306 Exploring Visits to the Sources of the Hudson. 
from the forks, where it proved to be the outlet of a beautiful lake, 
of about a mile in extent. This lake, to which our party afterwards 
gave the name of Lake Colden, is situated between two mountain 
peaks which rise in lofty grandeur on either hand. We made our 
second camp at the outlet of this lake, and in full view of its inter- 
esting scenery. 
Previous to reaching the outlet, we had noticed on the margin of 
the river, fresh tracks of the wolf and also of the deer, both appa- 
rently made at the fullest speed, and on turning a point we came 
upon the warm and mangled remains of a fine deer, which had fallen 
a sacrifice to the wolves; the latter having been driven from their 
savage repast by our unwelcome approach. There appeared to 
have been two of the aggressive party, one of which, by lying in 
wait, had probably intercepted the deer in his course to the lake, 
and they had nearly devoured their victim in apparently a short 
space of time. 
The great ascent which we had made from our first encampment, 
and the apparent altitude of the mountain peaks before us, together 
with the naked condition of their summits, rendered it obvious that 
the elevation of this mountain group had been greatly underrated ; 
and we were led to regret our want of means for a barometrical meas- 
urement. The height of our present encampment above Lake San- 
ford was estimated to be from ten to twelve hundred feet, and the 
height of Lake Colden, above tide, at from one thousand eight hun- 
dred, to two thousand feet, the elevation of Lake Sanford being 
assumed from such information as we could obtain, to be about eight 
hundred feet. The elevation of the peaks on either side of Lake 
Colden, were estimated from two thousand, to two thousand five 
hundred feet above the lake. These conclusions were entered in 
our notes, and are since proved to have been tolerably correct, €x- 
cept as they were founded on the supposed elevation of Lake San- 
ford, which had been very much underrated. 
August 19th. The rain had fallen heavily during the night, and 
the weather was still such as to preclude the advance of the party- 
But the ardor of individuals was hardly to be restrained by the 
storm; and during the forenoon, Mr. Henderson, with John Che- 
ney, our huntsman, made the circuit of Lake Colden, having im 
their course beaten up the quarters of a family of panthers, to 
the great discomfiture of Cheney’s valorous dog. At noon, the 
weather being more favorable, Messrs. McIntyre, McMartin and 
