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HUI.STIS, Halifax, N.S. I S!i ^7 4563 a Entkred acpordiii;; to Aot of the rarliaiiient of Canada, in the \ear one thousand eiirht hundred and ninety-six, by William liuu.iis, at tlie DtiMrinient of Agrii,'iiUnre. CON T E X T S. rHAITEU I. r a<;r Ut'f to the Rqnatnoks. — The raiitlicr !il tlio rarsoiia;;o. — Bear vs. IJiicli-Uark 1 CHAPTEIl II. Tho Camp on Beanlsloy lirook. — A Tijier's riaytliins. — A Fij^lit Willi th(^ l£i>iiuds of tho »Sta. — Tho liull and tho Leaping-rulo. — Saved hy the Cattle 27 CHAPTER III. At Camp dfi Rqii.atnok. — A Nii^lit Eiicomitor. — Brain an'orc of Camp do .Sqiiatook. — Lou's Clarionet. — Jake Diin- IimH's Wooden Li'i;. — I'eril anionj;' tho Pearls. — Tho Dogs of the Drift. — IJen Chri.stie's I$ull Caribou. — Lab- rador Wolves lh'> CHAPTER V. Squ.atnok Rivor and Horton Branch. — Wrecked in a Boom- IIouso 177 CHAPTER VI. The Camp on Sqnatook River. — Saved by a Sliver. — Skidded Landing'- — A Mad Stallion. — An Adventure with a Bull Moose. — Dan HO ill /r IV coyiKyrs, C'lTArTEIl VII. rAOE Tho Caiiii) oil tho Tokdi. — Tnickeil by a ranthftr. — A. Ad- V»!nlure in tlio Florida HuiimKicks. — Tlio Junior Latin Scliolarship. — A Utill and tho lUcyclc. — Thu Den oi thoClray Wolf --57 ("IIAPTKU VIII. Tlif Tol<-di and Toniiscotiata. — Cliopjiin:,' him Down. — A ll-j'lo Awakening. — Saved by a Hornets' Nest .... CIIAPTEIl IX. Tlie Last C.ami)-fire. — Indian Devils. — Bruin's Boxinp- 289 Matcli. — T'.ic Uaft Rivals ;!13 237 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. CIIAI'TKIl I. ;!13 OFF TO THE SQrATOOKS. — THE rANTIFEIl AT THE I'AKSONAGE. — BEAi: VS. lUUCll-lJAKK. It was toward tluj end of .July, and Frodcric- ton, the little Kew Brunswick capital, had grown hot beyond enduiance, when six devoted canoe- ists— Stranion, Magnus, Queernian, Sam, Uanolf, and myself — lieard sinniltaneously the voices of wild rapids calling to them from afar. The desire of the woods awoke in us. The vagrant blood that lurks in tlie veins of our race sprang u[) and refused to be still. The very next day we lied from the city and starched collars, seeking free- dom and the cool of the wilderness. It was toward Lake Temiscouata and the wilds of the S(juatooks that we set our eager faces. In shirt-sleeves and moccasins we went. For conven- ience we had our clothes stitched full of pockets. Our three good birch canoes and our other impedi- menta we put on board a flat-car at the station. And that same evening found us at the village of f AliOVSI) I fit: ( AMI'-FlliK. Edmiuulstoii, wlicn! vUv, Miulawiiska flows into {Iw St. J()l»ii al a [loiiil about ono liuiidicd and lifty iiiik'S above Ficdoiicton. Unless you are an experienced tanoenian, skilled not only with the paddle but with the pole, and exjjert to run tlu! rout^hest rapiils, you should take a guide with you on the Scpiatook trip. You should no in the bow of vour eaiioe, with a trustv Indian in the stern ; one Indian and one canoe for each man of the party. 'I'he art of poling a birch- bark against a stiff current is no easy one to ac- ([uire, and needs both aptitude and practice. Your Indian will teach you in the gentler Maters ; and the rest of the time you may lounge at vour ease, casting a ily from side to side, and ever climbing on between the changing shores, liut as for us, we needed no Indians. We were fill six masters of canoe-craft. Each took his turn at the white spruce pole ; and we conquered the currents re- joicing. Temiscouata is a long, narrow hike just outside the boundaries of New Brunswick. It lies in the Province of Quebec : but its outlet is the Mada- waska River, a New Briuiswick stream. Our plan of proceeding was to take to the canoes at Ed- numdston, and pole fifteen miles up the Mada- waska, make a portage of five miles across country to Mud Lake, follow Beardsley Brook, the outlet of Mud Lake, to its junction with the Squatook River, and then slip down this swift stream, with 0 selvi OFF TO Tin: s(^>r.\ roohs. 3 < I ith witu its cliiiin of jiliU'id expansions, (ill wo sbould fld.ii out upon the waters of Toledi Lake, 'ioleili Kiver would then reeeive us anion<' its auffiy rapids and easuades, to ejeet us forcibly at hust upon the great bosom of Teniiscouata, whence we should lind plain paddlinpf back to KdnHindston. This would make a round trip of, say one hun- dred and forty miles ; and all of them. >avc the lirst lifteen, with the current. At Edmundston that evening v- pit< bed on- tent beside the stream ; and next morning, thwugli it Vi.v.> raw and threatening, we ma(!i' .a <'arly start. In one canoe went Stranion aiid (^ueerman ; in the second, Sam and Uanolf ; in the third, Mag- nus and myself. The bedding, extra clothing, etc;., laced up snugly in squares of oiled canva:?, made luxurious seats, while the eatables weie stowed in light, strong boxes built to lit the, canoes. The first day out is usually uneventful, and this was no exception. When adventuics are looked for they pretty certainly fail to arrive. We leached the portage with an hour of daylight to spare, and there found an old log cabin, which saved us the necessity of pitching our tent. It was dry, well-ventilated, abundantly unclviliziMl. What a supper Stranicm cooked for us! And then what a swarm of mosquitoes and midges Hocked in to bid us welcoi.M;' ! We hedged our- selves about with a cordon of slow fires of cedar j I' 4 Aiiorxn the camv-fjuk. bark, the snioko of wliicli proved most distasteful to tlieiii, and almost ecpially so to us. And tlien with a clear blaze crackling before the oi)en door, and our blankets spread on armfuls of spruce bouglis, we disposed ourselves luxuriously for ])ij)es and yarns. Queerman drew a long, blissful whifT through his corn-cob, blew a succession of rings, and mur- nnired like a great bumblebee, — "The world is Va5,'al)oii(lia To liim who is a vagabond."' ''Who'll tell us the first yarn?" inquired Sam, as his pipe drew freely. "'• Stranion begins," said Magnus quietly. Mag- nus was a man of few words; but when he opened his mouth, what he said w^ent. He was apt to do more and say less than any one else in the party. " Well, boys," said Stranion, "• if Magr.us says so, here goes. What shall I talk about?" " Who ever heard of Stranion talking about anything ])ut pantliers ? " jeered Ranolf. ••' Well," assented Stranion, " there's something in what vou sav. The other nirjht I was thinking over the various adventures which have befallen me in my devotion to birch and paddle. It sur- prises me to find what a lot of scrapes I've got into w^ith the panthers. The brutes seem to fairly liaunt me. Of course fellows who every year go into the Squatook woods are bound to have adven- !i OFF TO rilK SQUATOOKS. Mag- about inking t':rc.s, more or loss. You get cornered niayljo by an old bull-moose, or liave a close shave with some exeited bear, or strike Jin unusually ugly lynx, ov get spilled out of the canoe when you're trying to run Toledi Falls ; l)ut in my case it is a jianther every time. Whenever I go into the woods there is sure to be one of these creatures sneaking around. I declare it makes me (juite uneasy to think of it, thouti'h I've always o-ot the ))est of them so far. I'll bet you a trout there are one or two s[)otting me now from those black thickets on the nu^iin- tain ; and one of these days, if I don't look sharp, they'll be getting even with me for all the members of their family that I have cnt off in their sins." '' Oh, you go along ! " exclaimed Sam. " You're getting sentimental. I can tell you, I have killed more trout than you have panthers, and tliere's no old patriarch of a trout going to get even with nic Sam's practical remark went unheeded ; and in a few moments Stranion resnmed, — '• You see, boys, the beasts began to haunt me in my very cradle so to speak. Did any of you ever hear mother tell that story ? " " I have ! " ejaculated Queerman ; l)ut the rest of us hastened to declare our iu-norance. '"' Very well," said Stranion. '" Queerman shall see that I stick to the facts." " Oh, boys, I've a luMvy contracjt on hand then,"' cried Queerman. 6 AliOUND TIIK (JAMr-FIUK. Rut Stranion blandly ignored liini, and contin- ued, — " I'll call this tale — 'THE PANTHKU AT THE I'AllSONAGE. " You have all seen the old parsonage at the mouth of tlie Keswick River. That's a historic edifice for you ! 'J'herein was I born. Tliere were more trees aiound it then tlian now. " At the mature age of ten months I moved away from that neighborhood, but not before the Indian devil, as the panther is called in that region, had found me out and marked me as a forer)rdained antagfonist. ''One bright June morning, when I was about five months old, and not yet able to be much pro- tection to my young mother, my father set out on one of his long parochial drives, and we were left alone, — no, not quite alone ; there was Susan, the kitchen-girl, for company. Tliat constituted the garrison of the parsonage on that eventful morn- ing, — mother, Susan, aiul myself. " I cannot say I remember what took place, but I have so often been told it that I feel as if I had taken an active part. Mother and I were sitting by an 0})en window, down-stairs, looking out on the front yard, when suddenly mother called out shar[)ly, — "• ' Susan, Susan ! Come here and see what sort of a creature this is coming through tlie grove ! ' windf "I 'i those j I staii's. I ''^ ^^^^ I death I alnios: 1 '•'! j ''^'" • the d( fasliio] li ,1 THE I'ANTUKR AT TlIK PAltSOS AdE. ittlllg " There was a friq-hteued riiiij in my mother's voice whicli brought Siisaii promptly to her side. '' Just then the * creatims' whicli was h:)ng and low and stealthy, readied the garden fence. It mounted the fence gracefully, and paused to look about. " With a horrilied gasj), nutther caught me to ])r; ler bosom, aiu 1 wh usneivc '\ It s a titz'er t '**rsom, cru'd Susan. "^ it am t no ti^'cr l)Ut it's an Injun devil, which is pretty nigh as bad.' And she ran and slannned down the window. "The noise attracted the l)rute's attention. He glanced our way, dropped to tlie ground, and crept stealthily toward the house. '* ' The attic I ' critul mother wildl}-. 'All the windows down-stairs are wide open.' '• I need hardly assure you, bovs, it didn't take those two women and me verv Ions: to cret up- stairs. As we reached the top avc heard a crash in the parlor, and mother nearly squeezed me to death in her terror for nic ; but Susan exclaimed almost sfleefuUv, — ^ ' I declare, if he ain't got in the wrong win- der ! Parlor door's shut ! ' " liy this time we were on the attic stairs ; and the door at the foot of the stairs — a solid, old- fashioned country door — was safely bolted be- hind us. \'4 BBB 8 AnouxD rriE cAMr-FiuE. " Tliat door ^v;ls tlie only means of access to the attic ; and on the liead of the stairs we all sat down to take breath. Tiien in mother the anx- ious housewife began to rea})j)ear. " ' What ivas that the horrid brute broke in the parlor. Susan ? ' she queried. " ' iVIust a' l)een them dishes on the little table by the winder, ma'am,' responded the girl. "• And then we heard a clatter again, as the beast, in springing out of the window, knocked the fragments of pottery aside. " In a few moments he found another entrance. The soft pat, pat of his great furry feet could be heard on the lower stairs. He was evidently hun- gry, and much i)uzzled at our sudden disappear- ance. '" \Vc could hear him sniffinrr around, in and out of the ))edrooms, and at last that soft, persistent tread found its way to the attic door. '' How he did sniff about the bottom of that door till the blood of his prisoners ran cold with liorror ! Tlien he began to scratch, which was more than they could stand. *" Terror lent them invention, and mother put me into a basket of old clothes, while she helped Susan dracr a heavy bedstead to the head of the stairs. This bedstead effectually blocked the nar- row stairway, and when they had piled a chest of drawers on top of it they once more felt secure. " All tliis trouble was unneedetl, however, as THE PANTlIEli AT THE rAItSOXAaE. 0 that door, opening outward, -was an insurmount- able barrier to the pantlier. " In a few minutes lie stole away restlessly. Then we heard some flower-pots, which stood on the window-ledge of the front bedroom, go crash on the steps below. Tlie Indian devil was getting out of the window. '• Now, the attic in whi(!h we had taken refuge was lighted by two windows. — a small one in the gal)le, looking out u})on the barnyard, and the othei", a very small skylight, reached by a sort of fixed step-ladder from the attic Hoor. " As soon as mother heard the animal's claws on the side of the liouse, she thought of the sky- light, and cried to Susan to shut it. " The skylight had an outer sliutter of wood, which was closed in winter-time to keep the heavy snowfall from breaking the glass. "• This shutter was now thrown back upon the roof, and the inner sash was raised a few inches for the sake of ventilation. Susan fairly flew up the ladder, and pulled out the little stick that supported the sash. "She had. barely got the liook slipped into the staple wdien the panther's round head and big light eyes appeared within a foot of her face. She gave a startled shriek, and fell down the ladder. "At this juncture the two women gave tliem- selves up for lost; and motliei', seizing an old 10 AltOVSI) rUE CAMI'-FIUK. cnrtain-polo, wliioli lay ainoiirr the attic himhor, jjicpared to sell my infant life at a pretty liii^h tigure. "All escape from the attic was blocked by the articles tiiev had so carefully wedwd into the stair- way. Tliis it would take them some time to clear. " Thev never imajjfined that, so fierce a ])i uto as the })anthei' could ])e sto[)ped l)y an ordinary sash and glass, however strong. " lint tin; Indian devil is wary, and this one was susi)icious of the glass. When, on attempting to put liis head down through the skylight, he met with an obstach; where he did not see any, lie thought he detected a trap. '• He sniffed all over each pane, stopping every moment to eve us ancfrily. Then he scratched, l)ut very gingerly, at the sash, and only tore away some splinters. The sash was stout and new. " At last lie thrust his muzzle over roughly against the pane, and his nose went through the glass. Susan sank in a heap, while mother, with deadly puri)ose, grasped her curtain-pole, expect- incf instant attack. "It was not to be so, however; for which the world is much to be congratulated. 'J'lie panther cut liis nose pretty severely on the broken glass, and shrank back, snarling viciously. " lie was more than ever convinced that the skylight was a trap, and would not trust his muzzle again in the opening. rnK V Asm En at the I'Aiisos.un:. II " Observing" the beast's caution, mother plucked up new liope. She reinenihered liaving read that Hons and tigers were afraid of lire, and forlliwitli she liit on a truly Inilliant expedient. " ' Get up, Susan,' she commanded, ' and be of some use. (lo aiul li'dit that lamu on your wasii- stand, and bring it to me.' "Susan obeyed Avitli alacrity, cheered l)y tlie tliouglit that there was anyihing left to do. Wlien the lamp was brftught, mother laid the chimney aside, and tui'ncd up the wick .-.o as to give a flaring, smoky blaze. Then she handed the lamp back to Susan. " -Take it,' she said, 'and set it on the top of the ladder, right under the broken pane.' " This was too nmch for poor Susan. "'Oh, I dasn't — never!' she whimpered, back- ing liastily out of her mistress's reach. " Mother regarded her with witherir.f' scorn, then turned and looked at me, where I lay close behind her in a basket of old cdothes. " Assuring herself that the panther could not get me in her absence, she seized the lamp and marched up the ladder with it. The panther growled most menacingly, and thrust his face down to the opening ; but as the smoke and flame came under his nose, he snarled and drew back. " On the very topmost step did mother deposit the lamp, where it blazed right up through the broken pane. As she turned down the ladder, the r^s ma 12 AltOVM) THE CAMP-FIRE. 11 paiitlier's claws wore licard along the shingles, bealinf' a reluctant retreat. " In a moment or two lie was heard on the shed, and then mother opened the skylight, reached out, and clapj)ed down the wooden shutter. Susan's courage revived. " Now that the danger was over, mother i)icked me out of the basket, and gathered me again to lier bosom, wiiile Susan ))egan to speculate on wliat tlie 2)anther wouhl be up to next. On this point she was not loner left in doubt. '' In the coi'iier of the barnyard was a pig-pen, iidiabited at the time bv a ijiiir three months old. Presently the poor little pig set up a terrilic squealing, and mother and Susan rushed to the cable window. " As I have said before, this window commanded a view of the barnyard. The panther was on the roof of the pen, peering down through the cracks, and scratchinf*- viijorouslv to ij^ain an entrance. Baby had been denied him, but pork lie was de- termined to have. " The pig squealed in a way that mother trusted would alarm the neighborhood, and tried to hide liimself in the straw from the reach of those pale, cruel eyes. At last the panther quitted the roof, and found the pen door. Here he paused a mo- ment or two, suspecting another trap. Tlien, fmd- ing nothing suspicious, in he glided. There was one terrific scpieal. and all was still. TIIK IWSTIIKH AT Till-: I'MiSOX Ad K. IH listed liide pale, roof, H 1110- liiid- " I fancy iiiotlier and Susan both wept, think- iii<' how well the fate of poor i)iL;«''ie iniijfhl have been their own — and mine. " For a long while the two women kept watch at the window. At last the panther reappeared, walking very lazily, and licking his chops. He glanced at the house in a good-natured fashion, as if he bore tis no grudge : cleaned his great face with one paw, sniffed the air thoughtfully in vari- ous directions, and then made off towards the woods ; and we knew that our pig went with him. '* When lie was well out of sight, mother and Susan removed the barricades and forsook the attic. You may be sure they fastened every win- dow, kept a keen outlook, and went about their work in fear and tremblinij. '' When my father got home, in the middle of the afternoon, he heard the story before he coiilil unharness the liorse. Straightway he set out asfain, and organized a huntiim-partv amouij the neighbors. The party was armed with all sorts and conditions of weapons ; but it bagged that panther before sundown, whereby was my mother much consoled. And now, have I stuck to the facts?" said Stranion, turning to Queerman. " To my surprise, you have I "' responded the latter. " Well," went on Stranion, unruffled, '• since the panthers got after me so early, it's not inucli cause for wonder if they've kept it ti[)." ^g^^^^ T M 11 Afiorsi) TUK CAM I' IHK. At this moiiKMit a .siranyc, uncartlily, giirglinrr cry Inokc tlic night's stillness, and wo started involuntarily. "There is ouv, of luim* ancient I'lieniies now," said Stranion. '" I'm snre to fall foid of him to- morrow, and one or the t)tlier of ns will rue the day ! "' "Well," said Sam, '• we all know it won't be Stranion ! '' The story done, I I'ose and rephaiished the lire, while Mai^nus passed around a tin of hot coffee. A whippoorwill, — % • " Tliroshiiifi llio siiiuiiicr dusk With his gohl Hail of song,"' was heai'd in a liillside tliicket, and Queerman cried, — " Listen to liiin, hoys I '' " No,*' said Stranion ; " we'll now give our very l)est attention while Sam tells us one of his old bear stories." "Indeed," said Sam with an indignant sniff; " I'll tell you one I never told before, and a true one at that. Now don't interrtipt, for 1 intend to do it np in a somewhat literary fashion, to save the Old Man trouble in wn-itincf it down." " Thank you kindly," said I. I was the official scribe of the party, and familiarly known as tlie Old Man, or simply O. M., for short. 