Year: 1862

[From our Regular Correspondent


Letters from the Backwoods of Maine.


No. 3-From Kineo &. .Katahdin.


DEAR Press The night spent at Cary
Farm prepared us for our first real work in the
woods. The canoes had to be pitched, on the
whole, about as much as Noah's ark before
they were ready for the stowage of the load.
Now came the difficulty. Who should carry
the pork, who the preserved meats, and who
the hardbread, &C.? 1t was indeed hard
thing to suit everybody, and especially as each
guide was determined to carry as little as pos
sible in order to have his canoe paddle easily.
But soon, like the Homeric horses, they became
more magnanimous, each one insisting on tax
ing large share of the load. And having sat
isfactorily disposed of the cargoes, we started
on our tour, and began camp life in earnest.
Only one of our party had never been in camp
before, and we considered ourselves really old
hands in the business. 1t seemed very much
like old times, as we fioated down the slow wa
tiers of the west branch of the Penobscot
Around us on every hand is


1.-THE forest primeval,.


and very excellent place, no doubt, It would





be for bit of moralizing on some subject or
other; but not contemplating the infection of
any such bore, would merely say that as this
is the primeval forest, we had better be on the
lookout for moose. Near the muddy bank is
track made by a moose, and, although it is
not very recent one, suggests that the rifles
had better be in good order and capped. The
l.
must be ready at a moments notice, and it is
very provoking to have to cap tube the sec
ond time. The percussion cap must percuss.
or the owner will, lif we regard "per" as in
tensive). l remember how enraged a guide
once was, as We came down branch of the
River ST. John, and he was angry on this very
account. The birch was rapidly passing over
some swift water, when We saw large beaver
on the bank, sitting as demurely as you please.
The canoe was going fast, the gun was not
capped, and minute or more elapsed before
the guide was ready to fire. Just as he fired.
the beaver made singulariy graceful bow, and
had time to dive before the ball left the gun.
In fact, these little precautions must be taken,
or the game will invariably be lost The banks
of this portion Of the River Penobscot are very
beautiful, having clean, fresh look, which is
not 50 noticeable on the east branch of the riy-
er. The land is of an excellent quality. and
produces rich variety of dainty plants. call
them dainty" because they choose, for the
most part, only the richer soils, just as some
other plants like sorra for instance, or plan
tain will grow In the most wretched places on
the poorer kinds of land. But the fastidious
plants are the Squirrel Corn, Spring Beauty.
and many others possessing equal delicacy of
structure. The novice is much surprised to
find that the forests of Maine are not so grand
or awe-inspiring as some of our poets have
sung The whole State has been ransacked for
timber, and there is hardly square mile on
which the lumberman, has not gone, exploring,
and as a natural result much of the great first
growth has long been cut and sent down river
and over the world. The trees which remain
are Of smaller size, and though they give a
good idea OF the widest woods, they cannot be
called towering pines" or majestic pines" or
any of that poetical trash.


In the distance we can now hear the sound
OF frushing water, and we are approaching the
Penobscot "horse-race" Such quaint names
have the lumbermen bestowed on these rapids
and on many Others for instance one part of
Grand Falls on the Penobscot, east branch, is
called "the Hulling Machine, because many
logs which are whirled over into the flume are
stripped Of their bark as nicely as corn can be
sheled from the ear The falls before us are
only short ones and our guides are going TO
'run them" As we near the rapids it is easy
to see among the white foam just ahead where
the chief current sets and now we are fairly in
it. Each moment the speed increases and we
are now flying along ON the foam. Here be-
fore us, only rod, Is rock scarcely hidden
by the water; single stroke of the paddle
sends the canoe into the swiftest current and
gives us only second to turn the birch as
much the other way to avoid greater danger.
Directly in front is smooth circle like great
watch-glass with the convex side up. The
boatman knows this is the covering of rock
and must be, by all means avoided. We pass
SO close to the edge of this circle that we can
touch 1t, and yet are quite safe. The rule
seems to be .fotlo,o the line OF saciftest foam,
know of no work of few moments SO excit-
ing as the passage over rapids. There is no
exemption from danger even with the great
est care and skill. The paddle may break, the
pole may slip, flaw of wind may turn the