On the 21st, the party, now consisting of Major Long, Messrs. Say, Seymour and Peale, accompanied by Wilson, Adams, Duncan, and Sweney, the other soldiers being left at the fort, commenced their journey towards Cape Girardeau. We took with us five horses and five mules, two of the latter being loaded with packs. Captain Ballard kindly volunteered his services as guide, and, attended by a servant, accompanied us the first day's journey on our march.
{125} Our route lay on the south side of the Arkansa, at considerable distance from the river, and led us across two small creeks—one called the Mussanne or Massern, and the other the Vache Grasse.[5] The latter stream has a course of several miles, but during the dry season, discharges very little water. The small path we followed lay for the most part through open woods of post oak, black jack, and hickory, occasionally traversing a narrow prairie. In these open plains, now covered with rank grass and weeds, we discovered here and there some traces, such as a skull or a hoof of a bison, indicating that the undisputed possession of man to these regions had been of a very recent date.
It was near five o'clock when we arrived at the solitary cabin of a settler, and though we found no inhabitant about the place, we halted, and encamped near the spring. Our horses were scarce unsaddled, when a man, who seemed to be the occupant of the house, came up, and informed us, that half a mile further on our way, we should find a house and good accommodations. Accordingly, we again mounted our horses, and rode on to "Squire Billingsby's," as our destined host was entitled, where we met a very hospitable reception.[6] As the night approached, we observed that several young women and men, the sons and daughters of the family, disappeared, going to the cottages of the neighbours (the nearest of which seemed to be the one we had passed) to spend the night, that they might leave their beds for our use. Our hospitable landlord had many swarms of bees, some of which had been taken from the neighbouring forests. Wishing to make the addition of some honey to the bountiful table spread for our entertainment, he went with a light, and carefully removing the top of one of the hives, took out as much of the comb as he wished, and then replaced the top without killing or injuring the bees. In this manner, he assured us, honey may {126} at any time be taken without destroying the insects, who will, if the season admits, speedily make up the deficiency thus produced. Some feather beds having been given up by their ordinary occupants expressly for our use, we could not well avoid accepting the accommodation thus offered, but instead of proving an indulgence, we found the use of them partook more of the nature of a punishment. We spent an unquiet and almost sleepless night, and arose on the following morning unrefreshed, and with a painful feeling of soreness in our bones, so great a change had the hunter's life produced upon our habits. Those of the party who spread their blankets, and passed the night on the floor of the cabin, rested much more pleasantly.
On the succeeding morning, Captain Ballard returned to Belle Point, and we resumed our journey, accompanied by one of the sons of our landlord, who undertook to guide us on our way, until we should fall in with a path which we might continue to follow. We passed through a hilly country, crossing two creeks, heretofore called the Middle and Lower Vache Grasse. At the distance of four or five miles from the Arkansa, on each side, the country is broken and mountainous, several of the summits rising to an elevation of near two thousand feet above the surface of the water. Several trees which stood near our path had been in part stripped of their bark, and the naked trunks were marked with rude figures, representing horses, men, deer, dogs, &c. These imperfect paintings, done with charcoal, and sometimes touched with a little vermilion, appeared to be historic records, designed to perpetuate, or at least to communicate the account of some exploit in hunting, a journey, or some similar event. We have already remarked, that this method of communication is sufficiently understood by the Indians, to be made the vehicle of important intelligence.
A little before sunset we arrived at a settlement on the stream, called Short Mountain Bayou. The little {127} cabin we found occupied by two soldiers belonging to the garrison, who were on their return from the settlement at Cadron, whither they had been sent with letters on our arrival at Fort Smith, Cadron being the nearest post-town. We had expected letters from our friends by the return of the express, but were disappointed.[7]
The soldiers informed us, that the house in which they had quartered themselves for the night, had been for a week or two deserted, since its proprietor had died, and his wife, who was sick, had been removed to the nearest settlement. The place is called the Short Mountain Settlement,[8] from a high ridge of sandstone, a little to the north-west, rising in the form of a parallelogram to an elevation of about twelve hundred feet.[9] Its sides are abrupt, and in many places, particularly towards the summit, perpendicular. The summit is broad and nearly tabular, being covered with small trees, among which the red cedar, or some other ever-green tree, predominates. The plantation is somewhat elevated on a rocky eminence, at a little distance from the creek, but it is surrounded on all sides, save one, by the heavily wooded low grounds, in which we are to look for the causes whose operation have made it so soon desolate. Short Mountain Bayou, if we may judge from the depth and width of its channel, and the extent of its low grounds, is a large stream, or rather one which drains an extensive surface, but at this time it exhibited a succession of green and stagnant pools, connected by a little brook, almost without any perceptible current. On the surface of these pools, we saw the floating leaves of the nymphæa kalmiana, some utricularias, and other aquatic plants.
{128} September, 23d. After leaving the wide and fertile bottoms of the Short Mountain Bayou, our path lay across high and rocky hills, altogether covered with woods. The upland forests are almost exclusively of oak, with some little intermixture of hickory, dogwood and black gum. They are open, and the ground is in part covered with coarse grasses.
At noon we arrived at the Cherokee settlements on Rocky Bayou, and were received with some hospitality at the house of the metif chief, known by the name of Tom Graves. Though entirely an Indian in his character and habits, he has the colour and features of an European, and it was not without some difficulty we could be made to believe that he was in reality allied by birth to the people among whom he holds the rank of a chief. His house, as well as many we passed before we arrived at it, is constructed like those of the white settlers, and like them surrounded with enclosed fields of corn, cotton, sweet potatoes, &c., with cribs, sheds, droves of swine, flocks of geese, and all the usual accompaniments of a thriving settlement.
Graves, our landlord, though unable to speak or understand our language, held some communications with us by means of signs, occasionally assisted by a black girl, one of his slaves, who interpreted the Cherokee language. He told us, among other things, that the Osages do not know how to fight; that the Cherokees were now ready to give up the Osage prisoners, if the Osages would deliver into their hands the individuals who had formerly killed some of the Cherokees, &c. He has shown his admiration of military prowess, by calling one of his children Andrew Jackson Graves. He treated us with a good degree of attention, and showed himself well acquainted with the manner of making amends by extravagant charges. Our dinner was brought in by black slaves, and consisted of a large boiled buffaloe fish, a cup of coffee, corn bread, {129} milk, &c. Our host and his wife, of unmixed aboriginal race, were at table with us, and several slaves of African descent were in waiting. The Cherokees are said to treat their slaves with much lenity. The part of the nation now residing on the Arkansa, have recently removed from a part of the state of Tennessee. They are almost exclusively agriculturists, raising large crops of corn and cotton, enough for clothing their families, which they manufacture in their own houses.
After dinner we proceeded a few miles, taking with us one of Graves's sons as a guide, who led us to a place affording good pasture for our horses. Here we encamped.