7 if] h f'fl ^^'i rout was that Tiiit St'lV( rajfH in fii i,nsli. of n wate of ci si ion ash, wihl stoii; hank wate hack of tr woot and in tl delis' side lis t{ Scati hem: vs. liincii-n.MiK. i:. m:.\i; vs. iukch-kaijk, roiitinued Sam, *• is the title of my narrative. It was on the ii^jpt'r waters of the Oromoeto Rivei' that tlie ease of liear vs. liireli-hark was deeided. Thither liad Alee Hammond and I betaken our- selves in our canoe to kill some Or<^moeto trojit. "The O: Jinoeto is for the most part nnu.h less rapid than other trout rivers of New Hrunswiek ; in faot, for long disianees its current is quite slug- gish, a ehaiai'teristie linely suited to our indolence of mood. Paddling cjuietly, or ])oling wluni the water was swift, we soon left behind us all traces of (,'ivilization. Instead of beautiful open meadow shores shaded with here and there a mighty elm or ash, we entered the ruggedest parts of the original wilderness, where the soil was too barren and stony to tempt even a squatter, and where the hanks were clothed with dark hemlocks to the water's edge. Sometimes these sombre woods gave l)ack a space, and a wild confusion of many kinds of trees took their place, — i)ines, ash, birch, bass- wood, larch, and beech, mixed with fallen triuiks and staring white bowlders. Sometimes, again, in the midst of the most impenetrable forest a delightful little patch of interval, or dry water- side meadow, would open up before us, inviting us to pitch our tent amid its deep, soft grasses. Scattered through the grass were clumps of tall sjffgmmm mmmmm 16 AliOi'XD Till': (.\MI*-F1UE. AviUl lilies, their orange blossoms glowing amid the green ; and around the stately heads of the wild- parsnips, which made the air heavy with rich perfume, fluttered and clung the silver-throated bobolinks. What wonder we I'ested when we came to these wilderness gardens whose i)Osses- sion there was none to dispute with us ! We found that as a rule we might count upon an ice-cold brook near by. Wherever such brooks flowed in, there would be a deep pool, or an eddy covered with foam-clusters, or a pebbly, musical rajjid, which meant a day of activity for our rods and reels and flies. " One dav, after such a morning with the trout as had left our wrists well tired, we were inclined to give our rods a resting-spell. The afternoon Avas sultry and drowsy, — it was toward the close of Julv, — and Alec's liifjhest ambition was to take a long siesta in the tent-door, where an over- lianging beech-tree kei)t off the sun, and a sweet breeze seemed to have established its headquarters. There was no wind elsewhere that I could i)er- ceive, vet round our tent a soft breath of it was wandering all the dav. " For my own part I didn't feel like loafing or lotus-eating. The fever for specimens was upon me. I have an intermittent passion, as you know, for the various branches of natural historv, and am given at times to collecting birds and plants and insects. This afternoon I had visions of sror- HEAR vs. JilliCn-JiAliK. 17 gc'ous butterflies, rare feathered fowl, and various other strangely lovely things thronging my brain, so I put into the eaiioe my gauze net and double- i)arreiled ])reech-].oader, and set off up stream in a vague search after some novelty. '• Let me confess it, my taste was destined to be gratitied beyond my hopes. "Above our camping-ground the river for some distance was swift and deep. Beyond this it widened out, and became almost as motionless as a lake. Along these still reaches the shores were comparatively low, and less heavily wooded, with here and there a little corner of meadow, a bit of wet marsh covered with cat-tail flans, or a dense tniirrant thicket of Indian willow. I'liere were water-lily leaves in broad jiatches right across the sti'cam ; and the air was gay with green and purj)le dragon-flies, which lit on my gunw\ale, and glittered in the sun like jewels. There was not even a rus- tle of leaves to break the silence. "At last, as I noiselessly rounded a low bushy })oint, right ahead I saw a splendid blue heron, which was watching intently for minnows in the shallow w iter. He spread his bro.id wings and rose instantly. I had just time to let him have one barrel as he disappeared over a thicket of alders, flying so low that his long legs swept their tops. I felt certain I had hit him, for straightway arose a great crackling and struggling among the i)ushes beyond. In my haste I failed to notice k It r wi 18 AROUND THE CAMP -Fl UK. that this disturbance was rather too violent to be proceeding from any wounded bird, unless it ^^•ere a dodo. '*• Running my birch ashore alongside of a mouldering trunk which liad fallen with half its length in the stream, I made my way, gun in hand, through the underwood, without stopjiing to load my empty barrel. There was no sign of blue herons where my bird was supposed to have fallen ; but to my unlimited astonishment I beheld a black bear cub making off at his very best speed, badly scared. " At my sudden appearance he gave a cuiious bleat of alarm, and redoubled his efforts to escape. He liad little cause for alarm, however, as I did not want him for a specimen ; and had I wanted him ever so much I could not well have bagged him with no heavier amtnunition than bird-shot. I was watching his flight with a sort of sympa- thetic amusement when, with a most disagreeable suddenness and completeness, tlie tables were turned upon me. In the underbrush behind me I heard a miglity crashing ; and there to my dis- may was the old she-bear, in a line rage, rushing to the rescue of her offspring. Considering that the offspring's peril was not innnediate, I thought she need not have been in such a tremendous hurry. " She had cut off my retreat. She was directly in the line of mv sole refucre, mv faithful and tried birch-bark. There was no time left for niedi a- I ^0 I BEAR VS. UIRCII-nAnK. 10 )t. Uy led i a- ■■::% tion. I darted straight toward the enemy. Un- daunted by this boldness she rose upon her hind- legs to give me a fitting reception. When almost within her reacli I fired my charge of bird-shot right in her face, which, not unnaturally, seemed somewhat to confuse her for a moment. It was a moment's diversion in mv favor. I made the most of it. I dashed past, and had gained some paces toward the canoe, when my adversary was again in full chase, more furious than ever. As I reached the canoe she spiung upon the other end of the log, and was almost aboard of me ere I could seize the i)addle and thrust out. '' Fortunatelv I had headed down stream, for the mad brute took to the water without hesita- tion. Had the stream l)een deep I should merely have laughed at this, but in these shallows it was no laughing matter. The channel was di-ep enough to impede the bear's running, l)ut l)y no means to make running impossible. I felt that the question of speed between ii.4 Avas now a pain- fully doubtful one. My back l)ent to the paddle. Tlu! broad blade flashed through the water with all the force and swiftness I was master of. Close behind, thougli I could not spare time to look back, I could hear the animal plunging in pursuit, and I was drenched with the spiay of her splash- ings. I was a skilful canoeist; I liave won many races ; but never was anotlu.'r canoe-race I was so bent upon winning as this one. M > 'i 20 AliUl'M) TIIK CAMI'-FlIi'E. " At last, siuitcliiiiuf a glance over my shoulder, I saw that I had gained, though but slightly. It was well I had, for the tremendous i)ace was one Avhieh I could keep up no longer. 1 knew the deep water Avas still far ahead, and I knew, too, the obstiiKKjy and tireless strength of my pursuer. There was, therefore, a grave uncertainty in my mind as to whether I could succeed in holding' the lead much longer. I slackened a little, saving my strength all 1 could : but the bear at once made up her lost ground, and my breathing-space was brief. At a little short of my best, but still at a killing pace enough, I found I could keep out of reach. But if a shoal should come in the way, or a sunken log, or anv like obstruction, the ijame was tip. With this chance in view I had little leisure for watching my pursuer's progress. I could hear, however, and feel, quite too much of it. " After what seemed an age of this desperate racing, we came to a part of the stream where I expected a change in my favor. For a quarter of a mile I would have a fair current, in a narrower and deeper channel. Here I gained ground at once. I relaxed my efforts a good deal, gave my aching arms a moment's rest, and watched the angry bear wallowing clumsily after me, able now Jieither to run nor swim. This ended the matter, I fondly imagined, and I drew a long sigh of re- lief. i lih'Aii y liincn-iiAUK. tl\ Ijiit T "was far yet from 1)ciiiut it was this T was on tlie watch iov. In the nick of time I backed water with all niv might, swerved aside, and (killed past close behind her — so close that I (;ould have clutcihed her shaefijfv hind-(]uarters. I had no special reason for attempting this feat, liowever, so I spcjd on. '•And now began a second stretch of shoals. For the next half-mile it was much the same old story, save that 1 had yained a better start. There was one little variation, however, which came near making an end of the wlioh? affair. In rounding a sharp turn I did just what I had been dreading, f ''iiw*!. fcW^^ OO -1 ROUXt) Til I-: ( A MV-inilE. — ]"an iiiTround. It wiis oiilv on th(3 skirts of a sloping siioal, iind J avus off aj^aiii before I had time to think ; but tlie distaneo twixt pursuer and l)ursued had n-rown painfully less in that moment. I could all V)Ut feel the animal's hot brealh upon the back of my neck. The strain Avas terrible ; but soon I bciran to trike lu'art ay this time the camp Avas in sight, a good half-mile off. I saw Alec come lazily out of the tent, take a glance at llu; situation, and dart back again. (Jun in hand he re-appeared, and ran up the shore to meet us. Feeling that now 1 had nuitters pretty well my own way, I waved him back. 80 he took his stand on the sunnnit of a precipitous bluff, and awaited his chance for a shot. "As soon as tlio b(Mr found herself again com- pelled to swim, wiili a snort and a growl she turiUMl shoreward to repeat her former manoMivre. She took tla; opposite shore to that occupied by Alec. 'J'he baidvS were steep and crumbly, clothed along top with bushes and fallen trees and rocks. -% I rft Mi :| jiK. I /; vs. II n:( if-n.i hk. 23 and a tangle of wiUl vines. Yet the unwearied brute nianuLTed to overcome tliese tlillieuities bv lier stupendous strcngtli, and actually outstripped nie once more It A\"as a 11 si le cou Id aecomp ilisli. however; and just as she sprang for the canoe the edffe of the bank ij^ave ^^■a^• Ix'iieath her Aveio'ht, and in an avalanche of stones and loose earth she rolled head over lu'cls into the river. I was far away before she could rccov*^- liersclf. I saw she was utterly disgusted \\ilh Ihe whole thing. She clandu'red ashort;, and on the top of tlu; bank stood stup iidlv L^azinir alter nu ft. Then 1 lauLdied and lau'jhed till niv over-strained sides were near bursting. I could hear peals of mirth from Alec at his post on the bluff, and was calmed at last bv a fear lest his convulsions might do him some injury. '• Iveaching the landing-place, I oidy waited to pull the canoe's nose up onto the grass, then threw myself down (juiti' exhausted. A moment later the bear gav*; herself a mighty shaking, and, ac- ce[)ting her defeul, moved sullenly back up stream."' As Sam coneluiU'd, Sti'anion I'ose and o-ravelv shook him by the liand. '• I congratulate you on wiiuiin!jf vour case ! '" said lie. ''And now, being first night out, let's all turn in, or we'll be fairsfcd to-morrow." It is hard to get to sleep the first night in camp. and I was uw [ike f( or an lunir after a 11 tl le rest '->.^M 24 AliOiryi) THE CAMP-FHIE. were snoring. I lay listening to the soft confu- sion of niglit sounds, till at last the liquid gabble of a shallow below the camp faded into an echo of cathedral bells ; and while I was yet wondering at the change, I found the morning sun in my face, and saw Stranion holding out a tin of liot coffee. 1 sprang up, and found myself the laggard of the crowd. "Come to breakfast,"" cried Stranion. "Lynch is here, and it's time we were over the portage."' Tom Lynch was a lumberman whom we had engaged by letter to come willi his team and drag, and haul our canoes over to Mud Lake. His team was a yoke of half-wild brindle steers. The portage was live miles long, the way an un- varying succession of ruts, mud-holes, and stumps, and Mr. Lynch's vocabulary, like his temper, was exceedingly vivacious. Vet the journey was ac- complished by the middle of the afternoon, and with no bones broken. The flies and mosquitoes were swarming, but we inflicted upon them a crushing defeat by the potent aid of "slitheroo."' This magic fluid consists of Stockholm tar and tallow spiced with pennyroyal, and boiled to about the consistt^ncy of treacle. It will almost keep a grizzly at bay. J'y lialf-past three in the afternoon we were launched upon the unenchanting bosom of Mud Lak(s a pond per]iai)S three miles in circumfer- ence, weedv, and swiirming with leeches. It hardlv nEAii vs. niiicii-JSAiiK. 25 ac- aiul itoes n a 00. and ibont e[) a exceeds two feet in apparent depth, but its bottom is a fathomless slinu', stirred up vilely at every dip of the paddle. Its low, marshy shores, frinj^ed here and there with dead bushes and tall, charred trunks, afforded us but one little bit of beauty, — the oreen and liviiiij corner where lieardsley Brook flows out. At this season the brook was verv shallow, so that w(; had often to wade l)eside the canoes and ease them over tlu^ shallows. And now Sam did a hei'oic thinn-. He volunteered to let the rest of us do tlu; work, while he waded on ahead to catch some trout foi" supi)er. Jt was by no means unpleasant wadincf down this bright and I'ippling stream, whose banks were lovely with overhanging trees through which the sunlight came deliciously tempered. Time sli})})ed bv as sweetlv as the stream. JJut a little surprise was in store for us. We were descend! no: a l)eau- tiful alder-fringed I'eacli, when around a bend be- low us ap])eared Sam with undignilied im])etuosity. He struiXG'led toward us knee-deep in the current, (lashing u}) the spray before him. his eyes as wide as saucers. '' A bear ! A bear ! "" he gasped : and hurling dowu his rod and hsh in the canoe he seized a heavy revolver. We had grasped our weajions jii-ecipitately, and halted. r)Ut Sam urged us on. leading the way. As thus full-armed we pressed forward down stream, he told us in a su]){)ressed voice how, as he angUMl and meditated, and there was no sound save the hushed tunmlt m fcryr^mmmmm^m. 26 AiioUNi) rtiE cAMt'-Fiiii:. of a little rapid or tlie recurrent swish of his line, suddenly from the bank behind him lose the angry, blatant growl which he knew for the utter- ance of a slie-bear witli cubs. At this he had felt indicfnant and startled ; and, with a terrilic yell, liad hurled a stone into the bushes as a hint that he was a bad man and not to be trifled with. Tliereupon had arisen a roar which put his yell to shame. The undergrowth had rocked and crashed with the swift approacli of the monster; and, filled with penitential misgivings, lie had made haste to flee. When we reached the scene of the possible tragedy, however, the bear, or bears, had disapjieared. We grieved not greatly for their absence. TIIK CAMP oy liEAltbsLKY BROOK. •11 CHAPTER II. THE CAMP ON IJKAIIDSLEY BROOK. By this time tlie stieain, having taken iu two or three small tributaries, liatl grown deep enougli to lloat us in comfort. A little before dusk we reached a spot where some previous party had encamped, and liad left behind a goodly store of elastic hendock bouufhs for beddinij. We took the liint and j)itched tent. Sam's trout were a dainty item on our bill of fare that night. Our canip was in a dry but gloomy grove, and we piled the camp-fire high. When the pipes were well going, I remarked, — " It's time Magnus gave us a story now." " Hear I Hear I " cried every one but Magnus. " One of vour own adventures, ]Mao-nus,'' urcfcd Queerman. "■ Be content to be your own hero for once." " I'll tell you a story my uncle told me," said Magnus with a quiet smile. " And the O. M. can enter it in his note-book as — ' A TIGER S PLAYTHING. '* My uncle. Colonel Jack Anderson, a retired ofiicer of the English army, was a reticent man. 28 AltOVyi) TUK CAMI'-FIIiE. He liad never ('X[)liuiie(l to nie tlie cause of ii certain long red scar, wliicli, starling i'roni the grizzled locks behind l»is car, ran diagonally dow n his ruddy neck, and was lost beneath his ever- immaculate shirt-ct)llar. But one nitrlit an acci- dental circumstance led him to tell the story. " We were sitting coseyly over his study fire, when his cat came stalkiufr in witli sanjjuinarv elation, holding a mouse in her mouth. She stood growling beside my chair till I applauded her and patted