The wood must
grip by its own substance alone to hold up the pioneer's
dwelling, for there was not an iron nail to be had in the whole
of the Back Country. Logs laid upon the foundation logs and
notched into each other at the four corners formed the walls;
and, when these stood at seven feet, the builders laid parallel
timbers and puncheons to make both flooring and ceiling. The
ridgepole of the roof was supported by two crotched trees and the
roofing was made of logs and wooden slabs. The crevices of the
walls were packed close with red clay and moss. Lastly, spaces
for a door and windows were cut out. The door was made thick and
heavy to withstand the Indian's rush. And the windowpanes? They
were of paper treated with hog's fat or bear's grease.
When the sun stood overhead, the women would give the welcome
call of "Dinner!" Their morning had not been less busy than the
men's. They had baked corn cakes on hot stones, roasted bear or
pork, or broiled venison steaks; and--above all and first of all
--they had concocted the great "stew pie" without which a raising
could hardly take place. This was a disputatious mixture of deer,
hog, and bear--animals which, in life, would surely have
companioned each other as ill! It was made in sufficient quantity
to last over for supper when the day's labor was done.
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