124 HILLS AND LAKES, 



of an ancient elm. While smoking, after our 

 we saw a number of gray wood-rabbits hopping about, 

 cocking up their long ears as they scented our cook- 

 ery, and bounding away, when they looked upon our 

 faces. The red squirrels chatted and chased each 

 other up and down the trees around us, the partridges 

 drummed on their logs, and the birds regaled us with 

 their songs. To all this enjoyment there was one 

 drawback -the bills of the musquitos were long, and 

 the sting of the black fly severe* A mink came steal- 

 ing along the margin of the lake, turning over the 

 flat stones, and looking for frogs, and small fish along 

 the shore. He was worth shooting, and I gave him a 

 shot. My hand was unsteady, or my eye-sight not 

 clear, and all the harm I did him was to give him a 

 terrible fright. He wont forget his narrow escape, for 

 the ball went awfully near his head. He will have 

 something to tell his neighbors, that will sound apoch- 

 ryphal in minkdom, 



Having viewed this charming little sheet of water 

 to our satisfaction, we followed what my guide termed 

 a moose- path, along the outlet, some three miles to 

 the head of the Upper Saranac. I would not have it 

 inferred that this path was trodden like a highway, or 



