Dublin Core
Title
Five Years in the White Mountains, vol. 2
Subject
Rough’n It
Description
The Five Years in the White Mountains volumes are very much books about New Hampshire life, though crafted as wilderness adventure tales. Volume II features the first chapter of a story called “Lost in the Mountains.”
Creator
Nelsons
Source
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Rights
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Type
Manuscript book
File
Transcription
Nelson Family Juvenilia
Box 1 Folder 17
Five Years in the White Mountains – n.d.
FIVE YEARS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS
CHAP 1 VOL 2
Lost in the mountains.
Now as our second year begun we commenced planting our crops in a little while we turned out our cattle in to the pasture one day while we were out in front of our house Ethan thought he heard something way up the road towards the pasture so we stood and listened and in a few seconds we heard the faint [lowing?] of cattle as if in a fright I ran in and got my gun and then started up the road but before I had gone a great ways the cattle came in sight on a dead run I jumped into the bushes just in time to get out of the way, as they went by I kept a watch to see if any thing was following as soon as they got by I saw some animal give a leap at one of the sheep that were behind I raised my gun but as I raised it the animal struck [page break] the sheep I fired and hit the wild cat for it was one the wild cat leaped into the air and then started to run but it was hurt and didnt go a great ways before it fell in a minute it was dead it had hurt one of the sheep badly but the sheep got well again we took the wild cat home with us and skinned it and hung it on the side of the house to dry.
One day several weeks after ward I took my gun and I and the other two boys went up the river for a hunt we went two or three miles up the river and were getting most discouraged when I saw a rabbit getting under a hemlock I fired at it and wounded it but the rabbit started off we put chase and went till we were most tired out before the rabbet fell I picked up the rabbet and started back to go back but we didnt know what way to go in our chase after the rabbet we had lost our bareings and were realy lost ther in the woods on [page break] the side of the mountain we didnt at first realize the danger we were in but it gradualy grew on us as we wandered around there trying to find where we were after wandering around for along time we decided to follow along the valley so we started and went for several miles but could find nothing to show us where we were at last Ethan began to get tired
at last he said “Oh dear I want to stop and rest I am getting awful tired it was getting along towards sunset but we stopped for him we sat down on a rock and rested after we got rested quite alot we started on we went for a couple of miles more and then set down to decide what we should do next.
Lets fix a place here and build a fire and stay here over night said Will
I guess we will have too said I though it is a lovely place to stay.
Oh I dont want to said Ethan I dont like to [page break] stay in the woods at night its so lonely.
[P–?], what are you afraid of said Will with a laugh.
[rest of manuscript blank]