lier for her prowess. Then she withdrew to the middle of the room, and began to j)lay witii her half-dazed victim, till Colonel Jack got up and gently put her outside in order to conclude the exhibition. " On his return my uncle surprised me by re- markiufj that he could not look without a shudder ui)on a cat tormenting a mouse. As I knew that he had looked quite calmly, on occasion, into the cannon's mouth, I asked for an ex})lanation. '"•Do you see this?' asked the colonel, touching the scar with his lean, brown finger. I nodded attentively, whereui)on he began his story : — "'In India once I w nt out on a hot, dusty plain near the (ianges. >vitli my rifle and one na- tive servant, to see v/iiat I could shoot. It was a dismal place. Here .and there were clumps of tail grass and bamboos, with now and then a tamarisk-tree. Parrots screamed in the trees, and the startled caw of some Indian crows made as I igi I n, look m, A TKih'irs I'l.A y rm.va. •I me piniso and look around to scu what had dis- tuihed them. •• * Tlie ciTAVs ahuost at once settled down ii<,'ain into silenee : and as 1 saw no sign of danger, I went on carelessly. I was alone, for 1 had sent buck my servant to lind n)y niateh-hox, whieli I had left at the i)la('e of my last halt; but I had no a})])rehensions, for J was near tlie })Ost, and the district was one from which, as was su|)})osed, the ti''t'rs had l)een cleared out some years hefore. " * Just as I was musing upon tliis fact, with a tinge of regiet because I liad come too late to have a hand in the clearance, I was crushed to the ground by a huge mass which seemed to liave been huilcd U[)on me from ])eiund. My head felt as if it had been dashed with icy or scalding water, and then everything turned black. " ' If I was stunned by the shock, it was only for an instant. When I opened my eyes I was lying with my face in the sand. Not knowing where I was or what had happened, I started to rise, when instantly a huge paw turned me over on mv })ack, and I saw the cfreat vellow-green eyes of a tiger looking down upon me through their narrow black slits. " ' I did not feel lion-or-stricken ; in fact, so far as I can remember, I felt only a dim sense of I'es- igiiation to the inevitable. I also remember that I noticed with curious interest that the animal looked rather gratified than ferocious. GO .1 li O UND THE ( A MP- Flli E. '' ' I (loiTt know how long I lay there, stupidly grazing lip into the brute's eyes ; but presently I made a movement to sit up, and then I saw that I still held my rifle in my hand. While I was looking at the weapon, witli a vague, harassing sense that there was something I ought to do with it, the tiger picked me up by the left shoulder and made off with me into the jungle ; and still I clung to the rifle, ''.lOUgh I had forgotten what use I should put it to. ""The grip of the tiger's teeth uj)on my shoul- der I felt but numbly ; and yet, as 1 found after- wards, it was so far from gentle as to have shattered the bone. '• ' Ibxving carried me perhaps half a mile, the brute dropped me, and raising her head uttered a peculiar, soft cry. Two cu1)s appealed at once in answer to the summons, and bounded up to meet her. At the first glimpse of me, however, they sheered off in alarm ; and their dam had to coax them for some minutes, rolling me over softly with her })aw, or {)icking me up and laying me down in front of tliem, before she could convince them that I was harndess. '" ' At last the youngsters suffered themselves to be persuaded. They threw themselves upon me with eao-er thouMi not very dangerous ferocitv, and began to maul and worry me. Their claws and teeth seemed to awaken me for the flrst time to a sense of pain. I threw off' the snarling little .1 TIG Kirs PLAYTHING. 31 animals louirhly, and started to crawl away. Ij^ vain tlie cubs tried to liold nu;. 'J'he niotlier lay watchinjif the cfanie witli satisfaction. '• ' Instinctively I crept toward a tree, and little by little the desire for escape began to stir in my dazed brain. When I was within a foot or two of the tree the tiger made a great bound, seized me in her jaws, and carried me back to the spot whence I had started. " ' ^' Why," ' thought I to myself, ' " this is iust exactly the way a cat plays with a mouso I " *' ' At the same moment a cloud seemed to roll off my brain. No words of mine, my boy, can describe the measureless and sickenin '* ' Just as I was rcadv, one of i\w eiihs frot in the way, and my heart sank. The ohl tiger gave the cub a playful cuff, wliicli sent it rolling to one side. The next instant I pulled the trigger — and my heart stood still. '• ' My aim had not wavered a hair's breadth. The snap of the rille Avas mingled with a lieico yell from the tiger ; and the long, barred body sti'aightened itself up into tlie air, and fell over almost t)n to[) of me. The cubs sheered off in great consternation. "' I sat up and drew a long breath of thankful relief. Tiie tiger lay beside me, stone dead. '^ ' I was too weak to walk at once, so I leaned against the body of my vanquished foe and rested. My shoulder was by this time setting up an an- miish that made me think little of mv other in- juries. Nevertheless, the scene about me took on a glow of excjuisite color. So great was the re- action that the very sunligfht seemed transfitjured. " ' I know I fairly smiled as I ra[)ped tlie cuIjs on the motith with my ritle-barrel. I felt no in- clination to shoot the youngsters, but I would have no more of their over-ardent attentions. The animals soon realized this, and lay down in the sand beyond my reach, evidently waiting for their mother to reduce me to ])i'oper submission. " ' I must have lain tliere half an hour, and my elation was rapidly subsiding before the agony in my shoulder, when at last my man, Gunjeet, ap- ;-i, "^ ■ ,-t| 34 AROUXn rilK CAMP-FIIiL\ \\ } peared, tracking tlio tiger's traces \villi stealtliy caution. "'Tic had iKjt waited to go for lielp, but had followed up the beast witliout delay, vowing to save me or avenn-o mo ere he slept. His delifxht was so sincere, and his couracre in trackinsf the tiger alone was so unrpicstionable, that I doubled liis wages on the spot. *' ' The cubs, on his a])proach, had run off into covert, so we set out at once for the post. When I got there J "^^'is in a raging fever wliich, with my wounds, kopt me laid up foi* three months. •' ' On my recovery I found that Gunjeet liad gone the next day and captured the two cubs, which lie had sent down the river to Benares, Avhile tiie skin of the old tiger Avas spread luxu- riously on my lounge. '* ' So you will not wonder,' concluded the col- onel, 'that the sight of a cat playing with a mouse has become somewhat distasteful to me since that experience, I have acquired so keen a sympathy for tl le mouse . f " •'' While Magnus was speaking, a heavy rain had beu^un. It had little bv little l)eatcn down our fire ; and now, as tlie wind was abroad in the hendocks and the foi'cst world was gloomy, we laced the tent-doors and lit our candles. It was announced by some one that Queerman's turn was come to speak. lie grumbled an acquiescence, .1 Fiaiir w nil THE nouM)s of tiik sua. 35 and then dreamed a while ; and in the expectant stillness the rush of rain, the elanior of currents, and the lonely murnun- of the iree-tops, crept into our verv souls. We thoucrht of the sea; and when Queernian spoke, there was a vibration in his voice as of changing tides and the awe of mighty shores. " Magnus," said he, *'your tale was most dusty and hot, though not too dusty, if I may be allowed to say so. It was of the earth earthv ; mine shall be of the water watery. It may be entered in the (). M.'s log as — "A FIGHT WITH THE HOr^'IKS OF THE SEA. "It was just before daybreak on a dewy June morning of 1887, when a party of four set out to drift for shad. There was the rector (whom you know), my cousin B (whom you don't know), and myself (whom you think you know). We went to learn how the business of drifting was con- ducted. There was also the old fisherman, Chris, the owner of the shad-boat. He went for fish. " Bv the time the lonij fathoms of brown net were unwound from the great creaking reel and coiled in the stern of the boat, the title had turned, and a current had begun to set outward from the little creek in which our boat was moored. Our rusty mainsail was soon hoisted to catch the gentle catspaws from the shore, and we were underway. " A word of explanation here. The shad-tishing of the Bay of I^uudy is curried on, for the most ill. V'ti. J"* *'"!P 3« AROUND TIIK CA.Mr FUiK. j)art, by ' drifting.' The boats employed arc roomy, heavy, single-masted craft, with a 'cuddy,' or forward cabin, in Avhicli two men may sleep with comfort. These craft, when loaded, draw several feet of water, and are hard to float off when they chance to run aground. They carry a deej) keel, and are standi sea-boats — as all Ijoats need to bo that navigate the rude waters of Fundy. "■ When we had gained a few cable-lengths from shore the breeze freshened sliijhtlv. It was a mere zephyr, but it drove the boat too fast for us to 2)ay out the net. We furled the sail, and thrust the boat along slowly with our heavy sweeps, while Chris paid out the net over the stern. " These Fundy boats sometimes stay out several tides, making a haul with each tide ; but it was our intention merely to drift out with this ebb, and return by the next flood. *' It was slow work for a while. W'e ate, told stories, speculated as to how many fish were en- tangling themselves in our meshes, and at about nine o'clock appealed to Chris to haul in. " The tremendous tide had drifted us in five hours over twenty miles. We decided to run the boat into the moutli of a small river on our right to take a good swim before we started on the return trip. The plan was accepted by Clu-is, and we set ourselves to haul in the net. " In the centre of the boat stood two huge tubs, into which we threw the silvery shad as we took A FICIIT WtTll TIIK liorshs oF THE SKA. 'H fliem from tlie 'iieslics. Wlioii wo found ;i stray skate, squid, or sculpiu, v,a rt'iurn(3d it to its na- tive element ; ])ut a small salmon we welcomed as a special prize, and laid it away in a wrapping of sail-cloth. " The catch proved to he rather a light one, though Chris averred it was as good as any he had made that year. ••"Why, what has hecome of the shad?' asked the rector. ' It seems to me that in former years one could sometimes lill these tubs in a single trip.' '•'Ay, ay,' growled Chris, 'that's ti'ue enough, sir ! But the lishin' ain't now what it used to be ; and it's all aloncf o' them blamed doglish.' '• • What do the dogtish have to do with it ? ' I asked. "'Do with it I ' answered Chris. 'Why, they eat *em. They eat evervthing they kin clap ther eye onto. They're thicker'n bees in these here waters the last year er two back.' '••Tiiey are a kind of small shark, I believe?' put in the rector in a tone of inquiry. " " Well, I reckon as how they be. An' they're worse nor any other kind as I've heern tell of, because they kinder hunt in packs like, an' nothin' ain't a-goin' to escape them, once they git onto it. I've caught 'em nigh onto four foot long, but mostly they run from two to three foot. They'i-e spry, I tell you, an' with a mouth onto 'em like 88 AliOCM) TIN': ('AMI'-Fini:. a fox-trap. They're tlio worst varinin that swims ; an' good for nothiii' l>ut to make ile out of tlier livers.' " ' Fvo hoard thorn called the " hounds of tlie sea, said !> — . 'Ai'e tlioy hold oiiou"'li to attack a man '/ ' '•• They'd attack an elephant, if they could git liim in tlu; ■\vater. An' they'd eat him too,' said Chris. '*'I liopo tlioy won't i)ut in an appearance while we're taking our swim,' remarked the rec- tor. 'I don't think we had hotter swim far out.' '•By tliis time we weie near the mouth of the stream, a broad, shallow estuary three or four hundred yards wide. In the middle was a i]fi'a.velly shoal which was ])arely uncovered at low water, and was then marked by a line of seaweed and small stones. We bore up the northern eliannol, and saw that the shores were stony and likely to afford us a lirm landing ; but the cliannel was un- familiar to ("lu'is, and suddenly, with a soft thud, we found oui-solvos aground in a mud-bank, a hun- drocl yards from shore. The tide had yet a fow inches to fall, and we knew that we were fast for an hour or so. " Wlien we had cot ourselves out of our clothes, the surface of the slioal in mid-channol was bare. Tt was about fifty yards from the boat, and we decided to swim over to it and look for anemones and starfish. 1\ , who was an indifforout .1 riailT WITH TltE UOVSbS OF illE SKA. oO swiinnu'r, took an our along witli him to rest oii if ho shouhl get tired. We hiughed at him for tlie 2)recaiuion as thi; distaiiee was so short; hut lie retorted, — '• ' If any of those sea-dogs should turn up, you'll liud that said oar will eome in pretty handy.' '• The water was of a delieious temperature ; and we swam, floated, and hasked in a leisurely fash- ion. When we iiad reaehed the bar the tide was about to turn. The Fundy tides may be said to have practically no slack ; they have to travel so fast and so far that they waste no time in idleness. We hailed Chris, whom we had left in the l)oat, and told him the tide had tui-ned. ''^ Chris rose from his lounging attitude in the stern, and took a look at the water. The next moment he was on his feet, vellincr, 'All aboard! all aboard ! Here's the dofjtish a-comin' I ' " B and I took the water at once, but the rector stopped us. • Back ! ' he commanded. ' They're n])on us alreadv, and our only chance is here in the shoal water till Chris can get the boat over to us.' '• Even as he spoke we noted some small blaek litis cuttingr the water between the boat and our shoal. We turned back with alacrity. " The first thing Chris did was to empty both barrels of mv fowling-iiiece among the advancing tins. At once a great turmoil ensued, caused by 'fill I ■:'% VA i'\ '('I <5, 'I I 40 .\i:(>r\h rill-: c \ vi' fiuk. the stni<(gl('s of l\v<; or three Avoiiiicled dog'fish. The next moment their stiur\t>s or rui: ska. \V the lK)at-lu>(»k ton; ;i fisli, which stniiglitway Ix'- (•;mu} food for its fellows. The most I (tould do witii my giiff Wiis to t;i[> :i doL,^lish on the head when I could, and stun him for a \\hile. *' During tlieso exciting minutes the tide was rising with terriljle speed. 'rh(! water tliat now came wasjiing over our toes was a lather of foam and hlood, through which sliarjt, dark fms and long keen bodies darted and crowded and sna[)[)('d. '* Suddenly on(! lisjj, fiercer than the rest, made a dart at B 's leg, and its sharp snout just grazed his skin, causing Jiini to yell with horror. We tried to get our feet out of the water by stand- iiicf on the liitjhest stones we could find. Our arms were weary from wielding the oar and the gaff, but the rector's boat-hook ke^jt U[) its deadly luncfcs. '• Chris had been firinjjf anK)nor our assailants ; but now, beholding our strait, he threw down the gun, and strained furiously upon his one oar in the endeavor to shove off the boat. She would not budt>"e. '• ^ Boys, brace U[) ! brace up I ' cried the rector. ' She'll float in another minute or two. We can give these cliaps all they want.' As lie spoke, his boat-hook ripped another li-h open. He had caught the knack of so using his weapon that he raked his oj)ponents from underneath without wastinsf an ounce of effort. ''The light was getting too hot to last. A l)ig ;; -..Jl" P9^H f((F 42 AHOUyi) THE CAMI'-FUIE. \ I fish, with a most appalling- array of fangs, snatched at my foot. Just in time I tlirust the broken end of the gaff through his throat and turned him on liis back. His neighbors took chai'ge of liim, and he vanished in bloody fracfments. "■ As I \vatehe(1 this an idea struck me. "'Cln-is!' I yelled, 'the shad! tlie shad! Tlirow them overl)oard, a dozen at a time I ' "•'Splendid!' cried the rector; and B })ante(l approvingly, ' TJiat's tlie talk ! 'Hiat'U call 'em off.' "■ Down came liis oar with fresh vigor upon the head of a dogfish, which turned at once on its side. Then the shad began to go overboard. " At first the throwing of the shad produced no visible effect, and the attack on us continued in unabated fury. Then the water began to foam and twist where the shad were dro})ping, .''ud on a sudden we were left alone. "The whole pack forsook us to attack the shad. IIow they fought and lashed and spi-ang and tore in one mad turmoil of foam and iish ! "'Spread them a bit!' !> cried. 'Give them all a chance, or they'll como back at us.' " ' She's afloat ! she's afloat!' he yelled tlie next moment, in .nintic delight. " Chris threw out another dozen of fish. Then he thrust his oar over the stern, and the bicf boat moved slowly toward us. At intervals Chris stopped and threw out more shad. A.s we eagerly A FKUir Willi rill-: uovsdh of the ska. \^ watched liis approacli llie thought occnirred to us that wheu tho ])oat should reach us it wouhl he witli the whole pack surrounding it. The raven- ous creatures seemed almost ready to leap aboard. •' ' We can use these oars and things as leaping- poles," suggested I* . '''That's what we'll have to do,' acfreed the rector. Then, lu ciied to Chris, 'Bring her side f»nto the shoal, so we can all jump aboard at the same time.' " As th(5 boat dr(!W lu^arer, Chris paused again, and threw a S(M)r(! of shad far astern. Away darted the dogfish ; and the l)oat rounded up close before us. " The agility with whi(;h we sprang aboard was remarkable, and Chris almost hunfired us in his iov. "'Not another sliad'U thev tjit out er me I' he declared triumphantly. " ' Well, I should rather thiidc not." remarked the rector. ' l»ut thev mio-ht as well have some more dogfish." " With these words he })ut his foot upon the gunwale, and his unwt'arying l)oat-hook went back jubilantly into the battle. " Rapidly loading and firing my shotgun, I ])ii'ked off as manv of <^>ur enemies as I comfort- ahly could ; and W , l)v lashing'- the boat's hatchet on the end of the galT, made a wea[)on with which lie played havoc among our foes. " Hut the frav lasted not nuich lon v\m w 48 ATiOrXI) TUK CAMI'-FIHE. my powers. To thu bull, however, J perceived tliiiL it would be at all })oiuts a serious obstuele, only to be passed l)y clanibeiiiig tirst down and then up the stee}) sides. "Without waitin^,'' for close parley with my as- sailant, I took a short run, and phieed myself once more amonyst the vetch-blossoms whence I liad started. I had but time to east mv eve alonsf, and notice that about a stone's ihi-ow farther down, toward the dike, the creek narrowed somewhat so as to afford me an easier leap, when the liot brute reached the edge op[)o:;ite, and, unable to check himself, plunged headlong into the gully. " As he rolled and snorted in the water I could scarcely help laughing ; but my triumph was not for lonsf. The overthrow seemed to stingf him into tenfold fuiy. With a nindjleness that apj)alled me lie charfifcd straight iw the baidc, and barelv had J taken to my heels ere ho had I'caclied the top and was after nie. So close was he that I failed to make the point aimed at. I was forced to leap desperately, and under such disadvantage that only by a hair's-breadth did I gain the opposite side. Somewhat shaken l)y the effort, I ran on straightway to where I could command a less try- ing jump. *' The bull made no Iialt whatever, but plunged riirht into the Cfullv, rolled over, and all covered with mud and streaming weeds was up the slope aorain like a cat. 1 ^^r*.