“The state of society which exists in every country at an early period of its settlements, is well calculated to call into action every native mechanical genius.  So it happened in this country.  There was in almost every neighborhood, some one whose natural ingenuity enabled him to do many things for himself and his neighbors, far above what could have been reasonably expected.  With the few tools which they brought with them into the country, they certainly performed wonders.  Their plows, harrows with their wooden teeth, and sleds, were in many instances well made.  Their cooper-ware, which comprehended every thing for holding milk and water, was generally pretty well executed.  The cedar-ware, by having alternately a white and red stave, was then thought beautiful; many of their puncheon floors were very neat, their joints close, and the top even and smooth.  Their looms, although heavy, did very well.  Those who could not exercise these mechanic arts, were under the necessity of giving labor or barter to their neighbors, in exchange for the use of them, so far as their necessities required.

“Sports.—­One important pastime of our boys, was that of imitating the noise of every bird and beast in the woods.  This faculty was not merely a pastime, but a very necessary part of education, on account of its utility in certain circumstances.  The imitations of the gobbling, and other sounds of wild turkeys, often brought those keen-eyed, and ever-watchful tenants of the forest within the reach of their rifle.  The bleating of the fawn, brought its dam to her death in the same way.  The hunter often collected a company of mopish owls to the trees about his camp, and amused himself with their hoarse screaming; his howl would raise and obtain responses from a pack of wolves, so as to inform him of their neighborhood, as well as guard him against their depredations.

“This imitative faculty was sometimes requisite as a measure of precaution in war.  The Indians, when scattered about in a neighborhood, often collected together, by imitating turkeys by day, and wolves or owls by night.  In similar situations, our people did the same.  I have often witnessed the consternation of a whole settlement, in consequence of a few screeches of owls.  An early and correct use of this imitative faculty was considered as an indication that its possessor would become, in due time, a good hunter and valiant warrior.  Throwing the tomahawk was another boyish sport, in which many acquired considerable skill.  The tomahawk, with its handle of a certain length, will make a given number of turns in a given distance.  Say in five steps, it will strike with the edge, the handle downward; at the distance of seven and a half, it will strike with the edge, the handle upward, and so on.  A little experience enabled the boy to measure the distance with his eye, when walking through the woods, and strike a tree with his tomahawk in any way he chose.