Volume 16 — [85] CHAPTER XII [VI]

[85] CHAPTER XII [VI]

Indian Hunting Encampment—Brackish Water—The Party Pressed by Hunger—Forked-tailed Flycatcher—An Elevated, almost Mountainous, Range of Country—Desertion of Three Men—Red Water.

Saturday, 19th. Several small corn fields were seen this morning along the creek. At a short distance from our place of encampment we passed an Indian camp that had a more permanent aspect than any we had before seen near this river. The boweries were more completely covered, and a greater proportion of bark was used in the construction of them. They are between sixty and seventy in number. Well-worn traces, or paths, lead in various directions from this spot; and the vicinity of the corn fields induces the belief that it is occasionally occupied by a tribe of Indians, for the purposes of cultivation as well as of hunting.

The increasing quantity of forest, partially obscuring the course of the river, renders it now no easy task to trace its inflexions.

After proceeding twelve miles over a rugged country, at present destitute of water, we were rejoiced to find at our dining-place a puddle of stagnant rain-water, which had been protected from the action of the sun by the elevated and almost impending bank of the ravine in which it was situated, and which, though mantled o'er with green, was yet cool and grateful to our pressing thirst.

We left our cool and shady retreat, and again betook ourselves to the prairies, under a temperature of 96 degrees. Our remaining dog, Buck, had been, [86] since the regretted death of his companion, treated with all the kindness and attention due to a humble friend. He was very frequently accommodated with a ride on horseback before one of the men when he betrayed unusual exhaustion. But notwithstanding all such attentions, for which he seemed touched with the feelings of gratitude, he experienced Cæsar's fate, and was necessarily abandoned.

The evening encampment was pitched upon a luxuriant grassy plain on the margin of the river. On tasting the water, it was perceived to be slightly saline, though the proportion of that condiment was not so considerable as to render it unpleasant to the palate. This saline intermixture is, no doubt, due to the Red river fork, inasmuch as the river, above the entrance of that stream, appeared entirely destitute of saline contamination, and no stream enters on this side in which the slightest apparent degree of brackishness is to be detected by the taste.

The cotton tree is less numerous in this vicinity than we have seen it higher up the river, and being intermixed with other trees, forms but an insignificant feature of the forest.

Sunday, 20th. Heavy rain, accompanied with much thunder and lightning, commenced early in the night, and continued until day-light this morning. Hunters who had been sent out detained us until nine o'clock, when they returned unsuccessful; in consequence of which, and of our having made a sparing meal last evening on a turkey that had been shot, we were obliged to depart fasting on our way.

The ravines were muddy and their banks slippery in consequence of the rain; we had, however, the good fortune to fall upon an Indian trace, which complied with our proper direction, and which indicated the best points at which the gullies might be passed. In its course it conducted us to a creek which was pouring down a torrent of water. Here was an encampment that had obviously been occupied [87] within a day or two, there being fresh rinds of water-melons strewed about it.

One of the party, on attempting to cross this creek, was thrown into the water, in consequence of his horse having plunged suddenly beyond his depth; he however avoided being carried down with the rapid current, by seizing the depending bough of a tree; the horse also was fortunately saved; by taking a different direction, we all passed over without further casualty.117

But we were unable to trace any farther the party that we thus ascertained to have so recently preceded us, their footsteps being here entirely obliterated by the rain.

At the distance of sixteen miles we encamped at an early hour on the bank of the river, and sent out hunters, who, however, after examining the vicinity, returned unsuccessful. Our three meals were therefore again, by stern necessity, reduced to a single frugal one, and our table, the soil, was set with a few mouldy biscuit crumbs, boiled in a large quantity of water, with the nutritious addition of some grease. Julien, who had been despatched for the peace flag, which was casually left at a ravine, to our great satisfaction returned with a skunk or polecat, that he had fortunately killed. This we determined to preserve for a feast to-morrow.

