OR, THE LAKE LANDS OF CANADA. 



255 



captain's canoe, while my son was seated in its bow with 

 his gun already raised in readiness for the shot. The 

 captain was giving him the necessary instruction. "Jim" 

 was paddling with all his might, but we were now about 

 five hundred yards behind the captain, while he was within 

 thirty yards of the buck. The command was given by the 

 captain in the following language : " Take aim at the back 

 of the head, fire !" A little puff of blue smoke was seen 

 to shoot forth from the muzzle of the lad's gun ; the ani- 

 mal's heavy antlers disappeared beneath the waters of the 

 lake; the boy had killed his first deer and was as happy 

 as a general who had just won his first battle. This buck's 

 head was carefully prepared for mounting in our camp, 

 and is now one of the boy's trophies, which he has pre- 

 served at his home and proudly exhibits to his youthful 

 companions. 



We remained encamped on this beautiful sheet of water 

 about ten days, and during this period killed eight deer, 

 many ruffed grouse, and caught as many fish as we de- 

 sired for our table. The tent was, soon after our arrival, 

 removed from the lake-shore rwhere it was at first erected 

 to one of the many islands in this body of water, where 

 it remained until the day of our departure. The boy was 

 made, in accordance with the desire which the author had 

 expressed soon after our arrival, the hero of the hunt; 

 and during our brief stay killed four deer and more than 

 one-half the whole number of partridges. The hunt was 

 practically the boy's own sport, and afforded him the high- 

 est pleasure consistent with our surroundings. It is no 

 part of my intention, at the present time, to inflict on 



