The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-08-15
Angus Corb|y's Captivity
Story Early Indian Life and Adventure in the Territory
Northwest of the Ohio River.
WRITER OF MARSHALL COUNTY


get more, since larger game was be-
coming more difficult and perplexing
and broiled beaver tail was very good
eating. These diligent water crea-
lures had two forms of winter lodg-
inge, one being in excavations under
the bank of the stream or pond and
the other i'm large dcmed houses built
so as to stand up out of the water,
these being constructed of weeds,
roots, grass and mud. In either case
the smooth-coated inhabitants lived
above the water level but to 90 in or
out had to pass under the water
through the opening at the base.
The subterranean domiciles were diff
ficult to find, there being no surface
indications of their existence, but the
rounded dOmes in the pond told their
own story and these the hunters at
tackled.
With heavy clubs the ice was brok-
Ell in several places near the snug
gerieS, then sharp blows were struck
upon the frozen dome. Alarmed at
the unusual disturbance the beavers
slid down into the water and out un-
der the ice, but soon finding it neceS-
sary to get air they resorted TO the
holes in the ice, where the waiting
Indians grasped them by the hind
legs, hauled them out and tomahawk-
ed them or else shot them in the
water. In this manner the little
beaver village was apparently depop-
ulated, though the next season they
were as numerous and as busy asever.
Among the Indians it was a re-
ceived opinion that in the autumn the
geese turn into beavers, resuming
their original form i'm the spring.
They said that in the fall the geese
would come to the ponds from the
north and after feeding awhile would
suddenly disappear, while the
beavers would Immediately be more
plentiful than before, even though
they might have been killed off
during the previous winter, and
that there could be no explanation
of the phenomenon except that of
the transformation named above. AS
proof of the theory they pointed to
the resemblance between the feet of
beavers and geese.
Angus did not believe in this whim-
steal notion, but he did not argue the
matter with his Mohican friend who
told him of it. He was greatly fasci-
mated by the graceful movements OF
the animals in the water and inquired
much as 10 their habits. from which
he learned that they built their dams
in order to raise the water above the
entrances to their dens and sufficient
ly high ON the trunks of the trees to
enable them to get the bark without
exposing themselves to wolves and
other shore enemies.
Angus learned of another queer con-
ceit that the Indians held as truth,
which was that raccoons change to
snakes in the spring and back again
in the fall. This arose from the fact
that in the early days of spring the
raccoon traps would have snakes in
them instead of the game for which
they were set and after that there
would be no more raccoons until fall,
while the serpents would be plentiful
until the beginning of cold weather.
At the close of the winter the
squaws made a little maple sugar,
then the buds began to swell on the
trees, the ice disappeared in the
streams and the clouds commenced
to shed spring rains instead of the
heavy snow. 1t was coming time to
leave the cabin in the woods and go
down to the trading post with the
store of peltries. The furs and skins
were unpacked, cleaned and sorted
and rolled into packs again according
to the kinds, and in this work the
knowledge Angus had acquired at
Philadelphia was of good service.
Small logs were dashed together with
strong bark and made into RATS to be
ready for the spring flood and when
the water was sufficiently high the
Indians loaded their plumber and yoy-
aged with the current, now strong
and rapid, down the winding ST.
Mary's to its union with the ST. JOS
eph's river, where the village of XII
keonga surrounded the fortified post on
a level spot of ground where the two
streams joined to form the Maumee,
which flowed thence through region
that afterwards became historic to its
mouth where Toledo now looks out
upon Lake Erie.
The trip was not long nor was it
sventful. Very pleasantly the RATS
glided along under the young green of