I a/ THE. yfUDEiI^ESJ 0mh'/^ (AfT.fAHRAK THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/camplifeinwilderOOfarrrich Cake axih iTorcst 0erie0< By Capt. Charles A. J. Farrar. A RECORD OF SPORT AND ADVENTURE IN THE WILDS OF MAINE, TO BE COMPLETED IN SIX VOLUMES. 16mo. Illustrated. Price, $1.25 each. I. EASTWARD HO! Adventures at Rangeley Lakes. II. WILD WOODS LIFE; A Trip to Parmachenee. III. DOWN THE WEST BRANCH; Camps and Tramps around Katahdin. IV. UP THE NORTH BRANCH; A Summer's Outing. CAMP LIFE THE WILDERNESS A Tale of the Richardson Lakes TOift C^irtg Cllugtrationg DRAWN BY REED AND POOLS BY CAPT. CHARLES A. J. FARRAR Author of ^* Androscoggin Lakes Illustrated,^* " Moosehead Lake and the North Maine Wilderness Illustrated,''* '* From Lake to Lake," " The Lake and Forest Series," etc., etc. BOSTON LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS JAMAICA PLAIN, MASS. JAMAICA PUBLISHING COMPANY 1890 Copyright, 1890, Chables a. J. Fabrab. PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. The second edition of Camp Life in the Wilderness having become exhausted, and the demand for the book increasing, a third edition is now published, and twelve new character illustrations have been added, to take the place of landscape views in the former editions. The story gives the haps and mishaps of a party of Boston gentlemen who spent a summer vacation in the Rangeley Lake Region, and is, in the main, true, although, in portraying some of the scenes in the story, I have taken the usual license of authors. The book is well calculated to while away a leisure hour, and fur- nishes a good deal of reliable information to those who think of visiting the lakes. Persons who visit the lakes by way of Andover, now leave the Grand Trunk Railway at Bryant's Pond, and take Tuttle's stage to Andover, the stage line from Bethel to Andover having been discontinued. The Bethel stage now runs to the Lakeside Hotel in Cam- bridge, N.H., at the foot of Lake Umbagog. CHARLES A. J. FARRAR. RocKviEW, Jamaica Plain, May 1, 1890. (5) in co:n^tents OHAFTES PAGB I. — How THE Party was formed, 9 II. — On the Steamer Jack Bowker, 16 III. — The Wait in Portland, 29 IV. — From Portland to Bethel and Andover, 41 v. — On the Lake Road, 51 VI. — Up the Lake.— From the Arm to French's Camp. — A Meeting with Fellow-Voyagers, 73 VII. — Our First Meal in Camp.— "Where is my Valise?" . . 84 VIIL — A Hunt for the Missing Valise. — A Mystery. — Is it A Ghost ? — The Valise found. — The Return to Camp. — A Dark Landing, 90 IX. — Our First Night in the Wilderness.— Shooting Rab- bits.— A Hearty Breakfast.— Another Start.— The Artist takes an Impromptu Bath. — The Upper Dam, — "Camp Jamaica," 97 X. — Camp Life. — Fish and Game. — Tar and Oil. — Around THE Camp-Fire, 109 XL —Morning Thoughts.— Lucky Fishermen.— Neighborly Call. — Tough Night.— Camp stormed by Midges, . . 114 XII. — Sunday in Camp.— New Arrivals.- We visit Whitney's, AND GO A Gumming. — A Ridiculous Bear-Fight.— A Demoralized Dog. — Fresh Meat for Supper, ... 121 XIII. — Camp-Singing. — Lake-Shore Sleeping Apartment. — Thoughts and Fancies.— Visit to Richardson Ponds, 133 XIV.— A Big Fish.— Beating up Gamk. — A Shot at a Cari- bou.— A Gun that shoots at both Ends. — We bag THE Game.— Back to Camp, 142 6 CONTENTS. 7 XV. — A Caribou Supper. — River-Drivers. — «' No Whis- key."— A Narrow Escape. — An Experienced Gun- ner.— Departure OF our Neighbors, 151 XVI. — A Day's Sport. — Lonely Tramp.- Lost in the For- est.— The Wrong Customer.— A Cat-astrophe, . .161 XVIL— Down the Lake.— Visit Whitney's.— A Swamped Boat. The "Farm." — The '• Pathfinder." — A Wet Tramp, 173 XVIIL — The Richardson Farm. — Through the Water. — The Middle Dam Camp. — A Good Supper, 180 XIX. — Lake Umbagog. — Androscoggin and Magallowat Rivers. — "Pulling hard against the Stream," . ,187 XX. — A Sell on the Aktist. — A Wooden Bear. — Reunion at Smith's Mill. — At Andover House once more, . 200 XXI. — The First Departure.— Excursion to Cataract Brook, 209 XXII. — RoxBUBY Pond. — Caught in the Rain. — Last Day at Andover — Farewell. — General Information, . .21(J LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Fbontispiece 1 Trying his Luck 7 Thb Captain and the Ministeb 24 A Queeb Hogshead 40 On the Road to Andoveb 48 Andoveb House, Andoveb, Me 50 Devil's Den, Black Brook, Andover, Me 56 Silver Ripple Cascade, Black Beook 63 Mt. Sawyeb and Sluice Dam, Black Bbook Notch 67 Natukal Arch, Lake Road 72 A ♦' Speckled Beauty " 83 The Net Result 96 The Artist catches a Duck 101 A Lumbebman's Camp 106 Cbossing the Cabby 108 The Lucky Fishebmen 120 Attacked by Midges , 121 South-east View op Lake Molechunkamunk 130 Camp Bellevub, Lake Molechunkamunk 132 A Bbight Spobtsman 158 Camping out at Uppeb Dam t60 Middle Dam and Rapid Riveb 172 The Swamped Boat 179 A Dby Path 183 The Bboken Tholepin 186 Tail-piece 206 Middle Dam Camp 207 Fish versus Dogs 213 The Flume, Catabact Bbook 217 Andoveb, Me., prom Lake Road 221 (8) CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS, CHAPTER I. HOW THE PARTY WAS FORMED. IT is quite natural, as summer approaches, for people to begin to talk and plan as to where they shall go, what they shall do, what friends to include in the party, and so on. As the summer of 1874 came creeping along, I began to canvass the probabilities of my taking a vacation, and in what quarter of New England to spend it, for the question of " stamps " would not allow me to go more than a thousand miles from the " Hub." The more I thought of getting out of the harness for a while, the more determined 1 became to shake off from my feet the dust of the city, for a few weeks at least. The numerous new summer resorts that are con- tinually coming to the front, really make it a hard 9 10 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. thiug, for one who has no special preference, to de- cide where to go f for the poorest of them, of course, has its own peculiar charms, and will always find some one to sing its praise. So far as I was personally concerned, I wished to go where I could have the best time for the least money; and I believe a large proportion of the people in this world feel the same way, although they may not care to own it. After turning the matter over in my mind for a while, I concluded that I could do no better than to go down to the Richardson Lakes, the two pearls of the Rangeley chain, situated in the wilderness of northwestern Maine ; for I knew if I went there, I was sure of a good time, and plenty of healthful recreation. Having decided as to what point of the compass to direct my steps, the next question was, who to get to accompany me. One man on a " camping- out *' excursion is not enough of a good thing. I ran rapidly over in my mind a list of my ac- quaintance who had a penchant for throwing a fly, or running their eye along a gun-barrel, and men- tally made note of about thirty, most of whom at convenient times I interviewed. While all received the idea of such a trip with enthusiasm, they were not equally all decided in HOW THE PARTY WAS FORMED. 11 their opinion of going ; and I concluded I could count on about fifteen. But as the time for start- ing arrived, so rapidly did the ranks decrease, that I began to think I slioiild have to go alone. How- ever, seven stuck to their promise, your humble servant making the eighth. We went, and had a splendid time, as I think you will allow after fol- lowing us through the trip. The most difficult matter to decide was, when to go and how long to stay ; but we finally agreed upon the last two weeks in July. I would have preferred waiting until the 1st of August before starting; but as most of my friends could not get away in August, I accommodated myself to them. We held an informal meeting on Monday even- ing, July 13th, and settled all the details. One of our party (whom I shall call the Governor) and myself had concluded to take our wives part way with us, and were to go by rail. We were to start on the following Wednesday morning, while the rest of the party, with the exception of my brother, had deter- mined to leave Boston the next evening on the Port- land steamer, meeting us at the Grand Trunk Depot, in Portland, Wednesday noon. My brother accom- panied the Governor and myself. We had decided to go by the way of Andover, that route being the cheapest, easiest, and most di- 12 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. rect ; and the estimated expense of the round trip to each gentleman was twenty-five dollars — an amount that we found to be correct on settling up at the end of the trip. I accepted th^ position of general manager for the party, and purchased the following stores : Two dozen cans condensed milk ; one pound tea ; six pounds cofiee; ten pounds white granulated sugar; seventy -five pounds pilot-bread ; one-quarter pound pepper; one box salt; one jar pickles; one jar catch- up; two cans beef soup; one can chicken soup; two bottles Jamaica ginger; one box mustard; one bottle Halford sauce ; six pounds soap ; five dozen lemons ; fifteen pounds ham; ten pounds butter; one bushel potatoes ; one quart vinegar ; ten pounds Indian meal ; twenty-five pounds salt pork ; four boxes cigars ; one package matches, and a few other little articles. Our stores went by boat to Portland, and express to Bethel. All of our stores held out, with the exception of sugar and butter, a second supply of both articles being obtained from the Upper Dam Camp. Of the pilot-bread we had some twenty pounds left. We obtained a good supply of fishing-tackle from Bradford & Anthony, and were indebted to Mr. Prouty, a gentlemanly salesman in that establish- ment, for hints in regard to the selection of flies. HOW THE PARTY WAS FORMED. 