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Ki Is 6'ti y■ 9 /; ai- • ^psra i '~ |- ^T' ^ - ■k. ^ ■ ---Hi^:^ Tf- ' ■ IN THE FOREST. thei had shar A Itsc shor The tiigli J 'f^m HOW THEY CROSS A RIVER. 45 ■ h their supper, nibbling away at the nuts which they had plucked, or had dug out of the ground with their sharp little paws. A flying squirrel is indeed a beautiful creature. Its colour is a most delicate gray ; the fur thick and shoi-t, and as soft as velvet ; the eyes large and full. The membrane by which it is enabled to take its flights is of a soft texture, and white, like the fur of the chinchilla. The tail greatly resembles an elegantly-formed broad feather. One day, as I was wandering along the banks of a stream, for the purpose of observing the habits of a family of beavers that had lately made their abode there, I caught sight of a number of squirrels. They were evidently about some important operation, since they were moving steadily along the branches, and refraining from their usual frisking and playing. Hav- ing concealed myself from their view, in order that they might not be disturbed by my presence, I noticed that they went on until they reached the branch of a tree overhanging the stream, at the extreme end of which one, who appeared to be their leader, took post, looking eagerly up the current. In a short tune a small log floated near, with a tendency to move over to the opposite side. As it came beneath the leader of the party he dropped down upon it, at the same time uttering a sharp cry. Quick as light- ning some others followed his example ; and by hold- ing on to the lower twigs they arrested its progress until the whole party were seated on board, when the log was allowed to float, as they sagaciously ■" H < : ^1 46 MY CHIEF COMPANION, knew it would, towards the opposite bank. It seemed to me as if some of them were steering it with their tails; but of that I am not positive. In a short time, after floating some way down the sU'cam it was guided to the shore ; when one after the other leaped off, and quickly running along the boughs of the trees, gained a point exactly opposite to that from which they had started; after which they went away into the forest, — bent, I doubted not, on some predatory expedition. They would soon make their presence known, when they reached the pumpkin-grounds or maize-fields of the settlers. I was not always alone in my rambles through the forest. Lily would have been only too happy to accompany me, but Aunt Hannah judged it prudent to keep her at home ; and, indeed, she had plenty of occupation there. My chief companion, therefore, was one of Uncle Stephen's labourers — an Irishman, Mike Laffan by name. Althoufdi Mike had no fjreat knowledije of natural history, he was as fond of searching for animals as I was, and consequently was always ready to ac- company me when he had the chance. He was an honest fellow ; a thorough Patlander in look, manners, language, and ideas. When he could, he used to press Tom Quambo, an old free negro, into the service ; and Quambo enjoyed the fun as much as Mike did. Each possessed a dog, of which they were very proud, ugly as the animals were to look at. " Den, you see, massa, if Yelp not 'ansome, he know eberj^tino-," Quambo used to remark. " He braver dan It t i SQUIRRELS CROSSING A STREAM. pain ligh It was oftl I cert;^ I RACCOON-HUNTING. 49 painter [meaning the puma], and run like greased lightning." It was difficult to say whether Yelp or Mike's dog was the ugliest ; but both masters were equally proud of their canine friends. I too had a dog, which, if not a beauty, was certainly handsomer than either of his two ac- quaintances. He was clever enough in his way, but more useful in watching the hut than in hunting; indeed, when I went out by myself for the purpose of observing the habits of the denizens of the forest, I never took him, knowing that he would only interfere with their sports. On one occasion I had been over to see my Uncle Stephen, and as I was returning home Mike Laffan met me. " Would you loike to be afther looking for a 'coon to-night, Masther Roger ? " he asked. " Quambo says he can come ; and Yelp and Snap are moighty ager for the sport." I at once agreed to meet my two friends, accom- panied by my dog Pop. Accordingly, at the time appointed, the day's work being over, Mike and Quambo made their appearance at the hut; -while running at their heels were their two dogs, who were soon warmly greeted by Pop. Setting out, we took our way along the banks of the river, near which we fully expected to fall in with several raccoons. We had our guns, and were provided with torches and the means of lighting them. We had not gone far before we heard voices, 1 » 50 A COON TREED. and soon we were joined by three lads from the settlement, who had got notice of the expedition. As they had brought their dogs, we had a full pack of mongrels of high and low degree, but united by one feeling, — that of deadly enmity to raccoons. On we went, while the dogs, who had just then scented one of their foes, yelled in chorus. Over huge logs and rotten trunks, through the brush and dead trees and briers, we went at full speed ; and some- times wading across bogs, sometimes climbing up banks, and occasionally tumbling over on our noses, we continued to make our way at the heels of the dogs, until old Quambo, waving his torch above his head, and suddenly stopping short, shouted out, " De 'coon's treed ! " He had made a mistake, however, for the dogs bayed loudly and continued their course. "Dat a mighty old 'coon," cried Quambo. "He know what he about." The raccoon, if it had got up the tree, had come down again, and was still ahead. Some of the party were almost in despair ; but I knew the habits of the creature too well not to feel sure that we should get it at last, so I encouraged my friends, while we dashed on as before. Yelp and Snap, having kept well ahead of the other dogs, were now heard baying under a big tree, and no doubt remained that the raccoon had taken refuge amid its branches. Our difficulty was to get it down. As the others hesitated to encounter the fierce little animal amid the boughs, Mike, for the \ I "4. A RACCOON-HUNT BY NIQHT I'illi! ^!il'*' ! li i;i 1 honou Witho sprang lost to "I bark, while Presen compe once n them, dogs, a fire, w gnashii upon i the firs voices anothei in theii to finis skin to Such took ps The its cole bushy, on a g: or sits, but wh toes. ] devoun mm i I ABOUT THE RACCOON. 63 honour of " Old Ireland," offered to make his way up. Without more ado, then, he got on Quambo's shculders, sprang to a branch within his reach, and was soon lost to sight among the foliage. "I see him!" he shouted at last; and bits of bark, leaves, and rotten twigs came rattling down, while the loud whacks of his stick reached our ears. Presently there was a " flop ; " the raccoon had been compelled to evacuate its stronghold. The dogs once more gave chase ; and I, torch in hand, followed them. In less than a minute I came up with the dogs, and found the creature at bay, its eyes flashing fire, while it bravely faced the pack, which, with gnashing growls and savage yells, were about to dash upon it, though each seemed unwilling to receive the first bite from its sharp teeth. But, hearing the voices of their masters, they gained courage, and in another instant had the poor animal struggling vainly in their midst ; while our blows came rattling down, to finish its sufferings, and prevent them tearing its skin to pieces. Such was one of several raccoon-hunts in which I took part. The raccoon is about the size of a spaniel, and its colour is a blackish gray. Its tail is short and bushy, and is marked with five or six blackish rings on a gray ground. When the animal walks slowly, or sits, it plants the soles of its feet upon the ground; but when in a hurry it runs along on the tips of its toes. It hunts for its prey chiefly at night, when it devours any small animals it can catch. It has no ..^Si 04 LOOKING FOR A BEAR. lililii! i|!!i i R'^ili. 11;'';. ':l''l! Ill!lll I, i 11 lllli. !l' ' lil i'liiillil objection, however, to a vegetable diet ; and, indeed, its testh show that it is capable of feeding on both descriplions of food. I once caught a young raccoon, which soon became domesticated — being quite as tame as a dog. It pos- sessed, however, a habit of which I could not cure it ; that of seizing any fowls it set eyes on, and biting off their heads. It having treated two or three of Aunt Hannah's in this way, I was compelled to carry it into the forest and set it at liberty. It enjoyed its freedom but a short time, however, as it was soon afterwards hunted and killed by some of our boys. Having got so far from home, our party were not inclined to return without something in addition to the unfortunate animal we had slaughtered. Mike, too, announced to us that he had seen a brown bear at a spot a little further on ; so it was at once agreed that we should " knock up the quarters of Mr. Bruin." It was necessary to proceed with caution; for though the "musquaw" or brown bear will seldom attack a human being unless first assaulted, our friend, if unceremoniously dirturbed at night, would probably not be in a good humour. Our three weU- trained dogs kept at our heels, but the other curs went yelping away through the forest; nor could their mastera* voices succeed in calling them back. We feared, therefore, that they would rouse up the bear, and thus give it time to escape before we could reach its dwelling " Faix, though, I am not suro that the noise outside won't make the old gentleman keep quiet in hi.s den," BRUIN FOUND AT HOME. M observed Mike. " He will be after saying to bis wife, 'Sure, what would be the use, Molly, of turning out to ffo hunting thim noisy spalpeens of dogs ? I'll sit snug and quiet till they come to the door; and thin, sure, it will be toime enough to axe thim what they want.