ADVENTURES AN ANGLER IN CANADA. • ADVENTURES AN ANGLER IN CANADA, NOVA SCOTIA AND THE UNITED STATES. BY CHARLES "LANMAN. y LONDON: O RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, ^ufclte&er in ©rtiinarp. to Tfytx il^tajcstp- 1848. i, on i) on: Printed by Schulie & Co., 13, Poland Street. TO SOLOMON T. NICOLL, ESQ. My dear Sir, To you, in testimony of my friendship, I inscribe this little Volume. On a pleasant morning in May last, I awoke from a piscatorial dream, haunted by the idea, that I must spend a portion of the approaching summer in the indulgence of my passion for angling. Relinquishing my editorial labours for a time, I performed a pilgrimage, which has resulted in the production of this Volume. I hope it may entertain those of my friends and the public, who have heretofore received my literary efforts with favour. VI DEDICATION. The work will be found to contain a record of Adventures in the Valleys of the Hudson, St. Lawrence and St. John, and along some of the rivers of New England. Truly your friend, Charles Lanman. NEW-YORK, 1847. ILLUSTRATIONS ^ CATSKILL MOUNTAINS . V LAKE HOR1CON . V RUINS OF FORT TICONDEROGA v FRANCONIA NOTCH J FALLS OF MOMTMORENCY J CAPE TRINITY ON THE SAGUENAY Y FALLS OF THE ST. JOHN ^' ROBERT EGGER'S FARM ON THE AROOSTOOK Page 2 53 117 138 162 180 242 250 ' - CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Ho The Catskill Mountains — South Peak Mountain — A thunder storm — Midnight on the Mountains — Sunrise — Plauterkill Clove — Peter Hummel — Trout fishing — Stony Clove — The Kauterskill Fall — The Mountain House — The Mountain Lake. page 1 CHAPTER II. A Spring Day— The Sky— The Mountains— The Streams— The Woods — The Open Fields — Domestic Animals — Poetry — The Poultry-yard . . . . . .29 CHAPTER III. A corn-planting Bee ..... 43 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. Lake Horicon— Sketches of its scenery — Information for anglers — Sabbath-day Point — War memories — The Turret City— Death of a deer — Roger's Slide — Diamond Island — The snake-charmer — Snake stories — Night on the Horicon. . . 50 CHAPTER V. The Scaroon Country — Scaroon Lake — Pike Fishing by Torch-light — Trout Fishing— Lindsey's Tavern — Paradox Lake . 69 CHAPTER VI. The Adirondac Mountains— Trout Fishing in the Boreas River — A night in the woods — Moose Lake— Lake Delia— Mount Taha- was — Lakes Sanford and Henderson — The Mcintyre Iron Works 80 CHAPTER VII. John Cheney, the Adirondac hunter, and some of his exploits. 100 CHAPTER VIII. Burlington — Lake Champlain — Distinguished Men . 115 CHAPTER IX. Stage-coach— The Winooski — The Green Mountains — The ruined Dwelling— The White Mountains — The Flume— A deep Pool — The Old Man of the Mountain — The Basin — Franconia Notch — View of the Mountains — Mount Washington — The Notch Valley 130 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER X. Montreal ....... 148 CHAPTER XI. Quebec ....... 155 CHAPTER XII. A sail down the St. Lawrence— Sword-Fish— Chasing a Whale. 164 CHAPTER XIII. The Saguenay River — Chicoutimi — Storm Picture— Hudson's Bay Company — Eminent Merchant— The Mountaineer Indians — Tadousac— Ruin of a Jesuit Establishment . . 173 CHAPTER XIV. The Salmon— Salmon Adventures. . . 187 CHAPTER XV. Seal-hunting on the St. Lawrence — The white Porpoise . 204 CHAPTER XVI. The Esquimaux Indians of Labrador . . . 212 CHAPTER XVII. The Habitans of Canada . . . . .218 CHAPTER XVIII. The Grand Portage into New Brunswick— Lake Timiscouta— The Madawaska River ..... 225 Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. c The Adadians ...... 232 CHAPTER XX. Sail down the Madawaska— The Falls of the St. John . 238 CHAPTER XXI. The Hermit of Aroostook . . .241 CHAPTER XXII. The River St. John ..... 266 CHAPTER XXIII. The Penobscot River ..... CHAPTER XXIV. Moosehead Lake — The River Kenneheck . . 278 CHAPTER XXV. A Fishing Party on the Thames — Watch Hill — Night Adventures. 291 CHAPTER XXVI. A week in a Fishing Smack— Fisherman — A beautiful morning at sea — A day at Nantucket — Wreck of a ship — Night on the Sound ....... 308 ADVENTURES OF AN ANGLER. CHAPTER I. The Catskill Mountains — South Peak Mountain — A thunder storm — Midnight on the Mountains — Sunrise — Plauterkill Clove — Peter Hummel — Trout fishing — Stony Clove — The Kauterskill Fall — The Mountain House— The Mountain Lake. Plauterkill Clove. May. I commence this chapter in the language of Leather- Stocking : " You know the Catskills, lad, for you must have seen them on your left, as you followed the river up from York, looking as blue as a piece of clear sky, and holding the clouds on their tops, as the smoke curls over the head of an Indian chief at a council-fire." Yes, every body is acquainted with the names of these mountains, but few with their peculiarities of scenery. They are 2 THE CATSKILLS. situated about eight miles from the Hudson, rise to an average elevation of thirty-five hundred feet, and running in a straight line from north to south, cover a space of some twenty-five miles. The fertile valley on the east is as beautiful as heart could desire ; it is watered by the Kauterskill, Plauterkill CATSKILL MOUNTAINS. and Esopus Creeks, inhabited by a sturdy Dutch yeomanry, and is the agricultural mother of Catskill, Saugerties and Kingston. The upland on the west, for about forty miles, is rugged, dreary, and thinly settled; but the winding valley of Schoharie beyond, is possessed of many charms peculiarly American. The mountains themselves are covered with dense forests, abounding in cliffs THE CATSKILLS. 3 and waterfalls, and for the most part untrodden by the footsteps of men. Looking at them from the Hudson, the eye is attracted by two deep hollows, which are called " Cloves." The one nearest to the Mountain House, Kauter- skill Clove, is distinguished for a remarkable fall, which has been made familiar to the world by the pen of Bryant and the pencil of Cole ; but this Clove is rapidly filling up with human habitations ; while the other, Plauterkill Clove, though yet possessing much of its original glory, is certain of the same destiny. The gorge whence issues the Esopus, is among the Shaudaken mountains, and not visible from the Hudson. My nominal residence, at the present time, is at the mouth of Plauterkill Clove. To the west, and only half a mile from my abode, are the beautiful mountains, whose outlines fade away to the north, like the waves of the sea when covered with a visible atmosphere. The nearest, and to me the most beloved of these, is called South Peak. It is nearly four thousand feet high, and covered from base to summit with one vast forest of trees, varying from eighty to a hundred feet in height. Like its brethren, it is a wild and uncultivated wilderness, abounding in all the interesting features of moun- tain scenery. Like a corner stone does it stand at b 2 4 hunter's hole. the junction of the northern and western ranges of the Catskills, and as its huge form looms against the evening sky, it inspires one with awe, as if it were the ruler of the world : and yet, I have learned to love it as a friend. I have pondered upon its impressive features, when reposing in the noon-tide sunshine, when enveloped in clouds, when holding communion with the most holy night, and when trembling under the influence of a thunder-storm, and encircled by a rainbow. It has filled my soul with images of beauty and sublimity, and made me feel the omnipotence of God. A day and night was it lately my privilege to spend upon this mountain, accompanied by a poet- friend. We started at an early hour, equipped in our brown fustians, and laden with well-filled knapsacks, one with a hatchet in his belt, and the other with a brace of pistols. AVe were bound to the extreme summit of the peak, where we intended to spend the night, witness the rising of the sun, and return at our leisure on the following day. But when I tell you, that our course lay right up the almost perpendicular side of the mountain, w r here w r as no path save that formed by a torrent or a bear, you will readily believe it was somew hat rare and romantic. But this was what we delighted in ; so w r e shouted " Excelsior," and commenced the HUNTER S HOLE. 5 ascent. The air was excessively sultry, and the very first effort we made, caused the perspiration to start most profusely. Upward, upward was our course; now climbing through a tangled thicket, or under the spray of a cascade, and then again supporting ourselves by the roots of saplings or scrambling under a fallen tree ; now, like the samphire gatherer, scaling a precipice; and then again clambering over a rock, or " shinning" up" a hemlock tree, to reach a desired point. Our first halt was made at a singular spot called Hunter's Hole, which is a spacious cavern or pit, forty feet deep and twenty wide, and approached only by a fissure in the mountain, .sufficiently large to admit a man. Connected with this place, is the following stoiy. Many years ago, a farmer, residing at the foot of the mountain^ having missed a favourite dog, and being anxious for his safety, called together his neighbours and offered a reward for the safe return of his canine friend. Always ready to do a kind deed, a number of them started in different direc- tions for the hunt. A barking sound having been heard to issue from this cavern, it discovered that the lost dog was at the bottom, where he had most probably fallen while chasing a fox. "But how shall he be extricated from this hole V was the 6 BEAR BANK. general enquiry of the now-assembled hunters. Not one of all the group would venture to descend under any circumstances ; so that the poor animal remained a prisoner for another night. But the next morniDg he was released, and by none other than a brave boy, the son of the farmer, and play- mate of the dog. A large number of men were present on the occasion. A strong rope was tied around the body of the child, and he was gently lowered down. On reaching the bottom, and finding by the aid of his lamp, that he was in a f « real nice place," the little rogue concluded to have some sport ; whereupon he proceeded to pull down more rope, until he had made a coil of two hundred feet, which was bewildering enough to the crowd above ; but nothing happened to him during the adventure, and the dog was rescued. The young hero having played his trick so well, it was generally supposed, for a long time after, that this cavern was two hundred feet deep, and none were ever found sufficiently bold to enter in, even after a fox. The bravery of the boy, however, was even- tually the cause of his death, for he was cut down by a leaden ball in the war of 1812. The next remarkable place that we attained in ascending South Peak, was the Bear Bank, where, in the depth of winter may be found an abundance A THUNDER-STORM. 7 of these charming creatures. It is said, that they have often been seen sunning themselves, even from the hills east of the Hudson. We were now under a beetling precipice, three hundred feet high, and there, under the shadow of a huge pine, we enjoyed a slice of bread and pork, with a few drops of the genuine mountain dew. Instead of a dessert of strawberries and cream, however, we were furnished, by venerable dame Nature, with a thunder-storm. It was one that we had noticed making a great commotion in the valley below. It had probably discovered two bipeds going towards its home, the sky, and seemed to have pursued us with a view of frightening us back again. But " knowing that nature never did betray the heart that loved her," we awaited the thunder- storm's reply to our obstinate refusal to descend. The cloud was yet below us, but its unseen herald, a strong east wind, told us that the conflict had commenced. Presently a peal of thunder resounded through the vast profound, which caused the moun- tain to tremble to its deep foundation. And then followed another, and another, as the storm increased, and the rain and hail poured down in floods. Thinking it safer to expose ourselves to the storm than remain under the pine, we retreated without delay, when we were suddenly enveloped in the 8 eagle's nest. heart of the cloud, only a few rods distant ; then, a stroke of lightning blinded us, and the towering forest monarch was smitten to the earth. We were in the midst of an unwritten epic poem about that time, but we could not appreciate its beauties, for another peal of thunder, and another stroke of lightning attracted our whole attention. Soon as these had passed, a terrible gale followed in their wake, tumbling down piles of loose rocks, and bending to the dust, as if in passion, the resisting forms of an army of trees ; and afterwards a glorious rainbow spanned the mountain, appearing like those distinguishing circles around the temples of the mighty and holy, as portrayed by the painters of old. The commotion lasted for one hour, when the region of the Bear Bank became as serene as the slumber of a babe. A spirit of silent prayer was brooding upon the earth and in the air ; and with a shadow of thoughtfulness at our hearts, mt resumed our upward march. Our next halting place was upon a sort of peninsula, called the Eagle's Nest, where, it is said, an Indian child was formerly carried by one of those birds, and cruelly destroyed, and whence the frantic mother, with the mangled body of her babe, leaped into the terrible abyss below. From this point, we discovered a host of clouds assembled in council above High Peak, as if discussing the parched RATTLESNAKE LEDGE. U condition, of the earth, and the speediest mode of affording relief to a still greater extent than they had done; and far away to the west, was another assembly of clouds, vieing like sportive children, to outrun and overleap each other in their aerial amphitheatre. After this, we surmounted another point called Rattlesnake Ledge. Here the rocks were literally covered with the white bones of those reptiles, slaughtered by the hunter in by-gone years, and we happened to see a pair of them that were alive. One was about four feet long, and the other, which was only about half as large, seemed to be the offspring of the old one, for, when discovered, they were playing together like an affectionate mother with her tender child. Soon as we appeared in their presence, the serpents immediately ceased their sports, and in the twinkling of an eye they coiled themselves in the attitude of battle. The conflict was of short duration, and to know the result you need only look into my cabinet of curiosities. Higher yet was it our lot to climb. We w r ent a little out of our course to obtain a bird's-eye' view » of a mountain lake. In its tranquil bosom the glowing evening sky and mountain sides were vividly reflected, and the silence surrounding it was so profound, that we could almost hear the b 3 10 SOUTH PEAK. ripples made by a solitary duck, as it swam from one shore to the other in its utter loneliness. Very beautiful, indeed, was this picture; and as I reflected upon it, I thought that, as the Infant of Bethlehem was tenderly protected by the parents who watched over its slumbers, so was this exquisite lake cradled and protected in the lap of the mountains. One sight more did we behold before reaching the summit of South Peak. It was the sunset hour, and on a jutting cliff, which commanded an immense view, our eyes were delighted by the sight of a deer, standing still, and looking down upon the silent void below, which was then covered with a deep purple atmosphere, causing the prospect to resemble the boundless ocean. It was the last of its race, we could not but fancy, bidding the human world good night, previous to seeking its heathery couch in a nameless ravine. One effort more, and the long-desired eminence was attained ; and we were a little nearer the evening star than we had ever been before. It was now the hour of twilight, and as we were about done over with fatigue, it was not long before we had pitched our leafy tent, eaten some supper, and yielded ourselves to the embrace of sleep, " Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health." MIDNIGHT ON THE MOUNTAINS. 11 At midnight, a cooling breath of air having passed across my face, I was awakened from a fearful dream, which left me in a nervous and excited state of mind, A strange and solemn gloom had taken possession of my spirit, which was greatly enhanced by the doleful song of a neighbouring hemlock grove. Our encampment having been made a little below the summit of the Peak, and feeling anxious to behold the prospect at that hour from that point, I awakened my companion, and we' seated ourselves upon the topmost rock, which was nearly bare of shrubs, but covered with a rich moss, softer and more beautiful than the finest carpet. But how can I describe the scene that burst upon our enraptured vision. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, creating a lone, lost feeling, which I supposed could only be realized by a wanderer in an uninhabited wilderness, or on the ocean, a thousand leagues from home. Above, around, and beneath us — ay, far beneath us — were the cold, bright stars, and to the eastward, the "young moon with the old moon in her arms." In the west were floating a little band of pearly clouds, which I almost fancied to be winged chariots, and that they were crowded with children, the absent and loved of other years, who, in a frolic 12 SUNRISE. of blissful joy, were out upon the fields of heaven. On one side of us reposed the long, broad valley of the Hudson, with its cities, towns, villages, woods, hills, and plains, whose crowded highway was diminished to a narrow girdle of deep blue. To- wards the south, hill beyond hill, field beyond field, receded to the sky, occasionally enlivened by a peaceful lake. On our right, a multitudinous array of rugged mountains lay piled up, apparently as impassable as the bottomless gulf. To the north, Old High Peak, king of the Catskills, bared his bosom to the moonlight, as if demanding and expecting the homage of the world. Strange and magnificent, indeed, was the prospect from that mountain watch-tower ; and it was with reluctance that we turned away, as in duty bound, to slumber until the dawn. The dawn ! And now for a sunrise picture among the mountains, with all the illusive per- formances of the mists and clouds. He comes ! he comes ! the " king of the bright days !" Now the crimson and golden clouds are parting, and he bursts on the bewildered sight. One moment more, and the whole earth rejoices in his beams, falling alike, as they do, upon the prince and the peasant of every land. And now, on either side and beneath the sun, an array of new-born SUNRISE. 13 clouds are gathering, like a band of cavaliers, preparing to accompany their leader on a journey. Out of the Atlantic have they just arisen ; at noon they will have pitched their tents on the cerulean plains of heaven ; and when the hours of day are numbered, the far-off waters of the Pacific will again receive them in its cool embrace. Listen ! was not that the roar of waves ? Naught but the report of thunder in the valley below. Are not the two oceans coming together ? See ! we are on a rock, in the midst of an illimitable sea, and the tide is surely rising — rising rapidly ! Strange ! it is still as death, and yet the oceans are covered with billows. Lo ! the naked masts of a ship, stranded on a lee-shore ; and yonder, as if a reef were hidden there to impede their course, the waves are strug- gling in despair, now leaping to the sky, and now plunging into a deep abyss ! And when they have passed the unseen enemy, how rapid and beautiful are their various evolutions, as they hasten to the more distant shore. Another look, and what a change ! The mists of morning are being exhaled by the risen sun; already the world of waters is dispersed, and in the valley of the Hudson, far far away, are reposing all the enchanting features of the green earth. We descended the mountain by a circuitous 14 PLAUTERKILL CLOVE. route, that we might enjoy the luxury of passing through Plauterkill Clove. The same spring that gives rise to Schoharie Creek, which is the principal tributary of the Mohawk, also gives rise to the Plauterkill. In its very infancy it begins to leap and laugh with the gladness of a boy. From its source to the plain, the distance is only two miles, and yet it has a fall of twenty-five hundred feet ; but the remainder of its course, until it reaches the Esopus, is calm and picturesque ; and on every side, and at every turn, may be seen the farm-houses of a sturdy yeomanry. The wild gorge, or dell, through which it passes, abounds in waterfalls of surpassing beauty, varying from ten to a hundred feet in height, whose rocks are green with the moss of centuries, and whose brows are ever wreathed with the most exquisite of vines and flowers. Here is the Double Leap, with its almost fathomless pool, containing a hermit trout, that has laughed at the angler's skill for a score of years ; the Fall of the Mountain Spirit, haunted, as it is said, by the disembodied spirit of an Indian girl, who lost her life here, while pursuing a phantom of the brain ; and here is the Blue Bell Fall, for ever guarded by a multitudinous array of those charming flowers. Caverns, too, and chasms are here, dark, deep, chilly, and damp, PETER HUMMEL. 15 where the toad, the lizard, and snake, and strange families of insects, are perpetually multiplying, and actually seeming to enjoy their loathsome lives ; and here is the Black Chasm and the DeviPs Chamber, the latter with perpendicular walls, twice the height of Old Trinity, and with a wainscoting of pines and hemlocks, which have " braved a thousand years the battle and the breeze." Plauterkill Clove is an eddy of the great and tumultuous world, and in itself a world of unwritten poetry, whose primitive loveli- liness has not yet been disfigured by the influence of Mammon. It has been consecrated by a brother- hood of friends, well tried and true, to the pure religion of nature; and after spending a summer day therein, and then emerging under the open sky, their feelings are always allied to those of a pilgrim in a strange land, passing through the dreamy twilight of an old cathedral. But it is time that I should change my tune, as I desire to record a few fishing adventures, which I have lately experienced among the Catskills. My first excursion was performed along the margin of Sweetwater Brook, which flows out of the lake already mentioned. My guide and companion was a notorious hunter of this region, named Peter Hum- mel, whose services I have engaged for all my future rambles among the mountains. He is decidedly 1G PETER HUMMEL. one of the wildest and rarest characters I have ever known, and wonld be a valuable acquisition to a menagerie. He was born in a little hut, at the foot of South Peak, is twenty-seven years of age, and has never been to school a day in his life, or, in his travels towards civilization, further away from home than fifteen miles. He was educated for a bark- gatherer, his father and several brothers having always been in the business ; but Peter is averse to common-place labour, to anything, in fact, that will bring money. When a boy of five years, he had an inkling far the mountains, and once had wandered so far, that he was found by his father, in the den of an old bear, playing with her cubs. To tramp among the mountains, with gun and dog, is Peter's chief and only happiness. He is probably one of the best specimens of a hunter now living ; and very few, I fancy, could have survived the dangers to which he has exposed himself. As to his consti- tution, he seems to be one of those iron mortals, who never die with age and infirmity, but who generally meet with a sudden death, as if to recom- pense them for their heedlessness. But with all his wildness and recklessness, Peter Hummel is as amiable and kind-hearted a man as ever breathed. He is an original wit, withal, and shrewd and very TROUT FISHING. 17 laughable are many of his speeches ; and his stories are the cream of romance and genuine mountain poetry. But to my story. As usual, we started on our tramp at an early hour, he with a trout-basket in his hand, containing our dinner, and I with my sketch-book and a " pilgrim staff." After a tire- some ascent of three hours, up a mountain path, over ledges and through gloomy ravines, we at last reached the wished-for brook. All the day long were we cheered by its happy song, as we descended, now leaping from one deep pool to another, and now scrambling over green-coated rocks, under and around fallen trees, and along the damp, slippery sides of the mountain, until we reached its mouth on a plain, watered by a charming river, and sprinkled with the rustic residences of the Dutch yeomanry. We were at home by sunset, having walked the distance of twenty miles, and captured one hundred and fifty trout, the most of which we distributed among the farm-houses in our way, as we returned. The trout were small, varying from three to eight ounces in weight, and of a dark brown colour. On another occasion, I had taken my sketch- book and some fishing-tackle, and gone up a mountain road to the banks of Schoharie Creek, 18 TROUT FISHING. nominally for the purpose of sketching a few trees. In the very first hole of the stream into which I accidentally peered, I discovered a large trout lying near the bottom, just above a little bed of sand, whence rose the bubbles of a spring. For some thirty minutes I watched the fellow with a " yearning tenderness f but as he appeared to be so very happy, and I was in a kindred mood, I thought that I would let him live. Presently, however, a beautiful fly lighted on the water, which the greedy hermit swallowed in a minute, and returned to his cool bed with his conscience, as I fancied, not one whit troubled by what he had done. Involuntarily I began to unwind my line ; and having cut a pole, and repeated to myself some- thing about "diamond cut diamond," I whipped on a red hackle and passed it over the pool. The rogue of a trout, however, saw me, and scorned for awhile to heed my lure. But I coaxed and coaxed, until at last he darted for it, apparently out of mere spite. Something similar to a miniature water-spout immediately arose, and the monarch of the brook was in a fair way of sharing the same fate which had befallen the innocent fly. I learned a salutary lesson from this incident, and as I had yielded to the temptation of the brook, I shouldered my sketch-book and descended the stream. At STONY CLOVE. 