Monday, 21st. One of our horses strayed away last night, and could not now be found, we therefore set out without him, and as usual without breakfasting. The Indian trace was again discovered, and pursued about nine miles to the dining place at noon. Here we were obliged to have recourse for food to a little treasured store of dried bison meat, which, when all issued, amounted to the pittance of two ounces per man; this, added to the soup maigre of the skunk, and a half pint of the crumbs of bread, afforded a tolerably good though far from abundant meal.

[88] Proceeded on under an extreme atmospheric temperature of 90 degrees; several deer were seen, but they proved to be so shy, that our hunters, perhaps through over-eagerness, did not succeed in approaching them within gun shot. After accomplishing a distance of ten miles, we pitched our camp on the river bank. Here the stream turns rather abruptly to the east, after having preserved a southerly and south of west direction for a considerable distance. A considerable stream of water, called Nesuketonga, or Grand Saline creek, flows into the river at this point, nearly opposite to our camp.118

Supped on a few bread crumbs boiled in water. A black wolf, the first seen since our departure from the Missouri, made his appearance in the distance.

Tuesday, 22d. Three of the horses having strayed detained us until eight o'clock, when a fall of rain commenced, which continued during the morning, and wet us thoroughly to the skin. A few hostile Indians, aware of the state of our fire-arms, might perhaps have disappointed our hopes of a safe return to the settlements, if, in their attack, their bow-strings could have been preserved from the effects of the rain, which tends greatly to relax them.

A note like that of the prairie dog for a moment induced the belief that a village of the marmot was near; but we were soon undeceived by the appearance of the beautiful tyrannus forficatus in full pursuit of a crow. Not at first recognising the bird, the fine elongated tail plumes, occasionally diverging in a furcate manner, and again closing together, to give direction to the aerial evolutions of the bird, seemed like the extraneous processes of dried grass, or twigs of a tree, adventitiously attached to the tail, and influenced by currents of wind. The feathered warrior flew forward to a tree, from whence, at our too near approach, he descended to the earth at a little distance, continuing at intervals his chirping note. This bird seems to be rather rare in this region, and as the [89] very powder within the barrels of our guns was wet, we were obliged to content ourselves with only a distant view of the bird.

The river margin, on which we now hold our course, is narrow and fertile, supporting a tolerably thick growth of mossy cup oaks, with walnut, cotton-wood, elm, and much underwood, through which it is sometimes rather difficult to force a passage. The river is now more serpentine in its course than it was remarked to be nearer the mountains, but it is here wide and still, thickly studded with sand-bars.

One of the hunters rescued the body of a small fawn from the wolves that had killed and embowelled it. This afforded us all a good dinner, and as we had in the morning drawn upon our almost exhausted store of sweet corn for a gill to each man as a breakfast, we are to-day comparatively well-fed.

Near our evening encampment was a large old Indian hunting camp. Our distance to-day nineteen miles.

Wednesday, 23d. Set out again fasting, and pursued our journey over a beautiful open level bottom. The bluffs on our left, of but moderate height, were partially clothed with oaks, and the river on the right skirted with the cotton tree. But a single ravine crossed our morning route. At eleven o'clock the mercury in the thermometer indicated 93 degrees.

At the distance of about two miles from our resting-place of noon we again halted and pitched the tents, in anticipation of a violent storm, as a nimbus of an unusually menacing aspect was otherwise announced by wind and thunder, and seemed rapidly approaching from the south. In order to avail ourselves of this delay, the hunters were sent out to endeavour to procure some food. But as the storm passed round, they were soon recalled, bringing with them the seasonable supply of four turkies. On the subsequent part of this day we passed over a small [90] stream, which we call Bitter Apple Creek, with but a slow-moving current, of the width of about ten yards, and three feet deep. Its bed was so muddy that two of the pack-horses were mired, but were finally brought out. We then ascended into the prairie, from which, after labouring over an almost continual succession of ravines, we passed down to the river bank, and encamped for the night, having travelled about twenty miles. Numerous deer were seen to-day, but they were very shy.

