^6 Life of Auduhon, 



agreeable circumstance was an encampment of about fifty 

 families of Shawnee Indians, attracted to the spot by the 

 mast of the forest, which brought together herds of deer, 

 and many bears and racoons. 



" Mr. Rosier, whose only desire was to reach the des- 

 tination and resume trade, was seized with melancholy at 

 the prospect occasioned by the delay. He brooded in 

 silence over a mishap which had given me great occasion 

 for rejoicing." 



A narrative of Audubon's stay at Cash Creek, and 

 perilous journey up the Mississippi, is picturesquely 

 given in his journal, and from which the following is 

 extracted : — 



" The second morning after our arrival at Cash Creek, 

 while I was straining my eyes to discover whether it was 

 fairly day dawn or no, I heard a movement in the Indian 

 camp, and discovered that a canoe, with half a dozen 

 squaws and as many hunters, was about leaving for Ten- 

 nessee. I had heard that there was a large lake oppo- 

 site to us, where immense flocks of swans resorted every 

 morning, and asking permission to join them, I seated 

 myself on my haunches in the canoe, well provided with 

 ammunition and a bottle of whiskey, and in a few minutes 

 the paddles were at work, swiftly propelling us to the 

 opposite shore. I was not much surprised to see the 

 boat paddled by the squaws, but I was quite so to see 

 the hunters stretch themselves out and go to sleep. On 

 landing, the squaws took charge of the canoe, secured it, 

 and went in search of nuts, while we gentlemen hunters 

 made the best of our way through thick and thin to the lake. 

 Its muddy shores were overgrown with a close growth of 

 cotton trees, too large to be pushed aside, and too thick 

 to pass through except by squeezing yourself at every 

 few steps ; and to add to the difficulty, every few rods we 

 came to small nasty lagoons, which one must jump, leap, 



