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diff --git a/42500.txt b/42500.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1240144..0000000 --- a/42500.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11173 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Maine Woods, by Henry David Thoreau - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Maine Woods - The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, Volume III (of 20) - - -Author: Henry David Thoreau - - - -Release Date: April 9, 2013 [eBook #42500] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MAINE WOODS*** - - -E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42500-h.htm or 42500-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42500/42500-h/42500-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42500/42500-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/writingsofhenryd03thorrich - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -The Writings of Henry David Thoreau - -In Twenty Volumes - -VOLUME III - -Manuscript Edition -Limited to Six Hundred Copies -Number ---- - - - [Illustration: _Snowberry_ (_page 227_)] - - [Illustration: _Moosehead Lake, from Mount Kineo_] - - -The Writings of Henry David Thoreau - -THE MAINE WOODS - - - - - - - -Boston and New York -Houghton Mifflin and Company -MDCCCCVI - -Copyright 1864 by Ticknor and Fields -Copyright 1892, 1893, and 1906 by Houghton, Mifflin & Co. - -All rights reserved - - - - -CONTENTS - - - INTRODUCTORY NOTE ix - - KTAADN 3 - - CHESUNCOOK 93 - - THE ALLEGASH AND EAST BRANCH 174 - - APPENDIX - - I. TREES 329 - - II. FLOWERS AND SHRUBS 330 - - III. LIST OF PLANTS 335 - - IV. LIST OF BIRDS 347 - - V. QUADRUPEDS 349 - - VI. OUTFIT FOR AN EXCURSION 350 - - VII. A LIST OF INDIAN WORDS 351 - - INDEX 359 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - SNOWBERRY, _Carbon photograph_ (_page 227_) _Frontispiece_ - - MOOSEHEAD LAKE, FROM MOUNT KINEO, _Colored plate_ - - MAINE WILDERNESS 88 - - PINE TREE, BOAR MOUNTAIN 134 - - SQUAW MOUNTAIN, MOOSEHEAD LAKE 184 - - MOOSEHEAD LAKE, FROM MOUNT KINEO 194 - - MOUNT KINEO CLIFF 298 - - - - -INTRODUCTORY NOTE - - -The Maine Woods was the second volume collected from his writings -after Thoreau's death. Of the material which composed it, the first -two divisions were already in print. "Ktaadn and the Maine Woods" was -the title of a paper printed in 1848 in _The Union Magazine_, and -"Chesuncook" was published in _The Atlantic Monthly_ in 1858. The book -was edited by his friend William Ellery Channing. - -It was during his second summer at Walden that Thoreau made his first -visit to the Maine woods. It was probably in response to a request -from Horace Greeley that he wrote out the narrative from his journal, -for Mr. Greeley had shown himself eager to help Thoreau in putting his -wares on the market. In a letter to Emerson, January 12, 1848, Thoreau -writes: "I read a part of the story of my excursion to Ktaadn to quite -a large audience of men and boys, the other night, whom it interested. -It contains many facts and some poetry." He offered the paper to -Greeley at the end of March, and on the 17th of April Greeley -responded: "I inclose you $25 for your article on Maine scenery, as -promised. I know it is worth more, though I have not yet found time to -read it; but I have tried once to sell it without success. It is -rather long for my columns, and too fine for the million; but I -consider it a cheap bargain, and shall print it myself if I do not -dispose of it to better advantage. You will not, of course, consider -yourself under any sort of obligation to me, for my offer was in the -way of business, and I have got more than the worth of my money." But -this generous, high-minded friend was thinking of Thoreau's business, -not his own, for in October of the same year he writes, "I break a -silence of some duration to inform you that I hope on Monday to -receive payment for your glorious account of 'Ktaadn and the Maine -Woods,' which I bought of you at a Jew's bargain and sold to _The -Union Magazine_. I am to get $75 for it, and as I don't choose to -_exploiter_ you at such a rate, I shall insist on inclosing you $25 -more in this letter, which will still leave me $25 to pay various -charges and labors I have incurred in selling your articles and -getting paid for them,--the latter by far the most difficult portion -of the business." - -The third of Thoreau's excursions in the Maine woods was made very -largely for the purpose of studying Indian life and character in the -person of his guide. He had all his life been interested in the -Indians, and Mr. Sanborn tells us--what is also evident from his -journal--that it was his purpose to expand his studies into a separate -work on the subject, for which he had collected a considerable amount -of material from books as well as from his own observations. After his -return from the Allegash and East Branch he wrote as follows to Mr. -Blake under date of August 18, 1857: "I have now returned, and think I -have had a quite profitable journey, chiefly from associating with an -intelligent Indian.... Having returned, I flatter myself that the -world appears in some respects a little larger, and not as usual -smaller and shallower for having extended my range. I have made a -short excursion into the new world which the Indian dwells in, or is. -He begins where we leave off. It is worth the while to detect new -faculties in man, he is so much the more divine; and anything that -fairly excites our admiration expands us. The Indian who can find his -way so wonderfully in the woods possesses so much intelligence which -the white man does not, and it increases my own capacity as well as -faith to observe it. I rejoice to find that intelligence flows in -other channels than I knew. It redeems for me portions of what seemed -brutish before. It is a great satisfaction to find that your oldest -convictions are permanent. With regard to essentials I have never had -occasion to change my mind. The aspect of the world varies from year -to year as the landscape is differently clothed, but I find that the -_truth_ is still _true_, and I never regret any emphasis which it may -have inspired. Ktaadn is there still, but much more surely my old -conviction is there, resting with more than mountain breadth and -weight on the world, the source still of fertilizing streams, and -affording glorious views from its summit if I can get up to it again." - - - - -THE MAINE WOODS - - - - -KTAADN - - -On the 31st of August, 1846, I left Concord in Massachusetts for -Bangor and the backwoods of Maine, by way of the railroad and -steamboat, intending to accompany a relative of mine, engaged in the -lumber trade in Bangor, as far as a dam on the West Branch of the -Penobscot, in which property he was interested. From this place, which -is about one hundred miles by the river above Bangor, thirty miles -from the Houlton military road, and five miles beyond the last log -hut, I proposed to make excursions to Mount Ktaadn, the second highest -mountain in New England, about thirty miles distant, and to some of -the lakes of the Penobscot, either alone or with such company as I -might pick up there. It is unusual to find a camp so far in the woods -at that season, when lumbering operations have ceased, and I was glad -to avail myself of the circumstance of a gang of men being employed -there at that time in repairing the injuries caused by the great -freshet in the spring. The mountain may be approached more easily and -directly on horseback and on foot from the northeast side, by the -Aroostook road, and the Wassataquoik River; but in that case you see -much less of the wilderness, none of the glorious river and lake -scenery, and have no experience of the batteau and the boatman's life. -I was fortunate also in the season of the year, for in the summer -myriads of black flies, mosquitoes, and midges, or, as the Indians -call them, "no-see-ems," make traveling in the woods almost -impossible; but now their reign was nearly over. - -Ktaadn, whose name is an Indian word signifying highest land, was -first ascended by white men in 1804. It was visited by Professor J. W. -Bailey of West Point in 1836; by Dr. Charles T. Jackson, the State -Geologist, in 1837; and by two young men from Boston in 1845. All -these have given accounts of their expeditions. Since I was there, two -or three other parties have made the excursion, and told their -stories. Besides these, very few, even among backwoodsmen and hunters, -have ever climbed it, and it will be a long time before the tide of -fashionable travel sets that way. The mountainous region of the State -of Maine stretches from near the White Mountains, northeasterly one -hundred and sixty miles, to the head of the Aroostook River, and is -about sixty miles wide. The wild or unsettled portion is far more -extensive. So that some hours only of travel in this direction will -carry the curious to the verge of a primitive forest, more -interesting, perhaps, on all accounts, than they would reach by going -a thousand miles westward. - -The next forenoon, Tuesday, September 1, I started with my companion -in a buggy from Bangor for "up river," expecting to be overtaken the -next day night at Mattawamkeag Point, some sixty miles off, by two -more Bangoreans, who had decided to join us in a trip to the mountain. -We had each a knapsack or bag filled with such clothing and articles -as were indispensable, and my companion carried his gun. - -Within a dozen miles of Bangor we passed through the villages of -Stillwater and Oldtown, built at the falls of the Penobscot, which -furnish the principal power by which the Maine woods are converted -into lumber. The mills are built directly over and across the river. -Here is a close jam, a hard rub, at all seasons; and then the once -green tree, long since white, I need not say as the driven snow, but -as a driven log, becomes lumber merely. Here your inch, your two and -your three inch stuff begin to be, and Mr. Sawyer marks off those -spaces which decide the destiny of so many prostrate forests. Through -this steel riddle, more or less coarse, is the arrowy Maine forest, -from Ktaadn and Chesuncook, and the head-waters of the St. John, -relentlessly sifted, till it comes out boards, clapboards, laths, and -shingles such as the wind can take, still, perchance, to be slit and -slit again, till men get a size that will suit. Think how stood the -white pine tree on the shore of Chesuncook, its branches soughing with -the four winds, and every individual needle trembling in the -sunlight,--think how it stands with it now,--sold, perchance, to the -New England Friction-Match Company! There were in 1837, as I read, two -hundred and fifty sawmills on the Penobscot and its tributaries above -Bangor, the greater part of them in this immediate neighborhood, and -they sawed two hundred millions of feet of boards annually. To this is -to be added the lumber of the Kennebec, Androscoggin, Saco, -Passamaquoddy, and other streams. No wonder that we hear so often of -vessels which are becalmed off our coast being surrounded a week at a -time by floating lumber from the Maine woods. The mission of men there -seems to be, like so many busy demons, to drive the forest all out of -the country, from every solitary beaver swamp and mountain-side, as -soon as possible. - -At Oldtown, we walked into a batteau-manufactory. The making of -batteaux is quite a business here for the supply of the Penobscot -River. We examined some on the stocks. They are light and shapely -vessels, calculated for rapid and rocky streams, and to be carried -over long portages on men's shoulders, from twenty to thirty feet -long, and only four or four and a half wide, sharp at both ends like a -canoe, though broadest forward on the bottom, and reaching seven or -eight feet over the water, in order that they may slip over rocks as -gently as possible. They are made very slight, only two boards to a -side, commonly secured to a few light maple or other hard-wood knees, -but inward are of the clearest and widest white pine stuff, of which -there is a great waste on account of their form, for the bottom is -left perfectly flat, not only from side to side, but from end to end. -Sometimes they become "hogging" even, after long use, and the boatmen -then turn them over and straighten them by a weight at each end. They -told us that one wore out in two years, or often in a single trip, on -the rocks, and sold for from fourteen to sixteen dollars. There was -something refreshing and wildly musical to my ears in the very name of -the white man's canoe, reminding me of Charlevoix and Canadian -Voyageurs. The batteau is a sort of mongrel between the canoe and the -boat, a fur-trader's boat. - -The ferry here took us past the Indian island. As we left the shore, I -observed a short, shabby, washerwoman-looking Indian,--they commonly -have the woebegone look of the girl that cried for spilt milk,--just -from "up river," land on the Oldtown side near a grocery, and, drawing -up his canoe, take out a bundle of skins in one hand, and an empty keg -or half-barrel in the other, and scramble up the bank with them. This -picture will do to put before the Indian's history, that is, the -history of his extinction. In 1837 there were three hundred and -sixty-two souls left of this tribe. The island seemed deserted to-day, -yet I observed some new houses among the weather-stained ones, as if -the tribe had still a design upon life; but generally they have a very -shabby, forlorn, and cheerless look, being all back side and woodshed, -not homesteads, even Indian homesteads, but instead of home or -abroad-steads, for their life is _domi aut militiae_, at home or at -war, or now rather _venatus_, that is, a hunting, and most of the -latter. The church is the only trim-looking building, but that is not -Abenaki, that was Rome's doings. Good Canadian it may be, but it is -poor Indian. These were once a powerful tribe. Politics are all the -rage with them now. I even thought that a row of wigwams, with a dance -of powwows, and a prisoner tortured at the stake, would be more -respectable than this. - -We landed in Milford, and rode along on the east side of the -Penobscot, having a more or less constant view of the river, and the -Indian islands in it, for they retain all the islands as far up as -Nicketow, at the mouth of the East Branch. They are generally -well-timbered, and are said to be better soil than the neighboring -shores. The river seemed shallow and rocky, and interrupted by rapids, -rippling and gleaming in the sun. We paused a moment to see a fish -hawk dive for a fish down straight as an arrow, from a great height, -but he missed his prey this time. It was the Houlton road on which we -were now traveling, over which some troops were marched once towards -Mars' Hill, though not to Mars' _field_, as it proved. It is the main, -almost the only, road in these parts, as straight and well made, and -kept in as good repair as almost any you will find anywhere. -Everywhere we saw signs of the great freshet,--this house standing -awry, and that where it was not founded, but where it was found, at -any rate, the next day; and that other with a waterlogged look, as if -it were still airing and drying its basement, and logs with -everybody's marks upon them, and sometimes the marks of their having -served as bridges, strewn along the road. We crossed the Sunkhaze, a -summery Indian name, the Olemmon, Passadumkeag, and other streams, -which make a greater show on the map than they now did on the road. At -Passadumkeag we found anything but what the name implies,--earnest -politicians, to wit,--white ones, I mean,--on the alert to know how -the election was likely to go; men who talked rapidly, with subdued -voice, and a sort of factitious earnestness you could not help -believing, hardly waiting for an introduction, one on each side of -your buggy, endeavoring to say much in little, for they see you hold -the whip impatiently, but always saying little in much. Caucuses they -have had, it seems, and caucuses they are to have again,--victory and -defeat. Somebody may be elected, somebody may not. One man, a total -stranger, who stood by our carriage in the dusk, actually frightened -the horse with his asseverations, growing more solemnly positive as -there was less in him to be positive about. So Passadumkeag did not -look on the map. At sundown, leaving the river road awhile for -shortness, we went by way of Enfield, where we stopped for the night. -This, like most of the localities bearing names on this road, was a -place to name which, in the midst of the unnamed and unincorporated -wilderness, was to make a distinction without a difference, it seemed -to me. Here, however, I noticed quite an orchard of healthy and -well-grown apple trees, in a bearing state, it being the oldest -settler's house in this region, but all natural fruit and -comparatively worthless for want of a grafter. And so it is generally, -lower down the river. It would be a good speculation, as well as a -favor conferred on the settlers, for a Massachusetts boy to go down -there with a trunk full of choice scions, and his grafting apparatus, -in the spring. - -The next morning we drove along through a high and hilly country, in -view of Cold-Stream Pond, a beautiful lake four or five miles long, -and came into the Houlton road again, here called the military road, -at Lincoln, forty-five miles from Bangor, where there is quite a -village for this country,--the principal one above Oldtown. Learning -that there were several wigwams here, on one of the Indian islands, we -left our horse and wagon and walked through the forest half a mile to -the river, to procure a guide to the mountain. It was not till after -considerable search that we discovered their habitations,--small huts, -in a retired place, where the scenery was unusually soft and -beautiful, and the shore skirted with pleasant meadows and graceful -elms. We paddled ourselves across to the island side in a canoe, -which we found on the shore. Near where we landed sat an Indian girl, -ten or twelve years old, on a rock in the water, in the sun, washing, -and humming or moaning a song meanwhile. It was an aboriginal strain. -A salmon-spear, made wholly of wood, lay on the shore, such as they -might have used before white men came. It had an elastic piece of wood -fastened to one side of its point, which slipped over and closed upon -the fish, somewhat like the contrivance for holding a bucket at the -end of a well-pole. As we walked up to the nearest house, we were met -by a sally of a dozen wolfish-looking dogs, which may have been lineal -descendants from the ancient Indian dogs, which the first voyageurs -describe as "their wolves." I suppose they were. The occupant soon -appeared, with a long pole in his hand, with which he beat off the -dogs, while he parleyed with us,--a stalwart, but dull and -greasy-looking fellow, who told us, in his sluggish way, in answer to -our questions, as if it were the first serious business he had to do -that day, that there _were_ Indians going "up river"--he and one -other--to-day, before noon. And who was the other? Louis Neptune, who -lives in the next house. Well, let us go over and see Louis together. -The same doggish reception, and Louis Neptune makes his appearance,--a -small, wiry man, with puckered and wrinkled face, yet he seemed the -chief man of the two; the same, as I remembered, who had accompanied -Jackson to the mountain in '37. The same questions were put to Louis, -and the same information obtained, while the other Indian stood by. It -appeared that they were going to start by noon, with two canoes, to -go up to Chesuncook to hunt moose,--to be gone a month. "Well, Louis, -suppose you get to the Point (to the Five Islands, just below -Mattawamkeag) to camp, we walk on up the West Branch tomorrow,--four -of us,--and wait for you at the dam, or this side. You overtake us -to-morrow or next day, and take us into your canoes. We stop for you, -you stop for us. We pay you for your trouble." "Ye'," replied Louis, -"may be you carry some provision for all,--some pork,--some -bread,--and so pay." He said, "Me sure get some moose;" and when I -asked if he thought Pomola would let us go up, he answered that we -must plant one bottle of rum on the top; he had planted good many; and -when he looked again, the rum was all gone. He had been up two or -three times; he had planted letter,--English, German, French, etc. -These men were slightly clad in shirt and pantaloons, like laborers -with us in warm weather. They did not invite us into their houses, but -met us outside. So we left the Indians, thinking ourselves lucky to -have secured such guides and companions. - -There were very few houses along the road, yet they did not altogether -fail, as if the law by which men are dispersed over the globe were a -very stringent one, and not to be resisted with impunity or for slight -reasons. There were even the germs of one or two villages just -beginning to expand. The beauty of the road itself was remarkable. The -various evergreens, many of which are rare with us,--delicate and -beautiful specimens of the larch, arbor-vitae, ball-spruce, and -fir-balsam, from a few inches to many feet in height,--lined its -sides, in some places like a long front yard, springing up from the -smooth grass-plots which uninterruptedly border it, and are made -fertile by its wash; while it was but a step on either hand to the -grim, untrodden wilderness, whose tangled labyrinth of living, fallen, -and decaying trees only the deer and moose, the bear and wolf can -easily penetrate. More perfect specimens than any front-yard plot can -show grew there to grace the passage of the Houlton teams. - -About noon we reached the Mattawamkeag, fifty-six miles from Bangor by -the way we had come, and put up at a frequented house still on the -Houlton road, where the Houlton stage stops. Here was a substantial -covered bridge over the Mattawamkeag, built, I think they said, some -seventeen years before. We had dinner,--where, by the way, and even at -breakfast, as well as supper, at the public-houses on this road, the -front rank is composed of various kinds of "sweet cakes," in a -continuous line from one end of the table to the other. I think I may -safely say that there was a row of ten or a dozen plates of this kind -set before us two here. To account for which, they say that, when the -lumberers come out of the woods, they have a craving for cakes and -pies, and such sweet things, which there are almost unknown, and this -is the _supply_ to satisfy that _demand_. The supply is always equal -to the demand, and these hungry men think a good deal of getting their -money's worth. No doubt the balance of victuals is restored by the -time they reach Bangor,--Mattawamkeag takes off the raw edge. Well, -over this front rank, I say, you, coming from the "sweet cake" side, -with a cheap philosophic indifference though it may be, have to -assault what there is behind, which I do not by any means mean to -insinuate is insufficient in quantity or quality to supply that other -demand, of men, not from the woods but from the towns, for venison and -strong country fare. After dinner we strolled down to the "Point," -formed by the junction of the two rivers, which is said to be the -scene of an ancient battle between the Eastern Indians and the -Mohawks, and searched there carefully for relics, though the men at -the bar-room had never heard of such things; but we found only some -flakes of arrowhead stone, some points of arrowheads, one small leaden -bullet, and some colored beads, the last to be referred, perhaps, to -early fur-trader days. The Mattawamkeag, though wide, was a mere -river's bed, full of rocks and shallows at this time, so that you -could cross it almost dry-shod in boots; and I could hardly believe my -companion, when he told me that he had been fifty or sixty miles up it -in a batteau, through distant and still uncut forests. A batteau could -hardly find a harbor now at its mouth. Deer and caribou, or reindeer, -are taken here in the winter, in sight of the house. - -Before our companions arrived, we rode on up the Houlton road seven -miles to Molunkus, where the Aroostook road comes into it, and where -there is a spacious public house in the woods, called the "Molunkus -House," kept by one Libbey, which looked as if it had its hall for -dancing and for military drills. There was no other evidence of man -but this huge shingle palace in this part of the world; but sometimes -even this is filled with travelers. I looked off the piazza round the -corner of the house up the Aroostook road, on which there was no -clearing in sight. There was a man just adventuring upon it this -evening in a rude, original, what you may call Aroostook wagon,--a -mere seat, with a wagon swung under it, a few bags on it, and a dog -asleep to watch them. He offered to carry a message for us to anybody -in that country, cheerfully. I suspect that, if you should go to the -end of the world, you would find somebody there going farther, as if -just starting for home at sundown, and having a last word before he -drove off. Here, too, _was_ a small trader, whom I did not see at -first, who kept a store,--but no great store, certainly,--in a small -box over the way, behind the Molunkus sign-post. It looked like the -balance-box of a patent hay-scales. As for his house, we could only -conjecture where that was; he may have been a boarder in the Molunkus -House. I saw him standing in his shop door,--his shop was so small, -that, if a traveler should make demonstrations of entering in, _he_ -would have to go out by the back way, and confer with his customer -through a window, about his goods in the cellar, or, more probably, -bespoken, and yet on the way. I should have gone in, for I felt a real -impulse to trade, if I had not stopped to consider what would become -of him. The day before, we had walked into a shop, over against an inn -where we stopped, the puny beginning of trade, which would grow at -last into a firm copartnership in the future town or city,--indeed, it -was already "Somebody & Co.," I forget who. The woman came forward -from the penetralia of the attached house, for "Somebody & Co." was in -the burning, and she sold us percussion-caps, canales and smooth, and -knew their prices and qualities, and which the hunters preferred. Here -was a little of everything in a small compass to satisfy the wants and -the ambition of the woods,--a stock selected with what pains and care, -and brought home in the wagon-box, or a corner of the Houlton team; -but there seemed to me, as usual, a preponderance of children's -toys,--dogs to bark, and cats to mew, and trumpets to blow, where -natives there hardly are yet. As if a child born into the Maine woods, -among the pine cones and cedar berries, could not do without such a -sugar-man or skipping-jack as the young Rothschild has. - -I think that there was not more than one house on the road to -Molunkus, or for seven miles. At that place we got over the fence into -a new field, planted with potatoes, where the logs were still burning -between the hills; and, pulling up the vines, found good-sized -potatoes, nearly ripe, growing like weeds, and turnips mixed with -them. The mode of clearing and planting is to fell the trees, and burn -once what will burn, then cut them up into suitable lengths, roll into -heaps, and burn again; then, with a hoe, plant potatoes where you can -come at the ground between the stumps and charred logs; for a first -crop the ashes sufficing for manure, and no hoeing being necessary the -first year. In the fall, cut, roll, and burn again, and so on, till -the land is cleared; and soon it is ready for grain, and to be laid -down. Let those talk of poverty and hard times who will in the towns -and cities; cannot the emigrant who can pay his fare to New York or -Boston pay five dollars more to get here,--I paid three, all told, -for my passage from Boston to Bangor, two hundred and fifty -miles,--and be as rich as he pleases, where land virtually costs -nothing, and houses only the labor of building, and he may begin life -as Adam did? If he will still remember the distinction of poor and -rich, let him bespeak him a narrower house forthwith. - -When we returned to the Mattawamkeag, the Houlton stage had already -put up there; and a Province man was betraying his greenness to the -Yankees by his questions. Why Province money won't pass here at par, -when States' money is good at Fredericton,--though this, perhaps, was -sensible enough. From what I saw then, it appears that the Province -man was now the only real Jonathan, or raw country bumpkin, left so -far behind by his enterprising neighbors that he didn't know enough to -put a question to them. No people can long continue provincial in -character who have the propensity for politics and whittling, and -rapid traveling, which the Yankees have, and who are leaving the -mother country behind in the variety of their notions and inventions. -The possession and exercise of practical talent merely are a sure and -rapid means of intellectual culture and independence. - -The last edition of Greenleaf's Map of Maine hung on the wall here, -and, as we had no pocket-map, we resolved to trace a map of the lake -country. So, dipping a wad of tow into the lamp, we oiled a sheet of -paper on the oiled table-cloth, and, in good faith, traced what we -afterwards ascertained to be a labyrinth of errors, carefully -following the outlines of the imaginary lakes which the map contains. -The Map of the Public Lands of Maine and Massachusetts is the only one -I have seen that at all deserves the name. It was while we were -engaged in this operation that our companions arrived. They had seen -the Indians' fire on the Five Islands, and so we concluded that all -was right. - -Early the next morning we had mounted our packs, and prepared for a -tramp up the West Branch, my companion having turned his horse out to -pasture for a week or ten days, thinking that a bite of fresh grass -and a taste of running water would do him as much good as backwoods -fare and new country influences his master. Leaping over a fence, we -began to follow an obscure trail up the northern bank of the -Penobscot. There was now no road further, the river being the only -highway, and but half a dozen log huts, confined to its banks, to be -met with for thirty miles. On either hand, and beyond, was a wholly -uninhabited wilderness, stretching to Canada. Neither horse nor cow, -nor vehicle of any kind, had ever passed over this ground; the cattle, -and the few bulky articles which the loggers use, being got up in the -winter on the ice, and down again before it breaks up. The evergreen -woods had a decidedly sweet and bracing fragrance; the air was a sort -of diet-drink, and we walked on buoyantly in Indian file, stretching -our legs. Occasionally there was a small opening on the bank, made for -the purpose of log-rolling, where we got a sight of the river,--always -a rocky and rippling stream. The roar of the rapids, the note of a -whistler duck on the river, of the jay and chickadee around us, and of -the pigeon woodpecker in the openings, were the sounds that we heard. -This was what you might call a bran-new country; the only roads were -of Nature's making, and the few houses were camps. Here, then, one -could no longer accuse institutions and society, but must front the -true source of evil. - -There are three classes of inhabitants who either frequent or inhabit -the country which we had now entered: first, the loggers, who, for a -part of the year, the winter and spring, are far the most numerous, -but in the summer, except a few explorers for timber, completely -desert it; second, the few settlers I have named, the only permanent -inhabitants, who live on the verge of it, and help raise supplies for -the former; third, the hunters, mostly Indians, who range over it in -their season. - -At the end of three miles we came to the Mattaseunk stream and mill, -where there was even a rude wooden railroad running down to the -Penobscot, the last railroad we were to see. We crossed one tract, on -the bank of the river, of more than a hundred acres of heavy timber, -which had just been felled and burnt over, and was still smoking. Our -trail lay through the midst of it, and was well-nigh blotted out. The -trees lay at full length, four or five feet deep, and crossing each -other in all directions, all black as charcoal, but perfectly sound -within, still good for fuel or for timber; soon they would be cut into -lengths and burnt again. Here were thousands of cords, enough to keep -the poor of Boston and New York amply warm for a winter, which only -cumbered the ground and were in the settler's way. And the whole of -that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured -thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it. At Crocker's -log-hut, at the mouth of Salmon River, seven miles from the Point, one -of the party commenced distributing a store of small, cent -picture-books among the children, to teach them to read, and also -newspapers, more or less recent, among the parents, than which nothing -can be more acceptable to a backwoods people. It was really an -important item in our outfit, and, at times, the only currency that -would circulate. I walked through Salmon River with my shoes on, it -being low water, but not without wetting my feet. A few miles farther -we came to "Marm Howard's," at the end of an extensive clearing, where -there were two or three log huts in sight at once, one on the opposite -side of the river, and a few graves even, surrounded by a wooden -paling, where already the rude forefathers of a hamlet lie, and a -thousand years hence, perchance, some poet will write his "Elergy in a -Country Churchyard." The "Village Hampdens," the "mute, inglorious -Miltons," and Cromwells, "guiltless of" their "country's blood," were -yet unborn. - - "Perchance in this _wild_ spot _there will be_ laid - Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire; - Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed, - Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre." - -The next house was Fisk's, ten miles from the Point at the mouth of -the East Branch, opposite to the island Nicketow, or the Forks, the -last of the Indian islands. I am particular to give the names of the -settlers and the distances, since every log hut in these woods is a -public house, and such information is of no little consequence to -those who may have occasion to travel this way. Our course here -crossed the Penobscot, and followed the southern bank. One of the -party, who entered the house in search of some one to set us over, -reported a very neat dwelling, with plenty of books, and a new wife, -just imported from Boston, wholly new to the woods. We found the East -Branch a large and rapid stream at its mouth and much deeper than it -appeared. Having with some difficulty discovered the trail again, we -kept up the south side of the West Branch, or main river, passing by -some rapids called Rock-Ebeeme, the roar of which we heard through the -woods, and, shortly after, in the thickest of the wood, some empty -loggers' camps, still new, which were occupied the previous winter. -Though we saw a few more afterwards, I will make one account serve for -all. These were such houses as the lumberers of Maine spend the winter -in, in the wilderness. There were the camps and the hovels for the -cattle, hardly distinguishable, except that the latter had no chimney. -These camps were about twenty feet long by fifteen wide, built of -logs,--hemlock, cedar, spruce or yellow birch,--one kind alone, or all -together, with the bark on; two or three large ones first, one -directly above another, and notched together at the ends, to the -height of three or four feet, then of smaller logs resting upon -transverse ones at the ends, each of the last successively shorter -than the other, to form the roof. The chimney was an oblong square -hole in the middle, three or four feet in diameter, with a fence of -logs as high as the ridge. The interstices were filled with moss, and -the roof was shingled with long and handsome splints of cedar, or -spruce, or pine, rifted with a sledge and cleaver. The fireplace, the -most important place of all, was in shape and size like the chimney, -and directly under it, defined by a log fence or fender on the ground, -and a heap of ashes, a foot or two deep within, with solid benches of -split logs running round it. Here the fire usually melts the snow, and -dries the rain before it can descend to quench it. The faded beds of -arbor-vitae leaves extended under the eaves on either hand. There was -the place for the water-pail, pork-barrel, and wash-basin, and -generally a dingy pack of cards left on a log. Usually a good deal of -whittling was expended on the latch, which was made of wood, in the -form of an iron one. These houses are made comfortable by the huge -fires, which can be afforded night and day. Usually the scenery about -them is drear and savage enough; and the loggers' camp is as -completely in the woods as a fungus at the foot of a pine in a swamp; -no outlook but to the sky overhead; no more clearing than is made by -cutting down the trees of which it is built, and those which are -necessary for fuel. If only it be well sheltered and convenient to his -work, and near a spring, he wastes no thought on the prospect. They -are very proper forest houses, the stems of the trees collected -together and piled up around a man to keep out wind and rain,--made of -living green logs, hanging with moss and lichen, and with the curls -and fringes of the yellow birch bark, and dripping with resin, fresh -and moist, and redolent of swampy odors, with that sort of vigor and -perennialness even about them that toadstools suggest.[1] The -logger's fare consists of tea, molasses, flour, pork (sometimes beef), -and beans. A great proportion of the beans raised in Massachusetts -find their market here. On expeditions it is only hard bread and pork, -often raw, slice upon slice, with tea or water, as the case may be. - -The primitive wood is always and everywhere damp and mossy, so that I -traveled constantly with the impression that I was in a swamp; and -only when it was remarked that this or that tract, judging from the -quality of the timber on it, would make a profitable clearing, was I -reminded, that if the sun were let in it would make a dry field, like -the few I had seen, at once. The best shod for the most part travel -with wet feet. If the ground was so wet and spongy at this, the dryest -part of a dry season, what must it be in the spring? The woods -hereabouts abounded in beech and yellow birch, of which last there -were some very large specimens; also spruce, cedar, fir, and hemlock; -but we saw only the stumps of the white pine here, some of them of -great size, these having been already culled out, being the only tree -much sought after, even as low down as this. Only a little spruce and -hemlock beside had been logged here. The Eastern wood which is sold -for fuel in Massachusetts all comes from below Bangor. It was the -pine alone, chiefly the white pine, that had tempted any but the -hunter to precede us on this route. - -Waite's farm, thirteen miles from the Point, is an extensive and -elevated clearing, from which we got a fine view of the river, -rippling and gleaming far beneath us. My companions had formerly had a -good view of Ktaadn and the other mountains here, but to-day it was so -smoky that we could see nothing of them. We could overlook an immense -country of uninterrupted forest, stretching away up the East Branch -toward Canada on the north and northwest, and toward the Aroostook -valley on the northeast; and imagine what wild life was stirring in -its midst. Here was quite a field of corn for this region, whose -peculiar dry scent we perceived a third of a mile off, before we saw -it. - -Eighteen miles from the Point brought us in sight of McCauslin's, or -"Uncle George's," as he was familiarly called by my companions, to -whom he was well known, where we intended to break our long fast. His -house was in the midst of an extensive clearing or intervale, at the -mouth of the Little Schoodic River, on the opposite or north bank of -the Penobscot. So we collected on a point of the shore, that we might -be seen, and fired our gun as a signal, which brought out his dogs -forthwith, and thereafter their master, who in due time took us across -in his batteau. This clearing was bounded abruptly, on all sides but -the river, by the naked stems of the forest, as if you were to cut -only a few feet square in the midst of a thousand acres of mowing, and -set down a thimble therein. He had a whole heaven and horizon to -himself, and the sun seemed to be journeying over his clearing only -the livelong day. Here we concluded to spend the night, and wait for -the Indians, as there was no stopping-place so convenient above. He -had seen no Indians pass, and this did not often happen without his -knowledge. He thought that his dogs sometimes gave notice of the -approach of Indians half an hour before they arrived. - -McCauslin was a Kennebec man, of Scotch descent, who had been a -waterman twenty-two years, and had driven on the lakes and headwaters -of the Penobscot five or six springs in succession, but was now -settled here to raise supplies for the lumberers and for himself. He -entertained us a day or two with true Scotch hospitality, and would -accept no recompense for it. A man of a dry wit and shrewdness, and a -general intelligence which I had not looked for in the back woods. In -fact, the deeper you penetrate into the woods, the more intelligent, -and, in one sense, less countrified do you find the inhabitants; for -always the pioneer has been a traveler, and, to some extent, a man of -the world; and, as the distances with which he is familiar are -greater, so is his information more general and far reaching than the -villager's. If I were to look for a narrow, uninformed, and -countrified mind, as opposed to the intelligence and refinement which -are thought to emanate from cities, it would be among the rusty -inhabitants of an old-settled country, on farms all run out and gone -to seed with life-everlasting, in the towns about Boston, even on the -high-road in Concord, and not in the back woods of Maine. - -Supper was got before our eyes in the ample kitchen, by a fire which -would have roasted an ox; many whole logs, four feet long, were -consumed to boil our tea-kettle,--birch, or beech, or maple, the same -summer and winter; and the dishes were soon smoking on the table, late -the arm-chair, against the wall, from which one of the party was -expelled. The arms of the chair formed the frame on which the table -rested; and, when the round top was turned up against the wall, it -formed the back of the chair, and was no more in the way than the wall -itself. This, we noticed, was the prevailing fashion in these log -houses, in order to economize in room. There were piping-hot wheaten -cakes, the flour having been brought up the river in batteaux,--no -Indian bread, for the upper part of Maine, it will be remembered, is a -wheat country,--and ham, eggs, and potatoes, and milk and cheese, the -produce of the farm; and also shad and salmon, tea sweetened with -molasses, and sweet cakes, in contradistinction to the hot cakes not -sweetened, the one white, the other yellow, to wind up with. Such we -found was the prevailing fare, ordinary and extraordinary, along this -river. Mountain cranberries (_Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea_), stewed and -sweetened, were the common dessert. Everything here was in profusion, -and the best of its kind. Butter was in such plenty that it was -commonly used, before it was salted, to grease boots with. - -In the night we were entertained by the sound of rain-drops on the -cedar splints which covered the roof, and awaked the next morning with -a drop or two in our eyes. It had set in for a storm, and we made up -our minds not to forsake such comfortable quarters with this prospect, -but wait for Indians and fair weather. It rained and drizzled and -gleamed by turns, the livelong day. What we did there, how we killed -the time would perhaps be idle to tell; how many times we buttered our -boots, and how often a drowsy one was seen to sidle off to the -bedroom. When it held up, I strolled up and down the bank, and -gathered the harebell and cedar berries, which grew there; or else we -tried by turns the long-handled axe on the logs before the door. The -axe-helves here were made to chop standing on the log,--a primitive -log of course,--and were, therefore, nearly a foot longer than with -us. One while we walked over the farm and visited his well-filled -barns with McCauslin. There were one other man and two women only -here. He kept horses, cows, oxen, and sheep. I think he said that he -was the first to bring a plow and a cow so far; and he might have -added the last, with only two exceptions. The potato-rot had found him -out here, too, the previous year, and got half or two thirds of his -crop, though the seed was of his own raising. Oats, grass, and -potatoes were his staples; but he raised, also, a few carrots and -turnips, and "a little corn for the hens," for this was all that he -dared risk, for fear that it would not ripen. Melons, squashes, sweet -corn, beans, tomatoes, and many other vegetables, could not be ripened -there. - -The very few settlers along this stream were obviously tempted by the -cheapness of the land mainly. When I asked McCauslin why more settlers -did not come in, he answered, that one reason was, they could not buy -the land, it belonged to individuals or companies who were afraid that -their wild lands would be settled, and so incorporated into towns, and -they be taxed for them; but to settling on the State's land there was -no such hindrance. For his own part, he wanted no neighbors,--he -didn't wish to see any road by his house. Neighbors, even the best, -were a trouble and expense, especially on the score of cattle and -fences. They might live across the river, perhaps, but not on the same -side. - -The chickens here were protected by the dogs. As McCauslin said, "The -old one took it up first, and she taught the pup, and now they had got -it into their heads that it wouldn't do to have anything of the bird -kind on the premises." A hawk hovering over was not allowed to alight, -but barked off by the dogs circling underneath; and a pigeon, or a -"yellow-hammer," as they called the pigeon woodpecker, on a dead limb -or stump, was instantly expelled. It was the main business of their -day, and kept them constantly coming and going. One would rush out of -the house on the least alarm given by the other. - -When it rained hardest, we returned to the house, and took down a -tract from the shelf. There was the "Wandering Jew," cheap edition, -and fine print, the "Criminal Calendar," and "Parish's Geography," and -flash novels two or three. Under the pressure of circumstances, we -read a little in these. With such aid, the press is not so feeble an -engine, after all. This house, which was a fair specimen of those on -this river, was built of huge logs, which peeped out everywhere, and -were chinked with clay and moss. It contained four or five rooms. -There were no sawed boards, or shingles, or clapboards, about it; and -scarcely any tool but the axe had been used in its construction. The -partitions were made of long clapboard-like splints, of spruce or -cedar, turned to a delicate salmon-color by the smoke. The roof and -sides were covered with the same, instead of shingles and clapboards, -and some of a much thicker and larger size were used for the floor. -These were all so straight and smooth, that they answered the purpose -admirably, and a careless observer would not have suspected that they -were not sawed and planed. The chimney and hearth were of vast size, -and made of stone. The broom was a few twigs of arbor-vitae tied to a -stick; and a pole was suspended over the hearth, close to the ceiling, -to dry stockings and clothes on. I noticed that the floor was full of -small, dingy holes, as if made with a gimlet, but which were, in fact, -made by the spikes, nearly an inch long, which the lumberers wear in -their boots to prevent their slipping on wet logs. Just above -McCauslin's, there is a rocky rapid, where logs jam in the spring; and -many "drivers" are there collected, who frequent his house for -supplies; these were their tracks which I saw. - -At sundown McCauslin pointed away over the forest, across the river, -to signs of fair weather amid the clouds,--some evening redness there. -For even there the points of compass held; and there was a quarter of -the heavens appropriated to sunrise and another to sunset. - -The next morning, the weather proving fair enough for our purpose, we -prepared to start, and, the Indians having failed us, persuaded -McCauslin, who was not unwilling to revisit the scenes of his driving, -to accompany us in their stead, intending to engage one other boatman -on the way. A strip of cotton cloth for a tent, a couple of blankets, -which would suffice for the whole party, fifteen pounds of hard bread, -ten pounds of "clear" pork, and a little tea, made up "Uncle George's" -pack. The last three articles were calculated to be provision enough -for six men for a week, with what we might pick up. A tea-kettle, a -frying-pan, and an axe, to be obtained at the last house, would -complete our outfit. - -We were soon out of McCauslin's clearing, and in the evergreen woods -again. The obscure trail made by the two settlers above, which even -the woodman is sometimes puzzled to discern, ere long crossed a -narrow, open strip in the woods overrun with weeds, called the Burnt -Land, where a fire had raged formerly, stretching northward nine or -ten miles, to Millinocket Lake. At the end of three miles, we reached -Shad Pond, or Noliseemack, an expansion of the river. Hodge, the -Assistant State Geologist, who passed through this on the 25th of -June, 1837, says, "We pushed our boat through an acre or more of -buck-beans, which had taken root at the bottom, and bloomed above the -surface in the greatest profusion and beauty." Thomas Fowler's house -is four miles from McCauslin's, on the shore of the pond, at the mouth -of the Millinocket River, and eight miles from the lake of the same -name, on the latter stream. This lake affords a more direct course to -Ktaadn, but we preferred to follow the Penobscot and the Pamadumcook -lakes. Fowler was just completing a new log hut, and was sawing out a -window through the logs, nearly two feet thick, when we arrived. He -had begun to paper his house with spruce bark, turned inside out, -which had a good effect, and was in keeping with the circumstances. -Instead of water we got here a draught of beer, which, it was allowed, -would be better; clear and thin, but strong and stringent as the cedar -sap. It was as if we sucked at the very teats of Nature's pine-clad -bosom in these parts,--the sap of all Millinocket botany -commingled,--the topmost, most fantastic, and spiciest sprays of the -primitive wood, and whatever invigorating and stringent gum or essence -it afforded steeped and dissolved in it,--a lumberer's drink, which -would acclimate and naturalize a man at once,--which would make him -see green, and, if he slept, dream that he heard the wind sough among -the pines. Here was a fife, praying to be played on, through which we -breathed a few tuneful strains,--brought hither to tame wild beasts. -As we stood upon the pile of chips by the door, fish hawks were -sailing overhead; and here, over Shad Pond, might daily be witnessed -the tyranny of the bald eagle over that bird. Tom pointed away over -the lake to a bald eagle's nest, which was plainly visible more than a -mile off, on a pine, high above the surrounding forest, and was -frequented from year to year by the same pair, and held sacred by him. -There were these two houses only there, his low hut and the eagles' -airy cart-load of fagots. Thomas Fowler, too, was persuaded to join -us, for two men were necessary to manage the batteau, which was soon -to be our carriage, and these men needed to be cool and skillful for -the navigation of the Penobscot. Tom's pack was soon made, for he had -not far to look for his waterman's boots, and a red flannel shirt. -This is the favorite color with lumbermen; and red flannel is reputed -to possess some mysterious virtues, to be most healthful and -convenient in respect to perspiration. In every gang there will be a -large proportion of red birds. We took here a poor and leaky batteau, -and began to pole up the Millinocket two miles, to the elder Fowler's, -in order to avoid the Grand Falls of the Penobscot, intending to -exchange our batteau there for a better. The Millinocket is a small, -shallow, and sandy stream, full of what I took to be lamprey-eels' or -suckers' nests, and lined with musquash-cabins, but free from rapids, -according to Fowler, excepting at its outlet from the lake. He was at -this time engaged in cutting the native grass--rush-grass and -meadow-clover, as he called it--on the meadows and small, low islands -of this stream. We noticed flattened places in the grass on either -side, where, he said, a moose had laid down the night before, adding, -that there were thousands in these meadows. - -Old Fowler's, on the Millinocket, six miles from McCauslin's, and -twenty-four from the Point, is the last house. Gibson's, on the -Sowadnehunk, is the only clearing above, but that had proved a -failure, and was long since deserted. Fowler is the oldest inhabitant -of these woods. He formerly lived a few miles from here, on the south -side of the West Branch, where he built his house sixteen years ago, -the first house built above the Five Islands. Here our new batteau was -to be carried over the first portage of two miles, round the Grand -Falls of the Penobscot, on a horse-sled made of saplings, to jump the -numerous rocks in the way; but we had to wait a couple of hours for -them to catch the horses, which were pastured at a distance, amid the -stumps, and had wandered still farther off. The last of the salmon for -this season had just been caught, and were still fresh in pickle, from -which enough was extracted to fill our empty kettle, and so graduate -our introduction to simpler forest fare. The week before they had lost -nine sheep here out of their first flock, by the wolves. The surviving -sheep came round the house, and seemed frightened, which induced them -to go and look for the rest, when they found seven dead and lacerated, -and two still alive. These last they carried to the house, and, as -Mrs. Fowler said, they were merely scratched in the throat, and had no -more visible wound than would be produced by the prick of a pin. She -sheared off the wool from their throats, and washed them, and put on -some salve, and turned them out, but in a few moments they were -missing, and had not been found since. In fact, they were all -poisoned, and those that were found swelled up at once, so that they -saved neither skin nor wool. This realized the old fables of the -wolves and the sheep, and convinced me that that ancient hostility -still existed. Verily, the shepherd-boy did not need to sound a false -alarm this time. There were steel traps by the door, of various sizes, -for wolves, otter, and bears, with large claws instead of teeth, to -catch in their sinews. Wolves are frequently killed with poisoned -bait. - -At length, after we had dined here on the usual backwoods fare, the -horses arrived, and we hauled our batteau out of the water, and lashed -it to its wicker carriage, and, throwing in our packs, walked on -before, leaving the boatmen and driver, who was Tom's brother, to -manage the concern. The route, which led through the wild pasture -where the sheep were killed, was in some places the roughest ever -traveled by horses, over rocky hills, where the sled bounced and slid -along, like a vessel pitching in a storm; and one man was as necessary -to stand at the stern, to prevent the boat from being wrecked, as a -helmsman in the roughest sea. The philosophy of our progress was -something like this: when the runners struck a rock three or four feet -high, the sled bounced back and upwards at the same time; but, as the -horses never ceased pulling, it came down on the top of the rock, and -so we got over. This portage probably followed the trail of an ancient -Indian carry round these falls. By two o'clock we, who had walked on -before, reached the river above the falls, not far from the outlet of -Quakish Lake, and waited for the batteau to come up. We had been here -but a short time, when a thunder-shower was seen coming up from the -west, over the still invisible lakes, and that pleasant wilderness -which we were so eager to become acquainted with; and soon the heavy -drops began to patter on the leaves around us. I had just selected the -prostrate trunk of a huge pine, five or six feet in diameter, and was -crawling under it, when, luckily, the boat arrived. It would have -amused a sheltered man to witness the manner in which it was unlashed, -and whirled over, while the first waterspout burst upon us. It was no -sooner in the hands of the eager company than it was abandoned to the -first revolutionary impulse, and to gravity, to adjust it; and they -might have been seen all stooping to its shelter, and wriggling under -like so many eels, before it was fairly deposited on the ground. When -all were under, we propped up the lee side, and busied ourselves there -whittling thole-pins for rowing, when we should reach the lakes; and -made the woods ring, between the claps of thunder, with such -boat-songs as we could remember. The horses stood sleek and shining -with the rain, all drooping and crestfallen, while deluge after deluge -washed over us; but the bottom of a boat may be relied on for a tight -roof. At length, after two hours' delay at this place, a streak of -fair weather appeared in the northwest, whither our course now lay, -promising a serene evening for our voyage; and the driver returned -with his horses, while we made haste to launch our boat, and commence -our voyage in good earnest. - -There were six of us, including the two boatmen. With our packs heaped -up near the bows, and ourselves disposed as baggage to trim the boat, -with instructions not to move in case we should strike a rock, more -than so many barrels of pork, we pushed out into the first rapid, a -slight specimen of the stream we had to navigate. With Uncle George in -the stern, and Tom in the bows, each using a spruce pole about twelve -feet long, pointed with iron,[2] and poling on the same side, we shot -up the rapids like a salmon, the water rushing and roaring around, so -that only a practiced eye could distinguish a safe course, or tell -what was deep water and what rocks, frequently grazing the latter on -one or both sides, with a hundred as narrow escapes as ever the Argo -had in passing through the Symplegades. I, who had had some experience -in boating, had never experienced any half so exhilarating before. We -were lucky to have exchanged our Indians, whom we did not know, for -these men, who, together with Tom's brother, were reputed the best -boatmen on the river, and were at once indispensable pilots and -pleasant companions. The canoe is smaller, more easily upset, and -sooner worn out; and the Indian is said not to be so skillful in the -management of the batteau. He is, for the most part, less to be relied -on, and more disposed to sulks and whims. The utmost familiarity with -dead streams, or with the ocean, would not prepare a man for this -peculiar navigation; and the most skillful boatman anywhere else would -here be obliged to take out his boat and carry round a hundred times, -still with great risk, as well as delay, where the practiced -batteau-man poles up with comparative ease and safety. The hardy -"voyageur" pushes with incredible perseverance and success quite up to -the foot of the falls, and then only carries round some perpendicular -ledge, and launches again in - - "The torrent's smoothness, ere it dash below," - -to struggle with the boiling rapids above. The Indians say that the -river once ran both ways, one half up and the other down, but that, -since the white man came, it all runs down, and now they must -laboriously pole their canoes against the stream, and carry them over -numerous portages. In the summer, all stores--the grindstone and the -plow of the pioneer, flour, pork, and utensils for the explorer--must -be conveyed up the river in batteaux; and many a cargo and many a -boatman is lost in these waters. In the winter, however, which is very -equable and long, the ice is the great highway, and the loggers' team -penetrates to Chesuncook Lake, and still higher up, even two hundred -miles above Bangor. Imagine the solitary sled-track running far up -into the snowy and evergreen wilderness, hemmed in closely for a -hundred miles by the forest, and again stretching straight across the -broad surfaces of concealed lakes! - -We were soon in the smooth water of the Quakish Lake, and took our -turns at rowing and paddling across it. It is a small, irregular, but -handsome lake, shut in on all sides by the forest, and showing no -traces of man but some low boom in a distant cove, reserved for spring -use. The spruce and cedar on its shores, hung with gray lichens, -looked at a distance like the ghosts of trees. Ducks were sailing here -and there on its surface, and a solitary loon, like a more living -wave,--a vital spot on the lake's surface,--laughed and frolicked, and -showed its straight leg, for our amusement. Joe Merry Mountain -appeared in the northwest, as if it were looking down on this lake -especially; and we had our first, but a partial view of Ktaadn, its -summit veiled in clouds, like a dark isthmus in that quarter, -connecting the heavens with the earth. After two miles of smooth -rowing across this lake, we found ourselves in the river again, which -was a continuous rapid for one mile, to the dam, requiring all the -strength and skill of our boatmen to pole up it. - -This dam is a quite important and expensive work for this country, -whither cattle and horses cannot penetrate in the summer, raising the -whole river ten feet, and flooding, as they said, some sixty square -miles by means of the innumerable lakes with which the river connects. -It is a lofty and solid structure, with sloping piers, some distance -above, made of frames of logs filled with stones, to break the ice.[3] -Here every log pays toll as it passes through the sluices. - -We filed into the rude loggers' camp at this place, such as I have -described, without ceremony, and the cook, at that moment the sole -occupant, at once set about preparing tea for his visitors. His -fireplace, which the rain had converted into a mud-puddle, was soon -blazing again, and we sat down on the log benches around it to dry us. -On the well-flattened and somewhat faded beds of arbor-vitae leaves, -which stretched on either hand under the eaves behind us, lay an odd -leaf of the Bible, some genealogical chapter out of the Old Testament; -and, half buried by the leaves, we found Emerson's Address on West -India Emancipation, which had been left here formerly by one of our -company, and _had made two converts to the Liberty party_ here, as I -was told; also, an odd number of the _Westminster Review_, for 1834, -and a pamphlet entitled "History of the Erection of the Monument on -the Grave of Myron Holly." This was the readable or reading matter in -a lumberer's camp in the Maine woods, thirty miles from a road, which -would be given up to the bears in a fortnight. These things were well -thumbed and soiled. This gang was headed by one John Morrison, a good -specimen of a Yankee; and was necessarily composed of men not bred to -the business of dam-building, but who were jacks-at-all-trades, handy -with the axe, and other simple implements, and well skilled in wood -and water craft. We had hot cakes for our supper even here, white as -snowballs, but without butter, and the never-failing sweet cakes, with -which we filled our pockets, foreseeing that we should not soon meet -with the like again. Such delicate puffballs seemed a singular diet -for backwoodsmen. There was also tea without milk, sweetened with -molasses. And so, exchanging a word with John Morrison and his gang -when we had returned to the shore, and also exchanging our batteau for -a better still, we made haste to improve the little daylight that -remained. This camp, exactly twenty-nine miles from Mattawamkeag Point -by the way we had come, and about one hundred from Bangor by the -river, was the last human habitation of any kind in this direction. -Beyond, there was no trail, and the river and lakes, by batteaux and -canoes, was considered the only practicable route. We were about -thirty miles by the river from the summit of Ktaadn, which was in -sight, though not more than twenty, perhaps, in a straight line. - -It being about the full of the moon, and a warm and pleasant evening, -we decided to row five miles by moonlight to the head of the North -Twin Lake, lest the wind should rise on the morrow. After one mile of -river, or what the boatmen call "thoroughfare,"--for the river becomes -at length only the connecting link between the lakes,--and some slight -rapid which had been mostly made smooth water by the dam, we entered -the North Twin Lake just after sundown, and steered across for the -river "thoroughfare," four miles distant. This is a noble sheet of -water, where one may get the impression which a new country and a -"lake of the woods" are fitted to create. There was the smoke of no -log hut nor camp of any kind to greet us, still less was any lover of -nature or musing traveler watching our batteau from the distant hills; -not even the Indian hunter was there, for he rarely climbs them, but -hugs the river like ourselves. No face welcomed us but the fine -fantastic sprays of free and happy evergreen trees, waving one above -another in their ancient home. At first the red clouds hung over the -western shore as gorgeously as if over a city, and the lake lay open -to the light with even a civilized aspect, as if expecting trade and -commerce, and towns and villas. We could distinguish the inlet to the -South Twin, which is said to be the larger, where the shore was misty -and blue, and it was worth the while to look thus through a narrow -opening across the entire expanse of a concealed lake to its own yet -more dim and distant shore. The shores rose gently to ranges of low -hills covered with forests; and though, in fact, the most valuable -white-pine timber, even about this lake, had been culled out, this -would never have been suspected by the voyager. The impression, which -indeed corresponded with the fact, was, as if we were upon a high -table-land between the States and Canada, the northern side of which -is drained by the St. John and Chaudiere, the southern by the -Penobscot and Kennebec. There was no bold, mountainous shore, as we -might have expected, but only isolated hills and mountains rising here -and there from the plateau. The country is an archipelago of -lakes,--the lake-country of New England. Their levels vary but a few -feet, and the boatmen, by short portages, or by none at all, pass -easily from one to another. They say that at very high water the -Penobscot and the Kennebec flow into each other, or at any rate, that -you may lie with your face in the one and your toes in the other. Even -the Penobscot and St. John have been connected by a canal, so that the -lumber of the Allegash, instead of going down the St. John, comes down -the Penobscot; and the Indian's tradition, that the Penobscot once ran -both ways for his convenience, is, in one sense, partially realized -to-day. - -None of our party but McCauslin had been above this lake, so we -trusted to him to pilot us, and we could not but confess the -importance of a pilot on these waters. While it is river, you will not -easily forget which way is up-stream; but when you enter a lake, the -river is completely lost, and you scan the distant shores in vain to -find where it comes in. A stranger is, for the time at least, lost, -and must set about a voyage of discovery first of all to find the -river. To follow the windings of the shore when the lake is ten miles, -or even more, in length, and of an irregularity which will not soon -be mapped, is a wearisome voyage, and will spend his time and his -provisions. They tell a story of a gang of experienced woodmen sent to -a location on this stream, who were thus lost in the wilderness of -lakes. They cut their way through thickets, and carried their baggage -and their boats over from lake to lake, sometimes several miles. They -carried into Millinocket Lake, which is on another stream, and is ten -miles square, and contains a hundred islands. They explored its shores -thoroughly, and then carried into another, and another, and it was a -week of toil and anxiety before they found the Penobscot River again, -and then their provisions were exhausted, and they were obliged to -return. - -While Uncle George steered for a small island near the head of the -lake, now just visible, like a speck on the water, we rowed by turns -swiftly over its surface, singing such boat songs as we could -remember. The shores seemed at an indefinite distance in the -moonlight. Occasionally we paused in our singing and rested on our -oars, while we listened to hear if the wolves howled, for this is a -common serenade, and my companions affirmed that it was the most -dismal and unearthly of sounds; but we heard none this time. If we did -not _hear_, however, we did _listen_, not without a reasonable -expectation; that at least I have to tell,--only some utterly -uncivilized, big-throated owl hooted loud and dismally in the drear -and boughy wilderness, plainly not nervous about his solitary life, -nor afraid to hear the echoes of his voice there. We remembered also -that possibly moose were silently watching us from the distant coves, -or some surly bear or timid caribou had been startled by our singing. -It was with new emphasis that we sang there the Canadian boat song,-- - - "Row, brothers, row, the stream runs fast, - The rapids are near and the daylight's past!" - -which describes precisely our own adventure, and was inspired by the -experience of a similar kind of life,--for the rapids were ever near, -and the daylight long past; the woods on shore looked dim, and many an -Utawas' tide here emptied into the lake. - - "Why should we yet our sail unfurl? - There is not a breath the blue wave to curl! - But, when the wind blows off the shore, - Oh, sweetly we'll rest our weary oar." - - "Utawas' tide! this trembling moon - Shall see us float o'er thy surges soon." - -At last we glided past the "green isle," which had been our landmark, -all joining in the chorus; as if by the watery links of rivers and of -lakes we were about to float over unmeasured zones of earth, bound on -unimaginable adventures,-- - - "Saint of this green isle! hear our prayers, - Oh, grant us cool heavens and favoring airs!" - -About nine o'clock we reached the river, and ran our boat into a -natural haven between some rocks, and drew her out on the sand. This -camping-ground McCauslin had been familiar with in his lumbering days, -and he now struck it unerringly in the moonlight, and we heard the -sound of the rill which would supply us with cool water emptying into -the lake. The first business was to make a fire, an operation which -was a little delayed by the wetness of the fuel and the ground, owing -to the heavy showers of the afternoon. The fire is the main comfort of -the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one -season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and -dryness. It forms one side of the camp; one bright side at any rate. -Some were dispersed to fetch in dead trees and boughs, while Uncle -George felled the birches and beeches which stood convenient, and soon -we had a fire some ten feet long by three or four high, which rapidly -dried the sand before it. This was calculated to burn all night. We -next proceeded to pitch our tent; which operation was performed by -sticking our two spike-poles into the ground in a slanting direction, -about ten feet apart, for rafters, and then drawing our cotton cloth -over them, and tying it down at the ends, leaving it open in front, -shed-fashion. But this evening the wind carried the sparks on to the -tent and burned it. So we hastily drew up the batteau just within the -edge of the woods before the fire, and propping up one side three or -four feet high, spread the tent on the ground to lie on; and with the -corner of a blanket, or what more or less we could get to put over us, -lay down with our heads and bodies under the boat, and our feet and -legs on the sand toward the fire. At first we lay awake, talking of -our course, and finding ourselves in so convenient a posture for -studying the heavens, with the moon and stars shining in our faces, -our conversation naturally turned upon astronomy, and we recounted by -turns the most interesting discoveries in that science. But at length -we composed ourselves seriously to sleep. It was interesting, when -awakened at midnight, to watch the grotesque and fiend-like forms and -motions of some one of the party, who, not being able to sleep, had -got up silently to arouse the fire, and add fresh fuel, for a change; -now stealthily lugging a dead tree from out the dark, and heaving it -on, now stirring up the embers with his fork, or tiptoeing about to -observe the stars, watched, perchance, by half the prostrate party in -breathless silence; so much the more intense because they were awake, -while each supposed his neighbor sound asleep. Thus aroused, I, too, -brought fresh fuel to the fire, and then rambled along the sandy shore -in the moonlight, hoping to meet a moose come down to drink, or else a -wolf. The little rill tinkled the louder, and peopled all the -wilderness for me; and the glassy smoothness of the sleeping lake, -laving the shores of a new world, with the dark, fantastic rocks -rising here and there from its surface, made a scene not easily -described. It has left such an impression of stern, yet gentle, -wildness on my memory as will not soon be effaced. Not far from -midnight we were one after another awakened by rain falling on our -extremities; and as each was made aware of the fact by cold or wet, he -drew a long sigh and then drew up his legs, until gradually we had all -sidled round from lying at right angles with the boat, till our bodies -formed an acute angle with it, and were wholly protected. When next we -awoke, the moon and stars were shining again, and there were signs of -dawn in the east. I have been thus particular in order to convey some -idea of a night in the woods. - -We had soon launched and loaded our boat, and, leaving our fire -blazing, were off again before breakfast. The lumberers rarely trouble -themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the -primitive forest; and this is one cause, no doubt, of the frequent -fires in Maine, of which we hear so much on smoky days in -Massachusetts. The forests are held cheap after the white pine has -been culled out; and the explorers and hunters pray for rain only to -clear the atmosphere of smoke. The woods were so wet to-day, however, -that there was no danger of our fire spreading. After poling up half a -mile of river, or thoroughfare, we rowed a mile across the foot of -Pamadumcook Lake, which is the name given on the map to this whole -chain of lakes, as if there was but one, though they are, in each -instance, distinctly separated by a reach of the river, with its -narrow and rocky channel and its rapids. This lake, which is one of -the largest, stretched northwest ten miles, to hills and mountains in -the distance. McCauslin pointed to some distant, and as yet -inaccessible, forests of white pine, on the sides of a mountain in -that direction. The Joe Merry Lakes, which lay between us and -Moosehead, on the west, were recently, if they are not still, -"surrounded by some of the best timbered land in the State." By -another thoroughfare we passed into Deep Cove, a part of the same -lake, which makes up two miles, toward the northeast, and rowing two -miles across this, by another short thoroughfare, entered Ambejijis -Lake. - -At the entrance to a lake we sometimes observed what is technically -called "fencing-stuff," or the unhewn timbers of which booms are -formed, either secured together in the water, or laid up on the rocks -and lashed to trees, for spring use. But it was always startling to -discover so plain a trail of civilized man there. I remember that I -was strangely affected, when we were returning, by the sight of a -ring-bolt well drilled into a rock, and fastened with lead, at the -head of this solitary Ambejijis Lake. - -It was easy to see that driving logs must be an exciting as well as -arduous and dangerous business. All winter long the logger goes on -piling up the trees which he has trimmed and hauled in some dry ravine -at the head of a stream, and then in the spring he stands on the bank -and whistles for Rain and Thaw, ready to wring the perspiration out of -his shirt to swell the tide, till suddenly, with a whoop and halloo -from him, shutting his eyes, as if to bid farewell to the existing -state of things, a fair proportion of his winter's work goes -scrambling down the country, followed by his faithful dogs, Thaw and -Rain and Freshet and Wind, the whole pack in full cry, toward the -Orono Mills. Every log is marked with the owner's name, cut in the -sapwood with an axe or bored with an auger, so deep as not to be worn -off in the driving, and yet not so as to injure the timber; and it -requires considerable ingenuity to invent new and simple marks where -there are so many owners. They have quite an alphabet of their own, -which only the practiced can read. One of my companions read off from -his memorandum book some marks of his own logs, among which there were -crosses, belts, crow's feet, girdles, etc., as, "Y--girdle--crowfoot," -and various other devices. When the logs have run the gauntlet of -innumerable rapids and falls, each on its own account, with more or -less jamming and bruising, those bearing various owners' marks being -mixed up together,--since all must take advantage of the same -freshet,--they are collected together at the heads of the lakes, and -surrounded by a boom fence of floating logs, to prevent their being -dispersed by the wind, and are thus towed all together, like a flock -of sheep, across the lake, where there is no current, by a windlass, -or boom-head, such as we sometimes saw standing on an island or -headland, and, if circumstances permit, with the aid of sails and -oars. Sometimes, notwithstanding, the logs are dispersed over many -miles of lake surface in a few hours by winds and freshets, and thrown -up on distant shores, where the driver can pick up only one or two at -a time, and return with them to the thoroughfare; and before he gets -his flock well through Ambejijis or Pamadumcook, he makes many a wet -and uncomfortable camp on the shore. He must be able to navigate a log -as if it were a canoe, and be as indifferent to cold and wet as a -muskrat. He uses a few efficient tools,--a lever commonly of rock -maple, six or seven feet long, with a stout spike in it, strongly -ferruled on, and a long spike-pole, with a screw at the end of the -spike to make it hold. The boys along shore learn to walk on floating -logs as city boys on sidewalks. Sometimes the logs are thrown up on -rocks in such positions as to be irrecoverable but by another freshet -as high, or they jam together at rapids and falls, and accumulate in -vast piles, which the driver must start at the risk of his life. Such -is the lumber business, which depends on many accidents, as the early -freezing of the rivers, that the teams may get up in season, a -sufficient freshet in the spring, to fetch the logs down, and many -others.