struggling to get out. On leaving, he laid the strongest injunctions on the manager to be on the look-out, and to preserve every thing that might be turned up. To make assurance doubly sure, he left a note for the proprietor, impressing on him the same important matter. In the afternoon of the next day he returned to his boat, replaced his baggage, and once more floated out with the stream. It rained hard all the day, and he had to row hard and drink hard (he had purchased a solitary bottle of native wine at a Swiss settlement) to keep himself comfortable. The pockets of his great-coat were filled with bird-skins, and the garment itself covered others which he wished to preserve; consequently, there was no room for the owner, who got a complete drenching for his disinterestedness. In the evening he lodged at a wretched hovel, owned by a diminutive wretch, who did nothing but tell falsehoods concerning his former greatness. According to this worthy's own account, he had gone through all the war with General Washington, had become one of his Life Guards, and had sent many a British soldier to his long home. As Wilson answered with indifference, he attempted to stimulate his curiosity by still stronger doses, administered in the shape of anecdotes. "One day," he said, “a grenadier had the impudence to get up on the works, and to wave his cap in defiance; my commander (General Washington) says to me, 'Dick,' says he, 'can't you pepper that there fellow for me?' says he. 'Please your honor,' says I, 'I'll try at it;' so I took a fair, cool, and steady aim, and touched my trigger. Up went his heels like a turkey; down he tumbled; one buckshot had entered here, and another there (laying a finger on each breast), and the bullet found the way to his brains right through his forehead. By God, he was a noble-looking fellow!" Though Wilson believed every word of this to be a lie, yet he could not but look with disgust on the being who uttered it. This same miscreant pronounced a long prayer before supper, and immediately after called out, in a splutter of oaths, for the pine splinters to be held to let the gentleman see. Such a farrago of lies, oaths, prayers, and politeness put him in a good humor in spite of himself. The whole herd of this filthy kennel were in perpetual motion with the itch; so, having procured a large fire to be made, under pretense of habit, he sought for the softest plank, placed his trunk and great-coat at his head, and stretched himself there till morning. He set out early, and passed several arks. A

number of turkeys, which he observed from time to time on the Indiana shore, caused him to lose half the morning in search of them. On the Kentucky shore he was also decoyed by the same temptations, but could never approach near enough to shoot one of them. These affairs led to so much delay, that he became dubious whether he should be able to reach Louisville that night. about Night came on, and he could hear nothing of the Falls; eight o'clock he first heard the roaring of the rapids, and as it increased he was every moment in hopes of seeing the lights of Louisville; but no lights appeared, and the noise seemed now within less than half a mile's distance. Seriously alarmed lest he might be drawn into the suction of the Falls, he cautiously coasted along shore, which was full of snags and sawyers, and at length, with great satisfaction, reached Bear-Grass Creek, where he secured his skiff to a Kentucky boat, and, loading himself with his baggage, groped his way through a swamp up to the town. The next day Wilson sold his skiff for exactly half what it cost him. The man who bought it expressed his surprise at its droll Indian name (the Ornithologist): "Some old chief or warrior, I suppose," said he.

From Kentucky Wilson proceeded to Tennessee. On his way he passed through a pigeon-roost, or rather breeding-place, which continued for three miles, and, he was informed, extended in length for more than forty miles. The timber was chiefly beech; every tree was laden with nests, and he counted in different places more than ninety nests on a single tree. Shortly after this he fell in with a poor unfortunate soldier, who had been robbed and plundered by the Choctaws while passing through their nation. "Thirteen or fourteen Indians," he said, "surrounded me before I was aware, cut away my canteen, tore off my hat, took the handkerchief from my neck and the shoes from my feet, and all the money I had from me, which was about forty-five dollars." Wilson says that the poor fellow looked pretty much "done up.” The caves and sink-holes in Kentucky were objects of great curiosity to Wilson, and he never missed an opportunity of exploring them. One of these remarkable places belonged to a man who had a notoriously bad character, and was strongly suspected, even by his neighbors, of having committed a foul murder, and made use of this identical cave as a place of concealment for the body. As this man's house stood by the road side, Wilson was induced

by motives of curiosity to stop and take a peep at him. On his arrival he found two persons in conversation under the piazza, one of whom informed him that he was the landlord. He was a dark mulatto, rather above the common size, inclining to corpulency, with legs small in proportion to the other parts of his body, and a limp in his gait. His countenance bespoke a soul capable of deeds of darkness. Wilson had not been three minutes in his company when the landlord invited the other man and Wilson to walk back and see his cave, to which all parties assented. The entrance was in the perpendicular front of a rock behind the house, and had a door with a lock and key to it. It was used as a cellar, and pots of milk and other dairy arrangements were crowded near the running stream which passed through it. The roof and sides were dripping with water. Desiring the landlord to walk before him with the light, Wilson followed, with his hand on his pistol, reconnoitring on every side, and listening to his description of its length and extent. After examining this horrible vault for forty or fifty yards, the mulatto declined to go any farther, complaining of rheumatism in his black legs. Wilson now perceived, for the first time, that the landlord's friend had not accompanied them, and that they were alone. Confident in his means of defense, whatever mischief the devil might suggest to his companion, he fixed his eye steadily on the landlord, and observed to him that he could not be ignorant of the reports circulated about the country relative to that cave. "I suppose," said he, "you know what I mean." "Yes, I understand you," returned the mulatto, without appearing the least embarrassed-"that I killed somebody, and threw them into this cave. I can tell you the whole beginning of that damned lie;" and, without moving from the spot, he entered into the details of a long story. When this labored exculpation came to an end, Wilson asked him why he did not get the cave examined by three or four reputable neighbors, whose report might rescue his character from the suspicion of having committed so horrid a crime. He acknowledged it would be well enough to do so, but did not seem to think it worth the trouble.

