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 
wlth 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 
