The Halcyon in Canada. 565 



bowlder that rose four or five feet above the water amid-stream, two 

 trout, one of them a large one, took my flies ; and finding the fish 

 and the current united too strong for my tackle, I sought to gain the 

 top of the bowlder, in which attempt I got wet to my middle and 

 lost my fish. After I had gained the rock, I could not get away 

 again with my clothes on without swimming ; which, to say nothing 

 of wet garments the rest of the way home, I did not like to do amid 

 those rocks and swift currents ; so, after a vain attempt to communi- 

 cate with my companion above the roar of the water, I removed my 

 clothing, left them together with my tackle upon the rock, and by a 

 strong effort stemmed the current and reached the shore. The boat 

 a hundred yards above, and when I arrived there my teeth were 

 chattering with the cold, my feet were numb with bruises, and the 

 black flies were making the blood stream down my back. We 

 hastened back with the boat, and by wading out into the current 

 again and holding it by a long rope, it swung around with my 

 companion aboard, and was held in the eddy behind the rock. I 

 clambered up, got my clothes on, and we were soon shooting down- 

 stream toward home ; but the winter of discontent that shrouded one- 

 half of me made sad inroads upon the placid feeling of a day well 

 spent that enveloped the other, all the way to camp. 



That night something carried off all our fish, — doubtless a fisher 

 or lynx, as Joe had seen an animal of some kind about camp that day. 



I must not forget the two red squirrels that frequented the camp 

 during our stay, and that were so tame they would approach within a 

 few feet of us arid take the pieces of bread or fish tossed to them. 



When a particularly fine piece of hard-tack was secured, they 

 would spin off to their den with it somewhere near by. 



Caribou abound in these woods, but we saw only their tracks ; 

 and of bears, which are said to be plentiful, we saw no signs. 



Saturday morning, we packed up our traps and started on our 

 return, and found that the other side of the spruce-trees and the 

 of the lonely road going south were about the same as coming 

 north. Hut we understood the road better and the buckboard bet- 

 ind our load was lighter, hence the distance was easier accom- 

 plished. 



I saw a solitary robin by the road-side, and wondered what 

 could have brought this social and half-domesticated bird so far 

 36a 



