelled to follow the animals to the land of pasture. The cow-men
and hunters turned out, and the fire was extinguished in the sand-hills of
New Mexico, but a few miles to the south of us. This was the first real
prairie-fire we had yet seen, and it being at night added greatly to its
splendor.
It is a penitentiary offense in that country to willfully fire the prairie, and
the stock-men seldom make much court expense when the scoundrel is
found. Their proceedings are very summary, and the prisoner is never again
guilty of the same offense—in this world. The Indians often do it to destroy
the pasture in other quarters and drive the game to their grounds; and for it
many a red-skin has soared to the happy hunting-ground upon the wings of
death.
It is unlawful for white men to kill more meat in the Indian Territory
than just what is needed for immediate use, under penalty of the
confiscation of all they have. This is watched over by the government
authorities stationed there. However, the fire had not reached the territory,
and there were great herds of buffaloes upon their rich pasture; and we
cautiously made this part our range.
Our first trip after the fire was to the east. So, fixing that cupboard in the
wagon, and taking enough flour for biscuits for several days, we left Dave
and John in camp, and Charles and myself wound down the green valley for
the unburned regions. In about five miles we came upon pasture, and
camped for the night upon the river-bank, full twenty-five miles from head-
quarters. This brought us about to the Kansas line. It was a beautiful night,
and almost as light as day. The wolves were so numerous and bold that we
were compelled to sleep by the fire, and about twelve o’clock they came
into the very camp and tackled the big blood-hound that we always had
with the wagon. Unfortunately for one of the trespassers, old Lee sunk his
fangs into his neck and never loosed his hold until he was dead. The horses
were frightened all night; and Charles said he expected we were just upon
the spot where the whole d——n pack slept every night. We stripped off
several pelts in the morning; and when the sun was high we started north
for the ten-mile arroyo of which we had heard old hunters speak. We had
only gone a little way when we met an old bull coming quietly down a
ravine toward the river; and after riding to the top of a hill and finding no
herd to be near, I concluded to give him a chase. I got within a quarter of a
mile of him, when he saw me and started back north. This was a sign of a
herd; and knowing that if he would reach it he would stampede the whole
herd, I rode upon him with all the speed that my mustang could summon.
He was a perfect racer; but in spite of his efforts I came alongside of him,
and the second ball from my Smith & Wesson stretched him struggling
upon the earth with a bullet through his lungs. When the wagon came up we
skinned him and took the meat we wanted and drove on, expecting soon to
come upon a herd. The breaks of Ten-Mile Creek began to ruffle the smooth
surface, and we saw a small bunch of buffaloes feeding in a gulch. We came
into a narrow, deep ravine, and through this we drove the team, cautiously
circling to the north. I crawled to the top of the ravine among the high grass,
and there, not more than three hundred yards from me, was a herd of at least
two thousand, some ruminating, and some feeding upon a high table-land
about half a mile in diameter, and which was nearly surrounded by the deep
ravine we were in. It was now near sundown, and after carefully circling the
herd, we camped upon the west and to the leeward of them. After carefully
fastening the horses, and commanding Lee to stay with the wagon, we
crawled up among the grass for action. They were just two hundred yards
off and we were ready, and the battle opened with the roar of two one-
hundred-grain guns. My animal came to its knees with a broken shoulder,
and Charley’s dropped in its tracks without a struggle. After a few rounds
we had the blood started freely, and the cracking of the rifles was drowned
in the mighty bellowing. We crept up closer and closer, until Charles darted
behind the bull that he had first shot, intending to use him for a rest. We
were fifty yards apart, and at the first shot that Charles took from his new
fort, he was surprised to see the bull spring to his feet and make fight. His
gun was empty and the bull was loaded; and seeing his chances in this
unequal combat, he grabbed the bull by the tail and held on for dear life.
They flew around the circle at the rate of ninety revolutions per minute; the
bull bellowing and frothing, and Charles flying around with his bare head,
calling out to me to shoot the bull. It was so darned funny to see a buffalo
and a man waltz together that I could not do anything for laughing. I knew
very well that the hind end of a buffalo was not dangerous, and I was just as
sure that Charley would never let go of the tail. So I stood there for several
minutes enjoying the circus. Charles drew out his big knife and tried to
strike him in the heart; but he was at the wrong end for that, and his
gouging only made the bull the more furious. At length Charley began to
swing his partner a little slower, and having worked down into the ravine,
the bull spied the wagon and made toward it with great fury. Charles called
out for Lee, and with a dash and a snap he had his teeth firmly fastened in
the nose of the bull. Charles was now relieved; and quickly thrusting a
cartridge into his gun he lay the bull bleeding upon the ground. All this time
I had been rolling upon the grass laughing; and at this moment I heard a
bellow and a loud snort, and looking around I saw a wounded buffalo
within a few jumps of me. The tail was the other way, and knowing my
chances to be few, I grabbed my rifle, and resting upon my knee, I let him
come so close that I could see his eyes bat,—knowing the skull to be very
thick,—and fired. The ball pierced the mighty skull, and the blood spurted
as he plunged forward dead. I looked out from behind the hill to see if
Charley was preparing to shoot me when I came in; and when I saw him
sitting upon the wagon fanning himself with his hat, I ventured up. He
commenced on me in the Colorado dialect; but he was puffing and blowing,
and having the advantage of him I did the talking to suit myself. I told him I
thought any person who had the power to raise the dead ought to be able to
kill it again; and besides, he slung the bull around so darned fast that I could
not shoot with safety.
