The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-10-20
l eagerly examined the stamp. tread
Mess Pork.

in Canada, for I very well knew that nj
Montreal inspection of pork ever found
it's way into the interior of New Yorl
State. We travelled all that day. Friday
up the unknown creek, which kept it!
general course to the south of west
crossing it about noon on floating log
and striking, on its southern bank. .
"blazed track" which led US up to q
deserted timber road. lying on the oppo.
site side from large numbering shanty.
We hoped one of the lumber roads
might take us out to settlement, bu.
after travelling up them all until they
terminated in the wilderness, we conclu-
ded to cross the creek to the shanty, and
stay in it all night. La Mountain got
across safely. But my weight was great
er than his. and the raft let me into the
stream. I sank in all over, and swan
out. though it required all my strength
to do 80, and on reaching the bank l
found myself SO chilled as scarcely to be
able to stand. took off my clothes,
wrung them, and we proceeded to the
shanty, where we found plenty of refuse
straw, but it was dry, and under pile of
it we crawled-pulling it over our heads
and faces, in the hope that our breath
might aid in warming our chilled bodies.
I think the most revengeful. stony heart,
would have pitied our condition then.
The weary hours of night at last wore
away, and we held new council. 1t was
evident. we reasoned, that the creek we
were upon was used for "driving" logs
in the spring season. If. then, we fol-
lowed it to its confluence with the Otta-
wa, or some stream which emptied into
the Ottawa. we would in time get out
the same way the timber went out. The
roof of the shanty was covered with the
halves of logs, scooped out in a manner
familiar to all woodmen. These were
light and dry. and would form an excel
lent raft. Why not, then, take four OF
these, tie them to cross pieces by wythes
and such odd things as We could find
around the shanty, and pole the structure
down to that civilization which a saw
log ought to be able to reach. Such was
the course we adopted. We dragged the
logs down to the creek, and La Mountain
tied them together. as he was evidently
more of sailor than myself. We got
under way, and as we pushed off a crow
set up dismal cawing-an inauspicious
sign, and ominous of the great trials and
sufferings in store for us. We pulled
down the stream about ten miles, and
came abruptly upon an immense pine
tree which had fallen across the stream,
completely blocking up the passage OF
the raft. No other alternative was left
but to unite the pieces, and attempt to
push them through under the log. This
we at last did tied the raft together
again, and poled her down the stream.
To-day we ate each a raw frog. all we
we could find, and began to feel that we
were hungry. But there was no COM
plalning-our talk was of the hopeful fu
ture. and the civilization we hoped to
reach. Down the creek we went into a
lake some two miles long. and into which
we, of course, supposed the stream pass
ed. having its outlet at the lower end.
We followed down the northern bank.
keeping always in shallow spots, SO that
our poles could touch the bottom of the
lake. where we found no outlet. and turn
ed back the southern bank in quest of it.
On reaching the head of the lake we
found that the current Of the creek turn
ed 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 struck the creek, and where
we had made a slight 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 going down
Through the shades of awful forests. whose
solemn stiffness seemed to hold the unre-
vealed mystery of our darkening future
About 10 O'Clock it began to rain again
We stopped the "vessel," and crawled
in under some "tag" alders on the bank,
where our extreme WEAKNESS enabled us
to get. perhaps. half an hours sleep
Rising again. (for it was easier to pole
at night in the rain down an unknown
stream, than to lie on the ground and
freeze,) we pressed on for couple O
hours, until about 8 o'clock, when pure
exhaustion compelled us to stop again
This time we found a spot where the clay
hanl l~oLod a Ettlo of c,r,;r. J.,rp 4,