This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1844 Excerpt: ...very few individuals to accomplish. Upon this occasion the line of fire in front of the buildings was extinguished, but not without great exertions. Fires of this kind are much dreaded by the agricultural settler. If his buildings and fences are burnt, his cattle and swine destroy what little crop he has, and at any rate, the advancing fire destroys the mast about the country, upon which many depend for the subsistence of their stock, which often have nothing else to eat: for the small settlers have no fields, with the exception of one or two in which they raise their Indian corn; they raise no wheat, no rye, no oats; they have no meadows, and, of course, no hay or straw; the little fodder they have they save from the leaves of their corn-stalks; and there being nothing for the cattle at the homestead, they roam about the country to pick up the mast; the which if it fails, they get so little to eat at the farm that few of them survive the winter. Those who live near the corn-brakes are more fortunate, the leaves of the miegia being always green, and affording a good deal of nourishment. Mrs. Harris's cabin was a double one, and of course had two rooms; a very proper arrangement, as there were both males and females in the family, and in one of these rooms were two beds When we came in from "fighting the fire," she pointed to one of the beds and said it was for me; and my son, taking it for granted that the other was for himself, immediately turned down the clothes, a movement which he was not long in discovering was somewhat premature, for our hostess told him that was her own bed, and that she was going to sleep there. We had no ground for contesting the matter, so lay down in our great coats as we were frequently in the habit of doing, Mrs. Harr...
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