USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 22
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Such was the wretched condition of our forefathers in making their settlements. To all these other difficulties and privations, the Indian war was a weighty addition. This destructive warfare they were com- pelled to sustain almost single-handed, because the Revolutionary con- test gave full employment for the military strength and resources on the east side of the mountains.
AMUSING EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG DODDRIDGE-COFFEE AND GAME.
"Some of the early settlers took the precaution to come over the mountains in the Spring, leaving their families behind, to raise crops of corn, and then return and bring them out in the Fall. This was the better way. Others, especially those whose families were small, brought them with them in the Spring. My father took the latter course. His family was but small, and he brought them all with him. The Indian meal which he transported over the mountains was expended six weeks too soon, so that for that length of time we had to live without bread. The lean venison and the breast of wild turkeys, we were taught to call bread. The flesh of the bear was denominated meat. This artifice did not succeed very well; after living in this way for some time, we became sickly ; the stomach seemed to be always empty and tormented with a sense of hunger. I remember how narrowly the children watched the growth of the potato tops, pumpkin and squash vines, hoping from day to day to get something to answer in the place of bread. How delicious was the taste of the young potatoes when we got them ! What a jubilee when we were permitted to pull the young corn for roasting-ears ! Still more so, when it had acquired sufficient hardness to be made into johnny-cakes, by the aid of a tin grater. We
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AMUSING EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG DODDRIDGE.
then became healthy, vigorous, and contented with our situation, poor as it was.
The furniture of the table, for several years after the settlement of the country, consisted of a few pewter dishes, plates and spoons, but mostly of wooden bowls, trenchers and noggins. If these last were scarce, gourds and hard-shelled squashes made up the deficiency. The iron pots, knives and forks, were brought from the east side of the mountains, along with salt and iron, on pack-horses. These articles of furniture corresponded very well with the articles of diet. 'Hog and hominy ' was a dish of proverbial celebrity. Johnny-cake or 'pone' was at the outset of the settlements the only form of bread in use for breakfast and dinner ; at supper, milk and mush was the standard dish. When milk was scarce, hominy supplied its place, and mush was fre- quently eaten with sweetened water, molasses, bear's oil, or the gravy of fried meat.
In our display of furniture, delf, china and silver were unknown. The introduction of delf-ware was considered by many of the back- woods people as a wasteful innovation. It was too easily broken, and the plates dulled their scalping and clasp knives. Tea and coffee, in the phrase of the day, 'did not stick to the ribs.' The idea then preva- lent was that they were only designed for people of quality, who did not labor, or for the rich. A genuine backwoodsman would have thought himself disgraced by showing a fondness for such 'slops.'
I well recollect the first time I ever saw a teacup and saucer, and tasted coffee. My mother died when I was about six or seven years of age. My father then sent me to Maryland, with a brother of my grand- father, Mr. Alexander Wells, to go to school. At Colonel Brown's, in the mountains, at Stony Creek glades, I for the first time saw tame geese, and by bantering a pet gander, I got a severe biting by his bill, and a beating by his wings. I wondered very much that birds so large and strong, should be so much tamer than the wild turkey ; at this place, however, all was right, excepting the large birds which they called geese. The cabin and furniture were such as I had been accustomed to see in the backwoods, as my country was then called.
At Bedford, everything was changed. The tavern at which my uncle put up, was a stone house, and to make the changes still more complete, it was plastered on the inside, both as to the walls and ceiling. On going into the dining-room, I was struck with astonishment at the appearance of the house. I had no idea that there was any house in the world that was not built of logs; but here I looked round and could see no logs, and above I could see no joists ; whether such a thing had been made by the hands of man, or had grown so of itself, I could not
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
conjecture. I had not the courage to inquire anything about it. When supper came on, my confusion was ' worse confounded.' A little cup stood in a bigger one, with some brownish-looking stuff in it, which was neither milk, hominy, nor broth ; what to do with these little cups, and the little spoons belonging to them, I could not tell ; but I was afraid to ask anything concerning the use of them.
