234 SPORTING SKETCHES. 



A FORTNIGHT IN THE flEQANTIC WOODS. 



BY E. A. COWLEY. 



From his pipe the smoke ascending 

 Filled the sky with haze and vapor, 

 Filled the air with dreaming softness." 



Longfellow. 



B'rers Wolf, Rabbit, Fox and Coon composed the party which 

 left Montreal on the evening of August 30th for their annual 

 shooting, fishing and outing trip, the point of destination being 

 the Megantic wilderness. Contrary to the generally accepted idea 

 that the Canadian Pacific Railway was "always on time," we 

 arrived at the station, Lake Megantic, at 6 a.m., or nearly three 

 hours behind time, but no one complained, (except, perhaps, 

 B'rer Rabbit, for the rubbers of whist were going the wrong way 

 and he w r anted to cry quits) for 3 a.m. is, when one realizes it, a 

 somewhat inconvenient hour to arrive anywhere. 



Our two Peterborough canoes had come through safely, and of 

 course the rest of the baggage, including the dogs, had followed 

 suit, notwithstanding a baggage car filled to the roof. At 

 Moquin's hotel, where we breakfasted, we met our guide, genial 

 Joe Bolduc, already engaged by letter, not a professional guide, 

 mind you, but one who was as good, in every respect as any 

 guide in the district and a great deal better than most of them, 

 and what is an additional point in his favor, one to whom it 

 would be quite unnecessary to offer a " fancy price " to put one 

 in the way of killing a moose in season. Moquin's is a first 

 rate hunter's resort, and the proprietor's son-in-law, Mr. Keene, 

 did his best to try and make things pleasant for us. 



The little launch " Albion," belonging to the lumber company 

 took us aboard at 8 a.m. and we steamed twelve miles to the 

 head of the lake, debarking at Woburn wharf. The sail up the 

 lake is very beautiful, resembling in many respects, Lake George. 

 Lake Megantic not to be outdone by its rivals, has its pro- 

 fessional hermit who lives in a hut on the lake shore, and who 

 honored us (or the steamer's captain) by a wave of his hand as 

 we passed his lonely habitation. Several handsome cottages 

 owned by prominent Canadians nestle in lovely nooks here and 



