life, but soon came to love the rugged beauty and solitude of the woods. As advice to other potential campers, he has this to offer: "...if you are willing to get wet and stay wet - to get cold and stay cold - to be bruised, and scuffed, and bitten - to be hungry and thirsty, and to have your muscles strained and sore from unusual taxation: if you will welcome all these things, not once, but many times, for the sake of moments of pure triumph and that larger luxury which comes with the comfort of the camp and the conquest of the wilderness, then go! The wilderness will welcome you, and teach you, and take you to its heart. And you will find your own soul there; and the discovery will be worth while!" Gear in The Tent Dwellers The gear described in the book would today be considered antique. Birchbark canoes are used throughout the book, as well as canvas tents. Large sections are devoted to the fishing gear used, specifically the fishing rods and flies. Ecology in The Tent Dwellers In many places The Tent Dwellers draws attention to ecological impact on the forest. Paine derisively describes the 'fish hog' as one who catches and kills more fish than he has use for. He writes about the marks left on the land by logging, and about the necessity of always leaving part of the land wild and uninhabited. On the beaver, which was then being trapped nearly to extinction, he wrote: "Long ago he taught men how to build their houses and dams, and to save up food and water for a dry time. Even if we no longer need him, he deserves our protection and our tender regard." In advocating sustainable and responsible use of forest lands, Paine was ahead of his time. The regions through which Paine and Breck made their journey are now encompassed by Kejimkujik National Park and Tobeatic Wilderness Area. Although fish, deer, beaver and porcupines still abound within this area, the moose referred to many times in this book (Alces americana) is endangered and rarely can be seen in this part of Nova Scotia. Lake Rossignol and the surrounding lakes have changed considerably since this book was written. The outlet to the lake was dammed in 1929, so that Rossignol has expanded to encompass several smaller, formerly separate lakes. References