134 SPORT INDEED 



we gotten a hundred yards from shore before my son's 

 "sou'wester" hat was knocked off by the guide's pad- 

 dle. But that was no place nor time to stop for a hat. 

 The canoe mounted and rode the waves beautifully, 

 and yet at times it seemed as if the wind would cap- 

 size it or blow it out of the water, particularly when 

 we reached the centre of the lake, and the canoe was 

 turned obliquely down towards the other shore. Then 

 we had to paddle for our very lives and watch the waves 

 to see that they didn't break over us. When the light 

 canoe was going down the sloping sides or in the hol- 

 low of a big wave, we had to use every pound of our 

 reserve strength to shove her along before another 

 mountain of water caught us. It was indeed a tick- 

 lish trip, for had we capsized we would have had no 

 show whatever in the icy water, as our heavy hip boots 

 would have prevented any chance of our swimming or 

 of a rescue. We fully appreciated the situation. 

 However, we got over without mishap, other than a 

 wetting, a lost hat, and a profuse perspiration from 

 hard paddling. We were safe, and for this we de- 

 voutedly thanked the Ordainer of all things. 



We stopped for dinner at the little frame hotel, the 

 Chesuncook House, which is the last sign or semblance 

 of a hostelry you see before plunging into the great 

 wilderness beyond. Among those who were making 

 the hotel their headquarters were three sports who 

 went out in the morning to hunt and returned at 



