pot, and undertook to guide me there. We spent
two days longer in the fort to refresh ourselves, and both of us truly
needed rest, and then we set out. He had guided me so far in safety,
that I felt the most perfect confidence in his courage, judgment, and
honesty. We got new moccasins at the fort, and our clothes mended, and
our friends furnished us with an ample supply of provisions. Though I
had been very happy in the fort, and very kindly treated, I felt as I
could fancy a man would, just let out of prison, when I found myself
once more walking along with my faithful companion over the snow. The
weather was very fine, there was no wind, and at times in the day we
found it much too hot to wear our buffalo-skin coats.

"One day with us was much like another, though, by the bye, we did meet
with some few adventures. We fell in with a fine old grizzly bear, whom
we turned out of his cave; but the Delaware shot him through the head,
and we afterwards had some capital steaks out of him. Then we were
pursued by a pack of wolves, but we climbed a tree and let them pass by
us. We were, the Delaware computed, about half a day's journey from the
spot at which we were aiming, when we entered a valley, with a high hill
on one side of it, broken into rugged precipices. We had advanced some
way along the valley, when, as we happened to look up at the heights
above us, we saw a figure rapidly coming down towards it. He was
hunting some animal, we thought. He did not see his danger. We shouted
to him, but it was too late; he did not hear us, and over he went down a
frightful precipice. We ran forward, and thinking he must be killed,
expected to see his mangled body hanging to some rugged projection in
the rock; but the very precipitous character of the cliff had been the
means of his preservation. He had fallen directly into a snow-drift,
and though a limb apparently was broken, and he was much hurt, he
speedily came to himself. To leave him where he was would have been
sheer barbarity; so we told him that we would carry him to my father's
camp, where he would be quickly cured. He thanked us much, and
consented willingly to do as we advised. Cutting some boughs from the
trees which grew around, we speedily formed a litter, on which we placed
him.

"Carrying him between us, we approached the spot where my family were
supposed to be encamped. From a hill at a little distance I got a view
of it. My heart beat quick