FISHING IN MUSKOKA, ETC 231 



with the Indian River, Florida, where I had 

 found duck more plentiful than fish in Muskoka, 

 and with sufficient guns could have filled the 

 hold of a ship. (I spent two winters in Florida, 

 and I am sure some of the flocks of wild fowl 

 might have been counted by the thousand.) At 

 length I lit my pipe and sat down in despair. 

 I had scarcely done so before I heard a shout 

 and had an easy right and left overhead. A few 

 more followed ; but when Kendall informed me 

 afterwards of the miles he had walked, and 

 the apparent failure of his efforts to frighten the 

 birds, I viewed the results as very unsatisfactory. 



" It was getting late, and the sun was shut out 

 by a curious haze. The air had become thick 

 and stifling, and something appeared to be wrong. 

 A few moments of doubt, and then we both 

 exclaimed almost in a breath, ( The bush is on 

 fire ! ' I recalled with regret the lighting of my 

 pipe and careless neglect to extinguish the flame 

 of my wax vesta as we stepped from the boat, and 

 the horror of being cut off from the Crane Lake, 

 and forced before the flames into an unknown 

 country, decided us that we would rush through 

 the smoke instead of away from it, while there 

 was yet time, for delay meant certain death. 