Well, the darkness began to thicken all over the country, and we
concluded not to shoot any more that night. We found an old well in the
ravine, and dug it several feet deeper, but found no water. From what we
had heard hunters say, we expected to find water here, and had brought
none along, so that ours that night was a dry camp. We skinned and cut up
four of the buffaloes that night, and taking some of the fresh meat we
heated it up a little in the frying-pan, leaving the juice in it; and a supper of
this did very well, so we retired for the night. The wolves were howling in
every direction, and hurrying to the fresh blood; and the snorting and
bellowing of the buffaloes could be heard away in the night. Up to twelve
o’clock there was not a cloud in the sky; but at that time a purple veil was
drawn across the heavens almost as quick as thought, and the wind began to
blow cold. We had a good bed, and placing two of our green hides upon the
ground flesh sides together, we built upon them, and in spite of the cold
kept comfortable.
Toward morning the gale increased, and at daylight we were in the midst
of a blizzard. This is a heavy gale in which sharp ice, as fine as salt, falls so
thickly that you can not see two feet ahead; and it is not safe to leave camp
twenty steps without a rope around the waist. We were in a deep ravine; and
having tied the horses to the wagon they were somewhat sheltered; then
throwing a robe over the dog, we lay quietly in our snug bed. The tempest
raged and roared over the plain all that day, and the snow fell, more or less,
continually. Twilight began to gather, and the storm was still howling. We
had nothing to eat that day, but we had quenched our thirst with snow and
felt very well. Morning came, and it was yet too cold to live; and the
blizzard had renewed its fury. We had brought a little corn along, to feed in
a pinch; but this was a bigger pinch than we had bargained for, and our
horses began to look pretty hollow. About noon the snow ceased falling; but
the wind was as cold as ice and past all endurance. At sundown we crawled
from our retreat, and found the snow a foot in depth over all the prairie. We
shoveled it away from the side of a ledge, and trimming down a few
hackberry bushes that grew upon the side of a bluff, we started a fire. They
were green, and burned very poorly; but the buffalo-chips were all covered,
and it was the best we had. Our meat was like stone; and for supper we
chopped it off with the ax. We did not fry it much, but it was good any how.
We also melted a little snow for the horses, and after giving them the last
corn we had, we crept into bed.
In the morning the wind had lulled and a thick fog hung like night over
the face of the plain. We could not see each other fifty yards away. We
thought it necessary, under the circumstances, to make for head-quarters,
and leave to the wolves the six buffaloes that we had not skinned, and which
were now like stones.
Having broken our compass in bed, and the two buttes in southern
Colorado—which guide the hunters and herders of the country—being
hidden in the mist, we were left with our unaided ability to steer our way.
We took the Indian way of ranging objects on ahead; but the snow was deep
and the objects few, and about nine o’clock we came across the track of an
outfit which, from the number of horse-tracks and the dog’s trail, we knew
to be our own. Well, we followed it back, and soon came into the old camp
and stopped for the night.
In the morning it was clear, and the sun shone out brightly; and the
reflection almost blinded us as we went along. The team was very lank, and
worried slowly through the snow. About noon we came into the Cimaron
valley, and after watering, plodded on without unhitching. At sundown we
saw smoke coming from the hill-side away up the valley, but in spite of our
efforts it was dark when we came in. There were plenty of provisions and
lots of fuel, and we had a social that night. It took Charles a long time to
relate his experience with the buffalo, and the boys plagued him a great deal
about trying to kill a bull with its own tail.
The next morning the sun again arose in a cloudless sky and darted his
warm rays upon the face of the snow-covered plain, and the white veil soon
melted away. It took the horses several days to recruit, and the short, green
grass in the valley filled them out slowly. We pegged our green hides in the
sun to dry; and having a load of saddles, humps, and tongues, we prepared
to take a trip to the Arkansas.
