The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16
IN THE WILDERNESS
OUT OF SEASON TENANTS or
ADIRONDACK CAMPS.

ADfHOND!ACh CAMPS
Birds and Beasts Move In - Soon ~ MANI
Summer Occupation C~eases-Desertea
ClearinEs quickly Covered With New
Veg etation-Island Camp Experience.
Up In the Adirondack region the wilder.
ness always lies In wait to repossess itself
Of any district deserted by man. Bind
and beast and native vegetation fight for
their ancient rights against inruding man,
and the scent q his footsteps has scars.~
vanished from the clearing when tho wor,
Of reclamation by nature begins. :,
Brakes and smaller ferns. bluebarim,
respberries and blaokberres quickly cover
the clearing. and within two or three Year,
young pines. spr uoss. poplars. birche,
NAPLES and beeohes have found root and
thrust toward the sky. The man who
returns to his deserted hearthstone after
FIVE or ten years feels himself an alien,
II the area In large enough 1t has furnished
cover not only for the native wild birds
and the smaller animals. but even for deer
and foxes, and In the moro remote districts
for bears and wildcats.
It L. easy enough ordinarily for the native
A~dirondaoker to keep up the fight with
nature. for he 10 always on the spot. and bis
house with its ugly. bare. reotlinear out
buildings usually has about II Q desolate
area Of arid sand from which the long aocu-
mulated deep mould Of the wilderness has
been soraped 10 furnish soil for his ms,gre
garden. But tho summer residents, and
especially those who OCCUPY simple campo
in moro or less remote quarters. are no
match for wild nature.
They are but reformers. active for q brief
period about election time, while nature 10
the professional politician. always on the
Job. In such camps tbs Letting In Of the
wilderness IL repeated irelessly year after
year by vegetation, bird and beast.
The shyer Wild things reluctantly give
place in summer time TO the foolish human
creatures who sheitef themselves beneath
shingles or canvas. and for dx. eight Ton
or twelve weeks the summering stranger
wears paths through the dsnssiy springing
vegetation: but when the delicious autumn
comes with . tngle Of frost In the afr The
human strangers go back TO theo old bondage
Of the brick and mortar town. having vege-
taAon, bird and beast to have their viii Of
the deserted spot for eight months.
There 10 an island camp where the per-
sistence Of nature IL beautifully Illustrated
year after year. Tho human tntruders.
recognizing the essentially unjust character
Of their tenure, have strfvcn 10 keep the bit
Of wilderness which they call their a.
nearly as may be In its natural state. have
out few trees, made none but such paths
a. the foot wears for itself and tealously
preserve the thick featheging Of fern and
native shrubs.
The whole three or four acres looks much
like the undisturbed wilderness Of the main
land half Q mile across the lake. where yet
deer and bear inhAbit, and tho deep forest
10 silent with that spell which hsunts the big
timber. For years n gun bad been fired
on the island; In the midst Of q hunting
region there In this little spot reigned q
permanent Truce Of God betwpen man and
beast. A fusillade against thetred squirrels
S i%sadsnt p: ssnsssyn:o. for gut sh' lhs ;re depssda an
lions were uncomfortable. After that for
some years no squirrel appeared.
This summer the letting n OF the wilder
hees was more marked than over. The
colony. evidently having orossed to the
island on the loo Of las. winter. They re-
eented the intrusion Of the human tenants.
soolding them from the treetops. griun!ng
and chattering at them sven. - they lay
49, = tert 49, $780, Srort ~ hock
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thrnnsb ~ thini rndsrgro~t Ia rss an.
snrougn ne LUCK nue.glTms y IN. ~
Sounteted esriy one moInlns On prnnd
nke 'aao GU ~ ~ ~ ~.
efred. . q wnistlo NC rose .no tor
lowed his sss upon n6 1oos
and ate nom nSr nAno.
The MI. o. tnas sntsnoI wpcse
Deets had iost aI tner eops. nipnieo on Y
the small strange gray, aiter vsny
oontrivtng traps for the nocturnal rows
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