mules. We rested with them a few minutes, and in about two miles arrived
at Chabonard's camp, on an island in the Platte. On the heights above, we
met the first Spaniard I had seen in the country. Mr. Chabonard was in the
service of Bent and St. Vrain's company, and had left their fort some
forty or fifty miles above, in the spring, with boats laden with the furs
of the last year's trade. He had met the same fortune as the voyageurs on
the North fork; and, finding it impossible to proceed, had taken up his
summer's residence on this island, which he had named St. Helena. The
river hills appeared to be composed entirely of sand, and the Platte had
lost the muddy character of its waters, and here was tolerably clear. From
the mouth of the South fork, I had found it occasionally broken up by
small islands; and at the time of our journey, which was at a season of
the year when the waters were at a favorable stage, it was not navigable
for any thing drawing six inches water. The current was very swift--the
bed of the stream a coarse gravel. From the place at which we had
encountered the Arapahoes, the Platte had been tolerably well fringed with
timber, and the island here had a fine grove of very large cottonwoods,
under whose broad shade the tents were pitched. There was a large drove of
horses in the opposite prairie bottom; smoke was rising from the scattered
fires, and the encampment had quite a patriarchal air. Mr. C. received us
hospitably. One of the people was sent to gather mint, with the aid of
which he concocted very good julep; and some boiled buffalo tongue, and
coffee with the luxury of sugar, were soon set before us. The people in
his employ were generally Spaniards, and among them I saw a young Spanish
woman from Taos, whom I found to be Beckwith's wife.

10th.--We parted with our hospitable host after breakfast the next
morning, and reached St. Vrain's fort, about forty-five miles from St.
Helena, late in the evening. This post is situated on the South fork of
the Platte, immediately under the mountains, about seventeen miles east of