NEW YORK TO BUFFALO.
Good advice to emigrants--Examination of the baggage--New
York--Schw--z’s boarding-house and its deficiencies--Aspect of the
city--Abundance of fruit--An Irishman’s funeral--Fire--Reports from
Illinois--The German reformed church--Extraordinary
scene--Soldiers--The Scotch and their national costume--Negroes--My
tobacco speculation--Unsuccessful shooting excursion--Departure for
Albany--Utica--An American breakfast--The canal-boat and its
arrangement--Collision--Crowded state of the boat, and consequent
discomfort--Lockport--Niagara--Hamilton--Visit to a
countryman--Excursion into the woods--Meeting with an Indian--Bear
hunt--Bivouac in the woods--Maize--Buffalo--The ‘William
Tell’--Village politicians.
Although this blockhouse was called the Quarantine building, the
quarantine was not very strict; several of us got a boat to take us on
shore, and for the first time we stepped on the soil of a new world--for
us a truly beautiful and noble world, but still a new, and therefore a
strange one. Singular feelings came over me as I wandered under strange
trees, among the pale Americans, and sought some quiet spot where I
could indulge my thoughts; they were mournful, though at the same time
full of hope and confidence. It was late when I returned to my
companions, whom I found assembled round some bread and cheese and beer,
and well satisfied with their reception in their new country. While
sitting enjoying God’s good gifts, which we had been so long deprived
of, a stranger came into our room, but as he addressed us in German, we
were soon on a footing of old acquaintance; he was a baker, who had been
about thirty years in America, and had realized a handsome fortune; he
came with the praiseworthy intention of giving us good advice. The good
man might have saved his trouble, for, wise in our own conceits, like
all new comers, we knew better than he did. He had lived principally in
Pennsylvania, and, like all the people of that State, he addressed each
as “Thou.” He cautioned us against the Americans, telling us that they
would cheat us whenever they could; “but,” said he, “if you must trust
to any one, trust an American sooner than a German. It is a disgrace to
the Germans, but it is too true: beware of them, for they are much worse
towards their own countrymen than any others; because,” added he,
confidentially, “they are the simplest. When you land at New York, don’t
go into any of the low public-houses, near the landing-place--‘William
Tell’--and such like--they are all dens of thieves; and now if you
do--you have been warned,--it will be your own faults and you can’t
complain.” He continued for some time giving us advice on this subject,
and although, at that time, I made no exception to the general rule of
knowing better, disbelieving his calumnious warnings because they did
not agree with my preconceived fixed opinions, I found afterwards that
his words were unfortunately but too true.
A second examination of the baggage exposed more dirt; sick of remaining
longer in disagreeable contact with it, we five took the steamer that
starts at nine o’clock for New York, making the passage of nine miles
in half an hour. There was too much to see, and too much that was quite
new, for the eye to dwell long enough on any one object to receive a
deep impression, and I hardly knew that the boat had started, when she
stopped at the landing-place, and the immense sea of houses of New York,
begirt by a forest of masts, lay before us.
The steamer had hardly landed, when we were surrounded by a number of
car-drivers, offering to carry our luggage to our destined abode; we
chose two, which took all our things, and for which we had to pay
altogether one dollar--but they had a tolerable distance to go. Zellner,
who had already been in New York, recommended Schw--z’s boarding-house,
whither we all went. In all my life I never saw such a dirty
establishment as old Madame Schw--z’s: it makes me sick now to think of
it. Of course I did not remain much in the house, but for some days
lounged through the fine broad streets, admiring several handsome
buildings. I was much struck by the immense amount of shipping ranged
thickly side by side all round the town, and by the superfluity of
southern fruits; in every street were carts full of pine-apples,
oranges, cocoa-nuts, &c. The finest pines were to be had for from
sixpence to a shilling.
I had wandered about for a couple of hours, and was about to return to
the boarding house, when turning the corner of a street I came upon one
of the most extraordinary cavalcades I ever saw. It was the funeral of a
poor Irishman, which I will briefly describe, as it is well worth it.
First came a hearse covered with dirty cloth that once had been black.
The driver was seated in front, by no means in a mourning attitude; his
left foot rested on his right knee, the left elbow on the left knee. He
was dressed in a shabby blue coat, a hat with the rim torn and hanging
down; his trowsers might have been white if they had been washed; his
left hand held an apple, which he was eating with the greatest
composure; the right held the whip, with which from time to time he
encouraged his horses; the reins were twisted round his left knee. The
hearse was followed by six luggage cars, each containing from ten to
twelve mourners, sitting back to back, with feet hanging down the sides,
men and women together, in clothes of all colors, eating, drinking, and
laughing: to say the least, it appeared to me a very original kind of
funeral.
