i264. Expedition to the 



the post in the discharge of his duties as inspector and pay- 

 master. It was the design of this party to descend the Ar- 

 kansa to the Cherokee agency, and to proceed thence to the 

 Hot Springs of the Washita. 



On the 21st the party, now consisting of Maj. Long, 

 Messrs. Say, Seymour and Peale, accompanied by Wilson, 

 Adams, Duncan and Sweney, the other soldiers being left 

 at the fort, commenced the journey towards Cape Girardeau. 

 We took with us five horses and five mules, two of the lat- 

 ter being loaded with packs. Capt. Ballard kindly volunteer- 

 ed his services as guide, and attended by a servant, accom- 

 panied us the first day's journey on our march. 



Our route lay on the south side of the Arkansa, at con- 

 siderable distance from the river and led us across two small 

 creeks, one called Massern, or Mount Cerne and the other the 

 Vache Grasse.* The latter stream has a course of several 

 miles, but during the dry season discharges very little water. 

 The small path we followed, lay, for the most part, through 

 open woods of post oak, blak jack, and hickory, occasionally 

 traversing a narrow prairie. In these open plains, now cov- 

 ered with rank grass and weeds, we discovered here and 

 there some traces, such as a skull or hoof of a bison, indi- 

 cating that the exclusive possession of man to these regions, 

 had been of a very recent date. 



It was near five o'clock when we arrived at the solitary 

 cabin of a settler, and though we found no inhabitant about 

 the place, we halted and encamped near the spring. Our 

 horses were scarce unsaddled, when a man, who seemed to be 

 the occupant of the house came up, and informed us that half 

 a mile farther on our way, we should find a house and good 

 accommodation. Accordingly we again mounted our horses, 



* The word Masserne, applied by Darby as a name to the hills of the 

 Arkansa territory, near the boundary of Louisiana; by Nuiiall to the 

 mountains at the sources of the Kieuieslia and the Poteau, is su|>;)0-.tid to 

 be a corruption of Jlont cern tiie name of a small hill near J3elle Point, 

 long used as a look-out post by the French hunters. 



