The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-07-04

idCttOu 10 ulatflDute copies OF the last
No. of the Pioneer at this place.
AT this place, the boat remained for
about two hours, affording a fine oppor-
tunity to all who wished, to gain an in
sight into the wigwams and the domestic
condition Of the savages. Some of the
young squaws brought strawberries to
the boat for sale; and several purchases
of Indian bows, arrows, pipes and trink-
cts, were made. Again we are moving
onward. The character Of the river
continues still precisely the same, regu-
lar as canal, and the shores are even
more beautiful, being here often border
ed with fine belt of forest trees. At a
distance Of 35 or 40 miles by land, and at
least 60 by water, above the mouth, we
reached the village of the Wahpaytons,
on the east shore; where the boat again
astonished the natives upon the shore,
with her shrill steam whistle. Mr.. L.
Roberts has a trading house at this place,
to which the Wayne brought supplies.
Here, Pelon and Odell, who were &C
quainted with the river, informed us that
we were at the foot of the Rapids. The
boat landed at the Indian village; and
we had gone quite as far as the most
sanguine believed was possible, and
were nearly out of wood and of course
out of provisions; but to this we were be-
coming accustomed. There was no APP
pearance of rapids before us. The Cap
tain was enterprising however, and de-
termined to go up to the head of the
rapids, above which there is no obstruc-
ton for 80 or 50 miles; and accordingly
he put the Wayne's nose against the
current. She ran along carefully, by
soundings, and so far from touching bot
tom on the rapids, the shoalest water
proved to be 8 l-2 feet deep. At the
head of the rapids, we overlook Mack
NAV boat, drawn by cordelling. The
boatmen upon "the Rocky Mountains, :"
(that ~as her name, looked astonished
and scared, and swung their hats, no
more expecting to see steamboat there
than a team of walruses in harness.
RETURNING.
If we had been supplied with the wood,
the general disposition was to run up
stream as long as We could find water;
and the officers of the Wayne were the
boys to do it; but as we had neither
wood, liquors nor provision, and as the
Sun was preparing to dip his burning
axle in the blue Pacific, the Wayne re-
luctantly turned her bow down stream,
retracing the winding channel of the
river at flying pace, and balancing now
to the shore on the right, then Swinging
the opposite corner, then docedo to
swarthy forest, now it is chazzes right,
and now left and now alamande right and
left, and turn the corners, Through the
flying may landscape, to the music of
the 9th Regiment Band, while the in
mates Of the cabin were combining these
complex figures of the cotillion which
succeed each other like the beautiful
combinations seen in turning Kaleido-
scope. Out of wood! Well; that is
one of the outs. How fatal, to be out of
wood, out of breath, out of money! An
out-a small out, may untune the har-
mony of universe. From outs, Good
Lord, deliver us! But here, opportune-
ly, we reach the log ruins of an old In
dian trading post and an Indian burying
place, surrounded with pickets; tie up.
The log frame was soon torn down and
carried on board the Wayne for fuel;
and, would you believe it? The pickets
around the grave yard, hundreds of
them, were sacrilegiously torn down and
consigned to the same use. Here was
most luxuriant growth of strawberry
vines, many clusters of strawberries be-
ing found upon stems IL or Is inches
long. The Wayne plays the part of the
hyena very well, which was, not strange
considering how hungry she was. And
now the Wayne moves again down
moon is out, spreading ar
ocean of softened light around-now a
tre~nlng iorest-now vast jungle of
grass, and now an undulating prairie,
sweep along like a panorama, while
countless millions of fire flies are spread
every where, flooding perpetual blaze
of light over the dewy plains, as if the
moon and stars and all the magazines of
on high, had been ground up
and scattered broadcast over the earth.
Meantime in the cabin, the dance is
growing more animated as the night adj
vances. Again we reach the mouth of
the river and part with our friends from
Fort Smelling, touch a moment, and
leave few more at the upper landing,
and presently, at midnight, our last CO.
tillion is interrupted by reaching shore
at the lower landing in st. Paul. And
a day is thus delightfully."- ended, which
hundreds will remember as one of the
sweetest Of their lives. The next morn
ing at sunrise, the Anthony Wayne was
on her way back to St. Louis. Farewell
Anthony! you make up in enterprise,
what you lack in your larder. Captain
Abel, your memory is embalmed in the
history of the river St. Peter!
Falls of St. Anthony.
Last Thursday morning the Anthony
Wayne, determined to go up the second
time to Saint Anthony's falls, by way of
the river. Many of our citizens went