It was late when I arrived at the boarding-house, for when I turned
homewards I found so many things to attract my attention that the hours
flew rapidly by. All my companions were assembled, and we had much to
relate. As we were going to bed about twelve, there was a cry of “fire!
fire!” in the streets. I jumped up and looked out of the window,--the
sky above the opposite houses was deep red. As I was still dressed, and
none of the others would go, I ran down stairs, and hastened in the
direction of the fire; I hurried along one street after another,
following the reflection in the sky; yet it was three quarters of an
hour before I arrived at the fire. It was a small wooden building still
in flames, so I came in good time to see the engines worked. There were
several Germans among those who had hastened to the fire; I asked one of
them how far it was to my boarding-house, and learnt to my horror that
it was two miles off. He assured me that if I ran to every fire that
broke out in New York, I should have nothing else to do all night, as
there are seldom less than two in the twenty-four hours. His words were
confirmed by another alarm in a few hours; and during the three months
that I remained in New York, I remember very few nights passing without
an alarm of fire. The fire companies are excellent, and the most
respectable citizens are enrolled amongst the firemen; the engines are
handsome, and formed of brass and iron, often adorned with a pretty
vignette; they are drawn by the men. How different from our old
thunder-boxes, in Germany, where it takes half an hour to get the horses
ready.
A week passed so quickly, I could hardly persuade myself that it was
more than two days. I became acquainted with several Germans. The dirt
of the boarding-house became insupportable. I had been introduced to a
German family by a mutual acquaintance from Brunswick, and they agreed
to let me board and lodge with them for three dollars a week, the
ordinary price, washing not included. Washing costs at the rate of four
cents a single piece.
I had come to New York with the intention of proceeding to Vera Cruz,
but heard so many unfavorable reports of the state of Mexican affairs,
that I was at first undecided; and afterwards, as so many told me of the
disturbed and uncertain state of that country, and warned me, as a new
comer, against going there, I decided on taking a good look at the
United States before I visited other countries.
My prospects here seemed to improve. A young farmer from Illinois, whom
I met in New York, said that it was not difficult to get a farm on
lease there--a lease in the American sense of the word, where the farmer
obtains a piece of cleared land, with the necessary buildings, for which
he gives the proprietor, who also finds most of the farming implements,
one third of the produce. At the same time, he assured me that two men
could easily manage sixty acres. But he suppressed the fact that these
two must be well acquainted with the American system of farming.
All sorts of plans came under my consideration, without my coming to any
determination--and time slipped by.
One Sunday morning I wished to go to church. An acquaintance offered to
accompany me. We went to the German reformed church. We were rather
late, and I was astonished at the excitement and disorder which
prevailed. I was soon to be still more surprised. The preacher, a
robust, powerful man, was very red in the face, spoke with great
vehemence and considerable ability. He paused every now and then to take
a drink. Suddenly, as the confusion was somewhat subsiding, and the
preacher was commenting on the text, a lady stood up, and began to speak
very loud. At first I could not understand what she wanted. With
surprise, I recognized her to be my landlady, and heard such words as
“shame--insufferable--insolence--men--turn out of the pulpit,” &c. As I
was reflecting on what this could mean, the disturbance broke out
afresh. “Down with him out of the pulpit!” “Kick him out!” “Cane him
well!” Such were the sounds that filled the church. The congregation
attempted to get the preacher out of the pulpit, but this was not so
easy as it appeared. The pulpit had a flight of steps on each side, with
a door fastening inside at the foot of each. The insurgents attempted to
storm the steps on the right, but their pastor proved to them that he
belonged to the church militant in the literal meaning of the word. He
made only two steps to the bottom, and gallantly defended the door. But
too many dogs are the death of the fox. The garrison was too weak. While
he defended one side, the other was left exposed. The insurgents made a
breach, stormed the left-hand steps, and took the garrison in the rear.
The preacher was dragged into the middle of the church, but managed to
slip out of the hands of his persecutors, and escaped into a corner,
when, putting himself into a regular boxing attitude, he called out with
an oath--“Come on, all of you.” These words were not mere bravado; for
now that his rear was secure, he kept them all at bay. I had watched the
whole affair, standing on one of the benches. It was not a fair fight;
for while those in front kept out of reach of his fists, those in the
rear kept striking him on the head with umbrellas. At last, making a
desperate sally, he succeeded in escaping. This was all that the
congregation desired, and several talked of “fetching the other
preacher;” but their minds were too excited, and so they separated. On
coming home, I learnt the cause of this uproar from my landlady. The
congregation had dismissed this hard-fisted preacher, and elected
another, who was to have preached to-day for the first time; but they
had reckoned without their host, for the ex-pastor was up at daybreak,
and having his own key, had gone into the church, and taken possession
of the pulpit, where he sat patiently awaiting the turn of events. The
other preacher came in with the congregation, and being a quiet,
peaceable man, he retired; and the former, in spite of threats and
abuse, began the service, and would have carried his point, if my
heroine had not lighted the match which set them all in a blaze. Some
years afterwards I learnt that the same sort of disturbance had occurred
several times in that church.
