the passing of the frontier-第10部分

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t　than　conscience；　forced　even　the　worst　of　men　to　observe　the　requirements　of　society；　and　a　feeling　of　comparative　security　among　all　classes　was　the　result。〃

Naturally　it　was　not　the　case　that　all　the　bad　men　were　thus　exterminated。　From　time　to　time　there　appeared　vividly　in　the　midst　of　these　surroundings　additional　figures　of　solitary　desperadoes；　each　to　have　his　list　of　victims；　and　each　himself　to　fall　before　the　weapons　of　his　enemies　or　to　meet　the　justice　of　the　law　or　the　sterner　meed　of　the　Vigilantes。　It　would　not　be　wholly　pleasant　to　read　even　the　names　of　a　long　list　of　these；　perhaps　it　will　be　sufficient　to　select　one；　the　notorious　Joseph　Slade；　one　of　the　〃picturesque〃　characters　of　whom　a　great　deal　of　inaccurate　and　puerile　history　has　been　written。　The　truth　about　Slade　is　that　he　was　a　good　man　at　first；　faithful　in　the　discharge　of　his　duties　as　an　agent　of　the　stage　company。　Needing　at　times　to　use　violence　lawfully；　he　then　began　to　use　it　unlawfully。　He　drank　and　soon　went　from　bad　to　worse。　At　length　his　outrages　became　so　numerous　that　the　men　of　the　community　took　him　out　and　hanged　him。　His　fate　taught　many　others　the　risk　of　going　too　far　in　defiance　of　law　and　decency。

What　has　been　true　regarding　the　camps　of　Florence；　Bannack；　and　Virginia　City；　had　been　true　in　part　in　earlier　camps　and　was　to　be　repeated　perhaps　a　trifle　less　vividly　in　other　camps　yet　to　come。　The　Black　Hills　gold　rush；　for　instance；　which　came　after　the　railroad　but　before　the　Indians　were　entirely　cleared　away；　made　a　certain　wild　history　of　its　own。　We　had　our　Deadwood　stage　line　then；　and　our　Deadwood　City　with　all　its　wild　life　of　drinking；　gambling；　and　shootingthe　place　where　more　than　one　notorious　bad　man　lost　his　life；　and　some　capable　officers　of　the　peace　shared　their　fate。　To　describe　in　detail　the　life　of　this　stampede　and　the　wild　scenes　ensuing　upon　it　is　perhaps　not　needful　here。　The　main　thing　is　that　the　great　quartz　lodes　of　the　Black　Hills　support　in　the　end　a　steady；　thrifty；　and　law…abiding　population。

All　over　that　West；　once　so　unspeakably　wild　and　reckless；　there　now　rise　great　cities　where　recently　were　scattered　only　mining…camps　scarce　fit　to　be　called　units　of　any　social　compact。　It　was　but　yesterday　that　these　men　fought　and　drank　and　dug　their　own　graves　in　their　own　sluices。　At　the　city　of　Helena；　on　the　site　of　Last　Chance　Gulch；　one　recalls　that　not　so　long　ago　citizens　could　show　with　a　certain　contemporary　pride　the　old　dead　tree　once　known　as　〃Hangman's　Tree。〃　It　marked　a　spot　which　might　be　called　a　focus　of　the　old　frontier。　Around　it；　and　in　the　country　immediately　adjoining；　was　fought　out　the　great　battle　whose　issue　could　not　be　doubtedthat　between　the　new　and　the　old　days；　between　law　and　order　and　individual　lawlessness；　between　the　school　and　the　saloon；　between　the　home　and　the　dance…hall；　between　society　united　and　resolved　and　the　individual　reverted　to　worse　than　savagery。



Chapter　VI。　The　Pathways　Of　The　West

Since　we　have　declared　ourselves　to　be　less　interested　in　bald　chronology　than　in　the　naturally　connected　causes　of　events　which　make　chronology　worth　while；　we　may　now；　perhaps；　double　back　upon　the　path　of　chronology；　and　take　up　the　great　early　highways　of　the　Westwhat　we　might　call　the　points　of　attack　against　the　frontier。

