,illustration3 ,,the ,,indians ,,would  
,,rise ,,to ,,their ,,feet ,,for ,a     
,,single ,,moment  ,,the ,,forest  ,,by 
,,stewart ,,edward ,,white    ,,contents
   ,i4     ,,the ,,calling ,,ii4        
,,the ,,science ,,of ,,going ,,light    
,,iii4   ,,the ,,jumping-,,off ,,place  
,,iv4    ,,on ,,making ,,camp ,v4       
,,on ,,lying ,,awake ,,at ,,night ,,vi4 
,,the ',,lunge ,,vii4   ,,on            
,,open-,,water ,,canoe ,,travelling     
,,viii4  ,,the ,,stranded ,,strangers   
,,ix4    ,,on ,,flies ,x4     ,,cloche  
,,xi4    ,,the ,,habitants ,,xii4       
,,the ,,river ,,xiii4  ,,the ,,hills    
,,xiv4   ,,on ,,walking ,,through ,,the 
,,woods ,,xv4    ,,on ,,woods ,,indians 
,,xvi4   ,,on ,,woods ,,indians         
7continued7 ,,xvii4  ,,the ,,catching   
,,of ,a ,,certain ,,fish ,,xviii4 ,,man 
,,who ,,walks ,,by ,,moonlight ,,xix4   
,,apologia  ,,suggestions ,,for ,,outfit
     ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations   ,,the
 ,,indians ,,would ,,rise ,,to ,,their  
,,feet ,,for ,a ,,single ,,moment       

,,this ,,old ,,soldier ,,had ,,come ,,in
 ,,from ,,the ,,long ,,trail ,,to ,,bear
 ,,again ,,the ,,flag ,,of ,,his        
,,country  ,,at ,,such ,a ,,time ,,you  
,,will ,,meet ,,with ,,adventures       
,,each ,,wave ,,was ,,singly ,a         
,,problem1 ,,to ,,fail ,,in ,,whose     
,,solution ,,meant ,,instant ,,swamping 
,,watched ,,the ,,long ,,north-,,country
 ,,twilight ,,steal ,,up ,,like ,a      
,,gray ,,cloud ,,from ,,the ,,east  ,,in
 ,,this ,,lovable ,,mystery ,,we        
,,journeyed ,,all ,,the ,,rest ,,of     
,,that ,,morning  ,,nor ,,need ,,you    
,,hope ,,to ,,pole ,a ,,canoe ,,upstream
 ,,as ,,do ,,these ,,people  ,,then ,,in
 ,,the ,,twilight ,,the ,,battle        
,,the ,,forest      ,i4  ,,the          
,,calling4  ,the ,red ,gods make their  
medicine again4   ,some time in         
,february1 when the snow and sleet have 
shut out from the wearied mind even the 
memory of spring1 the man of the woods  
generally receives his first            
inspiration4 ,he may catch it from some 

companion's chance remark1 a glance at  
the map1 a vague recollection of a dim  
past conversation1 or it may flash on   
him from the mere pronouncement of a    
name4 ,the first faint thrill of        
discovery leaves him cool1 but          
gradually1 with the increasing          
enthusiasm of cogitation1 the idea gains
 body1 until finally it has grown to    
plan fit for discussion4  ,of these many
 quickening potencies of inspiration1   
the mere name of a place seems to strike
 deepest at the heart of romance4       
,colour1 mystery1 the vastnesses of     
unexplored space are there1 symbolized  
compactly for the aliment of            
imagination4 ,it lures the fancy as a   
fly lures the trout4 ,mattgami1 ,peace  
,river1 ,knanaw1 the ,house of the      
,touchwood ,hills1 ,rupert's ,house1 the
 ,land of ,little ,sticks1 ,flying      
,post1 ,conjuror's ,house--how the      
syllables roll from the tongue1 what    
pictures rise in instant response to    
their suggestion6 ,the journey of a     

thousand miles seems not too great a    
price to pay for the sight of a place   
called the ,hills of ,silence1 for      
acquaintance with the people who dwell  
there1 perhaps for a glimpse of the     
saga-spirit that so named its           
environment4 ,on the other hand1 one    
would feel but little desire to visit   
,muggin's ,corners1 even though at their
 crossing one were assured of the       
deepest flavour of the ,far ,north4     
,the first response to the red god's    
summons is almost invariably the        
production of a fly-book and the        
complete rearrangement of all its       
contents4 ,the next is a resumption of  
practice with the little pistol4 ,the   
third1 and last1 is pencil and paper1   
and lists of grub and duffel1 and       
estimates of routes and expenses1 and   
correspondence with men who spell       
queerly1 bear down heavily with blunt   
pencils1 and agree to be at ,black      
,beaver ,portage on a certain date4     
,now1 though the ,february snow and     

sleet still shut him in1 the spring has 
draw very near4 ,he can feel the warmth 
of her breath rustling through his      
reviving memories4  ,there are said to  
be sixty-eight roads to heaven1 of which
 but one is the true way1 although here 
and there a by-path offers experimental 
variety to the restless and bold4 ,the  
true way for the man in the woods to    
attain the elusive best of his          
wilderness experience is to go as light 
as possible1 and the by-paths of        
departure from that principle lead only 
to the slightly increased carrying      
possibilities of open-water canoe trips1
 and permanent camps4  ,but these prove 
to be not very independent side paths1  
never diverging so far from the main    
road that one may dare hope to conceal  
from a vigilant eye that he is not going
 light4  ,to go light is to play the    
game fairly4 ,the man in the woods      
matches himself against the forces of   
nature4 ,in the towns he is warmed and  
fed and clothed so spontaneously and    

easily that after a time he perforce    
begins to doubt himself1 to wonder      
whether his powers are not atrophied    
from disuse4 ,and so1 with his naked    
soul1 he fronts the wilderness4 ,it is a
 test1 a measuring of strength1 a       
proving of his essential pluck and      
resourcefulness and manhood1 an         
assurance of man's highest potency1 the 
ability to endure and to take care of   
himself4 ,in just so far as he          
substitutes the ready-made of           
civilization for the wit-made of the    
forest1 the pneumatic bed for the balsam
 boughs1 in just so far is he relying on
 other men and other men's labour to    
take care of him4 ,to exactly that      
extent is the test invalidated4 ,he has 
not proved a courteous antagonist1 for  
he has not stripped to the contest4  ,to
 go light is to play the game sensibly4 
,for even when it is not so earnest1 nor
 the stake so high1 a certain           
common-sense should take the place on a 
lower plane of the fair-play sense on   

the higher4 ,a great many people find   
enjoyment in merely playing with nature4
 ,through vacation they relax their     
minds1 exercise mildly their bodies1 and
 freshen the colours of their outlook on
 life4 ,such people like to live        
comfortably1 work little1 and enjoy     
existence lazily4 ,instead of modifying 
themselves to fit the life of the       
wilderness1 they modify their city      
methods to fit open-air conditions4     
,they do not need to strip to the       
contest1 for contest there is none1 and 
,indian packers are cheap at a dollar a 
day4 ,but even so the problem of the    
greatest comfort--defining comfort as an
 accurate balance of effort expended to 
results obtained--can be solved only by 
the one formula4 ,and that formula is1  
again1 go light1 for a superabundance of
 paraphernalia proves always more of a  
care than a satisfaction4 ,when the     
woods offer you a thing ready made1 it  
is the merest foolishness to transport  
that same thing a hundred miles for the 

sake of the manufacturer's trademark4   
,i once met an outfit in the ,north     
,woods1 plodding diligently across      
portage1 laden like the camels of the   
desert4 ,three ,indians swarmed back and
 forth a half-dozen trips apiece4 ,an   
,indian can carry over two hundred      
pounds4 ,that evening a half-breed and  
,i visited their camp and examined their
 outfit1 always with growing wonder4    
,they had tent-poles and about fifty    
pounds of hardwood tent pegs--in a      
wooded country where such things can be 
had for a clip of the axe4 ,they had a  
system of ringed iron bars which could  
be so fitted together as to form a low  
open grill on which trout could be      
broiled--weight twenty pounds1 and split
 wood necessary for its efficiency4     
,they had air mattresses and camp-chairs
 and oil lanterns4 ,they had corpulent  
duffel bags apiece that would stand     
alone1 and enough changes of clothes to 
last out dry-skinned a week's rain4 ,and
 the leader of the party wore the       

wrinkled brow of tribulation4 ,for he   
had to keep track of everything and see 
that package number twenty-eight was not
 left1 and that package number sixteen  
did not get wet2 that the pneumatic bed 
did not get punctured1 and that the     
canned goods did4 ,beside which1 the    
caravan was moving at the majestic rate 
of about five miles a day4  ,now        
tent-pegs can always be cut1 and trout  
broiled beautifully by a dozen other    
ways1 and candle lanterns fold up1 and  
balsam can be laid in such a manner as  
to be as springy as a pneumatic         
mattress1 and camp-chairs1 if desired1  
can be quickly constructed with an axe1 
and clothes can always be washed or     
dried as long as fire burns and water   
runs1 and any one of fifty other items  
of laborious burden could have been     
ingeniously and quickly substituted by  
any one of the ,indians4 ,it was not    
that we concealed a bucolic scorn of    
effete but solid comfort2 only it did   
seem ridiculous that a man should cumber

 himself with a fifth wheel on a        
smoothly macadamized road4  ,the next   
morning ,billy and ,i went cheerfully on
 our way4 ,we were carrying an axe1 a   
gun1 blankets1 an extra pair of drawers 
and socks apiece1 a little grub1 and an 
eight-pound shelter tent4 ,we had been  
out a week1 and we were having a good   
time4     ,,ii4  ,,the ,,science ,,of   
,,going ,,light4  ,now the ,four-,way   
lodge is opened--now the smokes of      
,council rise-- ,pleasant smokes ere yet
 'twixt trail and trail they choose4    
,you can no more be told how to go light
 than you can be told how to hit a ball 
with a bat4 ,it is something that must  
be lived through1 and all advice on the 
subject has just about the value of an  
answer to a bashful young man who begged
 from one of our woman's periodicals    
help in overcoming the diffidence felt  
on entering a crowded room4 ,the reply  
read3 ,cultivate an easy1 graceful      
manner4 ,in like case ,i might          
hypothecate1 ,to go light1 discard all  

but the really necessary articles4  ,the
 sticking-point1 were you to press me   
close1 would be the definition of the   
word necessary1 for the terms of such   
definition would have to be those solely
 and simply of a man's experience4      
,comforts1 even most desirable comforts1
 are not necessities4 ,a dozen times a  
day trifling emergencies will seem      
precisely to call for some little handy 
contrivance that would be just the      
thing1 were it in the pack rather than  
at home4 ,a disgorger does the business 
better than a pocket-knife2 a pair of   
oilskin trousers turns the wet better   
than does kersey2 a camp-stove will burn
 merrily in a rain lively enough to     
drown an open fire4 ,yet neither        
disgorger1 nor oilskins1 nor camp-stove 
can be considered in the light of       
necessities1 for the simple reason that 
the conditions of their use occur too   
infrequently to compensate for the pains
 of their carriage4 ,or1 to put it the  
other way1 a few moments' work with a   

knife1 wet knees occasionally1 or an    
infrequent soggy meal are not too great 
a price to pay for unburdened shoulders4
  ,nor on the other hand must you       
conclude that because a thing is a mere 
luxury in town1 it is nothing but that  
in the woods4 ,most woodsmen own some   
little ridiculous item of outfit without
 which they could not be happy4 ,and    
when a man cannot be happy lacking a    
thing1 that thing becomes a necessity4  
,i knew one who never stirred without   
borated talcum powder2 another who must 
have his mouth-organ2 a third who was   
miserable without a small bottle of     
salad dressing2 ,i confess to a pair of 
light buckskin gloves4 ,each man must   
decide for himself--remembering always  
the endurance limit of human shoulders4 
,a necessity is that which1 by your own 
experience1 you have found you cannot do
 without4 ,as a bit of practical advice1
 however1 the following system of       
elimination may be recommended4 ,when   
you return from a trip1 turn your duffel

 bag upside down on the floor4 ,of the  
contents make three piles--three piles  
conscientiously selected in the light of
 what has happened rather than what     
ought to have happened1 or what might   
have happened4 ,it is difficult to do   
this4 ,preconceived notions1 habits of  
civilization1 theory for future1        
imagination1 all stand in the eye of    
your honesty4 ,pile number one should   
comprise those articles you have used   
every day2 pile number two1 those you   
have used occasionally2 pile number     
three1 those you have not used at all4  
,if you are resolute and singleminded1  
you will at once discard the latter two4
  ,throughout the following winter you  
will be attacked by misgivings4 ,to be  
sure1 you wore the mosquito hat but once
 or twice1 and the fourth pair of socks 
not at all2 but then the mosquitoes     
might be thicker next time1 and a series
 of rainy days and cold nights might    
make it desirable to have a dry pair of 
socks to put on at night4 ,the past has 

been x1 but the future might be y4 ,one 
by one the discarded creep back into the
 list4 ,and by the opening of next      
season you have made toward perfection  
by only the little space of a mackintosh
 coat and a ten-gauge gun4  ,but in the 
years to come you learn better and      
better the simple woods lesson of       
substitution or doing without4 ,you find
 that discomfort is as soon forgotten as
 pain2 that almost anything can be      
endured if it is but for the time being2
 that absolute physical comfort is worth
 but a very small price in avoirdupois4 
,your pack shrinks4  ,in fact1 it really
 never ceases shrinking4 ,only last     
summer taught me the uselessness of an  
extra pair of trousers4 ,it rains in the
 woods2 streams are to be waded2 the    
wetness of leaves is greater than the   
wetness of many rivers4 ,logically1     
naturally1 inevitably1 such conditions  
point to change of garments when camp is
 made4 ,we always change our clothes    
when we get wet in the city4 ,so for    

years ,i carried those extra nether     
garments--and continued in the natural  
exposure to sun and wind and camp-fire  
to dry off before change time1 or to    
hang the damp clothes from the          
ridge-pole for resumption in the        
morning4 ,and then one day the web of   
that particular convention broke4 ,we   
change wet trousers in the town2 we do  
not in the woods4 ,the extras were      
relegated to pile number three1 and my  
pack1 already apparently down to a      
minimum1 lost a few pounds more4  ,you  
will want a hat1 a good hat to turn     
rain1 with a medium brim4 ,if you are   
wise1 you will get it too small for your
 head1 and rip out the lining4 ,the felt
 will cling tenaciously to your hair1 so
 that you will find the snatches of the 
brush and the wind generally unavailing4
  ,by way of undergarments wear woollen4
 ,buy winter weights even for midsummer4
 ,in travelling with a pack a man is    
going to sweat in streams1 no matter    
what he puts on or takes off1 and the   

thick garment will be found no more     
oppressive than the thin4 ,and then in  
the cool of the woods or of the evening 
he avoids a chill4 ,and he can plunge   
into the coldest water with impunity1   
sure that ten minutes of the air will   
dry him fairly well4 ,until you have    
shivered in clammy cotton1 you cannot   
realize the importance of this point4   
,ten minutes of cotton underwear in cold
 water will chill4 ,on the other hand1  
suitably clothed in wool1 ,i have waded 
the ice water of north country streams  
when the thermometer was so low ,i could
 see my breath in the air1 without other
 discomfort than a cold ring around my  
legs to mark the surface of the water1  
and a slight numbness in my feet when ,i
 emerged4 ,therefore1 even in hot       
weather1 wear heavy wool4 ,it is the    
most comfortable4 ,undoubtedly you will 
come to believe this only by experience4
  ,do not carry a coat4 ,this is another
 preconception of civilization1         
exceedingly difficult to get rid of4    

,you will never wear it while packing4  
,in a rain you will find that it wets   
through so promptly as to be of little  
use2 or1 if waterproof1 the inside      
condensation will more than equal the   
rain-water4 ,in camp you will discard it
 because it will impede the swing of    
your arms4 ,the end of that coat will be
 a brief half-hour after supper1 and a  
makeshift roll to serve as a pillow     
during the night4 ,and for these a      
sweater is better in every way4  ,in    
fact1 if you feel you must possess      
another outside garment1 let it be an   
extra sweater4 ,you can sleep in it1 use
 it when your day garment is soaked1 or 
even tie things in it as in a bag4 ,it  
is not necessary1 however4  ,one good   
shirt is enough4 ,when you wash it1     
substitute the sweater until it dries4  
,in fact1 by keeping the sweater always 
in your waterproof bag1 you possess a   
dry garment to change into4 ,two        
handkerchiefs are enough4 ,one should be
 of silk1 for neck1 head1 or--in case of

 cramps or intense cold--the stomach2   
the other of coloured cotton for the    
pocket4 ,both can be quickly washed1 and
 dried en route4 ,three pairs of heavy  
wool socks will be enough--one for wear1
 one for night1 and one for extra4 ,a   
second pair of drawers supplements the  
sweater when a temporary day change is  
desirable4 ,heavy kersey driver's       
trousers are the best4 ,they are cheap1 
dry very quickly1 and are not easily    
picked out by the brush4  ,the best     
blanket is that made by the ,hudson's   
,bay ,company for its servants--a       
three-point for summer is heavy enough4 
,the next best is our own gray army     
blanket4 ,one of rubber should fold     
about it1 and a pair of narrow buckle   
straps is handy to keep the bundle right
 and tight and waterproof4 ,as for a    
tent1 buy the smallest shelter you can  
get along with1 have it made of balloon 
silk well waterproofed1 and supplement  
it with a duplicate tent of light       
cheesecloth to suspend inside as a      

fly-proof defence4 ,a seven-by-seven    
three-man ,a-tent1 which would weigh    
between twenty and thirty pounds if made
 of duck1 means only about eight pounds 
constructed of this material4 ,and it is
 waterproof4 ,i own one which ,i have   
used for three seasons4 ,it has been    
employed as tarpaulin1 fly1 even blanket
 on a pinch2 it has been packed through 
the roughest country2 ,i have even      
pressed it into service as a sort of    
canoe lining2 but it is still as good as
 ever4 ,such a tent sometimes condenses 
a little moisture in a cold rain1 but it
 never sprays as does a duck shelter2 it
 never leaks simply because you have    
accidentally touched its under-surface2 
and1 best of all1 it weighs no more     
after a rain than before it4 ,this      
latter item is perhaps its best         
recommendation4 ,the confronting with   
equanimity of a wet day's journey in the
 shower-bath brush of our northern      
forests requires a degree of philosophy 
which a gratuitous ten pounds of        

soaked-up water sometimes most          
effectually breaks down4 ,i know of but 
one place where such a tent can be      
bought4 ,the address will be gladly sent
 to any one practically interested4  ,as
 for the actual implements of the trade1
 they are not many1 although of course  
the sporting goods stores are full of   
all sorts of handy contrivances4 ,a     
small axe--one of the pocket size will  
do1 if you get the right shape and      
balance1 although a light regulation axe
 is better2 a thin-bladed sheath-knife  
of the best steel2 a pocket-knife2 a    
compass2 a waterproof match-safe2       
fishing-tackle2 firearms2 and cooking   
utensils comprise the list4 ,all others 
belong to permanent camps1 or open-water
 cruises--not to hikes in the woods4    
,the items1 with the exception of the   
last two1 seem to explain themselves4   
,during the summer months in the ,north 
,woods you will not need a rifle4       
,partridges1 spruce hens1 ptarmigan1    
rabbits1 ducks1 and geese are usually   

abundant enough to fill the provision   
list4 ,for them1 of course1 a shotgun is
 the thing2 but since such a weapon     
weighs many pounds1 and its ammunition  
many more1 ,i have come gradually to    
depend entirely on a pistol4 ,the       
instrument is single shot1 carries a    
six-inch barrel1 is fitted with a       
special butt1 and is built on the       
graceful lines of a #ch-;calibre ,smith 
and ,wesson revolver4 ,its cartridge is 
the #bb long-rifle1 a target size1 that 
carries as accurately as you can hold   
for upwards of a hundred yards4 ,with it
 ,i have often killed a half-dozen of   
partridges from the same tree4 ,the     
ammunition is light4 ,altogether it is a
 most satisfactory1 convenient1 and     
accurate weapon1 and quite adequate to  
all small game4 ,in fact1 an ,indian    
named ,tawabinisy1 after seeing it      
perform1 once borrowed it to kill a     
moose4  ,illustration3 ,,this ,,old     
,,soldier ,,had ,,come ,,in ,,from ,,the
 ,,long ,,trail ,,to ,,bear ,,again     

,,the ,,flag ,,of ,,his ,,country4  ,i  
shootum in eye1 said he4  ,by way of    
cooking utensils1 buy aluminium4 ,it is 
expensive1 but so light and so easily   
cleaned that it is well worth all you   
may have to pay4 ,if you are alone you  
will not want to carry much hardware4 ,i
 made a twenty-day trip once with       
nothing but a tin cup and a frying-pan4 
,dishes1 pails1 wash-basins1 and other  
receptacles can always be made of birch 
bark and cedar withes--by one who knows 
how4 ,the ideal outfit for two or three 
is a cup1 fork1 and spoon apiece1 one   
tea-pail1 two kettle-pails1 and a       
frying-pan4 ,the latter can be used as a
 bread-oven4  ,a few minor items1 of    
practically no weight1 suggest          
themselves--toilet requisites1 fly-dope1
 needle and thread1 a cathartic1        
pain-killer1 a roll of surgeon's        
bandage1 pipe and tobacco4 ,but when the
 pack is made up1 and the duffel bag    
tied1 you find that1 while fitted for   
every emergency but that of catastrophe1

 you are prepared to go light4          
,,iii4  ,,the ,,jumping-,,off ,,place4  
,sometime1 no matter how long your      
journey1 you will reach a spot whose    
psychological effect is so exactly like 
a dozen others that you will recognize  
at once its kinship with former         
experience4 ,mere physical likeness does
 not count at all4 ,it may possess a    
water-front of laths and sawdust1 or an 
outlook over broad1 shimmering1         
heat-baked plains4 ,it may front the    
impassive fringe of a forest1 or it may 
skirt the calm stretch of a river4 ,but 
whether of log or mud1 stone or         
unpainted board1 its identity becomes at
 first sight indubitably evident4 ,were 
you1 by the wave of some beneficent     
wand1 to be transported direct to it    
from the heart of the city1 you could   
not fail to recognize it4 ,the          
jumping-off place6 you would cry        
ecstatically1 and turn with unerring    
instinct to the ,aromatic ,shop4  ,for  
here is where begins the ,long ,trail4  

,whether it will lead you through the   
forests1 or up the hills1 or over the   
plains1 or by invisible water paths2    
whether you will accomplish it on       
horseback1 or in canoe1 or by the       
transportation of your own two legs2    
whether your companions shall be white  
or red1 or merely the voices of the     
wilds--these things matter not a        
particle4 ,in the symbol of this little 
town you loose your hold on the world of
 made things1 and shift for yourself    
among the unchanging conditions of      
nature4  ,here the faint forest flavour1
 the subtle1 invisible breath of        
freedom1 stirs faintly across men's     
conventions4 ,the ordinary affairs of   
life savour of this tang--a trace of    
wildness in the domesticated berry4 ,in 
the dress of the inhabitants is a dash  
of colour1 a carelessness of port2 in   
the manner of their greeting is the     
clear1 steady-eyed taciturnity of the   
silent places2 through the web of their 
gray talk of ways and means and men's   

simpler beliefs runs a thread of colour4
 ,one hears strange1 suggestive words   
and phrases--arapajo1 capote1 arroyo1   
the diamond hitch1 cache1 butte1 coul1  
muskegs1 portage1 and a dozen others    
coined into the tender of daily use4    
,and occasionally1 when the expectation 
is least alert1 one encounters suddenly 
the very symbol of the wilderness       
itself--a dust-whitened cowboy1 an      
,indian packer with his straight1       
fillet-confined hair1 a voyageur gay in 
red sash and ornamented moccasins1 one  
of the ,company's canoemen1             
hollow-cheeked from the river--no       
costumed show exhibit1 but fitting      
naturally into the scene1 bringing      
something of the open space with him--so
 that in your imagination the little    
town gradually takes on the colour of   
mystery which an older community utterly
 lacks4  ,but perhaps the strongest of  
the influences which unite to assure the
 psychological kinships of the          
jumping-off places is that of the       

,aromatic ,shop4 ,it is usually a board 
affair1 with a broad high sidewalk      
shaded by a wooden awning4 ,you enter   
through a narrow door1 and find yourself
 facing two dusky aisles separated by a 
narrow division of goods1 and flanked by
 wooden counters4 ,so far it is exactly 
like the corner store of our rural      
districts4 ,but in the dimness of these 
two aisles lurks the spirit of the      
wilds4 ,there in a row hang fifty pair  
of smoke-tanned moccasins2 in another an
 equal number of oil-tanned2 across the 
background you can make out snowshoes4  
,the shelves are high with              
blankets--three-point1 four-point--thick
 and warm for the out-of-doors4 ,should 
you care to examine1 the storekeeper    
will hook down from aloft capotes of    
different degrees of fineness4 ,fathoms 
of black tobacco-rope lie coiled in     
tubs4 ,tump-lines welter in a tangle of 
dimness4 ,on a series of little shelves 
is the ammunition1 fascinating in the   
attraction of mere numbers--#dd         

,winchester1 #de ,colt1 #dj-hb1 #cj-dj1 
#dd ,s4  ,w4--they all connote something
 to the accustomed mind1 just as do the 
numbered street names of ,new ,york4    
,an exploration is always bringing      
something new to light among the        
commonplaces of ginghams and working    
shirts1 and canned goods and stationery1
 and the other thousands of civilized   
drearinesses to found in every country  
store4 ,from under the counter you drag 
out a mink skin or so2 from the dark    
corner an assortment of steel traps4 ,in
 a loft a birch-bark mokok1 fifty pounds
 heavy with granulated maple sugar1     
dispenses a faint perfume4  ,for this   
is1 above all1 the ,aromatic ,shop4 ,a  
hundred ghosts of odours mingle to      
produce the spirit of it4 ,the reek of  
the camp-fires is in its buckskin1 of   
the woods in its birch bark1 of the     
muskegs in its sweet grass1 of the open 
spaces in its peltries1 of the evening  
meal in its coffees and bacons1 of the  
portage trail in the leather of the     

tump-lines4 ,i am speaking now of the   
country of which we are to write4 ,the  
shops of the other jumping-off places   
are equally aromatic--whether with the  
leather of saddles1 the freshness of ash
 paddles1 or the pungency of marline2   
and once the smell of them is in your   
nostrils you cannot but away4  ,the     
,aromatic ,shop is always kept by the   
wisest1 the most accommodating1 the most
 charming shopkeeper in the world4 ,he  
has all leisure to give you1 and enters 
into the innermost spirit of your       
buying4 ,he is of supernal sagacity in  
regard to supplies and outfits1 and if  
he does not know all about routes1 at   
least he is acquainted with the very man
 who can tell you everything you want to
 know4 ,he leans both elbows on the     
counter1 you swing your feet1 and       
together you go over the list1 while the
 ,indian stands smoky and silent in the 
background4 ,now1 if ,i was you1 says   
he1 ,i'd take just a little more pork4  
,you won't be eatin' so much yourself1  

but these ,injuns ain't got no bottom   
when it comes to sow-belly4 ,and ,i     
wouldn't buy all that coffee4 ,you ain't
 goin' to want much after the first edge
 is worn off4 ,tea's the boy4 ,the      
,indian shoots a few rapid words across 
the discussion4 ,he says you'll want    
some iron shoes to fit on canoe poles   
for when you come back up-stream1       
interprets your friend4 ,i guess that's 
right4 ,i ain't got none1 but th'       
blacksmith'll fit you out all right4    
,you'll find him just below--never mind1
 don't you bother1 ,i'll see to all that
 for you4  ,the next morning he saunters
 into view at the river-bank4 ,thought  
,i'd see you off1 he replies to your    
expression of surprise at his early     
rising4 ,take care of yourself4 ,and so 
the last hand-clasp of civilization is  
extended to you from the little         
,aromatic ,shop4  ,occasionally1        
however1 though very rarely1 you step to
 the ,long ,trail from the streets of a 
raw modern town4 ,the chance presence of

 some local industry demanding a large  
population of workmen1 combined with    
first-class railroad transportation1 may
 plant an electric-lighted1             
saloon-lined1 brick-hoteled city in the 
middle of the wilderness4 ,lumber1      
mines--especially of the baser metals or
 commercial minerals--fisheries1 a      
terminus of water freightage1 may one or
 all call into existence a community a  
hundred years in advance of its         
environment4 ,then you lose the savour  
of the jump-off4 ,nothing can quite take
 the place of the instant plunge into   
the wilderness1 for you must travel     
three or four days from such a place    
before you sense the forest in its      
vastness1 even though deer may eat the  
cabbages at the edge of town4           
,occasionally1 however1 by force of     
crude contrast to the brick-heated      
atmosphere1 the breath of the woods     
reaches your cheek1 and always you own a
 very tender feeling for the cause of   
it4  ,dick and myself were caught in    

such a place4 ,it was an unfinished     
little town1 with brick-fronted stores1 
arc-lights swaying over fathomless mud1 
big superintendent's and millowner's    
houses of bastard architecture in a     
blatant superiority of hill location1 a 
hotel whose office chairs supported a   
variety of cheap drummers1 and stores   
screeching in an attempt at metropolitan
 smartness4 ,we inspected the standpipe 
and the docks1 walked a careless mile of
 board walk1 kicked a dozen pugnacious  
dogs from our setter1 ,deuce1 and found 
ourselves at the end of our resources4  
,as a crowd seemed to be gathering about
 the wooden railway station1 we joined  
it in sheer idleness4  ,it seemed that  
an election had taken place the day     
before1 that one ,smith had been chosen 
to the ,assembly1 and that1 though this 
district had gone anti-,smith1 the      
candidate was expected to stop off an   
hour on his way to a more westerly      
point4 ,consequently the town was on    
hand to receive him4  ,the crowd1 we    

soon discovered1 was bourgeois in the   
extreme4 ,young men from the mill       
escorted young women from the shops4    
,the young men wore flaring collars     
three sizes too large2 the young women  
white cotton mitts three sizes too      
small4 ,the older men spat1 and talked  
through their noses2 the women drawled  
out a monotonous flow of speech         
concerning the annoyances of domestic   
life4 ,a gang of uncouth practical      
jokers1 exploding in horse-laughter1    
skylarked about1 jostling rudely4 ,a    
village band1 uniformed solely with     
cheap carriage-cloth caps1 brayed       
excruciatingly4 ,the reception committee
 had decorated1 with red and white      
silesia streamers and rosettes1 an      
ordinary side-bar buggy1 to which a long
 rope had been attached1 that the great 
man might be dragged by his             
fellow-citizens to the public square4   
,nobody seemed to be taking the affair  
too seriously4 ,it was evidently more   
than half a joke4 ,anti-,smith was more 

good-humouredly in evidence than the    
winning party4 ,just this touch of      
buffoonery completed our sense of the   
farce-comedy character of the situation4
 ,the town was tawdry in its            
preparations--and knew it2 but half     
sincere in its enthusiasm--and knew it4 
,if the crowd had been composed of      
,americans1 we should have anticipated  
an unhappy time for ,smith2 but good1   
loyal ,canadians1 by the limitations of 
temperament1 could get no further than a
 spirit of manifest irreverence4  ,in   
the shifting of the groups ,dick and ,i 
became separated1 but shortly ,i made   
him out worming his way excitedly toward
 me1 his sketch-book open in his hand4  
,come here1 he whispered4 ,there's going
 to be fun4 ,they're going to open up on
 old ,smith after all4  ,i followed4    
,the decorated side-bar buggy might be  
well meant2 the village band need not   
have been interpreted as an ironical    
compliment2 the rest of the celebration 
might indicate paucity of resource      

rather than facetious intent2 but surely
 the figure of fun before us could not  
be otherwise construed than as a        
deliberate advertising in the face of   
success of the town's real attitude     
toward the celebration4  ,the man was   
short4 ,he wore a felt hat1 so big that 
it rested on his ears4 ,a gray wool     
shirt hung below his neck4 ,a cutaway   
coat miles too large depended below his 
knees and to the first joints of his    
fingers4 ,by way of official uniform his
 legs were incased in an ordinary rough 
pair of miller's white trousers1 on     
which broad strips of red flannel had   
been roughly sewn4 ,everything was      
wrinkled in the folds of too-bigness4   
,as though to accentuate the note1 the  
man stood very erect1 very military1 and
 supported in one hand the staff of an  
,english flag4 ,this figure of fun1 this
 man made from the slop-chest1 this     
caricature of a scarecrow1 had been put 
forth by heavy-handed facetiousness to  
the post of greatest honour4 ,he was    

