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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, by 
+William Audley Maxwell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Crossing the Plains, Days of '57
+       A Narrative of Early Emigrant Tavel to California by the Ox-team Method
+
+Author: William Audley Maxwell
+
+Release Date: October 9, 2008 [EBook #26858]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CROSSING THE PLAINS, DAYS OF '57 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this
+text as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant
+spellings and other inconsistencies. Text that has been changed to
+correct an obvious error is noted at the end of this ebook.]
+
+
+
+
+
+           CROSSING THE PLAINS
+
+              DAYS OF '57
+
+
+  A NARRATIVE OF EARLY EMIGRANT TRAVEL
+          TO CALIFORNIA BY THE
+             OX-TEAM METHOD
+
+                  BY
+
+          WM. AUDLEY MAXWELL
+
+
+
+         COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY
+          WM AUDLEY MAXWELL
+
+
+
+       SUNSET PUBLISHING HOUSE
+         SAN FRANCISCO MCMXV
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "They started flight" (See page 119.)]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+
+  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS                                             VI
+
+  FOREWORD                                                         VII
+
+  CHAPTER I. Forsaking the Old, in Quest of the New. First
+           Camp. Fording the Platte                                  1
+
+  CHAPTER II. Laramie Fashions and Sioux Etiquette. A Trophy.
+           Chimney Rock. A Solitary Emigrant. Jests and Jingles     13
+
+  CHAPTER III. Lost in the Black Hills. Devil's Gate. Why a
+           Mountain Sheep Did Not Wink. Green River Ferry           31
+
+  CHAPTER IV. Disquieting Rumors of Redmen. Consolidation for
+           Safety. The Poisonous Humboldt                           49
+
+  CHAPTER V. The Holloway Massacre                                  62
+
+  CHAPTER VI. Origin of "Piker." Before the Era of Canned Good
+           and Kodaks. Morning Routine. Typical Bivouac.
+           Sociability Entrained. The Flooded Camp. Hope Sustains
+           Patience                                                 76
+
+  CHAPTER VII. Tangled by a Tornado. Lost the Pace but Kept the
+           Cow. Human Oddities. Night Guards. Wolf Serenades.
+           Awe of the Wilderness. A Stampede                        97
+
+  CHAPTER VIII. Disaster Overtakes the Wood Family                 116
+
+  CHAPTER IX. Mysterious Visitors. Extra Sentinels. An Anxious
+           Night                                                   123
+
+  CHAPTER X. Challenge to Battle                                   133
+
+  CHAPTER XI. Sagebrush Justice                                    144
+
+  CHAPTER XII. Night Travel. Arid Wastes to Limpid Waters          160
+
+  CHAPTER XIII. Into the Settlements. Halt                         170
+
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+
+  "They started flight"                                   Frontispiece
+
+  "Fording the Platte consumed one entire day"                      11
+
+  "Wo-haw-Buck"                                                     14
+
+  "From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot"                 21
+
+  Chimney Rock                                                      22
+
+  "One melody that he sang from the heart"                          27
+
+  "Hauled the delinquent out"                                       30
+
+  "The wagons were lowered through the crevice"                     38
+
+  Bone-writing                                                      57
+
+  "With hand upraised in supplication, yielded to the impulse
+  to flee"                                                          67
+
+  Jerry Bush, 1914                                                  72
+
+  Nancy Holloway, 1857                                              74
+
+  The Author, twenty years after                                   100
+
+  A Coyote Serenade                                                109
+
+  "Van Diveer's advantage was slight but sufficient"               136
+
+  "A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents"                         146
+
+  "'Stop,' shouted the Judge"                                      156
+
+  "'Melican man dig gold"                                          173
+
+  Pack-mule route to placer diggings                               175
+
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+
+Diligent inquiry has failed to disclose the existence of an authentic
+and comprehensive narrative of a _pioneer_ journey across the plains.
+With the exception of some improbable yarns and disconnected incidents
+relating to the earlier experiences, the subject has been treated
+mainly from the standpoint of people who traveled westward at a time
+when the real hardships and perils of the trip were much less than
+those encountered in the fifties.
+
+A very large proportion of the people now residing in the Far West are
+descendants of emigrants who came by the precarious means afforded by
+ox-team conveyances. For some three-score years the younger
+generations have heard from the lips of their ancestors enough of
+that wonderful pilgrimage to create among them a widespread demand for
+a complete and typical narrative.
+
+This story consists of facts, with the real names of the actors in the
+drama. The events, gay, grave and tragic, are according to indelible
+recollections of eye-witnesses, including those of
+
+
+                                                 THE AUTHOR.
+
+  W. A. M.,
+
+    _Ukiah, California, 1915._
+
+
+
+
+
+CROSSING THE PLAINS
+
+DAYS OF '57
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW. FIRST CAMP. FORDING THE PLATTE.
+
+
+We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857. Our
+objective point was Sonoma County, California.
+
+The company consisted of thirty-seven persons, including several
+families, and some others; the individuals ranging in years from
+middle age to babies: eleven men, ten women and sixteen minors; the
+eldest of the party forty-nine, the most youthful, a boy two months
+old the day we started. Most of these were persons who had resided for
+a time at least not far from the starting point, but not all were
+natives of that section, some having emigrated from Indiana, Kentucky,
+Tennessee and Virginia.
+
+We were outfitted with eight wagons, about thirty yoke of oxen, fifty
+head of extra steers and cows, and ten or twelve saddle ponies and
+mules.
+
+The vehicles were light, well-built farm wagons, arranged and fitted
+for economy of space and weight. Most of the wagons were without
+brakes, seats or springs. The axles were of wood, which, in case of
+their breaking, could be repaired en route. Chains were used for
+deadlocking the wheels while moving down steep places.
+
+No lines or halters of any kind were used on the oxen for guiding
+them, these animals being managed entirely by use of the ox-whip and
+the "ox-word." The whip was a braided leathern lash, six to eight feet
+long, the most approved stock for which was a hickory sapling, as long
+as the lash, and on the extremity of the lash was a strip of
+buckskin, for a "cracker," which, when snapped by a practiced driver,
+produced a sound like the report of a pistol. The purpose of the whip
+was well understood by the trained oxen, and that implement enabled a
+skillful driver to regulate the course of a wagon almost as accurately
+as if the team were of horses, with the reins in the hands of an
+expert jehu.
+
+An emigrant wagon such as described, provided with an oval top cover
+of white ducking, with "flaps" in front and a "puckering-string" at
+the rear, came to be known in those days as a "prairie schooner;" and
+a string of them, drawn out in single file in the daily travel, was a
+"train." Trains following one another along the same new pathway were
+sometimes strung out for hundreds of miles, with spaces of a few
+hundred yards to several miles between, and were many weeks passing a
+given point.
+
+Our commissary wagon was supplied with flour, bacon, coffee, tea,
+sugar, rice, salt, and so forth; rations estimated to last for five or
+six months, if necessary; also medical supplies, and whatever else we
+could carry to meet the probable necessities and the possible
+casualties of the journey; with the view of traveling tediously but
+patiently over a country of roadless plains and mountains, crossing
+deserts and fording rivers; meanwhile cooking, eating and sleeping on
+the ground as we should find it from day to day.
+
+The culinary implements occupied a compartment of their own in a
+wagon, consisting of such kettles, long-handled frying-pans and
+sheet-iron coffee pots as could be used on a camp-fire, with table
+articles almost all of tin. Those who attempted to carry the more
+friable articles, owing to the thumps and falls to which these were
+subjected, found themselves short in supply of utensils long before
+the journey ended. I have seen a man and wife drinking coffee from
+one small tin pan, their china and delftware having been left in
+fragments to decorate the desert wayside.
+
+We had some tents, but they were little used, after we learned how to
+do without them, excepting in cases of inclement weather, of which
+there was very little, especially in the latter part of the trip.
+
+During the great rush of immigration into California subsequent to
+1849, from soon after the discovery of gold until this time, the usual
+date at which the annual emigrants started from the settlement borders
+along the Missouri River was April 15th to May 1st. The Spring of 1857
+was late, and we did not pull out until May 17th, when the prairie
+grass was grown sufficiently to afford feed for the stock, and summer
+weather was assured.
+
+At that time the boundary line between the "States" and the "Plains"
+was the Missouri River. We crossed that river at a point about
+half-way between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs, where the village of
+Brownville was the nucleus of a first settlement of white people on
+the Nebraska side. There the river was a half-mile wide. The crossing
+was effected by means of an old-fashioned ferryboat or scow, propelled
+by a small, stern-wheeled steamer. Two days were consumed in
+transporting our party and equipment across the stream; but one wagon
+and a few of the people and animals being taken at each trip of the
+ferryboat and steamer.
+
+From the landing we passed up the west shore twenty miles, seeing
+occasionally a rude cabin or a foundation of logs, indicating the
+intention of pre-empters. This brought us to the town of Nebraska
+City, then a beginning of a dozen or twenty houses, on the west bank.
+Omaha was not yet on the map; although where that thriving city now
+stands there existed then a settlement of something over one hundred
+persons.
+
+From Nebraska City we bore off northwesterly, separating ourselves
+from civilization, and thereafter saw no more evidence of the white
+man's purpose to occupy the country over which we traveled.
+
+There was before us the sky-bound stretch of undulating prairie,
+spreading far and wide, like a vast field of young, growing grain, its
+monotony relieved only by occasional clumps of small trees, indicating
+the presence of springs or small water-courses.
+
+Other companies or trains, from many parts of the country, especially
+the Middle States, were crossing the Missouri at various points
+between St. Louis and Council Bluffs; most of them converging
+eventually into one general route, as they got out on the journey.
+
+It is perhaps impossible to convey a clear understanding of the
+emotions experienced by one starting on such a trip; leaving friends
+and the familiar surroundings of what had been home, to face a siege
+of travel over thousands of miles of wilderness, so little known and
+fraught with so much of hardship and peril.
+
+The earlier emigrants, gold-hunters, men only--men of such stuff as
+pioneers usually are made of--carried visions of picking up fortunes
+in the California gold mines and soon returning to their former
+haunts. But those who were going now felt that they were burning all
+bridges behind them; that all they had was with them, and they were
+going to stay.
+
+Formerly we had heard that California was good only for its gold
+mines; that it was a country of rocks, crags and deserts; where it
+rained ceaselessly during half of the year and not at all in the other
+half.[1] But later we had been told that in the valleys there was land
+on which crops of wheat could be grown, and that cattle raising was
+good, on the broad acres of wild oats everywhere in the "cow
+counties." It was told us also that there were strips of redwood
+forest along the coast, and these trees, a hundred to several hundred
+feet in height, could be split into boards ten to twenty feet long,
+for building purposes; and that this material was to be had by anybody
+for the taking. Some said that the Spanish padres, at their missions
+in several localities near the Pacific shore, had planted small
+vineyards of what had come to be known as the "Mission" grape, which
+produced enormous crops. Another report told us that other fruits,
+including the orange and lemon varieties, so far as tried, gave
+promise of being valuable products of the valley and foothill soils.
+Such stories gave rise to a malady called "California fever." It was
+contagious, and carried off many people.
+
+Our first camp was on the open prairie, where grass grew about four
+inches high, and a small spring furnished an ample supply of water.
+Firewood we had brought with us for that night. The weather was very
+fine, and all were joyous at the novelty of "camping out."
+
+On or about the eighth day we came to the Platte River; broad, muddy
+stream, at some points a mile or more in width; shallow, but running
+rapidly, between low banks; its many small islands wholly covered by
+growths of cottonwood trees and small willows. From these islands we
+obtained from time to time the fuel needed for the camp, as we took
+our course along the river's southerly shore; and occasionally added
+to the contents of the "grub" wagon by capturing an elk or deer that
+had sought covert in the cool shade of these island groves. Antelope
+also were there, but too wary for our huntsmen.
+
+[Illustration: "Fording the Platte consumed one entire day"]
+
+We forded the Platte at a point something like one hundred and fifty
+miles westward from its confluence with the Missouri. There was no
+road leading into the river, nor any evidence of its having been
+crossed by any one, at that place. We were informed that the bottom
+was of quicksand, and fording, therefore, dangerous. We tested it, by
+riding horses across. Contrary to our expectations, the bottom was
+found to be a surface of smooth sand, packed hard enough to bear up
+the wagons, when the movement was quick and continuous. A cut was made
+in the bank, to form a runway for passage of the wagons to the water's
+edge; and the whole train crossed the stream safely, with no further
+mishap than the wetting of a driver and the dipping of a wagon into a
+place deep enough to let water into the box. Fording the Platte
+consumed one entire day. We camped that night on the north shore.
+
+The train continued along the general course of the river about four
+hundred miles, as far as Fort Laramie, through open country, in which
+there was an abundance of feed for the animals, but where wood for
+fuel was scarce.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] As late as March, 1850, Daniel Webster said in the United States
+Senate: "California is Asiatic in formation and scenery; composed of
+vast mountains of enormous height, with broken ridges and deep
+valleys. The sides of these mountains are barren--entirely
+barren--their tops capped by perennial snow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+LARAMIE FASHIONS AND SIOUX ETIQUETTE. A TROPHY. CHIMNEY ROCK. A
+SOLITARY EMIGRANT. JESTS AND JINGLES
+
+
+The Laramie and Sioux Indians were in those days the lords of that
+portion of the plains over which we traveled during the first several
+weeks.
+
+They were fine specimens of physical manhood. Tall, erect, well
+proportioned, they carried themselves with a distinct air of personal
+importance and dignity. They had not taken to the white man's mode of
+dress. Each had, in addition to his buckskin breeches and moccasins, a
+five-point Mackinaw blanket, these comprising for him a complete suit.
+The blanket he used as an outer garment, when needed, and for his
+cover at night. Many of the more important "big injins" owned also a
+buffalo robe. This was the whole hide of the buffalo, with the hair on
+it, the inner side tanned to a soft, pliable leather, and the
+irregularities of its natural shape neatly cut away. It furnished the
+owner an excellent storm robe, sufficient protection, head to foot,
+in the severest weather.
+
+[Illustration: "Wo-haw-Buck"]
+
+The Indians of these tribes that we met were friendly, even to
+familiarity. One of them would approach an emigrant with a
+"glad-to-meet-you" air, extending a hand in what was intended to be
+"white-man" fashion. But "Mr. Lo" was a novice in the art of
+handshaking, and his awkwardness and mimicking attempts in the effort
+were as amusing to us as satisfactory, apparently, to him. His vocal
+greeting, with slight variation from time to time, was in such
+words--with little regard for their meaning--as he had caught from the
+ox-driving dialect of the passing emigrants: "Wo-haw-buck," "Hello,
+John, got tobac?" If he added "Gimme biskit," and "Pappoose heap
+sick," he had about reached the limit of his English vocabulary.
+
+Large game was common along some parts of the way: buffalo, elk,
+antelope, deer, on the plains and hills; bear, mountain lions,
+wildcats and other species in the mountainous sections. They were shy
+and not easy to take, but we captured a few of some varieties. Some
+members of the party demonstrated that fishing was good in the Rocky
+Mountain streams. Naturally the men were hopeful of securing specimens
+of the larger game, but our lack of experience and scarcity of proper
+equipment for the purpose were against the chance, though not to the
+extent of our entire disappointment.
+
+Only persons of much experience on the plains could form even an
+approximate estimate of the great number of buffaloes sometimes seen
+together. It has been stated that there were herds numbering more than
+fifty thousand. Such an aggregation would consume days in passing a
+given point, and in case of a stampede, all other animals in its path
+were doomed to destruction. A herd of buffaloes quietly grazing was
+sometimes difficult to distinguish, when viewed from a considerable
+distance, from a low forest; their rounded bodies and the neutral tint
+of their shaggy coats giving them the appearance of bushes.
+
+When the train was nearing the fork of the Platte River a herd of
+buffaloes was seen, quietly grazing on the plain, a mile or more to
+the right, beyond a small water-course.
+
+Deciding we would try our prowess, Captain Maxwell and this narrator
+rode to the creek, at a point some distance below the position of the
+herd, where we tied our horses, then crept along, under cover of the
+creek bank, till we had gone as near as possible, without being seen
+by the herd, distant from us not much more than a hundred yards.
+
+Cautiously peering above the edge of the bank, we selected a choice
+buffalo among those nearest us, and both fired. The entire herd
+galloped wildly away, continuing till all passed from view over a
+hill some miles northward. Not one showed sign of having been hit.
+
+As we were about to leave the place, what should we see but a lonely
+buffalo, coming down the slope toward where we were, moving with
+leisurely tread and manner perfectly unconcerned. Notwithstanding our
+recent firing, this animal evidently had no suspicion of our presence.
+We remained and awaited his coming.
+
+He walked a few steps, then browsed a little, as if in no hurry about
+anything. Captain John and I felt our hope rise; we laid our plans and
+waited patiently.
+
+Just where the buffalo trail led down the bank of the creek, there
+were, as in many places near the stream, some scattered cottonwood and
+other trees. One of these that once stood on the brink had fallen till
+its top caught in the fork of another tree, and rested at a gentle
+incline upward from where it had grown. At the roots of this fallen
+tree we concealed ourselves, to wait, hoping that the big animal would
+come down to the water, but a few yards from us; for we guessed that
+he was one that had not yet had his drink from the brook that day, and
+was determined not to leave until he slaked his thirst.
+
+It was an anxious while of waiting, but not long. I was fearful that
+my hard-thumping heart-beats would be audible and frighten him away.
+Could it be true that I had an attack of "buck-ague"? Perish the
+thought.
+
+Finally his bovine majesty came lazily over the top of the bank, with
+a heavy, slow motion; grunting and puffing, as if he were almost too
+heavy for his legs. When he got to the bottom of the bank and was
+about to drink, Captain John whispered our agreed signal: "One, two,
+three;" we fired, simultaneously, and repeated. The big fellow stood
+still for a moment after the shots and looked about, with a slow
+movement and stolid gaze, turning his head questioningly from side to
+side, as if he would say, "I thought I heard something pop."
+
+Somehow we knew we had hit him, and we wondered why he did not fall.
+His little, black eyes rolled and glinted under his shaggy foretop.
+Then he seemed to swell; crouching slightly, as does a beast of prey
+when about to spring; lowered his head, pawed the earth and shook his
+mane. His whole body became vibrant with the obvious desire to
+fight,--and no antagonist in sight. Uttering a tremendous grunt, he
+arched his back again, stamping with all four feet, somewhat like the
+capers of a Mexican "broncho" when preparing to buck"; then he snorted
+once more, with such explosive force as seemed to shake the tree
+beside which we were hidden, as he looked about for something to pitch
+into.
+
+[Illustration: "From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot"]
+
+By this time we thought we understood why a kind Providence had
+caused that cottonwood tree to lodge at such an angle that a buffalo
+could not climb it, but we could--and we did. Getting ourselves safely
+into the fork of the tree, we continued to shoot from our coign of
+vantage till the big fellow dropped. When he ceased to kick or give
+any sign of belligerency, we came down and approached him, carefully.
+Then we dressed him, or as much of him as we could carry in two bags
+that we had strapped behind our saddles, and rejoined the train after
+our people had gone into camp for the night.
+
+[Illustration: Chimney Rock]
+
+We had our first buffalo steak for supper that night. We also had the
+satisfaction of observing signs of jealousy on the part of the other
+men who had never killed a buffalo.
+
+One of the first natural curiosities we saw was Chimney Rock; a
+vertical column of sandstone something like forty feet high, with a
+rugged stone bluff rising abruptly near it. Its appearance, from our
+distant view, resembled a stone chimney from which the building had
+been burned away, as it stood, solitary on the flat earth at the south
+side of the Platte River, we traveling up the north shore. Such a
+time-chiseled monument was a novelty to us then. To the early
+emigrants it was the first notable landmark.
+
+While some distance farther west, as we scaled the higher slopes, we
+could see to the southward the snow-capped peaks of that region which
+long afterward was taken from western Nebraska to become the Territory
+of Colorado, and later still, the State of that name. Looking over and
+past the locality where, more than a year thereafter, the town of
+Denver was laid out, we saw, during several weeks, the summit of
+Pike's Peak, hundreds of miles away.
+
+One evening when we were going into camp we were overtaken by a man
+trundling a push-cart. This vehicle had between its wheels a box
+containing the man's supplies of food and camp articles, with the
+blankets, which were in a roll, placed on top; all strapped down under
+an oilcloth cover.
+
+With this simple outfit, pushed in front of him, this man was making
+his way from one of the Eastern States to California, a distance of
+more than three thousand miles. He was of medium size, athletic
+appearance, with a cheerful face. He visited us overnight. The next
+morning he was invited to tie his cart behind one of our wagons and
+ride with us. He replied that he would be pleased to do so, but was
+anxious to make all possible speed, and felt that he could not wait on
+the progress of our train, which was somewhat slower than the pace he
+maintained. It was said that he was the first man who made the entire
+trip on foot and alone, from coast to coast, as we were afterwards
+informed he succeeded in doing.
+
+From time to time the tedium was dispelled by varied incidents; many
+that were entertaining and instructive, some ludicrous, some pathetic,
+and others profoundly tragic. Agreeable happenings predominated
+largely during the early stages, and those involving difficulties and
+of grave import were mainly a part of our experiences toward the close
+of the long pilgrimage. Such an order of events might be presumed as a
+natural sequence, as the route led first over a territory not
+generally difficult to travel, but farther and farther from
+established civilization, into rougher lands, and toward those regions
+where outlawry, common to all pioneer conditions, was prevalent.
+
+With our company were four or five boys and young men, eighteen to
+twenty-one years of age, also a kindly and unpretentious but droll
+young fellow, named John C. Aston, whose age was about twenty-five.
+This younger element was responsible for most of the occurrences of
+lighter vein, which became a feature of our daily progress.
+
+Aston's intimate friends called him "Jack," and some of the more
+facetious ones shortened the cognomen "Jack Aston" by dropping the
+"ton," inconsiderately declaring that the briefer appellation fitted
+the man, even better than did his coat, which always was loose about
+the shoulders and too long in the sleeves. But all knew "Jack" to be
+an excellent fellow. His principal fault, if it could be so termed,
+was a superabundance of good-nature, a willingness at all times to
+joke and be joked. He had a fund of stories--in some of which he
+pictured himself the hero--with which he was wont to relieve the
+tedium of the evening hours. A violin was among his effects, which he
+played to accompany his singing of entertaining countryside songs.
+Most of these were melodious, and highly descriptive. "Jack" had much
+music in his soul, and sang with good effect.
+
+[Illustration: "One melody that he sang from the heart"]
+
+There was one melody that he sang oftenest, and sang from the
+heart--one that was rendered nightly, regardless of any variation in
+the program; a composition that embraced seventeen verses, each
+followed by a soothing lullaby refrain; a song which, every time he
+sang it, carried "Jack" again to his old home in the Sunny South, and
+seemed to give him surcease from all the ills of life. Of that song a
+single verse is here reproduced, with deep regret that the other
+sixteen are lost, with all except a small fraction of the tune. Yet,
+cold, inanimate music notes on the paper would convey, to one who
+never heard him sing them, only the skeleton; the life, sympathy and
+soul of the song would be lacking. We needed no other soporific. Here
+it is:
+
+
+    Oh, the days of bygone joys,
+      They never will come back to me;
+    When I was with the girls and boys,
+      A-courting, down in Tennessee.
+        Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee--
+      Courting, down in Tennessee.
+
+
+It was "Jack's" habit to allow his head to hang to the left, due,
+presumably, to much practice in holding down the large end of his
+violin with his chin. He was prone to sleep a great deal, and even as
+he sat in the driver's seat of a "prairie-schoner," or astride a mule,
+the attitude described often resulted in his being accused of napping
+while on duty. The climatic conditions peculiar to the plains, and the
+slow, steady movement of the conveyances, were conducive to
+drowsiness, in consequence of which everybody was all the time sleepy.
+But "Jack" was born that way, and the very frequent evidences of it in
+his case led to a general understanding that, whenever he was not in
+sight, he was hidden away somewhere asleep.
+
+"Jack's" amiability, too, was a permanent condition. Apparently no one
+could make him angry or resentful. For this reason, he was the target
+for many pranks perpetrated by the boys. Like this:
+
+One evening "Jack" took his blanket and located for the night at a
+spot apart from the others of the company, under a convenient sage
+bush. The next morning he was overlooked until after breakfast. When
+the time came for hitching the teams, he was not at his post. A
+search finally revealed him, still rolled in his bedding, fast asleep.
+When several calls failed to arouse him, one of the boys tied an end
+of a rope around "Jack's" feet, hitched a pair of oxen to the other
+end, and hauled the delinquent out some distance on the sand. "Jack"
+sat up, unconcernedly rubbed his eyes, then began untying the rope
+that bound his feet, his only comment being--
+
+
+    "Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee;
+    Courting, down in Tennessee."
+
+
+[Illustration: "Hauled the delinquent out"]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+LOST IN THE BLACK HILLS. DEVIL'S GATE. WHY A MOUNTAIN SHEEP DID NOT
+WINK. GREEN RIVER FERRY.
+
+
+At Fort Laramie we left the Platte River, and, bearing northwesterly,
+entered the Black Hills, a region of low, rolling uplands, sparsely
+grown with scrubby pine trees; the soil black, very dry; where little
+animal life was visible, excepting prairie dogs.
+
+There may be readers who, at the mention of prairie dogs, see mentally
+a wolf or other specimen of the _genus canis_, of ordinary kind and
+size. The prairie dog, however, is not of the dog species. It bears
+some resemblance to a squirrel and a rat, but is larger than either.
+It may be likened to the canine only in that it barks, somewhat as do
+small dogs. Prairie dogs live in holes, dug by themselves. Twenty to
+fifty of these holes may be seen within a radius of a few yards, and
+such communities are known to plains people as "towns." On the
+approach of anything they fear the little fellows sit erect, look
+defiant and chatter saucily. If the intruder comes too near, the
+commanding individual of the group, the mayor of the town, so to
+speak, gives an alarm, plainly interpreted as, "Beware; make safe;
+each man for himself;" and instantly each one turns an exquisite
+somersault and disappears, as he drops, head downward, into the hole
+beside him.
+
+John L. Maxwell had made the trip over the plains from the Missouri
+River to California in 1854, returning, via Panama, in 1856, to take
+his family to the West, accompanying the train of his elder brother,
+Dr. Kennedy Maxwell. He was of great service to us now, by reason of
+his experience and consequent knowledge of the country traversed. He
+was therefore elected to act as pilot of the company, with the title
+"Captain John," which clung to him for many years.
+
+The emigrant trail in some parts of the way was well marked. In other
+places there was none, and we had to find our way as best we could,
+not always without difficulty. Often Captain John and others would
+ride ahead of the train a considerable distance, select routes for
+passage through places where travel was hard or risky, choose
+camp-sites, and, returning, pilot the train accordingly.
+
+At various times, despite every care in selecting the route, the train
+went on a wrong course, and at least once was completely astray. This
+was one morning as the company was passing out of the Black Hills
+country. Information had been received that at this place a short-cut
+could be made which would save fifteen or twenty miles. There were no
+marks on the ground indicating that any train ahead had gone that way,
+but the leaders decided to try it. This venture led the company into a
+situation not unlike the proverbial "jumping-off place."
+
+Directly in our course was a declivity which dropped an estimated
+depth of sixty to one hundred feet below the narrow, stony flat on
+which we stood, down into a depressed valley. Abrupt ridges of broken
+stone formation were on our right and left, inclosing us in a small
+space of barren, waste earth. The elements had crumbled the rocks down
+for ages, until what perhaps had been once a deep canyon was now a
+narrow flat, a mass of debris, terminating at the top of the steep,
+ragged cliff that pitched downward before us. The high, rocky ridges
+on both sides were wholly impassable, at least for the teams. A search
+finally disclosed, at the base of the ridge on our right, a single
+possible passage. It was narrow, slightly wider than a wagon, and led
+downward at a steep incline, into the valley below, with rocks
+protruding from both its side walls, its bottom strewn with stones
+such as our vehicles could not pass over in an ordinary way.
+
+We were confronted with the problem how to get the wagons down that
+yawning fissure; the alternative being to retrace our steps many
+miles.
+
+At the bottom of this cliff or wall that barred our way could be seen
+a beautiful valley, stretching far and wide away to the northwest; a
+scene of enchanting loveliness, a refreshing contrast to the dry and
+nearly barren hills over which we had traveled during the many days
+last past. A short distance from the foot of the wall was a small
+stream of clear water, running over the meadow-flat. Rich pasture
+extended along the line of trees that marked the serpentine course of
+the brook which zigzagged its way toward the southwest. Every man,
+woman and child of our company expressed in some way the declaration,
+"We _must_ get into that beautiful oasis." It looked like field, park
+and orchard, in one landscape; all fenced off from the desolate
+surroundings by this wall of stone. Like Moses viewing Canaan from
+Nebo's top, we looked down and yearned to be amidst its freshness.
+
+It was not decreed that we should not enter in. A little distance to
+the south, near the other ridge, we discovered another opening,
+through which the animals could be driven down, but through which the
+wagons could not pass. This was a narrow, crooked ravine, and very
+steep; running diagonally down through the cliff; a sort of dry
+water-way, entirely bridged over in one part by an arch of stone,
+making it there a natural tunnel or open-ended cave; terminating at
+the base of the cliff in an immense doorway, opening into the valley.
+
+The teams were unhitched from the wagons, the yokes taken off the
+oxen, and all the cattle, horses and mules were driven through the
+inclined tunnel into the coveted valley. The women and children
+clambered down, taking with them what they could of the camp things,
+for immediate use, and soon were quite "at home" in the valley, making
+free use of the little creek, for whatever purposes a little creek of
+pure, cold, fresh water is good, for a lot of thirsty, dust-covered
+wayfarers.
+
+The puzzle of getting the wagons down next engrossed the attention of
+our best engineers. The proposition to unpack the lading, take the
+wagons apart, and carry all down by hand, appeared for a time to be
+the only feasible plan. Captain John, however, suggested procuring
+rope or chain about one hundred feet in length, for use in lowering
+the wagons, one at a time, through the first-mentioned passage.
+Sufficient rope was brought, one end fastened to the rear axle of a
+wagon, the other end turned around a dwarf pine tree at the top of the
+bluff; two men managed the rope, preventing too rapid descent at the
+steeper places, while others guided the wheels over the stones, and
+the wagon was lowered through the crevice, with little damage. Thus,
+one by one, all the wagons were taken into the valley before the sun
+set.
+
+[Illustration: "The wagons were lowered through the crevice"]
+
+It was a happy camp we had that night; though every man was tired.
+There was wood for fire, and a supply of good water and pasture
+sufficient for dozens of camps. Some one ventured the opinion that the
+Mormon pioneers had overlooked that spot when seeking a new location
+for Zion.
+
+Except that it was very pleasant to inhabit, we knew little of the
+place we had ventured into, or its location. How we were to get out
+did not appear, nor for the time being did this greatly concern us;
+and soon after supper the camp was wrapped in slumber, undisturbed by
+any coyote duet, or, on this occasion, even the twitter of a night
+bird.
+
+We did not hurry the next morning, the inclination being to linger
+awhile in the shady grove by the brookside. With a late start, the
+day's travel took us some twelve miles, through and out of the
+valley, to a point where we made the best of a poor camping place, on
+a rough, rocky hillside. The following day there was no road to
+follow, nor even a buffalo trail or bear path; but by evening we
+somehow found our way back into the course usually followed by
+emigrants, not knowing whether the recent detour had lessened or
+increased the miles of travel, but delighted with the comfort and
+diversion afforded by the side-ride. Thinking that others, seeing our
+tracks, might be led into similar difficulties, and be less fortunate
+perhaps in overcoming them, two of our young men rode back to the
+place of divergence, and erected a notice to all comers, advising them
+to "Keep to the right."
+
+Another freak of Nature in which we were much interested was the
+"Devil's Gate," or "Independence Rock," where we first came to the
+Sweetwater River, in Wyoming. This is a granite ridge, some two
+hundred feet in length, irregular in formation and height, resembling
+a huge molehill, extending down from the Rocky Mountain heights and
+being across the river's course; the "Gate" being a vertical section,
+the width of the stream, cut out of a spur of Rattlesnake Mountain. If
+his Satanic majesty, whose name it bears, had charge of the
+construction, apparently he intended it only as a passage-way for the
+river, the cut being the exact width of the river as it flows through.
+The greater part of the two walls stand two hundred and fifty feet
+high, above the river level, perpendicular to the earth's plane,
+facing each other, the river between them at the base. Many names had
+been cut in the surface of the rock, by passing emigrants.
+
+We stopped for half a day to view this extraordinary scene. Some of
+the boys went to the apex, to see if the downward view made the rock
+walls appear as high as did the upward view: and naturally they found
+the distance viewed downward seemed much greater. Our intention was to
+stand on the brink and experience the sensation of looking down from
+that great height at the river. The face of the wall where it
+terminates at the top forms an almost square corner, as if hewn stone.
+A few bushes grew a short distance from the edge, and as we approached
+the brink there was a sense of greater safety in holding onto these
+bushes. But while holding on we could not see quite over to the water
+below. We formed a chain of three persons, by joining hands, one
+grasping a large bush, that the outer man might look over the edge--if
+he would. But he felt shaky. He was not quite sure that the bush would
+not pull up by the roots, or one of the other fellows let go. For
+sometime no one was willing to make a real effort to look over the
+edge, but finally "Jack" said he would save the party's reputation
+for bravery, by assuming the role of end-man. He made several bold
+approaches toward the edge, but each time recoiled, and soon admitted
+defeat. "Boys," said he, "I'm dizzy. I know that 'distance lends
+enchantment'; I'll get back farther, take the best view I can get, and
+preserve the enchantment." To cover his discomfiture, he started for
+camp, whistling:
+
+
+    "Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee."
+
+
+The next excursion off the route in search of novelty was on a clear
+afternoon a few days after passing the "Devil's Gate," when three
+young fellows decided to take a tramp to the rock ridge lying to our
+right. We hoped to find some mountain sheep. From the Sweetwater River
+to the ridge was apparently half a mile, across a grassy flat. We knew
+that the rare atmosphere of that high altitude often made distances
+deceiving, and determined to make due allowances. Having crossed the
+river and being ready for a sprint, each made a guess of the distance
+to the foot of the rock ridge. The estimates varied from two hundred
+yards to three hundred. Off we went, counting paces. At the end of
+three hundred we appeared to be no nearer the goal than when we
+started. The guesses were repeated, and when we were about completing
+the second course of stepping, making nearly six hundred yards in all,
+one of the boys espied a mountain sheep on the top of the ridge,
+keeping lookout, probably, for the benefit of his fellows, feeding on
+the other side, as is the habit of these wary creatures.
+
+With head and great horns clearly outlined on the background of blue
+sky, he was a tempting target. Without a word, the three of us leveled
+guns and fired. Mr. Mountain Sheep stood perfectly still, looking down
+at us. We could not see so much as the winking of an eye. Making ready
+for another volley, we thought best to get nearer; but as we started
+the head and horns and sheep disappeared behind the top of the ridge.
+Further stepping proved that we had shot at the animal from a distance
+of at least half a mile. Our guns were good for a range of two hundred
+yards, at most.
+
+Much of the time, especially while in the higher mountains, we were in
+possession of little knowledge of our position. There were no marks
+that we observed to indicate geographical divisions, and we had no
+means for determining many exact locations, though some important
+rivers and prominent mountain peaks and ridges were identified. We
+knew little, if anything, then of territorial boundaries, and thought
+of the country traversed as being so remote from centers of
+civilization--at that time but little explored, even--that we could
+not conceive any object in attempting to determine our location with
+reference to geographical lines; nor could we have done so except on
+rare occasions. Our chief concern was to know that we were on the best
+route to California.
+
+We crossed the summit of the Rocky Mountains by the South Pass. Though
+it was July, the jagged peaks of the Wind River Mountains bore a thick
+blanket of snow. Sometime after leaving the "Devil's Gate" we passed
+Pacific Springs. There we gained first knowledge that we had passed
+the summit, on observing that the streams flowed westerly. Patient
+plodding had now taken us a distance of actual travel amounting to
+much more than one thousand miles and, from time to time, into very
+high altitudes. About four miles west of Pacific Springs we passed the
+junction of the California and Oregon trails, at the Big Bend of the
+Bear River.
+
+Green River, where we first came to it, was in a level bit of country.
+There this stream was about sixty yards wide; the water clear and
+deep, flowing in a gentle current. For the accommodation of emigrants,
+three men were there, operating a ferry. Whence they came I do not
+remember, if they told us. We saw no signs of a habitation in which
+they might have lived. The ferrying was done with what was really a
+raft of logs, rather than a boat. It was sustained against the current
+by means of a tackle attached to a block, rove on a large rope that
+was drawn taut, from bank to bank, and was propelled by a windlass on
+each bank. When a wagon had been taken aboard this cable ferry, the
+windlass on the farther side was turned by one of the men, drawing the
+raft across. After unloading, the raft was drawn back, by operation of
+the windlass on the opposite shore, where it took on another load. The
+third man acted as conductor, collecting a toll of three dollars per
+wagon. All the horses, mules and cattle were driven into the river,
+and swam across.
+
+The company passed along the shore of the Green River, down the Big
+Sandy River and Slate Creek, over Bear River Divide, then
+southwestward into Utah Territory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+DISQUIETING RUMORS OF REDMEN. CONSOLIDATION FOR SAFETY. THE POISONOUS
+HUMBOLDT.
+
+
+Soon after passing the summit of the Rocky Mountains there were rumors
+of a hostile attitude toward emigrants on the part of certain Indian
+tribes farther west. For a time such information seemed vague as to
+origin and reliability, but in time the rumors became persistent, and
+there developed a feeling of much concern, first for the safety of our
+stock, later for our own protection.
+
+Measures of precaution were discussed. Men of our train visited those
+of others, ahead and behind us, and exchanged views regarding the
+probability of danger and the best means for protection and defense.
+We were forced to the conclusion that the situation was grave; and
+the interests of the several trains were mutual. As the members of the
+different parties, most of whom previously had been strangers to one
+another, met and talked of the peril which all believed to be
+imminent, they became as brothers; and mutual protection was the theme
+that came up oftenest and was listened to with the most absorbing
+interest.
+
+By the time we had crossed the Green River these consultations had
+matured into a plan for consolidation of trains, for greater
+concentration of strength. A. J. Drennan's company of four or five
+wagons, immediately ahead of us, and the Dr. Kidd train, of three
+wagons, next behind us, closed up the space between, and all three
+traveled as one train. Thus combined, a considerable number of
+able-bodied men were brought together, making a rather formidable
+array for an ordinary band of Indians to attack. Every man primed his
+gun and thenceforth took care to see that his powder was dry.
+
+Still the youthful element occasionally managed to extract some humor
+out of the very circumstances which the older and more serious members
+held to be grounds for forebodings of evil. One morning after we had
+left camp, a favorite cow was missing from the drove. "Jack" Aston and
+Major Crewdson, both young fellows, rode back in search of the stray.
+From a little hill-top they saw, in a ravine below, some half dozen
+Indians busily engaged in skinning the cow. "Jack" and the Major
+returned and merely reported what they had seen. They were asked why
+they had not demanded of those "rascally" Indians that they explain
+why they were skinning a cow that did not belong to them. "Jack"
+promptly answered that, as for himself, he had never been introduced
+to this particular party of Indians, and was not on speaking terms
+with them; furthermore, neither he nor the Major had sufficient
+knowledge of the Indian language properly to discuss the matter with
+them.
+
+The route pursued led to the north of Great Salt Lake, thence
+northwesterly. Our line of travel did not therefore bring us within
+view of the Mormon settlements which had already been established at
+the southerly end of the great inland sea.
+
+We camped one night approximately where the city of Ogden now stands,
+then a desolate expanse of sand-dunes. A group of our men sat around
+the camp-fire that evening, discussing the probability of a railroad
+ever being constructed over the route we were traveling. All of them
+were natives or recent residents of the Middle West, and it is
+probable that not one had ever seen a railroad. The unanimous opinion
+was that such a project as the building of a railroad through
+territory like that over which we had thus far traveled would be a
+task so stupendous as to baffle all human ingenuity and skill. Yet,
+some twelve years later, the ceremony of driving the famous "last
+spike," completing the railroad connection between the Atlantic and
+Pacific, was performed on a sand flat very near the spot where we
+camped that night. The intervening period saw the establishment of the
+"pony express," which greatly facilitated the mail service
+(incidentally reducing letter postage to Pacific Coast points from
+twenty-five to ten cents). That service continued from the early
+sixties until through railroad connection was made.
+
+After the consolidation of trains as described, our next neighbor to
+the rear was Smith Holloway, whose "outfit" consisted of three wagons,
+with a complement of yokewise oxen and some horses and mules; also a
+large drove of stock cattle, intended for the market in California,
+where it was known they would be salable at high prices. He had with
+him his wife, a little daughter, and Jerry Bush, Mrs. Holloway's
+brother, a young man of twenty-one years; also two hired men, Joe
+Blevens and Bird Lawles. Holloway kept his party some distance behind
+us, he having declined to join the consolidation of trains in order to
+avoid the inconvenience that the mingling of his stock with ours would
+entail, with reference to pasture, and camping facilities.
+
+A mile or two behind Holloway were the trains of Captain Rountree, the
+Giles company, Simpson Fennell, Mr. Russell, and others, equipped with
+several wagons each, and accompanied by some loose stock.
+
+All these were traveling along, a sort of moving neighborhood;
+incidentally getting acquainted with one another, visiting on the road
+by day and in the camp at evening time; talking of the journey, of
+the country for which we were en route, and our hopes of prosperity
+and happiness in the new El Dorado--but most of all, just then, of the
+probable danger of attack by savage tribes.
+
+More than ever rumors of impending trouble were flying from train to
+train. Some of these were to the effect that white bandits were in
+league with Indians in robbing and murdering emigrants. The well-known
+treachery of the savages, and the stories we heard of emigrants having
+been slaughtered also by whites--the real facts of which we knew
+little of--were quite enough to beget fear and suggest the need of
+plans for the best possible resistance.
+
+Up to this time there was frequent communication between trains, a
+considerable distance ahead and behind. As at home, neighbor would
+visit neighbor, and discuss the topics of the day; so, from time to
+time we met persons in other trains who gave out information obtained
+before leaving home, or from mountaineers, trappers or explorers,
+occasionally met while we were yet on the eastern slope of the
+Rockies; men who were familiar with Indian dialects and at peace with
+the tribes, enabling them to learn much that was of importance to the
+emigrants.
+
+Dissemination of news among the people of the various trains near us
+was accomplished not only during visits by members of one train to
+those of another, but sometimes by other methods. One of these, which
+was frequently employed in communicating generally or in signaling
+individuals known to be somewhere in the line behind us, was by a
+system of "_bone-writing_."
+
+[Illustration: Bone-writing]
+
+There were along the line of travel many bare, bleached bones of
+animals that had died in previous years, many of them doubtless the
+animals of earlier emigrants. Some of these, as for example, the
+frontal or the jaw-bone, whitened by the elements, and having some
+plain, smooth surface, were excellent tablets for pencil writing. An
+emigrant desiring to communicate with another, or with a company, to
+the rear, would write the message on one of these bones and place the
+relic on a heap of stones by the roadside, or suspend it in the
+branches of a sage bush, so conspicuously displayed that all coming
+after would see it and read. Those for general information, intended
+for all comers, were allowed to remain; others, after being read by
+the person addressed, were usually removed. Sometimes when passing
+such messages, placed by those ahead of us, we added postscripts to
+the bulletins, giving names and dates, for the edification of whomever
+might care to read them. It was in this way that some of the
+developments regarding the Indian situation were made known by one
+train to another.
+
+Thus we progressed, counting off the average of about eighteen miles a
+day from the long part of the journey that still lay before us, when
+we reached Thousand Springs, adjacent to the present boundary line
+between Utah and Nevada. This, we were told, was the source of the
+Humboldt River. We were told, too, that the four hundred miles down
+the course of that peculiar stream--which we could not hope to
+traverse in much less than one month--we would find to be the most
+desert-like portion of the entire trip, the most disagreeable and
+arduous, for man and beast. Such was to be expected by reason of the
+character of that region and the greater danger there of Indian
+depredations; also because the passage through that section was to be
+undertaken after our teams had become greatly worn, therefore more
+likely to fail under hard conditions. Furthermore, scarcity of feed
+for the stock was predicted, and, along much of the way, uncertainty
+as to water supply, other than that from the Humboldt River, which
+was, especially at that time of the year, so strongly impregnated with
+alkali as to be dangerous to life.
+
+Nearly all the face of the country was covered with alkali dust,
+which, in a light, pulverulent state, rose and filled the air at the
+slightest breeze or other disturbance. It was impossible to avoid
+inhaling this powder to some extent, and it created intense thirst,
+tending toward exhaustion and great suffering. We knew that sometimes
+delirium was induced by this cause, and even death resulted from it in
+cases of very long exposure under the worst conditions.
+
+Sometimes for miles the only vegetable growth we found along the river
+was a string of willow bushes, fringing its course, and scattered,
+stunted sagebrush, growing feebly in gravel and dry sand, the leaves
+of which were partly withered and of a pale, ashy tint. Feed for the
+animals was very scarce. It was not possible, over much of the way, to
+get sufficient fresh water for the stock, therefore difficult to
+restrain them from drinking the river water. Some did drink from that
+stream, despite all efforts to prevent it, the result being that many
+of them died while we made our way along the sluggish Humboldt.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE HOLLOWAY MASSACRE.
+
+
+It was decided that while in this region we would, whenever possible,
+make our camp some distance from the river, in order that the stock
+might be prevented from drinking the dangerous river water, also for
+the reason that the clumps of willows by the stream could be used as a
+cover by Indians bent on mischief: and they, we now believed, were
+watching for a favorable opportunity to surprise us.
+
+It transpired that the Holloway party neglected this precaution, at
+least on one occasion, sometime after passing the head of the Humboldt
+River. Their train was next behind ours when, on the evening of August
+13th, after rounding up their stock for the night, a short distance
+from the wagons, they stopped near the willows by the river and made
+what proved to be their last camp.
+
+Behind them, but not within sight, were several emigrant camps at
+points varying from a few rods to half a mile apart.
+
+The Holloway party retired as usual for the night; Mr. and Mrs.
+Holloway and their child, a girl of two years, in a small tent near
+the wagons; Jerry Bush, Mrs. Holloway's brother, and one of the hired
+men, Joe Blevens, in their blankets on the ground; while Bird Lawles,
+the other hired man, being ill with a fever, slept in a wagon.
+
+There were others with this party that night; Mr. and Mrs. Callum, Mr.
+Hattlebaugh, and a man whose name is now unknown. These four had been
+traveling near the Holloway party, and joined it for camping on that
+occasion.
+
+The following morning Mr. Holloway was the first to arise. While
+making the camp-fire, he called to the others to get up, saying
+cheerfully:
+
+"Well, we've got through one more night without a call from the
+Redskins."
+
+"Bang, bang," rang out a volley of rifle shots, fired from the willows
+along the river, less than a hundred yards away.
+
+Mr. Holloway fell, fatally shot, and died without a word or a
+struggle. As other members of the emigrant party sprang to their feet
+and came within view of the assailants, the firing continued, killing
+Joe Blevens, Mrs. Callum, and the man whose name is not recalled;
+while Bird Lawles, being discovered on his sick bed in a wagon, was
+instantly put to death.
+
+Meanwhile Jerry Bush grasped his rifle and joined battle against the
+assassins. Thus far the savages remained hidden in the bushes, and
+Jerry's shots were fired merely at places where he saw the tall weeds
+and willows shaken by the motions of the Indians, therefore he has
+never known whether his bullets struck one of the enemy.
+
+While thus fighting alone, for his life and that of his people, he
+received a gunshot in his side and fell. Knowing that he was unable to
+continue the fight, and, though doubting that he could rise, he
+endeavored to shield himself from the bullets and arrows of the Indian
+band. He succeeded in dragging himself to the river bank, when,
+seizing a willow branch, he lowered himself to the foot of the steep
+cliff, some ten feet, reaching the water's edge. He then attempted to
+swim to the opposite shore. The effort caused him to lose his gun, in
+deep water. Owing to weakness due to his wound, he was unable to cross
+the stream.
+
+Jerry Bush's parting view of the camp had revealed the apparent
+destruction of his entire party, except himself. Observing the body of
+at least one woman, among the victims on the ground, he believed that
+his sister also had been slain.
+
+But Mrs. Holloway and the little girl were still in the tent, for the
+time unhurt, and just awakened from their morning slumber. Having
+realized that the camp was being attacked, Mrs. Holloway emerged from
+the tent to find no living member of her party in sight, other than
+herself and her child. For a moment she was partially shielded by the
+wagons. The first object that drew her attention was her husband's
+form, lying still in death, near the fire he had just kindled. Next
+beyond was the dead body of Blevens, and a little farther away were
+the remains of the others who had been slain. Her brother she did not
+see, but supposed he had met the same fate as the others whom she saw
+on the ground. Jerry was an experienced hunter; she knew that he
+always owned a fine gun, and had full confidence that, if he were
+alive and not disabled, he would defend his people to the last.
