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thirst without access to a drop of water, was a strange experience
to him.
The wolves also began to howl around us. Since our life in
the tent this was well known music, but now even the eagle-owl
began his song, and these sounds were altogether too strange.
Dawn came the following morning, but it threatened to bring
snow; we therefore hastily attended to our business in Red Wing
in order that we might hurry back home, as we were afraid that
our oxen in the bam might break out.
It was not yet midday, but we did not tarry and started on
our way. When we had reached the prairie such a dense fog
arose that an object at a distance of twenty steps could with
difficulty be distinguished. As we carried heavy loads of goods
and were forced to rest often, darkness and fog again overtook
us before we reached any certain landmark to serve as a guide
to the location of our home, and we had to bivouac the second
night, and that on the barren prairie. Being troubled by thirst,
we satisfied ourselves with vinegar and quited our hunger with
sugar. We passed this night without fire and in rain and sleet.
On the morning of the third day after our departure from
home, we returned to our home, starved and fatigued from lack
of sleep and by the packs that we carried. We had camped the
last night but a short distance from our log house, but a high
bluff hid the road and bewildered us. One Sunday in December
an Indian named Papeska, having shot a deer in our
neighborhood, came to us. He was the first one of these people to make
us a visit. Papeska was an intelligent youth; he butchered his
deer and stayed with us over night.
All fear of the red sons of the forest was for the future
allayed by the fine conduct of Papeska; especially since he also
was pious and before falling asleep, sang a song to the “Great
Spirit”, the final word of each stanza ending with “kuena”, a
perfect Finnish expression, which surprised me very much; even
his name was entirely Finnish. I could not detect that his piety
had its root in any knowledge of Christianity, especially as he
offered as a sacrifice certain parts of the deer to some divinity
for good luck in hunting; besides this he had several amulets
on his breast, which he made me understand through sign
language were talismans as protection against all kinds of dangers.
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