The Arkansas advocate., 1835-05-22


 but there is too Little meat upon a terrapin. l Travelled eighteen miles to-day.
 Ger. This day we again followed the road, which now kept down the valley, and 1 after going about three miles we found rain- water standing in small holes. Soon l after, we came to miry branch, and gave our animals drink. Early in the day Bill killed an antelope, and about noon, as we ascended hill upon the edge of valley, 1 (to the left of it,) we saw two or three h. dians on the other side of the prairie.- Some of our party were behind. Bill gave the sign of Indians, by riding four or five times round in circle of about ten feet in 1 diameter, and when they rejoined us we all turned down to the valley again-stil hunt ing terrapins--and at night we encamped on the creek at large hole of water Travelled this day ab out fifteen miles. 2.-About noon of to-day, reached the site of an old encampment of the Indians; found some remnants of wood and a few acorns. We went, perhaps, hundred yards beyond and encamped at clear pond of water. Towards night Cumanche came to US, armed with bow, arrows, spear and shield, the latter ornamented with feath- CTS and red cloth. For his viaticum he bore the mane-pece of horse He re-. mained with us all night, and informed us that there was beaver below on the river :; he said the water would run soon. Anoth- CT antelope was killed this day. Travelled this day about twelve miles.
 3.-Trayeled for time in the valley, and were rejoiced at finding the water begin to run: 1t was shallow, clear stream of sweet water, about twenty yards wide, and we began to have hopes of beaver. About noon we ascended the hills to the right, l Following the road,) and travelled in the prairie. We here found few bushes of the mesquite, the first we had seen. In the afternoon we saw below, Tn the valley, horses feeding, and we descended the hills with much difficulty into tine canon, and found another village. The valley was here wider, and was full Of small hills in- terspersed with mosquito bushes, that is, kind of prickly, green locust bush, which bears long narrow beans in punches, of a very pleasent and sweet taste. In this yil- lage were about fifty lodges, much hand somer, too. than those in the other vil- lages; and, as in the two former, there were multitudes of horses. I think that | around the three camps there could not have been less than five thousand horses and some of them most beautiful animals. Here, too, there was a medicine lodge of black skins, and closely shut up. We bought some meat and mosquito meal, | ma Inv tbo stones. Here, also, there were no warri- ors. Several of the women had their legs cut and mangled by knives, as in the first village, where they had disturbed us all night by their lamentations. I know not how they had lost the men for whom they were mourning, but at the time supposed that 1t had been done in the attack on the wagons. This day we travelled about six teen miles, perhaps more.
 4.-About two miles below the village we came to large lake, and here Antonio wished us to leave this river and go to the south, until we struck the Mochico, cross ing which, he assured us that in four or five days we would come upon the San Saba. Harris, however, who seemed destined al- ways to go wrong, determined on following down the river on which we then were, and which he very wisely took to be the south fork of the Canadian. We travelled this day about fifteen miles, and encamped on the creek. The water was still fresh and running. Course still southeast.
 5.-This day we killed another antelope, and encamped early, upon the creek.- While was on the first guard, the hunters brought in Cumanche horse which they had found, blind of one eye. At their ap- proach, almost every animal in company broke their ropes or drew their stalSes.- Had yell been raised then, we should not have saved one animal. Travelled this day about ten miles.
 6.-This day we passed an old camp of the Cumanches, and followed their trail I3down the bed of the river, which here was dry. Encamped at night in thicket of mesquite bushes, near large pond of wa- ter, and where, for the first time, the river water was salt. It likewise began to wind around, keeping, however, its general course to the southeast. Travelled this day about fifteen miles.
 7.-Started late, crossed the fork we had been so long travelling on, went over to the other, and encamped. These two forks are of the same size. In going from one to the other, we passed through large level prairie, covered with tall mosquito bushes; and finding some very large, deep purple, prickly pears, Lewis and myself ate of them, and the conseuuence was. a terri