had been sent across the river.  The red glare of the fires upon these wild groups and harsh faces, contrasted with the surrounding darkness, had a startling effect, as the voyagers suddenly came upon the scene.  The dogs of the camp perceived them, and barked; but the Indians fortunately, took no heed of their clamor.  Wyeth instantly sheered his boat out into the stream; when, unluckily it struck upon a sand-bar, and stuck fast.  It was a perilous and trying situation; for he was fixed between the two camps, and within rifle range of both.  All hands jumped out into the water, and tried to get the boat off; but as no one dared to give the word, they could not pull together, and their labor was in vain.  In this way they labored for a long time; until Wyeth thought of giving a signal for a general heave, by lifting his hat.  The expedient succeeded.  They launched their canoe again into deep water, and getting in, had the delight of seeing the camp fires of the savages soon fading in the distance.

They continued under way the greater part of the night, until far beyond all danger from this band, when they pulled to shore, and encamped.

The following day was windy, and they came near upsetting their boat in carrying sail.  Toward evening, the wind subsided and a beautiful calm night succeeded.  They floated along with the current throughout the night, taking turns to watch and steer.  The deep stillness of the night was occasionally interrupted by the neighing of the elk, the hoarse lowing of the buffalo, the hooting of large owls, and the screeching of the small ones, now and then the splash of a beaver, or the gonglike sound of the swan.

Part of their voyage was extremely tempestuous; with high winds, tremendous thunder, and soaking rain; and they were repeatedly in extreme danger from drift-wood and sunken trees.  On one occasion, having continued to float at night, after the moon was down, they ran under a great snag, or sunken tree, with dry branches above the water.  These caught the mast, while the boat swung round, broadside to the stream, and began to fill with water.  Nothing saved her from total wreck, but cutting away the mast.  She then drove down the stream, but left one of the unlucky half-breeds clinging to the snag, like a monkey to a pole.  It was necessary to run in shore, toil up, laboriously, along the eddies and to attain some distance above the snag, when they launched forth again into the stream and floated down with it to his rescue.

We forbear to detail all the circumstances and adventures of upward of a months voyage, down the windings and doublings of this vast river; in the course of which they stopped occasionally at a post of one of the rival fur companies, or at a government agency for an Indian tribe.  Neither shall we dwell upon the changes of climate and productions, as the voyagers swept down from north to south, across several degrees of latitude; arriving at the regions of oaks and sycamores; of mulberry and basswood trees; of paroquets and wild turkeys.  This is one of the characteristics of the middle and lower part of the Missouri; but still more so of the Mississippi, whose rapid current traverses a succession of latitudes so as in a few days to float the voyager almost from the frozen regions to the tropics.