We rose with the dawn the next morning, and before the sun was above the hills we were on our way down the lake, to separate as we struck the Rackett; the Doctor and Smith to return by the way of Keeseville and the Champlain, and Spalding and myself to drift down that pleasant stream to Pottsdam, and thence to the majestic1 St. Lawrence, to spend a fortnight among the "Thousand Islands" of that noble river. Near the outlet2 of the lake is a bold rocky bluff3, rising right up out of the deep water twenty feet, against which the waves dash, and around which a romantic bay steals away to hide itself in the old woods. This beautiful bay is always calm, for even the narrow strait which connects it with the open water is divided by a rocky, but wooded island, shutting out alike the winds and the waves from disturbing its repose4. It is surrounded by gigantic forest trees, whose shadows make it a cool retreat in the heat of noon, and whose dense5 foliage6 fills the air with freshness and fragrance7 when the sun is hot in the sky. Towards its head, a cold stream comes creeping around the boulders8, and dancing and singing down the rocks from a copious9 spring, a short way back in the forest. Near where this brook10 enters we landed at seven o'clock to breakfast. We supplied ourselves with fish by casting across the mouth of the little stream, while our boatmen were preparing a fire. Our sail of eight miles down the lake furnished us with appetites which gave to the beautiful speckled trout11 we caught there a peculiar12 relish13. We arranged matters so that the Doctor and Smith were to return in one boat to the Saranacs, while Spalding and myself were to move on down the Rackett with the other two. Cullen and Wood were to go with us to Pottsdam, from whence our route lay by railroad to Ogdensburgh. We had, on entering the woods, dispatched our baggage to the former place to await our arrival there. At nine o'clock we launched out upon the lake again. There are two outlets14 which enter the Rackett, half a mile apart, down the right hand one of which the Doctor and Smith's course lay, and ours down the left. We shook hands with our friends, and lay upon our oars15 while they passed on towards home, wishing them a pleasant voyage, and a safe return.
"I say," shouted Smith, as they were about rounding a point that would hide them from our view, "remember our compact about killing16 the bear. The glory of that achievement belongs to me, you know. Don't say a word about it when you get home till you see me. I haven't fully17 made up my mind as to the manner of capturing him, and there must be no contradictions on the subject."
"Go ahead," replied Spalding, "we'll be careful of your honor. drop us a line at Cape18 Vincent, when you've digested the matter, and we'll stand by you. Good-bye!"
"Good-bye!" And our friends disappeared from our sight on their voyage home.
"And so," said Spalding, "we are to leave this beautiful lake, and these old forests so soon. I could linger here a month still, enjoying these shady and primitive19 solitudes20. To you and I, the quiet which one finds here is vastly more inviting21 than it is to the friends who have just left us. The Doctor, of necessity, leads a life of activity, feeling physical weariness as the result of his labors22, but little of that strong yearning24 for intellectual repose which those in your profession or mine so often feel. Smith's life demands excitement. The absence of the cares and toil25 of business occasions a restlessness and desire of change, which makes him discontented here. With them the great charm of this wild region is its novelty. They enjoy its beauties for a season with peculiar relish, but as these become familiar, the spell is broken, and they turn towards home without a regret To you and I, there is something beyond this. We, too, feel and appreciate the beauty of these lakes and mountains The hill-sides and placid26 waters, the forest songs, and wild scenery are pleasant to us; but we enjoy them the more from the intellectual relaxation27, the mental quiet and repose, which we find among them. We feel that we are resting, that the process of recuperation, intellectual as well as physical, is going on within us. We can almost trace its progress, and we feel that the time spent by us here is full of profit as well as pleasure. At all events, it is so with me, and if duty to others, whose interests it is my business to serve, did not demand my return, I could enjoy another month here with unabated pleasure."
"You have left me little," I replied, "to add to what you have already said, in expressing the sources of my enjoyment28 among these beautiful lakes. Fishing and hunting, considered in the abstract, are things I care but little about. They are pleasant enough in their way, but what brings me here is the strong desire as well as necessity for the repose of which you speak. There is a luxury in intellectual rest, when the brain is wearied with protracted29 toil, which far surpasses the mere30 animal enjoyment which follows relaxation from physical labor23. That rest I cannot find in society. I must seek it among wild and primeval solitudes, where I can be alone with nature in her unadorned simplicity31, away from the barbarisms, so to speak, of civilization, where I can act and talk and think as a natural, and not an artificial man, where I can be off my guard, and free from the weight of that armor which the conventionalities of life, the captions32 espionage33 of the world compels us to wear, un-tempted by the thousand enticements which society everywhere presents to lure34 us into unrest."
