ECHO LAKE. 243 



" Trout in Echo Lake !" exclaimed Steenburger. " I 

 thought there were none there — only pickerel." 



" Ah ! that's a discovery since you were last here, John. 

 I'll tell you about it." 



So I told the story of finding trout in Echo Lake. 



We had taken fewer trout than usual in Profile Lake 

 during the summer of 1867, although the previous year 

 had been one of great abundance. We estimated that 

 more than three thousand trout had been taken out of 

 the lake each season for several summers in succession, 

 and there had hitherto been no visible diminution of the 

 supply. But it now became hard work to cast and get 

 nothing. During the whole season only one trout weighing 

 a pound had been taken in Profile Lake, and a few hun- 

 dred smaller fish. The mountain streams, however, were 

 more fully stocked than usual with small fish, which are 

 so delicious for the table. Dupont and myself had done 

 hard yet pleasant work in whipping those wild brooks, 

 seldom visited by man's footsteps, and we took often three 

 and four hundred fish in a day. In fact, after a few days, 

 we counted them only by the basketfuls. The Pemige- 

 wasset seemed inexhaustible. We fished it in sections. 

 Those who know the localities will understand me when 

 I say that one day we fished the stream from the Basin to 

 the Pool, through the wild ravine which plunges down be- 

 low the Plymouth Road. Another day we fished from 

 Walker's Cascade brook to the Basin. Yet another day 

 from the old mill below the lake to the Walker's Cascade 

 brook. Besides this we fished the Cascade brook (not 

 Walker's) from source to mouth in sections. The result 

 was generally about the same each day, and we brought 

 home enormous quantities of small trout, with an occa- 

 sional half or three-quarter pound fish. 



