Year: 1859




We felt happy to have found it again,
and piled our poles like heroes We passed
during the day, the spot where we had irst
struck the creek, and where we had made
o slightly landmark which might afterward
aid us in finding the Atlantic, should we
ever wish to do so in order to get her out
Az night we did not stop, but kept tie raft
going down through the shades of awful
forests, whose solemn stiffness seemed to
hold the unrevealed mystery of our dark.
ening future. About 10 o'clock it began
to rain again We stopped the "vesscl"
and crawled in under some "tag" alders on
the bank, where cur extreme WEAKNESS en-.
abled MS to get, perhaps, half an hours
sleep. Rising ngain (for it was easier to
pole at night in the rain down an unknown
stream, than to lie on the ground freeze)
we pressed on for a couple of hours, until
about O'Clock, when pure exhaustion in
dnced us to stop again. This time we
found spot where the clayey bank lacked
a little of coming down to the water. On
the mud we threw little bundle of straw,
and sat down with our feet drawn under
us, so that our bodies presented as little
|
on But we could not stand such an un-
comfortable position long And as the day
| light of the Sabbath broke upon u.s. We were
polling down the stream in a drzzling rain
AT s o'clock we came to place where the
stream canoaed-rushing over stony bed,
down deep descent between high rocks
on either bank To get our raft down this
place we regarded as hopeless. We tied
up and examined the shore Here again,
we found ummiStakable evidence of lumber
men, as they had evidently camped at this
point, to be handy by the attempts they
were doubtless obliged to make to get the
timber down the canon The rapids were
about third Of n mile long, and in all the
rapids Of Black River there is nothing so
wild aud romantic as these. We descend
ed the bank and thought it bes; to try our
luck on foot. After travelling about mile
we found the bank so tangled and rugged,
aud ourSeevs so much exhausted, that 10.
comotion was impossible So we conclud-
ed to go back, and if we could get the raft
down Il piece at time, we would go on
with her if not, We wouId build as good
place possible to crawl into, and pre-
pare to die.


We went back and after examining the
stream nttentively, concluded to try to get
the raft down. We at once commenced
aud freely confess this the most trying L
lahorious work of a life of labor. The
pieces would not Goat over rod at a time.
before they would stick on some stone which
the low water left above the surface. and
? then you must pry it over in some way, and
pass it along to the next obstruction. We
were obliged to get into the stream, often
up to the middle, aud there several times
fell headlong-completely using up our
COMPASS, which now frantically pointed in
any direction its added head thought desir-
able. The water had unglued the case,
and it was ruined. After long hours of
such labor, We got the raft down, and La
Mountain again tied it together Passing
on, in about an hour we came to long
lake-ten miles long, and six miles broad
Around it, we must, of course, pass until
we should find the outlet. So we turned
up to the right, and pressed on with as
much resolution as could be expected
To-day we found one clam, which | insisted
| La Mountain should eat, as he was weaker
than myself, and had eat little or nothing
on the day we went up. Around we went,
into all the iudentations Of the shore, keep
ing always in shallow water. At last we
stopped at place we thought least expos
ed to the wind. We laid down upon the
cold ground, having lifted up the end of
our raft so that the wind might not drift it
away in the night. We were cold when
we laid down, and both of us trembled by
the hour like men suffering from a severe
attack of the ague. The wind had risen
just at night, and the dismal surging of
the waves upon the shore formed, thought
a fitting lullaby to slumbers so disturbed
and dismal as ours. BY this this time our
clothes were nearly torn of. My panta-
looms were slit up both legs, and the waist
nearly torn off Ny boots both leaked,
and our mighty wrestlings in the canons
had torn the skin from ankles aud hands.
La Mountains hat was gone the first day
out he had thrown away his wooden draw
ers and stockings, as they dragged him
down by the weight Of the water they ab-
sorbed. We slept but little. 1t really
seemed as though, during the night, we
passed through the horrors of dozen
deaths At daylight, we got by degrees
first on one knee aud then on the other
so stiff and weak We could hardly stand.


Again upon the almost endless lake we
went-folowiug round its shore for an out
! let. About 10 o'clock we found a broad,
northern stream, which we thought was
the outlet we were seeking, and we entered
it with great joy, believing it would take
US to our long sought Ottawa. Shortly
after entering the stream it widened out,
and assumed the form of lake. We poled
up the westerly shore for about miles,
but found we we're again deceived. On
our way up Mr.. La NJ. sang these pretty
| lines


"Cheer up your hearts, my men,


Let nothing fright you


BE Of gallant mind


Let that delight you"


His voice was hardly above a whisper,
but the song was source of great comfort
to me. His. indeed, was gallant miud,"
which the extraordinary hardships dan
gers of our position had not daunted. But
when we found that all the weary miles of
our morning travel had been in vain, and
had to lie retraced, my resolution certainly