some time about 1840 george frederick ruxton, a young englishman, was serving in canada as an officer in a british regiment. in 1837, when only seventeen years of age, he had left sandhurst to enlist as a volunteer in the service of spain, where he served with gallantry and distinction in the civil wars and received from queen isabella ii the cross of the first class of the order of san fernando. the monotony of garrison duty in canada soon palled on one who had taken part in more stirring scenes, and before long he resigned his commission in his regiment and sought new fields of adventure.
he was a man fond of action and eager to see new things. his earliest project was to cross africa, and this he attempted, but without success.
he next turned toward mexico as a field for adventure, and he has painted a fascinating picture, both of life there at the time of the mexican war and of life in the mountains to the north. the two small volumes of his writings are now out of print, but they are well worth reading by those who desire to learn of the early history of a country that is now well known, and which within fifty years has changed from a region without population to one which is a teeming hive of industry.
194 in ruxton’s adventures in mexico and the rocky mountains is a singularly vivid account of the author’s journeyings from england, by way of the madeira islands, barbadoes and others of the antilles, to cuba, and so to vera cruz, more fully called the rich city of the true cross; or as often, and quite aptly—from the plague of yellow fever which so constantly ravaged it—the city of the dead. from vera cruz he travelled north, passing through mexico, whose coast was then blockaded by the gringoes of north america, then through the country ravaged by marauding indians, and at last, leaving chihuahua and crossing by way of el paso into new mexico, he reached what is now the southwestern united states. through this country he passed—in winter—north through the mountains, meeting the trappers and mountaineers of those days and the indians as well, crossed the plains, and finally reached st. louis, and from there passed east to new york.
although untrained in literature, ruxton was a keen observer, and presented his narrative in most attractive form. he saw the salient characteristics of the places and the people among whom he was thrown, and commented on them most interestingly. he gives us a peculiarly vivid picture of mexico as it was during its early days of stress and strain, or from the time of its independence, for within the last twenty-five years there had been not far from two hundred and fifty revolutions. this state of things, as is well known, continued for a dozen years after the mexican war, or195 until the great indian juarez became ruler of the country and put down lawlessness and revolution with a strong hand. from his day until the expulsion of his great successor porfirio diaz mexico was fortunate in her rulers.
just after ruxton reached vera cruz general santa anna, ex-president of mexico, reached the city, having been summoned to return after his expulsion of a year before. santa anna was received with some form and ceremony, but with no applause; and before he had been long ashore was cross-examined by a representative of the people in very positive fashion, and submitted meekly to the inquisition.
it is hardly to be supposed that ruxton, who had been a british soldier, would be blind to the extraordinary appearance and absolute lack of discipline of the mexican troops, and his description of the soldiers, their equipment, and the preparations for the reception of santa anna is interesting. “the crack regiment of the mexican army—el onze, the 11th—which happened to be in garrison at the time, cut most prodigious capers in the great plaza several times a day, disciplinando—drilling for the occasion. nothing can, by any possibility, be conceived more unlike a soldier than a mexican militar. the regular army is composed entirely of indians—miserable-looking pigmies, whose grenadiers are five feet high. vera cruz, being a show place, and jealous of its glory, generally contrives to put decent clothing, by subscription, on the regiment detailed to196 garrison the town; otherwise clothing is not considered indispensable to the mexican soldier. the muskets of the infantry are (that is, if they have any) condemned tower muskets, turned out of the british service years before. i have seen them carrying firelocks without locks, and others with locks without hammers, the lighted end of a cigar being used as a match to ignite the powder in the pan. discipline they have none. courage a mexican does not possess; but still they have that brutish indifference to death, which could be turned to account if they were well led, and officered by men of courage and spirit.”
toward the end of the rainy season ruxton, with a mozo, started for the north. he travelled on horseback, and his way was made difficult by the condition of the roads, which were heavy from rain, and by the presence in the country of troops on their way to the war, which made the accommodations, bad at best, still worse.
concerning the city of mexico and its inhabitants of the better class he speaks with some enthusiasm, but the hotels were villainous, the city unsafe for strangers after night, and at that time a blond man—a guero—was constantly taken for a texan or a yankee, and was subject to attack by any of the people.
in the city of mexico ruxton purchased horses from a yankee horse-dealer named smith, and set out with a pack-train for the farther north. his accounts of his travels, the difficulties of the way, the inns at which he197 stopped, and the cities that he passed through are extremely interesting. of the manufacture of the national drink, pulque, the favorite beverage of the mexicans, he says: “the maguey, american aloe—agave americana—is cultivated over an extent of country embracing 50,000 square miles. in the city of mexico alone the consumption of pulque amounts to the enormous quantity of 11,000,000 of gallons per annum, and a considerable revenue from its sale is derived by government. the plant attains maturity in a period varying from eight to fourteen years, when it flowers; and it is during the stage of inflorescence only that the saccharine juice is extracted. the central stem which incloses the incipient flower is then cut off near the bottom, and a cavity or basin is discovered, over which the surrounding leaves are drawn close and tied. into this reservoir the juice distils, which otherwise would have risen to nourish and support the flower. it is removed three or four times during the twenty-four hours, yielding a quantity of liquor varying from a quart to a gallon and a half.
“the juice is extracted by means of a syphon made of a species of gourd called acojote, one end of which is placed in the liquor, the other in the mouth of a person, who by suction draws up the fluid into the pipe and deposits it in the bowls he has with him for the purpose. it is then placed in earthen jars and a little old pulque—madre de pulque—is added, when it soon ferments, and is immediately ready for use. the fermentation198 occupies two or three days, and when it ceases the pulque is in fine order.