[4] I quote Michaux on Lumbering on the Kennebec, then the -source of the best white pine lumber carried to England. "The persons -engaged in this branch of industry are generally emigrants from New -Hampshire.... In the summer they unite in small companies, and -traverse these vast solitudes in every direction, to ascertain the -places in which the pines abound. After cutting the grass and -converting it into hay for the nourishment of the cattle to be -employed in their labor, they return home. In the beginning of the -winter they enter the forests again, establish themselves in huts -covered with the bark of the canoe-birch, or the arbor-vitae; and, -though the cold is so intense that the mercury sometimes remains for -several weeks from 40 deg. to 50 deg. [Fahr.] below the point of -congelation, they persevere, with unabated courage, in their work." -According to Springer, the company consists of choppers, swampers,--who -make roads,--barker and loader, teamster, and cook. "When the trees are -felled, they cut them into logs from fourteen to eighteen feet long, -and, by means of their cattle, which they employ with great dexterity, -drag them to the river, and, after stamping on them a mark of -property, roll them on its frozen bosom. At the breaking of the ice, -in the spring, they float down with the current.... The logs that are -not drawn the first year," adds Michaux, "are attacked by large worms, -which form holes about two lines in diameter, in every direction; but, -if stripped of their bark, they will remain uninjured for thirty -years." - -Ambejijis, this quiet Sunday morning, struck me as the most beautiful -lake we had seen. It is said to be one of the deepest. We had the -fairest view of Joe Merry, Double Top, and Ktaadn, from its surface. -The summit of the latter had a singularly flat, table-land appearance, -like a short highway, where a demigod might be let down to take a turn -or two in an afternoon, to settle his dinner. We rowed a mile and a -half to near the head of the lake, and, pushing through a field of -lily-pads, landed, to cook our breakfast, by the side of a large rock, -known to McCauslin. Our breakfast consisted of tea, with hard-bread -and pork, and fried salmon, which we ate with forks neatly whittled -from alder twigs, which grew there, off strips of birch-bark for -plates. The tea was black tea, without milk to color or sugar to -sweeten it, and two tin dippers were our tea cups. This beverage is as -indispensable to the loggers as to any gossiping old women in the -land, and they, no doubt, derive great comfort from it. Here was the -site of an old logger's camp, remembered by McCauslin, now overgrown -with weeds and bushes. In the midst of a dense underwood we noticed a -whole brick, on a rock, in a small run, clean and red and square as in -a brick-yard, which had been brought thus far formerly for tamping. -Some of us afterward regretted that we had not carried this on with us -to the top of the mountain, to be left there for our mark. It would -certainly have been a simple evidence of civilized man. McCauslin said -that large wooden crosses, made of oak, still sound, were sometimes -found standing in this wilderness, which were set up by the first -Catholic missionaries who came through to the Kennebec. - -In the next nine miles, which were the extent of our voyage, and which -it took us the rest of the day to get over, we rowed across several -small lakes, poled up numerous rapids and thoroughfares, and carried -over four portages. I will give the names and distances, for the -benefit of future tourists. First, after leaving Ambejijis Lake, we -had a quarter of a mile of rapids to the portage, or carry of ninety -rods around Ambejijis Falls; then a mile and a half through Passamagamet -Lake, which is narrow and river-like, to the falls of the same -name,--Ambejijis stream coming in on the right; then two miles through -Katepskonegan Lake to the portage of ninety rods around Katepskonegan -Falls, which name signifies "carrying-place,"--Passamagamet stream -coming in on the left; then three miles through Pockwockomus Lake, a -slight expansion of the river, to the portage of forty rods around the -falls of the same name,--Katepskonegan stream coming in on the left; -then three quarters of a mile through Aboljacarmegus Lake, similar to -the last, to the portage of forty rods around the falls of the same -name; then half a mile of rapid water to the Sowadnehunk deadwater, -and the Aboljacknagesic stream. - -This is generally the order of names as you ascend the river: First, -the lake, or, if there is no expansion, the deadwater; then the falls; -then the stream emptying into the lake, or river above, all of the -same name. First we came to Passamagamet Lake, then to Passamagamet -Falls, then to Passamagamet Stream, emptying in. This order and -identity of names, it will be perceived, is quite philosophical, since -the deadwater or lake is always at least partially produced by the -stream emptying in above; and the first fall below, which is the -outlet of that lake, and where that tributary water makes its first -plunge, also naturally bears the same name. - -At the portage around Ambejijis Falls I observed a pork-barrel on the -shore, with a hole eight or nine inches square cut in one side, which -was set against an upright rock; but the bears, without turning or -upsetting the barrel, had gnawed a hole in the opposite side, which -looked exactly like an enormous rat-hole, big enough to put their -heads in; and at the bottom of the barrel were still left a few -mangled and slabbered slices of pork. It is usual for the lumberers to -leave such supplies as they cannot conveniently carry along with them -at carries or camps, to which the next comers do not scruple to help -themselves, they being the property, commonly, not of an individual, -but a company, who can afford to deal liberally. - -I will describe particularly how we got over some of these portages -and rapids, in order that the reader may get an idea of the boatman's -life. At Ambejijis Falls, for instance, there was the roughest path -imaginable cut through the woods; at first up hill, at an angle of -nearly forty-five degrees, over rocks and logs without end. This was -the manner of the portage. We first carried over our baggage, and -deposited it on the shore at the other end; then, returning to the -batteau, we dragged it up the hill by the painter, and onward, with -frequent pauses, over half the portage. But this was a bungling way, -and would soon have worn out the boat. Commonly, three men walk over -with a batteau weighing from three to five or six hundred pounds on -their heads and shoulders, the tallest standing under the middle of -the boat, which is turned over, and one at each end, or else there are -two at the bows. More cannot well take hold at once. But this requires -some practice, as well as strength, and is in any case extremely -laborious, and wearing to the constitution, to follow. We were, on the -whole, rather an invalid party, and could render our boatmen but -little assistance. Our two men at length took the batteau upon their -shoulders, and, while two of us steadied it, to prevent it from -rocking and wearing into their shoulders, on which they placed their -hats folded, walked bravely over the remaining distance, with two or -three pauses. In the same manner they accomplished the other portages. -With this crushing weight they must climb and stumble along over -fallen trees and slippery rocks of all sizes, where those who walked -by the sides were continually brushed off, such was the narrowness of -the path. But we were fortunate not to have to cut our path in the -first place. Before we launched our boat, we scraped the bottom smooth -again, with our knives, where it had rubbed on the rocks, to save -friction. - -To avoid the difficulties of the portage, our men determined to "warp -up" the Passamagamet Falls; so while the rest walked over the portage -with the baggage, I remained in the batteau, to assist in warping up. -We were soon in the midst of the rapids, which were more swift and -tumultuous than any we had poled up, and had turned to the side of the -stream for the purpose of warping, when the boatmen, who felt some -pride in their skill, and were ambitious to do something more than -usual, for my benefit, as I surmised, took one more view of the -rapids, or rather the falls; and, in answer to our question, whether -we couldn't get up there, the other answered that he guessed he'd try -it. So we pushed again into the midst of the stream, and began to -struggle with the current. I sat in the middle of the boat to trim it, -moving slightly to the right or left as it grazed a rock. With an -uncertain and wavering motion we wound and bolted our way up, until -the bow was actually raised two feet above the stern at the steepest -pitch; and then, when everything depended upon his exertions, the -bowman's pole snapped in two; but before he had time to take the spare -one, which I reached him, he had saved himself with the fragment upon -a rock; and so we got up by a hair's breadth; and Uncle George -exclaimed that that was never done before, and he had not tried it if -he had not known whom he had got in the bow, nor he in the bow, if he -had not known him in the stern. At this place there was a regular -portage cut through the woods, and our boatmen had never known a -batteau to ascend the falls. As near as I can remember, there was a -perpendicular fall here, at the worst place of the whole Penobscot -River, two or three feet at least. I could not sufficiently admire the -skill and coolness with which they performed this feat, never speaking -to each other. The bowman, not looking behind, but knowing exactly -what the other is about, works as if he worked alone. Now sounding in -vain for a bottom in fifteen feet of water, while the boat falls back -several rods, held straight only with the greatest skill and exertion; -or, while the sternman obstinately holds his ground, like a turtle, -the bowman springs from side to side with wonderful suppleness and -dexterity, scanning the rapids and the rocks with a thousand eyes; and -now, having got a bite at last, with a lusty shove, which makes his -pole bend and quiver, and the whole boat tremble, he gains a few feet -upon the river. To add to the danger, the poles are liable at any time -to be caught between the rocks, and wrenched out of their hands, -leaving them at the mercy of the rapids,--the rocks, as it were, lying -in wait, like so many alligators, to catch them in their teeth, and -jerk them from your hands, before you have stolen an effectual shove -against their palates. The pole is set close to the boat, and the prow -is made to overshoot, and just turn the corners of the rocks, in the -very teeth of the rapids. Nothing but the length and lightness, and -the slight draught of the batteau, enables them to make any headway. -The bowman must quickly choose his course; there is no time to -deliberate. Frequently the boat is shoved between rocks where both -sides touch, and the waters on either hand are a perfect maelstrom. - -Half a mile above this two of us tried our hands at poling up a slight -rapid; and we were just surmounting the last difficulty, when an -unlucky rock confounded our calculations; and while the batteau was -sweeping round irrecoverably amid the whirlpool, we were obliged to -resign the poles to more skillful hands. - -Katepskonegan is one of the shallowest and weediest of the lakes, and -looked as if it might abound in pickerel. The falls of the same name, -where we stopped to dine, are considerable and quite picturesque. Here -Uncle George had seen trout caught by the barrelful; but they would -not rise to our bait at this hour. Halfway over this carry, thus far -in the Maine wilderness on its way to the Provinces, we noticed a -large, flaming, Oak Hall handbill, about two feet long, wrapped round -the trunk of a pine, from which the bark had been stripped, and to -which it was fast glued by the pitch. This should be recorded among -the advantages of this mode of advertising, that so, possibly, even -the bears and wolves, moose, deer, otter, and beaver, not to mention -the Indian, may learn where they can fit themselves according to the -latest fashion, or, at least, recover some of their own lost garments. -We christened this the Oak Hall carry. - -The forenoon was as serene and placid on this wild stream in the -woods, as we are apt to imagine that Sunday in summer usually is in -Massachusetts. We were occasionally startled by the scream of a bald -eagle, sailing over the stream in front of our batteau; or of the fish -hawks on whom he levies his contributions. There were, at intervals, -small meadows of a few acres on the sides of the stream, waving with -uncut grass, which attracted the attention of our boatmen, who -regretted that they were not nearer to their clearings, and calculated -how many stacks they might cut. Two or three men sometimes spend the -summer by themselves, cutting the grass in these meadows, to sell to -the loggers in the winter, since it will fetch a higher price on the -spot than in any market in the State. On a small isle, covered with -this kind of rush, or cut-grass, on which we landed to consult about -our further course, we noticed the recent track of a moose, a large, -roundish hole in the soft, wet ground, evincing the great size and -weight of the animal that made it. They are fond of the water, and -visit all these island meadows, swimming as easily from island to -island as they make their way through the thickets on land. Now and -then we passed what McCauslin called a pokelogan, an Indian term for -what the drivers might have reason to call a poke-logs-in, an inlet -that leads nowhere. If you get in, you have got to get out again the -same way. These, and the frequent "runrounds" which come into the -river again, would embarrass an inexperienced voyager not a little. - -The carry around Pockwockomus Falls was exceedingly rough and rocky, -the batteau having to be lifted directly from the water up four or -five feet on to a rock, and launched again down a similar bank. The -rocks on this portage were covered with the _dents_ made by the spikes -in the lumberers' boots while staggering over under the weight of -their batteaux; and you could see where the surface of some large -rocks on which they had rested their batteaux was worn quite smooth -with use. As it was, we had carried over but half the usual portage at -this place for this stage of the water, and launched our boat in the -smooth wave just curving to the fall, prepared to struggle with the -most violent rapid we had to encounter. The rest of the party walked -over the remainder of the portage, while I remained with the boatmen -to assist in warping up. One had to hold the boat while the others got -in to prevent it from going over the falls. When we had pushed up the -rapids as far as possible, keeping close to the shore, Tom seized the -painter and leaped out upon a rock just visible in the water, but he -lost his footing, notwithstanding his spiked boots, and was instantly -amid the rapids; but recovering himself by good luck, and reaching -another rock, he passed the painter to me, who had followed him, and -took his place again in the bows. Leaping from rock to rock in the -shoal water, close to the shore, and now and then getting a bite with -the rope round an upright one, I held the boat while one reset his -pole, and then all three forced it upward against any rapid. This was -"warping up." When a part of us walked round at such a place, we -generally took the precaution to take out the most valuable part of -the baggage for fear of being swamped. - -As we poled up a swift rapid for half a mile above Aboljacarmegus -Falls, some of the party read their own marks on the huge logs which -lay piled up high and dry on the rocks on either hand, the relics -probably of a jam which had taken place here in the Great Freshet in -the spring. Many of these would have to wait for another great -freshet, perchance, if they lasted so long, before they could be got -off. It was singular enough to meet with property of theirs which they -had never seen, and where they had never been before, thus detained by -freshets and rocks when on its way to them. Methinks that must be -where all my property lies, cast up on the rocks on some distant and -unexplored stream, and waiting for an unheard-of freshet to fetch it -down. O make haste, ye gods, with your winds and rains, and start the -jam before it rots! - -The last half mile carried us to the Sowadnehunk Deadwater, so called -from the stream of the same name, signifying "running between -mountains," an important tributary which comes in a mile above. Here -we decided to camp, about twenty miles from the Dam, at the mouth of -Murch Brook and the Aboljacknagesic, mountain streams, broad off from -Ktaadn, and about a dozen miles from its summit, having made fifteen -miles this day. - -We had been told by McCauslin that we should here find trout enough; -so, while some prepared the camp, the rest fell to fishing. Seizing -the birch poles which some party of Indians, or white hunters, had -left on the shore, and baiting our hooks with pork, and with trout, -as soon as they were caught, we cast our lines into the mouth of the -Aboljacknagesic, a clear, swift, shallow stream, which came in from -Ktaadn. Instantly a shoal of white chivin (_Leuciscus pulchellus_), -silvery roaches, cousin-trout, or what not, large and small, prowling -thereabouts, fell upon our bait, and one after another were landed -amidst the bushes. Anon their cousins, the true trout, took their -turn, and alternately the speckled trout, and the silvery roaches, -swallowed the bait as fast as we could throw in; and the finest -specimens of both that I have ever seen, the largest one weighing -three pounds, were heaved upon the shore, though at first in vain, to -wriggle down into the water again, for we stood in the boat; but soon -we learned to remedy this evil; for one, who had lost his hook, stood -on shore to catch them as they fell in a perfect shower around -him,--sometimes, wet and slippery, full in his face and bosom, as his -arms were outstretched to receive them. While yet alive, before their -tints had faded, they glistened like the fairest flowers, the product -of primitive rivers; and he could hardly trust his senses, as he stood -over them, that these jewels should have swam away in that -Aboljacknagesic water for so long, so many dark ages;--these bright -fluviatile flowers, seen of Indians only, made beautiful, the Lord -only knows why, to swim there! I could understand better for this, the -truth of mythology, the fables of Proteus, and all those beautiful -sea-monsters,--how all history, indeed, put to a terrestrial use, is -mere history; but put to a celestial, is mythology always. - -But there is the rough voice of Uncle George, who commands at the -frying-pan, to send over what you've got, and then you may stay till -morning. The pork sizzles and cries for fish. Luckily for the foolish -race, and this particularly foolish generation of trout, the night -shut down at last, not a little deepened by the dark side of Ktaadn, -which, like a permanent shadow, reared itself from the eastern bank. -Lescarbot, writing in 1609, tells us that the Sieur Champdore, who, -with one of the people of the Sieur de Monts, ascended some fifty -leagues up the St. John in 1608, found the fish so plenty, "qu'en -mettant la chaudiere sur le feu ils en avoient pris suffisamment pour -eux disner avant que l'eau fust chaude." Their descendants here are no -less numerous. So we accompanied Tom into the woods to cut cedar twigs -for our bed. While he went ahead with the axe and lopped off the -smallest twigs of the flat-leaved cedar, the arbor-vitae of the -gardens, we gathered them up, and returned with them to the boat, -until it was loaded. Our bed was made with as much care and skill as a -roof is shingled; beginning at the foot, and laying the twig end of -the cedar upward, we advanced to the head, a course at a time, thus -successively covering the stub-ends, and producing a soft and level -bed. For us six it was about ten feet long by six in breadth. This -time we lay under our tent, having pitched it more prudently with -reference to the wind and the flame, and the usual huge fire blazed in -front. Supper was eaten off a large log, which some freshet had thrown -up. This night we had a dish of arbor-vitae or cedar tea, which the -lumberer sometimes uses when other herbs fail,-- - - "A quart of arbor-vitae, - To make him strong and mighty,"-- - -but I had no wish to repeat the experiment. It had too medicinal a -taste for my palate. There was the skeleton of a moose here, whose -bones some Indian hunters had picked on this very spot. - -In the night I dreamed of trout-fishing; and, when at length I awoke, -it seemed a fable that this painted fish swam there so near my couch, -and rose to our hooks the last evening, and I doubted if I had not -dreamed it all. So I arose before dawn to test its truth, while my -companions were still sleeping. There stood Ktaadn with distinct and -cloudless outline in the moonlight; and the rippling of the rapids was -the only sound to break the stillness. Standing on the shore, I once -more cast my line into the stream, and found the dream to be real and -the fable true. The speckled trout and silvery roach, like -flying-fish, sped swiftly through the moonlight air, describing bright -arcs on the dark side of Ktaadn, until moonlight, now fading into -daylight, brought satiety to my mind, and the minds of my companions, -who had joined me. - -By six o'clock, having mounted our packs and a good blanketful of -trout, ready dressed, and swung up such baggage and provision as we -wished to leave behind upon the tops of saplings, to be out of the -reach of bears, we started for the summit of the mountain, distant, as -Uncle George said the boatmen called it, about four miles, but as I -judged, and as it proved, nearer fourteen. He had never been any -nearer the mountain than this, and there was not the slightest trace -of man to guide us farther in this direction. At first, pushing a few -rods up the Aboljacknagesic, or "open-land stream," we fastened our -batteau to a tree, and traveled up the north side, through burnt -lands, now partially overgrown with young aspens and other shrubbery; -but soon, recrossing this stream, where it was about fifty or sixty -feet wide, upon a jam of logs and rocks,--and you could cross it by -this means almost anywhere,--we struck at once for the highest peak, -over a mile or more of comparatively open land, still very gradually -ascending the while. Here it fell to my lot, as the oldest -mountain-climber, to take the lead. So, scanning the woody side of the -mountain, which lay still at an indefinite distance, stretched out -some seven or eight miles in length before us, we determined to steer -directly for the base of the highest peak, leaving a large slide, by -which, as I have since learned, some of our predecessors ascended, on -our left. This course would lead us parallel to a dark seam in the -forest, which marked the bed of a torrent, and over a slight spur, -which extended southward from the main mountain, from whose bare -summit we could get an outlook over the country, and climb directly up -the peak, which would then be close at hand. Seen from this point, a -bare ridge at the extremity of the open land, Ktaadn presented a -different aspect from any mountain I have seen, there being a greater -proportion of naked rock rising abruptly from the forest; and we -looked up at this blue barrier as if it were some fragment of a wall -which anciently bounded the earth in that direction. Setting the -compass for a northeast course, which was the bearing of the southern -base of the highest peak, we were soon buried in the woods. - -We soon began to meet with traces of bears and moose, and those of -rabbits were everywhere visible. The tracks of moose, more or less -recent, to speak literally, covered every square rod on the sides of -the mountain; and these animals are probably more numerous there now -than ever before, being driven into this wilderness, from all sides, -by the settlements. The track of a full-grown moose is like that of a -cow, or larger, and of the young, like that of a calf. Sometimes we -found ourselves traveling in faint paths, which they had made, like -cow-paths in the woods, only far more indistinct, being rather -openings, affording imperfect vistas through the dense underwood, than -trodden paths; and everywhere the twigs had been browsed by them, -clipped as smoothly as if by a knife. The bark of trees was stripped -up by them to the height of eight or nine feet, in long, narrow -strips, an inch wide, still showing the distinct marks of their teeth. -We expected nothing less than to meet a herd of them every moment, and -our Nimrod held his shooting-iron in readiness; but we did not go out -of our way to look for them, and, though numerous, they are so wary -that the unskillful hunter might range the forest a long time before -he could get sight of one. They are sometimes dangerous to encounter, -and will not turn out for the hunter, but furiously rush upon him and -trample him to death, unless he is lucky enough to avoid them by dodging -round a tree. The largest are nearly as large as a horse, and weigh -sometimes one thousand pounds; and it is said that they can step over a -five-foot gate in their ordinary walk. They are described as exceedingly -awkward-looking animals, with their long legs and short bodies, making -a ludicrous figure when in full run, but making great headway, -nevertheless. It seemed a mystery to us how they could thread these -woods, which it required all our suppleness to accomplish,--climbing, -stooping, and winding, alternately. They are said to drop their long -and branching horns, which usually spread five or six feet, on their -backs, and make their way easily by the weight of their bodies. Our -boatmen said, but I know not with how much truth, that their horns are -apt to be gnawed away by vermin while they sleep. Their flesh, which -is more like beef than venison, is common in Bangor market. - -We had proceeded on thus seven or eight miles, till about noon, with -frequent pauses to refresh the weary ones, crossing a considerable -mountain stream, which we conjectured to be Murch Brook, at whose -mouth we had camped, all the time in woods, without having once seen -the summit, and rising very gradually, when the boatmen beginning to -despair a little, and fearing that we were leaving the mountain on one -side of us, for they had not entire faith in the compass, McCauslin -climbed a tree, from the top of which he could see the peak, when it -appeared that we had not swerved from a right line, the compass down -below still ranging with his arm, which pointed to the summit. By the -side of a cool mountain rill, amid the woods, where the water began to -partake of the purity and transparency of the air, we stopped to cook -some of our fishes, which we had brought thus far in order to save -our hard-bread and pork, in the use of which we had put ourselves on -short allowance. We soon had a fire blazing, and stood around it, -under the damp and sombre forest of firs and birches, each with a -sharpened stick, three or four feet in length, upon which he had -spitted his trout, or roach, previously well gashed and salted, our -sticks radiating like the spokes of a wheel from one centre, and each -crowding his particular fish into the most desirable exposure, not -with the truest regard always to his neighbor's rights. Thus we -regaled ourselves, drinking meanwhile at the spring, till one man's -pack, at least, was considerably lightened, when we again took up our -line of march. - -At length we reached an elevation sufficiently bare to afford a view -of the summit, still distant and blue, almost as if retreating from -us. A torrent, which proved to be the same we had crossed, was seen -tumbling down in front, literally from out of the clouds. But this -glimpse at our whereabouts was soon lost, and we were buried in the -woods again. The wood was chiefly yellow birch, spruce, fir, -mountain-ash, or round-wood, as the Maine people call it, and -moose-wood. It was the worst kind of traveling; sometimes like the -densest scrub oak patches with us. The cornel, or bunch-berries, were -very abundant, as well as Solomon's-seal and moose-berries. -Blueberries were distributed along our whole route; and in one place -the bushes were drooping with the weight of the fruit, still as fresh -as ever. It was the 7th of September. Such patches afforded a grateful -repast, and served to bait the tired party forward. When any lagged -behind, the cry of "blueberries" was most effectual to bring them up. -Even at this elevation we passed through a moose-yard, formed by a -large flat rock, four or five rods square, where they tread down the -snow in winter. At length, fearing that if we held the direct course -to the summit, we should not find any water near our camping-ground, -we gradually swerved to the west, till, at four o'clock, we struck -again the torrent which I have mentioned, and here, in view of the -summit, the weary party decided to camp that night. - -While my companions were seeking a suitable spot for this purpose, I -improved the little daylight that was left in climbing the mountain -alone. We were in a deep and narrow ravine, sloping up to the clouds, -at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, and hemmed in by walls of -rock, which were at first covered with low trees, then with -impenetrable thickets of scraggy birches and spruce trees, and with -moss, but at last bare of all vegetation but lichens, and almost -continually draped in clouds. Following up the course of the torrent -which occupied this,--and I mean to lay some emphasis on this word -_up_,--pulling myself up by the side of perpendicular falls of twenty -or thirty feet, by the roots of firs and birches, and then, perhaps, -walking a level rod or two in the thin stream, for it took up the -whole road, ascending by huge steps, as it were, a giant's stairway, -down which a river flowed, I had soon cleared the trees, and paused on -the successive shelves, to look back over the country. The torrent was -from fifteen to thirty feet wide, without a tributary, and seemingly -not diminishing in breadth as I advanced; but still it came rushing -and roaring down, with a copious tide, over and amidst masses of bare -rock, from the very clouds, as though a waterspout had just burst over -the mountain. Leaving this at last, I began to work my way, scarcely -less arduous than Satan's anciently through Chaos, up the nearest -though not the highest peak. At first scrambling on all fours over the -tops of ancient black spruce trees (_Abies nigra_), old as the flood, -from two to ten or twelve feet in height, their tops flat and -spreading, and their foliage blue, and nipped with cold, as if for -centuries they had ceased growing upward against the bleak sky, the -solid cold. I walked some good rods erect upon the tops of these -trees, which were overgrown with moss and mountain cranberries. It -seemed that in the course of time they had filled up the intervals -between the huge rocks, and the cold wind had uniformly leveled all -over. Here the principle of vegetation was hard put to it. There was -apparently a belt of this kind running quite round the mountain, -though, perhaps, nowhere so remarkable as here. Once, slumping -through, I looked down ten feet, into a dark and cavernous region, and -saw the stem of a spruce, on whose top I stood, as on a mass of coarse -basket-work, fully nine inches in diameter at the ground. These holes -were bears' dens, and the bears were even then at home. This was the -sort of garden I made my way _over_, for an eighth of a mile, at the -risk, it is true, of treading on some of the plants, not seeing any -path _through_ it,--certainly the most treacherous and porous country -I ever traveled. - - "Nigh foundered on he fares, - Treading the crude consistence, half on foot, - Half flying," - -But nothing could exceed the toughness of the twigs,--not one snapped -under my weight, for they had slowly grown. Having slumped, scrambled, -rolled, bounced, and walked, by turns, over this scraggy country, I -arrived upon a side-hill, or rather side-mountain, where rocks, gray, -silent rocks, were the flocks and herds that pastured, chewing a rocky -cud at sunset. They looked at me with hard gray eyes, without a bleat -or a low. This brought me to the skirt of a cloud, and bounded my walk -that night. But I had already seen that Maine country when I turned -about, waving, flowing, rippling, down below. - -When I returned to my companions, they had selected a camping-ground -on the torrent's edge, and were resting on the ground; one was on the -sick list, rolled in a blanket, on a damp shelf of rock. It was a -savage and dreary scenery enough, so wildly rough, that they looked -long to find a level and open space for the tent. We could not well -camp higher, for want of fuel; and the trees here seemed so evergreen -and sappy, that we almost doubted if they would acknowledge the -influence of fire; but fire prevailed at last, and blazed here, too, -like a good citizen of the world. Even at this height we met with -frequent traces of moose, as well as of bears. As here was no cedar, -we made our bed of coarser feathered spruce; but at any rate the -feathers were plucked from the live tree. It was, perhaps, even a more -grand and desolate place for a night's lodging than the summit would -have been, being in the neighborhood of those wild trees, and of the -torrent. Some more aerial and finer-spirited winds rushed and roared -through the ravine all night, from time to time arousing our fire, and -dispersing the embers about. It was as if we lay in the very nest of a -young whirlwind. At midnight, one of my bed-fellows, being startled in -his dreams by the sudden blazing up to its top of a fir tree, whose -green boughs were dried by the heat, sprang up, with a cry, from his -bed, thinking the world on fire, and drew the whole camp after him. - -In the morning, after whetting our appetite on some raw pork, a wafer -of hard-bread, and a dipper of condensed cloud or waterspout, we all -together began to make our way up the falls, which I have described; -this time choosing the right hand, or highest peak, which was not the -one I had approached before. But soon my companions were lost to my -sight behind the mountain ridge in my rear, which still seemed ever -retreating before me, and I climbed alone over huge rocks, loosely -poised, a mile or more, still edging toward the clouds; for though the -day was clear elsewhere, the summit was concealed by mist. The -mountain seemed a vast aggregation of loose rocks, as if some time it -had rained rocks, and they lay as they fell on the mountain sides, -nowhere fairly at rest, but leaning on each other, all rocking stones, -with cavities between, but scarcely any soil or smoother shelf. They -were the raw materials of a planet dropped from an unseen quarry, -which the vast chemistry of nature would anon work up, or work down, -into the smiling and verdant plains and valleys of earth. This was an -undone extremity of the globe; as in lignite we see coal in the -process of formation. - -At length I entered within the skirts of the cloud which seemed -forever drifting over the summit, and yet would never be gone, but was -generated out of that pure air as fast as it flowed away; and when, a -quarter of a mile farther, I reached the summit of the ridge, which -those who have seen in clearer weather say is about five miles long, -and contains a thousand acres of table-land, I was deep within the -hostile ranks of clouds, and all objects were obscured by them. Now -the wind would blow me out a yard of clear sunlight, wherein I stood; -then a gray, dawning light was all it could accomplish, the cloud-line -ever rising and falling with the wind's intensity. Sometimes it seemed -as if the summit would be cleared in a few moments, and smile in -sunshine; but what was gained on one side was lost on another. It was -like sitting in a chimney and waiting for the smoke to blow away. It -was, in fact, a cloud-factory,--these were the cloud-works, and the -wind turned them off done from the cool, bare rocks. Occasionally, -when the windy columns broke in to me, I caught sight of a dark, damp -crag to the right or left; the mist driving ceaselessly between it and -me. It reminded me of the creations of the old epic and dramatic -poets, of Atlas, Vulcan, the Cyclops, and Prometheus. Such was -Caucasus and the rock where Prometheus was bound. Aeschylus had no -doubt visited such scenery as this. It was vast, Titanic, and such as -man never inhabits. Some part of the beholder, even some vital part, -seems to escape through the loose grating of his ribs as he ascends. -He is more lone than you can imagine. There is less of substantial -thought and fair understanding in him than in the plains where men -inhabit. His reason is dispersed and shadowy, more thin and subtile, -like the air. Vast, Titanic, inhuman Nature has got him at -disadvantage, caught him alone, and pilfers him of some of his divine -faculty. She does not smile on him as in the plains. She seems to say -sternly, Why came ye here before your time. This ground is not -prepared for you. Is it not enough that I smile in the valleys? I have -never made this soil for thy feet, this air for thy breathing, these -rocks for thy neighbors. I cannot pity nor fondle thee here, but -forever relentlessly drive thee hence to where I _am_ kind. Why seek -me where I have not called thee, and then complain because you find me -but a stepmother? Shouldst thou freeze or starve, or shudder thy life -away, here is no shrine, nor altar, nor any access to my ear. - - "Chaos and ancient Night, I come no spy - With purpose to explore or to disturb - The secrets of your realm, but ... - . . . . . . as my way - Lies through your spacious empire up to light." - -The tops of mountains are among the unfinished parts of the globe, -whither it is a slight insult to the gods to climb and pry into their -secrets, and try their effect on our humanity. Only daring and -insolent men, perchance, go there. Simple races, as savages, do not -climb mountains,--their tops are sacred and mysterious tracts never -visited by them. Pomola is always angry with those who climb to the -summit of Ktaadn. - -According to Jackson, who, in his capacity of geological surveyor of -the State, has accurately measured it, the altitude of Ktaadn is 5300 -feet, or a little more than one mile above the level of the sea, and -he adds, "It is then evidently the highest point in the State of -Maine, and is the most abrupt granite mountain in New England." The -peculiarities of that spacious table-land on which I was standing, as -well as the remarkable semicircular precipice or basin on the eastern -side, were all concealed by the mist. I had brought my whole pack to -the top, not knowing but I should have to make my descent to the -river, and possibly to the settled portion of the State alone, and by -some other route, and wishing to have a complete outfit with me. But -at length fearing that my companions would be anxious to reach the -river before night, and knowing that the clouds might rest on the -mountain for days, I was compelled to descend. Occasionally, as I came -down, the wind would blow me a vista open, through which I could see -the country eastward, boundless forests, and lakes, and streams, -gleaming in the sun, some of them emptying into the East Branch. There -were also new mountains in sight in that direction. Now and then some -small bird of the sparrow family would flit away before me, unable to -command its course, like a fragment of the gray rock blown off by the -wind. - -I found my companions where I had left them, on the side of the peak, -gathering the mountain cranberries, which filled every crevice between -the rocks, together with blueberries, which had a spicier flavor the -higher up they grew, but were not the less agreeable to our palates. -When the country is settled, and roads are made, these cranberries -will perhaps become an article of commerce. From this elevation, just -on the skirts of the clouds, we could overlook the country, west and -south, for a hundred miles. There it was, the State of Maine, which we -had seen on the map, but not much like that,--immeasurable forest for -the sun to shine on, that eastern _stuff_ we hear of in Massachusetts. -No clearing, no house. It did not look as if a solitary traveler had -cut so much as a walking-stick there. Countless lakes,--Moosehead in -the southwest, forty miles long by ten wide, like a gleaming silver -platter at the end of the table; Chesuncook, eighteen long by three -wide, without an island; Millinocket, on the south, with its hundred -islands; and a hundred others without a name; and mountains, also, -whose names, for the most part, are known only to the Indians. The -forest looked like a firm grass sward, and the effect of these lakes -in its midst has been well compared, by one who has since visited this -same spot, to that of a "mirror broken into a thousand fragments, and -wildly scattered over the grass, reflecting the full blaze of the -sun." It was a large farm for somebody, when cleared. According to the -Gazetteer, which was printed before the boundary question was settled, -this single Penobscot County, in which we were, was larger than the -whole State of Vermont, with its fourteen counties; and this was only -a part of the wild lands of Maine. We are concerned now, however, -about natural, not political limits. We were about eighty miles, as -the bird flies, from Bangor, or one hundred and fifteen, as we had -ridden, and walked, and paddled. We had to console ourselves with the -reflection that this view was probably as good as that from the peak, -as far as it went; and what were a mountain without its attendant -clouds and mists? Like ourselves, neither Bailey nor Jackson had -obtained a clear view from the summit. - -Setting out on our return to the river, still at an early hour in the -day, we decided to follow the course of the torrent, which we supposed -to be Murch Brook, as long as it would not lead us too far out of our -way. We thus traveled about four miles in the very torrent itself, -continually crossing and recrossing it, leaping from rock to rock, and -jumping with the stream down falls of seven or eight feet, or -sometimes sliding down on our backs in a thin sheet of water. This -ravine had been the scene of an extraordinary freshet in the spring, -apparently accompanied by a slide from the mountain. It must have been -filled with a stream of stones and water, at least twenty feet above -the present level of the torrent. For a rod or two, on either side of -its channel, the trees were barked and splintered up to their tops, -the birches bent over, twisted, and sometimes finely split, like a -stable-broom; some, a foot in diameter, snapped off, and whole clumps -of trees bent over with the weight of rocks piled on them. In one -place we noticed a rock, two or three feet in diameter, lodged nearly -twenty feet high in the crotch of a tree. For the whole four miles we -saw but one rill emptying in, and the volume of water did not seem to -be increased from the first. We traveled thus very rapidly with a -downward impetus, and grew remarkably expert at leaping from rock to -rock, for leap we must, and leap we did, whether there was any rock at -the right distance or not. It was a pleasant picture when the foremost -turned about and looked up the winding ravine, walled in with rocks -and the green forest, to see, at intervals of a rod or two, a -red-shirted or green-jacketed mountaineer against the white torrent, -leaping down the channel with his pack on his back, or pausing upon a -convenient rock in the midst of the torrent to mend a rent in his -clothes, or unstrap the dipper at his belt to take a draught of the -water. At one place we were startled by seeing, on a little sandy -shelf by the side of the stream, the fresh print of a man's foot, and -for a moment realized how Robinson Crusoe felt in a similar case; but -at last we remembered that we had struck this stream on our way up, -though we could not have told where, and one had descended into the -ravine for a drink. The cool air above and the continual bathing of -our bodies in mountain water, alternate foot, sitz, douche, and plunge -baths, made this walk exceedingly refreshing, and we had traveled only -a mile or two, after leaving the torrent, before every thread of our -clothes was as dry as usual, owing perhaps to a peculiar quality in -the atmosphere. - -After leaving the torrent, being in doubt about our course, Tom threw -down his pack at the foot of the loftiest spruce tree at hand, and -shinned up the bare trunk some twenty feet, and then climbed through -the green tower, lost to our sight, until he held the topmost spray -in his hand.[5] McCauslin, in his younger days, had marched through -the wilderness with a body of troops, under General Somebody, and with -one other man did all the scouting and spying service. The General's -word was, "Throw down the top of that tree," and there was no tree in -the Maine woods so high that it did not lose its top in such a case. I -have heard a story of two men being lost once in these woods, nearer -to the settlements than this, who climbed the loftiest pine they could -find, some six feet in diameter at the ground, from whose top they -discovered a solitary clearing and its smoke. When at this height, -some two hundred feet from the ground, one of them became dizzy, and -fainted in his companion's arms, and the latter had to accomplish the -descent with him, alternately fainting and reviving, as best he could. -To Tom we cried, "Where away does the summit bear? where the burnt -lands?" The last he could only conjecture; he descried, however, a -little meadow and pond, lying probably in our course, which we -concluded to steer for. On reaching this secluded meadow, we found -fresh tracks of moose on the shore of the pond, and the water was -still unsettled as if they had fled before us. A little farther, in a -dense thicket, we seemed to be still on their trail. It was a small -meadow, of a few acres, on the mountain-side, concealed by the forest, -and perhaps never seen by a white man before, where one would think -that the moose might browse and bathe, and rest in peace. Pursuing -this course, we soon reached the open land, which went sloping down -some miles toward the Penobscot. - -Perhaps I most fully realized that this was primeval, untamed, and -forever untamable _Nature_, or whatever else men call it, while coming -down this part of the mountain. We were passing over "Burnt Lands," -burnt by lightning, perchance, though they showed no recent marks of -fire, hardly so much as a charred stump, but looked rather like a -natural pasture for the moose and deer, exceedingly wild and desolate, -with occasional strips of timber crossing them, and low poplars -springing up, and patches of blueberries here and there. I found -myself traversing them familiarly, like some pasture run to waste, or -partially reclaimed by man; but when I reflected what man, what -brother or sister or kinsman of our race made it and claimed it, I -expected the proprietor to rise up and dispute my passage. It is -difficult to conceive of a region uninhabited by man. We habitually -presume his presence and influence everywhere. And yet we have not -seen pure Nature, unless we have seen her thus vast and drear and -inhuman, though in the midst of cities. Nature was here something -savage and awful, though beautiful. I looked with awe at the ground I -trod on, to see what the Powers had made there, the form and fashion -and material of their work. This was that Earth of which we have -heard, made out of Chaos and Old Night. Here was no man's garden, but -the unhandseled globe. It was not lawn, nor pasture, nor mead, nor -woodland, nor lea, nor arable, nor waste land. It was the fresh and -natural surface of the planet Earth, as it was made forever and -ever,--to be the dwelling of man, we say,--so Nature made it, and man -may use it if he can. Man was not to be associated with it. It was -Matter, vast, terrific,--not his Mother Earth that we have heard of, -not for him to tread on, or be buried in,--no, it were being too -familiar even to let his bones lie there,--the home, this, of -Necessity and Fate. There was clearly felt the presence of a force not -bound to be kind to man. It was a place for heathenism and -superstitious rites,--to be inhabited by men nearer of kin to the -rocks and to wild animals than we. We walked over it with a certain -awe, stopping, from time to time, to pick the blueberries which grew -there, and had a smart and spicy taste. Perchance where _our_ wild -pines stand, and leaves lie on their forest floor, in Concord, there -were once reapers, and husbandmen planted grain; but here not even the -surface had been scarred by man, but it was a specimen of what God saw -fit to make this world. What is it to be admitted to a museum, to see -a myriad of particular things, compared with being shown some star's -surface, some hard matter in its home! I stand in awe of my body, this -matter to which I am bound has become so strange to me. I fear not -spirits, ghosts, of which I am one,--_that_ my body might,--but I -fear bodies, I tremble to meet them. What is this Titan that has -possession of me? Talk of mysteries! Think of our life in -nature,--daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it,--rocks, -trees, wind on our cheeks! the _solid_ earth! the _actual_ world! the -_common sense!_ _Contact!_ _Contact!_ _Who_ are we? _where_ are we? - -Erelong we recognized some rocks and other features in the landscape -which we had purposely impressed on our memories, and, quickening our -pace, by two o'clock we reached the batteau.[6] Here we had expected -to dine on trout, but in this glaring sunlight they were slow to take -the bait, so we were compelled to make the most of the crumbs of our -hard-bread and our pork, which were both nearly exhausted. Meanwhile -we deliberated whether we should go up the river a mile farther, to -Gibson's clearing, on the Sowadnehunk, where there was a deserted log -hut, in order to get a half-inch auger, to mend one of our spike-poles -with. There were young spruce trees enough around us, and we had a -spare spike, but nothing to make a hole with. But as it was uncertain -whether we should find any tools left there, we patched up the broken -pole, as well as we could, for the downward voyage, in which there -would be but little use for it. Moreover, we were unwilling to lose -any time in this expedition, lest the wind should rise before we -reached the larger lakes, and detain us; for a moderate wind produces -quite a sea on these waters, in which a batteau will not live for a -moment; and on one occasion McCauslin had been delayed a week at the -head of the North Twin, which is only four miles across. We were -nearly out of provisions, and ill prepared in this respect for what -might possibly prove a week's journey round by the shore, fording -innumerable streams, and threading a trackless forest, should any -accident happen to our boat. - -It was with regret that we turned our backs on Chesuncook, which -McCauslin had formerly logged on, and the Allegash lakes. There were -still longer rapids and portages above; among the last the Ripogenus -Portage, which he described as the most difficult on the river, and -three miles long. The whole length of the Penobscot is two hundred and -seventy-five miles, and we are still nearly one hundred miles from its -source. Hodge, the Assistant State Geologist, passed up this river in -1837, and by a portage of only one mile and three quarters crossed -over into the Allegash, and so went down that into the St. John, and -up the Madawaska to the Grand Portage across to the St. Lawrence. His -is the only account that I know of an expedition through to Canada in -this direction. He thus describes his first sight of the latter river, -which, to compare small things with great, is like Balboa's first -sight of the Pacific from the mountains of the Isthmus of Darien. -"When we first came in sight of the St. Lawrence," he says, "from the -top of a high hill, the view was most striking, and much more -interesting to me from having been shut up in the woods for the two -previous months. Directly before us lay the broad river, extending -across nine or ten miles, its surface broken by a few islands and -reefs, and two ships riding at anchor near the shore. Beyond, extended -ranges of uncultivated hills, parallel with the river. The sun was -just going down behind them, and gilding the whole scene with its -parting rays." - -About four o'clock, the same afternoon, we commenced our return -voyage, which would require but little if any poling. In shooting -rapids the boatmen use large and broad paddles, instead of poles, to -guide the boat with. Though we glided so swiftly, and often smoothly, -down, where it had cost us no slight effort to get up, our present -voyage was attended with far more danger; for if we once fairly struck -one of the thousand rocks by which we were surrounded, the boat would -be swamped in an instant. When a boat is swamped under these -circumstances, the boatmen commonly find no difficulty in keeping -afloat at first, for the current keeps both them and their cargo up -for a long way down the stream; and if they can swim, they have only -to work their way gradually to the shore. The greatest danger is of -being caught in an eddy behind some larger rock, where the water -rushes up stream faster than elsewhere it does down, and being carried -round and round under the surface till they are drowned. McCauslin -pointed out some rocks which had been the scene of a fatal accident of -this kind. Sometimes the body is not thrown out for several hours. He -himself had performed such a circuit once, only his legs being visible -to his companions; but he was fortunately thrown out in season to -recover his breath.[7] In shooting the rapids, the boatman has this -problem to solve: to choose a circuitous and safe course amid a -thousand sunken rocks, scattered over a quarter or half a mile, at the -same time that he is moving steadily on at the rate of fifteen miles -an hour. Stop he cannot; the only question is, where will he go? The -bowman chooses the course with all his eyes about him, striking broad -off with his paddle, and drawing the boat by main force into her -course. The sternman faithfully follows the bow. - -We were soon at the Aboljacarmegus Falls. Anxious to avoid the delay, -as well as the labor, of the portage here, our boatmen went forward -first to reconnoitre, and concluded to let the batteau down the falls, -carrying the baggage only over the portage. Jumping from rock to rock -until nearly in the middle of the stream, we were ready to receive the -boat and let her down over the first fall, some six or seven feet -perpendicular. The boatmen stand upon the edge of a shelf of rock, -where the fall is perhaps nine or ten feet perpendicular, in from one -to two feet of rapid water, one on each side of the boat, and let it -slide gently over, till the bow is run out ten or twelve feet in the -air; then, letting it drop squarely, while one holds the painter, the -other leaps in, and his companion following, they are whirled down -the rapids to a new fall or to smooth water. In a very few minutes -they had accomplished a passage in safety, which would be as foolhardy -for the unskillful to attempt as the descent of Niagara itself. It -seemed as if it needed only a little familiarity, and a little more -skill, to navigate down such falls as Niagara itself with safety. At -any rate, I should not despair of such men in the rapids above Table -Rock, until I saw them actually go over the falls, so cool, so -collected, so fertile in resources are they. One might have thought -that these were falls, and that falls were not to be waded through -with impunity, like a mud-puddle. There was really danger of their -losing their sublimity in losing their power to harm us. Familiarity -breeds contempt. The boatman pauses, perchance, on some shelf beneath -a table-rock under the fall, standing in some cove of backwater two -feet deep, and you hear his rough voice come up through the spray, -coolly giving directions how to launch the boat this time. - -Having carried round Pockwockomus Falls, our oars soon brought us to -the Katepskonegan, or Oak Hall carry, where we decided to camp -half-way over, leaving our batteau to be carried over in the morning -on fresh shoulders. One shoulder of each of the boatmen showed a red -spot as large as one's hand, worn by the batteau on this expedition; -and this shoulder, as it did all the work, was perceptibly lower than -its fellow, from long service. Such toil soon wears out the strongest -constitution. The drivers are accustomed to work in the cold water in -the spring, rarely ever dry; and if one falls in all over he rarely -changes his clothes till night, if then, even. One who takes this -precaution is called by a particular nickname, or is turned off. None -can lead this life who are not almost amphibious. McCauslin said -soberly, what is at any rate a good story to tell, that he had seen -where six men were wholly under water at once, at a jam, with their -shoulders to handspikes. If the log did not start, then they had to -put out their heads to breathe. The driver works as long as he can -see, from dark to dark, and at night has not time to eat his supper -and dry his clothes fairly, before he is asleep on his cedar bed. We -lay that night on the very bed made by such a party, stretching our -tent over the poles which were still standing, but re-shingling the -damp and faded bed with fresh leaves. - -In the morning we carried our boat over and launched it, making haste -lest the wind should rise. The boatmen ran down Passamagamet, and soon -after Ambejijis Falls, while we walked round with the baggage. We made -a hasty breakfast at the head of Ambejijis Lake on the remainder of -our pork, and were soon rowing across its smooth surface again, under -a pleasant sky, the mountain being now clear of clouds in the -northeast. Taking turns at the oars, we shot rapidly across Deep Cove, -the foot of Pamadumcook, and the North Twin, at the rate of six miles -an hour, the wind not being high enough to disturb us, and reached the -Dam at noon. The boatmen went through one of the log sluices in the -batteau, where the fall was ten feet at the bottom, and took us in -below. Here was the longest rapid in our voyage, and perhaps the -running this was as dangerous and arduous a task as any. Shooting down -sometimes at the rate, as we judged, of fifteen miles an hour, if we -struck a rock we were split from end to end in an instant. Now like a -bait bobbing for some river monster, amid the eddies, now darting to -this side of the stream, now to that, gliding swift and smooth near to -our destruction, or striking broad off with the paddle and drawing the -boat to right or left with all our might, in order to avoid a rock. I -suppose that it was like running the rapids of the Sault Sainte Marie, -at the outlet of Lake Superior, and our boatmen probably displayed no -less dexterity than the Indians there do. We soon ran through this -mile, and floated in Quakish Lake. - -After such a voyage, the troubled and angry waters, which once had -seemed terrible and not to be trifled with, appeared tamed and -subdued; they had been bearded and worried in their channels, pricked -and whipped into submission with the spike-pole and paddle, gone -through and through with impunity, and all their spirit and their -danger taken out of them, and the most swollen and impetuous rivers -seemed but playthings henceforth. I began, at length, to understand -the boatman's familiarity with, and contempt for, the rapids. "Those -Fowler boys," said Mrs. McCauslin, "are perfect ducks for the water." -They had run down to Lincoln, according to her, thirty or forty miles, -in a batteau, in the night, for a doctor, when it was so dark that -they could not see a rod before them, and the river was swollen so as -to be almost a continuous rapid, so that the doctor _cried_, when they -brought him up by daylight, "Why, Tom, how did you see to steer?" "We -didn't steer much,--only kept her straight." And yet they met with no -accident. It is true, the more difficult rapids are higher up than -this. - -When we reached the Millinocket opposite to Tom's house, and were -waiting for his folks to set us over,--for we had left our batteau -above the Grand Falls,--we discovered two canoes, with two men in -each, turning up this stream from Shad Pond, one keeping the opposite -side of a small island before us, while the other approached the side -where we were standing, examining the banks carefully for muskrats as -they came along. The last proved to be Louis Neptune and his -companion, now, at last, on their way up to Chesuncook after moose, -but they were so disguised that we hardly knew them. At a little -distance they might have been taken for Quakers, with their -broad-brimmed hats and overcoats with broad capes, the spoils of -Bangor, seeking a settlement in this Sylvania,--or, nearer at hand, -for fashionable gentlemen the morning after a spree. Met face to face, -these Indians in their native woods looked like the sinister and -slouching fellows whom you meet picking up strings and paper in the -streets of a city. There is, in fact, a remarkable and unexpected -resemblance between the degraded savage and the lowest classes in a -great city. The one is no more a child of nature than the other. In -the progress of degradation the distinction of races is soon lost. -Neptune at first was only anxious to know what we "kill," seeing some -partridges in the hands of one of the party, but we had assumed too -much anger to permit of a reply. We thought Indians had some honor -before. But--"Me been sick. Oh, me unwell now. You make bargain, then -me go." They had in fact been delayed so long by a drunken frolic at -the Five Islands, and they had not yet recovered from its effects. -They had some young musquash in their canoes, which they dug out of -the banks with a hoe, for food, not for their skins, for musquash are -their principal food on these expeditions. So they went on up the -Millinocket, and we kept down the bank of the Penobscot, after -recruiting ourselves with a draught of Tom's beer, leaving Tom at his -home. - -Thus a man shall lead his life away here on the edge of the -wilderness, on Indian Millinocket Stream, in a new world, far in the -dark of a continent, and have a flute to play at evening here, while -his strains echo to the stars, amid the howling of wolves; shall live, -as it were, in the primitive age of the world, a primitive man. Yet he -shall spend a sunny day, and in this century be my contemporary; -perchance shall read some scattered leaves of literature, and -sometimes talk with me. Why read history, then, if the ages and the -generations are now? He lives three thousand years deep into time, an -age not yet described by poets. Can you well go further back in -history than this? Ay! ay!--for there turns up but now into the mouth -of Millinocket Stream a still more ancient and primitive man, whose -history is not brought down even to the former. In a bark vessel sewn -with the roots of the spruce, with horn-beam paddles, he dips his way -along. He is but dim and misty to me, obscured by the aeons that lie -between the bark canoe and the batteau. He builds no house of logs, -but a wigwam of skins. He eats no hot bread and sweet cake, but -musquash and moose meat and the fat of bears. He glides up the -Millinocket and is lost to my sight, as a more distant and misty cloud -is seen flitting by behind a nearer, and is lost in space. So he goes -about his destiny, the red face of man. - -After having passed the night, and buttered our boots for the last -time, at Uncle George's, whose dogs almost devoured him for joy at his -return, we kept on down the river the next day, about eight miles on -foot, and then took a batteau, with a man to pole it, to Mattawamkeag, -ten more. At the middle of that very night, to make a swift conclusion -to a long story, we dropped our buggy over the half-finished bridge at -Oldtown, where we heard the confused din and clink of a hundred saws, -which never rest, and at six o'clock the next morning one of the party -was steaming his way to Massachusetts. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: _Maine Wilderness_] - -What is most striking in the Maine wilderness is the continuousness of -the forest, with fewer open intervals or glades than you had imagined. -Except the few burnt lands, the narrow intervals on the rivers, the -bare tops of the high mountains, and the lakes and streams, the forest -is uninterrupted. It is even more grim and wild than you had -anticipated, a damp and intricate wilderness, in the spring everywhere -wet and miry. The aspect of the country, indeed, is universally stern -and savage, excepting the distant views of the forest from hills, and -the lake prospects, which are mild and civilizing in a degree. The -lakes are something which you are unprepared for; they lie up so -high, exposed to the light, and the forest is diminished to a fine -fringe on their edges, with here and there a blue mountain, like -amethyst jewels set around some jewel of the first water,--so -anterior, so superior, to all the changes that are to take place on -their shores, even now civil and refined, and fair as they can ever -be. These are not the artificial forests of an English king,--a royal -preserve merely. Here prevail no forest laws but those of nature. The -aborigines have never been dispossessed, nor nature disforested. - -It is a country full of evergreen trees, of mossy silver birches and -watery maples, the ground dotted with insipid small, red berries, and -strewn with damp and moss-grown rocks,--a country diversified with -innumerable lakes and rapid streams, peopled with trout and various -species of _leucisci_, with salmon, shad, and pickerel, and other -fishes; the forest resounding at rare intervals with the note of the -chickadee, the blue jay, and the woodpecker, the scream of the fish -hawk and the eagle, the laugh of the loon, and the whistle of ducks -along the solitary streams; at night, with the hooting of owls and -howling of wolves; in summer, swarming with myriads of black flies and -mosquitoes, more formidable than wolves to the white man. Such is the -home of the moose, the bear, the caribou, the wolf, the beaver, and -the Indian. Who shall describe the inexpressible tenderness and -immortal life of the grim forest, where Nature, though it be -midwinter, is ever in her spring, where the moss-grown and decaying -trees are not old, but seem to enjoy a perpetual youth; and blissful, -innocent Nature, like a serene infant, is too happy to make a noise, -except by a few tinkling, lisping birds and trickling rills? - -What a place to live, what a place to die and be buried in! There -certainly men would live forever, and laugh at death and the grave. -There they could have no such thoughts as are associated with the -village graveyard,--that make a grave out of one of those moist -evergreen hummocks! - - Die and be buried who will, - I mean to live here still; - My nature grows ever more young - The primitive pines among. - -I am reminded by my journey how exceedingly new this country still is. -You have only to travel for a few days into the interior and back -parts even of many of the old States, to come to that very America -which the Northmen, and Cabot, and Gosnold, and Smith, and Raleigh -visited. If Columbus was the first to discover the islands, Americus -Vespucius and Cabot, and the Puritans, and we their descendants, have -discovered only the shores of America. While the Republic has already -acquired a history world-wide, America is still unsettled and -unexplored. Like the English in New Holland, we live only on the -shores of a continent even yet, and hardly know where the rivers come -from which float our navy. The very timber and boards and shingles of -which our houses are made grew but yesterday in a wilderness where the -Indian still hunts and the moose runs wild. New York has her -wilderness within her own borders; and though the sailors of Europe -are familiar with the soundings of her Hudson, and Fulton long since -invented the steamboat on its waters, an Indian is still necessary to -guide her scientific men to its headwaters in the Adirondack country. - -Have we even so much as discovered and settled the shores? Let a man -travel on foot along the coast, from the Passamaquoddy to the Sabine, -or to the Rio Bravo, or to wherever the end is now, if he is swift -enough to overtake it, faithfully following the windings of every -inlet and of every cape, and stepping to the music of the surf,--with -a desolate fishing town once a week, and a city's port once a month to -cheer him, and putting up at the lighthouses, when there are any,--and -tell me if it looks like a discovered and settled country, and not -rather, for the most part, like a desolate island, and No-Man's Land. - -We have advanced by leaps to the Pacific, and left many a lesser -Oregon and California unexplored behind us. Though the railroad and -the telegraph have been established on the shores of Maine, the Indian -still looks out from her interior mountains over all these to the sea. -There stands the city of Bangor, fifty miles up the Penobscot, at the -head of navigation for vessels of the largest class, the principal -lumber depot on this continent, with a population of twelve thousand, -like a star on the edge of night, still hewing at the forests of which -it is built, already overflowing with the luxuries and refinement of -Europe, and sending its vessels to Spain, to England, and to the West -Indies for its groceries,--and yet only a few axemen have gone "up -river," into the howling wilderness which feeds it. The bear and deer -are still found within its limits; and the moose, as he swims the -Penobscot, is entangled amid its shipping, and taken by foreign -sailors in its harbor. Twelve miles in the rear, twelve miles of -railroad, are Orono and the Indian Island, the home of the Penobscot -tribe, and then commence the batteau and the canoe, and the military -road; and sixty miles above, the country is virtually unmapped and -unexplored, and there still waves the virgin forest of the New World. