222 
THE MAINE WOODS. 
upon their backs, looking for that “ highland,” they would 
have had an interesting time, and perhaps it would have 
modified their views of the question somewdiat. The 
king of Holland would have been in his element. Such 
were my meditations while my companion was gone hack 
for his bag. 
It was a cedar swamp, through which the peculiar 
note of the white-throated sparrow rang loud and clear. 
There grew the side-saddle flower, Labrador tea, Kal - 
mia glauca , and, what was new to me, the Low Birch (. Be - 
tula pumila ), a little round-leafed shrub, two or three feet 
high only. We thought to name this swamp after the 
latter. 
After a long while my companion came back, and the 
Indian with him. We had taken the wrong road, and 
the Indian had lost us. He had very wisely gone back 
to the Canadian’s camp, and asked him which way we 
had probably gone, since he could better understand the 
ways of white men, and he told him correctly that we 
had undoubtedly taken the supply road to Chamberlain 
Lake (slender supplies they would get over such a road 
at this season). The Indian was greatly surprised that 
we should have taken what he called a “ tow ” (i. e. tote 
or toting or supply) road, instead of a carry path,— 
that we had not followed his tracks, — said it was 
u strange,” and evidently thought little of our woodcraft. 
Having held a consultation, and eaten a mouthful of 
bread, we concluded that it would, perhaps, be nearer for 
us two now to keep on to Chamberlain Lake, omitting Mud 
Pond, than to go back and start anew for the last place, 
though the Indian had never been through this way, and 
knew nothing about it. In the meanwhile he would go 
back and finish carrying over his canoe and bundle to 
