Qass 
 
 Rnr,k . k 2, Vh 
 
l//y>J^/^f 
 
 / 
 
 
 €l)e ^rccn ^^apcc ^txit^. 
 
 W. H. H. MURRAY. 
 
 €l)c J^ctjcntccntf) €l)0Uj5anti. 
 
 ADVENTURES 
 
 IN THE 
 
 ADIRONDACKS 
 
 h kindled a thousand camp fires, and taugln 
 usiiiid f>ens how to ■write of nature. — Wendell Phillips. 
 
 BOSTON: CUPPLES & HURD, 
 
 Entered at the Post Office, Boston, aa 
 second-class matter. 
 
impoi'tant New Books. 
 A New Book by W. H. H. Murray. 
 
 DAYLIGHT LAND. The experiences, incidents, and adveutureS; humorous 
 and otherwise, which befell Judge John Doe, Tourist, of San Francisco; 
 Mr Cephas Pepperell, Capitalist, of Boston ; Colonel Goffe, the Man 
 from New Hampshire, and divers others, in tlieir Parlor-Car Excursion ovet 
 Prairie and Mountain ; as recorded and set forth by W. H. H. Murray. 
 Superbly illustrated with 150 cuts in various colors by the best artists. 
 
 Contents: — Introduction — The Meeting — A Breakfast — A Very Hopeful 
 Alan — The Big Nepigon Trout — The Man in the Velveteen Jacket — The 
 Capitalist — Camp at Rush Lake — Big Game — A Strange Midnight Ride 
 — Banff — Sunday among the Mountains — Nameless Mountains — The Great 
 ( llacier — The Hermit of Frazer Canon — Fish and Fishing in British Colum- 
 l>ia — Vancouver City — Parting at Victoria. 
 
 Svo. 350 pages. Unique paper covers, $2.y>\ half leather binding, 53.50. 
 
 Mr. Murray has chosen the north-western side of the continent for the scene 
 of this book ; a region of country which is little known by the average reader, 
 but which in its scenery, its game, and its vast material and undeveloped 
 resources, supplies tlie author with a subject which has not been trenched upon 
 even by the magazines, and which he has treated in that lively and spirited 
 manner for which he is especially gifted. The result is a volume full of novel 
 information of the country, humorous and pathetic incidents, vivid descriptions 
 of its magnificent -scenery, shrewd forecasts of its future wealth and greatness 
 when developed, illustrated and embellished with such lavishness and artistic 
 elegance as has never before been attempted in any similar work in this coun- 
 try. 
 
 ADIRONDACK TALES. By VV. H. H. Mikkav. Illustrated. i2mo. 
 300 pages. $1.25, 
 
 Containing John Norton's Christmas — Henry Herbert's Thanksgiving — .K 
 -Strange Visitor — Lost in the Woods — A Jolly. Camp — Was it Suicide? — 
 I'lie Gambler's Death — The Old Beggar's Dog — The Ball — Wlio was he ? 
 
 Short stories in Mr. Murray's best vein — humorous; pathetic; full of the 
 ipirit of tlie woods. 
 
 HOW DEACON TUBMAN AND PARSON WHITNEY KEPT 
 NEW YEARS, and other Stories. By W. H. H. Murray. i6mo. 
 Illustrated. Ji.ij. 
 
 A HEART REGAINED. By Carmen Svlva (Queen of Roumania) 
 Translated by Mary A. Mitchell. Fcap. Svo. Cloth. |i.oo. 
 A charming story by this talented authoress, told in her vivid, picturesque 
 manner, and showing how patient waiting attains to ultimate reward. 
 
 Cupples and HurJ, ""fiooksl^/iers. BOSTON 
 
 Library Ag^fufs, 
 
ADVENTURES 
 
 THE WILDERNESS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 CAMP-LIFE IN THE ADIRONDACKS 
 
 WILLIAM H. H. MURRAY. 
 
 "The mountains call you, and the vales; 
 The woods, the streams, and each ambrosial breeze 
 That fans the e\er-undulating sky." 
 
 ARMSTRONG'S Art of Presemins Hcxlth 
 
 U'iTH ILL U^ TRA TWNS. 
 
 BOSTO]Sr 
 
 CUPPLES AND HURD 
 
 PL'BLISHERS 
 
r: 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, m the year 1869, by 
 
 FIEIiDS, OSGOOD, & CO., 
 
 n the Clerk's OfBce of the District Court of tlie District of Massachusetts 
 
 Printed by CUPPLES AND HURD at 
 
 Wc^z SIgonqiitu ^rcss. 
 
 27 Eeach Street, Boston. 
 
To my friend ami companion, 0. II. Platt, of Meriden, 
 Conn., witli whom I have passed many happy hom'S by 
 mountain and stream, and shared the sportsman's tri- 
 umph and the sportsman's toil; in memory of many a 
 tramp and midnight bivouac, and as a token of my very 
 sincere regard and friendship, this book is affectionately 
 dedicated. 
 
 W. H. H. M. 
 
 Boston, April, 1869. 
 
/ 
 
 NEW EOUTE TO THE ADIEONDACKS. 
 
 ON page 42 of this work the author com- 
 mends the Keeseville route to parties enter- 
 ing the wilderness from Lake Champlain. Since 
 its publication, information has reached him of 
 such a nature as to induce the recommendation 
 of the Plattsloi^g route as well. 
 
 The latter is comparatively an easy route. 
 From Plattsburg cars run to Point of Eocks (or 
 Ausahle Forks), intersecting the Keeseville road, 
 and saving some sixteen miles of unpleasant 
 staging from Port Kent. At Fouquet's Hotel, 
 I'lattsburg, every facility for rest and prepara- 
 tion can he had. At Point of Eocks parties can 
 arrange to meet their means of conveyance to 
 JNIartin's, Smith's, Bartlett's, and other houses at 
 St. Eegis. 
 
 Invalids, or persons not in robust health, Avho 
 may venture upon this trip, will find Plattsburg 
 a pleasant and convenient place for recuperation 
 before cutting loose from all the amenities of 
 civilization. 
 
 The author would particularly advise all par- 
 ties, before starting, to engage by letter convey- 
 ance from Point of Eocks to their destination. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduction 
 
 I. TnE Wilderness. 
 
 s 
 
 Why I go to the Wilderness 
 
 Sporting Facihties .... 
 
 What it costs in the Wilderness 
 
 Outfit 
 
 Where to buy Tackle 
 
 Guides ....... 
 
 How to get to the Wilderness . 
 
 Hotels 
 
 When to visit the Wilderness . 
 
 Healthfulness of Camp Life . 
 
 What Sections of the Wilderness to visit 
 
 Black Flies 
 
 Mosquitoes ..... 
 
 Ladies' Outfit 
 
 Wild Animals 
 
 Provisions ...... 
 
 Bill of Fare 
 
 IL The Nameless Creek 
 in. Running the Rapids 
 lY. The Ball 
 
 Pags 
 
 9 
 15 
 21 
 2G 
 30 
 32 
 40 
 44 
 43 
 50 
 52 
 55 
 50 
 58 
 60 
 62 
 62 
 
 65 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 V. Loon-Shooting in a Thunder-Storm . .101 
 
 VI. Crossing the Carry 114 
 
 VII. EoD AND Reel 126 
 
 VIII. Phantom Falls 141 
 
 IX. Jack-Shooting in a Foggy Night . .168 
 X. Sabbath in the Woods .... 193 
 XI. A Ride with a Mad Horse in a Freight- 
 Car • . 203 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 Beach's Sight 233 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SEVEEAL of the chapters composing tliis 
 vohime were originally published in the 
 " Meriden Literary Eecorder," during the fall and 
 winter of 1867. Tln-ougli it they received a wide 
 circulation, and brouglit to the author many let- 
 ters from all parts of the country, urging him to 
 continue the series, and, when completed, publish 
 them in a more permanent form. Lawyers, 'phj- 
 sicians, clergymen, and sporting men were united 
 for once in the expression of a common desire. 
 Not a few delightful acquaintances were made 
 through this medium. It was suggested by these 
 unseen friends, that such a series of descriptive 
 pieces, unencumbered with the ordinary reflec- 
 tions and jottings of a tourist's book, free from 
 the slang of guides, and questionable jokes, and 
 '■' bear stories," with which works of a similar 
 character have to a great extent been filled, would 
 be gladly welcomed by a large number of people 
 who, born in the country, and familiar in boy- 
 hood with the gun and rod, still retain, in un- 
 
8 LMHODUO riON. 
 
 diminislied freshness and vigor, their early lovo 
 for manly exercises and field sports. Each article, 
 it was urged, should stand alone by itself, having 
 its own framework of time and character, and 
 representing a single experience. The favorable re- 
 ception the articles thus published received, and the 
 cordial communications from total strangers which 
 they elicited, together with a strong, ever-present 
 desire on my part to encourage manly exercise in 
 the open air, and familiarity with Nature in lier 
 wildest and grandest aspects, persuaded me into 
 concurrence with the suggestion. The composi- 
 tion of these articles has furnished me, amid grave 
 and arduous labors, with mental recreation, from 
 time to time, almost equal to that which I enjoyed 
 when passing through the experiences which they 
 are intended to describe. 
 
 In the hope that w]mt I have written may con- 
 tribute to the end suggested, and prove a source 
 of pleasure to many who, like myself, were " born 
 of hunter's breed and blood," and avIio, pent up in 
 narrow offices and narrower studies, weary of the 
 city's din, long for a breath of mountain air and 
 the free life by field and flood, I subscribe myself 
 their friend and brother. 
 
I. 
 
 THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 WHY I GO THERE, — HOW I GET THERE, — WHAT I 
 DO THERE, — AND WHAT IT COSTS. 
 
 THE Adirondack Wilderness, or the " Nortli 
 Woods," as it is sometimes called, lies be- 
 tween the Lakes George and Champlain on the 
 east, and the river St. Lawrence on the north 
 and west. It reaches northward as far as the 
 Canada line, and southward to Booneville. Its 
 area is about that of the State of Connecticut. 
 The southern part is known as the Brown Tract 
 liegion, with which the whole wilderness by 
 some is confused, but with no more accuracy than 
 any one county might be said to comprise an 
 entire State. Indeed, " Brown's Tract " is the least 
 interesting portion of the Adirondack region. It 
 lacks the loiiy mountain scenery, the intricate 
 mesh-work of lakes, and the wild grandeur of the 
 country to the north. It is the lowland district, 
 comparatively tame and uninviting. Not until 
 you reach the Racquette do you get a glimpse of 
 the magnificent scenery which makes tliis wilder- 
 ness to ri\-al Switzerland. There, on the very 
 1* 
 
10 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 ridge-board of the vast water-shed which slopes 
 northward to the St. Lawrence, eastward to the 
 Hudson, and southward to the Mohawk, you can 
 enter upon a voyage the like of which, it is safe 
 to say, the world does not anywhere else furnish. 
 For hundreds of miles I have boated up and down 
 that wilderness, going ashore only to " carry " 
 around a fall, or across some narrow ridge divid- 
 ing the otherwise connected lakes. For weeks I 
 have paddled my cedar shell in all directions, 
 swinging northerly into the St. Regis chain, west- 
 ward nearly to Potsdam, southerly to the Black 
 Eiver country, and from thence penetrated to that 
 almost un visited region, the " South Branch," with- 
 out seeing a face but my guide's, and the entire 
 circuit, it must be remembered, was through a 
 ■wilderness yet to echo to the lumberman's axe. 
 It is estimated that a thousand lakes, many yet 
 unvisited, lie embedded in this vast forest of pine 
 and hemlock. From the summit of a mountain, 
 two years ago, I counted, as seen by my naked 
 eye, forty-four lakes gleaming amid the depths 
 of the wilderness like gems of purest ray amid the 
 folds of emerald-colored velvet. Last summer I 
 met a gentleman on the Eacquette who had just 
 received a letter from a brother in Switzerland, an 
 artist by profession, in which he said, that, " having 
 tra\'elled over all Switzerland, and the Ehine 
 Qjad Ehone region, he had not met with scenery 
 
WHY I GO THERE. H 
 
 which, judged from a purely artistic point of view, 
 combined so many beauties in connection with 
 such grandeur as the lakes, mountains, and forest 
 of the Adirondack region presented to the gazer's 
 eye." And yet thousands are in Europe to-day 
 as tourists who never gave a passing thought to 
 this marvellous country lying as it were at their 
 very doors. 
 
 Another reason why I visit the Adirondacks, 
 and 'urge others to do so, is because I deem the 
 excursion eminently adapted to restore impaired 
 health. Indeed, it is marvellous what benefit 
 physically is often derived from a trip of a few 
 weeks to these woods. To such as are afflicted 
 with that dire parent of ills, dyspepsia, or have 
 lurking in their system consumptive tendencies, 
 I most earnestly recommend a month's experience 
 among the pines. The air which you there inhale 
 is such as can be found only in high mountainous 
 regions, pure, rarefied, and bracing. The amount 
 of venison steak a consumptive will consume 
 after a week's residence in that appetizing at- 
 mosphere is a subject of daily and increasing 
 wonder. I have laiown delicate ladies and fragile 
 igchool-girls, to whom all food at home was dis- 
 tasteful and eating a pure matter of duty, average 
 a gain of a pound per day for the round trij). 
 This is no exaggeration, as some who will read 
 these lines know. The spruce, hemlock, balsam. 
 
12 ADVKNTIKES liN THK WILDKKXKSS. 
 
 and pine, wliicli largely compose this wilderness, 
 yield upon tlie air, and especially at night, all 
 their curative qualities. Many a night have I 
 laid down uj)on my bed of balsam-boughs and 
 been lulled to sleep by the murmur of waters 
 and the low sighing melody of the pines, while 
 the air was laden with the mingled perfume 
 of cedar, of balsam and the water-lily. Not a 
 few, far advanced in that dread disease, consump- 
 tion, have found in this wilderness renewal of life 
 and health. I recall a young man, the son of 
 wealthy parents in New York, w^ho lay dying in 
 that great city, attended as he was by the best 
 skill that money could secure. A friend calling 
 upon him one day chanced to speak of the Adir<)n- 
 dacks, and that many had found help from a trip 
 to their region. From that moment he pined for 
 the woods. He insisted on what his family called 
 " his insane idea," that the mountain air and the 
 aroma of the forest would cure him. It was his 
 daily request and entreaty that he might go. 
 At last his parents consented, the more readily 
 because the physicians assured them that their 
 son's recovery was impossible, and his death a 
 mere matter of time. They started with him for 
 the north in search of life. When he arrived at 
 the point where he was to meet his guide he was 
 too reduced to walk. The guide seeing his con- 
 dition refused to take lam into the woods, fear- 
 
WHY 1 GO THERE. 13 
 
 ing, as he plainly expressed it, that he would "die 
 on his hands." At last another guide was pre- 
 vailed upon to serve him, not so much for the 
 money, as he afterwards told me, but because he 
 pitied the young man, and felt that " one so near 
 death as he wais should be gratified even in his 
 whims." 
 
 Tlie boat was half filled with cedar, pine, and 
 balsam boughs, and the young man, carried in the 
 arms of his guide from the house, was laid at full 
 length upon them. The camp vitensils were put 
 at one end, the guide seated himseK at the other, 
 and the little boat passed with the living and the 
 dying down the lake, and was lost to the group 
 watching them amid the islands to the south. 
 This was in early June. The first week the guide 
 carried the young man on his l)ack over all the 
 portages, lifting him in and out of the boat as he 
 might a child. But the healing properties of the 
 balsam and pine, which were his bed by day and 
 night, began to exert their powder. Awake or 
 asleep, he inhaled their fragrance. Their pungent 
 and healing odors penetrated his diseased and 
 irritated lungs. Tlie second day out his cough 
 was less sharp and painful. At the end of the 
 first week he could walk by leaning on the pad- 
 dle. The second week he needed no support. 
 The third week the cough ceased entirely. From 
 that time he improved with wonderful rapidity. 
 
14 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 He " went in " the first of June, carried in the 
 arms of liis guide. The second week of Novem- 
 ber he " came out " bronzed as an Indian, and as 
 hearty. In five months he had gained sixty-five 
 pounds of flesh, and flesh, too, " weU packed on," 
 as they say in the woods. Coming out he car- 
 ried tlie boat over all portages ; the very same 
 over which a few months before the guide had 
 carried him, and pulled as strong an oar as any 
 amateur in the wilderness. His meeting with 
 his family I leave the reader to imagine. The 
 wilderness received him almost a corpse. It re- 
 turned him to his home and the world as happy 
 and healthy a man as ever bivouacked under its 
 pines. 
 
 This, I am aware, is an extreme case, and, as 
 such, may seem exaggerated ; but it is not. I 
 might instance many other cases which, if less 
 startling, are equally corroborative of the general 
 statement. There is one sitting near me, as I 
 write, the color of whose cheek, and the clear 
 brightness of whose eye, cause my heart to go out 
 in ceaseless gratitude to the woods, amid which 
 she found that health and strength of which they 
 are the proof and sign. For five summers have 
 we visited the wilderness. From four to seven 
 weeks, each year, have we breathed the breath of 
 the mountains ; bathed in the waters which sleep 
 at their base ; and made our couch at night of 
 
SPORTING FACILITIES. 15 
 
 moss and balsam-boughs, beneath the whispering 
 trees. I feel, therefore, that I am able to speak 
 from experience touching this matter ; and I be- 
 lieve that, all things being considered, no portion 
 of our country surpasses, if indeed any equals, in 
 health-giving qualities, the Adirondack Wilderness. 
 
 SPORTING FACILITIES. 
 
 This wilderness is often called the " Sportsman's 
 Paradise " ; and so I hold it to be, when all its ad- 
 vantages are taken into account. If any one goes 
 to the North Woods, expecting to see droves of deer, 
 he will return disappointed. He can find them 
 west and north, around Lake Superior, and on the 
 Plains ; but nowhere east of the AUeghanies. Or 
 if one expects to find troTit averaging three or four 
 pounds, eager to break surface, no matter where or 
 when he casts his fly, he will come back from his 
 trip a " sadder and a wiser man." If tliis is his 
 idea of what constitutes a " sportsman's paradise," 
 I advise him not to go to the Adirondacks. Deer 
 and trout do not abound there in any such num- 
 bers : and yet there are enough of both to satisfy 
 any reasonable expectation. Gentlemen often ask 
 me to compare the " North Woods " witli the 
 " Maine Wilderness." The fact is, it is difficult to 
 make any comparison between the two sections, 
 
16 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 they are so unlike. But I am willing to gi\'e in}- 
 reasons of preference for the Adirondacks. The 
 fact is, nothing could induce me to visit Maine. 
 If I was going east at all, I should keep on, nor 
 stop until I reached the Provinces. I could never 
 bring my mind to pass a mouth in Maine, with 
 the North Woods within forty-eight hours of me. 
 I will tell you Avhy. Go where you will, in 
 Maine, the lumhcrmen have been before you ; and 
 lumbermen are the curse and scourge of the wil- 
 derness. Wherever the axe sounds, the pride and 
 beauty of the forest disappear. A lumbered dis- 
 trict is the most dreary and dismal region the eye 
 of man ever beheld. The mountains are not 
 merely shorn of trees, but from base to summit 
 fires, kindled by accident or malicious purpose, 
 have sw^ept their sides, leaving the blackened 
 rocks exposed to the eye, and here and there a few 
 unsightly trunks leaning in all directions, from 
 which all the branches and green foliage have been 
 burnt away. The streams and trout-pools are 
 choked with saw-dust, and filled with slabs and 
 logs. The rivers are blockaded with "booms" 
 and lodged timber, stamped all over the ends with 
 the owner's "mark." Every eligible site for a 
 camp has been appropriated ; and bones, offal, 
 horse-manure, and all the cUhris of a deserted 
 lumbermen's village is strewai around, offensive 
 both to eye and nose. The hills and shores are 
 
SPORTING FACILITIES. 17 
 
 littered ■svitli rotten wood, in all stages of decom- 
 position, emitting a damj), mouldy odor, and send- 
 ing forth countless millions of flies, gnats, and mos- 
 quitoes to prey upon you. Now, no number of 
 deer, no quantities of trout, can entice me to such 
 a locality. He who fancies it can go ; not I. In 
 the Adirondack Wilderness you escape this. There 
 the lumberman has never been. No axe has 
 sounded along its mountain-sides, or echoed across 
 its peaceful waters. The forest stands as it has 
 stood, from the beginning of time, in all its maj- 
 esty of growth, in all the beauty of its unshorn 
 foliage. No fires have blackened the hills ; no 
 logs obstruct the rivers ; no saw-dust taints and 
 colors its crystal waters. The promontories which 
 stretch themselves half across its lakes, the islands 
 which hang as if suspended in their waveless and 
 translucent depths, have never been marred b}'' 
 the presence of men careless of all but gain. You 
 choose the locality which l)est suits your eye, and 
 build your lodge under unscarred trees, and upon 
 a carpet of moss, untrampled by man or beast. 
 There you live in silence, unbroken by any sounds 
 save such as you yourself may make, away from 
 all the business and cares of civilized life. 
 
 Another reason of my preference for the Adiron- 
 dack region is based upon the mode and manner in 
 which your sporting is done. Now I do not plead 
 guilty to the vice of laziness. If necessary, I can 
 
18 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 work, and work sliarply ; but I have no special 
 love for labor, in itseK considered; and certain 
 kinds of work, I am free to confess, I abhor ; and 
 if there is one kind of work which I detest more 
 than another, it is tramping; and, above all, 
 tramping through a lumbered district. How the 
 thorns lacerate you ! How the brambles tear your 
 clothes and pierce your flesh ! How the mesh- 
 work of fallen tree-tops entangles you ! I would 
 not walk two miles tlirough such a country for all 
 the trout that swim ; and as for ever casting a 
 fly from the slippery surface of an old mill-dam, 
 no one ever saw me do it, nor ever will. I do not 
 say that some may not find amusement in it. 
 I only know that I could not. Now, in the North 
 Woods, owing to their marvellous water-communi- 
 cation, you do all your sporting from your boat. 
 If you wish to go one or ten miles for a " fish," your 
 guide paddles you to the spot, and serves you while 
 you handle the rod. This takes from recreation 
 every trace of toil. You have all the excitement of 
 sporting, without any attending physical weariness. 
 And what luxury it is to course along the shores 
 of these secluded lakes, or glide down the winding 
 reaches of these rivers, overhung by the outlying 
 pines, and fringed with water-lilies, mingling their 
 fragrance with the odors of cedar and balsam ! To 
 me this is better than tramping. I ha\e sported 
 a month at a time, without walldng as many miles 
 
SPORTING FACILiriES. 19 
 
 as there were weeks in the month. To my mind, 
 this peculiarity elevates the Adirondack region 
 above all its rivals, East or West, and more than all 
 else justifies its otherwise pretentious claim as a 
 " Sportsman's Paradise." In beauty of scenery, in 
 health-giving qualities, in the easy and romantic 
 manner of its sporting, it is a paradise, and so will 
 it continue to be while a deer leaves his track 
 upon the shores of its lakes, or a trout shows 
 himseK above the surface of its waters. It is this 
 peculiarity also which makes an excursion to this 
 section so easy and delightful to ladies. Tliere is 
 nothing in the trip which the most delicate and 
 fragile need fear. And it is safe to say, that, of all 
 who go into the woods, none enjoy the experiences 
 more than ladies, and certain it is that none are 
 more benefited by it. 
 
 But what about game, I hear the reader inquire. 
 Are deer plenty ? Is the fishing good ? Well, 
 I reply, every person has his own standard by 
 which to measure a locality, and therefore it is 
 difficult to answer with precision. Moreover, it 
 is not alone the presence of game which makes 
 good sporting. Many other considerations, such 
 as the skill of the sportsman, and the character 
 and ability of the guide, enter into this problem 
 and make the solution difficult. A poor shot, and 
 a green hand at the rod, will have poor success 
 anywhere, no matter how good the sportmg is; 
 
20 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 and I have known parties to be "starved out," 
 where other men, with better guides, were meeting 
 with royal success. With a guide who under- 
 stands his business, I would undertake to feed a 
 party of twenty persons the season through, and 
 seldom should they sit down to a meal lacking 
 either trout or venison. I passed six weeks on 
 the Eacquette last summer, and never, save at one 
 meal, failed to see both of the two delicious arti- 
 cles of diet on my table. Generally speaking, no 
 inconvenience is experienced in this direction. 
 Always observing the rule, not to kill more than 
 the camp can eat, which a true sportsman never 
 transgresses, I have paddled past more deer 
 within easy range than I ever lifted my rifle at. 
 The same is true in reference to trout. I have 
 unjointed my rod wlien the water was alive with 
 leaping fish, and experienced more pleasure as I 
 sat and saw them rise for food or i)lay, than any 
 thoughtless violator of God's laws could feel in 
 wasting the stores which Nature so bountifully 
 opens for our need. I am not in favor of " game 
 laws," passed for the most part in the interest of 
 the few and the rich, to the deprivation of the 
 poor and the many, but I would that fine and 
 imprisonment both might be the punishment of 
 him who, in defiance of every liumane instinct 
 and reverential feeling, out of mere love for 
 "sport," as some are pleased to call it, directs a 
 
WHAT IT COSTS. 21 
 
 ball or hooks a fish when no necessity demands 
 it. Such ruthless destruction of life is slaughter, — 
 coarse, cruel, unjustifiable butchery. Palliate it 
 who may, practise it who can, it is just that and 
 nothing short. To sum up what I have thus far 
 written, I say to all brother sportsmen, that, all 
 things considered, the sporting, both with rifle and 
 rod, in the North Woods is good, — good enough 
 to satisfy any reasonable desire. In this, please 
 reme'mber that I refer to the wilderness proper, 
 and not to the lumbered and inhabited and there- 
 fore over-hunted borders of it. I have known 
 parties to take board at North Elba, or Malone, or 
 Luzerne, and yet insist that they " had been into 
 the Adirondacks." 
 
 WHAT IT COSTS. 
 
 This I know to some is a matter of no interest 
 at all, but to others, among whom, unfortunately, 
 the \vriter must number himself, it is a matter 
 of vital importance. The committee on "ways 
 and means " in our " house " is the most laborious 
 of all, and the six years a little woman has held 
 the chairmanship of it has made her exceedingly 
 cautious and conservative. Some very interest- 
 ing debates occur before this committee, and no 
 demur on the part of the defeated party, as I have 
 
22 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 often found, can change the unalterable decision. 
 What is true in the case of the writer is largely 
 true in respect to the majority of the profession 
 to which he belongs. Yet it is in the ministry 
 that you find the very men who would be the 
 most benefited by this trip. Whether they should 
 go as sportsmen or tourists, or in both capacities, a 
 visit to the North Woods could not fail of giving 
 them precisely such a change as is most desirable, 
 and needed by them. In the wilderness they 
 would find that perfect relaxation which all jaded 
 minds require. In its vast solitude is a total 
 absence of sights and sounds and duties, which 
 keep the clergyman's brain and heart strung up, 
 the long year through, to an intense, unnatural, 
 and often fatal tension. There, from a thousand 
 sources of invigoration, flow into the exhausted 
 mind and enfeebled body cuiTents of strength and 
 life. There sleep woos you as the shadows deepen 
 along the lake, and retains you in its gentle em- 
 brace until frightened away by the guide's merry 
 call to breakfast. You would be astonished to 
 learn, if I felt disposed to tell you, how many con- 
 secutive hours a certain minister sleeps during 
 the first week of his annual visit to the woods ! 
 Ah me, the nights I have passed in the woods ! 
 How they haunt me with their sweet, suggestive 
 memories of silence and repose ! How harshly the 
 steel-sliod hoofs smite against the flinty pavement 
 
WHAT IT COSTS. 23 
 
 beneath my window, and clash with rude inter- 
 ruptions upon my ear as I sit recalling the tran- 
 quil hours I have spent beneath the trees ! AVliat 
 restful slumber was mine ; and not less gently 
 than the close of day itself did it fall upon me, 
 as I stretched myself upon my bed of balsam- 
 boughs, with Rover at my side, not twenty feet 
 from the shore where the ripples were playing 
 coyly with the sand, and lulled by the low mono- 
 tone* of the pines, whose branches were my only 
 shelter from the dew which gathered like gems 
 upon their spear-like stems, sank, as a falling star 
 fades from sight, into forgetfulness. And then the 
 waking ! The air fresh with the aroma of tlie 
 wilderness. The morning blowing its perfumed 
 breezes into your face. The drip, drip of the 
 odorous gum in the branches overhead, and the 
 colors of russet, of orange, and of gold streaking 
 the eastern sky. After three or four nights of 
 such slumber, the sleeper realizes the force and 
 beauty of the great poet's apostrophe, — 
 
 " Sleep, tliat knits up the ravelled sleave of care, 
 The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, 
 Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course. 
 Chief nourisher in life's feast." 
 
 If every church would make up a purse, and 
 pack its worn and weary pastor off to the 
 North Woods for a four weeks' jaunt, in the 
 hot months of July and August, it would do a 
 
24 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 very sensible as well as pleasant act. For when 
 the good dominie came back swarth and tough 
 as an Indian, elasticity in his step, fire in his eye, 
 depth and clearness in his reinvigorated voice, 
 would n't there be some preaching ! And what 
 texts he would have from which to talk to the 
 little folks in the Sabbath school ! How their 
 bright eyes would open and enlarge as he narrated 
 his adventures, and told them how the good 
 Father feeds the fish that swim, and clothes the 
 mink and beaver with their warm and sheeny fur. 
 The preacher sees God in the original there, and 
 often translates him better from his unwritten 
 works than from his written vi^ord. He will get 
 more instructive spiritual material from such 
 a trip than from all the "Sabbath-school festi- 
 vals " and " pastoral tea-parties " w^ith which the 
 poor, smiling creature was ever tormented. It is 
 astonishing how much a loving, spiritually-minded 
 people can bore their minister. If I had a spite 
 against any clerical lirother, and felt wicked 
 enough to indulge it, I would get his Sabbath- 
 school superintendent, a female city missionary, 
 and several " local visitors," with an agent of some 
 Western coUege thrown in for variety, and set 
 them all on to him ! 
 
 " But how much does it cost to take such a 
 trip ? " I hear some good deacon inquire ; " perhap.* 
 we may feel disposed to take your advice." 
 
WHAT IT COSTS. 25 
 
 Well, I will tell you ; and I shall make a 
 liberal estimate, for I do not think it hurts a 
 minister to travel in comfortable style any more 
 than it does ]Mr. Farewell and Brother Have- 
 enough. And if he shall chance to find a ten- 
 dollar greenback in his ^'est-pocket after he has 
 reached home it will not come amiss, I warrant 
 you. 
 
 I estimate the cost thus : — 
 
 Gflide-hire, $2.50 per day; board for self and 
 guide while in the woods, $ 2.00 each per week ; 
 miscellanies (here is where the ten-dollar green- 
 backs come in), $ 25.00. 
 
 If he feels disposed to take a companion, he can 
 do so (many go in couples), and thereby divide 
 the cost of guide-hire, making it only $ 1.25 
 per day. But I would not advise one to do this, 
 especially if his expenses are paid. Fifty dollars 
 will pay one's travelling expenses both ways, 
 from Boston to the Lower Saranac Lake, where 
 you can meet your guide. From New York the 
 expense is about the same. It is safe to say that 
 one hundred and twenty-five dollars will pay all 
 the expenses of a trip of a month's duration in the 
 wilderness. I know of no other excursion in 
 which such a small sum of money wall return 
 such per cent in health, pleasure, and profit. 
 
26 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 OUTFIT. 
 
 There is no one rule by which to he governed 
 in this respect. Personal tastes and means con- 
 trol one in this matter. Generally speaking, outfits 
 are too elaborate and cumbersome. Some men go 
 into the woods as if they were to pass the winter 
 within the polar circle, supplied wdth fur caps, 
 half a dozen pair of gloves, heavy overcoat, three 
 or four thick blankets, and any amount of use- 
 less impedimenta. Dry-goods clerks and students 
 seem to affect this style the most. I remember run- 
 ning against a pair of huge alligator-leather boots, 
 leaning against a tree, one day when crossing the 
 " Carry " from Forked Lake around the rapids, 
 and upon examination discovered a young under- 
 graduate of a college not a thousand miles from 
 Boston inside of them. It was about the middle 
 of August, and the thermometer stood at 90° 
 Fahrenheit. Some half a mile farther on we met 
 the guide sweating and swearing under a pack of 
 blankets, rubber suits, and the like, heavy enough 
 to frighten a tramping Jew-pedler ; and he declared 
 that " that confounded Boston fool had brought in 
 a hoat-load of clothes" which we found to be nigh 
 to the truth when we reached the end of the 
 " carry," where the canoe was. Now I wish that 
 every reader Avho may visit the Adirondacks, 
 male or female, would remember that a good- 
 
OUTFIT. 27 
 
 sized valise or carpet-bag will hold all the clothes 
 any one person needs for a two months' trip in the 
 wilderness, beyond what he wears in. Be sure 
 to wear and take in nothing but woollen and 
 flannel. The air at night is often quite cool, even 
 in midsummer, and one must dress warmly. The 
 following list comprises the " essentials " : — 
 
 Complete undersuit of woollen or flannel, with a 
 " change." 
 
 Stout pantaloons, vest, and coat. 
 
 Felt hat. 
 
 Two pairs of stockings. 
 
 Pair of common winter boots and camp shoes. 
 
 Eubber blanket or coat. 
 
 One pair pliable buckskin gloves, with chamois- 
 ?kin gauntlets tied or buttoned at the elbow. 
 
 Hunting-knife, belt, and a pint tin cup. 
 
 To these are to be added a pair of warm woollen 
 blankets, uncut, and a few articles of luxury, such 
 as towel, soap, etc. The above is a good service' 
 able outfit, and, with the exception of the blan- 
 kets, can readily be packed in a carpet-bag, which 
 is easily stowed in the boat and carried over the 
 " portages." In this connection, it should be re- 
 membered that the Adirondack boats, while being 
 models of lightness and speed, are small, and will 
 not bear overloading. On the average they are 
 some fifteen feet long, three feet wide at the mid- 
 dle, sharp at both ends, some ten inches deep. 
 
28 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 and weigli from sixty to ninety pounds. Small 
 and light as these boats are, they will sustain 
 three men and all they really need in the way of 
 baggage, but it is essential, as the reader can see, 
 that no unuecessaiy freight be taken along by a 
 party. Nothing is better calculated to make a 
 guide cross and sour than an over-supply of per- 
 sonal baggage, and I advise all who attempt the 
 trip to confine themselves very nearly to the 
 above list. They will find that it is abundant. 
 
 For sporting outfit, this will suffice : — 
 
 One rifle and necessary ammunition. 
 
 One light, single-handed fly-rod, with " flies." 
 
 For rifles I prefer the " Ballard " or " Maynard " 
 Among breech-loaders. No shot-guns should be 
 taken. They are a nuisance and a pest. 
 
 In respect to " flies," do not overload your 
 book. Tliis is a good assortment : — 
 
 Hackles, black, red, and brown, six each. 
 
 Avoid small hooks and imported " French flies." 
 
 Let the " flies " be made on hooks from Nos. 3 
 to 1, Limerick size. 
 
 All " fancy flies " discard. They are good for 
 nothing generally, unless it be to show to your 
 lady friends. In addition to the " Hackles," 
 
 Canada fly (6), — an excellent fly. 
 
 Green drake (6). 
 
 Red ibis (6). 
 
 Small salmon flies (6), — best of all. 
 
OUTFIT. 29 
 
 If ill the fall of the year, take 
 
 English blue-jay (6). 
 
 Gray drake (6), — good. 
 
 Last, but not least, a large, stoutly woven land- 
 ing-net. 
 
 This is enough. I know that what I say touch^ 
 iiig the salmon flies will astonish some, but I do 
 not hesitate to assert that with two dozen small-' 
 sized salmcn flies I should feel myself well pro- 
 vided for a six weeks' sojourn in the wilderness 
 Of course you can add to the above list many 
 serviceable flies ; my own book is stocked with a 
 dozen dozens of all sizes and colors, but the above 
 is a good practical outfit, and all one really needs. 
 
 If you are unaccustomed to "fly fishing," and 
 prefer to " grub it " with ground bait (and good 
 sport can be had witli l)ait fishing too), get two or 
 three dozens short-shanked, good-sized hooks, hand 
 tied to strong cream-coYoxedi snells, and you are 
 well provided. If you can find worms, they make 
 the best bait ; if not, cut out a strip from a chub, 
 and, loading your line with shot, yank it along- 
 through the water some foot or more under the sur- 
 face, as Avhen fishing for pickerel. I have had trout 
 many times rise and take such a bait, even when 
 sldttcrcd along on the top of the water. To every 
 fly-fisher my advice is, be sure and take plenty of 
 casting-lines. Have some six, others nine feet 
 lonif There are lines made out of " sea snell." 
 
30 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 These are the best. Never select a bright, glisten- 
 ing gut. Always search for the creamy looking 
 ones. Tlie entire outfit need not cost (rod ex- 
 cepted) over ten dollars, and for all practical 
 purposes is as good as one costing a hundred. 
 
 WHERE TO BUY TACKLE. 
 
 In N e w York, go to Conroy, Bissett, & Malleson , 
 Fulton Street. This house is noted for its rods 
 No better single-handed fly-rod can be had than 
 you can obtain at Conroy's. A rod of three pieces, 
 twelve feet long, and weighing from nine to 
 twelve ounces, is my favorite. A fashion has 
 sprung up to fasten the reel on close to the butt, 
 rfo that when casting you must needs grip the rod 
 above the reel. This is a great error in construc- 
 tion. Never buy one thus made. The reel should 
 be c'ood eiQ-ht inches from the butt, and thus 
 leave plenty of hand-room below it. At Con- 
 roy's you can obtain such a rod, brass mounted, 
 for some fifteen dollars ; in German-silver mount- 
 ings, for seventeen. At other houses, for the very 
 same or an inferior article I have been charged 
 from twenty to twenty -five dollars. The first rod 
 I ever bought at Conroy's, some six years ago, 
 was a brass-mounted one, such as described above, 
 which I used constantly for four years, but which 
 I saw, on an e\'ii day, go into four pieces, in a 
 
WHERE TO BUY TACKLE. 31 
 
 narrow creek, w^hen I gave the butt to two large 
 fish in full bolt for a snarl of tamarack-roots. 
 Many a time have I seen that rod doubled up 
 until the quivering tip lay over the reel. I paid 
 fourteen dollars and fifty cents for it. I would 
 like to pay three times that sum for another like 
 it. If you want a rod that you can rely on, go 
 to Conroy's in Fulton Street and buy one of his 
 single-handed fly-rods. 
 
 If*in Boston, William Eead and Son's, No. 13 
 Faneuil Hall Square, is a good house to deal with. 
 Being less acquainted in Boston than in New York, 
 I cannot speak with such directness as I can con- 
 cerning Conroy's. But having looked over INIr. 
 Eead's stock, I am quite persuaded that you can 
 be as well served Avith rods by him as by any 
 house in the country, Conroy always excepted. 
 If I was buying in Boston, for my rod I should 
 go to Read's. In respect to price, I am inclined 
 to think tliat he sells the same class of rods cheaper 
 than the ISTew York house. I saw some rods at Mr. 
 Eead's the other day for twelve dollars, equal in all 
 respects, so far as I could see, (and I tested them 
 thoroughly,) to the rods for which Conroy charges 
 fifteen dollars. At the same time I examined 
 some split bamboo rods, price twenty-five dollars, 
 for which many dealers in fishing-tackle, in New 
 York, and perhaps some in Boston, would be likely 
 *o demand nearly twice that sum. Of course this 
 
32 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 firm is too well known to the sporting world foi 
 me to mention that, for a thorough hnnting outfit, 
 you can do no better than to go to this house. 
 
 For flies I advise you to go to Bradford and 
 Anthony, 178 Washington Street. I am inclined to 
 think that this house, in quantity, style, variety, 
 and finish, excel even Conroy. I have looked 
 their assortment oxev carefully, and know not 
 where to find its equal. Wherever you buy, 
 never purchase an imported fly. The French 
 flies, especially, are most unreliable. Never put 
 one in your book. Select only such as are tied to 
 softj cream-colored snells. The same holds good in 
 respect to casting-lines or leaders. Beware of sncli 
 ^s have a bright, glassy glitter about them. They 
 will fail you on your best fish, and you will lose 
 liies, fish, and temper together. For your lines I 
 suggest, first, last, and always, braided silk. Be- 
 ware of hair and silk lines. Formerly I had a 
 great passion for fancy lines, but years of ex- 
 perience have caused me to settle down in favor 
 of the braided silk line as superior to every other. 
 
 GUIDES. 
 
 This is the most important of all considerations 
 to one about to visit the wilderness. An ignorant, 
 lazy, low-bred guide is a nuisance in camp and 
 useless everywhere else. A skilful, active, well- 
 
GUIDES. 33 
 
 mannered guide, on the other hand, is «, joy and 
 consolation, a source of constant pleasure to the 
 whole party. With an ignorant guide you will 
 starve ; with a lazy one you will lose your temper; 
 M'ith a low-bred fellow you can have no comfort. 
 Fortunate in the selection of your guide, you will 
 be fortunate in everything you undertake clean 
 through the trip. A good guide, like a good wife, 
 is indispensable to one's success, pleasure, and 
 peace. * If I were to classify such guides as are 
 nuisances, I should place at the head of the list 
 the " witty guide." He is forever talking. He 
 inundates the camp with gab. If you chance to 
 have company, he is continually thrusting himself 
 impertinently forward. He is possessed from head 
 to foot with the idea that he is smart. He can 
 never open his mouth unless it is to air his opin- 
 ions or perpetrate some stale joke. He is always 
 vulgar, not seldom profane. Avoid him as you 
 would the plague. 
 
