“Right. Thar war some Frenchmen hyar’bouts on the creek, five or ten year ago. Injuns got after ’em, an’ they cached their powder under-ground, so’s to save it. Don’t know whether they ever found it ag’in or not, but they always referred to the creek as their ‘Hide-the-Powder’ creek, an’ the name stuck.”
The cavalcade turned up the creek, in the rain, and entered among rugged, lofty mountains, their wild ravines and steep slopes thickly covered with brush and flowers. The Cache-à-la-Poudre was crooked, and must be crossed and recrossed; the gun-carriage, overseen by the anxious Sergeant Zindel, and the spring wagon with its precious instruments, were hauled through each time.
Thus was traversed first by explorers and map-makers the Overland Stage Route from Denver to Salt Lake.
From the head of the Cache-à-la-Poudre they all passed over a ridge to the Laramie River side of the divide here; loomed high, bare and snowy on the west, the mighty Medicine Bow Mountains, which they must go around, and now they encountered a wide Indian trail and sign of Indian travel upon it.
[XI]
IN HOSTILE TERRITORY
So far the only traces of travel preceding had been those of Indian travel. This afternoon who should appear upon the trail but a large red ox! Had he been an elephant he would have created no keener interest, and both the Frémont party and the Carson party collected about him.
“Ma foi!” exclaimed François Badeau. “Mebbe we back in Missouri, hey?”