124 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Aug. 17, 1901. 
1 
stream or pond in time, and accounts for the small size 
of the trout in many parts of the Maine woods. We 
had a feast of square-tails that night, but the short 
ration of flour w-as still on. After breakfast we raised 
.the gates and sent a flood of water humming on its way. 
After letting it get -a good start we put the canoes in 
and went down stream like a shot. It did not look very 
promising for trout, and none showed itself until we had 
nearly reached the pond, when we discovered trout break- 
ing in the stream below us. Stepping ashore, I com- 
menced casting, and was overjoyed to find I was "in it" 
and no mistake. I soon fastened to a fine one, that was 
netted after a brief struggle; others quickly followed, but 
after a while they grew suspLpious and refused to rise. 
My hopes ran high, as we came out on the pond; every- 
thing was in my favor, as the sun was veiled in clouds. 
Flushed with success, I lost no time in getting to work, 
fearing the morning might change for the worse. The 
pretty fly that frequently kissed the surface of the pond 
seemed destined to find no admirers, when all at once 
it vanished in, a mighty swirl, and I was fast to the trout 
of my fancy. The whippy Belhabara bowed in obedience 
to the summons he sent along the ever-taut line, that 
cut viciously through the water. I made him fight for 
every inch of line, as I did not propose to have him 
hang me up on lily stems or snags. After a few vain 
efforts to catch me napping and snap the delicate 
leader, he found a resting place in the fatal net. He 
was the best trout of the trip, and looked all of 2 pounds. 
I soon hooked another good one, but lost him directly. 
They now commenced to rise all around us. The best 
place was near a stick of timber, well out toward the 
center of the pond. I managed to gather in several 
fine specimens before they awoke to the situation, and 
slacked oS. Meanwhile our old friend, the buck, had 
put in an appearance, and eyed our proceedings with 
manifest disapproval. Drifting down to the falls, I found 
the upper pool alive with small trout, and soon had 
enough for camp use. 
My rod and flies are my own make, and never fail me. 
The sliding loop prevents the fly from stripping; it is 
my ov/n contrivance, and has been tested by an enormous 
speckled giant in McCIoskey's Pool, Fish River. Tliis 
trout must have weighed close to 6 pounds. I lost him 
after a prolonged struggle, but he failed to strip the 
fly or slip the loop. Flies tied on the old-fashioned plan 
may be safe enough when new, but are liable to strip. 
-A-fter being in use a short time the fly will often look 
bright and new, when the gut is so w^orn at the head as 
to render it useless. When the gut gets worn at the 
head of the loop it will take you about one minute to cut 
above the tender spot and tie in another loop. I have 
tried both kinds, and speak from bitter experience. The 
sliding loop was placed before the angling publit some 
years ago. It met with a chilly reception from a class 
of anglers who were too indolent to give it a fair trial. 
If the other sort are interested, I will cheerfully give 
all the information required in Forkst and Stream. 
The prospects for shipper were rather one-sided; it was 
a feast of trout and a famine in flour. Cram had the 
mate to my big one, but I am inclined to think the fly 
came out ahead this time, in numbers at least. 
At break of day we hurried down stream and went into 
camp on Chamberlain Inlet. Stowing my precious rod 
in a hollow log, to protect it from the fast-falling rain, I 
watched the guides trying to coax the timid flame with 
birch bark and other devices, They succeeded after a 
while in starting a roaring fire that bade defiance to the 
elements. As we reclined in our tight little tent, listen- 
ing to the patter of the rain, a delicious sense of warmth 
and repose stole over us, as we watched the fast-dying 
fire. 
Old Chamberlain was all smiles in the mornmg, and 
sent us on our way rejoicing. Cram kept the spoon 
going, while urging his canoe forward, and when we 
brought up at the foot of the lake for lunch he had 
managed to secure a fine laker. While strolling around 
waiting for giaib I noticed the guides gazing at some 
object on the north shore of the lake. Joining them, I 
saw a dark spot up against the background of woods. 
Almost imperceptibly, it changed its position, and proved 
to be an immense moose moving along the lake shore. 
As we paddled out into Telosmis, a cow moose was 
sighted. She eyed us suspiciously._ and retreated before 
our advancing canoes disappeared in the forest. In due 
time we arrived at Cooper's, and our troubles were over, 
as far as provisions were concerned. The remainder of 
our trip has little to interest the sportsman. No moose 
nor deer were sighted on the way down, and we found 
precious few trout; Bill Fish Brook was deserted; I had 
no rises at Hollister's Level;. in fact, the fishing on the 
river is beneath contempt, as far as my experience goes. 