 Next in order comes the " talkative guide." 
 The old Indian maxim, " Much talk, no hunt," I 
 have found literally verified. A true hunter talks 
 little. The habit of his skill is silence. In camp 
 or atloat he is low-voiced and reticent. I have 
 met but one exception to this rule. I wiU not 
 name him, lest it give pain. He is a good hunter 
 and a capital guide, in spite of his evil tendency 
 to gab. This tendency is vicious in many ways. 
 3* c 
 
34 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 It is closely allied with that other vice, — bragging. 
 Such a guide in a large party is apt to breed 
 dispute and difference. He is very liable to give 
 the gentleman who employs him the impression 
 that others in the party are striving to " get ahead 
 of him." Moreover, he is always interrupting you 
 when you do not want to be interrupted. Silence, 
 which is a luxury found only in the wilderness, 
 flees a*' his approach. Beware of the talkative 
 guide. 
 
 The next in order, and the last I shall men- 
 tion, is the "lazy guide." Such a guide is the 
 most vexatious creature you can have around. 
 Nothing short of actual experience with one can 
 give you an adequate impression. Now, a guide's 
 duties, while not absolutely laborious, are neverthe- 
 less multiform. To discharge them well, a man 
 should have a brisk, cheerful temperament and a 
 certain pride in his calling. He should be quick, 
 inventive, and energetic. With these qualities 
 even ordinarily developed, a man makes a good 
 guide ; without them he is intolerable. A lazy 
 guide is usually in appearance fleshy, lymphatic, 
 dirty, and often well advanced in years. As a 
 rule, avoid an old guide as you would an old horse. 
 His few years' extra experience, compared to a 
 younger man, cannot make good the decline of his 
 powers and the loss of his ambition. A young, 
 acti^'e fellow of thirty, with his reputation to make, 
 
GUIDES. 35 
 
 is wortK two who are fifty and egotistical. The 
 worst sight I ever saw in the woods, the exhibi- 
 tion which stirred me most, was the spectacle of a 
 fat, lazy lout of a guide lying on his stomach, read- 
 ing a dime novel, Mdiile tlie gentleman Avho hired 
 him was building " smudges." If he had been 
 my guide, I would have smudged him ! The " wit- 
 ty," " talkative," and " lazy guide " are the three 
 hindrances to a party's happiness. If you find 
 yourself or party burdened with either species, 
 admonish Icindly but firmly ; and if this mild appli- 
 cation will not suffice, turn him mercilessly adrift, 
 and post him hy name on your way out, at every 
 camp and hotel, as an imposition and a pest. 
 Make an example of one or two, and the rest would 
 take the liint. Every respectable and wortliy 
 guide will tliank you for it, and your conscience 
 will have peace as over a duty fulfilled. 
 
 For the most part the " independent guides " 
 are models of skill, energy, and faithfulness. I 
 say "independent," to distinguisli the class so 
 called from another class yclept " liotel guides." 
 The difference between the two classes is this : 
 the " hotel guides " are paid so much per month 
 by the hotel-keepers, and by them furnished to 
 their boarders and such as come unprovided. Tliis 
 system is faulty in many respects. The " hotel 
 guide " is not responsible to the party for its suc- 
 cess, and therefore is not quickened to make his 
 
36 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 best endeavor. He has no reputation to make, af? 
 has the independent guide, for his service is se- 
 cured to him for the season, by virtue of his con- 
 nection witli the hotel. Furthermore, the " hotel 
 guide " is often unemployed for weeks if the sea- 
 son is dull ; and, lianging around a frontier hotel 
 in daily proximity to the bar, is very liable to be- 
 get that greatest of all ^•ices in a guide, — drunken- 
 ness. If, on the other hand, the season is a crowded 
 one, the proprietor finds it difficult to secure 
 guides enough for his guests, and so must needs 
 content himself with men totally unfit for the 
 service. Thus it often happens that a party taking 
 their guides at the hands of the landlord finds, 
 when too late, that out of half a dozen guides, 
 only one is capable, M-hile the others are mere 
 make-shifts, the good guide being sent along as a 
 teacher and " boss " of the raw hands. I do not 
 say that there are no good guides among those 
 known as hotel guides, for there are ; but as a elass 
 they are far inferior in character, skill, and habits 
 to the others. 
 
 The independent guides, so called, are, as a 
 whole, a capalile and noble class of men. They 
 know their calling thoroughly, and can be relied 
 on. They have no other indorsement than such 
 as the parties to which they act as guides give them ; 
 and as their chances of subsequent service depend 
 upon their present success, they are stimulated to 
 
GUIDES. 37 
 
 the litmost to excel. Between these and the hotel 
 guides there exists a rivalry, and I might employ 
 a stronger term. The independent guide feels, 
 and is not slow to assert, his superiority. He is 
 justified in doing it. The system of hotel guiding 
 is wrong in theory and pernicious in practice. 
 Every guide should be immediately responsible to 
 the party hiring him. His chances of future em- 
 ployment should depend upon his present success. 
 This is the only natural, simple, and equitable 
 method. It is beneficial to both j)ai'ties. The 
 sportsman is well served ; and the guide, if he is 
 faithful, secures constant employment from season 
 to season. Many of the best guides are engaged 
 a year in advance. 
 
 I cannot let this opportunity pass unimproved 
 of testifying to the capacity, skill, and faithfulness 
 of a great majority of the guides through the 
 Adirondack region. With many I am personally 
 acquainted, and rejoice to number them among my 
 friends. I have seen them under every circum- 
 stance of exposure and trial, of feasting and hun- 
 ger, of health and sickness, and a more honest, 
 cheerful, and patient class of men cannot be found 
 the world over. Born and bred, as many of them 
 were, in this wilderness, skilled in all the lore of 
 woodcraft, handy with the rod, superb at the pad- 
 dle, modest in demeanor and si^eech, honest to a 
 proverb, they deserve and receive the admiration 
 
38 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 of all who make their acquaintance. Bronzed 
 and liardy, fearless of danger, eager to please, un- 
 contaminated with the vicious habits of civilized 
 life, they are not unworthy of the magnificent sur- 
 roundings amid which they dwell. Among them 
 an oath is never heard, unless in moments of 
 intense excitement. Vulgarity of speech is abso- 
 lutely unknown, and theft a matter of horror and 
 surprise. Measured by our social and intellectual 
 facilities, their lot is lowly and uninviting, and yet 
 to them there is a charm and fascination in it. 
 Under the base of these overhanging mountains 
 they were born. Upon the waters of these se- 
 cluded lakes they have sported from earliest boy- 
 hood. The wilderness has unfolded to them its 
 mysteries, and made them wise with a wisdom no- 
 where written in books. This wilderness is their 
 home. Here they were born, here have they lived, 
 and here it is that they expect to die. Their 
 graves will be made under the pines where in 
 childhood they played, and the sounds of wind 
 and wave which lulled them to sleep when boys 
 will swell the seKsame cadences in requiem over 
 their graves. When they have passed away, tradi- 
 tion w^ill prolong their virtues and their fame. 
 
 I am often in reception of letters from gentle- 
 men who wish to visit the wilderness, inquiring 
 the names of guides to whom they can write for 
 the purpose of engaging their services. I have 
 
GUIDES. 39 
 
 beeu prompted to publish tlie following list in 
 answer to such correspondence. I do not wish 
 any to understand that the list is perfect, contain- 
 ing the names of all the good guides, for it does 
 not. It contains the names of such as, through 
 personal acquaintance or reliable information, I 
 know to be worthy of patronage. Others, not 
 mentioned here, there may be equally reliable. I 
 make no invidious comparison in this selection. I 
 seek only to give such as may be about to visit 
 the region tlie names of certain guides to whom 
 they can ^vrite with confidence, and whom, if they 
 secure, they may deem themselves fortunate. 
 
 Long Lake Guidc^i, or those loliose Post-0 fflce Address 
 is LojKj Lake, Hamilton County, N. Y. 
 
 John E. Plumbley, John Eobinson, 
 
 Jerry Plumbley, Amos Eobinson, 
 
 Amos Hough, Michael Sabatis and Sons, 
 
 Henry »Stanton, Alonzo AVood, 
 
 Isaac Eobinson, Eeuben Gary. 
 
 Lovjcr Saranac Guides. 
 
 Stephen Martin, Duglass Dunning, 
 
 James McClellan, George Eing, 
 
 Lute Evans, Daniel L. ]Moody, 
 
 Harvey Moody, Mark Clough, 
 
 John King, Eeuben Eeynolds, 
 
40 adventurp:s in the wilderness. 
 
 George Sweeny, Alonzo Dudley, 
 
 William Eing, Daniel Moody. 
 
 Post-office address, 
 
 Lower Saranac, FrcmJdin County, N. Y. 
 
 St. Regis Guides. 
 I can recall the names of only three. 
 Setli Warner, Stephen Turner, 
 
 DaAdd Sweeny. 
 Post-office address, 
 
 St. Regis, FmnJdin County, N. Y. 
 
 Concerning the guides in the " Brown Tract," 
 and on the western side of the wilderness, around 
 the Potsdam region, I know nothing. The Ar- 
 nolds, I understand, of the Brown Tract district, 
 owiniif to an unfortunate occurrence last fall, have 
 all deserted that section of the country. Tlie 
 house their father kept is now unoccupied, and 
 whether it will be oj^ened this spring I know not. 
 
 HOW TO GET TO THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 There are several routes which you can take in 
 an excursion to the North Woods, but only one or 
 two which are easy and practicable for a party 
 composed both of ladies and gentlemen. If you 
 wish to enter at the southern end of the wilder- 
 
HOW TO GET THERE. 41 
 
 uess, and do your sporting in the Brown Tract 
 region, go to Albany and thence to Booneville, from 
 which place you can get transported on horseljack 
 to the first of the chain of lakes known as the 
 " Eight Lakes." Here was formerly a hotel, known 
 as " Arnold's." The Arnold family have now left, 
 and I know^ not if the house is kept open. This 
 entrance is not easy for ladies, nor is the region 
 into which it brings you at all noted for the beauty 
 of its* scenery. Still many sportsmen go in this 
 way, and to such a class it is a feasible route. You 
 can also "go in" via Lake George and ]\Iinerva to 
 Long Lake, if you choose. The distance is some 
 eighty miles by this route, the roads bad, and 
 the hotel accommodations poor. Long Lake is a 
 good starting-point for a party, as it is situated 
 midway of the forest, the centre of magnificent 
 scenery, and the home of many guides. All it 
 needs to make this route one of the very best is, 
 that the roads should be improved, and a good line 
 of coaches established. But as it now is, it is 
 neither practicable nor entirely safe. 
 
 The best route by which to enter the wilderness 
 is the following. It is easy and quick. The ac- 
 commodations are excellent all the way through. 
 I do not know how I can give a true impression of 
 this route so briefly as by going, in imagination, 
 with the reader, from Boston to the Lower Saranac, 
 where I meet my guide. I leave Boston Monday 
 
42 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 morning, we will say, at eight o'clock, on the Bos- 
 ton and Albany Eailroad. At East Albany we con- 
 nect with the Troy train ; at Troy, with the Sara- 
 toga train, which lands you at the steamboat dock 
 at Whitehall, Lake Champlain, at nine o'clock, 
 p. M. Going on board you sit down to a dinner, 
 abundant in quantity and well served ; after which 
 you retire to your state-room, or, if so inclined, roll 
 an arm-chair to the hurricane deck, and enjoy that 
 rarest of treats, a steamboat excursion on an inland 
 lake by moonlight. At 4.30 a. m. you are oppo- 
 site Burlington, Vt., and by the time you are 
 dressed the boat glides alongside of the dock at 
 Port Kent, on the New York side of the lake. 
 You enter a coach which stands in waiting, and, 
 after a ride of six miles in the cool morning air, 
 you alight at the Ausable House, Keeseville. Here 
 you array yourself for the woods, and, eating a 
 hearty breakfast, yovi seat yourself in the coach at 
 7 A. M., the whip cracks, the horses spring, and you 
 are off' on a fifty-six mile ride over a plank road, 
 which brings you, at 5 P. M., to ]\Iartin's, on the 
 Lower Saranac, where your guide, with his narrow 
 shell drawn up upon the beach, stands waiting you. 
 This is the shortest, easiest, and, beyond all odds, 
 the best route to the Adirondacks. You leave 
 Boston or New York Monday at 8 A. IM., and reach 
 your guide Tuesday at 5 p. m. So perfect are the 
 connections on this route, that, ha^ing engaged 
 
HOW TO GET THERE. 43 
 
 "John " to meet me a year from a certain day, at 
 5 p. M., on the Lower Saranac, I have rolled up to 
 "Martin's" and jumped from the coach as the 
 faithful fellow, equally " on time," was in the act 
 of pulling his narrow boat up the beach. It is not 
 only easy and quick, but the cheapest route also, 
 and takes you through some of the sublimest 
 scenery in the world. At Keeseville, if you wish, 
 you can turn off to the left toward North Elba, 
 and visit that historic grave in which the martyr of 
 the nineteenth century sleeps, with a boulder of 
 native granite for his tombstone, and the cloud- 
 covered peaks of Whiteface and Marcy to the 
 north and south, towering five thousand feet above 
 his head. By all means stop here a day. It will 
 better you to stand a few moments over John 
 Brown's grave, to enter the house he built, to see 
 the fields he and his heroic boys cleared, the 
 fences they erected and others standing incomplete 
 as they left them when they started for Harper's 
 Ferry. What memories, if you are an American, 
 will throng into your head as you stand beside 
 that mound and traverse those fields ! You will 
 continue your journey a better man or purer 
 woman from even so brief a visit to the grave of 
 one whose name is and will ever be a synonyme of 
 liberty and justice throughout the world. If you 
 are mere tourists, and intend going no farther west- 
 ward than North Elba, stop at Westport, above 
 
44 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 Crown Point, and take stage to your destination. 
 At a Mr. Helmer's (I think that is tlie name) you 
 will find all necessary accommodation. If you are 
 going into the wilderness, it is better to engage 
 your transportation from Keeseville in advance, in 
 order to prevent delay. To this end you can ad- 
 dress the proprietor of the Ausable House, Keese- 
 ville, or W. r. Martin, keeper of " Martin's," as it is 
 familiarly known to sportsmen at the Lower Sara- 
 nac. This is the direct route also to reach Pau! 
 Smith's, at the St. Eegis Lake. Another route, — 
 a new one just opened, which I have never tried, — 
 is via Plattsburgh, by which you can go by rail t^- 
 a point within thirty miles of " Martin's." Addres«. 
 W. P. Martin for particulars. 
 
 HOTELS. 
 
 This subject I shall dismiss with a brief allusion. 
 Paul Smith, or " Pol," as he is more commonly 
 known among the guides, is proprietor of the St. 
 Pegis House. This is the St. James of the wilder- 
 ness. Here Saratoga trunks and Saratoga belles are 
 known. Here they have civilized " hops," and 
 that modern jirolongation of the ancient w^ar- whoop 
 modified and improved, called " operatic singing," 
 in the parlors. In spite of all this, it is a capital 
 house, with a good reputation, well deserved 
 
HOTELS. 45 
 
 " Bartlett's " is situated on the carry between 
 Round Lake and the Upper Saranac. This house 
 is well kept. The rooms are neatly furnished, the 
 service at the tables slightly suggestive of " style." 
 The proprietor is a brisk, business-like-looking man, 
 pleasant and accommodating. I have never seen 
 or heard aught to his discredit, and much in his 
 praise. Many gentlemen leave their wives and 
 children here while they are in the wilderness 
 sporting. This house is conveniently located, and 
 within easy reach of excellent liunting-ground. I 
 lieartily reconmiend it to pviblic patronage. 
 
 "Mother Johnson's." — This is a " half-way house." 
 It is at the lower end of the carry, below Long Lake. 
 Never pass it without dropping in. Here it is 
 that you find such pancakes as are rarely met with. 
 Here, in a log-house, hospitality can be found such 
 as might shame many a city mansion. Never 
 shall I forget the meal that John and I ate one 
 night at that pine table. We broke camp at 8 
 A. M., and reached Mother Johnson's at 11.45 P. M., 
 having eaten nothing but a hasty lunch on the 
 way. Stumbling up to the door amid a chorus of 
 noises, such as only a kennel of hounds can send 
 forth, we aroused the venerable couple, and at 1 
 A. M. sat dow^n to a meal whose quantity and qual- 
 ity are worthy of tradition. Now, most house- 
 keepers would have grumbled at being summoned 
 to entertain travellers at such an unseasonable 
 
46 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 hour. Not so with Mother Johnson. Bless har 
 soul, how her fat, good-natured face glowed with 
 delight as she saw us empty those dishes ! How 
 her countenance shone and sides shook with lauoh- 
 ter as she passed the smoking, russet-colored cakea 
 from her griddle to our only half-emptied plates. 
 For some time it was a close race, and victory 
 trembled in the balance ; but at last John and I 
 surrendered, and, dropping our knives and forks, and 
 shoving back our chairs, we cried, in the language 
 of another on the eve of a direr conflict, " Hold, 
 enough ! " and the good old lady, still happy and 
 radiant, laid down her ladle and retired from her 
 benevolent labor to her slumbers. Never go by 
 Mother Johnson's without tasting her pancakes, 
 and, when you leave, leave with her an extra dollar. 
 " Uncle Fahners" is at Long Lake, and com- 
 mands a view of lake and mountain scenery 
 rarely surpassed. There are many houses open to 
 guests in the wilderness more ostentatious ; but for 
 downright solid comfort commend me to " Uncle 
 Palmer's." The table i^ well supplied ; the cuisine 
 is excellent ; the beds neat and clean ; the location 
 central. Mr. Palmer is one of the most honest, 
 genial, and accommodating men whom I have 
 ever met. His wife is active, pleasant, and moth- 
 erly. Both are full of the spirit of true kindness, 
 and sympathetic in all their words and acts. You 
 may be a total stranger, but no sooner are you 
 
HOTELS. 47 
 
 fairly inside the house than you feel yourself per- 
 fectly at liomc. In this' neighborhood live John 
 Plumbley, and his brother Jerry, Amos Hough, 
 Henry Stanton, Isaac Eobinson and boys, Michael 
 Sabatis and sons, and many others of the very 
 best guides in the wilderness. Sabatis keeps a 
 hotel on the shore of the lake, and at his house 
 many sportsmen resort. I have heard it well 
 spoken of, but cannot speak from experience, as I 
 never had the pleasure of stopping over there. 
 On the whole, I do not hesitate to say that Long 
 Lake is, in my opinion, the best rendezvous of the 
 wilderness, and Uncle Palmer's long table the 
 very best spot to find yourself when hungry and 
 tired. 
 
 " Martin' s!' — This is the last house of which 
 I shall speak. It is located on Lower Saranac, at 
 the terminus of the stage route from Keeseville. It 
 is, therefore, the most convenient point at which to 
 meet your guides. Its appointments are thorough 
 and complete. Martin is one of the few men in 
 the world who seem to know how "to keep a 
 hotel." At his house you can easily and cheaply 
 obtain your entire outfit for a trip of any length. 
 Here it is that the celebrated Long Lake guides 
 with their unrivalled boats, principally resort. 
 Here, too, many of the Saranac guides, some of 
 them surpassed by none, make their head-quarters. 
 Mr. ]\Iartin, as a host, is good-natured and gen- 
 
48 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 tlemanly. His table is abundantly provided, 
 not only with the necessaries, but also with 
 many of the luxuries, of diet. Tlie charges are 
 moderate, and the accommodations for families, as 
 well as sporting parties, in every respect ample. 
 " Martin's " is a favorite resort to all who have ever 
 once visited it, and stands deservedly high in public 
 estimation. 
 
 WHEN TO VISIT THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 The purpose for which you go, and the character 
 of the sporting you desire, should decide this 
 point. If you desire river fishing for spotted 
 trout, and trolling for the lake trout, some of which 
 grow to weigh from tw^enty to thirty pounds, yon 
 should go in during the month of May or June. 
 The objection to this time lies in the fact that the 
 wilderness is wet and cold at this season of the 
 year, when the snow is barely melted, the portages 
 muddy and unpleasant, and the "black flies" in 
 multitudinous numbers. 
 
 These objections, to my mind, are msurmounta- 
 ble. No ladies should go into the wilderness 
 sooner than the middle of June. If you want to 
 see autumnal scenery, unsurpassed by any the 
 world over, and hear the " mvisic of the hounds " 
 in full cry after that noblest of all game for dogs, 
 
WHEN TO VISIT THE WILDERNESS. 49 
 
 the antlered buck in swift career, go in during the 
 month of September, and remain until snow and 
 tlie cold drive you out. 
 
 My favorite season is in midsummer. I go in 
 early in July, and remain for about two months. 
 Late in June or early in July the "black fly" 
 disappears. The wilderness is dry, and the climate 
 is delightful. The thermometer stands at about 
 se^'enty-five or eighty degrees. The portages are 
 in good condition, the water not liigh, the lily and 
 marsh flowers in bloom. Tlie fishing is excellent. 
 The trout have left the rapids and the upper por- 
 tions of the streams, and gathered in great num- 
 bers at the " spring-holes," the location of which 
 your guide is supposed to know, if not, he can 
 easily, if he understands his business, ascertain. 
 No better fishing can be found than spring-hole 
 fishing, which you will find carefully described in 
 the chapter entitled " The Nameless Creek." As 
 for hunting, the sport is excellent during these two 
 months. July is the best month for Jack or night 
 shooting, — the most exciting of all shooting. The 
 bucks by this time are in good condition, and not 
 over-shy. These are the only months when you 
 have shore-shooting, as it is called ; that is, when 
 you see deer feeding in broad daylight, and take 
 them from the open Ijoat at a good, easy range, — 
 say from twenty to thirty rods. This is what I 
 call good, honest sport, and not slaughter, as when 
 !^ D 
 
50 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 the docf drives a deer into the lake, and, rowing 
 up beside the poor frightened and struggling thing, 
 the guide holds him by the tail while you blow 
 his brains out ! Bah ! I should be ashamed to 
 ever look along the sights of a rifle again if I had 
 ever disgraced myself with any such " sporting " (!) 
 as that ! At this time of the year rain-storms are 
 unknown in this region, and the thunder-showers 
 which occur are a source of pleasure, and not of 
 inconvenience, to a camp. No more sublime sight 
 can the eye behold than is presented to it when 
 such a shower passes over these mountains. 
 
 HEALTHFULNESS OF CAMP LIFE. 
 
 I am often asked if ladies would not " catch cold " 
 in the woods, and if the physical exertion which 
 one must put forth is not such as to forbid that 
 any but robust people should undertake the trip. 
 To this I reply that I believe it to be a physical 
 imj^ossibility for one, however fragile or delicate, 
 to " catch cold " in this wilderness. Remember 
 that you are here in a mountainous region, where 
 dampness and miasma, such as prevail in lower 
 sections, are entirely unknown. Consider, too, 
 how genial and equable is the climate in the 
 summer months, and how pure and rarefied the 
 atmosphere. Eemember, also, that you breathe an 
 
HEALTHFULNESS OF CAMP LIFE. 51 
 
 air odorous with the smell of piue and cedar and 
 balsam, and absolutely free from the least taint of 
 impurity ; and when you take all this into account, 
 you will see how very dissimilar are the conditions 
 and surroundmgs of life in the woods to life in the 
 city or village. Acquainted as I am with, many 
 ladies, some of them accustomed to every luxury, 
 and of delicate health, who have " camped out " in 
 this wilderness, I have yet to meet with a single 
 one who ever " caught cold," or experienced any 
 other inconvenience to the bodily health in the 
 woods. 
 
 As to the " physical exertion," there is no such 
 exertion known here. It is the laziest of all 
 imaginable places, if you incline to indolence. 
 Tramping is unknow^n in this region. Wlierever 
 you wish to go your guide paddles you. Your 
 hunting, fishing, sight-seeing, are all done from the 
 boat. Going in or coming out you cross the neces- 
 sary carries, which, for the most part, are short and 
 good walking, and you can take your own time foi: 
 it. In this I refer, of course, to the most frequent- 
 ed parts of the wilderness, and not to the portions 
 seldom visited and more difficult of access. Thero 
 are sections which I have visited by dragging my 
 cedar shell behind me up narrow creeks and through 
 tamarack swamps, middle deep in mud and water ; 
 but no guide w^ould think of taking a party, unless 
 urged by the party itself, into any such region ; and, 
 
52 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 ordinarily speaking, there is no need of exertion 
 whicli a child of five summers could not safely put 
 forth, from one end to the other of a trip. 
 
 WHAT SECTIONS TO VISIT. 
 
 If you go in by way of the Saranacs, do not 
 camp down in that section as some do, but pass 
 over Indian Carry, through the Spectacle Lakes and 
 Eamshorn Creek (called by some Stony Creek), 
 into the Eacquette Eiver. Then turn up or down 
 as you please. If you desire to see some of tlie 
 finest scenery imaginable, pass up the Eacquette to 
 Long Lake, and, when some two miles up the lake, 
 turn your face toward the north, and you Avill be- 
 hold what is worth the entire journey to see. 
 Then go on, and do not camp until you do so on the 
 southern or w^estern shore of Eacquette Lake. Here 
 you wiU find good sporting and scenery unsur- 
 passed. Build here your central camp, and, as soon 
 as you are established, take your boat and go over 
 to the " Wood's Place," and from the knoll on 
 which the house stands you will gaze upon one of 
 the finest water views in the world. Then visit 
 Terrace Lodge, on an island to the front and left of 
 you, and, climbing up the ledge, you will either find 
 the wTiter there to welcome you, or see where he 
 and one better than he have passed many delight- 
 
WHAT SECTIOxNS TO VISTf. 53 
 
 ful hours. Only beware how you appropriate it, 
 for we have a sort of life-lease on that camp- 
 ground, and may appear to claim possession when 
 you least expect us. Then paddle to Beaver Bay, 
 and find that point in it from which you can 
 arouse a whole family of sleeping echoes along 
 the western ridge and the heavy woods opposite. 
 Then go to Constable Point, and quench your thirst 
 at the coolest, sweetest spring of pure water from 
 which you ever drank. Go next to the southern 
 part of the lake, so hidden behind the islands tliat 
 you wovdd never suspect such a lovely sheet of 
 water lay beyond, with its two beautiful reaches of 
 softly shining sand, one white as silver, the other 
 yellow as gold ; and in the waters which lave the 
 golden, find the best bathing in the whole wilder- 
 ness. Do not leave this region until you have 
 made an excursion to that Lake George in minia- 
 ture. Blue Mountain Lake, and fill your mind 
 with an im^^ression which will remain in memo- 
 ry as one of the sweet and never-to-be-forgotten 
 recollections of life. When you have retraced 
 your progress up, and reached the moutli of Eams- 
 liorn Creek, kce[) on down the Bacquette until you 
 have swung round to Big Tupper Lake and lunched 
 on the sloping ledge over which the outlet of 
 Bound Lake and Little Tupper pours its full tide in 
 thunder and foam ; and, if it be not too late in the 
 season, and you know how to use the rod, you will 
 
54 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 raise, amid the froth and eddies of the falls, some 
 of the largest, gamiest, brightest-tinted trout tliat 
 ever gladdened a sportsman's eye. Then, if you are 
 robust and full of pluck, force your way over the 
 four-mile carry, between the Falls and Eound Lake, 
 and, hurrying on through its sluggish waters, do 
 not pause until you enter the narrow, secluded 
 stretch of Little Tupper. But the moment you 
 enter stop, joint your rod, and noose on your 
 strongest leader and largest flies, for you will 
 find right there, at the entrance of Bog Creek, 
 trout that will put your skill and tackle to the 
 severest test. When I passed through that region 
 last, I left, as John expressed it, "more than five 
 boat-load of fish " in that deep, sluggish pool. 
 Honest John Plumbley, the prince of guides, patient 
 as a hound, and as faithful, — a man who knows the 
 wilderness as a farmer knows his fields, whose in- 
 stinct is never at lault, whose temper is never ruf- 
 fled, wdiose paddle is silent as falling snow, whose 
 eye is true along the sights, whose pancakes are 
 the wonder of the woods, — honest, patient, and 
 modest John Plumbley, may he live long beyond 
 the limit so few of us attain, and depart at last full 
 of peace as he will full of honors, God bless him ! 
 As you pass out, visit the St. Eegis waters, by 
 the way of Big Wolf, and Eollin's Pond, and Long 
 Pine, and so circle dowii to " mine host " at Mar- 
 tin's. What a trip you will have had, what won- 
 
BLACK FLIES. 55 
 
 ders seen, what rare experiences enjoyed ! How 
 many evenings will pass on " golden wings " at 
 home, as friends draw close their circle around the 
 glowing grate, and listen as you rehearse the story 
 of your adventures, — shoot over again your " first 
 buck," and land for the hundredth time your " big- 
 sest " trout I 
 
 BLACK FLIES. 
 
 I will speak of these and other nuisances before 
 I close, in order to state the exact truth in refer- 
 ence to a subject concerning which newspaper and 
 magazine ^\Titers have given the public an erro- 
 neous impression. The spirit of exaggeration, and 
 the necessity of " getting up a good article," have 
 contributed to the dissemination of " anecdotes " 
 and " experiences " which are the merest balderdash 
 imaginable. I am prompted, therefore, to make, 
 as we were accustomed to say in college, a " plain 
 statement of facts," that my readers may know 
 precisely how much inconvenience a tourist or 
 sportsman is subject to, from this source, among 
 the Adirondacks. The black fly, concerning which 
 so much of the horrible has been written, is a 
 small, dark-colored fly, about the size of a red ant. 
 Its bite is not severe, nor is it ordinarily poisonous. 
 There may be an occasional exception to this rule ; 
 
no ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 but beside the bite of tlie mosquito it is compara- 
 tively mild and liarmless. This fly prevails during 
 the month of June and disappears early in July. 
 It also invariably retires at the setting of the 
 sun, and gives you no more trouble until late in 
 the morning. I regard it as one of the most harm- 
 less and least vexatious of the insect family. For 
 five years my wife and self have camped in the 
 ■wilderness; we have traversed it near and far, 
 sleeping where the night found us, liut we ha-\-e 
 never been, to any extent wortli mentioning, 
 disturbed by its presence. The black fly, as pic- 
 tured by " our Adirondack correspondent," like the 
 Gorgon of old, is a myth, — a monster existing 
 only in men's feverish imaginations. 
 
 MOSQUITOES. 
 
 In some localities these are numerous, but with 
 care in the selection of your camp you will 
 not be very much troubled. A headland, or a 
 point which projects into a lake, over which the 
 wind sweeps, or, better still, an island, is excel- 
 lent ground for a camp, where mosquitoes "\^'ill 
 not embarrass you. 
 
 Gnats can also be avoided by the same care; 
 and, in my way of thinldng, they are much worse 
 than the black fly or mosquito. 
 
MOSQUITOES. 57 
 
 Against all these insects you can find abundant 
 protection. The following precautions, which we 
 have adopted with complete success, I would recom- 
 mend, especially to such of my lady readers as con- 
 template a visit to this or any other inland region. 
 For the hands, take a pair of common buckskin 
 gloves and sew on at the wrists a gauntlet or 
 armlet of chamois-skin, reaching to the elbow, 
 and tigliihj huttoncd around. Do not leave any 
 opening, however small, at the \\T.ist, else the 
 gnats may creep up the arm. This gives per- 
 fect protection to the hand. For the face, take a 
 yard and a half of Swiss mull, and gather it with 
 an elastic band into the form of a sack or bag. 
 Have the elastic so as to slip over the head, which 
 when you have done, fix the elastic inside the 
 collar-band, and you can laugh defiance at the mos- 
 quitoes and gnats. "We, in addition to this, take in 
 a piece of verij fine muslin, some four yards square, 
 which, if threatened with gnats or flies, having first 
 thoroughly smoked the tent or lodge, we drop over 
 the front or doorway, and behind its protection sleep 
 undisturbed. To sportsmen, and indeed to all, I 
 suggest this also. Take in a bottle of sweet oil 
 and a vial of tar. These the guide will mix, and 
 with a small bottle of the compound in your pock- 
 et you can go and come night or day as you please. 
 All manner of insects abhor the smell of tar. 
 When, therefore, you have need to fish or hunt or 
 
 3* 
 
58 ADVKNTUKKS IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 journey where they may be expected, pour out a 
 little into the palm of your hand and anoint your 
 face with it. To most persons the scent of tar is 
 not offensive, and tlie mixture washes off on the 
 first application of soap and water, leaving no trace 
 or taint. To reconcile my lady readers to it, I 
 may add, that it renders the skin soft and smooth 
 as an infant's. 
 
 I have mentioned these various protections, not 
 because we often resort to them, but simply from 
 a desire to furnish my readers ample knowledge 
 for every emergency. Last summer we were in 
 the wilderness nearly two months, but suffered 
 more in the first two weeks after our return, in a 
 city in Connecticut, than during our entire stay in 
 the woods. Care in the selection of your camp, 
 and the employment of the above-mentioned meth- 
 ods of protection, will obviate every difficulty and 
 make you as free from inconvenience as you would 
 be in the majority of New England villages. 
 
 LADIES' OUTFIT. 
 
 A lady at my elbow, recalling how valuable a 
 few suggestions would have been to her five years 
 ago in respect to what is most appropriate and 
 serviceable for a lady to wear in the wilderness, 
 inserts the following list : — 
 
LADIES' OUTFIT. 59 
 
 A net of fine Swiss mull, made as we have pre- 
 viously described, as protection against mosqui- 
 toes, gnats, etc. 
 
 A pair of buckskin gloves, with armlets of cha- 
 mois-skin or thick drilling, sewed on at the wrist 
 of the glove and buttoned near the elbow so tightly 
 as to prevent the entrance of flies. 
 
 For the head, a soft felt hat, such as gentlemen 
 wear, rather broad in the brim. This is light and 
 cool for the head, and a good protection from sun 
 and rain. 
 
 A flannel change throughout. 
 
 Thick balmoral boots, with rubbers. 
 
 A pair of camp shoes, water-proof, warm and 
 roomy. 
 
 Short w^alking-dress, with Turkish draw^ers fas- 
 tened with a band tightly at the ankle. 
 
 Waterproof or rubber coat and cap. 
 
 A pair of Lisle-thread or kid gloves. 
 
 To this I add, as it occurs to me at this point, 
 that no party should go into the wilderness unpro- 
 vided with linen bandages, prepared lint, salve, 
 and whatever else iS needed in case of acci- 
 dent. You will not, probably, have occasion to 
 use them, but if any casualty should occur they 
 would be of the utmost service. 
 
60 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 WILD ANIMALS. 
 
 I am often asked, especially by ladies, if it is 
 not dangerous to take such a trip, and if wild ani- 
 mals do not abound in the wilderness ; and I 
 know that many are deterred from making the 
 excursion because of their timidity. The only 
 animals concerning which the most timid could be 
 alarmed are the bear, wolf, and panther. The 
 latter is a very ugly neighbor indeed, and the 
 less you have to do with him the better. I am 
 tolerably familiar with wood life, and the sights 
 and sounds of such danger as one is liable to 
 meet in the wilderness ; and John and I have 
 slept more than once, calmly enougli, with our 
 rifles inside our blankets, not knowing when we 
 lay down what cry might awaken us ; but I should 
 not purposely put myself in the way of a panther, 
 unless I could run my eye along the sights of my 
 double rifle when the l)arrels were freshly charged. 
 In speaking of the panther, I do not, of course, al- 
 lude to the Canadian wild-cat, with which the igno-' 
 rant often confound the panther, but to the puma 
 itself, an animal which often measures twelve fee^ 
 from tip to tip, and is the slyest, strongest, bloodiest 
 ranger of the woods. Now, fortunately, the pan- 
 ther is almost wholly unknown in this region. A 
 few still live among the loneliest defiles an4 darkest 
 
WILD ANIMALS. 61 
 
 gorges of the Adirondack Mountaius, but they 
 never come down, unless in the depth of winter, 
 to the shores of the lakes to the west, or the banks 
 of the rivers. Many years have passed since one 
 has been seen by any of the guides. The region 
 traversed by parties is as free from them as the 
 State of Massachusetts. 
 
 Black bears abound in some localities, but 
 more timid, harmless creatures do not exist, all the 
 old stories to the contrary notwithstanding. In 
 temper and action toward men they resemble veiy 
 closely the woodchuck. Their first and only anx- 
 iety is to esca^ie man's presence. If you penetrate 
 far enough into the wilderness, you will occasional- 
 ly, at night, hear them nosing around your camp, 
 with liedgehogs and the like, but ever careful to keejD 
 out of your sight. A stick, piece of bark, or tin plate 
 shied in tlie direction of the noise, will scatter 
 them like cats. The same is true of wolves. They 
 are only too anxious to keep out of your sight and 
 hearing. Touch a match to an old stump, and in 
 two hours there will not be a wolf within ten miles 
 of 3f ou. I wish all to take the statement as in every 
 sense true, when I declare that there is absolutely 
 no danger, nor indeed the least approach to danger, 
 in camping in the wilderness. Many and many a 
 night has my wife, when John and I were off on a 
 hunt, slept soundly and without a thought of 
 danger, in the depths of the forest, lifty miles 
 
62 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 from even a hunter's cabin. It is true that her 
 education in woodcraft is more extensive than 
 that of most ladies, and, for presence of mind, 
 quickness and skill with the ritie, many so-called 
 " crack shots " might well take lessons of her ; but 
 were this not true, I regard a camp, granted only 
 that it be so far in that men cannot reach it, as a 
 place of absolute security. 
 
 PROVISIONS. 
 
 All you need to carry in with you is 
 
 Coffee, Pepper, 
 
 Tea, Butter (this optional), 
 
 Sugar, Pork, and Condensed Milk. 
 
 Always take crushed sugar ; powdered sugar is 
 not easily picked up if the bag bursts and lets it 
 out among the pine-stems. 
 
 If you are a " high liver," and wish to take in 
 canned fruits and jellies, of course you can do so. 
 But these are luxuries which, if you are wise, 
 you will leave behind you. 
 
 BILL OF FARE. 
 
 I am often asked, " What do you have to egit up 
 there ? " In order to answer the very natural 
 «[uestion, and show the reader that I do not starve, 
 
BILL OF FARE. 63 
 
 I will give my bill of fare as you can have 
 it served, if you will call at my camp on the 
 Eacci^uette next July. This is no " fancy sketch," 
 but a bona fide list which I have " gone through " 
 more than once, and hope to many times more. 
 
 Vegetcibles. 
 Potatoes, boiled, fried, or mashed. 
 
 Meats. 
 Venison, roast. Venison sausages. 
 
 " steak, broiled. " hash. 
 
 " fried. " spitted. 
 
 Fish. 
 l^ke TrOut (salmon). Trout (spotted). 
 Boiled. Fried (in meal). 
 
 Baked. Broiled. 
 
 Broiled. Spitted. 
 
 Chowder. 
 
 Pancakes, with maple sirup (choice). 
 Bread, warm and stale, both. 
 Coffee. Tea. 
 
 Now imagine that you have been out for eight 
 hours, with a cool, appetizing mountain breeze 
 blowing in your face, and then fancy yourself 
 seated before your T)ark tal)le in the shadow of the 
 pines, with the water rippling at your feet ; a lake 
 
64 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 dotted with islands, and walled in with mountains, 
 before you, and such a bill of fare to select from, 
 and then tell me if it looks like starvation ? If a 
 man cannot make a pound of Hesh per day on that 
 diet, I pity him ! 
 
 And now, patient reader, having given j^ou all 
 the information necessary to make you acquainted 
 with the geography of the wilderness, the charac- 
 ter of the sporting tlierein, the outfit needed for 
 the excursion, tlie best routes of entrance, and 
 certain suggestions as to hotels, guides, and con- 
 trivances of protection from gnats and flies, I close 
 this chapter with the wish that you may find, in 
 excursions which you may make thereto, the health 
 and happiness which have, upon its waters and 
 under its softly murmuring pines, come to me, and 
 more abundantly — as to one w^ho needed them 
 more — to her who joins me in the hope of meet- 
 ing you amid the lilies which fleck with snow its 
 rivers, or in the merry circle, free from care, wdiich, 
 on some future evening, we hope to gather around 
 our camp-fire. 
 
11. 
 
 THE NAMELESS CREEK. 
 
 \ T A^as five o'clock in the afternoon when, aftei 
 J- three hours of constant struggle with the cur- 
 rent, we burst our way througli a mass of alder- 
 bushes and marsh-grass, and beliuld, tlie lake lay 
 before us ! Wet from head to foot, panting from 
 my recent exertion, having eaten nothing since 
 seven in the morning, and weary from ten hours' 
 steady toil, I felt neitlier weariness nor hunger as 
 I gazed upon the scene. Shut in on all sides by 
 mountains, mirrored from Ijase to summit in its 
 placid bosom, bordered here with fresh green 
 grass and there with reaches of golden sand, and 
 again with patches of liHes, whose fragrance,mingled 
 with the scent of balsam and pine, filled the air, 
 the lake reposed unruffled and serene. 
 