13 Some of the party, who thought more of gunning than fishing, visited the store of Wm. Read & Sons, where they procured all they stood in need of in the way of arms and ammunition. And now to introduce the excursionists to my readers. First of all, was the Governor, hale and hearty, and one of the most genial companions it has ever been the writer's good luck to fall in with. Then came the nice young man of the party, whom we shall designate as the Artist, and who did some very creditable sketching, for an amateur, while we were away. Third, was a young man who had a sur- prising faculty for forgetting everything that he should have remembered, and whom we shall call Professor, on account of some of the profound jokes with which he sometimes astonished us. We could also boast of a musical genius in the party, who was known among us as Mozart. Fifth on the list came the untirin^g philosopher, who always took the world at the best, and will figure as the Farmer. Next came a will-o'-the-wisp, as active as a flea, known to some of us as the Pathfinder, a sobriquet that stuck to him all through the trip. These, with my brother, whom, from his entire lack of interest in fishing, gun- ning, or anything else that appertains to sporting, we sarcastically dubbed the Sportsman, and my- self, who, from my connection with the press, was 14 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. known in the party as the Scribbler, completed our number. A tent had been sent with our stores, to serve us as a shelter when we reached the wilderness ; and some of the gentlemen, who proposed sleeping in the open air, myself among the number, had pur- chased hammocks. The morning of the 15th of July proved as pleas- ant as we could wish, the only drawback being the heat, the thermometer during the day rising to nine- ty-six degrees in the shade. The Governor and myself had concluded to take our wives as far as Andover, and leave them there at the hotel, while we pushed on to the woods, and captured the noble trout, and gave battle to the lively midge. At half-past eight we left the Boston and Maine Depot in one of the Company's elegant parlor-cars, and steamed rapidly out of the city. I think that I have remarked before that it was warm ; before we had ridden five miles we came to the conclusion that it was absolutely hot. The beauty of the scenery, however, was some recompense for the heat, as the country looked at its best, and an ever- varying pan- orama unrolled before our gaze as we swept onward toward the Forest City. About eleven o'clock the Governor brought forth a basket which was filled with sundry good things. HOW THE PARTY WAS FORMED. 15 and the way they disappeared was a caution to dys- peptics. While assisting at the feast, I felt some- thing pressing on my knee, and on looking down beheld the head of my little dog. Spot, who was eying me very wistfully, and who intimated by a gentlemanly wiggle of his tail that he was interested in the proceedings, and would like to take an active part in them. He had been very quietly lying at my feet since the train left Boston, but the smell of the dainties had been too much for him, and he had given me a gentle hint that he should like to be remembered. His mute appeal I could not with- stand, and he shared our lunch. We reached Portland on time, and crossed the city to the Grand Trunk Depot. We found the Montreal train in waiting, and procured seats to our liking. Sportsman started off to look up the rest of our party, and found them in the smoking-car, playing euchre. He" returned, accompanied by the Farmer, who reported the rest of the gentlemen well, only longing for the woods. At quarter-past one the train started, with our party all on board ; and here I will leave them, to go back and give a history of the steamboat trip. 16 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. CHAPTER II. ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKER. I'^UESDAY evening, July 14th, a party of six - young men gathered on India Wharf, in front of the steamer Jack Bowker, and from the peculiar manner in which most of them were dressed it was quite evident to even a casual observer that pleasure and not business called them from the city, on that balmy summer evening. As the last bell sounded, sending forth its warning for all on board the steamer to leave who were not passengers, and for those who were on the wharf that were going, to look alive, five of the young men above alluded to made a rush for the boat, upsetting an old applewoman, who blessed them in pure Celtic, and a yellow-haired dog with a kink in his tail, who showed his disgust of such a performance by snap- ping at the heels of one of the party, but without doing any harm. After going on board the boat, the five made their ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKER. 17 way to the upper deck, and thence to the stern of the steamer, where they could see their companion on the wharf, who was patiently awaiting their re- appearance. *^ We'll see you in Portland to-morrow, if the boat don't sink during the night," sang out the Artist. " All right I " answered the gentleman on the wharf. "Don't smoke too many cheap cigars and drink too much lager, fellows, while you are loafing in Portland to-morrow forenoon." " We never drink beer," replied the Farmer, with comic solemnity. " Except when we're asked," added the Professor. " Did you order a coffin before you bought your ticket, Mozart," yelled the Sportsman, as the fasts were cast off, and the boat began to leave her moorings. " Yes, two of them," returned Mozart ; " I did not want to leave the Farmer unprovided for." " Au revoivj^^ called out the Artist, as the boat cleared the wharf. '^ Bon voyage^ Messieurs/^ replied the Sportsman, as he turned and strolled up the wharf. It is needless, peihaps, to say, that the five young gentlemen on the steamer were the Artist, the Farmer, Mozart, the Pathfinder, and the Professor, who preferred going to Portland by boat, and who 2 18 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. were to meet the Governor, Sportsman, and myself at the Grand Trunk Depot in Portland the next day. As the gentlemen turned away from the rail of the boat, across which they had been talking to Andrew, a nervous-looking old lady touched the Artist on the arm, and asked him if he thought there was really any danger of an accident that night. She had been listening to the talk of the young men, taking it all in earnest, and the remarks about the " boat sinking," and " coflSns," had affected her rather unpleasantly. " Well, the fact is, my dear madam," replied the Artist, with a grave look, " that remains to be seen. You see the machinery on this boat is not so heavy as it should be for her tonnage, and if the walking- beam of the engine should come in contact with the piston-rod while the thermometer stood at sixty de- grees, and the cylindrical vacuum of the horizontal tubular boilers should waltz with the steam-gauge around the fire-box doors, and should then acquire a leverage of any extra pressure from the barometer, the hydraulic force-pump might fail to throw a suffi- cient stream of water to generate steam enough to cat the anchor with, and in that case I should not want to be answerable for what might happen." *' Law sakes, you don't say ! Why, what a lot of ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKER. 19 laming that young man has got/' said the old lady, turning to her niece, who was with her. " But you can rest assured, madam/' continued the Artist, " that I shall look after the engineer of this boat, and see that he does his duty.'' " That's right, mister ; don't you let him sink us/' added the niece. A snicker from the Farmer, followed by a haw- haw from Mozart, set the whole party into a roar, and the gentlemen moved off, leaving the old lady very much astonished, as she had not been able to see where the laugh came in. " I say, gentlemen, how about the state-rooms ? " asked the Farmer. " The Professor and I," answered the Artist, " have both engaged a state-room, and have the keys in our possession. I will take the Pathfinder in with me, as there are two berths, and you or Mozart can go in with tbe Professor, and one of you get another state-room ; or three of you can bunk together if