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(Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1837, by Jamms Enverson, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.)
PHILADELPHIA, APRIL 16, 1887.
Publisher,
VoL VIII JAMES ELVERSON, { N.W. corner NINTH
IN THE SAND-HILLS.
(An Adventure While Crossing the Plains.)
BY H. E..ROUNDS.
“Come, Uncle Hod, tell us a story,”
said Harvey, as the family gathered
around the glowing stove, one of the cold-
est evenings last winter. ‘Don’t you
know any Indian stories? “Where did
you get that arrow in the show-case? and
how did the iron get bent so? Let me
straighten it, won’t you? Is ita regular
Indian arrow ?”
“Well, Harvey,” said Uncle Hod, “you
have asked several questions, and I will
answer them to the best of my ability. I
got that arrow over twenty-five years ago,
out on the plains, and the way the iron
became bent will never be forgotten by
e. It is a regular Indian arrow, and
has drawn the blood of one white man, at
least, that I know of. I wouldn’t have
the iron straightened for anything.”
“Tell us all about it,” urged Harvey.
“Tt will be better than a book story.
Now, please do ; that’s a good uncle.”
Thus urged, Uncle Hod related the fol-
lowing:
“In the spring of 1860 I was one of a
party of seven men bound for Pike’s
Peak, as the region now the Centennial
State (Colorado) was then called. Our
outfit consisted of six stout wagons with
canyas covers, each drawn by three yoke
of oxen, and heavily laden with mining
machinery and supplies.
“T was in charge, and had a good pony
to ride, a rifle, shot-gun and revolver.
Most of the others were also well armed.
“Tnever enjoyed anything better than
J did that six weeks’ journey to the land
of gold. It was an entirely new experi-
ence, and being very fond of out-door ex-
ercise and adventure, I took to roughing
it as naturally as a duck takes to water.
“Not to dwell further on these particu-
lars, however, I will proceed to relate the
adventures of one day, about the most
exciting of any which I experienced.
“Breaking camp one morning after an
early breakfast, we were proceeding along
near the Platte River, about three days’
journey west of old Fort Kearney. It
was a beautiful morning, and we were all
in excellent spirits, having met with no
accident thus far worth mentioning.
“To our left, distant a mile or so,
was a range of low sand-hills, or ‘ dunes,’
margining the valley of the Platte, which
at this time of the year (May) was rich
in-verdure, but almost entirely destitute
of flowers.
_ Looking off toward the sand-hills, I
saw an animal of some kind, and getting
the spyglass, made it out to be an ante-
lope, quietly feeding.
“It had been my ambition for some
time to kill one of these fleet-footed crea-
tures; but I had so far succeeded in bag-
ging nothing larger than jack-rabbits.
“Turriedly taking my rifle and some
ammunition, I started on foot to try and
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get ashot. I wore a ‘pair of moccasins,
and wished many times before the day
was ended that I had on my heavy boots.
“Striking off to the left, I made a long
detour, so as not to drive my game back
over the hills ; but long before 1 got with-
inrange, the wary animal saw me and
disappeared over the first ridge.
“JT followed it, and arriving at the top
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of the hill, looked around. Far as the
eye could reach, to the south and south-
west, spread an ocean of sand, with hills
representing huge billows. Between
these, in the little valleys or guiches, an
occasional spot of green was sometimes
visible.
“To the northward, stretching away to
the west like an endless ribbon, shone the
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waters of the broad Platte, interspersed
with numerous green islands.
“Noticing that the river made a bend
to the south several miles ahead, I deter-
mined to explore the sand-hills some-
what, thinking that I could intercept the
train before the nooning was up, which
generally lasted until about half-past two
o'clock. So, going still further into the
apparently boundless waste, I
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&] FIRED MY NEXT BALL AT THE OTHER INDIAN’S’PONY INSTEAD OF THE RIDER.”
soon saw more antelope; not
single ones now, but in pairs
and small herds.. But they
invariably saw me first, and
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_ eetaaze
just as 1 reached the top of. one ridge,
they would flag me a graceful adieu
from another a long distance away.
“Their vigilance only increased my
desire to secure a good shot, and I was
thus led much further into the desert
than I intended. :
“My rifle began to feel extremely
burdensome. It was a heavy one,
made especially for use at targets and
turkey-shoots, and. my feet were get-
ting sore from stepping on cactus
spines, which everywhere abounded.
“But soon a sight met my eyes
which made me forget my weariness
and sore feet.
“Arriving at the crest of a hill, I cau-
am weed
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