The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1889-10-03
Nickatous.

|
| A HAPPY, HEALTHFUL FORTNIGHT IN THE
| MAINE WILDERNESS.
The summons was wholly unexpected anc
seemed to admit of no denial. ''We are gon.
and you must 90 with u.s. was about the form
1t took, and realizing that the Doctor, from
whom the message came, was very determine
| ell and dangerous man, we had no choice but tc
obey; so Friday night found us in Bangor ant
| Saturday morning at we We're leaving the
| station at Enfield on a heavy three-seate,
| team. Seven of Us, Annie the huntress Clara
the hungry, Ida the chorister, Ed. the doctor
Frank the cowboy, Ralph the money-changer
myself, one guide the driver and our luggage
made the load; and when we stopped for din.
| ner at Burlington a second and smaller wagon
with two other guides joined the band wagon
and the circus proceeded. Two of the ladies
! and three Of the men, before starting. ex-
changed their good clothes for old dresses, soft
hats. flannel shirts, thick boots and tramp COS.
tune generally, and all climbed on the wagons
and bidding glad farewell to civilization be-
gan to practice blood-cur,lling war-w hoops and
look to their scalping-knivcs and tomahawks.
Thrilling tales Of forest slaughter fell from
the lips of Lon and Willis, two Of the guides,
and our ravenin gthrst for gore increased. The
few settlers along the narrow road hurried
their children into the house as We tore madly
by, and for miles we ratified along with no
chance to appease our murdcrous appetite,
when suddenly a turn i'll the road brought us
face to face with beautiful young girl, alone
in wagon. There was no room to pass and
she was at our mercy. With frightfu yen
the Arizona cowboy bounded from his seat
and IN an instant was seated by the poor girls
side, the reins in his hand, and in another the
horse was driven in the bushes by the road, side
and on we went. The unfortunate maiden
must have pershed instantly and painte>sly y,
for between the time we saw her and when the
cowboy returned with her scalp we heard no
scream or outcry. Up and down hill we went.
the road growing rougher and rougher, until
walking was easier than riding. Mountains
and hills on either hand, BY lakes and
over rivers we rode, and, passing the last
house, were on the logging road through the
forest. The way was full of immense rocks
with now and then a corduroy bridge for va
rety, and about twenty-,iX miles from Enfield
where we had left the X. r.. we reached the
foot Of the lake Nickatous. The ladies and
guides in the smaller wagon had left Us some
three miles back and gone TO the falls, from
which they took canoes and We're padded up
the river and poled up the rapids to the dam,
the rest Of Us awaiting them there. Loading
+l,,,, 4, L
died eleven miles among the many islands with
which Nickatous is dotted, and landing within Il
mile Of the head Of the lake we followed one
Of the guides up narrow path. turning and
twisting through the woods until We reached
the camp, a genuine log cabin, the chink> in
the sides stuffed with moss, the roof covered in
with splits, extending six feet over the en-
trance, thus making sort of porch over the
door, and a stove-pipe projecting through the
roof. Inside there was well laid floor; at the
left on entering a sink with tin basins, three
tables covered with oiled cloth, benches for
seats; at the rear end two long hunks, one
above the other, the width Of the camp, bedded
with hemlock twigs, and on the right was the
stove and dish-she!veS and sink. A short dis
tancc from the cabin was 4 large stable, or
shovel as the lumbermen call it, built SINH
larIy Of logs, and with it projecting roof
at the end looking like pictures of Swis,
houses.
We had already begun 10 suspect that
we had three wonderful men for guides. and
when supper was ready we were sure.
FlippcrS decided it. These are better known
to the ignorant outside world a. frtters,
and, cracking hot from the pan 10 our
plates, brown outside and whit in, with lice
butter and maple syrup ON them, >nsly and i'll
pairs we knocked en- out, only to have Lon
and San bring up reinforcement>, until at last
force of numbers prevailed and we cried
"Euough,' and felt sure Of tine cooking abili-
ties our guides possessed. While the dishes
were being washed and the beds made we
stepped out of doors and looked about. The
air was warm and still. not a breath stirring
the trees surrounding us on all sides, and over
head glittered and glimmered the shining stars.
soon to be paled by the September moon, which.
fullmg while we We're there gave Us inde>crib-
ably delightful moonlight paddles on the lake,
Away OH We NOuiu HCdl AZ iAlCI N'iN tAIt loI-,
lone cry of the loon, and still farther off from
the opposite shore came the deep bayi Ing OF
deer hound.
There Is not space to describe IN this letter
the deeds and happenings Of our twelve days
camping We shed, and shot, and padded
about the lake, and wandered through the
woods, ana read little occasionally, and Slept
and ate. What did we eat: Baked potatoes,
fried potatoes fried onions, johnny cake, bis
cult, white and light as ever We're made, Flip
pers," gingerbread in sheets ''bgger'n dog,
as Lon would say baked beans, not canned, but
baked, logging-camp st, lie, all night in hole in
the ground, covered with Goals. ashes and earth;
fried perch, fried trout, fried partridge, part
ridge stew, cranberrieS. huckleberries mapl"
syrup; and to drink we had tea coffee, and
water from a delicious spring near the camp.
1t is not exactly in the eating department but
certainly among the IuXuries, that we We're not
troubled with black flies or mosquitoes, either
lishing or in camp, though we had lighted
lamps in the evenings, and the door was never
closed night or day.
One day we packed tent, bedding. and pro-
visions and went to Horseshoe and Green
lakes. We padded a mile and half to the
mouth of Coomb's brook, over a shoaI where
the guides had to wade and drag the canoes,
then deep and still water for three miles up the
river, where the trees and bushes on either
side We're reflected leaf for leaf III the calm
mirror beneath, then q carry of half mile.
then padding again mile, then another mile
carry, and over these carries each guide would
take a big pack on shoulder and the canoe on
that. aud 90 ahead over the tote road rs fast as
with a few things In our hands cared to
follow, and this brought Us to Horseshoe lake
This we crossed and unloading on a narrow
strip OF forest land, separating Green lake
from Horseshoe, we were on our camping
ground. We were unsuccessful in getting
trout for supper, but white perch made good
substitute and before the meal was ready the
tent was pitched for the ladies to sleep in, the
hemlock bougb tips for the beds We're gathered.
and great fire was blazing and cracking in
front of the tent door. After supper the smok-
ers lit their pipes and we all sat around the
fire and listened to the guides stories, and such
stories, too! Lon came in ahead most of the
time, with Willis a good second, while San
kept in the background to be used mostly as
authority for confirming the other two Yarns
= !