Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-03-26

companion WIFI us, VIC Stlaii leei suIef Oh
reaching that school of big trou. | told
you of, if we have him for company
There is another reason, that | am not
ashamed to mention, aud you are well
come to tell him if it will do you any
good-my mouth waters for taste of
bis native grape wine before breakfast;
he makes thirty or forty barrels of it
yearly, from the wild grape of the Mis-
sissippi bottoms, and has brought the
wine to NEAR about" perfection. A
box of bottles filled from his best win.
tage of it will be somewhere in his load
of traps, and so far as | am concerned.
the ceremonies of greeting when he
comes will be very brief till have found
where he hides it. According to my
reckoning, the storm halted him last
night somewhere this side of the coun-
ty seat, aud he will be here in half an
lour If he drives to this Joint TO meet
us. You will find him quiet, slight
framed, modest man, with gray eyes
that denote power and purpose, and
soul that warns slowly but surely to his
friends, and with step and motion that
show refinement, neatuess, and self re-
specting honesty. His life at home is
full of grape growing and bee culture,
pianos and sheet music; but he loves the
woods, and is crack shot and fine fish.
erman, good smoker, handy with n
jack knife, and pleasant companion all
round. The Chippewas to the north
ward of Lake Superior. hundred years
ago, used these words when adopting a
white man as brother warrior, favor
extended only to those who had given
to the chiefs good proofs of wisdom and
valor Master of Life, view us we'll !!
We receive among us brother who APP
pears to have sense. shows strength in
his arm, and does not refuse his body to
the enemy This will do for the recep-
ton of Nichols. on the "present ca
sion," as the colored orator says, with.
out the further ceremony of steaming
him and imprinting the " o-tem" on his
breast. And there lie comes sure
enough, slowly urging his gentle beast
and one horse wagon down to the ford
on the other side of tho river Ii is
likely that tho sight of the river does
him good, and that he thinks he has
struck more proper gait this morning
than when he rode to the front on "Old
BIackie" to halt the cavalry bummers in
the swamps Of Arkansas.
We will shake hands with our friend,
and rs soon rs his horse is cared for, an
swer the call to breakfast, and Try the
dozen plump trout you captured before
the shower last evening, and which, in
the ice-cold spring (sunk in tin pail,
but the trout themselves kept out of wa.
teri have kept all their freshness and fla.
vor unimpaired. With all the music we
have heard this morning, there is moth.
ing pleasanter at this moment of keen
appetite than the sound of their frying,
Mrs Hicks rolls them in fine Indian meal
and drops them one after another into
hot butter, and the smell of them is bet
Ter than common meal of victuals.
Our friend. true to his generous instincts
and conformaby to what he knows is ex-
pec;ed of him, produces from his wagon
sample of that native beverage, and
we "notice" our good opinions of him
in hearty "swig" of " Nichols best"
This is the cup which " checrs but not
inebriates," and we satisfy ourselves that
if the art that produced it is transmitted
to posterity, the coming man will surely
drink wine. Our ancient friend who
built the temple on the top of Mount
Moriah. and who charged his workmen
TO I" look not upon the wine when it is
red" might have distributed such bev-
erage without fear that they would con-
vert the means Of refreshment into that
of intemperauce and excess. They would
have had too much respect for the man
who made it, to do that.
/ see that Nichols has come with his
wall tent and usual supply of camping
utensils. He proposes that we move up
to the mouth of Cave Creek, two or
three miles above, with his team, and
there abide for one or two days. The
breezes, together with the sunshine, have
dried off the wet bushes, and we may as
well jog leisurely along up the river road,
riding or walking rs the whim affects us.
The trip will doubtless have no features
of special interest, except as we find en-
joyment in the fresh air. the fragrant AMI
green woods, the wild flowers, the lovely
riyer,-which flows by the roadside. and
which we shall ford several times-thc
music of birds, and the hum of insects.
OF these refreshments we never shall get
enough. There is one insect that is
commonly found on fishing grounds,
whose absence here we have no regrets
for. That is the mosquito. 1t is too
early in the season for his music in these
parts. An occasional deer fy may light
Oh your hands when fishing. but there
cannot be very fierce ones yet. Later in
the season-tte latter part of July. per-
haps; possibly sooner-there will be
plenty of them, as well rs the mosquito
and hateful little black gnat. l can fish
among all of them except the gnat with
ont flinching, but person of sensitive
cutcle had better come here, rs we do
now, in June, and the earlier in June the
better.
We hear the whrr of ruffed grouse
frequently rs we startle them from their
thickets. In the fall of the year they
are abundant in these woods and n mar