Canoeing in the wilderness

how I spent the Sunday when at home. I told him that I commonly sat in my chamber reading, etc., in the

u spend it

church at Oldtown when he was at home; in sho

he lakes, many fishes came close up

tant. This carry is a rude wooden railroad running north and south about two miles, perfectly straight, from the lake to the Penobscot through a low tract, with a clearing three or four rods wide. This opening appeared as a clear bright, or light, point in the horizon,

for conversation. The Indian said that he had got his money by hunting, mostly high up the West Branch of the Penobscot, and toward the head of the St. John. He had hunted there from a boy, and knew all about that region. His game had

lemn bear-haunted mountains with their great wooded slopes were visible. The Indian said

"I can tell g

hill or mountain on the eastern shore; "great difference between the north and south; see where th

swering vaguely, in a mysterious or drawling tone, "bare locks on lake shore-great d

re into the middle of the woods a hundred miles, set you down, and tur

very good hunter. He said he could go anywhere in the woods. He wanted to hunt with me that day, so we start. We chase a moose

t do that. I don'

think camp

the lead and go right off the other way, c

u do that?

replied. "Great differenc

instinct in the animal in this case is merely a sharpened and educated sense. Often, when an Indian says, "I don't know," in regard to the route he is to take, he does not mean what a white man would by those words, for his Indian instinct may tell him still as much as t

e wind, or by the limbs of the hemlocks, which were largest on the south side; also sometimes, when he knew that t

t any rate it would have been dangerous now to alter our course, because the waves would have struck us at an advantage. It will not do to meet them at right angles, for then they will wash in both sides, but you must take them quartering. So the Indian stood up in the canoe and exerted all his skill and strength for a mile or two, while I paddled right along in order to give him more steerage-way. For more than a mile he did not allow a single wave to strike the canoe as it would, but turned it quickly from this side to that, so tha

his head bottom up, this shingle, with its rounded end uppermost, distributed the weight over his shoulders and head, while a band of cedar bark, tied to the crossbar on each side of the shingle, passed round his breast, and another longer one, outside of the last, round his forehead; also a hand on each side rail served to steer the canoe and keep it from rocking. He thus carried it with his shoulders, head, breast, forehead, and both hands, as if the upper part of his body

the carries were an agreeable variety, and we improved the opportunity t

e, taken in the river a fortnight before, confined in a sort of cage of logs piled up cob-fashion, seven or eight feet high. It was quite tame, about four feet high, and covered with moose flies. There was a large quan

t from high lands or mountains. The St. Francis Indians thought that white spru

he expressed great doubt of it; at any rate he tho

afterward saw many more thus tall along this stream, and on the East Branch. The Indian said that the roots were good for soup, that is, to cook with meat, to thicken it, taking the place o

rough the tree-tops a thunder-shower coming up in the west, and

run up the bank to see if there were open and level space enough for the camp between the trees, or if it could be easily cleared, preferring at the same time a cool place, on account of insects. Sometimes we paddled a mile or more before finding one to our minds, for where the shore wa

end to lie. It matters not, commonly, on which side this is, because there is little or no wind in so dense a wood at that seas

l large logs to last through the night, also a green stake, with a notch or fork to it, which is slanted over the f

in the Strea

twigs, arbor-vit?, spruce, or hemlock, whichever is at hand, and makes the bed, beginning at either end, and laying the twigs wrong side

this sitting on the ground, or a stump, around a large piece of birch bark for a table, each holding a dipper in one hand and a piece of s

nned by those who have them, and we hastily examine and

re's rarely any time to spare, hardly enough to examin

nct supply-road, running along the river. What is called a road there shows no ruts or trace of wheels, for they are not used; nor, indeed, of runners, since th

roof was going to be in this excursion. Though the violence of the rain forced a fine shower through the cloth before it was fairly wetted and shrunk, with which we were well bedewed

e pushed up this a rod or two, but were soon driven off by the mosquitoes. While there we heard the Indian fire his gun twice in rapid succession. His object was to clean out and dry it after the rain, and he then loaded it with ball, being now on ground where he expected to meet with large game. This sudde

amp, that the smoke might drive through and keep out the mosquitoes, but just bef