* " Mike's notion encouraged us to go on; and at length Pop, Snap, and Yelp gave signs of uneasiness, and showed a decided inclination to rush forward. "Let dem go!" exclaimed Quambo. " Off with you ! " we cried at once ; and the dogs darted on, barking furiously, until they stopped before the decayed trunk of a huge tree, round which several smaller trees, once saplings, had grown up — a well- selected natural fortification. As the light of our torches fell on it, we fully expected to see Mr. Bruin stalk forth and inquire what we wanted. Quambo proposed that we should light a fire in the neighbourhood, so that, did our enemy appear, we might be better able to attack him and defend our- selves. We followed the black's advice; but still nothing appeared. The dogs, however, showed they were convinced that some animal or other was con- cealed within the trunk. At last, growing impatient, we approached and thrust our long sticks into the hollow, feeling about in every direction. " I am sure that mine has struck something soft ! " I exclaimed ; and scarcely had I uttered the words when a low growl reached our ears. A dark body next appeared for an instant among the stems of the trees surrounding the hollow trunk, and then out * , 41 ■ ~4 , J,' 5G A FIGHT WITH A BEAR. ruslied a bear through an opening which we had not perceived. The dogs gave chase, and so did we. Bruin had but a short start ; and although he must have been well acquainted with the locality, we, scorning all impediments, soon overtook him — the dogs having already commenced biting at his hind feet. This was too much for his equanimity, so, suddenly turning round, he struck two or three of them with liis fore paws, sending them sprawling to a distance. » As he did so the glare of our torches dazzled his eyes, and so perplexed him that he seemed not to know Avhat to do. Of one thing only he must have been convinced, — that he was in for a fight; and, brave bear as he was, he sat up on his hind legs and prepared to receive us. . Mike fired, but only wounded him in the should'". This stirred up Bruin's anger to a pitch of fury, ana, with a growl like thunder, he dashed forward at his opponent. Mike, however, nimbly skipped on one side, and the bear's eye fell on Quambo, who had lifted his rifle to fire. But scarcely had he pulled the trigger when the bear was upon him, and both rolled over together. For an instant I thought that the black was killed, but his vcice shouting to us to drag oft' the bear re- assured me; and Mike's hunting-knife quickly finished the animal, which was struggling in the agonies of death. Happily, his teeth had only torn Quambo's jacket; and on our dragging away the dead body the black sprang to his feet. 4 OARRYINQ HOME THE PRIZE. CARRYING HOME THE PRIZE. 59 ** " Berry good sport," he observed, shaking himself. " I'se wonder wedder Mrs. Bear not remain behind ! and piccaninny bears too, perhaps ! We look as we go by. Howeber, we now make ready diy gen'leman to carry home." He and Mike then fastened the bear's feet together, and hung the animal to a long pole, which they cut from a sapling ^^i owing near. Then having placed it on their shoulders, with short pieces at right angles at either end to prevent it slipping, they announced that they were ready to set otf ; so, while they led the way with our prize, we commenced our homeward journey. Whether Mrs. Bruin had occupied part of the trunk, we could not positively ascertain. Quambo expressed his belief that she had been there, but had taken the opportunity, while we went in chase of lier spouse, to make her escape with her offspring. We possibly might have found her; but, with her young to defend, she would have proved a dangerous foe, and, as our torches were almost burnt out, we should have had to encounter her in the dark. We therefore considered it prudent to proceed on our way. I remained at the hut while the rest of the party went back to the settlement. Aunt Hannah was well pleased to obtain so valuable a prize ; and she sent us, some weeks afterwards, a smoked bear's ham as our share of the spoil. I can give but a very brief account of the adven- tures of those days; indeed, sometimes weeks went by during which 1 was hard at work without inter- \ * *4 ■ ■■■ * V • } I ;: 4- 60 (< LOGGING BEE. mission, either assisting Uncle Mark, or joining in one or other o^ the "bees" got up fov various purposes — when we went to help others, as our neighbours, when required, came to help us. Sometimes we joined what was called a " logging bee," which I may explain thus : — When a new hut was to be erected, we and others united to drag c-he logs out of the forest, and to hew them into proper lengths to form the walls of the hut. These are placed, not upright, but horizontally, one above another. The length of the outside walls is first determined ; where- upon the lowest log is let a little way into the earth, and a groove is cut on the upper side with a deep notch at each end. The next log is placed on the top of it, each end being so cut as to dovetail into the others at right angles; thus one log is placed upon another until the destined height of the wall is reached. Doors and windows are afterwards sawed out; and the rafters are fixed on in the usual fashion. The roof is formed of rough slabs of wood called shingles; the interstices being filled up with clay. A big iron stove, the flues running from one end to the other, keeps the hut thoroughly warm in winter; while the thickness of the walls causes it to be cool in summer. Many of the settlers had large houses of this description : but stores, and buildings where warmth was not of so much consequence, had their walls merely of planks nailed on to the framework. Uncle Stephen's house was built of logs raised on a platform above the fjround. with steps leading to it. and a THE •' INDIAN SUMMER. ei b»"oad verandah in ti'ont. It contained a sitting- room, several bedrooms, and a kitchen ; the verandah being painted a bright green, with stripes of pink, while the window-frames and doors were yellow. I used to think it a beautiful mansion, but perhaps that was on account of those who lived within. The abode of Lily was of necessity, tc my mind, cliarminj]:. \ » M The autumn of that year was now approaching its close. There is in North America, at that period of the year, what is called the " Indian summer." The air is balmy, but fresh, and mere existence to those in health is delightful ; a light gauze-like mist pervade * the atmosphere, preventing the rays of the sun, beam- ing forth from an unclouded sky, from proving over- oppressive. Already the forest has assumed its parti- coloured tints. The maple has put on a dress of every hue, — of yellow, red, pink, and green. The leaves of the beeches become of a golden tinge, and those of the oak appear as if turned into bronze, while numerous creepers present the richest reds. We settlers, however, had but little time in which to admire the beauties of Nature, for we knew that every day was rapidly bringing us to the period when all agricultural labour must cease, and the ground would be covered with a sheet of snow. Not that we were then doomed to idleness, however, for we had abundance of out-of-door work during^ the winter, in felling trees ; and, as soon as the snow liad hardened, dragging them over it, — either to form II U^<^' ea MIKE AND Ills " CREMONA." huge heaps, where they could be burned, or to be placed in the spots where they were required for putting up buildings or fences. Uncle Stephen having engaged some new hands, — who, being fresh from the " old country," were unwill- ing, as they were unfit, to go further into the forest, — allowed Mike and Quambo to come to us. We there- fore r,ut i;p a room for them next to our own, and which could be heated in winter by the same stove. We were thu.s able to get on much more rapidly with our task of ■ learing the ground. Mike, indeed, was a great acquisition to our party ; for, besides singing a ^'ood Irish song, he had learned to play the fiddle, — and, of course, he had brought his " Cremona," of which he was justly proud, along with him. He beguiled the long winter evenings with many a merry tune, and not unfrequently set old Quambo dancing. Sometimes we would look in ; and we found it great fun to see Quambo, in the confined space of the cabin, coming the " double shuffle " — bounding up and down, and whirling round and round, snapping his fingers and stamping his feet, until the perspiration streamed dov/n his sooty cheeks. Mike would con- tinue bobbing his head, meanwhile, ard fij:)plauding with voice and gesture, though keeping his counte- nance, and looking as grave as a judge while listening to the counsel for a prisoner. We had now made an opening which enabled us to Gee ilie river from our Imt; and Mike declared tiiat we were gettin^^ quite civilized, and were begin- f VISITED BY WOLVES. 