254 CRANBERRY LAKE. THE OSWEGATCHIE. 



Young and AVard, tlie two guides, however, went out 

 floating for deer. At about 3 A. M. I was awakened by a 

 shot, a dull, heavy, booming sound as; of distant thunder, 

 followed I)}' another and a third shot. Fifteen minutes 

 later the boys came back with a yearling doe in their boat, 

 wounded by the. first shot, missed by theseec.nd and effect- 

 ually stopped by the third. They had seen and heard eight 

 deer during the night, but the moon had risen and its bright 

 liirhl made it very ditlicult to approach them. 



Our breakfast was L r ood enough tor an epicure, plenti- 

 ful trout, a large fryinu pan full of IJermuda onions, 

 -(rambled egg8, eolVee. lio-ton crackers, pickle- and minor 

 articles. We rendered great and friendly service to our 

 hosts, who were that day goin-j- out of the wood- and 

 made it a cardinal point not to carry out with them any of 

 their supplies; and they gave us with their parting ble-^iniT 

 something to eke out our much depleted food reserve, 

 which, as the sequel proved, served us a most excellent 

 turn. 



The day. July 17. opened with a light south wind which 

 speedily grew stronger, a wicked, red light in the eye of the 

 sun. and fearfully oppressive heat. Proceeding down 

 stream, on reaching Albany 1'ridge we restored our boat to 

 its original place of concealment, and, packs on our backs, 

 gun and rifle and rods in hand, went down the hard, rouirh 

 carry to the foot of the rapids, nearly overcome by the heat 

 and thoroughly exhausted. 11 was two o'clock when we 

 there drew our boat from its hiding place in the bushe- 

 aud started northward down through the flooded timbt-r. 



