Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-08

own home. When / left the woods the tints
of Autumn were flushing them with Grim
son and orange, as if their leaves had sud
denly burst into blossom; but ere | looked
on them again, their glories had all vanished
beneath the stern sway of the Northern
Winter, with its train of biting frosts aud
deep SHOWS, while the broad winding Tir-
oouaga River, which | had last seen so blue
and wRvy, was now hushed and stilled by
the universal ice fetter.
To- me, but recently arrived from En-
gland, II seemed strange how, amid go wild
a solitude, the advent of a six or seven
months Winter could be w~eicomedtas l saw
it by tho1e around me. | did not yet know
that Niuter was the only season when the
bonds of isolation were lOOsened, nor that the
snow was the magician, smoothing the diff
culties of social intercourse in a district
where neigbbOrs dwell miles apart, and the
roads between them were mere lanes cut
through the primeval forest, aud abounding
in holt and ruts, and stumps of trees.
As soon as | was sufficiently recovered, |
was the companion Of Dir. Norton and his
daughter, in all these exchanges of courtesy
and If l cared little for the visiting, | greatly
enjoyed the drives in the s~wift-glidiuc
sleigh over the cleaning snow; while, in
stead Of leaves, the trees above our heads
were hung with icicles, sparkling and flash
lhk III TUT SuHsulutg Iht blt IuON anu eDleF-
aid foliage of Eastern story and the long
rhythmical chimes Of our Sleigh bells echo
ing through the arches of the trees. that
broke the Silence of these ancient woods.
We went to merry. markings, too; real
backw GODS Hfrolics," held in rude barns.
whose decorations were essentially rustic,
but where the warmth of the hospitality
comp. satedf for every deficiency; the friend
of q guest was kindly welcomed, thepassing
traveller was pressed to stay, and the wan
dering merchant, with his store of finery
and news, was received with delight, espe.
cially by the fair sex. Then the home
coming was almost IS merry; the long
Strings of sleighs with their bells sounding
cheer1ly through the midnight woods, and
the joyous leave takings of the occupants as
each went his separate way.
On one occasion we had been to one OF
those festivities, some six or seven miles
beyond the ~Tircouaga, and were returning
home in two light One.hOrse sleighs, the
first contaiug Mr.. Norton ard his elder daugh.
ter, the second her sister and myself. The
night was calm and beautiful in its dim-snow
light, and the red glow of the Northern
streamers above our heads flashed and
leaped and quiYered in q thousand brilliant
corruscstions; while strangely and sweetly
through the gray old woods sounded the
clear girlish voices Of the sisters, as from the
different sleighs they sang in alternate stan
zas q of the quaint old ballads of the mid
die ages. At length we reached the banks of
the Tircouaga, which lay between us and
our home, q mirror OF ice, and we at once
commenced its passage. As we swept quickly
on, it seemed to me that some other sounds
mingled with the foot footballs of the horses,
and the chimes oftheir bells-a low threaten
ing mui muir like the echo of a distant temp
est. But Mr.. Norton drove gaily on as if he
either beard it not or thought nothing of it, |
and | dlmissed it from my mind, until, as
we drew near the center of the river, strange
dark spots, like cloud. shadows, began 10
fleck its cleaning surface.
The next instant one appeared right on
Mr.. Nortln's path, and too close for him to
avoid. With a long leap the horse bounded
and as the sleigh was drawn quickly
after, there was a splash that told it struck
against the water. l could see Mr.. Norton
spring huIriedly up.
aBack, back for your livesI' he cried
to US; The ice is breaking up"
| turned to follow his directions, but it
was tee late-tWo or three such spots lay be-
tween US and the bank. ! looked around
were rapidly appearing on every side;
and then l remembered to have heard that
the ice Of the TiTcouaga, like that of several
other Canadian rivers, was tTeacherous, in
cen e4usnce of hot springs in the bed of the
river, which at times burst forth; and that,
particularly in the early part of the Winter,
the morning would see the river covered
with ice, of q hich before evening not a
trace would remain.
PerceiviBg how matters we're, Mr.. Norton
bade US follow him, and quickly, for that
q moment was to be lost; aud then
dashed off at a rapid pace for the opposite
back, leaping the chasms, and speeding
m oupr tbn frnyan pnrHinng a,sr -
by swlttness TO diminish the danger;
and vita the same breathless speed we hast
ened on in his rear.
Meanwhile, larger and more numerous
grew those dark-blue spots, and longer and
more frequent our horses leaps. At length
there came a chasm mine could not venture,
l look cd eagerly round for some more favor
able sPot; but as my eye glanced onwrad, it
feb on cons'a9tly widening water, until it
had gone the circuit; and with a sensation
of sUrPrise and horror | perceived that we
stood upon an ice island from which the
surrounding ice was rapidly re1reatiug,
looked after Mr.. Norton, but, uususDicious
of what a happened, he was still maxi
ing his way with arrOWy speed across the
ice 50 i felt we were left TO our own effort to
escape, and my inter lneXperience rendered /
the chances few indeed, unless we could
sgain draw near enough to the main ice to
leap the space between; and none can tell
how anxiously watched each movement of
our raft as 1t began to yield to the infu-
ence OF the current. But each fathom that
we were swept down the river seemed 10
bear US an equal distance from its lev bor-
ders, and we soon found ourselves floating
on a comparatively Opeu space of water,
and surrounded by numerous ice islets.
ieould almost have echoed poor Aunie's
cry Of agony when the certainty of our posi-
ton tui 81 upon her, 50 fearful was it. Alone
at n1dnighL on a fragment of ice, floating
down a rapid river whose future course /
knew not while on each side stretched tracts
Of crumbllng ice, and beyond them rose
banks OF inaccessible s~steepnessli What
could exceed the Oscillation of such a posi-
ton and what hope could it leave TO us of
hief While 10 complete our misery, we had
fate, but must passively await it's Coming.
How deeply pitiedmy young COMPANION,
as she sat there weeping such bitter tears.
It was hard Tor her to part with life, after
sixteen years Of such bright and ioyous ex.
perience as hers had been hard to Law II
down thus suddenly and fearfully. absent
from All she loved, and yet harder The unre-
solyable Tears for her iather's and sisters
sstetl Which our own danger had awakened,
ItieQ utter words Of consolation ash
WrhpptN tns poor gul in the buffalo robes
ron nc chilly night air that our ihaction
rendered doubly cold. She looked q sad
70 lne bright creature Of the last
few hOurs, whose joyous ballad strains were
yet Lingering in my ears. But when the
first shock was over, poor Annie Struggled
breyely with her grief, and during the re-
mainder Of That long, ereary night of peril
sat- calmly by my side, the most patient
and resigned companion man every had in
Meanwhile the river was bearing Us
on past rocky headlands. and dark
pine forests, waving above lofty cliffs. on 10
ret Wider and sterher regions, where it
femed that even the red man would scarce
itch his Wigwam. Someimes the river
Rept us smoothly along on Tvs broad bosom,
/ Others it contracted into narrower limits,
nd hurried on with d quicker c~nrrent; and
our frail raft was sEayed about BY the
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