322 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



civilization are passed, and the whole prospect is one of 

 primeval nature. Pulling the three canoes abreast we pur- 

 sue our way in happy commune. "We leave Deer Bay on 

 our left. It is the largest on the lake, thickly covered with 

 rice, and its shores closely grown with trees of various 

 types, looking in the calmness of noon time like a close 

 wall of leaves defending the peaceful water from all intru- 

 ders. Now, for a mile or two in length, the right shore 

 rises in a sloping hill, nearly two hundred feet in height, 

 giving the effect of a vast, closely wooded slope from the 

 beach up, appearing to extend grandly and proudly to the 

 silver-bordered clouds that rest serenely upon its summit. 

 Taking a turn to the left we hear the rumbling of another 

 rapid, and after holding a consultation as to the proper 

 channel to run, we go down singly, Thad. again proceed- 

 ing in the van. We conclude to take the side channel, and 

 gently floating through the softly moving sweep of water 

 at the head we turn by the edge of the rocky side with 

 the increasing movement of the current, apparently about 

 to rush against the parapet of solid rock in front, when the 

 stream, by a sudden swerve, as if in merry caprice, bears 

 us around, and then, as if angry at having carried us in 

 safety through twists and turns, sends us with the force of 

 its full speed over the collected volume of its bounding 

 waves, and we enter the strangely named Lovesick Lake. 

 Here we met another party of hunters, like ourselves. It 

 seemed so strange— as if they had sprung up from the 

 water by some magician's wand, after moving the whole 

 day through scenes of enchanting wilderness and peaceful, 

 quiet beauty, which had never in all the roll of ages been 

 disturbed by the innovations of man. They were going, 

 they said, to the rice beds on Deer Bay for the evening duck 

 shooting. They told us where their tents were pitched, 

 and advised us to establish ourselves on an island opposite 

 theirs, which we agreed to do, having concluded previously 

 to make this lake our permanent camping ground. Frank 

 Stalwart had known these gentlemen for years, and hence 

 the greeting of him and his friends was cordial indeed, our 

 canoe and theirs having been drawn up close together. 

 Like us, they were four in number. They told us they had 

 that morning (their first one out) killed a deer, and it was 

 agreed that they should visit our camp in the evening to 

 arrange for a deer hunt in one party the following morn- 

 ing. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon, and in a 

 few minutes after, we reached the island of our destination, 

 where we at once proceeded to unload our canoes and pitch 

 our tent. This island was one well adapted for our pur- 

 pose, being elevated and dry. From where we landed the 

 approach to the level above was steep, but the ascent made 

 without difficulty; On the other side the rocks were per- 

 fectly perpendicular, and rose directly out "of the water 

 about thirty feet. The tent having been tightly fixed, 

 Frank and 1 selected a trolling hook and line and started 

 off in search of fish, proposing to return in about half an 

 hour, while our two companions prepared the evening re- 

 past, Passing around the point of the island, we move 

 under the high overhanging cliffs that skirt its side; then, 

 as we near the border of a large rice bed, I let out the troll- 

 ing Mne in hopes of securing the prey. In a few minutes, 

 while Frank and I were cementing our friendship with 

 mutual assurances of a constant attachment in the future, 

 I felt a sudden jerk, then, as I took a firmer hold of the 

 line, a stubborn pull. Knowing the cause was an active 

 maskinonge, I began to haul in. Feeling the resistance, he 

 darted forward, then to one side with a wonderfully strong 

 plunge. As I brought him near he bounded to the sur- 

 face in frantic efforts to get free, and gave us a very liberal 

 sprinkling. A couple of quick pulls, however, and a good 

 steady haul, laid him captive in the canoe, when, with a 

 last desperate whisk of his tail lie snapped my briar wood 

 pipe in two like a piece of thin glass and sent the pieces 

 flying in the air. Thus ended the history of my favorite 

 pipe,°which was carefully strengthened with a silver ferule, 

 and thus a plump twelve pounder of the finny tribe was 

 lost to his companions of the deep to satisfy the selfish 

 sport of man. After catching one or two more I roll up 

 the line, and we quietly take a sauntering sort of paddle 

 about the edge of the lake to drink in all the native beauty 

 of the view. I think neither poet's pen nor artist's pencil 

 could fully and clearly describe the delight that fills the 

 mind, or the peculiar thrill of serenity and pure sensation 

 of awe that stirs the heart and moves the thought to invol- 

 untary devotion in such a scene. The water is as calm and 

 smooth as a sheet of glass, supporting on its even surface 

 laro-e patches of rich full blooming lilies of spotless white 

 ness surrounded with their broad, deep green leaves; and 

 very carefully, without knowing it, do we dip our paddles 

 so as not to mar their matchless purity nor disturb the 

 sweet repose of floral beauty at rest upon the water's bosom. 