The last bitter apple vine that occurred on the expedition was seen to-day. We were once again saluted by the note of the blue jay. The pine warbler (sylvia pinus) also occurred.

Thursday, 24th. As the high prairies offered almost continually a succession of steep and rugged ravines, which called for too much exertion for our horses to pass them, it was determined to endeavour to force our way through the underwood of the bottoms. These we found to be now so intricate, that in many places it was really difficult to force a passage through the intertwined briers and climbing plants. Our progress was, however, at length altogether interrupted by a deep and miry sluice of the river over which no ford could be found. Fortunately, however, the sandy bed of the river itself offered a sufficiently firm footing to enable us to pass round the obstacle. Tired of the brambles, we again sought the prairie, and, ascending an elevated hill, enjoyed a fine view of the river in its meanders to a great distance; but the place of destination, Belle Point, which we now all anxiously look out for, was not yet in sight.

A journey of nine miles and three quarters brought us to a large stream of clear water, but hardly perceptible current, passing over a bed of rock and mud; the banks were steep and high, and afforded us a very pleasant resting-place during the presence of the mid-day heats. A flock of paroquets flew over our [91] heads, uttering their loud note, with their usual loquacity. The king-fisher was flying from one withered support to another, over the surface of the creek, and occasionally darting into the water in pursuit of some little scaly victim; and a large white crane (ardea egretta of Wilson) stalked with slow and measured strides in the shallows of the creek. A glass snake (ophisaurus ventralis) approached too near us, and was captured.

In the afternoon small cumulus clouds arose in the horizon, and we again put forward under a temperature of 95 degrees. Three miles farther a large ravine occurred, containing much water in the deeper parts of its bed, but dry at intervals; it is wooded as far as we can trace it with the eye, and in the season of floods must discharge a large volume of water at its confluence, which is distant about five miles from the creek crossed this morning.119

We passed by several singular natural elevations, with conical summits, and halted early to hunt, for which purpose four men were sent out, who returned with two turkies, which furnished us with a very light supper.

Friday, 25th. Remained encamped in order to give the hunters an opportunity to procure some game. We had nothing for breakfast or dinner, and as our meals a few days past had been few and slight, we have become impatient under the pressure of hunger; a few fresh-water muscles (unio), two or three small fishes, and a tortoise which had been found in the mud of the ravine, were roasted and eaten, without that essential condiment salt, of which we had been for some time destitute. The hunters so anxiously looked for at length returned, bringing but three ducks (anas sponsa); one of them had shot down three deer, but they all escaped.

As we have no idea of our distance from Belle Point, and know not what extent of country we are doomed to traverse in the state of privation to which [92] we have of late been subjected, we have selected, from our miserable horses, an individual to be slaughtered for food, in case of extremity of abstinence; and upon which, although very lean, we cannot forbear to cast an occasional wishful glance.

Bijeau, before he parted from us, urged by his wishes for our safety, drew for our information a sketch of the country over which we had to pass, as far as he had travelled in that direction on a former occasion, which sketch was terminated by two large streams entering the river near to each other, and diverging in the opposite direction. As the remarkable relative course of these two streams, as represented by Bijeau, corresponded to sufficient exactness with the representation of the Verdigrise and Grand rivers, which terminated a sketch which Major Long drew to depict the country from Belle Point upwards, we believed that by joining the two sketches we had a complete view of the country before us, as far as the settlements. Bijeau's sketch proved to be a pretty faithful transcript of the country, as far as the two watercourses that we passed on the 18th instant; which, as they terminated his map, we then supposed were, of course, the Verdigrise and Grand rivers. But not being able to recognise in Major Long's draft one single feature of the region we have since traversed, we finally concluded, either that we had not yet arrived at the true Verdigrise river, or that we had passed by our place of destination without perceiving it. In this state of uncertainty it was determined to continue our course with as much speed as the exhausted situation of our horses would permit, with the hope of soon arriving at some settlement, where we might obtain the proper direction.

