Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-09-08
Mtsfrl Gus.
BAYARD rAYLoa's FIRST JOURNEY.
as RELATED by HIMSELF.

Ny friend, Ida Preifer, relates, in the preface
to one Of her volumes, that the desire for travel
was with her an Unborn propensity. When a little
girl, she was accustomed to watch the mail coach
as it whirled daily through her native valley; and
when it had crossed tho verge Of the hill which
bounded her childish world, she would frequently
weep, because she could not follow it and Welt the
unknown regions beyond. In looking back to my
childhood, l can recall 20 such instinct Of peram'
bulation; but on the contrary, the intensest desire
to climb upward--so that without lifting the circle
of my horizon, I could yet cxtNndit, and take In a
far wider sweep of vision. | enyied every bird
that sat swinging upon the ,oPmost bodgh Of the
great, centary-olG cherry tree; the weather-oock on
our barn seemed TO me to whirl in a higher region
of che air; and to rise from the earth in a balloon,
was q bliss which I would almost have givea my
life to enjoy. Perhaps the root OF the instinct was
'he same in both cases; but Madame Pfeifer's de-
sires shot off in a horizontal direction, while mine
went up perpendicularly.
Iremember,a as distinctly as if it were ,~ssterday,
the first time this passion was gratifed. Looking
out Of the garnet window, on a bright May morn
ing, discovered a row of Stats which had been
nailed over the shingles for the convenience of the
carpenters in roofing the house, and had not been
removed. Here was, at last, q chance to reach
the comb of the steep roof, and take my first look
abroad into the world! Not without some trepe-
datiou | ventured out, and was soon seated asiride
the sharp ridge. Unknown forests, new fields
and houses al peared to my triumphant view. The
prospect, though Il did not extend more than four
miles in any direction, was boundless. Away in
tbn Dortb rest OlimmarinU tbrouob Tho traas ,rao
a white object-probably the front of a distant
barn; but l shouted to the astonished servant girl,
who had just discovered me from tho garden be-
low Isee the Falls of Niagara .fL
With increase of knowledge, this instinct took
the definite form Ct u longing to see and to climb
a mountain. My nurse was an.old Swiss woman.
in the background Of whose stories stood the eter'
nal Alps; some few of the n~eighbors had seen the
Blue Bic &c tthe members of our community, gen
orally, we're as thoroughly attached to the soil as
the Russian serfs) and in our native region of
sofay.roundcd hills and small intervening valleys
"a lovely reproduction of English Warwickshire
the description Of a mountain, mantled with
pine, faced with sheer precipiees, and streaked with
summer snow, seemed to be a fable, a miracle, an
iMpossibility. So l determined since it was diff
cult to ascend much ADORE the top of the house at
homeAthat my first journey should be in the
direction Of a mountain. - 2
1t was not SO easy, however, to carry this plan
into execution. A farmers boy-tempted on the
one hand BY books, knives and breaspins, and on
the ether bylcircuses, menngeries, phrenologica
lectures, peanuts and ice cream-cau rarely save
enough from the, sale Of his rabbit skins, walnuts,
and sumac leaves, or even from bis own cherished
pig-the 'runt' of the litter-to mmence any
serious undertaking. Ny private means were
chiefly derived from these sources, and every sue
ceeding spring l found myself in the condition OF
the United States post Office department, in the
year 1853. But when my seventeenth May came
around, and / was formally apprenticed to the
printing business, one stipulation in the paper of
indenture opened an unexpected way for me- 1t
was arranged that should receive forty dollars a
year for the purchase of my clothing, and as l
entered on my apprenticeship With a tolerable
supply, | at once saw the possibility Of saving
enough out of my first years allowance to enable
me to reach the nearest mountain.
The plan succeeded well. AT Tho termination
of The year, 1 found myself in possession of the
enormous sum of fifteen dollars But my ideas
and desires had in the meantime expanded, and
the amount of capital secured appeared Sufficient
to warrant me 10 undertaking a much moro ex
tensive journey than l had originally intended
New York, the Highlands, the Catskills, Berk
shire, and the Connecticut ealleyl OF course, thu
tour must be accomplished mostly on foot and
confess l counted a little upon the hospitality o.
the country people for a meal or a bed, if my
purse should get very low. A fellow apprentice
of ample means, II believe he had twenty-seveu
dollsrs( agreed to bear me company; and about
the middle of May, l843, the necessary holiday
was obtained from our employer. My scanty Bag
gage was contained in a soldiers knapsack, Dor
rowed from a private Of the National Greys'-the
solo militia company in the place-and the gilded
letters N. G. upon the back proved afterwards
to be.a source of curiosity to the public-many
persons, surprising me to be an itinerant peddler
taking them to mean New Goods My money
was entirely in quarter dollars. as the United
States Bank was no more; and such things az
drafts, exchange brokers, ETC., were unknown tC
me.
My companion, on account of his extensive
means, determined to travel by RAILROAD to New
York, while |, who was Obliged to foot it across
the sands Of New Jersey. started a day il
advance, the rendezvous being a mall soda watel
shop in John street. kept by a mutual acquain,
tance. The steamboat from Philadelphia deBosi
ted me at Bordentown, on the forenoon of a warm
clear day. l buckled on my knapsack, inquired
the road to AmbOy, and struck off resolutely, with
the feelings of an explorer on the threehholG of
great discoveries. The sun shone brightly, the
woods were green. and the meadows were gay
with phlox and buttercups. Walking was the
natural impulse of the muscles; and the glorious
visions which the, next few days would unfold to
me, drew me onward with a powerful fascination.
Thus, mile after mile went by, and carly in the
afternoon l reached Higbtstown, very hot and
hungry, and a little ~fOOtsore. Twenty-Five cents
onlyIhsd been expended, thus farr-and was l nov
10 dine for half a doliarf The thought was ban
isbad "a Vau;dlv az il came. and six ealtes oe "a