On Leaving
Thompson's Creek We Passed Two Small Islands, And At Twenty-Three Miles'
Distance Encamped Among Some Timber; On The North, Opposite To A Small Creek,
Which We Named Bull Creek.
The bighorn are in great quantities, and must
bring forth their young at a very early season, as they
Are now half grown.
One of the party saw a large bear also; but, being at a distance from
the river, and having no timber to conceal him, he would not venture to fire."
A curious adventure happened on the twenty-eighth, of which the journal,
next day, makes this mention: -
"Last night we were alarmed by a new sort of enemy.
A buffalo swam over from the opposite side, and to the spot
where lay one of our canoes, over which he clambered to the shore:
then, taking fright, he ran full speed up the bank towards
our fires, and passed within eighteen inches of the heads of some
of the men before the sentinel could make him change his course.
Still more alarmed, he ran down between four fires,
and within a few inches of the heads of a second row of the men,
and would have broken into our lodge if the barking of the dog
had not stopped him. He suddenly turned to the right,
and was out of sight in a moment, leaving us all in confusion,
every one seizing his rifle and inquiring the cause of the alarm.
On learning what had happened, we had to rejoice at suffering
no more injury than some damage to the guns that were in the canoe
which the buffalo crossed.
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