and walked on snow-shoes in the middle of winter in company with one of
our young chieftains from Cross Village. [Footnote: Mr. Wardsworth also
accompanied us from Elk Rapids, on his way to Detroit to obtain a
commission as surveyor on some part of the Grand Traverse region.] We
were subjected to great exposure with only a camp fire for several days
in the month of February.

After crossing Houghton Lake, which is the head waters of the Muskegon
river, that evening we swallowed the last morsel of food, and actually
we traveled and camped out with empty stomachs for two days and a half
before we came to any inhabited place. At last we struck the Te-ti-pe-
wa-say (Tittabawassee), one of the principal branches of Saginaw river,
and following down that stream on the ice we came to an Indian camp
which stood by the river side, and also saw many human foot-prints on
the ice, but the camp was deserted and we found nothing to eat. We left
the place and once more followed the river, and after walking about
half a mile we came to another Indian camp, and saw blue smoke coming
out of it. As we came up to the camp we found nothing but women and
children (all the men were out hunting). They gave us food, and we went
on our journey the next day.

We went to Detroit to see Judge Wing to obtain his legal opinion on the
subject of the citizenship of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of
Michigan. We had a very pleasant visit with him, and he gave us as his
legal opinion of this matter, that he did not think that it would debar
us from being citizens of the State, because the Government owed us a
little money on account of our former treaties, provided we should
renounce our allegiance to our chiefs and recognize no other chief
authority than the President of the United States; and that we would
not be required to have any writ of naturalization as we are already