The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-18

joins the Presumpscot. 1t is sandy river
and the delta at the mouth comes to the
surface of the Presumpscot. 1t is a shall
low little river hardly more than a large
brook. The paddles touch the bottom in
the swift current that sweeps over the
shimmering sands. There is struggle after
struggle to get up over swirling rapids.
But about a mile up there is wonderful
forest of willows. The banks have become
muddy, the water deep and dark and the
grove of giant willows, as tall as oaks and
as mighty, shuts out the bright sunlight
Everything is quiet, gloomy, dark and
odorous Suddenly, something shakes the
ferns on the muddy bank little and
ASLENDER BLACK BODY GLIDES
here and there and darts into hole at
the roots of great willow close to the water,
Then there is another shaking of ferns
and another of the creatures darts into the
hole. They are as big as well grown kittens
but long and sslender. There is great
excitement in the canoe, this is wonderful
game for Cumberland county. The little
rifle is nervously loaded, and the canoe al
most tips over when sblack head appears
in the hole and ght,.beady eyes peer at
the white monster that has invaded this
quiet home of the mink's. But a ''bicysg
cle'' canoe. in current, is a difficult thing
to shoot from, especially with peep-sight.
The black head disappears .after the report,
but no harm was done. They start off up
stream and there is another mink swim
ming for shore. There is more intense
excitement, but by the time the rifle is
ready, to be pointed. there is nothing to
point it at.
"A shot gun would have secured some
,.,;,. ! H.
parently they had never seen a man before,
Undoubtedly few men ever go into that
willow forest. The stream is scarcely navi-
gable for anything but canoe, and there
Is little reason for going there by any other
method.
The Pleasant river is only navigable for a
few miles up.sThere are too many shoals and
| rapids. After dinner on a shady bank
| fabove the willow swamp the canoe turns
into the Preumpscot. The journey is much
| like sliding down hill, but there are more
rocks to dodge and curves to turn.
| Once in the Presumpscot again it seems
| comfortable to have plenty of water under
| the keel. 1t is late in the afternoon when
they reach Leavitt's Falls. 1t is a beauti-
| full place just above the bridge and the falls
| are big enough to be even grand as well as
| beautiful.
They carry around, paddle up to the
| rapids above, carry around there and then
| there is long discussion.
SHALL THEY SHOOT THE RAPIDS?
They look pretty ugly from the:shore, but
there is plenty of water. Those waves at
| the foot of the long swift slope, between the
| eddies. are angry fellows but are they. dan
gerous.
| THE lite white caoe will find out anyway.
The long swift slope and the angry waves:are
as fascinating as the serpents gaze to a
bird. There is some trepidation in the
canoe, but down 1t goes, the waves splash,
| it is
ALL OVER IN A SECOND,
and there is frantic padding for Shore. 1t
would never DO to go over the rocky falls
below. There is only one more word to be
| said about it and that word is GLORIOUS! 2
| The home journey is begun. There are
| some eight miles, more or less, between
| them and Westbrook. 1t is delightful to go
| down stream. That is all that need be said.
They try to take supper on the shore just
below Madison Falls at O'Clock, but they
can't do it,
| THE MOSQUITOES CLAIMS THE PRE-
| ROGATIvE
| of monopolizing the feasting shore, and
they enforce it too. They almost enforce
| it N the middle of the river, also. But one
| canoist paddles fast while the other chews
| doughnuts, ETC., and yica versa. 1t was
necessary to paddle fast. 1t left the mos
| quitoes behind.
| But the black bass. He was almost forgot
| ten, and he was the feature of the trip. He
| seized the spoon hook Gt had been trolled
| all day in yain) just above Little Falls. He
was some sixty feet behind. There was
reel in the canoe but no rod, and that bass
| couldn't be pulled in like pickerel.
HE JUMFED AND JERKED AND LEAPED
out of water and all the time tho eanoist
was holding that reel by the edge in one
| hand and winding and unwinding with the
| other. 1t was hard work for the left hand;
the fingers began to get numb. The canoe
| went around and around from shore to shore
| to avoid the line. The
| BASS GOT WEAKER AND WEAKER.
| So did the left hand fingers. but at last
| he was lifted into the canoe. He was two
pound beauty, and fought better and longer
| than he would in the warm water of July
In the broad placid river above Westbrook
| there was suddenly the CLEAN of wake in
the moonl1t water ahead of the canoe.
| A MUSKRAT WAS SWIMMING ACROSS.
It was an exciting chase but short one.
| The muskrat was run down in an instant,
and # he hadn't dove down,at just the right
| time he would have come down to Portland
\ on the lettric ear along with the bass
| 1t was al most twenty mile journey.
a Corner In Points.
| "The neatest business stroke / ever
Ia in, fo \ -