We drifted leisurely35 down the left hand channel, and entered the Rackett, bidding good-bye to the beautiful lake as a bend in the river hid it from our view. A mile below the junction36, the river runs square against a precipice37 some sixty feet in height, wheeling off at a right angle, and stretching away though a natural meadow on either hand, of hundreds of acres in extent. At the base of this precipice, formed by the rocky point of a hill, the water is of unknown depth. Above, and fifty feet from the surface of the river, there are ledges38 of a foot or two in width, like shelves, along which the fox, the fisher, and possibly the panther, creep, instead of travelling over the high ridge40 extending back into the forest. As we rounded a point which brought us in view of this precipice, Spalding, who was in the forward boat, discovered a black object making its way along the face of the rocks. A signal for silence was given, and the boats were permitted to float with the current in the direction of the precipice. We were forty rods distant, and the animal, whatever it was, had no suspicion of danger. It paused midway across the rocks, looked about, nosing out over the water, and sat down upon its haunches, as if enjoying the beauty of the scenery around it. In the meantime, the boats had drifted within twenty rods, and Spalding, taking deliberate aim, fired. At the crack of the rifle, the animal leapt dear of the ledge39, struck once against the face of the rock some twenty feet below, and then went, end over end, thirty feet into the river. As he struck the water he commenced swimming round and round in a circle, evidently bewildered by Spalding's bullet, or the effect of his involuntary plunge41 down the rocks. Our men bent42 to their oars, and had got within five or six rods of it, when it straightened up in alarm for the shore.
"Hold on, Cullen," said I, "lay steady for a moment." I drew upon the animal, and just as it reached the shore, fired, and it turned over dead. We found it to be a black fox, that had walked out upon the ledge, and thus been added another victim to the indulgence of an idle curiosity. Spalding's bullet had grazed its belly43, raking off the hair and graining the skin; mine had gone through its head.
"There, Judge," said Cullen, as he lifted the animal into the boat, "is a kritter that isn't often met with in these parts, and the wonder is, that he didn't discover us as we floated down the stream. He's about the cunningest animal that travels the woods. He's got an eye that's always open, a delicate ear, and a sharp nose, and he keeps 'em busy, as a general thing. He never neglects their warnin', but puts out about the quickest, whenever they notify him that there's an enemy about. I've had a good deal of trouble with them in my day, when I've been out trappin' martin. They'll manage to spring the trap and carry off the bait. When one of them chaps gets on a line of traps, there's no use in talkin'. The game's up, and the trapper may make up his mind to get rid of the varmint in some way, or locate in another range of country. He'll find his traps sprung and his bait gone. Or if a martin has been in ahead of the fox, he'll find only the skull44, the end of the tail, the feet, and a few of the larger bones, and they'll be picked mighty45 clean at that. You've seen a martin trap, or if you haven't, I'll try and describe one so that you'll understand it. It's a very simple contrivance, and if a martin was not a good deal more stupid than a goose, he'd never be caught in one of them. We drive down a couple of rows of little stakes, plantin' the stakes close together, and leaving between the rows a space of six or eight inches. The rows are may be a foot and a half long. We then cut and trim a long saplin', say five or six inches across at the butt46, and leaving one end on the ground, set the other, may be two feet high, with a kind of figure four, so that when it falls, it will come down between the rows of stakes. We fix the bait so that a martin in getting at it, will have to go in between the rows of stakes, and displace the trap sticks, when down comes the pole upon him and crushes him to death. We talk about a line of traps, because we blaze a line of trees, sometimes for miles, and set a trap every twenty or thirty rods. I've had a line of a dozen miles or more, in my day, in a circle around my campin' ground. In minding our traps, we follow the line of marked trees from one to the other, and so never miss a trap, nor get lost in the woods.