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Springer, in his _Forest Life_ (1851), says that they first remove -the leaves and turf from the spot where they intend to build a camp, -for fear of fire; also, that "the spruce-tree is generally selected -for camp-building, it being light, straight, and quite free from sap;" -that "the roof is finally covered with the boughs of the fir, spruce, -and hemlock, so that when the snow falls upon the whole, the warmth of -the camp is preserved in the coldest weather;" and that they make the -log seat before the fire, called the "Deacon's Seat," of a spruce or -fir split in halves, with three or four stout limbs left on one side -for legs, which are not likely to get loose. - -[2] The Canadians call it _picquer de fond_. - -[3] Even the Jesuit missionaries, accustomed to the St. Lawrence and -other rivers of Canada, in their first expeditions to the -Abenaquinois, speak of rivers _ferrees de rochers_, shod with rocks. -See also No. 10 _Relations_, for 1647, p. 185. - -[4] "A steady current or pitch of water is preferable to one either -rising or diminishing; as, when rising rapidly, the water at the -middle of the river is considerably higher than at the shores,--so -much so as to be distinctly perceived by the eye of a spectator on the -banks, presenting an appearance like a turnpike road. The lumber, -therefore, is always sure to incline from the centre of the channel -toward either shore."--Springer. - -[5] "The spruce tree," says Springer in '51, "is generally selected, -principally for the superior facilities which its numerous limbs -afford the climber. To gain the first limbs of this tree, which are -from twenty to forty feet from the ground, a smaller tree is undercut -and lodged against it, clambering up which the top of the spruce is -reached. In some cases, when a very elevated position is desired, the -spruce tree is lodged against the trunk of some lofty pine, up which -we ascend to a height twice that of the surrounding forest." - -To indicate the direction of pines, one throws down a branch, and a -man on the ground takes the bearing. - -[6] The bears had not touched things on our possessions. They -sometimes tear a batteau to pieces for the sake of the tar with which -it is besmeared. - -[7] I cut this from a newspaper: "On the 11th (instant?) [May, '49], -on Rappogenes Falls, Mr. John Delantee, of Orono, Me., was drowned -while running logs. He was a citizen of Orono, and was twenty-six -years of age. His companions found his body, enclosed it in bark, and -buried it in the solemn woods." - - - - -CHESUNCOOK - - -At five P. M., September 13, 1853, I left Boston, in the steamer, for -Bangor, by the outside course. It was a warm and still night,--warmer, -probably, on the water than on the land,--and the sea was as smooth as -a small lake in summer, merely rippled. The passengers went singing on -the deck, as in a parlor, till ten o'clock. We passed a vessel on her -beam-ends on a rock just outside the islands, and some of us thought -that she was the "rapt ship" which ran - - "on her side so low - That she drank water, and her keel ploughed air," - -not considering that there was no wind, and that she was under bare -poles. Now we have left the islands behind and are off Nahant. We -behold those features which the discoverers saw, apparently unchanged. -Now we see the Cape Ann lights, and now pass near a small village-like -fleet of mackerel fishers at anchor, probably off Gloucester. They -salute us with a shout from their low decks; but I understand their -"Good-evening" to mean, "Don't run against me, sir." From the wonders -of the deep we go below to yet deeper sleep. And then the absurdity of -being waked up in the night by a man who wants the job of blacking -your boots! It is more inevitable than seasickness, and may have -something to do with it. It is like the ducking you get on crossing -the line the first time. I trusted that these old customs were -abolished. They might with the same propriety insist on blacking your -face. I heard of one man who complained that somebody had stolen his -boots in the night; and when he found them, he wanted to know what -they had done to them,--they had spoiled them,--he never put that -stuff on them; and the bootblack narrowly escaped paying damages. - -Anxious to get out of the whale's belly, I rose early, and joined some -old salts, who were smoking by a dim light on a sheltered part of the -deck. We were just getting into the river. They knew all about it, of -course. I was proud to find that I had stood the voyage so well, and -was not in the least digested. We brushed up and watched the first -signs of dawn through an open port; but the day seemed to hang fire. -We inquired the time; none of my companions had a chronometer. At -length an African prince rushed by, observing, "Twelve o'clock, -gentlemen!" and blew out the light. It was moonrise. So I slunk down -into the monster's bowels again. - -The first land we make is Monhegan Island, before dawn, and next St. -George's Islands, seeing two or three lights. Whitehead, with its bare -rocks and funereal bell, is interesting. Next I remember that the -Camden Hills attracted my eyes, and afterward the hills about -Frankfort. We reached Bangor about noon. - -When I arrived, my companion that was to be had gone up river, and -engaged an Indian, Joe Aitteon, a son of the Governor, to go with us -to Chesuncook Lake. Joe had conducted two white men a-moose-hunting in -the same direction the year before. He arrived by cars at Bangor that -evening, with his canoe and a companion, Sabattis Solomon, who was -going to leave Bangor the following Monday with Joe's father, by way -of the Penobscot, and join Joe in moose-hunting at Chesuncook when we -had done with him. They took supper at my friend's house and lodged in -his barn, saying that they should fare worse than that in the woods. -They only made Watch bark a little, when they came to the door in the -night for water, for he does not like Indians. - -The next morning Joe and his canoe were put on board the stage for -Moosehead Lake, sixty and odd miles distant, an hour before we started -in an open wagon. We carried hard-bread, pork, smoked beef, tea, -sugar, etc., seemingly enough for a regiment; the sight of which -brought together reminded me by what ignoble means we had maintained -our ground hitherto. We went by the Avenue Road, which is quite -straight and very good, northwestward toward Moosehead Lake, through -more than a dozen flourishing towns, with almost every one its -academy,--not one of which, however, is on my General Atlas, -published, alas! in 1824; so much are they before the age, or I behind -it! The earth must have been considerably lighter to the shoulders of -General Atlas then. - -It rained all this day and till the middle of the next forenoon, -concealing the landscape almost entirely; but we had hardly got out of -the streets of Bangor before I began to be exhilarated by the sight of -the wild fir and spruce tops, and those of other primitive evergreens, -peering through the mist in the horizon. It was like the sight and -odor of cake to a schoolboy. He who rides and keeps the beaten track -studies the fences chiefly. Near Bangor, the fence-posts, on account -of the frost's heaving them in the clayey soil, were not planted in -the ground, but were mortised into a transverse horizontal beam lying -on the surface. Afterwards, the prevailing fences were log ones, with -sometimes a Virginia fence, or else rails slanted over crossed stakes; -and these zigzagged or played leap-frog all the way to the lake, -keeping just ahead of us. After getting out of the Penobscot valley, -the country was unexpectedly level, or consisted of very even and -equal swells, for twenty or thirty miles, never rising above the -general level, but affording, it is said, a very good prospect in -clear weather, with frequent views of Ktaadn,--straight roads and long -hills. The houses were far apart, commonly small and of one story, but -framed. There was very little land under cultivation, yet the forest -did not often border the road. The stumps were frequently as high as -one's head, showing the depth of the snows. The white hay-caps, drawn -over small stacks of beans or corn in the fields on account of the -rain, were a novel sight to me. We saw large flocks of pigeons, and -several times came within a rod or two of partridges in the road. My -companion said that in one journey out of Bangor he and his son had -shot sixty partridges from his buggy. The mountain-ash was now very -handsome, as also the wayfarer's-tree or hobble-bush, with its ripe -purple berries mixed with red. The Canada thistle, an introduced -plant, was the prevailing weed all the way to the lake, the roadside -in many places, and fields not long cleared, being densely filled with -it as with a crop, to the exclusion of everything else. There were -also whole fields full of ferns, now rusty and withering, which in -older countries are commonly confined to wet ground. There were very -few flowers, even allowing for the lateness of the season. It chanced -that I saw no asters in bloom along the road for fifty miles, though -they were so abundant then in Massachusetts,--except in one place one -or two of the _Aster acuminatus_,--and no golden-rods till within -twenty miles of Monson, where I saw a three-ribbed one. There were -many late buttercups, however, and the two fire-weeds, erechthites and -epilobium, commonly where there had been a burning, and at last the -pearly everlasting. I noticed occasionally very long troughs which -supplied the road with water, and my companion said that three dollars -annually were granted by the State to one man in each school-district, -who provided and maintained a suitable water-trough by the roadside, -for the use of travelers,--a piece of intelligence as refreshing to me -as the water itself. That legislature did not sit in vain. It was an -Oriental act, which made me wish that I was still farther down -East,--another Maine law, which I hope we may get in Massachusetts. -That State is banishing bar-rooms from its highways, and conducting -the mountain springs thither. - -The country was first decidedly mountainous in Garland, Sangerville, -and onwards, twenty-five or thirty miles from Bangor. At Sangerville, -where we stopped at mid-afternoon to warm and dry ourselves, the -landlord told us that he had found a wilderness where we found him. At -a fork in the road between Abbot and Monson, about twenty miles from -Moosehead Lake, I saw a guide-post surmounted by a pair of moose -horns, spreading four or five feet, with the word "Monson" painted on -one blade, and the name of some other town on the other. They are -sometimes used for ornamental hat-trees, together with deer's horns, -in front entries; but, after the experience which I shall relate, I -trust that I shall have a better excuse for killing a moose than that -I may hang my hat on his horns. We reached Monson, fifty miles from -Bangor, and thirteen from the lake, after dark. - -At four o'clock the next morning, in the dark, and still in the rain, -we pursued our journey. Close to the academy in this town they have -erected a sort of gallows for the pupils to practice on. I thought -that they might as well hang at once all who need to go through such -exercises in so new a country, where there is nothing to hinder their -living an outdoor life. Better omit Blair, and take the air. The -country about the south end of the lake is quite mountainous, and the -road began to feel the effects of it. There is one hill which, it is -calculated, it takes twenty-five minutes to ascend. In many places the -road was in that condition called _repaired_, having just been -whittled into the required semicylindrical form with the shovel and -scraper, with all the softest inequalities in the middle, like a hog's -back with the bristles up, and Jehu was expected to keep astride of -the spine. As you looked off each side of the bare sphere into the -horizon, the ditches were awful to behold,--a vast hollowness, like -that between Saturn and his ring. At a tavern hereabouts the hostler -greeted our horse as an old acquaintance, though he did not remember -the driver. He said that he had taken care of that little mare for a -short time, a year or two before, at the Mount Kineo House, and -thought she was not in as good condition as then. Every man to his -trade. I am not acquainted with a single horse in the world, not even -the one that kicked me. - -Already we had thought that we saw Moosehead Lake from a hilltop, -where an extensive fog filled the distant lowlands, but we were -mistaken. It was not till we were within a mile or two of its south -end that we got our first view of it,--a suitably wild-looking sheet -of water, sprinkled with small, low islands, which were covered with -shaggy spruce and other wild wood,--seen over the infant port of -Greenville with mountains on each side and far in the north, and a -steamer's smoke-pipe rising above a roof. A pair of moose-horns -ornamented a corner of the public house where we left our horse, and a -few rods distant lay the small steamer Moosehead, Captain King. There -was no village, and no summer road any farther in this direction, but -a winter road, that is, one passable only when deep snow covers its -inequalities, from Greenville up the east side of the lake to Lily -Bay, about twelve miles. - -I was here first introduced to Joe. He had ridden all the way on the -outside of the stage, the day before, in the rain, giving way to -ladies, and was well wetted. As it still rained, he asked if we were -going to "put it through." He was a good-looking Indian, twenty-four -years old, apparently of unmixed blood, short and stout, with a broad -face and reddish complexion, and eyes, methinks, narrower and more -turned up at the outer corners than ours, answering to the description -of his race. Besides his underclothing, he wore a red flannel shirt, -woolen pants, and a black Kossuth hat, the ordinary dress of the -lumberman, and, to a considerable extent, of the Penobscot Indian. -When, afterward, he had occasion to take off his shoes and stockings, -I was struck with the smallness of his feet. He had worked a good deal -as a lumberman, and appeared to identify himself with that class. He -was the only one of the party who possessed an india-rubber jacket. -The top strip or edge of his canoe was worn nearly through by friction -on the stage. - -At eight o'clock the steamer, with her bell and whistle, scaring the -moose, summoned us on board. She was a well-appointed little boat, -commanded by a gentlemanly captain, with patent life-seats and -metallic life-boat, and dinner on board, if you wish. She is chiefly -used by lumberers for the transportation of themselves, their boats, -and supplies, but also by hunters and tourists. There was another -steamer, named Amphitrite, laid up close by; but, apparently, her name -was not more trite than her hull. There were also two or three large -sailboats in port. These beginnings of commerce on a lake in the -wilderness are very interesting,--these larger white birds that come -to keep company with the gulls. There were but few passengers, and not -one female among them: a St. Francis Indian, with his canoe and -moose-hides; two explorers for lumber; three men who landed at Sandbar -Island, and a gentleman who lives on Deer Island, eleven miles up the -lake, and owns also Sugar Island, between which and the former the -steamer runs; these, I think, were all beside ourselves. In the saloon -was some kind of musical instrument--cherubim or seraphim--to soothe -the angry waves; and there, very properly, was tacked up the map of -the public lands of Maine and Massachusetts, a copy of which I had in -my pocket. - -The heavy rain confining us to the saloon awhile, I discoursed with -the proprietor of Sugar Island on the condition of the world in Old -Testament times. But at length, leaving this subject as fresh as we -found it, he told me that he had lived about this lake twenty or -thirty years, and yet had not been to the head of it for twenty-one -years. He faces the other way. The explorers had a fine new birch on -board, larger than ours, in which they had come up the Piscataquis -from Howland, and they had had several messes of trout already. They -were going to the neighborhood of Eagle and Chamberlain lakes, or the -head-waters of the St. John, and offered to keep us company as far as -we went. The lake to-day was rougher than I found the ocean, either -going or returning, and Joe remarked that it would swamp his birch. -Off Lily Bay it is a dozen miles wide, but it is much broken by -islands. The scenery is not merely wild, but varied and interesting; -mountains were seen, farther or nearer, on all sides but the -northwest, their summits now lost in the clouds; but Mount Kineo is -the principal feature of the lake, and more exclusively belongs to it. -After leaving Greenville, at the foot, which is the nucleus of a town -some eight or ten years old, you see but three or four houses for the -whole length of the lake, or about forty miles, three of them the -public houses at which the steamer is advertised to stop, and the -shore is an unbroken wilderness. The prevailing wood seemed to be -spruce, fir, birch, and rock maple. You could easily distinguish the -hard wood from the soft, or "black growth," as it is called, at a -great distance, the former being smooth, round-topped, and light -green, with a bowery and cultivated look. - -Mount Kineo, at which the boat touched, is a peninsula with a narrow -neck, about midway the lake on the east side. The celebrated precipice -is on the east or land side of this, and is so high and perpendicular -that you can jump from the top, many hundred feet, into the water, -which makes up behind the point. A man on board told us that an anchor -had been sunk ninety fathoms at its base before reaching bottom! -Probably it will be discovered ere long that some Indian maiden jumped -off it for love once, for true love never could have found a path more -to its mind. We passed quite close to the rock here, since it is a -very bold shore, and I observed marks of a rise of four or five feet -on it. The St. Francis Indian expected to take in his boy here, but he -was not at the landing. The father's sharp eyes, however, detected a -canoe with his boy in it far away under the mountain, though no one -else could see it. "Where is the canoe?" asked the captain, "I don't -see it;" but he held on, nevertheless, and by and by it hove in sight. - -We reached the head of the lake about noon. The weather had, in the -meanwhile, cleared up, though the mountains were still capped with -clouds. Seen from this point, Mount Kineo, and two other allied -mountains ranging with it northeasterly, presented a very strong -family likeness, as if all cast in one mould. The steamer here -approached a long pier projecting from the northern wilderness, and -built of some of its logs, and whistled, where not a cabin nor a -mortal was to be seen. The shore was quite low, with flat rocks on it, -overhung with black ash, arbor-vitae, etc., which at first looked as if -they did not care a whistle for us. There was not a single cabman to -cry "Coach!" or inveigle us to the United States Hotel. At length a -Mr. Hinckley, who has a camp at the other end of the "carry," appeared -with a truck drawn by an ox and a horse over a rude log-railway -through the woods. The next thing was to get our canoe and effects -over the carry from this lake, one of the heads of the Kennebec, into -the Penobscot River. This railway from the lake to the river occupied -the middle of a clearing two or three rods wide and perfectly straight -through the forest. We walked across while our baggage was drawn -behind. My companion went ahead to be ready for partridges, while I -followed, looking at the plants. - -This was an interesting botanical locality for one coming from the -south to commence with; for many plants which are rather rare, and one -or two which are not found at all, in the eastern part of -Massachusetts, grew abundantly between the rails,--as Labrador-tea, -_Kalmia glauca_, Canada blueberry (which was still in fruit, and a -second time in bloom), _Clintonia_ and _Linnaea borealis_, which last a -lumberer called _moxon_, creeping snowberry, painted trillium, -large-flowered bellwort, etc. I fancied that the _Aster Radula_, -_Diplopappus umbellatus_, _Solidago lanceolata_, red trumpet-weed, and -many others which were conspicuously in bloom on the shore of the lake -and on the carry, had a peculiarly wild and primitive look there. The -spruce and fir trees crowded to the track on each side to welcome us, -the arbor-vitae, with its changing leaves, prompted us to make haste, -and the sight of the canoe birch gave us spirits to do so. Sometimes -an evergreen just fallen lay across the track with its rich burden of -cones, looking, still, fuller of life than our trees in the most -favorable positions. You did not expect to find such _spruce_ trees in -the wild woods, but they evidently attend to their toilets each -morning even there. Through such a front yard did we enter that -wilderness. - -There was a very slight rise above the lake,--the country appearing -like, and perhaps being partly a swamp,--and at length a gradual -descent to the Penobscot, which I was surprised to find here a large -stream, from twelve to fifteen rods wide, flowing from west to east, -or at right angles with the lake, and not more than two and a half -miles from it. The distance is nearly twice too great on the Map of -the Public Lands, and on Colton's Map of Maine, and Russell Stream is -placed too far down. Jackson makes Moosehead Lake to be nine hundred -and sixty feet above high water in Portland harbor. It is higher than -Chesuncook, for the lumberers consider the Penobscot, where we struck -it, twenty-five feet lower than Moosehead, though eight miles above it -is said to be the highest, so that the water can be made to flow -either way, and the river falls a good deal between here and -Chesuncook. The carry-man called this about one hundred and forty -miles above Bangor by the river, or two hundred from the ocean, and -fifty-five miles below Hilton's, on the Canada road, the first -clearing above, which is four and a half miles from the source of the -Penobscot. - -At the north end of the carry, in the midst of a clearing of sixty -acres or more, there was a log camp of the usual construction, with -something more like a house adjoining, for the accommodation of the -carry-man's family and passing lumberers. The bed of withered fir -twigs smelled very sweet, though really very dirty. There was also a -store-house on the bank of the river, containing pork, flour, iron, -batteaux, and birches, locked up. - -We now proceeded to get our dinner, which always turned out to be tea, -and to pitch canoes, for which purpose a large iron pot lay -permanently on the bank. This we did in company with the explorers. -Both Indians and whites use a mixture of rosin and grease for this -purpose, that is, for the pitching, not the dinner. Joe took a small -brand from the fire and blew the heat and flame against the pitch on -his birch, and so melted and spread it. Sometimes he put his mouth -over the suspected spot and sucked, to see if it admitted air; and at -one place, where we stopped, he set his canoe high on crossed stakes, -and poured water into it. I narrowly watched his motions, and listened -attentively to his observations, for we had employed an Indian mainly -that I might have an opportunity to study his ways. I heard him swear -once, mildly, during this operation, about his knife being as dull as -a hoe,--an accomplishment which he owed to his intercourse with the -whites; and he remarked, "We ought to have some tea before we start; -we shall be hungry before we kill that moose." - -At mid-afternoon we embarked on the Penobscot. Our birch was nineteen -and a half feet long by two and a half at the widest part, and -fourteen inches deep within, both ends alike, and painted green, which -Joe thought affected the pitch and made it leak. This, I think, was a -middling-sized one. That of the explorers was much larger, though -probably not much longer. This carried us three with our baggage, -weighing in all between five hundred and fifty and six hundred pounds. -We had two heavy, though slender, rock-maple paddles, one of them of -bird's-eye maple. Joe placed birch-bark on the bottom for us to sit -on, and slanted cedar splints against the cross-bars to protect our -backs, while he himself sat upon a cross-bar in the stern. The baggage -occupied the middle or widest part of the canoe. We also paddled by -turns in the bows, now sitting with our legs extended, now sitting -upon our legs, and now rising upon our knees; but I found none of -these positions endurable, and was reminded of the complaints of the -old Jesuit missionaries of the torture they endured from long -confinement in constrained positions in canoes, in their long voyages -from Quebec to the Huron country; but afterwards I sat on the -cross-bars, or stood up, and experienced no inconvenience. - -It was deadwater for a couple of miles. The river had been raised -about two feet by the rain, and lumberers were hoping for a flood -sufficient to bring down the logs that were left in the spring. Its -banks were seven or eight feet high, and densely covered with white -and black spruce,--which, I think, must be the commonest trees -thereabouts,--fir, arbor-vitae, canoe, yellow and black birch, rock, -mountain, and a few red maples, beech, black and mountain ash, the -large-toothed aspen, many civil-looking elms, now imbrowned, along the -stream, and at first a few hemlocks also. We had not gone far before I -was startled by seeing what I thought was an Indian encampment, -covered with a red flag, on the bank, and exclaimed, "Camp!" to my -comrades. I was slow to discover that it was a red maple changed by -the frost. The immediate shores were also densely covered with the -speckled alder, red osier, shrubby willows or sallows, and the like. -There were a few yellow lily pads still left, half-drowned, along the -sides, and sometimes a white one. Many fresh tracks of moose were -visible where the water was shallow, and on the shore, the lily stems -were freshly bitten off by them. - -After paddling about two miles, we parted company with the explorers, -and turned up Lobster Stream, which comes in on the right, from the -southeast. This was six or eight rods wide, and appeared to run nearly -parallel with the Penobscot. Joe said that it was so called from small -fresh-water lobsters found in it. It is the Matahumkeag of the maps. -My companion wished to look for moose signs, and intended, if it -proved worth the while, to camp up that way, since the Indian advised -it. On account of the rise of the Penobscot, the water ran up this -stream to the pond of the same name, one or two miles. The Spencer -Mountains, east of the north end of Moosehead Lake, were now in plain -sight in front of us. The kingfisher flew before us, the pigeon -woodpecker was seen and heard, and nuthatches and chickadees close at -hand. Joe said that they called the chickadee _kecunnilessu_ in his -language. I will not vouch for the spelling of what possibly was never -spelt before, but I pronounced after him till he said it would do. We -passed close to a woodcock, which stood perfectly still on the shore, -with feathers puffed up, as if sick. This Joe said they called -_nipsquecohossus_. The kingfisher was _skuscumonsuck_; bear was -_wassus_; Indian devil, _lunxus_; the mountain-ash, _upahsis_. This -was very abundant and beautiful. Moose tracks were not so fresh along -this stream, except in a small creek about a mile up it, where a large -log had lodged in the spring, marked "W-cross-girdle-crow-foot." We -saw a pair of moose-horns on the shore, and I asked Joe if a moose had -shed them; but he said there was a head attached to them, and I knew -that they did not shed their heads more than once in their lives. - -After ascending about a mile and a half, to within a short distance of -Lobster Lake, we returned to the Penobscot. Just below the mouth of -the Lobster we found quick water, and the river expanded to twenty or -thirty rods in width. The moose-tracks were quite numerous and fresh -here. We noticed in a great many places narrow and well-trodden paths -by which they had come down to the river, and where they had slid on -the steep and clayey bank. Their tracks were either close to the edge -of the stream, those of the calves distinguishable from the others, or -in shallow water; the holes made by their feet in the soft bottom -being visible for a long time. They were particularly numerous where -there was a small bay, or pokelogan, as it is called, bordered by a -strip of meadow, or separated from the river by a low peninsula -covered with coarse grass, wool-grass, etc., wherein they had waded -back and forth and eaten the pads. We detected the remains of one in -such a spot. At one place, where we landed to pick up a summer duck, -which my companion had shot, Joe peeled a canoe birch for bark for his -hunting-horn. He then asked if we were not going to get the other -duck, for his sharp eyes had seen another fall in the bushes a little -farther along, and my companion obtained it. I now began to notice the -bright red berries of the tree-cranberry, which grows eight or ten -feet high, mingled with the alders and cornel along the shore. There -was less hard wood than at first. - -After proceeding a mile and three quarters below the mouth of the -Lobster, we reached, about sundown, a small island at the head of what -Joe called the Moosehorn Deadwater (the Moosehorn, in which he was -going to hunt that night, coming in about three miles below), and on -the upper end of this we decided to camp. On a point at the lower end -lay the carcass of a moose killed a month or more before. We concluded -merely to prepare our camp, and leave our baggage here, that all might -be ready when we returned from moose-hunting. Though I had not come -a-hunting, and felt some compunctions about accompanying the hunters, -I wished to see a moose near at hand, and was not sorry to learn how -the Indian managed to kill one. I went as reporter or chaplain to the -hunters,--and the chaplain has been known to carry a gun himself. -After clearing a small space amid the dense spruce and fir trees, we -covered the damp ground with a shingling of fir twigs, and, while Joe -was preparing his birch horn and pitching his canoe,--for this had to -be done whenever we stopped long enough to build a fire, and was the -principal labor which he took upon himself at such times,--we -collected fuel for the night, large, wet, and rotting logs, which had -lodged at the head of the island, for our hatchet was too small for -effective chopping; but we did not kindle a fire, lest the moose -should smell it. Joe set up a couple of forked stakes, and prepared -half a dozen poles, ready to cast one of our blankets over in case it -rained in the night, which precaution, however, was omitted the next -night. We also plucked the ducks which had been killed for breakfast. - -While we were thus engaged in the twilight, we heard faintly, from far -down the stream, what sounded like two strokes of a woodchopper's axe, -echoing dully through the grim solitude. We are wont to liken many -sounds, heard at a distance in the forest, to the stroke of an axe, -because they resemble each other under those circumstances, and that -is the one we commonly hear there. When we told Joe of this, he -exclaimed, "By George, I'll bet that was a moose! They make a noise -like that." These sounds affected us strangely, and by their very -resemblance to a familiar one, where they probably had so different -an origin, enhanced the impression of solitude and wildness. - -At starlight we dropped down the stream, which was a deadwater for -three miles, or as far as the Moosehorn; Joe telling us that we must -be very silent, and he himself making no noise with his paddle, while -he urged the canoe along with effective impulses. It was a still -night, and suitable for this purpose,--for if there is wind, the moose -will smell you,--and Joe was very confident that he should get some. -The Harvest Moon had just risen, and its level rays began to light up -the forest on our right, while we glided downward in the shade on the -same side, against the little breeze that was stirring. The lofty, -spiring tops of the spruce and fir were very black against the sky, -and more distinct than by day, close bordering this broad avenue on -each side; and the beauty of the scene, as the moon rose above the -forest, it would not be easy to describe. A bat flew over our heads, -and we heard a few faint notes of birds from time to time, perhaps the -myrtle-bird for one, or the sudden plunge of a musquash, or saw one -crossing the stream before us, or heard the sound of a rill emptying -in, swollen by the recent rain. About a mile below the island, when -the solitude seemed to be growing more complete every moment, we -suddenly saw the light and heard the crackling of a fire on the bank, -and discovered the camp of the two explorers; they standing before it -in their red shirts, and talking aloud of the adventures and profits -of the day. They were just then speaking of a bargain, in which, as I -understood, somebody had cleared twenty-five dollars. We glided by -without speaking, close under the bank, within a couple of rods of -them; and Joe, taking his horn, imitated the call of the moose, till -we suggested that they might fire on us. This was the last we saw of -them, and we never knew whether they detected or suspected us. - -I have often wished since that I was with them. They search for timber -over a given section, climbing hills and often high trees to look off; -explore the streams by which it is to be driven, and the like; spend -five or six weeks in the woods, they two alone, a hundred miles or -more from any town, roaming about, and sleeping on the ground where -night overtakes them, depending chiefly on the provisions they carry -with them, though they do not decline what game they come across; and -then in the fall they return and make report to their employers, -determining the number of teams that will be required the following -winter. Experienced men get three or four dollars a day for this work. -It is a solitary and adventurous life, and comes nearest to that of -the trapper of the West, perhaps. They work ever with a gun as well as -an axe, let their beards grow, and live without neighbors, not on an -open plain, but far within a wilderness. - -This discovery accounted for the sounds which we had heard, and destroyed -the prospect of seeing moose yet awhile. At length, when we had left -the explorers far behind, Joe laid down his paddle, drew forth his -birch horn,--a straight one, about fifteen inches long and three or -four wide at the mouth, tied round with strips of the same bark,--and, -standing up, imitated the call of the moose,--_ugh-ugh-ugh_, or -_oo-oo-oo-oo_, and then a prolonged _oo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_, and listened -attentively for several minutes. We asked him what kind of noise he -expected to hear. He said that if a moose heard it, he guessed we -should find out; we should hear him coming half a mile off; he would -come close to, perhaps into, the water, and my companion must wait -till he got fair sight, and then aim just behind the shoulder. - -The moose venture out to the riverside to feed and drink at night. -Earlier in the season the hunters do not use a horn to call them out, -but steal upon them as they are feeding along the sides of the stream, -and often the first notice they have of one is the sound of the water -dropping from its muzzle. An Indian whom I heard imitate the voice of -the moose, and also that of the caribou and the deer, using a much -longer horn than Joe's, told me that the first could be heard eight or -ten miles, sometimes; it was a loud sort of bellowing sound, clearer -and more sonorous than the lowing of cattle, the caribou's a sort of -snort, and the small deer's like that of a lamb. - -At length we turned up the Moosehorn, where the Indians at the carry -had told us that they killed a moose the night before. This is a very -meandering stream, only a rod or two in width, but comparatively deep, -coming in on the right, fitly enough named Moosehorn, whether from its -windings or its inhabitants. It was bordered here and there by narrow -meadows between the stream and the endless forest, affording favorable -places for the moose to feed, and to call them out on. We proceeded -half a mile up this as through a narrow, winding canal, where the -tall, dark spruce and firs and arbor-vitae towered on both sides in the -moonlight, forming a perpendicular forest-edge of great height, like -the spires of a Venice in the forest. In two places stood a small -stack of hay on the bank, ready for the lumberer's use in the winter, -looking strange enough there. We thought of the day when this might be -a brook winding through smooth-shaven meadows on some gentleman's -grounds; and seen by moonlight then, excepting the forest that now -hems it in, how little changed it would appear! - -Again and again Joe called the moose, placing the canoe close by some -favorable point of meadow for them to come out on, but listened in -vain to hear one come rushing through the woods, and concluded that -they had been hunted too much thereabouts. We saw, many times, what to -our imaginations looked like a gigantic moose, with his horns peering -from out the forest edge; but we saw the forest only, and not its -inhabitants, that night. So at last we turned about. There was now a -little fog on the water, though it was a fine, clear night above. -There were very few sounds to break the stillness of the forest. -Several times we heard the hooting of a great horned owl, as at home, -and told Joe that he would call out the moose for him, for he made a -sound considerably like the horn; but Joe answered, that the moose had -heard that sound a thousand times, and knew better; and oftener still -we were startled by the plunge of a musquash. Once, when Joe had -called again, and we were listening for moose, we heard, come faintly -echoing, or creeping from far through the moss-clad aisles, a dull, -dry, rushing sound with a solid core to it, yet as if half smothered -under the grasp of the luxuriant and fungus-like forest, like the -shutting of a door in some distant entry of the damp and shaggy -wilderness. If we had not been there, no mortal had heard it. When we -asked Joe in a whisper what it was, he answered, "Tree fall." There is -something singularly grand and impressive in the sound of a tree -falling in a perfectly calm night like this, as if the agencies which -overthrow it did not need to be excited, but worked with a subtle, -deliberate, and conscious force, like a boa-constrictor, and more -effectively then than even in a windy day. If there is any such -difference, perhaps it is because trees with the dews of the night on -them are heavier than by day. - -Having reached the camp, about ten o'clock, we kindled our fire and -went to bed. Each of us had a blanket, in which he lay on the fir -twigs, with his extremities toward the fire, but nothing over his -head. It was worth the while to lie down in a country where you could -afford such great fires; that was one whole side, and the bright side, -of our world. We had first rolled up a large log some eighteen inches -through and ten feet long, for a backlog, to last all night, and then -piled on the trees to the height of three or four feet, no matter how -green or damp. In fact, we burned as much wood that night as would, -with economy and an air-tight stove, last a poor family in one of our -cities all winter. It was very agreeable, as well as independent, thus -lying in the open air, and the fire kept our uncovered extremities -warm enough. The Jesuit missionaries used to say, that, in their -journeys with the Indians in Canada, they lay on a bed which had never -been shaken up since the creation, unless by earthquakes. It is -surprising with what impunity and comfort one who has always lain in a -warm bed in a close apartment, and studiously avoided drafts of air, -can lie down on the ground without a shelter, roll himself in a -blanket, and sleep before a fire, in a frosty autumn night, just after -a long rain-storm, and even come soon to enjoy and value the fresh -air. - -I lay awake awhile, watching the ascent of the sparks through the -firs, and sometimes their descent in half-extinguished cinders on my -blanket. They were as interesting as fireworks, going up in endless, -successive crowds, each after an explosion, in an eager, serpentine -course, some to five or six rods above the tree-tops before they went -out. We do not suspect how much our chimneys have concealed; and now -air-tight stoves have come to conceal all the rest. In the course of -the night, I got up once or twice and put fresh logs on the fire, -making my companions curl up their legs. - -When we awoke in the morning (Saturday, September 17), there was -considerable frost whitening the leaves. We heard the sound of the -chickadee, and a few faintly lisping birds, and also of ducks in the -water about the island. I took a botanical account of stock of our -domains before the dew was off, and found that the ground-hemlock, or -American yew, was the prevailing undershrub. We breakfasted on tea, -hard-bread, and ducks. - -Before the fog had fairly cleared away we paddled down the stream -again, and were soon past the mouth of the Moosehorn. These twenty -miles of the Penobscot, between Moosehead and Chesuncook lakes, are -comparatively smooth, and a great part deadwater; but from time to -time it is shallow and rapid, with rocks or gravel beds, where you can -wade across. There is no expanse of water, and no break in the forest, -and the meadow is a mere edging here and there. There are no hills -near the river nor within sight, except one or two distant mountains -seen in a few places. The banks are from six to ten feet high, but -once or twice rise gently to higher ground. In many places the forest -on the bank was but a thin strip, letting the light through from some -alder swamp or meadow behind. The conspicuous berry-bearing bushes and -trees along the shore were the red osier, with its whitish fruit, -hobble-bush, mountain-ash, tree-cranberry, choke-cherry, now ripe, -alternate cornel, and naked viburnum. Following Joe's example, I ate -the fruit of the last, and also of the hobble-bush, but found them -rather insipid and seedy. I looked very narrowly at the vegetation, as -we glided along close to the shore, and frequently made Joe turn aside -for me to pluck a plant, that I might see by comparison what was -primitive about my native river. Horehound, horse-mint, and the -sensitive fern grew close to the edge, under the willows and alders, -and wool-grass on the islands, as along the Assabet River in Concord. -It was too late for flowers, except a few asters, goldenrods, etc. In -several places we noticed the slight frame of a camp, such as we had -prepared to set up, amid the forest by the riverside, where some -lumberers or hunters had passed a night, and sometimes steps cut in -the muddy or clayey bank in front of it. - -We stopped to fish for trout at the mouth of a small stream called -Ragmuff, which came in from the west, about two miles below the -Moosehorn. Here were the ruins of an old lumbering-camp, and a small -space, which had formerly been cleared and burned over, was now -densely overgrown with the red cherry and raspberries. While we were -trying for trout, Joe, Indian-like, wandered off up the Ragmuff on his -own errands, and when we were ready to start was far beyond call. So -we were compelled to make a fire and get our dinner here, not to lose -time. Some dark reddish birds, with grayer females (perhaps purple -finches), and myrtle-birds in their summer dress, hopped within six or -eight feet of us and our smoke. Perhaps they smelled the frying pork. -The latter bird, or both, made the lisping notes which I had heard in -the forest. They suggested that the few small birds found in the -wilderness are on more familiar terms with the lumberman and hunter -than those of the orchard and clearing with the farmer. I have since -found the Canada jay, and partridges, both the black and the common, -equally tame there, as if they had not yet learned to mistrust man -entirely. The chickadee, which is at home alike in the primitive woods -and in our wood-lots, still retains its confidence in the towns to a -remarkable degree. - -Joe at length returned, after an hour and a half, and said that he -had been two miles up the stream exploring, and had seen a moose, but, -not having the gun, he did not get him. We made no complaint, but -concluded to look out for Joe the next time. However, this may have -been a mere mistake, for we had no reason to complain of him -afterwards. As we continued down the stream, I was surprised to hear -him whistling "O Susanna" and several other such airs, while his -paddle urged us along. Once he said, "Yes, sir-ee." His common word -was "Sartain." He paddled, as usual, on one side only, giving the -birch an impulse by using the side as a fulcrum. I asked him how the -ribs were fastened to the side rails. He answered, "I don't know, I -never noticed." Talking with him about subsisting wholly on what the -woods yielded,--game, fish, berries, etc.,--I suggested that his -ancestors did so; but he answered that he had been brought up in such -a way that he could not do it. "Yes," said he, "that's the way they -got a living, like wild fellows, wild as bears. By George! I shan't go -into the woods without provision,--hard-bread, pork, etc." He had -brought on a barrel of hard-bread and stored it at the carry for his -hunting. However, though he was a Governor's son, he had not learned -to read. - -At one place below this, on the east side, where the bank was higher -and drier than usual, rising gently from the shore to a slight -elevation, some one had felled the trees over twenty or thirty acres, -and left them drying in order to burn. This was the only preparation -for a house between the Moosehead Carry and Chesuncook, but there was -no hut nor inhabitants there yet. The pioneer thus selects a site for -his house, which will, perhaps, prove the germ of a town. - -My eyes were all the while on the trees, distinguishing between the -black and white spruce and the fir. You paddle along in a narrow canal -through an endless forest, and the vision I have in my mind's eye, -still, is of the small, dark, and sharp tops of tall fir and spruce -trees, and pagoda-like arbor-vitaes, crowded together on each side, -with various hard woods intermixed. Some of the arbor-vitaes were at -least sixty feet high. The hard woods, occasionally occurring -exclusively, were less wild to my eye. I fancied them ornamental -grounds, with farmhouses in the rear. The canoe and yellow birch, -beech, maple, and elm are Saxon and Norman, but the spruce and fir, -and pines generally, are Indian. The soft engravings which adorn the -annuals give no idea of a stream in such a wilderness as this. The -rough sketches in Jackson's Reports on the Geology of Maine answer -much better. At one place we saw a small grove of slender sapling -white pines, the only collection of pines that I saw on this voyage. -Here and there, however, was a full-grown, tall, and slender, but -defective one, what lumbermen call a _konchus_ tree, which they -ascertain with their axes, or by the knots. I did not learn whether -this word was Indian or English. It reminded me of the Greek [Greek: -konche], a conch or shell, and I amused myself with fancying that it -might signify the dead sound which the trees yield when struck. All -the rest of the pines had been driven off. - -How far men go for the material of their houses! The inhabitants of -the most civilized cities, in all ages, send into far, primitive -forests, beyond the bounds of their civilization, where the moose and -bear and savage dwell, for their pine boards for ordinary use. And, on -the other hand, the savage soon receives from cities iron -arrow-points, hatchets, and guns, to point his savageness with. - -The solid and well-defined fir-tops, like sharp and regular -spearheads, black against the sky, gave a peculiar, dark, and sombre -look to the forest. The spruce-tops have a similar but more ragged -outline, their shafts also merely feathered below. The firs were -somewhat oftener regular and dense pyramids. I was struck by this -universal spiring upward of the forest evergreens. The tendency is to -slender, spiring tops, while they are narrower below. Not only the -spruce and fir, but even the arbor-vitae and white pine, unlike the -soft, spreading second-growth, of which I saw none, all spire upwards, -lifting a dense spearhead of cones to the light and air, at any rate, -while their branches straggle after as they may; as Indians lift the -ball over the heads of the crowd in their desperate game. In this they -resemble grasses, as also palms somewhat. The hemlock is commonly a -tent-like pyramid from the ground to its summit. - -After passing through some long rips, and by a large island, we -reached an interesting part of the river called the Pine Stream -Deadwater, about six miles below Ragmuff, where the river expanded to -thirty rods in width and had many islands in it, with elms and -canoe-birches, now yellowing, along the shore, and we got our first -sight of Ktaadn. - -Here, about two o'clock, we turned up a small branch three or four -rods wide, which comes in on the right from the south, called Pine -Stream, to look for moose signs. We had gone but a few rods before we -saw very recent signs along the water's edge, the mud lifted up by -their feet being quite fresh, and Joe declared that they had gone -along there but a short time before. We soon reached a small meadow on -the east side, at an angle in the stream, which was, for the most -part, densely covered with alders. As we were advancing along the edge -of this, rather more quietly than usual, perhaps, on account of the -freshness of the signs,--the design being to camp up this stream, if -it promised well,--I heard a slight crackling of twigs deep in the -alders, and turned Joe's attention to it; whereupon he began to push -the canoe back rapidly; and we had receded thus half a dozen rods, -when we suddenly spied two moose standing just on the edge of the open -part of the meadow which we had passed, not more than six or seven -rods distant, looking round the alders at us. They made me think of -great frightened rabbits, with their long ears and half-inquisitive, -half-frightened looks; the true denizens of the forest (I saw at -once), filling a vacuum which now first I discovered had not been -filled for me,--_moose_-men, _wood-eaters_, the word is said to -mean,--clad in a sort of Vermont gray, or homespun. Our Nimrod, owing -to the retrograde movement, was now the farthest from the game; but -being warned of its neighborhood, he hastily stood up, and, while we -ducked, fired over our heads one barrel at the foremost, which alone -he saw, though he did not know what kind of creature it was; -whereupon this one dashed across the meadow and up a high bank on the -northeast, so rapidly as to leave but an indistinct impression of its -outlines on my mind. At the same instant, the other, a young one, but -as tall as a horse, leaped out into the stream, in full sight, and -there stood cowering for a moment, or rather its disproportionate -lowness behind gave it that appearance, and uttering two or three -trumpeting squeaks. I have an indistinct recollection of seeing the -old one pause an instant on the top of the bank in the woods, look -toward its shivering young, and then dash away again. The second -barrel was leveled at the calf, and when we expected to see it drop in -the water, after a little hesitation, it, too, got out of the water, -and dashed up the hill, though in a somewhat different direction. All -this was the work of a few seconds, and our hunter, having never seen -a moose before, did not know but they were deer, for they stood partly -in the water, nor whether he had fired at the same one twice or not. -From the style in which they went off, and the fact that he was not -used to standing up and firing from a canoe, I judged that we should -not see anything more of them. The Indian said that they were a cow -and her calf,--a yearling, or perhaps two years old, for they -accompany their dams so long; but, for my part, I had not noticed much -difference in their size. It was but two or three rods across the -meadow to the foot of the bank, which, like all the world thereabouts, -was densely wooded; but I was surprised to notice, that, as soon as -the moose had passed behind the veil of the woods, there was no sound -of footsteps to be heard from the soft, damp moss which carpets that -forest, and long before we landed, perfect silence reigned. Joe said, -"If you wound 'em moose, me sure get 'em." - -We all landed at once. My companion reloaded; the Indian fastened his -birch, threw off his hat, adjusted his waistband, seized the hatchet, -and set out. He told me afterward, casually, that before we landed he -had seen a drop of blood on the bank, when it was two or three rods -off. He proceeded rapidly up the bank and through the woods, with a -peculiar, elastic, noiseless, and stealthy tread, looking to right and -left on the ground, and stepping in the faint tracks of the wounded -moose, now and then pointing in silence to a single drop of blood on -the handsome, shining leaves of the _Clintonia borealis_, which, on -every side, covered the ground, or to a dry fern stem freshly broken, -all the while chewing some leaf or else the spruce gum. I followed, -watching his motions more than the trail of the moose. After following -the trail about forty rods in a pretty direct course, stepping over -fallen trees and winding between standing ones, he at length lost it, -for there were many other moose-tracks there, and, returning once more -to the last blood-stain, traced it a little way and lost it again, -and, too soon, I thought, for a good hunter, gave it up entirely. He -traced a few steps, also, the tracks of the calf; but, seeing no -blood, soon relinquished the search. - -I observed, while he was tracking the moose, a certain reticence or -moderation in him. He did not communicate several observations of -interest which he made, as a white man would have done, though they -may have leaked out afterward. At another time, when we heard a slight -crackling of twigs and he landed to reconnoitre, he stepped lightly -and gracefully, stealing through the bushes with the least possible -noise, in a way in which no white man does,--as it were, finding a -place for his foot each time. - -About half an hour after seeing the moose, we pursued our voyage up -Pine Stream, and soon, coming to a part which was very shoal and also -rapid, we took out the baggage, and proceeded to carry it round, while -Joe got up with the canoe alone. We were just completing our portage -and I was absorbed in the plants, admiring the leaves of the _Aster -macrophyllus_, ten inches wide, and plucking the seeds of the great -round-leaved orchis, when Joe exclaimed from the stream that he had -killed a moose. He had found the cow moose lying dead, but quite warm, -in the middle of the stream, which was so shallow that it rested on -the bottom, with hardly a third of its body above water. It was about -an hour after it was shot, and it was swollen with water. It had run -about a hundred rods and sought the stream again, cutting off a slight -bend. No doubt a better hunter would have tracked it to this spot at -once. I was surprised at its great size, horse-like, but Joe said it -was not a large cow moose. My companion went in search of the calf -again. I took hold of the ears of the moose, while Joe pushed his -canoe down-stream toward a favorable shore, and so we made out, though -with some difficulty, its long nose frequently sticking in the -bottom, to drag it into still shallower water. It was a -brownish-black, or perhaps a dark iron-gray, on the back and sides, -but lighter beneath and in front. I took the cord which served for the -canoe's painter, and with Joe's assistance measured it carefully, the -greatest distances first, making a knot each time. The painter being -wanted, I reduced these measures that night with equal care to lengths -and fractions of my umbrella, beginning with the smallest measures, -and untying the knots as I proceeded; and when we arrived at -Chesuncook the next day, finding a two-foot rule there, I reduced the -last to feet and inches; and, moreover, I made myself a two-foot rule -of a thin and narrow strip of black ash, which would fold up -conveniently to six inches. All this pains I took because I did not -wish to be obliged to say merely that the moose was very large. Of the -various dimensions which I obtained I will mention only two. The -distance from the tips of the hoofs of the fore feet, stretched out, -to the top of the back between the shoulders, was seven feet and five -inches. I can hardly believe my own measure, for this is about two -feet greater than the height of a tall horse. (Indeed, I am now -satisfied that this measurement was incorrect, but the other measures -given here I can warrant to be correct, having proved them in a more -recent visit to those woods.) The extreme length was eight feet and -two inches. Another cow moose, which I have since measured in those -woods with a tape, was just six feet from the tip of the hoof to the -shoulders, and eight feet long as she lay. - -When afterward I asked an Indian at the carry how much taller the -male was, he answered, "Eighteen inches," and made me observe the -height of a cross-stake over the fire, more than four feet from the -ground, to give me some idea of the depth of his chest. Another -Indian, at Oldtown, told me that they were nine feet high to the top -of the back, and that one which he tried weighed eight hundred pounds. -The length of the spinal projections between the shoulders is very -great. A white hunter, who was the best authority among hunters that I -could have, told me that the male was not eighteen inches taller than -the female; yet he agreed that he was sometimes nine feet high to the -top of the back, and weighed a thousand pounds. Only the male has -horns, and they rise two feet or more above the shoulders,--spreading -three or four, and sometimes six feet,--which would make him in all, -sometimes, eleven feet high! According to this calculation, the moose -is as tall, though it may not be as large, as the great Irish elk, -_Megaceros Hibernicus_, of a former period, of which Mantell says that -it "very far exceeded in magnitude any living species, the skeleton" -being "upward of ten feet high from the ground to the highest point of -the antlers." Joe said, that, though the moose shed the whole horn -annually, each new horn has an additional prong; but I have noticed -that they sometimes have more prongs on one side than on the other. I -was struck with the delicacy and tenderness of the hoofs, which divide -very far up, and the one half could be pressed very much behind the -other, thus probably making the animal surer-footed on the uneven -ground and slippery moss-covered logs of the primitive forest. They -were very unlike the stiff and battered feet of our horses and oxen. -The bare, horny part of the fore foot was just six inches long, and -the two portions could be separated four inches at the extremities. - -The moose is singularly grotesque and awkward to look at. Why should -it stand so high at the shoulders? Why have so long a head? Why have -no tail to speak of? for in my examination I overlooked it entirely. -Naturalists say it is an inch and a half long. It reminded me at once -of the camelopard, high before and low behind,--and no wonder, for, -like it, it is fitted to browse on trees. The upper lip projected two -inches beyond the lower for this purpose. This was the kind of man -that was at home there; for, as near as I can learn, that has never -been the residence, but rather the hunting-ground of the Indian. The -moose will, perhaps, one day become extinct; but how naturally then, -when it exists only as a fossil relic, and unseen as that, may the -poet or sculptor invent a fabulous animal with similar branching and -leafy horns,--a sort of fucus or lichen in bone,--to be the inhabitant -of such a forest as this! - -Here, just at the head of the murmuring rapids, Joe now proceeded to -skin the moose with a pocket-knife, while I looked on; and a tragical -business it was,--to see that still warm and palpitating body pierced -with a knife, to see the warm milk stream from the rent udder, and the -ghastly naked red carcass appearing from within its seemly robe, which -was made to hide it. The ball had passed through the shoulder-blade -diagonally and lodged under the skin on the opposite side, and was -partially flattened. My companion keeps it to show to his -grandchildren. He has the shanks of another moose which he has since -shot, skinned and stuffed, ready to be made into boots by putting in a -thick leather sole. Joe said, if a moose stood fronting you, you must -not fire, but advance toward him, for he will turn slowly and give you -a fair shot. In the bed of this narrow, wild, and rocky stream, -between two lofty walls of spruce and firs, a mere cleft in the forest -which the stream had made, this work went on. At length Joe had -stripped off the hide and dragged it trailing to the shore, declaring -that it weighed a hundred pounds, though probably fifty would have -been nearer the truth. He cut off a large mass of the meat to carry -along, and another, together with the tongue and nose, he put with the -hide on the shore to lie there all night, or till we returned. I was -surprised that he thought of leaving this meat thus exposed by the -side of the carcass, as the simplest course, not fearing that any -creature would touch it; but nothing did. This could hardly have -happened on the bank of one of our rivers in the eastern part of -Massachusetts; but I suspect that fewer small wild animals are -prowling there than with us. Twice, however, in this excursion, I had -a glimpse of a species of large mouse. - -This stream was so withdrawn, and the moose-tracks were so fresh, that -my companions, still bent on hunting, concluded to go farther up it -and camp, and then hunt up or down at night. Half a mile above this, -at a place where I saw the _Aster puniceus_ and the beaked hazel, as -we paddled along, Joe, hearing a slight rustling amid the alders, and -seeing something black about two rods off, jumped up and whispered, -"Bear!" but before the hunter had discharged his piece, he corrected -himself to "Beaver!"