19 noon I reached a farm-house, where I craved some- thing to eat. A good dinner was given me, which was seasoned by many questions, and some infor- mation, concerning trout. That afternoon, in company with a little boy, I visited a neighbouring stream, called the Roaring Kill, where I caught one hundred and sixty fish. I then returned to the farm-house, and spent the evening in conversation with my new acquaintances. After breakfast, on the following morning, I set out for home, and reached there about noon, having made only two additions to my sketches. Long shall I remember the evening spent with this family, and their hospitality towards an entire stranger. A pleasant family was that night added to my list of friends. Another of my trouting pilgrimages was to a famous place, called Stony Clove, among the moun- . " r^M tains of Shaudaken. It is a deep perpendicular cut, or gorge, between two mountains, two thousand feet in depth, from twenty feet to four hundred in width, and completely lined, from base to summit, with luxuriant vegetation. It is watered by a narrow but deep brook, which is so full of trout, that some seven hundred were captured by myself and two others in a single day. When I tell you that this spot is only about one hundred miles from New York, you will be surprised to 20 KAUTERSKILL FALL. learn, that in its immediate vicinity we saw no less than two bears, one doe with two fawns, and other valuable game. In some parts of this Clove the sunshine never enters, and whole tons of the purest ice may be found there throughout the year. It is, indeed, a most lonely and desolate corner of the world, and might be considered a fitting type of the Valley of the Shadow of Death; in single tilt- did we have to pass through it, and in single rile do the sons of men pass into the grave. To spend one day there, we had to encamp two nights ; and how we generally manage that affair I will mention presently. In returning from Stony Clove, we took a cir- cuitous route, and visited the Mountain House. We approached it by the way of the celebrated Kauterskill Fall, which I will describe to you in the graphic language of Cooper, as you may not remember the passage in his " Pioneer." " Why there's a fall in the hills, where the water of two little ponds, that lie near each other, breaks out of their bounds, and runs over the rocks into the valley. The stream is, may be, such a one as would turn a mill, if so useless a thing was wanted in the wilderness. But the Hand that made that 'Leap' neve?' made a mill ! There the water comes croaking THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE. 21 and winding among the rocks, first so slow that a trout might swim in it, and then starting and running, just like any creature that wanted to make a fair spring-, till it gets to where the mountain divides, like the cleft foot of a deer, leaving a deep hollow for the brook to tumble into. The first pitch is nigh two hundred feet, and the water looks like flakes of snow afore it touches the bottom, and then gathers itself together again for a new start, and, may be, flutters over fifty feet of flat rock, before it falls for another hundred, where it jumps from shelf to shelf, first running this way and that way, striving to get out of the hollow, till it finally comes to the plain." Our party, on this occasion, consisted of three, Peter Hummel, a bark-gatherer, and myself. I had chosen these fellows for the expedition, because of their friendship for me and their willingness to go, and I resolved to give them a "treat" at the " Grand Hotel," which the natives of this region look upon as a kind of paradise. The reader is no doubt aware, that the Mountain House is an establishment vieing in its style of accommodation with the best of hotels. Between it and the Hudson there is, during the summer, a semi- daily line of stages ; and it is the transient resort of thousands, who visit it for the novelty of its situation, as well as for 22 LAUGHABLE SCENE. the surrounding scenery. The edifice itself stands on a cliff, within a few feet of the edge, and commands a prospect extending from Long Island Sound to the White Mountains. The first time I visited the spot, I spent half the night at my bed-room window, watching the fantastic performances of a thunder-storm far below me, which made the build- ing tremble like a ship upon a reef, while the sky above was cloudless, and studded with stars. Be- tween this spot and South Peak, " there's the High Peak and the Round Top which lay back, like B father and mother among their children, seeing they are far above all the other hills." But to proceed. Coarsely and comically dressed as we were, we made a very unique appearance as we paraded into the office of the hotel. I met a few acquaintances there, to whom I introduced my comrades ; and in a short time each one was spin- ning a mountain legend to a crowd of delighted listeners. In due time, I ushered them into the dining-hall, where a scene was enacted which can be better imagined than described; the fellows were completely out of their element, and it was laughable in the extreme to see them stare, and hear them talk, as the servants bountifully helped them to the turtle-soup, ice-cream, charlotte-russe, and other fashionable dainties. About the middle of the afternoon we commenced A GROTESQUE GROUP. 23 descending the beautiful mountain road leading towards the Hudson. In the morning there had been a heavy shower, and a thousand happy rills attended us with a song. A delightful nook on this road is pointed out as the identical spot where Rip Van Winkle slept away a score of his life. I reached home in time to spend the twilight hour in my own room, musing upon the much-loved moun- tains. I had but one companion, and that was a whip-poor-will, which nightly comes to my window-sill, as if to tell me a tale of its love, or of the woods and solitary wilderness. But the most unique and interesting of my fishing adventures remains to be described. I had heard a great deal about the good fishing afforded by the lake already mentioned, and I desired to visit it, and spend a night upon its shore. Having spoken to my friend Hummel, and invited a neigh- bourfto accompany us, whom the people have named " White Yankee," the noontide hour of a pleasant day found us on our winding march ; and such a grotesque appearance as we made, was exceedingly amusing. The group was mostly animated when climbing the steep and rocky ravines which we were compelled to pass through. There was Peter, " long, lank and lean," and wild in his attire and countenance as an eagle of the wilderness, with an axe in his hand, 24 THE MOUNTAIN LAKE. and a huge knapsack on his back, containing our provisions and utensils for cooking. Next to him followed White Yankee, with three blankets lashed upon his back, a slouched white hat on his head, and nearly a half pound of tobacco in his mouth. Crooked legged withal, and somewhat sickly was this individual, and being wholly unaccustomed to this kind of business, he went along groaning, grunting, and fuming, as if he was " sent for, and didn't want to come." In the rear trotted along your humble friend, with a gun upon his shoulder, a powder-horn and shot-pouch at his side, cow-hide boots on his feet, and a cap on his head — his beard half an inch long, and his flowing hair streaming in the wind. We reached our place of destination about five o'clock, and halted under a large impending rock, which was to be our sleeping place. We were emphatically under the " shadow of a rock, in a weary land." Our first business was to build a fire, which we did with about one cord of green and dry wood. Eighty poles were then cut, to which we fastened our lines. The old canoe in the lake was bailed out, and having baited our hooks with the minnows we had brought with us, we planted the poles in about seven feet water, all around the lake shore. We then prepared and ate our supper, and STRANGE BED-FELLOWS. 25 awaited the coming on of night. During this interval, I learned the following particulars concern- ing the lake. It was originally discovered by a hunter, named Shew. It is estimated to cover about fifty acres, and in the centre, to be more than two hundred feet in depth. For my part, however, I do not believe it contains over five acres, though the mountains which tower on every side but one, are calculated to deceive the eye; but, as to its depth, I could easily fancy it to be bottomless, for the water is remarkably dark. To the number of trout in this lake there seems to be no end. It is supposed they reach it, when small, through Sweet- water Brook, when they increase in size, and multiply. It also abounds in green and scarlet lizards, which are a serious drawback to the plea- sures of the fastidious angler. I asked Peter many questions concerning his adventures about the lake, and he told me that the number of "harmless murders" he had committed here was about three, hundred. In one day, he shot three deer; at another time, a dozen turkeys ; at another, twenty ducks ; one night, an old bear ; and again, half a dozen coons ; and, on one occasion, annihilated a den of thirty-seven rattlesnakes, At nine o' clock, we lighted a torch and went to examine our lines ; and it was my good fortune' to c 26 FANCIFUL DREAMS. haul out not less than forty-one trout, weighing from one to two pounds a-piece. These, we put into a spring of very cold water, which bubbled from the earth a few paces from our camping place, and then retired to repose. Branches of hemlock constituted our couch, and my station was between Peter and White Yankee. Little did I dream, when I first saw these two bipeds, that I should ever have them for my bed-fellows ; but who can tell what shall be on the morrow ? My friends were in the land of Nod in less than a dozen minutes after we had retired ; but it was hard for me to go to sleep in the midst of the wild scene which sur- rounded me. There I lay, fiat on my back, a stone and my cap for a pillow, and wrapt in a blanket, with my nose exposed to the chilly night air. And what pictures did my fancy conjure up, as I looked upon the army of trunks around me, glistening in the fire-light ! One moment they were a troop of Indians from the spirit-land, come to revisit again the hunting grounds of their fathers, and weeping because the white man had desecrated their soil ; and again, I fancied them to be a congress of wild animals, assembled to try, execute, and devour us, for the depredations our fellows had committed upon their kind during the last one hundred years. By and by, a star peered upon me from between the A MOONLIGHT SKETCH. 27 branches of a tree, and my thoughts ascended heavenward. And now, my eyes twinkled and blinked in sympathy with the star, and I was a dreamer. An hour after the witching time of night, I was startled from my sleep by a bellowing halloo from Peter, who said it was time to examine the lines again. Had you heard the echoes which were then awakened, far and near, you would have thought yourself in enchanted land. But there were living answers to that shout, for a frightened fox began to bark, an owl commenced its horrible hootings, a partridge its drumming, and a wolf its howl. There was not a breeze stirring, and " Nought was seen, in the vault on high, But the moon, and the stars, and a cloudless sky, And a river of white in the welkin blue." Peter and Yankee went out to haul in the trout, but I remained on shore to attempt a drawing, by moonlight, of the lake before me. The opposite side of the mountain, with its dark tangled forest, was perfectly mirrored in the waters below, the whole seeming as solid and variegated as a tablet of Egyp- tian marble. The canoe with its inmates noiselessly pursued its way, making the stillness more profound. In the water at my feet I distinctly saw lizards c 2 28 A NIGHT OF ACCIDENTS. sporting about, and I could not but wonder why such reptiles were ever created. I thought, with the Ancient Mariner, " A thousand slimy things lived on, And so did I." Again did we retire to rest, slumbering until the break of day. We then partook of a substantial trout breakfast, gathered up our plunder, and with about one hundred handsome trout started for home. The accidents we met with during the night were harmless, though somewhat ridiculous. A paper of matches, which Peter carried in his breeches' pocket, took fire, and gave him such a scorching that he bellowed lustily. White Yankee, in his restless slumber, rolled so near our watch- fire, that he barely escaped with one corner of his blanket, the remainder having been consumed. As for me, I only fell into the water among the lizards, while endeavouring to reach the end of a log, which extended into the lake. In descending the mountain, we shot three partridges, and con- foundedly frightened a fox ; and by the middle of the afternoon, were quietly pursuing our usual avocations among our fellow-men of the lower world. A SPRING DAY. 29 CHAPTER II. A Spring Day— The Sky— The Mountains— The Streams— The Woods — The Open Fields — Domestic Animals — Poetry — The Poultry-yard. Plauterkill Clove. May. May is near its close, and I am still in the valley of the Hudson. Spring is indeed come again, and this, for the present year, has been its day of triumph. The moment I awoke at dawn, this morning, I knew by intuition that it would be so, and I bounded from my couch like a startled deer, impatient for the cool delicious air. Spring is upon the earth once more, and a new life is given me of enjoyment and hope. The year is in its childhood, and my heart clings to it with a sympathy, that I feel must be immortal and divine. What I have done to-day, I cannot tell : I only know that my body has been tremulous with feeling, and my eyes almost blinded with seeing. Every hour has been 30 THE SKY. fraught with a new emotion of delight, and pre- sented to my vision numberless pictures of sur- passing beauty. I have held communion with the sky, the mountains, the streams, the woods, and the fields ; and these, if you please, shall be themes of my present chapter. The sky ! It has been of as deep an azure, and as serene, as ever canopied the world. It seemed as if you could look through it, into the illimitable home of the angels — could almost behold the glory which surrounds the Invisible. Three clouds alone have attracted my attention. One was the offspring of the dawn, and encircled by a rim of gold ; the next was the daughter of noon, and white as the driven snow ; and the last of evening, and robed in deepest crimson. Wayward and coquettish creatures were these clouds ! Their chief ambition seemed to be to display their charms to the best advantage, as if conscious of their loveliness ; and, at sunset, when the light lay pillowed on the mountains, it was a joyous sight to see them, side by side, like three sweet sisters, as they were, going home. Each one was anxious to favour the world with its own last smile, and by their changing places so often, you would have thought they were all unwilling to depart. But they were the ministers of the Sun, and he would not tarry for them ; and, while he THE MOUNTAINS. 31 beckoned them to follow on, the Evening Star took his station in the sky, and bade them depart : and when I looked again, they were gone. Never more, thought I, will those clouds be a source of joy to a human heart. And in this respect, also, they seemed to me to be the emblems of those beautiful but thoughtless maidens, who spend the flower of youth trifling with the affections of all whom they have the power to fascinate. The mountains ! In honour of the season which has just clothed them in the richest green, they have this day displayed every one of their varied and interesting charms. At noon, as I lay under the shadow of a tree, watching them " with a look made of all sweet accord," my face was freshened by a breeze. It appeared to come from the summit of South Peak, and to be the voice of the Catskills I listened, and these were the words which echoed through my ear : " Of all the seasons, oh, Spring ! thou art the most beloved, and to us, always the most welcome. Joy and gladness ever attend thy coming, for we know that the l winter is past, the rains are over and gone, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land/ And we know, too, that from thy hands flow unnumbered blessings. Thou softenest the earth, 32 THE STREAMS. that the husbandman may sow his seed, which shall yield him a thousand fold at the harvest. Thou releasest the rivers from their icy fetters, that the wings of commerce may be unfurled once more. Thou givest food to the cattle upon a thousand hillsy that they, in their turn, may furnish man with necessary food, and also assist him in his domestic labours. Thou coverest the earth with a garniture of freshest loveliness, that the senses of man may be gratified, and his thoughts directed to Him who hath created all things, and pronounced them good. And, finally, thou art the hope of the year, and thine admonitions, which arc of the future, have a tendency to emancipate the thoughts of man from this world, and the troubles which may surround him here, and fix them upon that clime where an eternal spring abides." " The voice in my dreaming ear melted away," and I heard the roaring of the streams as they fretted their way down the rocky steeps. The streams ! Such " trumpets" as they have blown to-day, would, I am afraid, have caused Mr. Wordsworth to exclaim : 14 The cataracts — make a devilish noise up yonder." The fact is, as " all the earth is gay," and all the springs among the mountains are " giving them- THE WOODS. 33 selves up to jollity/' the streams are full to over- flowing, and rush along with a " vindictive looseness/' because of the burden they have to bear. The falls and cascades, which make such exquisite pictures in the summer months, are now fearful to behold, for, in their anger, every now and then they toss some giant tree into an abyss of foam, which makes one tremble with fear. But after the streams have left the mountains, and are running through the bottom-lands, they still appear to be displeased with something, and at every turn they take, delve into the " bowels of the harmless earth/' making it dangerous for the angler to approach too near, but rendering the haunt of the trout more spacious and commodious than before. The streams are about the only things I cannot praise to-day, and I hope it will not rain for a month to come, if this is the way they intend to act whenever we have a number of delightful showers. The woods ! A goodly portion of the day have I spent in one of their most secret recesses. I went with Shakspeare under my arm, but could not read, any more than fly, so I stretched myself at full length on a huge log, and kept a sharp look- out for anything that might send me a waking dream. The brotherhood of trees clustered around c 3 34 THE WOODS. me, laden with leaves just bursting into full matu- rity, and possessing that delicate and peculiar green, which lasts but a single day, and never returns. A fitful breeze swept through them, so that ever and anon I fancied a gushing fountain to be near, or that a company of ladies fair were come to visit me, and that I heard the rustle of their silken kirtles. And now my eyes rested on a tree, that was entirely leafless, and almost without a limb. Instead of grass at its foot, was a heap of dry leaves, and not a bush or vine grew anywhere near it, but around its neighbours they grew in great abundance. It seemed branded with a en alone, forsaken of its own, and despised by all. Can this, thought I, be an emblem of any human being ? Strange that it should be, but it is never- theless too true. Only one week ago I saw a poor miserable maniac bound hand and foot, driven from " home and all its treasures," and carried to a dark, damp prison-house in a neighbouring town. I can be reconciled to the mystery of a poisonous reptile's existence, but it is very hard to under- stand for what good purpose a maniac is created. Another object I noticed, was a little tree about five feet high, completely covered with blossoms of a gaudy hue. At first, I tried to gather some- thing poetical out of this thing, but with all my THE WOODS. 35 endeavours, I could not, It caused me a real hearty laugh as the idea expanded, for it reminded me of a certain maiden lady of my acquaintance, who is old, stunted, very fond of tall men and always strutting round under a weight of jewelry. But oh ! what beautiful flowers did I notice in that shady grove, whose whispering thrilled me with delight ! Their names ? I cannot tell them to you, fair reader ; they ought to have no names, any more than a cloud or a foam-bell on the river. Some were blue, some white, some purple, and some scarlet. There were little parties of them on every side ; and as the wind swayed their delicate stems, I could not but fancy they were living, creatures, the personified thoughts perhaps of happy and innocent children. Occasionally, too, I noticed a sort of straggler peeping at me from beside a hillock of moss, or from under the branches of a fallen tree, as if surprised at my temerity in enter- ing its secluded haunt. Birds also were around me in that greenwood sanctuary, singing their hymns of praise to the Father of mercies for the return of spring. The nests of the females being already built, they had nothing to do but be happy, antici- pating the time when they themselves should be the " dealers-out of some small blessings" to their helpless broods. As to their mates, they « 36 THE OPEN FIELDS. about as independent, restless and noisy as might be expected, very much as any rational man would be who was the husband of a young and beautiful wife. But the open fields to-day have superabounded with pictures to please and instruct the mind. I know not where to begin to describe them. Shall it be at the very threshold of our farm-house ? "Well, then, only look at those lilac trees in the garden, actually top-heavy with purple and white flowering pyramids. The old farmer has just cut a number of large branches, and given them to his little daughter to carry to her mother, who will distri- bute them between the mantel-piece, the table, and the fire-place of the family sitting-room. But what ambrosial odour is that which now salutes the senses ? It comes not from the variegated corner of the garden, where the tulip, the violet, the hyacinth, the blue bell, and the lily of the valley arc vieing to outstrip each other in their attire ; nor, from that clover-covered lawn, besprinkled with butter-cups, strawberry blossoms, and honey- suckles ; but from the orchard, every one of whose trees are completely covered with snow-white blossoms. And from their numberless petals emanates the murmur of bees, as they are busy extracting the luscious honey. THE OPEN FIELDS. 37 What an abundance of fruit — of apples, cherries, peaches and pears, do these sweet blossoms promise ! But next week there may be a bitter frost ; and this is the lesson which my heart learns. Now that I am in the spring-time of life, my hopes, in number and beauty, are like the blossoms of trees, and I know not but they may even on the morrow be withered by the chilly breath of the grave. But let us loiter farther on. The western slope of this gentle hill is equally divided, and of two different shades of green ; one is planted with rye, and the other with wheat. The eastern slope of the hill has lately been loosened by the plough, and is of a sombre colour, but to my eye not less pleasing than the green. And this view is enlivened with figures besides — for a farmer and two boys are planting corn, the latter opening the bed with their hoes, and the former dropping in the seed (which he carries in a bag slung at his side), and covering it with his foot. And now, fluttering over their heads is a roguish bob-o-link, scolding about something in their wake ; at a respectful distance, and hopping along the ground are a number of robins ; and on the nearest fence a meadow-lark and bluebird are " holding on for a bite." But there is no end to these rural pictures, so I will just take my reader 38 DOMESTIC ANIMALS. into this neighbouring meadow-pasture, thence into the poultry-yard at home, and conclude my present rhapsody. Here we are, then, in the midst of various domestic animals. Yonder, a couple of black colts are chasing each other in play, while their venerable mother (for they are brothers, though not twin- standing a little way off, watching their antics, and twisting about her ears, as she remembers the happy days of her own colthood. Here are some half dozen hearty cows, lying down and grazing, each one with a " pledge of affection" sporting about her. There are six or eight oxen, eating away as fast as they can, while one, who seemfl be a sentinel, occasionally rolls up his eye to if the farmer is coming to renew his song of " haw ! gee ! gee ! haw \" Under the shadow of that old oak is a flock of sheep, with their lambs bounding beside them, as to the " tabor's sound ;" but to me there comes no " thought of grief' at the sight, wherein I must be suffered to disagree with Wordsworth, to whom I have already alluded 01 or twice, and whose celebrated and most wonderful Ode has been echoing in my heart all the day long. Some of the lines in it are appropriate to the day, the charrus of which I am attempting to make you POETRY. 39 feel,, reader, and you will oblige me by reading and inwardly digesting, the following fragments of a whole, and yet really complete poems : — " The sunshine is a glorious birth" " The wands come to me from the fields of sleep. And the babe leaps up on his mother's arm.' " Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own.' " Full soon thy soul shalt have her earthly freight, And custom lie upon thee wdth a w T eight, Heavy as fate, and deep almost as life." joy, that in our embers Is something that doth live, That nature yet remembers What was so fugitive." " To me, the meanest flow r er that blows, can give Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." Strange, that a rational man, after dwelling upon such poetry, should be willing to go into a poultry-yard. But why not ? I would rather do this willingly than be compelled, as I have been, and may be again, to hear a man say, after reading 40 THE POULTRY-YARD. to him Wordsworth's great Ode — " Why ! of what use is such stuff ? what does it prove ? will it furnish a man with bread and butter ? will it make the pot boil V The people of the poultry-yard have been in such glee to-day, and contributed so much to the gladness of the day, that I must pay them a passing tribute. In the first place, our old gobbler, with his retinue of turkey wives, has been on the point of bursting with pride ever since sunrise. If the Grand Sultan of Turkey (who must be the father of all turkeys) cuts the same kind of capers m the presence of his hundred ladies, Turkey must be a great country for lean people to " laugh and grow fat in." Our gobbler is a feathered personification of Jack FalstafF, possessing his prominent trait of cowardice to perfection. I nourished a red hand- kerchief in his face this morning, and, by the way he strutted round and gobbled, you would have thought he was going to devour you. About ten minutes after this, I threw down a handful of corn, which was intended for his particular palate. While he was busy picking it up, a certain cock stepped alongside and commenced picking too : the intruder, having got in the way of the gobbler, was suddenly pushed aside ; whereupon the gentleman with spurs chuckled and " showed light," but the THE POULTRY-YARD. 41 gobbler for a moment heeded him not. This the cock could not bear, so he pounced upon his enemy, and whipped him without mercy, until the coward and fool ran away, with his long train of affectionate wives following behind. The cocks, hens and chickens, which have figured in the yard to-day, would more than number a hundred, and such cackling, crowing, chuckling, and crying as they have made, was anything but a " eoncord of sweet sounds." But the creatures have been happy, and it was therefore a pleasure to look at them. A young hen this morning made her first appearance with a large brood of chickens, yellow as gold, and this caused quite a sensation among the feathered husbands generally. The mother, as she rambled about, seemed to say by her pompous air, to her daughterless friends — ■ " ar'nt they beautiful ? don't you wish you had a few V It was also very funny to see with what looks of astonishment the youthful cocks surveyed these " infant phenomenons." As to our ducks, and geese, and guinea hens, they have minded their business pretty well — the two former paddling about the creek and mud-puddles, and the latter " between meals" roaming at large through the orchard and garden, altogether the most beautiful and rational of the feathered tribes. 42 CLOSE OF A SPRING DAY. A mountaineer, who is to take this queer record to the post-office, is waiting for me, and I must close, — hoping that the country pictures I have endeavoured to sketch may have a tendency to make my reader feel a portion of that joy, which has cha- racterized this delightful Spring Day. DUTCH DESCENDANTS. 43 CHAPTER III. A corn-planting Bee. Plauterkill Clove. May. The people who inhabit that section of country lying between the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River, are undoubtedly the legitimate descendants of the far-famed Rip Van Winkle. Dutch blood floweth in their veins/ and their names, appearance, manners, are all Dutch, and Dutch only. The majority of them are engaged in tilling the soil, and as they seem to be satisfied with a bare competency, the peacefulness of their lives is only equalled by their ignorance of books, and the world at large. The height of their ambition is to enjoy a frolic, and what civilized people understand by that term, they designate a Bee. Not only have they their wedding and funeral Bees, but they com- memorate their agricultural labours with a Bee, and 44 A CORN-PLANTING BEE. of these, the Corn-Planting Bee, which I am about to describe, is a fair specimen. A certain old Dutchman of my acquaintance had so long neglected the field where he intended to plant his corn, that he found it necessary to retrieve his reputation by getting up a Bee. He therefore immediately issued his verbal invitations, and at two o'clock on the appointed day, about seventy of his neighbours, including men and women, made their appearance at his dwelling, each one of them fur- nished with a hoe and a small bag to carry the seed. After supplying his guests with all they wanted in the way of spiritual drink, my friend gave the signal, and shouldering a large hoe started off for the field of action, closely followed by his neigh- bours, who fell to work lustily. The field was large, but as the planters were numerous, it was entirely planted at least two hours before sun- set, when the party was disbanded, with the express understanding resting upon their minds that they should invite their children to the dance, which was to take place in the evening at the Bee-giver's residence. The house of my farmer friend having been origi- nally built for a tavern, it happened to contain a large ball-room, and on this occasion it was stripped of its beds and bedding, and the walls thereof UNIQUE BALL-DRESSES. 