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12 MARINE REVIEW. "3 A Week in the Wilds of Lake Superior.* [Continued from Vol. 8, No. 8.] We were not long in closing negotiations for leaving Bay- field over the forest route to St.Paul. An Indian was found who had two ponies and who agreed to take uso Sunrise for $35, we to furnish everything but the horses, and insure against accident to them. Weclosed the bargain, and I undertook the commis- sary duties of the expedition by contracting for a bag of bread-- those indigestible masses called "biscuits" in the western country --boiled fowls and a ham, four bags of oats, an axe, some tobac- co and aqua vite. Our luggage and an old shot gun, with one barrel operative, made up the balance of the equipment. That evening we loaded up our wagon, inspected the horses, the In- dian, and other details, and then went out on the route three or four miles to fish for trout and stay all night in a shingle camp. We caught a fine lot of these fish, which are plentiful in all streams flowing into the lake, but not in streams flowing the other way to the Mississippi. At 9 o'clock the next morning, our wagon, the Indian and outfit came along. We lit our pipes, climbed up to the after seat in the wagon and settled ourselves for a comfortable ride to sunrise on the St. Croix. The Indian, like all of his race, was taciturn, saw everything but made no sign, and to this day I know not if he understood what we said. When we climbed up on the wagon seat I heard him chuckle and saw him hide his face. We started and in five minutes the Indian shrank down into the front of the wagon below the seat, and the next minute Charlton and I were ignominiously brushed off by the low limbs of the pine trees. We took a survey cf the case and saw at once that there was no such thing as riding on the wagon. Charlton climbed up again for another trial and I took the gun and went ahead on the trail. The scene and surroundings were novel to me. 'The forest was wild, darkand still. By improvising bridges, cutting trees out of the trail and working hard, besides tramping, we made twenty miles, reached "Spider lake" and camped for the first night. A second day on our journey was much like the first, but the lakes changed in their nature as we left the coast. Anent this matter I must digress here to note a fact which seems to contro- vert the common theory respecting the genesis of the prairies. Soon after we left the coast, and gained the general level of the country, there appeared pot holes or sinks of small size from _ 50 to 100 feet in diameter. 'These seemed to be excavations and looked strange, because in any country covered with clay soil such holes or basins, if they existed at all, would be filled with water. Here they were dry down tothe very bottom, where there was usually a thick growth of American sarsaparilla. 'The whole country seemed to be covered with sand, only a light mold of vegetable matter on top under the timber, decomposed litter of the fir growth. These pot holes became gradually larger as we left the lake coast, and at thirty miles orso began to have some water at the bottom, with clean shores so one could ap- proach the edge. The basins grew larger, so did the water at the bottom, until a fringe of grass appeared around the margin. This grass fringe grew wider as we went on toward the "divide," or where the watershed was westward. Soon we could not ap- _proach the water at all, because of the bog that surrounded it. As we went on, the grass and bog grew wider, and the water less until only a spot in the center, and finally disappeared altogether, the basins all the time becoming larger, flatter and shallower, until the little pot holes near the coast had developed into prairies of grass, small at first, but growing larger and more solid until the transition was complete; until the timbered or higher lands became the exception, and we were in a prairie country. Getting back to our journey, the second night's camp was like the first, unless the quantity of mosquitos was more. It was about the last days of their career, and white blood was nota common repast about these lakes. We had ducks for supper this evening and on other evenings, and here were ducks that would please an epicure. In these highlands there is fresh water and pure feed, and there was none of that pungent fishy flavor of the salt water varieties. It was a most interesting thing to watch our Indian driver bring down ducks; they were flying overhead from one lake toanother, at high speed and in straight lines, and how that son of the forest could see them, apparently without looking up, was a mystery. 'The old one-barreled gun he kept carefully in a kind of cloth cover, and while moving along we would observe him suddenly drof the lines, unstrip the old gun, and about the time he would bring it to position, the ducks would come in view. Herarely missed, and his seeing them coming was less mysterious than his finding them after they came down. By John Richards, Editor of Industry, San Francisco. I tried myself to find them in the high grass and rushes around the lakes, but as well might have searched for the proverbial needle in a haystack. 