LAKE SANFORD. 49 



forest falls on his spirit with a strange power, awak- 

 ening a world of new emotions within him. Again 

 and again have I been startled by his "How savage I 

 how awful !" At a little distance I myself am sit- 

 ting against a stump, with the Tribune in my hand, 

 telling B ^ ' n the news from Washington. This 

 sets him going ; and his sensible remarks on poli- 

 tical subjects would make a capital leader for a 

 j)aper. There you have my fellow-travelers ; and 

 you must confess there could not be better com- 

 panions for a tramp of a few weeks in the forest. 



Refreshed by our dinner and primitive siesta, we 

 pushed on, and at length reached the foot of Lake 

 Sanford, where we found Cheney cutting down trees. 

 Embarking in his boat, we rowed slowly up to the Adi- 

 rondack Iron "Works. This lake is a beautiful sheet of 

 water, without a hand-breath of cultivation upon its 

 shores. Islands smile on you from every point, while 

 to the right, lifts in grand composure the whole chain 

 or rather the countless peaks of the Adirondack. 

 Tamerack and cedar trees line the banks — in some 

 places growing straight out over the water — the 

 tops almost as near the surface as the roots. It 

 seems as if they were attracted by the moisture below, 



