valleys of the rivers on which they would be situated are fertile; the country, which supports immense herds of buffalo, is admirably adapted to grazing, and herds of cattle might be maintained by the posts, or obtained from the Spanish country, which already supplies a portion of their provisions to the trading posts mentioned above."

The party camped that night at the mouth of Horseshoe Creek, and the following night on the Platte a short distance south and east of what is now known as Orin Junction. On the 25th camp was made on the Platte a few miles above where Fort Fetterman was afterwards built. The next night they camped in a rocky glen, now known as Glenrock. On the night of the 27th camp was made in the vicinity of where Caspar now stands. This camp is somewhat in dispute among old-timers on account of the language used by Fremont in his journal after leaving the encampment of the 27th.

"July 28.-In two miles from our encampment we reached the place where the regular road crosses the Platte. There was two hundred feet breadth of water at this time in the bed, which has a variable width of eight to fifteen hundred feet. The channels were generally three feet deep, and there were large angular rocks on the bottom, which made the ford in some places a little difficult. Even at its low stage the river cannot be crossed at random, and this has always been used as the best ford. The low stage of the waters the present year had made it fordable in almost any part of its course, where access could be had to its bed."

It will be observed that Fremont says that he crossed where the regular road crosses the Platte. Now, as there were three regular crossings-one five miles below Caspar; another two miles above that town, and still another five miles above, it is somewhat difficult to determine which of these three crossings was used by the party. The men who went over the Overland Trail in the forties inform me that the lower crossing was not a good one, as quicksand was encountered. The one two miles above Caspar was somewhat better, but there was no rock in the river. The upper crossing was a hard, rocky bottom and answers Fremont's description, and old-timers have assured me that Fremont

must have crossed at this point. What happened the party on the 28th of July is reserved for another chapter.

CHAPTER XX.

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS IN WYOMING-[Continued.] MEETS A BAND OF OGALALLA SIOUX-DISCOURAGING Reports of the CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY-SEVERE DROUGHT AND A GRASSHOPPER PLAGUE-ADVISED TO GIVE UP THE EXPEDITION-BOLDLY PUSHES FORWARD-JOURNEY UP THE SWEETWATER-CROSSES SOUTH PASSPENETRATES THE WIND RIVER RANGE-CLIMBS FREMONT'S PEAKTHE RETURN JOURNEY-ENgraves a CroSS ON INDEPENDENCE Rock— MORE CAREFULLY EXPLORES THE NORTH PLATTE-RETURNS TO FORT LARAMIE-FOLLOWS THE PLATTE TO THE MISSOURI-Goes Down the MISSOURI IN A TEN-OARED BOAT-ARRIVES AT ST. LOUIS.

In the last chapter the crossing of the North Platte was noted. Four miles beyond the ford the party met a band of Ogalalla Sioux, who gave a gloomy account of the country beyond, reporting a great drought prevailed, and also that grasshoppers had swept over the country so that there was scarcely a blade of grass to be seen, and there was not a buffalo in the whole region. The Indians had been brought to the point of starvation and were obliged to eat their horses. Hearing these discouraging reports, Mr. Bisonette urged Fremont to turn back, as it would be dangerous to go forward. Fremont says:

"In reply, I called up my men and communicated to them fully the information I had just received. I then expressed to them my fixed determination to proceed to the end of the enterprise on which I had been sent; but as the situation of the country gave me some reason to apprehend that it might be attended with an unfortunate result to some of us, I would leave it optional with them to continue with me or to return. Among them were some five or six who I knew would remain. We had still ten days' provis ions, and should no game be found when this stock was ex

hausted, we had our horses and mules, which we could eat when other means of subsistence failed. But not a man flinched from the undertaking. 'We'll eat the mules,' said Basil Lajeunesse, and thereupon we shook hands with our interpreter and his Indians, and parted. With them I sent back one of my men, Dumes, whom the effects of an old wound in the leg rendered incapable of continuing the journey on foot, and his horse seemed on the point of giving out. Having resolved to disencumber ourselves of everything not absolutely necessary to our future operations, I turned directly in towards the river and encamped on the left bank, a little above the place where our council had been held, and where a thick grove of willows offered a suitable spot for the object I had in view.

"The carts having been discharged, the covers and wheels were taken off, and, with the frames, carried into some low places among the willows and concealed in the dense foliage in such a manner that the glitter of the iron work might not attract the observation of some straggling Indian. In the sand which had been blown up into waves among the willows, a large hole was dug, ten feet square, and six deep. In the meantime, all our effects had been spread out upon the ground, and whatever was designed to be carried along with us separated and laid aside, and the remaining part carried to the hole and carefully covered up. As much as possible, all traces of our proceedings were obliterated, and it wanted but a rain to render our cache safe beyond discovery. All the men were now set to work to arrange the pack saddles and make up the packs. The day was very warm and calm and the sky entirely clear, except where, as usual along the summits of the mountainous ridge opposite, the clouds had congregated in masses. Our lodge had been planted, and on account of the heat, the ground pins had been taken out and the lower part slightly raised. Near to it was standing the barometer, which swung in a tripod frame, and within the lodge, where a small fire had been built, Mr. Preuss was occupied in observing the temperature of boiling water. At the instant, and without any warning until it was within fifty yards, a violent gust of wind dashed down the lodge, burying under it Mr. Preuss and a dozen men, who had attempted to keep it from being carried away. I succeeded in saving the barometer, which the lodge was carrying off with itself, but the thermometer was broken.

"July 29.-All our arrangements having been com