FOREST LIFE. 53 



fill the bosom of timber-hunters with an intense interest. They 

 are the object of his search, his treasure, his El Dorado, and they 

 are beheld with peculiar and thriUing emotions. To detail the 

 process more minutely, we should observe that the man in the 

 tree-top points out the direction in which the Pines are seen ; or, 

 if hid from the view of those below by the surrounding foliage, 

 he breaks a small limb, and throws it in the direction in which 

 they appear, while a man at the base marks the direction indi- 

 cated by the falling limb by a compass which he holds in his 

 hand, the compass being quite as necessary in the wilderness as 

 on the pathless ocean. 



In fair weather the sun serves as an important guide ; and in 

 cloudy weather the close observation of an experienced woodsman 

 will enable him to steer a tolerably correct course by the moss 

 which grows on the trunks of most hard-wood trees, the north 

 side of which are covered with a much larger share than the 

 other portions of the trunk. This Indian compass, however, is 

 not very convenient nor safe, particularly in passing through 

 swampy lands, which are of frequent occurrence. 



After spending several days in scouring the wilderness in search 

 of the Pines, minutely examining their quality (for an experienced 

 lumberman can determine this with surprising certainty), calcu- 

 lating the distance the logs may have to be hauled, and noting 

 the surface of the land through which the logging roads are to 

 be cut, &c., we retrace our steps to the landing, where the ba- 

 teau has been left. Once more our frail bark floats upon the 

 dancing current of the stream, gliding onward as if stimulated 

 with the very joyousness of the " homeward-bound" voyagers. 

 After several days' exploration on foot, the boat ride is particu- 

 larly welcome. In the realization of this, however, we are some- 

 . times sadly, even provokingly disappointed. 



It is known to those versed in the habits of the black bear, 

 that late in the fall of the year they manifest an uncommon fond- 



