July ig, 1902.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
48 
4 loaves of bread. 
25 pounds of flour (15 would be enough). 
1 pound baking powder. 
30 pounds boneless shoulder. 
5 pounds cheese. 
5 pounds sugar. 
4 pounds coffee. 
5 pounds butter. 
2 quarts beans. 
4 dozen beef and vegetable tablets (Armour's). 
4 pounds rice. 
4 pounds prunes. 
I pound tea. 
I sack salt. 
We took no canned goods on account of the long port- 
ages, and found our provision list very satisfactory. Our 
cooking outfit weighed 9 pounds, and consisted of. the 
following articles : 4 tin buckets with close-fitting lids and 
a tin coffee pot; these nested, and the lid of the largest 
bucket (6-quart) fitted down over all. Four tin cups, 
four knives, forks and spoons ; six tin plates, two fry- 
ing pans with one detachable handle (we should have had 
Iwo handles), and one wire broiler. We also had with us 
copper wire, a few trunk nails, a mixture of white lead 
and glue for stopping leaks in canoes ; six candles, 75 feet 
of rope, matches, a sportsman's ax and two cakes of 
Ivory soap. We always take Ivory soap, for if it falls into 
the water it does not sink and can easily be recovered, and 
if yon have to do any scouring there is always plentj' of 
sand. 
We spent the night at the Burk House, and were fur- 
nished excellent meals and a clean, comfortable room and 
bed. This is, I believe, the oldest house in the town. Its 
location is delightful and commands a magnificent view. 
We had met a young Englishman, named Bennett, at the 
fetation, who intended starting down the river the next 
morning. He was going to Bing Inlet, and preferred 
making the trip down the river in a canoe to going around 
by rail, so we arranged to travel together, and early 
Tuesday morning, we commenced our voyage down the 
Magnetawan on the steamer Winnona. The trip down 
this part of the river in the early morning, the little 
steanier following the windings of the river, sometimes 
backing in order to make the bend, is enchanting. The 
gently sloping banks, grass-grown to the w-ater's edge, 
and the gentle current, gives no hint of the perpendicular 
shores of -rock and the furious rapids beyond. When we 
reached Lake Cecebee, we saw a number of tourists and 
one or two camps. At Rocky Bend we left the steamer, 
which runs into Ahmic Harbor, and embarking in our 
canoes continued on our way. We had crossed Ahmic 
Lake and had gone but a short distance down the river 
when we came to Knoeffier's Dam. where there is a log 
house. We cooked our dinner on this portage. On leav- 
ing Ahmic Lake the character of the river is entirely 
changed. Instead of the gently sloping, grass-grown 
banks, we find steep, boulder-strewn shores, covered with 
pine, hemlock, maple and birch. Some distance below 
this portage we left the river and turned to the right into 
Poverty Bay. 
The water was very low, but we succeeded in pushing 
our canoes through the mud and grass to the portage, 
which is about half a mile long and not difficult. By tak- 
ing this route through Poverty Bay we had been able to 
avoid a part of the river known as the Three Snaith 
Rapids, a series of falls and rapids that have cost the 
lives of more than one tourist and river driver. 
When we reached the end of the portage we had a beau- 
tiful stretch of river ahead of rrs. The banks were well 
wooded and less steep ; the water clear and cool, and a 
good current. We put oirt a troll and. soon hooked a 
wall-eye, but it swam off as we Avere about to lift it into 
the canoe, and we did not get another strike, although we 
were traveling over good feeding grounds. My husband 
and I were in one canoe with a guide, and the other had 
all the baggage. The Englishman had a craft ; I can 
hardly dignify it by the name of canoe, made of one- 
cighth-inch basswood, covered with canvas and given coat 
after coat of a mixture of white lead and glue. It was 
about 10 feet long, with a 28-inch beam. The ends came 
suddenly to a sharp point, and the gunwales were very 
small. Its lines were anything but graceful, and a crankier 
craft never floated. He had a complete one-man cruising 
outfit, and when it was stowed away in the canoe with 
him in paddling, the stern was not more than four inches 
above water. If his load had not been perfectly balanced 
the canoe would have capsized long before it did. Bennett 
had been down the river before, and -as we came into 
Fletcher's Bay he paddled ahead to a farmhouse to get 
milk for supper, as we expected to camp on the next 
porta.ge. On one side of Fletcher's Bay there is quite a 
clearing and two or three farmhouses. There is a bridge 
across the river at the foot of the bay and a road to 
Ahmic Harbor. 
