"If That Had Been The Case, There Would Have Been The Print Of The
Bear's Feet In The Snow.
It does not, however, follow that the boy
is dead, though it is more than probable.
I knew of a case where
two boys and a girl were sent into the woods by their mother to
fetch home the cows. The children were lost; the parents mourned
them for dead, for all search for them proved fruitless, and after
seven years the eldest son returned. They had been overtaken
and carried off by a party of Indians, who belonged to a tribe
inhabiting the islands in Lake Huron, several hundred miles away
from their forest-home. The girl, as she grew into woman, married
one of the tribe; the boys followed the occupation of hunters and
fishers, and from their dress and appearance might have passed for
the red sons of the forest. The eldest boy, however, never forgot
the name of his parent, and the manner in which he had been lost,
and took the first opportunity of making his escape, and travelling
back to the home of his childhood.
"When he made himself known to his mother, who was a widow, but
still resided upon the same spot, he was so dark and Indian-like,
that she could not believe that he was her son, until he brought to
her mind a little incident, that, forgotten by her, had never left
his memory.
"Mother, don't you remember saying to me on that afternoon, 'Ned,
you need not look for the cows in the swamp, they went off towards
the big hill.'
"The delighted mother clapsed him in her arms, exclaiming, 'You say
truly, - you are indeed my own, my long lost son!'"
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 669 of 670
Words from 181360 to 181654
of 181664
