"Scared by the red and noisy light."
--COLERIDGE.
Hector and Louis had now little employment, except chopping fire-wood,
which was no very arduous task for two stout, healthy lads used from
childhood to handling the axe. Trapping, and hunting, and snaring
hares were occupations which they pursued more for the excitement and
exercise than from hunger, as they had laid by abundance of dried
venison, fish, and birds, besides a plentiful store of rice. They now
visited those trees that they had marked in the summer, where they had
noticed the bees hiving, and cut them down. In one they got more than
a pailful of rich honeycomb, and others yielded some more, some less;
this afforded them a delicious addition to their boiled rice and dried
acid fruits. They might have melted the wax and burned candles of it;
but this was a refinement of luxury that never once occurred to our
young housekeepers: the dry pineknots that are found in the woods are
the settlers' candles. Catharine made some very good vinegar with the
refuse of the honey and combs, by pouring water on it, and leaving it
to ferment in a warm nook of the chimney, in one of the birch-bark
vessels; and this was an excellent substitute for salt as a
seasoning--to the fresh meat and fish. Like the Indians, they were now
reconciled to the want of this seasonable article.
Indiana seemed to enjoy the cold weather. The lake, though locked up
to every one else, was open to her: with the aid of the tomahawk she
patiently made an opening in the ice, and over this she built a little
shelter of pine boughs stuck into the ice. Armed with a sharp spear
carved out of hardened wood, she would lie upon the ice, and patiently
await the rising of some large fish to the air-hole, when dexterously
plunging the spear into the unwary creature, she dragged it to the
surface. Many a noble fish did the young squaw bring home, and cast at
the feet of him whom she had tacitly elected as her lord and master:
to him she offered the voluntary service of a faithful and devoted
servant--I might almost have said, slave.
During the middle of December there were some days of such intense
cold that even our young Crusoes, hardy as they were, preferred the
blazing log-fire and warm ingle-nook to the frozen lake and cutting
north-west wind which blew the loose snow in blinding drifts over its
bleak, unsheltered surface. Clad in the warm tunic and petticoat of
Indian blanket, with fur-lined moccasins, Catharine and her Indian
friend felt little cold excepting to the face when they went abroad,
unless the wind was high, and then experience taught them to keep at
home. And these cold gloomy days they employed in many useful works.
Indiana had succeeded in dyeing the quills of the porcupine that she
had captured on Grape Island; with these she worked a pair of
beautiful moccasins and an arrow-case for Hector, besides making a
sheath for Louis's _couteau de chasse_, of which the young hunter
was very proud, bestowing great praise on the workmanship.
Indiana appeared to be deeply engrossed with some work that she was
engaged in, but preserved a provoking degree of mystery about it, to
the no small annoyance of Louis, who, among his other traits of
character, was remarkably inquisitive, wanting to know the why and
wherefore of everything he saw.
Indiana first prepared a frame of some tough wood,--it might be the
inner bark of the oak, or elm, or hickory; this was pointed at either
end, and wide in the middle--not very much unlike the form of some
broad, flat fish. Over this she wove an open network of narrow thongs
of deer-hide, wetted to make it more pliable, and securely fastened to
the frame: when dry it became quite tight, and resembled a sort of
coarse bamboo-work, such as you see on cane-bottomed chairs and sofas.
"And now, Indiana, tell us what sort of fish you are going to catch in
your ingenious little net," said Louis, who had watched her
proceedings with great interest. The girl shook her head, and laughed
till she showed all her white teeth, but quietly proceeded to commence
a second frame like the first.
Louis put it on his head. No; it could not be meant to be worn there,
that was plain. He turned it round and round. It must be intended for
some kind of bird-trap; yes, that must be it, and he cast an inquiring
glance at Indiana. She blushed, shook her head, and gave another of
her silent laughs.
