Looking thoughtfully into the fire a moment, as if to call an item from his experience, he proceeded as follows:
"In the month of September, 18—, having business to transact with a man engaged in timber-making on Bartholomew's River, New Brunswick, I set out on horseback, late in the afternoon, for his encampment, distant some ten miles. Part of the distance I had to pass through a dense wilderness, where a path had been made by cutting away the underbrush and small trees; the rest of the journey could only be prosecuted by riding in the bed of the stream, which at the time was quite dry.
"In answer to the inquiries made at the tavern where I hired my horse, I was told that the camp was on the bank of the stream, and could be easily seen from the channel through which I was to pass. The sun was about one hour high when I entered the woods; but I had not proceeded half way through when the heavens suddenly became overcast, which admonished me that I was about to experience one of those terrible thunder-tempests which sometimes occur at the close of a sultry September day, and are remarkable for the copious torrents of rain which fall in the vicinity of lakes and rivers, surrounded by the wilderness. I felt some solicitude to reach the river before it became dark, but the roughness of the road prevented me from going faster than a walking pace, and, ere I had accomplished the journey through the forest, the rain poured down in torrents. The thunder of heaven's artillery was tremendous, and the shooting chains of fire hissed through the tops of the trees like darting fiery serpents, here and there spending their force upon the lofty spire of some gigantic Pine, splitting and shivering its trunk into thousands of pieces, and strewing them far away upon the ground. Night, hastened by the gathering tempest, wrapped the whole scene in profound darkness; thus, amid the deafening peals of thunder, the darting forks of lightning which shot around me in every direction, and torrents of rain, my horse groped his way silently along, bearing me upon his back. At length, through much danger, I reached the channel of the river, to encounter new dangers and difficulties.
"When I entered the channel, the rain had not materially affected the amount of water then flowing; but I had not proceeded far when the swollen and foaming current, which had accumulated from hill sides and numerous brooks, rushed by me, rendering riding imminently hazardous. To be prepared for the worst, I divested myself of my boots and the horse of his saddle. In vain did I strain my eyes to gain a glimpse of the camp each time the lightning dispelled the darkness, which gave me a momentary glimpse of all around. Concluding at length that I had gone too far down the river, I turned my horse and breasted the foaming current, resolving to renew my exertions in an up-river course. But the water by this time was so high, and the channel so treacherous, that I concluded to gain the shore of the stream, and make my way, if possible, along its banks, though densely studded with trees and bushes growing in the wildest confusion. Owing to the precipitousness of the banks, I was unable to gain my object, and was therefore compelled to remain in the stream. Again and again I essayed to escape to the shore, but from the same causes failed of its accomplishment. My situation was becoming more critical every moment. Sometimes my horse was making his way over large rocks; then, suddenly coming to deeper portions of the channel, would lose his footing entirely, and swim with me upon his back. All this time the darkness was intense, the tempest raged with unabated fury, while the already swollen current continued to increase. The solemnity of the midnight hour, rendered terrible by the tempest overhead and threatening waters beneath, filled my mind with painful apprehensions. The awful grandeur of God seemed to pass before me, proclaimed in the voice of his thunder. Death, the judgment, and my sins stood before me; and I felt constrained to implore His protecting mercy. At length the lightning revealed a camp just upon the bank. Here I was able to leave the channel of the river, whose banks had so long held me a prisoner.
