A STAMPEDE, 



59 



ance of the "cutest" boy that I ever came 

 across even in New England. That boy was a 

 prodigy— in fact, too sharp in my belief to live long 

 —for he had already in his head as much knowledge 

 regarding woodcraft as few possess when they are 

 called upon to quit the world. The lakelette in 

 area did not cover fifty acres, but it was a bijou 

 sheet of water, surrounded by birch, shumach, poplar, 

 maple, hemlock, and pine forest, that ultimately lost 

 their individuality far up the adjoining mountains' 

 sides. 



In the weather we were unfortunate. Not a breath 

 of wind flecked the water, and the sky overhead was 

 as clear as can ever be seen upon southern Me'^iter- 

 ranean shores. From a raft we fished, but sman fry 

 only rose, and they were innumerable. 



At length I thought that I would explore, and, if 

 possible, find a tributary stream. In this I was suc- 

 cessful, but trees, whortleberry bushes, and long 

 hummock grass so margined the water that it was 

 almost next to impossible to get my cast into it. At 

 last, to my disgust, I hookod my flies in the top of 

 a tamarack. With all my efforts I could not get 

 them free, so the youngster was sent aloft to cast 

 them off. 



The place where I stood was hummocky — such 

 lumps as you seldom come across, except in the 

 wilds of America. With care, these overgrown ex- 

 crescences could be traversed without wetting a foot, 

 but hurrying would certainly bring you to grief, when 

 over the boot-tops, if not to the knees, in slush, would 

 be the consequence. I had stood several minutes 

 for the Doy to get the line loose, when from across 

 the stream, and not far distant, I heard a sound much 

 resembling an animal's grunt. Not being quite cer- 

 tain that my ears had not deceived me, I waited, 

 when the grunt was repeated. By this time my line 

 was undone, and my juvenile companion was de- 