63 ning to look like being in Uie midst of a great city, barring the houses, and streets, and people. " Sure, they'll bo afther coming one of these days," lie added. "When that happens, it will be time for us to think of moving further westward," observed Uncle Mark. A violent storm, which sent the boughs and leaves Hying about our heads, brought the "Indian summer" to a conclusion, and the frost set in soon afterwards,, One evening, after the day's work was over, and supper had been finished, we were sitting in ou^ hut employed ir. various occupations before turning in for the night, when a low howl reached our ears. " What is that ? " I exclaimed. Before Uncle Mark could make answer, the howl was answered by another; and presently, others join- ing in, the whole forest reverberated with a melan- choly and spirit-depressing chorus. "Wolves!" said Uncle Mark. "The frost has driven them from the high ground, and they are contemplating a raid on our porkers and cattle. Wo must send them to the right-r,bout, or they will become audacious." Calling to Mike and Quambo, we put on our coats and sallied forth, armed with guns and sticks. The moon was shining brightly, so we required no torches. We made our way over the fallen trunks and rough rocks which formed the bank of the river, but after a while the howls appeared to come from a still greater distance than before. • % '..V- 64 AT A SAFE DISTANCE. Uncle Mark now called a halt " The brutes hear us, and are retreating," he said. " Keep silence for a few minutes, and maybe we shall catch sight of them." Under his directions I seated myself on the trunk of a tree, while he and the two men stayed near. Presently I caught sight of a pair of glaring eyeballs, and soon another wolf came into view. " Get your rifles ready," whis|)ered Uncle Mark. " You, Koger, shoot the one to the left. I will aim at the next. ^like and Quambo, you take two others. Unless they run off, we may give a good account of the whole pack." As he finished speaking I fired, followed by Uncle Mark and the othev men ; and, as tlie result, four wolves rolled over dead. The rest of them, however, disappointed us by turning tail and scampering oH to a safe distance, from whence only their howL, reached us. Uncle IMai'k, however, did not consider it prudent to follow them. Indeed, had they heard us approaching they would probably have reti'eiifed out of shot; for wolves, though they will follow a fugitive, like other savage animal.S; will generally try to esea})e when pursued. So, having secured the skins of tliose we had killed, although they were of no great value, we returned homewards. After this we luid alternately rain and frost, witli a few fine days, till the snow came down, and the winter commenced in earnest. lint we were all pretty w^ell inured to it. Indeed, except when the < I VISITED BY WOLVES. wirul forest found mi where and si berers river " boss whom "A: able," ( We'll s We ear after tl I wa a man mornin during unable them w At d breakfa sibtinff o panniki his necl "Itv put a i a wink the WO] sharpen AN EXPEDITION PROPOSED. 67 wind blew, we were in the habit of hewing in the forest with our coats off; and even then we often found it hot work. Wike came back one day from tlie settlement — where he had been sent for a few stores and powder and shot — with the information that a party of lum- berers had coniraenced operations some miles up a river which ran into the great lake, and that the "boss" had sent a ganger to hire hands, more of whom were wanted. " A few dollars of ready cash would be very accept- able," observed Uncle Mark. " What say you, Roger? We'll start away, and spend a month or so with them. We can take Mike with us, while Quambo \vill look after the hut, the cattle, and pigs." I was ready, of course ; and so, as my uncle was a man of action, he determined to set off the next morning. We were all good skaters ; and although, during the first part of our journey, we should be unable to make use of our skates, we settled to carry them with us. At daybreak, then, we were up, and having taken breakfast, were ready to start, — our provisions con- sisting of flour-cakes and cold pork, with a pot and pannikins. Mike also carried his fiddle hung around his neck. " It will help to amuse the gossoons — and maybe put a few dollars in my pocket," he remarked with a wink. " Bedad ! I'll keep their feet going, when the work is over for the day, and they are afther sharpening their axes." i - ?•■ 1 ]n 68 A GOOD HIOHWAY. We had but one gun with us, which Mike carried, as we wislied to travel with as little encumbrance as possible. But just as we were starting off, Uncle Mark recollected that he had forgotten to write to Uncle Stephen upon a matter of importance. "You, Roger, and Mike, can go on ahead," he said, "while I finish my letter, which I will leave with Quambo to be forwarded; and I will soon overtake you." As there was now light enough for us to see our way through the forest, we commenced our tramp. There was no risk of our takin^: the wronnr road, seeinfj there was but one — along the course of the stream, which ran into the larger river ; and it was now frozen in sucii a manner as to afford us a good highway. Mike was always amusing, and I was glad of his company; besides which, as we had had a good start of my uncle, I was in hopes that we might have time to get a shot at something. We had accomplished three or four miles, and I had begun to wonder why Uncle Mark had not over- taken us, as he was a quick walker, and intended to carry only his axe, and a small skin bag over his shoulder containincr some necessaries. We were looking about us, in the hope of catching sight of Ji raccoon or opossum, or some larger game, when ii howl, such as had aroused us one night a short time before, sounded through the forest. " Sure, that comes from a pack of woh'es," observed Mike. " But no! I belave one of the brutes is capable f/iy^-^-^i AT BAY. 69 of making that noise. We have heard the echoes among the trees. I hope that there are not many of them, as they might take it into their heads to attack us, and that would not be pleasant." We went on, however, troubling ourselves very little about the wolf, for I felt sure that there was only one, or a couple at the most. The stream, as we proceeded, became wider, running round the foot of some hills, with larches scattered on either side, their boughs bent down by the snow which had frozen hard on them. The sky had become cloudy by this time, too, and there was every appearance of a fresh fall. " Surely Uncle Mark will be up with us soon, Mike !" I observed. But scarcely had I spoken when I heard my uncle shouting to us. He was in the middle of the frozen stream, and was hurrying towards us, axe in hand. He had good reason to keep it there, for just then we saw a huge wolf rush out from behind a clump of trees close at hand. He stopped to receive his assail- ant, which, probably well nigh famished, seemed bent on his destruction. Mike, without saying a word, had unslung the gun and dropped on his knee, for there was not a moment to be lost. In another instant the fierce wolf would have sprung at my uncle's throat, and might have taken his life; or, at all events, have severely injured liim, and that before we could get n sar enough to render him any assistance. It all depended on Mike's steady aim, therefore; and although I was * *,,y 70 GOOD SFRVICE. a good shot, still I was thanknil that he had the We gun. He fired ; and the brute, the moment that it was making its spring, fell over, snarling and hissing, with its shoulder broken. A blow on the head from my uncle's axe finished its existence. " You have rendered me good service, Laffan," said my uncle, when we got up to him. " Had you not taken steady aim, that brute's fangs would have been at my throat in another moment." "Faix, thin, Mr. Mark, it is only what I would have wished to be done," answered Mike. " And if you ever catch sight of a bear about to give me a hug, or such a brute as this at my heels" — and he gave the dead wolf a kick — " you will be afther shoot- ing him, sure enough!" " Well, Mike, we shall then be quits. In the mean- time I am your debtor," answered my uncle, laughing. Notwithstanding the danger he had been in, he was quite unmoved. His cheek had not lost its ruddy glow, nor did a limb tremble. We quickly skinned the wolf, and hung the hide up to the branch of a tree a little way from the bank, M^here it would be concealed from any passers-by. We did not wish to encumber ourselves with it in the meantime, and we hoped to find it on our return. We were not likely to forget the spot, any more than those boys in the " old country " would do, who, as I have heard, are taken to certain landmarks and whipped, in order that they may afterwards bear them duly in mind. GLIDING ALONG. 