The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-04-11
FLOR the Sunday Sentinel.i
PANCAKE JACK AND THE DEAD
TRAPPER.
BY cHAssEuR.

By cHAssEUR.
We had ''toted" our camp equipage
through the woods and over the plains into
a region of ponds and lakes lying on the di-
vide between the headwaters of Thunder
Bay river and of Big creek a tributary of
the north branch of the Au Sa-
BILE. Ours was the first party which
had ever pitched tent in this region
solely for the purpose OF hunting and fish
ing for the sport Of il. | and Pancake Jack,
a trapper who was acting as our guide, had
taken long and laborious tramp through
the woods in search of venison
but our search had proved fruit
less one, and now the night
having come on, we had gathered around
the camp fire and we're smoking our pipes
and talking over the events of the day and
laying plans for the morrow. The prospect
was not cheerful. True, our tent was
pitched on the margin of picturesque lake,
beneath the shadow of a forest of tall Nor
way pines through whose branches the
wind was heard moaning the live long night,
and our fire of pine knots was casting a
bright and cheerful light far beyond where
we were We had just partaken of our hun
ter cheer, and we were in a region where
the gamiest of bass literally swarmed
in the lakes. where numerous
deer fed in the marshes. and an
abundance of bear hid in the thickets. We
had sought for just such place, but now,
when actually in il, we realized the truth Of
the sentiment,
"Man never is, but always to be blest"-
for the cook had just startled the camp
with the information that the bottom of our
-four sack had been reached. What were we
TO do? There was no danger of actual star
vation-we all knew that; but must we
leave tent, blankets and all, and walk out
to the railroad, a distance of fifty miles? or
would we, like the prehistoric man, of
which Lubbock, Lyell and other learned
men write about, live on the product of the
chase alonef
The chaplain, and the cook, and the young
ster, deprecated either course Fresh from
school, and unacquainted with the hardships
of life, they were ready to bewail the sad
misfortune which had overtaken them and
to wish themselves safe at their homes.
Pancake was lying upon his side looking
contemplatively into the fire, his bronzed and
weather tanned face all aglow with the
white light of the resinous pine, while old
Frank, his bushy tailed dog and companion,
was lying with his nose resting upon his fore
paws, looking between dozes reverently at
his master. ut is bad, amt it, old dog2"
Jack said, and the dog gave flirt of his ugly
tail, by way of an answer. Eyes il is bad, /"
continued the trapper, but we have seen
much harder times than this Don't you
remember the time the wolves got after us,
old fellowr and the dog raised his head and
gave two flops OF his tail Jack now passing
his hand over his eyes as if endeavoring to
shut out the recollection of dismal scene
removed his pipe from his mouth, and sit
ting upright looked thoughtfully tor some
moments into the fire, and in a sort of re-
proving tone, said: "Boys, you know
nothing about it. Even old Frank here
~ EWNfn hat
'em though. I've been with 'em, and il all
happened before old Frank was pup-least-
ways before we were friends. 1t was ever so
many years ago, and do you know il hap
pened over therer' and the speaker pointed
in the direction of the largest lake of the
cluster. 'Old Frank knows where
it is but he wasn't there then.
you never will know the like" And as the
dog raised'upon his launches and dropped
his ears Pancake patted him affectionately
on his head, while he lazily Topped his
great ugly tail up and down on the dry pine
leaves.
Our curiosity was now fully aroused, and
the cook and the youngster both clamored
for the story, which their acquaintance with
the trapper led them to believe that he
could so well tell, and Jack responded as
follows:
Il can't tell a story, boys, like it's writ
IN the books and the papers. Old Frank
here knows that, for many time when
we've been showed up and couldn't go to
the traps, I've read TO him stories from
print, and while il kinder seemed to me
that the clean fur of them stories
wasn't equal to some of my own, vet
for somehow / could never show the
real fur that was onto mine, and
don't reckon kin do il tonight; but If the
judge there will only write il out and put in
the big words, I'll warrant it IL show up by
the best of 'em.
You see it was onto the close of the war
Wed tit TO free the niggers, and / was bound
to be no mans id niger myself and so
said would go to the woods There want
no railroad runnin' up here into Michigan
then, and no mossbacks squattin' around
None O. you fellows with your fine tents and
burned old shot guns and tinted poles and
reels, and the like, had ever thought Of COM
in up here then. The place was a wild
was a-a-howlin' wilderness like. and
i had never been here myself, nor
had old Frank 1 expect he was
hardly a pup yet, but il he was he was a
churnin' butter and doin' other niggers'
work, poor fellowl How they did impose
on him! No wonder he run Off and come
TO mel
"But let that pass. came to Saginaw and
i soon found a young man was lookin' for
pardner to come up here and trap. and him
and me jined giblets and agreed TO come at
wunst We went on a steamer up to the
Sable on the shore. and there hired chap
70 tote our dunnase and our traps over 70 Tie