May 9, 1903.J 
A Cf air in the Ojibway Paradise. 
- In Two Paris— Part Two. 
After It^-'^kfast the next morning an application of 
hot skilj •>^andle was made to the bottom of the 
canoe, and <^'ere ready to start again. When pack- 
ing up the '■'*visons we found that a squirrel had got 
into one fie sacks and helped hinisdf to about a 
dozen prnv. '-neaving a handful of seeds in one corner. 
We had dec;'';! not to go to Temagami Lake by the 
regular tourist route, but through a chain of lakes to 
tlie west ar '^•':ne into Temagami by the Northwest 
Arm. So ij ■ *'bf keeping to the south over Diamond 
Lake, we ti o the west. Part of the way we had 
a head wind .. made haste slowly. Near the head 
of Diamond' Lake is a deposit of rock that has no 
doubt been placed there by glaciers. It is a short dis- 
tance below the mouth of a stream that comes down 
through a narrow gorge and empties into Diamond 
Lake. The deposit extends two-thirds of the way 
across this arm of the lake, but does not reach either 
shore. It is slightly curved and rises two or three 
feet above the water, sloping off gradually at the ends. 
Coming up the lake toward it, we could almost be- 
lieve that some one had been using- up their spare 
time building a .^tone wall across the lake to fence off 
their share of the water. The stones were fitted per- 
fectly together and were as large as good-sized build- 
ing stones. The face of the wall toward us was regular 
and even, while the side toward the gorge was piled 
up with smaller stones and debris. The ice coming 
down this narrow gorge had spread out, depositing its 
burden of rock in the lake a short distance from the 
mouth of the gorge. 
We went up this river till we came to a place that 
had evidently been used as a dumping ground for all 
the rocks and boulders that were left over when the 
North American continent was made. The portage 
around this medley was about a half mile long. We 
then crossed a small lake, made a short portage to an- 
other lake, which we crossed, and landed on the por- 
tage to Wakimika Lake, which is noted for the num- 
ber and size of its smf^ mouth bass. We were going 
to staj- here a day n^-^ try the fishing, so we put up 
our tents on the other ^d of the portage where there 
is a good camp ground with a most beautiful outlook. 
Wakimika is an Indian word meaning clean or clear, 
and is Avell suited to this lake, for the water is clear 
and cold. We found '\e .bass large, of a very dark 
color and flesh firm anc'' '-usually fine flavored. The 
lake is about lour m . ;ong and a high wind was 
blowing, which made i rono-Vi and sent the waves 
rolling up the sandy be ^rlt of our camp. 
While the guides coo dinr:r we went out on the 
beach to see what mc ^jj^'^'^^ been left. We found 
the foot prints of deer auu wolf, the wolf following the 
deer as usual. There \\ ^/e also foot prints of moose, 
crane, man and a smaller foot print that might have 
been made by either a woman or a boy; when we 
found a fort made of sand with pine cones planted in 
a circle around it we concluded they were the foot- 
prints of a boy. The D' r'^^ special find was a yel- 
low-jacket's nest, and m.. ,:^the yellow-jackets ap- 
peared to be at home at the time. We heard a sound 
from camp, and were soot deeply interested in the 
mysteries of fried black auctc, baked beans and other 
delicacies. 
The lake Avas too rough to go fishing, and the after- 
noon was spent making a co^.^ortable camp. Indians 
iiad camped here on a hunting trip, for their drying 
rack was standing and we fonni^ an Indian's ax near it 
and the hoofs and bones of mo^se. 
The wind went down in the evening, and, the skillet 
handle having been duly applieJ, we started out to 
get huckleberries for a pudding Sam was to make next 
day. We rigged up one rod witli a very small spin- 
ner, thinking we might get a fish for breakfast, and 
on the way to Huckleberr}' I&'and hooked and landed 
a 234 and a 4J4-pound bass. Ir vJ'ts hard to resist the 
temptation to rig up both rods ,an^ try the fly-fishing, 
but the huckleberries were stil^g.^i^ be picked, and we 
wanted to cross the lake to a . larah that is a feeding 
ground for moose and deer. Bivsio';"^^ there was a most 
beautiful display of color in the western sky that re- 
quired all our attention. The Si '• yg sun was paint- 
ing the heavens in gorgeous colo^^ ^nd festooning the 
broken clouds with gold and silver tinsel. The changes 
in drapery and color were taking place so rapidly we 
could but watch in amazement. 
When we reached the marsh it was too dark to see 
any animals, but we could hear twigs snapping and 
knew that an animal of some kind was not far away. 