“old pulque has a slightly unpleasant odour, which heathens have likened to the smell of putrid meat, but, when fresh, is brisk and sparkling, and the most cooling, refreshing, and delicious drink that ever was invented for thirsty mortal; and when gliding down the dust-dried throat of a way-worn traveller, who feels the grateful liquor distilling through his veins, is indeed the ‘licor divino,’ which mexicans assert, is preferred by the angels in heaven to ruby wine.”
wherever ruxton passed, his fair hair and complexion and his excellent arms were subjects of wonder; the first to the women and children, the second to the men. his double-barrelled rifles seem especially to have impressed the men.
as he passed farther and farther north, he heard more and more concerning the raids of the indians, and at the ranch of la punta, where he stopped to witness the sport of tailing the bull, he heard from one of the inhabitants an account of the raid of the previous year, in which a number of peons were killed and some women and children carried away to the north. he says: “the ranchero’s wife described to me the whole scene, and bitterly accused the men of cowardice in not defending the place. this woman, with two grown daughters and several smaller children, fled from the rancho before the indians approached, and concealed themselves under a wooden bridge which crossed199 a stream near at hand. here they remained for some hours, half dead with terror: presently some indians approached their place of concealment: a young chief stood on the bridge and spoke some words to the others. all this time he had his piercing eyes bent upon their hiding-place, and had no doubt discovered them, but concealed his satisfaction under an appearance of indifference. he played with his victims. in broken spanish they heard him express his hope ‘that he would be able to discover where the women were concealed—that he wanted a mexican wife and some scalps.’ suddenly he jumped from the bridge and thrust his lance under it with a savage whoop; the blade pierced the woman’s arm and she shrieked with pain. one by one they were drawn from their retreat.
“‘dios de mi alma!’—what a moment was this!—said the poor creature. her children were surrounded by the savages, brandishing their tomahawks, and she thought their last hour was come. but they all escaped with life, and returned to find their houses plundered and the corpses of friends and relations strewing the ground.
“‘ay de mi!’—what a day was this! ‘y los hombres,’ she continued, ‘qui no son hombres?’—and the men—who are not men—where were they? ‘escondidos como los ratones’—hidden in holes like the rats. ‘mire!’ she said suddenly, and with great excitement: ‘look at these two hundred men, well mounted and armed, who are now so brave and fierce, running after the poor200 bulls; if twenty indians were to make their appearance where would they be? vaya! vaya!’ she exclaimed, ‘son cobardes’—they are cowards all of them.
“the daughter, who sat at her mother’s feet during the recital, as the scenes of that day were recalled to her memory, buried her face in her mother’s lap, and wept with excitement.
“to return to the toros. in a large corral, at one end of which was a little building, erected for the accommodation of the lady spectators, were inclosed upwards of a hundred bulls. round the corral were the horsemen, all dressed in the picturesque mexican costume, examining the animals as they were driven to and fro in the inclosure, in order to make them wild for the sport—alzar el corage. the ranchero himself, and his sons, were riding amongst them, armed with long lances, separating from the herd, and driving into another inclosure, the most active bulls. when all was ready, the bars were withdrawn from the entrance of the corral, and a bull driven out, who, seeing the wide level plain before him, dashed off at the top of his speed. with a shout, the horsemen pursued the flying animal, who, hearing the uproar behind him, redoubled his speed. each urges his horse to the utmost, and strives to take the lead and be first to reach the bull. in such a crowd, of course, first-rate horsemanship is required to avoid accidents and secure a safe lead. for some minutes the troop ran on in a compact mass—a sheet could have covered the lot. enveloped in a cloud of201 dust, nothing could be seen but the bull, some hundred yards ahead, and the rolling cloud. presently, with a shout, a horseman emerged from the front rank; the women cried ‘viva!’ as, passing close to the stage, he was recognized to be the son of the ranchera, a boy of twelve years of age, sitting his horse like a bird, and swaying from side to side as the bull doubled, and the cloud of dust concealed the animal from his view. ‘viva pepito! viva!’ shouted his mother, as she waved her reboso to encourage the boy; and the little fellow struck his spurs into his horse and doubled down to his work manfully. but now two others are running neck and neck with him, and the race for the lead and the first throw is most exciting. the men shout, the women wave their rebosos and cry out their names: ‘alza—bernardo—por mi amor, juan maria—viva pepitito!’ they scream in intense excitement. the boy at length loses the lead to a tall, fine-looking mexican, mounted on a fleet and powerful roan stallion, who gradually but surely forges ahead. at this moment the sharp eyes of little pepe observed the bull to turn at an angle from his former course, which movement was hidden by the dust from the leading horseman. in an instant the boy took advantage of it, and, wheeling his horse at a right angle from his original course, cut off the bull. shouts and vivas rent the air at sight of this skillful maneuver, and the boy, urging his horse with whip and spur, ranged up to the left quarter of the bull, bending down to seize the tail, and secure it202 under his right leg, for the purpose of throwing the animal to the ground. but here pepe’s strength failed him in a feat which requires great power of muscle, and in endeavouring to perform it he was jerked out of his saddle and fell violently to the ground, stunned and senseless. at least a dozen horsemen were now striving hard for the post of honour, but the roan distanced them all, and its rider, stronger than pepe, dashed up to the bull, threw his right leg over the tail, which he had seized in his right hand, and, wheeling his horse suddenly outwards, upset the bull in the midst of his career, and the huge animal rolled over and over in the dust, bellowing with pain and fright.”
pushing northward through mexico, ruxton passed into a country with fewer and fewer inhabitants. it was the borderland of the republic, where the indians, constantly raiding, were killing people, burning villages, and driving off stock. the author’s adventures were frequent. he was shot at by his mozo, or servant, who desired to possess his property. he met wagon-trains coming from santa fé, owned and manned by americans. he lost his animals, was often close to indians, yet escaped without fighting them, assisted in the rescue of a number of american teamsters who had endeavored to strike across the country to reach the united states, and many of whom had perished from hunger and thirst; and finally, while on this good errand, was robbed of all his property by thieves in the little village where he had left it. his journal of203 travel is pleasantly interspersed with traditions of the country and accounts of local adventures of the time.
reaching chihuahua, he found the shops stocked with goods brought from the united states by way of santa fé, it being profitable to drive the wagon-trains south as far as chihuahua, rather than to sell their loads in santa fé. this santa fé trade, always subject to great risks from attacks by indians and other dangers of the road, was made still more difficult from the extraordinary customs duties laid by the mexican officials, who, without reference to the nature of the goods carried, assessed a duty of $500 on each wagon, no matter what its size or its contents.
