Their grounds lie in the vicinity of the great fork of the Rio Puerco,
by lat. 35 degrees and long. 105 degrees from Greenwich. The whole
nation do not possess half-a-dozen of rifles, most all of them being
armed with clubs, bows, and arrows. Some old Comanches have assured me
that the Cayuga country abounds with fine gold.
While I was with the Comanches, waiting the return of the expedition, I
had an accident which nearly cost me my life. Having learned that there
were many fine basses to be fished in a stream some twenty miles off, I
started on horseback, with the view of passing the night there. I took
with me a buffalo-hide, a blanket, and a tin cup, and two hours before
sunset I arrived at the spot.
As the weather had been dry for some time, I could not pick any worms,
so I thought of killing some bird or other small animal, whose flesh
would answer for bait. Not falling in with any birds, I determined to
seek for a rabbit or a frog. To save time, I lighted a fire, put my
water to boil, spread my hide and blanket, arranged my saddle for a
pillow, and then went in search of bait, and sassafras to make tea with.
While looking for sassafras, I perceived a nest upon a small oak near to
the stream. I climbed to take the young ones, obtained two, which I put
in my round jacket, and looked about me to see where I should jump upon
the ground.
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