The stalwart and the brave;
Alike their camp and hunting-place,
Their battle-field and grave;
Where late gigantic warriors1 stood,
As thick as pine-trees in the wood,
Or snipes on Jersey2 shore;
“Tecumseh,” “Beaver,” and “Split Log,”
And “Keokuk,” and “Horned Frog,”
And “Blackhawk,” “Wolf,” and “Yelping Dog,”
And “Possum Tail,” and “Pollywog,”
And many hundred more.—F. G. H.
Again in the cars for a journey to St. Anthony’s Falls, and again the fertile rolling prairie met the eye on every side. The view was somewhat marred4 by the high board fences of the railroad, that in some places hid those broad flowery fields. Some curious mounds5, round, smooth, and green, extended like a chain from east to 66west, and looked as if they were artificial formations, lying as they do on the bosom6 of the prairie; perhaps the burial-place of a departed race.
Soon the high lands on the Mississippi were seen. A portly gentleman of Galena, just returning from a convention at Springfield, pointed7 them out to Mrs. Lester, and said, “Ma’am, there is no such river in the world; you never saw such scenery; you would not look at the Hudson after it.”
“That would be unfortunate,” replied Mrs. Lester, “as my home is on the Hudson. Is the scenery finer than the Highlands and the Catskills?”
“Well, ma’am, I can’t exactly say as to that; I have not been below Albany.”
“Ah, then, you have not seen our beautiful river, as it cannot boast of much grandeur8 above Albany.”
Galena is a curious town, built on the 67side of a very steep hill; the houses rising one above another, and in a picturesque9, romantic region. The road lay for some time along the bank of the Fever River, and Norman looked in vain for the lead mines, for which this part of the country is so famous. A very fine specimen10 of the lead ore was afterward11 given him.
“Ah! look, mother!” he exclaimed, as the descending12 sun that had been partially13 vailed, shone through a rift14 in the clouds, and was brightly mirrored in the placid15 waters of the river. Low wooded banks and islands were also mirrored there as well as the shining orb16 and the large dark masses of clouds. It was the great sight of the afternoon.
At Dunleith, on the line between Illinois and Wisconsin, the terminus of the Illinois Central road, they went on board the Grey Eagle, the best boat on the Upper Mississippi.
A sunset on the Missi-sepe, the Great 68River! It was radiant and golden, but without any pomp of crimson17 clouds, of long-trailing glory.
Norman had a fine view of Dubuque, built on a natural terrace on the opposite shore, and creeping up four of five ravines between the great bluffs18 which rise directly behind the town. After tea, as the boat was not to leave till morning, he watched the lights gleaming out from the city below, and the scattered20 dwellings21 above, and then went to bed in his state-room.
His mother had not met the friends whom she had expected to join at Dunleith for this excursion, and she felt somewhat disappointed. The morning came in clouds and drizzling22 rain. The hills were vailed; but as the boat went very near the western shore, the passengers could admire the wealth of foliage23, and the rich greens of those primeval forests. A road ran along the river bank, and 69some men were quarrying24 stone; near this was a deserted25 log-house.
On passing a very high red bluff19, that stood in the forest, like an Egyptian idol26, so curiously27 was it fashioned, Mrs. Lester ran to the east side of the boat to call Norman to look at it. He came, but after a hasty glance returned to his play, which for the time wholly absorbed him. He was engaged in some merry games with Helen and Frank Lisle, and he had no thought for anything else. Mrs. Lisle found that Norman was the son of a minister who had been an intimate friend of her sister’s. “My sister has very frequently spoken to me of him,” she said; “I almost think I had known him. My sister named her eldest28 son after your father, Norman, and I have been strangely reminded of Lester at your age all the morning.”
Norman remained a while to look at a large raft which his mother had called 70him to see. There were twenty men upon it; some of them with red shirts, and another wrapping a white blanket around him. There was a shed where one man was cooking the dinner, and a board table in front for their meals. A gentleman said that a raft of that size was worth about seven thousand dollars. There were a number of rafts floating by this western shore. One misses the white sails of the Hudson on the Mississippi, where rafts, and steamboats, and an occasional sail-boat, are the only craft on its waters.
There were ravines running up among the hills, and near the shore were layers of white stone piled regularly as if laid in mortar29. Castellated bluffs peeped out from the encircling verdure, and low islands, covered with willows30, were emerging from the recent floods. From behind one of these the steamer Northern Light appeared, her bright golden star on a back ground of green.
