1 66 TJie Home of tJie Wolverene and Beaver. 



landscape was wild and rugged, and looking south 

 an endless forest of giant trees extended as far as 

 the eye could reach. To establish a camp, many 

 of these forest kings had to be felled, and when I 

 mention that some of them were full fifty feet in 

 girth, standing close together amidst huge boulders 

 of rock, the difficulties before the settlers may be 

 imagined. The command was assumed by Mr. 

 Duncan McDougall, whose temper unfortunately 

 was none of the best, and under his direction every 

 man set to work clearing away the undergrowth, 

 their guns standing within arm's length, for at any 

 moment they were liable to an attack from the 

 hostile Indians prowling in the dense covert that 

 surrounded them. 



" On their first arrival the natives had shown 

 themselves friendly, and under the direction of 

 their chief, Comecomly, had assisted in saving the 

 crew of the long boat when she was swamped, but 

 their attitude now indicated a disposition to 

 treachery, and the settlers were compelled to hold 

 themselves in readiness to meet any attack. My 

 father was a good axeman, and he used always to 

 smile when relating the efforts made by the 

 adventurers to fell the forest trees. Being all 

 voyagenrs, traders, or Sandwich Islanders, few of 

 them had ever handled an axe before or for that 