Thinking to better my fortunes, I tried Sunsoos Pond. 
I found a comfortable camp here, but no trout. When 
one of these abominations fastens itself on a trout pond 
the fishing soon shrinks to nothing. Camps and lumber- 
men have done more to ruin the trout fishing than any 
other cause that can be named. Large speckled trout 
are not often met with outside of Big Fish Lake, a 
famous resort a few years ago— and may be yet. The 
water was fearfully low, and kept the guides guessmg. 
This trouble gradually passed away, as the canoes caught 
up with the water that passed by in the early morning. 
My faithful guides, Frank Cram, of Staceyville, and 
his friend, Lyman Hunt, are both good moose hunters, 
and know more about the forest than most of the guides. 
I was determined to have one more layout in the woods 
before donning the garb of civilized life. We found a 
place' that suited us, near the d^adwater. Here we 
gathered around our fire for the last time. The merry 
jest and story were lacking to-night; an air of mournful 
resignation pervaded the camp; the glorious life in the 
woods had come to ail end; the next night I would ex- 
change the balsam boughs for the cramped quarters of 
the sleeper— the wild song of the rapids for the roar of 
traflic. Good-by, old woods! the care-free life we lived 
beneath thy shade will not be forgotten while memory 
lasts. W. C. SQtJiER, Jr. 
The FoKKST AND Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday. 
Correspondence intended for publication should reach us at tba 
latest by Monday and aa much earlier aa practicable 
Cruising — From a Woman's Point 
of View. 
We had been disappointed in our previous plans for 
making the cruise of the Muskosh and Moon rivers, 
and, owing to the scarcity of guides, it was beginnin.g 
to look as though we would be disappointed again. We 
had been in camp with a large part\^ on the Georgian 
Bay nearly two weeks, when my husband finally pro- 
cured a seventeen-year-old Indian boy for a guide. 
Taking our canoe, provisions, tents, and blankets, we 
boarded the steamer City of Toronto on Monday morn- 
ing. When Ave reached Go-Home Bay, where we in- 
tended leaving the steamer and commencing the canoe 
voyage, we found a high wind and heavy sea; these, with 
a cold rain that was fallin.g, decided us to remain on the 
steamer till evening, when she would run in to Mada- 
waska Dock. 
About 4 o'clock in the afternoon we started on our 
cruise up Go-FIome River, and camped at the first falls 
that night. The rain was over before we left the steamer 
and we had no difficulty putting up our tents and get- 
ting balsam for beds. Then we sat around the camp- 
fire and ate our supper and watched the stars come out 
and take iheir places in the sky. 
We had closed up otir tent for the night, and I thought 
how soft and fragrant these balsa'm boughs are and what 
sleepy music comes from the falls. Then I opened my 
eyes. , The birds were singing, and it was morning. I 
was not sleepv now. I only wanted to see how it looked 
outside. What a morning! Yesterday was dull and 
stormy, with a dampness and chill in the air that sent 
us to the cabin. When the boat stopped at the dock 
it was with some mis.givings that we left the comfortable 
steamer for canoe and cruising tent; but this morning 
all is changed. The whole atmosphere is filled with 
softest rose <^ints. The clouds, the tree tops, the mist 
rising from the river, and even the spray from the iaLs., 
are tinted with the same rosy hue. As I stand entranced 
by this more than beautiful scene, "Old Sol" rises above 
the hills, sendin,g his firsc slanting rays across water and 
woods, and Ihc rosy hues are changed to yellow and 
green. 
After breakfast we packed up our tents, "like the .A-rab," 
but were on the wrong end of a hard portage to "steal 
away silently." Finally everything was loaded into the 
canoe again and we paddled up Go-Home River into 
the Musko-sh, crossed Flat Rock portage, and were soon 
on Sandy Grey Lake. 
The log chute at the next falls was washed away low- 
ering the viver alaove and making the portage long and 
difficult. From this log chute to the Big Eddy is a 
beautiful stretch of river. In places the banks are densely 
wooded. The tree tops seem to meet and form a green 
arch overhead, while the shores are fringed with bright 
red lobelia cardinalis; all of which are reflected in the 
water over which we were swiftly and silently moving. 
