ADIRONDAC. 93 



with a little moss, it floated with two aboard, which 

 was quite enough for our purpose. A jack and an 

 oar were necessary to complete the arrangement, and 

 before the sun had set our professor of wood-craft 

 had both in readiness. From a young yellow birch, 

 an oar took shape with marvelous rapidity — trimmed 

 and smoothed with a neatness almost fastidious, — no 

 make-shift, but an instrument fitted for the delicat 

 A^ork it was to perform. 



A jack was made with equal skill and speed. A 

 Btout staff about three feet long was placed upright 

 in the bow of the boat, and held to its place by a 

 horizontal bar, through a hole in which it turned 

 easily : a half wheel eight or ten inches in diameter, 

 cut from a large chip, was placed at the top, around 

 which was bent a new section of birch bark, thus 

 forming a rude semicircular reflector. Three candles 

 placed within the circle completed the jack. With 

 moss and boughs seats were arranged — one in the 

 bow for the marksman, and one in the stern for the 

 oarsman. A meal of frogs and squirrels was a good 

 preparation, and when darkness came, all were keenly 

 alive to the opportunity it brought. Though by no 

 means an expert in the use of the gun, — adding the 

 superlative degree of enthusiasm to only the positive 

 degree of skill, — yet it seemed tacitly agreed that I 

 should act as marksman, and kill the deer, if such 

 was to be our luck. 



After it was thoroughly dark we went down to 

 make a short trial-trip. Everything working to 8a^ 



