endure since it became generally known that we were 

 already provided with eight blankets apiece. I always 

 doubted the veracity of that statement, but lacked suf- 

 ficient courage of my convictions to investigate and dis- 

 prove it. However, even that number might not be ex- 

 cessive as a camouflage barrage against the unfamiliar 

 sounds of the night, for instance the dismal howling of 

 wolves in the distance, the nearby beating of waves 

 against the shore, or the sudden crash of a branch com- 

 ing in contact with the flapping tent wall. Still, not- 

 withstanding these seeming impediments, we slept like 

 the proverbial log. 



On a preliminary reconnaissance our first morning 

 we were duly thrilled to learn that we were in close 

 touch with a "heap big Injun" encampment! Several 

 times a day the little chieftains and princesses would 

 scamper along the path leading by our tents and on to 

 another inlet of the lake, securely screened from view 

 by the dense shrubbery. At meal and slumber time 

 they were the children of the forest school professors, 

 but in the magic circle of tepee and totem pole, be- 

 decked in war paint and feathers, they lived again the 

 by-gone days when the aboriginal red men held undis- 

 puted possession of these very shores. 



The days were occupied in a pleasant round of ac- 

 tivities, as well as "visitin' 'round." Keen outdoor 

 appetites added zest to the simple foods cooked over 

 our camp fire. Frequently the "head of the family" 

 would first arouse our dubious curiosity and then agree- 

 ably surprise us with such viands as "spotted pup" 

 and "water willies," which turned out to be just a 

 woodsman's vernacular for delicious rice and raisin 



18 