,standard-,bearer to the occasion6      
,surely subtle irony could go no        
further4  ,a sudden movement caused the 
man to turn4 ,one sleeve of the faded1  
ridiculous old cutaway was empty4 ,he   
turned again4 ,from under the           
ear-flanging hat looked unflinchingly   
the clear1 steady blue eye of the       
woodsman4 ,and so we knew4 ,this old    
soldier had come in from the ,long      
,trail to bear again the flag of his    
country4 ,if his clothes were old and   
ill-fitting1 at least they were his     
best1 and the largeness of the empty    
sleeve belittled the too-largeness of   
the other4 ,in all this ribald1         
laughing1 irreverent1 commonplace1      
semi-vicious crowd he was the one note  
of sincerity4 ,to him this was a real   
occasion1 and the exalted reverence in  
his eye for the task he was so simply   
performing was ,smith's real triumph--if
 he could have known it4 ,we understood 
now1 we felt the imminence of the ,long 
,trail4 ,for the first time the little  

brick1 tawdry town gripped our hearts   
with the well-known thrill of the       
,jumping-,off ,place4 ,suddenly the     
great1 simple1 unashamed wilderness drew
 near us as with the rush of wings4     
,,iv4  ,,on ,,making ,,camp4  ,who hath 
smelt wood-smoke at twilight8 ,who hath 
heard the birch log burning8 ,who is    
quick to read the noises of the night8  
,let him follow with the others1 for the
 young men's feet are turning ,to the   
camps of proved desire and known        
delight4   ,in the ,ojibway language    
wigwam means a good spot for camping1 a 
place cleared for a camp1 a camp as an  
abstract proposition1 and a camp in the 
concrete as represented by a tent1 a    
thatched shelter1 or a conical tepee4   
,in like manner1 the ,english word camp 
lends itself to a variety of concepts4  
,i once slept in a four-poster bed over 
a polished floor in an elaborate        
servant-haunted structure which1 mainly 
because it was built of logs and        
overlooked a lake1 the owner always     

spoke of as his camp4 ,again1 ,i once   
slept on a bed of prairie grass1 before 
a fire of dried buffalo chips and       
mesquite1 wrapped in a single light     
blanket1 while a good vigorous          
rain-storm made new cold places on me   
and under me all night4 ,in the morning 
the cowboy with whom ,i was travelling  
remarked that this was sure a lonesome  
proposition as a camp4  ,between these  
two extremes is infinite variety1       
grading upwards through the divers      
bivouacs of snow1 plains1 pines1 or     
hills to the bark shelter2 past the     
dog-tent1 the ,a-tent1 the wall-tent1 to
 the elaborate permanent canvas cottage 
of the luxurious camper1 the dug-out    
winter retreat of the range cowboy1 the 
trapper's cabin1 the great log-built    
lumber-jack communities1 and the last   
refinements of sybaritic summer homes in
 the ,adirondacks4 ,all these are camps4
 ,and when you talk of making camp you  
must know whether that process is to    
mean only a search for rattlesnakes and 

enough acrid-smoked fuel to boil tea1 or
 a winter's consultation with an expert 
architect2 whether your camp is to be   
made on the principle of ,omar's        
one-night ,sultan1 or whether it is     
intended to accommodate the full days of
 an entire summer4  ,but to those who   
tread the ,long ,trail the making of    
camp resolves itself into an algebraical
 formula4 ,after a man has travelled all
 day through the ,northern wilderness he
 wants to rest1 and anything that stands
 between himself and his repose he must 
get rid of in as few motions as is      
consistent with reasonable thoroughness4
 ,the end in view is a hot meal and a   
comfortable dry place to sleep4 ,the    
straighter he can draw the line to those
 two points the happier he is4  ,early  
in his woods experience1 ,dick became   
possessed with the desire to do         
everything for himself4 ,as this was a  
laudable striving for self-sufficiency1 
,i called a halt at about three o'clock 
one afternoon in order to give him      

plenty of time4  ,now ,dick is a good1  
active1 able-bodied boy1 possessed of   
average intelligence and rather more    
than average zeal4 ,he even had theory  
of a sort1 for he had read various ,boy 
,campers1 or the ,trapper's ,guide1 ,how
 to ,camp ,out1 ,the ,science of        
,woodcraft1 and other able works4 ,he   
certainly had ideas enough and          
confidence enough4 ,i sat down on a log4
  ,at the end of three hours'           
flusteration1 heat1 worry1 and good hard
 work1 he had accomplished the following
 results3 ,a tent1 very saggy1 very     
askew1 covered a four-sided area--it was
 not a rectangle--of very bumpy ground4 
,a hodge-podge bonfire1 in the centre of
 which an inaccessible coffee-pot       
toppled menacingly1 alternately         
threatened to ignite the entire         
surrounding forest or to go out         
altogether through lack of fuel4        
,personal belongings strewed the ground 
near the fire1 and provisions cumbered  
the entrance to the tent4 ,dick was     

anxiously mixing batter for the cakes1  
attempting to stir a pot of rice often  
enough to prevent it from burning1 and  
trying to rustle sufficient dry wood to 
keep the fire going4 ,this diversity of 
interests certainly made him sit up and 
pay attention4 ,at each instant he had  
to desert his flour-sack to rescue the  
coffee-pot1 or to shift the kettle1 or  
to dab hastily at the rice1 or to stamp 
out the small brush1 or to pile on more 
dry twigs4 ,his movements were not      
graceful4 ,they raised a scurry of dry  
bark1 ashes1 wood dust1 twigs1 leaves1  
and pine needles1 a certain proportion  
of which found their way into the       
coffee1 the rice1 and the sticky batter1
 while the smaller articles of personal 
belonging1 hastily dumped from the      
duffel-bag1 gradually disappeared from  
view in the manner of ,pompeii and      
ancient ,vesuvius4 ,dick burned his     
fingers and stumbled about and swore1   
and looked so comically-pathetically    
red-faced through the smoke that ,i1    

seated on the log1 at the same time     
laughed and pitied4 ,and in the end1    
when he needed a continuous steady fire 
to fry his cakes1 he suddenly discovered
 that dry twigs do not make coals1 and  
that his previous operations had used up
 all the fuel within easy circle of the 
camp4  ,so he had to drop everything for
 the purpose of rustling wood1 while the
 coffee chilled1 the rice cooled1 the   
bacon congealed1 and all the provisions1
 cooked and uncooked1 gathered          
entomological specimens4 ,at the last1  
the poor bedeviled theorist made a hasty
 meal of scorched food1 brazenly        
postponed the washing of dishes until   
the morrow1 and coiled about his        
hummocky couch to dream the nightmares  
of complete exhaustion4  ,poor ,dick6 ,i
 knew exactly how he felt1 how the low  
afternoon sun scorched1 how the fire    
darted out at unexpected places1 how the
 smoke followed him around1 no matter on
 which side of the fire he placed       
himself1 how the flies all took to      

biting when both hands were occupied1   
and how they all miraculously           
disappeared when he had set down the    
frying-pan and knife to fight them4 ,i  
could sympathize1 too1 with the lonely1 
forlorn1 lost-dog feeling that clutched 
him after it was all over4 ,i could     
remember how big and forbidding and     
unfriendly the forest had once looked to
 me in like circumstances1 so that ,i   
had felt suddenly thrust outside into   
empty spaces4 ,almost was ,i tempted to 
intervene2 but ,i liked ,dick1 and ,i   
wanted to do him good4 ,this experience 
was harrowing1 but it prepared his mind 
for the seeds of wisdom4 ,by the        
following morning he had chastened his  
spirit1 forgotten the assurance breathed
 from the windy pages of the ,boy       
,trapper ,library1 and was ready to     
learn4  ,have you ever watched a        
competent portraitist at work8 ,the     
infinite pains a skilled man spends on  
the preliminaries before he takes one   
step towards a likeness nearly always   

wears down the patience of the sitter4  
,he measures with his eye1 he plumbs1 he
 sketches tentatively1 he places in here
 a dab1 there a blotch1 he puts behind  
him apparently unproductive hours--and  
then all at once he is ready to begin   
something that will not have to be done 
over again4 ,an amateur1 however1 is    
carried away by his desire for results4 
,he dashes in a hit-or-miss early       
effect1 which grows into an approximate 
likeness almost immediately1 but which  
will require infinite labour1           
alteration1 and anxiety to beat into    
finished shape4  ,the case of the artist
 in making camps is exactly similar1 and
 the philosophical reasons for his      
failure are exactly the same4 ,to the   
superficial mind a camp is a shelter1 a 
bright fire1 and a smell of cooking4 ,so
 when a man is very tired he cuts across
 lots to those three results4 ,he       
pitches his tent1 lights his fire1 puts 
over his food--and finds himself drowned
 in detail1 like my friend ,dick4  ,the 

following is1 in brief1 what during the 
next six weeks ,i told that youth1 by   
precept1 by homily1 and by making the   
solution so obvious that he could work  
it out for himself4  ,when five or six  
o'clock draws near1 begin to look about 
you for a good level dry place1 elevated
 some few feet above the surroundings4  
,drop your pack or beach your canoe4    
,examine the location carefully4 ,you   
will want two trees about ten feet      
apart1 from which to suspend your tent1 
and a bit of flat ground underneath     
them4 ,of course the flat ground need   
not be particularly unencumbered by     
brush or saplings1 so the combination   
ought not to be hard to discover4 ,now  
return to your canoe4 ,do not unpack the
 tent4  ,with the little axe clear the  
ground thoroughly4 ,by bending a sapling
 over strongly with the left hand1      
clipping sharply at the strained fibres1
 and then bending it as strongly the    
other way to repeat the axe stroke on   
the other side1 you will find that      

treelets of even two or three inches    
diameter can be felled by two blows4 ,in
 a very few moments you will have       
accomplished a hole in the forest1 and  
your two supporting trees will stand    
sentinel at either end of a most        
respectable-looking clearing4 ,do not   
unpack the tent4  ,now1 although the    
ground seems free of all but unimportant
 growths1 go over it thoroughly for     
little shrubs and leaves4 ,they look    
soft and yielding1 but are often        
possessed of unexpectedly abrasive      
roots4 ,besides1 they mask the face of  
the ground4 ,when you have finished     
pulling them up by the roots1 you will  
find that your supposedly level plot is 
knobby with hummocks4 ,stand directly   
over each little mound2 swing the back  
of your axe vigorously against it1      
adze-wise1 between your legs4 ,nine     
times out of ten it will crumble1 and   
the tenth time means merely a root to   
cut or a stone to pry out4 ,at length   
you are possessed of a plot of clean1   

fresh earth1 level and soft1 free from  
projections4 ,but do not unpack your    
tent4  ,lay a young birch or maple an   
inch or so in diameter across a log4    
,two clips will produce you a tent-peg4 
,if you are inexperienced1 and cherish  
memories of striped lawn marquees1 you  
will cut them about six inches long4 ,if
 you are wise and old and gray in woods 
experience1 you will multiply that      
length by four4 ,then your loops will   
not slip off1 and you will have a real  
grip on mother earth1 than which nothing
 can be more desirable in the event of a
 heavy rain and wind squall about       
midnight4 ,if your axe is as sharp as it
 ought to be1 you can point them more   
neatly by holding them suspended in     
front of you while you snip at their    
ends with the axe1 rather than by       
resting them against a solid base4 ,pile
 them together at the edge of the       
clearing4 ,cut a crotched sapling eight 
or ten feet long4 ,now unpack your tent4
  ,in a wooded country you will not take

 the time to fool with tent-poles4 ,a   
stout line run through the eyelets and  
along the apex will string it           
successfully between your two trees4    
,draw the line as tight as possible1 but
 do not be too unhappy if1 after your   
best efforts1 it still sags a little4   
,that is what your long crotched stick  
is for4 ,stake out your four corners4   
,if you get them in a good rectangle1   
and in such relation to the apex as to  
form two isosceles triangles of the     
ends1 your tent will stand smoothly4    
,therefore1 be an artist and do it      
right4 ,once the four corners are well  
placed1 the rest follows naturally4     
,occasionally in the ,north ,country it 
will be found that the soil is too thin 
over the rocks to grip the tent-pegs4   
,in that case drive them at a sharp     
angle as deep as they will go1 and then 
lay a large flat stone across the slant 
of them4 ,thus anchored1 you will ride  
out a gale4 ,finally1 wedge your long   
sapling crotch under the line--outside  

the tent1 of course--to tighten it4     
,your shelter is up4 ,if you are a      
woodsman1 ten or fifteen minutes has    
sufficed to accomplish all this4  ,there
 remains the question of a bed1 and     
you'd better attend to it now1 while    
your mind is still occupied with the    
shelter problem4 ,fell a good thrifty   
young balsam and set to work pulling off
 the fans4 ,those you cannot strip off  
easily with your hands are too tough for
 your purpose4 ,lay them carelessly     
crisscross against the blade of your axe
 and up the handle4 ,they will not drop 
off1 and when you shoulder that axe you 
will resemble a walking haystack1 and   
will probably experience a genuine      
emotion of surprise at the amount of    
balsam that can be thus transported4 ,in
 the tent lay smoothly one layer of     
fans1 convex side up1 butts toward the  
foot4 ,now thatch the rest on top of    
this1 thrusting the butt ends underneath
 the layer already placed in such a     
manner as to leave the fan ends curving 

up and down towards the foot of your    
bed4 ,your second emotion of surprise   
will assail you as you realize how much 
spring inheres in but two or three      
layers thus arranged4 ,when you have    
spread your rubber blanket1 you will be 
possessed of a bed as soft and a great  
deal more aromatic and luxurious than   
any you would be able to buy in town4   
,your next care is to clear a living    
space in front of the tent4 ,this will  
take you about twenty seconds1 for you  
need not be particular as to stumps1    
hummocks1 or small brush4 ,all you want 
is room for cooking1 and suitable space 
for spreading out your provisions4 ,but 
do not unpack anything yet4  ,your      
fireplace you will build of two green   
logs laid side by side4 ,the fire is to 
be made between them4 ,they should      
converge slightly1 in order that the    
utensils to be rested across them may be
 of various sizes4 ,if your vicinity    
yields flat stones1 they build up even  
better than the logs--unless they happen

 to be of granite4 ,granite explodes    
most disconcertingly4 ,poles sharpened1 
driven upright into the ground1 and then
 pressed down to slant over the         
fireplace1 will hold your kettles a     
suitable height above the blaze4  ,fuel 
should be your next thought4 ,a roll of 
birch bark first of all4 ,then some of  
the small1 dry1 resinous branches that  
stick out from the trunks of            
medium-sized pines1 living or dead4     
,finally1 the wood itself4 ,if you are  
merely cooking supper1 and have no      
thought for a warmth-fire or a          
friendship-fire1 ,i should advise you to
 stick to the dry pine branches1 helped 
out1 in the interest of coals for       
frying1 by a little dry maple or birch4 
,if you need more of a blaze1 you will  
have to search out1 fell1 and split a   
standing dead tree4 ,this is not at all 
necessary4 ,i have travelled many weeks 
in the woods without using a more       
formidable implement than a one-pound   
hatchet4 ,pile your fuel--a complete    

supply1 all you are going to need--by   
the side of your already improvised     
fireplace4 ,but1 as you value your peace
 of mind1 do not fool with matches4  ,it
 will be a little difficult to turn your
 mind from the concept of fire1 to which
 all these preparations have            
compellingly led it--especially as a    
fire is the one cheerful thing your     
weariness needs the most at this time of
 day--but you must do so4 ,leave        
everything just as it is1 and unpack    
your provisions4  ,first of all1 rinse  
your utensils4 ,hang your tea-pail1 with
 the proper quantity of water1 from one 
slanting pole1 and your kettle from the 
other4 ,salt the water in the latter    
receptacle4 ,peel your potatoes1 if you 
have any2 open your little provision    
sacks2 puncture your tin cans1 if you   
have any2 slice your bacon2 clean your  
fish2 pluck your birds2 mix your dough  
or batter2 spread your table tinware on 
your tarpaulin or a sheet of birch bark2
 cut a kettle-lifter2 see that          

everything you are going to need is     
within direct reach of your hand as you 
squat on your heels before the          
fireplace4 ,now light your fire4  ,the  
civilized method is to build a fire and 
then to touch a match to the completed  
structure4 ,if well done and in a grate 
or steve1 this works beautifully4 ,only 
in the woods you have no grate4 ,the    
only sure way is as follows3 ,hold a    
piece of birch bark in your hand4       
,shelter your match all you know how4   
,when the bark has caught1 lay it in    
your fireplace1 assist it with more     
bark1 and gradually build up1 twig by   
twig1 stick by stick1 from the first    
pin-point of flame1 all the fire you are
 going to need4 ,it will not be much4   
,the little hot blaze rising between the
 parallel logs directly against the     
aluminium of your utensils will do the  
business in a very short order4 ,in     
fifteen minutes at most your meal is    
ready4 ,and you have been able to attain
 to hot food thus quickly because you   

were prepared4  ,in case of very wet    
weather the affair is altered somewhat4 
,if the rain has just commenced1 do not 
stop to clear out very thoroughly1 but  
get your tent up as quickly as possible1
 in order to preserve an area of        
comparatively dry ground4 ,but if the   
earth is already soaked1 you had best   
build a bonfire to dry out by1 while you
 cook over a smaller fire a little      
distance removed1 leaving the tent until
 later4 ,or it may be well not to pitch 
the tent at all1 but to lay it across   
slanting supports at an angle to reflect
 the heat against the ground4  ,it is no
 joke to light a fire in the rain4 ,an  
,indian can do it more easily than a    
white man1 but even an ,indian has more 
trouble than the story-books            
acknowledge4 ,you will need a greater   
quantity of birch bark1 a bigger pile of
 resinous dead limbs from the pine      
trees1 and perhaps the heart of a dead  
pine stub or stump4 ,then1 with infinite
 patience1 you may be able to tease the 

flame4 ,sometimes a small dead birch    
contains in the waterproof envelope of  
its bark a species of powdery1 dry      
touchwood that takes the flame readily4 
,still1 it is easy enough to start a    
blaze--a very fine-looking1 cheerful1   
healthy blaze2 the difficulty is to     
prevent its petering out the moment your
 back is turned4  ,but the depths of woe
 are sounded and the limit of patience  
reached when you are forced to get      
breakfast in the dripping forest4 ,after
 the chill of early dawn you are always 
reluctant in the best of circumstances  
to leave your blankets1 to fumble with  
numbed fingers for matches1 to handle   
cold steel and slippery fish4 ,but when 
every leaf1 twig1 sapling1 and tree     
contains a douche of cold water2 when   
the wetness oozes about your moccasins  
from the soggy earth with every step you
 take2 when you look about you and      
realize that somehow1 before you can get
 a mouthful to banish that              
before-breakfast ill-humour1 you must   

brave cold water in an attempt to find  
enough fuel to cook with1 then your     
philosophy and early religious training 
avail you little4 ,the first ninety-nine
 times you are forced to do this you    
will probably squirm circumspectly      
through the bush in a vain attempt to   
avoid shaking water down on yourself2   
you will resent each failure to do so1  
and at the end your rage will personify 
the wilderness for the purpose of one   
sweeping anathema4 ,the hundredth time  
will bring you wisdom4 ,you will do the 
anathema--rueful rather than            
enraged--from the tent opening4 ,then   
you will plunge boldly in and get wet4  
,it is not pleasant1 but it has to be   
done1 and you will save much temper1 not
 to speak of time4  ,dick and ,i earned 
our diplomas at this sort of work4 ,it  
rained twelve of the first fourteen days
 we were out4 ,towards the end of that  
two weeks ,i doubt if even an ,indian   
could have discovered a dry stick of    
wood in the entire country4 ,the land   

was of ,laurentian rock formation1      
running in parallel ridges of bare stone
 separated by hollows carpeted with a   
thin layer of earth4 ,the ridges were   
naturally ill-adapted to camping1 and   
the cup hollows speedily filled up with 
water until they became most creditable 
little marshes4 ,often we hunted for an 
hour or so before we could find any sort
 of a spot to pitch our tent4 ,as for a 
fire1 it was a matter of chopping down  
dead trees large enough to have remained
 dry inside1 of armfuls of birch bark1  
and of the patient drying out1 by       
repeated ignition1 of enough fuel to    
cook very simple meals4 ,of course we   
could have kept a big fire going easily 
enough1 but we were travelling steadily 
and had not the time for that4 ,in these
 trying circumstances1 ,dick showed     
that1 no matter how much of a tenderfoot
 he might be1 he was game enough under  
stress4  ,but to return to our pleasant 
afternoon4 ,while you are consuming the 
supper you will hang over some water to 

heat for the dish-washing1 and the      
dish-washing you will attend to the     
moment you have finished eating4 ,do not
 commit the fallacy of sitting down for 
a little rest4 ,better finish the job   
completely while you are about it4 ,you 
will appreciate leisure so much more    
later4 ,in lack of a wash-rag you will  
find that a bunch of tall grass bent    
double makes an ideal swab4  ,now brush 
the flies from your tent1 drop the      
mosquito-proof lining1 and enjoy        
yourself4 ,the whole task1 from first to
 last1 has consumed but a little over an
 hour4 ,and you are through for the day4
  ,in the woods1 as nowhere else1 you   
will earn your leisure only by          
forethought4 ,make no move until you    
know it follows the line of greatest    
economy4 ,to putter is to wallow in     
endless desolation4 ,if you cannot move 
directly and swiftly and certainly along
 the line of least resistance in        
everything you do1 take a guide with    
you2 you are not of the woods people4   

,you will never enjoy doing for         
yourself1 for your days will be crammed 
with unending labour4  ,it is but a     
little after seven4 ,the long crimson   
shadows of the ,north ,country are      
lifting across the aisles of the forest4
 ,you sit on a log1 or lie on your back1
 and blow contented clouds straight up  
into the air4 ,nothing can disturb you  
now4 ,the wilderness is yours1 for you  
have taken from it the essentials of    
primitive civilization--shelter1 warmth1
 and food4 ,an hour ago a rainstorm     
would have been a minor catastrophe4    
,now you do not care4 ,blow high1 blow  
low1 you have made for yourself an      
abiding-place1 so that the signs of the 
sky are less important to you than to   
the city dweller who wonders if he      
should take an umbrella4 ,from your     
doorstep you can look placidly out on   
the great unknown4 ,the noises of the   
forest draw close about you their circle
 of mystery1 but the circle cannot break
 upon you1 for here you have conjured   

the homely sounds of kettle and         
crackling flame to keep ward4 ,thronging
 down through the twilight steal the    
jealous woodland shadows1 awful in the  
sublimity of the ,silent ,places1 but at
 the sentry outposts of your firelit    
trees they pause like wild animals1     
hesitating to advance4 ,the wilderness1 
untamed1 dreadful at night1 is all      
about2 but this one little spot you have
 reclaimed4 ,here is something before   
unknown to the eerie spirits of the     
woods4 ,as you sleepily knock the ashes 
from the pipe1 you look about on the    
familiar scene with accustomed          
satisfaction4 ,you are at home4     ,v4 
,,on ,,lying ,,awake ,,at ,,night4  ,who
 hath lain alone to hear the wild goose 
cry8   ,about once in so often you are  
due to lie awake at night4 ,why this is 
so ,i have never been able to discover4 
,it apparently comes from no            
predisposing uneasiness of indigestion1 
no rashness in the matter of too much   
tea or tobacco1 no excitation of unusual

 incident or stimulating conversation4  
,in fact1 you turn in with the          
expectation of rather a good night's    
rest4 ,almost at once the little noises 
of the forest grow larger1 blend in the 
hollow bigness of the first drowse2 your
 thoughts drift idly back and forth     
between reality and dream2              
when--snap6--you are broad awake6       
,perhaps the reservoir of your vital    
forces is full to the overflow of a     
little waste2 or perhaps1 more subtly1  
the great ,mother insists thus that you 
enter the temple of her larger          
mysteries4  ,for1 unlike mere insomnia1 
lying awake at night in the woods is    
pleasant4 ,the eager1 nervous straining 
for sleep gives way to a delicious      
indifference4 ,you do not care4 ,your   
mind is cradled in an exquisite         
poppy-suspension of judgment and of     
thought4 ,impressions slip vaguely into 
your consciousness and as vaguely out   
again4 ,sometimes they stand stark and  
naked for your inspection2 sometimes    

they lose themselves in the midst of    
half-sleep4 ,always they lay soft velvet
 fingers on the drowsy imagination1 so  
that in their caressing you feel the    
vaster spaces from which they have come4
 ,peaceful-brooding your faculties      
receive4 ,hearing1 sight1 smell--all are
 preternaturally keen to whatever of    
sound and sight and woods perfume is    
abroad through the night2 and yet at the
 same time active appreciation dozes1 so
 these things lie on it sweet and       
cloying like fallen rose leaves4  ,in   
such circumstance you will hear what the
 voyageurs call the voices of the       
rapids4 ,many people never hear them at 
all4 ,they speak very soft and low and  
distinct beneath the steady roar and    
dashing1 beneath even the lesser        
tinklings and gurglings whose quality   
superimposes them over the louder       
sounds4 ,they are like the tear-forms   
swimming across the field of vision1    
which disappear so quickly when you     
concentrate your sight to look at them1 

and which reappear so magically when    
again your gaze turns vacant4 ,in the   
stillness of your hazy                  
half-consciousness they speak2 when you 
bend your attention to listen1 they are 
gone1 and only the tumults and the      
tinklings remain4  ,but in the moments  
of their audibility they are very       
distinct4 ,just as often an odour will  
wake all a vanished memory1 so these    
voices1 by the force of a large         
impressionism1 suggest whole scenes4    
,far off are the cling-clang-cling of   
chimes and the swell-and-fall murmur of 
a multitude en fte1 so that subtly you  
feel the gray old town1 with its walls1 
the crowded marketplace1 the decent     
peasant crowd1 the booths1 the mellow   
church building with its bells1 the     
warm1 dust-moted sun4 ,or1 in the pauses
 between the swish-dash-dashings of the 
waters1 sound faint and clear voices    
singing intermittently1 calls1 distant  
notes of laughter1 as though many canoes
 were working against the current2 only 

the flotilla never gets any nearer1 nor 
the voices louder4 ,the voyageurs call  
these mist people the ,huntsmen1 and    
look frightened4 ,to each is his vision1
 according to his experience4 ,the      
nations of the earth whisper to their   
exiled sons through the voices of the   
rapids4 ,curiously enough1 by all       
reports1 they suggest always peaceful   
scenes--a harvest field1 a street fair1 
a ,sunday morning in a cathedral town1  
careless travellers--never the turmoils 
and struggles4 ,perhaps this is the     
great ,mother's compensation in a harsh 
mode of life4  ,nothing is more         
fantastically unreal to tell about1     
nothing more concretely real to         
experience1 than this undernote of the  
quick water4 ,and when you do lie awake 
at night1 it is always making its       
unobtrusive appeal4 ,gradually its      
hypnotic spell works4 ,the distant      
chimes ring louder and nearer as you    
cross the borderland of sleep4 ,and then
 outside the tent some little woods     

noise snaps the thread4 ,an owl hoots1 a
 whippoorwill cries1 a twig cracks      
beneath the cautious prowl of some night
 creature--at once the yellow sunlit    
,french meadows puff away--you are      
staring at the blurred image of the moon
 spraying through the texture of your   
tent4  ,the voices of the rapids have   
dropped into the background1 as have the
 dashing noises of the stream4 ,through 
the forest is a great silence1 but no   
stillness at all4 ,the whippoorwill     
swings down and up the short curve of   
his regular song2 over and over an owl  
says his rapid whoo1 whoo1 whoo4 ,these1
 with the ceaseless dash of the rapids1 
are the web on which the night traces   
her more delicate embroideries of the   
unexpected4 ,distant crashes1 single and
 impressive2 stealthy footsteps near at 
hand2 the subdued scratching of claws2 a
 faint sniff6 sniff6 sniff6 of inquiry2 
the sudden clear tin-horn ko-ko-ko-h of 
the little owl2 the mournful1           
long-drawn-out cry of the loon1 instinct

 with the spirit of loneliness2 the     
ethereal call-note of the birds of      
passage high in the air2 a patter1      
patter1 patter among the dead leaves1   
immediately stilled2 and then at the    
last1 from the thicket close at hand1   
the beautiful silver purity of the      
white-throated sparrow--the nightingale 
of the ,north--trembling with the       
ecstasy of beauty1 as though a          
shimmering moonbeam had turned to sound2
 and all the while the blurred figure of
 the moon mounting to the ridge-line of 
your tent--these things combine subtly1 
until at last the great ,silence of     
which they are a part overarches the    
night and draws you forth to            
contemplation4  ,no beverage is more    
grateful than the cup of spring water   
you drink at such a time2 no moment more
 refreshing than that in which you look 
about you at the darkened forest4 ,you  
have cast from you with the warm blanket
 the drowsiness of dreams4 ,a coolness1 
physical and spiritual1 bathes you from 

head to foot4 ,all your senses are keyed
 to the last vibrations4 ,you hear the  
littler night prowlers1 you glimpse the 
greater4 ,a faint1 searching woods      
perfume of dampness greets your         
nostrils4 ,and somehow1 mysteriously1 in
 a manner not to be understood1 the     
forces of the world seem in suspense1 as
 though a touch might crystallize       
infinite possibilities into infinite    
power and motion4 ,but the touch lacks4 
,the forces hover on the edge of action1
 unheeding the little noises4 ,in all   
humbleness and awe1 you are a dweller of
 the ,silent ,places4  ,at such a time  
you will meet with adventures4 ,one     
night we put fourteen inquisitive       
porcupines out of camp4 ,near           
,m',gregor's ,bay ,i discovered in the  
large grass park of my camp-site nine   
deer1 cropping the herbage like so many 
beautiful ghosts4 ,a friend tells me of 
a fawn that every night used to sleep   
outside his tent and within a foot of   
his head1 probably by way of protection 

against wolves4 ,its mother had in all  
likelihood been killed4 ,the instant my 
friend moved toward the tent opening the
 little creature would disappear1 and it
 was always gone by earliest daylight4  
,nocturnal bears in search of pork are  
not uncommon4 ,but even though your     
interest meets nothing but the bats and 
the woods shadows and the stars1 that   
few moments of the sleeping world forces
 is a psychical experience to be gained 
in no other way4 ,you cannot know the   
night by sitting up2 she will sit up    
with you4 ,only by coming into her      
presence from the borders of sleep can  
you meet her face to face in her        
intimate mood4  ,the night wind from the
 river1 or from the open spaces of the  
wilds1 chills you after a time4 ,you    
begin to think of your blankets4 ,in a  
few moments you roll yourself in their  
soft wool4 ,instantly it is morning4    
,and1 strange to say1 you have not to   
pay by going through the day            
unrefreshed4 ,you may feel like turning 

in at eight instead of nine1 and you may
 fall asleep with unusual promptitude1  
but your journey will begin             
clear-headedly1 proceed springily1 and  
end with much in reserve4 ,no languor1  
no dull headache1 no exhaustion1 follows
 your experience4 ,for this once your   
two hours of sleep have been as         
effective as nine4     ,,vi4  ,,the     
',,lunge4  ,do you know the chosen water
 where the ouananiche is waiting8       
,dick and ,i travelled in a fifteen-foot
 wooden canoe1 with grub1 duffel1 tent1 
and ,deuce1 the black-and-white setter  
dog4 ,as a consequence we were pretty   
well down toward the water-line1 for we 
had not realized that a wooden canoe    
would carry so little weight for its    
length in comparison with a birch-bark4 
,a good heavy sea we could ride--with   
proper management and a little baling2  
but sloppy waves kept us busy4  ,deuce  
did not like it at all4 ,he was a dog   
old in the wisdom of experience4 ,it had
 taken him just twenty minutes to learn 

all about canoes4 ,after a single       
tentative trial he jumped lightly to the
 very centre of his place1 with the     
lithe caution of a cat4 ,then if the    
water happened to be smooth1 he would   
sit gravely on his haunches1 or would   
rest his chin on the gunwale to         
contemplate the passing landscape4 ,but 
in rough weather he crouched directly   
over the keel1 his nose between his     
paws1 and tried not to dodge when the   
cold water dashed in on him4 ,deuce was 
a true woodsman in that respect4        
,discomfort he always bore with         
equanimity1 and he must often have been 
very cold and very cramped4  ,for just  
over a week we had been travelling in   
open water1 and the elements had not    
been kind to us at all4 ,we had crept up
 under rock-cliff points2 had weathered 
the rips of white water to shelter on   
the other side2 had struggled across    
open spaces where each wave was singly a
 problem to fail in whose solution meant
 instant swamping2 had baled1 and       

schemed1 and figured1 and carried1 and  
sworn1 and tried again1 and succeeded   
with about two cupfuls to spare1 until  
we as well as ,deuce had grown a little 
tired of it4 ,for the lust of travel was
 on us4  ,the lust of travel is a very  
real disease4 ,it usually takes you when
 you have made up your mind that there  
is no hurry4 ,its predisposing cause is 
a chart or map1 and its main symptom is 
the feverish delight with which you     
check off the landmarks of your journey4
 ,a fair wind of some force is          
absolutely fatal4 ,with that at your    
back you cannot stop4 ,good fishing1    
fine scenery1 interesting bays1 reputed 
game1 even camps where friends might be 
visited--all pass swiftly astern4       
,hardly do you pause for lunch at noon4 
,the mad joy of putting country behind  
you eats all other interests4 ,you      
recover only when you have come to your 
journey's end a week too early1 and must
 then search out new voyages to fill in 
the time4  ,all this morning we had been

 bucking a strong north wind4           
,fortunately1 the shelter of a string of
 islands had given us smooth water      
enough1 but the heavy gusts sometimes   
stopped us as effectively as though we  
had butted solid land4 ,now about noon  
we came to the last island1 and looked  
out on a five-mile stretch of tumbling  
seas4 ,we landed the canoe and mounted a
 high rock4  ,can't make it like this1  
said ,i4 ,i'll take the outfit over and 
land it1 and come back for you and the  
dog4 ,let's see that chart4  ,we hid    
behind the rock and spread out the map4 
,four miles1 measured ,dick4 ,it's going
 to be a terror4  ,we looked at each    
other vaguely1 suddenly tired4  ,we     
can't camp here--at this time of day1   
objected ,dick1 to our unspoken         
thoughts4  ,and then the map gave him an
 inspiration4 ,here's a little river1   
ruminated ,dick1 that goes to a little  
lake1 and then there's another little   
river that flows from the lake and comes
 out about ten miles above here4  ,it's 

a good thirty miles1 ,i objected4  ,what
 of it8 asked ,dick calmly4  ,so the    
fever-lust of travel broke4 ,we turned  
to the right behind the last island1    
searched out the reed-grown opening to  
the stream1 and paddled serenely and    
philosophically against the current4    
,deuce sat up and yawned with a mighty  
satisfaction4  ,we had been bending our 
heads to the demon of wind2 our ears had
 been filled with his shoutings1 our    
eyes blinded with tears1 our breath     
caught away from us1 our muscles strung 
to the fiercest endeavour4 ,suddenly we 
found ourselves between the ranks of    
tall forest trees1 bathed in a warm     
sunlight1 gliding like a feather from   
one grassy bend to another of the       
laziest little stream that ever         
hesitated as to which way the grasses of
 its bed should float4 ,as for the wind1
 it was lost somewhere away up high1    
where we could hear it muttering to     
itself about something4  ,the woods     
leaned over the fringe of bushes cool   

and green and silent4 ,occasionally     
through tiny openings we caught instant 
impressions of straight column trunks   
and transparent shadows4 ,miniature     
grass marshes jutted out from the bends 
of the little river4 ,we idled along as 
with a homely rustic companion through  
the aloofness of patrician multitudes4  
,every bend offered us charming         
surprises4 ,sometimes a muskrat swam    
hastily in a pointed furrow of ripple2  
vanishing wings1 barely sensed in the   
flash1 left us staring2 stealthy        
withdrawals of creatures1 whose presence
 we realized only in the fact of those  
withdrawals1 snared our eager interest2 
porcupines rattled and rustled          
importantly and regally from the water's
 edge to the woods2 herons1 ravens1 an  
occasional duck1 croaked away at our    
approach2 thrice we surprised eagles1   
once a tassel-eared ,canada lynx4 ,or1  
if all else lacked1 we still experienced
 the little thrill of pleased novelty   
over the disclosure of a group of       

silvery birches on a knoll2 a           
magnificent white pine towering over the
 beech and maple forest2 the unexpected 
aisle of a long1 straight stretch of the
 little river4  ,deuce approved         
thoroughly4 ,he stretched himself and   
yawned and shook off the water1 and     
glanced at me open-mouthed with doggy   
good-nature1 and set himself to         
acquiring a conscientious olfactory     
knowledge of both banks of the river4 ,i
 do not doubt he knew a great deal more 
about it than we did4 ,porcupines       
aroused his special enthusiasm4         
,incidentally1 two days later he        
returned to camp after an expedition of 
his own1 bristling as to the face with  
that animal's barbed weapons4           
,thenceforward his interest waned4  ,we 
ascended the charming little river two  
or three miles4 ,at a sharp bend to the 
east a huge sheet of rock sloped from a 
round grass knoll sparsely planted with 
birches directly down into a pool4 ,two 
or three tree trunks jammed directly    

opposite had formed a sort of half dam  
under which the water lay dark4 ,a tiny 
grass meadow forty feet in diameter     
narrowed the stream to half its width4  
,we landed4 ,dick seated himself on the 
shelving rock4 ,i put my fish-rod       
together4 ,deuce disappeared4  ,deuce   
always disappeared whenever we landed4  
,with nose down1 hind quarters well     
tucked under him1 ears flying1 he       
quartered the forest at high speed1     
investigating every nook and cranny of  
it for the radius of a quarter of a     
mile4 ,when he has quite satisfied      
himself that we were safe for the       
moment1 he would return to the fire1    
where he would lie1 six inches of pink  
tongue vibrating with breathlessness1   
beautiful in the consciousness of       
virtue4 ,dick generally sat on a rock   
and thought4 ,i generally fished4       
,after a time ,deuce returned4 ,i gave  
up flies1 spoons1 phantom minnows1      
artificial frogs1 and crayfish4 ,as     
,dick continued to sit on the rock and  

think1 we both joined him4 ,the sun was 
very warm and grateful1 and ,i am sure  
we both acquired an added respect for   
,dick's judgment4  ,just when it        
happened neither of us was afterwards   
able to decide4 ,perhaps ,deuce knew4   
,but suddenly1 as often a figure appears
 in a cinematograph1 the diminutive     
meadow thirty feet away contained two   
deer4 ,they stood knee-deep in the      
grass1 wagging their little tails in    
impatience of the flies4  ,look a'      
there6 stammered ,dick aloud4  ,deuce   
sat up on his haunches4  ,i started for 
my camera4  ,the deer did not seem to be
 in the slightest degree alarmed4 ,they 
pointed four big ears in our direction1 
ate a few leisurely mouthfuls of grass1 
sauntered to the stream for a drink of  
water1 wagged their little tails some   
more1 and quietly faded into the cool   
shadows of the forest4  ,illustration3  
,,at ,,such ,a ,,time ,,you ,,will      
,,meet ,,with ,,adventures4  ,an hour   
later we ran out into reeds1 and so to  

the lake4 ,it was a pretty lake1        
forest-girt4 ,across the distance we    
made out a moving object which shortly  
resolved itself into a birch canoe4 ,the
 canoe proved to contain an ,indian1 an 
,indian boy of about ten years1 a black 
dog1 and a bundle4 ,when within a few   
rods of each other we ceased paddling1  
and drifted by with the momentum4 ,the  
,indian was a fine-looking man of about 
forty1 his hair bound with a red fillet1
 his feet incased in silk-worked        
moccasins1 but otherwise dressed in     
white men's garments4 ,he smoked a short
 pipe1 and contemplated us gravely4     
,bo' jou'1 bo' jou'1 we called in the   
usual double-barrelled ,north ,country  
salutation4  ,bo' jou'1 bo' jou1 he     
replied4  ,ke-gons8 we inquired as to   
the fishing in the lake4  h-hah1 he     
assented4  ,we drifted by each other    
without further speech4 ,when the decent
 distance of etiquette separated us we  
resumed our paddles4  ,i produced a     
young cable terminated by a tremendous  

spoon and a solid brass snell as thick  
as a telegraph wire4 ,we had laid in    
this formidable implement in hopes of a 
big muscallunge4 ,it had been trailed   
for days at a time4 ,we had become used 
to its vibration1 which actually seemed 
to communicate itself to every fibre of 
the light canoe4 ,every once in a while 
we would stop with a jerk that would    
nearly snap our heads off4 ,then we     
would know we had hooked the ,american  
continent4 ,we had become used to that  
also4 ,it generally happened when we    
attempted a little burst of speed4 ,so  
when the canoe brought up so violently  
that all our tinware rolled on ,deuce1  
,dick was merely disgusted4  ,there she 
goes again1 he grumbled4 ,you've hooked 
,canada4  ,canada held quiescent for    
about three seconds4 ,then it started   
due south4  ,suffering serpents6        
shrieked ,dick4  ,paddle1 you           
sulphurated idiot6 yelled ,i4  ,it was  
most interesting4 ,all ,i had to do was 
to hang on and try to stay in the boat4 

,dick paddled and fumed and splashed    
water and got more excited4 ,canada     
dragged us bodily backward4  ,then      
,canada changed his mind and started in 
our direction4 ,i was plenty busy taking
 in slack1 so ,i did not notice ,dick4  
,dick was absolutely demented4 ,his mind
 automatically reacted in the direction 
of paddling4 ,he paddled1 blindly1      
frantically4 ,canada came surging in1   
his mouth open1 his wicked eyes flaming1
 a tremendous indistinct body lashing   
foam4 ,dick glanced once over his       
shoulder1 and let out a frantic howl4   
,you've got the sea-serpent6 he         
shrieked4  ,i turned to fumble for the  
pistol4 ,we were headed directly for a  
log stranded on shore1 and about ten    
feet from it4  ,dick6 ,i yelled in      
warning4  ,he thrust his paddle out     
forward just in time4 ,the stout maple  
bent and cracked4 ,the canoe hit with a 
bump that threw us forward4 ,i returned 
to the young cable4 ,it came in limp and
 slack4  ,we looked at each other sadly4