The greatest heat of the day was 97 degrees. Two hunters were this evening sent forwards to encamp, and hunt early in the morning. Another flock of paroquets were seen to-day.

[93] Saturday, 26th. Penetrated through an intricate bottom of bushes, interlaced by vines and briers, the timber chiefly oak. The hunters had procured nothing; but Lieut. Swift had the good fortune to kill a fine buck, and one of the hunters afterwards a turkey. These were a happy alleviation to us, and at our noon halting-place we enjoyed the rare luxury of a full meal. At this position was a large ravine, containing much water of the depth of two feet and a half, and width of twenty or twenty-five yards, but without any visible current; its bed was muddy, and in some places rocky.

The journey of the afternoon was equally intricate with that of the morning; our way led along the fertile but narrow eastern margin of the ravine, or as it would be called in the settlements of the Arkansa, bayou, and immediately on our left ascended the abrupt and rocky ridge of the bluff.

After a fatiguing journey of 19 miles we encamped on the river bank, in a fine clear bottom, surrounded semicircularly by the forest. The plum-bushes, which abound in the country through which we have for several days been travelling, are generally killed, probably by conflagration, their black and defoliated branches strongly contrasted with the verdure around them; to-day, however, we met with some which had escaped uninjured, and which afforded a few ripe plums.

Sunday, 27th. The river bottom becoming very narrow, obliged us to ascend upon the high grounds, which we found to be little less than mountainous, often rocky and steep, and, as usual, intersected by profound ravines. Mr. Swift having succeeded in killing another deer, we halted, after a journey of twelve miles, in order to jerk the meat which we now possessed, and to rest the horses, whose feet were bruised and broken by the fragments of rock.

The corporal did not join us until evening. The horse which he had rode became so exceedingly feeble [94] as to be no longer able to support the weight of his rider, who therefore dismounted, and attempted to drive him on before him. In spite of his utmost endeavours the horse proceeded so slowly that the corporal was obliged to forsake him, in order to seek our trail, which he had lost on the rocks over which we had passed. Not being able to regain the trail, and supposing we had directed our course towards the river, he wandered along its margin to a considerable distance, until almost exhausted with fatigue and vexation. He at length ascended a considerable hill which commanded a view of the country around, from which he had the satisfaction to see a column of smoke rising above the forest at a distance. This sure indication he had pursued, until approaching with much caution, he was overjoyed to ascertain that his beacon was no other than the smoke from our meat-drying process. Supposing that the horse would be able to travel after having rested during the night, the corporal was directed to accompany Julien to the spot where he had been left, and to bring him on in the morning.

We availed ourselves of this leisure-time to mend our horse-gear, clothes, and mockasins.

In the evening a slight fall of rain took place, accompanied by thunder in the N. E., which at night became heavy and loud.120

Monday, 28th. The horse that gave out yesterday was brought in, together with two others that had strayed, and for which we were hunting. We were now traversing a high ridge of country, which, at many points may be safely estimated at five hundred feet above the surface of the river, and wooded to a great distance from that stream.

In the afternoon, having descended to the river, we again laboured through the difficulties of dense underwood, which such productive soils usually present, until towards evening, when we had the happiness to see a well-worn Indian path which had been [95] interrupted by the river, and now took a direction towards our left. Wishing to pursue this route, as well for the facility of travelling as with the hope of soon arriving at some Indian town, we readily persuaded ourselves that it deviated from the course we were pursuing only in compliance with the inequalities of the country. With little hesitation, therefore, we struck into the path, and night gathered around us before we threw ourselves supperless upon the ground to repose, after a fatiguing march of about twenty-one miles, during which the greatest degree of heat was 92.

Several small flocks of the common wild pigeons flew by us, both yesterday and to-day, in a southerly direction.

