The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-02-06

e loving and her words, full of hope and constaI
d cv gave me fresh courage and a resolve to do {
1t die Our parting was very brief A few hurrie
/ whspersa hasty renewal of the vows and troll
# plight and for moment | caught her in m
q arms and kissed her cheek, and in the next
h was gone sat by Bodesson's side; the viii
Il cracked off flew the foaming horses along tn
= street and l looked back and waved farewell
+ in answer to DIR. Spaulding's waving hand ant
e Emma handkerchief. Then we turned cor
ner, and parted along the road.
Bodcsson was well paid, and he kept the met
+ tied horses at their work over many mile o
! ground. / seemed to start under good auspices
My heart was tull of hope. The gay French
II 'reole by my side was merry companion; he
sang Canadian songs, whisted, chirrupped tt
the bounding bays, and chartered necessarily
! Monsieur was going to the prairies All
tres bien The prairies were yer ,nterresantes
yer much So But monsieur must take care
wh4n he got there-must not stir from the pro
lection of re Dragons, or les sauvages, re faro
cious Indians VOID carry off Monsieur's cheveuS
what you call scalp!
So the Frencbman prattled on. He believed
| was going to Salt Lake City on business. and
never doubted that l should voyage with car
avan, under escort of the States dragons. What
would he have said if he had known that was
to traverse that land of danger and hunger
alone
NV Journey to the eastern border of Califor-
MIA was not remarkable enough to justify me in
dwelling here on it's details. Spending money
freely, | was enabled to proceed almost entire
ly in wheeled carriages more or less rude, and
| contrived to push along over sorry roads at a
respectable pace. | slept in the vehicles during
the dark hours, snatching broken slumber as
best | could in the midst of jolting aud sway
ling. Sometimes even bride could not induce
my Mexican or American drivers TO risk the per-
lis OF stony road at night, and then recruited
my strength by rest, but was always ready TO
start by cock crow. | knew well what was be-
fore me, and that all the fatigue | endured was
chd's play to what was in store | had been
on tue prairies before, at least those which lie
OH the east side of the Rocky Mountains. Mr..
Spaulding was well aware that L was goo1
horsemen, expert in the use of fire arms, and OF
a robust constitution. These are not the COM
mon attributes of a clerk, but l had not been
bred to the desk. My father had been esteem
ed rich till at his death, in embarrassed clrcum-
stances. | had been left TO battle with poverty as
! | might; had kept hunters at Oxford,a ana had
! been passionately fond of field sports. l had
| kept up the habit of taking brisk exercise, and
now | was about to find the benefit or trained
muscle and robust health. L did not disguise
| from myself that / was embarklng on an enter
prise full of risks. | might starve IN the desert,
J
| igrant. [ might perish miserably IN one OF
! those fires that rush like flaming serpents thro
the boundeSs sea of grass. AnO If my scalp dlu
not backen III the smoke OF some Indian wig
wan, fever and sheer fatigue might make an ehd
| of nv life and hopes at once. Or, might reach
| New York too late. 1t was gall aud NORWOOD
to think that Joram Heckler was pressing on
towards tie north, with all the speed OF last
steamer The very thought made me bound and
] AAn nf fha
as if | could quicken my progress by such
gesture. How l prayed that contrary WINDS
NIGH delay the packet on its passage from AS
! pinwall to the Empire City
reached Carson, City, on the border OF the
desert, and there | made bret halt that
j might prepare for The coming effort. was per
| fectly aware that the most dangerous ana GIN
cult part of the road was that lying between the
California and The Mormon settlements. once
| beyond the Utah territory, might well hope
! to escape the arrows and tOmahawk OF the say
Iage / found Carson full of returning emlgrahts,
diggers going back with their pelf TO the Allan
tic States Mormon converts. ana traders VINO
had empned their wagons In Californian marx
cts. These good folks were all waiting Tor the
regular escort ofnational dragons, under whose
guard they were to travel. 1t was Impossible
for me to move so slowly, and l accordingly
bought BAG of sun.dried beei, another OF parch-
ed corn, some blankets and such matters, as well
as powerful horse handsomely accoutfeC with
bride and saddle of NJ eXican make. bought
the latter from an American dealer who was
nightly tic killed. at the idea Of my making my
way alone over the pralries. give you cfeu-
it for your grit, sartainly, mister, SAD ne IL
Is good, and nc mis- axe but guess you hao
better sleep Oh the idea few times more Them
Indian seal pers will lift your ha'r sure as hogs
yield bacon. Won't you believe me? Come
along, then, and ak another mans opinion! and
he dragged me towards q sort OF tavern, the
porch Of which was crowded with men ana wom-
ell, French, Spanish, German, ankee ana hu-
! latto, all Of whom were gathered around lathy
dark haired young fellow in trim half military
dress that would have passed for that OF po-
licemaD but for the red flannel shirt and Mexl-
can sombIero he WORE This man had keen
mobile features, and was hardened by constant
work and weather into little more than muscle
and bone; he wore spurred boots and thick 'sa
yers and was cracking whip as he gaily chat
ted with the crowd, who laughed at his wit in a
way that proved him prime tavorite. lie was
in fact, one of the saIaried riders Of the Pony
Express, ready to start with bag of dispatch
es iur instant the courier from san Francisco
should arrive with it.
! Yes, colonel yes gals, l heard HIM say
| I'm downright sorry to leave, but duty Is daty'
/ amt it?' Ifthe Indians don't rub me out
/ Rub you out, Shem? Catch weasel asleep
said one of the riders admiring friends.
WAL = said, Shem with a modest voice, but
b0astful twinkle in bis restless eye; the var
minis have tried time or two, but they We
| found Shem Grindrod rather tough nut to
crack, they have. When a chaps Kentucky
/ bred, real right down hard hickory faint so easy
to lit his ha'r-Service to ye, stranger.
For his eye had lighted on me.
Shcm,' cried householder, here S a gen.
/ flarpo,, yUnutc 70 croSc the narara. all alone.
horseback, Broadway fashion. What DO yo"
say to that =
There was a general laugh. Shem took off
his hat with mock respect
/ 'Whoop = he cried if that amt clear grit
in the down easter dandy You'll see snakes,
mister, / reckon. There's no accommodation
for genteel persons, and you'll get your boss
stole or chawed up by the wolves, and You IL
lose yourself and die for want OF dinner II you
don't tail in with the Injuns, and if you do,Je-
hosophatP
An this would have been provoking to some
men. but | knew the American character too
well to be out of temper. Shem evidently took
me for presumptuOus tOwnsman, plungIug
,yantoulv into the lions mouth, and was good
naturedly Encouraging my Tashness. win
some trouble, drew him apart ana commenced
a private conversation. L told hlm that was
bound for the Eastern States, that my business
was imperative, out nav II i0 So"u Heip NJ
would pay him most literally for the aid rem
Idered For had formed crude idea that if L
could procure the privilege Of using the relays
of snare horses kept at the different stations on
the route for the use OF the mail rders,I might
accomplish the most awkward part of the jour
ney with great rapidity. Shem, however, tho
moi l.. natlmed, dashed my hopes to the ground.
Such concession would be 'sgin all rule The
servants of the Express Company daren't do IT,
1t was not to be thought of. l must wait for
the caravan.
did not wait for the caravan, but set forth
that very day. The people gave me half IRON
ical cheer as rode out of the struggling street
of Carson. but l saw the Yankee dealer shake
his head and screw up the corners of his mouth,
as if he considered me little better than SUI
eide
There was no use in letting the grass grow