  ,no use1 sighed ,dick at last4        
,they've never invented the words1 and  
we'd upset if we kicked the dog4  ,i had
 the end of the line in my hands4  ,look
 here6 ,i cried4 ,that thick brass wire 
had been as cleanly bitten through as   
though it had been cut with clippers4   
,he must have caught sight of you1 said 
,i4  ,dick lifted up his voice in       
lamentation4 ,you had four feet of him  
out of water1 he wailed1 and there was a
 lot more4  ,if you had kept cool1 said 
,i severely1 we shouldn't have lost him4
 ,you don't want to get rattled in an   
emergency2 there's no sense in it4      
,what were you going to do with that8   
asked ,dick1 pointing to where ,i had   
laid the pistol4  ,i was going to shoot 
him in the head1 ,i replied with        
dignity4 ,it's the best way to land     
them4  ,dick laughed disagreeably4 ,i   
looked down4 ,at my side lay our largest
 iron spoon4  ,we skirted the left-hand 
side of the lake in silence4 ,far out   
from shore the water was ruffled where  

the wind swept down1 but with us it was 
as still and calm as the forest trees   
that looked over into it4 ,after a time 
we turned short to the left through a   
very narrow passage between two marshy  
shores1 and so1 after a sharp bend of   
but a few hundred feet1 came into the   
other river4  ,this was a wide stream1  
smoothly hurrying1 without rapids or    
tumult4 ,the forest had drawn to either 
side to let us pass4 ,here were the     
wilder reaches after the intimacies of  
the little river4 ,across stretches of  
marsh we could see an occasional great  
blue heron standing mid-leg deep4 ,long 
strings of ducks struggled quacking from
 invisible pools4 ,the faint marsh odour
 saluted our nostrils from the point    
where the lily-pads flashed broadly1    
ruffling in the wind4 ,we dropped out   
the smaller spoon and masterfully landed
 a five-pound pickerel4 ,even ,deuce    
brightened4 ,he cared nothing for raw   
fish1 but he knew their possibilities4  
,towards evening we entered the hilly   

country1 and so at the last turned to   
the left into a sand cove where grew    
maples and birches in beautiful park    
order under a hill4 ,there we pitched   
camp1 and1 as the flies lacked1 built a 
friendship-fire about which to forgather
 when the day was done4  ,dick still    
vocally regretted the muscallunge told  
him of my big bear4  ,one day1 late in  
the summer1 ,i was engaged in packing   
some supplies along an old fur trail    
north of ,lake ,superior4 ,i had        
accomplished one back-load1 and with    
empty straps was returning to the cache 
for another4 ,the trail at one point    
emerged into and crossed an open park   
some hundreds of feet in diameter1 in   
which the grass grew to the height of   
the knee4 ,when ,i was about halfway    
across1 a black bear arose to his hind  
legs not ten feet from me1 and remarked 
,woof6 in a loud tone of voice4 ,now1 if
 a man were to say woof to you          
unexpectedly1 even in the formality of  
an ,italian garden or the accustomedness

 of a city street1 you would be somewhat
 startled4 ,so ,i went to camp4 ,there  
,i told them about the bear4 ,i tried to
 be conservative in my description1     
because ,i did not wish to be accused of
 exaggeration4 ,my impression of the    
animal was that he and a spruce tree    
that grew near enough for ready         
comparison were approximately of the    
same stature4 ,we returned to the grass 
park4 ,after some difficulty we found a 
clear footprint4 ,it was a little larger
 than that made by a good-sized coon4   
,so1 you see1 ,i admonished             
didactically1 that lunge probably was   
not quite so large as you thought4  ,it 
may have been a ,chinese bear1 said     
,dick dreamily--a ,chinese lady bear of 
high degree4  ,i gave him up4     ,,vii4
  ,,on ,,open-,,water ,,canoe           
,,travelling4  ,it is there that ,i am  
going1 with an extra hand to bail her-- 
,just one single long-shore loafer that 
,i know4 ,he can take his chance of     
drowning while ,i sail and sail and sail

 her1 ,for the ,red ,gods call me out1  
and ,i must go4   ,the following morning
 the wind had died1 but had been        
succeeded by a heavy pall of fog4 ,after
 we had felt our way beyond the mouth of
 the river we were forced to paddle     
north-west by north1 in blind reliance  
on our compass4 ,sounds there were none4
 ,involuntarily we lowered our voices4  
,the inadvertent click of the paddle    
against the gunwale seemed to desecrate 
a foreordained stillness4  ,occasionally
 to the right hand or the left we made  
out faint shadow-pictures of wooded     
islands that endured but a moment and   
then deliberately faded into whiteness4 
,they formed on the view exactly as an  
image develops on a photographic plate4 
,sometimes a faint lisp-lisp-lisp of    
tiny waves against a shore nearer than  
it seemed cautioned us anew not to break
 the silence4 ,otherwise we were alone1 
intruders1 suffered in the presence of a
 brooding nature only as long as we     
refrained from disturbances4  ,then at  

noon the vapours began to eddy1 to open 
momentarily in revelation of vivid green
 glimpses1 to stream down the rising    
wind4 ,pale sunlight dashed fitfully    
across us like a shower4 ,somewhere in  
the invisibility a duck quacked4 ,deuce 
awoke1 looked about him1 and            
yow-yow-yowed in doggish relief4        
,animals understand thoroughly these    
subtleties of nature4  ,in half an hour 
the sun was strong1 the air clear and   
sparkling1 and a freshening wind was    
certifying our prognostications of a    
lively afternoon4  ,a light canoe will  
stand almost anything in the way of a   
sea1 although you may find it impossible
 sometimes to force it in the direction 
you wish to go4 ,a loaded canoe will    
weather a great deal more than you might
 think4 ,however1 only experience in    
balance and in the nature of waves will 
bring you safely across a stretch of    
whitecaps4  ,with the sea dead ahead you
 must not go too fast2 otherwise you    
will dip water over the bow4 ,you must  

trim the craft absolutely on an even    
keel2 otherwise the comb of the wave1   
too light to lift you1 will slop in over
 one gunwale or the other4 ,you must be 
perpetually watching your chance to gain
 a foot or so between the heavier seas4 
,with the sea over one bow you must     
paddle on the leeward side4 ,when the   
canoe mounts a wave1 you must allow the 
crest to throw the bow off a trifle1 but
 the moment it starts down the other    
slope you must twist your paddle sharply
 to regain the direction of your course4
 ,the careening tendency of this twist  
you must counteract by a corresponding  
twist of your body in the other         
direction4 ,then the hollow will allow  
you two or three strokes wherewith to   
assure a little progress4 ,the double   
twist at the very crest of the wave must
 be very delicately performed1 or you   
will ship water the whole length of your
 craft4  ,with the sea abeam you must   
simply paddle straight ahead4 ,the      
adjustment is to be accomplished        

entirely by the poise of the body4 ,you 
must prevent the capsize of your canoe  
when clinging to the angle of a wave by 
leaning to one side4 ,the crucial       
moment1 of course1 is that during which 
the peak of the wave slips under you4   
,in case of a breaking comber1 thrust   
the flat of your paddle deep in the     
water to prevent an upset1 and lean well
 to leeward1 thus presenting the side   
and half the bottom of the canoe to the 
shock of water4 ,your recovery must be  
instant1 however4 ,if you lean a second 
too long1 over you go4 ,this sounds more
 difficult than it is4 ,after a time you
 do it instinctively1 as a skater       
balances4  ,with the sea over the       
quarter you have merely to take care    
that the waves do not slue you around   
sidewise1 and that the canoe does not   
dip water on one side or the other under
 the stress of your twists with the     
paddle4 ,dead astern is perhaps the most
 difficult of all1 for the reason that  
you must watch both gunwales at once1   

and must preserve an absolutely even    
keel1 in spite of the fact that it      
generally requires your utmost strength 
to steer4 ,in really heavy weather one  
man only can do any work4 ,the other    
must be content to remain passenger1 and
 he must be trained to absolute         
immobility4 ,no matter how dangerous a  
careen the canoe may take1 no matter how
 much good cold water may pour in over  
his legs1 he must resist his tendency to
 shift his weight4 ,the entire issue    
depends on the delicacy of the          
steersman's adjustments1 so he must be  
given every chance4  ,the main          
difficulty rests in the fact that such  
canoeing is a good deal like air-ship   
travel--there is not much opportunity to
 learn by experience4 ,in a four-hour   
run across an open bay you will         
encounter somewhat over a thousand      
waves1 no two of which are exactly      
alike1 and any one of which can fill you
 up only too easily if it is not        
correctly met4 ,your experience is      

called on to solve instantly and        
practically a thousand problems4 ,no    
breathing-space in which to recover is  
permitted you between them4 ,at the end 
of the four hours you awaken to the fact
 that your eyes are strained from       
intense concentration1 and that you     
taste copper4  ,probably nothing1       
however1 can more effectively wake you  
up to the last fibre of your physical1  
intellectual1 and nervous being4 ,you   
are filled with an exhilaration4 ,every 
muscle1 strung tight1 answers           
immediately and accurately to the       
slightest hint4 ,you quiver all over    
with restrained energy4 ,your mind      
thrusts behind you the problem of the   
last wave as soon as solved1 and leaps  
with insistent eagerness to the next4   
,you attain that superordinary condition
 when your faculties react              
instinctively1 like a machine4 ,it is a 
species of intoxication4 ,after a time  
you personify each wave2 you grapple    
with it as with a personal adversary2   

you exult as1 beaten and broken1 it     
hisses away to leeward4 ,go it1 you son 
of a gun6 you shout4 ,ah1 you would1    
would you6 think you can1 do you8 and in
 the roar and rush of wind and water you
 crouch like a boxer on the defence1    
parrying the blows1 but ready at the    
slightest opening to gain a stroke of   
the paddle4  ,in such circumstances you 
have not the leisure to consider        
distance4 ,you are too busily engaged in
 slaughtering waves to consider your    
rate of progress4 ,the fact that slowly 
you are pulling up on your objective    
point does not occur to you until you   
are within a few hundred yards of it4   
,then1 unless you are careful1 you are  
undone4  ,probably the most difficult   
thing of all to learn is that the waves 
to be encountered in the last hundred   
yards of an open sweep are exactly as   
dangerous as those you dodged so        
fearfully four miles from shore4 ,you   
are so nearly in that you unconsciously 
relax your efforts4 ,calmly1 almost     

contemptuously1 a big roller rips along 
your gunwale4 ,you are                  
wrecked--fortunately within easy        
swimming distance4 ,but that doesn't    
save your duffel4 ,remember this3 be    
just as careful with the very last wave 
as you were with the others4 ,get inside
 before you draw that deep breath of    
relief4  ,strangely enough1 in          
out-of-door sports1 where it would seem 
that convention would rest practically  
at the zero point1 the bugbear of good  
form1 although mashed and disguised1    
rises up to confuse the directed        
practicality4 ,the average man is wedded
 to his theory4 ,he has seen a thing    
done in a certain way1 and he not only  
always does it that way himself1 but he 
is positively unhappy at seeing any one 
else employing a different method4 ,from
 the swing at golf to the manner of     
lighting a match in the wind1 this      
truism applies4 ,i remember once hearing
 a long argument with an ,eastern man on
 the question of the ,english           

riding-seat in the ,western country4    
,your method is all very well1 said the 
,westerner1 for where it came from4 ,in 
,england they ride to hunt1 so they need
 a light saddle and very short stirrups 
set well forward4 ,that helps them in   
jumping4 ,but it is most awkward4 ,out  
here you want your stirrups very long   
and directly under you1 so your legs    
hang loose1 and you depend on your      
balance and the grip of your thighs--not
 your knees4 ,it is less tiring1 and    
better sense1 and infinitely more       
graceful1 for it more nearly            
approximates the bareback seat4 ,instead
 of depending on stirrups1 you are part 
of the horse4 ,you follow his every     
movement4 ,and as for your rising trot1 
,i'd like to see you accomplish it      
safely on our mountain trails1 where the
 trot is the only gait practicable1     
unless you take for ever to get         
anywhere4 ,to all of which the          
,easterner found no rebuttal except the1
 to him1 entirely efficient plea that   

his own method was good form4  ,now1 of 
course1 it is very pleasant to do things
 always accurately1 according to the    
rules of the game1 and if you are out   
merely for sport1 perhaps it is as well 
to stick to them4 ,but utility is       
another matter4 ,personally1 ,i do not  
care at all to kill trout unless by the 
fly2 but when we need meat and they do  
not need flies1 ,i never hesitate to    
offer them any kind of doodle-bug they  
may fancy4 ,i have even at a pinch      
clubbed them to death in a shallow1     
land-locked pool4 ,time will come in    
your open-water canoe experience when   
you will pull into shelter half full of 
water1 when you will be glad of the     
fortuity of a chance cross-wave to help 
you out1 when sheer blind luck1 or main 
strength and awkwardness1 will be the   
only reasons you can honestly give for  
an arrival1 and a battered and          
dishevelled arrival at that4 ,do not1   
therefore1 repine1 or bewail your       
awkwardness1 or indulge in undue        

self-accusations of tenderfoot4 ,method 
is nothing2 the arrival is the important
 thing4 ,you are travelling1 and if you 
can make time by nearly swamping        
yourself1 or by dragging your craft     
across a point1 or by taking any other  
base advantage of the game's formality1 
by all means do so4 ,deuce used to solve
 the problem of comfort by drinking the 
little pool of cold water in which he   
sometimes was forced to lie4 ,in the    
woods1 when a thing is to be done1 do   
not consider how you have done it1 or   
how you have seen it done1 or how you   
think it ought to be done1 but how it   
can be accomplished4 ,absolute fluidity 
of expedient1 perfect adaptability1 is  
worth a dozen volumes of theoretical    
knowledge4 ,if you can't talk1 goes the 
,western expression1 raise a yell2 if   
you can't yell1 make signs2 if you can't
 make signs1 wave a bush4  ,and do not  
be too ready to take advice as to what  
you can or cannot accomplish1 even from 
the woods people4 ,of course the woods  

,indians or the voyageurs know all about
 canoes1 and you would do well to listen
 to them4 ,but the mere fact that your  
interlocutor lives in the forest1 while 
you normally inhabit the towns1 does not
 necessarily give him authority4 ,a     
community used to horses looks with     
horror on the instability of all water  
craft less solid than canal boats4      
,canoemen stand in awe of the bronco4   
,the fishermen of the ,georgian ,bay1   
accustomed to venture out with their    
open sailboats in weather that forces   
the big lake schooners to shelter1 know 
absolutely nothing about canoes4 ,dick  
and ,i made an eight-mile run from the  
,fox island to ,killarney in a trifling 
sea1 to be cheered during our stay at   
the latter place by doleful predictions 
of an early drowning4 ,and this from a  
seafaring community4 ,it knew all about 
boats2 it knew nothing about canoes2 and
 yet the unthinking might have been     
influenced by the advice of these men   
simply because they had been brought up 

on the water4 ,the point is obvious4 ,do
 not attempt a thing unless you are sure
 of yourself2 but do not relinquish it  
merely because some one else is not sure
 of you4  ,the best way to learn is with
 a bathing-suit4 ,keep near shore1 and  
try everything4 ,don't attempt the real 
thing until your handling in a heavy sea
 has become as instinctive as           
snap-shooting or the steps of dancing4  
,remain on the hither side of caution   
when you start out4 ,act at first as    
though every wavelet would surely swamp 
you4 ,extend the scope of your          
operations very gradually1 until you    
know just what you can do4 ,never get   
careless4 ,never take any real chances4 
,that's all4     ,,viii4  ,,the         
,,stranded ,,strangers4   ,as we        
progressed1 the country grew more and   
more solemnly aloof4 ,in the ,southland 
is a certain appearance of mobility1    
lent by the deciduous trees1 the warm   
sun1 the intimate nooks in which grow   
the commoner homely weeds and flowers1  

the abundance of bees and musical       
insects1 the childhood familiarity of   
the well-known birds1 even the          
pleasantly fickle aspects of the skies4 
,but the ,north wraps itself in a mantle
 of awe4 ,great hills rest not so much  
in the stillness of sleep as in the calm
 of a mighty comprehension4 ,the pines1 
rank after rank1 file after file1 are   
always trooping somewhere1 up the slope1
 to pause at the crest before descending
 on the other side into the unknown4    
,bodies of water exactly of the size1   
shape1 and general appearance we are    
accustomed to see dotted with pleasure  
craft and bordered with wharves1 summer 
cottages1 pavilions1 and hotels1        
accentuate by that very fact a solitude 
that harbours only a pair of weirdly    
laughing loons4 ,like the hills1 these  
lakes are lying in a deep1 still repose1
 but a repose that somehow suggests the 
comprehending calm of those behind the  
veil4 ,the whole country seems to rest  
in a suspense of waiting4 ,a shot breaks

 the stillness for an instant1 but its  
very memory is shadowy a moment after   
the echoes die4 ,inevitably the         
traveller feels thrust in upon himself  
by a neutrality more deadly than open   
hostility would be4 ,hostility at least 
supposes recognition of his existence1 a
 rousing of forces to oppose him4 ,this 
ignores4 ,one can no longer wonder at   
the taciturnity of the men who dwell    
here2 nor does one fail to grasp the    
eminent suitability to the country of   
its ,indian name--the ,silent ,places4  
,even the birds1 joyful1 lively1        
commonplace little people that they are1
 draw some of this aloofness to         
themselves4 ,the ,north is full of the  
homelier singers4 ,a dozen species of   
warblers lisp music-box phrases1 two or 
three sparrows whistle a cheerful       
repertoire1 the nuthatches and          
chickadees toot away in blissful        
bourgeoisie4 ,and yet1 somehow1 that    
very circumstance thrusts the           
imaginative voyager outside the         

companionship of their friendliness4 ,in
 the face of the great gods they move   
with accustomed familiarity4 ,somehow   
they possess in their little experience 
that which explains the mystery1 so that
 they no longer stand in its awe4 ,their
 everyday lives are spent under the     
shadow of the temple whither you dare   
not bend your footsteps4 ,the intimacy  
of occult things isolates also these    
wise little birds4  ,the ,north speaks1 
however1 only in the voices of          
three--the two thrushes1 and the        
white-throated sparrow4 ,you must hear  
these each at his proper time4  ,the    
hermit thrush you will rarely see4 ,but 
late some afternoon1 when the sun is    
lifting along the trunks of the hardwood
 forest1 if you are very lucky and very 
quiet1 you will hear him far in the     
depth of the blackest swamps4 ,musically
 expressed1 his song is very much like  
that of the wood thrush--three cadenced 
liquid notes1 a quivering pause1 then   
three more notes of another phrase1 and 

so on4 ,but the fineness of its quality 
makes of it an entirely different       
performance4 ,if you symbolize the      
hermit thrush by the flute1 you must    
call the wood thrush a chime of little  
tinkling bells4 ,one is a rendition2 the
 other the essence of liquid music4 ,an 
effect of gold-embroidered richness1 of 
depth going down to the very soul of    
things1 a haunting suggestion of having 
touched very near to the source of      
tears1 a conviction that the just       
interpretation of the song would be an  
equally just interpretation of black    
woods1 deep shadows1 cloistered         
sunlight1 brooding hills--these are the 
subtle and elusive impressions you will 
receive in the middle of the ancient    
forest4  ,the olive-backed thrush you   
will enjoy after your day's work is     
quite finished4 ,you will see him       
through the tobacco haze1 perched on a  
limb against the evening sky4 ,he utters
 a loud joyful chirp pauses for the     
attention he thus solicits1 and then    

deliberately runs up five mellow double 
notes1 ending with a metallic ting chee 
chee chee that sounds as though it had  
been struck on a triangle4 ,then a      
silence of exactly nine seconds and     
repeat4 ,as regularly as clock-work this
 performance goes on4 ,time him as often
 as you will1 you can never convict him 
of a second's variation4 ,and he is so  
optimistic and willing1 and his notes   
are so golden with the yellow of        
sunshine6  ,the white-throated sparrow  
sings nine distinct variations of the   
same song4 ,he may sing more1 but that  
is all ,i have counted4 ,he inhabits    
woods1 berry-vines1 bruls1 and          
clearings4 ,ordinarily he is cheerful1  
and occasionally aggravating4 ,one man  
,i knew he drove nearly crazy4 ,to that 
man he was always saying1 ,and he never 
heard the man say drink and the----4    
,toward the last my friend used wildly  
to offer him a thousand dollars if he   
would1 if he only would1 finish that    
sentence4 ,but occasionally1 in just the

 proper circumstances1 he forgets his   
stump corners1 his vines1 his jolly     
sunlight1 and his delightful bugs to    
become the intimate voice of the wilds4 
,it is night1 very still1 ,very dark4   
,the subdued murmur of the forest ebbs  
and flows with the voices of the furtive
 folk--an undertone fearful to break the
 night calm4 ,suddenly across the dusk  
of silence flashes a single thread of   
silver1 vibrating1 trembling with some  
unguessed ecstasy of emotion3 ,ah6 poor 
,canada ,canada ,canada ,canada6 it     
mourns passionately1 and falls silent4  
,that is all4  ,you will hear at various
 times other birds peculiarly of the    
,north4 ,loons alternately calling and  
uttering their maniac laughter2 purple  
finches or some of the pine sparrows    
warbling high and clear2 the winter     
wren1 whose rapturous ravings never fail
 to strike the attention of the dullest 
passer2 all these are exclusively       
,northern voices1 and each expresses    
some phase or mood of the ,silent       

,places4 ,but none symbolizes as do the 
three4 ,and when first you hear one of  
them after an absence1 you are satisfied
 that things are right in the world1 for
 the ,north ,country's spirit is as it  
was4  ,now ensued a spell of calm       
weather1 with a film of haze over the   
sky4 ,the water lay like quicksilver1   
heavy and inert4 ,toward afternoon it   
became opalescent4 ,the very substance  
of the liquid itself seemed impregnated 
with dyes ranging in shade from wine    
colour to the most delicate lilac4      
,through a smoke veil the sun hung1 a   
ball of red1 while beneath every island1
 every rock1 every tree1 every wild fowl
 floating idly in a medium apparently   
too delicate for its support1 lurked the
 beautiful crimson shadows of the       
,north4  ,illustration3 ,,each ,,wave   
,,was ,,singly ,a ,,problem1 ,,to ,,fail
 ,,in ,,whose ,,solution ,,meant        
,,instant ,,swamping4  ,hour after hour1
 day after day1 we slipped on4 ,point   
after point1 island after island1       

presented itself silently to our        
inspection and dropped quietly astern4  
,the beat of paddles fitted monotonously
 into the almost portentous stillness4  
,it seemed that we might be able to go  
on thus for ever1 lapped in the dream of
 some forgotten magic that had stricken 
breathless the life of the world4 ,and  
then1 suddenly1 three weeks on our      
journey1 we came to a town4  ,it was not
 the typical fur town of the ,far       
,north1 but it lay at the threshold4 ,a 
single street1 worn smooth by the feet  
of men and dogs1 but innocent of hoofs1 
fronted the channel4 ,a board walk1     
elevated against the snows1 bordered a  
row of whitewashed log and frame houses1
 each with its garden of brilliant      
flowers4 ,a dozen wharves of various    
sizes1 over whose edges peeped the      
double masts of ,mackinaw boats1 spoke  
of a fishing community4 ,between the    
roofs one caught glimpses of a low      
sparse woods and some thousand-foot     
hills beyond4 ,we subsequently added the

 charm of isolation in learning that the
 nearest telegraph line was fifteen     
miles distant1 while the railroad passed
 some fifty miles away4  ,dick          
immediately went wild4 ,it was his first
 glimpse of the mixed peoples4 ,a dozen 
loungers1 handsome1 careless1 graceful  
with the inimitable elegance of the     
half-breed's leisure1 chatted1 rolled   
cigarettes1 and surveyed with heavy-eyed
 indolence such of the town as could be 
viewed from the shade in which they lay4
 ,three girls1 in whose dark cheeks     
glowed a rich ,french comeliness1 were  
comparing purchases near the store4 ,a  
group of rivermen1 spike-booted1        
short-trousered1 reckless of air1 with  
their little round hats over one ear1   
sat chair-tilted outside the hotel4     
,across the dividing fences of two of   
the blazoned gardens a pair of old      
crones gossiped under their breaths4    
,some ,indians smoked silently at the   
edge of one of the docks4 ,in the       
distance of the street's end a ,french  

priest added the quaintness of his      
cassock to the exotic atmosphere of the 
scene4 ,at once a pack of the fierce    
sledge-dogs left their foraging for the 
offal of the fisheries1 to bound        
challenging in the direction of poor    
,deuce4 ,that highbred animal           
fruitlessly attempted to combine dignity
 with a discretionary lurking between   
our legs4 ,we made demonstrations with  
sticks1 and sought out the hotel1 for it
 was about time to eat4  ,we had supper 
at a table with three ,forest ,rangers1 
two lumber-jacks1 and a cat-like        
handsome breed whose business did not   
appear4 ,then we lit up and strolled    
about to see what we could see4  ,on the
 text of a pair of brass knuckles       
hanging behind the hotel bar ,i         
embroidered many experiences with the   
lumberjack4 ,i told of a ,wisconsin town
 where an enforced wait of five hours   
enabled me to establish the proportion  
of fourteen saloons out of a total of   
twenty frame buildings4 ,i descanted    

craftily on the character of the        
woodsman out of the woods and in the    
right frame of mind for deviltry4 ,i    
related how ,jack ,boyd1 irritated      
beyond endurance at the annoyances of a 
stranger1 finally with the flat of his  
hand boxed the man's head so mightily   
that he whirled around twice and sat    
down4  ,now1 said ,jack softly1 be more 
careful1 my friend1 or next time ,i'll  
hit you4 ,or of a little ,irishman who  
shouted to his friends about to pull a  
big man from pounding the life quite out
 of him1 ,let him alone6 let him alone6 
,i may be on top myself in a few        
minutes6 ,and of ,dave ,walker1 who     
fought to a standstill with his bare    
fists alone five men who had sworn to   
kill him4 ,and again of that doughty    
knight of the peavie who1 when attacked 
by an axe1 waved aside interference with
 the truly dauntless cry1 ,leave him be1
 boys2 there's an axe between us6  ,i   
tried to sketch1 too1 the drive1 wherein
 a dozen times in an hour these men face

 death with a smile or a curse--the     
raging untamed river1 the fierce rush of
 the logs1 the cool little human beings 
poising with a certain contemptuous     
preciosity on the edge of destruction as
 they herd their brutish multitudes4    
,there was ,jimmy1 the river boss1 who  
could not swim a stroke1 and who was    
incontinently swept over a dam and into 
the boiling back-set of the eddy below4 
,three times1 gasping1 strangling1      
drowning1 he was carried in the wide    
swirl of the circle1 sometimes under1   
sometimes on top4 ,then his knee touched
 a sand-bar1 and he dragged himself     
painfully ashore4 ,he coughed up a      
quantity of water1 and gave vent to his 
feelings over a miraculous escape4 ,damn
 it all6 he wailed1 ,i lost my peavie6  
,on the ,paint ,river drive one spring1 
said ,i1 a jam formed that extended up  
river some three miles4 ,the men were   
working at the breast of it1 some       
underneath1 some on top4 ,after a time  
the jam apparently broke1 pulled        

downstream a hundred feet or so1 and    
plugged again4 ,then it was seen that   
only a small section had moved1 leaving 
the main body still jammed1 so that     
between the two sections lay a narrow   
stretch of open water4 ,into this open  
water one of the men had fallen4 ,before
 he could recover1 the second or tail   
section of the jam started to pull4     
,apparently nothing could prevent him   
from being crushed4 ,a man called       
,sam--,i don't know his last name--ran  
down the tail of the first section1     
across the loose logs bobbing in the    
open water1 seized the victim of the    
accident by the collar1 desperately     
scaled the face of the moving jam1 and  
reached the top just as the two sections
 ground together with the brutish noise 
of wrecking timbers4 ,it was a          
magnificent rescue4 ,any but these men  
of iron would have adjourned for thanks 
and congratulations4  ,still retaining  
his hold on the other man's collar1 ,sam
 twisted him about and delivered a      

vigorous kick4 ',there1 damn you6' said 
he4 ,that was all4 ,they fell to work at
 once to keep the jam moving4  ,i       
instanced1 too1 some of the feats of    
river-work these men could perform4 ,of 
how ,jack ,boyd has been known to float 
twenty miles without shifting his feet1 
on a log so small that he carried it to 
the water on his shoulder2 of how a     
dozen rivermen1 one after the other1    
would often go through the chute of a   
dam standing upright on single logs2 of 
,o',donnell1 who could turn a somersault
 on a floating pine log2 of the birling 
matches1 wherein two men on a single log
 try to throw each other into the river 
by treading1 squirrel fashion1 in faster
 and faster rotation2 of how a riverman 
and spiked boots and a saw-log can do   
more work than an ordinary man with a   
rowboat4  ,i do not suppose ,dick       
believed all this--although it was      
strictly and literally true--but his    
imagination was impressed4 ,he gazed    
with respect on the group at the far end

 of the street1 where fifteen or twenty 
lumber-jacks were interested in some    
amusement concealed from us4  ,what do  
you suppose they are doing8 murmured    
,dick1 awestricken4  ,wrestling1 or     
boxing1 or gambling1 or jumping1 said   
,i4  ,we approached4 ,gravely1 silently1
 intensely interested1 the cock-hatted1 
spikeshod1 dangerous men were           
playing--croquet6  ,the sight was too   
much for our nerves4 ,we went away4     
,the permanent inhabitants of the place 
we discovered to be friendly to a       
degree4  ,the ,indian strain was evident
 in various dilution through all4       
,dick's enthusiasm grew steadily until  
his artistic instincts became           
aggressive1 and he flatly announced his 
intention of staying at least four days 
for the purpose of making sketches4 ,we 
talked the matter over4 ,finally it was 
agreed4 ,deuce and ,i were to make a    
wide circle to the north and west as far
 as the ,hudson's ,bay post of ,cloche1 
while ,dick filled his notebook4 ,that  

night we slept in beds for the first    
time4  ,that is to say1 we slept until  
about three o'clock4 ,then we became    
vaguely conscious1 through a haze of    
drowse--as one becomes conscious in the 
pause of a sleeping-car--of voices      
outside our doors4 ,some one said       
something about its being hardly much   
use to go to bed4 ,another hoped the    
sheets were not damp4 ,a succession of  
lights twinkled across the walls of our 
room1 and were vaguely explained by the 
coughing of a steamboat4 ,we sank into  
oblivion until the calling-bell brought 
us to our feet4  ,i happened to finish  
my toilet a little before ,dick1 and so 
descended to the sunlight until he might
 be ready4 ,roosting on a gray old      
boulder ten feet outside the door were  
two figures that made me want to rub my 
eyes4  ,the older was a square1         
ruddy-faced man of sixty1 with neatly   
trimmed1 snow-white whiskers4 ,he had on
 a soft ,alpine hat of pearl gray1 a    
modishly cut gray homespun suit1 a tie  

in which glimmered an opal pin1 wore tan
 gloves1 and had slung over one shoulder
 by a narrow black strap a pair of      
field-glasses4  ,the younger was a tall 
and angular young fellow1 of an eager   
and sophomoric youth4 ,his hair was very
 light and very smoothly brushed1 his   
eyes blue and rather near-sighted1 his  
complexion pink1 with an obviously      
recent and superficial sunburn1 and his 
clothes1 from the white ,panama to the  
broad-soled low shoes1 of the latest cut
 and material4 ,instinctively ,i sought 
his fraternity pin4 ,he looked as though
 he might say ,rah6 ,rah6 something or  
other4 ,a camera completed his outfit4  
,tourists6 ,how in the world did they   
get here8 ,and then ,i remembered the   
twinkle of the lights and the coughing  
of the steamboat4 ,but what in time     
could they be doing here8 ,picturesque  
as the place was1 it held nothing to    
appeal to the ,baedeker spirit4 ,i      
surveyed the pair with some interest4   
,i suppose there is pretty good fishing 

around here1 ventured the elder4  ,he   
evidently took me for an inhabitant4    
,remembering my faded blue shirt and my 
floppy old hat and the red handkerchief 
about my neck and the moccasins on my   
feet1 ,i did not blame him4  ,i suppose 
there are bass among the islands1 ,i    
replied4  ,we fell into conversation4 ,i
 learned that he and his son were from  
,new ,york4  ,he learned1 by a final    
direct question which was most          
significant of his not belonging to the 
country1 who ,i was4 ,by chance he knew 
my name4 ,he opened his heart4  ,we came
 down on the ,city of ,flint1 said he4  
,my son and ,i are on a vacation4 ,we   
have been as far as the ,yellowstone1   
and thought we would like to see some of
 this country4 ,i was assured that on   
this date ,i could make connection with 
the ,north ,star for the south4 ,i told 
the purser of the ,flint not to wake us 
up unless the ,north ,star was here at  
the docks4 ,he bundled us off here at   
three in the morning4 ,the ,north ,star 

was not here2 it is an outrage6  ,he    
uttered various threats4  ,i thought the
 ,north ,star was running away south    
around the ,perry ,sound region1 ,i     
suggested4  ,yes1 but she was to begin  
to-day1 ,june #af1 to make this         
connection4 ,he produced a railroad     
folder4 ,it's in this1 he continued4    
,did you go by that thing8 ,i marvelled4
  ,why1 of course1 said he4  ,i forgot  
you were an ,american1 said ,i4 ,you're 
in ,canada now4  ,he looked his         
bewilderment1 so ,i hunted up ,dick4 ,i 
detailed the situation4 ,he doesn't know
 the race1 ,i concluded4 ,soon he will  
be trying to get information out of the 
agent4 ,let's be on hand4  ,we were on  
hand4 ,the tourist1 his face very red1  
his whiskers very white and bristly1    
marched importantly to the agent's      
office4 ,the latter comprised also the  
post-office1 the fish depot1 and a      
general store4 ,the agent was for the   
moment dickering in re two pounds of    
sugar4 ,this transaction took five      

minutes to the pound4 ,mr4 ,tourist     
waited4 ,then he opened up4 ,the agent  
heard him placidly1 as one who listens  
to a curious tale4  ,what ,i want to    
know is1 where's that boat8 ended the   
tourist4  ,couldn't say1 replied the    
agent4  ,aren't you the agent of this   
company8  ,sure1 replied the agent4     
,then why don't you know something about
 its business and plans and intentions8 
,couldn't say1 replied the agent4  ,do  
you think it would be any good to wait  
for the ,north ,star8 ,do you suppose   
they can be coming8 ,do you suppose     
they've altered the schedule8  ,couldn't
 say1 replied the agent4  ,when is the  
next boat through here8  ,i listened for
 the answer in trepidation1 for ,i saw  
that another ,couldn't say would cause  
the red-faced tourist to blow up4 ,to my
 relief1 the agent merely inquired1--   
,north or south8  ,south1 of course4 ,i 
just came from the north4 ,what in the  
name of everlasting blazes should ,i    
want to go north again for8  ,couldn't  

say1 replied the agent4 ,the next boat  
south gets in next week1 ,tuesday or    
,wednesday4  ,next week6 shrieked the   
tourist4  ,when's the next boat north8  
interposed the son4  ,to-morrow morning4
  ,what time8  ,couldn't say2 you'd have
 to watch for her4  ,that's our boat1   
dad1 said the young man4  ,but we've    
just come from there6 snorted his       
father2 it's three hundred miles back4  
,it'll put us behind two days4 ,i've got
 to be in ,new ,york ,friday4 ,i've got 
an engagement4 ,he turned suddenly to   
the agent4 ,here1 ,i've got to send a   
telegram4  ,the agent blinked placidly4 
,you'll not send it from here4 ,this    
ain't a telegraph station4  ,where's the
 nearest station8  ,fifteen mile4       
,without further parley the old man     
turned and walked1 stiff and military1  
from the place4 ,near the end of the    
broad walk he met the usual doddering   
but amiable oldest inhabitant4  ,fine   
day1 chirped the patriarch in well-meant
 friendliness4 ,they jest brought in a  

bear cub over to ,antoine's4 ,if you'd  
like to take a look at him1 ,i'll show  
you where it is4  ,the tourist stopped  
short and glared fiercely4  ,sir1 said  
he1 damn your bear6 ,then he strode on1 
leaving grandpa staring after him4  ,in 
the course of the morning we became     
quite well acquainted1 and he resigned4 
,the son appeared to take somewhat the  
humorous view all through the affair1   
which must have irritated the old       
gentleman4 ,they discussed it rather    
thoroughly1 and finally decided to      
retrace their steps for a fresh start   
over a better-known route4 ,this        
settled1 the senior seemed to feel      
relieved of a weight4 ,he even saw and  
relished certain funny phases of the    
incident1 though he never ceased to     
foretell different kinds of trouble for 
the company1 varying in range from mere 
complaints to the most tremendous of    
damage suits4  ,he was much interested1 
finally1 in our methods of travel1 and  
then1 in logical sequence1 with what he 

could see about him4 ,he watched        
curiously my loading of the canoe1 for  
,i had a three-mile stretch of open     
water1 and the wind was abroad4 ,deuce's
 empirical boat wisdom aroused his      
admiration4 ,he and his son were both at
 the shore to see me off4  ,deuce       
settled himself in the bottom4 ,i lifted
 the stern from the shore and gently set
 it afloat4 ,in a moment ,i was ready to
 start4  ,wait a minute6 ,wait a minute6
 suddenly cried the father4  ,i swirled 
my paddle back4 ,the old gentleman was  
hastily fumbling in his pockets4 ,after 
an instant he descended to the water's  
edge4  ,here1 said he1 you are a judge  
of fiction2 take this4  ,it was his     
steamboat and railway folder4     ,,ix4 
,,on ,,flies4   ,all the rest of the day
 ,i paddled under the frowning cliffs of
 the hill ranges4 ,bold1 bare1 scarred1 
seamed with fissures1 their precipice   
rocks gave the impression of ten        
thousand feet rather that only so many  
hundreds4 ,late in the afternoon we     

