372 THE ADIRONDACK. 



was hard rowing through this marshy, flat, disagreea- 

 ble region; and as we toiled up the narrow, tortuous, 

 muddy stream, our oars constantly getting tangled in 

 the bushes on the shore, while nothing but swamp, 

 swamp met us at every turn, we thought we had 

 seen the worst of it, and longed to reach the open 

 lake ahead. At length when a broad, round opening 

 in the forest told us it was close at hand, our spirits 

 revived. But, alas ! when our boats at last floated on 

 its dead, stirless bosom, they sank lower than before, 

 and we looked at each other in mute inquiry or blank 

 astonishment. It became painfully evident to me at that 

 moment that I, who had insisted on making this expedi- 

 tion, was not the most popular man among the few who 

 at that particular time occupied that region. " So this is 

 Mud Lake," I said, with a tone that was meant to be 

 cheerful. There was no response except from John, 

 who, with an expression of intense disgust on his face, 

 slowly muttered, "Mud HoleP 



The first thing to be done was to select a camping- 

 place, but round the whole circle of the marshy lake 

 there seemed not a dry spot big enough to pitch our 

 tent upon, except a single, narrow, rocky point near us, 

 from which arose about a dozen tall, dead, limbless hem- 