of chihuahua as it was in those days ruxton writes with enthusiasm: “in the sierras and mountains,” he says, “are found two species of bears—the common black, or american bear, and the grizzly bear of the rocky mountains. the last are the most numerous, and are abundant in the sierras, in the neighbourhood of chihuahua. the carnero cimarron—the big-horn or rocky mountain sheep—is also common on the cordillera. elk, black-tailed deer, cola-prieta (a large species of the fallow deer), the common red deer of america, and antelope, abound on all the plains and sierras. of smaller game, peccaries (javali), also called cojamete, hares, and rabbits are everywhere numerous; and beavers are still found in the gila, the pecos, the del norte, and their tributary streams. of birds—the faisan, commonly called paisano, a species of pheasant:204 the quail, or rather a bird between a quail and a partridge, is abundant; while every variety of snipe and plover is found on the plains, not forgetting the gruya, of the crane kind, whose meat is excellent. there are also two varieties of wolf—the white, or mountain wolf; and the coyote, or small wolf of the plains, whose long-continued and melancholy howl is an invariable adjunct to a mexican night encampment.”
at the time that the author passed through chihuahua that province was in a state of more or less excitement, expecting the advance of the “americanos” from new mexico, which province had been occupied by the united states forces (santa fé having been entered aug. 18, 1846, by gen. s. w. kearny), and following the troops was a caravan of 200 traders’ wagons bound for chihuahua. ruxton was travelling northward, directly toward the american troops, and bore despatches for the american commander; he was therefore treated with extreme courtesy in chihuahua and went on his way. he has something to say about the mexican troops stationed here at chihuahua, whom colonel doniphan, two or three months later, with 900 volunteers, defeated with a loss of 300 killed and as many wounded, capturing the city of chihuahua, and without “losing one man in the campaign.” as a matter of fact, one man was killed on the united states side, while the mexican losses were given as 320 killed, 560 wounded, and 72 prisoners.
it was in november that the author bade adieu to205 chihuahua and set out for santa fé. though the country through which he journeyed was infested with indians, yet now and then a mexican village was passed, occupied by people who were poor both in pocket and in spirit, and satisfied merely to live. when the rio grande, which in old times was commonly called the del norte, was passed, ruxton was in what is now the united states. it was then mexican territory, however, and at el paso there were mexican troops, and also a few american prisoners. from here, for some distance northward, indian “sign” was constantly seen, chiefly of apaches, who made it their business and their pleasure to ravage the region.
on the rio grande, a few days’ journey beyond el paso, a surveying party under the command of lieutenant abert, of the united states engineers, was met with, and near him was camped a great part of the traders’ caravan which was on its way to chihuahua. the scene here must have been one of interest. the wagons were corralled, making a fort, from which indians or mexicans could be defied, and the large and wild-looking missourians formed a striking contrast to the tiny mexicans, with whom the author had so long been mingling. the american troops in this and neighboring camps were volunteers, each one of whom thought himself quite as good as his commanding officers, and anything like discipline was unknown. ruxton was greatly impressed by this, and commented freely on it, declaring that—“the american can never206 be made a soldier; his constitution will not bear the restraint of discipline; neither will his very mistaken notions about liberty allow him to subject himself to its necessary control.”
no doubt the troops which conquered mexico were a good deal of a mob, and won their victories in a great measure by the force of individual courage, and through the timidity and still greater lack of organization of the troops opposed to them. on the other hand, ruxton seems to have felt much admiration for the officers in command of the regular army. he speaks of west point, and declares that the military education received there is one “by which they acquire a practical as well as theoretical knowledge of the science of war”; and that, “as a class, they are probably more distinguished for military knowledge than the officers of any european army; uniting with this a high chivalrous feeling and a most conspicuous gallantry, they have all the essentials of the officer and soldier.”
ruxton spent some time hunting about this camp. one day he had a shot at a large panther which he did not kill, and later he found a turkey-roost. after a short delay here he started northward again. one of his servants had deserted him some time before, and now he sent the other back to mexico because he was already suffering from the severity of the climate. the author’s animals had now been travelling so long together that they required little or no attention in driving. of course the operation of packing for a single207 man was slow and difficult. continuing northward, he reached santa fé, where, however, he did not stop long.
it was now winter, and the weather cold and snowy, but the intrepid traveller had no notion of waiting for more genial days. he has much to say about the indians in the neighborhood, and especially of the pueblos, whose stone villages and peculiar methods of life greatly interested him. he found the mexicans of new mexico no more attractive than those with whom he had had to do farther to the southward, but seems to have felt a certain respect, if not admiration, for the canadian and american trappers who had married among these people. some of these men advised him strongly against making the effort to reach fort leavenworth at this season of the year, but he kept on. the journey was difficult, however. his animals, natives of the low country and of the tropics, were unused to mountain travel; each frozen stream that they came to was a cause of delay. the work of getting them on was very laborious, and every two or three days ruxton froze his hands. he was now approaching the country of the utes, who at that time were constantly raiding the settlements of northern new mexico, killing the mexicans and taking their horses. his purpose was to strike the arkansas river near its head waters, and to reach the bayou salado, an old rendezvous for trappers and a great game country. the cold of the mountain country grew more and more bitter, and the constant winds made it almost impossible for the men to keep208 from freezing. indeed, sometimes the cold was so severe that ruxton found it necessary to put blankets on his animals to keep them from perishing. for days at a time snow, wind, and cold were so severe that it was impossible to shoot game, as he could not bend his stiffened fingers without a long preliminary effort.
during a part of his journey from red river north he had been constantly followed by a large gray wolf, which evidently kept with him for the remains of the animals killed, and for bits of food left around camp.
at length the huerfano river was passed and a little later the greenhorn, where there was a camp of one white trapper and two or three french canadians. a few days later the arkansas was reached, and then the trading-post known as the pueblo. here ruxton became a guest of john hawkins, a well-known mountaineer of the time, and here he spent the remainder of the winter hunting on the fontaine-qui-bouille and in the bayou salado.
ruxton had many hunting adventures, and some narrow escapes from indian fighting. much of what he writes of this period has to do with the animals of the region, for at that time the country swarmed with game. the rapidity with which wolves will devour an animal is well known to those familiar with the olden time, but not to the people of to-day.
