CHAP. vin. A BEAUTIFUL WILDERNESS. 131 



to the vermilion ' cup moss,' growing in bunches, groups, 

 and beds all over the grey gneiss. Larches and birches, 

 branching free from the deep cracks in the rocks, are 

 wonderfully symmetrical. A scented breeze drives insect 

 tormentors away, bringing an evening blessing in these 

 desolate wilds. 



From the summit of that peaked mountain in the lofty 

 chain to the north, 1,500 to 2,000 feet above, the Nas- 

 quapee says he has seen ships in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

 and the level country where Ashwanipi flows, the great 

 river of the Labrador table land. And, lastly, there 

 looms, on the opposite side of the valley, another great 

 land-slide, as recent as, and more gigantic than, the one 

 passed over a few days ago. The slowly sinking sun 

 reddens the mountain tops, the black shadows move 

 swiftly across the lake ; loons, with wild prophetic cries, 

 fly like arrows towards their nests ; the long twilight 

 fades softly into night, and the silence of a beautiful but 

 lifeless wilderness depresses the spirits and saddens the 

 heart. 



Our camp was made at the foot of the gneiss terraces, 

 on the bare rock, as, except in the wet beaver meadow, 

 there was no soil where we could pitch our tents. 



Had it not been for the warning note of the loons, we 

 should have rolled ourselves in our blankets, under a 

 starry roof ; but the wild birds foretold an approaching 

 change, and admonished us to prepare for the worst. The 

 next day was Sunday, and, in accordance with a rule we 

 always observed in the woods, no work would be done 

 until the day was well advanced. We supported the sides 

 of our tents with stones, found with difficulty, for erratics, 



K 2 



