JACK-O'-LANTERN 



and the two lakes he chanced upon in his 

 old trapping days. 



You who have not acquaintance are en- 

 titled to be assured that Thomas knows 

 whereof he speaks and speaks the thing he 

 knows — eyes and tongue trustworthy in- 

 struments to observe and to testify. 



Two lakes (so his story ran) and beside 

 the larger was encamped a Montagnais 

 family. The children, fishing on the 

 spawning beds, were taking many long, 

 active, light-coloured trout — bleues in his 

 descriptive word — running to three and 

 four pounds. Beautiful to look at, these 

 were very strong and of a surprising cour- 

 age. Thus did the Lake of the Long Blue 

 Ones take hold of imagination, insistently 

 summoning. 



But the Lake of the Fat Red Ones, near- 

 by the other, was the destroyer of our 

 peace. Here Thomas' mortal gaze had 

 fallen upon a pair of incredible trout, 

 lying in plain view at the mouth of a little 

 stream, with back fins out of water. The 

 length did not awe him so much as the 

 broadness of their backs, and their amaz- 

 ing depth. This he was wont to indicate 

 with the breadth of his two hands, no en- 

 treaty for moderation ever inducing him to 

 153 



