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 nothing for two days! our visitant was somewhat disconcerted, but passed it off with "poh! I'm sure they can't be suffering!"

He resides on the Gasconade; his was the second family which settled in that quarter about three years ago. He has at present about two hundred and fifty men on his muster roll. We were entertained by him with a long story of his having pursued some Pottawatomies, who had committed robberies on the settlements some time last summer; he made a narrow {22} escape, the Indians having attacked his party in the night time, and killed four of his men after a desperate resistance. The captain had on board a barrel of whiskey to set up tavern with, a bag of cotton for his wife to spin, and a couple of kittens, for the purpose of augmenting his family: these kept up such doleful serenades during the night that I was scarcely able to close my eyes.

CHAPTER II

Try our sails with success—Account of an extraordinary female maniac—Adventure of the she-bear—Arrival at Fort Osage—Gain considerably on Hunt.

Early the next morning we got under way with a light breeze, enabling us to carry sail tolerably well. About ten o'clock, from a change in the course of the river, it was found necessary to haul down the sail. On turning a point we found the wind once more {23} favorable, and blowing quite fresh; we now ascended at the rate of four miles an hour. The captain of the Gasconade, who had thus far kept up with us, was now left far behind. We passed in the course of the day, a number of plantations on both sides