The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-10-28
BRAXTON'S BAR.
\ tale of Pioneer years in California.
By Il. NJ. DAGGErT.

This tale, written by His ExceIlency. the Min
lister Resident at Honolulu, carries with it the
evidence OF being to a large extent. ii description
OF the personal experience OF the writer. 1t Is
the story OF one III love with the scenes aud
characters he describes, aud who bears with
HIM the aroma of the land portrayed, .sin the
folds of his .arlnents."
The SlnSle-handed march o! one of the heroes
OF the story, known at first ~ lark BRIGGS.
across the great American desert, from the
banks Of the Missouri to the Golden Gate. Is
the feature oi chief interest in this entertaining
story.
America has material in her history for none
than one epic, but no event will afford snci, rich
material for tho future poet as the overland
exodus for FL Dorado. in 1919. Then tlr.. red
Indian and the big named bison in abui..lance,
made the great plains an arena, frau.h; with
varied adventure and danger. 1t was Il bold ell
terpriSe IN those days for II numerous and well
armed train to lead their cattle through the
desert to the golden shores: hut for one unaiGed
man to risk his life in IA tramp of months
through a land where law wae unknown. and
hatred of his race prevailed, showed not only IA
dauntless heart, but au Intelligent soul OF I'M
bounded resources. Such an adventure may
vie with that of Ulysses. and rs the ancient
Ithacan meets at q time of desperate strait i
beauteous \ auslca who ministers to his needs,
so our overland hero meets with AN attractive liz
tie Indian Ootoo, who trusts her life in his
hands and helps to preserve his. Such incidents
will be the charm of the future epic.
The story will please the pioneers of the
Golden hegira--there are some of them here
who like to fight their attles over again-to
camp once more upon the ''crusted alkaline
waters where unchalienoed silence reipns'-to
listen to as they lay reposing by n camp fire and
Watching the stars, to the howl of the furnished
wolves that were tearing open the shallow grave
where some pioneer WAS taking his last rest to
ford again the brackish streams of the plains
and to agonlze with thirst over their provoking
waters; TO chase the buffalo and the antelope on
the prairie, and to meet the dreId grizzly in the
sorges OF the mountains. and whilst catering for
their harder in the desert to have to meet the
issue OF LIE and death with the red man-all
this is fresh in the memory of every adventurer
of those stirring times, and the autho, of Brax-
tons Bar revlves the past with racy description
and life-like story.
This is a live book. The author has lived the
life he portrays. He may inscribe over his story
the words OF the ancient hero, 50 .Ha snd pars
fui.' And hs shows himself not only a brave
adventurer, but IA generous hearted and philo-
sophical observer, and in illustration of the latter
statement, 1t Is pleasant to quote the following
noble words about his red brother of America =
I'm the wilderness of its grand old forest - 1.-THE
wilderness of the great Vest - he reared his wig.
wan and marked his trails. He speared the pike
along the shallow rifles of its waters. and made
light the labors of the chase b. watching the deer
ticks from the branches of the neighboring oaks,
He had but to stretch forth his hand to feed his
children, canopled with green and gold and while
his cribs were stored with the maize of the valley.
the rad deer came almost at his bidding, a sacrifice
to his wants. The warm breath of summer tanned
to a darker brown the ochre of his uncovered limbs,
which the rich velvet of the otter shielded from the
winters blast, while his buckskin Iuocassins, CANDY
with the dyes of harks, and beadsd with the quilts
OF birds and porcupine, made noiscless as that of
the panther his step through the thicket. The
y,onnS bear was the plaything of his wigwam. and
the soaring eagle the sport of his culver. The
earth and its fullness we're his, and the shadow of
want never crossed his path. The graves of his
fathers were around him, and in the whirlwind he
heard the voice of his God. Eagle plumed, and
helmeted with courage, he walked a deity through
the forests, and it need not be wondered that his
heart was rent, and desperation nerved his arm
when his bearded conquerors drove him from the
land he had so long defended, and tie graves which
had become the affairs of his sacrifice
The author of such words is a fitting repre-
sentative of the noblest spirit of America in the
land of Kamahameha,