- fit ,fr?^ I) 'I (I I" in TO If) la- sh ile variation. The inexorable brute left me no leisnro to sit clown and plan a diver- sion. I was conscious of a burning anxiety to get home, and I tried to calculate how much of til is sort of thing it would take to discourage my tireless foe. Not arriving at any satisfactory conclusion, I continued to make a shuttle-cock of myself for some minutes longer. " Immediately below me I saw that the sides of the gully retained their stee[)ness, but so widened apart as to make the leap a doubtful one. At a considerable distance beyond, however, they drew together again, and at last I convinced myself that a change of base would be justilied. By such a change, supposing it safely accomplished, it was evident that I would gain much longer breathing- spells, while my antagonist would be forced to such detours as would surely soon dishearten him. " At the next chance, therefore, I broke at the top of my speed for the new position. I liad but a scant moment to spare, for the bull was closing upon me with his terrific gallop. I made my jump, nevertheless, with deliberation. But, alas for the 'best laid schemes o' mice an' men'! I liad planted my pole in a spot of sticky clay, and after a slow sprawl through the air I landed help- lessly on hands and knees about half-way up the opposite bank. "Seeing my mishap, the bull forgot his late- learned caution, and, charging headlong, brought TlfK HULL AND TUK LKAPISG-VOLE. iA Up not a couple of yards below me. Without waiting to pull my pole out of the mud I scram- bled desperately to the top. It was a sick mo- ment for me as tlie brute recovered liis footing, and made up the steep so impetuously that he almost conquered it ; but I threw myself flat on my face and reached for the pole, knowing well that without it the game was pretty well up for me. As I succeeded in wrenching it from the clay, my pursuer's rush brought him so close that I could almost touch his snorting and miry nos- trils. But this was liis best effort, and he could come no nearer. Realizing this, he did just what I expected him to do, — gave his tail an extra twist of relentless malice, and swept off up the bed of the creek to liis former place of transit. I now br.athed more freely ; and having prodded the bottom till I found a firm foundation for my pole, I began to feel secure. '•• When the bull had gained my side of the creek, and had come so far as to insure his com- ing all the way, I sprang across ; and a moment later saw him tearing up the soil on the very spot my feet had just forsaken. This time he shirked the plunge, and stood on the bank bellowing his challenge. I patted my good spruce pole. Then I tlirew some sods across at him, M'hich resulted in a fresh tempest, a new rush to the old cross- ing, and another ' over ' for mv leaping-pole a:;(l me, '.4 ' "*■ ; lu- \ 1 'i Hi ''I i, Si \^ 'fl^ • >M AiiocM) Tin: r.\.\!r fire: '' M<'iin\vliilo I liiul coiicocUmI a plan for cIhm k- matiiij^ my anlagoiiisl. I saw that from this point forward to tho dike the ji^ully he(;ame more j'.nd more impassable, and I thouinrht if I could lure tlie hull into following me hut for a little way down the opposite bank, I could gain such a start upon him that to reach the dike would be an easy matter. With this design then, wlien the bull again repeated his angry challenge, I shouted, threw another sod, and started on a trot down the creek. But the cunning l>rute was not to he de- ceived in such fashion. Tie turned at once to repeat his former tactics, and I was fain to retrace my steps precipitately. "The brute now resolved, apparen''y, upon a Availing game. After pawing his deliance afresh, he proceeded to walk around and eat a little, ever and anon raising his head to eye me with a sullen and obstinate hatred. For my own part, now that time had ceased to be an object, I sat down and racked my brairs over the problem. Would the brute keep up this guard all through the night? I felt as if thei'o was a sleuth-hound on mv trail. That now silent presence across the creek began to weigh upon me like a nightmare. At last, in desperation, I resolved upon a straight-away race for the dike. As I pondered on the chances, the^' seemed to cfrow more and more favorable. I wa a good runner, and though handicajiped with the pole, would have a fair start on my enemy, Ilav- '/•///•; /;/•;./. .t.\7> r///-; i.EAPisii-i'oLK. iiiir luiido lip my niiiul to tin; venture I roso to iiiv feet, ready to seize the smallest advantage. "As I rose, the bull wheeled sliarply, and sprang to tlie edge of tlie l)ank Avith a muflled roar. IJut seehig that I stood leaning idly ou my polo and made no motion to dejiart, he soon tossed away in the sulks and resumed his irra/incr. In a few moments a suceulent streak of clover so engrossed him that he turned his haek fairly upon me — and like a Hash 1 was oil, speeding noiselessly over the <_rrass. " Not till several seconds had been gained did I hear the angry bellow which told of the detec- tion of my stratagem. I did not stop to look ])a('k, and I certainly made some very pretty run- ninsr ; but the dike seemed still most dismallv lemote when I lieard that lieavy galL)}) plunging behind me. Nearer, nearer it drew, with terrible swiftness ; and nearer and nearer drew the dike. I reached it wliere it was perhaps about seven feet high. Slackening up to plant my pole squareh', I sprang, and had barely time to steady myself on Uie sunnnit when the beast In'ought up with a roar at my very feet. It was a narrow, a very narrow • •scape. '' With a sigh of relief and gratitude I sat me 'lown to rest, and took some satisfaction in poking lie ribs of the baffled brute below. Then, lightly halancing my pole in one hand, I turned my face toward the ' bito,' and made my way thought- ' If ^ ?' rm 54 AnoUNH rtlh^ i'AMV-FltiK. fully liomeward. It was altogetlier too literally a ' hair's-breadth ' adventure.'' "When Ranolf concluded lliern was a jreneral stir. l*ipes were refilled, and a '"snack " {oi bis- cuits, cheese, and liquids to taste) was passed around. Then Stranion said, — "It's your turn, O. ]M." "But it's bedtime," pleaded I; "and besides, us I have the writing to do, let others do the speaking ! " My arguments were received with a stony stare, so I made haste to begin. " Like Magnus," said I, '• modesty forbids me to be my own hero. I'll tell you a story which I picked up last fall, when I was alleged to be pirreon-shootiniTf twenty miles above Fredericton. We will call the j-arn — ' SAVI-:!) BY THE CATTLE.' "I was talking to an old farmer whom I had chanced to come across, and who had passed me a cheery good-day. After I had spoken of the crops, and he had praised my new gun, I broached a subject of much interest to myself. " How do you account for the fact, if it is a fact," said I, slipping a cartridge into my right barrel, "that the caribou are getting yearly more numerous in the interior of New Brunswick, wliile other game seems to be disappearing. As for the SAVi:l) liV 77/ K CATTLh\ 65 wild pigeons, you may say they arc all gone. Here J luive been on tlie go since before sunrise, and that bird is the only sign of a pigeon 1 liave so niueli as got a glimpse of." "'- ^ Well,' replied my companion, ' as for the pigeons, I can't say how it is. In old times I've seen them so plenty round here you could knock them down with a stick ; that is, if you were any- ways handy with a stick. But they do say that caribou are increasing because the wolves have disappeared. You see, the wolves used to be the worst enemy of the caribou, because they could run them down nice and handy in winter, when the snow was deep and the crust so thin that the caribou were bound to break through it at every step. However, I don't believe there has been a wolf seen in this part of the country for fifty years, and it's only within the last ten years or so that the caribou lir-ve got more plenty." "■ We had seated ourselves, the old farmer and I, on a rasfcred snake-fence that bounded a buck- whcat-tield overlooking the river. The field Avas a new clearing, and the ripened buckwheat reared its brown heads among a liost of blackened and distort'.Hl stumps. It was a crisp and delicious autumn morning, and the solitary pigeon that had rewarded my long tramp over the uplands was one that I had surprised at its breakfast in the buckwheat. Now, finding that my new acquaint- ance was likely to prove interesting, 1 dropjjcd my 11 4 \ 1 i li !»').; i» ('ii n. if ''''•il m in ^i] Anoi'M) Til E CA Ml'- FIR E. gun gciitl}- iiilo tlic fence corner, loosened my belt :i couple of lioles, and asked llie fanner if he luul himself ever seen any wolves in New Brunswick. "'Not to say many,' was the old man's reply ; ' but they say that troubles never come single, and so, what wolves I Itavc seen, I saw them all in a lieap, so to speak.' " As he spoke, the old man fixed his eyes on a liilltop across the river, witli a far-off look that seemed to promise a stor}'. I settled into an atti- tude of enticMiratjiniTf attention, and waited for him to go on. His hand stoh; d(!ep into tlie pocket of his gray homespun trousers, and brought to view a fig of 'black-jack,' from which he gnawed a thoughtful bite. "' Instinctively lie passed the tobacco to me ; and on my declining it, whicli I did with grave polite- ness, he began the following story : — *• When I was a little shaver about thirteen years old, I was living on a fai'in across the river, some ten miles up. It was a new farm, whicli father was cutting out of th(3 woods ; but it had a good big bit of 'interval,' so we were able to keep a lot of stock. "One afternoon late in the fall, father sent mo down to the interval, which was a gt)od two miles fi'oni the house, to bring the cattle home. They were ])asturing on the aftermath ; but the weather was getting liad, and tlu; grass was about done, and fatlier thought the * critters,' as we called SAVKI) liV Till': CATTLK. tlieni, would bo nuicli beltei' in llic barn, ^ly little ten-yeiir-old brother went with me, to help nie drive them. That was the time I found out there were wolves in New lirunswick. " Tiie feed being searee, the eattle were scat- tered badly ; and it was supper-time before we got them together, at the lower end of tlio interval, mavl)e three miles and a half from home. We didn't mind the lateness of the hour, however, though we were getting pretty hungry, for we knew the moon would l)e up right after sundown. 'Die eattle after a bit appeared to catch on to the fact that they were going home to snug quarters and good feed, and then they drove easy and hung together. When we had gone about half-way up tlie interval, keeping along by the river, the moon got up and looked at us over the hills, very sharp and thin. * ^ gb ! ' says Teddy to me in half a whisper, 'don't she make tlie shadows black?' lie hadn't got the words more than out of his mouth when we heard a long, queer, howling sound from away over the other side of tlie in- terval ; and the little fellow grabbed me by the arm, with his eyes fairly popping out of his head. 1 can see his startled face now; but he was a phicky lad for his size as ever walked. •• ' What's that ? ' he wliispered. '•'Sounds mighty like the wind,' said I, though I knew it wasn't the wind, for there wasn't a lireulli about lo stir a feather, 't i * I . 'IS mm t>H Aiiorxi) Tin: cAMr-iiUK. " The sound came from a ■wooded valley •\vind- in<^ down ijetween the liills. It was someihini]: like the wind, liigli and thin, but by and l)y get- ting loud and fierce and awful, as if a lot more voices were joining in; and I just tell you my heart stop[)ed beating for a minute. The cattle heard it, you'd better believe, and bunched to- gether, kind of sliivering. Then two or three young heifers started to bolt; but the old ones knew better, and hooked them back into the crowd. Then it flashed over me all at once. You see, I was quite a reader, having plenty of time in tlie long winters. Says I to Teddy, Avitli a kind of sob in my throat, 'I guess it must be wolves.* — 'I guess so,' says Tedd}-, getting brave after his first start. And then, not a quarter of a mile away, we saw a little pack of gray brutes dart out of the M'oods into the moonlight. I grabbed Teddy by the hand, and edged in among the cattle. " ' Let's get U}) a tree ! ' said Teddy. '* ' Of course we will,' said I, with a new hope risincr in mv heart. "Wo looked about for a suit- able tree in whicli we might take refuge, but our hopes sank when we saw there was not a decent- sized tree in reach. Father had cleared off evcry- thinor alomx the river-bank except some Indian willow scrub not six feet hiirh. " If tlie cattle, now, had scattered for home, I guess it would liave been all up with Teddy and me, and father and mother would have been mighty s« RAVEt) nV THE CATTLE. 50 lonesome on tlie farm. But Avliat do you suppose the ' critters ' did ? When they saw those gray thinLi)ected to see tlicm jump upon him and eat liim at once, hut they didn't ; and I began to dis- trust the stories I had r^iad about wolves. It ap- peared, however, that it was not from any sense of decency that they held Imck, but only that they wanted beef rather than wolf meat, as Ave found a little later. '' Presentlv one of tlie four slouched forwaid, and sniffed at his dying comrade. Tlie bruie was still lively, however, and snapped his teetli viciously at the other's legs, Avho thereupon slouched back to the pack. After a moment of hesitation, the four stole silently, in single lile, round and round the circle, turning their heads so as to glare at us all the time, and looking for a weak sjwt to attack. They must have gone round us half a dozen times, iiud then they sat down on tlieir tails, and stuck their noses into the air, and howled and howled for maybe live minutes steady. Teddy and I, who were now feeling sure our "critters ' could lick any number of wolves, came to the conclusion the brutes thought they had too big a jolj on their hands and were sifjnalling for more forces. " Let 'em come,' exclaimed Teddv. But we Avere getting altogether too confident, as we soon found ft out. " After howling for a while, the wolves stopped and listened. Then they howled again, and again ^■^im :^,>J.^, r.2 AliOUNlJ Tilt: CAMP-FIRE. they stopped and listened ; but still no answer came. At this they got up and once more began prowling round the circle, and everywhere they went you could see the long horns of the cattle pointing in their direction. I can tell you cattle know a thing or two more than they get credit for. " Well, when tlie wolves came round to their comrade's body, they saw it was no longer kick- ing, and one of them took a bite out of it jus if by way of an experiment. He didn't seem to care for wolf, and turned away discontentedly. The idea struck Teddy as so funny that he laughed aloud. The laugh sounded out of place, and fairly frightened me. The cattle stirred uneasily, and as for Teddy, he wished he had held his tongue, for the wolf turned and fixed his eye upon Iiim, and drew nearer and nearer, till I thought lie was going to spring over the cattle's heads and seize us. But in a minute I heard the old bull mumbling again in his throat ; and the wolf sprang back just in time to keep from being gored. How I felt like hugging that bull! " I cheered Teddy up, and told him not to laugh or make a noise again. As the little fellow lifted his eyes he looked over my shoulder, and, instantly forgetting what I had been saying, shouted, * Here come father and Bill ! ' I looked in the same direction and saw them, sure enough, riding furiously towards us. But the wolves didn't notice them, and resumed their prowling. SAVED ny THE t'AlTLE. 63 '' Oil the oUier side of the circle from our cham- pion, the bhick-and-white bull, tliere stood a ner- vous young cow ; and just at this time the wolf wlio had got his eye on Teddy seemed to detect this weak s})ot in the defence. Suddenly he (lashed like lightning on the timid cow, who shrank aside wildly, and opened a passage by wliich the wolf darted into the very centre of tiie circle. The brute made straight for Teddv, whom I snatched from his [)erch and dragged over against the flank of the old bull. Instantly the herd was in confusion. 'i'he young cow had bounded into the open and was rushing wildly up the interval, and three of the wolves were at her lliinks in a moment. The wolf who had marked Teddy for his prey lea[)ed lightly over a calf or two, and was almost u[)on us, when a red 'mooUey ' cow, the mother of one of these calves, butted him so fiercely as to throw him several feet to one side. Pjcfore he could reach us a second time the old bull had spotted him. Wheeling in his tracks, as nimble as a squirrel, he knocked me and Teddy over like a couple of ninepins, and was onto the wolf in a flash. How he did mumble and "-rumble wu\- down in his stomach ; but lu; lixed the Avolf. He pinned the brute down and smashed him with his forehead, and then amused himself tossing the body in the air ; and just at this moment ither and Bill rodi; up and snatched us two youngsters onto their saddles. ■ -.1 i dig ..