"I mind once, a good many years ago, Crop and I was over towards the St. Regis, on a cruise after martin and sable47, and anything else in the way of game we could pick up. I'd laid out my trappin' arrangements on a pretty large scale, and was doin' a little better than midlin', when I found that my traps were sprung by some animal that helped himself to the bait, without leavin' his hide as a consideration for settin' of 'em. After a few days, I found that whatever it was, understood the line as well as I did, for he took the range regular, and not only stole the bait, but ate up half a dozen martin, that had given me a claim on their hides by springin' my traps. This was a kind of medlin' with my private concerns that I didn't like, and I was bound to find out who the interloper was, and if possible, to make his acquaintance. There was no snow on the ground, and I couldn't get at his track. So I made up my mind to watch for him. Well, one day I spoke48 to Crop to stay by the shanty49 and take care of the things, while I went to find out who it was that was medlin' with our property, and started off on my line of traps. I got up into the crotch of a great birch near one of 'em, and sat there with my rifle, waitin' for something to turn up. It was a little after noon when I got located. The sun travelled slowly along down towards the western hills, his bright light, in that calm November day, makin' the rocky ranges and the bare heads of the tall peaks shine out in a blaze of glory. The livin' things of the old woods were busy and jolly enough. An old owl50 came flying lazily out of the thick branches of a hemlock51, and lightin' within a dozen feet of me, opened his great round eyes in astonishment52, and as the bright sunlight dazzled him, he squinted53 and turned his cat-like face from side to side, as if makin' up his mind that he'd know me the next time we met. By-and-by he opened his hooked beak54, and great red mouth, and roared out, 'Hoo! hohoo! hoo!' as much as to say, 'who the devil are you?' I didn't answer a word, and after a little, he flew back to his shadowy perch55 among the dense foliage of the hemlock. A black squirrel came hopping56 along with his mouth full of beech57 nuts, and running nimbly up the tree on which I was perched, and out upon one of the great limbs, deposited his store in a hollow he found there. He caught sight of me as he came back, and seating himself upon a branch, not six feet from my head, began chatterin' and barkin' as if givin' me a regular lecter for invadin' his premises58, and takin' possession of his tree. He didn't seem to understand the matter at all, and I didn't undertake to explain the reason of my being there. After a little, he went off about his business, and left me to attend to mine. A raccoon came nosing along, stoppin' every little way to turn over the leaves, or pull away the dirt from a root with his long hands, tastin' of one thing and smellin' of another in a mighty dainty way. When he came to my tree, he seemed to think that there might be something among its branches worth looking at. So he came clambering up its rough bark towards where I sat. He came up on the other side of the tree from me, till he got about even with my huntin'-cap, and then came round to my side, and there we were, face to face, not two feet apart. I reckon that coon was astonished when our eyes met, for with a sort of scream he let right loose, and dropped twenty feet to the ground like a clod, and the way he waddled59 away into the brash, mutterin' and talkin' to himself, was a thing to laugh at.
"The sun was, may be, an hour high, when lookin' along the line of marked trees, I saw a black animal come trotting60 mighty softly towards the trap I was watchin'. I knew him at once. He was a black fox, and I knew that he was the gentleman that had been makin' free with my property for the last few days. He trotted61 up to the trap, and walked carefully around it, nosin' out towards the bait, but keepin' out from under the pole. He seemed to understand what that pole meant, and that if it fell on him, he'd be very likely to be hurt. After a little, he trotted out to the other end of the pole, and gettin' on to it, walked carefully along to within ten or twelve feet of the bait; if he didn't begin jumpin' up and down till he sprung the trap, you may shoot me. When he'd done that job, he went back, and gettin' hold of the bait with his teeth, drew it out and began very cooly to eat it. By this time I'd brought my rifle to bear upon the gentleman, but I gave him a little law, to see what his next move would be. After he'd finished the bait, and found there warn't any more to be come at, he stretched himself on his belly along the ground, and began lickin' his paws, and passing them over his cheeks, as you've seen a cat do. After he'd washed his face awhile, he sat himself down on his haunches, curled his long bushy tail around his feet, and looked about as if considerin' what he should do next. Just then I paid my respects to him, and as my rifle broke the stillness of the forest, he turned a double summerset, and after kickin' around a little, laid still. I came down from my perch, and took the gentleman to the shanty and added his hide to those of the martins I'd taken. My traps warn't disturbed after that, and I carried home a pack of furs that bro't me near two hundred dollars."
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1
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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8
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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14
outlets
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| n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店 | |
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15
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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captions
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| n.标题，说明文字，字幕( caption的名词复数 )v.给（图片、照片等）加说明文字( caption的第三人称单数 ) | |
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espionage
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| n.间谍行为，谍报活动 | |
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lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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38
ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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39
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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41
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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42
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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43
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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44
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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45
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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46
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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47
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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48
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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49
shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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50
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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51
hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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52
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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53
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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54
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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56
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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57
beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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