238 A LAME HORSE. 



tent and bed also for me. Major Martin brought with 

 him his little boy, William, with whom it was impossible 

 not to be pleased, and a scrap of a song I sang to him, of 

 " Hoot awa', hoot awa ? , wandering Willie," became the 

 tune that everybody hummed while in his hearing. When 

 his own pony was not fit to go mine was at his service, 

 and when he did not accompany his father to the plains 

 he caught small chub and other fish in the creek near 

 which we encamped. 



On setting out upon the march, I found that I was not yet 

 equal to much exertion ; however/we killed a few grouse, 

 and then after a little time I was obliged to seek my am 

 bulance and lie down, for though actual fever was not 

 still on me, yet the enervating attack had left me almost 

 overcome by an inexplicable lassitude that it was very 

 difficult to shake off. We camped that night at a place 

 called " Chapman's Creek," computed at about twenty- 

 five miles from the Fort, when, seeing that there was a 

 swampy portion of it that looked likely for wildfowl, I 

 took my gun and Brutus, and, on two bitterns rising, I 

 killed the first, but my gun missed fire at the second. 

 There was an island where this took place, and I 

 observed that there were large paths across the sort of 

 green duckweed that lay on the surface of the stagnant 

 water, which must have been made by creatures larger 

 than the musk-rat, and therefore perhaps by beavers or 

 otters. Had I had the strength to have done it, I should 

 have explored that island, but, for the sake of the grand 

 affair expected so shortly to come off, I was glad to get 

 my dinner and to go to bed in the comfortable tent the 

 officers had pitched for me. On coming into camp, alas ! 

 the ill news reached me that one of Mr Bayard's best 



