MISCELLANEOUS. 289 



as crystal, has no inlet save springs in the bottom of it, and 

 has an outlet about fifteen feet wide, and from one to two feet 

 deep, with a strong current. The lake is full of fine fish. 



I started early in the morning for camp, where I arrived 

 about noon and found the boys delighted- to see me. They 

 had passed an anxious night and forenoon, thinking some harm 

 had befallen me that I had wounded a bear and had been 

 attacked and killed by him, or something of the kind. They 

 were glad to learn, however, that I had merely been on an 

 exploring expedition to the head-waters of Thunder Bay 

 river. 



On my return to camp on Wednesday I learned that the 

 other members of the party had, during my absence, taken a 

 pickerel thirty inches long and weighing eight pounds, several 

 four-pound black-bass and numerous smaller specimens of 

 both species. While two of them were out in a boat fishing, 

 a large black bear came to the edge of the water about two 

 hundred yards away, stood up on his hind legs and quietly 

 contemplated the strange intruders before him. One of the 

 party brought his Burgess repeating rifle to bear upon Bruin, 

 and fired several shots before getting the exact range. He 

 finally got it, however, and plunged a ball through the 

 animal's haunches which caused him to seek shelter in a 

 neighboring swamp in a hurry. The party landed and fol- 

 lowed him as far as they could find his trail, but as they soon 

 struck dry ground they could then see it no longer, and were 

 compelled to abandon the chase and return to camp, greatly 

 disappointed at their failure to capture so rich a prize. 



Early the next morning, accompanied by my guide, I 

 again took to the v^ods, determined, if not to capture veni- 

 son, at least to explore tb^ surrounding country until I was 

 fully satisfied An to its character and resources. About four miles 

 from camp w? entered a vast tract of hardwood timber, of a 

 19 