“the sagacity of wolves is almost incredible. they will remain around a hunting camp and follow the hunters the whole day, in bands of three and four, at209 less than a hundred yards distance, stopping when they stop, and sitting down quietly when game is killed, rushing to devour the offal when the hunter retires, and then following until another feed is offered them. if a deer or antelope is wounded, they immediately pursue it, and not unfrequently pull the animal down in time for the hunter to come up and secure it from their ravenous clutches. however, they appear to know at once the nature of the wound, for if but slightly touched, they never exert themselves to follow a deer, chasing those only which have received a mortal blow.
“i one day killed an old buck which was so poor that i left the carcase on the ground untouched. six coyotes, or small prairie wolves, were my attendants that day, and of course, before i had left the deer twenty paces, had commenced their work of destruction. certainly not ten minutes after, i looked back and saw the same six loping after me, one of them not twenty yards behind me, with his nose and face all besmeared with blood and his belly swelled almost to bursting. thinking it scarcely possible that they could have devoured the whole deer in so short a space, i had the curiosity to return, and, to my astonishment, found actually nothing left but a pile of bones and hair, the flesh being stripped from them as clean as if scraped with a knife. half an hour after i killed a large blacktail deer, and as it was also in miserable condition, i took merely the fleeces (as the meat on the back and210 ribs is called), leaving four-fifths of the animal untouched. i then retired a short distance, and, sitting down on a rock, lighted my pipe, and watched the operations of the wolves. they sat perfectly still until i had withdrawn some three-score yards, when they scampered, with a flourish of their tails, straight to the deer. then commenced such a tugging and snarling and biting, all squeaking and swallowing at the same moment. a skirmish of tails and flying hair was seen for five minutes, when the last of them, with slouching tail and evidently ashamed of himself, withdrew, and nothing remained on the ground but a well-picked skeleton. by sunset, when i returned to camp, they had swallowed as much as three entire deer.”
although ruxton was no longer travelling, he was not yet free from danger from storms, and an extraordinary night passed in a snow-storm followed the loss of his animals on a hunting trip. horses and mules had disappeared one morning, and he and his companion had set out to find them. this they did, and when they overtook the animals, shortly after noon, he says: “i found them quietly feeding ... and they suffered me to catch them without difficulty. as we were now within twenty miles of the fort, morgan (his companion), who had had enough of it, determined to return, and i agreed to go back with the animals to the cache, and bring in the meat and packs. i accordingly tied the blanket on a mule’s back, and, leading the horse, trotted back at once to the grove of cottonwoods where we211 had before encamped. the sky had been gradually overcast with leaden-coloured clouds, until, when near sunset, it was one huge inky mass of rolling darkness: the wind had suddenly lulled, and an unnatural calm, which so surely heralds a storm in these tempestuous regions, succeeded. the ravens were winging their way toward the shelter of the timber, and the coyote was seen trotting quickly to cover, conscious of the coming storm.
“the black threatening clouds seemed gradually to descend until they kissed the earth, and already the distant mountains were hidden to their very bases. a hollow murmuring swept through the bottom, but as yet not a branch was stirred by wind; and the huge cottonwoods, with their leafless limbs, loomed like a line of ghosts through the heavy gloom. knowing but too well what was coming, i turned my animals toward the timber, which was about two miles distant. with pointed ears, and actually trembling with fright, they were as eager as myself to reach the shelter; but, before we had proceeded a third of the distance, with a deafening roar, the tempest broke upon us. the clouds opened and drove right in our faces a storm of freezing sleet, which froze upon us as it fell. the first squall of wind carried away my cap, and the enormous hailstones beating on my unprotected head and face, almost stunned me. in an instant my hunting shirt was soaked, and as instantly frozen hard; and my horse was a mass of icicles. jumping off my mule—for to212 ride was impossible—i tore off the saddle blanket and covered my head. the animals, blinded with the sleet, and their eyes actually coated with ice, turned their sterns to the storm, and, blown before it, made for the open prairie. all my exertions to drive them to the shelter of the timber were useless. it was impossible to face the hurricane, which now brought with it clouds of driving snow; and perfect darkness soon set in. still, the animals kept on, and i determined not to leave them, following, or, rather, being blown, after them. my blanket, frozen stiff like a board, required all the strength of my numbed fingers to prevent its being blown away, and although it was no protection against the intense cold, i knew it would in some degree shelter me at night from the snow. in half an hour the ground was covered on the bare prairie to the depth of two feet, and through this i floundered for a long time before the animals stopped. the prairie was as bare as a lake; but one little tuft of greasewood bushes presented itself, and here, turning from the storm, they suddenly stopped and remained perfectly still. in vain i again attempted to turn them toward the direction of the timber; huddled together, they would not move an inch; and, exhausted myself, and seeing nothing before me but, as i thought, certain death, i sank down immediately behind them, and, covering my head with the blanket, crouched like a ball in the snow. i would have started myself for the timber, but it was pitchy dark, the wind drove clouds of frozen snow into my213 face, and the animals had so turned about in the prairie that it was impossible to know the direction to take; and although i had a compass with me, my hands were so frozen that i was perfectly unable, after repeated attempts, to unscrew the box and consult it. even had i reached the timber, my situation would have been scarcely improved, for the trees were scattered wide about over a narrow space, and, consequently, afforded but little shelter; and if even i had succeeded in getting firewood—by no means an easy matter at any time, and still more difficult now that the ground was covered with three feet of snow—i was utterly unable to use my flint and steel to procure a light, since my fingers were like pieces of stone, and entirely without feeling.
“the way the wind roared over the prairie that night—how the snow drove before it, covering me and the poor animals partly—and how i lay there, feeling the very blood freezing in my veins, and my bones petrifying with the icy blasts which seemed to penetrate them—how for hours i remained with my head on my knees and the snow pressing it down like a weight of lead, expecting every instant to drop into a sleep from which i knew it was impossible i should ever awake—how every now and then the mules would groan aloud and fall down upon the snow, and then again struggle on their legs—how all night long the piercing howl of wolves was borne upon the wind, which never for an instant abated its violence during the night,—i would214 not attempt to describe. i have passed many nights alone in the wilderness and in a solitary camp—have listened to the roarings of the wind and the howling of wolves, and felt the rain or snow beating upon me with perfect unconcern: but this night threw all my former experiences into the shade, and is marked with the blackest of stones in the memoranda of my journeyings.