45 decked from top to bottom with green branches and an occasional tallow candle, and conspicuous at one end of the hall was a refreshment establishment, well supplied with pies, gingerbread, molasses, candy and cigars, with an abundance of coloured alcohols. The number of young men and women who came together on the occasion was about one hundred, and while they were trimming themselves for the approaching dance, the musician, a huge, long- legged and bony Dutchman, was tuning a rusty fiddle. The thirty minutes occupied by him in this interesting business were employed by the male portion of the guests in " wetting their whistles." The dresses worn on the occasion were eminently rustic and unique. Those of the gentlemen, for the most part, were made of a coarse grey cloth, similar to that worn by the residents on BlackwelFs Island, while the ladies were arrayed in white cotton, trimmed with a narrow scarlet ribbon. Pumps being out of vogue, cow-hide boots were worn by the former, and calf brogans by the latter. All things being now ready, a terribly loud shriek came from the poor little fiddle, and the clattering of heels commenced, shaking the building to its very foundation. " On with the dance, let joy be 16 DESPERATE DANCING. unconfined," seemed to be the motto of all present j and from the start, there seemed to be a strife between the male and the female dancers, as to who shonld leap the highest and make the most noise. Desperate were the efforts of the musician, as he toiled away upon his instrument, keeping discord with his heels ; and every unusual wail of the fiddle was the forerunner of a profuse perspiration, which came rolling off of the fiddler's face to the floor. And then the joyous delirium of the musician was communicated to the dancers, and as the dance proceeded, their efforts became still more desperate ; the women wildly threw back their hair, and many of the men took off their coats, and rolled up their shirt-sleeves for the purpose of keeping cool. In spite of every effort, however, the faces of the dancers became quite red with the excitement, and the hall was filled with a kind of heated fog, in which the first u break-down" of the evening con- cluded. Then followed the refreshment scene. The men drank whisky and smoked cigars, while the women feasted upon mince-pies, drank small beer, and sucked molasses candy. Some of the smaller men, or boys, who were too lazy to dance, sneaked off into an out-of-the-way room for the purpose of MONOTONOUS TUNE. 47 pitching pennies ; while a few couples, who were victims to the tender passion, retired to some cozy nook, to bask unobserved in each other's smiles. But now the screeching fiddle is again heard above the murmur of talking and laughing voices, and another rush is made for the sanded floor. Another dance is there enjoyed, differing from the one already described only in its increased extrava- gance. After sawing away for a long time, as if for dear life, the musician is politely requested to play a new tune. Promptly does he assent to the propo- sition, but having started on a fresh key, he soon falls into the identical strain, which had kept him busy for the previous hour ; so that the philosophic listener is compelled to conclude that the fiddler either cannot play more than one tune, or that he has a particular passion for the monotonous and nameless one to which he so closely clings. And thus, with many indescribable variations does the ball continue throughout the entire night. I did not venture to trip the " light fantastic toe" on the occasion in question, but my enjoyment as a calm spectator was very amusing and decidedly original. Never before had I seen a greater amount of labour performed by men and women in the same time. I left this interesting assembly about mid- night, fully satisfied with what I had seen and 48 A STOLEN FEAST. heard ; but I was afterwards told that I missed more than "half the fun." When the music was loudest, so it appears, and the frenzy of the dance at its climax, a select party of Dutch gentlemen were suddenly seized with an appetite for some more substantial food than had yet been given them. They held a consultation on the important subject, and finally agreed to ransack the garret and cellar of their host for the purpose of satisfying their natural desires. In the former place they found a good supply of dried beef, and in the latter, a few^oaves of bread and a jar of rich cream, upon which they regaled themselves without favour, but with some fear. The giver of the Bee subsequently discovered what had been done, and though somewhat more than " three sheets in the wind" slyly sent for a pair of constables, who soon made their appearance, and arrested the thieving guests, who were held to bail in the sum of fifty dollars each. I was also informed that the dance was kept up until six o' clock in the morning, and that the appearance of my friend's establishment, and the condition of his guests at seven o' clock, was ridiculous in the extreme. A small proportion of the Bee-party only had succeeded in starting for home, so that the number who, from excess of drinking and undue fatigue had retired to repose, LIMITED ACCOMMODATION. 49 was not far from three score and ten. The sleeping accommodation of the host was limited, and the consequence was, that his guests had to shift for themselves, as they best could. The floors of every room in the house, including the pantries, were literally covered with men and women; some of them moaning with a severe head-ache, some breathing audibly in a deep sleep, and others snoring in the loudest and most approved style. By twelve o' clock, the interesting company had stolen off to their several homes, and the Corn- Planting Bee, among the Catskills, was at an end. 50 LAKE HORICOX. CHAPTER IV. Lake Horieon — Sketches of its scenery — Information for angl< — Sabbath-day Point— War memories— The Turret City— Death of a deer — Roger's Slide— Diamond Island — The snake-charmer — Snake stories — Night on the Iloricon. Lyman's Tavern. June. If circumstances alone could make one poetical, then might you expect from me on this occasion a paper of rare excellence and beauty. My sketch- book is my desk, my canopy from the sunshine an elm-tree, the carpet under my feet a rich green sprinkled with flowers, the music in my ear of singing birds, and the prospect before me, north, east, and south, the tranquil bosom of Lake George, with its islands and surrounding mountains, wh waters, directly at my side, are alive with many kinds of fish, sporting together on a bed of sand. Yes, the far-famed Lake George is my subject, LAKE HORICON. 51 but in what I write I shall not use that title ; for I do not like the idea of christening what belongs to us with the name of an English monarch, how- ever much his memory deserves to be respected. Shall it be Lake St. Sacrament, then ? No ! for that was given to it by the Pope and the French nation. Horicon — a musical and appropriate word, meaning pure water, and given it by the poor Indian — is the name which rightfully belongs to the lake which is now my theme. Lake Horicon is one of the few objects in nature which did not disappoint me after reading the descriptions of travellers. I verily believe, that in point of mere beauty, it has not its superior in the vorld. Its length is thirty-four miles, and its vidth from two to four. Its islands number about hree hundred, and vary from ten feet to a mile in length ; a great many of them are situated in the centre of the lake, at a place called the Narrows. It is completely surrounded with mountains, the most prominent of which are, Black Mountain, on the east of the Narrows, Tongue Mountain, direct- opposite, and French Mountain, at the southern extremity. The first is the most lofty, and remark- able for its wildness, and the superb prospect there- from ; the second is also wild and uninhabited, but distinguished for its dens of rattlesnakes ; and d 2 52 LAKE HORICOX. the latter is somewhat cultivated, but memorable for having been the camping-ground of the French during the Revolutionary war. The whole eastern border is yet a comparative wilderness ; but along the western shore are some respectable farms, and a good coach-road from Caldwell to Ticonderoga, which affords many admirable views of the sky-blue lake. There are three public-houses here which I can recommend : the Lake House, for those who are fond of company ; Lyman's Tavern, for the hunter of scenery and lover of quiet ; and Garfield's House, for the fisherman. A nice little steam-boat, commanded by a gentleman, passes through the Lake every morning and evening (excepting Sun- days), and though a convenient affair to the traveller, it is an eye-sore to the admirer of the wilderness. Identified with this boat is an eccentric man, named " Old Dick," who amuses the tourist, and collects an occasional shilling by exhibiting a number of rattlesnakes. AYhen, in addition to all these things, it is remembered that Horicon is the centre of a region made classic by the exploits of civilized and savage warfare, it can safely be pro- nounced one of the most interesting portions of our country for the summer tourist to visit. I have looked upon it from many a peak, whence might be LAKE HORICON. 53 seen almost every rood of its shore. I have sailed into every one of its bays ; and, like the pearl-diver, have repeatedly descended into its cold blue cham- bers ; so that I have learned to love it as a faithful and well-tried friend. Since the day of my arrival here, I have kept a journal of my adventures ; and, as a memorial of Horicon, I will extract therefrom and embody in this chapter the following passages. LAKE HORICON. Six pencil sketches have I executed upon the Lake to-day. One of them was a view of the distant mountains, whose various outlines were concentrated at one point, and whose colour was of that delicate dreamy blue, created by a sunlight atmosphere, with the sun directly in front. In the middle 54 LAKE HORICOX. distance was a flock of islands, with a sail boat in their midst, and in the foreground a cluster of rocks, surmounted by a single cedar, which seemed to be the sentinel of a fortress. Another was of the ruins of Fort George, with a background of dark green mountains, which was made quite desolate by a flock of sheep sleeping in one of its shady moats. Another was of a rowing race between two rival fishermen, at the time when they were only a dozen rods from the goal, and when every nerve of their aged frames was strained to the utmost. Another was of a neat log-cabin on a quiet lawn near the water, at whose threshold a couple of ragged but beautiful children were playing with a large dog, while from the chimney of the house ascended the blue smoke with a thousand fantastic evolutions. Another was of a huge pine tree, which towered conspicuously above its kindred on the mountain side, and seemed to me an appropriate symbol of Webster in the midst of a vast concourse of his fellow-men. And the last was of a thunder-storm, driven away from a mountain top by the mild radiance of a rainbow, which partly encircled Hori- con in a loving embrace. I have been fishing to-day, and, while enduring some poor sport, indited in my mind the following LAKE HORICON. 55 information, for the benefit of my piscatorial friends. The days of trout-fishing in Lake Horicon are nearly at an end. A few years ago it abounded in salmon-trout, which were frequently caught weigh- ing twenty pounds, but their average weight at the present is not more than one pound and a half, and they are scarce even at that. In taking them you first have to obtain a sufficient quantity of sapling bark to reach the bottom in sixty feet of water, to one end of which must be fastened a stone, and to the other a stick of wood, which designates your fishing ground, and is called a buoy. A variety of more common fish are then caught, such as suckers, perch, and eels, which are cut up and deposited, some half a peck at a time, in the vicinity of the buoy. In a few days, the trout will begin to assemble, and so long as you keep them well fed, a brace of them may be captured at any time during the summer. But the fact is, this is only another way for " paying too dear for the whistle." The best angling, after all, is for the common brook trout, which is a bolder biting fish, and better for the table than the salmon -trout. The cause of the great decrease in the large trout of this lake is this — in the autumn, when they have sought the shores for the purpose of spawning, the neighbouring bar- 56 TROUT FISHING. barians have been accustomed to spear them by torch-light ; and if the heartless business does not soon cease, the result will be, that in a few years they will be extinct. There are two other kinds of trout in the lake, however, which yet afford good sport — the silver-trout, caught in the summer, and the fall-trout. But the black -bass, upon the whole, is now mostly valued by the fisherman. They are in their prime in the summer months. They vary from one to five pounds in weight ; are taken by trolling and with a drop line, and afford line sport. Their haunts are along the rocky shores, and it is often the case that on a still day you may see them from your boat swimming about in herds, where the water is twenty feet deep. They have a queer fashion when hooked, of leaping out of the water for the purpose of getting clear, and it is seldom that a novice in the gentle art can keep them from succeeding. But alas, their numbers also are fast diminishing, by the same means and the same hands that have killed the trout. My advice to those who come here exclusively for the purpose of fishing is, to continue their journey to the sources of the Hudson, Schroon Lake, Long Lake, and Lake Pleasant, in whose several waters there seems to be no end to every variety of trout, and where SABBATH DAY POINT. 57 may be found much wild and beautiful scenery. The angler of the present day will be disappointed in Lake Horicon. When issuing from the Narrows on your way down the Horicon, the most attractive object, next to the mountains, is a strip of low sandy land extending into the lake, called Sabbath Day Point. It was so christened by Abercrombie, who encamped and spent the Sabbath there, when on his way to Ticonderoga, where he was so sadly defeated. I look upon it as one of the most enchanting places in the world ; but the pageant with which it is associated was not only enchanting, and beautiful, but magnificent. Only look upon the picture. It is the sunset hour, and before us, far up in the upper air, and companion of the evening star and a host of glowing clouds, rises the majestic form of Black Mountain, enveloped in a mantle of rosy atmosphere. The bosom of the Lake is without a ripple, and every cliff, ravine, and island, has its counterpart in the pure waters. A blast of martial music from drums, fifes, bagpipes, and bugle horns, now falls upon the ear, and the immense procession comes in sight ; one thousand and thirty-five battaux, containing an army of seventeen thousand souls, headed by the brave Abercrombie and the d 3 58 FORT WILLIAM HEXEY. red cross of England — the scarlet uniforms and glistening bayonets forming a line of light against the darker back-ground of the mountain. And behind a log in the foreground is a crouching Indian runner, who, with the speed of a hawk, will carry the tidings to the French nation that an army is coming, u numerous as the leaves upon the trees." Far from the strange scene fly the affrighted denizens of mountain and wave — while thousands of human hearts arc beating happily at the prospect of victory, whose bodies in a few hours will be food for the raven on the plains of Ticonderoga. A goodly portion of this day have I been musing upon the olden times, while rambling about Fort George, and Fort William Henry. Long and with peculiar interest did I linger about the spot near the latter, where were cruelly massacred the fol- lowers of Monroe, at which time Montcalm linked his name to the title of a heartless Frenchman, and the name of Webb became identified with all that is justly despised by the human heart. I pro! myself to be an enemy to wrong and outrage of every kind, and yet a lover and defender of the Indian race ; but when I picked up one after another the flinty heads of arrows, which were mementos of an awful butchery, my spirit revolted against REFLECTIONS. 59 the Red man, and for a moment I felt a desire to condemn him. Yes, I will condemn that particular band of murderers, but I cannot but defend the race. Cruel and treacherous they were, I will allow, but do we forget the treatment they ever met with from the white man? The most righteous of battles have ever been fought for the sake of sires and wives and children, and for what else did the poor Indian fight, when driven from the home of his youth into an unknown wilderness, to become there- after a by-word and a reproach among the nations ? " Indians," said we, " we would have your lands ; and if you will not be satisfied with the gewgaws we proffer, our powder and balls will teach you that power is but another name for right." And this is the principle that has guided the white man ever since in his warfare against the aborigines of our country. I cannot believe that we shall ever be a happy and prosperous people, until the King of Kings shall have forgiven us for having, with a yoke of tyranny, almost annihilated a hundred nations. A portion of this afternoon I whiled away on a little island, which attracted my attention bv its charming variety of foliage. It is not more than one hundred feet across at the widest part. 60 AN INSECT CITY. and is encircled by a yellow sand-bank, and shielded by a regiment of variegated rocks. But what could I find there to interest me, it may be inquired. My answer is this. That island, hidden in one of the bays of Horicon, is an Insect city, and more populous than was Rome in the daya of her glory. There the honey-bee has his oaken tower, the wasp and humble-bee their grassy n< the spider his den, the butterfly his hammock, the grasshopper his domain, the beetle and cricket and hornet their decayed stump, and the toiling ant her palace of sand. There they were bom, there they flourish and multiply, and there they die, symbolizing the career and destiny of man. I was a " distinguished stranger" in that city, and I must confess that it gratified my ambition to be welcomed with such manifestations of regard as the inhabitants thought proper to bestow. My approach was heralded by the song of a kinglv bee; and when I had thrown myself upon a mot bank, multitudes of people gathered round, and, with their eyes intently fixed upon me, stood still, and let " expressive silence muse my praise." To the " natives " I was emphatically a source of astonish- ment; and as I wished to gather instruction from the event, I wondered in my heart whether I should be a happier man if my prcst nee in a human city STAG HUNT. 61 should create a kindred excitement. At any rate, it would be a "great excitement on a small capital." While quietly eating my dinner this noon in the shady recess of an island near Black Mountain, I was startled by the yell of a pack of hounds coming down one of its ravines. I knew that the chase was after a deer, so I waited in breathless anxiety for his appearance. Five minutes had hardly elapsed before I discovered a noble buck at bay on the extreme summit of a bluff which extended into the lake. There were five dogs yelp- ing about him, but the " antlered monarch " fought them like a hero. His hoof was the most dan- gerous weapon^ he could wield, and it seemed to me that the earth actually trembled every tunc that he struck at his enemies. Presently, to my great joy, one of the hounds was killed, and another so disabled, that he retired from the contest. But the hunters made their appearance, and I knew that the scene would soon come to a tragic close. And when the buck beheld them, I could not but believe that over his face a "tablet of agonizing thoughts was traced," for he feel upon his knees, then made a sudden wheel, and with a frightful bound, as a ball passed through his heart, cleared 62 the rock and fell into the lake below. The water* closed over him; and methought that the waves of Horicon and the leaves of the forest murmured a requiem above the grave of the wilderness king. I turned away with a tear in my eye, and partly resolved that I would never again have a dog for my friend, or respect the character of a hunter; but then I looked into the crystal waters of the lake, and thought of the beam in my own eye, and stood eonvictcd of a kindred cruelty. One of the most singular precipices overlooking Horicon is about five miles from the outlet, and known as Rogers' Slide. It is some four hundred feet high, and at one point not a fissure or sprig can be discerned to mar the polished surface of the rock till it reaches the water. Once on a time, in the winter, the said Rogers was pursued by a band of Indians to this spot, where, after throwing down his knapsack, he carefully retraced the ^t< >p> of his snow-shoes for a short distance, and descend- ing the hill by a circuitous route, continued Ins course across the frozen lake. The Indians, on coming to the jumping-ofF-place, discovered their enemy on the icy plain; but when they saw the neglected knapsack below, and no signs of return- DIAMOND ISLAND. 63 ing footsteps where they stood, they thought the devil must be in the man, and gave up the pursuit. The most famous, and one of the most beautiful islands in this lake, is Diamond Island, so called, from the fact that it abounds in crystallized quartz. It is half a mile in length, but the last place in the world which would be thought of as the scene of a battle. It is memorable for the attack made by the Americans on the British, who had a gar- rison there during the Revolution. The American detachment was commanded by Colonel Brown, and being elated with his recent triumphs on Lake Champlain, he resolved to attack Diamond Island. The battle was bloody, and the British fought like brave men, "long and well;" the Americans were defeated, and this misfortune was followed by the sufferings of a most painful retreat over the almost impassable mountains between the Lake and what is now Whitehall. While wandering about the island, it was a difficult matter for me to realize, that it had ever resounded with the roar of cannon, the dismal wail of war, and the shout of victory. That spot is now covered with woods, whose shadowy groves are the abode of a thousand 64 A CHARACTER. birds, for ever singing a song of peace or love, i to condemn the ambition and cruelty of man. In the vicinity of French Mountain is an island celebrated as the burial place of a rattle-snake hunter, named Belden. From all that I can learn, he must have been a strange mortal indeed. His birth-place and early history were alike unknown. When he first made his appearance at this Lake. his only companions were a brotherhood of rattle- snakes, by exhibiting which he professed to have obtained his living; and it is said that, during flu; remainder of his life, he acquired a handsome sum of money by selling the oil and gall of his favourite reptile. And I have recently been told, that the present market-price of a fat snake, when dead, is not less than half a dollar. Another mode peculiar to old Belden for making money, was t<> suffer himself to be bitten, at some tavern, after which he would return to his cabin to apply the remedy, when he would come forth again just as good as new. But he was not always to be a solemn trirler. For a week had the old man been missing, and on a pleasant August morning, his body was found on the island alluded to, sadly mutilated and bloated, and it was certain that he had died actually sur- UNPLEASANT VISITORS. 65 rounded by rattlesnakes. His death-bed became his grave, and rattlesnakes were his only watchers, — and thus endeth the story of his life. But this reminds me of two little adventures. The other day, as I was seated near the edge of a sand bar, near the mouth of a brook, sketching a group of trees and the sunset clouds beyond, I was startled by an immense black snake, that landed at my side, and pursued its way directly under my legs, upon which my drawing-book was resting. Owing to my perfect silence, the creature had probably looked upon me as a mere stump. But what was my surprise, a few moments after, when reseated in the same place, to find another snake, and that a large spotted adder, passing along the same track the former had pur- sued. The first fright had almost disabled me from using the pencil, but when the second came, I gave a lusty yell, and forgetful of the fine arts, started for home on the keen run. At another time, when returning from a fishing excursion, in a boat, accompanied by a couple of "greenhorns," we discovered on the water, near Tongue Mountain, an immense rattlesnake, with his head turned towards us. As the oarsman in the bow of the boat struck at him with his oar, the snake coiled round it, and the fool was in the very 66 FEMALE SNAKE-HUNTERS. act of dropping the devilish thing in my lap at the stern of the boat. I had heard the creature rattle, and not knowing what I did, as he hung suspended over me, overboard I went, and did not look behind till I had reached the land. The consequence was, that for one while I was perfectly disgusted even with Lake Horicon, and resolved to leave it without delay. The snake was killed without doing any harm, however; but such a blowing up as I gave the man actually made his hair stand straight with fear. One more snake story and I'll conclude. On the north side of Black Mountain is a cluster of some half-dozen houses, in a vale, which spot is called the Bosom, but from what cause I do not know. The presiding geniuses of the place are a band of girls, weighing two hundred pounds a piece, who farm it with their fathers for a living, but whose prin- cipal amusement is rattlesnake hunting. Their favourite playground is the notorious cliff on Tongue Mountain, where they go with naked feet (rowing their own boats across the Lake), and pull out by their tails from the rocks the pretty playthings, and, snapping them to death, they lay them auay in a basket as trophies of their skill. I was told that in one day last year they killed the incredible number of eleven hundred. What delicious wives RETROSPECTION. 67 would these Horicon ladies make ! Since the Florida Indians have been driven from their country by bloodhounds, would it not be a good idea for Congress to secure the services of these amazons for the purpose of exterminating the rattlesnakes upon our mountains. This latter movement would be the most ridiculous ; but the inhumanity of the former is without a parallel. A clear and tranquil summer night, and I am alone on the pebbly beach of this paragon of Lakes. The countless hosts of heaven are beaming upon me with a silent joy, and more impressive and holy than a poet's dream are the surrounding moun- tains, as they stand reflected in the unruffled waters. Listen ! what sound is that, so like the wail of a spirit ? Only a loon, the lonely night-watcher of Horicon, whose melancholy moan, as it breaks the profound stillness, carries my fancy back to the olden Indian times, ere the white man had crossed the ocean. All these mountains and this beautiful Lake were then the heritage of a brave and noble - hearted people, who made war only upon the deni- zens of the forest, whose lives were peaceful as a dream, and whose manly forms, decorated with the plumes of the eagle, the feathers of the scarlet bird, and the robe of the bounding stag, tended but to 68 RETROSPECTION. make the scenery of the wilderness beautiful as an earthly Eden. Here was the quiet wigwam village, and there the secluded abode of the thoughtful chief. Here, unmolested, the Indian child played with the spotted fawn, and the " Indian lover wooed his dusky mate ;" here the Indian hunter, in the " sunset of his life," watched, with holy awe, the sunset in the west, and here the ancient Indian prophetess sung her uncouth but religious chant. Gone — all, all gone — and the desolate creature of the waves, now pealing forth another wail, seems the only memorial that they have left behind. There — my recent aspirations arc all quelled, I can walk no farther to-night ; there is sadness in my soul, and I must seek my home. It is such a blessed night, that it seems almost sinful that a blight should rest upon the spirit of man; yet on mine a gloom will sometimes fall, nor can I tell from whence the cloud that makes me wretched. SCAROON RIVER. 69 CHAPTER V. The Scaroon Country— Scaroon Lake— Pike Fishing by Torch- light — Trout Fishing — Lyndsey's Tavern — Paradox Lake. Lyndsey's Tavern. June. Emptying into the Hudson River, about fifteen miles north of Glen's Falls, is quite a large stream, sometimes called the East Branch of the Hudson, but generally known as Scaroon River.