15 



wonted intrusion, and had invoked the Storm-God to enshroud in deeper 

 gloom the sad and mysterious fate of their noble victim. 



Sabbath morning came, but its holy stillness and sacred associations 

 were all unregarded, and the party camping in the Mountain House, now 

 largely augmented by constant arrivals from the settlements, plunged 

 again into the gloomy forest of gigantic firs, and filing through the dark 

 and deep gorges struck far down into the wilds of Caney River. Mr. El- 

 dridge Burnett's party returned about 2 o'clock, bringing, no tidings and 

 seeing no further trace whatever of the wanderer's footsteps. Still later 

 in the day Messrs. Fred. Burnett and Jesse Stepp and party returned with 

 some twelve or fifteen of the ciz-ens of Caney River, having traversed a 

 large scope of country and finding still no trace of the lost one. The rain 

 still continued to pour down, and the gloomy and ill-omened fog still con- 

 tinued to wrap the mountain's brow in its rayless and opaque shroud. 

 Jnst before dark the remaining party came in, unsuccessful, tired, hungry 

 ^and soaking with water. A general gloom now overspread the counte- 

 nances of all, as the awful and almost undeniable fact was proclaimed, 

 that Dr. Mitchell was surely d^ad, and our only object in making the 

 search, would be- to recue his mortal remains from the wild beasts and 

 give them christian sepulture ! It could not be possible, we thought, that 

 he was alive, for cold, and hunger, and fatigue, if nothing worse had hap- 

 pened to him, would ere this have destroyed him, Alas ! we reasoned too 

 well. By this time the alarm had spread far and near, and many citizens 

 of Asheville and other parts of the country were flocking to the mountains 

 to assist in the search for one so universally beloved and respected. On 

 JMonday tho company numbered some sixty men. New routes were pro- 

 jected, new ground of search proposed, and the hunt conducted through- 

 out the day with renewed energy and determination, but still without 

 avail. On Tuesday the company of Buncombe men separated into three 

 squads and took difi"erent routes, whilst Mr. Thomas Wilson and his 

 neighbors from Caney River, took a still more distant route, by going to 

 the top of the highest peak and searching down towards the Cat-tail fork 

 of the River. They were led to take this route by the suggestion of Mr, 

 Wilson, that Dr. M. had gone up that way in his visit to the high peak in 

 1844, and that perhaps he had undertaken to go down by the same route. 

 They accordingly struck out for that point, and turning to the left to strike 

 down the mountain in the prairie near the top, at the very spot where it 

 is alleged that the Doctor entered it thirteen years ago, they instantly 

 perceived the impression of feet upon the yielding turf, pointing down the 

 mountain in the direction indicated of his former route. After tracing it 

 some distance with that unerring woodcraft which is so wonderful to all 



