16« Expedition to the 



be about one thousand miles. Our journey upon it had oc- 

 cupied a space of seven weeks, travelling with the utmost 

 diligence the strength of our horses would permit. 



On arriving at the Arkansa, we waited a short time for 

 our canoe, in which we carried across our heavy baggage, 

 and then swimming our horses, ascended the bank in search 

 of a place to encamp, but soon found ourselves surrounded 

 by a dense and almost impenetrable cane-brake, where no 

 vestige of a path could be found. In this dilemma, no al- 

 ternative remained but to force our way forward, by the 

 most laborious exertions. The canes were of a large size, 

 and stood so close together, that a horse could not move 

 forward the length of his body without breaking, by main 

 force, a great number of them. Making our way, with ex- 

 cessive toil, among these gigantic gramina, our party might 

 be said to resemble a company of rats traversing a sturdy 

 field of grass. The cane stalks, after being trod to the earth, 

 often inflicted, in virtue of their elasticity, blows as severe as 

 they were unexpected. It is not to be supposed, that our 

 horses alone felt the inconvenience of this sort of travelling. 

 We received frequent blows and bruises on all parts of our 

 bodies, had our sweaty faces and hands scratched by the 

 rough leaves of the cane, and, oftentimes, as our attention 

 was otherwheres directed, we caught with our feet, and 

 had dragged across our shins the flexible and spiny stalks of 

 the green briar. 



This most harrassing ride was commenced at eleven in the 

 morning, and continued, without a moment's intermission, 

 till sunset, when finding we were not about to extricate our- 

 selves, we returned near a mile and a half on our track, to 

 a spot where we had passed a piece of open woods, large 

 enough to spread our blankets on. Here we laid ourselves 

 down at dark, much exhausted by our day's journey. 



Our fatigue was sufficient to overcome the irritation of the 

 ticks, and we slept soundly until about midnight, when we 