+
+[Illustration: "With hand upraised, in supplication, yielded to the
+impulse to flee"]
+
+She saw some of the Indians coming from their ambush by the river.
+They approached for a time with caution, looking furtively about, as
+if to be sure there was no man left to defend the camp. As they drew
+nearer Mrs. Holloway realized that she and her child were facing an
+awful fate--death or captivity. On came the savages, now more boldly,
+and in greater numbers.
+
+The terrified woman, clothed only in her night robe, barefooted; not
+knowing whether to take flight or stand and plead for mercy; with the
+child on one arm, one hand raised in supplication, yielded finally to
+the impulse to flee. As she started the attacking band resumed firing;
+she was struck, by arrows and at least one bullet, and dropped
+headlong to the ground.
+
+Though conscious, she remained motionless, in the hope that, by
+feigning death she might escape further wounds and torture. But the
+Indians came, and taking the arrows from her body, punctured her flesh
+with the jagged instruments, as a test whether physical sensation
+would disclose a sign of life remaining. She lay with eyes closed; not
+a muscle twitched nor a finger moved, while those demons proceeded, in
+no delicate manner, to cut the skin around the head at the edge of the
+hair, then tear the scalp from the skull, leaving the bare and
+bleeding head on the ground.
+
+Horrible as all this was, it did not prove to be the last nor the most
+revolting exhibition of wanton lust for blood.
+
+The little girl, who it is hoped had been rendered insensible at sight
+of the cruelties perpetrated upon her mother, was taken by the feet
+and her brains dashed out on the wheels of a wagon. To this last act
+in the fiendish drama there was probably no witness other than the
+actors in it; but the child's body, mangled too terribly for
+description, and the bloody marks on the wagon, gave evidence so
+convincing that there could not be a moment's doubt of what had
+occurred.
+
+The marauders now began a general looting of the wagons. Some of their
+number were rounding up the stock, preparing to drive the cattle away,
+when the trains of emigrants next in the rear appeared, less than half
+a mile distant. This caused the Indian band to retreat. They crossed
+the river, and then placing themselves behind the willows, hurried
+away, making their escape into the mountain fastnesses. Owing to their
+precipitous departure, much of the plunder they were preparing to take
+was left behind them. Among the articles thus dropped by them was the
+scalp of Mrs. Holloway, and the rescuing party found and took
+possession of it.
+
+Those emigrants who first came upon the scene found Mrs. Holloway
+apparently dead; but, on taking her up, they saw that she was alive.
+Though returning to semi-consciousness some time later, her condition
+was such that she was unable to tell the story then; but there were
+evidences showing plainer than words could have told of the awful
+events of that morning, which had converted the quiet camp of this
+happy, hopeful company into a scene of death and destruction.
+
+Before noon a large number of people of the great emigrant procession
+had arrived. They united in giving to the dead the best interment that
+the circumstances permitted. Then the broken and scattered effects of
+the Holloway company were gathered up, and the now mournful trains
+took position in the line of pilgrimage and again moved forward
+towards the Pacific.
+
+Mr. Fennell, aided by Captain Rountree's company and others, attempted
+to save such of the Holloway property as had not been carried off or
+destroyed. They were successful in recovering about one hundred of the
+one hundred and fifty head of stock which the Indians had endeavored
+to drive away. Two mules that were being led off by ropes broke away
+from the savage band and returned, but the emigrants did not recover
+any of the stolen horses.
+
+Jerry Bush found his way back to the scene. His injury, though
+apparently of a dangerous character, did not delay the relief parties
+more than a day after the attack, and the wound healed within a few
+weeks. It was reported that Callum and Hattlebaugh had escaped, but
+their further whereabouts was not known.
+
+Captain Rountree took charge of Mrs. Holloway and her brother and
+brought them, with such of their stock and other belongings as
+remained, to The Meadows, on the Feather River. After partially
+recuperating there, an uncle, Mr. Perry Durban, came to their aid, and
+they were taken to Suisun. After full recovery from his wound, Jerry
+Bush located in Ukiah, and resided there some years. He still
+survives, now a resident of Hulett, Wyoming, at the ripe age of eighty
+years.
+
+The slaughter of the Holloway party occurred at a point on the
+Humboldt River some thirty miles east of where Winnemucca is located,
+a few miles west of Battle Mountain. This becomes apparent by careful
+estimates of distance traveled per day, rather than by landmarks noted
+at the time, there being no settlements there, nor elsewhere along the
+route, at that time.
+
+[Illustration: Jerry Bush, 1914]
+
+It was perhaps a year later when I went to a camp-meeting one Sunday,
+at Mark West Creek, in Sonoma County, California. The people attending
+a service were in a small opening among trees. Standing back of
+those who were seated, I saw among them a woman whose profile seemed
+familiar, and later I recognized her as Mrs. Holloway.
+
+My interest in her career, due to her extraordinary part in the Indian
+massacre on the plains, was heightened by the fact that I had known
+her previously, as the daughter of Mr. Bush, a prosperous farmer, and
+had been present when she married Mr. Holloway, in a little
+schoolhouse, near Rockport, Atchison County, Missouri. It seemed a
+natural impulse which prompted me to ask her for particulars of the
+tragedy, so disastrous to herself and her family; though later there
+were misgivings regarding the propriety of doing so.
+
+Mrs. Holloway appeared at that time to be in good health, and was
+cheerful, possessing perfect control of her faculties. Her head was
+covered by a wig, made of her own hair, taken from the scalp that was
+recovered at the scene of the massacre.
+
+All the heartrending experiences that she had endured were imprinted
+upon her mind in minutest detail, and she related them in the exact
+order of their occurrence. The recalling of the terrible ordeal,
+however, so wrought upon her emotions that she wept, to the limit of
+mild hysteria, which brought our conversation to a close, and soon
+thereafter she left the place.
+
+I saw her no more; but learned sometime afterwards that her health
+failed, then of the giving away of her mental powers, and still later
+of her death, at Napa City; caused primarily by shock, and brooding
+over the misfortunes she had met on the bank of the Humboldt River.
+
+[Illustration: Mrs. Nancy Holloway, 1857]
+
+It is difficult to believe that a woman, any woman--or any man--could,
+in a state of consciousness, endure such torture as was inflicted upon
+Mrs. Holloway, and refrain from disclosing to her tormentors that
+she was alive. But that she did so endure was her positive statement,
+and this was indisputably corroborated by evidences found by those who
+arrived at the scene less than an hour after the event.
+
+Through the kindness of Mr. William Holloway, of Fairfax, Missouri,
+there is presented here a picture of Mrs. Nancy Holloway, wife of
+Smith Holloway. The photograph was taken in California, shortly after
+the attack described.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+ORIGIN OF "PIKER." BEFORE THE ERA OF CANNED GOODS AND KODAKS. MORNING
+ROUTINE. TYPICAL BIVOUAC. SOCIABILITY ENTRAINED. THE FLOODED CAMP.
+HOPE SUSTAINS PATIENCE.
+
+
+The appellation "Piker," much used in the West in early days,
+synonymous of "Missourian," had its origin on these plains. At first
+it was applied to a particular type of Missourian, but later came to
+be used generally.
+
+There was among the emigrants a considerable number of persons from
+Pike County, Missouri. Some of these had the sign, "From Pike Co.,
+Mo.," painted on their wagon covers. Others, when asked whence they
+came, promptly answered, "From Pike County, Missouri, by gosh, sir;"
+often said with a shrug implying that the speaker arrogated to himself
+much superiority by reason of the fact stated. The display of such
+signs, and announcements like that just mentioned, were of such
+frequent occurrence that the substance was soon abbreviated to
+"Piker," and became a by-word. It was often, perhaps always, spoken
+with a tinge of odium. Possibly this was due to the fact that many of
+the people referred to were of a "backwoods" class, rather short in
+culture, and in personal makeup, manner and language, bearing a
+general air of the extremely rural.
+
+Though only persons of that description hailing from Pike County were
+those who at first had to bear the opprobrium generally implied by
+"Piker," later it was applied to all persons of that type in the Far
+West, regardless of their origin. Many years' of mingling of
+California's cosmopolitan population has changed all that; producing
+her present homogeneous, sterling, virile, and somewhat distinct type
+of "Californian"; so the "Piker," as such, is no longer in the land. A
+later application of the same word, descriptive of a person who does
+business in a small way, has nothing in common with the "Piker" of
+early days.
+
+Fifty-eight years ago, the time of the events here narrated, was
+before the era of canned goods. Nearly all of the foodstuffs carried
+by the emigrants were in crude form, and bulky; but substantial, pure,
+and such as would keep in any climate.
+
+During the first few weeks of the trip we milked some of the cows, and
+also made butter, the churning operation being effected mainly by the
+motion of the wagons, in the regular course. That this did not last
+long was due to reduction of milk supply. After a time there was not
+sufficient even for use in the coffee, or for making gravy, that
+convenient substitute for butter.
+
+Such delicacies as may now be found in first-class canned meats,
+vegetables and milk would have filled an often-felt want. The
+occasional supply that we had en route of fresh meat and fish were
+obtained largely by chance; we having no knowledge of localities where
+hunting and fishing were likely to be successful, and it being deemed
+unsafe for members of the party to wander far or remain long away
+from the train. It seems regrettable that the invention of
+hermetically-sealed and easily portable foods, and the inducement to
+cross the plains to California, did not occur in reversed sequence.
+
+Neither had the kodak arrived. Had it been with us then, this
+narrative might be illustrated with snap-shots of camp scenes,
+characteristic roadside views, and incidents of travel generally,
+which would do more for realism than can any word-picture. We often
+see specimens of artists' work purporting to represent a "'49er"
+emigrant train on the overland journey--some of them very clever; but
+seldom are they at all realistic to the man who was there.
+
+The man with a camera could have perpetuated, for example, the
+striking scene presented to us one day of a party, consisting of two
+men and their wives, with two or three children, sitting on a rocky
+hillside, woefully scanning their team of done-out oxen and one wagon
+with a broken axle; no means at hand for recuperation and repair. In
+the scorching sun of a July day they waited, utterly helpless,
+hopeless, forlorn, confused; and a thousand miles from "anywhere."
+Such a grouping would not have made a cheerful picture, but would have
+assisted immensely in recording a historical fact.
+
+But no emigrant ever found another in distress and "passed by on the
+other side."
+
+We were early risers, and the camp was each morning a scene of life
+with the rising of the sun. By sunset all were sufficiently fatigued
+to wish for making camp again. Therefore, from the morning start till
+the evening stop was usually about twelve hours, with variations from
+time to time, according to necessity or exceptional conditions.
+
+Breaking camp in the morning became routine, and proceeded like
+clockwork. Each patient ox voluntarily drew near, and stood, waiting
+to be yoked with his fellow and chained to his daily task. So well did
+each know his place by the side of his mate that the driver had only
+to place one end of the yoke on the neck of the "off" ox, known, for
+example, as "Bright," and hold the other end toward the "nigh" ox,
+saying, "Come under here, Buck," and the obedient fellow placed
+himself in position. Then the bows were placed and keyed, and
+"Bright" and "Buck" were hitched for duty. It required but a few
+minutes to put three or four yoke of oxen in working order.
+
+As the result of much repetition, the packing of the camp articles
+onto the wagons was done dexterously and quickly. Each box, roll and
+bundle had a designated place; all being arranged usually to
+facilitate sitting or reclining positions for those who rode in the
+"schooners," that they might be as comfortable as possible, and read,
+sleep, or, as the women often did, sew and knit, or play games. During
+some parts of the trip such means of whiling away the hours was very
+desirable, if not a necessity. If there ever was a time or condition
+in which it could be pardonable to "kill time," these circumstances
+were there, during many long days.
+
+The bivouac was always a scene of bustle and orderly disorder,
+especially if the camp-site was a good one: wood, water and grass
+being the desiderata. Obedient to habit, every person and animal
+dropped into place and action. With the wagons drawn to position for
+the night's sojourn, teams were quickly unhitched, the yokes, chains,
+harness and saddles falling to the ground where the animals stood.
+
+Relieved of their trappings, the oxen, horses and mules were turned to
+pasture, plentiful or scant. Cooking utensils came rattling from
+boxes; rolls of bedding tumbled out and were spread on the smoothest
+spots of sand or grass. Eager hands gathered such fuel as was
+available, and the camp-fire blazed. Buckets of water were brought
+from the spring or stream; and in an incredibly short time the scene
+of animation had wrought full preparation for the night, while the
+odor of steaming coffee and frying bacon rendered the astonished air
+redolent of appetizing cookery.
+
+Some families used a folding table, on which to serve meals; but more
+spread an oilcloth on the ground and gathered around that; or
+individuals, taking a plate and a portion, sat on a wagon-tongue or a
+convenient stone. Camp-stools and "split-bottomed" chairs were among
+the luxuries that some carried, in limited numbers; but these were not
+useful especially as seats while partaking of a meal spread on the
+ground.
+
+Appetites were seldom at fault; and the meals, though plain and of
+little variety, were never slighted. It is hardly necessary to add
+that bacon and coffee were easy staples. Bread was mainly in the form
+of quick-fire biscuits, baked in a skillet or similar utensil, or the
+ever-ready and always-welcome "flap-jack," sometimes supplemented with
+soda-crackers, as a delicacy.
+
+Nearly all the nights were pleasant--mild temperature, and very little
+dew. This gave much relief, the daytime heat being generally irksome
+and often distressingly hot. Many of the men came to prefer sleeping
+wholly in the open, with the heavens unobscured; often requiring no
+more than a pair of blankets and a small pillow.
+
+Early evening was devoted to social gatherings. If the night was
+pleasant groups would assemble, for conversation, singing and
+story-telling; varied with dancing by the young people of some
+companies. The more religious sang hymns and read the Bible sometimes,
+in lieu of attendance at any church service. When wood was plentiful,
+a bonfire added to the cheerfulness and comfort of the occasion. Often
+neighboring trains camped quite near, when much enjoyment was found in
+visits by the members of one company among those of another. In such
+ways many agreeable acquaintances were met and even lasting
+friendships formed, some of which have endured throughout the nearly
+three-score years since passed.
+
+But we were not always favored with clear and pleasant weather. No one
+who was there can have forgotten one night at the Platte River, when
+we had a most dismal experience. Rain began falling in the afternoon,
+and for that reason we made camp early.
+
+The tents were set up on a bit of flat ground near the river bank.
+There were some large trees, but little dry wood available for fuel
+for the camp fire except on an island, which was separated from us by
+a branch of the river, about twenty yards wide and a foot deep. Some
+of us waded over, getting our clothes soaked; others crossed on
+horseback, and carried back from the island enough wood to make a
+fire. But, time after time, the fire was quenched by the rain, which
+now was falling in torrents; so we had much difficulty in preparing
+our supper.
+
+The people huddled into the tents and wagons, half hungry, more than
+half wet, and uncomfortable altogether. With the exception of one or
+two cots, the bedding was spread on the ground in the tents, and all
+turned in--but not for long. Some one said, "water is running under my
+bed." Then another and another made the same complaint. Soon we
+learned the deplorable fact that the large tent had been pitched in a
+basin-like place, and that the water, as the rain increased, was
+coming in from all sides, the volume growing rapidly greater.
+
+We succeeded then in lighting one lantern, when the water was found to
+be something like two inches deep over nearly all parts of the large
+tent's floor. The beds were taken up and placed in soaked heaps, on
+camp stools and boxes; and the rain continued pouring in steady,
+relentless disregard of our misery. Except where lighted by the single
+lantern the darkness was, of course, absolute. Relief was impossible.
+There appearing to be nothing else to do, everybody abandoned the
+tents and huddled in the wagons; the lantern was blown out, and there
+was little sleep, while we waited and wished for daylight.
+
+Some of the days were warm and some hot. Some were very hot.
+Discomforts were common; and yet not much was said, and apparently
+little thought, of them. Having become inured to the conditions as we
+found them from time to time, discomforts, such as under other
+circumstances would have been considered intolerable, were passed
+without comment. There were times and situations in which hardships
+were unavoidable, some of them almost unendurable; but these, having
+been anticipated, were perhaps less poignant in the enduring than in
+the expectation.
+
+Let us for a moment raise the curtain of more than half a
+century, while we look back on one of those ox-drawn trains of
+"prairie-schooners," as it appeared to an observer on the ground at
+the time; about the middle of August, and beyond the middle of the
+journey. Permit the imagination to place the scene alongside that of
+the present-day modes of traversing the same territory, when the
+distance is covered in a less number of days than it required of
+months then. Perhaps such a comparison may help to form some faint
+conception of what the overland pioneers did, and what they felt, and
+saw, and were.
+
+There they are as we see them, on a long stretch of sage-brush
+plateau. The surface of the plain is only sand and gravel, as far as
+the eye can reach. The atmosphere is hazy, with dust and vibrating
+waves of heat arising from the ground. Far away to the northwest is
+the outline of some mountains, just visible in the dim distance. In
+the opposite direction, whence we have come, there is nothing above
+the ground but hot space, and dust. Not a living thing in sight but
+ourselves and ours.
+
+The animals appear fatigued, jaded. The people appear--well, as to
+physical condition, like the animals: generally all look alike. Yet
+the people seem hopeful. And why hopeful? The inherent and indomitable
+trait of the race which makes it possible for humanity to look over
+and past present difficulties, however great, and see some good
+beyond. That is why the world "do move." Often, as it was with us,
+progress may be slow, but every day counts for a little.
+
+Just here twelve or fifteen miles a day is doing well--very well. From
+a slight eminence at one side of the way we may stand and see the
+slowly creeping line of wagons and stock, for many miles fore and aft,
+as they bend their way in and out, around and over the surface of
+knolls and flats, hillocks and gullies. From a distant view they seem
+not to be moving at all.
+
+The hour of mid-day arrives, and they stop for the "nooning." There is
+nothing growing in the vicinity that the horses and cattle can eat,
+and no water except the little in the keg and canteens; so the
+carrying animals stand in their yokes and harness, or under saddles,
+and the loose stock wait in groups, their thirst unslaked.
+
+As the people come out of the wagons and go about the business of the
+hour we see the marks of the elements upon them. The women wear "poke"
+bonnets and gingham dresses. The men are unshaven. All are sunburnt to
+a rich, leathern brown. Some are thin, and at this particular time,
+wearing a serious expression. They are not as unhappy as they look,
+their principal trouble of the moment being merely anxiety to satisfy
+prodigious and healthy appetites.
+
+There, under the stress of the midsummer sun, now in the zenith, no
+shade, no protection from the flying dust, they proceed cheerfully to
+build a fire, of sticks and dry weeds; they fry bacon and bake
+biscuits, prepare large pots of coffee, and they eat, from tin plates,
+and drink from tin cups.
+
+No one says, "This is awful!" They laugh as they eat, saying, "Good;
+ain't it?"
+
+This is not a cheerful view altogether of the retrospective; but a
+sketch true to life, as life was there. It was not all like that. A
+good deal of it was.
+
+Some will say that these overland travelers were over-zealous, even
+foolhardy. One of the earliest pioneers, Mr. Daniel B. Miller, who
+reached Oregon by the plains route in 1852, wrote later to relatives
+in Illinois, "I would not bring a family across for all that is
+contained in Oregon and California." Himself single, he had come with
+a train composed almost wholly of men, but learned incidentally what
+risks there were in escorting women and children through the wilds.
+
+But the enduring of all this toil, exposure and hardship had for its
+inspiration the buoyant hope of something good just beyond, something
+that was believed to be worthy of the privation and effort it was
+costing. The ardor of that hope was too intense to be discouraged by
+anything that human strength could overcome. The memories of those
+strenuous experiences are held as all but sacred, and you never meet
+one of these early overland emigrants who does not like to sit by your
+fireside and tell you about it. He forgets, for the moment, how hard
+it was, and dwells upon it, telling it over and over again, with the
+same pride and sense of noble achievement that the old soldier feels
+when recounting the battles and the camp life and the hard marches of
+the war, when he was young, away back in the sixties. One crossing
+this country by present-day conveyances, in richly appointed railroad
+trains, with all the comforts obtainable in modern sleeping, dining
+and parlor cars, can hardly be expected to conceive what it was to
+cover the same course under the conditions described; when there was
+not even a poor wagon road, and the utmost speed did not equal in a
+day the distance traveled in half an hour by the present mode. Any
+person who rides in a cumbrous and heavily laden wagon, behind a team
+whose pace never exceeds a slow walk; over dusty ground, in hot
+weather, will, before one day is passed, feel that endurance requires
+utmost fortitude. Consider what patience must be his if the journey
+continues for four, five or six long months!
+
+It is worthy of mention that there was no dissension among our people,
+nor even unpleasantness, during the entire trip, nor did we observe
+any among others. We were fortunate in having no "grouches" among us.
+Harmony, cheerfulness, a disposition to be jolly, even to the degree
+of hilarity, was the prevailing spirit. That, too, under circumstances
+often so trying that they might have thrown a sensitive disposition
+out of balance. All this in the wilds of an unorganized territory,
+where there was no law to govern, other than the character and natural
+bent of individuals. Such lack of established authority we had thought
+might lead to recklessness or aggressive conduct, but it did not.
+
+Present residents in the fields and valleys, and the prosperous towns
+along much of the line of travel described, will find it difficult to
+reconcile the accounts here given with conditions as they see them
+now. Leagues of territory now bearing a network of railroads and
+splendid highways, which carry rich harvests from the well-tilled
+farms, and connect numerous cities, was thought of ordinarily by the
+emigrants in early days only as it appeared to them, and then was,
+the stamping ground of savage tribes and the home of wild beasts,
+untouched by the transforming hand of civilization. To the keen
+observer, however, it was evident that we were passing through a great
+deal of fine country. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that part
+of that journey was through lands naturally barren, some desert
+wastes, much of which is still unreclaimed, some unreclaimable.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+TANGLED BY A TORNADO. LOST THE PACE BUT KEPT THE COW. HUMAN ODDITIES.
+NIGHT-GUARDS. WOLF SERENADES. AWE OF THE WILDERNESS. A STAMPEDE.
+
+
+Few readers need peruse these pages to learn what a thunder-storm is
+like, but many may not know what it is to encounter a fierce
+electrical disturbance while surrounded by a herd of uncontrollable
+cattle on the prairie.
+
+On an occasion after having stopped for a "nooning," there loomed up
+suddenly in the northwest a black, ominous cloud, revolving swiftly
+and threateningly, as might the vapors from some gigantic cauldron;
+variegated in black, blue and green, bespangled with red streaks of
+lightning.
+
+This display of the angry elements was making a broadening sweep
+onward directly towards where we were. The air turned black and murky,
+and was vibrant with electric tension. Flocks of buzzards flew low to
+the earth about us, as if to be ready for the carrion of the impending
+catastrophe. The fear instinct of the brute seized the cattle, and
+they hovered together, bellowing, distraught with apprehension of
+evil.
+
+The whirlpool of atmospheric chaos grew more intense and rapidly
+larger as it approached. Globules of water began to "spat! spat!" on
+the ground, here and there, as the storm-cloud opened its batteries of
+liquid balls. There was only such protection as the wagons afforded.
+Whatever preparation we could make must be effected at once.
+
+Knowing that if the cattle should take fright and run, it would be
+better that they leave the wagons, I dropped the wagon-tongue to which
+I was hitching a team, and called to a boy who was hooking up the
+next wagon, telling him not to do so. He had, however, already
+attached to that wagon the team consisting of three yoke of oxen.
+
+The big drops of water were in a moment followed by hailstones, at
+first very large and scattering, striking the ground each with a
+vicious thud--a subdued "whack"; growing more frequent and presently
+mingled with lesser ones; until, in the shortest moment, there was a
+cloud-burst of hail and rain pouring upon us, a storm such as none of
+us had ever witnessed.
+
+The oxen, chained together in strings of three and four pairs, pelted
+by the hail, were mutinous and altogether uncontrollable. My own
+string, having turned crosswise of the front end of the wagon, were
+pushing it backward, down the hillside. The team in charge of the boy,
+being attached to their wagon and heading away from the storm, were
+turning the wagon over. Knowing that the boy's mother was in the
+"schooner," on a sick bed, I left my wagon and ran to that. As the
+oxen, in trying to shield themselves from the hail, were forcing the
+front wheels around under the wagon-box, I was fortunate enough to get
+a shoulder under one corner of the box and exert sufficient force to
+prevent the wagon upsetting. All this took little more than a minute.
+The storm passed away as suddenly as it had come. Then I saw the wagon
+which was my special charge lying on its side, at the bottom of the
+slope; the bows of the cover fitting snugly into a sort of natural
+gutter, with a swift current of muddy water and hailstones flowing
+through the cover, as if it were a sluice-pipe. Everything in the
+wagon was topsy-turvy; and, half buried in the heap were two little
+girls, who had been riding in the vehicle. They were more frightened
+than hurt, but complained loudly at being placed in a cold-storage
+of hailstones.
+
+[Illustration: The Author--Twenty years after]
+
+Meantime, the sun beamed again, clear and hot, and we saw the
+storm-cloud pursuing its course over the plain to the southeast,
+leaving in its wake a wet path a few rods wide.
+
+The other men had their hands full in caring for endangered members of
+the party and the equipment. The loose stock had stampeded and were
+far away, with some of the mounted men in desperate pursuit. They
+eventually brought the cattle to a halt, about five miles away, where
+the wagons overtook them when it was time to make camp.
+
+Continuous travel over rough ground and through deep sand, and
+ascending steep mountains, proved too great a strain for the endurance
+of some outfits. From time to time we were obliged to witness
+instances of extreme privation and hardship, usually the result of
+inadequate preparation for the arduous journey. Some started with
+only enough oxen to carry them in case all should remain serviceable;
+and carried provisions for no more than the shortest limit of time
+estimated; so that the mishap of losing an ox or two, or any delay,
+worked a calamity. Some trains started so late, or were so much
+delayed, that they were compelled to negotiate passage of the higher
+mountains after the time when enormous snow-drifts had to be
+encountered; further delay resulting, with exhaustion of strength and
+depletion of supplies, in consequence of which many members of some
+trains failed to reach their destination. A notable experience of this
+kind was that of the Donner party, in 1846.
+
+It was in one of the higher mountain regions that we overtook one Eben
+Darby and his family. Darby had been with one of the trains in advance
+of us, but being unable to keep the pace, he was obliged to fall
+behind. He had one small wagon, two yoke of oxen, and a cow; the
+latter led by a rope behind the wagon. His wife, with a young baby,
+and the wife's brother, Danny Worley, were the only persons with
+Darby. The wife was a weak, inexperienced girl; the child sickly. Mrs.
+Darby's brother was a large, fat youth of nineteen, whose
+distinguishing and inconvenient characteristic was an abnormal
+appetite. Their provisions were nearly exhausted. The cow was to them
+the real fountain of life. She was doing nobly--supplying them a quart
+of milk a day, which was wonderful, considering the circumstances.
+This milk fed the baby, and afforded a good substitute for butter, in
+the form of milk gravy--on which Danny fared sumptuously every day.
+
+Later their oxen drank of the alkali water of the Humboldt River, and
+three of the four died in one night. Then the cow was yoked with the
+remaining ox, two steers were loaned them by "good Samaritans" in our
+company, and they were with us to the Sink of the Humboldt.
+
+Meantime the milk supply grew less, and Mrs. Darby was compelled to
+substitute water for milk in the gravy. This sop was not satisfactory
+to Danny. One evening at meal time he was overheard by some of our
+boys, saying, "I want milk in my gravy." Though reminded there was
+only enough milk for the baby, he of the phenomenal appetite
+reiterated, "I don't care, I want milk in my gravy." Thereafter
+"Gravy" was the name by which he was known, so long as he traveled
+with us.
+
+This narrative would not do justice to the variety of individuals and
+events without mention of another singular personage, a young fellow
+who was "working his passage"; a sort of disconnected unit, whose
+place became everywhere in the train, and who belonged to nobody. How
+he got smuggled into the company no one has since been able to
+recall. He was a sort of desert stowaway; tolerated because, though
+eccentric and quite alarming in appearance, he was always in good
+humor, and often useful, having a willingness to do as many of the
+chores as others would trust him to perform. He was notable as a
+physical curiosity, though not actually deformed. Low of stature, he
+came to be known as "Shorty," the only name we ever had for him. As he
+stood, his abnormally long arms enabled him to take his hat from the
+ground without stooping. His legs were not mates in length, causing
+him as he moved, with a quick, rocking gait, to create the impression
+that he might topple backward; but somehow the longer leg always got
+underneath at the critical instant, and restored the balance. His head
+was large, and perfectly round; hair porcupinesque, each bristle
+standing nearly perpendicular to the plane on which it grew. He had
+no neck. Mouth small, and so round that it opened not unlike a bored
+hole in a flesh-colored pumpkin.
+
+"Shorty" asserted that he was a singer. He and "Jack" never sang
+together, however--that is, they never did so any more, after trying
+it once. "Shorty" and "Gravy" Worley became chums inseparable, except
+on one occasion, when their friendship was temporarily ruptured by a
+dispute over the ownership of a fishing hook. Anger grew hot, but when
+they were about to come to blows, "Shorty" suddenly dropped on
+"all-fours" and essayed to butt his adversary with his head, which
+surprising mode of combat so disconcerted "Gravy" that he ran for his
+quarters, wildly yelling, "Take him off, take him off."
+
+For a time during the early part of the journey the horses and mules
+were picketed at night, on the best pasture available; and before we
+retired, all the animals were brought near the wagons, the loose
+cattle bunched with them, and guards were placed, to prevent straying
+of the stock or surprise by Indians. Later, for awhile, these
+precautions were deemed unnecessary, though still later they had to be
+resumed. The stock became accustomed to the daily routine, and after
+the all-day travel, were quite willing, when they had finished their
+evening grazing, to assemble near the camp and lie down for the night,
+usually remaining comparatively quiet till morning. As if having some
+realization of the lonely nature of the surroundings, the animals were
+not disposed to stray off, except on rare occasions; but rather to
+keep within sight of the people and the wagons.
+
+There was proof of the theory that in some circumstances domestic
+animals acquire some of that feeling that human creatures know, when
+far from the habitations of man. There is a peculiar sensation in the
+great and boundless contiguity of empty silence which works the senses
+up to a feeling that is somewhat alike in man and beast--that there is
+most comfort and protection near the center of the settlement or camp.
+In this stillness of the night--and night on these plains was often
+very still--any slight noise outside the camp startled and thrilled
+the taut nerves. Not only was the night still; usually it was silent,
+too.
+
+But occasionally, when the silence was absolute, a couple or more of
+prairie-wolves lurking in the vicinity, without the faintest note of
+prelude, would startle the calm of night with their peculiar
+commingling of barks, howls and wails,--a racket all their own. It was
+the habit of these night prowlers of the desert to come as near to the
+camp as their acute sense of safety permitted, and there, sitting on
+their haunches, their noses pointed to the moon, render a serenade
+that was truly thrilling. Two prairie-wolves, in a fugued duet, can
+emit more disquieting noise, with a less proportion of harmony, than
+any aggregation of several times their equal in numbers, not excepting
+Indians on the war-path or a "gutter" band.
+
+[Illustration: A coyote serenade]
+
+That awe of the wilderness to which reference has been made, and its
+effect on the nerves, may explain the stampede of cattle, often not
+otherwise accounted for; which occurs sometimes in these hollow
+solitudes. It occurs nowhere else that I have known.
+
+Several times we experienced this strange exhibition of sudden panic;
+the snapping, as it were, of the nerves, from undue tension, when,
+instantly, from cause then to us unknown and unguessed, the whole band
+of cattle, teams as well as loose stock, made a sudden, wild, furious
+dash, in a compact mass; seeming instinctively to follow in whatever
+direction the leader's impulse led him; drifting together and forward
+as naturally as water flows to the current; with heads and tails high
+in air; blindly trampling to the earth whatever chanced to be in their
+path.
+
+These were not in any sense wild stock. The cattle, horses and mules
+were all animals that had been raised on the quiet farms of the Middle
+West, well domesticated.
+
+In the light of certain modern theories it might be said by some that
+these otherwise docile animals stampeded on the unpeopled plains
+because they heard the "call of the wild." There were, however,
+occasions when the cause could be readily assigned for this temporary
+casting off of restraint.
+
+In one instance, already mentioned, a sudden, pelting hailstorm was
+the undoubted cause; when, taking the stampede temper, they ran five
+or six miles before the man, mounted on one of our fleetest
+saddle-horses, got in front of the foremost of them and checked their
+running.
+
+On all such occasions control could be regained in only one way.
+Speeding his horse till he overtook and passed the leader of the drove
+the rider made his horse the leader; and as each loose animal always
+followed whatever was in front, the horseman, by making a circuit and
+gradually slackening the pace, led the drove around and back to place
+in the line of travel.
+
+Naturally one source of uneasiness was the thought of what our
+situation would be if, on one of these occasions, we should fail to
+regain control of these animals, so necessary to us in continuing the
+westward journey. A stampede when some of the oxen were yoked to the
+wagons was, of course, more serious in its immediate consequences than
+when it happened while all were detached from the equipment.
+
+A stampede occurred one day in a level stretch of country, open in
+every direction; nothing in sight to cause alarm. There the emigrant
+road showed plainly before us. The wagons were in open single file,
+the loose stock drawn out in line at the rear. Men on horseback, hats
+over their eyes, some of them with one leg curled over the pommel of
+the saddle; lazily droning away the slow hours and the humdrum miles.
+The women and children were stowed away on bundles of baggage and camp
+stuff in the wagons, some of them asleep perhaps, rocked in their
+"schooner" cradles. A few of the men and boys perchance were
+strolling off the way, in the hope of starting a sage grouse or
+rabbit from some sheltering clump of brush. During a specially quiet
+routine like this; the cattle lolling behind the wagons, mostly
+unattended, keeping the snail pace set by the patient teams; a steer
+now and again turning aside to appropriate a tuft of bunch-grass;
+their white horns rising and falling in the brilliant sunlight, with
+the swaying motion of their bodies as they walked, shimmered like
+waves of a lake at noonday before a gentle breeze: quickly as a clap
+of the hands, every loose beast in the band, in the wildest fashion of
+terror, started, straight in the course of the moving line--pell-mell,
+they went, veering for nothing that they could run over; sweeping on,
+with a roaring tramp, like muffled thunder, they passed along both
+sides of the train. The teams, catching the frenzy, took up the race,
+as best they could with their heavy impedimenta; all beyond control
+of their drivers or the herders, who, startled from the reverie of
+the moment, could do no better than dodge to such place of safety as
+they found, and stand aghast at the spectacle. Fortunately the draft
+oxen usually were forced to stop running before they went far, owing
+to the weight of the wagons they hauled and their inability to break
+the yokes.
+
+In this particular instance the most serious casualty was the death of
+a boy, about eight years of age, the son of Dr. Kidd. The child was
+probably asleep in a wagon, and being aroused by the unusual
+commotion, may have attempted to look out, when a jolt of the wagon
+threw him to the ground, and he was trampled to death. The body was
+kept in camp overnight, and the next morning wrapped in a sheet and
+buried by the roadside.
+
+This was in a vast stretch of lonely plain. As we journeyed through
+it, viewing the trackless hills and rockribbed mountains not far away
+on either side, mostly barren and uninviting, it was difficult to
+conceive of that territory ever becoming the permanent homes of men.
+Yet it is possible, and probable, that the grave of Dr. Kidd's little
+boy is today within the limits of a populous community, or even
+beneath a noisy thoroughfare of some busy town.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+DISASTER OVERTAKES THE WOOD FAMILY.
+
+
+Our consolidated train continued its creeping pace down the meandering
+Humboldt; crossing the stream occasionally, to gain the advantage of a
+shorter or better road.
+
+Soon again there were other proofs of the wisdom we had shown in
+taking every possible precaution against attack.
+
+Next ahead of us was a family from England, a Mr. Wood, his wife and
+one child, with two men employed as drivers. They were outfitted with
+three vehicles, two of them drawn by ox teams, in charge of the hired
+men, and a lighter, spring-wagon, drawn by four mules, the family
+conveyance, driven by Mr. Wood. We had not known them before.
+
+One very hot day in the latter part of August, after having moved
+along for a time with no train in sight ahead of us, we came upon Mr.
+Wood in a most pitiable plight, the result of an attack and slaughter,
+not differing greatly from the Holloway case, and its parallel in
+atrocity.
+
+Mr. Wood's party had spent the preceding night undisturbed, and were
+up early in the morning, preparing to resume their journey. The ox
+teams had been made ready and moved on, while Mr. Wood proceeded in a
+leisurely way with harnessing the four mules and attaching them to the
+smaller wagon. All the articles of their equipment had been gathered
+up and placed in proper order in the wagon.
+
+When Mr. Wood had nearly completed hitching the team, Mrs. Wood and
+the baby being already in the wagon, some men, apparently all Indians,
+twenty or more of them, were seen coming on horseback, galloping
+rapidly from the hills to the northward, about half a mile away.
+
+Mr. Wood, fearing that he and his family were about to be attacked, in
+this lonely situation, hurriedly sprang to the wagon seat and whipped
+up the mules, hoping that before the attack they could come within
+sight of the ox wagons, which had rounded the point of a hill but a
+few minutes before, and have such aid as his hired men could give.
+
+He had no more than got the team under way when a wheel came off the
+wagon--he having probably overlooked replacing the nut after oiling
+the axle. Notwithstanding this he lost no time in making the best of
+the circumstances. Jumping to the ground, he hurriedly placed Mrs.
+Wood on one of the mules, cutting the harness to release the animal
+from the wagon; then, with the baby in his arms, he mounted another
+mule, and they started flight.
+
+But the Indians had by this time come within gun-shot range and fired
+upon them. Mrs. Wood fell from the mule, fatally shot. Mr. Wood's mule
+was shot under him, and dropped; next Mr. Wood received a bullet in
+the right arm, that opened the flesh from wrist to elbow. That or
+another shot killed the child. Amidst a shower of bullets, Mr. Wood
+ran in the direction taken by his ox wagons. Getting past the point of
+the low hill that lay just before him without being struck again, he
+was then beyond range of the firing, and soon overtook his wagons. His
+men, with all the guns they had, returned, to find the woman and child
+dead on the ground. One of the mules was dead, one wounded, the other
+two gone. The wagon had been ransacked of its contents, and the band
+of assassins were making their way back into the hills whence they
+had come.
+
+This small wagon, Mr. Wood said, had contained the family effects; and
+among them were several articles of considerable value, all of which
+had been taken. Among his property were pieces of English gold coin,
+the equivalent of fifteen hundred dollars. It had been concealed in
+the bottom of the wagon-box, and he had supposed the band would
+overlook it; but that, too, was gone.
+
+Such was the plight in which our company found the man, soon after
+this tragedy was so swiftly enacted, and which so effectually bereft
+him of all, his family and his property, leaving him wounded, and
+dependent on the mercy of strangers.
+
+The dead were placed in mummy-form wrappings and buried, mother and
+child in one, unmarked grave.
+
+When the manuscript of this narrative was first made ready for the
+printer, the description of the calamity which befell Mr. Wood and his
+family ended here. There were other details, as clearly recalled as
+those already recited, but so atrocious and devoid of motive, that it
+was a matter of grave doubt whether the facts should be given. It
+seemed too deplorable that such an occurrence could be recorded as the
+act of human beings; furthermore, would it be credible? It has been
+intimated that the present endeavor is to give a complete history of
+events as they occurred: no material item suppressed, nothing
+imaginary included; therefore the remaining details are given.
+
+Incredible as it may sound to civilized ears, after the bodies of Mrs.
+Wood and her child had been interred, hardly had those who performed
+this service gone from the spot when a part of the savage band that
+had murdered those innocent victims, rushed wildly back to the place,
+disinterred the bodies from the shallow grave, taking the sheets in
+which the bodies had been wrapped, and which were their only covering,
+and carrying those articles away. When the Indians had gone a second
+time, the grief-stricken Mr. Wood returned and reinterred the remains
+of his wife and child.
+
+Mr. Wood's wounded arm was dressed by Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Kidd, his
+wagons were placed in the lead of our train, and again we moved
+westward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MYSTERIOUS VISITORS. EXTRA SENTRIES. AN ANXIOUS NIGHT.
+
+
+The next following day, as we wended our way among the sand dunes,
+alkali flats and faded sagebrush, there came to us--whence we knew
+not--three men, equipped with a small wagon, covered with white
+ducking, arched over bows, similar to the covering on most of the
+emigrant wagons; drawn by two large, handsome, well-harnessed horses;
+all having a well-to-do appearance, that made our dusty, travel-worn
+outfits look very cheap and inferior.
+
+They told us that they were mountaineers, of long experience on the
+plains; well acquainted with the Indians and familiar with their
+habits and savage proclivities. They said that the Shoshone Indians
+were very angry at the white people who were passing through their
+lands; that this hostility recently had been further aroused by
+certain alleged acts of the whites along the emigrant road; and that
+the feeling was now so intense that even they, our informants, were
+alarmed, notwithstanding their long, intimate and friendly intercourse
+with these Indians; and, believing themselves no longer safe among the
+tribe, they were anxious to get out of the Shoshone country; therefore
+they requested the privilege of placing themselves under the
+protection of our large train until we should have passed out of the
+Shoshone lands and into those of the Pah-Utes, which tribe they said
+was known to be friendly toward the white race.
+
+One of these men was a specially picturesque figure; weighty, with
+large, square shoulders; well-formed head; full, brown beard, cropped
+short. He wore a deer-skin blouse, leathern breeches; broad,
+stiff-brimmed hat, low crown, flat top, decorated with a tasseled
+leather band; a fully-loaded ammunition belt--a combination make-up of
+cowboy, mountaineer and highwayman.
+
+The three men spoke plain English, with a free use of "frontier
+adjectives."
+
+Having received permission to take temporary protection by traveling
+near us, they placed themselves at the rear of our train, and that
+night pitched camp slightly apart from our circle of wagons.
+
+Some of our men visited them during the evening, eager to hear their
+tales of adventure; and listened, open-mouthed, to descriptions of
+life among savage associations, in the mountain wilds, jungles and the
+desert plains.
+
+The visitors dwelt with emphasis on the threatening attitude of the
+Shoshone Indians towards the emigrants; warning us that our position
+was hazardous, with caution that there was special risk incurred by
+individuals who wandered away from the train, thus inviting a chance
+of being shot by Redskins, ambushed among the bunches of sagebrush.
+They were especially earnest as they assured us of the peril there
+would be in loitering away from the body of the company, as they had
+noticed some of our boys doing, that day, while hunting for sage
+fowls.
+
+After awhile, he of the big hat inquired--and seemed almost to tremble
+with solicitude as he spoke:
+
+"Are you prepared to defend yourselves, in case of an attack?"
+
+Here unpleasant surmises gave place to distinct suspicions in the
+minds of some of our older men. They regarded that question as a
+"Give-away." All the day, since these three joined us, we had felt
+that they might be spies, and in league with the Indians. So now not a
+few of us were giving closest attention, both with ears and eyes.
+
+An answer was ready: That we were prepared, and waiting for the
+encounter; with a hundred and twenty-five shots for the first round;
+that we could reload as rapidly as could the Indians; and had
+ammunition in store for a long siege.
+
+The actual fact was that, although every man of us had some sort of a
+"shooting-iron," they were not formidable. In kind, these varied well
+through the entire range of infantry, from a four-inch six-shooter to
+a four-foot muzzle-loader, and from a single-barreled shotgun on up to
+a Sharp's repeating rifle. The weapon last mentioned carried a
+rotating cylinder, for five shells, and was the latest thing in
+quick-fire repeating arms of that time: but there was only one of that
+class in the train. Had we been seen on muster, standing at "present
+arms," the array would have been less terrifying than comical.
+
+Just how our visitors received our bluff with reference to
+preparedness for battle we could not know. The next morning these
+mysterious strangers took position in the rear of our train once more,
+carrying a small white flag, mounted on a pole fastened to their
+wagon. Upon being asked the purpose of the flag they replied that it
+served as a signal to any one of their number who might go beyond
+view, enabling him to determine the location of the wagon.
+
+Captain John reminded them that, according to their statements,
+wandering out of sight was too hazardous to be done or considered;
+adding that therefore there did not seem to be any need of the flag,
+and he wanted it to be taken down.
+
+It came down.
+
+During the noon-hour stop that day, while the doctors were dressing
+Mr. Wood's wounded arm, he obtained a first look at our three
+protegés. He at once indicated the man wearing the big, brown hat,
+and stated, excitedly but confidentially, to those of our company who
+were near him:
+
+"I believe that man was with the Indians who killed my wife and
+child."
+
+That statement naturally created a much greater feeling of uneasiness
+among us. The assertion was whispered around; and every man of us
+became a detective. The leading men of our party put their heads
+together in council. The situation was more than ever grave and the
+suspense distinctly painful. We feared something tragic would happen
+any hour.
+
+Mr. Wood was asked to obtain another view of the man and endeavor to
+make his statement more definite, if he could. His wound, and the
+terrible shock he had sustained two days previously, had so prostrated
+him that he was unable to make haste. Arrangements were made to
+disguise him and have him go where he could obtain a good view of the
+three men, but his condition prevented it.
+
+Later in the afternoon the three-men-afraid-of-Indians announced that
+we had passed out of the territory of the savage Shoshones; they felt
+it would be safe for them to dispense with our kind escort, therefore,
+after camping near us that night, they would withdraw and bid us a
+thankful good-bye.
+
+We camped that night on a level place, where there was sage-brush
+three or four feet high, and thick enough to make good cover for an
+enemy. Our people, having become thoroughly distrustful of the three
+men who had made themselves appendages of our train, feared an attack
+would be made on our camp that night. Suspicion had developed into a
+fixed belief that the trio were confederates of the Shoshones, and had
+come to us under a pretense of fear on their part, in order to spy out
+the fighting strength of our company.
+
+The place where they halted their wagon and prepared to spend the
+night was not more than a hundred yards from where our vehicles were
+arranged, in the usual hollow circle, with the camp-fire and the
+people inclosed.
+
+When darkness set in, guards of our best men, armed with the most
+effective guns we had, were quietly distributed about the camp, the
+chosen men crawling on their hands and knees to their allotted
+positions, in order that the three strangers should not know our
+arrangements. There was an understanding that, if there should be an
+attack during the night, the first thing to do was, if possible, to
+shoot those three men; for, under the circumstances, any attack
+occurring that night would be deemed completion of proof that they
+were responsible for it and for any atrocity that might follow or be
+attempted.
+
+The night passed without notable happening--except that at the break
+of day the three men and their wagon silently stole away.
+
+There was a feeling of great relief on being rid of them; but there
+remained some apprehension of their turning up at some unguarded
+moment and unpleasant place, to make us trouble; for their absence did
+not remove the impression that they had come among us to gauge our
+desirability as prey and the feasibility of overpowering our entire
+train.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+CHALLENGE TO BATTLE.
+
+
+We divided our long train into two parts, leaving a short space
+between the sections. Mr. Wood's two wagons headed the forward part.
+Toward the close of the day on which this change of arrangement was
+made, the forward section turned off the road a short distance before
+stopping to make camp, and the rear section passed slightly beyond the
+first, left the road and halted, so that a double camp was formed,
+with the two sections thus placed for the night in relative positions
+the reverse of the order they had maintained during the day.
+
+At night-fall, when supper was over and everything at rest, we saw
+three horsemen going westward on the emigrant road. When they were
+opposite the Maxwell, or forward, camp, as the train sections had
+been placed, these men turned from the road and came toward us. We
+soon recognized them as our late guests on the way: he of the big hat
+and his two companions.
+
+Riding into our camp, one of them remarked that they now observed the
+change made in arrangement of our train, explaining that they had
+intended to call on the Englishman, whose place had been in the lead.
+They apologized for their mistake. The first speaker added that they
+had heard it stated that this English gentleman had charged one of
+their number with being in company with the Indians who killed his
+wife, at the time of the tragedy, a few days before.
+
+He of the big, brown hat then assumed the role of spokesman, and said:
+
+"I understand that he indicated me, by description; and if that man
+says I was with the Indians who killed his wife, I will kill him. Let
+him say it, and I will shoot him down like a dog, that he is. I am
+here to demand of him if he said it."
+
+Another of the three said, in a tone of conciliation:
+
+"We are honest men. We came out here from Stockton, California, where
+we live, to meet the emigrants as they come over from the States. We
+buy their weak and disabled stock, such as cannot finish the trip to
+the Coast; take the animals onto range that we know of, and in the
+fall, when they are recuperated, we drive them in for the California
+market."
+
+The man under the large hat resumed:
+
+"My name is James Tooly. My partners here, are two brothers, named
+Hawes. And now, if that Englishman, or any one among you, says I was
+with the Indians who killed his wife, I will shoot him who says it,
+right here before you all."