I was surprised at seeing no soldiers in New York, except now and then a
couple or so of military-looking men, with blue jackets and trowsers,
and glazed caps. These are Uncle Sam’s soldiers, who devote themselves
to their country for eight dollars a month. They are generally men who
dislike hard work, yet cannot gain a living in any other way. They
enlist for five years. There are besides bodies of militia, German as
well as American battalions, who turn out on grand occasions, and are
well dressed. A short time ago some of the Scots had a meeting, and got
up a battalion in highland costume, the different clans in their proper
tartan, with plaids, bonnets, feathers, targets, claymores, bagpipes,
and the chiefs with eagle’s feathers. Thus they marched through the
greater part of the town. The next day, the “New York Herald” made
severe remarks upon people having a claim to respectability marching
through the town with naked legs, having music into the bargain, to
attract everybody’s attention.
A great number of emigrants arrived about this time, and filled all the
taverns. I discovered that the Americans did not seem to care so much
about foreigners as I had imagined; and to my great vexation, I saw
that Germans and Irish were thought little more of than negroes. Of
course there are honorable exceptions, for the educated Americans know
how to make a distinction; yet, at that time, it is very possible that I
may have been misinformed.
It is disagreeable to the feelings of the newly arrived European to
behold the treatment of the unfortunate negroes; for though New York is
not a slave state they are considered no better than cattle. Yet they
enjoy a number of privileges, which they lately obtained through the
kindness of General Jackson. At the same time, they are not allowed to
enter an omnibus, nor to sit anywhere but in the gallery of the theatre.
They must keep to their own churches, and cannot be sworn as witnesses
against the whites.
After a few weeks’ residence in New York, my landlord asked me to try a
speculation with him, in order, as he said, to get rich in a short time.
He proposed to open a cigar shop. I had no inclination for it at first,
having been so often warned against the Germans, but so many people
spoke well of him, and said he was so much esteemed, that I began to
think he must be an exception. I embarked all the money I possessed in
this business. My partner obtained some, but upon credit; and in a short
time a cigar shop was opened by the firm, in Broadway, the most
frequented street of New York. It seemed a miracle how well I had
managed my affairs. Hardly a month had I been in America, and already I
carried on a business of my own! It was well that this dream lasted only
a short time, or I should have lost everything.
I began now to Americanize myself. I was no longer surprised when I saw
a fat mulatto woman walking along the street with a pipe in her mouth,
or a lady handsomely dressed, and in the newest fashion, but without
stockings; just as little did I marvel to see a well-dressed gentleman,
in a black frockcoat, and black trousers, gold watch, chain, &c., going
to market with a basket under his arm; and I hardly looked round if I
saw a New Englander riding from market, in bad weather, at full gallop,
with very short stirrups, a basket of vegetables hanging to his left
arm, while his right hand grasped an outspread umbrella. In fact, a man
may accustom himself to any thing.
I now resolved on making a shooting excursion, and as Zellner had
described the banks of the Hudson as so very beautiful, we started one
fine morning with our guns, by one of the numerous steamers, and ran up
to our shooting grounds, a distance of twenty-two miles, for sixpence.
The voyage alone was worth ten times the money, on account of the beauty
of the scenery. The Hudson is certainly the loveliest river I ever saw,
with its smooth majestic stream, its high steep cliffs, clothed with the
brightest green, with dwelling-houses and villages wherever space will
allow, and thousands of vessels of all descriptions giving such life to
the whole, as fills one with wonder and delight. As we started late, it
was dark when we arrived at our landing-place. We were up at daybreak
next morning, and set off to search the woods and fields, eager to spill
blood. Weary and exhausted with climbing over the number of fences and
hedges, leaping over fallen or half-decayed trees, wading through
morasses and mounting hills, we arrived in the evening at the house of a
cousin of Zellner’s without having seen a feather or any thing else in
the shape of game. Our host received us hospitably, told us that we did
not understand how to find game in America, and promised he would
accompany us on the morrow. Our hopes revived again; we were ready by
break of day, inhaling the sweet morning air and determined upon
slaughter, and doubting whether our game bags would hold all that we
meant to kill. It was yesterday’s fortune repeated. Here we skirted a
wood, there a fence, here we waded a marsh, and there pushed through a
thicket; from daybreak to noon, not a shot had been fired. By the time
we arrived on the banks of the river, and saw a steamer running down
stream, Z. and I had had enough of it, and were rejoiced to see the
steamer answer our signals and stop to take us on board. Hungry and
tired, without having seen a single head of American game, we returned
to New York. After this excursion, I was in no hurry to try another. I
had had enough for once, and attended assiduously to my business; taking
pains at the same time to learn English, for although I had made some
progress in Germany, it sounded like so much Chaldaic or Chinese, till
my ear became accustomed to it; then the foundation that I had formerly
laid helped me to acquire it quickly.