* Its extreme length is not far from fifty miles. It is a clear, cold, and rapid stream, winds through a mountainous country, and has rather a deep channel. The valley through which it runs is somewhat cultivated, but the mountains, which frown upon it on either side, are covered with dense forests. The valley of the Scaroon abounds in beautiful lakes and brooks ; and as I have explored them pretty thoroughly during * The word Schroon is bad English for the Indian word Scaroon, the meaning of which is — " Child of the Mountains." It was originally named by an Algonquin Chief, after a favourite daughter. • 70 SCAROOX LAKE. the past week, I will now record the result of my observations. The most prominent pictorial features of this region is Scaroon Lake, through which the river of that name forms a channel. It is ten miles in length, and averages about one in width. Excepting a little hamlet at its head, and two or three farms at the southern extremity, it is yet surrounded with a wilderness of mountains. The waters thereof are deep and clear, and well supplied with fish, of which the salmon-trout and pike are the most valuable. The trout are more abundant here than in Lake George, but owing to the prevailing cus- tom of spearing them in the autumn, they are rapidly becoming extinct. I made a desperate effort to capture one as a specimen, but without success, though I was told that they varied in weight from ten to fifteen pounds. My efforts, however, in taking pike were more encouraging. But, before giving my experience, I must mention an interesting fact in natural history. Previous to the year 1840, Scaroon Lake was not known to contain a single pike, but during that year, some half dozen males and females were brought from Lake Champlain and deposited therein, since which time they have multiplied so rapidly, as to be quite abundant, not only in Scaroon Lake, but in all the neighbouring waters. And as they are frequently taken, weighing PIKE FISHIXG. 71 some twenty pounds, the fact seems to be established that this fish grows rapidly, and is not of slow growth, as many naturalists have supposed. But to my pike story. A number of lumbermen were going out for the purpose of taking pike by torch-light, and I was fortunate enough to secure a seat in one of the three flat boats which contained the fishermen. It was a superb night, and the lake was without a ripple. Our torches were made of " fat pine," as it is here called ; and my polite friends taking it for granted that I was a novice in the spearing business, they cunningly awarded to me the dullest spear in their possession, and gave me the poorest position in the boat. I said nothing to all this, but inwardly resolved that I would give them a salutary lesson, if possible. I fished from nine until twelve o' clock, and then left my friends to continue the sport. The entire number of pike taken, as I found out in the morning, was thirteen ; and, as fortune would have it, four of this number were captured by myself, in spite of my poor spear. I did not take the largest fish, which weighed eighteen pounds, but the greatest number, with which success I was fully satisfied. The effect of my good luck upon my companions was unexpected, but gratifying to me ; for there was afterwards a strife between them, as to who should show me the 72 A MOONLIGHT SCENE. most attention in the way of piloting me about the country. This little adventure taught me the importance of understanding even the vagabond art of spearing. The event of that night, however, which afforded me the purest enjoyment, was the witnessing of a moonlight scene, immediately after leaving the Lake shore, for the inn where I was staying. Before me, in wild and solemn beauty, lay the southern portion of the Scaroon, on whose bosom were gliding the spearmen, holding high above their heads three huge torches, which threw a spectral glare, not only upon the water, but upon the swarthy forms which were watching for their prey. Just at this moment an immense cloud of fog broke away, and directly above the summit of the oppo- site mountain, the clear full moon made its appear- ance, and a thousand fantastic figures, born of the fog, were pictured in the sky, and appeared ex- tremely brilliant under the effulgence of the ruling planet ; while the zenith of sky was of a deep blue, cloudless, but compeltely spangled with stars. And what greatly added to the magic of the scene, was the dismal scream of a loon, which came to my ear from a remote portion of the Lake which was yet covered with a heavy fog. Rising from - the western margin of Scaroon Lake, TROUT BROOK. 73 is a lofty mountain, which was once painted by- Thomas Cole, and by him named Scaroon Moun- tain. There is nothing particularly imposing about it, but it commands an uncommonly fine prospect of the surrounding country. When I first came in sight of this mountain, it struck me as an old acquaintance, and I reined in my horse for the purpose of investigating its features. Before I resumed my course, I concluded that I was standing on the very spot whence the artist Cole had taken his original sketch of the scene, by which cir- cumstance I was convinced of the fidelity of his pencil. The largest island in Scaroon Lake lies near the northern extremity, and studs the water like an emerald on a field of blue. It was purchased some years ago by a gentleman of New York, named Ireland, who has built a summer residence upon it, for the accommodation of himself and friends. Emptying into the Scaroon river, just below the Lake, is a superb mountain stream, known as Trout Brook. It is thirty feet wide, twelve miles long, and comes rushing down the mountains, forming a thousand waterfalls and pools, and filling its narrow valley with a continual roar of music. E 74 STONE BRIDGE. Not only is it distinguished for the quality and number of its trout, but it possesses one attraction which will pay the tourist for the weary tramp he must undergo to explore its remote recesses. I allude to what the people about here call the " Stone Bridge." At this point, the wild and dashing stream has formed a channel directly through the solid mountains \ so that in fishing down, the angler suddenly finds himself standing upon a pile of dry stones. The extent of this natural bridge is not more than twenty, or perhaps thirty feet ; but the wonder is, that the unseen channel is sufficiently large to admit the passage of the largest logs, which the lumbermen float down the stream. I might also add, that at the foot of this bridge is one of the finest pools imaginable. It is, per- haps, one hundred feet long ; and so very deep, that the clear water appears quite black. Thi the finest spot in the whole brook for trout ; and my luck there may be described as follows : I had basketed no less than nine half-pounders, when my fly was suddenly seized, and my snell snapped in twain by the fierceness of his leaps. The conse- quence of that defeat was, that I resolved to capture the trout, if I had to remain there all night. I then ransacked the mountain-side for a living bait, TROUT FISHING. 75 and with the aid of my companion, succeeded in capturing a small mouse, and just as the twilight was coming on, I tied the little fellow to my hook, and threw him on the water. He swam out in fine style; but when he reached the centre of the pool, a large trout leaped completely out of his element, and in descending, seized the mouse. The result was, that I broke my rod, but caught the trout ; and though the mouse was seriously injured, I had the pleasure of again giving him his liberty. The largest trout that I killed weighed nearly a pound; and though he was the cause of my receiving a ducking, he afforded me some sport, and gave me a new idea. When I first hooked him, I stood on the very margin of the stream, knee deep in a bog ; and just as I was about to basket him, he gave a sudden leap, cleared himself, and fell into the water. Quick as thought, I made an effort to rescue him ; but in doing so, lost my balance, and was playing the part of a turtle in a tub of water. I then became poetical, and thought it " would never do to give it up so ;" and after waiting some fifteen minutes, I returned, and tried for the lost trout again. I threw my fly some twenty feet above the place where I had tumbled in, and recaptured the identical trout which I had lost. e2 ^n 76 SPORTING FRIENDS. I recognized him by his having a torn and bleeding mouth. This circumstance convinced me that trout, like many of the sons of men, have short memories, and also that the individual in question was a perfect Richelieu or General Taylor in his way, for he seemed to know no such word as fail. As to the trout that I did not capture, I verily believe that he must have weighed two pounds ; but as he was probably a superstitious gentleman, he thought it the better part of valour, somewhat like Santa Anna, to treat the steel of his enemy with contempt. The brook of which I have been speaking, is only twenty-five miles from Lake Horicon, and unques- tionably one of the best streams for the angler in the Scaroon Valley. The Trout Brook Pavilion, at the mouth of it, kept by one Lockwood, is a com- fortable inn ; and his right-hand man, named Kipp, is a very fine fellow, and a perfect angler. Speaking of the above friends, reminds me of another, a fine man, named Lyndsey, who ke< i>v a tavern, about ten miles north of Scaroon Lake. His dwelling is delightfully situated in the centre of a deep valley, and is a nice and convenient place to stop at for those who are fond of fishing, and admire romantic scenery. His family, including A CHALLENGE. 77 his wife, two daughters and one son, not only know how to make their friends comfortable, hut they seem to have a passion for doing kind deeds. During my stay at this place, I had the pleasure of witnessing a most interesting game, which seems to be peculiar to this part of the country. It was played with the common ball, and by one hundred sturdy farmers. Previous to the time alluded to, fifty Scaroon players had challenged an equal num- ber of players from a neighbouring village, named Moriah. The conditions were, that the defeated party should pay for a dinner, to be given by my friend Lyndsey. They commenced playing at nine o'clock, and the game was ended in about three hours, the Scaroon party having won by about ten counts in five hundred. The majority of the players varied from thirty to thirty-five years of age, though some of the most expert of them were verging upon sixty years. They played with the impetuosity of school-boys; and there were some admirable feats performed in the way of knocking and catching the ball. Some of the men could number their acres by thousands, and all of them were accustomed to severe labour, and yet they thought it absolutely necessary to participate occasionally in this manly 78 LAKE PARADOX. and fatiguing sport. The dinner passed off in fine style, and was spiced by many agricultural anec- dotes; and as the sun was setting, the parties separated in the best of spirits, and returned to their several homes. For fear that I should forget my duty, I would now introduce to my reader, a sheet of water embosomed among these mountains, which glories in the name of Lake Paradox. How it came by that queer title, I was not able to learn ; but this I know, that it is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It is five miles long, and sur- rounded with uncultivated mountains, excepting at its foot, where opens a beautiful plain, highly culti- vated, and dotted with a variety of rude but exceedingly comfortable farm-houses. The shores of Lake Paradox are rocky, the water deep and clear, abounding in fish, and the lines of the mountains are picturesque to an uncommon degree. But it is time that I should turn from particulars to a general description of the Scaroon County. Though this is an agricultural region, the two principal articles of export are lumber and iron. Of the former, the principal varieties are pine, hemlock, and spruce; and the two establishments SCAROON COUNTY. 79 for the manufacture of iron are abundantly supplied with ore from the surrounding mountains. Potatoes of the finest quality nourish here, also wheat and corn. The people are mostly Americans, intelli- gent, virtuous and industrious, and are as comfort- able and happy as any in the State. 80 ADIROXDAC MOUNTAINS. CHAPTER VI. The Adirorwlae Mountains — Trout Fishing in the Boreas River — A night in the woods — Moose Lake — Lake Delia — Mount Taha- was — Lakes Sanford and Henderson — The Mclntyrc Iron Works. John Cheney's Cabin. June. The Adirondac Mountains are situated on the extreme head waters of the Hudson, in the Counties of Essex and Hamilton, and about forty miles west of Lake Champlain. They vary from five hundred to live thousand feet in height, and with few excep- tions are covered with dense forests. They lord it over the most extensive wilderness region in the Empire State ; and as I have recently performed a pilgrimage among them, I now purpose to give an account of what I saw and heard during my expe- dition. The tourist, who visits these mountains, finds it NOVEL COMPANIONS. 81 necessary to leave the mail road near Lyndsey's Tavern on the Scaroon. If fortune smiles upon him, he will be able to hire a horse to take him in the interior, or perhaps obtain a seat in a lumber wagon ; but if not, he must try the mettle of his legs. With regard to my own case, fortune was non-committal ; for, while she compelled me to go on foot, she supplied me with a pair of temporary companions, who were going into the interior to see their friends, and have a few days' sport in the way of fishing and hunting. One of my friends, (both of whom were young men), was a farmer, who carried a rifle, and the other a travelling country musician, who carried a fiddle. Our first day's tramp took us about fifteen miles, through a hilly, thickly wooded, and house- less wilderness, to the Boreas River, where we found a ruined log shantee, in which we determined to spend the night. We reached this lonely spot at three o'clock in the afternoon ; and having pre- viously been told that the Boreas was famous for trout, two of us started after a mess of fish, while the fiddler was appointed to the office of wood chop- per to the expedition. The Boreas at this point is about one hundred feet broad, winds through a woody valley, and is cold, rapid and clear. The entire river does not e3 82 A WILDERNESS SUPPER. differ materially, as I understand from the point alluded to, for it waters an unknown wilderness. I bribed my farmer friend to ascend the river, and having pocketed a variety of flies, I started down the stream. I proceeded near half a mile, when I came to a still-water pool, which seemed to be extensive and very deep. At the head of it, midway in the stream, was an immense boulder, which I succeeded in surmounting, and whence I threw a red hackle for upwards of three hours. I never saw trout jump more beautifully, and it was my rare luck to basket thirty-four, twenty-one of which averaged three quarters of a pound, and the remain- ing thirteen were regular two pounders. Satisfied with my luck, I returned to the shantee, where T found my companions, one of them sitting before a blazing fire and fiddling, and the other busily em- ployed in cleaning the trout he had taken. In due time followed the principal event of the day, which consisted in cooking and eating a wilder- ness supper. We had brought a supply of pork and bread, and each one having prepared for himself a pair of wooden forks, we proceeded to roast our trout and pork before a huge fire, using the drip- pings of the latter for seasoning, and a leather cup of water for our beverage. We spent the two follow r - ing hours in smoking and telling stories ; and having A NIGHT HUNT. 83 made a bed of spruce boughs, and repaired the rickety partition which divided one end of the cabin from the other end, which was all open, we retired to repose. We had no blankets with us, and an agreement was, therefore, entered into that we should take turns in replenishing the fire, during the night. An awfully dark cloud settled upon the wilderness, and by the music of the wind among the hemlock trees we were soon lulled into a deep slumber. A short time after midnight, while dreaming of a certain pair of eyes in the upper part of Broadway, I was awakened by a footstep on the outside of the cabin. I brushed open my eyes, but could see nothing but the faint glimmer of an expiring ember on the hearth. I held my breath and listened for the mysterious footsteps ; I heard it not, but some- thing a little more exciting, — the scratching of a huge paw upon our slender door. In an exceed- ingly short time I roused my bed-fellows, and told them what I had heard. They thought it must be a wolf, and as we were afraid to frighten him away, yet anxious to take his hide, it was resolved that I should hold a match, and the farmer should fire his rifle in the direction of the mysterious noise, which operation was duly performed. A large pine 84 WILD MELODY. torch was then lighted, the rifle reloaded, and tht heroes of the adventure marched into the outer hall of the cabin, where we found a few drops of blood, and the muddy tracks of what we supposed to be a wild cat. The rifleman and myself then commis- sioned the fiddler to make a fire, when we again threw ourselves upon the hemlock couch. The fiddler attended faithfully to his duty, and in less than twenty minutes he had kindled a tre- mendous blaze. The brilliant and laughing flaino had such an exhilarating influence upon his ner that he seized his instrument and commenced playing, partly for the purpose of keeping off the wild animals, but mostly for his own amusement. Then laying aside his fiddle, he began to sinir a variety of uncouth as well as plaintive songs, one < 4 which was vague but mournful in sentiment, and more wild in melody, as I thought at the time, than anything I had ever before heard. I could not find out by whom it was written, or what was its exact import, but in the lonely place where we « sleeping, and at that hour, it made a very deep impression on my mind. The burthen of the song was as follows, and was in keeping with the picture which the minstrel, the fire-light, and the rude cabin presented. MOURNFUL SONG. 85 " We parted in silence, we parted at night, On the hanks of that lonely river ; Where the shadowy trees their boughs unite We met, and we parted for ever ; — The night bird sang, and the stars above Told many a touching story, Of friends long passed to the mansions of rest, Where the soul wears her mantle of glory. " We parted in silence, our cheeks were wet By the tears that were past controlling ; — We vowed we would never, no never forget, And those vows at the time were consoling ; — But the lips that echoed my vows Are as cold as that lonely river, The sparkling eye, the spirit's shrine Has shrouded its fire for ever. " And now on the midnight sky I look, My eyes grow full with weeping, — Each star to me is a sealed book Some tale of that loved one keeping. We parted in silence, we parted in tears On the banks of that lonely river, But the odour and bloom of by-gone years Shall hang o'er its waters for ever." But sleep, the " dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health" soon folded the singer and his listeners in her embrace, and with the rising sun we entered upon the labours of another day. While the fiddler prepared our breakfast, (out of the few trout which certain beastly robbers had not stolen during the night), the rifleman went out and 86 MOOSE LAKE. killed a large hare, and I took a sketch of the cabin where we had lodged. After breakfast we shouldered our knapsacks and started for the Hudson. We struck this noble river at the embryo city of Tahawas where we found a log house and an unfinished saw-mill. Here we also discovered a canoe which we boarded, and navigated the stream to Lake Sanford. This portion of the Hudson is not more than one hundred feet broad, but quite deep and picturesque. On leaving our canoe we made our way up a mountain road, and after walking about four miles, came out upon an elevated clearing of some two hundred acres, in the centre of which was a solitary log cabin with a reti- nue of out-houses, — and this was the famous Ncw- comb Farm. The attractions of this spot arc manifold, for it lies in the vicinity of Moose Lake and Lake Delia, and commands the finest distant prospect of the Adirondac Mountains, which has yet been dis- covered. Moose Lake lies at the west of the Farm, and about six miles distant. It is embosomed among mountains, and the fountain head of the Cold River, which empties into the St. Lawrence. In form it is so nearly round, that its entire shore may be seen at one view \ the bottom is covered with STEUBEN HEWITT. 87 white sand, and the water is perfectly cold and clear. Considering its size, it is said to contain more trout than any lake in this wilderness ; and it is also celebrated as a watering-place for deer and moose. In fishing from the shore, one of our party caught no less than forty pounds of trout in about two hours. There were two varieties, and they varied from one to three pounds in weight. Our guide to this lake, where we encamped for one night, was Steuben Hewitt, the keeper of the Newcomb Farm, who is a hunter. This woodsman got the notion into his head, that he must have a venison steak for his banquet. We had already seen some half dozen deer walking along the opposite margin of the lake, but Steuben told us that he would wait until after dark to cap- ture his game. He also told us that the deer were in the habit of visiting the wilder lakes of this region at night, for the purpose of escaping the tormenting flies ; and as he spoke so confidently of what he intended to accomplish, we awaited his effort with a degree of anxiety. Soon as the quiet night had fairly set in, he shipped himself on board a wooden canoe (a rickety affair, originally bequeathed to this lake by some departed Indian,) in the bow of which was a fire- jack or torch-holder. Separating this machine 88 LAKE DELIA. from himself, as lie sat in the centre of the canoe, was a kind of screen made of bark, which was suffi- ciently elevated to allow him to fire his gun from underneath; and in this manner, with a loaded rifle by his side, did he paddle into the lake. After floating upon the water for one hour, in perfect silence, he finally heard a splashing near the shore, and immediately lighting his torch, he noiselessly proceeded in the direction of the sound, where he discovered a beautiful deer standing knee-deep in the water, and looking at him in stupificd wonder. The poor creature could see nothing before it but the mysterious light, and while standing in the most interesting attitude imaginable, the hunter raised his rifle and shot it through the heart. In half an hour from that time the carcass of the deer was hanging from a dry limb near our camp fire, and I was lecturing the hard-hearted hunter on the cruelty of thus capturing the innocent creatures of the forest. To all my remarks, however, he replied, " They were given to us for food, and it matters not how we kill them." Lake Delia, through which you have to pass in going to Moose Lake, lies about two miles west of the Newcomb Farm. It is four miles long, and less than one mile in width, and completely sur- rounded with wood-crowned hills. Near the central OTTER SHOOTING. 89 portion this lake is quite narrow, and so shallow that a rude bridge has been thrown across for the accommodation of the farm people. The water under this bridge is only about four feet deep, and this was the only spot in the lake where I followed my favorite recreation. I visited it on one occasion with my companions, late in the afternoon, when the wind was blowing, and we enjoyed rare sport in angling for salmon-trout, as well as a large species of the common trout. I do not know the number that we took, but I well remember that we had more than we could conveniently carry. Usually, the salmon-trout are only taken in deep water, but in this and Moose Lake, they seem to be as much at home in shallow as in deep water. On one occasion I visited Lake Delia alone, at an early hour of the morning. It so happened, that I took a rifle along with me, and while quietly throwing my fly on the old bridge, I had an oppor- tunity of using the gun to some purpose. My movements in that lonely place were so exceedingly still, that even the wild animals were not disturbed by my presence; for while I stood there, a large fat otter made his appearance, and when he came within shooting distance, I gave him the contents of my gun, and he disappeared. I related the adventure to my companions on my return to the 90 XEWCOMB FARM. Farm, but they pronounced it a " fish story." I finally vindicated my veracity, however, for, on the following day, they discovered a dead otter on the lake shore, and concluded that I had told the truth. I must not conclude this chapter without giving my reader an additional paragraph about the New- comb Farm. My friend Steuben Hewitt's nearest neighbour is eight miles off, and as his family is small, you may suppose that he leads a retired life. One of the days that I spent at his house, was an eventful one with him, for a town election was held there. The electors met at nine o'clock, and the poll closed at five; and as the number of \ polled was seven, it may well be supposed that the excitement was intense. But, with all its loneliness, the Newcomb Farm is well worth visiting, if for no other purpose than to witness the panorama of mountains which it commands. On every side but one, they may be seen fading away to mingle their deep blue with the lighter hue of the sky ; but chief among them all is old Tahawas, king of the Adirondacs. The country out of which this mountain rises is an imposing Alpine wilderness ; and as it has long since been abandoned by the red man, the solitude of its deep valleys and lonely lakes, for the most RIDICULOUS CHANGE. 91 part, is now more impressive than that of the far-off Rocky Mountains. The meaning of the Indian word Tahawas, is Sky Piercer, or Sky Splitter, and faithfully describes the appearance of the mountain. Its actual elevation, above the level of the sea, is five thousand four hundred and sixty-seven feet, while that of Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, is only six thou- sand two hundred and thirty -four; making a dif- ference of only seven hundred and sixty-seven feet in favour of Washington. Though Tahawas is not so lofty as its New England brother, yet its form is by far the most picturesque and imposing. Taken together, they are the highest pair of mountains in the United States. Before going one step farther, I must allude to what I deem the folly of a certain state geologist, in attempting to name the prominent peaks of the Adirondac Mountains after a brotherhood of living men. If he is to have his way in this matter, the beautiful name of Tahawas will be superseded by that of Marcy, and several of Tahawas' peers are hereafter to be known as Mounts Seward, Wright, and Young. Now if this business is not supremely ridiculous, I must confess that I do not know the meaning of that word. A pretty idea, indeed, to scatter to the winds the ancient poetry of the poor 92 OLD TAHAWAS. Indian, and perpetuate in its place the names of living politicians. For my part, I agree most decidedly with the older inhabitants of the Adiron- dac wilderness, who look with perfect indifference upon the attempted usurpation of the geologist already mentioned. For nine months in the year, old Tahawas is covered with a crown of snow, but there are spots among its fastnesses where you may gather ice and snow, even in the dog-days. The base of thia mountain is covered with a luxuriant forest of pine, spruce and hemlock, while the summit is clothed in a net-work of creeping trees, and almost entirely destitute of the green which should characterize them. In ascending its sides, when near the summit, you are impressed with the idea that your pathway may be smooth ; but as you proceed, you are constantly annoyed by pit-falls, into which your legs are foolishly poking themselves, to the great annoyance of your back-bone, and other portions of your body, which are naturally straight. I ascended Tahawas, as a matter of course, and in making the trip I travelled some twenty miles, on foot and through the pathless woods, employing for the same the better part of two days. My com- panion on this expedition was John Cheney (of whom I have something to write hereafter), and as PERSEVERING TRAVELLERS. 