We kept perfectly still for some time, then Sam struck 
the canoe with his paddle and a deer gave a frightened 
snort or whistle, and we could hear it plunging through 
the brush. 
In the morning it was raining, so we spent the fore- 
noon around the camp-fire. The Doctor had burnt the 
soles of his shoes, and they broke across the ball of 
the foot, keeping the soft insoles wet. Bob got a piece 
of thick birch bark and made a pair of insoles, which 
he fitted in the Doctor's shoes, and we heard no more 
complaints about cold, wet feet. Sam mixed up a bat- 
ter of bacon fat, flour, baking powder, sugar and water, 
then stirred in the huckleberries. He w-rung a small 
muslin bag out of hot water, shook a handful of flour 
in the inside of it and poured in his pudding. There 
was a bucket of boiling water on the fire, and he 
dropped the pudding in it to boil for two and one-half 
hours. Telling Bob not to pour cold water in the 
bucket, he shouldered the gun and went off in the rain 
to hunt grouse. In about two hours he came back, and 
when the pudding was done he served it with a sauce 
made of flour, water, sugar and a little vinegar. It 
was simply delicious, and when cut, was as light as a 
puff and a marvel of outdoor cooking. I adopted the 
tactics of the small boy and ate my pudding first, but 
after having tasted it, I did not want to come down 
to brcyd and bacon, so I finished on more pudding. 
No one was feeling very hungry after dinner, and I 
did 'not think I could possibly want anything more to 
FOREST AHJD STREAM, 
eat that day, so I told Sam to cook some dried peaches, 
and we would have bread, butter, tea and peaches for 
supiier. 
In the afternoon we went to the marsh and followed 
a pretty little shallow river for some distance, hoping 
to .see a moose. There were fresh moose tracks all 
along the shore, but we saw no moose. On our way 
back to camp, late in the evening, I thought of the 
dried peaches with bread and butter for supper and 
wished some one would say he was hungry, but no one 
said a word about supper. I kept quiet till we were 
almost to camp, and then I said: "Perhaps we had bet- 
ter cook this fish and some bacon for supper." They 
did not have the grace to smile, but just laughed out- 
right; still I believe they were glad of the suggestion. 
That night, under a clear sky, with the moon hang- 
ing low in the west, Wakimika lay calm and peaceful. 
"The winds and the waves Tie together asleep, 
And the moon and the fairy are watcliing the deep, 
She dispensing- her silvery light, 
And he, his notes as silvery quite." 
The next morning we broke camp and made an 
early start for Obabika Lake. The heavy fog lifted 
like a gray blanket, and when we heard the cry of a 
loon, Sam said, "I guess we will have wind on 
Obabika." With Wakimika perfectly calm I did not 
see why we should expect wind on Obabika. When 
we got near the head of the lake the canoe was turned 
and a magnificent view lay before us. Wakimika Lake 
lay calm and beautiful, surrounded by high, pine-cov- 
ered hills, to which a poplar, here and there, gave a 
touch of bright color, while away toward the west the 
high, broken, dark blue hills rose, one beyond another, 
till they faded off in the distance. This is certainly a 
country of magnificent distances. 
Before we reached the mouth of the little river w-e 
were going to follow, the water became so shallow we 
had to get out and walk. The guides wanted to carry 
me ashore, but I had ceased to be a tenderfoot. The 
Avater was very low in this stream, and it w-as full of 
driftwood, often compelling the guides to wade. When 
we were well down the river we found the water was 
coming in the canoe faster than we could bail it out, 
and on moving the packs discovered we had run a 
snag through the bottom. The Doctor got out and 
walked, but I stayed in till I saAv he was getting along 
all right. The walking was not good and we had to 
keep near shore for fear of getting lost, for the bush 
was full of trails, made by moose, crossing in every 
direction. When we had been walking for some time 
we heard the guides calling us. The sound seemed to 
come from the direction we were going, but we did not 
think it possible they had gone past without us seeing 
them. Lest we had in some way turned round and 
were going down stream instead of up, we threw some 
leaves in the water to make sure of our direction, for 
there was no perceptible current. Finding we were go- 
ing in the right direction, we hurried on as well as w^e 
could and answered the calls, but the wind carried the 
sound away from the guides, and, thinking we W'Cre 
lost. Bob came back to hunt us. 
The canoe was beached on the shore of the river, 
just above a small lake, and Sam was building a fire. 
