Camp Life in the Wilderness Appeared in the Columns of a Weekly Paper in 1875, and Was Very Well Received at That Time
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UJ ® (/) SI DEA| L, $ *: W nRTERs7^\ -E|}. i 5 2 ^ c £ £ H J- i z SI F^IS^^E < ^ •8 8 FARRAR'S "POCKET MAP OF THE Richardson and Rangeley Lakes Region, Connecticut, Farmachenee, and Kennebago Lakes, AXD THE HEADWATERS OF THE Connecticut, Magalloway, Androscoggin, and Sandy Eivers, Dixville Notch, Andover and Vicinity. Large size, printed on tough linen paper, neatly folded, and handsomely bound in cloth covers. Indispensable to the Sportsman and Tourist visiting the Lakes. Pronounced by competent judges to be the best and most correct Map of this country ever made. PRICE FBFTY CENTS. May be obtained at any bookstore, or will be sent by mail, post- age paid, on receipt of price, by CHA3. A. J. FARRAR, Jamaica Plain, Mass. FARRAR'S POCKET MAP OF Moosehead X^alse AND THE ZDTOZELTHC 3VCA.I3STE ^WILDERNESS. Printed on tough linen paper, and durably bound in cloth covers. Size 20 by 24 inches. Every Tourist, Sportsman, Hunter, and Lumberman should have one of these Maps. It includes all the large lakes of Maine, and the headwaters of the Kennebec, Penobscot, and St. John Rivers, and their principal branches. Also Railroad and Stage Routes, Wood Roads, locations of Hotels, Camps, &c. PRICE ONE DOLLAR. Sent by mail, postage paid, to any address, on receipt of price, by CHA8. A. J. FARRAR, Jamaica Plain, Mass. FOREST MD STREAM, A Weekly Journal of Twenty-four Pages, devoted to FIELD SPORTS, PRACTICAL NATURAL HISTORY, Fish Culture, Protection of Game, Preser- vation of Forests, Yachting and Boat- ing, Rifle Practice, and all Out-Door Recreation and Study. It is the only Journal in this country that fully supplies the wants and meets the necessities of the Gentleman Sportsman Terms, S4.00 a Year. a®" Send for a Specimen Copy. FOREST AND STREAM PTIB. CO., I I I Fulton Street, Post-Office Box 2832. NEW YORK. The Purveyor-General of Washington Territory, who sends a cluh of fire sub- " scribers, writes, Baying : T consider that your journal has doue more to properly educate the sportsmen of this country than all the other publications put together. 1 shall induce every true sportsman to become a subscriber that I can." Mr. Thomas A. Logan (" Hloan '') says: "You are doing good work with the paper, and you have— more and probably greater than you dream of— the wishes and God-speed of the gentlemen of the gun." Hundreds of similar indorsements from prominent gentlemen sportsmen might be added, showing the estimation in which Forest and Strkam is held by its readers. CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. A Tale of the Richardson Lakes. WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS ON WOOD, ENGRAVED BY JOHNSON. BY CHARLES A. J. FARRAR, AUTHOR OF "RICHARDSON AND RANGELEY LAKES ILLUSTRATED,'' "MOOSEHEAD LAKE AND VICINITY ILLUSTRATED," ETC., ETC. BOSTON: A. WILLIAMS AND COMPANY, 283 Washington Street. 1879. Copyright, 1879, Charles A. J. Fakrar. Stereotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry, No. 19 Spring Lane. PREFACE ' " ' Camp Life in the Wilderness appeared in the columns of a weekly paper in 1875, and was very well received at that time. After its close in the paper, marry were desirous of having it published in book-form, and I finally concluded to put it before the public in that shape. The sto^ gives the haps and mishaps of a party of Boston gentlemen who spent a summer vacation in the Rangeley Lake region, and is in the main true, although, in portraying some of the scenes in the story, I have taken the usual license of authors. The book is well cal- culated to while away a leisure hour, and furnishes a good deal of reliable information to those who think of visiting the lakes. The gentlemen who composed the part}' are all called by fictitious names, in order to avoid a publicity that would be unpleasant to some, if not all, of them. CHARLES A. J. FARRAR. Jamaica -Plain, Jan. 1, 1879. CONTENTS. CHAPTEE PAGE I. — How the Party was formed, 9 16 II. — On the Steamer Jack Bowker, III. — The Wait in Portland, 29 IV. — From Portland to Bethel and Andover, 41 V.— On the Lake Road, 51 *VI. — Up the Lake.— From the Arm to French's Camp. — A Meeting with Fellow-Voyagers, 73 VII. — Our First Meal in Camp. — "Where is my Valise?". 84 VIII. — A Hunt for the Missing Valise. — A Mystery. — Is it a Ghost? — The Valise found. — The Return to Camp. — A Dark Landing, 90 IX. — Our First Night in the Wilderness.— Shooting Rab- bits.—A Hearty Breakfast.— Another Start.—The Artist takes an Impromptu Bath. — The Upper Dam. — "Camp Jamaica," 97 X. — Camp Life. — Fish and Game. — Tar and Oil. — Around the Camp-Fire, 109 XI. — Morning Thoughts. — Lucky Fishermen. — Neighborly Call. — Tough Night.