FOREST LIFE. 45 



near the borders of civil and agricultural abodes, added to the 

 fact that this tree has been pursued to wild and unknown forest 

 regions, renders exploring expeditions previous to the commence- 

 ment of a winter's campaign absolutely indispensable, at least 

 to insure success. This labor is performed, more or less, at all 

 periods of the year ; but, perhaps, the more general and appro- 

 priate time is found to be during the earlier part of autumn. 

 The work of exploring is often performed during the winter, while 

 the crews are on the ground, in camp. The difficulty of trav- 

 eling through deep snows is overcome by the use of the snow- 

 slioe, which enables the wearer to walk upon the surface of the 

 untrodden snow. This shoe is about three feet long by sixteen 

 inches wide, oval before and tapering to a point behind. It is 

 simply a flat net-work, made from thongs of green hide, sur- 

 rounded by a slender frame or bow of wood. This net-work is 

 fastened,' near the middle, to the bottom of the boot, and the 

 woodman, throwing himself along, one side at a time, with a 

 lengthened pace-like stride, passes over the ground at a rapid 

 rate. 



When the business of timber-hunting is deferred until autumn, 

 the following method is practiced : Two or three men accus- 

 tomed to the business take the necessary provisions, which usually 

 consists of ship-bread, salt pork, tea, sugar, or molasses ; for cook- 

 ing utensils, a coflee-pot or light tea-kettle, a tin dipper, some- 

 times a frying-pan, a woolen blanket or two for bed-clothes, and 

 an ax, with gun and ammunition ; all of which are put on board 

 a slciff", if the exploration is to be on the St. Croix, or on a bateau 

 if on the Penobscot River, with two sets of propellers, setting 

 poles for rapids, and paddles to be used on dead water. 



"With these slight preparations, away we start ; noAV making 

 our way up the main river, then shooting along up the less ca- 

 pacious branches ; sometimes performing a journey of two hund- 

 red miles far into the interior, in those solitudes which never be- 