One pretty morning John and myself started with the load, and left Dave
and Charles in camp. We stopped at Bear Creek for the night; and directly
after striking camp we had our attention attracted to a singular-looking
object upon the side of the bluff away down the creek. We took out the
glass, and it looked like a roll of buffalo-hides. After supper we picketed the
horses, and taking our rifles, we strolled down the creek to investigate the
curious object. Coming up to it we found it to be a buffalo-hide rolled up;
and peeping in at one end we saw a man. The hide was taken from an old
bull, and was almost an inch thick; and being frozen, it was as much as we
could do to cut him from his narrow prison-walls. He was a middle-aged
man, and was almost exhausted; but we took him to the fire and gave him to
eat, and then heard his story. He said he was a cow-man from Texas, and
had been to Granada and was returning when he was ingulfed in a furious
blizzard a few miles north of Bear Creek. He said he had but two blankets,
and having no matches, he knew he must perish; and happening to see a
stray bull among the hills, he rode on to him and shot him, and concluded to
take the hide to wrap himself in. His horse broke loose while he was
skinning the bull, and he was left alone; so, spreading the hide upon the
ground, fur side down, he spread the two blankets upon it, and then lay
himself upon them and rolled up tightly. The green hide froze, and he was
as securely incased as though he were within a steel boiler. He had been
there five days; and being behind the bluff the sun had not reached and
softened the hide. He said he had kept comfortable, with the exception of
his feet, and with them he had suffered a great deal. Upon investigation,
they were both found to be frozen; and we took him to Las Animas to the
doctor, who amputated them both at the instep. He often said that a man
without toes was better than no man, that he surely would have perished
had he not captured the buffalo, and that, if we had not found him, a few
days later the hide would have been his grave.
We found ready sale for our meat, and were soon steering again for the
Cimaron. We came across several outfits, each of which had been more or
less frozen in the late blizzard. Some had lost fingers, and others toes; and
we heard of one whole outfit of three men, north of the Arkansas, freezing to
death. We were not in the least injured, and we congratulated ourselves
upon our being prepared with a good bed.
We came in sight of camp about sundown, and riding ahead and seeing
no one about the camp, I concluded to try the boys; so, riding up over the
hill, I came down upon the dug-out with a whoop, and fired several shots
from my six-shooter as I circled to the east, and lying flat upon the pony I
shot down a ravine just in front of the dug-out, my back being all that could
be seen. Whiz! went a bullet just over my backbone; and I was satisfied that
the boys were not asleep, and that they could shoot pretty well too. So I
dismounted at a place in the gulch where my horse was hidden, and taking a
white handkerchief I raised it to view to try the boys; but white flag or no
white flag, the two old black gun-barrels lay up alongside of the cave door
and there was no such thing as a flag of truce taking them down. I was a
hundred yards off, and I swear I was afraid to put up my head to make
myself known. At length they saw the team coming, and knowing my
disposition, they then mistrusted that it was me in the ravine. When I was
sure that the boys knew who I was, I mounted my poney and rode into
camp. The boys acknowledged that I had completely deceived them, and
that they took me for an Indian riding down there to draw them out, and
then a whole band would fire upon them from every hill. Dave said he had
done his finest to hit me on the wing, but he could see nothing but my back,
and that went down the ravine as swift as a cork over the cataract of
Niagara, and he supposed he shot wild. I told him that he did very well, and
I would not like him to do better upon like occasions. Charley said he
would like to have cut a suspender off anyhow, just to give me some
caution.
We hunted for many miles around, including north-eastern New Mexico
and the “pan-handle” of Texas. We had the hill-side covered with hides for
some distance; and game becoming scarce, we concluded to pile up our
hides and load up our outfit and start for other quarters. We followed the
Cimaron down into Kansas; and just before we went into the territory we
came on to a large herd of buffaloes, and killed enough to load our wagon
with hides, leaving the rich, delicious meat to the wolves. We followed the
river into the territory, and one evening a government officer with three
men came out from Salt Springs to our camp; for we had been reported
killing buffaloes in the territory. The officer rode up insultingly, and without
any questions began to abuse us and call us trespassers and thieves, and
said he had a great mind to upset the wagon and burn every hide we had.
We told him we had not killed the buffaloes in the territory. But he
continued his abuse; and thinking it about our time to talk, and being four
against four, we told him we had enough talk now, and we wanted to see
him burn the hides. We were well prepared; and seeing his position, he rode
off with his men—I suppose partially convinced that a star upon the breast
of an abusive scoundrel does not enable him to ride over honest men.
