them all the money he had in his trunk. He often said, "I am no coward; but I am so strong, so hard to die." He begg'd the servant not to be afraid of him, for that he would not hurt him. He expired in about two hours, or just as the sun rose above the trees. He lies buried close by the common path, with a few loose rails thrown over his grave. I gave Grinder money to put a post fence round it, to shelter it from the hogs, and from the wolves; and he gave me his written promise he would do it. I left this place in a very melancholy mood, which was not much allayed by the prospect of the gloomy and savage wilderness which I was just entering alone.

My thoughts dwelt with sad, but unavailing regret, on the fate of my unfortunate friend; and I endeavoured to give vent to the despondence of my mind in the following verses, which I wished to dedicate to his memory.

Far hence be each accusing thought!
Let tears of silent sorrow flow;

Pale Pity consecrates the spot

Where poor lost LEWIS now lies low!

This lonely grave-this bed of clay,
Neglected-dug the pathway near;
Unfenc'd from midnight beasts of prey.
Excites Affliction's bitterest tear.

The soldier brave, of dauntless heart,
The chief belov'd, the comrade dear;
Of honour'd worth the mortal part
Moulders in sacred silence here.

His was the peril, glory, pride,
First of his country to explore
Whence vast Missouri's currents glide,
Where white man never trod before.

Her roaring cataracts he scal'd,

Her mountains of eternal snow;

There his brave band the rivers hail'd
That westward to the ocean flow.

Subdu'd by boldness, and amazed

At daring deeds unknown before, The hordes of Indian warriors gaz'd, And loved them for the hearts they bore.

Far down Columbia's foamy steeps,

He led his brave adventurous band; Plough'd the PACIFIC's billowy deeps,

And stood triumphant on the strand!

Twice fourteen months of perils past,
Again the Alpine snows they spurn;
Their country opes to view at last,

And millions welcome their return.

The learned, on Europe's distant lands,
With joy the great arrival hail;
And Fame on tip-toe ready stands
To spread the wonders of their tale.

✪ sad reverse! O mournful end
Of this high destiny so dear!

He, the lov'd chieftain of their band,
Fell, friendless and unhonoured here?

The anguish that his soul assailed,

The dark despair that round him flew, No eye, save that of Heaven, beheld; None but unfeeling strangers knew.

Bereav'd of Hope's sweet angel form,
Griefs rose on griefs, and fears on fears
Poor Reason perish'd in the storm,
And Desperation triumphed here!

Fast pour'd the purple streams of life,
His burning lips one drop did crave;
Abandon'd, midst this bloody strife,
He sank, unfriended, to the grave.

Unhappy youth! here rest thy head,
Beloved, lamented by the brave;
Though silent deserts round thee spread,
And wild beasts trample o'er thy grave.

Here reap that peace life could not give;
But while thy own Missouri flows,
Thy name, dear LEWIS, still shall live,
And ages yet lament thy woes.

Lone as these solitudes appear,

Wide as this wilderness is spread,
Affection's steps shall linger here,

To breathe her sorrows o'er the dead.

The Indian hunter, slow and sad,
Who wanders with his rifle near,

With solemn awe shall hither tread,
To mourn a brother hunter here.

The pilgrim boatman on his way,

Shall start this humble grave to view;
"Here Lewis lies!" he'll mournful say,
While tears his manly cheeks bedew.

Far hence be each accusing thought!
With his my kindred tears shall flow;
Pale Pity consecrates the spot,

Where poor lost Lewis now lies low!