+
+This was said with much vehemence, and punctuated with many oaths.
+
+[Illustration: Van Diveer's advantage was slight, but sufficient]
+
+Mr. Drennan, of our combined company, replied:
+
+"If you want to talk like that, go where the man is. We don't want
+that kind of language used here, in the presence of our women and
+children."
+
+Tooly, standing erect, high in his stirrups, drew a large pistol from
+its holster and swung it above his head.
+
+"I will say what I please, where I please; and I don't care who likes
+it," roared Tooly, waving his pistol in air.
+
+W. J. Van Diveer, a young man of the Drennan company, who had been
+sitting on a wagon-tongue near the speaker, leaped to his feet, with a
+pistol leveled at the big horseman's head, and with a manner that left
+no doubt that he meant what he said, shouted:
+
+"I'll be damned if you can do that here. Now, you put down your gun,
+and go."
+
+The muzzle of Van Diveer's pistol was within an arm's-length of Tooly,
+aiming steadily at his head. Tooly was yet with pistol in hand but not
+quite in position for use of it on his adversary. Van Diveer's
+advantage was slight, but sufficient for the occasion. Tooly's
+companions did not act, appearing to await his orders, and, in the
+suddenness of this phase of the scene, Tooly found no voice for
+commands. Others of our men made ready on the instant, believing that
+a battle was on.
+
+It was averted, however. Tooly replaced his pistol in the holster,
+saying:
+
+"Well, of course--as you say, my pie is over yonder. I don't want to
+kill _you_ fellows."
+
+And he didn't. The three rode over to the other group of our men,
+among whom was Mr. Wood. All of these had overheard what had just been
+said, and felt sure they knew what was coming.
+
+Mr. Wood, grief-stricken, disabled, stood, pale and fearful, amongst
+the party of timid emigrants, all strangers to him; he the only man
+probably in the camp without a weapon on his person, his torn arm in
+a sling across his chest.
+
+The big fellow made his statement again, as he had made it to us; with
+the same emphatic threat to kill, if he could induce Wood or any one
+to speak out and affirm the charge of Tooly's complicity with the
+Indians.
+
+Tooly got off his horse and, pistol in hand, walked among the party;
+many of whom surely did tremble in their boots. He declared again, as
+he stalked about, that he would shoot the hapless Wood, "like a dog",
+or any one who would repeat the charge.
+
+There were but a few men in that part of the camp when Tooly commenced
+this second tirade, in the presence of Wood; but soon more came from
+the other part of the train.
+
+Mr. Wood, in a condition as helpless as if with hands and feet bound,
+realizing his situation, and his responsibility, maintained silence: a
+silence more eloquent than speech, since a single word from him in
+confirmation of the charge he had made would have precipitated a
+battle, in which he, most certainly, and probably others, including
+some of his benefactors, would have been killed.
+
+Then Tooly saw that a goodly number of men had arrived from the other
+section of the camp, and were watching to see what would happen; some
+of these viewing the scene with attitude and looks that boded no good
+for the man who held the center of the arena.
+
+Tooly's threatening talk ceased. Still Wood said nothing. In silence,
+Tooly mounted his horse, and with his fellows rode away, leaving the
+party of emigrants--most of them terror-stricken, some angry--standing
+dumb, looking at one another, and at the retreating three until they
+went out of sight, in the dusk of the desert night-fall: stood there
+on the sage-brush sward, a tableau of silent dumbfoundedness; for how
+long none knew; each waiting for something to break the spell.
+
+"I feel like a fool," exclaimed Van Diveer.
+
+"But," spoke Drennan, the older and more conservative leader of their
+party, "we couldn't start an open battle with those fellows without
+some of us being killed. They are gone; we should be glad that they
+are. It is better to bear the insult than have even one of our people
+shot."
+
+
+    "I'm glad they left no bullets in me--
+    Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee;
+    Courting, down in Tennessee."
+
+
+This paraphrasing of his favorite ditty was, of course, perpetrated by
+"Jack."
+
+But we all wished we knew. Was it true that these men were
+conspirators with the Indians who had been ravaging the emigrant
+trains? If so, doubtless they would be concerned in other and
+possibly much more disastrous assaults, and perhaps soon. If so, who
+would be the next victims?
+
+But Mr. Wood was still too indefinite in his identification of the man
+Tooly--at least in his statement of it--to clear away all doubt, or
+even, as yet, to induce the majority of our men to act on the judgment
+of some: that we should follow these plainsmen, learn more, and have
+it out with them.
+
+There were many circumstances pointing not only to the connection of
+these men with the assault on Mr. Wood's family, but to the
+probability of their having been responsible for the slaughter of the
+Holloway party. It seemed improbable that there were two bands of
+Indians operating along that part of the Humboldt River in the looting
+of emigrant trains. If it could be proved that white men co-operated
+with the savages in the Wood case, the inference would be strong that
+the same white men had been accessories in the Holloway massacre. The
+use of guns in those attacks, and the evident abundance of ammunition
+in the hands of the Indians, went far toward proving the connection of
+white men with both these cases.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+SAGEBRUSH JUSTICE.
+
+
+The Sink of the Humboldt is a lake of strong, brackish water, where
+the river empties into the natural basin, formed by the slant of the
+surrounding district of mountains, plain and desert, and where some of
+the water sinks into the ground and much of it evaporates, there being
+no surface outlet. In the latter part of the summer the water is at a
+very low stage, and stronger in mineral constituents. There we found
+the daytime heat most intense.
+
+The land that is exposed by the receding water during the hottest
+period of the fall season becomes a dry, crackling waste of incrusted
+slime, curling up in the fierce sunshine, and readily crushed under
+foot, like frozen snow. The yellowish-white scales reflect the
+sunlight, producing a painful effect on the eyes. Not many feet wander
+to this forbidding sea of desolation.
+
+At the border of this desert lake, a few feet higher than the water,
+is a plateau of sand, covered with sage-brush and stones. We were
+there in the last week of August. Fresh water was not to be had except
+at a place a half-mile from our camp, where there was a seepage
+spring. There we filled our canteens and buckets with enough for
+supper and breakfast. The animals had to endure the night without
+water.
+
+Not far from the spring was situated a rude shack, known as "Black's
+Trading Post." This establishment was constructed of scraps of rough
+lumber, sticks, stones and cow-hides. With Mr. Black were two men,
+said to be his helpers--helpers in what, did not appear. The principal
+stock in trade was a barrel of whisky--reported to be of very bad
+quality--some plug tobacco, and--not much else. Black's prices were
+high. A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents. It was said to be an
+antidote for alkali poisoning.
+
+[Illustration: "A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents"]
+
+Some of our men visited this emporium of the desert, and there they
+found "Jim" Tooly. The barrel had been tapped in his behalf, and he
+was loquacious; appearing also to be quite "at home" about the Post.
+His two companions of our recent acquaintance were not there. The
+"antidote" was working; Tooly was in good spirits, and eloquent. He
+did not appear to recognize those of our people who were visiting the
+place; but they knew him. There were other persons present from the
+camps of two or three companies of emigrants, but strangers to us, who
+were also stopping for the night at the margin of the Sink.
+
+Tooly assumed an air of comradeship toward all, addressing various
+individuals as "Partner" and "Neighbor"; but his obvious willingness
+to hold the center of the stage made it clear that he deemed himself
+the important personage of the community.
+
+Some things he said were self-incriminating. He boasted of having
+"done up a lot of Pikers, up the creek," declaring his intention to
+"look up another lot of suckers" the following day.
+
+When our men thought that they had heard enough they returned to camp
+and reported.
+
+Recollections of the last time we had seen Mr. Tooly made the present
+occasion seem opportune. An impromptu "court" was organized: judge,
+sheriff and deputies; and these, with a few chosen men of the company,
+went to the trading post to convene an afternoon session. The members
+of this "court" dropped in quietly, one or two at a time, looked over
+the place, asked questions--about the country; the prices of Mr.
+Black's "goods"; how far it might be to Sacramento; anything to be
+sociable: but none offered to tap the barrel.
+
+The stranger emigrants had heard of the Indian raids up the river.
+Seeming to have inferred something of pending events, they had gone to
+the trading post in considerable numbers. Tooly was still there. Black
+and his two men seemed to be persons who ordinarily would be classed
+as honest. Still, they appeared to listen to Tooly's tales of prowess
+in the looting of emigrant trains as if they regarded such proceedings
+as acts of exceptional valor; exhibiting as much interest in the
+recital as did the "tenderfoot" emigrants--who held a different
+opinion regarding those adventures.
+
+When enough had been heard to warrant the finding of an indictment,
+the newly-appointed judge issued a verbal order of arrest, and the
+sheriff and his deputies quickly surrounded the accused, before he
+suspected anything inimical to his personal welfare. With revolver in
+hand, the sheriff commanded, "Hands up, 'Jim' Tooly!" To the
+astonishment of all, the big man raised both hands, without protest;
+this, however, in mock obedience, as was evident by his laughing at
+the supposed fun.
+
+"This is not a joke, sir," came in harsh tones from the judge. "When
+we saw you last, about sixteen days ago, you came to our camp to deny
+a charge made against you by a man of our company. You overawed,
+browbeat and insulted the man and those who were assisting and
+protecting him in his distress. You denied the accusation made against
+you, with vehemence and much profanity. Giving you the benefit of a
+doubt, we permitted you to go. Now we are here to take the full
+statement of the prosecuting witness, and examine such other evidence
+as there may be. We will clear you if we can, or find you guilty if we
+must."
+
+In whatever direction the culprit looked he gazed into the open end of
+a gun or pistol. The sheriff said:
+
+"Now, Tooly, any motion of resistance will cost you your life."
+
+A disinterested onlooker at the moment would have cringed, lest the
+unaccustomed duty of some deputy should so unnerve his hand that he
+would inadvertently and prematurely pull the trigger of his weapon.
+But all held sufficiently steady, as they looked through the sights.
+
+The prisoner slowly grasped the situation, and knew that temporary
+safety lay in obedience. The sheriff's demand for Tooly's weapons
+created more surprise, when it was revealed that, in his feeling of
+security while at the Post, he had relieved himself of those
+encumbering articles and deposited them with the landlord, that he
+might have freedom from their weight while enjoying the hospitality of
+the place.
+
+Thus his captors had him as a tiger with teeth and claws drawn. His
+weapons, when brought out from the hut for examination, were found to
+be two pistols, of the largest size and most dangerous appearance, in
+a leathern holster, the latter made to carry on the pommel of a
+saddle, in front of the rider. These, also his saddle and other
+trappings, were searched for evidence; but, except the pistols,
+nothing was found that tended to throw any further light on the
+question of his guilt or innocence.
+
+Tooly was then taken, under a heavy guard, to a spot some distance
+from the Post, where the court reconvened, for the purpose of
+completing the trial.
+
+His captors had, with good reason, reckoned Tooly as like a beast of
+the jungle, who, when put at bay, would resort to desperate fighting;
+but, having been caught thus unawares and unarmed, violence on his
+part or resistance of any kind, was useless. He was doubtless feigning
+meekness, hoping for an opportunity to escape.
+
+A jury was selected, mostly from the stranger emigrants.
+
+The improvised court sat on an alkali flat near the margin of the
+lake, where there were some large stones and clumps of sage-brush.
+There Tooly was confronted by Mr. Wood, still with bandaged arm. Tooly
+declared he had never before seen the Englishman, but Wood said he had
+seen Tooly, and now reaffirmed his belief that the prisoner was one of
+the persons who, some weeks previously, had ridden with the Indians
+who killed Mrs. Wood and the child, also wounded and robbed the
+witness.
+
+Still the evidence was not deemed sufficiently positive or complete,
+the identity being in some doubt. The jury would not convict without
+conclusive proof. With the view of procuring further evidence, the
+judge ordered that the person of the prisoner be searched.
+
+Hearing this mandate, Tooly first made some sign of an intention to
+resist--only a slight start, as if possibly contemplating an effort to
+break through the cordon of untrained guards.
+
+"Gentlemen," ordered the sheriff, "keep, every man, his eye on this
+fellow, and his finger on the trigger." Then to the prisoner,
+
+"Stand, sir, or you will be reduced to the condition of a 'good
+Indian'!"
+
+Escape as yet appeared impossible, and Tooly must have finally come to
+a definite realization that he was in the hands of men who meant
+business, most earnestly. Bravado had ceased to figure in his conduct.
+It was apparent that the search for evidence was narrowing its field;
+the erstwhile minions of frontier justice were on the right scent.
+Tooly grew pallid of feature and his cheeks hollowed perceptibly, in a
+moment. There was a wild glare in his eyes, as they turned from side
+to side; fear, hatred, viciousness, mingled in every glance. He
+crouched, not designedly, but as if an involuntary action of the
+muscles drew him together. His fists were clenched; his mouth partly
+opened, as if he would speak, but could not.
+
+Thus he stood, half erect, while the officer searched his clothing.
+The examination disclosed that, secured in a buckskin belt, worn under
+his outer garments, there was English gold coin, to the value of five
+hundred dollars; just one-third of the amount that Mr. Wood declared
+he had lost at the time of the robbery. What became of the other
+two-thirds of Mr. Wood's money was readily inferred, but full proof of
+it was not necessary to this case.
+
+Tooly's trial was closed. The only instruction the court gave the jury
+was, "Gentlemen, you have heard the testimony and seen the evidence;
+what is your verdict?"
+
+The answer came, as the voice of one man, "Guilty."
+
+During the entire proceeding, at the post and down by the lake, the
+judge sat astride his mule. Addressing the prisoner once more from his
+elevated "bench," he said:
+
+"Mr. Tooly, you are found guilty of the murder of Mrs. Wood and her
+child, the wounding of Mr. Wood, and robbery of his wagon. Mr. Wood
+has from the first stated his belief that you were with, and the
+leader of, the band of Indians which attacked his party. You
+afterwards denied it; but now, in addition to his almost positive
+identification, and many circumstances pointing to your guilt, you are
+found with the fruits of that robbery on your person. Have you
+anything to say?"
+
+[Illustration: "'Stop,' shouted the Judge"]
+
+Tooly was ashy pale, and speechless. Absolute silence reigned for a
+time, as the court awaited the prisoner's reply, if by any means he
+could offer some explanation, some possible extenuating circumstance,
+that might affect the judgment to be pronounced. None came, and the
+judge continued:
+
+"You can have your choice, to be shot, or hanged to the uplifted
+tongue of a wagon. Which do you choose?"
+
+Tooly took the risk of immediate death, in seeking one last, desperate
+chance for life. Instantly he turned half around, crouched for a
+spring, and, seemingly by one single leap, went nearly past the
+rock-pile, so that it partly covered his retreat. Quick as his
+movements were, they were not swifter than those of the men whose duty
+was to prevent his escape.
+
+"Stop, Tooly," shouted the judge, sitting astride his mule, as his
+long right arm went out to a level, aiming his big Colt's revolver at
+the fleeing man.
+
+"Shoot, boys," commanded the sheriff at the same instant; a chorus of
+shots sounded, and the court's sentence was executed.
+
+Complying with the request of the judge, the sheriff had a hole dug
+near where the body lay, and the dead man was buried, _sans
+ceremonie_.
+
+The court returned to the trading post and requested the proprietor to
+state what he knew of Tooly. Mr. Black declared he only knew that the
+accused plainsman came to the post that day; that he bought and drank
+a considerable quantity of whisky, and offered to treat several
+passing emigrants, all of whom declined.
+
+The English gold found upon the prisoner was returned to Mr. Wood, and
+the incident was closed.
+
+The trial had been as orderly and impartial as the proceedings in any
+court established by constitutional authority. All those concerned in
+it realized that they were performing a duty of grave importance.
+There was nothing of vindictiveness, nothing of rashness. It was
+without "due process," and it was swift; a proceeding without the
+delays commonly due to technicalities observed in a legal tribunal;
+but it was justice conscientiously administered, without law--an
+action necessary under the circumstances. Its justification was fully
+equal to that of similar services performed by the Vigilance
+Committee, in San Francisco, within a year preceding. It was a matter
+the necessity of which was deplorable, but the execution of which was
+imposed upon those who were on the spot and uncovered the convincing
+facts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+NIGHT TRAVEL, FROM ARID WASTES TO LIMPID WATERS.
+
+
+From the Sink of the Humboldt the little Darby party wished to
+complete the trip by the Carson Route, thus separating from the
+majority, but their supplies were exhausted and they had now but one
+ox and one cow to draw their wagon. A suggestion, that those who could
+spare articles of food should divide with the needy, was no sooner
+made than acted upon. Sides of bacon, sacks of flour and other
+substantials were piled into their little vehicle, and the owners of
+the two oxen which had been loaned Darby simply said, "Take them
+along; you need them more than we do." Danny, alias "Gravy" Worley,
+being of that party, showed his delight, by sparkling eyes and
+beaming fat face, when he saw the abundance of edibles turned over to
+his people. Mr. Darby shed genuine tears of gratitude, as we bade them
+good-bye and drove away by another route.
+
+The combination train was further divided, each party shaping its
+farther course according to the location of its final stop. The
+Drennans took the Carson Route, the Maxwell train proceeding by the
+more northerly, Truckee, trail. The associations of the plains, closer
+cemented by the sharing of many hardships and some pleasures, had
+created feelings almost equal to kinship, more binding than those of
+many a life-long neighborhood relation. So there were deep regrets at
+parting.
+
+On leaving the Sink of the Humboldt there was before us a wholly
+desert section, forty miles wide. The course led southwesterly, over
+flat, barren lands, with a line of low hills, absolutely devoid of
+vegetation, on our right. This was known to be one of the hard drives
+of our long journey; but hearsay knowledge was also to the effect
+that, at its farther border, we would reach the Truckee River, and
+soon thereafter ascend the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The prospect of
+seeing again a river of _pure_ water, and fresh, green trees, had a
+buoyant effect on our lagging hopes; and these were further stimulated
+by the information that not long after entering these forest shades we
+would cross the State line into California.
+
+While crossing the forty miles of desert, the sun-baked silt, at the
+beginning, and later the deep, dry sand, made heavy going. To avoid
+the almost intolerable heat of day as much as possible, and it being
+known that water was not obtainable, during this much-dreaded bit of
+travel, we deferred the start until mid-afternoon, and traveled all
+night.
+
+The impressions of that night ride were most extraordinary. As the
+sun sank, and twilight shaded into night, the atmosphere was filled
+with a hazy dimness; not merely fog, nor smoke, nor yet a pall of
+suspended dust, but rather what one might expect in a blending of
+those three. Only a tinge of moonlight from above softened the dull
+hue. It was not darkness as night usually is dark. It was an
+impenetrable, opaque narrowing of the horizon, and closing in of the
+heavens above us; which, as we advanced, constantly shifted its
+boundary, retaining us still in the center of the great amphitheater
+of half-night. We could see one another, but beyond or above the
+encompassing veil all was mystery, even greater mystery than mere
+darkness. No moon nor stars visible; nothing visible but just part of
+ourselves, and ours.
+
+As the night merged into morning, the sunlight gradually dispelled the
+mantle of gloom from our immediate presence; but still we could not
+see out. As if inclosed in a great moving pavilion, on we went,
+guided only by the tracks of those who had gone before.
+
+In the after part of the night the loose cattle, having been for two
+nights and a day without water, and instinctively expecting an
+opportunity to drink, quickened their pace, passing the wagons; the
+stronger ones outgoing the weaker, till the drove was strung out two
+or three miles in length along the sandy trail.
+
+Some of the wise-heads in the company were fearful that the cattle, on
+reaching the Truckee River, would drink too much. They detailed Luke
+Kidd and me to ride on our mules ahead of the foremost of the stock,
+and on reaching the river, permit none of the animals to drink more
+than a little water at a time.
+
+We went ahead during all that long morning, following what was surely,
+to us, the longest night that ever happened, before or since. Most of
+the other members of our party were in the wagons, and they, except
+the drivers, slept soundly; rocked gently, very gently, by the slow
+grinding of the wheels in the soft, deep sand. But Luke and I, on our
+little mules, must keep awake, and alert as possible, in readiness to
+hold back the cattle from taking too much water.
+
+From midnight to daybreak seemed a period amounting to entire days and
+nights; from dawn till sunrise, an epoch; and from sunrise to the time
+of reaching the river, as a period that would have no end.
+
+As the sun finally rose behind us, the faintest adumbration of the
+nearest ridges of the Sierras was discerned, in a dim, blue scroll
+across the western horizon, far ahead--how far it was useless to
+guess; and later, patches of snow about the peaks.
+
+The minutes were as hours; and their passing tantalized us: noting how
+the dim view grew so very slowly into hazy outlines of mountains, and
+finally of tree-tops.
+
+On we labored, overcoming distance inch by inch; nodding in our
+saddles; occasionally dismounting, to shake off the almost
+overpowering grasp of sleep.
+
+Half awake, we dreamed of water, green trees, and fragrant flowers.
+Rising hope, anon, took the place of long-deferred fruition, and we
+forgot for a moment how hard the pull was; till, with returning
+consciousness of thirst and painful drowsiness, we saw the landscape
+ahead presented still another, and another line of sand-dunes yet to
+be overcome.
+
+Luke and I reached the Truckee at nine o'clock in the forenoon, just
+ahead of the vanguard of cattle, and about three miles in advance of
+the foremost wagon.
+
+We tried to regulate the cattle's consumption of water, but did not
+prevent their drinking all they could hold. Ten men, on ten mules,
+could not have stopped one cow from plunging into that river, once
+she got sight of it, and remaining as long as she desired. We could
+not even prevent the mules we rode from rushing into it--that cold,
+rippling Truckee. Yet our elders had sent us two boys to hold back a
+hundred cattle, and make them drink in installments--in homeopathic
+doses, for their stomachs' sake.
+
+They dashed into the stream _en masse_; and seeing the futility of
+interfering, we gladly joined the cattle, in the first good, long,
+cool swallow of clear, clean water, within a period of six weeks.
+
+Our little mules did not stop till they reached the middle of the
+river, and stuck their heads, ears and all, under the water. Luke's
+diminutive, snuff-colored beast was so overcome by the sight and feel
+of water that she lay down in it, with him astride, giving herself and
+her master the first real bath since the time that she did the same
+thing, in the Platte River, some three months previously.
+
+To us, the long-time sun-dried, thirsty emigrants; covered from head
+to foot with dust from the Black Hills, overlaid with alkali powder
+from the Humboldt, veneered with ashes of the desert; all ingrained by
+weeks of dermatic absorption, rubbed in by the wear of travel,
+polished by the friction of the wind--to us said the Truckee, flowing
+a hundred feet wide, transparent, deep, cool; rattling and singing and
+splashing over the rocks; and the sparkle of its crystal purity, the
+music of its flow and the joy of its song, repeated, "Come and take a
+drink."
+
+We filled our canteens and went back to meet the others. We found them
+in a line three miles long; and it was well into the afternoon when
+the last wagon reached the river.
+
+The train crossed to the farther shore, into the grateful shade of the
+pine forest and there made camp.
+
+What an enchanting spectacle was that scene of wooded hills, with its
+varying lights and shades, all about us! From as far as we could see,
+up the heights and down to the river bank, where their roots were
+washed in the cool water, the great trees grew.
+
+We were still within the confines of Nevada, but two men were there
+with a wagon-load of fresh garden stuff, brought over from the
+foothills of California to sell to the emigrants: potatoes, at fifty
+cents a pound, pickles, eight dollars a keg, and so on. We bought, and
+feasted.
+
+The camp that night by the Truckee River was the happiest of all. We
+had reached a place where green things grew in limitless profusion,
+where water flowed pure and free; and we were out of the desert and
+beyond the reach of the savage Redman.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+INTO THE SETTLEMENTS. HALT.
+
+
+Having begun the ascent of the lofty and precipitous east slope of the
+Sierra Nevada Mountains, one night about the first of September the
+camp-site selected was at a spot said to be directly on the boundary
+line between Nevada and California.
+
+Lounging after supper about a huge bonfire of balsam pine, the
+travelers debated the question whether we were really at last within
+the limits of the Mecca toward which we had journeyed so patiently
+throughout the summer. While so engaged, the stillness, theretofore
+disturbed only by the murmur of our voices and occasional popping of
+the burning logs, was further dispelled for a few seconds by sounds
+as of shifting pebbles on the adjacent banks, accompanied by rustling
+of the foliage, waving of tall branches and tree-tops, and a gentle
+oscillation of the ground on which we rested. These manifestations
+were new to our experience; but we had heard and read enough about the
+western country to hazard a guess as to the significance of the
+disturbance.
+
+"Jack," aroused from his first early slumber of that particular
+evening, raised himself on an elbow, and asserted, confidently:
+
+"That settles it; we _are_ in California: that was an earthquake."
+
+Appearing already to have caught the universal feeling of western
+people regarding the matter of "quakes," he chuckled, in contemplation
+of his own perspicacity, and calmly resumed his recumbent attitude,
+and his nap.
+
+The summit of the Sierras was reached within about two days from the
+commencement of the ascent. We met no people in these mountains until
+we had proceeded some distance down the westerly slope, and reached a
+mining camp, near a small, gushing stream, that poured itself over and
+between rocks in a tortuous gorge.
+
+The camp was a small cluster of rough shacks, built of logs, split
+boards and shakes. As if dropped there by accident, they were located
+without regard for any sort of uniformity. These were the bunk cabins
+of the miners; some of the diminutive structures being only of size
+sufficient to accommodate a cot, a camp-stool and a wash-basin. A
+larger cabin stood at about the center of the group, the joint kitchen
+and dining-room.
+
+As we drove into the "town," the only person within view was a
+Chinaman, standing at the door. For most of us this was a first
+introduction to one of the yellow race. He was evidently the camp
+cook.
+
+Major Crewdson approached the Celestial with the salutation: "Hello,
+John."
+
+"Belly good," was the reply.
+
+[Illustration: "'Melican man dig gold"]
+
+Having already heard it said that the invariable result of an
+untutored Chinaman's effort to pronounce any word containing an "r"
+produced the sound of "l" instead, we thought little of that error in
+the attempt of this one to say "Very," but believed that his
+substitution for the initial letter of that word was inexcusable.
+
+"What is the name of this place?" continued Crewdson.
+
+"'Melican man dig gold."
+
+"Yes, I know that; but, this town, what do you call it?"
+
+"Yu-ba Dam," the Chinaman answered.
+
+This response was intended to be civil. Near by the Yuba River was
+spanned by a dam, for mining purposes, known as Yuba Dam, which gave
+the mining camp its name.
+
+Further on we came to the first house that we saw in California; and
+it was the first real house within our view since the few primitive
+structures at Nebraska City, on the west shore of the Missouri River,
+faded from our sight, the preceding spring. During a period of about
+four months our company had traveled thousands of miles, through
+varying wilds, in all of which not one habitation, in form common to
+civilization, had been encountered. Seldom has civilized man journeyed
+a greater distance elsewhere, even in darkest Africa, without passing
+the conventional domicile of some member of his own race. Long ago
+such an experience became impossible in the United States.
+
+[Illustration: Pack-mule route to placer diggings]
+
+This house was a small wayside inn, situated where a miners' trail
+crossed the emigrant route; a roughly-made, two-story, frame building,
+with a corral adjoining; at which mule pack-trains stopped overnight,
+when carrying supplies from Sacramento and Marysville for miners
+working the gold placer diggings along the American and Yuba rivers.
+We camped beside the little hotel, and the next morning were for the
+first time permitted to enjoy a sample of the proverbially generous
+California hospitality, when the landlord invited our entire company
+into his hostelry for breakfast.
+
+Our entrance into California was in Nevada County, thence through
+Placer, Sacramento, Solano and Napa, and into Sonoma.
+
+Over the last one hundred miles we saw evidences that the valleys,
+great and small, were rapidly filling with settlers.
+
+The last stream forded was the Russian River, flowing southwesterly
+through Alexander Valley, to the sea. Having crossed to the western
+shore, our motley throng found itself in the settlement embracing the
+village of Healdsburg, an aggregation of perhaps a dozen or twenty
+houses. There our worn and weather-stained troop made its final halt;
+and the jaded oxen, on whose endurance and patient service so
+much--even our lives--had depended, were unyoked the last time, on
+September seventeenth, just four months after the departure from the
+Missouri River.
+
+Considering all the circumstances of the journey, through two thousand
+miles of diversified wilderness, during which we rested each night in
+a different spot; it seems providential that, on every occasion when
+the time came for making camp, a supply of water and fuel was
+obtainable. Without these essentials there would have been much
+additional suffering. Sometimes the supply was limited or inferior,
+sometimes both; especially during those trying times in the westerly
+portion of the Humboldt region; but we were never without potable
+water nor fire, at least for the preparation of our evening meal.
+Nature had prepared the country for this great overland exodus from
+the populous East; a most important factor in the upbuilding of the
+rich western empire, theretofore so little known, but whose
+development of resources and accession of inhabitants since have been
+the world's greatest marvel for more than half a hundred years.
+
+As I look back, through the lapse of nearly sixty years, upon that
+toilsome and perilous journey, notwithstanding its numerous harrowing
+events, memory presents it to me as an itinerary of almost continuous
+excitement and wholesome enjoyment; a panorama that never grows stale;
+many of the incidents standing out to view on recollection's landscape
+as clear and sharp as the things of yesterday. That which was worst
+seems to have softened and lapsed into the half-forgotten, while the
+good and happy features have grown brighter and better with the
+passing of the years.
+
+Whether pioneers in the most technical sense, we were early
+Californians, who learned full well what was meant by "Crossing the
+Plains."
+
+
+
+
+END.
+
+
+[Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as
+possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other
+inconsistencies.
+
+The transcriber made changes as indicated to the text to correct
+obvious errors:
+
+  1. p. 15, awkardness --> awkwardness
+  2. p. 44, we though best --> we thought best
+  3. p. 45, knowldege --> knowledge
+  4. p. 68, maner --> manner
+  5. p. 74, consciouses --> consciousness
+  6. p. 103, characteristc --> characteristic
+  7. p. 114, unusal --> unusual
+  8. p. 149, "tenderfoot' --> "tenderfoot"
+  9. p. 153, "good Indian' --> 'good Indian'
+
+Several occurrences of mismatched quotes remain as published. Also,
+some illustrations have been repositioned to appear between paragraphs,
+causing some to move to a different page, but page numbers in the
+Contents remain as published.
+
+End of Transcriber's Notes]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, by 
+William Audley Maxwell
+
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, by 
+William Audley Maxwell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Crossing the Plains, Days of '57
+       A Narrative of Early Emigrant Tavel to California by the Ox-team Method
+
+Author: William Audley Maxwell
+
+Release Date: October 9, 2008 [EBook #26858]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CROSSING THE PLAINS, DAYS OF '57 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<div class="trans-note">
+<p class="heading">Transcriber's Note</p>
+<p>Every effort has been made to replicate this text as
+faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other
+inconsistencies. Text that has been changed to correct an obvious error
+is noted at the <a href="#END">end</a> of this ebook.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<h1>CROSSING THE PLAINS<br />
+DAYS OF '57</h1>
+
+
+<h3 class="space">A NARRATIVE OF EARLY EMIGRANT TRAVEL<br />
+TO CALIFORNIA BY THE<br />
+OX-TEAM METHOD</h3>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 111px;">
+<img src="images/i003.jpg" width="111" height="83" alt="Publisher&#39;s Logo" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<h4>BY</h4>
+
+<h3 class="space">WM. AUDLEY MAXWELL</h3>
+
+
+<h5 class="space">COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY<br />
+WM AUDLEY MAXWELL</h5>
+
+
+<h5 class="space">SUNSET PUBLISHING HOUSE<br />
+SAN FRANCISCO MCMXV</h5>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a name="Frontispiece" id="Frontispiece"></a>
+<img src="images/i002.jpg" width="500" height="302" alt="&quot;They started flight&quot; (See page 119.)" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;They started flight&quot;<br />(See page <a href="#Page_119">119</a>.)</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<hr class="tiny tight" />
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table class="toc" summary="Toc">
+<tr><td class='left'>&nbsp;</td><td class='center'>&nbsp;</td><td class='right'>PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left sc' colspan="2"><a href="#ILLUSTRATIONS">List of Illustrations</a></td><td class='right'>VI</td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left sc'><a href="#FOREWORD">Foreword</a></td><td class='center'>&nbsp;</td><td class='right'>VII</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_I">Chapter I.</a></td><td class='hang'>Forsaking the Old, in Quest of the New. First Camp. Fording the Platte</td><td class='right'>1</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Chapter II.</a></td><td class='hang'>Laramie Fashions and Sioux Etiquette. A Trophy. Chimney Rock. A Solitary Emigrant. Jests and Jingles</td><td class='right'>13</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Chapter III.</a></td><td class='hang'>Lost in the Black Hills. Devil's Gate. Why a Mountain Sheep Did Not Wink. Green River Ferry</td><td class='right'>31</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Chapter IV.</a></td><td class='hang'>Disquieting Rumors of Redmen. Consolidation for Safety. The Poisonous Humboldt</td><td class='right'>49</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_V">Chapter V.</a></td><td class='hang'>The Holloway Massacre</td><td class='right'>62</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI.</a></td><td class='hang'>Origin of "Piker." Before the Era of Canned Good and Kodaks. Morning Routine. Typical Bivouac. Sociability Entrained. The Flooded Camp. Hope Sustains Patience</td><td class='right'>76</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Chapter VII.</a></td><td class='hang'>Tangled by a Tornado. Lost the Pace but Kept the Cow. Human Oddities. Night Guards. Wolf Serenades. Awe of the Wilderness. A Stampede</td><td class='right'>97</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Chapter&nbsp;VIII.</a></td><td class='hang'>Disaster Overtakes the Wood Family</td><td class='right'>116</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Chapter IX.</a></td><td class='hang'>Mysterious Visitors. Extra Sentinels. An Anxious Night</td><td class='right'>123</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Chapter X.</a></td><td class='hang'>Challenge to Battle</td><td class='right'>133</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">Chapter XI.</a></td><td class='hang'>Sagebrush Justice</td><td class='right'>144</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Chapter XII.</a></td><td class='hang'>Night Travel. Arid Wastes to Limpid Waters</td><td class='right'>160</td></tr>
+<tr><td valign='top' class='left sc'><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Chapter&nbsp;XIII.</a></td><td class='hang'>Into the Settlements. Halt</td><td class='right'>170</td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<h2 class="space"><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<hr class="tiny tight" />
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table class="toc" summary="Illustrations">
+<tr><td class='left'>&nbsp;</td><td class='right'>PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"They started flight"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Frontispiece">Frontispiece</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"Fording the Platte consumed one entire day"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"Wo-haw-Buck"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_20">21</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>Chimney Rock</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"One melody that he sang from the heart"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"Hauled the delinquent out"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"The wagons were lowered through the crevice"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>Bone-writing</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_56">57</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"With hand upraised in supplication, yielded to the impulse to flee"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>Jerry Bush, 1914</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>Nancy Holloway, 1857</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>The Author, twenty years after</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>A Coyote Serenade</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"Van Diveer's advantage was slight but sufficient"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_136">136</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"'Stop,' shouted the Judge"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>"'Melican man dig gold"</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_173">173</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='left'>Pack-mule route to placer diggings</td><td class='right'><a href="#Page_175">175</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<h2><a name="FOREWORD" id="FOREWORD"></a>FOREWORD</h2>
+
+
+<p>Diligent inquiry has failed to disclose the existence of an authentic
+and comprehensive narrative of a <i>pioneer</i> journey across the plains.
+With the exception of some improbable yarns and disconnected incidents
+relating to the earlier experiences, the subject has been treated
+mainly from the standpoint of people who traveled westward at a time
+when the real hardships and perils of the trip were much less than
+those encountered in the fifties.</p>
+
+<p>A very large proportion of the people now residing in the Far West are
+descendants of emigrants who came by the precarious means afforded by
+ox-team conveyances. For some three-score years the younger
+generations have heard from the lips of their ancestors enough of
+that wonderful pilgrimage to create among them a widespread demand for
+a complete and typical narrative.</p>
+
+<p>This story consists of facts, with the real names of the actors in the
+drama. The events, gay, grave and tragic, are according to indelible
+recollections of eye-witnesses, including those of</p>
+
+<p class="author">The Author.</p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;W. A. M.,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Ukiah, California, 1915.</i></p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CROSSING_THE_PLAINS" id="CROSSING_THE_PLAINS"></a>CROSSING THE PLAINS<br />
+DAYS OF '57</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr class="tiny" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h3>FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW. FIRST CAMP.<br />
+FORDING THE PLATTE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857. Our
+objective point was Sonoma County, California.</p>
+
+<p>The company consisted of thirty-seven persons, including several
+families, and some others; the individuals ranging in years from
+middle age to babies: eleven men, ten women and sixteen minors; the
+eldest of the party forty-nine, the most youthful, a boy two months
+old the day we started. Most of these were persons who had resided for
+a time at least not far<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> from the starting point, but not all were
+natives of that section, some having emigrated from Indiana, Kentucky,
+Tennessee and Virginia.</p>
+
+<p>We were outfitted with eight wagons, about thirty yoke of oxen, fifty
+head of extra steers and cows, and ten or twelve saddle ponies and
+mules.</p>
+
+<p>The vehicles were light, well-built farm wagons, arranged and fitted
+for economy of space and weight. Most of the wagons were without
+brakes, seats or springs. The axles were of wood, which, in case of
+their breaking, could be repaired en route. Chains were used for
+deadlocking the wheels while moving down steep places.</p>
+
+<p>No lines or halters of any kind were used on the oxen for guiding
+them, these animals being managed entirely by use of the ox-whip and
+the "ox-word." The whip was a braided leathern lash, six to eight feet
+long, the most approved stock for which was a hickory sapling, as long
+as the lash,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> and on the extremity of the lash was a strip of
+buckskin, for a "cracker," which, when snapped by a practiced driver,
+produced a sound like the report of a pistol. The purpose of the whip
+was well understood by the trained oxen, and that implement enabled a
+skillful driver to regulate the course of a wagon almost as accurately
+as if the team were of horses, with the reins in the hands of an
+expert jehu.</p>
+
+<p>An emigrant wagon such as described, provided with an oval top cover
+of white ducking, with "flaps" in front and a "puckering-string" at
+the rear, came to be known in those days as a "prairie schooner;" and
+a string of them, drawn out in single file in the daily travel, was a
+"train." Trains following one another along the same new pathway were
+sometimes strung out for hundreds of miles, with spaces of a few
+hundred yards to several miles between, and were many weeks passing a
+given point.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Our commissary wagon was supplied with flour, bacon, coffee, tea,
+sugar, rice, salt, and so forth; rations estimated to last for five or
+six months, if necessary; also medical supplies, and whatever else we
+could carry to meet the probable necessities and the possible
+casualties of the journey; with the view of traveling tediously but
+patiently over a country of roadless plains and mountains, crossing
+deserts and fording rivers; meanwhile cooking, eating and sleeping on
+the ground as we should find it from day to day.</p>
+
+<p>The culinary implements occupied a compartment of their own in a
+wagon, consisting of such kettles, long-handled frying-pans and
+sheet-iron coffee pots as could be used on a camp-fire, with table
+articles almost all of tin. Those who attempted to carry the more
+friable articles, owing to the thumps and falls to which these were
+subjected, found themselves short in supply of utensils long before
+the journey ended.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> I have seen a man and wife drinking coffee from
+one small tin pan, their china and delftware having been left in
+fragments to decorate the desert wayside.</p>
+
+<p>We had some tents, but they were little used, after we learned how to
+do without them, excepting in cases of inclement weather, of which
+there was very little, especially in the latter part of the trip.</p>
+
+<p>During the great rush of immigration into California subsequent to
+1849, from soon after the discovery of gold until this time, the usual
+date at which the annual emigrants started from the settlement borders
+along the Missouri River was April 15th to May 1st. The Spring of 1857
+was late, and we did not pull out until May 17th, when the prairie
+grass was grown sufficiently to afford feed for the stock, and summer
+weather was assured.</p>
+
+<p>At that time the boundary line between the "States" and the "Plains"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>
+was the Missouri River. We crossed that river at a point about
+half-way between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs, where the village of
+Brownville was the nucleus of a first settlement of white people on
+the Nebraska side. There the river was a half-mile wide. The crossing
+was effected by means of an old-fashioned ferryboat or scow, propelled
+by a small, stern-wheeled steamer. Two days were consumed in
+transporting our party and equipment across the stream; but one wagon
+and a few of the people and animals being taken at each trip of the
+ferryboat and steamer.</p>
+
+<p>From the landing we passed up the west shore twenty miles, seeing
+occasionally a rude cabin or a foundation of logs, indicating the
+intention of pre-empters. This brought us to the town of Nebraska
+City, then a beginning of a dozen or twenty houses, on the west bank.
+Omaha was not yet on the map; although where that thriving<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> city now
+stands there existed then a settlement of something over one hundred
+persons.</p>
+
+<p>From Nebraska City we bore off northwesterly, separating ourselves
+from civilization, and thereafter saw no more evidence of the white
+man's purpose to occupy the country over which we traveled.</p>
+
+<p>There was before us the sky-bound stretch of undulating prairie,
+spreading far and wide, like a vast field of young, growing grain, its
+monotony relieved only by occasional clumps of small trees, indicating
+the presence of springs or small water-courses.</p>
+
+<p>Other companies or trains, from many parts of the country, especially
+the Middle States, were crossing the Missouri at various points
+between St. Louis and Council Bluffs; most of them converging
+eventually into one general route, as they got out on the journey.</p>
+
+<p>It is perhaps impossible to convey a clear understanding of the
+emotions<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> experienced by one starting on such a trip; leaving friends
+and the familiar surroundings of what had been home, to face a siege
+of travel over thousands of miles of wilderness, so little known and
+fraught with so much of hardship and peril.</p>
+
+<p>The earlier emigrants, gold-hunters, men only&mdash;men of such stuff as
+pioneers usually are made of&mdash;carried visions of picking up fortunes
+in the California gold mines and soon returning to their former
+haunts. But those who were going now felt that they were burning all
+bridges behind them; that all they had was with them, and they were
+going to stay.</p>
+
+<p>Formerly we had heard that California was good only for its gold
+mines; that it was a country of rocks, crags and deserts; where it
+rained ceaselessly during half of the year and not at all in the other
+half.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> But later we had been told that in the valleys there was land
+on which crops of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> wheat could be grown, and that cattle raising was
+good, on the broad acres of wild oats everywhere in the "cow
+counties." It was told us also that there were strips of redwood
+forest along the coast, and these trees, a hundred to several hundred
+feet in height, could be split into boards ten to twenty feet long,
+for building purposes; and that this material was to be had by anybody
+for the taking. Some said that the Spanish padres, at their missions
+in several localities near the Pacific shore, had planted small
+vineyards of what had come to be known as the "Mission" grape, which
+produced enormous crops. Another report told us that other fruits,
+including the orange and lemon varieties, so far as tried, gave
+promise of being valuable<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> products of the valley and foothill soils.
+Such stories gave rise to a malady called "California fever." It was
+contagious, and carried off many people.</p>
+
+<p>Our first camp was on the open prairie, where grass grew about four
+inches high, and a small spring furnished an ample supply of water.
+Firewood we had brought with us for that night. The weather was very
+fine, and all were joyous at the novelty of "camping out."</p>
+
+<p>On or about the eighth day we came to the Platte River; broad, muddy
+stream, at some points a mile or more in width; shallow, but running
+rapidly, between low banks; its many small islands wholly covered by
+growths of cottonwood trees and small willows. From these islands we
+obtained from time to time the fuel needed for the camp, as we took
+our course along the river's southerly shore; and occasionally added
+to the contents of the "grub" wagon by capturing an elk or deer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> that
+had sought covert in the cool shade of these island groves. Antelope
+also were there, but too wary for our huntsmen.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i019.jpg" width="500" height="433" alt="&quot;Fording the Platte consumed one entire day&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Fording the Platte consumed one entire day&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>We forded the Platte at a point something like one hundred and fifty
+miles westward from its confluence with the Missouri. There was no
+road leading into the river, nor any evidence of its having been
+crossed by any one,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> at that place. We were informed that the bottom
+was of quicksand, and fording, therefore, dangerous. We tested it, by
+riding horses across. Contrary to our expectations, the bottom was
+found to be a surface of smooth sand, packed hard enough to bear up
+the wagons, when the movement was quick and continuous. A cut was made
+in the bank, to form a runway for passage of the wagons to the water's
+edge; and the whole train crossed the stream safely, with no further
+mishap than the wetting of a driver and the dipping of a wagon into a
+place deep enough to let water into the box. Fording the Platte
+consumed one entire day. We camped that night on the north shore.</p>
+
+<p>The train continued along the general course of the river about four
+hundred miles, as far as Fort Laramie, through open country, in which
+there was an abundance of feed for the animals, but where wood for
+fuel was scarce.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> As late as March, 1850, Daniel Webster said in the United
+States Senate: "California is Asiatic in formation and scenery;
+composed of vast mountains of enormous height, with broken ridges and
+deep valleys. The sides of these mountains are barren&mdash;entirely
+barren&mdash;their tops capped by perennial snow."</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h3>LARAMIE FASHIONS AND SIOUX ETIQUETTE. A TROPHY. CHIMNEY<br />
+ROCK. A SOLITARY EMIGRANT. JESTS AND JINGLES</h3>
+
+
+<p>The Laramie and Sioux Indians were in those days the lords of that
+portion of the plains over which we traveled during the first several
+weeks.</p>
+
+<p>They were fine specimens of physical manhood. Tall, erect, well
+proportioned, they carried themselves with a distinct air of personal
+importance and dignity. They had not taken to the white man's mode of
+dress. Each had, in addition to his buckskin breeches and moccasins, a
+five-point Mackinaw blanket, these comprising for him a complete suit.
+The blanket he used as an outer garment, when needed, and for his
+cover at night. Many of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> more important "big injins" owned also a
+buffalo robe. This was the whole hide of the buffalo, with the hair on
+it, the inner side tanned to a soft, pliable leather, and the
+irregularities of its natural shape neatly cut away. It furnished the
+owner an excellent storm<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> robe, sufficient protection, head to foot,
+in the severest weather.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 399px;">
+<img src="images/i022.jpg" width="399" height="500" alt="&quot;Wo-haw-Buck&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Wo-haw-Buck&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Indians of these tribes that we met were friendly, even to
+familiarity. One of them would approach an emigrant with a
+"glad-to-meet-you" air, extending a hand in what was intended to be
+"white-man" fashion. But "Mr. Lo" was a novice in the art of
+handshaking, and his awkwardness and mimicking attempts in the effort
+were as amusing to us as satisfactory, apparently, to him. His vocal
+greeting, with slight variation from time to time, was in such
+words&mdash;with little regard for their meaning&mdash;as he had caught from the
+ox-driving dialect of the passing emigrants: "Wo-haw-buck," "Hello,
+John, got tobac?" If he added "Gimme biskit," and "Pappoose heap
+sick," he had about reached the limit of his English vocabulary.</p>
+
+<p>Large game was common along some parts of the way: buffalo, elk,
+antelope, deer, on the plains and hills; bear,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> mountain lions,
+wildcats and other species in the mountainous sections. They were shy
+and not easy to take, but we captured a few of some varieties. Some
+members of the party demonstrated that fishing was good in the Rocky
+Mountain streams. Naturally the men were hopeful of securing specimens
+of the larger game, but our lack of experience and scarcity of proper
+equipment for the purpose were against the chance, though not to the
+extent of our entire disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>Only persons of much experience on the plains could form even an
+approximate estimate of the great number of buffaloes sometimes seen
+together. It has been stated that there were herds numbering more than
+fifty thousand. Such an aggregation would consume days in passing a
+given point, and in case of a stampede, all other animals in its path
+were doomed to destruction. A herd of buffaloes quietly grazing was
+sometimes difficult to distinguish, when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> viewed from a considerable
+distance, from a low forest; their rounded bodies and the neutral tint
+of their shaggy coats giving them the appearance of bushes.</p>
+
+<p>When the train was nearing the fork of the Platte River a herd of
+buffaloes was seen, quietly grazing on the plain, a mile or more to
+the right, beyond a small water-course.</p>
+
+<p>Deciding we would try our prowess, Captain Maxwell and this narrator
+rode to the creek, at a point some distance below the position of the
+herd, where we tied our horses, then crept along, under cover of the
+creek bank, till we had gone as near as possible, without being seen
+by the herd, distant from us not much more than a hundred yards.</p>
+
+<p>Cautiously peering above the edge of the bank, we selected a choice
+buffalo among those nearest us, and both fired. The entire herd
+galloped wildly away, continuing till all passed from view<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> over a
+hill some miles northward. Not one showed sign of having been hit.</p>
+
+<p>As we were about to leave the place, what should we see but a lonely
+buffalo, coming down the slope toward where we were, moving with
+leisurely tread and manner perfectly unconcerned. Notwithstanding our
+recent firing, this animal evidently had no suspicion of our presence.