It was now getting late in the season, and we concluded to haul our hides
to market and travel over the south during the summer. We left the outfit at
the dug-out, and two stayed with it and the other two hauled hides. We took
up two fall loads, and had as many more as we could haul with the outfit the
third trip. We shipped them to Kansas City and sold them well, and struck a
rich dividend. We camped up and down the Arkansas, fishing and
occasionally shooting a deer among the brush along the river, and spending
some time moving in the refined society of the valley, and now and then
staying a little late conversing with the cultured daughters of the ranchmen.
We spent many pleasant days and evenings thus; and after trimming up the
outfit carefully, and laying in a good supply of ammunition and such
eatables as we supposed would be needed on our trip, we were ready to start
again for southern sights.

CHAPTER IV.
Summer Trip Through the South—Indian Agencies—Canadian River—
Lion Fight—Red River—Double Mountain—Staked Plains—Pecos River
—Indian Skirmish—Santa Fe, New Mexico—Return to the Arkansas
Valley—Description of the Plains—Mirage—Dangers of the Prairie—
Wild Horses and How Captured—Creasing Animals.
When the April sun of 1878 was high in the heavens, we bid farewell to
our valley friends and wound merrily down the river. The green grass had
begun to show itself, and the valley was lovely; and the little birds sported
and sung in the bushes and little trees along the river-banks. As the houses
became more and more numerous, we began to realize that we were going
east to where somebody lived. Following the river on down, we passed
through the Creek and Cherokee agencies, and also the Chocktaw country,
and were very much interested in our Indian observations. The Cherokees
are far advanced in civilization, and are by far the most intelligent tribe.
They have school-houses, and churches, and pretty villages; and some
have carpet upon their floors. They appear to enjoy their new mode of
living, and take pride in their pretty homes. I may also state that there are
some very pretty girls among them. All the agency lands that we passed
through were the best that the sun ever warmed. Though Uncle Sam reaches
forth his bountiful hand whenever the weakest red man asks, most of the
tribes appear restless; and though there is much game in the territory, and
notwithstanding that they are let out of the agency once a year to hunt over
the wide wild country, their eyes are restless, their faces itch for the war-
paint, and they long to sally forth beneath the white-eagle plume, to ring the
valleys with their wild war-whoop, and wash the hatchet in the white man’s
blood. The farming implements furnished them are left to rust, and they
indolently exist upon the nation’s bounty.
Every Indian nation in the United States to-day, who will receive them,
have beautiful reservations, which are the very gardens of the Union; and
their every want is most bounteously supplied. The only tribes that are to-
day suffering are those who will not receive from the hand of plenty. But in
spite of all this, there are some of the tribes breaking from their agencies
every few months and committing their bloody outrages, which boil a
human’s blood; and the clemency of the Government is exhibited by its
capturing the murderers and placing them back upon their homes, giving
them new blankets and rifles, and telling them not to do so again,—
sometimes giving them a trial, but rarely giving them the deserved penalty.
Persons seated in their comfortable mansions in the land from whence
savagedom has long since been driven, and where the protecting arm of
civilization is thrown around them, are prone to speak of the poor Indian
eking out a miserable livelihood from the western deserts and barren
mountains, and continually persecuted and provoked by the cruel white
man, only waiting for an opportunity to kill them off. Oh, fie! Go see what I
have seen, and learn the truth, and your sympathies will be banished by
bitter scorn. Go see the poor emigrant, who has taken his little family to a
new home in the sundown land, shot down at his labor and scalped in the
furrow, his dear wife and innocent babes crushed with the hatchet, their
blood spilled upon the cabin floor, and their brains spattered against the
wall. Go

THEIR CRUELTY.

experience realities, and have your all and dearest on earth torn from you,
and hear their heart-rending cries as they are carried off by savage demons,
and see how the red devils can mock mercy and torture helpless innocence;
and if the fire within your bosom does not kindle and you do not say that
the devils have it only too good, there must be little soul within. God knows
that I would be the last to mention violence; but I have seen decency
outraged and sweet infancy tortured, and have witnessed so many sickening
sights that my blood boils whenever I think of them and my right arm
twitches for vengeance. The first tribe that starts a war should be made an
example of, and the last wretch laid low; then outbreaks would be fewer. As
it is, there is continually trouble all along the frontier, and no man is safe. If
the Government would only empower a company of cow-boys and hunters
to pursue them when out on the war-path, there would be less damage and
severer reprimands; but until the soldiers capture them, with their blue
ribbon and military maneuvers, the devils have done all the mischief they
want to do and are ready to surrender.
The Indians all appear friendly; but a chance is all that is wanted to
place your scalp bleeding upon a pole while they sing their bloody songs
around it. It is their nature.

