THE BOY HUNTERS

CHAPTER ONE.

THE HOME OF THE HUNTER-NATURALIST.

Go with me to the great river Mississippi. It is the longest river in
the world. A line that would measure it would just reach to the centre
of the earth,--in other words, it is four thousand miles in length. Go
with me to this majestic river.

I do not wish you to travel to its source; only as far up as Point
Coupee, about three hundred miles from its mouth. There we shall stop
for a while--a very short while--for we have a long journey to make.
Our route lies to the far west--over the great prairies of Texas; and
from Point Coupee we shall take our departure.

There is a village at Point Coupee--a quaint, old, French-looking
village built of wood. In point of fact it _is_ a French village; for
it was one of the earliest settlements of that people, who, with the
Spaniards, were the first colonists of Western America. Hence we find,
to this day, French and Spanish people, with French and Spanish names
and customs, all through the Mississippi valley and the regions that lie
west of it.

We have not much to do with these things at present, and very little to
say of Point Coupee, more than we have already said. Our subject is an
odd-looking house that, many years ago, stood upon the western bank of
the river, about a mile below the village. I say it stood there many
years ago; but it is very likely that it is still standing, as it was a
firm, well-built house, of hewn logs, carefully chinked, and plastered
between the chinks with run-lime. It was roofed with cedar shingles
that projected at the eaves, so as to cast off the rain, and keep the
walls dry. It was what in that country is called a "double house,"--
that is, a large passage ran across the middle of it, through which you
might have driven a wagon loaded with hay. This passage was roofed and
ceiled, like the rest of the house, and floored with strong planks. The
flooring, elevated a foot above the surface of the ground, projected
several feet in front of the passage, where carved uprights of
cedar-wood supported a light roof, forming a porch or verandah. Around
these uprights, and upon the railing that shut in the verandah, clung
vines, rose-bushes, and convolvulus plants, that at certain seasons of
the year were clustered over with beautiful flowers.