--"Hedgehog!" The bullet killed a large hedgehog -more than two feet and eight inches long. The quills were rayed out -and flattened on the hinder part of its back, even as if it had lain -on that part, but were erect and long between this and the tail. Their -points, closely examined, were seen to be finely bearded or barbed, -and shaped like an awl, that is, a little concave, to give the barbs -effect. After about a mile of still water, we prepared our camp on the -right side, just at the foot of a considerable fall. Little chopping -was done that night, for fear of scaring the moose. We had moose meat -fried for supper. It tasted like tender beef, with perhaps more -flavor,--sometimes like veal. - -After supper, the moon having risen, we proceeded to hunt a mile up -this stream, first "carrying" about the falls. We made a picturesque -sight, wending single file along the shore, climbing over rocks and -logs, Joe, who brought up the rear, twirling his canoe in his hands as -if it were a feather, in places where it was difficult to get along -without a burden. We launched the canoe again from the ledge over -which the stream fell, but after half a mile of still water, suitable -for hunting, it became rapid again, and we were compelled to make our -way along the shore, while Joe endeavored to get up in the birch -alone, though it was still very difficult for him to pick his way amid -the rocks in the night. We on the shore found the worst of walking, a -perfect chaos of fallen and drifted trees, and of bushes projecting -far over the water, and now and then we made our way across the mouth -of a small tributary on a kind of network of alders. So we went -tumbling on in the dark, being on the shady side, effectually scaring -all the moose and bears that might be thereabouts. At length we came -to a standstill, and Joe went forward to reconnoitre; but he reported -that it was still a continuous rapid as far as he went, or half a -mile, with no prospect of improvement, as if it were coming down from -a mountain. So we turned about, hunting back to the camp through the -still water. It was a splendid moonlight night, and I, getting sleepy -as it grew late,--for I had nothing to do,--found it difficult to -realize where I was. This stream was much more unfrequented than the -main one, lumbering operations being no longer carried on in this -quarter. It was only three or four rods wide, but the firs and spruce -through which it trickled seemed yet taller by contrast. Being in this -dreamy state, which the moonlight enhanced, I did not clearly discern -the shore, but seemed, most of the time, to be floating through -ornamental grounds,--for I associated the fir-tops with such -scenes;--very high up some Broadway, and beneath or between their -tops, I thought I saw an endless succession of porticoes and columns, -cornices and facades, verandas and churches. I did not merely fancy -this, but in my drowsy state such was the illusion. I fairly lost -myself in sleep several times, still dreaming of that architecture and -the nobility that dwelt behind and might issue from it: but all at -once I would be aroused and brought back to a sense of my actual -position by the sound of Joe's birch horn in the midst of all this -silence calling the moose, _ugh_, _ugh_, _oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo_, and I -prepared to hear a furious moose come rushing and crashing through the -forest, and see him burst out on to the little strip of meadow by our -side. - -But, on more accounts than one, I had had enough of moose-hunting. I -had not come to the woods for this purpose, nor had I foreseen it, -though I had been willing to learn how the Indian manoeuvred; but -one moose killed was as good, if not as bad, as a dozen. The -afternoon's tragedy, and my share in it, as it affected the innocence, -destroyed the pleasure of my adventure. It is true, I came as near as -is possible to come to being a hunter and miss it, myself; and as it -is, I think that I could spend a year in the woods, fishing and -hunting just enough to sustain myself, with satisfaction. This would -be next to living like a philosopher on the fruits of the earth which -you had raised, which also attracts me. But this hunting of the moose -merely for the satisfaction of killing him,--not even for the sake of -his hide,--without making any extraordinary exertion or running any -risk yourself, is too much like going out by night to some wood-side -pasture and shooting your neighbor's horses. These are God's own -horses, poor, timid creatures, that will run fast enough as soon as -they smell you, though they are nine feet high. Joe told us of some -hunters who a year or two before had shot down several oxen by night, -somewhere in the Maine woods, mistaking them for moose. And so might -any of the hunters; and what is the difference in the sport, but the -name? In the former case, having killed one of God's and _your own_ -oxen, you strip off its hide,--because that is the common trophy, and, -moreover, you have heard that it may be sold for moccasins,--cut a -steak from its haunches, and leave the huge carcass to smell to heaven -for you. It is no better, at least, than to assist at a -slaughter-house. - -This afternoon's experience suggested to me how base or coarse are the -motives which commonly carry men into the wilderness. The explorers -and lumberers generally are all hirelings, paid so much a day for -their labor, and as such they have no more love for wild nature than -wood-sawyers have for forests. Other white men and Indians who come -here are for the most part hunters, whose object is to slay as many -moose and other wild animals as possible. But, pray, could not one -spend some weeks or years in the solitude of this vast wilderness with -other employments than these,--employments perfectly sweet and -innocent and ennobling? For one that comes with a pencil to sketch or -sing, a thousand come with an axe or rifle. What a coarse and -imperfect use Indians and hunters make of nature! No wonder that their -race is so soon exterminated. I already, and for weeks afterward, felt -my nature the coarser for this part of my woodland experience, and was -reminded that our life should be lived as tenderly and daintily as one -would pluck a flower. - -With these thoughts, when we reached our camping-ground, I decided to -leave my companions to continue moose-hunting down the stream, while I -prepared the camp, though they requested me not to chop much nor make -a large fire, for fear I should scare their game. In the midst of the -damp fir wood, high on the mossy bank, about nine o'clock of this -bright moonlight night, I kindled a fire, when they were gone, and, -sitting on the fir twigs, within sound of the falls, examined by its -light the botanical specimens which I had collected that afternoon, -and wrote down some of the reflections which I have here expanded; or -I walked along the shore and gazed up the stream, where the whole -space above the falls was filled with mellow light. As I sat before -the fire on my fir-twig seat, without walls above or around me, I -remembered how far on every hand that wilderness stretched, before you -came to cleared or cultivated fields, and wondered if any bear or -moose was watching the light of my fire; for Nature looked sternly -upon me on account of the murder of the moose. - -Strange that so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives -and grows and spires, lifting its evergreen arms to the light,--to see -its perfect success; but most are content to behold it in the shape of -many broad boards brought to market, and deem _that_ its true success! -But the pine is no more lumber than man is, and to be made into boards -and houses is no more its true and highest use than the truest use of -a man is to be cut down and made into manure. There is a higher law -affecting our relation to pines as well as to men. A pine cut down, a -dead pine, is no more a pine than a dead human carcass is a man. Can -he who has discovered only some of the values of whalebone and whale -oil be said to have discovered the true use of the whale? Can he who -slays the elephant for his ivory be said to have "seen the -elephant"? These are petty and accidental uses; just as if a stronger -race were to kill us in order to make buttons and flageolets of our -bones; for everything may serve a lower as well as a higher use. Every -creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and -he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than -destroy it. - - [Illustration: _Pine Tree, Boar Mountain_] - -Is it the lumberman, then, who is the friend and lover of the pine, -stands nearest to it, and understands its nature best? Is it the -tanner who has barked it, or he who has boxed it for turpentine, whom -posterity will fable to have been changed into a pine at last? No! no! -it is the poet; he it is who makes the truest use of the pine, who -does not fondle it with an axe, nor tickle it with a saw, nor stroke -it with a plane, who knows whether its heart is false without cutting -into it, who has not bought the stumpage of the township on which it -stands. All the pines shudder and heave a sigh when that man steps on -the forest floor. No, it is the poet, who loves them as his own shadow -in the air, and lets them stand. I have been into the lumber-yard, and -the carpenter's shop, and the tannery, and the lampblack factory, and -the turpentine clearing; but when at length I saw the tops of the -pines waving and reflecting the light at a distance high over all the -rest of the forest, I realized that the former were not the highest -use of the pine. It is not their bones or hide or tallow that I love -most. It is the living spirit of the tree, not its spirit of -turpentine, with which I sympathize, and which heals my cuts. It is as -immortal as I am, and perchance will go to as high a heaven, there to -tower above me still. - -Ere long, the hunters returned, not having seen a moose, but, in -consequence of my suggestions, bringing a quarter of the dead one, -which, with ourselves, made quite a load for the canoe. - -After breakfasting on moose meat, we returned down Pine Stream on our -way to Chesuncook Lake, which was about five miles distant. We could -see the red carcass of the moose lying in Pine Stream when nearly half -a mile off. Just below the mouth of this stream were the most -considerable rapids between the two lakes, called Pine Stream Falls, -where were large flat rocks washed smooth, and at this time you could -easily wade across above them. Joe ran down alone while we walked over -the portage, my companion collecting spruce gum for his friends at -home, and I looking for flowers. Near the lake, which we were -approaching with as much expectation as if it had been a -university,--for it is not often that the stream of our life opens -into such expansions,--were islands, and a low and meadowy shore with -scattered trees, birches, white and yellow, slanted over the water, -and maples,--many of the white birches killed, apparently by -inundations. There was considerable native grass; and even a few -cattle--whose movements we heard, though we did not see them, -mistaking them at first for moose--were pastured there. - -On entering the lake, where the stream runs southeasterly, and for -some time before, we had a view of the mountains about Ktaadn -(_Katahdinauquoh_ one says they are called), like a cluster of blue -fungi of rank growth, apparently twenty-five or thirty miles distant, -in a southeast direction, their summits concealed by clouds. Joe -called some of them the Sowadnehunk Mountains. This is the name of a -stream there, which another Indian told us meant "running between -mountains." Though some lower summits were afterward uncovered, we got -no more complete view of Ktaadn while we were in the woods. The -clearing to which we were bound was on the right of the mouth of the -river, and was reached by going round a low point, where the water was -shallow to a great distance from the shore. Chesuncook Lake extends -northwest and southeast, and is called eighteen miles long and three -wide, without an island. We had entered the northwest corner of it, -and when near the shore could see only part way down it. The principal -mountains visible from the land here were those already mentioned, -between southeast and east, and a few summits a little west of north, -but generally the north and northwest horizon about the St. John and -the British boundary was comparatively level. - -Ansell Smith's, the oldest and principal clearing about this lake, -appeared to be quite a harbor for batteaux and canoes; seven or eight -of the former were lying about, and there was a small scow for hay, -and a capstan on a platform, now high and dry, ready to be floated and -anchored to tow rafts with. It was a very primitive kind of harbor, -where boats were drawn up amid the stumps,--such a one, methought, as -the Argo might have been launched in. There were five other huts with -small clearings on the opposite side of the lake, all at this end and -visible from this point. One of the Smiths told me that it was so far -cleared that they came here to live and built the present house four -years before, though the family had been here but a few months. - -I was interested to see how a pioneer lived on this side of the -country. His life is in some respects more adventurous than that of -his brother in the West; for he contends with winter as well as the -wilderness, and there is a greater interval of time at least between -him and the army which is to follow. Here immigration is a tide which -may ebb when it has swept away the pines; there it is not a tide, but -an inundation, and roads and other improvements come steadily rushing -after. - -As we approached the log house, a dozen rods from the lake, and -considerably elevated above it, the projecting ends of the logs -lapping over each other irregularly several feet at the corners gave -it a very rich and picturesque look, far removed from the meanness of -weather-boards. It was a very spacious, low building, about eighty -feet long, with many large apartments. The walls were well clayed -between the logs, which were large and round, except on the upper and -under sides, and as visible inside as out, successive bulging cheeks -gradually lessening upwards and tuned to each other with the axe, like -Pandean pipes. Probably the musical forest gods had not yet cast them -aside; they never do till they are split or the bark is gone. It was a -style of architecture not described by Vitruvius, I suspect, though -possibly hinted at in the biography of Orpheus; none of your frilled -or fluted columns, which have cut such a false swell, and support -nothing but a gable end and their builder's pretensions,--that is, -with the multitude; and as for "ornamentation," one of those words -with a dead tail which architects very properly use to describe their -flourishes, there were the lichens and mosses and fringes of bark, -which nobody troubled himself about. We certainly leave the handsomest -paint and clapboards behind in the woods, when we strip off the bark -and poison ourselves with white-lead in the towns. We get but half the -spoils of the forest. For beauty, give me trees with the fur on. This -house was designed and constructed with the freedom of stroke of a -forester's axe, without other compass and square than Nature uses. -Wherever the logs were cut off by a window or door, that is, were not -kept in place by alternate overlapping, they were held one upon -another by very large pins, driven in diagonally on each side, where -branches might have been, and then cut off so close up and down as not -to project beyond the bulge of the log, as if the logs clasped each -other in their arms. These logs were posts, studs, boards, clapboards, -laths, plaster, and nails, all in one. Where the citizen uses a mere -sliver or board, the pioneer uses the whole trunk of a tree. The house -had large stone chimneys, and was roofed with spruce-bark. The windows -were imported, all but the casings. One end was a regular logger's -camp, for the boarders, with the usual fir floor and log benches. Thus -this house was but a slight departure from the hollow tree, which the -bear still inhabits,--being a hollow made with trees piled up, with a -coating of bark like its original. - -The cellar was a separate building, like an ice-house, and it answered -for a refrigerator at this season, our moose meat being kept there. It -was a potato hole with a permanent roof. Each structure and -institution here was so primitive that you could at once refer it to -its source; but our buildings commonly suggest neither their origin -nor their purpose. There was a large, and what farmers would call -handsome, barn, part of whose boards had been sawed by a whip-saw; and -the saw-pit, with its great pile of dust, remained before the house. -The long split shingles on a portion of the barn were laid a foot to -the weather, suggesting what kind of weather they have there. Grant's -barn at Caribou Lake was said to be still larger, the biggest ox-nest -in the woods, fifty feet by a hundred. Think of a monster barn in that -primitive forest lifting its gray back above the tree-tops! Man makes -very much such a nest for his domestic animals, of withered grass and -fodder, as the squirrels and many other wild creatures do for -themselves. - -There was also a blacksmith's shop, where plainly a good deal of work -was done. The oxen and horses used in lumbering operations were shod, -and all the iron-work of sleds, etc., was repaired or made here. I saw -them load a batteau at the Moosehead Carry, the next Tuesday, with -about thirteen hundredweight of bar iron for this shop. This reminded -me how primitive and honorable a trade was Vulcan's. I do not hear -that there was any carpenter or tailor among the gods. The smith seems -to have preceded these and every other mechanic at Chesuncook as well -as on Olympus, and his family is the most widely dispersed, whether he -be christened John or Ansell. - -Smith owned two miles down the lake by half a mile in width. There -were about one hundred acres cleared here. He cut seventy tons of -English hay this year on this ground, and twenty more on another -clearing, and he uses it all himself in lumbering operations. The barn -was crowded with pressed hay, and a machine to press it. There was a -large garden full of roots,--turnips, beets, carrots, potatoes, etc., -all of great size. They said that they were worth as much here as in -New York. I suggested some currants for sauce, especially as they had -no apple trees set out, and showed how easily they could be obtained. - -There was the usual long-handled axe of the primitive woods by the -door, three and a half feet long,--for my new black-ash rule was in -constant use,--and a large, shaggy dog, whose nose, report said, was -full of porcupine quills. I can testify that he looked very sober. -This is the usual fortune of pioneer dogs, for they have to face the -brunt of the battle for their race, and act the part of Arnold -Winkelried without intending it. If he should invite one of his town -friends up this way, suggesting moose meat and unlimited freedom, the -latter might pertinently inquire, "What is that sticking in your -nose?" When a generation or two have used up all the enemies' darts, -their successors lead a comparatively easy life. We owe to our fathers -analogous blessings. Many old people receive pensions for no other -reason, it seems to me, but as a compensation for having lived a long -time ago. No doubt our town dogs still talk, in a snuffling way, about -the days that tried dogs' noses. How they got a cat up there I do not -know, for they are as shy as my aunt about entering a canoe. I -wondered that she did not run up a tree on the way; but perhaps she -was bewildered by the very crowd of opportunities. - -Twenty or thirty lumberers, Yankee and Canadian, were coming and -going,--Aleck among the rest,--and from time to time an Indian touched -here. In the winter there are sometimes a hundred men lodged here at -once. The most interesting piece of news that circulated among them -appeared to be, that four horses belonging to Smith, worth seven -hundred dollars, had passed by farther into the woods a week before. - -The white pine tree was at the bottom or farther end of all this. It -is a war against the pines, the only real Aroostook or Penobscot war. -I have no doubt that they lived pretty much the same sort of life in -the Homeric age, for men have always thought more of eating than of -fighting; then, as now, their minds ran chiefly on the "hot bread and -sweet cakes;" and the fur and lumber trade is an old story to Asia and -Europe. I doubt if men ever made a trade of heroism. In the days of -Achilles, even, they delighted in big barns, and perchance in pressed -hay, and he who possessed the most valuable team was the best fellow. - -We had designed to go on at evening up the Caucomgomoc, whose mouth -was a mile or two distant, to the lake of the same name, about ten -miles off; but some Indians of Joe's acquaintance, who were making -canoes on the Caucomgomoc, came over from that side, and gave so poor -an account of the moose-hunting, so many had been killed there lately, -that my companions concluded not to go there. Joe spent this Sunday -and the night with his acquaintances. The lumberers told me that there -were many moose hereabouts, but no caribou or deer. A man from Oldtown -had killed ten or twelve moose, within a year, so near the house that -they heard all his guns. His name may have been Hercules, for aught I -know, though I should rather have expected to hear the rattling of his -club; but, no doubt, he keeps pace with the improvements of the age, -and uses a Sharp's rifle now; probably he gets all his armor made and -repaired at Smith's shop. One moose had been killed and another shot -at within sight of the house within two years. I do not know whether -Smith has yet got a poet to look after the cattle, which, on account -of the early breaking up of the ice, are compelled to summer in the -woods, but I would suggest this office to such of my acquaintances as -love to write verses and go a-gunning. - -After a dinner at which apple-sauce was the greatest luxury to me, but -our moose meat was oftenest called for by the lumberers, I walked -across the clearing into the forest, southward, returning along the -shore. For my dessert, I helped myself to a large slice of the -Chesuncook woods, and took a hearty draught of its waters with all my -senses. The woods were as fresh and full of vegetable life as a lichen -in wet weather, and contained many interesting plants; but unless they -are of white pine, they are treated with as little respect here as a -mildew, and in the other case they are only the more quickly cut down. -The shore was of coarse, flat, slate rocks, often in slabs, with the -surf beating on it. The rocks and bleached drift-logs, extending some -way into the shaggy woods, showed a rise and fall of six or eight -feet, caused partly by the dam at the outlet. They said that in winter -the snow was three feet deep on a level here, and sometimes four or -five,--that the ice on the lake was two feet thick, clear, and four -feet including the snow-ice. Ice had already formed in vessels. - -We lodged here this Sunday night in a comfortable bedroom, apparently -the best one; and all that I noticed unusual in the night--for I still -kept taking notes, like a spy in the camp--was the creaking of the -thin split boards, when any of our neighbors stirred. - -Such were the first rude beginnings of a town. They spoke of the -practicability of a winter road to the Moosehead Carry, which would -not cost much, and would connect them with steam and staging and all -the busy world. I almost doubted if the lake would be there,--the -self-same lake,--preserve its form and identity, when the shores -should be cleared and settled; as if these lakes and streams which -explorers report never awaited the advent of the citizen. - -The sight of one of these frontier houses, built of these great logs, -whose inhabitants have unflinchingly maintained their ground many -summers and winters in the wilderness, reminds me of famous forts, -like Ticonderoga or Crown Point, which have sustained memorable -sieges. They are especially winter-quarters, and at this season this -one had a partially deserted look, as if the siege were raised a -little, the snowbanks being melted from before it, and its garrison -accordingly reduced. I think of their daily food as rations,--it is -called "supplies;" a Bible and a greatcoat are munitions of war, and a -single man seen about the premises is a sentinel on duty. You expect -that he will require the countersign, and will perchance take you for -Ethan Allen, come to demand the surrender of his fort in the name of -the Continental Congress. It is a sort of ranger service. Arnold's -expedition is a daily experience with these settlers. They can prove -that they were out at almost any time; and I think that all the first -generation of them deserve a pension more than any that went to the -Mexican war. - -Early the next morning we started on our return up the Penobscot, my -companion wishing to go about twenty-five miles above the Moosehead -Carry to a camp near the junction of the two forks, and look for moose -there. Our host allowed us something for the quarter of the moose -which we had brought, and which he was glad to get. Two explorers from -Chamberlain Lake started at the same time that we did. Red flannel -shirts should be worn in the woods, if only for the fine contrast -which this color makes with the evergreens and the water. Thus I -thought when I saw the forms of the explorers in their birch, poling -up the rapids before us, far off against the forest. It is the -surveyor's color also, most distinctly seen under all circumstances. -We stopped to dine at Ragmuff, as before. My companion it was who -wandered up the stream to look for moose this time, while Joe went to -sleep on the bank, so that we felt sure of him; and I improved the -opportunity to botanize and bathe. Soon after starting again, while -Joe was gone back in the canoe for the frying-pan, which had been -left, we picked a couple of quarts of tree-cranberries for a sauce. - -I was surprised by Joe's asking me how far it was to the Moosehorn. He -was pretty well acquainted with this stream, but he had noticed that I -was curious about distances, and had several maps. He and Indians -generally, with whom I have talked, are not able to describe -dimensions or distances in our measures with any accuracy. He could -tell, perhaps, at what time we should arrive, but not how far it was. -We saw a few wood ducks, sheldrakes, and black ducks, but they were -not so numerous there at that season as on our river at home. We -scared the same family of wood ducks before us, going and returning. -We also heard the note of one fish hawk, somewhat like that of a -pigeon woodpecker, and soon after saw him perched near the top of a -dead white pine against the island where we had first camped, while a -company of peetweets were twittering and teetering about over the -carcass of a moose on a low sandy spit just beneath. We drove the fish -hawk from perch to perch, each time eliciting a scream or whistle, for -many miles before us. Our course being up-stream, we were obliged to -work much harder than before, and had frequent use for a pole. -Sometimes all three of us paddled together, standing up, small and -heavily laden as the canoe was. About six miles from Moosehead, we -began to see the mountains east of the north end of the lake, and at -four o'clock we reached the carry. - -The Indians were still encamped here. There were three, including the -St. Francis Indian who had come in the steamer with us. One of the -others was called Sabattis. Joe and the St. Francis Indian were -plainly clear Indian, the other two apparently mixed Indian and white; -but the difference was confined to their features and complexion, for -all that I could see. We here cooked the tongue of the moose for -supper,--having left the nose, which is esteemed the choicest part, at -Chesuncook, boiling, it being a good deal of trouble to prepare it. -We also stewed our tree-cranberries (_Viburnum opulus_), sweetening -them with sugar. The lumberers sometimes cook them with molasses. They -were used in Arnold's expedition. This sauce was very grateful to us -who had been confined to hard-bread, pork, and moose meat, and, -notwithstanding their seeds, we all three pronounced them equal to the -common cranberry; but perhaps some allowance is to be made for our -forest appetites. It would be worth the while to cultivate them, both -for beauty and for food. I afterward saw them in a garden in Bangor. -Joe said that they were called _ebeemenar_. - -While we were getting supper, Joe commenced curing the moose-hide, on -which I had sat a good part of the voyage, he having already cut most -of the hair off with his knife at the Caucomgomoc. He set up two stout -forked poles on the bank, seven or eight feet high, and as much -asunder east and west, and having cut slits eight or ten inches long, -and the same distance apart, close to the edge, on the sides of the -hide, he threaded poles through them, and then, placing one of the -poles on the forked stakes, tied the other down tightly at the bottom. -The two ends also were tied with cedar bark, their usual string, to -the upright poles, through small holes at short intervals. The hide, -thus stretched, and slanted a little to the north, to expose its flesh -side to the sun, measured, in the extreme, eight feet long by six -high. Where any flesh still adhered, Joe boldly scored it with his -knife to lay it open to the sun. It now appeared somewhat spotted and -injured by the duck shot. You may see the old frames on which hides -have been stretched at many camping-places in these woods. - -For some reason or other, the going to the forks of the Penobscot was -given up, and we decided to stop here, my companion intending to hunt -down the stream at night. The Indians invited us to lodge with them, -but my companion inclined to go to the log camp on the carry. This -camp was close and dirty, and had an ill smell, and I preferred to -accept the Indians' offer, if we did not make a camp for ourselves; -for, though they were dirty, too, they were more in the open air, and -were much more agreeable, and even refined company, than the -lumberers. The most interesting question entertained at the lumberers' -camp was, which man could "handle" any other on the carry; and, for -the most part, they possessed no qualities which you could not lay -hands on. So we went to the Indians' camp or wigwam. - -It was rather windy, and therefore Joe concluded to hunt after -midnight, if the wind went down, which the other Indians thought it -would not do, because it was from the south. The two mixed-bloods, -however, went off up the river for moose at dark, before we arrived at -their camp. This Indian camp was a slight, patched-up affair, which -had stood there several weeks, built shed-fashion, open to the fire on -the west. If the wind changed, they could turn it round. It was formed -by two forked stakes and a cross-bar, with rafters slanted from this -to the ground. The covering was partly an old sail, partly birch-bark, -quite imperfect, but securely tied on, and coming down to the ground -on the sides. A large log was rolled up at the back side for a -headboard, and two or three moose-hides were spread on the ground -with the hair up. Various articles of their wardrobe were tucked -around the sides and corners, or under the roof. They were smoking -moose meat on just such a crate as is represented by With, in De Bry's -"Collectio Peregrinationum," published in 1588, and which the natives -of Brazil called _boucan_ (whence buccaneer), on which were frequently -shown pieces of human flesh drying along with the rest. It was erected -in front of the camp over the usual large fire, in the form of an -oblong square. Two stout forked stakes, four or five feet apart and -five feet high, were driven into the ground at each end, and then two -poles ten feet long were stretched across over the fire, and smaller -ones laid transversely on these a foot apart. On the last hung large, -thin slices of moose meat smoking and drying, a space being left open -over the centre of the fire. There was the whole heart, black as a -thirty-two pound ball, hanging at one corner. They said that it took -three or four days to cure this meat, and it would keep a year or -more. Refuse pieces lay about on the ground in different stages of -decay, and some pieces also in the fire, half buried and sizzling in -the ashes, as black and dirty as an old shoe. These last I at first -thought were thrown away, but afterwards found that they were being -cooked. Also a tremendous rib-piece was roasting before the fire, -being impaled on an upright stake forced in and out between the ribs. -There was a moose-hide stretched and curing on poles like ours, and -quite a pile of cured skins close by. They had killed twenty-two moose -within two months, but, as they could use but very little of the meat, -they left the carcases on the ground. Altogether it was about as -savage a sight as was ever witnessed, and I was carried back at once -three hundred years. There were many torches of birch-bark, shaped -like straight tin horns, lying ready for use on a stump outside. - -For fear of dirt, we spread our blankets over their hides, so as not -to touch them anywhere. The St. Francis Indian and Joe alone were -there at first, and we lay on our backs talking with them till -midnight. They were very sociable, and, when they did not talk with -us, kept up a steady chatting in their own language. We heard a small -bird just after dark, which, Joe said, sang at a certain hour in the -night,--at ten o'clock, he believed. We also heard the hylodes and -tree-toads, and the lumberers singing in their camp a quarter of a -mile off. I told them that I had seen pictured in old books pieces of -human flesh drying on these crates; whereupon they repeated some -tradition about the Mohawks eating human flesh, what parts they -preferred, etc., and also of a battle with the Mohawks near Moosehead, -in which many of the latter were killed; but I found that they knew -but little of the history of their race, and could be entertained by -stories about their ancestors as readily as any way. At first I was -nearly roasted out, for I lay against one side of the camp, and felt -the heat reflected not only from the birch-bark above, but from the -side; and again I remembered the sufferings of the Jesuit -missionaries, and what extremes of heat and cold the Indians were said -to endure. I struggled long between my desire to remain and talk with -them and my impulse to rush out and stretch myself on the cool grass; -and when I was about to take the last step, Joe, hearing my murmurs, -or else being uncomfortable himself, got up and partially dispersed -the fire. I suppose that that is Indian manners,--to defend yourself. - -While lying there listening to the Indians, I amused myself with -trying to guess at their subject by their gestures, or some proper -name introduced. There can be no more startling evidence of their -being a distinct and comparatively aboriginal race than to hear this -unaltered Indian language, which the white man cannot speak nor -understand. We may suspect change and deterioration in almost every -other particular but the language which is so wholly unintelligible to -us. It took me by surprise, though I had found so many arrowheads, and -convinced me that the Indian was not the invention of historians and -poets. It was a purely wild and primitive American sound, as much as -the barking of a chickaree, and I could not understand a syllable of -it; but Paugus, had he been there, would have understood it. These -Abenakis gossiped, laughed, and jested, in the language in which -Eliot's Indian Bible is written, the language which has been spoken in -New England who shall say how long? These were the sounds that issued -from the wigwams of this country before Columbus was born; they have -not yet died away; and, with remarkably few exceptions, the language -of their forefathers is still copious enough for them. I felt that I -stood, or rather lay, as near to the primitive man of America, that -night, as any of its discoverers ever did. - -In the midst of their conversation, Joe suddenly appealed to me to -know how long Moosehead Lake was. - -Meanwhile, as we lay there, Joe was making and trying his horn, to be -ready for hunting after midnight. The St. Francis Indian also amused -himself with sounding it, or rather calling through it; for the sound -is made with the voice, and not by blowing through the horn. The -latter appeared to be a speculator in moose-hides. He bought my -companion's for two dollars and a quarter, green. Joe said that it was -worth two and a half at Oldtown. Its chief use is for moccasins. One -or two of these Indians wore them. I was told that, by a recent law of -Maine, foreigners are not allowed to kill moose there at any season; -white Americans can kill them only at a particular season, but the -Indians of Maine at all seasons. The St. Francis Indian accordingly -asked my companion for a _wighiggin_, or bill, to show, since he was a -foreigner. He lived near Sorel. I found that he could write his name -very well, Tahmunt Swasen. One Ellis, an old white man of Guilford, a -town through which we passed, not far from the south end of Moosehead, -was the most celebrated moose-hunter of those parts. Indians and -whites spoke with equal respect of him. Tahmunt said that there were -more moose here than in the Adirondack country in New York, where he -had hunted; that three years before there were a great many about, and -there were a great many now in the woods, but they did not come out to -the water. It was of no use to hunt them at midnight,--they would not -come out then. I asked Sabattis, after he came home, if the moose -never attacked him. He answered that you must not fire many times, so -as to mad him. "I fire once and hit him in the right place, and in the -morning I find him. He won't go far. But if you keep firing, you mad -him. I fired once five bullets, every one through the heart, and he -did not mind 'em at all; it only made him more mad." I asked him if -they did not hunt them with dogs. He said that they did so in winter, -but never in the summer, for then it was of no use; they would run -right off straight and swiftly a hundred miles. - -Another Indian said that the moose, once scared, would run all day. A -dog will hang to their lips, and be carried along till he is swung -against a tree and drops off. They cannot run on a "glaze," though -they can run in snow four feet deep; but the caribou can run on ice. -They commonly find two or three moose together. They cover themselves -with water, all but their noses, to escape flies. He had the horns of -what he called "the black moose that goes in low lands." These spread -three or four feet. The "red moose" was another kind, "running on -mountains," and had horns which spread six feet. Such were his -distinctions. Both can move their horns. The broad flat blades are -covered with hair, and are so soft, when the animal is alive, that you -can run a knife through them. They regard it as a good or bad sign, if -the horns turn this way or that. His caribou horns had been gnawed by -mice in his wigwam, but he thought that the horns neither of the moose -nor of the caribou were ever gnawed while the creature was alive, as -some have asserted. An Indian, whom I met after this at Oldtown, who -had carried about a bear and other animals of Maine to exhibit, told -me that thirty years ago there were not so many moose in Maine as -now; also, that the moose were very easily tamed, and would come back -when once fed, and so would deer, but not caribou. The Indians of this -neighborhood are about as familiar with the moose as we are with the -ox, having associated with them for so many generations. Father -Rasles, in his Dictionary of the Abenaki Language, gives not only a -word for the male moose (_aianbe_), and another for the female -(_herar_), but for the bone which is in the middle of the heart of the -moose (!), and for his left hind leg. - -There were none of the small deer up there; they are more common about -the settlements. One ran into the city of Bangor two years before, and -jumped through a window of costly plate glass, and then into a mirror, -where it thought it recognized one of its kind, and out again, and so -on, leaping over the heads of the crowd, until it was captured. This -the inhabitants speak of as the deer that went a-shopping. The -last-mentioned Indian spoke of the _lunxus_ or Indian devil (which I -take to be the cougar, and not the _Gulo luscus_), as the only animal -in Maine which man need fear; it would follow a man, and did not mind -a fire. He also said that beavers were getting to be pretty numerous -again, where we went, but their skins brought so little now that it -was not profitable to hunt them. - -I had put the ears of our moose, which were ten inches long, to dry -along with the moose meat over the fire, wishing to preserve them; but -Sabattis told me that I must skin and cure them, else the hair would -all come off. He observed that they made tobacco pouches of the skins -of their ears, putting the two together inside to inside. I asked him -how he got fire; and he produced a little cylindrical box of friction -matches. He also had flints and steel, and some punk, which was not -dry; I think it was from the yellow birch. "But suppose you upset, and -all these and your powder get wet." "Then," said he, "we wait till we -get to where there is some fire." I produced from my pocket a little -vial, containing matches, stoppled water-tight, and told him, that, -though we were upset, we should still have some dry matches; at which -he stared without saying a word. - -We lay awake thus a long while talking, and they gave us the meaning -of many Indian names of lakes and streams in the vicinity,--especially -Tahmunt. I asked the Indian name of Moosehead Lake. Joe answered -_Sebamook_; Tahmunt pronounced it _Sebemook_. When I asked what it -meant, they answered, Moosehead Lake. At length, getting my meaning, -they alternately repeated the word over to themselves, as a -philologist might,--_Sebamook_,--_Sebamook_,--now and then comparing -notes in Indian; for there was a slight difference in their dialects; -and finally Tahmunt said, "Ugh! I know,"--and he rose up partly on the -moose-hide,--"like as here is a place, and there is a place," pointing -to different parts of the hide, "and you take water from there and -fill this, and it stays here; that is _Sebamook_." I understood him to -mean that it was a reservoir of water which did not run away, the -river coming in on one side and passing out again near the same place, -leaving a permanent bay. Another Indian said, that it meant Large Bay -Lake, and that _Sebago_ and _Sebec_, the names of other lakes, were -kindred words, meaning large open water. Joe said that _Seboois_ meant -Little River. I observed their inability, often described, to convey -an abstract idea. Having got the idea, though indistinctly, they -groped about in vain for words with which to express it. Tahmunt -thought that the whites called it Moosehead Lake, because Mount Kineo, -which commands it, is shaped like a moose's head, and that Moose River -was so called "because the mountain points right across the lake to -its mouth." John Josselyn, writing about 1673, says, "Twelve miles -from Casco Bay, and passable for men and horses, is a lake, called by -the Indians Sebug. On the brink thereof, at one end, is the famous -rock, shaped like a moose deer or helk, diaphanous, and called the -Moose Rock." He appears to have confounded Sebamook with Sebago, which -is nearer, but has no "diaphanous" rock on its shore. - -I give more of their definitions, for what they are worth,--partly -_because_ they differ sometimes from the commonly received ones. They -never analyzed these words before. After long deliberation and -repeating of the word,--for it gave much trouble,--Tahmunt said that -_Chesuncook_ meant a place where many streams emptied in (?), and he -enumerated them,--Penobscot, Umbazookskus, Cusabesex, Red Brook, etc. -"_Caucomgomoc_,--what does that mean?" "What are those large white -birds?" he asked. "Gulls," said I. "Ugh! Gull Lake." _Pammadumcook_, -Joe thought, meant the Lake with Gravelly Bottom or Bed. _Kenduskeag_, -Tahmunt concluded at last, after asking if birches went up it,--for he -said that he was not much acquainted with it,--meant something like -this: "You go up Penobscot till you come to _Kenduskeag_, and you go -by, you don't turn up there. That is _Kenduskeag_." (?) Another -Indian, however, who knew the river better, told us afterward that it -meant Little Eel River. _Mattawamkeag_ was a place where two rivers -meet. (?) _Penobscot_ was Rocky River. One writer says that this was -"originally the name of only a section of the main channel, from the -head of the tide-water to a short distance above Oldtown." - -A very intelligent Indian, whom we afterward met, son-in-law of -Neptune, gave us also these other definitions: _Umbazookskus_, Meadow -Stream; _Millinoket_, Place of Islands; _Aboljacarmegus_, Smooth-Ledge -Falls (and Deadwater); _Aboljacarmeguscook_, the stream emptying in -(the last was the word he gave when I asked about _Aboljacknagesic_, -which he did not recognize); _Mattahumkeag_, Sand-Creek Pond; -_Piscataquis_, Branch of a River. - -I asked our hosts what _Musketaquid_, the Indian name of Concord, -Massachusetts, meant; but they changed it to _Musketicook_, and -repeated that, and Tahmunt said that it meant Dead Stream, which is -probably true. _Cook_ appears to mean stream, and perhaps _quid_ -signifies the place or ground. When I asked the meaning of the names -of two of our hills, they answered that they were another language. As -Tahmunt said that he traded at Quebec, my companion inquired the -meaning of the word _Quebec_, about which there has been so much -question. He did not know, but began to conjecture. He asked what -those great ships were called that carried soldiers. "Men-of-war," we -answered. "Well," he said, "when the English ships came up the river, -they could not go any farther, it was so narrow there; they must go -back,--go-back,--that's Que-bec." I mention this to show the value of -his authority in the other cases. - -Late at night the other two Indians came home from moose-hunting, not -having been successful, aroused the fire again, lighted their pipes, -smoked awhile, took something strong to drink, and ate some moose -meat, and, finding what room they could, lay down on the moose-hides; -and thus we passed the night, two white men and four Indians, side by -side. - -When I awoke in the morning the weather was drizzling. One of the -Indians was lying outside, rolled in his blanket, on the opposite side -of the fire, for want of room. Joe had neglected to awake my -companion, and he had done no hunting that night. Tahmunt was making a -cross-bar for his canoe with a singularly shaped knife, such as I have -since seen other Indians using. The blade was thin, about three -quarters of an inch wide, and eight or nine inches long, but curved -out of its plane into a hook, which he said made it more convenient to -shave with. As the Indians very far north and northwest use the same -kind of knife, I suspect that it was made according to an aboriginal -pattern, though some white artisans may use a similar one. The Indians -baked a loaf of flour bread in a spider on its edge before the fire -for their breakfast; and while my companion was making tea, I caught a -dozen sizable fishes in the Penobscot, two kinds of sucker and one -trout. After we had breakfasted by ourselves, one of our bed-fellows, -who had also breakfasted, came along, and, being invited, took a cup -of tea, and finally, taking up the common platter, licked it clean. -But he was nothing to a white fellow, a lumberer, who was continually -stuffing himself with the Indians' moose meat, and was the butt of his -companions accordingly. He seems to have thought that it was a feast -"to eat all." It is commonly said that the white man finally surpasses -the Indian on his own ground, and it was proved true in this case. I -cannot swear to his employment during the hours of darkness, but I saw -him at it again as soon as it was light, though he came a quarter of a -mile to his work. - -The rain prevented our continuing any longer in the woods; so, giving -some of our provisions and utensils to the Indians, we took leave of -them. This being the steamer's day, I set out for the lake at once. - -I walked over the carry alone and waited at the head of the lake. An -eagle, or some other large bird, flew screaming away from its perch by -the shore at my approach. For an hour after I reached the shore there -was not a human being to be seen, and I had all that wide prospect to -myself. I thought that I heard the sound of the steamer before she -came in sight on the open lake. I noticed at the landing, when the -steamer came in, one of our bed-fellows, who had been a-moose-hunting -the night before, now very sprucely dressed in a clean white shirt and -fine black pants, a true Indian dandy, who had evidently come over the -carry to show himself to any arrivers on the north shore of Moosehead -Lake, just as New York dandies take a turn up Broadway and stand on -the steps of a hotel. - -Midway the lake we took on board two manly-looking middle-aged men, -with their batteau, who had been exploring for six weeks as far as the -Canada line, and had let their beards grow. They had the skin of a -beaver, which they had recently caught, stretched on an oval hoop, -though the fur was not good at that season. I talked with one of them, -telling him that I had come all this distance partly to see where the -white pine, the Eastern stuff of which our houses are built, grew, but -that on this and a previous excursion into another part of Maine I had -found it a scarce tree; and I asked him where I must look for it. With -a smile, he answered that he could hardly tell me. However, he said -that he had found enough to employ two teams the next winter in a -place where there was thought to be none left. What was considered a -"tip-top" tree now was not looked at twenty years ago, when he first -went into the business; but they succeeded very well now with what was -considered quite inferior timber then. The explorer used to cut into a -tree higher and higher up, to see if it was false-hearted, and if -there was a rotten heart as big as his arm, he let it alone; but now -they cut such a tree and sawed it all around the rot, and it made the -very best of boards, for in such a case they were never shaky. - -One connected with lumbering operations at Bangor told me that the -largest pine belonging to his firm, cut the previous winter, "scaled" -in the woods four thousand five hundred feet, and was worth ninety -dollars in the log at the Bangor boom in Oldtown. They cut a road -three and a half miles long for this tree alone. He thought that the -principal locality for the white pine that came down the Penobscot -now was at the head of the East Branch and the Allegash, about Webster -Stream and Eagle and Chamberlain lakes. Much timber has been stolen -from the public lands. (Pray, what kind of forest-warden is the Public -itself?) I heard of one man who, having discovered some particularly -fine trees just within the boundaries of the public lands, and not -daring to employ an accomplice, cut them down, and by means of block -and tackle, without cattle, tumbled them into a stream, and so -succeeded in getting off with them without the least assistance. -Surely, stealing pine trees in this way is not so mean as robbing -hen-roosts. - -We reached Monson that night, and the next day rode to Bangor, all the -way in the rain again, varying our route a little. Some of the taverns -on this road, which were particularly dirty, were plainly in a -transition state from the camp to the house. - - * * * * * - -The next forenoon we went to Oldtown. One slender old Indian on the -Oldtown shore, who recognized my companion, was full of mirth and -gestures, like a Frenchman. A Catholic priest crossed to the island in -the same batteau with us. The Indian houses are framed, mostly of one -story, and in rows one behind another, at the south end of the island, -with a few scattered ones. I counted about forty, not including the -church and what my companion called the council-house. The last, which -I suppose is their town-house, was regularly framed and shingled like -the rest. There were several of two stories, quite neat, with front -yards inclosed, and one at least had green blinds. Here and there -were moose-hides stretched and drying about them. There were no -cart-paths, nor tracks of horses, but footpaths; very little land -cultivated, but an abundance of weeds, indigenous and naturalized; -more introduced weeds than useful vegetables, as the Indian is said to -cultivate the vices rather than the virtues of the white man. Yet this -village was cleaner than I expected, far cleaner than such Irish -villages as I have seen. The children were not particularly ragged nor -dirty. The little boys met us with bow in hand and arrow on string, -and cried, "Put up a cent." Verily, the Indian has but a feeble hold -on his bow now; but the curiosity of the white man is insatiable, and -from the first he has been eager to witness this forest -accomplishment. That elastic piece of wood with its feathered dart, so -sure to be unstrung by contact with civilization, will serve for the -type, the coat-of-arms of the savage. Alas for the Hunter Race! the -white man has driven off their game, and substituted a cent in its -place. I saw an Indian woman washing at the water's edge. She stood on -a rock, and, after dipping the clothes in the stream, laid them on the -rock, and beat them with a short club. In the graveyard, which was -crowded with graves, and overrun with weeds, I noticed an inscription -in Indian, painted on a wooden grave-board. There was a large wooden -cross on the island. - -Since my companion knew him, we called on Governor Neptune, who lived -in a little "ten-footer," one of the humblest of them all. -Personalities are allowable in speaking of public men, therefore I -will give the particulars of our visit. He was abed. When we entered -the room, which was one half of the house, he was sitting on the side -of the bed. There was a clock hanging in one corner. He had on a black -frock coat, and black pants, much worn, white cotton shirt, socks, a -red silk handkerchief about his neck, and a straw hat. His black hair -was only slightly grayed. He had very broad cheeks, and his features -were decidedly and refreshingly different from those of any of the -upstart Native American party whom I have seen. He was no darker than -many old white men. He told me that he was eighty-nine; but he was -going a-moose-hunting that fall, as he had been the previous one. -Probably his companions did the hunting. We saw various squaws dodging -about. One sat on the bed by his side and helped him out with his -stories. They were remarkably corpulent, with smooth, round faces, -apparently full of good-humor. Certainly our much-abused climate had -not dried up their adipose substance. While we were there,--for we -stayed a good while,--one went over to Oldtown, returned and cut out a -dress, which she had bought, on another bed in the room. The Governor -said that "he could remember when the moose were much larger; that -they did not use to be in the woods, but came out of the water, as all -deer did. Moose was whale once. Away down Merrimack way, a whale came -ashore in a shallow bay. Sea went out and left him, and he came up on -land a moose. What made them know he was a whale was, that at first, -before he began to run in bushes, he had no bowels inside, but"--and -then the squaw who sat on the bed by his side, as the Governor's aid, -and had been putting in a word now and then and confirming the story, -asked me what we called that soft thing we find along the seashore. -"Jelly-fish," I suggested. "Yes," said he, "no bowels, but -jelly-fish." - -There may be some truth in what he said about the moose growing larger -formerly; for the quaint John Josselyn, a physician who spent many -years in this very district of Maine in the seventeenth century, says -that the tips of their horns "are sometimes found to be two fathoms -asunder,"--and he is particular to tell us that a fathom is six -feet,--"and [they are] in height, from the toe of the fore foot to the -pitch of the shoulder, twelve foot, both which hath been taken by some -of my sceptique readers to be monstrous lies;" and he adds, "There are -certain transcendentia in every creature, which are the indelible -character of God, and which discover God." This is a greater dilemma -to be caught in than is presented by the cranium of the young Bechuana -ox, apparently another of the _transcendentia_, in the collection of -Thomas Steel, Upper Brook Street, London, whose "entire length of -horn, from tip to tip, along the curve, is 13 ft. 5 in.; distance -(straight) between the tips of the horns, 8 ft. 8-1/2 in." However, the -size both of the moose and the cougar, as I have found, is generally -rather underrated than overrated, and I should be inclined to add to -the popular estimate a part of what I subtracted from Josselyn's. - -But we talked mostly with the Governor's son-in-law, a very sensible -Indian; and the Governor, being so old and deaf, permitted himself to -be ignored, while we asked questions about him. The former said that -there were two political parties among them,--one in favor of schools, -and the other opposed to them, or rather they did not wish to resist -the priest, who was opposed to them. The first had just prevailed at -the election and sent their man to the legislature. Neptune and -Aitteon and he himself were in favor of schools. He said, "If Indians -got learning, they would keep their money." When we asked where Joe's -father, Aitteon, was, he knew that he must be at Lincoln, though he -was about going a-moose-hunting, for a messenger had just gone to him -there to get his signature to some papers. I asked Neptune if they had -any of the old breed of dogs yet. He answered, "Yes." "But that," said -I, pointing to one that had just come in, "is a Yankee dog." He -assented. I said that he did not look like a good one. "Oh, yes!" he -said, and he told, with much gusto, how, the year before, he had -caught and held by the throat a wolf. A very small black puppy rushed -into the room and made at the Governor's feet, as he sat in his -stockings with his legs dangling from the bedside. The Governor rubbed -his hands and dared him to come on, entering into the sport with -spirit. Nothing more that was significant transpired, to my knowledge, -during this interview. This was the first time that I ever called on a -governor, but, as I did not ask for an office, I can speak of it with -the more freedom. - -An Indian who was making canoes behind a house, looking up pleasantly -from his work,--for he knew my companion,--said that his name was Old -John Pennyweight. I had heard of him long before, and I inquired after -one of his contemporaries, Joe Four-pence-ha'penny; but alas! he no -longer circulates. I made a faithful study of canoe-building, and I -thought that I should like to serve an apprenticeship at that trade -for one season, going into the woods for bark with my "boss," making -the canoe there, and returning in it at last. - -While the batteau was coming over to take us off, I picked up some -fragments of arrowheads on the shore, and one broken stone chisel, -which were greater novelties to the Indians than to me. After this, on -Old Fort Hill, at the bend of the Penobscot, three miles above Bangor, -looking for the site of an Indian town which some think stood -thereabouts, I found more arrowheads, and two little dark and -crumbling fragments of Indian earthenware, in the ashes of their -fires. The Indians on the island appeared to live quite happily and to -be well treated by the inhabitants of Oldtown. - -We visited Veazie's mills, just below the island, where were sixteen -sets of saws,--some gang saws, sixteen in a gang, not to mention -circular saws. On one side, they were hauling the logs up an inclined -plane by water-power; on the other, passing out the boards, planks, -and sawed timber, and forming them into rafts. The trees were -literally drawn and quartered there. In forming the rafts, they use -the lower three feet of hard-wood saplings, which have a crooked and -knobbed butt-end, for bolts, passing them up through holes bored in -the corners and sides of the rafts, and keying them. In another -apartment they were making fence-slats, such as stand all over New -England, out of odds and ends; and it may be that I saw where the -picket-fence behind which I dwell at home came from. I was surprised -to find a boy collecting the long edgings of boards as fast as cut -off, and thrusting them down a hopper, where they were ground up -beneath the mill, that they might be out of the way; otherwise they -accumulate in vast piles by the side of the building, increasing the -danger from fire, or, floating off, they obstruct the river. This was -not only a sawmill, but a gristmill, then. The inhabitants of Oldtown, -Stillwater, and Bangor cannot suffer for want of kindling stuff, -surely. Some get their living exclusively by picking up the driftwood -and selling it by the cord in the winter. In one place I saw where an -Irishman, who keeps a team and a man for the purpose, had covered the -shore for a long distance with regular piles, and I was told that he -had sold twelve hundred dollars' worth in a year. Another, who lived -by the shore, told me that he got all the material of his outbuildings -and fences from the river; and in that neighborhood I perceived that -this refuse wood was frequently used instead of sand to fill hollows -with, being apparently cheaper than dirt. - -I got my first clear view of Ktaadn, on this excursion, from a hill -about two miles northwest of Bangor, whither I went for this purpose. -After this I was ready to return to Massachusetts. - - * * * * * - -Humboldt has written an interesting chapter on the primitive forest, -but no one has yet described for me the difference between that wild -forest which once occupied our oldest townships, and the tame one -which I find there to-day. It is a difference which would be worth -attending to. The civilized man not only clears the land permanently -to a great extent, and cultivates open fields, but he tames and -cultivates to a certain extent the forest itself. By his mere -presence, almost, he changes the nature of the trees as no other -creature does. The sun and air, and perhaps fire, have been -introduced, and grain raised where it stands. It has lost its wild, -damp, and shaggy look; the countless fallen and decaying trees are -gone, and consequently that thick coat of moss which lived on them is -gone too. The earth is comparatively bare and smooth and dry. The most -primitive places left with us are the swamps, where the spruce still -grows shaggy with usnea. The surface of the ground in the Maine woods -is everywhere spongy and saturated with moisture. I noticed that the -plants which cover the forest floor there are such as are commonly -confined to swamps with us,--the _Clintonia borealis_, orchises, -creeping snowberry, and others; and the prevailing aster there is the -_Aster acuminatus_, which with us grows in damp and shady woods. The -asters _cordifolius_ and _macrophyllus_ also are common, asters of -little or no color, and sometimes without petals. I saw no soft, -spreading, second-growth white pines, with smooth bark, acknowledging -the presence of the woodchopper, but even the young white pines were -all tall and slender rough-barked trees. - -Those Maine woods differ essentially from ours. There you are never -reminded that the wilderness which you are threading is, after all, -some villager's familiar wood-lot, some widow's thirds, from which her -ancestors have sledded fuel for generations, minutely described in -some old deed which is recorded, of which the owner has got a plan, -too, and old bound-marks may be found every forty rods, if you will -search. 'Tis true, the map may inform you that you stand on land -granted by the State to some academy, or on Bingham's purchase; but -these names do not impose on you, for you see nothing to remind you of -the academy or of Bingham. What were the "forests" of England to -these? One writer relates of the Isle of Wight, that in Charles the -Second's time "there were woods in the island so complete and -extensive, that it is said a squirrel might have traveled in several -parts many leagues together on the top of the trees." If it were not -for the rivers (and he might go round their heads), a squirrel could -here travel thus the whole breadth of the country. - -We have as yet had no adequate account of a primitive pine forest. I -have noticed that in a physical atlas lately published in -Massachusetts, and used in our schools, the "wood land" of North -America is limited almost solely to the valleys of the Ohio and some -of the Great Lakes, and the great pine forests of the globe are not -represented. In our vicinity, for instance, New Brunswick and Maine -are exhibited as bare as Greenland. It may be that the children of -Greenville, at the foot of Moosehead Lake, who surely are not likely -to be scared by an owl, are referred to the valley of the Ohio to get -an idea of a forest; but they would not know what to do with their -moose, bear, caribou, beaver, etc., there. Shall we leave it to an -Englishman to inform us, that "in North America, both in the United -States and Canada, are the most extensive pine forests in the world"? -The greater part of New Brunswick, the northern half of Maine, and -adjacent parts of Canada, not to mention the northeastern part of New -York and other tracts farther off, are still covered with an almost -unbroken pine forest. - -But Maine, perhaps, will soon be where Massachusetts is. A good part -of her territory is already as bare and commonplace as much of our -neighborhood, and her villages generally are not so well shaded as -ours. We seem to think that the earth must go through the ordeal of -sheep-pasturage before it is habitable by man. Consider Nahant, the -resort of all the fashion of Boston,--which peninsula I saw but -indistinctly in the twilight, when I steamed by it, and thought that -it was unchanged since the discovery. John Smith described it in 1614 -as "the Mattahunts, two pleasant isles of groves, gardens, and -cornfields;" and others tell us that it was once well wooded, and even -furnished timber to build the wharves of Boston. Now it is difficult -to make a tree grow there, and the visitor comes away with a vision of -Mr. Tudor's ugly fences, a rod high, designed to protect a few pear -shrubs. And what are we coming to in our Middlesex towns? A bald, -staring town-house, or meeting-house, and a bare liberty-pole, as -leafless as it is fruitless, for all I can see. We shall be obliged to -import the timber for the last, hereafter, or splice such sticks as we -have. And our ideas of liberty are equally mean with these. The very -willow-rows lopped every three years for fuel or powder, and every -sizable pine and oak, or other forest tree, cut down within the memory -of man! As if individual speculators were to be allowed to export the -clouds out of the sky, or the stars out of the firmament, one by one. -We shall be reduced to gnaw the very crust of the earth for -nutriment. - -They have even descended to smaller game. They have lately, as I hear, -invented a machine for chopping up huckleberry bushes fine, and so -converting them into fuel!--bushes which, for fruit alone, are worth -all the pear trees in the country many times over. (I can give you a -list of the three best kinds, if you want it.) At this rate, we shall -all be obliged to let our beards grow at least, if only to hide the -nakedness of the land and make a sylvan appearance. The farmer -sometimes talks of "brushing up," simply as if bare ground looked -better than clothed ground, than that which wears its natural -vesture,--as if the wild hedges, which, perhaps, are more to his -children than his whole farm beside, were dirt. I know of one who -deserves to be called the Tree-hater, and, perhaps, to leave this for -a new patronymic to his children. You would think that he had been -warned by an oracle that he would be killed by the fall of a tree, and -so was resolved to anticipate them. The journalists think that they -cannot say too much in favor of such "improvements" in husbandry; it -is a safe theme, like piety; but as for the beauty of one of these -"model farms," I would as lief see a patent churn and a man turning -it. They are, commonly, places merely where somebody is making money, -it may be counterfeiting. The virtue of making two blades of grass -grow where only one grew before does not begin to be superhuman. - -Nevertheless, it was a relief to get back to our smooth but still -varied landscape. For a permanent residence, it seemed to me that -there could be no comparison between this and the wilderness, -necessary as the latter is for a resource and a background, the raw -material of all our civilization. The wilderness is simple, almost to -barrenness. The partially cultivated country it is which chiefly has -inspired, and will continue to inspire, the strains of poets, such as -compose the mass of any literature. Our woods are sylvan, and their -inhabitants woodmen and rustics; that is _selvaggia_, and the -inhabitants are _salvages_. A civilized man, using the word in the -ordinary sense, with his ideas and associations, must at length pine -there, like a cultivated plant, which clasps its fibres about a crude -and undissolved mass of peat. At the extreme north, the voyagers are -obliged to dance and act plays for employment. Perhaps our own woods -and fields,--in the best wooded towns, where we need not quarrel about -the huckleberries,--with the primitive swamps scattered here and there -in their midst, but not prevailing over them, are the perfection of -parks and groves, gardens, arbors, paths, vistas, and landscapes. They -are the natural consequence of what art and refinement we as a people -have,--the common which each village possesses, its true paradise, in -comparison with which all elaborately and willfully wealth-constructed -parks and gardens are paltry imitations. Or, I would rather say, such -_were_ our groves twenty years ago. The poet's, commonly, is not a -logger's path, but a woodman's. The logger and pioneer have preceded -him, like John the Baptist; eaten the wild honey, it may be, but the -locusts also; banished decaying wood and the spongy mosses which feed -on it, and built hearths and humanized Nature for him. - -But there are spirits of a yet more liberal culture, to whom no -simplicity is barren. There are not only stately pines, but fragile -flowers, like the orchises, commonly described as too delicate for -cultivation, which derive their nutriment from the crudest mass of -peat. These remind us, that, not only for strength, but for beauty, -the poet must, from time to time, travel the logger's path and the -Indian's trail, to drink at some new and more bracing fountain of the -Muses, far in the recesses of the wilderness. - -The kings of England formerly had their forests "to hold the king's -game," for sport or food, sometimes destroying villages to create or -extend them; and I think that they were impelled by a true instinct. -Why should not we, who have renounced the king's authority, have our -national preserves, where no villages need be destroyed, in which the -bear and panther, and some even of the hunter race, may still exist, -and not be "civilized off the face of the earth,"--our forests, not to -hold the king's game merely, but to hold and preserve the king himself -also, the lord of creation,--not for idle sport or food, but for -inspiration and our own true recreation? or shall we, like the -villains, grub them all up, poaching on our own national domains? - - - - -THE ALLEGASH AND EAST BRANCH - - -I started on my third excursion to the Maine woods Monday, July 20, -1857, with one companion, arriving at Bangor the next day at noon. We -had hardly left the steamer, when we passed Molly Molasses in the -street. As long as she lives, the Penobscots may be considered extant -as a tribe. The succeeding morning, a relative of mine, who is well -acquainted with the Penobscot Indians, and who had been my companion -in my two previous excursions into the Maine woods, took me in his -wagon to Oldtown, to assist me in obtaining an Indian for this -expedition. We were ferried across to the Indian Island in a batteau. -The ferryman's boy had got the key to it, but the father, who was a -blacksmith, after a little hesitation cut the chain with a cold-chisel -on the rock. He told me that the Indians were nearly all gone to the -seaboard and to Massachusetts, partly on account of the smallpox--of -which they are very much afraid--having broken out in Oldtown, and it -was doubtful whether we should find a suitable one at home. The old -chief Neptune, however, was there still. The first man we saw on the -island was an Indian named Joseph Polis, whom my relative had known -from a boy, and now addressed familiarly as "Joe." He was dressing a -deer-skin in his yard. The skin was spread over a slanting log, and he -was scraping it with a stick held by both hands. He was stoutly built, -perhaps a little above the middle height, with a broad face, and, as -others said, perfect Indian features and complexion. His house was a -two-story white one, with blinds, the best-looking that I noticed -there, and as good as an average one on a New England village street. -It was surrounded by a garden and fruit-trees, single cornstalks -standing thinly amid the beans. We asked him if he knew any good -Indian who would like to go into the woods with us, that is, to the -Allegash Lakes, by way of Moosehead, and return by the East Branch of -the Penobscot, or vary from this as we pleased. To which he answered, -out of that strange remoteness in which the Indian ever dwells to the -white man, "Me like to go myself; me wants to get some moose;" and -kept on scraping the skin. His brother had been into the woods with my -relative only a year or two before, and the Indian now inquired what -the latter had done to him, that he did not come back, for he had not -seen nor heard from him since. - -At length we got round to the more interesting topic again. The -ferryman had told us that all the best Indians were gone except Polis, -who was one of the aristocracy. He to be sure would be the best man we -could have, but if he went at all would want a great price; so we did -not expect to get him. Polis asked at first two dollars a day, but -agreed to go for a dollar and a half, and fifty cents a week for his -canoe. He would come to Bangor with his canoe by the seven o'clock -train that evening,--we might depend on him. We thought ourselves -lucky to secure the services of this man, who was known to be -particularly steady and trustworthy. - -I spent the afternoon with my companion, who had remained in Bangor, -in preparing for our expedition, purchasing provisions, hard-bread, -pork, coffee, sugar, etc., and some india-rubber clothing. - -We had at first thought of exploring the St. John from its source to -its mouth, or else to go up the Penobscot by its East Branch to the -lakes of the St. John, and return by way of Chesuncook and Moosehead. -We had finally inclined to the last route, only reversing the order of -it, going by way of Moosehead, and returning by the Penobscot, -otherwise it would have been all the way upstream and taken twice as -long. - -At evening the Indian arrived in the cars, and I led the way while he -followed me three quarters of a mile to my friend's house, with the -canoe on his head. I did not know the exact route myself, but steered -by the lay of the land, as I do in Boston, and I tried to enter into -conversation with him, but as he was puffing under the weight of his -canoe, not having the usual apparatus for carrying it, but, above all, -was an Indian, I might as well have been thumping on the bottom of his -birch the while. In answer to the various observations which I made by -way of breaking the ice, he only grunted vaguely from beneath his -canoe once or twice, so that I knew he was there. - -Early the next morning (July 23) the stage called for us, the Indian -having breakfasted with us, and already placed the baggage in the -canoe to see how it would go. My companion and I had each a large -knapsack as full as it would hold, and we had two large india-rubber -bags which held our provision and utensils. As for the Indian, all the -baggage he had, beside his axe and gun, was a blanket, which he -brought loose in his hand. However, he had laid in a store of tobacco -and a new pipe for the excursion. The canoe was securely lashed -diagonally across the top of the stage, with bits of carpet tucked -under the edge to prevent its chafing. The very accommodating driver -appeared as much accustomed to carrying canoes in this way as -bandboxes. - -At the Bangor House we took in four men bound on a hunting excursion, -one of the men going as cook. They had a dog, a middling-sized -brindled cur, which ran by the side of the stage, his master showing -his head and whistling from time to time; but after we had gone about -three miles the dog was suddenly missing, and two of the party went -back for him, while the stage, which was full of passengers, waited. I -suggested that he had taken the back track for the Bangor House. At -length one man came back, while the other kept on. This whole party of -hunters declared their intention to stop till the dog was found; but -the very obliging driver was ready to wait a spell longer. He was -evidently unwilling to lose so many passengers, who would have taken a -private conveyance, or perhaps the other line of stages, the next day. -Such progress did we make, with a journey of over sixty miles to be -accomplished that day, and a rain-storm just setting in. We discussed -the subject of dogs and their instincts till it was threadbare, while -we waited there, and the scenery of the suburbs of Bangor is still -distinctly impressed on my memory. After full half an hour the man -returned, leading the dog by a rope. He had overtaken him just as he -was entering the Bangor House. He was then tied on the top of the -stage, but being wet and cold, several times in the course of the -journey he jumped off, and I saw him dangling by his neck. This dog -was depended on to stop bears with. He had already stopped one -somewhere in New Hampshire, and I can testify that he stopped a stage -in Maine. This party of four probably paid nothing for the dog's ride, -nor for his run, while our party of three paid two dollars--and were -charged four--for the light canoe which lay still on the top. - -It soon began to rain, and grew more and more stormy as the day -advanced. This was the third time that I had passed over this route, -and it rained steadily each time all day. We accordingly saw but -little of the country. The stage was crowded all the way, and I -attended the more to my fellow-travelers. If you had looked inside -this coach you would have thought that we were prepared to run the -gauntlet of a band of robbers, for there were four or five guns on the -front seat, the Indian's included, and one or two on the back one, -each man holding his darling in his arms. One had a gun which carried -twelve to a pound. It appeared that this party of hunters was going -our way, but much farther,--down the Allegash and St. John, and thence -up some other stream, and across to the Restigouche and the Bay of -Chaleur, to be gone six weeks. They had canoes, axes, and supplies -deposited some distance along the route. They carried flour, and were -to have new bread made every day. Their leader was a handsome man -about thirty years old, of good height, but not apparently robust, of -gentlemanly address and faultless toilet; such a one as you might -expect to meet on Broadway. In fact, in the popular sense of the word, -he was the most "gentlemanly" appearing man in the stage, or that we -saw on the road. He had a fair white complexion, as if he had always -lived in the shade, and an intellectual face, and with his quiet -manners might have passed for a divinity student who had seen -something of the world. I was surprised to find, on talking with him -in the course of the day's journey, that he was a hunter at all,--for -his gun was not much exposed,--and yet more to find that he was -probably the chief white hunter of Maine, and was known all along the -road. He had also hunted in some of the States farther south and west. -I afterwards heard him spoken of as one who could endure a great deal -of exposure and fatigue without showing the effect of it; and he could -not only use guns, but make them, being himself a gunsmith. In the -spring, he had saved a stage-driver and two passengers from drowning -in the backwater of the Piscataquis in Foxcroft on this road, having -swum ashore in the freezing water and made a raft and got them -off,--though the horses were drowned,--at great risk to himself, while -the only other man who could swim withdrew to the nearest house to -prevent freezing. He could now ride over this road for nothing. He -knew our man, and remarked that we had a good Indian there, a good -hunter; adding that he was said to be worth $6000. The Indian also -knew him, and said to me, "the great hunter." - -The former told me that he practiced a kind of still-hunting, new or -uncommon in those parts; that the caribou, for instance, fed round and -round the same meadow, returning on the same path, and he lay in wait -for them. - -The Indian sat on the front seat, saying nothing to anybody, with a -stolid expression of face, as if barely awake to what was going on. -Again I was struck by the peculiar vagueness of his replies when -addressed in the stage, or at the taverns. He really never said -anything on such occasions. He was merely stirred up, like a wild -beast, and passively muttered some insignificant response. His answer, -in such cases, was never the consequence of a positive mental energy, -but vague as a puff of smoke, suggesting no _responsibility_, and if -you considered it, you would find that you had got nothing out of him. -This was instead of the conventional palaver and smartness of the -white man, and equally profitable. Most get no more than this out of -the Indian, and pronounce him stolid accordingly. I was surprised to -see what a foolish and impertinent style a Maine man, a passenger, -used in addressing him, as if he were a child, which only made his -eyes glisten a little. A tipsy Canadian asked him at a tavern, in a -drawling tone, if he smoked, to which he answered with an indefinite -"Yes." "Won't you lend me your pipe a little while?" asked the other. -He replied, looking straight by the man's head, with a face singularly -vacant to all neighboring interests, "Me got no pipe;" yet I had seen -him put a new one, with a supply of tobacco, into his pocket that -morning. - -Our little canoe, so neat and strong, drew a favorable criticism from -all the wiseacres among the tavern loungers along the road. By the -roadside, close to the wheels, I noticed a splendid great purple -fringed orchis with a spike as big as an epilobium, which I would fain -have stopped the stage to pluck, but as this had never been known to -stop a bear, like the cur on the stage, the driver would probably have -thought it a waste of time. - -When we reached the lake, about half past eight in the evening, it was -still steadily raining, and harder than before; and, in that fresh, -cool atmosphere, the hylodes were peeping and the toads ringing about -the lake universally, as in the spring with us. It was as if the -season had revolved backward two or three months, or I had arrived at -the abode of perpetual spring. - -We had expected to go upon the lake at once, and, after paddling up -two or three miles, to camp on one of its islands; but on account of -the steady and increasing rain, we decided to go to one of the taverns -for the night, though, for my own part, I should have preferred to -camp out. - -About four o'clock the next morning (July 24), though it was quite -cloudy, accompanied by the landlord to the water's edge, in the -twilight, we launched our canoe from a rock on the Moosehead Lake. -When I was there four years before, we had a rather small canoe for -three persons, and I had thought that this time I would get a larger -one, but the present one was even smaller than that. It was 18-1/4 feet -long by 2 feet 6-1/2 inches wide in the middle, and one foot deep within, -so I found by measurement, and I judged that it would weigh not far -from eighty pounds. The Indian had recently made it himself, and its -smallness was partly compensated for by its newness, as well as -stanchness and solidity, it being made of very thick bark and ribs. -Our baggage weighed about 166 pounds, so that the canoe carried about -600 pounds in all, or the weight of four men. The principal part of -the baggage was, as usual, placed in the middle of the broadest part, -while we stowed ourselves in the chinks and crannies that were left -before and behind it, where there was no room to extend our legs, the -loose articles being tucked into the ends. The canoe was thus as -closely packed as a market-basket, and might possibly have been upset -without spilling any of its contents. The Indian sat on a cross-bar in -the stern, but we flat on the bottom, with a splint or chip behind our -backs, to protect them from the cross-bar, and one of us commonly -paddled with the Indian. He foresaw that we should not want a pole -till we reached the Umbazookskus River, it being either deadwater or -down-stream so far, and he was prepared to make a sail of his blanket -in the bows if the wind should be fair; but we never used it. - -It had rained more or less the four previous days, so that we thought -we might count on some fair weather. The wind was at first -southwesterly. - -Paddling along the eastern side of the lake in the still of the -morning, we soon saw a few sheldrakes, which the Indian called -_Shecorways_, and some peetweets, _Naramekechus_, on the rocky shore; -we also saw and heard loons, _Medawisla_, which he said was a sign of -wind. It was inspiriting to hear the regular dip of the paddles, as if -they were our fins or flippers, and to realize that we were at length -fairly embarked. We who had felt strangely as stage-passengers and -tavern-lodgers were suddenly naturalized there and presented with the -freedom of the lakes and the woods. Having passed the small rocky -isles within two or three miles of the foot of the lake, we had a -short consultation respecting our course, and inclined to the western -shore for the sake of its lee; for otherwise, if the wind should rise, -it would be impossible for us to reach Mount Kineo, which is about -midway up the lake on the east side, but at its narrowest part, where -probably we could recross if we took the western side. The wind is the -chief obstacle to crossing the lakes, especially in so small a canoe. -The Indian remarked several times that he did not like to cross the -lakes "in littlum canoe," but nevertheless, "just as we say, it made -no odds to him." He sometimes took a straight course up the middle of -the lake between Sugar and Deer islands, when there was no wind. - -Measured on the map, Moosehead Lake is twelve miles wide at the widest -place, and thirty miles long in a direct line, but longer as it lies. -The captain of the steamer called it thirty-eight miles as he steered. -We should probably go about forty. The Indian said that it was called -"_Mspame_, because large water." Squaw Mountain rose darkly on our -left, near the outlet of the Kennebec, and what the Indian called -Spencer Bay Mountain, on the east, and already we saw Mount Kineo -before us in the north. - -Paddling near the shore, we frequently heard the _pe-pe_ of the -olive-sided flycatcher, also the wood pewee, and the kingfisher, thus -early in the morning. The Indian reminding us that he could not work -without eating, we stopped to breakfast on the main shore, southwest -of Deer Island, at a spot where the _Mimulus ringens_ grew abundantly. -We took out our bags, and the Indian made a fire under a very large -bleached log, using white pine bark from a stump, though he said that -hemlock was better, and kindling with canoe birch bark. Our table was -a large piece of freshly peeled birch bark, laid wrong side up, and -our breakfast consisted of hard-bread, fried pork, and strong coffee, -well sweetened, in which we did not miss the milk. - -While we were getting breakfast, a brood of twelve black dippers, half -grown, came paddling by within three or four rods, not at all alarmed; -and they loitered about as long as we stayed, now huddled close -together, within a circle of eighteen inches in diameter, now moving -off in a long line, very cunningly. Yet they bore a certain proportion -to the great Moosehead Lake on whose bosom they floated, and I felt as -if they were under its protection. - -Looking northward from this place it appeared as if we were entering a -large bay, and we did not know whether we should be obliged to diverge -from our course and keep outside a point which we saw, or should find -a passage between this and the mainland. I consulted my map and used -my glass, and the Indian did the same, but we could not find our place -exactly on the map, nor could we detect any break in the shore. When I -asked the Indian the way, he answered, "I don't know," which I thought -remarkable, since he had said that he was familiar with the lake; but -it appeared that he had never been up this side. It was misty dog-day -weather, and we had already penetrated a smaller bay of the same kind, -and knocked the bottom out of it, though we had been obliged to pass -over a small bar, between an island and the shore, where there was -but just breadth and depth enough to float the canoe, and the -Indian had observed, "Very easy makum bridge here," but now it seemed -that, if we held on, we should be fairly embayed. Presently, however, -though we had not stirred, the mist lifted somewhat, and revealed a -break in the shore northward, showing that the point was a portion of -Deer Island, and that our course lay westward of it. Where it had -seemed a continuous shore even through a glass, one portion was now -seen by the naked eye to be much more distant than the other which -overlapped it, merely by the greater thickness of the mist which still -rested on it, while the nearer or island portion was comparatively -bare and green. The line of separation was very distinct, and the -Indian immediately remarked, "I guess you and I go there,--I guess -there's room for my canoe there." This was his common expression -instead of saying "we." He never addressed us by our names, though -curious to know how they were spelled and what they meant, while we -called him Polis. He had already guessed very accurately at our ages, -and said that he was forty-eight. - - [Illustration: _Squaw Mountain, Moosehead Lake_] - -After breakfast I emptied the melted pork that was left into the lake, -making what sailors call a "slick," and watching to see how much it -spread over and smoothed the agitated surface. The Indian looked at it -a moment and said, "That make hard paddlum thro'; hold 'em canoe. So -say old times." - -We hastily reloaded, putting the dishes loose in the bows, that they -might be at hand when wanted, and set out again. The western shore, -near which we paddled along, rose gently to a considerable height, and -was everywhere densely covered with the forest, in which was a large -proportion of hard wood to enliven and relieve the fir and spruce. - -The Indian said that the usnea lichen which we saw hanging from the -trees was called _chorchorque_. We asked him the names of several -small birds which we heard this morning. The wood thrush, which was -quite common, and whose note he imitated, he said was called -_Adelungquamooktum_; but sometimes he could not tell the name of some -small bird which I heard and knew, but he said, "I tell all the birds -about here,--this country; can't tell littlum noise, but I see 'em, -then I can tell." - -I observed that I should like to go to school to him to learn his -language, living on the Indian island the while; could not that be -done? "Oh, yer," he replied, "good many do so." I asked how long he -thought it would take. He said one week. I told him that in this -voyage I would tell him all I knew, and he should tell me all he knew, -to which he readily agreed. - -The birds sang quite as in our woods,--the red-eye, redstart, veery, -wood pewee, etc., but we saw no bluebirds in all our journey, and -several told me in Bangor that they had not the bluebird there. Mount -Kineo, which was generally visible, though occasionally concealed by -islands or the mainland in front, had a level bar of cloud concealing -its summit, and all the mountain-tops about the lake were cut off at -the same height. Ducks of various kinds--sheldrake, summer ducks, -etc.