Page:The first and last journeys of Thoreau - lately discovered among his unpublished journals and manuscripts 2.djvu/64

 water is lowest, than at present. Redwood is a mere locality,—scarcely an Indian village,—where there is a store, and where some houses have been built for the Indians. We were now fairly on the great plains; and, looking south and after walking three miles that way, could see no tree in that horizon. The buffalo was said to be feeding within twenty-five or thirty miles.

Although the Indian Council and the several payments were to continue three days, the Frank Steele only waited at Redwood a single day. Thoreau returned on her to St. Paul, and soon found himself at Red Wing, much below St. Paul. He occupied himself at the Indian station quite as much, apparently, with the plants and trees as with the red men. Almost the only mention of them in his Notes was to describe their way of lighting their pipes; this he did with the help of his communicative friend, the "Illinois man," and thus it runs:

Indian strike-fire. Take a little punk,—the Illinois man says from the white maple,