Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-01-13
Fom The n. @. P;caysne.
Prairie and Mountain Life.

i ~ V"s Gt Az. ~. fNuyww<.
Prairie and Mountain Life.
Wild Sngc-jn Aisrming Prospect
| The FiraI HMn'ers-A Race 10 h,
.Dcrri's Gafer- Politics on tie Prai
! RE, DC. ri
The wild and sterile regions immcdi
nlcly East Of the mountains are dis,in.
gnishrd by one feature tina. must live
forever in tho travellers remembrance.
Lrgions Of leagues (,he expression Is by
f'o means too strong) are covered with n
wild growth Of sags. that seems designed
BY Nature for nothing else than to feed
a certain variety Of the fea.hered family
known as ''sage cocks" For days and
weeks we travelled through this solitary
species OF vegetation. Till ii became
wearisomc TO the sight, even a. the ever.
lasting green Of thousand miles Of
prairie was before. The nigh, before
reaching Rock Independence we were
| compelled to make our encampment by
the side of shallow. muddy streamlet
winding among these sago bushes, and
so thick was their growth that hatchels
and axes were brought into employment;
bclo,e we could pitch tents or find space
10 lodge urcn.
| |, was with Infinite pleasure that we
left this dcsoatc place the next morning
and the camp beginning 10 run out Of
meat, our two regular hunters started
FIRST. "from he picket" taking dtF.rent
directions. re-! ben, upon fintirg buffalo.
The fool >prin;s Of the game we sough,
were thick and fresh all around us
Myrads bad evidently travelled over
he ground but day or Two previous
Sill moi one was in view, and We rode
until near midday without The slightest
sign ofsuccess. Antoine was or IN one
direction. while two Of us rode with Joe
Fourier in ano'her.
''licIlo! wat hell IL coming?" suddenly
exclaimed lor. md his eve wa. fixed up
on distant section Of the horizon with
nm intense and in snmc degree ,roublous
expression II has been mon toned
before ,hn, Joe was nf French descent.
md spoke always very funniiy in bruken
English aF
IVA, he'll izs' said Joe, pcering in
tenily al some distant object.
We looked ia the same direc,ion, bu,
could see nothing. si
.Wha, is il. Joe?' was the immediate
enquiry from one Of Us. put in tone OF
anxious snls'iiudc.
swat IL! Wy. you no see! by dam.
somebody comes de e!''
In a few minutes more our vision, less
acute than Joe's. became cogn,zanl ri
some four or five small spots in nolioa
Ear away 10 our left. s 4ass.s
''Are they Indians, Ioef'' snisi
"Sacre. by dam. and re bill TO pay! 1
no knowr' said Joe. applying p..isird re-
marks al the same time 10 Ills mule and
hurrying forward, with his eyes ben,
upon The i;.r OF Objects.
said Joe; srrilneirl L Them bui ht !, no;
by dam. let US keep some look Out
muchw
Tha, Joe was little alarmed we could
perceive in an instant, aud The natural
consequence was that we, too, (,wol be
came iul. sharcrs IN his interesting IN
certainty. On we ru.ic, md in u few
moments more Juo exclaimed
''lleIlu! well, wat An'cinc want come
zis way' You see Gcrc?"
We were just arriving at the base of
a ..ong range OF rocks, and sight before
US was great black cleft or chasm,
which Joe pointed out 10 us rs the
Devils Gaze" No, a buffalo was in
sight. A few deer honorcd US with
momen,ary notice, and u great number Of
antelope bounded across our pcih, bu,
no. quadruped OF the bovine genus
appeared during The morning The oh
jects that had SO earnestly engaged Joc's
attention, and which we half imagined To
be Indians, VIC now clearly distinguished
10 be the hunter Antoine aud those Of
the camp vino went gu, in his company.
Jue now explained 10 us tant il wgs
Gear Antoine liSd found no buffalo. an
was changing his course in search oi
better success We were passing Rock
Independence, and beautiful sheet q,
unrippIed water, CHASING back the blue
sky. lay near the bsse Of the isolated
mountain. Passing this. aud then ford
ing the Sweetwa,er, VIC entered a ro
mantle pass. Just rs An'cinc and his
companions appeared more prominently
III view making Tor the sDcyil's Cute"
from different point. joe squire! his
mule 10 a run immediately, and a race
commenced between the rival aun,crs.
The object was 10 pass Devils Gate,'
and secure whatever struggling buffalo
might be found beyond, for we expected
10 see no more alter This Jay. We were
yet TO travel some hundreds Of miles
westward, With no hope Of seeing buffa-
10 until our return. SO that it was all
important that meat SHOULD be obtained
on this last days hunt. Joe and Antoine
were consequently on Their mettle, each
anxious 10 Guido the other, and hence
their anxiety TO pass the psrtico Of
Pandemnnium with all possible exPedi
,ion.n The race terminated with little
advantage TO cithef, however,. Tor when
we all met t,gciher upon lh- nearest
eminence ia the wido valley Of the
Swee,waier, not . single dark spot could
be discerncd around the vast prospect,
and The samentab.e conviction fell upon
| us that for The mex, forty days we should
have ~ do without hump ribs, side ribs
marraw bones. bailcd bs,sse, and all The
other choice feeding furnished by ,hs
buffalo. ~ q 6a8sssass sd .snaisexs sessa
Ii being TOO evident iha, no more balIa
10 was 10 be obtained, we all started hacl