HOW WE FARED. 149 



The task was a sad one, and as tedious as it was sorrowful. We had 

 neither shovel nor pick-axe, and were compelled to dig it with our butcher- 

 knives and hands. 



The pale-moon, new-risen, shed her sombre light over the dismal realms of 

 Solitude, and an intervening cloud cast its pall-like shaddow upon the 

 scene of sepulture, as we laid low the corse in mother dust. No shroud 

 covered — no useless coffin enclosed it, — a grave was the only gift within 

 the power of friendship to bestow! A thin coating of earth succeeded by 

 a layer of stones and drift-wood, and that again by another earth-coat, was 

 its covering, — then, the mournful task was done, — a tear dropt to the mem- 

 ory of poor Prudom, and his body left to slumber in its narrow prison-house, 

 till the sound of the last trump shall wake the dead to judgment.* 



That night to us was a more painful one than any we had passed. A 

 feeling of superstitious awe, mingled with thrilling sensations of grief 

 and thoughts of our own miserable condition, occupied each mind and 

 usurped the soothing powers of sleep. The dolesome bowlings of the 

 prairie-wolf, and hootings of the midnight owl, borne upon the listening 

 air, kept sad condolence with our musmgs, and gave increased momen- 

 tum to the pressure that crushed our spirits. Who could sleep, amid 

 such scenes and surrounded by such circumstances 1 



The rising sun of the morrow brought the hour of separation, and ex- 

 hibited upon every face the same downcast look, prefiguring the inward- 

 workings of a mind absorbed in the melancholy of its own thoughts. 



My party consisted of six, some of whom were selected from the crew 

 of our consort. We all embarked in one boat, taking with us a small 

 quantity of robes, (our own individual property,) and a portion of the pro- 

 visions at camp. 



Our voyage for a few days succeeding, was performed without much 

 difficulty, except in the article of food — for, from this onward, till we 

 finally reached the settlements, (an interval of twenty-eight days,) we 

 were without eating full one half of the time ! 



Proceeding some thirty miles, we overtook the American Fur Com- 

 pany's barges, three in number, the crews of which were struggling on 

 in vain effort to reach the States. We glided past them with a loud 

 huzza, and rallied the poor, toiling voyageurs, upon the futility of their 

 exertions. 



Five or six days subsequently, we were, in turn, overtaken by them ; — 

 they, like ourselves, abandoning all hope of accomplishing the objects of 

 their voyage, had left their freight at Ash creek, under guard — and, from 

 that on, became our compagnons de voyage. 



The only game previous to reaching the forks of the Platte — a distance 

 of some two hundred miles — was now and then an antelope, with a few 

 straggling deer. Our subsistence, meanwhile, was principally upon 

 ^^ greens,'' and such roots as we had time and opportunity to gather. 



The country was pretty much of a uniform character, with that pre- 

 viously described. The rich alluvion of the river bottom reposed upon 

 a varied substratum of sand, marl, gravel, and clay. 



■ * On my return the ensuing fall, I learned that the body of the unfortunate young 

 man had been disinterred by wolves and devoured. 