71After dinner the aspect of things brightened. The clouds rolled away, and the clear blue sky appeared in its soft beauty. The eastern now became the most interesting side; noble bluffs were seen far above the lofty oaks and maples31, like some ancient towers, the strongholds of the former lords of the soil. The town of Guttenbay is on a table land at the foot of one of these bluffs, and beyond it a range of rounded hills, softly rising above wooded islands. “O look!” said Helen Lisle, “at that beautiful rainbow in the spray.” It was no fleeting32 vision, but all the afternoon the radiant bow, with its hues33 of blended brightness, afforded them a beautiful object for contemplation.
“See those trees,” cried Norman; “they look as if they were running a race down hill.”
In crossing from the east to the west side they passed an island shaped like a 72bowl, the center filled with water, and a broad green brim. M’Gregor’s landing is a small busy town of one long street, there being no place for another in the narrow ravine. The street was filled with wagons34, and many passengers landed to go out on the rich prairies of Iowa, to which this ravine leads.
There is a noble view of the broad river and its wooded islands, in crossing to Prairie du Chien on the east side. Norman was amused at seeing three dogs on this prairie, the first he had seen on the shores of the river. The town derives35 its name from a family of Fox Indians, who formerly36 lived there, and were known by the name of Dogs.
The fort, though now deserted, looked very finely with its white walls, and its pleasant site, commanding the far reaches of the Mississippi, and the prairie opening into the interior.
73
No. 666.
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN.
75“Keokuk used to live here, Norman; do you remember the story you were reading about him?”
“O yes, mother, he was such a brave man. He was chief of the Sacs and Foxes, and yet he was such a firm friend to the whites that he exerted all his influence to prevent his tribe from going to war with them. At one time when the nation had determined37 upon a war with the United States, he told them to burn their wigwams, kill their squaws, and then to go into the enemy’s country to conquer or to die. This speech convinced them of the folly38 of engaging in a war that could only terminate in their ruin, and they followed his peaceful counsels.”
“And then,” asked Mrs. Lester, “how did he show his magnanimity when the people were wearied with his goodness, as the Athenians of old were at hearing Aristides called the Just?”
“O yes, that was at Prairie du Chien 76too. They chose a young man for chief instead of the noble chief who so long had led them. He quietly took the lower place, and introduced his youthful successor to the United States agent, asking him to treat him as kindly39 as he had treated Keokuk. This noble conduct showed the tribe their folly, and Keokuk was soon restored to his place as their chief.”
“Poor Red Bird,” said Mrs. Lester, “this spot was a fatal one to him. He was a real Indian hero; tall, lithe40, and beautiful, graceful41 in movement, skilled in feats42 of agility43, daring and brave.”
“Why was this spot fatal to him?” asked Helen.
“He was a great friend to the whites,” replied Mrs. Lester, and dealt kindly and truly with them. An Indian had been killed by a white man, and his tribe demanded scalps to atone44 for this murder. Red Bird was sent to obtain the scalp of 77the white man, but he returned, saying he could find none.
Then came the cruel taunts45 of the revengeful savages47; “Red Bird was no brave;” “he feared the pale-faces;” “he cared not to avenge48 the blood of one of their tribe.” “Red Bird must go again,” and this time not alone, but accompanied by cruel Indians, to watch his movements. Poor Red Bird had never met the pale-faces but with truth and kindness, and now a hundred voices clamored for their destruction; and these voices overpowered the still small voice within him.
Red Bird and his two companions entered a cabin, a little below Prairie du Chien, at noon-day. It was a peaceful family group, fearing no evil. The woman was washing near the window that looked toward the river; her husband was seated by the cradle of his sleeping child, while an old soldier sat near the door. The Indians asked for something 78to eat, and as the woman gave them some bread and milk, she saw an expression in their faces that led her to fly from the cabin to call for help. No help could reach the ill-fated occupants of the cabin. The tomahawk of the Indians rapidly descended49; Red Bird scalped the husband and father, the second Indian the soldier, while the fair hair of the infant was dangling50 at the belt of the third savage46, as he left the cabin.
“And what became of Red Bird?” asked Helen.
“He was taken by the United States officers, and brought to trial. Red Bird, sad and stately, drew himself up to his full height, and said that he had always been a friend of the white man, that he had never before injured them, and that he had been forced to this act of retaliation51 by the taunts of his tribe; that he thought they ought not to condemn52 him for a single offense53.”
79
No. 666.
INDIANS KILLING54 A WHITE FAMILY.
81“He was put in irons, an indignity55 that so wrought56 upon his lofty spirit, that he pined to death.”
“Look at that log-cabin on the bank,” said Norman; “perhaps that is the one Keokuk slept in one night.”
“Why did he go there?” asked Helen.
