86 



RECREATION. 



successful trips, I became eager to kill 

 a moose. Darling selected the upper 

 waters of the West branch of the Pe- 

 nobscot river. We went in via Moose- 

 head lake, taking the regular steamer 

 to the Mount Kineo House and a tug 

 boat from there to the Frenchman's 

 at the Northwest Carry, where we 

 spent the night. Our canoe was next 

 morning loaded on a wagon, and 

 hauled 4 miles over the old tote road 

 to a large, swampy logan. This was 

 drained by a small creek, which emp- 

 tied into the West branch of the Pe- 

 nobscot river, a mile away. It was 

 the line of supply for several logging 

 camps, and a rough corduroy across 

 the swamp enabled the wagons to 

 reach water deep enough to float a 

 boat. 



The canvas covered canoe, which 

 Darling had brought from his home, 

 was soon launched and we were on 

 our way down the narrow creek, un- 

 der the interlaced branches of the 

 alders, for a 20-mile paddle up the 

 Penobscot river. In 3 places the 

 rapids were rough and rocky and the 

 narrow escape of an Indian, whose 

 canoe was nearly wrecked in the 

 rough water, heightened my appre- 

 ciation of Darling's skill with paddle 

 and pole. On our way we passed 2 

 hunters with their guides, who told 

 us they were headed for the same 

 country, and manifested much cha- 

 grin at seeing us go by. 



Late in the afternoon we sighted 

 the light of a lumber camp at a fork 

 in the river below the Canada falls. 

 It had rained all day. I was thor- 

 oughly tired and wet to the skin, 

 so a shelter was welcome. It was a 

 typical lumber camp ; one large room, 

 with a loft fitted with bunks for 40 

 men ; the ceiling laced with ropes, 

 hung with wet clothing and stock- 

 ings. The men, mending clothing, 

 playing cards and chatting, were a 

 picturesque group of Indians, half- 

 breeds, French Canadians, and Amer- 

 icans, with a sprinkling of Irish and 



German. The air of the sleeping room 

 was thick with the odor of poor to- 

 bacco and wet clothing. 



The kitchen, in a lean-to, was 

 more attractive, for it was clean. The 

 cook of a lumber camp rules with an 

 iron hand. He is responsible for the 

 care of the camp, and within its 

 limits is an autocrat. For spitting on 

 the kitchen floor I heard a man round- 

 ly cursed, then ordered to bring a 

 bucket of water and scrub the place. 

 The men were required to enter the 

 kitchen in moccasins or stockings, 

 leaving outside the footgear worn 

 while at work. 



The food was abundant and of good 

 quality. Salt pork, beef, potatoes, 

 turnips, cabbage, onions, dried 

 peaches, apple butter, molasses, hot 

 biscuits, gingerbread, crullers, tea and 

 coffee, and last, but most important, 

 baked beans, are supplied in unlimited 

 quantities. The food was all well 

 prepared, particularly the beans, the 

 latter being cooked in a bean hole; 

 that is, a hole in the ground, which 

 has been thoroughly heated by a fire, 

 the embers and ashes of which are 

 raked back over the covered iron pot 

 containing the beans. 



We were heartily welcomed by all 

 hands, given a supper which only 

 needed milk, butter and sugar to be 

 perfect, and assigned a space on the 

 kitchen floor to sleep on. I was tired 

 but could not sleep. The room was 

 hot and close, and, the light once out, 

 rats ran over us in every direction. 

 The cat, for there was one, did her 

 best. One rat was caught and killed 

 within a foot of my head. 



The next morning the men asked us 

 to go 3 miles back to a lake, where, 

 from a rough raft, with a coarse hook 

 and a piece of string, with pork for 

 bait, they had caught in one afternoon 

 30 trout, weighing 31 pounds. But 

 we were after moose, so pushed on. 



There was a 3 mile portage around 

 the Lower Canada falls, and a lumber 

 team was to haul our canoe and dun- 

 nage for us. I walked ahead, hoping 



