XV 
CAPE SMOKY 
CAPE NORTH is the home of the 
balsam fir, whose deHghtful fragrance 
fairly pours out in the heat of the 
sun. It is as full of sweetness as 
an orange-tree, every part of it, wood, leaf, 
bark, and root, yielding an aromatic juice. 
There are blisters full of resinous sap on the 
trunks, old firs sometimes having quite large 
reservoirs of this " balsam ; " and we amused 
ourselves by cutting into them with a penknife 
and seeing the clear liquid gush out. It was 
as clear as water with a sharp turpentine taste, 
and quickly dried into a sticky glue. We cut 
a great many balsam blisters on our way to 
Cape North, and we hope the trees did not 
suffer. 
All the way from Baddeck to the rocky 
headland of Cape North, the houses are of the 
same mind with regard to the road and to one 
another. They are scattered far apart and far- 
ther as one goes north, and under no circum- 
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