93 he did not consider it prudent to spend the night on the summit, we only spent about one hour gazing upon the panorama from the top, and then descended about half way down the mountain, where we built our watch-fire. The view from Tahawas is rather unique. It looks down upon what appears to be an uninhabited wilderness, with mountains fading to the sky in every direction, and where, on a clear day, you may count no less than twenty-four lakes, including Champlain, Horicon, Long Lake, and Lake Pleasant. While trying to go to sleep on the night in ques- tion, as I lay by the side of my friend Cheney, he gave me an account of the manner in which certain distinguished gentlemen had ascended Mount Taha- was, for it must be known that he officiates as the guide of all travellers in this wild region. Among those to whom he alluded, were Ingham and Cole, the artists, and Hoffman and Headley, the travel- lers. He told me that Mr. Ingham fainted a number of times in making the ascent, but became so excited with all that he saw, he determined to persevere, and finally succeeded in accomplishing the difficult task. Mr. Hoffman, he said, in spite of his lameness, would not be persuaded by words that he could not reach the summit ; and when he finally discovered that the task was utterly beyond 94 A STORM. his accomplishment, his disappointment seemed to have no bounds. The night that I spent on Tahawas was not dis- tinguished by any event more remarkable than a regular rain-storm. Our canopy was composed of hemlock branches, and our only covering was a blanket. The storm did not set in until about mid- night, and my first intimation of its approach was the falling of rain-drops directly into my car, as I snugged up to my bed-fellow, for the purpose of keeping warm. Desperate indeed were the efforts I made to forget my condition in sleep, as the rain fell more abundantly, and drenched mi . well as my companion, to the very skin. The thunder bellowed as if in the enjoyment of a very happy frolic, and the lightning seemed determined to root up a few trees in our immediate vicinity, as if for the purpose of giving us more room. Finally Cheney rose from his pillow (which was a log of wood), and proposed that we should quaff a little brandy, to keep us from catching cold, which we did, and then made another attempt to reach the land of Nod. * * * * At the break of day, we were awakened from a short but refreshing sleep by the singing of birds ; and when the cheerful sunlight had reached THE PASS. 95 the bottom of the ravines, we were enjoy- ing a comfortable breakfast in the cabin of my friend. The principal attractions, associated with Tahawas are the Indian Pass, the Adirondac Lakes, the Adirondac Iron Works, and the mighty hunter of the Adirondacs, John Cheney. The Pass, so called, is only an old-fashioned notch between the moun- tains. On one side is a perpendicular precipice, rising to the height of eleven hundred feet ; and, on the other, a wood-covered mountain, ascending far up into the sky, at an angle of forty-five degrees. Through this Pass flows a tiny rivulet, over which the rocks are so thickly piled, as fre- quently to form pitfalls, that measure from ten to thirty feet in depth. Some of these holes are never destitute of ice, and are cool and comfortable even at midsummer. The Pass is nearly half a mile in length, and, at one point, certain immense boulders have come together and formed a cavern, which is called the " meeting house," and is, per- haps, capable of containing a thousand people. The rock on either side of the Pass, is a grey granite, and its only inhabitants are eagles, which are very abundant, and occupy the most conspicuous crag in the notch. 96 EXTENSIVE IRON WORKS. The two principal lakes which gem the Aclirondac wilderness are named Sanford and Henderson, after the two gentlemen who first purchased land upon their borders. The former is five miles in length, and the latter somewhat less than three, both of them varying in width from half a mile to a mile and a half. The mountains which swoop down to their bosoms are covered with forest, and abound in a great variety of large game. There is not, to my knowledge, a single habitation on cither of the lakes, and the only smoke ever seen to ascend from their lonely recesses, comes from the wateh-firc of the hunter, or the encampment of surveyors and tourists. The water of these lakes is cold and deep, and moderately supplied with salmon trout. Lake Henderson is admirably situated for the exciting sport of deer-hunting, and though it con- tains two or three canoes, cannot be entered from the West Branch of the Hudson without making a portage. Through Lake Sanford, however, the Hudson takes a direct course, and there is nothing to impede the passage of a small boat to within a mile of the Iron Works, which arc situated in a valley between the two lakes. The fact is, during the summer, there is an extensive ON LAKE SANFORD. 97 business done on Lake Sanford, in the way of " bringing in " merchandize, and " carrying out " the produce of the Forge. It was my misfor- tune to make the inward passage of the Lake in company with two ignorant Irishmen. Their boat was small, heavily laden, very old and leaky. This was my only chance, and on taking my seat with a palpitating heart, I made an express bargain with the men that they should keep along the shore on their way up. They assented to my wishes, but immediately pulled for the very centre of the lake. I remonstrated, but they told me there was no danger. The boat was now rapidly filling with water, and though one was bailing with all his might, the rascals were determined not to accede to my wishes. The con- clusion of the matter was, that our shallop became water-logged ; and on finally going ashore, the mer- chandize was greatly damaged, and I was just about as wet. as I was angry at the miserable creatures, whose obstinacy had not only greatly injured their employers, but also endangered my own plunder as well as my life. The Iron Works alluded to above are located in a narrow valley, and in the immediate vicinity of Lake Henderson at a place called Mclntyre. 98 IRON MANUFACTORY Sometime in the year 1830, a couple of Scotch gentlemen, named Henderson and Mclntyre, pur- chased a large tract of wild land lying in this portion of New York. In the summer following, they passed through this wilderness on an exploring expedition, and, with the assistance of their Indian guide, discovered that the bed of the valley in ques- tion was literally blocked up with iron ore. On making farther investigations, they found that the whole rocky region about them was composed of valuable mineral, and they subsequently established a regular built Iron Establishment, which has been in operation ever since. A gentleman named Robinson afterwards purchased an interest in the concern, and it is now carried on by him and Mr. Mclntyre, though the principal stock-holders are the wife and son of Mr. Henderson, de- ceased. The metal manufactured by this company is of the very best quality of bar-iron ; and an establish- ment is now in progress of erection at Tahawas, twelve miles down the river, where a party of Eng- lish gentlemen intend to manufacture every variety of steel. The Iron Works give employment to about one hundred and fifty men, whose wages vary from one dollar to four dollars 'per day. The society of AT TAHAWAS. 99 the place, you may well imagine, is decidedly original ; but the prominent individual, and only remarkable man who resides here, is John Cheney, the mighty hunter of the Adirondacs. For an account of this man, the reader will please look into the following chapter. 100 JOHN CHENEY. CHAPTER VII. John Cheney, Die Adirondac hunter, and some of his exploits. John Cheney's Cahin. June. John Cheney was born in New Hampshire, but spent bis boyhood on the shores of Lake Champlain, and has resided in the Adirondac wilderness about thirteen years. He has a wife and one child, and lives in a comfortable cabin in the wild village of Mclntyre. His profession is that of a hunter, and he is in the habit of spending about one half of his time in the woods. He is a remarkably amiable and intelligent man, and as unlike the idea I had formed of him, as possible. I expected, from all that I had heard, to see a huge, powerful and hairy Nimrod ; but instead of such, I found him small in stature, and bearing more the appearance of a modest and thoughtful student. The walls of his cosy little house, containing one JOHN CHENEY. 101 principal room, are ornamented with a large printed sheet of the Declaration of Independence, and two engraved portraits of Washington and Jackson. Of guns and pistols he has an abundant supply, and also a good stock of all the conveniences for camping among the mountains. He keeps one cow, which supplies his family with all the milk they need ; but his favourite animals are a couple of hunting dogs named Buck and Tiger. As summer is not the time to accomplish much in the way of hunting, my adventures with John Cheney have not been distinguished by any stirring events ; we have, however, enjoyed some rare sport in the way of fishing, and obtained many glorious views from the mountain peaks of this region. But the conversation of this famous Nimrod has inte- rested me exceedingly, and wherever we might be, under his own roof, or by the side of our mountain watch-fires, I have kept him busy in recounting his former adventures. I copied into my note-book nearly everything he said, and now present my readers with a few extracts relating to his hunting exploits. I shall use his own words as nearly as I can remember them. SfC 3|C «fC 3JC " I was always fond of hunting, and the first animal I killed was a fox ; I was then ten years of age. 102 EXTRACTS FROM Even from childhood I was so in love with the woods that I not only neglected school bnt was constantly borrowing a gun, or stealing the one belonging to my father, with which to follow my favourite amuse- ment. He finally found it a useless business to make a decent boy of me, and in a fit of desperation he one day presented me with a common fowling piece. I was the youngest of thirteen children, and was always called the black sheep of the family. I have always enjoyed good health, and am forty-seven years of age ; but I have now passed my prime, and don't care about exposing myself to any useless dangers. * * * * " You ask me if I ever hunt on Sunday : no, Sir, I do not; I have always been able to kill enough on week days to give me a comfortable living. Since I came to live among the Adirondacs, I have killed six hundred deer, four hundred sable, nineteen moose, twenty-eight bears, six wolves, seven wild cats, thirty otter, one panther and one beaver. * * * * " As to that beaver, I was speaking about, it took me three years to capture him, for he was an old fellow, and remarkably cunning. He was the last, from all that I can learn, that was ever taken in the State. One of the Long Lake Indians often MY NOTE-BOOK. 103 attempted to trap him, but without success; he usually found his trap sprung, but could never get a morsel of the beaver's tail ; and so it was with me, too ; but I finally fixed a trap under the water, near the entrance to his dam, and it so happened that he one day stepped into it and was drowned. * * * * " I was going to tell you something about my dogs — Buck and Tiger. I've raised some fifty of this animal in my day, but I never owned such a tormented smart one as that fellow Buck. I believe there's a good deal of the English mastiff in him ; but a keener eye than he carries in his head I never saw. Only look at that breast of his, did you ever see a thicker or more solid one ? He's handsomely spotted, as you may see ; but some of the devilish Lake Pleasant Indians cut off his ears and tail about a year ago, and he now looks rather odd. You may not believe it, but I have seen a good many men, who were not half as sensible as that very dog. Whenever the fellow's hungry, he always seats him- self at my feet and gives three short barks, which is his way of telling me that he would like some bread and meat. If the folks happen to be away from home, and he feels a little sharp, he pays a regular visit to all the houses in the village, and after playing with the children, barks for a dry 104 EXTRACTS FROM crust, which he always receives, and then comes back to his own home. He's a great favourite among the children, and Pve witnessed more than one fight among the boys, because some wicked little scamp had thrown a stone at him. When I speak to him, he understands me just as well as you do. I can wake him out of a sound sleep, and by my saying, 'Buck, go up and kiss the baby/ he will march directly to the cradle and lick the baby's face. And the way he watches that baby, when it's asleep, is perfectly curious; he'd tear you to pieces in three minutes, if you were to try to take it aw " Buck is now four years old, and though lie's helped me to kill several hundred deer, he never lost one for me yet. Whenever 1 go a-huntmg, and don't want him along, I have only to say, 'Buck, you must not go/ and he remains quiet. There's no use in chaining him, I tell you, for he understands his business. This dog never starts after a deer until I tell him to go, even if the deer is in sight. Why, 'twas only the other day that Tiger brought in a doe to Lake Golden, where the two had a desperate fight within a hundred yards of the spot where Buck and myself were seated. I wanted to try the metal of Tiger, and told Buck he must not stir, though I went up to MY NOTE-BOOK. 105 the deer to see what the result would be between the fighters. Buck didn't move out of his tracks ; but the way he howled for a little taste of blood was perfectly awful. I almost thought the fellow would die in his agony. Buck is of great use to me when I am off hunting, in more ways than one. If I happen to be lost in a snow-storm, which is sometimes the case, I only have to tell him to go home, and if I follow his track I am sure to come out in safety ; and when sleeping in the woods at night, I never have any other pillow than Buck's body. " As to my black dog Tiger, he isn't quite two years old yet, but he's going to make a great hunter. I am trying hard, now-a-days, to break him of a very foolish habit of killing porcupines. Not only does he attack every one he sees, but he goes out to hunt them, and often comes home, all covered with their quills. It was only the other day, that he came home with about twenty quills working their way into his snout. It so happened, however, that they did not kill him, because he let me pull them all out with a pair of pincers, and that, too, without budging an inch. About the story people tell, that the porcupine throws its quills, I can tell you it's no such thing ; it's only f 3 106 EXTRACTS FROM when the quills touch the dog, that they come out and work their way through his body." 5Jn ?JC ?Js J|* " As to deer hunting, I can tell you more stories in that line than you'd care about hearing. They have several ways of killing 'em in this quarter, and some of these ways are so infernal mean, I'm surprised that there should be any deer left in the country. In the first place, there's the ' still hunting' fashion, where you lay in ambush near a salt lick and shoot the poor creatures, when they're not thinking of you. And there's the "beastly manner of blinding them with a c torch Light ' when they come into the lakes to cool themselves, and get away from the Hies, during the warm nights of summer. Now I say, that no decent man will take this advantage of wild game, unless he is in a starving condition. The only manly way to kill deer is by ( driving' them, as I do, with a couple of hounds. " There isn't a creature in this whole wilderness that I think so much of as the deer. They are so beautiful, with their bright eyes, graceful necks, and sinewy legs. And they are so swift, and make such splendid leaps when hard pressed ; why, I've seen a buck jump from a cliff that was forty MY NOTE-BOOK. 107 feet high, and that, too, without injuring a hair. I wish I could get my living without killing this beautiful animal ! but I must live, and I s appose they were made to die. The ciy of the deer, when in the agonies of death, is the awfullest sound I ever heard ; Fd a good deal rather hear the scream of the panther, provided I have a ball in my pistol, and the pistol is in my hand. I wish they would never speak so. " The time for taking deer is in the fall and winter. It's a curious fact, that when a deer is at all frightened, he cannot stand upon smooth ice, while, at the same time, when not afraid of being caught, he will not only walk, but actually trot across a lake, as smooth as glass. It's a glorious sight to see them running down the mountains, with the dogs howling behind; but I don't think I ever saw a more beautiful race than I once did on Lake Henderson, between a buck deer, and my dog Buck, when the lake was covered with a light fall of snow. I had put Buck upon a fresh track, and was waiting for him on the lake shore ; presently, a splendid deer bounded out of the woods upon the ice, and as the dog was only a few paces off, he led the race directly across the lake. Away they ran, as if a hurricane was after them, crossed the lake, then back again, they then 108 EXTRACTS PROM made another wheel, and having run to the extreme southern point of the Lake, again returned, when the deer's wind gave out, and the dog caught and threw the creature, into whose throat I soon plunged my knife, and the race was ended. " I never was so badly hurt in hunting any animal as I have been in hunting deer. It was while chasing a buck on Cheney's Lake, (which was named after me, by Mr. Henderson, in com- memoration of my escape), that I once shot myself in a very bad way. I was in a canoe, and had laid my pistol down by my side, when, as I WW pressing hard upon the animal, my pistol slipped under me in some queer way, and went off, sending a ball into my leg just above the ankle, which came out just below the knee. I knew some- thing terrible had happened, and though I thought that I might die, I was determined that the deer should die first ; and I did succeed in killing him before he reached the shore. But soon as the excitement was over, the pain I had felt before was increased a thousand fold, and I felt as if all the devils in h — 11 were dragging at my leg, the weight and the agony were so great. I had never suffered so before, and I thought it strange. You may not believe it, but when that accident happened I was fourteen miles from home, and MY NOTE-BOOK. 109 yet, even with that used-up leg, I succeeded in reaching my home, where I was confined to my bed from October until April. That was a great winter for hunting which I missed, but my leg got entirely well, and is now as good as ever. *P " The most savage animal that I hunt for among these mountains is the moose, or caraboo, as Fve heard some people call them. They're quite plenty in the region of Long Lake and Lake Pleasant; and if the hunter don't understand their ways, he'll be likely to get killed before he thinks of his danger. The moose is the largest animal of the deer kind, or, in fact, of any kind that we find in this part of the country. His horns are very large, and usually look like a pair of crab-apple trees. He has a long head, long legs, and makes a great noise when he travels; his flesh is considered first rate, for he feeds upon grass, and the tender buds of the moose maple ; he is a rapid traveller, and hard to tire out. In winter they run in herds ; and when the snow is deep, they generally live in one particular place in the woods, which we call a " yard." The crack time for killing them is in the winter, when we can travel on the snow with our braided snow-shoes. " I once killed two moose before nine o'clock in the 110 EXTRACTS FROM morning. I had been out a-hunting for two days, in the winter, and when night came, I had to camp out near the foot of Old Tahawas. When I got up in the morning, and was about to start for home, I discovered a yard, where lay a couple of bull moose. I don't know what they were thinking about, but just as soon as they saw me, they jumped up and made directly towards the place where I was stand- ing. I couldn't get clear of their ugly feet without running ; so I put for a large dead tree that had blown over, and walking to the butt of it, which was some ten feet high, looked down in safety upon the devils. They seemed to be very mad about something, and did everything they could to get at me by running around; and I remember they ran together, as if they had been yoked. I waited for a good chance to shoot, and when I got it, I fired a ball clean through one of the animals into the shoulder of the second. The first one dropt dead as a door-nail, but the other took to his heels, and after going about fifty rods, concluded to lie down. I then came up to him, keeping my dogs back, for the purpose of sticking him, when he jumped up again, and put after me like lightning. I ran to a big stump, and after I had fairly fixed myself, I loaded again, MY NOTE-BOOK. Ill and again fired, when the fellow tumbled in the snow quite dead. He was eight feet high, and a perfect roarer. 3|S 2fi 3|» 3|C " Another animal that we sometimes find pretty- plenty in these woods, is the big grey wolf; they are savage fellows, and dangerous to meet when angry. On getting up early one winter morning, I noticed in the back part of my garden, what I thought to be a wolf-track. I got my gun, called for my dog, and started on the hunt. I found the fellow in his den among the mountains. I kindled a fire and smoked him out. I then chased him for about two miles, when he came to bay. He was a big fellow, and my dogs were afraid to clinch in; dogs hate a wolf worse than any other animal. I found I had a fair chance, so I fired at the creature, but my gun missed fire. The wolf then attacked me, and in striking him with my gun, I broke it all to pieces. I was in a bad fix, I tell you, but I immediately threw myself on my back with my snow-shoes above me, when the wolf jumped right on to my body, and probably would have killed me had it not been for my do°- Buck, who worried the wolf so boldly that the devil left me to fight the dog. While they were fighting with all their might, I jumped up, took the barrel 112 EXTRACTS FROM of my gun and settled it right into the brain of the savage animal. That was the largest wolf ever killed in this wilderness. " One of the hardest fights I ever had in these woods, was with a black bear. I was coming from a winter hunt : the snow was very deep, and I had on my snow-shoes. It so happened, as I in- coming down a certain mountain, the snow sud- denly gave way under me, and I fell into the hole, or winter-quarters of one of the blackest and largest bears I ever saw. The fellow was just about as much frightened as I was, and he scampered out of the den in a great hurry. I was very tired, and had only one dog with me at the time, but I put after him. I had three smart battles with him, and in one of them he struck my hand with such force, as to send my gun at least twenty or thirty feet from where we stood. I finally managed to kill the rascal, however ; but not until he had almost destroyed the life of my dog. That was a noble dog, but in that battle the poor fellow received his death-wound. He couldn't walk at the time ; and though I was nine miles from home, I took him up in my arms and brought him ; but witli all my nursing, I could not get him up again, for MY NOTE-BOOK. 113 he died at the end of a few weeks. That dog was one of the best friends I ever had. n^ 5]^ 5JC 5jC " But the most dangerous animal in this country, is the yellow panther, or painter. They are not very plentiful, and so tormented cunning, that it's very seldom you can kill one. They are very ugly, but don't often attack a man unless cornered or wounded. They look and act very much like a cat, only that they are very large. I never killed but one, and his body was five feet long, and his tail between three and four. At night, their eyes look like balls of fire; and when they are after game, they make a hissing noise, which is very dreadful to hear. Their scream is also very terrible ; and I never saw the man who was anxious to hear it more than once. They are seldom hunted as a matter of business, but usually killed by acci- dent. " The panther I once killed, I came across in this manner. I was out on Lake Henderson with two men, catching fish through the ice, when we saw* two wolves come on to the ice in great haste, looking and acting as if they had been pursued. I proposed to the men that we should all go and kill them, if we could. They wanted to fish, or were a little afraid, so I took my gun and started 114 EXTRACTS. after the game. I followed them some distance, when, as they were scaling a ledge, they were attacked by a big panther, and a bloody fight took place. From the appearance of the animals, I supposed that they had met before, which was the cause why the wolves came upon the lake. During the scuffle between the animals, it is a singular fact, that they all three tumbled off the precipice, and fell through the air, about one hundred feet. The wolves jumped up and ran away, while the panther started in another direction. I followed his track, and after travelling a number of hours overtook him, and managed to shoot him through the shoulder. He then got into a tree, and as he was lashing his tail, and getting ready to pounce upon me, I gave him another ball, and he fell to the earth with a crash, and was quite dead. I then went to the Lake, and got the men to help me home with my booty " BURLINGTON. 115 CHAPTER VIII. Burlington— Lake Champlain— Distinguished Men. Burlington. June. Of all the towns which I have ever seen, Bur- lington in Vermont is decidedly one of the most beautiful. It stands on the shore of Lake Champ- lain, and from the water to its eastern extremity is a regular elevation, which rises to the height of some three hundred feet. Its streets are broad and regularly laid out, the generality of its buildings elegant, and its inhabitants well educated, refined, and wealthy. My visit here is now about to close, and I cannot but follow the impulses of my heart, by giving my reader a brief account of its principal picturesque attraction, and some information con- cerning a few of its public men. As a matter of course, my first subject is Lake 116 LAKE CHAMPLAIN. Champlain. In approaching it from the south, and particularly from Horicon, one is apt to form a wrong opinion of its picturesque features ; but you cannot pass through it without being lavish in its praise. It extends, in a straight line from south to north, somewhat over a hundred miles, and lies between the States of Vermont and New York. It is the gateway between the country on the St. Law- rence and that on the Hudson, and it is therefore extensively navigated by vessels and steam-bo It is surrounded with flourishing villages, w] population is generally made up of New Englanders and Canadians. Its width varies from half a mile to thirteen, but its waters are muddy, excepting in the vicinity of Burlington. Its islands are not numerous, but one of them, Grand Isle, is suffi- ciently large to support four villages. Its scenery may be denominated bold; on the west are the Adirondac Mountains ; and at some distance on the east, the beautiful Green Mountains, whose gloriou commanders are Mansfield Mountain and the Camel's Hump. Owing to the width of the Lake at Bur- lington, and the beauty of the western mountains, the sunsets that are here visible, are exceedingly superb. The classic associations of this Lake are uncom- monly interesting:. Here are the moss-covered RUINS OF T1CONDEROGA. 117 ruins of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, whose present occupants are the snake, the lizard, and toad. Leaden and iron balls, broken bayonets, and RUINS OF TICONDEROGA. English Hints, have I picked up on their ramparts, which I cannot look upon without thinking of death-struggles and the horrible shout of war. And there too is Plattsburg, in whose waters Com- modore McDonough vindicated the honour of the Stars and Stripes of Freedom. As to the fishing of this Lake, I have but a word to say. Excepting trout, almost every variety of fresh-water fish is found here in abundance; but the water is not pure, which is ever a serious draw- back to my enjoyment in wetting the line. Lake 118 JOSEPH TORREY. Champlain received its present name from a French nobleman, who discovered it in 1609, and who died at Quebec in 1635. The associations I am now to speak of, are of a personal character ; and the first, of the three names before me, is that of Joseph Torrey, the present Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy in the University of Vermont. As a citizen, he is one of the most amiable and beloved of men. As one of the faculty of the University, he occupies a high rank, and is a particular favourite with all his students. A pleasing evidence of the latter fact I noticed a few days since, when it was reported among the students that the Professor had returned from a visit to the Springs for his health. I was in company with some half dozen of them at the time, and these are the remarks they made : " How is his health ?" "I hope he has improved \" " Now shall I be happy ; for ever since he went away, the recitation-room has been a cheerless place to me." " Now shall I be advised as to my essay V* " Now shall my poem be corrected !" "Now, in my troubles, shall I have the sympathies of a true friend!" Much more meaning is contained in these simple phrases than what meets the eye. Surely, if any man is to be envied, it is he who has a place in the affections of all who know him. JOSEPH TORREY. 