386 THE ADIKONDACK. 



But the stream being but a few yards across, he got 

 into the tall grass before a single rifle was ready. A 

 shot was sent into the waving reeds that marked his 

 passage, but without any apparent effect, except to 

 accelerate his speed. Nothing occurred on the back- 

 ward trip to break the monotony and tedium of our 

 toil, except in crossing Loon Pond we met a single 

 hunter, who had been for two weeks all alone in the 

 woods. In answer to our inquiries, he said he had had 

 poor luck ; the ponds were all too high, and he had 

 killed but seventeen deer. Towards evening, in floating 

 round a bend, I came suddenly upon a magnificent 

 buck, standing broadside to me in full view in the 

 open forest. He was a picture. But as he caught 

 sight of us he threw up his antlered head, and in a 

 moment was out of sight. "We were all sore-weary 

 that night, and next morning, when we proposed to 

 strike across to Little Tupper's Lake, and from there 

 through the mountains on to Forked Lake, Charlie 

 rebelled. He had enough of this kind of tramping, 

 and we resolved to send him home with one of the 

 boats. When he found it came to this, he yielded to 

 our wishes, and we started for this, one of the most 

 beautiful of all the great chain of lakes. When about 



