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LIFE OF WILSON. 
up several times during the night to recruit my fire, and see how 
iny horse did ; and, but for the gnats, would have slept tolerably 
well. These gigantic woods have a singular effect by the light of 
a large fire ; the whole scene being circumscribed by impenetrable 
darkness, except that in front, where every leaf is strongly defined, 
and deeply shaded. In the morning I hunted until about six, when 
I again renewed my shoutings for the boat, and it was not until 
hear eleven that it made its appearance. I was so enraged at this 
delay, that, had I not been cumbered with baggage, I believe I 
should have ventured to swim the river. I vented my indignation 
on the owner of the boat, who is a half breed, threatening to pub- 
lish him in the papers, and advis6 every traveller I met to take the 
upper ferry. This man charges one dollar for man and horse, and 
thinks, because he is a chief, he may do in this way what he pleases. 
The country now assumed a new appearance; no brush wood — no 
fallen or rotten timber ; one could see a mile through the woods, 
which were covered with high grass fit for mowing. These woods 
are burnt every spring, and thus are kept so remarkably clean that 
they look like the most elegant noblemen’s parks. A profusion of 
flowers, altogether new to me, and some of them very elegant, pre- 
sented themselves to my view as I rode along. This must be a 
heavenly place for the botanist. The most observable of these 
flowers was a kind of Sweet William of all tints, from white to the 
deepest crimson. A superb Thistle, the most beautiful I had ever 
seen. A species of Passion flower very beautiful. A stately plant 
of the Sunflower family — the button of the deepest orange, and the 
radiating petals bright carmine, the breadth of the flower about 
four inches. A large white flower like a deer’s tail. Great quan- 
tities of the Sensitive plant, that shrunk instantly on being touched, 
covered the ground in some places. Almost every flower was new 
to me, except the Carolina Pink-root, and Columbo, which grew 
in abundance on every side. At Bear creek, which is a large and 
rapid stream, I first observed the Indian boys with their Blow-gtms. 
