Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-03-13

L p"
will occupy the best position around the
fire, suspended upon the sharp points of
timber sticks set in the ground and leaning
towards the heat. There may be, howev-
er, only some salt pork, or ham and flour,
made edible by short-handled frying pan
and some water.
1t would astonish city people to see the
quantity of such materials that disappear
on such an occasion. The meal or rather
the feast, is really intended for the whole
of the next twenty-four hours. When it is
finished, the party begin to unpack their
feet and their blankets.
The various articles that the feet arc
sandaled in for winter are so numerous and
SO peculiar, that | must defer the descrip-
ton till another tine.
The blankets being we'll spread, the fire
made for the night, the dogs fed, and the
dishes washed, the crowd, animal and NOR
tai, Indian and white, doubles itself togeth-
cr in most friendly contiguity, and goes to
sleep. Long before daylight the inmates
of this snow bound lodging arc in motion.
The sounds that Issue from it are English,
French and Indian, and all grades of Lam
guage composed of a mixture of them all.
The moccasns are taken down from their
drying places, the hasty morning repast
which WAS cooked the night before, is
swallowed, the packs are made up, the dogs
at the fist light of day. What piteous
howlings these dogs set up as they are at
tachcd to the train. The human part of
the cavalcade sling their packs, and all be-
take themselves again to the dreary labors
of the day.
Thus Is kept up stream of commercial
intelligence from Montreal, by the way of
Lake Superior, the Lake of the Woods, and
Lake Winnipeg to the heads of the Pacific
Ocean. No matter at what expense, nor
i'll what climate or season, either by land
or water wherever on the surface of the
globe she has resident subject-on the
Artic Sea, OF on dcsolate Island, perhaps
a mere rock-wherever an Englishman
wishes to practice trade, there will be pro-
vidcd for him some stated means of COM
muncating with England. For the benefit
of the fur trade in North America, there is
IA monthly trade across tile continent, and
in the severity of winter it is by the dog
train that this long and dreary route is
maintained.
a train or slcdee is very simple affair.
1t is merely a thin board of birch or sugar
/ tree from eight to fourteen inches WIDE
and four 10 eight feet long. At one end it
is bent upward IN the form of Il sleigh run
ner. 1t may be painted and decorated fam
tastically, as our sleighs are. The dog has
a li.tle harness, with pad or collar on his
neck, and traces attached to the forepart of
the sledge. The load is strapped 10 the
concern very tight, so that when it tum-
blcs over in crossing logs or brush, the
driver who is walking behind, brings it up
again with jerk, and OH they so.
! There may be one, two, three, or four
dogs, and they may be two abreast or all
tandem, or two abreast and one as a leader
These scrvilc, eepish-looking dogs are
decorated with ribbons, work hard, get lit
tie to eat, and are awfully thrashed into the
bargain. When the train stops they lie
down in the SNOW; and when heir feet be-
come sore and bleed as they often do, they
howl most dolorously when they are ad-
monishcd to go.
commenced, however, with the pedals
of men, not of dogs-with moccasins, sho.
packs, and the like. Noah Webster may
have been very learned man, but ii seems
he never saw 'shoe-pack' or 'nepe.' :
So your readers will get no light on those
articles from him.
Every truiy-civiized gentleman knows
that leather Is, per Sc, no more calculated
to warm the feet, or to keep them warm,
than rolled zinc or sheet iron. 1t will
sometimes keep out water, and sometimes
it won't But the moccasins and shoepacks
of the Indian there are no remembrances
of feet benumbcd and rendered bloodless
by compression, of suffering toes, and
corns.
The 'shoe-pac is merely moccasin
made of tanned leather, the black side in.
The 'nepc' is square piece of blanket,
large enough to cover the foot and ankle;
and both shoe-packs and moccaSins ale
made of such liberal Dimensions, that after
two pairs of socks are put on the feet, two
pairs of nepes may be wrapped about them,
and the moccasin fit easy over ALL a pair
of feet thus equipped, have the appearance
of a gouty subject-bandaged and swathed
to keep away the twinges. Yet nothing is
farther removed from twinges than mocca-
sins. Every toe and every joint, is left as
free to move as if nothing incumbered
them. No suffering from the cold and
frost, no matter how severe the weather, or
how wet the feet may be. In clear cold
winter times, the snow is SO dry that it does
not melt and wet the soft spungy skin of
which the moccasin is made. Ehe whole
gear is light and within it the member re-
mains as warm and comfortable as mouse
III his nest.
The Indian knews no corns. He has no
more conception of cold feet than an Afri-
can under the equator has of ice. He is
cold everywhere else before he is cold in
his feet.
| know an old man in Ohio, who had
been n prisoner with the WyandotB. He
was liberated, but could never be persuad-
ed TO give up his moccasins.
In deep SHOWS no one can travel without
another article called u snow-shoe. The
print 1t makes upon the ground resembles