Having returned from the Legislature, I determined to make another move,
and so I took my eldest son with me, and a young man by the name of
Abram Henry, and cut out for the Obion. I selected a spot when I got
there, where I determined to settle; and the nearest house to it was
seven miles, the next nearest was fifteen, and so on to twenty. It was a
complete wilderness, and full of Indians who were hunting. Game was
plenty of almost every kind, which suited me exactly, as I was always
fond of hunting. The house which was nearest me, and which, as I have
already stated, was seven miles off, and on the different side of the
Obion river, belonged to a man by the name of Owens; and I started to go
there. I had taken one horse along, to pack our provision, and when I
got to the water I hobbled him out to graze, until I got back; as there
was no boat to cross the river in, and it was so high that it had
overflowed all the bottoms and low country near it.
We now took water like so many beavers, notwithstanding it was mighty
cold, and waded on. The water would sometimes be up to our necks, and at
others not so deep; but I went, of course, before, and carried a pole,
with which I would feel along before me, to see how deep it was, and to
guard against falling into a slough, as there was many in our way. When
I would come to one, I would take out my tomahawk and cut a small tree
across it, and then go ahead again. Frequently my little son would have
to swim, even where myself and the young man could wade; but we worked
on till at last we got to the channel of the river, which made it about
half a mile we had waded from where we took water. I saw a large tree
that had fallen into the river from the other side, but it didn't reach
across. One stood on the same bank where we were, that I thought I could
fall, so as to reach the other; and so at it we went with my tomahawk,
cutting away till we got it down; and, as good luck would have it, it
fell right, and made us a way that we could pass.
When we got over this, it was still a sea of water as far as our eyes
could reach. We took into it again, and went ahead, for about a mile,
hardly ever seeing a single spot of land, and sometimes very deep. At
last we come in sight of land, which was a very pleasing thing; and when
we got out, we went but a little way, before we came in sight of the
house, which was more pleasing than ever; for we were wet all over, and
mighty cold. I felt mighty sorry when I would look at my little boy, and
see him shaking like he had the worst sort of an ague, for there was no
time for fever then. As we got near to the house, we saw Mr. Owens and
several men that were with him, just starting away. They saw us, and
stop'd, but looked much astonished until we got up to them, and I made
myself known. The men who were with him were the owners of a boat which
was the first that ever went that far up the Obion river; and some hands
he had hired to carry it about a hundred miles still further up, by
water, tho' it was only about thirty by land, as the river is very
crooked.
They all turned back to the house with me, where I found Mrs. Owens, a
fine, friendly old woman; and her kindness to my little boy did me ten
times as much good as any thing she could have done for me, if she had
tried her best. The old gentleman set out his bottle to us, and I
concluded that if a horn wasn't good then, there was no use for its
invention. So I swig'd off about a half pint, and the young man was by
no means bashful in such a case; he took a strong pull at it too. I then
gave my boy some, and in a little time we felt pretty well. We dried
ourselves by the fire, and were asked to go on board of the boat that
evening. I agreed to do so, but left my son with the old lady, and
myself and my young man went to the boat with Mr. Owens and the others.
The boat was loaded with whiskey, flour, sugar, coffee, salt, castings,
and other articles suitable for the country; and they were to receive
five hundred dollars to land the load at M'Lemore's Bluff, beside the
profit they could make on their load. This was merely to show that boats
could get up to that point. We staid all night with them, and had a high
night of it, as I took steam enough to drive out all the cold that was
in me, and about three times as much more. In the morning we concluded
to go on with the boat to where a great _harricane_ had crossed the
river, and blowed all the timber down into it. When we got there, we
found the river was falling fast, and concluded we couldn't get through
the timber without more rise; so we drop'd down opposite Mr. Owens'
again, where they determined to wait for more water.
The next day it rained rip-roriously, and the river rose pretty
considerable, but not enough yet. And so I got the boatsmen all to go
out with me to where I was going to settle, and we slap'd up a cabin in
little or no time. I got from the boat four barrels of meal, and one of
salt, and about ten gallons of whiskey.
