N'ov. 36, 1901.1 
FORE si* AN£) STREAM. 
423 
as good as the average country roads anywhere, and the 
drive is charming all the way, especially the last part 
through the woods. 
We arrived at Coon in four hours, the usual time for 
making the trip. Idlewild is a comfortable camp, capable 
of accommodating thirty guests. Mr. O. C. Bumford i.s 
running the Second Lake camp this year, and we every- 
where heard the highest praise for him as a landlord. 
The fishing commences as soon as the ice goes out in the 
spring, from May 20 to June 20 being the best time for 
the lake trout, 'lunge, which are taken best with a troll 
on a light rod. The last season was most successful; 
there was not a single party but what caught all the fish 
they wanted. There is good stream fishing, and several 
bogs and inlets where speckled trout can be taken with 
bait, and only six miles away is Third Lake, teeming with 
beautiful speckled trout; but more of this lake later. 
Second Lake is approximately one and a half miles long 
and one mile wide, surrounded by hills, unmarred by the 
lumberman's axe, with the forest stretching unbroken for 
hundreds of miles across Maine and Canada. Here is 
found as wild country as any man can wish ; here you can 
get away from civilization, and also get lost. No stranger 
should enter the big woods without a compass ; a guide is 
safer. The woods come clear to the water's edge, except 
where the sandy beaches and low bushes make ideal places 
for the deer to come in. 
This is a great deer country; seventeen were in view 
at one time from the piazza of the camp one day last 
simimer. The house possesses an excellent glass, and to 
watch for deer is one of the diversions of the guests. It 
is not given to many to enjoy the solace of an after-diimcr 
pipe on a shady veranda and watch wild deer come down 
to the water. .Opportunities for photographing are ex- 
cellent, and if you have never done it, it is exciting to 
have a skillful guide silently paddle you within snap-shot 
distance of a group of six or seven beautiful deer. 
The afternoon of our arrival was rainy, and we sat 
around the cheerful fire in the great stone chimney and 
smoked, occasionally poking the great open fire to warm 
the backs of the two little British red coats who form the 
curious andirons. Mr. J. O. Reynolds is connected with 
this camp as guide. Jimmie has guided here for years, 
and knows the country as well as your milkman knows 
the way to your back door. There are many other good 
guides near here who can be secured on short notice, and 
if more are wanted ,Mr. Bumford will hitch up the old 
mare and have one for you in two hours. 
Next morning Jimmie filled his pack with the few neces- 
saries and we got into an Indian rock, as they call the 
Adirondack boats, rowed across the lake and up the 
stream a mile, then took the trail for Third Lake. This 
trail is kept in good condition ; a number of ladies went 
over it this summer, and we made the five miles in two 
hours. 
A trail through an unbroken forest always has a fascina- 
tion for a lover of the woods, and a five-mile tramp 
through these forests, fragrant with the smell of the beau- 
tiful balsams so common to the woods of northern New 
Hampshire is alone worth the price of admission. Deer 
tracks were numerous, and we saw one of which I would 
have given much to see the maker. 
At Third Lake are two log cabins, one set boldly out 
on the lake front; this is furnished with bunks, which 
fold up against the wall out of the way; good springs and 
mattresses with an abundance of blankets make them very 
comfortable. An open fire adds to the cheerfulness. A 
little back is a larger cabin, equipped with cook stove 
and all the necessaries of the art of camp cookery. These 
cabins will accommodate a party of six with guides. 
Third Lake is a gem, the prettiest of the three, 500 feet 
higher than Second Lake, about a half-mile wide and 
three-quarters long, surrounded by high hills covered with 
both hardwood and spruce ; it lies like a diamond in an 
emerald setting. The virgin forest comes clear to the 
water's edge. This lake is very deep in some places, and 
is full of trout, but the nature of the shores does not make 
it a good deer country. 
There is a so-called Fourth Lake a short distance from 
here, but it is nothing but a duck pond, and we did not 
visit it. 
After dinner we cross the lake and talte the trail for 
the 'Settlement." After about half a mile we cross the 
boundary line between the possessions of Uncle Sam and 
John Bull. Here are two- square iron posts, on the four 
sides of which are cast the following legends : 
Boundary, Aug. 9, 1842. 
