The party strengthen their defences
No tidings of McPhail
The trapper goes in search of him
Returns, having met with no success
McPhail makes his appearance accompanied by guides
His adventures while away
Finds he is lost
Loses his rifle
No supper
Loses his horse
No food for three days
Sinks into a stupor
Is discovered by two Indians
Their humane treatment of him
They conduct him by slow marches to the camp.
_August 27th_.--We have passed a heavy but not very profitable week.
Three days of our time have been spent in strengthening our defences,
and we have had some severe labour in felling pine trees and dragging
them to the stockade. We have driven sharpened stakes into the earth,
and, after laying the logs longitudinally within them, have twisted the
lighter boughs and brushwood of the trees in the interstices. Before we
began this task, however, the trapper, Malcolm, and Lacosse started in
search of McPhail, but returned the same night (Sunday) unsuccessful.
In the meantime, my two patients got on favourably, the pure air and
temperate living doing more for the wounds than medical skill could
effect.
On Monday, a council was held as to the propriety of sending another
party in search of our missing friend; and, after some discussion, the
trapper started off alone, taking rations with him to last him two or
three days. On Wednesday we set to work again, digging and washing,
confining ourselves, however, to that portion of the stream and to
those canones which were in the vicinity of the camp. Upon the whole,
we made good progress during the week, frequently averaging four ounces
of gold dust and flakes a-day per man. Early on Wednesday the trapper
made his appearance, but he had returned without any tidings of our
missing friend.
It was upon Thursday evening, as we were returning to the camp after a
hard day's work, that we were delighted at perceiving our comrade
McPhail, whom we had given up for lost, making his way towards us,
accompanied by a couple of Indians, fantastically dressed in the
Spanish fashion, the costumes having been probably purchased by the
sale of gold dust lower down the country. Our friend was, of course,
joyfully received, and a special can of pisco punch brewed in honour of
his return.
His adventures since his separation from the party were soon related.
He had turned aside to water his horse at a small rivulet, and, on his
return, waited at the trail for his comrades, whom he conceived to be
still in the rear. After waiting for nearly half-an-hour, he thought
that they must have passed him, and galloped after them in what he
conceived to be the proper trail. After half-an-hour's ride, however,
he found himself utterly at sea--no sign of the camp, or of his
comrades. He mounted several high ridges, which he hoped might command
a view of the Bear Valley; but all he could see was a wilderness of
hills and deep ravines, here and there chequered with fertile bottoms
clumped with pines and oaks. In fact, he grew quite confused, and, to
add to his perplexity, in fording a rapid torrent his horse stumbled,
and was carried off his legs by the strength of the stream, and had to
swim for it. At length they gained the further bank; but our friend
found that in his agitation he had dropped his rifle, which was
irrecoverably gone.
Finding that he had no knowledge of the country about him, he
determined to encamp for the night, and accordingly laid his head on
his saddle, wrapped himself up in his cloak, and went supperless to
sleep. When he awoke in the morning, he found that his horse, which he
had tethered to a neighbouring stunted tree, had strayed away, and
although he followed his trail for some time, he was eventually obliged
to give up the search. The remainder of this and the following day he
wandered about at random, amidst a wild and sterile country, furrowed
with tremendous chasms several hundred feet in depth, and the edge of
which it was necessary to skirt for miles ere a crossing-place could be
found. During this time poor McPhail fared very hardly. He saw numerous
herds of elk, but they bounded past unharmed: he had no rifle. He tried
in vain to find some edible roots, and was at length reduced to the
necessity of chewing grass and the pith of alder trees.
Throughout this period his sufferings were excessive; but as the time
passed and brought no relief, he experienced a sickness and nausea of
the most gnawing and horrible description. He became so weak that he
could hardly stand. At length at sunset, on the third day of his
wanderings, he laid himself down upon a spot of grass, and fell into a
kind of stupor, in the full belief that he would only wake in the
agonies of death. It was then that he was discovered by the two Indians
who brought him to the camp. They behaved with great humanity towards
him, allowing him, however, to eat, first of all, only a few morsels of
the dried meat which they had with them, that he might not harm himself
by over-eating, after such a lengthened fast. As his stomach by degrees
recovered its tone, they permitted him to take further nutriment; and
after encamping with them on that and the following night, he felt
sufficiently recovered to proceed on his journey to this camp. His kind
benefactors understood a few words of Spanish, and he was enabled to
explain to them the part of the country he wished to reach. They
undertook to guide him thither--told him they would arrive there after
having slept once, and by slow marches made their way to Bear Valley,
which they reached on the evening of the second day. McPhail expressed
his surprise on finding that he had wandered no greater distance off.
He showed his gratitude to his guides by presenting them with the two
large holster pistols which he brought with him from Oregon; and on the
following morning they took their departure from the camp.