Or if you get to Northwest
River, Mr. M'Kenzie will find men to send, and you will stay there.
If I should starve and you get out, Mr. M'Kenzie will help you in
all you need, and will keep you there this winter. By the first
boat you will go to New York, and my diary don't give to anyone but
to Mrs. Hubbard. Tell her how things happened, and that I don't
suffer now as I did at first, only so very, very weak, and I think
starvation is an easy death to die.
"I wish you could only see my father and mother, or my sister, so
as to tell them about our trip. I wish I could tell them how good
you were to me. But you must go to Mrs. Hubbard.
"I am sorry, boys. It is my work the reason why you are out here.
If I did not come out here you would have been at your home and
having all that you need and would not meet death so soon."
I told him not to be troubled by that. "If we didn't want to come
we could have stayed at home. So don't put the blame on yourself."
He also told Wallace if he got out to write the story for Mrs.
Hubbard.
Mr. Hubbard was very sleepy. So we did not sit up so long as we
have done before. Mr. Wallace read three chapters to us. Mr.
Hubbard chose thirteenth chapter First Corinthians, and I the
seventeenth chapter St. John's Gospel, and Mr. Wallace fourteenth
chapter St. John. Mr. Hubbard fell asleep when Mr. Wallace was
nearly through reading the second chapter, that is, the seventeenth
chapter. Mr. Hubbard slept good all night, and hardly ever moved
till morning, when I wakened him and gave him a cup of hot tea and
some bone broth. I also slept good all night and didn't hardly
wake up till just before daylight. Mr. Wallace kept on a fire all
night and wrote a farewell letter to his sisters.
Sunday morning, October 18th, I got up and boiled those bones
again, putting in just a little of the pea meal in the broth, and
also tea we had for breakfast. We had yet a half pound of the pea
meal that we had carried for some time.
We were to start early, and seeing Mr. Hubbard still weaker than he
was last night, and was not able to go any farther, it was late
when we started. We were so sorry to part, and almost discouraged
to try and go any farther, but we thought we would try our best any
way to help him. We were only going to take a cup each and a
little tea pail. No blanket. Found too weak to carry anything,
but Mr. Hubbard made us take a part of a blanket each. We only had
two pair blankets. My blanket I had left behind a few days ago.
So Mr. Hubbard told Mr. Wallace, "If you don't want to tear your
blankets, you can tear my blankets in half, and each have a piece.
It will be only one and half pound each to carry. Then I can use
your blankets while you're away."
Then we tore Mr. Hubbard's blankets, and Wallace and I took each a
piece. Also he made us take the rest of the pea meal and little
tea. We left him little tea and the bones and piece of flour bag
we found, with little mouldy lumps of flour sticking to the bag,
and the neighbour of the other moccasin we had eaten.
Mr. Hubbard said, "After you go I will do some writing and will
write a letter to Mrs. Hubbard."
Mr. Hubbard took his pistol off from his belt and gave me to take
along. He also handed me his knife and told me to leave the
crooked knife I had to him. I didn't want to take his pistol. I
was thinking about a pistol too. I thought when Wallace and I
parted I could ask him for his pistol; but Mr. Hubbard told me,
"You must take the pistol. The rifle will be here, and I can use
the rifle if I have anything to shoot. You must take the pistol."
So I took the pistol; but the knife I did not take.
Just before starting Mr. Wallace says that he is going to read a
chapter before starting. Mr. Hubbard asked him to read the
thirteenth chapter First Corinthians, and so he did.
It was time to start.
Mr. Wallace went to Mr. Hubbard and said, "Good-bye, I'll try and
come back soon."
Then I went to him and tried to be as brave as Wallace.
When I took his hand he said, "God bless you, George," and held my
hand for some time.
I said, "The Lord help us, Hubbard. With His help I save you if I
can get out." Then I cried like a child.
Hubbard said, "If it was your father, George, you couldn't try
harder to save."
Wallace came back to Hubbard again, and cried like a child and
kissed him; and again I went to him and kissed him and he kissed
me, and said again, "The Lord help you, George."
He was then so weak that be could hardly speak.
We came away.
TRYING TO GET HELP
When we left Mr. Hubbard an east and raw wind was blowing, and soon
rain began, and heavy rain all way, and were soaked to the skin,
and made poor time. We followed the river as it ran out into Grand
Lake.
