Year: 1859

regret HIS lnaplllly 10 perform MS engage
mcntS at the Kingston aud New York State
Fairs, at both of which be was advertised
to make ascenSiOns.


TRAMPING IN THE WOODS.


To the south east, then, we started
| After travelling about mile and q hal
we came to the bank of small creek, flow
ing down from the westward At ihi
point we were agreeably surprised to find
that some human being had been there be.
fore us, for we found several small trees
cut down the Goals from an old ire, and a
half barrel which had contained pork.
eagerly examined the stamp. 1t read


Mess Pork, r NJ Montreal"


This settled the question that we were
in Cunada, for | very we'll knew that no
Montreal inspection of pork ever found its
way into the interior Of New-YOrk State
We Travelled all day Friday up the unknown
creek, which kept its general course to the
S0nth Of west, crossing it about noon on a
floating log, and striking on its southern
bank, a "bIazed" track, which led us up to
deserted timber road, lying on the oppo-
size side from large lumbering shanty.-
We hoped one of the lumber roads might
take us out to settlement, but after tray
cling up them all until they terminated in
the wilderness, we concluded to cross the
creek to the Shanty, aud stay in it all night
La Mountain got across safely but my
weight was greater than his, and the raft
let me into the stream. / sank in all over
and swan out though it required all my
strength TO do so, and on reaching the bank
| found myself so chilled as scarcely to he
able to stand. took off my clothes, wrung
them, aud we proceeded to the shanty
where we found plenty of refuse straw !;
hut it was dry, and under a pile of it we
crawled-puIing 1t over our heads and
faces in the hope that our breath might
aid in warming our chilled bodies. think
the most revengefnl, stony heart would have
ptied our condition then. The weary hours
OF night at last wore away, and we held a
new council. 1t was evident, we reasoned,
that the creek we were upon was used for
driving" logs in the Spring season. IT,
then, we followed it to its confluence with
the Ottawa, or some stream which emptied
into the Ottawa, we would in time get out
the same way the timber went out. The
roof of the .shanty was covered with the
halves of logs, scooped out in manner
familiar to all woOdmen. These were light
aud dry, and would form an excellent raft.
Why not, then, take four of these, tie them
to cross pieces by wythes and such old
things as we could fnd around the shanty,
and pole the structure down TO that civili-
cation which saw log ought to be able TO
raanh Su,.h tUnp tho oAO tol
We dragged the logs down to the creek,
and La Mountain tied item together, as he
was evidently more of a sailor than myself
We got under way, aud as we pushed off a
crow set up IA dismal cawing-an inauSpi.
cionS sign, aud ominiouS OF the great trials
and suferingS in store for MS. We poled
down stream about ten miles aud came ab-
ruplly upon an immense pine tree which
had fallen across the stream, completely
blocking the passage Of the raft. No 9TH
er alternative was left but to unite the
pieces and attempt to push them through
under the log. This was at last done tied
the raft together again and poled her down
the stream. To-day we ate each a raw
frog, all we could find, and began to feel
that we were hungry But there was no
complaining-our talk was of hopeful fu-
lure, and the civilization we hoped yet to
reach. Down the creek we went into a
lake some TWO miles long, aud into which
we of course supposed the stream passed,
having its outlet at the lower end. We
followed down the northern bank keeniDg
always in shallow spots, so that our poles
could touch the bottom, until we arrived
at the bottom of the lake, where we found
no outlet, aud turned back upon the south
ern bank in quest Of it. On reaching the
head Of the lake we found that the current
of the creek turned abruptly to the right,
which was the reason of our loosing It.