“And as long as his skin is rough and red,

We followed the river to its junction with the Canadian. This is a most
splendid country. Here God again does the raining, and no irrigation is
needed. The agencies are the same. We then concluded to go up the
Canadian to the west. It was not long, however, until we had left the rich
farming country and were again upon the dry, sandy wilderness. The
country for some distance upon either side of the river is intensely rough,
rocky, barren, and sandy. Great herds of cattle range along the river and up
and down all its tributaries. As we went to the west trees grew few and
scrubby and dwarf-bushes grew among the rocks and bluffs, and little
streams of clear water came tumbling down over the rocks from the springs
away under the barren hills. We often thought of the mountains as we
wound along, and we thought we must be near the jumping-off place. We
killed several deer and antelopes among the hills, and saw some strange-
looking tracks in the sand at the water.
Early one pretty morning, as we were strolling up the ravines in search
of game, I noticed Charles stop suddenly, and dropping behind a rock he
beckoned me to him. He pointed up the river to where some bushes were
shaking; and crawling closer, by the aid of our glass we found it to be a
large lion feasting upon the carcass of a deer. We crept away, and after
gathering the other boys we held a council and determined to tackle him, let
come what would. We cautiously crept along under rocks and brush until
we were within one hundred and fifty yards of him, when he spied us, and
uttering a loud roar, crouched low upon his prey. Now was our time; so,
resting my rifle upon a rock, I deliberately fired. He was almost hidden in
the brush, and I struck him in the shoulder. He uttered a terrible roar, and
bounded toward us with his shattered blade. We had shrunk from the lion
behind the bars; but, my Lord, here we were in the same cage with him,
and no chance to shrink. I tell you, a lion can jump like thunder with three
legs; and he came directly at me. The boys were flanked upon either side,
and they were to reserve their loads until he was near enough to be sure. I
waited until I could see his eyes bat, and he was about to make his last
spring, and then pulled; but, great God! the cartridge failed. I dodged
behind a large rock, and as he sprung down over my head, with his
powerful paws extended and his great claws protruding like bayonets, his
low growl sounded like the voice of hell; and though things looked a little
cloudy, I never conceded for one moment that I was ever created for lion-
meat. The blood-hound sprung forward and sunk his huge teeth into his
hind leg; but he was no more to the infuriated animal than a gad-fly would
be to a buffalo, and before I could shove a new cartridge home he was again
crouched to spring, when the boys rushed forward, and, with the muzzles of
their rifles so close that the hair was singed, sent three well-directed balls
grinding through his body. The shots all went near the heart, and he never
arose from the earth, but rolled over upon his side, and with a low, gurgling
groan, trembled and died. It was sport, all through; but I enjoyed this stage
of the proceedings better than any other. As he lay there, with his nine feet
of power stretched upon the sand so closely to me that I could feel his
dying-breath and touch his shaggy mane, I felt happy that he was dead. He
was nine feet in length, and was the most powerful lion we had ever seen.
Some of his teeth were two inches long; and after looking carefully at the
huge mouth and powerful jaws, I concluded that I was at one time nearer
being lion-meat than I had before believed. The blood-hound stood proudly
by, wagging his tail as though waiting for the praise for killing him. Poor
fool! He was not as much as a gray-back in the folds of the shirt of a
professional tramp. I felt very glad that I did not tackle the animal alone.
We carefully examined every cartridge we had. Charles said if I could have
caught the tail I might have gone to thunder and fought my own battle, like
he did with the buffalo. We looked carefully around that day, expecting to
find the mate; but we saw no more, and the next morning journeyed on.
When we were about the center of the territory we struck south for the
Red River, which bounds the territory on the south. We struck the Washita
River, Wild Horse Creek, and many other small streams, finding many
cattle along every water, and game in all directions. Great herds of
buffaloes were daily seen heading to the north. There being plenty of good
water all along the route from the Canadian to the Red River, the journey
was a pleasant one. The country of the Red River was rough as the
Canadian, and was good for naught but raising stock. We left the Red River
and went down the Big Washita; and then on to the Brazos, and down its
head-waters to the Double Mountain, Texas, which we had been told was
the range of the main buffalo-herd of the south. The story was certainly
correct, for they were here by the thousands; and not being nearly so wild as
where we had hunted, it was no more to shoot a buffalo here than to kill a
cow. The country was rough, and destitute of all but short grass; and though
there were cattle here, they were not nearly so numerous as at other places
where we had been. There was a little ranch now and then stuck in among
the rocks—and one man stays in each; but they carry their lives in a holy
pocket every day and night. They have become somewhat reconciled to this
hermit-life, and do not give the danger its full weight. This is about as wild
a country as lies within the borders of our Union; and if a person had the
material, and were prepared, he could make crooked whisky here without
molestation by the authorities.