Bennett had beached his canoe and had gone to a house, 
near the end of the portage ; when we came along the 
farmer's hogs were investigating his canoe and its con- 
tents, but we arrived in time to prevent any serious dam- 
age. Crossing the next portage, we camped on a sandy 
beach in the first bend below. Our tents were pitched on 
the clean, white sand and comfortable beds were made of 
balsam boughs. For supper we had bread, butter, bone- 
less shotdder, coffee, and milk so fresh that it was not 
yet cold. 
The guides rolled logs up to the fire for seats and picked 
up short boards and made a table. While we sat around 
the camp-fire, prunes were put on to cook, and we enjoyed 
them very much for breakfast. Although not more than 
half a mile from a farmhouse, we had passed the clear- 
ing and were again in the woods, witfi no sign of civiliza- 
tion around us. We were camped on the sandy beach of a 
beautiful little cove. Back of us was a rise of several 
feet to a bench, from which the hill rose abruptly. The 
falls we^'e just around the point on our left, and could 
be faintly heard. In front lay a pool of calm water, be- 
yond which was the swift current of the river against a 
steep bank covered with forest trees. As night came on 
the trees and hills appeared to close in and surround us, 
and when we looked up through the opening to the stars 
twinkling in the sky, %ye seemed to be down below- the 
surface of the earth, while the moon shining down through 
the trees, filled the forest with weird shadows, which we 
were too tired to linger long around the camp-fire and 
watch. Although this w^as our first night out, we slept, as 
one only can sleep, soothed by the soft murmur of run- 
ning water and the spicy fragrance of the pine. 
The next ntorning we got almost a tin cup full of good, 
rich cream off our milk. Cream for our coffee, good 
liread and btttter, fried shoulder, cheese, prunes and all 
the milk we could drink, did not prove a bad breakfast. 
While we were packing up two men came up the river in 
a flat-bottomed boat and stopped to talk awhile. 
A short distance below ottr camp we came to the port- 
age around the rapids known as Hell's Gate. This portage 
is about a mile long, back some distance from the chute 
through a beautiful bit of forest. We went through a 
bed of ferns, where many of the fronds were five feet 
long. By the side of the path we saw where a deer had 
been dressed, tlie long hair showing it had been killed in 
the winter, We were told that three men were fishing at 
this chute from a canoe, when one of them, desiring to 
fish from a rock near the shore, had the canoe put along- 
side the rock, 'but as he .stepped out. he accidentally gave 
the canoe a slight push ; it was caught in the current and 
carried down the rapids, drowning the occupants, 
We had a long rope attached to each canoe and Ben- 
nett said they cotdd be let down the next rapid.s, so we 
did not look for a portage. 
The first part of the rapids we shot, then unloaded and 
let the canoes down as far as we could with ropes, but the 
last part had to be carried, and the sharp, loose rocks 
along the shore made the carrying very difficult and dan- 
gerous. To have made the portage around the entire 
scries of rapids would have saved us much trouble and 
anxiety. The next portage is on the left, but the right 
shore looked as though we might let the canoes down. 
Going into a cove on our right we beached the canoes 
and walked down along the shore to investigate, but the 
v.-ater was too rough. The guides and Bennett came back 
to take the caiioes across the river to the portage, but the 
Doctor walked on down to the end of the rapids. There 
were some pieces of baggage that Doctor and I had always 
carried across the portages, and as they were trotiblesome 
for the guides. I thought I would carry them. I picked up 
cur boat cushions, which were also our pillows, a coat, 
jacket, camera, two fishing rods and a small satchel. 
When I started they did not seem heavy, and the portage 
was short, btit long before I reached the other end. I had 
decided that, in order to maintain proper discipline, in 
the future the family must all keep on the same side of 
the river. 
Bennett had his canoe and all his duffle across and was 
shooting the last part of the rapids, when he stuck on a 
rock in the middle of the river. He could not shove the 
canoe off and stepped out on a rounding knob of rock 
that was about four inches below the surface of the water. 
When I came to the end of the portage, he was standing 
in the middle of the river, holding his canoe by the rope, 
and the Doctor was standing on the opposite shore. 