— Camp stormed by Midges, . 114 XII. — Sunday in Camp.—New Arrivals. —We visit Whitney's, and go a-gumming.— a ridiculous bear-flgiit. — a Demoralized Dog. — Fresh Meat for Supper, ... 121 XIII — Camp-Singing. — Lake-Shore Sleeping Apartment. — Thoughts and Fancies.—Visit to Richardson Ponds, 133 XIV. — A Big Fish.— Beating up Gamk. — A Shot at a Cari- bou.— A Gun that shoots at both Ends. — We bag thi: Game.— Back to Camp, 142 6 CONTENTS. 7 XV.— A Caribou Supper. — River-Drivers. — « No Whis- key."— A Narrow Escape. — An Experienced Gun- ner.— Departure of our Neighbors, 151 XVI. — A Day's Sport. — Lonely Tramp. — Lost in the For- est. —The Wrong Customer. — A Cat-astrophe, . 1G1 XVII. — Down the Lake.— Visit Whitney's.—A Swamped Boat. The "Farm."— The " Pathfinder." — A Wet Tramp, 173 XVIII. — The Richardson Farm. — Through the Water. — The Middle Dam Camp.— A Good Supper, 180 XIX. — Lake Umbagog. — Androscoggin and Magalloway Rivers. — "Pulling hard against the Stream," . .187 XX. — A Sell on the Artist. — A Wooden Bear. — Reunion at Smith's Mill. — At Andover House once more, . 200 XXL — The First Departure,— Excursion to Cataract Brook, 209 XXII. — Roxbury Pond. —Caught in the Rain. — Last Day at Andover. — Farewell. — General Information, . .216 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Village of Andover, Me., with Old Bald Pate Mountain, . 49 Devil's Den, Black Brook, Lake Road, Andover, Me., 55 Silver-Ripple Cascade, Black Brook, Andover, Me., 63 Mount Sawyer, and Sluice Dam, Black Brook Notch, 67 The Upper Dam, 108 Camp Bellevue, Lake Molechunkamunk, 131 Lake Molechunkamunk, Southeast View from Camp Bellevue, 15.) " Camping Out " at Mouth of River, Upper Dam, 1S4 Middle Dam Camp, Lake Welokennebacook, 207 Upper Fall, Cataract Brook, Andover, Me., •. .213 Sylvan Cascade, Cataract Brook, Andover, Me., 217 221 The Tlume, Cataract Brook, Andover, Me., . .. FARRAR'S ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE RICHARDSON and RANGELEY LAKES, Connecticut, Parmachcnee, and Kennchago Lakes, AND THE HEADWATERS OF THE Connecticut, Magalloway, Androscoggin, and Sandy Eivers, Dixville Notch, Andover, Me., and Vicinity. 288 pp., 40 Illustrations, and a Correct Map Of the Lake Region. Handsomely bound in illuminated paper covers. PRICE FIFTY CENTS. May be obtained at any bookstore, or will be sent by mail, post- age paid, on receipt of price, by CHA8. A. J. FARRAR, Jamaica Plain, Mass. Also, Stereoscopic Views of the entire Lake Region. Price 25 cents each. Send for Catalogue. Address as above. Farrar's Illustrated Guide TO ' MOOSEHEAD'LAKE AND THE ISTOI^TK 3^-A.I2STE W'lX/D IE IRISHESS. A thorough and comprehensive work on the Sporting Resorts of Northern Maine. The country around Greenville and Moose- head Lake, Chamberlin, Chesuncook, and Sebec Lakes, Katahdin Iron Works, the tours of the Kennebec, Penobscot, and St. John Rivers, ascent of Katahdin, &c\, are all plainly treated. Contains the latest revised GAME AND FISH LAWS OF MAINE, besides a large amount of other valuable information, and a Map Of the Moosehead Lake Region. 224 pages, 25 Illustrations, papur covers. PRICE FIFTY CENTS. May be obtained at any bookstore, or will be sent by mail, post- age paid, on receipt of price, by CHAS. A. J. FARRAR, Jamaica Plain, Mass. CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. CHAPTER I. HOW THE PARTY WAS FORMED. IT is quite natural, as summer approaches, for people to begin to talk and plan as to where they shall go, what they shall do, what friends to include in the party, and so on. As the summer of 1874 came creeping along, I began to canvass the probabilities of my taking a vacation, and in what quarter of New England to spend it, for the question of " stamps " would not allow me to go more than a thousand miles from the u Hub." The more I thought of getting out of the harness for a while, the more determined I became to shake off from my feet the dust of the city, for a few weeks at least. The numerous new summer resorts that are con- tinually coming to the front, really make it a hard 9 10 CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. thing, for one who has no special preference, to de- cide where to go ; for the poorest of them, of cour*se, has its own peculiar charms, and will always find some one to sing its praise. So far as I was personally concerned, I wished to go where I could have the best time for the least money ; and I believe a large proportion of the people in this world feel the same way, although they may not care to own it. After turning the matter over in my mind for a while, I concluded that I could do no better than to go down to the Richardson Lakes, the two pearls of the Rangeley chain, situated in the wilderness of northwestern Maine ; for I knew if I went there, I was sure of a good time, and plenty of healthful recreation.