I remained some weeks longer in the town, otherwise I must have
intrusted all that I possessed to the integrity of strangers, and an
inward misgiving warned me against so doing. At the same time, I began
to reflect that I was fast bound in the town, and could not get out into
the open country; and this feeling became every day more painful and
vexatious. It struck me that this was not exactly the object for which
I had left all that was dear in my native land, and often while brooding
over my late step, it seemed a wild, oppressive dream. It seemed as if I
could not be in the long desired land of freedom, so many thousands of
miles from my loved country, and that I might awake at any moment and
thank God that it was only a frightful delusion. It was however a
reality, and I decided on breaking my fetters. I soon arranged with my
partner; with the exception of a small sum down for travelling expenses,
he was to keep the rest in the business till the end of March, and then
repay the bare sum I had at first invested.
I left my two chests containing clothes and books in the care of H., and
taking some clean linen and a double-barrelled gun, I started for the
wide world, according to my heart’s desire. Whither, I neither knew nor
cared, except that I wished in the first place to see the Falls of
Niagara, and then to follow wherever fate might send me. I was free,
once more free, and felt my heart swell with the feeling of
independence. I no longer envied the birds of passage, whose flight
towards the south my eyes had lately so mournfully followed. I was as
free as they were, and no less inclined to use my unbound pinions.
At five in the evening of the 24th Oct., the new steamer “Diamond” left
New York for Albany. I stood on her deck inhaling with delight the pure
balsamic air, viewing with enchanted eyes the glorious scenery.
My costume seemed probably rather eccentric to some of the stiff
Americans, who kept staring with curiosity at the foreigner who was
leaning on his gun, and thinking little about them, lost in admiration
of the wonderfully beautiful landscape that extends along the shores of
the Hudson. Though my costume was nothing extraordinary, yet the tight
leather trousers, high waterproof boots, short green shooting jacket,
green cap, and open shirt collar, might have appeared so to them. The
beautiful double-barrelled gun attracted many eyes, as well as the
double-edged hunting-knife that hung on the left side. The German game
bag, the powder-horn, shot belt,--all, in short, was different to their
fashion.
The night was cold and damp, and as on the following morning the sun
broke through the thick clouds, his rays were reflected from the
steeples of Albany; a pretty little town, and though I stayed too short
a time to be able to judge, I believe it is likely to become a handsome
city. I left that morning by the train for Utica. It was the first time
that I had travelled by a railroad, and cutting the air with the speed
of an arrow made an indescribably agreeable impression on me. A drunken
man next to me told me long stories, in the still strange English, with
a comically mournful expression of countenance, and afforded me much
amusement. We arrived at Utica during the night. In the street I found
some men with a carriage, and inquired of them when the canal boat left;
they pointed to the carriage, one of them taking me by the arm; but I,
remembering former warnings, set my foot against the door, and asked
about the fare: “Nothing to pay, nothing to pay,” said they, and at one
step I was seated in the carriage, which soon stopped before a very
grand house. I did not feel quite comfortable under all this
hospitality, for every light in the large building seemed to call out to
me, “Money is the principal thing, therefore get money,” which sentence
I recollect having to translate at Dr. Flügel’s, at Leipzig. I walked
in, however, and inquired for the first boat going to Buffalo; meantime
be it said, my misgiving was not altogether unwarranted, for I had to
pay fifty cents, about 2_s._ 2_d._, for a cup of tea with bread and
butter. The price of the boat was six dollars, table included, which
seemed too dear, and a German Jew who was present took my part and made
an agreement for me for four dollars. It was very cold when I went on
board the canal boat a short time before its departure, and I found the
warm cabin very agreeable.
The morning broke dull and rainy, and the breakfast-bell roused us too
soon from our beds. An American breakfast is something astonishing to a
newly arrived German. He beholds in surprise coffee, pork, pickled
gherkins, potatoes, turnips, eggs, bread, butter, and cheese, all on the
table at once; but as soon as the stomach has become accustomed to this
strange assemblage, I must honestly acknowledge that it suits a hungry
Christian man much better than dry bread and weak coffee.
After breakfast I had plenty of time to notice the company with whom I
shared the narrow space of a cabin in a canal boat. There were ten
gentlemen and three ladies; these latter had a cabin to themselves,
separated from the other by a red curtain; over the entrance was the
inscription, “Ladies’ Cabin,” with the friendly reminder of “No
Admittance.” The ladies consisted of two old, and one not young. One
young man, certainly the greatest lout I met with in America, deeply
buried in a coat of his father’s, whose skirts nearly swept the ground,
almost hiding his too scanty trowsers, and a hat so large that he was
obliged to keep shoving it up from his face, played the gallant to them.
These canal boats are very long and narrow, decked over, and rising
about six feet above the water; ours was fitted up for the comfort, or
rather discomfort of the passengers. They are well provided with
windows, hold a number of people, and go very slowly; ours in
particular, drawn by two very quiet horses, seemed to traverse the
landscape at a snail’s pace. The canal is crossed by numerous low
bridges, often only a few inches above the deck, and one must be
constantly on the look-out not to be swept overboard, a disaster I once
happened to witness. Sometimes it is necessary to lie quite flat, a
precaution which also has its dangers, and on one occasion caused a
dreadful misfortune, when a passenger, by a boat that had very little
cargo, was horribly crushed to death between the boat and the bridge.
