22 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
further, we opened suddenly on Lake Paoonook, and one 
of the most magnificent scenes I ever beheld burst upon us: 
the weather had cleared up bright and calm, the lake’s 
surface was like a mirror, surrounded with mountains; a 
few clouds were skimming past, but leaving their summits 
clear above, the shore was lined with huge rocks of all 
shapes, and heavy timber, having all the varied hues of 
autumn, and beautifully contrasted, intermixed with the dif- 
ferent kinds of evergreens peculiar to northern regions. 
Not a sound was heard, except the cackling of log cock 
or pileated woodpeckers, and now and then the scream of 
a loon. Indians and all ceased paddling to enjoy and 
admire. 
Crossed the lake in nearly a north east direction; it is 
about nine miles in circumference, and very deep, abound- 
ing with fine fish, particularly Pickerel, some of which we 
tried to catch, but were unsuccessful. Entered the mouth 
of a small stream with low bushy banks, where we were 
led to believe we should see Moose and Carabou : H. and 
myself sat with our guns cocked for fear of making the 
least noise, whilst Mitchell and Joe, with the stillness of 
death, paddled up the serpentine course of the stream for 
several miles, until we came to the mouth of another 
stream, which we were told was to be the scene of our 
nightly hunts for moose; accordingly we retraced our way 
for some distance, so as not to alarm the game with our 
axes. Encamping about noon, we set all our musquash 
traps, and slept the remainder of the day. A partridge 
( Pheasant ) came within six feet of our fire, and seemed 
quite uncertain whether we were friends or enemies, but 
as all our venison was gone, I felt sorry to prove myself 
amongst the latter; but so it was, and the poor bird formed 
part of a fricassee with musquash. Several moose birds 
( Corvus canadensis of Wilson) then appeared ; they 
would sit on my coat as it hung on a bush, peck at the par- 
tridge which was already picked and hanging up, and eat 
fat pork off the kettle, which was placed a short distance 
from the fire; a few sleepless moments were employed in 
the amusement of trying to catch them with fishing lines, 
but they were too cunning to swallow the bait without first 
picking it from the hook. At sundown, made our pre- 
parations and started to hunt moose by star light. H. and 
Mitchell Louis went in one direction towards lake Paoo- 
nook, whilst Joe and myself went up stream from the lake: 
had to make one or two portages over rocky rapids in deep 
hemlock shade, which deprived us of the little light we 
had received from the stars. Where the stream was wider, 
and more open on getting again into smooth water, Joe 
gave me my directions, as it was my first essay in this 
kind of hunting, and required me to be as silent as possi- 
ble while he sent the canoe over the dead water, like the 
silent flight of an owl in search of its prey. The moose 
repair at night along the banks of the stream, to feed on 
the small branches of ash, maple, and red willow, and con- 
stantly cross from one bank to the other, so that they are 
as frequently found in the water as along the shores; the 
Indians told me to watch sharply for their dark forms in 
the bushes, as well as in the water, as their dark colour is 
particularly adapted to conceal them in the night; we 
were frequently startled by the repeated splashes of 
musquash and aquatic birds. Joe often imitated the long 
braying call of the female, as it is now rutting season, but 
without success, for we hunted until midnight without 
seeing or hearing a single moose. When we returned, 
found the other canoe back before us with no better suc- 
cess. Took the canoes on shore, turned them bottom 
upwards, and with our heads beneath them by way of 
tents, we spent the rest of a clear frosty night. 
Next day set some sable traps, which are dead falls 
made with small logs, and then moved our quarters a mile 
or two up the western branch; we undertook to hunt on 
the hills, and I soon discovered the reason why all the 
hunting is done by the Indians in canoes, for the whites 
never hunt except in snow shoes; it is this, the country is 
crossed in every direction by lakes and streams, so that 
fires cannot spread here as they do in almost every other 
part of our country, and consequently the dead timber 
remains to rot, and is further protected from fire by vast 
beds of moss; therefore, the woods are full of dead and 
rotten timber, lying in confused masses among the rocks, 
all of which being covered with moss, a traveller in such 
places can never tell whether he is on terra firma, or 
mounted a considerable distance above it, on a net work of 
rotten logs, which every now and then let him down some 
fifteen or twenty feet, without his being able to tell what 
kind of wild beast may occupy the den beneath him. 
Added to these difficulties, in other places the heavy snows 
in winter bend the long slender evergreens in the form 
of bows, in which position they remain with their tops 
near the ground; and as this goes on successively each 
winter, the evil is increased, until a hunter must be as 
agile as a sable or panther, to get through such spots; in 
fact, deer and the larger game, except bear, are not found 
in such places. 
At noon, Joe and myself again started in one of the 
canoes, up the stream until dark, to hunt moose on our way 
back in the night, whilst H. and Mitchell Louis remained 
to set musquash traps, and prepare the camp against our 
return, which was about ten o’clock; saw plenty of moose 
and carabou signs going up, but none appeared fresh; some 
of the moose tracks were quite as large as those of oxen. 
We landed on an extensive cranberry bed, and in a short 
