xious one. We had no doubt that the
Indians were watching us, lurking behind trees or shrubs, although they
did not show themselves. My father directed that all the horses should
be mounted, the men only required to conduct the waggons remaining on
foot. The formidable appearance we thus presented undoubtedly prevented
our enemies from approaching, still we felt sure that should they find
an opportunity of attacking us with advantage, they would be down upon
us. In a few days we hoped to reach one of the numerous forts scattered
over the continent for the protection of the white men, advancing in
constant streams to take possession of the fertile lands to the
westward, which had hitherto served only as the hunting-grounds of the
red-men. It is not surprising that the so-called savages looked with no
friendly eye on the intruders, or should have taken every opportunity of
destroying them, in the vain hope of preventing other following in the
same direction. The idea, however, that we were intruders did not occur
to my father, or to the thousands of other emigrants who were leaving
the Eastern States with the object of forming homes for themselves and
families in the desert. They saw unlimited tracks of a fertile country
stretched out before them without an inhabitant, and they looked upon
the savage red man much in the same light as they looked upon the herds
of buffalo which roam over the prairies. We had halted for our mid-day
rest, without having seen any Indians, though we kept a vigilant
look-out on every side. We began to hope therefore, that, content with
the plunder they had obtained, they had returned with it to their
villages, and that we should reach the fort without being molested.
Still my father was too good a soldier not to keep as constant a watch
as before. As we expected when we arrived at the fort to remain some
days, there would be time for our cattle and horses to rest; we
therefore agreed to push on across the prairie faster than we had
hitherto done, though of course we should be guided as to our
camping-places by the necessary requirements of water, grass, and wood
for fuel. We might thus have to halt earlier in the day than we wished,
or continue on later in the evening. The latter alternative it was
important, if possible, to avoid, as should any Indians be in the
neighbourhood they might attack us. The only means of averting the
danger of being surprised while on the move, was to sco