I, therefore, watched attentively to see what the big folks would de with their little cups and spoons. I imitated them and found the taste of the coffee nauseous beyond anything I had ever tasted in my life. I continued to drink as the rest of the company did, but with tears streaming from my eyes ; but when it was to end, I was at a loss to know, as the little cups were filled immediately after being emptied. This circumstance distressed me very much, as I durst not say I had enough. Looking attentively at the grown persons, I saw one man turn his cup bottom upwards and put his little spoon across it. I observed that after this his cup was not filled again. I followed his example, and to my great satisfaction, the result as to my cup was the same.
A neighbor of my father, some years after the settlement of the country, had collected a small drove of cattle for the Baltimore market. Amongst the hands employed to drive them, was one who had never seen any condition of society but that of the woodsmen. At one of their lodging-places in the mountain, the landlord and his hired man, in the course of the night, stole two of the bells belonging to the drove, and hid them in a piece of woods.
The drove had not gone far in the morning before the bells were missed, and a detachment went back to recover them. The men were found reaping the field of the landlord. They were accused of the theft, but they denied the charge. The torture of 'sweating,' accord- ing to the custom of that time, that is, of suspension by the arms pinioned behind the backs, brought a confession. The bells were pro- cured and hung round the necks of the thieves. In this condition they were driven on foot before the detachment until they overtook the drove, which by this time had gone nine miles. A halt was called, and a jury selected to try the culprits. They were condemned to receive a certain number of lashes on the bare back, from the hand of each drover. The man above alluded to was the owner of one of the bells; when it came to his turn to use the hickory, 'now,' says he to the thief, ' you infernal scoundrel, I'll work your jacket nineteen to the dozen-only think what a rascally figure I should make in the streets of Baltimore without a bell on my horse !'
The man was in earnest ; in a country where horses and cattle are pastured in the range, bells are necessary to enable the owners to find
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HUNTING AND HUNTERS OF THE BORDER.
them ; to the traveler who encamps in the wilderness, they are indis pensable, and the individual described had probably never been placed in a situation in which they were not requisite
HUNTING AND HUNTERS OF THE BORDER-LIFE IN THE WOODS.
"Hunting was an important part of the employment of the early set- tlers. For some years after their emigration, the forest supplied them with the greater part of their subsistence ; some families were without bread for months at a time, and it often happened that the first meal of the day could not be prepared until the hunter returned with the sports of the chase. Fur and peltry were the circulating mediums of the country ; the hunter had nothing else to give in exchange for rifles, salt, lead and iron. Hunting, therefore, was the employment, rather than the sport, of the pioneers ; yet it was pursued with the alacrity and sense of enjoyment which attend an exciting and favorite amusement. Dangerous and fatiguing as are its vicissitudes, those who become ac- customed to the chase generally retain through life their fondness for the rifle.
The class of hunters with whom I was acquainted, were those whose hunting ranges were on the western side of the river, and at the distance of eight or nine miles from it. Fall and Winter was the time for deer, and Winter and Spring for fur-skinned animals, which could be hunted in any month with an R in it. As soon as the leaves were pretty well down and the weather became rainy, accompanied with slight snows, these men, often acting the part of husbandmen, began to feel that they were also hunters, and grew restless and uneasy at home. Everything about them became disagreeable. The house was too warm; the feather bed too soft, and even the good wife was not thought, for the time being, an agreeable companion. The mind of the hunter was wholly occupied with the camp and the chase.
