an entirely different country from that which we
had passed. It was almost a barren desert, treeless, without game, and,
but little water; on its hard surface the wagon wheels made scarcely an
imprint, and it was with the greatest difficulty that we could take up
the trail. The evening of the second day found us still on the road, as
we could find no water, without which we could not camp. Before sunset
we had noticed a low fringe along the horizon which looked like timber,
and knowing there must be water there, determined to push on and reach
it, if possible, before camping for the night.

After a weary march we reached the edge of the desert plain, and found a
small stream, clear but shallow; its banks lined with tall cottonwood
trees. Here we rested, and our tired animals fully appreciated the cool
water and the luxuriant "gramma" grass which abounded.

While standing watch, a precaution we never neglected, I fancied I heard
a distant rifle shot, and roused my father and brother, fearing Indians
might be near at hand, for we were now in very dangerous country and
father declared that he had seen "Injun sign" the day previous, but a
scout through the cottonwood grove revealed nothing, and as the sound
was very faint and was not repeated, we concluded it was only fancy;
father muttering as he crawled under his blanket that I was getting too
almighty scarey for a backwoodsman.

This incident however aroused those apprehensive feelings that had
before troubled me, but which had been quieted for a time by the
uneventful nature of our journey. We were not again disturbed that
night, but at sunrise we made a discovery that filled us with
dismay--_We had lost the trail!_ This we were convinced was the result
of our night journey, and father was confident that we could recover it;
but, when after several hours spent in a fruitless endeavor to find
where it crossed the stream, I urged that we should take our own trail
back to the point at which it diverged from that of the train, he
positively refused to do so; declaring that he wasn't a greenhorn to get
scared at so small a matter, and that he should push on in a
southwesterly direction, and take his chance of intersecting the trail,
he asserting that we must have strayed to northward of it. My brother
and myself protested against so rash an undertaking, but in vain; and we
finally started on what was destined to be our last day's journey
together.

Our route now lay acro