84 A TRIP TO THE LA VAL. 



and in it was seated a figure of clay, worn to an aston- 

 ishing likeness of a woman with a gipsy bonnet on her 

 head. She appeared to be seated, and her bonnet, its 

 strings and her dress, were accurately imitated by the 

 curling white birch bark. The color of her face seemed 

 dark brunette, set off by the birch bonnet, that was 

 brought out in strong relief by the heavy shadow of the 

 background. Altogether, it was a startling apparition, 

 and conjured up to my eyes the wondrous sights of the 

 times of elfin, power, when my spectre would have made 

 a most perfect wood nymph. 



Whether my elf gave me good luck or not, it is impos- 

 sible to say, but we caught thirty-seven magnificent fish, 

 and after a hard day's work, during which we had toiled 

 at the canoe and waded most of the way, the camp was 

 no unwelcome sight. It required Pierre's best culinary 

 efforts to restore our spirits, and soothe our disappoint- 

 ment at being unable to effect a further ascent, in which 

 our worst forebodings were confirmed by Jermain, an 

 additional guide who had followed us, and who reported 

 from his Indian friends that the upper stream was impass- 

 able, the water being a foot lower than was ever known 

 before. With sad hearts, therefore, the council of war 

 determined that advance was hopeless, and retreat ine- 

 vitable ; even our splendid sport could not console us. 



It had been drizzling all day, and the next morning 

 we devoted to a general drying of wet articles the 

 camp looked like a grand clothes washing establishment, 

 with lines stretched from tree to tree round a bis; fire, 



O * 



and hung with clothes. I took some seven trout for 

 dinner, but otherwise the fi&h had a rest until the mor- 



