Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-02-03

I tracted and bloody struggle; but the igsue Is
not doubtful. viii sing Of mercy as wen as
Of judgment. The God Of nations viii be on
our side. We triA noi fear for oar faiursi
THE SKATERS DOOM.
We bad east our lot, my twin-bro'hsr and
Z myself, ini the toughest township OF Upper
I Canada. Twenty years are in their graves
since then--twenty years, rung out aad rung
I In bV the clsng Of the woodman's ax-and still
the township lies in the heart Of itB primsval
forest. Clotted woods overhaug the solitary
Z villsge composed OF a few l0g-huts, nigh "
drenched as with death sweat with malaria
Of the swamp. But We came young and i'm
I pressionabie from the cid country, on a ven
I lurous quest after fortunesin the bush, and the
disbeveled wilderness Of tblcksthad its charms
for us,
A river ref TIE huge tangle Of the woods,
with its dark sluggish waters, which crept and
oozed in among decsged trees on either side.
Z Banks taere were none, and the bleaehed skei-
7 elons Of the rotten trees alone marked OF the
camel Of the river from this dark fen, fetid
I with myriad impurities. Such was the aspect
Of the melancholy Scugog. Our village was
| BY no means a large one. The scattered huts
/ which made it up had been knocked together
T by sprinking OF hardy pioneers on a solitary
7 bluff which repeiled the riVer from its base, and
D
T tage over the surrounding swamp. There was
I not, however, much cleared ground-nsy, very
little everywhere we were hemmed in BY bat
talon after battalion Of nonotonous trees.
I Not all the pioneer chivairY of the world could
cut an open way through their ranks. Like
brave hearts on battlefield, Jyhen one serfied
( line fell, lol another had arisen in their place.
As for our fell0w-settlsTs, We found them Of
piece with the countTy--rough and hardy, as
d fhnu nHnr n hn srf1n frrcn frr
colonizsd the ScugOg.
We were twins, Jack and I, but otherwise
unlike. he was hne fellew; 1 acknowledged
bis supremacy, and rsioicsd in bis bold, free
spirit. From his childhood be had been the
nest impulsiye creature that ever pointed a
moral fer headl0ng youth. Ever 10 scrapes
and difficulties, 5;st never to his dishonOT, Jack
fought one-hslf of his acqaaintances into low
ing bin, which the rest did Of their free will;
and my heart 10 warns invouDtarily toward
the wild, impulsive bOv, with bis headstrOng
soul all agog Tor mischief.
confess was somewhat dismsyed BY the
aspect Of our new country. Fresh from the
sunny lances Of Kent, and the loved circle at
home, could it be otherwise But as for JACK,
be was in Taptures With everything that dis
quieled ne. Nothing was more chsrmingiy
romantic than cur bat on the bluff, and no river
could equal the brown, bankiess, melancholy
Scugog.
We die not settle down to the regulation
life Of a settler all at once we determined TO
sip the nectar OF Ike on the Scugog, If indeed,
there was any Of that ambroisal drausht to be
drained in'the. township. The fascination Of
the swift canoe kept rs almost constantly on
the dark, mysterious river, and, in truth
there was scarcely any other outlet from our
dwelling save Cn its waters. By day, we flshed
and we shot from our frail skifs and by
night, when the moon was Up, we would pad
die them in her silVery wake.
have said that a tew rough settlers formed
our society on the Scugog; among them were
some half-breeds-a speciessof degenerate In
dian-who had sunk from the dignity Of for
est life 10 the servitude and buleting OF the
white settlers. They were lazy, good-for-
nothing fellows, except in the matter OF fish
ing or shooting, wherein they were proheients.
We found them useful in giving instruction in
the csnoe-life Of our river home. I preferred,
for my own part, TO 60 pretty much BY myself
on our watering excursions. Jack, however, !
had no such idea Of placid enjoyment aud
speedily leaving me to ny aquatic reveFies, I
be hired a hang-dog looking scountrel, named 1
Oiier, to assist him in the management Of his |
canoe. / am no great disciple Of Lavater, |
bot I never liked that half-breed. All these |
dregs Of IHdian nobility are saliow, biear-eyed !
creatures, with a world OF cunning, but this l
fellow was chief Of them all for every,repulsive |
t.
about bis new serVitOr be was a match for !
half dozen, twenty fellows like Olier, he /
said and it was all right, and ! was not to
bother my head about him
It was getting late in the fall, the Indian |
summer-thst beautiful cam Of loveliness-
had restored to Us in eva8escent beauty the I
giories Of a Canadian autumn. The forests
were as gay with colors as herald's tabard, I
and the air was yet balmy with the lingering
sweetness Of summer One exquisite evening,
born Of one OF these lovely days, I was list
iessly smoking as lay on the top Of the bluff,
yacantiy sketching home landscapes in the
dark Scugog, rolling beneath. A canoe shot
round tie bend Of the river below tue village;
it was padded by solitary figure, shO turned
out 10 be Jack. / knew he bad gone down the
Scugog to fish along with OlieT; but now no
half bre ad'squatted in the opposite end Of the
canoe. A vague dread seized upon INC as Jack,
running his little bark sheer up the banE,
sbouldered his paddle and marched up to ms.
