516 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 30, 1911. 
guiding over these waters. They were running 
a rapid and in coming through made a quick 
turn into the pool below. The speed of the 
boat as well as their sudden appearance served 
to carry them right among a brood of ducklings 
and the old duck. Immediately the little fel¬ 
lows scurried for the banks and the old lady 
started the usual flapping, splashing exhibition. 
However, in her surprise and anxiety she failed 
to move away to a safe distance. The fisher¬ 
man. probably with no definite purpose in mind 
but merely because he had the rod in hand and 
most certainly without the slightest anticipation 
of the startling result, laid over that duck a 
clean, accurate cast which, on the instant re¬ 
cover, hooked a fly into one of those churning 
wings close up to the body. As Heman always 
says at this point—“My! oh, my! boys, then 
there was fun!” From the days of old Izaak 
down it is likely that such a performance as 
followed was never before seen. Angling was 
carried into the third dimension, since the battle 
waged not only under the water but on it and 
over it. And oh, the sounds that went up from 
frightened duck and excited men! But tackle 
held and skill counted even under such astonish¬ 
ing stress and circumstance until finally—after 
hours had elapsed according to Heman—a be¬ 
draggled and dreadfully tired duck was released 
at the boat side. 
It was interesting to note how the known dis¬ 
tance by road was lengthened when the water 
route was followed. From Big Meadow Brook 
to Kemptville Corners was six miles, but the 
kinks and turns of the river doubled that dis¬ 
tance. Part of the time we were near scattered 
houses and clearings, but mostly we were still 
in the unbroken wilderness as far as all appear¬ 
ances went. The granite rocks, which had 
been such constant features of the landscape 
since we had left Rossignol, had disappeared 
and were supplanted by a hard, grayish-green 
or grayish black shale. This occurred in ledges 
which, when tip-tilted across the river, formed 
rather precipitous falls, but the stream and the 
lakes had none of the great, imperishable gray 
boulders rising sheer from the water as did the 
granite section through which we had passed. 
From here on down to the sea this geological 
formation obtained and the effect on the scenery 
below was in striking contrast. t° the harsh, 
bare uplands, since with the passing of the 
harder granite came not only a softening of the 
outlines of stream and lake far and near but 
also a more abundant and luxuriant tree 
growth which still further heightened this effect. 
Just before reaching Kemptville we passed 
the junction of our little river with the Barrio 
branch, or the Long Tusket, as it is often called. 
It was quite as large, if not larger, than the 
Oakland stream. Under a threatening sky we 
landed at the Corners. Up the hill we trudged, 
with the guides carrying duffle bags, past the 
white church, past the store where they wouldn’t 
sell tobacco because they were opposed to it, 
up to the modest but comfortable hostelry, 
where we proposed to stop for the night. Here 
the guides left us to return to the water’s edge 
to make their own camp and we said good-by 
to Heman. The answering telegram entirely 
cleared Gurney’s mind of worry and we all felt 
happier over it and over the thought that we 
could, after all, complete our trip as planned. 
The supper that night was made notable by 
the first fresh beef we had eaten for many days. 
Then came a sharp thunder storm with such a 
heavy downpour that we were concerned over 
the welfare of the guides and proposed to move 
them up with us, but the emissary we sent out 
reported that they were dry and needed nothing. 
Somewhat later there came to our ears a 
curious chug-chugging noise which sounded 
familiar. In a moment there came in sight, 
mirabile dictu, an automobile of such an old 
design that it was difficult to approximate its 
epoch. Nor was that all, for we presently 
learned that its owner was a trapper who had 
on board a load of bear traps which he was 
taking as far up the road as the car would go, 
and from there go into the woods. Until bed¬ 
time we talked fish and fishing with mine host 
AValton and our only fellow guests, two visit¬ 
ing anglers from Connecticut. 
In one of the lower rooms at the hotel there 
was a large map which we closely inspected to 
see if it gave any idea of the country through 
which we had been traveling. It was not satis¬ 
factory—none of the Nova Scotian maps are of 
the inland wilder portions of the province—but 
Mr. Walton, noticing our outspoken disappoint¬ 
ment. got out an excellent outline map which 
was somewhat amateurish but still valuable to 
us since it was at once recognized as accurate. 
