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Between the settlements and buffalo country it was necessary for the men in the pack train to bring along their own provisions because there wasn't enough wild game in this country to supply such large groups of men.
"Our fare consisted of bacon and hard-tack no sugar nor coffee for three or four days, after which we each received a small piece of sheep meat, as we had a drove to last us until we got into the buffalo. While the sheep lasted we had but that alone." and "I
complained, as my messmates did, of the sheep meat, but they consoled me
as well as themselves by speaking of the fine feast we soon would have on
the buffalo, which they said they would prefer to all the good messes that
could be gotten up in the States. Three days after we had reached the
Platte the hunters brought in one evening a load of meat; but the cry of
"buffalo meat!" was heard long before they came in, and there
was great rejoicement in camp. Sheep meat could be had very cheap that
evening, and it was amusing to see the cooks hunting their kettles
some cursing them for being too small, as though it was the poor kettle's
fault for its size; but it was not long before they found the kettles were
large enough. Then came trouble there was no wood to be found about
camp, and all the fuel we could obtain was the stalks of some large dried
weeds, the wild sunflower. Now and then some hungry fellow would bring in
a small armful of that kind of fuel, and his first words would be,
"Is the kettle boiling?" Upon being answered in the negative a
long string of bad expressions would be heard, the mildest being, "
Waugh! I believe that damned
kettle won't never boil!" Thanks to the virtue of sunflower stalks,
however, it boiled at last, and every countenance became pleasant at the
thought of tasting that much-talked-of buffalo meat. When it was thought
cooked by the old voyageurs, preparations were made to dish it out; but,
as we had no pans, a clean place was looked for on the grass, and the
contents of the kettle were poured out. All hands seated around the pile
hauled out their long butcher knives, opened their little sacks of salt,
and then began operations. But it was not long before bad expressions were
again used in regard to the highly praised quality of buffalo meat.
"I can't chew it" "Tougher'n whalebone"
"If that's the stuff we've got to live on for eighteen months, God
have mercy on us!" For my
part I thought about the same, but said nothing; and after I had chewed as
long as I could without being able to get it in swallowing condition, I
would seize an opportunity to spit it into my hand, and throw it out
unseen behind me. My comrades asked me how I liked buffalo meat; I replied
I thought it might be some better than it was, and they said, "Never
mind, Larpenteur; wait until we get among the fat cows then you will
see the difference." At this time of the year, in the early part of
June, the cows are not fit to kill; for they have their young calves, and
are very poor. For several days after this sheep meat would have kept up
its price, and perhaps would have risen in value; but none was allowed to
come into market, what little there was being reserved for the boss' mess.
So we had to go it on buffalo alone; but, thank Written
mid-May, 1833 by Charles Larpenteur in Forty
Years a Fur Trader. At this time Larpentuer was a young man
going on his first trip up to the mountains as a hired hand with the pack
train Sublette and Campbell were taking to supply the Rocky Mountain Fur
Company at the Rendezvous of 1833.
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