--were quite common, and ran over the water before us as fast as a -horse trots. Thus they were soon out of sight. - -The Indian asked the meaning of _reality_, as near as I could make out -the word, which he said one of us had used; also of "_interrent_," -that is, intelligent. I observed that he could rarely sound the letter -r, but used l, as also r for l sometimes; as _load_ for road, -_pickelel_ for pickerel, _Soogle_ Island for Sugar Island, _lock_ for -rock, etc. Yet he trilled the _r_ pretty well after me. - -He generally added the syllable _um_ to his words when he could,--as -paddl_um_, etc. I have once heard a Chippeway lecture, who made his -audience laugh unintentionally by putting _m_ after the word _too_, -which word he brought in continually and unnecessarily, accenting and -prolonging this sound into _m-ah_ sonorously, as if it were necessary -to bring in so much of his vernacular as a relief to his organs, a -compensation for twisting his jaws about, and putting his tongue into -every corner of his mouth, as he complained that he was obliged to do -when he spoke English. There was so much of the Indian accent -resounding through his English, so much of the "bow-arrow tang" as my -neighbor calls it, and I have no doubt that word seemed to him the -best pronounced. It was a wild and refreshing sound, like that of the -wind among the pines, or the booming of the surf on the shore. - -I asked him the meaning of the word _Musketicook_, the Indian name of -Concord River. He pronounced it _Muskeeticook_, emphasizing the second -syllable with a peculiar guttural sound, and said that it meant -"deadwater," which it is, and in this definition he agreed exactly -with the St. Francis Indian with whom I talked in 1853. - -On a point on the mainland some miles southwest of Sand-bar Island, -where we landed to stretch our legs and look at the vegetation, going -inland a few steps, I discovered a fire still glowing beneath its -ashes, where somebody had breakfasted, and a bed of twigs prepared for -the following night. So I knew not only that they had just left, but -that they designed to return, and by the breadth of the bed that there -was more than one in the party. You might have gone within six feet of -these signs without seeing them. There grew the beaked hazel, the only -hazel which I saw on this journey, the diervilla, rue seven feet high, -which was very abundant on all the lake and river shores, and _Cornus -stolonifera_, or red osier, whose bark, the Indian said, was good to -smoke, and was called _maquoxigill_, "tobacco before white people came -to this country, Indian tobacco." - -The Indian was always very careful in approaching the shore, lest he -should injure his canoe on the rocks, letting it swing round slowly -sidewise, and was still more particular that we should not step into -it on shore, nor till it floated free, and then should step gently -lest we should open its seams, or make a hole in the bottom. He said -that he would tell us when to jump. - -Soon after leaving this point we passed the Kennebec, or outlet of the -lake, and heard the falls at the dam there, for even Moosehead Lake is -dammed. After passing Deer Island, we saw the little steamer from -Greenville, far east in the middle of the lake, and she appeared -nearly stationary. Sometimes we could hardly tell her from an island -which had a few trees on it. Here we were exposed to the wind from -over the whole breadth of the lake, and ran a little risk of being -swamped. While I had my eye fixed on the spot where a large fish had -leaped, we took in a gallon or two of water, which filled my lap; but -we soon reached the shore and took the canoe over the bar, at Sand-bar -Island, a few feet wide only, and so saved a considerable distance. -One landed first at a more sheltered place, and walking round caught -the canoe by the prow, to prevent it being injured against the shore. - -Again we crossed a broad bay opposite the mouth of Moose River, before -reaching the narrow strait at Mount Kineo, made what the voyageurs -call a _traverse_, and found the water quite rough. A very little wind -on these broad lakes raises a sea which will swamp a canoe. Looking -off from the shore, the surface may appear to be very little agitated, -almost smooth, a mile distant, or if you see a few white crests they -appear nearly level with the rest of the lake; but when you get out so -far, you may find quite a sea running, and ere long, before you think -of it, a wave will gently creep up the side of the canoe and fill your -lap, like a monster deliberately covering you with its slime before it -swallows you, or it will strike the canoe violently, and break into -it. The same thing may happen when the wind rises suddenly, though it -were perfectly calm and smooth there a few minutes before; so that -nothing can save you, unless you can swim ashore, for it is impossible -to get into a canoe again when it is upset. Since you sit flat on the -bottom, though the danger should not be imminent, a little water is a -great inconvenience, not to mention the wetting of your provisions. We -rarely crossed even a bay directly, from point to point, when there -was wind, but made a slight curve corresponding somewhat to the shore, -that we might the sooner reach it if the wind increased. - -When the wind is aft, and not too strong, the Indian makes a spritsail -of his blanket. He thus easily skims over the whole length of this -lake in a day. - -The Indian paddled on one side, and one of us on the other, to keep -the canoe steady, and when he wanted to change hands he would say, "T' -other side." He asserted, in answer to our questions, that he had -never upset a canoe himself, though he may have been upset by others. - -Think of our little eggshell of a canoe tossing across that great -lake, a mere black speck to the eagle soaring above it! - -My companion trailed for trout as we paddled along, but the Indian -warning him that a big fish might upset us, for there are some very -large ones there, he agreed to pass the line quickly to him in the -stern if he had a bite. Besides trout, I heard of cusk, whitefish, -etc., as found in this lake. - -While we were crossing this bay, where Mount Kineo rose dark before -us, within two or three miles, the Indian repeated the tradition -respecting this mountain's having anciently been a cow moose,--how a -mighty Indian hunter, whose name I forget, succeeded in killing this -queen of the moose tribe with great difficulty, while her calf was -killed somewhere among the islands in Penobscot Bay, and, to his eyes, -this mountain had still the form of the moose in a reclining posture, -its precipitous side presenting the outline of her head. He told this -at some length, though it did not amount to much, and with apparent -good faith, and asked us how we supposed the hunter could have killed -such a mighty moose as that,--how we could do it. Whereupon a -man-of-war to fire broadsides into her was suggested, etc. An Indian -tells such a story as if he thought it deserved to have a good deal -said about it, only he has not got it to say, and so he makes up for -the deficiency by a drawling tone, long-windedness, and a dumb wonder -which he hopes will be contagious. - -We approached the land again through pretty rough water, and then -steered directly across the lake, at its narrowest part, to the -eastern side, and were soon partly under the lee of the mountain, -about a mile north of the Kineo House, having paddled about twenty -miles. It was now about noon. - -We designed to stop there that afternoon and night, and spent half an -hour looking along the shore northward for a suitable place to camp. -We took out all our baggage at one place in vain, it being too rocky -and uneven, and while engaged in this search we made our first -acquaintance with the moose-fly. At length, half a mile farther north, -by going half a dozen rods into the dense spruce and fir wood on the -side of the mountain, almost as dark as a cellar, we found a place -sufficiently clear and level to lie down on, after cutting away a few -bushes. We required a space only seven feet by six for our bed, the -fire being four or five feet in front, though it made no odds how -rough the hearth was; but it was not always easy to find this in those -woods. The Indian first cleared a path to it from the shore with his -axe, and we then carried up all our baggage, pitched our tent, and -made our bed, in order to be ready for foul weather, which then -threatened us, and for the night. He gathered a large armful of fir -twigs, breaking them off, which he said were the best for our bed, -partly, I thought, because they were the largest and could be most -rapidly collected. It had been raining more or less for four or five -days, and the wood was even damper than usual, but he got dry bark for -the fire from the under side of a dead leaning hemlock, which, he -said, he could always do. - -This noon his mind was occupied with a law question, and I referred -him to my companion, who was a lawyer. It appeared that he had been -buying land lately (I think it was a hundred acres), but there was -probably an incumbrance to it, somebody else claiming to have bought -some grass on it for this year. He wished to know to whom the grass -belonged, and was told that if the other man could prove that he -bought the grass before he, Polis, bought the land, the former could -take it, whether the latter knew it or not. To which he only answered, -"Strange!" He went over this several times, fairly sat down to it, -with his back to a tree, as if he meant to confine us to this topic -henceforth; but as he made no headway, only reached the jumping-off -place of his wonder at white men's institutions after each -explanation, we let the subject die. - -He said that he had fifty acres of grass, potatoes, etc., somewhere -above Oldtown, besides some about his house; that he hired a good deal -of his work, hoeing, etc., and preferred white men to Indians, because -"they keep steady, and know how." - -After dinner we returned southward along the shore, in the canoe, on -account of the difficulty of climbing over the rocks and fallen trees, -and began to ascend the mountain along the edge of the precipice. But -a smart shower coming up just then, the Indian crept under his canoe, -while we, being protected by our rubber coats, proceeded to botanize. -So we sent him back to the camp for shelter, agreeing that he should -come there for us with his canoe toward night. It had rained a little -in the forenoon, and we trusted that this would be the clearing-up -shower, which it proved; but our feet and legs were thoroughly wet by -the bushes. The clouds breaking away a little, we had a glorious wild -view, as we ascended, of the broad lake with its fluctuating surface -and numerous forest-clad islands, extending beyond our sight both -north and south, and the boundless forest undulating away from its -shores on every side, as densely packed as a rye-field, and enveloping -nameless mountains in succession; but above all, looking westward over -a large island, was visible a very distant part of the lake, though we -did not then suspect it to be Moosehead,--at first a mere broken white -line seen through the tops of the island trees, like hay-caps, but -spreading to a lake when we got higher. Beyond this we saw what -appears to be called Bald Mountain on the map, some twenty-five miles -distant, near the sources of the Penobscot. It was a perfect lake of -the woods. But this was only a transient gleam, for the rain was not -quite over. - -Looking southward, the heavens were completely overcast, the mountains -capped with clouds, and the lake generally wore a dark and stormy -appearance, but from its surface just north of Sugar Island, six or -eight miles distant, there was reflected upward to us through the -misty air a bright blue tinge from the distant unseen sky of another -latitude beyond. They probably had a clear sky then at Greenville, the -south end of the lake. Standing on a mountain in the midst of a lake, -where would you look for the first sign of approaching fair weather? -Not into the heavens, it seems, but into the lake. - -Again we mistook a little rocky islet seen through the "drisk," with -some taller bare trunks or stumps on it, for the steamer with its -smoke-pipes, but as it had not changed its position after half an -hour, we were undeceived. So much do the works of man resemble the -works of nature. A moose might mistake a steamer for a floating isle, -and not be scared till he heard its puffing or its whistle. - -If I wished to see a mountain or other scenery under the most -favorable auspices, I would go to it in foul weather, so as to be -there when it cleared up; we are then in the most suitable mood, and -nature is most fresh and inspiring. There is no serenity so fair as -that which is just established in a tearful eye. - -Jackson, in his Report on the Geology of Maine, in 1838, says of this -mountain: "Hornstone, which will answer for flints, occurs in various -parts of the State, where trap-rocks have acted upon silicious slate. -The largest mass of this stone known in the world is Mount Kineo, upon -Moosehead Lake, which appears to be entirely composed of it, and rises -seven hundred feet above the lake level. This variety of hornstone I -have seen in every part of New England in the form of Indian -arrowheads, hatchets, chisels, etc., which were probably obtained from -this mountain by the aboriginal inhabitants of the country." I have -myself found hundreds of arrowheads made of the same material. It is -generally slate-colored, with white specks, becoming a uniform white -where exposed to the light and air, and it breaks with a conchoidal -fracture, producing a ragged cutting edge. I noticed some conchoidal -hollows more than a foot in diameter. I picked up a small thin piece -which had so sharp an edge that I used it as a dull knife, and to see -what I could do, fairly cut off an aspen one inch thick with it, by -bending it and making many cuts; though I cut my fingers badly with -the back of it in the meanwhile. - - [Illustration: _Moosehead Lake, from Mount Kineo_] - -From the summit of the precipice which forms the southern and eastern -sides of this mountain peninsula, and is its most remarkable feature, -being described as five or six hundred feet high, we looked, and -probably might have jumped, down to the water, or to the seemingly -dwarfish trees on the narrow neck of land which connects it with the -main. It is a dangerous place to try the steadiness of your nerves. -Hodge says that these cliffs descend "perpendicularly ninety feet" -below the surface of the water. - -The plants which chiefly attracted our attention on this mountain were -the mountain cinquefoil (_Potentilla tridentata_), abundant and in -bloom still at the very base, by the waterside, though it is usually -confined to the summits of mountains in our latitude; very beautiful -harebells overhanging the precipice; bear-berry; the Canada blueberry -(_Vaccinium Canadense_), similar to the _V. Pennsylvanicum_, our -earliest one, but entire-leaved and with a downy stem and leaf (I have -not seen it in Massachusetts); _Diervilla trifida_; _Microstylis -ophioglossoides_, an orchidaceous plant new to us; wild holly -(_Nemopanthes Canadensis_); the great round-leaved orchis -(_Platanthera orbiculata_), not long in bloom; _Spiranthes cernua_, at -the top; bunchberry, reddening as we ascended, green at the base of -the mountain, red at the top; and the small fern _Woodsia ilvensis_, -growing in tufts, now in fruit. I have also received _Liparis -liliifolia_, or tway-blade, from this spot. Having explored the -wonders of the mountain, and the weather being now entirely cleared -up, we commenced the descent. We met the Indian, puffing and panting, -about one third of the way up, but thinking that he must be near the -top, and saying that it took his breath away. I thought that -superstition had something to do with his fatigue. Perhaps he believed -that he was climbing over the back of a tremendous moose. He said that -he had never ascended Kineo. On reaching the canoe we found that he -had caught a lake trout weighing about three pounds, at the depth of -twenty-five or thirty feet, while we were on the mountain. - -When we got to the camp, the canoe was taken out and turned over, and -a log laid across it to prevent its being blown away. The Indian cut -some large logs of damp and rotten hard wood to smoulder and keep fire -through the night. The trout was fried for supper. Our tent was of -thin cotton cloth and quite small, forming with the ground a -triangular prism closed at the rear end, six feet long, seven wide, -and four high, so that we could barely sit up in the middle. It -required two forked stakes, a smooth ridge-pole, and a dozen or more -pins to pitch it. It kept off dew and wind, and an ordinary rain, and -answered our purpose well enough. We reclined within it till bedtime, -each with his baggage at his head, or else sat about the fire, having -hung our wet clothes on a pole before the fire for the night. - -As we sat there, just before night, looking out through the dusky wood, -the Indian heard a noise which he said was made by a snake. He imitated -it at my request, making a low whistling note,--_pheet_--_pheet_,--two -or three times repeated, somewhat like the peep of the hylodes, but -not so loud. In answer to my inquiries, he said that he had never seen -them while making it, but going to the spot he finds the snake. This, -he said on another occasion, was a sign of rain. When I had selected -this place for our camp, he had remarked that there were snakes -there,--he saw them. "But they won't do any hurt," I said. "Oh, no," -he answered, "just as you say; it makes no difference to me." - -He lay on the right side of the tent, because, as he said, he was -partly deaf in one ear, and he wanted to lie with his good ear up. As -we lay there, he inquired if I ever heard "Indian sing." I replied -that I had not often, and asked him if he would not favor us with a -song. He readily assented, and, lying on his back, with his blanket -wrapped around him, he commenced a slow, somewhat nasal, yet musical -chant, in his own language, which probably was taught his tribe long -ago by the Catholic missionaries. He translated it to us, sentence by -sentence, afterward, wishing to see if we could remember it. It proved -to be a very simple religious exercise or hymn, the burden of which -was, that there was only one God who ruled all the world. This was -hammered (or sung) out very thin, so that some stanzas well-nigh meant -nothing at all, merely keeping up the idea. He then said that he would -sing us a Latin song; but we did not detect any Latin, only one or two -Greek words in it,--the rest may have been Latin with the Indian -pronunciation. - -His singing carried me back to the period of the discovery of America, -to San Salvador and the Incas, when Europeans first encountered the -simple faith of the Indian. There was, indeed, a beautiful simplicity -about it; nothing of the dark and savage, only the mild and infantile. -The sentiments of humility and reverence chiefly were expressed. - -It was a dense and damp spruce and fir wood in which we lay, and, -except for our fire, perfectly dark; and when I awoke in the night, I -either heard an owl from deeper in the forest behind us, or a loon -from a distance over the lake. Getting up some time after midnight to -collect the scattered brands together, while my companions were sound -asleep, I observed, partly in the fire, which had ceased to blaze, a -perfectly regular elliptical ring of light, about five inches in its -shortest diameter, six or seven in its longer, and from one eighth to -one quarter of an inch wide. It was fully as bright as the fire, but -not reddish or scarlet, like a coal, but a white and slumbering light, -like the glow-worm's. I could tell it from the fire only by its -whiteness. I saw at once that it must be phosphorescent wood, which I -had so often heard of, but never chanced to see. Putting my finger on -it, with a little hesitation, I found that it was a piece of dead -moose-wood (_Acer striatum_) which the Indian had cut off in a -slanting direction the evening before. Using my knife, I discovered -that the light proceeded from that portion of the sap-wood immediately -under the bark, and thus presented a regular ring at the end, which, -indeed, appeared raised above the level of the wood, and when I pared -off the bark and cut into the sap, it was all aglow along the log. I -was surprised to find the wood quite hard and apparently sound, though -probably decay had commenced in the sap, and I cut out some little -triangular chips, and, placing them in the hollow of my hand, carried -them into the camp, waked my companion, and showed them to him. They -lit up the inside of my hand, revealing the lines and wrinkles, and -appearing exactly like coals of fire raised to a white heat, and I saw -at once how, probably, the Indian jugglers had imposed on their people -and on travelers, pretending to hold coals of fire in their mouths. - -I also noticed that part of a decayed stump within four or five feet -of the fire, an inch wide and six inches long, soft and shaking wood, -shone with equal brightness. - -I neglected to ascertain whether our fire had anything to do with -this, but the previous day's rain and long-continued wet weather -undoubtedly had. - -I was exceedingly interested by this phenomenon, and already felt paid -for my journey. It could hardly have thrilled me more if it had taken -the form of letters, or of the human face. If I had met with this -ring of light while groping in this forest alone, away from any fire, -I should have been still more surprised. I little thought that there -was such a light shining in the darkness of the wilderness for me. - -The next day the Indian told me their name for this -light,--_artoosoqu'_--and on my inquiring concerning the -will-o'-the-wisp, and the like phenomena, he said that his "folks" -sometimes saw fires passing along at various heights, even as high as -the trees, and making a noise. I was prepared after this to hear of -the most startling and unimagined phenomena, witnessed by "his folks;" -they are abroad at all hours and seasons in scenes so unfrequented by -white men. Nature must have made a thousand revelations to them which -are still secrets to us. - -I did not regret my not having seen this before, since I now saw it -under circumstances so favorable. I was in just the frame of mind to -see something wonderful, and this was a phenomenon adequate to my -circumstances and expectation, and it put me on the alert to see more -like it. I exulted like "a pagan suckled in a creed" that had never -been worn at all, but was bran-new, and adequate to the occasion. I -let science slide, and rejoiced in that light as if it had been a -fellow creature. I saw that it was excellent, and was very glad to -know that it was so cheap. A scientific _explanation_, as it is -called, would have been altogether out of place there. That is for -pale daylight. Science with its retorts would have put me to sleep; it -was the opportunity to be ignorant that I improved. It suggested to me -that there was something to be seen if one had eyes. It made a -believer of me more than before. I believed that the woods were not -tenantless, but choke-full of honest spirits as good as myself any -day,--not an empty chamber, in which chemistry was left to work alone, -but an inhabited house,--and for a few moments I enjoyed fellowship -with them. Your so-called wise man goes trying to persuade himself -that there is no entity there but himself and his traps, but it is a -great deal easier to believe the truth. It suggested, too, that the -same experience always gives birth to the same sort of belief or -religion. One revelation has been made to the Indian, another to the -white man. I have much to learn of the Indian, nothing of the -missionary. I am not sure but all that would tempt me to teach the -Indian my religion would be his promise to teach me _his_. Long enough -I had heard of irrelevant things; now at length I was glad to make -acquaintance with the light that dwells in rotten wood. Where is all -your knowledge gone to? It evaporates completely, for it has no depth. - -I kept those little chips and wet them again the next night, but they -emitted no light. - - * * * * * - - SATURDAY, July 25. - -At breakfast this Saturday morning, the Indian, evidently curious to -know what would be expected of him the next day, whether we should go -along or not, asked me how I spent the Sunday when at home. I told him -that I commonly sat in my chamber reading, etc., in the forenoon, and -went to walk in the afternoon. At which he shook his head and said, -"Er, that is ver bad." "How do you spend it?" I asked. He said that -he did no work, that he went to church at Oldtown when he was at home; -in short, he did as he had been taught by the whites. This led to a -discussion in which I found myself in the minority. He stated that he -was a Protestant, and asked me if I was. I did not at first know what -to say, but I thought that I could answer with truth that I was. - -When we were washing the dishes in the lake, many fishes, apparently -chivin, came close up to us to get the particles of grease. - -The weather seemed to be more settled this morning, and we set out -early in order to finish our voyage up the lake before the wind arose. -Soon after starting, the Indian directed our attention to the -Northeast Carry, which we could plainly see, about thirteen miles -distant in that direction as measured on the map, though it is called -much farther. 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; but low as it is, it passes over the height of land there. This -opening appeared as a clear bright, or light, point in the horizon, -resting on the edge of the lake, whose breadth a hair could have -covered at a considerable distance from the eye, and of no appreciable -height. We should not have suspected it to be visible if the Indian -had not drawn our attention to it. It was a remarkable kind of light -to steer for,--daylight seen through a vista in the forest,--but -visible as far as an ordinary beacon at night. - -We crossed a deep and wide bay which makes eastward north of Kineo, -leaving an island on our left, and keeping up the eastern side of the -lake. This way or that led to some Tomhegan or _Socatarian_ stream, up -which the Indian had hunted, and whither I longed to go. The last -name, however, had a bogus sound, too much like sectarian for me, as -if a missionary had tampered with it; but I knew that the Indians were -very liberal. I think I should have inclined to the Tomhegan first. - -We then crossed another broad bay, which, as we could no longer -observe the shore particularly, afforded ample time 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 been beaver, otter, black cat (or fisher), sable, moose, etc. -Loup-cervier (or Canada lynx) were plenty yet in burnt grounds. For -food in the woods, he uses partridges, ducks, dried moose-meat, -hedgehog, etc. Loons, too, were good, only "bile 'em good." He told us -at some length how he had suffered from starvation when a mere lad, -being overtaken by winter when hunting with two grown Indians in the -northern part of Maine, and obliged to leave their canoe on account of -ice. - -Pointing into the bay, he said that it was the way to various lakes -which he knew. Only solemn bear-haunted mountains, with their great -wooded slopes, were visible; where, as man is not, we suppose some -other power to be. My imagination personified the slopes themselves, -as if by their very length they would waylay you, and compel you to -camp again on them before night. Some invisible glutton would seem to -drop from the trees and gnaw at the heart of the solitary hunter who -threaded those woods; and yet I was tempted to walk there. The Indian -said that he had been along there several times. - -I asked him how he guided himself in the woods. "Oh," said he, "I can -tell good many ways." When I pressed him further, he answered, -"Sometimes I lookum side-hill," and he glanced toward a high hill or -mountain on the eastern shore, "great difference between the north and -south, see where the sun has shone most. So trees,--the large limbs -bend toward south. Sometimes I lookum locks" (rocks). I asked what he -saw on the rocks, but he did not describe anything in particular, -answering vaguely, in a mysterious or drawling tone, "Bare locks on -lake shore,--great difference between north, south, east, west, -side,--can tell what the sun has shone on." "Suppose," said I, "that I -should take you in a dark night, right up here into the middle of the -woods a hundred miles, set you down, and turn you round quickly twenty -times, could you steer straight to Oldtown?" "Oh, yer," said he, "have -done pretty much same thing. I will tell you. Some years ago I met an -old white hunter at Millinocket; 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 all the forenoon, round and round, till middle -of afternoon, when we kill him. Then I said to him, 'Now you go -straight to camp. Don't go round and round where we've been, but go -straight.' He said, 'I can't do that, I don't know where I am.' -'Where you think camp?' I asked. He pointed so. Then I laugh at him. I -take the lead and go right off the other way, cross our tracks many -times, straight camp." "How do you do that?" asked I. "Oh, I can't -tell you," he replied. "Great difference between me and white man." - -It appeared as if the sources of information were so various that he -did not give a distinct, conscious attention to any one, and so could -not readily refer to any when questioned about it, but he found his -way very much as an animal does. Perhaps what is commonly called -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 the -most confident white man knows. He does not carry things in his head, -nor remember the route exactly, like a white man, but relies on -himself at the moment. Not having experienced the need of the other -sort of knowledge, all labeled and arranged, he has not acquired it. - -The white hunter with whom I talked in the stage knew some of the -resources of the Indian. He said that he steered by the wind, or by -the limbs of the hemlocks, which were largest on the south side; also -sometimes, when he knew that there was a lake near, by firing his gun -and listening to hear the direction and distance of the echo from over -it. - -The course we took over this lake, and others afterward, was rarely -direct, but a succession of curves from point to point, digressing -considerably into each of the bays; and this was not merely on account -of the wind, for the Indian, looking toward the middle of the lake, -said it was hard to go there, easier to keep near the shore, because -he thus got over it by successive reaches and saw by the shore how he -got along. - -The following will suffice for a common experience in crossing lakes -in a canoe. As the forenoon advanced, the wind increased. The last bay -which we crossed before reaching the desolate pier at the Northeast -Carry was two or three miles over, and the wind was southwesterly. -After going a third of the way, the waves had increased so as -occasionally to wash into the canoe, and we saw that it was worse and -worse ahead. At first we might have turned about, but were not willing -to. It would have been of no use to follow the course of the shore, -for not only the distance would have been much greater, but the waves -ran still higher there on account of the greater sweep the wind had. -At 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 that it would -always be on or near the crest of a wave when it broke, where all its -force was spent, and we merely settled down with it. At length I -jumped out on to the end of the pier, against which the waves were -dashing violently, in order to lighten the canoe, and catch it at the -landing, which was not much sheltered; but just as I jumped we took in -two or three gallons of water. I remarked to the Indian, "You managed -that well," to which he replied, "Ver few men do that. Great many -waves; when I look out for one, another come quick." - -While the Indian went to get cedar bark, etc., to carry his canoe -with, we cooked the dinner on the shore, at this end of the carry, in -the midst of a sprinkling rain. - -He prepared his canoe for carrying in this wise. He took a cedar -shingle or splint eighteen inches long and four or five wide, rounded -at one end, that the corners might not be in the way, and tied it with -cedar bark by two holes made midway, near the edge on each side, to -the middle cross-bar of the canoe. When the canoe was lifted upon 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 cross-bar 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 -were all one hand to clasp and hold it. If you know of a better way, I -should like to hear of it. A cedar tree furnished all the gear in this -case, as it had the woodwork of the canoe. One of the paddles rested -on the cross-bars in the bows. I took the canoe upon my head and found -that I could carry it with ease, though the straps were not fitted to -my shoulders; but I let him carry it, not caring to establish a -different precedent, though he said that if I would carry the canoe, -he would take all the rest of the baggage, except my companion's. This -shingle remained tied to the cross-bar throughout the voyage, was -always ready for the carries, and also served to protect the back of -one passenger. - -We were obliged to go over this carry twice, our load was so great. -But the carries were an agreeable variety, and we improved the -opportunity to gather the rare plants which we had seen, when we -returned empty handed. - -We reached the Penobscot about four o'clock, and found there some St. -Francis Indians encamped on the bank, in the same place where I camped -with four Indians four years before. They were making a canoe, and, as -then, drying moose-meat. The meat looked very suitable to make a -_black_ broth at least. Our Indian said it was not good. Their camp -was covered with spruce bark. They had got a young moose, 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 quantity of -cornel (_C. stolonifera_), red maple, and also willow and aspen -boughs, stuck through between the logs on all sides, butt ends out, -and on their leaves it was browsing. It looked at first as if it were -in a bower rather than a pen. - -Our Indian said that _he_ used _black_ spruce roots to sew canoes -with, obtaining it from high lands or mountains. The St. Francis -Indian thought that _white_ spruce roots might be best. But the former -said, "No good, break, can't split 'em;" also that they were hard to -get, deep in ground, but the black were near the surface, on higher -land, as well as tougher. He said that the white spruce was -_subekoondark_, black, _skusk_. I told him I thought that I could make -a canoe, but he expressed great doubt of it; at any rate, he thought -that my work would not be "neat" the first time. An Indian at -Greenville had told me that the winter bark, that is, bark taken off -before the sap flows in May, was harder and much better than summer -bark. - -Having reloaded, we paddled down the Penobscot, which, as the Indian -remarked, and even I detected, remembering how it looked before, was -uncommonly full. We soon after saw a splendid yellow lily (_Lilium -Canadense_) by the shore, which I plucked. It was six feet high, and -had twelve flowers, in two whorls, forming a pyramid, such as I have -seen in Concord. We afterward saw many more thus tall along this -stream, and also still more numerous on the East Branch, and, on the -latter, one which I thought approached yet nearer to the _Lilium -superbum_. The Indian asked what we called it, and said that the -"loots" (roots) were good for soup, that is, to cook with meat, to -thicken it, taking the place of flour. They get them in the fall. I -dug some, and found a mass of bulbs pretty deep in the earth, two -inches in diameter, looking, and even tasting, somewhat like raw green -corn on the ear. - -When we had gone about three miles down the Penobscot, we saw through -the tree-tops a thunder-shower coming up in the west, and we looked -out a camping-place in good season, about five o'clock, on the west -side, not far below the mouth of what Joe Aitteon, in '53, called -Lobster Stream, coming from Lobster Pond. Our present Indian, however, -did not admit this name, nor even that of _Matahumkeag_, which is on -the map, but called the lake _Beskabekuk_. - -I will describe, once for all, the routine of camping at this season. -We generally told the Indian that we would stop at the first suitable -place, so that he might be on the lookout for it. Having observed a -clear, hard, and flat beach to land on, free from mud, and from stones -which would injure the canoe, one would 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 was suitable, the -bank would often be too steep, or else too low and grassy, and -therefore mosquitoey. We then took out the baggage and drew up the -canoe, sometimes turning it over on shore for safety. The Indian cut a -path to the spot we had selected, which was usually within two or -three rods of the water, and we carried up our baggage. One, perhaps, -takes canoe birch bark, always at hand, and dead dry wood or bark, and -kindles a fire five or six feet in front of where we intend 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 season; and then he gets a -kettle of water from the river, and takes out the pork, bread, coffee, -etc., from their several packages. - -Another, meanwhile, having the axe, cuts down the nearest dead rock -maple or other dry hard wood, collecting several large logs to last -through the night, also a green stake, with a notch or fork to it, -which is slanted over the fire, perhaps resting on a rock or forked -stake, to hang the kettle on, and two forked stakes and a pole for the -tent. - -The third man pitches the tent, cuts a dozen or more pins with his -knife, usually of moose-wood, the common underwood, to fasten it down -with, and then collects an armful or two of fir twigs,[8] arbor-vitae, -spruce, or hemlock, whichever is at hand, and makes the bed, beginning -at either end, and laying the twigs wrong side up, in regular rows, -covering the stub ends of the last row; first, however, filling the -hollows, if there are any, with coarser material. Wrangel says that -his guides in Siberia first strewed a quantity of dry brushwood on the -ground, and then cedar twigs on that. - -Commonly, by the time the bed is made, or within fifteen or twenty -minutes, the water boils, the pork is fried, and supper is ready. We -eat this sitting on the ground, or a stump, if there is any, around a -large piece of birch bark for a table, each holding a dipper in one -hand and a piece of ship-bread or fried pork in the other, frequently -making a pass with his hand, or thrusting his head into the smoke, to -avoid the mosquitoes. - -Next, pipes are lit by those who smoke, and veils are donned by those -who have them, and we hastily examine and dry our plants, anoint our -faces and hands, and go to bed--and--the mosquitoes. - -Though you have nothing to do but see the country, there's rarely any -time to spare, hardly enough to examine a plant, before the night or -drowsiness is upon you. - -Such was the ordinary experience, but this evening we had camped -earlier on account of the rain, and had more time. - -We found that our camp to-night was on an old, and now more than -usually indistinct, 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 they are used only in the winter -when the snow is several feet deep. It is only an indistinct vista -through the wood, which it takes an experienced eye to detect. - -We had no sooner pitched our tent than the thunder-shower burst on us, -and we hastily crept under it, drawing our bags after us, curious to -see how much of a shelter our thin cotton 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, we managed to keep pretty dry, only a box of -matches having been left out and spoiled, and before we were aware of -it the shower was over, and only the dripping trees imprisoned us. - -Wishing to see what fishes there were in the river there, we cast our -lines over the wet bushes on the shore, but they were repeatedly swept -down the swift stream in vain. So, leaving the Indian, we took the -canoe just before dark, and dropped down the river a few rods to fish -at the mouth of a sluggish brook on the opposite side. We pushed up -this a rod or two, where, perhaps, only a canoe had been before. But -though there were a few small fishes, mostly chivin, there, we were -soon driven off by the mosquitoes. While there we heard the Indian -fire his gun twice in such rapid succession that we thought it must be -double-barreled, though we observed afterward that it was single. 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 sudden, loud, crashing noise in the still aisles of the -forest, affected me like an insult to nature, or ill manners at any -rate, as if you were to fire a gun in a hall or temple. It was not -heard far, however, except along the river, the sound being rapidly -hushed up or absorbed by the damp trees and mossy ground. - -The Indian made a little smothered fire of damp leaves close to the -back of the camp, that the smoke might drive through and keep out the -mosquitoes; but just before we fell asleep this suddenly blazed up, -and came near setting fire to the tent. We were considerably molested -by mosquitoes at this camp. - - * * * * * - - SUNDAY, July 26. - -The note of the white-throated sparrow, a very inspiriting but almost -wiry sound, was the first heard in the morning, and with this all the -woods rang. This was the prevailing bird in the northern part of -Maine. The forest generally was all alive with them at this season, -and they were proportionally numerous and musical about Bangor. They -evidently breed in that State. Though commonly unseen, their simple -_ah, te-te-te, te-te-te, te-te-te_, so sharp and piercing, was as -distinct to the ear as the passage of a spark of fire shot into the -darkest of the forest would be to the eye. I thought that they -commonly uttered it as they flew. I hear this note for a few days only -in the spring, as they go through Concord, and in the fall see them -again going southward, but then they are mute. We were commonly -aroused by their lively strain very early. What a glorious time they -must have in that wilderness, far from mankind and election day! - -I told the Indian that we would go to church to Chesuncook this -(Sunday) morning, some fifteen miles. It was settled weather at last. -A few swallows flitted over the water, we heard Maryland -yellow-throats along the shore, the phebe notes of the chickadee, and, -I believe, redstarts, and moose-flies of large size pursued us in -midstream. - -The Indian thought that we should lie by on Sunday. Said he, "We come -here lookum things, look all round; but come Sunday, lock up all that, -and then Monday look again." He spoke of an Indian of his acquaintance -who had been with some ministers to Ktaadn, and had told him how they -conducted. This he described in a low and solemn voice. "They make a -long prayer every morning and night, and at every meal. Come Sunday," -said he, "they stop 'em, no go at all that day,--keep still,--preach -all day,--first one, then another, just like church. Oh, ver good -men." "One day," said he, "going along a river, they came to the body -of a man in the water, drowned good while, all ready fall to pieces. -They go right ashore,--stop there, go no farther that day,--they have -meeting there, preach and pray just like Sunday. Then they get poles -and lift up the body, and they go back and carry the body with them. -Oh, they ver good men." - -I judged from this account that their every camp was a camp-meeting, -and they had mistaken their route,--they should have gone to Eastham; -that they wanted an opportunity to preach somewhere more than to see -Ktaadn. I read of another similar party that seem to have spent their -time there singing the songs of Zion. I was glad that I did not go to -that mountain with such slow coaches. - -However, the Indian added, plying the paddle all the while, that if we -would go along, he must go with us, he our man, and he suppose that if -he no takum pay for what he do Sunday, then ther's no harm, but if he -takum pay, then wrong. I told him that he was stricter than white men. -Nevertheless, I noticed that he did not forget to reckon in the -Sundays at last. - -He appeared to be a very religious man, and said his prayers in a loud -voice, in Indian, kneeling before the camp, morning and -evening,--sometimes scrambling up again in haste when he had forgotten -this, and saying them with great rapidity. In the course of the day, -he remarked, not very originally, "Poor man rememberum God more than -rich." - -We soon passed the island where I had camped four years before, and I -recognized the very spot. The deadwater, a mile or two below it, the -Indian called _Beskabekukskishtuk_, from the lake _Beskabekuk_, which -empties in above. This deadwater, he said, was "a great place for -moose always." We saw the grass bent where a moose came out the night -before, and the Indian said that he could smell one as far as he could -see him; but, he added, that if he should see five or six to-day close -by canoe, he no shoot 'em. Accordingly, as he was the only one of the -party who had a gun, or had come a-hunting, the moose were safe. - -Just below this, a cat owl flew heavily over the stream, and he, -asking if I knew what it was, imitated very well the common _hoo, hoo, -hoo, hoorer, hoo_, of our woods; making a hard, guttural sound, "Ugh, -ugh, ugh,--ugh, ugh." When we passed the Moose-horn, he said that it -had no name. What Joe Aitteon had called Ragmuff, he called -_Paytaytequick_, and said that it meant Burnt Ground Stream. We -stopped there, where I had stopped before, and I bathed in this -tributary. It was shallow but cold, apparently too cold for the -Indian, who stood looking on. As we were pushing away again, a -white-headed eagle sailed over our heads. A reach some miles above -Pine Stream, where there were several islands, the Indian said was -_Nonglangyis_ Deadwater. Pine Stream he called Black River, and said -that its Indian name was _Karsaootuk_. He could go to Caribou Lake -that way. - -We carried a part of the baggage about Pine Stream Falls, while the -Indian went down in the canoe. A Bangor merchant had told us that two -men in his employ were drowned some time ago while passing these falls -in a batteau, and a third clung to a rock all night, and was taken off -in the morning. There were magnificent great purple fringed orchises -on this carry and the neighboring shores. I measured the largest canoe -birch which I saw in this journey near the end of the carry. It was -14-1/2 feet in circumference at two feet from the ground, but at five -feet divided into three parts. The canoe birches thereabouts were -commonly marked by conspicuous dark spiral ridges, with a groove -between, so that I thought at first that they had been struck by -lightning, but, as the Indian said, it was evidently caused by the -grain of the tree. He cut a small, woody knob, as big as a filbert, -from the trunk of a fir, apparently an old balsam vesicle filled with -wood, which he said was good medicine. - -After we had embarked and gone half a mile, my companion remembered -that he had left his knife, and we paddled back to get it, against the -strong and swift current. This taught us the difference between going -up and down the stream, for while we were working our way back a -quarter of a mile, we should have gone down a mile and a half at -least. So we landed, and while he and the Indian were gone back for -it, I watched the motions of the foam, a kind of white water-fowl near -the shore, forty or fifty rods below. It alternately appeared and -disappeared behind the rock, being carried round by an eddy. Even this -semblance of life was interesting on that lonely river. - -Immediately below these falls was the Chesuncook Deadwater, caused by -the flowing back of the lake. As we paddled slowly over this, the -Indian told us a story of his hunting thereabouts, and something more -interesting about himself. It appeared that he had represented his -tribe at Augusta, and also once at Washington, where he had met some -Western chiefs. He had been consulted at Augusta, and gave advice, -which he said was followed, respecting the eastern boundary of Maine, -as determined by highlands and streams, at the time of the -difficulties on that side. He was employed with the surveyors on the -line. Also he had called on Daniel Webster in Boston, at the time of -his Bunker Hill oration. - -I was surprised to hear him say that he liked to go to Boston, New -York, Philadelphia, etc., etc.; that he would like to live there. But -then, as if relenting a little, when he thought what a poor figure he -would make there, he added, "I suppose, I live in New York, I be -poorest hunter, I expect." He understood very well both his superiority -and his inferiority to the whites. He criticised the people of the -United States as compared with other nations, but the only distinct -idea with which he labored was, that they were "very strong," but, -like some individuals, "too fast." He must have the credit of saying -this just before the general breaking down of railroads and banks. He -had a great idea of education, and would occasionally break out into -such expressions as this, "Kademy--a-cad-e-my--good thing--I suppose -they usum Fifth Reader there.... You been college?" - -From this deadwater the outlines of the mountains about Ktaadn were -visible. The top of Ktaadn was concealed by a cloud, but the Souneunk -Mountains were nearer, and quite visible. We steered across the -northwest end of the lake, from which we looked down south-southeast, -the whole length to Joe Merry Mountain, seen over its extremity. It is -an agreeable change to cross a lake, after you have been shut up in -the woods, not only on account of the greater expanse of water, but -also of sky. It is one of the surprises which Nature has in store for -the traveler in the forest. To look down, in this case, over eighteen -miles of water, was liberating and civilizing even. No doubt, the -short distance to which you can see in the woods, and the general -twilight, would at length react on the inhabitants, and make them -salvages. The lakes also reveal the mountains, and give ample scope -and range to our thought. The very gulls which we saw sitting on the -rocks, like white specks, or circling about, reminded me of -custom-house officers. Already there were half a dozen log huts about -this end of the lake, though so far from a road. I perceive that in -these woods the earliest settlements are, for various reasons, -clustering about the lakes, but partly, I think, for the sake of the -neighborhood as the oldest clearings. They are forest schools already -established,--great centres of light. Water is a pioneer which the -settler follows, taking advantage of its improvements. - -Thus far only I had been before. About noon we turned northward, up a -broad kind of estuary, and at its northeast corner found the -Caucomgomoc River, and after going about a mile from the lake, reached -the Umbazookskus, which comes in on the right at a point where the -former river, coming from the west, turns short to the south. Our -course was up the Umbazookskus, but as the Indian knew of a good -camping-place, that is, a cool place where there were few mosquitoes -about half a mile farther up the Caucomgomoc, we went thither. The -latter river, judging from the map, is the longer and principal -stream, and, therefore, its name must prevail below the junction. So -quickly we changed the civilizing sky of Chesuncook for the dark wood -of the Caucomgomoc. On reaching the Indian's camping-ground, on the -south side, where the bank was about a dozen feet high, I read on the -trunk of a fir tree, blazed by an axe, an inscription in charcoal -which had been left by him. It was surmounted by a drawing of a bear -paddling a canoe, which he said was the sign which had been used by -his family always. The drawing, though rude, could not be mistaken for -anything but a bear, and he doubted my ability to copy it. The -inscription ran thus, _verbatim et literatim_. I interline the English -of his Indian as he gave it to me. - - [The figure of a bear in a boat.] - - July 26 - 1853 - ----------- - _niasoseb_ - We alone Joseph - _Polis elioi_ - Polis start - _sia olta_ - for Oldtown - _onke ni_ - right away - _quambi_ - ------------ - July 15 - 1855 - _niasoseb_ - -He added now below:-- - - 1857 - July 26 - Jo. Polis - -This was one of his homes. I saw where he had sometimes stretched his -moose-hides on the opposite or sunny north side of the river, where -there was a narrow meadow. - -After we had selected a place for our camp, and kindled our fire, -almost exactly on the site of the Indian's last camp here, he, looking -up, observed, "That tree danger." It was a dead part, more than a foot -in diameter, of a large canoe birch, which branched at the ground. -This branch, rising thirty feet or more, slanted directly over the -spot which we had chosen for our bed. I told him to try it with his -axe; but he could not shake it perceptibly, and therefore seemed -inclined to disregard it, and my companion expressed his willingness -to run the risk. But it seemed to me that we should be fools to lie -under it, for though the lower part was firm, the top, for aught we -knew, might be just ready to fall, and we should at any rate be very -uneasy if the wind arose in the night. It is a common accident for men -camping in the woods to be killed by a falling tree. So the camp was -moved to the other side of the fire. - -It was, as usual, a damp and shaggy forest, that Caucomgomoc one, and -the most you knew about it was, that on this side it stretched toward -the settlements, and on that to still more unfrequented regions. You -carried so much topography in your mind always,--and sometimes it -seemed to make a considerable difference whether you sat or lay nearer -the settlements, or farther off, than your companions,--were the rear -or frontier man of the camp. But there is really the same difference -between our positions wherever we may be camped, and some are nearer -the frontiers on feather-beds in the towns than others on fir twigs in -the backwoods. - -The Indian said that the Umbazookskus, being a dead stream with broad -meadows, was a good place for moose, and he frequently came a-hunting -here, being out alone three weeks or more from Oldtown. He sometimes, -also, went a-hunting to the Seboois Lakes, taking the stage, with his -gun and ammunition, axe and blankets, hard-bread and pork, perhaps for -a hundred miles of the way, and jumped off at the wildest place on the -road, where he was at once at home, and every rod was a tavern-site -for him. Then, after a short journey through the woods, he would build -a spruce-bark canoe in one day, putting but few ribs into it, that it -might be light, and, after doing his hunting with it on the lakes, -would return with his furs the same way he had come. Thus you have an -Indian availing himself cunningly of the advantages of civilization, -without losing any of his woodcraft, but proving himself the more -successful hunter for it. - -This man was very clever and quick to learn anything in his line. Our -tent was of a kind new to him; but when he had once seen it pitched, -it was surprising how quickly he would find and prepare the pole and -forked stakes to pitch it with, cutting and placing them right the -first time, though I am sure that the majority of white men would have -blundered several times. - -This river came from Caucomgomoc Lake, about ten miles farther up. -Though it was sluggish here, there were falls not far above us, and we -saw the foam from them go by from time to time. The Indian said that -_Caucomgomoc_ meant Big-Gull Lake (_i. e._, herring gull, I suppose), -gomoc meaning lake. Hence this was _Caucomgomoctook_, or the river -from that lake. This was the Penobscot _Caucomgomoctook_; there was -another St. John one not far north. He finds the eggs of this gull, -sometimes twenty together, as big as hen's eggs, on rocky ledges on -the west side of Millinocket River, for instance, and eats them. - -Now I thought I would observe how he spent his Sunday. While I and my -companion were looking about at the trees and river, he went to sleep. -Indeed, he improved every opportunity to get a nap, whatever the day. - -Rambling about the woods at this camp, I noticed that they consisted -chiefly of firs, black spruce, and some white, red maple, canoe birch, -and, along the river, the hoary alder (_Alnus incana_). I name them in -the order of their abundance. The _Viburnum nudum_ was a common shrub, -and of smaller plants, there were the dwarf cornel, great round-leaved -orchis, abundant and in bloom (a greenish-white flower growing in -little communities), _Uvularia grandiflora_, whose stem tasted like a -cucumber, _Pyrola secunda_, apparently the commonest pyrola in those -woods, now out of bloom, _Pyrola elliptica_, and _Chiogenes -hispidula_. The _Clintonia borealis_, with ripe berries, was very -abundant, and perfectly at home there. Its leaves, disposed commonly -in triangles about its stem, were just as handsomely formed and green, -and its berries as blue and glossy, as if it grew by some botanist's -favorite path. - -I could trace the outlines of large birches that had fallen long ago, -collapsed and rotted and turned to soil, by faint yellowish-green -lines of feather-like moss, eighteen inches wide and twenty or thirty -feet long, crossed by other similar lines. - -I heard a night-warbler, wood thrush, kingfisher, tweezer-bird or -parti-colored warbler, and a nighthawk. I also heard and saw red -squirrels, and heard a bullfrog. The Indian said that he heard a -snake. - -Wild as it was, it was hard for me to get rid of the associations of -the settlements. Any steady and monotonous sound, to which I did not -distinctly attend, passed for a sound of human industry. The -waterfalls which I heard were not without their dams and mills to my -imagination; and several times I found that I had been regarding the -steady rushing sound of the wind from over the woods beyond the rivers -as that of a train of cars,--the cars at Quebec. Our minds anywhere, -when left to themselves, are always thus busily drawing conclusions -from false premises. - -I asked the Indian to make us a sugar-bowl of birch bark, which he -did, using the great knife which dangled in a sheath from his belt; -but the bark broke at the corners when he bent it up, and he said it -was not good; that there was a great difference in this respect -between the bark of one canoe birch and that of another, _i. e._, one -cracked more easily than another. I used some thin and delicate sheets -of this bark which he split and cut, in my flower-book; thinking it -would be good to separate the dried specimens from the green. - -My companion, wishing to distinguish between the black and white -spruce, asked Polis to show him a twig of the latter, which he did at -once, together with the black; indeed, he could distinguish them about -as far as he could see them; but as the two twigs appeared very much -alike, my companion asked the Indian to point out the difference; -whereupon the latter, taking the twigs, instantly remarked, as he -passed his hand over them successively in a stroking manner, that the -white was rough (_i. e._, the needles stood up nearly perpendicular), -but the black smooth (_i. e._, as if bent or combed down). This was an -obvious difference, both to sight and touch. However, if I remember -rightly, this would not serve to distinguish the white spruce from the -light-colored variety of the black. - -I asked him to let me see him get some black spruce root, and make -some thread. Whereupon, without looking up at the trees overhead, he -began to grub in the ground, instantly distinguishing the black spruce -roots, and cutting off a slender one, three or four feet long, and as -big as a pipe-stem, he split the end with his knife, and, taking a -half between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, rapidly separated -its whole length into two equal semicylindrical halves; then giving me -another root, he said, "You try." But in my hands it immediately ran -off one side, and I got only a very short piece. In short, though it -looked very easy, I found that there was a great art in splitting -these roots. The split is skillfully humored by bending short with -this hand or that, and so kept in the middle. He then took off the -bark from each half, pressing a short piece of cedar bark against the -convex side with both hands, while he drew the root upward with his -teeth. An Indian's teeth are strong, and I noticed that he used his -often where we should have used a hand. They amounted to a third hand. -He thus obtained, in a moment, a very neat, tough, and flexible -string, which he could tie into a knot, or make into a fish-line even. -It is said that in Norway and Sweden the roots of the Norway spruce -(_Abies excelsa_) are used in the same way for the same purpose. He -said that you would be obliged to give half a dollar for spruce root -enough for a canoe, thus prepared. He had hired the sewing of his own -canoe, though he made all the rest. The root in his canoe was of a -pale slate-color, probably acquired by exposure to the weather, or -perhaps from being boiled in water first. - -He had discovered the day before that his canoe leaked a little, and -said that it was owing to stepping into it violently, which forced the -water under the edge of the horizontal seams on the side. I asked him -where he would get pitch to mend it with, for they commonly use hard -pitch, obtained of the whites at Oldtown. He said that he could make -something very similar, and equally good, not of spruce gum, or the -like, but of material which we had with us; and he wished me to guess -what. But I could not, and he would not tell me, though he showed me a -ball of it when made, as big as a pea, and like black pitch, saying, -at last, that there were some things which a man did not tell even his -wife. It may have been his own discovery. In Arnold's expedition the -pioneers used for their canoe "the turpentine of the pine, and the -scrapings of the pork-bag." - -Being curious to see what kind of fishes there were in this dark, -deep, sluggish river, I cast in my line just before night, and caught -several small somewhat yellowish sucker-like fishes, which the Indian -at once rejected, saying that they were _michigan_ fish (_i. e._, -_soft_ and _stinking_ fish) and good for nothing. Also, he would not -touch a pout, which I caught, and said that neither Indians nor whites -thereabouts ever ate them, which I thought was singular, since they -are esteemed in Massachusetts, and he had told me that he ate -hedgehogs, loons, etc. But he said that some small silvery fishes, -which I called white chivin, which were similar in size and form to -the first, were the best fish in the Penobscot waters, and if I would -toss them up the bank to him, he would cook them for me. After -cleaning them, not very carefully, leaving the heads on, he laid them -on the coals and so broiled them. - -Returning from a short walk, he brought a vine in his hand, and asked -me if I knew what it was, saying that it made the best tea of anything -in the woods. It was the creeping snowberry (_Chiogenes hispidula_), -which was quite common there, its berries just grown. He called it -_cowosnebagosar_, which name implies that it grows where old prostrate -trunks have collapsed and rotted. So we determined to have some tea -made of this to-night. It had a slight checkerberry flavor, and we -both agreed that it was really