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THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE; 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Drying Venison — A Grand and Beautiful Mountain Gorge — The Meeting 

 AT THE Beaver-Dam — Our Photographer Lost in the Wilderness— A 

 Lonely Night on Buck Lake— The Horrible Dream — The Lost Man 

 Found — The Unexpected Meeting with a Bull Moose. 



HE preparation for the moose-hunt 

 was now commenced by cutting the 

 flesh of the deer, which we had just 

 killed, into strips or slices, and dry- 

 ing the same on a scaffold erected 

 for the purpose over our camp-fire. 

 This labor, however, did not inter- 

 fere seriously with the continuation of deer-hunting, trout- 

 fishing, and bird-shooting ; but, inasmuch as we have fully 

 described these sports, we shall hereafter entirely omit, or 

 pass very rapidly over, them, lest a too frequent repetition 

 of that which is very interesting may become monotonous. 



We remained on this lake ten days, during which 

 period the venison was fully dried, and we had a very 

 enjoyable time. The weather was generally very pleasant, 

 althougrh we had a slirrht snow-storm and occasional rains. 

 The photographer took many negatives, and among others, 

 a view of our camp, which appears as a frontispiece in this 

 book. Game was found here in great abundance, and our 

 larder was always well supplied ; in fact, there was no time 

 during our stay on this lake when we had not plenty of 

 venison, trout, and ruffed grouse; nor was it found ne- 