+We remained and awaited his coming.</p>
+
+<p>He walked a few steps, then browsed a little, as if in no hurry about
+anything. Captain John and I felt our hope rise; we laid our plans and
+waited patiently.</p>
+
+<p>Just where the buffalo trail led down the bank of the creek, there
+were, as in many places near the stream, some scattered cottonwood and
+other trees. One of these that once stood on the brink had fallen till
+its top caught in the fork of another tree, and rested at a gentle
+incline upward from where it had grown. At the roots of this fallen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>
+tree we concealed ourselves, to wait, hoping that the big animal would
+come down to the water, but a few yards from us; for we guessed that
+he was one that had not yet had his drink from the brook that day, and
+was determined not to leave until he slaked his thirst.</p>
+
+<p>It was an anxious while of waiting, but not long. I was fearful that
+my hard-thumping heart-beats would be audible and frighten him away.
+Could it be true that I had an attack of "buck-ague"? Perish the
+thought.</p>
+
+<p>Finally his bovine majesty came lazily over the top of the bank, with
+a heavy, slow motion; grunting and puffing, as if he were almost too
+heavy for his legs. When he got to the bottom of the bank and was
+about to drink, Captain John whispered our agreed signal: "One, two,
+three;" we fired, simultaneously, and repeated. The big fellow stood
+still for a moment after the shots and looked about, with a slow
+movement and stolid gaze, turning his head<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> questioningly from side to
+side, as if he would say, "I thought I heard something pop."</p>
+
+<p>Somehow we knew we had hit him, and we wondered why he did not fall.
+His little, black eyes rolled and glinted under his shaggy foretop.
+Then he seemed to swell; crouching slightly, as does a beast of prey
+when about to spring; lowered his head, pawed the earth and shook his
+mane. His whole body became vibrant with the obvious desire to
+fight,&mdash;and no antagonist in sight. Uttering a tremendous grunt, he
+arched his back again, stamping with all four feet, somewhat like the
+capers of a Mexican "broncho" when preparing to buck"; then he snorted
+once more, with such explosive force as seemed to shake the tree
+beside which we were hidden, as he looked about for something to pitch
+into.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i029.jpg" width="500" height="467" alt="&quot;From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>By this time we thought we understood why a kind Providence had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>
+caused that cottonwood tree to lodge at such an angle that a buffalo
+could not climb it, but we could&mdash;and we did. Getting ourselves safely
+into the fork of the tree, we continued to shoot from our coign of
+vantage till the big fellow dropped. When he ceased to kick or give
+any sign of belligerency, we came<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> down and approached him, carefully.
+Then we dressed him, or as much of him as we could carry in two bags
+that we had strapped behind our saddles, and rejoined the train after
+our people had gone into camp for the night.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i030.jpg" width="500" height="309" alt="Chimney Rock" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Chimney Rock</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>We had our first buffalo steak for supper that night. We also had the
+satisfaction of observing signs of jealousy on the part of the other
+men who had never killed a buffalo.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first natural curiosities we saw was Chimney Rock; a
+vertical<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> column of sandstone something like forty feet high, with a
+rugged stone bluff rising abruptly near it. Its appearance, from our
+distant view, resembled a stone chimney from which the building had
+been burned away, as it stood, solitary on the flat earth at the south
+side of the Platte River, we traveling up the north shore. Such a
+time-chiseled monument was a novelty to us then. To the early
+emigrants it was the first notable landmark.</p>
+
+<p>While some distance farther west, as we scaled the higher slopes, we
+could see to the southward the snow-capped peaks of that region which
+long afterward was taken from western Nebraska to become the Territory
+of Colorado, and later still, the State of that name. Looking over and
+past the locality where, more than a year thereafter, the town of
+Denver was laid out, we saw, during several weeks, the summit of
+Pike's Peak, hundreds of miles away.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>One evening when we were going into camp we were overtaken by a man
+trundling a push-cart. This vehicle had between its wheels a box
+containing the man's supplies of food and camp articles, with the
+blankets, which were in a roll, placed on top; all strapped down under
+an oilcloth cover.</p>
+
+<p>With this simple outfit, pushed in front of him, this man was making
+his way from one of the Eastern States to California, a distance of
+more than three thousand miles. He was of medium size, athletic
+appearance, with a cheerful face. He visited us overnight. The next
+morning he was invited to tie his cart behind one of our wagons and
+ride with us. He replied that he would be pleased to do so, but was
+anxious to make all possible speed, and felt that he could not wait on
+the progress of our train, which was somewhat slower than the pace he
+maintained. It was said that he was the first man who made the entire
+trip on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> foot and alone, from coast to coast, as we were afterwards
+informed he succeeded in doing.</p>
+
+<p>From time to time the tedium was dispelled by varied incidents; many
+that were entertaining and instructive, some ludicrous, some pathetic,
+and others profoundly tragic. Agreeable happenings predominated
+largely during the early stages, and those involving difficulties and
+of grave import were mainly a part of our experiences toward the close
+of the long pilgrimage. Such an order of events might be presumed as a
+natural sequence, as the route led first over a territory not
+generally difficult to travel, but farther and farther from
+established civilization, into rougher lands, and toward those regions
+where outlawry, common to all pioneer conditions, was prevalent.</p>
+
+<p>With our company were four or five boys and young men, eighteen to
+twenty-one years of age, also a kindly and unpretentious but droll
+young fellow,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> named John C. Aston, whose age was about twenty-five.
+This younger element was responsible for most of the occurrences of
+lighter vein, which became a feature of our daily progress.</p>
+
+<p>Aston's intimate friends called him "Jack," and some of the more
+facetious ones shortened the cognomen "Jack Aston" by dropping the
+"ton," inconsiderately declaring that the briefer appellation fitted
+the man, even better than did his coat, which always was loose about
+the shoulders and too long in the sleeves. But all knew "Jack" to be
+an excellent fellow. His principal fault, if it could be so termed,
+was a superabundance of good-nature, a willingness at all times to
+joke and be joked. He had a fund of stories&mdash;in some of which he
+pictured himself the hero&mdash;with which he was wont to relieve the
+tedium of the evening hours. A violin was among his effects, which he
+played to accompany his singing of entertaining countryside<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> songs.
+Most of these were melodious, and highly descriptive. "Jack" had much
+music in his soul, and sang with good effect.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i035.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="&quot;One melody that he sang from the heart&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;One melody that he sang from the heart&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>There was one melody that he sang oftenest, and sang from the
+heart&mdash;one that was rendered nightly, regardless of any variation in
+the program; a composition that embraced seventeen verses, each
+followed by a soothing lullaby refrain; a song which, every time he
+sang it, carried "Jack" again to his old home in the Sunny South,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> and
+seemed to give him surcease from all the ills of life. Of that song a
+single verse is here reproduced, with deep regret that the other
+sixteen are lost, with all except a small fraction of the tune. Yet,
+cold, inanimate music notes on the paper would convey, to one who
+never heard him sing them, only the skeleton; the life, sympathy and
+soul of the song would be lacking. We needed no other soporific. Here
+it is:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Oh, the days of bygone joys,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">They never will come back to me;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When I was with the girls and boys,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">A-courting, down in Tennessee.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">Courting, down in Tennessee.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>It was "Jack's" habit to allow his head to hang to the left, due,
+presumably, to much practice in holding down the large end of his
+violin with his chin. He was prone to sleep a great deal, and even as
+he sat in the driver's seat of a "prairie-schoner," or astride a mule,
+the attitude described<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> often resulted in his being accused of napping
+while on duty. The climatic conditions peculiar to the plains, and the
+slow, steady movement of the conveyances, were conducive to
+drowsiness, in consequence of which everybody was all the time sleepy.
+But "Jack" was born that way, and the very frequent evidences of it in
+his case led to a general understanding that, whenever he was not in
+sight, he was hidden away somewhere asleep.</p>
+
+<p>"Jack's" amiability, too, was a permanent condition. Apparently no one
+could make him angry or resentful. For this reason, he was the target
+for many pranks perpetrated by the boys. Like this:</p>
+
+<p>One evening "Jack" took his blanket and located for the night at a
+spot apart from the others of the company, under a convenient sage
+bush. The next morning he was overlooked until after breakfast. When
+the time came for hitching the teams, he was not at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> his post. A
+search finally revealed him, still rolled in his bedding, fast asleep.
+When several calls failed to arouse him, one of the boys tied an end
+of a rope around "Jack's" feet, hitched a pair of oxen to the other
+end, and hauled the delinquent out some distance on the sand. "Jack"
+sat up, unconcernedly rubbed his eyes, then began untying the rope
+that bound his feet, his only comment being&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Courting, down in Tennessee."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i038.jpg" width="500" height="328" alt="&quot;Hauled the delinquent out&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Hauled the delinquent out&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h3>LOST IN THE BLACK HILLS. DEVIL'S GATE. WHY A MOUNTAIN SHEEP<br />
+DID NOT WINK. GREEN RIVER FERRY.</h3>
+
+
+<p>At Fort Laramie we left the Platte River, and, bearing northwesterly,
+entered the Black Hills, a region of low, rolling uplands, sparsely
+grown with scrubby pine trees; the soil black, very dry; where little
+animal life was visible, excepting prairie dogs.</p>
+
+<p>There may be readers who, at the mention of prairie dogs, see mentally
+a wolf or other specimen of the <i>genus canis</i>, of ordinary kind and
+size. The prairie dog, however, is not of the dog species. It bears
+some resemblance to a squirrel and a rat, but is larger than either.
+It may be likened to the canine only in that it barks,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> somewhat as do
+small dogs. Prairie dogs live in holes, dug by themselves. Twenty to
+fifty of these holes may be seen within a radius of a few yards, and
+such communities are known to plains people as "towns." On the
+approach of anything they fear the little fellows sit erect, look
+defiant and chatter saucily. If the intruder comes too near, the
+commanding individual of the group, the mayor of the town, so to
+speak, gives an alarm, plainly interpreted as, "Beware; make safe;
+each man for himself;" and instantly each one turns an exquisite
+somersault and disappears, as he drops, head downward, into the hole
+beside him.</p>
+
+<p>John L. Maxwell had made the trip over the plains from the Missouri
+River to California in 1854, returning, via Panama, in 1856, to take
+his family to the West, accompanying the train of his elder brother,
+Dr. Kennedy Maxwell. He was of great service to us now, by reason of
+his experience<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> and consequent knowledge of the country traversed. He
+was therefore elected to act as pilot of the company, with the title
+"Captain John," which clung to him for many years.</p>
+
+<p>The emigrant trail in some parts of the way was well marked. In other
+places there was none, and we had to find our way as best we could,
+not always without difficulty. Often Captain John and others would
+ride ahead of the train a considerable distance, select routes for
+passage through places where travel was hard or risky, choose
+camp-sites, and, returning, pilot the train accordingly.</p>
+
+<p>At various times, despite every care in selecting the route, the train
+went on a wrong course, and at least once was completely astray. This
+was one morning as the company was passing out of the Black Hills
+country. Information had been received that at this place a short-cut
+could be made which would save fifteen or twenty miles.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> There were no
+marks on the ground indicating that any train ahead had gone that way,
+but the leaders decided to try it. This venture led the company into a
+situation not unlike the proverbial "jumping-off place."</p>
+
+<p>Directly in our course was a declivity which dropped an estimated
+depth of sixty to one hundred feet below the narrow, stony flat on
+which we stood, down into a depressed valley. Abrupt ridges of broken
+stone formation were on our right and left, inclosing us in a small
+space of barren, waste earth. The elements had crumbled the rocks down
+for ages, until what perhaps had been once a deep canyon was now a
+narrow flat, a mass of debris, terminating at the top of the steep,
+ragged cliff that pitched downward before us. The high, rocky ridges
+on both sides were wholly impassable, at least for the teams. A search
+finally disclosed, at the base of the ridge on our right, a single
+possible passage. It was narrow,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> slightly wider than a wagon, and led
+downward at a steep incline, into the valley below, with rocks
+protruding from both its side walls, its bottom strewn with stones
+such as our vehicles could not pass over in an ordinary way.</p>
+
+<p>We were confronted with the problem how to get the wagons down that
+yawning fissure; the alternative being to retrace our steps many
+miles.</p>
+
+<p>At the bottom of this cliff or wall that barred our way could be seen
+a beautiful valley, stretching far and wide away to the northwest; a
+scene of enchanting loveliness, a refreshing contrast to the dry and
+nearly barren hills over which we had traveled during the many days
+last past. A short distance from the foot of the wall was a small
+stream of clear water, running over the meadow-flat. Rich pasture
+extended along the line of trees that marked the serpentine course of
+the brook which zigzagged its way toward<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> the southwest. Every man,
+woman and child of our company expressed in some way the declaration,
+"We <i>must</i> get into that beautiful oasis." It looked like field, park
+and orchard, in one landscape; all fenced off from the desolate
+surroundings by this wall of stone. Like Moses viewing Canaan from
+Nebo's top, we looked down and yearned to be amidst its freshness.</p>
+
+<p>It was not decreed that we should not enter in. A little distance to
+the south, near the other ridge, we discovered another opening,
+through which the animals could be driven down, but through which the
+wagons could not pass. This was a narrow, crooked ravine, and very
+steep; running diagonally down through the cliff; a sort of dry
+water-way, entirely bridged over in one part by an arch of stone,
+making it there a natural tunnel or open-ended cave; terminating at
+the base of the cliff in an immense doorway, opening into the valley.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The teams were unhitched from the wagons, the yokes taken off the
+oxen, and all the cattle, horses and mules were driven through the
+inclined tunnel into the coveted valley. The women and children
+clambered down, taking with them what they could of the camp things,
+for immediate use, and soon were quite "at home" in the valley, making
+free use of the little creek, for whatever purposes a little creek of
+pure, cold, fresh water is good, for a lot of thirsty, dust-covered
+wayfarers.</p>
+
+<p>The puzzle of getting the wagons down next engrossed the attention of
+our best engineers. The proposition to unpack the lading, take the
+wagons apart, and carry all down by hand, appeared for a time to be
+the only feasible plan. Captain John, however, suggested procuring
+rope or chain about one hundred feet in length, for use in lowering
+the wagons, one at a time, through the first-mentioned passage.
+Sufficient rope was brought, one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> end fastened to the rear axle of a
+wagon, the other end turned around a dwarf pine tree at the top of the
+bluff; two men managed the rope, preventing too rapid descent at the
+steeper places, while others guided the wheels over the stones, and
+the wagon was lowered through the crevice, with little damage. Thus,
+one by one, all the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> wagons were taken into the valley before the sun
+set.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i046.jpg" width="500" height="442" alt="&quot;The wagons were lowered through the crevice&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;The wagons were lowered through the crevice&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>It was a happy camp we had that night; though every man was tired.
+There was wood for fire, and a supply of good water and pasture
+sufficient for dozens of camps. Some one ventured the opinion that the
+Mormon pioneers had overlooked that spot when seeking a new location
+for Zion.</p>
+
+<p>Except that it was very pleasant to inhabit, we knew little of the
+place we had ventured into, or its location. How we were to get out
+did not appear, nor for the time being did this greatly concern us;
+and soon after supper the camp was wrapped in slumber, undisturbed by
+any coyote duet, or, on this occasion, even the twitter of a night
+bird.</p>
+
+<p>We did not hurry the next morning, the inclination being to linger
+awhile in the shady grove by the brookside. With a late start, the
+day's travel took us some twelve miles, through and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> out of the
+valley, to a point where we made the best of a poor camping place, on
+a rough, rocky hillside. The following day there was no road to
+follow, nor even a buffalo trail or bear path; but by evening we
+somehow found our way back into the course usually followed by
+emigrants, not knowing whether the recent detour had lessened or
+increased the miles of travel, but delighted with the comfort and
+diversion afforded by the side-ride. Thinking that others, seeing our
+tracks, might be led into similar difficulties, and be less fortunate
+perhaps in overcoming them, two of our young men rode back to the
+place of divergence, and erected a notice to all comers, advising them
+to "Keep to the right."</p>
+
+<p>Another freak of Nature in which we were much interested was the
+"Devil's Gate," or "Independence Rock," where we first came to the
+Sweetwater River, in Wyoming. This is a granite ridge, some two
+hundred<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> feet in length, irregular in formation and height, resembling
+a huge molehill, extending down from the Rocky Mountain heights and
+being across the river's course; the "Gate" being a vertical section,
+the width of the stream, cut out of a spur of Rattlesnake Mountain. If
+his Satanic majesty, whose name it bears, had charge of the
+construction, apparently he intended it only as a passage-way for the
+river, the cut being the exact width of the river as it flows through.
+The greater part of the two walls stand two hundred and fifty feet
+high, above the river level, perpendicular to the earth's plane,
+facing each other, the river between them at the base. Many names had
+been cut in the surface of the rock, by passing emigrants.</p>
+
+<p>We stopped for half a day to view this extraordinary scene. Some of
+the boys went to the apex, to see if the downward view made the rock
+walls appear as high as did the upward<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> view: and naturally they found
+the distance viewed downward seemed much greater. Our intention was to
+stand on the brink and experience the sensation of looking down from
+that great height at the river. The face of the wall where it
+terminates at the top forms an almost square corner, as if hewn stone.
+A few bushes grew a short distance from the edge, and as we approached
+the brink there was a sense of greater safety in holding onto these
+bushes. But while holding on we could not see quite over to the water
+below. We formed a chain of three persons, by joining hands, one
+grasping a large bush, that the outer man might look over the edge&mdash;if
+he would. But he felt shaky. He was not quite sure that the bush would
+not pull up by the roots, or one of the other fellows let go. For
+sometime no one was willing to make a real effort to look over the
+edge, but finally "Jack" said he would save the party's reputation
+for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> bravery, by assuming the role of end-man. He made several bold
+approaches toward the edge, but each time recoiled, and soon admitted
+defeat. "Boys," said he, "I'm dizzy. I know that 'distance lends
+enchantment'; I'll get back farther, take the best view I can get, and
+preserve the enchantment." To cover his discomfiture, he started for
+camp, whistling:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The next excursion off the route in search of novelty was on a clear
+afternoon a few days after passing the "Devil's Gate," when three
+young fellows decided to take a tramp to the rock ridge lying to our
+right. We hoped to find some mountain sheep. From the Sweetwater River
+to the ridge was apparently half a mile, across a grassy flat. We knew
+that the rare atmosphere of that high altitude often made distances
+deceiving, and determined to make due allowances. Having crossed the
+river and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> being ready for a sprint, each made a guess of the distance
+to the foot of the rock ridge. The estimates varied from two hundred
+yards to three hundred. Off we went, counting paces. At the end of
+three hundred we appeared to be no nearer the goal than when we
+started. The guesses were repeated, and when we were about completing
+the second course of stepping, making nearly six hundred yards in all,
+one of the boys espied a mountain sheep on the top of the ridge,
+keeping lookout, probably, for the benefit of his fellows, feeding on
+the other side, as is the habit of these wary creatures.</p>
+
+<p>With head and great horns clearly outlined on the background of blue
+sky, he was a tempting target. Without a word, the three of us leveled
+guns and fired. Mr. Mountain Sheep stood perfectly still, looking down
+at us. We could not see so much as the winking of an eye. Making ready
+for another volley, we thought best to get<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> nearer; but as we started
+the head and horns and sheep disappeared behind the top of the ridge.
+Further stepping proved that we had shot at the animal from a distance
+of at least half a mile. Our guns were good for a range of two hundred
+yards, at most.</p>
+
+<p>Much of the time, especially while in the higher mountains, we were in
+possession of little knowledge of our position. There were no marks
+that we observed to indicate geographical divisions, and we had no
+means for determining many exact locations, though some important
+rivers and prominent mountain peaks and ridges were identified. We
+knew little, if anything, then of territorial boundaries, and thought
+of the country traversed as being so remote from centers of
+civilization&mdash;at that time but little explored, even&mdash;that we could
+not conceive any object in attempting to determine our location with
+reference to geographical lines; nor could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> we have done so except on
+rare occasions. Our chief concern was to know that we were on the best
+route to California.</p>
+
+<p>We crossed the summit of the Rocky Mountains by the South Pass. Though
+it was July, the jagged peaks of the Wind River Mountains bore a thick
+blanket of snow. Sometime after leaving the "Devil's Gate" we passed
+Pacific Springs. There we gained first knowledge that we had passed
+the summit, on observing that the streams flowed westerly. Patient
+plodding had now taken us a distance of actual travel amounting to
+much more than one thousand miles and, from time to time, into very
+high altitudes. About four miles west of Pacific Springs we passed the
+junction of the California and Oregon trails, at the Big Bend of the
+Bear River.</p>
+
+<p>Green River, where we first came to it, was in a level bit of country.
+There this stream was about sixty<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> yards wide; the water clear and
+deep, flowing in a gentle current. For the accommodation of emigrants,
+three men were there, operating a ferry. Whence they came I do not
+remember, if they told us. We saw no signs of a habitation in which
+they might have lived. The ferrying was done with what was really a
+raft of logs, rather than a boat. It was sustained against the current
+by means of a tackle attached to a block, rove on a large rope that
+was drawn taut, from bank to bank, and was propelled by a windlass on
+each bank. When a wagon had been taken aboard this cable ferry, the
+windlass on the farther side was turned by one of the men, drawing the
+raft across. After unloading, the raft was drawn back, by operation of
+the windlass on the opposite shore, where it took on another load. The
+third man acted as conductor, collecting a toll of three dollars per
+wagon. All the horses, mules and cattle were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> driven into the river,
+and swam across.</p>
+
+<p>The company passed along the shore of the Green River, down the Big
+Sandy River and Slate Creek, over Bear River Divide, then
+southwestward into Utah Territory.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h3>DISQUIETING RUMORS OF REDMEN. CONSOLIDATION FOR SAFETY.<br />
+THE POISONOUS HUMBOLDT.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Soon after passing the summit of the Rocky Mountains there were rumors
+of a hostile attitude toward emigrants on the part of certain Indian
+tribes farther west. For a time such information seemed vague as to
+origin and reliability, but in time the rumors became persistent, and
+there developed a feeling of much concern, first for the safety of our
+stock, later for our own protection.</p>
+
+<p>Measures of precaution were discussed. Men of our train visited those
+of others, ahead and behind us, and exchanged views regarding the
+probability of danger and the best means for protection and defense.
+We were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> forced to the conclusion that the situation was grave; and
+the interests of the several trains were mutual. As the members of the
+different parties, most of whom previously had been strangers to one
+another, met and talked of the peril which all believed to be
+imminent, they became as brothers; and mutual protection was the theme
+that came up oftenest and was listened to with the most absorbing
+interest.</p>
+
+<p>By the time we had crossed the Green River these consultations had
+matured into a plan for consolidation of trains, for greater
+concentration of strength. A. J. Drennan's company of four or five
+wagons, immediately ahead of us, and the Dr. Kidd train, of three
+wagons, next behind us, closed up the space between, and all three
+traveled as one train. Thus combined, a considerable number of
+able-bodied men were brought together, making a rather formidable
+array for an ordinary<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> band of Indians to attack. Every man primed his
+gun and thenceforth took care to see that his powder was dry.</p>
+
+<p>Still the youthful element occasionally managed to extract some humor
+out of the very circumstances which the older and more serious members
+held to be grounds for forebodings of evil. One morning after we had
+left camp, a favorite cow was missing from the drove. "Jack" Aston and
+Major Crewdson, both young fellows, rode back in search of the stray.
+From a little hill-top they saw, in a ravine below, some half dozen
+Indians busily engaged in skinning the cow. "Jack" and the Major
+returned and merely reported what they had seen. They were asked why
+they had not demanded of those "rascally" Indians that they explain
+why they were skinning a cow that did not belong to them. "Jack"
+promptly answered that, as for himself, he had never been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> introduced
+to this particular party of Indians, and was not on speaking terms
+with them; furthermore, neither he nor the Major had sufficient
+knowledge of the Indian language properly to discuss the matter with
+them.</p>
+
+<p>The route pursued led to the north of Great Salt Lake, thence
+northwesterly. Our line of travel did not therefore bring us within
+view of the Mormon settlements which had already been established at
+the southerly end of the great inland sea.</p>
+
+<p>We camped one night approximately where the city of Ogden now stands,
+then a desolate expanse of sand-dunes. A group of our men sat around
+the camp-fire that evening, discussing the probability of a railroad
+ever being constructed over the route we were traveling. All of them
+were natives or recent residents of the Middle West, and it is
+probable that not one had ever seen a railroad. The unanimous opinion
+was that such a project as the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> building of a railroad through
+territory like that over which we had thus far traveled would be a
+task so stupendous as to baffle all human ingenuity and skill. Yet,
+some twelve years later, the ceremony of driving the famous "last
+spike," completing the railroad connection between the Atlantic and
+Pacific, was performed on a sand flat very near the spot where we
+camped that night. The intervening period saw the establishment of the
+"pony express," which greatly facilitated the mail service
+(incidentally reducing letter postage to Pacific Coast points from
+twenty-five to ten cents). That service continued from the early
+sixties until through railroad connection was made.</p>
+
+<p>After the consolidation of trains as described, our next neighbor to
+the rear was Smith Holloway, whose "outfit" consisted of three wagons,
+with a complement of yokewise oxen and some horses and mules; also a
+large drove<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> of stock cattle, intended for the market in California,
+where it was known they would be salable at high prices. He had with
+him his wife, a little daughter, and Jerry Bush, Mrs. Holloway's
+brother, a young man of twenty-one years; also two hired men, Joe
+Blevens and Bird Lawles. Holloway kept his party some distance behind
+us, he having declined to join the consolidation of trains in order to
+avoid the inconvenience that the mingling of his stock with ours would
+entail, with reference to pasture, and camping facilities.</p>
+
+<p>A mile or two behind Holloway were the trains of Captain Rountree, the
+Giles company, Simpson Fennell, Mr. Russell, and others, equipped with
+several wagons each, and accompanied by some loose stock.</p>
+
+<p>All these were traveling along, a sort of moving neighborhood;
+incidentally getting acquainted with one another, visiting on the road
+by day<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> and in the camp at evening time; talking of the journey, of
+the country for which we were en route, and our hopes of prosperity
+and happiness in the new El Dorado&mdash;but most of all, just then, of the
+probable danger of attack by savage tribes.</p>
+
+<p>More than ever rumors of impending trouble were flying from train to
+train. Some of these were to the effect that white bandits were in
+league with Indians in robbing and murdering emigrants. The well-known
+treachery of the savages, and the stories we heard of emigrants having
+been slaughtered also by whites&mdash;the real facts of which we knew
+little of&mdash;were quite enough to beget fear and suggest the need of
+plans for the best possible resistance.</p>
+
+<p>Up to this time there was frequent communication between trains, a
+considerable distance ahead and behind. As at home, neighbor would
+visit neighbor, and discuss the topics of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> day; so, from time to
+time we met persons in other trains who gave out information obtained
+before leaving home, or from mountaineers, trappers or explorers,
+occasionally met while we were yet on the eastern slope of the
+Rockies; men who were familiar with Indian dialects and at peace with
+the tribes, enabling them to learn much that was of importance to the
+emigrants.</p>
+
+<p>Dissemination of news among the people of the various trains near us
+was accomplished not only during visits by members of one train to
+those of another, but sometimes by other methods. One of these, which
+was frequently employed in communicating generally or in signaling
+individuals known to be somewhere in the line behind us, was by a
+system of "<i>bone-writing</i>."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 443px;">
+<img src="images/i065.jpg" width="443" height="500" alt="Bone-writing" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Bone-writing</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>There were along the line of travel many bare, bleached bones of
+animals that had died in previous years, many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> of them doubtless the
+animals of earlier emigrants. Some of these, as for example, the
+frontal or the jaw-bone, whitened by the elements, and having some
+plain, smooth surface, were excellent tablets for pencil writing. An
+emigrant desiring to communicate with another, or with a company, to
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> rear, would write the message on one of these bones and place the
+relic on a heap of stones by the roadside, or suspend it in the
+branches of a sage bush, so conspicuously displayed that all coming
+after would see it and read. Those for general information, intended
+for all comers, were allowed to remain; others, after being read by
+the person addressed, were usually removed. Sometimes when passing
+such messages, placed by those ahead of us, we added postscripts to
+the bulletins, giving names and dates, for the edification of whomever
+might care to read them. It was in this way that some of the
+developments regarding the Indian situation were made known by one
+train to another.</p>
+
+<p>Thus we progressed, counting off the average of about eighteen miles a
+day from the long part of the journey that still lay before us, when
+we reached Thousand Springs, adjacent to the present boundary line
+between<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> Utah and Nevada. This, we were told, was the source of the
+Humboldt River. We were told, too, that the four hundred miles down
+the course of that peculiar stream&mdash;which we could not hope to
+traverse in much less than one month&mdash;we would find to be the most
+desert-like portion of the entire trip, the most disagreeable and
+arduous, for man and beast. Such was to be expected by reason of the
+character of that region and the greater danger there of Indian
+depredations; also because the passage through that section was to be
+undertaken after our teams had become greatly worn, therefore more
+likely to fail under hard conditions. Furthermore, scarcity of feed
+for the stock was predicted, and, along much of the way, uncertainty
+as to water supply, other than that from the Humboldt River, which
+was, especially at that time of the year, so strongly impregnated with
+alkali as to be dangerous to life.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nearly all the face of the country was covered with alkali dust,
+which, in a light, pulverulent state, rose and filled the air at the
+slightest breeze or other disturbance. It was impossible to avoid
+inhaling this powder to some extent, and it created intense thirst,
+tending toward exhaustion and great suffering. We knew that sometimes
+delirium was induced by this cause, and even death resulted from it in
+cases of very long exposure under the worst conditions.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes for miles the only vegetable growth we found along the river
+was a string of willow bushes, fringing its course, and scattered,
+stunted sagebrush, growing feebly in gravel and dry sand, the leaves
+of which were partly withered and of a pale, ashy tint. Feed for the
+animals was very scarce. It was not possible, over much of the way, to
+get sufficient fresh water for the stock, therefore difficult to
+restrain them from drinking the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> river water. Some did drink from that
+stream, despite all efforts to prevent it, the result being that many
+of them died while we made our way along the sluggish Humboldt.></p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE HOLLOWAY MASSACRE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It was decided that while in this region we would, whenever possible,
+make our camp some distance from the river, in order that the stock
+might be prevented from drinking the dangerous river water, also for
+the reason that the clumps of willows by the stream could be used as a
+cover by Indians bent on mischief: and they, we now believed, were
+watching for a favorable opportunity to surprise us.</p>
+
+<p>It transpired that the Holloway party neglected this precaution, at
+least on one occasion, sometime after passing the head of the Humboldt
+River. Their train was next behind ours when, on the evening of August
+13th, after rounding up their stock for the night, a short distance
+from the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> wagons, they stopped near the willows by the river and made
+what proved to be their last camp.</p>
+
+<p>Behind them, but not within sight, were several emigrant camps at
+points varying from a few rods to half a mile apart.</p>
+
+<p>The Holloway party retired as usual for the night; Mr. and Mrs.
+Holloway and their child, a girl of two years, in a small tent near
+the wagons; Jerry Bush, Mrs. Holloway's brother, and one of the hired
+men, Joe Blevens, in their blankets on the ground; while Bird Lawles,
+the other hired man, being ill with a fever, slept in a wagon.</p>
+
+<p>There were others with this party that night; Mr. and Mrs. Callum, Mr.
+Hattlebaugh, and a man whose name is now unknown. These four had been
+traveling near the Holloway party, and joined it for camping on that
+occasion.</p>
+
+<p>The following morning Mr. Holloway was the first to arise. While<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>
+making the camp-fire, he called to the others to get up, saying
+cheerfully:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we've got through one more night without a call from the
+Redskins."</p>
+
+<p>"Bang, bang," rang out a volley of rifle shots, fired from the willows
+along the river, less than a hundred yards away.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Holloway fell, fatally shot, and died without a word or a
+struggle. As other members of the emigrant party sprang to their feet
+and came within view of the assailants, the firing continued, killing
+Joe Blevens, Mrs. Callum, and the man whose name is not recalled;
+while Bird Lawles, being discovered on his sick bed in a wagon, was
+instantly put to death.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Jerry Bush grasped his rifle and joined battle against the
+assassins. Thus far the savages remained hidden in the bushes, and
+Jerry's shots were fired merely at places where he saw the tall weeds
+and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> willows shaken by the motions of the Indians, therefore he has
+never known whether his bullets struck one of the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>While thus fighting alone, for his life and that of his people, he
+received a gunshot in his side and fell. Knowing that he was unable to
+continue the fight, and, though doubting that he could rise, he
+endeavored to shield himself from the bullets and arrows of the Indian
+band. He succeeded in dragging himself to the river bank, when,
+seizing a willow branch, he lowered himself to the foot of the steep
+cliff, some ten feet, reaching the water's edge. He then attempted to
+swim to the opposite shore. The effort caused him to lose his gun, in
+deep water. Owing to weakness due to his wound, he was unable to cross
+the stream.</p>
+
+<p>Jerry Bush's parting view of the camp had revealed the apparent
+destruction of his entire party, except himself. Observing the body of
+at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> least one woman, among the victims on the ground, he believed that
+his sister also had been slain.</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Holloway and the little girl were still in the tent, for the
+time unhurt, and just awakened from their morning slumber. Having
+realized that the camp was being attacked, Mrs. Holloway emerged from
+the tent to find no living member of her party in sight, other than
+herself and her child. For a moment she was partially shielded by the
+wagons. The first object that drew her attention was her husband's
+form, lying still in death, near the fire he had just kindled. Next
+beyond was the dead body of Blevens, and a little farther away were
+the remains of the others who had been slain. Her brother she did not
+see, but supposed he had met the same fate as the others whom she saw
+on the ground. Jerry was an experienced hunter; she knew that he
+always owned a fine gun, and had full confidence<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> that, if he were
+alive and not disabled, he would defend his people to the last.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i076.jpg" width="500" height="297" alt="&quot;With hand upraised, in supplication, yielded to the impulse to flee&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;With hand upraised, in supplication, yielded to the impulse to flee&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>She saw some of the Indians coming from their ambush by the river.
+They approached for a time with caution, looking furtively about, as
+if to be sure there was no man left to defend the camp. As they drew
+nearer Mrs. Holloway realized that she and her child were facing an
+awful fate&mdash;death or captivity. On came the savages, now more boldly,
+and in greater numbers.</p>
+
+<p>The terrified woman, clothed only in her night robe, barefooted; not
+knowing whether to take flight or stand and plead for mercy; with the
+child on one arm, one hand raised in supplication, yielded finally to
+the impulse to flee. As she started the attacking band resumed firing;
+she was struck, by arrows and at least one bullet, and dropped
+headlong to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Though conscious, she remained motionless,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> in the hope that, by
+feigning death she might escape further wounds and torture. But the
+Indians came, and taking the arrows from her body, punctured her flesh
+with the jagged instruments, as a test whether physical sensation
+would disclose a sign of life remaining. She lay with eyes closed; not
+a muscle twitched nor a finger moved, while those demons proceeded, in
+no delicate manner, to cut the skin around the head at the edge of the
+hair, then tear the scalp from the skull, leaving the bare and
+bleeding head on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Horrible as all this was, it did not prove to be the last nor the most
+revolting exhibition of wanton lust for blood.</p>
+
+<p>The little girl, who it is hoped had been rendered insensible at sight
+of the cruelties perpetrated upon her mother, was taken by the feet
+and her brains dashed out on the wheels of a wagon. To this last act
+in the fiendish<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> drama there was probably no witness other than the
+actors in it; but the child's body, mangled too terribly for
+description, and the bloody marks on the wagon, gave evidence so
+convincing that there could not be a moment's doubt of what had
+occurred.</p>
+
+<p>The marauders now began a general looting of the wagons. Some of their
+number were rounding up the stock, preparing to drive the cattle away,
+when the trains of emigrants next in the rear appeared, less than half
+a mile distant. This caused the Indian band to retreat. They crossed
+the river, and then placing themselves behind the willows, hurried
+away, making their escape into the mountain fastnesses. Owing to their
+precipitous departure, much of the plunder they were preparing to take
+was left behind them. Among the articles thus dropped by them was the
+scalp of Mrs. Holloway, and the rescuing party found and took
+possession of it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Those emigrants who first came upon the scene found Mrs. Holloway
+apparently dead; but, on taking her up, they saw that she was alive.
+Though returning to semi-consciousness some time later, her condition
+was such that she was unable to tell the story then; but there were
+evidences showing plainer than words could have told of the awful
+events of that morning, which had converted the quiet camp of this
+happy, hopeful company into a scene of death and destruction.</p>
+
+<p>Before noon a large number of people of the great emigrant procession
+had arrived. They united in giving to the dead the best interment that
+the circumstances permitted. Then the broken and scattered effects of
+the Holloway company were gathered up, and the now mournful trains
+took position in the line of pilgrimage and again moved forward
+towards the Pacific.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fennell, aided by Captain Rountree's company and others, attempted
+to save such of the Holloway property as had not been carried off or
+destroyed. They were successful in recovering about one hundred of the
+one hundred and fifty head of stock which the Indians had endeavored
+to drive away. Two mules that were being led off by ropes broke away
+from the savage band and returned, but the emigrants did not recover
+any of the stolen horses.</p>
+
+<p>Jerry Bush found his way back to the scene. His injury, though
+apparently of a dangerous character, did not delay the relief parties
+more than a day after the attack, and the wound healed within a few
+weeks. It was reported that Callum and Hattlebaugh had escaped, but
+their further whereabouts was not known.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Rountree took charge of Mrs. Holloway and her brother and
+brought them, with such of their stock<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> and other belongings as
+remained, to The Meadows, on the Feather River. After partially
+recuperating there, an uncle, Mr. Perry Durban, came to their aid, and
+they were taken to Suisun. After full recovery from his wound, Jerry
+Bush located in Ukiah, and resided there some years. He still
+survives, now a resident of Hulett, Wyoming, at the ripe age of eighty
+years.</p>
+
+<p>The slaughter of the Holloway party occurred at a point on the
+Humboldt River some thirty miles east of where Winnemucca is located,
+a few miles west of Battle Mountain. This becomes apparent by careful
+estimates of distance traveled per day, rather than by landmarks noted
+at the time, there being no settlements there, nor elsewhere along the
+route, at that time.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 384px;">
+<img src="images/i083.jpg" width="384" height="500" alt="Jerry Bush, 1914" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Jerry Bush, 1914</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>It was perhaps a year later when I went to a camp-meeting one Sunday,
+at Mark West Creek, in Sonoma County, California. The people attending
+a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> service were in a small opening among trees. Standing back of
+those who were seated, I saw among them a woman whose profile seemed
+familiar, and later I recognized her as Mrs. Holloway.</p>
+
+<p>My interest in her career, due to her extraordinary part in the Indian
+massacre on the plains, was heightened by the fact that I had known
+her previously, as the daughter of Mr. Bush, a prosperous farmer, and
+had been present when she married Mr. Holloway, in a little
+schoolhouse, near Rockport, Atchison County, Missouri. It seemed a
+natural impulse which prompted me to ask her for particulars of the
+tragedy, so disastrous to herself and her family; though later there
+were misgivings regarding the propriety of doing so.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Holloway appeared at that time to be in good health, and was
+cheerful, possessing perfect control of her faculties. Her head was
+covered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> by a wig, made of her own hair, taken from the scalp that was
+recovered at the scene of the massacre.</p>
+
+<p>All the heartrending experiences that she had endured were imprinted
+upon her mind in minutest detail, and she related them in the exact
+order of their occurrence. The recalling of the terrible ordeal,
+however, so wrought upon her emotions that she wept, to the limit of
+mild hysteria, which brought our conversation to a close, and soon
+thereafter she left the place.</p>
+
+<p>I saw her no more; but learned sometime afterwards that her health
+failed, then of the giving away of her mental powers, and still later
+of her death, at Napa City; caused primarily by shock, and brooding
+over the misfortunes she had met on the bank of the Humboldt River.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 417px;">
+<img src="images/i087.jpg" width="417" height="500" alt="Mrs. Nancy Holloway, 1857" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Mrs. Nancy Holloway, 1857</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>It is difficult to believe that a woman, any woman&mdash;or any man&mdash;could,
+in a state of consciousness, endure such torture as was inflicted upon
+Mrs.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> Holloway, and refrain from disclosing to her tormentors that
+she was alive. But that she did so endure was her positive statement,
+and this was indisputably corroborated by evidences found by those who
+arrived at the scene less than an hour after the event.</p>
+
+<p>Through the kindness of Mr. William Holloway, of Fairfax, Missouri,
+there is presented here a picture of Mrs. Nancy Holloway, wife of
+Smith Holloway. The photograph was taken in California, shortly after
+the attack described.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h3>ORIGIN OF "PIKER." BEFORE THE ERA OF CANNED GOODS AND KODAKS.<br />
+MORNING ROUTINE. TYPICAL BIVOUAC. SOCIABILITY ENTRAINED.<br />
+THE FLOODED CAMP. HOPE SUSTAINS PATIENCE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The appellation "Piker," much used in the West in early days,
+synonymous of "Missourian," had its origin on these plains. At first
+it was applied to a particular type of Missourian, but later came to
+be used generally.</p>
+
+<p>There was among the emigrants a considerable number of persons from
+Pike County, Missouri. Some of these had the sign, "From Pike Co.,
+Mo.," painted on their wagon covers. Others, when asked whence they
+came, promptly answered, "From Pike<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> County, Missouri, by gosh, sir;"
+often said with a shrug implying that the speaker arrogated to himself
+much superiority by reason of the fact stated. The display of such
+signs, and announcements like that just mentioned, were of such
+frequent occurrence that the substance was soon abbreviated to
+"Piker," and became a by-word. It was often, perhaps always, spoken
+with a tinge of odium. Possibly this was due to the fact that many of
+the people referred to were of a "backwoods" class, rather short in
+culture, and in personal makeup, manner and language, bearing a
+general air of the extremely rural.</p>
+
+<p>Though only persons of that description hailing from Pike County were
+those who at first had to bear the opprobrium generally implied by
+"Piker," later it was applied to all persons of that type in the Far
+West, regardless of their origin. Many years' of mingling of
+California's cosmopolitan<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> population has changed all that; producing
+her present homogeneous, sterling, virile, and somewhat distinct type
+of "Californian"; so the "Piker," as such, is no longer in the land. A
+later application of the same word, descriptive of a person who does
+business in a small way, has nothing in common with the "Piker" of
+early days.</p>
+
+<p>Fifty-eight years ago, the time of the events here narrated, was
+before the era of canned goods. Nearly all of the foodstuffs carried
+by the emigrants were in crude form, and bulky; but substantial, pure,
+and such as would keep in any climate.</p>
+
+<p>During the first few weeks of the trip we milked some of the cows, and
+also made butter, the churning operation being effected mainly by the
+motion of the wagons, in the regular course. That this did not last
+long was due to reduction of milk supply. After a time there was not
+sufficient<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> even for use in the coffee, or for making gravy, that
+convenient substitute for butter.</p>
+
+<p>Such delicacies as may now be found in first-class canned meats,
+vegetables and milk would have filled an often-felt want. The
+occasional supply that we had en route of fresh meat and fish were
+obtained largely by chance; we having no knowledge of localities where
+hunting and fishing were likely to be successful, and it being deemed
+unsafe for members of the party to wander far or remain long away from
+the train. It seems regrettable that the invention of
+hermetically-sealed and easily portable foods, and the inducement to
+cross the plains to California, did not occur in reversed sequence.</p>
+
+<p>Neither had the kodak arrived. Had it been with us then, this
+narrative might be illustrated with snap-shots of camp scenes,
+characteristic roadside views, and incidents of travel generally,
+which would do more for realism<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> than can any word-picture. We often
+see specimens of artists' work purporting to represent a "'49er"
+emigrant train on the overland journey&mdash;some of them very clever; but
+seldom are they at all realistic to the man who was there.</p>
+
+<p>The man with a camera could have perpetuated, for example, the
+striking scene presented to us one day of a party, consisting of two
+men and their wives, with two or three children, sitting on a rocky
+hillside, woefully scanning their team of done-out oxen and one wagon
+with a broken axle; no means at hand for recuperation and repair. In
+the scorching sun of a July day they waited, utterly helpless,
+hopeless, forlorn, confused; and a thousand miles from "anywhere."
+Such a grouping would not have made a cheerful picture, but would have
+assisted immensely in recording a historical fact.</p>
+
+<p>But no emigrant ever found another<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> in distress and "passed by on the
+other side."</p>
+
+<p>We were early risers, and the camp was each morning a scene of life
+with the rising of the sun. By sunset all were sufficiently fatigued
+to wish for making camp again. Therefore, from the morning start till
+the evening stop was usually about twelve hours, with variations from
+time to time, according to necessity or exceptional conditions.</p>
+
+<p>Breaking camp in the morning became routine, and proceeded like
+clockwork. Each patient ox voluntarily drew near, and stood, waiting
+to be yoked with his fellow and chained to his daily task. So well did
+each know his place by the side of his mate that the driver had only
+to place one end of the yoke on the neck of the "off" ox, known, for
+example, as "Bright," and hold the other end toward the "nigh" ox,
+saying, "Come under here, Buck," and the obedient fellow placed
+himself in position. Then the bows were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> placed and keyed, and
+"Bright" and "Buck" were hitched for duty. It required but a few
+minutes to put three or four yoke of oxen in working order.</p>
+
+<p>As the result of much repetition, the packing of the camp articles
+onto the wagons was done dexterously and quickly. Each box, roll and
+bundle had a designated place; all being arranged usually to
+facilitate sitting or reclining positions for those who rode in the
+"schooners," that they might be as comfortable as possible, and read,
+sleep, or, as the women often did, sew and knit, or play games. During
+some parts of the trip such means of whiling away the hours was very
+desirable, if not a necessity. If there ever was a time or condition
+in which it could be pardonable to "kill time," these circumstances
+were there, during many long days.</p>
+
+<p>The bivouac was always a scene of bustle and orderly disorder,
+especially if the camp-site was a good one: wood,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> water and grass
+being the desiderata. Obedient to habit, every person and animal
+dropped into place and action. With the wagons drawn to position for
+the night's sojourn, teams were quickly unhitched, the yokes, chains,
+harness and saddles falling to the ground where the animals stood.</p>
+
+<p>Relieved of their trappings, the oxen, horses and mules were turned to
+pasture, plentiful or scant. Cooking utensils came rattling from
+boxes; rolls of bedding tumbled out and were spread on the smoothest
+spots of sand or grass. Eager hands gathered such fuel as was
+available, and the camp-fire blazed. Buckets of water were brought
+from the spring or stream; and in an incredibly short time the scene
+of animation had wrought full preparation for the night, while the
+odor of steaming coffee and frying bacon rendered the astonished air
+redolent of appetizing cookery.</p>
+
+<p>Some families used a folding table,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> on which to serve meals; but more
+spread an oilcloth on the ground and gathered around that; or
+individuals, taking a plate and a portion, sat on a wagon-tongue or a
+convenient stone. Camp-stools and "split-bottomed" chairs were among
+the luxuries that some carried, in limited numbers; but these were not
+useful especially as seats while partaking of a meal spread on the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>Appetites were seldom at fault; and the meals, though plain and of
+little variety, were never slighted. It is hardly necessary to add
+that bacon and coffee were easy staples. Bread was mainly in the form
+of quick-fire biscuits, baked in a skillet or similar utensil, or the
+ever-ready and always-welcome "flap-jack," sometimes supplemented with
+soda-crackers, as a delicacy.</p>
+
+<p>Nearly all the nights were pleasant&mdash;mild temperature, and very little
+dew. This gave much relief, the daytime<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> heat being generally irksome
+and often distressingly hot. Many of the men came to prefer sleeping
+wholly in the open, with the heavens unobscured; often requiring no
+more than a pair of blankets and a small pillow.</p>
+
+<p>Early evening was devoted to social gatherings. If the night was
+pleasant groups would assemble, for conversation, singing and
+story-telling; varied with dancing by the young people of some
+companies. The more religious sang hymns and read the Bible sometimes,
+in lieu of attendance at any church service. When wood was plentiful,
+a bonfire added to the cheerfulness and comfort of the occasion. Often
+neighboring trains camped quite near, when much enjoyment was found in
+visits by the members of one company among those of another. In such
+ways many agreeable acquaintances were met and even lasting
+friendships formed, some of which have endured throughout the nearly
+three-score years since passed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But we were not always favored with clear and pleasant weather. No one
+who was there can have forgotten one night at the Platte River, when
+we had a most dismal experience. Rain began falling in the afternoon,
+and for that reason we made camp early.</p>
+
+<p>The tents were set up on a bit of flat ground near the river bank.
