The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-03-21
Misttllantous,
X E-W Ala U-N A IL;
THE ROAD THAT LEADS
OMEVV ARD.
BY JANE GAY FULLER.

[ have been gazing on one of the sum-
mcr's most gorgeous sunsets. 1t has
brought to my mind little incident l
wish to relate to YOU; pleasant memory
of my forest wandcrings, which neither
change Of place, or time, can make me
forget.
Some three years since, I was away
with party of friends upon the banks of
one of the far northern tributaries of the
Mississippi, miles and miles above the
Falls of St. Anthony! Ali around was
Natures wild dominion it was one of the
homes of her forest children, whom we
had travelled 50 far to meet in council.
On the little hillside, sloping west
ward, with thin grove of pine behind,
and wide stretch of hazel copss and
open prairie before, we sat as the sum
mer day drew near its close. The coun-
cil-circlc was not yet broken. Foremost
there in the ring were hoary chiefs, sur
rounded by their grim, scared warriors,
listening with solemn attention to the
words of their "New Father" and in
turn, rising in grave majesty to reply.
Among the chiefs was one old man,
whose venerable appearance from the first
had excited our attention. His long hair
was silyery white, contrasting strangely
with the clear, dark eyes and dusky
brow, above which was q rudely braided
wreath of evergreen--a simple chaplet
beside the gaudy fillets of his brethren.-
The hands of the old man were pals;ed
with age; and his feet, from weakness
had long since ceased to lead the warriors
on their trail, or to follow in their paths.
All the afternoon he sat leaning a little
forward upon the fslIed council pine, lis
tening with absorbed interest to every
word that fell from the lips Of the speak
ers; but as the sun sank lower and lower
towards the far distant line of horizon, his
attention seemed diverted by the gorge
Gus splendor of that evening sky. The
deep fire of excitement slowly faded from
his eyes, and in its place grew softer,
mister light, as when one gazes through
dream medium on picture of tranquil
beauty. We watched him closely, won
dering much what might be the dream of
that century-old man, whom the world
called savage"
Slowly sank the sun and as one half
of the circle of its rays disappeared be-
yond the boundary line of vision, the old
chief rose, and pointing with trembling
finger towards the track Of the departing
orb, exclaimed; axe wa-ku-nahT'
There was a sudden silence in the ring;
and while we who knew not the meaning
or force of sentence, gazed with reveren-
tial awe upon the singular old man, the
Interpreter repeated after him in tone
scarcely less impressive than his own
axe a-ku nah p The road that leads
homsward! Oh! how our hearts thrill
ed there in the forest, as that simple but
beautiful figure Of speech was interpreted
to our understandings, and We saw before
us in tho magnificent track of the sum
mer's sun, the red mans spirit road--the
road that leads homeuard.
The red man looks westward for the
Land of Spirit but wherefore is not GER
tain. Some suppose it to be only the
dim tradition ola lost home from which
they may have been expelled in by gone
years; but whether such supposition be
true or not, thither in bis bewildered i'm
agination he expects to return in the
Road of Souls 1t is with his face to-
wards the evening sun, with his blanket
wrapped around him, with his gun rest
ing on his shoulder, and his fire steel
and flint in the pouch by his side, that the
Chippewa is placed in his grave to follow
the SUMS invisible way. Question them;
they will tell you their spirit path is aOeU
soorn, that is straight and open but very
long; that the traveller must camp out
tree nights on his journey; he will then
reach deep, dark river, over which is
rolling log difficult to pass, and which
once gone over, takes the form of a huge
black serpent, forever guarding the path
of return.
This is the road which their ancestors
have trodden from generation. By the
wav-side grows the great strawberry,
which the soul may eat to satisfy its hum
ger and quench its thirst. On blasted
nine sits GREAT eagle, to counsel the srir-