OCR Text |
Show JOURNA.L. At ni~ht out· hunters came in and had killed o:te deer. TVcdnesday 1 lth. 'Ve had a fine lnot·ninc,. witl some white ft'DSt. Several of the men tltrnel out t~ hunt; and returned at noon, having killed a uea1• ancl two cle~l'. In this plain tltcre r.rc the most ~ ~r-;wber ~·y nncs_l ever s aw, and now all in blossom. l lns plnm contams about two thousand acres, and is g:ll'l'OU!:<..!ed W~th. beautiful pine timber of different lands. 1 he soli 1s very good; the unclen\ ooci amen ~ the timber chiefly .service-berry ancl goosebe 1·1,'~ b~'3hes .. In th.e e\·emng; se\ eral of the n1en r~ta1 ted, Wtth ~n mtentwn of encamping out to hunt ; and on~ went back to our bte Gltm p to look fc.11· the hot'"C· wluch had been le ft behind. The natives all !tft l~'< and \H! r~ mained in quietness by ourscl ves. . Tlmrsday 12rh. \Ve had a fjne lovely moruinf~ With a heavy dew. I went out with some o[ the part,· to hunt; about 8 o'clOG:k the tnusquitoes became very troubl esome; and at 10 we all c<une .in without any success. About the s ::une time the m:m, who J1ad gone back for the horse retnl'ned with him. Au bou.t an hoUJ: after foul' hunters, who had been ou: d~rmg- the mr;·ht came in; three of them hacl been ~"~nhout success, but the other brought in t\\ o cleet. I here are a good n? any deer h ere, and sotne bears, but til er nt'e Y~~y wllc}, as they are nn;ch pursued by the n ati ve~. 1 here 1s no g~me of any olher kim!,. t:xc~pt sqmrrels and some othet· sm<.ll anim<tls. The bqu:t~ J~els are abo\lt the size of Otlr common ~~rcy squut e ls, ,mel very handsome. They at\.: or a brown rrr~ y colour, beautifully speckled with smrtll brown s1;ots, and. burrow in the g round. \Ve 1\illccl seYtl'~tl ?1 .t~l.em smce we came to t hic; camp. The..: mn~pic ]S. <liSO plenty h ere, and woodped'\.e1'S of a cEtLr~.nt limcl.fmm.any I had before seen. ThLy ~l'e abon~ the stze oi a comm0n r c..cl -h ca:.led wuod pccket'; bu: ur~ all bl.<\ck e·.;.ccpt tht b....lly r.nd neck, wllcre t!!1 w ~ OURNAL. \! l l ls of the r~..~.thers al'e tipped ,yith a deep red, but this tipping extend!) to so short JJ. distance on the feathers, that at a di t:tance the bird looks wholly black. In the afternoon 011~ of the natives came to our camp, and one of the tv.·o hunters that V{el'e out, returned but had killed nothing. In the eYening some hunters went out with inte ntion to stay all night. The Indian ·who c~me to out· ca1np ~aid he b::1d a notio;J to c ross ~ he mountains with us. J~'riday 13!/J. There was n. fine morninh, and , huutet' or two went out. The Indian e}.cl.atHt~d horses with one of OUL' men, whose horse hc..d ~wt recovered, and was unablt! to cross the nlotmt:..~ins ; and then w~nt home to the vill a~e. At noon l wo of our tnen took their loads and went on ahead about t.ight miles to a small prairie to hunt until we should come up. Durin~ the aftenwot'\ the men who went out yesterday to hunt returned with d ght deer. In ~he evening the weather becatne cleudy. T ~e rnusquitoes are very trouble some. Sc1.turday 14th. \Ve had a cloudy morning. Some huntet·s again went out ; at 1 o o'clock one came i .: ,dth a. deer ; ::.111 <1 in the evening the rest of then1, but they h ad not l illcrt any t iling. Sunday 15th. This was a cloul!y wet morning '"ith some thunder. \ V c left Com-mas Hat to attempt to eros-; the m-ountains; and bad sixty-!,ix hors ~s , all very goud . \Ve ascended a bi~h mount with a good deul of Llifl1c ulty, as the path was very slipper;, but get over safe to a small ptairie, wh•!re the two men, who had gone 011 ahead had killcJ two dee1· and lnwg them up. \ Ve took the meat, procee<led down tht· hill atd [oUlld the hunters who had killed another deer. \Ve halt~d r.t a c reek a nc.l took dinner; then proceed, c1 o ver a very diP.! r ult road on accotmt of the fdllen timber. \Ve had r~.iu nt int ervals during the forenoon, but tht afternocn was cle~.r. We u1camp~ |