" How now, Jack, what have you done with
your charming comp p3ninn ?' / inquired, dis
guising ny eonisctural fear.
90 Cad, I don't know" replied ny brother,
sitting down, oriental fashion, beside Ine.
" Not know 2"
NO. a BIZ, j" was bis answer. " How should
be acquainted vita all the ins and outs Of
that Rosamond'a Bower 20 Here be indicated
as much force with his arm as would have
made a few thousands Of the bower in ques-
tion.
ROb, I perceive; he is gone tracking deer,
or something OF that sort" said ], Immensely
relieved By Jacks manner. There was a slight
pause. by fears returned; felt there Pas
something wrong.
Well" said Jack, "I'il tell YOU; I don't
see why there need be any secret about it. |
You were quite right about that Olier-yOu
were. He's a good-for-nothing fellow, and |
quite coolIy refused this afternoon to paddle |
me when Iwanted to 90 down the river little |
farther than usual.7
"And you -
"I ran the canoe upoi. a yard of bank |
whether an island or not I cannot tel-gave |
the insolent rascal a good bastinado with the /
paddle, and set him sshore."
Good heavens - I exclaimed with horror, |
" don't you know, Jsck-hagent yOu sense |
enough to undsrstand-that these Indian fell /
lows are vindictlve TO The last degree-.hat |
they never forget or forgive a blow? ?"
"Poohp said be, getting up quite meTily, [
and marching homewsrd, So wing over bis /
shoulder, COB, don't you bother yourself. |
Olier will be down on sIs marrow-bones TO- /
morrow, see il be isn't. Besides, owe him /
half dolar.n
Tomorrow came, uBfuitial With the half |
breeds submission. The story got abroad /
among The huts, and the old settlers who knew /
their man, shook their heads ON nously, and /
boded no good to my impu,sive brother. How /
ever, two days passed harmlsssly, during /
which jack and / fshed and shot together. /
Oher bad bot resppearei, and I began to |
breathe more freely. Dcpbtess be had left /
the district. He was an unsettled fellow at /
any rate, and had no property or tie in the /
village to tempt his stay.
Twenty miles below the village the dark |
Scogog whitens into rapids, and is hurled |
with gigantic power over a lefty precipice. |
had often wished 10 8se the falis, but j. had /
been hitherto impossible 10 accomplish the /
distance by my single arm. At last my wish /
was to be g-atiIed. A shooting party was I
made up b. some Of the villagers, and at my |
urgent request I was included The arrange
ment was to spend a night At the falls, camp |
ing out on The bank, and returning the next |
day. Instead 81 canoes, We were to sail |
down in a large, 1at bottomed boat, termed, /
in Canadian parlsnce, a scow. Strange 70 !
say, Jack did not care about going, saying !
that be would enjoy himself more 10 bis own /
canoe; and as we were already crowded for |
room, we did not press bin to chang his rese-
luton.
Our expsdi ion had little 10 it noteworthy.
The river, for over twenty miles sail, remain
ed the same msnotonous, melancholy scugog, |
never varying for the space Of hand. Nots
vestige Of clearance was there between our
village and the fails, not a glimpse Of bank.
The trees lined the waters Ike a wsib and
save the wild game, no one ever tried to force
q way through their close knit ranks, woofed
at lta base By a tangle Of unWbolesome YER
dure. This aspect had stern reason fer re-
membering. The only bright thing was the
patch Of cloudess blue sky seen at the next
extremity Of this long reach OF wood and wa
ter Over all brooded the intensest silence.
No bird thrilled us a single song; and still,
saws for the lugubrious woodpecker, which,
perched on a rotten tree, hammered its hollow
sides with It's beak. Tap, tap, tap; Il was a
most unearthly sound.
We had seen the stupendous falls in their
lonely msiesty, and were steering homeward
10 our seow. As we nearei the village again,
distant only some i've or six miles, the sun
vas sinking behind the tree-hoFlzon. A slight
blue haze batbed the long reaches OF The river
with ineifable s0itness and beauty. We voy-
aged on a liquid field OF cloth Of gold. But
ever and again marring my intense perception
{ Of its loveliness, cane the CHASTITY tap, tap Of
I the w0odpecker. I could no. resist a chilly
sensation Of horror as ] listened to the meas
ured cadence, schoing through the solitude.
/ Il sounded like a cofin-maker hammering at
/ his dismal task. relief suggested itself.
/ Some Of ny companions were French Cana
! q. 4