+There were some large trees, but little dry wood available for fuel
+for the camp fire except on an island, which was separated from us by
+a branch of the river, about twenty yards wide and a foot deep. Some
+of us waded over, getting our clothes soaked; others crossed on
+horseback, and carried back from the island enough wood to make a
+fire. But, time after time, the fire was quenched by the rain, which
+now was falling in torrents; so we had much difficulty in preparing
+our supper.</p>
+
+<p>The people huddled into the tents and wagons, half hungry, more than<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>
+half wet, and uncomfortable altogether. With the exception of one or
+two cots, the bedding was spread on the ground in the tents, and all
+turned in&mdash;but not for long. Some one said, "water is running under my
+bed." Then another and another made the same complaint. Soon we
+learned the deplorable fact that the large tent had been pitched in a
+basin-like place, and that the water, as the rain increased, was
+coming in from all sides, the volume growing rapidly greater.</p>
+
+<p>We succeeded then in lighting one lantern, when the water was found to
+be something like two inches deep over nearly all parts of the large
+tent's floor. The beds were taken up and placed in soaked heaps, on
+camp stools and boxes; and the rain continued pouring in steady,
+relentless disregard of our misery. Except where lighted by the single
+lantern the darkness was, of course, absolute. Relief was impossible.
+There appearing to be nothing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> else to do, everybody abandoned the
+tents and huddled in the wagons; the lantern was blown out, and there
+was little sleep, while we waited and wished for daylight.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the days were warm and some hot. Some were very hot.
+Discomforts were common; and yet not much was said, and apparently
+little thought, of them. Having become inured to the conditions as we
+found them from time to time, discomforts, such as under other
+circumstances would have been considered intolerable, were passed
+without comment. There were times and situations in which hardships
+were unavoidable, some of them almost unendurable; but these, having
+been anticipated, were perhaps less poignant in the enduring than in
+the expectation.</p>
+
+<p>Let us for a moment raise the curtain of more than half a century,
+while we look back on one of those ox-drawn trains of
+"prairie-schooners," as it appeared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> to an observer on the ground at
+the time; about the middle of August, and beyond the middle of the
+journey. Permit the imagination to place the scene alongside that of
+the present-day modes of traversing the same territory, when the
+distance is covered in a less number of days than it required of
+months then. Perhaps such a comparison may help to form some faint
+conception of what the overland pioneers did, and what they felt, and
+saw, and were.</p>
+
+<p>There they are as we see them, on a long stretch of sage-brush
+plateau. The surface of the plain is only sand and gravel, as far as
+the eye can reach. The atmosphere is hazy, with dust and vibrating
+waves of heat arising from the ground. Far away to the northwest is
+the outline of some mountains, just visible in the dim distance. In
+the opposite direction, whence we have come, there is nothing above
+the ground but hot space, and dust. Not a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> living thing in sight but
+ourselves and ours.</p>
+
+<p>The animals appear fatigued, jaded. The people appear&mdash;well, as to
+physical condition, like the animals: generally all look alike. Yet
+the people seem hopeful. And why hopeful? The inherent and indomitable
+trait of the race which makes it possible for humanity to look over
+and past present difficulties, however great, and see some good
+beyond. That is why the world "do move." Often, as it was with us,
+progress may be slow, but every day counts for a little.</p>
+
+<p>Just here twelve or fifteen miles a day is doing well&mdash;very well. From
+a slight eminence at one side of the way we may stand and see the
+slowly creeping line of wagons and stock, for many miles fore and aft,
+as they bend their way in and out, around and over the surface of
+knolls and flats, hillocks and gullies. From a distant view they seem
+not to be moving at all.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The hour of mid-day arrives, and they stop for the "nooning." There is
+nothing growing in the vicinity that the horses and cattle can eat,
+and no water except the little in the keg and canteens; so the
+carrying animals stand in their yokes and harness, or under saddles,
+and the loose stock wait in groups, their thirst unslaked.</p>
+
+<p>As the people come out of the wagons and go about the business of the
+hour we see the marks of the elements upon them. The women wear "poke"
+bonnets and gingham dresses. The men are unshaven. All are sunburnt to
+a rich, leathern brown. Some are thin, and at this particular time,
+wearing a serious expression. They are not as unhappy as they look,
+their principal trouble of the moment being merely anxiety to satisfy
+prodigious and healthy appetites.</p>
+
+<p>There, under the stress of the midsummer sun, now in the zenith, no
+shade, no protection from the flying<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> dust, they proceed cheerfully to
+build a fire, of sticks and dry weeds; they fry bacon and bake
+biscuits, prepare large pots of coffee, and they eat, from tin plates,
+and drink from tin cups.</p>
+
+<p>No one says, "This is awful!" They laugh as they eat, saying, "Good;
+ain't it?"</p>
+
+<p>This is not a cheerful view altogether of the retrospective; but a
+sketch true to life, as life was there. It was not all like that. A
+good deal of it was.</p>
+
+<p>Some will say that these overland travelers were over-zealous, even
+foolhardy. One of the earliest pioneers, Mr. Daniel B. Miller, who
+reached Oregon by the plains route in 1852, wrote later to relatives
+in Illinois, "I would not bring a family across for all that is
+contained in Oregon and California." Himself single, he had come with
+a train composed almost wholly of men, but learned incidentally what
+risks there were in escorting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> women and children through the wilds.</p>
+
+<p>But the enduring of all this toil, exposure and hardship had for its
+inspiration the buoyant hope of something good just beyond, something
+that was believed to be worthy of the privation and effort it was
+costing. The ardor of that hope was too intense to be discouraged by
+anything that human strength could overcome. The memories of those
+strenuous experiences are held as all but sacred, and you never meet
+one of these early overland emigrants who does not like to sit by your
+fireside and tell you about it. He forgets, for the moment, how hard
+it was, and dwells upon it, telling it over and over again, with the
+same pride and sense of noble achievement that the old soldier feels
+when recounting the battles and the camp life and the hard marches of
+the war, when he was young, away back in the sixties. One crossing
+this country by present-day conveyances, in richly appointed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> railroad
+trains, with all the comforts obtainable in modern sleeping, dining
+and parlor cars, can hardly be expected to conceive what it was to
+cover the same course under the conditions described; when there was
+not even a poor wagon road, and the utmost speed did not equal in a
+day the distance traveled in half an hour by the present mode. Any
+person who rides in a cumbrous and heavily laden wagon, behind a team
+whose pace never exceeds a slow walk; over dusty ground, in hot
+weather, will, before one day is passed, feel that endurance requires
+utmost fortitude. Consider what patience must be his if the journey
+continues for four, five or six long months!</p>
+
+<p>It is worthy of mention that there was no dissension among our people,
+nor even unpleasantness, during the entire trip, nor did we observe
+any among others. We were fortunate in having no "grouches" among us.
+Harmony,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> cheerfulness, a disposition to be jolly, even to the degree
+of hilarity, was the prevailing spirit. That, too, under circumstances
+often so trying that they might have thrown a sensitive disposition
+out of balance. All this in the wilds of an unorganized territory,
+where there was no law to govern, other than the character and natural
+bent of individuals. Such lack of established authority we had thought
+might lead to recklessness or aggressive conduct, but it did not.</p>
+
+<p>Present residents in the fields and valleys, and the prosperous towns
+along much of the line of travel described, will find it difficult to
+reconcile the accounts here given with conditions as they see them
+now. Leagues of territory now bearing a network of railroads and
+splendid highways, which carry rich harvests from the well-tilled
+farms, and connect numerous cities, was thought of ordinarily by the
+emigrants in early days only as it appeared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> to them, and then was,
+the stamping ground of savage tribes and the home of wild beasts,
+untouched by the transforming hand of civilization. To the keen
+observer, however, it was evident that we were passing through a great
+deal of fine country. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that part
+of that journey was through lands naturally barren, some desert
+wastes, much of which is still unreclaimed, some unreclaimable.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h3>TANGLED BY A TORNADO. LOST THE PACE BUT KEPT THE COW.<br />
+HUMAN ODDITIES. NIGHT-GUARDS. WOLF SERENADES.<br />
+AWE OF THE WILDERNESS. A STAMPEDE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Few readers need peruse these pages to learn what a thunder-storm is
+like, but many may not know what it is to encounter a fierce
+electrical disturbance while surrounded by a herd of uncontrollable
+cattle on the prairie.</p>
+
+<p>On an occasion after having stopped for a "nooning," there loomed up
+suddenly in the northwest a black, ominous cloud, revolving swiftly
+and threateningly, as might the vapors from some gigantic cauldron;
+variegated in black, blue and green, bespangled with red streaks of
+lightning.</p>
+
+<p>This display of the angry elements<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> was making a broadening sweep
+onward directly towards where we were. The air turned black and murky,
+and was vibrant with electric tension. Flocks of buzzards flew low to
+the earth about us, as if to be ready for the carrion of the impending
+catastrophe. The fear instinct of the brute seized the cattle, and
+they hovered together, bellowing, distraught with apprehension of
+evil.</p>
+
+<p>The whirlpool of atmospheric chaos grew more intense and rapidly
+larger as it approached. Globules of water began to "spat! spat!" on
+the ground, here and there, as the storm-cloud opened its batteries of
+liquid balls. There was only such protection as the wagons afforded.
+Whatever preparation we could make must be effected at once.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing that if the cattle should take fright and run, it would be
+better that they leave the wagons, I dropped the wagon-tongue to which
+I was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> hitching a team, and called to a boy who was hooking up the
+next wagon, telling him not to do so. He had, however, already
+attached to that wagon the team consisting of three yoke of oxen.</p>
+
+<p>The big drops of water were in a moment followed by hailstones, at
+first very large and scattering, striking the ground each with a
+vicious thud&mdash;a subdued "whack"; growing more frequent and presently
+mingled with lesser ones; until, in the shortest moment, there was a
+cloud-burst of hail and rain pouring upon us, a storm such as none of
+us had ever witnessed.</p>
+
+<p>The oxen, chained together in strings of three and four pairs, pelted
+by the hail, were mutinous and altogether uncontrollable. My own
+string, having turned crosswise of the front end of the wagon, were
+pushing it backward, down the hillside. The team in charge of the boy,
+being attached to their wagon and heading away from the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> storm, were
+turning the wagon over. Knowing that the boy's mother was in the
+"schooner," on a sick bed, I left my wagon and ran to that. As the
+oxen, in trying to shield themselves from the hail, were forcing the
+front wheels around under the wagon-box, I was fortunate enough to get
+a shoulder under one corner of the box and exert sufficient force to
+prevent the wagon upsetting. All this took little more than a minute.
+The storm passed away as suddenly as it had come. Then I saw the wagon
+which was my special charge lying on its side, at the bottom of the
+slope; the bows of the cover fitting snugly into a sort of natural
+gutter, with a swift current of muddy water and hailstones flowing
+through the cover, as if it were a sluice-pipe. Everything in the
+wagon was topsy-turvy; and, half buried in the heap were two little
+girls, who had been riding in the vehicle. They were more frightened
+than hurt, but complained<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> loudly at being placed in a cold-storage
+of hailstones.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 309px;">
+<img src="images/i115.jpg" width="309" height="500" alt="The Author&mdash;Twenty years after" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Author&mdash;Twenty years after</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Meantime, the sun beamed again, clear and hot, and we saw the
+storm-cloud pursuing its course over the plain to the southeast,
+leaving in its wake a wet path a few rods wide.</p>
+
+<p>The other men had their hands full in caring for endangered members of
+the party and the equipment. The loose stock had stampeded and were
+far away, with some of the mounted men in desperate pursuit. They
+eventually brought the cattle to a halt, about five miles away, where
+the wagons overtook them when it was time to make camp.</p>
+
+<p>Continuous travel over rough ground and through deep sand, and
+ascending steep mountains, proved too great a strain for the endurance
+of some outfits. From time to time we were obliged to witness
+instances of extreme privation and hardship, usually the result of
+inadequate preparation for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> the arduous journey. Some started with
+only enough oxen to carry them in case all should remain serviceable;
+and carried provisions for no more than the shortest limit of time
+estimated; so that the mishap of losing an ox or two, or any delay,
+worked a calamity. Some trains started so late, or were so much
+delayed, that they were compelled to negotiate passage of the higher
+mountains after the time when enormous snow-drifts had to be
+encountered; further delay resulting, with exhaustion of strength and
+depletion of supplies, in consequence of which many members of some
+trains failed to reach their destination. A notable experience of this
+kind was that of the Donner party, in 1846.</p>
+
+<p>It was in one of the higher mountain regions that we overtook one Eben
+Darby and his family. Darby had been with one of the trains in advance
+of us, but being unable to keep the pace, he was obliged to fall
+behind.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> He had one small wagon, two yoke of oxen, and a cow; the
+latter led by a rope behind the wagon. His wife, with a young baby,
+and the wife's brother, Danny Worley, were the only persons with
+Darby. The wife was a weak, inexperienced girl; the child sickly. Mrs.
+Darby's brother was a large, fat youth of nineteen, whose
+distinguishing and inconvenient characteristic was an abnormal
+appetite. Their provisions were nearly exhausted. The cow was to them
+the real fountain of life. She was doing nobly&mdash;supplying them a quart
+of milk a day, which was wonderful, considering the circumstances.
+This milk fed the baby, and afforded a good substitute for butter, in
+the form of milk gravy&mdash;on which Danny fared sumptuously every day.</p>
+
+<p>Later their oxen drank of the alkali water of the Humboldt River, and
+three of the four died in one night. Then the cow was yoked with the
+remaining ox, two steers were loaned<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> them by "good Samaritans" in our
+company, and they were with us to the Sink of the Humboldt.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the milk supply grew less, and Mrs. Darby was compelled to
+substitute water for milk in the gravy. This sop was not satisfactory
+to Danny. One evening at meal time he was overheard by some of our
+boys, saying, "I want milk in my gravy." Though reminded there was
+only enough milk for the baby, he of the phenomenal appetite
+reiterated, "I don't care, I want milk in my gravy." Thereafter
+"Gravy" was the name by which he was known, so long as he traveled
+with us.</p>
+
+<p>This narrative would not do justice to the variety of individuals and
+events without mention of another singular personage, a young fellow
+who was "working his passage"; a sort of disconnected unit, whose
+place became everywhere in the train, and who belonged to nobody. How
+he got smuggled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> into the company no one has since been able to
+recall. He was a sort of desert stowaway; tolerated because, though
+eccentric and quite alarming in appearance, he was always in good
+humor, and often useful, having a willingness to do as many of the
+chores as others would trust him to perform. He was notable as a
+physical curiosity, though not actually deformed. Low of stature, he
+came to be known as "Shorty," the only name we ever had for him. As he
+stood, his abnormally long arms enabled him to take his hat from the
+ground without stooping. His legs were not mates in length, causing
+him as he moved, with a quick, rocking gait, to create the impression
+that he might topple backward; but somehow the longer leg always got
+underneath at the critical instant, and restored the balance. His head
+was large, and perfectly round; hair porcupinesque, each bristle
+standing nearly perpendicular to the plane on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> which it grew. He had
+no neck. Mouth small, and so round that it opened not unlike a bored
+hole in a flesh-colored pumpkin.</p>
+
+<p>"Shorty" asserted that he was a singer. He and "Jack" never sang
+together, however&mdash;that is, they never did so any more, after trying
+it once. "Shorty" and "Gravy" Worley became chums inseparable, except
+on one occasion, when their friendship was temporarily ruptured by a
+dispute over the ownership of a fishing hook. Anger grew hot, but when
+they were about to come to blows, "Shorty" suddenly dropped on
+"all-fours" and essayed to butt his adversary with his head, which
+surprising mode of combat so disconcerted "Gravy" that he ran for his
+quarters, wildly yelling, "Take him off, take him off."</p>
+
+<p>For a time during the early part of the journey the horses and mules
+were picketed at night, on the best pasture available; and before we
+retired, all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> the animals were brought near the wagons, the loose
+cattle bunched with them, and guards were placed, to prevent straying
+of the stock or surprise by Indians. Later, for awhile, these
+precautions were deemed unnecessary, though still later they had to be
+resumed. The stock became accustomed to the daily routine, and after
+the all-day travel, were quite willing, when they had finished their
+evening grazing, to assemble near the camp and lie down for the night,
+usually remaining comparatively quiet till morning. As if having some
+realization of the lonely nature of the surroundings, the animals were
+not disposed to stray off, except on rare occasions; but rather to
+keep within sight of the people and the wagons.</p>
+
+<p>There was proof of the theory that in some circumstances domestic
+animals acquire some of that feeling that human creatures know, when
+far from the habitations of man. There is a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> peculiar sensation in the
+great and boundless contiguity of empty silence which works the senses
+up to a feeling that is somewhat alike in man and beast&mdash;that there is
+most comfort and protection near the center of the settlement or camp.
+In this stillness of the night&mdash;and night on these plains was often
+very still&mdash;any slight noise outside the camp startled and thrilled
+the taut nerves. Not only was the night still; usually it was silent,
+too.</p>
+
+<p>But occasionally, when the silence was absolute, a couple or more of
+prairie-wolves lurking in the vicinity, without the faintest note of
+prelude, would startle the calm of night with their peculiar
+commingling of barks, howls and wails,&mdash;a racket all their own. It was
+the habit of these night prowlers of the desert to come as near to the
+camp as their acute sense of safety permitted, and there, sitting on
+their haunches, their noses pointed to the moon, render a serenade
+that was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> truly thrilling. Two prairie-wolves, in a fugued duet, can
+emit more disquieting noise, with a less proportion of harmony, than
+any aggregation of several times their equal in numbers, not excepting
+Indians on the war-path or a "gutter" band.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i125.jpg" width="500" height="289" alt="A coyote serenade" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A coyote serenade</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>That awe of the wilderness to which reference has been made, and its
+effect on the nerves, may explain the stampede of cattle, often not
+otherwise accounted for; which occurs sometimes in these hollow
+solitudes. It occurs nowhere else that I have known.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Several times we experienced this strange exhibition of sudden panic;
+the snapping, as it were, of the nerves, from undue tension, when,
+instantly, from cause then to us unknown and unguessed, the whole band
+of cattle, teams as well as loose stock, made a sudden, wild, furious
+dash, in a compact mass; seeming instinctively to follow in whatever
+direction the leader's impulse led him; drifting together and forward
+as naturally as water flows to the current; with heads and tails high
+in air; blindly trampling to the earth whatever chanced to be in their
+path.</p>
+
+<p>These were not in any sense wild stock. The cattle, horses and mules
+were all animals that had been raised on the quiet farms of the Middle
+West, well domesticated.</p>
+
+<p>In the light of certain modern theories it might be said by some that
+these otherwise docile animals stampeded on the unpeopled plains
+because<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> they heard the "call of the wild." There were, however,
+occasions when the cause could be readily assigned for this temporary
+casting off of restraint.</p>
+
+<p>In one instance, already mentioned, a sudden, pelting hailstorm was
+the undoubted cause; when, taking the stampede temper, they ran five
+or six miles before the man, mounted on one of our fleetest
+saddle-horses, got in front of the foremost of them and checked their
+running.</p>
+
+<p>On all such occasions control could be regained in only one way.
+Speeding his horse till he overtook and passed the leader of the drove
+the rider made his horse the leader; and as each loose animal always
+followed whatever was in front, the horseman, by making a circuit and
+gradually slackening the pace, led the drove around and back to place
+in the line of travel.</p>
+
+<p>Naturally one source of uneasiness was the thought of what our
+situation would be if, on one of these occasions,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> we should fail to
+regain control of these animals, so necessary to us in continuing the
+westward journey. A stampede when some of the oxen were yoked to the
+wagons was, of course, more serious in its immediate consequences than
+when it happened while all were detached from the equipment.</p>
+
+<p>A stampede occurred one day in a level stretch of country, open in
+every direction; nothing in sight to cause alarm. There the emigrant
+road showed plainly before us. The wagons were in open single file,
+the loose stock drawn out in line at the rear. Men on horseback, hats
+over their eyes, some of them with one leg curled over the pommel of
+the saddle; lazily droning away the slow hours and the humdrum miles.
+The women and children were stowed away on bundles of baggage and camp
+stuff in the wagons, some of them asleep perhaps, rocked in their
+"schooner" cradles. A few of the men and boys perchance were
+strolling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> off the way, in the hope of starting a sage grouse or
+rabbit from some sheltering clump of brush. During a specially quiet
+routine like this; the cattle lolling behind the wagons, mostly
+unattended, keeping the snail pace set by the patient teams; a steer
+now and again turning aside to appropriate a tuft of bunch-grass;
+their white horns rising and falling in the brilliant sunlight, with
+the swaying motion of their bodies as they walked, shimmered like
+waves of a lake at noonday before a gentle breeze: quickly as a clap
+of the hands, every loose beast in the band, in the wildest fashion of
+terror, started, straight in the course of the moving line&mdash;pell-mell,
+they went, veering for nothing that they could run over; sweeping on,
+with a roaring tramp, like muffled thunder, they passed along both
+sides of the train. The teams, catching the frenzy, took up the race,
+as best they could with their heavy impedimenta; all beyond control
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> their drivers or the herders, who, startled from the reverie of
+the moment, could do no better than dodge to such place of safety as
+they found, and stand aghast at the spectacle. Fortunately the draft
+oxen usually were forced to stop running before they went far, owing
+to the weight of the wagons they hauled and their inability to break
+the yokes.</p>
+
+<p>In this particular instance the most serious casualty was the death of
+a boy, about eight years of age, the son of Dr. Kidd. The child was
+probably asleep in a wagon, and being aroused by the unusual
+commotion, may have attempted to look out, when a jolt of the wagon
+threw him to the ground, and he was trampled to death. The body was
+kept in camp overnight, and the next morning wrapped in a sheet and
+buried by the roadside.</p>
+
+<p>This was in a vast stretch of lonely plain. As we journeyed through
+it, viewing the trackless hills and rockribbed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> mountains not far away
+on either side, mostly barren and uninviting, it was difficult to
+conceive of that territory ever becoming the permanent homes of men.
+Yet it is possible, and probable, that the grave of Dr. Kidd's little
+boy is today within the limits of a populous community, or even
+beneath a noisy thoroughfare of some busy town.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>DISASTER OVERTAKES THE WOOD FAMILY.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Our consolidated train continued its creeping pace down the meandering
+Humboldt; crossing the stream occasionally, to gain the advantage of a
+shorter or better road.</p>
+
+<p>Soon again there were other proofs of the wisdom we had shown in
+taking every possible precaution against attack.</p>
+
+<p>Next ahead of us was a family from England, a Mr. Wood, his wife and
+one child, with two men employed as drivers. They were outfitted with
+three vehicles, two of them drawn by ox teams, in charge of the hired
+men, and a lighter, spring-wagon, drawn by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> four mules, the family
+conveyance, driven by Mr. Wood. We had not known them before.</p>
+
+<p>One very hot day in the latter part of August, after having moved
+along for a time with no train in sight ahead of us, we came upon Mr.
+Wood in a most pitiable plight, the result of an attack and slaughter,
+not differing greatly from the Holloway case, and its parallel in
+atrocity.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Wood's party had spent the preceding night undisturbed, and were
+up early in the morning, preparing to resume their journey. The ox
+teams had been made ready and moved on, while Mr. Wood proceeded in a
+leisurely way with harnessing the four mules and attaching them to the
+smaller wagon. All the articles of their equipment had been gathered
+up and placed in proper order in the wagon.</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Wood had nearly completed hitching the team, Mrs. Wood<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> and
+the baby being already in the wagon, some men, apparently all Indians,
+twenty or more of them, were seen coming on horseback, galloping
+rapidly from the hills to the northward, about half a mile away.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Wood, fearing that he and his family were about to be attacked, in
+this lonely situation, hurriedly sprang to the wagon seat and whipped
+up the mules, hoping that before the attack they could come within
+sight of the ox wagons, which had rounded the point of a hill but a
+few minutes before, and have such aid as his hired men could give.</p>
+
+<p>He had no more than got the team under way when a wheel came off the
+wagon&mdash;he having probably overlooked replacing the nut after oiling
+the axle. Notwithstanding this he lost no time in making the best of
+the circumstances. Jumping to the ground, he hurriedly placed Mrs.
+Wood on one of the mules, cutting the harness to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> release the animal
+from the wagon; then, with the baby in his arms, he mounted another
+mule, and they started flight.</p>
+
+<p>But the Indians had by this time come within gun-shot range and fired
+upon them. Mrs. Wood fell from the mule, fatally shot. Mr. Wood's mule
+was shot under him, and dropped; next Mr. Wood received a bullet in
+the right arm, that opened the flesh from wrist to elbow. That or
+another shot killed the child. Amidst a shower of bullets, Mr. Wood
+ran in the direction taken by his ox wagons. Getting past the point of
+the low hill that lay just before him without being struck again, he
+was then beyond range of the firing, and soon overtook his wagons. His
+men, with all the guns they had, returned, to find the woman and child
+dead on the ground. One of the mules was dead, one wounded, the other
+two gone. The wagon had been ransacked of its contents, and the band
+of assassins<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> were making their way back into the hills whence they
+had come.</p>
+
+<p>This small wagon, Mr. Wood said, had contained the family effects; and
+among them were several articles of considerable value, all of which
+had been taken. Among his property were pieces of English gold coin,
+the equivalent of fifteen hundred dollars. It had been concealed in
+the bottom of the wagon-box, and he had supposed the band would
+overlook it; but that, too, was gone.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the plight in which our company found the man, soon after
+this tragedy was so swiftly enacted, and which so effectually bereft
+him of all, his family and his property, leaving him wounded, and
+dependent on the mercy of strangers.</p>
+
+<p>The dead were placed in mummy-form wrappings and buried, mother and
+child in one, unmarked grave.</p>
+
+<p>When the manuscript of this narrative was first made ready for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>
+printer, the description of the calamity which befell Mr. Wood and his
+family ended here. There were other details, as clearly recalled as
+those already recited, but so atrocious and devoid of motive, that it
+was a matter of grave doubt whether the facts should be given. It
+seemed too deplorable that such an occurrence could be recorded as the
+act of human beings; furthermore, would it be credible? It has been
+intimated that the present endeavor is to give a complete history of
+events as they occurred: no material item suppressed, nothing
+imaginary included; therefore the remaining details are given.</p>
+
+<p>Incredible as it may sound to civilized ears, after the bodies of Mrs.
+Wood and her child had been interred, hardly had those who performed
+this service gone from the spot when a part of the savage band that
+had murdered those innocent victims, rushed wildly back to the place,
+disinterred the bodies<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> from the shallow grave, taking the sheets in
+which the bodies had been wrapped, and which were their only covering,
+and carrying those articles away. When the Indians had gone a second
+time, the grief-stricken Mr. Wood returned and reinterred the remains
+of his wife and child.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Wood's wounded arm was dressed by Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Kidd, his
+wagons were placed in the lead of our train, and again we moved
+westward.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+
+<h3>MYSTERIOUS VISITORS. EXTRA SENTRIES. AN ANXIOUS NIGHT.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The next following day, as we wended our way among the sand dunes,
+alkali flats and faded sagebrush, there came to us&mdash;whence we knew
+not&mdash;three men, equipped with a small wagon, covered with white
+ducking, arched over bows, similar to the covering on most of the
+emigrant wagons; drawn by two large, handsome, well-harnessed horses;
+all having a well-to-do appearance, that made our dusty, travel-worn
+outfits look very cheap and inferior.</p>
+
+<p>They told us that they were mountaineers, of long experience on the
+plains; well acquainted with the Indians and familiar with their
+habits and savage proclivities. They said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> that the Shoshone Indians
+were very angry at the white people who were passing through their
+lands; that this hostility recently had been further aroused by
+certain alleged acts of the whites along the emigrant road; and that
+the feeling was now so intense that even they, our informants, were
+alarmed, notwithstanding their long, intimate and friendly intercourse
+with these Indians; and, believing themselves no longer safe among the
+tribe, they were anxious to get out of the Shoshone country; therefore
+they requested the privilege of placing themselves under the
+protection of our large train until we should have passed out of the
+Shoshone lands and into those of the Pah-Utes, which tribe they said
+was known to be friendly toward the white race.</p>
+
+<p>One of these men was a specially picturesque figure; weighty, with
+large, square shoulders; well-formed head; full, brown beard, cropped
+short. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> wore a deer-skin blouse, leathern breeches; broad,
+stiff-brimmed hat, low crown, flat top, decorated with a tasseled
+leather band; a fully-loaded ammunition belt&mdash;a combination make-up of
+cowboy, mountaineer and highwayman.</p>
+
+<p>The three men spoke plain English, with a free use of "frontier
+adjectives."</p>
+
+<p>Having received permission to take temporary protection by traveling
+near us, they placed themselves at the rear of our train, and that
+night pitched camp slightly apart from our circle of wagons.</p>
+
+<p>Some of our men visited them during the evening, eager to hear their
+tales of adventure; and listened, open-mouthed, to descriptions of
+life among savage associations, in the mountain wilds, jungles and the
+desert plains.</p>
+
+<p>The visitors dwelt with emphasis on the threatening attitude of the
+Shoshone Indians towards the emigrants; warning us that our position
+was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> hazardous, with caution that there was special risk incurred by
+individuals who wandered away from the train, thus inviting a chance
+of being shot by Redskins, ambushed among the bunches of sagebrush.
+They were especially earnest as they assured us of the peril there
+would be in loitering away from the body of the company, as they had
+noticed some of our boys doing, that day, while hunting for sage
+fowls.</p>
+
+<p>After awhile, he of the big hat inquired&mdash;and seemed almost to tremble
+with solicitude as he spoke:</p>
+
+<p>"Are you prepared to defend yourselves, in case of an attack?"</p>
+
+<p>Here unpleasant surmises gave place to distinct suspicions in the
+minds of some of our older men. They regarded that question as a
+"Give-away." All the day, since these three joined us, we had felt
+that they might be spies, and in league with the Indians. So now not a
+few of us were giving closest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> attention, both with ears and eyes.</p>
+
+<p>An answer was ready: That we were prepared, and waiting for the
+encounter; with a hundred and twenty-five shots for the first round;
+that we could reload as rapidly as could the Indians; and had
+ammunition in store for a long siege.</p>
+
+<p>The actual fact was that, although every man of us had some sort of a
+"shooting-iron," they were not formidable. In kind, these varied well
+through the entire range of infantry, from a four-inch six-shooter to
+a four-foot muzzle-loader, and from a single-barreled shotgun on up to
+a Sharp's repeating rifle. The weapon last mentioned carried a
+rotating cylinder, for five shells, and was the latest thing in
+quick-fire repeating arms of that time: but there was only one of that
+class in the train. Had we been seen on muster, standing at "present
+arms," the array would have been less terrifying than comical.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Just how our visitors received our bluff with reference to
+preparedness for battle we could not know. The next morning these
+mysterious strangers took position in the rear of our train once more,
+carrying a small white flag, mounted on a pole fastened to their
+wagon. Upon being asked the purpose of the flag they replied that it
+served as a signal to any one of their number who might go beyond
+view, enabling him to determine the location of the wagon.</p>
+
+<p>Captain John reminded them that, according to their statements,
+wandering out of sight was too hazardous to be done or considered;
+adding that therefore there did not seem to be any need of the flag,
+and he wanted it to be taken down.</p>
+
+<p>It came down.</p>
+
+<p>During the noon-hour stop that day, while the doctors were dressing
+Mr. Wood's wounded arm, he obtained a first look at our three
+protegés. He at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> once indicated the man wearing the big, brown hat,
+and stated, excitedly but confidentially, to those of our company who
+were near him:</p>
+
+<p>"I believe that man was with the Indians who killed my wife and
+child."</p>
+
+<p>That statement naturally created a much greater feeling of uneasiness
+among us. The assertion was whispered around; and every man of us
+became a detective. The leading men of our party put their heads
+together in council. The situation was more than ever grave and the
+suspense distinctly painful. We feared something tragic would happen
+any hour.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Wood was asked to obtain another view of the man and endeavor to
+make his statement more definite, if he could. His wound, and the
+terrible shock he had sustained two days previously, had so prostrated
+him that he was unable to make haste. Arrangements were made to
+disguise him and have him go where he could obtain a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> good view of the
+three men, but his condition prevented it.</p>
+
+<p>Later in the afternoon the three-men-afraid-of-Indians announced that
+we had passed out of the territory of the savage Shoshones; they felt
+it would be safe for them to dispense with our kind escort, therefore,
+after camping near us that night, they would withdraw and bid us a
+thankful good-bye.</p>
+
+<p>We camped that night on a level place, where there was sage-brush
+three or four feet high, and thick enough to make good cover for an
+enemy. Our people, having become thoroughly distrustful of the three
+men who had made themselves appendages of our train, feared an attack
+would be made on our camp that night. Suspicion had developed into a
+fixed belief that the trio were confederates of the Shoshones, and had
+come to us under a pretense of fear on their part, in order to spy out
+the fighting strength of our company.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The place where they halted their wagon and prepared to spend the
+night was not more than a hundred yards from where our vehicles were
+arranged, in the usual hollow circle, with the camp-fire and the
+people inclosed.</p>
+
+<p>When darkness set in, guards of our best men, armed with the most
+effective guns we had, were quietly distributed about the camp, the
+chosen men crawling on their hands and knees to their allotted
+positions, in order that the three strangers should not know our
+arrangements. There was an understanding that, if there should be an
+attack during the night, the first thing to do was, if possible, to
+shoot those three men; for, under the circumstances, any attack
+occurring that night would be deemed completion of proof that they
+were responsible for it and for any atrocity that might follow or be
+attempted.</p>
+
+<p>The night passed without notable happening&mdash;except that at the break
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> day the three men and their wagon silently stole away.</p>
+
+<p>There was a feeling of great relief on being rid of them; but there
+remained some apprehension of their turning up at some unguarded
+moment and unpleasant place, to make us trouble; for their absence did
+not remove the impression that they had come among us to gauge our
+desirability as prey and the feasibility of overpowering our entire
+train.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+
+<h3>CHALLENGE TO BATTLE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>We divided our long train into two parts, leaving a short space
+between the sections. Mr. Wood's two wagons headed the forward part.
+Toward the close of the day on which this change of arrangement was
+made, the forward section turned off the road a short distance before
+stopping to make camp, and the rear section passed slightly beyond the
+first, left the road and halted, so that a double camp was formed,
+with the two sections thus placed for the night in relative positions
+the reverse of the order they had maintained during the day.</p>
+
+<p>At night-fall, when supper was over and everything at rest, we saw
+three horsemen going westward on the emigrant road. When they were
+opposite the Maxwell, or forward, camp, as the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> train sections had
+been placed, these men turned from the road and came toward us. We
+soon recognized them as our late guests on the way: he of the big hat
+and his two companions.</p>
+
+<p>Riding into our camp, one of them remarked that they now observed the
+change made in arrangement of our train, explaining that they had
+intended to call on the Englishman, whose place had been in the lead.
+They apologized for their mistake. The first speaker added that they
+had heard it stated that this English gentleman had charged one of
+their number with being in company with the Indians who killed his
+wife, at the time of the tragedy, a few days before.</p>
+
+<p>He of the big, brown hat then assumed the role of spokesman, and said:</p>
+
+<p>"I understand that he indicated me, by description; and if that man
+says I was with the Indians who killed his wife, I will kill him. Let
+him say it, and I will shoot him down like a dog,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> that he is. I am
+here to demand of him if he said it."</p>
+
+<p>Another of the three said, in a tone of conciliation:</p>
+
+<p>"We are honest men. We came out here from Stockton, California, where
+we live, to meet the emigrants as they come over from the States. We
+buy their weak and disabled stock, such as cannot finish the trip to
+the Coast; take the animals onto range that we know of, and in the
+fall, when they are recuperated, we drive them in for the California
+market."</p>
+
+<p>The man under the large hat resumed:</p>
+
+<p>"My name is James Tooly. My partners here, are two brothers, named
+Hawes. And now, if that Englishman, or any one among you, says I was
+with the Indians who killed his wife, I will shoot him who says it,
+right here before you all."</p>
+
+<p>This was said with much vehemence, and punctuated with many oaths.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 414px;">
+<img src="images/i152.jpg" width="414" height="500" alt="Van Diveer&#39;s advantage was slight, but sufficient" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Van Diveer&#39;s advantage was slight, but sufficient</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. Drennan, of our combined company, replied:</p>
+
+<p>"If you want to talk like that, go where the man is. We don't want
+that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> kind of language used here, in the presence of our women and
+children."</p>
+
+<p>Tooly, standing erect, high in his stirrups, drew a large pistol from
+its holster and swung it above his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I will say what I please, where I please; and I don't care who likes
+it," roared Tooly, waving his pistol in air.</p>
+
+<p>W. J. Van Diveer, a young man of the Drennan company, who had been
+sitting on a wagon-tongue near the speaker, leaped to his feet, with a
+pistol leveled at the big horseman's head, and with a manner that left
+no doubt that he meant what he said, shouted:</p>
+
+<p>"I'll be damned if you can do that here. Now, you put down your gun,
+and go."</p>
+
+<p>The muzzle of Van Diveer's pistol was within an arm's-length of Tooly,
+aiming steadily at his head. Tooly was yet with pistol in hand but not
+quite in position for use of it on his adversary. Van Diveer's
+advantage was slight, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> sufficient for the occasion. Tooly's
+companions did not act, appearing to await his orders, and, in the
+suddenness of this phase of the scene, Tooly found no voice for
+commands. Others of our men made ready on the instant, believing that
+a battle was on.</p>
+
+<p>It was averted, however. Tooly replaced his pistol in the holster,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, of course&mdash;as you say, my pie is over yonder. I don't want to
+kill <i>you</i> fellows."</p>
+
+<p>And he didn't. The three rode over to the other group of our men,
+among whom was Mr. Wood. All of these had overheard what had just been
+said, and felt sure they knew what was coming.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Wood, grief-stricken, disabled, stood, pale and fearful, amongst
+the party of timid emigrants, all strangers to him; he the only man
+probably in the camp without a weapon on his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> person, his torn arm in
+a sling across his chest.</p>
+
+<p>The big fellow made his statement again, as he had made it to us; with
+the same emphatic threat to kill, if he could induce Wood or any one
+to speak out and affirm the charge of Tooly's complicity with the
+Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Tooly got off his horse and, pistol in hand, walked among the party;
+many of whom surely did tremble in their boots. He declared again, as
+he stalked about, that he would shoot the hapless Wood, "like a dog",
+or any one who would repeat the charge.</p>
+
+<p>There were but a few men in that part of the camp when Tooly commenced
+this second tirade, in the presence of Wood; but soon more came from
+the other part of the train.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Wood, in a condition as helpless as if with hands and feet bound,
+realizing his situation, and his responsibility, maintained silence: a
+silence<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> more eloquent than speech, since a single word from him in
+confirmation of the charge he had made would have precipitated a
+battle, in which he, most certainly, and probably others, including
+some of his benefactors, would have been killed.</p>
+
+<p>Then Tooly saw that a goodly number of men had arrived from the other
+section of the camp, and were watching to see what would happen; some
+of these viewing the scene with attitude and looks that boded no good
+for the man who held the center of the arena.</p>
+
+<p>Tooly's threatening talk ceased. Still Wood said nothing. In silence,
+Tooly mounted his horse, and with his fellows rode away, leaving the
+party of emigrants&mdash;most of them terror-stricken, some angry&mdash;standing
+dumb, looking at one another, and at the retreating three until they
+went out of sight, in the dusk of the desert night-fall: stood there
+on the sage-brush sward, a tableau of silent dumbfoundedness;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> for how
+long none knew; each waiting for something to break the spell.</p>
+
+<p>"I feel like a fool," exclaimed Van Diveer.</p>
+
+<p>"But," spoke Drennan, the older and more conservative leader of their
+party, "we couldn't start an open battle with those fellows without
+some of us being killed. They are gone; we should be glad that they
+are. It is better to bear the insult than have even one of our people
+shot."</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"I'm glad they left no bullets in me&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Courting, down in Tennessee."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>This paraphrasing of his favorite ditty was, of course, perpetrated by
+"Jack."</p>
+
+<p>But we all wished we knew. Was it true that these men were
+conspirators with the Indians who had been ravaging the emigrant
+trains? If so, doubtless they would be concerned in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> other and
+possibly much more disastrous assaults, and perhaps soon. If so, who
+would be the next victims?</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Wood was still too indefinite in his identification of the man
+Tooly&mdash;at least in his statement of it&mdash;to clear away all doubt, or
+even, as yet, to induce the majority of our men to act on the judgment
+of some: that we should follow these plainsmen, learn more, and have
+it out with them.</p>
+
+<p>There were many circumstances pointing not only to the connection of
+these men with the assault on Mr. Wood's family, but to the
+probability of their having been responsible for the slaughter of the
+Holloway party. It seemed improbable that there were two bands of
+Indians operating along that part of the Humboldt River in the looting
+of emigrant trains. If it could be proved that white men co-operated
+with the savages in the Wood case, the inference would be strong that
+the same white men had been accessories<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> in the Holloway massacre. The
+use of guns in those attacks, and the evident abundance of ammunition
+in the hands of the Indians, went far toward proving the connection of
+white men with both these cases.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+
+<h3>SAGEBRUSH JUSTICE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The Sink of the Humboldt is a lake of strong, brackish water, where
+the river empties into the natural basin, formed by the slant of the
+surrounding district of mountains, plain and desert, and where some of
+the water sinks into the ground and much of it evaporates, there being
+no surface outlet. In the latter part of the summer the water is at a
+very low stage, and stronger in mineral constituents. There we found
+the daytime heat most intense.</p>
+
+<p>The land that is exposed by the receding water during the hottest
+period of the fall season becomes a dry, crackling waste of incrusted
+slime, curling up in the fierce sunshine, and readily crushed under
+foot, like frozen snow. The yellowish-white scales reflect the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>
+sunlight, producing a painful effect on the eyes. Not many feet wander
+to this forbidding sea of desolation.</p>
+
+<p>At the border of this desert lake, a few feet higher than the water,
+is a plateau of sand, covered with sage-brush and stones. We were
+there in the last week of August. Fresh water was not to be had except
+at a place a half-mile from our camp, where there was a seepage
+spring. There we filled our canteens and buckets with enough for
+supper and breakfast. The animals had to endure the night without
+water.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from the spring was situated a rude shack, known as "Black's
+Trading Post." This establishment was constructed of scraps of rough
+lumber, sticks, stones and cow-hides. With Mr. Black were two men,
+said to be his helpers&mdash;helpers in what, did not appear. The principal
+stock in trade was a barrel of whisky&mdash;reported to be of very bad
+quality&mdash;some plug tobacco, and&mdash;not much else. Black's prices<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> were
+high. A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents. It was said to be an
+antidote for alkali poisoning.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i162.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="&quot;A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Some of our men visited this emporium of the desert, and there they
+found "Jim" Tooly. The barrel had been tapped in his behalf, and he
+was loquacious; appearing also to be quite "at home" about the Post.
+His two companions of our recent acquaintance were not there. The
+"antidote" was working; Tooly was in good spirits, and eloquent. He
+did not appear to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> recognize those of our people who were visiting the
+place; but they knew him. There were other persons present from the
+camps of two or three companies of emigrants, but strangers to us, who
+were also stopping for the night at the margin of the Sink.</p>
+
+<p>Tooly assumed an air of comradeship toward all, addressing various
+individuals as "Partner" and "Neighbor"; but his obvious willingness
+to hold the center of the stage made it clear that he deemed himself
+the important personage of the community.</p>
+
+<p>Some things he said were self-incriminating. He boasted of having
+"done up a lot of Pikers, up the creek," declaring his intention to
+"look up another lot of suckers" the following day.</p>
+
+<p>When our men thought that they had heard enough they returned to camp
+and reported.</p>
+
+<p>Recollections of the last time we had seen Mr. Tooly made the present<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>
+occasion seem opportune. An impromptu "court" was organized: judge,
+sheriff and deputies; and these, with a few chosen men of the company,
+went to the trading post to convene an afternoon session. The members
+of this "court" dropped in quietly, one or two at a time, looked over
+the place, asked questions&mdash;about the country; the prices of Mr.
+Black's "goods"; how far it might be to Sacramento; anything to be
+sociable: but none offered to tap the barrel.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger emigrants had heard of the Indian raids up the river.
+Seeming to have inferred something of pending events, they had gone to
+the trading post in considerable numbers. Tooly was still there. Black
+and his two men seemed to be persons who ordinarily would be classed
+as honest. Still, they appeared to listen to Tooly's tales of prowess
+in the looting of emigrant trains as if they regarded such proceedings
+as acts of exceptional<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> valor; exhibiting as much interest in the
+recital as did the "tenderfoot" emigrants&mdash;who held a different
+opinion regarding those adventures.</p>
+
+<p>When enough had been heard to warrant the finding of an indictment,
+the newly-appointed judge issued a verbal order of arrest, and the
+sheriff and his deputies quickly surrounded the accused, before he
+suspected anything inimical to his personal welfare. With revolver in
+hand, the sheriff commanded, "Hands up, 'Jim' Tooly!" To the
+astonishment of all, the big man raised both hands, without protest;
+this, however, in mock obedience, as was evident by his laughing at
+the supposed fun.</p>
+
+<p>"This is not a joke, sir," came in harsh tones from the judge. "When
+we saw you last, about sixteen days ago, you came to our camp to deny
+a charge made against you by a man of our company. You overawed,
+browbeat and insulted the man and those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> who were assisting and
+protecting him in his distress. You denied the accusation made against
+you, with vehemence and much profanity. Giving you the benefit of a
+doubt, we permitted you to go. Now we are here to take the full
+statement of the prosecuting witness, and examine such other evidence
+as there may be. We will clear you if we can, or find you guilty if we
+must."</p>
+
+<p>In whatever direction the culprit looked he gazed into the open end of
+a gun or pistol. The sheriff said:</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Tooly, any motion of resistance will cost you your life."</p>
+
+<p>A disinterested onlooker at the moment would have cringed, lest the
+unaccustomed duty of some deputy should so unnerve his hand that he
+would inadvertently and prematurely pull the trigger of his weapon.
+But all held sufficiently steady, as they looked through the sights.</p>
+
+<p>The prisoner slowly grasped the situation,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> and knew that temporary
+safety lay in obedience. The sheriff's demand for Tooly's weapons
+created more surprise, when it was revealed that, in his feeling of
+security while at the Post, he had relieved himself of those
+encumbering articles and deposited them with the landlord, that he
+might have freedom from their weight while enjoying the hospitality of
+the place.</p>
+
+<p>Thus his captors had him as a tiger with teeth and claws drawn. His
+weapons, when brought out from the hut for examination, were found to
+be two pistols, of the largest size and most dangerous appearance, in
+a leathern holster, the latter made to carry on the pommel of a
+saddle, in front of the rider. These, also his saddle and other
+trappings, were searched for evidence; but, except the pistols,
+nothing was found that tended to throw any further light on the
+question of his guilt or innocence.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Tooly was then taken, under a heavy guard, to a spot some distance
+from the Post, where the court reconvened, for the purpose of
+completing the trial.</p>
+
+<p>His captors had, with good reason, reckoned Tooly as like a beast of
+the jungle, who, when put at bay, would resort to desperate fighting;
+but, having been caught thus unawares and unarmed, violence on his
+part or resistance of any kind, was useless. He was doubtless feigning
+meekness, hoping for an opportunity to escape.</p>
+
+<p>A jury was selected, mostly from the stranger emigrants.</p>
+
+<p>The improvised court sat on an alkali flat near the margin of the
+lake, where there were some large stones and clumps of sage-brush.
+There Tooly was confronted by Mr. Wood, still with bandaged arm. Tooly
+declared he had never before seen the Englishman, but Wood said he had
+seen Tooly, and now reaffirmed his belief that the prisoner was one of
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> persons who, some weeks previously, had ridden with the Indians
+who killed Mrs. Wood and the child, also wounded and robbed the
+witness.</p>
+
+<p>Still the evidence was not deemed sufficiently positive or complete,
+the identity being in some doubt. The jury would not convict without
+conclusive proof. With the view of procuring further evidence, the
+judge ordered that the person of the prisoner be searched.</p>
+
+<p>Hearing this mandate, Tooly first made some sign of an intention to
+resist&mdash;only a slight start, as if possibly contemplating an effort to
+break through the cordon of untrained guards.</p>
+
+<p>"Gentlemen," ordered the sheriff, "keep, every man, his eye on this
+fellow, and his finger on the trigger." Then to the prisoner,</p>
+
+<p>"Stand, sir, or you will be reduced to the condition of a 'good
+Indian'!"</p>
+
+<p>Escape as yet appeared impossible, and Tooly must have finally come to
+a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> definite realization that he was in the hands of men who meant
+business, most earnestly. Bravado had ceased to figure in his conduct.
+It was apparent that the search for evidence was narrowing its field;
+the erstwhile minions of frontier justice were on the right scent.
+Tooly grew pallid of feature and his cheeks hollowed perceptibly, in a
+moment. There was a wild glare in his eyes, as they turned from side
+to side; fear, hatred, viciousness, mingled in every glance. He
+crouched, not designedly, but as if an involuntary action of the
+muscles drew him together. His fists were clenched; his mouth partly
+opened, as if he would speak, but could not.</p>
+
+<p>Thus he stood, half erect, while the officer searched his clothing.
