Lost in the Backwoods

shot her bright s

opening all p

d white was the r

ocean wave lash

bite

d pine, the sides of the hills and the alluvial bottoms display a variety of noble timber trees of various kinds, as the useful and beautiful maple, beech,

gs, where dwelt the only occupiers of the soil,-which previously owned no other possessors than the wandering hunting trib

tree to the axe of the settler. No gallant vessel spread her sails to waft the abundant produce of grain and Canadian stores along the waters of that noble sheet of water; no steamer had then furrowed its bosom with her iron paddles, bearing the stream of emigration towards the wilds of our northern and western forests, there to rend

ntroduce to the acquaintance of my young readers th

the time, he was billeted in the house of a poor French Canadian widow in the Quebec suburb. Here, though a foreigner and an enemy, he received much kind attention from his excellent hostess and her family, consisting of a young man about his own age, and a pretty bla

the news that the regiment to which Duncan belonged was ordered for embarkation to England, and Duncan was so far convalescent as to be pronounced quite well enough to join it. Alas for poor Catharine! she now found that parting with her patient was a source of the deepest sorrow to her young and guileless heart; nor was Duncan less moved at the separation from his gent

he sorrow of separation, the love of our young Highland soldier and his betrothed knew no other inter

sion, and return to Quebec to seek his affianced. Some changes had taken place during that short period: the widow Perron was dead; Pierre, the gay, lively-hearted Pierre, was married to a d

married to his faithful Catharine. On one point they

softer in character, yet his heart yearned for the hill country. In those days there was no obstacle to taking possession of any tract of land in the unsurveyed forests; therefore Duncan agreed with his brother-in-law to pioneer the way with him, get a dwelling put up, and some ground prepared and "seeded down," and then to return for their wives, and settle as farmers. Others had succeeded, had formed little colonies, and become the heads of villages in due time; why should

nly met with now. The spirit of civilization is now so widely diffused, that her comforts are felt even in the depths of the for

rous Pierre, and from the nearest landing-place transported on the shoulders of himself and Duncan to their homestead. A day of great labour but great joy it was when they deposited their precious freight in

le in expedients, and gay as a lark; if one scheme failed, another was sure to present itself. Pierre and Duncan were admirably suited to be friends and neighbours. The steady perseverance of the Scot helped to t

not wanting in the homestead. Catharine had become, in course of time, the happy mother of four healthy ch

tor Maxwell, the eldest son of the Scottish soldier, and his cousin, young Louis Perron, were greatly attached: they, with the young Catharine and Mathilde, formed a little coterie of inseparables; their

an Hector and Catharine; but Mathilde was gentle and dove-like, and formed

colonel's son, a lad of twelve years of age, who had taken a great fancy to him, and had at parting given him a few of his school-books, among which was a Testament without cover or title-page. At parting, the young gentleman recommended its daily perusal to Duncan. Had the gift been a Bible, perhaps the soldier's obedience to his priest might have rendered it a dead letter to him; but as it fortunately happened, he was unconscious of any prohibition to deter him from becoming acquainted with the truths of the gospel. He communicated the power of perusing his books to his children Hector and Catharine, Duncan and Kenneth, in succession, with a feeli

in the songs of her Jacobite emigrants, but had assumed the beauties of her loveliest season; the last week in May and

ion, waved heavily its yellow blossoms as the breeze shook the stems; and there, mingling with a thousand various floral beauties, the azure lupine claimed its place, shedding almost a heavenly tint upon the earth. Thousands of roses were blooming on the more level ground, sending forth their rich fragrance, mixed with the delicate scent of the feathery ceanothus (New Jersey tea). The vivid greenness of the young leaves of the forest, the tender tint of th

to and fro guiding the thread of yarn in its course. And now she sang snatches of old mountain songs, such as she had learned from her father; and now, with livelier air, hummed some gay French tune to the household me

