fc^NMr, 



THE AMERICAN 



SPORTSMAN'S 



JOURNAL. 



Terms, Four Dollar* a Year. ! 

 Ten '>nn a Cop;. f 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1878. 



IN.. Ill Fulton St., H. T. 



For Forat and Stream and Rod and Gun. 



ON the loth of last October I left Camp Kenncbago, 

 Rangeley Lake, Maiue, for Megantic and St. Francis 

 Lakes, Canada, via the Wilderness. My system was fully 

 charged with the terrible malaria, imbibed during the sis 

 months mainly spent at tlie Philadelphia Exposition of 187G. 

 A month's stay at Camp Bema, on Mooselucniaguntic Lake, 

 had not effected a cure, and friends and physicians advised a 

 hundred-mile tramp through the wild woods of Maine and 

 Canada. Accompanied as a companion by that sterling gen- 

 tleman, E. A. Rogers, Esq., of Rangeley, Maine, ^whose 

 courtesy is so well known to many anglers, sportsmen and 

 tourists, and with the famous Captain F. 0. Barker, of Ando- 

 ver, as chief guide, and Stephen Taylor and Addison Long, of 

 Byron, and Frank Hewey, Jr., of Rangeley, as packers and 

 oatmen, we went by Oupsuptic Lake and stream and the 

 Five Mile Carry to Parmachenee Luke. We were cordially wel- 

 comed by Uncle John Danforlh at his unique camp on a raft, 

 anchored in the middle of the lake, and in a short naif-hour 

 made a clean sweep of his wellsupplied table, the prominent 

 and most delicious dish being "beaver hash." Having reached 

 the region famous as the ranging ground of deer, moose and 

 caribou, of which I had heard for the seventeen years during 

 which I bad frequented the Rangeley Lakes, I interviewed 

 Uncle John immediately after supper as to the probability of 

 my getting my first shot at a deer. " Oh, yes," he replied, 

 *' I can give you the opportunity to-morrow morning." With 

 full faith in Uncle John, I retired to rest and slept sweetly, 

 gently, but literally "rocked in the cradle of the deep." 

 Awaking early and breakfasting at half-past seven, we sent 

 two guides ashore. At 8 o'clock we heard three shots. Spring 

 ing into our boats we started from the camp. As we rounded 

 the point of an island a half-mile distant we saw a deer swim- 

 ming. As we approached I exclaimed, "Fred, that is a cari- 

 bou!" He turned. A look was enough. The forest of 

 branching antlers looming five feet in the air, together with 

 his great length and the exquisite dark-gray color of his skin 

 informed his practiced eye that a veritable specimen of the 

 American reindeer was before us. He swam rapidly, but not 

 with the speed attained by our Adirondack boat, propelled by 

 the muscular arms of Oaptain Fred. At long range I fired my 

 first shot at a member of the noble deer family. Eleven buck- 

 shot rattled around him, but only served to quicken his speed 

 and turn him directly toward the shore, but a short distance 

 away. I urged Fred to increase his speed, and still standing 

 in the stern of the boat with the gun at my shoulder I calmly 

 awaited the moment for the last shot. " Fire I" shouted Fred, 

 as he glanced at the noble animal now within close range. 

 "Not yet; I don't want to ruin those antlers with the twelve 

 buck-shot in my left barrel." Aiming steadily at the line 

 formed by the broad neck and rippling water I pulled the trig- 

 ger. Almost at the report he ceased swimming. The ma- 

 jestic head slowly drooped, and as the antlers touched the 

 surface of the lake I was alongside and caught the upper one 

 in the crook of my right arm. " All right, Fred ; I told you 

 ten minutes ago that was my caribou. Now for the camp." 

 The other boats came up and in tow line we returned to the 

 camp. It was half-past eight as we touched the raft. The 

 hunt was exactly an hour. The next morning as we set out 

 for Lake Megantic, Uncle John's assistant, Perry started for 

 Colebrook, N. H., sixty miles down the Magalloway. He car- 

 ried the head and the antlers, the skin, the feet and the two 

 hind-quarterB of the caribou, which were expressed to New 

 York. A rustic sign over the main entrance of Uncle John's 

 camp on the raft, placed there by our hands, reads, " Camp 

 Caribou." 



