DIES PISCATORI.£. 523 



he could do or make anything in the world. I believe he could make a 

 watch with that axe. He could chop down a tree in no time, and in the 

 tree he'd find a coon, or a nest of squirrels, and a whole hive full of wild 

 honey ; whereupon he'd have food and raiment for a month. He had 

 great skill and mechanical ingenuity ; and though of slight frame, his 

 strength was enormous, and his endurance eternal. He could row a boat 

 all day without stopping. He could climb over rocks and mountains for 

 a week with a pack on his back, that I couldn't lift with a pair of horses. 

 He'd be in the water for twelve hours without inconvenience. He was 

 modest, good-natured, always ready to do anything, and was amazingly 

 tickled to hear us talk and joke. He confined himself principally to gin. 

 In the few days he was with us, he became very fond of us ; and when we 

 parted, he rigged a sail out of my shawl, with which we rowed comfort- 

 ably against a head-wind for seven miles. 



He was fond of woods sport. When we had finished fishing and \i grew 

 dark, we went ashore to where he had rigged our tent. He had cut a 

 quantity of small hemlock boughs, with which he covered the floor of the 

 tent about six inches deep, over which he spread his camp blankets, and 

 made a couch softer than downy pillows are. He had also a huge log fire, 

 and we made preparations to cook supper. Imprimis, a skillet is indis- 

 pensable in the woods. It is convertible to many uses and purposes : you 

 can bail a boat with it splendidly ; wash your face with it ; boil water and 

 make tea, and wash the dishes ; bake bread ; fry potatoes, pork, and Trout, 

 and feed the dogs with it after supper. 



So we got out the skillet, cleaned a lot of Trout, cut the slices of pork 

 (we had brought a piece of pork, and a bag containing bread and dough- 

 nuts ; to be sure, they had been in the bottom of the boat, and all got 

 soaked, but that made no difference), and the pork hissed, and we turned 

 the Trout with a wooden spoon and put salt on them, and then the Trout 

 hissed; once in a while one would drop into the fire, and if the dog wasn't 

 watching, and you were quick, you could get it again. But I had a big 

 fight over one great fellow that tumbled out of the pan : I got him by the 

 head and the dog got him by the tail, and it was nip and tuck, pull Dick 

 pull devil : the dog a little ahead, for the fish broke in two, and he got 

 mor'n half ; but he subsequeiitly choked on the back-bone, at which I was 

 rejoiced. We rang the bell for tea. The guide made some torches of 

 birch-bark, and stuck them up around, and we had an illuminated ban- 

 quet-hall. 



We spread our viands on another piece of birch-bark : each fellow took 