landed against a formation of basaltic  
blocks cut as squarely up and down as a 
dock1 and dropping off into as deep     
water4 ,the waves chug-chug-chugged     
sullenly against them1 and the fringe of
 a dark pine forest1 drawn back from a  
breadth of natural grass1 lowered across
 the horizon like a thunder-cloud4      
,deuce and ,i made camp with the uneasy 
feeling of being under inimical         
inspection4 ,a cold wind ruffled        
lead-like waters4 ,no comfort was in the
 prospect1 so we retired early4 ,then it
 appeared that the coarse grass of the  
park had bred innumerable black flies1  
and that we had our work cut out for us4
  ,the question of flies--using that1 to
 a woodsman1 eminently connotive word in
 its wide embracement of mosquitoes1    
sandflies1 deer-flies1 black flies1 and 
midges--is one much mooted in the craft4
 ,on no subject are more widely         
divergent ideas expressed4 ,one writer  
claims that black flies' bites are but  
the temporary inconvenience of a        

pin-prick2 another tells of boils       
lasting a week as the invariable result 
of their attentions2 a third sweeps     
aside the whole question as unimportant 
to concentrate his anathemas on the     
musical mosquito2 still a fourth        
descants on the maddening midge1 and is 
prepared to defend his claims against   
the world4 ,a like dogmatic partisanship
 obtains in the question of defences4   
,each and every man possessed of a      
tongue wherewith to speak or a pen      
wherewith to write1 heralds the         
particular merits of his own fly-dope1  
head-net1 or mosquito-proof tent-lining4
 ,eager advocates of the advantages of  
pork fat1 kerosene1 pine tar1           
pennyroyal1 oil of cloves1 castor oil1  
lollacapop1 or a half hundred other     
concoctions1 will assure you1 tears in  
eyes1 that his is the only true faith4  
,so many men1 so many minds1 until the  
theorist is confused into doing the most
 uncomfortable thing possible--that is1 
to learn by experience4  ,as for the    

truth1 it is at once in all of them and 
in none of them4 ,the annoyance of      
after-effects from a sting depends      
entirely on the individual's physical   
makeup4 ,some people are so poisoned by 
mosquito bites that three or four on the
 forehead suffice to close entirely the 
victim's eyes4 ,on others they leave but
 a small red mark without swelling4     
,black flies caused festering sores on  
one man ,i accompanied to the woods4 ,in
 my own case they leave only a tiny     
blood-spot the size of a pin-head1 which
 bothers me not a bit4 ,midges nearly   
drove crazy the same companion of mine1 
so that finally he jumped into the      
river1 clothes and all1 to get rid of   
them4 ,again1 merely my own experience  
would lead me to regard them as a       
tremendous nuisance1 but one quite      
bearable4 ,indians are less susceptible 
than whites2 nevertheless ,i have seen  
them badly swelled behind the ears from 
the bites of the big hardwood mosquito4 
,you can make up your mind to one thing3

 from the first warm weather until      
,august you must expect to cope with    
insect pests4 ,the black fly will keep  
you busy until late afternoon2 the      
midges will swarm you about sunset2 and 
the mosquito will preserve the tradition
 after you have turned in4 ,as for the  
deer-fly1 and others of his piratical   
breed1 he will bite like a dog at any   
time4  ,to me the most annoying species 
is the mosquito4 ,the black fly is      
sometimes most industrious--,i have seen
 trout fishermen come into camp with the
 blood literally streaming from their   
faces--but his great recommendation is  
that he holds still to be killed4 ,no   
frantic slaps1 no waving of arms1 no    
muffled curses4 ,you just place your    
finger calmly and firmly on the spot4   
,you get him every time4 ,in this is    
great1 heart-lifting joy4 ,it may be    
unholy joy1 perhaps even vengeful1 but  
it leaves the spirit ecstatic4 ,the     
satisfaction of murdering the beast that
 has had the nerve to light on you just 

as you are reeling in almost            
counterbalances the pain of a sting4    
,the midge1 again1 or punkie1 or        
no-see-'um1 just as you please1 swarms  
down upon you suddenly and with         
commendable vigour1 so that you feel as 
though red-hot pepper were being        
sprinkled on your bare skin2 and his    
invisibility and intangibility are such 
that you can never tell whether you have
 killed him or not2 but he doesn't last 
long1 and dope routs him totally4 ,your 
mosquito1 however1 is such a deliberate 
brute4 ,he has in him some of that      
divine fire which causes a dog to turn  
around nine times before lying down4    
,whether he is selecting or gloating ,i 
do not know1 but ,i do maintain that the
 price of your life's blood is often not
 too great to pay for the cessation of  
that hum4  ,eet is not hees bite1 said  
,billy the half-breed to me once--eet is
 hees sing4  ,i agree with ,billy4 ,one 
mosquito in a tent can keep you awake   
for hours4  ,as to protection1 it is    

varied enough in all conscience1 and    
always theoretically perfect4 ,a        
head-net falling well down over your    
chest1 or even tied under your arm-pits1
 is at once the simplest and most       
fallacious of these theories4 ,it will  
keep vast numbers of flies out1 to be   
sure4 ,it will also keep the few        
adventurous discoverers in1 where you   
can neither kill nor eject4 ,likewise   
you are deprived of your pipe2 and the  
common homely comfort of spitting on    
your bait is totally denied you4 ,the   
landscape takes on the prismatic colours
 of refraction1 so that1 while you can  
easily make out red1 white1 and blue    
,chinese dragons and mythological       
monsters1 you are unable to discover the
 more welcome succulence1 say1 of a     
partridge on a limb4 ,and the end of    
that head-net is to be picked to holes  
by the brush1 and finally to be snatched
 from you to sapling height1 whence your
 pains will rescue it only in a useless 
condition4 ,probably then you will dance

 the war-dance of exasperation on its   
dismembered remains4 ,still1 there are  
times--in case of straight-away river   
paddling1 or open walking1 or lengthened
 waiting--when the net is a great       
comfort4 ,and it is easily included in  
the pack4  ,next in order come the      
various dopes4 ,and they are various4   
,from the stickiest1 blackest pastes to 
the silkiest1 suavest oils they range1  
through the grades of essence1 salve1   
and cream4 ,every man has his own       
recipe--the infallible4 ,as a general   
rule1 it may be stated that the thicker 
kinds last longer and are generally more
 thoroughly effective1 but the lighter  
are pleasanter to wear1 though requiring
 more frequent application4 ,at a pinch1
 ordinary pork fat is good4 ,the        
,indians often make temporary use of the
 broad caribou leaf1 crushing it between
 their palms and rubbing the juices on  
the skin4 ,i know by experience that    
this is effective1 but very transitory4 
,it is1 however1 a good thing to use    

when resting on the trail1 for1 by the  
grace of ,providence1 flies are rarely  
bothersome as long as you are moving at 
a fair gait4  ,this does not always hold
 good1 however1 any more than the best  
fly-dope is always effective4 ,i        
remember most vividly the first day of a
 return journey from the shores of the  
,hudson ,bay4 ,the weather was rather   
oppressively close and overcast4  ,we   
had paddled a few miles up river from   
the fur trading-post1 and then had      
landed in order to lighten the canoe for
 the ascent against the current4 ,at    
that point the forest has already begun 
to dwindle towards the ,land of ,little 
,sticks1 so that often miles and miles  
of open muskegs will intervene between  
groups of the stunted trees4 ,jim and ,i
 found ourselves a little over waist    
deep in luxuriant and tangled grasses   
that impeded and clogged our every      
footstep4 ,never shall ,i forget that   
country--its sad and lonely isolation1  
its dull lead sky1 its silence1 and the 

closeness of its stifling               
atmosphere--and never shall ,i see it   
otherwise than as in a dense brown haze1
 a haze composed of swarming millions of
 mosquitoes4 ,there is not the slightest
 exaggeration in the statement4 ,at     
every step new multitudes rushed into   
our faces to join the old4 ,at times    
,jim's back was so covered with them    
that they almost overlaid the colour of 
the cloth4 ,and as near as we could see1
 every square foot of the thousands of  
acres quartered its hordes4  ,we doped  
liberally1 but without the slightest    
apparent effect4 ,probably two million  
squeamish mosquitoes were driven away by
 the disgust of our medicaments1 but    
what good did that do us when eight     
million others were not so particular8  
,at the last we hung bandanas under our 
hats1 cut fans of leaves1 and stumbled  
on through a most miserable day until we
 could build a smudge at evening4  ,for 
smoke is usually a specific4 ,not       
always1 however3 some midges seem to    

delight in it4 ,the ,indians make a tiny
 blaze of birch bark and pine twigs deep
 in a nest of grass and caribou leaves4 
,when the flame is well started1 they   
twist the growing vegetation canopy-wise
 above it4  ,in that manner they gain a 
few minutes of dense1 acrid smoke1 which
 is enough for an ,indian4 ,a white man1
 however1 needs something more          
elaborate4  ,the chief reason for your  
initial failure in making an effective  
smudge will be that you will not get    
your fire well started before piling on 
the damp smoke-material4 ,it need not be
 a conflagration1 but it should be      
bright and glowing1 so that the punk    
birch or maple wood you add will not    
smother it entirely4 ,after it is       
completed1 you will not have to sit     
coughing in the thick of fumigation1 as 
do many1 but only to leeward and        
underneath4 ,your hat used as a fan will
 eddy the smoke temporarily into        
desirable nooks and crevices4 ,i have   
slept without annoyance on the ,great   

,plains1 where the mosquitoes seem to go
 in organized and predatory bands1      
merely by lying beneath a smudge that   
passed at least five feet above me4 ,you
 will find the frying-pan a handy       
brazier for the accommodation of a      
movable smoke to be transported to the  
interior of the tent4 ,and it does not  
in the least hurt the frying-pan4 ,these
 be hints1 briefly spoken1 out of which 
at times you may have to construct      
elaborate campaigns4  ,but you come to  
grapples in the defence of comfort when 
night approaches4 ,if you can eat and   
sleep well1 you can stand almost any    
hardship4 ,the night's rest is as       
carefully to be fore-assured as the food
 that sustains you4 ,no precaution is   
too elaborate to certify unbroken       
repose4 ,by dark you will discover the  
peak of your tent to be liberally       
speckled with insects of all sorts4     
,especially is this true of an evening  
that threatens rain4 ,your smudge-pan   
may drive away the mosquitoes1 but      

merely stupefies the other varieties4   
,you are forced to the manipulation of a
 balsam fan4  ,in your use of this      
simple implement you will betray the    
extent of your experience4 ,dick used at
 first to begin at the rear peak and    
brush as rapidly as possible toward the 
opening4 ,the flies1 thoroughly aroused1
 eddied about a few frantic moments1    
like leaves in an autumn wind1 finally  
to settle close to the sod in the       
crannies between the tent-wall and the  
ground4 ,then ,dick would lie flat on   
his belly in order to brush with equal  
vigour at these new lurking-places4 ,the
 flies repeated the autumn-leaf effect1 
and returned to the rear peak4 ,this was
 amusing to me1 and furnished the flies 
with healthful1 appetizing exercise1 but
 was bad for ,dick's soul4 ,after a time
 he discovered the only successful      
method is the gentle one4 ,then he began
 at the peak and brushed forward slowly1
 very1 very slowly1 so that the limited 
intellect of his visitors did not become

 confused4 ,thus when they arrived at   
the opening they saw it and used it1    
instead of searching frantically for    
corners in which to hide from apparently
 vengeful destruction4 ,then he would   
close his tent-flap securely1 and turn  
in at once4 ,so he was able to sleep    
until earliest daylight4 ,at that time  
the mosquitoes again found him out4     
,nine out of ten--perhaps ninety-nine   
out of a hundred--sleep in open tents4  
,for absolute and perfect comfort       
proceed as follows3--,have your         
tent-maker sew you a tent of            
cheese-cloth99 with the same dimensions 
as your shelter1 except that the walls  
should be loose and voluminous at the   
bottom4 ,it should have no openings4    
,footnote 993 ,do not allow yourself to 
be talked into substituting mosquito-bar
 or bobinet4 ,any mesh coarser than     
cheese-cloth will prove pregnable to the
 most enterprising of the smaller       
species4  ,suspend this affair inside   
your tent by means of cords or tapes4   

,drop it about you4 ,spread it out4 ,lay
 rod-cases1 duffel-bags1 or rocks along 
its lower edges to keep it spread4 ,you 
will sleep beneath it like a child in   
winter4 ,no driving out of reluctant    
flies2 no enforced early rising2 no     
danger of a single overlooked insect to 
make the midnight miserable4 ,the       
cheese-cloth weighs almost nothing1 can 
be looped up out of the way in the      
daytime1 admits the air readily4        
,nothing could fill the soul with more  
ecstatic satisfaction than to lie for a 
moment before going to sleep listening  
to a noise outside like an able-bodied  
sawmill that indicates the ping-gosh are
 abroad4  ,it would be unfair to leave  
the subject without a passing reference 
to its effect on the imagination4 ,we   
are all familiar with comic paper       
mosquito stories1 and some of them are  
very good4 ,but until actual experience 
takes you by the hand and leads you into
 the realm of pure fancy1 you will never
 know of what improvisation the human   

mind is capable4  ,the picture rises    
before my mind of the cabin of a        
twenty-eight-foot cutter-sloop just     
before the dawn of a midsummer day4 ,the
 sloop was made for business1 and the   
cabin harmonized exactly with the       
sloop--painted pine1 wooden bunks       
without mattresses1 camp-blankets1      
duffel-bags slung up because all the    
floor place had been requisitioned for  
sleeping purposes4 ,we were anchored a  
hundred feet off land from ,pilot ,cove1
 on the uninhabited north shore4 ,the   
mosquitoes had adventured on the deep4  
,we lay half asleep4  ,on the middle    
rafter1 murmured the ,football ,man1 is 
one old fellow giving signals4  ,a      
quartette is singing drinking-songs on  
my nose1 muttered the ,glee ,club ,man4 
,we won't need to cook1 ,i suggested    
somnolently4 ,we can run up and down on 
deck with our mouths open and get enough
 for breakfast4  ,the fourth member     
opened one eye4 ,boys1 he breathed1 we  
won't be able to go on to-morrow unless 

we give up having any more biscuits4    
,after a time some one murmured1 ,why8  
,we'll have to use all the lard on the  
mast4 ,they're so mad because they can't
 get at us that they're biting the mast4
 ,it's already swelled up as big as a   
barrel4 ,we'll never be able to get the 
mainsail up4 ,any of you boys got any   
vaseline8 ,perhaps a little fly-dope--  
,but we snored vigorously in unison4    
,the ,indians say that when ,kitch'     
,manitou had created men he was         
dissatisfied1 and so brought women into 
being4 ,at once love-making began1 and  
then1 as now1 the couples sought        
solitude for their exchanges of vows1   
their sighings to the moon1 their       
claspings of hands4 ,marriages ensued4  
,the situation remained unchanged4 ,life
 was one perpetual honeymoon4 ,i suppose
 the novelty was fresh and the sexes had
 not yet realized they would not part as
 abruptly as they had been brought      
together4 ,the villages were deserted1  
while the woods and bushes were populous

 with wedded and unwedded lovers4       
,kitch' ,manitou looked on the          
proceedings with disapproval4 ,all this 
was most romantic and beautiful1 no     
doubt1 but in the meantime mi-dw-min1   
the corn1 mi-n-men1 the rice1 grew rank 
and uncultivated2 while bis-w1 the lynx1
 and swingwage1 the wolverine1 and      
me-n-gan1 the wolf1 committed unchecked 
depredations among the weaker forest    
creatures4 ,the business of life was    
being sadly neglected4 ,so ,kitch'      
,manitou took counsel with himself1 and 
created sw-gi-may1 the mosquito1 to whom
 he gave as dwelling the woods and      
bushes4 ,that took the romance out of   
the situation4 ,as my narrator grimly   
expressed it1 ,him come back1 go to     
work4  ,certainly it should be most     
effective4 ,even the thick-skinned moose
 is not exempt from discomfort4 ,at     
certain seasons the canoe voyager in the
 ,far ,north will run upon a dozen in   
the course of a day's travel1 standing  
nose-deep in the river merely to escape 

the insect pests4  ,however1 this is to 
be remembered3 after the first of       
,august they bother very little2 before 
that time the campaign ,i have outlined 
is effective2 even in fly season the    
worst days are infrequent4 ,in the woods
 you must expect to pay a certain price 
in discomfort for a very real and very  
deep pleasure4 ,wet1 heat1 cold1 hunger1
 thirst1 difficult travel1 insects1 hard
 beds1 aching muscles--all these at one 
time or another will be your portion4   
,if you are of the class that cannot    
have a good time unless everything is   
right with it1 stay out of the woods4   
,one thing at least will always be      
wrong4 ,when you have gained the faculty
 of ignoring the one disagreeable thing 
and concentrating your powers on the    
compensations1 then you will have become
 a true woodsman1 and to your desires   
the forest will always be calling4      
,x4  ,,cloche4   ,imagine a many-armed  
lake1 like a starfish1 nested among     
rugged ,laurentian hills1 whose brows   

are bare and forbidding1 but whose      
concealed ravines harbour each its cool 
screen of forest growth4 ,imagine a     
brawling stream escaping at one of the  
arms1 to tumble1 intermittently visible 
among the trees1 down a series of       
cascades and rapids1 to the broad1      
island-dotted calm of the big lake4     
,imagine a meadow at the mouth of this  
stream1 and on the meadow a single white
 dot4 ,thus you will see ,cloche1 a     
trading-post of the ,honourable the     
,hudson's ,bay ,company1 as ,deuce and  
,i saw it from the summit of the hills4 
,we had accomplished a very hard        
scramble1 which started well enough in a
 ravine so leafy and green and          
impenetrable that we might well have    
imagined ourselves in a boundless       
forest4 ,deuce had scented sundry       
partridges1 which he had pointed with   
entire deference to the good form of a  
sporting dog's conventions4 ,as usual1  
to ,deuce's never-failing surprise and  
disgust1 the birds had proved themselves

 most uncultivated and rude persons by  
hopping promptly into trees instead of  
lying to point and then flushing as a   
well-taught partridge should4 ,i had    
refused to pull pistol on them4 ,deuce's
 heart was broken4 ,then1 finally1 we   
came to cliffs up which we had to scale1
 and boulders which we had to climb1 and
 fissures which we had to jump or cross 
on fallen trees1 and wide1 bare sweeps  
of rock and blueberry bushes which we   
had to cover1 until at last we stood    
where we could look all ways at once4   
,the starfish thrust his insinuating    
arms in among the distant hills to the  
north4 ,league after league1 rising and 
falling and rising again into ever bluer
 distance1 forest-covered1 mysterious1  
other ranges and systems lifted1 until  
at last1 far out1 nearly at the         
horizon-height of my eye1 flashed again 
the gleam of water4 ,and so the starfish
 arms of the little lake at my feet     
seemed to have plunged into this        
wilderness tangle only to reappear at   

greater distance4 ,like swamp-fire1 it  
lured the imagination always on and on  
and on through the secret waterways of  
the uninhabited ,north4 ,it was as      
though ,i stood on the dividing ridge   
between the old and the new4 ,through   
the southern haze1 hull down1 ,i thought
 to make out the smoke of a ,great ,lake
 freighter2 from the shelter of a       
distant cove ,i was not surprised a     
moment later to see emerge a tiny speck 
whose movements betrayed it as a birch  
canoe4 ,the great ,north was at this1   
the most southern of the ,hudson's ,bay 
posts1 striking a pin-point of contact  
with the world of men4  ,deuce and ,i   
angled down the mountain toward the     
stream4 ,our arrival coincided with that
 of the canoe4 ,it was of the ,ojibway  
three-fathom pattern1 and contained a   
half-dozen packs1 a sledge-dog1 with    
whom ,deuce at once opened guarded      
negotiations1 an old ,indian1 a squaw1  
and a child of six or eight4 ,we        
exchanged brief greetings4 ,then ,i sat 

on a stump and watched the portage4     
,these were evidently ,woods ,indians1  
an entirely different article from the  
,post ,indians4 ,they wore their hair   
long1 and bound by a narrow strip or    
fillet2 their faces were hard and deeply
 lined1 with a fine1 bold1 far-seeing   
look to the eyes which comes only from  
long woods dwelling4 ,they walked1 even 
under heavy loads1 with a sagging1      
springy gait1 at once sure-footed and   
swift4 ,instead of tump-lines the man   
used his sash1 and the woman a blanket  
knotted loosely together at the ends4   
,the details of their costumes were     
interesting in combination of jeans and 
buckskin1 broadcloth and blanket1 stroud
 and a material evidently made from the 
strong white sacking in which flour     
intended for frontier consumption is    
always packed4 ,after the first         
double-barrelled bo' jou'1 bo' jou'1    
they paid no further attention to me4   
,in a few moments the portage was       
completed4 ,the woman thrust her paddle 

against the stream's bottom and the     
canoe1 and so embarked4 ,the man stepped
 smoothly to his place like a cat       
leaping from a chair4 ,they shot away   
with the current1 leaving behind them a 
strange and mysterious impression of    
silence4  ,i followed down a narrow but 
well-beaten trail1 and so at the end of 
a half-mile came to the meadow and the  
post of ,cloche4  ,the building itself  
was accurately of the ,hudson ,bay      
type--a steep1 sloping roof greater in  
front than behind1 a deep recessed      
veranda1 squared logs sheathed with     
whitewashed boards4 ,about it was a     
little garden1 which1 besides the usual 
flowers and vegetables1 contained such  
exotics as a deer confined to a pen and 
a bear chained to a stake4 ,as ,i       
approached1 the door opened and the     
,trader came out4  ,now1 often along the
 southern fringe your ,hudson's ,bay    
,trader will prove to be a distinct     
disappointment4 ,in fact1 one of the    
historic old posts is now kept by a pert

 little cockney ,englishman1 cringing or
 impudent as the main chance seems to   
advise4 ,when you have penetrated       
further into the wilderness1 however1   
where the hardships of winter and summer
 travel1 the loneliness of winter posts1
 the necessity of dealing directly with 
savage men and savage nature1 develops  
the quality of a man or wrecks him early
 in the game1 you will be certain of    
meeting your type4 ,but here1 within    
fifty miles of the railroad6  ,the man  
who now stepped into view1 however1     
preserved in his appearance all the old 
traditions4 ,he was1 briefly1 a short   
black-and-white man built very square4  
,immense power lurked in the broad1     
heavy shoulders1 the massive chest1 the 
thick arms1 the sturdy1 column-like     
legs4 ,as for his face1 it was almost   
entirely concealed behind a curly square
 black beard that grew above his        
cheek-bones nearly to his eyes4 ,only a 
thick hawk nose1 an inscrutable pair of 
black eyes under phenomenally heavy     

eyebrows1 and a short black pipe showed 
plainly from the hirsute tangle4 ,he was
 lock1 stock1 and barrel of the ,far    
,north1 one of the old rgime4 ,i was    
rejoiced to see him there1 but did not  
betray a glimmer of interest4 ,i knew my
 type too well for that4  ,how are you8 
he said grudgingly4  ,good-day1 said ,i4
  ,we leaned against the fence and      
smoked1 each contemplating carefully the
 end of his pipe4 ,i knew better than to
 say anything4 ,the ,trader was looking 
me over1 making up his mind about me4   
,speech on my part would argue lightness
 of disposition1 for it would seem to   
indicate that ,i was not also making up 
my mind about him4  ,in this pause there
 was not the least unfriendliness4      
,only1 in the woods you prefer to know  
first the business and character of a   
chance acquaintance4 ,afterwards you may
 ingratiate to his good will4 ,all of   
which possesses a beautiful simplicity1 
for it proves that good or bad opinion  
need not depend on how gracefully you   

can chatter assurances4 ,at the end of a
 long period the ,trader inquired1      
,which way you headed8  ,out in a canoe 
for pleasure4 ,headed almost anywhere4  
,again we smoked4  ,dog any good8 asked 
the ,trader1 removing his pipe and      
pointing to the observant ,deuce4       
,he'll hunt shade on a hot day1 said ,i 
tentatively4 ,how's the fur in this     
district8  ,we were off4 ,he invited me 
in and showed me his bear4 ,in ten      
minutes we were seated chair-tilted on  
the veranda1 and slowly1 very           
cautiously1 in abbreviated syncopation1 
were feeling our way toward an intimacy4
  ,now came the ,indians ,i had seen at 
the lake to barter for some flour and   
pork4 ,i was glad of the chance to      
follow them all into the trading-room4  
,a low wooden counter backed by a grill 
divided the main body of the room from  
the entrance4 ,it was deliciously dim4  
,all the charm of the ,aromatic ,shop   
was in the place1 and an additional     
flavour of the wilds4 ,everything here  

was meant for the ,indian trade3 bolts  
of bright-patterned ginghams1 blankets  
of red or blue1 articles of clothing1   
boxes of beads for decoration1 skeins of
 brilliant silk1 lead bars for          
bullet-making1 stacks of long           
brass-bound trade guns in the corner1   
small mirrors1 red and parti-coloured   
worsted sashes with tassels on the ends1
 steel traps of various sizes1 and a    
dozen other articles to be desired by   
the forest people4 ,and here1 unlike the
 ,aromatic ,shop1 were none of the      
products of the ,far ,north4 ,all that1 
,i knew1 was to be found elsewhere1 in  
another apartment1 equally dim1 but     
delightful in the orderly disorder of a 
storeroom4  ,afterwards ,i made the     
excuse of a pair of moccasins to see    
this other room4 ,we climbed a steep1   
rough flight of stairs to emerge through
 a sort of trap-door into a space       
directly under the roof4 ,it was lit    
only by a single little square at one   
end4 ,deep under the eaves ,i could make

 out row after row of boxes and chests4 
,from the rafters hung a dozen pair of  
snow-shoes4 ,in the centre of the floor1
 half overturned1 lay an open box from  
which tumbled dozens of pairs of        
moose-hide snow-shoe moccasins4  ,shades
 of childhood1 what a place6 ,no one of 
us can fail to recall with a thrill the 
delights of a rummage in the attic--the 
joy of pulling from some half-forgotten 
trunk a wholly forgotten shabby garment1
 which nevertheless has taken to itself 
from the stillness of undisturbed years 
the faint aroma of romance2 the rapture 
of discovering in the dusk of a         
concealed nook some old spur or broken  
knife or rusty pistol redolent of the   
open road4 ,such essentially commonplace
 affairs they are1 after all1 in the    
light of our mature common sense1 but   
such unspeakable ecstasies to the       
romance-breathing years of fancy4 ,here 
would no fancy be required4 ,to rummage 
in these silent chests and boxes would  
be to rummage1 not in the fictions of   

imagination1 but the facts of the most  
real picturesque4 ,in yonder square box 
are the smoke-tanned shoes of silence2  
that velvet dimness would prove to be   
the fur of a bear2 this birch-bark      
package contains maple sugar savoured of
 the wilds4 ,buckskin1 both white and   
buff1 bears' claws in strings1 bundles  
of medicinal herbs1 sweet-grass baskets 
fragrant as an ,eastern tale1 birch-bark
 boxes embroidered with stained quills  
of the porcupines1 bows of hickory and  
arrows of maple1 queer half-boots of    
stiff sealskin from the very shores of  
the ,hudson ,bay1 belts of beadwork1    
yellow and green1 for the ,corn ,dance1 
even a costume or so of buckskin        
complete for ceremonial--all these the  
fortunate child would find were he to   
take the rainy-day privilege in this1   
the most wonderful attic in all the     
world4 ,and then1 after he had stroked  
the soft fur1 and smelled the buckskin  
and sweet grasses1 and tasted the       
crumbling maple sugar1 and dressed      

himself in the barbaric splendours of   
the ,north1 he could flatten his little 
nose against the dim square of light and
 look out over the glistening yellow    
backs of a dozen birchbark canoes to the
 distant1 rain-blurred hills1 beyond    
which lay the country whence all these  
things had come4 ,do you wonder that in 
after years that child hits the ,long   
,trail8 ,do you still wonder at finding 
these strange1 taciturn1 formidable1    
tender-hearted men dwelling lonely in   
the ,silent ,places8  ,the ,trader      
yanked several of the boxes to the      
centre and prosaically tumbled about    
their contents4 ,he brought to light    
heavy moose-hide moccasins with high    
linen tops for the snow2 lighter        
buckskin moccasins1 again with the high 
tops1 but this time of white tanned     
doeskin2 slipper-like deer-skin         
moccasins with rolled edges1 for the    
summer2 oil-tanned shoepacs1 with and   
without the flexible leather sole2      
cruisers of varying degree of           

height--each and every sort of footgear 
in use in the ,far ,north1 excepting and
 saving always the beautiful soft       
doeskin slippers finished with white    
fawnskin and ornamented with the        
,ojibway flower pattern for which ,i    
sought4 ,finally he gave it up4  ,i had 
a few pair4 ,they must have been sent   
out1 said he4  ,we rummaged a little    
further for luck's sake1 then descended 
to the outer air4 ,i left him to fetch  
my canoe1 but returned in the afternoon4
 ,we became friends4 ,that evening we   
sat in the little sitting-room and      
talked far into the night4  ,he was a   
true ,hudson's ,bay man1 steadfastly    
loyal to the ,company4 ,i mentioned the 
legend of ,la ,longue ,traverse2 he     
stoutly asserted he had never heard of  
it4 ,i tried to buy a mink-skin or so to
 hang on the wall as souvenir of my     
visit2 he was genuinely distressed1 but 
had to refuse because the ,company had  
not authorized him to sell1 and he had  
nothing of his own to give4 ,i mentioned

 the ,river of the ,moose1 the ,land of 
,little ,sticks2 his deep eyes sparkled 
with excitement1 and he asked eagerly a 
multitude of details concerning late    
news from the northern posts4  ,and as  
the evening dwindled1 after the manner  
of ,traders everywhere1 he began to tell
 me the ghost stories of this station of
 ,cloche4 ,every post has gathered a    
mass of legendary lore in the slow      
years1 but this had been on the route of
 the voyageurs from ,montreal and       
,quebec at the time when the lords of   
the ,north journeyed to the scenes of   
their annual revels at ,fort ,williams4 
,the ,trader had much to say of the     
magnificence and luxury of these        
men--their cooks1 their silken tents1   
their strange and costly foods1 their   
rare wines1 their hordes of ,french and 
,indian canoemen and packers4 ,then     
,cloche was a halting-place for the     
night4 ,its meadows had blossomed many  
times with the gay tents and banners of 
a great company4 ,he told me1 as vividly

 as though he had been an eye-witness1  
of how the canoes must have loomed up   
suddenly from between the islands4      
,by-and-by he seized the lamp and       
conducted me outside1 where hung        
ponderous ornamental steelyards1 on     
which in the old days the peltries were 
weighed4  ,it is not so now1 said he4   
,we buy by count1 and modern scales     
weigh the provisions4 ,and the beaver   
are all gone4  ,we re-entered the house 
in silence4 ,after a while he began     
briefly to sketch his own career4 ,then1
 indeed1 the flavour of the ,far ,north 
breathed its crisp1 bracing ozone       
through the atmosphere of the room4  ,he
 had started life at one of the posts of
 the ,far ,north-,west4 ,at the age of  
twelve he enlisted in the ,company4     
,throughout forty years he had served   
her4 ,he had travelled to all the       
strange places of the ,north1 and       
claimed to have stood on the shores of  
that half-mythical lake of ,yamba ,tooh4
  ,it was snowing at the time1 he said  

prosaically2 and ,i couldn't see        
anything1 except that ,i'd have to bear 
to the east to get away from open water4
 ,maybe she wasn't the lake4 ,the       
,injins said she was1 but ,i was too    
almighty shy of grub to bother with     
lakes4  ,other names fell from him in   
the course of talk1 some of which ,i had
 heard and some not1 but all of which   
rang sweet and clear with no uncertain  
note of adventure4 ,especially haunts my
 memory an impression of desolate burned
 trees standing stick-like in death on  
the shores of ,lost ,river4  ,he told me
 he had been four years at ,cloche1 but 
expected shortly to be transferred1 as  
the fur was getting scarce1 and another 
post one hundred miles to the west could
 care for the dwindling trade4 ,he hoped
 to be sent into the ,north-,west1 but  
shrugged his shoulders as he said so1 as
 though that were in the hands of the   
gods4 ,at the last he fished out a      
concertina and played for me4 ,have you 
ever heard1 after dark1 in the ,north1  

where the hills grow big at sunset1  la 
,claire ,fontaine crooned to such an    
accompaniment1 and by a man of impassive
 bulk and countenance1 but with glowing 
eyes8  ,i said good-night1 and stumbled1
 sight-dazed1 through the cool dark to  
my tent near the beach4 ,the weird minor
 strains breathed after me as ,i went4  
,a la claire fontaine ,m'en allant      
promener1 ,j'ai trouv l'eau si belle    
,que je m'y suis baign1 ,il y a         
longtemps que je t'aime ,jamais je ne   
t'oublierai4  ,the next day1 with the   
combers of a howling north-westerly gale
 clutching at the stern of the canoe1 ,i
 rode in a glory of spray and           
copper-tasting excitement back to ,dick 
and his half-breed settlement4  ,but the
 incident had its sequel4 ,the following
 season1 as ,i was sitting writing at my
 desk1 a strange package was brought me4
 ,it was wrapped in linen sewn strongly 
with waxed cord4 ,its contents lie      
before me now--a pair of moccasins      
fashioned of the finest doeskin1 tanned 

so beautifully that the delicious smoke 
fragrance fills the room1 and so        
effectively that they could be washed   
with soap and water without destroying  
their softness4 ,the tongue-shaped piece
 over the instep is of white fawnskin   
heavily ornamented in five colours of   
silk4 ,where it joins the foot of the   
slipper it is worked over and over into 
a narrow cord of red and blue silk4 ,the
 edge about the ankle is turned over1   
deeply scalloped1 and bound at the top  
with a broad band of blue silk stitched 
with pink4 ,two tiny blue bows at either
 side the ankle ornament the front4     
,altogether a most magnificent          
foot-gear4 ,no word accompanied them1   
apparently1 but after some search ,i    
drew a bit of paper from the toe of one 
of them4 ,it was inscribed simply--,fort
 la ,cloche4     ,,xi4  ,,the           
,,habitants4   ,during my absence ,dick 
had made many friends4 ,wherein lies his
 secret ,i do not know1 but he has a    
peculiar power of ingratiation with     

people whose lives are quite outside his
 experience or sympathies4 ,in the short
 space of four days he had earned joyous
 greetings from every one in town4 ,the 
children grinned at him cheerfully2 the 
old women cackled good-natured little   
teasing jests to him as he passed2 the  
pretty1 dusky half-breed girls dropped  
their eyelashes fascinatingly across    
their cheeks1 tempering their coyness   
with a smile2 the men painfully demanded
 information as to artistic achievement 
which was evidently as well meant as it 
was foreign to any real thirst for      
knowledge they might possess2 even the  
lumber-jacks addressed him as ,bub4 ,and
 withal ,dick's methods of approach were
 radically wrong1 for he blundered upon 
new acquaintance with a beaming smile1  
which is ordinarily a sure repellent to 
the cautious1 taciturn men of the woods4
 ,perhaps their keenness penetrated to  
the fact that he was absolutely without 
guile1 and that his kindness was an     
essential part of himself4 ,i should be 

curious to know whether ,billy ,knapp of
 the ,black ,hills would surrender his  
gun to ,dick for inspection4  ,i want   
you to go out this afternoon to see some
 friends of mine1 said ,dick4 ,they're  
on a farm about two miles back in the   
brush4 ,they're ancestors4  ,they're    
what8 ,i inquired4  ,ancestors4 ,you can
 go down to ,grosse ,point near         
,detroit1 and find people living in     
beautiful country places next the water1
 and after dinner they'll show you an   
old silhouette or a daguerreotype or    
something like that1 and will say to you
 proudly1 ',this is old ,jules1 my      
ancestor1 who was a pioneer in this     
country4 ,the ,place has been in the    
family ever since his time4'  ,well8    
,well1 this is a ,french family1 and    
they are pioneers1 and the family has a 
place that slopes down to the water     
through white birch trees1 and it is of 
the kind very tenacious of its own land4
 ,in two hundred years this will be a   
great resort2 bound to be--beautiful1   

salubrious1 good sport1 fine scenery1   
accessible--  ,railroad fifty miles     
away2 boat every once in a while1 said  
,i sarcastically4  ,accessible in two   
hundred years1 all right1 insisted ,dick
 serenely4 ,even ,canada can build a    
quarter of a mile of railway a year4    
,accessible1 he went on2 good           
shipping-point for country now          
undeveloped4  ,you ought to be a real   
estate agent1 ,i advised4  ,lived two   
hundred years too soon1 disclaimed      
,dick4 ,what more obvious8 ,these are   
certainly ancestors4  ,family may die   
out1 ,i suggested4  ,it has a good      
start1 said ,dick sweetly4 ,there are   
eighty-seven in it now4  ,what6 ,i      
gasped4  ,one great-grandfather1 twelve 
grandparents1 thirty-seven parents1 and 
thirty-seven children1 tabulated ,dick4 
,i should like to see the               
great-grandfather1 said ,i2 he must be  
very old and feeble4  ,he is eighty-five
 years old1 said ,dick1 and the last    
time ,i saw him he was engaged with an  

axe in clearing trees off his farm4     
,all of these astonishing statements ,i 
found to be absolutely true4  ,we       
started out afoot soon after dinner1    
through a scattering growth of popples  
that alternately drew the veil of       
coyness over the blue hills and caught  
our breath with the delight of a        
momentary prospect4 ,deuce1 remembering 
autumn days1 concluded partridges1 and  
scurried away on the expert diagonal1   
his hind legs tucked well under his     
flanks4 ,the road itself was a mere     
cutting through the miniature woods1    
winding to right or left for the purpose
 of avoiding a log-end or a boulder1    
surmounting little knolls with an idle  
disregard for the straight line1 knobby 
with big1 round stones1 and             
interestingly diversified by circular   
mud holes a foot or so in diameter4     
,after a mile and a half we came to the 
corner of a snake fence4 ,this1 ,dick   
informed me1 marked the limits of the   
farm4  ,we burst through the screen of  

