MORNING AFTER THE STORM. 413 



though delighted with their late tussle with the thunder- 

 storm, and victor^ over it. The long-wooded points 

 and numerous islands so broke up the surface, that I 

 could not see the outline of the lake, nor its farther end. 

 The great green mountains, however, that enfolded it, 

 showed its extent ; and what a magnificent basin it made 

 hsre in the wilderness! Strolling back to the cabin, I 

 noticed a log pen, and through the crevices something 

 moving briskly about. Stepping up, I saw a wolf with- 

 in, which Beach had caught when young, and now kept 

 as a grim sort of pet. 



Getting our breakfast, and firing off all our rifles that 

 had received a thorough wetting the night before, and 

 reloading them, we pushed out into the lake and steer- 

 ed for the mouth of the narrow stream that we were to 

 follow to its source— the Blue Mountain Lake. Enter- 

 ing this, we wound along through the mighty forest, 

 the tall trees opening and stretching before us like an 

 endless colonnade. Hour after hour we pulled steadily 

 up the sluggish current, with nothing to break the im- 

 pressive silence, and naught to disturb the solitude, 

 save once, when we almost ran our boats into a deer 

 sleeping in the thick bushes that lined the shore. 



At one place, where the stream swept round a rocky 