On a sudden we stopped with a tremendous crash. Everybody jumped up to
see what had happened; our boat was jammed with another in a narrow part
of the canal, directly under a bridge; and as ours was the stoutest, she
had broken some of the other’s ribs. We remained as immovably fixed as
if we had been built in; all attempts to drag the boat backwards were in
vain, because the horses, knee deep in mud, would not pull together. At
last, in a fit of compassion, and trusting to my waterproof boots, I
jumped out, seized the large whip, and giving the horses a few sharp
cuts, I made them understand that they could if they would. And they
did, but in doing so one of them lashed out behind, in the thickest of
the red mud, so that I was splashed all over with it, and looked more
like a trout than a human being. I crept back, resolving next time not
to be quite so obliging.
At length the captain came round for the fare; I quietly handed out my
four dollars, and was not a little astounded to learn that an agreement
made with a stranger at Utica was not binding on the captain, and that I
must pay my six dollars like the rest--a bit of experience not too dear
at two dollars.
So far we had been very comfortable, having had plenty of room; but now
we took in fifteen more passengers, all for Buffalo. While daylight
lasted all went on well enough, but in the evening I really could not
divine where all the people would be stowed; yet with the live cargo of
the Bremen lighter fresh in my memory, I considered nothing impossible.
The sleeping-places in the canal boats consist of long four-cornered
frames, which in the evening are hung up along the cabin; and now that
the number of passengers had so much increased, we had to be packed in
layers. The frames are covered with coarse strong canvas, on which a
small mattress was laid; at least all the passengers who came from Utica
had that accommodation, but now, on account of the number of new
arrivals, that luxury had to be dispensed with. I scrambled into my
swinging bed, having first examined the fastenings, leaving the
lately-arrived passengers playing at cards.
I awoke in the night with a dreadful feeling of suffocation; cold
perspiration stood on my forehead, and I could hardly draw my breath;
there was a weight like lead on my stomach and chest. I attempted to cry
out--in vain; I lay almost without consciousness. At last I became quite
awake, and remembered where I was, and in what circumstances I was
placed. The weight remained immovable; above me was a noise like distant
thunder: it was my companion of the upper story, who lay snoring over my
head; and that the weight which pressed on my chest was caused by his
body no longer remained a doubtful point. I endeavored to move the
Colossus--impossible. I tried to push, to cry out--in vain. He lay like
a rock on my chest, and seemed to have no more feeling. As all my
attempts to awaken him were ineffectual, I bethought me of my breastpin,
which luckily I had not taken out of my cravat the night before; with
great difficulty I succeeded in moving my arm and reaching the pin,
which I pressed with a firm hand into the mass above me. There was a
sudden movement, which procured me momentary relief; but the movement
soon subsided, the weight was growing heavier and more insupportable,
and to prevent being utterly crushed, I was obliged to reapply the pin.
“What’s that?” “Murder!” “Help!” cried a deep bass voice above me.
Feeling myself free, I slipped like an eel from under the weight, and
saw, by the dim light reflected from a lamp hanging under the deck, a
sight of no common occurrence. A stout heavy man, who slept in the upper
frame without a mattress, was too much for the well-worn canvas; during
his sleep it had given way under the weightiest part of his form, which
descended till it found support on my chest. The thrust of my breastpin
had caused him to make an effort to move, which gave me that opportunity
of making my escape I so gladly seized. As he returned to his former
position with greater force and weight, from the exertions he had made,
the support being gone, the canvas split still wider, and, more than
half asleep, he was sitting on my bed, while his head and feet remained
in his own. He soon began to call out, “Help!” “Murder!” Everybody
started up to see what was the matter, and to laugh heartily at the
extraordinary attitude of this stout gentleman.
In the morning we arrived at Lockport, where the canal has a fall of
sixty feet, with two sets of locks, one for boats ascending, and the
other for those descending: a noble work for so young a country. Here I
left the boat for the purpose of seeing the Falls of Niagara, towards
which I took the nearest road. It was about two in the afternoon when I
arrived at this most colossal wonder of all the rivers of the earth. I
abstain from any attempt to represent it; inadequate drawings, and
thousands of descriptions, are to be found in all parts of the world; I
will not add to the number. It was so surprisingly grand that I could
only gaze in admiration, and worship God.
My heart still full of this glorious scene, I avoided the little town of
Manchester, lying close to the falls, and followed the first path that
led into the country, partly for the sake of shooting, and partly to
find a house to sleep in. It became darker and darker, and the mud
seemed to be getting deeper and deeper, when I espied a light, which
acted as a guiding star through the darkness. It shone from the quiet
friendly dwelling of a Pennsylvanian smith, who had settled in the state
of New York, and who, with benevolent hospitality, fed the hungry, and
prepared a warm bed for the tired. I learned from him, and from other
farmers, that Canada was a fine country, that the forests there were
full of game, but that sportsmen were often hard beset by bears and
wolves.
I took but little time to consider my route, and on the 1st November, a
steamer from Lewiston, a small town on the Niagara river, carried me
over to Toronto, where I remained the night, and started next morning by
another steamer for Hamilton.
