| OCR Text |
Show l I 1 JOUHNAL OF A \'OYAC~E 22d July, Tucsday.-W e arranged our boats, dried our loading, and wrote letters for Belle Fontaine. 2'3d .July, TifTcdncsday.-I dispatched an express to the general, with advertisements relative to Keunerman, the soldier ~ ho had deserted.* We embarked after breakfast, and made good progress: lieutenant Wilkinson steen.:d one boat and I the other, in order to detach all the men on shore, with the Indians, that we could spare. \Vc crossed to the ~outh side, a little below Shepherd river. }) r. Robinson killed a deer, which was the first killed by the party. Distance 13 miles. 21·th July, Thursday.-W e embarked at half past 6 o'clock. Very foggy. The Indians accompanied by only three of my people. Lieutenant Wilkinson being a little indi ·posed, 1 was obliged to let 13aroney steer his boat. VV c made an excellent day's journey, and encamped five miles from the Ga conade river. Killed three deer, one bear, and three turkics. But three or four of the Indians arrived ; the others encamped a small distance below. Distance 18 miles. 25tb July, Friday.-We embarked at half past 6 o'clock, and arrived at the entrance of the Gasconade river half past eight o'clock, at which place l determined tore· n1ain the day, as my Indians and foot people were yet in the r ear, and they had complained to n1c of being without shoes, leggins, &c. One of our Pawnees diu not arrive until late ; the other had communicated his suspicion to 1ne that the Oto, who was in company, had killed him.: he ac1 nowledged that he proposed to hin1 to take out their baggage, and return to St. Louis. The real occasion of his absence, howeYer, was his having followed a large fresh trace up the Gasconade a considerable distance ; but find· ing it led from the 1\fissouri, he examined it and Ji!:Jcm·crcd " f cc nppendix to part II (No 5.] pag;~ 3.1 and [No. 6. J p gr 30 TO THE SOURCES OF THE AHKANSA \V, &c. i 15 borses to have been on it, he then left it, joined our's, ancl came in. This being generally the route taken by th Potowatomies, when they go to war against the Osage, it occasioned some alarn1. Every morning we were awoke by the mourning of the savages, who cormnenccd crying about daylight, and continued for the space of an hour. I made enquiry of tny interpreter with respect to this, who informed me that this was a custOin not only with those who had recently lost their relatives, but also with others who recalled to mind the loss of some friend, <.lead long since, and joined the other mourners purely from synlpathy. 'They appeared extremely afFct:ted, tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed bitterly; but in a 1noment they dry their checks and they cease their cries. Their songs of grief generally run thus: "My dear father exists no longer: have pity on n1e, 0 Great Spirit! you see I cry forever ; dry 1ny tears and give me comfort." The warriors songs are thus: " Our enemies have slain my father (or mother) ; he is lost to n1e and his fatnily ; l pray to you, 0 Master of Life ! to preserve n1e until I revenge his death, and then do with tne as thou pleascth.'' Distance 5 1niles. 26th July, Saturday.-We commenced at 5 o'clock to ferry the Indians over the Gasconade, and left the entrance of this river half past 6 o'clock in the afternoon. Met five Frenchmen, who informed us that they had just left the Osage river, and that it was so low they could not ascend it with their canoe. We wrote letters, and sent them back by the1n. * Dr. Robinson, Baroney, Spark , ~~d all the Indians enca1nped about one league above us. Killed one bear, two deer, one otter, three turkies, and one racoon. Distance 15 miles. .. Sec appendix to part 11. [ Nu. ?·] p:~gc 36. |
