save in the
wild imagination of David Bodfish.

Mr. Bodfish's fictitious adventures, as related by him, covered many
thousand miles of canoe voyaging. He had penetrated the region of ice
beyond Labrador, and had viewed with complacency the north pole, which
he found to be a pitch-pine spar that had been erected by the Coast
Survey "to measure pints from." He roundly censured the crews of
whale-ships which had mutilated this noble government work by splitting
much of it into kindling-wood. Fortunately about two-thirds of Mr.
Bodfish's audience had no very clear conceptions of the character of the
north pole, some of them having ignored its very existence. So they
accepted this portion of his narrative, while they rejected the most
reasonable part of his story.

The Mayeta was sent to Lake George, and afterwards became a permanent
resident. Two years later her successor, the Paper Canoe, one of the
most happy efforts of the Messrs. Waters, of Troy, was quietly moored
beside her; and soon after there was added to the little fleet a cedar
duck-boat, which had carried me on a second voyage to the great southern
sea. Here, anchored safely under the high cliffs, rocked gently by the
loving waters of Lake George, rest these faithful friends. They carried
me over five thousand miles, through peaceful rivers and surging seas.
They have shared my dangers; they now share my peace.

[Illustration: ANCHORED AT LAST.]

FOOTNOTES:

[A] Heights of mountains of Lake George, New York state, obtained by
Rev. George M. Searle, C. S. P.

_Finch_, between Buck and Spruce, 1595 feet.
_Cat-Head_, near Bolton, 1640 feet.
_Prospect Mountain_, west of Lake George village, 1730 feet.
_Spruce_, near Buck Mountain, 1820 feet.
_Buck_, east shore, south of Narrows, 2005 feet.
_Bear_, between Buck and Black, 2200 feet.
_Black_, the monarch of Lake George, 2320 feet.

From another authority I find that Lake Champlain is ninety-three feet
above the Atlantic tide-level, and that Lake George is two hundred and
forty feet above Lake Champlain, or three hundred and thirty-three feet
above the sea.

CHAPTER V.

THE AMERICAN PAPER BOAT AND ENGLISH CANOES.

THE PECULIAR CHARACTER OF THE PAPER BOAT.--THE HISTORY OF THE ADOPTION
OF PAPER FOR BOATS.--A BOY'S INGENUITY.--THE PROCESS OF BUILDING PAPER
BOATS DESCRIBED.--COLLEGE CLUBS ADOPTING THEM.--THE GREAT VICTORIES WON
BY PAPER OVER WOODEN SHELLS IN 1876.

Inqu