136 SPECKLED TROUT. 



instead of that, after I have accomplished the ascent, 

 I find a broad sweep of level or gently undulating 

 woodland that brings me after a half hour or so to 

 the lake, which lies in this vast lap like a drop of 

 water in the palm of a man's hand. 



Balsam Lake was oval shaped, scarcely more than 

 half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, but 

 presented a charming picture, with a group of dark 

 gray hemlocks filling the valley about its head, and 

 the mountains rising above and beyond. We found 

 a bough house in good repair, also a dug-out and 

 paddle and several floats of logs. In the dug-out I 

 was soon creeping along the shady side of the lake, 

 where the trout were incessantly jumping for a 

 species of black fly, that, sheltered from the slight 

 breeze, were dancing in swarms just above the sur- 

 face of the water. The gnats were there in swarms 

 also, and did their best toward balancing the accounts 

 by preying upon me while I preyed upon the trout 

 which preyed upon the flies. But by dint of keeping 

 my hands, face, and neck constantly wet, I am con- 

 vinced that the balance of blood was on my side. 

 The trout jumped most within a foot or two of shore, 

 where the water was only a few inches deep. The 

 shallowness of the water perhaps accounted for the 

 inability of the fish to do more than lift their heads 

 above the surface. They came up mouth wide open, 

 and dropped back again in the most impotent man- 

 ner. Where there is any depth of water, a trout 

 will jump several feet into the air ; and where there 