.\lbert Smith, U. S. Comssr. ^ 
Treaty of Washington. 
Lieut.-Col. 1. B. B. Estcourt, H. B. M. Comssr 
Another landmark is a new wooden post, replacing an 
old rotten one, which lies at its foot, marked: 
SOPHIE. 
Grave of an Indian Woman. 
This squaw was with the surveying party which laid 
the boundary line, and the sign marking her burial place 
has, strangely enough, been preserved. 
Coming out of the woods we have a magnificent view 
over part of the domain of King Edward. Jimmie has 
an errand in the Settlement, whose scattered houses lie 
far below in the valley, so while he is away. Tom and I 
wander down to the first farmhouse with the intention of 
buying a chicken to increase the camp fare. I put on my 
most winning smile and inquire of the dark-eyed, healthy- 
looking young woman who comes to the door if I can 
buy a chicken. She shakes her head. I offer to pay 
liberally, but while she looks willing, she says nothing. 
It suddenly dawns on me that this is Canada, and I ad- 
dress her in French, and, presto ! her tongue is loosened 
and she talks a streak. 
Inside the rough frame house is a most interesting sight 
— four generations, great grandmother, grandmother, 
mother and two sturdy, rosy, cheerful youngsters. The 
three women are all at work combing, spinning and weav- 
"ing, making the gray homespun which you have to travel 
far to find these days. They bring out a pair of trousers 
priced at four dollars. How soon can they finish a pair 
from the cloth on the old hand loom? Two days. The 
ade is made; my measure is taken with pieces of yarn 
iiid it is arranged that Jimmie shall call and get them 
the next time he comes to the lake and send them out to 
me. I haven't got them yet, and am just a little curious to 
see the fi^. 
I bargain for that chicken now, but as the cockerel will 
not hold his head still I have a good deal of leg work, and 
burn considerable powder before I succeed in shooting 
him. Jimmie comes up with a huge loaf of French bread 
under his arm, and we make a quick return to the lake. 
It is near sunset, and with a light rod and three small 
flies I have an hour's good sport. It is still, and the 
trout are rising all over the lake. Two at a time, some- 
times, oftener one; beautiful trout are taken, running 
from one-half to one and a half pomids. All but four are 
returned to the water, and even these proved to be more 
than three hungry men could eat. 
The fishing here in the spring is said to be fine. The 
trout are taken then with bait or troll; the fly-fishing 
comes at the end of the season. We dined royally that 
night. Tom made himself a birch bark horn and went 
outside and gave moose calls till a great horned owl 
across the Uke started a rival entertainment; Tom imi- 
tated him until the bird got so mad he would do nothing 
but squawk. 
In the morning a helldiver on the lake furnished us an 
animated target for the rifle. Tom distinguished himself 
by hitting his bobbing neck at 100 yards, and he went out 
with the boat and gathered him in as another addition to 
our collection,- 
The camp put in order, we struck the homeward trail 
a resounding whack. On the way I had a chase after a 
sheldrake, which couldn't rise in the limited space he 
found and bumped awkwardly into old logs and finally 
escaped by hiding up under the bank. When we were 
nearly to the boat six or eight partridges crossed the trail ; 
the old cocks with tails and ruffs spread seemed angry 
at the intrusion; their contempt added three plump birds 
to the camp fare. 
When we reached the lake a strong head wind was 
lilowing, and after a hard pull across we reached Idlewild 
in tinie far one of Mrs. Bumford's splendid dinners. 
THE MIDDAY LUNCH. 
After a good tramp and paddle, supplemented by a 
hearty dinner, a pipe of Dill's Best before a great open 
fire makes a man feel like giving away all his money. 
Next day at 4 P. M. we row across the lake, walk a 
mile and a half by trail to what is called the East Inlet. 
At the dam we take an old flat-bottomed boat and paddle 
a mile and a half up the winding stream. Here we are 
treated to a rare sight; the clouds break away and in the 
east is a beautiful double rainbow. As Ave carefully work 
our way. following the current around old stumps and fal- 
len timber, a great blue heron asleep behind a bunch of 
tall marsh grass rises with clumsy haste and- flaps away 
over the tall dead trees. Three whistlers ^shoot away over 
our heads, and to the observant lover of nature the forest 
and stream are full of interest. 