We had many delightful and exciting experiences during 

 our three weeks through the wilderness to the Lakes Megantic 

 and St. Francis and return to Rangeley, and I may jot 

 them down for the entertainment of your readers. Suffice it 

 to say that the main object of my trip was accomplished. I 

 returned home fully recovered. No lingering evidence of 

 malaria was left in my system. I can therefore earnestly 

 recommend a similar tour to the victim of this widely-preva- 

 lent malady. 



1 All this is preliminary to the presentation of an exceedingly 

 graphic account of a trip just made over the same ground and 

 extended to Quebec and Montreal by Captain Fred. O. Barker 

 and his colleague, Uncle Jehu S. Danforth. So far as I can learn 

 no one but the Indian, hunter or trapper had ever crossed the 

 boundary at this point previously to our " first Megan tic ex- 



pedition" of October and- November, 1877. It is perfectly 

 feasible for any one, and I can cordially recommend to the 

 sportsman -angler desiring to visit an entirely new hunting- 

 ground, and one abounding in moose, caribou, deer and bear 

 and trout, this section of our country. 



The diary which follows is sen 1 1 o me from Camp Kennebago, 

 Indian Rock, Me., July 34, 1878 : 



" Our trip through the wilds of Maine, New Hampshire and 

 Canada was proposed in May, but not decided upon until the 

 middle of June ; and on the 11th of July, leaving the steamer 

 Oquo/moe and Camp Caribou in the hands of trusly men, we 

 left Camp Kennebago at 7 a. m. and took the Barker and 

 JJanforth route for 'Parmachenee Lake, arriving at Camp 

 Caribou at 3 p. m., where we packed our knapsacks with 

 suitable provisions and also stopped over night. At 6 A. u. 

 the following rooming, taking a boat as far as Little Boys' 

 Falls, a distance of two miles, where we put on our packs 

 and, taking our rifles in our hands, struck into the woods. 

 We took a northeast course for several hours, then turned to- 

 ward the east until we reached the boundary line between 

 Maine and Canada, which is marked by an opening cut 

 through the forest thirty-three feet wide. Then we turned 

 again, this time toward the north, and traveled for several 

 hours until we reached Arnold's Bog, one of the wildest 

 places in Maine*>r Canada. Here we stopped at one of our 

 camps, and after catching trout for supper (which took us 

 only a few minutes), we cut the wood for our camp-fire, then 

 got supper. The day was nearly gone, but the moon beiug 

 nearly on the full, we concluded to take a sail in the ' Crow's 

 Nest,' which is a large nest-like platform, made in tho top of 

 several trees, and so situated as to give the occupant a view 

 of nearly a thousand acres of the feeding-ground of moose, 

 caribou and deer. We got seated in the nest just before the 

 moon rose, but did not hear the sound of any animal until 

 nearly 11 o'clock ; but then there was lots of noise. The ani- 

 mals were just coming down to feed, and in less than thirty 

 minutes we could see several deer, three caribou and three 

 moose. We could have bad several shots, but patiently 

 waited for a bull moose, and in less than an hour there csme 

 within good range one of Canada's best, and we did not let the 

 chance slip ; and when the signal was given, which was one, 

 two, three,' we both fired. There was a general stam- 

 pede all over the Bog. The one we shot at tried to 

 do hiBpart of the running, but in going ti fly yards his mighty 

 strength gave out, and he went down with a crash. We slid 

 down from our nest, and. after examining the animal, found 

 the holes of two balls, so neither could claim the shot that did 

 the deed. The remainder of the night we spent in taking off 

 the hide and taking care of the meat, and before we slept we 

 went to where there w-ere a party of St. Francis Indians in 

 camp and gave them the most of the meat. Then we returned 

 to the camp, and, after eating a square meal, we rolled our- 

 selves in our blankets and spent the most of the day in sleep- 

 ing. We did not leave camp until the next morning at 4:20, 

 with our packs well strapped on, and all day we traveled 

 north We saw one caribou, but did not care to shoot it as 

 we did not need the meat. At C p. m. we stopped for the 

 night on a mossy knoll near the bank of Arnold's River, and 

 caught in a short time Irout enough for supper and breakfast. 

