FOREST' AND : STREAM. 
848 
A_ shurt way beyond the ttaclks we found anGtha?' tote 
road, and right in the fork of the two roads stood i> 
birch tree. The bark had been peeled from a spot 0 
inches square, leaving- the clean body of the tree ex- 
posed. Here, written in pencil, was a notice. It read: 
"Spencer Brother.^' Camp, nine jniles." An arrow 
jjointed north, the general trend of the Nesowadnehunk 
road.. Wc cunsidercd this a lucky find, for it pointed the 
direction of mu- destination. 
We went a .sliort distance beyOnd fhe fork of the roads 
and found where a large buck had crossed. The trade 
vva.s iresh. and we followed it over a mile. The ex- 
perience was new and fascinated me so that I regretted 
To give up, even after the sun had set. Discretion was 
policy here, however, for those beautiful enchanting 
woods dispense heartless hospitality to the lost tender- 
foot of a cold winter night. 
lE/lsde vwas in Gatnp ahea.d of us, and he was thoroughly 
disgusted. He had tested his patience and swearing 
powers by creeping through a blowdown for over a mile 
without being rewarded by sight of a single' track. He 
could not be reconciled, and swore there were no deer 
in the whole blasted country, He confessed to me the 
next morning that he had been ready to take the first 
train home after getting into camp the night before. 
We were joined at supper by eight or ten men, Mr, 
Reade being one. Some were guides and others were 
from the village; all, however, were experienced more 
or less in deer hunting. 
^ After supper all hands gathered around the fireplace. 
The sparks soar'ed up the chimney from blazing logs, 
and we smoked and listened to one another's stories. 
One yarn ran like this: 
"A few winters ago I was employed in a lumber camp. 
We had worked into logs all the desirable timber in the 
vicinity, and the stream, which connected with the 
Penobscot, Avas badly jammed with logs. So thick was 
the jam that it was impossible to drive anything through. 
■Jim,' said the boss to me one day, 'we're out of dyna- 
mite, and some one will have to go to the other camp 
and get some. We must start these logs moving. How 
would you like the trip?' 
"Now the other camp was twenty miles away, and not 
a building between, and an old tote road was the only 
way. I was willing to go, hoAvever, and next morning 
bright and early I was on my way. It took the best part 
of the day to make the trip, for the thawing weather had 
melted the snow, and the traveling was bad. I was 
ready for supper and bed that night, you can bet! 
"1 had breakfast before daylight next morning, and 
with 20 pounds of dynamite sticks with fuses attached 
on my back 1 started on the return trip. With the excep- 
tion of seeing a few deer, nothing occurred untd I was 
within two miles of camp. I had been compelled to rest 
a number of times, and it was getting dark. I had just 
crossed a strip of burnt land, and was on the point of 
entering a stretch of the road which ran through a 
blowdown where the young growth had reached a height 
■ of about 20 feet, when, happening to turn my head, I 
thought I saAv an animal nioving in the path behind me. 
"It's another deer,' said I to myself, and paid no further 
attention. It was quite dusky in the blowdown, but 
my tracks of the day before could be seen in the wet 
snow. Becoming tired. I sat down for a short rest. I 
had hardly seated myself, when cold chills chased rapidly 
up and down my spilie. Back on my track, and not over 
ISO feet away, I could see the shadowy outlines of an 
'Indian devil.' The animal stood motionless, and was 
looking straight at me. 
''To say that I wasn't scared would be a thundering lie. 
Some say the 'Indian devil' (wolverine) is a cowardly 
sneak, and I might not have feared this one. But to save 
extra weight I had left my rifle in camp, so was un- 
armed. I sat there and eyed the animal quite awhile 
Finally it sneaked into the timber at the right of the 
road. 'Good!' thought I. 'He's afraid to tackle me 
and has gone.' I was mistaken, for I had hardly resumed 
my journey, when I looked back, and there was the beast 
on my trail again — and closer tlian before! 
"Matters were getting serious, and I cudgeled my brain 
for a scheme to get rid of my unwelcome follower. 
Finally I turned and shouted back at him, and you bet 
f felt good to see that cuss sneak into the timber again. 
I now hurried as fast as possible, but kept a sharp look- 
out all the while. Camp was a mile away, when the 
shadowy form loomed on my trail again, and I was 
horrified to see that it was wnthin less than too feet. 
'What can I do? What can I do?' thought I. Sud- 
denly I remembered the dynamite, and like a flash came 
an idea. I stopped and stood still — so did the 'Indian 
devil.' Then I pulled off my coat — a heavy reefer — took 
one of the sticks of dynamite from the bundle, lighted a 
match and touched the fuse to the flame. It sputtered, 
and I placed the stick on the ground, hastily threw mv 
coat over it in a manner not to interfere with the fuse, and 
took to my heels. 
