As soon as the spring came and the grass began growing, I became uneasy and discontented, and again longed for the free and open life of the plains.
The Pike's Peak gold excitement was then at its height, and everybody was rushing to the new gold diggings.

I caught the gold-fever myself, and joined a party bound for the new town of Auraria, on Cherry Creek, afterwards called Denver, in honor of the then governor of Kansas.

On arriving at Auraria we pushed on to the gold streams in the mountains, passing up through Golden Gate, and over Guy Hill, and thence on to Black Hawk.

We prospected for two months, but as none of us knew anything about mining we met with very poor success, and we finally concluded that prospecting for gold was not our forte.

We accordingly abandoned the enterprise and turned our faces eastward once more.
[Illustration: RAFTING ON THE PLATTE.] When we struck the Platte River, the happy thought of constructing a small raft--which would float us clear to the Missouri and thence down to Leavenworth--entered our heads, and we accordingly carried out the plan.
Upon the completion of the raft we stocked it with provisions, and "set sail" down the stream.