Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-04-30


! accompany tue expedition. and now regret
! tina. VIC did not do SO, as the severe gravity OF
our department would have modified and re-
strained the too exuberant spirits of tue other
members of the party;l
! just before the dusk OF evening on the 10th
day of April, A. ID. IoS2, might hare been
seen vending their way over the summit of a
/ distant hollow, FIVE mounted footnien. They
were clad in the garb of wayfaring men, and
as they journeyed slowly on, the casual OBJ
server chad he been there-but he wasn'D
| could not have failed to mark the deternua-
ton depicted upon each countenance. They
were evidently the descendants o. the old
/ Puritanic stock-sadly degenerated, AID the
object of their journeyings was unveiled in a
mystery which the unraveling of this tale can
only make plain.
| The writer does not design writing a novel
! upon this occasion. but merely wishes to show,
| by way of Introductory, what an excellent
chance there is for one.
! The distant hollow referred to in the
| first chapter, lies between two hills in The vi
| entity of body of water known as Bass
Lake, and the determination of the FIVE
MOUNTED footmen "-Zepheniah. the limo
| cent, Horace, the Cogitator, David, the Vic
| timizer, John, the Afflicted. and Joseph, the
| Obseryer-consisted chiefly, III their desire to
reach the village of Plunl1et in good supper
| time. The apparent contradiction of terms
used is error at all-for when the expedi-
ton started we were mounted OH wagon
| drawn by infantile quadrareds, sometimes
called horses. but as the animals wind soon
failed them, the boys were subjected to work.
ing their passage after the manner of the man
on the raging canal, who walked and led the
team, or the passenger OH the stage coach, who
walked and carried a rail. Therefore, if We
were not =" monnted footmen," the question
| for consideration is. what were we?
| We arrived at Plunket III due time, where
our party was joined by Col. Sam Hartman,
who extended to us the Inequalities of hiN
home. and Lady II. prepared for us repast
/ for which we shall ever feel grateful.
! After supper, a moonlight ride from Punk
/ ct to Huntington, along the banks of that
beautiful stream. Apple River, and the
sweet GU music discoursed by Trio of anna
teur vocalists, under the leadership of David,
with the numerous anecdotes from the inim-
| itatle Colonel, served to revive the spirits
of the whole party and nerve them up for The
new and exciting scenes before them. Our
,rr;,-oI o+ U;,Iou. Witt uot.l ,r,, Lorol IoJ
/ by music and dancing, and with other exli-
billions of great joy, Merely observing that
old and young, large and small contributed
| to the festivities Of the occasion, and that the
| young men before mentioned performed their
part to the entire satisfaction of themselves
that David exercised his victmizing arts to
/ the great discontinue of John-that The
modest innocence of Zepheniah was severely
trifed with-that Horace persisted in cogita-
! ting ways and means for having no sleep
/ till morn that the Colonel oficiated as
Landlord in general and that Joseph observed
| all these things, and more too. it were better
that curtain bc drawn over the scene.
The following morning the expedition
its majestic splendor, wrapped the drapery of
| rain storm about itand disappeared. E That
the last we OF Mr.. Sun Fifteen miles
| through the woods over roads from two to
four feet lii depth, and the main object of the
| expedition was gained A sugar camp was
| discovered Feritable sap-tubs, and no mis-
take! a Norwegian boy and i snail dog
! had set up for themselves in the sugar busi-
ness. The boy was patiently engaged in try
ing to reduce quantity of dirty water, leaves,
chips, ETC., to something that might pass for
maple sugar; but, Judging from Specimen of
| syrup which he rendered US to eat, the chances
were against aim.
This young Norman was fine specimen Of
his race, and it grieved us exceedingly TO see
/ him seduced from the path of r. ctitude and
| sobriety by one of our party who protested
to be Temperance Reformer. He had no
conception of the use to which Lager is adapt
| ed, or its effects on the human system, and
when the D." flown bowl" (igurative for tin
cup) was handed him by Horace, he shook
| his head and said: "me not understand. +"
! By various motions and illustrations of the
manner in which the beverage was to be taken
inwardly, he was finally induced TO take the
fatal draft" which he did after the manner
of child swallowing Epson Salts-with his
eyes shut, and without stopping TO breathe.
The effort, as might be supposed, cleo
trical. aud his elated spirits prompted him to
remark, it ish goet" Now we do not wish
! TO moralize upon this case, nor ruminate upon
the chances of his becoming an habitual
| drunkard," but merely to remark how much
! better it would have been for Horace to have
recommended to the young man, that he
quench his thirst from the cooling sap-tub-
as Good Ismplars are 'front.' TO do!
After taking lunch, we proceeded on to
Lem Harsaman's camp, a few miles beyond.
Lem has bush of a Thousand trees, and ev-
erything about his camp was in apple-pie Or
der. He kindly invited US to put up with
him, and we did so without further ceremony.
| Before the horses were fairly tethered. Lem
had made arrangements for "sngdring off,"
and David, Zepheniah. and Horace commence
! ed the manufacture of wooden spoons, which
| they afterwards used, as the Colonel truth