Nov. 28th. Marched at nine o'clock. Kept straight on down the [Turkey] creek to avoid the hills.[II-49] At half past one o'clock shot two buffalo, when we made the first full meal we had made in three days. Encamped in a valley under a shelving rock. The land here very rich, and covered with old Tetau [Comanche] camps.
Nov. 29th. Marched after a short repast, and arrived at our camp before night; found all well.
Sunday, Nov. 30th. Marched at eleven o'clock; it snowed very fast, but my impatience to be moving would not permit my lying still at that camp. The doctor, Baroney, and myself went to view a Tetau encampment, which appeared to be about two years old; and from their having cut down so large a quantity of trees to support their horses, we concluded there must have been at least 1,000 souls. Passed several more in the course of the day; also one Spanish camp. This day came to the first cedar and pine. Killed two deer. Distance 15 miles.[II-50]
CHAPTER III.
ITINERARY, CONCLUDED: IN THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO ON HEADWATERS OF THE ARKANSAW AND RIO GRANDE, DECEMBER 1ST, 1806-FEBRUARY 26TH, 1807.
Monday, Dec. 1st. The storm still continuing with violence, we remained encamped; the snow by night was one foot deep. Our horses were obliged to scrape it away to obtain their miserable pittance, and to increase their misfortunes the poor animals were attacked by the magpies, which, attracted by the scent of their sore backs, alighted on them, and in defiance of their wincing and kicking, picked many places quite raw. The difficulty of procuring food rendered those birds so bold as to alight on our men's arms and eat meat out of their hands. One of our hunters went out, but killed nothing.
Dec. 2d. It cleared off in the night, and in the morning the thermometer stood at 17° below zero (Reaumer [Réaumur]), being three times as cold as any morning we had yet experienced. We killed an old buffalo on the opposite [north] side of the river, which here was so deep as to swim horses. Marched and found it necessary to cross to the north side, about two miles up, as the ridge joined the river.[III-1] The ford was a good one, but the ice ran very bad, and two of the men got their feet frozen before we could get accommodated with fire, etc. Secured some of our old buffalo and continued our march. The country being very rugged and hilly, one of our horses took a freak in his head and turned back, which occasioned three of our rear-guard to lie out all night; I was very apprehensive they might perish on the prairie. Distance 13 miles.
Dec. 3d. The weather moderating to 3° below zero, our absentees joined, one with his feet frozen, but were not able to bring up the horse. I sent two men back on horseback. The hardships of last voyage [i. e., that up the Mississippi, winter of 1805-6] had now begun; and had the climate only been as severe as the climate then was, some of the men must have perished, for they had no winter clothing. I wore myself cotton overalls, for I had not calculated on being out in that inclement season of the year.
Dr. Robinson and myself, with assistants, went out and took the altitude of the north mountain [Pike's Peak], on the base of a mile. The perpendicular height of this mountain, from the level of the prairie, was 10,581 feet, and admitting that the prairie was 8,000 feet from the level of the sea, it would make the elevation of this peak 18,581 feet; equal to some and surpassing the calculated height of others for the peak of Teneriffe, and falling short of that of Chimborazo only 1,701 feet. Indeed, it was so remarkable as to be known to all the savage nations for hundreds of miles around, to be spoken of with admiration by the Spaniards of New Mexico, and to be the bounds of their travels N. W. In our wandering in the mountains it was never out of sight, except when in a valley, from the 14th of November to the 27th of January.[III-2]
After this, together with Sparks, we endeavored to kill a cow, but without effect. Killed two bulls, that the men might use pieces of their hides for mockinsons. Left Sparks out. On our return to camp found the men had got back with the strayed horse, but too late to march.