We were now prepared to cross the staked plains, which had been
reported to us as a broad, dry, and barren country; that it required several
days’ journey to cross, upon which many persons had perished, and where,
several years ago, a whole company of soldiers had been led by the Indians
whom they were pursuing, and there became bewildered and died in this
waterless region. We filled our barrel and three skins with water from a
cool, crystal spring that bubbled from beneath a rock and headed the
Colorado River, and steered due west for the Rio Pecos in New Mexico.
The first night out we camped upon a dry, barren plain, level as a floor, and
almost destitute of grass, all animation having disappeared. We traveled
beneath the burning sun; and resting at night upon the broad couch of
nature, we breathed the light, warm air. It was all the same in any direction,
with no object to obstruct the vision, and not one cloud to dim the splendor
of the setting sun. On the eve of the third day out our attention was attracted
to some white objects upon the prairie ahead, and which, upon coming up,
we found to be the skeletons of four men bleaching in the sun. The thirsty
reptile had doubtless strangled them; and as we stood gazing upon the
whitened forms, we thought of the agonies of that last hour. They must have
lain there for some years, for there was not even a vestige of else but the
bones. They had undoubtedly cast away everything to hurry on; and when
the weakest fainted, the others in their delirium sunk by his side, all
determined to soar upon the same wings to the land beyond, where the
crystal fountains are flowing freely.
The weather being so warm and the air so dry, our horses required much
water; and though we could somewhat gauge ourselves, we were compelled
to give them what they wanted. We were just as saving, however, as we
dared be, and upon the morning of the fifth day out we tapped the last skin
and the last water. This was just like mother’s bread. When the flour is all
gone and the horses have the epizooty so that no one can go to the mill, and
the boys once find out the facts in the case, the last loaf is saturated with
honey, and every one can make a meal upon bread and coffee. We stretched
this out until noon on the sixth day, when there was but one gallon left, and
that almost warm enough to cook eggs. Morning dawned, and the sun
rolling from the horizon in all its grandeur had to us little attraction. Things
began to look badly. Six days upon a plain level as a floor and dry as the
internal regions, and not an object yet in sight, I tell you is a bad report. We
had long been out of corn; and the grass being so scarce our horses were
pretty well gaunted, and now no water. How long would they hold out? Just
before we hooked up I took the field-glass and from the wagon surveyed the
surroundings. Looking carefully to the west I saw broken country. Oh, joy!
And when I spoke the boys shouted aloud. We knew that we were now safe,
and we would sleep that night by the purple stream. The hills were a great
way off, and if the horses could have known, as we did, that just ahead
gurgled the life-giving stream, we would have spanned the journey in half
the time. However, when within about a mile of the hills they appeared to
smell water, and pointing their ears they sped hastily along. But in spite of
our eagerness we came among the hills by the moonbeam’s misty light.
There was the stream, rippling clear and cool; and it is needless to say that
was to us a merry night. We sat up all night talking of the dangers of the
country, and contrasting the might of the roaring lion with the power of the
quiet monster, thirst.
In the morning we took our rifles and started among the hills to get some
meat for breakfast. We were not out long before Dave’s rifle rung out
sharply in the still morning air. Going to him, we found him with a large
buck deer; and we had a splendid venison roast for breakfast. The country
was very rough, and hung upon the edge of the plain like a great ruffle, and
to the west tossing higher and higher. There were a few buffaloes here also.
We stayed in this camp several days, living upon the best of meat, and
recruiting our horses upon the rich grass of the valley. There were also a
few cattle straggling along the river; and they were wilder than the
buffaloes. We at length moved up the river and came among some dwarf
timber; and to sit in the shade of these little trees was more pleasant to us
than any other period of our lives. The wolves were very numerous here;
and we were compelled to sleep by the fire every night to keep our clothes
from being torn by these foul-mouthed creatures, who would howl within
the very limits of our camp, and terrify our horses so that we had to tie them
to trees with double ropes.
It is somewhat amusing to see them capture their game—sometimes
taking down a large buffalo bull or even a wild horse. If the game is in a
flock or herd, they cautiously surround it, and gradually round them up to
close quarters. If they are antelope or deer, as they break through the guard
several are usually captured; but if they are buffaloes, they watch for a calf
to come to the outside of the bunch, and pop! they have him. Sometimes as
many as twenty wolves surround a herd; and to see with what cuteness and
tact they execute their work is interesting in the extreme. When they are
very hungry they will tackle most any animal. They sport carelessly around
until he is off his guard, and then dash upon him; and while some run at the
head, the main aim is to cut the ham-string. I have seen large bulls disabled
in this way and at the entire mercy of a pack of hungry wolves, who
sometimes tear their satisfaction from the living animal and leave him
struggling in his agonies. Their teeth are sharp and their jaws are like vices;
and they sometimes snap a large piece out of an animal, and then let him
run away.
