St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-02-22
DEVILS TRACKS IN MAINE.
Curious Footprints to Ee Seen ON Il
summit OF . Mountain OF Granite.

Curious Footprints to EO Seen ON sES
summit OF Mountain Of Granite.
During q trip for land-locked sal.
mon last summer to the mountain-en.
vironed head of Sebec lake." said a
New York visitor to Maine, fishing
was slow one day, ard my guide sug.
gestci that we vary the monotony by
climbing to the top of Granite mount
ain, whence fine view might be OBJ
tained. This mountain is simply one
vast granite rock, miles in area. rising
abruptly from the lake and Wi son
stream, and is overtopped at its tIck
BY Ragged mountain. 1t is woode,i at
the base, with a thin growth OF small
trees and bushes on its face where soil
has found lodgment
"A climb of thirty minutes, up =
path whitened and worn by the feet OF
generations OF blue berry pickcrs,
brought us to the broad. rounded sum-
nit Two long depressions divided
the top into three rounded ridges. On
the second of these ridges my guide
paused to examine something at his
feet
".No mistaking itr he exclaimed.
its one of his tracks, for certain
''He beckoned to me. / came up to
where he was, and he pointed to an
obiong depression in the smooth face
OF the ledge. 1t was about the size and
shape of the imprint which a moe
casined foot would make in treading
upon soft loan.
Lets sec if we can't find some
more of 'em, SO as to locate the way he
went said the guide, and searched
ahead in the direction in which the
seeming footprint pointed. Yes,
here's another-and another still.
We've got his trail located. Let's fol-
low it up bit
Il went along with him and became
much interested in this novel sort OF
trailing. In places the tracks were
quite lost, or SO light as to be hardly
distinguishable. In other places the
impressions were as deep as would be
made by the foot of . heavy man step
ping in soft mud. For considerable
distances the tracks would disappear
where there was a. growth of neavy
moss, huckleberry bushes, or small
poplars, to rcappear Hon the bare rock
beyond them. In general the trail
could be described as the tracks of q
long-striding man; they were widely
separated. but in places enough OF
them appeared in succession to give
warrant to this inference
They've been there. and folks here
know of 'em, ever since l was boy,
said the guide. I'd most forgotten
'em, but they all came to mind when ]
saw that first footprint never fol-
lowed 'em all the way, but it was said
they could be traced a mile or more,
all the way from the summit opposite
Greedy Falls, on the Wilson stream.
over Granite mountain, to where it
breaks down to the lake. That's q dis
tance of a mile or more. What caused
'em? That's more'n ], or guess any
body else, knows. Some folks call 'em
the Indians trail, but most say the
devils tracks. That granite rock must
have been pretty soft when he went
over it, it twas man that made 'em:
Hey"
Il allowed that he was right and we
went back to our fishing. Inspired by
the subject / went later in the summer
to see the snowshoe slotes (tracks), q
noted local curiosity, near Milo village,
about six miles southerly from the foot
Of Sebec lake. There, near the road.
side, on a bluestone ledge is line OF
indentations, such as would be made
by man walking on the snow crust
on narrow snowshoes about three feet
long. These tracks continue for rods
to where the earth covers the ledge.
So distinctly carried out is the snow
shoe idea that in Some of the tracks
one may see marks like the cross
woven buckskin filing characteristic
Of the Maine snowshoe. Y. Sun.