The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1852-10-02
Our Indian Friends.

European % all m,-,li WItnc''"d 'lngn-
ar,,,m,'li ariuu cd, tht, tact. IL ~s- m't-
ur.,r Do, lu1,te.h,.l rrh'ldur t,u'."r
" wI-wa,n. %. .,ral. lu uul swamp All the
male, u,r. at,,u, on a hunting excursion up a
the country. aud had lett tw" women behind i
To take carr ol the camp and IT. contents Mr., =
Tom No,an and her children and susan 4
Moore. a voung girl OF fifteen and the only
truly beautiful ,uuaw ever saw. There was :
something Interesting about this girl'> history e
as we'll rs her appearance. Her father had
been drowned during a sudden hurricane. l
which swamped his canoe on Stony Lake; ,
and the mother who witnessed the accident {
from the shore, and was near her confnc-
mcnt with this child boldly swan out to his ;
assistance. She reached the spot where he
sank, and even succeeded in rccoverin. the
body, but it was too late. the man was dead.
The soul of an Indian that has been drown
ed is reckoned accurScd, and he is never per
mitted to join his tribe on the happy limiting !
grounds. but his spirit haunts the lake or riv
er in which he lost his life. His body is bur-
led on some lonely island, which the Indians |
never pass without lcavin. a small portion
of food tobacco or ammunition to supply his =
wants but he is never inferred with the rest
of his people. His children are considered
unlucky and few willingly unite themselves
to the females Of the family, lest portion
of the fathers curse should BE visited upon
them.
The orphan Indian girl generally kept a
loot from the rest, aud seemed 50 lonely and
companionlr>s.. that She soon attracted my at
tcnti"n and sympathy, and a hearty tccIim"
of goodwill >prang up between us Her ita-
lures were small and regular, her face oval.
, and her large. dark, loving eyes were fall OF
tenderness and Scn>ibiiiv. but as br ght and
@low burnt upon her olive cheek and lips and
and set of the pcarlv whltrncS> Of her even
and nearly teeth. She was small of stature
with delicate. little hands and feet and her
tigurc was elastic and graceful. She was a
:. beautiful child OF nature, and her Indian
:, name >gniiicd the voice Of anerv waters =
:. Poor girl, She had been a child of grief and
- tears from her birth. Her mother was a Mo
g hawk, from whom She, III all probability. 'iv-
# rived her superior personal attractions for
!, they are very far before the Mi>>aSguas in thi-
N respect.
W Ny friend and nci.hbor, Emilia S-.thc
wife OF a naval officer, who lived about a mil,
- distant from me through the bush, had com,
Ie to spend the day with me; and hearing tha
( the Indians were in the swamp. and the mel
,< away, We determined to take few trifcs t,
=, the camp. hy way OF presents and spend al
al hour in chatting with the >,Iuaw>.
m What a beautiful moonlight night it wa.
b as light as day the great forest slecpn
n TRANQUILITY beneath the rlouIr>> heavens
a sound to disturb the deep rcpo>c of natur
but the whispering OF the breeze. which, dun
Rs ;ng the most profound calm. crcrps throug
wv the lofty pine tops. We bounded down til
n9 steep bank to the lake shore Life is blrs
ing. precious boon, indeed. in such an hou
'S and We felt happy in the mere CONSCIOUSNESS
DE of cxistcnce-thr glorious privilege of pou
ct' inc out the silent alteration ofthc heart to Il
nd Great Father, in His universal temple.
o'S On entering the Wi EVAN, which stood wit
nd in few yards of the clearing, in the midl
'hS of a thick group of cedar>, We found NJ
ITS Tom alone with her clvi>h children seated +
ty- fore the great fire that burned in the cent
zen of the camp; she was busy boiling some ba,
OF in an iron spider. The little bows. in i,
ied flannel shirts which were their only GOVERN
ars were tormentng puppy, which seemed
lve take their pinching and pommcling in go
mr. part, for it neither attempted to bark nor
ing bite but like the eels in the story, Submit
IN to the intliction bee ause it was used to it. NJ
ave Tom greeted US with grin of pleasure, a
Nth motoncd us to sit down upon buffalo SIX
rom which, with courtesy so natural to the In,
ans. she had placed near her for her acco
t. mediation.
,ted You arc all alone, said |, glancing rou
:on- the camp.
) us Yes Indian away hunting-Uppcr lax
per Come home with much deer
roar And Susan where is she =
,un- by and by, (meaning that she was comir
Gone to fetch water-ice thick-chop W
,at axe-take long time
fruit As she ceased speaking, the old blan
more that formed the door of the tent was wi
pri- drawn, and the girl, bearing two pals of
,ples ter, stood in the open space in the wi
orth moonlight The glow of the fire stream
roth upon her dark, floating locks, danced in
st as black, glistening eye, and gave dee
pu- blush to the olive cheek She would h
orth- made beautiful picture; Sir Joshua 4;
,enc nolds would have rcjoiced in such a mode
the so simply graceful and unaffected, the V
side Jeau ideal of savage life and unadorned
r the ture. A smile ofrecognitiQn passed betw
trav- US. She put down her burden beside
IS act Tom, and noiselessly glided to her seat.
We had scarcely exchanged few wc
with our tavorite, when the old sqnaw, p
It !" ing her hand against her ear,eyclaimcd wi
'''A' whist t"
Nun What is it 3 cried Emilia and I,>tartis
'diy- our feet. is there any danger
1ther A daar-a docr-;n busL - wb;snerod