The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-03-23


Upper Canada. Twenty years are in their
graves since thcn-twenty years, rung ont
and rung in, by the clang Of the wood
mans ax-and still the township lies in |
the heart Of its primeval forest. ClOtted
woods Overhang the solitary village com
posed of few log-huts, nightly drenched |
as with death sweat from malaria Of the |
swamp. But we camc young aud impress
sionable from the Old Country, on a VEN
turOus quest after fortune in the bush, and
the dishevelled wilderness of thickct had |
its charms for us.
A river ref the huge tnngle Of the
woods, with its dark sluggish waters,
which crept and oozcd in among dccayed
trees on either eide Banks there were
none, and the breathed skeletons Of the
rotten trees alone marked off the channel
Of the river from this dark fen, fctid with
myriad impurities. Such was the aspect
of the melancholy Scugog. Our village
was BY no means n large one. The scat
tered huts which made il up had been
knocked together by sprinkling of hardy
pioneers, on a solitary bluff whchyrepcl.
led the river from its base, and gave to
fearless settlers some ground Of vantage
over the surrounding swamp. There was
not, however, much cleared ground-nay,
very little; everywhere VIC were hemmed
in by battalion after battalion Of n0noto-
nous trees. Not all the pioneer chiyalry
Of the world could cut an open way
through their ranks. Like brave hearts
on a battle field, when one scrrcd line
fell, 10 another had arisen in their place.
As for our fellow settlers, we found them
Of piece with the country-rouSh and
hardy, as they had need TO be, who,
twenty years agO, colonizcd the ScugoS.
We were twins, Jack and |, hut other.
wise unlike. He was q Zine fellow; nc.
knowledged his supremacy, and rcjniccd
in his bold free spirit. From his child.
hood he had been the most impulSivc crea-
ture that ever pointed n moral for head.
long youth. Ever in scrapes and difficult.
ties, but never to his di>honOr, Jack fought
onchalf Of his acquaintances into loving
him, which the rest did Of their own free
will and my heart still warns involunta.
riy toward the wild, impulsive boy, with
his rash, hendStrOng soul all agog for mis-
chief
confess was somewhat dismaycd by
the aspect of our new country. Fresh
from the sunny lanes of Kent, and the
loved circle at home, could it he otherwise:
But as for Jack, he was in rapturcs with
every thing that diSqueted me. Nothing
was more chHrmingly romantic than our
hut on the bluff, and no river could equal
the brown, bankless, most melancholy
Scugog.
We did not settle down to the regula.
tion life Of settler all at once we deter
mined TO sip the nectar of life on the Scu.
gog, If indeed there was any Of that am.
brosial draught to be drained in the town
ship. The fascination Of the swift canoe
kept US almost constantly on the dark,
mysterious river; and, in truth, there was
scarcely any other outlet from our dwell.
ing save on its water. BY day. We iishcd,
and we shot from our frail SkitTS and by
night, when the moon was up, we would
paddle them in her silvery wake.
have said that few rough settlers
formed our society on the Scugog; among
them were some half.breeds-a species Of
degenerate IndianS-who had sunk from
the dignity Of forest life to the servitude
and butEeting Of the white settlers. They
were lazy, good for nothing fellows, except
in the matter Of fishing and shooting,
wherein they were pr0licients. We found
them useful in giving instruction in the
canoe-life Of our river home. preferred,
for my own part, to go pretty much by
myself on our watering excursions. Jack,
however, had no such idea Of placid en-.
joymcnt, and speedily leaving me to my
aquatic rcvcrics, he hired hang dog look.
ing scoundrel, named Olier, to assist him
in the management Of his canoe. am
no great disciple Of Lavatcr, but I never
liked that half breed. All these drcgs of
Indian nobility arc safiow, blcar.eycd
creatures, with n world of cunning, but
this fellow was chief Of them oil for every
rcpulsive trait. OF course Jack ridiculcd
my sentiments about hiS new servitor; hc
was match for half dozen, or twenty
fellows like Olier, hC said, and it was oil
right, and l was not to bother my head
about him.
1t was getting late in the fall, the In
dian summer-that beautiful dream of
lOveiness-had restored to us in cvancs-
cent beauty, the glorics Of Canadian au
ors as a herald's tabard, and the air was
yet balmy with the lingering sweetness of
summer. One exquisite evening. born in
one Of those lovely days, ! was liSllcSSly
smoking as I lay on the top Of the bluff
vacanily sketching home landscapes in the
dark Scugog, rolling beneath. A canoe
shot round the head of the river below
the village; it was padded by solitary
figure, who turned out to be Jack. !
knew he had gone down the Scugog to
fish along with Olier; but now no half
breed squatted in the opposite end Of the
canoe. A vague dread seized upon me as
Jack, running his little bark sheer up the
bank, Shouldercd his paddle and marched
up to the.
"IIow now, Jack; what have you done
with your charming companion =" in.
quircd, Disgusting my conjcctural + ar.
"Gad, ] don't know," replied my broth
er, sitting down, oriental fashion, beside
the.
mot know?"
"NOt bit," was his answer. "IIOw
should be acquainted with all the ins
and outs of that Rosamonds Bowcry"
Here he indicated as much force with his
arms as would have made few thousands
Of the bowers in question.
. "Oh, perceive; he is gone tracking
deer, or something OF that sort" said |,
immensely relieved by Jacks manner.
There was slight pause. My fears re.
turned; felt there was something wrong.
f "Wcll," snid Jack. "l'll tell you; !
don't see why there need DO any secret
about it You were quite right about that
Olier-you were. He's . good for moth
ing fellow, and quite coolly refused this
afternoon to paddle me when wanted ia
/ 60 down the river q little farther than
usual"
"And you'll"
~ ran the canoe upon yard Of bank
, whether an island OF not cannot tell
gave the insOlent rascal good bastinadC
81 ~ a L Il