The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)

d to increase their misfortunes the poor animals were attacked by the magpies, which, attracted by the scent of their sore backs, alighted on them, and in defiance of their wincing and kicking, picke

im horses. Marched and found it necessary to cross to the north side, about two miles up, as the ridge joined the river.[III-1] The ford was a good one, but the ice ran very bad, and two of the men got their feet frozen before we could get accommodated with fire, etc. Secured some

ck. The hardships of last voyage [i. e., that up the Mississippi, winter of 1805-6] had now begun; and had the climate only been as severe as the climate then was, some

el of the sea, it would make the elevation of this peak 18,581 feet; equal to some and surpassing the calculated height of others for the peak of Teneriffe, and falling short of that of Chimborazo only 1,701 feet. Indeed, it was so remarkable as to be known to all the savage nation

wo bulls, that the men might use pieces of their hides for mockinsons. Left Sparks out. On

s, who had succeeded in killing a cow. Killed two b

Grape creek], near the entrance of the South [Wet] mountain. In the evening walked up to the mountain. Heard 14 guns at camp during my absence, which alarmed me consid

followed the river into the mountain, where it was bounded on each side by the rocks of the mountain, 200 feet

[III-5] of the river, in the mountains; of which they reported that they had ascended until the river was merely a brook, bounded on both sides with perpendicular rocks, impracticable for horses ever to pass them; they had then recrossed the river to the north side, and discovered,

ly impregnated with sulphur. There were some very strong sulphurated springs at its foot. Returned to camp; took with me Dr. Robinson and Miller, and descended the river, in order to discov

ow; and, from every observation we could make, conceived they had all ascended the river. Returned to camp, where we arriv

dry ravine.[III-6] Obliged to melt snow for ourselves and horses; and as there was no

encamped, where there was both water and grass. Kept up this branch, but was frequently embarrassed as to the trace; at three o'c

ges on our right and left appeared to grow lower, but mountains appeared on our flanks, through th

un and went out to see what discovery I could make. After marching about two miles north, fell on a river 40 yards wide, frozen over; which, after some investigation, I found ran northeast. This was the occasion of much surprise, as we had been taught to expect to meet with the branches of Red river, which should run southeast. Query: Must

made by their horses was astonishing, and would have taken a thousand horses some months. As it was impossible to say which course the Spaniards had pursued, amongst this multiplicity of signs, we halted early, and discovered that they or the savages had ascended the river. We determined to pursue them, as the geography of the country had turned out to be so different from ou

nd corn-cobs. This induced us to believe that those savages, although erratic, must remain long enough in one position to cultivate this grain, or obtain it of the Spaniards. From

n the course of the river into the mountains. From a high ridge we reconnoitered the adjacent country, and concluded, putting the Spanish trace out of the question, to bear our course southwest, for the head of Red river.[III-11]

anch [of the South Platte]; ascended it to some distance, but finding it to bear too much to the north, w

past an excellent spring, which formed a fine [Trout] creek. This we followed through narrows in the mountains for about six miles. Found many evacuated camps of Indians, the latest yet seen. After pointing out the ground for the encampment, the doctor and myself went on to make discoveries, as was our usual custom, and in about four

encamped;[III-14] sent out parties hunting, etc., but had no success.

observation. As there was no prospect of killing any game, it was necessary that the party should leave that place. I therefore determined that the doctor and Baroney should descend

who accompanied me, Mountjoy and Miller, ascended 12 miles[III-15] and encamped on the north side. The river continued close to the north mountain [Park range],

re the river entered the mountains; it being at that place not more than 10 or 15 feet wide, and properly speaking, only a brook. From

forded it, although extremely cold, and marched until some time in the night, when we arrived at the second nig

d been absent from the party two days without killing anything, also without eating; but that overnight they had killed four buffaloes, and that he was in search of the men. I suffered the two lads [Miller, Mountjoy] with me to go to the camp where the meat was, as we had also been nearly tw

to establish the geography of the sources of the supposed Red river. As I well knew that the indefatigable researches of Dr. Hunter, [William] Dunbar, and [Thomas] Freeman had left nothing unnoticed in the extent of their voyage up said river, I determined that its upper branches sh

e, 800 miles from the frontiers of our country, in the most inclement season of the year-not one person clothed for the winter-many without blankets, having been obliged to cut them up for socks, etc., and now lying down at night on the snow or wet ground, one side burning whilst the other was pierced with the cold wind-such was

as of the carnivorous species; it differed from any bird we ever saw in the United States. We kept him with us in a small wicker cage, feeding him on meat, until I left the interpreter on the A

y, and forms several small islands; a large stream [South Arkansaw] enters from the south. As my boy and some others were sick, I omitted pitching o