you prefer it." " Mozart and the Farmer can room with me," said the Professor; "there is plenty of room for three of us." " Do you snore ? " asked the Farmer. " No," replied the Professor ; *' but Mozart does ; you can hear him a mile off." 20 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. " Well, we'll put him out if he does. That's the kind of a man I am," laughed the Farmer. The question of sleeping being settled, the party went out on the forward deck to have a smoke, and enjoy the animated scene before them. They took seats, and talked of various things appertaining to the trip, w^atched the vessels as they bounded gracefully over the waves, spun ^' salt yarns," and had a good time generally, until the gong sounded for supper, when they arose and made their way to the table. Taking seats, they attacked the eatables in a manner that spoke well for the cook's skill and their appetites. '' How many nickels for this supper ? " queried the Professor. "'It costs us fifty cents each," replied the Path- finder ; '- and I'll try and get my money's worth." " You won't have to try very hard, the way you eat," said the Farmer ; " I expect you'll cause a famine in this party before we get back." " I say, fellows, let's try and have some fun out of this supper. Suppose we make a run on the victuals, and what we can't eat hide under the table ? " " By George, Mozart, I'm in for that," assented the Artist : " the cold tongue is all gone I I'll call ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKER. 21 for some, and as soon as we dispose of that, let all take turns in calling for a plate." This idea was carried out, and one waiter was kept trotting all the time for tongue. " That darky will earn his wages this trip," said the Professor. " I guess he will," acquiesced the Farmer, who bad just sent him for another plate of tongue. After a dozen trips from the pantry to the table, the waiter reported the tongue all gone. Then he was ordered to bring some cold corned beef, which he did, with the remark: " 'Pears to me you gemmen are awful eaters." " Yes," replied Mozart, " we can eat a little when we try hard." After the young men had eaten all they wanted, they began to hide the food under the table, placing the plates upon vacant chairs near them, and pulling the table-cloth, which hung down low on the sides, over the victuals to hide them. Finally the steward began to " smell a mice," and came to the table, and wanted to know what they were trying to do, — telling them he did not believe they had eaten half they had called for. " Of course we haven't," said the Artist, with a sly wink at his companions. " You see that empty seat there," nodding towards one directly opposite ; 22 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. " well, Tom Collins has just left it. He is the fellow who has been doing all the eating. He's the biggest eater in Boston. I was surprised when I found him at the table. I thought, if you had known him as well as we do, you wouldn't have let him have a seat at this table for fifty cents. Nobody will feed him in Boston except on the European plan. Why, he is the identical fellow who ate a dozen chickens and a turkey at the Eevere House on a wager last Christmas." ** Well, he won't get any breakfast on board this boat," replied the steward. *' I'll look out for him in the morning." After this the party adjourned to the upper deck, and had another' smoke. As they finished their cigars, Mozart proposed they should go into the saloon and have a game of euchre. This the others readily assented to. But as they arose to go, the Farmer grsked them to step up to the wheel-house with him first, for he was going to " put up a job " on the captain. When they reached the wheel-house, the Farmer stepped up to the window, and inquired if the captain was there. "Yes, I am the man. What do you want?" asked a blufi", good-natured-looking individual. " Well, I came up to tell you that there's a man down in the gentlemen's cabin who says you are a ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKER. 23 drunken sot, and it will be a wonder if you don't run the boat on shore before morning. I thought you ought to know he was talking that way." " Yes,'' chimed in the Artist, who saw the joke, " and he says you have no more idea of what your duties are than a female rooster." " And," added Mozart, " he just told the steward that if you had your just deserts, you'd be in state- prison for killing a man in Portland last summer." ^* What a confounded pack of lies I " roared out the astonished captain. " Where is the lying scoun- drel? Take me to him, and I'll throw him over- board. Do you know him ? " yelled the oflScer, who was almost beside himself with rage. " I know him," put in the Professor ; " he's a Boston man, and his name is Tom Collins." " I'll Tom Collins him ! " shouted the captain, coming out of the wheel-house. " Show me the man, gentlemen, and I'll make him suffer for this." " Certainly, come right along," said the Farmer, tipping a wink to his friends. " Give him fits I I would — that's the kind of a man I am." " I'd thrash him out of his boots," proposed Mozart. " When you get to Portland, have him arrested for trying to cause a mutiny, and sue him for defa- mation of character," suggested the Pathfinder. 24 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. The party, led by the Farmer and the captain, descended to the gentlemen's cabin. Looking around, the Farmer perceived a quiet, inoffensive- looking gentleman, in whose face he recognized the familiar features of a well-known Boston clergyman, sitting by the table reading. Pointing to him, the Farmer exclaimed : " That's the man, captain I Pitch into him ! " Then all the jokers made themselves scarce. The captain rushed up to the individual who was reading, and bawled out : " What do you mean, I should like to know, by telling such yarns about me to these gentlemen ? " giving his hand a wave in the direction where he supposed the informers stood. " Yarns ! I don't know what you mean 1 I see no gentlemen," said the reader, quietly looking up from his paper. " Didn't you tell these gentlemen," — and the captain turned around, and found to his astonish- ment that all the fellows had vanished, — "didn't you tell some young fellows that I was a drunken sot ? " " Certainly not, sir 1 " " And that I would run this boat on shore before morning ? " " Most assuredly not 1 I don't know a soul on the ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKER. 25 boat, and have not spoken half a dozen words since the steamer left the wharf" " Would you favor me with your name ? " asked the captain in a little more gentle tone, as the idea came into his head that he had been sold. " Certainl3^ The Rev. Theophilus Burr. There is my card," replied the gentleman, drawing one from his pocket as he spoke. " And your name isn't Tom Collins ? " queried the captain, who felt that he had put his foot in it. " Ha, ha, ha 1 " laughed the clergyman ; " that is the joke, is it? Why, where have you been all summer that you have not heard of that before ? Tom Collins Y — why, he has been the bugbear of Boston for twQ months 1 Even my sacred calling did not protect me from that sell. I was called up in the middle of the night, and requested to visit a dying man who lived in a street nearly two miles from my house. I went to the number designated, and found it to be a small house occupied by only two old maid sisters, who were frightened to death by the racket I made to wake somebody. I asked them if a sick man was there by the name of Tom Collins, and they told me I couldn't get in there to steal, and they began shouting * police I ' at the top of their voices. It is perhaps needless to say that I returned home without seeing any sick man. The 26 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. next day I met one of my congregation, to whom I related the story, and he informed me that Tom Collins did not exist, and that hundreds of people were being sold by that mythical personage." " Well, those young scamps had better keep clear of me," declared the captain, with a laugh, for the minister's story had brought him back to good-nature again, " and I hope you will pardon the rough manner in which I addressed you." " Don't mention it," said the reverend gentleman ; " here is my hand, captain, and if you ever hear of Tom Collins again, think of me." "That I shall, and of the rascals that sold me," replied the captain, as he shook hands heartily with the minister, and left the cabin. As he started up the stairs, he ran plump into our friends, who, unseen by him, had noticed all that passed, and were enjoying the success of their joke hugely. " Ah, you young land-sharks, so you dare to play your tricks on me, do you? Didn't you know you were thrusting your heads into the lion's mouth? But to show you that I bear no malice, I'll give you one of the best cigars you ever smoked in your lives, all around, if you will all promise me not to say a word about this until after you leave the boat." ON THE STEAMER JACK BOWKEB. 