The Portland daily press., 1878-08-31

TerHapS Ino oyster fingered IN our waters
until their day, and the quahaug was plenty
Fish must have been their staple summer
| diet. wonder il they knew it was brain
food. If not it was a pity, for they must
have grown wiser than they knew. The sea
fowl were very plenty here, and doubtless
they kept their larders well supplied with
them, and it was not far to paddle to the Fall
mouth woods where deer might be had for
the shooting. Up at the falls of Amoncon-
gin was famous cornfield, where they could
barter their fish for corn, and here was the
spot to procure shells to make the wampum
which was their currency. On the whole,
incline to the belief that they were happy
tribe in this neighborhood, remote from the
fiercer wars of the larger tribes, blessed with
abundance on sea and shore, and inclined to
grow fat as our little squaws and pappooses do
at the present time in the same situation, I
almost incline to think as gaze upon my
fair friends in camp, tanned by wind and
sun, that we have some of the Forest maidens
left among US.
Even now we occasionally see an Indian
canoe padding across the harbor, and feel
moved to ask them about the ancient glories
of their race, but am hindered by the con-
viction that they would not have even a lin
gering tradition of it left, and would only
reply s'Me no stominy." In truth these In
dams now among us are not without adj
vanced ideas, for squaw who was breaking
camp on Cushing's Island one summer sent
to lady in camp close by, offering her
quarter of dollar if she would do up white
skirt for. her. And why not? Mrs. Lo was
living in as good style as her neighbors, and
judged then as she saw them. But the In.
dian is nearly absorbed-a few years more
will see the last of even these occasional sum-
mer visitors to Aucocisco. Then our de-
scendants will look and wonder at old pic
lures of them, as we look at the picture of
the Egyptian soldier who "walked about in
Thebes streets three thousand years ago."
and ogled the pretty maiden with the statu-
esque head dress in the doorway.
should like to know If the young warriors
used to sit with the dark-eyed maidens under
| those old trees in the moonlight and squeeze
their hands. There must have been lots of
chances for counting where they camped out
all the time. These moonlight nights are
charming occasions for long sentimental
walks. Even the children assemble together
| to chat and sing, and we hear ringing
chorus of childish voices chanting
"Now, when they had burned up the old WITCH her
| mother,
The gypsy came by with her own child and t'other:
when she saw her marin burning it reused up her
And she sung that stole baby smack into the fire."
By and by, as 1t gets later, song is struck
up in one of the tents, and the neighbors
flock in and join in the choruses. Singing in
tent always seems jollier than anywhere
else. VIII any of the participants ever forget
the rings that used to be formed in the big
tent at Camp Imloc, and the repertoire of
songs there produced? Although that gay
company is scattered, and have taken up the
burden of life, ana confident that wherever
their lot may be cast they will not fail to
often think of the pleasant moonlight nights
on Cushing's Island in auld lang syne.
When the company breaks up and they 60
out into the night, the moon is beaming SO
calmly beautiful and the stars cleaning SO
serenely bright, that one longs to linger in
the open air, to listen to the rote of the sea.
The old fishermen claim that they can tell
where they are in the harbor in the densest
log by listening to the rote of the waves upon
the shore. Probably they can distinguish
whether the waves are beating against a
rocky shore or upon sandy beach.
No wonder that one dreams, as he goes to
sleep with the sound of the waves in his ears,
that he is still listening to the chorus
"a home, home, a home
By the deep heaving seas