RECREATION. 



regimentals and followed in a lighter 

 rig. The mining settlement had 

 seemed almost at the end of the world, 

 yet we pushed into the wilds 13 miles 

 farther before we launched our ca- 

 noes and the real trip began. Like 

 grim death we hung on over some of 

 the worst stretches of that 13 miles. 

 The main road was generally good, 

 but there were a few short cuts 

 that a "crow would have wept 

 tears of blood to fly over." to 

 say nothing of going in a spring 

 wagon. Springs are worse, than a 

 bare axle in such places, for though 

 they mitigate sudden shocks, they 

 likewise react each time with the 

 vigor of a Roman catapult, and^ you 

 go heavenward and overboard, unless 

 you cling to the rigging. Of course, 

 we laughed away the hard jouncings 

 as best we could, but there were many 

 really permissible jokes that failed of 

 even a charitable smile. It was such 

 a short time between bumps the risi- 

 bles were shaken out of our faces be- 

 fore we could even grin ; or it would 

 be a sickly grin, wherein our puck- 

 ered physiognomies rather suggested 

 the colic than an impending smile. 

 Risky place to expose a pet joke. 



We arrived at the lake landing late 

 in the afternoon and at once set to 

 making a temporary camp. Supper 

 was hurried on account of the team- 

 sters who were to return. We 

 urged upon them full bumpers of — 

 strong coffee — and to eat heartily, for 

 we were reasonably certain that gorge 

 as they might, their provender would 

 be far below their waistbands before 

 they had redone, by night, all the 

 rocks of the road we had just trav- 

 eled. Away to the Westward the sun 

 was fast settling into an illimitable 

 Nova Scotia bog when the men who 

 had served us so faithfully and cheer- 

 fully mounted their teams and, wish- 

 ing us a well meant bon voyage, turned 

 homeward. 



W r e were abroad with the blue jays 

 in the morning, and after a hasty 

 breakfast distributed our luggage and 

 bent to the paddle. We were anxi- 



ous to covei a stretch of 6 miles 

 of open water before the wind, rising 

 with the sun, should grow strong 

 enough to hang us up till another 

 day. But old Boreas outwitted us. 

 We had only done 3 miles when it 

 grew so choppy we were obliged to 

 run under the shelter of an island. 

 We decided to land and await the 

 wind god's pleasure. A lunch and 

 hot coffee dispensed, the ladies spread 

 shawls and read, while the sterner 

 trio, for diversion, emulating Ulysses 

 of old, "paced the shore of the loud 

 roaring sea," muttering at the cussed- 

 ness of many things and the wind in 

 particular. 



Early in the afternoon, the breeze 

 seeming to slacken a little, we re-em- 

 barked. By brisk paddling we edged 

 out, lobster fashion, a mile or more 

 to windward of the island until we 

 were able to jibe and scud before the 

 gale for the East run. We missed 

 the main channel run, but luckily 

 found a smaller outlet into the clear, 

 still waters of Fairy lake. A fairy 

 lake it seemed in truth. How won- 

 drous calm and blissful, after our 

 struggle with wind and wave outside, 

 to glide along over this placid, sleepy 

 lakelet. The gale seemed suddenly 

 hushed ; not a sound intruded on the 

 mysterious quiet save the dip of the 

 paddles, while the graceful birches 

 sped through the dreamy silence. 



Among the myriad islands we 

 sought one in particular, a pyramidal 

 mass, covered with giant hemlocks. 

 From a distance the lofty profile of 

 treetops, sharply defined against a 

 shifting background of blue sky and 

 great cottony clouds, looked pretty 

 enough. But as our fragile fleet 

 floated timidly into the intensely deep 

 shadow of the primeval growth it all 

 had the uncanny look of a lair for 

 beasts, not for men. But external 

 impressions were misleading, for once 

 ashore the big trees about the summit 

 were found to stand far apart, allow- 

 ing a plenteous intermingling of sun- 

 shine with the shadows. A thick mat 

 of fragrant needles covered the 