27 The gentlemen readily promised, and they all adjourned to the captain's cabin, where he set out a box of fine Regalias, and the jokers spent a very pleasant hour with him. After leaving the captain, they concluded to turn in. The Artist and the Pathfinder went to their state- room, and the Professor, the Farmer, and Mozart to the one they were to occupy, after cautioning each other to get up early. " What number did you say it was, Professor ? " asked Mozart. " Sixty-one," — looking at his ke}'' as he spoke. " That's farther aft," said the Farmer. After looking at several of the rooms, they found sixty-one, and the Professor tried to insert the key in the lock, but it would not go in. " Confound it, this key don't fit I " said the Pro- fessor, struggling away at the keyhole. *^ Here, let me try it," proposed Mozart ; " the Pro- fessor has smoked so many cigars to-night, he is tight." " It seems to me I hear somebody in there," said the Farmer to Mozart, who was punching, wrench- ing, and banging away at the door trying to get the key in the lock. Just then, from the inside of the state-room came a voice that caused Mozart to suspend operations. 28 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. " Murder ! thieves ! Captain, somebody is trying to break into my room I " came in shrill feminine tones through the door. *' Hold your noise ! What are you doing in my state-room? " retorted the Professor. " Fire ! robbers ! Get out I Don't you come in here ! " again shrieked the female. " Look here, fellows, this must be a mistake," said the Farmer. " Let me see that key." Mozart passed it to him. " Do you call that sixty-one, sleepy ? " he asked, showing the Professor the figures on the key. " It is nineteen I you looked at it upside down. Your room must be clear forward." "So — I — did," said the Professor slowly, as if he couldn't comprehend it. " Let's hurry away from here, lively, fellows, or that woman will raise every one on the boat ; " and the Farmer turned away. They left without further parley ; they succeeded in opening the door of the state-room this time, and jumped in quickly, for people were inquiring what the trouble was, and they did not care to answer questions. In ten minutes they were asleep, and did not wake until seven the next morning. THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. 29 CHAPTER III. THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. WEDNESDAY morning the gentlemen met on the forward deck, and after getting their baggage and the stores for the camp (which had come along with them on the steamer) together, they engaged a team and had them taken over to the Grand Trunk Depot, and consigned to the care of the baggage-master. Then they sauntered out for breakfast, and finally found a saloon, where they went in and sat down. Mozart called for '• vine fruit." *' What's them? " asked the waiter. " Beans 1 " answered Mozart ; '^ and a cup of coffee with them." *' I'll have a plate of mystery," said the Farmer. " Mystery ? " queried the waiter. "Yes," replied the Farmer: "that dark and mys- terious compound formed from the mixture of an- imal, vegetable, and abominable odds and ends. 30 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. The dish that George Washington gloried in, that Napoleon Bonaparte fought and bled for, and which Queen Victoria treated me to three times when I was boarding at Windsor Castle, ycleped hash I " " Oh ! you mean corn-beef hash ? " " That's it, ray interesting call-boy I " '*' You may bring me," remarked the Professor, '' a plate of the conglomeration of the Irish potato and a dissected body of one of the finny tribe." '' I don't know what you mean." " Didn't you ever hear of mince fish ? " asked the Professor. '' Yes." " Well, that's what I want." *' Now look here, gentlemen," said the Artist, " don't have any more fooling. It will take forever to get our breakfast at this rate. Waiter, bring me a beef-steak and some hot rolls." " I'll take the same," added the Pathfinder, " with the addition of coffee." " We all want coffee," said Mozart. Without further trouble the gentlemen ate their breakfast, and then started out to see the city. " Let's divide the party," suggested the Farmer. " Mozart and I will go on a stroll together, and the Pathfinder, with the Professor and Artist, can go in a different direction, and we will all meet at the THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. 31 Grand Trunk Depot at noon and compare notes. Our friends on the cars won't be here until nearly one o'clock, and if we meet at the depot at twelve, it will give us plenty of time to look after our stuff . before the train starts." This proposition was favorably received, and the two parties started off in different directions. The Pathfinder, Professor, and Artist went up to the post-office to mail a postal-card, then over to the City Hall to take a look at the building, after which they strolled along to the Preble House, to see if any one was stopping there whom they knew. They had reached the hotel and were about to enter, when the Artist felt a touch on his shoulder, and turning round he stood face to face with a policeman. '* What's your little game?" asked the officer, eying the party suspiciously. " Little game I What do you mean? " interrogated the Artist, who was indignant at having a " copp " take so much interest in the party. " Oh, we know you down here. You can't pull the wool over my eyes. The chief received a tele- gram that you had left Boston, and I've been on the lay for you." " The devil you have I I)id it hurt you much ? " inquired the Artist, who, after the first moment of 32 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. surprise, saw at once there must be a mistake, and was prepared to enjoy the joke. '' None of your sarce, or I'll put the bracelets on you and trot you off to the lock-up," replied the officer, disposed to show his authority, as a crowd had begun to collect, who were interested spectators of the scene. " Don't you try it on, my Christian friend, unless you want to get yourself into trouble ! Who in the world do you take us for ? " " Oh, you're the swell pickpocket of Broadway, known to the force of New York as Dandy Charlie ; and these other two birds are your pals." " Who are you calling birds, you rotten piece of old crow-bait?" put in the Professor, who did not like the allusion to the Path6nder and himself. ^' Let's go into the hotel," suggested the Path- finder. " This star has outshone himself on some festive occasion last evening, and turned up this morning drunk." " You talk about my being drunk, and I'll make you acquainted with my billy," said the policeman, angrily. '* Better introduce yourself to us," argued the Professor, " and then we should become acquainted with a billy-goat." " Nearest relation to a jackass," suggested the A-rtist. THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. 33 " Of course he's a jackass," said Mozart. '' Look at his ears ! " Now the policeman happened to have unusually large ears, and the crowd appreciating the joke, roared with laughter. " Stop your chafiBng, and go down to the depot ! You'll take the first train to Boston," said the oflScer, " and if you don't move fast, I'll arrest the whole of you." ** It's about time this farce was brought to an end," protested the Artist. " We are Boston gentlemen on our way to the Richardson Lakes, to spend a few weeks. My name is Brown, and I am salesman in a store in Boston. My companions are Mr. Jones, and Mr. Thompson. I can very easily prove my own identity, as I am acquainted with several business men in this city ; and in order to get rid of your troublesome espionage and unwelcome company, we will go down to Walnut & Co.'s, and Mr. Walnut will tell you what I have said is true." " Well, we'll go down to the store and see what Walnut has to say about you," replied the police- man, who was a good fellow in the main, but who sometimes went a little too far in what he thought the discharge of his duty. Accompanied by a sidewalk committee, who had taken great interest in the controversy, the whole 34 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. party walked down to Walnut's store, and the hearty welcome with which Mr. Walnut received the Artist, when they entered his counting-room, assured the policeman that he had made a mistake. Explana- tions followed, and the officer apologized. He told them that a party of three New York pickpockets had left Boston yesterday, and it was supposed they had come to Portland. The Portland chief of police had ordered him to keep a sharp look-out for them, and that if he ran across them he was to send them back to Boston by the next train ; and drawing a photograph from his pocket, he added : " And, gentlemen, you must allow that Dandy Charlie strongly resembles Mr. Brown.'' The picture was passed around, and they all con- cluded that the officer had some grounds for his suspicions, as the face on the photograph was almost a counterpart of the Artist. " That is the misfortune of being a good-looking fellow," said Mr. Walnut, who saw that the Artist felt a little sore over the affair. " Yes, that pickpocket is a mighty good-looking fellow," acknowledged the policeman, as he returned the picture to his pocket. " Now that I have caused you so much trouble, can I be of any service to you ? " asked the officer, THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. 