AN AMATEUR IN THE NORTH WOODS. 169 



and the harder I rubbed, the worse it looked. I then be- 

 thought myself of commencing with something which would 

 afford an easier task ; so I threw aside the frying-pan, and 

 took up one of the tin plates. But here again I experienced 

 a similar difficulty. Rub as hard as I would, the grease obsti- 

 nately refused to yield to my efforts. By this time, I had 

 begun to think there was something wrong in my way of 

 going to work ; so I ceased manipulation, and fell to specu- 

 lating on the probable cause of my defeat. I had not studied 

 the matter a great while, when it occurred to me that the 

 attempt to wash a greasy dish without either soap or hot 

 water was not an altogether sagacious method of procedure. 

 Having remedied this fundamental error, I experienced no 

 further difficulty, and even congratulated myself on making 

 the discovery unaided. I omitted, however, to mention the 

 circumstance to my companion, partly because my feelings on 

 this point were tender, but mainly because I wished to avoid 

 tempting him into the vice of ridicule a weakness in which 

 he is at times prone to indulge. He subsequently heard, how- 

 ever, the story of my dish-washing, and, to this day, cannot 

 resist the temptation to start a laugh over it at my expense. 



By daylight on the following morning, we were en route for 

 home. We had selected and packed for preservation about 

 forty pounds of our choicest fish, and left behind us every- 

 thing not jieeded on our return journey. A few hours of 

 rowing brought us to the landing, where we bade farewell to 

 our boat, which had stood us in such good stead. We were 

 now dependent solely on our legs for the transportation of 

 ourselves and effects back to civilization, and we braced our- 

 selves manfully for the task. 



As it fell to my lot to carry the said forty pounds of trout, 

 I heroically shouldered my burden, and started in a homeward 

 direction. It was now two o'clock, p. M. ; and before we 

 could reach a resting-place, we must traverse those eleven 

 miles of forest which proved so interminably long on our way 

 hither. Certain ominous doubts as to my ability to accom- 

 plish the task were carefully thrust aside as irrelevant and 

 not to be entertained. 