As we came around a sharp bend in the river, the Big 
Eddy lay before us in the form of a small, circular lake, 
surrounded by tall hemlocks, and having a beach of 
clean white sand on one side. At these falls the water 
is gathered into a narrow gorge and comes rushing and 
tumbling down over the rocks, which are worn, so as 
to leave what seems a massive curved stone balustrade 
on one side. One can easily imagine the water tumbling 
down over a .great stone stairway. After spcndmg some 
time at this place we crossed the portage, which, although 
a long one, is not difficult, and were soon on our way 
to the next falls, where we intended to camp for the 
night. 
We came to quite a large island, with falls on each 
side. The channel on the left of the island is filled with 
great rocks and boulders that have fallen from the high 
bluff. Above this island is another falls, and the bluff 
has become a steep hill, covered with a thick growth of 
pine and hemlock. Here the river sweeps around in a 
great curve, inclosing a tract of level land which has 
been cleared. This tract is a deserted Indian reserva- 
tion. Our camp for the night was opposite the upper 
falls, about two hundred feet back from the river and 
near an old log cabin on this clearing. When our guide 
was carrying the canoe up from the river, an Indian called 
to him from the woods on the other shore, but our In- 
dian did not understand what he said, as he belonged 
10 a different tribe. 
It was now getting late, and the men went mto the 
woods, three or four hundred yards back of the clear- 
ing, for pine and tent poles. I watched the Indian across 
the'river to see what he would do. Lie got on a log, and, 
by some method known to Indians, commenced to pad- 
dle himself across. When 1 saw that he was gomg to 
get over I .sat down, took an empty revolver in my 
iiand (I did not know where the cartridges were, and, 
covering it with my hat thought I would at least guard 
the provi.-ions. The Indian got safely over, climbed the 
steep bank, and ^said "Good Evening," as he passed near 
where I was sitting. As I watched him follow the trad 
across the dearing, with his rifle over his shoulder, I 
laid down the empty revolver, thinking the provisions 
were probably safe. I now turned my attention to 
making bread" and butter sandwiches, with a feeling that 
I .understood this work better than acting as guard. 
The men returned with the pine and our tents were 
soon ready for the night. The guide prepared the sup- 
per, which we ate as the sun sank below the tops of the 
pines. 
As we ;-at in the midst of this clearing, and our camp- 
fire had become a bed of red coals, we could trace the 
windings of the river by the white mist that rose, soft 
and mysterious, asainst the pine-covered hills on the 
opposite shore. The skv was like ebony set with mil- 
lions and millions of diamonds, so numerous were the 
stars. Back of our camp, standing a few feet apart, 
were two dead pine trees that seemed, in the darkness, to 
reach to the heavens and hold them aloft. The almost 
oppressive silence, broken only by the falling of the 
water the rugged grandeur of the surroundings, together 
with the brilliancy of the sky, made the night one never 
to be forgotten. 
The next morning as we were leisurely packing up, we 
heard an unearthly war whoop, and, looking round, saw 
four men from our camp, with their Indian guides, cross- 
ing the portage. They had only been able to procure 
guides in time to start Tuesday morning. 
We now hastened our packing and were soon afl.oat ill 
company with the other canoes. Stopping at the Ragged 
Rapids, we cooked our dinner, and in a short time had 
left the Muskosh and were floating down the Moon 
River. The sceneiy on the Moon River is wilder than; 
on the Muskosh. There are high hills on both sides 
of the river. The falls are higher and more numerous, 
but the general characteristics of many of them are the 
same. The water is gathered into a narroAv gorge, anc 
makes a first leap of several feet, striking boulders and 
broken rocks, over which it^rushes at an angle of from', 
45 to 60 degrees, churning the water into foam and dash- 
ing spray high in the air, till it reaches the foot of the 
declivity, where it forms a large eddy. 
Late in the afternoon we traversed a beautiful stretch 
of river above Lun.ge Point. The surface of the watet 
seemed to be without a ripple. The blue sky, fleckec 
with fleecy white clouds: the steep hillsides, coverec 
with forest trees; and the shores, dotted here and there 
with bright, red flowers, were reflected so perfectly in 
the water that we appeared to be floating in space. I) 
took an occasional war whoop from some of the boy^ 
to reassure us,, for it seemed as though Ave had gotteri 
lo.st in fairy land. But we reached Lunge Point at 
last, and proceeded to make camp for the night. 
