[129] Trias, while yet a youth, was dispatched by his adopted father to take the tour of Europe and the United States. He was furnished for 'pocket money' (as I have been told) with nearly a hundred _barras de plata_, each worth a thousand dollars or upwards. This money he easily got rid of during his travels, but retained most of his innate bigotry and self-importance: and, with his knowledge of the superiority of the people among whom he journeyed, grew his hatred for foreigners. --GREGG. CHAPTER XXIV [VIII] Preparations for returning Home -- Breaking out of the Small-pox -- The Start -- Our Caravan -- Manuel the Comanche -- A New Route -- The Prairie on Fire -- Danger to be apprehended from these Conflagrations -- A Comanche Buffalo-chase -- A Skirmish with the Pawnees -- An intrepid Mexican -- The Wounded -- Value of a thick Skull -- Retreat of the Enemy and their Failure -- A bleak Northwester -- Loss of our Sheep -- The Llano Estacado and Sources of Red River -- The Canadian River -- Cruelties upon Buffalo -- Feats at 'Still-hunting' -- Mr. Wethered's Adventure -- Once more on our own Soil -- The False Washita -- Enter our former Trail -- Character of the Country over which we had travelled -- Arrival at Van Buren -- The two Routes to Santa Fé -- Some Advantages of that from Arkansas -- Restlessness of Prairie Travellers in civilized life, and Propensity for returning to the Wild Deserts. About the beginning of February, 1840, and just as I was making preparations to return to the United States, [Pg204] the small-pox broke out among my men, in a manner which at first occasioned at least as much astonishment as alarm. One of them, who had been vaccinated, having travelled in a district where the small-pox prevailed, complained of a little fever, which was followed by slight eruptions, but so unlike true variolous pustules, that I treated the matter very lightly; not even suspecting a varioloid. These slight symptoms {137} having passed off, nothing more was thought of it until eight or ten days after, when every unvaccinated member of our company was attacked by that fell disease, which soon began to manifest very malignant features. There were no fatal cases, however; yet much apprehension was felt, lest the disease should break out again on the route; but, to our great joy, we escaped this second scourge. A party that left Santa Fé for Missouri soon afterward, was much more unfortunate. On the way, several of their men were attacked by the small-pox: some of them died, and, others retaining the infection till they approached the Missouri frontier, they were compelled to undergo a 'quarantine' in the bordering prairie, before they were permitted to enter the settlements.