THE ALLEGASH AND EAST BRANCH. 
295 
gun, axe, paddle, kettle, frying-pan, plates, dippers, car¬ 
pets, &c., &c., and while I was thus engaged he threw me 
his cow-hide boots. “What, are these in the bargain? 5 ’ 
I asked. “ O yer,” said he; but before I could make 
a bundle of my load I saw him disappearing over a hill 
with the canoe on his head; so, hastily scraping the vari¬ 
ous articles together, I started on the run, and immedi¬ 
ately went by him in the bushes, but I had no sooner 
left him out of sight in a rocky hollow, than the greasy 
plates, dippers, &c., took to themselves wings, and while 
I was employed in gathering them up again, he went by 
me ; but hastily pressing the sooty kettle to my side, I 
started once more, and soon passing him again, I saw 
him no more on the carry. I do not mention this as 
anything of a feat, for it was but poor running on my 
part, and he was obliged to move with great caution for 
fear of breaking his canoe as well as his neck. When 
he made his appearance, puffing and panting like myself, 
in answer to my inquiries where he had been, he said, 
“ Rocks (locks) cut ’em feet,” and laughing added, “ O, 
me love to play sometimes.” He said that he and his 
companions when they came to carries several miles 
long used to try who would get over first; each perhaps 
with a canoe on his head. I bore the sign of the kettle 
on my brown linen sack for the rest of the voyage. 
We made a second carry on the west side, around some 
falls about a mile below this. It rained hard in the 
night and spoiled another box of matches for us, which 
the Indian had left out, for he was very careless ; but, as 
usual, we had so much the better night for the rain, since 
it kept the mosquitoes down. 
Sunday, August 2,— 
Was a cloudy and unpromising morning. One of us 