To pay for these, I agreed to go with the boat up the river to their
landing place. I got also a large middling of bacon, and killed a fine
deer, and left them for my young man and my little boy, who were to stay
at my cabin till I got back; which I expected would be in six or seven
days. We cut out, and moved up to the harricane, where we stop'd for the
night. In the morning I started about daylight, intending to kill a
deer, as I had no thought they would get the boat through the timber
that day. I had gone but a little way before I killed a fine buck, and
started to go back to the boat; but on the way I came on the tracks of a
large gang of elks, and so I took after them. I had followed them only a
little distance when I saw them, and directly after I saw two large
bucks. I shot one down, and the other wouldn't leave him; so I loaded
my gun, and shot him down too. I hung them up, and went ahead again
after my elks. I pursued on till after the middle of the day before I
saw them again; but they took the hint before I got in shooting
distance, and run off. I still pushed on till late in the evening, when
I found I was about four miles from where I had left the boat, and as
hungry as a wolf, for I hadn't eaten a bite that day.
I started down the edge of the river low grounds, giving out the pursuit
of my elks, and hadn't gone hardly any distance at all, before I saw two
more bucks, very large fellows too. I took a blizzard at one of them,
and up he tumbled. The other ran off a few jumps and stop'd; and stood
there till I loaded again, and fired at him. I knock'd his trotters from
under him, and then I hung them both up. I pushed on again; and about
sunset I saw three other bucks. I down'd with one of them, and the other
two ran off. I hung this one up also, having now killed six that day. I
then pushed on till I got to the harricane, and at the lower edge of it,
about where I expected the boat was. Here I hollered as hard as I could
roar, but could get no answer. I fired off my gun, and the men on the
boat fired one too; but quite contrary to my expectation, they had got
through the timber, and were about two miles above me. It was now dark,
and I had to crawl through the fallen timber the best way I could; and
if the reader don't know it was bad enough, I am sure I do. For the
vines and briers had grown all through it, and so thick, that a good fat
coon couldn't much more than get along. I got through at last, and went
on near to where I had killed my last deer, and once more fired off my
gun, which was again answered from the boat, which was still a little
above me. I moved on as fast as I could, but soon came to water, and not
knowing how deep it was, I halted and hollered till they came to me with
a skiff. I now got to the boat, without further difficulty; but the
briers had worked on me at such a rate, that I felt like I wanted sewing
up, all over. I took a pretty stiff horn, which soon made me feel much
better; but I was so tired that I could hardly work my jaws to eat.
In the morning, myself and a young man started and brought in the first
buck I had killed; and after breakfast we went and brought in the last
one. The boat then started, but we again went and got the two I had
killed just as I turned down the river in the evening; and we then
pushed on and o'ertook the boat, leaving the other two hanging in the
woods, as we had now as much as we wanted.
We got up the river very well, but quite slowly; and we landed, on the
eleventh day, at the place the load was to be delivered at. They here
gave me their skiff, and myself and a young man by the name of Flavius
Harris, who had determined to go and live with me, cut out down the
river for my cabin, which we reached safely enough.
We turned in and cleared a field, and planted our corn; but it was so
late in the spring, we had no time to make rails, and therefore we put
no fence around our field. There was no stock, however, nor any thing
else to disturb our corn, except the wild _varments_, and the old
serpent himself, with a fence to help him, couldn't keep them out. I
made corn enough to do me, and during that spring I killed ten bears,
and a great abundance of deer. But in all this time, we saw the face of
no white person in that country, except Mr. Owens' family, and a very
few passengers, who went out there, looking at the country. Indians,
though, were still plenty enough. Having laid by my crap, I went home,
which was a distance of about a hundred and fifty miles; and when I got
there, I was met by an order to attend a call-session of our
Legislature. I attended it, and served out my time, and then returned,
and took my family and what little plunder I had, and moved to where I
had built my cabin, and made my crap.
I gathered my corn, and then set out for my Fall's hunt. This was in the
last of October, 1822. I found bear very plenty, and, indeed, all sorts
of game and wild varments, except buffalo. There was none of them. I
hunted on till Christmass, having supplied my family very well all along
with wild meat, at which time my powder gave out; and I had none either
to fire Christmass guns, which is very common in that country, or to
hunt with. I had a brother-in-law who had now moved out and settled
about six miles west of me, on the opposite side of Rutherford's fork of
the Obion river, and he had brought me a keg of powder, but I had never
gotten it home. There had just been another of Noah's freshes, and the
low grounds were flooded all over with water. I know'd the stream was at
least a mile wide which I would have to cross, as the water was from
hill to hill, and yet I determined to go on over in some way or other,
so as to get my powder. I told this to my wife, and she immediately
opposed it with all her might. I still insisted, telling her we had no
powder for Christmass, and, worse than all, we were out of meat. She
said, we had as well starve as for me to freeze to death or to get
drowned, and one or the other was certain if I attempted to go.
