A BIRCH-BARK CANOE TRIP 245 



upon. This bull was a three-year-old, the flesh proved very fat and 

 delicious, and the hide was of a beautiful brown. 



Early on the following morning we dropped down the stream, 

 now grown considerably in volume, two miles to the falls, which 

 were very picturesque, but were devoid of any grandeur. Here 

 the river makes a long elbow or bend, and by making a portage 

 of three miles we were enabled to accomplish six miles of river. 

 By nightfall we had portaged all our stuff to the river's brink at 

 the place of re-embarkment, and here we made preparations for 

 passing a quiet Sunday. Nothing was lacking for the promotion 

 of our comfort ; our table was well supplied with fish, fowl and 

 flesh : the air was balmy, and its breath was sweet with the soft 

 odours from the forest ; our surroundings were very romantic, our 

 tent being pitched in a valley surrounded by fine hills, well wooded. 

 During the night we were awakened by some caribou that passed 

 near the tent, and frequently struck their horns against the trunks 

 of trees, but it was too dark to get a shot at them. 



On Monday morning we proceeded down the dancing waters 

 of the Upsalwitch, that by receiving tributary brooks soon swelled 

 into a river of respectable size. 



When we paused for lunch we removed the cedar shoes from 

 our canoe, as the water now allowed of our running freely without 

 contact with the sharp rocks. 



We ran over hundreds of salmon that were assembling in the 

 pools in the vicinity of the spawning grounds, preparatory to the 

 act of spawning. It was very amusing to disturb a large fish in 

 very shallow water and watch his plunges and swift darts hither 

 and thither. In one pool we saw some two hundred fish, none 

 exceeding twenty pounds, the fish of this river as a rule running 

 small. 



It took us two days to reach the Restigouche, and two very 

 enjoyable days they were. The men, relieved of all toil, were in 

 excellent spirits ; the bark floated merrily along, only needing 

 steering ; rapidly we passed sweet bits of intervale, shaded by tall 

 elms, steep rocky cliffs, hardwood groves, and imposing hills and 

 mountains. 



The gliding panorama did not include the habitations of men 

 until we neared the Restigouche, and these were now deserted 

 picturesque little fishing villas, owned by wealthy New Yorkers 

 and occupied by them for a brief season only. 



The broad Restigouche seemed very noble when we were fairly 

 launched on its bosom. The scenery grew pastoral, a sudden change 

 from the rugged forest scenes to which we had grown accustomed. 

 We met parties being towed up stream in launches by a pair of 



