Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-10-15

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me to an extent that could not depend upon
it when long steady gaze was necessary. lie
said it was smoke, and that he thought just be-
| low ii on the bank was a bark canoe. In few
moments the blue smoke rolled gently yet un-
mstakably, above the tree tops, and we felt
that we were saved. Such a revulsion of feel
ing was almost too much for us. We could
hardly believe our senses, and credited anything
favorable to our condition with the utmost eau
ton. Our bitter disappontments had taught
us the lesson.
We padded that raft with the ends of our
poles directly across the lake, near, perhaps,
three-fourths OF a mile wide, and made for the
canoe 1t proved to be large one, evidently
an Indians Up the bank | pressed, leaving
/ Ia MOUNTAIN at the canoe to cut off a retreat
bv the Indian in case he was timid and wished
to avoid us. | came at once upon the shantes
of numbering wood, and from the chimney of
the furthest building broad volume Of smoke
was rising. ] halloed-1 noise was heard in
side, and noble-looking Indian came to the
door. "Vous pdiley Ffohcajs" was my eager
inquiry, as | grasped his outstrctched hlud.
"Yes, sir, and English, too" lie drew me into
the cabin, and there was the head of the party,
noble hearted Scotchmon, named ANGUS
/ CAMERON. | Immediately told my story-that
we cime in with balloon, were lost, and had
been four days without food, asking where we
were. | imagine my surprise when he said we
were one hundred and fifty miles due north of
/ Ottawa-in the dense, uninhabited forest, whose
only limit was the Artic circle. In a word, we
were nearly three hundred miles in due north
course from Watertown, in latitude A. deg.
Dinner was all ready. The party consisted
of four persons-Mr CAMERON and his assis-
tant, who was also named CAMERON Ia NAB,
McDoUGALr-a half-breed-lnd hisson, BEAU
I oh n1 tbo fnr |
MOUNTAIN, who came in after a moment the
absolute picture Of wretchedness. All that the
cabin contained was freely rendered us, anil ,ce
began 10 eat. Language is inadequate to ex
press our sensations while doing so. The clouds
had all lifted from our sombre future. and the
"siver lining" sho.e all the brighter for the
deep darkness through which we had passed.
Here let me state that the stream we came
down so far with our raft is called Filliman's
Greek; the large lake we sailed around is called
Bosketong Lake, and drains into Bosketong
River, which flows into the Gatineau. The Ga
tineau joins the Ottawa opposite Ottawa City.
Mr.. CAMERON assured us that these streams are
SO tortuous, and in many places so rapid, that
no set of men could get a raft down, no matter
how well they knew the country nor how much
provisions they might have He regarded our
deverance as purely Providential, and many
times remarked that we would certainly have
perished but for seeing his smoke.
Mr.. CAMERON was hunting timber for his en-
ployers, (GILMoUR & CO., OF Ottawa) and was
TO start in two days for down the Gatineau, to
his headquarters at Desert. If we would stay
until he started we were welcome, he said, to
food and accommodations, and he would take
us down to Desert in his canoe, and at that
point we could get Indians to take us further on.
He also said that he had intended to look for
timber on Filman's Creek near where the bal
loon would be found, as could describe the
locality to him, and would try to look it up and
make the attempt to get it to Ottawa. This
would be a long and tedious operation, the
pRGtaBes are veyX. nIplgyous between the creek
them three miles long. Over these portages of
course the silk must be carried on the backs of
Indians.
After finishing up his business in the vicinity
where we found him, on Friday morning Mr..
CAMERON started on his return. We stopped,
on our way up the creek at the place where we
had erected our signal by which to find the bal
loon. We struck back for the place, and in
about twenty minutes found her impaled on the
top of four smallish spruce trees, torn very
much. Ia MOUNTAIN concluded to abandon
her. He took the valve as a memento, and
cut out the letters "TIC," which had formed part
of her name, and brought it home with me.
We reached what is known as the "New Farm
on Friday night, and there ended our sleeping
on the ground-an operation always unpleasant,
but particularly so at the Fall of the year. On
Saturday we reached Desert through drench-
ing rain from which there was no protection.
At Desert we were good deal troubled to
obtain Indians to take us out At last we ap-
pealed to Mr.. john BACKUs, kind-hearted
American trader, who agreed to procure us a
compliment of Red Skins sufficient to take us
to Beau's place, 60 miles when it was thought
we might obtain horses. Sunday morning we
started from Desert, & reached Alexis l. Beau S
about p. NJ. The scenery upon this part of
our route was sublime and imposing. The pri-
} meval forest stood as grand and silent as when
; created. The Indians we had in our employ to-
. day surpassed anything | ever beheld in physi-
cal yigor and endurance There were fifteen
p portages to be made during the days run of 60
l miles. They would seize the canoe, jerk it up
; on their shoulders with swing, and start upon
, 4 dog trot as unconcernedly as though bearing
no burden. Arriving at the bottom of the fall,
they would toss the canoe into the stream cry
/. out, " A,Tetes, tar and away we would go again
gliding down the stream like an arrow. We
Travelled Is miles and made I portages in
hour and 10 minutes.
AT ALEXIS LBEAU's we first behed horse
and vehicle, which they called "buckboard"
simply couple of boards reaching from one
DOistVI W tHe otici, upSh "iii' 'iie SS"'S " S'N
t placed Starting at o'clock in the evening
. we travelled nearly all night through the forests
C over one of the worst roads that ever was lett
: unfinished, and reached BROOKS farm, a sort
d of frontier tavern, in the early morning, where
i we slept couple of hours, and after breakfast
V pressed on by the stage to Ottawa, which We
d reached at o'clock on Monday afternoon. Oui
/ first rush was to the telegraph office, whence
It the trembling wires sped the glad news of oul
o safety to the "loved ones at home" At Otta
e wa we were most Hospitality entertained. r(
RoBERT BELL Esq, editor of the Citizen, an(
a President of the Ottawa and Prescott Railway
is as well as to JOSEPH AUMoND, Esq, we ar,
S, nnder especial obligations by acts of kindnes
J. which will not soon be forgotten. Indeed, from
h the time we left the Basketong until we reached
Is home, we met with nothing but one continua
v stream of congratulation and profered kind
lf neSses.
d At Ogdensburgh and all along the line of tn
Of Potsdam and Watertown Railaoad, we founC
Of large crowds awaiting our arrival which CAV
II unmistakable evidence of the deep sympath
le felt in our fate.