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down—about 12 acres of wood, on a spot or glade through which there streams traverse, meet, and flow away in one. Here they built a house for an official to superintend the settlement, &c., set up a water-mill,—what for, I could not make out,—dug up a few square yards, certainly not more than twenty, and planted potatoes. Then, as might have been foreseen, they pronounced the enterprise impracticable, shut up the house, and left. The house, though partially in ruins, afforded us good shelter. It was built on the bank of one of the streams, which happened to be full of excellent trout. Here in half an hour, and with an impromptu wooden spear, we caught daily as many as we pleased.
The magnificent great oak trees which had been cut down, were lying about just as they had been left, many of them three feet in diameter, and fifty feet of clean stem. It appears unfortunate that none of the good timber, abounding on these mountains, is ever likely to be turned to use. I see no means of getting it down from these heights. It is an undertaking of very considerable labour for a man to get up or down when unencumbered, and the transport of large logs of timber to the river would be, I consider, impossible. The beech which flourishes on the nearer ranges, and which is of large growth, might possibly be utilized. There are no people more persevering than the Japanese in the way they farm the hill sides with timber. None appear too steep or rough, and wherever the sugi and henoki will grow, there it is sure to be found cultivated. This, of course, is on the mountains nearer to the sen, and close to the villages.
Having reached towards evening the dilapidated house I have mentioned, and caught enough trout for supper, I was not sorry to turn in and rest. Next morning, very soon after daylight, I started with only the guide, for the top, in hopes by going quietly to come across a bear, wolf, or nigoo. Crossing a stream, we came upon the fresh track of a bear, whose wet foot-marks were still on the stones, where he had left the water. But he was not to be found, though I followed him some distance. In two
