BIRCH BROWSINGS. 195 



irere remarkably straight and uniform in size. Black 

 birches, the first I had seen, were very numerous. 1 

 felt encouraged. Listening attentively, I caught 

 from a breeze just lifting the drooping leaves, a 

 sound that I willingly believed was made by a bull- 

 frog. On this hint, I tore down through the woods 

 at my highest speed. Then I paused and listened 

 again. This time there was no mistaking it ; it was 

 the sound of frogs. Much elated, I rushed on. By 

 and by I could hear them as I ran. Pthrung,pthrung, 

 croaked the old ones ; pug, pug, shrilly joined in the 

 smaller fry. 



Then I caught, through the lower trees, a gleam 

 of blue, which I first thought was distant sky. A sec- 

 ond look and I knew it to be water, and in a moment 

 more I stepped from the woods and stood upon the 

 shore of the lake. I exulted silently. There it was 

 at last, sparkling in the morning sun, and as beautiful 

 as a dream. It was so good to come upon such open 

 space and such bright hues, after wandering in the 

 dim, dense woods ! The eye is as delighted as an es- 

 caped bird, and darts gleefully from point to point. 



The lake was a long oval, scarcely more than a 

 mile in circumference, with evenly wooded shores, 

 which rose gradually on all sides. After contem- 

 plating the scene for a moment, I stepped back into 

 the woods and loading my gun as heavily as I dared, 

 discharged it three times. The reports seemed to fill 

 all the mountains with sound. The frogs quickly 

 Hushed, and I listened for the response. But no re- 



