88 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



paddled over, and went to the nearest house, before 

 which a, number of people were .standing, and amongst 

 them the owner, Von G., formerly an officer in the 

 army, now an industrious farmer, and zealous sports- 

 man. He possessed two slaves, and was well contented 

 with his new condition. lie kindly offered me a bed 

 in his house. In the evening the German came in, 

 whose acquaintance I had made on the banks of the 

 river. lie was a very worthy, though rather an eccen- 

 tric man. He must have been equally pleaded with 

 me, for lie insisted that I must not think of going away 

 so soon, but must come and pass some days with him in 

 order to see the country. Having nothing to hurry me, 

 I willingly accepted his kind invitation, and went on 

 the following day to his house, where he made me quite 

 at home. lie had a nice little wife, and five strong 

 healthy children. 



In the afternoon it began to rain. Travelling was 

 not to be thought of; even had I wished it, these kind 

 people would not have let me go. We chatted away 

 till deep in the night, and it did me a world of good to 

 be able to converse again to my heart's content in my 

 mother tongue. My host was a Rhenish Bavarian, 

 named Ililger, a builder by trade, and by no means un- 

 educated. 



On the next day we had a visit from a neighbor, 

 a man of about thirty-five, with a short green shooting 

 jacket, and a German riile ; but his accent betrayed 

 him to be no German. Ililger addressed him by the 

 name of Turoski. lie was a Polish officer, who sought 

 and found in America security against the political 

 persecutions that he would have been exposed to in 



