376 THE ADIRONDACK. 



shores in vain in search of a spring, and being com- 

 pelled to drink the water of this torpid lake with my 

 dinner, made me determined to find its inlet, for I was 

 sure it must be spring water. This, however, was not so 

 easy a matter. The whole upper end was a vast bog, 

 cut up with numberless little lagoons, each one of which 

 we in turn took for the inlet, only to find ourselves 

 plump ashore, or emerging again into the lake a short 

 distance from where we started. John at length lost all 

 patience at being thus baffled, and stepping ashore and 

 mounting a bog higher than the rest, took a survey of 

 the ground. Getting again into the boat, he said he 

 thought he could strike the inlet. Fortunately we did 

 so, and soon found ourselves out of the lake. The 

 stream, however, was very narrow, and soon became 

 altogether impassable. An otter, disturbed from his 

 slumbers by our approach, gave one startled look and 

 plunged into the dark-colored water. 



As we backed down the stream, I put my hand over 

 the sides of the boat, and found the water cold as a 

 mountain spring. . Dipping up a cup full I took a long 

 draught, and then handed it to John. As he tasted it 

 he looked up in surprise, then quietly remarked : " Well, 

 we've got some water to drink, anyhow, while we stay 