 "We made a bark camp and cut wood for our fire, and were 

 ready to lie down at 9 o'clock. The next day we spent in 

 making us a spruce hark canoe, as we were below all rough 

 water until we got below the lake, and early the next morning 

 we tried our new boat and found it all O. K., and at 2 p. m. 

 wc ran out in the Megantic Lake. Then we paddled along 

 more leisurely, as we knew wo had plenty of time to go to the 

 outlet to the new hotel just opened. It was built by Bruce, 

 and is now run by him, and a more sociable and hospitable 

 man cannot be found. This house is large and commodious, 

 and is situated iu the right spot, for sportsmen. Troufnshing 

 is good in and around Megantic Lake, and bass are caught in 

 large numbers. We passed a very pleasant night with Bruce, 

 and at 7 a. m. the following morning we bade him good-bye 

 and once more took up the paddle, and, pointing our bark 

 north, shot out of the lake and down the rapids of the Chan- 

 diere River. After ruuning our canoe for about three miles, 

 we came around a sharp turn in the river, and near the bank 

 on the west side, just in some rushes, stood a fine buck. Fred 

 laid down his paddle and took up his rifle ; but as he did so 

 the buck looked up, for he had not iced the noise we had made; 

 but it was his last look, for he caught the ball from Fred's 

 rifle between his eyes, and with one bound forward he fell into 

 the river. The current was strong and took him down, but 

 we soon came alongside, and, towing him ashore to where we 

 could load him into our boat, we went again down the river at 

 a fearful rate, as the current was strong and in many places 

 almost falls, but we did not care as long as our canoe did not 

 leak. At noon we stopped, cooked some of our venison and 

 ate our dinner. Then on we went again, and about 5 o'clock 

 we saw another deer, but did not kill it, and laughed as we 

 saw it bound away when it saw us. Our ride all day was 

 through an unbroken wilderness and on a stream that runs 

 very rapidly ; so much so a man must keep a sharp lookout or 

 he will see a roek coming through the bottom of his canoe. 