 I know of nothing wliich carries the mind so far 
 back toward the creative period as to stand on the 
 shore of such a sheet of water, knowing that as you 
 behold it, so has it been for ages. The water 
 \i hich laves your feet is the same as that which 
 flowed when the springs wliich feed it were first 
 uncapped. No rude axe has smitten- the forests 
 
66 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 which grow upon the mountains ; even the grass at 
 your side is as the parent spire which He who 
 ordereth all commands to bring forth seed after 
 its kind. All around you is as it was in the begin- 
 ning. I know not how long I should thus have 
 stood musing, but for a motion of John's, which 
 broke the chain of thought and brought my mind 
 back to the practical realization that we were 
 wet, hungry, and tired. In the middle of the lake 
 was a large flat rock, rising some two feet above the 
 surface of the water. Stepping noiselessly into our 
 boat, we paddled to the rock, and, wringing our drip- 
 ping garments, stretched ourselves at full length 
 upon it to dry. 0, the pleasant sensation of warmth 
 which that hard couch, to which the sun had given 
 a genial heat, communicated to us ! Never was bed 
 of eider-down so welcome to royal limbs as was 
 that granite ledge to ours. AVhat luxury to lie and 
 W'atcli the vapor roll up from your wet garments 
 while the warm rock gave out its heat to your 
 chilled body ! In an hour we were dry, at least 
 comparatively so, and we held a council. Our 
 commissariat Avas getting rather low. Our stores, 
 spread upon the rock, amounted to the following : 
 two pounds of pork, six pounds of flour, four meas- 
 ures of coffee, one half-pound of tea. John esti- 
 mated that this would last us three days, if I 
 had ordinary success with the rod. " But what 
 are we to do to-night? " I exclaimed ; " we have 
 
 i 
 
THE NAMELESS CREEK. 67 
 
 neither trout nor venison, and I am hungry enough 
 to eat those two pounds of pork alone, if I once 
 get fairly at it, and there goes the sun back of 
 the tree-tops now ? " " Well, unstrap your rod and 
 select your flies," responded he, " and we will see 
 what we can find. I don't mean to have you wrap 
 yourself around that piece of pork to-night any 
 way." I did as requested. For the tail fly I 
 noosed on a brown hackle, above it I tied a killer, 
 and for the dapper I hitched on a white moth. 
 Taking the bow seat, John paddled straight for the 
 west shore of the lake, and the light boat, cutting 
 its way through the lily-pads, shot into a narrow 
 aperture overhung with bushes and tangled grass, 
 and I saw a sight I never shall forget. We liad 
 entered the inlet of the lake, a stream some twenty 
 feet in width, whose waters were dark and sluggish. 
 The setting sun yet poured its radiance through the 
 overhanging pines, flecldng the tide with crimson 
 patches and crossing it here and there with goklen 
 lanes. Up this stream, flecked with gold and bor- 
 dered with lilies as far as the eye could reach, the 
 air was literally full of jumping trout. From amid 
 lily-pads, from under the overhanging grass, and 
 in the bright radiance poured along the middle of 
 the stream, the speckled beauties were launching 
 themselves. Here a little fellow would cut his 
 tiny furrow along the siirface after a fluttering 
 gnat ; there a larger one, with quivering fin and 
 
6S ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 open mouth, would fling liiniseK high into the air 
 in a brave attempt to seize a passing moth ; and 
 again, a two-pounder, like a miniature porpoise, 
 would lazily rise to the , surface, roll up his golden 
 side, and, flinging his broad tail upward, with a 
 splash disappear. Casting loose my flies and un- 
 coiling my leader, I made ready to cast ; but John, 
 unmindful or regardless of the motion, kept the even 
 sweep of his stroke. Eound tufted banks, under 
 overhanging pines, and through tangled lily-}!ads 
 we passed, and at every turn and up every stretch 
 of water the same sight presented itseK. At length, 
 sweeping sharply round a curve, John suddenly re- 
 versed his paddle and checked the boat, so that the 
 bow stood upon the very rim of a pool some forty 
 feet across. Dark and gloomy it lay, with its sur- 
 face as smooth as though no ripple had ever crossed 
 it No one would have guessed that beneath the 
 t/anquil surface lay life and sport. 
 
 Adjusting myself firndy on my narrow seat, un- 
 tangling the snells and gatliering up my leader, I 
 flung the flies into mid-air and launched them out 
 over the pool. The moment their feathery forms 
 had specked the water, a single gleam of yellow 
 light flashed up from the dark depth, and a trout, 
 clorsing his moutli upon the brown hackle, darted 
 downward. I struck and had him. A small trout 
 he proved to be, of only some half-pound weight. 
 After having passed him over to John to be disen- 
 
THE NAMELESS CREEK. G9 
 
 gaged, I again launched the flies out, which, paus- 
 ing a moment in mid-air as the straightened line 
 brought them up, began slowly to settle down, but 
 ere they touched the water four gleams of light 
 crossed the pool and four quivering forms, with 
 wide-spread tails and open mouths, leaped high 
 out of water. I struck, and, after a brief struggle, 
 landed two. From that moment the pool was lit- 
 erally alive with eager fish. The deep, dark water 
 actually effervesced, stirred into bul:)bles and foam. 
 Six trout did T see at once in mid-air, in zealous 
 rivalry to seize the coveted flies. Fifteen succes- 
 sive casts were made, and twenty-three trout 
 lay flaj)ping on the bottom of the boat. But of 
 them all none would weigh over three quarters 
 of a pound ; yet had I seen fish riee which must 
 have balanced twice that weight. I turned to John 
 and said, "Wliy don't some of those large ones 
 take the fly?" " Presently, presently," responded he. 
 " The little ones are too quick for them ; cast away 
 quick and sharp, waste no time, snap them off, never 
 mind the flies, and when you have cleared the sur- 
 face of the small fry you will see what lies at the 
 bottom." I complied. At last, after some forty 
 had been flung down the stream, the rises became 
 less frequent, the water less agitated, and, partly 
 to rest my \vrist and partly to give John time to 
 adjust new and larger flies, I paused. In five 
 minutes the current had cleared the pool of bub- 
 
70 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 bles, and the dark water settled gradually into sul- 
 len repose. " Now," said John, " lengthen your 
 line and cast at that patch of lily-pads lying under 
 the hemlock there, and if a large one rises, strike * 
 hard." I did as desired. The flies, in response 
 to the twist of the pliant rod, rose into the air, 
 darted forward, and, pausing over the lily-pads, 
 lighted deftly on the water. Scarcely had their 
 trail made itself visible on the smooth surface, be- 
 fore a two-pounder gleamed out of the dark depths, 
 and rolling his golden side up to the light, closed 
 his jaws upon the white moth. I struck. Stung 
 by the pain, he flung himself, with a mighty effort, 
 high in air, hoping to fall upon the leader and 
 snap the slender gut. Dropping the point of my 
 rod, he came harmlessly down upon the slack. 
 Eecovering himself, he dove to the bottom, sulking. 
 Bearing gradually upon his mouth, the only re- 
 sponse I got was a sullen sliaking, as a dog shakes 
 a woodchuck. Fearing his sharp teeth would cut 
 the already well-chafed snell, I bore stoutly upon 
 him, lifting him bodily up toward the surface. 
 When near the top, giving one desperate shake, 
 he started. Back and forth, round and round that 
 pool he flashed, a gleam of yellow liglit through 
 the dark water, until at last, wearied and exhausted 
 by his efforts, he rolled over upon his side and lay 
 
 * This word is one employed by sportsmen to denote the 
 motion with wliicli the fish is hooked. 
 
THE NA:iIELESS CREEK. 71 
 
 panting upon tlie surface. Jolm deftly passed the 
 landing-net under liim, and the next minute he lay 
 amid his smaller brethren in the boat. I paused a 
 moment to admire. A bluish-black trout he was, 
 dotted with spots of bright vermilion. His fins, 
 rosy as autumnal skies at sunset, were edged with 
 a border of purest white. His tail was broad and 
 thick ; eyes prominent, mouth wide and armed with 
 briery teeth. A trout in color and build rarely 
 seen, gamy and stanch. Noosing on a fresh fly in 
 place of the one his teeth had mangled, I made 
 ready for another cast. Expecting much, I was not 
 prepared for what followed. 
 
 Now, all ye lovers of bright waters and green- 
 sward, who lift a poor half-pounder with your Ijig 
 trolling-rod and call it sport, listen and learn what 
 befell one of your craft at sunset at the pool of the 
 Nameless Creek. Nameless let it be, until she who 
 most would have enjoyed it shall, on some future 
 sunset, floating amid the lilies, cast flies upon its 
 tide. 
 
 A backward motion of the tip, and a half-turn of 
 the wrist, and the three flies leaped ujjward and 
 ahead. Spreading themselves out as they reached 
 the limit of the cast, like flakes of feathery snow 
 they settled, wavering downward ; when suddenly 
 up out of the depth, cleaving the water in concert, 
 one to each fly, three trout appeared. At the 
 same instant, high in mid-air, their jaws closed on 
 
72 ADVKNTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 the barbed hooks. No shout from John was need- 
 ed to make me strike. I struck so quick and 
 strong that the leader twanged like a snapped 
 bow-string, and the tip of the light rod flew down 
 nearly to the reel. All three icerc lioolicd. Three 
 trout, weighing in the aggregate seven pounds, held 
 by a single hair on a nine-ounce rod, in a pool 
 fringed with lily-pads, forty by thirty feet across ! 
 
 Then followed what to enjoy again I would ride 
 thrice two hundred miles. The contest, requiring 
 nerve and skill on the fisher's part, was to keep the 
 plunging fish out of the lily-pads, in which, should 
 they once become entangled, the gut would part 
 like a thread of corn-silk or the spider's gossamer 
 line. Up and down, to and fro, they glanced. The 
 lithe rod bent like a coachman's whip to the un- 
 usual strain, and the leader sung as it cut through 
 the water with the whir of a pointed bullet. 
 
 At last, when at the farthest corner of the pool, 
 they doubled short upon tlie line, and as one fish 
 rushed straight for the boat. Fishermen know what 
 that movement means. " Give 'em the butt ! give 
 'em the butt ! " shouted John. " Smash your rod 
 or stop 'em ! " Never before had I feared to thrust 
 the butt of that rod out toward an advancing fish ; 
 but here were three, each large enough to task a 
 common rod, untired and frenzied with pain, rush- 
 ing directly toward me. If I hesitated, it was but 
 an instant, for the cry of John to " Smash her ! 
 
THE NAMELESS CREEK. 73 
 
 smash your rod or stop 'em ! " decided the matter. 
 Gripping the extreme butt with one hand, and 
 chitcliing the reel with the other, I hehl them 
 steadily out, toward the oncoming fish. " Good 
 by, old rod," I mentally exclaimed, as I saw 
 the three gleaming forms dash under the boat ; 
 "standi as you are, you can't stand that." An 
 instant, and the pressure came upon the reel. I 
 gripped it tightly, not giving an inch. The pliant 
 rod doubled itself up under the strain, until the 
 point of the tip was stretched a foot below the 
 hand which grasped the Initt, and the quivering 
 lance-wood lay across the distended knuckles. Nor 
 fish nor rod could stand that pressure long. I 
 could feel the fibres creep along the delicate shaft, 
 and the mottled line, woven of choicest silk, at- 
 tenuated under the strain, seemed like a single hair. 
 I looked at John. His eyes were fastened upon the 
 rod. I glanced down the stream, and even at the 
 instant the three magnificent fish, forced gradually 
 up l)y the pliancy of what they could not break, 
 broke the smooth surface and lay with open 
 mouths and gasping gills upon the tide. In 
 trying to land the three, the largest one escaped. 
 The other two averaged sixteen inches long. AVith- 
 in tlie space of forty minutes nearly a hundred 
 trout had been taken, fifty of which, varying from 
 one quarter of a pound to two pounds and a half in 
 weight, lay along the bottom of the boat; the rest 
 
 4 
 
74 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 had been cast back into the water, as unhooked by 
 John. It was Saturday evening. The sun had 
 gone down behind the western mountains, and amid 
 the gathering shadows we sought a camp. We 
 found one in the shape of a small bark lodge, which 
 John himself had erected fourteen years previous, 
 when, in company with an old trapper, he camped 
 one fall upon the shores of this lake. Kindling 
 a fire in the long-neglected fireplace, we sat down 
 to our supper under the clear sky already thickly 
 dotted with stars. From seven in the morning 
 until eight in the evening we had been without 
 food. I have an indistinct recollection that I 
 put myself outside of elev^en trout, and that John 
 managed to surround nine more. But there may 
 be an error of one or two either way, for I am under 
 the impression that my mental faculties were not 
 in the best working condition at the close of the 
 meal. John recollects distinctly that he cooked 
 twenty-one fish, and but three could be found in 
 the pan when we stopped eating, which he care- 
 fully laid aside that we might take a bite before 
 going to sleep ! 
 
 Our meal was served up in three courses. The 
 first course consisted of trout and pancakes ; the 
 second course, pancakes and trout ; the tliird, fish 
 and flapjacks. 
 
III. 
 
 RUNNING THE RAPIDS. 
 
 •• "\ T OW for the rapids," said John, as our boat 
 ■^ ^ left the tranqviil waters of the lake, and, 
 sweeping around a huge shelving ledge, shot into 
 the narrow channel, where the Waters, converged 
 from either shore, were gathering themselves for 
 the foam and thunder below. 
 
 The rapids were three miles in length, — one 
 stretch of madly rushing water, save where, at the 
 foot of some long flight or perpendicular fall, a 
 pool lay, specked with bubbles, and flecked with 
 patches of froth. The river is paved with rocks, 
 and full of boulders, amid which the water glides 
 smooth and deep, or dashes with headlong vio- 
 lence against them. And ever and anon, at the 
 head of some steep declivity, gathering itself for 
 flight, downward it shoots with arrowy swiftness, 
 until, bursting over a fall, it buries itself in the 
 pool beneath. 
 
 At the head of such a stretch of water, whose 
 roar and murmur filled the air, we ran our boats 
 ashore. Never until this season had these rapids 
 been run, even by the guides ; and now, untried, 
 
76 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 inexperienced, against the advice of friends, I was 
 to attempt, unaided and alone, to guide my boat 
 past ledge, through torrents, and over waterfalls, 
 to the still bay below. The preparation was 
 simple, and soon made. I strapped my rifle, rod, 
 and all my baggage to the sides and bottom of the 
 boat, relaced my moccasins and tightened my belt, 
 so that, in case I stove the shell, or, failing to keep 
 her steady, should cajDsize her, I might take to the 
 water light, and have my traps drift ashore with 
 the wreck. Nevertheless, I did not intend that 
 the boat should upset ; indeed, the chances were 
 in my favor. Oars and boats had been my play- 
 things from a boy ; and wild indeed must be the 
 current up and across which I could not shoot 
 the shell in which I sat, — made of forest pine, 
 fourteen feet in length, sharp as an arrow, and 
 weighing but seventy pounds. In addition, John 
 had given me valuable hints, the sum of which 
 might be expressed thus : " In currents, keep her 
 straight ; look out for underlying rocks, and smash 
 your oars before you smash your boat." " Little 
 danger," I said to myself, " of snapping oar-blades 
 made of second-growth ash, and only eight feet 
 from butt to tip." Yet it was not without some 
 misgiving that I shot my boat out into the swift 
 current, and with steady stroke held her on the 
 verge of the first flight of water, while I scanned 
 the foam and eddies for the best opening between 
 
RUNNING THK RAPIDS. 77 
 
 the rocks to get her through. In shooting ra[)- 
 ids the oarsman faces down stream in order to 
 watch the currents, direct his course, and, if need 
 be, when within his power, and danger is ahead, to 
 check his flight and choose another course. The 
 great thing and the essential thing to learn and 
 do is to take the advantage of the currents, whirls, 
 and eddies, so as to sway your boat, and pass from 
 this to that side of the rapids easily. The agree- 
 ment was, that John should precede me in his 
 boat ; that I, watching his motions, and guided 
 by his course somewhat, might be assisted in the 
 descent by his experience. A good arrangement, 
 surely ; but 
 
 " The best laid schemes o' mice and men 
 Gang aft agley," 
 
 as we found before half a mile of the course 
 had been run ; for my l)oat, being new and light, 
 beside less lieavily loaded than John's, caught at 
 the head of some falls by the swift current, darted 
 down the steep decline, and entering side by side, 
 with a mighty leap, the yeasty foam, shot out 
 ahead, and from that moment led the race to the 
 foot of the rapids. But I anticipate. 
 
 Thus, as I said, I sat in my boat, holding her 
 steadily, by strength of oar, in mid-stream, where 
 the water smoothed itself for the plunge, until 
 John, with friend Burns sitting upon his feet like 
 
78 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 a Yurk, on the bottom of the boat, holding on to 
 either side with his hands to steady himself 
 (whether John had strapped him down or not i 
 can't surely say), pushed from shore, and, taking 
 the current above, brushed swiftly by, with the 
 injunction to " follow." I obeyed. Down we 
 glided, past rock and ledge, swerving now this 
 side, now that, sweeping round giant boulders and 
 jutting banks, down under the dark balsams and 
 overhanging pines, the suction growing stronger 
 and stronger, the flight swifter, until the boats, 
 like eagles swooping on one prey, took the last 
 utretch almost side by side, and, lifted high up on 
 the verge of the first falls, made the wild leaj) 
 together, and disappeared into the yeasty foam^ 
 whence, rising buoyantly, uplifted by the swelling 
 water, shot out of the foam and mist, and, like 
 birds fresh from sport, floated cork-like on the 
 pool below. 
 
 We paused a moment to breathe, when, looking 
 up, the two remaining boats, guided by Jerry and 
 the younger Eobinson, bearing Southwick and 
 Everitt as passengers, came sweeping round the 
 curve, and rushing, as from the roof of a house, 
 to the brink of the fall, flung themselves into the 
 abyss, and in a moment lay along our side. The 
 excitement was intense. No words can describe 
 the exhilaration of such a fliglit. It was thought, 
 after mature delil)erati()n by the company, that 
 
RUNNING THE RAPIDS. 79 
 
 Everitt's delighted yell alone, in ordinary weather, 
 with a little wind in its favor, might have been 
 heard easily sixteen miles. His whole being, cor- 
 poral and spiritual, seemed to resolve itself into 
 one prolonged howl of unmitigated happiness. 
 
 Having rested ourselves, we started again. By 
 this time, brief as the experience had been, I had 
 learned much as to the action of currents, and \\'as 
 able to judge pretty correctly how low a rock or 
 ledge lay under water l)y the size and motion of 
 the swirl above it. One learns fast in action ; 
 and fifteen minutes of actual experience amid 
 rapids does more to teach the eye and hand what 
 to do, and how to do it, than any amount of infor- 
 mation gathered from other sources. To sit in 
 your light shell of a boat, in mid-current, with 
 rocks on either side, where the bed of the river 
 declines at an angle of thirty degrees, knowing 
 that a miscalculation of the eye, a misstroke of the 
 oar or the least shaking of the muscles will send 
 your boat rolling over and over, and you under it, 
 has a very strong tendency to make a man look 
 sharp and keep his wits about him. 
 
 AVell, as I said, we started. For some fifty rods 
 the current was comparatively smooth and slow. 
 Tlie river was wide and the decline not sharp. 
 The chief difficulty we found to be in avoiding the 
 stones and rocks with which the bottom of the 
 river is paved, and which in many places were 
 
80 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 barely covered. My boat, with only myself in it, 
 needed but some two inches of water to float in, 
 and would pass safely over where tlie other boats 
 would touch or refuse to go at all. It required 
 great care on the part of the guides to let theirs 
 over gently, as their bottoms are but little thicker 
 than pasteboard, and held by small copper tacks. 
 At last the shallows were past, and, Ijringing our 
 boats in line, one behind the other, we made all 
 ready for another rush. The sight from this point 
 was grand. Our boats were poised as on the 
 ridge-board of a house, while below, for some 
 twenty rods, the water went tearing down ; now 
 gliding over a smooth shelving ledge, with the 
 quick, tremulous motion of a serpent, and now 
 torn to shreds by jagged rocks at tlie bottom, and 
 again beat back by huge boulders which lifted 
 themselves in mid-current, presenting to the 
 eye one continuous stretch of mad turmoil and 
 riot. At the foot of the reach the eye could just 
 discern the smooth, glassy rim of a fall, we knew 
 not how high, while far down the river, shut from 
 view by a sharp curve, the rush and roar of other 
 falls rose sullenly up through the heavy pines and 
 overhanii'inu' hemlocks, which almost arched the 
 current from side to side. At a word from John, 
 who, leading the van, sat as a warrior might sit 
 his steed, bareheaded and erect, the oars were 
 lifted, and the freed boats, as though eager for 
 
RUNNING THE RAPIDS. 81 
 
 flight, started downward. Away, away they flew. 
 If before they went like birds, they went like 
 eagles noAV. No keeping in line here ; each man 
 for himself in this wild race ; and woe to boatman 
 and to boat if an oar should break or oar-bolt 
 snap. Close after John, gaining at every rush, 
 my light boat sped. No thought for others, all 
 eye and nerve for self, with a royal upleaping of 
 blood, as my face, wet with the spray, clove 
 through the air, I flashed until the fall was 
 reached, and, side by side, with trailing oars, we 
 took the leap together. Down, down we sank 
 into the feathery foam ; the froth flung high over 
 us as we splashed into it. Down, down, as if the 
 pool had no bottom, we went, our boats half full 
 of spume and foam, till the reacting water under- 
 neath caught the light shells up and flung them 
 out of the yeast and mist, dripping inside and out, 
 from stem to stern, as sea-birds rising from a 
 plunge. No stop nor stay for breathing here. 
 Around the curve, by no effort of mine leading 
 the race, I went, swept down another reach and 
 over another fall, and, without power to pause a 
 moment, entered into the third before I had time 
 to think. Steeper than all behind, it lay before 
 me, but straight, and for a distance smooth, for 
 aught I could see as I shook the spray from my 
 eyes, until it narrowed, and the converging tor- 
 rent met between two overhanging rocks in one 
 
 4* » 
 
82 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 huge ridge of tossing, swelling w^ater. What lay 
 below I knew not ; how steep the fall, or on what 
 bottom I should land. In rapids, John had told 
 me, the wildest water was the safest, and so I 
 steered straight for the highest swell of water and 
 the whitest foam. Fancy a current, rods in width, 
 converging as it glides, until the mass of rushing 
 water is brought as into an eaves-trough five feet 
 across, with sharp, jutting rocks for sides, where 
 the compressed water flings itself wildly up, in- 
 dignant at the restraint put upon it ; and then 
 fancy yourself in a boat weighing but seventy 
 pounds, gliding down with a swiftness almost 
 painful into the narrow funnel through which, 
 bursting, you must shoot a fall you cannot see, 
 but whose roar rises heavily over the dash of the 
 torrent, and you can realize what it is to shoot the 
 rapids of the Eacquette Eiver, and my position at 
 the time. 
 
 Balancing myself nicely on the seat, dipping 
 the oar-blades until their lower edges brushed 
 along the tide, I kept my eyes steadily upon the 
 narrow aperture, and let her glide. Nothing but 
 the pressure of the air upon the cheek, as the face 
 clove it, and the sharp whistling of the seething 
 current, bespeaks the swiftness with which you 
 move. When near the narrow gorge, — which 
 you must take square in the centre, and in direct 
 line, or smash your boat to flinders, — while the 
 
RUNNING THE RAPIDS. 83 
 
 width would yet allow, wishing some steerage-way 
 before I entered the chasm, I threw my whole 
 strength upon the oars. The lithe ash bent to 
 the strain, and the boat quivered from stem to 
 stern under the quick stroke. Then, bending for- 
 ward upon the seat, with oars at a trail, I shot 
 into the opening between the rocks. For an in- 
 stant the oar-blades grated along their sides, and 
 then, riding upon the crest of a Avave, I passed out 
 of the damp passage, and lo ! the fall whose roar I 
 had heard yawned just beneath me. Quick as 
 thought, I swung the oars ahead, and as the bil- 
 \o\v lifted me high up upon the very brink, gave 
 way with all my might. AYhatever spare strength 
 I had lying anywhere about me, at that particular 
 point of time, I am under the impression was 
 thrown into those oar-blades. The boat was fairly 
 lifted off the wave, and shot into the air. For an 
 instant, it touched neither water nor foam, then 
 dropped into the boiling caldron. Another stroke 
 and it darted out of the seething mass with less 
 than a gallon of water along the bottom. 
 
 TJie rapids ivcrc run ! Wiping the sweat from 
 my face, and emptying the water from the barrels 
 of my rifle, I rested on my oars, to see the boys 
 come down. 0, royal sight it was, to see them 
 come, one after another, — John leading the van, 
 — over the verge ! As boats in air they seemed, 
 witli airy boatmen, as they came dashing along. 
 
84 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 0, royal sport, to see tliem glide like arrows down 
 the steep, at an angle so sharp that I conld see the 
 bottom board in each boat, from stem to stern ! 
 0, noble sight to see them enter in between the 
 mighty rocks, — the chasm shutting them from 
 view a moment, — from which, emerging in 
 quick succession, with mighty leaps, quivering 
 like sporting fish, they shot the falls triumph- 
 antly ! 
 
 What sports have we in house and city like 
 those which the children of wood and stream 
 enjoy ? — heroic sports which make heroic men. 
 Sure I am, that never until we four have done 
 with boats and boating, and, under other pilotage, 
 have entered into and passed through the waters 
 of a colder stream, shall we forget the running of 
 the Eacquette Eapids, on that bright summer day. 
 And often, as we pause a moment from work, 
 above the harsh rumble of car and cart, the sound 
 of file and hammer, rises the roar of the rapids. 
 And often, through the hot, smoky air of town 
 and city, to cool and refresh us, will drift, from 
 the far north, tlie breeze that blows forever on the 
 Eacquette, rich with the odors of balsam and of 
 pine. 
 
 That night I slept upon the floor at Palmer's, 
 proud to feel that I was the first " gentleman " — 
 in the language of the guides — " that ever ran 
 the rapids " ; prouder of that than of deeds, at- 
 
RUNNING THE RAPIDS. 8o 
 
 tempted or done, of which most men would longer 
 dream. I nearly forgot to state that several un- 
 earthly yells in the chamber overhead, during the 
 night, revealed the fact ^,hat somebody, in dreams, 
 was still rimning the rapids. 
 
IV. 
 
 THE BALL. 
 
 WE were seven in all, — as jolly a set of fel- 
 lows as ever rollicked under the pines, 
 or startled the owls with laughter, that summer 
 of '67, when camping on the Eacquette. Our com- 
 pany represented a variety of business and profes- 
 sions ; but, happily, we were of one temper and 
 taste. 
 
 There was Hubbard, a gentleman faultless in 
 bearing and speech ; the fit of whose coat and the 
 gloss of whose boots, whether you met him in Wall 
 Street or at his manufactory in Connecticut, might 
 well stir the envy of an exquisite. There was 
 Everitt, to whose name you could write photog- 
 rapher, artist, violinist ; the most genial, sunny, 
 kind-hearted, and roUicksome fellow that ever en- 
 livened a camp, or blest the world with his pres- 
 ence. South wick, when at home, supplied half the 
 city with soles ; Avho sells boots and shoes in such 
 a manner as to make you feel, as you go stamping 
 away from his presence, that he has done you a spe- 
 cial favor in condescending to take your money at 
 all ; a man who crossed tlie Isthmus, and tunnelled 
 
THE BALL. 87 
 
 the gulches of California for gold in 1848 ; a shrewd, 
 wide-awake Yankee, such as are grown principally 
 in that smartest of all our States, — the Nutmeg 
 State. And there, too, was Fitch, who had han- 
 dled the saw and lancet in the army during the 
 Nvar. And Fay, the la^^"yer, who had fought the 
 battle all young laAvy^ers must fight, and Avon. 
 And Burns, and the I'arson. A goodly set of 
 fellows, one and all, e(j^ually ready for business or 
 fun. 
 
 We were on our way " out," bronzed and tough 
 from exposure to the sun, water, and wind ; and 
 with hearts as free from care and as liu'ht as chil- 
 dren's, we clomb the hill, at the base of which we 
 had run our boats ashore, and entered, with merry 
 greetings. Uncle Palmer's house. What a hungry 
 set we were, when, at four o'clock that afternoon, 
 we drew up to that never-to-be forgotten table ! 
 What jokes and stories and peals of laughter en- 
 livened the repast, and made the tal)le and dishes 
 shake and clatter as the meal progressed. N(j 
 coarseness nor rudeness there ; each man a gentle- 
 man, still, amid the liveliest sally of wit and loud- 
 est roar of merriment. At last the meal was o\-er, 
 and we adjourned to the open air to smoke or 
 lounge, or to engage in rivalry of skill, until the 
 day, rich in its summer loveliness, should fade 
 away. Several matches with the rifle — the result 
 of boastful banter — at last enoaiie the attention of 
 
90 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 this had the true sermon ring. No, I had not lost 
 my power. My birthright had not been filched 
 from me. I began to feel the oratorical impulse 
 once more. I drew myself up, closed the thumb 
 and two middle fingers of my left hand, and point- 
 ing the other two directly at the audience, as I had 
 seen some of our celebrated orators, clenched the 
 fight fist, and shook it at an invisible foe over 
 my head, — a gesture borrowed from some of our 
 Congressmen, — and shouted : " Dancing will be a 
 perilous amusement to you to-night ; because — 
 because — " I lost the connection here, but re- 
 membering what a slight matter such a lapse is 
 in a sermon, before most congregations, and feel- 
 ing that it would not do to stop just there, con- 
 tinued, — " beccmse it leads to a promiscuous min- 
 gling of the two sexes. On this ground I am 
 to-night, and ever shall be, opposed to it. I warn 
 you against Mr. Southwick's suggestion." 
 
 At this point I was interrupted by the most 
 uproarious tumult. Intense and indecorous mer- 
 riment seized the entire group. Hubbard was 
 pressing his hands against his sides in the 
 most suggestive manner. Everitt was hammer- 
 ing Southwick with both fists upon his back, in 
 the hope of saving him from death by stran- 
 gulation. It was impossible to proceed. I was 
 conscious that I ought to go on. I had several 
 splendid sentences all ready for utterance. I felt 
 
THE BALL. 91 
 
 that every moment I was losing my hold upon the 
 audience. Still the uproar grew. In wrath, min- 
 gled with love, I descended from the slabs, and 
 taking Burns gently but decidedly by the collar, 
 demanded the cause of his unseemly mirth. 
 
 Sobered slightly by my attitude, which was 
 sternly affectionate, Burns managed to articulate, 
 " How can there be a ' promiscuous mingling of the 
 sexes ' in this crowd ? " 
 
 I stood perfectly dumb. I saw the justness of 
 the criticism and the dilemma suggested. I real- 
 ized, at that moment, the value of logical connec- 
 tion. 
 
 Had my audience been in a church, and devoutly 
 drowsy or piously asleep, such a slight slip would 
 never have been noticed, and the report of the 
 sermon, ^^Titten out by a godless expert, who had 
 not left his hotel during the day, would have ap- 
 peared excellently in ^Monday's papers. 
 
 I retired in haste and mortification from the 
 yelling and writhing group ; nor did I regain my 
 composure until tlie sounds of Everitt's violin 
 cliarined tlie darkness from my soul as the harp 
 of David exorcised by its melody the wicked 
 spirit from the bosom of Saul. 
 
 Now Everitt is a natural fiddler. He fiddles as 
 easily as a rabbit runs. While camping on Con- 
 stable Point, on the Racquette, we had several 
 fconcerts. They were, in eveiy sense, impromptu 
 
92 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 affairs. The audience was small, but very appreci- 
 ative. (That sentence is not original. I borrowed 
 it from the musical column of the New York Her- 
 ald.) These concerts were especially well sus- 
 tained ; that is, for about four hours and a half 
 each time. We had some very fine singing at 
 those soirees. {Soirees is a good word. It sounds 
 well. That 's Avhy I use it.) I hesitate to in- 
 stance individual members of this troupe, lest it 
 should seem invidious. Hubbard is an excellent 
 singer. He missed his chance of eminence when 
 he went into business. He should have taken to 
 the stage. The Parson would have distinguished 
 himself, liad he lived before notes were invented. 
 iSTothing in the M^orld but notes prevents him from 
 ranking first class. Even this fact did not pre- 
 clude him from standing high in this company. 
 Nevertheless, I am still impressed with the thought 
 that he was born too late. I never listened to a 
 circle of amateurs wdio seemed to rise so superior 
 to the arbitrary dictum of the masters as did tliis. 
 Not one of them, so far as I could observe, allowed 
 any such artificial impediments as notes, pitch, 
 time, and the like, to obstruct the splendid out- 
 bursts of nature. In point of emphasis, which is, 
 as all my readers know, the great desideratum in 
 music, I judge them to be unrivalled. In tliat 
 classic stanza, 
 
 " There sat three crows upon a tree," 
 
THE BALL. 93 
 
 their emphasis was magnificent. But I was tell- 
 ing about Everitt's fiddling. Nature dealt botmti- 
 t'ully with my friend in tliis respect. His capacity 
 and perseverance in drawing a bow border on the 
 mar^'ellous. Indeed, he is a kind of animated mu- 
 sical machine. Set him going, and he Avill play 
 through the entire list of known tunes before he 
 comes to a halt. His intense actiAuty in this di- 
 rection afforded the only possible solution for the 
 greatest mystery of the camp, — Everitt's appetite 
 while in the woods. I find in my " notes " a math- 
 ematical calculation, made the fifth night in camp. 
 It was the result of the gravest deliberation on 
 the part of the whole company, and is beyond 
 doubt nearly correct. Tliis is tlie fornmla : — 
 
 " Exhaustion of muscular filjre through fiddling, 
 two pounds per night. Consumption of venison 
 steak, three and a half pounds. 
 
 " Not gain to Everitt, one pound and a half per 
 night." 
 
 Tliis conclusion contributed materially to relieve 
 the minds of the company from an anxiety con- 
 cerning the possilile results of the trip to Everitt. 
 
 "When I entered the room, drawn thither, as I 
 have said, by the tones of the violin, the company 
 were in full career. The intricacies of the Vir- 
 ginia reel were being threaded out with a rapidity 
 which, with ladies for partners, would have been 
 rathei embarrassing. After the C|uadrille, Spanish 
 
94 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 dance, and several others had been gone through, 
 the floor was cleared for individual exhibitions 
 of skill. Then was the double-shuffle executed 
 with an energy never excelled. Gentlemen and 
 guides contended in friendly rivalry. Everitt 
 was in prime condition, and drew the bow with 
 a vehemence which, if long continued, would 
 liave sent him out of the woods lighter in flesh 
 by several pounds than when he came in. At last 
 the floor was again cleared, partners cliosen, and 
 with every rule of etiquette observed, good old 
 money-musk was honored, — partners gallantly 
 saluted as if they were ladies, jewelled and fair, 
 and the company seated. 
 
 At this point the proceedings assumed a new 
 character. The conversation might be reported 
 thus : — 
 
 Guide. " I suppose you folks down in the settle- 
 ments don't dance as we do ? " 
 
 Everitt. "Well, no, not exactly. Our dances 
 are largely French." 
 
 Guide. " Do tell ! Well, now, how is that ? " 
 
 Everitt. " I do not think I could give you a cor- 
 rect idea of them ; they are very peculiar." 
 
 Guide. " Come, now, could n't some of you give 
 us a notion about it ? We would like to see how 
 you dance down in the cities." 
 
 Everitt. " The fact is, we have more action in 
 our dancing than you have in yours. It would 
 
THE BALL. 95 
 
 make your eyes stick out to see a French 
 dance." 
 
 Guides. " Come, now," they all shouted, " show 
 us how it is done ; we all want to see. Give us one 
 of your tip-top French dances. Come, now." 
 
 " Well, fellows," said Evuritt, giving us the wink 
 as he tuned his violin, " what say you, shall \ve 
 show our friends how to dance a real, s^^'inging 
 French dance ? If so, shall we put Hubbard or 
 Southwick on the floor ? " 
 
 " 0, Southwick by all means ! " shouted Burns. 
 " No disparagement to Hubbard, but Southwick is 
 the man ; especially if he will give us the dance 
 he danced last summer on our fishing-trip ' Down 
 East.' " So it was arranged, and Southwick took 
 the liint and the floor. 
 
 Now Southwick was the best dancer there ; that 
 is, he covered the most ground. His performance 
 was the theme of universal remark. His style 
 was superb. There was a certain ahandon in it, 
 which few Americans could rival. I know of but 
 one word whicli can at all describe Southwick 
 when dancing ; it is — omnipresent. Tliis epithet 
 is moderately accurate. 
 
 The room was some thirty-five feet long, but he 
 was often at both ends of it at the same time. If 
 to rivet the attention of the audience is success, 
 my friend certainly achieved it. There was but 
 one thought on the part of the whole company 
 
96 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 whenever South wick danced ; it was to get out of 
 the way. Greater unanimity in this respect was 
 never seen. Never, before that evening, did I de- 
 sire that a room might have more than four corners, 
 but I more than once devoutly wished that that 
 room had had sixteen. Sixteen would not have 
 been one too many, wdth my friend on the floor. I 
 called Uncle Palmer's attention to the terrible lack 
 of corners in his house. At the time I made the 
 suggestion, the old gentleman was trying to force 
 himself in between the door-post and the sheath- 
 ing. He appeared to appreciate it. After a few 
 preliminary flourishes, Everitt shouted the word 
 "Go ! " and South wick struck out. I saw him com- 
 ing, and dodged ; I escaped. The next time he 
 swung round, I was prepared for him. There w^ere 
 several wooden pins driven into the logs near the 
 ceiling, such as our forefathers were wont to season 
 their beef-hams on. Spying one of these just over 
 my head, as I stood flattened against the wall, I 
 vaulted from the floor and clutched it. The scene 
 from this point of view was very picturesque. The 
 fellows had oliserved my movement, and followed 
 my example : it affected them like an inspiration. 
 In an instant the whole company were suspended 
 from pins around the room. A sense of the ludi- 
 crous overcame m-y terror, and I began to laugh. 
 That laugh grew on me. I found myself unable to 
 stop laughing. My eyes began to moisten and run 
 
THE BALL. 97 
 
 over. Now, a man cannot laugh in that fashion, and 
 hang on to a pin at the same time. I have tried 
 it, and know. First one finger began to slip, then 
 another loosened and gave way a little ; the mus- 
 cles of my hand would not obey my will to con- 
 tract. I found it impossible to retighten my grip ; 
 I knew it would probalily be fatal to drop. I 
 endeavored to stop laughing. Now, it is a well- 
 known fact, that when one tries to stop laugh- 
 ing he can't. If you ever doubted this, reader, 
 never doubt it again. If any man strove to stop, 
 I did. My effort was vain. I fairly shook my- 
 self off the pin, and dropped. That sobered 
 me. The instant I struck the floor, all laugh- 
 ter departed. I saw Southwick coming. I seized 
 hold of the window-sill, the wood of which 
 was cedar ; I sunk my nails deep into it ; it 
 Juki. The next time he swung round the circle 
 I was saved by a miracle, that is, in a way 
 I cannot account for. I was just poising my- 
 self for a plunge at the door, when the music 
 ceased, and my friend sat down. We all cheered 
 him immensely. I cheered louder than all the 
 rest. I never had greater cause to cheer. Every- 
 body complimented him. One exclaimed, " What 
 a free action ! " another, " How liberal in style ! " 
 I said, " Astonishing ! " We all saw that it had 
 made a great impression on the guides. They said 
 that " they had no idea folks danced so, down in 
 
 5 Q 
 
98 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 the settlements." " It is n't anything to what I 
 could do if the room was only larger, is it ? " said 
 he, appealing to me. " No ; this room is terribly 
 cramped," I responded, thinking of my narrow 
 escape, and fearful that he might repeat the per- 
 formance ; " no educated dancer can do himself 
 justice in it ; I would not try again, if I were in 
 your place." 
 
 At this point of the entertainment a delightful 
 addition was made to the party. Certain messen- 
 gers, who started early in the evening on horses 
 and in boats, had scoured the country and lake 
 shore, and returned accompanied by a bevy of 
 young ladies. Their entrance caused great com- 
 motion. Hubbard glanced uneasily at his un- 
 polished boots. Burns had fished a pair of old 
 kids from the depth of his hunting-shirt pocket, 
 and was inspecting their condition behind South- 
 wick's back. Everitt suddenly discovered that he 
 could keep his seat without the use of three chairs. 
 The Parson brightened up at the prospect that his 
 philippic against dancing, and the "promiscuous 
 mingling of the sexes," might yet be delivered 
 with effect. Tliere was a dead pause. All were 
 introduced to the ladies, each guide presenting 
 " his man." Uncle Palmer's benignant face ap- 
 peared at the door, looking perfectly jubilant. 
 
 Here the writer would gladly pause. He feels 
 <flat the narration has proceeded far enough. 
 
THE BALL. 99 
 
 Would that he might record that the company 
 played " blind-man's-buff," or " roll the trencher," 
 or those refined "ring plays" where healthy and 
 moral exliilaration is experienced by each man 
 hugging and kissing his partner. But his duty 
 as a historian forbids. Truth must not be muti- 
 lated through partiality for friends ; and, as a 
 chronicler of facts, he is bound to say, affirm, and 
 transmit to posterity, that the company actually 
 danced! Yes, that is the word, — danced. tern- 
 pora ! 'mores ! which, freely translated, signifies 
 " What is the world coming to ! " Eeader, pardo? 
 this exhibition of virtuous feeling, this generou' 
 outburst against the vices of the day. Even He- 
 rodotus could not have restrained himself, in my 
 position. But I must return to the historic style, 
 — the plain narration of facts. 
 
 Fii-st, Uncle Palmer led off with his wife, — age 
 countenancing the foibles of youth ! Then Uncle 
 Ike Robinson tripped down the floor with his 
 daughter. Next, ye gods ! Hubbard whirled 
 away with a nimble-footed damsel. Burns shot 
 by with little Miss Palmer, and Southwick, the 
 indomital)le, careered along the floor with Jerry, 
 his guide. (Which was the lady I cannot say.) 
 And last of all, " John," the trusty, honest John, 
 whizzed past with a lovely attachment to his arm. 
 The costumes of the dancers were unique. In cut 
 and color no one could complain of sameness. 
 
100 ADVENT URP:S IN THP: WILDERNESS. 
 
 Uncle Ike was in his stockings. John had on 
 tightly-laced moccasins. Southwick sported a pair 
 of bright scarlet slippers. Hubbard shook the floor 
 with boots that had seen service on the " carry." 
 All were mingled together; while above the din 
 made by heavy boots smiting the resounding floor, 
 the merry laugh of girls, and peals of irrepressible 
 mirth, the voice of Everitt, who sat perched upon 
 the back of a chair, sawing away with all his 
 might, rang out the necessary orders. It has been 
 reported that at this juncture the Parson himself 
 was swept by the centripetal attraction into the 
 revolving mass, and that the way he " cut it down " 
 revealed a wonderful aptness for the " double-shuf- 
 fle," and that a large amount of the old Adam 
 remained yet to be purged out of his natural con- 
 stitution. The probabilities are that this report is 
 entirely unfounded, or at least grossly exaggerated. 
 At last, well along in the fashionable hours, the 
 revelry ceased, the company separated, and silence 
 settled down over the household. With the sounds 
 the scene itself would have passed away and been 
 forgotten save by the actors, had not the pen of 
 the Parson rescued it from threatened oblivion, 
 and in these pages preser\^ed it for transmission 
 to posterity. He thus avenges himself on those 
 who interrupted him in the exercise of his right, 
 by recounting the folly his speech would undoubt- 
 edly have prevented, had he been permitted to 
 proceed. 
 
