206 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1771. From our leaving the Copper-mine River to this time we 

 ^" ^' had travelled so hard, and taken so little rest by the way, that 

 my feet and legs had swelled considerably, and I had become 

 quite stiff at the ankles. In this situation I had [186] so little 

 power to direct my feet when walking, that I frequently knocked 

 them against the stones with such force, as not only to jar and 

 disorder them, but my legs also ; and the nails of my toes 

 were bruised to such a degree, that several of them festered 

 and dropped off. To add to this mishap, the skin was entirely 

 chafed off from the tops of both my feet, and between every 

 toe ; so that the sand and gravel, which I could by no means 

 exclude, irritated the raw parts so much, that for a whole day 

 before we arrived at the women's tents, I left the print of my 

 feet in blood almost at every step I took. Several of the 

 Indians began to complain that their feet also were sore ; but, 

 on examination, not one of them was the twentieth part in so 

 bad a state as mine. 



This being the first time I had been in such a situation, or 

 seen anybody foot-foundered, I was much alarmed, and under 

 great apprehensions for the consequences. Though I was but 

 little fatigued in body, yet the excruciating pain I suffered 

 when walking, had such an effect on my spirits, that if the 

 Indians had continued to travel two or three days longer at 

 that unmerciful rate, I must unavoidably have been left behind ; 

 for my feet were in many places quite honey-combed, by the dirt 

 and gravel eating into the raw flesh. 



As soon as we arrived at the women's tents, the first thing 

 I did, was to wash and clean my feet in [i 87] warm water ; then 

 I bathed the swelled parts with spirits of wine, and dressed those 

 that were raw with Turner's cerate ; soon after which I betook 

 myself to rest. As we did not move on the following day, I 

 perceived that the swelling abated, and the raw parts of my 

 feet were not quite so much inflamed. This change for the 

 better gave me the strongest assurance that rest was the 

 principal thing wanted to effect a speedy and complete cure 



