down the river, and unaware that we had encamped so early in the
day, was lost. When night arrived and he did not come in, we began
to understand what had happened to him; but it was too late to make
any search.

"March 3. -- We followed Mr. Preuss's trail for a considerable
distance along the river, until we reached a place where he had
descended to the stream below and encamped. Here we shouted and
fired guns, but received no answer; and we concluded that he had
pushed on down the stream. I determined to keep out from the river,
along which it was nearly impracticable to travel with animals,
until it should form a valley. At every step the country improved
in beauty; the pines were rapidly disappearing, and oaks became
the principal trees of the forest. Among these, the prevailing tree
was the evergreen oak (which, by way of distinction, we shall call
the live oak); and with these, occurred frequently a new species
of oak, bearing a long, slender acorn, from an inch to an inch and
a half in length, which we now began to see formed the principal
vegetable food of the inhabitants of this region. In a short
distance we crossed a little rivulet, where were two old huts and
near by were heaps of acorn hulls. The ground round about was very
rich, covered with an exuberant sward of grass; and we sat down
for a while in the shade of the oaks to let the animals feed. We
repeated our shouts for Mr. Preuss; and this time we were gratified
with an answer. The voice grew rapidly nearer, ascending from the
river, but when we expected to see him emerge, it ceased entirely.
We had called up some straggling Indian -- the first we had met,
although for two days back we had seen tracks -- who, mistaking
us for his fellows, had been only undeceived by getting close up.
It would have been pleasant to witness his astonishment; he would