3l8 AUDUBON 



are yet, constantly heard falling during the days ; and in 

 calm nights, the greedy mills told the sad tale that in a 

 century the noble forests around should exist no more. 

 Many mills were erected, many dams raised, in defiance of 

 the impetuous Lehigh. One full third of the trees have 

 already been culled, turned into boards, and floated as 

 far as Philadelphia. 



In such an undertaking the cutting of the trees is not 

 all. They have afterwards to be hauled to the edge of the 

 mountains bordering the river, launched into the stream, 

 and led to the mills over many shallows and difficult 

 places. Whilst I was in the Great Pine Swamp, I fre- 

 quently visited one of the principal places for the launch- 

 ing of logs. To see them tumbling from such a height, 

 touching here and there the rough angle of a projecting 

 rock, bouncing from it with the elasticity of a foot-ball, 

 and at last falling with an awful crash into the river, 

 forms a sight interesting in the highest degree, but im- 

 possible for me to describe. Shall I tell you that I have 

 seen masses of these logs heaped above each other to the 

 number of five thousand? I may so tell you, for such I 

 have seen. My friend Irish assured me that at some sea- 

 sons, these piles consisted of a much greater number, the 

 river becoming in those places completely choked up. 



When freshets (or floods) take place, then is the time 

 chosen for forwarding the logs to the difl'erent mills. This 

 is called a Frolic. Jediah Irish, who is generally the 

 leader, proceeds to the upper leap with his men, each 

 provided with a strong wooden handspike, and a short- 

 handled axe. They all take to the water, be it summer 

 or winter, like so many Newfoundland spaniels. The logs 

 are gradually detached, and, after a time, are seen floating 

 down the dancing stream, here striking against a rock and 

 whirling many times round, there suddenly checked in 

 dozens by a shallow, over which they have to be forced 

 with the handspikes. Now they arrive at the edge of a 



