. The hunter and the trapper in North America ; or, Romantic adventures in field and forest. From the French of Bénédict Révoil . ed in a caldron, sweetenedwith yellow cassonada, and poured out in cups of pewter. Soon the twilight gave way to nights deep darkness,and the camp presented a picturesque spectacle, whichartists would have contemplated with pleasure. Scatteredfires flamed or flickered in the midst of the trees, andround the glowing embers the Indians clustered, someseated, and others stretched on the turf, enveloped intheir ample cloaks. For myself, I listened, well pleased, to the
. The hunter and the trapper in North America ; or, Romantic adventures in field and forest. From the French of Bénédict Révoil . ed in a caldron, sweetenedwith yellow cassonada, and poured out in cups of pewter. Soon the twilight gave way to nights deep darkness,and the camp presented a picturesque spectacle, whichartists would have contemplated with pleasure. Scatteredfires flamed or flickered in the midst of the trees, andround the glowing embers the Indians clustered, someseated, and others stretched on the turf, enveloped intheir ample cloaks. For myself, I listened, well pleased, to the stories ofthe Pawnees, who were gathered round me, and who,with their fantastic babble, beguiled the monotony of thewatch, by repeating— Tales as strange,As full, methinks, of wild and wondrous any that the wandering tribes in the desert round their evening fire, Legends aVjound among the Indians, whose supersti-tious veneration for the j^henomena of nature exceedseverything which the imagination of an European couldinvent. One of them asserted that the hunters often LEGENDS OF THE PRAIRIES. 37. STRETCHED IN THE DESERT ROUND THEIR EVENING FIRE. found in the prairies fragments of thunderbolts, and outof the metal made the heads of their arrows and warrior armed with these means of defence, he said, 38 A PHANTOM-STEED. was invincible; but was often threatened with danger byelectricity. If a storm broke out during a battle, he wascarried off by the lightning, and reduced to dust. An Indian of the tribe of Blackfeet, surprised by ahurricane in the midst of a savannah, was stricken bylightning, and fell to the ground in a swoon. On re-covering his senses, Joves bolt lay by his side, and thehoof of a magnificent horse pawed the perilous seize the animals bridle, and mount on his back, wasthe work of a moment. But, alas! the Blackfoot had be-stridden the lightning, which, a new and terrible Pegasus,carried him upward as in a balloon,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectg, booksubjecthunting
