Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-03-17


and now bold, with ftlrreted Knolls
and sweeping gwards Of green, as
though some noble house of old En-
gland were set back secluded within
these wide and well-kept grounds.
The country now rapidly lost It's
marshy character, and as they alb
preached the mouth Of the great
stream, it being now well toward the
middle Of the summer, they reached.
suddenly and without forewarning,
that which they long had sought
The sturdy paddlers we're bending to
their tasks, each broad back swinging
in unison forward and back over the
thwart, each brown throat barred to
the air, each swart head uncovered TO
the glare OF the midday sun, each mar
row-bladed paddle keeping unison with
those before and behind, the hand OF
the paddler never reaching higher than
his chin, since each had learned the
Iabor-saying fashion of the Indian ca
noeman. The day was bright and
ofcery, the air not too ardenf, and
across the coppery ters there
stretched slants Of shaa0w from the
empowering forest trees. They were
alone, these travellers; yet for the
time at least part of them seemed
care-free and quite abandoned to the
sheer zest of life. There arose again,
after the fashion OF the voyageurs, the
measure of the padding song, With
out which indeed the paddIer had not
sheen able to perform his labor at the
thwart.
Dams mon chemin al rencontre =
chanted the leader: and voices behind
him responded Justify with the next
line.
.Trois cavaliers bien monies
~Trois cavaliers bien monies.
chanted the leader again
LON cheval ct pautre a pied
came the response; and then the
chorus:
Lon, Ion laridon dame
Lon, lon laridon dail'
The great boat began TO move ahead
steadily and more swiftly, and bend
after bend of the river was rounded BIZ
the rushing PROV None knew this
country, nor visit how far the journey
might carry him. None knew as. OF
certainty that he would ever in this
way reach the great Messasebe: or
even If he thought that such would be
the case, did any one know how far
that Messasebe still might be- Yet
there came time in the afternoon Of
that day, even as the chant of the
voyageurs still echoed on the wooded
bluffs, and even as the great birch-bark
ship still responded swiftly to their
gaiety, when, on a sudden turn in the
arm of the river, there appeared wide
before them a scene for which they
had not been prepared There, rip
ping and rolling under the breeze, as
though itself the arm of some great
sea, they saw majestic food, whose
real nature and whose name each man
there knew on the instant and in
AMessasebe! Messasebe! broke out
the voices of the paddlers.
..StoR the paddles. cried Du afespa
sVoila.
John Law rose in the bow Of the
boat and uncovered his head. II was
a noble prospect which lay before him.
His was the soul of the adyenturer,
quick to respond to challenge There
was fiuttering in his throat as he
STOOD ana gazed out upon this solemn,
mysterious and tremendous flood. COM
ing whence, going whittier, none might
say. He gazed and gazed, and it was
long before the shadow crossed his
face and before he drew sigh.
Madam" said he, at length, turn
Ing until he faced Mary Connynge
this is the west We have chosen,
End we have arrived!