88 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



paddled over, and went to the nearest house, before 

 which a number of people were standing, and amongst 

 them the owner. Von G., formerly an officer in the 

 army, now an industrious farmer, and zealous sports- 

 man. He possessed two slaves, and was well contented 

 with his new condition. He kindly offered me a bed 

 in his house. In the evening the German came in, 

 whose acquaintance I had made on the banks of the 

 river. He was a very worthy, though rather an eccen- 

 tric man. He must have been equally pleased with 

 me, for he insisted that I must not think of going away 

 so soon, but must come and pass some days with him in 

 order to see the country. Having nothing to hurry me, 

 I willingly accepted his kind invitation, and went on 

 the following day to his house, where he made me quite 

 at home. He had a nice little wife, and five strong 

 healthy children. 



In the afternoon it began to rain. Travelling was 

 not to be thought of; even had I wished it, these kind 

 people would not have let me go. We chatted away 

 till deep in the night, and it did me a world of good to 

 be able to converse again to my heart's content in my 

 mother tongue. My host was a Rhenish Bavarian, 

 named Hilger, a builder by trade, and by no means un- 

 educated. 



On the next day we had a visit from a neighbor, 

 a man of about thirty-five, with a short green shooting 

 jacket, and a German rifle ; but his accent betrayed 

 him to be no German. HUger addressed him by the 

 name of Turoski. He was a Polish officer, who sought 

 and found in America security against the political 

 persecutions that he would have been exposed to in 



