A BIRCH-BARK CANOE TRIP 239 



wood of the cedar, being very light, is valuable as a lining for the 

 canoe, and when the summer heats have dried up the streams so that 

 even this light draft boat scrapes on the sharp rocks of the river 

 bottom, he lovingly protects the frail sides of the vessel with long 

 strips of cedar splints bound together so that it glides unharmed 

 over the pebbly bottom. 



On the morning of September i, a sharp thunderstorm of the 

 previous day having cooled and cleared the air, a chill nor'-wester 

 swept down the river. Yesterday summer was still reigning : 

 this morning saw autumn usurping her throne, a revolution in a single 

 night. 



Though the river dwindled much in size, it grew very pretty 

 above, no recent fires having defaced the green woods. We passed 

 several high blue hills or mountains, one Spider Mountain 

 being very beautifully shaped : a symmetrical, ideal mountain. 



Fifteen miles above Portage Brook we pitched our tent on a 

 grassy plateau, lit a roaring fire for there was a most unseasonable 

 frostiness in the air and cooked our primitive supper. 



On the morning of September 2, we struck camp early and 

 proceeded up the river, that here became very small and shallow. 

 Clothed with long luxurious wild grasses that lined the edge, and 

 with copses of hazel and alder bushes that reached out their branches 

 to make a deep dark liquid mirror, the banks often resembled reaches 

 of the Upper Thames ; but when the eye is withdrawn from the 

 rich grasses and bosky masses on the shores, to rest on the stern, 

 rugged hills that rise in the background, the illusion is abruptly 

 dispelled. 



A few hundred yards from the camp the canoe swept suddenly 

 round a sharp curve in the river, when lo ! about 150 yards ahead 

 of us, on a small grassy island that marked the end of a lovely 

 little reach of river, standing in the rank grass, was revealed an 

 enormous well-antlered bull moose, gazing at us in a beautiful atti- 

 tude of attention. Startled at the sudden apparition of the canoe, 

 the animal had reared his head to attention, and plucked up his 

 long ears, looking truly graceful and majestic, the outline of the 

 form clearly defined against a background of thick bushes. 



Joe and Peter stood as if turned to stone, watching the huge 

 beast. Not a syllable was uttered between us. I raised the rifle 

 and fired. My bullet fell rather low and went through the lungs. 

 Tracking the wounded animal for about half a mile we found him 

 in a dying state on the steep side of a beautifully wooded mountain. 

 We found the flesh in fine condition, and stripping off the hide, 

 which was in very good form, left the useless portions for the 

 delectation of the bears, evidence of whose presence in large numbers 



