Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/150

IN A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. 139 expedition. And, another thing, the army must feel its way and not rush in where angels fear to tread. Notwithstanding the little flurry, the men of the expedition were in the best of spirits; in fact they felt more buoyant than for some time, as the episode of the evening had given zest to the day's monotony. They were on the alert; but after supper on that ideal July evening the three leaders, Coronado, Perez, and JaramUlo were reclining on the sward, and comment- ing on the Indian incident, wondering what would be the result; planning their course should they be attacked. They were a unit regarding the country, the best seen so far, fully as good as described by Ysopete; and they all concluded that the big river told of by him must be a reahty. " They assumed there was soon to be a change of experience and that they would soon get to a more settled country. Then they talked of the quantity of game they had seen during the three days since leaving the river St. Peter and Paul's, of the possibUities of the country, how soon they would meet more Indians, etc. - While they were thus conversing, the wolves were howhng and barking. They were in droves, for was it not a wolves paradise? They never lacked food, for there were such immense numbers of buffaloes and other game, that there were always old, sick or young which could be harassed, and these dogs of prey were pretty cunning; if they did nqt see or smell a carcass, aU. they had to do was to examine the hflrizon and watch for a buzzard, eagle or hawk hover- ing over, which invariably indicated a dead animal or one ready to give up. It may seem incredible, but it