84 A TRIP TO THE LA. VAL. 
and in it was seated a figure of clay, worn to an aston- 
ishing likeness of a woman witli a gipsy bonnet on her 
head. She appeared to be seated, and her bonnet, its 
strings and her dress, were accurately imitated by the 
curling white birch bark. The color of her face seemed 
dark brunette, set off by the birch bonnet, that was 
brought out in strong relief by the heavy shadow of the 
background. Altogether, it was a startling appa^rition, 
and conjured up to my eyes the wondrous sights of the 
times of elfin power, when my spectre would have made 
a most perfect wood nymph. 
Whether my elf gave me good luck or not, it is impos- 
sible to say, but we caught thirty-seven magnificent fish, 
and after a hard day's work, during w^hich we had toiled 
at the canoe and waded most of the way, the camp was 
no unwelcome sight. It required Pierre's best culinary 
efforts to restore our spirits, and soothe our disappoint- 
ment at being unable to effect a further ascent, in which 
our worst forebodings were confirmed by Jermain, an 
additional guide who had followed us, and who reported 
from his Indian friends that the upj)er stream was impass- 
able, the water being a foot lower than was ever known 
before. With sad hearts, therefore, the council of Avar 
determined that advance was hopeless, and retreat ine- 
vitable; even our splendid sport could not console us. 
It had been drizzling all day, and the next morning 
we devoted to a general drying of wet articles — the 
camp looked like a grand clothes washing establishment, 
with lines stretched from tree to tree round a bifir fire, 
and hung with clothes. I took some seven trout for 
dinner, but otherwise the fish had a rest until the mor- 