71 We wore thankful that the wolf which had attacked my uncle was alone, as it would have been unpleasant to find ourselves followed by a howling pack ; and we now regretted that we had not all of us brought our guns. Trudging on some miles further, we cfime upon a part of the river which had not been frozen over until after the snow fell. Here, the ice being clear, we put on our skates, and glided merrily along towards the spot where Ave understoc 1 the lumberers were at work. % ♦ K » fl CHAPT^T^ III. A. TERRIFIC SNOWSTORM — KEPENAU'S TIMELY APPEARANCE — WE VISIT KKPK KAU'S CAMP — HIS HOSPITALITY — AN INDIAN'S DREAD OF THE "fIRE water" — WE BID ADIEU TO OUR INDIAN FRIENDS — OUR AUKIVAL AT THE LOOaiNO ENCAMPMENT— JACQUES MICHAUD TARES A FANCY TO MIKE — JACQUE'S raft STORY— MV UNCLE AND I START ON OUR RETURN — WE ARE ATTACKED BY A FIERCE PACK OF WOLVES, AND ARE SAVKI) BY KEPENAU AND HIS MEN — MIKE LAFFAN IN A DIFFICULTY — WE RESOIK i.i — ASHATEA, KEPENAU'S DAUGHTER — MY VISIT TO LILY — MR. AND MRS. CLAXTON — DORA AND REUBEN — REUBEN VISITS OUR HUT -THE MARTEN AND PORCUPINE — AN OPOHSUM-HUNT. [HE snow had for some time been falling lightly, but the wind which had arisen blew it off the ice, and thus it did not impede our progress ; but that same wind, which was now bv a turn of the river b^'^ught directly ahead of us, soon mcreased in strenp;th, and drove the particles of snow, sharp as needles, into our faces. Indeed, the cold every instant became more intense, while the snow fell more thickly. " Faix, and it's m eighty loike a shower of pen- knives, mixed with needles and pins ! " cried Mike. " It's a hard matther to keep the eyes open. What will we be afther doing, Mr. Mark, if it gets worse ? " "We'll go on t^1l it does get worse," said Uncle Mark. " It would not do to turn back now." » ' ■* ■ A TERRIFIC SNC)WSTORM. 73 Mike said no more, but, bending down his head, worked away manfully with might and main. I did my best to keep up, but I may say that seldom have I endured such suffering. At last I felt that I could stand it no longer ; so I proposed to my uncle that we should make for the shore, and there build a hut, light a fire, and wait till the storm was over. He was, however, bent upon going on. "We should be half-frozen "before we could get up a wig- wam," he answered. Just then I heard a voice hailing us in gruff tones, and I guessed it was that of an Indian ; but we liad no reason to dread the Indians of these parts. As we looked about to see from whence it proceeded, I caught sight of the tops of two or three wigw^ams just peeping out from a cedar-bush at a little distance from the shore. "Friends, come here!" exclaimed some one, and we observed an Indian making towards us ; whereupon we turned round and skated up to him. " Ah, friends ! I know you," he said. " You cannot fsce the storm, which will soon blow stronger still. Come to my wigwam, where you shall have shelter till it has passed by." As he spoke I recognized my old friend Kepenau, whom I had not seen since we had come to our present location. I had so grown, too, that he did not at first recognize me. Having taken olf our skates, we followed him to his camp, where he introduced us to several other \ » »*** ■'^ 74 KEPENAU S WIGWAM. among whom were Indians and their squaws, number of children of all ages. The thick cedar-bushes sheltered the spot com- pletely from the wind, and the fire which burned in the centre afforded us a welcome warmth; for, in spite of the exercise we had gone through, our blood was chilled by the piercing snowstorm. The Indians were dressed partly ir skins, and partly in garments made of blankets, received from the white men; most of the squaws wore a large blanket over their heads, forming a cloak in which they were shrouded. The wigwams were constructed of long thin poles, fastened at the top, and spread out in a conical form, the whole being covered thickly with slabs of birch-bark. Our red-skinned ho.-^/s put us at once at our ease; and I asked Kepenau how i 3 came to be in that part of the country. " The white men compelled us to move westward," he answered. " Tliey have planted on our lands, and shot the game on which \/e subsis'^ed ; and though I should have been content to remain among them and adopt their customs, yet my people wished to live is our fiithers have lived ; and I would not desert them. My desire is to instruct them in the truths I liave myself learned; and it h only by dwelling with tliem, and showing them tJiat I love them, that I can hope to do that." We had much interesting conversation w4tli Kepe- nau, and I was surprised at the amount of informa- tion on religious subjects which he possessed; indeed I confess that he put us all to shame. i ':-?#ll'l COMFORTAPLE QUARTERS. 75 Uncle Mark looked grave, and sighea, " I used once to read my Bible, and listen gladly to God's Word read and preached, when I lived with my good father and mother in the 'old country,' though I have sadly neglected it since I came out here," he said ; " but I will do so no longer. You have reminded me of my duty, friend Kepenau." "What you say makes me glad. Keep to your resolve, for you cannot do God's will without read- mcr his Word, to know what that will is," remarked Kepenau. Our host gave up one of the wigwams for our special use, in the centre of which a fire burned, ])re vented from spreading by a '^,ircle of stones. The fTound around the sides was covered with thick o rushes which served as our beds, and we lay with our feet towards the fire. Severe as was the cold outside, and thin as appeared the walls, the heat from the fire kept us thoroughly warm ; and I never slept mofe soundly in my life, for, although our hosts were Redskins, we felt as secure as in our own hut. Notwithstanding that the storm raged without, the wigwams were so well protected by the cedar-bushes that the fierce wind failed to reach us. In the morning, when we came out of our wig- wam we found that the squaws had prepared break- fast; which consisted of dried venison, cakes made from Indian corn, and fish which had been caught before the frost set in, and had remained hard-frozen ever since. "You can now continue your journey, for the \ * "W 76 A FEAK OF " FIRE WATER. storm lias ceased; and may the Great Spirit prcoct you ! " observed Kepenau, looking up at the ■ y, across which the clouds were now scarcely movinp Uncle Mark inquired why he did not bring liis camp nearer the settlement. "1 w U tell you," answer'^d Kepenau. "Though! hav<5 been ever friendly with the white men, and ^ !;;. Uie advantages to be obtained from them, there is one ' Iig for which I fear them, — theij accursed 'fire water.' Already it has slain thousands of my people, or reduced them to a state lower than t!ie brutes which perish ; and I know not whether my young men would resist the temptation were it placed in their way." •'But all the white men do not sell the 'fire water' of which you speak," observed Uncle Mark. " I have none in my hut." "But while one omong you possesses the poison, and is ready to barter it with my people, the harm may be done," answered Kepenau. " Until I am sure that none of the 'fire water' exists in your settlement, I will not allow my people to come near it." "I am afraid, then, that you will fail to civilize them, as you desire," observed Uncle Mark. " Do you call it civilizing them, to teach them the vices of the white men?" exclaimed the Indian in a tone of scorn. " If so, then I would rather that they remained savages, as you call them, than obtain knowledge at such a price." "I believe that }ou aro right," answered Uncle THE LUMBERERS CAMP. 77 M;ivk, as \"0 bade onr host and his family good-bye ; "a.ir^ I iiave learned more tiian one lesson from you." Kepenau accompn.iied us to the bank of the river; where we put or our skates, and continued our course with lit interruption till we caught sight of several thin wreaths of smoke above the tops of the trees. " Sure, that smoke must come from the lumberers' tires," observed Mike. " Such is pr< >bab]y the case ; but it is ;* "'st possible that it may jiroceed from a camp of i . d^ vs, who ini^ht not be so friendly as those we left v ''s i. v.rning," said my uncle. Still we were not to be stopped, and ou we skated. Even