86 A FOOLHARDY INDIAN. 



across the river and arranging the apparatus would have taken 

 an entire day. 



Finding that they would not do as he wished, the Indian 

 shouted to us, to say that he should swim the river waggon 

 and all; and this he prepared to do, driving down to the edge 

 of the water, and fastening all he had with him on the seat, 

 which was a board placed across the waggon, and this he 

 secured with a rope. Everything was done to prevent his 

 trying to cross, but to no purpose, and we saw him drive into 

 the river the ponies seeming rather to like it. As soon as he 

 was clear of the bank the current carried him rapidly down, 

 and we had to walk fast to keep abreast of him. The ponies' 

 heads showed plainly, and they seemed to be swimming 

 strongly and to be gaining ground their driver standing on 

 the seat, and urging them on with wild shouts. Once they 

 struck a sand-bar when more than half over, but they plunged 

 off again, and reached the bank more than half a mile below 

 the fort, at an angle of the river where it was shallow. It 

 was impossible to drive up at this point ; but the ponies were 

 brought up, and the waggon was left to be carried up in 

 sections. 



All this prevented our getting off till the afternoon, and we 

 only made some ten or twelve miles that night, camping on a 

 small stream running into the Saskatchawaii, having crossed 

 the south branch of that river. A great number of wolves 

 came to serenade us that night, seeming to know that we were 

 leaving the country. We fired at several of them, as it was a 

 beautiful moonlight night, but we did not get any. 



The next day we were up at dawn, and as our breakfast was 

 not a very tempting one, we were soon off, and made, I should 



