176 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 



horizon, until the various groups all reached the Ohio, when, 

 struck with the beauty of that magnificent stream, they at 

 once commenced the task of clearing land, for the purpose of 

 establishing a permanent residence. 



Others, perhaps encumbered with too much luggage, pre- 

 ferred descending the stream. They prepared arks pierced 

 with port-holes, and glided on the gentle current, more an- 

 noyed, however, than those who marched by land, by the 

 attacks of the Indians, who watched their motions. Many 

 travellers have described these boats, formerly called arks, 

 but now named flat-boats. But have they told you, kind 

 reader, that in those times a boat thirty or forty feet in 

 length, by ten or twelve in breadth, was considered a stupen- 

 dous fabric ; that this boat contained men, women and chil- 

 dren, huddled together, with horses, cattle, hogs and poultry for 

 their companions, while the remaining portion was crammed 

 with vegetables and packages of seeds ? The roof or deck 

 of the boat was not unlike a farm-yard, being covered with 

 hay, ploughs, carts, wagons and various agricultural imple- 

 ments, together with numerous others, among which the 

 spinning-wheels of the matrons were conspicuous. Even 

 the sides of the floating mass were loaded with the wheels of 

 the different vehicles, which themselves lay on the roof. 

 Have they told you that these boats contained the little all 

 of each family of venturous emigrants, who, fearful of being 

 discovered by the Indians under night moved in darkness, 

 groping their way from one part to another of these floating 

 habitations, denying themselves the comfort of fire or light, 

 lest the foe that watched them from the shore should rush 

 upon them and destroy them ? Have they told you that this 

 boat was used, after the tedious voyage was ended, as the 

 first dwelling of these new settlers ? No, kind reader, such 

 things have not been related to you before. The travellers 

 who have visited our country, have had other objects in view. 



I shall not describe the many massacres which took place 



