PERMANENTLY APPOINTED TO GOVERNMENT 193 



willows on the bank, I saw quite a number of ducks in the stream 

 and, having a gun with me, as usual, I thought I would have a 

 shot at them I had both barrels cocked and, in pressing down the 

 muzzle to get on a line with the birds, I evidently pulled the trig- 

 ger of the right hand barrel ; this was the one that had burst some 

 weeks before, and the charge struck my thumb and carried the 

 whole face of the thumb away, except a slight nob of flesh at the 

 point. I called the men and told them that I had shot myself 

 and they came down at once and tied a rag around the wound, 

 and then a handkerchief, and, although it was painful, I could 

 bear it. After they cut the trees, and the boat came down, I 

 took my place at the stern of the flatbottomed boat and began to 

 steer as usual. However, in a short time, I fell forward in a faint 

 and frightened the life nearly out of the boys. We immediately 

 put to shore and held a consultation. We were now on a part of 

 the river that was full of bends. They made us often run a mile 

 down stream and a mile back again without making more than a 

 few yards of headway. We knew, that, below this, there was an 

 Indian farm and it was decided that I should walk down on a 

 trail that ran some distance from the shore and get the wound 

 dressed and they would follow the river and, perhaps, reach there 

 as soon as I would. I found no difficulty in walking down and 

 told of my mishap and had the Indian farmer and his daughter to 

 look at the wound. He told me that it was a very serious wound 

 in a bad place and it was possible that I would take lock-jaw, and 

 the daughter upbraided him for frightening me. I told them that 

 I was not afraid, I had arranged with my son before I left the 

 boat and the young men would be there in the afternoon. 



Late in the afternoon, the young men came with the boats 

 and said they had been going up and down the river valley all 

 day, as there were at least four or five bends at the same place. 

 I can remember little about the next ten days except that I suf- 

 fered greatly with my thumb. I may mention that we had no 

 soap and that it was impossible to wash it and, therefore, I kept 

 it tied up and, as the evenings and nights were cool, I carried my 

 right hand under my left arm when I was sleeping or steering. 



When we reached Fort Ellice, I found Dr. Otto Klotz at the 



