Litchfield enquirer., 1878-10-17

there clingng to the inverted canoe. He washed overboord once or twice, but that was nothing he was as. much at home in the wa ter as frog The picture would resemble scene in mid ocean as both shores were cut off from view by a thick fog.
 On the farther shore we struck the road to Quakish Lake, going, all of us, in advance of the team. After about eight miles travel, we struck another fording place on the river and had to wait for the team. Four miles more brought us to Fowler's, the last and only settler between here and the mountains Here we forded the river for the last time Our other canoe arrived about 15 minutes later, and we halted here long enough for Mrs. Fowler to prepare dinner. Mrs. Fowler is not exactly what one would take for lady of refinement and culture. We heard her mumbling away while she was getting dinner that she didn't see what the al the reason was, but if she ever had company. they were sure to come Mondays, when she wanted to wash. As soon as dinner was over we pushed on to Quakish, two miles distant, where we arrived at two o'clock. The road, the entire distance from Medway, is the most horrible specimen that it was ever our lot to travel over. George shot several cartridges on the way over. The rest of us amused the ducks by sending rife balls after them whenever we came in sight of the river. Upon unloading our canoe from the wagon, we found that the end had struck a rock on the road over and split it from top to bottom on both sides. Our teamster now left us Our next business was to mend our broken canoe. The rent in the bark gaped apart about an inch, and it looked decidedly unseaworthy. After building fire, we melted some pitch, cut towel into strips about 5 inches wide, dipped them in the hot pitch, and applied to the sides of the boat. In 15 minutes time our caaoe was on the river as sound as new dol lar Grade Dollar).
 We loaded our baggage into the two canoes and Hub (who is an expert in the use of them) poled them above the Rapids until he struck the still waters of Quakish Lake. The rest of us walked around and met him there. Here commenced our first experience in genuine Indian canoe and perhapsa little description of one might not be out of place here. In the first place, ribs of white cedar about three eights of an inch thick, placed like the ribs of fish, are covered on the outside with cedar splints about one fourth of an inch thick and three inches wide, running across the ribs and lengthwise of the canoe. This is neatly covered with birch bark sewed together with fine spruce roots, and all of the joints made water-tight with pitch. A rave, about one inch by two, runs around the top of the canoe. Three braces, about one inch square, join the two sides and kept them from collapsing. The ends of the canoe run. to sharp points about fifteen inches higher than the middle. The | rave forms graceful curve from stem to stern There can be no seats. The occupant must stand, or sit on the bottom. An injudicious shift of few pounds from one side to the oth a flash A good one, paddles and all, will
 weigh only about 140 tbs, and she is twenty feet long. It seems a mere egg shell; still
 they are quite strong AS well-formed bari canoe lies dancing up and down with ever, motion of the water, scarcely touching except in the middle it is the most graceful thing afloat. This was the kind of fairy boat il which we ''greeneys" placed ourselves fo the first time on the shore of Quakish Lake
 35 miles of mostly rough water between us ano our camp on the mountains. Quakish heart
 were on Quakish Lake that afternoon. rath CT intended to give description of our frs half hours experience, but one of our younl men naturally feels little sensitive abou having ludicrous scenes pictured out in tn
 first part of our trip, so generously omit fev lines here. George shot and wounded mini
 but lost him in the rocks.
 At four o'clock, we had all passed throug the lake and up the river to the one and hal
 mile carry at Nerth Twin dam, Here we ran tn
 canoes ashore and unloaded. Hub poled his c,
 noe up the rapids to the dam. The rest of U
 carried baggage across to an old log house nea
 the dam where we put up for the night. .Harr ' was too mvch used up to go back for anothe
 load, so he built fire and made Lea whil
 Hub and George went back for more baggage
 We were all of us about as tired set of mo-
 tals as the state of Maine ever held. We bui
 up rousing fire, rolled up in our blankets, an
 slept till morning. The dam at this place is
 monster. It is built of square timber an
 must be four or five hundred feet long, twenty
 five feet high and forty feet thick. It probabl
 contains more timber than all the dwellings
 Washington put together. It was built to ia
 cilitate the driving of logs down th
 river during the spring floods. After th
 logs are started down the river, there nut be fountain head. where the gates ca be pulled up and the river kept rising until tl logs reach thelr destination, or else the faliir water would leave them strung along the she the whole length of the river..
 Tuesday morning George caught fish, Hr
 baked some bread, and we had good sol
 breakfast, after which we went down and to6 r the balance of our baggage across the carry.
 Hub poled the other canoe up the rapids ar came near being swamped two or three tune
 After partaking of good dinner with partrid. for basis, we set sail again and padded | through North Twin dam, North Twin Lak . which is miles long, Pomedomcook Lak 12 miles long, through several rapids in tl river, and into Ambeiejus Lake where we D }, 1 up for the night at the Ambejejus house Ca , old deserted logging hut.) Quite stiff bree
 sprung up in the afternoon, and on Pomedor : cook Lake (where the wind gets twelve mi sweep one way and four the otheD we h, : seme pretty rough water to pass through O little bark canoes behaved admirably conside II ing the inexperienced seamen on board
 them. Saw quantities of loon and ducks the way up, but we had about all we cou @ do to handle our canoes in safety without sto
 ping to shoot After arriving at the Ambe! t jus house, George and Harry thought it wou be nice thing to go out and get ducks for su per. and the only reason they failed was ttl they crept up to loons instead of ducks, and