“once, late in the night, by keeping my hands buried in the breast of my hunting shirt, i succeeded in restoring sufficient feeling into them to enable me to strike a light. luckily my pipe, which was made out of a huge piece of cottonwood bark, and capable of containing at least twelve ordinary pipefuls, was filled with tobacco to the brim; and this i do believe kept me alive during the night, for i smoked and smoked until the pipe itself caught fire and burned completely to the stem.
“i was just sinking into a dreamy stupor, when the mules began to shake themselves and sneeze and snort; which hailing as a good sign, and that they were still alive, i attempted to lift my head and take a view of the weather. when with great difficulty i raised my head, all appeared dark as pitch, and it did not at first occur to me that i was buried deep in snow; but when i thrust my arm above me, a hole was thus made, through which i saw the stars shining in the sky and the clouds fast clearing away. making a sudden attempt to straighten my almost petrified back and limbs, i rose, but, unable to stand, fell forward in215 the snow, frightening the animals, which immediately started away. when i gained my legs i found that day was just breaking, a long gray line of light appearing over the belt of timber on the creek, and the clouds gradually rising from the east, and allowing the stars to peep from patches of blue sky. following the animals as soon as i gained the use of my limbs, and taking a last look at the perfect cave from which i had just risen, i found them in the timber, and, singularly enough, under the very tree where we had cached our meat. however, i was unable to ascend the tree in my present state, and my frost-bitten fingers refused to perform their offices; so that i jumped upon my horse, and, followed by the mules, galloped back to the arkansa, which i reached in the evening, half dead with hunger and cold.
“the hunters had given me up for lost, as such a night even the ‘oldest inhabitant’ had never witnessed. my late companion had reached the arkansa, and was safely housed before it broke, blessing his lucky stars that he had not gone back with me.”
it was at this time that the news of the pueblo indian rising in the valley of taos was received and that governor charles bent and other white men had been killed.
at this time the fur of the beaver had been supplanted by other and cheaper materials, so that beaver fur, which formerly brought eight dollars a pound, now brought but one dollar. for this reason many, if not216 most, of the trappers had for the time being ceased their work, and had settled down on farms in the mountains, where, though professing to farm, they raised little from the ground except corn, but subsisted almost entirely on the game, which was enormously abundant. the author has much to say about the trappers and their ways of life, and this is one of the spirited pictures of the craft that he paints:
“on starting for a hunt, the trapper fits himself out with the necessary equipment, either from the indian trading-forts, or from some of the petty traders—coureurs des bois—who frequent the western country. this equipment consists usually of two or three horses or mules—one for saddle, the others for packs—and six traps, which are carried in a bag of leather called a trap-sack. ammunition, a few pounds of tobacco, dressed deer-skins for moccasins, &c., are carried in a wallet of dressed buffalo-skin, called a possible-sack. his ‘possibles’ and ‘trap-sack’ are generally carried on the saddle-mule when hunting, the others being packed with the furs. the costume of the trapper is a hunting-shirt of dressed buckskin, ornamented with long fringes; pantaloons of the same material, and decorated with porcupine-quills and long fringes down the outside of the leg. a flexible felt hat and moccasins clothe his extremities. over his left shoulder and under his right arm hang his powder-horn and bullet-pouch, in which he carries his balls, flint and steel, and odds and ends of all kinds. round the waist is a belt, in which is stuck217 a large butcher-knife in a sheath of buffalo-hide, made fast to the belt by a chain or guard of steel; which also supports a little buckskin case containing a whetstone. a tomahawk is also often added; and, of course, a long heavy rifle is part and parcel of his equipment. i had nearly forgotten the pipe-holder, which hangs round his neck, and is generally a gage d’amour, and a triumph of squaw workmanship, in shape of a heart, garnished with beads and porcupine-quills.
“thus provided, and having determined the locality of his trapping-ground, he starts to the mountains, sometimes alone, sometimes with three or four in company, as soon as the breaking up of the ice allows him to commence operations. arrived on his hunting-grounds, he follows the creeks and streams, keeping a sharp look-out for ‘sign.’
“during the hunt, regardless of indian vicinity, the fearless trapper wanders far and near in search of ‘sign.’ his nerves must ever be in a state of tension, and his mind ever present at his call. his eagle eye sweeps round the country, and in an instant detects any foreign appearance. a turned leaf, a blade of grass pressed down, the uneasiness of the wild animals, the flight of birds, are all paragraphs to him written in nature’s legible hand and plainest language. all the wits of the subtle savage are called into play to gain an advantage over the wily woodsman; but with the natural instinct of primitive man, the white hunter has the advantages of a civilized mind, and, thus provided,218 seldom fails to outwit, under equal advantages, the cunning savage.
“sometimes, following on his trail, the indian watches him set his traps on a shrub-belted stream, and, passing up the bed, like bruce of old, so that he may leave no tracks, he lies in wait in the bushes until the hunter comes to examine his carefully-set traps. then, waiting until he approaches his ambushment within a few feet, whiz flies the home-drawn arrow, never failing at such close quarters to bring the victim to the ground. for one white scalp, however, that dangles in the smoke of an indian’s lodge, a dozen black ones, at the end of the hunt, ornament the campfires of the rendezvous.
“at a certain time, when the hunt is over, or they have loaded their pack-animals, the trappers proceed to the ‘rendezvous,’ the locality of which has been previously agreed upon; and here the traders and agents of the fur companies await them, with such assortment of goods as their hardy customers may require, including generally a fair supply of alcohol. the trappers drop in singly and in small bands, bringing their packs of beaver to this mountain market, not unfrequently to the value of a thousand dollars each, the produce of one hunt. the dissipation of the ‘rendezvous,’ however, soon turns the trapper’s pocket inside out. the goods brought by the traders, although of the most inferior quality, are sold at enormous prices:—coffee, twenty and thirty shillings a pint-cup,219 which is the usual measure; tobacco fetches ten and fifteen shillings a plug; alcohol, from twenty to fifty shillings a pint; gunpowder, sixteen shillings a pint-cup; and all other articles at proportionately exorbitant prices.