V. 
 
 LOON-SHOOTING IN A THUNDER-STORM. 
 
 THE shrill cry of a loon piercing the air broke 
 my llea^y slumber, and brought me to my 
 feet in an instant, rifle in hand. The night before, 
 late in the evening, we had run our boat ashore, and, 
 stretching ourselves on either side of the quickly 
 lighted camp-fire, with no shelter but the overhang- 
 ing trees, dropped instantly to sleep. From that 
 slumber, almost as deep as that Avdiich is endless, 
 the cry of a loon had aroused me. Directly in 
 front of the camp, with his long black head and 
 spotted back glistening in the sun, some fifteen 
 rods from the shore, the magnificent bird sat, 
 eying the camp. If there is any sound which will 
 start a fellow to his feet tpiicker than the cry of a 
 loon under his cam}), about six in the morning, I 
 have yet to hear it. Wide awake the instant I 
 struck the perpendicular, I dropped my rifle — 
 never in those woods, by day or night, beyond 
 reach — into the extended palm, and simultane- 
 ously the sharp concussion broke the surr(ninding 
 silence. The sight \A-as good, and the lead w^ell sent ; 
 but the acile bird, — well named the Great Northern 
 
102 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 Diver, — ever on the alert, liad gone under witli the 
 flash ; and the bullet, striking the swirl made by 
 his dive, glanced up, and went bounding, in ever- 
 lessening skips, across the lake. The crack of the 
 rifle awoke John from a sliunber such as men sleep 
 after fourteen hours of constant rowing ; and, start- 
 ing up, the fire was soon rekindled, and the ccn.co 
 boiling. Soon all was ready, and we were pro- 
 visioning ourselves for the coming day. Trout, 
 coffee, and the inevitable flapjacks made up the 
 bill of fare. 
 
 The morning, in its atmospheric appearances, was 
 peculiar. Not a breath of air was stirring. The 
 little lake was as liquid glass, without ripple or 
 seam. Even the forest, that, like the sensitive 
 strings of a harp, is rarely, if ever, silent, sent 
 forth no sound, and its dim recesses were still as 
 death. Above, the clouds were dull and slaty. 
 They, too, hung motionless. No scud drifted 
 athwart their surface ; no rift broke their smooth 
 expanse. The sun, with its broad face barred wdth 
 streaks of cloud, looked red and fiery. It had 
 a hot, angry look, as if enraged at seeing the ob- 
 structions in its upward path. In the west, out 
 of the slaty cloud, the white and feathery heads of 
 some cumuli upreared themselves, suggesting rain 
 and the hot blaze of lightning. 
 
 "John," said I, as we each sat with a warm 
 trout in one hand and a pint-cup of coffee in 
 
LOON-SHOOTING IN A THUNDER-STORM. 103 
 
 the other, — " John, we shall have a tough day 
 of it." 
 
 " Yes/' said he, pausing a moment in liis eating to 
 listen, and holding on with one hand to the tail of 
 a fish, of which tlie front half was already beyond 
 human sight ; " there goes some thunder now "; and 
 even as he spoke a jar shook the earth under us, 
 and a heavy roar rolled up sullenly out of the west. 
 
 We finished our meal, and then, lighting our 
 pipes, seated ourselves on the shore of the lake, in 
 counsel. The air was heavy, thick, and oppressive ; 
 not a sound broke the stillness. Had the heavens 
 above us been the roof of a cavern a thousand 
 fathoms under earth, the breathless quiet could not 
 have been deeper. The colloquy ran something in 
 this wise : — 
 
 " How long is the next carry, John ? " 
 
 " Three miles, if we go to Bottle Pond ; a mile 
 and a half, if we go to Salmon Lake," was the 
 answer. 
 
 " How is the carry to Bottle Pond ? " I asked. 
 
 " A mere trapper's line," said John ; " it is n't 
 cut out ; two miles and a lialf by blazed trees, and 
 half a mile of slough." 
 
 " That 's delightful ! " I exclaimed ; " how is it by 
 way of Salmon Lake ? " 
 
 "It 's a mile and a half to Salmon," was the 
 response ; " not cut out ; crossed only in winter by 
 hunters ; half a mile of swamp." 
 
104 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " Well, we 'U go to Salmon Lake ; that 's the 
 nigher," I said. " Shall we get rain ? " 
 
 As John was about to reply, a dull, heavy sound 
 came up from the depths of the forest, — a solemn, 
 ominous sound, breaking the dead silence. An- 
 other and another followed ; a muffled roar, filling 
 the air, so that one might not tell from what quar- 
 ter it came. 
 
 " Yes," said John, as the noise died away, — " yes, 
 it luill rain. The old trees never lie. Those sounds 
 you have just heard are made by falling trees. 
 You always hear them before a storm." 
 
 " But, John," I exclaimed, " what makes them 
 faU this morning ? There is not a breath of ait 
 stirring." 
 
 " I don't know," responded John, " what makes 
 them fall. I have often thought how queer it is. 
 Many a time ha\'e I sat in my canoe on a morn- 
 ing like this, when there was not wind enough 
 to float a feather, and seen the old fellows come 
 crashing down. I tell you what," continued he, 
 " it makes a man feel solemn, to see tree after tree, 
 great, giant chaps, a hundred and fifty feet high, 
 begin all of a sudden to quiver and reel, and then 
 fall headlong' to the ground ; when, for auglit you 
 can see, there is no earthly cause for it. Let us sit 
 still a moment and hear them." 
 
 I did as requested. Now, far away in the forest, 
 the same dull, heavy roar would arise, linger a mo- 
 
LOOX-SHUUTINC, IN A THUNDER-STOKM. i(j5 
 
 ineiit in tlie air, then die away. Then, nigh at hand, 
 a rushing sound, as the 1 )rooni-like top of some 
 mighty pine swept through the air, would Ml 
 upon the ear, followed Ijy the crash of broken 
 boughs and the heavy tliump of the huge trunk 
 as it smote the eartli. Then, far away, half 
 smothered between the mountains, would rise 
 again the dull roar, and we knew another mon- 
 arch of the woods had yielded its life at au 
 unknown sunnnons. 
 
 I am free to confess, that John's remark as tc 
 the effect of such a phenomenon upon one, waa 
 then and there fully verified by myself. I know 
 nothing more mysteriously solemn than this sound 
 of falling trees coming up from the forest, ■ — falling, 
 so far as you can see, without cause. What unseen 
 hand smites them ? What pressure, unfelt l)y man, 
 pushes their vast trunks oxev ? Is it to the Spirit 
 of the coming Storm they l)ow, prostrating them- 
 selves in anticipation of his chariot's approach ? Is 
 there some subtle and hostile chemistry in the air 
 wdiich penetrates their fibres, weakening them to 
 their fall ? Or do these aged patriarchs of the 
 wood, with fearful prophecy, foresee their houi 
 of doom, and, in the breathless lull ere the tem- 
 pest breaks, yield like an ancient Koman to their 
 fate? 
 
 " Perchance," I said to John, " He who noteth 
 the falling of a sparrow and marketh the boundary 
 
 5* 
 
1U6 ADVENTUKES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 of liiinian life, liatli given the trees a limit also, 
 which they may not pass ; and these are being 
 summoned, and so go down." 
 
 We sat a moment in silence ; then, with a com- 
 mon impulse, witliout a word, arose, and, gathering 
 ap our traps, made ready for a start. As we pushed 
 out into the lake, we saw that the clouds in the 
 west were blacker ; a flash of lightning ran along 
 their upper verge, and the mountain above us 
 caught up the heavy boom, and, as if enraged at 
 the intrusion on its silence, hurled it back angrily 
 toward the cloud. At the same instant the shrill, 
 mocking cry of a loon rose into the air, mingling 
 with the reverberations of the thunder, as light 
 treble notes break sharply through a heavy vol- 
 ume of bass. 
 
 " There 's the confounded loon," exclaimed John, 
 "that frightened the deer from the shore last nig] it. 
 If it was n't for that thunder-shower in the west, 
 we 'd teach her to keep her mouth shut before we 
 left the pond. I think you might start the 
 feathers off her back any way, tube or no tube." 
 
 The last sentence needs explanation. Loons 
 are the shyest and most expert swimmers of all 
 waterfoAvl. Twenty rods is as near as you can get 
 to them. When under fire, they sink themselves 
 into the water so that nothing bvit the feathers 
 along theu' backs and heads are in sight, and so 
 quick are they that they dive at the flash, getting 
 
LOON-SHOOTIXG IN A THUNDER-STOEM. 107 
 
 under in time to escape the bullet. Yet I have 
 killed them rej^eatedly on Long Island Sound, driv- 
 ing my buUet through the butt of the wing, thirty 
 rods away. There are two styles of gun-tubes ; the 
 first kind is so open as to allow the powder to pass 
 up to the cap. AVhen the cap explodes, this pow- 
 der must burn grain by grain, and so comparative- 
 ly slow. The other kind is so made as to prevent 
 the powder from passing up into it ; and the 
 lightning-like percussion has free course to the 
 centre of the charge in the chamber. Slight as the 
 difference w^ould seem to be, it is a vital one in 
 loon-shooting. With tubes of either make in the 
 barrels of my rifle, loading with the same charge, I 
 have killed with the one and invariably failed to 
 kill with the other. Unfortunately, the tubes in my 
 barrels this season were both open ones ; and to this 
 John alluded in his closing remark. 
 
 " John," said I, counting out fifty bullets and 
 laying them on the bottom of the boat within 
 easy reach, " there are fifty bullets ; and if you 
 say the word, shower or no shower, we '11 give that 
 old loon a lively time before we strike the carry." 
 
 " Well," said John as he ran his eye over the 
 western heavens, now black as night, save when a 
 bright flash clove the darkness or leaped crinkling 
 along the inky mass, " let 's give her a try. We 
 shall have an hour, anyway, before the rain reaches 
 us, and I would like to see that loon in the bottom 
 of the boat." 
 
1U8 ADVENTUIIKS IX THi: WILDERNESS. 
 
 Dipping his paddle into the water with a strong 
 sweep, he turned the bow of the light boat about, 
 and started toward the bird. Light as a cork the 
 loon sat upon the water, some sixty rods away, its 
 neck, marked with alternate rings of white and 
 black, proudly arched, and almost at every breath 
 sending forth its clarion cry, as if in boastful chal- 
 lenge. 
 
 " Sound away, you old pirate you ! " exclaimed 
 John, as he swept along ; " we '11 make you shorten 
 your neck, and sit lower in the water before we 
 are through with you." 
 
 And e^'en as he spoke the bird settled slowly 
 down, until nothing but a line of feathers lay along 
 the water, and the (piick, restless head, with its 
 sharp-pointed bill, was barely above the surface. 
 
 " See her," said John ; " I warrant she has smelt 
 powder and heard the whistle of lead before tliis. 
 I wish she did n't know quite so much, or else that 
 that cloud would pass back of the mountains." 
 
 The plan proposed was to keep her imder wa- 
 ter, gi^■ing her no time to rest after her long dives, 
 and so tire her out that she would be forced to rise 
 often to the surface to breathe. Before we had 
 come witliin forty rods the loon went under. 
 
 " Now," shouted John, as he shot the boat to- 
 ward the wake, " the Lord only knows where she '11 
 come up ; but we will take that swirl of water for 
 our centre, and, when she breaks, you show her 
 what she may expect." 
 
LOON-SHOOTING IN A THUNDER-STORM. 1U9 
 
 " There she rises," I exchiinied, as we swept over 
 the wake. " Steady with your paddle, there " ; and 
 as I spoke, catching the line of feathers along the 
 sights, I launched the bullet toward her. 
 
 " Well done ! " said John, as the spray made by 
 the smitten water broke over her webbed feet, 
 jerked out of the lake by her frantic effort to get 
 under ; " load quick, and save the other barrel for 
 emergencies." 
 
 After some twenty shots she began to come more 
 quickly to the surface ; and as we took the wake 
 she made in diving for our centre, the circumference 
 described through her position when she arose grew 
 nearer and nearer to the boat. 
 
 " Now," said John, as the loon went under for the 
 twenty-fifth time, " when she rises again take her 
 before she shakes the water out of her eyes. I 
 saw the direction of the dive, and she will come up 
 in the line of that dead hendock there." 
 
 I fastened my eyes upon the spot, and, catching 
 the first rij)ple through the sights, the ball struck 
 above her back before a feather was in sight. 
 Whether the bullet had ruffled her plumage some- 
 what, or from some other cause, for the first time 
 she rose in the water and shook her narrow winus, 
 uttering a defiant cry. 
 
 " Steady there," I whispered hoarsely to John. 
 For an instant the tottlish boat, which the weioht 
 of my ramrod would jar, stood, held by the paddle. 
 
110 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 as motionless as though embedded in ice ; and as 
 the sharp crack of the other barrel sounded, the 
 loon was knocked flat over upon her back. 
 
 " There, you old — " 
 
 I don't know exactly what John was about to 
 say, for he did not say it ; for as lie spoke the loon, 
 with a mighty splash, went down, leaving a hun- 
 dred feathers around her wake. The bullet had 
 rasped along her side, shearing off the speckled 
 plumage, but had not penetrated sufficiently deep 
 into her body to disable her. By- this time the 
 heavens, toward the west, even to the zenith, were 
 black as ink. The red lightning darted its zig- 
 zag course this way and that, amid the gloom; 
 white, fleecy clouds raced athwart the dark expanse, 
 and ever and anon a fierce whirlwind, in minia- 
 ture, would settle down upon the water, and spin 
 across the glassy bosom of the lake ; while the 
 thunder, peal on peal, crashed above the moun- 
 tains, until the very air and water shook and quiv- 
 ered at the shock. To a looker-on the scene would 
 have been grand in the extreme. Amid the gath- 
 ering gloom, now dense as twilight, the light boat 
 went moving hither and thither, now gliding straight 
 ahead, now swerving in lessening circles around the 
 spot of the anticipated rising, while above the crack- 
 ling thunder rose the clear report of the rifle, whose 
 barrels, choked with smut, and dangerously hot 
 from rapid firing, rang fiercely sharp, as if in angry 
 
LOON-SHOOTIXG IN A THUNDER-STORM. Ill 
 
 protest at the abuse. The ghjom grew darker. 
 The wind, in quick, nervous puffs, broke over the 
 mountain, and where it touched the lake lifted 
 the spray high into the air. A few plunging drops 
 of rain smote the water and boat like bullets. 
 The hot lightning fairly hissed through the nnirky 
 atmosphere above us ; so sharp, so bright, so close, 
 that the lake at times seemed as on fire, burning 
 with a blue, ghastly light. The thunder was inces- 
 sant. The dwellers in lowland countries know 
 nothing what thunder is amid the hills. No single 
 clap or peal was there, but rush and roar continu- 
 ous, and crackling bolts and rumble and jar. Across 
 the lake, over our heads, the volleys went. The 
 mountain eastward, receiving a bolt against its 
 sides, would roll it back, while the mountain op- 
 posite, catching the mighty boom as players do a 
 ball, would hurl it sharply home. And so the wild 
 play went on. JNIountain besieging mountain, liill 
 pelting hill ; while we, amid the deepening gloom 
 and tumult, swept hitlier and thither, keeping sight 
 of the loon, whose rises were fre(pient and breath 
 nearly gone. 
 
 " John," said I, shouting so he could hear me amid 
 the confusion^ — " John, pull for the shore ; it 's 
 time to go." 
 
 " Give her o!ie iw^r?" said John ; " here she rises, 
 over your left " ; and as tlie smoke from the dis- 
 charge floated up, split by a gust, John shouted : 
 
112 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " Eeady with your other barrel there. The loon 
 is tiring. I hear her blow when she conies up. 
 She can't stay under long. I '11 run you down 
 ujion lier soon. HEKE she is ! " he screamed, 
 " under your very muzzles ! " 
 
 I turned, and sure enough there sat the loon 
 within six feet of the boat, in tlie very act of shak- 
 ing the water from her eyes. The rifle lay across 
 my knee, the barrels in direct line with the bird. 
 Without lifting it, or moving an inch, I pulled, 
 and water, smoke, and feathers flew into the air 
 together. A loud '• quack " from the loon, and a 
 convulsive yell from John, his mouth opening and 
 shutting spasmodically as roar after roar of ahnost 
 hysterical laughter came pouring out, followed the 
 discharge. I was just fitting a cap to a freshly 
 charged barrel, when the loon broke the water 
 again at short range, her back nearly bare of 
 feathers ; and as she dived another tuft flew up, 
 cut by the passing ball, and John pronounced her 
 " nearly picked." But now^ the storm broke over 
 the mountain. The rush and roar and crash of 
 wind and thunder drowned the report, and only 
 by the flash might a spectator know I was firing. 
 The gloom grew^ thicker. A cloud settled over the 
 lake, and we were wrapped within its fleecy folds. 
 Only once more, as a flash clove through the fog, I 
 saw the loon, and fired. Then dense and dark the 
 storm swept down around us. AVild, fitful gusts 
 
LOON-SHOOTING IN A THUNDER-STORM. lllj 
 
 tore through the air. The hghtning criukled through 
 the fog ; white patches of froth and splashing 
 drops of rain drifted over and fell into the boat ; 
 while, as a bass to the wild minstrelsy of Ijursting 
 bolts, the dull, monotonous, roar of the storm, 
 whose heavy-footed squadrons were charging over 
 the mountain's brow, rose with dread, auumentinu 
 grandeur. The quivering of the frail boat told me 
 that John was vigorously plying his paddle ; and 
 in a moment we shot into the lily -pads, and, pull- 
 ing our boat ashore, turned it bottom side up and 
 crawled under it, just as the grayish sheet of plung- 
 ing water swept over us, and the lioods came down. 
 There we lay, safely sheltered, regretting the 
 storm, and recounting the ludicrous passages of 
 tlie contest, until the M^ater, gathering in a pool 
 beneath the boat, saturated our gai'inents and 
 warned us to be moving. Suggesting to John that 
 "we had better not stay under that l)oat until it 
 floated off," we crawled out from under our tempo- 
 rary shelter ; which, John remarked, " had a good 
 roof, but a mighty poor cellar." Standing, as a pre- 
 liminary caution, long enough in the rain to get thor- 
 oughly wet, we prepared for the start. An uncut 
 carry for nearly two miles lay before us, the first 
 half of which ran directly through a swamp, now 
 filled to overflowing with water. We had a tough 
 experience in getting through, which the reader 
 will find described in the next chapter. 
 
VI, 
 
 CROSSING THE CARRY. 
 
 " TOHN," said I, as we stood looking at each 
 I other across the boat, " this rain is wet." 
 " It generally is, up in tliis region, I believe," 
 he responded, as he Aviped the water out of his 
 eyes with the back of his hand, and shook the ac- 
 cumulating drops from nose and chin ; " but the 
 waterproof I have on has lasted me some thirty- 
 eight years, and I don't think it will wet through 
 to-day." 
 
 " Well ! " I exclaimed, " there is no use of stand- 
 ing here in this marsh-grass any longer ; help me 
 to load up. I '11 take the baggage, and you the 
 boat." 
 
 " You '11 never get through with it, if yon try to 
 take it all at once. Better load light, and I '11 
 come back after what 's left," was the answer. 
 " I tell you," he continued, " the swamp is full of 
 water, and soft as muck." 
 
 " John," said I, " that baggage is going over at 
 one load, sink or swim, live or die, survive or per- 
 ish. T '11 make the attempt, swamp or no swamp. 
 My life is assured against accidents hj fire, water, 
 
CROSSING THE CARRY. 115 
 
 and mud ; so here goes. What 's life to gloiy ? " I 
 exclaimed, as I seized the pork-bag, and dragged 
 it from under the boat ; " stand by and see me put 
 my armor on." 
 
 Over my back I slung the provision-basket, 
 made like a fisherman's creel, thirty inches by 
 forty, filled with plates, coffee, salt, and all the 
 impedimenta of camp and cooldng utensils. This 
 was held in its place by straps passing over the 
 shoulders and under the arms, like a Jew-pedler's 
 pack. There might have been eighty pounds 
 weight in it. Upon the top of the basket John 
 lashed my knapsack, full of bullets, powder, and 
 clothing. My rubber suit and hea\y blanket, 
 slung around my neck by a leather thong, hung 
 down in front across my chest. On one shoulder, 
 the oars and paddles were balanced, with a frying- 
 pan and gridiron swinging from the blades ; on 
 the other was my ritle, from which were sus- 
 pended a pair of boots, my creel, a coffee-pot, and 
 a bag of flour. Taking up the bag of pork in one 
 liand, and seizing the stock of the rifle with the 
 other, from two fingers of which hung a tin ket- 
 tle of prepared trout, which we were loath to throw 
 away, I started. Picture a man so loaded, forcing 
 his way through a hemlock swamp, through whose 
 floor of thin moss he sank to his knees ; or pick- 
 ing his way across oozy sloughs on old roots, often 
 covered Avith mud and water, ani,l slippery beyond 
 
Z16 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 description, and you have me daguerreotyped in 
 your mind. Well, as I said, I started. For some 
 dozen rods I got on famously, and was congratulat- 
 ing myself with the thought of an easy transit, 
 when a root upon which I had put my right foot 
 gave way, and, plunging headlong into the mud, 
 I struck an attitude of petition ; while the frying- 
 pan and gridiron, flung off the oars and forward by 
 the moveiiient, alighted upon my prostrated head. 
 An ejaculation, not exactly religious, escaped me, 
 and with a few desperate flounces I assumed once 
 more the perpendicular. Fishing the frying-pan 
 from the mud, and lashing the gridiron to my belt, 
 I made another start. It was hard Avork. The 
 most unnatural adjustment of weight upon my 
 back made it difficult to ascertain just how fai 
 behind me lay the centre of equilibrium. I found 
 where it did not lie, several times. Before I had 
 gone fifty rods, the camp-basket weiglied one hun- 
 dred and twenty pounds. The pork-bag felt as 
 if it had several shoats in it, and the oar-l)lades 
 stuck out in the exact form of an X. If I went 
 one side of a tree, the oars would go the other 
 side. If I backed up, they would manage to get 
 entangled amid the brush. If I stumbled and 
 fell, the confounded things would come like a 
 goose-poke athwart my neck, pinning me down. 
 As I proceeded, the mud grew deeper, the roots 
 farth/ir apart, and the blazed trees less frequent. 
 
CROSSING THE CARRY. 117 
 
 Never before did I so truly realize the aspiration 
 of the old hymn, — 
 
 " 0, had I the wings of a dove ! " 
 
 At last I reached, what seemed impossible to 
 pass, — an oozy slough, crossed here and there 
 by cedar roots, smooth and slippery, lay before me. 
 From a high stump which I had climl)ed upon I 
 gave a desperate leap. I struck where I expected, 
 und a little farther. The weight of the basket, 
 which was now something over two hundred 
 pounds, was too much for me to check at once. It 
 pressed me forward. I recovered myself, and the 
 abominable oars carried me as far the other way. 
 The moccasins of wet leather began to slip along 
 the roots. They began to slip Axry often ; and, at 
 bad times. I found it necessary to change my posi- 
 tion suddenly. I changed it. It was n't a perfect 
 success. I tried again. It seemed necessary to 
 keep on trying. I suspect I did not effect the 
 changes very steadily, for the trout began to jump 
 about in the pail and fly out into the mud. The 
 gridiron got uneasy, and played against my side 
 like a steam-flajjper. In fact, the whole baggage 
 seemed endowed with supernatural powers of 
 motion. The excitement was contagious. In a 
 moment, every article was jumping about like 
 mad. I, in the mean time, continued to dance a 
 hornpipe on the slippery roots Now I am con- 
 
H8 ADVENTURES IK THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 scientiously opposed to dancing. I never danced. 
 I did n't want to learn. I felt it was wicked for 
 me to be hopping around on that root so. What 
 an example, I thought, if John should see me ! 
 AVliat would my wife say ? What would my dea- 
 cons say ? I tried to stop. I coidd n't. I had 
 an astonishing dislike to sit down. I thought I 
 would dance there forever, rather than sit down, — 
 deacons or no deacons. The basket now weighed 
 any imaginable number of pounds. The trout 
 were leaping about my head, as if in their native 
 element. The gridiron was in such rapid motion, 
 that it was impossible to distinguish the bars. 
 There was, apparently, a whole litter of pigs in the 
 pork-bag. I coidd not stand it longer. T con- 
 cluded to rest awhile. I wanted to do the thing 
 gracefully. I looked around for a soft spot, and 
 seeing one just behind me, I checked myself. My 
 feet flew out from under me. They appeared to be 
 unusually light. I don't remember that I ever sat 
 down quicker. The motion was very decided. 
 The only difficulty I observed was, that the seat I 
 had gracefully settled into had no bottom. The 
 position of things was extremely picturesque. 
 The oars were astride my neck, as usual. The 
 trout-pail was bottom up, and the contents lying 
 about almost anywhere. The boots were hanging 
 on a dry limb overhead. A capital idea. I thouglit 
 of it as I was in the act of sitting down. One 
 
CROSSING THE CARRY. 119 
 
 piece of pork lay at my feet, and another was 
 sticking up, some ten feet off, in the mud. It 
 looked very queer, — slightly out of place. With 
 the same motion with wdiich I hung my boots on 
 a limb, as I seated myself, I stuck my rifle care- 
 fully into the mud, muz/le downward. I ne\'er saA\' 
 a giin in that position before. It struck me as 
 being a good thing. There Avas no danger of its 
 falling over and breaking the stock. The first 
 thing I did was to pass the gridiron under me. 
 When that feat was accomplished, I felt more com- 
 posed. It 's pleasant for a man in the position I 
 was in to feel that he has something under him. 
 E\'en a chip or a small stump would have felt 
 comfortable. As I sat thinking how many uses a 
 gridiron could be put to, and estimating where I 
 should then have been if I had n't got it under 
 me, I heard John forcing his way, with the boat 
 on his back, through the thick undergrowth. 
 
 " It won't do to let John see me in this posi- 
 tion," I said ; and so, with a mighty effort, I 
 disengaged myself from the pack, flung off the 
 blanket from around my neck, and seizing hold 
 of a spruce limb which I could fortunately reach, 
 drew myself slowly up. I had just time to jerk 
 the rifle out of the mud and fish up about half of 
 the trout, when John came struggling along. 
 
 "John," said I, leaning unconcernedly against 
 a tree, as if nothing had happened, — " John, 
 
120 ADVENTURES IX THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 put dv wn the boat, here 's a splendid spot to 
 rest." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Murray," queried John, as he 
 emerged from under the boat, " how are you get- 
 ting along ? " 
 
 " Capitally ! " said I ; " the Carry is very le^'el 
 when you once get down to it. I felt a little out 
 of breath, and thought I would wait for you a few 
 moments." 
 
 " ^Miat 's your boots doing up there, in that 
 tree ? " exclaimed John, as he pointed up to where 
 they hung dangling from the limb, about fifteen 
 feet above our heads. 
 
 " Boots doing ! " said I, " why they are hanging 
 there, don't you see. You did n't suppose I 'd 
 drop them into this mud, did you ? " 
 
 "Why, no," replied John, " I don't suppose you 
 wjuld; but how about this?" he continued, as 
 he stooped down and pulled a big trout, tail fore- 
 most, out of the soft muck ; " how did that trout 
 come there ? " 
 
 " It must have got out of the pail, somehow," 
 I responded ; " I thought I heard something drop, 
 just as I sat down." 
 
 " What in thmider is that, out there ? " ex- 
 claimed John, pointing to a piece of pork, one 
 end of which was sticking about four inches out 
 of the water ; " is that pork ? " 
 
 " Well, the fact is, John," returned I, speaking 
 
CROSSING THE CARRY. 121 
 
 M'itli tlie utmost gravity, and in a tone intended to 
 suggest a mystery, — " the fact is, John, I don't 
 (|uite understand it. This Carry seems to be all 
 covered over with pork. I would n't be surprised to 
 find a piece anywhere. There is another junk, 
 now," I exclaimed, as I plunged my moccasin into 
 the mud and lacked a two-pound bit toward him ; 
 " it 's lying all round here, loose." 
 
 I thought John w^ould split with laughter, but 
 my time came, for as in one of his paroxysms he 
 turned partly around, I saw that his back was 
 covered with mud clear up to his hat. 
 
 " Do you always sit down on your coat, John," 
 I inquired, " when you cross a Carry like this ? " 
 
 " Come, come," rejoined he, ceasing to laugh 
 from very exhaustion, " take a knife or tin plate, 
 and scrape the muck from my back. I always 
 tell my wife to make my clothes a ground color, 
 but the color is laid on a little too thick this 
 time, anyway." 
 
 " John," said I, after having scraped him down, 
 "take the paddle and spear my boots off from 
 that limb up there, while I tread out this pork." 
 
 Plunging into the slough, balancing here on a 
 bog and there on an underlying root, I succeeded 
 in concentrating the scattered pieces at one point. 
 As I was shying the last junk into the bag, a. 
 disappointed grunt from John caused me to look 
 around. I took in the situation at a glance. The 
 
 6 
 
122 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 boots were still suspended from tlie limb. The 
 paddle and two oars had followed suit, and lay- 
 cosily amid the branches, while John, poising 
 himself dexterously on the trunk of a fallen 
 spruce, red in the face and vexed at his want of 
 success, was whirling the frying-pan over his 
 head, in the very act of letting it drive at the 
 boots. 
 
 " Go in, John ! " I shouted, seizing hold of the 
 gridiron with one hand and a bag of bullets with 
 the other, while tears stood in my eyes from very 
 laughter ; " when we 've got all the rest of the 
 baggage up in that hemlock, I '11 pass up the boat, 
 and we '11 make a camp." 
 
 The last words were barely off my lips, when 
 John, having succeeded in getting a firm footing, 
 as he thought, on the slippery bark, threw aU his 
 strength into the cast, and away the big iron pan 
 went whizzing up through the branches. But, 
 alas for human calculation ! The rotten bark 
 under his feet, rent by the sudden pressure as he 
 pitched the cumbrous missile upward, parted from 
 the smooth wood, and John, with a mighty thump 
 which seemed almost to snap his head off, came 
 dowTi upon the trunk ; while the frying-pan, gyrat- 
 ing like a broken-winged bird, landed rods away 
 in the marsh. By this time John's blood was up, 
 and the bombardment began in earnest. The first 
 thing he laid his hand on was the coffee-pot. I 
 
CROSSING THE CARRY. 123 
 
 followed suit with tlie gridiron. Then my fishing- 
 basket and a bag of IjuUets mounted upward. 
 Never before was such a battle waged, or such 
 weapons used. The air was full of missiles. Tin 
 plates, oar-locks, the axe, gridiron, and pieces of 
 pork were all in the air at once. How long the 
 contest would have continued I cannot tell, had it 
 not been brought to a glorious termination ; but at 
 last the heavy iron camp-kettle, hurled by John's 
 nervous wrist, striking the limb fair, craslied 
 through like a forty-pound shot, and down came 
 boots, oars, paddle, and all. Gathering the scat- 
 tered articles together, we took our respective bur- 
 dens, and pushed ahead. Weary and hot, we 
 reached at length the margin of the swamp, and 
 our feet stood once more upon solid ground. 
 
 At this juncture another cloud from out of the 
 west swept up the heavens, and its distended 
 borders, heavy with rain, parted, and down the 
 plunging torrents came. The wind, sweeping 
 through the lofty pine-tops over our heads, 
 sounded like the rush of airy squadrons charging 
 to battle. The lightning blazed amid the descend- 
 ing sheets of water, lurid and red, or shot its elec- 
 tric currents amid the trees ; while, overhead, peal 
 and boom and rattling volleys rolled and broke. 
 Forcing our way along tlirough spruce and balsam 
 thickets, and heavy undergrowth of deer-bush, 
 which flapped their broad flat leaves, loaded with 
 
124 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 water, into our eyes, we came upon a giant pine, 
 which some descending bolt had struck, far up 
 amid the topmost branches, and riven to the 
 very roots. Huge slabs, twenty feet in length, and 
 weighing hundreds of pounds, torn out from the 
 very heart, thrown a dozen rods on either side, 
 and the ground strewn with yellow splinters, bore 
 palpable witness of the lightning's power. Paus- 
 ing a moment amid the wreck and ruin, look- 
 ing into the yellow heart of that riven pine, weep- 
 ing great drops of odorous gum, how weak the 
 effort of man appeared beside the power of nature. 
 What is our boasted strength of brawn and mus- 
 cle compared with the terrific forces which lie hid- 
 den amid the elements ? And what is ours or 
 theirs beside the power of Him Avho holds their 
 violence in check, and uses at will the wild chem- 
 istry of the skies ? 
 
 At length (for aU journeys have an end) we 
 tore our way through the last opposing thicket, 
 and stood upon the coveted beach. The dreaded 
 Carry was crossed ; and, as if to reward our toil 
 and cheer our drooping spirits, even as we lay 
 panting upon the wet sands, the cloud above us 
 parted, and the bright sun came out, gemming the 
 dripping trees with jewels, and swathing the lake 
 in golden sheen. Patches of fleecy fog rose from 
 the shores, and, changing to yellow mist as the 
 sun warmed them, floated lazily along the moun- 
 
CROSSING THI-: CARRY. 125 
 
 Iain's* side. Kindling a fire, we cooked some 
 coffe(-, watching, as we drank it, the bright ver- 
 milion bow which grew upon the eastern cloud, 
 until it spanned the horizon from north to south ; 
 from under whose arch of gold and azure the 
 heavy-tongued thunder rolled its dying cadences 
 t'a-' awa,y eastward over the Eacquette. 
 
VII. 
 
 ROD AXD REEL. 
 
 " \ /r "^'' ^^UEEAY, wake up ! the pancakes are 
 
 -LVX ready l " shouted John. 
 
 Aroused by the familiar cry, I arose, and, walk- 
 ing down to the shore of the lake, evaded out into 
 its tide, and, plunging my head under water, held 
 it there for a moment, while the delicious sense of 
 coolness ran through my system ; then I raised it, 
 turning my dripping face straight toward the bright, 
 warm sun. the sweet experience of that mo- 
 ment ! How cool the water ; how fresh the air ; 
 lioAV clear the sky ; how fragrant the breath of 
 balsam and of pine ! luxury of luxuries, to have 
 a lake of crystal water for your wash-bowl, the 
 morning zephp" for a towel, the whitest sand for 
 soap, and the odors of aromatic trees for perfumes ! 
 What belle or millionnaire can boast of such sur- 
 roundings ? 
 
 Fresh as an athlete in training, I returned to 
 camp and to breakfast. Breakfast in the wilder- 
 ness means something. No muttering about " those 
 miserable rolls " ; no yaAvning over a small strip of 
 steak, cut in the form of a parallelogram, an inch 
 
ROD AND REEL. 127 
 
 and a half by three ; no lying about tawny-colored 
 water by calling it " coffee." No ; but up in the 
 woods you take a pancake, twelve inches across 
 (just the diameter of the pan), and one inch thick, 
 and go conscientiously to work to surround it. 
 You seize a trout ten or fourteen inclies long, and 
 send it speedily to that bourne from whence no 
 trout returns. You lay hold of a quart pan full 
 of licpiid which has the smack of real Java to it, 
 made pungent with a sprinkling of Mocha; and 
 the first you know you see your face in the bottom 
 of the dish. And the joke is, you keep doing so, 
 right along, for some thirty minutes or more, rising 
 from each meal a bigger, if not a better man. 
 
 The meal was finished. It did not take long to 
 wash the dishes ; and over the remnants of what 
 had once been a feast we sat in council. 
 
 " John, wdiat shall we do to-day ? " 
 
 " Well, I think," said John, " we '11 take some 
 trout. I told you, when we started, you should see 
 a three-pounder before we got back ; and here we 
 are within twenty miles of the Racquette, and my 
 promise unfulfilled. I know a little lake, hidden 
 away back of that hard-wood ridge yonder, which 
 is one huge spring-hole ; and when scouting through 
 here on my own account, some six years ago, I 
 took some fish from it such as you seldom see. I 
 doubt if there has been a fly on it since; and if 
 the breeze will freshen a little, you '11 have rare 
 sport." 
 
128 ADVENTUKES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 Soon after, John shouldered the boat, and we 
 started. Some forty minutes' tramp, and we 
 reached the shore and made our camp. From it 
 the scene was delightful. The lake was nearly 
 circular, some half a mile across, its waters deep 
 and clear. Into it, so far as we could see, no water 
 came ; out of it no water went. It Mas, as John 
 had called it, one huge spring-liole ; tlie mountains 
 on all sides sloped gradually up, an unbroken sweep 
 of pine and balsam, save where, at intervals, a 
 silver-beech or round-leaved maple relieved the 
 sombre color with lighter hues. Thus secluded, 
 seldom visited by man, the little lake reposed, 
 mirroring the surrounding hills in its cool depths, 
 and guarded safely by them. We stepped into 
 our boat and glided out toward the centre of the 
 pool. Not a motion in the air; not a ripple on 
 the water. At last the beeches along the w^estern 
 slope began to rustle. The mournful pines felt the 
 pressure of airy fingers amid tlieir strings, and 
 woke to solemn sound. The zephyr at length 
 reached the lake, and the cool water thrilled into 
 ripples at its touch ; while the pool, which an in- 
 stant l)efore slione under the smi like seamless 
 glass, shook with a thousand tiny undulations. 
 
 "Now," said John, "if the fish haven't all 
 drowned since I was here, you '11 see 'em soon. 
 Wlien one rises I '11 put you Avithin casting dis- 
 tance of the wake, and if he likes it he '11 take the 
 
ROD AND REEL. 129 
 
 fly. If one take.s, strike hard ; for their jaw.s are 
 stout and bony, and you must hook them well or 
 you '11 lose them in the struggle." 
 
 "We sat and watched. " There ! " suddenly 
 shouted John ; " one is n't dead yet." And whirl- 
 ing the boat about, he sent it flying toward a swirl 
 in the water, some twenty rods away, made by a 
 rising fish whose splash I had heard but did not 
 see. We had traversed half the distance, perhaps, 
 and all alert I sat, holding the coil and flies be- 
 tween my fingers, ready for a cast, when, as we 
 shot along, a bright vermilion flash gleamed for 
 an instant far below us, and a broad, yellow-sided 
 beauty broke the surface barely the length of my 
 rod from the boat. The swoop of a swallow is 
 scarcely swifter than was the motion of the boat as 
 John shied it one side, and, with a stroke which 
 would have snapped a less elastic paddle, sent it 
 circling around the ripples where tlie fish went 
 down. Twice did I trail the flies across the circle 
 and meet witli no response ; but hardly had the 
 feathers touched the water at the third cast, when 
 the trout came up with a rush. He took the fly as 
 a hunter might take a fence, boldly. I struck, even 
 as he hung in mid-air, and down he went. After a 
 sharp fight of some ten minutes' length the trout 
 yielded, the fatal net enclosed him, and he lay flap- 
 ping within the boat. Thus five were captured in 
 little more than an hour's time, good two-and-a- 
 6* I 
 
130 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 half-poiuid fisli each of tliem, — a string which a 
 man might contemjilate witli pride. \Ye paused 
 a moment to give John time to inspect the tackle 
 to see if it was all right. The trout had made 
 sad work with the flies. The largest and strongest 
 came out of their mouths bare to the shank. Five 
 ruined flies lay with the five captured trout on 
 the bottom of the boat. 
 
 " jNIr. Murray," said John at length, as he sat 
 looking at the mangled flies ; " have n't you some- 
 thing larger ? These trout are regular sharks." 
 
 " Nothing," replied I, running over the leaves 
 of my fly-book, " except these huge salmon-flies " ; 
 and I held half a dozen gaudy fellows out to- 
 ward him, the hooks of which were nearly two 
 inches in length, covered with immense hackle of 
 variegated floss, out of whose depths protruded 
 a pair of enormous wings, and brilliant with hues 
 of the ibis and the English jay. 
 
 " Let 's try one, anyw"ay," said John, laugh- 
 ino'. " Nothing is too big for a fish like that ! " 
 
 O O O 
 
 and he nodded his head toward a deep swirl made 
 in the water as a monstrous fellow rose to the sur- 
 face, closed his jaws on a huge dragon-fly that had 
 stopped to rest a moment on the water, and, throw- 
 ing liis tail, broad as your hand, into the air, darted 
 downward into the silent depths. " There," con- 
 tinued he, as he tossed the tuft of gay feathers 
 into the air, " that 's the first puUet's-tail I ever 
 
ROD AND REEL. 131 
 
 noosed on to a leader. A trout that takes that 
 wiU be worth baking. Lengthen your line to the 
 last foot you can cast, and when a big one rises 
 I '11 put you within reach of his wake." 
 
 We sat for several minutes in silence, watching. 
 At last, some fifteen rods away, a magnificent fish 
 shot up out of the water after a butterfly which 
 chanced to be winging its way across the lake, and 
 missing it by only a few inches, fell back with a 
 sj)lash into the very ripple he made in rising. 
 
 " Now ! " shouted John, as he sent the light boat 
 skimming over the water, " give him the feathers, 
 and if he takes, sink the hook to the very shank 
 into his jaws." 
 
 I pitched the coil into the air, and by the time 
 it had fairly straightened itself out the boat was in 
 reach of the wake ; and, obedient to the quick turn 
 of the ^vrist, the huge fly leaped ahead. It had 
 not reached the surface by a yard, when the water 
 parted and out came the trout, his mouth wide 
 open, quivering from head to tail with the energy 
 of the leap ; missed, as he had before, and fell back 
 flat upon his side. 
 
 " Quick, quick ! cast away ! " shouted John, as 
 Avith a stroke of the paddle he sent the boat 
 sheering off to give me room for the cast. 
 
