Alexandria Gazette & Advertiser

NIGHT PIECE IN THE WILDERNESS OF
UPPER CANADA
When it was midnight, I walked out,
and strolled into the woods contiguous
to the house. A glorious moon had now
ascended to the summit of the arch of
heaven, and poured a perpendicular
flood of light upon the silent world below. The starry hosts sparkled brightly
when they emerged above the horizon, but gradually faded into twinkling
points as they rose in the sky. The motionless trees stretched their
majestic boughs towards a cloudless
firmament, and the rustling of a withered
leaf, or the distant howl of the wolf
alone broke upon my ear. I was suddenly
roused from a delicious reverie by observing a dark object moving slowly
and cautiously among the trees. At
first, I fancied it was a bear, but a nearer
inspection discovered an Indian on
all fours. For a moment, I felt unwilling
to throw myself in his way, lest he
should be meditating some sinister design
against me: however, on his waving
his hand, and putting his finger on
his lips, I approached him, and notwithstanding
his injunction to silence, inquired
what he did there? "Me watch to see the deer kneel," replied he: This
is Christmas night, and all the deer
fall upon their knees to the Great Spirit, and looking up,
The solemnity of the scene, and the
grandeur of the idea, alike contributed
to fill me with awe. It was affecting to find traces of the Christian faith existing
in such a place, even the form of
such a tradition,