392 AUDUBON 



sure to obtain a competency in a few years. Speculations 

 in land covered with pine, lying to the north of this 

 place, are carried on to a great extent, and to discover a 

 good tract of such ground many a miller of Old Town 

 undertakes long journeys. Reader, with your leave, I 

 will here introduce one of them. 



Good luck brought us into acquaintance with Mr. Gillies, 

 whom we happened to meet in the course of our travels, 

 as he was returning from an exploring tour. About the 

 first of August he formed a party of sixteen persons, each 

 carrying a knapsack and an axe. Their provisions con- 

 sisted of two hundred and fifty pounds of pilot bread, one 

 hundred and fifty of salt pork, four of tea, two large 

 loaves of sugar, and some salt. They embarked in light 

 canoes twelve miles north of BangOr, and followed the 

 Penobscot as far as Wassataquoik River, a branch leading 

 to the northwest, imtil they reached the Seboois Lakes, 

 the principal of which lie in a line, with short portages* 

 between them. Still proceeding northwest they navi- 

 gated these lakes, and then turning west, carried their 

 canoes to the great lake Baamchenunsgamook ; thence 

 north to Wallaghasquegantook Lake, then along a small 

 stream to the upper Umsaskiss Pond, when they reached 

 the Albagash River which leads into the St. John in 

 about latitude 47°. Many portions of that country had 

 not been visited before even by the Indians, who assured 

 Mr. Gillies of this fact. They continued their travels 

 down the St. John to the Grand Falls, where they met 

 with a portage of half a mile, and having reached Medux- 

 mekeag Creek, a little above Woodstock, the party walked 

 to Houlton, having travelled twelve hundred miles, and 

 described almost an oval over the country by the time 

 they returned to Old Town, on the Penobscot. 



While anxiously looking for "lumber-lands," they as- 

 cended the eminences around, then climbed the tallest 

 trees, and by means of a good telescope, inspected the 



