The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1854-09-30
far tit Ruqs auh @irls.
ARRIVE LITTLE BOY.

ARRIVE LIT7ZEBOY
love brave boy. don't mean rash
hoy, who rushcs int, danger without think
ing. Nor do mean a clustering boy, whose
words are larger than his deeds. Blu: I dc
mean, boy who never shrinks from dangers
which he must mest, who keeps cool when
n9st boys would Get excited, and who fixe;
his mind more on the best means Of getting
out Of bad fix than on the trouble ITSELF
have read of such boy lately, and will tell
you what he did.
This boys name is GrIsE. lie lives al
Crosse Isle, near Detroit, and is about sere"
wears old. \ few weeks since he was oh the
dock, when seeing storm coming UP, he
took refuge under the deck of a sail boat be-
longing to Mr.. F. W. Backus, lying at the
dock, With the sail hoisted. In a moment
after, the squall struck her, when she broke
from her mooring, and started towards the
open lake.
When first seen, she was nearly half way
across tie river, and the little fellow had
crawlcd from his place of shelter, and taken
his place at the helm, endeavoring to direct
his courys towards the shore. Soon the rain
came down in torrents; the wind had increas-
et to perfect hurricane, and the banks Of
the river were lined with wailng women
and children, and strong men, who were
powerlcss lockers on. Not boat was i'm
mcdately within reach. The sail boat had
almost reached Stoncy Island. and the hearts
of all the lockers on were for a moment re-
licvcd, expecting to see her 90 ashore, when
al at once she preached to, and came abrupt
" round again. healing for Crosse Isle.
AS the boom settled round, the anxious
spectators held their breath; for moment
the head of the little pilot disappeared. only
again to re-appcar, holding manfully to the
hcln Directly another and fcrcer squall
struck the sail! +: the boat was thrown upon
her beam ends, and the sail and boom in The
water, and cries of ''hc is lost" "hc is gone"
were heard on all sides.
Still the gallant bark held her way; again
she went about, and took her course towards
Nlalcn. and again her brave young pilot
was plainly seen standing at her helm. by
this time boat had been manned and put
OFT to the rescue !; but before getting any dis
Al. ~, Iocx
err turn, heading again towards home; she
ran straight to the middle of the river, when
HIr. T. W. Backus and II. Gray, Esq, ran
DOWN the bank, and made signs to the boy
to keep the helm np or down, as the mcand-
ering o: the boat required.
lie obeycd the signs. like an old salt. and
in few minutes the boat was run into shall
low water. when the gentlemen named above
were enabled to wade on board, anl in lit
tie time the boy was in the arms of his moth
CIR. who lad been an almost distracted >rccta
tor of the whole scene. In answer to cues
ton OF how he was getting along when the
gentlemen boarded the boat, lie answered.
that he was pretty wet but added, wasn't
it lucky, Mr.. Backas, that was aboard OF
your boat when she went off,"
THE AMERICAN BISON, OR Buffalo.
The bison is peculiar to America, and for.
mcrly inhabited the western pra;rics and for
cSts in vast numbers; the accounts given b>
travellers of the thousands Of these animal
assembled in herds and marching across TIT
plains. being among the most marvellous sto
rics Ct The New World. They have, howcv
or, diminished IN numbers in proportion t
the advance of population and the clcar;n
OF the western country, so that at the prescn
day not one exists where thousands were t
he seen only twenty or thirty years ago. Tn
Indian tribes, to which this animal is of tn
greatest Importance, a!Ior,lins them thci
meat and clothing, complain bitterly of thci
present scarcity, in consequence, as they sa,
OF the invasion of the paIc-faccs on thei
grounds.
When the bison is still, his great size an
unwieldly and heavy appearance would md
cate an animal Of small! power: of locomotio,
bat when chased, he is found TO run " It'll III
expccte,! speed, which he can maintain f
many miles, so that it takes good horse I
match lin in the race or tire him in the en-,
Attempts have often been made to tame III
bison and reduce him to the domestic stat
lat without success Like the Indian, TIL
animal seems dcstincd to become extinct D..
i;.e the march of civilization, and the time
probably not very far distant when both wi
bc known only in the records of history
These anin,ls march in herds from on
place to another in search of food, and al
particularly fond Of. the tender grass whic
springs up after fire has passed over tn
prairie In winter, they live by scrapins ii
snow from The grass, but are often very lea
in The spring from want Of sustcnancc. Mo
of them, however, on The approach of whit,
wander to the south, where little or no sno
tails, and again migrate TO the north in I'll
spr;ng. VIXEN wounded. the bison bccom,
fierce and y:,.dittive, and will pursue an
tr1C,r,p mon fE, tuntpr " ! on no ran ovo