, I am convinced that neither those animals, nor the aborigines of the country, ever take this route, to go from the source of the river out of the mountains; but that they must cross one

ncluded we were going out of the mountains; but at night encamped at the entrance of the most perpendic

imal on the mountains; ascended to kill him, but did not succeed. Finding the impossibility of getting along with the horses, ma

r the sled loads, as the men had broken it and could not proceed, owing to the waters

wn, we were obliged to pull them over on the ice. The river turned so much to the n

, some of the poor animals having nearly killed themselves in falling on the ice. Found on the way one of the mountain rams [bighorn, Ovis montana], which the doctor and Brown had k

ing it almost impossible to proceed any further with the horses by the bed of the river, ascended the mountain and immediately after were again obliged to descend an almost perpendicular side of the mountain; in effecting which, one horse fell down the precipi

the ice, and covering it with earth, in order to go round precipices, etc. The men left in the morning encamped with us at night; but those of the d

cept the last, had orders, if they killed any game, to secure some part in a conspicuous place, for their companions in the rear. I marched about five miles on the river, which was one continued fall through a narrow channel, with immense cliffs on both sides.[III-26] Near night I came to a place where the rocks were perpendicular on both sides, and there was no ice, except a narrow border on the water. I began to look about, in order to discover which way the doctor and his companion had managed, and to find what had become of the two lads with the first sled, when I discovered one of the latter climbing up the side of the rocks. I called to him; he and his companion immediately joined me. They said they had not known whether we were before or in the rear; that they had eaten nothing for the last two days, and that this night they had i

f my party; returned to my companions sorely fatigued and hungry. I then took a double-barreled gun and left them, with assurances that the first animal I killed, I would return with part for their relief. About ten o'clock rose [that is, I surmounted] the highest summit of the [Noonan] mountain, when the unbounded spaces of the prairie again presented themselves to my view; and from some distant peaks I immediately recognized it to be the outlet of the Arkansaw, which we had left

gh Webster Park], and had killed one buffalo and some deer. We proceeded to our old camp [Ca?on City], which we had left the 10th of December, and reoccupied it. Saw the traces of the doctor and his co

some of the men. He had been confined to the camp for one or two days, by a vertigo which proceeded from some berries he had eaten on the mountains. His companion brought down six deer, which

d to carry the poor fellows provisions; at the same ti

Put one man to stocking my rifle; others were s

etermined to build a small place for defense and deposit;[III-28] leave part of the baggage, horses, my interpreter, and one man [Smith]; and with the balance, our packs of Indian presents, ammunition, tools, etc., on our backs, cross the mountains on foot, find the Red river, and then send back a party to conduct the horses and baggage by the most eligible route we could discover; by which time the horses w

es and angular distances of two stars, etc., bu

latitude and took the angular dista

e for a march by separating it

n, which I conceived the most correct way I possessed of ascertaining the longitude, as a

each of us carrying 45 pounds and as much provision as he thought proper, which, with arms, etc., ma

and struck on the south fork [Grape creek], on which we encamped, intending to pursue

[now Wet] mountains. Halted early. The doctor, myself, and one hunter went out with

s it was snowing. I went out to hunt, but killed nothing. Deer on

ch bounded the foot of the [Wet] mountains. As there was no wood or water where we were, and the woods from the skirts of the [Sangre de Cristo] mountains appeared to be at no great distance, I thought proper to march for it; in the middle of said prairie crossed the creek [recrossed Grape creek from N. E. to S. W.], which now bore east. Here we all got our feet wet. The night co

ve existence. Near evening we wounded a buffalo with three balls, but had the mortification to see him run off notwithstanding. We concluded it was useless to go home to

ay since we had received sustenance, all of which we were marching hard, and the last night had scarcely closed our eyes to sleep. We were inclining our course to a point of woods, determined to remain absent and die by ourselves rather than return to our camp and behold the misery of our poor lads, when we discovered a gang of buffalo coming along at some distan

