Lost in the Backwoods

ge in the vas

ss contigui

nging to regain their lost home had lost nothing of its intensity; and often would the poor sufferer start from her bed of leaves and boughs to wring her hands and weep, and call in piteous tones upon that dear father and mother who would have given worlds, had they been at the

ttle-path. But we were so heedless, we thought only of flowers and insects, of birds and such trifles, and paid no heed to our way." Louis Perron, such is life. The young press gaily onward, gathering the flowers, and following the gay butterflies that attract them in the form of pleasure and amusement: they forget the grave counsels of the thoughtful, till t

his cousin's sufferings, and soften her regrets; nay, he would often speak cheerfully and

the earth with fruit and flowers. It is pleasant to be able to fish and hunt, and trap the game. Yes, if they were all here, we would build us a nice log-house, and clear up these bushes on the flat near the lake. This 'Elfin Knowe,' as you call it, Kate, would be a nice spot to build

that would b

er's rifle now," said

anchette, that trees the partridge

, that if I had had a stick in my hand I could have killed it. I came within ten yards of the spot where it stood. I know it wo

s, like Mignon, dear innocent Mignon," cried

could catch a fine fawn from time to time,

rselves; we could not live in the open air without shelter as we have done. The summer will soon pass, an

hance of finding our way back to Cold Springs?

and get involved in the mazes of that dark forest, we should perish: for we know there is neither water nor fruit nor game to be had a

uld not have been so well off without it; we shall find the use of it if we have to bu

vine, and the banks and braes about us, I do not think I shall like to sta

forget to kee

d Catharine, glancing at her home-s

Hector; "clothes must be provided before

oodchucks and squirrels," suggested

r; "but it is time enough to think of all thes

e. "My dear, dear father, he will never forget his lost children; he w

ne eyes sent into the gloomy recesses of the dark ravines and thick bushes, with the hope that they would meet the advancing form and outstretch

, to sick Louise or her mother. Poor Catharine, how often did your bouquets fade; how often

ach other, "Perhaps we shall see our father, he may find us here to-day;" but evening came, and st

'Cold Creek,' we might, by following its c

Beaver Meadow, and following its course would only entangle us among those wolfish balsam and cedar swamps, or lead us yet fu

less they can see the sun rise and set, which it is not possible to do when surrounded by the dense growth

he sun in its course from east to west, but they knew not in what direction the home they had lost lay; it was this that troubled them in their choice of the course they should take each day, and at last d

all before them

est, and Provide

ewell to the valley of the "Big Stone," and ascending the steep sides of the hills, bent their steps eastward, keeping the lake to their left hand. Hector led the way, loaded with the axe, which

on on finding the undergrowth of trees and bushes become so thick that they made little progress, and the

o densely wooded with white and black oaks (Quercus alba, and Quercus nigra), diversified with here and there a solitary pine, which reared its straight and pillar-like trunk in stately grand

r way between the hills, bearing in their course those blocks of granite and limestone which are so widely scattered both on the hill-tops and the plains, or form a rocky pavement at the bottom of the narrow defiles. What a sight of sublime desolation must that outpouring of the waters have presented, when those deep banks were riven by the sweeping torrents that were loosened from their former

ers, that carried away the lighter portions of the soil. The southern shore, seen from the lake, seems to lie in regular ridges running from south to north: some few are parallel with the lake

en a broad sheet of water. To the eastward lies a still more lovely and attractive spot, known as the "Lower Race-course." It lies on a lower level than the former one, and, like it, is embanked by a ridge of distant hills. Both have ravines leading down to the Rice Lake, and may have been the sources from whence its channel was filled. Some convulsion of nature at a remote period, by raising the waters above th

ilies (Lilium Philadelphicum) take the place of the lupine and trilliums: these splendid lilies vary from orange to the brightest scarlet. Various species of sunflowers and coreopsis next appear, and elegant white pyrolas [Footnote: Indian bean, also called Indian potato (Apios tuberosa).] scent the air and charm the eye. The delicate lilac and white shrubby asters next appear; and these are followed by the large deep-blue gentian, and here a

t wreathed the low bushes and climbed the trees were loaded with clusters of grapes; but these were yet hard and green. Dwarf filberts grew on the dry gravelly sides of the hills, yet the rough prickly calyx that enclosed the nut filled their fingers with minute thorns that irritated the skin like the stings of the nettle; but as the kernel, when ripe, was sweet and good, they did not mind the consequences. The moist part of the valley was occupied by a large bed of May-apples, [Footnote: Podophyllum peltatum,-mandrake, or May-apple.] the fruit of which was of unusual size, but they were not ripe, August being the month when they ripen; there were also wild plums still green, and wild

r the fashion of an Indian wigwam, which was all the shelter that was requisite while the weather remained so warm. Through the opening at the gorge of

the afternoon. Hector and Louis had gone down to fish for supper, while Catharine busied herself in collecting leaves and dried deer-grass, moss and fern, of which there was abundance near the spring. Th