should we meet enemies, we ia not much cause to fear them, unless they possessed firearms. On we went, I say, gliding along at the rate of ten ci twelve miles an hour; and as I had never before had an opportunity of performing so great a distance, I enjoyed it amazingly. As we advanced we caught sight of numerous logs of timber hauled out into the middle of the stream. Shortly afterwards the sound of voices reached our ears, and we saw a number of men scattered about — some engaged, with gleaming axes, in felling trees ; others with horses dragging the trunks, placed on sleighs, over the hard snow on to the ice. They were tliere arrantjed alonfjside each other, and bound together so as to form numerous small rafts. Here thoy would remain until the giving way of the frost ; when, on the disappearance ol the ice, they would be tluated down towards the mouth of the river, and 78 MODE OF TRANSPORTING LOGS. towed across the lake to the various saw-mills on ib; banks. We were glad to be welcomed by the " boss ; " who at once engaged Uncle Mark and Mike to hew, while I was to undertake the less onerous task of drivinrr a team. The shores of the river had been already pretty well cleared of large timber, so that I had to brinir the trunks from some distance. Uncle Mark and Laffan soon showed that thev were well practised axemen. Our companions were to spend some months en- gaged in the occupation I have described: till the return of spring, in fact, when, the rafts being put together, they would descend the river till rapids or cataracts were reached. Tlie rafts would then be separated, and each log of timber, or two or three to- o-ether at most, would be allowed to make their wav as they best could down the fall, till they reached calm w^ater at the foot of it ; when thev would be again put together, and navigated by the raftsmen guiding them with long poles. In some places, where rough rocks exist in the rapids by which the timber might be injured, slides had been formed. These slides ai:e channels, or rather canals, as they are open at the top ; and are constructed of thick boards — just as much water beinfj allowed to rush down them as will drive on the logs. Some of these slides are two hundred feet long; others reacli even to the length of seven hundred feet. The timbers are placed uii \ i j I cribs - a coup they down risk of a o Wh( hiicfe s of the bunks, was ke to wan tables, meals ; cate, — I the me quarrel expecte On t attract€ asked t " Wh pleasuri you gin an'1 wii of . . , .ec to scraj" head an was ele the sid( "boss" (C27) THE LUMBKKKKS SIIANTV. 81 cribs, — which are frames to fit the slides, — tlien, with a couple of men on them to guide their course, when tliey get through they shoot .away at a furious rate down the inclined plane, and without the slightest risk of injury. When evening approached we all assembled in a huge shanty, which had been built under the shelter of the thick bush. Round it were arranged row^s of bunks, with the cooking-stove in the centre, which was kept burning at all houi-s, and served thoroughly to wtirni our abode. On each side of the stove were tables, with benches round them. Here we took our meals ; which, although sufficient, were not too deli- cate, — salt pork being the chief dish. Rough as were the men, too, they were tolerably well-behaved ; but quarrels occasionally took place, as might have been expected among such a motley crowd. On the first evening of our arrival Mike's fiddle attracted universal attention, and he was, of course, asked to play a tune. "Why thin, sure, I will play one with all the pleasure in life," he answered. " And, sure, some of you gintlemen will be afther loiking to take a dance;" ari'l without more ado he seated himself on the top of <: I >ench at the further end of the shanty, and began to scr.'ine away with might and main, nodding his head and kicking his heels to keep time. The ettect Mas electrical. The tables were quickly removed to the sides of the shanty; and every man from the "boss" downwards, began shuftiing away, circling (t527) 6 '^1 H V » 5' ■ * e M 82 THE GOOD-NATURED LUMBERER. round his neighbour, leaping from the ground, and shrieking at the top of his voice. When Mike's fiddle was not ffoingr, our lumberinc companions were wont to spin long yarns, as we sat at the supper-table. Several of them had worked up the northern rivers of Canada, where the winter lasts much longer than it does in the district I am describ- ing ; and among these was a fine old French Canadian, Jacques Michaud by name, who had come south with a party, tempted by the prospect of obtaining a pocket- ful of dollars. He stood six feet two inches in his stockings ; and his strength was in proportion to his size. At the same time, he was one of the most good- natured and kind-hearted men I ever met. Among our party were several rough characters; and it happened that one evening two of them fell out. They were about to draw their knives, when Jacques vsoized each uf tliom in his vice-like grasp, and, holding them at arm's-length, gradually lifted them off the ground. There he kept them ; mildly expostulating, — now smiling at one, and now at the other, — till they had consented to settle their dispute amicably ; he then set them on their legs again, and made them shake hands. This man took a great fancy to Mike. " Ah, I do wish all j^onr covmtrymen were like you," he ob- served, smiling benignantly on him ; " but they are generally very different, especially when they get the grog on board : then they often lose their lives, — and all tlieir own fault, too. " I liad come down the Ottawa with several rafts, A FEAllFUL ACCIDENT. 83 some two hundred miles or more. My own raft was manned by Canadians, — steady boys, who stuck to our laws, whatever they do to those of other people, and kept sober till they brought their raft safe into (lock. Another raft was manned chiefly by Irishmen, — who, although I warned them, would indulge in strong drink. We were nearing the Chaudiere Falls, and I had brought my raft safe to shore, where it was taken to pieces, so that the logs might be sent down the slide. I had gone on to a point where I could watch this being done, when I heard loud cries; and on looking up the river I saw that part of another raft, with four men on it, had got adrift, and, to my horror, was hurrying towards the most dan- gerous part of the rapids. I saw at once that in a lew moments it must be dashed to pieces, and, as I thought, the fate of the four unfortunates on it was .surely sealed. 'On it hurried, whirling round and round amid the foaminf' waters. The next instant dashinff against the rocks, it separated into as many fragments as there were timbers, each of which was whirled down towards the ftills. Three of the poor wretches soon clisa])peared among the tossing waves; but the fourth chmg to the end of a piece of timber with tlic grasp of despair — to that end which reached nearly to the edge of the cataract. A fearful position ! kStill, the Ivisluiuin lield on. I was almost sure that the next moment would be his last; but just then the current turned the log, so that the opposite end pointed to the fall. On it went, with even greater rapidity 84 A PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE. than at first; then balancing for an itistant on tlie brinlc, the end to which he held was lifted up high in the air, and he was sent from it as from a catapult, far out into the calm water below the caldron ! 1 never expected again to see him, but he rose unin- jured to the surface; and being a good swimmer, struck out boldly till he was picked up by one of several canoes which put off instantly to his assist- ance. Tim Nolan, I have a notion, was the first man who ever came over those terrific falls and lived; and I w^ould not advise any of you young fellows to try the experiment, for, in my opinion, he is the last who will ever do so and escape destruction." Such was one of the many anecdotes I heard from the lips of old Jacques and our other associates. I was not sorry when, after some weeks. Uncle | Mark told me that he had made up his mind to return home. Mike had agreed to finish a job which would occupy him a day or so longer ; but as Uncle Mark was anxious to be off, it was settled that he and I should start together, leaving the rifle with Mike, as he w^ould have to come on alone. We believed that no .animals were likely at tliat season to attack two people ; besides, Uncle Mark had purchased a pair of pistols from Jac(j[ues Micliaud, which he considered would be sufficient for uur defence. Accordingly, pocketing our dollars and sling- ing our wolf-skin knapsacks over our backs, we put on our skates and commenced our journey. We got on famously, for the air was calm, althoiigli HOMEWARD BOUND. 