popples definitely into the clear4 ,a   
two-storied house of squared logs       
crested a knoll in the middle distance4 
,ten acres of grass marsh1 perhaps      
twenty of ploughed land1 and then the   
ash-white-green of popples4 ,we dodged  
the grass marsh and gained the house4   
,dick was at once among friends4  ,the  
mother had no ,english1 so smiled       
expansively1 her bony arms folded across
 her stomach4 ,her oldest daughter1 a   
frail-looking girl in the twenties1 but 
with a sad and spiritual beauty of the  
,madonna in her big eyes and straight   
black hair1 gave us a shy good-day4     
,three boys1 just alike in their        
slender1 stolid ,indian good looks1     
except that they differed in size1      
nodded with the awkwardness of the male4
 ,two babies stared solemnly4 ,a little 
girl with a beautiful1 oval face1 large 
mischievous gray eyes behind long black 
lashes1 a mischievously quirked mouth to
 match the eyes1 and black hair banged  
straight1 both front and behind1 in     

almost mediaeval fashion1 twirked a pair
 of brown bare legs all about us4       
,another light-haired1 curly little     
girl1 surmounted by an old yachting-cap1
 spread apart sturdy shoes in an        
attitude at once critical and expectant4
  ,dick rose to the occasion by sorting 
out from some concealed recess of his   
garments a huge paper parcel of candy4  
,with infinite tact1 he presented this  
bag to ,madame rather than the children4
 ,madame instituted judicious           
distribution and appropriate reservation
 for the future4 ,we entered the cabin4 
,never have ,i seen a place more        
exquisitely neat4 ,the floor had not    
only been washed clean2 it had been     
scrubbed white4 ,the walls of logs were 
freshly whitewashed4 ,the chairs were   
polished4 ,the few ornaments were new1  
and not at all dusty or dingy or tawdry4
 ,several religious pictures1 a portrait
 of royalty1 a lithographed             
advertisement of some buggy1 a          
photograph or so--and then just the     

fresh1 wholesome cleanliness of scrubbed
 pine4 ,madame made us welcome with     
smiles--a faded1 lean woman with a      
remnant of beauty peeping from her soft 
eyes1 but worn down to the first        
principles of pioneer bone and gristle  
by toil1 care1 and the bearing of       
children4 ,i spoke to her in ,french1   
complimenting her on the appearance of  
the place4 ,she was genuinely pleased1  
saying in reply that one did one's      
possible1 but that children6--with an   
expressive pause4  ,next we called for  
volunteers to show us to the            
great-grandfather4 ,our elfish little   
girls at once offered1 and went dancing 
off down the trail like autumn leaves in
 a wind4 ,whether it was the ,indian in 
them1 or the effects of environment1 or 
merely our own imaginations1 we both had
 the same thought--that in these        
strange1 taciturn1 friendly1 smiling1   
pirouetting little creatures was some   
eerie1 wild strain akin to the woods and
 birds and animals4 ,as they danced on  

ahead of us1 turning to throw us a      
delicious smile or a half-veiled roguish
 glance of nascent coquetry1 we seemed  
to swing into an orbit of experience    
foreign to our own4 ,these bright-eyed  
woods people were in the last analysis  
as inscrutable to us as the squirrels4  
,we followed our swirling1 airy guides  
down through a trail to another clearing
 planted with potatoes4 ,on the farther 
side of this they stopped1 hand in hand1
 at the woods' fringe1 and awaited us in
 a startlingly sudden repose4  ,v'la le 
gran'pre1 said they in unison4  ,at the 
words a huge gaunt man clad in shirt and
 jeans arose and confronted us4 ,our    
first impression was of a vast framework
 stiffened and shrunken into the        
peculiar petrifaction of age2 our       
second1 of a ,jove-like wealth of       
iron-gray beard and hair2 our third1 of 
eyes1 wide1 clear1 and tired with       
looking out on a century of the world's 
time4 ,his movements1 as he laid one    
side his axe and passed a great1 gnarled

 hand across his forehead1 were angular 
and slow4 ,we knew instinctively the    
quality of his work--a deliberate pause1
 a mighty blow1 another pause1 a painful
 recovery--labour compounded of infinite
 slow patience1 but wonderfully         
effective in the week's result4 ,it     
would go on without haste1 without      
pause1 inevitable as the years slowly   
closing about the toiler4 ,his mental   
processes would be of the same fibre4   
,the apparent hesitation might seem to  
waste the precious hours remaining1 but 
in the end1 when the engine started1 it 
would move surely and unswervingly along
 the appointed grooves4 ,in his wealth  
of hair2 in his wide eyes1 like the     
mysterious blanks of a marble statue2 in
 his huge frame1 gnarled and wasted to  
the strange1 impressive1 powerful       
age-quality of ,phidias's old men1 he   
seemed to us to deserve a wreath and a  
marble seat with strange inscriptions   
and the graceful half-draperies of      
another time and a group of old ,greeks 

like himself with whom to exchange slow 
sentences on the body politic4 ,indeed1 
the fact that his seat was of fallen    
pine1 and his draperies of butternut    
brown1 and his audience two half-breed  
children1 an artist1 and a writer1 and  
his body politic two hundred acres in   
the wilderness1 did not filch from him  
the impressiveness of his estate4 ,he   
was a ,patriarch4 ,it did not need the  
park of birch trees1 the grass beneath  
them sloping down to the water1 the     
wooded knoll fairly insisting on a      
spacious mansion1 to substantiate       
,dick's fancy that he had discovered an 
ancestor4  ,neat piles of brush1 equally
 neat piles of cord-wood1 knee-high     
stumps as cleanly cut as by a saw1      
attested the old man's efficiency4 ,we  
conversed4  ,yes1 said he1 the soil was 
good4 ,it is laborious to clear away the
 forest4 ,still1 one arrives4 ,m'sieu   
has but to look4 ,in the memory of his  
oldest grandson1 even1 all this was a   
forest4 ,le bon ,dieu had blessed him4  

,his family was large4 ,yes1 it was as  
,m'sieu said1 eighty-seven--that is1    
counting himself4 ,the soil was not     
wonderful4 ,it is indeed a large family 
and much labour1 but somehow there was  
always food for all4 ,for his part he   
had a great pity for those whom ,god had
 not blessed4 ,it must be very lonesome 
without children4  ,we spared a private 
thought that this old man was certainly 
in no danger of loneliness4  ,yes1 he   
went on1 he was old--eighty-five4 ,he   
was not as quick as he used to be2 he   
left that for the young ones4 ,still1 he
 could do a day's work4 ,he was most    
proud to have made these gentlemen's    
acquaintance4 ,he wished us good-day4   
,we left him seated on the pine log1 his
 axe between his knees1 his great1      
gnarled brown hands hanging idly4 ,after
 a time we heard the whack of his       
implement2 then after another long time 
we heard it whack again4 ,we knew that  
those two blows had gone straight and   
true and forceful to the mark4 ,so old a

 man had no energy to expend in the     
indirections of haste4  ,our elfish     
guides led us back along the trail to   
the farmhouse4 ,a girl of thirteen had  
just arrived from school4 ,in the summer
 the little ones divided the educational
 advantages among themselves1 turn and  
turn about4  ,the newcomer had been out 
into the world1 and was dressed         
accordingly4 ,a neat dark-blue cloth    
dress1 plainly made1 a dull red and blue
 checked apron2 a broad1 round hat1     
shoes and stockings1 all in the best and
 quietest taste--marked contrast to the 
usual garish ,sunday best of the        
,anglo-,saxon4 ,she herself exemplified 
the most striking type of beauty to be  
found in the mixed bloods4 ,her hair was
 thick and glossy and black in the mode 
that throws deep purple shadows under   
the rolls and coils4 ,her face was a    
regular oval1 like the opening in a     
wishbone4 ,her skin was dark1 but rich  
and dusky with life and red blood that  
ebbed and flowed with her shyness4 ,her 

lips were full1 and of a dark cherry    
red4 ,her eyes were deep1 rather musing1
 and furnished with the most gloriously 
tangling of eyelashes4 ,dick went into  
ecstasies1 took several photographs     
which did not turn out well1 and made   
one sketch which did4 ,perpetually did  
he bewail the absence of oils4 ,the type
 is not uncommon1 but its beauty rarely 
remains perfect after the fifteenth     
year4  ,we made our ceremonious adieus  
to the ,madame1 and started back to town
 under the guidance of one of the boys1 
who promised us a short cut4  ,this     
youth proved to be filled with the old1 
wandering spirit that lures so many of  
his race into the wilderness life4 ,he  
confided to us as we walked that he     
liked to tramp extended distances1 and  
that the days were really not made long 
enough for those who had to return home 
at night4  ,i is been top of dose hills1
 he said4 ,bime by ,i mak' heem go to   
dose lak' beyon'4  ,he told us that some
 day he hoped to go out with the fur    

traders4 ,in his vocabulary ,i wish     
occurred with such wistful frequency    
that finally ,i inquired curiously what 
use he would make of the ,fairy ,gift4  
,if you could have just one wish come   
true1 ,pierre1 ,i asked1 what would you 
desire8  ,his answer came without a     
moment's hesitation4  ,i is lak' be one 
giant1 said he4  ,why8 ,i demanded4  ,so
 ,i can mak' heem de walk far1 he       
replied simply4  ,i was tempted to point
 out to him the fact that big men do not
 outlast the little men1 and that vast  
strength rarely endures1 but then a     
better feeling persuaded me to leave him
 his illusions4 ,the power1 even in     
fancy1 of striding on seven-league boots
 across the fascinations spread out     
below his kindling vision from dose     
hills was too precious a possession     
lightly to be taken away4  ,strangely   
enough1 though his woodcraft naturally  
was not inconsiderable1 it did not hold 
his paramount interest4 ,he knew        
something about animals and their ways  

and their methods of capture1 but the   
chase did not appeal strongly to him1   
nor apparently did he possess much skill
 along that line4 ,he liked the actual  
physical labour1 the walking1 the       
paddling1 the tump-line1 the            
camp-making1 the new country1 the       
companionship of the wild life1 the     
wilderness as a whole rather than in any
 one of its single aspects as ,fish     
,pond1 ,game ,preserve1 ,picture        
,gallery4 ,in this he showed the true   
spirit of the voyageur4 ,i should       
confidently look to meet him in another 
ten years--if threats of railroads spare
 the ,far ,north so long--girdled with  
the red sash1 shod in silent moccasins1 
bending beneath the portage load1       
trolling ,isabeau to the silent land    
somewhere under the ,arctic ,circle4    
,the ,french of the ,north have never   
been great fighters nor great hunters1  
in the terms of the ,anglo-,saxon       
frontiersmen1 but they have laughed in  
farther places4     ,,xii4  ,,the       

,,river4   ,at a certain spot on the    
,north ,shore--,i am not going to tell  
you where--you board one of the two or  
three fishing-steamers that collect from
 the different stations the big         
ice-boxes of ,lake ,superior whitefish4 
,after a certain number of hours--,i am 
not going to tell you how many--your    
craft will turn in toward a semicircle  
of bold1 beautiful hills1 that seem at  
first to be many less miles distant than
 the reality1 and at the last to be many
 more miles remote than is the fact4    
,from the prow you will make out first a
 uniform velvet green2 then the         
differentiation of many shades2 then the
 dull neutrals of rocks and crags2      
finally the narrow white of a pebble    
beach against which the waves utter     
continually a rattling undertone4 ,the  
steamer pushes boldly in4 ,the cool     
green of the water underneath changes to
 gray4 ,suddenly you make out the       
bottom1 as through a thick green glass1 
and the big suckers and catfish idling  

over its riffled sands1 inconceivably   
far down through the unbelievably clear 
liquid4 ,so absorbed are you in this    
marvellous clarity that a slight1       
grinding jar alone brings you to        
yourself4 ,the steamer's nose is        
actually touching the white strip of    
pebbles6  ,now you can do one of a      
number of things4 ,the forest slants    
down to your feet in dwindling scrub1   
which half conceals an abandoned log    
structure4 ,this latter is the old      
,hudson's ,bay post4 ,behind it is the  
,fur ,trail1 and the ,fur ,trail will   
take you three miles to ,burned ,rock   
,pool1 where are spring water and mighty
 trout4 ,but again1 half a mile to the  
left1 is the mouth of the ,river4 ,and  
the ,river meanders charmingly through  
the woods of the flat country over      
numberless riffles and rapids1 beneath  
various steep gravel banks1 until it    
sweeps boldly under the cliff of the    
first high hill4 ,there a rugged        
precipice rises sheer and jagged and    

damp-dark to overhanging trees clinging 
to the shoulder of the mountain4 ,and   
precisely at that spot is a bend where  
the water hits square1 to divide right  
and left in whiteness1 to swirl into    
convolutions of foam1 to lurk darkly for
 a moment on the edge of tumult before  
racing away4 ,and there you can stand   
hip-deep1 and just reach the eddy foam  
with a cast tied craftily of ,royal     
,coachman1 ,parmachenee ,belle1 and     
,montreal4  ,from that point you are    
with the hills4 ,they draw back to leave
 wide forest1 but always they return to 
the ,river--as you would return season  
after season were ,i to tell you        
how--throwing across your woods-progress
 a sheer cliff forty or fifty feet high1
 shouldering you incontinently into the 
necessity of fording to the other side4 
,more and more jealous they become as   
you penetrate1 until at the ,big ,falls 
they close in entirely1 warning you that
 here they take the wilderness to       
themselves4 ,at the ,big ,falls anglers 

make their last camp4 ,about the fire   
they may discuss idly various academic  
questions--as to whether the great      
inaccessible pool below the ,falls      
really contains the legendary ,biggest  
,trout2 what direction the ,river takes 
above2 whether it really becomes nothing
 but a series of stagnant pools         
connected by sluggish water-reaches2    
whether there are any trout above the   
,falls2 and so on4  ,these questions1 as
 ,i have said1 are merely academic4     
,your true angler is a philosopher4     
,enough is to him worth fifteen courses1
 and if the finite mind of man could    
imagine anything to be desired as an    
addition to his present possessions on  
the ,river1 he at least knows nothing of
 it4 ,already he commands ten miles of  
water--swift1 clear water--running over 
stone1 through a freshet bed so many    
hundreds of feet wide that he has       
forgotten what it means to guard his    
back cast4 ,it is to be waded in the    
riffles1 so that he can cross from one  

shore to the other as the mood suits    
him4 ,one bank is apt to be precipitous1
 the other to stretch away in a mile or 
so of the coolest1 greenest1 stillest   
primeval forest to be imagined4 ,thus he
 can cut across the wide bends of the   
,river1 should he so desire and should  
haste be necessary to make camp before  
dark4 ,and1 last1 but not least by any  
manner of means1 there are trout4  ,i   
mean real trout--big fellows1 the kind  
the fishers of little streams dream of  
but awake to call ,morpheus a liar1 just
 as they are too polite to call you a   
liar when you are so indiscreet as to   
tell them a few plain facts4 ,i have one
 solemnly attested and witnessed record 
of twenty-nine inches1 caught in running
 water4 ,i saw a friend land on one cast
 three whose aggregate weight was four  
and one half pounds4 ,i witnessed1 and  
partly shared1 an exciting struggle in  
which three fish on three rods were     
played in the same pool at the same     
time4 ,they weighed just fourteen       

pounds4 ,one pool1 a backset1 was known 
as the ,idiot's ,delight1 because any   
one could catch fish there4 ,i have lain
 on my stomach at the ,burned ,rock     
,pool and seen the great fish lying so  
close together as nearly to cover the   
bottom1 rank after rank of them1 and the
 smallest not under a half pound4 ,as to
 the largest--well1 every true fisherman
 knows him6  ,so it came about for many 
years that the natural barrier          
interposed by the ,big ,falls           
successfully turned the idle tide of    
anglers' exploration4 ,beyond them lay  
an unknown country1 but you had to climb
 cruelly to see it1 and you couldn't    
gain above what you already had in any  
case4 ,the nearest settlement was nearly
 sixty miles away1 so even added        
isolation had not its usual quickening  
effect on camper's effort4 ,the ,river  
is visited by few1 anyway4 ,an          
occasional adventurous steam yacht      
pauses at the mouth1 fishes a few little
 ones from the shallow pools there1 or a

 few big ones from the reefs1 and pushes
 on4 ,it never dreams of sending an     
expedition to the interior4 ,our own    
people1 and two other parties1 are all  
,i know of who visit the ,river         
regularly4 ,our camp-sites alone break  
the forest2 our blazes alone continue   
the initial short cut of the ,fur       
,trail2 our names alone distinguish the 
various pools4 ,we had always been      
satisfied to compromise with the        
frowning ,hills4 ,in return for the     
delicious necks and points and forest   
areas through which our clipped trails  
ran1 we had tacitly respected the       
mystery of the upper reaches4  ,this    
year1 however1 a number of unusual      
conditions changed our spirit4 ,i have  
perhaps neglected to state that our trip
 up to now had been a rather singularly 
damp one4 ,of the first fourteen days   
twelve had been rainy4 ,this was only a 
slightly exaggerated sample for the rest
 of the time4 ,as a consequence we found
 the ,river filled even to the limit of 

its freshet banks4 ,the broad borders of
 stone beach between the stream's edge  
and the bushes had quite disappeared2   
the riffles had become rapids1 and the  
rapids roaring torrents2 the bends      
boiled angrily with a smashing eddy that
 sucked air into pirouetting cavities   
inches in depth4 ,plainly1 fly-fishing  
was out of the question4 ,no            
self-respecting trout would rise to the 
surface of such a moil1 or abandon for  
syllabubs of tinsel the magnificent     
solidities of ground-bait such a freshet
 would bring down from the hills4 ,also 
the ,river was unfordable4  ,we made    
camp at the mouth and consulted         
together4 ,billy1 the half-breed who had
 joined us for the labour of a permanent
 camp1 shook his head4  ,i t'ink one    
week1 ten day1 he vouchsafed4 ,p'rhaps  
she go down den4 ,we mus' wait4 ,we did 
not want to wait2 the idleness of a     
permanent camp is the most deadly in the
 world4  ,billy1 said ,i1 have you ever 
been above the ,big ,falls8  ,the       

half-breed's eyes flashed4  ,non1 he    
replied simply4 ,b1 ,i lak' mak' heem   
firs' rate4  ,all right1 ,billy2 we'll  
do it4  ,the next day it rained1 and the
 ,river went up two inches4 ,the morning
 following was fair enough1 but so cold 
you could see your breath4 ,we began to 
experiment4  ,now1 this expedition had  
become a fishing vacation1 so we had all
 the comforts of home with us4 ,when    
said comforts of home were laden into   
the canoe1 there remained forward and   
aft just about one square foot of space 
for ,billy and me1 and not over two     
inches of freeboard for the ,river4 ,we 
could not stand up and pole2 tracking   
with a tow-line was out of the question1
 because there existed no banks on which
 to walk2 the current was too swift for 
paddling4 ,so we knelt and poled4 ,we   
knew it before1 but we had to be        
convinced by trial1 that two inches of  
freeboard will dip under the most       
gingerly effort4 ,it did so4 ,we        
groaned1 stepped out into ice-water up  

to our waists1 and so began the day's   
journey with fleeting reference to      
,dante's nethermost hell4  ,next the    
shore the water was most of the time a  
little above our knees1 but the swirl of
 a rushing current brought an apron of  
foam to our hips4 ,billy took the bow   
and pulled2 ,i took the stern and       
pushed4 ,in places our combined efforts 
could but just counterbalance the       
strength of the current4 ,then ,billy   
had to hang on until ,i could get my    
shoulder against the stern for a mighty 
heave1 the few inches gain of which he  
would guard as jealously as possible1   
until ,i could get into position for    
another shove4 ,at other places we were 
in nearly to our armpits1 but close     
under the banks where we could help     
ourselves by seizing bushes4  ,sometimes
 ,i lost my footing entirely and trailed
 out behind like a streamer2 sometimes  
,billy would be swept away1 the canoe's 
bow would swing down-stream1 and ,i     
would have to dig my heels and hang on  

until he had floundered upright4        
,fortunately for our provisions1 this   
never happened to both at the same time4
 ,the difficulties were still further   
complicated by the fact that our feet   
speedily became so numb from the cold   
that we could not feel the bottom1 and  
so were much inclined to aimless        
stumblings4 ,by-and-by we got out and   
kicked trees to start the circulation4  
,in the meantime the sun had retired    
behind thick1 leaden clouds4  ,at the   
,first ,bend we were forced to carry    
some fifty feet4 ,there the ,river      
rushed down in a smooth apron straight  
against the cliff1 where its force      
actually raised the mass of water a good
 three feet higher than the level of the
 surrounding pool4 ,i tied on a         
bait-hook1 and two cartridges for       
sinkers1 and in fifteen minutes had     
caught three trout1 one of which weighed
 three pounds1 and the others two pounds
 and a pound and a half respectively4   
,at this point ,dick and ,deuce1 who had

 been paralleling through the woods1    
joined us4 ,we broiled the trout1 and   
boiled tea1 and shivered as near the    
fire as we could4 ,that afternoon1 by   
dint of labour and labour1 and yet more 
labour1 we made ,burned ,rock1 and there
 we camped for the night1 utterly beaten
 out by about as hard a day's travel as 
a man would want to undertake4  ,the    
following day was even worse1 for as the
 natural bed of the ,river narrowed1 we 
found less and less footing and swifter 
and swifter water4 ,the journey to      
,burned ,rock had been a matter of      
dogged hard work2 this was an affair of 
alertness1 of taking advantage of every 
little eddy1 of breathless suspense     
during long seconds while the question  
of supremacy between our strength and   
the stream's was being debated4 ,and the
 thermometer must have registered well  
towards freezing4 ,three times we were  
forced to cross the ,river in order to  
get even precarious footing4 ,those were
 the really doubtful moments4 ,we had to

 get in carefully1 to sit craftily1 and 
to paddle gingerly and firmly1 without  
attempting to counteract the downward   
sweep of the current4 ,all our energies 
and care were given to preventing those 
miserable curling little waves from     
over-topping our precious two inches1   
and that miserable little canoe from    
departing even by a hair's-breadth from 
the exactly level keel4 ,where we were  
going did not matter4 ,after an         
interminable interval the tail of our   
eyes would catch the sway of bushes near
 at hand4  ,now1 ,billy would mutter    
abstractedly4  ,with one accord we would
 arise from six inches of wet and step  
swiftly into the ,river4 ,the lightened 
canoe would strain back2 we would brace 
our legs4 ,the traverse was             
accomplished4  ,illustration3 ,,watched 
,,the ,,long ,,north ,,country          
,,twilight ,,steal ,,up ,,like ,a ,,gray
 ,,cloud ,,from ,,the ,,east4  ,being   
thus under the other bank1 ,i would hold
 the canoe while ,billy1 astraddle the  

other end for the purpose of depressing 
the water to within reach of his hand1  
would bail away the consequences of our 
crossing4 ,then we would make up the    
quarter of a mile we had lost4  ,we quit
 at the ,organ ,pool about three o'clock
 of the afternoon4 ,not much was said   
that evening4  ,the day following we    
tied into it again4 ,this time we put   
,dick and ,deuce on an old ,indian trail
 that promised a short cut1 with        
instructions to wait at the end of it4  
,in the joyous anticipation of another  
wet day we forgot they had never before 
followed an ,indian trail4 ,let us now  
turn aside to the adventures of ,dick   
and ,deuce4  ,be it premised here that  
,dick is a regular ,indian of           
taciturnity when it becomes a question  
of his own experience1 so that for a    
long time we knew of what follows but   
the single explanatory monosyllable     
which you shall read in due time4 ,but  
,dick has a beloved uncle4 ,in moments  
of expansion to this relative after his 

return he held forth as to the          
happenings of that morning4  ,dick and  
the setter managed the ,indian trail for
 about twenty rods4 ,they thought they  
managed it for perhaps twice that       
distance4 ,then it became borne in on   
them that the bushes went back1 the     
faint knife-clippings1 and the half     
weather-browned brush-cuttings that     
alone constitute an ,indian trail had   
taken another direction1 and that they  
had now their own way to make through   
the forest4 ,dick knew the direction    
well enough1 so he broke ahead          
confidently4 ,after a half-hour's walk  
he crossed a tiny streamlet4 ,after     
another half-hour's walk he came to     
another4 ,it was flowing the wrong way4 
,dick did not understand this4 ,he had  
never known of little streams flowing   
away from rivers and towards            
eight-hundred-foot hills4 ,this might be
 a loop1 of course4 ,he resolved to     
follow it up-stream far enough to settle
 the point4 ,the following brought him  

in time to a soggy little thicket with  
three areas of moss-covered mud and two 
round1 pellucid pools of water about a  
foot in diameter4 ,as the little stream 
had wound and twisted1 ,dick had by now 
lost entirely his sense of direction4   
,he fished out his compass and set it on
 a rock4 ,the ,river flows nearly       
north-east to the ,big ,falls1 and ,dick
 knew himself to be somewhere east of   
the ,river4 ,the compass appeared to be 
wrong4 ,dick was a youth of sense1 so he
 did not quarrel with the compass2 he   
merely became doubtful as to which was  
the north end of the needle--the white  
or the black4 ,after a few moments'     
puzzling he was quite at sea1 and could 
no more remember how he had been taught 
as to this than you can clinch the      
spelling of a doubtful word after you   
have tried on paper a dozen variations4 
,but being a youth of sense he did not  
desert the streamlet4  ,after a short   
half-mile of stumbling the apparent     
wrong direction in the brook's bed1 he  

came to the ,river4 ,the ,river was also
 flowing the wrong way1 and uphill4     
,dick sat down and covered his eyes with
 his hands1 as ,i had told him to do in 
like instance1 and so managed to swing  
the country around where it belonged4   
,now here was the ,river--and ,dick     
resolved to desert it for no more short 
cuts--but where was the canoe8  ,this   
point remained unsettled in ,dick's     
mind1 or rather it was alternately      
settled in two ways4 ,sometimes the boy 
concluded we must be still below him1 so
 he would sit on a rock to wait4 ,then1 
after a few moments1 inactivity would   
bring him panic4 ,the canoe must have   
passed this point long since1 and every 
second he wasted stupidly sitting on    
that stone separated him farther from   
his friends and from food4 ,then he     
would tear madly through the forest4    
,deuce enjoyed this game1 but ,dick did 
not4  ,in time ,dick found his farther  
progress along the banks cut off by a   
hill4 ,the hill ended abruptly at the   

water's edge in a sheer rock cliff      
thirty feet high4 ,this was in reality  
the end of the ,indian trail short      
cut--the point where ,dick was to meet  
us--but he did not know it4 ,he happened
 for the moment to be obsessed by one of
 his canoe up-stream panics1 so he      
turned inland to a spot where the hill  
appeared climbable1 and started in to   
surmount the obstruction4  ,this was    
comparatively easy at first4 ,then the  
shoulder of the cliff intervened4 ,dick 
mounted still a little higher up the    
hill1 then higher1 then still higher4   
,far down to his left1 through the      
trees1 broiled the ,river4 ,the slope of
 the hill to it had become steeper than 
a roof1 and at the edge of the eaves    
came a cliff drop of thirty feet4 ,dick 
picked his way gingerly over curving    
moss-beds1 assisting his balance by a   
number of little cedar trees4 ,then     
something happened4  ,dick says the side
 of the hill slid out from under him4   
,the fact of the matter is1 probably1   

the skin-moss over loose rounded stones 
gave way4 ,dick sat down and began      
slowly to bump down the slant of the    
roof4 ,he never really lost his         
equilibrium1 nor until the last ten feet
 did he abandon the hope of checking his
 descent4 ,sometimes he did actually    
succeed in stopping himself for a       
moment2 but on his attempting to follow 
up the advantage1 the moss always       
slipped or the sapling let go a tenuous 
hold and he continued on down4 ,at last 
the ,river flashed out below him4 ,he   
saw the sheer drop4 ,he saw the boiling 
eddies of the ,halfway ,pool1 capable of
 sucking down a saw-log4 ,then1 with a  
final rush of loose round stones1 he    
shot the chutes feet first into space4  
,in the meantime ,billy and ,i repeated 
our experience of the two previous days1
 with a few variations caused by the    
necessity of passing two exceptionally  
ugly rapids whose banks left little     
footing4 ,we did this precariously1 with
 a rope4 ,the cold water was beginning  

to tell on our vitality1 so that twice  
we went ashore and made hot tea4 ,just  
below the ,halfway ,pool we began to do 
a little figuring ahead1 which is a bad 
thing4 ,the ,halfway ,pool meant much   
inevitable labour1 with its two swift   
rapids and its swirling1 eddies1 as     
sedulously to be avoided as so many     
steel bear-traps4 ,then there were a    
dozen others1 and the three miles of    
riffles1 and all the rest of it4 ,at our
 present rate it would take us a week to
 make the ,falls4 ,below the ,halfway   
,pool we looked for ,dick4 ,he was not  
to be seen4 ,this made us cross4 ,at the
 ,halfway ,pool we intended to unload   
for portage1 and also to ferry over     
,dick and the setter in the lightened   
canoe4 ,the tardiness of ,dick delayed  
the game4  ,however1 we drew ashore to  
the little clearing of the ,halfway     
,camp1 made the year before1 and wearily
 discharged our cargo4 ,suddenly1       
upstream1 and apparently up in the air1 
we heard distinctly the excited yap of a

 dog4 ,billy and ,i looked at each      
other4 ,then we looked upstream4  ,close
 under the perpendicular wall of rock1  
and fifty feet from the end of it1 waist
 deep in water that swirled angrily     
about him1 stood ,dick4  ,i knew well   
enough what he was standing on--a little
 ledge of shale not over five or six    
feet in length and two feet wide--for in
 lower water ,i had often from its      
advantage cast a fly down below the big 
boulder4 ,but ,i knew it to be          
surrounded by water fifteen feet deep4  
,it was impossible to wade to the spot1 
impossible to swim to it4 ,and why in   
the name of all the woods gods would a  
man want to wade or swim to it if he    
could8 ,the affair1 to our cold-benumbed
 intellects1 was simply                 
incomprehensible4  ,billy and ,i spoke  
no word4 ,we silently1 perhaps a little 
fearfully1 launched the empty canoe4    
,then we went into a space of water     
whose treading proved us no angels4     
,from the slack water under the cliff we

 took another look4 ,it was indeed      
,dick4 ,he carried a rod-case in one    
hand4 ,his fish-creel lay against his   
hip4 ,his broad hat sat accurately level
 on his head4 ,his face was             
imperturbable4 ,above1 ,deuce agonized1 
afraid to leap into the stream1 but     
convinced that his duty required him to 
do so4  ,we steadied the canoe while    
,dick climbed in4 ,you would have       
thought he was embarking at the         
regularly appointed rendezvous4 ,in     
silence we shot the rapids1 and         
collected ,deuce from the end of the    
trail1 whither he followed us4 ,in      
silence we worked our way across to     
where our duffel lay scattered4 ,in     
silence we disembarked4  ,in ,heaven's  
name1 ,dick1 ,i demanded at last1 how   
did you get there8  ,fell1 said he1     
succinctly4 ,and that was all4          
,,xiii4  ,,the ,,hills4   ,we explained 
carefully to ,dick that he had lit on   
the only spot in the ,halfway ,pool     
where the water was at once deep enough 

to break his fall and not too deep to   
stand in4 ,we also pointed out that he  
had escaped being telescoped or drowned 
by the merest hair's-breadth4 ,from this
 we drew moral conclusions4 ,it did us  
good1 but undoubtedly ,dick knew it     
already4  ,now we gave our attention to 
the wetness of garments1 for we were    
chilled blue4 ,a big fire and a         
clothes-rack of forked sticks and a     
sapling1 an open-air change1 a lunch of 
hot tea and trout and cold galette and  
beans1 a pipe--and then the inevitable  
summing up4  ,we had in two and a half  
days made the easier half of the        
distance to the ,falls4 ,at this rate we
 would consume a week or more in        
reaching the starting-point of our      
explorations4 ,it was a question whether
 we could stand a week of ice-water and 
the heavy labour combined4 ,ordinarily  
we might be able to abandon the canoe   
and push on afoot1 as we were accustomed
 to do when trout-fishing1 but that     
involved fording the river three        

times--a feat manifestly impossible in  
present freshet conditions4  ,i t'ink we
 quit heem1 said ,billy4  ,but then ,i  
was seized with an inspiration4 ,judging
 by the configuration of the hills1 the 
,river bent sharply above the ,falls4   
,why would it not be possible to cut    
loose entirely at this point1 to strike 
across through the forest1 and so to    
come out on the upper reaches8 ,remained
 only the probability of our being able1
 encumbered by a pack1 to scale the     
mountains4  ,billy1 said ,i1 have you   
ever been over in those hills84  ,no1   
said he4  ,do you know anything about   
the country8 ,are there any trails8     
,dat countree is belong ,tawabinisy4 ,he
 know heem4 ,i don' know heem4 ,i t'ink 
he is have many hills1 some lak'4  ,do  
you think we can climb those hills with 
packs8  ,billy cast a doubtful glance on
 ,dick4 ,then his eye lit up4           
,tawabinisy is tell me 'bout dat ,lak'  
,kawgama4 ,p'rhaps we fine heem4  ,in so
 saying ,billy decided the attempt4     

,what angler on the ,river has not      
discussed--again idly1 again            
academically--that mysterious ,lake     
alive with the burnished copper trout1  
lying hidden and wonderful in the high  
hills1 clear as crystal1 bottomed with  
gravel like a fountain1 shaped like a   
great crescent whose curves were haunted
 of forest trees grim and awesome with  
the solemnity of the primeval8 ,that its
 exact location was known to ,tawabinisy
 alone1 that the trail to it was        
purposely blinded and muddled with the  
crossing of many little ponds1 that the 
route was laborious--all those things1  
along with the minor details so dear to 
winter fire-chats1 were matters of      
notoriety4 ,probably more expeditions to
 ,kawgama have been planned--in         
,february--than would fill a volume with
 an account of anticipated adventures4  
,only1 none of them ever came off4 ,we  
were accustomed to gaze at the forbidden
 cliff ramparts of the hills1 to think  
of the ,idiot's ,delight1 and the       

,halfway ,pool1 and the ,organ ,pool1   
and the ,burned ,rock ,pool1 and the    
,rolling ,stone ,pool1 and all the rest 
of them even up to the ,big ,falls2 and 
so we would quietly allow our ,february 
plannings to lapse4 ,one man ,tawabinisy
 had honoured4 ,but this man1 named     
,clement1 a banker from ,peoria1 had    
proved unworthy4 ,tawabinisy told how he
 caught trout1 many1 many trout1 and    
piled them on the shores of ,kawgama to 
defile the air4 ,subsequently this same 
sportsman buried another big catch on   
the beach of ,superior4 ,these and other
 exploits finally earned him his        
exclusion from the delectable land4 ,i  
give his name because ,i have personally
 talked with his guides1 and heard their
 circumstantial accounts of his         
performances4 ,unless three or four     
woodsmen are fearful liars1 ,i do ,mr4  
,clement no injustice4  ,since then     
,tawabinisy had hidden himself behind   
his impenetrable grin4  ,so you can     
easily see that the discovery of        

