(seq. 158)

8th March we took leave of our poor fellow soldiers who had tears in their
eyes some of the wounded got to the water side to bid us farewell,
and Colonel Clarke who generosity should not pass unnoticed,
when he had seen our Pork and flour embarked, and we were
ready to push off asked us aloud if we wanted any thing -
We fell down the stream and encamped three leagues below
while River, the current very swift -

9.th continued our route & encamped at l'hyvernement de Bonpart -
at this place the little attention of our guard was such as to
give some among us an idea of seizing their arms in the night
and getting down to the Natchez, but we were checked by
thinking what would be the fate of those we left behind -

10.th As we approached the Ohio we conceived that river to be amazingly
raised as the waters of the Ouabache were backed for at least
three miles before we reached the mouth - At half past
three in the afternoon we got into the Ohio, & rowed up the
stream 9 miles - By the drift wood lodged in the trees
we perceived the waters had been 12 feet higher than at
present, tho' now 18 feet above the steep banks of the Ohio -

There was no sight of land, and as far as the sight could
extend a violent current swept thro' the wood, so night coming
on we made our boat fast to a tree, and lay as well as we could
contrive which was not very conveniently as it rained most part
of the night, and our Tarpaulin was rather scanty -
our bodies were miserably cramped being so crowded, & one of
our party lay in a blankett tyed in form of a hammaque
one end to a bough of a tree, the other to the boats mast -

11, 12, 13.th rowed up against stream & encamped, tho ill at our ease
every thing being wet and the ground little better than a swamp