BIRCH BROWSINGS. 225 



rapid. The trees were remarkably straight 

 and uniform in size. Black birches, the first 

 I had seen, were very numerous. I felt en- 

 couraged. Listening attentively, I caught 

 from a breeze just lifting the drooping 

 leaves a sound that I willingly believed 

 was made by a bull-frog. On this hint, I 

 tore down through the woods at my highest 

 speed. Then I paused and listened again. 

 This time there was no mistaking it ; it was 

 the sound of frogs. Much elated, I rushed 

 on. By and by I could hear them as I ran. 

 Pthrung, pthrung, croaked the old ones; 

 pug, pug, shrilly joined in the smaller fry. 



Then I caught, through the lower trees, a 

 gleam of blue, which I first thought was dis- 

 tant sky. A second look, and I knew it to 

 be water, and in a moment more I stepped 

 from the woods, and stood upon the shore of 

 the lake. I exulted silently. There it was 

 at last, sparkling in the morning sun, and 

 as beautiful as a dream. It was so good to 

 come upon such open space and such bright 

 hues, after wandering in the dim, dense 

 woods! The eye is as delighted as an es- 

 caped bird, and darts gleefully from point 

 to point. 



The lake was a long oval, scarcely more 



