AUDUBON'S ^NEID 307 



back, for he was now confident of being able to live 

 by his talents alone. 



Accordingly, he left his wife to care for their two 

 boys, and on October 12, 1820, started down river in a 

 flatboat, bound for New Orleans. His companions on 

 this journey were Captain Cummings, 4 an engineer who 

 had been in the government service, to whom Audubon 

 became much attached ; Joseph R. Mason, a promising 

 artist of eighteen, in the role of pupil-assistant, and his 

 dog "Dash." Although Audubon had no funds, he was 

 careful to provide himself with letters to or from men 

 of mark who could be of assistance to him and this cus- 

 tom was followed to good effect at a much later day. 

 On this occasion he bore recommendations from 

 William H. Harrison, who afterwards became Presi- 

 dent, to Governor Miller of Arkansas, and from Henry 

 Clay, as well as his letter from Rev. Elijah Slack, in 

 which it was stated that the naturalist was traveling to 

 complete his collection of the birds of the United States 

 which he intended to publish at some future time. 

 Audubon also wrote a personal letter to Governor 

 Miller, fully outlining his plans, and asking for infor- 

 mation; he told the Governor that he had been working 

 fifteen years, and that his drawings of birds and plants 

 were all from nature and life-size, showing that the idea 

 of publication which was afterwards realized was then 

 fixed in his mind. Audubon kept a careful journal on 

 this journey, which extended over a year, the last entry 

 being for the close of 182 1. 5 



4 See Audubon's letter to Thomas Sully, reproduced in Vol. II, p. 68. In 

 his Ohio and Mississippi Rivers Journal Audubon wrote on April 5, 1821: 

 "Cap. Cumming left us on the 10 for Phila; the poor man had not one cent 

 with him." 



5 This early journal fills a large unruled book, measuring about 13 by 

 8 inches, of 201 pages, beginning with Oct. 12, 1820, and closing with 

 December 31, 1821; it forms a part of the John E. Thayer collection of 