There were numerous leaks requiring the use of a 
hot handle, but the hole needed a patch. Some pitch 
was put in a skillet and set on the fire, when hot, a 
square of muslin was put in it, and then laid over the 
break, a hot iron was run over this, and the canoe was 
ready for the water. Guides always carry pitch when 
using a birch bark canoe. We crossed the lake and 
found more water in the other end of the river. 
When we came to Obabika Lake the wind was very 
high and the lake full of white caps. Obabika consists 
of two arms, each one about four miles long and from 
one to two miles wide. We came in at the upper end 
of the North Arm, and the wind, dead ahead, bad a 
full sweep of four miles. We kept along the shore and 
pulled into a cove, where we Avere somewhat protected 
and cooked our dinner. The Doctor and I put on dry 
stockings and laid our shoes by the fire. After din- 
ner we walked around the cove and along the stony 
beach as far as we could go. The Doctor walked pas't 
and within ten feet of a grouse sitting under a pine 
tree, but it never moved. I ran back and called Bob 
to bring the gun, and he shot it. We could not walk 
around the point, and went back to where the guides 
were loading the canoe. It was rough water to go out 
in, but we could not make camp where we were, and 
there were three good camp grounds farther up the 
lake. When w^e got out in the rough water there was 
an exhilaration in the roaring of the elements, but we 
made slow progress around the point and finally pulled 
into a hay, where the Obabika River has its source. 
An Indian lives on this bay, and w^e went to buy some 
potatoes from him, for we had cooked the last of ours 
for dinrier. The green potato tops had all been frozen, 
except in very sheltered places. Hanging on his drying 
rack were some fish, two or three small muskrats'and 
the nostrils of several deer. I caught a field mouse 
in one of his canoes and threw it as far out in the 
river as I could, but in an incredibly short time the 
little fellow was back to shore and off in the w^eeds. 
We were not far from the first camp ground, and 
\vhen we reached it all agreed it was wiser to stop here 
till the wind fell. Sam had been very anxious to reach 
the second camp, as it was close to fine bass fishing 
as well as a very beautiful location, but there was a mile 
of open water it would be impossible to cross in the 
heavy wind. We were camped on a point with a high, 
well w'ooded hill back of us. On the left was the open 
lake, while in front and extending some distance to 
our right, was a beautiful cove or bay with a wide 
sandy beach. The waves would come in, roll half 
way up this sandy beach, curl over, break and then re- 
cede to make room for the next; while out on the 
point they were beating and dashing against the rocks. 
There was a buoyancy and exhilaration in everything. 
"And free as a bird was the song of my soul. 
As I heard the wild waters exultingly roll." 
Instead of being shut in between four brick walls 
with only little square loop holes to let in the sun- 
light, or to look out through and see our neighbor's 
863 
.grass plot, we were in the woods, with the blue sky 
above us and all nature spread out at our feet, while 
the winds and the waves rehearsed one of their grand- 
est anthems. It was a glorious afternoon. 
The camp was furnished with a table, benches and 
a hat rack. A deep slanting cut had been made in a 
tree with an ax, then a piece of a smooth, hardwood 
linib, about one foot long and less than one inch in 
diameter, one end cut Avedge shaped, Avas driven firmly 
doAvn_ into this cut and the other end nicely rounded. 
In this Avay a hat rack had been made that grew more 
substantial as the years Avent by. You can go to the 
woods and with a knife, an ax and a little ingenuity 
surround yourself with many of the comforts of civili- 
zation. Satn baked a corn pone in the skillet for sup- 
per, then he and Bob carried the canoe in off the 
beach and made everything snug for the night, for the 
Avind was rising. The Doctor had a headache, which 
Sam greatly relieved by an application of hot cloths, 
and \ve went to bed. It was a Avild night, and the storm 
cast its mystic spell upon us as Ave lay on the pine 
boughs, under the canvas, and listened to the moan- 
ings of the Avind in the pine trees and the roaring of 
the waves as they broke on the beach. It Avas the 
music of the ages being rehearsed in one long, grand 
anthem. 