e countenances of the men was not a frown, nor a desponding eye; all seemed happy to hail their officer and companions, yet not a mouthful had they eaten for four days. On demanding what were their thoughts,

t impossible for two of them [Sparks and Dougherty] to proceed, and two others only without loads, by the help of a stick. One of the former was my waiter, a promising you

o see what prospect there was of being able to cross it, but had not more than fairly arrived at its base when I found the snow four or five feet deep; this obliged me to determ

ery argument in my power to encourage them to have fortitude to resist their fate, and gav

wo poor fellows who remained. They were John Sparks and Thomas Dougherty. We went on eight miles and encamped on a litt

we sallied forth to search for them. We separated, and had not marched more than one or two miles, when I found it impossible to keep any course without the compass continually in my hand, and then was not able to see more than 10 yards. I began to perceive the difficulty even of finding the way back to our camp; and I can scarcely concei

at, finding the snow to fall so thickly that it was impossible to proceed, they had encamped about one o'clock the preceding day. As I found all the buffalo had quit the plains, I determined to attempt the traver

nance, through snows three feet deep, and carry burdens only fit for horses," etc. As I knew very well the fidelity and attachment of the majority of the men, and even of this poor fellow (

f the buffalo, which were on the move. The doctor, who was then less reduced than myself, ran and got behind a hill and shot one down, which stopped the remainder. We crawled up to the dead one and shot from him as many as 12 or 14 times among the gang, when they remov

But when we were equally hungry, weary, emaciated, and charged with burdens which I believe my natural strength is less able to bear than any man's in the party; when we were always foremost in breaking the road, in reconnoitering, and in the fatigues of the chase, it was the height of ingratitude in you to let an expression escape which was indicative of discontent. Your ready compliance and firm perseverance I had reason to expect, as the leader of men and my companions in miseries and dangers. But your duty as a soldier called on your obedience to your officer, and a prohibition of such langu

animals would have continued in the mountains; we should have become so weak as not to be able to hunt, and of course have perished. Th

s possible along and leave one of my frozen lads with the balance, as a deposit for th

y's march through snows, in some places three feet deep, we struck on a brook which led west. This I followed down, and shortly came to a smal

ched on the outlet of the mountains, left the sandy desert to our right, and kept down between it and the mountain. When we encamped, I ascended one of the largest hills of sand, and with my glass could discover a large river [the Rio Grande], flowing nearly N. by W. and S. by E., through the plain [San Luis valley]. This river came out of the third chain of mountains, about N. 75° W.; th

er, in a direct line, we marched obliquely to a copse of woods, which made down a co

ening on the banks of the Rio del Norte, then sup

r five might defend against the insolence, cupidity, and barbarity of the savages, while the others returned to assist the poor fellows who had been left behind at different points. We descend

ut the place for our wor

great difficulty, by night, at the distance of seven or ei

pent in re

but could not kill anything.

ek] which divides the chain of mountains, proceeds down the prairie, making many large and beautiful islands, one of which I judge contains 100,000 acres of land, all meadow ground, covered with innumerable herds of deer. About six miles from the mountains [San Luis hills] which cross the prairie at the south end, a branch [Alamosa or La Jara creek] of 12 steps wide pays its tribute to the main stream from the west course. Due W. 12°. N. 75°. W. 6° [sic]. Four miles below is a stream [Trinchera creek] of the same size, which ent

and that I was prepared to descend to Nachitoches. He therefore this day made his preparations for marching to-morrow. I went out hunting, and killed at three miles' distance a deer which, with great difficulty, I brou

each end. We then dug a small ditch on the inside all round, making it perpendicular on the internal side and sloping next the work. In this ditch we planted small stakes, about six inches in diameter, sharpened at the upper end to a nice point, and slanted them over the top of the work, giving them about 2? feet projection. We then secured them above and below in that position, which formed a small pointed frise, which must have been removed before the works could have been scaled. Lastly, we had dug a ditch round the whole, four feet wide, and let the water in all round. The earth taken out, being thrown against the work, formed an

entlemen do in colleges, in skimming on the surfaces of sciences, without ever endeavoring to make themselves masters of the solid foundations. Robinson studied and reasoned; with these qualifications he possessed a liberality of mind too great ever to reject an hypothesis because it was not agreeable to the dogmas of the schools; or adopt it because it had all the eclat of