I was roused from this melancholy reverie by the roaring of Buffaloe river, which I forded with considerable difficulty. I passed two or three solitary Indian's huts in the course of the day, with a few acres of open land at each; but so wretchedly cultivated that they just make out to raise corn enough to keep in existence. They pointed me out the distances by holding up their fingers. This is the country of the Chickasaws, though erroneously laid down in some maps as that of the Cherokees. I slept this night in one of their huts; the Indians spread a deer skin for me on the floor, I made a pillow of my portmanteau,

and slept tolerably well; the old Indian laid himself down near me. On Monday morning I rode fifteen miles, and stopt at an Indian's to feed my horse. The sight of my perokeet brought the whole family around me. The women are generally naked from the middle upwards; and their heads, in many instances, being rarely combed, look like a large mop; they have a yard or two of blue cloth wrapt round by way of petticoat, that reaches to their knees the boys were generally naked; except a kind of bag of blue cloth by way of fig-leaf. Some of the women have a short jacket with sleeves drawn over their naked body, and the rag of a blanket is a general appendage. I met to day two officers of the U. S. army, who gave me a more intelligent account of the road than I had received. I passed through many bad swamps to day; and about five in the evening came to the banks of the Tenessee, which was swelled by the rains, and is about half a mile wide thirty miles below the muscle shoals, and just below a long island laid down in your small map. A growth of canes of twenty and thirty feet high covers the low bottoms; and these cane swamps are the gloomiest and desolate looking places imaginable. I hailed for the boat as long as it was light, without effect; I then sought out a place to encamp, kindled a large fire, stript the canes for my horse, cat a bit of supper, and lay down to sleep; listening to the owls and the Chuck-Wills-Widow, a kind of Whip-poor-Will, that is very numerous here. I got up several times during the night to recruit my fire, and see how my horse did; and, but for the gnats, would have slept tolerably well. These gigantic woods have a singular effect by the light of a large fire; the whole scene being circumscribed by impenetrable darkness, except that in front where every leaf is strongly defined and deeply shaded. In the morning I hunted until about six, when I again renewed my shoutings for the boat, and it was not until near eleven that it made its appearance. I was so enraged at this delay that had I not been cumbered with baggage, I believe I should have ventured to swim it. I vented my indignation on the owner, who is a half breed, threatening to publish him in the papers, and advise every traveller I met to take the upper ferry. This man charges one dollar for man and hørse, and

thinks, because he is a chief, he may do in this way what he pleases. The country now assumed a new appearance; no brush wood-no fallen or rotten timber; one could see a mile through the woods, which were covered with high grass fit for mowing. These woods are burnt every spring, and thus are kept so remarkably clean that they look like the most elegant noblemens' parks. A profusion of flowers, altogether new to me, and some of them very elegant, presented themselves to my view as I rode along. This must be a heavenly place for the botanist. The most noticeable of these flowers was a kind of Sweet William of all tints, from white to the deepest crimson. A superb Thistle, the most beautiful I had ever seen. A species of Passion flower very beautiful. A stately plant of the Sunflower family-the button of the deepest orange, and the radiating petals bright carmine, the breadth of the flower about four inches. A large white flower like a deer's tail. Great quantities of the Sensitive plant, that shrunk instantly on being touched, covered the ground in some places. Almost every flower was new to me, except the Carolina pink-root, and Columbo, which grew in abundance on every side. At Bear creek, which is a large and rapid stream, I first observed the Indian boys with their Blow-guns. These are tubes of cane seven feet long, and perfectly straight when well made. The arrows are made of slender slips of cane, twisted, and straightened before the fire, and covered for several inches at one end with the down of thistles in a spiral form, so as just to enter the tube. By a puff they can send these with such violence as to enter the body of a partridge twenty yards off. I set several of them a hunting birds by promises of reward, but not one of them could succeed. I also tried some of them myself, but found them generally defective in straightness. I met six parties of boatmen to day, and many straggling Indians, and encamped about sun-set near a small brook, where I shot a turkey, and on returning to my fire found four boatmen, who stayed with me all night, and helped to pick the bones of the turkey. In the morning I heard them gobbling all round me, but not wishing to leave my horse, having no great faith in my guests' honesty, I proceeded on my journey. This day (Wednesday) I passed through the most horrid