CHAPTER XVII. - FROM PARAWAN SENTINEL-HUERFANO RETURN TO CALIFORNIA-ILLNESS-CANDIDATE FOR RE-ELEC- COL. FREMONT left again for California by the steamer which sailed first after the adjournment of Congress. Upon leaving Panama he had another return of the Chagres fever, which was so obstinate and enfeebling that he was prevented from returning to Washington the following winter. Meantime the Pro-Slavery party, strengthened by all the influence of the Federal Administration, had acquired such a controlling influence in California, that at the fall elections of 1851, the party which had advocated the proviso against Slavery in the State constitution, and with which Fremont was identified, was no longer in the majority, and a combination was successfully made to prevent his re-election. The legislature went into an election of his successor in February, and after one hundred and forty-two ballotings, the convention adjourned until the 1st of January following, without making a choice. The candidates were Fremont, T. Butler King, Heydenfelt, Geary, Weller and Collier. The next two years Col. Fremont devoted mainly to his private affairs. He took the preliminary steps necessary to perfect his title to the Mariposas tract, which he also surveyed and mapped; resumed his old business of cattle-drover, and in these pursuits gradually repaired a portion of the losses which his private interests had sustained while attending to public duties. The negotiations to which his proprietorship of the Mariposas property gave rise took him to Europe in the spring of 1852, where he spent a year with his family, mostly in Paris, and where he had the satisfaction of observing that his fame had preceded him, and prepared for him an extremely flattering reception from several of the most eminent men of science and letters then living. At the close of the session of Congress in March, 1852, through the good management of Senator Chase, an appropriation was made for the survey of three routes to the Pacific ocean with the view of getting some further information as a basis of legislation for a national highway between the Mississippi valley and the Pacific Ocean. When Col. Fremont heard of this, he deter-1 mined to return, fit out an expedition on his own account, and complete the survey of the route which he had taken on his last expedition, from the point where he was led astray by his guide, and which he believed he could. prove to be quite the best, if not the only practicable route for a national road. For this purpose he left Paris for the United States, in June, and in August, 1853, set out upon his fifth and last trans-continental expedition. Among the colonel's companions on this trip was S. N. Carvalho, Esq., of Baltimore, who went as the artist of the expedition. We have been permitted to inspect his journal and correspondence, in which he has preserved graphic memoranda of the most striking incidents of this most perilous and eventful journey. The following extracts are quoted from these records: EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF S. N. CARVALHO. "Westport, Kansas, Sept. 15th, 1853.-To-day Col. Fremont, Mr. Eglostein, Mr. Fuller and myself arrived at Westport from St. Louis. We found the rest of the expedition here with the baggage and provisions-Col. Fremont immediately selected a camp ground in a wood near town, and had all the material conveyed there. “20th.-All hands slept in camp last night, and a storm of rain drenched us, giving the uninitiated an inkling of what they had to expect. During the day, different lots of mules and horses have been brought in, from which Col. Fremont selected those he required. Holders of animals took advantage of our necessities and charged two prices, to which extortion we were obliged to submit. "The men have all been armed with rifles, Colt's six-shooters, sheathknives, &c.; and the baggage arranged ready for packing to-morrow, when we are to have a trial start. Col. Fremont to-day engaged ten Delaware Braves, to accompany the expedition, under charge of Captain Wolf, a big Indian.' They are to meet us on the Kansas River near a Potawatomie village. "21st.-Branding the animals with Col. Fremont's mark having been completed, we packed our animals, mounted our men, and started in high spirits. We proceeded about four miles to the Methodist Mission, and camped. Finding several things more required we sent back to Westport for them. My daguerreotype apparatus was unpacked, and views of the Mission were made; all the arrangements I had made for taking pictures in the open air were perfectly successful. "22d.