"Some game like battledoor and shuttle-cock,"--and snatching up a
light bass-wood chip, he began tossing the chip up and catching it on
the netted frame. The little squaw was highly amused, but rapidly went
on with her work. Louis was now almost angry at the perverse little
savage persevering in keeping him in suspense. She would not tell him
till, the other was done:--then there were to be a pair of these
curious articles!--and he was forced at last to sit quietly down to
watch the proceeding of the work. It was night before the two were
completed and furnished with straps and loops. When the last stroke
was put to them, the Indian girl knelt down at Hector's feet, and
binding them on, pointed to them with a joyous laugh, and said,
"Snow-shoe--for walk on snow--good!"
The boys had heard of snow-shoes, but had never seen them, and now
seemed to understand little of the benefit to be derived from the use
of them. The young Mohawk quickly transferred the snow-shoes to her
own feet, and soon proved to them that the broad surface prevented
those who wore them from sinking into the deep snow.--After many
trials, Hector began to acknowledge the advantage of walking with the
snow-shoes, especially on the frozen snow on the ice-covered lake.
Indiana was well pleased with the approbation her manufactures met
with, and very soon manufactured for "Nee-chee," as they all now
called Louis, a similar present. As to Catharine, she declared the
snow-shoes made her ankles ache, and that she preferred the moccasins
that her cousin Louis made for her.
During the long bright days of February, they made several excursions
on the lake, and likewise explored some of the high hills to the
eastward. On this ridge there were few large trees; but it was thickly
clothed with scrub-oaks, slender poplars, and here and there fine
pines, and picturesque free-growing oaks of considerable size and
great age--patriarchs, they might be termed, among the forest growth.
Over this romantic range of hill and dale, free as the air they
breathed, roamed many a gallant herd of deer, unmolested unless during
certain seasons when the Indians came to hunt over these hills.
Surprised at the different growth of the oaks on this side the plains,
Hector could not help expressing his astonishment to Indiana, who told
him that it was caused by the custom that her people had had from time
immemorial of setting fire to the bushes in the early part of spring.
This practice, she said, promoted the growth of the deer-grass, made
good cover for the deer themselves, and effectually prevented the
increase of the large timbers, giving a singular aspect to the high
ridge of hills when contrasted with the more wooded portions to the
westward. From the lake these eastern hills look verdant, and as if
covered with tall green fern. In the month of October a rich rosy tint
is cast upon the leaves of the scrub-oaks by the autumnal frosts, and
they present a glowing unvaried crimson of the most glorious hue, only
variegated in spots by a dark feathery evergreen, or a patch of light
waving poplars turned by the same wizard's wand to golden yellow.
There were many lovely spots,--lofty rounded hills, and deep shady
dells, with extended table-land, and fine lake views; but, on the
whole, our young folks preferred the oak openings and the beautiful
wooded glens of the western side, where they had fixed their home.
There was one amusement they used greatly to enjoy during the cold
bright days and moonlight nights of midwinter. This was gliding down
the frozen snow on the steep side of the dell near the spring, seated
on small hand-sleighs, which carried them down with great velocity.
Wrapped in their warm furs, with caps fastened closely over their
ears, what cared they for the cold? Warm and glowing from head to
foot, with cheeks brightened by delightful exercise, they would remain
for hours enjoying the amusement of the snow-slide; the bright frost
gemming the ground with myriads of diamonds, sparkling in their hair,
or whitening it till it rivalled the snow beneath their feet. Then,
when tired out with the exercise, they returned to the shanty, stirred
up a blazing fire, till the smoked rafters glowed in the red light;
spread their simple fare of stewed rice sweetened with honey, or
savoury soup of hare or other game; and then, when warmed and fed,
they kneeled together, side by side, and offered up a prayer of
gratitude to their Maker, and besought his care over them during the
dark and silent hours of night.
Had these young people been idle in their habits and desponding in
their tempers, they must have perished with cold and hunger, instead
of enjoying many necessaries and eyen some little luxuries in their
lonely forest home. Fortunately they had been brought up in the early
practice of every sort of usefulness, to endure every privation with
cheerful fortitude; not indeed quietly to sit down and wait for better
times, but vigorously to create those better times by every possible
exertion that could be brought into action to assist and ameliorate
their condition.
