VII. 



THE ST. REGIS WATERS IN OLD TIMES. 



My first knowledge of the St. Regis waters was in 

 i860. The sun was approaching the forest horizon, but 

 had not yet reached it. All the day we had been asking 

 of the people the distance we had yet to travel, and nev- 

 er was there a country in which the people knew as little 

 about it, or in which opinions so much differed. No two 

 persons agreed in any instance, and we began at length 

 to ask every one we met, old and young, for the mere 

 sake of having a laugh at the new numbers we knew we 

 should get in reply. 



Thus at Bloomingdale, we were assured by a man, who 

 said he ought to know, that the distance to Paul Smith's 

 was exactly eleven miles, and then, when we had driven 

 about three miles, we were told by a farmer in the fields 

 that we had yet twelve miles to drive, and a hundred 

 rods farther we met a man who told us it was thirteen ! 

 The next inquiry was of a bright eyed little girl in front 

 of a cottage, who answered that it was nine miles to Paul 

 Smith's ; and we drove on patiently across the long 

 swamp, across a barren and desolate sweep of country, 

 and ascending a little hill we re-entered the forest. 



It was profoundly still in the deep shades through 

 which we passed. The spirit of silence and repose 

 seemed to have taken possession of the woodland, and 



