50 



to the bottom of a dicp bay. The peaks, forming vciy advaiic'd poiiits, 

 approach so closely to both shon's that only oni'-half tlu' surlaci' of tlu' 

 lake can bo seen. In the bays wht-re the mountains arc not so iiisih and 

 have more gentle slojvs, they jn-esenl an ajiiJeiiiinice of raniparts of 

 verdure or heniieych ;s risinj!' in amphitheatre up to tii,' cresl. clt arly and 

 sharply outlined against the blue &ky. 



On the west shore of the lake are two pretty village.s built on the 

 slope of the hills, Cabano and Notre-Danu^ 



Thi're is a church at Notre-Dame, and on ;; line summer's evMiin!'-, 

 when thi' A/i<>('lits rings, the .silvery sounds of the bell are echoed lonir luid 

 far away by the mountains. At that hour the lake looks like a long ribbon, 

 black, silvery and rose-colouicd, assuming close by the dark shade of the 

 shore, and in the centre the silvery and rose-coloured tints ol a cloudless 

 sky, in which linger the l;isl r;iys ol' the setting sun. 



The river Touladi is on the east side of lake Temiseouata. It Hows 

 through the mountains in deep gorges and falls evenly and gently into the 

 lake. 



As far as the first lake Touladi. a disianci' of about four miles, the 

 current is rapid and in some phices canoe navigation is di(li( ult. 



The steej) b:iuks ol the river, the u-reyish roeks piled one on the 

 other, show that we are pai-sing through an iiihesiiilable reii'ioii ; human 

 activity has not yet penetrated there and all is irloom and silenee. It 

 seems as if Nature had wished to hem in wiih diltieulr barriers a j)rivileged 

 corner of earth so that man would really have to con«iner ii. 



The Touladi lakes, which are respectively ciillcd •' Crreat lake Touhi ■ 

 di " and "Little lake Touladi," are property sjieakiiur but one, whose 

 two parts are connected by a pass which a uroup of islands divides into 

 a number of narrow channels. Thes^ islands, cov<n-ed with foliage, look 

 like baskets of verdure lying on the water. 



The Touladi lakes are at the foot of the last spurs of the Alleghany 

 chain. 



The monnlnins disapp(»ar n'radually and Liive wny lo line wooded 

 slopes desceiuling gently to the waters eda'c with an undulation of the 

 forest, 



.4t the head of thes ' lak(\s the river Touladi assumes the names of 

 Rivitre de$ Envx Morfes The banks are low. the water deep and char, with 

 a barely perceptible- current, rising under the branches ol the larye trees 

 leaving no shore and giving the river a fantasti<' appeaniiiee. It looks like 

 a Riu' road of ivory and silver opened throuiih the verdure, but there are 

 no travellers on this road. The king-lisher alone dives into its waters; 

 ducks, teal and owls alone are mirrored in its limpidity. 



