OR, THE LAKE LANDS OF CANADA. 49 



breeze, and, therefore, the lake is comparatively smooth. 

 It is a grand morning for a deer-hunt : the bucks are 

 moving in such weather at this season of the year. It 

 was nearly nine o'clock before our party was ready to 

 embark in their canoes for that portion of the lake where 

 it had been decided that the deer-hunt should take place. 

 The locality of the hunt had been chosen by Dr. Pokor- 

 ney, although some suggestions had been made by John. 

 These suggestions had been entirely ignored by the old 

 deer-hunter, who did not seem to think them worthy of 

 his consideration. He, however, did inform us that the 

 locality was chosen with due regard to the wind and other 

 factors involved in the practical solution of the question. 

 When we started from the shore in front of our camp 

 Dr. Pokorney was in his own canoe, accompanied by his 

 deer-hound ; the Governor followed in a canoe with John ; 

 Esculapius was accompanied by Jim, while Frank was 

 paddling for me. These old, leaky canoes, which I have 

 previously described, have been somewhat improved, it is 

 true, by the pitch that has been employed to stop the 

 leaks, but we are still compelled to use, very frequently, 

 the dishes to keep the water to a point consistent with our 

 own safety, while we are still obliged to sit in a cold-water 

 bath. I have observed that Dr. Pokorney' s birch-bark 

 canoe is nearly new and does not leak, while by a graceful 

 and apparently easy use of the paddle it shoots over the 

 water with great rapidity. The comparison of the old 

 hunter's canoe with those which John has supplied for our 

 use is not well calculated to make us feel contented while 

 quietly seated in cold water. Let us, however, dismiss 



4 