To be up and doing is the maxim of a Canadian; and it is this that
nerves his arm to do and bear. The Canadian settler, following in the
steps of the old Americans, learns to supply all his wants by the
exercise of his own energy. He brings up his family to rely upon their
own resources, instead of depending upon his neighbours.
The children of the modern emigrant, though enjoying a higher degree
of civilization and intelligence, arising from a liberal education,
might not have fared so well under similar circumstances as did our
Canadian Crusoes, because, unused to battle with the hardships
incidental to a life of such privation as they had known, they could
not have brought so much experience, or courage, or ingenuity to their
aid. It requires courage to yield to circumstances, as well as to
overcome them.
Many little useful additions to the interior of their dwelling were
made by Hector and Louis during the long winter. They made a smoother
and better table than the first rough one that they put together. They
also made a rough partition of split cedars, to form a distinct and
separate sleeping-room for the two girls; but as this division greatly
circumscribed their sitting and cooking apartment, they resolved, as
soon as the spring came, to cut and draw in logs for putting up a
better and larger room to be used as a summer parlour. Indiana and
Louis made a complete set of wooden trenchers out of butter-nut, a
fine hard wood of excellent grain, and less liable to warp or crack
than many others.
Louis's skill as a carpenter was much greater than that of his cousin.
He not only possessed more judgment, and was more handy, but he had a
certain taste and neatness in finishing his work, however rough his
materials and rude his tools. He inherited some of that skill in
mechanism for which the French have always been remarked. With his
knife and a nail he would carve a plum-stone into a miniature basket,
with handle across it, all delicately wrought with flowers and
checker-work. The shell of a butter-nut would be transformed into a
boat, with thwarts, and seats, and rudder, with sails of basswood or
birch-bark. Combs he could cut out of wood or bone, so that Catharine
could dress her hair or confine it in braids or bands at will. This
was a source of great comfort to her; and Louis was always pleased
when he could in any way contribute to his cousin's happiness. These
little arts Louis had been taught by his father. Indeed, the great
distance that their little settlement was from any town or village had
necessarily forced their families to depend on their own ingenuity and
invention to supply many of their wants. Once or twice a year they saw
a trading fur-merchant, as I before observed; and those were glorious
days for Hector and Louis, who were always on the alert to render the
strangers any service in their power, as by that means they sometimes
received little gifts from them, and gleaned up valuable information
as to their craft as hunters and trappers. And then there were
wonderful tales of marvellous feats and hair-breadth escapes to listen
to, as they sat with eager looks and open ears round the blazing
log-fire in the old log-house. Now they would in their turns have
tales to tell of strange adventures, and all that had befallen them
since the first day of their wanderings on the Rice Lake Plains.
The long winter passed away unmarked by any very stirring event. The
Indians had revisited the hunting-grounds; but they confined
themselves chiefly to the eastern side of the Plains, the lake and the
islands, and did not come near their dwelling to molest them. The
latter end of the month of March presented fine sugar-making weather;
and as they had the use of the big iron pot, they resolved to make
maple sugar and some molasses. Long Island was decided upon as the
most eligible place. It had the advantage over Maple Island of having
a shanty ready built for a shelter during the time they might see fit
to remain, and a good boiling-place, which would be a comfort to the
girls, as they need not be exposed to the weather during the process
of sugaring. The two boys soon cut down some small pines and
bass-woods, which they hewed out into sugar-troughs Indiana
manufactured some rough pails of birch-bark. The first favourable day
for the work they loaded up a hand-sleigh with their vessels, and
marched forth over the ice to the island, and tapped the trees they
thought would yield sap for their purpose. And many pleasant days they
passed during the sugar-making season.
They did not leave the sugar-bush for good till the commencement of
April, when the sun and wind beginning to unlock the springs that fed
the lake, and to act upon its surface, taught them that it would not
be prudent to remain longer on the island. The loud, booming sounds
that were now frequently heard of the pent-up air beneath striving to
break forth from its icy prison were warnings not to be neglected.
Openings began to appear, especially at the entrance of the river and
between the islands, and opposite to some of the larger creeks blue
streams, that attracted the water-fowl, ducks, and wild geese, which
came, guided by that instinct which never errs, from their
abiding-places in far-off lands. Indiana knew the signs of the wild
birds' coming and going with a certainty that seemed almost marvellous
to her simple-minded companions.