+The examination disclosed that, secured in a buckskin belt, worn under
+his outer garments, there was English gold coin, to the value of five
+hundred dollars; just one-third of the amount that Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> Wood declared
+he had lost at the time of the robbery. What became of the other
+two-thirds of Mr. Wood's money was readily inferred, but full proof of
+it was not necessary to this case.</p>
+
+<p>Tooly's trial was closed. The only instruction the court gave the jury
+was, "Gentlemen, you have heard the testimony and seen the evidence;
+what is your verdict?"</p>
+
+<p>The answer came, as the voice of one man, "Guilty."</p>
+
+<p>During the entire proceeding, at the post and down by the lake, the
+judge sat astride his mule. Addressing the prisoner once more from his
+elevated "bench," he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Tooly, you are found guilty of the murder of Mrs. Wood and her
+child, the wounding of Mr. Wood, and robbery of his wagon. Mr. Wood
+has from the first stated his belief that you were with, and the
+leader of, the band of Indians which attacked his party. You
+afterwards denied it; but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> now, in addition to his almost positive
+identification, and many circumstances pointing to your guilt, you are
+found with the fruits of that robbery on your person. Have you
+anything to say?"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i172.jpg" width="500" height="303" alt="&quot;&#39;Stop,&#39; shouted the Judge&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&#39;Stop,&#39; shouted the Judge&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Tooly was ashy pale, and speechless. Absolute silence reigned for a
+time, as the court awaited the prisoner's reply, if by any means he
+could offer some explanation, some possible extenuating circumstance,
+that might affect the judgment to be pronounced. None came, and the
+judge continued:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You can have your choice, to be shot, or hanged to the uplifted
+tongue of a wagon. Which do you choose?"</p>
+
+<p>Tooly took the risk of immediate death, in seeking one last, desperate
+chance for life. Instantly he turned half around, crouched for a
+spring, and, seemingly by one single leap, went nearly past the
+rock-pile, so that it partly covered his retreat. Quick as his
+movements were, they were not swifter than those of the men whose duty
+was to prevent his escape.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop, Tooly," shouted the judge, sitting astride his mule, as his
+long right arm went out to a level, aiming his big Colt's revolver at
+the fleeing man.</p>
+
+<p>"Shoot, boys," commanded the sheriff at the same instant; a chorus of
+shots sounded, and the court's sentence was executed.</p>
+
+<p>Complying with the request of the judge, the sheriff had a hole dug
+near<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> where the body lay, and the dead man was buried, <i>sans
+ceremonie</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The court returned to the trading post and requested the proprietor to
+state what he knew of Tooly. Mr. Black declared he only knew that the
+accused plainsman came to the post that day; that he bought and drank
+a considerable quantity of whisky, and offered to treat several
+passing emigrants, all of whom declined.</p>
+
+<p>The English gold found upon the prisoner was returned to Mr. Wood, and
+the incident was closed.</p>
+
+<p>The trial had been as orderly and impartial as the proceedings in any
+court established by constitutional authority. All those concerned in
+it realized that they were performing a duty of grave importance.
+There was nothing of vindictiveness, nothing of rashness. It was
+without "due process," and it was swift; a proceeding without the
+delays commonly due to technicalities observed in a legal tribunal;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>
+but it was justice conscientiously administered, without law&mdash;an
+action necessary under the circumstances. Its justification was fully
+equal to that of similar services performed by the Vigilance
+Committee, in San Francisco, within a year preceding. It was a matter
+the necessity of which was deplorable, but the execution of which was
+imposed upon those who were on the spot and uncovered the convincing
+facts.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+
+<h3>NIGHT TRAVEL, FROM ARID WASTES TO LIMPID WATERS.</h3>
+
+
+<p>From the Sink of the Humboldt the little Darby party wished to
+complete the trip by the Carson Route, thus separating from the
+majority, but their supplies were exhausted and they had now but one
+ox and one cow to draw their wagon. A suggestion, that those who could
+spare articles of food should divide with the needy, was no sooner
+made than acted upon. Sides of bacon, sacks of flour and other
+substantials were piled into their little vehicle, and the owners of
+the two oxen which had been loaned Darby simply said, "Take them
+along; you need them more than we do." Danny, alias "Gravy" Worley,
+being of that party, showed his delight, by sparkling eyes and
+beaming<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> fat face, when he saw the abundance of edibles turned over to
+his people. Mr. Darby shed genuine tears of gratitude, as we bade them
+good-bye and drove away by another route.</p>
+
+<p>The combination train was further divided, each party shaping its
+farther course according to the location of its final stop. The
+Drennans took the Carson Route, the Maxwell train proceeding by the
+more northerly, Truckee, trail. The associations of the plains, closer
+cemented by the sharing of many hardships and some pleasures, had
+created feelings almost equal to kinship, more binding than those of
+many a life-long neighborhood relation. So there were deep regrets at
+parting.</p>
+
+<p>On leaving the Sink of the Humboldt there was before us a wholly
+desert section, forty miles wide. The course led southwesterly, over
+flat, barren lands, with a line of low hills, absolutely devoid of
+vegetation, on our right. This was known to be one of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> the hard drives
+of our long journey; but hearsay knowledge was also to the effect
+that, at its farther border, we would reach the Truckee River, and
+soon thereafter ascend the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The prospect of
+seeing again a river of <i>pure</i> water, and fresh, green trees, had a
+buoyant effect on our lagging hopes; and these were further stimulated
+by the information that not long after entering these forest shades we
+would cross the State line into California.</p>
+
+<p>While crossing the forty miles of desert, the sun-baked silt, at the
+beginning, and later the deep, dry sand, made heavy going. To avoid
+the almost intolerable heat of day as much as possible, and it being
+known that water was not obtainable, during this much-dreaded bit of
+travel, we deferred the start until mid-afternoon, and traveled all
+night.</p>
+
+<p>The impressions of that night ride were most extraordinary. As the
+sun<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> sank, and twilight shaded into night, the atmosphere was filled
+with a hazy dimness; not merely fog, nor smoke, nor yet a pall of
+suspended dust, but rather what one might expect in a blending of
+those three. Only a tinge of moonlight from above softened the dull
+hue. It was not darkness as night usually is dark. It was an
+impenetrable, opaque narrowing of the horizon, and closing in of the
+heavens above us; which, as we advanced, constantly shifted its
+boundary, retaining us still in the center of the great amphitheater
+of half-night. We could see one another, but beyond or above the
+encompassing veil all was mystery, even greater mystery than mere
+darkness. No moon nor stars visible; nothing visible but just part of
+ourselves, and ours.</p>
+
+<p>As the night merged into morning, the sunlight gradually dispelled the
+mantle of gloom from our immediate presence; but still we could not
+see out.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> As if inclosed in a great moving pavilion, on we went,
+guided only by the tracks of those who had gone before.</p>
+
+<p>In the after part of the night the loose cattle, having been for two
+nights and a day without water, and instinctively expecting an
+opportunity to drink, quickened their pace, passing the wagons; the
+stronger ones outgoing the weaker, till the drove was strung out two
+or three miles in length along the sandy trail.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the wise-heads in the company were fearful that the cattle, on
+reaching the Truckee River, would drink too much. They detailed Luke
+Kidd and me to ride on our mules ahead of the foremost of the stock,
+and on reaching the river, permit none of the animals to drink more
+than a little water at a time.</p>
+
+<p>We went ahead during all that long morning, following what was surely,
+to us, the longest night that ever happened, before or since. Most of
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> other members of our party were in the wagons, and they, except
+the drivers, slept soundly; rocked gently, very gently, by the slow
+grinding of the wheels in the soft, deep sand. But Luke and I, on our
+little mules, must keep awake, and alert as possible, in readiness to
+hold back the cattle from taking too much water.</p>
+
+<p>From midnight to daybreak seemed a period amounting to entire days and
+nights; from dawn till sunrise, an epoch; and from sunrise to the time
+of reaching the river, as a period that would have no end.</p>
+
+<p>As the sun finally rose behind us, the faintest adumbration of the
+nearest ridges of the Sierras was discerned, in a dim, blue scroll
+across the western horizon, far ahead&mdash;how far it was useless to
+guess; and later, patches of snow about the peaks.</p>
+
+<p>The minutes were as hours; and their passing tantalized us: noting how
+the dim view grew so very slowly into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> hazy outlines of mountains, and
+finally of tree-tops.</p>
+
+<p>On we labored, overcoming distance inch by inch; nodding in our
+saddles; occasionally dismounting, to shake off the almost
+overpowering grasp of sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Half awake, we dreamed of water, green trees, and fragrant flowers.
+Rising hope, anon, took the place of long-deferred fruition, and we
+forgot for a moment how hard the pull was; till, with returning
+consciousness of thirst and painful drowsiness, we saw the landscape
+ahead presented still another, and another line of sand-dunes yet to
+be overcome.</p>
+
+<p>Luke and I reached the Truckee at nine o'clock in the forenoon, just
+ahead of the vanguard of cattle, and about three miles in advance of
+the foremost wagon.</p>
+
+<p>We tried to regulate the cattle's consumption of water, but did not
+prevent their drinking all they could hold. Ten men, on ten mules,
+could not have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> stopped one cow from plunging into that river, once
+she got sight of it, and remaining as long as she desired. We could
+not even prevent the mules we rode from rushing into it&mdash;that cold,
+rippling Truckee. Yet our elders had sent us two boys to hold back a
+hundred cattle, and make them drink in installments&mdash;in homeopathic
+doses, for their stomachs' sake.</p>
+
+<p>They dashed into the stream <i>en masse</i>; and seeing the futility of
+interfering, we gladly joined the cattle, in the first good, long,
+cool swallow of clear, clean water, within a period of six weeks.</p>
+
+<p>Our little mules did not stop till they reached the middle of the
+river, and stuck their heads, ears and all, under the water. Luke's
+diminutive, snuff-colored beast was so overcome by the sight and feel
+of water that she lay down in it, with him astride, giving herself and
+her master the first real bath since the time that she did the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> same
+thing, in the Platte River, some three months previously.</p>
+
+<p>To us, the long-time sun-dried, thirsty emigrants; covered from head
+to foot with dust from the Black Hills, overlaid with alkali powder
+from the Humboldt, veneered with ashes of the desert; all ingrained by
+weeks of dermatic absorption, rubbed in by the wear of travel,
+polished by the friction of the wind&mdash;to us said the Truckee, flowing
+a hundred feet wide, transparent, deep, cool; rattling and singing and
+splashing over the rocks; and the sparkle of its crystal purity, the
+music of its flow and the joy of its song, repeated, "Come and take a
+drink."</p>
+
+<p>We filled our canteens and went back to meet the others. We found them
+in a line three miles long; and it was well into the afternoon when
+the last wagon reached the river.</p>
+
+<p>The train crossed to the farther shore, into the grateful shade of the
+pine forest and there made camp.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>What an enchanting spectacle was that scene of wooded hills, with its
+varying lights and shades, all about us! From as far as we could see,
+up the heights and down to the river bank, where their roots were
+washed in the cool water, the great trees grew.</p>
+
+<p>We were still within the confines of Nevada, but two men were there
+with a wagon-load of fresh garden stuff, brought over from the
+foothills of California to sell to the emigrants: potatoes, at fifty
+cents a pound, pickles, eight dollars a keg, and so on. We bought, and
+feasted.</p>
+
+<p>The camp that night by the Truckee River was the happiest of all. We
+had reached a place where green things grew in limitless profusion,
+where water flowed pure and free; and we were out of the desert and
+beyond the reach of the savage Redman.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>INTO THE SETTLEMENTS. HALT.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Having begun the ascent of the lofty and precipitous east slope of the
+Sierra Nevada Mountains, one night about the first of September the
+camp-site selected was at a spot said to be directly on the boundary
+line between Nevada and California.</p>
+
+<p>Lounging after supper about a huge bonfire of balsam pine, the
+travelers debated the question whether we were really at last within
+the limits of the Mecca toward which we had journeyed so patiently
+throughout the summer. While so engaged, the stillness, theretofore
+disturbed only by the murmur of our voices and occasional popping of
+the burning logs, was further dispelled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> for a few seconds by sounds
+as of shifting pebbles on the adjacent banks, accompanied by rustling
+of the foliage, waving of tall branches and tree-tops, and a gentle
+oscillation of the ground on which we rested. These manifestations
+were new to our experience; but we had heard and read enough about the
+western country to hazard a guess as to the significance of the
+disturbance.</p>
+
+<p>"Jack," aroused from his first early slumber of that particular
+evening, raised himself on an elbow, and asserted, confidently:</p>
+
+<p>"That settles it; we <i>are</i> in California: that was an earthquake."</p>
+
+<p>Appearing already to have caught the universal feeling of western
+people regarding the matter of "quakes," he chuckled, in contemplation
+of his own perspicacity, and calmly resumed his recumbent attitude,
+and his nap.</p>
+
+<p>The summit of the Sierras was reached within about two days from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> the
+commencement of the ascent. We met no people in these mountains until
+we had proceeded some distance down the westerly slope, and reached a
+mining camp, near a small, gushing stream, that poured itself over and
+between rocks in a tortuous gorge.</p>
+
+<p>The camp was a small cluster of rough shacks, built of logs, split
+boards and shakes. As if dropped there by accident, they were located
+without regard for any sort of uniformity. These were the bunk cabins
+of the miners; some of the diminutive structures being only of size
+sufficient to accommodate a cot, a camp-stool and a wash-basin. A
+larger cabin stood at about the center of the group, the joint kitchen
+and dining-room.</p>
+
+<p>As we drove into the "town," the only person within view was a
+Chinaman, standing at the door. For most of us this was a first
+introduction to one of the yellow race. He was evidently the camp
+cook.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Major Crewdson approached the Celestial with the salutation: "Hello,
+John."</p>
+
+<p>"Belly good," was the reply.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i189.jpg" width="500" height="382" alt="&quot;&#39;Melican man dig gold&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&#39;Melican man dig gold&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Having already heard it said that the invariable result of an
+untutored Chinaman's effort to pronounce any word containing an "r"
+produced the sound of "l" instead, we thought little of that error in
+the attempt of this one to say "Very," but believed that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> his
+substitution for the initial letter of that word was inexcusable.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the name of this place?" continued Crewdson.</p>
+
+<p>"'Melican man dig gold."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I know that; but, this town, what do you call it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yu-ba Dam," the Chinaman answered.</p>
+
+<p>This response was intended to be civil. Near by the Yuba River was
+spanned by a dam, for mining purposes, known as Yuba Dam, which gave
+the mining camp its name.</p>
+
+<p>Further on we came to the first house that we saw in California; and
+it was the first real house within our view since the few primitive
+structures at Nebraska City, on the west shore of the Missouri River,
+faded from our sight, the preceding spring. During a period of about
+four months our company had traveled thousands of miles, through
+varying wilds, in all of which not one habitation, in form common to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>
+civilization, had been encountered. Seldom has civilized man journeyed
+a greater distance elsewhere, even in darkest Africa, without passing
+the conventional domicile of some member of his own race. Long ago
+such an experience became impossible in the United States.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i191.jpg" width="500" height="310" alt="Pack-mule route to placer diggings" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Pack-mule route to placer diggings</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>This house was a small wayside inn, situated where a miners' trail
+crossed the emigrant route; a roughly-made, two-story, frame building,
+with a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> corral adjoining; at which mule pack-trains stopped overnight,
+when carrying supplies from Sacramento and Marysville for miners
+working the gold placer diggings along the American and Yuba rivers.
+We camped beside the little hotel, and the next morning were for the
+first time permitted to enjoy a sample of the proverbially generous
+California hospitality, when the landlord invited our entire company
+into his hostelry for breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>Our entrance into California was in Nevada County, thence through
+Placer, Sacramento, Solano and Napa, and into Sonoma.</p>
+
+<p>Over the last one hundred miles we saw evidences that the valleys,
+great and small, were rapidly filling with settlers.</p>
+
+<p>The last stream forded was the Russian River, flowing southwesterly
+through Alexander Valley, to the sea. Having crossed to the western
+shore, our motley throng found itself in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> settlement embracing the
+village of Healdsburg, an aggregation of perhaps a dozen or twenty
+houses. There our worn and weather-stained troop made its final halt;
+and the jaded oxen, on whose endurance and patient service so
+much&mdash;even our lives&mdash;had depended, were unyoked the last time, on
+September seventeenth, just four months after the departure from the
+Missouri River.</p>
+
+<p>Considering all the circumstances of the journey, through two thousand
+miles of diversified wilderness, during which we rested each night in
+a different spot; it seems providential that, on every occasion when
+the time came for making camp, a supply of water and fuel was
+obtainable. Without these essentials there would have been much
+additional suffering. Sometimes the supply was limited or inferior,
+sometimes both; especially during those trying times in the westerly
+portion of the Humboldt region; but we were never without potable
+water nor<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> fire, at least for the preparation of our evening meal.
+Nature had prepared the country for this great overland exodus from
+the populous East; a most important factor in the upbuilding of the
+rich western empire, theretofore so little known, but whose
+development of resources and accession of inhabitants since have been
+the world's greatest marvel for more than half a hundred years.</p>
+
+<p>As I look back, through the lapse of nearly sixty years, upon that
+toilsome and perilous journey, notwithstanding its numerous harrowing
+events, memory presents it to me as an itinerary of almost continuous
+excitement and wholesome enjoyment; a panorama that never grows stale;
+many of the incidents standing out to view on recollection's landscape
+as clear and sharp as the things of yesterday. That which was worst
+seems to have softened and lapsed into the half-forgotten, while the
+good and happy features have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> grown brighter and better with the
+passing of the years.</p>
+
+<p>Whether pioneers in the most technical sense, we were early
+Californians, who learned full well what was meant by "Crossing the
+Plains."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<h2><a name="END" id="END"></a>END.</h2>
+
+<div class="trans-note">
+<p class="heading">Transcriber's Notes</p>
+<p>Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as
+possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other
+inconsistencies.</p>
+
+<p>The transcriber made changes as indicated to the text to correct obvious errors:</p>
+
+<pre class="note">
+ 1. p.  15, awkardness --> awkwardness
+ 2. p.  44, we though best --> we thought best
+ 3. p.  45, knowldege --> knowledge
+ 4. p.  68, maner --> manner
+ 5. p.  74, consciouses --> consciousness
+ 6. p. 103, characteristc --> characteristic
+ 7. p. 114, unusal --> unusual
+ 8. p. 149, "tenderfoot' --> "tenderfoot"
+ 9. p. 153, "good Indian' --> 'good Indian'
+</pre>
+
+<p>Several occurrences of mismatched quotes remain as published. Also,
+some illustrations have been repositioned to appear between paragraphs,
+causing some to move to a different page, but page numbers in the
+Contents remain as published.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, by 
+William Audley Maxwell
+
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@@ -0,0 +1,3375 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, by
+William Audley Maxwell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Crossing the Plains, Days of '57
+       A Narrative of Early Emigrant Tavel to California by the Ox-team Method
+
+Author: William Audley Maxwell
+
+Release Date: October 9, 2008 [EBook #26858]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CROSSING THE PLAINS, DAYS OF '57 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this
+text as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant
+spellings and other inconsistencies. Text that has been changed to
+correct an obvious error is noted at the end of this ebook.]
+
+
+
+
+
+           CROSSING THE PLAINS
+
+              DAYS OF '57
+
+
+  A NARRATIVE OF EARLY EMIGRANT TRAVEL
+          TO CALIFORNIA BY THE
+             OX-TEAM METHOD
+
+                  BY
+
+          WM. AUDLEY MAXWELL
+
+
+
+         COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY
+          WM AUDLEY MAXWELL
+
+
+
+       SUNSET PUBLISHING HOUSE
+         SAN FRANCISCO MCMXV
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "They started flight" (See page 119.)]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+
+  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS                                             VI
+
+  FOREWORD                                                         VII
+
+  CHAPTER I. Forsaking the Old, in Quest of the New. First
+           Camp. Fording the Platte                                  1
+
+  CHAPTER II. Laramie Fashions and Sioux Etiquette. A Trophy.
+           Chimney Rock. A Solitary Emigrant. Jests and Jingles     13
+
+  CHAPTER III. Lost in the Black Hills. Devil's Gate. Why a
+           Mountain Sheep Did Not Wink. Green River Ferry           31
+
+  CHAPTER IV. Disquieting Rumors of Redmen. Consolidation for
+           Safety. The Poisonous Humboldt                           49
+
+  CHAPTER V. The Holloway Massacre                                  62
+
+  CHAPTER VI. Origin of "Piker." Before the Era of Canned Good
+           and Kodaks. Morning Routine. Typical Bivouac.
+           Sociability Entrained. The Flooded Camp. Hope Sustains
+           Patience                                                 76
+
+  CHAPTER VII. Tangled by a Tornado. Lost the Pace but Kept the
+           Cow. Human Oddities. Night Guards. Wolf Serenades.
+           Awe of the Wilderness. A Stampede                        97
+
+  CHAPTER VIII. Disaster Overtakes the Wood Family                 116
+
+  CHAPTER IX. Mysterious Visitors. Extra Sentinels. An Anxious
+           Night                                                   123
+
+  CHAPTER X. Challenge to Battle                                   133
+
+  CHAPTER XI. Sagebrush Justice                                    144
+
+  CHAPTER XII. Night Travel. Arid Wastes to Limpid Waters          160
+
+  CHAPTER XIII. Into the Settlements. Halt                         170
+
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+
+  "They started flight"                                   Frontispiece
+
+  "Fording the Platte consumed one entire day"                      11
+
+  "Wo-haw-Buck"                                                     14
+
+  "From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot"                 21
+
+  Chimney Rock                                                      22
+
+  "One melody that he sang from the heart"                          27
+
+  "Hauled the delinquent out"                                       30
+
+  "The wagons were lowered through the crevice"                     38
+
+  Bone-writing                                                      57
+
+  "With hand upraised in supplication, yielded to the impulse
+  to flee"                                                          67
+
+  Jerry Bush, 1914                                                  72
+
+  Nancy Holloway, 1857                                              74
+
+  The Author, twenty years after                                   100
+
+  A Coyote Serenade                                                109
+
+  "Van Diveer's advantage was slight but sufficient"               136
+
+  "A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents"                         146
+
+  "'Stop,' shouted the Judge"                                      156
+
+  "'Melican man dig gold"                                          173
+
+  Pack-mule route to placer diggings                               175
+
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+
+Diligent inquiry has failed to disclose the existence of an authentic
+and comprehensive narrative of a _pioneer_ journey across the plains.
+With the exception of some improbable yarns and disconnected incidents
+relating to the earlier experiences, the subject has been treated
+mainly from the standpoint of people who traveled westward at a time
+when the real hardships and perils of the trip were much less than
+those encountered in the fifties.
+
+A very large proportion of the people now residing in the Far West are
+descendants of emigrants who came by the precarious means afforded by
+ox-team conveyances. For some three-score years the younger
+generations have heard from the lips of their ancestors enough of
+that wonderful pilgrimage to create among them a widespread demand for
+a complete and typical narrative.
+
+This story consists of facts, with the real names of the actors in the
+drama. The events, gay, grave and tragic, are according to indelible
+recollections of eye-witnesses, including those of
+
+
+                                                 THE AUTHOR.
+
+  W. A. M.,
+
+    _Ukiah, California, 1915._
+
+
+
+
+
+CROSSING THE PLAINS
+
+DAYS OF '57
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW. FIRST CAMP. FORDING THE PLATTE.
+
+
+We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857. Our
+objective point was Sonoma County, California.
+
+The company consisted of thirty-seven persons, including several
+families, and some others; the individuals ranging in years from
+middle age to babies: eleven men, ten women and sixteen minors; the
+eldest of the party forty-nine, the most youthful, a boy two months
+old the day we started. Most of these were persons who had resided for
+a time at least not far from the starting point, but not all were
+natives of that section, some having emigrated from Indiana, Kentucky,
+Tennessee and Virginia.
+
+We were outfitted with eight wagons, about thirty yoke of oxen, fifty
+head of extra steers and cows, and ten or twelve saddle ponies and
+mules.
+
+The vehicles were light, well-built farm wagons, arranged and fitted
+for economy of space and weight. Most of the wagons were without
+brakes, seats or springs. The axles were of wood, which, in case of
+their breaking, could be repaired en route. Chains were used for
+deadlocking the wheels while moving down steep places.
+
+No lines or halters of any kind were used on the oxen for guiding
+them, these animals being managed entirely by use of the ox-whip and
+the "ox-word." The whip was a braided leathern lash, six to eight feet
+long, the most approved stock for which was a hickory sapling, as long
+as the lash, and on the extremity of the lash was a strip of
+buckskin, for a "cracker," which, when snapped by a practiced driver,
+produced a sound like the report of a pistol. The purpose of the whip
+was well understood by the trained oxen, and that implement enabled a
+skillful driver to regulate the course of a wagon almost as accurately
+as if the team were of horses, with the reins in the hands of an
+expert jehu.
+
+An emigrant wagon such as described, provided with an oval top cover
+of white ducking, with "flaps" in front and a "puckering-string" at
+the rear, came to be known in those days as a "prairie schooner;" and
+a string of them, drawn out in single file in the daily travel, was a
+"train." Trains following one another along the same new pathway were
+sometimes strung out for hundreds of miles, with spaces of a few
+hundred yards to several miles between, and were many weeks passing a
+given point.
+
+Our commissary wagon was supplied with flour, bacon, coffee, tea,
+sugar, rice, salt, and so forth; rations estimated to last for five or
+six months, if necessary; also medical supplies, and whatever else we
+could carry to meet the probable necessities and the possible
+casualties of the journey; with the view of traveling tediously but
+patiently over a country of roadless plains and mountains, crossing
+deserts and fording rivers; meanwhile cooking, eating and sleeping on
+the ground as we should find it from day to day.
+
+The culinary implements occupied a compartment of their own in a
+wagon, consisting of such kettles, long-handled frying-pans and
+sheet-iron coffee pots as could be used on a camp-fire, with table
+articles almost all of tin. Those who attempted to carry the more
+friable articles, owing to the thumps and falls to which these were
+subjected, found themselves short in supply of utensils long before
+the journey ended. I have seen a man and wife drinking coffee from
+one small tin pan, their china and delftware having been left in
+fragments to decorate the desert wayside.
+
+We had some tents, but they were little used, after we learned how to
+do without them, excepting in cases of inclement weather, of which
+there was very little, especially in the latter part of the trip.
+
+During the great rush of immigration into California subsequent to
+1849, from soon after the discovery of gold until this time, the usual
+date at which the annual emigrants started from the settlement borders
+along the Missouri River was April 15th to May 1st. The Spring of 1857
+was late, and we did not pull out until May 17th, when the prairie
+grass was grown sufficiently to afford feed for the stock, and summer
+weather was assured.
+
+At that time the boundary line between the "States" and the "Plains"
+was the Missouri River. We crossed that river at a point about
+half-way between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs, where the village of
+Brownville was the nucleus of a first settlement of white people on
+the Nebraska side. There the river was a half-mile wide. The crossing
+was effected by means of an old-fashioned ferryboat or scow, propelled
+by a small, stern-wheeled steamer. Two days were consumed in
+transporting our party and equipment across the stream; but one wagon
+and a few of the people and animals being taken at each trip of the
+ferryboat and steamer.
+
+From the landing we passed up the west shore twenty miles, seeing
+occasionally a rude cabin or a foundation of logs, indicating the
+intention of pre-empters. This brought us to the town of Nebraska
+City, then a beginning of a dozen or twenty houses, on the west bank.
+Omaha was not yet on the map; although where that thriving city now
+stands there existed then a settlement of something over one hundred
+persons.
+
+From Nebraska City we bore off northwesterly, separating ourselves
+from civilization, and thereafter saw no more evidence of the white
+man's purpose to occupy the country over which we traveled.
+
+There was before us the sky-bound stretch of undulating prairie,
+spreading far and wide, like a vast field of young, growing grain, its
+monotony relieved only by occasional clumps of small trees, indicating
+the presence of springs or small water-courses.
+
+Other companies or trains, from many parts of the country, especially
+the Middle States, were crossing the Missouri at various points
+between St. Louis and Council Bluffs; most of them converging
+eventually into one general route, as they got out on the journey.
+
+It is perhaps impossible to convey a clear understanding of the
+emotions experienced by one starting on such a trip; leaving friends
+and the familiar surroundings of what had been home, to face a siege
+of travel over thousands of miles of wilderness, so little known and
+fraught with so much of hardship and peril.
+
+The earlier emigrants, gold-hunters, men only--men of such stuff as
+pioneers usually are made of--carried visions of picking up fortunes
+in the California gold mines and soon returning to their former
+haunts. But those who were going now felt that they were burning all
+bridges behind them; that all they had was with them, and they were
+going to stay.
+
+Formerly we had heard that California was good only for its gold
+mines; that it was a country of rocks, crags and deserts; where it
+rained ceaselessly during half of the year and not at all in the other
+half.[1] But later we had been told that in the valleys there was land
+on which crops of wheat could be grown, and that cattle raising was
+good, on the broad acres of wild oats everywhere in the "cow
+counties." It was told us also that there were strips of redwood
+forest along the coast, and these trees, a hundred to several hundred
+feet in height, could be split into boards ten to twenty feet long,
+for building purposes; and that this material was to be had by anybody
+for the taking. Some said that the Spanish padres, at their missions
+in several localities near the Pacific shore, had planted small
+vineyards of what had come to be known as the "Mission" grape, which
+produced enormous crops. Another report told us that other fruits,
+including the orange and lemon varieties, so far as tried, gave
+promise of being valuable products of the valley and foothill soils.
+Such stories gave rise to a malady called "California fever." It was
+contagious, and carried off many people.
+
+Our first camp was on the open prairie, where grass grew about four
+inches high, and a small spring furnished an ample supply of water.
+Firewood we had brought with us for that night. The weather was very
+fine, and all were joyous at the novelty of "camping out."
+
+On or about the eighth day we came to the Platte River; broad, muddy
+stream, at some points a mile or more in width; shallow, but running
+rapidly, between low banks; its many small islands wholly covered by
+growths of cottonwood trees and small willows. From these islands we
+obtained from time to time the fuel needed for the camp, as we took
+our course along the river's southerly shore; and occasionally added
+to the contents of the "grub" wagon by capturing an elk or deer that
+had sought covert in the cool shade of these island groves. Antelope
+also were there, but too wary for our huntsmen.
+
+[Illustration: "Fording the Platte consumed one entire day"]
+
+We forded the Platte at a point something like one hundred and fifty
+miles westward from its confluence with the Missouri. There was no
+road leading into the river, nor any evidence of its having been
+crossed by any one, at that place. We were informed that the bottom
+was of quicksand, and fording, therefore, dangerous. We tested it, by
+riding horses across. Contrary to our expectations, the bottom was
+found to be a surface of smooth sand, packed hard enough to bear up
+the wagons, when the movement was quick and continuous. A cut was made
+in the bank, to form a runway for passage of the wagons to the water's
+edge; and the whole train crossed the stream safely, with no further
+mishap than the wetting of a driver and the dipping of a wagon into a
+place deep enough to let water into the box. Fording the Platte
+consumed one entire day. We camped that night on the north shore.
+
+The train continued along the general course of the river about four
+hundred miles, as far as Fort Laramie, through open country, in which
+there was an abundance of feed for the animals, but where wood for
+fuel was scarce.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] As late as March, 1850, Daniel Webster said in the United States
+Senate: "California is Asiatic in formation and scenery; composed of
+vast mountains of enormous height, with broken ridges and deep
+valleys. The sides of these mountains are barren--entirely
+barren--their tops capped by perennial snow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+LARAMIE FASHIONS AND SIOUX ETIQUETTE. A TROPHY. CHIMNEY ROCK. A
+SOLITARY EMIGRANT. JESTS AND JINGLES
+
+
+The Laramie and Sioux Indians were in those days the lords of that
+portion of the plains over which we traveled during the first several
+weeks.
+
+They were fine specimens of physical manhood. Tall, erect, well
+proportioned, they carried themselves with a distinct air of personal
+importance and dignity. They had not taken to the white man's mode of
+dress. Each had, in addition to his buckskin breeches and moccasins, a
+five-point Mackinaw blanket, these comprising for him a complete suit.
+The blanket he used as an outer garment, when needed, and for his
+cover at night. Many of the more important "big injins" owned also a
+buffalo robe. This was the whole hide of the buffalo, with the hair on
+it, the inner side tanned to a soft, pliable leather, and the
+irregularities of its natural shape neatly cut away. It furnished the
+owner an excellent storm robe, sufficient protection, head to foot,
+in the severest weather.
+
+[Illustration: "Wo-haw-Buck"]
+
+The Indians of these tribes that we met were friendly, even to
+familiarity. One of them would approach an emigrant with a
+"glad-to-meet-you" air, extending a hand in what was intended to be
+"white-man" fashion. But "Mr. Lo" was a novice in the art of
+handshaking, and his awkwardness and mimicking attempts in the effort
+were as amusing to us as satisfactory, apparently, to him. His vocal
+greeting, with slight variation from time to time, was in such
+words--with little regard for their meaning--as he had caught from the
+ox-driving dialect of the passing emigrants: "Wo-haw-buck," "Hello,
+John, got tobac?" If he added "Gimme biskit," and "Pappoose heap
+sick," he had about reached the limit of his English vocabulary.
+
+Large game was common along some parts of the way: buffalo, elk,
+antelope, deer, on the plains and hills; bear, mountain lions,
+wildcats and other species in the mountainous sections. They were shy
+and not easy to take, but we captured a few of some varieties. Some
+members of the party demonstrated that fishing was good in the Rocky
+Mountain streams. Naturally the men were hopeful of securing specimens
+of the larger game, but our lack of experience and scarcity of proper
+equipment for the purpose were against the chance, though not to the
+extent of our entire disappointment.
+
+Only persons of much experience on the plains could form even an
+approximate estimate of the great number of buffaloes sometimes seen
+together. It has been stated that there were herds numbering more than
+fifty thousand. Such an aggregation would consume days in passing a
+given point, and in case of a stampede, all other animals in its path
+were doomed to destruction. A herd of buffaloes quietly grazing was
+sometimes difficult to distinguish, when viewed from a considerable
+distance, from a low forest; their rounded bodies and the neutral tint
+of their shaggy coats giving them the appearance of bushes.
+
+When the train was nearing the fork of the Platte River a herd of
+buffaloes was seen, quietly grazing on the plain, a mile or more to
+the right, beyond a small water-course.
+
+Deciding we would try our prowess, Captain Maxwell and this narrator
+rode to the creek, at a point some distance below the position of the
+herd, where we tied our horses, then crept along, under cover of the
+creek bank, till we had gone as near as possible, without being seen
+by the herd, distant from us not much more than a hundred yards.
+
+Cautiously peering above the edge of the bank, we selected a choice
+buffalo among those nearest us, and both fired. The entire herd
+galloped wildly away, continuing till all passed from view over a
+hill some miles northward. Not one showed sign of having been hit.
+
+As we were about to leave the place, what should we see but a lonely
+buffalo, coming down the slope toward where we were, moving with
+leisurely tread and manner perfectly unconcerned. Notwithstanding our
+recent firing, this animal evidently had no suspicion of our presence.
+We remained and awaited his coming.
+
+He walked a few steps, then browsed a little, as if in no hurry about
+anything. Captain John and I felt our hope rise; we laid our plans and
+waited patiently.
+
+Just where the buffalo trail led down the bank of the creek, there
+were, as in many places near the stream, some scattered cottonwood and
+other trees. One of these that once stood on the brink had fallen till
+its top caught in the fork of another tree, and rested at a gentle
+incline upward from where it had grown. At the roots of this fallen
+tree we concealed ourselves, to wait, hoping that the big animal would
+come down to the water, but a few yards from us; for we guessed that
+he was one that had not yet had his drink from the brook that day, and
+was determined not to leave until he slaked his thirst.
+
+It was an anxious while of waiting, but not long. I was fearful that
+my hard-thumping heart-beats would be audible and frighten him away.
+Could it be true that I had an attack of "buck-ague"? Perish the
+thought.
+
+Finally his bovine majesty came lazily over the top of the bank, with
+a heavy, slow motion; grunting and puffing, as if he were almost too
+heavy for his legs. When he got to the bottom of the bank and was
+about to drink, Captain John whispered our agreed signal: "One, two,
+three;" we fired, simultaneously, and repeated. The big fellow stood
+still for a moment after the shots and looked about, with a slow
+movement and stolid gaze, turning his head questioningly from side to
+side, as if he would say, "I thought I heard something pop."
+
+Somehow we knew we had hit him, and we wondered why he did not fall.
+His little, black eyes rolled and glinted under his shaggy foretop.
+Then he seemed to swell; crouching slightly, as does a beast of prey
+when about to spring; lowered his head, pawed the earth and shook his
+mane. His whole body became vibrant with the obvious desire to
+fight,--and no antagonist in sight. Uttering a tremendous grunt, he
+arched his back again, stamping with all four feet, somewhat like the
+capers of a Mexican "broncho" when preparing to buck"; then he snorted
+once more, with such explosive force as seemed to shake the tree
+beside which we were hidden, as he looked about for something to pitch
+into.
+
+[Illustration: "From our coign of vantage we continued to shoot"]
+
+By this time we thought we understood why a kind Providence had
+caused that cottonwood tree to lodge at such an angle that a buffalo
+could not climb it, but we could--and we did. Getting ourselves safely
+into the fork of the tree, we continued to shoot from our coign of
+vantage till the big fellow dropped. When he ceased to kick or give
+any sign of belligerency, we came down and approached him, carefully.
+Then we dressed him, or as much of him as we could carry in two bags
+that we had strapped behind our saddles, and rejoined the train after
+our people had gone into camp for the night.
+
+[Illustration: Chimney Rock]
+
+We had our first buffalo steak for supper that night. We also had the
+satisfaction of observing signs of jealousy on the part of the other
+men who had never killed a buffalo.
+
+One of the first natural curiosities we saw was Chimney Rock; a
+vertical column of sandstone something like forty feet high, with a
+rugged stone bluff rising abruptly near it. Its appearance, from our
+distant view, resembled a stone chimney from which the building had
+been burned away, as it stood, solitary on the flat earth at the south
+side of the Platte River, we traveling up the north shore. Such a
+time-chiseled monument was a novelty to us then. To the early
+emigrants it was the first notable landmark.
+
+While some distance farther west, as we scaled the higher slopes, we
+could see to the southward the snow-capped peaks of that region which
+long afterward was taken from western Nebraska to become the Territory
+of Colorado, and later still, the State of that name. Looking over and
+past the locality where, more than a year thereafter, the town of
+Denver was laid out, we saw, during several weeks, the summit of
+Pike's Peak, hundreds of miles away.
+
+One evening when we were going into camp we were overtaken by a man
+trundling a push-cart. This vehicle had between its wheels a box
+containing the man's supplies of food and camp articles, with the
+blankets, which were in a roll, placed on top; all strapped down under
+an oilcloth cover.
+
+With this simple outfit, pushed in front of him, this man was making
+his way from one of the Eastern States to California, a distance of
+more than three thousand miles. He was of medium size, athletic
+appearance, with a cheerful face. He visited us overnight. The next
+morning he was invited to tie his cart behind one of our wagons and
+ride with us. He replied that he would be pleased to do so, but was
+anxious to make all possible speed, and felt that he could not wait on
+the progress of our train, which was somewhat slower than the pace he
+maintained. It was said that he was the first man who made the entire
+trip on foot and alone, from coast to coast, as we were afterwards
+informed he succeeded in doing.
+
+From time to time the tedium was dispelled by varied incidents; many
+that were entertaining and instructive, some ludicrous, some pathetic,
+and others profoundly tragic. Agreeable happenings predominated
+largely during the early stages, and those involving difficulties and
+of grave import were mainly a part of our experiences toward the close
+of the long pilgrimage. Such an order of events might be presumed as a
+natural sequence, as the route led first over a territory not
+generally difficult to travel, but farther and farther from
+established civilization, into rougher lands, and toward those regions
+where outlawry, common to all pioneer conditions, was prevalent.
+
+With our company were four or five boys and young men, eighteen to
+twenty-one years of age, also a kindly and unpretentious but droll
+young fellow, named John C. Aston, whose age was about twenty-five.
+This younger element was responsible for most of the occurrences of
+lighter vein, which became a feature of our daily progress.
+
+Aston's intimate friends called him "Jack," and some of the more
+facetious ones shortened the cognomen "Jack Aston" by dropping the
+"ton," inconsiderately declaring that the briefer appellation fitted
+the man, even better than did his coat, which always was loose about
+the shoulders and too long in the sleeves. But all knew "Jack" to be
+an excellent fellow. His principal fault, if it could be so termed,
+was a superabundance of good-nature, a willingness at all times to
+joke and be joked. He had a fund of stories--in some of which he
+pictured himself the hero--with which he was wont to relieve the
+tedium of the evening hours. A violin was among his effects, which he
+played to accompany his singing of entertaining countryside songs.
+Most of these were melodious, and highly descriptive. "Jack" had much
+music in his soul, and sang with good effect.
+
+[Illustration: "One melody that he sang from the heart"]
+
+There was one melody that he sang oftenest, and sang from the
+heart--one that was rendered nightly, regardless of any variation in
+the program; a composition that embraced seventeen verses, each
+followed by a soothing lullaby refrain; a song which, every time he
+sang it, carried "Jack" again to his old home in the Sunny South, and
+seemed to give him surcease from all the ills of life. Of that song a
+single verse is here reproduced, with deep regret that the other
+sixteen are lost, with all except a small fraction of the tune. Yet,
+cold, inanimate music notes on the paper would convey, to one who
+never heard him sing them, only the skeleton; the life, sympathy and
+soul of the song would be lacking. We needed no other soporific. Here
+it is:
+
+
+    Oh, the days of bygone joys,
+      They never will come back to me;
+    When I was with the girls and boys,
+      A-courting, down in Tennessee.
+        Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee--
+      Courting, down in Tennessee.
+
+
+It was "Jack's" habit to allow his head to hang to the left, due,
+presumably, to much practice in holding down the large end of his
+violin with his chin. He was prone to sleep a great deal, and even as
+he sat in the driver's seat of a "prairie-schoner," or astride a mule,
+the attitude described often resulted in his being accused of napping
+while on duty. The climatic conditions peculiar to the plains, and the
+slow, steady movement of the conveyances, were conducive to
+drowsiness, in consequence of which everybody was all the time sleepy.
+But "Jack" was born that way, and the very frequent evidences of it in
+his case led to a general understanding that, whenever he was not in
+sight, he was hidden away somewhere asleep.
+
+"Jack's" amiability, too, was a permanent condition. Apparently no one
+could make him angry or resentful. For this reason, he was the target
+for many pranks perpetrated by the boys. Like this:
+
+One evening "Jack" took his blanket and located for the night at a
+spot apart from the others of the company, under a convenient sage
+bush. The next morning he was overlooked until after breakfast. When
+the time came for hitching the teams, he was not at his post. A
+search finally revealed him, still rolled in his bedding, fast asleep.
+When several calls failed to arouse him, one of the boys tied an end
+of a rope around "Jack's" feet, hitched a pair of oxen to the other
+end, and hauled the delinquent out some distance on the sand. "Jack"
+sat up, unconcernedly rubbed his eyes, then began untying the rope
+that bound his feet, his only comment being--
+
+
+    "Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee;
+    Courting, down in Tennessee."
+
+
+[Illustration: "Hauled the delinquent out"]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+LOST IN THE BLACK HILLS. DEVIL'S GATE. WHY A MOUNTAIN SHEEP DID NOT
+WINK. GREEN RIVER FERRY.
+
+
+At Fort Laramie we left the Platte River, and, bearing northwesterly,
+entered the Black Hills, a region of low, rolling uplands, sparsely
+grown with scrubby pine trees; the soil black, very dry; where little
+animal life was visible, excepting prairie dogs.
+
+There may be readers who, at the mention of prairie dogs, see mentally
+a wolf or other specimen of the _genus canis_, of ordinary kind and
+size. The prairie dog, however, is not of the dog species. It bears
+some resemblance to a squirrel and a rat, but is larger than either.
+It may be likened to the canine only in that it barks, somewhat as do
+small dogs. Prairie dogs live in holes, dug by themselves. Twenty to
+fifty of these holes may be seen within a radius of a few yards, and
+such communities are known to plains people as "towns." On the
+approach of anything they fear the little fellows sit erect, look
+defiant and chatter saucily. If the intruder comes too near, the
+commanding individual of the group, the mayor of the town, so to
+speak, gives an alarm, plainly interpreted as, "Beware; make safe;
+each man for himself;" and instantly each one turns an exquisite
+somersault and disappears, as he drops, head downward, into the hole
+beside him.
+
+John L. Maxwell had made the trip over the plains from the Missouri
+River to California in 1854, returning, via Panama, in 1856, to take
+his family to the West, accompanying the train of his elder brother,
+Dr. Kennedy Maxwell. He was of great service to us now, by reason of
+his experience and consequent knowledge of the country traversed. He
+was therefore elected to act as pilot of the company, with the title
+"Captain John," which clung to him for many years.
+
+The emigrant trail in some parts of the way was well marked. In other
+places there was none, and we had to find our way as best we could,
+not always without difficulty. Often Captain John and others would
+ride ahead of the train a considerable distance, select routes for
+passage through places where travel was hard or risky, choose
+camp-sites, and, returning, pilot the train accordingly.
+
+At various times, despite every care in selecting the route, the train
+went on a wrong course, and at least once was completely astray. This
+was one morning as the company was passing out of the Black Hills
+country. Information had been received that at this place a short-cut
+could be made which would save fifteen or twenty miles. There were no
+marks on the ground indicating that any train ahead had gone that way,
+but the leaders decided to try it. This venture led the company into a
+situation not unlike the proverbial "jumping-off place."
+
+Directly in our course was a declivity which dropped an estimated
+depth of sixty to one hundred feet below the narrow, stony flat on
+which we stood, down into a depressed valley. Abrupt ridges of broken
+stone formation were on our right and left, inclosing us in a small
+space of barren, waste earth. The elements had crumbled the rocks down
+for ages, until what perhaps had been once a deep canyon was now a
+narrow flat, a mass of debris, terminating at the top of the steep,
+ragged cliff that pitched downward before us. The high, rocky ridges
+on both sides were wholly impassable, at least for the teams. A search
+finally disclosed, at the base of the ridge on our right, a single
+possible passage. It was narrow, slightly wider than a wagon, and led
+downward at a steep incline, into the valley below, with rocks
+protruding from both its side walls, its bottom strewn with stones
+such as our vehicles could not pass over in an ordinary way.
+
+We were confronted with the problem how to get the wagons down that
+yawning fissure; the alternative being to retrace our steps many
+miles.
+
+At the bottom of this cliff or wall that barred our way could be seen
+a beautiful valley, stretching far and wide away to the northwest; a
+scene of enchanting loveliness, a refreshing contrast to the dry and
+nearly barren hills over which we had traveled during the many days
+last past. A short distance from the foot of the wall was a small
+stream of clear water, running over the meadow-flat. Rich pasture
+extended along the line of trees that marked the serpentine course of
+the brook which zigzagged its way toward the southwest. Every man,
+woman and child of our company expressed in some way the declaration,
+"We _must_ get into that beautiful oasis." It looked like field, park
+and orchard, in one landscape; all fenced off from the desolate
+surroundings by this wall of stone. Like Moses viewing Canaan from
+Nebo's top, we looked down and yearned to be amidst its freshness.
+
+It was not decreed that we should not enter in. A little distance to
+the south, near the other ridge, we discovered another opening,
+through which the animals could be driven down, but through which the
+wagons could not pass. This was a narrow, crooked ravine, and very
+steep; running diagonally down through the cliff; a sort of dry
+water-way, entirely bridged over in one part by an arch of stone,
+making it there a natural tunnel or open-ended cave; terminating at
+the base of the cliff in an immense doorway, opening into the valley.
+
+The teams were unhitched from the wagons, the yokes taken off the
+oxen, and all the cattle, horses and mules were driven through the
+inclined tunnel into the coveted valley. The women and children
+clambered down, taking with them what they could of the camp things,
+for immediate use, and soon were quite "at home" in the valley, making
+free use of the little creek, for whatever purposes a little creek of
+pure, cold, fresh water is good, for a lot of thirsty, dust-covered
+wayfarers.
+
+The puzzle of getting the wagons down next engrossed the attention of
+our best engineers. The proposition to unpack the lading, take the
+wagons apart, and carry all down by hand, appeared for a time to be
+the only feasible plan. Captain John, however, suggested procuring
+rope or chain about one hundred feet in length, for use in lowering
+the wagons, one at a time, through the first-mentioned passage.
+Sufficient rope was brought, one end fastened to the rear axle of a
+wagon, the other end turned around a dwarf pine tree at the top of the
+bluff; two men managed the rope, preventing too rapid descent at the
+steeper places, while others guided the wheels over the stones, and
+the wagon was lowered through the crevice, with little damage. Thus,
+one by one, all the wagons were taken into the valley before the sun
+set.
