Personal Memoirs of a Residence of Thirty Years with the Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers Part 47

_27th_. Snow and rain. Richardson May, a discharged soldier, and Manito Geezhig (Spirit-sky), a Chippewa Indian, arrived with the express mail for Saginaw.

_28th_. The weather is mild again. An express from the Hudson's Bay Company departed for Saginaw, at seven o'clock A.M. The adverb "fiducially" first brought to my notice, as the synonym of confidently, steadily. Finished the perusal of Mr. F.'s ma.n.u.script lectures, on the Romish Church. Think them an offhand practical appeal to truth, clear in method, forcible in ill.u.s.tration. Learning and research, such as are to be drawn from books other than the Bible, have not been evidently relied on. They might not do to print without revision. The New Testament does not, as an example, declare that Peter ever was at Rome, and yet that fact, got from other sources, is much relied on by that Church.

_March 1st._ The change in temperature continues. It is so mild and warm that the snow melts.

_2d_. S. Mild, and Sabbath exercise as usual.

_3d_. The temperature falls, and it becomes sensibly cold and wintry.

The sky and lower atmosphere, however, remain clear.

Cadotte, an expressman from La Pointe, Lake Superior, arrived in the course of the afternoon, with letters from Mr. Warren. Miss W., Miss D.

and Mr. J., pa.s.s the evening.

_4th_. Weather mild; snow soft and sloppy. Receive visits from Mr.

Abbott, Mr. Ferry, and Mr. Mitch.e.l.l.

_5th_. Snow has melted so much, in consequence of the change of temperature, that I am compelled to stop my team from drawing wood. The ice is so bad that it is dangerous to cross. The lake has been open from the point of the village to the light-house, since the tempest of the 26th ultimo. The broad lake below the latter point has been open all winter. The lake west has been, in fact, fast and solidly frozen, so as to be crossed with trains, but twelve days!

Mr. Warren's express set out for Lake Superior this morning. Our fourth express from Detroit came in during the evening, bringing New York dates to the 4th of February.

_6th_. The evidences of the approach of spring continue. The sun shines with a clear power, un.o.bstructed by clouds. Snow and ice melt rapidly.

Visited the Mission's house in the evening.

_7th_. Clouds intercept the sun's rays. An east wind broke up the ice in the harbor, and drives much floating ice up the lake.

_8th_. The wind drives away the broken and floating ice from the harbor, and leaves all clear between it and Round Island. It became cold and freezing in the afternoon. Conference and prayer meetings at my house.

_9th_. Very slippery, and bad walking, and icy roads. Freezes.

_10th_. In consequence of the increase of cold, and the prevalence of a calm during the night, there was formed a complete coating of ice over the bay, extending to Round Island. This ice was two inches thick. Mrs.

Schoolcraft spent the evening at Mrs. Dousman's. On coming home, about nine o'clock, we found the ice suddenly and completely broken up by a south wind, and heaped up along sh.o.r.e.

_11th_. Harbor and channel quite clear; the weather has a.s.sumed a mildness, although the sky is overcast, and snow drifted in the roads during the morning. Miss Jones, Mr. D. Stuart, Dr. Turner, and Mr.

Johnston spent the evening with me.

_12th_. Filled my ice-house with ice of a granular and indifferent quality, none other to be had.

_13th_. Mild, thawing, spring-like weather. Visits by Captain and Mrs.

Barnum.

_14th_. About eight o'clock this morning, a vessel from Detroit dropped anchor in the harbor, causing all hearts to be gay at the termination of our wintry exclusion from the world. It proved to be the "Commodore Lawrence," of Huron, Ohio, on a trip to Green Bay. Our last vessel left the harbor on the 18th of December, making the period of our incarceration just eighty-five days, or but two and a half months.

Visited by Lieut. and Mrs. Lavenworth.

_15th_. Mild and pleasant. Plucked the seed of the mountain ash in front of the agency dwelling, and planted it on the face of the cliff behind the house. Mr. Chapman arrived with express news from the _Sault_.

_16th_. S. _Anni-me-au-gee-zhick-ud_, as the Indians term it, and a far more appropriate term it is than the unmeaning Saxon phrase of _/Sunday_.

_17th_. Very mild and pleasant day. The snow is rapidly disappearing under the influence of the sun. Mackinack stands on a horse-shoe bay, on a narrow southern slope of land, having cliffs and high lands immediately back of it, some three hundred feet maximum height. It is, therefore, exposed to the earliest influences of spring, and they develop themselves rapidly. Mr. Hulbert arrived from the _Sault_ in the morning, bringing letters from Rev. Mr. Clark, Mr. Audrain, my sub-agent at that point, &c.