119 As a scholar, too, Professor Torrey occupies an exalted station, as will be proved to the world in due time. He has never published anything but an occasional article for a review, and the Memoir of President Marsh, (who was his predecessor in the University), as contained in the admirable volume of his Remains, which should occupy a con- spicuous place in the library of every American scholar and Christian. The memoir is indeed a rare specimen of tha kind of writing, beautifully written, and pervaded by a spirit of refinement that is delightful. But I was mostly interested in Mr. Torrey as a man of taste in the Pine Arts. In everything but the mere execution, he is a genuine artist, and long may I remember the counsels of his experience and knowledge. A course of Lectures on the Arts forms a portion of his instruction as Professor; and I trust that they will eventually be published, for the benefit of our country. He has also translated, from the German of Schelling, a most admirable discourse, entitled " Relation of the Arts of Design to Nature;" a copy of which ought to be in the possession of every young artist. Mr. Torrey has been an extensive traveller in Europe, and being a lover and an acute observer of everything con- nected with literature and art, it is quite a luxury 120 J. H. HOPK1XS, to hear him expatiate upon " the wonders he has seen." He also examines everything with the eye of a philosopher ; and his conclusions are ever of prac- tical utility. Not only can he analyze in a profound manner the principles of metaphysical learning, but, with the genuine feelings of a poet, descant upon the triumphs of poetic genius, or point out the mind-charms of a Claude or Titian. He is — but I will not say all that I would, for I fear that at our next meeting he would chide me for my boyish personalities. Let me conclude then, reader, with the advice, that, if you ever chance to meet the Professor in your travels, you must endeavour to secure an introduction, which I am sure you cannot but ever remember with unfeigned pleasure. John Henry Hopkins, D.D., Bishop of Vermont, is another of the principal attractions of Burlington. The history of his life, the expression of his counte- nance, and his general deportment, all speak of the " peace of God." Considering the number and diversity of his acquirements, I think him a very remarkable man. He is not only, in point of character, well worthy of his exalted station ai Bishop, but as a theologian, learned and eloquent to an uncommon degree. His contributions to the world of Letters are of rare value, as he has pub- BISHOP OF VERMONT. 121 lished volumes entitled " Christianity Vindicated/' " The Primitive Church/' « The Primitive Creed/' "The Church of Rome/' " British Reformation/' and " Letters to the Clergy." His style of writing is persuasive, vigorous, and clear ; and all his conclusions seem to have been formed in full view of the Bible, which is a virtue worth noticing in these degenerate days. It is because of his honesty and soundness, I suppose, that some of his own church are disaffected with his straightforward conduct. Bishop Hopkins, as a divine, is of the same school with the late Bishop White, and there- fore among the most eminently wise and good of his age and country. The Bishop of Vermont is also a man of remark- able taste with regard to Architecture, Music, and Painting ; in which departments, as an amateur, he has done himself great credit. Not only did he plan and superintend the building of an edifice for his recent school, but has published an interest- ing book on Architecture, wherein he appears to be as much at home as if he were Christopher Wren. Knowing the market to be full of sentimental non- sense in the way of songs, he composed, for the benefit of his own children, a few with a moral tone, which he also set to music, and are now published as a worthy tribute to his fine feelings, and the correct- 122 HON. G. P. MARSH. ness of his ear. But lie ranks still higher as a man of taste in the capacity of a Painter. The Vermont Drawing Book, which he published, is an evidence of his ability as a draughtsman. The family por- traits which adorn his walls, prove him to have an accurate eye for colour, and an uncommon know- ledge of effect ; — his oil sketches of scenes from nature, give token of an ardent devotion to nature. But the best, in my opinion, of all his artistical productions, is a picture representing " our Saviour blessing little children." Its conception, grouping, and execution, are all of very great merit, and I am persuaded will one day be looked upon with peculiar interest by the lovers and judges of art in this country. Though done in water colours, and con- sidered by the artist as a mere sketch for a larger picture, there are some heads in it that would have called forth a compliment even from the lamented Allston. Would that he could be influenced to send it, for exhibition, to our National Academy ! And thus endeth my humble tribute of praise to a gifted man. I now come to the Hon. George P. Marsh, of whom, if I were to follow the bent of my feelings, I could write a complete volume. Though yet in the early prime of life, he is a sage in learning and wisdom. After leaving college, he settled in HON. G. P. MARSH. 123 Burlington, where he has since resided, dividing his time between his legal profession and the retirement of his study. With a large and liberal heart, he possesses all the endearing and interest- ing qualities which belong to the true and accom- plished gentleman. Like all truly great men, he is exceedingly retiring and modest in his deport- ment, and one of that rare class who can never be excited by the voice of fame. About two years ago, almost without his knowledge, he was elected to a seat in the lower bouse of Congress, where he at once began to make an impression as a Statesman. Though few have been his public speeches, they are remarkable for sound political logic, and the classic elegance of their language. As an orator, he is not showy and passionate, but plain, forcible, and earnest. But it is in the walks of private life, that Mr. Marsh is to be mostly admired. His know- ledge of the Fine Arts is probably more exten- sive than that of any other man in this country, and his critical taste is equal to his knowledge ; but that department peculiarly his hobby, is Engraving. He has a passion for line engravings ; and it is unquestionably true, that his collection is the most valuable and extensive in the Union. He is well acquainted with the history of this g 2 124 HON. G. P. MARSH. art from the earliest period, and also with its various mechanical ramifications. He is as familiar with the lives and peculiar styles of the Painters and Engravers of antiquity, as with his household affairs ; and when he talks to you on his favourite theme, it is not to display his learning:, but to make you realize the exalted attributes and mission of universal Art. As an author, Mr. Marsh has done but little m extent, but enough to secure a seat beside- such men as Edward Everett, with whom he has been compared. He has published (among his numerous things of the kind) a pamphlet entitled "The Goths in New England/' which is a tine >pecimcn of chaste writing and beautiful thought ; also another on the " History of the Mechanic Arts/ which contains a great deal of rare and important information. He has also written an " Icelandic Grammar" of one hundred and fifty pages, which created a sensation among the learned of Europe a few years ago. As to his scholarship, —it can be said of him, that he is a master in some twelve of the principal modern and ancient languages. He has not learned them merely for the purpose of being considered a literary prodigy, but to multiply his means of acquiring information, which information is in- HIS LIBRARY. 125 tended to accomplish some substantial end. He is not a visionary, but a devoted lover of truth, whether it be in History, Poetry, or the Arts. But my chief object in speaking of this gentle- man, was to introduce a passing notice of his Library, which is undoubtedly the most unique in the country. The building itself, which stands near his dwelling, is of brick, and arranged throughout with great taste. You enter it, as it was often my privilege, and find yourself in a perfect wilderness of gorgeous books, and port- folios of engravings. Of books, Mr. Marsh owns some five thousand volumes. His collection of Scandinavian Literature is supposed to be the more complete than any out of the Northern Kingdoms. To give you an idea of this literary treasure, I will mention a few of the rarest specimens. In old Northern Literature, here may be found the Arna Magncean editions of old Icelandic Sagas, all those of Suhm, all those of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries, and, in fact, all those printed at Copenhagen and Stockholm, as well as in Iceland, with scarcely an exception. This Library also contains the great editions of Heiins- kringlciy the two Eddas, Kongs-Skugg-Sjo, Konunga, Styrilse } the Scriptores Rerum Danicarum, Scrip- tores Rerum Svecicarum, Dansk Magazin, the two 126 mr. marsh's library. complete editions of Olaus Magnus, Saxo Gram- maticus, the works of Bartholinus, Torfaus, Schon- ing, Suhm, Pontoppidan, Grundtvig, Petersen, Rask, the Aplantica of Rudbeck, the great works of Sjoborg, Liljegren, Geijer, Cronholm, and Strinn- holm, all the collections of old Icelandic, Danish, and Swedish laws, and almost all the writers, ancient and modern, who have treated of the language, literature, or history, of the ancient Scandinavian race. In modern Danish Literature, here may be found the works of Holberg, Wessel, Ewald, Hejberg, Baggesen, Oehlcnschlager, Nyerup, Ingemann, with other celebrated authors ; in Swedish, those of Leopold Oxenstjerna, Bell- mann, Franzen, Attcrbom, Tegncr, Frederika Bremer, and indeed almost all the belles-lettres authors of Sweden, the Transactions of the Royal Academy of Science, (more than one hundred volumes), those of the Swedish Academy, and of the Royal Academy of Literature, and many collic- tions in documentary history, besides numerous other works. In Spanish and Portuguese, besides many modern authors, here are numerous old chronicles, such as the Madrid collection of old Spanish Chronicles in seven volumes 4to. ; the Portuguese Livros 127 ineditos da Historia Portugueza, five volumes folio ; Fernam Lopez, de Brito, Duarte Nunez de Liam, Damiam de Goes, de Barros, Castanheda, Resende, Andrada, Osorio; also, de Menezes, Mariana, and others of similar character. In Italian, most of the best authors, who have acquired a European reputation; several hundred volumes of French works, including many of the ancient chronicles; a fine collection in German, including many editions of Reyneke der Fuchs, the Niebelungen, and other works of the middle ages. In classical literature, good editions of the most celebrated Greek and Latin authors ; and in English, a choice collection of the best authors, among which should be men- tioned, as rare in this country, Lord Berners' Froissart, Roger Ascham, the writings of King James I., John Smith's Virginia (edition of 1624), Amadis de Gaul, and Palmerin of England. In lexicography, the best dictionaries and grammars in all the languages of Western Europe, and many biographical dictionaries and other works of refe- rence in various languages. Many works also on astrology, alchemy, witchcraft, and magic; and a goodly number of works on the situation of Plato's Atlantis and Elysian Fields, such as Rud- beck's Atlantica, Goropius Becanus, de Grave Republique des Champs-Elysees, and a host of 128 MR. marsh's library, others in every department of learning, the mere mention of which would cause the bookworm a thrill of delight. In the department of Art, Mr. Marsh pom the Musee Francais, Musee Royal, (proof before letters) Liber Veritatis, Houghton Gallery, Florence Gallery, Publications of Dilettanti Society, and many other illustrated works and collections of engravings; the works of Bartsch, Ottlcy Mengs, Visconti, Winckelmann, and other writers on the history and theory of Art; old illustrated works, among which are the original editions of Teuer- danck and Der Weiss Kunig; and many thousand steel engravings, including many originals by Albert Durer, Luke of Leydcn, Lucas Cranach, Aldegrcucr, Wierx, the Sadelers Xauteuil, (among others the celebrated Louis XIV., size of life, and a proof of the Cadet h la Perle, by Masson), Edelink, Drevet, Maw Antonio, and other old engravers of the Italian school, Callot, Ostade, Rembrandt, (including a most superb impression of the Christ Healing the Sick, the hundred guilder Piece, and the portrait of Renier Ansloo), Waterloo, Woollett, Sharp, Strange, Earlom, Wille, Ficquet Schmidt, Longhi, and Morghen ; in short, nearly all the works of all the greatest masters in chalco- graphy, from the time of Durer to the present „A.DIEU TO BURLINGTON. 129 day. It were folly for me to praise these various works, and I have alluded to them merely for the purpose of letting you know something of the taste and possessions of Mr. Marsh. His library is one of the most delightful places it has ever been my fortune to visit, and the day that I became acquainted with the man, I cannot but consider as an era in my life. Morning, noon, and evening did I linger with the master-spirits of olden time, collected in his library, and though I often stood in mute admiration of their genius, I was sometimes compelled to shed a tear, as I thought of the destiny, as a writer, which will probably be mine. Thank God, there is no such thing as ambition in that blessed world above the stars, which I hope to attain, — no ambition to harass the soul, — for then will it be free to revel, and for ever, in its holy and godlike conceptions. But a truce to this strain of thought, and also to the Lions of Burlington, of whom I now take my leave with a respectful bow. g 3 130 DEPARTURE. CHAPTER IX. Stage-coach — The Winooski— The Green Mountains— The ruined Dwelling— The White Mountains— The Flume— A deep Pool— The Old Man of the Mountain — The Basin— Franconia Notch — View of the Mountains — Mount Washington — The Notch Valley. In a Stage-coach. June. Tn ree loud knocks at my bed-room door awakened me from " a dee]) dream of peace." " The eastern stage is ready," said my landlord, as he handed me a light; whereupon, in less than five minute* after the hour of three, I was on my way to the White Mountains, inditing on the tablet of my memory, the following disjointed stage-coach rhap- sody. A fine coach, fourteen passengers, and six superb horses. My seat is on the outside, and my i on the alert for anything of peculiar interest which I may meet with in my journey. Now do the THE GREEN MOUNTAINS. 131 beautiful Green Mountains meet my view. The day is breaking, and lo ! upon either side of me, and like the two leaders of an army, rise the peaks of Mansfield Mountain and the Camel's Hump. Around the former the cloud-spirits of early morning are picturing the fantastic poetry of the sky ; while just above the summit of the other, may be seen the new moon and the morning star, waiting for the sun to come, like two sweet human sisters, for the smiles and kisses of a returning father. And now, as the sunbeams glide along the earth, we are in the solitude of the mountains, and the awakened mist-creatures are ascending from the cool and silent nooks in the deep ravines. Young Dana's description of a ship under full sail is very fine, but it does not possess the living beauty of that picture now before me, in those six bay horses, straining every nerve to eclipse the morning breeze. Hold your breath, for the road is hard and smooth as marble, and the extended nostrils of those matchless steeds speak of a noble pride within. There, the race is done, the victory theirs ; and now, as they trot steadily along, what music in the champing of those bits, and the striking of those iron-bound hoofs ! Of all the soulless animals on earth, none do I love so 132 THE WINOOSKI. dearly as the horse, — I sometimes am inclined to think that they have souls. I respect a noble horse, more than I do some men. Horses are the Indian chiefs of the brute creation. The Winooski, along whose banks runs the most picturesque stage route in Vermont, is an uncom- monly interesting stream, — rapid, clear, and cold. It is remarkable for its falls and narrow pate where perpendicular rocks of a hundred feet or more, frown upon its solitary pools. Its chief pictorial attraction is the cataract at Waterbury, — a deep and jagged chasm in the granite mountain, whose hoiTors arc greatly increased by the sight and the smothered howl of an avalanche of pure white foam. On its banks, and forty miles from its outlet near Burlington, is situated Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. It is a compact town, mostly built upon two streets, and completely hemmed in by rich and cultivated mountains. Its chief attractions to my mind, however, during my short stay, was a pair of deep black eyes, only half visible under their drooping lids. During one of my rambles near Montpelier, I discovered an isolated and abandoned dwelling, which stands upon a little plot of green, in the lap of the forest near the top of a mountain. 1 entered its deserted chambers, and spent a long DESERTED DWELLING. 133 time musing upon its solemn admonitions. The cellar had become the home of lizards and toads. The spider and cricket were masters of the hearth, where once had been spun the mountain legend, by an old man to the only child of his widowed son. They were, as I am told, the last of a long line, which once flourished in Britain, and with them their name would pass into forgetfulness. Only the years of a single generation have elapsed since then, but the dwellers upon yonder mountain are sleeping in the grave ! And is this passing record of their existence the only inheritance they have left behind ? Most true ; but would it have been better for them, or for us, had they bequeathed to the world a noted name, or immense possessions ? What is our life ? The route between Montpelier and Danville lies along the Winooski, and is not less beautiful than that down the river. Its chief picture is Marsh- field Waterfall. While at Montpelier, a pleasure ride was got up by some of my friends, and as they were bound to the east, and I was honoured with an invitation, I sent on my baggage and joined them, so that the monotony of my journey was agreeably relieved. We had our fishing-rods with us, and having stopped at the fall, we caught a fine mess of trout, which we had cooked for 134 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. dinner at the next tavern on our way, — and our dessert was fine singing from the ladies, and good stories from the lips of Senator Phelps, who was of the party, and is celebrated for his conversational powers. For further particulars concerning that expedition, I would refer you to that pair of eyes, which I just now mentioned as having beamed upon me with a bewitching brilliancy. But alas ! the dear creature is already, — excuse me, I cannot, I will not speak the hateful word. The lucky fellow ought to carry a liberal and kind soul hereafter, if he has never done so before. At cock-crowing this morning I was again in my seat outside of the stage-coach, anxiously wait- ing for the mists to evaporate in the east. The sun proved to be my friend, and soon as he- appeared, they vanished like a frightened troop, and he was marching up the sky in the plenitude of his glory. And then, for the first time, did my vision rest upon the White Mountains, as they reposed in the distance, like a mighty herd of camels in the solitude of the desert. In the charm- ing valley of the Connecticut we only tarried about ten minutes, but long enough for me to hear the mower whet his scythe, the "lark sing loud and high," and the pleasant tinkle of a cow-bell far away in a broad meadow. While there I took THE FLUME. 135 a sketch, wherein I introduced the father of New England rivers, and the bald peak of Mount Lafa- yette, with the storm-inflicted scar upon its brow. A noble monument is yonder mountain to the memory of a noble man. While breakfasting at Littleton this morning, I came to the conclusion to leave my baggage and visit Franconia. I jumped into the stage, and after a very pleasant ride of seventeen miles, found myself far into the Notch, in the midst of whose scenery I am to repose this night. I reached here in time to enjoy an early dinner with "mine host;" after which I sallied forth to examine the wonders of the place, but was so delighted with everything around, that I did not take time to make a single sketch. I saw the Flume, and was astonished. It is a chasm in the mountain, thirty feet wide, about a hundred deep, and some two thousand long, and as regular in its shape as if it had been cut by the hand of man. Bridging its centre is a rock of many tons weight, which one would suppose could only have been hurled there from the heavens. Through its centre flows a little brook, which soon passes over a succession of rocky slides, and which are almost as smooth and white as marble. And to cap the climax, this 136 THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN. Flume is the centre of as perfect and holy a wilder- ness of scenery as could be imagined. I have also seen (what should be the pride of the Merrimack, as it is upon one of its tributaries) the most superb pool in this whole country. The fall above it is not remarkable, but the forest- covered rocks on either side, and the pool itself, are wonderfully fine. In the first place, you must remember, that the waters of this whole region are cold as ice, and very clear. The pool forms a circle of about one hundred feet in diameter, and is said to be fifty feet in depth. Owing to the fall, it is the "head-quarters" of the trout, which arc found all along the stream in great abundance. After I had completed a drawing, I laid aside my pencils and fixed my fishing rod. I threw the line only about two hours and caught forty-five trout. Among them was the great-grand- father of all trout, as I thought at the time, he was seventeen inches long, and weighed two pounds and one ounce. The Old Man of the Mountain is another of the lions of this place. It is a cone-shaped mountain (at the foot of which is a small lake), upon whose top are some rocks, which have a resemblance to the profile of an old man. It is THE BASIN. 137 really a very curious affair. There the old fellow stands, as he has stood perhaps for centuries, " looking the whole world in the face." I wonder if the thunder ever frightens him ? and does the lightning play around his brow without making him wink ? His business there, I suppose, is to protect the " ungranted lands n of New Hampshire, or keep Isaac Hill from lecturing the White Mountains on Locofocoism. He need not trouble himself as to the first fear, for they could not be deeded even to a bear ; and as to the second, I do not believe the mountains could ever be per- suaded to vote for the acquisition of New Territory. Every plant upon them speaks of freedom, and in their fastnesses does the eagle find a home, — their banner-symbols are the stars and stripes, and therefore they must be Whigs. And another curiosity, which everybody goes to see, is called the Basin, — an exquisite little spot, — fit for the abode of a very angel. It is formed in the solid rock, and though twenty feet in depth, you can see a sixpence at the bottom, — it is so wonderfully clear. But the wild beauties of this Notch, unknown to fame, are charming beyond compare. There goes the midnight warning of the clock, and I must retire. Would that my dreams might be of yonder star, now beaming with 138 FRANCONIA NOTCH. intense brightness above the dark outline of the nearest mountain. The distance from Knight's tavern to the western outlet of Franconia Notch is eight miles. The eastern stage was to pass through about the middle of the afternoon, so after eating my breakfast I started on, intending to enjoy a walk between the mountains. With the conceptions and feelings that were with me then, I should have been willing to die, for I was very happy. FRANCONIA NOTCH. Now, as I sat upon a stone to sketch a mass of foliage, a little red squirrel came within live feet of me, and commenced a terrible chattering, as if his HAPPY THOUGHTS. 139 lady-love had given him the "mitten/' and he was inveighing against the whole female sex; and now an old partridge with a score of children came tripping along the shadowy road, almost within my reach, and so fearless of my presence, that I would not have harmed one of them even for a crown. Both of these were exceedingly simple pictures, and yet they afforded me a world of pleasure. I thought of the favourite haunts of these dear creatures — the hollow tree — the bed of dry leaves — the cool spring — the mossy yellow log — the rocky ledges overgrown with moss — the gurgling brooklet stealing through the trees, with its fairy waterfalls in a green shadow and its spots of vivid sunlight — and of a thousand other kindred gems in the wonderful gallery of Nature. And now as I walked onward, peering into the gloomy recesses of the forest on either side, or fixed my eyes upon the blue sky with a few white clouds floating in their glory, many of my favourite songs were remembered, and, in a style peculiarly my own, I poured them upon the air, whilst I was answered by unnumbered mountain echoes. Nothing had they to do with the place or with each other, but like the pictures around me, they were a divine food for my soul — so that I was in the enjoyment of a heavenly feast. 140 HAPPY THOUGHTS. Now, as I looked through the opening trees, I saw an eagle floating above the summit of a mighty cliff; — now, with the speed of a falling star descend- ing far into the leafy depths, and then, slowly but surely ascending, until hidden from view by a passing cloud. Fly on, proud bird, glorious symbol of my country's freedom ! What a god-like lii thine ! Thou art the " sultan of the sky," and from thy craggy home for ever lookest upon the abodes of man with indifference and scorn. The war-whoop of the savage, the roar of artillery on the bloody battle field, and the loud boom of the ocean cannon, have fallen upon thy ear, and thou hast listened, utterly heedless as to whom belonged the victory. "What strength and power in thy pinions ! traversing in an hour a wider space " Than yonder gallant ship, with all her sails Wooing the winds, can cross from mom till eve !" When thy hunger-shriek echoes through the wil- derness, with terror does the wild animal seek his den, for thy talons are of iron and thine eyes of fire. But what is thy message to the sun ? Far, far into the zenith art thou gone, for ever gone — emblem of a mighty hope that once was mine. My thoughts were upon the earth once more, and my feet upon a hill out of the woods, whence might AN INTERESTING RIDE. 141 be seen the long broad valley of the Amonoosack, melting into that of the Connecticut. Long and intently did I gaze upon the landscape, with its unnumbered farm-houses, reposing in the sunlight, and surmounted by pyramids of light blue smoke, and also upon the cattle gazing on a thousand hills. Presently I heard the rattling wheels of the stage- coach ; — one more look over the charming valley, and I was in my seat beside the coachman. In view of the foregoing and forthcoming facts, I cannot but conclude that I am a most lucky fellow. My ride from Franconia to Littleton was attended with this interesting circumstance. A very pretty young lady, who was in the stage, found it necessary to change her seat to the outside on account of the confinement within. Of course, I welcomed her to my side with unalloyed pleasure. The scenery was fine, but what does my reader suppose I cared for that — as I sat there talking in a most eloquent strain to my companion, with my right arm around her waist to keep her from falling? That conduct of mine may appear " shocking" to those who have "never travelled," but it was not only an act of politeness but of absolute necessity. Neither, as my patient's smile told me, " was it bad to take." And how delightful it was to have her cling to me, and to hear the beating of her heart, 142 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. as the driver swung his whip and ran his horses down the hills ! Animal magnetism is indeed a great invention — and I am a believer in it, so far as the touch of a beautiful woman is concerned. Away, away — thoughts of the human world ! for I am entering into the heart of the White Moun- tains. Ah me ! how can I describe these glorious hicrarchs of New England ! How solemnly do they raise their rugged peaks to heaven ! Now, in token of their royalty, crowned with a diadem of clouds ; and now with every one of their cliffs gleaming in the sunlight like the pictures of a dream ! For ages, have they been the playmates of the storm, and held communion with the mysteries of the midnight sky. The earliest beams of the morning have bathed them in living light, and theirs too have been the last kisses of departing day. Man and his empires have arisen and decayed, but they have remained unchanged, a perpetual mockery. Upon their summits, Time has never claimed domi- nion. There, as of old, docs the eagle teach her brood to fly, and there does the wild bear prowl after his prey. There do the waterfalls still leap and shout on their way to the dells below, even as when the tired Indian hunter, some hundred ; agone, bent him to quaff the liquid element. There still, does the rank grass rustle in the breeze, and MOUNT WASHINGTON. 