The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-03-19
ALONG ARNOLD'S TRAIL
FROM MAINE TO CANADA.
BY FRANK W. GOWEN.
NO. VII,


In the preceding article l left my
readers in sight of Lake Megantic
which is - miles long and one of the
principal lakes in the Province of Que
bee. After a short walk we arrived al
the head of this beautiful sheet of wat
er, surrounded as it is by high cliffs OF
mountains and amidst most charming
scenery. We bathed our face and hands
in it's clear waters, put on clean collars
and brushed our clothes, so as to look
little more presentable, and after ar
ranging our baggage carefully. SO the
custom officials at Megantic could ex-
anime it without too much trouble, we
walked forward to take a steamer for
Megantic village. There are many
large, fine camps around the lake and
summer tourists from the United States
and Canada come here to gather health
and strength in the balmy atmosphere
of summer time After over a week in
the wilderness we were glad to get back
to civilization and enjoyed our trip
across this lovely lake, where the dusky
warriors used to paddle their birch ca
noes and across whose waters Arnold
hurried with his boats to reach the
/ Chaudiere and French settlements that
he might secure food for his starving
army.
On arriving at Megantic village we
were driven to the hotel and settled
with our guides, after which they both
shook us warmly by the hands and left
US. After good bath and a shave
went to the post office and found a
large mail which had been forwarded
from home We had nearly 100 miles
yet to travel before we could reach
Quebec, where the brave soldiers under
the leadership of Montgomery and AT
mold redeemed the snow with their
blood. Megantic village is fine little
Canadian town with a population OF
about 5000. 1t is situated on the great
Canadian Pacific railway line, whose
trains go laundering along from ocean
to ocean, and it is also the terminus OF
the Megantic division of the Quebec
Central railway. The French language
is universally spoken, although the ma
jority of the people can speak English
when necessary. Sunday was quiet
and restful day. We attended church
in the morning and after dinner took a
good long nap. Monday morning we
awoke to find it raining and were some
what disappointed, as we had planned
to visit the celebrated falls where Gen
eral Arnold and his picked men mar
roWly escaped death and where their
boats were smashed. These cataracts
are only three or four miles from Me-
gantic village on the Chaudlere and are
easily reached by carriage. At II O'CLOCK
it.cleared away, and we decided to en-
gage guide and start out at ) CLOCK
in the afternoon and spend one more
night in the woods and by the banks
of this historic river Promptly at 3
D, m. our landlord took us in his buck
board to the famous rapids and told us
when he left that he would send the
team for us early in the morning. Our
guide went to work to make us a rough
camp for the night and my friend and
carefully inspected these catafacts. we
found succession of them, altogether
something like 100 feet high, over which
| the waters of the Chaudiere leaped and
tumbled, sprinkling their spray over us
as we stood on big rock looking at
this scene of grandeur and listening 10
the roar of the water as it plunged and
splashed over the falls. Here we STOOD
for some time in deep thought and
meditation, now and then shouting to
each other above the roar OF the waters
as we pointed out the high rocks where
probably General Arnold's boats were
crushed. After spending nearly two
hours around these cataracts we re-
turned to our camp, which our GUIDE
had hastily built short distance from
the river in the woods. He had also
built good campfire and was pre-
pairing supper, and while awaiting it we
no fire nd nl0f H.
ing. After a hearty supper we sat by
the camp fire, my friend and [, discus
sing the calamity which overlook Ar
mold and his army at this point. 81
don't see,'' said my friend, chow Cen
eral Arnold and his army ever escaped
alive from these wild, angry waters.
This has always been a surprise to
me-" | replied. Having no guide or
knowledge of the Chaudiere, save in a
general way, from a military map, he
and the brave Captain Morgan, as well
as their picked men, would certainly
have met death had IL not been for
their boats being crushed on the big
rocks Just above these cataractS. That
was their satvation.' well" said my
friend. 81 should have thought they
would all have been drowned in the icy
waters" "PrObabiy some were, l SAID.
"Still, | am not sure about that. Any
way Arnold and Captain Morgan and
| nearly all of the soldiers escaped and
built great fire on the banks OF the
river, probably not far from where we
will camp for the night, and dried their
clothing and refreshed themselves with
what scanty food they could get, and
, late in the afternoon these bold and
brave men pushed on up the river with
Arnold, determined to follow him until
French settlement was reached, or
perish in the attempt" "When the
army General Arnold had left in great
distress near the mouth of the Dead
River reached here" said my friend.
"they must nearly all have been dead
from starvation eyes," said. "They
were all starving and it must have been
terrible sight. All their boats had
been broken on the rocks and the army
| was now staggering on as best it could
along the bank of this river" ut
couldn't have looked much like an
army" said my friend. well, l guess
it did not" | replied. at must have
| looked more like a miserable wreck OF
starving, routed army. So weak had
the soldiers become when they reached
this river that they were obliged to
harness themselves together in pairs
so that they could draw few logs and
brush to build fires along its banks. y
"Well, l declare" said my friend, ':this
| is another Valley Forge of the RevOlu-