New Mexico is noted for its poisonous reptiles and insects, such as
rattlesnakes, scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas, etc., and finding them
creeping upon most every hill-side, we were compelled to be very careful
lest we should tramp, sit, or lie upon some destructive stinger.
We had two beds, and John and myself slept together. One lovely
moonlight night, after we had all retired, and my mind was resting upon the
border of slumber, I was startled by John uttering a war-whoop and leaving
the bed in a single leap. Being about half asleep, and thinking that perhaps
the devil was under the cover, I did not take time to rise, but started to roll;
and being near the bank of a little stream that emptied into the river, I never
stopped rolling until I splashed into the water. I was then thoroughly
awakened, and felt as though I was not afraid of the devil if he were there.
The rest of the boys came to the rescue with their colors flying, and pulling
off the covers we found two large rattlesnakes on John’s side of the bed.
They were swelled with rage and rattled furiously. We had never known
them to crawl into a bed. After killing them, we moved the bed and found a
hole in the ground under it. We then concluded that they were out when we
lay down, and in trying to find the way back they got into the bed; and John
hearing the rattle left the bed just as the reptile was ready to strike. We were
always careful after that never to build upon another’s homestead.
The centipede is a brown-colored worm of about the thickness of a lead-
pencil, and three inches in length when full grown. It has a great number of
legs, and at the end of each a little black needle which is worked in and out
at pleasure like a cat’s claw. These are the stings, and whenever the worm is
crossed it sinks them. The venom from the rattlesnake is not to be compared
with its effect. When they are found upon the body, the only safe way is to
be perfectly motionless, and not disturb them, and they will often crawl
harmlessly away; but should the person move or excite them, they will sink
their deadly claws and run across the person rapidly, and beyond all remedy
the flesh will rot to the bone in a short time. I once saw the effect of a sting.
We were one sunny day sitting with some greasers upon the shady side of
an adobe house near Santa Fe, when a large centipede dropped from the
roof of the house down upon the naked breast of one of them. He struck at it
and tried to knock it off quickly as possible; but in spite of his efforts it ran
clear across his body, and in a few hours he died with his body terribly
swelled. They are regarded the most deadly of all animals or insects in the
West; and for the benefit of my readers who may sometime journey in their
land, I would advise and pray that should one of these stingers get upon
your body, be careful to not disturb it, for the danger is utter ruin.
The tarantula is a very large spider, with large, strong legs, and can
jump four or five feet. It bites instead of stings; and though its bite is not
deadly like the centipede’s, it is nevertheless very painful, and swells the
parts fearfully, sometimes resulting in death. They are a peaceful insect; but
when tormented they become very angry, and will jump at their enemy in
great fury. These two insects are very numerous in New Mexico, and it is
very dangerous to sleep on the ground; and citizens are all the time
cautious.
While speaking of poisonous animals and insects, I might also mention
that the skunk out here is also very dangerous. They will come to your bed
at night and bite you; and the bite has never been known to fail to produce
hydrophobia. It is a question much discussed whether it is the effect of the
general skunk-bite, or whether there are just certain ones which are
themselves afflicted with hydrophobia. The general opinion is, however,
that any skunk’s bite will produce the effect. The subject acts just as though
bitten by a mad-dog, and it is said that there is no remedy when once bitten.
I saw a man by the name of Jones, in Texas, die in the most horrible agony
from a skunk-bite he had received away up in Nebraska eighteen months
before. These skunks are in appearance like our eastern skunks; but whether
they are equally poisonous I do not know. The cow-boys are always on the
alert for skunks.
We moved on up the river; and one evening as I rode down a deep ravine
a half mile north of camp I discovered smoke arising out of a deep gulch
just below. I recognized it as an Indian fire. I tied my pony to a bush in a
deep hollow and cautiously crawled down upon the camp. I got within
about three hundred yards of them, and peeping out from behind a bluff I
saw four Indians, who, from their dress, I recognized to be Kiawas, from
the pan-handle country. Two were smoking their pipes, and the other two
were broiling meat upon a stick before a little fire; and just below them
were twelve good ponies grazing in the ravine. Knowing the Kiawas to be
horse-thieves, and finding them here under such suspicious circumstances, I
concluded that they had been out stealing and were just returning with their
booty. Creeping cautiously away, I got my pony and rode off to camp; and
after informing the boys of what I had seen, we concluded to rescue the
ponies from their red captors. So, just after twilight we moved quietly upon
the camp—John and myself upon ponies, and Dave and Charles on foot.