143 the pine, and cedar, and hemlock, take part in the howling of the gale. Upon Man alone falls the heavy curse of time ; Nature has never sinned, therefore is her glory immortal. As is well known, the highest of these mountains was christened after our heloved Washington ; and with it, as with him, are associated the names of Jefferson, Madison, and Adams. Its height is said to be six thousand and eight hundred feet above the sea ; but owing to its situation in the centre of a brotherhood of hills, it does not appear to be so grand an object as South Peak Mountain among the Catskills. Its summit, like most of its com- panions, is destitute of vegetation, and therefore more desolate and monotonous. It is somewhat of an undertaking to ascend Mount Washington, though the trip is performed on horseback ; but if the weather is clear, the traveller will be well repaid for his labour. The painter will be pleased with the views he may command in ascending the route from Crawford's, which abounds in the wildest and most diversified charms of mountain scenery. But the prospect from the summit of Washington, will mostly excite the soul of the poet. Not so much on account of what he will behold, but for the breathless feeling, which will make him deem him- self, for a moment, to be an angel or a god. And 144 MOUNT WASHINGTON. then, more than ever, if he is a Christian, will he desire to be alone, so as to anticipate the bliss of heaven by a holy communion with the Invisible. I spent a night upon this mountain; and my best view of the prospect was at the break of day, when, as Milton says, " morn, her rosy steps in th' Eastern clime Advancing, sow'd the earth with orient pearls," and, Wak'd by the circling hours, with rosy hand Unbarr'd the gates of light ;" or, when in the language of Shakspearc, " The grey-eyed morn smiled on the frowning night, Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light." Wonderfully vast, and strangely indistinct and dreamy, was the scene spread out on every side. To the west lay the superb Connecticut, with its fertile valley reposing in the gloom of night ; while to the east, the ocean-bounded prospect, just burst- ing into the life of light, was faintly relieved by Winnepiseogee and Sebago lakes ; and, like rockets along the earth, wandered away the Merrimack, the Saco, and the Androscoggin, to their ocean home, — the whole forming an epic landscape, such as we seldom behold excepting in our sleep. Hea- vens ! with what exquisite delight did I gaze upon NOTCH VALLEY. 145 the scene, as in the eyes of truth and fancy it expanded before my mind. Yonder, in one of a hundred villages, a young wife, with her first-born child at her side, was in the midst of her morning dream ; and there, the pilgrim of fourscore years was lying on his couch in a fitful slumber, as the pains of age crept through his frame. There, on the Atlantic shore, the fisherman in the sheltering bay, hoisted anchor and spread his sail for the sea ; and there, the life-star of the lighthouse was extin- guished, again at its stated time to appear with increased brilliancy. In reality, there was an ocean of mountains all around me ; but in the dim light of the hour, and as I looked down upon them, it seemed to me that I stood in the centre of a plain, boundless as the universe ; and though I could not see them, I felt that I was in a region of spirits, and that the summit of the mount was holy ground. But the morning was advancing, the rising mists obscured my vision, and as I did not wish to have that day -break picture dissipated from my mind, I mounted my faithful horse, and with a solemn awe at heart, descended the mountain. The ride from the Notch House, (kept by the celebrated hunter, named Crawford), through the Notch Valley, some twelve miles long, is magnifi- cent. First is the Gap itself, only some twenty H 146 AWFUL STORM. feet in width, and overhung with jagged rocks of wondrous height ; and then the tiny spring, alive with trout, which gives birth to the untamed Saco. A few more downward steps, and you are in full view of a bluff, whose storm-scathed brow seems to prop the very heavens, its grey shadows strongly contrasting with the deep blue sky. A little further on, and you find yourself in an amphitheatre of mountains, whose summits and sides are barren and desolate, where the storms of a thousand years have exhausted their fury. Downward still, and farther on, and you come to the memorable Wiley cottage, whose inhabitants perished in the avalanche or slide of 18:26. The storm had been unceasing tor some days upon the surrounding country, and the dwellers of the cottage were startled at mid- night by the falling earth. They fled, and were buried in an instant ; and up to the present time, only one of the seven bodies has ever been found. As it then stood, the dwelling still stands — a monument of mysterious escape, as well as of the incomprehensible decrees of Providence. The Saco river, which runs through the valley, was lifted from its original bed, and forced into a new channel. The whole place, which but a short time before was " a beautiful and verdant opening amid the surrounding rudeness and deep shadow, is now A RURAL PICTURE. 147 like a stretch of desolate sea-shore after a tempest, — full of wrecks, buried in sand and rocks, crushed and ground to atoms/ After witnessing so much of the grand and gloomy, I was glad to retrace my course back to a more tame country. My last view of Mount Washington and its lordly companions was the most beautiful. The sun was near his setting, and the whole sky was suffused with a glow of richest yellow and crimson, while to the eastward hung two immense copper-coloured clouds just touching the outline of the mountains ; and through the hazy atmosphere the mountains themselves looked cloud-like, but with more of the bright blue of heaven upon them. In the extensive middle distance faded away wood-crowned hills, and in the foreground an exquisite little farm, with the husbandman' s happy abode almost hidden by groups of elms, and with the simple figures, only a few paces off, of a little girl sitting on a stone, with a bunch of summer flowers in her hand, and a basket of berries and a dog at her side, One more yearning gaze upon the dear old mountains, and I resumed my pilgrimage towards the north. h 2 148 MONTREAL. CHAPTER X. Montreal. Montreal. June. With some things in Montreal I have been pleased, but with others a good deal dissatisfied. The appearance which it presents from every point of view is imposing in the extreme. Its numerous church towers and extensive blocks of stores, its extensive shipping and noble stone wharves, com- bine to give one an idea of great wealth and liberality. On first riding to my hotel I was struck with the cleanliness of its streets; and, on being shown to my room, I was convinced that the hotel itself (Donegana's) was of the first water. It abounds in public buildings, which are usually built of lime-stone, and the city extends along the river St. Lawrence about three miles. The THE CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL. 149 streets in the older parts of the town are as pic- turesque and narrow as those of the more ancient cities of the old world, but in the modern portions they are quite regular and comfortable. The prin- cipal street is Notre Dame, which always presents, on a pleasant day, a gay and elegant appearance. Generally speaking, its churches are below me- diocrity, but it has one architectural lion worth mentioning, the Catholic Cathedral. It faces a square called Place d'Armes, and presents an im- posing appearance. It is built of stone, and said to be after the Norman- Gothic order of architecture, but I should think it a mixture of a dozen dis-orders. Its extreme length is two hundred and fifty-five feet, breadth one hundred and thirty-five, and its height seventy-two feet. It has also two towers, which measure two hundred and twenty feet to their summit. The windows in these towers are closed with coarse boards ; and yet it cost four hundred thousand dollars. The ground-floor is covered with pews capable of seating eight thousand people, while the aisles and galleries might hold two thou- sand more. The galleries are supported by wooden pillars, which reminded me of a New York barber's sign. The interior has a naked and doleful ap- pearance ; the large window above the altar is 150 POPULATION OF MONTREAL. wretchedly painted ; the altar itself is loaded with gewgaws, and, of the many paintings which meet you in every direction, there is not one for which I would pay ten dollars. The organ resembles a bird-house, and the music perpetrated there every day in the year would jar upon the ear of even an American Indian. And when it is remembered that this church was built by one of the wealthiest corporations on the continent, it is utterly impos- sible to entertain a feeling of charity towards the founders thereof. The population of Montreal is now estimated at forty thousand, one-half of whom arc Roman Catholics, one quarter Protestants, and the re- mainder nothing in particular. By this statement it will be readily seen that the establishments of the Catholics must be the most abundant. Nunneries are consequently very numerous, some of them well endowed ; and to those who have a passion for such affairs must be exceedingly interesting. But I wish to mention one or two more specimens of architecture. The market of Montreal is built of stone, situated near the river, and remarkably spacious and convenient in all its arrangements. It eclipses anything of the kind that we can boast of in the States. The only monument in the citv PUBLIC EDIFICES. 151 of any note is a Doric column, surmounted with a statue, and erected in honour of Lord Nelson. The entire column is seventy feet high, and gives an air of elegance to that portion of Notre Dame where it stands. On the four sides of the pedestal are pictorial representations, in alto relievo, repre- senting Nelson in some of his memorable battles. It was erected by the British inhabitants of Montreal at a cost of near six thousand dollars. One of the more striking peculiarities of this city is the fact that every body has to live, walk, and sleep at the point of a bayonet. Military quarters are stationed in various portions of the city, and soldiers meet you at every corner, marching to and fro, and sometimes puffed up with ignorance and vanity. The last woman, I am sorry to say, who has become an outcast from society, attributes her misfortune to a soldier ; but the officers of the British army stationed here are generally well- educated and agreeable gentlemen. The people whom you meet in the streets of Montreal seem to come from almost every nation in the world. Now it may be the pompous Eng- lishman, who represents some wilderness district in Parliament, and now it may be the cunning Scotch- man, or a half-famished Irishman. Sometimes it 152 MOUNT ROYAL. is the speculating American, or the humble, but designing Jew, the gay and polite Habitan, or a group of wandering Indians from the far north. The better class of Montreal people (so called by a fashionable world) are the British settlers, or rather the English population. Generally speaking, they are highly intelligent, somewhat arbitrary in expressing their opinions, but they entertain hos- pitable feelings towards strangers. They boast of their mother-country, as if her glory and power were omnipotent, and an occasional individual may be found who will not scruple to insult an American if he happens to defend his own. In religion, they are generally Episcopalians; they hate the Habitan, look with contempt upon the poor Irish, and add their brethren of Scotland with a patronising air. They drink immense quantities of wine; and those who happen to be the illiterate members of the Provincial Parliament, think themselves the greatest people on earth. The island upon which Montreal is situated is seventy miles in circumference, and was once (if not now) the property of an order of Catholic priesthood. In the rear of the city rises a noble hill, called Mount Royal, from which it derives its name. The hill itself is thickly wooded, but SABBATH AT MONTREAL. 153 the surrounding country is exceedingly fertile, and studded with elegant country seats and the rural abodes of the peasantry. A ride around the Mount, on a pleasant day, is one of the most delightful imaginable, commanding a view of Montreal and the St. Lawrence valley, which is grand beyond compare. To appreciate the unique features of Montreal, it is necessary that you should be there on the Sabbath, the gala-day of the Catholics. Then it is that the peasantry flock into the city from all directions, and, when they are pouring into the huge Cathedral by thousands, dressed in a thousand fantastic fashions, cracking their jokes and laughing as they move along, the entire scene is apt to fill one with peculiar feelings. It was beautiful to look at ; but the thought struck me that I should hate to live in the shadow of that Cathedral for ever. But if you chance to take a walk in the suburbs on a Sabbath afternoon, you will notice much that cannot but afford you real satisfaction. You will find almost every cottage a fit subject for a picture, and the flocks of neatly-dressed, happy, and polite children playing along the roads, together with frequent groups of sober men, sitting in a porch, and the occasional image of a beautiful girl or h 3 154 SABBATH AT MONTREAL. contented mother leaning out of a window — all these things, I say, constitute a charm which is not met with everywhere. But enough. Montreal is a fine city, and I trust that it will yet be my fortune to visit it again, and see more of its polished society. QUEBEC. 155 CHAPTER XI. Quebec. Quebec. June. I came from Montreal to this city in the day time, and consequently had an opportunity of examining this portion of the St. Lawrence. The river opposite Montreal runs at the rate of six miles per hour, and is two miles wide ; it preserves this breadth for about sixty miles, and then expands into the beautiful and emerald-looking Lake of St. Peter, after which it varies from one. to five in width until it reaches Quebec, which is distant from Montreal one hundred and eighty miles. Above St. Peter, the shores vary from five to fifteen feet in height, but below the lake they gradually become more elevated, until they measure some three hundred feet in the vicinity of Quebec. The 156 QUEBEC. country between the two Canadian cities is well cultivated, and on either side may be seen a con- tinued succession of rural cottages. Our steamer approached Quebec at the sunset hour, and I must say that I have never witnessed a more superb prospect than the lofty Citadel-city, the contracted St. Lawrence, the opposite headland called Point Levi, and the far-distant land, which I knew to be Cape Tourment. A stiff breeze was blowing at the time, and some twenty ships were sailing to and fro, while we had to make our way into port by winding between and around some three hundred ships which were at anchor. I have seen much in this goodly city which has made a deep impression on my mind. The promon- tory called Cape Diamond, upon which it stands, is formed by the junction of the St. Charles and St. Lawrence rivers, and rises to the height of three hundred and fifty feet above the water. The city is built from the water's edge along the base of the cliff, and from thence in a circuitous manner ascends to the very borders of the Citadel and ramparts. There is but one street leading from the Lower to the Upper Town, and that is narrow and very steep, and the gateway is defended by a number of large cannon. The city is remarkably RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS. 157 irregular, and, as many of the buildings are very ancient, its appearance is picturesque and romantic. The fortifications cover an area of forty acres, and beneath them are many spacious and gloomy vaults, for the reception of ammunition and stores during a time of war. Receding into the interior, from the very brow of the Fortress, are the Plains of Abraham, which are covered with a rich green sod, and planted with unnumbered cannon. Their his- torical associations are numerous, and, as they would fill a chapter in themselves, I will refrain from dwel- ling upon them at this time. The religious establishments of Quebec are numerous, and belong mostly to the Roman Catho- lics ; like those of Montreal they are very ancient and well endowed ; but they did not interest me, and I am sure my description of them would not interest my reader. As a matter of course, I visited the French Cathedral. It seems to be as old as the hills, and yet all the windows of the principal tower are roughly boarded up. On entering the edifice, which is crowded with gilded ornaments, I could not fix my eye upon a single object which suggested the idea of richness. The sculpture, the paintings, and even the gilding, are all without merit ; and what greatly added to my disgust was, that I could not obtain a civil answer from a single 158 MONTCALM AND WOLFE. one of the many boorish boys and men, who were fussing about the church. In the front of an extensive promenade, just below the Citadel, stands the monument erected to the memory of Montcalm and Wolfe. The gentleman who contributed the largest sum for its erection, was Lord Dalhousie. It is a handsome obelisk, and was designed by a military gentleman named Young. The principal inscription on the column is characteristic of the English nation, and is what an American would call " a puff of Dalhousie" — even though it be chiselled in Latin. The annoying effect of this inscription, however, is counteracted by another, which is also in Latin, and very beautiful. It was composed by J. C. Fisher, Esq., LL.D., founder of the Quebec Gazette, and is as follows : " Military virtue gave them a common death, History a common fame, Posterity a common monument." The Golden Dog is another curiosity which will attract the attention of the visitor to Quebec. It is the figure of a dog, rudely sculptured in relievo, and richly gilded, which stands above the entrance of an ancient house, which was built by M. Philli- bert, a merchant of this city, in the time of M. THE GOLDEN DOG. 159 Bigot, the last Intendant under tlte French Govern- ment. Connected with it is the following curious story, which I copy from an old record : " M. Phillibert and the Intendant were on bad terms, but, under the system then existing, the merchant knew that it was in vain for him to seek redress in the colony; and, determining at some future period to prefer his complaint in France, he contented himself with placing the figure of a sleeping dog in front of his house, with the following lines beneath it, in allusion to his situa- tion with his powerful enemy : " ' Je suis un chien qui ronge l'os, En le rongeant je prends raon repos — Un tems viendra qui n'est pas venu — Que je mordrai qui m'aura mordu.' " This allegorical language was, however, too plain for M. Bigot to misunderstand it. A man so powerful easily found an instrument to avenge the insult, and M. Phillibert received, as the reward of his verse, the sword of an officer of the garrison through his back, when descending the Lower Town Hill. The murderer was permitted to leave the colony unmolested, and was transferred to a regiment stationed in the East Indies. Thither he was pursued by a brother of the deceased, who 160 THE FORTRESS. had first sought him in Canada, when he arrived to settle his brother's affairs. The parties, it is related, met in the public street of Pondicherry, drew their swords, and, after a severe conflict, the assassin met a more honourable fate than his crime deserved, and died by the hand of his antago- nist." I know not that there are any other curiosities in Quebec really worth mentioning, and I willingly turn to its natural attractions. The Fortress itself is undoubtedly one, if not the most formidable on the Continent, but I fell in love with it on account of its observatory features. To ramble 1 1 its commanding ramparts, without knowing or caring to know a solitary individual, has been to me an agreeable and unique source of entertain- ment. At one time I leaned upon the balustrade, and looked down upon the Lower Town. It was near the hour of noon. Horses and carriages, men, women, and children, were hurrying through the narrow streets, and ships were in the docks discharging their cargoes. I looked down upon all these things at a single glance, and yet the only noise I heard was a hum of business. Even the loud clear shout of the sailor, as he tugged away at the mast-head of his ship, could hardly THE SIGNAL HOUSE. 161 be heard stealing upward on the air. Doves were flying about high above the roofs, but they were so far below my point of vision, that I could not hear the beating of their wings. But the finest prospect that I have enjoyed in this city was from the summit of the Signal- House, which looms above the Citadel. I visited this spot just as the sun was setting, and every thing was enveloped in a golden atmosphere. Beneath me lay the city, gradually lulling itself to repose ; on the west, far as the eye could reach, faded away the valley of the Upper St. Lawrence ; towards the north, winding its way between high and well- cultivated hills, was the river St. Charles; towards the eastward, rolling onward in its sublimity like an ocean across the continent, was the flood of the Lower St. Lawrence, whitened by more than a hundred sails ; and towards the south reposed a picturesque country of hills and dales, beyond which I could just discern some of the mountain- peaks of my own dear "Fatherland." Strange and beautiful beyond compare was the entire panorama, and how was its influence upon me deepened, as a strain of martial music broke upon the silent air, and then melted into my very heart ! I knew not whence it came, or who were the 162 POPULATION OF QUEBEC. musicians, but I "blessed them unaware," and as my vision again wandered over the far-off hills, I was quite happy. The population of Quebec is estimated at thirty thousand, and the variety is as great as in Montreal. A large proportion of the people whom you see parad- ing the streets are soldiers, and chief among them I would mention the Scotch Highlanders, who are a noble set of men, and dress in handsome style. Quebec, upon the whole, is a remarkable place, FALLS OF MONTMORENCY. and well worth visiting. The environs of the city are also interesting, and a ride to the Falls of FALLS OF MONTMORENCY. 163 Montmorency, seven miles down the river, and back again by an interior road, will abundantly repay the tourist for all the trouble and expense to which he may be subjected. 164 JOURNEY DOWN- CHAPTER XII. A sail down the St. Lawrence — Sword-Fi>li — ( hasing a Whale. Tadousac. June. I have not visited Canada for the purpos examining her cities, and studying the character of her people, but solely witli a view of hunting up some new scenery, and having a little sport in the way of salmon fishing. I am writing this chapter at the mouth of probably the most remark- able river in North America. But, before entering upon a description of my sojourn here, it is meet, I ween, that I should record an account of my journey down the St. Lawrence. On reaching Quebec, I was informed that there was no regular mode of conveyance down the great river, and that I should have to take passage in a transient ship or schooner, which would land me THE ST. LAWRENCE. 165 at my desired haven. This intelligence had a ten- dency to damp my spirits, and I had to content myself by sauntering about the Citadel-city. Among the places I visited was the fish market, where it was my good fortune to find a small smack, which had brought a load of fresh salmon to market, and was on the point of returning to the Saguenay for another cargo. In less than thirty minutes after I first saw him, I had struck a bargain with the skipper, transferred my luggage on board the smack, and was on my way to a region which was to me unknown. We hoisted sail at twelve o'clock, and were favoured by a stiff westerly breeze. Everything, in fact, connected with the voyage was beautifully accidental, and I had a u glorious time." In the first place, our craft was just the thing — schooner- rigged, a fast sailer, and perfectly safe. The skipper, named Belland, was a warm-hearted and intelligent Frenchman, whose entire crew consisted of one boy. The day was superb, and the scenery of the river appeared to me more like the work of enchantment than nature. The appearance of Quebec, from the eastward, is imposing in the extreme. Standing as it does upon a lofty bluff, its massive ramparts, and tin- 166 JOURNEY DOWN covered roofs, domes, and cupolas, suggest the idea of immense power and opulence. Just below the city, the St. Lawrence spreads out to the width of three or four miles, while from the margin of either shore fade away a continued succession of hills, which vary from five hundred to fifteen hundred feet in height. Those upon the north shore are the highest, and both sides of the river, for a distance of some twenty miles below the city, are plentifully sprinkled with the white cottages of the Canadian peasantry. As you proceed, however, the river gradually widens, the hills upon the north shore become more lofty, reaching the elevation of two thousand feet ; and, while you only occasionally discover a farm-house upon their summits, the southern shore continues to bear the appearance of a settled country, where the spire of a Catholic Church is frequently seen looming above a cluster of rural residences. In descending the river, the first pictorial feature which attracts attention is the Fall of Montmo- rency, pouring the waters of a noble tributary immediately into the St. Lawrence. Just below this fall the river is divided by the island of Orleans, which measures about twenty miles in length, and five in breadth. It is partly covered THE ST. LAWRENCE. 167 with forest, and partly cultivated, and, though the shores are rather low, it contains a number of points which are a hundred feet high. At the eastern termination of this island is the parish of St. Laurent, a remarkably tidy French village, whose inhabitants are said to be as simple in their manners as they are virtuous and ignorant of the world at large. On a smaller island, which lies some thirty miles below Quebec, and directly opposite a noble cape called Tourment, the qua- rantine station for the shipping of the river is si- tuated ; and when I passed this spot I counted no less than forty-five ships at anchor, nearly all of which were freighted with foreign paupers, who were then dying of the ship fever at the rate of one hundred and fifty individuals per day. I might here mention that the vessels usually seen on this part of the St. Lawrence are merchant ships and brigs, which are chiefly and extensively employed in the lumber and timber trade. Another island in this portion of the St. Lawrence, which attracts attention from its peculiar sylvan beauty, is called Goose Island, and owned by a Sisterhood of Nuns, who have cultivated it extensively. The eastern portion of it is yet covered with forest ; the channels on either side are not far from five 168 JOURNEY DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE. miles wide, and it is distant about fifty miles from Quebec. We landed here at sunset ; and while my com- panions were building a watch-fire and cooking a supper of fish, pork, and onions, I amused myself by taking sundry observations. I found the vege- tation of the island very luxuriant, the common hard woods of the north prevailing ; but its founda- tion seemed to be composed of two distinct species of sandstone. Both varieties were of the finest grain, and while one was of a rich Indian red, the other was a deep blue. This portion of the St. Lawrence is a good deal blocked up by extensive reefs composed of these identical sandstones, and at one point they extend so nearly across the river ae to render the ship navigation extremely dangerous. On subsequently examining the high hills on the north shore, in this vicinity, I found them to be of solid granite, veined with red marble and exten- sive beds of quartz, and covered with a stunted forest of pine and hemlock. But this geological dissertation is keeping my pen from describing a night picture, which it was my privilege to witness on this beautiful but badly named island, where, for sundry reasons, we intended to spend the night. THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. 