JOHN C. FREMONT. 225 



recent events, which have been so signally disas- 

 trous as absolutely to astonish me with a persistence 

 of misfortune which no precaution has been ade 

 quate on my part to avert. 



"You will remember that I had left the camp 

 with occupation sufficient to employ them for three 

 or four days, after which they were to follow me 

 down the river. Within that time I had expected 

 the relief from King, if it was to come at all. 



"They remained where I had left them seven 

 days, and then started down the river. Manuel 

 you will remember Manuel, the Cosumne Indian 

 gave way to a feeling of despair after they had tra- 

 velled about two miles, begged Haler to shoot him, 

 and then turned and made his way back to the 

 camp, intending to die there, as he doubtless soon 

 did. They followed our trail down the river: 

 twenty- two man they were in all. About ten miles 

 below the camp, Wise gave out, threw away his 

 gun and blanket, and, a few hundred yards farther, 

 fell over into the snow and died. Two Indian boys, 

 young men, countrymen of Manuel, were behind. 

 They rolled up Wise in his blanket, and buried him 

 in the snow on the river-bank. No more died that 

 day, none the next. Carver raved during the 

 night, his imagination wholly occupied with images 

 of many things which he fancied himself eating. 