<■ U- r,4 MiOVSI) TIIK CAMl'-FHiK. "•'Arc 3'oii liiirt?' (lucstioiiod father breatli- lessly. But lio saw in a moment we were not, for we were flushed with pride ul the triumph of qui- old bidl. " 'And be they any more wolves, so's I kin git a shot at 'em? ' queried liill. " ' Old S[)ot has lixed two of "em,' said I. " 'And there's tlie other two eating poor Whitey over there,' exclaimed Teddy, pointing at a snarl- ing knot of creatures two or three hundred yards across the interval. "Sure enough, they had dragged down poor Whitey and were making a line meal off her car- cass. But Bill rode over and spoiled their fun. lie shot two of them, while the other left like a gray streak. And that's the last i've seen of wolves in this jiart of the country I " "'That was a close shave,' said I; 'and the cattle showed gieat grit. I've heard of them adopting tactics like that.' " ' Well,' said the old farmer, getting down from the fence rail and lacking up his tin can. 'I must be moving. Good-day to you.' Before he had taken half a dozen ste})S he turned round and remarked, ' I suppose, now, if those had been Nor- way Avolves or Roossian wolves, the "critters" would have had no show?' " ' Very little, I inipgina,' was my answer." Whether it was that my story had gone far toward putting every one to sleep, I know not. SA VK[) II y THE CAT ILK. 65 Ilie fact remains, to l)e interpreted as one will, that no longer was there any objection raised when I j)roposed that wo slionkl turn in. Tliat night, I think, no one of us hiy awake over long. Before I dropped asleep I lieard two owls hooting hol- lowly to each other through the wet woods. The sound changed gradually to a clamor of wolves over their slain victim, and then to the drums and trumpets of an army on the march ; and tlu;!i I awoke to find it broad daylight, and Stra- nion beating a tin pan just over my head. H m "f , m AliUiSJj rilJJ ( AMJ'-J'Uit\ VUAVTVAi III. AT CAMP DK S(jrAT(X)K. I: : The next mornini,^ we i^'ot off at a good hour. For the hist lialF mile of its course we fouuil lieardsley IJrook so overgrowu with ahlers that we liad to cliop aud liaul our way through it with iuliniLe hibor. Here we wasted souie time lishino- for Sam's pipe, wliich had faUeii ovt-rhoard aniono- the akiers. Tlie pipe was hlaek, with crooked stem, plethoric iu build, and so heavy tliat we all thouo'ht it would siuk where it fell. As soon as the catastrophe occurred we halted till the water, here about two feet deep, had become clear. Then, peering down among the alder-stems, Ra- nolf spied the pipe on the sandy bottom, looking blurred and distorted thnuiMi the writhincf cur- rent. Long we grappled for it, poking at it with ])ole and paddle. We would cautiously raise it a little way towards the surface ; but even as we bcfjan to trium])h it would wrio-crle off ajjain as if actually alive, and settle languidly back ui)on the sand. AVe all knew, without Kanolf's elab- orate explanations, that its lifelike movement was due to its being so little heavier than the water it dis[)laced, or to the uneven refraction of the AT (AMI' l)E sijI'ATOOK. r>7 V •> 1 ji I a \ e -S 5 n i )- IS 1 ii' 10 lirjlit tlirouf:fh llie in()viii<^ tliiid, or to some otlicr ('(juully siilisfiiotoiy and scientific cause. Finally Sam, gettiiif^ impatient, plunged in arm and slioul- (ler, and grasped the i)ipe victoiiously. He came up cmpty-liiinded ; and we Ijelield a liuge tadpole, now thoroughly aroused. Haunting oil" (h)\vn stream in hiy noon we were on the bosom of Big Squatook Lake. liy six o'clock we had traversed this beautiful and solitary water, and were pitcliing our tent near the outlet, on a soft brown carpet of pine-needles. Jlere was a cin'ular opening amid the huge trunks. Jie- iwccn the lake and our encampment liung a screen of alder and wild-cherrv, whence a white hcMch of pebbles slanted broadly to the waves. While Stranion and Queerman made preparations for sup{)er, the rest of us whipped the ri[)ples of the outlet for trout. The shores of the lake at this spot draw together in two grand curves, and at the apex flows out the Squatook River, about waist-deep and a stone's throw broad. It niur- inius pleasantly on for the lirst tew rods, and then • r, ('J l! .Hi y :»:r ;],1SP*^' i,i 11 68 AHOrSl) rilK (AMP- FIUE. bc[(iiis to dart and cliafi.', and lift an angry voice. Hillu'r tlic Indians come to spear wliitelish in their season. To assist their spearing they had the outlet fenced part way across with a double row of stakes. All but the smallest fish were thus compelled to descend through a narrow pus- sage, wherein they were at the mercy of tlie spear- man. This fence we now found very conveni(!i'c. Letting the canoe drift againsi it, we perche I tn top of the stakes, a couple of feet above water, and cast our Hies unimpeded in every direction. The trout were abundant, and tof)k the flies freely. For an hour we had most exciting spoit. It was in itself, for all true fishermen, worth the whole journey. The Squatook trout are of a good average size, and very game. Of the twenty odd lish we killed that evening, there were two that passed the one and one-lialf jjound scratch upon our scales, and several that cleared the pound. Deciding to spend some days in this fair spot, we named it Camp de Scpiatook. Lopping the lower l)ranches of the trees, we made ourselves })egs on Avhich to liang our tins and otlier uten- sils ; while a dry cedar log, split skilfully by Stranion, furnished us with slabs for a table. Our couiUiissariat was well supplied with camper's' necessities and luxuries, but it was upon trout above all that we feasted. Sometimes we boiled Ihem; sometimes we broiled them: more often we fried them in the fraqrant, yellow corn-meal. The .1 XliiUT ES COUNT EH. Gtt (lulicate richness of tlie hot. pink, hiscious flakes is only to be realized by tliose wlio feast on the spoils of their own rods, with the relish of free air and vigor and ont-door appetites. Campers prate niiieh of early hours, and of seekinjif their blanket; witli sunset; but we held to no such doctrine. Niglit in these wilds is rich with a mysterious beauty, an iinmensity of soli- tude such as day cannot dreani of. Supper over, we stretched ourselves out betwcn tent- lin laugfhter of the loon. We were not so tired as on the previous even- ing, and it took us longer to settle down into tlie mood for storv-tellinsf. At last Stranion was called i;pon. He was ready, and speech flowed from him at once, as if his mouth had been just uncorked. ' ■ 'WWW V; I :M oi A NIGHT ENCOUNTER. "•ril tell you a tale," said he, "of this very spot, 1 this very Big Squatof)k; and, of course, witii me and the panther both in it. "' Once upou a time — tliat is to say in the summer of 1880 — I fished over these waters with Tom Allison. You remember he was visiting m :o AROUyi) THh: CAMr-FIRE. Frederuitoii nearly all that year. We camped rit^lit \\v,V(i two (lays, and then went on to the Little Lake, or Second Scjuatook, just below. " One nioojilij^ht night, when the windless little lake befoi-e our camp was like a shield of silver, and the woody mountains enclosing us seemed to liold their breath for delight, I was seized with an overwhelming impulse to launch the canoe and })ole myself up here to I>ig S(piatook. The dis- tance betw(H'n tlie two lakes is about a mile and a half, with rii,pi ipcn water, of course I was (luite safe ; but I ilitlu't ilish the idea of (li tl lit (iHtut reiisn tiie uiea oi speiulinn- mc nigiii on I lie lake. I knew enough of the habits and char- ai'tei'istics of the panther to be aware the bruie would keep his eye on nie as long as I remained ;iloiie. But what I didn't know was how far a ])anther could jump ! Could I safely paddle past iliat fence by hugging the failhcr shore? I felt little inclined to test the (juestion practically; so I turned about and jiaddhid out upon the lake. *• Then I drifted and shouted songs and stii'red u[) the echoes for a good r(.)und hour. I ho[)ed, liither faintly, that the j)anther would follow me up the shore. This, in truth, he may have done ; but when I paddled back to the outlet, there he was awaiting me in exactly the same position as when I first discovered him. '' By this time I had persuaded myself that there was ample room for me to pass the barrier without coming in raiige of the animal's spring. I knew that close to the farther shore the water was deep. When I was about thirty yards from the stakes, I put on speed, heading for just about the middle of the opening. My purpose was to let the panther fanev that T was cominGf within his raiKjce. and then to ihauije mv course at the last moment so siuldenly that he woidd not have time to alter liis plan of attack. It is quite possi- hle that this carefully planned scheme was unn»^ • tsuiy. and that 1 rated the brute's intelligence 'r^ u AROVNI) TtlE cAmp-fiuk. and foretliourrlit, quito too liio-li. P>ut liowever tliiit may be, I lliou<,dit it. safer not to take any risks with so cunnin"- an adversary. " Tlie panther hiy in the sliarp l)hiek sliadow, so that it was inipossibU^ for nie to nott; liis move- ments acenrately ; but just as an instinct warned nie that he was about to sprinn;-, I swerved smartly towai'd liim, and liurU'd tlie li^lit canoe foi'ward witli the mioflitiest strcl^e 1 was capable of. The mano'uvre was well executed, for just before I came fairly opposite the grim figure on the stake- tops, the panther sprang. "Instinctively I tlncw myself forward, level with the cross-bars; and in the same breath there came a snarl and a splash close beside me. The brute had miscaleulated my s])eed, and got himself a ducking. I (diuckled a little as I straightened up : but the sigh of relief which 1 drew at the same time was ])rofound in its sincerity. 1 had lamentably underestimated the reach of the pan- ther's spring. He had alighted close to the water's edge, just where I imagined the canoe would be out of reach. T looked around again. He was clind)ing alei'tly out of the hated bath. Givincf liimself one mifditv shake, he started after me down aloii"- the bank, utterinn- a series of harsh and jnercing screams, With a swee]) of tlie pad- dle I darted across current, ami ])lace(l almost the full breadth of the river between my enemy and myself. l)loo I»er; bru> Jayi (pn"c good throi my gi'oui and This, A XlrnfT KXCOVNTER i') u I 1 lave par Idled many a canoc-raco, Imt never (1- id one that mv heart Avas so set upon \vinninn sinking at the lieart I calle(l to mind a narnnv gorge a quai'ter ot" a mik; ahead, fioin the sides of which several droo|)in rilK CAMl'-FlllE. n()l)lc hunting ho luid provided for lier; hut to my inexpressible satisfaction no mate eame. Tlie beauty and tlio weirdness of the moonlit woods were now quite lost upon me. I saw only that long, lierce, light-bounding figure which so inex- orably kept pace with me. '* To save my jiowers for some possible emer- gency, I resolved to content myself, for the time, with a very moderati; degree of haste. The pan- ther was in no way i)ressed to keep. up with me. Suddenly he darted forwaixl at his utmost speed. For a moment this did not trouble me ; but then I awoke to its possible meaning. He was plan- ning, evidently, an ambuscade, and I must keep an eye upon liim. *' The order of the chase was promptly reversed, and I set out at once in a desperate pursuit. The obstructed shores and the increasing current fa- vored me, so that he found it hard to shake me off. For the next half mile I just managed to keep up with him. Then came another of those quieter reaches, and my pursued pursuer at last got out of sio-ht. "Again I paused, not only to take breath, but to try and discover the brute's purpose in leaving me. All at once it flashed into my mind. Just before the river widens into Second Lake, there occurs a lively and somewhat broken rapid. As there was moonlight, and I knew the channels well, I had no dread of this rapid till suddenly A .\7^///• /■:\((>r.\rKii. I ( I lemenibered three large bowlders erossiiig tlie sti'eam like steppiug-sioiies. " it was plain to me that this was the point my adversary was anxious to reach ahead of me. Tliese bowlders were so placed that he could easily spring from one to tlie other dry-shod, and his chancj of interce])ting me would be excellent. I almost lost courage. The best thing I could do under the circumstances was to save my strength to the utmost*? so for a time I did little more than steer the canoe. When at last I rounded a turn, mid saw just ahead of me the white, thin-crested, singing ripples of the rapid, 1 was not at all sur- prised to see also the panther, crouched on one of the rocks in mid-stream. " At this point the river was somewhat spread out, and the banks were low, so the moonlight showed me the channel quite clearly. You'll un- derstand better when we run through in a day or two. I laid aside my paddle and took up the more trusty white spruce pole. With it I "snubbed" the canoe lirmly, letting her drop down the slojie iiHjh by inch, while I took a cool and thorough survey of the ripples and cross-currents. "' From the slo])ing shoulder of the rock lying nearest to the left-hand baidv a stroncf cross-cur- rent took a slant sharply over toward the middle channel. I decided to stake my fate on the assist- ance of this cross-current. Gradually I snubbed the canoe over to the left baidi, and then gave her .^ in ■U4 1 " 9 78 A IH)l • .Y h Til /•; ( A Ml' FIH K. her lu'iul. The sliorcs slipjied past. The rocks, with thill ei-(»ucliiiii^ sentinel on the eentral one, seemed to irlida u[)-streani to meet nie. I was almost in the passat,^e wlien, with a superb bound, the panther sliot through the moonlight and lit upon the roek I was ap[)roac]iing ! As he ])oised liimself, gaining his balance with some diiliculty on the narrow foothold, a strong lunge with my pdle twisted the canoe into the swirl of that cross-current; and with the next thrust I slid like lightning down the middle channel before my adversary had more tlii.n got himself fairly turned around ! With a si. out of exultation I raced down the rest of the ineline and into A\iden- ing readies, safe from puiuiit. The panther, screamiiiLT ann-rilv, follow. d me for a time ; but sof)n the receding shores placed such a distance between us that I ceased to regard him. Pres- ently I bade him a final farewell, and headed across the lake for the spot where the camp-tire was wavincr me a ruddv welcome." "That's getting pretty near home," remarked Kanolf, glancing a})prehensively into the gloom behind the camp. " You don't suppose that chap would be waiting around here for you, Stranion? If so, I hoj)e he won't mistake me for you ! " "• Let Sam oive us sometliiui'- cheerful now I " demanded Magnus. *' Well,'" said Sam, " I'll give you a story of the lumbtT-camps. 1*11 call it — - ,f A , "5«,i;'.-, - -i'. v*^^v,.... ;^l yan. 11 ^1 '■it ■ : ! 1 1 ' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 1 5- JIM IM 1^ IIIIIM U ill 1.6 V] ^ /} 'c^l %. # ^% (P e> j-^S^. o '/,. 7 ///. Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ LI? \ ^> ,v N> "% .V c^ o^ m >^ "^ n> 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY 14580 (716) 872-4503 i:>! liHUlN AND THE COOK, 79 Mjhuix and the cook.' "As tlie O. M. is going to dress up our yarns for ihe cold light of print, I must be allowed to preface the story with a few introductory remarks on the life of the lumbermen in winter. Stranion iuid the O. M. know all about that; but the rest of you fellows never go to the lumber-camps, you know. " To one who visits the winter camps here in our backwoods, the life led by the loggers is likely to seem monotonous after tlie strangeness of it has worn off. Tlie sounds of the chopi)ing, the shout- iii", the clanking of the teams, afford amule warn- iiig to all the wild creatures of the woods, who thereupon generally agree in giving a wide berth ti» a neigliborhood which lias suddenly grown so {)()[)ulous and noisy. " In clio[)ping and hauling logs the lumber- men are at work unremittingly from dawn until suii-down, and at night they have little energy to ex{)end on the hunting of bears or panthers. The bunks and the blankets exert .an overwhelm- ing attraction; and by the time the men have con- ehuled their after-supper smoke, and the sound of ;i few rough songs has died away, the wild beasts niay creep near enough to smell the pork and beans, and may prowl about the camp until dawn, witli sMiuU fear of mulcstation from the sleepersj wiihiu. If 80 AROVSh THE (AMr FlUE. V. }■: < "At intt'iviils, liowcver, tlie monotony of camp- life is brolvon. Soiiieliiing occurs to remind the cureless woodsmen tliiit, thougii in tlie wilderness, indeed, tliey are yet not truly of it. They are made suddenly juvare of tliose sliy but savage forces which, regarding tiiem ever as trespassers, have been keeping them under an angry and eager surveillance. The spirit of the violated forest makes a swift and sometimes effectual, but al- ways unexpected, stroke for vengeance. "A yoke of oxen are straining at their load: a great branch reaching down catches the nearest ox by the horn, and the poor brute falls in its track with its neck broken. A stout sapling is bent to the ground by a weight of ice and snow : some thaw or the shock of a passing team re- leases it, and by the iierce recoil a horse's leg is shattered. "A hunberman has strayed off into the woods by himself, perchance to gatlier spruce-gum for his friends in the settlements, and he is found, days afterwards, half-eaten by bears and foxes. A solitary chopper tlirows down his axe and leans against a tree to rest and dream, and a panther drops from the branches above and tears him. " Yet such vengeance is accomplished but sel- dom, and makes no permanent imj)ression on the heedless woodsman. His onward march is inex- orable. '' The cook, it must be borne in mind, is a most Jilii'I.X AM) Till': COOK. 81 importimt personage in the lumbcr-eamp. This I say Oi camp-cooks in general, and I assert it in particular of the cook who figures as one of the heroes in my story. The other hero is the hear. " It was a bright March morning at Nicholson's cajn[) over on Salmon River. There liad })een a lieavy thaw for some days, and the snowbanks under the eaves of the camp were shrinking rap- idly. Tlie bright chips about the door, the tram- )>lt'd straw and fodder around the stable, were slt.'aining and soaking under the steady sun. Such winds as were stirring abroad that day were quite sliut off from the camp by the dark surrounding woods. " From the protruding stovepipe, which did duty as a chimney, a faint blue wreath of smoke curled lazily. The cook had the camp all to himself for a while ; for the teams and choppers were at work a mile away, and the ' cookee,' as the cook's assis- tant is called, had betaken himself to a neighbor- ing pond to fish for