The river margin, on which we now hold our course, is narrow and fertile, supporting a tolerably thick growth of mossy cup oaks, with walnut, cotton-wood, elm, and much underwood, through which it is sometimes rather difficult to force a passage. The river is now more serpentine in its course than it was remarked to be nearer the mountains, but it is here wide and still, thickly studded with sand-bars.
One of the hunters rescued the body of a small fawn from the wolves that had killed and embowelled it. This afforded us all a good dinner, and as we had in the morning drawn upon our almost exhausted store of sweet corn for a gill to each man as a breakfast, we are to-day comparatively well-fed.
Near our evening encampment was a large old Indian hunting camp. Our distance to-day nineteen miles.
Wednesday, 23d. Set out again fasting, and pursued our journey over a beautiful open level bottom. The bluffs on our left, of but moderate height, were partially clothed with oaks, and the river on the right skirted with the cotton tree. But a single ravine crossed our morning route. At eleven o'clock the mercury in the thermometer indicated 93 degrees.
At the distance of about two miles from our resting-place of noon we again halted and pitched the tents, in anticipation of a violent storm, as a nimbus of an unusually menacing aspect was otherwise announced by wind and thunder, and seemed rapidly approaching from the south. In order to avail ourselves of this delay, the hunters were sent out to endeavour to procure some food. But as the storm passed round, they were soon recalled, bringing with them the seasonable supply of four turkies. On the subsequent part of this day we passed over a small { 90} stream, which we call Bitter Apple Creek, with but a slow-moving current, of the width of about ten yards, and three feet deep. Its bed was so muddy that two of the pack-horses were mired, but were finally brought out. We then ascended into the prairie, from which, after labouring over an almost continual succession of ravines, we passed down to the river bank, and encamped for the night, having travelled about twenty miles. Numerous deer were seen to-day, but they were very shy.
The last bitter apple vine that occurred on the expedition was seen to-day. We were once again saluted by the note of the blue jay. The pine warbler (sylvia pinus) also occurred.