The　story　of　the　Santa　Fe　Trail；　now　passing　into　oblivion；　once　was　on　the　tongue　of　every　man。　This　old　highroad　in　its　heyday　presented　the　most　romantic　and　appealing　features　of　the　earlier　frontier　life。　The　Santa　Fe　Trail　was　the　great　path　of　commerce　between　our　frontier　and　the　Spanish　towns　trading　through　Santa　Fe。　This　commerce　began　in　1822；　when　about　threescore　men　shipped　certain　goods　across　the　lower　Plains　by　pack…animals。　By　1826　it　was　employing　a　hundred　men　and　was　using　wagons　and　mules。　In　1830；　when　oxen　first　were　used　on　the　trail；　the　trade　amounted　to　120；000　annually；　and　by　1843；　when　the　Spanish　ports　were　closed；　it　had　reached　the　value　of　450；000；　involving　the　use　of　230　wagons　and　350　men。　It　was　this　great　wagon　trail　which　first　brought　us　into　touch　with　the　Spanish　civilization　of　the　Southwest。　Its　commercial　totals　do　not　bulk　large　today；　but　the　old　trail　itself　was　a　thing　titanic　in　its　historic　value。

This　was　the　day　not　of　water　but　of　land　transport；　yet　the　wheeled　vehicles　which　passed　out　into　the　West　as　common　carriers　of　civilization　clung　to　the　river　valleysnatural　highways　and　natural　resting　places　of　homebuilding　man。　This　has　been　the　story　of　the　advance　of　civilization　from　the　first　movements　of　the　world's　peoples。　The　valleys　are　the　cleats　of　civilization's　golden　sluices。

There　lay　the　great　valley　of　the　Arkansas；　offering　food　and　water；　an　easy　grade　and　a　direct　course　reaching　out　into　the　West；　even　to　the　edge　of　the　lands　of　Spain；　and　here　stood　wheeled　vehicles　able　to　traverse　it　and　to　carry　drygoods　and　hardware；　and　especially　domestic　cotton　fabrics；　which　formed　the　great　staple　of　a　〃Santa　Fe　assortment。〃　The　people　of　the　Middle　West　were　now；　in　short；　able　to　feed　and　clothe　themselves　and　to　offer　a　little　of　their　surplus　merchandise　to　some　one　else　in　sale。　They　had　begun　to　export！　Out　yonder；　in　a　strange　and　unknown　land；　lay　one　of　the　original　markets　of　America！

On　the　heels　of　Lewis　and　Clark；　who　had　just　explored　the　Missouri　River　route　to　the　Northwest；　Captain　Zebulon　Pike　of　the　Army；　long　before　the　first　wheeled　traffic　started　West；　had　employed　this　valley　of　the　Arkansas　in　his　search　for　the　southwestern　delimitations　of　the　United　States。　Pike　thought　he　had　found　the　head　of　the　Red　River　when　after　a　toilsome　and　dangerous　march　he　reached　the　headwaters　of　the　Rio　Grande。　But　it　was　not　our　river。　It　belonged　to　Spain；　as　he　learned　to　his　sorrow；　when　he　marched　all　the　way　to　Chihuahua　in　old　Mexico　and　lay　there　during　certain　weary　months。

It　was　Pike's　story　of　the　far　Southwest　that　first　started　the　idea　of　the　commerce　of　the　Santa　Fe　Trail。　In　that　day　geography　was　a　human　thing；　a　thing　of　vital　importance　to　all　men。　Men　did　not　read　the　stock　markets；　they　read　stories　of　adventure；　tales　of　men　returned　from　lands　out　yonder　in　the　West。　Heretofore　the　swarthy　Mexicans；　folk　of　the　dry　plains　and　hills　around　the　head　of　the　Rio　Grande　and　the　Red；　had　carried　their　cotton　goods　and　many　other　small　and　needful　things　all　the　way　from　Vera　Cruz　on　the　seacoast；　over　trails　that　were　long；　tedious；　uncertain；　and　expensive。　A　far　shorter　and　more　natural　trade　route　went　west　along　the　Arkansas；　which　would　bring　the　American　goods　to　the　doors　of　the　Spanish　settlements。　After　Pike　and　one　or　two　others　had　returned　with　reports　of　the　country；　the　possibilities　of　this　trade　were　clear　to　any　one　with　the　merchant's　imagination。

