The Arkansas advocate., 1835-05-01


 Hearing me speak, they soon drove away their dogs, and told me to come in. I did so, sat down by the fire, and after thawing out my hands, began ripping open my moc- casins with my knife. In the mean time Conn and Long who are both the best fel- lows in the world. began to recover the power of speech. They stood and looked at me awhile, and then Conn inquired- Where, in the name of Heaven are you from9'
 From the United States.'
 What company did you come with
 I came with company of my own-of two men,
 Where are they?'
 Behind in the mountains.'
 Are these.aII the clothes you have got?'
 Yes, they are so.'
 What! and have you no blankets2'
 No, not one.'
 Have you eaten anything to day?'
 No, not for five days
 'What! are you not hungry?'
 sNo.'
 They drew me about half a pint of whis- key, which I barely tasted, and Conn brought me bit of meat, about as big as my two fingers, and like bit of bread. In vain told them that I would not thank them for that little, and begged for more. When 1t touched my stomach, my hunger became rayenous: but finding I could get no more, submitted, and turned in 10 rip- ping my moccaslns againl In ten minutes after the moccaslns were of, my feet were swelled as big as four feet ought to be. l could have cried with the pain; and while l sat bearing it as we'll as I could, an old Spaniard came in-old Senor San Juan. The old fellow started back when he saw me, lifted up his hands with a stare of terror and surprise on his dried-up face, and ut tered the ejaculation, Adios! In two min- utes, he had half bushel of onions in the ashes and as soon as they were roasted, he swathed my feet up with parcel of them. could not have lifted one of my feet with both hands. They were bigger than bulls head. The old man stayed with me all night, changing the onions for fresh ones at intervals, and have no doubt that 1t was old Mir. St. John who saved my feet for me. During the night Conn gave me little bit of meat and bread at intervals, and in the morning he was about serving me the same way: but l uptripped him this time, and declared my resolution of eating breakfast with him and Long. I eat all 1 could get, though it was not half enough, and during the day ate about fifteen times. ] thought while l was there, that I never would get out of the sound of chicken's voice again. This day sent word to Kin caid and old Chambers, that Andrews was III the mountains, and they informed his father-in-law, who immediately went out for him, and found him and Chambers at the forks of the canon. They were both better dressed than I, and had thin mocca- sins; in consequence they froze their feet but very little. In fact, Andrews said that he believed he could have come in better as I.' And sure enough, the rascal had only been possuming the whole time, and was bet ter able to travel than I was. but wanted me to break the way and pack his gun.
 Lewis lay at the still house six weeks before he was able to go to San Fernandez, distance of three miles. While there, he was visited frequently by the Indians of the Pueblo of Taos, and presented by them with cakes, and dried fruit, &c. They wished to convey him to their village, but he could not go. At length, at the expra- tion-of six weeks, he was lifted on horse and taken to the Rio Hondo, as it is called, a little settlement four or five miles from San Fernandez, in the same valley of Ia os. In the mean time, the skin had peeled of from the whole of his body, and the flesh had come from parts of his feet, so that the bones and sinews were bare. He was soon after attacked with the peursy :; and, to use his own expression, the thing was near dead out with him. He recoy- cred, however, although it was not until April that he became perfectly well. After that he was the terror of the Spaniards, for he could have demolished them rapidly with his powerful arm, had they eyer given him cause. He is not quarrelsome, how ever, even when he gets caught in what they cali in the West, "a spree.'
 In the month of May, Lewis joined him. self to party of five men, including him. self, headed by Tom Smith, the Bald Hor- net for the purpose of trapping in the mountain, between the forks of Grand Riv- CT, that IS, the Colorado of California, and there commenced trapping. The first night that Lewis set his traps, he had entered little narrow canon, which had never been trapped, because man could not ride up 1t. lie took it on foot, with his six traps on his back, obtained seat for all of them, and went back to camp, about fifteen miles. He there borrowed all the spare traps. re-