 Feeling that there was not an instant to lose, by 
 a sudden jerk I caused the fly to mount straight 
 up into the air, trusting to the motion of the boat 
 
132 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 to straigliteu the slack as it fell. John understood 
 the motion ; the boat flew round as on a pivot, and 
 glided backward under the reversed stroke. It 
 was well done, as only John could do it ; nor was 
 it a second too soon ; for as the tuft of gay plumes 
 alighted amid the ripples, the huge head of the 
 trout came out of water, his mouth opened, and, 
 as the feathers disappeared between his teeth, I 
 struck with all my might. Not one rod in twenty 
 would have stood that blow.. The hsh was too 
 heavy even to be turned an inch. The line 
 sung, and water flew out of the compressed 
 braids, as though I had sunk the hook into an 
 oak beam. 
 
 Eeader, did you ever land a trout ? I du not 
 ask if you ever jerked some poor little fellow out 
 of a brook three feet across, with a pole six inches 
 ai'ound at the butt, and so heavy as to require both 
 hands and feet well braced to hold it out. Xo, 
 that 's not landing a trout. But did yon ever sit in 
 a boat, with nine ounces of lance-wood for a rod, 
 and two hundred feet of braided silk in your 
 double-acting reel, and hook a trout whose strain 
 brought tip and butt together as you checked him 
 in some wild flight, and tested your quivering line 
 from gut to reel-knot ? No one knows what game 
 there is in a trout, unless he has fought it out, 
 matching such a rod against a three-pound fish, 
 with forty feet of water underneath, and a clear, 
 
ROD AND REEL. 133 
 
 unimpeded sweep around him ! Ah, then it is 
 that one discovers what will and energy lie with- 
 in the mottled skin of a trout, and what a mir- 
 acle of velocity he is when roused. I love the 
 rifle, and I have looked along the sights and held 
 the leaping blood back by an effort of will, steady- 
 ing myself for the shot, when my veins fairly 
 tingled with the exhilarating excitement of the 
 Dioment ; bvit if one should ask me what is my 
 conception of pure physical happiness, I should 
 assure liim that the highest bodily beatitude I 
 ever expect to reach is, on some future day, when 
 the clear sun is occasionally veiled by clouds, to 
 sit in a boat once more upon that little lake, witb 
 John at the paddle, and match again a Conroy 
 rod against a three-pound trout. That 's what I 
 call happiness ! 
 
 Well, as I said, I struck ; and, as we afterwards 
 discovered, the huge salmon-hook was buried to 
 the shank amid the nerves which lie at the root of 
 a trout's tongue. Then came a fight for the mas- 
 tery such as ne^'er before had I waged with any- 
 thing that swims. Words should have life in them 
 to depict the scene. Quick as a flash, before I 
 had fairly recovered my balance, partially lost by 
 the energy with which I struck, the trout started, 
 and before I could get a pressure upon the line, 
 not twenty yards were left on the reel. A cpiick 
 stroke from John, and the boat shot one side ; and 
 
134 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 bearing stoutly on him, tasking the rod to the last 
 ounce of resistance, I slowly swayed him about 
 and recovered a little slack. After a few short 
 sweeps he doubled on the line and shot straight 
 for the boat as an arrow from a bow. 
 
 " Double, and be hanged to you ! " shouted John, 
 as he shied the light shell to one side and swung it 
 round so as to keep me facing the fish. " If you 
 get under this boat it will be because this paddle 
 breaks." 
 
 Failing in his attempt to run under us, he dove 
 to the bottom. " Let him rest a moment," said 
 John ; " recover your line ; you '11 need it all wdien 
 he rises. He 's big and ugly, and his next rush 
 will be like lightning." 
 
 After I had stowed away some forty yards of 
 line upon the reel, winding it on hard and evenly, 
 so that it would render well, I began to feel of the 
 fish. The first pressure elicited only a shake. At 
 the next he described a circle, still keeping to 
 the bottom, then came again to a stand-still. He 
 acted ugly. I felt that, when the rush came, it 
 would try nerve and tackle alike. Enjoining Jahn 
 to watch the fish and favor me all he could, and 
 by no means to let him pass under the boat, I 
 gave a quick, sharp jerk. My arm was still in 
 the air and the rod unstraightened, when I caught 
 a gleam far down below me, and before I had time 
 to wink the huge fellow parted the water almost 
 
ROD AND REEL. 135 
 
 mthin reach of my arm, and when high np in 
 mid-air he shook himself, the crystal drops wei'e 
 flung into my very face. Perliaps I shall live long 
 enough to forget the picture, as that trout for 
 an instant hung in the air, his hlue back and 
 azure sides spotted with gold and agate, his 
 fins edged with snowy white, his eyes protruding, 
 gills distended, the leader hanging Irom his jaM's, 
 while a shower of pearly drops were shaken from 
 his quivering sides. He fell ; but while still 
 in air the Ijoat glided backward, and when he 
 touched the water I was thirty feet away and ready 
 for his rush. It came. And as he passed us, 
 some forty feet oft', he clove the water as a bolt 
 from a cross-bow might cleave the air. Possibly 
 for five minutes the frenzy lasted. Not a word 
 was uttered. The whiz of the line througli the 
 water, the whir .of the flying reel, and an occa- 
 sional grunt from John as the fish doubled on the 
 boat, were the only sounds to be heard. "When, 
 suddenly, in one of his wildest flights, the terribly 
 taxed rod straightened itself out with a spring, 
 the pressure ceased, the line slackened, and the 
 fish again lay on the bottom. AViping the sweat 
 from my brow, I turned to John and said, " AVhat 
 do you think of that ? " 
 
 "•^Ir. Murray," replied John, laying the paddle 
 down and drawing tlie slee^'C of his woollen shirt 
 across his forehead, l)ead(^.d with perspiration, — 
 
136 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " Mr. Murray, that fish is ugly ; if he should get 
 the line over his back, he 'd sniasli the rod like a 
 pipe-stem ! " 
 
 " He won't get it over his back," replied I. 
 " Eeady with your paddle ; he 's getting too much 
 breath." 
 
 " But I say," said John, looking affectionately 
 at tlie rod as he took up the paddle ; " if I was in 
 your place, and he did get the line over liis shoul- 
 der, I would part my tackle before I smashed that 
 rod." 
 
 " I won't do either, John " ; and as I answered I 
 gave a jerk, and the trout started again. But why 
 repeat ? Why tell of flights and rushes which 
 followed ? Twice did he break the surface a luin- 
 dred feet away, flinging himself out like a black 
 bass. Once did he partially get the leader over his 
 back and dashed away like lightning ; while John, 
 anxious to save so true a rod from ruin, shouted 
 to me, " Part the gut ! " But who ever knew a 
 fisherman, when his blood is up, refuse a risk to 
 save the game ? I screamed to John to shoot the 
 boat one side ; and when the last foot of silk was 
 given I advanced the butt. The heavy fish and 
 pliant rod were pitted one against the other. 
 Three days later, in another struggle, the old rod 
 parted ; but this time it triumphed. For a mo- 
 ment the quivering tip rattled upon the bars of 
 the reel. The fish struggled and shook himself. 
 
' '"" % ' 1 iiUillii||k 
 
ROD AND REEL. id 7 
 
 but the tenacious fibres would not part. He ceased 
 to battle, came panting to the surface, and rolled 
 over upon his side. The boat shot to\A^ard him, 
 and as it glided by John passed the landing-net 
 beneath him, and the brave fighter lay upon the 
 bottom board. His tail, across its base, measured 
 five inches ; and his length from tip to tip was 
 seventeen inches and three quarters ! 
 
 " John," I said, twisting round in my seat and 
 facing him, — " John, I should have lost that fish 
 or smashed the rod, if it had not been for your 
 paddle." 
 
 " Of course, of course," replied John ; " that 's 
 my business. Those fly-rods are delicate things. 
 Like women, they should n't be put to heavy work 
 if you can help it, but they are able to bear a 
 heavy strain if necessary. But with all I could 
 do I thought it was gone once. I don't think I 
 ever came so near breaking this paddle as on that 
 last sweep. It made my flesh creep to hear the 
 old rod creak. I really believe my own back 
 would have snapped if it had parted." 
 
 We had captured six trout in two hours, wliose 
 average length was sixteen inches and a half. I 
 asked John if we should take another. 
 
 " I don't think it will be sin to take one more," 
 he responded. " I saw a tail show itself out there," 
 — and he nodded over his left shoulder, — " which 
 looked like a lady's fan. If there is a larger trout 
 
138 AD VENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 than that last one lying anywhere about this pond, 
 I would like to see him " ; and as he spoke he 
 swept his paddle through the water, and the boat 
 started. I looked at my fly. The teeth of the 
 trout had torn the hackle half away, and shorn 
 off from the body one gaudy wing. An exclama- 
 tion from John started me. The fish liad risen 
 again. I too saw his tail as he disappeared, and it 
 was as broad as a fan. 
 
 " Mr. Murray," exclaimed John, " that fish is the 
 biggest trout I ever saw." 'T is full two feet long. 
 I saw him fair, broad side on. His mouth was 
 like a bear-trap. Eeady for a cast. Send the fly 
 straight for the centre of the wake, and if he 
 takes, strike like thunder ! " 
 
 John was evidently getting excited, and the 
 glimpse I had of the trout had thrilled me as 
 the blast of a bugle might thrill a warrior har- 
 nessed for battle. The boat was forty feet away 
 when the tuft of gay plumes, mangled but still 
 brilliant, floated downward, and lighted amid the 
 glistening bubbles. I had not trailed it a yard 
 wlien a gleam of blue and yellow passed me, and 
 with a splash and plunge which threw the water 
 in silvery spray high into the air, the trout broke. 
 I saw the feathers disappear wdthin his mon- 
 strous jaws, and, lifting myself involuntarily half 
 off my seat, I struck. I think John was con- 
 vinced that I struck hard enough that time, for 
 
ROD AND REEL. 139 
 
 the strong nine-foot leader parted under the quick 
 stroke, and down into the depths went the trout, 
 with leader and flies streaming from his nioutli. 
 
 " Well," said John, as I swung myself around 
 so as to face him, " for twenty-seven years I 've 
 boated up and down the waters of this wilderness, 
 and rarely will you strike a lake or stream, from 
 the Horican to the St. La^vi-ence, above whose sur- 
 face I have not seen fish leap ; but never before 
 this day have I seen, on lake or stream, a spotted 
 trout as large as that which has just carried liy 
 and leader to the bottom. Well, let him go," he 
 continued ; " he '11 manage, some way, to get that 
 hook out of his jaw, and live to take another tiy. 
 And you and I will build our camp-fire some even- 
 ing next summer upon the shore of this pond 
 again ; and when the sun comes over those pines 
 there, I '11 warrant we '11 find the old fellow active 
 as ever." 
 
 So speaking, he turned the boat about, and 
 headed toward the camp. That afternoon we lay 
 on the beach and watched the leaping trout 
 sporting before us ; or gazed, dreaming of absent 
 friends, into the deep blue sky, across whose ceru- 
 lean dome the snow-wliite clouds drifted, urged 
 silently onward by the pressure of invisible cur- 
 rents. Tlie sun at last withdrew his beams. One 
 moment, and the pines that crested the western 
 slope were all ablaze. The next, gloomy and 
 
140 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 dark tkey stood, their dense and sombre foliage 
 unlighled by a ray. The shadows deepened. The 
 ripple left the lake, and its unruftied surface 
 stretched from shore to shore like a sea of glass. 
 One by one the stars came out in quick succes- 
 sion. The waters contended in rivalry with the 
 skies, and every star which shone in the heaven 
 above shone in the depths below. Thus we sat 
 and saw dark-featured but brilliant Night succeed 
 to the throne of blond and gentle Day. Suddenly, 
 breaking the profound silence, the solemn hoot of 
 an owl echoed through the forest. It was an- 
 swered in a moment by the prolonged howl of a 
 wolf, hunting amid the hiUs far to the north. 
 Throwing some huge logs on the fire, and wrap- 
 ping our blankets around us, we stretched our- 
 selves beside the blaze, and, with malice in our 
 hearts toward none, sank peacefully to our night's 
 -epose. 
 
VIII. 
 
 PHANTOM FALLS. 
 
 " T OHN," I exclaimed, as I stood emptying the 
 
 I water out of my boots, — " John, I will surely 
 write an account of this night's adventure." 
 
 " No one will believe you if you do," replied he. 
 " If it was not for this water," he continued, as he 
 gave his soaked jacket a wring with Ijoth hands, " I 
 should doubt it myself, and declare that we have 
 only been dreaming, and had not shot two miles of 
 those rapids to-night, nor dragged our boat from 
 under the suction of Phantom Falls." 
 
 " I do not care whether people believe it or not," 
 I replied. " There lies your broken paddle," — and I 
 pointed to the piece of shivered ash, — " and there 
 you stand, wringing the water of the rapids from 
 yoiu' jacket, and we know that something more 
 than human has now for two nights appeared off 
 our camp, and that we did, two hours ago, take 
 boat and follow it until it vanished into mist ; and 
 I shall tell the story of what we have seen and 
 done, not expecting any one will believe it." 
 
 Gentle reader, I keep the promise made to John, 
 as we stood by our camp-fire under the pines, and 
 
142 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 advise you to believe no more of it than you see 
 fit. Perhaps the reading mil serve to entertain a 
 circle of friends some winter evening, when the 
 wind moans dismally without, as the writing will 
 rest him who, in front of a glowing grate, on a 
 December night, for his own amusement even 
 more than for your own, tells you the story of 
 
 PHANTOM FALLS. 
 
 " John," said I, " since eight o'clock we have 
 made good forty miles, and my fingers are so stiff 
 that I can scarcely unclasp them from this padcUe- 
 staff. Let us make camp before the sun goes 
 down." 
 
 " Well," replied he, " fifteen years ago I camped 
 one night by that big rock there at the mouth of 
 the rapids, and I would like to see how the old 
 camp looks, for I saw something there that night 
 that I could not account for ; I will tell you about 
 it after supper to-night." 
 
 Of course I assented, and bent myself to the 
 paddle with renewed energy. 
 
 We were in the heart of the wilderness, where 
 even trappers seldom penetrated. For fifty miles 
 on either side not even the smoke of a hunter's 
 cabin colored the air. For weeks I had not seen a 
 human face or heard a human voice other than our 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 143 
 
 own. Day after day we had heen pushing our 
 light, narrow shell up unexplored creeks, building 
 our fire each night on the shore of some lake or 
 pond where it is doubtful if fire was ever kindled 
 before. As we proceeded down the lake, the roar 
 of the rapids came more and more distinctly to our 
 ears, and as the shores converged the boat began 
 to feel the action of the water beneath it, where 
 were the beoinnins^s of the current. As John felt 
 the movement, he lifted his oars, and, laying them 
 carefully along the bottom of the boat, pointed 
 toward a huge pine that stood to the west of 
 a projection of land along tlie other side of which 
 rushed the rapids. Understanding the motion, I 
 turned the bow of the boat toward the tree, and 
 then, with easy stroke, urged it along. 
 
 "How well I remember the night I camped 
 here," said John, speaking half to liimself. " How 
 naturally that old pine looks, and the three hem- 
 loclts on the point, and the rock against which I 
 built my fire. I wonder if the old story is true, 
 and if I did see her, or whether it was only a 
 dream ! " 
 
 By this time the boat had run into a little 
 notch or bay, and a few sharp strokes sent it to 
 the shore with a force that urged it half its length 
 up over the yielding sand. We stepped to the 
 beach. 
 
 Supper having been prepared and eaten, we 
 
144 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 threw some heavy logs upon the fire, and, reclining 
 upon our blankets, gazed off over the lake. Tiic 
 moon was nearly at the full. Her rounded or!) 
 was just appearing above the eastern mountains, 
 and across the tranquil water she poured her pure 
 white radiance. The lake lay motionless ; not a 
 wave, not even a ripple, broke the smooth surface. 
 Above, the sky was cloudless. Suspended in 
 the still ether, a few of the larger stars strug- 
 gled for existence. Weak and vain such rivalry ! 
 for the queen of night held open audience, and 
 their lesser lights paled in her more brilliant pres- 
 ence. The woods were dumb. Silence brooded 
 in the heavy pines and amid the darker firs. 
 The balsams, thraugh their spear-like stems, yield- 
 ed their fragrance upon an air too motionless to 
 waft it. Even the dull roar of the rapids was so 
 even in tone, that, instead of disturbing, it seemed 
 rather to deepen the all-pervading silence. 
 
 " Mr. Murray," said John, at length, " do you 
 know that we are camped on haunted ground ? " 
 
 " Haunted ground ! " I returned, raising myself 
 upon my elbow, and turning toward him. " Wliat 
 do you mean ? You don't believe in ghosts, do 
 you ? " 
 
 " Well, I don't know," replied John, " what to 
 believe ; but some of the old trappers tell queer 
 stories about this place, and I know that, just 
 fifteen years ago this month, I made my camp 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 145 
 
 under this very pine, and that during the night 
 I saw something off the camp which was n't 
 human ! " 
 
 " So that was wliat you were muttering about, 
 was it, John, when we were running in ? " I re- 
 sponded. " Give us the story, as you promised ; this 
 is the \'ery night and phice to hear a ghost-story. 
 I can ahnost catch the soft, cat-like tread of old 
 Indian warriors gliding through the shadows, and 
 the dip of unseen paddles along the motionless 
 water. So go ahead, Jolm ; give us the whole 
 story, and take your own time for it." 
 
 " Well, it won't take long," replied John ; " and I 
 would like to know what you think of it, anpvay. 
 The story which the old trappers tell is this : — 
 
 " ' The tribe of Indians that once hunted around 
 the shores of this lake, and over these mountains, 
 was called the Neamski. It was a branch of 
 the great Huron family, and their chief was 
 Xeosko, which means thunder-cloud, or some such 
 thing. Well, this chief had a daughter, Wisti by 
 name. The French called her the Balsam, because 
 of the richness of her dark beauty. This girl fell 
 in love with a young Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, 
 whom the missions in Canada had sent down to 
 this tribe to convert them. Her love, it seems, 
 was returned with ardor, and here in this little 
 cove they were wont to hold their nightly tryst. 
 At last the young priest, impelled by his passioi' 
 
146 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 for the girl, determined to visit Montreal, get dis- 
 charged by liis superiors from the service, return 
 for his mistress, and, striking through the lakes 
 eastward, reach Albany, where he could embark for 
 France. He left in the early spring, with the un- 
 derstanding that he would meet her at this spot on 
 a certain night in June. For some reason, per- 
 haps because he could not get a release, perhaps 
 piety prevailed at last over love, or, more probable 
 still, because he was ambushed on his journey 
 by hostile Indians and killed, he never returned. 
 Night after night, as the story runs, Wisti would 
 fcake her canoe, paddle to this point, where, not 
 finding her lover, she would return dejected to her 
 father's camp. She had many lovers, of course. 
 Chiefs from near and far, even from the big lakes, 
 came seeking her hand. She refused each and all. 
 In vain her father threatened, her relations urged, 
 her tribe insisted. To every suitor she returned 
 the same answer : " My heart is far away in the 
 North, and w^ill not come back to me." A year 
 came and went. The snow for a second time melt- 
 ed from the mountains, and the ice deserted the 
 streams. Her lover had been sick, she said to her- 
 self, and could not keep his promise ; but now he 
 would surely come. Thus she kejDt her hope up 
 as she watched and waited. Night after night she 
 would visit this spot, only to be disappointed. The 
 burden was too heavy for her to bear. Tlie light 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 14? 
 
 deserted her eyes and agility her hmbs. With the 
 leaves of autumn she laded, and one September 
 night she launched her canoe and left her father's 
 camp. When last seen, she was directing her 
 course toward this point. It is possible that, 
 caught in the sweep of the rapids, she was swept 
 down, or else, broken in spirit by the continued ab- 
 sence of her lover, and weary of a life, every day of 
 which brought only a new and bitterer disappoint- 
 ment, she purposely paddled out into the current, 
 and sought, through the white foam and mist of 
 the rapids, a meeting with him who was, as she 
 believed, no longer on earth.' And they say," con- 
 tinued John, "that thrice each year, about this 
 time in June, there comes up out of the rapids a 
 canoe, which leaves, as it glides, no wake, urged by 
 a noiseless paddle, and in it a figure sits, clothed in 
 raiment whiter than the mist." 
 
 " Well, John," I said, after a slight pause, " is 
 that all ? Do you believe the story ? Did you evei 
 see her ?" 
 
 " Mr. Murray," said John, solemnly, " I do be- 
 lieve the story ; and I have seen her." 
 
 " Wliat ! " I exclaimed, now thoroughly interest- 
 ed ; " do you say that you have seen her, John ? 
 When, and how ? Tell me all about it." 
 
 " It was just fifteen years ago this moon," con- 
 tinued he, " and I was returning from a trip down 
 the Black River country, when, late in the evening, 
 
148 ADVK''<TURES IN THE WILDERNESS 
 
 I ran my boat into this little bay. The moon, the 
 lake, the raoantains, all looked as they do at 
 this moment. Against this very rock I built my 
 fire, and, being tired, quickly dropped to sleep. I 
 lay that mght in the same position in which you 
 are now lying. How long I had been sleeping [ 
 do not know, when a low, uneasy whine from my 
 hound, and his nose rubbing against my face, 
 Aroused me. Thinking that some wild animal 
 ilad approached the camp, I seized my rifle an< 
 peered steadily into the forest. Not a twi* 
 snapped. Twice did the dog walk around the 
 fire, lift liis nose into the air, and whine. I did not 
 know what to make of it. I was about to order 
 him to be quiet, wiien he started to his feet, took a 
 >?tep toward the lake, and then crouched, shivering, 
 to the ground. Quick as thought I turned, and 
 Vhere, Mr. Murray," said Ofohn, speaking in a low 
 but steady voice, and pointing with his brawny 
 hand toward the east, " there, just rounding tliat 
 point, I saw a sight which made my blood curdle. 
 A boat, or what seemed to l)e a boat, was there, — 
 % birch canoe, curved up at eitlier end, — and in it 
 •sat a girl, or what seemed a girl, all clothed m 
 white, and airy as a cloud. In her hand she grasped 
 a paddle, and her head was turned as in the atti- 
 tude of listening. Up to the very margin of tlie 
 water the canoe came, and twice dtd that face, or 
 wliat seemed a face, look steadily into mine. Then 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 149 
 
 v^ith a motion as wlien one shakes his head with 
 disappointment, it turned away, and the canoe, 
 as if impelled by a paddle, described a circle, and 
 glided, with the white form in it, around the 
 point." 
 
 John paused. That Ids narrative was honest I 
 had no doubt. E^'ery tone and syllable proved it. 
 I did not know precisely what to say, so Ave sat for 
 a while in profomid silence. At last John started 
 up, seized hold of the end of a large log which tlie 
 fire had burned through in the middle, ended it 
 over upon the pile of glo"\\ang coals, and as he 
 seated himself said, — • 
 
 " Well, Mr. Murray, what do you tliink of it ? " 
 
 Eising to my feet, I turned about so as to face 
 him, and responded : — • 
 
 "John, I do not doubt that you think you saw 
 what you say you did see ; but I do not believe that 
 you really saw any such sight after all. The fact is, 
 John, it was what the doctors would call a mental 
 delusion. You were very tired ; you had heard 
 the old story about the place — Be still, Rover, 
 will you ! " I exclaimed, interrupting myself to 
 touch the old dog with my foot, as he rose to liis 
 feet, lifted his nose into the air, and began to--' 
 whimper, — " it is nothing but a wolf or a wildcat, 
 you old fool you ; lie down. — The fact is, Jolni," 
 I resumed, " you were very tired that night ; you 
 had often heard the story about the place ; you 
 
150 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 were here all alone, and dropjoed asleep thinking 
 of it, and, being in a feverish state, you dreamed 
 that you saw — " 
 
 " Mr. Murray," whispered John, hoarsely, inter- 
 rupting me, " for God's sake, look there [ " 
 
 There was something in his voice, and in the 
 quick motion of his hand as he thrust it out 
 toward the lake, which startled me. Scarcely 
 knowing wdiy or wliat I was doing, I turned and 
 saw what was enough to quicken the hlood in 
 cooler veins than mine. Within a hundred feet 
 of the beach on wliicli I was then standing was 
 wdiat seemed at least to be a canoe, and in it a 
 form sat, bent slightly forward as in the act of 
 listening. A moment it sat thus, and then the 
 attitude became erect, and a face, as it were the 
 face of a girl inquinted on the air, looked directly 
 into mine. I neither spoke nor moved, but stood 
 steadfastly gazing at the apparition. I was not 
 frightened to bcAvilderment. All my faculties 
 seemed supernaturally acti^'e. I noted the form 
 of the canoe. It was as John had described it, — 
 curved up at either end, and delicately shaped. I 
 noticed the paddle, slender and polished ; the white 
 drapery, the shadowy face. I remembered after- 
 ward that the moonlight fell athwart the prow, as 
 it projected from the dark shadows of the pines 
 into the uninq)eded radiance. It may have been a 
 minute that the apparition faced us ; then, with a 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 151 
 
 movement of the head as wlieii one seeks in vain 
 for something not to be found, the paddle sank 
 into the water and the phantom boat, urged as by 
 a steady stroke which stirred no ripple, glided, with 
 the white figure in it, along the shore and around 
 the point, and then, heading toward the rapids, 
 vanished from sight. 
 
 It must have been several minutes before either 
 of us spoke. Then John broke the silence with 
 the words, " Well, Mr. Murray, what do you think 
 aliout it now ? " 
 
 " I think," said I, " that imagination has played 
 a trick on me, or else the old story is true and tliis 
 is haunted ground." 
 
 " Did you notice the canoe," continued John, 
 " how it was curved and ornamented at either end ; 
 and tlie paddle, what a delicate shaft it had ; and 
 the face, was it not as the face of a girl ? " 
 
 " Yes," I returned, solemnly, " it was as you de- 
 scribe it, John, save that it did not seem like a 
 real boat or paddle, and the face looked like the 
 outline of a face printed on the air, rather than a 
 solid head." 
 
 " So it did, so it did," responded he ; " but does 
 not the good Book say somewhere that we shall all 
 be changed at death, and that our bodies will not 
 look as they do now ? " 
 
 "Well, John, we won't talk any more about it 
 to-night," I replied ; " I want to sleep on it. Tos? 
 
152 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 me my blanket there, and roll those two logs on to 
 the fire, and we will go to sleep. In the morn- 
 ing we will hold a council, and decide what to 
 do. If there is any truth in the old story, you and 
 I might as well find it out." 
 
 John did as he was requested, and, coming 
 round to where I stood, we wi'apped ourselves in 
 our blankets, and side by side, with Eover at our 
 feet, prepared ourselves for slumber. "What 's 
 that ? " I exclaimed, as a sharp, quick cry, fol- 
 lowed by a prolonged howl, came up from the 
 depth of the forest. 
 
 " A wolf has killed a deer," murmured Jolm, 
 " and he is calling in the pack " ; and then we slept. 
 
 The sun was high in the heavens before we 
 awoke. Our sleep had been a heavy, oblivious 
 slumber, which took as it were so many hours 
 clean out of our lives, — a gap across which M^as 
 stretched not even the filament of a dream by 
 which the memory could afterward connect the 
 lying dowm and the rising up. 
 
 " John," said I, when breakfast was ended, " I 
 tell you what we will do to-day. We will explore 
 the rapids and mark us out a course down as far 
 as Phantom Falls, and we will lay in wait off our 
 camp to-night, when, if the apparition makes us 
 another visit, Ave will run alongside of that canoe or 
 sliadow, whichever it may be, and solve the mys- 
 tery. Wliat say you ? " 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 153 
 
 " I say anything you say, Mr. Murray," prompt- 
 ly responded Jolm. " I never yet saw a canoe 1 
 was afraid to run my boat alongside of ; but wliat 
 shall we do if it goes from us ? Shall we give 
 chase ? " 
 
 " Certainly," I responded ; " and I don't believe 
 that an}i:hing short of a ghost can out-paddle us, 
 if we fairly settle ourselves doAvn to it." 
 
 " Nor I either," returned John, laughin<>' ; " but 
 what if it leads down the rapids ? I heard an old 
 trapper say that he followed it once to the very en- 
 trance of them, down which it glided and escaped 
 him." 
 
 "Well, as I said, John, we will explore the 
 rapids to-day, and map us out a course. The river 
 is high, and with the full moon we can easily run 
 them. It is a good mile, you say, before we reach 
 the falls, and it must be ghost or devil if, with a 
 good paddle at either end of this shell, you and I 
 cannot catch it in a mile race." 
 
 So it was arranged, and, taking up our paddles, 
 Ave stepped into our boat and started for the 
 rapids. In a moment we had turned the point and 
 shot out into the current, in which, with reversed 
 strokes of the paddles, we lield the light shell 
 stationary while we scanned the reach of tremu- 
 lous water below. No prettier sight can a man 
 gaze at, nor is there one more calcidated to quicken 
 the blood, than to see two men sit bareheaded and 
 
154 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS 
 
 erect at either end of their cedar boat, paddle in 
 hand, in tlie sniootli water which gathers like a 
 pool at the mouth of rapids. And many a wild, 
 ringing cheer have I heard rise, mingling with the 
 roar of waters, from those who glided in their 
 skeleton boats over the verge, and passed from the 
 gazer's sight amid the foam and rocks below. 
 
 "John," said I, as we sat looking downAvard, 
 " it 's all clear ahead ; let her glide." 
 
 " All right," replied John ; " the waters are 
 high, and we shall have a clean run of it. Tlie 
 small rocks are covered, and the boulders we can 
 dodge. We will aim for the centre, and let the 
 current take us. I guess we shall ride, fast enough. 
 Only one thing before we start. AYe shall find 
 several small falls, which we must jump ; but 
 A\lien you hear the roar and see the smoke of 
 riiantom Falls, look well to your paddle and mind 
 A\hat you are about. It won't do to go over them. 
 Twenty-five feet are more than I care to jump." 
 
 " Exactly my sentiment," returned I, " but 
 which side are we to land ? If you and I slioot 
 this boat out of such a current as that," and I mo- 
 tioned downward, " it must be A\ith a stroke quick 
 as lightning and well together." 
 
 " I know that," said John. " I explored the 
 banks above the falls, one day, not knowing but 
 that I might be swept down some time, and about 
 thirty rods up stream, right abreast of a dead hem- 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 155 
 
 lock, tliere is a large whirlpool. "We will strike it 
 to the right, and when exactly abreast of the tree 
 we must jump our boat with one stroke under cover 
 of the bank. Do you understand ? " 
 
 " Perfectly," replied I. 
 
 " Eeady, then," said John. " Steady as you are. 
 
 Noiv r 
 
 At the word " Now ! " we lifted our paddles and 
 glanced like an arrow down the slope. 
 
 Three times that day we ran the rapids, and 
 each time without a mishap. Indeed, it was not a 
 difficult matter, as the water was very high ; and as 
 soon as we got accustomed to tJie extreme swift- 
 ness of the motion, we found no difficulty at 
 all in handling our boat. The most trying spot 
 was where we had to run out of the current, to do 
 which it was necessary that the stroke of our pad- 
 dles should be as one, and made with our united 
 strength. 
 
 " There," said John, as for the third time we ran 
 under the bank, " I am not afraid to run these 
 rapids night or day, even if chased by a ghost. 
 Come, let us go and see the falls." 
 
 Forcing our way through the underbrush, we 
 clambered down the bank, and, walking out upon 
 the shelving rock, stood where the mist and spray 
 fell on us. The falls were some twenty-five feet 
 high, perpendicular as the face of a wall. The edge 
 of the rock over which the water rushed must have 
 
156 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 been notched or chipped ; for, starting from the veiy 
 rim of the cataract, spouts of water leaped into the 
 air, and, falling in feathery spray, formed a veil 
 through w^hich the dark green torrent might be 
 seen as it fell behind it. In one spot only did the 
 current flow unimpeded. Near the middle of the 
 stream, for some eight feet in width, the down- 
 rushing waters rolled to the brink and cur^'ed 
 over without jet or seam, smooth as a sheet of 
 glass. Underneath, the water was churned into 
 foam, boiling and tossing about in the wildest 
 confusion. 
 
 For several minutes we stood admiring the wild 
 scene in silence. " Mr. Murray," at length shouted 
 John, putting his mouth close to my ear, so as to 
 make himself heard amid the uproar, " if any poor 
 fellow should ever get caught in the rajjids alone, 
 and have to slioot the falls, he slioidd steer for tliat 
 smooth water, and, when on the very brink, put his 
 whole strength into one stroke of his paddle ; 
 and if he could project his boat so tliat, when it 
 struck, it would fall on the outside of that upheav- 
 ing ridge, he would be safe, but if he fell inside of 
 that white line of foam, he would be sucked unde? 
 the falls and torn to pieces on the jagged hot-, 
 torn." 
 
 " John," said I, " it could be done, I verily be- 
 lieve, as you say, but not one man in fifty could 
 hold his paddle or sit l)is boat steadily, gliding 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 157 
 
 downward to such a fearful leap ; but will and 
 nei^ve could do it, only Heaven keep us from try- 
 ing it." 
 
 " Amen," said John, " and yet there is no telling 
 what may happen to those who boat by day and 
 night up and down this wilderness as much as we 
 do ; and if you ever have to do it, Mr. Murray, steer 
 for that smooth water, and, as you love your life, 
 when on the brink, do as I have told you." 
 
 " Well," said I, changing the subject, " if that 
 poor Indian girl did really come down the rapids, 
 she must have met her death under these falls." 
 
 " Yes, that is why they call them Phantom 
 Falls," answered John. " An old trapper told me 
 once that he camped in the bend of the river there 
 one night, and as he was rebiulding his fire about 
 midnight, he saw a canoe and a Avhite form rise 
 slowly out of the mist and go sailing up the rapids. 
 He was so frightened that he took boat and pad- 
 dled all night down stream till he reached the set- 
 tlement." 
 
 " Well," said I, as we turned from tlie falls and 
 clambered up the bank, " to-night we will see if 
 the old story is true or not. Let us go to camp." 
 So saying Ave shoiddered our Ijoat and started for 
 the camp above. 
 
 It might have been eleven o'clock when, taking 
 lip our paddles, we stepped into our boat and 
 pushed off into the lake. We took our position in 
 
158 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 the shadow of a hemlock which grew on the very 
 margin of the bank, some fifty yards to the west 
 of the camp, and waited. I cannot say that I ex- 
 pected anything unusual would show itself I am 
 no believer in Spiritualism. I am not nervous by 
 nature. I never dream. It was these facts which 
 made it so hard for me to account for the apj)ear- 
 ance of the night before. The more T had reflected 
 the more had I been puzzled. 
 
 " John," said I, at length, speaking in a guarded 
 whisper, " this is the queerest ambush you and I 
 ever made." 
 
 " I was just thinking of that A^ery same thing," 
 responded he ; " but I am very glad we are here. 
 For fifteen years I have wanted to do this very 
 thing, but never found any one to attempt it with 
 me. How do you feel ? " 
 
 " Never better in my life," I replied ; " although I 
 must say that I hope we may not run the rapids. 
 Moonlight is not sunlight, after all; and if you 
 should make a mistake, or — " 
 
 " Mr. Murray," broke in John, " did you ever 
 know me make a mistake ? Have not you and I 
 run rapids worse than these, time and again ? and 
 when have we taken anything but foam and spray 
 into our boats ? I tell you I am not afraid to run 
 the rapids ; only if we do go dowai, remember the 
 dead hemlock. It would n't do to go over the 
 faUs." 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 159 
 
 " Never fear on that point, John ; \yhen I am 
 ready to die, I shall choose another grave than 
 that boiling hell of water to sleep in. AVlien I 
 feel the tap of your paddle-staff" on the boat, I 
 will do my part; never fear." 
 
 Here the conversation ceased, and we sat in 
 silence, — a silence so profound as to be almost 
 painful. Ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed, and 
 nothing appeared. I grew impatient, incredulous. 
 I even began to feel that I Avould not like my 
 friends to know what a fool I was making of 
 myself " Jolm," said I at length, taking out my 
 watch, and holding its face up to a bright beam 
 of light wliich had found its way through the 
 dark foliage overhead, ■ — " John, it is five min- 
 utes to twelve, and we have made fools of our- 
 selves long enough. I don't think the Indian 
 girl will make her toilet under the fnlls to-niglit, 
 even if we should sit cramped up here till 
 morning. Come, shove into the — " 
 
 A low moan, almost Inimai) in its piteousness, 
 arose on tlie midnight air. Again the hound, l)y a 
 supernatural instinct, had divined the approach of 
 the spirit. I looked toward the camp. The dog- 
 sat f)n his haunches, facing the lake, his nose lifted 
 into the air. Outlined as he was against the fire, 
 I could see tlie uneasy tremulousness of his body. 
 He opened his moutli, and up through the stillness 
 s\\elled the saddest of all sounds, — the prolonged 
 
160 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 cry of a hound, when, in unknown grief, he w^ails out 
 his feeling. At the same instant I felt the boat 
 shake. Never did I obey that signal to be on the 
 watch more quickly. Never was I signalled before 
 to look at such an ol)ject. A canoe, and in it a fig- 
 ure like a girl's, was in the very act of turning 
 the point. A living girl could not lla^'e kept a 
 steadier stroke, or urged a boat along more nat- 
 urally. And yet I felt that it was not flesh and 
 blood, nor a real boat, nor ashen paddle before me. 
 Onward the apparition came. Up to the xerj 
 border of our camp that spectral boat glided, then 
 paused. A human face could not have gazed more 
 searchingly into the fitful firelight ; a human form 
 could not have taken a truer attitude of search. I 
 saw a shadowy arm moA^e through the air, and 
 the formation of a hand rested for a moment on 
 the brow, — as when one shields his eyes, peering 
 into darkness, — then sank upon the paddle-staff, 
 and the boat moved forward. 
 
 That motion roused me. It started John also 
 An instant more and we had solved the mystery 
 But even as our boat glided out of the deep shadow; 
 the apparition turned her head full on us. I won- 
 der we did not stop. But, with that ghostly face 
 not fifty feet away, looking through the bright 
 moonlight steadily into mine, I gave a stroke which 
 bent my paddle like a sword-blade when you throw 
 your weight suddenly upon it. The deed was done. 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 161 
 
 Devil or saint, spirit .or flesli, we had her ! I thrust 
 my hand out to grasp the garments of the girl. I 
 chdclicd the emi^ty air ; the girl was gone full 
 twenty yards away, and speeding toward the point. 
 Not tluis were we to be eluded. John had not 
 missed his stroke, and, seizing my paddle again, we 
 sent our boat flying over the surface of the lake in 
 hot pursnit. Never, as I belie^'e, was boat of bark 
 or cedar sent faster over the water. Our paddles 
 were of choicest ash, smooth as ivory, three feet in 
 the staff and thirty inches in the blade, while the 
 shell that floated us turned barely sixty pounds, with 
 a bottom like polished steel, and so cork-like that, 
 1 jalaneed carefully at stem and stern, as it was now, 
 it seemed to rest upon, rather than part, the water 
 on which it sat ; and as we cast our utmost strength 
 into our paddles as only boatmen can, the lithe thing 
 fairly flew, while its delicate framework of cedar 
 roots and paper-like sides cpiivered imder the ner- 
 vous strokes from stem to stern. Around the point 
 we rushed, pursuer and pursued. Into the swift 
 ouction we shot almost side by side ; down over tlie 
 verge and through the Mdiite rift into the gloom of 
 overhanging pines, leaped a cascade, and with hands 
 and faces wet with spray, and garments flecked 
 with patches of froth and foam cast high over us as 
 we splashed through the rapid torrent, plunged 
 down the second reach and over a second fall 
 without losing a stroke. Still, just ahead, the boat 
 
162 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 and spectre glided. At one moment entering into 
 tlie shadow of some dark pine or liemlock whicli 
 overhung the stream, her vliite form with tlie whiter 
 face looking back at ns would show an outline as 
 clearly marked as though of flesh and blood ; the 
 next, as it passed out of the gloom, it would melt 
 away into the moonlight, until it seemed only as an 
 airy formation, making no obstruction to the eye, — 
 a thing of mist and air. Once, as we leaped a fall, I 
 thought our race was over ; for even as we hung in 
 air, I reached to seize the phantom. I closed my 
 hand, but grasped the afmosjjhere. I felt it was in 
 vain. No mortal hand might ever touch it, or if it 
 might, the human senses were too gross to feel the 
 contact. At that moment the white figure arose, 
 and, standing erect, pointed with one hand down- 
 ward, and with the open palm of the other waved 
 us as in warning back. The moon shone full upon 
 her face. The look was sad, almost plaintive. An 
 indescribable expression of patience ]30ssessed it. 
 " Living or dead, form or spirit, the years have 
 brought no hope to you, poor girl ! " said I to 
 myself In a moment her posture changed. Her 
 hands dropped to her side. Her head was bent, as 
 though in the attitude of listening, down the stream. 
 Then, suddenly starting, she stood erect, and, fling- 
 ing her arms over her head with a gesture which 
 had in it both warning and supplication, she w^aved 
 us back. That instant I heard the roar of Phantom 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 1G3 
 
 Falls. I tapped the side of the boat with my pad- 
 dle-stalf. In a moment I felt an answering jar 
 from John, and knew that he had caught the heavy 
 boom which warned us to end the race. Down, 
 down we went, past rock and bulging ledge, swept 
 round a curve, and lo ! the hemlock was in sight. 
 Eio'ht cjlad was I to see it. It looked like a friend 
 standing there, leaning out, as it was, over the 
 swiftly gliding water, which liissed and c^uivered 
 under it. I saw the eddying pool which spun 
 abreast of it, and marked the white line of foam 
 fringing the black circle, and noted with joy how 
 surely John was sending the boat to the identical 
 spot from which, with one bra^'e stroke, we were to 
 jump her out of the fierce suction under the pro- 
 jecting banks. I had no thought of accident. The 
 faintest suspicion of failure had not crossed my 
 mind. With the thunder of the falls filling the air 
 with a deafening roar, barely thirty rods away, 
 with the siz-z of the current around me as we 
 dashed down the decline, I felt as calm and confi- 
 dent as though the race was over and we were 
 standing on the bank. Nearer and nearer to the 
 line of froth we flew ; straight as an arrow from the 
 l)0w the light boat shot. I grasped my paddle, 
 reaching my left hand well down to the blade, 
 holding it suspended and stretched far out ahead, 
 ready for the stroke. The moment came. I 
 dashed the paddle into the current and l»ent upon 
 
164 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 the staff. Even as I Lent to the stroke, the sound 
 of rending wood, a crash, a quick cry, piercing 
 sharply through tlie roar of the falls, smote upon my 
 ear. No words were needed to tell me wliat liad 
 happened. John had broken his j^^^ddle ! The 
 treacherous ash had failed him even in mid-stroke. 
 I did my best. I felt that life, sweet to all at all 
 times, doubly sweet as it seemed to me then, lay in 
 the strength of my arms. I threw the last ounce 
 of power I had into that stroke. The elastic staff 
 bent under the sudden pressure like a Damascus 
 blade. It held ; but all in vain. The suction was 
 too strong. It seized John's end of the boat, 
 whirled it round, and sent it flying out into the 
 middle of the stream. It is said that men grow 
 cool in danger ; that the mind acts with su})ernatu- 
 ral quickness in moments of peril. Be that as it 
 may with others, so it was wdth me in that fearful 
 moment. / hicw that tve must go over tlic falls. I 
 felt that John must make the awful shoot. I had 
 more confidence in him than in myself As the 
 boat spun round upon the eddy, I seized advan- 
 tage of the current, and righting it, directed the bow 
 down stream. Then, calmly turning in my seat, 
 reversed my paddle, and, liolding it by the blade, 
 reached the staff to John. He took it. Never 
 shall I forget the look of John's face as his fingers 
 closed on it. No word was uttered by either of us. 
 No voice might make itself heard in that uproar. 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 165 
 
 The moon made e^'erytliing almost as discernible 
 as in tlie day. He took the paddle, understanding 
 my thought, looking straight at me. Upon his 
 face was an expression, plain as speech might make 
 it, which said, " All that man can do, Mr Min^ray, 
 all that man can do." Then he passed the blade 
 into the water. I saw him take two strokes, steady 
 and quick, then turned. Dowu, down we went. 
 0, liow we shot along that tremulous plain of quiv- 
 ering water ! I felt the shell tremble and spring 
 as John drove it ahead. A joy I cannot express 
 thrilled me as I felt the boat jump. Hope rose 
 with every nervous stroke of that paddle, as it sent 
 lis flying toward the verge. No matter how we 
 struck, provided our projection carried us beyond 
 the deadly line of bubbles and the suction inward. 
 I held my breath, seizing the rim of the boat on 
 each side with either hand, and crouched low down 
 for the leap. The motion was frightfid. IVTy face 
 seemed to contract and sharpen under the pressure 
 of the air as I clove through it. How John could 
 keep his stroke, rushing down such a decline, was 
 and will ever be to me a matter of increasing won- 
 der. Yet, quick and smiting as his stroke was, it 
 was as regular as the movement of a watch. Down, 
 down we glanced, straight for the middle of the 
 falls and the smootli opening along the jagged rim. 
 Lower and lower I crouched. Quicker and quicker 
 jumped the boat, until the verge was reached, and, 
 
166 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 quivering like a frightened fish, the shell, driven by 
 what seemed to be more than mortal strength, with 
 a mighty leap, sprang out into the air. So nicely 
 had long custom taught us to balance it, that, keep- 
 ing the inclination given it by the current, it clove 
 through the cloud of rising mist, passing clean out 
 of it before we touched the water ; for even as wc 
 hung above the abyss, I saw the deadly line was 
 passed and we were saved. The boat, keeping tlie 
 angle of declination, struck the water, and went 
 under like a pointed stake hurled from the hand, 
 and John and I were left struggling in the current. 
 
