NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 213 
tone. Considering that the Gaspereau lies directly to the south* 
the path would naturally have left Cains River at the most 
southerly point, which is a little to the westward of the limit§ 
of the accompanying detailed map. But this most southerly 
bend lies against an inaccessibly steep wall of the valley, and 
the nearest point at which this valley wall becomes accessible 
at all is at or just east of the leg brow shown upon the map. If, 
now, one views the shore of the river all along this part of its 
course, he finds one spot, clearly indicated upon the map, 
marked out by characteristics which strongly point to its probable 
use as the starting point of the path. In the first place, there 
is here a piece of firm flat shore of gravel and clay forming a kind 
of natural platform alongside of which canoes can be brought 
very conveniently, while there is no other spot just above, and 
none for a long distance downward, (where the immediate shore 
is mostly low and soft) so convenient for the purpose. Of course 
the place must have been altered somewhat in the course of time 
and especially through the action of the waters carrying lumber 
in recent years; but the whole tendency of the log-laden floods 
of spring is to wash away and not build up such places, whence 
I infer that this platform is not new, but rather a remnant of 
one which was formerly larger. Close beside and below it there 
gushes out from the bank a very clear cold little spring, the best 
by far for a long distance up or down this shore, and up the bank 
a few feet is a fine dry level flat, now an attractive shady glade. 
This flat forms one of the very finest of camping places, much 
the best for a long way up and down the Shore, and one which 
has evidently been much occupied, as witnessed by its long-used 
fireplace. We have ourselves camped upon it with a deep 
feeling of satisfaction in the belief that we had this bond in 
common with a very long and ancient line of worthy voyageurs, 
with whom we have no little pride in being numbered. Close 
behind the flat the valley wall rises steeply, but not too steeply 
for ascent, as is shown by the fact that old paths, evidently used 
by the same lumbermen who made the log brow just above, 
wind easily up it. All probabilities appear to me to unite in 
connecting the old Indian path with these places, and I believe 
there is no doubt that the Indians used the gravel platform as 
their canoe landing, camped on the dry flat, drew their water 
from the spring on the shore, and climbed the valley wall by a 
winding path just behind, somewhat along the course shown 
by the map. 
It is of interest, incidentally, to note that on the extensive 
intervale, formerly cleared and now half open and half grown 