There　is　rivalry　for　the　title　of　〃Father　of　the　Santa　Fe　Trail。〃　As　early　as　1812；　when　the　United　States　was　at　war　with　England；　a　party　of　men　on　horseback　trading　into　the　West；　commonly　called　the　McKnight；　Baird；　and　Chambers　party；　made　their　way　west　to　Santa　Fe。　There；　however；　they　met　with　disaster。　All　their　goods　were　confiscated　and　they　themselves　lay　in　Mexican　jails　for　nine　years。　Eventually　the　returning　survivors　of　this　party　told　their　stories；　and　those　stories；　far　from　chilling；　only　inflamed　the　ardor　of　other　adventurous　traders。　In　1821　more　than　one　American　trader　reached　Santa　Fe；　and；　now　that　the　Spanish　yoke　had　been　thrown　off　by　the　Mexicans；　the　goods；　instead　of　being　confiscated；　were　purchased　eagerly。

It　is　to　be　remembered；　of　course；　that　trading　of　this　sort　to　Mexico　was　not　altogether　a　new　thing。　Sutlers　of　the　old　fur　traders　and　trappers　already　had　found　the　way　to　New　Spain　from　the　valley　of　the　Platte；　south　along　the　eastern　edge　of　the　Rockies；　through　Wyoming　and　Colorado。　By　some　such　route　as　that　at　least　one　trader；　a　French　creole；　agent　of　the　firm　of　Bryant　&　Morrison　at　Kaskaskia；　had　penetrated　to　the　Spanish　lands　as　early　as　1804；　while　Lewis　and　Clark　were　still　absent　in　the　upper　wilderness。　Each　year　the　great　mountain　rendezvous　of　the　trappersnow　at　Bent's　Fort　on　the　Arkansas；　now　at　Horse　Creek　in　Wyoming；　now　on　Green　River　in　Utah；　or　even　farther　beyond　the　mountainsdemanded　supplies　of　food　and　traps　and　ammunition　to　enable　the　hunters　to　continue　their　work　for　another　year。　Perhaps　many　of　the　pack…trains　which　regularly　supplied　this　shifting　mountain　market　already　had　traded　in　the　Spanish　country。

It　is　not　necessary　to　go　into　further　details　regarding　this　primitive　commerce　of　the　prairies。　It　yielded　a　certain　profit；　it　shaped　the　character　of　the　men　who　carried　it　on。　But　what　is　yet　more　important；　it　greatly　influenced　the　country　which　lay　back　of　the　border　on　the　Missouri　River。　It　called　yet　more　men　from　the　eastern　settlements　to　those　portions　which　lay　upon　the　edge　of　the　Great　Plains。　There　crowded　yet　more　thickly；　up　to　the　line　between　the　certain　and　the　uncertain；　the　restless　westbound　population　of　all　the　country。

If　on　the　south　the　valley　of　the　Arkansas　led　outward　to　New　Spain；　yet　other　pathways　made　out　from　the　Mississippi　River　into　the　unknown　lands。　The　Missouri　was　the　first　and　last　of　our　great　natural　frontier　roads。　Its　lower　course　swept　along　the　eastern　edge　of　the　Plains；　far　to　the　south；　down　to　the　very　doors　of　the　most　adventurous　settlements　in　the　Mississippi　Valley。　Those　who　dared　its　stained　and　turbulent　current　had　to　push　up；　onward；　northward；　past　the　mouth　of　the　Platte；　far　to　the　north　across　degrees　of　latitude；　steadily　forward　through　a　vast　virgin　land。　Then　the　river　bent　boldly　and　strongly　off　to　the　west；　across　another　empire。　Its　great　falls　indicated　that　it　headed　high；　beyond　the　great　falls　its　steady　sweep　westward　and　at　last　southward；　led　into　yet　other　kingdoms。

When　we　travel　by　horse　or　by　modern　motor　car　in　that　now　accessible　region　and　look　about　us；　we　should　not　fail　to　reflect　on　the　long　trail　of　the　upbound　boats　which　Manuel　Lisa　and　other　traders　sent　out　almost　immediately　upon　the　return　of　the　Lewis　and　Clark　expedition。　We　should　see　them　struggling　up　against　that　tr