AN UNNECESSARY CIRCUIT INDIAN TRIBE. 91 



good supper, or rather breakfast, for it was now past 

 two o'clock. But we were not yet to repose in safety ; 

 the monster log of hickory, that we had laid on the 

 hearth, flared up and set fire to the chimney : Turoski 

 mounted on the roof, while I handed him some buckets 

 of water, and the fire was soon extinguished. At last 

 we got to sleep, and remained so till the sun was high 

 in the heavens. 



My unquiet spirit drove me forth again on the 

 morning of the 7th of February. I took a warm fare- 

 well of these kind people, and went in a southwest 

 direction through the forest, hoping soon to reach ihe 

 high road. The sun disappeared behind dark clouds, 

 but thinking I was sure of my way, I walked quickly 

 on. Who could paint my astonishment at finding my- 

 self, after two hours' walking, in front of the very house 

 I had started from ! This was vexatious, but I slipped 

 off again into the forest without being perceived, took 

 out my compass, and made a straight course. 



In the evening I shot a deer, but was obliged to 

 leave the greater portion of it, as it was too heavy to 

 carry. Long after sunset on the 9th I arnved on the 

 Arkansas river ; the lights of Little Rock shone from 

 the opposite bank, but a strange fantastic scene pre- 

 sented itself on this side of the river, on which I stared 

 with astonishment. An Lidian tribe had pitched their 

 tents close to the banks of the river. A number of 

 large crackling fires, formed of whole trunks of dry 

 fallen trees, which lay about in abundance, offering 

 good shelter against the wind; over the fires were 

 kettles with large pieces of venison, bear, squirrels, 

 raccoons, opossums, wild-cats, and whatever else the 