 We swam to the edge of the deep pool, and, 
 climbing upon the sloping ledge, lay for a brief 
 time motionless, and, side by side in the deep 
 shadow of the pines, our faces prone on our crossed 
 arms, filled with the sweet sense of life delivered, 
 and with emotions known only to Him witli 
 whom, with the roar of the falls, out of whose hell 
 of waters we had been snatched, rising around us, 
 we held communion. 
 
 At the lower end of the pool we found our boat 
 drifted ashore and John's broken paddle beside it. 
 Shouldering the shell, and striking eastward, we 
 soon came to the carry, traversing which we quickly 
 reached the lake, and launching out upon it, in five 
 minutes stood where the opening sentences of our 
 story found us wringing our clothes beside our 
 rekindled camp-fire. And there, reader, we will 
 
PHANTOM FALLS. 167 
 
 leave you standing in fancy by the flickering fire- 
 light, with Eover at your feet and the lake shim- 
 mering, like a sea of silver under the white radi- 
 ance of the fuU-orljed and perfect moon, lying 
 tranquilly before you. 
 
 " Just one word, Mr. jSIurray, before you stop. 
 Did you rccdly see a ghost, and is there any such 
 place as Phantom Falls ? " To which query of 
 yours, gentle reader, pausing only one moment to 
 answer, before I quarter this Christmas orange, I 
 respond, " A>^lc John." 
 
IX. 
 
 JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 
 
 WE were camping on Constable Point, John 
 and I, in the summer of 1868, when the 
 following experience befell me. I tell it because 
 it represents one phase of Adirondack life, and be- 
 cause it will enable me to enjoy over again one 
 of the most ludicrous and laughable adventures 
 which ever assisted digestion. 
 
 It was the 8th of July, and a party of Saranac 
 guides, consisting of Jim McClellan, Stephen Mar- 
 tin, and a nephew of his, also a Canadian, name 
 unknown, at least unpronounceable by me, had 
 come up from the Lower Saranac, and were going 
 through to Brown's Tract for a party of German 
 gentlemen (and gentlemen in the best sense of the 
 word we afterward found them to be), who had ar- 
 ranged the year before to camp on the Eacquette for 
 a while. The guides were instructed to select and 
 build a camp as they came through, and then, 
 leaving one of their number to keep it, to come 
 after the party, who were to await them at Ar- 
 nold's. The spot the guides selected was only some 
 twenty rods to the north of us, and there they 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT, 169 
 
 pitched their tent, close by the little projection of 
 yellow sand which tlinists itself out into the deep 
 blue waters of the lake. The following mornincc 
 all the guides save the elder Martin started for 
 Arnold's, leaving liim to keep camp. Soon after 
 dark Martin, having put everything in order to 
 receive the party, dropped over to our lodge, in 
 the door of which John and I were sitting, smok- 
 ing our pipes, and chatting of this or that, as men 
 wall in the woods. 
 
 " Well," said I to Martin, as he came up, " I 
 suppose you have all your arrangements made for 
 the party to-morrow." 
 
 " Yes," returned he. " I don't know as I can do 
 much more ; only I do wish I could have a big 
 buck hanging by his gambrels when they come 
 pulling in. It would please Mr. Schack mighty 
 weU, I tell you. The fact is," he continued, " I 
 came over here to see if you did n't want to go 
 out to-night with your jack. We might take a 
 short stretch up Marion Eiver there, and I think 
 find a venison without much trouble." Of course 
 I was ready to go. Indeed, I was exceedingly 
 glad of the chance. The fact is, one deer a week 
 was all John and I could manage to dispose of; 
 and as I never permit myself to shoot more than 
 the camp can eat or give away, and as no parties 
 had as yet come in, I had very little sport, and 
 eagerl},'- hail(Hl the opportunity which Martin's 
 
 8 
 
170 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 proposition gave me of " drawing it fine " on a 
 deer's head once more. 
 
 So it was settled that we should go jack-shoot- 
 ing up Marion Eiver ; and, after a few minutes of 
 further conversation as to our outfit, Martin left 
 to prepare his boat. I proceeded to discharge my 
 rifle, which was loaded with conical balls, in order 
 to recharge with round ones, which are far better 
 for short range and night work. 
 
 Perhaps, as a matter of interest to sportsmen, 
 and for the information of the uninitiated reader, 
 I should pause a moment in my narration to 
 describe, not only "jack-shooting," but also "my 
 jack." 
 
 Be it known to all, then, that a deer is a very 
 inquisitive as well as a timid animal. His curi- 
 osity is generally greater than his timidity, and at 
 the sight of anything new or strange he is im- 
 pelled by this feeling to inspect it. Hence it is 
 that, instead of flying from a blazing torch or 
 lighted candle at night, he is more apt to stand 
 stock still and gaze at it. Hunters avail them- 
 selves of this peculiarity, and hunt them by torch- 
 light in the night-time. Ordinarily speaking, 
 they take a piece of bark some two feet long by 
 ten inches wide, and, bending it into the shape of 
 a half-moon, tack it to a top and bottom board of 
 the same shape. Into this box of bark, shaped 
 like an old-fashioned half-moon lantern, tliey in- 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 171 
 
 sert one or more candles, and fasten it to a stick 
 some three feet in length. The stick is then stuck 
 into the bow of the boat, and the "jack" is ready. 
 The hunter, rifle in hand, seats himself close be- 
 hind and under the jack, and the paddler at the 
 other end of the boat or canoe. Thus equipped 
 they start out. The guide paddles quietly along, 
 until a deer is heard feeding, as is their custom 
 at night, upon the edge of the bank, or walking 
 in the water nipping off the lily-pads, which they 
 love exceedingly. The jack is then lighted and 
 the boat run swiftly down toward the deer. If 
 he is young, or has never seen a jack before, he 
 will let the boat (which he does not see, so intently 
 is he gazing at the light) come very near him, 
 and he is easily shot. If he is old and shy, it is a 
 far more difficult task to get near him. The de- 
 fects of this jack are evident. It is worthless on any 
 but a perfectly still night, for the least current of 
 air will blow the light out. It necessitates also 
 the scratching of a match previous to " lighting 
 up," and the noise incident to such an opera- 
 tion in the open air at night, when every object 
 about you is damp and wet, and in tlie presence 
 of game, does not tend to steady the nerves of 
 an amateur. It is also stationary, and if you 
 run past the deer, as you are liable to do, it is 
 dillicult to turn the light on him. If, further' 
 more, the deer is in motion in any but a straight 
 
172 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 line from you, the jack is of no service at aU. 
 Now, when deer are scarce and shy, or the nights 
 windy, such a jack is almost useless, and the 
 sportsman is often driven to change his camp or 
 starve, although deer are all around him. Hav- 
 ing in seasons previous experienced the disad- 
 vantages of the old jack, I determined to in- 
 vent and construct one which should absolutely 
 overcome all these imperfections. This is wliat 
 I hit upon. I took a common fireman's hat, and, 
 having the rim removed, had the crown padded 
 with wadding, and lined with chamois-skin. I 
 caused a half-moon lantern of copper to he made 
 with a concave bottom which fitted closely to the 
 hat, and was fastened thereto with screws. Through 
 the top of the hat a hole was made large enough 
 for the burner to pass ; the lamp itself, containing 
 the oil, was fitted and held by brass studs to the 
 crown, between it and the head. In the back side 
 of the lantern was placed a German-silver reflec- 
 tor, heavily plated. The screw which lifts and 
 lowers the wick was connected witli a shank 
 that projected through the side of the lantern, 
 so that by a touch of the finger the light might 
 be let on or cut off. A large, softly padded throat- 
 latch buckled the jack firmly to my head. Ob- 
 serve the advantages of this jack over the old 
 style. Being enclosed by an air-tight glass front, 
 it might be used in a tornado. AVhen floating for 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 173 
 
 deer you coiild turn the wick so low down that 
 no light was visible, and when one was heard you 
 could I'un down toward him, and, with your finger 
 on the adjusting screw, turn on tlie light just when 
 you wanted it, and not an instant before, and this 
 too without a moment's pause. If the deer was 
 on the jump, it made no dift'erence. The reflector 
 was so powerful, that, if you turned the wick well 
 up, it mad; a lane some three rods wide and fifteen 
 rods long as light as day, and the jack being on your 
 head, the blaze was never off the leaping deer, 
 whose motion your eye would naturally follow, 
 and as your head turned, so, without thought or 
 effort on your part, turned the jack. Moreover, as 
 all hunters know, one trouble with the old style 
 of jacks is, that as you hold your rifle under it, 
 when taking aim, only the front sight is lighted 
 up ; and the rear sight being in the dark, you can- 
 not " draw it fine," but are ever liable to " shoot 
 over." Shooting with the old style is but little bet- 
 ter than guess shooting, any way. To be sure, you 
 might discard the rifle, and with an old blunder- 
 buss, charged with slugs or buck-shot, which scat- 
 ter twenty feet in going forty, get your deer. r)ut 
 this is simply slaughter, — a proceeding too shame- 
 ful for a sportsman ever to engage in. A man 
 who drops his deer witli anything but a single 
 bullet should be hooted out of the woods. Now 
 the jack I am descrilung, when placed firmly on 
 
174 ADVENTURES FN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 tlie head, casts its light from lock to muzzle, and 
 so enables the hunter to draw his bead as " fine " 
 as he may choose. Nothing need be said in favor 
 of this jack, — which is here for the first time de- 
 scribed, and thus made common property, — be- 
 yond the fact that, during the whole season in 
 which I hunted, mostly nights, I never marked a 
 deer with a bullet back of the ears, unless he was 
 on the jump when I shot. And time and again, 
 as John Plumbley and many friends can testify, 
 on nights good, bad, and indifferent, sitting, kneel- 
 ing, or standing in the bow of a tottlish boat, I have 
 sunk my bullet as squarely between the eyes as 
 one may place his finger. One word more touch- 
 ing the advantages of this jack. AU my readers 
 who have hunted deer at night know that fuU 
 one half of them started will go out of the river 
 on a jump, and, when ten or twelve rods from 
 the bank, come to a stand-stiU. Now this dis- 
 tance is too great for an old-style jack to illu- 
 minate ; and often the Imnter must signal his 
 guide to paddle on, when he knows the buck he 
 wants stands not a dozen rods away, looking 
 straight at him. Now, with the aid of a reflector, 
 my jack will throw a lane of light from fifteen to 
 twenty rods ; and if the deer stops within that dis- 
 tance, as three out of five will, and you hold steady, 
 he is sure to come into your boat. Never shall I 
 forget an old buck I laid out one night up South 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 175 
 
 Inlet, on the Eacquette, as he stood with his nose 
 stuck into the air and blowing away like an ani- 
 mated trumpet. It was just seventeen rods from 
 the bow of the little shell I stood in, and the lead 
 ^ent in at one ear and came out of the other. 
 
 So much for jack-shooting and my jack. I 
 have been thus minute in my description, because 
 1 thought it might assist my brother sportsmen 
 to enjoy what I regard the most exciting of all 
 sport, — deer-shooting at night. I take this way 
 also of answering the many letters of inquiry con- 
 cerning my jack recently addressed me by gentle- 
 men who have heard of my invention from the 
 guides, and who would like to avail themselves of 
 it. It is rather expensive, but a sure thing, if 
 well made. 
 
 Well, to return to my naiTation. I was driving 
 the ball into the right barrel of my rifle when I 
 heard the soft dip of a paddle abreast of the camp, 
 and in a moment Martin stepped up the bank and 
 entered, paddle in hand, the circle of the firelight. 
 IVIany who read this may remember Martin, brother 
 to him of the Lower Saranac House ; but for the 
 sake of others, who have never seen him, I will give 
 a sketch of him. I recall him perfectly as he 
 stood leaning on his paddle in my camp that night. 
 A tall, sinewy man he was, in height some six feet 
 two, in weiglit turning perhaps one hundred and 
 seventy pounds, — every ounce of superfluous flesh 
 
176 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " sweated " off his body by liis constant work at the 
 paddle and oars, which gave him a certain gaunt, 
 bony look, to be seen only in men who live the 
 hunter's life and eat the hunter's fare along our 
 frontiers. Yet there was a certain litheness about 
 the form, a springy elasticity in the moccasmed 
 foot, a suppleness of motion, which, if it was not 
 grace, was something next akin to it. His hair was 
 sandy, short, crisp, and curly. His shoulders were 
 brought the least trifle forward, as boatmen's gen- 
 erally are, and especially such as leave their boats 
 to follow, with cat-like tread and crouching pos- 
 ture, the trail. Pants and hunting-shirt of Scotch 
 gray ; a soft felt hat of similar color, and the inev- 
 itable short, thin knife stuck in a leathern sheath, 
 made up his outfit. A wiry, nervous man, I said 
 to myself, as I looked him over; none the less 
 nervous because a certain backwoodsman's indif- 
 ference and nonchalance veiled the dash and fire 
 within. A good guide I warrant, easy and pleas- 
 ant of temper when fairly treated, but hot and 
 violent as an overcharged and smutty rifle when 
 abused. 
 
 " Martin," said I, as I dragged my jack from 
 under a bag where it had lain concealed (for I 
 did n't wish every one to copy my invention the 
 first season), " what do you think of that ? " and, 
 touching a match to the wick, I lifted the jack 
 to my head and buckled the throat-latch. 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IX A FOGGY NIGHT. 17*7 
 
 *• Well," said lie, after looking at it a moment, 
 •■■ that 's a new idea, anyway. Should n't wonder 
 if it worked ; but I have seen so many new-fangled 
 notions brought into the woods that were not 
 worth a toadstool, that I have about given up 
 ever seeing anything better than a piece of bark, 
 and a tallow dip, mean and tricky as that is." 
 
 " Well," said I, moistening my finger and lift- 
 ing it into the air, " if that current of wind comes 
 out of the north, we shall want something better 
 than a tallow dip to see through the fog with be- 
 fore ten o'clock." 
 
 " That 's the fact," broke in John ; " I saw, an 
 hour ago, by the way that hard maple brand 
 snapped and glowed, that it was getting colder. By 
 the time you reach the river the fog wall be thick 
 enough to cut, and the best thing you can do, both 
 of you, is to bunk in here with me, and help me 
 lessen this bag of ' Lone Jack.' " 
 
 " No," said I, " fog or no fog, we '11 go out. I 
 know how much it would please the party to-mor- 
 row to see a good buck hanging in front of the 
 camp as they come down the lake ; and, Martin, 
 if you will do your part at the paddle, I '11 show 
 you how Never Fail acts wlien a deer stands look- 
 ing into the muzzles " ; and I patted the stock of 
 my double rifle, of which it is enough to say that it 
 has " N. Lewis, Troy, N. Y.," etched on either barrel. 
 
 "Well," replied IMartin, as he turned toward 
 
 8* L 
 
178 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS 
 
 the beach, " it 's thirty-five years since I raised the 
 first blister on these hands with a paddle-staff, and 
 though it is a mighty silent paddle that is usually 
 back of you, yet w^e Saranac boys don't admit that 
 any man in this wilderness can beat us in a still 
 hunt." 
 
 With this allusion to John's reputation at the 
 paddle, he headed his long, narrow boat out into 
 the lake, and steadied it between his knees until I 
 was seated in the bow ; then, with a slight push, 
 sent the light shell from the beacli, vaulting at the 
 same instant, with a motion airy as a cat's, into 
 his own seat astern. 
 
 Who that has ever visited the Adirondacks does 
 not grow enthusiastic as he recalls the beauty and 
 S(jlemn splendor of the night, as he has beheld it 
 while being paddled across some one of its many 
 hundred lakes ? The current of air which I had 
 noted at the camp, cool and refreshing after the 
 hot summer's day, was too steady and slight to stir 
 a ripple on the glassy water. The sky was in its 
 bluest tint, sobered by darkness. In the southern 
 heavens, and even up to the zenith, the stars were 
 mellow and hazy, shorn of half their beams by the 
 moist atmosphere through which they shone. A 
 few, away to the south, over the inlet of that 
 name, lying back of a strata of air saturated al- 
 most to the density of vapor, beamed like so many 
 patches of illuminated mist. But far to the north 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 170 
 
 and west, wlience at intervals a thin gleam of 
 lightning shone reflected from some far-off' nether 
 region, the low growl of thunder was occasionally 
 heard. Above, in the clear, cool blue, the star 
 which never moves, the Dipper, and countless 
 other orbs, differing in glory, revealed in sharp, 
 clear outlines their stellary formations. The wave- 
 less water was to these heavens a perfect mirror ; 
 and over that seamless surface, over planets and 
 worlds shining beneath us, over systems and con- 
 stellations the minutest star of which was visible 
 we softly glided. With bowed head I gazed into 
 that illuminated sea. I thought of that other sea 
 which is " of glass like unto crystal " before the 
 throne, and the glory which must forever be re- 
 flected up from its depths. "Is this the same 
 world of cities and cursing in which I lived a 
 week ago ? " I said to myself, " or have I been 
 translated to some other and happier sphere ? " 
 Around me on all sides, as I gazed, Night dusky 
 and dim sat on the mountains, and brooded over 
 the starry sea, and the all-enveloping silence of the 
 wilderness rested solemnly over all. As I sat and 
 mused, — yea, and worshij^ped, — memory stirred 
 within me ; the words of the Psalmist came to 
 my lips, and I murmured, " This is night which 
 showeth wisdom, and the melody of which has 
 gone out through all the world." 
 
 My meditations were somewhat rudely interrupt- 
 
180 ADVKNTUKES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 ed by the grating of lily -pads against the sides of 
 the boat. We had crossed the lake, and were 
 entering the river. My mood changed with the 
 change of locality. The lover of nature was in- 
 stantly lost in the sportsman, and as we shot into 
 the fog, which, lising above the river, from the lake 
 looked like a great fleecy serpent twined amid the 
 hills, eye and ear were all alert to detect the pres- 
 ence of game. But we were doomed to delay. 
 For nearly two miles we crept through the damp 
 and chilly fog, hearing nothing to interrupt the 
 profound silence save the occasional plunge of a 
 muskrat or the sputter of a frog skating along the 
 surface of the water. But all of a sudden, when 
 heart and ho]3e were about to fail, some distance 
 ahead of us we heard the well-known sounds, 
 k-splash, k-splash, and knew that a deer, and a 
 large one too, was maldng for the shore. Here 
 our adventures began. I signalled Martin, by a 
 desperate " hitch " on the thwart, to run the boat 
 at full speed toward the sound. He did. The 
 light shell shot through the fog, and when in 
 swift career struck the bank, bow on. Martin was 
 tremendous at the paddle, and a little more force 
 would have divided that marsh from side to side ; 
 as it was, the thin, lath-like boat was buried a third 
 of its length amid the bogs and marsh-grass. With 
 much struggle, and several suppressed but sugges' 
 tive exclamations from Martin^ we extricated th& 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 181 
 
 boat from the meadow and shoved out into clear 
 water. We had lieard nothing from the deer since 
 he left the river. Thinking that possibly he might 
 have stopped, after gaining the bank, to look back, 
 as deer often do, I rose slowly in the boat, turned 
 up the jack, and peered anxiously into the fog. 
 The strong reflector bored a lane tlirough the fleecy 
 mass for some fifty feet, perhaps ; even at that dis- 
 tance objects mingled grotesquely with the fog. At 
 the extreme end of the opening I detected a bright, 
 diamond-like spark. What was it ? I turned the 
 jack up, and I turned it down. I lowered myself 
 until my eyes looked along the line of the grass. 
 I raised myself on tiptoe. Xothing more could be 
 seen. " It may be the eye of a deer, and it may be 
 only a drop of water, or a wet leaf," said I to my- 
 self Still it looked gamy. I concluded to launch 
 a bidlet at it any^vay. Whispering to Martin to 
 steady the boat, I sunk my eye well down into the 
 sights, and, holding for the gleam amid the marsh- 
 grass, fired. The smoke, mingling heavily with the 
 fog, made all murky before me, while the explo- 
 sion, striking against the mountains on either side, 
 started a dozen reverberations, so that we coidd 
 neither see nor hear what was the result of the 
 shot. After waiting in silence a few moments, 
 hoping to hear the deer " kick," without any such 
 happy result, I told Martin I would go ashore to 
 load, and see what it was I had shot at. He paddled 
 
182 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 forward, and, seizing the tall grass, while he forced 
 the boat in against the bank with his paddle, I 
 clambered up. Being curious to ascertain what 
 had deceived me, I strode off into the marsh 
 some forty feet, and, tm^iing up the jack, lo and 
 behold a dead deer lay at my feet ! " Martin," 
 shouted I, " here the deer is, dead as a tick ! " 
 
 "Tlie d — 1!" exclaimed the guide from tlie fog. 
 
 " What did you say ? " again I shouted. 
 
 " I said I did n't believe it," returned Martin, 
 soberly. 
 
 " Paddle your canoe up here, then, you old scep- 
 tic, and see for yourself," I rejoined, taking the 
 deer by tlie ear and dragging him to the bank. 
 " Here lie is, and a monster too." Martin did as 
 directed. " Well," exclaimed he, as he unbent his 
 gaunt form from the curve into which two hours 
 of paddling had cramped it, and straightened him- 
 self to his fall height, until his eyes rested upon the 
 buck, — " well, ]\Ir. Murray, you are the first man 
 I ever saw draw a fine bead in a night like this, 
 standing in the bow of a Saranac boat, at the twin- 
 kle of a deer's eye, and hill. That jack of yours is 
 a big thing, and no mistake." By the time he had 
 finished, the boat had drifted off into the river, — 
 for the current was quite strong at that point, — • 
 and I was alone. I was just fitting a cap to the 
 tube of the recharged barrel, when I felt a move- 
 ment at my feet, and, casting my eyes downward. 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 183 
 
 I saw that the deer was in the act of getting up I 
 The ball, as we afterward discovered, had glanced 
 along the front of the skull, barely creasing tlie 
 skin. It had touched the bone slightly, and 
 stunned him so that he dropped ; but beyond this, 
 it had not hurt liim in the least. Quick as 
 thought, I put my foot against his shoulder and 
 pushed him over. " Martin," I cried, " this deer 
 is n't dead ; he 's trying to get up. What shall I 
 do?" 
 
 " Not dead ! " exclaimed he, shouting from the 
 middle of the river through the dense fofj. 
 
 " No, he is n't dead ; far from it. He is mighty 
 lively, and getting more and more so," I returned, 
 now having my hands full to keep the deer down. 
 " Come out and help me. What shall I do ? " 
 
 " Get hold of his hind leg ; I '11 be with you in 
 a minute," was the answer. 
 
 I did as directed. I laid hold of his left hind leg, 
 just above the fetlocks, and sprang to my feet. 
 
 Eeader, did you ever seize a pig by the hind 
 leg ? If so, multiply that pig by ten ; for every 
 twitch he gives, count six ; lash a big lantern to 
 your head ; fancy yourseK standing alone on a 
 swampy marsh in a dark, foggy night, with a rifle 
 in your left hand, and being twitched about among 
 the bogs and in and out of muskrat-holes, until 
 your whole system seems on the point of a sepa- 
 ration which shall send you in a thoiuiaud in- 
 
18-i ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 finitesimal parts in all directions, like fragments 
 of an exploding buzz-wheel, and you have my 
 appearance and feelings as I was jerked about 
 that night amid the mire and marsh -o-rass, as I 
 clung to the leg of that deer. Now, when I fas- 
 ten to anything, I always expect to hold on. 
 This was my determination when I put my fin- 
 gers round that buck's leg. I have a tremendous 
 grip. My father had before me. With his hand? 
 at a two-inch auger-hole in the head of a barrel, I 
 have seen him clutch, now with his right, now with 
 his left hand, twenty-two house-rats as they came 
 darting out to escape the stick with which I was 
 stirring them up, and dash them dead upon the 
 floor, without getting a single bite ; and everybody 
 knows that a rat, in full bolt, comes out of a barrel 
 like a flash of lightning. I fully expected to main- 
 tain the idjnUj 2^rcsti(je for grip. I did. I stuck 
 to that deer with all my power of arm and will. I 
 felt it to be a sort of personal contest between him 
 and myself Nevertheless, I was perfectly willing 
 at any time to let go. I had undertaken the job at 
 the request of another, and was ready to surrender 
 it instantly upon demand. I sliouted to Martin to 
 get out of that boat mighty quick if he wanted to 
 take his deer home, for I should n't hold on to him 
 much longer. It took me about two minutes to de- 
 liver that sentence. It was literally jerked out of 
 me, word by word. Never did I labor under greater 
 
JAGK-SHOUTLXG IX A FOGGY NIGHT. 18.J 
 
 embarrassment in expressing myself. In the mean 
 %v'liile Martin was meeting with dithculty. The 
 bank of the river was steep, and the light cedar 
 shell, with only himself in it, was out of all bal- 
 ance, and hard to manage. It may be that his 
 very strong desire to get on to that meadow 
 where I was holding his deer for him operated 
 to confuse and embarrass his movements ! He 
 would propel the boat at full speed toward the 
 bank, then jump for the bow ; but his motion 
 forward would release the boat from the mud, 
 and when he reached the bow the boat would be 
 half-way across the river again. Now Martin is a 
 man of great patience. He is not by any means a 
 profane person. He had always shown great re- 
 spect for the cloth. But everybody will see that 
 his position was a very trying one. Three several 
 times, as he afterward informed me, did he drive 
 that boat into the bank, and three several times, 
 when lie got to the bow, that boat was in the mid- 
 dle of the river. At last Martin's patience gave 
 way, and out of the fog came to my ears ejacula- 
 tions of disgust, and such strong expletives as 
 are found only in choice old Engiisli, and howls 
 of rage and disappointment that none but a guide 
 could utter in like circumstances. But human 
 endurance has a limit. I was fast reaching a 
 condition of mind when family pride and trans- 
 mitted powers of resolution fail. What did I care 
 
186 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 for my father's exploit with the rats at the two- 
 inch auger-hole ? What did the family grip 
 amount to after all ? I was fast losing sight of 
 the connection such vanities sustained to me. I 
 was undergoing a rapid change in many respects, 
 — of body as well as mind ! When I got hold of 
 that deer's leg, I was mentally full of pluck and 
 hope; my hunting-coat, of Irish corduroy, was 
 whole and tightly buttoned. Now% mentally, I 
 was demoralized ; every button was gone from 
 the coat, and the right sleeve hung disconnected 
 with the body of the garment. The jack had been 
 jerked from my head, and lay a rod off in the 
 marsh-grass. I covdd hold on no longer. I would 
 make one more effort, one more appeal. I did. 
 " Martin," said I, " are n't you ever going to get 
 out of that boat ? " 
 
 The heavy thug of the boat against the bank, an 
 explosive and sputtering noise which sounded very 
 nuich like the word " damn " spoken from between 
 shut teeth, a splash, a scramble, and then I caught 
 sight of the gaunt form of ]\Iartin, paddle in hand 
 and hunting-knife between his teeth, loping along 
 toward me, through the tall, rank grass. But, 
 alas ! it was too late. The auspicious moment 
 had passed. My fingers one by one loosened 
 their hold, and the deer, gathering all his strength, 
 with a terrific elevation of his hind feet sent me 
 reeling backward, just as Martin, doubled up into 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 187 
 
 a heap, was about to aliglit upon his back. He 
 missed the back, but, as good hick would have it, 
 3ven while the buck ^^'as in the air, — the deer 
 going up as Martin came down, — the fingers of 
 the guide closed with a full and desperate grip 
 upon his tail. Quick as a flash I recovered myself 
 from the bogs, replaced the jack, which fortu- 
 nately had not been extinguished, upon my head, 
 and stood an interested spectator of the proceed- 
 ings. Now everybody knows how a wild deer 
 can jump when frightened; and the buck, with 
 Martin fastened to his tail, was thoroughly 
 roused. The first leap straightened the poor fellow 
 out like a lathe, but it did not shake him from his 
 hold. If the reader has ever seen a small boy 
 hanging to the tail-board of a wagon, when the 
 horse was at full speed, he can form a faint idea 
 of Martin's appearance as the deer tore like a 
 whirlwind through the tall grass. Blinded and 
 bewildered by the light, frenzied with fear, the 
 buck, as deer often will, instead of leading off, 
 kept racing up and down just within the border 
 of light made by the jack, and occasionally mak- 
 ing a bolt directly for it. My position was 
 unique. I was the sole spectator of a series of 
 gymnastic evolutions truly original. Small as the 
 audience was, the performers were thoroughly in 
 earnest. Had there been ten thousand spectators, 
 Uie actors could not have laid themselves out with 
 
188 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 greater energy. No applause could have got anoth- 
 er inch of jump out of the buck, or another inch 
 of horizontal position out of Martin. Whenever, 
 at long intervals, his feet did touch the ground, it 
 was only to leave it for another and a higher aerial 
 plunge. Now and then the buck would take a short 
 stretch into the fog and darkness, only to reappear 
 with the same inevitable attachment of arms and 
 legs streaming behind. The scene was too ludi- 
 crous to be endured in silence. The desperate ex- 
 pression of Martin's face, as he Avas swung round and 
 jerked about, was enough to make a monk explode 
 with laughter wliile doing penance. I rested my 
 hands on either knee, and laughed until tears rolled 
 down my cheeks. The merriment was all on my 
 side. Martin was silent as death, save when the 
 buck, in some extraordinary and desperate leap, 
 twitched a grunt out of him. Between my parox- 
 ysms I exhorted him : it was my time to exhort. 
 " Martin," I shouted, " hang on ; that 's your deer. 
 I quit all claim to him. Hang on, I say. Save 
 his tail anyhow." 
 
 Whether Martin appreciated the ad\'ice, wheth- 
 er he exactly saw wliere the "laugli came in," 1 
 cannot say, and he could not explain. Still, I am 
 led to think that it was to him no trifling affair, 
 but a matter whicli moved him profoundly. At 
 last the knife was jerked from his teeth, either 
 because of the violence of his exertion, or because 
 
JACK- SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. 189 
 
 he had inadvertently loosened his grasp on it. 
 Be tliis as it may, Martin's mouth was at last 
 opened, and out of it were projected some of the 
 most extraordinary expressions I ever heard. His 
 sentences were singularly detached. Even his words 
 were widely separated, but brouglit out with great 
 emphasis. He averaged about one word to a junij). 
 If another got partially out, it was suddenly and 
 ruthlessly snapped off in mid utterance. The 
 result of his efforts to express himself reached my 
 ears very much in this shape : " Jump — ivill — 
 you — be-e — damned — I 've-e — got — you ! I '11 
 — hold-d — ON — till — your — ta-i-1 — comes — 
 off-f. — Jmnp-p-2J — be d-d-damned — I 've — 
 got — you-u-u." 
 
 "\Mien the contest would have ended, what 
 would have lieen the result liad it continued, 
 whether the buck or the guide would have come 
 off' tlie winner, it is not easy to say. Nor is it 
 necessary to speculate, for the close was speedily 
 reached, and in an unlooked-for manner. The deer 
 had led off some dozen jumps out of the circle of 
 Light, and I was beginning to think that he had 
 shaken himself loose from liis enemy, when all at 
 once he emerged from the fog with jNTartin still 
 streaming behind him, and made straight for tlie 
 river. Never did I see a Inick vault higher or 
 project himself farther in successive leaps. Tlie 
 oaranacer was too much put to it to articulate a 
 Nvord ; only a series of grunts, as he was twitched 
 
190 ADVENTURES IN THE WILUJ:RNESS. 
 
 along, revealed the state of his pent-up feelings 
 Past me the deer flashed like a feathered shaft, 
 heading directly for the bank. " Hang on, Martin ! " 
 I screamed, sobered by the thought that he would 
 save him yet if he could only retain his grip, — • 
 " hang to him like death ! " He did. Never did my 
 admiration go out more strongly toward a man than 
 it did toward Martin, as, red in the face and un- 
 able to relieve himself by a single expression, he 
 went tearing along at a frightful rate in full bolt 
 for the river. Not one man in fifty could have 
 kept his single-handed grip, jerked, at the close 
 of such a struggle as the Saranacer had passed 
 through, and twitched mercilessly as he now was 
 being through the tall l)Og-grass and over the un- 
 even ground. But the guide's blood was up, and 
 nothing could loosen his clutch. The buck readied 
 the bank, and, gathering himself up for a desper- 
 ate leap, he flung his body into the air. I saw a 
 pair of widely separated legs swing wildly up- 
 ward, and the red face of Martin, head downward, 
 and reversed, so as to be turned directly toward me 
 by the summersault he was turning, disappeared 
 like a waning rocket in the fog overhanging the 
 river. Once in the water, the buck was no match 
 for his foe. I hurried to the edge of the bank. 
 Beneath me, and haK across the river, a desperate 
 struggle was going on. Martin had found his voice, 
 and was using it as if to make up for lost time. In 
 a moment a gurgling sound reached my ears, and 
 
JACK-SHOOTING IN A FOGGY NIGHT. Vd . 
 
 I knew that the deer's head was under water ; and 
 shortly, in answer to my hail, the guide appeared, 
 dragging the buck behind him. The deer was 
 drowned and quite dead. Drawing my knife across 
 the still warm throat, we bled him well, and, wait- 
 ing for JVIartin to rest hiinself a moment, slid him 
 down into the boat and stretched him at full 
 length along the bottom. Taking our places at 
 either end, and, lifting our paddles, we turned our 
 faces campward. Down through the dense, damp 
 fog, cleaving with dripping faces its heavy folds, we 
 passed ; glided out of the mist and darkness of the 
 lowland upon the clear waters of the lake, novv' 
 lively with ripples, and under the brightly shining 
 stars, nor checked our measured stroke until we 
 ran our shell ashore in the glimmer of the fire, by 
 the side of which, rolled in his blanket, with his 
 jacket for his pillow, John was quietly sleeping. 
 At the touch of the boat on the beach he started 
 up, and the coffee he had made ready to boil at 
 our coming was shortly ready, and, as we drank 
 the warming beverage with laughter which startled 
 the ravens from the pines, and woke the loons, 
 sleeping on the still water of Be^ v^er Bay, we told 
 John the story of our adventui\3 with a buck up 
 Marion River on a foggy niglit. And often, as I 
 sit in my study, hot and fe\'orish with toil which 
 wearies the brain and wrinkles the face, I pause, 
 and, throwing down pe^i OJitl, b'»k, i»»'-:}' myself 
 
192 
 
 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 once more vipon that bank, enveloped in fog, with 
 the buck and Martin at his tail, careering before 
 me. Then, with brain relaxed, and eyes which had 
 been hot with the glimmer of the gas on the white 
 sheet cooled and washed in mirthfnl tears, I turn 
 to pen and book, and graver thoughts, refreshed 
 and strengthened. Blessed be recollection, which, 
 while it allows the ills and cares of life to fade 
 away, enables us to carry all our pleasures and 
 joys forever with us as we journey along ! 
 
X. 
 
 SABBATH IN THE WOODS. 
 
 IAEOSE early, that I might behold the gioi}' 
 of morning among the mountains. As my 
 eyes opened, the eastern sky was already over- 
 spread as with a thin silvery veil, with the least 
 trace of amber and gold amid the threads ; while 
 one solitary star, like a great opal, hung suspended 
 in the translucent atmosphere, with its rich heart 
 glowing with red and yellow flame. 
 
 My camp was made on the very ridge-board of 
 the continent. Below me, to the south, stretched 
 the Silurian beach, upon which, as Agassiz believes, 
 the first ripples broke when God commanded the 
 dry land to appear. As I lay reflecting upon the 
 assertion of science, — that these mountains were 
 among the first to ribO out of the Profound, that here 
 tlie continent had its infancy, that amid these 
 heights the earth liegan to take shape and form, — 
 I seemed to be able to overlook the world. Nor was 
 It at the cost of any great effort of the imagination 
 that I seemed to hear, as the dawn brightened in 
 the east and the rose tints deepened along the sky, 
 us- the darkness melted, the vapors floated iip, and 
 
194 ADVENTURES IN THE WII,DERNESS. 
 
 the atmosphere grew tremulous as the lance-like 
 beams began to pierce it, the Voice which, in the 
 beginning, said, " Let there be light ! " As I gazed, 
 novel emotions arose within me. The experience 
 was fresh and solemn. The air was cool, delicious. 
 The earth was clothed as a queen in bridal 
 robes ; and Morn, with garments steeped in sweet- 
 smelling odors, her golden curls unbound and lifted 
 by unseen winds, streaming abroad as a yeUow 
 mist, — like a maiden at the lattice of her lover, — 
 stood knocking at the windows of the East, and 
 saying : " Open to me, my love, my undefiled : for 
 my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the 
 drops of the night." 
 
 If a person would know how sensitive his na- 
 ture is, how readily it responds to every exhibition 
 of beauty and power, how thoroughly adapted it 
 is, in all its faculties, to religious impressions, he 
 must leave the haunts of men, — where every 
 sight and sound distracts his attention, and checks 
 the free exercises of his soul, — and, amid the 
 silence of the woods, hold communion with his 
 Maker. It is the silence of tlie wilderness which 
 most impresses me. The hours of the Sabbath 
 pass noiselessly. No voice of conversation, no 
 sound of 'hurrying feet, no clangor of bells, no roll 
 of wheels, disturb your meditations. You do not 
 feel like reading or talking or singing. The heart 
 needs neither hymn nor prayer to express its emo- 
 
SABBATH IN THE WOODS. 195 
 
 tions. Even tlie Bible lies at your side unlifted. 
 The letters seem dead, cold, insufficient. You feel 
 as if the very air was God, and you had passed into 
 that land where written revelation is not needed ; 
 for you see the Infinite as eye to eye, and feel him 
 in you and above you and on all sides. It is true, at 
 intervals, you turn to the Bible. You have your 
 reading moods, when some apt passage, some appro- 
 priate selection or chapter, is read, with a profit and 
 rapture never before experienced. But this mood I 
 believe to be the exception. Ordinarily, the spirit 
 is above the letter. The action of eye and voice in- 
 terfere w^itli the sentiment. You do not want to 
 read, but think. When you feel the presence of a 
 friend, have his hand in yours, see him at your very 
 side, you do not need to take up a letter and read 
 that he is with you. So with God : in the silence 
 of the woods the soul apprehends him instinctively. 
 He is every^vhere. In the fir and pine, which, 
 like the tree of life, shed their leaves every month, 
 and are forever green ; in the water at your feet, 
 which no paddle has ever vexed and no taint pol- 
 luted, rivalling that wliich is as " pure as crystal " ; 
 in the mountains, which, in every literature, havs 
 been associated wdth the Deity, you see Him wdio 
 of old time was conceived of as a " Dweller among 
 the hills." AVith such symbols and manifestations 
 of God around, you need not go to the lettered page 
 to learn of him. The Bible, with its print and 
 
196 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 paper, is a hindrance rather than a help. Like » 
 glass with too narrow a field, it concentrates the 
 vision too much. It clips tlie wings of the imagi- 
 nation, and narrows the circle of its flight. The 
 spirit which, for the first time, perhaps, has escaped 
 the bonds of formal worship, for the first time 
 tasted of freedom and tested its capacities to soar, 
 returns regretfully to the restraint and bondage of 
 book and speech. It takes these up as an angel, 
 whose hands have once swept a heavenly harp, 
 touches again the strings of an earthly instru- 
 ment. 
 