—We made an early start this morning, our camp equipage being in complete order. Col. Fremont intends to accomplish the journey as speedily as possible across the continent on a proposed line of 38. He supplied the expedition with the necessary provisions as well as luxuries, which the nature of the journey demanded, besides this seventy-two barrels of Alden's preserved milk, cream, cocoa, Java coffee,' and &c., were supplied by the manufacturer for testing the nutritive qualities and value during our voyage, from N. Y. I brought them into camp under my charge. These preparations alone were sufficient to sustain the lives of seventy men for a month. An extra mule was purchased on purpose to convey them. "We camped at Shawnee Mission, some twelve or fifteen miles from our last camp. • Colonel Fremont complains to-night of being indisposed. "23d.-The illness of Fremont increasing, he has found it necessary to return to Westport for advice. He left orders for the party to proceed and join the Delawares who were awaiting us, at the distance of three days' journey-when he expected to rejoin us. 'To-day we met our brave Delawares, all armed and mounted; more noble specimens of men in their natural state, do not exist anywhere. Our party proceeded and camped near the Potawatomies, where we remained several days. "Oct. 1st.-A messenger arrived with a letter from Colonel Fremont, informing us that his increasing illness forced him to return to St. Louis for advice. He counselled us to proceed as far as Smoky Hills and encamp, where there was plenty of buffalo, and to send back 'Solomon,' the Indian chief, who had accompanied him in a former voyage to Westport, to conduct him to camp. He thought he would be with us in a fortnight. This letter was addressed to Mr. W. H. Palmer, requesting him to take the direction of superintending the expedition during 'their encampment.' We accordingly proceeded on the journey, under the guidance of Capt. Wolf and his Delawares, on the 6th October. We saw and killed our first buffaloes on the 7th. We encamped on the Saline fork of the Kansas River, better known as 'Salt Creek,' where there was abundance of grass for our animals. "10th. Our Delawares brought into camp this evenan abundant supply of buffalo and antelope. The gentleman in charge of the commissariat finds great difficulty in preventing the muleteers and those whose duty it is to perform the manual labor of the camp, from consuming unnecessary quantities of it. "The result is, that the stores which were intended to sustain us on our journey are being wantonly and shamefully destroyed. Oct. 30th. During the day, the sun was completely obscured by low, dark clouds. The atmosphere was filled with a most disagreeable and suffocating smoke, which rolled over our heads. We were still encamped on the Saline fork of the Kansas River, impatiently awaiting the arrival of Col. Fremont, who had not yet returned from St. Louis. His continued absence alarmed us for his safety, and the circumstance that the prairies had been on fire for several days past in the direction through which he must pass to reach us, added to our anxiety. Night came on, and the dark clouds, which overhung us like an immense pall, now assumed a horrible lurid glare all along the horizon. As far as the eye could reach, a belt of fire was visible. We were on the prairie, between Kansas River on one side, Solomon's Fork on another, and Salt Creek on the third, and a large belt of woods about four miles from camp on the fourth. We were thus completely hemmed and incomparatively secure from danger. Our animals were grazing near this belt of woods the day before, and when they had been driven into camp at night, one of the mules was missing. At daylight a number of Indians, the Topographi cal Engineer (Mr. Eglostein), and myself, sallied out in search of it. After looking through the woods for an hour, we discovered our mule lying dead, with his lariat drawn close around his neck. It had become loose, and trailing along the ground had become entangled with the branches of an old tree, and in his endeavors to extricate himself he was strangled. We were attracted to the spot by the howling of wolves, and we found that he had been partially devoured by them. Our engineer, who wanted a wolf-skin for a saddle-cloth, determined to remain to kill one of them. I assisted him to ascend a high tree immediately over the body of the mule, untied the lariat, and attaching his rifle to one end of it, he pulled it up to him. The rest of the party returned to camp. About four o'clock in the afternoon, he being still out, I roasted some buffalo meat and went to seek him. I found him still in the tree, quietly awaiting an opportunity to kill his wolf. He declined to come down. I told him to what danger he was exposing himself, and entreated him to return to camp. Finding him determined to remain, I sent him up his supper and returned to camp, expecting him to be in at sundown. The prairies were now on fire just beyond the belt of woods, and through which Col. Fremont had to pass. Becoming alarmed for Mr. Eglostein, several of us went to bring him in. We found him half way to camp, dragging by the lariat the dead body of an immense wolf, which he |