,kawgama would be a feat worthy even    
high hills4  ,that afternoon we rested  
and made our cache4 ,a cache in the     
forest country is simply a heavily      
constructed rustic platform on which    
provisions and clothing are laid and    
wrapped completely about in sheets of   
canoe bark tied firmly with strips of   
cedar bark1 or withes made from a bush  
whose appearance ,i know well1 but whose
 name ,i cannot say4 ,in this receptacle
 we left all our canned goods1 our extra
 clothing1 and our ,dutch oven4 ,we     
retained for transportation some pork1  
flour1 rice1 baking-powder1 oatmeal1    
sugar1 and tea1 cooking utensils1       
blankets1 the tent1 fishing-tackle1 and 
the little pistol4 ,as we were about to 
go into the high country where          
presumably both game and fish might     
lack1 we were forced to take a full     
supply for four--counting ,deuce as     
one--to last ten days4 ,the packs       
counted up about one hundred and fifteen
 pounds of grub1 twenty pounds of       

blankets1 ten of tent1 say eight or ten 
of hardware including the axe1 about    
twenty of duffel4 ,this was further     
increased by the idiosyncrasy of ,billy4
 ,he1 like most woodsmen1 was wedded to 
a single utterly foolish article of     
personal belonging1 which he worshipped 
as a fetish1 and without which he was   
unhappy4 ,in his case it was a huge     
winter overcoat that must have weighed  
fifteen pounds4 ,the total amounted to  
about one hundred and ninety pounds4 ,we
 gave ,dick twenty1 ,i took seventy-six1
 and ,billy shouldered the rest4  ,the  
carrying we did with the universal      
tump-line4 ,this is usually described as
 a strap passed about a pack and across 
the forehead of the bearer4 ,the        
description is incorrect4 ,it passes    
across the top of the head4 ,the weight 
should rest on the small of the back    
just above the hips--not on the broad of
 the back as most beginners place it4   
,then the chin should be dropped1 the   
body slanted sharply forward1 and you   

may be able to stagger forty rods at    
your first attempt4  ,use soon accustoms
 you to carrying1 however4 ,the first   
time ,i ever did any packing ,i had a   
hard time stumbling a few hundred feet  
over a hill portage with just fifty     
pounds on my back4 ,by the end of that  
same trip ,i could carry a hundred      
pounds and a lot of miscellaneous traps1
 like canoe-poles and guns1 without     
serious inconvenience and over a long   
portage4 ,this quickly-gained power     
comes partly from a strengthening of the
 muscles of the neck1 but more from a   
mastery of balance4 ,a pack can twist   
you as suddenly and expertly on your    
back as the best of wrestlers4 ,it has a
 head lock on you1 and you have to go or
 break your neck4 ,after a time you     
adjust your movements1 just as after a  
time you can travel on snow-shoes       
through heavy down timber without taking
 conscious thought as to the placing of 
your feet4  ,but at first packing is as 
near infernal punishment as merely      

mundane conditions can compass4 ,sixteen
 brand-new muscles ache1 at first dully1
 then sharply1 then intolerably1 until  
it seems you cannot bear it another     
second4 ,you are unable to keep your    
feet4 ,a stagger means an effort at     
recovery1 and an effort at recovery     
means that you trip when you place your 
feet1 and that means1 if you are lucky  
enough not to be thrown1 an extra tweak 
for every one of the sixteen new        
muscles4 ,at first you rest every time  
you feel tired4 ,then you begin to feel 
very tired every fifty feet4 ,then you  
have to do the best you can1 and prove  
the pluck that is in you4  ,mr4 ,tom    
,friant1 an old woodsman of wide        
experience1 has often told me with      
relish of his first try at carrying4 ,he
 had about sixty pounds1 and his        
companion double that amount4 ,mr4      
,friant stood it a few centuries and    
then sat down4 ,he couldn't have moved  
another step if a gun had been at his   
ear4  ,what's the matter8 asked his     

companion4  ,del1 said ,friant1 ,i'm all
 in4 ,i can't navigate4 ,here's where ,i
 quit4  ,can't you carry her any        
farther8  ,not an inch4  ,well1 pile her
 on4 ,i'll carry her for you4  ,friant  
looked at him a moment in silent        
amazement4  ,do you mean to say that you
 are going to carry your pack and mine  
too8  ,that's what ,i mean to say4 ,i'll
 do it if ,i have to4  ,friant drew a   
long breath4  ,well1 said he at last1 if
 a little sawed-off cuss like you can   
wiggle under a hundred and eighty1 ,i   
guess ,i can make it under sixty4       
,that's right1 said ,del imperturbably4 
,if you think you can1 you can4  ,and ,i
 did1 ends ,friant1 with a chuckle4     
,therein lies the whole secret4 ,the    
work is irksome1 sometimes even painful1
 but if you think you can do it1 you    
can1 for though great is the protest of 
the human frame against what it         
considers abuse1 greater is the power of
 a man's grit4  ,we carried the canoe   
above the larger eddies1 where we       

embarked ourselves and our packs for    
traverse1 leaving ,deuce under strict   
command to await a second trip4 ,deuce  
disregarded the strict command4 ,from   
disobedience came great peril1 for when 
he attempted to swim across after us he 
was carried downstream1 involved in a   
whirlpool1 sucked under1 and nearly     
drowned4 ,we could do nothing but watch4
 ,when1 finally1 the ,river spued out a 
frightened and bedraggled dog1 we drew a
 breath of very genuine relief1 for     
,deuce was dear to us through much      
association4  ,the canoe we turned      
bottom up and left in the bushes1 and so
 we set off through the forest4  ,at the
 end of fifteen minutes we began to     
mount a gentle ascent4 ,the gentle      
ascent speedily became a sharp slope1   
the sharp slope an abrupt hill1 and the 
latter finally an almost sheer face of  
rock and thin soil4 ,we laid hold       
doggedly of little cedars2 we dug our   
fingers into little crevices1 and felt  
for the same with our toes2 we perspired

 in streams and breathed in gasps2 we   
held the strained muscles of our necks  
rigid1 for the twisting of a pack meant 
here a dangerous fall2 we flattened     
ourselves against the face of the       
mountain with always the heavy1         
ceaseless pull of the tump-line         
attempting to tear us backward from our 
holds4 ,and so at last1 when the muscles
 of our thighs refused to strengthen our
 legs for the ascent of another foot1 we
 would turn our backs to the slant and  
sink gratefully into the only real      
luxury in the world4  ,for be it known  
that real luxury cannot be bought2 it   
must be worked for4 ,i refer to luxury  
as the exquisite savour of a pleasant   
sensation4 ,the keenest                 
sense-impressions are undoubtedly those 
of contrast4 ,in looking back over a    
variety of experience1 ,i have no       
hesitation at all in selecting as the   
moment in which ,i have experienced the 
liveliest physical pleasure one hot     
afternoon in ,july4 ,the thermometer    

might have stood anywhere4 ,we would    
have placed childlike trust in any of   
its statements1 even three figures      
great4 ,our way had led through unbroken
 forest oppressed by low brush and an   
underfooting of brakes4 ,there had been 
hills4 ,our clothes were wringing wet1  
to the last stitch2 even the leather of 
the tump-line was saturated4 ,the hot   
air we gulped down did not seem to      
satisfy our craving for oxygen any more 
than lukewarm water ever seems to cut a 
real thirst4 ,the woods were literally  
like an oven in their hot dryness4      
,finally we skirted a little hill1 and  
at the base of that hill a great tree   
had fallen1 and through the aperture    
thus made in the forest a tiny current  
of cool air flowed like a stream4 ,it   
was not a great current1 nor a wide2 if 
we moved three feet in any direction1 we
 were out of it4 ,but we sat us down    
directly across its flow4 ,and never    
have dinners or wines or men or women1  
or talks of books or scenery or         

adventure or sport1 or the softest1     
daintiest refinements of man's invention
 given me the half of luxury ,i drank in
 from that little breeze4 ,so the       
commonest things--a dash of cool water  
on the wrists1 a gulp of hot tea1 a     
warm1 dry blanket1 a whiff of tobacco1 a
 ray of sunshine--are more really the   
luxuries than all the comforts and      
sybaritisms we buy4 ,undoubtedly the    
latter would also rise to the higher    
category if we were to work for their   
essence instead of merely signing club  
cheques or paying party calls for them4 
,which means that when we three would   
rest our packs against the side of that 
hill1 and drop our head-straps below our
 chins1 we were not at all to be pitied1
 even though the forest growth denied us
 the encouragement of knowing how much  
farther we had to go4  ,before us the   
trees dropped away rapidly1 so that     
twenty feet out in a straight line we   
were looking directly into their tops4  
,there1 quite on an equality with their 

own airy estate1 we could watch the     
fly-catchers and warblers conducting    
their small affairs of the chase4 ,it   
lent us the illusion of imponderability2
 we felt that we too might be able to   
rest securely on graceful gossamer      
twigs4 ,and sometimes1 through a chance 
opening1 we could see down over billows 
of waving leaves to a single little spot
 of blue1 like a turquoise sunk in folds
 of green velvet1 which meant that the  
,river was dropping below us4 ,this1 in 
the mercy of the ,red ,gods1 was meant  
as encouragement4  ,the time came1      
however1 when the ramparts we scaled    
rose sheer and bare in impregnability4  
,nothing could be done on the straight  
line1 so we turned sharp to the north4  
,the way was difficult1 for it lay over 
great fragments of rock stricken from   
the cliff by winter1 and further        
rendered treacherous by the moss and wet
 by a thousand trickles of water4 ,at   
the end of one hour we found what might 
be called a ravine1 if you happened not 

to be particular1 or a steep cleft in   
the precipice if you were4 ,here we     
deserted the open air for piled-up      
brushy tangles1 many sharp-cornered rock
 fragments1 and a choked streamlet4     
,finally the whole outfit abruptly      
ceased4 ,we climbed ten feet of crevices
 and stood on the ridge4  ,the forest   
trees shut us in our own little area1 so
 that we were for the moment unable to  
look abroad over the country4  ,the     
descent1 abrupt where we had mounted1   
stretched away gently toward the north  
and west4 ,and on that slope1 protected 
as it was from the severer storms that  
sweep up the open valleys in winter1    
stood the most magnificent primeval     
forest it has ever been my fortune to   
behold4 ,the huge maple1 beech1 and     
birch trees lifted column-like straight 
up to a lucent green canopy1 always     
twinkling and shifting in the wind and  
the sunlight4 ,below grew a thin screen 
of underbrush1 through which we had no  
difficulty at all in pushing1 but which 

threw about us face-high a tender green 
partition4 ,the effect was that of a pew
 in an old-fashioned church1 so that1   
though we shared the upper stillnesses1 
a certain delightful privacy of our own 
seemed assured us4 ,this privacy we knew
 to be assured also to many creatures   
besides ourselves4 ,on the other side of
 the screen of broad leaves we sensed   
the presence of life4 ,it did not       
intrude on us1 nor were we permitted to 
intrude on it4 ,but it was there4 ,we   
heard it rustling1 pattering1           
scrambling1 whispering1 scurrying with a
 rush of wings4 ,more subtly we felt it1
 as one knows of a presence in a        
darkened room4 ,by the exercise of      
imagination and experience we identified
 it in its manifestations--the squirrel1
 the partridge1 the weasel1 the spruce  
hens1 once or twice the deer4 ,we knew  
it saw us perfectly1 although we could  
not see it1 and that gave us an         
impression of companionship2 so the     
forest was not lonely4  ,next to this   

double sense of isolation and company   
was the feeling of transparent shadow4  
,the forest was thick and cool4 ,only   
rarely did the sun find an orifice in   
the roof through which to pour a splash 
of liquid gold4 ,all the rest was in    
shadow4 ,but the shadow was that of the 
bottom of the sea--cool1 green1 and1    
above all1 transparent4 ,we saw into the
 depth of it1 but dimly1 as we would see
 into the green recesses of a tropic    
ocean4 ,it possessed the same liquid    
quality4 ,finally the illusion overcame 
us completely4 ,we bathed in the shadows
 as though they were palpable1 and from 
that came great refreshment4  ,under    
foot the soil was springy with the mould
 of numberless autumns4 ,the axe had    
never hurried slow old servant decay4   
,once in a while we came across a       
prostrate trunk lying in the trough of  
destruction its fall had occasioned4    
,but the rest of the time we trod a     
carpet to the making of which centuries 
of dead forest warriors had wrapped     

themselves in mould and soft moss and   
gentle dissolution4 ,sometimes a faint  
rounded shell of former fair proportion 
swelled above the level1 to crumble to  
punkwood at the lightest touch of our   
feet4 ,or1 again1 the simulacrum of a   
tree trunk would bravely oppose our     
path1 only to melt away into nothing1   
like the opposing phantoms of ,aeneas1  
when we placed a knee against it for the
 surmounting4  ,if the pine woods be    
characterized by cathedral solemnity1   
and the cedars and tamaracks by certain 
horrifical gloom1 and the popples by a  
silvery sunshine1 and the               
berry-clearings by grateful heat and the
 homely manner of familiar birds1 then  
the great hardwood must be known as the 
dwelling-place of transparent shadows1  
of cool green lucency1 and the          
repository of immemorial cheerful forest
 tradition which the traveller can hear 
of1 but which he is never permitted     
actually to know4  ,illustration3 ,,in  
,,this ,,lovable ,,mystery ,,we         

,,journeyed ,,all ,,the ,,rest ,,of     
,,that ,,morning4  ,in this lovable     
mystery we journeyed all the rest of    
that morning4 ,the packs were heavy with
 the first day's weight1 and we were    
tired from our climb2 but the deep      
physical joy of going on and ever on    
into unknown valleys1 down a long1      
gentle slope that must lead somewhere1  
through things animate and things of an 
almost animate life1 opening silently   
before us to give us passage1 and       
closing as silently behind us after we  
had passed--these made us forget our    
aches and fatigues for the moment4  ,at 
noon we boiled tea near a little spring 
of clear1 cold water4 ,as yet we had no 
opportunity of seeing farther than the  
closing in of many trees4 ,we were1 as  
far as external appearances went1 no    
more advanced than our first            
resting-place after surmounting the     
ridge4 ,this effect is constant in the  
great forests4 ,you are in a            
treadmill--though a pleasant one withal4

 ,your camp of to-day differs only in   
non-essentials from that of yesterday1  
and your camp of to-morrow will probably
 be almost exactly like to-day's4 ,only 
when you reach your objective point do  
you come to a full realization that you 
have not been the ,sisyphus of the ,red 
,gods4  ,deuce returning from           
exploration brought indubitable evidence
 of porcupines4 ,we picked the barbed   
little weapons from his face and nose   
and tongue with much difficulty for     
ourselves and much pain for ,deuce4 ,we 
offered consolation by voicing for his  
dumbness his undoubted intention to     
avoid all future porcupines4 ,then we   
took up the afternoon tramp4  ,now at   
last through the trees appeared the     
gleam of water4 ,tawabinisy had said    
that ,kawgama was the only lake in its  
district4 ,we therefore became quite    
excited at this sapphire promise4 ,our  
packs were thrown aside1 and like       
school-boys we raced down the declivity 
to the shore4     ,,xiv4  ,,on ,,walking

 ,,through ,,the ,,woods4   ,we found   
ourselves peering through the thicket at
 a little reed and grass grown body of  
water a few acres in extent4 ,a short   
detour to the right led us to an        
outlet--a brook of width and dash that  
convinced us the little pond was only a 
stopping-place in the stream1 and not a 
headwater as we had at first imagined4  
,then a nearer approach led us past     
pointed tree-stumps exquisitely         
chiselled with the marks of teeth2 so we
 knew we looked1 not on a natural pond1 
but on the work of beavers4  ,i examined
 the dam more closely4 ,it was a marvel 
of engineering skill in the accuracy    
with which the big trees had been felled
 exactly along the most effective lines1
 the efficiency of the filling in1 and  
the just estimate of the waste water to 
be allowed4 ,we named the place         
obviously ,beaver ,pond1 resumed our    
packs1 and pushed on4  ,now ,i must be  
permitted to celebrate by a little the  
pluck of ,dick4 ,he was quite unused to 

the tump-line1 comparatively            
inexperienced in woods-walking1 and     
weighed but one hundred and thirty-five 
pounds4 ,yet not once in the course of  
that trip did he bewail his fate4       
,towards the close of this first        
afternoon ,i dropped behind to see how  
he was making it4 ,the boy had his head 
down1 his lips shut tight together1 his 
legs well straddled apart4 ,as ,i       
watched he stumbled badly over the      
merest twig4  ,dick1 said ,i1 are you   
tired8  ,yes1 he confessed frankly4     
,can you make it another half-hour8  ,i 
guess so2 ,i'll try4  ,at the end of the
 half-hour we dropped our packs4 ,dick  
had manifested no impatience--not once  
had he even asked how nearly time was   
up--but now he breathed a deep sigh of  
relief4  ,i thought you were never going
 to stop1 said he simply4  ,from ,dick  
those words meant a good deal4 ,for     
woods-walking differs as widely from    
ordinary walking as trap-shooting from  
field-shooting4 ,a good pedestrian may  

tire very quickly in the forest4 ,no two
 successive steps are of the same       
length2 no two successive steps fall on 
the same quality of footing2 no two     
successive steps are on the same level4 
,those three are the major elements of  
fatigue4 ,add further the facts that    
your way is continually obstructed both 
by real difficulties--such as trees1    
trunks1 and rocks--and lesser           
annoyances1 such as branches1 bushes1   
and even spider-webs4 ,these things all 
combine against endurance4 ,the         
inexperienced does not know how to meet 
them with a minimum of effort4 ,the     
tenderfoot is in a constant state of    
muscular and mental rigidity against a  
fall or a stumble or a cut across the   
face from some one of the infinitely    
numerous woods scourges4 ,this rigidity 
speedily exhausts the vital force4  ,so 
much for the philosophy of it4 ,its     
practical side might be infinitely      
extended4 ,woodsmen are tough and       
enduring and in good condition2 but no  

more so than the average college        
athlete4 ,time and again ,i have seen   
men of the latter class walked to a     
standstill4 ,i mean exactly that4 ,they 
knew1 and were justly proud1 of their   
physical condition1 and they hated to   
acknowledge1 even to themselves1 that   
the rest of us were more enduring4 ,as a
 consequence they played on their nerve1
 beyond their physical powers4 ,when the
 collapse came it was complete4 ,i      
remember very well a crew of men turning
 out from a lumber camp on the ,sturgeon
 ,river to bring in on a litter a young 
fellow who had given out while          
attempting to follow ,bethel ,bristol   
through a hard day4 ,bristol said he    
dropped finally as though he had been   
struck on the head4 ,the woodsman had   
thereupon built him a little fire1 made 
him as comfortable as possible with both
 coats1 and hiked for assistance4 ,i    
once went into the woods with a         
prominent college athlete4 ,we walked   
rather hard over a rough country until  

noon4 ,then the athlete lay on his back 
for the rest of the day1 while ,i       
finished alone the business we had come 
on4  ,now1 these instances do not imply 
that ,bristol1 and certainly not myself1
 were any stronger physically1 or       
possessed more nervous force1 than the  
men we had tired out4 ,either of them on
 a road could have trailed us1 step for 
step1 and as long as we pleased4 ,but we
 knew the game4  ,it comes at the last  
to be entirely a matter of experience4  
,any man can walk in the woods all day  
at some gait4 ,but his speed will depend
 on his skill4 ,it is exactly like      
making your way through heavy1 dry sand4
 ,as long as you restrain yourself to a 
certain leisurely plodding1 you get     
along without extraordinary effort1     
while even a slight increase of speed   
drags fiercely at your feet4 ,so it is  
with the woods4 ,as long as you walk    
slowly enough1 so that you can pick your
 footing and lift aside easily the      
branches that menace your face1 you will

 expend little nervous energy4 ,but the 
slightest pressing1 the slightest       
inclination to go beyond what may be    
called your physical foresight1 lands   
you immediately in difficulties4 ,you   
stumble1 you break through the brush1   
you shut your eyes to avoid sharp       
switchings4 ,the reservoir of your      
energy is open full cock4 ,in about an  
hour you feel very1 very tired4  ,this  
principle holds rigidly true of every   
one1 from the softest tenderfoot to the 
expertest forest-runner4 ,for each there
 exists a normal rate of travel1 beyond 
which are penalties4 ,only1 the         
forest-runner1 by long use1 has raised  
the exponent of his powers4 ,perhaps as 
a working hypothesis the following might
 be recommended3 ,one good step is worth
 six stumbling steps2 go only fast      
enough to assure that good one4  ,you   
will learn1 besides1 a number of things 
practically which memory cannot summon  
to order for instance here4 ,brush      
slanted across your path is easier      

lifted over your head and dropped behind
 you than pushed aside1 will do as an   
example4  ,a good woods-walker          
progresses without apparent hurry4 ,i   
have followed the disappearing back of  
,tawabinisy when1 as my companion       
elegantly expressed it1 if you stopped  
to spit you got lost4 ,tawabinisy       
wandered through the forest1 his hands  
in his pockets1 humming a little ,indian
 hymn4 ,and we were breaking madly along
 behind him with the crashing of many   
timbers4  ,of your discoveries probably 
one of the most impressive will be that 
in the bright lexicon of woodscraft the 
word mile has been entirely left out4   
,to count by miles is a useless and     
ornamental elegance of civilization4    
,some of us once worked hard all one day
 only to camp three miles downstream    
from our resting-place of the night     
before4 ,and the following day we ran   
nearly sixty with the current4 ,the     
space of measured country known as a    
mile may hold you five minutes or five  

hours from your destination4 ,the       
,indian counts by time1 and after a     
little you follow his example4 ,four    
miles to ,kettle ,portage means nothing4
 ,two hours to ,kettle ,portage does4   
,only when an ,indian tells you two     
hours you would do well to count it as  
four4  ,well1 our trip practically      
amounted to seven days to nowhere2 or   
perhaps seven days to everywhere would  
be more accurate4 ,it was all in the    
high hills until the last day and a     
half1 and generally in the hardwood     
forests4 ,twice we intersected and      
followed for short distances ,indian    
trails1 neither of which apparently had 
been travelled since the original party 
that had made them4 ,they led across    
country for greater or lesser distances 
in the direction we wished to travel1   
and then turned aside4 ,three times we  
blundered on little meadows of          
moose-grass4 ,invariably they were      
tramped muddy like a cattle-yard where  
the great animals had stood as lately as

 the night before4 ,caribou were not    
uncommon4 ,there were a few deer1 but   
not many1 for the most of the deer      
country lies to the south of this our   
district4 ,partridge1 as we had         
anticipated1 lacked in such high        
country4  ,in the course of the five    
days and a half we were in the hills we 
discovered six lakes of various sizes4  
,the smallest was a mere pond2 the      
largest would measure some three or four
 miles in diameter4 ,we came upon that  
very late one afternoon4 ,a brook of    
some size crossed our way1 so1 as was   
our habit1 we promptly turned upstream  
to discover its source4 ,in the high    
country the head-waters are never more  
than a few miles distant2 and at the    
same time the magnitude of this         
indicated a lake rather than a spring as
 the supply4 ,the lake might be         
,kawgama4  ,our packs had grown to be   
very heavy1 for they had already the    
weight of nine hours piled on top4 ,and 
the stream was exceedingly difficult to 

follow4 ,it flowed in one of those      
aggravating little ravines whose banks  
are too high and steep and uneven for   
good footing1 and whose beds are choked 
with a too abundant growth4 ,in         
addition1 there had fallen many trees   
over which one had to climb4 ,we kept at
 it for perhaps an hour4 ,the brook     
continued of the same size1 and the     
country of the same character4 ,dick for
 the first time suggested that it might 
be well to camp4  ,we've got good water 
here1 he argued1 quite justly1 and we   
can push on to-morrow just as well as   
to-night4  ,we balanced our packs       
against a prostrate tree-trunk4 ,billy  
contributed his indirect share to the   
argument4  ,i lak' to have the job mak' 
heem this countree all over1 he sighed4 
,i mak' heem more level4  ,all right1 ,i
 agreed2 you fellows sit here and rest a
 minute1 and ,i'll take a whirl a little
 ways ahead4  ,i slipped my tump-line   
and started on light4 ,after carrying a 
heavy pack so long1 ,i seemed to tread  

on air4 ,the thicket1 before so         
formidable1 amounted to nothing at all4 
,perhaps the consciousness that the     
day's work was in reality over lent a   
little factitious energy to my tired    
legs4 ,at any rate1 the projected two   
hundred feet of my investigations       
stretched to a good quarter-mile4 ,at   
the end of that space ,i debouched on a 
widening of the ravine4 ,the hardwood   
ran off into cedars4 ,i pushed through  
the stiff rods and yielding fans of the 
latter1 and all at once found myself    
leaning out over the waters of the lake4
  ,it was almost an exact oval1 and lay 
in a cup of hills4 ,three wooded        
islands1 swimming like ducks in the     
placid evening waters1 added a touch of 
diversity4 ,a huge white rock balanced  
the composition to the left1 and a      
single white sea-gull1 like a snowflake 
against pines1 brooded on its top4  ,i  
looked abroad to where the perfect      
reflection of the hills confused the    
shore line4 ,i looked down through five 

feet of crystal water to where pebbles  
shimmered in refraction4 ,i noted the   
low rocks jutting from the wood's       
shelter whereon one might stand to cast 
a fly4 ,then ,i turned and yelled and   
yelled and yelled again at the forest4  
,billy came through the brush1 crashing 
in his haste4 ,he looked long and       
comprehendingly4 ,without further       
speech1 we turned back to where ,dick   
was guarding the packs4  ,that youth we 
found profoundly indifferent4  ,kawgama1
 we cried1 a quarter-mile ahead4  ,he   
turned on us a lack-lustre eye4  ,you   
going to camp here8 he inquired dully4  
,course not6 ,we'll go on and camp at   
the lake4  ,all right1 he replied4  ,we 
resumed our packs1 a little stiffly and 
reluctantly1 for we had tasted of       
woods-travel without them4 ,at the lake 
we rested4  ,going to camp here8        
inquired ,dick4  ,we looked about1 but  
noted that the ground under the cedars  
was hummocky1 and that the hardwood grew
 on a slope4 ,besides1 we wanted to camp

 as near the shore as possible4         
,probably a trifle further along there  
would be a point of high land and       
delightful little paper-birches4  ,no1  
we answered cheerfully1 this isn't much 
good4 ,suppose we push along a ways and 
find something better4  ,all right1     
,dick replied4  ,we walked perhaps a    
half-mile more to the westward before we
 discovered what we wanted1 stopping    
from time to time to discuss the merits 
of this or that place4 ,billy and ,i    
were feeling pretty good4 ,after such a 
week ,kawgama was a tonic4 ,finally we  
agreed4  ,this'll do1 said we4  ,thank  
,god6 said ,dick unexpectedly1 and      
dropped his pack to the ground with a   
thud1 and sat on it4  ,i looked at him  
closely4 ,then ,i undid my own pack4    
,billy1 said ,i1 start in on grub4      
,never mind the tent just now4  ,a'     
right1 grinned ,billy4 ,he had been     
making his own observations4  ,dick1    
said ,i1 let's go down and sit on the   
rock over the water4 ,we might fish a   

little4  ,all right1 ,dick replied4  ,he
 stumbled dully after me to the shore4  
,dick1 ,i continued1 you're a kid1 and  
you have high principles1 and your      
mother wouldn't like it1 but ,i'm going 
to prescribe for you1 and ,i'm going to 
insist on your following the            
prescription4 ,this flask does not      
contain fly-dope--that's in the other   
flask--it contains whisky4 ,i have had  
it in my pack since we started1 and it  
has not been opened4 ,i don't believe in
 whisky in the woods2 not because ,i am 
temperance1 but because a man can't     
travel on it4 ,but here is where you    
break your heaven-born principles4      
,drink4  ,dick hesitated1 then he drank4
 ,by the time grub was ready his        
vitality had come to normal1 and so he  
was able to digest his food and get some
 good out of it2 otherwise he could not 
have done so4 ,thus he furnished an     
admirable example of the only real use  
for whisky in woods-travel4 ,also it was
 the nearest ,dick ever came to being   

completely played out4  ,that evening   
was delightful4 ,we sat on the rock and 
watched the long ,north ,country        
twilight steal up like a gray cloud from
 the east4 ,two loons called to each    
other1 now in the shrill maniac         
laughter1 now with the long1 mournful   
cry4 ,it needed just that one touch to  
finish the picture4 ,we were looking1   
had we but known it1 on a lake no white 
man had ever visited before4 ,clement   
alone had seen ,kawgama1 so in our      
ignorance we attained much the same     
mental attitude4 ,for ,i may as well let
 you into the secret2 this was not the  
fabled lake after all4 ,we found that   
out later from ,tawabinisy4 ,but it was 
beautiful enough1 and wild enough1 and  
strange enough in its splendid          
wilderness isolation to fill the heart  
of the explorer with a great content4   
,having thus1 as we thought1 attained   
the primary object of our explorations1 
we determined on trying now for the     
second--that is1 the investigation of   

the upper reaches of the ,river4 ,trout 
we had not accomplished at this lake1   
but the existence of fish of some sort  
was attested by the presence of the two 
loons and the gull1 so we laid our      
non-success to fisherman's luck4 ,after 
two false starts we managed to strike   
into a good country near enough our     
direction4 ,the travel was much the same
 as before4 ,the second day1 however1 we
 came to a surveyor's base-line cut     
through the woods4 ,then we followed    
that as a matter of convenience4 ,the   
base-line1 cut the fall before1 was the 
only evidence of man we saw in the high 
country4 ,it meant nothing in itself1   
but was intended as a starting-point for
 the township surveys1 whenever the     
country should become civilized enough  
to warrant them4 ,that condition of     
affairs might not occur for years to    
come4 ,therefore the line was cut out   
clear for a width of twenty feet4  ,we  
continued along it as along a trail     
until we discovered our last lake--a    

body of water possessing many radiating 
arms4 ,this was the nearest we came to  
the real ,kawgama4 ,if we had skirted   
the lake1 mounted the ridge1 followed a 
creek-bed1 mounted another ridge1 and   
descended a slope1 we should have made  
our discovery4 ,later we did just that1 
under the guidance of ,tawabinisy       
himself4 ,floating in the birch canoe we
 carried with us we looked back at the  
very spot on which we stood this        
morning4  ,but we turned sharp to the   
left1 and so missed our chance4         
,however1 we were in a happy frame of   
mind1 for we imagined we had really made
 the desired discovery4  ,nothing of    
moment happened until we reached the    
valley of the ,river4 ,then we found we 
were treed4 ,we had been travelling all 
the time among hills and valleys1 to be 
sure1 but on a high elevation4 ,even the
 bottom lands1 in which lay the lakes1  
were several hundred feet above         
,superior4 ,now we emerged from the     
forest to find ourselves on bold        

mountains at least seven or eight       
hundred feet above the main valley4 ,and
 in the main valley we could make out   
the ,river4  ,it was rather dizzy work4 
,three or four times we ventured over   
the rounded crest of the hill1 only to  
return after forty or fifty feet because
 the slope had become too abrupt4 ,this 
grew to be monotonous and aggravating4  
,it looked as though we might have to   
parallel the ,river's course1 like      
scouts watching an army1 on the top of  
the hill4 ,finally a little ravine gave 
us hope4 ,we scrambled down it2 ended in
 a very steep slant1 and finished at a  
sheer tangle of cedar-roots4 ,the latter
 we attempted4 ,billy went on ahead4 ,i 
let the packs down to him by means of a 
tump-line4 ,he balanced them on roof2   
until ,i had climbed below him4 ,and so 
on4 ,it was exactly like letting a      
bucket down a well4 ,if one of the packs
 had slipped off the cedar-roots1 it    
would have dropped like a plummet to the
 valley1 and landed on ,heaven knows    

what4 ,the same might be said of        
ourselves4 ,we did this because we were 
angry all through4  ,then we came to the
 end of the cedar-roots4 ,right and left
 offered nothing2 below was a sheer1    
bare drop4 ,absolutely nothing remained 
but to climb back1 heavy packs and all1 
to the top of the mountain4 ,false hopes
 had wasted a good half day and         
innumerable foot-pounds4 ,billy and ,i  
saw red4 ,we bowed our heads and snaked 
those packs to the top of the mountain  
at a gait that ordinarily would have    
tired us out in fifty feet4 ,dick did   
not attempt to keep up4 ,when we reached
 the top we sat down to wait for him4   
,after a while he appeared1 climbing    
leisurely4 ,he gazed on us from behind  
the mask of his ,indian                 
imperturbability4 ,then he grinned4     
,that did us good1 for we all three     
laughed aloud1 and buckled down to      
business in a better frame of mind4     
,that day we discovered a most beautiful
 waterfall4 ,a stream about twenty feet 

in width1 and with a good volume of     
water1 dropped some three hundred feet  
or more into the ,river4 ,it was across 
the valley from us1 so we had a good    
view of its beauties4 ,our estimates of 
its height were carefully made on the   
basis of some standing pine that grew   
near its foot4  ,and then we entered a  
steep little ravine1 and descended it   
with misgivings to a caon1 and walked   
easily down the caon to a slope that    
took us by barely sensible gradations to
 a wooded plain4 ,at six o'clock we     
stood on the banks of the ,river1 and   
the hills were behind us4  ,of our      
down-stream travel there is little      
really to be said4 ,we established a    
number of facts--that the ,river dashes 
most scenically from rapid to rapid1 so 
that the stagnant pool theory is        
henceforth untenable2 that the hills get
 higher and wilder the farther you      
penetrate to the interior1 and their    
cliffs and rock-precipices bolder and   
more naked2 that there are trout in the 

upper reaches1 but not so large as in   
the lower pools2 and1 above all1 that   
travel is not a joy for ever4  ,for we  
could not ford the ,river above the     
,falls--it is too deep and swift4 ,as a 
consequence1 we had often to climb1     
often to break through the narrowest    
thicket strips1 and once to feel our way
 cautiously along a sunken ledge under a
 sheer rock cliff4 ,that was ,billy's   
idea4 ,we came to the sheer rock cliff  
after a pretty hard scramble1 and we    
were most loth to do the necessary      
climbing4 ,billy suggested that we might
 be able to wade4 ,as the pool below the
 cliff was black water and of           
indeterminate depth1 we scouted the     
idea4 ,billy1 however1 poked around with
 a stick1 and1 as ,i have said1         
discovered a little ledge about a foot  
and a half wide and about two feet and a
 half below the surface4 ,this was      
spectacular1 but we did it4 ,a slip     
meant a swim and the loss of the pack4  
,we did not happen to slip4 ,shortly    

after1 we came to the ,big ,falls1 and  
so after further painful experiment     
descended joyfully into known country4  
,the freshet had gone down1 the weather 
had warmed1 the sun shone1 we caught    
trout for lunch below the ,big ,falls2  
everything was lovely4 ,by three        
o'clock1 after thrice wading the stream1
 we regained our canoe--now at least    
forty feet from the water4 ,we paddled  
across4 ,deuce followed easily1 where a 
week before he had been sucked down and 
nearly drowned4 ,we opened the cache and
 changed our very travel-stained        
garments4 ,we cooked ourselves a        
luxurious meal4 ,we built a             
friendship-fire4 ,and at last we        
stretched our tired bodies full length  
on balsam a foot thick1 and gazed       
drowsily at the canvas-blurred moon     
before sinking to a dreamless sleep4    
,,xv4  ,,on ,,woods ,,indians4   ,far in
 the ,north dwell a people practically  
unknown to any but the fur-trader and   
the explorer4 ,our information as to    

,mokis1 ,sioux1 ,cheyennes ,nez ,percs1 
and indirectly many others1 through the 
pages of ,cooper1 ,parkman1 and allied  
writers1 is varied enough1 so that our  
ideas of ,indians are pretty well       
established4 ,if we are romantic1 we    
hark back to the past and invent        
fairy-tales with ourselves anent the    
,noble ,red ,man who has ,passed ,away4 
,if we are severely practical1 we take  
notice of filth1 vice1 plug-hats1 tin   
cans1 and laziness4 ,in fact1 we might  
divide all ,indian concepts into two    
classes1 following these mental and     
imaginative bents4 ,then we should have 
quite simply and satisfactorily the     
,cooper ,indian and the ,comic ,paper   
,indian4 ,it must be confessed that the 
latter is often approximated by         
reality--and everybody knows it4 ,that  
the former is by no means a myth--at    
least in many qualities--the average    
reader might be pardoned for doubting4  
,some time ago ,i desired to increase my
 knowledge of the ,woods ,indians by    

whatever others had accomplished4       
,accordingly ,i wrote to the            
,ethnological ,department at ,washington
 asking what had been done in regard to 
the ,ojibways and ,wood ,crees north of 
,lake ,superior4 ,the answer was        
nothing4  ,and nothing is more nearly a 
comprehensive answer than at first you  
might believe4 ,visitors at ,mackinac1  
,traverse1 ,sault ,ste4 ,marie1 and     
other northern resorts are besought at  
certain times of the year by silent     
calico-dressed squaws to purchase basket
 and bark work4 ,if the tourist happens 
to follow these women for more wholesale
 examination of their wares1 he will be 
led to a double-ended ,mackinaw-built   
sailing-craft with red-dyed sails1 half 
pulled out on the beach4 ,in the stern  
sit two or three bucks wearing shirts1  
jean trousers1 and broad black hats4    
,some of the oldest men may sport a     
patched pair of moccasins or so1 but    
most are conventional enough in clumsy  
shoes4 ,after a longer or shorter stay  

they hoist their red sails and drift    
away toward some mysterious destination 
on the north shore4 ,if the buyer is    
curious enough and persistent enough1 he
 may elicit the fact that they are      
,ojibways4  ,now1 if this same tourist  
happens to possess a mildly venturesome 
disposition1 a sailing-craft1 and a     
chart of the region1 he will sooner or  
later blunder across the dwelling-place 
of his silent vendors4 ,at the foot of  
some rarely-frequented bay he will come 
on a diminutive village of small        
whitewashed log houses4 ,it will differ 
from other villages in that the houses  
are arranged with no reference whatever 
to one another1 but in the haphazard    
fashion of an encampment4 ,its          
inhabitants are his summer friends4 ,if 
he is of an insinuating address1 he may 
get a glimpse of their daily life4 ,then
 he will go away firmly convinced that  
he knows quite a lot about the ,north   
,woods ,indian4  ,and so he does4 ,but  
this ,north ,woods ,indian is the       