Further up, the stream becomes still more tortuous, 
tlie banks more grassj^ and less wooded. We suddenly 
come on a snug little cabin beside the stream ; the old boat 
lays her nose up on the sandy beach, and we get out 
a bit stiff and chilly. We have made the trip up, if is 
nearly dark and we have seen no deer. 
Jimmie's cabin is about 8 x 15, built of boards, roofed 
with bark, tight and warm. The bulk of the floor space 
is occupied by a bunk filled with fragrant freshly cut hay, 
in which four men could sleep comfortably. A little fiend 
in the shape of sheet iron stove, which devours birch 
bark and dry wood ravenously and roars for more, serves 
to heat the cabin and cook the grub. Jim spends part of 
his time here in the spring trapping muskrats, sable (pine 
martin), mink, fishers and bears. Plenty of bedding an4-* 
cooking utensils make this camp a good place for any 
one who wants to get away from the crowd, the best 
hunting and fishing grounds are at your very door. 
Hot tea and luncheon put us in fighting trim, and put- 
ting on all our clothing we take our places in the old red 
boat, which proves to be, as Jimmie says, "like a singed 
cat, better than she looks." For the next two hours we 
have rare sport, although the night is too clear for using 
the jack to the best advantage; we see four deer and hear 
two others. It is a strange trait in the character of these 
timid animals which holds them .spellbound at the sight 
of the bright light. 
New Ilampshii-e has a wi.se law prohibiting shooting 
with the jack, and the writer always failed to see the sport 
in approaching the game in this manner and killing it with 
a shotgim loaded with buckshot. 
There is something fascinating in being on the 
water at night— the strange noises that occasionally break 
the deathhke stillness, the little musquash silently swim- 
ming or feeding on the bank and disappearing with a 
loud splash as your boat comes on him suddenly, the 
frightened ducks rising noisily, and what your ear is 
constantly strained to catch— the splash, splash, splash of 
a deer among the lilypads. Our first deer is seen soon 
after leaving camp — a small doe with a fawn. We round 
a sharp bend and come on her suddenly; she floundered 
around and finally succeeded in mounting the steep bank, 
and when safe behind the alders stamped* and whistled, 
whereupon her fawn gave a tiny imitative snort and we 
saw his small blazing eyes pearing at us through tins 
luishcs. 
We saw next a big doe which splashed through the 
stream to a small island, where she stood while we worked 
our way silently nearer and nearer. Soon a great head 
and ears with blazing eyes were outlined against the 
sky. We approached within 30 feet before her fear over- 
came her curiosity, and with her immense leaps her white 
flag sailed over the high alders on the bank. 
The fourth one must have been an old hand at the busi- 
ness. From his whistle we took him to be a large buck, 
for he went off snorting and blowing with a noise like a 
small express. 
Two more we heard ftirther behind the alders, but their 
curiosity was evidently satisfied, for they kept back in 
the bush. 
It was growing chilly, the fog was now so thick wc 
could feel it, and the grateful warmth of that little sheet 
iron stove appealed to us, so we made a quick return, Jim- 
mie handling the old scow with rare skill. It was an 
art the way he kept in the only clear channel, winding and 
twisting in and out among old dead stumps and trees, 
never losing his bearings for a moment, while half the 
time Tom and I couldn't tell whetlier we were going up 
stream or down, and it was all done as quietly and easily 
as you climb your own front stairs with your shoes in 
your hand at 2 A. M. Another luncheon, another pot 
of tea, another pipe and sleep — such sleep. 
The morning dawns clear, and as we paddle homeward 
with the genial warmth of the sun on our backs, we see 
the great North Woods in all the beauty of a fall morning. 
- The old blue heron is discovered at breakfast, and makes 
another wild break of life. Two helldivers eye us curi- 
ously and apparently at a given signal disappear, leaving 
only a few widening circles to mark the spot. We look 
in vain for their return; without doubt they are watching 
us from behind some clump of marsh grass. A flicker 
flies from one tall stub to another; a small hawk gives 
chase, but is either not quick enough or hungry enough, 
and gives it up. A kingfisher sounds his rattle on ahead. 
The marsh is full of life. We reached Idlewild at 9 A. M. 