 This I have always observed, that the memory 
 is unusually active, and takes great delight in 
 recalling texts of Scripture and devotional hymns, 
 when brought under the influence of nature. Pas- 
 sages from the Psalms, which I do not remember 
 that I ever committed ; fragments of old and solemn 
 hymns, hewn I know not from what block, long 
 forgotten if ever learned ; snatches of holy melody, 
 — echoes awakened by what voice you cannot tell 
 come floating back upon you, or rise at the bidding 
 of the will. Often have I said to myself, " Alas ! 
 even memory is in bondage to sin." Nature, 
 through her refining and spiritualizing agencies, 
 emancipates it ; and sweet is it to think that, by 
 and by, when our grossness is entirely purged 
 away, all pure things pafl>««^-"' ^ f or forgotten will 
 come back to us, and the past, in reference to what-- 
 
SABBATH IN THE WOODS. 197 
 
 ever of goodness and truth it had in it, will be, to 
 the holy, an eternal present. Such has been my 
 experience, in reference to religious impressions, 
 felt amid the solitude of forests. It takes more 
 than one season to analyze your emotions. The 
 mind, for a while deprived of the customary re- 
 straints and incitements of forms and ceremonies, 
 is in a chaotic state. Thoughts come and go with- 
 out order. Emotions are irregular and inconstant. 
 Tlve Occidental cast of intellect which conceives 
 of God largely through the reason, changes slowly 
 into the Oriental. It analyzes less, but it adores 
 far more. The religion of the forest is emotional 
 and poetic. No mathematician was ever born amid 
 the pines. The Psalms could never have been 
 written by one not inspired by the breath of the 
 hills. The soul, when it spreads its wings for flight 
 upward, must start from the summit of moun- 
 tains. It must have the help of altitude, or no 
 movement of wings will lift it. And I dare to say 
 that he who has never passed a Sabbath amid the 
 solemn loneliness of an uninhaljited region, has 
 never knelt in prayer at the base of overhanging 
 mountains, has never fallen asleep with no roof 
 above him but that of the heavens, and no protec- 
 tion from the dangers which lurk amid the dark- 
 ness of the night season save the watchful care of 
 God, can realize little the significance of these two 
 words, — Adoration and Faith. 
 
198 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 The day wore on as I mused. The sun passed 
 the meridian line, and soon the shadows of the pines 
 and hills began to stretch their cone-like forma- 
 tions out toward the east. As I gazed upon the 
 landscape, with a hundred mountains within sM'eep 
 of my eye, at whose feet lake after lake lay in peace- 
 ful repose, and between which numberless streams 
 flowed, gleaming amid the forests of pine and fir 
 as threads of silver woven into a robe of Lincoln- 
 green, I thought of the words of Isaiah : " I will 
 open rivers in high places, and fountains in the 
 midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness 
 a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." 
 " The beast of the field shall honor me, and the owls, 
 because I give waters in the wilderness and ri'S'ers 
 in the desert." And I said to myself, " Surely He 
 sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run 
 among the hills.' " About three o'clock in the after- 
 noon, as I sat looking out upon the lake, a heavy 
 jar shook the earth, and simultaneously the air vi- 
 brated with the sound of thunder. Turning my 
 eyes toward the west, I perceived a whitish mist 
 gathering along the mountains, while a few ragged 
 scuds came racing i\]i from beliind it, and I knew 
 that in the valleys westward columns of storm 
 were moving to the onset. 
 
 Amid this mountainous region tempests give 
 brief warning of their approach. Walled in as 
 tb^se lakes are by mountains, behind which the 
 
SABBATH IN THE WOODS. 199 
 
 cloud gathers unseen, the coming of a storm is like 
 the spring of a tiger. A sudden peal of thunder, a 
 keen shaft of lightning which cuts through the 
 atmosphere in front of your startled vision, a puff 
 of air, or the spinning of a vdiirlwind across the 
 lake, and the tempest is upon you. So was it now. 
 Even as I gazed into the white mist, a heavy bank 
 of jet-black cloud rose up through its feathery 
 depths, unrolled itself as a battery unlimbers for 
 battle, and the next instant a sheet of flame darted 
 out of its very centre, and the air seemed rent into 
 fragments by the concussion. Here was an exhi- 
 bition of grandeur and power such as one seldom 
 beholds ; and yet it did not seem out of harmony 
 with the day. Behold, I said to myself, the sym- 
 Dol of the old dispensation. Here is Sinai, the 
 terror, and the cloud ; here is law and judgment, 
 vengeance and wrath. And there, I said, turning 
 to the eastern ridge, upon whose crest the sun, not 
 yet obscured, shone warmly, is the symbol of the 
 new, — of Calvary, its light and love. Warned by 
 the scattering drops which, plunging through the 
 air, smote like shot upon the beach and water, I 
 hastened to the lodge ; and as, seated in the door, 
 I gazed into the dark masses now rolled in wild 
 convolutions together, — through whose gloomy 
 folds the winds roared and rushed, tearing the dark- 
 ness into f)hrod^3, and scattering black patches on 
 every side, - - I thought of Him who " clothes the 
 
200 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 heavens with blackness, and makes sackcloth 
 then- covering." 
 
 The storm passed. The cloud toward the west 
 grew thinner, and broke into rifts and ridges, 
 through which the sun sent its radiance in diverg- 
 ing columns. As the beams deepened and spread 
 across the cloud, an arcli of purple and gold began 
 to creep over it. Beginning at the southern and 
 northern extremities, the colors clomb upward un- 
 til they joined themselves together at the centre, 
 and there, with two mountains for its pedestals, 
 the magnificent arch stood spanning the inky mass 
 from north to south ; and as I sat silently gazing 
 upon the resplendent symbols of God's abiding 
 mercy, which stood out in full relief against the 
 sombre cloud, in whose bosom might still be heard 
 the roll of thunder, I remembered the language of 
 Ezekiel, where he says, " I fell upon my face, and 
 I heard a voice of one that spake ; for the appear- 
 ance was of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." 
 Suddenly the colors faded away. The sun had 
 called home his beams, and the glory of their re- 
 flection deserted the cloud. I turned my eyes to 
 the west, and up to the summit of the mountain 
 OA'erhanging our camp. For a moment the glowing 
 orb stood as though balanced on tlic top of the pines; 
 for a moment lake and forest and mountain were 
 ablaze with its radiance ; the next it dropped from 
 sight. The dark trees gloomily outlined themselves 
 
SABBATH IN THE WOODS. 201 
 
 against tlie clear blue of the sky ; and, as the shad- 
 ows deepened, I thought of the day foretold in the 
 Apocalypse, when " our sun shall no more go 
 down, neither shall the moon withdraw herself. 
 For the Lord shall be our everlasting light, and 
 the days of our mourning shall be ended." 
 
 The day was over. Night spread her sable 
 wings over the camp, and the lake darkened under 
 the shadow. On the sky and highest peaks a few 
 patches of crimson were still visil^le. For a few 
 moments an aureole lingered around the head of 
 Blue Mountain. Tlie pines which adorn its crest 
 gleamed like the rich plume of a king when he 
 ridetli at noonday to battle. One instant the 
 beams lingered lovingly about the summit, and 
 then, obedient to a summons from the west, 
 flew to join their companions in another hemi- 
 sphere. And now began the marvellous transfor- 
 mations from day to night. The clouds were rolled 
 together and lifted from sight. Unseen hands 
 flung out new tapestry for the skies, and lighted 
 lamps innumerable around the circling galleries, 
 as though the Sabbath had passed from earth, and 
 the heavens were being made ready for service. 
 If the day had been suggestive, much more so 
 was the night. To the north the Dipper hung 
 suspended royally against the blue of the sky, 
 journeying in silent revolution around the jiolr.r 
 star. Farther eastward, and higher up, the mourn- 
 
202 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 ful Pleiades began their nightly search for their lost 
 sister. In the zenith a meteor wavered and trem- 
 bled for a moment, then fell and faded away. " A 
 wandering star," I said, " to which is reserved the 
 blackness of darkness forever." The balsams felt 
 the dew, and from tlieir pendant spears droj^ped 
 odors. I rolled myself in my blanket, and lay 
 gazing upward. A thousand recollections thronged 
 upon me ; a thousand hopes rose up within me. 
 The lieavens elicited confidence, and unto them I 
 breathed my aspirations. I felt that He who tell- 
 eth the number of the stars took note of me. The 
 Spirit which garnished the hea^'ens would grant me 
 audience. I approached Him reverently, and yet 
 with confidence, for I remembered that it is writ- 
 ten, " the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, 
 and the earth shall wax old like a garment, but 
 my salvation shall be forever, and my righteous- 
 ness shall not be abolished." 
 
 Then, without help of book or spoken wo/d, I 
 committed myself to Him, in whose sight the 
 night is as the day ; and, alone in that vast wilder- 
 ness, far from home and friends, I closed my eyes 
 and slept as one who sleeps on a guarded bed. 
 
XI. 
 
 A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A 
 FREIGHT-CAR. 
 
 SHOULD the reader ever visit the south inlet 
 of Racqiiette Lake, — one of the loveliest bits 
 of water in the Adirondack Wilderness, — at the 
 lower end of the pool, below the falls, on the left- 
 hand side going up, he will see the charred rem- 
 nants of a camp-fire. It was there that the fol- 
 lowing story was first told, — told, too, so graphi- 
 cally, witli such vividness, that I found little diffi- 
 culty, when writing it out from memory, two 
 months later, in recalling the exact words of the 
 narrator in almost every instance. 
 
 It was in the month of July, 1868, that John 
 and I, having located our permanent camp on 
 Constable's Point, were lying off and on, as sailors 
 say, about the lake, pushing our explorations on all 
 sides out of sheer love of novelty and abliorrence 
 of idleness. We were returning, late one afternoon 
 of a hot, sultry day, from a trip to Shedd Lake, — a 
 lonely, out-of-the-way spot which few sportsmen 
 have ever visited, — and had reached the falls on 
 South Inlet just after sunset. As we were getting 
 
204 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 short of venison, we decided to lie by awhile, and 
 float down the river on our \^'ay to camp, in hope 
 of meeting a deer. To this end we had gone 
 ashore at this point, and, kindling a small fire, 
 were waiting for denser darkness. We had barely 
 started the blaze, \A'hen the tap of a carelessly 
 handled paddle against the side of a boat warned 
 us that we should soon have company, and in a 
 moment two boats glided around the curve below, 
 and w^ere headed directly toward our bivouac. The 
 boats contained two gentlemen and their guides. 
 We gave them a cordial, hunter-like greeting, and, 
 lighting our pipes, Avere soon engaged in cheerful 
 conversation, spiced wdth story-telling. It might 
 have been some twenty minutes or more, when 
 another boat, smaller than you ordinarily see even 
 on those waters, containing only the paddler, came 
 noiselessly around the bend below, and stood re- 
 vealed in the reflection of the firelight. I chanced 
 to be sitting in such a position as to command a 
 full view of the curve in the river, or I should not 
 have known of any approach, for the boat was so 
 sharp and light, and he who urged it along so 
 skiUed at the paddle, that not a ripple, no, nor the 
 sound of a drop of water falling from blade or shaft, 
 betrayed the paddler's presence. If there is any- 
 thin"- over which I become enthusiastic, it is such 
 a boat and such paddling. To see a boat of bark or 
 eedar move through the water noiselessly as a cloud 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 205 
 
 shadow drifts across a meadow, no jar or creak 
 above, no gurgling of displaced water below, no 
 whirling and rippling wake astern, is something 
 bordering so nearly on the weird and ghostly, that 
 custom can never make it seem other than marvel- 
 lous to me. Thus, as I sat, half reclining, and saw 
 that little shell come floating airily out of the dark- 
 ness into the projection of the firelight, as a feather 
 might come, blown by the night-wind, I thought 
 I had never seen a prettier or more fairy-like sight. 
 None of the party save myself were so seated as to 
 look down stream, and I wondered which of the 
 three guides would first discover the presence of 
 the approacliing boat. Straiglit on it came. Light 
 as a piece of finest cork it sat upon and glided over 
 the surface of the river ; no dip and roll, no drop 
 of falling water as the paddle-shaft gently rose and 
 sank. The paddler, whoever he might be, knew 
 his art thoroughly. He sat erect and motionless, 
 the turn of the w^rists, and the easy elevation of his 
 arms as he feathered his paddle, were the only 
 movements visil )le. But for these, tlie gazer might 
 deem him a statue carved from the material of the 
 boat, a mere inanimate part of it. I have boated 
 much in 1)ark canoe and cedar shell alike, and 
 John and I have stolen on many a camp that 
 never knew our coming or our going, with paddles 
 which touched the water as snow-flakes touch the 
 earth ; and well I knew, as I sat gazing at this man^ 
 
206 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 that not one boatman, red man or white, in a hun- 
 dred coukl handle a paddle like that. The quick 
 ear of John, when the stranger was within thirty 
 feet of the landing, detected the lightest possible 
 touch of a lily-pad against the side of the boat as 
 it just grazed it glancing by, and his " Hist!" and 
 sudden motion toward the river drew the attention 
 of the whole surprised group thither. Tlie boat 
 glided to the sand so gently as barely to disturb a 
 grain, and the paddler, noiseless in all his move- 
 ments, stepped ashore and entered our circle. 
 
 " Well, stranger," said John, " I don't know how 
 long your fingers have polished a paddle-shaft, but 
 it is n't every man who can push a boat up ten 
 rods of open water within twenty feet of my back 
 without my knowing it." 
 
 The stranger laughed pleasantly, and, without 
 making any direct reply, lighted his pipe and 
 joined in the conversation. He was tall in stature, 
 wiry, and bronzed. An ugly cicatrice stretched on 
 the left side of his face, from temple almost down to 
 chin. His eyes were dark gray, frank, and genial. 
 I concluded at once that he was a gentleman, and 
 liad seen service. Before he joined us, we had 
 been whiling away the time by story-telling, and 
 John was at the very crisis of an adventure 
 with a panther, when his quick ear detected the 
 stranger's approach. Explaining this to him, I told 
 John to resume his story, which he did. Thus 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 207 
 
 half an hour passed quickly, all of us relating some 
 " experience." At last I proposed that Mr. Eoberts 
 — for so we will call him — should entertain us ; 
 " and," continued I, " if I am right in my surmise 
 that you have seen service and been under fire, give 
 us some adventure or incident which may have 
 befallen you during the war." He complied, and 
 then and there, gentle reader, I heard from his 
 lips the story which, for the entertainment of 
 friends, I afterward wrote out. It left a deep im- 
 pression upon all who heard it around our camp- 
 fire under tlie pines that night ; and from the mind 
 of one I know has never been erased the impres- 
 sion made by the story, which I have named 
 
 A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN" A FREIGHT- 
 CAR. 
 
 " Well," said the stranger, as lie loosened his belt 
 and stretched himself in an easy, recumbent posi- 
 tion, " it is not more than fair that I should throw 
 something into the stock of common entertain- 
 ment ; but the story I am to tell you is a sad one, 
 and, I fear, will not add to the pleasure of tlie 
 evening. As you desire it, however, and it comes 
 in the line of the request that I would narrate 
 some personal episode of the war, I will tell it, and 
 trust the impression will not be altogether unpleas- 
 ant. 
 
208 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " It was at tlie battle of Malvern Hill, — a battle 
 where the carnage was more frightful, as it seems 
 to me, than in any this side of the Alleghanies dur- 
 ing the whole war, — that my story must begin. I 
 was then serving as Major in the — th ]\Iassachu- 
 setts Regiment, — the old — th, as we used to call 
 it, — and a bloody time the boys had of it too. 
 About 2 P. M., we had been sent out to skirmish 
 along the edge of tlie wood in which, as our gen- 
 erals suspected, the Eebs lay massing for a charge 
 across the slope, upon the crest of which our army 
 was posted. We had barely entered tlie under- 
 brush when we met the heavy formations of Ma- 
 gruder in the very act of charging. Of course, 
 our thin line of skirmishers was no impediment 
 to those onrushing masses. They were on us and 
 over us before we could get out of the way. I do 
 not think that half of those running, screaming 
 masses of men ever knew that they had passed 
 over the remnants of as plucky a regiment as ever 
 came out of the old Bay State. But many of 
 the boys had good reason to remember that after- 
 noon at the base of Malvern HiU, and I among the 
 number ; for when the last line of Rebs had passed 
 over me, I was left amid the bushes with the breath 
 nearly trampled out of me, and an ugly bayonet-gash 
 through my thigh ; and mighty little consolation 
 was it for me at that moment to see the fellow 
 who run me through lying stark dead at my side. 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD rfORSE IN A CAR. 209 
 
 with a bullet-hole in his head, his shock of coarse 
 black hair matted with blood, and his stony eyes 
 looking into mine. Well, I bandaged up my limb 
 the best I might, and started to crawl away, for 
 our batteries had opened, and the grape and canis- 
 ter that came hurtling down the slope passed but 
 a few feet over my head. It was slow and painful 
 work, as you can imagine, but at last, by dint of 
 perse'v erance, I had dragged myself away to the 
 left of the direct range of the batteries, and, creep- 
 ing to the verge of the wood, looked off over the 
 green slope. I understood by the crash and roar 
 uf the guns, the yells and cheers of the men, and 
 that hoarse murmur wliich those who have been 
 in battle know, but which I cannot describe in 
 words, that there was hot work going on out there ; 
 but never have I seen, no, not in that three days' 
 desperate melee at the AVilderness, nor at that ter- 
 rific repulse we had at Cold Harbor, sucli absolute 
 slaughter as I saw that afternoon on the green 
 slope of Malvern Hill. The guns of the entire 
 army were massed on the crest, and thirty thousand 
 of our infantry lay, musket in hand, in front. For 
 eight hundred yards the hill sank in easy declen- 
 sion to the wood, and across the smooth expanse 
 the Eebs must charge to reach our lines. It wa.s 
 nothing short of downright insanity to order men 
 to charge that hill ; and so his generals told Lee, 
 but he would not listen to reason that day, and so 
 
210 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 he sent regiment after regiment, and brigade after 
 brigade, and division after division, to certain deatk 
 Talk about Grant's disregard of human life, his 
 effort at Cold Harbor — and I ought to know, for I 
 got a minie in my shoulder that day — was hope- 
 ful and easy work to what Lee laid on Hill's and 
 Magruder's divisions at Malvern. It was at the 
 close of the second charge, when the yelling mass 
 reeled back from before the blaze of those sixty 
 guns and thirty thousand rifles, even as they begar. 
 to break and fly backward toward the woods, that 
 I saw from the spot where I lay a riderless horse 
 break out of the confused and flying mass, and. 
 with mane and tail erect and spreading nostril, 
 come dashing obliquely down the slope. Over 
 fallen steeds and heaps of the dead she leaped with 
 a motion as airy as that of the flying fox, when, 
 fresh and uujaded, he leads away from the hounds, 
 whose sudden cry has broken him off from hunt- 
 ing mice amid the bogs of the meadow. So this 
 riderless horse came vaulting along. Now from m}'' 
 earliest boyhood I have had what horsemen call a 
 ' weakness ' for horses. Only give me a colt of 
 wild, irregular temper and fierce blood to tame, 
 and I am perfectly happy. Never did lash of 
 mine, sin^ini]; with cruel sound throutrh the air, 
 fall on such a colt's soft hide. Never did yell or 
 kick send his hot blood from heart to head delug- 
 ing his sensitive brain with fiery currents, driving 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 211 
 
 him to frenzy or blinding him with fear ; but 
 touches, soft and gentle as a woman's, caressing 
 w^ords, and oats given from the open palm, and 
 unfailing kindness, were the means I used to ' sub- 
 jugate' him. Sweet subjugation, both to him 
 who subdues and to him who yields ! The wild, 
 unmannerly, and unmanageable colt, the fear of 
 horsemen the country round, finding in you, not 
 an enemy but a friend, receiving his daily food 
 from you, and all those little ' nothings ' wdiich go 
 as far with a horse as a woman, to win and retain 
 affection, grows to look upon you as his protector 
 and friend, and testifies in countless w\ays his fond- 
 ness for you. So when I saw this horse, with 
 action so free and motion so graceful, amid that 
 storm of bullets, my heart involuntarily went out 
 to her, and my feelings rose higher and higher at 
 every leap she took from amid the wdiirlwind of 
 fire and lead. And as she plunged at last over 
 a little hillock out of range and came careering 
 toward me as only a riderless horse might come, 
 her head flung wildly from side to side, lier nostrils 
 widely spread, her flank and shoulders flecked with 
 foam, her eye dilating, I forgot my wound and all 
 the wild roar of battle, and, lifting myself invol- 
 untarily to a sitting posture as she swept grandly 
 by, gave her a ringing cheer. 
 
 " Perhaps in the sound of a human voice of 
 happy mood amid tlie awful din she recognized a 
 
212 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 resemblance to the voice of him whose blood 
 moistened her shoulders and was even yet dripping 
 from saddle and housings. Be that as it may, no 
 sooner had my voice sounded than she flung her 
 head with a provid upward movement into the air, 
 swerved sharply to the left, neighed as she might 
 to a master at morning from her stall, and came 
 trotting directly up to where I lay, and pausing, 
 looked down upon me as it were in compassion. 
 I spoke again, and stretched out my hand caress- 
 ingly. She pricked her ears, took a step forward 
 and lowered her nose until it came in contact with 
 my palm. Never did I fondle anything more ten- 
 derly, never did I see an animal which seemed 
 to so court and appreciate human tenderness as 
 that beautiful mare. I say ' beautiful.' No other 
 word might describe her. Never will her image 
 fade from my memory while memory lasts. 
 
 " In weight she might have turned, when well 
 conditioned, nine hundred and fifty pounds. In 
 color she was a dark chestnut, with a veh'ety 
 depth and soft look about the hair indescribably 
 rich and elegant. ]\Iany a time lia^-e I heard 
 ladies dispute the shade and hue of her plush-likc 
 coat as they ran their white, jewelled fingers 
 through her silken hair. Her body was round in 
 the barrel, and perfectly symmetrical. She was 
 wide in the haunches, without projection of the 
 hip-bones, upon which the shorter ribs seemed to 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 213 
 
 lap. High in the ^^'ithers as she was, the line of 
 her back and neck perfectly curved, while her 
 deep, oblique slioulders and long thick fore-arm, 
 ridgy with sM^elling sinews, suggesting the perfec- 
 tion of stride and power. Her knees across the 
 pan were wide, the cannon-bone below them short 
 and thin ; the pasterns long and sloping ; her hoofs 
 round, dark, shiny, and well set on. Her mane 
 was a shade darker than her coat, fine and thin, 
 as a thoroughbred's always is whose blood is with- 
 out taint or cross. Her ear was thin, sharply 
 pointed, delicately curved, nearly black around the 
 borders, and as tremulous as the leaves of an 
 aspen. Her neck rose from tlie withers to the 
 head in perfect curvature, hard, devoid of fat, and 
 well cut up under the chops. Her nostrils were full, 
 very full, and thin almost as parchment. The eyes, 
 from which tears might fall or fire flash, were well 
 brought out, soft as a gazelle's, almost human in 
 their intelligence, while over the small bony head, 
 over neck and shoulders, yea, over the whole body 
 and clean down to the hoofs, the veins stood out as 
 if the skin were but tissue-paper against which the 
 warm blood pressed, and which it might at any 
 moment burst asunder. ' A perfect animal,' I said 
 to myself, as I lay looking her over, — ' an animal 
 which might have been born from the wind and 
 the sunshine, so cheerful and so swift she seems ; 
 an animal which a man would present as hi^ 
 
214 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 choicest gift to the woman he loved, and yet one 
 which that w^oman, wife or lady-love, would give 
 liim to ride when honor and life depended on bot- 
 tom and speed.' 
 
 "All that afternoon the beautiful mare stood 
 over me, while away to the right of us the hoarse 
 tide of battle flowed and ebbed. \Aniat charm, 
 what delusion of memory, held her there ? \Yas 
 my face to her as the face of her dead master, 
 sleeping a sleep from which not even the wildest 
 roar of battle, no, nor her cheerful neigh at morn- 
 ing, would ever wake him ? Or is there in animals 
 some instinct, answering to our intuition, only 
 more potent, wdiich tells them whom to trust and 
 whom to avoid ? I know not, and yet some such 
 sense they may have, they must have; or else 
 why should this mare so fearlessly attach her- 
 self to me ? By what process of reason or in- 
 stinct I know not, but there she chose me for her 
 master ; for when some of my men at dusk came 
 searching, and found me, and, laying me on a 
 stretcher, started toward our lines, the mare, un- 
 compelled, of her own free will, followed at my 
 side ; and all through that stormy night of wind 
 and rain, as my men struggled along through the 
 mud and mire toward Harrison's Landing, the mare 
 followed, and ever after, until she died, was with 
 me, and was mine, and I, so far as man might be, 
 was hers. I named her Gulnare. 
 
A RIDH WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 215 
 
 " As quickly as my wound permitted, I was 
 transported to Washington, whither I took the mare 
 with me. Her fondness for me grew daily, and 
 soon became so marked as to cause universal com- 
 ment. I had her boarded, while in Washington, 
 
 at the corner of — Street and Avenue. The 
 
 groom had instructions to lead her round to the 
 window against which was my bed, at the hospital, 
 twice every day, so that by opening the sash I might 
 reach out my hand and pet her. But the second 
 day, no sooner had she reached the street than she 
 broke suddenly from the groom and dashed away 
 at full speed. I was lying, bolstered up in bed, 
 reading, when I heard the rush of flying feet, and 
 in an instant, with a joyful neigh, she checked 
 herself in front of my window. And when the 
 nurse lifted the sash, the beautiful creature thrust 
 her head through the aperture, and rubbed her nose 
 against my slioulder like a dog. I am not ashamed 
 to say that I put both my arms around her neck, and, 
 burying my face in her silken mane, kissed her again 
 and again. Wounded, Aveak, and away from home, 
 with only strangers to wait upon me, and scant 
 service at that, the affection of this lovely creature 
 for me, so tender and touching, seemed almost hu- 
 man, and my heart went out to her beyond any 
 power of expression, as to the only being, of all the 
 thousands around me, wlio thought of me and 
 loved me. Shortly after her appearance at my 
 
216 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 window, the groom, who had divined where he 
 should find her, came into the yard. But she 
 would not allow him to come near her, much less* 
 touch her. If he tried to approach she would lash 
 out at him with her heels most spitefully, and then, 
 laying back her ears and opening her mouth sav- 
 agely, would make a short dash at him, and, as the 
 terrified African disappeared around the corner of 
 the hospital, she would wheel, and, with a face 
 bright as a happy child's, come trotting to the win- 
 dow for me to pet her. I shouted to the groom to 
 go back to the stable, for I had no douljt but that 
 she would retm^n to her stall when I closed the 
 window. Eejoiced at the permission, he departed. 
 After some thirty minutes, the last ten of which 
 she was standing with her slim, delicate head in 
 my lap, while I braided her foretop and combed 
 out her silken mane, I lifted her head, and, pat- 
 ting her softly on either cheek, told her that 
 she must 'go.' I gently pushed her head out 
 of the window and closed it, and then, holding 
 up my hand, with the palm turned toward her, 
 charged her, making the appropriate motion, to ' go 
 away right straight back to her stable.' For a mo- 
 ment she stood looking steadily at me with an in- 
 describable expression of hesitation and surprise in 
 her clear, liquid eyes, and then, turning lingeringiy, 
 walked slowly out of the yard. 
 
 " Twice a day, for nearly a month, while I lay in 
 
's^/t^^ ;^ 
 
A EIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 217 
 
 the hospital, did Gulnare visit me. At the a])- 
 pointed hour the groom would slip her headstall, 
 and, without a word of command, she would dart 
 out of the stable, and, with her long, leopard- 
 like lope, go sweeping down the street and come 
 dashing into the hospital yard, checking herself 
 ^rith the same glad neigh at my window ; nor did she 
 ever once fail, at the closing of the sash, to return 
 directly to her stall. The groom informed me that 
 every morning and evening, when the hour of her 
 visit drew near, she would begin to chafe and wor- 
 ry, and, by jjaAving and pulling at the halter, adver- 
 tise him that it was time for her to be released. 
 
 " But of all exhibitions of happiness, either by 
 beast or man, hers was the most positive on that 
 afternoon when, racing into the yard, she found me 
 leaning on a crutch outside the hospital building. 
 The whole corps of nurses came to the doors, and 
 all the poor fellows that could move themselves, — 
 for Gulnare had become an universal favorite, and 
 the boys looked for her daily visits nearly, if not 
 quite, as ardently as I did, — crawled to the win- 
 dows to see her. AVliat gladness was expressed in 
 every movement ! She would come prancing to- 
 ward me, head and tail erect, and, pausing, rub her 
 head against my shoulder while I patted her glossy 
 neck ; then, suddenly, with a sidewise spring, 
 she would break away, and, with her long tail ele- 
 vated un^^il her magnificent brush, fine and silken 
 
 10 
 
218 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 as the golden hair of a blonde, fell in a great spray 
 on either flank, and her head curved to its proud- 
 est arch, pace around me with that high action 
 and springing step peculiar to the thoroughbred. 
 Then like a flash, dropping her brush and laying 
 back her ears, and stretching her nose straight out, 
 she would speed away with that quick, nervous, 
 low-lying action which marks the rush of racers, 
 when, side by side, and nose to nose, lapping each 
 other, with the roar of cheers on either hand and 
 ■along the seats above them, they come straining up 
 the home stretch. Eeturning from one of these ar- 
 rowy flights, she would come curvetting back, now 
 pacing sidewise, as on parade, now dashing hei 
 hind feet high into the air, and anon vaulting up 
 and springing through the air, with legs well under 
 her, as if in the act of taking a five-barred gate, 
 and, finally, would approach and stand happy in 
 her reward, — my caress. 
 
 "The war, at last, was over. Gulnare and I 
 were in at the death with Sheridan at the Five 
 Forks. Together we had shared tlie pageant at 
 Eichmond and Washington, and never had I seen 
 her in better spirits than on that day at the capi- 
 tal. It was a sight, indeed, to see her as she came 
 down Pennsylvania Avenue. If the triumphant 
 procession had been all in her honor and mine, 
 she could not have moved with greater grace and 
 pride. With dilating eye and tremulous ear, cease- 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 219 
 
 lessly champing her bit, her heated blood bringing 
 out the magnificent lace-work of veins over her en- 
 tire body, now and then pausing, and, with a snort, 
 gathering herself back upon her haunches, as for a 
 mighty leap, while she shook the froth from her 
 "bits, she moved with a high, prancing step down 
 the magnificent street, the admired of all beholders, 
 cheer after cheer was given, huzza after huzza rang 
 out over her head from roofs and balcony, bouquet 
 after bouquet was launched by fair and enthusias- 
 tic admirers before her ; and yet, amid the crash 
 and swell of music, the cheering and tumult, so 
 gentle and manageable was she, that, though I 
 could feel her frame creep and tremble under me 
 as she moved through that whirlwind of excite- 
 ment, no check or curb was needed, and the bridle- 
 lines — the same she wore when she came to me 
 at Malvern Hill — lay unlifted on the pommel 
 of the saddle. Never before had I seen her so 
 grandly herself. Never before had the fire and 
 energy, the grace and gentleness, of her blood so 
 revealed themselves. This was the day and the 
 event she needed. And all the royalty of her an- 
 cestral breed, — a race of equine kings, — flowing 
 as without taint or cross from him that was the 
 pride and wealth of the whole tribe of desert 
 rangers, expressed itself in her. I need not say 
 that I shared her mood. I sympathized in her 
 every step. I entered into all her royal humors. 
 
220 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 I patted her neck, and spoke loving and clieerfii! 
 words to her. I called her my beauty, my pride, 
 my pet. And did she not understand me ? Every 
 word ! Else why that listening ear turned back 
 to catch my softest whisper ? why the responsive 
 quiver through the frame, and the low, happy 
 neigh ? " Well," I exclaimed, as I leaped from her 
 back at the close of the review, — alas ! that words 
 spoken in lightest mood should portend so much ! 
 — ' well, Gulnare, if you should die, your life has 
 had its triumph. The nation itself, through its ad- 
 miring capital, has paid tribute to your beauty, and 
 death can never rob you of your fame.' And I 
 patted her moist neck and foam-flecked shoulders, 
 while the grooms were busy with head and loins. 
 
 " That night our brigade made its bivouac just 
 over Long Bridge, abnost on the identical spot 
 where, four years -before, I had camped my compa- 
 ny of three months' volunteers. AVith what ex- 
 periences of marcli and battle were those four 
 years filled ! For three of these years Gulnare had 
 been my constant companion. With me she had 
 shared my tent, and not rarely my rations, for in 
 appetite she was truly human, and my steward 
 always counted her as one of our ' mess.' Twice 
 had she been wounded, — once at Fredericksburg, 
 through the thigh ; and once at Cold Harbor, where 
 a piece of shell tore away a part of her scalp. So 
 completely did it stun her, that for some moments 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 221 
 
 I thought her dead, but to my great joy she short- 
 ly recovered her senses. I had the wound carefully 
 dressed by our brigade surgeon, from whose care 
 she came in a month, with the edges of the wound 
 so nicely united that the eye could with difficulty 
 detect the scar. Tiiis night, as usual, she lay ai 
 my side, her head almost touching mine. Never 
 before, unless when on a raid, and in face of 
 the enemy, had I seen her so uneasy. Her 
 movements during the night compelled wakeful- 
 ness on my part. The sky was cloudless, and in 
 the dim light I lay and watched her. Xow she 
 would .stretch herself at full length, and rub her 
 head on the ground. Then she would start up, 
 and, sitting on her haunches, like a dog, lift one 
 fore leg and paw her neck and ears. Anon she 
 would rise to her feet and shake herself, walk off 
 a few rods, return, and lie down again by my side. 
 I did not know what to make of it, unless the 
 excitement of the day had been too much for her 
 sensitive nerves. I spoke to her kindly, and petted 
 her. In response she would rub her nose against 
 me, and Hck ray hand with her tongue — a pecu- 
 liar habit of hers — like a dog. As I was passing 
 my hand over her hqad, I discovered that it was 
 hot, and the thought of the old wound flashed into 
 my mind, with a momentary fear that something- 
 might be wrong about her brain, ])ut, after think- 
 ing it over, I dismissed it as incredible. Still I 
 
222 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 was alarmed. I knew that sometliing was amiss, 
 and I rejoiced at the thouglit that I should soon 
 be at home, where she could have quiet, and, if 
 need be, the best of nursing. At length the morn- 
 ing dawned, and the mare and I took our last meal 
 together on Southern soil, — the last we ever took 
 together. The brigade was formed in line for the 
 last time, and, as I rode down the front to review 
 the boys, she moved with all her old battle grace 
 and power. Only now and then, by a shake of the 
 head, was I reminded of her actions during the 
 night. I said a few words of farewell to the men 
 whom I had led so often to battle, with whom I 
 had shared perils not a few, and by whom, as I had 
 reason to think, I was loved, and then gave, with 
 a voice slightly unsteady, the last order they would 
 ever receive from me : ' Brigade, attention ! Ready 
 to break ranks. Break ranks ! ' Tlie order was 
 obeyed. But ere they scattered, moved by a com- 
 mon impulse, they gave first three cheers for me, 
 and then, with the same heartiness and even more 
 power, three cheers for Gulnare. And she, stand- 
 ing there, lo(jking with her bright, cheerful counte- 
 nance full at the men, pawing with her fore 
 feet, alternately, the ground, seemed to understand 
 the compliment ; for no sooner had the cheering 
 died away than she arched her neck to its proudest 
 curve, lifted her thin, delicate head into the air, 
 and gave a short, joyful neigh. 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 223 
 
 " My arrangements for transporting her had been 
 made by a friend the day before. A large, roomy 
 car had been secured, its floor strewn with bright, 
 clean straw, a bucket, and a bag of oats provided, 
 and everything done for her comfort. The car was 
 to be attached to the through express, in consider- 
 ation of fifty dollars extra, which I gladly paid, be- 
 cause of the greater rapidity with which it enabled 
 me to make my journey. As the brigade broke 
 up into groups, I glanced at my watch and saw 
 that I had barely time to reach the cars before 
 they started. I shook the reins upon her neck, 
 and with a plunge, startled at the energy of my 
 signal, away she flew. What a stride she liad ! 
 What an elastic spring ! She touched and left the 
 earth as if her limbs were of spiral 'svire. AVlien 
 I reached the car my friend was standing in front 
 of it, the gang-plank was ready, I leaped from the 
 saddle, and, running up tlie plank into the car, 
 whistled to her ; and she, timid and hesitating, yet 
 unwilling to be separated from me, crept slowly 
 and cautiously up the steep incline, and stood be- 
 side me. Inside I found a complete suit of flan- 
 nel clothes, with a blanket, and, better than all, a 
 lunch-basket. My friend explained that he had 
 bought the clothes as he came down to the depot, 
 thinking, as he said, ' that they would be much 
 better than your regimentals,' and suggested that I 
 doff the one and don the other. To this I assented 
 
224 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 the more readily as I reflected that I would have 
 to pass one night, at least, in the car, with no bet- 
 ter bed than the straw under my feet. I had 
 barely time to undress l)efore the cars were coupled 
 and started. I tossed the clothes to my friend 
 with the injunction to pack them in my trunk and 
 express them on to me, and waived him my adieu. 
 I arrayed myself in the nice, cool flannel, and 
 looked around. The thoughtfulness of my friend 
 had anticipated every want. An old cane-seated 
 chair stood in one corner. Tlie lunch-basket was 
 large, and well supplied. Amid the oats I found 
 a dozen oranges, some bananas, and a package of 
 real Havana cigars. How 1 called down blessings 
 on his thoughtful head as I took the chair, and, 
 lighting one of the fine-flavored figaros, gazed out 
 on the fields past which w^e were gliding, yet wet 
 with morning dew. As I sat dreamily admiring 
 the beauty before me, Gulnare came and, resting her 
 head upon my shoulder, seemed to share my mood. 
 As I stroked her fine-haired, satin-like nose, recol- 
 lection quickened, and memories of our compan- 
 ionship in perils thronged into my mind. I rode 
 again that midnight ride to Knoxville, when Burn- 
 side lay intrenched, desperately holding his own, 
 waiting for news from Chattanooga, of which 1 
 was the bearer, chosen by Grant himself because 
 of the reputation of my mare. What riding that 
 was ! We started, ten riders of us in all, each 
 
A HIDE WITH A MAD HORSE JN A CAR. 225 
 
 ■vv^itli the same message. I parted company the 
 first hom^ out with all save one, au iron-gray stal- 
 lion of Messenger blood. Jack Murdock rode 
 him, who learned his horsemanship from biiftalo 
 and Indian hunting on the Plains, — not a Lad 
 school to graduate from. Ten nales out of Knox- 
 ville the gray, his flanks dripping with blood, 
 plunged up abreast the mare's shoulders and fell 
 dead ; and Gulnare and I passed through the lines 
 alone. Iliad ridden the terrible raee xoitlioid ivhip 
 or spur. With what scenes of blood and flight 
 she would ever be associated ! And then I thought 
 of home, unvisited for four long years, — that 
 home I left a stripling, but to which I was return- 
 ing a bronzed and brawny man. I thought of 
 mother and Bob, — how they would admire her ! — 
 of old Ben, the family groom, and of that one who 
 shall be nameless, whose picture I had so often 
 shown to Gulnare as the likeness of her future 
 mistress ; — had they not all heard of her, my 
 beautiful mare, she who came to me from the 
 smoke and whirlwind, my battle-gift ? How they 
 would pat her soft, smooth sides, and tie her mane 
 with ribbons, and feed her with all sweet things 
 from open and caressing palm ! And then I thought 
 of one who might come after her to bear her name 
 and repeat at least some portion of her beauty, — 
 a horse honored and renowned tlie country through, 
 because of the transmission of the mother's fame. 
 
226 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " About three o'clock in the afternoon a change 
 came over Gulnare. I had fallen asleep upon the 
 straw, and she had come and awakened me with a 
 touch of her nose. The moment I started up I 
 saw tliat something was the matter. Her eyes 
 were dull and heavy. Never before had I seen 
 the light go out of them. The rocking of the car 
 as it went jumping and vibrating along seemed to 
 irritate her. She began to rub her head against 
 the side of the car. Touching it, I found that the 
 skin over the brain was hot as fire. Her breath- 
 ing grew rapidly louder and louder. Each breath 
 was drawn with a kind of gasping effort. The 
 lids with their silken fringe drooped wearily over 
 the lustreless eyes. The head sank lower and low- 
 er, until the nose almost touched the floor. The 
 ears, naturally so lively and erect, hung limp and 
 widely apart. The body was cold and senseless. 
 A pinch elicited no motion. Even my voice was 
 at last unheeded. To word and touch there came, 
 for the first time in all our intercourse, no response. 
 I knew as the symptoms spread what was the mat- 
 ter. The signs bore all one way. She was in the 
 first stages of phrenitis, or inflammation of the brain. 
 In other words, my heautiful mare was going mad. 
 