,reservation ,indian4 ,and in the ,north
 a ,reservation ,indian is as different 
from a ,woods ,indian as a negro is from
 a ,chinese4  ,suppose1 on the other    
hand1 your tourist is unfortunate enough
 to get left at some ,north ,woods      
railway station where he has descended  
from the transcontinental to stretch his
 legs1 and suppose him to have happened 
on a fur-town like ,missinibie at the   
precise time when the trappers are in   
from the wilds4 ,near the borders of the
 village he will come upon a little     
encampment of conical tepees4 ,at his   
approach the women and children will    
disappear into inner darkness4 ,a dozen 
wolf-like dogs will rush out barking4   
,grave-faced men will respond silently  
to his salutation4  ,these men1 he will 
be interested to observe1 wear still the
 deer or moose skin moccasin--the       
lightest and easiest foot-gear for the  
woods2 bind their long hair with a      
narrow fillet1 and their waists with a  
red or striped worsted sash2 keep warm  

under the blanket thickness of a ,hudson
 ,bay capote2 and deck their clothes    
with a variety of barbaric ornament4 ,he
 will see about camp weapons whose      
acquaintance he has made only in        
museums1 peltries of whose              
identification he is by no means sure1  
and as matters of daily use--snow-shoes1
 bark canoes1 bows and arrows--what to  
him have been articles of ornament or   
curiosity4 ,to-morrow these people will 
be gone for another year1 carrying with 
them the results of the week's barter4  
,neither he nor his kind will see them  
again1 unless they too journey far into 
the ,silent ,places4 ,but he has caught 
a glimpse of the stolid mask of the     
,woods ,indian1 concerning whom         
officially nothing is known4  ,in many  
respects the ,woods ,indian is the      
legitimate descendant of the ,cooper    
,indian4 ,his life is led entirely in   
the forests2 his subsistence is assured 
by hunting1 fishing1 and trapping2 his  
dwelling is the wigwam1 and his         

habitation the wide reaches of the      
wilderness lying between ,lake ,superior
 and the ,hudson ,bay2 his relation to  
humanity confined to intercourse with   
his own people and acquaintance with the
 men who barter for his peltries4 ,so   
his dependence is not on the world the  
white man has brought1 but on himself   
and his natural environment4            
,civilization has merely ornamented his 
ancient manner4 ,it has given him the   
convenience of cloth1 of firearms1 of   
steel traps1 of iron kettles1 of        
matches2 it has accustomed him to the   
luxuries of white sugar--though he had  
always his own maple product--tea1      
flour1 and white man's tobacco4 ,that is
 about all4 ,he knows nothing of whisky4
 ,the towns are never visited by him1   
and the ,hudson's ,bay ,company will    
sell him no liquor4 ,his concern with   
you is not great1 for he has little to  
gain from you4  ,this people1 then1     
depending on natural resources for      
subsistence1 has retained to a great    

extent the qualities of the early       
aborigines4  ,to begin with1 it is      
distinctly nomadic4 ,the great rolls of 
birch bark to cover the pointed tepees  
are easily transported in the bottoms of
 canoes1 and the poles are quickly cut  
and put in place4 ,as a consequence1 the
 ,ojibway family is always on the move4 
,it searches out new trapping-grounds1  
new fisheries1 it pays visits1 it seems 
even to enjoy travel for the sake of    
exploration4 ,in winter a tepee of      
double wall is built1 whose hollow is   
stuffed with moss to keep out the cold2 
but even that approximation of          
permanence cannot stand against the     
slightest convenience4 ,when an ,indian 
kills1 often he does not transport his  
game to camp1 but moves his camp to the 
vicinity of the carcass4 ,there are of  
these woods dwellers no villages1 no    
permanent clearings4 ,the vicinity of a 
,hudson's ,bay post is sometimes        
occupied for a month or so during the   
summer1 but that is all4  ,an obvious   

corollary of this is that tribal life   
does not consistently obtain4           
,throughout the summer months1 when game
 and fur are at their poorest1 the bands
 assemble1 probably at the times of     
barter with the traders4 ,then for the  
short period of the idling season they  
drift together up and down the ,north   
,country streams1 or camp for big       
pow-wows and conjuring near some        
pleasant conflux of rivers4 ,but when   
the first frosts nip the leaves1 the    
families separate to their allotted     
trapping districts1 there to spend the  
winter in pursuit of the real business  
of life4  ,the tribe is thus split into 
many groups1 ranging in numbers from the
 solitary trapper1 eager to win enough  
fur to buy him a wife1 to a compact     
little group of three or four families  
closely related in blood4 ,the most     
striking consequence is that1 unlike    
other ,indian bodies politic1 there are 
no regularly constituted and            
acknowledged chiefs4 ,certain           

individuals gain a remarkable reputation
 and an equally remarkable respect for  
wisdom1 or hunting skill1 or power of   
woodcraft1 or travel4 ,these men are the
 so-called old men often mentioned in   
,indian manifestoes1 though age has     
nothing to do with the deference        
accorded them4 ,tawabinisy is not more  
than thirty-five years old2 ,peter1 our 
,hudson ,bay ,indian1 is hardly more    
than a boy4 ,yet both are obeyed        
implicitly by whomever they happen to be
 with2 both lead the way by river or    
trail2 and both1 where question arises1 
are sought in advice by men old enough  
to be their fathers4 ,perhaps this is as
 good a democracy as another4  ,the life
 so briefly hinted at in the foregoing  
lines inevitably develops and fosters an
 expertness of woodcraft almost beyond  
belief4 ,the ,ojibway knows his         
environment4 ,the forest is to him so   
familiar in each and every one of its   
numerous and subtle aspects that the    
slightest departure from the normal     

strikes his attention at once4 ,a patch 
of brown shadow where green shadow      
should fall1 a shimmering of leaves     
where should be merely a gentle waving1 
a cross-light where the usual forest    
growth should adumbrate1 a flash of     
wings at a time of day when feathered   
creatures ordinarily rest quiet--these1 
and hundreds of others which you and ,i 
should never even guess at1 force       
themselves as glaringly on an ,indian's 
notice as a brass band in a city street4
 ,a white man looks for game2 an ,indian
 sees it because it differs from the    
forest4  ,that is1 of course1 a matter  
of long experience and lifetime habit4  
,were it a question merely of this1 the 
white man might also in time attain the 
same skill4 ,but the ,indian is a better
 animal4 ,his senses are appreciably    
sharper than our own4  ,in journeying   
down the ,kapskasng ,river1 our         
,indians--who had come from the woods to
 guide us--always saw game long before  
we did4 ,they would never point it out  

to us4 ,the bow of the canoe would swing
 silently in its direction1 there to    
rest motionless until we indicated we   
had seen something4  ,where is it1      
,peter8 ,i would whisper4  ,but ,peter  
always remained contemptuously silent4  
,one evening we paddled directly into   
the eye of the setting sun across a     
shallow little lake filled with hardly  
sunken boulders4 ,there was no current1 
and no breath of wind to stir the water 
into betraying riffles4 ,but invariably 
those ,indians twisted the canoe into a 
new course ten feet before we reached   
one of the obstructions1 whose existence
 our dazzled vision could not attest    
until they were actually below us4 ,they
 saw those rocks1 through the shimmer of
 the surface glare4  ,another time ,i   
discovered a small black animal lying   
flat on a point of shale4 ,its head was 
concealed behind a boulder1 and it was  
so far away that ,i was inclined to     
congratulate myself on having           
differentiated it from the shadow4      

,what is it1 ,peter8 ,i asked4  ,peter  
hardly glanced at it4  ,ninny-mosh      
7dog71 he replied4  ,now we were a      
hundred miles south of the ,hudson's    
,bay post1 and two weeks north of any   
other settlement4 ,saving a horse1 a dog
 would be about the last thing to occur 
to one in guessing at the identity of   
any strange animal4 ,this looked like a 
little black blotch1 without form4 ,yet 
,peter knew it4 ,it was a dog1 lost from
 some ,indian hunting-party1 and        
mightily glad to see us4  ,the sense of 
smell1 too1 is developed to an extent   
positively uncanny to us who have needed
 it so little4 ,your ,woods ,indian is  
always sniffing1 always testing the     
impressions of other senses by his      
olfactories4 ,instances numerous and    
varied might be cited1 but probably one 
will do as well as a dozen4 ,it once    
became desirable to kill a caribou in   
country where the animals are not at all
 abundant4 ,tawabinisy volunteered to   
take ,jim within shot of one4 ,jim      

describes their hunt as the most        
wonderful bit of stalking he had ever   
seen4 ,the ,indian followed the animal's
 tracks as easily as you or ,i could    
have followed them over snow4 ,he did   
this rapidly and certainly4 ,every once 
in a while he would get down on all     
fours to sniff inquiringly at the       
crushed herbage4 ,always on rising to   
his feet he would give the result of his
 investigations4 ,ah-tek caribou one    
hour4  ,and later1 ,ah-tek half hour4   
,or again1 ,ah-tek quarter hour4  ,and  
finally1 ,ah-tek over nex' hill4  ,and  
it was so4  ,in like manner1 but most   
remarkable to us because the test of    
direct comparison with our own sense was
 permitted us1 was their acuteness of   
hearing4 ,often while jumping a roaring 
rapids in two canoes1 my companion and  
,i have heard our men talking to each   
other in quite an ordinary tone of      
voice4 ,that is to say1 ,i could hear my
 ,indian1 and ,jim could hear his2 but  
personally we were forced to shout      

loudly to carry across the noise of the 
stream4 ,the distant approach of animals
 they announce accurately4  ,wawashkesh 
7deer71 says ,peter4  ,and sure enough1 
after an interval1 we too could         
distinguish the footfalls on the dry    
leaves4  ,as both cause and consequence 
of these physical endowments--which     
place them nearly on a parity with the  
game itself--they are most expert       
hunters4 ,every sportsman knows the     
importance--and also the difficulty--of 
discovering game before it discovers    
him4 ,the ,indian has here an immense   
advantage4 ,and after game is           
discovered1 he is furthermore most      
expert in approaching it with all the   
refined art of the still hunter4  ,mr4  
,caspar ,whitney describes in           
exasperation his experience with the    
,indians of the ,far ,north-,west4 ,he  
complains that when they blunder on game
 they drop everything and enter into    
almost hopeless chase1 two legs against 
four4 ,occasionally the quarry becomes  

enough bewildered so that the wild      
shooting will bring it down4 ,he quite  
justly argues that the merest pretence  
at caution in approach would result in  
much greater success4  ,the ,woods      
,indian is no such fool4 ,he is a mighty
 poor shot--and he knows it4 ,personally
 ,i believe he shuts both eyes before   
pulling trigger4 ,he is armed with a    
long flint or percussion lock musket1   
whose gas-pipe barrel is bound to the   
wood that runs its entire length by     
means of brass bands1 and whose         
effective range must be about ten yards4
 ,this archaic implement is known as a  
trade gun and has the single merit of   
never getting out of order4 ,furthermore
 ammunition is precious4 ,in            
consequence1 the wilderness hunter is   
not going to be merely pretty sure2 he  
intends to be absolutely certain4 ,if he
 cannot approach near enough to blow a  
hole in his prey1 he does not fire4  ,i 
have seen ,peter drop into marsh-grass  
so thin that apparently we could discern

 the surface of the ground through it1  
and disappear so completely that our    
most earnest attention could not        
distinguish even a rustling of the      
herbage4 ,after an interval his gun     
would go off from some distant point1   
exactly where some ducks had been       
feeding serenely oblivious to fate4     
,neither of us white men would have     
considered for a moment the possibility 
of getting any of them4 ,once ,i felt   
rather proud of myself for killing six  
ruffed grouse out of some trees with the
 pistol1 until ,peter drifted in        
carrying three he had bagged with a     
stick4  ,another interesting phase of   
this almost perfect correspondence to   
environment is the readiness with which 
an ,indian will meet an emergency4 ,we  
are accustomed to rely first of all on  
the skilled labour of some one we can   
hire2 second1 if we undertake the job   
ourselves1 on the tools made for us by  
skilled labour2 and third1 on the shops 
to supply us with the materials we may  

need4 ,not once in a lifetime are we    
thrown entirely on our own resources4   
,then we improvise bunglingly a         
makeshift4  ,the ,woods ,indian         
possesses his knife and his light axe4  
,nails1 planes1 glue1 chisels1 vices1   
cord1 rope1 and all the rest of it he   
has to do without4 ,but he never        
improvises makeshifts4 ,no matter what  
the exigency or how complicated the     
demand1 his experience answers with     
accuracy4  ,utensils and tools he knows 
exactly where to find4 ,his job is neat 
and workmanlike1 whether it is a bark   
receptacle--water-tight or not--a pair  
of snow-shoes1 the repairing of a       
badly-smashed canoe1 the construction of
 a shelter1 or the fashioning of a      
paddle4 ,about noon one day ,tawabinisy 
broke his axe-helve square off4 ,this to
 us would have been a serious affair4   
,probably we should1 left to ourselves1 
have stuck in some sort of a rough      
straight sapling handle which would have
 answered well enough until we could    

have bought another4 ,by the time we had
 cooked dinner that ,indian had         
fashioned another helve4 ,we compared it
 with the store article4 ,it was as well
 shaped1 as smooth1 as nicely balanced4 
,in fact1 as we laid the new and the old
 side by side1 we could not have        
selected1 from any evidence of the      
workmanship1 which had been made by     
machine and which by hand4 ,tawabinisy  
then burned out the wood from the axe1  
retempered the steel1 set the new helve1
 and wedged it neatly with ironwood     
wedges4 ,the whole affair1 including the
 cutting of the timber1 consumed perhaps
 half an hour4  ,to travel with a ,woods
 ,indian is a constant source of delight
 on this account4 ,so many little things
 that the white man does without1       
because he will not bother with their   
transportation1 the ,indian makes for   
himself4 ,and so quickly and easily6 ,i 
have seen a thoroughly waterproof1      
commodious1 and comfortable bark shelter
 made in about the time it would take   

one to pitch a tent4 ,i have seen a raft
 built of cedar logs and cedar bark     
ropes in an hour4 ,i have seen a        
badly-stove canoe made as good as new in
 fifteen minutes4 ,the ,indian rarely   
needs to hunt for the materials he      
requires4 ,he knows exactly where they  
grow1 and he turns as directly to them  
as a clerk would turn to his shelves4   
,no problem of the living of physical   
life is too obscure to have escaped his 
varied experience4 ,you may travel with 
,indians for years1 and learn something 
new and delightful as to how to take    
care of yourself every summer4  ,the    
qualities ,i have mentioned come        
primarily from the fact that the ,woods 
,indian is a hunter4 ,i have now to     
instance two whose development can be   
traced to the other fact--that he is a  
nomad4 ,i refer to his skill with the   
bark canoe and his ability to carry4  ,i
 was once introduced to a man at a      
little way station of the ,canadian     
,pacific ,railway in the following      

words3--  ,shake hands with ,munson2    
he's as good a canoeman as an ,indian4  
,a little later one of the bystanders   
remarked to me3--  ,that fellow you was 
just talking with is as good a canoeman 
as an ,injun4  ,still later1 at an      
entirely different place1 a member of   
the bar informed me1 in the course of   
discussion3--  ,the only man ,i know of 
who can do it is named ,munson4 ,he is  
as good a canoeman as an ,indian4  ,at  
the time this unanimity of praise       
puzzled me a little4 ,i thought ,i had  
seen some pretty good canoe work1 and   
even cherished a mild conceit that      
occasionally ,i could keep right side up
 myself4 ,i knew ,munson to be a great  
woods-traveller1 with many striking     
qualities1 and why this of canoemanship 
should be so insistently chosen above   
the others was beyond my comprehension4 
,subsequently a companion and ,i        
journeyed to ,hudson ,bay with two birch
 canoes and two ,indians4 ,since that   
trip ,i have had a vast respect for     

,munson4  ,undoubtedly among the        
half-breed and white guides of ,lower   
,canada1 ,maine1 and the ,adirondacks   
are many skilful men4 ,but they know    
their waters2 they follow a beaten      
track4 ,the ,woods ,indian--well1 let me
 tell you something of what he does4    
,we went down the ,kapskasng ,river to  
the ,mattgami1 and then down that to the
 ,moose4 ,these rivers are at first but 
a hundred feet or so wide1 but rapidly  
swell with the influx of numberless     
smaller streams4 ,two days' journey     
brings you to a watercourse nearly half 
a mile in breadth2 two weeks finds you  
on a surface approximately a mile and a 
half across4 ,all this water descends   
from the ,height of ,land to the sea    
level4 ,it does so through a rock       
country4 ,the result is a series of     
roaring1 dashing boulder rapids and     
waterfalls that would make your hair    
stand on end merely to contemplate from 
the banks4  ,the regular route to ,moose
 ,factory is by the ,missinabie4 ,our   

way was new and strange4 ,no trails2 no 
knowledge of the country4 ,when we came 
to a stretch of white water1 the        
,indians would rise to their feet for a 
single instant's searching examination  
of the stretch of tumbled water before  
them4 ,in that moment they picked the   
passage they were to follow as well as a
 white man could have done so in half an
 hour's study4 ,then without hesitation 
they shot their little craft at the     
green water4  ,from that time we merely 
tried to sit still1 each in his canoe4  
,each ,indian did it all with his single
 paddle4 ,he seemed to possess absolute 
control over his craft4  ,even in the   
rush of water which seemed to hurry us  
on at almost railroad speed1 he could   
stop for an instant1 work directly      
sideways1 shoot forward at a slant1     
swing either his bow or his stern4 ,an  
error in judgment or in the             
instantaneous acting upon it meant a    
hit2 and a hit in these savage ,north   
,country ,rivers meant destruction4 ,how

 my man kept in his mind the passage he 
had planned during his momentary        
inspection was always to me a miracle4  
,how he got so unruly a beast as the    
birch canoe to follow it in that tearing
 volume of water was always another4    
,big boulders he dodged1 eddies he took 
advantage of1 slants of current he      
utilized4 ,a fractional second of       
hesitation could not be permitted him4  
,but always the clutching of white hands
 from the rip at the eddy finally       
conveyed to my spray-drenched faculties 
that the rapid was safely astern4 ,and  
this1 mind you1 in strange waters4      
,occasionally we would carry our outfit 
through the woods1 while the ,indians   
would shoot some especially bad water in
 the light canoe4 ,as a spectacle       
nothing could be finer4 ,the flash of   
the yellow bark1 the movement of the    
broken waters1 the gleam of the paddle1 
the tense alertness of the men's        
figures1 their carven1 passive faces1   
with the contrast of the flashing eyes  

and the distended nostrils1 then the    
leap into space over some half-cataract1
 the smash of spray1 the exultant yells 
of the canoemen6 ,for your ,indian      
enjoys the game thoroughly4 ,and it     
requires very bad water indeed to make  
him take to the brush4  ,this is1 of    
course1 the spectacular4 ,but also in   
the ordinary gray business of canoe     
travel the ,woods ,indian shows his     
superiority4 ,he is tireless1 and       
composed as to wrist and shoulder of a  
number of whale-bone springs4 ,from     
early dawn to dewy eve1 and then a few  
gratuitous hours into the night1 he will
 dig energetic holes in the water with  
his long1 narrow blade4 ,and every      
stroke counts4 ,the water boils out in a
 splotch of white air-bubbles1 the      
little suction holes pirouette like     
dancing-girls1 the fabric of the craft  
itself trembles under the power of the  
stroke4 ,jim and ,i used1 in the lake   
stretches1 to amuse ourselves--and      
probably the ,indians--by paddling in   

furious rivalry one against the other4  
,then ,peter would make up his mind he  
would like to speak to ,jacob4 ,his     
canoe would shoot up alongside as though
 the ,old ,man of the ,lake had laid his
 hand across its stern4 ,would ,i could 
catch that trick of easy1 tireless      
speed6 ,i know it lies somewhat in      
keeping both elbows always straight and 
stiff1 in a lurch forward of the        
shoulders at the end of the stroke4 ,but
 that1 and more6 ,perhaps one needs a   
copper skin and beady black eyes with   
surface lights4  ,nor need you hope to  
pole a canoe upstream as do these       
people4 ,tawabinisy uses two short      
poles1 one in either hand1 kneels       
amidships1 and snakes that little old   
canoe of his upstream so fast that you  
would swear the rapids an easy          
matter--until you tried them yourself4  
,we were once trailed up a river by an  
old ,woods ,indian and his interesting  
family4 ,the outfit consisted of canoe  
,number ,one--item1 one old ,injin1 one 

boy of eight years1 one dog2 canoe      
,number ,two--item1 one old ,injin      
squaw1 one girl of eighteen or twenty1  
one dog2 canoe ,number ,three--item1 two
 little girls of ten and twelve1 one    
dog4 ,we tried desperately for three    
days to get away from this party4 ,it   
did not seem to work hard at all4 ,we   
did4 ,even the two little girls appeared
 to dip the contemplative paddle from   
time to time4 ,water boiled back of our 
own blades4 ,we started early and quit  
late1 and about as we congratulated     
ourselves over our evening fire that we 
had distanced our followers at last1    
those three canoes would steal silently 
and calmly about the lower bend to draw 
ashore below us4 ,in ten minutes the old
 ,indian was delivering an oration to   
us1 squatted in resignation4  ,the ,red 
,gods alone know what he talked about4  
,he had no ,english1 and our ,ojibway   
was of the strictly utilitarian4 ,but   
for an hour he would hold forth4 ,we    
called him ,talk-in-the-,face1 the      

,great ,indian ,chief4 ,then he would   
drop a mild hint for symon1 which means 
tobacco1 and depart4 ,by ten o'clock the
 next morning he and his people would   
overtake us in spite of our earlier     
start4 ,usually we were in the act of   
dragging our canoe through an especially
 vicious rapid by means of a tow-line4  
,their three canoes1 even to the        
children's1 would ascend easily by means
 of poles4 ,tow-lines appeared to be    
unsportsmanlike--like angle-worms4 ,then
 the entire nine--including the         
dogs--would roost on rocks and watch    
critically our methods4  ,the incident  
had one value1 however3 it showed us    
just why these people possess the       
marvellous canoe skill ,i have attempted
 to sketch4 ,the little boy in the      
leading canoe was not over eight or nine
 years of age1 but he had his little    
paddle and his little canoe-pole1 and1  
what is more1 he already used them      
intelligently and well4 ,as for the     
little girls--well1 they did easily     

feats ,i never hope to emulate1 and that
 without removing the cowl-like         
coverings from their heads and          
shoulders4  ,the same early habitude    
probably accounts for their ability to  
carry weights long distances4 ,the      
,woods ,indian is not a mighty man      
physically4 ,most of them are straight  
and well built1 but of only medium      
height1 and not wonderfully muscled4    
,peter was most beautiful1 but in the   
fashion of the flying ,mercury1 with    
long smooth panther muscles4 ,he looked 
like ,uncas1 especially when his keen   
hawk-face was fixed in distant          
attention4 ,but ,i think ,i could have  
wrestled ,peter down4 ,yet time and     
again ,i have seen that ,indian carry   
two hundred pounds for some miles       
through a rough country absolutely      
without trails4 ,and once ,i was witness
 of a feat of ,tawabinisy1 when that    
wily savage portaged a pack of fifty    
pounds and a two-man canoe through a    
hill country for four hours and ten     

minutes without a rest4 ,tawabinisy is  
even smaller than ,peter4  ,so much for 
the qualities developed by the woods    
life4 ,let us now examine what may be   
described as the inherent               
characteristics of the people4          
,,xvi4  ,,on ,,woods ,,indians          
7continued74   ,it must be understood1  
of course1 that ,i offer you only the   
best of my subject4 ,a people counts for
 what it does well4 ,also ,i instance   
men of standing in the loose ,indian    
body politic4 ,a traveller can easily   
discover the reverse of the medal4      
,these have their shirks1 their         
do-nothings1 their men of small account1
 just as do other races4 ,i have no     
thought of glorifying the noble red man1
 nor of claiming for him a freedom from 
human imperfection--even where his      
natural quality and training count the  
most--greater than enlightenment has    
been able to reach4  ,in my experience  
the honesty of the ,woods ,indian is of 
a very high order4 ,the sense of mine   

and thine is strongly forced by the     
exigencies of the ,north ,woods life4 ,a
 man is always on the move2 he is always
 exploring the unknown countries4       
,manifestly it is impossible for him to 
transport the entire sum of his worldly 
effects4 ,the implements of winter are a
 burden in summer4 ,also the return     
journey from distant shores must be     
provided for by food-stations1 to be    
relied on4 ,the solution of these needs 
is the cache4  ,and the cache is not a  
literal term at all4 ,it conceals       
nothing4 ,rather does it hold aloft in  
long-legged prominence1 for the         
inspection of all who pass1 what the    
owner has seen fit to leave behind4 ,a  
heavy platform high enough from the     
ground to frustrate the investigations  
of animals is all that is required4     
,visual concealment is unnecessary1     
because in the ,north ,country a cache  
is sacred4 ,on it may depend the life of
 a man4 ,he who leaves provisions must  
find them on his return1 for he may     

reach them starving1 and the length of  
his out-journey may depend on his       
certainty of relief at this point on his
 in-journey4 ,so men passing touch not  
his hoard1 for some day they may be in  
the same fix1 and a precedent is a bad  
thing4  ,illustration3 ,,nor ,,need     
,,you ,,hope ,,to ,,pole ,a ,,canoe     
,,upstream ,,as ,,do ,,these ,,people4  
,thus in parts of the wildest countries 
of northern ,canada ,i have unexpectedly
 come upon a birch canoe in capsized    
suspension between two trees2 or a whole
 bunch of snow-shoes depending          
fruit-like beneath the fans of a spruce2
 or a tangle of steel traps thrust into 
the crevice of a tree-root2 or a supply 
of pork and flour1 swathed like an      
,egyptian mummy1 occupying stately a    
high bier4 ,these things we have passed 
by reverently1 as symbols of a people's 
trust in its kind4  ,the same sort of   
honesty holds in regard to smaller      
things4 ,i have never hesitated to leave
 in my camp firearms1 fishing-rods1     

utensils valuable from a woods point of 
view1 even a watch or money4 ,not only  
have ,i never lost anything in that     
manner1 but once an ,indian lad followed
 me some miles after the morning's start
 to restore to me a half-dozen trout    
flies ,i had accidentally left behind4  
,it might be readily inferred that this 
quality carries over into the           
subtleties1 as indeed is the case4 ,mr4 
,mac,donald of ,brunswick ,house once   
discussed with me the system of credits 
carried on by the ,hudson's ,bay        
,company with the trappers4 ,each family
 is advanced goods to the value of two  
hundred dollars1 with the understanding 
that the debt is to be paid from the    
season's catch4  ,i should think you    
would lose a good deal1 ,i ventured4    
,nothing could be easier than for an    
,indian to take his two hundred dollars'
 worth and disappear in the woods4      
,you'd never be able to find him4  ,mr4 
,mac,donald's reply struck me1 for the  
man had twenty years' trading           

experience4  ,i have never1 said he1 in 
a long woods life known but one ,indian 
liar4  ,this my own limited             
woods-wandering has proved to be true to
 a sometimes almost ridiculous extent4  
,the most trivial statement of fact can 
be relied on1 provided it is given      
outside of trade or enmity or absolute  
indifference4 ,the ,indian loves to fool
 the tenderfoot4 ,but a sober1 measured 
statement you can conclude is accurate4 
,and if an ,indian promises a thing1 he 
will accomplish it4 ,he expects you to  
do the same4 ,watch your lightest words 
carefully and you would retain the      
respect of your red associates4  ,on our
 way to the ,hudson ,bay we rashly asked
 ,peter1 towards the last1 when we      
should reach ,moose ,factory4 ,he       
deliberated4  ,t'ursday1 said he4       
,things went wrong2 ,thursday supplied a
 head wind4 ,we had absolutely no       
interest in reaching ,moose ,factory    
next day2 the next week would have done 
as well4 ,but ,peter1 deaf to           

expostulation1 entreaty1 and command1   
kept us travelling from six in the      
morning until after twelve at night4 ,we
 couldn't get him to stop4 ,finally he  
drew the canoes ashore4  ,moose-amik    
quarter hour1 said he4  ,he had kept his
 word4  ,the ,ojibway possesses a great 
pride which the unthinking can ruffle   
quite unconsciously in many ways4       
,consequently the ,woods ,indian is     
variously described as a good guide or a
 bad one4 ,the difference lies in       
whether you suggest or command4  ,peter1
 you've got to make ,chicawgun to-night4
 ,get a move on you6 will bring you     
sullen service1 and probably breed kicks
 on the grub supply1 which is the       
immediate precursor of mutiny4  ,peter1 
it's a long way to ,chicawgun4 ,do you  
think we make him to-night8 on the other
 hand1 will earn you at least a serious 
consideration of the question4 ,and if  
,peter says you can1 you will4  ,for the
 proper man the ,ojibway takes a great  
pride in his woodcraft1 the neatness of 

his camps1 the savoury quality of his   
cookery1 the expedition of his travel1  
the size of his packs1 the patience of  
his endurance4 ,on the other hand1 he   
can be as sullen1 inefficient1 stupid1  
and vindictive as any man of any race on
 earth4 ,i suppose the faculty of       
getting along with men is largely       
inherent4 ,certainly it is blended of   
many subtleties4 ,to be friendly1 to    
retain respect1 to praise1 to preserve  
authority1 to direct and yet to leave   
detail1 to exact what is due1 and yet to
 deserve it--these be the qualities of a
 leader1 and cannot be taught4  ,in     
general the ,woods ,indian is sober4 ,he
 cannot get whisky regularly1 to be     
sure1 but ,i have often seen the better 
class of ,ojibways refuse a drink1      
saying that they did not care for it4   
,he starves well1 and keeps going on    
nothing long after hope is vanished4 ,he
 is patient--yea1 very patient--under   
toil1 and so accomplishes great         
journeys1 overcomes great difficulties1 

and does great deeds by means of this   
handmaiden of genius4 ,according to his 
own standards is he clean4 ,to be sure  
his baths are not numerous1 nor his     
laundry-days many1 but he never cooks   
until he has washed his hands and arms  
to the very shoulders4 ,other details   
would but corroborate the impression of 
this instance--that his ideas differ    
from ours1 as is his right1 but that he 
lives up to his ideas4 ,also is he      
hospitable1 expecting nothing in return4
 ,after your canoe is afloat and your   
paddle in the river1 two or three of his
 youngsters will splash in after you to 
toss silver fish to your necessities4   
,and so always he will wait until this  
last moment of departure1 in order that 
you will not feel called on to give him 
something in return4 ,which is true tact
 and kindliness1 and worthy of high     
praise4  ,perhaps ,i have not strongly  
enough insisted that the ,indian nations
 differ as widely from one another as do
 unallied races4 ,we found this to be   

true even in the comparatively brief    
journey from ,chapleau to ,moose4 ,after
 pushing through a trackless wilderness 
without having laid eyes on a human     
being1 excepting the single instance of 
three ,french voyageurs going ,heaven   
knows where1 we were anticipating       
pleasurably our encounter with the      
traders at the ,factory1 and naturally  
supposed that ,peter and ,jacob would be
 equally pleased at the chance of       
visiting with their own kind4 ,not at   
all4 ,when we reached ,moose our        
,ojibways wrapped themselves in a mantle
 of dignity1 and stalked scornful amidst
 obsequious clans4 ,for the ,ojibway is 
great among ,indians1 verily much       
greater than the ,moose ,river ,crees4  
,had it been a question of ,rupert's    
,river ,crees with their fierce         
blood-laws1 their conjuring-lodges1 and 
their pagan customs1 the affair might   
have been different4  ,for1 mark you1   
the ,moose ,river ,cree is little among 
hunters1 and he conducts the chase      

miscellaneously over his district       
without thought to the preservation of  
the beaver1 and he works in the hay     
marshes during the summer1 and is short1
 squab1 and dirty1 and generally        
ka-win-ni-shi-shin4 ,the old sacred     
tribal laws1 which are better than a    
religion because they are practically   
adapted to northern life1 have among    
them been allowed to lapse4 ,travellers 
they are none1 nor do their trappers get
 far from the ,company's pork-barrels4  
,so they inbreed ignobly for lack of    
outside favour1 and are dying from the  
face of the land through dire diseases1 
just as their reputations have already  
died from men's respect4  ,the great    
unwritten law of the forest is that1    
save as provision during legitimate     
travel1 one may not hunt in his         
neighbour's district4 ,each trapper has 
assigned him1 or gets by inheritance or 
purchase1 certain territorial power4 ,in
 his land he alone may trap4 ,he knows  
the beaver-dams1 how many animals each  

harbours1 how large a catch each will   
stand without diminution of the supply4 
,so the fur is made to last4 ,in the    
southern district this division is      
tacitly agreed upon4 ,it is not         
etiquette to poach4 ,what would happen  
to a poacher no one knows1 simply       
because the necessity for finding out   
has not arisen4 ,tawabinisy controls    
from ,batchawanng to ,agawa4 ,there old 
,waboos takes charge4 ,and so on4 ,but  
in the ,far ,north the control is more  
often disputed1 and there the blood-law 
still holds4 ,an illegal trapper baits  
his snares with his life4 ,if           
discovered1 he is summarily shot4 ,so is
 the game preserved4  ,the ,woods       
,indian never kills waste-fully4 ,the   
mere presence of game does not breed in 
him a lust to slaughter something4      
,moderation you learn of him first of   
all4 ,later1 provided you are with him  
long enough and your mind is open to    
mystic influence1 you will feel the     
strong impress of his idea--that the    

animals of the forest are not lower than
 man1 but only different4 ,man is an    
animal living the life of the forest2   
the beasts are also a body politic      
speaking a different language and with  
different view-points4 ,amik1 the       
beaver1 has certain ideas as to the     
conduct of life1 certain habits of body1
 and certain bias of thought4 ,his      
scheme of things is totally at variance 
with that held by ,me-en-gan1 the wolf1 
but even to us whites the two are on a  
parity4 ,man has still another system4  
,one is no better than another4 ,they   
are merely different4 ,and just as      
,me-en-gan preys on ,amik1 so does ,man 
kill for his own uses4  ,thence are     
curious customs4 ,a ,rupert ,river ,cree
 will not kill a bear unless he1 the    
hunter1 is in gala attire1 and then not 
until he has made a short speech in     
which he assures his victim that the    
affair is not one of personal enmity1   
but of expedience1 and that anyway he1  
the bear1 will be better off in the     

,hereafter4 ,and then the skull is      
cleaned and set on a pole near running  
water1 there to remain during twelve    
moons4 ,also at the tail-root of a      
newly-deceased beaver is tied a thong   
braided of red wool and deerskin4 ,and  
many other curious habitudes which would
 be of slight interest here4 ,likewise  
do they conjure up by means of racket   
and fasting the familiar spirits of     
distant friends or enemies1 and on these
 spirits fasten a blessing or a curse4  
,from this it may be deduced that       
missionary work has not been as thorough
 as might be hoped4 ,that is true4 ,the 
,woods ,indian loves to sing1 and       
possesses quaint melodies1 or rather    
intonations1 of his own4 ,but especially
 does he delight in the long-drawn wail 
of some of our old-fashioned hymns4 ,the
 church oftenest reaches him through    
them4 ,i know nothing stranger than the 
sight of a little half-lit church filled
 with ,indians swaying unctuously to and
 fro in the rhythm of a cadence old     

,watts would have recognized with       
difficulty4 ,the religious feeling of   
the performance is not remarkable1 but  
perhaps it does as a starting-point4    
,exactly how valuable the average       
missionary work is ,i have been puzzled 
to decide4 ,perhaps the church needs    
more intelligence in the men it sends   
out4 ,the evangelist is usually filled  
with narrow1 preconceived notions as to 
the proper physical life4 ,he squeezes  
his savage into log houses1 boiled      
shirts1 and boots4 ,when he has         
succeeded in getting his tuberculosis   
crop well started1 he offers as         
compensation a doctrinal religion       
admirably adapted to us1 who have within
 reach of century-trained perceptions a 
thousand of the subtler associations a  
savage can know nothing about4 ,if there
 is enough glitter and tin steeple and  
high-sounding office and gilt           
good-behaviour card to it1 the red man's
 pagan heart is tickled in its vanity1  
and he dies in the odour of             

sanctity--and of a filth his out-of-door
 life has never taught him how to avoid4
 ,the ,indian is like a raccoon3 in his 
proper surroundings he is clean morally 
and physically because he knows how to  
be so2 but in a cage he is filthy       
because he does not know how to be      
otherwise4  ,i must not be understood as
 condemning missionary work2 only the   
stupid missionary work one most often   
sees in the ,north4 ,surely             
,christianity should be adaptable enough
 in its little things to fit any people 
with its great4 ,it seems hard for some 
men to believe that it is not essential 
for a real ,christian to wear a         
plug-hat4 ,one ,god1 love1 kindness1    
charity1 honesty1 right living1 may     
thrive as well in the wigwam as in a    
foursquare house--provided you let them 
wear moccasins and a capote wherewith to
 keep themselves warm and vital4        
,tawabinisy must have had his religious 
training at the hands of a good man4 ,he
 had lost none of his aboriginal virtue 

and skill1 as may be gathered from what 
,i have before said of him1 and had     
gained in addition certain of the gentle
 qualities4 ,i have never been able to  
gauge exactly the extent of his         
religious understanding1 for ,tawabinisy
 is a silent individual1 and possesses  
very little ,english2 but ,i do know    
that his religious feeling was deep and 
reverent4 ,he never swore in ,english2  
he did not drink2 he never travelled or 
hunted or fished on ,sunday when he     
could possibly help it4 ,these virtues  
he wore modestly and unassumingly as an 
accustomed garment4 ,yet he was the most
 gloriously natural man ,i have ever    
met4  ,the main reliance of his         
formalism when he was off in the woods  
seemed to be a little tattered volume1  
which he perused diligently all ,sunday1
 and wrapped carefully in a strip of    
oiled paper during the rest of the week4
 ,one day ,i had a chance to look at    
this book while its owner was away after
 spring water4 ,every alternate page was

 in the phonetic ,indian symbols1 of    
which more hereafter4 ,the rest was in  
,french1 and evidently a translation4   
,although the volume was of ,roman      
,catholic origin1 creed was             
conspicuously subordinated to the needs 
of the class it aimed to reach4 ,a      
confession of faith1 quite simple1 in   
one ,god1 a ,saviour1 a ,mother of      
,heaven2 a number of ,biblical extracts 
rich in imagery and applicability to the
 experience of a woods-dweller2 a dozen 
simple prayers of the kind the natural  
man would oftenest find occasion to     
express--a prayer for sickness1 for     
bounty1 for fair weather1 for ease of   
travel1 for the smiling face of         
,providence2 and then some hymns4 ,to me
 the selection seemed most judicious4   
,it answered the needs of ,tawabinisy's 
habitual experiences1 and so the red man
 was a good and consistent convert4     
,irresistibly ,i was led to contemplate 
the idea of any one trying to get       
,tawabinisy to live in a house1 to cut  

cordwood with an axe1 to roost on a hard
 bench under a tin steeple1 to wear     
stiff shoes1 and to quit forest roaming4
  ,the written language mentioned above 
you will see often in the ,northland4   
,whenever an ,indian band camps1 it     
blazes a tree and leaves1 as record for 
those who may follow1 a message written 
in the phonetic character4 ,i do not    
understand exactly the philosophy of it1
 but ,i gather that each sound has a    
symbol of its own1 like shorthand1 and  
that therefore even totally different   
languages--such as ,ojibway1 the ,wood  
,cree1 or the ,hudson ,bay ,eskimos--may
 all be written in the same character4  
,it was invented nearly a hundred years 
ago by a priest4 ,so simple is it1 and  
so needed a method of                   
intercommunication1 that its use is now 
practically universal4 ,even the        
youngsters understand it1 for they are  
early instructed in its mysteries during
 the long winter evenings4 ,on the      
preceding page is a message ,i copied   

from a spruce tree two hundred miles    
from anywhere on the ,mattgami ,river4  
,illustration  ,besides this are        
numberless formal symbols in constant   
use4 ,forerunners on a trail stick a    
twig in the ground whose point indicates
 exactly the position of the sun4 ,those
 who follow are able to estimate1 by    
noting how far beyond the spot the twig 
points to the sun has travelled1 how    
long a period of time has elapsed4 ,a   
stick pointed in any given direction    
tells the route1 of course4 ,another    
planted upright across the first shows  
by its position how long a journey is   
contemplated4 ,a little sack suspended  
at the end of the pointer conveys       
information as to the state of the      
larder1 lean or fat according as the    
little sack contains more or less gravel
 or sand4 ,a shred of rabbit-skin means 
starvation4 ,and so on in variety       
useless in any but an ethnological work4
  ,illustration #a3 ,a short journey4   
,illustration #b3 ,a medium journey4    