How delightful were the first indications of the coming spring! How
joyously our young Crusoes heard the first tapping of the red-headed
woodpecker! The low, sweet, warbling note of the early song-sparrow,
and twittering chirp of the snow-bird, or that neat, Quakerly-looking
bird that comes to cheer us with the news of sunny days and green
buds; the low, tender, whispering note of the chiccadee, flitting
among the pines or in the thick branches of the shore-side trees; the
chattering note of the little, striped chitmunk, as it pursued its
fellows over the fallen trees; and the hollow sound of the male
partridge, heavily striking its wings against his sides to attract the
notice of the female birds, were among the early spring melodies. For
such they seemed to our forest dwellers, for they told them
"That winter, cold winter, was past,
And spring, lovely spring, was approaching at last."
They watched for the first song of the robin, [Footnote: _Turdus
migratorius_, or American robin.] and the full melody of the red
wood-thrush; [Footnote: _Turdus melodus_, or wood-thrush.] the rushing
sound of the passenger pigeons, as flocks of these birds darted above
their heads, sometimes pausing to rest on the dry limb of some
withered oak, or darting down to feed upon the scarlet berries of the
spicy winter-green, the acorns that still lay upon the now uncovered
ground, or the berries of hawthorn and dogwood that still hung on the
bare bushes. The pines were now putting on their rich, mossy, green
spring dresses; the skies were deep blue; Nature, weary of her long
state of inaction, seemed waking into life and light.
On the Plains the snow soon disappears, for the sun and air have
access to the earth much easier than in the close, dense forest.
Hector and Louis were soon able to move about with axe in hand, to cut
the logs for the addition to their house they proposed making. They
also set to work as soon as the frost was out of the ground to prepare
their little field for the Indian corn. This kept them quite busy.
Catharine attended to the house; and Indiana went out fishing and
hunting, bringing in plenty of small game and fish every day. After
they had piled and burned up the loose boughs and trunks that
encumbered the space they had marked out, they proceeded to enclose it
with a brush fence. This was done by felling the trees that stood in
the line of the field, and letting them fall so as to form the bottom
log of the fence, which they then made of sufficient height by piling
up arms of trees and brushwood. Perhaps in this matter they were too
particular, as there was no fear of "breachy cattle," or any cattle,
intruding on the crop; but Hector maintained that deer and bears were
as much to be guarded against as oxen and cows.
The little enclosure was made secure from any such depredators, and
was as clean as hands could make it. The two cousins sat on a log,
contentedly surveying their work, and talking of the time when the
grain was to be put in. It was about the beginning of the second week
in May, as near as they could guess from the bursting of the forest
buds and the blooming of such of the flowers as they were acquainted
with. Hector's eyes had followed the flight of a large eagle that now,
turning from the lake, soared away majestically toward the east or Oak
Hills. But soon his eye was attracted to another object. The loftiest
part of the ridge was enveloped in smoke. At first he thought it must
be some mist-wreath hovering over its brow; but soon the dense,
rolling clouds rapidly spread on each side, and he felt certain that
it was from fire, and nothing but fire, that those dark volumes arose.
"Louis, look yonder! the hills to the east are on fire!"
"On fire, Hector? you are dreaming!"
"Nay, but look there!"
The hills were now shrouded in one dense, rolling cloud. It moved on
with fearful rapidity down the shrubby side of the hill, supplied by
the dry, withered foliage and deer-grass, which was like stubble to
the flames.
"It is two miles off, or more," said Louis; "and the creek will stop
its progress long before it comes near us, and the swamp there beyond
Bare Hill."
"The cedars are as dry as tinder; and as to the creek, it is so narrow
a burning tree falling across would convey the fire to this side;
besides, when the wind rises, as it always does when the bush is on
fire, you know how far the burning leaves will fly. Do you remember
when the forest was on fire last spring how long it continued to burn
and how fiercely it raged? It was lighted by the ashes of your
father's pipe when he was out in the new fallow. The leaves were dry,
and kindled, and before night the woods were burning for miles."