better than the black tea which we had -brought. We thought it quite a discovery, and that it might well be -dried, and sold in the shops. I, for one, however, am not an old -tea-drinker, and cannot speak with authority to others. It would have -been particularly good to carry along for a cold drink during the -day, the water thereabouts being invariably warm. The Indian said that -they also used for tea a certain herb which grew in low ground, which -he did not find there, and ledum, or Labrador tea, which I have since -found and tried in Concord; also hemlock leaves, the last especially -in the winter, when the other plants were covered with snow; and -various other things; but he did not approve of arbor-vitae, which I -said I had drunk in those woods. We could have had a new kind of tea -every night. - -Just before night we saw a _musquash_ (he did not say muskrat), the -only one we saw in this voyage, swimming downward on the opposite side -of the stream. The Indian, wishing to get one to eat, hushed us, -saying, "Stop, me call 'em;" and, sitting flat on the bank, he began -to make a curious squeaking, wiry sound with his lips, exerting -himself considerably. I was greatly surprised,--thought that I had at -last got into the wilderness, and that he was a wild man indeed, to be -talking to a musquash! I did not know which of the two was the -strangest to me. He seemed suddenly to have quite forsaken humanity, -and gone over to the musquash side. The musquash, however, as near as -I could see, did not turn aside, though he may have hesitated a -little, and the Indian said that he saw our fire; but it was evident -that he was in the habit of calling the musquash to him, as he said. -An acquaintance of mine who was hunting moose in those woods a month -after this, tells me that his Indian in this way repeatedly called the -musquash within reach of his paddle in the moonlight, and struck at -them. - -The Indian said a particularly long prayer this Sunday evening, as if -to atone for working in the morning. - - * * * * * - - MONDAY, July 27. - -Having rapidly loaded the canoe, which the Indian always carefully -attended to, that it might be well trimmed, and each having taken a -look, as usual, to see that nothing was left, we set out again -descending the Caucomgomoc, and turning northeasterly up the -_Umbazookskus_. This name, the Indian said, meant Much Meadow River. -We found it a very meadowy stream, and deadwater, and now very wide on -account of the rains, though, he said, it was sometimes quite narrow. -The space between the woods, chiefly bare meadow, was from fifty to -two hundred rods in breadth, and is a rare place for moose. It -reminded me of the Concord; and what increased the resemblance was one -old musquash-house almost afloat. - -In the water on the meadows grew sedges, wool-grass, the common blue -flag abundantly, its flower just showing itself above the high water, -as if it were a blue water-lily, and higher in the meadows a great -many clumps of a peculiar narrow-leaved willow (_Salix petiolaris_), -which is common in our river meadows. It was the prevailing one here, -and the Indian said that the musquash ate much of it; and here also -grew the red osier (_Cornus stolonifera_), its large fruit now -whitish. - -Though it was still early in the morning, we saw nighthawks circling -over the meadow, and as usual heard the pepe (_Muscicapa Cooperi_), -which is one of the prevailing birds in these woods, and the robin. - -It was unusual for the woods to be so distant from the shore, and -there was quite an echo from them, but when I was shouting in order to -awake it, the Indian reminded me that I should scare the moose, which -he was looking out for, and which we all wanted to see. The word for -echo was _Pockadunkquaywayle_. - -A broad belt of dead larch trees along the distant edge of the meadow, -against the forest on each side, increased the usual wildness of the -scenery. The Indian called these juniper, and said that they had been -killed by the backwater caused by the dam at the outlet of Chesuncook -Lake, some twenty miles distant. I plucked at the water's edge the -_Asclepias incarnata_, with quite handsome flowers, a brighter red -than our variety (the _pulchra_). It was the only form of it which I -saw there. - -Having paddled several miles up the Umbazookskus, it suddenly -contracted to a mere brook, narrow and swift, the larches and other -trees approaching the bank and leaving no open meadow, and we landed -to get a black spruce pole for pushing against the stream. This was -the first occasion for one. The one selected was quite slender, cut -about ten feet long, merely whittled to a point, and the bark shaved -off. The stream, though narrow and swift, was still deep, with a muddy -bottom, as I proved by diving to it. Beside the plants which I have -mentioned, I observed on the bank here the _Salix cordata_ and -_rostrata_, _Ranunculus recurvatus_, and _Rubus triflorus_ with ripe -fruit. - -While we were thus employed, two Indians in a canoe hove in sight -round the bushes, coming down stream. Our Indian knew one of them, an -old man, and fell into conversation with him in Indian. He belonged at -the foot of Moosehead. The other was of another tribe. They were -returning from hunting. I asked the younger if they had seen any -moose, to which he said no; but I, seeing the moose-hides sticking out -from a great bundle made with their blankets in the middle of the -canoe, added, "Only their hides." As he was a foreigner, he may have -wished to deceive me, for it is against the law for white men and -foreigners to kill moose in Maine at this season. But perhaps he need -not have been alarmed, for the moose-wardens are not very particular. -I heard quite directly of one who being asked by a white man going -into the woods what he would say if he killed a moose, answered, "If -you bring me a quarter of it, I guess you won't be troubled." His duty -being, as he said, only to prevent the "indiscriminate" slaughter of -them for their hides. I suppose that he would consider it an -_indiscriminate_ slaughter when a quarter was not reserved for -himself. Such are the perquisites of this office. - -We continued along through the most extensive larch wood which I had -seen,--tall and slender trees with fantastic branches. But though this -was the prevailing tree here, I do not remember that we saw any -afterward. You do not find straggling trees of this species here and -there throughout the wood, but rather a little forest of them. The -same is the case with the white and red pines, and some other trees, -greatly to the convenience of the lumberer. They are of a social -habit, growing in "veins," "clumps," "groups," or "communities," as -the explorers call them, distinguishing them far away, from the top of -a hill or a tree, the white pines towering above the surrounding -forest, or else they form extensive forests by themselves. I should -have liked to come across a large community of pines, which had never -been invaded by the lumbering army. - -We saw some fresh moose-tracks along the shore, but the Indian said -that the moose were not driven out of the woods by the flies, as usual -at this season, on account of the abundance of water everywhere. The -stream was only from one and one half to three rods wide, quite -winding, with occasional small islands, meadows, and some very swift -and shallow places. When we came to an island, the Indian never -hesitated which side to take, as if the current told him which was the -shortest and deepest. It was lucky for us that the water was so high. -We had to walk but once on this stream, carrying a part of the load, -at a swift and shallow reach, while he got up with the canoe, not -being obliged to take out, though he said it was very strong water. -Once or twice we passed the red wreck of a batteau which had been -stove some spring. - -While making this portage I saw many splendid specimens of the great -purple fringed orchis, three feet high. It is remarkable that such -delicate flowers should here adorn these wilderness paths. - -Having resumed our seats in the canoe, I felt the Indian wiping my -back, which he had accidentally spat upon. He said it was a sign that -I was going to be married. - -The Umbazookskus River is called ten miles long. Having poled up the -narrowest part some three or four miles, the next opening in the sky -was over Umbazookskus Lake, which we suddenly entered about eleven -o'clock in the forenoon. It stretches northwesterly four or five -miles, with what the Indian called the Caucomgomoc Mountain seen far -beyond it. It was an agreeable change. - -This lake was very shallow a long distance from the shore, and I saw -stone-heaps on the bottom, like those in the Assabet at home. The -canoe ran into one. The Indian thought that they were made by an eel. -Joe Aitteon in 1853 thought that they were made by chub. We crossed -the southeast end of the lake to the carry into Mud Pond. - -Umbazookskus Lake is the head of the Penobscot in this direction, and -Mud Pond is the nearest head of the Allegash, one of the chief sources -of the St. John. Hodge, who went through this way to the St. Lawrence -in the service of the State, calls the portage here a mile and three -quarters long, and states that Mud Pond has been found to be fourteen -feet higher than Umbazookskus Lake. As the West Branch of the -Penobscot at the Moosehead carry is considered about twenty-five feet -lower than Moosehead Lake, it appears that the Penobscot in the upper -part of its course runs in a broad and shallow valley, between the -Kennebec and St. John, and lower than either of them, though, judging -from the map, you might expect it to be the highest. - -Mud Pond is about halfway from Umbazookskus to Chamberlain Lake, into -which it empties, and to which we were bound. The Indian said that -this was the wettest carry in the State, and as the season was a very -wet one, we anticipated an unpleasant walk. As usual he made one large -bundle of the pork-keg, cooking-utensils, and other loose traps, by -tying them up in his blanket. We should be obliged to go over the -carry twice, and our method was to carry one half part way, and then -go back for the rest. - -Our path ran close by the door of a log hut in a clearing at this end -of the carry, which the Indian, who alone entered it, found to be -occupied by a Canadian and his family, and that the man had been blind -for a year. He seemed peculiarly unfortunate to be taken blind there, -where there were so few eyes to see for him. He could not even be led -out of that country by a dog, but must be taken down the rapids as -passively as a barrel of flour. This was the first house above -Chesuncook, and the last on the Penobscot waters, and was built here, -no doubt, because it was the route of the lumberers in the winter and -spring. - -After a slight ascent from the lake through the springy soil of the -Canadian's clearing, we entered on a level and very wet and rocky path -through the universal dense evergreen forest, a loosely paved gutter -merely, where we went leaping from rock to rock and from side to side, -in the vain attempt to keep out of the water and mud. We concluded -that it was yet Penobscot water, though there was no flow to it. It -was on this carry that the white hunter whom I met in the stage, as he -told me, had shot two bears a few months before. They stood directly -in the path, and did not turn out for him. They might be excused for -not turning out there, or only taking the right as the law directs. -He said that at this season bears were found on the mountains and -hillsides in search of berries, and were apt to be saucy,--that we -might come across them up Trout Stream; and he added, what I hardly -credited, that many Indians slept in their canoes, not daring to sleep -on land, on account of them. - -Here commences what was called, twenty years ago, the best timber land -in the State. This very spot was described as "covered with the -greatest abundance of pine," but now this appeared to me, -comparatively, an uncommon tree there,--and yet you did not see where -any more could have stood, amid the dense growth of cedar, fir, etc. -It was then proposed to cut a canal from lake to lake here, but the -outlet was finally made farther east, at Telos Lake, as we shall see. - -The Indian with his canoe soon disappeared before us; but ere long he -came back and told us to take a path which turned off westward, it -being better walking, and, at my suggestion, he agreed to leave a -bough in the regular carry at that place, that we might not pass it by -mistake. Thereafter, he said, we were to keep the main path, and he -added, "You see 'em my tracks." But I had not much faith that we could -distinguish his tracks, since others had passed over the carry within -a few days. - -We turned off at the right place, but were soon confused by numerous -logging-paths, coming into the one we were on, by which lumberers had -been to pick out those pines which I have mentioned. However, we kept -what we considered the main path, though it was a winding one, and in -this, at long intervals, we distinguished a faint trace of a -footstep. This, though comparatively unworn, was at first a better, -or, at least, a drier road than the regular carry which we had left. -It led through an arbor-vitae wilderness of the grimmest character. The -great fallen and rotting trees had been cut through and rolled aside, -and their huge trunks abutted on the path on each side, while others -still lay across it two or three feet high. It was impossible for us -to discern the Indian's trail in the elastic moss, which, like a thick -carpet, covered every rock and fallen tree, as well as the earth. -Nevertheless, I did occasionally detect the track of a man, and I gave -myself some credit for it. I carried my whole load at once, a heavy -knapsack, and a large india-rubber bag, containing our bread and a -blanket, swung on a paddle; in all, about sixty pounds; but my -companion preferred to make two journeys, by short stages, while I -waited for him. We could not be sure that we were not depositing our -loads each time farther off from the true path. - -As I sat waiting for my companion, he would seem to be gone a long -time, and I had ample opportunity to make observations on the forest. -I now first began to be seriously molested by the black fly, a very -small but perfectly formed fly of that color, about one tenth of an -inch long, which I first felt, and then saw, in swarms about me, as I -sat by a wider and more than usually doubtful fork in this dark forest -path. The hunters tell bloody stories about them,--how they settle in -a ring about your neck, before you know it, and are wiped off in great -numbers with your blood. But remembering that I had a wash in my -knapsack, prepared by a thoughtful hand in Bangor, I made haste to -apply it to my face and hands, and was glad to find it effectual, as -long as it was fresh, or for twenty minutes, not only against black -flies, but all the insects that molested us. They would not alight on -the part thus defended. It was composed of sweet oil and oil of -turpentine, with a little oil of spearmint, and camphor. However, I -finally concluded that the remedy was worse than the disease. It was -so disagreeable and inconvenient to have your face and hands covered -with such a mixture. - -Three large slate-colored birds of the jay genus (_Garrulus -Canadensis_), the Canada jay, moose-bird, meat-bird, or what not, came -flitting silently and by degrees toward me, and hopped down the limbs -inquisitively to within seven or eight feet. They were more clumsy and -not nearly so handsome as the bluejay. Fish hawks, from the lake, -uttered their sharp whistling notes low over the top of the forest -near me, as if they were anxious about a nest there. - -After I had sat there some time, I noticed at this fork in the path a -tree which had been blazed, and the letters "Chamb. L." written on it -with red chalk. This I knew to mean Chamberlain Lake. So I concluded -that on the whole we were on the right course, though as we had come -nearly two miles, and saw no signs of Mud Pond, I did harbor the -suspicion that we might be on a direct course to Chamberlain Lake, -leaving out Mud Pond. This I found by my map would be about five miles -northeasterly, and I then took the bearing by my compass. - -My companion having returned with his bag, and also defended his face -and hands with the insect-wash, we set forward again. The walking -rapidly grew worse, and the path more indistinct, and at length, after -passing through a patch of _Calla palustris_, still abundantly in -bloom, we found ourselves in a more open and regular swamp, made less -passable than ordinary by the unusual wetness of the season. We sank a -foot deep in water and mud at every step, and sometimes up to our -knees, and the trail was almost obliterated, being no more than that a -musquash leaves in similar places, when he parts the floating sedge. -In fact, it probably was a musquash trail in some places. We concluded -that if Mud Pond was as muddy as the approach to it was wet, it -certainly deserved its name. It would have been amusing to behold the -dogged and deliberate pace at which we entered that swamp, without -interchanging a word, as if determined to go through it, though it -should come up to our necks. Having penetrated a considerable distance -into this, and found a tussock on which we could deposit our loads, -though there was no place to sit, my companion went back for the rest -of his pack. I had thought to observe on this carry when we crossed -the dividing line between the Penobscot and St. John, but as my feet -had hardly been out of water the whole distance, and it was all level -and stagnant, I began to despair of finding it. I remembered hearing a -good deal about the "highlands" dividing the waters of the Penobscot -from those of the St. John, as well as the St. Lawrence, at the time -of the northeast boundary dispute, and I observed by my map, that the -line claimed by Great Britain as the boundary prior to 1842 passed -between Umbazookskus Lake and Mud Pond, so that we had either crossed -or were then on it. These, then, according to _her_ interpretation of -the treaty of '83, were the "highlands which divide those rivers that -empty themselves into the St. Lawrence from those which fall into the -Atlantic Ocean." Truly an interesting spot to stand on,--if that were -it,--though you could not sit down there. I thought that if the -commissioners themselves, and the King of Holland with them, had spent -a few days here, with their packs upon their backs, looking for that -"highland," they would have had an interesting time, and perhaps it -would have modified their views of the question somewhat. The King of -Holland would have been in his element. Such were my meditations while -my companion was gone back for his bag. - -It was a cedar swamp, through which the peculiar note of the -white-throated sparrow rang loud and clear. There grew the side-saddle -flower, Labrador tea, _Kalmia glauca_, and, what was new to me, the -low birch (_Betula pumila_), a little round-leafed shrub, two or three -feet high only. We thought to name this swamp after the latter. - -After a long while my companion came back, and the Indian with him. We -had taken the wrong road, and the Indian had lost us. He had very -wisely gone back to the Canadian's camp, and asked him which way we -had probably gone, since he could better understand the ways of white -men, and he told him correctly that we had undoubtedly taken the -supply road to Chamberlain Lake (slender supplies they would get over -such a road at this season). The Indian was greatly surprised that we -should have taken what he called a "tow" (_i. e._, tote or toting or -supply) road, instead of a carry path,--that we had not followed his -tracks,--said it was "strange," and evidently thought little of our -woodcraft. - -Having held a consultation, and eaten a mouthful of bread, we -concluded that it would perhaps be nearer for us two now to keep on to -Chamberlain Lake, omitting Mud Pond, than to go back and start anew -for the last place, though the Indian had never been through this way, -and knew nothing about it. In the meanwhile he would go back and -finish carrying over his canoe and bundle to Mud Pond, cross that, and -go down its outlet and up Chamberlain Lake, and trust to meet us there -before night. It was now a little after noon. He supposed that the -water in which we stood had flowed back from Mud Pond, which could not -be far off eastward, but was unapproachable through the dense cedar -swamp. - -Keeping on, we were ere long agreeably disappointed by reaching firmer -ground, and we crossed a ridge where the path was more distinct, but -there was never any outlook over the forest. While descending the -last, I saw many specimens of the great round-leaved orchis, of large -size; one which I measured had leaves, as usual, flat on the ground, -nine and a half inches long, and nine wide, and was two feet high. The -dark, damp wilderness is favorable to some of these orchidaceous -plants, though they are too delicate for cultivation. I also saw the -swamp gooseberry (_Rides lacustre_), with green fruit, and in all the -low ground, where it was not too wet, the _Rubus triflorus_ in fruit. -At one place I heard a very clear and piercing note from a small hawk, -like a single note from a white-throated sparrow, only very much -louder, as he dashed through the tree-tops over my head. I wondered -that he allowed himself to be disturbed by our presence, since it -seemed as if he could not easily find his nest again himself in that -wilderness. We also saw and heard several times the red squirrel, and -often, as before observed, the bluish scales of the fir cones which it -had left on a rock or fallen tree. This, according to the Indian, is -the only squirrel found in those woods, except a very few striped -ones. It must have a solitary time in that dark evergreen forest, -where there is so little life, seventy-five miles from a road as we -had come. I wondered how he could call any particular tree there his -home; and yet he would run up the stem of one out of the myriads, as -if it were an old road to him. How can a hawk ever find him there? I -fancied that he must be glad to see us, though he did seem to chide -us. One of those sombre fir and spruce woods is not complete unless -you hear from out its cavernous mossy and twiggy recesses his fine -alarum,--his spruce voice, like the working of the sap through some -crack in a tree,--the working of the spruce beer. Such an impertinent -fellow would occasionally try to alarm the wood about me. "Oh," said -I, "I am well acquainted with your family, I know your cousins in -Concord very well. Guess the mail's irregular in these parts, and -you'd like to hear from 'em." But my overtures were vain, for he would -withdraw by his aerial turnpikes into a more distant cedar-top, and -spring his rattle again. - -We then entered another swamp, at a necessarily slow pace, where the -walking was worse than ever, not only on account of the water, but the -fallen timber, which often obliterated the indistinct trail entirely. -The fallen trees were so numerous, that for long distances the route -was through a succession of small yards, where we climbed over fences -as high as our heads, down into water often up to our knees, and then -over another fence into a second yard, and so on; and, going back for -his bag, my companion once lost his way and came back without it. In -many places the canoe would have run if it had not been for the fallen -timber. Again it would be more open, but equally wet, too wet for -trees to grow, and no place to sit down. It was a mossy swamp, which -it required the long legs of a moose to traverse, and it is very -likely that we scared some of them in our transit, though we saw none. -It was ready to echo the growl of a bear, the howl of a wolf, or the -scream of a panther; but when you get fairly into the middle of one of -these grim forests, you are surprised to find that the larger -inhabitants are not at home commonly, but have left only a puny red -squirrel to bark at you. Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does -not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling. -I did, however, see one dead porcupine; perhaps he had succumbed to -the difficulties of the way. These bristly fellows are a very suitable -small fruit of such unkempt wildernesses. - -Making a logging-road in the Maine woods is called "swamping" it, and -they who do the work are called "swampers." I now perceived the -fitness of the term. This was the most perfectly swamped of all the -roads I ever saw. Nature must have cooperated with art here. However, -I suppose they would tell you that this name took its origin from the -fact that the chief work of roadmakers in those woods is to make the -swamps passable. We came to a stream where the bridge, which had been -made of logs tied together with cedar bark, had been broken up, and we -got over as we could. This probably emptied into Mud Pond, and perhaps -the Indian might have come up it and taken us in there if he had known -it. Such as it was, this ruined bridge was the chief evidence that we -were on a path of any kind. - -We then crossed another low rising ground, and I, who wore shoes, had -an opportunity to wring out my stockings, but my companion, who used -boots, had found that this was not a safe experiment for him, for he -might not be able to get his wet boots on again. He went over the -whole ground, or water, three times, for which reason our progress was -very slow; beside that the water softened our feet, and to some extent -unfitted them for walking. As I sat waiting for him, it would -naturally seem an unaccountable time that he was gone. Therefore, as I -could see through the woods that the sun was getting low, and it was -uncertain how far the lake might be, even if we were on the right -course, and in what part of the world we should find ourselves at -nightfall, I proposed that I should push through with what speed I -could, leaving boughs to mark my path, and find the lake and the -Indian, if possible, before night, and send the latter back to carry -my companion's bag. - -Having gone about a mile, and got into low ground again, I heard a -noise like the note of an owl, which I soon discovered to be made by -the Indian, and, answering him, we soon came together. He had reached -the lake, after crossing Mud Pond, and running some rapids below it, -and had come up about a mile and a half on our path. If he had not -come back to meet us, we probably should not have found him that -night, for the path branched once or twice before reaching this -particular part of the lake. So he went back for my companion and his -bag, while I kept on. Having waded through another stream, where the -bridge of logs had been broken up and half floated away,--and this was -not altogether worse than our ordinary walking, since it was less -muddy,--we continued on, through alternate mud and water, to the shore -of Apmoojenegamook Lake, which we reached in season for a late supper, -instead of dining there, as we had expected, having gone without our -dinner. It was at least five miles by the way we had come, and as my -companion had gone over most of it three times, he had walked full a -dozen miles, bad as it was. In the winter, when the water is frozen, -and the snow is four feet deep, it is no doubt a tolerable path to a -footman. As it was, I would not have missed that walk for a good deal. -If you want an exact recipe for making such a road, take one part Mud -Pond, and dilute it with equal parts of Umbazookskus and -Apmoojenegamook; then send a family of musquash through to locate it, -look after the grades and culverts, and finish it to their minds, and -let a hurricane follow to do the fencing. - -We had come out on a point extending into Apmoojenegamook, or -Chamberlain Lake, west of the outlet of Mud Pond, where there was a -broad, gravelly, and rocky shore, encumbered with bleached logs and -trees. We were rejoiced to see such dry things in that part of the -world. But at first we did not attend to dryness so much as to mud and -wetness. We all three walked into the lake up to our middle to wash -our clothes. - -This was another noble lake, called twelve miles long, east and west; -if you add Telos Lake, which, since the dam was built, has been -connected with it by dead water, it will be twenty; and it is -apparently from a mile and a half to two miles wide. We were about -midway its length, on the south side. We could see the only clearing -in these parts, called the "Chamberlain Farm," with two or three log -buildings close together, on the opposite shore, some two and a half -miles distant. The smoke of our fire on the shore brought over two men -in a canoe from the farm, that being a common signal agreed on when -one wishes to cross. It took them about half an hour to come over, and -they had their labor for their pains this time. Even the English name -of the lake had a wild, woodland sound, reminding me of that -Chamberlain who killed Paugus at Lovewell's fight. - -After putting on such dry clothes as we had, and hanging the others to -dry on the pole which the Indian arranged over the fire, we ate our -supper, and lay down on the pebbly shore with our feet to the fire, -without pitching our tent, making a thin bed of grass to cover the -stones. - -Here first I was molested by the little midge called the no-see-em -(_Simulium nocivum_,--the latter word is not the Latin for no-see-em), -especially over the sand at the water's edge, for it is a kind of -sand-fly. You would not observe them but for their light-colored -wings. They are said to get under your clothes, and produce a -feverish heat, which I suppose was what I felt that night. - -Our insect foes in this excursion, to sum them up, were, first, -mosquitoes, the chief ones, but only troublesome at night, or when we -sat still on shore by day; second, black flies (_Simulium molestum_), -which molested us more or less on the carries by day, as I have before -described, and sometimes in narrower parts of the stream. Harris -mistakes when he says that they are not seen after June. Third, -moose-flies. The big ones, Polis said, were called _Bososquasis_. It -is a stout, brown fly, much like a horse-fly, about eleven sixteenths -of an inch long, commonly rusty-colored beneath, with unspotted wings. -They can bite smartly, according to Polis, but are easily avoided or -killed. Fourth, the no-see-ems above mentioned. Of all these, the -mosquitoes are the only ones that troubled me seriously; but, as I was -provided with a wash and a veil, they have not made any deep -impression. - -The Indian would not use our wash to protect his face and hands, for -fear that it would hurt his skin, nor had he any veil; he, therefore, -suffered from insects now, and throughout this journey, more than -either of us. I think that he suffered more than I did, when neither -of us was protected. He regularly tied up his face in his -handkerchief, and buried it in his blanket, and he now finally lay -down on the sand between us and the fire for the sake of the smoke, -which he tried to make enter his blanket about his face, and for the -same purpose he lit his pipe and breathed the smoke into his blanket. - -As we lay thus on the shore, with nothing between us and the stars, I -inquired what stars he was acquainted with, or had names for. They -were the Great Bear, which he called by this name, the Seven Stars, -which he had no English name for, "the morning star," and "the north -star." - -In the middle of the night, as indeed each time that we lay on the -shore of a lake, we heard the voice of the loon, loud and distinct, -from far over the lake. It is a very wild sound, quite in keeping with -the place and the circumstances of the traveler, and very unlike the -voice of a bird. I could lie awake for hours listening to it, it is so -thrilling. When camping in such a wilderness as this, you are prepared -to hear sounds from some of its inhabitants which will give voice to -its wildness. Some idea of bears, wolves, or panthers runs in your -head naturally, and when this note is first heard very far off at -midnight, as you lie with your ear to the ground,--the forest being -perfectly still about you, you take it for granted that it is the -voice of a wolf or some other wild beast, for only the last part is -heard when at a distance,--you conclude that it is a pack of wolves, -baying the moon, or, perchance, cantering after a moose. Strange as it -may seem, the "mooing" of a cow on a mountain-side comes nearest to my -idea of the voice of a bear; and this bird's note resembled that. It -was the unfailing and characteristic sound of those lakes. We were not -so lucky as to hear wolves howl, though that is an occasional -serenade. Some friends of mine, who two years ago went up the -Caucomgomoc River, were serenaded by wolves while moose-hunting by -moonlight. It was a sudden burst, as if a hundred demons had broke -loose,--a startling sound enough, which, if any, would make your hair -stand on end, and all was still again. It lasted but a moment, and -you'd have thought there were twenty of them, when probably there were -only two or three. They heard it twice only, and they said that it -gave expression to the wilderness which it lacked before. I heard of -some men who, while skinning a moose lately in those woods, were -driven off from the carcass by a pack of wolves, which ate it up. - -This of the loon--I do not mean its laugh, but its looning,--is a -long-drawn call, as it were, sometimes singularly human to my -ear,--_hoo-hoo-ooooo_, like the hallooing of a man on a very high key, -having thrown his voice into his head. I have heard a sound exactly -like it when breathing heavily through my own nostrils, half awake at -ten at night, suggesting my affinity to the loon; as if its language -were but a dialect of my own, after all. Formerly, when lying awake at -midnight in those woods, I had listened to hear some words or -syllables of their language, but it chanced that I listened in vain -until I heard the cry of the loon. I have heard it occasionally on the -ponds of my native town, but there its wildness is not enhanced by the -surrounding scenery. - -I was awakened at midnight by some heavy, low-flying bird, probably a -loon, flapping by close over my head, along the shore. So, turning the -other side of my half-clad body to the fire, I sought slumber again. - - * * * * * - - TUESDAY, July 28. - -When we awoke, we found a heavy dew on our blankets. I lay awake very -early, and listened to the clear, shrill _ah, te te, te te, te_ of -the white-throated sparrow, repeated at short intervals, without the -least variation, for half an hour, as if it could not enough express -its happiness. Whether my companions heard it or not, I know not, but -it was a kind of matins to me, and the event of that forenoon. - -It was a pleasant sunrise, and we had a view of the mountains in the -southeast. Ktaadn appeared about southeast by south. A double-topped -mountain, about southeast by east, and another portion of the same, -east-southeast. The last the Indian called Nerlumskeechticook, and -said that it was at the head of the East Branch, and we should pass -near it on our return that way. - -We did some more washing in the lake this morning, and with our -clothes hung about on the dead trees and rocks, the shore looked like -washing-day at home. The Indian, taking the hint, borrowed the soap, -and, walking into the lake, washed his only cotton shirt on his -person, then put on his pants and let it dry on him. - -I observed that he wore a cotton shirt, originally white, a greenish -flannel one over it, but no waistcoat, flannel drawers, and strong -linen or duck pants, which also had been white, blue woolen stockings, -cowhide boots, and a Kossuth hat. He carried no change of clothing, -but putting on a stout, thick jacket, which he laid aside in the -canoe, and seizing a full-sized axe, his gun and ammunition, and a -blanket, which would do for a sail or knapsack, if wanted, and -strapping on his belt, which contained a large sheath-knife, he walked -off at once, ready to be gone all summer. This looked very -independent; a few simple and effective tools, and no india-rubber -clothing. He was always the first ready to start in the morning, and -if it had not held some of our property, would not have been obliged -to roll up his blanket. Instead of carrying a large bundle of his own -extra clothing, etc., he brought back the greatcoats of moose tied up -in his blanket. I found that his outfit was the result of a long -experience, and in the main hardly to be improved on, unless by -washing and an extra shirt. Wanting a button here, he walked off to a -place where some Indians had recently encamped, and searched for one, -but I believe in vain. - -Having softened our stiffened boots and shoes with the pork fat, the -usual disposition of what was left at breakfast, we crossed the lake -early, steering in a diagonal direction, northeasterly about four -miles, to the outlet, which was not to be discovered till we were -close to it. The Indian name, _Apmoojenegamook_, means lake that is -crossed, because the usual course lies across, and not along it. This -is the largest of the Allegash lakes, and was the first St. John water -that we floated on. It is shaped in the main like Chesuncook. There -are no mountains or high hills very near it. At Bangor we had been -told of a township many miles farther northwest; it was indicated to -us as containing the highest land thereabouts, where, by climbing a -particular tree in the forest, we could get a general idea of the -country. I have no doubt that the last was good advice, but we did not -go there. We did not intend to go far down the Allegash, but merely to -get a view of the great lakes which are its source, and then return -this way to the East Branch of the Penobscot. The water now, by good -rights, flowed northward, if it could be said to flow at all. - -After reaching the middle of the lake, we found the waves as usual -pretty high, and the Indian warned my companion, who was nodding, that -he must not allow himself to fall asleep in the canoe lest he should -upset us; adding, that when Indians want to sleep in a canoe, they lie -down straight on the bottom. But in this crowded one that was -impossible. However, he said that he would nudge him if he saw him -nodding. - -A belt of dead trees stood all around the lake, some far out in the -water, with others prostrate behind them, and they made the shore, for -the most part, almost inaccessible. This is the effect of the dam at -the outlet. Thus the natural sandy or rocky shore, with its green -fringe, was concealed and destroyed. We coasted westward along the -north side, searching for the outlet, about one quarter of a mile -distant from this savage-looking shore, on which the waves were -breaking violently, knowing that it might easily be concealed amid -this rubbish, or by the overlapping of the shore. It is remarkable how -little these important gates to a lake are blazoned. There is no -triumphal arch over the modest inlet or outlet, but at some -undistinguished point it trickles in or out through the uninterrupted -forest, almost as through a sponge. - -We reached the outlet in about an hour, and carried over the dam -there, which is quite a solid structure, and about one quarter of a -mile farther there was a second dam. The reader will perceive that the -result of this particular damming about Chamberlain Lake is, that the -head-waters of the St. John are made to flow by Bangor. They have thus -dammed all the larger lakes, raising their broad surfaces many feet; -Moosehead, for instance, some forty miles long, with its steamer on -it; thus turning the forces of nature against herself, that they might -float their spoils out of the country. They rapidly run out of these -immense forests all the finer, and more accessible pine timber, and -then leave the bears to watch the decaying dams, not clearing nor -cultivating the land, nor making roads, nor building houses, but -leaving it a wilderness as they found it. In many parts, only these -dams remain, like deserted beaver-dams. Think how much land they have -flowed, without asking Nature's leave! When the State wishes to endow -an academy or university, it grants it a tract of forest land: one saw -represents an academy; a gang, a university. - -The wilderness experiences a sudden rise of all her streams and lakes. -She feels ten thousand vermin gnawing at the base of her noblest -trees. Many combining drag them off, jarring over the roots of the -survivors, and tumble them into the nearest stream, till, the fairest -having fallen, they scamper off to ransack some new wilderness, and -all is still again. It is as when a migrating army of mice girdles a -forest of pines. The chopper fells trees from the same motive that the -mouse gnaws them,--to get his living. You tell me that he has a more -interesting family than the mouse. That is as it happens. He speaks of -a "berth" of timber, a good place for him to get into, just as a worm -might. When the chopper would praise a pine, he will commonly tell you -that the one he cut was so big that a yoke of oxen stood on its stump; -as if that were what the pine had grown for, to become the footstool -of oxen. In my mind's eye, I can see these unwieldy tame deer, with a -yoke binding them together, and brazen-tipped horns betraying their -servitude, taking their stand on the stump of each giant pine in -succession throughout this whole forest, and chewing their cud there, -until it is nothing but an ox-pasture, and run out at that. As if it -were good for the oxen, and some terebinthine or other medicinal -quality ascended into their nostrils. Or is their elevated position -intended merely as a symbol of the fact that the pastoral comes next -in order to the sylvan or hunter life? - -The character of the logger's admiration is betrayed by his very mode -of expressing it. If he told all that was in his mind, he would say, -it was so big that I cut it down and then a yoke of oxen could stand -on its stump. He admires the log, the carcass or corpse, more than the -tree. Why, my dear sir, the tree might have stood on its own stump, -and a great deal more comfortably and firmly than a yoke of oxen can, -if you had not cut it down. What right have you to celebrate the -virtues of the man you murdered? - -The Anglo-American can indeed cut down, and grub up all this waving -forest, and make a stump speech, and vote for Buchanan on its ruins, -but he cannot converse with the spirit of the tree he fells, he cannot -read the poetry and mythology which retire as he advances. He -ignorantly erases mythological tablets in order to print his handbills -and town-meeting warrants on them. Before he has learned his _a b c_ -in the beautiful but mystic lore of the wilderness which Spenser and -Dante had just begun to read, he cuts it down, coins a _pine-tree_ -shilling (as if to signify the pine's value to him), puts up a -_dee_strict schoolhouse, and introduces Webster's spelling-book. - -Below the last dam, the river being swift and shallow, though broad -enough, we two walked about half a mile to lighten the canoe. I made -it a rule to carry my knapsack when I walked, and also to keep it tied -to a crossbar when in the canoe, that it might be found with the canoe -if we should upset. - -I heard the dog-day locust here, and afterward on the carries, a sound -which I had associated only with more open, if not settled countries. -The area for locusts must be small in the Maine woods. - -We were now fairly on the Allegash River, which name our Indian said -meant hemlock bark. These waters flow northward about one hundred -miles, at first very feebly, then southeasterly two hundred and fifty -more to the Bay of Fundy. After perhaps two miles of river, we entered -Heron Lake, called on the map _Pongokwahem_, scaring up forty or fifty -young _shecorways_, sheldrakes, at the entrance, which ran over the -water with great rapidity, as usual in a long line. - -This was the fourth great lake, lying northwest and southeast, like -Chesuncook and most of the long lakes in that neighborhood, and, -judging from the map, it is about ten miles long. We had entered it on -the southwest side, and saw a dark mountain northeast over the lake, -not very far off nor high, which the Indian said was called Peaked -Mountain, and used by explorers to look for timber from. There was -also some other high land more easterly. The shores were in the same -ragged and unsightly condition, encumbered with dead timber, both -fallen and standing, as in the last lake, owing to the dam on the -Allegash below. Some low points or islands were almost drowned. - -I saw something white a mile off on the water, which turned out to be -a great gull on a rock in the middle, which the Indian would have been -glad to kill and eat, but it flew away long before we were near; and -also a flock of summer ducks that were about the rock with it. I -asking him about herons, since this was Heron Lake, he said that he -found the blue heron's nests in the hardwood trees. I thought that I -saw a light-colored object move along the opposite or northern shore, -four or five miles distant. He did not know what it could be, unless -it were a moose, though he had never seen a white one; but he said -that he could distinguish a moose "anywhere on shore, clear across the -lake." - -Rounding a point, we stood across a bay for a mile and a half or two -miles, toward a large island, three or four miles down the lake. We -met with ephemerae (shadfly) midway, about a mile from the shore, and -they evidently fly over the whole lake. On Moosehead I had seen a -large devil's-needle half a mile from the shore, coming from the -middle of the lake, where it was three or four miles wide at least. It -had probably crossed. But at last, of course, you come to lakes so -large that an insect cannot fly across them; and this, perhaps, will -serve to distinguish a large lake from a small one. - -We landed on the southeast side of the island, which was rather -elevated and densely wooded, with a rocky shore, in season for an -early dinner. Somebody had camped there not long before, and left the -frame on which they stretched a moose-hide, which our Indian -criticised severely, thinking it showed but little woodcraft. Here -were plenty of the shells of crayfish, or fresh-water lobsters, which -had been washed ashore, such as have given a name to some ponds and -streams. They are commonly four or five inches long. The Indian -proceeded at once to cut a canoe birch, slanted it up against another -tree on the shore, tying it with a withe, and lay down to sleep in its -shade. - -When we were on the Caucomgomoc, he recommended to us a new way home, -the very one which we had first thought of, by the St. John. He even -said that it was easier, and would take but little more time than the -other, by the East Branch of the Penobscot, though very much farther -round; and taking the map, he showed where we should be each night, -for he was familiar with the route. According to his calculation, we -should reach the French settlements the next night after this, by -keeping northward down the Allegash, and when we got into the main St. -John the banks would be more or less settled all the way; as if that -were a recommendation. There would be but one or two falls, with short -carrying-places, and we should go down the stream very fast, even a -hundred miles a day, if the wind allowed; and he indicated where we -should carry over into Eel River to save a bend below Woodstock in New -Brunswick, and so into the Schoodic Lake, and thence to the -Mattawamkeag. It would be about three hundred and sixty miles to -Bangor this way, though only about one hundred and sixty by the -other; but in the former case we should explore the St. John from its -source through two thirds of its course, as well as the Schoodic Lake -and Mattawamkeag,--and we were again tempted to go that way. I feared, -however, that the banks of the St. John were too much settled. When I -asked him which course would take us through the wildest country, he -said the route by the East Branch. Partly from this consideration, as -also from its shortness, we resolved to adhere to the latter route, -and perhaps ascend Ktaadn on the way. We made this island the limit of -our excursion in this direction. - -We had now seen the largest of the Allegash lakes. The next dam "was -about fifteen miles" farther north, down the Allegash, and it was dead -water so far. We had been told in Bangor of a man who lived alone, a -sort of hermit, at that dam, to take care of it, who spent his time -tossing a bullet from one hand to the other, for want of -employment,--as if we might want to call on him. This sort of -tit-for-tat intercourse between his two hands, bandying to and fro a -leaden subject, seems to have been his symbol for society. - -This island, according to the map, was about a hundred and ten miles -in a straight line north-northwest from Bangor, and about ninety-nine -miles east-southeast from Quebec. There was another island visible -toward the north end of the lake, with an elevated clearing on it; but -we learned afterward that it was not inhabited, had only been used as -a pasture for cattle which summered in these woods, though our -informant said that there was a hut on the mainland near the outlet -of the lake. This unnaturally smooth-shaven, squarish spot, in the -midst of the otherwise uninterrupted forest, only reminded us how -uninhabited the country was. You would sooner expect to meet with a -bear than an ox in such a clearing. At any rate, it must have been a -surprise to the bears when they came across it. Such, seen far or -near, you know at once to be man's work, for Nature never does it. In -order to let in the light to the earth as on a lake, he clears off the -forest on the hillsides and plains, and sprinkles fine grass seed, -like an enchanter, and so carpets the earth with a firm sward. - -Polis had evidently more curiosity respecting the few settlers in -those woods than we. If nothing was said, he took it for granted that -we wanted to go straight to the next log-hut. Having observed that we -came by the log huts at Chesuncook, and the blind Canadian's at the -Mud Pond carry, without stopping to communicate with the inhabitants, -he took occasion now to suggest that the usual way was, when you came -near a house, to go to it, and tell the inhabitants what you had seen -or heard, and then they tell you what they had seen; but we laughed, -and said that we had had enough of houses for the present, and had -come here partly to avoid them. - -In the meanwhile, the wind, increasing, blew down the Indian's birch, -and created such a sea that we found ourselves prisoners on the -island, the nearest shore, which was the western, being perhaps a mile -distant, and we took the canoe out to prevent its drifting away. We -did not know but we should be compelled to spend the rest of the day -and the night there. At any rate, the Indian went to sleep again in -the shade of his birch, my companion busied himself drying his -plants, and I rambled along the shore westward, which was quite stony, -and obstructed with fallen, bleached, or drifted trees for four or -five rods in width. I found growing on this broad, rocky, and gravelly -shore the _Salix rostrata_, _discolor_, and _lucida_, _Ranunculus -recurvatus_, _Potentilla Norvegica_, _Scutellaria lateriflora_, -_Eupatorium purpureum_, _Aster Tradescanti_, _Mentha Canadensis_, -_Epilobium angustifolium_ (abundant), _Lycopus sinuatus_, _Solidago -lanceolata_, _Spiraea salicifolia_, _Antennaria margaraticea_, -_Prunella_, _Rumex Acetosella_, raspberries, wool-grass, _Onoclea_, -etc. The nearest trees were _Betula papyracea_ and _excelsa_, and -_Populus tremuloides_. I give these names because it was my farthest -northern point. - -Our Indian said that he was a doctor, and could tell me some medicinal -use for every plant I could show him. I immediately tried him. He said -that the inner bark of the aspen (_Populus tremuloides_) was good for -sore eyes; and so with various other plants, proving himself as good -as his word. According to his account, he had acquired such knowledge -in his youth from a wise old Indian with whom he associated, and he -lamented that the present generation of Indians "had lost a great -deal." - -He said that the caribou was a "very great runner," that there was -none about this lake now, though there used to be many, and pointing -to the belt of dead trees caused by the dams, he added, "No likum -stump,--when he sees that he scared." - -Pointing southeasterly over the lake and distant forest, he observed, -"Me go Oldtown in three days." I asked how he would get over the -swamps and fallen trees. "Oh," said he, "in winter all covered, go -anywhere on snowshoes, right across lakes." When I asked how he went, -he said, "First I go Ktaadn, west side, then I go Millinocket, then -Pamadumcook, then Nicketow, then Lincoln, then Oldtown," or else he -went a shorter way by the Piscataquis. What a wilderness walk for a -man to take alone! None of your half-mile swamps, none of your -mile-wide woods merely, as on the skirts of our towns, without hotels, -only a dark mountain or a lake for guide-board and station, over -ground much of it impassable in summer! - -It reminded me of Prometheus Bound. Here was traveling of the old -heroic kind over the unaltered face of nature. From the Allegash, or -Hemlock River, and Pongoquahem Lake, across great Apmoojenegamook, and -leaving the Nerlumskeechticook Mountain on his left, he takes his way -under the bear-haunted slopes of Souneunk and Ktaadn Mountains to -Pamadumcook, and Millinocket's inland seas (where often gulls'-eggs -may increase his store), and so on to the forks of the Nicketow -(_niasoseb_, "we alone Joseph," seeing what our folks see), ever -pushing the boughs of the fir and spruce aside, with his load of furs, -contending day and night, night and day, with the shaggy demon -vegetation, traveling through the mossy graveyard of trees. Or he -could go by "that rough tooth of the sea," Kineo, great source of -arrows and of spears to the ancients, when weapons of stone were used. -Seeing and hearing moose, caribou, bears, porcupines, lynxes, wolves, -and panthers. Places where he might live and die and never hear of -the United States, which make such a noise in the world,--never hear -of America, so called from the name of a European gentleman. - -There is a lumberer's road called the Eagle Lake road, from the -Seboois to the east side of this lake. It may seem strange that any -road through such a wilderness should be passable, even in winter, -when the snow is three or four feet deep, but at that season, wherever -lumbering operations are actively carried on, teams are continually -passing on the single track, and it becomes as smooth almost as a -railway. I am told that in the Aroostook country the sleds are -required by law to be of one width (four feet), and sleighs must be -altered to fit the track, so that one runner may go in one rut and the -other follow the horse. Yet it is very bad turning out. - -We had for some time seen a thunder-shower coming up from the west -over the woods of the island, and heard the muttering of the thunder, -though we were in doubt whether it would reach us; but now the -darkness rapidly increasing, and a fresh breeze rustling the forest, -we hastily put up the plants which we had been drying, and with one -consent made a rush for the tent material and set about pitching it. A -place was selected and stakes and pins cut in the shortest possible -time, and we were pinning it down lest it should be blown away, when -the storm suddenly burst over us. - -As we lay huddled together under the tent, which leaked considerably -about the sides, with our baggage at our feet, we listened to some of -the grandest thunder which I ever heard,--rapid peals, round and -plump, bang, bang, bang, in succession, like artillery from some -fortress in the sky; and the lightning was proportionally brilliant. -The Indian said, "It must be good powder." All for the benefit of the -moose and us, echoing far over the concealed lakes. I thought it must -be a place which the thunder loved, where the lightning practiced to -keep its hand in, and it would do no harm to shatter a few pines. What -had become of the ephemerae and devil's-needles then? Were they prudent -enough to seek harbor before the storm? Perhaps their motions might -guide the voyageur. - -Looking out I perceived that the violent shower falling on the lake -had almost instantaneously flattened the waves,--the commander of that -fortress had smoothed it for us so,--and, it clearing off, we resolved -to start immediately, before the wind raised them again. - -Going outside, I said that I saw clouds still in the southwest, and -heard thunder there. The Indian asked if the thunder went "lound" -(round), saying that if it did we should have more rain. I thought -that it did. We embarked, nevertheless, and paddled rapidly back -toward the dams. The white-throated sparrows on the shore were about, -singing, _Ah, te-e-e, te-e-e, te_, or else _ah, te-e-e, te-e-e, -te-e-e, te-e-e_. - -At the outlet of Chamberlain Lake we were overtaken by another gusty -rain-storm, which compelled us to take shelter, the Indian under his -canoe on the bank, and we ran under the edge of the dam. However, we -were more scared than wet. From my covert I could see the Indian -peeping out from beneath his canoe to see what had become of the rain. -When we had taken our respective places thus once or twice, the rain -not coming down in earnest, we commenced rambling about the -neighborhood, for the wind had by this time raised such waves on the -lake that we could not stir, and we feared that we should be obliged -to camp there. We got an early supper on the dam and tried for fish -there, while waiting for the tumult to subside. The fishes were not -only few, but small and worthless, and the Indian declared that there -were no good fishes in the St. John's waters; that we must wait till -we got to the Penobscot waters. - -At length, just before sunset, we set out again. It was a wild evening -when we coasted up the north side of this Apmoojenegamook Lake. One -thunder-storm was just over, and the waves which it had raised still -running with violence, and another storm was now seen coming up in the -southwest, far over the lake; but it might be worse in the morning, -and we wished to get as far as possible on our way up the lake while -we might. It blowed hard against the northern shore about an eighth of -a mile distant on our left, and there was just as much sea as our -shallow canoe would bear, without our taking unusual care. That which -we kept off, and toward which the waves were driving, was as dreary -and harborless a shore as you can conceive. For half a dozen rods in -width it was a perfect maze of submerged trees, all dead and bare and -bleaching, some standing half their original height, others prostrate, -and criss-across, above or beneath the surface, and mingled with them -were loose trees and limbs and stumps, beating about. Imagine the -wharves of the largest city in the world, decayed, and the earth and -planking washed away, leaving the spiles standing in loose order, but -often of twice the ordinary height, and mingled with and beating -against them the wreck of ten thousand navies, all their spars and -timbers, while there rises from the water's edge the densest and -grimmest wilderness, ready to supply more material when the former -fails, and you may get a faint idea of that coast. We could not have -landed if we would, without the greatest danger of being swamped; so -blow as it might, we must depend on coasting by it. It was twilight, -too, and that stormy cloud was advancing rapidly in our rear. It was a -pleasant excitement, yet we were glad to reach, at length, in the -dusk, the cleared shore of the Chamberlain Farm. - -We landed on a low and thinly wooded point there, and while my -companions were pitching the tent, I ran up to the house to get some -sugar, our six pounds being gone;--it was no wonder they were, for -Polis had a sweet tooth. He would first fill his dipper nearly a third -full of sugar, and then add the coffee to it. Here was a clearing -extending back from the lake to a hilltop, with some dark-colored log -buildings and a storehouse in it, and half a dozen men standing in -front of the principal hut, greedy for news. Among them was the man -who tended the dam on the Allegash and tossed the bullet. He having -charge of the dams, and learning that we were going to Webster Stream -the next day, told me that some of their men, who were haying at Telos -Lake, had shut the dam at the canal there in order to catch trout, and -if we wanted more water to take us through the canal, we might raise -the gate, for he would like to have it raised. The Chamberlain Farm is -no doubt a cheerful opening in the woods, but such was the lateness -of the hour that it has left but a dusky impression on my mind. As I -have said, the influx of light merely is civilizing, yet I fancied -that they walked about on Sundays in their clearing somewhat as in a -prison-yard. - -They were unwilling to spare more than four pounds of brown -sugar,--unlocking the storehouse to get it,--since they only kept a -little for such cases as this, and they charged twenty cents a pound -for it, which certainly it was worth to get it up there. - -When I returned to the shore it was quite dark, but we had a rousing -fire to warm and dry us by, and a snug apartment behind it. The Indian -went up to the house to inquire after a brother who had been absent -hunting a year or two, and while another shower was beginning, I -groped about cutting spruce and arbor-vitae twigs for a bed. I -preferred the arbor-vitae on account of its fragrance, and spread it -particularly thick about the shoulders. It is remarkable with what -pure satisfaction the traveler in these woods will reach his -camping-ground on the eve of a tempestuous night like this, as if he -had got to his inn, and, rolling himself in his blanket, stretch -himself on his six-feet-by-two bed of dripping fir twigs, with a thin -sheet of cotton for roof, snug as a meadow-mouse in its nest. -Invariably our best nights were those when it rained, for then we were -not troubled with mosquitoes. - -You soon come to disregard rain on such excursions, at least in the -summer, it is so easy to dry yourself, supposing a dry change of -clothing is not to be had. You can much sooner dry you by such a fire -as you can make in the woods than in anybody's kitchen, the fireplace -is so much larger, and wood so much more abundant. A shed-shaped tent -will catch and reflect the heat like a Yankee baker, and you may be -drying while you are sleeping. - -Some who have leaky roofs in the towns may have been kept awake, but -we were soon lulled asleep by a steady, soaking rain, which lasted all -night. To-night, the rain not coming at once with violence, the twigs -were soon dried by the reflected heat. - - * * * * * - - WEDNESDAY, July 29. - -When we awoke it had done raining, though it was still cloudy. The -fire was put out, and the Indian's boots, which stood under the eaves -of the tent, were half full of water. He was much more improvident in -such respects than either of us, and he had to thank us for keeping -his powder dry. We decided to cross the lake at once, before -breakfast, or while we could; and before starting I took the bearing -of the shore which we wished to strike, S. S. E. about three miles -distant, lest a sudden misty rain should conceal it when we were -midway. Though the bay in which we were was perfectly quiet and -smooth, we found the lake already wide awake outside, but not -dangerously or unpleasantly so; nevertheless, when you get out on one -of those lakes in a canoe like this, you do not forget that you are -completely at the mercy of the wind, and a fickle power it is. The -playful waves may at any time become too rude for you in their sport, -and play right on over you. We saw a few _shecorways_ and a fish hawk -thus early, and after much steady paddling and dancing over the dark -waves of Apmoojenegamook, we found ourselves in the neighborhood of -the southern land, heard the waves breaking on it, and turned our -thoughts wholly to that side. After coasting eastward along this shore -a mile or two, we breakfasted on a rocky point, the first convenient -place that offered. - -It was well enough that we crossed thus early, for the waves now ran -quite high, and we should have been obliged to go round somewhat, but -beyond this point we had comparatively smooth water. You can commonly -go along one side or the other of a lake, when you cannot cross it. - -The Indian was looking at the hard-wood ridges from time to time, and -said that he would like to buy a few hundred acres somewhere about -this lake, asking our advice. It was to buy as near the crossing-place -as possible. - -My companion and I, having a minute's discussion on some point of -ancient history, were amused by the attitude which the Indian, who -could not tell what we were talking about, assumed. He constituted -himself umpire, and, judging by our air and gesture, he very seriously -remarked from time to time, "you beat," or "he beat." - -Leaving a spacious bay, a northeasterly prolongation of Chamberlain -Lake, on our left, we entered through a short strait into a small lake -a couple of miles over, called on the map _Telasinis_, but the Indian -had no distinct name for it, and thence into _Telos_ Lake, which he -called _Paytaywecomgomoc_, or Burnt-Ground Lake. This curved round -toward the northeast, and may have been three or four miles long as -we paddled. He had not been here since 1825. He did not know what -Telos meant; thought it was not Indian. He used the word -"_spokelogan_" (for an inlet in the shore which led nowhere), and when -I asked its meaning said that there was "no Indian in 'em." There was -a clearing, with a house and barn, on the southwest shore, temporarily -occupied by some men who were getting the hay, as we had been told; -also a clearing for a pasture on a hill on the west side of the lake. - -We landed on a rocky point on the northeast side, to look at some red -pines (_Pinus resinosa_), the first we had noticed, and get some -cones, for our few which grow in Concord do not bear any. - -The outlet from the lake into the East Branch of the Penobscot is an -artificial one, and it was not very apparent where it was exactly, but -the lake ran curving far up northeasterly into two narrow valleys or -ravines, as if it had for a long time been groping its way toward the -Penobscot waters, or remembered when it anciently flowed there; by -observing where the horizon was lowest, and following the longest of -these, we at length reached the dam, having come about a dozen miles -from the last camp. Somebody had left a line set for trout, and the -jack knife with which the bait had been cut on the dam beside it, an -evidence that man was near, and on a deserted log close by a loaf of -bread baked in a Yankee baker. These proved the property of a solitary -hunter, whom we soon met, and canoe and gun and traps were not far -off. He told us that it was twenty miles farther on our route to the -foot of Grand Lake, where you could catch as many trout as you -wanted, and that the first house below the foot of the lake, on the -East Branch, was Hunt's, about forty-five miles farther; though there -was one about a mile and a half up Trout Stream, some fifteen miles -ahead, but it was rather a blind route to it. It turned out that, -though the stream was in our favor, we did not reach the next house -till the morning of the third day after this. The nearest permanently -inhabited house behind us was now a dozen miles distant, so that the -interval between the two nearest houses on our route was about sixty -miles. - -This hunter, who was a quite small, sunburnt man, having already -carried his canoe over, and baked his loaf, had nothing so interesting -and pressing to do as to observe our transit. He had been out a month -or more alone. How much more wild and adventurous his life than that -of the hunter in Concord woods, who gets back to his house and the -mill-dam every night! Yet they in the towns who have wild oats to sow -commonly sow them on cultivated and comparatively exhausted ground. -And as for the rowdy world in the large cities, so little enterprise -has it that it never adventures in this direction, but like vermin -clubs together in alleys and drinking-saloons, its highest -accomplishment, perchance, to run beside a fire-engine and throw -brickbats. But the former is comparatively an independent and -successful man, getting his living in a way that he likes, without -disturbing his human neighbors. How much more respectable also is the -life of the solitary pioneer or settler in these, or any -woods,--having real difficulties, not of his own creation, drawing his -subsistence directly from nature,--than that of the helpless -multitudes in the towns who depend on gratifying the extremely -artificial wants of society and are thrown out of employment by hard -times! - -Here for the first time we found the raspberries really plenty,--that -is, on passing the height of land between the Allegash and the East -Branch of the Penobscot; the same was true of the blueberries. - -Telos Lake, the head of the St. John on this side, and Webster Pond, -the head of the East Branch of the Penobscot, are only about a mile -apart, and they are connected by a ravine, in which but little digging -was required to make the water of the former, which is the highest, -flow into the latter. This canal, which is something less than a mile -long and about four rods wide, was made a few years before my first -visit to Maine. Since then the lumber of the upper Allegash and its -lakes has been run down the Penobscot, that is, up the Allegash, which -here consists principally of a chain of large and stagnant lakes, -whose thoroughfares, or river-links, have been made nearly equally -stagnant by damming, and then down the Penobscot. The rush of the -water has produced such changes in the canal that it has now the -appearance of a very rapid mountain stream flowing through a ravine, -and you would not suspect that any digging had been required to -persuade the waters of the St. John to flow into the Penobscot here. -It was so winding that one could see but little way down. - -It is stated by Springer, in his "Forest Life," that the cause of this -canal being dug was this: according to the treaty of 1842 with Great -Britain, it was agreed that all the timber run down the St. John, -which rises in Maine, "when within the Province of New Brunswick ... -shall be dealt with as if it were the produce of the said Province," -which was thought by our side to mean that it should be free from -taxation. Immediately, the Province, wishing to get something out of -the Yankees, levied a duty on all the timber that passed down the St. -John; but to satisfy its own subjects "made a corresponding discount -on the stumpage charged those hauling timber from the crown lands." -The result was that the Yankees made the St. John run the other way, -or down the Penobscot, so that the Province lost both its duty and its -water, while the Yankees, being greatly enriched, had reason to thank -it for the suggestion. - -It is wonderful how well watered this country is. As you paddle across -a lake, bays will be pointed out to you, by following up which, and -perhaps the tributary stream which empties in, you may, after a short -portage, or possibly, at some seasons, none at all, get into another -river, which empties far away from the one you are on. Generally, you -may go in any direction in a canoe, by making frequent but not very -long portages. You are only realizing once more what all nature -distinctly remembers here, for no doubt the waters flowed thus in a -former geological period, and, instead of being a lake country, it was -an archipelago. It seems as if the more youthful and impressible -streams can hardly resist the numerous invitations and temptations to -leave their native beds and run down their neighbors' channels. Your -carries are often over half-submerged ground, on the dry channels of a -former period. In carrying from one river to another, I did not go -over such high and rocky ground as in going about the falls of the -same river. For in the former case I was once lost in a swamp, as I -have related, and, again, found an artificial canal which appeared to -be natural. - -I remember once dreaming of pushing a canoe up the rivers of Maine, -and that, when I had got so high that the channels were dry, I kept on -through the ravines and gorges, nearly as well as before, by pushing a -little harder, and now it seemed to me that my dream was partially -realized. - -Wherever there is a channel for water, there is a road for the canoe. -The pilot of the steamer which ran from Oldtown up the Penobscot in -1854 told me that she drew only fourteen inches, and would run easily -in two feet of water, though they did not like to. It is said that -some Western steamers can run on a heavy dew, whence we can imagine -what a canoe may do. Montresor, who was sent from Quebec by the -English about 1760 to explore the route to the Kennebec, over which -Arnold afterward passed, supplied the Penobscot near its source with -water by opening the beaver-dams, and he says, "This is often done." -He afterward states that the Governor of Canada had forbidden to -molest the beaver about the outlet of the Kennebec from Moosehead -Lake, on account of the service which their dams did by raising the -water for navigation. - -This canal, so called, was a considerable and extremely rapid and -rocky river. The Indian decided that there was water enough in it -without raising the dam, which would only make it more violent, and -that he would run down it alone, while we carried the greater part of -the baggage. Our provision being about half consumed, there was the -less left in the canoe. We had thrown away the pork-keg, and wrapt its -contents in birch