The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-01

low me to approach, but as Ellen came
It lay down in the grass, and she got
close to it.
'It is SICK" she said, cor hurt" and
she tossed it bone.
"Quick," 1 called ont to her, "get it!
Tame it. 1t is worth more than riches
to us, that dog"
So she, coaxing 1t, at last got her
hands upon its head, though it would
not wag it's tail or make any sign OF
friendship. 1t was a wolfish mongrel
Indian dog. One side Of its head was
cut or crushed. and it seemed that pos
sibly some squaw had struck it with
intent perhaps to put it into the kettle,
but with aim SO bad that the victim
had escaped.
To savage man dog is Of nearly as
much use as horse. Now we had
horse and q dog and food and weapons
and shelter. 1t was time we should
depart, and we now were we'll equipped
to travel. But whittier?
cit seems to me-" said I, ''that our
safest plan is to keep away from the
Platte, where the Indians are more apt
to be- If we keep west until we reach
the mountains we certainly will be
above Laramie, and then II we follow
south along the mountains we must
strike the Platte again and so find Lar
annie, if we do not meet any one be-
fore that time" It may be seen how
vague was my geography in regard to
q region then little known to any.
"My father will have out the whole
army looking for u.s." said Ellen Meri-
wether. eve may be found any day"
But for many a day we were not
found. We travelled westward day
after day, she upon the horse, l walk
ing with the dog. We had a rude
travois, which we forced our horse to
ried in a leathern bag slung between
two lodge poles. The dog we did not
yet load, although the rubbed hair on
his shoulders showed that he was used
to harness.
At times on these high rolling plains
we saw the buffalo, and when our
dried meat ran low paused for food
ammunition at such hard game as an.
teIope. Once lay at a path near a
water hole in the pocket of a half
dried stream and killed two buffalo
cows. Here was abundant work fol-
more than two days cutting, drying.
scraping, feasting. Life began to run
keen in our veins in spite of all.
heard her sing that day, saw her smile
Now our worldly goods were increas.
ing, so cut down two lodge poles and
made little travels for the dog. We
had hides enough now for a small tent,
needing only sufficient poles.
"Soon," said she to me, 1--WE win be
at Laramie"
"Pray God" said to myself, "that
we never may see Laramiev's I have
said that would set down the truth.
And this is the truth. l was becoming
a savage. I truly wanted nothing bet
ter. l think this might happen to
many a man, at least of that day.
We forded several streams, one a
large one. which l now think must
have been the North Platte. but no
must run. So we kept on until we
came one day to spot whence we saw
something low and unmoving and pur-
pie far off in the northwest. This we
studied and SO at length saw that 1t
was the mountains. At last our jour-
neying would change at least, perhaps
terminate ere long. A few more days
would bring us within touch Of this
distant range, which, as / suppose
now, might possibly have been a spur
of what then were still called the
Black Hills, name which applied to
several ranges far to the west and
south of the mountains now SO called,
or perhaps these were peaks Of the
mountains later called the Laramie
range.
Then came thing hard for us to
bear. Our horse, hobbled, as usual, for
the night and, moreover, picketed on a
long rope l had made from buffalo
hides, managed some time in the night
to break his hobbies and in some way
to pull loose the picket pin. When
we saw that he was gone we looked
at each other blankly.
"What shall we do?" she asked me
in horror. For the first time l saw
her sit down in despair. 1--WE are
lost! What shall we do? she walled.
trailed the missing horse for many
miles, but could only tell he was go
ing steadily, lined out for some dis
tant point. dared not pursue him
farther and leave her behind. An
hour after noon returned and sullen-
~ threw myself on the ground beside
her at our little bivouac I could not
bear to think of her being reduced to
foot travel over all these cruel miles
Yet indeed it now must come to that.
"We have the dog" said l at lengt'
1--WE can carry a robe and a lit;
neat and walk slowly. I can carry
nndred pound pack if need be, al
.e dog can take twenty-five
And l can carry something" s
aid, rising with her old courage.
) my part" l made her a pack
en- pounds, and. soon seeing that
vas too heavy, 1 took it from her
brew it on my own.
"At least shall carry the belt" s.
said. And so she took my belt, wi
it's flask and bullet pouch, the latt,
now all too scantily filled.
Thus, sore at heart and somewha
weary, we struggled on through thu
afternoon and sank down beside lii
flo wafer hole And that night wIleI