RAVEN LAKE 95 



sea-level. I confess the bearer equally rose in my 

 estimation. The value of the superior workman is 

 soon discovered. The angler finds in him a com- 

 panion as well as a servant, generally a well-informed 

 man, and an ardent fisher. Every reasonable duty is 

 scrupulously discharged, and he supplies a supreme 

 example of the dignity as well as the efficiency of 

 labour. 



High up on the trail, we got a glimpse of Raven 

 Lake, lying beneath us. Autumn footsteps had 

 already made rapid strides in the forest, and the red 

 of the maple was spreading like a fire amongst the 

 green. We stopped to catch mud minnows, which, 

 mounted on a small spinner, are the best bait for 

 trout They are found in pools almost stagnant, 

 and have close-set gills like eels, which give 

 them greater vitality out of water. This provision 

 adapts them to their mud environment, and accounts 

 for their survival. Bundled carelessly into a tin 

 vessel, they will live for hours, a feat impossible in 

 the case of ordinary minnows. One mounted on a 

 spinner is good for catching several trout, owing to 

 the toughness of the skin. 



Raven Lake Is three miles long, and consists of 

 several expansions with connecting rivers between. 

 We launched the canoe from a gravelly beach, 

 fringed with coarse bent grass, which gave good 

 cover for water-fowl. The gillie hugged the shore, 

 which is the best place to find a trout as the season 