Hamilton is a pretty little town on Lake Ontario in Canada, and although
only a short distance from the frontier of the United States, a great
difference is perceptible as well in general appearance as in trifles.
Most of the settlers in Canada consist of English, Scots, or Irish, who
all keep to their national habits. I twisted my ankle at Hamilton, which
laid me under the disagreeable necessity of remaining there till the
morning of Saturday the 4th, when, recovered and joyful, I again sallied
for the woods, pitying the poor people who were obliged to live in
towns. From Hamilton I proceeded to Dundas, also on the Ontario, and
from thence took a northerly direction towards Preston, turning aside,
two miles short of the town, to visit New Hope, where dwelt, as I was
told, an old German sportsman. I arrived safe and sound at New Hope on
Sunday afternoon, and inquired for the abode of the old German, which I
reached about dusk. He was not at home, but some half-dozen children of
all ages and sizes, stared with their bright clear eyes at the stranger
and his outlandish costume. The father and mother were gone to church;
and the eldest daughter, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, was
teaching the little ones, some to read and others to spell, from an old
well-thumbed catechism. I sat myself quietly in the corner to await the
return of the parents, and listen to the tattle of the children.
At length the two heads of the family arrived, to the great joy of the
little ones, who ran to meet them. The man presented so striking a
likeness to one of my friends in Germany, that, in my astonishment, I
hardly answered his friendly “Good evening.” After they had laid aside
their church-going clothes, and made themselves comfortable, we sat
ourselves near the stove, which in Canada often takes the place of the
open fireplace, so hurtful to the eyes. The conversation turned mostly
on farming and shooting. He seemed thoroughly to understand the first,
and to be passionately fond of the latter. He was just the man for me.
He spoke of the former abundance of game, which was fast disappearing
through the increasing population, and he complained of the number of
bunglers who infested the woods, frightening the game, and crippling the
poor deer. He said he was very successful in turkey shooting, which is
still the same sport as described by Cooper in his “Pioneer.”
When the night was far advanced, my host showed me to a sleeping place
under the roof, where there was no want of fresh air--but I slept like a
top. He had told me of a lake, not many miles off, where there would
most likely be immense flocks of wild duck; so I was off at daylight in
search of some. My new acquaintance had pointed out the direction in
which I should find the lake; a path was out of the question, but I
thought that I should be able to find it without looking at my compass,
and stepped out boldly; but the wood was so thick and there were so many
fallen trees, some lying one over the other, that the sun stood high,
when, taking the compass out of my pocket, and by its help, making a
straight course, I arrived at the lake. I saw plenty of wild-fowl, but
perhaps frightened by others, they kept in the middle, very few
venturing near the banks. This was out of my reckoning, but as the lake
did not seem very large, I resolved on going round it. I had killed
three ducks one after the other, and in my eagerness had forgotten how
the hours flew by, till I suddenly observed that the sun was fast
approaching the west. I now saw that it was not possible to pass round
the lake before sunset, for as I came to the clearings, I perceived that
as yet I had not gone half the way. Thick masses of cloud were gathering
in the N. W., and the wind began to rustle and moan through the trees. I
expected to be obliged to bivouac here, and slightly appeased my hunger
with a bit of dry bread that I found in my pocket, for I had not had
time to roast one of the ducks. The weather threatened worse and worse;
in no pleasant humor I was walking slowly along the shore, when I found
a canoe, made of a hollowed trunk, fastened to the root of a tree. I
stepped in without the least compunction, and paddled to the opposite
shore, distant about two miles and a half, directing my course by a
large dead tree. The wind blew hard, and the waves tossed the rude
awkward craft to such a degree that I was obliged to exert all my
strength and skill to keep her even and to force her ahead. In the mean
time it began to snow, so that I was soon as white as a miller, and had
great difficulty in keeping my eye fixed on the dead tree, and thus
preserving a direct course. At last I landed, secured the canoe, and
looked out for a path towards some habitation. Before it became quite
dark I had discovered a path, which being wet, the snow melted on it as
it fell, leaving a dark line along the white ground.
Suddenly I heard a noise as if a whole herd of buffaloes were breaking
through the forest, and almost before I could look round, a dark-colored
horse passed at full speed, uttering a very remarkable scream of agony.
A rider sat on his back, who looked behind him in the greatest alarm. I
had hardly caught sight of them, as they passed so rapidly, when another
horse, without a rider, rushed snorting after them. So sudden was it,
that I should have taken it for a dream, if the footmarks in the snow
had not convinced me of the reality. I did not long indulge in useless
meditation on the cause of this nocturnal flight through the forest in
mist and snow, and soon I was happy enough to find a wheel-track. After
about an hour and a half’s walk, I saw a light in the distance, and in a
short time knocked at the door of a small farm-house. A voice called out
in German--“Who’s there?” It fell like balsam on all my organs, but more
particularly on my stomach. The door was opened by the wife of a German
wheelwright, whose husband had ridden into a village some miles off,
and whose return was expected every moment. The warm stove restored my
benumbed limbs to fresh life, which a cup of hot coffee served to
heighten. The husband, a good-natured German, came back in the course of
an hour. He had arrived in the country three years ago, without a
farthing, and now he had a nice little house, a portion of land, and
plenty of work. We went to bed about ten o’clock. It snowed heavily all
night, so, in the hopes of good sport, I started early, and, as my host
would not accept money, I left him the ducks I had killed yesterday.
