Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 8).djvu/87

 o'clock in the afternoon. They had travelled all that time and found but one house, where they obtained three small loaves of bread, which were enough for the woman and children only. The wind had now ceased to blow, and the lake was nearly smooth; and after feeding the children we put our things on board, and made up the lake shore. At sunset judging ourselves about thirty miles from Detroit, we ventured out on the open lake with our oars only to move us a-head; we rowed all night, and at daylight discovered the town of Malden[28] about six miles directly a-head, on the {52} Canada shore; and a little breeze springing up, we hoisted sail, and a little after sunrise landed half a mile below the town. We went up, found a market, purchased fresh beef, bread, &c., and had a fine breakfast; it having been forty-eight hours since we had eaten any thing before. We now had eighteen miles to stem a strong current with our oars only, before reaching Detroit. At ten o'clock we moved on, and after having labored hard till two o'clock in the morning, we made up to the city of Detroit,[29] and went to a tavern, the landlord of which had formerly been an acquaintance of ours. He, by some means or other, had heard of our being on the lake in the blow I have mentioned; himself and several others manned a vessel and went in pursuit of us; but after making every possible search in vain, he returned, supposing we must have been lost; but was most agreeably surprised when he saw us under his own roof.

I remained here a few days, and then embarked on