noon
We crossed the stream and encamped on the other side . Scarcely had we unsaddled our horses , when we perceived coming towards us a large party of savages , whose war paint , with the bleeding scalps hanging to their belts , plainly showed the errand from which they were returning ; they encamped on the other side of the stream , within quarter of a mile from us . That night we passed watching , shivering , and fasting , for we dared not light a fire in the immediate vicinity of our neighbours , whom we could hear singing and rejoicing . The next morning , long before dawn , we stole away quietly and trotted briskly till noon , when we encountered a deep and almost impassable ravine . There we were obliged to halt , and pass the remainder of the day endeavouring to discover a passage . This occupied us till night-fall , and we had nothing to eat but plums and berries . Melancholy were our thoughts when we reflected upon the difficulties we might shortly have to encounter ; and gloomy were our forebodings as we wrapt ourselves in our blankets , half starved and oppressed with feelings of uncertainty as to our present position and our future destinies .