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Show 180 JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE owmg to the waters running over the ice. Distance 8 miles. Crossed our horses twice .on the icc. 31st December, Wcdncsday.-Marched ; had fre. quently to cross the riv r on the ice, horses falling down, we were obliged to pull them over on the icc. The river turned so much to the north, as almost induced us to be. lievc it was the Arkansaw. Distance 10 3-4 miles. l st January 1807, Thursday.-The doctor and one n1an marched early, in order to precede the party until they should kill a supply of provision. W e had great difficulty in getting our horses along, smne of the poor animals having nearly killed themselves falling on the ice. Found on the way one of the n1ountain rams which the doctor and Brown had killed and left in the road. Skinned it with horns &c. At night ascended a n1ountain, and dis. covered a prairie ahead about eight miles, the news of which gave great joy to the party. 2d January, Friday.-Laboured all day, but made only one mile, many of our horses n1uch wounded in falling on the rocks. Provision growing short, left Stoute and Miller with two loads, to con1c on with a sled on the ice, which was on the water in some of the coves. Finding it almost impossible to proceed any further \rith the horses by the bed of the river, ascended the n1ountain and immediately after Wl're again obliged to descend an almost perpendicular side of the mountain ; in effecting which, one horse fell down the precipice, and bruised himself so Iniserably, that I conceived it n1ercy to cause the poor animal to be shot. Many others were nearly killed with falls received : left two more tnen with loads and tools to make sleds. 'The two men we had left in the mon · ng had passed us. 3d January, Saturday. - Left two more men to make t;}eds and come on. W e pursued the nvr r, and with , TO THE SOURCES OF TilE ARK.ANSA \iV, &c. 18 t great difficulty made six miles by frequently cutting roads on the ,ice, and covering it with earth, in order to go round precipices, &c. The men left in the n1orning encamped with us at night, but those of the day before, we ~aw nothing off. This day two of the horses became senseless, from the bruises received on the rocks, and were obliged to be left. 4th January, Sunday.-\V e n1adc the prairie about three o'clock, when I detached Mr. Baroney and two soldiers with the horses, in order to find some practicable way for them to get out of the n1ountains light ; I then divided the others into two parties of two men each, to make tileds and bring on the baggage. I determined to continue down the river alone, until I could kill some sustenance, and find the two men who left us on the 2d inst. or the doctor and his companion, for we had no provision, and every one had then to depend on his own exertion for safety and subsistance. T hus we wen~ divided into eight different parties, viz. 1st. The doctor and his companion; 2d. The two men with the first sled ; Sd. The interpreter and the two men with the horses ; 4th. Myself; 5th. Gth. 7th. and 8th. two men each with sleds at different distances ; all of whom except the last, had orders, if they killed any game, to secure omc part in a conspicuous place, for their companions in the rear. I marched on about five miles on the r iver, which was OIP continued fall through a narrow channel and immense cliffs on both sides. Near night I came to a place where the rocks were perpendicular on both sides, and no icc (except a narrow bor lcr) on the water. 1 began to look about, in order to discover which way the doctor and his companion had managed, and to find what had become of the two lads with the fi rst sled, when I discovered one of the latter climbing up th'~ ~ide of the rocks ; l called to |