+
+[Illustration: "The wagons were lowered through the crevice"]
+
+It was a happy camp we had that night; though every man was tired.
+There was wood for fire, and a supply of good water and pasture
+sufficient for dozens of camps. Some one ventured the opinion that the
+Mormon pioneers had overlooked that spot when seeking a new location
+for Zion.
+
+Except that it was very pleasant to inhabit, we knew little of the
+place we had ventured into, or its location. How we were to get out
+did not appear, nor for the time being did this greatly concern us;
+and soon after supper the camp was wrapped in slumber, undisturbed by
+any coyote duet, or, on this occasion, even the twitter of a night
+bird.
+
+We did not hurry the next morning, the inclination being to linger
+awhile in the shady grove by the brookside. With a late start, the
+day's travel took us some twelve miles, through and out of the
+valley, to a point where we made the best of a poor camping place, on
+a rough, rocky hillside. The following day there was no road to
+follow, nor even a buffalo trail or bear path; but by evening we
+somehow found our way back into the course usually followed by
+emigrants, not knowing whether the recent detour had lessened or
+increased the miles of travel, but delighted with the comfort and
+diversion afforded by the side-ride. Thinking that others, seeing our
+tracks, might be led into similar difficulties, and be less fortunate
+perhaps in overcoming them, two of our young men rode back to the
+place of divergence, and erected a notice to all comers, advising them
+to "Keep to the right."
+
+Another freak of Nature in which we were much interested was the
+"Devil's Gate," or "Independence Rock," where we first came to the
+Sweetwater River, in Wyoming. This is a granite ridge, some two
+hundred feet in length, irregular in formation and height, resembling
+a huge molehill, extending down from the Rocky Mountain heights and
+being across the river's course; the "Gate" being a vertical section,
+the width of the stream, cut out of a spur of Rattlesnake Mountain. If
+his Satanic majesty, whose name it bears, had charge of the
+construction, apparently he intended it only as a passage-way for the
+river, the cut being the exact width of the river as it flows through.
+The greater part of the two walls stand two hundred and fifty feet
+high, above the river level, perpendicular to the earth's plane,
+facing each other, the river between them at the base. Many names had
+been cut in the surface of the rock, by passing emigrants.
+
+We stopped for half a day to view this extraordinary scene. Some of
+the boys went to the apex, to see if the downward view made the rock
+walls appear as high as did the upward view: and naturally they found
+the distance viewed downward seemed much greater. Our intention was to
+stand on the brink and experience the sensation of looking down from
+that great height at the river. The face of the wall where it
+terminates at the top forms an almost square corner, as if hewn stone.
+A few bushes grew a short distance from the edge, and as we approached
+the brink there was a sense of greater safety in holding onto these
+bushes. But while holding on we could not see quite over to the water
+below. We formed a chain of three persons, by joining hands, one
+grasping a large bush, that the outer man might look over the edge--if
+he would. But he felt shaky. He was not quite sure that the bush would
+not pull up by the roots, or one of the other fellows let go. For
+sometime no one was willing to make a real effort to look over the
+edge, but finally "Jack" said he would save the party's reputation
+for bravery, by assuming the role of end-man. He made several bold
+approaches toward the edge, but each time recoiled, and soon admitted
+defeat. "Boys," said he, "I'm dizzy. I know that 'distance lends
+enchantment'; I'll get back farther, take the best view I can get, and
+preserve the enchantment." To cover his discomfiture, he started for
+camp, whistling:
+
+
+    "Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee."
+
+
+The next excursion off the route in search of novelty was on a clear
+afternoon a few days after passing the "Devil's Gate," when three
+young fellows decided to take a tramp to the rock ridge lying to our
+right. We hoped to find some mountain sheep. From the Sweetwater River
+to the ridge was apparently half a mile, across a grassy flat. We knew
+that the rare atmosphere of that high altitude often made distances
+deceiving, and determined to make due allowances. Having crossed the
+river and being ready for a sprint, each made a guess of the distance
+to the foot of the rock ridge. The estimates varied from two hundred
+yards to three hundred. Off we went, counting paces. At the end of
+three hundred we appeared to be no nearer the goal than when we
+started. The guesses were repeated, and when we were about completing
+the second course of stepping, making nearly six hundred yards in all,
+one of the boys espied a mountain sheep on the top of the ridge,
+keeping lookout, probably, for the benefit of his fellows, feeding on
+the other side, as is the habit of these wary creatures.
+
+With head and great horns clearly outlined on the background of blue
+sky, he was a tempting target. Without a word, the three of us leveled
+guns and fired. Mr. Mountain Sheep stood perfectly still, looking down
+at us. We could not see so much as the winking of an eye. Making ready
+for another volley, we thought best to get nearer; but as we started
+the head and horns and sheep disappeared behind the top of the ridge.
+Further stepping proved that we had shot at the animal from a distance
+of at least half a mile. Our guns were good for a range of two hundred
+yards, at most.
+
+Much of the time, especially while in the higher mountains, we were in
+possession of little knowledge of our position. There were no marks
+that we observed to indicate geographical divisions, and we had no
+means for determining many exact locations, though some important
+rivers and prominent mountain peaks and ridges were identified. We
+knew little, if anything, then of territorial boundaries, and thought
+of the country traversed as being so remote from centers of
+civilization--at that time but little explored, even--that we could
+not conceive any object in attempting to determine our location with
+reference to geographical lines; nor could we have done so except on
+rare occasions. Our chief concern was to know that we were on the best
+route to California.
+
+We crossed the summit of the Rocky Mountains by the South Pass. Though
+it was July, the jagged peaks of the Wind River Mountains bore a thick
+blanket of snow. Sometime after leaving the "Devil's Gate" we passed
+Pacific Springs. There we gained first knowledge that we had passed
+the summit, on observing that the streams flowed westerly. Patient
+plodding had now taken us a distance of actual travel amounting to
+much more than one thousand miles and, from time to time, into very
+high altitudes. About four miles west of Pacific Springs we passed the
+junction of the California and Oregon trails, at the Big Bend of the
+Bear River.
+
+Green River, where we first came to it, was in a level bit of country.
+There this stream was about sixty yards wide; the water clear and
+deep, flowing in a gentle current. For the accommodation of emigrants,
+three men were there, operating a ferry. Whence they came I do not
+remember, if they told us. We saw no signs of a habitation in which
+they might have lived. The ferrying was done with what was really a
+raft of logs, rather than a boat. It was sustained against the current
+by means of a tackle attached to a block, rove on a large rope that
+was drawn taut, from bank to bank, and was propelled by a windlass on
+each bank. When a wagon had been taken aboard this cable ferry, the
+windlass on the farther side was turned by one of the men, drawing the
+raft across. After unloading, the raft was drawn back, by operation of
+the windlass on the opposite shore, where it took on another load. The
+third man acted as conductor, collecting a toll of three dollars per
+wagon. All the horses, mules and cattle were driven into the river,
+and swam across.
+
+The company passed along the shore of the Green River, down the Big
+Sandy River and Slate Creek, over Bear River Divide, then
+southwestward into Utah Territory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+DISQUIETING RUMORS OF REDMEN. CONSOLIDATION FOR SAFETY. THE POISONOUS
+HUMBOLDT.
+
+
+Soon after passing the summit of the Rocky Mountains there were rumors
+of a hostile attitude toward emigrants on the part of certain Indian
+tribes farther west. For a time such information seemed vague as to
+origin and reliability, but in time the rumors became persistent, and
+there developed a feeling of much concern, first for the safety of our
+stock, later for our own protection.
+
+Measures of precaution were discussed. Men of our train visited those
+of others, ahead and behind us, and exchanged views regarding the
+probability of danger and the best means for protection and defense.
+We were forced to the conclusion that the situation was grave; and
+the interests of the several trains were mutual. As the members of the
+different parties, most of whom previously had been strangers to one
+another, met and talked of the peril which all believed to be
+imminent, they became as brothers; and mutual protection was the theme
+that came up oftenest and was listened to with the most absorbing
+interest.
+
+By the time we had crossed the Green River these consultations had
+matured into a plan for consolidation of trains, for greater
+concentration of strength. A. J. Drennan's company of four or five
+wagons, immediately ahead of us, and the Dr. Kidd train, of three
+wagons, next behind us, closed up the space between, and all three
+traveled as one train. Thus combined, a considerable number of
+able-bodied men were brought together, making a rather formidable
+array for an ordinary band of Indians to attack. Every man primed his
+gun and thenceforth took care to see that his powder was dry.
+
+Still the youthful element occasionally managed to extract some humor
+out of the very circumstances which the older and more serious members
+held to be grounds for forebodings of evil. One morning after we had
+left camp, a favorite cow was missing from the drove. "Jack" Aston and
+Major Crewdson, both young fellows, rode back in search of the stray.
+From a little hill-top they saw, in a ravine below, some half dozen
+Indians busily engaged in skinning the cow. "Jack" and the Major
+returned and merely reported what they had seen. They were asked why
+they had not demanded of those "rascally" Indians that they explain
+why they were skinning a cow that did not belong to them. "Jack"
+promptly answered that, as for himself, he had never been introduced
+to this particular party of Indians, and was not on speaking terms
+with them; furthermore, neither he nor the Major had sufficient
+knowledge of the Indian language properly to discuss the matter with
+them.
+
+The route pursued led to the north of Great Salt Lake, thence
+northwesterly. Our line of travel did not therefore bring us within
+view of the Mormon settlements which had already been established at
+the southerly end of the great inland sea.
+
+We camped one night approximately where the city of Ogden now stands,
+then a desolate expanse of sand-dunes. A group of our men sat around
+the camp-fire that evening, discussing the probability of a railroad
+ever being constructed over the route we were traveling. All of them
+were natives or recent residents of the Middle West, and it is
+probable that not one had ever seen a railroad. The unanimous opinion
+was that such a project as the building of a railroad through
+territory like that over which we had thus far traveled would be a
+task so stupendous as to baffle all human ingenuity and skill. Yet,
+some twelve years later, the ceremony of driving the famous "last
+spike," completing the railroad connection between the Atlantic and
+Pacific, was performed on a sand flat very near the spot where we
+camped that night. The intervening period saw the establishment of the
+"pony express," which greatly facilitated the mail service
+(incidentally reducing letter postage to Pacific Coast points from
+twenty-five to ten cents). That service continued from the early
+sixties until through railroad connection was made.
+
+After the consolidation of trains as described, our next neighbor to
+the rear was Smith Holloway, whose "outfit" consisted of three wagons,
+with a complement of yokewise oxen and some horses and mules; also a
+large drove of stock cattle, intended for the market in California,
+where it was known they would be salable at high prices. He had with
+him his wife, a little daughter, and Jerry Bush, Mrs. Holloway's
+brother, a young man of twenty-one years; also two hired men, Joe
+Blevens and Bird Lawles. Holloway kept his party some distance behind
+us, he having declined to join the consolidation of trains in order to
+avoid the inconvenience that the mingling of his stock with ours would
+entail, with reference to pasture, and camping facilities.
+
+A mile or two behind Holloway were the trains of Captain Rountree, the
+Giles company, Simpson Fennell, Mr. Russell, and others, equipped with
+several wagons each, and accompanied by some loose stock.
+
+All these were traveling along, a sort of moving neighborhood;
+incidentally getting acquainted with one another, visiting on the road
+by day and in the camp at evening time; talking of the journey, of
+the country for which we were en route, and our hopes of prosperity
+and happiness in the new El Dorado--but most of all, just then, of the
+probable danger of attack by savage tribes.
+
+More than ever rumors of impending trouble were flying from train to
+train. Some of these were to the effect that white bandits were in
+league with Indians in robbing and murdering emigrants. The well-known
+treachery of the savages, and the stories we heard of emigrants having
+been slaughtered also by whites--the real facts of which we knew
+little of--were quite enough to beget fear and suggest the need of
+plans for the best possible resistance.
+
+Up to this time there was frequent communication between trains, a
+considerable distance ahead and behind. As at home, neighbor would
+visit neighbor, and discuss the topics of the day; so, from time to
+time we met persons in other trains who gave out information obtained
+before leaving home, or from mountaineers, trappers or explorers,
+occasionally met while we were yet on the eastern slope of the
+Rockies; men who were familiar with Indian dialects and at peace with
+the tribes, enabling them to learn much that was of importance to the
+emigrants.
+
+Dissemination of news among the people of the various trains near us
+was accomplished not only during visits by members of one train to
+those of another, but sometimes by other methods. One of these, which
+was frequently employed in communicating generally or in signaling
+individuals known to be somewhere in the line behind us, was by a
+system of "_bone-writing_."
+
+[Illustration: Bone-writing]
+
+There were along the line of travel many bare, bleached bones of
+animals that had died in previous years, many of them doubtless the
+animals of earlier emigrants. Some of these, as for example, the
+frontal or the jaw-bone, whitened by the elements, and having some
+plain, smooth surface, were excellent tablets for pencil writing. An
+emigrant desiring to communicate with another, or with a company, to
+the rear, would write the message on one of these bones and place the
+relic on a heap of stones by the roadside, or suspend it in the
+branches of a sage bush, so conspicuously displayed that all coming
+after would see it and read. Those for general information, intended
+for all comers, were allowed to remain; others, after being read by
+the person addressed, were usually removed. Sometimes when passing
+such messages, placed by those ahead of us, we added postscripts to
+the bulletins, giving names and dates, for the edification of whomever
+might care to read them. It was in this way that some of the
+developments regarding the Indian situation were made known by one
+train to another.
+
+Thus we progressed, counting off the average of about eighteen miles a
+day from the long part of the journey that still lay before us, when
+we reached Thousand Springs, adjacent to the present boundary line
+between Utah and Nevada. This, we were told, was the source of the
+Humboldt River. We were told, too, that the four hundred miles down
+the course of that peculiar stream--which we could not hope to
+traverse in much less than one month--we would find to be the most
+desert-like portion of the entire trip, the most disagreeable and
+arduous, for man and beast. Such was to be expected by reason of the
+character of that region and the greater danger there of Indian
+depredations; also because the passage through that section was to be
+undertaken after our teams had become greatly worn, therefore more
+likely to fail under hard conditions. Furthermore, scarcity of feed
+for the stock was predicted, and, along much of the way, uncertainty
+as to water supply, other than that from the Humboldt River, which
+was, especially at that time of the year, so strongly impregnated with
+alkali as to be dangerous to life.
+
+Nearly all the face of the country was covered with alkali dust,
+which, in a light, pulverulent state, rose and filled the air at the
+slightest breeze or other disturbance. It was impossible to avoid
+inhaling this powder to some extent, and it created intense thirst,
+tending toward exhaustion and great suffering. We knew that sometimes
+delirium was induced by this cause, and even death resulted from it in
+cases of very long exposure under the worst conditions.
+
+Sometimes for miles the only vegetable growth we found along the river
+was a string of willow bushes, fringing its course, and scattered,
+stunted sagebrush, growing feebly in gravel and dry sand, the leaves
+of which were partly withered and of a pale, ashy tint. Feed for the
+animals was very scarce. It was not possible, over much of the way, to
+get sufficient fresh water for the stock, therefore difficult to
+restrain them from drinking the river water. Some did drink from that
+stream, despite all efforts to prevent it, the result being that many
+of them died while we made our way along the sluggish Humboldt.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE HOLLOWAY MASSACRE.
+
+
+It was decided that while in this region we would, whenever possible,
+make our camp some distance from the river, in order that the stock
+might be prevented from drinking the dangerous river water, also for
+the reason that the clumps of willows by the stream could be used as a
+cover by Indians bent on mischief: and they, we now believed, were
+watching for a favorable opportunity to surprise us.
+
+It transpired that the Holloway party neglected this precaution, at
+least on one occasion, sometime after passing the head of the Humboldt
+River. Their train was next behind ours when, on the evening of August
+13th, after rounding up their stock for the night, a short distance
+from the wagons, they stopped near the willows by the river and made
+what proved to be their last camp.
+
+Behind them, but not within sight, were several emigrant camps at
+points varying from a few rods to half a mile apart.
+
+The Holloway party retired as usual for the night; Mr. and Mrs.
+Holloway and their child, a girl of two years, in a small tent near
+the wagons; Jerry Bush, Mrs. Holloway's brother, and one of the hired
+men, Joe Blevens, in their blankets on the ground; while Bird Lawles,
+the other hired man, being ill with a fever, slept in a wagon.
+
+There were others with this party that night; Mr. and Mrs. Callum, Mr.
+Hattlebaugh, and a man whose name is now unknown. These four had been
+traveling near the Holloway party, and joined it for camping on that
+occasion.
+
+The following morning Mr. Holloway was the first to arise. While
+making the camp-fire, he called to the others to get up, saying
+cheerfully:
+
+"Well, we've got through one more night without a call from the
+Redskins."
+
+"Bang, bang," rang out a volley of rifle shots, fired from the willows
+along the river, less than a hundred yards away.
+
+Mr. Holloway fell, fatally shot, and died without a word or a
+struggle. As other members of the emigrant party sprang to their feet
+and came within view of the assailants, the firing continued, killing
+Joe Blevens, Mrs. Callum, and the man whose name is not recalled;
+while Bird Lawles, being discovered on his sick bed in a wagon, was
+instantly put to death.
+
+Meanwhile Jerry Bush grasped his rifle and joined battle against the
+assassins. Thus far the savages remained hidden in the bushes, and
+Jerry's shots were fired merely at places where he saw the tall weeds
+and willows shaken by the motions of the Indians, therefore he has
+never known whether his bullets struck one of the enemy.
+
+While thus fighting alone, for his life and that of his people, he
+received a gunshot in his side and fell. Knowing that he was unable to
+continue the fight, and, though doubting that he could rise, he
+endeavored to shield himself from the bullets and arrows of the Indian
+band. He succeeded in dragging himself to the river bank, when,
+seizing a willow branch, he lowered himself to the foot of the steep
+cliff, some ten feet, reaching the water's edge. He then attempted to
+swim to the opposite shore. The effort caused him to lose his gun, in
+deep water. Owing to weakness due to his wound, he was unable to cross
+the stream.
+
+Jerry Bush's parting view of the camp had revealed the apparent
+destruction of his entire party, except himself. Observing the body of
+at least one woman, among the victims on the ground, he believed that
+his sister also had been slain.
+
+But Mrs. Holloway and the little girl were still in the tent, for the
+time unhurt, and just awakened from their morning slumber. Having
+realized that the camp was being attacked, Mrs. Holloway emerged from
+the tent to find no living member of her party in sight, other than
+herself and her child. For a moment she was partially shielded by the
+wagons. The first object that drew her attention was her husband's
+form, lying still in death, near the fire he had just kindled. Next
+beyond was the dead body of Blevens, and a little farther away were
+the remains of the others who had been slain. Her brother she did not
+see, but supposed he had met the same fate as the others whom she saw
+on the ground. Jerry was an experienced hunter; she knew that he
+always owned a fine gun, and had full confidence that, if he were
+alive and not disabled, he would defend his people to the last.
+
+[Illustration: "With hand upraised, in supplication, yielded to the
+impulse to flee"]
+
+She saw some of the Indians coming from their ambush by the river.
+They approached for a time with caution, looking furtively about, as
+if to be sure there was no man left to defend the camp. As they drew
+nearer Mrs. Holloway realized that she and her child were facing an
+awful fate--death or captivity. On came the savages, now more boldly,
+and in greater numbers.
+
+The terrified woman, clothed only in her night robe, barefooted; not
+knowing whether to take flight or stand and plead for mercy; with the
+child on one arm, one hand raised in supplication, yielded finally to
+the impulse to flee. As she started the attacking band resumed firing;
+she was struck, by arrows and at least one bullet, and dropped
+headlong to the ground.
+
+Though conscious, she remained motionless, in the hope that, by
+feigning death she might escape further wounds and torture. But the
+Indians came, and taking the arrows from her body, punctured her flesh
+with the jagged instruments, as a test whether physical sensation
+would disclose a sign of life remaining. She lay with eyes closed; not
+a muscle twitched nor a finger moved, while those demons proceeded, in
+no delicate manner, to cut the skin around the head at the edge of the
+hair, then tear the scalp from the skull, leaving the bare and
+bleeding head on the ground.
+
+Horrible as all this was, it did not prove to be the last nor the most
+revolting exhibition of wanton lust for blood.
+
+The little girl, who it is hoped had been rendered insensible at sight
+of the cruelties perpetrated upon her mother, was taken by the feet
+and her brains dashed out on the wheels of a wagon. To this last act
+in the fiendish drama there was probably no witness other than the
+actors in it; but the child's body, mangled too terribly for
+description, and the bloody marks on the wagon, gave evidence so
+convincing that there could not be a moment's doubt of what had
+occurred.
+
+The marauders now began a general looting of the wagons. Some of their
+number were rounding up the stock, preparing to drive the cattle away,
+when the trains of emigrants next in the rear appeared, less than half
+a mile distant. This caused the Indian band to retreat. They crossed
+the river, and then placing themselves behind the willows, hurried
+away, making their escape into the mountain fastnesses. Owing to their
+precipitous departure, much of the plunder they were preparing to take
+was left behind them. Among the articles thus dropped by them was the
+scalp of Mrs. Holloway, and the rescuing party found and took
+possession of it.
+
+Those emigrants who first came upon the scene found Mrs. Holloway
+apparently dead; but, on taking her up, they saw that she was alive.
+Though returning to semi-consciousness some time later, her condition
+was such that she was unable to tell the story then; but there were
+evidences showing plainer than words could have told of the awful
+events of that morning, which had converted the quiet camp of this
+happy, hopeful company into a scene of death and destruction.
+
+Before noon a large number of people of the great emigrant procession
+had arrived. They united in giving to the dead the best interment that
+the circumstances permitted. Then the broken and scattered effects of
+the Holloway company were gathered up, and the now mournful trains
+took position in the line of pilgrimage and again moved forward
+towards the Pacific.
+
+Mr. Fennell, aided by Captain Rountree's company and others, attempted
+to save such of the Holloway property as had not been carried off or
+destroyed. They were successful in recovering about one hundred of the
+one hundred and fifty head of stock which the Indians had endeavored
+to drive away. Two mules that were being led off by ropes broke away
+from the savage band and returned, but the emigrants did not recover
+any of the stolen horses.
+
+Jerry Bush found his way back to the scene. His injury, though
+apparently of a dangerous character, did not delay the relief parties
+more than a day after the attack, and the wound healed within a few
+weeks. It was reported that Callum and Hattlebaugh had escaped, but
+their further whereabouts was not known.
+
+Captain Rountree took charge of Mrs. Holloway and her brother and
+brought them, with such of their stock and other belongings as
+remained, to The Meadows, on the Feather River. After partially
+recuperating there, an uncle, Mr. Perry Durban, came to their aid, and
+they were taken to Suisun. After full recovery from his wound, Jerry
+Bush located in Ukiah, and resided there some years. He still
+survives, now a resident of Hulett, Wyoming, at the ripe age of eighty
+years.
+
+The slaughter of the Holloway party occurred at a point on the
+Humboldt River some thirty miles east of where Winnemucca is located,
+a few miles west of Battle Mountain. This becomes apparent by careful
+estimates of distance traveled per day, rather than by landmarks noted
+at the time, there being no settlements there, nor elsewhere along the
+route, at that time.
+
+[Illustration: Jerry Bush, 1914]
+
+It was perhaps a year later when I went to a camp-meeting one Sunday,
+at Mark West Creek, in Sonoma County, California. The people attending
+a service were in a small opening among trees. Standing back of
+those who were seated, I saw among them a woman whose profile seemed
+familiar, and later I recognized her as Mrs. Holloway.
+
+My interest in her career, due to her extraordinary part in the Indian
+massacre on the plains, was heightened by the fact that I had known
+her previously, as the daughter of Mr. Bush, a prosperous farmer, and
+had been present when she married Mr. Holloway, in a little
+schoolhouse, near Rockport, Atchison County, Missouri. It seemed a
+natural impulse which prompted me to ask her for particulars of the
+tragedy, so disastrous to herself and her family; though later there
+were misgivings regarding the propriety of doing so.
+
+Mrs. Holloway appeared at that time to be in good health, and was
+cheerful, possessing perfect control of her faculties. Her head was
+covered by a wig, made of her own hair, taken from the scalp that was
+recovered at the scene of the massacre.
+
+All the heartrending experiences that she had endured were imprinted
+upon her mind in minutest detail, and she related them in the exact
+order of their occurrence. The recalling of the terrible ordeal,
+however, so wrought upon her emotions that she wept, to the limit of
+mild hysteria, which brought our conversation to a close, and soon
+thereafter she left the place.
+
+I saw her no more; but learned sometime afterwards that her health
+failed, then of the giving away of her mental powers, and still later
+of her death, at Napa City; caused primarily by shock, and brooding
+over the misfortunes she had met on the bank of the Humboldt River.
+
+[Illustration: Mrs. Nancy Holloway, 1857]
+
+It is difficult to believe that a woman, any woman--or any man--could,
+in a state of consciousness, endure such torture as was inflicted upon
+Mrs. Holloway, and refrain from disclosing to her tormentors that
+she was alive. But that she did so endure was her positive statement,
+and this was indisputably corroborated by evidences found by those who
+arrived at the scene less than an hour after the event.
+
+Through the kindness of Mr. William Holloway, of Fairfax, Missouri,
+there is presented here a picture of Mrs. Nancy Holloway, wife of
+Smith Holloway. The photograph was taken in California, shortly after
+the attack described.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+ORIGIN OF "PIKER." BEFORE THE ERA OF CANNED GOODS AND KODAKS. MORNING
+ROUTINE. TYPICAL BIVOUAC. SOCIABILITY ENTRAINED. THE FLOODED CAMP.
+HOPE SUSTAINS PATIENCE.
+
+
+The appellation "Piker," much used in the West in early days,
+synonymous of "Missourian," had its origin on these plains. At first
+it was applied to a particular type of Missourian, but later came to
+be used generally.
+
+There was among the emigrants a considerable number of persons from
+Pike County, Missouri. Some of these had the sign, "From Pike Co.,
+Mo.," painted on their wagon covers. Others, when asked whence they
+came, promptly answered, "From Pike County, Missouri, by gosh, sir;"
+often said with a shrug implying that the speaker arrogated to himself
+much superiority by reason of the fact stated. The display of such
+signs, and announcements like that just mentioned, were of such
+frequent occurrence that the substance was soon abbreviated to
+"Piker," and became a by-word. It was often, perhaps always, spoken
+with a tinge of odium. Possibly this was due to the fact that many of
+the people referred to were of a "backwoods" class, rather short in
+culture, and in personal makeup, manner and language, bearing a
+general air of the extremely rural.
+
+Though only persons of that description hailing from Pike County were
+those who at first had to bear the opprobrium generally implied by
+"Piker," later it was applied to all persons of that type in the Far
+West, regardless of their origin. Many years' of mingling of
+California's cosmopolitan population has changed all that; producing
+her present homogeneous, sterling, virile, and somewhat distinct type
+of "Californian"; so the "Piker," as such, is no longer in the land. A
+later application of the same word, descriptive of a person who does
+business in a small way, has nothing in common with the "Piker" of
+early days.
+
+Fifty-eight years ago, the time of the events here narrated, was
+before the era of canned goods. Nearly all of the foodstuffs carried
+by the emigrants were in crude form, and bulky; but substantial, pure,
+and such as would keep in any climate.
+
+During the first few weeks of the trip we milked some of the cows, and
+also made butter, the churning operation being effected mainly by the
+motion of the wagons, in the regular course. That this did not last
+long was due to reduction of milk supply. After a time there was not
+sufficient even for use in the coffee, or for making gravy, that
+convenient substitute for butter.
+
+Such delicacies as may now be found in first-class canned meats,
+vegetables and milk would have filled an often-felt want. The
+occasional supply that we had en route of fresh meat and fish were
+obtained largely by chance; we having no knowledge of localities where
+hunting and fishing were likely to be successful, and it being deemed
+unsafe for members of the party to wander far or remain long away
+from the train. It seems regrettable that the invention of
+hermetically-sealed and easily portable foods, and the inducement to
+cross the plains to California, did not occur in reversed sequence.
+
+Neither had the kodak arrived. Had it been with us then, this
+narrative might be illustrated with snap-shots of camp scenes,
+characteristic roadside views, and incidents of travel generally,
+which would do more for realism than can any word-picture. We often
+see specimens of artists' work purporting to represent a "'49er"
+emigrant train on the overland journey--some of them very clever; but
+seldom are they at all realistic to the man who was there.
+
+The man with a camera could have perpetuated, for example, the
+striking scene presented to us one day of a party, consisting of two
+men and their wives, with two or three children, sitting on a rocky
+hillside, woefully scanning their team of done-out oxen and one wagon
+with a broken axle; no means at hand for recuperation and repair. In
+the scorching sun of a July day they waited, utterly helpless,
+hopeless, forlorn, confused; and a thousand miles from "anywhere."
+Such a grouping would not have made a cheerful picture, but would have
+assisted immensely in recording a historical fact.
+
+But no emigrant ever found another in distress and "passed by on the
+other side."
+
+We were early risers, and the camp was each morning a scene of life
+with the rising of the sun. By sunset all were sufficiently fatigued
+to wish for making camp again. Therefore, from the morning start till
+the evening stop was usually about twelve hours, with variations from
+time to time, according to necessity or exceptional conditions.
+
+Breaking camp in the morning became routine, and proceeded like
+clockwork. Each patient ox voluntarily drew near, and stood, waiting
+to be yoked with his fellow and chained to his daily task. So well did
+each know his place by the side of his mate that the driver had only
+to place one end of the yoke on the neck of the "off" ox, known, for
+example, as "Bright," and hold the other end toward the "nigh" ox,
+saying, "Come under here, Buck," and the obedient fellow placed
+himself in position. Then the bows were placed and keyed, and
+"Bright" and "Buck" were hitched for duty. It required but a few
+minutes to put three or four yoke of oxen in working order.
+
+As the result of much repetition, the packing of the camp articles
+onto the wagons was done dexterously and quickly. Each box, roll and
+bundle had a designated place; all being arranged usually to
+facilitate sitting or reclining positions for those who rode in the
+"schooners," that they might be as comfortable as possible, and read,
+sleep, or, as the women often did, sew and knit, or play games. During
+some parts of the trip such means of whiling away the hours was very
+desirable, if not a necessity. If there ever was a time or condition
+in which it could be pardonable to "kill time," these circumstances
+were there, during many long days.
+
+The bivouac was always a scene of bustle and orderly disorder,
+especially if the camp-site was a good one: wood, water and grass
+being the desiderata. Obedient to habit, every person and animal
+dropped into place and action. With the wagons drawn to position for
+the night's sojourn, teams were quickly unhitched, the yokes, chains,
+harness and saddles falling to the ground where the animals stood.
+
+Relieved of their trappings, the oxen, horses and mules were turned to
+pasture, plentiful or scant. Cooking utensils came rattling from
+boxes; rolls of bedding tumbled out and were spread on the smoothest
+spots of sand or grass. Eager hands gathered such fuel as was
+available, and the camp-fire blazed. Buckets of water were brought
+from the spring or stream; and in an incredibly short time the scene
+of animation had wrought full preparation for the night, while the
+odor of steaming coffee and frying bacon rendered the astonished air
+redolent of appetizing cookery.
+
+Some families used a folding table, on which to serve meals; but more
+spread an oilcloth on the ground and gathered around that; or
+individuals, taking a plate and a portion, sat on a wagon-tongue or a
+convenient stone. Camp-stools and "split-bottomed" chairs were among
+the luxuries that some carried, in limited numbers; but these were not
+useful especially as seats while partaking of a meal spread on the
+ground.
+
+Appetites were seldom at fault; and the meals, though plain and of
+little variety, were never slighted. It is hardly necessary to add
+that bacon and coffee were easy staples. Bread was mainly in the form
+of quick-fire biscuits, baked in a skillet or similar utensil, or the
+ever-ready and always-welcome "flap-jack," sometimes supplemented with
+soda-crackers, as a delicacy.
+
+Nearly all the nights were pleasant--mild temperature, and very little
+dew. This gave much relief, the daytime heat being generally irksome
+and often distressingly hot. Many of the men came to prefer sleeping
+wholly in the open, with the heavens unobscured; often requiring no
+more than a pair of blankets and a small pillow.
+
+Early evening was devoted to social gatherings. If the night was
+pleasant groups would assemble, for conversation, singing and
+story-telling; varied with dancing by the young people of some
+companies. The more religious sang hymns and read the Bible sometimes,
+in lieu of attendance at any church service. When wood was plentiful,
+a bonfire added to the cheerfulness and comfort of the occasion. Often
+neighboring trains camped quite near, when much enjoyment was found in
+visits by the members of one company among those of another. In such
+ways many agreeable acquaintances were met and even lasting
+friendships formed, some of which have endured throughout the nearly
+three-score years since passed.
+
+But we were not always favored with clear and pleasant weather. No one
+who was there can have forgotten one night at the Platte River, when
+we had a most dismal experience. Rain began falling in the afternoon,
+and for that reason we made camp early.
+
+The tents were set up on a bit of flat ground near the river bank.
+There were some large trees, but little dry wood available for fuel
+for the camp fire except on an island, which was separated from us by
+a branch of the river, about twenty yards wide and a foot deep. Some
+of us waded over, getting our clothes soaked; others crossed on
+horseback, and carried back from the island enough wood to make a
+fire. But, time after time, the fire was quenched by the rain, which
+now was falling in torrents; so we had much difficulty in preparing
+our supper.
+
+The people huddled into the tents and wagons, half hungry, more than
+half wet, and uncomfortable altogether. With the exception of one or
+two cots, the bedding was spread on the ground in the tents, and all
+turned in--but not for long. Some one said, "water is running under my
+bed." Then another and another made the same complaint. Soon we
+learned the deplorable fact that the large tent had been pitched in a
+basin-like place, and that the water, as the rain increased, was
+coming in from all sides, the volume growing rapidly greater.
+
+We succeeded then in lighting one lantern, when the water was found to
+be something like two inches deep over nearly all parts of the large
+tent's floor. The beds were taken up and placed in soaked heaps, on
+camp stools and boxes; and the rain continued pouring in steady,
+relentless disregard of our misery. Except where lighted by the single
+lantern the darkness was, of course, absolute. Relief was impossible.
+There appearing to be nothing else to do, everybody abandoned the
+tents and huddled in the wagons; the lantern was blown out, and there
+was little sleep, while we waited and wished for daylight.
+
+Some of the days were warm and some hot. Some were very hot.
+Discomforts were common; and yet not much was said, and apparently
+little thought, of them. Having become inured to the conditions as we
+found them from time to time, discomforts, such as under other
+circumstances would have been considered intolerable, were passed
+without comment. There were times and situations in which hardships
+were unavoidable, some of them almost unendurable; but these, having
+been anticipated, were perhaps less poignant in the enduring than in
+the expectation.
+
+Let us for a moment raise the curtain of more than half a
+century, while we look back on one of those ox-drawn trains of
+"prairie-schooners," as it appeared to an observer on the ground at
+the time; about the middle of August, and beyond the middle of the
+journey. Permit the imagination to place the scene alongside that of
+the present-day modes of traversing the same territory, when the
+distance is covered in a less number of days than it required of
+months then. Perhaps such a comparison may help to form some faint
+conception of what the overland pioneers did, and what they felt, and
+saw, and were.
+
+There they are as we see them, on a long stretch of sage-brush
+plateau. The surface of the plain is only sand and gravel, as far as
+the eye can reach. The atmosphere is hazy, with dust and vibrating
+waves of heat arising from the ground. Far away to the northwest is
+the outline of some mountains, just visible in the dim distance. In
+the opposite direction, whence we have come, there is nothing above
+the ground but hot space, and dust. Not a living thing in sight but
+ourselves and ours.
+
+The animals appear fatigued, jaded. The people appear--well, as to
+physical condition, like the animals: generally all look alike. Yet
+the people seem hopeful. And why hopeful? The inherent and indomitable
+trait of the race which makes it possible for humanity to look over
+and past present difficulties, however great, and see some good
+beyond. That is why the world "do move." Often, as it was with us,
+progress may be slow, but every day counts for a little.
+
+Just here twelve or fifteen miles a day is doing well--very well. From
+a slight eminence at one side of the way we may stand and see the
+slowly creeping line of wagons and stock, for many miles fore and aft,
+as they bend their way in and out, around and over the surface of
+knolls and flats, hillocks and gullies. From a distant view they seem
+not to be moving at all.
+
+The hour of mid-day arrives, and they stop for the "nooning." There is
+nothing growing in the vicinity that the horses and cattle can eat,
+and no water except the little in the keg and canteens; so the
+carrying animals stand in their yokes and harness, or under saddles,
+and the loose stock wait in groups, their thirst unslaked.
+
+As the people come out of the wagons and go about the business of the
+hour we see the marks of the elements upon them. The women wear "poke"
+bonnets and gingham dresses. The men are unshaven. All are sunburnt to
+a rich, leathern brown. Some are thin, and at this particular time,
+wearing a serious expression. They are not as unhappy as they look,
+their principal trouble of the moment being merely anxiety to satisfy
+prodigious and healthy appetites.
+
+There, under the stress of the midsummer sun, now in the zenith, no
+shade, no protection from the flying dust, they proceed cheerfully to
+build a fire, of sticks and dry weeds; they fry bacon and bake
+biscuits, prepare large pots of coffee, and they eat, from tin plates,
+and drink from tin cups.
+
+No one says, "This is awful!" They laugh as they eat, saying, "Good;
+ain't it?"
+
+This is not a cheerful view altogether of the retrospective; but a
+sketch true to life, as life was there. It was not all like that. A
+good deal of it was.
+
+Some will say that these overland travelers were over-zealous, even
+foolhardy. One of the earliest pioneers, Mr. Daniel B. Miller, who
+reached Oregon by the plains route in 1852, wrote later to relatives
+in Illinois, "I would not bring a family across for all that is
+contained in Oregon and California." Himself single, he had come with
+a train composed almost wholly of men, but learned incidentally what
+risks there were in escorting women and children through the wilds.
+
+But the enduring of all this toil, exposure and hardship had for its
+inspiration the buoyant hope of something good just beyond, something
+that was believed to be worthy of the privation and effort it was
+costing. The ardor of that hope was too intense to be discouraged by
+anything that human strength could overcome. The memories of those
+strenuous experiences are held as all but sacred, and you never meet
+one of these early overland emigrants who does not like to sit by your
+fireside and tell you about it. He forgets, for the moment, how hard
+it was, and dwells upon it, telling it over and over again, with the
+same pride and sense of noble achievement that the old soldier feels
+when recounting the battles and the camp life and the hard marches of
+the war, when he was young, away back in the sixties. One crossing
+this country by present-day conveyances, in richly appointed railroad
+trains, with all the comforts obtainable in modern sleeping, dining
+and parlor cars, can hardly be expected to conceive what it was to
+cover the same course under the conditions described; when there was
+not even a poor wagon road, and the utmost speed did not equal in a
+day the distance traveled in half an hour by the present mode. Any
+person who rides in a cumbrous and heavily laden wagon, behind a team
+whose pace never exceeds a slow walk; over dusty ground, in hot
+weather, will, before one day is passed, feel that endurance requires
+utmost fortitude. Consider what patience must be his if the journey
+continues for four, five or six long months!
+
+It is worthy of mention that there was no dissension among our people,
+nor even unpleasantness, during the entire trip, nor did we observe
+any among others. We were fortunate in having no "grouches" among us.
+Harmony, cheerfulness, a disposition to be jolly, even to the degree
+of hilarity, was the prevailing spirit. That, too, under circumstances
+often so trying that they might have thrown a sensitive disposition
+out of balance. All this in the wilds of an unorganized territory,
+where there was no law to govern, other than the character and natural
+bent of individuals. Such lack of established authority we had thought
+might lead to recklessness or aggressive conduct, but it did not.
+
+Present residents in the fields and valleys, and the prosperous towns
+along much of the line of travel described, will find it difficult to
+reconcile the accounts here given with conditions as they see them
+now. Leagues of territory now bearing a network of railroads and
+splendid highways, which carry rich harvests from the well-tilled
+farms, and connect numerous cities, was thought of ordinarily by the
+emigrants in early days only as it appeared to them, and then was,
+the stamping ground of savage tribes and the home of wild beasts,
+untouched by the transforming hand of civilization. To the keen
+observer, however, it was evident that we were passing through a great
+deal of fine country. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that part
+of that journey was through lands naturally barren, some desert
+wastes, much of which is still unreclaimed, some unreclaimable.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+TANGLED BY A TORNADO. LOST THE PACE BUT KEPT THE COW. HUMAN ODDITIES.
+NIGHT-GUARDS. WOLF SERENADES. AWE OF THE WILDERNESS. A STAMPEDE.
+
+
+Few readers need peruse these pages to learn what a thunder-storm is
+like, but many may not know what it is to encounter a fierce
+electrical disturbance while surrounded by a herd of uncontrollable
+cattle on the prairie.
+
+On an occasion after having stopped for a "nooning," there loomed up
+suddenly in the northwest a black, ominous cloud, revolving swiftly
+and threateningly, as might the vapors from some gigantic cauldron;
+variegated in black, blue and green, bespangled with red streaks of
+lightning.
+
+This display of the angry elements was making a broadening sweep
+onward directly towards where we were. The air turned black and murky,
+and was vibrant with electric tension. Flocks of buzzards flew low to
+the earth about us, as if to be ready for the carrion of the impending
+catastrophe. The fear instinct of the brute seized the cattle, and
+they hovered together, bellowing, distraught with apprehension of
+evil.
+
+The whirlpool of atmospheric chaos grew more intense and rapidly
+larger as it approached. Globules of water began to "spat! spat!" on
+the ground, here and there, as the storm-cloud opened its batteries of
+liquid balls. There was only such protection as the wagons afforded.
+Whatever preparation we could make must be effected at once.
+
+Knowing that if the cattle should take fright and run, it would be
+better that they leave the wagons, I dropped the wagon-tongue to which
+I was hitching a team, and called to a boy who was hooking up the
+next wagon, telling him not to do so. He had, however, already
+attached to that wagon the team consisting of three yoke of oxen.
+
+The big drops of water were in a moment followed by hailstones, at
+first very large and scattering, striking the ground each with a
+vicious thud--a subdued "whack"; growing more frequent and presently
+mingled with lesser ones; until, in the shortest moment, there was a
+cloud-burst of hail and rain pouring upon us, a storm such as none of
+us had ever witnessed.
+
+The oxen, chained together in strings of three and four pairs, pelted
+by the hail, were mutinous and altogether uncontrollable. My own
+string, having turned crosswise of the front end of the wagon, were
+pushing it backward, down the hillside. The team in charge of the boy,
+being attached to their wagon and heading away from the storm, were
+turning the wagon over. Knowing that the boy's mother was in the
+"schooner," on a sick bed, I left my wagon and ran to that. As the
+oxen, in trying to shield themselves from the hail, were forcing the
+front wheels around under the wagon-box, I was fortunate enough to get
+a shoulder under one corner of the box and exert sufficient force to
+prevent the wagon upsetting. All this took little more than a minute.
+The storm passed away as suddenly as it had come. Then I saw the wagon
+which was my special charge lying on its side, at the bottom of the
+slope; the bows of the cover fitting snugly into a sort of natural
+gutter, with a swift current of muddy water and hailstones flowing
+through the cover, as if it were a sluice-pipe. Everything in the
+wagon was topsy-turvy; and, half buried in the heap were two little
+girls, who had been riding in the vehicle. They were more frightened
+than hurt, but complained loudly at being placed in a cold-storage
+of hailstones.
+
+[Illustration: The Author--Twenty years after]
+
+Meantime, the sun beamed again, clear and hot, and we saw the
+storm-cloud pursuing its course over the plain to the southeast,
+leaving in its wake a wet path a few rods wide.
+
+The other men had their hands full in caring for endangered members of
+the party and the equipment. The loose stock had stampeded and were
+far away, with some of the mounted men in desperate pursuit. They
+eventually brought the cattle to a halt, about five miles away, where
+the wagons overtook them when it was time to make camp.
+
+Continuous travel over rough ground and through deep sand, and
+ascending steep mountains, proved too great a strain for the endurance
+of some outfits. From time to time we were obliged to witness
+instances of extreme privation and hardship, usually the result of
+inadequate preparation for the arduous journey. Some started with
+only enough oxen to carry them in case all should remain serviceable;
+and carried provisions for no more than the shortest limit of time
+estimated; so that the mishap of losing an ox or two, or any delay,
+worked a calamity. Some trains started so late, or were so much
+delayed, that they were compelled to negotiate passage of the higher
+mountains after the time when enormous snow-drifts had to be
+encountered; further delay resulting, with exhaustion of strength and
+depletion of supplies, in consequence of which many members of some
+trains failed to reach their destination. A notable experience of this
+kind was that of the Donner party, in 1846.
+
+It was in one of the higher mountain regions that we overtook one Eben
+Darby and his family. Darby had been with one of the trains in advance
+of us, but being unable to keep the pace, he was obliged to fall
+behind. He had one small wagon, two yoke of oxen, and a cow; the
+latter led by a rope behind the wagon. His wife, with a young baby,
+and the wife's brother, Danny Worley, were the only persons with
+Darby. The wife was a weak, inexperienced girl; the child sickly. Mrs.
+Darby's brother was a large, fat youth of nineteen, whose
+distinguishing and inconvenient characteristic was an abnormal
+appetite. Their provisions were nearly exhausted. The cow was to them
+the real fountain of life. She was doing nobly--supplying them a quart
+of milk a day, which was wonderful, considering the circumstances.
+This milk fed the baby, and afforded a good substitute for butter, in
+the form of milk gravy--on which Danny fared sumptuously every day.
+
+Later their oxen drank of the alkali water of the Humboldt River, and
+three of the four died in one night. Then the cow was yoked with the
+remaining ox, two steers were loaned them by "good Samaritans" in our
+company, and they were with us to the Sink of the Humboldt.
+
+Meantime the milk supply grew less, and Mrs. Darby was compelled to
+substitute water for milk in the gravy. This sop was not satisfactory
+to Danny. One evening at meal time he was overheard by some of our
+boys, saying, "I want milk in my gravy." Though reminded there was
+only enough milk for the baby, he of the phenomenal appetite
+reiterated, "I don't care, I want milk in my gravy." Thereafter
+"Gravy" was the name by which he was known, so long as he traveled
+with us.
+
+This narrative would not do justice to the variety of individuals and
+events without mention of another singular personage, a young fellow
+who was "working his passage"; a sort of disconnected unit, whose
+place became everywhere in the train, and who belonged to nobody. How
+he got smuggled into the company no one has since been able to
+recall. He was a sort of desert stowaway; tolerated because, though
+eccentric and quite alarming in appearance, he was always in good
+humor, and often useful, having a willingness to do as many of the
+chores as others would trust him to perform. He was notable as a
+physical curiosity, though not actually deformed. Low of stature, he
+came to be known as "Shorty," the only name we ever had for him. As he
+stood, his abnormally long arms enabled him to take his hat from the
+ground without stooping. His legs were not mates in length, causing
+him as he moved, with a quick, rocking gait, to create the impression
+that he might topple backward; but somehow the longer leg always got
+underneath at the critical instant, and restored the balance. His head
+was large, and perfectly round; hair porcupinesque, each bristle
+standing nearly perpendicular to the plane on which it grew. He had
+no neck. Mouth small, and so round that it opened not unlike a bored
+hole in a flesh-colored pumpkin.
+
+"Shorty" asserted that he was a singer. He and "Jack" never sang
+together, however--that is, they never did so any more, after trying
+it once. "Shorty" and "Gravy" Worley became chums inseparable, except
+on one occasion, when their friendship was temporarily ruptured by a
+dispute over the ownership of a fishing hook. Anger grew hot, but when
+they were about to come to blows, "Shorty" suddenly dropped on
+"all-fours" and essayed to butt his adversary with his head, which
+surprising mode of combat so disconcerted "Gravy" that he ran for his
+quarters, wildly yelling, "Take him off, take him off."
+
+For a time during the early part of the journey the horses and mules
+were picketed at night, on the best pasture available; and before we
+retired, all the animals were brought near the wagons, the loose
+cattle bunched with them, and guards were placed, to prevent straying
+of the stock or surprise by Indians. Later, for awhile, these
+precautions were deemed unnecessary, though still later they had to be
+resumed. The stock became accustomed to the daily routine, and after
+the all-day travel, were quite willing, when they had finished their
+evening grazing, to assemble near the camp and lie down for the night,
+usually remaining comparatively quiet till morning. As if having some
+realization of the lonely nature of the surroundings, the animals were
+not disposed to stray off, except on rare occasions; but rather to
+keep within sight of the people and the wagons.
+
+There was proof of the theory that in some circumstances domestic
+animals acquire some of that feeling that human creatures know, when
+far from the habitations of man. There is a peculiar sensation in the
+great and boundless contiguity of empty silence which works the senses
+up to a feeling that is somewhat alike in man and beast--that there is
+most comfort and protection near the center of the settlement or camp.
