122 THE ST. REGIS AND 8ARANACS. 



tlirougli the rough sea of Big- Clear; — but the genuineness of 

 their wonder at and admiration of my exploit ma}' have 

 been established by my prompt and liberal payment for the 

 use of their boat brought safe to the landing. If I had been 

 drowned, I should have been more troublesome and less 

 profitable to them. 



At the other end of the carry from St. ({ermain's, I 

 eucovmtered a party of Harvard College boys (jn 'their way to 

 Long Lake. They were without guides, and carried their 

 boats and luggage and cooking utensils on their backs and 

 shoulders, after the fashion of men trained in the woods 

 rather than on a college campus. They were in fine spirits, 

 but were anticipating a long pull and hard work before 

 the}' should reach their camp, where they were to be met 

 by companions who had preceeded tliem. 



The next day I found myself none the worse for my trip 

 to the L'lDpei' Saranac, and planned to make the ascent of 

 St. Regis Mountain ; but the atmosphere was very suKjk}'. 

 and I abandoned the project. This is one of the expedi- 

 tions every man and every strong-minded and limbed lady 

 at Paul Smith's is expected to make. A fat gi-ntleman, 

 who sat next to me at the breakfast table, had made it the 

 day before. He had forgotten to carry up Avith him a 1)ot- 

 tle of water, an^ had suffered almost intoleraljly from 

 thirst. The climbing up the rocks, moreover, had bruised 

 and fatigued- him greatly; and he declared with spirited 

 emphasis that the whole thing wa« a "horrible jol)," and he 

 wouldn't repeat it if you would give him all the mountains 

 you could see from the top of St. Regis. 



