idle to detail the incidents of a journey across the
prairies. Ours differed in no way from hundreds of others that have
been made, and described--except, perhaps, that after reaching the
buffalo range, we travelled more by night than by day. We adopted this
precaution simply to save our scalps--and along with them our lives--
since the buffalo range--especially upon the Arkansas--is peculiarly the
"stamping" ground of the hostile savage. Here may be encountered the
Pawnee and Comanche, the Kiowa and Cheyenne, the Waco and fierce
Arapaho. Though continually engaged in internecine strife among
themselves, all six tribes are equally enemies to the pale-faced
intruders on their domain. At this time they were said to be especially
hostile--having been irritated by some late encounters with parties, of
ill-behaved emigrants. It was not without great peril, therefore, that
we were passing through their territory; and what we had heard, before
leaving Van Buren, had made us fully conscious of the risk we were
running.

To meet with one of the hunting or war-parties of these Indians, might
not be certain death; but certain they would be to disarm and _dismount_
us; and that, in the midst of the great prairie ocean, is a danger that
often conducts to the same _denouement_. It was not preference, then,
but precaution, that led us to adopt the "secret system" of travelling
by night. Our usual plan was to lie by during the day or for the
greater part of it, concealed in some selected cover--either among rocks
or copsewood. By stealing to a conspicuous eminence, we were enabled to
view the route ahead of us, and map out our journey for the night. Upon
this we would enter an hour or two before sundown: for then the Indian
hunter has returned to his encampment, which can be easily avoided, by
seeing its smoke from afar. We often saw their smokes, and more than
once the Indians themselves; but were never seen by them--so cautiously
did we carry out our measures.

In this fashion we "groped" our way with considerable rapidity. Guided
by the waggon tracks--especially when there was a moon--we could travel
almost as fast as by daylight. Only upon dark nights was our progress
retarded; but, notwithstanding every impediment, we were enabled to
travel faster than the caravan, and we knew that we were rapidly gaining
upon it. We could tell this by the constantly freshening trail; but we
had a more accurate criterion in _the cou