TIIE START. — ON TITE WAY. — tlTTCA. 15 



woodsman, who. like all entliusiast.s of his kind, wasalrcad}^ 

 over-supplied, and who bought every new thing useful, 

 useless and ornamental tliat caught his fancy in the stores 

 where fishermen are furnished. An old, worn-out woolen 

 suit, designed in my benevolent moods for some poor but 

 honest man of my dimensions, and a pair of strong boots, 

 with tlie avails of a moderate check, were all I was obliged 

 to think about for myself. 



It was somewliere among the midnight hours of July 

 19th that Benson gave the orders,— •* All ready! Shoulder 

 pack! Forward, March! " There was nothing to be gained 

 by demurring or pleading that the human spinal column 

 was not adapted to the ponderous load I was directed to 

 take up. So, wriggling into the straps of the pack-basket 

 as best I could, in imitation of the ludicrous contortions 

 of my captain, and seizing a handful of njds and various 

 articles that refused to be packed, I followed him down the 

 stairwa3's of our boarding liou.se; and we bravely wended 

 our way through the silent streets to the ne;u--at-hand rail - 

 road depot. Night watchmen looked warily and suspi- 

 ciously at us, bvit the fish rod is ever a i>assport7— except on 

 forbidden streams — and the tramp had not yet developed 

 into a recognized constituent of the advanced civilized 

 community. We escaped arrest and the confiscation of 

 our luggage, and were soon on board our train and hurry- 

 ing through the darkness to the Utica that refuses to be 

 " ])ent up." 



Arriving at that point, we hastened to bed for t lie frac- 

 tional night remaining, leaving orders with the slee])y 



