AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
23 
time collected as many berries as we could eat, and enough 
for our companions in camp. Bear signs were plenty, but 
we would not lose time in hunting them. 
Soon after dark, came upon two deer which were in 
such thick bushes that we found it difficult, owing to the 
darkness, to make out their position, and did not fire for 
fear of alarming our larger game : this precaution was, 
however, unnecessary, as in a few minutes we heard the 
heavy reports of two muskets, which we then supposed 
were those of our companions, but on our return, to our 
disappointment found they had not seen any thing, nor 
discharged their guns, which threw the Indians into great 
perplexity to imagine who could be hunting in this part of 
the country, beside ourselves. After much consultation, 
they concluded they were Mohawks, as none of the Penob- 
scots or Passamaquoddys had left their town since the 
middle of summer; in addition to the guns we heard, there 
were frequent indications of traps having been set for mus- 
quash, and the places marked with slips of birch bark, in 
a particularly neat manner, foreign to the Indians of 
Maine, and as the Mohawks and Penobscots are not on 
very friendly terms, my friends became quite uneasy. 
The next morning it was clear, frosty, and colder 
than the preceding, enough so, to form ice in the little 
puddles as thick as a quarter of a dollar. Three mus- 
quash in the traps, which came just in time for breakfast; 
and as they are one of the greatest luxuries of the Penob- 
scots, I was pleased to find that my companions thought 
they were living in clover. The unlucky circumstance of 
another party having preceded us on the west branch, was 
a death blow to my little expedition. Since a suspicion has 
arisen of their being Mohawks, my guides began to waver, 
and acknowledge they do not know any thing about the 
country up this stream; and on the east branch, they say 
I have no chance of success in hunting moose and carabou, 
or in fact any game, as their tribe has been hunting 
there most of the summer. To all my inquiries about our 
course and game, Mitchell Louis, who seems to be the 
leader of the two, always replied, “ dont know bejocldy, 
may be we see um, may be he all gone, we go where you 
want um go, spose so,” from all of which I drew the 
inference, that it was spending my time and money to 
little purpose to keep on with my present guides, unless 
we could ascend the west branch; but this, both Indians 
opposed by saying, the ‘ £ Mohawks berry bad men, we 
not want to see um, may be kill um all the game too, den 
dat not good spose for you;” so that I was obliged, 
though reluctantly, to give the order “ right about,” and 
our canoes once more headed towards lake Paoonook. 
ARCHERY. 
The Value of agreeable amusements has been acknow- 
ledged in every age, as the most important advantages to 
health and happiness are in a great measure subject to their 
influence. If we find that both are interested and im- 
proved by archery, it must prove a sufficient reason for its 
being esteemed an eligible and useful amusement ; and if 
it can also be shown to possess some valuable qualifications 
which are not to be found in other diversions, the benefits 
to be derived from its practice will be still more con- 
spicuous. 
Archery, in fact, possesses many excellencies as an exer- 
cise, which renders it one of the most useful of the gym- 