bark, which is the unequaled wrapping-paper of the -woods. - -Following a moist trail through the forest, we reached the head of -Webster Pond about the same time with the Indian, notwithstanding the -velocity with which he moved, our route being the most direct. The -Indian name of Webster Stream, of which this pond is the source, is, -according to him, _Madunkchunk_, _i. e._, Height of Land, and of the -pond, _Madunkchunk-gamooc_, or Height of Land Pond. The latter was two -or three miles long. We passed near a pine on its shore which had been -splintered by lightning, perhaps the day before. This was the first -proper East Branch Penobscot water that we came to. - -At the outlet of Webster Lake was another dam, at which we stopped and -picked raspberries, while the Indian went down the stream a half-mile -through the forest, to see what he had got to contend with. There was -a deserted log camp here, apparently used the previous winter, with -its "hovel" or barn for cattle. In the hut was a large fir twig bed, -raised two feet from the floor, occupying a large part of the single -apartment, a long narrow table against the wall, with a stout log -bench before it, and above the table a small window, the only one -there was, which admitted a feeble light. It was a simple and strong -fort erected against the cold, and suggested what valiant trencher -work had been done there. I discovered one or two curious wooden -traps, which had not been used for a long time, in the woods near by. -The principal part consisted of a long and slender pole. - -We got our dinner on the shore, on the upper side of the dam. As we -were sitting by our fire, concealed by the earth bank of the dam, a -long line of sheldrake, half-grown, came waddling over it from the -water below, passing within about a rod of us, so that we could almost -have caught them in our hands. They were very abundant on all the -streams and lakes which we visited, and every two or three hours they -would rush away in a long string over the water before us, twenty to -fifty of them at once, rarely ever flying, but running with great -rapidity up or down the stream, even in the midst of the most violent -rapids, and apparently as fast up as down, or else crossing -diagonally, the old, as it appeared, behind, and driving them, and -flying to the front from time to time, as if to direct them. We also -saw many small black dippers, which behaved in a similar manner, and, -once or twice, a few black ducks. - -An Indian at Oldtown had told us that we should be obliged to carry -ten miles between Telos Lake on the St. John and Second Lake on the -East Branch of the Penobscot; but the lumberers whom we met assured us -that there would not be more than a mile of carry. It turned out that -the Indian, who had lately been over this route, was nearest right, as -far as we were concerned. However, if one of us could have assisted -the Indian in managing the canoe in the rapids, we might have run the -greater part of the way; but as he was alone in the management of the -canoe in such places, we were obliged to walk the greater part. I did -not feel quite ready to try such an experiment on Webster Stream, -which has so bad a reputation. According to my observation, a batteau, -properly manned, shoots rapids as a matter of course, which a single -Indian with a canoe carries round. - -My companion and I carried a good part of the baggage on our -shoulders, while the Indian took that which would be least injured by -wet in the canoe. We did not know when we should see him again, for he -had not been this way since the canal was cut, nor for more than -thirty years. He agreed to stop when he got to smooth water, come up -and find our path if he could, and halloo for us, and after waiting a -reasonable time go on and try again,--and we were to look out in like -manner for him. - -He commenced by running through the sluiceway and over the dam, as -usual, standing up in his tossing canoe, and was soon out of sight -behind a point in a wild gorge. This Webster Stream is well known to -lumbermen as a difficult one. It is exceedingly rapid and rocky, and -also shallow, and can hardly be considered navigable, unless that may -mean that what is launched in it is sure to be carried swiftly down -it, though it may be dashed to pieces by the way. It is somewhat like -navigating a thunder-spout. With commonly an irresistible force urging -you on, you have got to choose your own course each moment, between -the rocks and shallows, and to get into it, moving forward always with -the utmost possible moderation, and often holding on, if you can, that -you may inspect the rapids before you. - -By the Indian's direction we took an old path on the south side, -which appeared to keep down the stream, though at a considerable -distance from it, cutting off bends, perhaps to Second Lake, having -first taken the course from the map with a compass, which was -northeasterly, for safety. It was a wild wood-path, with a few tracks -of oxen which had been driven over it, probably to some old camp -clearing, for pasturage, mingled with the tracks of moose which had -lately used it. We kept on steadily for about an hour without putting -down our packs, occasionally winding around or climbing over a fallen -tree, for the most part far out of sight and hearing of the river; -till, after walking about three miles, we were glad to find that the -path came to the river again at an old camp ground, where there was a -small opening in the forest, at which we paused. Swiftly as the -shallow and rocky river ran here, a continuous rapid with dancing -waves, I saw, as I sat on the shore, a long string of sheldrakes, -which something scared, run up the opposite side of the stream by me, -with the same ease that they commonly did down it, just touching the -surface of the waves, and getting an impulse from them as they flowed -from under them; but they soon came back, driven by the Indian, who -had fallen a little behind us on account of the windings. He shot -round a point just above, and came to land by us with considerable -water in his canoe. He had found it, as he said, "very strong water," -and had been obliged to land once before to empty out what he had -taken in. He complained that it strained him to paddle so hard in -order to keep his canoe straight in its course, having no one in the -bows to aid him, and, shallow as it was, said that it would be no -joke to upset there, for the force of the water was such that he had -as lief I would strike him over the head with a paddle as have that -water strike him. Seeing him come out of that gap was as if you should -pour water down an inclined and zigzag trough, then drop a nutshell -into it, and, taking a short cut to the bottom, get there in time to -see it come out, notwithstanding the rush and tumult, right side up, -and only partly full of water. - -After a moment's breathing-space, while I held his canoe, he was soon -out of sight again around another bend, and we, shouldering our packs, -resumed our course. - -We did not at once fall into our path again, but made our way with -difficulty along the edge of the river, till at length, striking -inland through the forest, we recovered it. Before going a mile we -heard the Indian calling to us. He had come up through the woods and -along the path to find us, having reached sufficiently smooth water to -warrant his taking us in. The shore was about one fourth of a mile -distant, through a dense, dark forest, and as he led us back to it, -winding rapidly about to the right and left, I had the curiosity to -look down carefully, and found that he was following his steps -backward. I could only occasionally perceive his trail in the moss, -and yet he did not appear to look down nor hesitate an instant, but -led us out exactly to his canoe. This surprised me; for without a -compass, or the sight or noise of the river to guide us, we could not -have kept our course many minutes, and could have retraced our steps -but a short distance, with a great deal of pains and very slowly, -using a laborious circumspection. But it was evident that he could go -back through the forest wherever he had been during the day. - -After this rough walking in the dark woods it was an agreeable change -to glide down the rapid river in the canoe once more. This river, -which was about the size of our Assabet (in Concord), though still -very swift, was almost perfectly smooth here, and showed a very -visible declivity, a regularly inclined plane, for several miles, like -a mirror set a little aslant, on which we coasted down. This very -obvious regular descent, particularly plain when I regarded the -water-line against the shores, made a singular impression on me, which -the swiftness of our motion probably enhanced, so that we seemed to be -gliding down a much steeper declivity than we were, and that we could -not save ourselves from rapids and falls if we should suddenly come to -them. My companion did not perceive this slope, but I have a -surveyor's eyes, and I satisfied myself that it was no ocular -illusion. You could tell at a glance on approaching such a river which -way the water flowed, though you might perceive no motion. I observed -the angle at which a level line would strike the surface, and -calculated the amount of fall in a rod, which did not need to be -remarkably great to produce this effect. - -It was very exhilarating, and the perfection of traveling, quite -unlike floating on our dead Concord River, the coasting down this -inclined mirror, which was now and then gently winding, down a -mountain, indeed, between two evergreen forests, edged with lofty dead -white pines, sometimes slanted half-way over the stream, and destined -soon to bridge it. I saw some monsters there, nearly destitute of -branches, and scarcely diminishing in diameter for eighty or ninety -feet. - -As we thus swept along, our Indian repeated in a deliberate and -drawling tone the words "Daniel Webster, great lawyer," apparently -reminded of him by the name of the stream, and he described his -calling on him once in Boston, at what he supposed was his -boarding-house. He had no business with him, but merely went to pay -his respects, as we should say. In answer to our questions, he -described his person well enough. It was on the day after Webster -delivered his Bunker Hill oration, which I believe Polis heard. The -first time he called he waited till he was tired without seeing him, -and then went away. The next time, he saw him go by the door of the -room in which he was waiting several times, in his shirt-sleeves, -without noticing him. He thought that if he had come to see Indians, -they would not have treated him so. At length, after very long delay, -he came in, walked toward him, and asked in a loud voice, gruffly, -"What do you want?" and he, thinking at first, by the motion of his -hand, that he was going to strike him, said to himself, "You'd better -take care; if you try that I shall know what to do." He did not like -him, and declared that all he said "was not worth talk about a -musquash." We suggested that probably Mr. Webster was very busy, and -had a great many visitors just then. - -Coming to falls and rapids, our easy progress was suddenly terminated. -The Indian went alongshore to inspect the water, while we climbed over -the rocks, picking berries. The peculiar growth of blueberries on the -tops of large rocks here made the impression of high land, and indeed -this was the Height-of-Land Stream. When the Indian came back, he -remarked, "You got to walk; ver strong water." So, taking out his -canoe, he launched it again below the falls, and was soon out of -sight. At such times he would step into the canoe, take up his paddle, -and, with an air of mystery, start off, looking far down-stream, and -keeping his own counsel, as if absorbing all the intelligence of -forest and stream into himself; but I sometimes detected a little fun -in his face, which could yield to my sympathetic smile, for he was -thoroughly good-humored. We meanwhile scrambled along the shore with -our packs, without any path. This was the last of _our_ boating for -the day. - -The prevailing rock here was a kind of slate, standing on its edges, -and my companion, who was recently from California, thought it exactly -like that in which the gold is found, and said that if he had had a -pan he would have liked to wash a little of the sand here. - -The Indian now got along much faster than we, and waited for us from -time to time. I found here the only cool spring that I drank at -anywhere on this excursion, a little water filling a hollow in the -sandy bank. It was a quite memorable event, and due to the elevation -of the country, for wherever else we had been the water in the rivers -and the streams emptying in was dead and warm, compared with that of a -mountainous region. It was very bad walking along the shore over -fallen and drifted trees and bushes, and rocks, from time to time -swinging ourselves round over the water, or else taking to a gravel -bar or going inland. At one place, the Indian being ahead, I was -obliged to take off all my clothes in order to ford a small but deep -stream emptying in, while my companion, who was inland, found a rude -bridge, high up in the woods, and I saw no more of him for some time. -I saw there very fresh moose tracks, found a new goldenrod to me -(perhaps _Solidago thyrsoidea_), and I passed one white pine log, -which had lodged, in the forest near the edge of the stream, which was -quite five feet in diameter at the butt. Probably its size detained -it. - -Shortly after this I overtook the Indian at the edge of some burnt -land, which extended three or four miles at least, beginning about -three miles above Second Lake, which we were expecting to reach that -night, and which is about ten miles from Telos Lake. This burnt region -was still more rocky than before, but, though comparatively open, we -could not yet see the lake. Not having seen my companion for some -time, I climbed, with the Indian, a singular high rock on the edge of -the river, forming a narrow ridge only a foot or two wide at top, in -order to look for him; and, after calling many times, I at length -heard him answer from a considerable distance inland, he having taken -a trail which led off from the river, perhaps directly to the lake, -and was now in search of the river again. Seeing a much higher rock, -of the same character, about one third of a mile farther east, or -down-stream, I proceeded toward it, through the burnt land, in order -to look for the lake from its summit, supposing that the Indian would -keep down the stream in his canoe, and hallooing all the while that my -companion might join me on the way. Before we came together I noticed -where a moose, which possibly I had scared by my shouting, had -apparently just run along a large rotten trunk of a pine, which made -a bridge, thirty or forty feet long, over a hollow, as convenient for -him as for me. The tracks were as large as those of an ox, but an ox -could not have crossed there. This burnt land was an exceedingly wild -and desolate region. Judging by the weeds and sprouts, it appeared to -have been burnt about two years before. It was covered with charred -trunks, either prostrate or standing, which crocked our clothes and -hands, and we could not easily have distinguished a bear there by his -color. Great shells of trees, sometimes unburnt without, or burnt on -one side only, but black within, stood twenty or forty feet high. The -fire had run up inside, as in a chimney, leaving the sap-wood. -Sometimes we crossed a rocky ravine fifty feet wide, on a fallen -trunk; and there were great fields of fire-weed (_Epilobium -angustifolium_) on all sides, the most extensive that I ever saw, -which presented great masses of pink. Intermixed with these were -blueberry and raspberry bushes. - -Having crossed a second rocky ridge like the first, when I was -beginning to ascend the third, the Indian, whom I had left on the -shore some fifty rods behind, beckoned to me to come to him, but I -made sign that I would first ascend the highest rock before me, whence -I expected to see the lake. My companion accompanied me to the top. -This was formed just like the others. Being struck with the perfect -parallelism of these singular rock hills, however much one might be in -advance of another, I took out my compass and found that they lay -northwest and southeast, the rock being on its edge, and sharp edges -they were. This one, to speak from memory, was perhaps a third of a -mile in length, but quite narrow, rising gradually from the northwest -to the height of about eighty feet, but steep on the southeast end. -The southwest side was as steep as an ordinary roof, or as we could -safely climb; the northeast was an abrupt precipice from which you -could jump clean to the bottom, near which the river flowed; while the -level top of the ridge, on which you walked along, was only from one -to three or four feet in width. For a rude illustration, take the half -of a pear cut in two lengthwise, lay it on its flat side, the stem to -the northwest, and then halve it vertically in the direction of its -length, keeping the southwest half. Such was the general form. - -There was a remarkable series of these great rock-waves revealed by -the burning; breakers, as it were. No wonder that the river that found -its way through them was rapid and obstructed by falls. No doubt the -absence of soil on these rocks, or its dryness where there was any, -caused this to be a very thorough burning. We could see the lake over -the woods, two or three miles ahead, and that the river made an abrupt -turn southward around the northwest end of the cliff on which we -stood, or a little above us, so that we had cut off a bend, and that -there was an important fall in it a short distance below us. I could -see the canoe a hundred rods behind, but now on the opposite shore, -and supposed that the Indian had concluded to take out and carry round -some bad rapids on that side, and that that might be what he had -beckoned to me for; but after waiting a while I could still see -nothing of him, and I observed to my companion that I wondered where -he was, though I began to suspect that he had gone inland to look for -the lake from some hilltop on that side, as we had done. This proved -to be the case; for after I had started to return to the canoe, I -heard a faint halloo, and descried him on the top of a distant rocky -hill on that side. But as, after a long time had elapsed, I still saw -his canoe in the same place, and he had not returned to it, and -appeared in no hurry to do so, and, moreover, as I remembered that he -had previously beckoned to me, I thought that there might be something -more to delay him than I knew, and began to return northwest, along -the ridge, toward the angle in the river. My companion, who had just -been separated from us, and had even contemplated the necessity of -camping alone, wishing to husband his steps, and yet to keep with us, -inquired where I was going; to which I answered that I was going far -enough back to communicate with the Indian, and that then I thought we -had better go along the shore together, and keep him in sight. - -When we reached the shore, the Indian appeared from out the woods on -the opposite side, but on account of the roar of the water it was -difficult to communicate with him. He kept along the shore westward to -his canoe, while we stopped at the angle where the stream turned -southward around the precipice. I again said to my companion that we -would keep along the shore and keep the Indian in sight. We started to -do so, being close together, the Indian behind us having launched his -canoe again, but just then I saw the latter, who had crossed to our -side, forty or fifty rods behind, beckoning to me, and I called to my -companion, who had just disappeared behind large rocks at the point -of the precipice, three or four rods before me, on his way down the -stream, that I was going to help the Indian a moment. I did -so,--helped get the canoe over a fall, lying with my breast over a -rock, and holding one end while he received it below,--and within ten -or fifteen minutes at most I was back again at the point where the -river turned southward, in order to catch up with my companion, while -Polis glided down the river alone, parallel with me. But to my -surprise, when I rounded the precipice, though the shore was bare of -trees, without rocks, for a quarter of a mile at least, my companion -was not to be seen. It was as if he had sunk into the earth. This was -the more unaccountable to me, because I knew that his feet were, since -our swamp walk, very sore, and that he wished to keep with the party; -and besides this was very bad walking, climbing over or about the -rocks. I hastened along, hallooing and searching for him, thinking he -might be concealed behind a rock, yet doubting if he had not taken the -other side of the precipice, but the Indian had got along still faster -in his canoe, till he was arrested by the falls, about a quarter of a -mile below. He then landed, and said that we could go no farther that -night. The sun was setting, and on account of falls and rapids we -should be obliged to leave this river and carry a good way into -another farther east. The first thing then was to find my companion, -for I was now very much alarmed about him, and I sent the Indian along -the shore down-stream, which began to be covered with unburnt wood -again just below the falls, while I searched backward about the -precipice which we had passed. The Indian showed some unwillingness -to exert himself, complaining that he was very tired, in consequence -of his day's work, that it had strained him very much getting down so -many rapids alone; but he went off calling somewhat like an owl. I -remembered that my companion was near-sighted, and I feared that he -had either fallen from the precipice, or fainted and sunk down amid -the rocks beneath it. I shouted and searched above and below this -precipice in the twilight till I could not see, expecting nothing less -than to find his body beneath it. For half an hour I anticipated and -believed only the worst. I thought what I should do the next day if I -did not find him, what I _could_ do in such a wilderness, and how his -relatives would feel, if I should return without him. I felt that if -he were really lost away from the river there, it would be a desperate -undertaking to find him; and where were they who could help you? What -would it be to raise the country, where there were only two or three -camps, twenty or thirty miles apart, and no road, and perhaps nobody -at home? Yet we must try the harder, the less the prospect of success. - -I rushed down from this precipice to the canoe in order to fire the -Indian's gun, but found that my companion had the caps. I was still -thinking of getting it off when the Indian returned. He had not found -him, but he said that he had seen his tracks once or twice along the -shore. This encouraged me very much. He objected to firing the gun, -saying that if my companion heard it, which was not likely, on account -of the roar of the stream, it would tempt him to come toward us, and -he might break his neck in the dark. For the same reason we refrained -from lighting a fire on the highest rock. I proposed that we should -both keep down the stream to the lake, or that I should go at any -rate, but the Indian said: "No use, can't do anything in the dark; -come morning, then we find 'em. No harm,--he make 'em camp. No bad -animals here, no gristly bears, such as in California, where he's -been,--warm night,--he well off as you and I." I considered that if he -was well he could do without us. He had just lived eight years in -California, and had plenty of experience with wild beasts and wilder -men, was peculiarly accustomed to make journeys of great length; but -if he were sick or dead, he was near where we were. The darkness in -the woods was by this so thick that it alone decided the question. We -must camp where we were. I knew that he had his knapsack, with -blankets and matches, and, if well, would fare no worse than we, -except that he would have no supper nor society. - -This side of the river being so encumbered with rocks, we crossed to -the eastern or smoother shore, and proceeded to camp there, within two -or three rods of the falls. We pitched no tent, but lay on the sand, -putting a few handfuls of grass and twigs under us, there being no -evergreen at hand. For fuel we had some of the charred stumps. Our -various bags of provisions had got quite wet in the rapids, and I -arranged them about the fire to dry. The fall close by was the -principal one on this stream, and it shook the earth under us. It was -a cool, because dewy, night; the more so, probably, owing to the -nearness of the falls. The Indian complained a good deal, and thought -afterward that he got a cold there which occasioned a more serious -illness. We were not much troubled by mosquitoes at any rate. I lay -awake a good deal from anxiety, but, unaccountably to myself, was at -length comparatively at ease respecting him. At first I had -apprehended the worst, but now I had little doubt but that I should -find him in the morning. From time to time I fancied that I heard his -voice calling through the roar of the falls from the opposite side of -the river; but it is doubtful if we could have heard him across the -stream there. Sometimes I doubted whether the Indian had really seen -his tracks, since he manifested an unwillingness to make much of a -search, and then my anxiety returned. - -It was the most wild and desolate region we had camped in, where, if -anywhere, one might expect to meet with befitting inhabitants, but I -heard only the squeak of a nighthawk flitting over. The moon in her -first quarter, in the fore part of the night, setting over the bare -rocky hills garnished with tall, charred, and hollow stumps or shells -of trees, served to reveal the desolation. - - * * * * * - - THURSDAY, July 30. - -I aroused the Indian early this morning to go in search of our -companion, expecting to find him within a mile or two, farther down -the stream. The Indian wanted his breakfast first, but I reminded him -that my companion had had neither breakfast nor supper. We were -obliged first to carry our canoe and baggage over into another stream, -the main East Branch, about three fourths of a mile distant, for -Webster Stream was no farther navigable. We went twice over this -carry, and the dewy bushes wet us through like water up to the -middle; I hallooed in a high key from time to time, though I had -little expectation that I could be heard over the roar of the rapids, -and, moreover, we were necessarily on the opposite side of the stream -to him. In going over this portage the last time, the Indian, who was -before me with the canoe on his head, stumbled and fell heavily once, -and lay for a moment silent, as if in pain. I hastily stepped forward -to help him, asking if he was much hurt, but after a moment's pause, -without replying, he sprang up and went forward. He was all the way -subject to taciturn fits, but they were harmless ones. - -We had launched our canoe and gone but little way down the East -Branch, when I heard an answering shout from my companion, and soon -after saw him standing on a point where there was a clearing a quarter -of a mile below, and the smoke of his fire was rising near by. Before -I saw him I naturally shouted again and again, but the Indian curtly -remarked, "He hears you," as if once was enough. It was just below the -mouth of Webster Stream. When we arrived, he was smoking his pipe, and -said that he had passed a pretty comfortable night, though it was -rather cold, on account of the dew. - -It appeared that when we stood together the previous evening, and I -was shouting to the Indian across the river, he, being near-sighted, -had not seen the Indian nor his canoe, and when I went back to the -Indian's assistance, did not see which way I went, and supposed that -we were below and not above him, and so, making haste to catch up, he -ran away from us. Having reached this clearing, a mile or more below -our camp, the night overtook him, and he made a fire in a little -hollow, and lay down by it in his blanket, still thinking that we were -ahead of him. He thought it likely that he had heard the Indian call -once the evening before, but mistook it for an owl. He had seen one -botanical rarity before it was dark,--pure white _Epilobium -angustifolium_ amidst the fields of pink ones, in the burnt lands. He -had already stuck up the remnant of a lumberer's shirt, found on the -point, on a pole by the waterside, for a signal, and attached a note -to it, to inform us that he had gone on to the lake, and that if he -did not find us there, he would be back in a couple of hours. If he -had not found us soon, he had some thoughts of going back in search of -the solitary hunter whom we had met at Telos Lake, ten miles behind, -and, if successful, hire him to take him to Bangor. But if this hunter -had moved as fast as we, he would have been twenty miles off by this -time, and who could guess in what direction? It would have been like -looking for a needle in a haymow, to search for him in these woods. He -had been considering how long he could live on berries alone. - -We substituted for his note a card containing our names and -destination, and the date of our visit, which Polis neatly inclosed in -a piece of birch bark to keep it dry. This has probably been read by -some hunter or explorer ere this. - -We all had good appetites for the breakfast which we made haste to -cook here, and then, having partially dried our clothes, we glided -swiftly down the winding stream toward Second Lake. - -As the shores became flatter with frequent gravel and sand-bars, and -the stream more winding in the lower land near the lake, elms and ash -trees made their appearance; also the wild yellow lily (_Lilium -Canadense_), some of whose bulbs I collected for a soup. On some -ridges the burnt land extended as far as the lake. This was a very -beautiful lake, two or three miles long, with high mountains on the -southwest side, the (as our Indian said) _Nerlumskeechticook_, _i. -e._, Deadwater Mountain. It appears to be the same called Carbuncle -Mountain on the map. According to Polis, it extends in separate -elevations all along this and the next lake, which is much larger. The -lake, too, I think, is called by the same name, or perhaps with the -addition of _gamoc_ or _mooc_. The morning was a bright one, and -perfectly still and serene, the lake as smooth as glass, we making the -only ripple as we paddled into it. The dark mountains about it were -seen through a glaucous mist, and the brilliant white stems of canoe -birches mingled with the other woods around it. The wood thrush sang -on the distant shore, and the laugh of some loons, sporting in a -concealed western bay, as if inspired by the morning, came distinct -over the lake to us, and, what was more remarkable, the echo which ran -round the lake was much louder than the original note; probably -because, the loon being in a regularly curving bay under the mountain, -we were exactly in the focus of many echoes, the sound being reflected -like light from a concave mirror. The beauty of the scene may have -been enhanced to our eyes by the fact that we had just come together -again after a night of some anxiety. This reminded me of the Ambejijis -Lake on the West Branch, which I crossed in my first coming to Maine. -Having paddled down three quarters of the lake, we came to a -standstill, while my companion let down for fish. A white (or whitish) -gull sat on a rock which rose above the surface in mid-lake not far -off, quite in harmony with the scene; and as we rested there in the -warm sun, we heard one loud crushing or crackling sound from the -forest, forty or fifty rods distant, as of a stick broken by the foot -of some large animal. Even this was an interesting incident there. In -the midst of our dreams of giant lake trout, even then supposed to be -nibbling, our fishermen drew up a diminutive red perch, and we took up -our paddles again in haste. - -It was not apparent where the outlet of this lake was, and while the -Indian thought it was in one direction, I thought it was in another. -He said, "I bet you four-pence it is there," but he still held on in -my direction, which proved to be the right one. As we were approaching -the outlet, it being still early in the forenoon, he suddenly -exclaimed, "Moose! moose!" and told us to be still. He put a cap on -his gun, and, standing up in the stern, rapidly pushed the canoe -straight toward the shore and the moose. It was a cow moose, about -thirty rods off, standing in the water by the side of the outlet, -partly behind some fallen timber and bushes, and at that distance she -did not look very large. She was flapping her large ears, and from -time to time poking off the flies with her nose from some part of her -body. She did not appear much alarmed by our neighborhood, only -occasionally turned her head and looked straight at us, and then gave -her attention to the flies again. As we approached nearer she got out -of the water, stood higher, and regarded us more suspiciously. Polis -pushed the canoe steadily forward in the shallow water, and I for a -moment forgot the moose in attending to some pretty rose-colored -Polygonums just rising above the surface, but the canoe soon grounded -in the mud eight or ten rods distant from the moose, and the Indian -seized his gun and prepared to fire. After standing still a moment, -she turned slowly, as usual, so as to expose her side, and he improved -this moment to fire, over our heads. She thereupon moved off eight or -ten rods at a moderate pace, across a shallow bay, to an old -standing-place of hers, behind some fallen red maples, on the opposite -shore, and there she stood still again a dozen or fourteen rods from -us, while the Indian hastily loaded and fired twice at her, without -her moving. My companion, who passed him his caps and bullets, said -that Polis was as excited as a boy of fifteen, that his hand trembled, -and he once put his ramrod back upside down. This was remarkable for -so experienced a hunter. Perhaps he was anxious to make a good shot -before us. The white hunter had told me that the Indians were not good -shots, because they were excited, though he said that we had got a -good hunter with us. - -The Indian now pushed quickly and quietly back, and a long distance -round, in order to get into the outlet,--for he had fired over the -neck of a peninsula between it and the lake,--till we approached the -place where the moose had stood, when he exclaimed, "She is a goner!" -and was surprised that we did not see her as soon as he did. There, to -be sure, she lay perfectly dead, with her tongue hanging out, just -where she had stood to receive the last shots, looking unexpectedly -large and horse-like, and we saw where the bullets had scarred the -trees. - -Using a tape, I found that the moose measured just six feet from the -shoulder to the tip of the hoof, and was eight feet long as she lay. -Some portions of the body, for a foot in diameter, were almost covered -with flies, apparently the common fly of our woods, with a dark spot -on the wing, and not the very large ones which occasionally pursued us -in midstream, though both are called moose-flies. - -Polis, preparing to skin the moose, asked me to help him find a stone -on which to sharpen his large knife. It being all a flat alluvial -ground where the moose had fallen, covered with red maples, etc., this -was no easy matter; we searched far and wide, a long time, till at -length I found a flat kind of slate-stone, and soon after he returned -with a similar one, on which he soon made his knife very sharp. - -While he was skinning the moose, I proceeded to ascertain what kind of -fishes were to be found in the sluggish and muddy outlet. The greatest -difficulty was to find a pole. It was almost impossible to find a -slender, straight pole ten or twelve feet long in those woods. You -might search half an hour in vain. They are commonly spruce, -arbor-vitae, fir, etc., short, stout, and branchy, and do not make good -fish-poles, even after you have patiently cut off all their tough and -scraggy branches. The fishes were red perch and chivin. - -The Indian, having cut off a large piece of sirloin, the upper lip, -and the tongue, wrapped them in the hide, and placed them in the -bottom of the canoe, observing that there was "one man," meaning the -weight of one. Our load had previously been reduced some thirty -pounds, but a hundred pounds were now added,--a serious addition, -which made our quarters still more narrow, and considerably increased -the danger on the lakes and rapids, as well as the labor of the -carries. The skin was ours according to custom, since the Indian was -in our employ, but we did not think of claiming it. He being a -skillful dresser of moose-hides would make it worth seven or eight -dollars to him, as I was told. He said that he sometimes earned fifty -or sixty dollars in a day at them; he had killed ten moose in one day, -though the skinning and all took two days. This was the way he had got -his property. There were the tracks of a calf thereabouts, which he -said would come "by, by," and he could get it if we cared to wait, but -I cast cold water on the project. - -We continued along the outlet toward Grand Lake, through a swampy -region, by a long, winding, and narrow dead water, very much choked up -by wood, where we were obliged to land sometimes in order to get the -canoe over a log. It was hard to find any channel, and we did not know -but we should be lost in the swamp. It abounded in ducks, as usual. At -length we reached Grand Lake, which the Indian called _Matungamook_. - -At the head of this we saw, coming in from the southwest, with a sweep -apparently from a gorge in the mountains, Trout Stream, or -_Uncardnerheese_, which name, the Indian said, had something to do -with mountains. - -We stopped to dine on an interesting high rocky island, soon after -entering Matungamook Lake, securing our canoe to the cliffy shore. It -is always pleasant to step from a boat on to a large rock or cliff. -Here was a good opportunity to dry our dewy blankets on the open sunny -rock. Indians had recently camped here, and accidentally burned over -the western end of the island, and Polis picked up a gun-case of blue -broadcloth, and said that he knew the Indian it belonged to, and would -carry it to him. His tribe is not so large but he may know all its -effects. We proceeded to make a fire and cook our dinner amid some -pines, where our predecessors had done the same, while the Indian -busied himself about his moose-hide on the shore, for he said that he -thought it a good plan for one to do all the cooking, _i. e._, I -suppose, if that one were not himself. A peculiar evergreen overhung -our fire, which at first glance looked like a pitch pine (_P. -rigida_), with leaves little more than an inch long, spruce-like, but -we found it to be the _Pinus Banksiana_,--"Banks's, or the Labrador -Pine," also called scrub pine, gray pine, etc., a new tree to us. -These must have been good specimens, for several were thirty or -thirty-five feet high. Richardson found it forty feet high and upward, -and states that the porcupine feeds on its bark. Here also grew the -red pine (_Pinus resinosa_). - -I saw where the Indians had made canoes in a little secluded hollow in -the woods, on the top of the rock, where they were out of the wind, -and large piles of whittlings remained. This must have been a favorite -resort for their ancestors, and, indeed, we found here the point of an -arrowhead, such as they have not used for two centuries and now know -not how to make. The Indian, picking up a stone, remarked to me, "That -very strange lock (rock)." It was a piece of hornstone, which I told -him his tribe had probably brought here centuries before to make -arrowheads of. He also picked up a yellowish curved bone by the side -of our fireplace and asked me to guess what it was. It was one of the -upper incisors of a beaver, on which some party had feasted within a -year or two. I found also most of the teeth, and the skull, etc. We -here dined on fried moose-meat. - -One who was my companion in my two previous excursions to these woods, -tells me that when hunting up the Caucomgomoc, about two years ago, he -found himself dining one day on moose-meat, mud turtle, trout, and -beaver, and he thought that there were few places in the world where -these dishes could easily be brought together on one table. - -After the almost incessant rapids and falls of the Madunkchunk -(Height-of-Land, or Webster Stream), we had just passed through the -dead water of Second Lake, and were now in the much larger dead water -of Grand Lake, and I thought the Indian was entitled to take an extra -nap here. Ktaadn, near which we were to pass the next day, is said to -mean "Highest Land." So much geography is there in their names. The -Indian navigator naturally distinguishes by a name those parts of a -stream where he has encountered quick water and forks, and again, the -lakes and smooth water where he can rest his weary arms, since those -are the most interesting and more arable parts to him. The very sight -of the _Nerlumskeechticook_, or Deadwater Mountains, a day's journey -off over the forest, as we first saw them, must awaken in him pleasing -memories. And not less interesting is it to the white traveler, when -he is crossing a placid lake in these out-of-the-way woods, perhaps -thinking that he is in some sense one of the earlier discoverers of -it, to be reminded that it was thus well known and suitably named by -Indian hunters perhaps a thousand years ago. - -Ascending the precipitous rock which formed this long narrow island, I -was surprised to find that its summit was a narrow ridge, with a -precipice on one side, and that its axis of elevation extended from -northwest to southeast exactly like that of the great rocky ridge at -the commencement of the Burnt Ground, ten miles northwesterly. The -same arrangement prevailed here, and we could plainly see that the -mountain ridges on the west of the lake trended the same way. Splendid -large harebells nodded over the edge and in the clefts of the cliff, -and the blueberries (_Vaccinium Canadense_) were for the first time -really abundant in the thin soil on its top. There was no lack of them -henceforward on the East Branch. There was a fine view hence over the -sparkling lake, which looked pure and deep, and had two or three, in -all, rocky islands in it. Our blankets being dry, we set out again, -the Indian as usual having left his gazette on a tree. This time it -was we three in a canoe, my companion smoking. We paddled southward -down this handsome lake, which appeared to extend nearly as far east -as south, keeping near the western shore, just outside a small island, -under the dark Nerlumskeechticook Mountain. For I had observed on my -map that this was the course. It was three or four miles across it. It -struck me that the outline of this mountain on the southwest of -the lake, and of another beyond it, was not only like that of the huge -rock waves of Webster Stream, but in the main like Kineo, on Moosehead -Lake, having a similar but less abrupt precipice at the southeast end; -in short, that all the prominent hills and ridges hereabouts were -larger or smaller Kineos, and that possibly there was such a relation -between Kineo and the rocks of Webster Stream. - - [Illustration: _Mount Kineo Cliff_] - -The Indian did not know exactly where the outlet was, whether at the -extreme southwest angle or more easterly, and had asked to see my plan -at the last stopping-place, but I had forgotten to show it to him. As -usual, he went feeling his way by a middle course between two probable -points, from which he could diverge either way at last without losing -much distance. In approaching the south shore, as the clouds looked -gusty and the waves ran pretty high, we so steered as to get partly -under the lee of an island, though at a great distance from it. - -I could not distinguish the outlet till we were almost in it, and -heard the water falling over the dam there. - -Here was a considerable fall, and a very substantial dam, but no sign -of a cabin or camp. The hunter whom we met at Telos Lake had told us -that there were plenty of trout here, but at this hour they did not -rise to the bait, only cousin trout, from the very midst of the -rushing waters. There are not so many fishes in these rivers as in the -Concord. - -While we loitered here, Polis took occasion to cut with his big knife -some of the hair from his moose-hide, and so lightened and prepared it -for drying. I noticed at several old Indian camps in the woods the -pile of hair which they had cut from their hides. - -Having carried over the dam, he darted down the rapids, leaving us to -walk for a mile or more, where for the most part there was no path, -but very thick and difficult traveling near the stream. At length he -would call to let us know where he was waiting for us with his canoe, -when, on account of the windings of the stream, we did not know where -the shore was, but he did not call often enough, forgetting that we -were not Indians. He seemed to be very saving of his breath,--yet he -would be surprised if we went by, or did not strike the right spot. -This was not because he was unaccommodating, but a proof of superior -manners. Indians like to get along with the least possible -communication and ado. He was really paying us a great compliment all -the while, thinking that we preferred a hint to a kick. - -At length, climbing over the willows and fallen trees, when this was -easier than to go round or under them, we overtook the canoe, and -glided down the stream in smooth but swift water for several miles. I -here observed again, as at Webster Stream, and on a still larger scale -the next day, that the river was a smooth and regularly inclined plane -down which we coasted. As we thus glided along we started the first -black ducks which we had distinguished. - -We decided to camp early to-night, that we might have ample time -before dark; so we stopped at the first favorable shore, where there -was a narrow gravelly beach on the western side, some five miles below -the outlet of the lake. It was an interesting spot, where the river -began to make a great bend to the east, and the last of the peculiar -moose-faced Nerlumskeechticook Mountains not far southwest of Grand -Lake rose dark in the northwest a short distance behind, displaying -its gray precipitous southeast side, but we could not see this without -coming out upon the shore. - -Two steps from the water on either side, and you come to the abrupt -bushy and rooty if not turfy edge of the bank, four or five feet high, -where the interminable forest begins, as if the stream had but just -cut its way through it. - -It is surprising on stepping ashore anywhere into this unbroken -wilderness to see so often, at least within a few rods of the river, -the marks of the axe, made by lumberers who have either camped here or -driven logs past in previous springs. You will see perchance where, -going on the same errand that you do, they have cut large chips from a -tall white pine stump for their fire. While we were pitching the camp -and getting supper, the Indian cut the rest of the hair from his -moose-hide, and proceeded to extend it vertically on a temporary frame -between two small trees, half a dozen feet from the opposite side of -the fire, lashing and stretching it with arbor-vitae bark which was -always at hand, and in this case was stripped from one of the trees it -was tied to. Asking for a new kind of tea, he made us some, pretty -good, of the checkerberry (_Gaultheria procumbens_), which covered the -ground, dropping a little bunch of it tied up with cedar bark into the -kettle; but it was not quite equal to the _Chiogenes_. We called this -therefore Checkerberry-Tea Camp. - -I was struck with the abundance of the _Linnaea borealis_, -checkerberry, and _Chiogenes hispidula_, almost everywhere in the -Maine woods. The wintergreen (_Chimaphila umbellata_) was still in -bloom here, and clintonia berries were abundant and ripe. This -handsome plant is one of the most common in that forest. We here first -noticed the moose-wood in fruit on the banks. The prevailing trees -were spruce (commonly black), arbor-vitae, canoe birch (black ash and -elms beginning to appear), yellow birch, red maple, and a little -hemlock skulking in the forest. The Indian said that the white maple -punk was the best for tinder, that yellow birch punk was pretty good, -but hard. After supper he put on the moose tongue and lips to boil, -cutting out the _septum_. He showed me how to write on the under side -of birch bark, with a black spruce twig, which is hard and tough, and -can be brought to a point. - -The Indian wandered off into the woods a short distance just before -night, and, coming back, said, "Me found great treasure,--fifty, sixty -dollars' worth." "What's that?" we asked. "Steel traps, under a log, -thirty or forty, I didn't count 'em. I guess Indian work,--worth three -dollars apiece." It was a singular coincidence that he should have -chanced to walk to and look under that particular log, in that -trackless forest. - -I saw chivin and chub in the stream when washing my hands, but my -companion tried in vain to catch them. I also heard the sound of -bullfrogs from a swamp on the opposite side, thinking at first that -they were moose; a duck paddled swiftly by; and sitting in that dusky -wilderness, under that dark mountain, by the bright river which was -full of reflected light, still I heard the wood thrush sing, as if no -higher civilization could be attained. By this time the night was upon -us. - -You commonly make your camp just at sundown, and are collecting wood, -getting your supper, or pitching your tent while the shades of night -are gathering around and adding to the already dense gloom of the -forest. You have no time to explore or look around you before it is -dark. You may penetrate half a dozen rods farther into that twilight -wilderness, after some dry bark to kindle your fire with, and wonder -what mysteries lie hidden still deeper in it, say at the end of a long -day's walk; or you may run down to the shore for a dipper of water, -and get a clearer view for a short distance up or down the stream, and -while you stand there, see a fish leap, or duck alight in the river, -or hear a wood thrush or robin sing in the woods. That is as if you -had been to town or civilized parts. But there is no sauntering off to -see the country, and ten or fifteen rods seems a great way from your -companions, and you come back with the air of a much-traveled man, as -from a long journey, with adventures to relate, though you may have -heard the crackling of the fire all the while,--and at a hundred rods -you might be lost past recovery, and have to camp out. It is all mossy -and _moosey_. In some of those dense fir and spruce woods there is -hardly room for the smoke to go up. The trees are a _standing_ night, -and every fir and spruce which you fell is a plume plucked from -night's raven wing. Then at night the general stillness is more -impressive than any sound, but occasionally you hear the note of an -owl farther or nearer in the woods, and if near a lake, the semihuman -cry of the loons at their unearthly revels. - -To-night the Indian lay between the fire and his stretched moose-hide, -to avoid the mosquitoes. Indeed, he also made a small smoky fire of -damp leaves at his head and his feet, and then as usual rolled up his -head in his blanket. We with our veils and our wash were tolerably -comfortable, but it would be difficult to pursue any sedentary -occupation in the woods at this season; you cannot see to read much by -the light of a fire through a veil in the evening, nor handle pencil -and paper well with gloves or anointed fingers. - - * * * * * - - FRIDAY, July 31. - -The Indian said, "You and I kill moose last night, therefore use 'em -best wood. Always use hard wood to cook moose-meat." His "best wood" -was rock maple. He cast the moose's lip into the fire, to burn the -hair off, and then rolled it up with the meat to carry along. -Observing that we were sitting down to breakfast without any pork, he -said, with a very grave look, "Me want some fat," so he was told that -he might have as much as he would fry. - -We had smooth but swift water for a considerable distance, where we -glided rapidly along, scaring up ducks and kingfishers. But, as usual, -our smooth progress ere long came to an end, and we were obliged to -carry canoe and all about half a mile down the right bank, around some -rapids or falls. It required sharp eyes sometimes to tell which side -was the carry, before you went over the falls, but Polis never failed -to land us rightly. The raspberries were particularly abundant and -large here, and all hands went to eating them, the Indian remarking on -their size. - -Often on bare rocky carries the trail was so indistinct that I -repeatedly lost it, but when I walked behind him I observed that he -could keep it almost like a hound, and rarely hesitated, or, if he -paused a moment on a bare rock, his eye immediately detected some sign -which would have escaped me. Frequently _we_ found no path at all at -these places, and were to him unaccountably delayed. He would only say -it was "ver strange." - -We had heard of a Grand Fall on this stream, and thought that each -fall we came to must be it, but after christening several in -succession with this name, we gave up the search. There were more -Grand or Petty Falls than I can remember. - -I cannot tell how many times we had to walk on account of falls or -rapids. We were expecting all the while that the river would take a -final leap and get to smooth water, but there was no improvement this -forenoon. However, the carries were an agreeable variety. So surely as -we stepped out of the canoe and stretched our legs we found ourselves -in a blueberry and raspberry garden, each side of our rocky trail -around the falls being lined with one or both. There was not a carry -on the main East Branch where we did not find an abundance of both -these berries, for these were the rockiest places, and partially -cleared, such as these plants prefer, and there had been none to -gather the finest before us. - -In our three journeys over the carries,--for we were obliged to go -over the ground three times whenever the canoe was taken out,--we did -full justice to the berries, and they were just what we wanted to -correct the effect of our hard bread and pork diet. Another name for -making a portage would have been going a-berrying. We also found a few -amelanchier, or service, berries, though most were abortive, but they -held on rather more generally than they do in Concord. The Indian -called them _pemoymenuk_, and said that they bore much fruit in some -places. He sometimes also ate the northern wild red cherries, saying -that they were good medicine, but they were scarcely edible. We bathed -and dined at the foot of one of these carries. It was the Indian who -commonly reminded us that it was dinner-time, sometimes even by -turning the prow to the shore. He once made an indirect, but lengthy -apology, by saying that we might think it strange, but that one who -worked hard all day was very particular to have his dinner in good -season. At the most considerable fall on this stream, when I was -walking over the carry, close behind the Indian, he observed a track -on the rock, which was but slightly covered with soil, and, stooping, -muttered "caribou." When we returned, he observed a much larger track -near the same place, where some animal's foot had sunk into a small -hollow in the rock, partly filled with grass and earth, and he -exclaimed with surprise, "What that?" "Well, what is it?" I asked. -Stooping and laying his hand in it, he answered with a mysterious air, -and in a half whisper, "Devil [that is, Indian Devil, or -cougar]--ledges about here--very bad animal--pull 'em rocks all to -pieces." "How long since it was made?" I asked. "To-day or yesterday," -said he. But when I asked him afterward if he was sure it was the -devil's track, he said he did not know. I had been told that the -scream of a cougar was heard about Ktaadn recently, and we were not -far from that mountain. - -We spent at least half the time in walking to-day, and the walking was -as bad as usual, for the Indian, being alone, commonly ran down far -below the foot of the carries before he waited for us. The carry-paths -themselves were more than usually indistinct, often the route being -revealed only by the countless small holes in the fallen timber made -by the tacks in the drivers' boots, or where there _was_ a slight -trail we did not find it. It was a tangled and perplexing thicket, -through which we stumbled and threaded our way, and when we had -finished a mile of it, our starting-point seemed far away. We were -glad that we had not got to walk to Bangor along the banks of this -river, which would be a journey of more than a hundred miles. Think of -the denseness of the forest, the fallen trees and rocks, the windings -of the river, the streams emptying in, and the frequent swamps to be -crossed. It made you shudder. Yet the Indian from time to time pointed -out to us where he had thus crept along day after day when he was a -boy of ten, and in a starving condition. He had been hunting far north -of this with two grown Indians. The winter came on unexpectedly early, -and the ice compelled them to leave their canoe at Grand Lake, and -walk down the bank. They shouldered their furs and started for -Oldtown. The snow was not deep enough for snowshoes, or to cover the -inequalities of the ground. Polis was soon too weak to carry any -burden; but he managed to catch one otter. This was the most they all -had to eat on this journey, and he remembered how good the yellow lily -roots were, made into a soup with the otter oil. He shared this food -equally with the other two, but being so small he suffered much more -than they. He waded through the Mattawamkeag at its mouth, when it was -freezing cold and came up to his chin, and he, being very weak and -emaciated, expected to be swept away. The first house which they -reached was at Lincoln, and thereabouts they met a white teamster with -supplies, who, seeing their condition, gave them as much of his load -as they could eat. For six months after getting home, he was very low, -and did not expect to live, and was perhaps always the worse for it. - -We could not find much more than half of this day's journey on our -maps (the "Map of the Public Lands of Maine and Massachusetts," and -"Colton's Railroad and Township Map of Maine," which copies the -former). By the maps there was not more than fifteen miles between -camps at the outside, and yet we had been busily progressing all day, -and much of the time very rapidly. - -For seven or eight miles below that succession of "Grand" falls, the -aspect of the banks as well as the character of the stream was -changed. After passing a tributary from the northeast, perhaps Bowlin -Stream, we had good swift smooth water, with a regular slope, such as -I have described. Low, grassy banks and muddy shores began. Many elms, -as well as maples, and more ash trees, overhung the stream, and -supplanted the spruce. - -My lily roots having been lost when the canoe was taken out at a -carry, I landed late in the afternoon, at a low and grassy place amid -maples, to gather more. It was slow work, grubbing them up amid the -sand, and the mosquitoes were all the while feasting on me. -Mosquitoes, black flies, etc., pursued us in mid-channel, and we were -glad sometimes to get into violent rapids, for then we escaped them. - -A red-headed woodpecker flew across the river, and the Indian remarked -that it was good to eat. As we glided swiftly down the inclined plane -of the river, a great cat owl launched itself away from a stump on the -bank, and flew heavily across the stream, and the Indian, as usual, -imitated its note. Soon the same bird flew back in front of us, and we -afterwards passed it perched on a tree. Soon afterward a white-headed -eagle sailed down the stream before us. We drove him several miles, -while we were looking for a good place to camp, for we expected to be -overtaken by a shower,--and still we could distinguish him by his -white tail, sailing away from time to time from some tree by the shore -still farther down the stream. Some shecorways being surprised by us, -a part of them dived, and we passed directly over them, and could -trace their course here and there by a bubble on the surface, but we -did not see them come up. Polis detected once or twice what he called -a "tow" road, an indistinct path leading into the forest. In the -meanwhile we passed the mouth of the Seboois on our left. This did not -look so large as our stream, which was indeed the main one. It was -some time before we found a camping-place, for the shore was either -too grassy and muddy, where mosquitoes abounded, or too steep a -hillside. The Indian said that there were but few mosquitoes on a -steep hillside. We examined a good place, where somebody had camped a -long time; but it seemed pitiful to occupy an old site, where there -was so much room to choose, so we continued on. We at length found a -place to our minds, on the west bank, about a mile below the mouth of -the Seboois, where, in a very dense spruce wood above a gravelly -shore, there seemed to be but few insects. The trees were so thick -that we were obliged to clear a space to build our fire and lie down -in, and the young spruce trees that were left were like the wall of an -apartment rising around us. We were obliged to pull ourselves up a -steep bank to get there. But the place which you have selected for -your camp, though never so rough and grim, begins at once to have its -attractions, and becomes a very centre of civilization to you: "Home -is home, be it never so homely." - -It turned out that the mosquitoes were more numerous here than we had -found them before, and the Indian complained a good deal, though he -lay, as the night before, between three fires and his stretched hide. -As I sat on a stump by the fire, with a veil and gloves on, trying to -read, he observed, "I make you candle," and in a minute he took a -piece of birch bark about two inches wide and rolled it hard, like an -allumette fifteen inches long, lit it, and fixed it by the other end -horizontally in a split stick three feet high, stuck it in the ground, -turning the blazing end to the wind, and telling me to snuff it from -time to time. It answered the purpose of a candle pretty well. - -I noticed, as I had done before, that there was a lull among the -mosquitoes about midnight, and that they began again in the morning. -Nature is thus merciful. But apparently they need rest as well as we. -Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night. As soon as it was -light I saw, through my veil, that the inside of the tent about our -heads was quite blackened with myriads, each one of their wings when -flying, as has been calculated, vibrating some three thousand times in -a minute, and their combined hum was almost as bad to endure as their -stings. I had an uncomfortable night on this account though I am not -sure that one succeeded in his attempt to sting me. We did not suffer -so much from insects on this excursion as the statements of some who -have explored these woods in midsummer led us to anticipate. Yet I -have no doubt that at some seasons and in some places they are a much -more serious pest. The Jesuit Hierome Lalemant, of Quebec, reporting -the death of Father Reni Menard, who was abandoned, lost his way, and -died in the woods, among the Ontarios near Lake Superior, in 1661, -dwells chiefly on his probable sufferings from the attacks of -mosquitoes when too weak to defend himself, adding that there was a -frightful number of them in those parts, "and so insupportable," says -he, "that the three Frenchmen who have made that voyage affirm that -there was no other means of defending one's self but to run always -without stopping, and it was even necessary for two of them to be -employed in driving off these creatures while the third wanted to -drink, otherwise he could not have done it." I have no doubt that this -was said in good faith. - - * * * * * - - August 1. - -I caught two or three large red chivin (_Leuciscus pulchellus_) early -this morning, within twenty feet of the camp, which, added to the -moose-tongue, that had been left in the kettle boiling overnight, and -to our other stores, made a sumptuous breakfast. The Indian made us -some hemlock tea instead of coffee, and we were not obliged to go as -far as China for it; indeed, not quite so far as for the fish. This -was tolerable, though he said it was not strong enough. It was -interesting to see so simple a dish as a kettle of water with a -handful of green hemlock sprigs in it, boiling over the huge fire in -the open air, the leaves fast losing their lively green color, and -know that it was for our breakfast. - -We were glad to embark once more, and leave some of the mosquitoes -behind. We had passed the _Wassataquoik_ without perceiving it. This, -according to the Indian, is the name of the main East Branch itself, -and not properly applied to this small tributary alone, as on the -maps. - -We found that we had camped about a mile above Hunt's, which is on the -east bank, and is the last house for those who ascend Ktaadn on this -side. - -We had expected to ascend it from this point, but my companion was -obliged to give up this on account of sore feet. The Indian, however, -suggested that perhaps he might get a pair of moccasins at this place, -and that he could walk very easily in them without hurting his feet, -wearing several pairs of stockings, and he said beside that they were -so porous that when you had taken in water it all drained out again -in a little while. We stopped to get some sugar, but found that the -family had moved away, and the house was unoccupied, except -temporarily by some men who were getting the hay. They told me that -the road to Ktaadn left the river eight miles above; also that perhaps -we could get some sugar at Fisk's, fourteen miles below. I do not -remember that we saw the mountain at all from the river. I noticed a -seine here stretched on the bank, which probably had been used to -catch salmon. Just below this, on the west bank, we saw a moose-hide -stretched, and with it a bearskin, which was comparatively very small. -I was the more interested in this sight, because it was near here that -a townsman of ours, then quite a lad, and alone, killed a large bear -some years ago. The Indian said that they belonged to Joe Aitteon, my -last guide, but how he told I do not know. He was probably hunting -near, and had left them for the day. Finding that we were going -directly to Oldtown, he regretted that he had not taken more of the -moose-meat to his family, saying that in a short time, by drying it, -he could have made it so light as to have brought away the greater -part, leaving the bones. We once or twice inquired after the lip, -which is a famous tidbit, but he said, "That go Oldtown for my old -woman; don't get it every day." - -Maples grew more and more numerous. It was lowering, and rained a -little during the forenoon, and, as we expected a wetting, we stopped -early and dined on the east side of a small expansion of the river, -just above what are probably called Whetstone Falls, about a dozen -miles below Hunt's. There were pretty fresh moose-tracks by the -waterside. There were singular long ridges hereabouts, called -"horsebacks," covered with ferns. My companion, having lost his pipe, -asked the Indian if he could not make him one. "Oh, yer," said he, and -in a minute rolled up one of birch bark, telling him to wet the bowl -from time to time. Here also he left his gazette on a tree. - -We carried round the falls just below, on the west side. The rocks -were on their edges, and very sharp. The distance was about three -fourths of a mile. When we had carried over one load, the Indian -returned by the shore, and I by the path, and though I made no -particular haste, I was nevertheless surprised to find him at the -other end as soon as I. It was remarkable how easily he got along over -the worst ground. He said to me, "I take canoe and you take the rest, -suppose you can keep along with me?" I thought that he meant that -while he ran down the rapids I should keep along the shore, and be -ready to assist him from time to time, as I had done before; but as -the walking would be very bad, I answered, "I suppose you will go too -fast for me, but I will try." But I was to go by the path, he said. -This I thought would not help the matter, I should have so far to go -to get to the riverside when he wanted me. But neither was this what -he meant. He was proposing a race over the carry, and asked me if I -thought I could keep along with him by the same path, adding that I -must be pretty smart to do it. As his load, the canoe, would be much -the heaviest and bulkiest, though the simplest, I thought that I ought -to be able to do it, and said that I would try. So I proceeded to -gather up the gun, axe, paddle, kettle, frying-pan, plates, dippers, -carpets, etc., etc., and while I was thus engaged he threw me his -cowhide boots. "What, are these in the bargain?" I asked. "Oh, yer," -said he; but before I could make a bundle of my load I saw him -disappearing over a hill with the canoe on his head; so, hastily -scraping the various articles together, I started on the run, and -immediately went by him in the bushes, but I had no sooner left him -out of sight in a rocky hollow than the greasy plates, dippers, etc., -took to themselves wings, and while I was employed in gathering them -up again, he went by me; but hastily pressing the sooty kettle to my -side, I started once more, and soon passing him again, I saw him no -more on the carry. I do not mention this as anything of a feat, for it -was but poor running on my part, and he was obliged to move with great -caution for fear of breaking his canoe as well as his neck. When he -made his appearance, puffing and panting like myself, in answer to my -inquiries where he had been, he said, "Rocks (locks) cut 'em feet," -and, laughing, added, "Oh, me love to play sometimes." He said that he -and his companions, when they came to carries several miles long, used -to try who would get over first; each, perhaps, with a canoe on his -head. I bore the sign of the kettle on my brown linen sack for the -rest of the voyage. - -We made a second carry on the west side, around some falls about a -mile below this. On the mainland were Norway pines, indicating a new -geological formation, and it was such a dry and sandy soil as we had -not noticed before. - -As we approached the mouth of the East Branch, we passed two or three -huts, the first sign of civilization after Hunt's, though we saw no -road as yet; we heard a cow-bell, and even saw an infant held up to a -small square window to see us pass, but apparently the infant and the -mother that held it were the only inhabitants then at home for several -miles. This took the wind out of our sails, reminding us that we were -travelers surely, while it was a native of the soil, and had the -advantage of us. Conversation flagged. I would only hear the Indian, -perhaps, ask my companion, "You load my pipe?" He said that he smoked -alder bark, for medicine. On entering the West Branch at Nicketow it -appeared much larger than the East. Polis remarked that the former was -all gone and lost now, that it was all smooth water hence to Oldtown, -and he threw away his pole which was cut on the Umbazookskus. Thinking -of the rapids, he said once or twice that you wouldn't catch him to go -East Branch again; but he did not by any means mean all that he said. - -Things are quite changed since I was here eleven years ago. Where -there were but one or two houses, I now found quite a village, with -sawmills and a store (the latter was locked, but its contents were so -much the more safely stored), and there was a stage-road to -Mattawamkeag, and the rumor of a stage. Indeed, a steamer had ascended -thus far once, when the water was very high. But we were not able to -get any sugar, only a better shingle to lean our backs against. - -We camped about two miles below Nicketow, on the south side of the -West Branch, covering with fresh twigs the withered bed of a former -traveler, and feeling that we were now in a settled country, -especially when in the evening we heard an ox sneeze in its wild -pasture across the river. Wherever you land along the frequented part -of the river, you have not far to go to find these sites of temporary -inns, the withered bed of flattened twigs, the charred sticks, and -perhaps the tent-poles. And not long since, similar beds were spread -along the Connecticut, the Hudson, and the Delaware, and longer still -ago, by the Thames and Seine, and they now help to make the soil where -private and public gardens, mansions and palaces are. We could not get -fir twigs for our bed here, and the spruce was harsh in comparison, -having more twig in proportion to its leaf, but we improved it -somewhat with hemlock. The Indian remarked as before, "Must have hard -wood to cook moose-meat," as if that were a maxim, and proceeded to -get it. My companion cooked some in California fashion, winding a long -string of the meat round a stick and slowly turning it in his hand -before the fire. It was very good. But the Indian, not approving of -the mode, or because he was not allowed to cook it his own way, would -not taste it. After the regular supper we attempted to make a lily -soup of the bulbs which I had brought along, for I wished to learn all -I could before I got out of the woods. Following the Indian's -directions, for he began to be sick, I washed the bulbs carefully, -minced some moose-meat and some pork, salted and boiled all together, -but we had not patience to try the experiment fairly, for he said it -must be boiled till the roots were completely softened so as to -thicken the soup