The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-04-29
Life in the wilderness.

I
on the right, far to thc Southeast, and beyond
the bay Of Chegorinegan, rise the mountains
that overlook the Montreal river. Near the
lodge is small fire, and kettle IS suspended
over it from stake stuck in the ground, OBJ
liquely across the fire. There is no longer the
light of day, but only a lingering twilight, which
in high laJitudes and under clear skies, iIlumi-
mates the Western horizon for hours after dark
ness has become general in every other direc-
ton
What can be more repulsive than tbs coarse
features of that tall squaw, sitting upon her
launches watching the kettle and white-fsh
which it contains. Now you get profile. The
few sticks she has just added to the fire fash
up, throwing boldcr light and blacker Shade
upon the outlines Of her face Now she rises
and takes the kettle and its contents into the
lodge, where the voices Of children are heard.
She moves like a person conscious Of strength
and what through labor and many tedious mar
ches have distorted her limbs, there is still Vi
gor in that frame. Her face, broad and haggard
as it appears, is not altogether savage. Her
tangled hair hanging wildly about her shoulders,
parting occasionally, discloses q head, round,
full and large, not square, angular, and distor-
ted .'as with many''-in truth, with most Of her
race and sex.
Let US peep into that lodge. We pull aside
the blanket which attaches to the door, and
such IS the Indian ctiquctte-it causes no sur
prise. Those children evidently have white
blood in their veins Indeed, there sits q short
and slender man. beside whom the squaw towers
up like the father above his son. Bon soh-
Eutrez messieurs'-we entered. 4 Canadian
FrenchmGn is never at Il loss for words. Bouch-
cite, the trader whom We saw before Us, was
from Canada, and French-the lowest voyageur,
who serves the Fur company in the capacity of
servant laburnr. and soldier for 800 "a $3.50
a year-who ondures the fatigue Of incessant
travel and the exposure Of rigorous seasons,
SHOWS, rains, and winds, from extreme youth to
extreme age. never forgets TO be in good Lumor
to strangers and polite to everybody Strange
beings hunger and toll, either Of which render
most men morosc and mutinous, do not disturb
the equanmity Of the voyageur.
He sings as loud on short allowance as on a
full stomach. The Hvelong day he packs his
his load Of 50 pounds across the Portage from
pose to pose rain or sunshine, it IS all the same
to him. At break Of day he springs from his
bed Of boughs, throws aside his blanket, full Of
vigor and life, minicry, spirits, and music. But
why did the stunted Bouchette take to wife the
Amazon who sits beside him ? You shall hear.
The winds rose too freely over the sea on the
morrow for either party to proceed. We had
won the confidence of the trader in the evening
and ventuTed to inquire why he should mate
with such a woman. trader in the North
west is an agent or clerk Of low grade who is
sent out from the stations posts to collect furs
from the Indian villages in the gradation of ser
vice, he is next to the last or lowest, Bouchette
was engaged in his lonely employment in the
winter Of 1S3-, in the vicinity of Lac Ia Pluis
lie was moving in a company Of the Gems dcs
Bois, a vicious, heartless, aud cruel tride As
they journeyed on through the snow their wild
rice became exhausted and yet the journey
must be pursued without delay, yes, even with
out slackening their speed.
Hard life How few people Of the States re-
alize the pains that are endured every year in
these far of regions Of trade How few Of them
are impressed with the idea that the life of the
Indian is a continued struggle tciH famine =
He has nothing to live for but food. In most
parts of the Northwest, especially before you
reach the Buffalo region, it is more than he usu-
ally does, to procure regular and sufficient sup
ply-not more than he can do but more than he
actually does. His confidence in the Great Spir-
it is unbounded-his capacity to resist hunger is
astonishing. So it is with the Frenchman bred
to Indian life but in the trial between the
French and the Indian muscle on an empty stom-
ach, the Frenchman lags behind. So it was
here and Bouehette was weary and faint. He
could not march with the iron-strang Gems des
Bois. Hunger, it is said, produces delirium as
well as weakness The Indians sustain him,
and carry him forward long time but he falls
at last, and can travel no longer.
They resolve to abandon him. 1t is many
miles to the post, and the snow is deep. He is
left, and the clan pass on. 1t may be like bur
lesque to compare that ugly woman's face, with
a nose monstrous in size beyond all example,
hat irregular countenance, shapeless and broken
as it is, to an angels but the oyergrown squaw
with the heart Of an angel of life and mercy,
turned back to the side Of The forsaSen traveller.
She gave him some kernels of rice but this did
not produce return of strength
There is no faculty but at some moment has
capital use. Here the enormous size and strength