74 Reminiscences of 



first winter trip after the fishing excursion — in the 

 early morning with my hunting guide, Nay Bennett, 

 and his mongrel undersized dog — but clever with 

 moose and deer, — and we spent the whole half -day 

 searching for the deer which we had clear evidence 

 were in the yard. It was some two miles long by 

 a mile wide, and indicated the holding of a goodly 

 number by the numerous fresh tracks, twig browsing, 

 and other signs, and though we hunted industriously 

 over it for four or five hours, no deer could we find, 

 and as we had an objective point to reach that night 

 several miles off, we concluded to lunch and push on. 

 So, with a brisk fire, and some tea made with water 

 from melting snow, and a rasher of broiled salt pork 

 and bread, we relieved our somewhat fatigued legs 

 by a rest. 



We had one gun, a half blanket, and some pounds 

 of bread and salt pork, some tea and a small pot and 

 cups, extra thick socks, and a few other incidentals, 

 including a few hooks and lines for catching trout 

 through the ice. We were in a wilderness of forest 

 where we could: go a hundred miles or more without 

 seeing a settlement, and were bound for Parmachene 

 Lake, the headwater of the Androscoggin River, some 

 thirty miles distant. What more could we desire 

 than the prospect before us? I was reluctant about 

 giving up further search for the deer, and not joining 

 Nay in his accustomed smoke after eating, I left him 

 to pack up our extensive holdings, with the gun, and 

 follow, and taking a compass line in the direction we 

 were to go, started on accompanied by our canine, 

 which bore the euphonous name of Zip. I was about 

 passing out of the yard north, when up sprang a dozen 



