behind the woods.
We had trout sufficient for present needs; and after my first meal in
an ox-stall, I strolled out on the rude log bridge to watch the angry
Neversink rush by. Its waters fell quite as rapidly as they rose, and
before sundown it looked as if we might have fishing again on the
morrow. We had better sleep that night than either night before, though
there were two disturbing causes,--the smoke in the early part of it,
and the cold in the latter. The "no-see-ems" left in disgust; and,
though disgusted myself, I swallowed the smoke as best I could, and
hugged my pallet of straw the closer. But the day dawned bright, and a
plunge in the Neversink set me all right again. The creek, to our
surprise and gratification, was only a little higher than before the
rain, and some of the finest trout we had yet seen we caught that
morning near camp.

We tarried yet another day and night at the old stable, but taking our
meals outside squatted on the ground, which had now become quite dry.
Part of the day I spent strolling about the woods, looking up old
acquaintances among the birds, and, as always, half expectant of making
some new ones. Curiously enough, the most abundant species were among
those I had found rare in most other localities, namely, the small
water-wagtail, the mourning ground warbler, and the yellow-bellied
woodpecker. The latter seems to be the prevailing woodpecker through
the woods of this region.

That night the midges, those motes that sting, held high carnival. We
learned afterward, in the settlement below and from the barkpeelers,
that it was the worst night ever experienced in that valley. We had
done no fishing during the day, but had anticipated some fine sport
about sundown. Accordingly Aaron and I started off between six and
seven o'clock, one going upstream and the other down. The scene was
charming. The sun shot up great spokes of light from behind the woods,
and beauty, like a presence, pervaded the atmosphere. But torment,
multiplied as the sands of the seashore, lurked in every tangle and
thicket. In a thoughtless moment I removed my shoes and socks, and
waded in the water to secure a fine trout that had accidentally slipped
from my string and was helplessly floating with the current. This
caused some delay and gave the gnats time to accumulate. Before I had
got one foot half dressed I was enveloped in a black mist that settled
upon my hands and neck and face, filling my ears with in