trout through the ice. "• The dishes were washed, the camp was in order, and in a little while it would be time to <;et the dinner ready. The inevitable pork and l)ean8 were slowly boiling, and an appetizing fra- tjrance was abroad on the quiet air. The cook decided to snatch a wink of sleep in his bunk be- neath the eaves. He had a spare half-hour before liim, and under his present circumstances he knew no better way of spending it. r 82 -1 iioryi) TiiK ( A Ml'- run:. "The weather being luild, ho left the camp- door wide ojien, and, swinj,Mng up to his bertli, soon liad liiniself luxuriously bedded in blankets, — liis own and as many other fellows' blankets as he liked. lie beiran to doze and dream, lie dreamed of sunnner fields, and then of a lively Sunday-sehool pienie, and at last of the niusie of a band whieh he heard crashing in liis cai"S. Then the cymbals and the big drum grew unbear- ably loud, and, waking with a start, he remend)ered where he was, and tlnnst his head in astonishment over the (idge of the bunk. The sight that met Irs eyes filled iiim with alarm and indignation. " The prolonged thaw had brought out the bears from their snug winter <|uarters; and now, in a very bad humor from having been waked up too soon, they were prowling through the for- est in unusual numbers. Food was scarce ; in fact, times were very hard with tlu^m, and they were not only bad-humored, but lean and hungry withal. "To one partie.iilarly hungry bear the smell of (mr cook's simmering pork had come that morning like the invitation to a feast. The supposed in- vitation had been aceei)ted with a rapturous alac- rity. Bruin had found the door o])en. the coast (dear, the quarters very inviting. With the ut- most good faith he had entered u])on his fortune. To find the source of that entrancing fragrance had been to his trained nose a simple matter. i:- I "g OI gun liltUI\ A Nit THE COOK. sn " While cook slept sweetly, Bruin had rooted off the cover of the pot, and this was the begin- ninjj of cook's dream. " But the pot was hot, and the first mouthful of the savory mess made liim yell with rage and piiiii. At this point the trumpets and clarions grew shrill in cook's dreaming eai-s. " Then an angry sweep of the great paw had (liislied i)ot and kettle off the stove in a thunder of crashing iron and clattering tins. This was the point at which cook's dream had attained overwhelming reality. *• What met his round-eyed gaze, as he sat up in his blankets, was an angry bear, dancing about in a confusion of steam and smoke and beans and kettles, making ineffectual snatches at a lump of scalding pork upon the floor. "After a moment of suspense, cook rose softly and crept to the other end of the bunks, where a gun was kept. To his disgust the weapon was unloaded. But the click of the lock had caujxht the bear's attention. Glancing up at the bunk above him, the brute's eye detected the shrinking cook, and straightway he overflowed with wrath. Here, evidently, was the author of his discom- fort. " With smarting jaws and vengeful paws he made a dash for the bunk. Its edge was nearly seven feet from the floor, so Bruin had to do some clam- bering. As his head appeared over the edge, and P^' 1 R \^- 1 ii II ■I I ', 1 '1- 1 i i I 1 ■' 1 ; J(i 84 AKOVMi THE (AMV-VIHK. liis great paws took firm hold upon the chipboard rim of the hunk, cook, now grown desperate, struck at him wihlly witli the lieavy butt of the gun. lint Hruin is always a skilful boxer. With an upward stroke he warded off the blow, and sent the weapon spinning across the camp. At the same time, liowever, liis weight jnoved too much for the frail clapboard to which he was holding, and back he fell on the floor with a shock like an earthquake. "This repulse — which, of course, he credited to the cook — only filled liini with tenfold greater fury, and at once lie sprang back to the assault ; but the delay, however brief, liad given poor cook time to grasp an idea, which he proceeded to act ujion with eagerness. He saw that the hole in the roof through which the stovepipe pro- truded was large enough to give his body passage. Snatching at a light rafter above his head, he swung himself out of the bunk, and kicked the stovepipe from its place. The sections fell with loud clatter upon the stove and the bear, for a moment disconcerting Bruin's plans. From the rafter it was an easy reach to the opening in the roof, and as Bruin gained the empty bunk and stretched his paw eagerly up toward his intended victim on the rafter, the intended victim slipped with the greatest promptitude through the hole. "At this point the cook drew a long breath, and persuaded his heart to go down out of his niiUIX AM) rilK COOK. 85 throat, where it had boon sinco ho waked, and rosumo its ])roper functions. "His lirst thought was to drop from the roof and run for lielp, but fortunately he changed liis mind. The bear was no fool. No sooner had the cook got safely out upon the roof than Bruin rushed forth from the camp-door, expecting to catcli him as he came down. ''Had cook acted upon liis first impulse, he would have been overtaken before he had gone a hundred 3'ards, and would have perished hideously in the snow. As it was, however, — evidently to Bruin's deep chagrin, — he stuck close to the chim- ney-hole, like a prairie-dog sitting by his Inirrow, ready at a moment's notice to i)lunge within, while the bear stalked deliberatelv twice around the camp, eying him, and evidently laying plans, as it wore, for his capture. ''At last the bear appeared to make up his mind. At one corner of the shanty, piled up nearly to the eaves, was a store of firewood which 'cookoo' had gathered in. Upon this pile Bruin mounted, and then made a dash up the creaking roof. '• Cook prayed most fervently that it miglit give way beneath the great weight of the bear, and to see if it would do so he waited almost too long ; but it did not. As he scurried, belated, through the hole, the bear's paw reached its edge, and the huge claws tore nearly all the flesh from the back IT d6 AUOVyi) rilK CAMP-FtUK. 'A r, i of the poor fellow's Iiaiid. IMeedinp and trem- bling he crouched upon the friendly rafter, not diirinjn^ to swing down into tlie hunk. " The agility of that great animal was marvel- hius. Scarcely had cook got under shelter when liruin rushed in again at the door, and was up on the hunk again in a twinkling, and again cook vanished hy the chininey-jJace. A moment later the hoar was again on the roof, while cook once metre crouched hack faintly on liis rafter. This performance was repeated several times, till for cook it had quite ceased to he interesting. " At last the chase grew monotonous even to the indefatigable Hruin, who then resolved upon a change of tactics. After driving cook out through the chimney, he decided to try the same mode of exit for himself, or at least to thrust his head through the opening, and see what it was like. Embracing the woodwork with his powerful fore- paws, he swung himself up on the rafter, as he had seen cook do so gracefully. The attempt was quite successful : but the rafter was not prepared for the strain, and Hruin and beam came thunder- ing to the floor. "•As cook gazed down through the hole, and marked what had happened, his heart sank utterly within him. His one safe retreat was gone. But Bruin did not perceive his advantage, or else was in no hurry to follow it up. The shock had greatly dampened his zeal. lie sat on his nuns AND THE COOK. 87 liauMches hy the stove, and gazed up sullenly at cook, while cook gazed back despairingly at liini. '• Then the bear noticed that the precious pork had got deliciously cool, and in the charms of that rare morsel cook was soon quite forgotten. All cook had to do was to lie on the roof, nursing his lacerated hand, and watching Bruin as lie njado away with the lumbennen's dinner, — a labor of love in which he lost no ti:ne. " At this junction a noise w i . heard in the woods, and h(>j)e came back to the cook's heart. The men were returning for di'Micr. Bruin heard it too, anprs emerged into the little cleared space in front of the camp, iiruin, having swallowed his last moiilliful, rushed out of the camp-door, to the breathless and in^- measurable amazement of the lumbermen. *' Finding himself to all .appear.ances surrounded. Bruin paused a moment irresolutely. TIkmi char- ging upon the nearest team, he dealt the teamster a terrific cuff, bowling him over in the snow and hreaking his arm, while the maddened horses l)lunged, reared, and fell over backward in a tangle of sleds and traces find lashing heels. " This episode brought the woodsmen to their senses. Axe in hand, they closed in upon the hear, who rose on his hind-quarters to meet them. The first few blows that were delivered at Mm, with all the force of practised arms and vindictive r rr" 88 AROUND Til I-: CAMP-FIUE. energy, he winded off as if tliey were so many feathers; hut he could not guard himself on all sides at once. A well-directed blow from the rear sank the axe-head deep between his fore-shoulders, severing the spinal column, and Bruin collapsed, a furry heap, upon the crimsoned snow. " In their indiornation over the cook's torn hand, tlicir comrade's broken arm, and — perhaps most aggravating of all — their thoroughly demolished dinner, the lumbermen undertook to make a meal of IJruin ; but in this attempt Bruin found a measure of revenge, for in death he proved to be even tougher than he had been in life, and the famous luxury of a fat bear-steak was nowhere to l)e had from his carcass." (( And now, Magnus," continued Sam, cleaning out his pipe, "we'll have something remote and tropical from you, with your kind permission. Wliat else has happened to that uncle of yours ? " "Lots of things," said the imperturbable Mag- nus. " I'll tell you one of his Mexican stories, which he calls — 'AN ENCOUNTER WITH PECCAUIES.' This is, as near as I can remember, the way he told it to me. I speak in his name. " In my somewhat varied wanderings over the surface of this fair round world," said my uncle, '* 1 have had adventures more or less exciting. Ay j-:x((>ryrKii wrni pi:c('Ai:iks. 89 and generally disaf^reeal)lo, M'itli wolves, l)oars, and tillers, with irate and undiscriminating bulls, and with at least one of those painfully unpleasant horses, who have acquired a si)ecial relish for luiinan flesh. Some childish memories, moreover, disclose to me at times that on more tlian one occasion I have come off without hvuicls from a contest with an indijjnant he-ffoat, and that I have even been in peril at the wings of an unusually airgressive gander. lint of all the unpleasant acquaintances to make when one is feeling soli- tary and unprotected, I think a herd of irritated peccaries will carry off the palm. Let tliese sturdy little animals once conceive that their rights have been ever so little menaced, and tliey are tireless, implacable, and blindly fearless in their demand for vengeance. Just what they may interpret as a menace to their rights I suppose no man can say with any confidence ; but my own ()l)servation has led me to believe that they think themselves entitled to possess the earth. The earth is much to be congratulated upon the fact that various cli- matic considerations have liitherto prevented them from entering upon their inheritance. The pec- cary is confined, I believe, and I state it here on the authority of reputable naturalists, to cer- tain tropical and sub-tropical regions of the New World. My own limited acquaintance with the creature was gained in Mexico. "Toward the end of the seventies I was en- I m }j ' . 1 '^B m ^^1^' ■- » *• 1 ^^MC * ^nffl I sSH ■ r 00 Auovsn rni: camv-vire. It ,. g^acfed upon a survey of government lands in one of the interior provinces of Mexico. Our party was enjoying life, and troubled by few cares. Tliere were no bandits in that rejjion. The scantv inliabitants were more tlian well-disposed ; tljey were ready to bow down before us in their defer- ential good-will. The climate, though emphati- cally warm, was healthful and stimulating. There were hardly enough pumas in the neighborhood to add to our content the zest of excitement. There were peccaries, as we were told in admonition, but we had seen no sifjn of them ; and when we learned that they were only a kind of small wild pig we took little stock in the tales we heard of their unrelentinc*- ferocitv. " On one of our numerous liolidays — we could not work our peons on any saint's day be it re- membered — a rumor of a remarkable waterfall adorning a tributary of the stream which mean- dered past our camp had taken mo a longish ride into the foothills of the Sierra. My journey was along a little-frequented trail leading into the mountains, and the scenerv was fascinating in its loveliness. I found the waterfall easily enough, for the trail led past its very brink, and I was more than rewarded for the trifling fatigue of my ride. A vigorous stream, rolling from a winding ravine in such a manner that it seemed to burst right out of the mountain-side, leaped sparkling and clamorinsf into the air from a curtain of em- o yl.V KNCOUNTKU WITH PKCC ARIES. 91 erald foliage, iind fell a distance of nearly two hundred feet into a very valley of paradise. In tliis valley, down into the bosom of which I gazed from my height, the stream lingered to form a sapphire lakelet, around whose banks grew the most luxuriant of tree-ferns and mahoganies and mesquits garlanded with gorgeous-bloomed lianas. I could hear the cries of parrots rising from the s[)lcndid coverts, and I thought what a delicious retreat the valley would l)e but for its assortment of snakes, miasma, and a probjible puma or two. I enjoyed the scene from my post, but I did not descend. Then I turned my face homeward, well content. " Tiie horse I rode requires more than a passing mention, for he played the most prominent and most heroic part in the adventure which befell me on my way home. lie was a superb beast, a blood bay, whom I had bought in the city of Mexico from an American encfineer who was leav- iiig the country. The animal, who answered to the name of Diaz, had seen })lenty of service in the interior of Mexico, and his trained instincts liad kept me out of many dangers. I loved Diaz as a faitliful friend and servant. "As I descended from the foothills the trail grew heavy and soft, making our progress slow. The land was open, — a succession of rank mead- ows, with clumps of trees dotted here and there, and pools on either side of the trail. Suddenly, ilBj ^^^■£ 1; 1 i'i \ iHKiJlf ■ 1 :f 92 A nor N J) Tin-: cami'-fihe. II some distance in my rear, there arose a slirill, men- acing ehorus of grunts and squeals, at ^vhicll 1 would fain have paused to listen. l»ut Diaz rec- ognized the sounds, and bounded forward instantly with every sign of apprehension. Then T said to myself, ' It must be those peccaries of whicli I've lieard so much.' "In a moment or two I realized that it certainly was those peccaries. They swarmed out of the rank herbage and dashed after us, gnashing their jaws ; .and, though Diaz was doing his best, the herd gained upon us rapidly. They galloped lightly over the soft soil wherein Diaz sank far above his fetlocks. It took me l)ut a moment to realize, when at last face to face with them, that the peccaries were just as dangerous as they had been represented. And another moment sufficed to show me than escape by my present tactics was im[)ossible. " I was armed with a light breech-loading rifle, — a Kemington, — and a brace of Smith & Wes- sons were sticking iu my belt. Wheeling in my saddle I took a snap shot at the i)ursuing herd, and one of the animals tumbled in his tracks. Ilis fellows took no notice of this whatever. Then I marked that Diaz a])preciated our [)light, for he was trembling under me. 1 looked about me, almost despairing of escape. *' A little behind, nearly half-way between us and the jjcccaries, I saw a wide-spreading tree AX J:\COUyTKJi with PKrCAUIKS. 