When we were within a hundred yards of the camp and, unnoticed, we
halted and took a careful survey of the ground. A cool wind had sprung up
that evening, and by a bright little fire lay the four bodies in blankets, while
fifty yards below grazed the twelve hobbled ponies in the bright moonlight.
Their front feet were tied closely together with ropes, and they were
compelled to step very short. Our plans were formed as follows: We would
open upon them with four rifle shots; and while the footmen kept up the
fire, the horsemen were to leave with them their rifles, and with six-
shooters in hand dash between the camp and the ponies, and with wild
whoops run off the horses. Whang! went the rifles, and away we flew
toward the camp. Two of the Indians did not appear to wake up; but the
other two sprung from the fire like wild deer. We ran upon the herd
shouting and yelling, and the boys keeping a brisk fire all the while. The
horses were so frightened that they jumped with both front feet together,
and moved off down the ravine pretty rapidly. After running them about a
half mile we ceased our noise, and the ponies slackened. Then we rode
among them and dismounted to cut the hobbles, knowing the necessity of
taking all or run the risk of being overtaken. It was to be quick work, for the
two Indians who woke up were sure to come for the horses as quickly as
possible. We had cut the hobbles of eleven, and had them roped together;
but one pretty dark horse had run off down a gulch. John held the captives
and I ran off to get the other. He was pretty wild, and I followed him about
a quarter of a mile before I could get to him. At length he became quiet, and
going up to him I cut the hobbles, and had just fastened it on his head when
an Indian rushed from behind the bluff at my very side. Seeing me alone, I
suppose he took me to be his comrade; and running up muttering something
in the Kiawa tongue, he sprung upon the pony’s back. This was my
opportunity, and seizing my six-shooter I struck him a furious blow in the
face; and as he fell to the ground I mounted and rode off for John. I do not
suppose the horse was ever backed before; and instead of going toward
John, he went in the other direction full bent. I had a rope through his
mouth; but finding him unmanageable, and not having time to break colts, I
succeeded in checking him; and springing to the ground I shot him through
the body and cut off his artery, and ran off on foot. As I went up the ravine I
saw a person coming down, and springing to one side I crouched behind a
rock. As he went by I saw it was the Indian with his rifle in his hand. He
passed within six feet of me; but I only wanted the ponies, and did not want
to kill an Indian unless it was absolutely necessary for my own safety. After
he had passed I ran on. I soon met Dave and Charles, who having heard the
shot, supposed that I was in trouble and were coming to my assistance. We
all went back to where I left John, but he was gone; and going on, we found
him in camp, with the horses. We then moved out, and never halted until the
sun was darting his bright rays upon us. We had been moving as rapidly and
quietly as possible; but knowing that we would be trailed, we kept a
mounted guard among the hills upon either side of the wagon, to keep from
being surprised by the enemy, who might head us off.
The next evening we came to a trading-post called Alamo, on the Pecos
bank; and about eight o’clock, as we were seated upon a bench in the post,
four cow-boys rode up, and dismounting, walked in to the bar, with the
bells jingling upon their spurs and their six-shooters dangling at their sides.
They set their broad hats back upon their heads, and one big fellow, with his
shirt open and his breast naked, called us all up and we drank together. They
were not satisfied until we had taken several rounds; and though the drinks
were two bits apiece, they were as free as though they were but three cents.
Knowing that it would not do to refuse to drink with cow-boys, when they
ask, we drank with them, but touched it lightly. We talked and laughed
together as though we were old friends; and at length they said they were
out on a horse-hunt. They said that a few days before, as they were camped
upon Salt Lake, fifty miles to the west, some Kiawa Indians had dashed into
their camp, and, killing the cook, ran off twelve good ponies. They
described them and told the brand, and we were sure that we had the
horses. We told them of our capture, and they recognized the ponies at
sight. We told them that we had left two thieves sleeping by a little fire in a
ravine fifty miles below, and had killed one stubborn pony. They said what
we had done was well done; but it must be finished. They said they had
been bothered a great deal with these Kiawa and Comanche devils, who
constantly hung upon their range, shooting down every lone cow-boy and
running off every horse they could get, and they had made up their minds to
give them some of their own medicine. The next morning they rode off,
bright and early, swearing that if they could be found the other two would
be sleeping by the fire that night. They insisted upon our going along; but it
was not our mission to kill Indians, and we refused. We were satisfied that if
the story had been rightly told, our work had been rightly done; and we
moved on up the river.
The country was very rough; but we kept along the river, and in a few
days were in Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, and the terminus of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. The town is located among the hills,
and stage-roads are worn deep in several directions. The old, abandoned
Santa Fe trail, which we had crossed so many times in our hunts, wound
like a serpent down the hill-side into the town. It had been some time since
we had seen frame houses, and they appeared to us as grand as Roman