According to our estimate of distances on our courses, it is seven hundred and ninety-six and a half miles from the point where we first struck the Canadian to its confluence with the Arkansa. If we make a reasonable allowance for the meanders of the river, and for the extension of its upper branches some distance to the west of the place where we commenced our descent, the entire length of the Canadian will appear to be about one thousand miles.[85] Our journey upon it had occupied a space of seven weeks, travelling with the utmost diligence the strength of our horses would permit.
On arriving at the Arkansa, we waited a short time for our canoe, in which we crossed our heavy baggage, and then swimming our horses, we ascended the bank in search of a place to encamp, but soon found ourselves surrounded by a dense almost impenetrable cane brake, where no vestige of a path could be found. In this dilemma, no alternative remained, but to force our way forward by the most laborious exertions. The canes were of large size, and stood so close together that a horse could not move forward the length of his body without breaking by main force a great number of them. Making our way with excessive toil among these gigantic gramina, our party might be said to resemble a company of rats traversing a sturdy field of grass. The cane stalks, after being trod to the earth, often inflicted, in virtue of their elasticity, blows as severe as they were unexpected. It is not to be supposed our horses alone felt the inconvenience of this sort of travelling. We received frequent blows and bruises on all parts of our [31] bodies, had our sweaty faces and hands scratched by the rough leaves of the cane, and oftentimes, as our attention was otherwise directed, we caught with our feet and dragged across our shins the flexible and spiny stalks of the green briar.
This most harassing ride we commenced at eleven in the morning, and continued without a moment's intermission till sunset, when finding we were not about to extricate ourselves, we returned near a mile and a half on our track, to a spot where we had passed a piece of open woods large enough to spread our blankets on. Here we laid ourselves down at dark, much exhausted by our day's journey.
Our fatigue was sufficient to overcome the irritation of the ticks, and we slept soundly until about midnight, when we were awakened by the commencement of a heavy fall of rain, from which, as we had not been able to set up our tent, we had no shelter.
On the following morning, after several hours spent in most laborious travelling, like that of the preceding day, we found ourselves emerging from the river bottom, and, to our great satisfaction, exchanging the cane brakes for open woods. At the foot of the hill lay a deep morass, covered with the nelumbo and other aquatic plants. It had probably been the former bed of the Arkansa. Observing water in some part of it, several of the party attempted to penetrate to it to drink, but the quaking bog was found so deep and soft as to be wholly impassable.
After ascending the hills we pursued our course nearly due north, through open woods of oak and nyssa, until we reached the prairie, and soon after discovered a large and frequented path, which we knew could be no other than that leading to Fort Smith. On emerging from the low grounds we had no longer the prospect of boundless and monotonous plains. We were in a region of mountains and forests, [32] interspersed with open plains, but these were of limited extent.
September 12th. We resumed our journey at sunrise. The weather was cool, and the morning fair. The wide and densely-wooded valley of the Arkansa lay on our route. The course of the river was marked by a long and undulating line of mist, brightening in the beams of the rising sun; beyond rose the blue summits of the Point Sucre and Cavaniol mountains, "in the clear light above the dews of morn." Though the region about us had all the characters of a mountain district, we could discover little uniformity in the direction of the ranges. The Cavaniol and Point Sucre mountains are situated on opposite sides of the Poteau, above the confluence of James's Fork, and are parts of low ridges running from S. W. to N. E. On the north side of the Arkansa is a ridge of considerable elevation, nearly parallel in direction to the aggregate course of the river.[86]
In the path we were travelling we observed tracks indicating that men on horseback had recently passed, and in the course of the morning we met a party of six or eight Indians, who informed us they were of the Cherokee nation; that we should be able to arrive at the military post at Belle Point on the following morning. They were on horseback, carrying guns, kettles, and other articles suited to a hunting excursion, which it was their purpose to make in the territory of the Osages; one or two of them had on round hats; all had calico shirts, or some other article of foreign fabric, as part of their dress; and all had a mean and squalid appearance, indicating that they had been in habits of frequent intercourse with the whites. They were unable to speak or understand our language, but communicated with considerable ease by means of signs.[87]
At eleven o'clock we halted, and as our provisions were nearly exhausted, most of the party went out to [33] hunt, but were not fortunate in meeting game. We found, however, some papaw trees with ripe fruit of an uncommon size and delicious flavor, with which we were able to allay our hunger. The papaw tree attains a much larger size, and the fruit arrives at greater perfection, in the low grounds of the Arkansa, than on the Missouri, Ohio, and Upper Mississippi, where it is also common. The papaws fall to the ground as soon as fully ripe, and are eagerly sought after by the bears, raccoons, oppossum, &c.
In the afternoon one of our mules failed so far that the undivided attention and the most active exertions of two men were required to keep him moving at the rate of a slow walk. This made it necessary we should encamp, and we accordingly selected a spot in a fine open grove of oaks, where we pitched our tent. Among other interesting plants we collected here the beautiful vexillaria[88] virginica of Eaton, which has the largest flower of any of the legumina of the United States, as is remarked by Mr. Nuttall. We saw also the menispermum lyoni, hieracium marianum, rhexia virginica. As we encamped at an early hour, the party dispersed in several directions in search of game. Nothing was found except a swarm of bees, affording as much honey as we chose to eat for supper. While engaged in felling the tree we heard guns discharged at a distance, and by sending persons to examine, learned they were those of a party of men accompanying Mr. Robert Glen on his way from Fort Smith to the trading-house at the mouth of the Verdigrise.[89] In the evening we received a visit from Mr. G., whose camp was distant only about a mile from ours. He was the first white man not of our own party whom we had seen since the 6th of [34] the preceding June. From him we received a highly acceptable present of coffee, biscuits, a bottle of spirits, &c.; also the welcome intelligence that Captain Bell, with his division of the exploring party, had arrived at Fort Smith some days previous.