Later in the day the sky became overcast and promised 
rain. Just before supper we paddle down the lake to see 
what we may see. Rounding the point into South Bay, wc 
discover a deer feeding near shore; his head is under 
water, and when he raises it, behold a buck, and a beauty ! 
Jim paddles us to within 75 yards before his majesty 
catches sight of us out of the tail of his eye. He raises 
his noble head and takes a long look, then plunges ashore 
and disappears over the fallen tree trunks. 
In the open season a man with a cool head and steady 
hand might have had that head to hang over the fire- 
place in his den; but then in the open season he would 
not have been there. Our only regret was that the thick 
weather prevented our getting a photograph. 
Saturday was cold, with gray clouds driving hard from 
the northwest, which we hoped meant that the last night's 
storm had ended the equinox. We spend the day taking 
pictures and paddling around the lake shores. We once 
got within 50 feet of a small doe, but she jumped just be- 
fore I pressed the button and the negative was a blur. 
Jim Duranty came in at 6 P. M. with our team, bringing 
welcome letters from home. I found but one important 
entry in my note book for this day, it reads, "We are 
runnig out of tobacco ; this is serious." 
Sunday morning is frosty, and our heavy sweaters fee! 
very comfortable on the drive out to West Stewartstown, 
where we arrive at i P. M., and after a substantial din- 
ner with Landlord Pike we go across the street to a 
grocery store, Avhich the proprietor kindly opens for us, 
and buy supplies for our trip down the river. Our outfit 
proved in every way admirable. 
The 18-foot canoe (which should have been 16 feet), 
canvas covered, cedar planking, was built by the Indian 
Old Town Canoe Co.. their Guides' Special Model and 
extra light, weighing 68 pounds. As will be seen later, 
we gave this rough usage, and it came oitt better than we 
had a right to expect. 
_ The tent, a 7 x _ 6 Baker shelter tent of waterproof 
silk, which rolled into a bundle 6 x 20 inches, with 
ground cloth, was made by the David T. Abercrombie 
Co., as were the waterproof clothes bag and food bag; the 
latter with its twelve small bags for food is the most 
convenient scheme we ever itsed. From the same firm we 
had a cooking outfit of aluminum, all nesting nicely to- 
gether, light, durable and easily cleaned. 
Our canoe cttshions we found very comfortable for the 
bow man, whoi paddled pn his knees and at night t^iey 
made the best of pillows. From the -^amc firm again came 
our camp lantern, of ahmTioum, weighing 4}4 ounces, fold- 
ing up llat and burning "nan-dripable" candles, wiiidi 
recei\'ed unstinted. pr^rise on the whole trip. 
The above, with extra clothing, blanket. ponsJios, guns, 
fi,^hin}t tad^lf: Hrtd cnmeta weighed about 70 pounds. 
-Wc bi'liered we liad an ideal outfit in the most compact 
' an4 ttghlesv F-mr. T u iJ l>e glad to give any reader who 
is TniereNved tull dctr 'is regarding any of our equipment. 
We left West Su .vartstown at 2 P. M. We found the 
river vtiy ti w, and ran the first night to Colebrook. The 
next forenoon the river below Colebrook grew more shal- 
low and fiill of rapids, through which Ave ran, and in spite 
of oitr best efforts, giving the canoe hard knocks, it was 
often exciting; but as we neared North Stratford about 
noon the river became one continuous shalloAV rapid. We 
ran for several miles, but concluded Ave Avould be unwise 
to subject onr canoe to more such treatment, so we went 
ashore, and I made a sortie in quest of a farmer with a 
pair and hayrick. At the first house I was evidently mis- 
taken for a suspicious character, and as the good house- 
Avife did not seem to be enjoying the interview, I tried 
another place Avith better success. Here the farmer was 
just sitting down to dinner, and pressed me to accept his 
hospitality. We had paddled since early morning; it was 
half a mile from Tom and the canoe, and I reasoned 
that he had the grub bag any Avay^so I let him wait. 
After dinner Ave drove back, and loading everything 
aboard the hay wagon Avent to the railroad station in good 
form. 
From our experience I would not advise any man to put 
his canoe in aboA'e Wells River. From Wells River down 
the stream is larger, the rapids have Avater enough, the 
carries are not bad, the current is most of the way very 
appreciable, and one will find the trip altogether de- 
lightful. ^ 
