The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-04-28

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hundred men would gather at single
shanty where there were not accommoda-
tions for more than forty. The cooks
skill in providing for their wants would be
taxed to its utmost capacity, and for lack
of sleeping-room the night was often
passed in story and song.
| Provisions had to be bauled long dis
tances, and were not always of the best.
There was hard work to be done, and pri-
vations to be endured, and, there was ex-
element and novelty, but generally speak
ing, the life of the Minnesota pioneer lum-
herman was very like what it is at the
present day.
INDIAN DEsTITUTIoN.
The winter had been cold and severe.
The snow was deep, and heavily encrust-
ed. In our camp in the Minnesota woods
the work Of chopping, saving and hauling
went on as usual, for the lumbermen ex-
pect. and are prepared for all changes OF
weather.
Indians often came to our camp begging
for food, and telling woeful tales of suffer-
ing and restitution at their, camps. We
did not give entire credence to these sto-
ries, for Indians are not always reliable,
when on begging thoughts intent. But
when horse that had died ut our camp
had been carted away, was found to have
been carried off almost entire, and mecca
sin tracks were found to be plenty around
few of us, out of curiosity, thought we
would make Investigations.
Arrived at one wigwam, we found the
Indians seated or lying contentedly
around, smoking or doing. A dinner was
boiling over the fire, and quantity OF
meat, which we knew by the size of the
bones, and other marks to be the carcass
of our dead horse, were hanging around.
Noticing our glances in that direction, the
Indians were profuse in their exclama-
tions that it was "venison." with which
they were so abundantly supplied.
We pursued our Investigations further,
and in so doing found restitution indeed,
such as we had not dreamed of. We ar
rived at lonely wigwam, where we found
a squaw and two or three pappooses, and
all had starved, haggard look There
was also young squaw in the last stage
of consumption. We were told that all
the food they had in camp was about
quart of rice, and that this must be kept
for the sick squaw-that the braves had
been absent three days hunting, but that
they had been out many times during the
winter without bringing back game-that
two children had already died of starva-
tion, and it did not seem that much more
privation would be required to bring a
like fate to the others.
When would the hunters returnY Would
they bring food, or would they return
empty-handed7 We did not wait for
these questions to be answered, but re.
turned to our camp, from which we sent
a supply of our own food, sufficient for
present necessities.
And that night we sat down and pom
dered over the woes of "Lo, the poor In.
dian"
THREB HUNDRED MILES TO POST OFFICE
In these days Of rapid transportation
when daily mail is called too slow, and
the stage obsolete, it is difficult to COZ
ceive of the condition of the pioneer lu..
herman, in the depth Of the pine woods,
far removed from civilization, with post
Office three hundred miles away. Yet
such was the situation in which they were
placed. t
We will imagine long line of tote
teams" las the teams are called that haul
supplies into the lumber woods,) leaving
the camps, and the last injunction is
"Don't forget to bring my mail" or "Be
sure and enquire if there are any letters
for me-" Days and perhaps weeks must
elapse before these teams will return to
camp. Deep buried in the pine-woods,
shut out from all outward life, changes
great and important go on unheeded, and
unknown. Nations may war, rulers may
die, panics, political discords, changes in
Office, all may occur, and all, after time,
lose their interest, so far removed do they
seem, and belonging to such q different
life. The interest of the lumberman be-
comes narrowed down to the circle Of his
own life, and that Of his own family and
friends-those who care enough for him
to send him letter now and then.
And these letters, and perhaps q few
papers, with their month old news, are ca
gerly read and re-read with undiminished
interest. There's the wife's letter to her
husband, full Of interesting accounts Of
home and its inmates. There is the moth
er's letter to her absent son, with its low
ing words Of counsel and advice, and last,
but not least, those world-over treasured
missions the love-letters. And when these
letters are received the breezes seem to
hymn softer song, the resinous pines to
watt a sweeter odor, and all things to be
pleasanter than before.
But If they fail to come. If the team
ster whilst bringing freight of provisions
and clothing to supply the bodily wants,
has forgotten or neglected to bring this
freight Of love, IL he has lost it on the
way, or II, from other causes it fails to
come, as he thinks Of the many days that
must elapse before another team will ar
rive from the outer world, how weary
seems his work, how lonely the pine
woods, and it will not be strange IL home
sickness takes possession Of him as he