Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-11-06
BY EDWARD PAYSON HALL.
For the ,Sennei.


BY EDWARD PAYSON HALL.
For the .Ssnnet.
never see the clumsily constructed |
old battea,s crossing Bakers Mill Pond !
on Fourth Creek, above my place, but |
my mind reverts to the scenes of my
boyish frolics on the waters of Lake
Michigan, where boats were indeed as
"plenty as ,blackberries" are here,
where it was well-nigh counted dis
grace for fellow to own a slow craft,
whether scull, shallop, fshing-smack,
canoe or dory, much less to be beaten
il fair contest of speed, and where
my boon companions and myself, ev-
ery mothers son of us, imagined our
selves born sailors [ love to thought
fully cherish the fond image Of those
pleasant hours rather than to nurse
the sombre spectre of gloomier peri
DDS; for it is surprisingly beautiful.
Then the first feeling for the beautiful
manifested itself, and this enjoyment
Is of lasting sweetness. AS those were
my first joys, they were the bases OF
ali that succeeded and hence their
deep imprint upon the memory.
Some scanty remnants of once pew
erful tribes of Indians were at that
time left in the unsettled portions of
the new States. that skirted Lake
Michigan. Occasionally, however,
wandering families or solitary individ-
uals of that more than unfortunate
race were to be seen treading with
hasty steps and sorrowful countenan-
ces through the cities and villages and
along the highways of what was once
their own. Whenever 1 saw them
thus, despite the loveliness of the vir
gin prairie and forest which witnessed
their stealthy footsteps, a temporary
sadness would come over me, for they
seemed to say to u.s." Usurpers, ALI"
While hunting in the rice swamps
and cranberry-bogs round Mackinaw,
in the latter part of the winter of
1923, we printer boys found an In
dian's canoe in the marsh, where, ac
cording to the invarible custom of the
sagacious savages of the North, it had
been hidden by its owner during the
autumn of the previous year. She
was covered up with logs, tufts, of
grass, flags, brakes and cranbury
bushes and frozen tight in the ice of
a lagoon that led out into the lake.
She was an old and most unsightly af-
fair, but we knew well enough that
she was such boat for speed as only
an Indian could make. 1t wouldn't
near do to take her by her looks; she
reminded one of Hans Stopplekoffer' s
wife, of whom he said :-"Ven looks
at mine vrow, [ dinks she vas con-
sounded ugly; but den,i mine Got in
Himmel, she vas so gootF" Overjoyed
at the unexpected discovery, and feel
ing confident that We now, in becom-
ing the lucky pessessors of the miser-
able-looking "dug-out," had secured
the prize racer of the lakes, and could
distance the swiftest of all the white
man-aade boats that lay at the wharf
of Mackinaw, we fastened to avail
ourselves Of its advantages. We go
her out of her hiding-place at once
and padded her down to the city
and, on our arrival there, set our boy
Wit to work to thoroughly dssguis
her, SO that neither her rightful In
dian owner nor anybody else coulC
distinguish, among a thousand othe
boats, her aboriginal origin. We care
fully and laboriously planed and pol
ished her rugged surface to the smooth
mass of glass; laid on her exterior sew
eral hesviy coats of paint, superaddin!
brillia1rt stripes of all the rain bo,
colors; Lined her with zinc; put
keel-board enther rocking bottom t
steady her to the plumb fixed up
miniature mast and light canvass sal
on block in her middle, to catch tn
extra power Of the breezes surmoun
ed the masthead by small but splcr
did silken U. S. flag; and on both {
her sides and on her frow painted, j
large letters, her name and legend:
THE sHEARwATER, OF MACKINAw.
We then published most aud;
cious and aggressive challenge to a
the crack oarsmen, dog-trough scu
lers and pirouge-paddlers in the v
einity to come out and beat the nc
water-racer if they could-to fetch O
"long-boat, jolly boat, pinnace or yawl
or any other brag tubs; and, | yeri
believe, we once had it in our heat
to make trip to Detroit and beat tt
fri-,ceekty steamer, SO called becau
it went down one week and tried
come back the next. The followir
day just one hundred and fifty cres
fallen chaps saw us skim away fro
the whole bevy of boats they manne
like an Elder duck from school
lnud-turtles. Jay Eye See or Col
smith Maid never left stiff old far
horse on the turnpike farther in t.
rear than we left them. Then we p
up another flag on standard in h
bow, inscribed thus:
Let conscious merit ne'er turn blue,
Tho hidden long, like this old canoe!
Pluck cares for mishaps not a groat-
Twill shine triumphant, like this boat
Soon ''our boat" as we audacio
rogues gloried in calling it, was t
wonder and the pet of the entire shol
fishermen, sailors, shop-keepers, hul
ers and ALL To have seen her comil
in from old Fort Michillackinae
three miles away, in an inconeeivab
short time, and to have heard the h,
zas of the mob when any other or;
tried to chase US, you would ha
thought We were the laurel-harvestc