 It seems a wanton sacrilege to displace the fair ornaments 

 with which nature has adorned herself. The lake side is 

 closely lined with rocks and ledges of uneven height, from 

 out whose crevices grow tall pines and large firs without 

 the slightest evidence of soil. The water is deep quite up 

 to the rocky shore, and the intervening spaces between 

 some of the moss-covered, sloping rocks are filled with a 

 luxuriant growth of trees of numberless shapes and sizes 

 The autumnal variegated tints of orange, yellow, scarlet, 

 green, and red, intermingled with the unaccountable har- 

 mony' of Nature's marvellous work, contrast so pleasingly 

 with the deep and constant color of the foliage of the 

 heavy evergreens. These rocks and wooded growths are 

 high and close, and nothing can be seen over or between 

 them. There is almost an angular bend at this part of the 

 irregular shore, forming, as it were, a temple for the ap- 

 pearance of the divinities of the place. The evening is 



impressively still, the water is supremely calm, like the in- 

 nocent sleep of a fair infant; the mild subdued light of the 

 receding sun produces the shadows of the objects in view, 

 inverted beneath the lake; our paddles are quietly, ten- 

 derly, witli sacred care, placed across the canoe; our 

 friendly talk is hushed; we are as motionless as the placid 

 lilies that surround us ; we are lost in the sublimity, the 

 grandeur of Nature, fast bound in the awe of the majesty 

 of her magic spell. At length the approach of falling night 

 reminds us of our companions in the camp, and we return 

 to our tent upon the island, exchanging, as we go, expres- 

 sions of wonder and admiration. In the evening we gath- 

 ered drift boards from the island and made seats around 

 our camp fire, while arranging which the measured sound 

 of paddles, and the steady hum of voices met the ear. We 

 immediately proceeded to the shore, and there met our ac- 

 quaintances of the afternoon. Their canoes pulled up, we 

 all formed a pleasant social crescent before the fire, the can 

 having been previously hung above the blaze in readiness 

 for a brew with which to welcome our sporting guests. 

 The night was cool and frosty, not very bright, yet myriads 

 of twinkling stars sparkled in the deep blue sky. No lights 

 or signs of any kind gave token of civilized life. - Our 

 small party of eight, gathered from various quarters of the 

 globe (some of whom had travelled in many climes), had 

 met on this tiny islet in a small lake, surrounded by miles 

 upon miles of the untouched wilds of Nature, and no 

 sound was heard save the constant rushing noise of the 

 swiftly flowing rapids. There was Major Howard, an Eng- 

 lishman, now living in the neighborhood of Peterborough, 

 and Mr. Loring, a civil engineer of the same place, with 

 others of lively and 30cial predilections, who all told inter- 

 esting and romantic incidents of foreign travel, as well as 

 sporting and hunting experiences in the wilds of Canada. 

 In the clear bracing air of the autumn evening, as we 

 smoked our pipes and sipped the warming beverage, our 

 talk became ridily savored with the hunter's phraseology. 



"How clearly," said the Major, "we can hear the tumb- 

 ling of the rapids; the night is so calm. That point, you 

 know, just at the head, used to be a favorite camping 

 ground, but of late it has been rather abandoned. There 

 have been several drowned in running through. Two poor 

 fellows were lost the past summer:" 



"And wh}^ didn't they learn to swim," put in our Irish 

 friend, Carre 11, "or not go poking themselves into traps 

 they couldn't get quietly out of again." 



"But my dear fellow," replied the Major, "the eddies 

 are so strong, you know, that even good swimmers have 

 rather a frail chance; and as for guns, why bless your 

 heart the foot of these rapids is fairly paved with them." 



