aim.  The poor fish would struggle desperately, but soon came to the surface, when he would be drawn in and knocked in the head with a tomahawk to quiet him, when the spear was cut out and the process repeated.  We watched them about an hour, and during that time some one of the boats was continually hauling in a fish.  They were sturgeon and very large.  This was the first time we had ever seen the Indian’s way of catching fish and it was a new way of getting grub for us.  When the canoes had full loads they paddled up toward their camp, and we drifted on again.

When we came to Grand Rapids we had to go on shore and tow our boat carefully along over the many rocks to prevent accident.  Here was a small cheap looking town.  On the west bank of the river a water wheel was driving a drill boring for salt water, it seemed through solid rock.  Up to this time the current was slow, and its course through a dense forest.  We occasionally saw an Indian gliding around in his canoe, but no houses or clearings.  Occasionally we saw some pine logs which had been floated down some of the streams of the north.  One of these small rivers they called the “Looking-glass,” and seemed to be the largest of them.

Passing on we began to see some pine timber, and realized that we were near the mouth of the river where it emptied into Lake Michigan.  There were some steam saw mills here, not then in operation, and some houses for the mill hands to live in when they were at work.  This prospective city was called Grand Haven.  There was one schooner in the river loaded with lumber, ready to sail for the west side of the lake as soon as the wind should change and become favorable, and we engaged passage for a dollar and a half each.  While waiting for the wind we visited the woods in search of game, but found none.  All the surface of the soil was clear lake sand, and some quite large pine and hemlock trees were half buried in it.  We were not pleased with this place for it looked as if folks must get their grub from somewhere else or live on fish.

Next morning we were off early, as the wind had changed, but the lake was very rough and a heavy choppy sea was running.  Before we were half way across the lake nearly all were sea-sick, passengers and sailors.  The poor fellow at the helm stuck to his post casting up his accounts at the same time, putting on an air of terrible misery.

This, I thought was pretty hard usage for a land-lubber like myself who had never been on such rough water before.  The effect of this sea-sickness was to cure me of a slight fever and ague, and in fact the cure was so thorough that I have never had it since.  As we neared the western shore a few houses could be seen, and the captain said it was Southport.  As there was no wharf our schooner put out into the lake again for an hour or so and then ran back again, lying off and on in this manner all night.  In the morning it was quite calm and we went on shore