It appears that of a sudden the animals quit their playing, and the Indian saw or claimed he could see the outline of an elk in the bushes upon the other bank of the improvised lagoon. He said the elk had given the water animals some warning of the near approach of men. He claimed that there was a language of the animal kingdom, which all animals understood -- the language of danger, by which one specimen could signal others. Ware said he wanted to wait until the animals came out to play again, but the guide said "no, they will play no more tonight."

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

GOVERNMENT BUYS FORT LARAMIE -- FT. FONTENELLE IS BUILT

The ramifications of the American Fur Company include many subordinate institutions. Each was an entity unto itself, like the company organized to take over Fort Laramie, which included Bridger and others not interested in other parts of the main institution. "Vanderburg and Dripps" was the immediate branch that connected up at the old fort. In 1845, when a number of posts had been built around Fort Laramie, cutting off the travelers before they reached the central and larger institution, they builded two other subsidiary posts. One was on the north bank of the Platte opposite the mouth of the Laramie river, that remained there until after the gold excitement in California, and the other was a little north of the present site of Wheatland, which was placed in charge of Bordeaux, of whom we will later speak.