THE SCHOODICS. 109 



to Machias Lake, the head-waters of the Machias River. 

 Or he may cross Compass Lake to Junior Lake and thence to 

 Chain Lake ; or from Junior Lake into Scraggby Lake and 

 on through Pleasant Lake to Duck Lake, where there is a 

 settlement from which land conveyance may be had to Ban- 

 gor, a journey of fifty miles. 



The eastern chain of lakes, though less frequented, afford 

 even better sport. The Grand Lake itself is twenty-five 

 miles long, diversified by numerous islands, and far-reaching 

 points of land abundantly wooded. The shores are for the 

 most part bold, though there are beautiful sandy beaches at 

 intervals, which slope gradually to deep water and afford lux- 

 urious bathing facilities. The stream which connects this 

 lake with Chepetnacook below is similar in its characteris- 

 tics to the one just described. It was long a favorite resort 

 of Rev. Dr. Bethune. Chepetnacook is thirty miles in 

 length, but narrow, resembling a deep, massive river. A 

 range of elevated ridges, thickly wooded, rises abruptly from 

 its western shore, "Spruce Mountain" the highest of them 

 all ; and when the sun has passed the zenith it casts an inky 

 shadow upon the lake which oppresses with its impenetrable 

 gloom, and makes the depth seem fathomless. (It is said to 

 be eight hundred feet.) Once, when paddling my canoe 

 along the shore, I ventured a swim in this Cimmerian bath- 

 tub ! I suffered such a depressing effect that I did not re- 

 cover from it for hours, and do not think of it to-day without 

 a shudder. I was smothered by that shadow ; the weight of 

 the gloom pressed me under, and a hundred clammy tenta- 

 cles seemed reaching up from below to drag me down. Very 

 pleasant was it to escape into the sunlight of the mid-stream 

 the sun never shone more gorgeously for me. How I plied 

 my paddle, so as not to lose sight of his golden face again ! 

 It was a race against sunset. Like an arrow, and as noise- 

 lessly, the little bark skimmed over the surface in the direc- 

 tion of my camp ; the only sounds that broke the stillness 

 were the gentle dip of the blade and the ripple that chuckled 