“He came in and asked for a night’s lodging57. The settler’s family, who had seen many Indians about in the afternoon, were afraid; but the noble countenance58 of their guest reassured59 them, and they gave him permission to stay. In the morning he told them that his tribe were returning up the river, after having received their money from the United States, and that as some of them had drunk the firewater, he feared they might alarm the pale-faces in the cabin, and therefore he had come to project them.”
Painted Rock, so called because there are Indian paintings upon it, was on the opposite side of the river, in deep shadow, 82while the green hill sloping toward the south, lay in broad sunshine.
Dwellings nestled in a pretty ravine were frowned upon by four lofty cliffs, whose rugged60 rocks resembled fortifications. One rock looked precisely61 like the fragment of a massive wall. Just beyond, a valley, branching in three directions, ran up among the hills. Over one of these, to the south, the dark shadow of the bluff was thrown, while the soft rounded hills to the north were covered with scattered trees, resembling orchards62 on the hillside, giving a cultivated look to the scene.
No docks are needed, as the steamer, that only draws about eighteen inches of water, runs up anywhere close to the shore. As it was approaching the bank they saw a log-cabin, in the door of which stood a man, and a little child in red frock and white pantalets, making a pretty picture.
83On the jutting63 point where the boat touched was a white house, and a young girl, with an earthen pitcher64, was walking down the stone steps leading to the water.
A great yellow Egyptian-looking cliff threw a shadow over this peaceful scene.
“There are the nine passengers who are to land at this place,” exclaimed Norman, as a man walked up the road followed by eight sheep. “He has been surrounded by that family ever since we left Dunleith.”
“He looks very well satisfied now to have them all safely landed,” said Helen Lisle; “how pleased his children will be at the grand arrival.”
The bluffs were now magnificent. The limestone65 strata66 extended in straight lines, looking like streets; then a bold red bluff towered up like a great cathedral; then a building resembling the New York Free Academy, while lofty masses of rock, 84crowned and encircled with verdure, continually remind one of the feudal67 castles of the Rhine. It was with reluctance68 they obeyed the summons to tea, which withdrew them from the ruddy cliffs of Wisconsin; but on returning to the deck they saw them still, glowing in the light of the setting sun:
“Each rosy69 peak, each flinting spire70,
Was bathed in floods of living fire;
Their rocky summits, split and rent,
Form’d turret71, dome72, or battlement;
Or seem’d fantastically set,
With cupola or minaret73.”
There is the mouth of the Upper Iowa River, on the boundary line of Iowa and Minnesota. “Good-by, Iowa,” said Norman, taking off his hat and waving it to the receding74 state.
“Crossing the river again,” said Mrs. Lester. “We will soon be at the mouth of the Bad Axe75 River, but the light is fading so rapidly that we will not be able to see 85the spot of the decisive conflict between the Indian and white man.”
“I never heard of that battle mother, will you tell me something about it?”
“It was at the close of the Black Hawk3 war, in 1832. The Indians were entirely76 defeated by the United States troops at this place. A number of squaws were slain77 in the wild confusion of battle, not being distinguished78 from the Indians in the long grass into which they had fled for refuge. One poor woman, as she received her mortal wound, clasped her child close to her bosom, and fell over upon it, thus pinioning79 it to the ground. The poor little thing was found the next day under the lifeless body of its mother. Its arm was broken, and the child was so starved that, even during the painful operation of setting the broken bone, it eagerly devoured80 some meat given to it by the compassionate81 soldier who had rescued it from the arms now powerless 86for its protection. The love of another mother bore her safely over the deep waters. She placed her papoose in her blanket, and holding it between her teeth, she swam across the broad river, and reached the opposite shore in safety.”
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1
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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2
jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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3
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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4
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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9
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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10
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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11
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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12
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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13
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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14
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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15
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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orb
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| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
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17
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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18
bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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19
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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20
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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21
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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drizzling
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| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
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23
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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24
quarrying
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| v.采石；从采石场采得( quarry的现在分词 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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26
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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28
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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29
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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30
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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maples
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| 槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木 | |
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32
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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34
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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35
derives
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| v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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38
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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atone
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| v.赎罪，补偿 | |
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taunts
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| 嘲弄的言语，嘲笑，奚落( taunt的名词复数 ) | |
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46
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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48
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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49
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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50
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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51
retaliation
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| n.报复，反击 | |
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52
condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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53
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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54
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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55
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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56
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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57
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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58
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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59
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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61
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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64
pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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65
limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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66
strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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67
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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70
spire
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| n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点 | |
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71
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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73
minaret
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| n.（回教寺院的）尖塔 | |
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receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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76
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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77
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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79
pinioning
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的现在分词 ) | |
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80
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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