Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/262

252 at an important season of the year; from the 23rd of October to the 15th of November, was thus passed.*

In consequence of receiving this wound on my left knee, by falling on a rusty nail, when employed in packing the last of my boxes, I was unfortunately prevented from carrying my collection to the ship myself, and accordingly wrote a note to Captain Hanwell, requesting he would have the goodness to place them in an airy situation, particularly the seeds, and that, if possible, their place of deposit should be above the level of the water. To this note I received a very kind answer, assuring me that my directions should be attended to. 'On the 7th my leg became violently inflamed, and a large abcess formed on the knee joint, which did not suppurate until the 16th. This unfortunate circumstance, occurring at the period when I wanted to be employed in gathering seeds, gave me much uneasiness; but learning, on the 22nd of October, that the ship had been detained by contrary winds, and finding myself better, and being also very desirous of losing as little time as possible at this important season, I left Fort Vancouver in a small canoe, with four Indians, for the purpose of visiting my old shipmates, on my way to Whitby's Harbour of Vancouver, or the mouth of the Cheeheelie River, in latitude 48 degrees north, near which place grow some plants of which I had previously obtained but imperfect or no specimens, or of which I wished to collect the seeds. Among them was Helonias tenax, a very desirable plant for cultivation. I camped at the junction of the Multnomak River with the Columbia, after having made a distance of twenty miles, when a strong westerly wind setting in from the sea obliged me to have my canoe examined, and new-gummed before starting again; I had not proceeded many miles when it struck against the stump of a tree, which split it from one end to the other, and compelled me to paddle hastily to shore with the water rushing in upon me. During the time the Indians were employed in repairing the damage,