168 NARRATIVES. 



momentum, and keeping him carefully clear of the side of 

 the boat, you can throw him clean over on to the bottom 

 with very little outlay of physical force. When captured, 

 insert the sharp point of a knife into the back at the spot 

 where the head joins the body, and he will neither disturb 

 your temper nor entangle your lines by unnecessary flounder- 

 ing. Some amateurs make use of a landing-net ; but the 

 practiced sportsman will pronounce this a superfluity. 



The recollection of the time passed amid the still loneliness 

 of this beautiful lake will long remain a bright spot in my 

 memory. The passing glimpse of a deer on the distant brink, 

 sipping the clear water in safety, far out of rifle-shot ; the oc- 

 casional shooting of a gull or loon, whose unearthly cry at 

 dusk is forcibly suggestive of a monster not less formidable 

 than a bear or panther ; the daily exercise of trout-catching ; 

 unlimited rations of trout in every possible shape — trout sal- 

 mon and trout speckled, trout large and trout small, trout 

 boiled, trout roasted, and trout fried : such is a brief epitome 

 of my life at Moose Lake. 



But this wild existence, however pleasurable, must be tran- 

 sitory. Duty recalled me to the world, with a voice too im- 

 perative to be disobeyed-; and accordingly, having resolved to 

 commence our return journey on the morrow, my companion 

 and I began to pack our baggage in readiness for an early 

 start. How to reduce our effects to light marching' order was 

 something of a problem ; and while Newhouse was trying to 

 solve the vexed question, I volunteered to " wash the dishes." 

 Our table-service was as follows : One camp-kettle, capacity 

 four quarts, serving the pui'poses of hot-water boiler, stew- 

 pot, oven, &c. ; two tin table-plates ; two tin pint basins ; two 

 pairs knives and foi'ks ; and two iron table-spoons, besides our 

 indispensability, the frying-pan. These I deposited on the 

 shore of the lake, and, making an extempore dish-cloth from 

 a rag which I found among our luggage, I commenced my 

 work. I began with the frying-pan, as being entitled to the 

 most labor, and scrubbed vigorouslv for what I considered a 

 suitable length of time, but, for some reason, failed to make 

 very sensible progress. The grease adhered pertinaciously ; 



