"
Bryant, "An Indian Story," ii.11-15
The ark, as the floating habitation of the Hutters was generally
called, was a very simple contrivance. A large flat, or scow,
composed the buoyant part of the vessel; and in its centre, occupying
the whole of its breadth, and about two thirds of its length, stood
a low fabric, resembling the castle in construction, though made
of materials so light as barely to be bullet-proof. As the sides
of the scow were a little higher than usual, and the interior of
the cabin had no more elevation than was necessary for comfort,
this unusual addition had neither a very clumsy nor a very obtrusive
appearance. It was, in short, little more than a modern canal-boat,
though more rudely constructed, of greater breadth than common, and
bearing about it the signs of the wilderness, in its bark-covered
posts and roof. The scow, however, had been put together with some
skill, being comparatively light, for its strength, and sufficiently
manageable. The cabin was divided into two apartments, one of which
served for a parlor, and the sleeping-room of the father, and the
other was appropriated to the uses of the daughters. A very simple
arrangement sufficed for the kitchen, which was in one end of the
scow, and removed from the cabin, standing in the open air; the
ark being altogether a summer habitation.
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