0 
143 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
of war, of about two hundred tons, and car¬ 
rying from eight to twelve guns each, besMes 
two or three merchant vessels, lay wind-bound 
whilst we remained here. The little fort, with * 
the surrounding houses built on the rocky 
shore, the vessels lying at anchor before it, the 
rich woods, the distant hills on the opposite 
side of the lake, and the vast lake itself, ex¬ 
tending to the farthest part of the horizon, al- ©• 
together formed an interesting and beautiful 
scene. 
Whilst we were detained here by contrary • 
winds, we regularly went on shore after break¬ 
fast to take a ramble in the woods; oftentimes 
also we amused ourselves with the diversion 
of hunting squirrels with dogs, amongst the 
shrubs and young trees on the borders of the 
lake, thousands of which animals we found in 
the neighbourhood of the fort. The squirrels, 
alarmed by the barking of the dogs, leap from 
tree to tree with wonderful swiftness; you 
follow them closely, shaking the trees, and 
striking against the branches with poles. Some¬ 
times they will lead you a chace of a quarter 
of a mile and more; but*sooner or later, terri¬ 
fied by your attentive pursuit, make a false 
leap, and come to the ground ; the dogs, ever 
on the watch, then seize the opportunity to 
lay hold of them; frequently, however, the 
squirrels will elude their repeated snaps, and 