Tuesday, 29th. After some detention in seeking a troublesome horse that had strayed, we again proceeded forward fasting. This abstinence, to which we have been several times subjected, affects one of our party in a singular and uniform manner; his voice becomes hollow-toned, and his hearing much impaired, a state that is popularly known, as he expresses it, by the phrase of the almonds of the ears being down.

We pursued the Indian path a considerable distance this morning; but as its course continued its divergence from the river, and we were fearful of deviating too far, we abandoned it, and by an oblique course endeavoured to regain the river. Here, however, the undergrowth being almost impervious, induced our return to the path, which we again attained near an Indian hunting camp of the past season, situated in a beautiful prairie, near a gently swelling hill.

Here finding a little water in a ravine puddle, we halted, and served out a stinted ration of dried meat to each individual instead of dinner, which, so far from gratifying, tended to stimulate our desire of food.

[96] Having been some days entirely destitute of tobacco in any shape, those of the party who are habituated to the use of it experienced an additional formidable privation. One of the men, who was erroneously supposed to have still a remnant of the precious stimulant in his possession, was heard to reply to an earnest and most humble petition for a small taste of it, or to be allowed to apply his tongue to it:—"Every man chaws his own tobacco, and them that hasn't any chaws leaves."

During the prevalence of the greatest heat of the day, which was 94 degrees, we again set forward, and passed over a gently undulated surface, supporting an open forest of young and scrub oak, intermixed with hickory. In the course of a few miles we arrived at the edge of this forest, which here crowned a much elevated region. It was in fact higher in proportion to the surface before us than any other portion of the country we had seen on this side of the mountains. The eye from this height roved over a vast distance of prairie, and comparatively plain country; and it was evident that we had now passed the hilly and even mountainous country, which we have of late been traversing. A few hills still interrupted the continuity of surface below, more particularly on the right of the landscape towards the river. Not a human being was yet to be perceived, nor a single trait indicative of their present existence. It seemed for a moment that our little cavalcade alone was endowed with the vital principle, and that the vegetable world held a silent and solitary dominion. Belle Point still evades our sight; we might have passed it, or it may still be very far before us; yet we can no longer struggle through the tangled underwood that encloses the river, nor pick our passage amongst the loose stones of the bluffs, in order to preserve an uninterrupted view of the bank of the river upon which that post is established. From this [97] position the path winds rather abruptly downward, and, at a little distance on the plain, conducted us through an abandoned Indian hunting camp.

The horse that gave out on Sunday, having been since both packed and rode, this afternoon sunk under his rider to the ground, and resisted our efforts to induce him to rise. As he appeared to be entirely exhausted, we reluctantly abandoned him. He had been a sprightly, handsome, and serviceable animal, and was chosen from a considerable number of horses, and presented to Mr. Say, by Major O'Fallon, when at the Pawnee villages.

After a day's journey of twenty-two miles, a favourable situation for an encampment offering timely at a site which appeared to have been occupied by a tribe of Indians during the late winter, induced us to pitch the tents, and prepare for the night. And Lieutenant Swift, whose dexterity as a marksman had previously relieved us in times of need, now succeeded in killing a turkey for our evening meal.

Wednesday, 30th. We pursued the path about ten miles farther, with the hope of its soon terminating at some Indian village; but as it continued to diverge too widely from our apparent true course, we once again relinquished it, and turned towards the river, which we expected to regain in the course of a few miles, by tracing down the opposite bank of a large ravine, which now presented itself.

At our resting place of noon the banded rattlesnake (C. horridus) occurred, and five young turkies were procured by the hunters.

