A Canoe Voyage to Northward 



gers were encountered, the great wonderland made 

 compensation beyond our most extravagant hopes. 

 Neither rain nor snow stopped us, but when the wind 

 was too wild, Kadachan and the old captain stayed 

 on guard in the camp and John and Charley went into 

 the woods deer-hunting, while I examined the adjacent 

 rocks and woods. Most of our camp-grounds were in 

 sheltered nooks where good firewood was abundant, 

 and where the precious canoe could be safely drawn 

 up beyond reach of the waves. After supper we sat 

 long around the fire, listening to the Indian's stories 

 about the wild animals, their hunting-adventures, 

 wars, traditions, religion, and customs. Every Indian 

 party we met we interviewed, and visited every village 

 we came to. 



Our first camp was made at a place called the Is- 

 land of the Standing Stone, on the shore of a shallow 

 bay. The weather was fine. The mountains of the 

 mainland were unclouded, excepting one, which had a 

 horizontal ruff of dull slate color, but its icy summit 

 covered with fresh snow towered above the cloud, 

 flushed like its neighbors in the alpenglow. All the 

 large islands in sight were densely forested, while 

 many small rock islets in front of our camp were tree- 

 less or nearly so. Some of them were distinctly glaci- 

 ated even below the tide-line, the effects of wave wash- 

 ing and general weathering being scarce appreciable 

 as yet. Some of the larger islets had a few trees, others 

 only grass. One looked in the distance like a two- 

 masted ship flying before the wind under press of sail. 



Next morning the mountains were arrayed in fresh 



I ii7l 