 " I was well versed in the anatomy of the horse. 
 Loving horses from my very childhood, there was 
 little in veterinaiy practice with which I was not 
 familiar. Instinctively, as soon as the symptoms 
 
A FvIUE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 227 
 
 had developed themselves, and I saw under what 
 frightful disorder Gulnare was laboring, I put my 
 hand into my pocket for my knife, in order to open 
 a vein. There was no knife there. Friends, I have 
 met with many surprises. More than once, in 
 battle and scout, have I been nigh death ; but 
 never did my blood desert my veins and settle so 
 around the heart, never did such a sickening sen- 
 sation possess me as when, standing in that car 
 with my beautiful mare before me, marked with 
 those horrible symptoms, I made that discovery. 
 My knife, my sword, my pistols even, were with 
 my suit in the care of my friend, two hundred 
 miles away. Hastily, and with trembling fingers, 
 I searched my clothes, the lunch-basket, my linen ; 
 not even a pin could I find. I shoved open the 
 sliding door, and swung my hat and shouted, hop- 
 ing to attract some brakeman's attention. The 
 train was thundering along at full speed, and none 
 saw or heard me. I knew her stupor would not 
 last long. A slight quivering of the lip, an occa- 
 sional spasm running through the frame, told me 
 too plainly that the stage of frenzy would soon be- 
 gin. 'My God!' I exclaimed, in despair, as I shut 
 the door and turned toward her, ' must I see you 
 die, Gulnare, when the opening of a vein would 
 save you ? Have you borne me, my pet, tlirough 
 all these years of peril, the icy chiU of winter, the 
 heat and torment of summer, and all the thronging 
 
228 ADVENTL'RKS IX THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 dangers of a hundred bloody battles, only to die 
 torn by fierce agonies, wlien so near a peaceful 
 home ? 
 
 But little time was given me to mourn. My 
 life was soon to be in peril, and I must summon up 
 the utmost power of eye and limb to escape the 
 violence of my frenzied mare. Did you ever see a 
 mad horse when his madness is on him ? Take 
 your stand with me in that car, and you shall see 
 what suffering a dumb creature can endure before 
 it dies. In no malady does a horse suffer more 
 than in phrenitis, or inflammation of tlie brain. 
 Possibly in severe cases of colic, probably in rabies 
 in its fiercest form, the pain is equally intense 
 These three are the most agonizing of all the dis- 
 eases to which the noblest of animals is exposed. 
 Had my pistols been with me, I should then and 
 there, with whatever strength Heaven granted, have 
 taken my companion's life, that she might be 
 spared the suffering which was so soon to rack and 
 wring her sensitive frame. A horse laboring under 
 an attack of phrenitis is as violent as a horse can 
 be. He is not ferocious as is one in a fit of rabies. 
 He may kill his master, but he does it without 
 design. There is in him no desire of mischief for 
 its own sake, no cruel cunning, no stratagem and 
 malice. A rabid horse is conscious in every act 
 and motion. He recognizes the man he destroys. 
 There is in him an insane desire to hill. Not so 
 
A RIDE WITH A ^lAD HOKSK IN A CAR. 229 
 
 with the phrenetic horse. He is unconscious in his 
 violence. He sees and recognizes no one. There 
 is no method or purpose in his madness. He kills 
 without knowing it. 
 
 " I knew what was coming. I could not jump out ; 
 that would be certain death. I must abide in the 
 car and take my chance of life. The car was for- 
 tunately high, long, and roomy. I took my position 
 in front of my horse, watchful and ready to spring. 
 Suddenly her lids, wliich had been closed, came 
 open with a snap, as if an electric shock had passed 
 through her, and the eyes, wdld in their brightness, 
 stared directly at me. And what eyes they were ! 
 The membrane grew red and redder, until it was of 
 the color of blood, standing out in frightful contrast 
 with the transparency of the cornea. The pupil 
 gradually dilated until it seemed about to buret 
 out of the socket. The nostrils, which had been 
 sunken and motionless, quivered, swelled, and 
 glowed. The respiration became short, quick, and 
 gasping. The limp and drooping ears stiffened and 
 stood erect, pricked shar^Dly forward, as if to catch 
 the slightest sound. Sj^asms, as the car swerved 
 and vibrated, ran through her frame. More horrid 
 than all, the lips slowly contracted, and the white, 
 sharp-edged teeth stood unco^'ered, giving an in- 
 describable look of ferocity to the partially opened 
 mouth ! The car suddenly reeled as it dashed 
 around a curve, swaying her almost off her feet. 
 
230 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 and, as a contortion shook her, she recovered her- 
 self, and, rearing upward as high as the car per- 
 mitted, phmged directly at me. I was expecting 
 the movement, and dodged. Then followed exhibi- 
 tions of pain which I pray God I may never see 
 again. Time and again did she dash herself upon 
 the floor, and roll over and over, lashing out with 
 her feet in all directions. Pausing a moment, she 
 would stretch her body to its extreme length, and, 
 lying upon her side, pound the floor wath her head 
 as if it were a maul. Then, like a flash, she would 
 leap to her feet, and whirl round and round, until, 
 from very giddiness, she would stagger and fall. 
 She would lay hold of the straw with her teeth, 
 and shake it as a dog shakes a struggling wood- 
 chuck ; then dashing it from her mouth, she would 
 seize hold of her own sides, and rend herseK. 
 Springing up, she w^ould rush against the end of 
 the car, falling all in a heap from the ^'iolence of 
 the concussion. For some fifteen minutes, without 
 intermission, the frenzy lasted. I was nearly ex- 
 hausted. My efforts to avoid her mad rushes, the 
 terrible tension of my nervous system produced by 
 the spectacle of such exquisite and prolonged suf- 
 fering, were weakening me beyond what I should 
 have thought it possible an hour before for anything 
 to weaken me. In fact, I felt my strength leaving 
 me. A terror, such as I had never yet felt, was 
 taking possession of my mind. I sickened at the 
 
A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE IN A CAR. 231 
 
 sight before me, and at the thought of agonievS yet 
 to come. ' My God,' I exclaimed, ' must I be killed 
 by my own liorse in this miserable car !' Even as 
 I spoke, the end came. The mare raised herself 
 until her shoulders touched the roof, then dashed 
 her body upon the floor with a -vdolence which 
 threatened the stout frame beneath her. I leaned, 
 panting and exhausted, against the side of the car. 
 Gulnare di^l not stir. She lay motionless, her 
 breath coming and going in lessening respirations. 
 I tottered toward her, and, as I stood above her, 
 my ear detected a low, gurgling sound. I cannot 
 describe the feeling that followed. Joy and grief 
 contended within me. I knew the meaning of 
 that sound. Gulnare, in her frenzied \iolence, 
 had broken a blood-vessel, and was bleeding inter- 
 nally. Pain and life were passing away together. 
 1 knelt down by her side. I laid my head upon 
 her shoulders, and 'sobbed aloud. Her body moved 
 a little beneath me. I crawled forward and lifted 
 her beautiful head into my lap. 0, for one more 
 sign of recognition before she died ! I smoothed 
 the tangled masses of her mane. I wiped, with 
 a fragment of my coat, torn in the struggle, tlie 
 blood which oozed from her nostril. I called her 
 by name. My desire was granted. In a moment 
 Gulnare opened her eyes. The redness of frenzy 
 had passed out of them. She saw and recognized 
 me. I .spoke again. Her eye lighted a moment 
 
232 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 with the old and intelligeutlook of love. Her ear 
 moved ; her nostril quivered gently as she strove 
 to neigh. The effort was in vain. Her love was 
 greater than her strength. She moved her head a 
 little, as if she would be nearer me, looked once 
 more M'ith her clear eyes into my face, breathed 
 a long breath, straightened her shapely limbs, and 
 died. And there, holding the head of my dead 
 mare in my lap, while the great warm tears fell 
 one after another down my cheeks, I sat until the 
 sun went down, the shadows darkened in the car, 
 and night drew her mantle, cnbr^c* ?ike my gric^ 
 over the world." 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 BEACH'S SIGHT. 
 
 I FEEL that I cannot do my brothei* sportsmen 
 who may read this book a greater service than by 
 bringing this invention to their notice. 
 
 The gi-eat desideratum and problem with rifle- 
 makers and sportsmen, as all are aware, has been to 
 invent a sight that would combine all the merits of 
 " bead " and " open " sight, so that the hunter vv-ould 
 be able at will, and without a moment's delay, to 
 use the globe or open sight, according as the game 
 might be in motion or stationaiy, amid tlie shadows 
 of the forest or in the sunlight of the fields, or as the 
 color of the object might be dark or bright. 
 
 All sportsmen know how^ vexations it is to have to 
 " rap " out one sight to insert another, necessitating 
 as it does tedious delay and the wearisome process 
 of "sighting," when there may be neither time 
 nor powder to spare, and no appliances at hand to 
 effect an accurate adjustment. 
 
 In this invention this desideratum is met, and the 
 solution found. 
 
 By a glance at the following cuts, every man ac- 
 quainted with the rifle will see how completely Mr, 
 
234 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Beach's ingenuity has furnished what every rifleman 
 has so long desired. He will see that this sight 
 combines, in a cheap and simple form, the merits of 
 the "bead" and "open" sights, so that without 
 any removal, without an instant of delay, by a single 
 movement of the finger, the hunter can use either, as 
 his judgment decides is best, when he stands looking at 
 his game. 
 
 Adjusted for Open Sight. 
 
 Adjusted for Globe Sight. 
 
 The writer of this has had for nearly a year this 
 sight upon his favorite rifle, where it has had months 
 of actual trial ; and, whether upon the target-grounds 
 of our best clubs or amid the Adirondack wilderness, 
 it has met every want, and remains to-day, where it 
 always will remain, on his rifle, an indisputable witness 
 to the value of the invention. 
 
 If space would allow, we might quote the enthusi- 
 astic indorsement of such men as Lewis of Troy, 
 W. P. McFarland, Superintendent of the Massaclni- 
 setts Arms Company ; the celebrated veteran sportsman 
 Edward Stabler, Esq., of Maryland ; F. G. Gann, Esq., 
 P'-esident of the Hawk Eye Rifle Club ot Connecti- 
 
APPENDIX. 235 
 
 cut, and of scores of hunters and trappers in Northern 
 New York, where the sight was taken for trial last 
 sununer. 
 
 Without a single excejytion, the verdict lias been 
 unanimoiLS for its adoption. 
 
 A hunter in Canada wi'ites : " I would not part with 
 Beach's sight, after four months' trial, for twenty mink- 
 skins." Another, from Connecticut, writes : " Fifty 
 dollars would not purchase my sight." Yet another, 
 from the North Woods, declares : " The best thing I 
 ever saw. I have hunted and trapped for thirty years, 
 and I can kill one third more gavie with this sight 
 than with any other I ever had." An amateur in 
 New York City writes : " The moment I saw the sight, 
 my heart leapt for joy. Here is what I have always 
 been looking for. I would have bought it at ten times 
 its price. No rifle is fit for use without it." 
 
 The following note is from Mr. Stabler. 
 
 Sandy Spring, November 30, 1S67. 
 
 To E. B. Beach, Patentee of Beach's Combination Sight, West Meri- 
 den, Connecticut: — 
 
 I duly received, by mail, the patent bead or globe rifle 
 sight. In principle it is by far the most complete and per- 
 fect affair of the kind I have ever seen. In thus combining 
 the two sights, the hunter has all the advantage of both, 
 by a mere touch of the finger, — a perfect head sight for 
 hunting, and a glohe for close and long range shooting. 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Edwaud Stabler. 
 
 The two illustrations will seiwe to give you an idea 
 of how the sight operates, but to fairly appreciate, 't 
 
286 APPENDIX. 
 
 you must have it on your own rifle a few days, and 
 see how admirably and completely it meets every want 
 of the practical sportsman, in wood and field service. 
 The sights are made with bases of different sizes, so as 
 to fit any rifle, whether the slot is wide or narrow. In 
 ten minutes, any man with a file can fit one to his 
 rifle. Every sight is warranted. If it does not give 
 perfect satisfaction, upon trial, you can retm-n it and 
 the money will be refunded. 
 
 Unfortunately, the firm which contracted with Mr. 
 Beach to manufactm'e the sights failed before intro- 
 ducing them to the public, and the affairs of the 
 company still being in litigation, the demand for 
 these sights is left unsupplied. I understand that 
 arrangements are making by which Mr. Beach will 
 proceed to manufactiu'e them himself; and I advise 
 every one who owns a rifle to winte him on the receipt 
 of the information herein given, which, without the 
 solicitation or knowledge of Mr. Beach, I gladly and 
 freely impart. 
 
 Address, E. B. Beach, Esq., West Meriden, Conn. 
 
 THE END. 
 
Y^ Bookworme 
 
 K'^^%WWTisn::w^n:'innw^w^^^ 
 
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 trolled by the conventionalities of more civilized communities, stands sharply 
 drawn in the strong shadows of villainy and misery, and in the high lights of 
 uncultured, strong nobility and gentleness. There are no half-tones. 
 
 Terse, incisive descriptions of men and scenery, drawn with so vivid a pen 
 that one can see the characters and their setting, delicious bits of humor, 
 passages full of infinite pathos, make this book absolutely hold the reader from 
 the title to the last word, and as, when finished, one sighs for the pitv of it, the 
 feeling rises that such a work has not been written in vain, and will have its 
 place among those which tend to elevate our race. 
 
 Clippies ami Hurd, ' Bolllkiers, BOSTON, 
 
 Library Agents^ 
 
Important New Books. 
 
 THE FOUR GOSPELS. Translated into Modern English from the Au- 
 thorized and Revised Versions. By Ernest Bilton. Cloth, jti.oo. 
 A cJieafi edition of a tieiu translatioii of tJie Gospels, having a great rim oj 
 popularity in the religions circles of Great Britain. 
 The author has taken the authorised version as it stands, availing him- 
 self of many corrections suggested by the revised version, and has given t'.ie 
 apparent meaning of the text in the plainest possible language, the whole 
 object being the simplification of tlie narratives of the Evangelists. It is not 
 expected that this rendering will supersede tlie accepted version. The author 
 evidently feels that he is not without hope that it may lead to the serious con- 
 sideration, in proper quarters, of the advisability of providing the people 
 with an authorised translation of the Scriptures into the " vulgar tongue." 
 not of the sixteenth but of the jiineteenth century. 
 
 THE SKETCHES OF THE CLANS OF SCOTLAND, with twenty- 
 two full-page colored plates of Tartans, By Clansmen J. M. P. - F. W. .S. 
 Large Svo. Cloth, $2.00. 
 The object of this treatise is to give a concise account of the origin, seat, and 
 characteristics of the Scottish clans, together with a representation of the dis- 
 tinguishing tartan worn by each. 'J he illustrations are fine specimens of color 
 ^vork, all c-xecnted in Scotland. 
 
 THE GREEN HAND; or, the .'Vdventures of a Naval Lieutenant. A Sea 
 Story. By George Cui'ples. With Portrait of the Author and other 
 Illustrations. 1 vol. i2mo. Cloth. J2.00. 
 A new library edition of this fascinating sea classic. [In /ras. 
 
 ALL MATTER TENDS TO ROTATION, OR THE ORIGIN 
 
 OF ENERGY. A New Hypothesis which throws Light upon all the 
 Phenomena of Nature. Electricity, Magnetism, Gravitation, Light, 
 Heat, and Chemical Action explained upon Mechanical Principles and 
 traced to a Single Source. By Leonidas Lk Cenci Hamilton, M. A. 
 Vol. I. Origin ol bneigy: Electrostatics and Magnetism. Containing 100 
 lUustratious, inclcdiDt Fine Steel Portraits of Faraday and Maxwell. 
 Handsomeiv bound ic cloth. Svo, 340 pp. Price, $3.00. Net. 
 
 Jo ;ms volume the author has utilized the modern conception of lines of 
 torce originated by Faraday, and afterwards developed mathematically by 
 Prof. J. Clerk Maxwell, and he has reached an explanation of electrical and 
 magnetic phenomena which has been expected by physicists on both conti. 
 nents. It may have a greater influence upon the scientific world than either 
 Newton's "Principia" or Darwin's " Origin of Species," because it places 
 natural science upon its only true basis — Pure Mechanics. 
 
 Publishers, 
 CuppleS and Huni, Booksellers, BOSTON. 
 
 Library Afents, 
 
Important New Books. 
 
 JOHN BROWN. By Hermann Von Holst, author of "Constitutional 
 History of the United States," &c., together with an introduction and appen- 
 dix by Frank P. Stearns, a poem by Mr. Wason, and a letter describing 
 John Brown's grave. Illustrated. i6mo, gilt top. iSi.50. 
 This book, the author of which is so v.-ell known by his " Constitutional His- 
 tory," and by his biography of John C. Calhoun, cannot fail to be of interest to 
 all students of American history, who appreciate a calm, impartial criticism of 
 a man and an episode which have been universally and powerfully discussed. 
 
 MARGARET; and THE SINGER'S STORY. By Effie Douglass 
 Putnam. Daintily bound in white, stamped in gold and color, gilt 
 edges. i6mo. }Ji.25. 
 A collection of charming poems, many of which are familiar through the 
 
 medium of the magazines and newspaper press, with some m-ore ambitious 
 
 flights, amply fulfilling the promise of the shorter efforts. Tender and pastoral, 
 
 breathing the simple atmosphere of the fields and woods. 
 
 AROUND THE GOLDEN DEEP. A Romance of the Sierras. 
 By A. P. Reeder. 500 pages. i2mo. Cloth. #1.50. 
 A novel of incident and adventure, depicting with a strong hand the virile life 
 of the mine that gives its name to the story, and contrasting it with the more 
 refined touches of society in the larger cities ; well written and interesting. 
 
 SIGNOR |. By Salvatore Farina. Translated by the Baroness Lant.e-. 
 nau. i2mo. Cloth. $1.25. 
 A dainty story by an Italian author, recalling in the unique handling of its 
 incidents, and in the development of its plot, the delicate charm of " Marjorie 
 Daw." 
 
 MIDNIGHT SUNBEAMS, OR BITS OF TRAVEL THROUGH 
 THE LAND OF THE NORSEMAN. By Edwin Coolidge Kim- 
 ball. On fine paper, foolscap Svo, tastefully and strongly bound, with 
 vignette. Cloth. 5i-2S- 
 Pwonounced by Scandinavians to be accurate in its facts and descriptions 
 
 ind of great interest to all who intend to travel in or have come from Norway 
 
 >r Sweden. 
 
 WOODNOTES IN THE GLOAMING. Poems and Translations by 
 Mary Morgan. Square i6mo. Cloth, full gilt. $1.25. 
 A collection of poems and sonnets showing great talent, and valuable transla- 
 tions from Gautier, Heine, Uhland, Snlly-Prudhomme, Gottschalk, Micliae] 
 Angelo, and others. Also prose translations from the German, edited and 
 prefaced by Max Miiller. 
 
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 Library Agents, 
 
Important New Books. 
 
 THOMAS CARLYLE'S COUNSELS TO A LITERARY ASPI- 
 RANT (a Hitherto Unpublished Letter of 1842), and What Came of 
 Them. With a brief estimate of the man. By James Hutchinson Stir- 
 ling, LL. D. i2mo, boards, 50 cents. 
 
 Gives a side of the rugged old Scotchman which will be new to most readers. 
 It shows that he was not always gruff and bearish, and that he could at times 
 ihink of somebody besides himself. The letter is one lohich every youug tttati 
 ■who has a leatiing towards literary work will read and ponder over. 
 
 SOCIAL LIFE AND LITERATURE FIFTY YEARS AGO. 
 
 i6mo, cloth, white paper labels, gilt top. $1.00. 
 By a well-known litterateur. It will take a high place among the literature 
 treating of the period. A quaint and delightful book, exquisitely printed in the 
 Pickering style. 
 
 CIVILIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES. By Matthew 
 
 Arnold. And Other Essays concerning America. i6mo, unique paper 
 
 boards. 75 cents. Cloth, uncut, $1.25. The cloth binding matches the 
 
 uniform edition 0/ his collected worhs. 
 
 Comprises the critical essays, which created so much discussion, namely, 
 
 " General Grant, an Estimate." "A Word about America," "A Word more 
 
 about America," and " Civilization in the United States." 
 
 *jt* This collection gathers in the great critic's /(j^/ contribuiionF to itte.ature. 
 
 LEGENDS OF THE RHINE. From the German of Pt^. Bernard. 
 Translated by Fr. Arnold. Finely Illustrated. Small 4to. Cloth. 
 An admirable collection of the popular historical traditions of tne Rhine, told 
 with taste and picturesque simplicity. \In press. 
 
 A SELECTION FROM THE POEMS OF PUSHKIN 
 
 Translated, with Critical Notes and a Bibliography. By Ivan Panin, 
 author of "Thoughts." Foolscap 8vo. Unique binding. ^2.00. 
 
 The first published translation by the brilliant young Russian, Ivan Panin, 
 whose lectures in Boston on the literature of Russia, during the autumn of last 
 , ear, attracted crowded houses. 
 
 WIT, WISDOM, AND PATHOS, from the prose of Heinrich Heine, 
 
 with a few pieces from tlie " Book of Songs " Selected and translated by 
 
 J. Snodgrass. Second edition, thoroughly revised. Cr. Svo, 33S pp. 
 
 Cloth, $2.00 
 
 "A treasure of almost priceless thought and criticism." — Contemporary 
 
 Revievj. 
 
 Publishers, .-r..^ 
 
 CvppleS and Hltrd, Booksellers BOSTON. 
 
 Library Agents, 
 
ImpJi'tcint New Books. 
 
 BOOKS FOR THE SEEKER AND FOE THE SORROIVFUL. 
 
 LIFE'S PROBLEMS. HERE AND HEREAFTER. An autobio- 
 graphy. By Geokge Tkuemjei.le Flanders. i6mo. Cloth, gilt top. 
 $1.25. Second Edition revised. 
 
 This book, which is not sectarian, has been received with marked favor by 
 critics and by readers, both in this country and in Kngland. This is not sur- 
 prising, for it treats the most difficult problems of life, here and hereafter, in a 
 hold and fearless manner, and at the same time in a candid and tender spirit, 
 and has supplanted unbelief, doubt, and perplexity, with faith, trust, and hope. 
 
 '' li is a real spiritual biog;ra/'/tj — ati inner life honestly revealed. . . Such 
 a cheer/id spirit animates the book, a spirit so /nil of spiritual Ouoya?icy, in har- 
 mony -ivith the gospel of love, see/x-ing th'f good and the beautiful — this in itself 
 co»imu?iicates hope, courage, and faith." ■ — Boston Fcst. 
 
 WHENCE? WHAT? WHERE? A VIEW OF T*- E ORIGIN, 
 NATURE, AND DESTINY OF MAN. By .Tam,:s r. Nkik.i.s. 
 With portrait of the author, izmo. Clolli, gilt top. ^1.25. Eleve?itk 
 edition, revised. 
 
 "/ consider the late fames R. Nichols, the luell-kttoivn chemist, one of the 
 ijolest and most scientific investigators in the field of psychical phenomena, and, 
 at the same time, one of the most honest. If the world had more earnest think- 
 ers of the same kind to co-operate with hitn, the world would find out some- 
 thing of value. — foseph Cook. 
 
 "' No one can take up the book without feeling the inclination to read further, 
 and to ponder on the all -important subjects which it presents. 'J'hough it is not 
 a religious book in the accepted sense of the word, it is a book which calls for the 
 exercise of the religious nai?ire, and which in disusing many sensible ide,:s 
 wdl be good." — Vliiladelphia I'ress. 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF PAIN : A BOOK ADDRESSED TO THE 
 
 SORROWFUL. By James HiNTON, M. D. With an introduction by 
 James K. Nichols, author of "Whence? What? Where?" i6rao. 
 Cloth, gilt top. $1.00. 
 
 This book was published in England twenty years ago, and a small edition 
 was sent to this country, which readily found purchasers. Tlie book, at the 
 time it appeared in England, had a limited sale ; but since the author's death a 
 new interest has arisen, and the work has been widely circulated and read. — A 
 book which has comforted many a troubled soul, and awakened the emotion of 
 love in distressed and doubting hearts. — IMany good and uplifting thoughts in 
 the book, — thoughts which will not readily pass from the memory. The prob- 
 lem of pain is indeed dark and not easily solved; and if one is able to poijit 
 out rifts in the cloud, the world of sufferers will welcome the light as raj's 
 breaking through from the regions of rest and bliss. — From the Introdttciiou. 
 
 " No word of praise can add anything to the value of this little work, which 
 has no^u taken its place as one of the classics of religious literature. The ten- 
 der, reverent, and searching spirit of the author has come as a great consolation 
 and kelfi to many persons.''' — New I 'ork Critic. 
 
 Publishers, 
 Clippies and Hurd, Booksellers, BOSTON. 
 
 Library .Agents, 
 
Important New Books. 
 
 Lives of Five Distinguished Americans, i he Only 
 BiDGRAPHiES Extant. 
 
 iVlATTHEW CALBRAITH PERRY. A typical Am»rican Naval Officer. 
 By William Elliot Griffis, author of "The Mikado's Empire," and 
 " Corea : the Hermit Nation." Cr. Svo, 459 pages, gilt top, with two por- 
 traits and seven illustrations. ^(2.00. 
 
 " Sure of favorable reception, and a permanent place in public and private 
 libraries." — IV. J'. Eveniiig Post. 
 
 " Of unusual value to every student of American history." — Nat. Baptist. 
 
 "One of the best books of the year." — Public Ofiinio7i. 
 
 "His biography will be one of the naval classics." — Army ami Navy 
 Journal. 
 
 " Has done his work right vieXi." —Chicago Ez>erti7igJournai. 
 
 " Highly entertaining and instructive." — Universalist Quarterly. 
 
 THADDEUS STEVENS, AMERICAN STATESMAN, AND 
 
 FOUNDER OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. A Memoir by 
 
 E. B. Callendar. With portrait. Cr. Svo. Cloth, gilt top. $1.50. 
 
 A biography of one of the most interesting characters in the whole range of 
 
 American politics, whose work must be understo(.id tlioroughly to gnin accurate 
 
 knowledge of the secret forces operating during his times, 1792 to i86y. 
 
 JOHN HOWARD PAYNE. A Biography of the author of " Home, 
 Sweet Home," by Chas. H. Brainard. With four portraits from minia- 
 tures and other sources, fac-simile of manuscript, " Home, Sweet Home," 
 and photographic illustrations of his tomb at Washington, etc., etc. Svo. 
 Cloth elegant, gilt top, in box. ^3.00. 
 Apart from the remembrance and regard in which the author of " Home, 
 Sweet Home " is held by the world, this biography will possess additional inte- 
 rest from the fact that it is written under the direct editorshiD of W. W. Cor- 
 coran, the late eminent philanthropist, who provided the funds for the removal 
 of the poet's body from Africa to Washington. 
 
 THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL SIR ISAAC COFFIN, BARONET; 
 HIS ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ANCESTORS. By Thomas 
 C. Amorv. With portrait. Large Svo. 1^1.25. 
 The name of Coffin is so widely spread over our continent, so many thous- 
 ands of men and women of other patronymics take pride in their descent from 
 Tristram, its first American patriarch, that what concerns them all, any consid- 
 erable branch or distinguished individual of the race, seems rather history than 
 biography. 
 
 THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF COMMODORE CHARLES 
 
 MORRIS. "VM heliotypc portrait after Ary Schcffcr. i vol. Svo. 
 1 1 1 Images. $ 1 .00. 
 A valuable addition to the literature of American history ; a biography of 
 one who, in the words of Admiral Farragut, was "America's grandest seaman." 
 
 Clippies and Hiird, " BoMcrs, BOSTON, 
 
 Library Agents, 
 
Important New Boohs. 
 
 HOW TO WRITE THE HISTORY OF A FAMILY. By W. P. 
 
 W. PtiiLLiMORE, !\I. A., B. C. L. I vol. Cr. 8vo. Tastefully prhited in 
 dutiqui style, handsomely bound. $2.00. 
 
 Unassuming, practical, essentially useful, Mr. Phillimore's book should be in 
 the hands of every one who aspires to search for his ancestors and to learn liis 
 family history. — Athenaujn. 
 
 This is the best compendious genealogist's guide that has yet been published, 
 and Mr. Phillimore deserves the thanks and appreciation of all lovers of family 
 history. — Reliqttary. 
 
 Notice. — Large Paper Edition. A few copies, mn hand-made paper, wide mar- 
 gins, bound in half morocco, may be obtained, price $6.50 net. 
 
 THE KINSHIP OF MEN: An Argument from Pedigrees ; or. Genealogy 
 Viewed as a Science. By Henry Kendall. Cr. Svo. Cloth, $2.00. 
 
 The old pedigree-hunting was a sign of pride and pretension ; the modern is 
 simply dictated by the desire to know whatever can be known. The one 
 advanced itself by the methods of immoral advocacy; the other proceeds by 
 those of scientific research. — Spectator (London). 
 
 RECORDS AND RECORD SEARCHING. A Guide to the Genealo- 
 gist and Topographer. By Walter Rye. Svo, cloth. Price $2.50. 
 This book places in the hands of the Antiquary and Genealogist, and others 
 interested in kindred studies, a comprehensive guide to the enormous mass of 
 material which is available in his researches, showing what it consists of, and 
 where it can be found. 
 
 ANCESTRAL TABLETS- A Collections of Diagrams for Pedigrees, so 
 arranged that Eight Generations of the Ancestors of any Person may be 
 recorded in a connected and simple form. By William H. Whit.more, 
 A.M. SEVENTH EDITION. On heavy parchmeni paper, large 4fo, 
 iastefuUy and strongly bound, Roxburgh style. Price ^2.00. 
 
 " No one with the least bent for genealogical research ever examined this in- 
 
 feniously compact substitute for the ' family tree ' without longing to own it. 
 t provides for the recording of eight lineal generations, and is a perpetual 
 incentive to the pursuit of one's ancestry." — Nation. 
 
 THE ELEMENTS OF HERALDRY. A practical manual, showing 
 w hat Iieraldry is, where it comes from, and to what extent it is applicable to 
 American usage ; to which is added a Glossary in English, French and 
 Latin of the forms employed. Profusely Illustrated. By W. H. 
 Whitmore, author of " Ancestral Tablets," etc. \,Ih press. 
 
 Publishers, 
 
 CuppUs and Hurd, booksellers, BOSTON, 
 
 ■^■' Library A sf^i^t 
 
Important New Books. 
 
 PROF. CLARK MURRAY'S II'ORKS. 
 SOLOMON MAIMON: An Autobiography. Translated from the Ger- 
 man, with Additions and Notes, by Prof. J. Clark Murkay. i vol, 
 Cr. 8vo. Cloth. 307 pp. $2.00. 
 A life ■which fo7-vis one of the most exiraordiiiary biographies in the history 
 of literature. 
 
 The London Spectator says: "Dr. Clark Murray has had tlie rare good 
 fortune of first presenting this singularly vivid book in an English translation 
 as pure and lively as if it were an original, and an original by a classic 
 ICnglish writer. 
 
 George Eliot, in "Daniel Deronda," mentions it as " that wonderful bit of 
 autobiography — the life of the Polish Jew, Solomon JMainion " ; and Milman, 
 in his "History of the Jews," lefers to it as a curious and rare book. 
 
 HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY. % Prof. J. Clark Murray, 
 LL D., Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy, IM'Gill College, 
 Montreal. Cr. 8vo. 2d edition, enlarged and improved. $i-75' 
 Clearly and simply written, with illustrations so well chosen that the dullest 
 
 student can scarcely fail to take an interest in the subject. 
 
 ADOPTED FOR USE IN COLLEGES IN SCOTLAND, ENGLAND, 
 CANADA, AND THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Prof. ]\fiirray's good fortune in bringing to light the " Jilaitnon Memoirs" 
 'o^etherwith the increasitig popularity of his "Hnndbooh of Psychology" hai 
 tttracted the attention of the intellectual icorld, giving him a position 
 with the leaders of thought of the present age. His writings are at once 
 ■'■riginal and suggest iz'e. 
 
 AALESUNC7 TO TETUAN. Y>V Cuas. R. Corning. A Volume of 
 Travel. lamo. 400 pp. Cloth. $2.00. 
 Table of Contents. — Portsmouth — Isle of Wight — Channel Islands — 
 Mormandy — Nice — Monte Carlo — Genoa — Naples and its Environments — 
 ivome — Verona — Venice — Norway — Sweden — St. Petersburg — Moscow — 
 iVarsaw — Perlin — Up the Rhine — Barcelona — Valencia — Seville — Cadi?, 
 
 — Morocco — Gibraltar — Granada — Madrid and the Royal Wedding — Bull 
 fights — Escurial — Biarritz — Bordeaux — Paris. 
 
 TAPPY'S CHICKS: or, Links Between Nature and Human Nature. 
 By Mrs. George Curi'LES. Illustrated. i6mo. Cloth. ;?i.25. 
 
 The tenderness and humor of this volume are simply exquisite. — A". /'. 
 Whipple. 
 
 The title is altogether loo insignificant for so delightful and valuable a work. 
 
 — Spectator (London). 
 
 It is not merely a work of talent, but has repeated strokes of undeniable 
 genius. — George Macdonald. [/« preparation. 
 
 Publishers, ny^r^ »7-/-\ 
 
 Cupples and Hurd, noohseiiers, BOSTON. 
 
 ft J,wrary Agents, 
 
Important New Boons. 
 
 A New Book by W. H. H. Murray. 
 
 DA YL IGHT LAN D. The experiences, incidents, and adventures, humorous 
 and otherwise, which befell Judge John Doe, Tourist, of San Francisco ; 
 Mr Cephas Pepperell, Capitalist, of Boston ; Colonel Goffe, the Man 
 from New Hampshire, and divers others, in their Parlor-Car Excursion over 
 Prairie and Mountain ; as recorded and set forth by W. H. H. Murray. 
 Superbly illustrated with 150 cuts in various colors by the best artists. 
 
 Contents: — Introduction — The Meeting — A Breakfast — A Very Hopeful 
 Man — The Big Nepigou Trout — The Man in the Velveteen Jacket — The 
 Capitalist — Camp at Rush Lake — Big Game — A Strange Midnight Ride 
 — Banff — Sunday among the Mountains — Nameless Mountains — The Great 
 Glaciar — The Hermit of Frazer Caiion — Fish and Fishing in British Colum- 
 bia — Vancouver City — Parting at Victoria. 
 
 Svo. 350 pages. Unique paper covers, 1^2.50; half leather binding, $3.50. 
 
 Mr. Murray has chosen the north-western side of the continent for the scene 
 of this book ; a region of country which is little known by the average reader, 
 but which in its scenery, its game, and its vast material and undeveloped 
 resources, supplies the author with a subject which has not been trenched upon 
 even by the magazines, and which he has treated in that lively and spirited 
 manner for which he is especially gifted. The result is a volume full of novel 
 information of the country, humorous and pathetic incidents, vivid descriptions 
 of its magnificent scenery, shrewd forecasts of its future wealth and greatness 
 when developed, illustrated and embellished with such lavisliness and artistic 
 elegance as has never before been attempted in any similar work in this coun- 
 try. 
 
 ADIRONDACK TALES. By W. H. H. Murray. Illustrated. i2mo. 
 300 pages. $1.25. 
 
 Containing John Norton's Christmas — Henry Herbert's Thanksgiving — A 
 Strange Visitor — Lost in the Woods — A Jolly Camp — Was it Suicide? — 
 The Gambler's Death — The Old Beggar's Dog — The Ball — Who was he ? 
 
 Short stories in Mr. Murray's best vein — humorous; pathetic; full of the 
 spirit of the woods. 
 
 HOW DEACON TUBMAN ANO PARSON WHITNEY KEPT 
 
 NEW YEARS, and other Stories. By W. II. H. Murray. i6mo. 
 Illustrated. $1.2^. 
 
 A HEART REGAINED. By Carmen Svlva (Queen of Roumania) 
 Translated by Mary A. Mitchell. Fcap. Svo. Cloth. ;?i.oo. 
 A charming story by this talented auchoress, told in her vivid, picturesque 
 manner, and showing how patient waiting attains to ultimate reward. 
 
 Cupples and Hitrd, ' Bookskiers, BOSTON 
 
 I^ibrary Agetiis, 
 
Important New Boohs. 
 
 RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Philosopher and Seer. An Esiiniate 
 
 of his Cliaracter and Genius. By A. Bronson Alcott. 
 
 With portraits niid otiicr illnstrntious. Foolscap octavo. Gilt to]). ^1.50. 
 
 Cue hmnircd co/iies-zvill he /•riiitcd OH larger aiid finer f>af>cr, Sto, siiifahle 
 
 for the insertion 0/ extra illiistraiioits. Bound in Roxlnirgli, gilt top. J'rice 
 
 to Std'scriders, Jf^.oo. 
 
 A book abnnt Emerson, written by the one man who stood nearest to him of 
 all men. It is an original and vital contribution to Einerso7na ; like a portrait 
 of one of the old masters jjainted by his own brush. [in Press, 
 
 HERMAN GRinri\rs ]rORKS. 
 
 THE LIFE OF RAPHAEL as shown in Ills principal works. From the 
 German of Herman Grima?, author of "The Life of Michael Angelo," 
 etc. ]Vith frontispiece, after Braiin, of the recently discovered portrait, 
 outlined by Raphael i>i chalk. Cr. Svo. Cloth. jfl2-o^. 
 
 ESSAYS ON LITERATURE. From the German of Herman- Gkim.m, 
 uniform with "The Life of Raphael." New ajid enlarged edition, care- 
 fully corrected. Cr. Svo. Cloth. J2.00. 
 
 BY JAMES H. STARK. 
 
 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF YE TOWNEOF BOSTON. By JamesH. 
 Stark, Assisted by Dr. Samuel A. Green', Ex-Mayor of Boston, Libra- 
 rian of the Massachusetts Historical Society; John Ward Dea.n, Libra- 
 rian of the New England Historic Genealogical Society; and Judge 
 Mellen Chamuerlain', of the Public Library. An extensive and exhaust- 
 ive 7i'ork in, S78 pages. Large quarto. Illustrated luith nearly zoo fidl 
 size reprodjictions of all ktioivn rare maps, old prints, etc. 1 vol. 4to. 
 Cloth. $6.00. 
 
 BERMUDA GUIDE. A description of everything on or about the Ber- 
 muda Islands, concerning which the visitor or resident may desire informa- 
 tion, including its history, inhabitants, climate, agriculture, geology, 
 government, military and naval establishments. By Ja.mes H. Stark. 
 Witli Maps, Engravings and 16 photo-prints. i vol. i2mo, cloth, 
 '57 PP- #2.00. 
 
 PAUL REVERE: Historical and Legendary. By Elbridge H. Goss. 
 With reproductions of many of Revere's engravings, etc. [In press. 
 
 A DIRECTORY OF THE CHARITABLE AND BENEFICENT 
 ORGANIZATIONS OF BOSTON, ETC. Prepaied for the Asso. 
 
 ciated Charities, i vol., 196 pp. 161110. Cloth, ;? 1.00. 
 
 Publishers, 
 Clippies and Hltrd, Booksellers, BOSTON. 
 
 Library Agents, 
 
 ,sr^- 
 
Important New Books. 
 
 Translations of Two Powerful German Novels by Authors 
 New TO American Readers. 
 
 THE LAST VON RECKENBURG. By Louise von Francois. Trans- 
 lated from the third German edition. 370 pages. Cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt. 
 ^1.50. 
 
 The popularity of this book among the reading public of Europe, and the 
 interest it has excited in critical circles, led to the present translation into 
 English. Gustave P'reytag, one of the greatest of German novelists, says of 
 it : " Clear, terse, with not a word too much, and rich in powerful expres- 
 sions, it depicts everything in short sentences, obedient to every mood, every 
 change of color. Readers will alw ays close this volume with a consciousness 
 that they have received a rare gift." 
 
 MM. F.rckmann-Chatrian have depicted the feverish excitement of France 
 during the height of Napoleon's meteor-like blaze : this equally powerful ro- 
 mance shows the reaction in Germany immediately after his downfall, when 
 the pulse of Europe was striving to regain its normal beat. 
 
 THE MONK'S WEDDING. A novel. By C. F. Meyer. Cr. Svo 
 unique binding, gilt top. $1.25. 
 This is an Italian story, v, ritten by a German, and translated by an American, 
 and purports to be narrated by the poet Dante at the hospitable hearth of his 
 patron, Can Grande. He evolved it from an inscription on a gravestone : 
 "Hie jacet monachus Astorre cum uxore Antiope. Sepeliebat Azzolinus" 
 (Here sleeps the monk Astorre with his wife Antiope. Ezzelin gave them 
 burial). Those who have any acquaintance with the unscrupulous machina- 
 tions of the Italian, and particularly of the Italian ecclesiastic, will have little 
 difficulty in conjuring up what a grim, lurid tale of secret crime and suffering a 
 " Monk's Wedding" is sure to be. It is of sustained and absorbing interest, full 
 of delicate touches and flashes of passion, a tragedy which ca.inot fail to leave 
 an impression of power upon the mind. 
 
 Works by William H. Rideing. 
 
 THACKERAY'S LONDON: HIS HAUNTS AND THE 
 SCENES OF HIS NOVELS. With two original Portraits (etched 
 and engraved) ; a fac-siiuile of a page of the original manuscript of " Tl;e 
 Newcomes ; " together with several exquisitely engraved woodcuts, i vol, 
 square i2rao. Cloth, gilt top, in box. Ji.oo. Fourth Edition. 
 
 LITTLE UPSTART, A. A Novel. Third edition. i6mo. Cloth. $1.25. 
 " As a study of literary and would-be literary life it is positively brilliant- 
 
 ^lany well-known figures are drawn with a few sweeping touches. Tke book, 
 
 as a story, is interesting enough for the most experienced taste, and, as a satire, 
 
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