Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-01-25
sTAUNT0N, VIRGINIA, TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1859.
rravelling In the ..Far west"

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Travelling In the "Far West.''
One portion of the United States and Osnad
lying in, and North of Michigan, called the 'Ul
per Peninsula is entirely shut out from th
rest of the world during the winter months
The Detroit Advertiser gives an interesting de-
cription of the mode of travelling during ths
period:
The mails are carried by Indians and ha
breeds, when the travelling is good, on thei
backs, and when it is bad, by dog trains. ,a
The snow falls to depth from two to five 0
six feet The snow shoes used by the men ar
eight or ten inches In width, and from two an
and half to four and half feet In LENGTH
They are fiat, and are made of bow maple wood
round at the toe, and coming to point at tn
heel, where the ends are fastened with thong
of raw deer skin. The space is filed by lac
work of raw deer or moose skin strings, wit
the exception of small space Immediately Il
front of q cross piece of wood upon which th
ball of the foot rests. The shoes used by wo
men are smaller than those used by the men ant
of different shape. The feet OF the person US
ing the shoes are encased in mooasins OF buck
skin sufficiently large to to admit three or fou
thicknesses of blanket. The blanket is used no
only to keep the feet warm, but also to proven
the toes from being chafed by the strings Q
buckskin passed over them, and by which tn
shoes are fastened to the feet.
The dogs trains used are made of fiat boart
about half an inch in thickness, ten inches il
width, and from six to ten and twelve feet IL
length and are turned up in front, At each side
of the train rope is fastened, running the
whole length of it, and strain cloth" OF can.
vass is used, considerably larger than the train
The articles to be carried are laced on the cloth
from one end Of the train to the other. The
cloth is then wrapped over them, and laced up
by means of string passing under the ropes at
the side. ....- ia g,r.s i. -.
For tramp, the edibles carried are usually
some -four, pilot bread, salt pork, tea and su-
gar, and cooking utensils, tin kettle and fry
ing pan.. The food for the dogs is generally tai
low and corn meal The bed clothes are sin.
gle blanket to each man. Indians or half breeds
are employed as guides and assistants during the
tramp. <R@ A-,"
! Imagine white man and an Indian about
starting on tramp of three or four hundred
miles through forest unfrequented BY all llv-
ing beings except wild birds and animals The
provisions are packed upon the train, the dogs
are harnessed TO it, one ahead Of the other, to
the number of four or five. The Indian takes
the lead with his snow shoes, the dogs follow
with the train, and the "pale face" brings up
the rear with ysls to the dogs in front of him.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, until noon, when o halt
is made; the train is unpacked, the kettle, tea
and sugar are produced, a fire lighted, and after
taking q cup of tea, the word Is given and g.
gain and the tramp commences. The party
makes another halt in time to prepare the oanp-
ing ground before night sets in. The dogs are
left standing in their harness, the Indian takes
the axe rnd cuts enough fuel to last until morn
ing, the white man uses q snow shoe for shov.
el and clears away the snow until the ground
is reached. A shelter is then built over the
cleared space, of poles covered with ever green
boughs. The front of the ''wig warm" is left
open, and the ground covered with hemlock
boughs Immediately opposite the front, Q
a rousing fire Is built, the dogs embarrassed
and the supper prepared. The supper Is com.
posed of cup of tea, some pork cooked in the
frying pan, and some -four cooked in the fat
left from the pork. After supper the pipe. and
tobacco are produced, and the white man
smokes in the front of the fire, while the Indian
cooks the supper of corn and tallow for the dogs
in the same kettle in which the tea had been
but few minutes before. After being satisfied
with his "smoke," the pale face and Indian
wrap their blankets around them, and lie down
side by side on the hemloek bough, with their
feet to the fire and sleep as sweetly and aa
soundly as seer did king upon the richest dam
askn In the morning, before day, the Indian
prepares the breakfast, which is eaten, and
the travellers again move on. The dogs are fed
but once day and the reason is, they travel
much better. A distance of thirty miles per
dsy is travelled with ease by those accustomed
to the use of snow shoes. When toward Spring
the days become longer and the sun hotter the
travelling is done at night, and the resting and
sleeping by day.
The veteran Indian "show shoer' will never
drink water or eat snow, during the time he II
on his journey, as he says it makes him 'very
much weak" The Indians and half-breeds, OF
coming in from long journey, on their arriva
at their place of destination, will, If night i
near and dance is in prospect, stay about unit
the ball begins, go to it, and dance until daylight
We have kDown of parties OF young men puttinl
on their shoe shoes on Christmas morning, walk
ing thirty miles to ball, dancing all night ant
then walking distance of twelve miles to break
fast.
We have in our mind one Of the most wonder
full feats of pedestrianism, which, IT it were no
we'll substantiated, would be difficult OF BELIEF
| It took place number of years ago. Mr.. School
craft, residing at Sault st. Marie, wished to sen.
an express to Maokinac, distant by the tral
about seventy-fve miles. He sent tor bal
breed called La Branch, and told him that b
must 90 to the Mackinsc, and that he must star
at - o'clock, NJ, that day. La aBranch objected
as there was to be ball in the evening OF tn
next day. Schoolcraft told him that he must g
and that as he wanted to atteLd the ball, If
was back from Mackinao by 10 o'clock the nez
evening, he would give him twenty dollars extr
pay. At - o'clock he started, and the next de
at 10, P NJ, appeared again, having gone tn
whole distance-160 miles-in "a hours. Afte
receiving the promised twenty dollars, he sal
he could have been in by o'clock, but he wal
ed two hours on the hill back of the town, fo
fear that he might get in ahead of the time, an
lose his moneyp After leaving Mr.. Scboo
crafts store, La Branch went to the ball, an
tripped the moccasined toe until daylight.
TIE GREAT HINeE-MAKKR, OF THE BrBI
! TRUE.-"Wben look at myself" said conver
ed South Sea Islander, 81 find have got hinge
all over my body. I have hinges in my leg
my jaws, my feet, my hands. IT want to Ia
hold I Of anything, there are hinges in my hsnt b
and even in my fingers, to do 1t with. Ii M
heart thinks, and l want others to think VIII
me, use the hinges to my jaws, and they hel
me talk. could neither walk nor sit down, II
had not hinges to my legs and feet All this
yery wonderful. None of the strange thinf
that men have brought from England in the
! biz ships is to be compared to my body. d
who made my body has made all the people wh
have made the strange things which they brin
L.: a bo "a tha God whom worshiD