Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-30
HISTORY OF THE VALLEY.
NOTES, Gc.-Prelimmdry Obserra-
tiOas on the Character Of the In-
diaR Mode Of Warfare, and It's
adoption by the White People.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE HOUSE WARNING.

THE HOUSE WARNING.
| will proceed to state the usual
manner of settling a young couple
in the world.
A spot was selected on piece OF
land of ore of the parents for their
habitation. a day was appointed
shortly after their marriage for COM
mencing the work of building their
cabin. The fatigue party consisted
Of choppers, whose business it was
to fall the trees and cut them OIL at
proper lengths-a man with his
team for hauling them to the place,
and arranging them, properly as
sorted, at the sideS and ends of the
building-and a carpenter, if such
he might be called, whose business
it was to search the woods for a
proper tree for making clapboards
for the roof. The tree for this pur-
pose must be straight-grained, and
from three to four feet in diameter.
The boards were split four feet
long, with a large frow, and as
wide as the timber would allow
They were used without planning or
shaving. Another division were
employed in getting puncheohs for
the floor of the cabin; this was
done by splitting trees about eigh-
teen inches in diameter, and hew-
ing the faces of them with a broad
axe. They were half the length of
the floor they were intended to
make.
The materials for the cabin were
mostly prepared on the first day,
and sometimes the foundation laid
in the evening; the second day
was allotted for the raising.
In the morning Of the next day
the ncighbors collected for the rails
ing. The first thing to be done was
the election of four cOrner-men,
whose business it was to notch and
place the logs, the rest Of the COM
pany furnishing them with the
timbers. In the meantime the
boards and puncheons were collect
ed for the floor and roof, so that
by the time the cabin was a few
rounds high, the sleepers and floor
began to be laid. The door was
made by cutting or saving the logs
in one side so as to make an open
ing about three feet wide; this open
ing was secured by upright pieces
of timber about three inches thick,
through which holes were bored in
to the ends of logs for the purpose
of pinning them fast. y similar
opening, but wider, was made at
the end for the chimney. This was
built of logs, and made large, to
admit of a back and iambs Of stone.
At the square two end logs pro
iected a foot or eighteen inches be
yond the wall, to receive the butting
poles as they were called, against
which the ends of the first row Of
clapboards was supported. The
roof was formed by making the end
logs shorter until a single log
formed the comb of the roof. On
these logs the clapbOards were
placed, the ranges of them tapping
SOUlt ul>lduCc ONCl thOSo htAJ bC-
low them, and kept in their places
by logs placed at proper distances
upon them.
The roof and sometimes the floor
were finished OH the same day of
the raising; a third day was COM
monty spent by a few carpenters in
leveling off the floor, making clap
board door, and a table. This last
was made of a split slab, and sup
ported by four round legs set in
anger holes ; some three-legged
stools we're made in the same man.
ner. Some pins, stuck in the logs
at the back of the house, supported
some clapboards which served for
shelves for the table furniture. A
single fork, placed with its lower
end in a hole in the floor, and the
upper end fastened to a jOist, served
for a bedstead, by placing pole in
the fork with one end through a
crack between the logs in the wall.
This front pole was crossed by
shorter one within the fork, with
its outer end through another crack,
From the front pole, through a
crack between the logs Of the end
of the house, the boards were put
on which formed the bottom of the
bed. Sometimes other poles were
pinned to the fork a little distance
between these, for the purpose OF
supporting the front and foot of the
bed, while the walls we're the sup
port of it's back and head. A few
pegs around the walls, for the dis
play of the coats of the women and
hunting shirts Oi the men, ana TWO
small forks or bucks horns to a
joist for the rifle and shot pouch,
completed the carpenters work.
In the meantime masons were at
work. With the heart pieces of
the timber of which the clapbOards
we're made, they made billets for
chunking up the cracks between
the logs of the cabin and chimney.
A large bed of mortar was made
for daubing up these cracks; and a
/ few stones formed the back and
lambs of the chimney.
The cabin being finished, the cere
mony of house warming took place
before the young couple we're per