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 nightfall, 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.
The night passed without alarm; but the next morning we were sickened by
a horrible scene which was passing about half a mile from us. A party of
the same Indians whom we had seen the evening before were butchering
some of their captives, while several others were busy cooking the
flesh, and many were eating it. We were rooted to the spot by a thrill
of horror we could not overcome; even our horses seemed to know by
instinct that something horrible was acting below, for they snuffed the
air, and with their ears pointed straight forward, trembled so as to
satisfy us that for the present we could not avail ourselves of their
services. Gabriel crept as near as he could to the party, leaving us to
await his return in a terrible state of suspense and anxiety.
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