AND OTHER HUNTING ADVENTURES. 155 



west a chain of hills wound in serpentine curves 

 from north to south, their parks and bits of prairie 

 gleaming in the sun like well-made farms. To the 

 north lay Loon Lake nestling among the pine-clad 

 hills, its placid bosom sparkling in the setting sun 

 like a sheet of silver. Farther to the north and 

 northeast were two other lakes of equal size and 

 beauty, while far distant in the east were several 

 large bodies of prairie separated by strips of pine 

 and fir. I longed for my camera, but on account of 

 the unfavorable outlook of the morning, I had not 

 brought the instrument. 



The following morning promised no better, for the 

 fog hung like a pall over the whole country; but I 

 took the little detective with me, hoping the mist 

 would lift as before; in this, however, I was disap- 

 pointed. I staid on the mountain from early morn- 

 ing till half -past three, and there being then no pros- 

 pect of a change went down. Just as I reached the 

 base I saw a rift in the clouds, and supposing the 

 long-wished change in the weather was about to 

 take place, I turned and began the weary climb, but 

 again the fog settled down, and I was at last com- 

 pelled to return to camp without the coveted views. 

 I made several exposures during the day on crooked, 

 deformed, wind-twisted trees on the top of the 

 mountain, which, strange to say, came out good. 

 The fog was so dense at the time that one could not 

 see fifty yards. I used a small stop and gave each 

 plate from five to twenty seconds, and found, when 

 developed, that none of them were over exposed, 

 while those given the shorter time were under 

 exposed. That day' s hunting resulted in three more 



