588 Among the Thousand Islands. 



for his offense, he was subsequently released, although he was always 

 very careful to keep out of the clutch of the indignant Canadians. 

 His son, John Johnston, still resides at Clayton, and from him, after 

 some pressure, a part of this information as to his father's adventures 

 was extracted. 



There is a certain breath of life about the northern United States 

 and the neighboring region of Canada suggestive even in mid- 

 summer of hard winters, — of long months when the face of the St. 

 Lawrence is as adamant ; of snow lying four feet deep all winter 

 without intermission; an indescribable reminder of that season when 

 a huge wood fire roars in the capacious fire-place, and when the 

 bellowing wind dashes hissing snow wreaths in among the tossing 

 and writhing pines and hemlocks. There is a rugged look about 

 the landscape, as though Nature, not daring to expend her strength 

 in the labor of growing, — save in little secret nooks here and there, 

 — merely rested to gain fresh strength for her yearly tussle with 

 grim winter. The inhabitants — generally fishermen — are an honest, 

 rough, weather-beaten set, truthful, — with the exception of legends 

 of buried treasure, or perchance wonderful stories of an eighty-pound 

 muskallonge or two, — kind-hearted and hospitable. The fisherman 

 is quaint in dialect, curious in manners, with the invariable story 

 of the huge fish which he almost caught — and didn't. " Be ye 

 a-goin' to skitch to-day ? " inquires he, patronizingly, as he leans 

 over the rail of the slip and looks down into the boat, where the 

 artist is making some preparations. " Ye hadn't oughter lose so 

 much time from fishin'." Or, "Where be ye ter dinner (take 

 luncheon) to-day ? " An island where it is customary to take picnic 

 dinners is usually denominated a " dinnerin'-place." 



Sometimes, rowing home at night, one passes by the blazing 

 fire of a camping party, twinkling in the gloom of some thickly 

 wooded islet. Around the fire move the dark forms of the boatmen 

 or cook, preparing the evening meal. To one side, the campers 

 themselves lie stretched at ease, smoking, or talking over the day's 

 sport. 



One of the great features of enjoyment to the casual visitor to 

 the Thousand Islands consists in occasional picnic dinners — not the 

 ordinary picnic dinner, where a table-cloth is spread upon the 

 ground, and cold meats and sundries upon the table-cloth ; where 