It showed clearly and correctly the lakes and 
streams of the Tusket watershed. It is a cur¬ 
ious fact that while the sea coast and the land 
for a few miles inland are well known and the 
published maps portray it satisfactorily, yet 
there is a large part of the interior which is 
either not put down at all or so incorrectly 
drawn as to be worthless. We were much 
handicapped by this deficiency and repeatedly 
wished for something in Nova Scotia compara¬ 
ble to the excellent maps furnished by the 
United States Geological Survey. Mr. Thomas 
had a large blue print of his own section, but it 
was faulty with respect to the Shelburne River 
portions and showed nothing beyond Dunbar 
Lake. However, we had a copy of it, and with 
Mr. Walton’s map of the Tusket, and with our 
own drawings of the country which intervened 
along the Upper Shelburne and the Sissyboo, 
and still further supplemented by some of the 
printed maps, we were able to make a chart of 
our route from start to finish which fairly re¬ 
presented the waterways. 
Whenever we met people on our way to the 
sea there was always considerable interest mani¬ 
fested in 11 s and our little flotilla, and this was 
generally augmented when they were told of the 
extent of the pilgrimage. Here at Kemptvillle 
the camp of the guides, on the point at the foot 
of the village, was the center of an admiring 
group all evening despite the rain and hints to 
go home from the victims. While our friendly 
acquaintances from Connecticut felt it incum¬ 
bent upon them to get up early to see our little 
craft and to witness the departure. Horace re¬ 
stocked the larder at the store, and we paddled 
out on Pearl Lake, a large and very attractive 
body of water which had invisible portions be¬ 
yond the further headlands. Our course took 
us southwest along the shore toward the outlet. 
Here Gurney unlimbered his salmon rod, the 
only one in the party, and started casting over 
the pool just above the outlet rapids. We were 
now on the part of the trip where we hoped to 
get salmon and could only by the merest chance 
pick up a trout or two. Nothing happened but 
it was a pretty sight to watch the fine clean 
action of the long, two-handed rod and the long 
accurate placing of the Jock Scott as every 
portion of the pool was carefully covered. 
From Pearl Lake we continued down the 
main river, mostly south with plenty of water 
to run the rapids. Indeed, it was free running 
everywhere and the guides resorted to the skill¬ 
ful tactics we had observed on the Keejeema- 
coojee except they seldom used the pole, mainly 
relying on the paddle in the swift water. It was 
highly exhilarating to coast down the dark, 
curling, uneven hills of water, swept by a quick 
turn of the paddle from the hidden rocks, oc¬ 
casionally taking in a few drops over the bow 
at some unusually sharp declivity, but always 
getting through the rushing, roaring water un¬ 
scathed. Charlie had driven logs on the river 
and knew the bad places, but our Milford guides 
had never seen any part of it. However, there 
was little to choose between them when it came 
to quickness of eye in determining the nature of 
the falls and sureness of hand in avoiding dan¬ 
gers. Of course, running free through the 
white water solely with the paddle increased 
the chance of capsizing very considerably if any¬ 
thing went wrong or judgment was faulty, 
which was not the case with the slower method 
of dropping down bit by bit under the control 
of the setting pole, but with the good volume of 
water which we had the paddle was the only 
means thought of by our high-spirited, excite¬ 
ment-loving guides. And what cared we for a 
dash of peril now and then? At one place 
called the Five Branches we three men were 
put ashore to soberly walk while the guides ran 
the lightened canoes down a long, steep chute 
made by the lumbermen for the logs. Each 
man came through at a terrific rate which was 
thrilling to watch, each man took in some water 
half way down where a heavy wave broke, but 
all came out triumphant. In going down stream 
in shallower, smaller waters, the bow paddle 
can often aid the progress of the canoe by oc¬ 
casionally lifting his end or by pushing the prow 
past the rocks and so keep it in the current, 
but in the powerful, heavy rapids of the larger 
rivers he had better—if he has a family—sit 
tight and leave the matter wholly in the hands 
of the Lord and the expert at the stern. 
At Bad Falls, made by a long succession of 
jutting ledges, we made a carry and boiled the 
kettle. Even here the intrepid Lawrence showed 
some inclination to attempt the clearly dangerous 
feat of running through in the canoe, but he was 
effectually curbed when the rest of us threatened 
to tie him down hand and foot. As the day 
wore on the low gray clouds broke away and the 
evening came on cool. There was not quite as 
much pitch to the falls below the Bad Falls as 
there had been further up but nevertheless there 
was enough to make us take notice. Once in 
awhile we would idly cast a fly over some par¬ 
ticularly attractive patch of water, but we caught 
practically nothing save a few little salmon 
which showed in miniature the splendid charac¬ 
teristics- of their larger relatives by repeatedly 
going out of the water in the most enlivening 
fashion. In the midd'e of the afternoon we 
crossed a large pond which Charlie said was 
Third Lake and shortly beyond it we came out 
on Durkess Lake, also called Gilfillan Lake, a 
long, narrow, very beautiful lake with a single 
