RECREA TION. 



399 



the frail little steamer out into the water 

 again, but the engineer drove her up to 

 the shore and held her there until all the 

 passengers were safely off. Then he, 

 too, went ashore, and we all left the 

 vessel as fast as possible. We took 

 refuge behind some large cottonwoods, 

 at a safe distance, and watched the fated 

 craft float helplessly out into the stream. 

 In about twenty minutes the fire reached 

 the powder, and the unfortunate steamer 

 went up in a cloud of smoke, and with a 

 roar that must have startled the wild 

 beasts for miles around. 



We could see the lighter wreckage 

 floating down the river. Among it we 

 could recognize a choice saddle, a bun- 

 dle of good, heavy blankets, and some 

 strong, serviceable clothing. Oh, how 

 we shivered as we thought how cold we 

 should be next fall for want of those 

 blankets and clothes ! How we ached 

 as we thought of the hundreds of weary 

 miles we must ride on the bare hurri- 

 cane decks of Indian cayuses, and how 

 we should wish for those saddles ! How 

 our mouths watered as we thought how- 

 good that currant jelly would have 

 tasted on our venison and buffalo steak! 

 But, alas, it was now in the bottom of 

 the Big Muddy, food for vulgar turtles 

 and catfish ! Still, we knew there was 

 no use crying over lost jelly, and the 

 best we could do now was to do the best 

 we could. 



In order to be prepared for prairie 

 chicken shooting I had bought a pointer 

 dog in St. Louis. He was said to be 

 well trained, but, like some children, he 

 liked to have his own way, and was 

 sometimes slow to obey orders when he 

 did not see the necessity of it. This 

 trait cost him his life. When the " Chip- 

 pewa" took fire he was lying on the 

 upper deck, and when I ran for my gun 



and belt I called him to follow me. He 



did not stir. After calling him three 



times I left him to his repose, and that 



was the last I saw of him. He is, no 



doubt, in repose yet, but must have been 



rudely disturbed for an instant when the 



boat blew up. Moral : Children, obey 



your parents, and do it quickly, or you 



may get left. 



* •* * 



The next day some of the men went 

 down along the river bank, below the 

 scene of the explosion, and picked up 

 cans of roasted oysters, tomatoes, and 

 chunks of roast pork, corn beef, &c. 

 The trees along the bank were festooned 

 with annuity blankets and bolts of red 

 flannel and red cotton cloth, all badly 

 scorched. Both Indians and whites 

 helped themselves to these, and there 

 was a wild scramble to see who should 

 get the most. Some valuable goods 

 were thus rescued. 



Fortunately, we found an old flat-boat 

 near here that belonged to the fur com- 

 pany. We rigged a shelter, or awning 

 of bows over this, and returned in it 

 down the river to Fort Union. Another 

 lucky thing for us, there was an Indian 

 camp near, from which we obtained 

 some buffalo meat, or we might have 

 starved. 



In our party there were several ladies, 

 who showed great fortitude in the face 

 of these hardships. 



The pleasure of the trip was especially 

 augmented by the presence of an agree- 

 able English gentleman, his wife and 

 protege, a young lady from New York. 

 They returned down the river in the 

 30-foot fiat-boat clear to St. Joseph, 

 always making the best of everything 

 and looking on the bright side, even 

 after losing their clothes and trunks on 

 the steamer. 



(to be continued.) 



THE EXILE'S WAIL. 



Quick ! fly ye on and o'er, 



Cruel year of " ninety-five," 

 And let me on thy farther shore 



In lightning speed arrive ; 

 For if thou haste thy toil, 



Sooner, O God ! I'll tread 

 America's dear, hallowed soil 



From which (a fool) I sped ! 



Jamaica, W. I. 



Henry Hawthorne. 



