164 
THE MAINE WOODS. 
excursion. The canoe was securely lashed diagonally 
across the top of the stage, with bits of carpet tucked un¬ 
der the edge to prevent its chafing. The very accommo¬ 
dating driver appeared as much accustomed to carrying 
canoes in this way as bandboxes. 
At the Bangor House we took in four men bound on 
a hunting excursion, one of the men going as cook. 
They had a dog, a middling-sized brindled cur, which 
ran by the side of the stage, his master showing his head 
and whistling from time to time; but after we had gone 
about three miles the dog was suddenly missing, and two 
of the party went back for him, while the stage, which 
was full of passengers, waited. I suggested that he had 
taken the back track for the Bangor House. At length 
one man came back, while the other kept on. This 
whole party of hunters declared their intention to stop 
till the dog was found; but the very obliging driver was 
ready to wait a spell longer. He was evidently unwill¬ 
ing to lose so many passengers, who would have taken 
a private conveyance, or perhaps the other line of stages, 
the next day. Such progress did we make with a jour¬ 
ney of over sixty miles, to be accomplished that day, and 
a rain-storm just setting in. We discussed the subject of 
dogs and their instincts till it was threadbare, while we 
waited there, and the scenery of the suburbs of Bangor 
is still distinctly impressed on my memory. After full 
half an hour the man returned, leading the dog by a 
rope. He had overtaken him just as he was entering 
the Bangor House. He was then tied on the top of the 
stage, but being wet and cold, several times in the course 
of the journey he jumped off, and I saw him dangling 
by his neck. This dog was depended on to stop bears 
with. He had already stopped one somewhere in New 
