The Arkansas advocate., 1835-04-17

nora and California for mules, returns home a gaiuer, but generally the case Is far oth- i erwise, x
 Lewis. however, was far from knowing all this, and accordingly on the 3d of Sept 1881, with good horse. gun. pistols, e..d plenty of clothes, ammunition and blank cts, he left the United States, an8 bent his course to the mountains. He left Arkan- sas in company with two other Americans and eleven Cherokees. who were headed 1 by a chief commonly called Old Dutch, and whose object was hunting and trapping on the Fausse Washita. Besides these, there was young doctor by the name of Monro, and his wife, who were to accompany Lew is to New Mexico. Chambers, one of his companions, was middlng-sized young man, very good fellow on the prairie, but of very little use there. George Andrews, the other, was a big obstinate cowardly 1 Dutehman, of no use 10 himself or any one 1 else. and of no character except bad one. Lewis himself Is large, very lcrge and tall man, red faced, of undaunted bravery, cooness, and self-possession. an excellent ] hunter, and of constant good humor.
 The course which they intended 10 pur- sue, was to follow the Fausse Washta to it's head, and then to cross the Canadian, and follow if 10 the wagon road. As 1 shall ] nave frequent occasion 10 speak of these rivers, may as well at once give descrip- ton of them. No maps describe the Red 1 River and the Colorado correctly. The l Canadiantork of, the Arkansas rises near the head of the Arkansas itself. runs south to within seventy miles of si'aos, and then takes course a little south of east. It Is there called Red River by the S'paHiards and traders. The North Fork of the Ca nadlaa heads about fifty miles to the north east of Taos, ln two hills. which are called by the SpanIards Las 0reias, and by the Americans tie Rabbit Ears. The North l fork itself is called there Rabbit Ears Creek. The Faus=e Washta heads about three hundred miles to the east of Taos. in some prairie hills, and man can travel il half a day from the head of the principal branch ots ii to=the Canadian, at large bend of the latter. Red River rises in the prairie not far south of Santa Fe, and be- tween one and two hundred miles east of 1t. The heads of 1t are salt, and, as well as the Colorado, it has q wide, sandy bed, and but little water, until il reaches nearly to the Cross Iinbers; within three hun- miles of the settlements of the whites. l shall describe the Colorado or the Brazos hereafter.
 l have never seen the Fnutse Eashita far above the Cross Timbers. It is, above them, small clear stream of water, al- xIy1x I l perhaps ono hundred yards wide, deep, and with not very bluff banks. Above this il is bordered by a strip of timber, generally from one eighth to quarter of mile wide, and on the outside of this, prairie bottom, half mile, and in some places mile wide, of exceedingly rich land. These bottoms extend 10 the distance of more than hundred and fifty miles above the Cross Timbers. It is indeed the best hunt ing ground of the westfor deer, buffalo. and bear, and the trees are abundanty stored with delicious honey. The timber l is chiefly oak, walnut, and pecan, and close to the bank cottonwood and syca- more.
 Of the early part of his rolte--that is, from Fort Towson to the Cross Timbers Lewis can give but vague and confu- sed accounts. Most of the time he was sick, aud in addition to this, the Cherokees, whose purpose was hunting, Ioitered along so slowly--kiIiing deer as they went-and accommodated their course so constantly to this pursuit, that there could be but little possibility of remembering the route dis tincdy. What know about 1t IS derived rather from my own passage through the same part oi the country, than from that of Lewis. Leaving Fort Towson, as before stated, on the Sd of September, they took the road, which crossing the Kiamiche,
 *F'or example:-I knew one honest and ex- celent man from Missouri: he had been q hard working mechanic and farmer, and had raised sufficient money and credit to obtain a stock of goods to take to Santa Fe. The St. ] Louis cost of his goods was l75a dollars; the duties at the custom house were 2l04 dollars, and gratuity to the interpreter of 250 dol lars. His stock of goods was sold in the course of year, at 30 cents per yard, mea- suring and including domestic, cloth, silks, and ill fine, his whole stock, except ribands. The result was--after paying the custom house-l5e0 dollars with which to pay the cost of his goods and his expenses in trans porting them.
 The duties on common domestlc--in fact, on domestic of all qualities, is 2l cents per yard. Those who take in shoes, silks, coffee, and tobacco, which are contraband, are all i n,oc+ tho orl, mon yuho ma lro anu fhinu