THE B0I8 BRULE. 87 



country, and which I now saw for the first time in Canada. I also 

 recognised numbers of another old acquaintance, an exceedingly 

 curious plant, the Indian cup or pitcher-plant, sarracenia purptirea." 

 Some of the plants he describes, and then goes on to say, " The road 

 by which we had approached did not enter the Brule, but merely 

 touching its edge, went straight on, entering the tall woods on the 

 other side. We penetrated a few roods into the Brule, to see if there 

 were any clearing, but could perceive no change in the ugly, dead, 

 half-burnt spruce, and therefore returned. This singular piece of 

 ground contains some thousands of acres, and is said to owe its origin 

 to the beavers, which were formerly numerous, damming up the 

 streams, which, overflowing and spreading over the flat-lands, killed 

 the growing timber. It is a resort of wolves, bears, and other wild 

 animals, though we perceived no sign of life in the stillness which 

 pervaded the solitude ; nor, indeed, in the whole journey, with the 

 exception of one or two little birds, which were not near enough to 

 be identified, and a few insignificant insects in the forest. Having 

 satisfied our curiosity we began to return as we came, until we 

 arrived at the bridge, when, instead of retracing the course of the 

 stream, we crossed the bridge and continued to pursue the road, 

 which, for some distance, led us through towering spruces and 

 hemlocks, as before. On a sudden the character of the woods 

 changed : we found the sides lined with young maple, birch, beech, 

 &c., which met overhead at the height of about twelve feet, forming 

 a very perfect and regular continued Gothic arch, or rather a long 

 series of arches. This long avenue was the most pleasant part of our 

 walk, and the more so because it was quite unexpected. We 

 presently opened into a large field, which had been just mown, and 

 here we were rather laughably bewildered : the place was a ten^a 

 incognita ; we had never before seen it, nor could we i-ecognise any 

 object, so as to guess at our whereabouts. There appeared to be no 

 outlet through the woods by which the field was environed. In one 

 part was the skeleton of an old log-house without a roof, and a 

 portion of the field was planted with potatoes. We at length saw 

 a path through to these potatoes, on which we walked till we came to 

 the brow of a hill from whence we perceived familiar objects. It 

 commanded an extensive view : the beautiful and winding Coatacook 

 was at our feet with its bridge. Smith's mills and all that neighbour- 

 hood ; beyond a broad belt of the forest was visible Tilden's Tavern 

 and the road leading from Hatley to Stsrbrooke, and the forest again 

 behind all. We now left the path, taking a short cut over the hill, 



