Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-10-21

State. We travelled all day Friday up r
he unknown creek, which kept its gen t
,ral course to the south Of west, crossing q
t about noon on floating log, and strik- f
ing, on its southern bank, 'blazed track, t
which led us up to a deserted timber road, 8
lying on the opposite side from large
numbering shanty.
We hoped one of the lumber roads
might take US out to settlement, but
after travelling up them all until they ter
minated in the wilderness, we concluded
to cross the creek to the shanty and stay
in it all night. La Mountain got across
safely; but my weight was greater than
his, and the raft let me into the stream
l sank in all over and swan out, though |
it required all my strength to do so, 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-I
pulling it over our heads and faces in the
hope that our breath might aid in warm
ing our chilled bodies.
/ 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 dri-
wing logs in the spring season. If, then,
we followed it to Its confluence with the
Ottawa, 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 man.
ner familiar to all woodmen. These
were light and dry, and would form ar
excellent raft. Why not, then, take four o.
these, tie them to cross pieces by wythes
and such old things as we could fine
around the shanty, and pole the structure
down to that civilization which a saw los
: ought to be able to reach. Such was thu
course we adopted. We dragged the log
down to the creek, and La Mountain tiet
! them together, as he was evidently NOR
of sailor than myself We got unde
way, and as we pushed off, a crow set u
dismal cawing-an inauspicious sigr
> and ominous of the great trials and suf
- erings in store for US. We poled dow
stream about ten miles and came abrupt
= upon an immense pine tree which ha
fallen. across the stream, completely block
ing the passage OF the raft.
= No other alternative was left but I
n unite the pieces and attempt to push thel
70 through under the log. This was at la
n done; tied the raft together again an
NJ poled her down the stream. To-day "
p ate each raw frog, all we could find, ar
Il began to feel that we were hungry. b
there was no complaining-our talk W;
- of the hopeful future, and the civilizatic
! we hoped yet to reach. Down the cree
we went into lake some two miles lon
" and into which we of course supposed Il
stream passed, having its outlet at Il
lower end. We followed down the mort
ern bank, keeping always in shallc
spots, so that our poles could touch t
bottom, until we arrived at the bottom
the lake, where we found no outlet, a
turned back upon the southern bank
quest of it. On reaching the head of t
'''' lake we found that the current of t
80 creek turned abruptly to the right, viii
'ue was the reason of our losing it.
l'lc We felt happy to have found it aga
0"I and piled our poles like heroes.
Jay passed, during the day, the spot where
had first struck the creek, and where
'' mad made slightly landmark, VIII
might afterward aid us in finding the !
ny lantic, should we ever wish to do so
''' order to get her out. At night we
~ ~ not stop, but kept the raft going do
- through the shades of awful forests, VIII
use solemn stiffness seemed to hold the
'0i revealed mystery of our darkening futt
o"i About 10 o'clock it began to rain ag,
%" We stopped the vessel and crawle,
under some tag alders on the ba
where our extreme WEAKNESS enabled
iiSe to get, perhaps, half an hours SLEEP
VIC Rising again (for it was easier to pol
us night in the rain down an unknt
INC stream, than to lie on the ground
'Ne. freeze) we pressed on for couple
0'N hours, until about o'clock, when !
'ooi exhaustion induced us to stop agaiI
AAe This time we found a spot where
y 10 clayey bank lacked little of con
ston down to the water. On the mud
OF threw our little bundle of straw. ar Z