Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-01-28
CARRoLLToN. WEDNESDAY JANUARY %, 1916

evening camp, he should JON us there.
"The Young man il poor" he said, " he
has no horse, and expects you to give him
one" described To him the place where
! intended 10 encamp, and, shaking hands,
! in few minutes we were among The hills,
and this las, habImtiou Of whites shut out
} from our view.
July 90 Our dried meat had given out
and we began TO be in want of foud but
one of the hunters killed an antelope this
J evening, which afforded some relief, al.
though il did not 90 far among so many
! hungry men. One OF the prominent cha
racteristics in The face of this country is
the extraordinary abundance of the Grte.
gliSiaS wild saee) They grow every
where--on the bills, and over the river
bottom, in tough, twisted wlry clumps; and
wherever the beaten track was lott, they
rendered the progress of the carts rough
and slow. As the country increased in
elevation in our advance to the west, they
increased in size and the whole air is
strongly impregnated and saturated with
the odor OF enmphor and spirits of lurpen.
tine which belongs TO this plant. This
climate has beensiound very favorable to
the restoration of health, particularly in
cases Of consumption; and possibly the re.
spraiion of air so highly impregnated by
aromatic p ants may have some influence.
July 29.-We continued our way, and
four miles beyond the ford, Indians were
discovered again; aud halted while a
party went forward to ascertain who they
were. In a short time :hey returned, &C.
companied by number of Indians of the
Oglalah band of Sioux. From them we
received some interesting informant n -
They had formed part of the great village
which had been on the trail OF the Ore
gon emigrants, whom thoy had overlaken
at Rock independence, but quarrelng
among themselves, they had not attacked
them as was intended They informed US
that the greater part of the party had cross
ed the Platte eight or ten miles below the
mouth of the Sweet Water, and were now
behind the mountains 10 the south of US,
intending 10 regain The Platte by way of
Deer creek. They had taken this unusu.
al route in search Of grass aud game
They gave us a very discouragng picture
OF the country. The great drought, and
the plague of grasshoppers, had swept Il
so that scarce blade Of grass was to be
seen, and there was not buffalo TO be
found in the whole region Their people,
they further said, had been nearly starved
to death, and we would find their road
marked by lodges which they bad thrown
away in order TO move more rapidly, and
by the carcases of the horses which they
had eaten, or which had persisted by star.
walton, Such was the prospect before US.
When he had finished the Interpretation
of these things, Mr.. Bissonneue immed-
alely rode up to me, and urgently advised
that ! should entirely abandon the further
prosecution of my exploration. "The best
advice ! can give you, is 10 turn back at
once" II was his own intention to re-.
turn, az we had now reached the point TO
which he had engaged to attend me. In
reply, called up my men, aud commu
nicated TO them fully the information had
Just received. then expressed to them
ms fixed determination 10 proceed to the
end OF the enterprise on which had been
sent but as the situation Of the county
gave me some reason to apprehend that il
might be attended with an unfortunate re-
suit TO some Of us, would leave il option
al with them In continue with me or 10 re-
tara. Among them were some five or six
WIN knew would remain. We had sill
ten days provisions; and, should no game
be found, when this stock was expended,
we had our horses and mules, which we
could cal when other means Of subsistence
failed Bul not man fiIoched fom the
undertaking. owen eat the mules" said
Basil Lajeunesse thereupon we shook
hands with our interpreter and his In
dams. and departed. Having resolved to
disencumber ourselves Immediately Of eve
ry thing moi absolutely necessary to our
future operations, turned directly in to.
ward the river, and enclmped, where a
thick grove Of willows offered suitable
spot for the object had in view
| The carts having been discharged, The
covers and wheels we're taken of, and,
with the frames, carried into some low
places among the willows, aud c0neealed
il the dense foliage IN such a manner that
The glitter Of the IRON work might not at
tract the observation OF some Struggling
Indian. In the sand which had been
blown up into waves among the willows,
large hole was then dug, tea feet square,
and six deep. 10 the mean time, all ouFl
effects had been spread upon Inc ground,
and whatever was designed 70 be carried
along with US separated and laid aside,
and the remaining part carried 10 the hole,
md carefully covered up. As much a.
possible all traces Of our proceedings we're
obliieraied, and it wanted but a rain 10 rem
der our cache safe beyond discovery. All
the men we're now set NJ work 10 arrange