"It was a grand spectacle, those pine-hills, when the fire got in
among them," said Louis. "See! see how fast the fires kindle! That
must be some fallen pine that they have got hold of. Now, look at the
lighting up of that hill; is it not grand?"
"If the wind would but change, and blow in the opposite direction,"
said Hector anxiously.
"The wind, mon ami, seems to have little influence; for as long as the
fire finds fuel from the dry bushes and grass, it drives on, even
against the wind."
As they spoke the wind freshened, and they could plainly see a long
line of wicked, bright flames in advance of the dense mass of vapour
which hung in its rear. On it came, that rolling sea of flame, with
inconceivable rapidity, gathering strength as it advanced. The demon
of destruction spread its red wings to the blast, rushing on with
fiery speed, and soon hill and valley were wrapped in one sheet of
flame.
"It must have been the work of the Indians," said Louis. "We had
better make a retreat to the island, in case of the fire crossing the
valley. We must not neglect the canoe. If the fire sweeps round by the
swamp, it may come upon us unawares, and then the loss of the canoe
would prevent escape by the lake. But here are the girls; let us
consult them."
"It is the Indian burning," said Indiana; "that is the reason there
are so few big trees, on that hill. They burn it to make the grass
better for the deer."
Hector had often pointed out to Louis the appearance of fire having
scorched the bark of the trees where they were at work, but it seemed
to have been many years back; and when they were digging for the site
of the root-house [Footnote: Root-houses are built over deep
excavations below the reach of the frost, or the roots stored would be
spoiled.] below the bank, which they had just finished, they had met
with charred wood at the depth of six feet below the soil, which must
have lain there till the earth had accumulated over it. A period of
many years must necessarily have passed since the wood had been
burned, as it was so much decomposed as to crumble beneath the wooden
shovel they were digging with.
All day they watched the progress of that fiery sea whose waves were
flame--red, rolling flame. Onward it came with resistless speed,
overpowering every obstacle, widening its sphere of action, till it
formed a perfect semicircle about them. As the night drew on, the
splendour of the scene became more apparent, and the path of the fire
better defined; but there was no fear of the conflagration spreading
as it had done in the day-time. The wind had sunk, and the copious
dews of evening effectually put a stop to the progress of the fire.
The children could now gaze in security upon the magnificent spectacle
before them without the excitement produced by its rapid spread during
the day-time. They lay down to sleep in perfect security that night,
but with the consciousness that, as the breeze sprung up in the
morning, they must be on the alert to secure their little dwelling and
its contents from the devastation that threatened it. They knew they
had no power to stop its onward course, as they possessed no implement
better than a rough wooden shovel, which would be found very
ineffectual in opening a trench or turning the ground up, so as to cut
off the communication with the dry grass, leaves, and branches which
are the fuel for supplying the fires on the Plains. The little
clearing on one side the house they thought would be its safeguard,
but the fire was advancing on three sides of them.
"Let us hold a council, as the Indians do, to consider what is to be
done."
"I propose," said Louis, "retreating, bag and baggage, to the nearest
point of Long Island."
"My French cousin has well spoken," said Hector, mimicking the Indian
mode of speaking; "but listen to the words of the wise. I propose to
take all our household stores that are of the most value to the
island, and lodge the rest safely in our new root-house, first
removing from its neighbourhood all such light, loose matter as is
likely to take fire. The earthen roof will save it from destruction.
As to the shanty, it must take its chance to stand or fall."
"The fence of the little clearing will be burned, no doubt. Well,
never mind; better that than our precious selves. And the corn,
fortunately, is not yet sown," said Louis.
Hector's advice met with general approval, and the girls soon set to
work to secure the property they meant to leave.
It was a fortunate thing that the root-house had been finished, as it
formed a secure store-house for their goods, and could also be made
available as a hiding-place from the Indians, in time of need. The
boys carefully scraped away all the combustible matter from its
vicinity and that of the house; but the rapid increase of the fire now
warned them to hurry down to join Catharine and the young Mohawk, who
had gone off to the lake shore with such things as they required to
take with them.