A BIRCH-BARK ( ANOE TRIP 235 



We afterward learned that our friends had killed an immense 

 number of large trout, some six or seven jxjunds in weight, had 

 shot a wild-cat swimming the river, and had unsuccessfully stalked 

 a bear. We caught some very large trout here, the largest draw- 

 ing the scale to 6| Ib. Some were beautifully tinted with red and 

 ochre, but their symmetry was sadly marred by the enormous 

 size of their heads, which gave them a look of ferocity. 



Two miles above this fine trout pool we found the tamp of 

 a young Yale student showing unmistakable evidence of success- 

 ful hunting. One bearskin was stretched out with cords on a 

 framework of stakes in the process of drying ; two more, already 

 well dried, were spread as rugs on the floor of the tent ; a fine 

 beaver skin, the enormous wings of a golden eagle, some mink 

 and musquash were also among his trophies of war. A message, 

 written with charcoal on a bit of birch bark, informed us that he 

 had gone on to the lakes, and would return in a few days ; near his 

 tent was a deserted lumber camp that had been a favourite resort 

 of bears owing to some stores having been left there. 



Rugged hills now loomed up blue in the distance and beckoned 

 us on. Pleasant bits of intervale were crowded with a growth 

 of choke-cherries, tree-cranberries and squaw-bushes, whose fruit 

 is so prized by bruin. 



Joe observed that he never saw more ' works ' about the river, 

 referring to the bears, which indeed had trampled down the bushes 

 well along the shore to get at the berries, especially the fruit of 

 the squaw-bushes, which is white and has an acid, not disagreeable 

 flavour. Squaw-bushes are probably so called because they are 

 much used by the Indian squaws for withes and basket making. 



We passed several pools full of enormous trout, but we 

 desisted from killing trout over four pounds in weight simply 

 because the sport had become monotonous. At Ly man's Pool, 

 so called after an American lawyer who roughed it here in the* 

 brush with my man Joe for three successive seasons, I killed 

 a male fish of 4^ Ib. weight, most exquisitely marked with 

 carmine and orange, especially on his ventrals and pectorals, 

 Joe had many stories to relate of his trip with Mr. Lyman. Here 

 Mr. Lyman shot a bear ; there fell a bull moose while standing in 

 that ' bogan ' or cove ; at that point a fine caribou was missed. 

 and so on. At the mouth of Portage Brook, a stream of no incon- 

 siderable size, we found fine camping ground, evidently often 

 used in the past. Here we remained for two days, attracted by 

 the beauty of the spot. Large trout lay in a pool some hundred 

 yards below the mouth, well across the stream toward the opposite 

 bank. Fresh tracks both of moose and caribou were seen in some 



