ing a
fire, we bivouacked, and one of the party went in search of a deer,
whose tracks were seen. This is a singular place, covered with dwarf
oaks, on a sandy soil, and looking for all the world like an English
park in Chancery.

Almost every oak bore the marks of bears' claws, as it was a favourite
place for those hermits, who live on acorns, blackberries, wild
gooseberries and currants, and I dare say raspberries, strawberries,
and whortle-berries, with which the place abounds in their seasons.
The boughs of the oaks were also broken by the repeated climbings of
Bruin, and it must be somewhat dangerous, when he is very hungry, to
land here and traverse the Bush alone: but we saw none, although we
walked through it, admiring the rushing river, and occasionally going
down the steep banks to fish in the rapids for black bass, of which
several were caught, and, with several wild ducks, formed the day's
sport, which day's sport was twice or thrice repeated, until I had
seen as much of the beauty of the wild river and the nature of the
soil and country as was desirable.

It was somewhat melancholy, on reaching Healy's Falls, which are
turbulent rapids of the most picturesque character, with an immense
timber-slide, or broad wooden sloping canal alongside of them, to see
the clearance in this far solitude formed by the workmen. They had
built houses, shanties, and sheds, and had lived and loved together
for many a month, with their families, on this charming spot. Nothing
was in ruin: all was new, even to the window-glass; and when our
party, after toiling away through the forest, reached the opening, and
saw below us the foaming rapids, the grand forest, the rugged banks,
the timber-slide, and the little wooden town, we thought, here at
least, is a well chosen hamlet, at which we may rest awhile.

No smoke rose from the chimneys; not a soul appeared to greet us; the
eagle soared above; the cunning fox, or the murderous wolf, the snake
and the toad, alone found shelter, where so many human beings had so
recently congregated, where, from morn till dewy eve, the hum of human
voices had been incessant, and where toil and labour had won support
for so many.

Occasionally, the rude and reckless lumberman halts here, whilst his
timber is passing the slide; the coarse jest and the coarser oath are
alone heard at the falls of the Trent, save when the neighbouring
farmer visits them, to procure a day's relaxation from his toils