Excerpt from Incidents and Sketches Connected With the Early History and Settlement of the West
The engraving for this article represents a halt for the night of an emigrant with his family - one, perhaps, who has left his natal soil and the inheritance of his fathers, and seeks in the far west for that independence in his worldly circumstances which he has tried in vain to gain from the stony and barren patrimonial homestead: or perhaps one who has looked on his rapidly-increasing family, and, ambitious of doing something for his children while he is in the prime of life, or anxious to see them settled comfortably around him, that his old age may be cheered by their presence, has resolved to go to the far west, the land which is represented as flowing with milk and honey, the land which repays with an hundred fold the labour expended on it, and the riches of whose bosom far exceed those in the mines of Peru.
Resolved to migrate, the emigrant collects together his little property, and provides himself with a wagon and with two or three horses, as his means permit; - a rifle, a shot-gun, and an axe slung over his shoulder, form part of his equipments, and his trusty dog becomes the companion of his journey. - In the wagon are placed his bedding, his provisions, and such cooking-utensils as are indispensably necessary. Every thing being ready, the wife and children take their seats, the father of the family mounts the box, and now they are on the move. As they pass through the village, which has been to them the scene of many happy hours, they take a last look at the spots which are hallowed by associa-
tion; the church, with its lowly spire, an emblem of that humility which befits the Christian - and the burial-ground, where the weeping-willow bends mournfully over the headstone which marks the parent"s grave; nor do the children forget their playground, nor the white schoolhouse where the rudiments of education have been instilled into their minds.
The road is at first comparatively smooth, and their journey pleasant; their way is chequered with divers little incidents, while the continual changes in the appearances of the country around them, and the anticipation of what is to come, prevent those feelings of despondency which might otherwise arise, on leaving a much-loved home. When the roads are bad, or hilly, the family quit the wagon, and plod their way on foot; and at night they may be seen assembled round the fire made by the roadside, partaking of their frugal supper. The horses are unharnessed, watered, and secured with their heads to the trough; and the emigrants arrange themselves for the night, while their faithful dog keeps watch. Or if the close of the day finds them near a tavern or farm-house, a bargain is struck for the use of the fireplace and part of the kitchen, and the family pass the night on the floor, their feet to the embers and their heads pillowed on the saddles. Amid all the privations and vicissitudes in their journey, they are cheered up by the consciousness that each day lessens the distance between them and the land of promise, and that the fertile soil of the west will recompense them for all their trials.
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