The swift current made it impossilale for Bennett to 
get into his canoe again ; he could not get ashore, for the 
Avater on one side of him was six or eight feet deep, and 
on the other side he could not touch the bottom with his 
paddle. After several attempts he succeeded in catching a 
small stone the Doctor threw to him, and tying it to the 
end of the rope attached to the bow of his canoe, threw it 
back, and the canoe was drawn ashore, Bennett keeping 
cne of the paddles. He wore low canvas shoes with imb- 
ber soles and canvas leggings, fastened with leather 
strings, which were crossed and re-crossed around his 
legs. How he could keep his footing on that rounding 
knob of rock, even in the soft shoes, with the water rush- 
ing past him and piling up over his feet. I coijld not un- 
der.stand. and when he fastened his paddle in the lacing 
of his legging, got out his pipe, filled it. struck a match, 
lit his pipe and commenced to smoke, I thought it the 
height of recklessness and folly. He must have stood 
there ten minutes before the guides came down and 
brought him ashore. 
We shot the next rapids and came to a clearing where 
the Great North Road crosses the river. There is a short 
rapids under the bridge, but the ropes saved us a carry. 
The river is divided here by Maple Island, which is quite 
large, diamond-shaped and well wooded. We kept to the 
right over a pretty stretch of river and camped for din- 
ner at the first bend. The Doctor and Bennett went to a 
farmhouse for sttpplies, for we had not carried either 
potatoes or onions from Burk's Falls, knowing we could 
get them here. This is the last place on the river where 
supplies can be procured, unless some of the tourists on 
Deer Lake are kind enough to accommodate 3'ou, but they 
freqtiently have trouble getting their own, as all their 
supplies are brought over from Whitestone. W^e got a 
peck of new potatoes, a peck of onions, three dozen roast- 
ing ears, one-half dozen cucumbers, pint of vinegar, bucket 
of sweet milk, and what seemed to be a small watermelon 
for 75 cents. By the time the foraging party had returned 
the meat and fish were cooked, the coft'ee was ready, 
bread and butter sandwiches were made, which, with 
sliced cucumbers, we all enjoyed to the utmost of our 
capacity. 
Then came the watermelon, which I was to have the 
honor of cutting and serving. As I made the first cut. the 
hungrj', expectant look on the faces of those gathered 
around me was surprising, considering the amount of 
bread and butter that had so recently disappeared. At the 
second cut the}' sat down in a hopeless sort of a way. their 
elbows on their knees, their heads in their hands. 
We had staked our hopes on an over-grown green 
citron. 
"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, 
Tlie saddest are tliese — it nriglrt liave been." 
It was a great disappointment, but we rallied and pre- 
pared to move on. Below Maple Island the river seemed 
to have increased in volume and to have become wilder. 
Shooting a small rapids we were soon in a narrow river 
with almost perpendicular walls of rock from twenty to 
thirty feet high on each side. A fire had run over the 
surrounding countr}', leaving nothing but bare, hard 
rocks, with here and there a skeleton pine, blackened and 
scarred, still standing, emphasizing the hopeless desolation 
of the surroundings. 
Occasionally we would see a bird of some kind perched 
on one of these trees, and once a crow followed us a 
short distance, flying from the top of one dead pine to 
another, cawing angril}', and an eagle flcAV over the gorge 
high above us. 
We had been warned about the landing at the first 
Burnt Chute, and as we neared it the guides paddled 
along very cautiou.sly, one canoe dropping well behind the 
other. The portage is on the left and the landing very 
close to the edge of the falls. We had to keep close to the 
.shore to avoid being caught in the current and carried 
over. We made the landing without any difficulty and 
found a rough portage. The path is broad and well 
cleared, but it is up and down, over little ridges and is 
almost a mile long. The guides said it was the hardest 
carry on the river, though there are much longer ones. 
The opening through which the water pours into this 
gorge is not more thati fifteen feet wide. The shore on 
one side is a sheer wall of rock from forty to sixty feet 
high. The other shore is more broken with great masses 
of broken rock in the river bed. Below this is a stretch of 
broad, smooth river, almost a bay, when suddenly the 
banks close in. leaving a space barely ten feet wide, called 
the Needle's Eye, through which the water rushes. 
There is a fall of four feet at the narrowest part and 
the river is again broad and smooth. The Needle's Eye 
is an interesting place. For ages these two points of rock 
have stood there, resisting all the forces of nature and the 
current of that mighty river, and have yielded barely ten 
feet to ait apparently irresistible force. The shores, both 
above and below, arc sloping, but at this point the river 
cuts through a rock standing about twelve feet above its 
surface. All our duffle was portaged over this rock, but 
the canoes .went through the Needle's Eye attached to 
threads of rope. As we continued on our wa3' the river 
became more narrow and the banks were very steep and 
rough. The roar of water that had slipped over another 
falls could be heard, and in a short time we reached the 
landing aboA'e the second Burnt Chute. 