03 close to the trail. Wo had passed it at the fust of tlie ahirm. Ahead, as far as I coiikl see, tliere was no sucli refuge. Plenty of trees there were indeed, but all standing off amid the swamps. I decided at once upon a somewhat desperate course. I turned Diaz about, and charged down upon the peccaries with a yell. "This stratagem appeared exactly to my horse's taste. In fact, his attitude made me rather un- comfortable. He seemed suddenly distraught. He gave several short whinnying cries of chal- lenge or defiance, and rushed on with his month wide open and his hips rolled back in a fashion that made him look fiendish. My design was to swing myself from the saddle into the tree that overhung the trail, and so give Diaz a chance to run away, when free of my weight. But Diaz seemed bent on carrying the war into the enemy's country. " I took one more shot at the peccaries, who seemed no whit dismayed by the onset of Diaz. I dropped my rifle, and kicked my feet out of the stirrups. By this time we were under the tree, and tlie peccaries with wild squeals were leaping upon us. I had just succeeded in grasping a branch above my head, and was swinging myself up, when I saw Diaz spring into the air, and come down with his forefeet upon one of the grunting herd. The brute's back was broken. Almost in the same instant my brave steed's teeth had made 04 Ai:<>rM) Tin-: ( ami'-fire. i;i slioi't work of iinollier i)ec'caiy ; but his flanks were streaming witli blood, and the dauntless ani- mals were literally climbing upon him and ripping liis hide v/ilh their short, keen tusks. I emptied my revolvers rapidly, and lialf a dozen animals dropped ; but this made no appreciable difference in their nund)ers. Meanwhile Diaz had gathered himself together, and then, lashing out desper- ately before and behind, had shaken liimself free. JIc sprang clear of the pack, and galloped off up the trail towaid the mountains. "The peccaries pursued him but a few paces, and then returned to besiege my tree of refuge, giving me an excellent opportunity for revolver practice. As I was refilling my emptied cham- bers, I heard a snorting screech coming down the trail ; and there to my amazement was Diaz return- ing to the charge. But could that terrible-looking beast be my gentle Diaz? His eyes seemed like blazing coals, and his great jaws were dripping with blood. The peccaries darted joyously into the fray, but Diaz Avent right through and over them like a whirlwind, mangling I know not liow many in his course, and disappeared down the trail on the homeward road. His charge had been murderous, but there were still plenty of niy ad- versaries left to make my beleaguerment all too effective. I gazed wistfully after my heroic horse, and then, perched secui'ely astride a brancli, I con- tinued my revolver practice. Tiie peccaries, never ! i->' it:'> Mli* f (1 0 ir C( oi w w il 01 T \h lio ]ki pi JIK tJOl oil l)k COl set all sie ile( I f thi so mis ,LV nycorxrim wrni ve(('AI{Ies. % lieeding the diminution of their ranks, and dis- daining to notit;o their -.vounds, kept scrambling on one another's shoulders, and thrusting their malignant snouts high into the air in the hope of coming at me and satiating their revenge. " In the course of lialf an hour my little stock of cartridges, used deliberately and effectively, ^vas gone ; but so, as I congratulated myself, wcie most of the peccaries. There were still half a dozen, however; and these, as far as my impris- onment was concerned, were as bad as fourscore. Tliose were incorruptible jailers ; and I feared lest lliuir ceaseless, angry cries might summon another herd to their assistance. When a couple of hours had passed I grew deeply disgusted, and began to })lan my camping arrangements for the night. " In the act of tying some branches together to make myself a safe couch, I caught the welcome sound of voices approaching. It was my party out in search of me. The arrival of Diaz, torn, bloody-mouthed, and in a wild excitement, had, of course, given them a terrible alarm ; and they had set off without delay, hardly expecting to find me alive. A few shots from their rifles broke up the siege, and the meagre remnant of the peccaries fled into the swamps. When I got back to camp 1 found that none of the peons dared to do any- thing for Diaz, or even to approach him, he was so furious and so erratic. To me he was sub- missive, though with an effort. I dressed his M 0(5 AUOVSl) TIIK CAMI'-FIUE. woumls, and gave liim a heavy dose of aloes, and in a day or two he was liimself again. Hut I be- lieve he was on tiie veige of going mad." When Magnus ceased I murmured, " I only hope your uncle's adventures will last right through this trip." "And now." said Sam, "we'll call on Queer- man for something of a tender and idyllic tone; ell, Queerman?" "All right," was the reply. "And I'll show you, Sam, that I, too, know something of the lumber-camps. Listen to a gentle — ' IDYL OF LOST CAMP.' "In the lumber-camps they still talk about the great midwinter thaw that wrought such havoc ten years back. It came on without warning about the last week in February. There had been heavy snowfalls in the early part of the winter, and all through thfit district the snows were deep and soft. Before the thaw came to an end these great snow masses were dwindled to almost noth- ing, and the ice had gone out of the rivers in a series of tremendous floods. " For the lumber thieves the thaw was a mag- nificent ojiportunity, of which they made haste to avail themselves. Having no stumpage dues to pay, they could afford a little extra outlay for the difficult hauling. They were comparatively secure IDYL OF LOST CAMr. 97 from interruption, and tho opening of the streams gave them an opportunity of quickly getting their spoils out of the way. "One of the most important camps of the dis- trict at that time was that of the Kyckert Com- pany, on the Little St. Francis. On a Saturday morning, the fourth day of the thaw, word was brought into camp that the thieves were having a deliirhtful time over on Lake Pecktaweekaacfomic, on the Company's timber limits. Steve Doyle, tiio boss of the camp, innnediately called for volun- teers to attempt the capture of the marauders. Every man at once came forward, with the excep- tion of the cook ; and the boss, in order to excite no jealousies, made liis selection by lot. In half an hour the squad was ready to set out. " ' Be you agoin' along, sir ? ' inquired one of the hands. " ' Why, of course ! ' exclaimed Doyle. ' Mc- Cann will be in charge here while we're gone. There's such a thing possible as a brush with them fellows, though I don't anticipate no trouble with 'em. I reckon they're relyin' on the thaw to keep 'em from bein' interrupted.' '"I thought,' responded the man who had just spoken, 'as how the "little feller" might come out to camp to-day, along of Mart, an' you mightn't want to miss him. He ain't been here fur more'n a month, now, an' we're all kind of expectin' him to-day. You kin depend on us to m^ 08 AUOrSl) TIIK CAMr-FIIiE. make a good job of it, ef so he's you'd like to st.'iy by the camp. The liaiids all knows you too well to think you stay home on account of bein' skeereih anyways ! ' "At this there was a general laugh; for Doyle's reckless courage was famous in .all the camps. "'No,' said the boss, after a thoughtful pause; ' it's my place to go, and not to st.iy. Anyways, I'm not lookin' for Arty to-day. His grandmother ain't goin' to let liim come when the road's so bad. No ! ' he continued with renewed emphasis, * this ain't no time for Arty in the woods.' " Without more discussion the band picked up their dunnage and their guns, and set out for the lake of the unpronounceable name. It is needless to cay the name became much shortened in their careless lingo. On state occasions they sometimes took pains to pronounce it 'Peckagomic.' For every-day use they found ' Gomic ' quite suffi- cient. " About the time the expedition was setting out from the Ryckert Camp, far away in Beardsley Settlement a very small boy was being tucked comfortably into the straw and bearskins of a roomy pung. As his grandmother kissed the round, expectiint little face, she said to the driver, a slim youth of perhaps eighteen, — " * Do you think, now, Mart, the goin' won't be too bad? Be you sure the pung ain't likely to slump down and upset? And then there's the 7/M'/. Of LOST (AMI'. 00 ice I This warm spell must have made it pretty rotten I Will it l)o safe crossin' the streams ? Somehow or other, I do jist hate lettin' Arty go along this mornin' I '" "'Don't you be worryin' a mite, marm,' re- sponded Mart Babeock, gathering up the . reins. 'Ther' ain't no ice to cross, seein's ther' ain't no rivers in our rowt, exceptin' the Siegus, an' that's ^' »t a bridge to it. I'll look after Arty, trust mo. His pa'd bo powerful disapp'inted if \ didn't bring him along this time, to say nawthiu' of all the hands ! ' " ' Well, well,' said the old lady in a voice of reluctant resignation ; 'I suppose it's all right; but take keer of him. Mart, as if he was the apple of your eye ! ' " It was a soft, hazy, melting day when Mart and Arty set out on their long drive. The travelling was heavy, but the air was delicious, and our travellers were in the highest spirits. This visit to the camp was Arty's dearest treat, and was al- lowed him three or four times during the winter. "Toward noon the hazy blue of the morning sky changed to a thick gray, while the air grew almost oppressively warm, and the woods were filled on all sides with the strange, innumerable noises of the great thaw. The dull crunchings of the set- tling masses of snow at first thrilled the child with a vague alarm. Then, resissured by his compan- ion, he grew interested in trying to distinguish I 100 A nor XT) THE CAMP-FIJiE. the varied sounds. Tlie unbending of softened twigs and saplings, the dropping of loosened bark, the stealthy tricklings of unseen rillets — all these filled the forest with a sense of mysterious activity and bustle. "Every little while Mart stopped to give the floundering horse rest and encouragement. Jerry belonged to Steve Doyle ; but being a great pet with his owner, and devoted to the child, and at the same time somewhat too old to endure with- out injury tlie hardships of winter lumbering, he had been loft at home in luxury the last two winters, with nothing to do but make a weekly trip to the camp on the Little St. Francis. In all cases Jerry was treated with affectionate consider- ation, which he amply repaid by his intelligence and ■willingness. " When our weary travellers reached the top of the hill overlooking the camp, Jerry was pretty well fagged. There was the camp, however, not half a mile away in its clearing at the end of a straight bit of road. Arty clapped his hands, and stood up to see if he could catch a glimpse of his father looking out for him; and Mart chirruped cheerfully to the horse. " Just at this moment the rain, which had been threatening for hours, came down. It came down in sheets. The horse was urged to a run ; but the travellers, ere they reached the camp, were drenched as if they had fallen in the river, Arty, '.V IDYL OF LOST CAMP. 101 moreover, was drenched in tears for a few mo- ments on learning of his father's absence ; but .soon, with the delighted i)ettings and caressings of the three or four woodsmen who had been left in the camp, the little fellow's disappointment was assuaged, and he was making himself at home. The camp, however, seemed, to him lonely and de- serted; and when, after supper, getting the cook to wrap him up in an oilskin coat, he went out to the stable to give Jerry a big piece of camp gingerbread and bid him good-niglit, his disap- j)ointment welled up again, and he gave way to a few more tears on the affectionate animal's neck. *' Around the blazing fire a little later Arty was liimself again. The men sang songs for him, and told him stories, and blew little clouds of bitter smoke from tlieir pipes into tlie brown thicket of his curls. He sat now on one rough fellow's knee, now on another's, and absorbed all the atten- tion of the camp, and was allowed by tlie cook to eat all the gingerbread lie wanted When he got sleepy he was put into his father's bunk; and, since he was determined to have it so, Mart was allowed to sleep beside him. Arty having gone to bed, there was nothing for his admirers to do but follow his example. Their hearts filled with tender memories and generous thoughts, stirred u}) by the prt^aence of the child among them, the ])ackwoodsmen turned into their bunks, and soon were fast asleep. ■; .^;i ■: I I ^i< 102 AROUND rilE CAMP-FllilC. " That niffht the floods came. The torrents rush- ing down every hillside speedily burst the already rotten ice. Some miles above the camp a jam formed itself early in the evening, — a mixed mass of ice-cakes, logs, and rubbish ; and this kept the water below from rising rapidly enough to warn the camp of its danger. Just as the gray of dawn was beginning to struggle dimly through the for- est aisles, the jam broke, and the mighty avalanche of ice and water swept down on the slumbering camp. " There was no warning. Men perished in their sleep, crushed or drowned, without knowing what had liappened. The camp was simply wiped out of existence. " The bunk in which Arty lay asleep with his young protector was not built into the wall like the other bunks. It was a separate structure, and stood across the end of the building close by the fireplace. When the flood struck the camp, the stout building went down like a house of cards. " With a clioking cry of terror Arty awoke to find himself drifting in a tumult of icy waters. Great dark waves kept whirling, eddying, and crashing about him. An arm was around him, holding him firmly, and he realized tliat Mart was taking care of him. Presently a fragment of wreck plunged against them and he heard Mart groan; but the young man caught the timbers, and bade Arty lay hold of them. The child IDYL OF LOST CAMP. 103 bravely did as he was told, and climbed actively upon the floating mass. Hardly had he done so when Mart disaj^peared under the dark surface. ''A shrill cry broke from Arty's lips at the sight, but in a moment the young man reap- ])cared. He was close against the timbers — dash- ing against them, in fact; but Arty saw th;:t he was unable to hold on to them. Throwing him- self flat on his face, the plucky little fellow caught hold of his friend's sleeve, and clung to it with all his tiny strength. Tiny as it was, it was enough l\)r the purpose, however, and Mart's head was kept above water ; but his eyes were closed, and he did not notice the child's voice begging him to climb up onto the wreck. " The waters subsided almost as rapidly as they had risen, though the stream remained a torrent, raging far above its wonted bounds. In a few minutes tlie timbers on which Arty had his refuge were swung by an eddy into shallow water. They caught against a tree, and then grounded at one end. *'Arty began crawling toward shore, dragging Mart's body through the water witliout great diffi- culty. But when he got into the shallow part it was another matter ; he could not haul Mart's weight any farther. Resting the young man's head on the edge of the timbers, he paused to take breath, and looked about him in despair. Now lie began to cry again ; he had been too busy for lamentations while trying to save Mart. L, • ; .-'.i }'T 104 Aiiovyi) Tin: CAMV-FtuE. " Presently lie heard some one approaching, at- tracted by the sound of his voice. Looking up eagerly, he saw it was old Jerry, picking his way through the shallow water. He called him by name, and the horse neighed joyfully in answer. The animal was sadly bedraggled in appearance, but evidently unhurt. He had swum ashore lower down the river, and was making his way back to where he expected to find the camp. Now, how- ever, he came to Arty, sniffed him over, and rubbed him with his soft, wet nose. "'Jerry'U help me pull Mart out,' said the child aloud, half to himself, half to the horse ; and laying hold of the young man's sleeve, he again began bravely tugging upon it. ' Pull too, Jerry,' urged the little fellow, while the animal stood wondering what it was he was required to do. In a moment, however, he understood ; and seizing the young man by the collar of his shirt, he speedily dragged him to land without much help from Arty. The affectionate creature rec- ognized his driver, and stood over him with drooping head, bewildered at his helplessness and silence. Mart opened his eyes, and groaned slightly once or twice, but immediately relapsed into unconsciousness. Arty sat down by his side, his little heart overflowing with grief and fear. He kept crying for his father and his grand- mother, and for Mart to open his eyes. Jerry completed the sad group, standing over it as if JDVL OF LOST CAMP. 105 on guard, and ever and anon lifting his head to send ; Ai a shrill whinny of appeal. This was the position in which, a half-hour later, guided by Jerry's signals, Steve Doyle and his party found them. " Doyle had not caught the lumber thieves. The march of his party had been so retarded by the thaw that they had halted before going half- wu}'. As the storm increased, and they observed liow the water was rising in the brook beside which they had encamped, they became alarmed. They realized the prospect of a big flood ; and Steve Doyle led his men back in hot haste. It was full daylight ^ hen they came out upon the devas- tated clearing where once had stood the camp. '' The horror in tlie lumbermen's hearts is not to be described. In a pile of wreckage, strangely mixed up with hay and straw from the stable, they found the cook, with a leg and an arm broken, but still alive. Of no one else was there a sign, nor of the horses. From the cook, Doyle learned of Arty's presence in the camp. Without a word, but with a wild, white face, the man started down stream in a despairing search; and the whole band followed, with the exception of two tiiat stayed to take care of the unfortunate cook. " When the father clasped Arty in his arms he was almost beside himself with joy for a few moments ; then he remembered the poor fellows who were gone. Giving the child into the anns 1 1, mi m lOG AHOVM) THE CAMP-FIIiE. f of one of the men, lie busied himself with Mart, whom, by means of rubbing, he soon brought back to consciousness. The brave fellow had been stunned by a blow on the liead, and afterward half drowned ; but he soon recovered so far as to he able to walk with assistance. To Arty he owed his life, even as he had himself saved Arty's. " A little later a melancholy procession started back for Beardsley Settlement. The poor cook was placed on Jerry's back, and bore his pain like a hero. Arty trudged by the side of McCann, to whose charge he was committed by his father, and Mart was helped along by two of his comrades. With these went five or six more of the hands, to get them safely to the settlement. All the rest, under the leadership of Steve Doyle, set ofif down river on a search for the three missing men, or their bodies. And the site of the camp was left to its desolation. " As for Doyle's search, it proved fruitless, and the party returned heavy-heai'ted. Henceforth the scene of the catastrophe became known through- out that region as 'Lost Camp,' and was sedu- lously avoided by the lumbermen. Next season the llyckert Company's camp on tbe Little St. Francis was built on higher ground some miles farther up stream." "That's a most depressing tale, Queennan," grumbled Ranolf. '' I suppose it's my turn now ; THE CART llEFOllK TUIC STRFAi. 