+In this stillness of the night--and night on these plains was often
+very still--any slight noise outside the camp startled and thrilled
+the taut nerves. Not only was the night still; usually it was silent,
+too.
+
+But occasionally, when the silence was absolute, a couple or more of
+prairie-wolves lurking in the vicinity, without the faintest note of
+prelude, would startle the calm of night with their peculiar
+commingling of barks, howls and wails,--a racket all their own. It was
+the habit of these night prowlers of the desert to come as near to the
+camp as their acute sense of safety permitted, and there, sitting on
+their haunches, their noses pointed to the moon, render a serenade
+that was truly thrilling. Two prairie-wolves, in a fugued duet, can
+emit more disquieting noise, with a less proportion of harmony, than
+any aggregation of several times their equal in numbers, not excepting
+Indians on the war-path or a "gutter" band.
+
+[Illustration: A coyote serenade]
+
+That awe of the wilderness to which reference has been made, and its
+effect on the nerves, may explain the stampede of cattle, often not
+otherwise accounted for; which occurs sometimes in these hollow
+solitudes. It occurs nowhere else that I have known.
+
+Several times we experienced this strange exhibition of sudden panic;
+the snapping, as it were, of the nerves, from undue tension, when,
+instantly, from cause then to us unknown and unguessed, the whole band
+of cattle, teams as well as loose stock, made a sudden, wild, furious
+dash, in a compact mass; seeming instinctively to follow in whatever
+direction the leader's impulse led him; drifting together and forward
+as naturally as water flows to the current; with heads and tails high
+in air; blindly trampling to the earth whatever chanced to be in their
+path.
+
+These were not in any sense wild stock. The cattle, horses and mules
+were all animals that had been raised on the quiet farms of the Middle
+West, well domesticated.
+
+In the light of certain modern theories it might be said by some that
+these otherwise docile animals stampeded on the unpeopled plains
+because they heard the "call of the wild." There were, however,
+occasions when the cause could be readily assigned for this temporary
+casting off of restraint.
+
+In one instance, already mentioned, a sudden, pelting hailstorm was
+the undoubted cause; when, taking the stampede temper, they ran five
+or six miles before the man, mounted on one of our fleetest
+saddle-horses, got in front of the foremost of them and checked their
+running.
+
+On all such occasions control could be regained in only one way.
+Speeding his horse till he overtook and passed the leader of the drove
+the rider made his horse the leader; and as each loose animal always
+followed whatever was in front, the horseman, by making a circuit and
+gradually slackening the pace, led the drove around and back to place
+in the line of travel.
+
+Naturally one source of uneasiness was the thought of what our
+situation would be if, on one of these occasions, we should fail to
+regain control of these animals, so necessary to us in continuing the
+westward journey. A stampede when some of the oxen were yoked to the
+wagons was, of course, more serious in its immediate consequences than
+when it happened while all were detached from the equipment.
+
+A stampede occurred one day in a level stretch of country, open in
+every direction; nothing in sight to cause alarm. There the emigrant
+road showed plainly before us. The wagons were in open single file,
+the loose stock drawn out in line at the rear. Men on horseback, hats
+over their eyes, some of them with one leg curled over the pommel of
+the saddle; lazily droning away the slow hours and the humdrum miles.
+The women and children were stowed away on bundles of baggage and camp
+stuff in the wagons, some of them asleep perhaps, rocked in their
+"schooner" cradles. A few of the men and boys perchance were
+strolling off the way, in the hope of starting a sage grouse or
+rabbit from some sheltering clump of brush. During a specially quiet
+routine like this; the cattle lolling behind the wagons, mostly
+unattended, keeping the snail pace set by the patient teams; a steer
+now and again turning aside to appropriate a tuft of bunch-grass;
+their white horns rising and falling in the brilliant sunlight, with
+the swaying motion of their bodies as they walked, shimmered like
+waves of a lake at noonday before a gentle breeze: quickly as a clap
+of the hands, every loose beast in the band, in the wildest fashion of
+terror, started, straight in the course of the moving line--pell-mell,
+they went, veering for nothing that they could run over; sweeping on,
+with a roaring tramp, like muffled thunder, they passed along both
+sides of the train. The teams, catching the frenzy, took up the race,
+as best they could with their heavy impedimenta; all beyond control
+of their drivers or the herders, who, startled from the reverie of
+the moment, could do no better than dodge to such place of safety as
+they found, and stand aghast at the spectacle. Fortunately the draft
+oxen usually were forced to stop running before they went far, owing
+to the weight of the wagons they hauled and their inability to break
+the yokes.
+
+In this particular instance the most serious casualty was the death of
+a boy, about eight years of age, the son of Dr. Kidd. The child was
+probably asleep in a wagon, and being aroused by the unusual
+commotion, may have attempted to look out, when a jolt of the wagon
+threw him to the ground, and he was trampled to death. The body was
+kept in camp overnight, and the next morning wrapped in a sheet and
+buried by the roadside.
+
+This was in a vast stretch of lonely plain. As we journeyed through
+it, viewing the trackless hills and rockribbed mountains not far away
+on either side, mostly barren and uninviting, it was difficult to
+conceive of that territory ever becoming the permanent homes of men.
+Yet it is possible, and probable, that the grave of Dr. Kidd's little
+boy is today within the limits of a populous community, or even
+beneath a noisy thoroughfare of some busy town.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+DISASTER OVERTAKES THE WOOD FAMILY.
+
+
+Our consolidated train continued its creeping pace down the meandering
+Humboldt; crossing the stream occasionally, to gain the advantage of a
+shorter or better road.
+
+Soon again there were other proofs of the wisdom we had shown in
+taking every possible precaution against attack.
+
+Next ahead of us was a family from England, a Mr. Wood, his wife and
+one child, with two men employed as drivers. They were outfitted with
+three vehicles, two of them drawn by ox teams, in charge of the hired
+men, and a lighter, spring-wagon, drawn by four mules, the family
+conveyance, driven by Mr. Wood. We had not known them before.
+
+One very hot day in the latter part of August, after having moved
+along for a time with no train in sight ahead of us, we came upon Mr.
+Wood in a most pitiable plight, the result of an attack and slaughter,
+not differing greatly from the Holloway case, and its parallel in
+atrocity.
+
+Mr. Wood's party had spent the preceding night undisturbed, and were
+up early in the morning, preparing to resume their journey. The ox
+teams had been made ready and moved on, while Mr. Wood proceeded in a
+leisurely way with harnessing the four mules and attaching them to the
+smaller wagon. All the articles of their equipment had been gathered
+up and placed in proper order in the wagon.
+
+When Mr. Wood had nearly completed hitching the team, Mrs. Wood and
+the baby being already in the wagon, some men, apparently all Indians,
+twenty or more of them, were seen coming on horseback, galloping
+rapidly from the hills to the northward, about half a mile away.
+
+Mr. Wood, fearing that he and his family were about to be attacked, in
+this lonely situation, hurriedly sprang to the wagon seat and whipped
+up the mules, hoping that before the attack they could come within
+sight of the ox wagons, which had rounded the point of a hill but a
+few minutes before, and have such aid as his hired men could give.
+
+He had no more than got the team under way when a wheel came off the
+wagon--he having probably overlooked replacing the nut after oiling
+the axle. Notwithstanding this he lost no time in making the best of
+the circumstances. Jumping to the ground, he hurriedly placed Mrs.
+Wood on one of the mules, cutting the harness to release the animal
+from the wagon; then, with the baby in his arms, he mounted another
+mule, and they started flight.
+
+But the Indians had by this time come within gun-shot range and fired
+upon them. Mrs. Wood fell from the mule, fatally shot. Mr. Wood's mule
+was shot under him, and dropped; next Mr. Wood received a bullet in
+the right arm, that opened the flesh from wrist to elbow. That or
+another shot killed the child. Amidst a shower of bullets, Mr. Wood
+ran in the direction taken by his ox wagons. Getting past the point of
+the low hill that lay just before him without being struck again, he
+was then beyond range of the firing, and soon overtook his wagons. His
+men, with all the guns they had, returned, to find the woman and child
+dead on the ground. One of the mules was dead, one wounded, the other
+two gone. The wagon had been ransacked of its contents, and the band
+of assassins were making their way back into the hills whence they
+had come.
+
+This small wagon, Mr. Wood said, had contained the family effects; and
+among them were several articles of considerable value, all of which
+had been taken. Among his property were pieces of English gold coin,
+the equivalent of fifteen hundred dollars. It had been concealed in
+the bottom of the wagon-box, and he had supposed the band would
+overlook it; but that, too, was gone.
+
+Such was the plight in which our company found the man, soon after
+this tragedy was so swiftly enacted, and which so effectually bereft
+him of all, his family and his property, leaving him wounded, and
+dependent on the mercy of strangers.
+
+The dead were placed in mummy-form wrappings and buried, mother and
+child in one, unmarked grave.
+
+When the manuscript of this narrative was first made ready for the
+printer, the description of the calamity which befell Mr. Wood and his
+family ended here. There were other details, as clearly recalled as
+those already recited, but so atrocious and devoid of motive, that it
+was a matter of grave doubt whether the facts should be given. It
+seemed too deplorable that such an occurrence could be recorded as the
+act of human beings; furthermore, would it be credible? It has been
+intimated that the present endeavor is to give a complete history of
+events as they occurred: no material item suppressed, nothing
+imaginary included; therefore the remaining details are given.
+
+Incredible as it may sound to civilized ears, after the bodies of Mrs.
+Wood and her child had been interred, hardly had those who performed
+this service gone from the spot when a part of the savage band that
+had murdered those innocent victims, rushed wildly back to the place,
+disinterred the bodies from the shallow grave, taking the sheets in
+which the bodies had been wrapped, and which were their only covering,
+and carrying those articles away. When the Indians had gone a second
+time, the grief-stricken Mr. Wood returned and reinterred the remains
+of his wife and child.
+
+Mr. Wood's wounded arm was dressed by Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Kidd, his
+wagons were placed in the lead of our train, and again we moved
+westward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MYSTERIOUS VISITORS. EXTRA SENTRIES. AN ANXIOUS NIGHT.
+
+
+The next following day, as we wended our way among the sand dunes,
+alkali flats and faded sagebrush, there came to us--whence we knew
+not--three men, equipped with a small wagon, covered with white
+ducking, arched over bows, similar to the covering on most of the
+emigrant wagons; drawn by two large, handsome, well-harnessed horses;
+all having a well-to-do appearance, that made our dusty, travel-worn
+outfits look very cheap and inferior.
+
+They told us that they were mountaineers, of long experience on the
+plains; well acquainted with the Indians and familiar with their
+habits and savage proclivities. They said that the Shoshone Indians
+were very angry at the white people who were passing through their
+lands; that this hostility recently had been further aroused by
+certain alleged acts of the whites along the emigrant road; and that
+the feeling was now so intense that even they, our informants, were
+alarmed, notwithstanding their long, intimate and friendly intercourse
+with these Indians; and, believing themselves no longer safe among the
+tribe, they were anxious to get out of the Shoshone country; therefore
+they requested the privilege of placing themselves under the
+protection of our large train until we should have passed out of the
+Shoshone lands and into those of the Pah-Utes, which tribe they said
+was known to be friendly toward the white race.
+
+One of these men was a specially picturesque figure; weighty, with
+large, square shoulders; well-formed head; full, brown beard, cropped
+short. He wore a deer-skin blouse, leathern breeches; broad,
+stiff-brimmed hat, low crown, flat top, decorated with a tasseled
+leather band; a fully-loaded ammunition belt--a combination make-up of
+cowboy, mountaineer and highwayman.
+
+The three men spoke plain English, with a free use of "frontier
+adjectives."
+
+Having received permission to take temporary protection by traveling
+near us, they placed themselves at the rear of our train, and that
+night pitched camp slightly apart from our circle of wagons.
+
+Some of our men visited them during the evening, eager to hear their
+tales of adventure; and listened, open-mouthed, to descriptions of
+life among savage associations, in the mountain wilds, jungles and the
+desert plains.
+
+The visitors dwelt with emphasis on the threatening attitude of the
+Shoshone Indians towards the emigrants; warning us that our position
+was hazardous, with caution that there was special risk incurred by
+individuals who wandered away from the train, thus inviting a chance
+of being shot by Redskins, ambushed among the bunches of sagebrush.
+They were especially earnest as they assured us of the peril there
+would be in loitering away from the body of the company, as they had
+noticed some of our boys doing, that day, while hunting for sage
+fowls.
+
+After awhile, he of the big hat inquired--and seemed almost to tremble
+with solicitude as he spoke:
+
+"Are you prepared to defend yourselves, in case of an attack?"
+
+Here unpleasant surmises gave place to distinct suspicions in the
+minds of some of our older men. They regarded that question as a
+"Give-away." All the day, since these three joined us, we had felt
+that they might be spies, and in league with the Indians. So now not a
+few of us were giving closest attention, both with ears and eyes.
+
+An answer was ready: That we were prepared, and waiting for the
+encounter; with a hundred and twenty-five shots for the first round;
+that we could reload as rapidly as could the Indians; and had
+ammunition in store for a long siege.
+
+The actual fact was that, although every man of us had some sort of a
+"shooting-iron," they were not formidable. In kind, these varied well
+through the entire range of infantry, from a four-inch six-shooter to
+a four-foot muzzle-loader, and from a single-barreled shotgun on up to
+a Sharp's repeating rifle. The weapon last mentioned carried a
+rotating cylinder, for five shells, and was the latest thing in
+quick-fire repeating arms of that time: but there was only one of that
+class in the train. Had we been seen on muster, standing at "present
+arms," the array would have been less terrifying than comical.
+
+Just how our visitors received our bluff with reference to
+preparedness for battle we could not know. The next morning these
+mysterious strangers took position in the rear of our train once more,
+carrying a small white flag, mounted on a pole fastened to their
+wagon. Upon being asked the purpose of the flag they replied that it
+served as a signal to any one of their number who might go beyond
+view, enabling him to determine the location of the wagon.
+
+Captain John reminded them that, according to their statements,
+wandering out of sight was too hazardous to be done or considered;
+adding that therefore there did not seem to be any need of the flag,
+and he wanted it to be taken down.
+
+It came down.
+
+During the noon-hour stop that day, while the doctors were dressing
+Mr. Wood's wounded arm, he obtained a first look at our three
+proteges. He at once indicated the man wearing the big, brown hat,
+and stated, excitedly but confidentially, to those of our company who
+were near him:
+
+"I believe that man was with the Indians who killed my wife and
+child."
+
+That statement naturally created a much greater feeling of uneasiness
+among us. The assertion was whispered around; and every man of us
+became a detective. The leading men of our party put their heads
+together in council. The situation was more than ever grave and the
+suspense distinctly painful. We feared something tragic would happen
+any hour.
+
+Mr. Wood was asked to obtain another view of the man and endeavor to
+make his statement more definite, if he could. His wound, and the
+terrible shock he had sustained two days previously, had so prostrated
+him that he was unable to make haste. Arrangements were made to
+disguise him and have him go where he could obtain a good view of the
+three men, but his condition prevented it.
+
+Later in the afternoon the three-men-afraid-of-Indians announced that
+we had passed out of the territory of the savage Shoshones; they felt
+it would be safe for them to dispense with our kind escort, therefore,
+after camping near us that night, they would withdraw and bid us a
+thankful good-bye.
+
+We camped that night on a level place, where there was sage-brush
+three or four feet high, and thick enough to make good cover for an
+enemy. Our people, having become thoroughly distrustful of the three
+men who had made themselves appendages of our train, feared an attack
+would be made on our camp that night. Suspicion had developed into a
+fixed belief that the trio were confederates of the Shoshones, and had
+come to us under a pretense of fear on their part, in order to spy out
+the fighting strength of our company.
+
+The place where they halted their wagon and prepared to spend the
+night was not more than a hundred yards from where our vehicles were
+arranged, in the usual hollow circle, with the camp-fire and the
+people inclosed.
+
+When darkness set in, guards of our best men, armed with the most
+effective guns we had, were quietly distributed about the camp, the
+chosen men crawling on their hands and knees to their allotted
+positions, in order that the three strangers should not know our
+arrangements. There was an understanding that, if there should be an
+attack during the night, the first thing to do was, if possible, to
+shoot those three men; for, under the circumstances, any attack
+occurring that night would be deemed completion of proof that they
+were responsible for it and for any atrocity that might follow or be
+attempted.
+
+The night passed without notable happening--except that at the break
+of day the three men and their wagon silently stole away.
+
+There was a feeling of great relief on being rid of them; but there
+remained some apprehension of their turning up at some unguarded
+moment and unpleasant place, to make us trouble; for their absence did
+not remove the impression that they had come among us to gauge our
+desirability as prey and the feasibility of overpowering our entire
+train.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+CHALLENGE TO BATTLE.
+
+
+We divided our long train into two parts, leaving a short space
+between the sections. Mr. Wood's two wagons headed the forward part.
+Toward the close of the day on which this change of arrangement was
+made, the forward section turned off the road a short distance before
+stopping to make camp, and the rear section passed slightly beyond the
+first, left the road and halted, so that a double camp was formed,
+with the two sections thus placed for the night in relative positions
+the reverse of the order they had maintained during the day.
+
+At night-fall, when supper was over and everything at rest, we saw
+three horsemen going westward on the emigrant road. When they were
+opposite the Maxwell, or forward, camp, as the train sections had
+been placed, these men turned from the road and came toward us. We
+soon recognized them as our late guests on the way: he of the big hat
+and his two companions.
+
+Riding into our camp, one of them remarked that they now observed the
+change made in arrangement of our train, explaining that they had
+intended to call on the Englishman, whose place had been in the lead.
+They apologized for their mistake. The first speaker added that they
+had heard it stated that this English gentleman had charged one of
+their number with being in company with the Indians who killed his
+wife, at the time of the tragedy, a few days before.
+
+He of the big, brown hat then assumed the role of spokesman, and said:
+
+"I understand that he indicated me, by description; and if that man
+says I was with the Indians who killed his wife, I will kill him. Let
+him say it, and I will shoot him down like a dog, that he is. I am
+here to demand of him if he said it."
+
+Another of the three said, in a tone of conciliation:
+
+"We are honest men. We came out here from Stockton, California, where
+we live, to meet the emigrants as they come over from the States. We
+buy their weak and disabled stock, such as cannot finish the trip to
+the Coast; take the animals onto range that we know of, and in the
+fall, when they are recuperated, we drive them in for the California
+market."
+
+The man under the large hat resumed:
+
+"My name is James Tooly. My partners here, are two brothers, named
+Hawes. And now, if that Englishman, or any one among you, says I was
+with the Indians who killed his wife, I will shoot him who says it,
+right here before you all."
+
+This was said with much vehemence, and punctuated with many oaths.
+
+[Illustration: Van Diveer's advantage was slight, but sufficient]
+
+Mr. Drennan, of our combined company, replied:
+
+"If you want to talk like that, go where the man is. We don't want
+that kind of language used here, in the presence of our women and
+children."
+
+Tooly, standing erect, high in his stirrups, drew a large pistol from
+its holster and swung it above his head.
+
+"I will say what I please, where I please; and I don't care who likes
+it," roared Tooly, waving his pistol in air.
+
+W. J. Van Diveer, a young man of the Drennan company, who had been
+sitting on a wagon-tongue near the speaker, leaped to his feet, with a
+pistol leveled at the big horseman's head, and with a manner that left
+no doubt that he meant what he said, shouted:
+
+"I'll be damned if you can do that here. Now, you put down your gun,
+and go."
+
+The muzzle of Van Diveer's pistol was within an arm's-length of Tooly,
+aiming steadily at his head. Tooly was yet with pistol in hand but not
+quite in position for use of it on his adversary. Van Diveer's
+advantage was slight, but sufficient for the occasion. Tooly's
+companions did not act, appearing to await his orders, and, in the
+suddenness of this phase of the scene, Tooly found no voice for
+commands. Others of our men made ready on the instant, believing that
+a battle was on.
+
+It was averted, however. Tooly replaced his pistol in the holster,
+saying:
+
+"Well, of course--as you say, my pie is over yonder. I don't want to
+kill _you_ fellows."
+
+And he didn't. The three rode over to the other group of our men,
+among whom was Mr. Wood. All of these had overheard what had just been
+said, and felt sure they knew what was coming.
+
+Mr. Wood, grief-stricken, disabled, stood, pale and fearful, amongst
+the party of timid emigrants, all strangers to him; he the only man
+probably in the camp without a weapon on his person, his torn arm in
+a sling across his chest.
+
+The big fellow made his statement again, as he had made it to us; with
+the same emphatic threat to kill, if he could induce Wood or any one
+to speak out and affirm the charge of Tooly's complicity with the
+Indians.
+
+Tooly got off his horse and, pistol in hand, walked among the party;
+many of whom surely did tremble in their boots. He declared again, as
+he stalked about, that he would shoot the hapless Wood, "like a dog",
+or any one who would repeat the charge.
+
+There were but a few men in that part of the camp when Tooly commenced
+this second tirade, in the presence of Wood; but soon more came from
+the other part of the train.
+
+Mr. Wood, in a condition as helpless as if with hands and feet bound,
+realizing his situation, and his responsibility, maintained silence: a
+silence more eloquent than speech, since a single word from him in
+confirmation of the charge he had made would have precipitated a
+battle, in which he, most certainly, and probably others, including
+some of his benefactors, would have been killed.
+
+Then Tooly saw that a goodly number of men had arrived from the other
+section of the camp, and were watching to see what would happen; some
+of these viewing the scene with attitude and looks that boded no good
+for the man who held the center of the arena.
+
+Tooly's threatening talk ceased. Still Wood said nothing. In silence,
+Tooly mounted his horse, and with his fellows rode away, leaving the
+party of emigrants--most of them terror-stricken, some angry--standing
+dumb, looking at one another, and at the retreating three until they
+went out of sight, in the dusk of the desert night-fall: stood there
+on the sage-brush sward, a tableau of silent dumbfoundedness; for how
+long none knew; each waiting for something to break the spell.
+
+"I feel like a fool," exclaimed Van Diveer.
+
+"But," spoke Drennan, the older and more conservative leader of their
+party, "we couldn't start an open battle with those fellows without
+some of us being killed. They are gone; we should be glad that they
+are. It is better to bear the insult than have even one of our people
+shot."
+
+
+    "I'm glad they left no bullets in me--
+    Ulee, ilee, aloo, ee;
+    Courting, down in Tennessee."
+
+
+This paraphrasing of his favorite ditty was, of course, perpetrated by
+"Jack."
+
+But we all wished we knew. Was it true that these men were
+conspirators with the Indians who had been ravaging the emigrant
+trains? If so, doubtless they would be concerned in other and
+possibly much more disastrous assaults, and perhaps soon. If so, who
+would be the next victims?
+
+But Mr. Wood was still too indefinite in his identification of the man
+Tooly--at least in his statement of it--to clear away all doubt, or
+even, as yet, to induce the majority of our men to act on the judgment
+of some: that we should follow these plainsmen, learn more, and have
+it out with them.
+
+There were many circumstances pointing not only to the connection of
+these men with the assault on Mr. Wood's family, but to the
+probability of their having been responsible for the slaughter of the
+Holloway party. It seemed improbable that there were two bands of
+Indians operating along that part of the Humboldt River in the looting
+of emigrant trains. If it could be proved that white men co-operated
+with the savages in the Wood case, the inference would be strong that
+the same white men had been accessories in the Holloway massacre. The
+use of guns in those attacks, and the evident abundance of ammunition
+in the hands of the Indians, went far toward proving the connection of
+white men with both these cases.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+SAGEBRUSH JUSTICE.
+
+
+The Sink of the Humboldt is a lake of strong, brackish water, where
+the river empties into the natural basin, formed by the slant of the
+surrounding district of mountains, plain and desert, and where some of
+the water sinks into the ground and much of it evaporates, there being
+no surface outlet. In the latter part of the summer the water is at a
+very low stage, and stronger in mineral constituents. There we found
+the daytime heat most intense.
+
+The land that is exposed by the receding water during the hottest
+period of the fall season becomes a dry, crackling waste of incrusted
+slime, curling up in the fierce sunshine, and readily crushed under
+foot, like frozen snow. The yellowish-white scales reflect the
+sunlight, producing a painful effect on the eyes. Not many feet wander
+to this forbidding sea of desolation.
+
+At the border of this desert lake, a few feet higher than the water,
+is a plateau of sand, covered with sage-brush and stones. We were
+there in the last week of August. Fresh water was not to be had except
+at a place a half-mile from our camp, where there was a seepage
+spring. There we filled our canteens and buckets with enough for
+supper and breakfast. The animals had to endure the night without
+water.
+
+Not far from the spring was situated a rude shack, known as "Black's
+Trading Post." This establishment was constructed of scraps of rough
+lumber, sticks, stones and cow-hides. With Mr. Black were two men,
+said to be his helpers--helpers in what, did not appear. The principal
+stock in trade was a barrel of whisky--reported to be of very bad
+quality--some plug tobacco, and--not much else. Black's prices were
+high. A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents. It was said to be an
+antidote for alkali poisoning.
+
+[Illustration: "A sip from the barrel cost fifty cents"]
+
+Some of our men visited this emporium of the desert, and there they
+found "Jim" Tooly. The barrel had been tapped in his behalf, and he
+was loquacious; appearing also to be quite "at home" about the Post.
+His two companions of our recent acquaintance were not there. The
+"antidote" was working; Tooly was in good spirits, and eloquent. He
+did not appear to recognize those of our people who were visiting the
+place; but they knew him. There were other persons present from the
+camps of two or three companies of emigrants, but strangers to us, who
+were also stopping for the night at the margin of the Sink.
+
+Tooly assumed an air of comradeship toward all, addressing various
+individuals as "Partner" and "Neighbor"; but his obvious willingness
+to hold the center of the stage made it clear that he deemed himself
+the important personage of the community.
+
+Some things he said were self-incriminating. He boasted of having
+"done up a lot of Pikers, up the creek," declaring his intention to
+"look up another lot of suckers" the following day.
+
+When our men thought that they had heard enough they returned to camp
+and reported.
+
+Recollections of the last time we had seen Mr. Tooly made the present
+occasion seem opportune. An impromptu "court" was organized: judge,
+sheriff and deputies; and these, with a few chosen men of the company,
+went to the trading post to convene an afternoon session. The members
+of this "court" dropped in quietly, one or two at a time, looked over
+the place, asked questions--about the country; the prices of Mr.
+Black's "goods"; how far it might be to Sacramento; anything to be
+sociable: but none offered to tap the barrel.
+
+The stranger emigrants had heard of the Indian raids up the river.
+Seeming to have inferred something of pending events, they had gone to
+the trading post in considerable numbers. Tooly was still there. Black
+and his two men seemed to be persons who ordinarily would be classed
+as honest. Still, they appeared to listen to Tooly's tales of prowess
+in the looting of emigrant trains as if they regarded such proceedings
+as acts of exceptional valor; exhibiting as much interest in the
+recital as did the "tenderfoot" emigrants--who held a different
+opinion regarding those adventures.
+
+When enough had been heard to warrant the finding of an indictment,
+the newly-appointed judge issued a verbal order of arrest, and the
+sheriff and his deputies quickly surrounded the accused, before he
+suspected anything inimical to his personal welfare. With revolver in
+hand, the sheriff commanded, "Hands up, 'Jim' Tooly!" To the
+astonishment of all, the big man raised both hands, without protest;
+this, however, in mock obedience, as was evident by his laughing at
+the supposed fun.
+
+"This is not a joke, sir," came in harsh tones from the judge. "When
+we saw you last, about sixteen days ago, you came to our camp to deny
+a charge made against you by a man of our company. You overawed,
+browbeat and insulted the man and those who were assisting and
+protecting him in his distress. You denied the accusation made against
+you, with vehemence and much profanity. Giving you the benefit of a
+doubt, we permitted you to go. Now we are here to take the full
+statement of the prosecuting witness, and examine such other evidence
+as there may be. We will clear you if we can, or find you guilty if we
+must."
+
+In whatever direction the culprit looked he gazed into the open end of
+a gun or pistol. The sheriff said:
+
+"Now, Tooly, any motion of resistance will cost you your life."
+
+A disinterested onlooker at the moment would have cringed, lest the
+unaccustomed duty of some deputy should so unnerve his hand that he
+would inadvertently and prematurely pull the trigger of his weapon.
+But all held sufficiently steady, as they looked through the sights.
+
+The prisoner slowly grasped the situation, and knew that temporary
+safety lay in obedience. The sheriff's demand for Tooly's weapons
+created more surprise, when it was revealed that, in his feeling of
+security while at the Post, he had relieved himself of those
+encumbering articles and deposited them with the landlord, that he
+might have freedom from their weight while enjoying the hospitality of
+the place.
+
+Thus his captors had him as a tiger with teeth and claws drawn. His
+weapons, when brought out from the hut for examination, were found to
+be two pistols, of the largest size and most dangerous appearance, in
+a leathern holster, the latter made to carry on the pommel of a
+saddle, in front of the rider. These, also his saddle and other
+trappings, were searched for evidence; but, except the pistols,
+nothing was found that tended to throw any further light on the
+question of his guilt or innocence.
+
+Tooly was then taken, under a heavy guard, to a spot some distance
+from the Post, where the court reconvened, for the purpose of
+completing the trial.
+
+His captors had, with good reason, reckoned Tooly as like a beast of
+the jungle, who, when put at bay, would resort to desperate fighting;
+but, having been caught thus unawares and unarmed, violence on his
+part or resistance of any kind, was useless. He was doubtless feigning
+meekness, hoping for an opportunity to escape.
+
+A jury was selected, mostly from the stranger emigrants.
+
+The improvised court sat on an alkali flat near the margin of the
+lake, where there were some large stones and clumps of sage-brush.
+There Tooly was confronted by Mr. Wood, still with bandaged arm. Tooly
+declared he had never before seen the Englishman, but Wood said he had
+seen Tooly, and now reaffirmed his belief that the prisoner was one of
+the persons who, some weeks previously, had ridden with the Indians
+who killed Mrs. Wood and the child, also wounded and robbed the
+witness.
+
+Still the evidence was not deemed sufficiently positive or complete,
+the identity being in some doubt. The jury would not convict without
+conclusive proof. With the view of procuring further evidence, the
+judge ordered that the person of the prisoner be searched.
+
+Hearing this mandate, Tooly first made some sign of an intention to
+resist--only a slight start, as if possibly contemplating an effort to
+break through the cordon of untrained guards.
+
+"Gentlemen," ordered the sheriff, "keep, every man, his eye on this
+fellow, and his finger on the trigger." Then to the prisoner,
+
+"Stand, sir, or you will be reduced to the condition of a 'good
+Indian'!"
+
+Escape as yet appeared impossible, and Tooly must have finally come to
+a definite realization that he was in the hands of men who meant
+business, most earnestly. Bravado had ceased to figure in his conduct.
+It was apparent that the search for evidence was narrowing its field;
+the erstwhile minions of frontier justice were on the right scent.
+Tooly grew pallid of feature and his cheeks hollowed perceptibly, in a
+moment. There was a wild glare in his eyes, as they turned from side
+to side; fear, hatred, viciousness, mingled in every glance. He
+crouched, not designedly, but as if an involuntary action of the
+muscles drew him together. His fists were clenched; his mouth partly
+opened, as if he would speak, but could not.
+
+Thus he stood, half erect, while the officer searched his clothing.
+The examination disclosed that, secured in a buckskin belt, worn under
+his outer garments, there was English gold coin, to the value of five
+hundred dollars; just one-third of the amount that Mr. Wood declared
+he had lost at the time of the robbery. What became of the other
+two-thirds of Mr. Wood's money was readily inferred, but full proof of
+it was not necessary to this case.
+
+Tooly's trial was closed. The only instruction the court gave the jury
+was, "Gentlemen, you have heard the testimony and seen the evidence;
+what is your verdict?"
+
+The answer came, as the voice of one man, "Guilty."
+
+During the entire proceeding, at the post and down by the lake, the
+judge sat astride his mule. Addressing the prisoner once more from his
+elevated "bench," he said:
+
+"Mr. Tooly, you are found guilty of the murder of Mrs. Wood and her
+child, the wounding of Mr. Wood, and robbery of his wagon. Mr. Wood
+has from the first stated his belief that you were with, and the
+leader of, the band of Indians which attacked his party. You
+afterwards denied it; but now, in addition to his almost positive
+identification, and many circumstances pointing to your guilt, you are
+found with the fruits of that robbery on your person. Have you
+anything to say?"
+
+[Illustration: "'Stop,' shouted the Judge"]
+
+Tooly was ashy pale, and speechless. Absolute silence reigned for a
+time, as the court awaited the prisoner's reply, if by any means he
+could offer some explanation, some possible extenuating circumstance,
+that might affect the judgment to be pronounced. None came, and the
+judge continued:
+
+"You can have your choice, to be shot, or hanged to the uplifted
+tongue of a wagon. Which do you choose?"
+
+Tooly took the risk of immediate death, in seeking one last, desperate
+chance for life. Instantly he turned half around, crouched for a
+spring, and, seemingly by one single leap, went nearly past the
+rock-pile, so that it partly covered his retreat. Quick as his
+movements were, they were not swifter than those of the men whose duty
+was to prevent his escape.
+
+"Stop, Tooly," shouted the judge, sitting astride his mule, as his
+long right arm went out to a level, aiming his big Colt's revolver at
+the fleeing man.
+
+"Shoot, boys," commanded the sheriff at the same instant; a chorus of
+shots sounded, and the court's sentence was executed.
+
+Complying with the request of the judge, the sheriff had a hole dug
+near where the body lay, and the dead man was buried, _sans
+ceremonie_.
+
+The court returned to the trading post and requested the proprietor to
+state what he knew of Tooly. Mr. Black declared he only knew that the
+accused plainsman came to the post that day; that he bought and drank
+a considerable quantity of whisky, and offered to treat several
+passing emigrants, all of whom declined.
+
+The English gold found upon the prisoner was returned to Mr. Wood, and
+the incident was closed.
+
+The trial had been as orderly and impartial as the proceedings in any
+court established by constitutional authority. All those concerned in
+it realized that they were performing a duty of grave importance.
+There was nothing of vindictiveness, nothing of rashness. It was
+without "due process," and it was swift; a proceeding without the
+delays commonly due to technicalities observed in a legal tribunal;
+but it was justice conscientiously administered, without law--an
+action necessary under the circumstances. Its justification was fully
+equal to that of similar services performed by the Vigilance
+Committee, in San Francisco, within a year preceding. It was a matter
+the necessity of which was deplorable, but the execution of which was
+imposed upon those who were on the spot and uncovered the convincing
+facts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+NIGHT TRAVEL, FROM ARID WASTES TO LIMPID WATERS.
+
+
+From the Sink of the Humboldt the little Darby party wished to
+complete the trip by the Carson Route, thus separating from the
+majority, but their supplies were exhausted and they had now but one
+ox and one cow to draw their wagon. A suggestion, that those who could
+spare articles of food should divide with the needy, was no sooner
+made than acted upon. Sides of bacon, sacks of flour and other
+substantials were piled into their little vehicle, and the owners of
+the two oxen which had been loaned Darby simply said, "Take them
+along; you need them more than we do." Danny, alias "Gravy" Worley,
+being of that party, showed his delight, by sparkling eyes and
+beaming fat face, when he saw the abundance of edibles turned over to
+his people. Mr. Darby shed genuine tears of gratitude, as we bade them
+good-bye and drove away by another route.
+
+The combination train was further divided, each party shaping its
+farther course according to the location of its final stop. The
+Drennans took the Carson Route, the Maxwell train proceeding by the
+more northerly, Truckee, trail. The associations of the plains, closer
+cemented by the sharing of many hardships and some pleasures, had
+created feelings almost equal to kinship, more binding than those of
+many a life-long neighborhood relation. So there were deep regrets at
+parting.
+
+On leaving the Sink of the Humboldt there was before us a wholly
+desert section, forty miles wide. The course led southwesterly, over
+flat, barren lands, with a line of low hills, absolutely devoid of
+vegetation, on our right. This was known to be one of the hard drives
+of our long journey; but hearsay knowledge was also to the effect
+that, at its farther border, we would reach the Truckee River, and
+soon thereafter ascend the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The prospect of
+seeing again a river of _pure_ water, and fresh, green trees, had a
+buoyant effect on our lagging hopes; and these were further stimulated
+by the information that not long after entering these forest shades we
+would cross the State line into California.
+
+While crossing the forty miles of desert, the sun-baked silt, at the
+beginning, and later the deep, dry sand, made heavy going. To avoid
+the almost intolerable heat of day as much as possible, and it being
+known that water was not obtainable, during this much-dreaded bit of
+travel, we deferred the start until mid-afternoon, and traveled all
+night.
+
+The impressions of that night ride were most extraordinary. As the
+sun sank, and twilight shaded into night, the atmosphere was filled
+with a hazy dimness; not merely fog, nor smoke, nor yet a pall of
+suspended dust, but rather what one might expect in a blending of
+those three. Only a tinge of moonlight from above softened the dull
+hue. It was not darkness as night usually is dark. It was an
+impenetrable, opaque narrowing of the horizon, and closing in of the
+heavens above us; which, as we advanced, constantly shifted its
+boundary, retaining us still in the center of the great amphitheater
+of half-night. We could see one another, but beyond or above the
+encompassing veil all was mystery, even greater mystery than mere
+darkness. No moon nor stars visible; nothing visible but just part of
+ourselves, and ours.
+
+As the night merged into morning, the sunlight gradually dispelled the
+mantle of gloom from our immediate presence; but still we could not
+see out. As if inclosed in a great moving pavilion, on we went,
+guided only by the tracks of those who had gone before.
+
+In the after part of the night the loose cattle, having been for two
+nights and a day without water, and instinctively expecting an
+opportunity to drink, quickened their pace, passing the wagons; the
+stronger ones outgoing the weaker, till the drove was strung out two
+or three miles in length along the sandy trail.
+
+Some of the wise-heads in the company were fearful that the cattle, on
+reaching the Truckee River, would drink too much. They detailed Luke
+Kidd and me to ride on our mules ahead of the foremost of the stock,
+and on reaching the river, permit none of the animals to drink more
+than a little water at a time.
+
+We went ahead during all that long morning, following what was surely,
+to us, the longest night that ever happened, before or since. Most of
+the other members of our party were in the wagons, and they, except
+the drivers, slept soundly; rocked gently, very gently, by the slow
+grinding of the wheels in the soft, deep sand. But Luke and I, on our
+little mules, must keep awake, and alert as possible, in readiness to
+hold back the cattle from taking too much water.
+
+From midnight to daybreak seemed a period amounting to entire days and
+nights; from dawn till sunrise, an epoch; and from sunrise to the time
+of reaching the river, as a period that would have no end.
+
+As the sun finally rose behind us, the faintest adumbration of the
+nearest ridges of the Sierras was discerned, in a dim, blue scroll
+across the western horizon, far ahead--how far it was useless to
+guess; and later, patches of snow about the peaks.
+
+The minutes were as hours; and their passing tantalized us: noting how
+the dim view grew so very slowly into hazy outlines of mountains, and
+finally of tree-tops.
+
+On we labored, overcoming distance inch by inch; nodding in our
+saddles; occasionally dismounting, to shake off the almost
+overpowering grasp of sleep.
+
+Half awake, we dreamed of water, green trees, and fragrant flowers.
+Rising hope, anon, took the place of long-deferred fruition, and we
+forgot for a moment how hard the pull was; till, with returning
+consciousness of thirst and painful drowsiness, we saw the landscape
+ahead presented still another, and another line of sand-dunes yet to
+be overcome.
+
+Luke and I reached the Truckee at nine o'clock in the forenoon, just
+ahead of the vanguard of cattle, and about three miles in advance of
+the foremost wagon.
+
+We tried to regulate the cattle's consumption of water, but did not
+prevent their drinking all they could hold. Ten men, on ten mules,
+could not have stopped one cow from plunging into that river, once
+she got sight of it, and remaining as long as she desired. We could
+not even prevent the mules we rode from rushing into it--that cold,
+rippling Truckee. Yet our elders had sent us two boys to hold back a
+hundred cattle, and make them drink in installments--in homeopathic
+doses, for their stomachs' sake.
+
+They dashed into the stream _en masse_; and seeing the futility of
+interfering, we gladly joined the cattle, in the first good, long,
+cool swallow of clear, clean water, within a period of six weeks.
+
+Our little mules did not stop till they reached the middle of the
+river, and stuck their heads, ears and all, under the water. Luke's
+diminutive, snuff-colored beast was so overcome by the sight and feel
+of water that she lay down in it, with him astride, giving herself and
+her master the first real bath since the time that she did the same
+thing, in the Platte River, some three months previously.
+
+To us, the long-time sun-dried, thirsty emigrants; covered from head
+to foot with dust from the Black Hills, overlaid with alkali powder
+from the Humboldt, veneered with ashes of the desert; all ingrained by
+weeks of dermatic absorption, rubbed in by the wear of travel,
+polished by the friction of the wind--to us said the Truckee, flowing
+a hundred feet wide, transparent, deep, cool; rattling and singing and
+splashing over the rocks; and the sparkle of its crystal purity, the
+music of its flow and the joy of its song, repeated, "Come and take a
+drink."
+
+We filled our canteens and went back to meet the others. We found them
+in a line three miles long; and it was well into the afternoon when
+the last wagon reached the river.
+
+The train crossed to the farther shore, into the grateful shade of the
+pine forest and there made camp.
+
+What an enchanting spectacle was that scene of wooded hills, with its
+varying lights and shades, all about us! From as far as we could see,
+up the heights and down to the river bank, where their roots were
+washed in the cool water, the great trees grew.
+
+We were still within the confines of Nevada, but two men were there
+with a wagon-load of fresh garden stuff, brought over from the
+foothills of California to sell to the emigrants: potatoes, at fifty
+cents a pound, pickles, eight dollars a keg, and so on. We bought, and
+feasted.
+
+The camp that night by the Truckee River was the happiest of all. We
+had reached a place where green things grew in limitless profusion,
+where water flowed pure and free; and we were out of the desert and
+beyond the reach of the savage Redman.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+INTO THE SETTLEMENTS. HALT.
+
+
+Having begun the ascent of the lofty and precipitous east slope of the
+Sierra Nevada Mountains, one night about the first of September the
+camp-site selected was at a spot said to be directly on the boundary
+line between Nevada and California.
+
+Lounging after supper about a huge bonfire of balsam pine, the
+travelers debated the question whether we were really at last within
+the limits of the Mecca toward which we had journeyed so patiently
+throughout the summer. While so engaged, the stillness, theretofore
+disturbed only by the murmur of our voices and occasional popping of
+the burning logs, was further dispelled for a few seconds by sounds
+as of shifting pebbles on the adjacent banks, accompanied by rustling
+of the foliage, waving of tall branches and tree-tops, and a gentle
+oscillation of the ground on which we rested. These manifestations
+were new to our experience; but we had heard and read enough about the
+western country to hazard a guess as to the significance of the
+disturbance.
+
+"Jack," aroused from his first early slumber of that particular
+evening, raised himself on an elbow, and asserted, confidently:
+
+"That settles it; we _are_ in California: that was an earthquake."
+
+Appearing already to have caught the universal feeling of western
+people regarding the matter of "quakes," he chuckled, in contemplation
+of his own perspicacity, and calmly resumed his recumbent attitude,
+and his nap.
+
+The summit of the Sierras was reached within about two days from the
+commencement of the ascent. We met no people in these mountains until
+we had proceeded some distance down the westerly slope, and reached a
+mining camp, near a small, gushing stream, that poured itself over and
+between rocks in a tortuous gorge.
+
+The camp was a small cluster of rough shacks, built of logs, split
+boards and shakes. As if dropped there by accident, they were located
+without regard for any sort of uniformity. These were the bunk cabins
+of the miners; some of the diminutive structures being only of size
+sufficient to accommodate a cot, a camp-stool and a wash-basin. A
+larger cabin stood at about the center of the group, the joint kitchen
+and dining-room.
+
+As we drove into the "town," the only person within view was a
+Chinaman, standing at the door. For most of us this was a first
+introduction to one of the yellow race. He was evidently the camp
+cook.
+
+Major Crewdson approached the Celestial with the salutation: "Hello,
+John."
+
+"Belly good," was the reply.
+
+[Illustration: "'Melican man dig gold"]
+
+Having already heard it said that the invariable result of an
+untutored Chinaman's effort to pronounce any word containing an "r"
+produced the sound of "l" instead, we thought little of that error in
+the attempt of this one to say "Very," but believed that his
+substitution for the initial letter of that word was inexcusable.
+
+"What is the name of this place?" continued Crewdson.
+
+"'Melican man dig gold."
+
+"Yes, I know that; but, this town, what do you call it?"
+
+"Yu-ba Dam," the Chinaman answered.
+
+This response was intended to be civil. Near by the Yuba River was
+spanned by a dam, for mining purposes, known as Yuba Dam, which gave
+the mining camp its name.
+
+Further on we came to the first house that we saw in California; and
+it was the first real house within our view since the few primitive
+structures at Nebraska City, on the west shore of the Missouri River,
+faded from our sight, the preceding spring. During a period of about
+four months our company had traveled thousands of miles, through
+varying wilds, in all of which not one habitation, in form common to
+civilization, had been encountered. Seldom has civilized man journeyed
+a greater distance elsewhere, even in darkest Africa, without passing
+the conventional domicile of some member of his own race. Long ago
+such an experience became impossible in the United States.
+
+[Illustration: Pack-mule route to placer diggings]
+
+This house was a small wayside inn, situated where a miners' trail
+crossed the emigrant route; a roughly-made, two-story, frame building,
+with a corral adjoining; at which mule pack-trains stopped overnight,
+when carrying supplies from Sacramento and Marysville for miners
+working the gold placer diggings along the American and Yuba rivers.
+We camped beside the little hotel, and the next morning were for the
+first time permitted to enjoy a sample of the proverbially generous
+California hospitality, when the landlord invited our entire company
+into his hostelry for breakfast.
+
+Our entrance into California was in Nevada County, thence through
+Placer, Sacramento, Solano and Napa, and into Sonoma.
+
+Over the last one hundred miles we saw evidences that the valleys,
+great and small, were rapidly filling with settlers.
+
+The last stream forded was the Russian River, flowing southwesterly
+through Alexander Valley, to the sea. Having crossed to the western
+shore, our motley throng found itself in the settlement embracing the
+village of Healdsburg, an aggregation of perhaps a dozen or twenty
+houses. There our worn and weather-stained troop made its final halt;
+and the jaded oxen, on whose endurance and patient service so
+much--even our lives--had depended, were unyoked the last time, on
+September seventeenth, just four months after the departure from the
+Missouri River.
+
+Considering all the circumstances of the journey, through two thousand
+miles of diversified wilderness, during which we rested each night in
+a different spot; it seems providential that, on every occasion when
+the time came for making camp, a supply of water and fuel was
+obtainable. Without these essentials there would have been much
+additional suffering. Sometimes the supply was limited or inferior,
+sometimes both; especially during those trying times in the westerly
+portion of the Humboldt region; but we were never without potable
+water nor fire, at least for the preparation of our evening meal.
+Nature had prepared the country for this great overland exodus from
+the populous East; a most important factor in the upbuilding of the
+rich western empire, theretofore so little known, but whose
+development of resources and accession of inhabitants since have been
+the world's greatest marvel for more than half a hundred years.
+
+As I look back, through the lapse of nearly sixty years, upon that
+toilsome and perilous journey, notwithstanding its numerous harrowing
+events, memory presents it to me as an itinerary of almost continuous
+excitement and wholesome enjoyment; a panorama that never grows stale;
+many of the incidents standing out to view on recollection's landscape
+as clear and sharp as the things of yesterday. That which was worst
+seems to have softened and lapsed into the half-forgotten, while the
+good and happy features have grown brighter and better with the
+passing of the years.
+
+Whether pioneers in the most technical sense, we were early
+Californians, who learned full well what was meant by "Crossing the
+Plains."
+
+
+
+
+END.
+
+
+[Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as
+possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other
+inconsistencies.
+
+The transcriber made changes as indicated to the text to correct
+obvious errors:
+
+  1. p. 15, awkardness --> awkwardness
+  2. p. 44, we though best --> we thought best
+  3. p. 45, knowldege --> knowledge
+  4. p. 68, maner --> manner
+  5. p. 74, consciouses --> consciousness
+  6. p. 103, characteristc --> characteristic
+  7. p. 114, unusal --> unusual
+  8. p. 149, "tenderfoot' --> "tenderfoot"
+  9. p. 153, "good Indian' --> 'good Indian'
+
+Several occurrences of mismatched quotes remain as published. Also,
+some illustrations have been repositioned to appear between paragraphs,
+causing some to move to a different page, but page numbers in the
+Contents remain as published.
+
+End of Transcriber's Notes]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, by
+William Audley Maxwell
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