HOVEL ON THE SHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN. 223 



on turning my back to the storm, I distinctly felt water run 

 ning- in streams on the surface of my skin. 



The horses at length stood still no means could make them 

 move ; and all the passengers, with exception of the old sol 

 dier and his wife, descended from the waggon. Five of us, 



Mr L , Mr D , the farmer, trader, and myself, resolved. 



to make the best of our way on foot, and the others remained 

 with the waggon. The gentlemen having had cloaks and 

 umbrellas to protect them from the rain while in the waggon, 

 were comparatively dry. The moon had set, and fortunately 

 the night cleared up at the time of commencing our walk. 



Mr L , who was a tall athletic person, in the prime of life, 



led the way at an exterminating pace over the soft sand, fol 

 lowed by the farmer and others. It soon became evident to 

 me, that no frame could last at the rate we were going. Mr 



D and the trader dropped astern, the farmer gave place to 



me, and at length Mr L proposed to breathe on the trunk 



of a tree. Mr L s proposal was most agreeable to me, 



having walked ten hours in course of the day before setting 



out with Mr L ; and I afterwards heard the farmer say, 



in conversation, that had it not been for the honour of his 

 country, he would not have continued to walk with the Euro 

 peans. Mr D and the trader had not been seen for an 



hour before. We shouted to them in vain, and at the end of 

 ten minutes continued the journey at our former pace. When 



resting a second time, Mr D and the trader passed us, 



both mounted on one horse, which they obtained from an 

 Indian known to the trader. 



At three in the morning, we observed a light, which, on 

 approaching, was discovered to be a lantern, with which Mr 



D was gathering potatoes in a garden with his fingers, 



as the only means of removing them from the earth, and the 

 trader was bawling in a hovel for whisky. On entering the 

 hovel, two young girls and a boy, half Indian and half some 

 thing else, were reposing in a corner, each wrapped in a blanket; 

 and on seeing so many strangers, they all rose hurriedly and left 

 the house. Some oats were sent off by the Indian who owned 

 the horse for the waggon horses, and a small piece of bread 

 and some whisky were obtained for ourselves. Mr L ... and 



