The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-01-24
MACKAY IN NOVA SCOTIA.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DOCTORS
SUMNER TRIP.
PUBLISHED IN RECREATION

A Pretty Story OF Summer outing
Among the Moss Grown Landmarks
Of Early Days-A Land Of Peace,
Recreation, Rest.
DR.. j. II. Mackay in January Recrea-
ton: After an absence of twenty years
set my feet down last summer in the
footprints of boyhood's DAYS away
down in Nova Scotia. | arrived at
Yarmouth early in the morning after
an all.night journey by boat from Bos-
ton. Duty must be paid on guns and
bicycles, which is returned however,
II the tourist takes these articles back
with him. Baggage was transferred
to an awaiting train; we had half
hour for breakfast, then the guard
gave the signal and we were Off
Dear old Acadia! Land Of peace, re.
laxation-rest. There were the wide,
green marshes as of old, fringed with
their dykes built so long ago that per-
chance Evangeline and her Gabriel
had strolled along their banks. Yonder
with its white sails and shimmering
| lights and shadows the placid waters
of Minas stretched away in the morn.
| ing sunlight to where the hazy out
| lines OF Blomidon stood out darkly
against the sky. There at my feet
with moss-grown landmarks, nestled
among wide-spreading trees the little
old village of Grand Pre-, immortalized
in story. The tide was coming up that
morning, as we traversed the beauti'
| full Annapolis valley-the majestic IT,
dial bore of the Bay of Fundy-bringing
| with it the pungent, salty breath or
the ocean and bearing to thousands
of awaiting seines vast schools OF shad.
The train rushed on, leaving beautiful
Minas, the far reaching hay marshes,
grain fields and orchards, as we'll as
the rugged outlines of Blomidon In the
fast receding distance, and soon tow
ering hills and giant boulders frowned
down upon us and foaming little tor
rents came tumbling down from the
hillsides and dashed, with many leap
and tumble, down below until lost to
sight in dark, wooded glens. Every
where the grey boulders, overhanging
perilously and isolated from some
rocky hillside or nesting lovingly
among the buttercups and daisies OF
the narrow little antediluvian giants
who had been playing marbles with
them.
In many places great ridges of bare
schistose rocks bristled from the hill
sides or caused fantastic gaps in the
dense woods. What a wild, sweet tan
gle of lambkin, brecken and wild briar
greets the eye as the train swings from
curve to curve in lodging the hills in
this Wilderness! At several stations
children came into the train with bas-
kets of the delicious wild strawberries
that grow everywhere in the country
and the train officials assisted passen-
gers in securing supply. At one
stopping place two flaXen-haired girls
dressed in white came aboard bearing
great armfuls of the magnificent Nova
Scotia whitewater lily, they sold for the
ridiculous sum of five cents per dozen
and the train was held several min
utes over schedule time to enable us
all to get nosegay
left the train and pursued my jour-
ney across the Cobequd ridge to the
north shore. For miles and miles this
road was arched over by the interlac-
ing of branches overhead until the
road maintained a twilight gloom even
at midday. Save the murmur of run
ming brooks and the whir of the ruffed
grouse wings and now and then the
faint tinkle of a far-off cowbell, not
sound broke the stiffness of the forest.
Tiny lakes, clear and cool and teem-
ing with trout, lay scattered like pearls
at intervals along the mountain, even
on its summit, enabling the traveller
to catch a glimpse Of the sky over
head From this elevation Prince
Edward Island, fifty miles distnt, can
be observed as we'll as the thirty-mile
wide strip of water that intervenes
between it and the peninsula of Nova
Scotia. This is Northumberland Strait
and is a part of the Gulf of st. Law
renee. 1t is a grand sight that bursts
upon the traveller here from the crest
of the mountain. Fifty miles of the
coast, with its bays and lighthouses
and white sails, are open to view. A
cannon booms and then another and
another and the echo rolls up from
below. 1t is a salute of some passing
vessel. While all the principle points
of the province can be reached by
rail or boat the most charming spots
are those where railroads and steamers
have not penetrated, and an overland
trip like mine from the south to the
north shore by stage should not be
missed.
Here and there through the glens
where flowed a mountain stream stood
the picturesque ruins of old-fashioned
sawmlls long since supplanted by mod
ern portable ones. These are the haunt
of the black bear, numerous enough |
and generally inoffensive, but difficult |
to hunt owing to their keen scent and
nocturnal habits and the refuge of
tangled underground and jams of wind |
falls. Dogs are of little use in trail |
ing bruin for he covers up his scent |
by walking on high logs and wading |