I have often seen them get up early in the morning, at this season, walk hastily out and look anxiously to the woods and snuff the autum nal winds with the highest rapture ; then return into the house and cast a quick and attentive look at the rifle, which was always suspended to a joist by a couple of buck-horns or wooden forks. The hunting dog. understanding the intentions of his master, would wag his tail, and by every blandishment in his power, express his readiness to accompany him to the woods. A hunt usually occupied several days, and often extended to weeks ; the hunter living in a camp, hidden in some seclu- ded place, to which he retired every night, and where he kept his store of ammunition and other plunder. There were individuals who re -
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
mained for months together in the woods, and spent the greater part of their lives in these camps, which are thus described :
A hunting-camp, or what was called a half-faced cabin, was of the following form : the back part of it was sometimes a large log ; at the distance of eight or ten feet from this, two stakes were set in the ground a few inches apart ; and at the distance of eight or ten feet from these, two more, to receive the ends of poles for the sides of the camp. The whole slope of the roof was from the front to the back. The covering was made of slabs, skins or blankets, or, if in the Spring of the year, the bark of the hickory or ash tree. The front was left entirely open. The fire was built directly before this opening. The cracks between the poles were filled with moss. Dry leaves served for a bed. It is thus that a couple of men, in a few hours, will construct for themselves a temporary, but tolerably comfortable defence against the inclemencies of the weather.
The site for the camp was selected with all the sagacity of the woodsmen, so as to have it sheltered by the surrounding hills from every wind, but more especially from those of the north and south. These shelters were so artfully concealed, as to be seldom discovered except by accident. An uncle of mine, of the name of Samuel Teter, occu- cupied the same camp for several years in succession. It was situated on one of the southern branches of Cross Creek. Although I lived many years not more than fifteen miles from the place, it was not till within a few years ago, that I discovered its situation. . It was shown me by a gentleman living in the neighborhood. Viewing the hills round about it, I soon discovered the sagacity of the hunter in the site of his camp. Not a wind could touch him ; and unless by the report of his gun or the sound of his axe, it would have been mere accident if an Indian had discovered his concealment.
Hunting was not a mere ramble in pursuit of game, in which there was nothing of skill and calculation; on the contrary, the hunter, be- fore he set out in the morning, was informed by the state of weather in what situation he might reasonably expect to meet with his game; whether on the bottoms, or on the sides or tops of the hills. In stormy weather, the deer always seek the most sheltered places, and the leeward sides of hills. In rainy weather, when there is not much wind, they keep in the open woods, on the highest ground. In every situation, it was requisite for the hunter to ascertain the course of the wind, so as tc get to leeward of the game. This he effected by putting his finger in his mouth and holding it there until it became warm, then holding it above his head ; the side which first became cold, showed which way the wind blew.
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WEDDINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME.
As it was requisite, too, for the hunter to know the cardinal points, he had only to observe the trees to ascertain them. The bark of an aged tree is thicker and much rougher on the north than on the south side. The same thing may be said of the moss. The whole business of the hunter consists in a series of stratagems. From morning till night he was on the alert to gain the wind of his game, and approach it without being discovered. If he succeeded in killing a deer, he skinned it, and hung it up out of the reach of the wolves, and imme- diately resumed the chase till the close of the evening, when he bent his course towards his camp; when he arrived there he kindled up his fire, and, together with his fellow-hunter, cooked his supper. The sup- per finished, the adventures of the day furnished the tales for the even- ing. The spike buck, the two and three-pronged buck, the doe and barren doe, figure through their anecdotes.
After hunting awhile on the same ground, the hunters became ac- quainted with nearly all the gangs of deer within their range, so as to know each flock when they saw them. Often some old buck, by means of his superior sagacity and watchfulness, saved his little gang from the hunter's skill, by giving timely notice of his approach. The cunning of the hunter and of the old buck were staked against each other, and it frequently happened that at the conclusion of the hunting season, the old fellow was left the free, uninjured tenant of his forest; but if his rival succeeded in bringing him down, the victory was followed by no small amount of boasting. Many of the hunters rested from their labors on the Sabbath day ; some from a motive of piety; others said that whenever they hunted on Sunday they were sure to have bad luck for the remainder of the week."
WEDDINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME-STRANGE FROLICS AND CUSTOMS.
