A trip to California in 1853 : $b Recollections of a gold seeking trip by ox train across the plains and mountains by an old Illinois pioneerBailey, Washington
History
A trip to California in 1853 : $b Recollections of a gold seeking trip by ox train across the plains and mountains by an old Illinois pioneer
Bailey, Washington
Overland journeys to the Pacific
He mounted one of them and rode away to round some of the cattle which
were straying. When Bart first started off, they did not care, but when
they saw him circle away from the main herd, they evidently thought that
he was running away with it, and one of them jumped on the other pony,
fixed an arrow to his bow and started in pursuit. By yelling as loud as
we could, we attracted the attention of Bart and motioned for him to
circle back to camp. By keeping a circle, he kept out of shooting
distance of the bow, and arrived in camp safe, but somewhat frightened
over his experience. The Indians got on their ponies and left.
Two or three days after this incident, a chief and about twenty of his
tribe, came to us and after a pow-wow, they sat down in a row and uncle
understanding the maneuver, had as many of the men sit down facing them,
as there were Indians. The chief lit his tomahock pipe, took a puff,
passed it to uncle, who did the same. The order pursued, was that the
chief would hand it to one of the Indians; the pipe would be returned to
him, and he would hand it to uncle, who would give it to one of the men,
who would return it to uncle, and uncle would give it back to the chief.
The order was maintained until all the men and Indians had a puff at the
pipe. When the program was over, the chief arose and said, "How!" and he
and the Indians took their departure. This was the "pipe of peace" and
meant that they would do us no harm, and we were not to harm them.
Evidently this visit was to clear up the misunderstanding concerning the
pony incident.
A rule had been made and understood by the men that there was to be no
quarreling or fighting in the camp. It is unfortunate in camp life,
especially on a trail far west, to have enmity in the camp. Tom Brooks,
who was one of the cooks, was a crabbed fellow. James Greek was an
orphan boy, who had made his home with uncle for several years, and who
one day killed a big buffalo.
In order to preserve the meat, it was put through a process of jerking,
which was to cut it into strips to be dried by the sun or by heating. We
had made a scaffold by putting forked sticks in the ground and by laying
sticks across in them, had made a platform about the fire. After the
fire became a bed of charcoal, the meat was laid on the cross sticks to
roast and dry.
James, who was a good natured chap of eighteen years of age, and having
killed the buffalo, helped himself to a piece of the meat. Tom Brooks
ordered him to put the meat back, which he refused to do, Tom jumping
onto him and beat him, until his face was black with the beating. The
sympathy of the camp was with Jim and Tom lost the respect of the camp
by his bullying disposition. Uncle was restrained from taking a hand in
the matter, as he could not afford to lose any of his helpers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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