night, as the company that was to give the feast was always
supplied with horses to lay up a sufficient store of wild meat in the
course of the day, myself and principal officers putting on the
woodsmen, shouting now and then, and running as much through the mud and
water as any of them.

Thus, insensibly, without a murmur, were those men led on to the banks
of the Little Wabash, which we reached on the 13th, through incredible
difficulties, far surpassing anything that any of us had ever
experienced. Frequently the diversions of the night wore off the
thoughts of the preceding day. We formed a camp on a height which we
found on the bank of the river, and suffered our troops to amuse
themselves.

I viewed this sheet of water for some time with distrust; but, accusing
myself of doubting, I immediately set to work, without holding any
consultation about it, or suffering anybody else to do so in my
presence; ordered a pirogue to be built immediately, and acted as though
crossing the water would be only a piece of diversion. As but few could
work at the pirogue at a time, pains were taken to find diversion for
the rest to keep them in high spirits. In the evening of the 14th, our
vessel was finished, manned, and sent to explore the drowned lands, on
the opposite side of the Little Wabash, with private instructions what
report to make, and, if possible, to find some spot of dry land. They
found about half an acre, and marked the trees from thence back to the
camp, and made a very favorable report.

Fortunately, the 15th happened to be a warm, moist day for the season.
The channel of the river where we lay was about thirty yards wide. A
scaffold was built on the opposite shore (which was about three feet
under water), and our baggage ferried across, and put on it. Our horses
swam across, and received their loads at the scaffold, by which time the
troops were also brought across, and we began our march through the
water.

By evening we found ourselves encamped on a pretty height, in high
spirits, each party laughing at the other, in consequence of something
that had happened in the course of this ferrying business, as they
called it. A little antic drummer afforded them great diversion by
floating on his drum, etc. All this was greatly encouraged; and they
really began to think themselves superior to other men, and that neither
the rivers nor the seasons could stop their progress. Their whole
conversation now was concerni