Thus, all the leading persons of Mr. Hunt's expedition were once
more gathered together, excepting Mr. Crooks, of whose safety they
entertained but little hope, considering the feeble condition in which
they had been compelled to leave him in the heart of the wilderness.
A day was now given up to jubilee, to celebrate the arrival of Mr. Hunt
and his companions, and the joyful meeting of the various scattered
bands of adventurers at Astoria. The colors were hoisted; the guns,
great and small, were fired; there was a feast of fish, of beaver, and
venison, which relished well with men who had so long been glad to revel
on horse flesh and dogs' meat; a genial allowance of grog was issued, to
increase the general animation, and the festivities wound up, as usual,
with a grand dance at night, by the Canadian voyageurs. *
*The distance from St. Louis to Astoria, by the route
travelled by Hunt and M'Kenzie, was upwards of thirty-five
hundred miles, though in a direct line it does not exceed
eighteen hundred.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Scanty Fare During the Winter.--A Poor Hunting Ground.--The
Return of the Fishing Season.--The Uthlecan or Smelt.--Its
Qualities.--Vast Shoals of it.--Sturgeon.--Indian Modes of
Taking It.
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