Resuming our journey, it soon became obvious that the ravine we were tracing did not discharge into the Arkansa, but into some large tributary of that river, and which, from an elevated ground, we could distinctly see meandering to a great distance on the left.121 Another Indian path was now discovered, which by its direction seemed to comply with our proper course. It led us to recross the ravine, [98] with its most luxuriant growth of trees, bushes, and weeds. On emerging from this intricate maze we observed a large column of smoke arising in the south-east, as if from the conflagration of some entire prairie. This occurrence, combined with the effects of a large burning in the vicinity of our evening encampment, that seemed very recent, and the appearance of the well-worn pathways, inspired us with a renewed expectation of soon meeting with human beings, and of arriving at some permanent Indian village.

The highest temperature of the day was 95 degrees. Our distance this afternoon was ten miles.

Thursday, 31st. We arose early, and on looking at the horses that were staked around the camp, three of the best were missing. Supposing that they had strayed to a distance, inquiry was made of the corporal respecting them; who answered that three of the men were absent, probably in pursuit of them, and added, that one of those men who chanced to be last on guard had neglected to awaken him to perform his duty on the morning watch. Forster, a faithful, industrious soldier, and who, in performing the culinary services for the party, had not lately been laboriously occupied, now exclaimed, that his knapsack had been robbed; and upon examining our baggage, we were mortified to perceive that it also had been overhauled and plundered during the night. But we were utterly astounded to find that our saddle bags, which contained our clothing, Indian presents, and manuscripts, had also been carried off.

This greatest of all privations that could have occurred within the range of possibility, suspended for a time every exertion, and seemed to fill the measure of our trials, difficulties, and dangers.

It was too obvious that the infamous absentees, Nolan, Myers, and Bernard, had deserted during the night, robbing us of our best horses, and of our most important treasures. We endeavoured in vain [99] to trace them, as a heavy dew had fallen since their departure, and rested upon every spear of grass alike, and we returned from the fruitless search to number over our losses with a feeling of disconsolateness verging on despair.

Our entire wardrobe, with the sole exception of the rude clothing on our persons, and our entire private stock of Indian presents, were included in the saddle bags. But their most important contents were all the manuscripts of Mr. Say and Lieut. Swift, completed during the extensive journey from Engineer Cantonment to this place. Those of the former consisted of five books, viz. one book of observations on the manners and habits of the Mountain Indians, and their history, so far as it could be obtained from the interpreters; one book of notes on the manners and habits of animals, and descriptions of species; one book containing a journal; two books containing vocabularies of the languages of the Mountain Indians; and those of the latter consisted of a topographical journal of the same portion of our expedition. All these, being utterly useless to the wretches who now possessed them, were probably thrown away upon the ocean of prairie, and consequently the labour of months was consigned to oblivion by these uneducated vandals.

Nolan, Myers, and Bernard, though selected by the officers of Camp Missouri, with the best intentions, for the purpose of accompanying our party, proved worthless, indolent, and pusillanimous from the beginning; and Nolan, we ascertained, was a notorious deserter in two former instances.

This desertion and robbery occurred at a most unfortunate period, inasmuch as we were all much debilitated, and their services consequently the less dispensable on that account, in the attentions necessarily due to the pack-horses, in driving these animals, loading and unloading them, &c.

[100] We resumed our journey upon our Indian pathway in silence, and at the distance of sixteen miles we passed through the river forest, here three miles in width, and once again encamped upon the bank which overlooks that stream. No trace of Belle Point, nor any appearances of civilization were yet in view. But we were all immediately struck with the change in the appearance of the water in the river. No longer of that pale clay colour, to which we have been accustomed, it has now assumed a reddish hue, hardly unlike that of the blood of the human arteries, and is still perfectly opaque, from the quantity of an earthy substance of this tint, which it holds in suspension; its banks and bars are, from deposition, of the same colour. This extraneous pigment has been contributed by some large stream flowing in from the opposite side, and which, in consequence of our late aberrance, we had not seen.122

The hunters returned without game, but bringing us a few grapes and some unripe persimmons, all of which were eaten.

The extreme heat of the day was 95 degrees, and in the evening thunder and lightning occurred in the western horizon.