In the morning it Avas raining so Ave rolled up our 
blankets and ate our breakfast of steAved grouse, toast 
and pan cakes in the tent. It was raining too liard to 
go fishing, and the guides, using the tarpaulin, rigged 
up a shelter over the table, then built a fire by the side 
of oije of the trees, for the air Avas chilly, and Ave sat 
here most of the forenoon. For dinner Ave had soup 
made with beef and vegetable tablets. Our bread was 
getting scarce, and Sam took all the hard pieces, cut 
them up and stirred them into the soup just before 
serving it. By two o'clock the Aveather had improved 
some, so Ave took our rods and a trolling line and 
Avent out to fish. We Avere going to troll for lake 
trout on our Avay to the bass-fishing grounds. Using 
a large spinner and a pound of lead for a sinker, Ave put 
out three hundred feet of line and never touched bot- 
tom. The water in all these lakes is so clear that 
Ave could see CA'^ery stone on the bottom Avhere the water 
Avas from ten to tAventy feet deep. About half way up 
the lake a Avind storm had come doAvn the hill on one 
side, leaving behind it a path about one hundred yards 
Avide, on Avhich there remained neither tree nor bush. 
Crossing the lake, it caught and cleared the point of 
an island, then continued on its Avay up the hill on the 
other side, clearing its path as it went. 
Near AA'here the two arms join, there is a sand bar 
extending half Avay across the lake, and on one side of 
this bar more large bass can be caught to the minute 
than in any place I ever heard of before, and on the 
other side about as feAV. This is an ideal place for fly- 
fishing, and one hour in the early morning or late 
evening, with a good rod and fly-book, would repay 
many days of disappointment. Lying on the beach at 
the point Avas a box that Avould hold about a half 
peck. Early in the season a party had come to this 
point, by Avay of the Matabitouan River, and had car- 
ried this box full of earth and Avorms for bait, but by 
the time they reached here the Avorms Avere nearly all 
dead. Earth Avorms are not always desirable traveling 
companions Avhen you go on a fishing trip, and it did 
seem absurd to carry them from Ncav York to Obabika 
Lake, Avhere you could catch. more fish in an hour, with 
a fly or small spinner, than you could possibly use. 
Looking across the lake from this point Ave could 
see a bare rocky hill, Avith a few Ioav, green bushes 
groAving here and there. In the subdued light of the 
misty afternoon the colors in the rock came out clear 
and beautiful. The cobalt blue and yelloAV ochre ming- 
ling Avith the dull reds and broAvns, and the soft grays 
and greens made one of nature's kaleidoscopes. On 
our Avay back to camp Ave Avere caught in a very heavy 
shoAver that came in our faces, and made us rather 
damp. _ After the shoAver Ave had a most brilliant rain- 
bow; indeed, it Avas a complete circle, one-half in the 
sky and the other in the water Avith scarcely a break 
between. 
About a pint of the soup had been left from dinner, 
and Sam heated it, adding a little thickening. It Avas 
excellent served as a graA^y on our mashed potatoes. 
The Avind Avas chilly, so the guides built a fire in front 
of our tent, and we Avent to bed, leaving it burn, for 
there had been so much rain we felt there was no 
danger of ^ fire. In the night Ave Avere aAvakened by 
some one fixing the fire. Sam had gone to bed in damp 
clothes, and, getting cold, had come and fixed the fire, 
then Avrapping up in his blanket, he lay down beside 
it the rest of the night. The next morning we watched 
for the sun to make its appearance above the hill on 
the opposite shore. The light increased in brilliancy 
and the green faded out of the treetops, behind which 
the sun Avould presently appear, and they became as 
burnished gold against a background of pale yellow 
light. The sun soon took its place in the heavens and 
began its daily round, Avhile the gold melted away, leav- 
ing green pine trees in its stead. 
We packed up, and were soon on our Avay up the 
north arm of Obabika. Again Ave heard a loon cry, 
and Sam said, "We'll have Avind on Temagami." I be- 
gan to understand that the cry of the loon meant Avind, 
and advised killing the loon, so Ave could cross Tema- 
gami. At the end of this arm Ave portaged into a shal- 
low, little lake, and the guides Avalked along the shore 
Avhile Ave took the canoe across and into deeper water. 
Lying on a rock on the shore Ave saw the skin of a 
snake, Avhich I thought rather strange, for Ave had not 
seen a snake on the trip. We crossed Obabika Bay 
and came in the nortliAvest arm of Temagami. Here 
Ave saAV an eagle's nest Avith tAvo young eagles in it. 
One of them AA^as perched on the edge of the nest, and 
they Avere making a good deal of noise. The nest was 
in the crotch of an old dead pine tree, just Avhere the 
top had been broken oft", but the stump still stood high 
aboA'e the surroimding trees. After a morning's trip 
that had been full of interest and beauty, Ave reached 
the open lake and stopped for dinner. In the open 
lake the Avater Avas very rough, and a stiff head wind 
made our progress slow. When an especially big wave 
came, Bob, who was bowman, would deflect the top of 