Loading my left barrel with buck-shot, and fixing fresh caps, I hastened
out of the hot room, and inhaled in long draughts the fresh morning air.
After an hour’s march, and shooting nothing more than a pheasant and a
rabbit, I was startled by seeing a man approach unlike any I had ever
seen before. I soon found that he was a civilized Indian. He was dressed
in a short woollen frock, blue cloth trowsers, with broad seams,
mocassins on his feet, glass earrings in his ears, and on his head a red
woollen shawl, wound like a turban, under which sparkled his dark fiery
eyes, while his black straight hair hung over his temples. He carried
the long American rifle, and had altogether a bold and romantic
appearance. His Indian belt, ornamented with beads, held a tomahawk; and
his powder-horn and shot-belt hung on his right side. After a short and
friendly greeting, we attempted to converse,--but that was no easy
matter, he speaking broken English, while I was, as yet, only partially
acquainted with that language. On my asking him if he had seen any
game, he pointed to the ground before him, showing the fresh trail of a
bear in the snow, which I had not observed, as my attention had been
drawn to him. He made signs for me to go with him, and I need hardly say
that I followed him with a heart beating with joy and excitement. We may
have gone about five miles, through marsh, moor, and bush, over hill and
valley, and hundreds of fallen trees, constantly following the trail,
when my silent comrade came to a halt, and pointing to a thick coppice,
said,--“I believe we find him.” My excitement was now at its height; but
the Indian directed me quietly to take my stand by a tree, while he went
round the coppice to see if the trail was continued on the other side. I
had in the mean time dropped a ball over the swan-shot, and eagerly
watched every motion of the bush. It opened suddenly about fifty paces
from me, and the bear, a dark brown fellow, walked out to seek his
safety in flight. In an instant my ball with the swan-shot, was in his
skin, and immediately after that the barrel of buck-shot. Perhaps
surprised by the report of the gun, perhaps smarting from the buck-shot,
Bruin stood for a moment snuffing the air, and then ran furiously
towards me. A ball from the Indian’s rifle stopped his attempt to
revenge himself, and stretched him dead upon the earth. The Indian cut
down a young straight tree with his tomahawk, and having ripped open and
cleaned out the bear, we bound his paws together, and, as he was not
very large, slung him to the tree, and carried him to Preston, which was
not very far off. We arrived in the evening, and my Indian friend sold
the bear for four dollars. He would probably remain in Preston till he
had spent it all in drink, and then take to the woods again for more
game.
I began to find the climate too cold for me, and several Germans had
told me that here it was much colder in winter than in our own country.
I had no fancy for that, so turned south towards Lake Ontario, in order
to get on to Buffalo. I shot a pheasant which gave me a delicate meal,
and had hardly left the fire to recommence my march, when I saw seven
wolves standing at a distance of about seventy yards. Without a moment’s
consideration, I dropped lightly down in the snow to load one barrel
with ball, fearing that I should not do much with No. 4 shot; but when I
got up again the wolves had taken their leave. As they had fled towards
the S. E., I thought of following, to try and get one or two of their
scalps (government gives six dollars for a wolf’s scalp), but as the sun
was getting low, and looked very red, I gave up the chase. I had seen
several deer in the course of the day, but could not get a shot at them,
and my stomach began to complain considerably. An American would have
helped himself by shooting squirrels, of which there were plenty, but I
hadn’t the heart to eat one of these happy little creatures. Luckily I
shot a hare, and had now the comfort of being able to appease my hunger.
It was out of the question to think of finding a house for the night, as
I was no longer in a track, but in the thick of the forest, and so,
before it became quite dark, I collected as much dry wood as I could,
cleared away the snow from under a fallen tree, and lighted a fire
beneath it, which soon blazed up merrily. When I had got comfortably
warm, I set to work on my hare. I opened it, cleaned it out with snow as
well as I could, and stuck it on a piece of wood before the fire,
placing a piece of bark under it to catch the dripping, with which I
basted it. I felt very much the want of salt and bread, but hunger is a
good sauce. With the exception of the two legs, which I reserved for
breakfast, I devoured the whole. When I had finished, I heaped more wood
on the fire, and prepared to pass my first night in the open air in
America. I laid my game-bag under my head, pulled my cap well over my
ears, and with my feet to the fire was soon asleep. I slept soundly till
the sharp morning air awoke me. The fire had burned out, and I was quite
benumbed by the frost, and shook so that I could hardly light the fire
again. At last I succeeded, and gradually thawed. The rising sun found
me deep in consideration of my two legs of hare, which I looked at so
long that at length I could see only the bones. After thus taking care
of myself, I resumed my march southwards with fresh vigor, and about ten
o’clock the crowing of a cock denoted that I was not very far from a
human habitation. I hastened forward, and was soon saluted by the
barking of dogs. The proprietor was in the forest, cutting wood for a
fence. His wife, a pretty little American woman, treated me hospitably
with bread and milk, and assured me that I was not above twenty miles
from the Buffalo road, and that I should find plenty of farm-houses as I
went south. She would not on any account accept payment for my
refreshment, and so, with hearty thanks, and working my way through a
legion of dogs, I sallied joyfully forth, making the Canadian woods
resound with German songs.