35 who, when he had found out who the gentlemen were, was really sorry for his ludicrous mistake. " No ; thanks/' replied the Artist, adding with a laugh, '' I hope you won't take me for a pickpocket if we ever meet again." " No danger of that 1 " declared the officer. " So, good morning, gentlemen." After the guardian of the peace had departed, they sat down in the counting-room and had a chat and a smoke with Mr. Walnut, and then went down to the depot. We will now follow Mozart and the Farmer. After parting with their friends, the Farmer pro- posed that they should visit some of the wharves, and if they could find a good sail-boat, hire it for an hour or two, and go out for a sail. This suited Mozart, and they walked along Commercial Street, about half a mile from the depot, and then turned down a wharf where were lying a number of boats and vessels. Reaching the foot of the wharf, they stopped before a large ship that was being unloaded. An idea seemed to strike the Farmer. It is so seldom such a thing happens, that we hasten to make a note of it. *' Mozart I " "What?" " Did you know that I was a ventriloquist? " 36 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. " No. Did you know it ? " " No joking, Mozart. I am quite a good ventrilo- quist ; and instead of taking a sail, we'll have some sport." " Go ahead, my hairpin, and let's see what you can do." Just then an immense hogshead was lowered from the deck of the ship to the wharf. The moment it landed, a child's voice was heard, apparently coming from the inside. '' Let me out I let me out ! " it called in feeble tones ; '' I am smothering." The workmen were astonished, and rolled the hogshead along a little way, looking to see if there was a child underneath it. *' Don't roll me over 1 Oh, please let me out I I am starving I " came again in a low tone from the inside of the hogshead. " Och, murther ! " said one of the longshoremen ; " it's childer there is in there shure ! " " What's the matter here ? " asked the stevedore, who had charge of the unloading of the vessel, approaching the little group around the hogshead. " Mitter enough, sir-r I there's a bye in this hogs- head I " " Are you going to let me die in here ? Give me THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. 37 some air, for God's sake I " came in still fainter tones from the inside. " Good heavens ! there's a child in that cask ! " exclaimed the stevedore excitedly. " Here, Mickey, bring me a hammer or hatchet, quick ! " The hatchet was brought, and the kind-hearted stevedore began in a lively manner to rip out the head of the hogshead. " Be careful ! don't hurt me I " again came the voice, apparently right from under the hatchet. " Not a bit of it, my little dear," replied the steve- dore, as he tore off the last piece of the cover, and begap pulling out the straw that covered the crock- ery with which the cask was filled. "You're just in time — I'm most gone!" piped up in feeble tones again from the hogshead, this time from clear down to the bottom. Hurriedly the stevedore pulled at the straw and dishes inside, and in an almost incredibly short time was pawing about on the bottom of the hogshead, without having seen anything in the shape of a child. And then a puzzled expression crossed his face that nearly threw Mozart into a gale of laugh- ter, but, at the imminent risk of bursting a blood- vessel, he managed to retain a sober face. •' What a jackass you are 1 " now came in stento- rian tones from right over the stevedore's head. 38 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. He looked up, but did not discover anything. " I believe I am sold/' he said, as he commenced to repack the hogshead. '' You bet you are ! " came from the inside of the cask again ; and Mozart and the Farmer strolled up the wharf The}^ crossed the street, and found themselves beside some Irish shanties. "Here's another cliance for fun. Come on, Mo- zart ! " They stepped into a little yard in front of one of the houses. From an upper window an Irish woman was looking out. In a moment, the Farmer made her say, apparently : " Murther I Perlace ! Somebody 's being kilt I " At the sound of the voice the woman looked as- tonished. " What's the row ? " called Mozart, looking up at the window\ " A poor, lone widdy 's bein' murthered here. Per- lace ! perlace ! " apparently came from the woman in answer, who, upon hearing the strange voice the second time, looked frightened as well as as- tonished. "What's going on here?" asked a policeman of the gentlemen, attracted by the noise. THE WAIT IN PORTLAND. 39 *' Och, Mr. Perlaceman ! come up here quick, will yees? " again sounded from the window. The policeman rushed up, and Mozart and the Artist, almost choking with laughter, walked away towards the depot. On their way they came to a large building full of offices, and the Farmer proposed that they should go in. It was a four- story block. They went up- stairs, and pretty soon the cry of " Fire 1 " in half a dozen different voices resounded through the build- ing, and the inmates began hurrying down-stairs, one making tracks for the nearest box, and turning in an alarm. The Farmer and Mozart went out with the crowd, and, thinking it might not be healthy to remain longer in that locality, travelled to the depot, where they found their friends; and they all took dinner to- gether in the saloon, comparing notes while they were eating.' No mention was made of the Farmer's talents for ventriloquism, for he had made Mozart promise not to tell the rest of the party, because it would spoil some future good time. Mozart kept silent, and nothing was said of their adventures at the dinner-table, the time being taken up by the Artist relating his experience with Fort- land policemen. 40 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. As soon as the Montreal train backed into the depot, they took seats in the smoking-car ; and here Sportsman found them on our arrival. We will now go on with the story after leaving Portland. FROM PORTLAND TO BETHEL AND ANDOVER. 41 CHAPTER IV. FROM PORTLAND TO BETHEL AND ANDOVER. AT a quarter past one the train containing our party left the depot and steamed northward. The Governor and myself, with the ladies, occupied seats in one of the passenger-cars, and the single men of the party were enjoying themselves with cigars and euchre in the smoking-car. We were now a little more comfortable than we had been in the forenoon, and enjoyed the beautiful scener}^ which was constantly changing, to our hearts' content. It is a very pretty ride over the Grand Trunk Railroad between Portland and Bethel; and after you leave Mechanics Falls, the hills rapidly grow to mountains ; and the nearer you get to the station, the higher and more romantic the mountains appear. Occasionally some of the party from the smoking- car would pay us a visit; and once I went in there to see who was beating at euchre, and found all the 4:'A CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. fellows engaged in helping the Professor put out of sight a large loaf of cake that he had brought from home. That was the kind of a game which I under- stood very well myself; I accordingly took a hand in it, and found the cake to be excellent. After the lunch, I returned to the passenger-car again. At quarter of five the train stopped at Bethel, seventy miles from Portland, and we stepped out on the platform in front of the depot, glad to leave the cars after our long ride, we having travelled about one hundred and eighty-three miles since morning. We took possession of the Bethel House carriage, and were whirled up to the hotel, where we sat down to a splendid supper, wiiich, under our com- bined attack, grew beautifully less each moment. Before I had half finished, the Governor caught me by the collar and took me away from the table, de- claring that I had already eaten as much as any three of the party, and, for the honor of the company, he did not want me to breed a famine in Bethel. With a doughnut in one hand, a piece of pie in the other, and a mouth full of sirloin-steak, I sputtered and gesticulated indignantly ; but, in spite of my struggles, he succeeded in getting me outside of the hotel, and I was forced to finish my supper on top of the stage. When we were ready to start, we found the land- FROM PORTLAND TO BETHEL AND AND OVER. 43 lord of the hotel wanted one of our party to drive a horse and buggy, with a lady, to Andover. The Artist volunteered, and made a wry face when the Governor told him it