'The Indian would get down, move steal- thily into the high grass, his black eyes glistening, and by some sign, perhaps by some mark beyond or some disturbance of the vegitation, he would walk straight toa duck and pick it up. On the third day out I shot a raven, and have never ceased to regret it; the plumage, jet black, was yet the most gorgeous im- aginable, and in the sun gave the most beautiful changing hues like the gloss of satin, but finer. Eagles or large hawks were never out of sight, and the scream of terrified quail and grouse was heard at frequent intervals. 'The hawks would sit perched on the tops of the highest trees, usually burnt ones without foli- age, and to see them dart down on their victims was terrific. It afforded a problem in dynamics. One would think that to stop within a few feet would kill them, and my belief is they do not stop, but brush over their prey, stunning or confusing it, and on a return swoop Seize it. On the fourth day out we reached a regular camp or resi- dence of a civilized Chippewa who had built a house, or several houses, some of them of whip-sawed boards or planks, and here we learned a good deal of Indian customs in that country. Our host showed us religious service books, printed in his language, and had the interior of one of his houses quite covered with pic- torial sheets from various serials. He was a mighty hunter, and that year had to his account thirty-five deer, several bears, and a collection of pelts from smaller animals. He had been wounded by a bite from a bear that crushed one of his knees, and was lame. Our man had some ducks which were to be prepared for supper. These were turned over to the women, and it was a marvel tosee how soon the feathers were stripped and the game potted. We had here corn bread, potatoes and coffee, all prepared out in the forest away from the house,the host explaining that Indians never cooked in the house or staid in it during the summer. We were asked if we wanted fish for breakfast, "very fresh and just caught," the man explained. J made him promise to wake me in the morn- ing to accompany him on the fishing excursion, which he did. He went to a stream near by, where there was constructed what is called a "fish pot" in this western country. It is an Indian contrivance, or trap, made of small poles, and is a sure catch for any fish descending the stream. .Thereis a dam and an overflow or waste way, the water pouring over on a bed of small poles set at an inclination of twenty degrees or so, pointing back under the dam where there is a pool to contain the fish. When one goes over the dam, he lights on the screen of poles through which the water escapes, and wiggles back into the pool without hope of escape. 'The Indian took a kind of rake and drew up on the apron a "pile of fish," two dozen or more, and after selecting three or four black bass, he raised some poles in the bottom and let the remainder out; they went down the stream by scores on their journey, which had been so mysteriously interrupted. "Much more tomorrow," said the Indian' and we went back. While eating our breakfast we had an example of his skill witha rifle that I am almost afraid to relate. A large hawk came down among the fowls around the house, raising a great commotion. The Indian sprang up, seized a rifle from the wall, and ran out. We followed to see the fun. 'The hawk was sailing around ina circle at least 300 feet high, quite steady, and watching us. The Indian braced himself, pointed his gun and kept moving it with the hawk for some time and finally fired. 'The huge bird came down like a stone, but I must always think it was an accident, because the Indian was so elated over the feat. The next day brought us to the St. Croix river, a large, rapid stream even at that season, which we forded with difficulty and risk, and in the evening were again among white men and civilization, 'This, only twenty-five years ago, and now a railway and farms all. along the same route. Bayfield a commercial port and small city, the Apostle islands a popular summer resort. New Turovuce Tratn.--The Nickel Plate road announces that commenc- ing Sunday, Sept. 3, train No. 4, running between Chicago and Cleveland, and No. 4, running between Cleveland and Buffalo, will be merged into a eontinu- ous through train, leaving Chicago about 8 a. m.and reaching Buffalo between _ 3 or 4 o'clock the following morning. The equipment of this train will em- brace staanard smoking and day coaches and sleeping cars Chicago to Buffalo. Direct connections at Buffalo for all points east. GRow1nc.--The Nickel Plate road will on Sunday, Sept. 3, increase its train service by the addition of a new through east-bound train, by merging the Chicago and Clevrland and Cleveland and Buffalo accommodation trains into a new through express with sleeping cars Chicago to Buffalo. Other im- portant changes. Direct connection at Buffalo for all points east.