The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-10-15

upon IN immeuee pine tree which had fallen
across the stream, completely blocking The
passage or the raft. No other o3esrnative
i was leit but 10 unite the pieces any attempt
| 70 push them through under the loaG This
we 81 last did, tied the raft together again
ard polled down she stream 10 day "
each ats raw frog, al we could find, and
began to feel chat We we're hungry. But
there was no complaining our talk was Of
the hopeful future and tie civilization We
hoped yet to reach. Down the creek We
went into lake some two miles long, and
into which We ofcourse supposed the stream
passed, having it, outlet at the other end
We followed down the northern bank, keep
ing always in shallow spots, 30 that our poles
could touch the bottom, until We arrived 1t
the bottom Of the lake, where We found no
outlet, and turned back upon the southern
bank in quest Of 1t On reaching the head
Of the lake We found the current Of the creek
turned abruptly to the right which was the
reason ofour losing it,
| We felt happy to have found it again, and
piled our poles like heroes We passed,
during tie day, the spot where we had FIRST
struck the creek, and where we had made a
slight land mark 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 for.
ests, whose solemn stiffness seemed to hold
the unrevealed mystery Of our darkening
future. About ten clock it began to rain
again. We stopped the vessel and crawled
in under some tag alders on the bank,
where eur extreme weariness enabled US to
get, perhaps, half an hours sleep Rising
| again, for it was easier to pole at night down
an unknown stream, than to lie on the ground
and freeze) we pressed on for a couple Of
/ hours, until about three o'clock, when pure
exhaustion induced us to stop again. Ihis
time we found q spot where the clayey bank
lacked a 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 surface as possible for the rain to
beat upon. But We could not stand such an
| uncomfortable position long, and as the day
light Of the Sabbath broke upon us, we were
| polling down the stream with drilling rain
At s clock We came to place where the
stream canoned rushing over stony bed,
down deep 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, wo |
found unmistakable evidence of lumber men,
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 Of Black River, there is nothing so
wild and romantic as these, We descended |
the bank and thought 1t best 70 try our luck |
on foot After travelling about mile we
found bank go tangled and ragged, and our.
selves SO much exhausted, that locomotion
was impossible so we concluded to 60 back,
and If we could get the raft down a 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 attentively, concluded to try to get
the raft down. We at once commenced, and
freely confess this was the most trying and
laborious work Of a life Of labor. The pieces
would not float more than rod at time,
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 tho stream, often up
to tho middle, and fell several times head.
long, completely using up our compass,
which now frantically pointed in any di.
rection its added head thought desirable.-
The water had unglued the case, and it was
ruined. After long hours of such labor we
got the raft down, and La Mountain again
tied it together. Passing on, in about an
hour we came to large lake--ten niles long
and six broad Around it we must Of course
pass, until We should find the outlet. So we
tied up to the right, and passed on with as
much resolution as could be expected To-
day we found one clam, which insisted La
Mountain should eat, as he was weaker than
myself, and had eaten little or nothing on the / i,
day we went up. Around we wen. into all ,
the indentations of the shore, keeping always
IN shallow water. at last we stopped at a
place we thought least exposed to the wind. ,
We laid down upon the cold ground, having .
lifted up the end of our raft so that the wind
night not drift itaway in the night. We I
were cold when We laid down, and both of i
Is tTenblea by the hour, Ike men suffering !,
rom very severe attack Of the ague The :
Wind had risen inst at night, and the dismal :,
urging OF the waves upon the shore formed !
thought fitting lullaby to slumber SO dis !
urbed and dismal as ours By this time our = :
lothes were nearly torn off Ny pantaloons \
we're slit up both legs, and the Wristbands !.
early torn off. My boots both leaked, and 4
ur mighty wrestlings in the canon had torn :,
he skin from both hands and ankles. La :,
hat was gone the first day out; !
Q had thrown away his wooden drawers and !
tockings the first day of our trampiny. as
ney dragged him down by the weight Of
'ater they absorbed. We slept but little. It
really seemed as though, during that v
light, We passed through the horrors Of a y
Oxen deaths. At daylight we got up by Ii
egrees, first On one knee and then on the A
ther, so stiff and weak that we could
ardly stand =,
Again upon the almost endless lake We ii
round its shore for an out it
It. About 10 o'clock we found broad n
orthern stream, which we thought was the Il
ltlet We were seeking, and we entered it 3,
18th great JOY, believing it would take US to to
II long sought Ottawa. Shortly after en- 10
ring the stream it widcned out and assumed L,
e form of a lake We poled up the wester m
shore for about seven miles, but found we -
ere again deceived. On our way up Mr.. or
Mountain sang these pretty lines: =
"Cheer up your hearts, my men,
Let nothing fright you,
he OF gallant mind !
Let that delight you.'' a
His, voice was hardly above whisper. ii
Il the song was source of comfort to me Of
We were in waters whose flow we knew
ally nothing Of aud were as much lost as ~ 4.
ough IN the mountains of the moon. But for
could not give it up SO, and took fresh j
arage as troubles appeared to thicken.
well, we turned the raftaround, and poled
back towards the place where we had
tered the last lake We had gone about d s
le when We heard the sound Of q cnn. L