Later the dead Indian was found by the other Indians lying
in the road. It was this that aroused their anger and kept us on the
ragged edge for several hours.

The Indians all rode off as we approached them, and as the trail was now
clear our train moved ahead, travelling all night and keeping out all
the mounted ones as front and rear guards.

We now come to the "last leaving of the Little Blue," and pass on to the
upland without wood or water, thirty-three miles east of Ft. Kearney,
leading to the great Platte Valley.

Meanwhile my broken wheel had completely collapsed. Having a kit of
tools with me, I set about shaping spokes out of the oak wood gathered
several days before. While I was doing this others of the men rode a
number of miles in search of fuel with which to make a fire to set the
tire. It was nearly night and in a drizzling rain when we came to the
line of the reservation. A trooper, sitting on his horse, informed us
that we would have to keep off of the reservation or else go clear
through if once we started. This meant three or four miles' further ride
through the darkness and rain, and so we camped right there, without
supper or even fire to make some coffee. We hitched up in the morning
and drove into the Fort, where we were very kindly treated by the
commanding officer, whose name, I think, was McArthur. He tendered us a
large room with tables, pen and ink, paper and "envelope paper," where
we wrote the first letters home from Nebraska, which, I believe, were
all received with much joy. The greater part of the troops were absent
from the Fort on a scout.

After buying a few things we had forgotten to bring with us and getting
rested, we moved on our journey again, going up on the south side of the
Platte River.

Before leaving this region I want to speak of the marvelous beauty of
the Platte River islands, a magnificent view of which could be had from
the bluffs. Looking out upon the long stretch of river either way were
islands and islands of every size whatever, from three feet in diameter
to those which contained miles of area, resting here and there in the
most artistic disregard of position and relation to each other, the
small and the great alike wearing its own mantle of sheerest
willow-green. There are comparatively few of these island beauty spots
in the whole wide world. When the Maker of the universe gathered up his
emeralds and then dropped them with careless hand upon a few of eart