Part 32 (1/2)
CHAPTER XXII.
A TRIP TO FORT KEARNEY--THE GENERAL ENDORSES US AND WE PILOT AN EMIGRANT TRAIN TO CALIFORNIA.--WOMAN WHO THOUGHT I WAS ”NO GENTLEMAN.”--A CAMP DANCE.
Jim Bridger proposed that he and I make a trip to Fort Kearney together, and remain there until the emigrants began to come along, thinking that perhaps the Sioux would be so bad on the plains again that summer that we might get a layout scouting for trains going to California. Both of us were well acquainted with a greater part of the country to be traveled over, and there were few other men as well posted as to where the Indians were likely to make attacks, which was one of the most essential requirements in scouting with a train.
About the first of April we started, by the way of Denver City, for Fort Kearney, and as it had been nearly a year since we had seen the first named place we found quite a change there. Instead of a tented town, of shreds and patches, we saw a thriving village that had some quite comfortable wooden houses and an air of distinct civilization. To-day Denver is probably the best built city of its size in the world, but there was a time after this present visit of mine and Bridger's when the place became almost deserted. That was when the Union Pacific railroad was being constructed to Cheyenne, leaving Denver one hundred and eight miles due south. Then, all the people in Denver who could raise any sort of a team, took their household goods and G.o.ds, and in some cases the houses, and struck out for Cheyenne. Many who were too poor to get away became enormously rich, afterward, from that very fact, for they became possessed of the ground, and when the Kansas Pacific railroad was projected, and afterward constructed, Denver took on such a boom that real estate nearly went out of sight in value. The poor ones became wealthy, and nearly all of the Cheyenne stampeders returned. Following this, some years afterward, the discovery of silver carbonates in California Gulch, where Leadville now stands, gave Denver another boom that made the place the Queen city of the Plains, for good and all.
We reached Fort Kearney before the emigrants had got that far out, and found Gen. Kearney in command. He was glad to see us, and told us that if we needed any references to send the parties to him and he would give us a send-off that would be likely to fix us all right, and we knew that it would.
”I predict more trouble,” said he, ”on the plains this summer than there ever has been in any season previous to this, from the fact that the northern Sioux are, even at this early date, breaking up into little bands, and no doubt for the express purpose of capturing small bands of emigrants crossing the plains the coming summer.”
The first train that came along was from Illinois and Missouri. It was on the way to California and was composed of sixty-four wagons. The company was made up of men, women and children, nearly all of the men having families. They camped about a mile from the fort, and at near sundown Gen. Kearney proposed that we go over and see the ladies. So we rode over--the General, Jim Bridger and I.
Arriving at the camp we were astonished at seeing that the emigrants had no system whatever in forming their camp or corralling their wagons and stock, all being scattered here and there, hodge-podge.
I remarked to Gen. Kearney that they had certainly not met with any trouble from Indians so far, else they would have been more careful. The General replied that they would learn before they got much further.
When we arrived at their camp quite a crowd gathered around us, and among the balance was one man apparently forty years old, who walked up to Gen. Kearney and said: ”How are you, John?” that being the General's first name.
Gen. Kearney looked at him for a moment, then shook hands with him and said: ”You seem to know me, but you have the best of me. If I ever saw you before I don't remember when or where.”
The gentleman then said: ”When we used to go to school together you were the only boy in my cla.s.s that I could not throw down, but I believe that I could to-day.”
They had been schoolmates in Ohio and this was the first time they had met since they quit school. ”Of course,” said Gen. Kearney, ”you had the advantage of me, for you knew I was out here, while I never dreamed of you being in this country.”
We soon learned that the emigrants had heard about the hostility of the Sioux Indians, and were dreading them very much.
After the General and his old schoolmate talked over by-gone days for awhile they commenced asking him all sorts of questions relative to the Indians on ahead.
The General gave his views regarding the outlook for the coming summer, and after having ”said his say” about the n.o.ble red men, a number of the emigrants thought they would turn back the next morning.
Gen. Kearney said to them: ”Here are two as good mountaineers as may be found west of the Missouri river and I believe that you could hire them to go the entire trip with you at a reasonable figure, and I feel sure they will be able to render you valuable service, while pa.s.sing through the Indian country, they being well posted as to where the Indians would be most likely to make an attack. They are also well informed as to water, wood and gra.s.s, and the different drives to be made between camping places, &c.”
When we were just ready to mount our horses to return to the Fort for supper, a number of the men came to Jim and me and asked how much per month or per day we would take to go with them as scouts through the Indian country. We told them to get their supper over and call their men together, and we would go back to the Fort and get our supper, after which we would come down to their camp again and talk matters over and see if we could make a bargain. By this time a number of ladies had gathered around, and among them was an old lady who said: ”You two gentlemen with buckskin coats on can come and take supper with us in our tent.”
Gen. Kearney said: ”You had better accept the lady's hospitality, for you have a great deal to talk about.”
We thought this a capital idea and took supper with the emigrants, and the General returned to his quarters But before going he gave all, both ladies and gentlemen, a cordial invitation to come to the Fort the next day and pay him a friendly visit.
After all were through eating supper, Jim Bridger asked how many men they had in their train, but no one was able to tell. When he asked who their captain was a man replied that they did not know they had to have a captain. Jim with an oath said: ”What in the name of G.o.d do you think those soldiers over there would do without a captain, or at least an officer of some kind?”
Then he told them they had better form in line and see how many men they had, and elect five men to transact business with us.
They formed in line and counted and there were one hundred and forty men in the train, and not one of them had ever been on the plains before, and, of course, not one of them had ever seen a hostile Indian.
They then proceeded to elect the five men to transact the business with us, after which Jim turned to me and said: ”Now make your proposition.” I suggested that as he was the oldest, he should go ahead and make the bargain, whereupon he said: ”All right.
Gentlemen, I will make you an offer; if you see fit to accept it all right, and if not there is no harm done. We will scout for you for six dollars per day from here to the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and you board us and herd our horses with yours. We must have charge of the entire train, and we want at least two or three days in which to organize and drill before leaving this camp, and after the lapse of five days if this community is not satisfied with our work, we will quit, and not charge you a cent for what we shall have done at that time, and if our work is satisfactory we will expect our money every Sat.u.r.day night, for it is the money we are after and not the glory. Now, gentlemen, take the matter under consideration and give us an answer to-morrow morning after breakfast.”
On the following morning one of the men from the train came to the Fort very early to inform us that they had decided to accept our proposition.