The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-08-01
HoMEwARD BOUND.

| HONIEWARD BOUND.
Now leaps the Yankee down the swift,
crooked river. A refreshing breeze
springs up-the band discourse enliven-
ing music, the women are again in high
feather, and the men also; for there
seems to be something of the excitement
of danger mingled with JOY at our re-
turning, a. the boat sweeps the short
curves and now steers through a grove
of willows, across an obtruding point, OF
is swept from bow to stern by the OBJ
truding branches of a tree, or plunge>
into the darkening shadows of forest
Now the boat seems rushing with suci-
dial desperation upon a bristling snae
IN the shortest bend of curve; a back
stroke takes her stern back against the
willows on the shore, where she lies un-
TIL the current swings her bow into the
right direction to run clear of the snags,
when she again strikes down stream as
If her life depended upon her speed
All safe. Anxiety of passengers is re-
Taxed; but not so ofthe Captain and the
pilot. The Captain always at his pos,
on the hurricane deck through the whole
trip up and down, stood, watchful as a
spider. In his memory and the pilot $,
was chart of every bend, every snag,
every change in the river. 1t is not too
much to say that in the exercise of all
the memory, and all the Judgment of the
force and bearing of currents and all
the prompt GOODNESS requisite in the man
agement of the boat, constantly. but es-
peclally in repeated critical emergencies,
no Captain but Harris, seconded by
the prompt action of such a pilot and
such engineers as he had on his boat
would stand even reasonable chance
Of conducting such boat 300 miles
down such a river for the first time with
out damage Mr.. Armstrong, the pilot
was assisted at the wheel by Mr.. Bris-
settle. We would do full justice to
Mr.. Grdon, clerk, who, by his constant
and careful attention to the wants and
convenience of the passengers, so well
compensated for the absence ofthe Cap
tain from the cabin. Our pleasure was
much enhanced by the stirring music OF
Messrs. Foster, Morgan, and Kirk, OF
the 9th Regiment band, aided by Mr.
Edridge with his violin, who also called
the changes in cotiIlions.
CAMEL COAL.
AT noon on the 4th day, we reached
: the mouth of the Blue Earth river, up
which the Yankee ran for few rods.
and nailed up Single Much did we
desire to wander q miles up that stream
to the ruins of the trading post-a spot
made historic by the adventures of La
CGur, in 1893 but time forbade. We
contented ourselves with wandering for
; an hour along the pebbly beach in search
of curiosities. We saw very perfect
specimen Of petrilied wood, and some
comedians and agates, and variety of
odd Shells but what Interested us more
was the discovery on the shore OF several
small specimens of what appeared to be
mineral coal, precisely resembling the
kind called camel coal. Capt. Harris
has one Of the specimens; the Rev.
Mr.. NELL has small specimen of it,
which will be examined by a chemical
test. a Frenchman living there, said
there was large, solid body of it in the
bank of the river, few miles up the
Blue Earth
Again we are Oh our rapid way down
stream. Fifteen miles below the Blue
Earth, we came suddenly upon Turtle
Bend; the high-water mark fthe Wayne.
Here the captain used the prccaution to
warp the boat down stern foremost be-
low the snags, by the use of anchors
and cables. We took down the board
which the Wayne challenged us to bring
back to Saint Paul, and put another in
in its place, and sped onward.
At the place where we took rails for
fuel on our way up, We landed and took
on board all that remained; and speed
ing onward, soon rounded to for the
night at Traverse-de Sioux. Having
been destitute of ice for several hours.
we FASTENED to the mission-house of the
Rev. Mr.. Hopkins, where we found
plenty of cool well water. Mr.. NELL
and others had a pleasant interview with
the families of the missionaries, remain
ing with them over night, while in the
cabin Of the Yankee, all who wished
Joined in the joyous cotillion.
THE FIFTH DAY.
Bright and early on Friday morning
with supply of cold water. and new
milk on board, having distributed pres
ents amongst the Indians on shore, the
Yankee was again on her way, plunging
rapidly along. We passed an hour or
so at the village of Little Six, where we
found very sturdy beggars, and were
annoyed with demands upon us for the
satisfaction of various promises which
had been made by passengers on the
Anthony Wayne. Little Six and hum
dred more came on board, when his
majesty made long speech to Mr..
Wells, the only person present who
could understand him. He said che
demanded presents for wharfage-that
they must be paid for having their corn
fields trampled down by the whites,
although it was true, their corn was not