85 the cold was intense. We found our friend Kepenau, too, encamped wliere we liad left him ; and stopping for a short time, we took our riid-day meal with him. As we had made such good j)rogress during the morning, we hoped to reach the hut before mid- night, for the moon was up, and we could not miss our way. Uncle Mark was in good spirits, well satisfied with the result of our expedition, and we hiiifhed and chatted as we Mided over tlie smooth ice. " We must not forget our wolf-skin," I observed. "We shall get up to the spot before daylight is over, and I would rather cany it on my back than leave it beliind." " I shall not let you do that," answered my uncle. "It will weigh less on my shoulders than on yours." We v.ere approaching a part of the river where, the ice having formed before the snow fell, we should be compelled to take off our skates and travel on foot. I had just remarked that I supposed the wolves had gone off to some other district, where game was more abundant than with us, when a howl reached our ears, coming down the stream, from the very direction in which we were sroinf;. Another and anothev followed. Presently we heard the full chorus of a whole pack, and soon we caught sight of numerous dark spots on the white snow in the distance. Iincle Mark watched them for an instant or two. "We must beat a retreat, Roger, or the brutes will bo upon us. We cannot hope to tight our way throuj^h them. Off we go!" and turning round, we skated ■' ! K 86 PURSUED BY WOLVES. away for dear life in tlie direction from whence we had come. We hoped soon to distance the savage creatures ; in which case, losing siglit and scent of us, they might turn off into the forest and leave the road clear. As we went on, however, av) lieard their cries becominf; more and more distinct ; and castini; a f'lance over our shoulders, we saw, to our horror, that they had already gained considerably on us; for with their light bodies they ran very quickly over the hard-frozen snow. Forward Ave dashed, faster than I had ever skate<] before ; but nearer and nearer grew those terrible sounds. When once, however, the wolves reached the smooth ice, they were no longer able to run so fast as before; still, they gradually gained on us, and we felt sure that ere long they must be at our heels, as they were not now likely to give up the chase. " Never give up Avhile life remains! Keep on, keep on, Roger ! " cried Uncle Mark. " My pistols will do for two of their leaders ; our sticks must knock over Bome of the others ; and we must hope that th^ rest of the pack will stop to devour their carcasses." It might have been a quarter of an hcui iifte^' this, although the time appeared longer, when, looking' round, I saw a dozen wolves at least within tAventv yard:5 of us. " We must try a dodge I have heard of," said Uncle Mark. " When they get near us Ave must Avho<4 rapidly round, and as they cannot turn on tiic ice ;;0 fast as w'e can, Ave shall gain on them." times, object. Uncle skated dead. We th( several As > began enabled was in feast, ai loner ov able Iio cominor As w lii.s pist same ga well." A DESPERATE ENCO'jNTER. 87 "'AS We waited until tlie wolves were almost up to us^ tlien we followed the proposed plan. The brutes, after rushing on a short distance, tried to turn also. In doing so, those behind tumbled over their leaders, and we skated on as before. We did tliis several times, until the cunning wolves, perceiving our object, instead of turning kept straight forward. Uncle Mark now drew one of his pistols, and as he skated round shot the leading wolf It rolled over dead. The next he treated in the same manner. \Vc then brought our sticks down on the heads of several others. As we had expected, their followers instantly began tearing away at the dead bodies, and this enabled us to get some distance ahead of them. I was in hopes that they would be content with this feast, and allow us to proceed unmolested. ; but before long orr ears were again saluted with their abomin- able liowls, and we saw the survivors of the pack comino- aloncr in full chase. As we skated on Uncle Mark delibern ■ y reloaded his pistols, observing, "We shall have o play the same game over again, and I hope we sli.ill play it as well." The wolves, however, seemed resob i not to let us escape. They nearly overtook us; ;ind though we turned, skating away now to the right and now t^ the left bank of the river, they declined imitating our example. ''Our best chance is to keep strai';ht on," said Uncle Mark. " Don't give in, whatever you do. » «- 88 RESCUED BY OUR INDIAN FRIENDS. Our legs are as strong as theirs, and they will begin to get tired at last." I was not so sure of that till, looking back for a moment, I saw that the pack was drawn out into a long line, showing that some, at all events — probably the younger animals — were losing wind. If, however, only one brute had succeeded in catching hold of our legs, it would have been all up with us. Fearfully depressing indeed were their howls; as they sounded close behind us, they almost took tlie life out of me. Two of the largest of the brutes were not five yards from us, and I was already beginning to feel as if their sharp fangs were fixed in tlie calves of my legs, when I saw several figures in the distance, and faint shouts were borne on tlie breeze towards us. "Courage, Roger courage ! cried Uncle Mark. " Put forth all your strength, and \ve shall be saved. Those are friends." As w^e moved on we perceived Kepenau and a number of Indians rushing towards us, flourish- ing sticks, and sliouting at the top of their voices. Kepenau himself, and three others, were armed with rifles. "Turn on one side," he shouted, "and let us aim at the wolves." We followed his advice ; when four rifle-shots sent over as many of the howling brutes. The rest. frightened by the shouts of the Indians as much probably as by the death of their companions, turned off on one side, and allowed us to escape. Instead, i I' M , s sent rest, much turned istead, ^4 \ * however do^\'n t\ tliat (lir We ^^ loiig-coii liave sn ^katos, t caiu}). \'m\ we nib'>e(l ( Will miiiiitel\ we were It wa- reiir*ain \ to ascerl wolves, s falling ir Kepeii visions,— next da^ eveiythi] We sl( niorninir I did no of the ai M'rk W.I longer re The I HOSPITABLE TREATMENT. 91 however, of going back, they continued tlieir course down the river. Probably they had been bound in that direction when they first winded us. We were saved ; but so overcome were we by our loni;-continned violent exertions, that, had not our Iiiiii.ui friends caught us in their anus, we should Iiavc sunk exhausted on the ice. Taking off our skates, they supported us between their arms to their cami>. Here, seated on mats, with our feet before the tire, we were kindly tended by the squaws, who rub' mm] our ankles and legs, and bathed our feet in wai Some vvaihu broth — we did not examine too tiiiiiutcly the ingredients — quickly restored us ; and wo were able to give an account of our adventure. It was now too late to think of continuing our joiuHoy that night, so the Indians pressed us to refnain with them till the next morning ; promising to ascertain the direction taken by the pack of wolves, so that we micfht not run the ri.sk of again falling in with the hungry brutes. Kepenau would not allow us to use our own pro- visions, — observing that we might want them the next day, — and he insisted on supplying us with eveiything needful. We slept soundly, but when I tried to get up nex': morning I felt little able to continue the journey. 1 did not so much feel the effects of the exercise as of the anxiety I had so long endured. Even Uncle ^^ ""k was very stiff, and seemed inclined to enjoy a 10 litter rest. Tile Indiana told us that during the night the 92 FEARS FOR MIKES SAFETY- wolves had como back; prob.ably to rlGvoui' tlie car- casses of their slain companions. It wris tliougln probable that they liad returned up the river. One of the men went out to ascertain this, and on coining back told us that the first surmise was correct — that the pack had indeed gone up the river, but tliat it liad afterwards gone down again, as was evident from the bloody marks left by tlieir feet. Suddenly my uncle exclaimed : " By-the-by, Mike will be on his way home some time to-day; and if so, it is more than ])ossible that he may fall in with the wolves ! Though he has a gun, it will go hard with him should they follow his trail." My uncle accor< lingly expressed h is fea i s t Kepenau. "Then we must set out to meet your white friend," said the Indian; "for should he becoming over the ice to-day, the wolves are certain to espy him." Mike had told me that he would visit our Indian friends on the way, and spend the night with them, should he start too late to perform the whole distance in one day. The recollection of this increased my apprehension for his safety. Kepenau said that he and four of the best-armed of his people would set out early in the afternoon to look for our friend. Of course, we insisted on accom- panying them ; and being pretty well rested, we started at the hour proposed. We put on our skates, but the Indians kept pace with us by running. We went on and on, but no sign could we see of Mike. It wa.s already getting dusk when K*^penau stopped and examined the ice. A SEARCH. 