126 THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE; 



We had expected to meet our guides at Harvey's 

 Bridge, where they had agreed to await our arrival, should 

 they reach that point in advance of us ; therefore their ab- 

 sence at the time of our arrival satisfied us that we were 

 in the advance. It was nearly an hour before they made 

 their appearance with the luggage and canoes. We im- 

 mediately took places in the bark canoes, and were pad- 

 dled over to Mossup's Landing, the southern extremity of 

 the Hor-ka-por-ka Portage, which connects Pickerel Lake 

 with Rock Lake ; points which are said to be distant from 

 each other only three miles, but I am sure that I walked 

 more than six miles the first time that I made the tour. 



The portage crosses over the top of Ball Mountain, 

 and as you approach Rock Lake you are compelled to 

 traverse an alder swamp about one-half mile in width. 

 This portage has been greatly improved since I crossed for 

 the first time, in 1880. The underbrush has been cut out 

 and some of the more troublesome obstructions overcome, 

 or at least greatly lessened. 



The southern end of this portage is now passable for 

 an ox-team with a jumper for a distance somewhat less 

 than a mile ; consequently we had hoped to find Mossup 

 able to give us a start on this part of our journey with his 

 oxen. In this matter, however, we were doomed to dis- 

 appointment, inasmuch as our friend was not provided with 

 the necessary vehicle. The luggage, including the canoes, 

 with which we were now burdened, it was thought would 

 weigh about one thousand pounds, — no unimportant impe- 

 dimenta ; and, consequently, the task of transporting all 

 this across the portage seemed formidable to us when we 



