New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-24
NOTES FROM AN IDLE CAMP
A CRUISE FOR FIREwooD ON LAKE TEEDY
ASKING.
ATTACKED BY A RATTLESNAKE-MAKING A
cHAIR-uGHTs AND SHADOWS OF
CAMP rrrF

all the days are lazy ones Tho writer Is not one o
those who insist that It necessary get mp at sunrise
In order To thrive ia body mind and fortunately INC
small party With which he is encamped upon the shore
Of this mountain pond on the edge OF the ht'auhy
range, is Of the same way OF thinking These sensible
persons aver that they out here 10 rstnot to see
how much exeriOn they could make each twenty i0ur
hours. sleep, 1t Is their opinion, IS Nsture's own
restorative and theI ful treatment In that beae
fetal Fence the writer's notes arc empty I'd
allusion early morning Effects and for his sen
sa1ons In the presence Of the dawn, they were only
when existent OF regret that after while he must
leave his bankets-a regret changing to conviction,
along toward O'Clock. that the tent is becoming
sulty the files impertnent, and that there is serious
danger Of losing his rghtful share of the bacon and
fapjacks
As for the poetry OF the dawn and all that sort of
thing il is not for him. The poetry Of his day. when IL
hes any, never begins before breakfast once, 1t Is
true he did have himself called peremptorly at
O'Clock ane-merdian tlereabouts, and did observe,
write upon and describe with pseudo enthusiasm the
daybreak and early morning; but the defendant al
legs and pleads in extenuadOn that this merely
an excursion after novelty, and moreover that It hap
pened long ago. in the West, where they do all sorts
Of adventurous things In contraventiOn Of Eastern
notions made and established
"A this camp the forenoon is not only, rule too
busy time to permit of much contemplative observa-
ton but Il Is really the least attractive part Of the day
70 Is at the northeastern corner Of the lake. The
water Is usually still and the sunbeams glance OIL IT,,
away from us making it look like sheet OF cold hard
ice instead of the green and luminous liquid 1t becomes
in the afternoon, when we face the imPngng rays.
The light strikes down into the foliage upon the western
and southern bank instead Of glancng from the surface
Of the leaves, and the same condition. for an op-
rosts reason. spos the shore landscape. Every
object over there is harsh In It's dstncness and the
green's so varied and brilliant toward evening are now
morotonous. shadowless and dull. It IS the shadows
which give expression to landscape ard make 1t pct-
uresque.
notes are heard but they arc only chtrruping calls
here and there or once In while Joyous little song
from, some warbler or sparrow-light spirits whom
neither heat ror rain subdue. Almost all the other
nos are unpea ant, or Il dsagreeabe sues Suon' as
the rattle of ocusts wings he turtles across me
tops Of the rlpening grasses, or the shriu mum OF IN
sacs-hles mosquitoes wasps and the Ike, that make
rs shrink little as they sweep around our heads.
snake creeps steahhy out ana hes III sinuOus Ioi''
upon a white rock.
Cur natutinaI pipes are scarcely lighted when the
wife admonshes MS that unless she has a new supply
Of rewood for that elaborate stone stove under the
hover on the rock it viii be impossible TO prepare that
chicken for dinner.
Great scott You don't want to stew It all day. do
Won - We ask with not unnatural surprise.
y.
rs WIS in the pot three hours and you complained OF
Its touehness."
aIIe begins NJ the veterans. II we stay long enough
and our half dollars hold ont. perhaps Wen work down
In the flock to some Of decent axe and texture
Doubtful SAYS the wife, tuckng mp her sleeves
reSolrtelv. Doubtful Tisn't every day he has a
customer at higher prices than Washington Market and
no chance 10 pick and choose He'll borrow Old COCKS
from Row lands when his own gives ont
II IL useless to look for frewood in the brush near
rs and too hard work to get It among the rocks and
briers II there were any there. So we take the heavy
Iumberinr scOw they call boat up here and 20 on
cruise along the shore after drftogs and dead SUN
The shores OF the lake are rocky, with little depuh
~ mud or sand. and hence only few Iypads whee
fish might hide The forest. what remains OF IT,
comes down to the very edge Of the water. and IN
some places beautiful wall OF green, just now spotted
With azalea bushes in full flower. and overtopped by
rfnes and tulip and maple trees, seems to be- ana
nearly Is, impenetrable. In many places what seem
70 b, massive piers timber walls define the shore
These are treetunks which have first 1oated asanS1
the shore and then been showed atop of one announcer
in regular layers by the expansion Of the Ice IN winter
Some q, those old trunks still bear barkless limbs.
polished and toughened by exposure through many
seasons. These we saw off. smaller logs lie hidden
undAr the brush or half submerged. These with heroic
labor we lift from their hiding and tumble into the
boat Little trees. burned of IN the last fire. stu
stand or lie PROSTATE among the bushes. scramohng
over the sharp rocks. we chop them down, drlS them
out OF the weeds and poison ivy and 50 Ill the Ooat
with load Of gnared and backened Dss anu
branches.
What objects we are by the time the load is home,
he big pieces heapcd aristically together Tor the
eveninc campfire the smaller broken into short
e,cths for the stove Every other piece was charTeo
ant persulIation and lake-water have mingled 10
! cover our faces and hands with charcoal paste
T,is insufRcieacy of frewood and its disagreeable
,haT1cter was only an item in the disadvantages Oh
,nr loallty as a camping place In one way or an
.ther had work like sylpwrecked mariners mereS
keep ourselves alive :a:ld sufficiently comtora1le
| . insure health. That sense Of necessity Tele ue
ralIy hard work. in which all found fair share en-
OIable and even enjoyable, when We should nave
atcd It had We felt that it could be avoided We
,erc stimulated By sense OF real campaigning nav
ne eot Into the scrape, We had 10 t5nt our way OUT
q else tarely confess ourselves beaten and 20 home
7hich nobody wanted TO do
How is il that with apparently the best lntehuoN7
nep contrve to give 30 erroneous impression IN r.
ard 10 what you will find AZ certain place in respec
o sport and enjoyable camping circumstances Ger
tinlv orr informant was desTuus 10 assist Us in every
| 7ay and anxious that we should be pleased aAd yet
! except In the mere outlines. nothing IS as We tx
,ected. The retired and charming camping place We
gere advised to choose proved to be V;;crss si &c
| es5 point covered with dense brer-ulckets ten lee
ali. the boat We were to have the OF was little
COW so leay it wouldn't 1CaJ alone let alone carry
nv one and the shoals Of fsh that were to furnish
arge part Of provisions dwndled to an occaaloAa
| ,erch and pickercl. At only two places on or neal
! he lake was It possible to camp Ode was unsishuS
| md likely to be claimed and taken from US VI e
! .rmis any day by gang-I use the word adVisedly-
! 4 men from the coal country. who came annually io
weeks outing and brought with them a Wagonloa'
u lager beer and all that it implies. lhe other was
.assy spot Of very limited size liable tn become eN
eedngiy damp after shower. near the road aud th'
place where everybody came for wafer from the Di;
sprlng.T
This road led to a quarry Of bluestone in gnici
half mile beyOnd-a small place right In the ioieS
| manned by waits and stIays Of wOrSmen. who "eN
likely to be most unpleasant nelrhbors. friendly
soul came the very first day TO Us that We mus
on no account leave the camp unmatched or il Woa'
he looted and the next morning the ladies, being aoA
min, ne. t.rka ala Cd "A