But I didn't believe the half of this; and so I took my woolen wrappers,
and a pair of mockasins, and put them on, and tied up some dry clothes
and a pair of shoes and stockings, and started. But I didn't before know
how much any body could suffer and not die. This, and some of my other
experiments in water, learned me something about it, and I therefore
relate them.
The snow was about four inches deep when I started; and when I got to
the water, which was only about a quarter of a mile off, it look'd like
an ocean. I put in, and waded on till I come to the channel, where I
crossed that on a high log. I then took water again, having my gun and
all my hunting tools along, and waded till I came to a deep slough, that
was wider than the river itself. I had crossed it often on a log; but,
behold, when I got there, no log was to be seen. I knowed of an island
in the slough, and a sapling stood on it close to the side of that log,
which was now entirely under water. I knowed further, that the water was
about eight or ten feet deep under the log, and I judged it to be about
three feet deep over it. After studying a little what I should do, I
determined to cut a forked sapling, which stood near me, so as to lodge
it against the one that stood on the island, in which I succeeded very
well. I then cut me a pole, and crawled along on my sapling till I got
to the one it was lodged against, which was about six feet above the
water. I then felt about with my pole till I found the log, which was
just about as deep under the water as I had judged. I then crawled back
and got my gun, which I had left at the stump of the sapling I had cut,
and again made my way to the place of lodgement, and then climb'd down
the other sapling so as to get on the log. I then felt my way along with
my feet, in the water, about waist deep, but it was a mighty ticklish
business. However, I got over, and by this time I had very little
feeling in my feet and legs, as I had been all the time in the water,
except what time I was crossing the high log over the river, and
climbing my lodged sapling.
I went but a short distance before I came to another slough, over which
there was a log, but it was floating on the water. I thought I could
walk it, and so I mounted on it; but when I had got about the middle of
the deep water, somehow or somehow else, it turned over, and in I went
up to my head I waded out of this deep water, and went ahead till I came
to the high-land, where I stop'd to pull off my wet clothes, and put on
the others, which I had held up with my gun, above the water, when I
fell in. I got them on, but my flesh had no feeling in it, I was so
cold. I tied up the wet ones, and hung them up in a bush. I now thought
I would run, so as to warm myself a little, but I couldn't raise a trot
for some time; indeed, I couldn't step more than half the length of my
foot. After a while I got better, and went on five miles to the house of
my brother-in-law, having not even smelt fire from the time I started. I
got there late in the evening, and he was much astonished at seeing me
at such a time. I staid all night, and the next morning was most
piercing cold, and so they persuaded me not to go home that day. I
agreed, and turned out and killed him two deer; but the weather still
got worse and colder, instead of better. I staid that night, and in the
morning they still insisted I couldn't get home. I knowed the water
would be frozen over, but not hard enough to bear me, and so I agreed to
stay that day. I went out hunting again, and pursued a big _he-bear_ all
day, but didn't kill him. The next morning was bitter cold, but I knowed
my family was without meat, and I determined to get home to them, or
die a-trying.
I took my keg of powder, and all my hunting tools, and cut out. When I
got to the water, it was a sheet of ice as far as I could see. I put on
to it, but hadn't got far before it broke through with me; and so I took
out my tomahawk, and broke my way along before me for a considerable
distance. At last I got to where the ice would bear me for a short
distance, and I mounted on it, and went ahead; but it soon broke in
again, and I had to wade on till I came to my floating log. I found it
so tight this time, that I know'd it couldn't give me another fall, as
it was frozen in with the ice. I crossed over it without much
difficulty, and worked along till I got to my lodged sapling, and my log
under the water. The swiftness of the current prevented the water from
freezing over it, and so I had to wade, just as I did when I crossed it
before. When I got to my sapling, I left my gun and climbed out with my
powder keg first, and then went back and got my gun. By this time I was
nearly frozen to death, but I saw all along before me, where the ice had
been fresh broke, and I thought it must be a bear straggling about in
the water. I, therefore, fresh primed my gun, and, cold as I was, I was
determined to make war on him, if we met. But I followed the trail till
it led me home, and I then found it had been made by my young man that
lived with me, who had been sent by my distressed wife to see, if he
could, what had become of me, for they all believed that I was dead.
When I got home I was'nt quite dead, but mighty nigh it; but I had my
powder, and that was what I went for.