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Show JOUHNAL OF A VOYAGE 7tb No·vembcr ' Tbursday, . - \VaitcJ all day with thL great st anxiety for my n1cn. The river becan1e nearl~ · filled with snow, partly congealed into icc. lVIy situatiou can 1nore easily be in1agined than described. Went down the river to where I understood the deer were k.itlcd; but discovered nothing of 1ny men. I now bccanlC very un~ easy on their account, for I was well aware of the hostilc.: disposition of the Indians to all persons on this part of thv Mississippi, taking thcn1 to be traders-and we had not yet had an opportunity of explaining to thetn who we were. Snow still continued f~1lling very fast, and was nearly kneedeep. IIad great difficulty to procure wood sufficient to keep up a fire all night. Ice in the river thickening. 8tb No'vcmber, Friday.-My lllCll not yet arrivell. r J.etennincd to depart for the garrison, and. when the river had frozen, to con1c down on the ice with a party, or if the weather became 1nild, by wat r, ·with tny oth 'r pcroques, to search for my poor men. Put up about ten pounds of meat, two blankets, and a bear-skin, with my sword and gun, which made for 1ne a very heavy load. Left the meat in as good a situation as possible. \Vrotc on the snow rny wishes, and put my handkerchief up as a ilag. D 'parted. My anxiety of mind was so great that, notwithstanding my load and the depth of snow, I made into the bottom, above our forn1er huntino- catnp, a little before night. Passed several deer and one elk, which I might probably have killed; but not knowing whether I should be able to secure the meat, if I killed them, and bearing in mind that they were created for the usc, and not the sport of man, 1 did not flre at them. Whilst I was endeavoring to ~t rik e fire ] heard voices, and looking round, obscrvcu. my corporal lVIeck and three men passing. Called thc1n to ml', and \Ye en1barkcd to~cthcr. Thc\l 1 0 T Ill·: S 0 L H C E S 0 F T 11 E 1\ ti S SIS S I I' PI. wen ' on their march down, to sec if they could render us any as. istance in ascending the river. They were much ~ricvcd to hear my report of my other men, .corporal Bradley, Sparks, and Miller. 9tb N ovember, Saturday. Snowed a li ttle. The men carried my pack. I was so sore that it was with diOjculty I carried my gun ; fortanatcly they brought with them a pair of 1nockinsons, sent me by one of my soldiers r(hvings), who had rightly calculated that I was bar -foot; also a phial of whi ~kcy, sent by the serjeant, which \V 'n.' both v<'ry acceptable to Inc. They brought, also, some tobacco for my lost men. \V' c experienced difFiculty in cro')sing the river, owing to the ice. lVIovcd my c )111lll<Ul<.l jnto the post, who were again encamped out, ready to march up the river. Set all hands to making sl ... .'l!s, in ord<'r that, the nlmncnt the river closed, l might d 'Sctnd, with a strong party, in search of my lost men. Issued provision:;, and was obligL'U to usc six venison hams, being part of a quantity of dcgant hams, I ·had pr<;scrved, to take Jown, if possible, to the gencrJ.l and ~o me other friends. Ilad the two hunter$ not been found, I must have becom a slave to h unt1ng, in onler to support my party. The icc still r<llJ. VL'ry thick. 1O tb l\lrn.Jcmb~-·r, Sunda.y .-Continuecl makinrr slccls. .~ No news of 1ny hunters. Icc in the river vt-ry thick and hard. Raised my tent with puncheons, and laid a floor Ill ll. l J t b Norvembcr, Monday.-1 went out hunting. Saw but two deer. Kill r'd a ren1arkably large black foA. Bradley and Miller arrived, having mu.ler~tood the writi11g on the snow, and left Sparks behind at the camp, to take car of the 1neat. Their detention was owin1r to their bcincr ~ b lost on the prairit' the first night, and not being able to find 1 h~..'i r deer. |
