A SUMMER VOYAGE 29 



(it was Sunday), and his sister had gone with the 

 schoolmistress down the road to get black birch. 

 He came out in the road, with wide eyes, to view 

 me as I passed, when I drew rein, and demanded 

 the points of the compass, as above. Then I shook 

 my sooty pail at him and asked for milk. Yes, I 

 could have some milk, but I would have to wait till 

 his sister came back; after he had recovered a little, 

 he concluded he could get it. He came for my 

 pail, and then his boyish curiosity appeared. My 

 story interested him immensely. He had seen 

 twelve summers, but he had only been four miles 

 from home up and down the river: he had been 

 down to the East Branch, and he had been up to 

 Trout Brook. He took a pecuniary interest in me. 

 What did my pole cost? What my rubber coat, 

 and what my revolver? The latter he must take in 

 his hand; he had never seen such a thing to shoot 

 with before in his life, etc. He thought I might 

 make the trip cheaper and easier by stage and by 

 the cars. He went to school: there were six schol- 

 ars in summer, one or two more in winter. The 

 population is not crowded in the town of Hancock, 

 certainly, and never will be. The people live close 

 to the bone, as Thoreau would say, or rather close 

 to the stump. Many years ago the young men 

 there resolved upon having a ball. They concluded 

 not to go to a hotel, on account of the expense, and 

 so chose a private house. There was a man in the 

 neighborhood who could play the fife; he offered to 

 furnish the music for seventy-five cents. But this 



