Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-09-28


other. The foremost was the tallest and
stateliest red man that I had ever seen, and
satisfied my ideal of warrior or chief. He
was said to be ninety years old. He
walked with a long staff, and was smok-
ing peculiar pipe, of long slender bowl,
which he had probably fashioned himself
AS he met me, his salutation was very
gracious. He paused, drew from his
pocket portmonnaie, opened it, elabo-
rately searched every corner, and finally
turned it inside out, to evince to me that
it was empty-smiling broadly the while,
as though he appreciated the humor of
the scene. He made some heathenish
sounds, which his companion, stout
middle-aged man with a pail of blueber-
ries for sale, interpreted to mean that he
would Ike to have me give him ten cents.
The handsome old savage was scarcely
through with me, when another passen-
ger happened along, and ne rendered him
a more elaborate homage. Sinking upon
his knees, he laid down his staff, and ex-
tended his hand. Then again he produc-
ed the port-monnaie, and appealingly dis
closed it's understanding broadly, as
before. These Indians live about eighteen
miles away, and are accustomed to come
up to the mines to sell fab and berries.
About three a. m, thirty-six hours from
Duluth, $40 miles We were at Marquette,
Mich, place that looks very busy and
thriving. 1t is the gate to the iron region
(the principal mines are twenty miles dis
tant) as Houghton is the gate to the cop
per. The temperature, which had been
pretty severe, began to soften soon after
we rounded the Kewcenaw Point. Three
or four hours west of Marquette. we pass
ed the Pictured Rocks, but were too far
away to far away to enjoy them much
ST. MARY's RIVER.
Late in the afternoon, after little more
than two days steaming, we entered the
St. Mary's river, 455 miles 10y our COURSE
from Dulnth. Six miles below, we came
to the canal, three-euarters Of mile long
around the Falls of St. Mary, and at the
foot of this, of Sault Ste. Marie, we lay
until morning, as the navigation OF the
river by night is attended with too much
danger. Our oanal-ton was 1924. This
convenience is owned by the United
States government.
Sault Sainte Marie is place. of resort,
and in its various aboriginal, quaint and
romantic features, there is no slight at
traction Excellent fishing is offered,
Dat amidst the crazy rapids yonder,
where you would suppose navigation
to be entirely impraoticable, there
are four or five birchbark canoes, each
containing two Indians they are catch
ing white fish. They manage their crnft
with poles. They push about until they
discover a number of fish below rock,
when the man in the stern of the canoe
holds it in position while the other lays
q side his pole and takes up the scooP-aet'
Then the former allows the boat to run
down stream, while the latter sweeps the
spot with the net, and brings up the
shining fl n. 1t is affirmed that the white
fish caught here are of better quality than
those caught elsewhere. I saw our stew
ard buy thirty pounds of them for dol
lar and a half As you stroll among the
canoes and habitstions of the fishermen,
YOU notice some Fl al that are in process of
curing. Their sides have been deeply
gashed orosswise, and they now lie on al
sort of lattice underneath which is q
smouldering fire You may notice that
another kind of fish has been prepared by
simFly peeling the backbone from the
flesh, without gashing the sides. In lG4l
village of 1000 Chippewas was found
at this place. The population now is Of
whites. reds and half-brseds. At many
of the shops, there are specimens Of ludi-
an manufacture for SUI, but tEey are
mostly Of inferior quality. One dealer
told me that in twenty minutes, while a
boat was waiting one morning, he sold
sixty dollars worth Of fancy bnhkets The
prices range from twenty cents TO ore
dollar. lie said he had no one to help
bim.or be could have sold more. Some If
the little covered baeke's are filled with
maple sugar of Indian mska,-a cute idea.
Do YOU know the Indiau way of getting
sap /? They cut cash in tie tree, drive
into it splinter or chip FOR spou') and
catch the fluid in a vessel Of tirch-hark
They sell most of their sugar at big
factory down the river that is labelled
RASPBERRY jam" considerable part
Of it they tuy blck in the course Of the
year, am told.
The Iua DOWN the st. M4ry'ri4 iaterest
ing. There are clusters of little habitations
here and there, with little patches of til
lage but for the most part, the shores
are woody and wild. TIE course to be
taken by boats is bounded on one side by
black buoys and on the other by red ones.
There are no light houses. In the lower
section of the river many islands appear.
One near the mouth, St. Joseph's, is great
" historic. There ere traces of fort on
it which dates back some two hundred
wears. Our captain reminded me that
Fort St. Joseph was the headquarters Of
the Indians who, in behalf of the British,
fought in the vicinity of Detroit, under
the celebrated Teoumseb, in 1612-13 The
St. Mary'a river is little over sixty miles
long.
LAKE HURON.
At II a. NJ, we pass the La Tour light,
and enter Lake Huron. Since leaving
Lake Superior, we have descended some
'+v-two feet, Huron being SIS feet above
.hns<. The lake is broader than Super
49, hn+ aorter, it being 252 miles by 100,
.m,.tri,ds IS large as Super or. lts
son.b ia the a'me. Our course is along