On the following morning I reached the Buffalo road, lined on both sides
with farms, and on which a sort of stage-coach runs. I was now again in
the cultivated part of the country. Wheat is grown in large quantities,
and answers very well, as do oats and barley; Indian corn does not
attain the degree of perfection in which it is found further south. The
ears were small, and most of those I saw had yellow grain.
About thirty miles from the town, I overtook a cattle dealer from the
United States, who was on his road back. He seemed a good sort of
fellow, and I resolved to travel the thirty miles in his company. We
soon became acquainted. He had two enormously fat oxen, which he had
bought in Canada, and a dreadfully thin horse, on which he kindly
invited me to take turns to ride, as he would willingly walk a little.
A light but penetrating rain was falling, and the ride would not have
been disagreeable, though the road had become slippery; only the good
man was constantly offering the horse, while I was riding, to every
person he met, and would have been glad to exchange it for a couple of
cows. When tired, he mounted again, and I walked. He carried a book in
his pocket containing a deeply affecting tragedy, and as soon as he was
firmly fixed in the saddle, he invariably took it out, and began to
declaim, holding the book in his left hand, and gesticulating vehemently
with his right, in which he brandished his long cattle whip. Whenever
the more interesting parts of the tragedy occasioned an extra forcible
movement of the right arm, and with it of the whip so formidable to the
oxen, an implement on which they kept a constant watch, they started on
one side or ran back, and only the prosaic “Quiet there! Gently!” &c.,
&c., uttered in a pathetic tone, brought back the horned audience to
their duty.
On the evening of the 11th of November, I came a second time to the
Falls of Niagara, and could now admire their grandeur and majesty from
the Canadian side. From thence a beautiful road runs along the Niagara
river to Lake Erie. The road itself is good and dry; on the left the
glorious wide river, shaded with trees of the original dark forest, on
the right a succession of prosperous farms, with excellent orchards;
altogether a most enchanting prospect. The whole distance appeared
scarcely more than a few paces. A few miles from Buffalo I crossed a
ferry worked by horses in a large perpendicular wheel, and was now in
the United States again. What I saw of Canada, showed me that it is, at
least this part of it, a beautiful and fertile country, with a healthy,
though very cold climate, too cold to suit me. It produces excellent
corn, but except in the thickly inhabited parts, sheep and pigs do not
succeed on account of the numerous wolves. Many Canadian farmers assured
me that the bite of a wolf was like that of a venomous reptile to these
animals, and that however slightly they may have been bitten, they are
sure to die. But perhaps these deaths may have been caused by the bites
of rabid wolves.
It was Sunday afternoon when I stepped into the public room of the
“William Tell,” in Buffalo, and seated myself in a corner to rest. The
eyes of several respectable German operatives, who were all in hot
political debate, were at first attracted with astonishment towards the
armed stranger, but soon following up their dispute they forgot all
listeners, and I think it might very likely have come to more than
words, if the host, a little fat figure, had not rolled himself in
amongst them, and restored peace with the conciliatory words: “You are
all as foolish as so many stockfish.” In these words, the equality of
persons was proclaimed, and their feelings were pacified. It was,
however, no trifle that formed the subject of their dispute; for an
honest shoemaker would by no means allow that the English could send any
troops over, on account of the disturbances in Canada, because the
Russian was sitting across their necks. A cabinet-maker, seated opposite
to him, maintained that Russia was too far off from England to be able
to make war so quickly; but the shoemaker proved to him so clearly that
Russia was close to England on the north, and that there was only a
broad strip of land between the two Principalities, that the astonished
cabinet-maker was silenced by the overwhelming amount of solid learning;
the shoemaker admitted that the march from Russia to England was
difficult, as the soldiers had sometimes to wade up to their shoulders
in sand. Whence the good man had obtained his idea of a march through
sand, and his geographical knowledge, is more than I can say, but the
debate was amusing enough; and when the shoemaker appealed to me for my
opinion, I agreed with him of course, but told him that the Russians
intended to lay down bear-skins on the sand to make the march easier,
upon which he exclaimed, in astonishment, “What desperate fellows!”
I was up early on the following morning in order to see the town; it is
a very pretty place, and contains many Germans; it must become, and in
fact is already, the central point of all the interior commerce of the
north, for railroads, canals, steamers, and sailing vessels rival each
other in bringing and taking away produce.
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