Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 V13.djvu/19

 *sylvania to Pittsburg, and descending the Ohio and Mississippi by boat, he arrived at Arkansas Post on January 22, 1819. Thence ascending the Arkansas River, he reached the recently-founded Fort Smith on April 24. Here he remained for three weeks, studying the flora of the vicinity. On May 16, he set out from the post with the commandant, Major Bradford, and a company of soldiers; and crossed the wilderness to Red River, following the Poteau and Kiamichi. Near the mouth of the latter, while loitering to collect some curious plants, he became separated from his companions and was compelled to spend three weeks with the squatters, awaiting the departure of a party for Fort Smith, where he finally arrived after an absence of five weeks.

On July 6, Nuttall again left Fort Smith in the boat of a trader whose establishment was situated at the mouth of Verdigris River. Reaching this point on the fourteenth, nearly a month was spent in making short trips to study the plant-life and geology of the neighborhood, and in observing the habits of the Osage Indians.

On August 11, accompanied by a hunter for guide, he began the final stage of his journey, having as its objective the river now called Cimarron. At this season the streams were stagnant, and the intense heat, foul water, poor food, and night dews soon brought on a fever, which came near terminating our traveller's career. The Indians, moreover, were an almost constant source of annoyance and danger. Nuttall rejected the guide's suggestion of a return to the Verdigris, and finally it became impracticable; so the two pushed on until the Cimarron was reached. By this time his fever had somewhat abated, and an effort was made to ascend that river. The loss of one of the two horses, however, compelled the