CHAPTER XXIV. 



Early in the summer of 1878, there were frequent mys- 

 terious gatherings of about a half dozen men of various ages 

 and occupations, in tlie little back room, upstairs, over 

 Reuben's store on 8alina street. Finally, one day early in 

 July, when the pavements were growing hot, a strange 

 collection of bags, boxes, bundles and packages of all sorts 

 appeared in the rear room of the store, and then disap- 

 peared by cart for the railroad depot, and away to the 

 north. 



On Saturday morning, July 6th, the whole conspiracy, 

 concocted in the little upper room, came out, and the papers 

 got hold of it and duly reported that by the 5:15 train 

 north, that morning, a ''lively party " of sportsmen left for 

 a fortnight's sojourn in the "North Woods;" the party 

 consisting of the venerable and genial angler Reuben, whom 

 we had duly made Captain and Commissary, the Senator, 

 the Sheriff, the Mayor, the writer who had been invested 

 with the double office of Treasurer and Scribe, and the 

 Junior, — to be joined at llermon by the 'Squire, a jolly Jus- 

 tice, both witty in himself and a cause of wit in others. 



We had planned to spend two weeks on the Oswegatchie 

 AVaters, in St. Lawrence County, making our central camp 

 on the shore of Cranberry Lake, cruising up and down the 

 lake and the Oswegatchie River which passes through it, 



