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Volume 4 (1859-1860) (600 pages)
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Page: of 600
458 HUTCHINGS’ CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE,
intended to leave the trail and commence
our descent into the hollow; here ‘‘Sam”’
began to lag — we called to him to come
on, and resumed our way, turning off at?
the proper point, but ‘‘Sam’s” pace was
very slow, and his features serious — he
scarcely seemed to move, and we halted
for him to come up. He reached the
turning off place in the trail, but kept
on, at the same time increasing his speed,
We called on him to come down, but he
walked the faster, and turned not. Again
we called, and this time he replied in his
own language, and each word came like
a volume of fear—each syllable came
as though from a terror-stricken soul,
and his gait became more and more
rapid. We called once more, and made
promises of reward, but the only response
was those same Indian words, rather
yelled than spoken, quivering as they
came, and running at the top of his speed
he passed out of sight behind the hill.
Remarkable as this may seem, ’TIS
TRUE, and ‘‘ Sam” has never been to our
camp since.
My very dear and gentle reader, I have
told you all I know about “these stones.”
You are not satisfied, neither am I, but
if ever I do succeed in having the mystery unraveled, I pledge the honor of my
pen to write it down.
SNOW-SHOKES.*
Ir ts interesting to notice the skill and
contrivance with which man adapts himself to the different climates and physical
peculiarities of the countries in which
Providence has assigned him a dwelling.
Places, which to us would seem utterly
desolate, are not only rendered habitable, but are made to afford many of the
pleasures and even luxuries of life. Natural difficulties are overcome with a readiness in the application of means which
may well excite our admiration and esteem. In the chilly regions of the north,
where the cold is too intense for the
growth even of the rugged pine — where,
* Reprinted from Sharpe's London Magazine.
during a large portion of the year, the
waters are bound up with frost, and the
earth is hidden beneath deep snow, the
Esquimaux uses both the ice and the
snow in the construction of a dwelling,
which he finds warm and comfortable,
while the external air is often more than
fifty degrees below zero. When the hunting grounds of the Indian are hidden
beneath the same glittering mantle, on
which we should suppose a foot heavier
than that of a bird would find it impossible to tread with safety, the hunter and
the traveler nevertheless fearlessly pursue their way by means of one of those
skilful contrivances alluded to above.
Experience has taught him that, by enlarging the surface of his foot, the slight
cohesion among the particles of the snow
beneath him is sufficient to support his
body ; and accordingly, he supplies himself with a pair of snow-shoes, with which
he steps fearlessly forward over drifts
which, without such aid, would prove
fatal to him.
The snow-shoe in common use in the
North American continent consists of two
light bars of wood fastened together at
their extremities, and bowed outwards
by means of tranverse bars inserted between them. ‘The side bars are first
brought into shape by means of a frame,
and are dried before a fire. The front
part of the shoe turns up like the prow
of a boat, and the part behind terminates
in an acute angle. The spaces between
the bars are filled up with a fine netting
of leathern thongs, except that part behind the main bar, which is oceupied by
the foot; the netting is there close and
strong, and the foot is attached to the
main bar by straps passing round the
heel, but only fixing the toes, so that the
heel rises after each step, and the tail of
the shoe is dragged on the snow. Between
the main bar and another in front of it,
a small space is left, permitting the toes
to descend a little in the act of raising
the heel to make the step forward, which
prevents their extremities from chafing.
The length of a snow-shoe is from four
to six feet, and the breadth one foot and
a half to one and three-quarters, being
adapted to the size of the wearer. The
motion in walking in them is perfectly
natural, for one shoe is level with the
snow, when the edge of the other is passing over it. It is not easy to use snowshoes among bushes without frequent
overthrows, or to rise forwards without