This chute resembles the one above the Needle's Eye, 
but is much, rougher.. It is quite narrow and the banks 
are almost perpendicular rock, no place less than forty feet 
high, while the bed of the chute is filled with rocks and 
boulders. In the middle of the channel lay a boulder, the 
top of which Avas abottt a foot above the surface of the 
surrounding water. The water from above slipped down 
and piled up, covering the rock with a smooth sheet of 
water instead of breaking breaking into foam. Near the 
end of the poriage where we landed were two graves 
showing that the chute had been taking toll from the 
crews of river drivers that had dared its waters. These 
graves had been carefully tended by the men who had 
taken the spring drive down. They were covered with 
moss, and ferns were planted around them. We were told 
there are twenty-two graves on the river. 
On the right hand shore, almost opposite the portage, a 
small stream comes tumbling and dashing" down the steep 
bank in a series of cascades. Sparkling and dancing in 
the sunlight, it seemed to be in such mad haste to throw 
its small torrent into the big river. This portage is about 
a mile long with a bit of winding river below that is ex- 
ceedingly beautiful. The sloping pine-covered banks 
threw their shadows on the clear, still water, showing a 
magnificent reflection. We came upon a party of two 
ladies and three gentlemen in canoes getting a bucket" of 
water at a spring on the .shore. They paddled out to us 
and gave us a drink of good, cold spring water. One of 
the ladies said that if we needed bread she could let us 
have some, but we still had one loaf, and I was conceited 
enough to think I could bake biscuit in the skillet. Their 
summer cottage was doAvn the river a short distance, and 
was a very artistic log house. Below the cottage is a 
small island in the middle of the river, and a drop of a 
few feet on each side. We kept to the right and made a 
short portage along the shore. Bennett landed on the 
island, and taking otit his tent, bedding and provisions, at- 
tempted to let his canoe down with the rope. The water 
was very rough, the channel full of broken rocks, and hi.s 
canoe capsized. He lost his tin cup and troll, but an old 
gun he had was still under the thwarts when his canoe 
A\as righted. We were now in Deer Lake, and wanted to 
reach a point beyond Dead Man's Rock, where we knew 
there was a good camp ground. The lake this evening 
was wondrously beautiful, its calm surface was dotted 
with small islands, clothed in pine and silver birch. The 
sun, Avell dov^'U in the western sky, threw a path of crim- 
son and gold across the lake which seemed to beckon 
us on. 
"And the evening sun descending 
Set the clouds on fire with redness, 
Hurned tlie broad sky, like a prairie, 
Left upon the level water 
One long trade and trail of splendor, 
Down whose stream, as down a river, 
A\'estward, westward, Hiawatha, ' 
Sailed into the fiery sunset. 
Sailed into the purple vapors. 
Sailed into the dusk of evening." 
The golden pathway was irresistible, and we kept on 
toward the setting sun until the light had died out of the 
west, and our path was lost in darkness. Then we landed 
on the first island we reached and ptit up our tents. Our 
sttpper of roasting ears, bacon, bread, butter, cheese and 
coffee \yas cooked and eaten under the stars. It rained 
and was quite stormy during the night, but we slept well 
and felt perfectly secure in our litttle canvas house. 
In the morning we boiled potatoes for breakfast and I 
baked bread in the skillet, but it was not exactly a suc- 
cess. We intended spending the day on Deer Lake and 
wanted to reach the river drivers' camp ground, which was 
well protected, yet afforded a good view^of the lake, but 
the storm clouds were rising in the west," and we did not 
care to break camp unless the weather cleared. 
One of the guides suggested taking a troll and trying 
to catch a fish for dinner. Soon after they left camp the 
sk-A' became very threatening, and it commenced to thun- 
der. This put an end to their exploring, and they re- 
turned in less than an hour bringing in a five and three- 
quarter pound wall-eye. Tavo men in a canoe came to 
our camp and Avantecl to buy bread. They said a steam 
yacht came from Whitestone every day Avith supplies, but 
"for some reason it had failed to come the day before. 
There are scA^eral summer cottages on the lake, and Ave 
saw a few tents. By 10 o'clock the sky cleared, the sun 
was shining and the gray mantle of fog had lifted from 
the lake. We loaded our canoes and started to hunt the 
camp ground. When Ave saw the round top of Dead 
Man's Rock, projecting a fcAv inches above the surface of 
