Here, both the arksmen and their live stock were badly tortured by large, ravenous mosquitoes. Moreover, they sorely missed their poultry, this and the milk from their two cows being important items of the food supply.
They were also rendered apprehensive from a bold visit by a canoe containing four Indians, supposed to be Choctaws, that came alongside the ark and held up a bearskin as if to sell it. But Marion was of the opinion that their real motive was to learn if an attack on them would be likely to prove successful. Three men watched, by turns, all night.
As they were putting off at daybreak, three lumber-laden arks from Pittsburgh appeared and made a landing near them for repairs, one of them having run on a snag during the night. That day they made about sixty miles, passing Island No. 31 at four in the afternoon; and then crossing over to avoid Flour Island, tied up for the night at the foot of a high bluff of yellow clay, crowned by forest.
A huge tree which had fallen down the bank afforded opportunity to make fast, although the current was here very swift and strong, making in against the bank so forcefully that the ark was pressed hard against the great branches of the tree-top, which lay partly in the water.
Flour Island, so called from a disaster to flour-laden boats which had recently occurred there, lay over opposite them; and there appeared to be an Indian camp near the lower end of it, judging from the fires, and an uproar of savage outcries that was borne to their ears. No such swift, dangerous currents had been encountered anywhere since the voyage began as these which set in through the “races” between the islands and bluffs. The ark, being deep-laden, they were not a little apprehensive for her safety.
Just as they were making fast, too, another lumber-laden barge came drifting past, close into shore, and struck them with such force as to stave in the bulwarks aft and break two stanchions that supported the roof.
As the two boats hung in contact for a moment, there was a singular accession to the crew of the ark. A large pet bear, terrified, perhaps, by the crash, and seeing, as he thought, a way of escaping ashore, broke his chain and leaped across from the lumber barge to the roof of the ark just as the two boats swung clear of each other.