pocket to cook for dinner and my rifle on his shoulder, started
immediately into the bush, and was but just gone when Pete and Easton
appeared with the report that two miles above us lay a large lake, and
that they had found the trail leading from it to the creek I had seen
from the hill. The lake lay among the hills to the northward, and the
bits of water I had seen were portions of it. I was anxious to break
camp and start forward, but this could not be done until Richards'
return. Easton, Pete and I paddled up to the creek's mouth,
therefore, and spent the day fishing, and landed eighty-seven trout,
ranging from a quarter pound to four pounds in weight. The largest
ones Stanton split and hung over the fire to dry for future use, while
the others were applied to immediate need.

When Richards came into camp in the evening he brought with him an
excellent map of the country that he had seen from the hill and
reported having counted ten lakes, including the large one that Easton
and Pete had visited. He also had found the trail and followed it
back.

The next morning some tracking and wading up the creek was necessary
before we found ourselves upon the trail with packs on our backs, and
before twelve o'clock we arrived with all our outfit at the lake,
which we shall call Minisinaqua. It was an exceedingly beautiful
sheet of water, the main body, perhaps, ten or twelve miles in length,
but narrow, and with many arms and indentations and containing
numerous round green islands. The shores and surrounding country were
well wooded with spruce, fir, balsam, larch, and an occasional small
white birch.

I took my place in the larger canoe with Pete and Easton and left