The  ride  from  Fort  Kearney  gave  us  but  few  new
experiences.  The  "noble  red  man"  disappointed
both  fear  and  hope.  He  gave  us  a  wide  berth ;
perhaps  he  had  intuitive  knowledge  of  our  brave
hearts  and  our  innumerable  Colts',  Smith  &  Wes-
sons', Remingtons',  Ballards',  and  double-barreled
shot-guns — certainly  we  bristled  with  the  munitions
of  war  like  a  fortification  prepared  for  assault ;  more
likely  he  saw  the  four  cavalrymen  that  constantly
galloped  by  our  side  from  station  to  station,  with
pistols  at  holsters  and  rifles  slung  in  the  saddles, —
for  bloodthirsty  as  our  red  brethren  are,  when  de-
fenseless men  or  women  or  children  come  in  their
way,  they  have  a  holy  horror  of  well-armed  soldiers,
breech-loading  rifles,  and  magazine  pistols.  They
easily  learn  and  most  faithfully  practise  the  maxim
of  civilization,  that  discretion  is  the  better  part  of
valor.
Animal  and  vegetable  life,  too,  grew  scantier ;  the
antelope  eluded  all  rifle  shot ;  only  a  prairie  hen  was
brought  down;  we  were  too  early  for  the  buffalo,
and  not  one  crossed  our  path :  as  the  Plains  grew
more  barren,  the  prickly  pear  and  the  sage  bush
became  plenty  in  their  tough  unfruitfulness ;  the
road  was  marked  more  frequently  with  the  carcasses
of  oxen  and  horses — scarcely  ever  were  we  out  of


24  ACROSS    THE    CONTINENT.
