"Do you see the St. Lawrence?" asked Mr. Waterman.
Mr. Waterman then pointed to the south, and about fifteen miles away they could see the broad St. Lawrence stretching as far as the eye could reach.
"I thought that was a cloud," said Bill. "I see now that it is water, and away off there to the right I can see a big steamer making for Quebec."
Mr. Waterman then pointed out several lakes, giving them names and telling them that they would visit practically all of them before the summer was over. He told them that Lac Parent, on which they were camping, was hidden from view by the mountains next to the one on which they stood. It was a fine day and Bill thought that he could distinguish the Andirondack Mountains far off to the south in the United States. Mr. Waterman stated that this might be true, as they had been seen from this vicinity on very clear days. After thoroughly enjoying the view to the south, Mr. Waterman turned away and they went in a northeasterly direction. In a little while they came to another side of the mountain. In a short time Mr. Waterman led them out onto a bold rocky precipice that stood out from the mountain. They looked down into a gulch hundreds of feet below. They gazed at an immense coliseum, the sides of which were lined with giant trees. It was the wildest bit of scenery that the boys had ever looked on.
"That looks just like some of the mining camps in the Rockies," said Bob. "I've seen pictures of several that look just like this."
"That's just what struck me when I first looked down from this rock," said Mr. Waterman. "It certainly does look as if there might be some kind of mineral down there. As yet, I have not been able to find time to go down to the bottom. Those trees interest me. They are the finest I have ever seen. I can't see any lake down there, but there must be some outlet for the water."
"Why not come over here some time and go down there and investigate?" said Bill.
"We'll do that, and I'll bring you along. Let's go down the gulch a bit so you can get a look at some of these great tamaracks and cedars. You won't see them any place else."
They followed their leader, who gave them another hour of hard climbing, though he finally brought them out, half way down the mountain.