The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-10-20


had been in vain, and had to be retraced
my resolution certainly failed me for I
moment. and ! sat down upon my end o
the raft. and felt like shedding one tea'
of genuine regret. Yet we felt that oul
duty, as Christian men, was to press or
as long as we could stafd, and leave the
issue with God.
1t had now been four days since we
had ate meal. All we had to eat in the
meantime was one frog apiece. four
CLANS, and few wild berries, whose acid
properties and bitter taste had probably
done US more harm than good. Our
strength was beginning to fail very fast,
and our systems were evidently about to
undergo an extraordinary change. I did
not permit myself to think of food-the
thought Of well covered table would
have been too much. l thought over all
poor Strains sufferings on the Isthmus
of Darien, where he, too, was padding a
raft down an unknown stream-but new
er believed we could stand half the
amount of suffering he did. Besides he
had means to make ire-we had none
Hc was upon stream which he knew
would lead to the sea and safety-we
were upon waters whose flow we knew
really nothing Of. and were as much lost
as though in the mountains of the moon
But we" could not give it up so." and
took fresh courage as our troubles ap-
peared to thicken.
Well, we turned our raft around, and
poled her back towards the place where
we had entered this last lake. We had
gone about mile when we heard the
sound of gun, quickly followed by a
second report. No sound was ever so
sweet to me as that. We kept our poles
going, and had gone about half a mile
when l called Mr.. La Mountains atten-
ton to what thought was a smoke curl
ing up among the trees on the side of a
hill. My own eyesight had begun to fail
me to an extent that l could not depend
upon it. when long and steady gaze
was necessary. He said it was smoke,
and that he thought just below it.. on the
bank, was a bark canoe. In few mo-
ments the blue smoke rose gently, yet
unmistakably. above the tree-tops, and
We felt that we were saved. Such re-
vulsion 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.
Our bitter disappointment had taught US
this lesson.
We padded the raft with the end OF
our poles directly across the lake, near,
perhaps, three-fourths Of mile wide,
and made for the canoe. 1t proved to
be large one, evidently an Indians.
Up the bank pressed. leaving La Moan-
tain at the canoe, to cut off the retreat oi
the Indian in case he was timid and
wished to avoid US. I came at once up.
on the shanties of a numbering party. and
from the chimney Of the farthest build
ing broad volume of smoke was rising
l hallooed-a noise was heard inside,
and noble-looking man came to the
door. Vous Farley Francois 2" was
my eager inquiry as l grasped his out
stretched hand. /" Yes, sir-and Eng
lish, too"
He drew me into the cabin, and there
was the head of the party. a noble heart
ed Scotchman. named Angus Cameron
l Immediately told my story-that we
came in with balloon, were lost, and
had been four days without food-asking
where we were. Imagine my surprise
hen he said we were one hundred and
nifty miles due north of OAawa-in the
dense uninhabited forest. whose only
limit was the Artic circle. In a word,
we were nearly 800 miles in due north
course from Watertown in latitude forty
seven.
Dinner was all ready. The party con-
sisted Of four persons-Mr. Cameron and
his assistant, who was also named Cam
eron, LaMab, MacDougall-a half-breed
and his son Beaueril. l despatched
the young Indian for LaMountain who
came after moment the absolute picture
of wretchedness. All that the cabin con.
tanned was rendered to US, and ace began
to eat. Language is inadequate to ex.
press our sensation while doing so. The
clouds had all lifted from our sombre flu
ture. and the "sllver lining" shone al
the brighter, for the deep darkness which
| we had passed.
After many troubles and delays, Mr.
Haddock finally reached Watertown. hav'
ing been absent about ten days. His ac
count of the voyage concludes with the