was an old woman of sixty that he was to have for a passenger. However, as he had offered, he would not back out, and was agreeably surprised, when he assisted his compan- ion into the carriage, to find her a nice-looking lady of about twenty-five years of age. Whereupon the Artist gazed around with a look which gave us to understand that he had the best of us ; and, helping the lady in, he drove away, amid the smiles and winks of the rest of our party. The lady I found, on inquiry of the landlord, to be a married woman, residing in Andover, where we were bound. But the unfortunate Artist supposed the lady to be single, as he understood the landlord to say Miss Black, instead of 3Irs. Black, when he introduced them ; and he considered himself lucky, at so early a stage of our journey, in making the acquaintance of so pleasant a young lady. After tea, we found Littlehale's comfortable stage awaiting us at the door of the hotel, and we took our places for a twenty-two mile ride to Andover. The driver climbed to his seat, gathered up his reins, let his whip-lash straighten out, and chirruped an encouraging word to his horses, and, with a hur- 44 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. rah that brought half the people in the hotel to the windows, away we went. We had eaten a good supper, and now, with stories and cigars, we whiled away the time pleasantly as we dashed over the road, the good-natured driver contributing several yarns that would have done honor to any captain, of the fore-top. The stage-ride from Bethel to Andover is not sur- passed by any in New England. The road is level nearly the entire distance, and only one or two slight hills cause the horses any effort. The route lies down the Androscoggin valley for twelve miles, fol- lowing the river closely, and furnishing landscape views that cannot be excelled. At Rumford we leave the Androscoggin, and follow up the Ellis River to Andover, a distance of ten miles. The valleys are bounded by mountains on either side, that sweep away in graceful curves in every direc- tion. Leaving the charming village of Bethel, the road crosses the Grand Trunk Railroad above grade, and a few rods farther on, the Androscoggin River is crossed over a substantial wooden covered bridge. Just beyond here, in clear weather, one obtains a splendid view of Mount Washington and its attend- ant peaks. The road runs through North Bethel and Hanover, pretty country villages, and for its FROM PORTLAND TO BETHEL AND ANDOVER. 45 entire length is a combined panorama of river, forest, and mountain scenery rarely to be met with in New England. All were delighted with the scenery, and frequent were the exclamations of surprise and pleasure that burst from the lips of some of our party, as each new turn in the road disclosed a pic- ture apparently more beautiful than those we had just passed. The roof of the stage was covered with valises, guns, blankets, fishing-rods, and sundry other neces- saries of camp-life ; and the Professor and the Path- finder, who were lying on top of these " fixin's," declared their bones would be broken before we should pull up at the Andover House. I sat on the upper seat, with Spot behind me, and was considerably crowded, for one of the stages had stopped at Hanover, as there were only two persons on it going through to Andover ; and our team, al- though a large four-horse coach, was well packed, in fact, it was overloaded ; and if I had not thought a great deal of my dog, I should have been tempted to sell him cheap. Owing to our close quarters, my seat was none of the easiest when we left Han- over, and before we reached Andover, between quieting the dog and keeping my legs from being cramped, I thought I was as near Purgatory as 1 ghould ever get. 46 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. The Governor told mo that was the beauty of owning a " purp," a remark which I answered only by a look of disgust and a silence more expres- sive than words. In spite of physical discomforts, however, we were a merry company as we started to complete the last stage of our ride. The scenery still continued lovely ; and the moun- tains and valleys were covered with that soft tinge that pervades the country as the sun slowly sinks behind some western hill, and daylight gives way to the delicious twilight that heralds in the night. The charm of the hour was felt by the most hilarious of our party. The road occasionally winds through large tracts of woodland ; and one of our party, who noticed a large growth of birch, gravely informed us that white birch made excellent spools, and then gave us such a dissertation on the spool question, that the Professor told him he bad better hire a hall when he reached Andover, and finish his lecture, — which remark silenced him for a moment. Shortly after- wards, this same gentleman noticed a field contain- ing herdsgrass, and called our attention to it with the remark: " What a splendid field of grain ! " We ventured to inquire what kind of grain he called it, and he said : FROM PORTLAND TO BETHEL AND ANDOVER. 47 " Oats ! " A general laugh followed, and Mozart advised him to read Greeley's " What I Know about Farming." As the horses trotted along, our songs floated out into the still summer night; and a more hilarious party for perfectly sober people never awoke the echoes of the grand old hills than ours, as the stage dashed up to the Andover House and came to a standstill. We alighted, were welcomed by the landlord, and shown to our rooms, with which we were well suited, especially those for the ladies. Some of our party retired early; but the Artist and Miss Black, the Farmer, Sportsman, and Mozart, went over to the Town Hall and attended a church fair that was being held that evening. The Artist played the gallant to his companion, treating her to ices, confectionery, &c. ; and after the party returned to the hotel and had retired to their rooms, the Artist, who roomed with the Sports- man, told him she was a fine girl, and a mighty sen- sible little thing, too, and he meant to cultivate her acquaintance. The Sportsman, knowing who the lady was, could with diflSculty retain a sober face ; and in the morning he brought us all together, with the exception of the poor Artist, and told us about his going into rhapsodies over Mrs. Black. 48 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. My wife went to the lad j — who, by the way, was boarding at the hotel — and asked her not to expose the joke. She promised ; and when we started for the lakes, the Artist manoeuvred for half an hour to get a good chance to speak to his girl alone before we left the hotel ; but we blocked him every time, much to his chagrin and disappointment. i:: ll lkii..:iimi ! Mi;ii!iii!!iii iiiiiulll l l ll1 ffliiH I ' ! .i' ' l 'l! l ll ll I I " ' " .• JlW W a., ON THE LAKE ROAD. 51 CHAPTER V. ON THE LAKE ROAD. THURSDAY morning we were up betimes, and came down to the table with our backwood toga on, looking not unlike a party of emigrants starting for the plains. Our costumes were of a nondescript character, no two of us being dressed alike. We had a " stunning breakfast," to quote the Farmer, everything fresh and nice, and the crispy, brown trout disappeared from view with marvellous celerity. We were all delighted with our breakfast, and felt almost sorry to leave such hospitable quar- ters, but the woods and lakes, with their game and fish, beckoned us forward. The guide and cook the landlord had engaged for us was at the hotel early. We were very much pleased with his appearance, and on further ac- quaintance with his many excellent qualities we found we had not misjudged him when we had decided that he was a right hearty good fellow. 