100 THe Aroostook Woops. 

dull and muffled, and reaching but a little distance from him, 
when every limb, bough, and twig had become weighed down 
to the breaking point with the soft damp snow. 
Here then stood his snug, warm house, where he returned 
each evening after his good day’s work, often wet aad hungry, 
but always well, strong and hearty, to eat his supper of pork 
and beans with good strong black tea and hot ginger bread, 
usually topping off with dried-apple sauce. Then to grind 
his axe already for the morning, and after singing some of his 
best jolly songs for the boys in a free and easy manner, he 
tumbles into his own place on the fir or hemlock boughs and 
is asleep in five moments ; and such a good, resting sleep as he 
has, while the fat cook piles on the birch and maple logs. 
Nothing disturbs him after this, until four or half-past in the 
morning, when the cook suddenly breaks the quiet with his 
call, ‘*turn out boys, breakfast.” 
As they rise the first hill, they leave the pretty old camp 
ground behind them with the sun shining brightly upon the 
new growing grasses and enter a succession of dark, mossy 
hills and hollows. Little rocky bluffs they pass. close beside 
the mostly straight, yet sometimes winding road; they can 
see them often in the dark distance on their left hand, showing 
bleached and a lighter gray on their south exposure, dark and 
mossy on their sides and north of them. Most of the soil and 
very rocky bottom is covered with white, green, gray and dark 
reddish brown moss, and so thick a mat, one might walk 
over it ever so carelessly if creeping for a deer, without mak- 
ing any sound. Above all grows the tall, black spruces, 
their thick green tops touching and embracing each other, 
shutting out in most places nearly all the daylight, while 
before them and behind, as they are walking upon the upper 
