New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-12-05

petly nj tbeif Very eoUts; you seemed TO Dc 10
very wilderness Of dueks-tbey ssluted you 10 oil
Sussto ne with their starkd cry and even "A eIdefy
orthodox clergyman In speetacls would have bigge1
enough for may ssysry meal
On the firss night We made our camp close by that
Of chief Of the Pessgena bsnd VI Cbippewss,
Inc wn auo, the bali breeds as Drum Beaten"
He il the "spesker" If the band and the son Of
cd "Bg Freedman" It's FIRE. chief" and ia a
persepage of 20 little Influence, with ksea look
and vorlGy wise expression OF face He Vas DDS
or iis way to P.kasems with his squaw and the
two brightest Indian chiltien, boy aud girl
hare ever seem Their features were delicate and
even refined, and Il cir faces not without the be4uy
of noble blood. Thought il ever good or evil for
tune should inpel ne, with my gun ard blanket, -
life In the wilderness il would be to this dau yher
of line of Chiefs that should turn for that coz.
iupal sympathy aha compsronshp which OILY
soIaw can give. Certainly III TOR with double
barrtled shot gun, d Greens rlile and Cot re-
yoyer alfred in two brliast shirts, Of bright blue
ard brighter red flannel, and with an uuex ,ept0na
bic chanssuTe Of bead embroidered moe casins could
hardly be sighted.
In The sftei neon OF the second day We reached
the poiut at WI ich Leech River meets the Missis
sippi The latter seems rather to flow into the for
mer. and is Lot at this pl4ce apparently quite so
wide stream. In fact, two forks of the same
river seem here 10 unite their currents, the lower
In w
est natural reservoir and by shorter and more d.
rect passage ard the upper fork, flowing from lesser
fouptsiIs. from Itasca through PembJi, Cas-
and Winbigc shish Lake,, and by channel resriy
zoo miles pger. This fork also | shall explore az
some future convenient season.
The noon of the third day brought us 70 the Peka-
o. Ma village and soon after to TIE Ais. Az the
village we stopped few minutes, while bought
little rice and Boul3uger had some conversation
- Ind ,hn
bank VIXEN they saw us approach. In their own
language they asked generally for the news, aud
were particularly interested 10 know when the
Fall "payment' would core off, Three miles
below the Indian village are the "Fals," the most
romantic and picturesque point 90 the Mlsssslppi
above the Falls tf st. Anthony. the river rusaes
through narrow pass, with bold rock shore on
the northern bank, and thick grove of pines on
he southern There is no one decided fall but con-
,inuous rapids for a considerable distance, where
the green water boils and curls with angry foam
and a passionate roar. Here, while We stopped TO
make portage, found three or folr white men
and as many log houses, for the "Mlnnesota ana
Dscotah Land Company" and Mr.. Dayton OF ~.
Paul are contestipg the possession OF future town
site and the control OF the invaIusoie Wa.erPowoi
Of the Falls. As none of the laud 10 this region hss
been surveyed il will be long before The question is
decided until then the pluck OF either or BON OF
the partes will give to Pekagena the Character OF
An oasis Of civilization in the wilderness.
Below this point the rice fields and morasses dis
appear, and with them the game, though you may
often pick of stray duck, or partridge OF runed
prouse from the bank, and will have an occasional
shot at a mink or muskrat. You sweep on between
nine woods, interpreted with oak and lofty elm,
following the iDnumerable winnings OF the stream
low and then lifting your light canoe from the
water and bearing it along the narrow, well trcdden
path of some Indian portage, saving from TWO or
three TO ten miles by ths cut. One or both banks
are generally half green half gray with long grass
fallen over and washing 10 the current, and on both
,ou find rank growth of tall green PUSHES, the
richie ST and strongest food for cattle, and holding in
each Joint Of their thick stalks drop Of refreshing
liaud. At int rvals you see the rough log house OF
some lumber. camp, rarely, howe fer, above Sandy
River, though Mr.. Libby of ST. Anthony, one of
our Oldest ,umbermen, penetrated last season to
within forty miles of Pekagema. Oppo'ite the
mouth Of Sandy River, seeing smoke issuing from
the chimney of log shanty, landed and bought
little provision of a SOLITARY in red shirt, who had
painted ON single over the door, Alex. Sekirk."
he was glad to zee the face OF white man, and
Mas expecting every dsy the arrival of the ''crew"
Of lumbermen to which he was attached.
I stopped long enough here to run up Sandy
RIVER to Sandy Lake, which by thus river, gives
its waters to the Mississippi, from which 1t Is less
than two miles distant The lake is not as large as
picturesque, with its many coves AMI beaches OF
aiming White saDd. From this lake to Lake Supe-
rior is but about fifty miles, and stage road DE-
tween the two is soon TO be constructed, OF which
portage City, on the Mississippi Just below the
lake, town site, now containing two log houses, ls
10 be the western terminus. Here Is also one end
Of famous IL dian portage from the river by Sandy
Lake, one or two smaller lakes, and the ST. LOUIS
River, TO the waters Of Superior. Sandy Lake is
nearly half way from Peksgema to Crow Wing,
being rather more than one hundred and fifty miles
above the latter place.
Boulapser, the hafbreed, ! found admirably
quslifed for making the trip, being perfectly well
acqusinted with the river and the porsages, and
equally strOrg and efficient With the ak or tho pad
die. The Indian boy, on the contrary, was Inc med
10 sOger az the oar and thoroughly understood the
art (practiced Of yore by college comrades in club
boats) Of seeming to put great strength into his
stroke when really he WAS doing nothing at all
Strong language, in the nature of imprecaton would
all ne drive him to his duty; but one evening" in
camp | fashioned paddle for myself and during
the last two days amused myself and helped on our
progress by using it. Boulsnger sat IN the stern OF
The canoe where he both padded and acted as
helm.man: / sa. in the middle, and the Indian,
bsreheaded and bareiOottd, kneeled in the bow.
The motion of the canoe Was rapid and pleasant;
itcng stroke from all Of US, in time, would seem 70
LIT it out Of the water asit lesped forward. Before
the dawn Of light in the morning we would leave The
campfire and push IN ten miles or so before break
fact, stopping again for the plight when there was
Just enough OF daylight left to guide US 10 searching
out and Gu tipg cur fuel. AZ we lay down ~ rest
befor. glowing furnace of great logs on FIRE to the
very heart Of the wood, we heard this owl hootIns
or the fox barking in the distance, and listened TO
the signing of the wind in the fires as If lued US to
sunber. In the morning., with Venus aud Jupiter
blazing at each other across the sky, and Lighting
ourselves 10 the canoe with flaming torch, we
started in silence and slowly ut fret, with the river
banks unbelievable in the darn, sud the trees oiack
and formless in mass about us, until the snD
showed bis radiant face through their STAINS, when