93 " A man has passed this way," he said, " and lias turned off to the right." Telling on j of his people to follow up the trail, be prucecded on^vards, narrowly scrutinizing the ice. "It is as I thought," he observed ; " he was coming alone on foot when ho saw a pack of wolves follow- in-^ liini, and instead of continuing on the ice he made his way for the shore, to try and reach a tree into which he could climb — the wisest tiling he could do." Having made this remark, he led the w .ly in the direction the other Indian had taken. He soon over- tuuk him; but as darkness was increasing we had to proceed slowly, so as not to lose the trail, which I wiis utterly unable to perceive. The banks here were of a low, marshy nature, so that there were few trees about up wdiicli the fugitive could have escaped. I did not confidently expect to meet Mike on this occasion, for he, [ thought, would have come along on liis skates, whereas this person, the Indian said, was uU foot. We had not gone flir wdien Kepenau stopped. " That is the howl of wolves," he observed ; " but it is accompanied by a curious sound, and they are not howlino- in their usual fashion." Advancins: further, I could clearlv distinfjuish the howling of the wolves, accompanied by another sound. "Why, as I am alive, t'lose are the tones of Mike Laffan's fiddle!" exclaimed Uncle Mark. " He is safe, at all events — that is one comfort; but it is a curious place to be playing in." Kepenau now told us that the path we were follow- ^ J^ ^ \<^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ ^>. 1.0 1.1 III III 1.25 iaK8 2.2 us SI u UO 2.0 y: V niotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTIR.N.Y. MSM (716)I72-4S03 7 94 CHARMING THE WOLVES. ing would lead us to the ruins of an old fort, erected by the early French settlers, and that he had little doubt our friend had found his way to it for refuge from the wolves ; but they had followed him, and were certainly not far off. We hurried on, and as the sounds of the fiddle became more distinct, the full moon rose from beliind a dark mass which proved to be a ruined wall of the building; and immediately afterwards, directly in front of us, we discovered Mike Laffan seated on one of the time-worn and rickety beams which had once formed part of the fort. There he was, bow in hand, fiddling with might and main ; while below him were a whole pack of wolves, their mouths open, singing an inharmonious chorus to his music. So entranced were they, that the brutes actually did not discover us; nor, so far as we could see, were they making any attemj)t to reach Mike. At a sign from Kepenau we stopped ; but Mike, though he had perceived us, went on fiddling. Pres- ently he changed the tune to one of extraordinary rapidity : this evidently astonished his vulpine audience, which began to leap about. Suddenly he exclaimed, " Now ! shout, friends, shout ! and we shall put the spalpeens of wolves to flight." As we raised our voices he made his instrument produce the most fearful shrieks and cries, while he uttered at the same time a true Irish howl. Mike's plan had the desired effect. The wolves, bewildered by the strange sounds, were seized with terror, and off they scampered like a pack of curs, iim were CHARMINQ THE WOUVEa \ i i i li howlin* toward! Mike mrr Ilea liis assi; had V V matters worse ft "Son miglity long; b Sayir we reti were aU our frit assured our foot My u and inv promisii also to { that no exehano think al One c sent was she be 1 < 120 BEAVER DWELLINGS. chance of seeing more of them was gone ', they were evidently on the watch for us, for now and then I saw a snout popping up above the surface, to ascer- tain if we had taken our departure. We made our way along the banks of the stream for some distance, till we saw before us a broad ex- panse of water; and we discovered that it was a shallow lake or pond, bordered by reeds, and with numerous dead trees rising up out of the water near its shores. It struck me that this lake had been produced by the beaver-dams ; and on our proceeding downwards tov^ards what appeared to be its outlet, we found what had the appearance of being a long bank, of a convex form, stretched directly across the stream. This, on further examination, I had no doubt was the work of beavers. Alders and willows, and other water-loving trees of considerable size, were growing out of it ; and digging down to a sliglit depth, we found that it consisted of lengths of the trunks of young trees, now rapidly decaying and turning into a vegetable mould, thus affording nour- ishment to all sorts of plants. Above the surface of the lake were numerous beaver-houses, and after we had concealed ourselves for some time we caught sight of the inhabitants coming forth and swimming about; while one or two knowing old fellows climbed to the roof of their houses, to keep a look-out, as we suj)posed, and give notice of approaching danger. We might have shot several, but without the dogs we should not have been able io recover them. Indeed, their skins would have been ■I* )n)ing )wiM a n > < n s z c V l' of much watchinc oufjht to tainly be eti-sily en to do so "I sIk Reuben a good d tine old i his way tiie fur-ti " I sus you woul "As tc to the li{ Ijut I wc my own and sell ] friend ha^ horse, and had six 1 called his his appea costume ' orn;iment( •same ma hanging t moccasins his head. liis left si; REUBEN S FRIEND THE TRAPPER. 123 of much less value than those caught in traps. After watching them for some time, then, we agreed that we ouf^ht to be on our homeward way, or we should cer- tainly be benighted. Though we had found the path eii.sily enough in daylight, it would be a hard matter to do so in the dark. " I should very much like to turn trapper," said Reuben to me as we walked along. " I once heard a good deal about the lives the trappers lead, from a tine old man who stopped at our house one night, on his way to dispose of his packs of skins at one of the fur-traders' posts." "I suspect that it must be a very hard life, and you would soon get tired of it, Reuben," I answered. " As to that, I fancy that when I got accustomed to tlio hardships I should like it more and more ; ijut I would be a trapper on my own hook — have my own animals and traps, hunt where I chose, and sell my peltries to whom I pleased. Our old friend had a horse and two mules. He rode the hoi"se, and the mules served to carry his packs. He had six traps, which he carried in a leathern bag called his trap-sack. I was particularly struck by his appearance as he rode up to our cottage. His costume was a hunting-shirt of dressed buckskin, ornamented with long fringes ; pantaloons uf the same materia), decorated with porcupine quills lianging down the outside of the leg. He wore moccasins on his feet, and a tiexiblo felt hat upon his liead. Under his right arm, and suspended from his left shoulder, hung his powder-horn and bullet- «' 124 REUBEN S NOTION. pouch, in which he ean-ied balls, flint, and steel. His long knife, in a sheath of buffVilo, hung from a belt round his waist — made fast to it by a steel chain. Also, he carried a tomahawk; and sluna over his shoulder was his long heavy rifle; wliile from his neck hung his pipe-holder, garnished with beads and porcupine-quills. "He had come many hundreds of miles from the W'est, having trapped as far off' as the Rocky Mountains, and had met with all sorts of adventures amon;: the Indians, from whom he had often narrowly escaped with his life. He said that he would take me with liim, as he much wanted a companion, and wonlil answer for my life with his own; though I sliuukl run no more risk than he did, if I only followed lii> directions. But my father would not hear of it, and was quite angry with the old man for putting thu idea into my head; so, of course, I had to give it up. " * Well, Reuben, my boy,' he said as he rode away, ' should your father change his mind, and you liold fast to yours, when I come back I will take you with me.' " But he never has come back since." I laughed at Reuben's notion; for, knowing him as I did, I saw that he was utterly unfit for the sort of life he proposed to lead, and would be heartily sick of it before lons^. He had a fertile imao-ination, ani had pictured a trapper's life as something very de- lightful, although / was sure he would in reality hate it. And I believe that is the case with many other narrowmj. v.j; A PATTERN OF POLITENESS. 