The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1845-06-30
Vol. s, Whole No. Alb. No. 40.

rails FOR making their canoe. No birch trees wero az
hand; bat they found huge old spruce, straight aud
tall tha; bore the honors Of a century. quarter Of
hours labor brought it laundering to tho ground,
when the bark stripped in one piece from its
trunk, by cutting lenglh-wss, and carefully pryns
off its sides. The naked oc the unfortunate
tree as delicateIy white as driven snow, rolled
inside in the damp forest This part Of thOir la
Dor accomplished, tho adventuers wrapped themselves
in their wet blankets, and laid down around theiI
half. eS,inguished Gres.
My ancestor had at the bottom Of his character,
a spirit Of adventure which would sometimes be eK-
nlted to a height that made him perfectly reckless Of
dangers and obstacles. Tho ct was on him now as
he paced along tho narrow beach of wet sand. In
tho wild eKlarnon Of his purpose and situation, he
was indifferent whether he bequeuthed his body 10
tho family yaull in Deer6eId chuch-yard flung i
away to among the lonely mountains. His i'm
osinaiion was too dull to trouble him about images Of
the dangers that awaited his enterprises; perhaps
his eo strong to be startled by any suck
(ancies.
The neat morning rose bright, warm, and SOFT
White thin mists, it is true, still rolled the sur
face oc the sIumberng water, and entangled them
selves among the boughs Of the forest; but the fresh
green the mountains contrased beautifully with
tho pure white Of the wrenths of yupor that half in
! yolved them. Tho rontiersmen worked ndustrious-
" their canoe, which as it approached completoR
appeared unable hold the party, SO that another
had to be made. There was ash for the frame. pine
to guard the bottom, and the tough bres of spruce
to sew the parts together; all the materials were ~
hand; but to detain the reader with bare and
profitable details OF making. viii only tea
| ~, ,h, % b.co tIn
| little vessels were complete; and that they
fra and periIous, owing TO the green state of the
bark that no of these peaceful times would have
ventursd his life in one of them They embarked.
however--twelve bold vindctive men-and padded
with their best speed nor;hward along the beautiful
st Sacrament
II was indeed a beautiful scene peaceful yet wild
and majestic. So pure was the atmosphere, and
mpid the waters, that they skir,ed the pecphous
eastern shore, the little fishes playing twenty feet be-
low were as distinctly the quivering birch
and the rough cedar that leaned in the sunlight from
the cliff above Then they stood out into the broad
lake, and s,eered down towards Island that lay
nearly midway between the shores, doubled in the
unruifled water. The perch and trout darted the
right and Jeff the shadows Of the wavered
the sammy rock and stones under the surface, oil
guiding the little vessels into sort of cove, they
drew them from the water upon a narrow plat OF
fresh grass. The island which was that now called
Diamond Island, aImost covered with n rich
growth ortrees; there was, however, little space
in the centre, where, from accident, nothing
was growing but the soft grass and here they made
there camp
The sun meanwhile had sunk below the horizon
hrovvn and ehado,yv ,vbiIa
a thousand uudefed and changing hues of purple and
red were reflected on those the east and the whole
bright circumference of epcircing mountains, with
every island. and every Redeemed cloud mirrow-
ed in the still waters stream Of sunlight still pour
ed on the landscape through gap of the mountains.
iumining some spots and leaving the in OBSCURE
y. It fell upon a set not fur Distant from the
midst of which up, above crowd Of young
shrubs and saplings, old distorted pine Its
foliage was gone; bu, gh, hung from ito
knoted aud broken boughs and its sornbsaten trunk.
with no breath oewnd in tina, calm evening to stir
them. 1t looked like the veteran Of century's wars
some old Mohawk chief, perhaps whose voice was
cracked, his arm withercd, and his grim features
shriveled but who would still dance tho war-dance
and scream the wursong, and to the last gasp of his
out life exult in the torturos Of his enemy. But
soon the transient sunbeam left tho old pine; its
charm was fed, and it turned to common tree
aguin. Little by little, the EgiR passed away from
the noble landscape, and darkness sunk down on 81
Sacrament A low heavy sound came booming on
the ears Of the adventurous; it the evening gun
from the distant French post Of Fort Frederick
When Endcott ugan Left the circle Of campfire light
and putting aside the branches, looked out upon The
lake, he saw the mountains of deep shadow
before him, with lingering red light in the sky a.
| bove A fish now and then spashcd on the b!acken-
cd surface; and suddenly whp-po-wil began his
loud call from the Opposite shore. ao
My ancestor awakened in the morning by The
hoarse' cawng of pair Of crows, that went Tapping
slowly over the island. Tkeir meal 6nisheds ihs
party embarked again. The lake, so Beautiful at O.
veniug was less in the morning; for unlike mang
ballroom beauty, its charms were such ns could
bear the broad light. The leaking Of one Of their
Aimsy Canoes which they were obliged TO repnir de-
layed them go much that the day far advanced
before they reached the First Nanows,' WHARF, tbs