"For a long time after the first settlement of a country, the inhabitants in general married young. There was no distinction of rank, and very little of fortune. On these accounts the first impression of love resulted in marriage, and a family establishment cost but a little labor and noth- ing else. A wedding engaged the attention of a whole neighborhood, and the frolic was anticipated by old and young with eager expectation. This is not to be wondered at when it is told that a wedding was almost the only gathering which was not accompanied with the labor of reap- ing, log-rolling, building a cabin, or planning some scout or campaign."
Among other graphic sketches, the reverend historian gives the fol- lowing deeply interesting account of a wedding in the olden times:
"In the morning of the wedding-day, the groom and his attendants 13
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
assembled at the house of his father, for the purpose of reaching the mansion of his bride by noon, which was the usual time for celebrating the nuptials; which for certain must take place before dinner. Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people, without a store, tailor or man- tua-maker within a hundred miles, and an assemblage of horses, without a blacksmith or saddler within an equal distance. The gentlemen, dressed in shoepacks, moccasins, leather breeches, leggins, and linsey hunting shirts, all home made; the ladies, in linsey petticoats, and linsey or linen short gowns, coarse shoes and stockings, handkerchiefs, and buckskin gloves, if any. If there were any buckles, rings, buttons or ruffles, they were relics of old times-family pieces from parents or grand- parents.
The horses were caparisoned with old saddles, old bridles or halters, and pack-saddles, with a bag or blanket thrown over them; a rope or string as often constituted the girth as a piece of leather. The march in double file was often interrupted by the narrowness and obstructions of our horse-paths, as they were called, for we had no roads; and these difficulties were often increased, sometimes by the good, and sometimes by the ill will of neighbors, by felling trees and tying grape-vines across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was formed by the way-side, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took place, so as to cover the wedding company with smoke. Let the reader imagine the scene which followed; the sudden spring of the horses, the shrieks of the girls, and the chivalric bustle of their partners to save them from falling. Some- times, in spite of all that could be done to prevent it, some were thrown to the ground. If a wrist, an elbow, or an ankle, happened to be sprained, it was tied up with a handkerchief, and little more said or thought about it."
THE RUN FOR THE BOTTLE-THE JIGS, REELS AND MERRY-MAKINGS.
Another ceremony commonly took place before the party reached the home of the bride. It was after the practice of making whiskey began, which was at an early period. When the party were about a mile from the place of their destination, two young men would single out to run for the bottle ; the worse the path-the more logs, brush and deep hollows the better, as these obstacles afforded an opportunity for the greater display of intrepidity and horsemanship. The English fox chase, in point of danger to riders and horses, is nothing to this race for the bottle.
The start was announced by an Indian yell ; logs, brush, muddy hol- lows, hill and glen were speedily passed by the rival steeds. The bottle
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THE RUN FOR THE BOTTLE.
was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no use for judges, for the first who reached the door was presented with the prize. On returning in triumph he announced his victory over his rivals by a shrill whoop. At the head of the troop he gave the bottle, first to the groom and his attendants, and then to each pair in succession to the rear of the line, and then putting the bottle in the convenient and capacious bosom of his hunting shirt, he took his station in line.
The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner, which was a substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork, fowls, and sometimes venison and bear meat roasted and boiled, with plenty of potatoes, cabbage, and other vegetables. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always pre- vailed, although the table might be a large slab of timber hewed out with a broad axe, supported by four sticks set in auger holes; and the furniture, some old pewter dishes and plates, eked out with wooden bowls and trenchers. A few pewter spoons, much battered about the edges, were seen at some tables ; the rest were made of horn. If knives were scarce, the deficiency was made up by the scalping knives which every man carried in sheaths suspended to the belt of the hunting shirt.
