תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

every day, we never thought we would get over the next night safe. But we could not run away, for my mistress was brought to bed of a little girl, as fine a little crature as ever you see. But we are all well now; and when my master comes back from the waterfall of Niggeraga, (they say they were all Niggers here once,) we are to set out for the estate he has bought in the Huron Tract; and whatever comes across me there, Mary, you shall know the particulars of it, as it may be a temptation for you come out yourself next year, with your own black eyes, to throw yourself in the way of the same good fortune. They say no girl, barring she is old and ugly,

will stand two months.

to

“My Mistress says an officer will take this free, with her own.

"So dear Mary no more, and I'm sure no more would be agreeable, at present, from your loving school-fellow,

"And friend,

"BRIDGET LACY."

66

To all gentlemen settlers we recommend highly their bringing out a good rifle, a Rigby or Egg, and if they knew how to prime and load, they cannot fail of filling the larder with fat turkeys and fatter venison; if they are bad shots, such as fire at a church and miss the parish," they will fare no better than Mr. Magrath's man, who fired at a flock of these black waddlers, and "boasted that he knocked out as many feathers as would make a good sized pillow," but the larder was none the better, nor the turkeys the worse of this sharp-shooting. Be you good or bad shot, bring out the rifle, for if you cannot shoot, somebody else may be found to take your place. It is quite a mistake to think, that the bush is the best shooting ground, we find the cleared land is recommended-and surely the woods must be an awkward place to take a shot -one might as well shoot in a stake salmon-net, with as many poles as meshes around him.

A letter on the state of religion in Upper Canada :-The information on this subject in England, is ridiculous, it is more properly ignorance; we have seen very good old ladies bless themselves that they were not placed in such a heathenish country. If they will not read they must be ignorant, and to be ignorant when such in

formation is offered, is folly or prejudice-generally the latter. We find a demand for Church of England divines, not temporising men, but those who will put their shoulders to the work-if drones are sent out, the church will, to a surety, fall in public estimation; Methodism is gaining ground, but still there is a protesting religion, and while there is such we feel less the want of the true Reformed Church; so long as the settlers are long will the seeds of protestantism be kept clear of papistry and infidelity, so kept alive; and we are free to confess, sionaries for their zealous and effective labours--we look on them as guardians of that faith, which we hope to see promulgated in their congregations by the authentic ministers of the Protestant Church. At the same time it must be allowed, that there is a frightful degree of free thinking, "thousands never see the face of a clergyman," and the consequence is, neglect of the moral and religious duties of life; as an instance of such let us adduce the following

that we honour the Methodist Mis

"Some persons have been disposed to fusing to say, with my body I thee go away unmarried, from the man's reworship'-One, contending that worship was due to God alone, was induced to

comply with the Rubrick, only by the positive refusal of the clergyman to proceed with the ceremony, unless the form were acquiesced in.

"A woman from the STATES, in the true spirit of independence, left a church in this province, unmarried, from her refusal to say 'obey.' She had previously determined never to give the solemn promise required, and preferred living with her intended spouse, unshackled by the yoke of matrimony.

"She now has three children, and lives happily with her mate.

"You remember the old song

A maid there was who did declare,
That if she ever married were;
No pow'r on earth should make her say,
Amongst the rites, the word Obey :
When this she at the church confest,
And when she saw the angry priest
Shut up his book to go away,
She curtseying cried, Obey Obey!!'

"The first verse critically applies in the present instance; but, it is to be regretted, that the dame in question did not permit the second one to be equally in point."

The clergy will find much in this chapter to interest them; a fair view of their probable success, and their certain income is here given.

Our sporting captain pays a visit to a tribe of Indians near him, and a pleasant time he seems to have spent. Here again the advantage of a good gun is held forth; it is as good an introduction to a Huron or Mighigan,

as a letter of credit to a merchant on

change. These Indians dance quadrilles, and in the estimation of Mr. M. they excel many of the crack pupils of the fashionable teachers. The chief of one tribe sat in the assembly as member of his county; and we would wager a sum of money, that he behaved more decorously than the tagrag and bob-tail thing, mis-named the "collective wisdom" of this country. We cannot refrain from an extract of an adventure with these

"Stoics of the wood, the men without a tear." "After a residence of six weeks with my Red Brothers, I prepared to return homeward, and felt much regret at parting from them, so marked was their kindness to me, and so goodnatured their attention. When I fixed the day, every one had something to give; and had I accepted half what they presented, two canoes would have been insufficient to carry away the provisions. I embarked at five in the morning; when three miles distant from shore, the sudden swell of the lake, and black appearance of the sky foreboding storm, I directed the men at the paddles to turn back, and before we had got within a mile of shore, the waves (as is often the case in those lakes) running mountain high, we made every possible exertion, but very little way.

"The wind was right ahead, and freighted with six persons-but she rode it like a duck; we at length reached the land, nearly exhausted, and I was welcomed back with as much cordiality as if my absence had been for weeks instead of hours. Had we not returned we must have been inevitably lost; in a short time, however, I was safely lodged again in my old quarters.

"About dusk a canoe, with two Squaws on board, was observed struggling to make the shore. On inquiry, I found they belonged to our camp, had been about a mile along the coast, for some fish which had been left behind, and were blown out as they were rounding a head land close to us. We could observe them throwing out the fish, and the group on

shore had hopes of their arriving in safety; none, however, attempted to go to their assistance, knowing that, in such a gale, both canoes would be endangered, as, by a sudden collision they would be upset or staved to pieces; they, nevertheless, looked on with deep anxiety, when, as the little vessel rose on the summit of a wave, the foremost paddle snapt close to the hand of the Squaw that plied it, and disappeared. She lay down in the canoe, and her comrade could do no more than prevent it from turning. In a moment a canoe was launched, by two men, one of them the husband of her who still worked that which was in distress; they were making some progress to her relief, when it became so dark that we lost sight of both. The shouts of the two men to discover where the canoe lay were feebly answered by the unhappy women, and then all was still.

