I answered, “No, Capt.  I do not, for I know that Cherry creek country, and I do not believe that there is a pound of gold in all that country.  It is nothing but a desert.”

He said, “Have you been to Cherry creek?”

I answered, “Yes sir, a number of times.”

“Where is Cherry creek?” he asked.  I told him that Cherry creek headed in the divide between the Arkansas river and the South Platte river, and emptied into the South Platte river about twenty miles below where the Platte leaves the Rocky mountains and near the center of the territory of Colorado.  Capt.  McKee said, “Well, I am going anyhow.  I did not go to California when I ought to have gone, and maybe this will prove as rich a country for getting gold as that did.”

I laughed and answered, “There may be lots of gold in Colorado, Capt., but you or anyone else will never find enough gold in Cherry creek to make you rich.”

He said, “Well, the way to find it is to go there and look for it.  We surely never will if we stay away.”

From the way the people talked, one would have thought that everybody in Dallas was going to the gold fields.

After it was known that I had been through the country where the gold mines were reported to be, a great many men came to me to make inquiries about the country, and some of them seemed surprised because I took the news so coolly and did not seem anxious to go there.

The excitement did not last more than a week before it commenced to die away.

By this time we had about disposed of our horses, and the wounded men were able to go to their homes.

The Capt. settled up with the men, and he and I divided the remainder of the money.

After we were square, the Capt. asked what I was going to do.  I told him that I was going back to Bent’s Fort.  He said, “Well, won’t you wait a few days until I can organize a company to go with me to Colorado, and we will go with you as far as Bent’s Fort?”

I said I certainly would, for the journey would be very lonely for me to go alone, and I liked company, and besides I was in no hurry to get there.

The Capt. worked steadily to get recruits for his company for two weeks, and he succeeded in getting ten men in all that time.

He said, “This beats anything I ever undertook.  When we first came to Dallas, the whole town talked as if they were crazy to go, and now I can’t get anybody to join me, but I will make the effort with the ten men that will go, and if this is a success and we make fortunes, we will come back and surprise the city.”

I said, “Alright, Capt., but if the people of Dallas are ever surprised, it will not be from hearing of the great amount of gold you and your companions took from Cherry creek.”

The Capt. now commenced to get ready for the journey to Colorado, the land of reported gold.  Each of his men had to have two saddle horses, and one pack horse for every two men, and each man had three months provisions, consisting of flour, coffee, salt and tobacco.