WILD LAKES OF THE ARIONDACK. 475 



of the tireless gray wolf; and the brown bear, like a clumsy 

 boxer, cuffs the screaming panther away from its newly slain 

 feast ! 



The Indian is gone, but yet his ancient foes and victims 

 have flourished apace, and may usurp their inheritance. 



Hurrah ! hurrah ! Arkwright and Fulton have not yet 

 conquered the free earth of God in this direction — and 

 bound all its limbs in chains ! 



"The undevout astronomer is mad" — and the devout 

 sportsman may be forgiven, if at such a sight he, too, grow 

 mad and should fall to capering, and become something of 

 a heathen in his glee, shouting as I did. 



" Take my cap, Jupiter, and thank thee !" Against such 

 uncanonical sins I hereby formally warn all other faithful 

 sons of Nimrod, who may be "taken aback" under similar 

 circumstances. 



As to the propriety of capering and throwing up one's 

 cap on the top of a mountain, I must in meekness confess 

 to its being ^^ highly improper" — "unworthy the dignity," 

 etc. — but bless our soul, who could help it ? Not any genuine 

 sportsman, I am sure, whether he be "Venator," "Piscator," 

 or "Anceps!" — or all combined as — "I flatter myself!" — 

 ahem ! 



No, it was not in human nature — or more inclusively, 

 sportsman's nature — to look down upon a scene so gloriously 

 fresh — so impregnably savage — hemmed in with its blue- 

 topped barriers forever ! — without feeling rich — rich as the 

 discoverer of some new gold-bearing island of the tropic 

 sea of dreams — richer far than one of England's proud lords 

 when he waved his hand towards his fenced and great domain ; 

 for this, too, was mine — was ours — was all mankind's — was 

 God's, as the executor for all ! 



And what if I were guilty of some saltant absurdities ? 

 There were no game law iniquities upon my shoulders to 

 weigh down my heels ! — all this was free, and the fatness 