"How far I ran before the explosion, I don't knoAv. 
But I was making the best licks I ever made in my 
life, when the Avoods burst into a flame of light, and a 
report like a cannon shook the earth. I never looked be- 
hind, but kept up the pace right into camp, where I 
arrived barheaded, coatless and breathless. The whole 
camp Avas aroused, and as soon as my wind came back 
1 told my story. Lanterns, axes, clubs and rifles Avere 
hastily procured, and all hands started back with me. 
We picked up the bundle of dynamite which I had 
dropped in my hurry within lOO feet of a big hole in 
the ground. Then pieces of coat, hide, flesh and bones 
and bunches of hair Avere found scattered Avithin a radius 
of IOC feet or more. That 'fndian devil' had stopped to 
smell of the old coat, and the dynamite blew him up all 
light '■ 
Our i;airator knocked the ashes from his pipe into the 
fireplace, borrowed tobacco and a match from his nearest 
neighbor, situck a hght and resumed smoking; .lud 
hjs eyes seemed to studj-- the moving sha.iows of cur 
cirde, Avhich the flames thrcAv on the log Ava'ls, and the 
gyrations of the starlikc sparks on their c ju-sc up the 
chim.ncy. Then some one yawned, and Wiibert com- 
placently eyed each face through his glasses, and there 
Avas a look on his countenance Avhich eloq'uenHy i-Hid: 
"Boys, I've heard liars before, but this chap "is the 
champion of tl-tm all." " William H. Avis, 
[to be concluded.] 
Our First Camping Trip. 
(Conchided from J>aiie 32'i.) 
At the outlet of Sixth Lake the State had built a high 
dam for the purpose, as we afterward learned, of storing 
Avatcr for the canals, as these Avaters eventually find their 
v/ay to the State canals via Moose and Black rivers. 
Thus the Avaters of Sixth and Seventh lakes had been 
raised some 6 feet or more, and in places had backed into 
the forest for a considerable distance on nearly all sides. 
The residt wfi.<i; that acres and acres of dead forest ap- 
peared to have at one time grown right out of the lake, 
and on all sides, except close to the dam, where avc had 
pushed off. To haA^e found a landing place at any other 
point across the lake would have been impossible, for to 
have reached the new shores one Avould have had to 
Avork his boat a long distance through water filled with 
floating logs and brush, and all in the midst of a forest of 
old dead trees. It Avas very evident that the outlet of 
Seventh Lake came through this submerged forest sojne- 
where on the north and emptied into Sixth Lake, but 
Avhere? Fortunately it was early afternoon. In very 
short order we had roAved across the open Avater and 
skirted the woods along its Avhole northern border. We 
entered every little bay and every little opening in among 
the trees in hopes of discovering the channel, but all to 
no effect. It was getting late, and we hardly knew 
Avhat to do, and were beginning to think we would have 
to camp all njght at the clam, when all of a sudden a 
boat shot out of the dead forest and made toward the 
carry we had lately come over. We Avere some distance 
away at this time, but Ave marked the place Avell and 
rowed for it for dear life. It did not look a bit like an 
inlet, but Ave pushed on and soon the way became well 
defined, although there was a dead forest close to us on 
either side. That night Ave camped early on Seventh 
Lake, and I remember that we all retired early, slept 
soundly, Averc up with the lark, and all felt as fresh and 
as happy as three daisies. 
I doubt if it was very much after 5 o'clock when we 
had finished breakfast and found ourselves once more 
in the boat and making for the north end of the lake to 
try and soIa^c a problem similar to the one presented to 
us the day before, viz., to locate a boat trail through a 
submerged forest. I will not tire any one by reciting 
our troubles in detail. We eventually found the inlet, 
but not until we had enjoyed the experience of having 
been actually lost in the Avoods in a boat for sev^eral hours, 
and the only Avay Ave got out Avas to steer a fairl}' direct 
course to open water and cut our Avay out Avith an axe, 
and with three fellows and three heavy pac;k baskets in 
a light Adirondack boat this undertaking Avas no laugh- 
ing matter, or, rather, it might have been, for the others 
Avould certainly haAJ^e laughed, and laughed heartily, if 
one of us had got a good ducking. It was peculiar, but 
in cutting our way out we ran across the inlet, and al- 
though it Avas quite a long one, Ave soon found ourselves 
at the carry. Up to this time we had been troubled little 
if any by mosquitoes, but the moment Ave put foot on 
the landing we Avere tackled by SAA'arms and swarms of 
them, until it seemed almost unendurable, and before we 
got everything ready to pack over the trail Ave had to 
stop Avork several times and go back in the AA^oods, take 
a breathing spell and anoint our necks, faces, hands and 
Avrists with coal tar. Of all the mosquito places I ever 
struck I think this landing Avas the worst, and in spite 
of a liberal use of tar oil, by the time we got aAvay our 
faces, necks and hands were covered Avith blood, and not 
one of us but had tears in his eyes. It was simply tm- 
endurable, and I can Avell imagine that some of the 
mosquito stories that we hear once in a AA^hile from the 
Canadian NorthAvest are only too true. 
