St. Nicholas/Volume 40/Number 5/Nature and Science/Horses

by D. Lange

“Watered” the horses from his hat

A party of us were spending our vacation in the wild state forest of Minnesota at Lake Itasca, where the Mississippi is really an infant stream, too small to float even a canoe.

Our host, forest ranger John L. Stillwell, had taken us for a long drive to spend a day with the black bass in one of the numerous lakes of the Itasca Reserve. We had just enjoyed our dinner in the cool, airy shade of young birches and alders, when our host arose with a troubled look on his face. “Now think of that!” he remarked, much displeased with himself. “I hauled a boat and a lot of stuff out here, and forgot to bring a pail for my horses; and the shore of the lake
He used his hat as a pail. and the bank of the stream are too marshy for leading them to water. But I guess I ’ll find a way.”

As he led the first horse to the old corduroy bridge, I turned my camera upon it. It took some time to satisfy the two horses, but the improvised pail proved entirely satisfactory. D. Lange.