146 IMPOSSIBLE TO PROCEED. 



When killed, his hams were found half eaten by wolves, and his whole 

 body otherwise so badly mangled we left it imbutchered. 



In the afternoon, having pursued our way eight or ten miles, we lay by 

 for the night. 



A high wind and rain during the three succeeding days prevented further 

 progress, and in the interval our provisions became again exhausted. 



While here, observing two Indians in the distance, ruiining buffalo, I 

 took three men and started to meet them. On coming up, we found an old 

 Indian with his son engaged in butchering. Announcing the object of my 

 visit to be the procurement of meat, they listened without a reply, but con- 

 tinued their operations, — laying the selections in two separate heaps. 



When finished, the old man led up his horse, and, pointing to an assorted 

 pile, told me it was mine, and the animal also should be at my service to 

 convey it to camp. 



His village, he remarked, was a long distance over the hills, on the 

 watch for Pawnees, and though in a directly opposite course from us, he 

 loved the white man and would give him meat and a horse to carry it. 



Accepting the offer of the generous-hearted savage, I took the heavy- 

 laden horse and returned to the boat, — the owner following to regain his 

 beast. When arrived, he hinted at no remumeration for his kindness, 

 and mounting his horse, would have left for his village. 



Where will you find among civilized people men thus generous and 

 obliging ? Such cases are indeed rare. The savage here proved himself 

 of more noble principles than nineteen-twentieths of his enlightened and 

 christianized brethren, whose religion teaches them to love their neighbor 

 as themselves, and do to others as they would like to be done unto ! 



Unwilling that such disinterested kindness should go unrewarded, I made 

 the old man some trifling presents, which he accepted with great pleasure, 

 and, pressing his hand to his breast, exclaimed : " Chanta-ma warstaello !" 

 (my heart is good !) and, shaking hands with the company, put whip to his 

 horse and was soon out of sight. 



' It is useless to notice the particular progress of each day, or to state how 

 many times we unloaded in the interim — how often we crossed the river, oi 

 how far we carried our boat by main strength ; these things have been 

 already laid before the reader sufficiently^to give him some faint idea of the 

 intolerable hardships and sufferings we wete compelled to undergo. Each 

 day was but a repetition of the toils and struggles of the preceding one. 



Neither would it be interesting to state the especial half-day, day, or suc- 

 cessive days we went without eating, meanwhile ; suffice it to say, the 

 morning of the lOth of June found us at the mouth of a small creek upon 

 the right shore, about two hundred miles below the Fort, — having been 

 thirty-five days en barqueite, and without eating for full one third of that 

 time ! The expected spring rise had failed, and the river was very low and 

 still falling, so that there was no possible chance of conveying our cargo to 

 the States, as the most difficult part of the voyage lay yet before us. I ac- 

 cordingly abandoned all thoughts of the latter, and adopted such other ar- 

 rangements as my judgment suggested upon the premises. 



