The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-03-07
A HUNTING ADVENTURE.

A HUNTING ADVENTURE.
A few years ago | loitered through
the hot summer months i'll the PrOvin &c
of Ontario Canada. Ihad spent several
days fishing for pickerel among the
Thousand Islands, on the river st. Law
renee, with tolerable success, thanks to
the experience of my Kingston boat
man. But the weather became too hot,
even in this latitude, for such sport,
and the fish refused TO bite, so | was fam
to wander about the sleepy little town of
Kingston, or watch the soldiers at their
afternoon drill, on the slopes of the fort,
their red coats strongly contrasting with
the green sward of the background.
1t was always source of wonder to me
how the people managed to enjoy life
iii so dull place, for there was no bus
tie, no commercial signs scarcely ever
visible.
One evening / sat on the hotel-stoop
quietly smoking a cigar, when two of my
garrison friends, Mai Pomfret and Capt.
Hardinge, came ont from their quarters
and invited me TO join them in hunting
tramp to the great Pipe Pelt, as the
lumber district is termed. Both of the
gentlemen had only been in Canada a
few months. having come with their
enthusiastic sportsmen, and talked inces-
sanity of stalking blue bulls and ante
lopes, or shooting tigers and cheetahs,
were full of rare skins and other trophies
of the Indian jungles, SO that L readily
fell in with their latest hunting pro-
gramme,
We were to go by steamer up the Bay
nf 30 -, IoI1
town, and afterwards push on by wagon
for Makoc, village then becoming
famous for some gold mines that had
just been discovered. The best part of
that night was occupied in packing up
so that when the Belleville steamer cast
off her mooring the following morning,
we were on board and babe good-by to
sleepy old Kingston and her odd look
ing, old fashioned Martello towers. The
trip up the bay was pleasant one, the
scenery being charming and a perfect
surprise, and late in the afternoon we
arrived at the queer little Belleville
wharf, as it stood among colony of
steam saw mills, huge piles of lumber,
and acres of rough logs huddled to-
gether by endless booms.
A good nights rest at the hotel re-
freshed us, and at daylight the next
morning we started for Madoc in light
wagon, another following with our hunt
ing gear. After a rough ride of nearly
three days we found ourselves entering
the confines of the Pine-Belt Nothing
is more impressive than these vast for
ests of pine trees. Over one hundred
miles in width, and extending from
British Columbia TO the Bay of Fundy,
the belt of timber affords an almost in
exhaustible supply of that lumber
known all the world over rs Canada
pine. SO dense is the growth of these
immense trees that scarcely any
underground is met with, while the
ground is softly carpeted with decaying
pine needles. The sun seldom pene-
trates these forest solitudes, and the
woods are very cool and pleasant in
summer Here and there we came
across natural opening, which abound
Ell with all sorts of small game.
Long before we reached the Pines the
road had become indistinct, and we were
compelled to trust entirely to our
French-Canadian guides, whom we had
engaged with their pack of dogs at Ma
doc. Camp was pitched that evening
at the side of beautiful lake bearing
the Indian name of Satch-katch-a-wan-
ma, cur appetites being sharp set by the
mess of fish which Francois had caught. |
while Antoine and Jerome. the other |
guides, werespitching the tent and pre-
pairing the large fire so necessary in |
hunting expeditions.
AS the shades of night darkened in
upon us, we could hear the cries of the |
woodrow and the pleasant gabble of
the wild duck rs they noisily fell among I
the reeds of the swamp near-sounds |
which gave us abundant promise OF /
sport the next day. A couple of Indian
iungle-hunting, from the Major, pre-
pared us for bed and we slept dream
lessly i'll front of the fire until sunrise.
Francois proved himself true guide,
for he reused us AS the sun rose and
soon had us out on the lake in a couple
OF bark canoes kept hung up to trees.
We made considerable havoc among the
ducks by the time the morning mists
had disappeared, for the birds were
deliciously innocent of danger, so we
finally gave up the work in sheer pity
The afternoon was occupied in fishing,
and at supper we decided to push fur
ther on TO the northward IN hopes of
larger game.
A twenty mile tramp, for it was use
lcss attempting TO take the carts along,
led us to another lake known as Osh-a-
wa-hala, where we established our head
quarters, Jerome and Antoine being
sent back for more supplies. At the
end OF two days we found ourselves very
comfortably fixed, and enjoyed fishing
and duck-shooting to our hearts con-
tent, the Major being lucky enough to
bag fat buck, while he was sauntering
among the openings.
Every night We could hear the mono
tonous coo of the wood-pigeons, and as