No More Learning

I have generally found the
chiefs and graver men of the tribes, who encouraged the young men to
play ball, and are sure to be present at the customary sports, to
witness, and sanction, and applaud them, speak lightly and
disparagingly of this game of hazard. Yet it cannot be denied that
some of the chiefs, distinguished in war and the chase, at the West,
can be referred to as lending their example to its fascinating power. "

See also his history, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian
Tribes, Part II, p. 72.


To the Pictured Rocks of sandstone.

The reader will find a long description of the Pictured Rocks in
Foster and Whitney's Report on the Geology of the Lake Superior Land
District, Part II. p. 124. From this I make the following extract:--

"The Pictured Rocks may be described, in general terms, as a series
of sandstone bluffs extending along the shore of Lake Superior for
about five miles, and rising, in most places, vertically from the
water, without any beach at the base, to a height varying from fifty
to nearly two hundred feet. Were they simply a line of cliffs, they
might not, so far as relates to height or extent, be worthy of a
rank among great natural curiosities, although such an assemblage of
rocky strata, washed by the waves of the great lake, would not,
under any circumstances, be destitute of grandeur. To the voyager,
coasting along their base in his frail canoe, they would, at all
times, be an object of dread; the recoil of the surf, the rock-bound
coast, affording, for miles, no place of refuge,--the lowering sky,
the rising wind,--all these would excite his apprehension, and
induce him to ply a vigorous oar until the dreaded wall was passed.
But in the Pictured Rocks there are two features which communicate
to the scenery a wonderful and almost unique character. These are,
first, the curious manner in which the cliffs have been excavated
and worn away by the action of the lake, which, for centuries, has
dashed an ocean-like surf against their base; and, second, the
equally curious manner in which large portions of the surface have
been colored by bands of brilliant hues.

"It is from the latter circumstance that the name, by which these
cliffs are known to the American traveller, is derived; while that
applied to them by the French voyageurs ('Les Portails') is derived
from the former, and by far the most striking peculiarity.

"The term Pictured Rocks has been in use for a great length of time;
but when it was first applied, we have been unable to discover.
It
would seem that the first travellers were more impressed with the
novel and striking distribution of colors on the surface than with
the astonishing variety of form into which the cliffs themselves
have been worn. . . .

"Our voyageurs had many legends to relate of the pranks of the
Menni-bojou in these caverns, and, in answer to our inquiries,
seemed disposed to fabricate stories, without end, of the
achievements of this Indian deity. "


Toward the Sun his hands were lifted.

In this manner, and with such salutations, was Father Marquette
received by the Illinois. See his Voyages et Decouvertes,
Section V.

<END HIAWATHA NOTES>


*************


THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH

I

MILES STANDISH

In the Old Colony days, in Plymouth the land of the Pilgrims,
To and fro in a room of his simple and primitive dwelling,
Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan leather,
Strode, with a martial air, Miles Standish the Puritan Captain.
Buried in thought he seemed, with his hands behind him, and pausing
Ever and anon to behold his glittering weapons of warfare,
Hanging in shining array along the walls of the chamber,--
Cutlass and corselet of steel, and his trusty sword of Damascus,
Curved at the point and inscribed with its mystical Arabic sentence,
While underneath, in a corner, were fowling-piece, musket, and matchlock.
Short of stature he was, but strongly built and athletic,
Broad in the shoulders, deep-chested, with muscles and sinews of iron;
Brown as a nut was his face, but his russet beard was already
Flaked with patches of snow, as hedges sometimes in November.
Near him was seated John Alden, his friend, and household companion,
Writing with diligent speed at a table of pine by the window;
Fair-haired, azure-eyed, with delicate Saxon complexion,
Having the dew of his youth, and the beauty thereof, as the captives
Whom Saint Gregory saw, and exclaimed, "Not Angles, but Angels. "
Youngest of all was he of the men who came in the Mayflower.

Suddenly breaking the silence, the diligent scribe interrupting,
Spake, in the pride of his heart, Miles Standish the Captain of Plymouth.
"Look at these arms," he said, "the warlike weapons that hang here
Burnished and bright and clean, as if for parade or inspection!
This is the sword of Damascus I fought with in Flanders; this breastplate,
Well I remember the day!