242 



THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE; 



Sunday, November 8, was spent quietly by our party 

 at Harkness's place, although it was found necessary to 

 make some preparation for our departure. The day 

 passed slowly ; seemed unusually long ; probably because 

 we were now anxious to get home, to meet again with 

 our families. Nearly two months have elapsed since either 

 Mr. Mildenberger or myself have received any tidings 

 from Jersey City, but we expect to find letters awaiting our 

 arrival at Spence. We were up and had breakfast before 

 daylight the next morning. The ox-team had been yoked 



A hard tramp — homeward bound. 



and were hitched to the old jumper before the first rays 

 of the morning light were visible in the east. The gray 

 dawn of the morning found us moving homeward through 

 the stiffened snow, which was now about twelve inches 

 deep ; traversing a broad swamp which had not yet been 

 closed by the cold frosts of autumn ; travelling on a track- 

 less and miserable wood-road where the oxen wallowed 

 deep in the mud, while the pedestrians occasionally sank 

 so deeply into these sloughs as to require the assistance 

 of a companion to extricate them. The old jumper fared 



