Wednesday 15th. Got underway & moved on peaceably the five following days,
when we arrived at the mouth of the Tennessee, on Monday 20th. & landed on the
lower point immediately on the bank of the Ohio. Our situation here is truly
disagreeable. The river is very high and the current
rapid, our boats not constructed for the purpose of stemming a rapid stream, our
provisions exhausted, the crews almost worn down with hunger and fatigue, and
know not what distance we have to go, or what time it will take us to our place of
destination. The scene is rendered still more melancholy, as several boats will not
attempt to ascend the rapid current. Some intend to descend the Mississippi to
Natchez; others are bound for Illinois, among the rest my son-in-law and daughter.
We now part, perhaps, to meet no more, for I am determined to pursue my course,
happen what will.