XCV1 
LIFE OF 
rose above the trees. He lies buried close by the common path, 
with a few loose rails thrown over his grave. I gave Grinder money 
to put a post fence round it, to shelter it from the hogs and from 
the wolves, and he gave me his written promise that he would do 
it. I left this place in a very melancholy mood, which was not 
much allayed by the prospect of the gloomy and savage wilderness 
which I was just entering alone. 
“ I was roused from this melancholy reverie by the roaring of 
Buffalo River, which I forded with considerable difficulty. I passed 
two or three solitary Indian huts in the course of the day, with a 
few acres of open land at each ; but so wretchedly cultivated, that 
they just make out to raise maize enough to keep in existence. They 
pointed me out the distances by holding up their fingers. This is 
the country of the Chickasaws, though erroneously laid down in 
some maps as that of the Cherokees. I slept this night in one of 
their huts : the Indians spread a deer skin for me on the floor ; I 
made a pillow of my portmanteau, and slept tolerably well : an old 
Indian laid himself down near me. On Monday morning I rode 
fifteen miles, and stopt at an Indian’s to feed my horse. The sight 
of my Paroquet brought the whole family around me. The 
women are generally naked from the middle upwards ; and their 
heads, in many instances, being rarely combed, look like a large 
mop. They have a yard or two of blue cloth wrapt round by way 
of a petticoat, that reaches to their knees. The boys were gene- j; 
rally naked, except a kind of bag of blue cloth, by way of a Jig leaf. 
Some of the women have short jackets, with sleeves, drawn over 
their naked body, and the rag of a blanket is a general appendage. 
I met to-day two officers of the United States army, who gave me 
a better account of the road than I had received. I passed 
through many bad swamps to-day, and, at about five in the 
evening, came to the banks of the Tennessee, which was swelled 
by the rains, and is about half a mile wide thirty miles below the 
mussel shoals, and just below a long island laid down in your 
small map. A growth of canes, of twenty and thirty feet high, 
covers the low bottoms ; and these cane swamps are the gloomiest 
and most desolate looking places imaginable. I hailed for the boat 
as long as it was light without effect. I then sought for a place to 
encamp, kindled a large fire, stripped the canes for my horse, ate a 