_18th_. Wind southerly. This drives the ice from the peninsula into the harbor, it then shifts west, and drives it down the lake. A lowering sky ends with a sprinkling of rain in the forenoon; it then clears up, and the sun appears in the afternoon. Dr. Turner visits me at the office.

Conversation turns on my translations into the Indian, and the principles of the language. An Indian has a term for man and for white; but, when he wishes to express the sense of white man, he employs neither. He then compounds the term _wa-bish-kiz-zi-_--that is, white person.

_19th_. The weather is quite spring-like. Prune cherry trees and currant bushes. Transplant plum tree sprouts. Messrs. Biddle and Drew finish preparing their vessel, and anchor her out.

_20th_. The thermometer sinks to 18 at eight o'clock A.M. Snows, and is boisterous all day, the wind being north-east.

_21st_. The snow, which has continued falling all night, is twelve to fourteen inches deep in the morning; being the heaviest fall of snow, at one time, all winter. Some ice is formed.

_22d_. The body of snow on the ground, and the continuance of cold, give quite a wintery aspect to the landscape. In the course of the day, Mr.

Ferry, Mr. Mitch.e.l.l, and Mr. Stuart call.

_23d_. S. Cold.

_24th_. Wintery feeling and aspect.

_25th_. The temperature still sinks. Visits from Mr. Mitch.e.l.l, Mr.

Ferry, and Mr. Stuart. Mr. and Mrs. Mitch.e.l.l, Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Chapman, and Mr. Johnston spend the evening.

_26th_. Drove, with Mr. Ferry, to Mr. Boyd's, and thence to Mr.

Davenport's.

_27th_. Ice still lingers in the harbor, but the day is clear and sunshiny, and the snow melts rapidly. Visit the mission, and inquire into the effects of its government and discipline on the character of the boys, one or two of whom have been recently the subject of some scandals. Accompanied in this visit by Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Stuart, and Mr.

Mitch.e.l.l. Thomas Shepard, a mission boy, calls on me at an early hour, and states his contrition for his agency in any reports referred to.

_28th_. Weather mild; snow melts; wind S.W.; some rain.

With this evening's setting sun, Years I number forty-one.

Visited the officers in the fort. Rode out in my carriage in the evening, with Mrs. Schoolcraft, to see Mr. and Mrs. Mitch.e.l.l, and Mr.

and Mrs. Ferry. Satan's emissaries appear to be busy in circulating scandal respecting our pastor, Mr. F., a person of high moral worth and probity.

To put these down effectively, it appears necessary to probe them to the bottom, and ascertain their length and breadth. This was a duty of the eldership, and it could be thoroughly performed without fear, respecting a man of Mr. F.'s character. It was necessary, I found, to unmask all the actors. The scandal appears to be one originating with certain Metif boys of the Mission school. One of these, it was averred, had looked through the key-hole of the common parlor door of the Mission house, and beheld the Rev. Mr. F. sitting near a Miss S., one of the a.s.sistant missionaries of the establishment. The door was locked. The hair of the young lady was dishevelled; her comb had fallen on the floor. It was early in the morning. Another boy was called to look; no change of position was observed--nothing that was not respectful and proper.

This story was detailed, a night or two afterwards, by Thomas Shepard, one of the boys, at a drinking conclave in the village, where _bon vivants_, and some persons inimical to Mr. F. were present, and created high merriment. From that den it was spread. It appeared that Miss S.

had, for some time, had doubts on the subject of her conversion, and sought a conversation with her pastor to resolve them.

_29th_. Moderate temperature continues. A meeting of some of the leading persons of the place, citizens and officers, at which statements, embracing the above narrative, were made, which were quite satisfactory in regard to the reports above mentioned. The reports are traced to a knot of free livers, free drinkers, and infidels, who meet a-nights, in the village, to be merry, and who drew some of the mission boys into their revelries. A case of discipline in the church, which led, finally, to the excommunication of one of the leading persons of the place, has raised enemies to the Rev. Mr. F., who were present at these orgies, and helped to spread the report.

_30th_. Service as usual, but more than usually interesting.

_31st_. Mild weather continues; clear and sunny; snow melts. The remaining ice is completely broken up by an easterly wind. Visit Mr.

Stuart's child, which is very low.

_April 1st_. A dark drizzly morning terminates before ten o'clock in rain. It cleared away at noon; the broken ice of the day and night previous, is mostly driven down the lake by westerly winds.

Satisfied of the excellency of the mission school, I sent my children to it this morning. The Rev. Mr. Ferry, Rev. Mr. Barber, Mr. Mitch.e.l.l, Mr.

D. Stuart, and Mr. Chapman dine with me. In the evening, Capt. and Mrs.

Barnum, and Lieut. Kingsbury make a visit.