134 FLY-FISHING IN MAINE LAKES. 



Thus you will see a general air of neatness and 

 taste pervaded the modest apartment. 



The bedrooms of these country taverns, one or 

 more of which are found in every little village, are 

 usually neat and tastily furnished : but the beds 

 are bad, the food and cooking, to the city taste, 

 abominable ; for which reason we prefer camp-life, 

 our bed of boughs, and our guide's proficiency in 

 the culinary art. 



A rather stronger horse and a two -seated wagon, 

 with a change of horse at Topsfield, carried us the 

 rest of our journey to Princeton, about twenty 

 miles; not a pleasant ride, although the day was 

 fine, for we felt that we were too much of a load 

 for the patient animals. 



The only object of special interest, aside from 

 being questioned by nearly every one we met, as to 

 the cause of a dense smoke which filled the air, 

 completely shutting out the scenery about us, and 

 which we knew as little about as they, was a horse- 

 man who passed us at a rapid rate, turned, came 

 back, and inquired the distance to a certain house 

 on our road. 



"That man," said our driver, as he rode away, 

 " is as blind as a bat : he tunes pianos and melo- 

 deons, and he goes round this country as you see 

 him now." 



