THE VIRGINIAN DEER 61 



by his emphatic and uncompromising condemna- 

 tion of the log he had slipped off. We were all 

 inclined to smile when he showed his face covered 

 with black mud, giving him the appearance of 

 a nigger, but when he groaned out that the 

 whisky flask had fallen out of his fur-coat the 

 whole party made a rush for the mud and dirty 

 water. 



" When we arrived at Crane Lake we found 

 four boats in readiness to convey us with the 

 Indians and hounds to the happy hunting-ground. 

 The picture presented by these hardy men 

 clothed in their rough shirts, gaiters, and boots, 

 with rifles and camping-kit, will not easily be 

 forgotten. The sun was shining brightly, and 

 on either side, so far as the eye could reach, 

 stretched the bright green tops of the forest 

 growth, extending to unexplored regions of dense 

 woods, still the natural possession of bears, 

 wolves, racoons, lynx, etc., and innumerable deer. 

 The lake water was sparkling and clear, and the 

 little islands with their luxuriant vegetation and 

 romantic rocks and bays gave a perfect tone to 

 a beautiful scene. Crane Lake and Deer Lake 

 are still uninhabited by settlers. No rough 

 shanties or blackened clearings deface their 