169 Our supper was ended, and the skipper had paid his last visit to the little craft, and, with his boy, had smoked himself to sleep by our camp-fire. The sky was without a cloud, but studded with stars, and the breeze which kissed my cheek was soft and pleasant as the breath of one we dearly love. I had seated myself upon a rock, with my face turned towards the north, when my attention was attracted by a column of light which shot up- ward to the zenith behind the distant mountains. The broad expanse of the St. Lawrence was without a ripple, and the mountains, together with the column of light and the unnumbered stars, were distinctly mirrored in its bosom. While looking upon this scene, the idea struck me that the moon was about to rise; but I soon saw a crimson glow stealing up the sky, and knew that I was looking upon the fantastic performances of the Northern Lights. Broad, and of the purest white, were the many rays which shot upward from behind the mountain : and at equal^ distances between the horizon and the zenith were displayed four arches of a purple hue, the uppermost one melting imperceptibly in the deep blue sky. On again turning my eyes upward, I discovered that the columns and arches had all disappeared, and 170 BATTLE BETWEEN' that the entire sky was covered with a crimson colour, which resembled a lake of liquid fire tossed into innumerable waves. Strange were my feelings as I looked upon this scene, and thought of the unknown wilderness before me, and of the Being whose ways are past finding out, and who holdeth the entire world, with its cities, mountains, rivers, and boundless wildernesses, in the hollow of his hand. Long and intently did I gaze upon this wonder of the north ; and at the moment that it was fading i way, a wild swan passed over my head, sailing towards Hudson's Bay, and as his lonely song (chocd along the silent air, I retraced my steps to the watch-fire and was soon a dreamer. That portion of the St. Lawrence extending between Goose Island and the Saguenay, is about twenty miles wide. The spring tides rise and fall a distance of eighteen feet ; the water is salt, but clear and cold, and the channel very deep. Here it was that I first saw the black seal, the white porpoise, and the black whale. But speaking of whales reminds me of a "whaling" fish story. A short distance above the Saguenay river there shoots out into the St. Lawrence, to the distance of about eight miles, a broad sand-bank, which greatly A WHALE AND SWORD-FISH. 171 endangers the navigation. In descending the great river we had to double this cape, and it was at this point that I first saw a whale. The fellow had been pursued by a sword-fish, and when we dis- covered him his head was turned towards the beach, and he was moving with great rapidity, occasionally performing a most fearful leap, and uttering a sound that resembled the bellowing of a thousand bulls. The whale must have been forty feet long, and his enemy nearly twenty ; and as they hurried on their course with great speed, the sight was indeed terrible. Frantic with rage and pain, it so happened that the more unwieldly individual forgot his bearings, and in a very few minutes he was floundering about on the sand-bar in about ten feet of water, when the rascally sword-fish immediately beat a retreat. After awhile, however, the whale re- solved to rest himself ; but, as the tide was going out, his intentions were soon changed, and he began to roll himself about and slap the water with his tail for the purpose of getting clear. His efforts in a short time proved successful; and when we last saw him he was in the deepest part of the river, moving rapidly towards the Gulf, and spouting up the water as if congratulating himself upon his narrow escape. i 2 172 THE 8AGUENAY. In about two hours after witnessing this incident, our boat was moored at the mouth of the Saguenay; -and of the comparatively unknown wilderness which this stream waters, my readers will find some in- formation in the next chapter. THE SAGUENAY RIVER. 173 CHAPTER XIII. The Saguenay River — Chicoutimi — Storm Picture — Hudson's Bay Company — Eminent Merchant — The Mountaineer Indians — Tadousac — Ruin of a Jesuit Establishment. Tadousac. July. About one hundred and fifty miles north of the St. Lawrence, and on one of the trails leading to Hudson's Bay, lies a beautiful Lake called St. John. It is about forty miles long, and surrounded with a heavily timbered and rather* level country. Its in- lets are numerous, and twelve of them are regular rivers. Its waters are clear, and abound in a great variety of uncommonly fine fish. The principal outlet to this Lake is the Saguenay river, which takes a southerly direction, and empties into the St. Lawrence. It is the largest tributary of the great river, and unquestionably one of the most remarkable on the continent. Its original Indian 174 THE SAGUENAY. name was Chicoutimi, signifying Beep Water ; but the early Jesuit missionaries, who have scattered their Saint-anic names over this entire country, thought proper to give it the name which it now bears, and the round-about interpretation of which is, Nose of the Sack. This name suggests to the world that the nose of St. John must have been a very long nose, and may be looked upon as a unique specimen of French poetry. The scenery of the Saguenay is wild and romantic to an uncommon degree. The first half of its course averages half a mile in width, and runs through an untrodden wilderness of pine and spruce covered hills. It abounds in waterfalls and rapids, and is only navigable for the Indian canoe. A few miles below the most southern fall on the river the village of Chicoutimi is situated, where an exten- sive lumbering business is transacted, and the Hud- son's Bay Company have an important post. The village has an ancient appearance, and contains about five hundred inhabitants, chiefly Canadian French. The only curiosity in the place is a rude Catholic Church, which is said to have been built by Jesuit missionaries upwards of one hundred years ago. It occupies the centre of a grassy lawn, surrounded with shrubbery, backed by a cluster of wood-crowned hills, and commands a fine prospect, GRAND BAY. 175 not only of the Saguenay, but also of a spacious bay, into which there empties a noble mountain stream, now known as Chicoutimi River. In the belfry of this venerable church hangs a clear-toned bell, with an inscription upon it which the learning of Canada (with all its learned and unnumbered priests) has not yet been able to translate or expound. But, great as is the mystery of this inscription, it is less mysterious to my mind than are the motives of the Romish Church in planting the cross in the remotest corners of the earth, as well as in the mightiest of cities. About ten miles south of Chicoutimi there re- cedes from the west bank of the Saguenay, to the distance of ten miles, a beautiful expanse of water called Grand Bay. The original name of this bay was "Ha, Ha," descriptive of the surprise which the French experienced when they first entered into it, supposing that it was the Saguenay, until their shallop grounded on the north-western shore. At the head thereof is another settlement, similar to Chicoutimi. Between these two places the Sague- nay is rather shallow, (when compared with the remainder of its course,) and varies in width from two and a half to three miles. The tides of the ocean are observable as far north as Chicoutimi, 176 THE SAGUENAY. and this entire section of the river is navigable for ships of the largest class. That portion of the Saguenay extending from Grand Bay to the St. Lawrence, a distance of sixty miles, is greatly distinguished for its wild and picturesque scenery. I know not that I can better pourtray to my reader's mind the peculiarity of this river than by the following method : imagine for a moment an extensive country of rocky and thinly- clad mountains, suddenly separated by some con- vulsion of Nature so as to form an almost bottom le» chasm, varying from one to two miles in width ; and then imagine this chasm suddenly half-filled with water, and that the moss of centuries lias softened the rugged walls on either side, and you will have a pretty accurate idea of the Sague- nay. The shores of this river are composed principally of granite, and every bend presents you with an imposing bluff, the majority of which are eight hundred feet high, and many of them upwards of fifteen hundred. And, generally speaking, these towering bulwarks are not content to loom perpen- dicularly into the air, but they must needs bend over as if to look at their own savage features reflected in the dec]). Ay, and that word d THE SAGUENAY. 177 tells but the simple truth ; for the flood that rolls beneath is black and cold as the bottomless pit. To speak without a figure, and from actual mea- surement, I can state that many portions of the Saguenay are one thousand feet deep, and the shallowest spots not much less than one hundred. In many places, too, the water is as deep as five feet from the rocky barriers as it is in the centre of the stream. The feelings which filled my breast, and the thoughts which oppressed my brain, as I paddled by these places in my canoe, were allied to those which almost overwhelmed me when I first looked upward from below the Fall, to the mighty flood of Niagara. Awful beyond expression, I can assure you, is the sensation which one experiences in sailing along the Saguenay, to raise his eyes heavenward and behold hanging directly over his head a mass of granite, apparently ready to totter and fall, and weighing perhaps a million tons. Terrible and sublime, beyond the imagery of the most daring poet, are these cliffs ; and, while they proclaim the omnipotent power of God, they at the same time whisper into the ear of man that he is but as the moth which flutters in the noontide air. And yet, is it not enough to fill the heart of man with holy pride and unbounded love, to remember that the soul within him will 1 3 178 A STORM. but have commenced its existence when all the mountains of the world shall have been consumed as a scroll ? It is to the Saguenay that I am indebted for one of the most imposing storm pictures that I ever witnessed. It had been a most oppressive day, and, as I was passing up the river at a late hour in the afternoon, a sudden gust of wind came rushing down the stream, causing my Indian companion to bow, as if in prayer, and then to urge our frail canoe towards a little rocky island, upon which we immediately landed. Soon as we had surmounted our refuge, the sky was overcast with a pall of blackness, which completely enveloped the cliffs on either side, and gave the roaring waters a death-like hue. Then broke forth from above our heads the heavy roar of thunder, and, as it gradually increased in compass and became more threatening and im- petuous, its volleys were answered by a thousand echoes, which seemed to have been startled from every crag in the wilderness, while Hashes of the most vivid lightning were constantly illuminating the gloomy storm-made cavern which appeared before us. Down upon his knees again fell my poor Indian comrade, and, while I sat by his side, trembling with terror, the thought actuallv flew PLEASING THOUGHTS. 179 into my mind that I was on the point of passing into eternity. Soon, however, the wind ceased blowing, the thunder to roar, and the lightning to flash ; and in less than one hour after its com- mencement, the storm had subsided, and that por- tion of the Saguenay was glowing beneath the crimson rays of the setting sun. From what I have written, my reader may be impressed with the idea that this river is incapable of yielding pleasurable sensations. Sail along its shores on a pleasant day, when its cliffs are partly hidden in shadow, and covered with a gauze-like atmosphere, and they will fill your heart with images of beauty. Or, if you would enjoy a still greater variety, let your thoughts flow away upon the blue smoke which rises from an Indian en- campment, hidden in a dreamy-looking cove ; let your eye follow an eagle swooping along his airy pathway near the summit of the cliffs, or glance across the watery plain, and see the silver salmon leaping by hundreds into the air for their insect food. Here, too, you may always discover a number of seals, bobbing their heads out of water, as if watching your every movement; and, on the other hand, a drove of white porpoises, rolling their huge bodies along the waters, ever and anon spouting 180 GEMS OF SCENERY. a shower of liquid diamonds into the air. yes, manifold indeed, and beautiful beyond compare, are the charms of the Saguenay ! Although my description of this river has thus far been of a general character, I would not omit to mention, as perfect gems of scenery, Trinity Point, Eternity Cape, the Tableau, and la Tete JfiUlil - C APE I Rl MITY. du Boule. The peculiarities of these promontories are so well described by their very names, that 1 shall refrain from attempting a particular descrip- tion of my own. The wilderness through which this river runs is of such a character that its shores can never Hudson's bay company. 181 be greatly changed in their external appearance. Only a small proportion of its soil can ever be brought under cultivation ; and, as its forests are a good deal stunted, its lumbering resources are far from being inexhaustible. The wealth which it con- tains is probably of a mineral character ; and if the reports I hear are correct, it abounds in iron ore. That it would yield an abundance of fine marble, I am certain ; for in passing up this stream, the observing eye will frequently fall upon a broad vein of an article as pure as alabaster. How is it, many people are led to inquire, that so little has been known of the Saguenay country until recently? This question is easily solved. It is a portion of that vast territory which has heretofore been under the partial jurisdiction of the Hudson's Bay Company. I say partially, for the rights of that powerful monopoly, as I understand the matter, extended only to the pro- tection and use of its wild animals; but it has endeavoured to convince the would-be settler that it was the sole proprietor of the immense domain, and that he had no right to live thereon. Its posts on the Saguenay and St. Lawrence, so far as collecting furs is concerned, are a dead letter, and the journeys of its distinguished Governor are hereafter to be confined to the extreme, north. 182 MR. PRICE. The man who deserves the most credit for en- croaching upon the so-called possessions of the Hudson's Bay Company, and proving to the world that its power is not without limit, is William Price, Esq., of Quebec. All the saw-mills situated on the Saguenay and the lower St. Lawrence, were established by him, and are now conducted at his expense. He gives employment to some two or three thousand men, and sends to England annually about one hundred ship-loads of lumber, in the shape of deals. He is a thorough-going business man, and, did I not know the fact to be otherwise, I should set him down (with regard to his enterprise) as a thorough native of the Union. Many of the ships alluded to ascend tin Saguenay to obtain lumber, as far as Chicoutiini ; and it struck me as singularly paradoxical t<> ships winding up that river, whose legitimate home would seem to be the broad ocean. The current of the Saguenay flows in some places at the rate of seven miles per hour; but when there is any wind at all, it blows heavily directly from the north or south, so that, with the assistance of the tide, the upward-bound ships or briu^. manage to get along without much difficulty. The only steam boat which navigates this river is the Pocahontas, and is the property of Mr. Price. THE MOUNTAINEERS. 183 She is commanded by a gentleman who understands his business ; and I can assure the lovers of scenery everywhere, that a sail up the Saguenay, in this steamer, would be an event they could not easily forget. For the benefit of summer tourists, I would here mention the fact, that for about three months in the year a Quebec steamer makes an occasional trip to the mouth of the Saguenay, by the way of the river Du Loup, which is on the Canadian route to Halifax. In speaking of the Saguenay, I must not omit to mention its original proprietors, a tribe of Indians who are known as the Mountaineers. Of course, it is the duty of my pen to record the fact, that where once nourished a large nation of brave and heroic warriors, there now exists a little band of about one hundred families. Judging from what I have heard and seen, the Mountaineers were once the very flower of this northern wilderness, even as the Chippeways were once the glory of the Lake Superior region. The Mountaineers of the present day are sufficiently educated to speak a smattering of French, but they know nothing of the true God, and are as poor in spirit, as they are indigent with regard to the necessaries of life. The men of this nation are rather short, but well- formed, and the women are beautiful. They are 184 TADOUSAC. proud in spirit, intelligent, and kind-hearted ; and many of them, it is pleasant to know, are no longer the victims of the baneful fire-water. For this blessing they are indebted to the Romish priest- hood, which fact it gives me pleasure to record. The Mountaineers are a particularly honest people, and great friends to the stranger white-man. They are also distinguished for their expertness in hunt- ing, and take pleasure in recording the exploits of their forefathers. And their language, according to a Catholic Missionary, Pierre de Roche, is one of the oldest and purest Indian languages on the continent. It abounds in Latin words, and is capable of being regularly constructed and trans- lated. The qualities, in fine, which make the history of this people interesting are manifold, and it is sad to think of the rapidity with which they are withering away, even as the leaves of a prema- ture autumn. But it is time that I should give you a brief description of Tadousac, where I have been spend- ing a few days, and whence I date my chapter. The meaning of that word is a French corruption of the Indian word Saguenay. It is situated directly at the mouth of the Saguenay, and commands a fine prospect of that river, as well as of the St. Lawrence, which is here nearly thirty miles in CURIOUS JESUIT RUIN. 185 width. Immediately at the base of the hill upon which the hamlet stands, is a beautiful bay, hemmed in with mountains of solid rock. The place is composed of houses belonging to an Indian trading- post, and another dwelling occupied by a worthy Scotchman named Rivington, who is a pilot by profession. The door of my friend's cabin is always open to the admission of the tourist ; and if others who may chance to stop here are treated as kindly as I was, they will be disposed to thank their stars. In front of the trading-post are planted a few cannon, and directly beyond them, at the present time, is a small Indian encampment. In a rock-bound bay, about half a mile north of my temporary residence, is an extensive lumber- ing establishment, belonging to William Price. This spot is the principal port of the Saguenay, and the one where belongs the Pocahontas steam- boat. About a dozen paces from the table where I am now writing, is the ruin of a Jesuit religious establishment, which is considered the great curio- sity of this region. The appearance of the ruin is not imposing, as you can discover nothing but the foundations upon which the ancient edifice rested; but it is confidently affirmed, that upon this spot once stood the first stone and mortar building ever erected on the continent of North- 186 CURIOUS JESUIT RUIN. America. And this statement I am not disposed to question, for, from the very centre of the ruin have grown a cluster of pine trees, which must have been exposed to the wintry blasts of at least two hundred years. The fate and the very names of those who first pitched their tents in this wilder- ness, and here erected an altar to the God of their fathers, are alike unknown. Who — who can tell what shall be on the morrow ? THE SALMON. 187 CHAPTER XIV. The Salmon — Salmon Adventures. Tadousac. June. I intend to devote the present letter to the acknowledged king of all the finny tribes, the lithe, wild, and beautiful salmon. He pays an annual visit to all the tributaries of the St. Law- rence lying between Quebec and Bic Island, (where commences the Gulf of St. Lawrence), but he is most abundant on the north shore, and in those streams which are beyond the jurisdiction of civi- lization. He usually makes his first appearance about the twentieth of May, and continues in season for two months. Nearly all the streams of this region abound in waterfalls, but those are seldom found, which the salmon does not surmount in his " excelsior" pilgrimage ; and the stories 188 INDIAN MODE OF related of his leaps are truly wonderful. It is not often that he is found man bound at the head of the streams he may have ascended; but when thus found and captured, his flesh is white, skin black, and his form " long, lank, and lean as the rebbid sea-sand." His weight is commonly about fifteen pounds, but he is sometimes taken weighing full forty pounds. The salmon is an important article of export from this region, and is also extensively used by the Indians. The common mode for taking them is with a stationary net, which is set just on the margin of the river at low water. It is customary with the salmon to ascend the St. Lawrence as near the shore u possible, and their running time is when the tide is high; the consequence is, that they enter the net at one tide, and are taken out at another ; and it is frequently the case, that upwards of three hundred arc taken at one time. The Indian mode for taking them is with the spear by torch- light. Two Indians generally enter a canoe, and while one paddles it noiselessly along, the other holds forth the light (which attracts the attention of the fish, and causes them to approach their enemy), and pierces them with the cruel spear. This mode of taking the salmon is to be depre- cated, but the savage must live, and possesses no SALMON FISHING. 189 other means for catching them. It is but seldom that the Indian takes more than a dozen during a single night, for he cannot afford to waste the 1)0 unties which he receives from Nature. For pre- serving the salmon, the Canadians have three modes : first, by putting them in salt for three days, and then smoking them ; secondly, by regu- arly salting them down as you would mackerel ; and, thirdly, by boiling, and then pickling them in vinegar. The Indians smoke them, but only to a limited extent. I must now give you some account of my expe- rience in the way of salmon-fishing with the fly, of which glorious sport I have recently had an abundance. If, however, I should give you a number of episodes, you will please to remember that " it is my way," and that I deem it a privilege of the angler to be as wayward in his discourse as are the channels of his favourite mountain streams. My first salmon expedition of the season was to the St. Margaret River. I had two companions with me ; one an accomplished fly-fisher of Quebec, and the other the principal man of Tadousac, a lumber merchant. We went in a gig-boat belong- ing to the latter, and, having started at nine o'clock, we reached our place of destination by 190 EXCITING SPORT. twelve. We found the river uncommonly high, and a little rily. We made a desperate effort, however, and threw the line about three hours, capturing four salmon, only one of which was it my privilege to take. He was a handsome fellow, weighing seventeen pounds, and in good condition ; he afforded my companions a good deal of fun, and placed me in a peculiar situa- tion. He had taken the hook when I was wading in swift water up to my middle, and as soon as be discovered his predicament, he made a sudden wheel and started down the stream. My rod bent nearly double, and I saw that I must give him all the line he wanted; and having only three hundred feet on my reel, I found it necessary to follow him with all speed. In doing so I lost my footing, and was swept by the current against a pile of logs; meantime, my reel was in the water and whizzing away at a tremendous rate. The log upon which I depended, happened to be in a balancing condition, and, when I attempted to surmount it, it plunged into the current and floated down the stream, having your humble servant astride of one end, and clinging to it with all his might. Onward went the salmon, the log, and the fisherman. Finally, the log found its way into an eddy of the river, and, A BOLD CAPTURE. 191 while it was swinging about as if' out of mere malice, I left it, and fortunately reached the shore. My life having been spared, I was more anxious than ever to take the life of the salmon which had caused the ducking, and so I held aloft my rod, and continued down the stream over an immense number of logs and rocks, which seemed to have been placed there for my especial annoy- ance. On coming in sight of my fish, I found him in still water, with his belly turned upward and completely drowned. I immediately drew him on a sand- bank near by, and, while engaged in the reasonable employment of drying my clothes, my brother fishermen came up to congratulate me upon my success, but laughing in the mean- time most heartily. The lumber merchant said, that the log I had been riding belonged to him, and it was his intention to charge me one shilling for my passage from the rift where I had hooked the salmon to the spot where I had landed him, which was in full view of the Saguenay ; and my Quebec friend remarked, that he knew the people of Yankee-land had a queer way of doing things, but he was not acquainted with their peculiar mode of taking salmon. As may be readily imagined, we retraced our steps back to the log shantee where we had stopped, and, having care- 192 AN UNCEREMONIOUS PARTY. fully stowed away our salmon, we laid aside our fishing tackle, and made arrangements for a little sport of another kind. The hamlet of St. Margaret, where we spent the night, contains some eight or ten log sham which arc occupied by about twenty families, com- posed of Canadians, Indians, and half-breeds. They obtain their living by " driving" logs, and ar happy as they are ignorant. Anxious to see what we could of society among this people, we - forth a manifesto calling upon the citizens generally to attend a dance at the cabin of a certain man, whom we had engaged to give the party at our expense. Punctual to the appointed hour the assembly came together. Many of the men did not take the trouble even to wash their hands, or put on a coat before coming to the party ; but the women were neatly dressed, with blue and scarlet petticoats, over which were displayed night- gowns of white cotton. The fiddler was an Indian, and the dancing-hall (some twelve feet square) was lighted w T ith a wooden lamp, supplied with seal- oil. The dance was without any particular method, and when a gentleman wished to trip the light fantastic toe, he only had to station himself on the floor, when one of his friends would select his partner, and lead her up for his acceptance. FISHING IN THE ESQUEMAIN. 193 The consequence was, that if a man wished to dance with any particular lady, he was obliged te make a previous arrangement with his leading-up friend. The fiddler not only furnished all the music, but also performed a goodly portion of the dancing — fiddling and dancing at the same time. The supper was laid on the table at ten o'clock, and consisted principally of dried beaver-tail and cariboo meat, fried and boiled salmon, (which was cooked out of doors near the entrance to the cabin), rye-bread, maple molasses, and tea. The party broke up at twelve o'clock ; when we retired to the cabin where we had secured lodgings, and it is an actual fact, that our sleeping-room on that night was occupied not only by ourselves, but by two women, one man, and four children, (divided into three beds), all members of the same family, with whom we had succeeded in obtaining accommodations. On the following morning we rose at an early hour, and again tried our luck at salmon-fishing, but only killed a few trout; whereupon we boarded our gig and started down the romantic Saguenay, telling stories and singing songs. Another river in this region which affords good salmon fishing is the Esquemain. It empties itself into the St. Lawrence about twenty miles east of the K 194 SALMON FISHIXG Saguenay. It is a cold, clear, and rapid stream, abounding in rapids and deep pools. At its mouth is situated a saw-mill, but its water- works are so managed as not to interfere with the salmon. The fish of this stream ascend to a great distance, and, though rather small, arc exceedingly abundant. The best fishing in the river is at the foot of a waterfall, which forms a sheet of foam, about one mile above the mouth. My Quebec friend accom- panied me to this place, and, though wc only threw the fly about six hours (three in the evening and three in the morning), yet we killed thirteen salmon, without loosing a single line, and with the lo