He said, “Why the eastern papers have been full of it; and it will be the best thing for you two men that could have happened; for no doubt there will be hundreds of people here on their way to California, and when they see you two men who are the heroes of that expedition they will all want your services to pilot them across the plains, and I assure you if there is any thing I can do to assist either of you in any way I am more than willing to do it.  I heard yesterday that there were several small trains on the way coming from St. Joe, and they will be here in a few days, so you are in good time to catch the first of them, and I want you both to stay right here with me until you make arrangements to leave for California.  We will take a trip down the road every day, and if there are any emigrants coming we will meet them.”

[Illustration:  The first thing we knew the whole number that we had first seen was upon us.]

After breakfast next morning an orderly brought in our horses, all saddled, the General’s as well as ours.  We all mounted and started down the road.  We had made five or six miles when we saw an emigrant train coming towards us.  The General said, “Look, boys, there they come now.  Let me do the talking.”

The General had his uniform on, and Jim and I were dressed in buck-skin from head to foot, and we were a rather conspicuous trio, as we rode up to them.  There were six or eight men on horse back, riding ahead of the train.  As we met them the General saluted them.  One of the men said, “Is this the commander at the Fort?”

The General answered, “I am.  My name is Kerney.”

One of the men said, “General, can you tell us whether the Indians are on the war path or not between here and Salt Lake?”

The General answered, “I surely can.  Every tribe of Indians between here and the Sierra Nevada mountains is on the war path, and the emigrants who get through this year without losing their lives or their stock may consider themselves lucky,” and pointing to Jim and me, he continued.  “These two men took a train through last year and only lost two men and would not have lost them if they had obeyed orders.”

One of the men asked, “Are these the men that piloted a train across and had the trouble at Honey Lake last year?”

The General answered, “Yes, sir, they are, and that boy sitting on that iron gray horse is the boy that planned and led the rescue of the two women from the Indians.”

One asked, “Are these the two men the papers said so much about last fall?  I think one was named Jim Bridger and the other’s name was William Drannan.”

General Kerney smiled and answered, “Yes, these are the very men.”

By this time the train had come up, and the other men of the company gathered around us and being told who we were they all shook hands with us, besides a great many of the ladies got out of the wagons and came to us offering their hands.  The people were all from Missouri and Illinois.  A man by the name of Tullock from Missouri asked us what we would charge to pilot their train to California.  Jim Bridger turned to me and said, “Will, what do you think it would be worth?”