Conservative.
now clear our train moved ahead ,
traveling all night and keeping out nil
the mounted ones as front and roar
guards.
We now come to the "last leaving of
the Little Blue" and pass over the up
land without wood or water thirty-
three miles to Fort Kearney , in the
great Platte valley. It was nearly night
and in a drizzling rain when we came to
the line of the reservation when a
trooper sitting on his horse , informed us
that we would have to keep off , or go on
through the reservation , a distance of
three or four miles. It was dark and
raining , and we camped right there
without any supper or fire to make even
some coffee. Wo hitched up in the
morning and drove into the Fort , where
wo were very kindly treated by the
commanding officer , whoso name I
think was MoArthur. Pie tendered
us a large room and tables with pen and
ink , paper and "envelope paper , " where
wo wrote the first letters back from Ne
braska , which I believe were all re
ceived at home with nrach joy. The
greater part of the troops wore absent
on a scout. After buying a few things
that we had forgotten to bring witli us
and getting rested , wo moved on our
journey again , going up on the south
side of the Platte river.
One of our comrades , Robert Nelson ,
belonging to the captain's wagon , was
now very sick with something like
cholera , and on May 27 , about sixty
miles above Fort Kearney , he died. We
sewed his remains up in his blanket and
buried him within a few rods of the
river bank at sunrise the next day.
Nearly all the company knew him well
and his death and burial were to all of
us very sad indeed.
We now came to the "south fork of
the Platte river" immediately where it
flows into the main river. We had long
dreaded this crossing , owing to the
treacherous quicksands of its bottom.
Here the guards succeeded in killing our
first buffalo.
About 0 o'clock in the morning , nil
things being in readiness , two men were
sent in to wade across the river with
long willows to stick in the sand , to
mark out the route through. Two or
three wagons could be seen where they
had settled down in the quicksand ,
because of stopping in the stream , and
were never able to get out. With these
evidences before us of the risks we were
to run , we started. Every man but the
drivers walked , or rather , waded , along
side the horses to render assistance if il
should be required. Following the route
marked by the willows , with scarcely a
i word spoken , -we drove clear through
and out on dry laud without a halt or
break. To say that we all felt happy to
know that the crossing was behind us
did not half express our feelings. One
man dug out a demijohn of brandy from
his traps and treated all hands , remark
ing that "the success of that under-
aking really merited something extra
ordinary. "
A few days after this an incident
occurred in camp that bordered on the
ragio , but finally ended in good feeling.
Vly guard mate , named Oharley Stewart ,
and myself were the two youngest in the
company , and being guards together ,
were great friends. He was a native of
Cincinnati , well educated , and had a
fund of stories and recitations that ho
uaed to got off when wo were on guard
together. This night wo were camped
on the side of some little hills near some
ravines. The moon was shining , bxit
there were dark clouds occasionally pas
sing over , so at times it was quite dark ,
tt was near midnight , and we would be
relieved in an hour. We had been the
"grand rounds" out among the stock
and came to the nearest wagon , which
was facing the animals which wore
picketed out on the slope. Stewart was
armed with a "Colt's Army , " while I
bad a double-barreled shotgun loaded
with buckshot. I was sitting on the
double-tree on the right side of the
tongue which was propped up with the
ueckyoko ; Stewart sat on the tongue
about an arm's length in front of me , I
holding my gun between my knees with
the butt on the ground. Stewart was
getting off one of his stories and was
about to come to the climax , when I
saw something running low to the
ground in among the stock. Thinking
it was an Indian on all fours to stam
pede the animals , I instantly leveled my
gun and as I was following it to an
opening herd , my gun came in contact
with Stewart's face at the moment of
discharge. Stewart fell backward over
the wagon tongue , his legs and feet
hanging over. My first thought was
that I had killed him. He recovered in
a moment and commenced cursing and
calling me vile names , accusing me of
attempting to murder him , etc. During
these moments in his frenzy he was
trying to get his revolver out from undei
him , swearing ho would kill me in a
minute. Taking in the situation , 1
dropped my gun , jumped over the
wagon tongue , as he was now getting
on his feet , and engaged in what proved
to be a desperate fight for that revolver.
We were both sometimes struggling on
the ground , then again on our knees , he
striking me repeatedly in the face anc
elsewhere , still accusing me of trying to
murder him , and I having no chance to
explain things , so the struggle for thai
revolver went on. Finally I threw him
down and held him till he was too much
exhausted to continue the fight any
longer , and having wrested the revolver
from him , I helped him to his feet. In
trying to pacify him I led him out to
where the object ran that I had fired afc
whore nearby lay the dead body of. a
large gray wolf with several buckshot
holes through his side. Stewart was
speechless , Looking _ at the wolf
; hen at me he suddenly realized his
nistako and repeatedly begged my par
don. Wo agreed never to mention the
affair to anyone in the company.
Taking the wolf by the oars we dragged
him back to the wagon , where I picked
up my gun and gave Stewart his re
volver. I have often thought what
would have been the consequence of
that shot had I not killed the wolf.
Along in this vicinity the bluff comes
down to the edge of the river , and con
sequently wo had to take to the hills ,
which were mostly deep sand , making
heavy hauling. This trail brought us
into Ash Hollow , a few miles up from
its numth. Coming down to where it
opened out on the Platte about noon ,
we turned out for lunch. Hero was a
party of Sioux Indians camped in tents
of buffalo skins. They were friendly , as
all of that tribe was that summer. This
is the place where General Kearney ,
several years later , had a terrific battle
with the same tribe who were then on
the war-path along this valley.
Some weeks before the fore-wheel of
my wagon had been badly damaged ,
and I had been on the lookout for
another wheel for the spokes in order to
make the necessary repairs. Taking my
rifle , after lunch , I started out and
across the bottom , whore , in a few rods
of the river and about a half mile off the
road , which turned close along the bluff ,
I came upon an old broken down wagon ,
almost hidden in the grass. Taking the
measure of the spokes , I found to my
great joy they were just the right size
and length. Looking around I saw the
train moving on at a good pace almost
three-quarters of a mile away. I was
delayed some time in trying to get the
wheel off the axletree. Succeeding at
last , I fired my rifle towards the tram ,
but no one looked around , all evidently
supposing that I was on ahead. It was
an awful hot afternoon , and I was get
ting warmed up myself. I reloaded my
rifle , looked at the receding train , and I
made up my mind to have that wheel if
it took the balance of the day to get it
into camp. I started by rolling it by
hand , then by dragging it behind mo ,
then I ran my rifle through the hub and
got it upon my shoulder , when I moved
off at a good pace.
The sun shining hot soon began to
melt the tar in the hub , which began
running down my back , both on the
inside and outside of my clothes , as well
as down along my rifie. I finally got
back to the road very tired , stopping to
rest , hoping some wagon would come
along to help me out , but not one catno
in sight that afternoon. In short , I
rolled , dragged and carried that wheel ,
my neck , shoulders and back daubed
over with tor , until the train turned out
to camp , when I , being missed , was
discovered way back in the road , with
my wheel. When relief came to me I
was nearly tired out with my exertions