12.) IjQYS —especially with those who take it into their head to go to sea, and who have never been on board a ship, and know nothing whatever of sea- life. We had now performed the greater part of our journey home, and had reached the bank of the larger river, where it extended into lake- like dimensions, narrowing again shortly to its former width. Here several rocks were seen rising out of it — the waters rusliinsr between them with i;reat force, and forminsr a cataract, down which I should have thought it impossible for the strongest boat to make its way witliout being dashed to pieces. At this point we sat down on the bank to rest and take some refreshment, when Quanibo pulled out his pipe. " You no smoke, young gen'lemen ; but ole neegur, he fond of baccy, and you no object," said Quambo. Quambo was always a pattern of politeness. We befjo-ed him to smoke as much as he liked, althou;wered ; " and 1 possibly may never again put my head on a pillow softer than my saddle or a pack of skins." Without taking off his clothes, and merely un- buckling his belt, he lay down, and was soon last asleep. Reuben and I, after a few minutes' talk, did the same. Before I closed my eyes, however, 1 saw that Uncle Mark was sitting at the table, resting his head upon his hands, apparently lost in thought. At break of day the next morning our Indian friends were on foot, and we turned out to receive them. As our hut was close, we had our breakfast spread on a grassy spot beneath the trees, where we could enjoy THE TRAPPER S OFFER. 135 fresh air, which was certainly more suited to their taste. Ashatea looked handsomer than ever. She was eaf^er to oet out to see Lily. Reuben offered to ac- company her, and show the way : at which Kepenau lauf^hed, observing that an Indian never required a (^uicle through his own country ; but, for all that, he should be happy to have the white stranger's society. Kepenau had brought several packages of skins, which it was his object to dispose of. "My friend," said the old trapper, touching him on the shoulder, " let me sell them for you. I know how the white men will treat you if they think that they are yours : they will offer a third of the value, and then insist on your taking articles you do not require." " I wish to open a fair trade with the white men," answered Kepenau. " I will let them understand that I have more skins to bring." " The greater reason they will have for putting a small value on them," observed the old trapper. ** I would advise you to accept Samson Micklan's offer," said Uncle Mark, turning to the Indian. Kepenau considered the matter for some time. " I will do as you advise," he said at length. " I know that I can trust you. When you have fixed a price, I will not consent to sell under it. I intend, never- theless, to go to the settlement." ^ Tiie old trapper, whose name I now for the first time heard, appeared to be in no hurry to continue his journey. When at length he declared that he 13G REUBEN AND THE PACK. was ready to start, Reuben oflered to carry hi& pack. Old Samson smiled. "It may make your youn" shoulders ache more than you suppose," he observed. " Let me try," answered Reuben ; and I helped him to place it on his shoulders. In doing so I was able to judge of its weight. "If my uncle can spare me, I will assist you," I said ; " for I doubt very much whether you will be able to carry it all the way." Reuben, however, had made up his mind to fulfil his promise. I saw a twinkle in the old man's eyes when he trudged off trying to look as if he did not feel the weight. My uncle told me I might go too, so "we set off. Kepenau and Samson led the way, talking together. Reuben, as I expected, dropped alongside Ashatea; and I followed. The other Indians brought up the rear, carrying Kepenau's paclvS. Before long, I saw that Reuben was walking with difficulty, and putting his hands behind his back to try and lift the pack off his shoulders. I ranged up to him. " You had better let me carry tliat a little way for you," I said. " Or suppose we sling it on our sticks ! wo shall then get along more easily, and neither of us will feel the weight too much." Still Reuben declared that he could carry it. Ashatea looked at him, evidently understandiua the matter as well as I did. " You better let your friend do as he says," she observed. At length Reuben, who was getting very hot, ami 13 >?^ ■ '■* ASHATEA AND LILY. 137 had stumbled more than once, said, " Well, I do think it will be the best way. I am much obliged to you, Roger." We soon had the pack slung to the sticks, and poor Reuben stepped along much more easily than hei'ove. We soon reached Uncle Stephen's house, when the old trapper turned round to Reuben. " You are a brtave lad," he said ; " I like your pluck. In a few years, when you get more nuiscle in your limbs, you will laugh at a pack twice the weight of that." Lily was delighted to see Ashatea; and we left them tOLi^ether while we went on to Mr. Claxton's, where old Samson intended to stay. He had arranged with Kepenau to sell his peltries, and the next day they were all disposed of at a price which greatly aston- ished and delighted our Indian friend. He made an arrangement with Uncle Stephen to sell all the pro- duce of the chase which he might bring, and to pur- chase for him such articles as he required. Reuben brought his sister Dora over to see Ashatea, and the three girls seemed very hap})y together. The Indian mv\ was as enQ-er to learn Enfjlish as Lily and Dora were to instruct her ; and she got on rapidly. Old Samson had suffered more from his long tramp on foot than he was at first willing to confess, and a tit of illness was the consequence. He was well cared for, however, by the Claxtons, who treated him as kindly as if he had been a relation. He was jj'tateful in his way ; but it struck me that there was Wv%\ 138 THE OLD TRAPPER S ILLNESS. Bomething hard and unsympatliizing in his character. He spoke of his fights with the Indians, of the scalps he had taken, of his hairbreadtli escapes ; but he never uttered a word which showed that he had any religious feeling. Indeed, he seemed to me to be as much of a heathen as the Indians among whom he had lived so long. It appeared strange to me tliat an old man should be so hardened. I was not aware, at the time, that when people once begin to give up trusting God they go further and further from him; and thus, of course, as they advance in years they think less and less of their souls, and, in fiict, become more dead with regard to all spiritual matters. I had been accustomed to see Uncle Stephen read the Bible to his family, and offer up prayers morning and night ; while he never did any work, except such as necessity demanded, on the Sabbath. Uncle j\hirk had been less exact in these respects, although even he was accustomed to read the Bible on tliC Sabbath, and to refrain from work ; and occasionally we went over to Uncle Stephen's on that day and joined his family at worship. Most of the people of the settle- ment, however, paid but little attention to the day, though they ceased from all rough work, and made a sort of holiday of it. There was no churcli or chapel of any description in the neighbourhood, and few paid any attention to what are called religious duties. The day after I went to stay with Uncle Stephen, some little time before sunset I saw a horseman aj)- proaching the house from the eastward. He was a n ■■ A NEW VISITOR. 139 middle-aged man, dressed in a suit of dark gray, with his legs encased in strong leather gaiters, and a broad- lirimmed hat on his head ; a pair of huge saddle-bags, too, were thrown across the hardy-looking mustiing he bestrode. He had neither gun over his shoulder uor sword by his side ; but he carried a thick staff of considerable length in his hand. "Canst tell me, young friend, if yonder house is the abode of Stephen Tregellis ? " he asked as I ad- Viinced towards him. " Yes, sir. He is my uncle," I answ'ered, offering to hold his nag's head while he dismounted. He threw himself from the saddle with the activity of a young man. " I hope, th«n, that I shall not intrude, for I have L'ome far, and should like to spend a few days with one who, if I am not wrongly informed, will receive me as a brother Cliristian," he said. "Uncle Stephen will be glad to see you, sir," I uuswered, feeling sure that I was only saying what was the case. " Well, then, young man, go in and tell him that Martin Godfrey has come to claim his hospitality." As my uncle had just reached home, I hurried in and gave him the message. He immediately came out and welcomed the stranger, with whom he had a short conversation, which I did not hear, as I was holding the pony at a little distance. I only caught the words, uttered by my uncle, " We w411 make ready a small upper room, and to that you shall be welcome as long as you remain in these parts." 140 THE BACKWOODS PKEACHER. He then told me to take the mustang round to tlie stable, to rul) him down, and feed him well, and to bring the minister's saddle-bags into the house. When I returned, after having obeyed these orders, I found the stranger seated at table — on which Aunt Hannah and Lily had spread supper — talking cheer- fully; and from what he said I gathered that he had visited a number of outlying settlements, accompanied by several young ministers, one of whom he had left at each. " I had no one to brin