At Nashville, Tennessee, Wilson remained for some days, busily engaged in making a set of drawings of all the birds he had seen. These were forwarded to Mr. Lawson, being, of course, intended for the American Ornithology. Unfortunately, they were never received. The post-office in those days was even worse than

it is now. When he had completed his arrangements, Wilson made preparations for a visit to St. Louis; but, being detained a week by constant and heavy rains, and considering that it would add four hundred miles to his journey, and detain him at least a month, without even the expectation of obtainin, many subscribers, he abandoned the idea, and prepared instead for a journey through the wilderness. He was advised by many not to attempt it alone; that the Indians were dangerous, the swamps and rivers almost impassable without assistance. All sorts of arguments were used to dissuade him from going alone. He weighed all these matters in his own mind, and, attributing a great deal to vulgar fear and exaggerated reports, he equipped himself for the attempt. He had an excellent horse, on which he could depend; a loaded pistol in each pocket, a loaded fowling-piece belted across his shoulder, a pound of gunpowder in his flask, and five pounds of shot in his belt. He next procured some dried beef and biscuit, and on the 4th of May left Nashville. Eleven miles from this city he came to the Great Harpath, a stream of about fifty yards wide, which was running with great violence. He could not discover the entrance to the ford owing to the rains and inundations. There was no time to be lost, so he plunged in, and almost immediately his horse was swimming. He arrived on the other side in safety, and had the pleasure of riding in his wet clothes until the sun made them dry. He repeated this experiment several times, and, thanks to the strength of his horse, always with success, although at times he was nearly knocked from his seat by coming in contact with drift-wood.

On the borders of the Indian country stands the house where the unfortunate traveler, Lewis, committed suicide. Wilson took down from the landlady the particulars of that event. Governor Lewis, she said, came thither about sunset, alone, and inquired if he could stay for the night, and, alighting, brought his saddle into the house. He was dressed in a loose gown, white, striped with blue. On being asked if he came alone, he replied that there were two servants behind, who would soon be up. He called for some spirits, and drank a very little. When the servants arrived, one of whom was a negro, he inquired for his powder, saying he was sure he had some powder in a canister. servant gave no distinct reply, and Lewis, in the mean while, walked backward and forward before the door, talking to himself.

The

Sometimes, she said, he would seem as if he were walking up to her, and would suddenly wheel round, and walk back as fast as he could. Supper being ready, he sat down, but had eaten only a few mouthfuls when he started up, speaking to himself in a violent manner. At these times, she said, she observed his face to flush, as if it had come on him in a fit. He lighted his pipe, and, drawing a chair to the door, sat down, saying to Mrs. Grinder (the landlady), in a kind voice, “Madam, this is a very pleasant evening." He smoked his pipe for some time, but quitted his seat and traversed the yard as before. He said he would sleep on the floor, and his servant brought bearskins and a buffalo-robe, which were immediately spread out for him. The landlady then retired to the kitchen, which was in the adjoining apartment. She experienced some alarm at the strange behavior of her guest, and could not sleep. He was still pacing his apartment in an agitated manner, and talking loud, as she said, "like a lawyer." Suddenly she heard the report of a pistol, and simultaneously the fall of a heavy body on the floor, accompanied with the agonized exclamation, "Oh Lord!" Immediately afterward she heard the report of another pistol, and in a few minutes she heard him at her door calling out, Oh, madam, give me some water and heal my wounds." The logs being open and unplastered, she saw him stagger back and fall against a stump that stands between the kitchen and room. He crawled for some distance, and raised himself by the side of a tree, where he sat for about a minute. He once more got to the room; afterward he went to the kitchen door, but did not speak. She then heard him scraping the bucket with a gourd for water, but this cooling element was denied the dying man. The woman

66

was so completely paralyzed by the terrible tragedy that she did not move for two hours. Servants were then aroused, and on entering the room they found the poor fellow on the bed, still alive. He uncovered his side, and showed them where the bullet had entered. A piece of his forehead was blown off, and had exposed the brains without having bled much. He begged they would take his rifle and dispatch him, and he would give them all the money he had in his trunk, exclaiming, "I am no coward; but I am so strong—so hard to die." He begged the servant not to be afraid of him, for he would not hurt him. In this dreadful condition he remained for two hours. Just as the sun rose above the trees. his mortal sufferings terminated. Few men can read this heart