230 Fisuine iy American Waters. 
“The little landscape round 
Was green and woody, and refreshed the eye; 
It was a spot which you might aptly call 
The Valley of Seclusion.” 
Bright and beautiful was the weather, and the two birds 
which charm the mornings of that wilderness wild were pip- 
ing their mellifluous notes, while the only responses heard 
were the snores of our guides in a one-sided bark shanty, 
where they lay on fir-boughs, toasting their feet before a 
smudge fire. As it appeared to be about seven o’clock, Iwas 
surprised to see not a soul moving. I walked a few rods to 
the river, where I watched admiringly the salmon’s leap, but 
looked in vain for a seal. After having been up nearly an 
hour, and perceiving that friends and guides were still asleep, 
I concluded to call up the gaffers and cuisinier, or cook. As 
our cook was perfectly innocent of any language but a Ava- 
nuck patois, by which tongue potatoes or pomimes de terre 
are known as potach, of course I found it difficult to make 
him understand either English or French, and that is an un- 
pardonable fault in a cook. : 
Well, as they lay snoring, and not one awake, I thought I 
would see what time it was before arousing them; and on 
consulting my watch, I learned that it was precisely half past 
three o’clock! Well, said I, sotto voce, this 7s a strange coun- 
try, and, lest I should disturb my lodging comrades, I re- 
clined outside the tent, and tried to take another nap; but 
the black flies had also awoke, and began paying their dis- 
tresses to me, much to the sacrifice of an amount of beauty 
too scant to lose any without an exposure of its want. I re- 
monstrated at the presentation of bills at such an unseason- 
able hour, but they only shouted the louder, and called to- 
gether so great a number as to oblige me to decamp. I 
therefore resorted to Rattling Run to take a bath. While 
bathing it was all very well, but between undressing and 
dressing they took me at a disadvantage, and by both mus- 
quitoes and black flies I was decidedly worsted. On my re- 