52 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. At seven o'clock two buckboards — a team pe- culiar to that section of the country — drew up before the door of the hotel, and we proceeded to load up. It is the best vehicle for rough riding that I have ever seen. A few articles, forgotten in Boston, we purchased at a grocery store in Andover, near the hotel, and these had been taken on before the teams drove up to the house ; consequently, as soon as we had se- curely loaded our traps, we bade the ladies, who had gathered on the piazza to see us off, " good- bye," and with Spot following behind the teams, away we went for the lakes, twelve miles distant. We left the hotel, and had only driven a few rods, when I found I had left my revolver behind. Mr. Thomas offered to get it if I would drive slow, and he started back on the run. He soon overtook us, and handing me the revolver, he took the reins and spurred up the horses, who increased their speed, trotting along in fine style. It was a lovely morning ; we were all in exuberant spirits, and anxious to reach the lakes, where our sport would commence. The drivers were continually plied with questions, which were answered good-naturedly. Mr. Thomas drove one team, and Mr. Hewey the other one, so ON THE LAKE ROAD. 53 that we had a couple of as good fellows for drivers as could bo found in Andover. The road we were following led off to the east of the village, and we crossed the Ellis River over a covered bridge, strongly built, taking the place of an old rickety affair, which had been destroyed three years before by a spring freshet. After leaving the bridge, the road continued a short distance to the right, and then swung around to the left, ascending a hill from whose summit could be obtained a splendid view of Andover lying spread out in the valley below us, the Ellis in the foreground, and a long range of mountains, their peaks cleaving the sky, and covered with a heavy forest growth, forming a background for as lovely a landscape as ray eyes had ever rested on. Many were the compliments the village received from the members of our party, who were unanimous in the opinion that a prettier painting from Nature *s brush they had never gazed upon. A short distance beyond the top of this hill we passed a picturesque-looking old farm-house, with an " old oaken bucket " in front of it. Mr. Thomas in- formed us that this was the last house on the road, and we looked at it with some little interest as the last link that bound us to the outer world. But it was soon out of sight, and a drive of two miles 54 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. brought US to Black Brook, across which we rattled, and a rod or two beyond left the county-road, turn- ing into the Lake Road from the left. From this point to the Arm of the Lake is nine miles. This road through the woods is only used by par- ties going to or from the lakes, and is only wide enough for one team. ^' Look here, Scribbler ! " asked the Farmer, " what do you do when you meet a team ? " " Drive into the woods, and let them pass." " But there isn't room." " Oh, they drive right over common-sized trees and rocks. You will see how it is done if we meet a team." " My breakfast is gradually working into my boots," said the Professor, as we drove over a stone about two feet high. " Oh, this is nothing," I remarked ; " if you want your breakfast settled, wait until we get to the Devil's Turnpike." " You had better draw your belt a little tighter," suggested the Guide, laughing ; *' we'll not have anything to eat until we get into camp." " When will that be ? " asked Mozart. " About sundown." " Scribbler will starve before that time," laughed the Governor, " and we shall have to bury him." ON THE LAKE ROAD. 67 " Don't you be alarmed for me," I returned ; " I can look out for number one." The part of the road over which we were now riding was in the middle of the forest, and huge trees surrounded us on every side. We could only get a peep at the sky by looking directly overhead ; and at times we could not even do that, as the branches of some of the old trees met above us, forming a beautiful natural arch, and completely hiding the sky and sun. The road was filled with roots, rocks, and stumps, varied occasionally by mud-holes, in which the wheels would sink over the hubs, and when they emerged would some- times besprinkle us plentifully with natural blacking. But as we were dressed in the worst clothes we owned, we did not mind it any, and would only com- plain when one of us would get a plaster in the eyes. This would so tickle the Governor that he would roar with laughter, and fairl}'- shake the team. But after a while we had the laugh on him ; for just as he was opening his mouth to make some facetious remark, our team went into another slough, and one of the forward wheels threw up a junk of soft mud the size of an egg, which struck him square on the nose, a little flying into his mouth. Perhaps we didn't laugh any to see him spit, and sputter, and 58 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. wipe? Of course we didn't — oh, no ! After that he was quiet for a time. " I hear a team coming/' remarked the Sportsman. "It is some distance away, though," I replied, as the sound of the wheels and the murmur of voices came indistinctly to my ears. " What are you going to do, Thomas ? " asked the Farmer ; " there isn't room to pass them here." " Yes there is," returned the driver ; and turning his horses from the road, they went into the woods over rocks, bushes, and young trees so springy that they nearly upset us when they bent under the bot- tom of the buckboard. The other team passed, and we exchanged a few words with the strangers. " You understand driving pretty well," said the Professor to Thomas, as we regained the road. ** This is nothing. If you want to see hard riding you should come out here just after the frost is out of the ground in the spring." " I should think it might be rather bad." " Well, I guess it is. Sometimes horses get mired here, and we have an awful job getting them out." " Why is not something done to the road to keep it in better order?" " There is something done every year, but it im- proves slowly. We are going to raise five hundred ON THE LAKE ROAD. 59 dollars next winter, and put it on the road next spring. That will help us a great deal. In time we shall make a pretty fair road out of it, doing a little ever}^ year." ^' How far are we from Smith's Mill ? " I asked of Thomas. "A few rods," he replied, turning off to a small opening on the left-hand side of the road. " Come on, gentlemen," I shouted, jumping down from the buckboard, " and 111 show you the Devil's Den!" " Hope we won't find him at home," said the Pathfinder. Thomas and I led the way across the open glade, down the path which passed near a spring where was some excellent water. We all took a drink of it — clear, sparkling, and cold. Crossing the head of a little rivulet, now dry, w^e ascended a slight ele- vation on 'the opposite side, and in a moment more stood beside the " Devil's Den," one of the romantic sights of the Lake Road. It is certainly a great curi- osity, and the gentlemen were delighted with the place. " A person could obtain some splendid stereoscopic views here," said the Artist. " Indeed they could," I replied ; " and I wish we had some photographic apparatus with us." 60 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. While we were examining the '' Devil's Den," Spot — to use a nautical phrase — came very near losing the number of his mess. He had crossed to the other side on the large beam that lay across the top of the Den, and was coming back, when he met Mr. Thomas, who, not being troubled with a dizzy head, was standing on the beam right over the middle of the awful chasm. Spot undertook to walk over Thomas's feet, but having so little room, his hind feet slipped off the timber, and in a second more he was hanging between heaven and earth, over that horrible gulf, with his fore paws resting on the timber, and the nails of his feet dug into the wood, which, luckily for him, was a little soft, so that he had a pretty good hold. The dog was aware of his danger, and looked up in Thomas's face in a beseeching manner. A cry of alarm escaped me as I noticed the dog's predicament. I was too far away to render him any assistance; and if the poor fellow was to die, I didn't want him to be mangled in such a way as he would have been had he fallen the sixty feet which inter- vened between him and the sharp-pointed rocks below. But Thomas was cool, and had presence of mind equal to the emergency. Stooping carefully down, he seized the dog by the nape of the neck, and a ON THE LAKE ROAD. 61 moment later he held Spot in his arms, and brought him across to where I was standing. " The little devil hnng on like grim death," he remarked, as he dropped him by my side. " Thomas, you are a brick/' I replied. " Give us your hand, and let's have a shake on the strength of what you've done. There are not many, had they been in your place, that would have managed that affair so cleverly." " Oh, that's nothing," said Thomas, with becoming modesty. " Three cheers for Thomas I" sang out the Sports- man ; and they were given with a will ; and Spot barked lustily, as if he understood the matter, and wanted to do his share. " Now, Scribbler, you had better look out for that dog the rest of the time we are here," suggested the Sportsman. " Oh, he41 be all right," answered Thomas. " He- would have crossed the beam well enough if I hadn't been in his way. I didn't see him at all until your brother screamed." " It's lucky I screamed then," I replied. " Yes, it was ; for he would have been a dead canine in a moment longer." " Gentlemen," said the Farmer, oracularly, strik- 62 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. ing an attitude, " in the midst of life we are in death.'' "Now, Farmer, simmer down," cried Mozart, "and let's see the rest of this place." " Come with me," I called, " and I will show you Hermit Falls and Silver-ripple Cascade." I led them a little way beyond the Den, and we stood on the banks of Black Brook, which are formed of heavy masses of granite rock, scarred and seamed, and watched the water as it came tumbling, foaming, and