232 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



of the plant, and making excellent bread. This 

 grating is rather hard work. One day when Kelfer 

 had grated sonic maize in front of the house, and the 

 fine bright yeHow flour was heaped up on a elean 

 napkin, a juvenile pig cume by, and playfully seized 

 the corner of the napkin, throwing all the Hour into the 

 dust. 



I had received no letter from Kean, but heard that 

 he had joined a young German in the purchase of a 

 boat, and was gone into Louisiana. I almost regretted 

 that I had not accompanied them ; but my passion for 

 shooting impelled me in a different direction, and I 

 longed to be in the Ozark mountains, of which I had 

 heard so much, and which were only 150 miles off. Week 

 after week passed away, and I was desirous of helping 

 Kelfer with his approaching harvest. I passed a great 

 part of my time in the forest with my dog Bearsgreasc, 

 the same that I had brought from Little Rock, and which 

 had grown to a fine powerful animal. I was still unde- 

 termined whether to go north or south, when an old 

 acquaintance arrived at Keller's to pass the night, and 

 decided the question. 



It was old Slowtrap, who had formerly lived near 

 the mouth of Fourche le Fave, but had since removed 

 higher up, not far from Hogarth's. lit; had a sack full 

 of all sorts of articles, including a half bushel of salt 

 which he had bought at Little Rock, and carried across 

 his horse. lie afterwards told me that he had trans- 

 ported all his family and goods on horseback, and 

 then I remembered having once met him riding along 

 with four chairs and a spinning-wheel. The spinning- 

 wheel having made the horse shy, he had hung it on a 