If I remember correctly, the carry before us over to 
Eighth Lake Avas a mile and a half or possibly tAvo miles 
long; at any rate it was a good, long trail, but Avith our 
experience of the day before Ave considered Ave AA^ere old 
hands at it, and proved it. too, and by noon everything 
Avas over, and Ave had dinner on the shore of Eighth 
Lake — and a beautiful and isolated sheet of Avater it is, 
too. To roAv on it Avhen its surface Avas smooth was like 
floating in mid air, for the water was so clear that the 
rocky bottom could be distinctly seen to a very great 
depth. 
In Eighth Lake is a beautiful little island, Avith a 
hunter's little log cabin on it, and as it Avas Friday this 
island spot seemed a good place to make camp for ov^er 
Sunday, AAdiich was accordingly done. 
Friday we pidled up to the northerly end of the lake, 
found the trail and took a morning stroll over to 
Raquette Lake Inlet. A trail ahvays has a fascination 
for most people. If it is quite plain and there is no 
danger of losing it yow simply abandon yourself to it 
and go Avhere it leads you, without respect to your loca- 
tion or regard to the points of the compass, and yotr 
knoAv that in time it Avill surely bring you to Avater; per- 
haps only a stream, but maybe to a beautiful sheet of 
Avater. And Ave' not only enjoyed our trip on the 
Raquette Lake trail that morning, but Ave could noAV say 
that Aye had been as far as Raquette Lake Inlet. 
This was the end of our trip in this direction. Our 
plan Avas to go hastily oyer to Raquette Lake, remain 
at Eighth Lake OA'er Sunday, have a good rest, and then 
go back to Fourth, Avhere Ave Avere to make a permanent 
camp from the balance of our two'Aveeks' A^acation, and 
from which camp Ave could make, from time to time, 
A'arious boating and fishing excursions. 
Sunday afternoon, I remember, we discovered an old 
tin Dutch oven in the AA^oodshed of the hunter's log cabin, 
and having flour and baking poAvder Avith us, and being 
desirous of trying my hand. I proceeded to break the 
Sabbath by baking a hatch of biscuit. I had never done 
such a thing before — I do not mean I had ncA^er broken 
the Sabbath, but that this was my maiden effort at 
baking. T read and folloAved carefully the directions 
printed on the baking powder can, and for a Avonder the 
biscuit were fairly good, and before night I tried it 
again, it Avas all so easy, and I enjoyed the satisfaction I 
derived in being so successful at such a new venture. I 
AA-iil not quote any Scriptirre or undertake to explain 
how it happened: I do not knoAV. T did exactly as I 
did before, but the biscuit didn't. They were surely 
made of flour, btrtter (I suppose) and Avater and baking 
poAvder, first made into dough and then baked, but I 
have never knoAvn of an instance before or since Avhere 
dough or flowef and watei* first made into doughj or, for 
that matter, anything in the supposed eatable line, could 
get into such a hard state as that second batch of biscuit. 
They Avcre harder that lead bullets. Man can dent lead, 
, but you could not those biscuit. They would break 
first. Of course, it Avas some time before I heard the 
last of those armor-clad biscuit, but what Avould a camp- 
ing trip be unless some one did something that the others 
could guy him about? 
For over tAVO days we had not seen a soul, and for 
nearly three had not said "boo" to any one except our- 
selves, and it was really beginning to get lonesome, and 
so early Mondajf morning found us on the move, and on 
our Avay back to Fourth Lake, and it Avas still early fore- 
noon AA'hen we reached the open water of Seventh Lake. 