" After dinner the dancing commenced, and generally lasted till the next morning. The figures of the dances were three and four-handed reels and jigs. The commencement was always a square four, which was followed by what was called ' jigging it off :' that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and be followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often accompanied with what was called 'cutting out ;' that is, when either of the parties became tired of the dance, on inti- mation, the place was supplied by some one of the company, without any interruption to the dance. In this way it was often continued till the musician was heartily tired of his situation. Towards the latter part of the night, if any of the company, through weariness, attempted to conceal themselves for the purpose of sleeping, they were hunted up, paraded on the floor, and the fiddler ordered to play 'Hang out till to- morrow morning.'
About nine or ten o'clock a deputation of the young ladies stole off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this it frequently happened that they had to ascend a ladder instead of stairs, leading from the dining and ball room to a loft, the floor of which was made of clap-boards lying loose. This ascent, one might think, would put the bride and her attendants to the blush ; but as the foot of the ladder was commonly behind the door, purposely opened for the occasion, and its rounds at the inner ends were well hung with hunting shirts, dresses, and other articles of clothing-the candles being on the opposite side of the house, the exit of the bride was noticed but by few. This done, a deputation
1
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
of young men, in like manner, stole off the groom and placed him snugly by the side of his bride, while the dance still continued; and if seats happened to be scarce, every young man wasobliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of his girls. Late at night refreshment in the shape of ' black Betty'-the bottle-was sent up the ladder, with sometimes sub- stantial accompaniments of bread, beef, pork and cabbage. The young couple were compelled to eat and drink of whatever was offered them. The feasting and dancing often lasted several days, at the end of which the whole company were so exhausted with loss of sleep, that many days' rest was requisite to fit them to return to their ordinary labors. Sometimes it happened that neighbors or relations not asked to the wedding, took offence, and revenged themselves by cutting off the manes, foretops and tails of horses belonging to the wedding com- pany."
HOW THE COUPLE WERE SETTLED-FEASTING AND HOUSE-WARMING.
The same writer thus describes the usual manner of settling the young couple in the world :- " A spot was selected on a piece of land of one of the parents. Shortly after the marriage, a day was appointed for building the cabin. The choppers, carpenters, &c., arranged all the day before. The clap-boards for the roof were split with a large frow, four feet long, and as wide as the timber would allow. They were used without planing or shaving. The puncheons for the floor were made by splitting trees eighteen inches in diameter, and hewing the faces of them with a broad-axe. They were half the length of the floor they were intended to make.
The second day was allotted for the raising. In the morning all the neighbors assembled and selected four corner men, whose business it was to notch and place the logs. The rest of the company supplied them with material. By the time the cabin was a few rounds high, the sleepers and floor began to be laid. The door was made by sawing or cutting the logs in one side, so as to make an opening about three feet wide, which was secured by upright pieces of timber, through which holes were bored into the ends of the logs for the purpose of pinning them fast. A similar opening, but wider, was made in one end for a chimney. This was built of logs, and was large enough to admit of a back and jambs of stone. At the square, two end logs projected a foot or more to receive the bunting poles against which the ends of the first row of clap-boards for the roof were supported.
The roof was formed by making the end logs shorter, until a single log formed the comb: on these parallel logs the clap-boards were placed, the ranges of them lapping some distance over those next below
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HOW THE COUPLE WERE SETTLED.
them, and kept in their places by logs placed at a proper distance upon them. The roof, and sometimes the floor, were finished on the same day of the raising.
A third day was commonly spent by a few carpenters in leveling off the floor and making a clap-board door and a table, which latter was made of a split slab and supported by four round limbs set in auger holes. Some three-legged stools were made in the same manner. Some pins stuck in the logs at the back of the house supported some clap-boards, which served for shelves. A single fork, placed with its lower end in a hole in the floor and its upper end fastened to a joist, served for a bedstead by placing a pole in the fork, with one end through a crack between the logs at the end of the wall. This fron! pole was crossed by a shorter one within the fork, with its outer end through another crack. From the front pole, through a crack between the logs of the end of the house, the boards were put on which formed the bottom of the bed. Sometimes other poles were pinned to the forks a little distance above these for the purpose of supporting the front and foot of the bed, while the walls were the support of its back and head.
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