The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-12-23
TONIC, AND THE WILD
r. .H D.. LAKES.
ny THE REV. JOHN TODD, d. ID.

All the upper part of New York is vast
wilderness. What in other countries would
he called great rivers, take their rise here.
On the North are the Raquetle, the Black,
Beaver, Grass, Oswegathie, and the like,
which roll their waiers through The forests,til
they find the St Lawrence. Into the beauti-
fih Champlain empty the SaranOc, the Du
Sanee,nnd the Bouquet, while from the South
comes the lordly Iludson-whnEe birth riurp
Is among wids and hikes almost inaccessible.
In this mighty willerness,a re mountains ter
ribly nmgnifcent-risiug up alone, cold,drea-
ry, aud sublime. Here, too, are lnkes-inore
than two hundred in number-wlld as they
were before the white man ever came 10 their
shores, and beautiful, often beyond any thing
TO be described on paper. Lake George aud
Champlnip,r are of the tribe, and have the
good fortune 10 he more accessible than the
resi- oftheir family, but there are lnulutldes
which are no ways inferior to them in beau
~, and far superior 20 them in widness.
In former times this was all the rich hunt
ing ground of the Mohawks;und for long
period they trapped the beaver and the otter,
and Toasted upon the moose and the deer, uu-
molested. But in process of time, shrewd
old Sachein of The Abcnaquis indians,in Can
ada, discovered this choice hunting region.
AT first he came alone; but the abundance of
his success caused his Young men 10 watch
and follow him,nnd he was obliged to lead
Them into it. To this day, there are marks
left by Which he emdeavored 10 frighten any
from following him. Those who have gone
over the old 'Indian carrying place, "between
the waters of The Saranac and the Raquette,
will know what mean. The old Sachen
commended that all the ground occupied by
the lakes and rivers that emptied into Caua-
da, must belong TO the Canada Indians, while
the Mohawks commended that the ground was
all theirs from i1umemorial possession.
These disputes caused bitter eninities, severe
contests, and much bloodshed. On the banks
of the rivers and around all the lakes, Is ma
ny an unknown grave, where they wayaid
and murdered each other. Even 10 this day.
YOU can sec the eye kindle, aud the form ell
large as the Abenayuis Tells the story ofLhese
wars, and lauds tue superior courage OF ms
tribe; aud presume, though am lhacqtlnln-
ted with Ihem, TINT almost any OF the rem
nants ofthe MoliawSs, would do the same.
The story i am about TO relate was told me
by one oflthe former tribe. 'Br.' 20 h"i'
The bark canoe is the horse, camel, chr
rage, aud vessel of the Indian. 1t is. made
so light that the owner can carry II on his
head for miles through the forest, and capa-
BILE Of carrying several men. Each tribe Inns
its own pattern---some exceedingly graceful
and beattiiul--so that on seeing a cnnoe, you
can tell in II moment 10 what tribe It belongs.
They are all made of the bark OF the white
birch, lined with white cedar rived very thin,
sewed with the roots ofthe spruce and gum
med, Tor puccoed, rs the Indians call it) with
the gum of The same tree. la "Aw N-lHN 59lH.
. Has my reader ever passed through the en-
chanting neutrality-suspicious. White
Hall 10 St. Johnsp Ifhe has, he has had II
great amount of enjoyment in n small space
provided he had some friend by him 10 whom
lie coutd say, "Oh, how beautiful" As he
left the bold shores and lofty mountains Ihat
looked down on the lake on both sides, Yer
mont and New York-und came along the
flattened shores IN Canada, did my reader
ever notice a small, fat island in the lake,
just before he reached St. Johns? Those
who speak the English lnnguase,call it" cash
Island.' The Indians, for reasons, soon seen,
call it "Head lsland." Do. b1i7oGsI sgy ..'A~
On QUE occasion, company of thirty
Mohnwks in their canoes passed through the
wilderness which have named, into Cham
plain, and then do,rn, northt towards Can"n,
in order to wnylay, aud intercept any OF the
Abenoquis who might be comingup to hunt