like flour; but though we left it on all night, we -found it dried to the kettle in the morning, and not yet boiled to a -flour. Perhaps the roots were not ripe enough, for they commonly -gather them in the fall. As it was, it was palatable enough, but it -reminded me of the Irishman's limestone broth. The other ingredients -were enough alone. The Indian's name for these bulbs was _Sheepnoc_. I -stirred the soup by accident with a striped maple or moose-wood stick, -which I had peeled, and he remarked that its bark was an emetic. - -He prepared to camp as usual between his moose-hide and the fire; but -it beginning to rain suddenly, he took refuge under the tent with us, -and gave us a song before falling asleep. It rained hard in the night, -and spoiled another box of matches for us, which the Indian had left -out, for he was very careless; but, as usual, we had so much the -better night for the rain, since it kept the mosquitoes down. - - * * * * * - - SUNDAY, August 2. - -Was a cloudy and unpromising morning. One of us observed to the -Indian, "You did not stretch your moose-hide last night, did you, Mr. -Polis?" Whereat he replied, in a tone of surprise, though perhaps not -of ill humor: "What you ask me that question for? Suppose I stretch -'em, you see 'em. May be your way talking, may be all right, no Indian -way." I had observed that he did not wish to answer the same question -more than once, and was often silent when it was put again for the -sake of certainty, as if he were moody. Not that he was incommunicative, -for he frequently commenced a long-winded narrative of his own -accord,--repeated at length the tradition of some old battle, or some -passage in the recent history of his tribe in which he had acted a -prominent part, from time to time drawing a long breath, and resuming -the thread of his tale, with the true story-teller's leisureliness, -perhaps after shooting a rapid,--prefacing with "We-e-ll, by-by," -etc., as he paddled along. Especially after the day's work was over, -and he had put himself in posture for the night, he would be -unexpectedly sociable, exhibit even the _bonhommie_ of a Frenchman, -and we would fall asleep before he got through his periods. - -Nicketow is called eleven miles from Mattawamkeag by the river. Our -camp was, therefore, about nine miles from the latter place. - -The Indian was quite sick this morning with the colic. I thought that -he was the worse for the moose-meat he had eaten. - -We reached the Mattawamkeag at half past eight in the morning, in the -midst of a drizzling rain, and, after buying some sugar, set out -again. - -The Indian growing much worse, we stopped in the north part of Lincoln -to get some brandy for him; but failing in this, an apothecary -recommended Brandreth's pills, which he refused to take, because he -was not acquainted with them. He said to me, "Me doctor,--first study -my case, find out what ail 'em,--then I know what to take." We dropped -down a little farther, and stopped at mid-forenoon on an island and -made him a dipper of tea. Here, too, we dined and did some washing and -botanizing, while he lay on the bank. In the afternoon we went on a -little farther, though the Indian was no better. "Burntibus," as he -called it, was a long, smooth, lake-like reach below the Five -Islands. He said that he owned a hundred acres somewhere up this way. -As a thunder-shower appeared to be coming up, we stopped opposite a -barn on the west bank, in Chester, about a mile above Lincoln. Here at -last we were obliged to spend the rest of the day and night, on -account of our patient, whose sickness did not abate. He lay groaning -under his canoe on the bank, looking very woebegone, yet it was only a -common case of colic. You would not have thought, if you had seen him -lying about thus, that he was the proprietor of so many acres in that -neighborhood, was worth six thousand dollars, and had been to -Washington. It seemed to me that, like the Irish, he made a greater -ado about his sickness than a Yankee does, and was more alarmed about -himself. We talked somewhat of leaving him with his people in -Lincoln,--for that is one of their homes,--and taking the stage the -next day, but he objected on account of the expense saying, "Suppose -me well in morning, you and I go Oldtown by noon." - -As we were taking our tea at twilight, while he lay groaning still -under his canoe, having at length found out "what ail him," he asked -me to get him a dipper of water. Taking the dipper in one hand he -seized his powder-horn with the other, and, pouring into it a charge -or two of powder, stirred it up with his finger, and drank it off. -This was all he took to-day after breakfast beside his tea. - -To save the trouble of pitching our tent, when we had secured our -stores from wandering dogs, we camped in the solitary half-open barn -near the bank, with the permission of the owner, lying on new-mown -hay four feet deep. The fragrance of the hay, in which many ferns, -etc., were mingled, was agreeable, though it was quite alive with -grasshoppers which you could hear crawling through it. This served to -graduate our approach to houses and feather beds. In the night some -large bird, probably an owl, flitted through over our heads, and very -early in the morning we were awakened by the twittering of swallows -which had their nests there. - - * * * * * - - MONDAY, August 3. - -We started early before breakfast, the Indian being considerably -better, and soon glided by Lincoln, and after another long and -handsome lake-like reach, we stopped to breakfast on the west shore, -two or three miles below this town. - -We frequently passed Indian islands with their small houses on them. -The Governor, Aitteon, lives in one of them, in Lincoln. - -The Penobscot Indians seem to be more social, even, than the whites. -Ever and anon in the deepest wilderness of Maine, you come to the log -hut of a Yankee or Canada settler, but a Penobscot never takes up his -residence in such a solitude. They are not even scattered about on -their islands in the Penobscot, which are all within the settlements, -but gathered together on two or three,--though not always on the best -soil,--evidently for the sake of society. I saw one or two houses not -now used by them, because, as our Indian Polis said, they were too -solitary. - -The small river emptying in at Lincoln is the Matanancook, which -also, we noticed, was the name of a steamer moored there. So we -paddled and floated along, looking into the mouths of rivers. When -passing the Mohawk Rips, or, as the Indian called them, "Mohog lips," -four or five miles below Lincoln, he told us at length the story of a -fight between his tribe and the Mohawks there, anciently,--how the -latter were overcome by stratagem, the Penobscots using concealed -knives,--but they could not for a long time kill the Mohawk chief, who -was a very large and strong man, though he was attacked by several -canoes at once, when swimming alone in the river. - -From time to time we met Indians in their canoes, going up river. Our -man did not commonly approach them, but exchanged a few words with -them at a distance in his tongue. These were the first Indians we had -met since leaving the Umbazookskus. - -At Piscataquis Falls, just above the river of that name, we walked -over the wooden railroad on the eastern shore, about one and a half -miles long, while the Indian glided down the rapids. The steamer from -Oldtown stops here, and passengers take a new boat above. Piscataquis, -whose mouth we here passed, means "branch." It is obstructed by falls -at its mouth, but can be navigated with batteaux or canoes above -through a settled country, even to the neighborhood of Moosehead Lake, -and we had thought at first of going that way. We were not obliged to -get out of the canoe after this on account of falls or rapids, nor, -indeed, was it quite necessary here. We took less notice of the -scenery to-day, because we were in quite a settled country. The river -became broad and sluggish, and we saw a blue heron winging its way -slowly down the stream before us. - -We passed the Passadumkeag River on our left and saw the blue Olamon -mountains at a distance in the southeast. Hereabouts our Indian told -us at length the story of their contention with the priest respecting -schools. He thought a great deal of education and had recommended it -to his tribe. His argument in its favor was, that if you had been to -college and learnt to calculate, you could "keep 'em property,--no -other way." He said that his boy was the best scholar in the school at -Oldtown, to which he went with whites. He himself is a Protestant, and -goes to church regularly at Oldtown. According to his account, a good -many of his tribe are Protestants, and many of the Catholics also are -in favor of schools. Some years ago they had a schoolmaster, a -Protestant, whom they liked very well. The priest came and said that -they must send him away, and finally he had such influence, telling -them that they would go to the bad place at last if they retained him, -that they sent him away. The school party, though numerous, were about -giving up. Bishop Fenwick came from Boston and used his influence -against them. But our Indian told his side that they must not give up, -must hold on, they were the strongest. If they gave up, then they -would have no party. But they answered that it was "no use, priest too -strong, we'd better give up." At length he persuaded them to make a -stand. - -The priest was going for a sign to cut down the liberty-pole. So Polis -and his party had a secret meeting about it; he got ready fifteen or -twenty stout young men, "stript 'em naked, and painted 'em like old -times," and told them that when the priest and his party went to cut -down the liberty-pole, they were to rush up, take hold of it, and -prevent them, and he assured them that there would be no war, only a -noise,--"no war where priest is." He kept his men concealed in a house -near by, and when the priest's party were about to cut down the -liberty-pole, the fall of which would have been a death-blow to the -school party, he gave a signal, and his young men rushed out and -seized the pole. There was a great uproar, and they were about coming -to blows, but the priest interfered, saying, "No war, no war," and so -the pole stands, and the school goes on still. - -We thought that it showed a good deal of tact in him, to seize this -occasion and take his stand on it; proving how well he understood -those with whom he had to deal. - -The Olamon River comes in from the east in Greenbush a few miles below -the Passadumkeag. When we asked the meaning of this name, the Indian -said there was an island opposite its mouth which was called -_Olarmon_; that in old times, when visitors were coming to Oldtown, -they used to stop there to dress and fix up or paint themselves. "What -is that which ladies used?" he asked. Rouge? Red Vermilion? "Yer," he -said, "that is _larmon_, a kind of clay or red paint, which they used -to get here." - -We decided that we, too, would stop at this island, and fix up our -inner man, at least, by dining. - -It was a large island, with an abundance of hemp nettle, but I did not -notice any kind of red paint there. The Olamon River, at its mouth at -least, is a dead stream. There was another large island in that -neighborhood, which the Indian called "_Soogle_" (_i. e._, Sugar) -Island. - -About a dozen miles before reaching Oldtown he inquired, "How you like -'em your pilot?" But we postponed an answer till we had got quite back -again. - -The Sunkhaze, another short dead stream, comes in from the east two -miles above Oldtown. There is said to be some of the best deer ground -in Maine on this stream. Asking the meaning of this name, the Indian -said, "Suppose you are going down Penobscot, just like we, and you see -a canoe come out of bank and go along before you, but you no see 'em -stream. That is _Sunkhaze_." - -He had previously complimented me on my paddling, saying that I -paddled "just like anybody," giving me an Indian name which meant -"great paddler." When off this stream he said to me, who sat in the -bows, "Me teach you paddle." So, turning toward the shore, he got out, -came forward, and placed my hands as he wished. He placed one of them -quite outside the boat, and the other parallel with the first, -grasping the paddle near the end, not over the flat extremity, and -told me to slide it back and forth on the side of the canoe. This, I -found, was a great improvement which I had not thought of, saving me -the labor of lifting the paddle each time, and I wondered that he had -not suggested it before. It is true, before our baggage was reduced we -had been obliged to sit with our legs drawn up, and our knees above -the side of the canoe, which would have prevented our paddling thus, -or perhaps he was afraid of wearing out his canoe, by constant -friction on the side. - -I told him that I had been accustomed to sit in the stern, and, -lifting my paddle at each stroke, give it a twist in order to steer -the boat, only getting a pry on the side each time, and I still -paddled partly as if in the stern. He then wanted to see me paddle in -the stern. So, changing paddles, for he had the longer and better one, -and turning end for end, he sitting flat on the bottom and I on the -crossbar, he began to paddle very hard, trying to turn the canoe, -looking over his shoulder and laughing; but finding it in vain, he -relaxed his efforts, though we still sped along a mile or two very -swiftly. He said that he had no fault to find with my paddling in the -stern, but I complained that he did not paddle according to his own -directions in the bows. - -Opposite the Sunkhaze is the main boom of the Penobscot, where the -logs from far up the river are collected and assorted. - -As we drew near to Oldtown I asked Polis if he was not glad to get -home again; but there was no relenting to his wildness, and he said, -"It makes no difference to me where I am." Such is the Indian's -pretense always. - -We approached the Indian Island through the narrow strait called -"Cook." He said, "I 'xpect we take in some water there, river so -high,--never see it so high at this season. Very rough water there, -but short; swamp steamboat once. Don't you paddle till I tell you, -then you paddle right along." It was a very short rapid. When we were -in the midst of it he shouted "paddle," and we shot through without -taking in a drop. - -Soon after the Indian houses came in sight, but I could not at first -tell my companion which of two or three large white ones was our -guide's. He said it was the one with blinds. - -We landed opposite his door at about four in the afternoon, having -come some forty miles this day. From the Piscataquis we had come -remarkably and unaccountably quick, probably as fast as the stage or -the boat, though the last dozen miles was dead water. - -Polis wanted to sell us his canoe, said it would last seven or eight -years, or with care, perhaps ten; but we were not ready to buy it. - -We stopped for an hour at his house, where my companion shaved with -his razor, which he pronounced in very good condition. Mrs. P. wore a -hat and had a silver brooch on her breast, but she was not introduced -to us. The house was roomy and neat. A large new map of Oldtown and -the Indian Island hung on the wall, and a clock opposite to it. -Wishing to know when the cars left Oldtown, Polis's son brought one of -the last Bangor papers, which I saw was directed to "Joseph Polis," -from the office. - -This was the last that I saw of Joe Polis. We took the last train, and -reached Bangor that night. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[8] These twigs are called in Rasle's Dictionary _Sediak_. - - - - -APPENDIX - - -I. TREES - -The prevailing trees (I speak only of what I saw) on the east and west -branches of the Penobscot and on the upper part of the Allegash were -the fir, spruce (both black and white), and arbor-vitae, or "cedar." -The fir has the darkest foliage, and, together with the spruce, makes -a very dense "black growth," especially on the upper parts of the -rivers. A dealer in lumber with whom I talked called the former a -weed, and it is commonly regarded as fit neither for timber nor fuel. -But it is more sought after as an ornamental tree than any other -evergreen of these woods except the arbor-vitae. The black spruce is -much more common than the white. Both are tall and slender trees. The -arbor-vitae, which is of a more cheerful hue, with its light-green -fans, is also tall and slender, though sometimes two feet in diameter. -It often fills the swamps. - -Mingled with the former, and also here and there forming extensive and -more open woods by themselves, indicating, it is said, a better soil, -were canoe and yellow birches (the former was always at hand for -kindling a fire,--we saw no small white birches in that wilderness), -and sugar and red maples. - -The aspen (_Populus tremuloides_) was very common on burnt grounds. We -saw many straggling white pines, commonly unsound trees, which had -therefore been skipped by the choppers; these were the largest trees -we saw; and we occasionally passed a small wood in which this was the -prevailing tree; but I did not notice nearly so many of these trees as -I can see in a single walk in Concord. The speckled or hoary alder -(_Alnus incana_) abounds everywhere along the muddy banks of rivers -and lakes, and in swamps. Hemlock could commonly be found for tea, but -was nowhere abundant. Yet F. A. Michaux states that in Maine, Vermont, -and the upper part of New Hampshire, etc., the hemlock forms three -fourths of the evergreen woods, the rest being black spruce. It -belongs to cold hillsides. - -The elm and black ash were very common along the lower and stiller -parts of the streams, where the shores were flat and grassy or there -were low gravelly islands. They made a pleasing variety in the -scenery, and we felt as if nearer home while gliding past them. - -The above fourteen trees made the bulk of the woods which we saw. - -The larch (juniper), beech, and Norway pine (_Pinus resinosa_, red -pine) were only occasionally seen in particular places. The _Pinus -Banksiana_ (gray or Northern scrub pine), and a single small red oak -(_Quercus rubra_) only, are on islands in Grand Lake, on the East -Branch. - -The above are almost all peculiarly Northern trees, and found chiefly, -if not solely, on mountains southward. - - -II. FLOWERS AND SHRUBS - -It appears that in a forest like this the great majority of flowers, -shrubs, and grasses are confined to the banks of the rivers and lakes, -and to the meadows, more open swamps, burnt lands, and mountain-tops; -comparatively very few indeed penetrate the woods. There is no such -dispersion even of wild-flowers as is commonly supposed, or as exists -in a cleared and settled country. Most of our wild-flowers, so called, -may be considered as naturalized in the localities where they grow. -Rivers and lakes are the great protectors of such plants against the -aggressions of the forest, by their annual rise and fall keeping open -a narrow strip where these more delicate plants have light and space -in which to grow. They are the _proteges_ of the rivers. These narrow -and straggling bands and isolated groups are, in a sense, the pioneers -of civilization. Birds, quadrupeds, insects, and man also, in the -main, follow the flowers, and the latter in his turn makes more room -for them and for berry-bearing shrubs, birds, and small quadrupeds. -One settler told me that not only blackberries and raspberries but -mountain maples came in, in the clearing and burning. - -Though plants are often referred to primitive woods as their locality, -it cannot be true of very many, unless the woods are supposed to -include such localities as I have mentioned. Only those which require -but little light, and can bear the drip of the trees, penetrate the -woods, and these have commonly more beauty in their leaves than in -their pale and almost colorless blossoms. - -The prevailing flowers and conspicuous small plants of the _woods_, -which I noticed, were: _Clintonia borealis_, linnaea, checkerberry -(_Gaultheria procumbens_), _Aralia nudicaulis_ (wild sarsaparilla), -great round-leaved orchis, _Dalibarda repens_, _Chiogenes hispidula_ -(creeping snowberry), _Oxalis Acetosella_ (common wood-sorrel), _Aster -acuminatus_, _Pyrola secunda_ (one-sided pyrola), _Medeola Virginica_ -(Indian cucumber-root), small _Circaea_ (enchanter's nightshade), and -perhaps _Cornus Canadensis_ (dwarf cornel). - -Of these, the last of July, 1858, only the _Aster acuminatus_ and -great round-leaved orchis were conspicuously in bloom. - -The most common flowers of the _river_ and _lake shores_ were: -_Thalictrum cornuti_ (meadow-rue); _Hypericum ellipticum_, _mutilum_, -and _Canadense_ (St. John's-wort); horsemint; horehound, _Lycopus -Virginicus_ and _Europaeus_, var. _sinuatus_ (bugle-weed); _Scutellaria -galericulata_ (skullcap); _Solidago lanceolata_ and _squarrosa_, East -Branch, (goldenrod); _Diplopappus umbellatus_ (double-bristled aster); -_Aster Radula_; _Cicuta maculata_ and _bulbifera_ (water hemlock); -meadow-sweet; _Lysimachia stricta_ and _ciliata_ (loosestrife); -_Galium trifidum_ (small bed-straw); _Lilium Canadense_ (wild yellow -lily); _Platanthera peramoena_ and _psycodes_ (great purple orchis -and small purple fringed orchis); _Mimulus ringens_ (monkey-flower); -dock (water); blue flag; _Hydrocotyle Americana_ (marsh pennywort); -_Sanicula Canadensis_ (_?_) (black snake-root); _Clematis Virginiana_ -(_?_) (common virgin's-bower); _Nasturtium palustre_ (marsh cress); -_Ranunculus recurvatus_ (hooked crow-foot); _Asclepias incarnata_ -(swamp milkweed); _Aster Tradescanti_ (Tradescant's aster); _Aster -miser_, also _longifolius_; _Eupatorium purpureum_, apparently, lake -shores, (Joe-Pye-weed); _Apocynum Cannabinum_, East Branch, (Indian -hemp); _Polygonum cilinode_ (bindweed); and others. Not to mention, -among inferior orders, wool-grass and the sensitive fern. - -In the water, _Nuphar advena_ (yellow pond-lily), some _potamogetons_ -(pond-weed), _Sagittaria variabilis_ (arrowhead), _Sium lineare_ (_?_) -(water-parsnip). - -Of these, those conspicuously in flower the last of July, 1857, were: -rue, _Solidago lanceolata_ and _squarrosa_, _Diplopappus umbellatus_, -_Aster Radula_, _Lilium Canadense_, great and small purple orchis, -_Mimulus ringens_, blue flag, virgin's-bower, etc. - -The characteristic flowers in _swamps_ were: _Rubus triflorus_ (dwarf -raspberry); _Calla palustris_ (water-arum); and _Sarracenia purpurea_ -(pitcher-plant). On _burnt grounds_: _Epilobium angustifolium_, in -full bloom, (great willow-herb); and _Erechthites hieracifolia_ -(fire-weed). On _cliffs_: _Campanula rotundifolia_ (harebell); _Cornus -Canadensis_ (dwarf cornel); _Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi_ (bear-berry); -_Potentilla tridentata_ (mountain cinquefoil); _Pteris aquilina_ -(common brake). At _old camps, carries, and logging-paths_: _Cirsium -arvense_ (Canada thistle); _Prunella vulgaris_ (common self-heal); -clover; herd's-grass; _Achillea millefolium_ (common yarrow); -_Leucanthemum vulgare_ (whiteweed); _Aster macrophyllus_; _Halenia -deflexa_, East Branch, (spurred gentian); _Antennaria margaritacea_ -(pearly everlasting); _Actaea rubra_ and _alba_, wet carries, (red and -white cohosh); _Desmodium Canadense_ (tick-trefoil); sorrel. - -The handsomest and most interesting flowers were the great purple -orchises, rising ever and anon, with their great purple spikes -perfectly erect, amid the shrubs and grasses of the shore. It seemed -strange that they should be made to grow there in such profusion, seen -of moose and moose-hunters only, while they are so rare in Concord. I -have never seen this species flowering nearly so late with us, or with -the small one. - -The prevailing underwoods were: _Dirca palustris_ (moose-wood), _Acer -spicatum_ (mountain maple), _Virburnum lantanoides_ (hobble-bush), and -frequently _Taxus baccata_, var. _Canadensis_ (American yew). - -The prevailing shrubs and small trees along the shore were: _osier -rouge_ and alders (before mentioned); sallows, or small willows, of -two or three kinds, as _Salis humilis_, _rostrata_, and _discolor_ -(_?_); _Sambucus Canadensis_ (black elder); rose; _Viburnum Opulus_ -and _nudum_ (cranberry-tree and withe-rod); _Pyrus Americana_ -(American mountain-ash); _Corylus rostrata_ (beaked hazelnut); -_Diervilla trifida_ (bush honeysuckle); _Prunus Virginiana_ -(choke-cherry); _Myrica gale_ (sweet-gale); _Nemopanthes Canadensis_ -(mountain holly); _Cephalanthus occidentalis_ (button-bush); _Ribes -prostratum_, in some places, (fetid currant). - -More particularly of shrubs and small trees in _swamps_: some willows, -_Kalmia glauca_ (pale laurel), _Ledum latifolium_ and _palustre_ -(Labrador tea), _Ribes lacustre_ (swamp gooseberry), and in one place -_Betula pumila_ (low birch). At _camps and carries_: raspberry, -_Vaccinium Canadense_ (Canada blueberry), _Prunus Pennsylvanica_ (also -alongshore) (wild red cherry), _Amelanchier Canadensis_ (shad-bush), -_Sambucus pubens_ (red-berried elder). Among those peculiar to the -_mountains_ would be the _Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea_ (cow-berry). - -Of plants commonly regarded as _introduced_ from Europe, I observed at -Ansel Smith's clearing, Chesuncook, abundant in 1857: _Ranunculus -acris_ (buttercups); _Plantago major_ (common plantain); _Chenopodium -album_ (lamb's-quarters); _Capsella Bursa-pastoris_, 1853, -(shepherd's-purse); _Spergula arvensis_, also north shore of Moosehead -in 1853, and elsewhere, 1857, (corn-spurry); _Taraxacum -Dens-leonis_--regarded as indigenous by Gray, but evidently introduced -there--(common dandelion); _Polygonum Persicaria_ and _hydropiper_, by -a logging-path in woods at Smith's, (lady's-thumb and smart-weed); -_Rumex Acetosella_, common at carries, (sheep sorrel); _Trifolium -pratense_, 1853, on carries, frequent, (red clover); _Leucanthemum -vulgare_, carries, (whiteweed); _Phleum pratense_, carries, 1853 and -1857, (herd's-grass); _Verbena hastata_ (blue vervain); _Cirsium -arvense_, abundant at camps, 1857, (Canada thistle); _Rumex crispus_ -(_?_), West Branch, 1853 (?), (curled dock); _Verbascum Thapsus_, -between Bangor and lake, 1853, (common mullein). - -It appears that I saw about a dozen plants which had accompanied man -as far into the woods as Chesuncook, and had naturalized themselves -there, in 1853. Plants begin thus early to spring by the side of a -logging-path,--a mere vista through the woods, which can only be used -in the winter, on account of the stumps and fallen trees,--which at -length are the roadside plants in old settlements. The pioneers of -such are planted in part by the first cattle, which cannot be summered -in the woods. - - -III. LIST OF PLANTS - -The following is a list of the plants which I noticed in the Maine -woods, in the years 1853 and 1857. (Those marked * not in woods.) - -1. THOSE WHICH ATTAINED THE HEIGHT OF TREES - -_Alnus incana_ (speckled or hoary alder), abundant along streams, etc. - -_Thuja occidentalis_ (American arbor-vitae), one of the prevailing. - -_Fraxinus sambucifolia_ (black ash), very common, especially near dead -water. The Indian spoke of "yellow ash" as also found there. - -_Populus tremuloides_ (American aspen), very common, especially on -burnt lands, almost as white as birches. - -_Populus grandidentata_ (large-toothed aspen), perhaps two or three. - -_Fagus ferruginea_ (American beech), not uncommon, at least on the -West Branch. (Saw more in 1846.) - -_Betula papyracea_ (canoe birch), prevailing everywhere and about -Bangor. - -_Betula excelsa_ (yellow birch), very common. - -_Betula lenta_ (black birch), on the West Branch in 1853. - -_Betula alba_ (American white birch), about Bangor only. - -_Ulmus Americana_ (American or white elm), West Branch and low down -the East Branch, _i. e._ on the lower and alluvial part of the river, -very common. - -_Larix Americana_ (American or black larch), very common on the -Umbazookskus; some elsewhere. - -_Abies Canadensis_ (hemlock spruce); not abundant; some on the West -Branch, and a little everywhere. - -_Acer saccharinum_ (sugar maple), very common. - -_Acer rubrum_ (red or swamp maple), very common. - -_Acer dasycarpum_ (white or silver maple), a little low on East Branch -and in Chesuncook woods. - -_Quercus rubra_ (red oak), one on an island in Grand Lake, East -Branch, and, according to a settler, a few on the east side of -Chesuncook Lake; a few also about Bangor in 1853. - -_Pinus Strobus_ (white pine), scattered along, most abundant at Heron -Lake. - -_Pinus resinosa_ (red pine), Telos and Grand Lake, a little afterwards -here and there. - -_Abies balsamea_ (balsam fir), perhaps the most common tree, -especially in the upper parts of rivers. - -_Abies nigra_ (black or double spruce), next to the last the most -common, if not equally common, and on mountains. - -_Abies alba_ (white or single spruce), common with the last along the -rivers. - -_Pinus Banksiana_ (gray or Northern scrub pine), a few on an island in -Grand Lake. - -Twenty-three in all (23). - -2. SMALL TREES AND SHRUBS - -_Prunus depressa_ (dwarf cherry), on gravel-bars, East Branch, near -Hunt's, with green fruit; obviously distinct from the _pumila_ of -river and meadows. - -_Vaccinium corymbosum_ (common swamp blueberry), Bucksport. - -_Vaccinium Canadense_ (Canada blueberry), carries and rocky hills -everywhere as far south as Bucksport. - -_Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum_ (dwarf-blueberry?), Whetstone Falls. - -_Betula pumila_ (low birch), Mud Pond Swamp. - -_Prinos verticillatus_ (black alder), 1857, now placed with _Ilex_ by -Gray, 2d ed. - -_Cephalanthus occidentalis_ (button-bush). - -_Prunus Pennsylvanica_ (wild red cherry), very common at camps, -carries, etc., along rivers; fruit ripe August 1, 1857. - -_Prunus Virginiana_ (choke-cherry), riverside, common. - -_Cornus alternifolia_ (alternate-leaved cornel), West Branch, 1853. - -_Ribes prostratum_ (fetid currant), common along streams; on Webster -Stream. - -_Sambucus Canadensis_ (common elder), common along riversides. - -_Sambucus pubens_ (red-berried elder), not quite so common; roadsides -toward Moosehead, and on carries afterward; fruit beautiful. - -_Ribes lacustre_ (swamp-gooseberry), swamps, common; Mud Pond Swamp -and Webster Stream; not ripe July 29, 1857. - -_Corylus rostrata_ (beaked hazelnut), common. - -_Taxus baccata_, var. _Canadensis_ (American yew), a common undershrub -at an island in West Branch and Chesuncook woods. - -_Viburnum lantanoides_ (hobble-bush), common, especially in Chesuncook -woods; fruit ripe in September, 1853, not in July, 1857. - -_Viburnum Opulus_ (cranberry-tree), on West Branch; one in flower -still, July 25, 1857. - -_Viburnum nudum_ (withe-rod), common along rivers. - -_Kalmia glauca_ (pale laurel), swamps, common, as at Moosehead Carry -and Chamberlain Swamp. - -_Kalmia angustifolia_ (lambkill), with _Kalmia glauca_. - -_Acer spicatum_ (mountain maple), a prevailing underwood. - -_Acer striatum_ (striped maple), in fruit July 30, 1857; green the -first year; green, striped with white, the second; darker, the third, -with dark blotches. - -_Cornus stolonifera_ (red-osier dogwood), prevailing shrub on shore of -West Branch; fruit still white in August, 1857. - -_Pyrus Americana_ (American mountain-ash), common along shores. - -_Amelanchier Canadensis_ (shad-bush), rocky carries, etc., -considerable fruit in 1857. - -_Rubus strigosus_ (wild red raspberry), very abundant, burnt grounds, -camps, and carries, but not ripe till we got to Chamberlain dam and on -East Branch. - -_Rosa Carolina_ (swamp rose), common on the shores of lakes, etc. - -_Rhus typhina_* (staghorn sumach). - -_Myrica Gale_ (sweet-gale), common. - -_Nemopanthes Canadensis_ (mountain holly), common in low ground, -Moosehead Carry, and on Mount Kineo. - -_Crataegus_ (_coccinea_? scarlet-fruited thorn), not uncommon; with -hard fruit in September, 1853. - -_Salix_ (near to _petiolaris_, petioled willow), very common in -Umbazookskus meadows. - -_Salix rostrata_ (long-beaked willow), common. - -_Salix humilis_ (low bush willow), common. - -_Salix discolor_ (glaucous willow) (?). - -_Salix lucida_ (shining willow), at island in Heron Lake. - -_Dirca palustris_ (moose-wood), common. - -In all, 38. - -3. SMALL SHRUBS AND HERBACEOUS PLANTS - -_Agrimonia Eupatoria_ (common agrimony), not uncommon. - -_Circaea alpina_ (enchanter's nightshade), very common in woods. - -_Nasturtium palustre_ (marsh cress), var. _hispidum_, common, as at A. -Smith's. - -_Aralia hispida_ (bristly sarsaparilla), on West Branch, both years. - -_Aralia nudicaulis_ (wild sarsaparilla), Chesuncook woods. - -_Sagittaria variabilis_ (arrowhead), common at Moosehead and -afterward. - -_Arum triphyllum_ (Indian turnip), now _arisaema_, Moosehead Carry in -1853. - -_Asclepias incarnata_ (swamp milkweed), Umbazookskus River and after; -redder than ours, and a different variety from our var. _pulchra_. - -_Aster acuminatus_ (pointed-leaved aster), the prevailing aster in -woods, not long open on South Branch, July 31; two or more feet high. - -_Aster macrophyllus_ (large-leaved aster), common, and the whole plant -surprisingly fragrant, like a medicinal herb; just out at Telos Dam, -July 29, 1857, and after to Bangor and Bucksport; bluish flower (in -woods on Pine Stream and at Chesuncook in 1853). - -_Aster Radula_ (rough-leaved aster), common, Moosehead Carry and -after. - -_Aster miser_ (petty aster), in 1853 on West Branch, and common on -Chesuncook shore. - -_Aster longifolius_ (willow-leaved blue aster), 1853, Moosehead and -Chesuncook shores. - -_Aster cordifolius_ (heart-leaved aster), 1853, West Branch. - -_Aster Tradescanti_ (Tradescant's aster), 1857. A narrow-leaved one, -Chesuncook shore, 1853. - -_Aster_, _longifolius_-like, with small flowers, West Branch, 1853. - -_Aster puniceus_ (rough-stemmed aster), Pine Stream. - -_Diplopappus umbellatus_ (large diplopappus aster), common along -river. - -_Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi_ (bear-berry), Kineo, etc., 1857. - -_Polygonum cilinode_ (fringe-jointed false-buckwheat), common. - -_Bidens cernua_ (bur-marigold), 1853, West Branch. - -_Ranunculus acris_ (buttercups), abundant at Smith's dam, Chesuncook, -1853. - -_Rubus triflorus_ (dwarf raspberry), low grounds and swamps, common. - -_Utricularia vulgaris_* (greater bladderwort), Pushaw. - -_Iris versicolor_ (larger blue flag), common, Moosehead, West Branch, -Umbazookskus, etc. - -_Sparganium_ (bur-reed). - -_Calla palustris_ (water-arum), in bloom July 27, 1857, Mud Pond -Swamp. - -_Lobelia cardinalis_ (cardinal-flower), apparently common, but out of -bloom August, 1857. - -_Cerastium nutans_ (clammy wild chickweed) (?). - -_Gaultheria procumbens_ (checkerberry), prevailing everywhere in woods -along banks of rivers. - -_Stellaria media_* (common chickweed), Bangor. - -_Chiogenes hispidula_ (creeping snowberry), very common in woods. - -_Cicuta maculata_ (water hemlock). - -_Cicuta bulbifera_ (bulb-bearing water hemlock), Penobscot and -Chesuncook shore, 1853. - -_Galium trifidum_ (small bed-straw), common. - -_Galium Aparine_ (cleavers) (?), Chesuncook, 1853. - -_Galium_, one kind on Pine Stream, 1853. - -_Trifolium pratense_ (red clover), on carries, etc. - -_Actaea spicata_, var. _alba_ (white cohosh), Chesuncook woods, 1853, -and East Branch, 1857. - -_Actaea_, var. _rubra_ (red cohosh), East Branch, 1857. - -_Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea_ (cow-berry), Ktaadn, very abundant. - -_Cornus Canadensis_ (dwarf cornel), in woods Chesuncook, 1853; just -ripe at Kineo, July 24, 1857, common; still in bloom, Moosehead Carry, -September 16, 1853. - -_Medeola Virginica_ (Indian cucumber-root), West Branch and Chesuncook -woods. - -_Dalibarda repens_ (dalibarda), Moosehead Carry and after, common. In -flower still, August 1, 1857. - -_Taraxacum Dens-leonis_ (common dandelion), Smith's, 1853; only there. -Is it not foreign? - -_Diervilla trifida_ (bush honeysuckle), very common. - -_Rumex Hydrolapathum_ (_?_) (great water dock), in 1857; noticed it -was large-seeded in 1853; common. - -_Rumex crispus_ (_?_) (curled dock), West Branch, 1853. - -_Apocynum cannabinum_ (Indian hemp), Kineo (Bradford) and East Branch, -1857, at Whetstone Falls. - -_Apocynum androsaemifolium_ (spreading dogbane), Kineo (Bradford). - -_Clintonia borealis_ (clintonia), all over woods; fruit just ripening, -July 25, 1857. - -A _Lemna_ (duckweed), Pushaw, 1857. - -_Elodea Virginica_ (marsh St. John's-wort), Moosehead, 1853. - -_Epilobium angustifolium_ (great willow-herb), great fields on burnt -lands; some white at Webster Stream. - -_Epilobium coloratum_ (purple-veined willow-herb), once in 1857. - -_Eupatorium purpureum_ (Joe-Pye-weed), Heron, Moosehead, and -Chesuncook lake shores, common. - -_Allium_ (onion), a new kind to me in bloom, without bulbs above, on -rocks near Whetstone Falls (?), East Branch. - -_Halenia deflexa_ (spurred gentian), carries on East Branch, common. - -_Geranium Robertianum_ (herb-robert). - -_Solidago lanceolata_ (bushy goldenrod), very common. - -_Solidago_, one of the three-ribbed, in both years. - -_Solidago thyrsoidea_ (large mountain goldenrod), one on Webster -Stream. - -_Solidago squarrosa_ (large-spiked goldenrod), the most common on East -Branch. - -_Solidago altissima_ (rough hairy goldenrod), not uncommon both -years. - -_Coptis trifolia_ (three-leaved gold-thread). - -_Smilax herbacea_ (carrion-flower), not uncommon both years. - -_Spiraea tomentosa_* (hardhack), Bangor. - -_Campanula rotundifolia_ (harebell), cliffs, Kineo, Grand Lake, etc. - -_Hieracium_ (hawkweed), not uncommon. - -_Veratrum viride_ (American white hellebore). - -_Lycopus Virginicus_ (bugle-weed), 1857. - -_Lycopus Europaeus_ (water horehound), var. _sinuatus_, Heron Lake -shore. - -_Chenopodium album_ (lamb's-quarters), Smith's. - -_Mentha Canadensis_ (wild mint), very common. - -_Galeopsis tetrahit_ (common hemp-nettle), Olamon Isle, abundant, and -below, in prime, August 3, 1857. - -_Houstonia caerulea_ (bluets), now _Oldenlandia_ (Gray, 2d ed.), 1857. - -_Hydrocotyle Americana_ (marsh pennywort), common. - -_Hypericum ellipticum_ (elliptical-leaved St. John's-wort), common. - -_Hypericum mutilum_ (small St. John's-wort), both years, common. - -_Hypericum Canadense_ (Canadian St. John's-wort), Moosehead Lake and -Chesuncook shores, 1853. - -_Trientalis Americana_ (star-flower), Pine Stream, 1853. - -_Lobelia inflata_ (Indian tobacco). - -_Spiranthes cernua_ (ladies'-tresses), Kineo and after. - -_Nabalus_ (rattlesnake-root), 1857; _altissimus_ (tall white lettuce), -Chesuncook woods, 1853. - -_Antennaria margaritacea_ (pearly everlasting), common, Moosehead, -Smith's, etc. - -_Lilium Canadense_ (wild yellow lily), very common and large, West -and East Branch; one on East Branch, 1857, with strongly revolute -petals, and leaves perfectly smooth beneath, but not larger than the -last, and apparently only a variety. - -_Linnaea borealis_ (linnaea), almost everywhere in woods. - -_Lobelia Dortmanna_ (water lobelia), pond in Bucksport. - -_Lysimachia ciliata_ (hairy-stalked loosestrife), very common, -Chesuncook shore and East Branch. - -_Lysimachia stricta_ (upright loosestrife), very common. - -_Microstylis ophioglossoides_ (adder's-mouth), Kineo. - -_Spiraea salicifolia_ (common meadow-sweet), common. - -_Mimulus ringens_ (monkey-flower), common, lake-shores, etc. - -_Scutellaria galericulata_ (skullcap), very common. - -_Scutellaria lateriflora_ (mad-dog skullcap), Heron Lake, 1857; -Chesuncook, 1853. - -_Platanthera psycodes_ (small purple fringed orchis), very common, -East Branch and Chesuncook, 1853. - -_Platanthera fimbriata_ (large purple fringed orchis), very common, -West Branch and Umbazookskus, 1857. - -_Platanthera orbiculata_ (large round-leaved orchis), very common in -woods, Moosehead and Chamberlain carries, Caucomgomoc, etc. - -_Amphicarpaea monoica_ (hog peanut). - -_Aralia racemosa_ (spikenard), common, Moosehead Carry, Telos Lake, -etc., and after; out about August 1, 1857. - -_Plantago major_ (common plantain), common in open land at Smith's in -1853. - -_Pontederia cordata_* (pickerel-weed), only near Oldtown, 1857. - -_Potamogeton_ (pondweed), not common. - -_Potentilla tridentata_ (mountain cinquefoil), Kineo. - -_Potentilla Norvegica_ (cinquefoil), Heron Lake shore and Smith's. - -_Polygonum amphibium_ (water persicaria), var. _aquaticum_ Second -Lake. - -_Polygonum Persicaria_ (lady's-thumb), log-path, Chesuncook, 1853. - -_Nuphar advena_ (yellow pond-lily), not abundant. - -_Nymphaea odorata_ (sweet water-lily), a few in West Branch, 1853. - -_Polygonum Hydropiper_ (smart-weed), log-path, Chesuncook. - -_Pyrola secunda_ (one-sided pyrola), very common, Caucomgomoc. - -_Pyrola elliptica_ (shin-leaf), Caucomgomoc River. - -_Ranunculus Flammula_ (spearwort, var. _reptans_). - -_Ranunculus recurvatus_ (hooked crowfoot), Umbazookskus landing, &c. - -_Typha latifolia_* (common cat-tail or reed-mace), extremely abundant -between Bangor and Portland. - -_Sanicula Marylandica_ (black snake-root), Moosehead Carry and after. - -_Aralia nudicaulis_ (wild sarsaparilla). - -_Capsella Bursa-pastoris_ (shepherd's-purse), Smith's, 1853. - -_Prunella vulgaris_ (self-heal), very common everywhere. - -_Erechthites hieracifolia_ (fire-weed), 1857, and Smith's open land, -1853. - -_Sarracenia purpurea_ (pitcher-plant), Mud Pond Swamp. - -_Smilacina bifolia_ (false Solomon's-seal), 1857, and Chesuncook -woods, 1853. - -_Smilacina racemosa_ (false spikenard) (?), Umbazookskus Carry, July -27, 1853. - -_Veronica scutellata_ (marsh speedwell). - -_Spergula arvensis_ (corn-spurry), 1857, not uncommon, 1853, Moosehead -and Smith's. - -_Fragaria_ (strawberry), 1853, Smith's; 1857, Bucksport. - -_Thalictrum Cornuti_ (meadow-rue), very common, especially along -rivers, tall, and conspicuously in bloom in July, 1857. - -_Cirsium arvense_ (Canada thistle), abundant at camps and -highway-sides in the north of Maine. - -_Cirsium muticum_ (swamp thistle), well in bloom, Webster Stream, -August 31. - -_Rumex acetosella_ (sheep sorrel), common by river and log-paths, as -Chesuncook log-path. - -_Impatiens fulva_ (spotted touch-me-not). - -_Trillium erythrocarpum_ (painted trillium), common West Branch and -Moosehead Carry. - -_Verbena hastata_ (blue vervain). - -_Clematis Virginiana_ (common virgin's-bower), common on river-banks; -feathered in September, 1853; in bloom July, 1857. - -_Leucanthemum vulgare_ (whiteweed). - -_Sium lineare_ (water-parsnip), 1857, and Chesuncook shore 1853. - -_Achillea millefolium_ (common yarrow), by river and log-paths, and -Smith's. - -_Desmodium Canadense_ (Canadian tick-trefoil), not uncommon. - -_Oxalis Acetosella_ (common wood-sorrel), still out July 25 1853, at -Moosehead Carry and after. - -_Oxalis stricta_ (yellow wood-sorrel), 1853, at Smith's and his -wood-path. - -_Liparis liliifolia_ (tway-blade), Kineo (Bradford). - -_Uvularia grandiflora_ (large-flowered bellwort), woods, common. - -_Uvularia sessilifolia_ (sessile-leaved bellwort), Chesuncook woods, -1853. - -In all, 145. - -4. OF LOWER ORDER - -_Scirpus Eriophorum_ (wool-grass), very common, especially on low -islands. A coarse grass, four or five feet high, along the river. - -_Phleum pratense_ (herd's-grass), on carries, at camps and clearings. - -_Equisetum sylvaticum_ (sylvatic horse-tail). - -_Pteris aquilina_ (brake), Kineo and after. - -_Onoclea sensibilis_ (sensitive fern), very common along the -riversides; some on the gravelly shore of Heron Lake Island. - -_Polypodium Dryopteris_ (brittle polypody). - -_Woodsia Ilvensis_ (rusty woodsia), Kineo. - -_Lycopodium lucidulum_ (toothed club-moss). - -_Usnea_ (a parmeliaceous lichen), common on various trees. - - -IV. LIST OF BIRDS - -WHICH I SAW IN MAINE BETWEEN JULY 24 AND AUGUST 3, 1857 - -A very small hawk at Great Falls, on Webster Stream. - -_Haliaeetus leucocephalus_ (white-headed or bald eagle), at Ragmuff, -and above and below Hunt's, and on pond below Mattawamkeag. - -_Pandion haliaetus_ (fish hawk or osprey), heard, also seen on East -Branch. - -_Bubo Virginianus_ (cat owl), near Camp Island, also above mouth of -Schoonis, from a stump back and forth, also near Hunt's on a tree. - -_Icterus phoeniceus_ (red-winged blackbird), Umbazookskus River. - -_Corvus Americanus_ (American crow), a few, as at outlet of Grand -Lake; a peculiar cawing. - -_Fringilla Canadensis_ (tree sparrow), think I saw one on Mount Kineo, -July 24, which behaved as if it had a nest there. - -_Garrulus cristatus_ (blue jay). - -_Parus atricapillus_ (chickadee), a few. - -_Muscicapa tyrannus_ (kingbird). - -_Muscicapa Cooperii_ (olive-sided flycatcher), everywhere a prevailing -bird. - -_Muscicapa virens_ (wood pewee), Moosehead, and I think beyond. - -_Muscicapa acadica_ (small pewee), common. - -_Muscicapa ruticilla_ (American redstart), Moosehead. - -_Vireo olivaceus_ (red-eyed vireo), everywhere common. - -_Turdus migratorius_ (red-breasted robin), some everywhere. - -_Turdus melodus_ (wood thrush), common in all the woods. - -_Turdus Wilsonii_ (Wilson's thrush), Moosehead and beyond. - -_Turdus aurocapillus_ (golden-crowned thrush or oven-bird), Moosehead. - -_Fringilla albicollis_ (white-throated sparrow), Kineo and after, -apparently nesting; the prevailing bird early and late. - -_Fringilla melodia_ (song sparrow), at Moosehead or beyond. - -_Sylvia pinus_ (pine warbler), one part of voyage. - -_Trichas Marylandica_ (Maryland yellow-throat), everywhere. - -_Coccyzus Americanus_ (_?_) (yellow-billed cuckoo), common. - -_Picus erythrocephalus_ (red-headed woodpecker), heard and saw, and -good to eat. - -_Sitta Carolinensis_ (_?_) (white-breasted American nuthatch), heard. - -_Alcedo alcyon_ (belted kingfisher), very common. - -_Caprimulgus Americanus_ (nighthawk). - -_Tetrao umbellus_ (partridge), Moosehead Carry, etc. - -_Tetrao cupido_ (_?_) (pinnated grouse), Webster Stream. - -_Ardea caerulea_ (blue heron), lower part of Penobscot. - -_Totanus macularius_ (spotted sandpiper or peetweet), everywhere. - -_Larus argentatus_ (_?_) (herring gull), Heron Lake on rocks, and -Chamberlain. Smaller gull on Second Lake. - -_Anas obscura_ (dusky or black duck), once in East Branch. - -_Anas sponsa_ (summer or wood duck), everywhere. - -_Fuligula albeola_ (spirit duck or dipper), common. - -_Colymbus glacialis_ (great northern diver or loon), in all the lakes. - -_Mergus Merganser_ (buff-breasted merganser or sheldrake), common on -lakes and rivers. - -A swallow; the night-warbler (?) once or twice. - - -V. QUADRUPEDS - -A bat on West Branch; beaver skull at Grand Lake; Mr. Thatcher ate -beaver with moose on the Caucomgomoc. A muskrat on the last stream; -the red squirrel is common in the depths of the woods; a dead -porcupine on Chamberlain road; a cow moose and tracks of calf; skin of -a bear, just killed. - - -VI. OUTFIT FOR AN EXCURSION - -The following will be a good outfit for one who wishes to make an -excursion of _twelve_ days into the Maine woods in July, with a -companion and one Indian, for the same purposes that I did. - -_Wear_,--a check shirt, stout old shoes, thick socks, a neck-ribbon, -thick waistcoat, thick pants, old Kossuth hat, a linen sack. - -_Carry_,--in an india-rubber knapsack, with a large flap, two shirts -(check), one pair thick socks, one pair drawers, one flannel shirt, -two pocket-handkerchiefs, a light india-rubber coat or a thick woolen -one, two bosoms and collars to go and come with, one napkin, pins, -needles, thread, one blanket, best gray, seven feet long. - -_Tent_,--six by seven feet, and four feet high in middle, will do; -veil and gloves and insect-wash, or, better, mosquito-bars to cover -all at night; best pocket map, and perhaps description of the route; -compass; plant-book and red blotting-paper; paper and stamps, botany, -small pocket spy-glass for birds, pocket microscope, tape-measure, -insect-boxes. - -Axe, full size if possible, jackknife, fish-lines, two only apiece, -with a few hooks and corks ready, and with pork for bait in a packet, -rigged; matches (some also in a small vial in the waistcoat pocket); -soap, two pieces; large knife and iron spoon (for all); three or four -old newspapers, much twine, and several rags for dish-cloths; twenty -feet of strong cord, four-quart tin pail for kettle, two tin dippers, -three tin plates, a fry-pan. - -_Provisions._--Soft hard-bread, twenty-eight pounds; pork, sixteen -pounds; sugar, twelve pounds; one pound black tea or three pounds -coffee; one box or a pint of salt; one quart Indian meal, to fry fish -in; six lemons, good to correct the pork and warm water; perhaps two -or three pounds of rice, for variety. You will probably get some -berries, fish, etc., beside. - -A gun is not worth the carriage, unless you go as hunters. The pork -should be in an open keg, sawed to fit; the sugar, tea or coffee, -meal, salt, etc., should be put in separate water-tight india-rubber -bags, tied with a leather string; and all the provisions, and part of -the rest of the baggage, put into two large india-rubber bags, which -have been proved to be water-tight and durable. - -Expense of preceding outfit is twenty-four dollars. - -An Indian may be hired for about one dollar and fifty cents per day, -and perhaps fifty cents a week for his canoe (this depends on the -demand). The canoe should be a strong and tight one. This expense will -be nineteen dollars. - -Such an excursion need not cost more than twenty-five dollars apiece, -starting at the foot of Moosehead, if you already possess or can -borrow a reasonable part of the outfit. If you take an Indian and -canoe at Oldtown, it will cost seven or eight dollars more to -transport them to the lake. - - -VII. A LIST OF INDIAN WORDS - - 1. _Ktaadn_, said to mean _Highest Land_, Rasles puts for _Mt. - Pemadene_; for _Grai, pierre a aiguiser_, _Kitadauegan_. (_Vide_ - Potter.) - - _Mattawamkeag_, place where two rivers meet. (Indian of carry.) - (_Vide_ Williamson's History of Maine, and Willis.) - - _Molunkus._ - - _Ebeeme_, rock. - - _Noliseemack_; other name, Shad Pond. - - _Kecunnilessu_, chickadee. } - } - _Nipsquecohossus_, woodcock. } - } - _Skuscumonsuk_, kingfisher. Has it not the pl. termination } - _uk_ here, or _suk_? } Joe. - } - _Wassus_, bear, _aouessous_ (Rasles). } - } - _Lunxus_, Indian-devil. } - } - _Upahsis_, mountain-ash. } - - _Moose_ (is it called, or does it mean, wood-eater?), _mous_ - (Rasles). - - _Katahdinauguoh_, said to mean mountains about Ktaadn. - - _Ebemena_, tree-cranberry. _Ibibimin_, _nar_, red, bad }Joe - fruit. (Rasles.) } - - _Wighiggin_, a bill or writing, _aouixigan_, } Ind'n of - "_livre_, _lettre_, _peinture_, _ceinture_" (Rasles). } carry. - - _Sebamook_, Large-bay Lake, _Peqouasebem_; add _ar_ } - for plural, _lac_ or _etang_, (Rasles). _Ouauerinauegamek_, } Nicholai. - _anse dans un lac_, (Rasles). _Mspame_, large water. } - Polis. } - - _Sebago_ and _Sebec_, large open water. - - _Chesuncook_, place where many streams empty in. } - (_Vide_ Willis and Potter.) } - } Tahmunt, - _Caucomgomoc_, Gull Lake. (_Caucomgomoc_, the lake; } etc. - _Caucomgomoc-took_, the river, Polis.) } - - _Pammadumcook._ - - _Kenduskieg_, Little Eel River. (_Vide_ Willis.) Nicholai. - - _Penobscot_, Rocky River. _Puapeskou_, stone. (Rasles } Ind'n of - v. Springer.) } carry. - - _Umbazookskus_, meadow stream. (Much-meadow } - river, Polis.) } - } - _Millinocket_, place of islands. } Nicholai. - } - _Souneunk_, that runs between mountains. } - } - _Aboljacarmegus_, Smooth-ledge Falls and Deadwater. } - - _Aboljacarmeguscook_, the river there. - - _Muskiticook_, dead stream. (Indian of carry.) _Meskikou_, or - _Meskikouikou_, a place where there is grass, (Rasles). - _Muskeeticook_, deadwater, (Polis). - - _Mattahumkeag_, Sand-creek Pond. } - } Nicholai. - _Piscataquis_, branch of river. } - - _Shecorways_, sheldrakes. } - } - _Naramekechus_, peetweet. } Polis. - } - _Medawisla_, loon. } - - _Orignal_, Moosehead Lake. (Montresor.) - - _Chor-chor-que_, usnea. } - } - _Adelungquamooktum_, wood thrush. } - } - _Bematruichtik_, high land generally. } Polis. - (_Mt. Pemadene._ Rasles). } - } - _Maquoxigil_, bark of red osier, Indian tobacco. } - - _Kineo_, flint (Williamson; old Indian hunter). (Hodge.) - - _Artoosoqu'_, phosphorescence. } - } - _Subekoondark_, white spruce. } - } - _Skusk_, black spruce. } - } - _Beskabekuk_, the "Lobster Lake" of maps. } Polis. - } - _Beskabekukskishtuk_, the deadwater below the island. } - } - _Paytaytequick_, Burnt-Ground Stream, what Joe } - called _Ragmuff_. } - } - _Nonlangyis_, the name of a deadwater between the } - last and Pine Stream. } - - _Karsaootuk_, Black River (or Pine Stream). _Mkazeouighen_, } - black, (Rasles). } - } - _Michigan, fimus._ Polis applied it to a sucker, or } - a poor, good-for-nothing fish. _Fiante (?) mitsegan_ } - (Rasles). (Pickering puts the ? after the first word.) } - } - _Cowosnebagosar_, _Chiogenes hispidula_, means, grows } - where trees have rotted. } - } Polis. - _Pockadunkquaywayle_, echo. _Pagadauekoueouerre_ } - (Rasles). } - } - _Bororquasis_, moose-fly. } - } - _Nerlumskeechtcook_ (or _quoik_?), (or _skeetcook_), } - Deadwater, and applied to the mountains near. } - } - _Apmoojenegamook_, lake that is crossed. } - } - _Allegash_, hemlock bark. (_Vide_ Willis.) } - - _Paytaywecongomec_, Burnt-Ground Lake, _Telos_. - - _Madunkehunk_, Height-of-Land Stream (Webster } - Stream). } - } - _Madunkehunk-gamooc_, Height-of-Land Lake. } - } - _Matungamooc_, Grand Lake. } - } - _Uncardnerheese_, Trout Stream. } - } - _Wassataquoik_ (or _-cook_), Salmon River, East Branch. } - (_Vide_ Willis.) } - } Polis. - _Pemoymenuk_, amelanchier berries, "_Pemouaimin, } - nak_, a black fruit. Rasles." Has it not here the plural } - ending? } - } - _Sheepnoc_, _Lilium Canadense_ bulbs. "_Sipen, nak_, } - white, larger than _penak_" (Rasles). } - } - _Paytgumkiss_, Petticoat (where a small river comes } - into the Penobscot below Nicketow). } - } - _Burntibus_, a lake-like reach in the Penobscot. } - - _Passadumkeag_, "where the water falls into the Penobscot - above the falls" (Williamson). _Pauesidauekioui_ is, _au dessus - de la montagne_ (Rasles). - - _Olarmon_, or _larmon_ (Polis), red paint. "Vermilion, paint, - _Ouramaue_" (Rasles). - - _Sunkhaze_, "See canoe come out; no see 'em stream" (Polis). - The mouth of a river, according to Rasles, is _Saueghedetegoue_. - The place where one stream empties into another, thus [Symbol] - is _sauektaueoui_. (_Vide_ Willis.) - - _Tomhegan_ Br. (at Moosehead). "_Hatchet_, _temahigan_" - (Rasles). - - _Nicketow_, "_Nicketaoutegue_, or _Niketoutegoue_, _riviere qui - fourche_" (Rasles). - - 2. From WILLIAM WILLIS, on the Language of the Abnaquies, Maine - Hist. Coll., Vol. IV. - - _Abalajako-megus_ (river near Ktaadn). - - _Aitteon_ (name of a pond and sachem). - - _Apmogenegamook_ (name of a lake). - - _Allagash_ (a bark camp). Sockbasin, a Penobscot, told him, - "The Indians gave this name to the lake from the fact of their - keeping a hunting-camp there." - - _Bamonewengamock_, head of Allegash, Cross Lake. (Sockbasin.) - - _Chesuncook_, Big Lake. (Sockbasin.) - - _Caucongamock_ (a lake). - - _Ebeeme_, mountains that have plums on them. (Sockbasin). - - _Ktaadn_. Sockbasin pronounces this Ka-tah-din, and said it - meant "large mountain or large thing." - - _Kenduskeag_ (the place of eels). - - _Kineo_ (flint), mountain on the border, etc. - - _Metawamkeag_, a river with a smooth, gravelly bottom. - (Sockbasin.) - - _Metanawcook._ - - _Millinoket_, a lake with many islands in it. (Sockbasin.) - - _Matakeunk_ (river). - - _Molunkus_ (river). - - _Nicketow_, Neccotoh, where two streams meet ("Forks of the - Penobscot"). - - _Negas_ (Indian village on the Kenduskeag). - - _Orignal_ (Montresor's name for Moosehead Lake). - - _Ponguongamook_, Allagash, name of a Mohawk Indian killed - there. (Sockbasin.) - - _Penobscot_, _Penobskeag_, French _Pentagoet_, etc. - - _Pougohwaken_ (Heron Lake). - - _Pemadumcook_ (lake). - - _Passadumkeag_, where water goes into the river above falls. - (Williamson.) - - _Ripogenus_ (river). - - _Sunkhaze_ (river), deadwater. - - _Souneunk._ - - _Seboomook._ Sockbasin says this word means "the shape of a - Moose's head, and was given to the lake," etc. Howard says - differently. - - _Seboois_, a brook, a small river. (Sockbasin.) - - _Sebec_ (river). - - _Sebago_ (great water). - - _Telos_ (lake). - - _Telasius_ (lake). - - _Umbagog_ (lake), doubled up; so called from its form. - (Sockbasin.) - - _Umbazookskus_ (lake). - - _Wassatiquoik_, a mountain river. (Sockbasin.) - - Judge C. E. Potter of Manchester, New Hampshire, adds in - November, 1855:-- - - "_Chesuncook._ This is formed from _Chesunk_, or _Schunk_ (a - goose), and _Auke_ (a place), and means 'The Goose Place.' - Chesunk, or Schunk, is the sound made by the wild geese when - flying." - - _Ktaadn._ This is doubtless a corruption of _kees_ (high), and - _auke_ (a place). - - _Penobscot_, _penapse_ (stone, rock place), and _auke_ (place). - - _Suncook_, goose place, _Schunk-auke_. - - The Judge says that _schoot_ means to rush, and hence - _schoodic_ from this and _auke_ (a place where water rushes), - and that _schoon_ means the same; and that the Marblehead - people and others have derived the words "scoon" and "scoot" - from the Indians, and hence "schooner"; refers to a Mr. Chute. - - - - -INDEX - - -ABBOT (Me.), 97. - -Aboljacarmegus Falls, 58, 82; meaning of the name, 157. - -Aboljacarmegus, Lake, 51. - -Aboljacknagesic Stream, 51, 58, 59, 62. - -Aitteon, Joe, 94, 99, 100, 210, 233, 313. - -ALLEGASH AND EAST BRANCH, THE, 174-327. - -Allegash Lakes, the, 78, 175, 250, 257. - -Allegash River, the, 40, 80, 161, 178, 233, 250, 254-257, 260, 270. - -Ambejijis Falls, 50; portage round, 52; 84. - -Ambejijis Lake, 45-47, 49, 50, 84, 291. - -Ambejijis Stream, 50. - -America, the newness of, 90. - -Apmoojenegamook Lake, 244; meaning of, 250; 260; a storm on, 263, 264; -hard paddling on, 267. - -Aroostook (Me.) road, 3, 13, 14; river, 4; wagon, an, 14; valley, 23; -sleds of the, 261. - -Asters, 97. - -Atlas, the General, 95. - - -Bailey, Prof. J. W., 4. - -Bangor (Me.), 3, 4, 9, 12; passage to, 16; 23, 36, 38, 74, 86, 91, -94-98; the deer that went a-shopping in, 154; 160, 161, 166, 167, 174, -175; House, the, 177; 250, 251, 256, 257, 290, 307. - -Batteaux, 6, 35. - -Bears, abundance of, 235. - -Bed, a cedar-twig, 60; of arbor-vitae twigs, 265; the primitive, by all -rivers, 317. - -Birds, in the wilderness, 118; about Moosehead Lake, 186; about Mud -Pond Carry, 237; near Chamberlain Lake, 240, 241; on Heron Lake, 255; -on East Branch, 309. - -Black flies, protection against, 236; 246. - -Blueberries, 66, 298. - -Boston (Mass.), countrified minds in towns about, 24. - -Bowlin Stream, 308. - -Burnt Land, the, 29, 77. - -"Burntibus," 319. - - -Camp, loggers', 20; reading matter in a, 37, 38; on side of Ktaadn, a, -68; the routine for making, 210-212; darkness about a, 303, 304. - -Canadian boat-song, 42; a blind, 234. - -Canoe, a birch, 106; used in third excursion to Maine Woods, 181; -shipping water in a, 189; crossing lakes in a, 206; carrying a, 207, -208; running rapids in a, 275-277, 279, 280. - -Carbuncle Mountain, 291. - -Caribou Lake, 216. - -Carry, Indian's method with canoe at a, 207, 208; a wet, 235-244; -berries at each, 305, 306; race at a, 314, 315. - -Caucomgomoc Lake, meaning of the name, 156; 222, 223. - -Caucomgomoc Mountain, 233. - -Caucomgomoc Stream, 142, 147, 219, 229, 247, 297. - -Cedar tea, arbor-vitae, or, 60. - -Chaleur, Bay of, 178. - -Chamberlain Farm, the, 245, 264, 265. - -Chamberlain Lake, 101, 145, 161, 233, 237, 239, 240; Apmoojenegamook -or, 244; dams about, 251; 262, 267. - -Checkerberry-Tea Camp, 301. - -CHESUNCOOK, 93-173. - -Chesuncook Deadwater, 217. - -Chesuncook Lake, 5, 11, 36, 73, 80, 86, 94, 104, 105, 117, 119, 136, -137; meaning of the word, 156; 176; going to church on, 214; 234, 250, -254. - -Chivin, silvery roaches, cousin-trout, or, 59; 312. - -Civilization and landscape, 171-173. - -Cloud, entering a, 70; factory, a, 70. - -Cold Stream Pond, 9. - -Colton's Map of Maine, 104, 308. - -Concord (Mass.), 1, 24, 76, 117; meaning of Indian name for, 157, 187; -214, 268; the Assabet in, 278. - -Concord River, 229, 278, 299. - -Cranberries, mountain, 27; tree-, 147. - -Crosses in the wilderness, 50. - -Curing moose meat and hide, 149, 150, 208. - - -De Bry's _Collectio Peregrinationum_, 149. - -Deep Cove, 45, 84. - -Deer, 154. - -Deer Island, 100, 183, 185, 188. - -"Die and be buried who will," verse, 90. - -Dippers, a brood of, 184. - -Dog, a troublesome, 177. - -Double Top Mountain, 49. - -Dream of fishing, a, 61. - - -Eagle Lake, 101, 161; road, 261. - -EAST BRANCH, THE ALLEGASH AND, 174-327. - -East Branch, mouth of the, 19; 23, 161, 175, 176, 249, 256, 257, 268; -Hunt's house on the, 269, 270, 273, 274, 288, 289, 298, 312, 315, 316. - -Eel River, 256. - -Elegy in a Country Churchyard, quoted, 19. - -Enfield (Me.), 9. - -Everlasting, the pearly, 97. - - -Fenwick, Bishop, 323. - -Fire, a camp, 43, 115, 116. - -Fire-weed, 95, 282. - -Fishing, 58; the Caucomgomoc, 147. - -Five Islands, the, 11, 31, 87, 320. - -Fowler, Thomas, sheltered and joined by, 29-34. - -Fredericton (N. B.), 16. - -Freshet, the Great, 58. - -Frontier houses, 144. - -Fundy, Bay of, 254. - - -Goldenrod, 97. - -Grand Falls of the Penobscot, 31; portage to avoid the, 32. - -Grand Lake, 268; Indian name for, 295; 297, 307. - -Grand Portage, the, 80. - -Greenbush (Me.), 324. - -Greenleaf's Map of Maine, 16. - -Greenville (Me.), 99, 101, 188, 194, 209. - - -Hedgehog, shooting a, 130. - -Heron Lake, 254, 255. - -Hide, stretching a, 147, 148; sale of a moose-, 152. - -"Highlands" between the Penobscot and St. John, 238. - -Hilton's clearing, 105. - -History, reading, 87. - -Hobble-bush, wayfarer's tree or, 96. - -Hodge, assistant geologist, quoted, 29, 80. - -Holland, the King of, in his element, 239. - -Horns, uses for deer's, 97, 98. - -Hornstone, 194. - -Houlton (Me.), road, the, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13. - -Hunter, a "gentlemanly," 178, 179; Indian, with hides, 231; enviable -life of a, 269, 270. - -Hunting, the degradation of, 132-134. - - -Indian, extinction, 7; guides secured, 11; belief that river ran two -ways, 35; words for some birds and animals, 108; camp, an, 146-159; -language, 151; words for Maine waters, 155-157; houses at Oldtown, -161; relics, 166; speech, 187; singing, 198; methods of guiding, -204-206; manner of carrying canoes, 207, 208; inscription, an, 220; -wardrobe, 249, 250; failure to understand avoidance of settlers, 258; -medicines, 259; travel, 260, 261; as umpire, 267; skill in retracing -steps, 277; relics and geographical names, 297; good manners, 300; -devil (or cougar), the, 306; reticence and talkativeness, 318, 319; -sickness, 319, 320; indifference, 326. - -Indian Island, 92, 174, 326, 327. - -Insect foes, 246. - - -Jackson, Dr. Charles T., 4, 10; quoted regarding altitude of Ktaadn, -72; on Moosehead Lake, 104; sketches in Reports of, 120; quoted, -regarding hornstone on Mount Kineo, 194, 195. - -Joe Merry Lakes, the, 45. - -Joe Merry Mountain, 38, 51, 218. - -Josselyn, John, quoted, 156, 164. - - -Katepskonegan Falls, 52; Carry, 81. - -Katepskonegan Lake, 50, 57. - -Katepskonegan Stream, 50. - -Kenduskeag, meaning of, 156. - -Kennebec River, the, 5, 40, 103, 183, 188, 233, 272. - -Kineo, Mount, 9-103, 156, 183, 186, 189; Indian tradition of origin -of, 190; hornstone on, 194; 196, 203, 260, 299. - -Knife, an Indian, 156. - -KTAADN, 3-90. - -Ktaadn, Mt., 1; ascents of, 3-5; view of, 23; first view of, 36; 38; -the flat summit of, 49; 58, 61; the ascent of, 63-76; altitude of, 72; -96, 121, 136, 167, 215, 218, 249, 257, 260, 297, 312, 313. - - -Lake country of New England, the, 40. - -Larch, extensive wood of, 231. - -Lescarbot quoted regarding abundance of fishes, 60. - -Lily, the yellow, 209, 291; roots, gathering, 309; roots, soup of, -317. - -Lily Bay, 97, 99. - -Lincoln (Me.), 9, 85, 260, 319, 321, 322. - -Little Schoodic River, the, 23. - -Lobster Lake, 106. - -Lobster Pond, 210. - -Lobster Stream, 105, 210. - -Locusts, 254. - -Loggers, camps of, 20; a gang of, 38. - -Log house, a, 138. - -Logs, from woods to market, sending, 46-49. - -Loon, Indian word for, 182; cry of the, 247, 248. - -Lost, in the lakes, experienced woodmen, 41; in the woods, T.'s -companion, 285-290. - -Lovewell's Fight, 245. - - -Madawaska, the, 80. - -Maine, mountainous region of, 4; intelligence of backwoodsmen in, 24; -view of, 73; the forest of, 88. - -Map of the Public Lands of Maine and Massachusetts, 17, 101, 104, 308. - -Marriage, a sign of, 232. - -Mars' Hill, 8. - -Matahumkeag, 107; meaning of the word, 157; 210. - -Matanancook River, the, 321. - -Mattaseunk, 18. - -Mattawamkeag, the, 12, 13, 16; meaning of the name, 157; 256. - -Mattawamkeag Point, 4, 11, 38, 88, 316, 319. - -Matungamook Lake, 295. - -McCauslin, or "Uncle George," weather-bound at farm of, 23-29; good -services as guide by, 40-42. - -Michaux on lumbering, quoted, 48. - -Milford (Me.), 7. - -Millinocket Lake, 29, 41, 73, 260. - -Millinocket River, 29, 31, 86-88, 223. - -Ministers, with, on Ktaadn, 214. - -Mohawk Rips, the, 322. - -Mohawk traditions, 154. - -Molasses, Molly, 174. - -Molunkus (Me.), 13, 15. - -Monhegan Island, 94. - -Monson (Me.), 97, 98, 161. - -Moose, sign of, 58, 65, 108; carcass of a, 109; night expedition in -vain hunt for, 110-115; shooting at and wounding a, 122-124; found, -measured, and skinned, 125-130; Indian ideas about, 153; Indian -tradition of evolution of, from the whale, 163; shooting and skinning -a, on Second Lake, 292-295. - -Moose-flies, 246. - -Moosehead Lake, 45, 46, 73, 95, 97, 99; steamers and sail-boats on, -100; 104, 108, 117, 145, 150, 152; Indian name for, 155; 159, 175, -176, 181; extent of, 183; 184, 188, 193, 231, 252; dragon-fly on, 255; -272, 299, 322. - -Moosehorn Deadwater, 109. - -Moosehorn Stream, the, 111, 113, 117, 118, 145, 216. - -Moose River, 189. - -Moose wardens, laxness of, 231. - -Moose-wood, 65; phosphorescent light in, 199. - -Morrison, John, head of a lumber-gang, 38. - -Mosquitoes, 246, 310, 311. - -Mountain-ash, 94. - -Mountain-tops, 71. - -Mud Pond, 233, 237, 238, 240, 243, 244. - -Murch Brook, 58, 64, 74. - -Musquash, calling a, 228. - - -Nahant (Mass.), 170. - -Nature, the earth as made by, 77, 78; always young, 89, 90; the coarse -use of, 133. - -Neptune, Louis, 10, 86; a call on Governor, 162, 163; the old chief, -174. - -Nerlumskeechticook Mountain, 249, 260, 291, 297, 298, 301. - -Nicketow (Me.), 7, 19, 260, 316, 319. - -Night, in the woods, a, 43-45; thoughts by a stream at, 131; sounds in -the woods at, 247, 248. - -Noliseemack, Shad Pond or, 29. - -North Twin Lake, 39, 80, 84. - -No-see-em, midge called, 245, 246. - - -Oak Hall hand-bill and carry, 55, 83. - -Olamon Mountains, 323. - -Olamon River, the, and meaning of word, 324. - -Old Fort Hill, 166. - -Oldtown (Me.), 4, 6, 7, 9, 88, 142, 152, 153, 160, 161, 166, 167, 174, -192, 202, 204, 222, 226, 259, 272, 274, 313, 320, 322, 323, 325-327. - -Orchis, the great round-leaved, 240. - -Orono (Me.), 92. - -Osier, red, Indian word for, 188. - - -Paddling, a lesson in, 325, 326. - -Pamadumcook Lakes, the, 30, 45, 47, 84; meaning of the word, 156; 260. - -Passadumkeag River, the, 8, 9, 323, 324. - -Passamagamet Falls, 51; "warping up," 53; 84. - -Passamagamet Lake, 50, 51. - -Passamagamet Stream, 50, 51. - -Passamaquoddy River, the, 5, 91. - -Peaked Mountain, 254. - -Peetweets, Indian word for, 182. - -Penobscot County, 73. - -Penobscot Indians, sociability of, 321. - -Penobscot River, the, 3, 5, 6; Indian islands in the, 7; 17, 18, 24, -29, 31, 32, 40, 41, 54, 77, 80, 87, 91, 95, 96, 103-105, 107, 108; -between Moosehead and Chesuncook Lake, described, 117; 145, 148; -meaning of the word, 157, 158, 161; 166, 176, 193, 202; West Branch -of, 203; 208, 209, 233, 234, 238, 270-272; main boom of the, 329. - -Phosphorescent wood, 199-201. - -Pine, the white, 160; forests, 169; red, 268; Labrador and red, 296. - -Pine Stream, 122, 136, 216. - -Pine Stream Deadwater, 121. - -Pine Stream Falls, 136, 216. - -Piscataquis Falls, 322. - -Piscataquis River, the, 101; meaning of the word, 157; 179, 260, 327. - -Pitching a canoe, 105. - -Plants, abundance of strange, by Moosehead Lake, 103, 104, 188; -observed on Mount Kineo, 195; about camp on the Caucomgomoc, 223; -along the Umbazookskus, 229, 230; in cedar swamp by Chamberlain Lake, -239-241; on East Branch, 302. - -Pockwockomus Falls, 56, 57, 83. - -Pockwockomus Lake, 50. - -Pokelogan, a, 56. - -Poling a batteau, 34, 35, 53, 54. - -Polis, Joe, 174; secured as guide, 175; puzzled about white men's law, -192; travels and opinions of, 217, 218; calls upon Daniel Webster, -279; as a boy, hard experience in traveling of, 308; good-by to, 327. - -Politicians, country, 8, 9. - -Pongoquahem Lake, 260. - -Portage, a rough, 33; round Ambejijis Falls, 51. - -Province man, a green, 16. - - -Quakish Lake, 33, 36, 85. - -Quebec, meaning of the word, 157; 257. - - -Ragmuff Stream, 118, 121, 145, 216. - -Rain, 33, 265, 266. - -Rapids, shooting, 81. - -Rasles, Father, Dictionary of the Abenaki language, 154. - -Red shirts, 31, 145. - -_Repaired_ road, a, 98. - -Restigouche River, the, 178. - -Ripogenus Portage, 80. - -Roaches, silvery, 59. - -Road, a supply, 212; recipe for making a, 244. - -Rock-Ebeeme, 20. - -Rock hills, singular, 282. - -Roots of spruce, as thread, 225, 226. - -Russell Stream, 104. - - -St. Francis Indian, 146, 208. - -St. John River, the, 5, 40, 80, 101, 137, 176, 178, 203, 233, 238, -251, 256, 257, 270, 271, 274. - -St. Lawrence River, the, 80, 233, 238. - -Salmon River, 19. - -Sandbar Island, 100, 188, 189. - -Schoodic Lake, 256. - -School question, the, among Indians, 323, 324. - -Seboois Lakes, 222, 261, 310. - -Second Lake, 274, 276, 281; beauty of, 290-292, 297. - -Shad Pond, or Noliseemack, 29, 30, 86. - -Shad-flies, ephemerae or, 255. - -Sheldrakes, Indian word for, 182; 254, 274, 276. - -Singing, 41, 42. - -Smith, Ansell, clearing and settlement of, 137-145. - -Snowberry, creeping, used as tea, 227. - -"Somebody & Co.," 14. - -Souneunk Mountains, the, 218, 260. - -South Twin Lake, 39. - -Sowadnehunk Deadwater, 58. - -Sowadnehunk River, the, 31, 79. - -Sparrow, the white-throated, 213, 249, 262. - -Spencer Bay Mountain, 183. - -Spencer Mountains, 108. - -"Spokelogan," 268. - -Spring, a cool, 280. - -Springer, J. S., Forest Life, quoted, 21, note; on lumbering, quoted, -48, note; on the spruce tree, quoted, 75; about the digging of a -canal, quoted, 270, 271. - -Spruce, the, 104; Indian words for black and white, 209; difference -between black and white, 225. - -Spruce beer, a draught of, 30. - -Squaw Mountain, 183. - -Squirrel, the red, 241. - -Stars known to Indian, 247. - -Stillwater (Me.), 4, 167. - -Sugar Island, 101, 183, 194; near Olamon River, 324. - -Sunday, an Indian's, 201, 202, 214, 215, 223, 229. - -Sunkhaze, the, 8, 325, 326. - -"Swampers," 242. - -"Sweet cakes," 12. - - -Tea, varieties of forest, 227; hemlock, 312. - -Telasinis Lake, 267. - -Telos Lake, 235, 245, 264; Indian name for, 267; 270, 274, 281, 290, -299. - -Tent, description of, 196, 197. - -Thistle, the Canada, 96. - -Thoreau, Henry David, leaves Concord for Maine, 31 Aug. 1846, 3; -starts "up river" from Bangor, 4; strikes into the wilderness, 15; -starts for summit of Ktaadn, 61, 62; begins descent, 72; leaves Boston -by steamer for Bangor, 13 Sept. 1853, 93; takes Moosehead Lake steamer -for return home, 159; starts on third excursion to Maine Woods, 20 -July, 1857, 174; reaches farthest northern point, 259; lands at -Oldtown, the journey finished, 326. - -Thrush, wood, Indian word for, 186. - -Thunder-storm, violent, 261, 262. - -Timber, 18; land, best in Maine, 235. - -Tomhegan Stream, 203. - -Traps, a find of steel, 302. - -Tree, fall of a, at night, 115; a dangerous, 221. - -Trees, varieties of, 22, 116; along the Penobscot, 107, 120; about -camp on the Caucomgomoc, 223; along the Umbazookskus, 231; on island -in Heron Lake, farthest northern point, 259; on East Branch, 302. - -Tree-tops, a walk over, 67; appearance of various, 121. - -Trout, true and cousin-, 59. - -Trout Stream, 235, 269; Indian name for, 295. - - -Umbazookskus, the, 219, 222; Much Meadow River, 229; 230, 232. - -Umbazookskus Lake, 233, 238. - -Usnea lichen, Indian word for, 186. - - -Veazie's mills, 166. - -Voyageurs, Canadian, 6. - - -Waite's farm, 23. - -"Warping up," 57. - -Washing in a lake, 249. - -Wassataquoik River, the, 3, 312. - -Water-troughs, 97. - -Wayfarer's-tree or hobble-bush, 96. - -Webster, Daniel, Joe Polis's call upon, 279. - -Webster Pond, 270, 273; Indian name for, 273. - -Webster Stream, 161, 264; Indian name for, 273; 275, 289, 297, 299, -300. - -West Branch, tramp up the, 17; 20, 31, 32, 291, 316. - -Whetstone Falls, 313. - -White Mountains, the, 4. - -Whitehead Island, 94. - -Woods, wetness of the, 22; characteristics of Maine, and uses of all, -167-173; destruction of the, 252-254. - -Woodstock (N. B.), 256. - - - The Riverside Press - H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY - CAMBRIDGE - MASSACHUSETTS - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - - Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have - been preserved. In particular, numerous spelling differences between - the text and the Appendices were noted and retained. - - On page 19, "Elergy in a Country Churchyard" possibly should be "Elegy - in a Country Churchyard." - - On page 240, "Rides lacustre" possibly should be "Ribes lacustre." - - On page 259, "margaraticea" possibly should be "margaritacea." - - On page 319, "bonhommie" possibly should be "bonhomie." - - On page 330, "New Hamphsire" was corrected to "New Hampshire." - - On page 333, "Virbirnum" possibly should be "Viburnum." - - On page 351, "Mt. Pemadene" possibly should be "Mt. Pemadenee." - - On page 354, "Allegash" possibly should be "Allagash." - - On page 355, a symbol, circle with up arrow, is denoted by [Symbol]. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MAINE WOODS*** - - -******* This file should be named 42500.txt or 42500.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/5/0/42500 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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