"Supposing that I had found the object of my hazardous search, I dismounted, and, flinging the bridle from my horse's head, left him to shift for himself, and hastened to enter; but, to my amazement, it proved an old, deserted, and solitary camp. Here, however, I resolved to worry out the remainder of the night. The wind chopping round to the northwest, it ceased raining and grew very cold, so that before daylight the rain drops froze upon the bushes; and, beginning to be very chilly, I found that exercise was necessary to keep me warm. The darkness was yet so great that I could see nothing; and, for fear of thrusting my head against the roof, I threw myself down and crawled about on my hands and knees, until, wearied with my exertions, I felt the need of repose. I then dug a hole down in the old boughs, which had been used by the former occupants as a bed, crawled into it, and covered myself entirely under the rubbish, except my face. For a few moments I thought I should be able to sleep, but my hopes were speedily dissipated. I had not lain long before I was covered with myriads of fleas. Springing from my restless couch, I shook and brushed them from my clothes; and as all hopes of rest were dismissed, I continued to exercise myself as well as I could until the grizzly rays of early morning dispelled the darkness which had so long held me a prisoner. As soon as it became sufficiently light, I set out, in my stockings, in pursuit of the camp, which I had failed to find the night previous. Proceeding up river about two miles, I came at once upon the camp. It was Sabbath morning; the inmates were indulging themselves in a late nap, and, notwithstanding my urgent circumstances, I resolved to wait a little, and give them a gentle surprise. You may be assured that my wretched appearance fully qualified me for the occasion. My feet were still partially covered with the ragged remnants of my stockings; my clothes were considerably torn and thoroughly wet, and the shives of the old bough bed were sticking into them nearly as thickly as a fleece of porcupine quills; my hat, rendered soft by the thorough drenching it had received, settled down over my head and ears; the black dye from the hat had run down in little lines all over my face, leaving their dry channels distinctly defined; my long and tangled hair, together with my haggard, care-worn countenance, rendered me altogether an object which, under any circumstances, was calculated to inspire terror. Stepping up to the camp, I gave a sudden, loud rap, without any further demonstration, which awoke the crew. As they naturally supposed themselves far away from any human beings, a knock at their door thus early, and on a Sabbath morning, the more surprised them, and awakened their curiosity. 'Who or what the d—l can that be?' I overheard some one within say. Presently a man, who, by-the-way, knew me perfectly well, came to the door, and, with some caution, opened it. I met him with a fixed and vacant stare, without uttering a word. He returned my gaze with an expression of inquisitive astonishment.
"'You don't seem to know me,' I observed. The tones of my voice increased his astonishment, for they seemed familiar, but the strangeness of my appearance confounded him, and I could not refrain from laughing outright. Finally, half suspecting whom I might be, he exclaimed, with much energy, 'Nick! in the name of G—d, is it you?' I soon satisfied them on this point, while I briefly related my night's adventure. Their astonishment was great at seeing me in such an extraordinary plight, but not greater than was my satisfaction to meet them and to obtain the succor which I needed. After breakfast, some of the men went in pursuit of my horse, saddle, and boots. The last two they found on a little island in the stream, where, for fear of losing them by the flood, I had lashed them to a stump the night before."
Having thus finished his story and replenished his pipe, the old man leaned back against the camp walls and enveloped himself in a cloud of smoke, while he listened, in turn, to the various incidents in the experience of others, of which his own had been suggestive.
Finally, after some little discussion as to the precise location which each should occupy on the new bed, all hands "turned in," to live over again the fortunes of the day in the fantastic dreams of night.
Having completed our own cabin, we proceed next to construct a hovel for the oxen, which are yet behind. In erecting this, the same order in architecture is observed as in that of the camp, the timber of which it is composed, however, being much larger than that with which our own habitation is constructed. With the trunks of trees the walls are carried up nearly equal in height, leaving one side, however, enough lower than the other to give a moderate pitch to the roof, which is covered with the same kind of material as that of the camp. In the camp for the workmen there is no floor but the earth; the ox hovel, however, has a flooring made of small poles laid closely together, and hewed down with some degree of smoothness with the adz, and in the final finish the crevices in the walls are plastered with clay or ox manure. A temporary shed is thrown up in front, which serves as a depôt for hay and provender.
No little pains are bestowed upon the conveniences designed for the team. With the exception of sporting horses, never have I witnessed more untiring devotion to any creature than is bestowed upon the ox when under the care of a good teamster. The last thing before "turning in," he lights his lantern and repairs to the ox hovel. In the morning, by the peep of day, and often before, his faithful visits are repeated to hay, and provender, and card, and yoke up. No man's berth is so hard, among all the hands, as the teamster's. Every shoe and nail, every hoof and claw, and neck, yokes, chains, and sled, claim constant attention. While the rest of the hands are sitting or lounging around the liberal fire, shifting for their comfort, after exposure to the winter frosts through the day, he must repeatedly go out to look after the comfort of the sturdy, faithful ox. And then, for an hour or two in the morning again, while all, save the cook, are closing up the sweet and unbroken slumbers of the night, so welcome and necessary to the laborer, he is out amid the early frost with, I had almost said, the care of a mother, to see if "old Turk" is not loose, whether "Bright" favors the near fore-foot (which felt a little hot the day before), as he stands upon the hard floor, and then to inspect "Swan's" provender-trough, to see if he has eaten his meal, for it was carefully noted that at the "watering-place" last night he drank but little; while at the further end of the "tie-up" he thinks he hears a little clattering noise, and presently "little Star" is having his shins gently rapped, as a token of his master's wish to raise his foot to see if some nail has not given way in the loosened shoe; and this not for once, but every day, with numberless other cares connected with his charge.