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Show JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE sary to leave behind some of my other loadin~. ~t nig~~ we dug a hole, four feet deep, three feet wtde, .. md SIX feet long, in which we put one barrel of ~ork and one barrel of flour, after wrapping them up In seven deer skins, to preserve them from. the d~mp, we th.cn filled up the hole, and built our fire unmedtately over I_t. . l8tb Dcrembcr' Tbursday.-Did not get ofl Ulltll 8 o'clock from the dday in bringing in our meat. Icc tole· rably Jood. Began to see the ~hipeway's ei~:amp1~1cnts very frequently, but had not entu~ely l~ft th.c ~w u. ' country on the w stern shore. Beautiful pme ~tdgcs. I9tb D.:rcmbcr, Tbursday.-Were obbged to take to the prairie, from the rivers being open; Lut the snow was frozen hard and the sleds did not sink deep, so that we 1naJe a pretty good days journey. Killed one cl ~er and two otters. Ri \'Cr still open. Distance 10 nuL's. 20th December, Friday.-TravellcJ part of the day on the prairie and on the ice. Killed ~ne deer. llea:d three reports of guns just at sun set from the oppo$~tc side of the river. Deposited one barrel of llour. D1s. tance 7 miles. 21st Dcrcmbcr, Saturday.-Bradlcy and mysrlf went on ahead, and overtook my interpreter, who had left e<~mp very early in hopes that he woulJ be able to sec th ~ n~cr De Corbean, where he had twice wintered. lie was Jl11· mediately oppo~itc to a large island, which he supposed to have great resemblance to an island, opposite the n1outh of the above river; but finally he conclutleJ, it was not the island, and r l!LL1rncd to camp. nut this was actually the river, as we discovered when we got to the head of the island, from which we conld see the river's entrance .... This fact expose~ the ignorance <md inattention of the French and traders, and with the exception of a few intd· Jigent men, what little confidence is to be placed on th.cir jufonnation. \Ve a~cended the Mi!:lsi~sippi, alJout five TO THE SOURCES OF TJ rr·: MT. 'ST'1SIPPf. s., miles above the confluence ; found it not frozen; but iu m~ny plac~s, not more than one hundred yards over; nuld and still. Indeed all the appearance of a small river ?fa low country. Returned and found 1ny party, havmg- broke sleds, &c. had only n1ade good 3 miles, while l had marched 35. 22d Dece1:zber, Sunday.-Killed three deer. Owing to the . many 'hfficult places we had to pass, 1nade but ·1· 1-2 mdcs. . 23~ December,. Monday.·-Ncver clid I unll rp;o n1on ' t1t1gue, m performmg the duties of hunter spv cru1dc command m. g offitccr &c S · · t· ' ./' ,-, · ' . , . on1ctm1cs 1n ront; smnC' time~ m th~ r ear; frequently in advance of my p:1.rty 10 or 15 m1les; that at night I was scarcely able to make my notes .i ntelligible · KiJ1 e.. u·1 t wo · F 1 acoons. from our sl ed ~ brcakmg· down d h · , an avmg to make so many portages on the road, made but 4 miles. 2 4th DccepLber, Tucsday.-Took the latitude of t h<' !~lc D~ ?orbcau, and founJ it to lw in 45° 4H' '>011 N. I he Mississippi eeco . b . 1nes very nan ow a ovc the nvcr Dt' Corbcau l ·f · f: ' anc as 1 It were the forks, changes its direction rom hard W. toN. E. generally. l)istanc~ 10 1-() miles 2 r: t h D /; UT. "" • v eccm er, "~' Nlncsday.-Marched and encamp"d at· 1 1 o'clock G · :rave out two ponnds of cxtr~l meat, two pounds of extra f1 • .11 f . b. c OUl, one g1 0 \\ hiskcy, and SOlllC to-clCCO per nnn . tl . . . I . . . d· . • ' lls, In on cr to chstmgmsh Chri~tma~ ay. Distance 3 mile·. · 2 oth .December, Thursday.-Broke four sleds · broke mto the nver £ · , . . ' ,. . our times, and had Jour carrymg places smcc We left the . ' . D r ' • ' •11 . nvei e Corbeau. I he timber was ail yr. ow and pitcl · f h. belo . 1 pme, 0 w ,1ch th~re were scar-cely any w. Distance 3 tnilcs. 27th December F. ·a Afi . . , rt ay.- tcr two carrymg plac(':i We arnvecl wher " tl . ' a1r. tcr whz• ch w' e . 1e nver was completely closed with icc· .J • ' . e P1 occecLcd WJth some degree of speed and |
