THE PLAGUE OF FLIES. 101 



with our caleche literally full of fish. A goodly show they 

 made, as they covered two of Madame Chaperon's largest 

 tables: the sum total being five salmon, weighing 105 

 pounds, and 48 trout, averaging three pounds a piece. 



" Next morning, after an early breakfast, we started for 

 the Chute, taking a tent with us, which we pitched on a 

 knoll overlooking our fishing ground. It proved, how- 

 ever, more ornamental than useful; the banks being so 

 umbrageous that we did not require it by day, and we 

 always returned to our lodgings in the evening. 



" Nothing mundane is without its alloy. Our enjoyments 

 were great, with one serious drawback the flies, those 

 volant leeches that surrounded us and notwithstanding 

 our defence of camphorated oil smeared over our hands, 

 faces, and necks sucked our blood without compunction.* 

 A fly is considered a stupid creature notwithstanding his 

 powers of observation, but our Malbaie musquitoes were 

 insects of great sagacity, for they appeared to watch their 

 opportunity to take us at a disadvantage, and when they 

 saw us occupied in playing a fish, they made play too, and 

 had fifty spears in our skins in half a minute. The little 

 invisible sand flies, too, teased us extremely, and those 

 insidious black wretches, who give no warning, like the 

 honest musquito these crawled about our necks and up 

 our sleeves, tracking their way with blood. 



* See Supplementary Chapter. 

 H 3 