"Are you an experienced canoe-man, Mr. Bertram," the 

 Major continued,' addressing me. "You're not? well, you'll 

 soon like it. It's a fascinating life, I assure you. Upon 

 my life, Mr. Bertram, it's a very fascinating life; so free, 

 and wanting care. Why, we come up here every few weeks 

 and take down a deer or so, and a score or two of ducks. 

 It is really very jolly, and no end of sport." 



"Do you remember, Frank," said Loring, "when you 

 and 1 upset on Black Duck Lake?" 



"Indeed I do, old boy, and I feel chilly every time I 

 think of it." 



And then was told, at some length, how they dived and 

 recovered their guns and some of their other traps. 



"I suppose you were rather moist at the time," said Car- 

 roll, "but it makes a very dry story." 



Then the tin cups were soon replenished from the steam- 

 ing can and passed around the circle. 



"There's one thing true," said the incorrigible Carroll, 

 "it would never do to drink this lake water until it was 

 boiled down." 



And so the talk went on — of yachting in the Mediterra- 

 nean, racing in England, and social converse concerning 

 mutual friends and acquantances — till we separated, about 

 eleven o'clock, having settled to meet at dawn ready to 

 chase the deer. 



Then we spread our buffalo skins on the ground in the 

 tent and retire for the night, well covered with blankets, 

 beneath which we slumber soundly till the break of day. 

 The mouth or door of the tent being open, we behold, on 

 awaking, the waning stars, not yet entirely chased away by 

 the fast approaching sunlight. A hasty toilet made at the 

 lake, a hasty breakfast, and we are ready for the start. 

 Frank Stalwart and I were stationed with our canoe at 

 one end of our own island to meet the deer, if one should 

 cross from the main land, and as we sat quietly waiting 

 beneath an overhanging growth of shrubbery, projecting 

 from a ledge of rock, said he, "Rob, did you ever hunt the 

 deer before?" 



"Not in this way, Frank; I have generally hunted in 

 run-ways." 



"And," he replied, "a run-away business I expect it was, 

 was it not?" 



' 'Well, it was not so much their timidity as my ineffec- 

 tual aim." 



"It is time, then, you had an aim in life. But you may 

 be more successful in this method, as you get them at 

 shorter range." 



"I understand," said I, "the general theory of this mode, 

 but will you be kind enough to give me all the minutiae?" 



"With all the pleasure in life, old chap. It is in this 

 way: — Well, there should be about five or six canoes and 

 four or five hounds, and it is very fortunate for us we met 

 these other fellows, as they make the party about the right 

 strength, and afford us, with our own, the proper number 

 of dogs. There is always an injunction understood that 

 no firing is to take place on the morning of a hunt, as these 



denizens of the forest are very timid creatures, and avoid 

 the direction whence any noise is heard. So remember if 

 a half score of ducks fly under your nose you must let 

 them pass. The guns should be loaded with buckshot, al 

 though experienced men kill sometimes with small duck 

 shot. The canoes are stationed at different points, where 

 the deer are likely to cross. This morning one is placed at 

 Scow Island, half a mile or more to the right, one down in 

 the bay, about half a mile to the left, one out at Black 

 Duck Lake, nearly two miles away, and others I know not 

 where. Two or three of the party go on the main land to 

 put out the dogs. Thad. , Loring, and Riggits are dor™ 

 that arduous duty at the present time. When the dogs 

 strike upon the scent of deer they are let loose. When 

 they get within hearing distance the deer break from cover 

 and almost invariably make for the water as a. harbor of 

 safety from their canine pursuers. As soon as the does 

 give tongue the men at the different stations are to be on 

 the alert, and when a deer enters the water at any particu- 

 lar, point the man who discovers him must keep perfectly 

 still until the animal is well out in the lake, as the deer's 

 senses of smell and hearing are extremely acute. Then 

 the canoe, quietly and with as little noise of the paddle as 

 possible, meets the intended game, until observed by the 

 unsuspecting creature. Then the pursuer flies after him 

 with all the skill he has in his power till he gains within a 

 short distance of his prey. Then an unmistaken aim and 

 the discharge of the fowling piece lays the forest monarch 

 low." 