 Just at dark we reached a clearing of about ten acres, and 

 near the centre stood a log cabin. We landed, drew our 

 canoe up the bank and went to the cabin, where we found two 

 people— a man and woman— both youngand not over twenty- 

 two years, I should say. They were French, and it was some 

 time before we could make them understand what we wanted, 



and the only way we could tell them that we wanted to stay 

 all night was by throwing ourselves at full length on a bed 

 that stood in the corner of the shanty ; then they Biniled 

 and bowed their heads, and we made ourselves at home. Wa 

 brought our deer from the canoe to the cabin and gave the 

 whole to the Frenchman, who seemed much pleased. The 

 wife soon had some of the steak on the coals, and soon after 

 wc were feasting on trout, venison and Indian wheat cakes, 

 baked in the coals. The cakes were delicious. When it came 

 time to go to bed, we asked the man where we should sleep, 

 and at last made us understand that he had no bed for us, and 

 that we would have to sleep on the floor. So we asked him 

 where on the floor we should lie, thinking he must have some 

 blankets in the chamber for us, but he pointed to the corner 

 of Ihe room, and said " Anywhere;" and with our coats for 

 pillows we put in the night as best we could. Very early in 

 the morning wo ate another meal of venison and Indian wheat 

 bread, then bade good-bye to our French friends, and shoved 

 our bark once more into the current. We had gone about a 

 mile when we came to a birch bark canoe propelled by an In- 

 dian woman. We stopped our craft and had quite a chat 

 with her. She asked us to go to the wigwam with her. We 

 accepted the invitation, and when we reached the dwelling 

 we found an Indian stretched at full length on some boughs 

 in front of a small fire, smoking a long-stemmed pipe. The 

 man seemed contented and happy, and merely recognized us 

 with an " Ugh I" aud rolled over — the influence of fire-water, 

 probably. He did not seem to want to talk, so we passed on 

 and looked the establishment over, then took our departure 

 once more in our canoe. We swept down the current of the 

 roaring river, and stopped only to cook and eat our dinner 

 until nearly dark. We did not see a house all day, nor could 

 we see any signs of civilization. When we landed to prepare 

 for a night in the woods, we made a shelter with 

 a rubber blanket, and with a good fire at our feet we rested 

 well. At daylight we were astir, and, after eating our 

 breakfast, we started. Our canoe seemed to leap through the 

 water, as we forced it along, helped by the current. The river 

 showed more signs of rough water, but little did we care as 

 long as the channel was deep enough to float our canoe. 

 Everything went well for three hours, and we came to Big 

 Falls. We did not know what we had to contend with until 

 it was too late; until our bark was in the strong water, and 

 too late to back out. Fred was in the bow, and I heard him 

 say, " Oh ! my Cod," and the next instant he cried, "To the 

 left of the centre rock," then "To the right, hard," and by the 

 time he was done talking the canoe passed over the first fall, 

 and seemed to stop in the air for an instant, as if in trouble, 

 and seemed to say good-bye to the things of this world. Then 

 it struck the foaming waters below, but not ahead of our 

 paddles, for we saw at a glance if the undertow caught the 

 stem of our boat we were lost ; and never did two men pull 

 with more resolution than we did in that perilous time. 

 The bark stood still for an instant, then, with a tremble, 

 started to make another and her last leap. With all the power 

 we could muster we drove the canoe ahead, and tried to swing 

 it to the right. We turned it a little, but not enough. It made 

 the leap, aud almost cleared the Took, but struck hard enough 

 to burst a hole in the bow nearly as large as a man's hat. Fred 

 saw the break, and with one stroke of his paddle shoved the 

 canoe off the rock, then played the part of Perry, by plugging 

 up the hole with his ow* coat, while I ran the wrecked craft 

 into the eddy and to the nearest shore. We sprang out, and 

 never did men shako hands more earnestly than we." Then, to 

 look back over what we had passed, and to think what kind of 

 a boat we did it in, made us feel as though something besides 

 human power had saved us from a watery grdve. 



" It took us two hours to repair the damage done to our 

 canoe. Then we started again ; but not to run blindly into 

 more danger. We found no more of such rough water, and 

 at 3 p. m. we came in sight of houses, when we bade good- 

 bye to our bark, and with a good team, driven by a French- 

 man, we rode to St. Joseph, a distance of thirty miles further 

 down the river, through the best farming district I ever saw 

 in cither Canada or the States. It was just the time of day 

 to make a ride pleasant, and we enjoyed the scenes we 

 witnessed exceedingly. We stopped over night at the St. 

 Joseph Hotel, and at 6 A. M. the next morning we took the 

 train for Point Levi, arriving there at 9. Took the ferry for 

 Quebec, where we hired a carriage, and also a guide, and 

 visited all the important places. It would, doubtless, be of 

 little interest to you, but it was a feast for our eyes. At 5 

 p. m. wa left the city, and enjoyed the ride to Montreal on 

 board of the fine steamer Quebec, arriving there at 6 A. M. the 

 following morning, when we took another guide, and looked 

 the city through. We stopped at the Windsor House. At 7 

 A. m. the next morning took the train for Scotatown, where 

 we stiyed for the night. At 7 A. m. we left by team for Pem- 

 berton, and on our way halted at Pope's gold mine, where 

 they are busy at work, aud also where you can find a 

 perfect gentleman, who superintends the business. He showed 

 us all through the miue, and also the gold he had on hand. 

 Soon after leaving the miue we left our team, it having taken 

 us to the end of the road. We put on our packs and struck 

 into the woods. We skirted the west shore of Connecticut 

 Third Lake— headwaters ot the Connecticut River iu New 

 Hampshire— and just at dark walked out on the shore of the 

 Second Lake. We tired our rifles, and were answered by see- 

 ing a boat making for us. It came up. We got in aud were 

 landed at Tom Chester's camp, a place owned by him, and 