“a trapper often squanders the produce of his hunt, amounting to hundreds of dollars, in a couple of hours; and, supplied on credit with another equipment, leaves the rendezvous for another expedition, which has the same result time after time; although one tolerably successful hunt would enable him to return to the settlements and civilized life, with an ample sum to purchase and stock a farm, and enjoy himself in ease and comfort the remainder of his days.
“an old trapper, a french canadian, assured me that he had received fifteen thousand dollars for beaver during a sojourn of twenty years in the mountains. every year he resolved in his mind to return to canada and, with this object, always converted his fur into cash; but a fortnight at the ‘rendezvous’ always cleaned him out, and, at the end of twenty years, he had not even credit sufficient to buy a pound of powder.
“these annual gatherings are often the scene of bloody duels, for over their cups and cards no men are more quarrelsome than your mountaineers. rifles, at twenty paces, settle all differences, and, as may be imagined, the fall of one or other of the combatants is certain, or, as sometimes happens, both fall to the word ‘fire.’”
220 ruxton made many solitary hunting trips away from the fort—pueblo—and of one of these, to the head of the fontaine-qui-bouille, he paints a pleasing picture:
“never was there such a paradise for hunters as this lone and solitary spot. the shelving prairie, at the bottom of which the springs are situated, is entirely surrounded by rugged mountains, and, containing perhaps two or three acres of excellent grass, affords a safe pasture to their animals, which would hardly care to wander from such feeding, and the salitrose rocks they love so well to lick. immediately overhead, pike’s peak, at an elevation of 12,000 feet above the level of the sea, towers high into the clouds; whilst from the fountain, like a granitic amphitheatre, ridge after ridge, clothed with pine and cedar, rises and meets the stupendous mass of mountains, well called ‘rocky,’ which stretches far away north and southward, their gigantic peaks being visible above the strata of clouds which hide their rugged bases.
“this first day the sun shone out bright and warm, and not a breath of wind ruffled the evergreen foliage of the cedar groves. gay-plumaged birds were twittering in the shrubs, and ravens and magpies were chattering overhead, attracted by the meat i had hung upon a tree; the mules, having quickly filled themselves, were lying round the spring, basking lazily in the sun; and myself, seated on a pack, and pipe in mouth, with rifle ready at my side, indolently enjoyed the rays, which reverberated (sic) from the white rock on which221 i was lying, were deliciously warm and soothing. a piece of rock, detached from the mountainside and tumbling noisily down, caused me to look up in the direction whence it came. half a dozen big-horns, or rocky mountain sheep, perched on the pinnacle of a rock, were gazing wonderingly upon the prairie, where the mules were rolling enveloped in clouds of dust. the enormous horns of the mountain sheep appeared so disproportionably heavy, that i every moment expected to see them lose their balance and topple over the giddy height. my motions frightened them, and, jumping from rock to rock, they quickly disappeared up the steepest part of the mountain. at the same moment a herd of blacktail deer crossed the corner of the glade within rifle shot of me, but, fearing the vicinity of indians, i refrained from firing before i had reconnoitred the vicinity for signs of their recent presence.
“immediately over me, on the left bank of the stream, and high above the springs, was a small plateau, one of many which are seen on the mountainsides. three buffalo bulls were here quietly feeding, and remained the whole afternoon undisturbed. i saw from the sign that they had very recently drunk at the springs, and that the little prairie where my animals were feeding was a frequent resort of solitary bulls.”
indian signalling “buffalo discovered”
a mountain hunter rather than one of the plains, ruxton nevertheless devotes some space to buffalo hunting. he points out what has so often been written of since his time, that the buffalo was hard to kill,222 not because it had so much vitality, but because the inexperienced hunter so seldom shot it in the right place. thus he says:
“no animal requires so much killing as a buffalo. unless shot through the lungs or spine, they invariably escape; and, even when thus mortally wounded, or even struck through the very heart, they will frequently run a considerable distance before falling to the ground, particularly if they see the hunter after the wound is given. if, however, he keeps himself concealed after firing, the animal will remain still, if it does not immediately fall. it is a most painful sight to witness the dying struggles of the huge beast. the buffalo invariably evinces the greatest repugnance to lie down when mortally wounded, apparently conscious that, when once touching mother earth, there is no hope left him. a bull, shot through the heart or lungs, with blood streaming from his mouth, and protruding tongue, his eyes rolling, bloodshot, and glazed with death, braces himself on his legs, swaying from side to side, stamps impatiently at his growing weakness, or lifts his rugged and matted head and helplessly bellows out his conscious impotence. to the last, however, he endeavours to stand upright, and plants his limbs farther apart, but to no purpose. as the body rolls like a ship at sea, his head slowly turns from side to side, looking about, as it were, for the unseen and treacherous enemy who has brought him, the lord of the plains, to such a pass. gouts of purple blood spurt223 from his mouth and nostrils, and gradually the failing limbs refuse longer to support the ponderous carcase; more heavily rolls the body from side to side, until suddenly, for a brief instant, it becomes rigid and still; a convulsive tremor seizes it, and, with a low, sobbing gasp, the huge animal falls over on his side, the limbs extended stark and stiff, and the mountain of flesh without life or motion.
“the first attempts of a ‘greenhorn’ to kill a buffalo are invariably unsuccessful. he sees before him a mass of flesh, nearly five feet in depth from the top of the hump to the brisket, and consequently imagines that, by planting his ball midway between these points, it must surely reach the vitals. nothing, however, is more erroneous than the impression; for to ‘throw a buffalo in his tracks,’ which is the phrase of making a clean shot, he must be struck but a few inches above the brisket, behind the shoulder, where alone, unless the spine be divided, a death-shot will reach the vitals. i once shot a bull, the ball passing directly through the very centre of the heart and tearing a hole sufficiently large to insert the finger, which ran upwards of half a mile before it fell, and yet the ball had passed completely through the animal, cutting its heart almost in two. i also saw eighteen shots, the half of them muskets, deliberately fired into an old bull, at six paces, and some of them passing through the body, the poor animal standing the whole time, and making feeble attempts to charge. the nineteenth shot, with the224 muzzle touching his body, brought him to the ground. the head of the buffalo-bull is so thickly covered with coarse matted hair, that a ball fired at half a dozen paces will not penetrate the skull through the shaggy frontlock. i have frequently attempted this with a rifle carrying twenty-five balls to the pound, but never once succeeded.