. Finding that he sold the goods high, had land offered him, and the women kind, he concluded to expatriate himself and convert the property of Morrison to his own benefit. When I was about to sail, Morrison, conceiving that it was possible that I might meet some Spanish factors on the Red river, intrusted me with the claim, in order, if they were acquainted with La Lande, I might negotiate the thing with some of them. When on the frontiers, the idea suggested itself to us of making this claim a prete

left with the frozen lads, and to see if they were yet able to come on. This detachment left me with four men only, t

y memory as to the French gram

h. Hunt

ad and labore

unting. Kill

2th. S

unting. Kill

impregnated with mineral qualities, as not only to keep clear of ice previous to their joining the main branch, but to keep open the west fork until its

h. Reading, etc.

out hunting; about six miles from

in a small ravine, in hopes to decoy them near enough to oblige them to come to a parley; which happened agreeably to our desires, as they came on, hunting us with great caution. We suffered them to get within 40 yards-where we had allured them; but they were about running off again, when I ordered the soldier to lay down his arms and walk toward them, at the same time standing ready with my rifle to kill either who should lif

o inform them merely that I was about to descend the river to Nachitoches. We sat on the ground a long time, till, finding they were determined not to leave us, we rose and bade them adieu. But they demanded wh

hem that if Governor Allencaster would send out an officer with an interpreter who spoke French or English, I would do myself the pleasure to give his Excellency every reasonable satisfaction as to my intentions in coming on his frontiers. They informed me that on the second day they would be in Santa Fe, but were careful never to sugge

ed. After their departure, we commenced working at our little stockade, as I thought it probable the governor might dispute my right to descend t

had hailed them [the relief-party] with tears of joy, and were in despair when they again left them, with the chance of never seeing them more. They sent on to me some of the bones taken out of their feet, and conjured me, by all that was sacred, not to leave them to perish far from the civilized world. Ah! little did they know my heart, if they could suspect me of conduct so ungenerous. No! before they should be left, I would for months have carried the end of a litt

one man [Miller] to prepare to march to-morrow for the [stockade on the] Arkansaw, where we had left our interpreter [Vasquez, with Patric

iting a command of more than 180 miles, over two great ridges of mountains covered with snow, inhabited by bands of unknown savages, in the interest of a nation with which we were not on the best understanding. To perform this journey, each had about ten pounds of venison. Only let me ask, What would our soldiers generally think, on being ordered on such a tour, thus

on my exploring trip down the river on the east side, at some leagues from its banks, intending to return up it. At

ns, or any other object to attract our attention, took up our route for the fort. Discov

men, if they discovered any people, to endeavor to retreat undiscovered; but if not, never to run, and not to suffer thems

ssaries, I established a lookout guard on the top of a hill all day, and at night a sentinel in a bas

riting, etc.; the me

illed one deer and wounded several others. As we were a great distance from

arrived about nine o'clock at night, as much fatigued as ever I was in my life. Our arrival dissipate

shortly after the party came in sight, to the number, as I afterward learned, of 50 dragoons and 50 mounted militia of the province, armed in the same manner with lances, escopates,[III-49] and pistols. My sentinel halted them at the distance of about 50 yards. I had the works manned. I thought it most proper to send out the two Frenchmen to inform the commanding officer that it was my request he should leave his party in the small copse of woods where he was halted, and that I would meet him myself in the prai

ich the civilized Indian who came out as a spy had brought me.

s, horses, money, or whatever you might stand in need of to conduct you to the head of Red river; as from Santa Fe to

rrupting him, "is no

The Rio

ing how sensibly I had committed myself in entering their territor

il I began to feel myself a little heated in the argument; and told him, in a peremptory style, that I would not go until the arrival of my sergeant with the balance of the party. He replied, "that there was not the least restraint to be used; that it was only necessary his Excellency should receive an explanation of my business on his frontier; that I could go now, or on the arrival of my party; that, if none went in at present, he should be obliged to send in f

ppear better to show a will to come to an explanation than to be in any way constrained; yet my situation was so eligible, and I could so easily have put them at defiance, that it was with great reluctance I suffered all our labor to be lost without once trying th

e works, and some of mine to go out and see them. The hospitality and goodness of the Creoles and Metifs began to

d (Carter)], who were to remain, we[III-50] sallied forth, mounted our horses, and went up the river about 12 mil

City, Jan