Excerpt from Wild Life in the Rocky Mountains: A True Tale of Rough Adventure in the Days of the Mexican War

The present volume is a continuation of "Adventures in Mexico, " by Lieutenant Ruxton which precedes it in this Library of Adventure.

Here we take up the story of our author's journey northward from Chihuahua to the Rocky Mountains. Passing through treeless deserts, where he and his animals suffered much from lack of water, he arrived at Valverde, and there met the advanced post of the American army, which had invaded Mexico after the declaration of war in May of this year, 1846. At this place Ruxton's servants left him, and thenceforth he had to shift for himself.

In December he reached Santa Fe. Shortly before New Year's day, after a hard journey, in which he froze one of his feet, and was mistreated by the New Mexicans, he crossed the United States boundary line. Winter travel in the mountains was extremely trying, but he pushed on, and, at the Arkansas River, fell in with typical "mountain men, " as the hunters and trappers of the Far West were called. Taking a course up the Fontaine-qui-bouille, he finally gained the famous hunting ground of the Bayou Salado, now known as South Park (Colorado). In this sportsman's paradise he remained for the rest of the winter.

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