'Beaver Meadow.' The cattle have strayed, and we think we shall find them there. The day is delicious, the very flowe

to-day; for see, I have all these rolls of wool to spin up, and my

ll get some fine ones, ripe and red." As he spoke Louis whisked away the big wheel to one end of the porch, gathered up the hanks of yarn and tossed them into the open wicker basket, and the next minute the large, coarse, flapped straw hat, that hun

re is Ma

for all the fruit and flowers in Canada. Marie cried sadly to go with us, but I promised her and Louise

ay chief part of the day. You know it is a long walk to the Beaver Meadow and back aga

r is waiting at the barn. But stay, we shall be hungry before we return, so

was leaving the little garden enclosure, she ran back to kiss Kenneth and Duncan, her young brothers. In the farm-yard she found

er of mine, and that is for your use, Miss Kate, and in the next place, I have to find, if possible,

ered to watch the eddying dimples of the clear water, to note the tiny bright fragments of quartz or crystallized limestone that formed a shining pavement below the stream. And often she paused to watch the angry movements of the red squirrel, as, with feathery tail erect, and sharp scolding note, he crossed their woodland path, and swiftly darting up the rugged bark of some neighbouring pine or hemlock, bade the intruders on his quiet haunts defiance; yet so bold in his indignation, he scarcely condescended to ascend beyond their reach. The long-continued, hollow tapping of the large red-headed woodpecker, or the singular subterranean sound caused

ey seated themselves upon a mossy trunk to await his coming up; f

e soil or the trees, or is looking for his stick of blue beech for your broom, or the hickory for his axe handles, and never heeding su

atharine merrily. "But when shal

e of his axe ringing among the trees; for he had found the blue beech, and was cutting it to leave on the path, that he might tak

les, and were not sorry to sit dow

"As soon as we reach the old Indian clearing, we shall find strawberrie

ded, so I will throw them away, and the basket shall be filled with fresh fruit instead, and we must not forget petite Marie

ng the delightful occupation of gathering the tempting fruit; and when they had refreshed themselves, and filled the basket with leaves and fruit, they slaked their thirst at the stream which wound its way among the bushes. Catharine neglected not to reach down flowery bunches of the fragrant whitethorn, and the high-bush cranberry, then radiant with nodding umbels of snowy blossoms, or to wreathe the handle of the little basket with the graceful trailing runners of the lovely twin-flowered plant, the Linnaea borealis

e are on the cattle-path; no fear but it will le

g sun; but his cousin overruled his objection. "And is not this our own creek?" he said

mong the poplars, thorns, and bushes that clothed its banks, surprised to se

w pretty it is! I shall often follow its course after thi

forward when the stream wound its noisy way among steep stony banks, clothed scantily with pines and a few scattered silver-barked poplars. And now th

at they had mistaken the path altogether. The very aspect of the country was different; the growth of the trees, the flow of the stream, all indicated a change of soil and scene. Darkness was fast drawing its impenetrable veil around them; a few stars were stealing out, and gleaming down as if with pitying glance upon the young wanderers, but they could not light up their pathway or point their homeward track. The only sounds

uis, we were wrong in following the course of the str

subdued air failed not to attra

own by difficulties," said Hector, as he marked somethi

a troubled glance upon the weary Catharine, who lea

d with such a dry grassy bed below me; but I do not think it is good for Catharine to sleep on

with us; I deceived her, and my aunt will be angry and much alarmed, for she did n

never swerved from the truth, for which he had almost a stern reverence, hardly repressed

ould have thought nothing of their present adventure; but she could not endure the idea of her high-principled father taxing her with deceiving her kind indulgent mother and him. It was this humiliating thought which wounded the proud heart of Hector, causing him to upbraid his cousin in somewh

so very angry with poor Louis. Remember it was to please me, and give me the enjoyment of a day of libert

ll have forfeited our parents' confidence, and may have some days of painful privation to endu

Catharine, "that distresses my mind; but," she added, in more cheerful tones,

,-it is a point which they pursue as fast as it recedes from them; sad ind

ink of providing some shelter for the night: it is not good to rest upon the bare ground exposed to the night dews.-See, here is a nice hut

layfully added, taking up the axe which rested against the feathery pine beneath which Hector was leaning. Now, Catharine cared as little as her brother and cousin about passing a warm summer's night under the shade of the forest trees, for she was both hardy and healthy; but her woman's heart taugh

ng in form and height, and often presenting most picturesque groups, or rising singly among scattered groves of the silver-barked poplar or grace

irdle, and spread two beds,-one, parted off by dry boughs and bark, for herself, in the interior of the wigwam; and one for her brother and cousin, nearer the entrance. When all was finished to her satisfaction she called the two boys, and, according to the custom of her parents, joined them in the lifting up of their hands as an evening sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Nor were these simple-hearted children backward in imploring help and protection from the Most High. They ear