"I had a fire lighted on the beach, as a beacon to direct them, in the excessive darkness of the night.-The group around it formed the finest subject for a painter that can be imagined. There we stood, about eighty in number, gazing at the flame, blown by the wind in all directions, the light thrown strongly, but fitfully, on the features and figures of the Indians, but not a word was spoken—at length the grating sound of paddles reached our ears; the light of the immense fire flashed on the approaching canoe and the persons it contained-the two enterprising men accompanied by one female!-Poor Segenauck, the wife of an attached husband, who hoped and tried to save her, was no more!

"They landed-not a question was asked-all retired to their wigwams in solemn silence. In a few minutes I was alone.

"The manly and dignified manner in which this melancholy occurrence was received the solemn, but silent, tribute of regret paid by all to the memory of one of their tribe, thus suddenly called away, gave me a still more favourable impression of my Indian companions, and sent me to bed, with the storm in my ears, and its fatal result occupying my waking and sleeping thoughts till morning. I learned, then, from Segenauck's husband, that as soon as the canoes came near each other, the Squaw at the head, taking hold of the gunwale of that in which he was, cautiously stept in, forgetting, in the hurry and danger of the moment, to keep hold of that she had left, which, losing the weight in front, rose at once out of the water, was blown round, and upset

[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small]

"all striking at him together intercept each others implements of war

[ocr errors]

"

without a possibility, on his part, of saving his unfortunate helpmate."

We have next another letter from Miss Biddy Lacy, who we shall say nothing of, as it would really deprive the reader of a pleasure, did we presume to recommend it-the excellence will be found at the first glance. Then come right excellent letters on sporting, deer-shooting, bear-shooting, racoon killing, partridge and woodcock slaying cum multes aliis, "too numerous here to be mentioned." We are fairly at a loss which to take-at random we select the "hunting the racoon."

"HUNTING THE RACOON.

"This is a kind of sport which does not admit of much variety.

"In the moonlight nights the Racoons collect in numbers in the cultivated fields, to regale upon the Indian corn, and are there to be attacked with caution, as they retire at the slightest noise, which makes it particularly necessary to keep all quiet about the house and farm yard, for an hour or two after nightfall; at which time, having a dog well trained for the purpose, you sally forth. The dog may be half lurcher and half cur," or of any description that has a tolerable nose and an audible voice.

"The moment he comes upon the scent he gives tongue, and the Racoons immediately fly to the adjoining trees. He runs the first to the trees (in which he has taken shelter, and remains barking at its root. You come up, and from the indication of the dog, as well as from the assistance of the moon, you have no

difficulty in finding your game, or in

killing it.

"When you have shot the first, lay the dog on again; the same result may be expected; and so in continuation, till, by the cessation of the barking, you are apprized that no other Racoons remain.

"Occasionally, however, a more animated scene takes place, by day light, when one of those animals may happen to exhibit himself in a tree beside the

house.

This is the only hunting of wild animals, in which the fair sex partake; but on this occasion the entire family turn out, men, women, children, domestics, dogs, &c.

If there be a gun in question the sport is soon over; if not, the tree must be cut down. Pending the operation, all eyes are fixed on Cooney, sitting aloft

with perfect composure, and looking down with ineffable contempt upon the gaping enemy; and with some justice!for how could he imagine, that with the purpose of destroying a peaceable and harmless animal like himself, a domestic host should be arrayed against him. He gives no credit to it, 'till the creaking tree, yielding to the axe, begins to give way, when running rapidly down the stem, and bolting up that of an adjoining tree, he makes a second effort at security.

"In the confusion upon his first descent, he frequently escapes; all striking at him together, intercepts each other's implements of war. Cunning and nimble as a fox, he avoids them all; but should he cling to the falling tree, he comes to the ground, bruised and stunned, an easy victim to the beetle, potstick, fleshfork, or poker of the amazonian cook maid, who carries him off in triumph to the kitchen, encouraged by her success, to hope for a few more to line her Sunday cloak with their comfortable skins."

There now look at Lover's Sketch, why he must have been himself present else could he not draw such attitude. The family were all at dinner, we suppose, when in runs a yelping brat

the racoon's in the corn!' when upstart the whole posse comitatus of the farm; Jack with an axe to fell the tree, if the brute shall tree to;' Peter fresh from the barn, leaves his hot work, and flail in hand, runs to see the fun; Molly with a ladle, and her sister, or fellowprentice (perhaps Miss Lacy herself,) with the kitchen tongs, vow vengeance against the intruder; old Towser jumps at the varmin, and yells, and

blows, and cries, and oaths, resoundcrack goes the tree, hop, skip, and a jump, and away goes the racoon minus heedless of stumps, till Peter, as he a tail, and away go the yelling crowd

draws a back-handed smite, falls head over heels, Molly with uplifted legs over him, and Miss Lacy and Jack crown the pile, and so end the racoon hunt. Snipe duck! feal! "what fun." Such shooting and eating salmon, trout, white fish!—such fishing and drinking-we scarce know what to give the public when all is good. Let us see what the chapter on fishing may give us; aye, spearing salmon, not unknown to us in days gone bye, but most novel to the fly and line fishers, who cheer at a gudgeon and yell at a trout; read ye ignoramusus,

« הקודםהמשך »