swirling down between the rough sides, forming a pretty little fall; then flowing smoothly a short distance, it breaks up and sweeps over the bed-rock, forming a very beautiful cascade, and, a short distance below, emptying into a round basin in the rock, forming a handsome pool, some- thing like the Garnet Pool, near the Glen House, only twice as large. " They call this the ' Devil's Caldron,' " I said to the Pathfinder, pointing to a whirlpool at the foot of the fall. " I should think the devil had a mortgage on this place," he replied ; " everything seems to belong to him." "By Jove, Scribbler 1" cried the Artist to me, from below us ; '* this is splendid. I mean to try and make a sketch of this fall and cascade I " JOHN50NyDYEB Silver Ripple Cascade, Black Brook, Akdover, Me. ON THE LAKE ROAD. 65 " There is a good place for you to get a view of them/' I replied, pointing to an immense boulder that overhung the pool, and was situated just at the foot of the cascade, on the opposite side from where we stood. " Cross the brook higher up, and then you can get down to it." " Mozart," said the Governor, " suppose you and I throw a fly here, while the Artist is making his sketch." " All right I I'll run back to the team and get our rods." We spent over an hour in this charming locality, and the Artist made two very good sketches, — one of the cascade, the other of the falls. The Governor and Mozart were rewarded with fine trout for the time spent in fishing, and were pleased with their success. The fish averaged about half a pound each in weight. Black Brook flows near the road for several miles, and is one of the best trout streams in the vicinity of Andover. While we were at the Den, two other teams arrived at the turn-out with a party of six, who were bound up the lakes. They did not make as long a stop as our party, and left ahead of us. Finally, Thomas said we must he moving, and we bundled into the teams, and the horses were started. 5 66 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. For three miles we continued on our way, witliout anything occurring worthy of note, and then reached a spur of Blue Mountain, known as Cedar Hill. Over this the road was rough and rocky, and we joked and laughed over the shaking up we received. As we reached the top of the hill, an opening in the woods appeared before us. " There's Black Brook Notch/^ remarked ITiomas, pointing ahead. " What a frightful precipice ! '' remarked the Artist, gazing at the mountain on our right, which rose almost perpendicularly from base to summit, tower- ing eight hundred feet above us, its sides barren of vegetation, except a little grass and a few fir-trees. " A fellow would find it a pretty hard job to climb up there," said the Professor. "It would be an utter impossibility," I remarked. " Why, look, there are places on the face of the ledge where it is perfectly smooth for at least thirty feet ; not a bush, or root, or even a blade of grass, to hang on by." " If you couldn't climb up,'^ said the Governor, " it wouldn't be for want of legs, for yours are long enough." " My legs are just the kind that are needed in this region," I replied, not at all annoyed at the laugh that was raised at my fivn»^n>jft ON THE LAKE ROAD. 69 We had now reached the foot of Cedar Hill, and here a sluice dam had been thrown across Black Brook to raise the water sufficiently high in the spring to run logs down the stream, for in some winters there is lumbering done in this vicinity. From this dam to the Arm it is four miles. A few rods beyond is the gate of the notch where Sawyer and Blue Mountains come so near together that there is only room between them for the road, and the rock had to be blown away in some places to make that. Near here also is the celebrated Cold Spring, where the coolest of water bubbles up through the whitest of sand, from under an immense boulder, on the right-hand side of the road, as you go in to the lakes. We all took a drink at this sparkling fountain, and found the water delicious. Continuing on a short distance farther, we reached the Devil's' Turnpike, a short piece of rough, rocky road. " Scribbler," said the Governor, as we bumped along, " I believe you coaxed me down here to kill me J " and as he was rolled from side to side of the seat, his usually good-natured face lengthened out into one of the most woe-begone looking counte- nances I ever saw on a human being. 70 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. ^' There's only three miles more of it," said Thomas, with a sly wink at me. " What I Stop the horses ! I am going to walk ! " " Oh, sit still/' T replied. " Thomas is fooling ; there is only a few rods more of it." We were soon over the " Turnpike," and the Governor breathed more freely. " See that little patch of ground, Artist ? " I asked, pointing ofif to the right of the road. He nodded. " Well, that is the Devil's Onion-Bed. Onions have grown there for three years, and no one knows how they first came there, but it is supposed the Devil raised them to live on while he built the turnpike we have just rode over." " Bumped over, you mean," said the Governor. " What a breath the Devil must have had after living on onions so long 1 " suggested the Pathfinder j at which all laughed. " We've got another con»olation for you," said Thomas to the Governor. " In a few moments more we shall reach a piece of road that is corduroyed for half a mile, and it will shake you up lively." " When we come to it I shall believe in pedestri- anism, and put my belief into practice." " If any of you fellows want to shoot," said Thomas, ON THE LAKE ROAD. l i "you may find some game between here and the Arm.'^ " I'm ready if there is anything to shoot," answered the Artist. " So am I/' added the Farmer. "Look out you don't shoot a skunk/' cried the Governor, with a chuckle. " There's not many skunks about here," remarked Thomas. " Plenty of hedgehogs, though," said Hewey. •When we reached the corduroy, we all took a walk, and the Artist shot a hawk, and the Professor a gray squirrel. We tramped along until the cor- duroy was cleared, and then took to the teams again. When within about two miles of the Arm of the Lake, one of the horses became pretty well blown ; so we all left the teams again, and walked the rest of the way. On reaching the old camp at the Arm, we found the water six feet higher in the lake than I had ever seen it before, as I had always been to the lakes later in the season. It came up nearly to the camp. For some moments I scarcely knew the place. The height of the water made everything look unnatural, and I noticed that among the bushes a little to the left front of the camp, where the New York clubs 72 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. had pitched their tents last August, when my brother and I were down, boats were now floating with their keels clear of the bottom. UP THE LAKE. 73 CHAPTER YI. UP THE LAKE. — FROM THE ARM TO FRENCH'S CAMP. — A MEETING WITH FELLOW- VOYAGERS. AS soon as the teams arrived, Thomas stabled his horses, gave them a feed, and then pointed out the two boats we were to take. I picked out what I thought to be the best one ; but if I ever showed a lack of judgment in my life, it was when I took that boat for a decent craft, for she turned out to be as crank as a wash-tub, and as hard to pull as a mud- scow. Our friend McCard, of the Upper Dam, has since christened that boat the " Rolling Moses ; " and if ever Tom hit the nail on the head, it was when he named that boat. We brought the boats up to the shore in front of the camp, and commenced loading them as rapidly as possible, it being our intention to reach our guide's camp, which was about six miles from the Arm, on the right-hand side of the Narrows, before getting any meal. As we had taken an early break- 74 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. fast, and come off without a luncheon, the sooner we reached the camp the better. The men who had come in the teams ahead of us, pushed off and pulled away, just as we commenced to load. They were bound for the Middle Dam, Angler's Retreat. It is over on the western shore of the lower lake, about four miles from the Arm. As ill luck would have it, the wind was dead ahead and blew strong, which is generally the case when one wishes to pull up the lakes ; and Thomas cheered us with the information that "he guessed we'd have to do some smart pulling before we reached the camp." Now, instead of having to pull with might and main against the heavy north-west winds that blow down the lake, sportsmen can take the jaunty little steamer Welokenebacook, and make the run from the Arm to the Upper Dam in an hour and a half. ThisjDoat was put on the lakes in the summer of 1876, and makes daily trips up and down the lake, touching at all points, through the summer. In an hour \ve had loaded the boats and placed ourselves in them. The Governor, the Artist, th*^ Farmer, the Professor, and myself, going in the " Rolling Moses," and Mozart, Sportsman, the Path-