,illustration #c3 ,a long journey4  ,the
 ,ojibways' tongue is soft1 and full of 
decided lisping and sustained hissing   
sounds4 ,it is spoken with somewhat of a
 sing-song drawl4 ,we always had a fancy
 that somehow it was of forest growth1  
and that its syllables were intended in 
the scheme of things to blend with the  
woods noises1 just as the feathers of   
the mother partridge blend with the     
woods colours4 ,in general it is        
polysyllabic4 ,that applies especially  
to concepts borrowed of the white men4  
,on the other hand1 the ,ojibways       
describe in monosyllables many ideas we 
could express only in phrase4 ,they have
 a single word for the notion1          
,place-where-an-animal-slept-last-night4
 ,our lair1 form1 etc41 do not mean     
exactly that4 ,its genius1 moreover1    
inclines to a flexible verb-form1 by    
which adjectives and substantives are   
often absorbed into the verb itself1 so 
that one beautiful singing word will    
convey a whole paragraph of information4

 ,my little knowledge of it is so       
entirely empirical that it can possess  
small value4  ,in concluding these      
desultory remarks1 ,i want to tell you  
of a very curious survival among the    
,ojibways and ,ottawas of the ,georgian 
,bay4 ,it seems that some hundreds of   
years ago these ordinarily peaceful folk
 descended on the ,iroquois in what is  
now ,new ,york1 and massacred a village 
or so4 ,then1 like small boys who have  
thrown only too accurately at the       
delivery wagon1 they scuttled back home 
again4  ,since that time they have lived
 in deadly fear of retribution4 ,the    
,iroquois have long since disappeared   
from the face of the earth1 but even    
to-day the ,georgian ,bay ,indians are  
subject to periodical spasms of terror4 
,some wild-eyed and imaginative youth   
sees at sunset a canoe far down the     
horizon4 ,immediately the villages are  
abandoned in haste1 and the entire      
community moves up to the head-waters of
 streams1 there to lurk until convinced 

that all danger is past4 ,it does no    
good to tell these benighted savages    
that they are safe from vengeance1 at   
least in this world4 ,the dreaded name  
of ,iroquois is potent1 even across the 
centuries4     ,,xvii4  ,,the ,,catching
 ,,of ,a ,,certain ,,fish4   ,we settled
 down peacefully on the ,river1 and the 
weather1 after so much enmity1 was kind 
to us4 ,likewise did the flies disappear
 from the woods utterly4  ,each morning 
we arose as the ,red ,gods willed2      
generally early1 when the sun was just  
gilding the peaks to the westward2 but  
not too early1 before the white veil had
 left the ,river4 ,billy1 with          
woodsman's contempt for economy1 hewed  
great logs and burned them nobly in the 
cooking of trout1 oatmeal1 pancakes1 and
 the like4 ,we had constructed ourselves
 tables and benches between green trees1
 and there we ate4 ,and great was the   
eating beyond the official capacity of  
the human stomach4 ,there offered little
 things to do1 delicious little things  

just on the hither side of idleness4 ,a 
rod wrapping needed more waxed silk2 a  
favourite fly required attention to     
prevent dissolution2 the pistol was to  
be cleaned2 a flag-pole seemed          
desirable2 a trifle more of balsam could
 do no harm2 clothes might stand drying1
 blankets airing4 ,we accomplished these
 things leisurely1 pausing for the      
telling of stories1 for the puffing of  
pipes1 for the sheer joy of             
contemplations4 ,deerskin slipper       
moccasins and flapping trousers attested
 our deshabille4 ,and then somehow it   
was noon1 and ,billy again at the ,dutch
 oven and the broiler4  ,trout we ate1  
and always more trout4 ,big fellows     
broiled with strips of bacon craftily   
sewn in and out of the pink flesh2      
medium fellows cut into steaks2 little  
fellows fried crisp in corn-meal2 big1  
medium1 and little fellows mingled in   
component of the famous ,north ,country 
bouillon1 whose other ingredients are   
partridges1 and tomatoes1 and potatoes1 

and onions1 and salt pork1 and flour in 
combination delicious beyond belief4    
,nor ever did we tire of them1 three    
times a day1 printed statement to the   
contrary notwithstanding4 ,and besides  
were many crafty dishes over whose      
construction the major portion of       
morning idleness was spent4  ,now at two
 o'clock we groaned temporary little    
groans2 and crawled shrinking into our  
river clothes1 which we dared not hang  
too near the fire for fear of the       
disintegrating scorch1 and drew on soggy
 hobnailed shoes with holes cut in the  
bottom and plunged with howls of disgust
 into the upper riffles4 ,then the      
cautious leg-straddled passage of the   
swift current1 during which we forgot   
for ever--which eternity alone circles  
the bliss of an afternoon on the        
,river--the chill of the water1 and so  
came to the trail4  ,now1 at the        
,idiot's ,delight ,dick and ,i parted   
company4 ,by three o'clock ,i came again
 to the ,river1 far up1 halfway to the  

,big ,falls4 ,deuce watched me gravely4 
,with the first click of the reel he    
retired to the brush away from the back 
cast1 there to remain until the pool was
 fished and we could continue our       
journey4  ,in the swift leaping water1  
at the smooth back of the eddy1 in the  
white foam1 under the dark cliff shadow1
 here1 there1 everywhere the bright     
flies drop softly like strange          
snowflakes4 ,the game is as interesting 
as pistol-shooting4 ,to hit the mark1   
that is enough4 ,and then a swirl of    
water and a broad lazy tail wake you to 
the fact that other matters are yours4  
,verily the fish of the ,north ,country 
are mighty beyond all others4  ,over the
 ,river rests the sheen of light2 over  
the hills rests the sheen of romance4   
,the land is enchanted4 ,birds dip and  
sway1 advance and retreat2 leaves toss  
their hands in greeting1 or bend and    
whisper one to the other2 splashes of   
sun fall heavy as metal through the     
yielding screens of branches2 little    

breezes wander hesitatingly here and    
there to sink like spent kites on the   
nearest bar of sun-warmed shingle2 the  
stream shouts and gurgles1 murmurs1     
hushes1 lies still and secret as though 
to warn you to discretion1 breaks away  
with a shriek of hilarity when your     
discretion has been assured4 ,there is  
in you a great leisure1 as though the   
day would never end4 ,there is in you a 
great keenness4 ,one part of you is     
vibrantly alive4 ,your wrist muscles    
contract almost automatically at the    
swirl of a rise1 and the hum of life    
along the gossamer of your line gains   
its communication with every nerve in   
your body4 ,the question of gear and    
method you attack clear-minded4 ,what   
fly8 ,montreal1 ,parmachenee ,belle1    
,royal ,coachman1 ,silver ,doctor1      
,professor1 ,brown ,hackle1             
,cow-dung--these grand lures for the    
,north ,country trout receive each its  
due test and attention4 ,and on the tail
 snell what fisherman has not the       

,gamble--the unusual1 obscure1          
multinamed fly which may1 in the        
occultism of his taste1 attract the ,big
 ,fellows8 ,besides1 there remains      
always the handling4 ,does your trout   
to-day fancy the skittering of his food1
 or the withdrawal in three jerks1 or   
the inch-deep sinking of the fly8 ,does 
he want it across current or up current2
 will he rise with a snap1 or is he     
going to come slowly1 or is he going to 
play8 ,these be problems interesting1   
insistent to be solved1 with the ready  
test within the reach of your skill4    
,but that alertness is only one side of 
your mood4 ,no matter how difficult the 
selection1 how strenuous the fight1     
there is in you a large feeling that    
might almost be described as            
,buddhistic4 ,time has nothing to do    
with your problems4 ,the world has      
quietly run down1 and has been embalmed 
with all its sweetness of light and     
colour and sound in a warm ,lethe bath  
of sun4 ,this afternoon is going to last

 for ever4 ,you note and enjoy and      
savour the little pleasures unhurried by
 the thought that anything else1 whether
 of pleasure or duty1 is to follow4     
,and so for long delicious eons4 ,the   
,river flows on1 ever on2 the hills     
watch1 watch always2 the birds sing1 the
 sun shines grateful across your        
shoulders2 the big trout and the little 
rise in predestined order1 and make     
their predestined fight1 and go their   
predestined way either to liberty or the
 creel2 the pools and the rapids and the
 riffles slip by upstream as though they
 had been withdrawn rather than as      
though you had advanced4  ,then suddenly
 the day has dropped its wings4 ,the    
earth moves forward with a jar4 ,things 
are to be accomplished2 things are being
 accomplished4 ,the ,river is hurrying  
down to the ,lake2 the birds have       
business of their own to attend to1 an  
it please you2 the hills are waiting for
 something that has not yet happened1   
but they are ready4 ,startled1 you look 

up4 ,the afternoon has finished4 ,your  
last step has taken you over the edge of
 the shadow cast by the setting sun     
across the range of hills4  ,for the    
first time you look about you to see    
where you are4 ,it has not mattered     
before4 ,now you know that shortly it   
will be dark4 ,still remain below you   
four pools4 ,a great haste seizes you4  
,if ,i take my rod apart and strike     
through the woods1 you argue1 ,i can    
make the ,narrows1 and ,i am sure there 
is a big trout there4  ,why the ,narrows
 should be any more likely to contain a 
big trout than any of the other three   
pools you would not be able to explain4 
,in half an hour it will be dark4 ,you  
hurry4 ,in the forest it is already     
twilight1 but by now you know the forest
 well4 ,preoccupied1 feverish with your 
great idea1 you hasten on4 ,the birds1  
silent all in the brooding of night1    
rise ghostly to right and left4 ,shadows
 steal away like hostile spies among the
 treetrunks4 ,the silver of last        

daylight gleams ahead of you through the
 brush4 ,you know it for the ,narrows1  
whither the instinct of your eagerness  
has led you as accurately as a compass  
through the forest4  ,fervently1 as     
though this were of world's affairs the 
most important1 you congratulate        
yourself on being in time4 ,your rod    
seems to join itself4 ,in a moment the  
cast drops like a breath on the molten  
silver4 ,nothing4 ,another try a trifle 
lower down4 ,nothing4 ,a little         
wandering breeze spoils your fourth     
attempt1 carrying the leader far to the 
left4 ,curses1 deep and fervent4 ,the   
daylight is fading1 draining away4 ,a   
fifth cast falls forty feet out4 ,slowly
 you drag the flies across the current1 
reluctant to recover until the latest   
possible moment4 ,and so1 when your rod 
is foolishly upright1 your line slack1  
and your flies motionless1 there rolls  
slowly up and over the trout of trouts4 
,you see a broad side1 the whirl of a   
fantail that looks to you to be at least

 six inches across2 and the current     
slides on1 silver-like1 smooth1         
indifferent to the wild leap of your    
heart4  ,illustration3 ,,then ,,in ,,the
 ,,twilight ,,they ,,bathe4  ,like a    
crazy man you shorten your line4 ,six   
seconds later your flies fall skilfully 
just upstream from where last you saw   
that wonderful tail4  ,but six seconds  
may be a long1 long period of time4 ,you
 have feared and hoped and speculated   
and realized2 feared that the leviathan 
has pricked himself1 and so will not    
rise again2 hoped that his appearance   
merely indicated curiosity which he will
 desire further to satisfy2 speculated  
on whether your skill can drop the fly  
exactly on that spot1 as it must be     
dropped2 and realized that1 whatever be 
the truth as to all those fears and     
hopes and speculations1 this is         
irrevocably your last chance4  ,for an  
instant you allow the flies to drift    
downstream1 to be floated here and there
 by idle little eddies1 to be sucked    

down and spat out of tiny suction-holes4
 ,then cautiously you draw them across  
the surface of the waters4              
,thump--thump--thump--your heart slows  
up with disappointment4 ,then           
mysteriously1 like the stirring of the  
waters by some invisible hand1 the      
molten silver is broken in its          
smoothness4 ,the ,royal ,coachman       
quietly disappears4 ,with all the brakes
 shrieking on your desire to shut your  
eyes and heave a mighty heave1 you      
depress your butt and strike4  ,then in 
the twilight the battle4 ,no leisure is 
here1 only quivering1 intense1 agonized 
anxiety4 ,the affair transcends the     
moment4 ,purposes and necessities of    
untold ages have concentrated1 so that  
somehow back of your consciousness rest 
hosts of disembodied hopes1 tendencies1 
evolutionary progressions1 all          
breathless lest you prove unequal to the
 struggle for which they have been so   
long preparing4  ,responsibility--vast1 
vague1 formless--is yours4 ,only the    

fact that you are wholly occupied with  
the exigence of the moment prevents your
 understanding of what it is1 but it    
hovers dark and depressing behind your  
possible failure4 ,you must win4 ,this  
is no fish2 it is opportunity itself1   
and once gone it will never return4 ,the
 mysticism of lower dusk in the forest1 
of upper afterglow on the hills1 of the 
chill of evening waters and winds1 of   
the glint of strange phantoms under the 
darkness of cliffs1 of the whisperings  
and shoutings of ,things you are too    
busy to identify out in the gray of     
,north ,country awe--all these menace   
you with indeterminate dread4           
,knee-deep1 waist-deep1 swift water1    
slack water1 downstream1 upstream1 with 
red eyes straining into the dimness1    
with every muscle taut and every nerve  
quivering1 you follow the ripping of    
your line4 ,you have consecrated        
yourself to the uttermost4 ,the minutes 
stalk by you gigantic4 ,you are a stable
 pin-point in whirling phantasms4 ,and  

you are very little1 very small1 very   
inadequate among these ,titans of       
circumstance4  ,thrice he breaks water1 
a white and ghostly apparition from the 
deep4 ,your heart stops with your reel1 
and only resumes its office when again  
the line sings safely4 ,the darkness    
falls1 and with it1 like the mysterious 
strength of ,sir ,gareth's opponent1    
falls the power of your adversary4 ,his 
rushes shorten4 ,the blown world of your
 uncertainty shrinks to the normal4     
,from the haze of your consciousness1 as
 through a fog1 loom the old familiar   
forest1 and the hills1 and the ,river4  
,slowly you creep from that strange     
enchanted land4 ,the sullen trout       
yields4 ,in all gentleness you float him
 within reach of your net4 ,quietly1    
breathlessly you walk ashore1 and over  
the beach1 and yet an unnecessary       
hundred feet from the water lest he     
retain still a flop4 ,then you lay him  
upon the stones and lift up your heart  
in rejoicing4  ,how you get to camp you 

never clearly know4 ,exultation lifts   
your feet4 ,wings1 wings1 ,o ye ,red    
,gods1 wings to carry the body whither  
the spirit hath already soared1 and     
stooped1 and circled back in impatience 
to see why still the body lingers6      
,ordinarily you can cross the riffles   
above the ,halfway ,pool only with      
caution and prayer and a stout staff    
craftily employed4 ,this night you      
can--and do--splash across hand-free1 as
 recklessly as you would wade a little  
brook4 ,there is no stumble in you1 for 
you have done a great deed1 and the ,red
 ,gods are smiling4  ,through the trees 
glows a light1 and in the centre of that
 light are leaping flames1 and in the   
circle of that light stand1 rough-hewn  
in orange1 the tent and the table and   
the waiting figures of your companions4 
,you stop short1 and swallow hard1 and  
saunter into camp as one indifferent4   
,carelessly you toss aside your         
creel--into the darkest corner1 as      
though it were unimportant--nonchalantly

 you lean your rod against the slant of 
your tent1 wearily you seat yourself and
 begin to draw off your drenched        
garments4 ,billy bends toward the fire4 
,dick gets you your dry clothes4 ,nobody
 says anything1 for everybody is hungry4
 ,no one asks you any questions1 for on 
the ,river you get in almost any time of
 night4  ,finally1 as you are hanging   
your wet things near the fire1 you      
inquire casually over your shoulder1--  
,dick1 have any luck8  ,dick tells you4 
,you listen with apparent interest4 ,he 
has caught a three-pounder4 ,he         
describes the spot and the method and   
the struggle4 ,he is very much pleased4 
,you pity him4  ,the three of you eat   
supper1 lots of supper4 ,billy arises   
first1 filling his pipe4 ,he hangs water
 over the fire for the dish-washing4    
,you and ,dick sit hunched on a log1    
blissfully happy in the moments of      
digestion1 ruminative1 watching the     
blaze4 ,the tobacco smoke eddies and    
sucks upward to join the wood smoke4    

,billy moves here and there in the      
fulfilment of his simple tasks1 casting 
his shadow wavering and gigantic against
 the fire-lit trees4 ,by-and-by he has  
finished4 ,he gathers up the straps of  
,dick's creel1 and turns to the shadow  
for your own4 ,he is going to clean the 
fish4 ,it is the moment you have watched
 for4 ,you shroud yourself in profound  
indifference4  ,sacr6 shrieks ,billy4   
,you do not even turn your head4        
,jumping giraffes6 why1 it's a whale6   
cries ,dick4  ,you roll a blas eye in   
their direction1 as though such puerile 
enthusiasm wearies you4  ,yes1 it's     
quite a little fish1 you concede4  ,they
 swarm down upon you1 demanding         
particulars4 ,these you accord          
laconically1 a word at a time1 in answer
 to direct question1 between puffs of   
smoke4  ,at the ,narrows4 ,royal        
,coachman4 ,just before ,i came in4     
,pretty fair fight4 ,just at the edge of
 the eddy4 ,and so on4 ,but your soul   
glories4  ,the tape-line is brought out4

 ,twenty-nine inches it records4 ,holy  
smoke1 what a fish6 ,your air implies   
that you will probably catch three more 
just like him on the morrow4 ,dick and  
,billy make tracings of him on the birch
 bark4 ,you retain your lofty calm3 but 
inside you are little quivers of        
rapture4 ,and when you awake1 late in   
the night1 you are conscious1 first of  
all1 that you are happy1 happy1 happy1  
all through2 and only when the drowse   
drains away do you remember why4        
,,xviii4  ,,man ,,who ,,walks ,,by      
,,moonlight4   ,we had been joined on   
the ,river by friends4 ,doug1 who never 
fished more than forty rods from camp1  
and was always inventing water-gauges1  
patent indicators1 and other things1 and
 who wore in his soft slouch hat so many
 brilliant trout flies that he          
irresistibly reminded you of            
flower-decked ,ophelia2 ,dinnis1 who was
 large and good-natured1 and bubbling   
and popular2 ,johnny1 whose wide eyes   
looked for the first time on the        

woods-life1 and whose awe-struck soul   
concealed itself behind assumptions2    
,jim1 six feet tall and three feet      
broad1 with whom the season before ,i   
had penetrated to ,hudson ,bay2 and     
finally1 ,doc1 tall1 granite1           
experienced1 the best fisherman that    
ever hit the river4 ,with these were    
,indians4 ,buckshot1 a little ,indian   
with a good knowledge of ,english2      
,johnnie ,challn1 a half-breed ,indian1 
ugly1 furtive1 an efficient man about   
camp2 and ,tawabinisy himself4 ,this was
 an honour due to the presence of ,doc4 
,tawabinisy approved of ,doc4 ,that was 
all there was to say about it4  ,after a
 few days1 inevitably the question of   
,kawgama came up4 ,billy1 ,johnnie      
,challn1 and ,buckshot squatted in a    
semi-circle1 and drew diagrams in the   
soft dirt with a stick4 ,tawabinisy sat 
on a log and overlooked the proceedings4
 ,finally he spoke4  ,tawabinisy 7they  
always gave him his full title2 we      
called him ,tawb7 tell me lake you find 

he no ,kawgama1 translated ,buckshot4   
,he called ,black ,beaver ,lake4  ,ask  
him if he'll take us to ,kawgama1 ,i    
requested4  ,tawabinisy looked very     
doubtful4  ,come on1 ,tawb1 urged ,doc1 
nodding at him vigorously4 ,don't be a  
clam4 ,we won't take anybody else up    
there4  ,the ,indian probably did not   
comprehend the words1 but he liked ,doc4
  ,a'-right1 he pronounced laboriously4 
,buckshot explained to us his plans4    
,tawabinisy tell me1 said he1 he don'   
been to ,kawgama seven year4 ,to-morrow 
he go blaze trail4 ,nex' day we go4     
,how would it be if one or two of us    
went with him to-morrow to see how he   
does it8 asked ,jim4  ,buckshot looked  
at us strangely4  ,i don't want to      
follow him1 he replied1 with a          
significant simplicity4 ,he run like a  
deer4  ,buckshot1 said ,i1 pursuing the 
inevitable linguistics1 what does       
,kawgama mean8  ,buckshot thought for   
quite two minutes4 ,then he drew a      
semicircle4  ,w'at you call dat8 he     

asked4  ,crescent1 like moon8           
half-circle8 horseshoe8 bow8 we         
proposed4  ,buckshot shook his head at  
each suggestion4 ,he made a wriggling   
mark1 then a wide sweep1 then a loop4   
,all dose1 said he1 w'at you call him8  
,curve6 we cried4  h hah1 assented      
,buckshot1 satisfied4  ,buckshot1 we    
went on1 what does ,tawabinisy mean8    
,man-who-travels-by-moonlight1 he       
replied promptly4  ,the following       
morning ,tawabinisy departed1 carrying a
 lunch and a hand-axe4 ,at four o'clock 
he was back1 sitting on a log and       
smoking a pipe4 ,in the meantime we had 
made up our party4  ,tawabinisy himself 
had decided that the two half-breeds    
must stay at home4 ,he wished to share  
his secret only with his own tribesmen4 
,the fiat grieved ,billy1 for behold he 
had already put in much time on this    
very search1 and naturally desired to be
 in at the finish4 ,dick1 too1 wanted to
 go1 but him we decided too young and   
light for a fast march4 ,dinnis had to  

leave the ,river in a day or so2        
,johnnie was a little doubtful as to the
 tramp1 although he concealed his       
doubt--at least to his own              
satisfaction--under a variety of        
excuses4 ,jim and ,doc would go1 of     
course4 ,there remained ,doug4  ,we     
found that individual erecting a rack of
 many projecting arms--like a ,greek    
warrior's trophy--at the precise spot   
where the first rays of the morning sun 
would strike it4 ,on the projecting arms
 he purposed hanging his wet clothes4   
,doug1 said we1 do you want to go to    
,kawgama to-morrow8  ,doug turned on us 
a sardonic eye4 ,he made no direct      
answer1 but told the following story3-- 
,once upon a time ,judge ,carter was    
riding through a rural district in      
,virginia4 ,he stopped at a negro's     
cabin to get his direction4  ',uncle1'  
said he1 'can you direct me to ,colonel 
,thompson's8'  ',yes1 sah1' replied the 
negro2 'yo' goes down this yah road     
'bout two mile till yo' comes to an ol' 

ailm tree1 and then yo' tu'us sha'p to  
th' right down a lane fo' 'bout a       
qua'ter of a mile4 ,thah you sees a big 
white house4 ,yo' wants to go through   
th' ya'd1 to a paf that takes you a     
spell to a gate4 ,yo' follows that road 
to th' lef till yo' comes to three roads
 goin' up a hill2 and1 jedge1 it don'   
mattah which one of them thah roads yo' 
take1 yo' gets lost surer 'n hell       
anyway6'  ,then ,doug turned placidly   
back to the construction of his trophy4 
,we interpreted this as an answer1 and  
made up an outfit for five4  ,the       
following morning at six o'clock we were
 under way4 ,johnnie ,challn ferried us 
across the river in two instalments4 ,we
 waved our hands and plunged through the
 brush screen4  ,thenceforth it was walk
 half an hour1 rest five minutes1 with  
almost the regularity of clockwork4 ,we 
timed the ,indians secretly1 and found  
they varied by hardly a minute from     
absolute fidelity to this schedule4 ,we 
had at first1 of course1 to gain the    

higher level of the hills1 but          
,tawabinisy had the day before picked   
out a route that mounted as easily as   
the country would allow1 and through a  
hardwood forest free of underbrush4     
,briefly indicated1 our way led first   
through the big trees and up the hills1 
then behind a great cliff knob into a   
creek valley1 through a quarter-mile of 
bottom-land thicket1 then by an open    
strip to the first little lake4 ,this we
 ferried by means of the bark canoe     
carried on the shoulders of ,tawabinisy4
  ,in the course of the morning we thus 
passed four lakes4 ,throughout the      
entire distance to ,kawgama were the    
fresh axe-blazes the ,indian had made   
the day before4 ,these were neither so  
frequent nor as plainly cut as a white  
man's trail1 but each represented a     
pause long enough for the clip of an    
axe4 ,in addition the trail had been    
made passable for a canoe4 ,that meant  
the cutting out of overhanging branches 
wherever they might catch the bow of the

 craft4 ,in the thicket a little road   
had been cleared1 and the brush had been
 piled on either side4 ,to an           
unaccustomed eye it seemed the work of  
two days at least4 ,yet ,tawabinisy had 
picked out his route1 cleared and marked
 it thus1 skirted the shores of the     
lakes we were able to traverse in the   
canoe1 and had returned to the ,river in
 less time than we consumed in merely   
reaching the ,lake itself6 ,truly1 as   
,buckshot said1 he must have run like a 
deer4  ,tawabinisy has a delightful grin
 which he displays when pleased or      
good-humoured or puzzled or interested  
or comprehending1 just as a dog sneezes 
and wrinkles up his nose in like case4  
,he is essentially kind-hearted4 ,if he 
likes you and approves of you1 he tries 
to teach you1 to help you1 to show you  
things4 ,but he never offers to do any  
part of your work1 and on the march he  
never looks back to see if you are      
keeping up4 ,you can shout at him until 
you are black in the face1 but never    

will he pause until rest-time4 ,then he 
squats on his heels1 lights his pipe1   
and grins4  ,buckshot adored him4 ,this 
opportunity of travelling with him was  
an epoch4 ,he drank in eagerly the brief
 remarks of his old man1 and detailed   
them to us with solemnity1 prefaced     
always by his ,tawabinisy tell me4      
,buckshot is of the better class of     
,indian himself1 but occasionally he is 
puzzled by the woods-noises4 ,tawabinisy
 never4 ,as we cooked lunch1 we heard   
the sound of steady footsteps in the    
forest--pat2 then a pause2 then pat2    
just like a deer browsing4 ,to make sure
 ,i inquired of ,buckshot4  ,what is it8
  ,buckshot listened a moment4  ,deer1  
said he decisively2 then1 not because he
 doubted his own judgment1 but from     
habitual deference1 he turned to where  
,tawabinisy was frying things4  ,qwaw8  
he inquired4  ,tawabinisy never even    
looked up4  ,adj-domo 7squirrel71 said  
he4  ,we looked at each other           
incredulously4 ,it sounded like a deer4 

,it did not sound in the least like a   
squirrel4 ,an experienced ,indian had   
pronounced it a deer4 ,nevertheless it  
was a squirrel4  ,we approached ,kawgama
 by way of a gradual slope clothed with 
a beautiful beech and maple forest whose
 trees were the tallest of those species
 ,i have ever seen4 ,ten minutes brought
 us to the shore4 ,there was no abrupt  
bursting in on ,kawgama through screens 
of leaves2 we entered leisurely to her  
presence by way of an ante-chamber whose
 spaciousness permitted no vulgar       
surprises4 ,after a time we launched our
 canoe from a natural dock afforded by a
 cedar root1 and so stood ready to cross
 to our permanent camp4 ,but first we   
drew our knives and erased from a giant 
birch the half-grown-over name of the   
banker ,clement4  ,there seems to me    
little use in telling you that ,kawgama 
is about four miles long by a mile wide1
 is shaped like a crescent1 and lies in 
a valley surrounded by high hills2 nor  
that its water is so transparent that   

the bottom is visible until it fades    
into the sheer blackness of depth2 nor  
that it is alive with trout2 nor that   
its silence is the silence of a vast    
solitude1 so that always1 even at       
daybreak or at high midday1 it seems to 
be late afternoon4 ,that would convey   
little to you4 ,i will inform you quite 
simply that ,kawgama is a very beautiful
 specimen of the wilderness lake2 that  
it is as the ,lord made it2 and that we 
had a good time4  ,did you ever fish    
with the fly from a birch-bark canoe on 
absolutely still water8 ,you do not seem
 to move4 ,but far below you1 gliding1  
silent1 ghostlike1 the bottom slips     
beneath4 ,like a weather-vane in an     
imperceptible current of air1 your bow  
turns to right or left in apparent      
obedience to the mere will of your      
companion4 ,and the flies drop softly   
like down4 ,then the silence becomes    
sacred4 ,you whisper--although there is 
no reason for your whispering2 you move 
cautiously1 lest your reel scrape the   

gunwale4 ,an inadvertent click of the   
paddle is a profanation4 ,the only      
creatures in all ,god's world possessing
 the right to utter aloud a single      
syllable are the loon1 far away1 and the
 winter wren1 near at hand4 ,even the   
trout fight grimly1 without noise1 their
 white bodies flashing far down in the  
dimness4  ,hour after hour we stole here
 and there like conspirators4 ,where    
showed the circles of a fish's rise1    
thither crept we to drop a fly on their 
centre as in the bull's-eye of a target4
 ,the trout seemed to linger near their 
latest capture1 so often we would catch 
one exactly where we had seen him break 
water some little time before4 ,in this 
was the charm of the still hunt4 ,shoal 
water1 deep water1 it seemed all the    
same to our fortunes4 ,the lake was full
 of fish1 and beautiful fish they were1 
with deep1 glowing bronze bellies1 and  
all of from a pound to a pound and a    
half in weight4 ,the lake had not been  
fished4 ,probably somewhere in those    

black depths over one of the bubbling   
spring-holes that must feed so cold and 
clear a body of water1 are big fellows  
lying1 and probably the crafty minnow or
 spoon might lure them out4 ,but we were
 satisfied with our game4  ,at other    
times we paddled here and there in      
exploration of coves1 inlets1 and a tiny
 little brook that flowed westward from 
a reed marsh to join another river      
running parallel to our own4  ,the      
,indians had erected a huge lean-to of  
birch bark1 from the ribs of which hung 
clothes and the little bags of food4    
,the cooking-fire was made in front of  
it between two giant birch trees4 ,at   
evening the light and heat reflected    
strongly beneath the shelter1 leaving   
the forest in impenetrable darkness4 ,to
 the very edge of mystery crowded the   
strange woods noises1 the eerie         
influences of the night1 like wolves    
afraid of the blaze4 ,we felt them      
hovering1 vague1 huge1 dreadful1 just   
outside the circle of safety our fire   

had traced about us4 ,the cheerful      
flames were dancing familiars who       
cherished for us the home feeling in the
 middle of a wilderness4  ,two days we  
lingered1 then took the back track4 ,a  
little after noon we arrived at the     
camp1 empty save for ,johnnie ,challn4  
,towards dark the fishermen straggled   
in4 ,time had been paid them in familiar
 coinage4 ,they had demanded only       
accustomed toll of the days1 but we had 
returned laden with strange and         
glittering memories4     ,,xix4         
,,apologia4   ,the time at last arrived 
for departure4  ,deep laden were the    
canoes2 heavy laden were we4 ,the       
,indians shot away down the current4 ,we
 followed for the last time the dim     
blazed trail1 forded for the last time  
the shallows of the river4 ,at the      
,burned ,rock ,pool we caught our lunch 
fish from the ranks of leviathans4 ,then
 the trodden way of the ,fur ,trail1    
worn into a groove so deep and a surface
 so smooth that vegetation has left it  

as bare as ever1 though the ,post has   
been abandoned these many years4 ,at    
last the scrub spruce1 and the sandy    
soil1 and the blue1 restless waters of  
the ,great ,lake4 ,with the appearance  
of the fish-tug early the following day 
the summer ended4  ,how often have ,i   
ruminated in the long marches the       
problem of the ,forest6 ,subtle she is1 
and mysterious1 and gifted with a charm 
that lures4 ,vast she is1 and dreadful1 
so that man bows before her fiercer     
moods1 a little thing4 ,gentle she is1  
and kindly1 so that she denies nothing1 
whether of the material or spiritual1 to
 those of her chosen who will seek4     
,august she is1 and yet of a homely1    
sprightly gentleness4 ,variable she is  
in her many moods4 ,night1 day1 sun1    
cloud1 rain1 snow1 wind1 lend to her    
their best of warmth and cold1 of       
comfort and awe1 of peace and of many   
shoutings1 and she accepts them1 but yet
 remains greater and more enduring than 
they4 ,in her is all the sweetness of   

little things4 ,murmurs of water and of 
breeze1 faint odours1 wandering streams 
of tepid air1 stray bird-songs in       
fragment as when a door is opened and   
closed1 the softness of moss1 the       
coolness of shade1 the glimpse of occult
 affairs in the woods life1 accompany   
her as ,titania her court4 ,how to      
express these things2 how to fix on     
paper in a record1 as one would describe
 the ,capitol at ,washington1 what the  
,forest is--that is what ,i have asked  
myself often1 and that is what ,i have  
never yet found out4  ,this is the      
wisdom reflection has taught4 ,one      
cannot imprison the ocean in a vial of  
sea-water2 one cannot imprison the      
,forest inside the covers of a book4    
,there remains the second best4 ,i have 
thought that perhaps if ,i were to      
attempt a series of detached            
impressions1 without relation1 without  
sequence2 if ,i were to suggest a little
 here the beauty of a moon-beam1 there  
the humour of a rainstorm1 at the last  

you might1 by dint of imagination and   
sympathy1 get some slight feeling of    
what the great woods are4 ,it is the    
method of the painter4 ,perhaps it may  
suffice4  ,for this reason let no old   
camper look upon this volume as a       
treatise on woodcraft4 ,woodcraft there 
is in it1 just as there is woodcraft in 
the ,forest itself1 but much of the     
simplest and most obvious does not      
appear4 ,the painter would not depict   
every twig1 as would the naturalist4    
,equally it cannot be considered a book 
of travel nor of description4 ,the story
 is not consecutive2 the adventures not 
exciting2 the landscape not denned4     
,perhaps it may be permitted to call it 
a book of suggestion4 ,often on the     
street we have had opened to us by the  
merest sketches of incident limitless   
vistas of memory4 ,a momentary pose of  
the head of a passer-by1 a chance word1 
the breath of a faint perfume--these    
bring back to us the entirety of        
forgotten scenes4 ,some of these essays 

may perform a like office for you4 ,i   
cannot hope to give you the ,forest4    
,but perhaps a word or a sentence1 an   
incident1 an impression1 may quicken    
your imagination1 so that through no    
conscious direction of my own the wonder
 of the ,forest may fill you1 as the    
mere sight of a conch-shell will        
sometimes till you with the wonder of   
the sea4     ,,suggestions ,,for        
,,outfit4   ,in reply to inquiries as to
 necessary outfit for camping and       
woods-travelling1 the author furnishes  
the following lists3--  #a4 ,provisions 
per man1 one week4  #g lbs4 flour2 #e   
lbs4 pork2 #a-e lb4 tea2 #b lbs4 beans2 
#a #a-b lbs4 sugar2 #a #a-b lbs4 rice2  
#a #a-b lbs4 prunes and raisins2 #a-a-b 
lb4 lard2 #a lb4 oatmeal2 baking-powder2
 matches2 soap2 pepper2 salt2 #a-c lb4  
tobacco--7weight1 a little over #bj     
lbs474 ,this will last much longer if   
you get game and fish4  #b4 ,pack one1  
or absolute necessities for hard trip4  
,wear hat2 suit woollen underwear2      

shirt2 trousers2 socks2 silk            
handkerchief2 cotton handkerchief2      
moccasins4  ,carry sweater 7#c lbs472   
extra drawers 7#a #a-b lbs472 #b extra  
pairs socks2 gloves 7buckskin72 towel2  
#b extra pairs moccasins2 surgeon's     
plaster2 laxative2 pistol and           
cartridges2 fishing-tackle2 blanket 7#g 
#a-b lbs472 rubber blanket 7#a lb472    
tent 7#h lbs472 small axe 7#b #a-b      
lbs472 knife2 mosquito-dope2 compass2   
match-box2 tooth-brush2 comb2 small     
whetstone--7weight1 about #be lbs472 #b 
tin or aluminium pails2 #a frying-pan2  
#a cup2 #a knife1 fork1 and             
spoon--7weight1 #d lbs4 if of           
aluminium74  ,whole pack under #ej lbs4 
,in case of two or more people1 each    
pack would be lighter1 as tent1 tinware1
 etc41 would do for both4  #c4 ,pack    
two--for luxuries and easy trips--extra 
to pack one4  ,more fishing-tackle2     
camera2 #a more pair socks2 #a more suit
 underclothes2 extra sweater2           
wading-shoes of canvas2 large axe2      

mosquito net2 mending materials2 kettle2
 candles2 more cooking-utensils2 extra  
shirt2 whisky4   ,,the ,,end4