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Show !r:2 JOUH::'-l .\L Ol• ,\ VOYAGI ~ leased me tnore, for we would now be enabled to walk ~hree times our usual di~tance in a day. I was much surprized that we saw no Indians.. Aft~r our return to the canlp, was told that a Foh Avom Indian had met.Jny par. ty and ·m 1c orme d th."o' m ' tha' t in the rear of the . hills, that bordered the prairie, there were small h~kcs w;1~ch b?' por-t communicated with Lake Sup('nor. 1 hat m one ages , I E~ ·l· ·h d d ays marc h , on that course ' we would finu ng lS tr.a · ing houses. That the Chipeways were there huntmg. That the Sioux who had visited n1y camp on the 2~th ul~. on hearing the firing, had prudently .re~u~ne~, w1th Ius companions, to the west side of the Mtssisstppi, agreeably to my advice. How persons unacquai~ted with the searching spirit of trade, and the enterpnze of the people of the north west ; would be surprized to find people who had penetrated from Lake Superior, to lakes l.ittle more than marshes. And it likewise points out the dtfficulty of putting a barrier on their trade. All my sleds and peroques did not get up until half past 10 o'clock. Saw a very beautiful fox, red back, white tail and breast. My inter· preter called them Reynard d' Argent. I had no oppor· tunity of shooting him. Killed six racoons and one por· cupine. Fine day. Distance 7 miles. • , lStb December, Friday.-Made double trips. Em· barked at the upper end of the ripples. It commenced snowing at S o'clock. Bradley killed one deer, another man killed one racoon. Storm continued until next morn· ing. Distance 5 miles. l4·tb Decem her, Saturday.-We departed from our encampment at the usual hour, but had not advanced one mile, when the foremost sled, which happened unfortu· natcly to carry n1y baggage and amtnunition, fell into the Tiver. We were all in the river up to our middles, in re· covering the things. Halted and made a fire. Came on to where the river was frozen over. Stopped and en· TO THE SOURCES OF TilE MISSISSIPPI. camped on the west shore, in a pine wood. Upon exa. mining my things, found alltny baggage wet and some of my books materially injured; but a still greater injury was, that all my cartridges, and four pounds of double battle Sussex powder which I had brought for n1y own use, was destroyed. Fortunately tny kegs of powder were preserved dry, and some bottles of common glazed powder, which were so tightly corked, as not to admit water. I-Ltd this not been the case, my voyage rnust necessarily ha e b 'en terminated, for we could not have subsisted without am. mumtiOn. During the time of our n1isfor tune, two Fuls Avoin Indians cazne to us, one of whom was at my St(Jckade, on the 29th ult. in company with the: Sioux. I signified to th.em. by signs the place of our intended encampment, and mv1ted them to come and encamp with us. Th y left me and both a~rived at n1y camp in the evening, having each a deer which they presented n1e; I gave them Iny ~anoe, to keep until spring ; and in the morning at partmg made them a sn1all present. Sat up until s o' cl<'ck P .. M. drying and assorting my ammunition, baggag~, &c. K1lled two Jeer. Distance 4 miles. . 1St/; Dccr:mbcr Sundrzy.-Rcmained at our camp makmg sleds. Killed two deer. Crossed and recrossed several Indian trails in the woods. l6tb December, M ondoy.-Remaincd at the same camp. Employed as y~stcrday. Kill t•d three deer. I wounded a buffalo in the shoulder, and by a fair race ove~too~ him in the prairie and gave him another shot ; but It bemg near night left him till morning. l7tb December, T uesday.-Departcd from our agreeable cnr.ampmcnt at an early hour. Found our sleds to be ve ry h ea'v 1' I y 1o adcd. Broke one sled runner and were ~etained by other circumstances. Bradley, R;~scau (the Interpreter) and myself killed four deer and wounded five others. Having eleven on hand already, I found it neces. |
