JONES ON THE BACKWOODS. 51 



Ui take their last long sleep, iu the full hope of awaking in the 

 happy, yet visionary hunting grounds they suppose to lie in 

 a brighter and better world beyond the sk3\ It would appear 

 that the Indians have almost entirely left this part of the Pro- 

 vince, for only two or three live in the district, one of whom, 

 named Peter Paul, accompanied our party the whole way to 

 Weymouth, and proved himself as generous, noble hearted a 

 fellow as ever smoked the calumet of peace. To the absence of 

 Indians may no doubt be attributed, in a great measure, the 

 large number of bears, and the presence of beaver in the 

 vicinity of the granite hills, mid way across the country, called by 

 some the Blue mountains ; but more of these presently. From 

 this camping ground we journeyed along the road which led to 

 the district of Sugar Loaf hill, a fine grove of hardwoods, birch, 

 beech, oak, and maple. It was on the further side of this hill 

 that we bade adieu for a while to civilization. Embarking in a 

 rather frail boat upon a lake, we pulled, not without sundry 

 misgivings as to the probable termination of the voyage, for 

 some low marshy ground on its northern shore, and happily 

 succeeded in reaching the mouth of a small river, up which we 

 had to go : but we had not gone very far before we found that 

 our bark must be lightened, and all jumped out and pushed her 

 up the shallows, until we came to a large open savannah of 

 considerable size, on which grew luxuriant grass. Few trees 

 were to be seen about here, and those of a very stunted growth, 

 the most common being the alder. Leaving our boat about 

 mid-Avay through the plain, we shouldered our packs, which 

 were far too heavy, and made for the north-west end of it, where 

 we entered the thick forest again. Peter Paul having called a 

 halt, addressed us in a very fatherly manner to the effect that we 

 had better look to our Aveapons, for as he said, " you don't know 

 what be about where we are going." Having complied with his 

 request, we started afresh, and after some pretty bad travelling, 

 arrived about sundown at a small lake at the southern base of 

 the granite plateau. Here we found an old log hut which had 

 been erected some time back hy lumberers, and made it our 

 home for two or throe daj's, while we survej^ed the country 

 around. This lake from the quantity of small flat stones around 



