Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-10-12

position long. and as the daylight OF the oao-
bath broke upon us, we were polling oo"h lne
stream in drizzling rain. AT cioch !" 9
came to a place where the stream cdnoaed-
rushing over stony bed down steep descent
between high rocks on either bank. 10 seI
our raft down this place we regarded as nope
less We tied up and examined Inc s'4ore.
We descended the bank and thoaghl II oesl "
try our luck on foot. After travelling ABOUT a
mile we found the bank so tangled ana rug
ged. and ourselves so much exhausted, that
Iocomotion was impossible. So We concluoeo
to go back, and if we could get the raft down
a piece at the time, we would go on with her
if not, we would build as good place as pos
sible to crawl into and prepare for death
We went back, and after examining the
stream attentively, concluded to try 10 get the
raft down. We at once commenced, ana
freely confess this was the most trying and Ia
borious work OF life OF labor.
After long hours of labor, got the raft
down and La Mouutain again tied II together.
Passing oD in about an hour we came to large
lake, ten miles long and six miles broad. a
round it we must ,of course pass until We should
find the outlet. So we turned mp 70 the right and
pressed on with as much resolution as could be
expected. To-day we found one clam, which
insisted La Mountain should cat, as be was
weaker than myself, and had eaten little or
nothing onthe day we went up. Around We
went, into all the indentations of>the shore,
keeping Always III SDdIfoH haiSE. ~ Idsl VIC
stopped at place thought least exposed
to the wind. We laid down upon the cold
ground, having lifted MP the end of our raft so
that the wind might not DRIFT ii away in the
night. II really seemed though, during the
night, we passed through the horrors of a doz-
en deaths. At daylight, we got up by degrees,
| first one knee and then on the other, SO
stiff and weak We could hardly stand.
Again upon the almost endless lake we went
following around its shore for outlet. a
bout 10 o'clock we found bread, northern
! stream, which we thought was the outlet we
were seeking, and We entered il with great JOY,
| believing it would take to our long sought
! Ottawa. Shortly after entering the stream, it
widened out, and assumed the form of lake.
| We poled up the westerly shore for abont sew
! en- miles, but found we were again deceived.
| Well, We turned the raft around, and poled
| her back toward the place where we had enter
| cd this last lake. We had gone about mile
t when we heard the sound of 4 gun, quickly
| followed by a second report. No sound
! ever sweet to that. We halooed as
/ lOHd as We could good many times, but could
| get no response. We kept our pues going,
! and had gone about half mile when l called
] La Mountains attention to what thought WIS
! smoke curling up among the trees the
! side of hill. My own eyesight had begun to
! fail me 10 an extent that | cound not depend
| upon 1T when a long steady gaze WAS necessa-
ry. He said il was smoke and that he thought
/ just below it on the bank was bark canoe.
! In few moments the blue smoke rolled gent
| ly, yet unmistakabiy, above the tree tops, and
we felt that we were saved. Such A revusion
! of feeling was almost too much for Us. We
could hardly believe our senses, and credited
anything favorable TO our condition with the
/ utmost caution. Oar bitter disIppoint.nents
/ had taught us that lesson.
We padded the raft with the end OF our
! poles directly across the lake; near, perhaps,
! three-tourths OF mile wide, and made for the
! canoe. Il proved to be large one evidently
! an Indians. Up the bank l pressed. leaving
/ La Mountain at the canoe TO cut on retreat
| by the Indian, in case he was timid and wish
ed TO avoid us. | came at once upon ,t he
shanties of numbering wood, and from the
| chimney of the turthest building a broad vol
ume OF smoke was rising. haliooed-a noise
was heard inside, and noble-looking Indian
came to the door. ssVoss pGrie- FrGncais ~
| was the eager inquiry, as L graSped his out
/ stretched hand. Yes, sir, and English too"
! He drew me into the cabin, and there was the
| head of the party, noble hearted Scotchman,
named Angus Cameron | Immediately told
! my stoU.-inat came IN Wiiha baiioon were
/ lost. and had been tour days without food
! asking where we were. agine my surprise
/ when he said were one hundred and fifty
miles due north of 0ttawa--in dense, amin
| habited forest, whose only limit was the Arc
| tic circle. In a word, we were nearly three
| hundred miles in due north course from Wa
! tertown, N Y, in latitude ~ deg. After fin
ishing up his business in the vicinity where
we found him, on Friday morning DIR. Came
ron started on his return.
At Desert we were a good deal troubled 10
| obtain Indians to take ont. At last we ap-
| pealed to Mr.. j Ohm BdcSus, Il kinJi-hearted a
! merican trader, who agreed to procure us u
| complement Of Redskins sufficient TO take as
| TO Beau's place. SO miles, when il was thought
| we might obtain horses. Sunday morning we
started from Desert, and reached Alexis L.
| Beau S about p. ". At Alexis I. Beau 5 W e
| first behcld horse and vehicle, which they
/ called 4 blackboard simply q couple Of
| boards reaching from one bolster TO the ether,
upon which the seats were placed. Starting
at { O'Clock in the evening, we travelled near
ly all night through the forests. over one of
| the worst roads that ever was left unfinished
! and reached Brooks farm, sort OF frontier
| tavern, in the early morning, where we slept a
couple of hours and alter breakfast pressed
on by the stage TO Ottawa, which we reached
| at > O'Clock on Monday afternoon. Our first
rush was to the telegraph office, whence the
trembling wires sped the glad news of our
safety to the "oycd ones at home.''
Mr.. Haddock says that when YOU arc sailing
in balloon you are utterly unconscious OF
notion, unless you can see the earth nor can
! cling, unless you are sufficient astronomer 10
judge from the shifting angles formed by cer-
| tain stars. He estimates that thew travelled
at the rate of 100 miles an hour.
A Mr.. West, of Bradford. \. H.. has beer
mulcted in the sum of $500 for breaking q