d that, far from having lost any thing by the robbers, we had, on
the contrary, obtained articles which we wanted. One of the lawyers
found in the stone jug enough of whisky to fill his flask; the parson
got another rifle, to replace that which he had lost in the prairie, and
the pouches and powder-horns of the three first robbers were found well
supplied with powder and balls. We also took possession of four green
Mackinaw blankets and a bag of ground coffee.

We heartily thanked Providence, who had thrown the rascals in our way,
and after a good meal, we resumed our journey in a southern direction,
each of the three lawyers leading, by a stout rope, one of the brigands,
who were gagged and their hands firmly bound behind their backs. During
the whole day, the parson amused himself with preaching honesty and
morality to our prisoners, who seeing now that they had not the least
chance to escape, walked briskly alongside of the horses.

Towards evening we encamped in one of those plains, a mile in
circumference, which are so frequently met with in the forests of the
west. We had performed a journey of twenty miles, and that with the
forced ride which our beasts had performed in the morning, had quite
tired them out. Besides, having now four men on foot, we could not
proceed so fast as before. We lighted a fire and fed our prisoners,
putting two of them in the centre of our circles, while the two others,
who were much bruised by their falls of the morning, took their station
near the fire, and we covered them with a blanket. Though we believed
we had nothing to fear from our prisoners, the two first being bound
hand and foot, and the two last being too weak to move, we nevertheless
resolved that a watch should be kept, and as Gabriel and I had not slept
during the night before, we appointed Roche to keep the first watch.

When I awoke, I felt chilly, and to my astonishment I perceived that our
fire was down. I rose and looked immediately for the prisoners. The
two that we had put within our circle were still snoring heavily, but
the others, whose feet we had not bound on account of their painful
bruises, were gone. I looked for the watch, and found that it was one
of the lawyers, who having drank too freely of the whisky, had fallen
asleep. The thieves had left the blanket; I touched it, I perceived
that it was yet warm, so that I knew they could not have been gone a
long while.

The day was just breaking, a