After supper the Judge took his rod and went downl 
to ihe river to try his luck, which, so far, had been good, 
and this venture proved no exception, for he soon re- 
turned with a large bass. The Judge and I, deciding 
to have that fish broiled for breakfast, hung the landing 
net, with the fish in it, high up on a tree. But '"Mr 
Coon" came around in the night hunting a lunch anc^ 
carried off fish, landing net, and all; first walking over 
our tin dishes in his bare feet. After quite a search the 
Doctor found the landing net in some bushes the next 
morning. 
That ni.ght the wolves were out late, and they gave 
a concert on their way home. About the time they 
arrived opposite our camp we were very wide awake, and 
glad to hear their music, especially as they were on the 
other side of the nver. From the volume of sound I 
thought there must be a hundred in the pack, but when 
I asked the Indian in the morning, he only shook hig 
head and said, "Ugh, 'bout five, six." 
The next morning we went to Lunge Lake, whichj 
tradition sajs. abounds with big fish; but experience 
taught us that if the fish are there, both big and little 
ones intend to stay. We had given up and were about 
to return to camp when the Judge caught a 3-pound 
muscallunge. The rest of us had to be content with 
looking at this fish, for we did not even get a strike. 
.After an early dinner we were again on our way. Ouiii 
hardest portage was on this part of the river, around a|| 
series of rapids and falls known as the Seven Sisters. 
It was quite excitin.g to watch the Indians going over 
the rapids, standing in their frail craft, their paddle.^ 
poised in the air ready to steer them away from danger- 
ous rocks. A short distance below this portage we camt 
to a recently deserted camp. The board tables and seats 
wer^ well arranged, and everything was clean. Beaching 
cur canoes, we made ourselves comfortable for the night 
-After dark the boys gathered around a chart of the 
Moon River, spread out on a corner of the table, which 
they were intently studying by the light of a candle. 
There not being room for my head in the circle, I thought 
I would liber.ite six or eight half-grown frogs we had 
.in a tin can. Quietly removing the lid, I turned the 
can a little to one side, and the frogs, by a common im- 
pulse, made a leap for the light, landing on the head;- 
and shoulders of the thoroughly astonished group. I 
was sorry for my rash act the next day, when, fishing at 
the foot of the falls we saw an immense 'lunge following 
"Lucky Jim's" bait, but it would not .strike at the little 
frog. I knew his chance for catchin.g a 15-pound 'lunge 
would be much better if he only had one of those large, 
frogs. That night we were again awakened, about 4 
o'clock, by the barking of a wolf in the distance. 
The next day, after passing through some wild and 
rocky country and portaging around" some beautiful falls, 
we came to a sharp bend in the river and were facing 
the narrow gorge, with its high, rocky banks, above the 
Moon Falls. As we looked out through the gorge the 
whole country seemed to have dropped down, the tops! 
of the trees being away below us. The effect was weird 
and unreal. 
I could not describe these falls if I would, but if you 
go to see them you will be well repaid for your trouble, 
even if you have to do as we did; portage around a log 
boom in the mouth of the river. I realize that it is 
superfluous for me to advise men to make this cruise, 
for they go anv way, but I would advise every woman 
to go that can. I always accompany my husband when 
he goes on a cruise, and I have never had one wholly 
unpleasant day nor uncomfortable night. 
As we cam.e through Capt. Allyn's Straits, the three 
canoes abreast, we seemed to be floating on enchanted 
waters. The sun, like a great, red ball, sank below the 
horizon, coloring the sky and water a bright orange, 
which slowly deepened into purple, then faded to gray. 
When we approached the main camp many of the 
party vvere out in skiffs, and the sound of their singing 
and laughter, as it came to us over the water, lent an 
additional charm to the surroundings. 
What a change! We had left camp Monday morning 
in the mist and rain, and, after a delightful trip, returned 
Friday evening in the golden glory of a Canadian sunset, 
A. W. C. 
Teacher— What is the meaning of the word "excavate"? SmalV 
Pupil— It means to hollow out. Teacher— Correct. Now form a I 
sentence in which the word is properly used. .Small Pupil— Slick ! 
a pin in a boy and he will excavate.— Chicago News. 
Take inventory of the good things in this issue 
of Forest and Stream. Recall what a fund was 
given lost week. Count on what is to come next 
week. Was there ever in all the world a more 
abundant weekly store of sportsmen's reading? 
