296 



RECREA TION. 



KNEE DEEP IN THE SWIRLING WATER. 



restive under the touch of a 'prentice 

 hand. 



The Colonel's camp was near the 

 lower end of the lake, and to get there, 

 we had to overload a small, flat-bottomed 

 skiff with ourselves and our baggage. 

 On the way, I had my first sight of a 

 deer in his native haunts. When we 

 first saw him he was doing his best to 

 get out of the native haunt in which he 

 was then situated. He was in the lake, 

 swimming for dear life, with a brawny 

 Indian, about a hundred yards astern, 

 in a birch-bark canoe. The savage was 

 standing up, and putting his heart and 

 soul into the paddle in a way that drove 

 his canoe through the water at a most 

 surprising rate. As the deer was rap- 

 idly nearing shore, so that overtaking 

 him in the water seemed hopeless, the 

 Indian dropped his paddle, picked up 

 his Winchester, and fired twice, with no 

 other effect than to splash water on the 

 deer and make him go faster. So he 

 took to paddling again, but in a few 

 minutes the deer reached shallow water 

 and began to wade ashore. A few shots 

 from the rifle hastened his movements, 

 but he went off apparently uninjured, 



for his white flag was flying defiantly at 

 his spanker peak as he bounded into the 

 woods. 



We spent the night at the mining 

 camp, and the next morning packed up 

 blankets, provisions, etc., and built our- 

 selves a bivouac on the lake shore. It 

 was a very attractive place. A little 

 point, covered with birch saplings, jut- 

 ted far enough into the water beyond 

 the general shore line to catch the 

 breeze on both sides. There was a 

 handy little cove in which to stow the 

 boat ; a fine swimming place, about two 

 rods from the tent, and a choice collec- 

 tion of shady spots scattered around, 

 where you could sit and think what a 

 good time you were having. 



From our camp we made various 

 expeditions in search of fur, fin and 

 feather. In the lake we caught perch. 

 This statement will, no doubt, cause a 

 turning of the noses of the sportsmen 

 who never use anything but a fly and a 

 split bamboo. But nota bene, there are 

 perch, and there are also Perch. It was 

 the latter that we caught. These fellows 

 were perfect studies in green and gold, 

 weighed about a pound and a half each, 