We were aware that a fairly strong Avind was blowing, 
but were not prepared for Avhat Ave saw as we came to 
open Avater, for, lo and behold! the lake was covered with 
whitecaps. We had heard of its being a dangerous and 
rather treacherous lake, and now it appeared to be so in 
dead earnest. With three nien and three full pack 
baskets our boat, as you may avcII imagine, Avas well 
loaded down, and it Avas not very far from the Avater to 
the top of the guuAvale. We A^entured out several rods 
into the open water, but felt too ticklish about going 
further, and returned to the shelter of the submerged 
forest. There was no place to land; we must patiently 
Avait in our boat for the wind to go down or else go 
back up the inlet a mile or so to the dreaded mosquito 
landing; either that or venture across the lake through 
tlie acres of whitecaps to solid ground. We held a long 
consultation. Across the bay to our right was a log 
camp. cA'idently the home of some guide. Perhaps he 
would see us and come to our rescue. So we en- 
deavored to keep in plain sight. Finally a little girl, to 
all appearance not more than ten or twelve years old, 
came out and watched us. We kncAV she saw us, and 
expected every minute she would go in and tell her 
father. Perhaps he was away. However, imagine our 
surprise a moment later to see the little chick go down to 
the landing, push oft' the boat that was there, jump in 
and row aAvay out into the lake in the very midst of the 
Avhitecaps; then turn around and row back, as much as 
to say, "See that? There is no danger! If a little girl 
in a light boat won't tip oA'er three men in a loaded 
boat surely will not." I do not know if that reasoning 
is logical or not — i. e., that a loaded boat is safer in a 
heavy sea than a light one — nor do I care particularly. 
The example had its effect, and we got through all 
right, but Ave took in lots of water and got thoroughb^ 
Avet. We cut diagonally across the waves to the nearest 
point of solid land, directly across the bay, but long be- 
fore Ave got there our courage had gotten up and we 
turned our boat to a point further down and finally 
ended by striking straight across the lake to the outlet. 
And although our confidence in ourselves and our boat 
had greatly increased, yet we breathed easier AVhen we 
finally glided the boat into the narroAv and quiet Avaters 
of the outlet. But Ave shall ahvays remember that guide's 
little daughter. 
Sixth and Fifth lakes were soon reached and crossed, 
and by noon we Avere once more at Fourth Lake. Noav 
this lake is very large at its upper end; at any rate, large 
enough to let the wind get a good sweep at it, and this 
wind, if anything, had increased and Avas taking ad- 
vantage of the opportunity. We kncAV pretty nearly 
where Ave Avanted to make a permanent camp, and we 
did want to reach this point early. We felt that Ave had 
had experience, and so forth we went bravely. I won't 
keep the reader in suspense. We got through with our 
lives and luggage, but Ave were as Avet as drowned rats, 
and really it was a dangerous undertaking. But we got 
to the spot selected, and it proved to be a splendid place, 
Avitli one exception. There was a good spring, and on the 
beach a large section of a raft upon which we could land 
or put out our boat or go out and and wash our dishes. 
The one exception above mentioned Avas that the place 
did not get quite enough of the lake breezes to keep the 
camp free of "punkies," a very, very small fly — so small 
that you can hardly see it — and yet its bite is almost as 
bad as that of the mosquito. There is only one comfort 
(.if a torment can have a comfort), and that is you can- 
not hear them sing. I think that the song of a mosquito 
is a great deal more annoying than its bite. The only 
safe Avay to keep rid of the "punkies" is to locate your 
camp if possible out pretty Avell on some point, for a 
very slight current of air will drive them away in no 
time, 
"The place selected for our permanent camp was at a 
point on the easterly side of Fourth Lake, about two- 
thirds the distance of the lake and almost opposite a small 
island called by us Huckleberry Island, it being a huge 
rock rising out of the lake and literally coA'ered with 
huckleberry bushes, and the bushes Avith good, ripe 
huckleberries, too. 
That night Ave slept in our permanent camp, and to 
use a popular expression, "it was a beauty." We had 
been discussing the matter between ourselves and had 
made up our minds as to pretty near Avhat we wanted 
and intended to have, and tliat was a nice, large, open 
lean-to camp built of hemlock bark, and fronting on 
the lake, Avith a good fire directly in front. We laid 
out the camp 9 feet by 9 feet, and it Avas a very easy 
matter to build a fairly strong and substantial frame- 
work. Our canvas lean-to that we had been using was 
12 by 12, and Avould cover the back and a portion of the 
roof, Avhich Avould make the rear part quite light, but 
this left fully 6 feet of the slanting roof in front and the 
most important part of all yet to cover, and now if we 
only had one Avhole piece of bark 6 feet by 9 feet for the 
roof and tAvo other pieces almost as large for the sides 
our camp A\'ould be perfect, and more than that it Avould 
be unique, comfortable, attractive, picturesque and a 
whole lot of other things. We had the idea, could we 
do it? One of the things we first took notice of on 
landing was a monster hemlock close by and over 3 
feet in diameter. It was indeed a big proposition, biit 
in the course of a half hour or so down came that tree, 
spuds Avere made, and off came the bark, and that night 
Ave slept in a camp made of some sticks, three pieces of 
bark and a piece of canvas; but it Avas no small affair; 
it Avas a full-groAvn camp, and during the ten days or 
„ more that it Avas our home it served us well, was com- 
fortable and never leaked a drop, although we had sev- 
eral very heaA^y shoAvers. During our stay there Ave had 
