Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-01

OF rain sweeps over the mountains, and You
hear the roaring Of waterfalls in the deep
and dark ravfnes; the clouds disappear, and
YOU now and anon catch glimpees, over
the tops Of the trees. of the distant and apua-
rentiy level country where you spent the pre-
ceding day: and one pull more, when, In the
midst OF snow-stOrm, you reach the door Of q
rude tavern just below the summit Of the noun
tain. Here. where silence and solitude would
seem TO reign. your ears are startled by much
shouting and the lowing Of many cattle and yOu
escape from the coach to find an immense herd,
driven by score of stalwart men on horseback,
on the way to an eastern market. from the rich
farming lands of the west. Another dinner with
venisOn and quail; fresh supply of horses; and
now for downward drive towards the western
horizon. The brakes are applied to the wheels.
and the horses have II all their own way; the
forest trees grow larger as you descend, and
anon. as the coach grOans in every fiber while
sweeping past a terrible precipice. the boldest
traveller holds his breath; onward and downward.
and the skv is clearing away; fresh horses and
another glorious stampede; and at sunset.
again, you have reached wide and peaceful
valley watered by one of the tributaries of the
Ohio Such. good reader, is fragment from
the times Of the days OF old when the American
mail-cOach was in its prime"
Louis Gamache, of ARticosti" sketch of a
noted character, Creported a freebooter and
shores the bay of Gamache, on the island of An
ticosti. in the gulf Of st. Lawrence, took its
name contains some entertaining anecdotes, of
which the following is one:
"A young pilot had been driven by stress of
weather into the Bay of Gamache He had
heard much OF the supposed freebooter and
nothing but desperate state of things would
have induced him to seek refuge in that partic-
uiar bay. A short time after he had dropped
anchor. Gamache came out in small boat and
invited the pilot to his house. Most reluctantly
was the invitation accepted. but manifestation
OF courage was deemed necessary. When the
guest entered the dwelling and saw the walls of
each room completely covered with guns, pis-
tolls. hatchets, cutlasses and harpoons his fears
were excited to the highest, degree. Gamache
observed all this, but only enjoyed the strangers
CONSERVATION. smoking supper was placed
upon the table, but even the moose lip and
beavers tail were only enjoyed by one Of the
party-the nerves OF the other Quivered with ex-
element, and his thoughts were bent upon the
tale that would be told respecting his fate He
made a display of gaiety. When the evening was
waxing late, he arose to depart, and with mani
field expressions Of thankfulness he offered his
hand to the host No, no ! my friend said Ga
mache, you must not leave here, the sea is
rough and the night Is cold add wet, and you
cannot leave the bay. have comfortable bed
up stairs. and Tomorrow you may go-f still
alive The last words sounded like q knell, and
up into the chamber of death, as he supposed,
ascended the pilot You may sleep continued
Gamache 'as long and soundly as you can; your
bed is soft. for it is made of the down of birds
myself have killed, for l am good shot, and
never miss my game For while the pilot
guest found 1t impossible to quiet his nerves or
to obtain any sleep; but nature finally gave away
and he fell into dose, which was anything but
refreshing. As the clock struck twelve he was
startled by noise. and opening his eyes there
stood Gamache by the bedside with candle in
one hand and gun in the other. i see you are
awake. said he, but why 80 very pale? You
have heard. undoubtedly, that am in the habit
Of
and. hanging the gun upon two wooden pegs, 8
have come to give you settler for the night
With this remark he displayed bottle of brandy
and tumbler, and after drinking the health of
the pilot. handed him the glass and continued ::
There. take pull 1T will make you sleep
soundly, and il Gamache comes to attack you
during the night. you can defend yourself with
the loaded gun hanging over your head And
thus the joke ended. When morning came the
storm had disappeared, and the pilot and his
host were quite as happy as the day was bright. :"
MIR. Lanman is native of Monroe, Michigan,
where he was born in 1919, and though now
nearly siXty-three years Of age. has the appear
ance of much younger man. He has published
many books in this country and England, one of
the earlier volumes having been "A Canoe Vow
age up the Mississippi" and the best of them be-
ing variations of exploits in the wilds of the
United States and British America Some of his
books have been fayorites of Charles Dickens,
Washington Irving and other famous authors
anu Hieu. ne WAS private secretary OF Daniel
Webster for year OF two before the great states
mans death, and has held many minor Offices
under the government, having been librarian Of
copyrights in the State department librarian of
the House of Representatives, examiner of de-
positories under President Pierce, &c. Since
1871. when, at the suggestion Of the late Profess
sOr Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute he pre-
pared for the first japanese minister work on
Life and Resources in America, "fOr translation
and publication in Japan, he has held the posi-
ton OF American secretary of the Japanese le-
cation. He has for many years lived at George
town, in pleasant home, full of books and
pictures, many of them being his own paint
ings-fOr he is clever and industrious painter
as well as writer-thOugh he has not few
original productions Of the chief American, Eng
fish and French artists of the time in both
water-colOr and oil, some Of these being Of great
value. He has stored away in portfolios hun
dreds OF his own sketches Of American scenery
from the Saguenay and st. Lawrence to the Gulf
OF Mexico l think him in many ways an en-
yiable man. and he is a very agreeable One-full
Of anecdotes Of famous public men he has known
associated and fished with. His Edinburgh book
l must not forget to say. is prefaced with the
following pleasant sonnet addressed to him by q
friend. The creek mentioned in the first line is
Rock Creek. the wild and beautiful stream
which separates Georgetown from Washington
proper:
In many a stream besides our native creek
Many adventures, much good luck have known,
Worthy disciple OF old Walton meek.
Not angler only, you an artist exc,
And far-on scenes more Wild than are our own.
You with deft hand have on the canvas shown
SOnnetS, wherein not words. but cOlOrs speak.
Nor unts alone you rule, as by a spell,
But language, t0o-your magic rOd, the pen
Sktllful Herewith TO show how Nature looks;
Nor merely Nature, for you know as wen
Before our minds TO bring affairs and men.
Your lines are charmed In water, pictures, books.
The author Of this sonnet IL Dr. william L.
Shoemaker, also Of Georgetown, where his fam
lily. an old Quaker one, have been residents since
the very beginning Of It's more modern neighbor.
Washington, and he is a poet who deserves
larger and wider recognition than has hitherto
been given him. do not think am mistaken
In holding that he has written as fine sonnets as
have been written by any American poet, and he
has been as prolific in their production almost as
Wordsworth. To be sure, like Wordsworth, he
has written many Indifferent ones He is like
Thoreau, devoted and careful student of nature
at all seasons, and his best sonnets have an out
Of-doOr flavor, gained from countless pedes-
trian excursions among the hills of Maryland and
Virginia along the Potomac; native birds and
their ways; native flowers and their haunts:
local scenery, with the legends and traditions
belonging to hill and wood and stream-these
and such as these are the subjects of his best
pieces. Here ia one, for example, referring to
the stream already named, on which Robert