“notwithstanding the great and wanton destruction of the buffalo, many years must elapse before this lordly animal becomes extinct. in spite of their numerous enemies, they still exist in countless numbers, and, could any steps be taken to protect them, as is done in respect of other game, they would ever remain the life and ornament of the boundless prairies, and afford ample and never-failing provision to the travelers over these otherwise desert plains. some idea of the prodigious slaughter of these animals may be formed, by mentioning the fact that upwards of one hundred thousand buffalo robes find their way annually into the united states and canada; and these are the skins of cows alone, the bull’s hide being so thick that it is never dressed. besides this, the indians kill a certain number for their own use, exclusive of those whose meat they require; and the reckless slaughter of buffalo by parties of white men, emigrants to the columbia, california, and elsewhere, leaving, as they proceed on their journey, thousands of untouched carcases on the trail, swells the aggregate of this wholesale destruction to an enormous amount.”
225 the keen scent of the buffalo and its apparent poor sight were noticed by ruxton, as they have been by so many others. what is perhaps not generally known, because it has been forgotten, is that when running, the buffalo commonly swings its head from one side to the other, apparently in the effort to see what is going on on either side and perhaps, to some extent, behind it. other characteristics—its harmlessness, and its occasional unconcern in the presence of danger—are also shown here.
“there are two methods of hunting buffalo—one on horseback, by chasing them at full speed, and shooting when alongside; the other by ‘still hunting,’ that is, ‘approaching,’ or stalking, by taking advantage of the wind and any cover the ground affords, and crawling to within distance of the feeding herd. the latter method exhibits in a higher degree the qualities of the hunter, the former those of the horseman. the buffalo’s head is so thickly thatched with long, shaggy hair that the animal is almost precluded from seeing an object directly in its front; and if the wind be against the hunter he can approach, with a little caution, a buffalo feeding on a prairie as level and bare as a billiard-table. their sense of smelling, however, is so acute, that it is impossible to get within shot when to windward, as, at the distance of nearly half a mile, the animal will be seen to snuff the tainted air, and quickly satisfy himself of the vicinity of danger. at any other than the season of gallantry, when the males are, like226 all other animals, disposed to be pugnacious, the buffalo is a quiet, harmless animal, and will never attack unless goaded to madness by wounds, or, if a cow, in sometimes defending its calf when pursued by a horseman; but even then it is seldom that they make any strong effort to protect their young.
“when gorged with water, after a long fast, they become so lethargic that they sometimes are too careless to run and avoid danger. one evening, just before camping, i was, as usual, in advance of the train, when i saw three bulls come out of the river and walk leisurely across the trail, stopping occasionally, and one, more indolent than the rest, lying down whenever the others halted. being on my hunting-mule, i rode slowly after them, the lazy one stopping behind the others, and allowing me to ride within a dozen paces, when he would slowly follow the rest. wishing to see how near i could get, i dismounted, and, rifle in hand, approached the bull, who at last stopped short, and never even looked round, so that i walked up to the animal and placed my hand on his quarter. taking no notice of me, the huge beast lay down, and while on the ground i shot him dead. on butchering the carcase i found the stomach so greatly distended, that another pint would have burst it. in other respects the animal was perfectly healthy and in good condition.”
ruxton was not only an earnest hunter and a hardy traveller, but he was also a keen observer, and living227 as he did for long periods in the open air and among the wild animals, he saw many curious things.
“the first mountain-sheep i killed, i got within shot of in rather a curious manner. i had undertaken several unsuccessful hunts for the purpose of procuring a pair of horns of this animal, as well as some skins, which are of excellent quality when dressed, but had almost given up any hope of approaching them, when one day, having killed and butchered a black-tail deer in the mountains, i sat down with my back to a small rock and fell asleep. on awaking, feeling inclined for a smoke, i drew from my pouch a pipe, and flint and steel, and began leisurely to cut a charge of tobacco. whilst thus engaged i became sensible of a peculiar odour which was wafted right into my face by the breeze, and which, on snuffing it once or twice, i immediately recognized as that which emanates from sheep and goats. still i never thought that one of the former animals could be in the neighbourhood, for my mule was picketed on the little plateau where i sat, and was leisurely cropping the buffalo-grass which thickly covered it.
“looking up carelessly from my work, as a whiff stronger than before reached my nose, what was my astonishment at seeing five mountain-sheep within ten paces, and regarding me with a curious and astonished gaze! without drawing a breath, i put out my hand and grasped the rifle, which was lying within reach; but the motion, slight as it was, sufficed to alarm them,228 and with a loud bleat the old ram bounded up the mountain, followed by the band, and at so rapid a pace that all my attempts to ‘draw a bead’ upon them were ineffectual. when, however, they reached a little plateau about one hundred and fifty yards from where i stood, they suddenly stopped, and, approaching the edge, looked down at me, shaking their heads, and bleating their displeasure at the intrusion. no sooner did i see them stop than my rifle was at my shoulder, and covering the broadside of the one nearest to me. an instant after and i pulled the trigger, and at the report the sheep jumped convulsively from the rock, and made one attempt to follow its flying companions; but its strength failed, and, circling round once or twice at the edge of the plateau, it fell over on its side, and, rolling down the steep rock, tumbled dead very near me. my prize proved a very fine young male, but had not a large pair of horns. it was, however, ‘seal’ fat, and afforded me a choice supply of meat, which was certainly the best i had eaten in the mountains, being fat and juicy, and in flavour somewhat partaking both of the domestic sheep and buffalo.”
