Fishing -- Juvenile literature; Fishing -- Nova Scotia
We struggled on. Finally near sunset of that long, hard June day, we
passed out of the thicket tangle, ascended a slope and found ourselves
in an open grove of whispering pines that through all the years had
somehow escaped the conflagration and the ax. Tall colonnades they
formed--a sort of Grove of Dodona which because of some oracle, perhaps,
the gods had spared and the conquering vandals had not swept away. From
the top of the knoll we caught a glimpse of water through the trees, and
presently stood on the shore of Little Tobeatic Lake.
So it was we reached the end of our quest--the farthest point in the
unknown. I hardly know what I had expected: trout of a new species and
of gigantic size, perhaps, or a strange race of men. Whatever it was, I
believe I felt a bit disappointed.
I believe I did not consider it much of a discovery. It was a good deal
like other Nova Scotia lakes, except that it appeared to be in two
sections and pretty big for its name. But Eddie was rejoiced over our
feat. The mooseflies and spruce thickets and the miry swamps we had
passed, for him only added relish to this moment of supreme triumph.
Eddie would never be the man to go to the Arctics in an automobile or an
airship. That would be too easy. He would insist on more embroideries.
He would demand all the combined hardships of the previous expeditions.
I am at present planning a trip to the South Pole, but I shall leave
Eddie at home. And perhaps I shall also be disappointed when I get to
the South Pole and find it only a rock in a snowdrift.
We crossed the brook and returned to camp the short way. We differed a
good deal as to the direction, and separated once or twice. We got lost
at last, for the way was so short and easy that we were below the camp
before we knew it. When at last we heard the guides calling (they had
long since returned) we came in, blaming each other for several things
and were scarcely on speaking terms for as much as five minutes. It was
lucky that Charles found a bottle of Jamaica rum and a little pot of
honey just then. A mixture of rum and honey will allay irritation due to
moosefly and mosquito bites, and to a variety of other causes if
faithfully applied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account