After faithfully remaining at our post about two hours 

 or more, we heard the yelping of the hounds, which made 

 us more sharply attentive. It was soon evident, however 

 we were not to have the good fortune of a chase at our sta- 

 tion that morning, for ere long there came from a distance 

 the report of guns. Then we knew the hunt was over, and 

 we repaired to the tent. In about three quarters of an hour 

 the rest of the party came in, and one canoe was the hon- 

 ored bearer of a plump young doe. After a time the dogs 

 made themselves heard on the main shore opposite, and 

 the active Thad. quickly proceeded to bring them over. 

 So ended the morning's work. 



After the midday meal we sat and smoked, or lay on the 

 blankets basking in the sun till four or five o'clock, when 

 we set out for the evening's duck shooting, some of the 

 party remaining near the camp and others going up to the 

 large rice bed near Deer Bay. And the party reassembled 

 in the evening well rewarded with game. 



Thus we spent the time; and richly did we enjoy the 

 days as they passed. Indescribable was the pleasure of 

 hours upon hours every day in the clear open air and sun- 

 light, with the exhilerating exercise of paddling, the inspi- 

 ration of the scenery, and the excitement of the sport all 

 commingling their various charms. We were well able 

 before we left to verify the words of the Major, for truly 

 did we find it a fascinating life. Our freedom was perfectly 

 unalloyed. We had no cares of business nor the exactions 

 of the conventional pleasures of society. Liberty was 

 was there unbounded. 



But now I will not make any further narration of our 

 camping expedition, but in another paper may say some- 

 thing of the conclusion of our journey and the romantic 

 interests of these spots of nature so beautifully wild. 



•Rob. Bektkam. 



Falling Leaves. — Many persons think that when the 

 leaves turn red and yellow in the fall, it is because they 

 have been killed by the frost. But a little observation will 

 show that such is not the case, and that the autumns when the 

 leaves are most 'beautiful are those in which the frost is the 

 latest. A severe frost kills the leaves at once, and they 

 soon fall, brown and withered. To be brilliant, they must 

 ripen naturally, and our hot September and October mid- 

 day suns have probably much to do with it, as in England, 

 where the falls are apt to be damp and cloudy, the leaves 

 are not bright, and American artists, who strive to paint 

 our maples and woods as they see them, are unjustly ac- 

 cused of over coloring. The leaves fall because they are 

 ripe, and have performed the service that was allotted 

 them. The leaf is the laboratory of the plant, and in it 

 are performed most of the operations essential to its growth. 

 It takes the crude materials gathered by the roots, refines 

 them, rejecting all that is not essential to the plant, and out 

 of the remainder constructs the highly complex bodies that 

 are found in other parts of the plant. These rejected parts 

 consist mainly of earthy matter that was in solution 

 in the w T ater taken up by the roots, and it is deposited in 

 the cells ■ of the leaf. This is shown by the fact that the leaf 

 contains far more ash than any other part of the plant. In 

 some plants the ash of the leaf amounts to over twenty per 

 cent. , while that of the wood rarely exceeds two or three. 

 When the cells become completely clogged up with tin? 

 matter, the leaf can no longer perform its functions, and so 

 ripens and falls off. 



, -*•<•» 1 



Premature Preparation for Spring.— The Providence 

 Journal says : — 



All the lovers of house plants know how they stagnate 

 during the dark December clays. But hardly has January 

 come before the leaf -buds and flower-buds start out in pro- 

 fusion. We think of January and February as the heart 

 of winter, yet the leaf -buds of many trees and shrubs, even 

 in our Arctic climate, begin to swell at new years, and con- 

 tinue to increase during the winter. 



This year we notice a particular phenomenon, interesting 

 but unpromising, like other precocity. The buds of trees 

 and shrubs swelled rapidly after the leaves of the last summer 

 had fallen, and early in November were as far advanced as 

 usually in March, or sometimes April. The summer droutn 

 and copious autumn rains will perhaps explain this. L& e 

 cold November hardly checked the premature develop- 

 ment, and the warm December has continued it. The rea 

 blossoms are how to be seen on some of the early m£ jP n 

 trees, and the sprays of the elm are beaded with swollen 

 flower buds. The buds of the grape vine under our win- 

 dow are bulging out. We are all interested in the que* 

 tion; Will the fruit buds suffer? 



