The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-10-12


again, and polled her down stream. To dsy
we ate each a raw frog, all we could find,
and began 10 feel that we were hungry
But there was no complsining-ou talk wss
of the hopeful future and the civilization we
hoped yet to reach. Down the creek we
went into lake some two miles long, and
into which we Of course supposed the stream
passed, having it's outlet at the lower end
We followed down the northern bank, keep.
ing always in shallow spots, so that our
poles could tough the bottom, until we arri.
we'd at the bottom of the lake, where we
found no outlet, and turned back upon the
southern bank in quest of it. On reaching
rhe head of the lake we found that the cur.
rent OF the creek turned abruptly to the right,
which was the reason Of our losing it.
We felt happy to have found it again, and
piled our poles like heroes. We passed,
during the day, the spot where we had first
strEcK the creek, and where we had made
slightly landmark which might afterwards aid
US in finding the Atlantic, should we ever
wish to do so in order to get her out. At
night we did not stop, but kept the raft GO.
ing down through the shades of awful forests,
whose solemn stiffness seemed to hold the
unrevealed mystery of our darkening future.
About 10 o'clock it began to rain agsin.- -
We stopped the "vessel" and Crawled in
under some stag" alders on the bank, where
our extreme weariness enabled US to get,
perhaps, half an hours sleep. Rising sgain,
(for it was easier to pole in the night in the
rain down an unknown stream, than to lie
on the ground and freeze0 we pressed on
for couple Of hours, until about three
O'Clock, when pure exhaustion induced US to
stop again. This time we found spot
where the clayey bank lacked little of
coming down to the water. On the mud we
threw our little bundle of straw, and sat
down with our feet drawn up under US, so
that our bent bodies presented as little sur
face as possible for the rain to beat upon.-
But we could not stand such an uncomfort-
able position long, and as the daylight of the
Sabbath broke upon US, we were polling
down the stream with drzzling rain. At
eight O'Clock we came to place where the
stream canoned-ruahing over q stony bed,
down steep descent between high rocks
on either bank. To get our raft down this
place we regarded as hopeless. We tied up
and examined the shore. Here again, we
found unmistakable evidence of Iumbermen,
as they had evidently camped at this point,
to be handy by in the attempts they were
doubtless obliged to make to get the timber
down the canon. The rapids were about
third of mile long, and in all the rapids o
Black river there is nothing so wild end ro-
mantle as these. We descended the bank
and thought it best to try our luck on foot.
After travelling about mile we found the
bank so tangled and rugged, and ourselves
SO mnch exhausted, that locomotion was i'm
possible, so we concluded 10 90 back, and
if we could get the raft down piece at
time we would 60 on with her, if not we
would build as good place as possible to
crawl into, and prepare for death.
We went back, and after examining the
stream altentively, concluded to try to get
the raft down. We at once commenced,
and freely confess this the most trying and
laborious work OF life of labor. The pieces
before they would stick on some stone which
the low water left above the surface, and
then you must pry it over in some way and
pass it along to the next obstruction. We
were obliged to get into the stream, often up
to the middle, and there several times fell
headloug, completely using up our compass,
which no irantcally pointed in any direction
its added head thought desirable. The wa
ter had unglued the case and it was ruined.
Alter long hours Of such labor we got the
raft down. and LaMountun again tied it to.
gether. Passing on in about an hour we
came to large lake--ten miles long and
six miles broad. Around il we must of
course pass until we should find the outlet.
So we turned up to the right, and pressed on
with as much resolution as could be expect.
ed. To-day we found one clam, which |
insisted La Mountain should eat as he was
weaker than myself, and had eat little or
nothing on the day we went up. Around
we went into all the indentations of the
shore, keeping always in shallow water.--
At last we stopped at a place we thought
the least exposed to wind. We laid down
upon the cold ground, having lifted up the
end our raft SO that the wind might not drift
it away in the night. We were cold when
we laid down, and both of US trembled by
the hour, like men suffering from a severe
attack of the ague. The wind had risen
just at night, and the dismal surgng of the
waves upon the shore formed, thought,
fitting lullaby to slumber so disturbed and
dismal as ours. By this time our clothes
were neaaly torn off. My pantaloons were
slit up both legs, and the waistbonds nearly
torn off. My boots both leaked, and our
mighty wrestlings in the canon had torn the
skin from ankles and hands. La Mountains
hat was gone the first day out; he had
thrown away his woollen drawers and stock
ings the first day of our trumping, os they
dragged him down by the weight of water
they absorbed. We slept but little. 1t re-
ally seemed as though during that night, we
passed through the horrors OF dozen desths
At daylight we got up by degrees, first on
one knee and then on the other, so stiff aud
weak that we could hardly stand.
Again upon the almost endless lake we
went-lolIowing round its shore for an out
let. About 10 o'clock we found a broad
northern stream which we thought was the
outlet we were seeking and we entered it
with great joy, believing it would take US to
our long sought Ottawa. Shortly alter en-.
teriag the stream it widened out and assum-
ed the form of lake. We poled up the
westerly shore for about seven miles, but
found we wero again deceived. On our way
up Mr.. La Mountain sang these pretty lines:
"Cheer up your hearts, my men,
| Let nothing fright you,
| Be Of a gallant mind
Let that delight you."
His voice was hardly above whisper, bu
the song was a source of comfort to me-
His, indeed, was "gallant mind" which
the extraordinary hardshps and dangers Of
our position had not daunted. But when we
found that all tine weary miles of our morn.
ing travel had been in vain and had to be re.
traced, my resolution certainly failed me fol
| N mnnAnt and cot dour m v,o,, onL - Al