Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-02-14

On the afternoon Of the following day
Steve and / started in a boat for the
upper end of the lake. The distance
was about seven miles, and the stin's
rays were warm. Morse therefore took
his long pull leisurely, and it was three
o'clock before we reached the point
where we were to disembark.
Arriving at the beach we drew the
boat upon the sand, and packing our
luggage to the best advantage, we com.
menced our tramp for =" "the pond, F"
which lay in the heart of the mountains,
over three miles from the lake. Steve
had brought the few prov, sions that we
needed for q supper aad breakfast,
packed in one end of long canvas
sack, and in the other end were slowed
two dippers and small skillet, in which
he was to make tea the sack he slung
over his shoulder, bringing the two ends
forward and tying them in front. In
his right hand he carried his axe, the
inevitable companion of every hunter
and woodsman, and in his left hand was
broad, strong paddle, with which he
was to propel skiff that he had in the
pond.
He led the way, following him as
closely as the roughness of the ground
would permit, carrying in my right hand
the breech-loader, and in my left the
Jack lantern, throwing my overcoat over
my shoulders, as he had thrown his sack
over his.
Those who have never taken three.
mile tramp over mountains and through
the "forest primeval," can form no con-
ception of what it is. Now one is ford
ing a stream; anon he is swarming up
the side of rough, steep activity; then
he is sliding and stumbling down a
sharp pitch; in an instant he is brought
up by huge windfall tree, over which
he must climb as best he may.
Now he is crowding his way through
a dense thicket, and soon he is strug-
Cling through q morass of uncertain
depth. Morse went on and on in one
steady gait, and I must confess that I
had my hands-and legs to-, for that
matter-full to keep him in sight.
Every few rods he Clipped from the
near and off side of tree strip of bark,
to blaze" out path, as the expression
is, and it was only in consequence of the
time he occupied in thus blazing that I
wns able to keep anywhere near him,
When we had, as I thought, accom-.
plished nearly three miles, we came to
halt at cold spring of water, and the
refreshing draught I took was thank
fully received.
I" l suppose we are most there now,
Steve, I said; we have been over an hour
and half on the tramp, aud we ought
to make three miles in that time"
NO." replied the guide, starting off
again, "we are hardly two-thirds of the
distance; three mile IN the woe DIS is
considerable of tramp"
I agreed with him fully, and with any
thing but enthusiasm, took up the gun
and lantern and followed him as fast as
I could.
The slanting rays of the setting sun
admonished us that we must put our best
foot foremost, and although We made the
best time we could, when we arrived at
the "outlet /" of the pond, the twilight
had commenced to fall.
Throwing myself upon messy knoll,
I gave a huge sigh of satisfaction that
our tramp was ended.
1.-The first thing I've got to do" said
Morse, sis to hunt up the skiff and see
If the porcupines have spoiled it; if they
have, nary deer will we get tonight. "
With these words he left me, and my re-
fiections were far from pleasant; the
idea that we had taken that fearful
tramp when there was good probability
that it might lead to nothing but disap-
pointment, in consequence of the gnaw-
ing proclivities of a pesky porcupine. was
annoying.
Steve soon made his appearance, how
ever, silently padding his skiff down the
outlet, and on my eager inquiry he u.s.
sured me that the skiff was all right.
In short time we had enough dead
wood gathered to last us for camp fire
after the hunt was ended and to get sup.
per with, and soon the skillet was kissing
and sputtering with liberal modicum
of tea.
"'Twon't do to make much of fire,
now," said Morse in low tone, almost
q whisper, "for the smoke will drift
down upon the water, and the deer will
fight shy of the pond if they smell it. y
We ate our supper with true hunters
relish, and then lighting our pipes, wait.
ed patiently for the night to wear on.
About ten o'clock we lighted up the
Jack, and fixing it to staff in the bow
of the skiff, we embarked, I seated Just
behind the lantern, and Steve at the
stern. t.,
Silently we moved into the poxd
which waS about mile wide and nearly
two miles long, and our hunt com
menced. 1!G
No tongue can describe, no pen cal
picture the wildness, the weird beauty
of the scenes that followed. The skif
moved noiselessly, keeping about thre,
rods from the shore /; not sound wa
made by the paddle, not ripple an
nounced our presence we foated al
silently and as smoothly as does tn,
falling feather drop through the air.
The strong light of the lantern, aidet
and increased by the powerful refecto
behind it, was thrown upon the foliag'
of the bushes and trees upon the shore
the path of light thus thrown was onl,
about ten feet in width, and on eithe
side of it as we'll as around and behinC
us all was of the densest darkness.
The foliage thus illuminated seemed {,
be of silvery whiteness, and every leaf
every twig, stood out as distinctly ant
beautifully as If painted in white upon
black background.
The scene was the most weird ant
fairy-like 7 ever witnessed, and woul,
not have lost it for ten times the tram
I had taken.
Onward we foated, nothing whateve
indicating that we were in motion saw
the progress of the belt of light upol
the foliage.
Sometimes an inquisitive muskra
would swim along side Of us, keepin
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