the looms of Persia or Turkey, so happy and contented were they in their ignorance. Their beds of freshly gathered grass and leaves, raised from the ear

nd warm, she sat down on a little hillock, beneath the cooling shade of a grove of young aspens that grew near the hut. Pleased with the dancing of the leaves, which fluttered above her hea

had set it aside; the hanks of dyed yarn suspended from the rafters, the basket filled with the carded wool ready for her work. She saw in fancy her father, with his fine athletic upright figure, his sunburnt cheeks and clustering sable hair, his clear energetic hazel eyes ever beaming upon her, his favourite child, with looks of love and kindness as she moved to and fro at her wheel. [Footnote: Such is the method of working at the large wool-wheel, unknown or obsolete in England.] There, too, was her

grisly paws were clasped about her throat; the feeling was agony and suffocation: her languid eyes open. Can it be?-what is it that she sees? Yes, it is Wolfe; not the fierce creature of her dreams by

ather, here are your children! Come, come quickly!" and she hurried to the head of the valley, raising her voice, that the bel

longed by every projecting headland of the val

in she called, "Father, come quickly, come!" and agai

called on her father's name; but he gave no joyful bark of recognition as he was wont to do when he heard his master's step

gallant hero of Quebec. And they too, like Catharine, thought that their friends were not far distant; joyfully they climbed the hills and shouted aloud, and Wolfe was coaxed and caressed and besought to follow them to point out the way they should take. But all their entreaties were in vain. Worn out with fatigue and long fasting, the poor old dog refus

plessly rocking himself to and fro, he involuntarily exclaimed, wringing his hands, "Lost, lost, lost!" Wolfe heard what to him was an imperative command; he rose, and stood at the door, and whined. Mechanically his master rose, lifted the latch, and again exclaimed in passionate tones those magic words, that sent the faithful messenger forth into the dark forest path. Once on the trail he never left it, but with an instinct incomprehensible as it was power

tail, as it flapped upon the grass, or waved from side to side; those gentle lickings of the hand, and mute sorrowful glances, as though he would have said, "Dear mistress, I know all your troubles; I know all you say; but I cannot answer you!" There is something touching in the silent sympathy of the dog, to which only the hard-hearted and depraved can be quite insensible. I remember once hearing of a felon who had shown the greatest obstinacy and

revealed every object far off or near. The distant lake, just seen amid the screen of leaves through the gorge of the valley, gleamed like a sea of molte

e moaning of the dying. The children felt the loneliness of the spot. Seated at the entrance of their sylvan hut, in front of which their evening fire burned brightly, they looked out upon the storm in silence and in awe. Screened by the sheltering shrubs that grew near them, they felt co

at always thrilled their hearts with fear. To the mighty thunder-peals that burst above their heads they listened with awe and wonder. It seemed, indeed, to them as if it were th

of forest leaves; the old gray branches were lifted up and down, and the stout trunks rent, for they wou

r fathers, whom they believed to be not far off from them. And often amid the raging of t

," said Catharine, weeping, "or have been starved to death whi

ccustomed to every sort of danger and privation; they were able to take care of themselves. Yes, he wa

with Wolfe, and he will find his master, and then-oh, yes! I dare say my dear father will be with yours. Th

n down their little hut, and their garments were drenched with rain. However, the boys made a good fire with some bark and boughs they had in store: there were a few sparks in their back log unextinguished; these they gladly fanned up into a blaze, at

tired and hopeless. Hector had killed a red squirrel, and a partridge which Wolfe "treed,"-that is, stood barking at the foot of the tree in which it had perched,-and the supply of meat was a seasonable change. They also noticed and marked with the axe, several trees where there were bee-hives, intending to come in the cold weather and cut them down. Louis's father was a great and successful bee-hunter; and Louis rather prided himself on having learned something of his father's skill in that line. Here, where flowers were so abundant and water plentiful; the wild bees seemed to be abundant also; besides, the open space between the trees, admittin

alt; but hungry folks must not be dainty, and Louis declared them very good when well roasted, covered up with hot embers. "The fish-hawks," said he, "set us a good example, for they eat them, and so do the eagles and herons. I watched one the other day with a mussel in his bill: he flew to a high tree, let his prey fall, and immediately darted down to secure it. But I drove him off; and, to my great amusement, perceived th

common to many birds. The crow (Corvus corone) has been long known by American naturalists to break the thick shells of the river mussels, by letting them fall from a height on to rocks and stones.] and when my uncle saw it, h

fish bones we found in the eagle's nest on

than our perch and sunfish; they were

boat, and a strong hook and line

inking about canoes, and boats, and sk

ful, and had a very good opinion of his own cleverness; he was quicker in most things, his ideas flowed faster than Hector's. But Hector was more prudent, and possessed one v

d dry them for the winter. See, ma chere, wherever we turn our eyes or place our feet they are to be found; the hill-sides are purple with them. W

