PRIMITIVE MODE OF WINNOWING CORN. 155 



On the 1st of August, Ulil told me that he wished 

 to go, being tired of this sort of hfe ; and, indeed, I 

 must allow that I myself Avas rather sick of it. I was 

 so weak that I could hardly crawl, and saw so many 

 sickly faces around me, that I could not try to persuade 

 him to remain. We divided our property, for hitherto 

 we had had all things in common, and on the same day 

 he marched off to the west. I had no time to indulge 

 in sorrowful thoughts, for the ague attacked me again ; 

 havino; brought some medicine M^ith me from Cincin- 

 nati, I took an emetic, and then a dose of quinuie, 

 which succeeded in subduing it. 



On August 3rd, I felt better, and decided in the after- 

 noon on driving to the mill ; but the grain had first to 

 be cleaned. This, without a machine, was rather a 

 difficult matter, but the sharp Americans know how 

 to manage it. Two of the stoutest fellows hold a 

 blanket by the four corners ; a third stands on a chair 

 with a sieve full of grain, which he shakes, not too fast, 

 nor too long at a time, Avhile the two with the blanket 

 make as much wind as they can, by working it up and 

 down ; the chaff is blown away, while the wheat falls 

 to the ground, and is at once gathered into the sack, 

 though not quite so clean as it would be with our 

 system. 



By two o'clock we were able to start, the cart being 

 drawn by oxen, and, owing to their slow discreet pace, 

 it was pitch dark when we arrived at the mill. At so 

 late an hour grinding was out of the question; we 

 lighted our fire, broiled our supper, and laid down in 

 the wagon to sleep till daylight. But the night was 

 so beautiful, the stars shining so mildly down upon us, 



