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Of course, in company such as this, and at such a day, the conversation must drift toward the ever fruitful topic of slavery. "No, sir," began the Honorable William Jones, indulging himself in the luxury of tobacco as he addressed his companions, "there ain't no doubt about it. Us Southerners orto take all that new country west of the Missoury, clean acrost to the Pacific."
Shields also found a bould spring or fountain issuing from the foot of the Lard. hills about 4 miles up the Missouri; a fountain in this plain country is a great novelty; I have not seen a bould fountain of pure water except one since I left the Mandans; there a number of small ones but all without exception are impregnated with the salts which abound in this country, and with which I believe the Missoury itself considerably impregnated but to us in the habit of useing it not perceptible; the exception I make is a very fine fountain under the bluffs on the Lard. side of the Missouri and at a distance from the river about five miles below the entrance of the yellowstone River.
I left a note on a stick near the river for Capt. Clark, informing him of my progress &c. after refreshing ourselves abut 2 hours we again ascended the bluffs and gained the high plain; saw a great number of burrowing squirrels in the plains today. also wolves Antelopes mule deer and immence herds of buffaloe. we passed a ridge of land considerably higher than the adjacent plain on either side, from this hight we had a most beatifull and picturesk view of the Rocky mountains which wer perfectly covered with Snow and reaching from S. E. to the N. of N. W. they appear to be formed of several ranges each succeeding range rising higher than the preceding one untill the most distant appear to loose their snowey tops in the clouds; this was an august spectacle and still rendered more formidable by the recollection that we had them to pass. we traveled about twelve miles when we agin struck the Missoury at a handsome little bottom of Cottonwood timber and altho the sun had not yet set I felt myself somewhat weary being weakened I presume by late disorder; and therfore determined to remain here during the ballance of the day and night, having marched about 27 miles today. on our way in the evening we had killed a buffaloe, an Antelope and three mule deer, and taken a sufficient quantity of the best of the flesh of these anamals for three meals, which we had brought with us.
"The Legislator is over there in that house," replied the farmer, "and they've just give out some kind of a paper saying that this State of Missoury don't belong to the old Union no more, but is one of the Confedrit States of Ameriky."
But mebbe-so we can show 'em fer a day er so how Old Missoury gits acrost a country. Uh-huh?" Again Banion considered, pondering many things of which none of these knew anything at all. At length he drew aside with the men of the main train. "Park our wagons here, Bill," he said. "See that they are well parked, too. Get out your guards. I'll go up and see what we can do. We'll all cross here.
"Whar I come from, gentlemen whar I come from more'n forty year ago, near's I can figger. Leastways I was borned in Virginny an' must of crossed Kentucky sometime. I kain't tell right how old I am, but I rek'lect perfect when they turned the water inter the Missoury River." He looked at them solemnly. "I come back East to the new place, Kansas City.
Most of us going out to Californy. Goin' to cross the plains. Some up in the woods there goin' to Missoury. Don't care where they're goin' if they want to stop and camp with us. We're from the Pan Handle of Virginia. There's a dozen families or more of us goin' out to Californy together. The rest just happened along."
Teeters knew the effort it cost him to tell his name to strangers. He added with the air of a man determined to make a clean breast of it: "I'm from Missoury." The Major's hand shot out unexpectedly. "Shake!" he cried warmly. "I was drug up myself at the foot of the Ozarks." "I pulled out when I was a kid and wrangled 'round considerible." Teeters made the statement as an extenuating circumstance.
Couldn't he be diplomatic for once the stubborn old burro' and act glad even if he wasn't? Why didn't he at least step up like a man and say howdy to the woman he had lured from a good home? Where was he raised, anyhow? drug up in the brush, most like, in Missoury. Dill looked about inquiringly. "Ah-h! Mr. Griswold." He strode across the floor. "How are you?"
Sweeping his pistol muzzle across and back again over the front of the closing line, he sprang into saddle and wheeled away. "Hit means we've brung ye back a murderer. Git yer own rope ye kain't have mine! If ye-all want trouble with Old Missoury over this, er anything else, come runnin' in the mornin'. Ye'll find us sp'ilin' fer a fight!" He was off in the darkness.
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