hem in the sun; for let me tell you, Mr. Louis,

o, ma

dried the currants and raspberries in the sun, such was the case; but when

l make a good hearthstone; and we can get sheets of birch

tharine and Louis (who fancied nothing could be contrived without his help) attended to the preparing and making of the bags of birch bark; but Hector was soon tired of girl's work, as he termed it, and after gathering some berries, would wander away over the hills in search of game and to explore the neighbouring hills and valleys, and sometimes it was sunset before he made his appearance. Hector had made an excellent strong bow, like the Indian bow, out of a tough piece of hickory wood, whic

emarked that the red and black squirrels never were to be found very near each other. It is a common belief that the red squirrels make common cause with the gray, and beat the larger enemy off the ground. The black squirrel, for a succession of years, was very rarely to be met with on the Plains, while there were plenty of the red and gray in the "oak openings." [Footnote: Within the last few years, however, the black squirrels have been very numerous, and the red are less frequently to be seen. The flesh of the black squirrel is tender, white, and delicate, like that of a young rabbit.] Deer, at the time our young Crusoes were living on the Rice Lake Plains, were plentiful, and, of course, so were th

s, and pursued her search; and it was not long before she perceived some pretty grassy-looking plants, with heads of bright lilac flowers, and on plucking one pulled up the root also. The root was about the size and shape of a large crocus: and on biting it, she found it far from disagreeable-sweet, and slightly astringent. It seemed to be a favourite root with the woodchucks, for she noticed that it grew about their burrows on dry, gravelly soil, and many of the stems were bitten and the roots eaten-a warrant, in full, of wholesomeness. Therefore, carrying home a parcel of the largest of the roots, she roasted them in the embers; and they proved almost as good as chestnuts, and more satisfying than the acorns of the white oak, which they had often roasted in the fire when they were out working on the fallow at the log heaps. Hector and Louis ate heartily of the roots, and commended Catharine for the discovery. Not many days afterwards, Louis accidentally found a much larger and more valuable root near the lake shore. He saw a fine climbing shrub, with close bunches of dark, reddish-purple, pea-shaped flowers, which scented the air with a delicious perfume. The plant climbed to a great height over the young trees, with a profusion of dark-green leaves and tendrils. Pleased with the bowery appearance of the plant, he tried to pull

harine, "would make go

er," said Louis laughing; "but, ma belle cousine, where

e, "I fear, Louis, we m

aste for the bows and arrows, with the interesting news that a

Catharine, as she handed him down the bows and a sheaf of arrows, which she quickly sl

the beds of rice and lilies. We must have Wolf

oo would go and witness the hunt, ran down the ravine by his side; while Wolfe, who evidently understood that they

more than fifteen or twenty yards from the shore, apparently quite unconcerned at the presence of Hector, who stood on a fallen trunk, eagerly eying their motions. But the hurried steps of Louis and Catharine, with the deep, so

y, eying the long bright track that cut the s

aid Hector; "all depen

hey, seek

d bravely i

esolute, as if to face his foe, and Wolfe, taking the time, swam ahead, and then the race began. As soon as the boys saw the herd had turned, and that Wolfe was between them and the island, they separated, Lo

and they will turn either to the right or to the left. Do not let them land, or we shall lose them. We mu

sted along for some way, till within a little distance of the thicket where Hector lay concealed-the very spot from which they had emerged when they first took to the water; to this place they boldly steered. Louis, who had

gain, but Wolfe was behind and pressed him forward, and again the noble animal strained every nerve for the shore. Louis now shot his arrow, but it swerved from the mark. He was too eager; the arrow glanced harmlessly along

ven the coup de grace, he was entitled to the honour of cutting the throat of the doe; but this the stern Highlander protested against, and Louis, with a careless laugh, yielded the point, contenting himself with saying, "Ah well, I will get the first steak of the venison when it is roasted, and that is far

the most valuable acquisition they had yet effected, for many uses were to be ma

ccasional intercourse with the fur-traders and trappers, and sometimes with friendly-di

uired; and their visits, though few and far between, had left good fruit beh

They knew that strips of fresh-cut skins would make bowstrings, or the entrails of animals dried and rendered pliable. They had watched the squaws making baskets of the inner bark of the oak, elm, and bass-wood, and mats of the inner bark of the cedar, with many other ingenious works that they now found would prove useful to them, after a little practice had perfected their inexperienced attempts. They also knew

its; in their joy they embraced each other, and bestowed t

no venison for dinner to-day," said Louis; "and so, Wo

lly stretched out upon sticks to dry gradually, and the entrails they also preserved for bow-

Hector; "for the summer will soon be at an end, and then we must tu

ese huts of bark and boughs will not

"for even Kate, wee bit lassie as she is, co

hough deserving of imitation in all Christian colonies. When any work which requires many hands is in the course of performance, as the building of log houses, barns, or shanties, all the neighbours are summoned, and give their best assistance in the construction. Of course the assisted party is lia

se the wits and the strength that God has given them to work with. A few weeks ago and we should have thought it utter

," said Catharine; "but let us be thankful to the good God who l