214 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



looked dreary enough at first, but we soon made our- 

 selves comfortable. We had nothing to do but to 

 repair the fences, and wait till the weather was cold 

 enough to preserve meat, and to buy and kill pigs for 

 both families for the winter. Soon after our arrival, I 

 had happened to fall upon the slippery bank of the 

 river, and tore open my left hand, and afterwards, as I 

 was chopping a plank with my tomahawk, not being 

 able to hold it properly, it slipped, and I smashed one 

 of my fingers. Haller tore up one of my shirts to bind 

 the wound, and as I could now for awhile do notliing 

 else, I attended to the cooking, which was carried on as 

 follows : first, we had a cask of wheat flour, of which I 

 made bread for every meal ; secondly, corned pork, cut in 

 thin slices and fried ; and lastly, coffee. The sugar was 

 kept in a paper parcel on a shelf, and each helped himself- 

 At dinner, a glass of whiskey was substituted for the 

 coffee. After about three Aveeks, being in a rage with 

 something, I threw the fryingpan out at the door, 

 whereby its handle was broken, and it was rendered 

 by no means more convenient to cook with ; then 

 Haller one day made a false step, and stumbled on the 

 coffee-pot, which, in consequence, had to be stopped with 

 a little paste every morning. The washing-up I found 

 more disagreeable than the cooking. 



Meantime, my hand had got better. The weather 

 set in very cold, and we resolved to kill and salt the 

 pigs we had bought, weighing about 200 pounds each. 

 A young American, whom we had engaged to help us, 

 cut down a large sassafras tree, and hollowed out half 

 a dozen troughs, five for the meat, and one for the lard. 



The neighbors were called in to help, the pigs di'iven 



