9° ADIRONDAC. 



Tbose who lodge with Nature find early rising quite 

 in order. It is our voluptuous beds, and isolation from 

 the earth and the air, that prevents us from emulating 

 the birds and beasts in this respect. With the citizen 

 in his chamber, it is not morning, but breakfast-time. 

 The camper-out, however, feels morning in the air, he 

 smells it, sees it, hears it, and springs up with the gen- 

 eral awakening. None were tardy at the row of white 

 chips arranged on the trunk of a prostrate tree, when 

 breakfast was halloed ; for we were all anxious to try 

 the venison. Few of us, however, took a second piece. 

 It was black and strong. 



The day was warm and calm, and we loafed at lei- 

 sure. The woods were Nature's own. It was a luxury 

 to ramble through them, — rank, and shaggy, and ven- 

 erable, but with an aspect singularly ripe and mellow. 

 No fire had consumed and no lumberman plundered. 

 Every trunk and limb and leaf lay where it had fallen. 

 At every step the foot sank into the moss, which, like 

 a soft green snow, covered everything, making every 

 stone a cushion and every rock a bed, — a grand old 

 Norse parlor ; adorned beyond art and upholstered be- 

 yond skill. 



Indulging in a brief nap on a rug of club-moss care- 

 lessly dropped at the foot of a pine-tree, I woke up to 

 find myself the subject of a discussion of a troop of 

 chickadees. Presently three or four shy wood-warblers 

 came to look upon this strange creature that had wan- 

 dered into their haunts j else I passed quite unnoticed. 