among other notes about this species ruxton speaks of several attempts that had been made to secure the young of mountain sheep and transport them to the states. none of these, however, had been successful. old bill williams even took with him into the mountains a troop of milch goats, by which to bring up the young sheep, but, though capturing a number of lambs,229 he did not succeed in reaching the frontier with a single one.
he reports also the superstition of the canadian trappers concerning the carcajou, which we know as the wolverene, and tells of a reported battle which an old canadian trapper said that he had had with one of these animals, and which lasted upward of two hours, during which he fired a pouchful of balls into the animal’s body, which spat them out as fast as they were shot in. two days later, in company with the same man, the author, in looking over a ridge, saw a wolverene, and shot at it, as it was running off, without effect. for this he was derided by the canadian, who declared that if he had shot fifty balls at the carcajou it would not have cared at all.
one night, when camped on the platte, the author woke up, and looking out of his blanket, saw sitting before the fire a huge gray wolf, his eyes closed and his head nodding in sheer drowsiness.
the last day of april, ruxton set out to cross the plains for fort leavenworth, intending to return to england. soon afterward they reached bent’s fort, and a little later were joined by a number of frémont’s men, and by kit carson, who were returning from california. they passed a cheyenne camp, and before very long were well out on the plains and in the buffalo country. concerning the abundance of these animals ruxton tells the same extraordinary stories that all old-timers relate. he hunted buffalo both by “approaching”230 and by running; and tried many experiments with these great beasts. one night the camp was almost run down by a vast herd of buffalo, but all hands being aroused, they managed, by firing their guns and making all the noise they could, to split the herd, so that the two branches passed around them.
at length the party approached council grove, and the more humid country, where the eastern timber was found, which, to ruxton and to the missourians of the party, looked like old friends.
ruxton was a true outdoor man, loving the wilderness for itself alone, accepting whatever of toil, exposure, or hardship might come to him, feeling amply repaid for these annoyances by the joy of independence, of the beauties that surrounded him, and of the absolute physical well-being which was a part of this life.
the days when an existence such as is pictured in his accounts of the rocky mountains could be enjoyed are long past, yet there are still living some men who can absolutely sympathize with the feeling expressed in the following paragraphs:
“apart from the feeling of loneliness which any one in my situation must naturally have experienced, surrounded by stupendous works of nature, which in all their solitary grandeur frowned upon me, and sinking into utter insignificance the miserable mortal who crept beneath their shadow; still there was something inexpressibly exhilarating in the sensation of positive231 freedom from all worldly care, and a consequent expansion of the sinews, as it were, of mind and body, which made me feel elastic as a ball of indian rubber, and in a state of such perfect insouciance that no more dread of scalping indians entered my mind than if i had been sitting in broadway, in one of the windows of astor house. a citizen of the world, i never found any difficulty in investing my resting-place, wherever it might be, with all the attributes of a home; and hailed, with delight equal to that which the artificial comforts of a civilized home would have caused, the, to me, domestic appearance of my hobbled animals, as they grazed around the camp, when i returned after a hard day’s hunt. by the way, i may here remark, that my sporting feeling underwent a great change when i was necessitated to follow and kill game for the support of life, and as a means of subsistence; and the slaughter of deer and buffalo no longer became sport when the object was to fill the larder, and the excitement of the hunt was occasioned by the alternative of a plentiful feast or a banyan; and, although ranking under the head of the most red-hot of sportsmen, i can safely acquit myself of ever wantonly destroying a deer or buffalo unless i was in need of meat; and such consideration for the fer? natur? is common to all the mountaineers who look to game alone for their support. although liable to an accusation of barbarism, i must confess that the very happiest moments of my life have been spent in the wilderness of the far west; and i never recall232 but with pleasure the remembrance of my solitary camp in the bayou salado, with no friend near me more faithful than my rifle, and no companions more sociable than my good horse and mules, or the attendant coyote which nightly serenaded us. with a plentiful supply of dry pine-logs on the fire, and its cheerful blaze streaming far up into the sky, illuminating the valley far and near, and exhibiting the animals, with well-filled bellies, standing contentedly at rest over their picket-pins, i would sit cross-legged enjoying the genial warmth, and, pipe in mouth, watch the blue smoke as it curled upwards, building castles in its vapoury wreaths, and, in the fantastic shapes it assumed, peopling the solitude with figures of those far away. scarcely, however, did i ever wish to change such hours of freedom for all the luxuries of civilized life, and, unnatural and extraordinary as it may appear, yet such is the fascination of the life of the mountain hunter, that i believe not one instance could be adduced of even the most polished and civilized of men, who had once tasted the sweets of its attendant liberty and freedom from every worldly care, not regretting the moment when he exchanged it for the monotonous life of the settlements, nor sighing, and sighing again, once more to partake of its pleasures and allurements.
“nothing can be more social and cheering than the welcome blaze of the camp fire on a cold winter’s night, and nothing more amusing or entertaining, if not instructive, than the rough conversation of the single-233minded mountaineers, whose simple daily talk is all of exciting adventure, since their whole existence is spent in scenes of peril and privation; and consequently the narration of their every-day life is a tale of thrilling accidents and hairbreadth ’scapes, which, though simple matter-of-fact to them, appear a startling romance to those who are not acquainted with the nature of the lives led by these men, who, with the sky for a roof and their rifles to supply them with food and clothing, call no man lord or master, and are free as the game they follow.”
skinning a buffalo
some little time was spent at fort leavenworth, where ruxton found the change from the free life of prairie and mountain very unpleasant. he suffered still more when he reached st. louis, and was obliged to assume the confining garb of civilization, and above all, to put his feet into shoes.
ruxton’s journey from st. louis to new york was uneventful, and in july he left for england, which he reached in the middle of august, 1847.
it was after this that he wrote a series of sketches, entitled “life in the far west,” which were afterward published in blackwood’s magazine, and finally in book form in england and america. these sketches purport to give the adventures of a trapper, la bonté, during fifteen years’ wandering in the mountains, and set forth trapper and mountain life of the day. they show throughout the greatest familiarity with the old-time life. the author’s effort to imitate the dialect234 spoken by the trappers makes the conversation not always easy to read; but they are most interesting as faithful pictures of life in the mountains between 1830 and 1840—at the end of the days of the beaver.