101 and, thank goodness, I've got something frivolous to tell ! " " Heave ahead, then," urged Stranion. " Your title? " I demanded. "Tliis is the tale of ^ The Cart before the Steer,' " replied Ranolf. THE CART BEFORE THE STEER. " ' Landry ! ' shouted Squire Bateman, emer- ging from the big red door of the barn with a pitchfork in his hand. "Landry, an excitable little Frenchman, ap- peared suddenly around the woodhouse, as if he liad just been waiting to be called. " ' Landry,' said tlie squire, ' you're goin' in to Kentville this mornin' for that feed, ain't you ? ' " ' Yes, sare,' responded Landry. " The farmer considered for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on a head of wheat. Tlien he con- tinued, ' You'd better take the black-an'-white steer along, and leave him at Murphy's as you pass. He's fat now as he'll ever be, an' it's jest a waste o' feed to keep on stuffin' the critter.' " ' Ow'll I take him, sare ? ' queried Landry. " * Oh,' replied the squire rather impatiently, turning back into the barn, * hitch him to the back o' the cart. He'll lead all right ! ' "On this point Landry seemed doubtful. He scratched his head anxiously for a moment, and then darted off in his nervous way- so unlike the \n H 108 AllOVNl) THE CAMP-FIRTi. deliberateness of liired men in general, to caiT} out his employer's orders. "The black-and-white steer was a raw-boned beast, about three yeais old, with no disposition to take on fat. There was a wild, roving expres- sion in his eye which made Landry, who knew cattle well, and appreciated the differences in their dispositions, very doubtful as to his docility when being led to market. In Squire Batemaii's eyes, however, a steer was a steer ; and if one could be led so could another. Squire Buteman had a constitutional hatred of exceptions. " When Landry was ready to start he hitched the steer to the cart-tail with a strong halter, and set out with misgivings. But the steer proved docility itself. It trotted along in indolent good humor, holding its head high, and sniffing the fresh, meadow-scented air with delight. By tlie time they reached the top of Barnes's Hill, a lontjc descent about two miles this side of Kentville, Landry had made up his mind that he had done the animal an injustice. But just at this stage in the journey something took place, as things will so long as Fate remains the whimsical creature she is. " It chanced tliat a party of wheelmen from Hal- ifax, on a tour through the Cornwallis valley ami the Evangeline regions, arrived at the top of the Iiill when Landry and his charge were about half- way down. The bicyclists were riding in a long TIIK CART UEFOUE TIIK ST K Eli. 100 line, single file. Their leader knew the countr3% and he knew that Barnes's Hill was smooth and safe for ' coasting.' Some of the riders, the leader among them, were on the old-fashioned liigh wheels, while others rode the less conspicu- ous * Safeties,' then a new thing. Each man, as lie dipped over the edge of the slope, flung his legs over the handles and luxuriously *let her go.' They saw the team ahead, but there was abundance of room for safe passing. " Now, Squire Bateman's black-and-white steer luid been brought up behind the Gaspereau hills, where the wheelman delights not to wander. A bicycle, therefore, was in his eyes a novel and ter- rifying sight. As the whirling and gleaming apparition flashed past he snorted fiercely, and sprang aside with a violence that almost upset the cart. Landry sprang to his feet, grinding his teeth with excitement and wrath, and the next wlieelman slipped radiantly by. This was too much for the black-and-white steer, and on the third wheel he made a desperate but ineffectual charge. " Ineffectual did I say ? Well, only so far as that wheel was concerned ; but he flung himself so far across the way that the next rider could not avoid the obstacle. The tall wheel struck the an'.nal amidships, so to speak; and the rider went right on and landed in a dismal heap. The other riders darted aside up the bank into tlie r^ no AliOLWI) THE (AMP-FIRE. fence, stopping themselves gracefully or ungrace- fully, but at any cost avoiding the now quite demented beast that was blocking their way. " The animal made a frantic dash at the unfortu- nate wheelman in the gutter, who had picked him- self up with difficulty, and was feeling for broken bones. He was beyond the steer's reach, but dis- creetly hobbled to the fencf, and placed that wel- come barrier between him and the foe. The fury of the animal's charge, however, had swung the cart right across the road, and now the frightened horse began to plunge and rear. Landry held him in partial control ; and the next instant the steer made a second mad rush, this time aiming at the bicycle which had struck him, and which now lay in the gutter. He reached the offending wheel, but at the same time he upset the cart. Out went Landry like a rubber ball ; and the horse, kicking himself free of the traces, set out at a liighly creditable pace for Kentville. " The rage of the little Frenchman, as he picked himself up, was Homeric. He abused the bellow- ing and bounding brute with an eloquence which, had it been expressed in English, would have made the wheelmen on the other side of the fence depart in horror. Then he seized a fence stake and rushed into close quarters, resolved to enforce his authority. " At the moment of Landry's attack, the steer had his horns very much engaged in the wheel of TIIK CAliT llKFOliK THE STKKU. in tlie bicycle As the fence stake came down witli impressive emphasis across liis haunches, he tossed the machine in air, and charged on liis assailant \\\i\\ great nimbleness and ferocity. Landry just escaped by springing over the body of the cart; and at this juncture he congratulated himself that he had hitched the animal by so strong a halter. " 15y this time the bicyclists had reunited their forces a little below. Their leader, with the dis- mounted wheelman, now came to rescue the suf- fering wheel. But there was no such thing as getting near it. The steer stood guard over his prize with an air that forbade any interference. '• ' It isn't much good now, anyway,' grumbled the victim. ' I guess I'll have to hobble on as far as Kentville, and borrow or hire another wheel tliere. This ain't worth mendinjj now.' " ' Oh, nonsense ! ' replied the leader ; ' a few dol- lars will put it all right. We'll leave it at Kent- ville to be sent back to Halifax by the I). A. R., and Mclnerney'll fix it so you'd never know it had been broken ! ' " ' Well,' rejoined the discomfited one, ' I don't see how we're going to get hold of it, anyway.' " To this sentiment the steer bellowed his ad- herence. The leader of the wheelmen, however, glancing around at the encouraging countenances of his party, drew a small revolver from his hip pocket. "'Don't you think,' he said, addressing Landry, 112 MIOUM) rilh: CAM I'- FN! H. r\ I ! * wo oiiglit to shoot this beast? Ho is blocking,' tlie liigliwiiy, and ho is a menace to all passers-by.' " The astute Landry meditated for a moment. " ' What might be your name, sare ? ' he in- quired. " ' My name's Vroot — Walter Vroot of Hali- fax,' replied the wheelman. " ' Eef you shoot ze steer, sare, Scjuire Bateman he make you pay for 'eem, sure,' said Landry. "At this there arose a chorus of indignation led by the discomfited one. But Mr. Vroot turned on his heel, thrusting his revolver back into his pocket. " ' Perhaps,' said he to Landry, ' you'll be so good as to bring the bicycle into Kentville with you when you come.' " ' Sare,' said Landry, ' 'ow is dat posseeble ? I go in to Kentville right now to look after my 'orsc.' " In a few minutes the wheelmen had vanished in a slender and gleaming line, Landry and the wheelless one (vrhose name, by the way, was Smith) were trnnii ing dejectedly townward, and the steer wa:-? irit in absolute possession of the cart, the wheel, and a portion of the Queen's liighway. " In a short time the situation might have be- come monotonous for the animal, as the road was dry and dusty, and the rich, short grass of the roadside beyond liis reach. But just as lie had Tin-: CAIiT UKl'OUi: THE STKKU. im got tired cf ilomolisliiiii^ the bicyclt!, tli(3ic3 ciuno a diversion. A lij^lit carriage coiitiiiuing a lady and gentleman appeared over tlie crest of the hill. The occupants ()f the carriage were sur- prised and vexed at the obstach; before them. '• ' I think it's perfectly outrageous,' said the lady, " the way these country people leave their vehicles right in the middle of the road.' ""There seems to have been some accident,' remarked the man soothingly. " ' What business had they going away and leav- ing things that way?' retorted the lady sharply. ' You'll have to get out and lemove that animal before we try to pass.' "By this time the horse, a mild livery-stable creature, was almost ^^ithin reach of the angry steer, whose tail twitched ominously. The next instant, with a deep, grunting bellow, he charged at the liorse, who reared and backed just in time to save liimself. The carriage came within an ace of upsetting, and the lady shrieked hysterically. The man sprang out, and seized the hol-se by the head. The lady flung herself out desperately over the back. "'Don't bo alarmed, my dear!' said the man. ' The animal is securely fastened to the cart, and seems to have been placed there to guard the way. They seem to have very strange customs in Nova Scotia!' "'What shall we do?' queried the lady tear- fully, gazing at the pawing and roaring steer. m 114 AROUND THE CAMr-FIUK. "'Why, there's nothinjj to do but take down a piece cf the fence and drive around. There's no occasion for aLarm ! ' replied the mm. "He backed the liorse a little way, and then tied him to the fence while he made an opening. Then he made another opening at a safe distance below the obstacle, led the liorse and carriage through, put tlie lady back into the seat, and con- tinued his journey philosophically. In the course of the next liour a number of other travellers ap- proached, and taking in the situation, followed the new route throucrh tlie fields. The steer in- variably bellowed, and plunged and lashed himself into mad rage in trying to get at them ; but Squire Bateman's halter and rope did their duty, and all his efforts provod futile. " But meanwhile the most astounding reports were flying about Kentville. Landry had secured the horse, and related the exact truth of the whole affair; but the various romantic and exciting em- bellishments of waj'farers found most favor in the eventless country town. A little squad of men with guns set forth to quell the nuisance; and hard on their heels followed Landry, bent on sav- ing the property of his employer. "When the party drew near, and realized how securely their antagonist was tethered, they were in no haste to complete their errand. The brute's rage was so blind and fierce that they amused themselves for a little with the sport of tantaliz- THE CART BEFORE THE STEER. llo ing him. They would approach almost within his reach, and then dart back to a safer-looking distance ; and presently the animal was a mass of sweat and froth, churned with red dust of the liighway. At last, just as one of the men raised liis rifle with the intention of ending the play, the animal threw himself in one of his maddest cliarges. "Landry had just come up. The instant the steer fell he rushed forward, threw his coat over its head, and knotted the arms under its jaws. Breathless and bewildered, the panting brute ceased its struggles and lay quite still. In a moment or two it was lifted to its feet, the halter was unhitched from tlie cart-tail, and Landry set out for Kentville with the blindfolded steer fol- lowing as gently as a lamb." r 116 AROUND THE CAMr-FIIiL. CHAPTER IV. MORE OF CAMP DE SQUATOOK. On the following morning we breakfasted in a very leisurely fashion, with a delightful sense o^. having all day before us. We spent the day in casting our flies at the outlet, and our success was a continual repetition of that of the previous night. Only Stranion grew tired. He could not hook as many tish as the rest of us ; wheiefore he grew disgusted, and chose to sit on the bank de- riding us. But as long as the fish were feeding we heeded him not. Our heaviest trout that day just cleared two pounds and a half. In the evening we took tea early. Before set- tling down we made a little voyage of exploration to the top of a neighboring hill, and watched the moon rise over the vast and empty wilderness. Returning to the camp, we doffed our scanty gar- ments, ran down the beach, and dashed out into the gleaming lake-waters. It was such a swim as Stranion had told us of. After this we felt royally luxurious. We lolled upon our blankets Avith a lordly air, and the soughing of the pines was all about us for music. Then, in a peremptory tone, P a day i set- W, iion the 1 ess. 1 Tai- .iito 1 1 as ally ,li a all 1 3116, I Loir-S CLAlttOSEf. 117 Sam cried, " Straiiioii ! "' — "Sir, to you I " was Stranioii's polite response. "Straiiion," continued Sam, "to you it falls to iinfoM to this appreciative audience the resources of your experience or your imagination. I would recommend, now, a judicious combination of the two." Thus irresistibly adjured, Stranion began : — "This is the story of — ' LOU'S CLAUIONET,' "' said he. " Judge ye whether I si)eak from experi- ence or imagination. '' It was a Christmas Eve service in the Second Westcock Church. "The church at Second Westcock was quaint and old-fashioned, like the village over which it presided. Its shingles were gray with the beating of many winters ; its little square tower was sur- mounted by four spindling posts, like the legs of a table turned lieavenward ; its staring win- cows were adorned with curtains of yellow cotton ; its uneven and desolate churchyard, strewn with graves and snowdrifts, occupied a bleak liillside looking out across the bay to the lonely height (if Shepody Mountain. " Down the long slope below the church strag- ;j^led the village, lialf-lost in the snow, and whistled over bv the winds of the Hav of Fundy. " Second Westcock was an outlying corner of fM\ lis AliOVNlJ THE t' AMP- Pin E. the rector's expansive parish, and a Christmas Eve service there was an event almost unparalleled. To give Second Westcock this service, the rector liad forsaken his prosperous congregations at West- c k, Sackville, and Dorchester, driving some eight or ^iies through the snows and solitude of the deep !• 'O-'chester woods. "And because the choir at Second Westcock was not remarkable even for willingness, much less for strength or skill, he had brought with him his lifteen-year-old niece, Lou Allison, to swell the Christmas praises with the notes of her clarionet. " The little church Avas lighted with oil-lamps ranged along the white wall between the win- dows. The poor, bare chancel — a red cloth-cov- ered kitchen table in a semicircle of paintless railing — was flanked by two towering pulpits of white pine. On either side the narrow, carpetless aisle were rows of unpainted benches. " On the left were gathered solemnly the men of the congregation, each looking straight ahead. On the right were the women, whispering and scanning each other's bonnets, till the appearance of the rector from the little vestry-room by the door should bring silence and reverent attention. " In front of the women's row stood the melo- deon; and the two benches behind it were occu- pied by the choir, the male members of which sat blushingly self-conscious, proud of their office, but LOU '.S CLAniONET. Ill) deeply abashed at the necessity of sitting among tlie women. *' Tliere was no attempt at Christmas decoration, for Second Westcock had nev(;r been awakened to tlie delicious excitements of the church greening. " At last the rector appeared in his voluminous wliite surplice. He moved slowly up the aisle, and mounted the winding steps of the right-hand pulpit ; and as he did so his five-year-old son, for- saking his place hy Lou's side, marched forward and seated himself resolutely on the pulpit steps. He did not feel quite at home in Second Westcock Church. " The sweet old carol, ' While shepherds watched tlieir flocks by night,' rose rather doubtfully from tlie little choir, who looked and listened askance at the glittering clarionet, into whicli Lou was now blowing softly. Lou was afraid to make her- self distinctly heard at first, lest she should startle the singers ; but in the second verse the pure vibrant notes came out with confidence, and then for two lines the song was little more than a duet between Lou and the rector's vigorous baritone. In the third verse, liowever, it all came right. The choir felt and responded to the strong sup- port and thrilling stimulus of the instrument, and ut length ceased to dread their own voices. The naked little church was glorified with the sweep of triumphal song pulsating through it. "Never before had such music been heard there. 11? 120 AtiOrXl) THE cAMP-Fine. Lii.l Men, women, and cliildren sang from their very souls ; and when the hymn was ended the whole congregation stood for some seconds as in a dream, wiUi quivering throats, till the rector's calm voice, rej)eating the opening words of the liturgy, brought back their self-control in some measure. " Thereafter every hymn and chant and carol vas like an inspiration, and Lou's eyes sparkled with exultation. " Vv Iiv.n the service was over the people gath- ered round the stove by the door, praising Lou's clarionet, and petting little Ted, who had by this time come down from the pulpit steps. One old lady gave the child two or three brown sugar- biscuits, which she had brought in her pocket, and a pair of red mittens, which she had knitted for him {is a Christmas present. '■' Turning to Lou, the old lady said, ' I never heerd nothing like that trumpet of yourn, Miss. I felt like it jest drawed down the angels from heaven to sing with us to-night. Ther voices was all swimming in a smol^e like, right up in the hollow of tlie ceilincr.' '"'Tain't a trumpet ! ' interrupted Teddy shyly; '• it's a clar'onet. I got a trumpet home I ' " ' 2^0 bo sure ! ' replied the old lady indul- gently. ' I'ut, IMiss, as r was a-sayin,' that music of yourn would jest soften the hardest heart as ever was.' " 'Jlie rector had just come from the vestry- LOU\S CLAltlOKET. 121 room, well wrappeii up in liis furs, and was sliaking hands and wisliing- every one a Merry Christmas, wliile tlie sexton brouglit the liorse to the door, lie overheard the old lady's last I'e- iiiark, as she was bundling Toddy U[) in a liuge woollen muffler. "'It certainly did,' said he, *make the singing £fo masfnificentlv to-nijjht, didn't it, ^Irs. Tait? But I wonder, now, what sort of an effect it would produce on a hard-hearted ])ear if such a creature should come out at us while Ave are Lnjinsf throucfh Dorchester woods?' " The mild pleasantry Avas very delicately adapted to the rector's audience, and the group about the stove smiled with a reverent air l)erit- ting the place they Avere in ; but the old lady exclaimed in haste, — " ' My land sakes, I*arson, a bear'd be jest scared to death ! ' "'I Avondcr if it uoidd frigliten a bear?' tliought Lou to herself, as they were getting snugly bundled into the Avarm, deep ' pung,' as the low box-sleigh with movable seats is called. '* Soon the crest of the -liill Avas passed, and the four-poster on the top of Second Westcock Church sank out of siHit. For a mile or more the road led through half-cleared pasturo lands, where the black stumps stuck up so strangely through the drifts that Teddy discovered bears on every hand. He Avas not at all alarmed, how- 'V J \-2'l AhoiWh nil': camp-fijiJi^. I 'I ever, for he was Bure liis father was a match for a thousand bears. "By and by the road entered the curious in- verted dark of the Dorchester woods, where all the light seemed to come from the white snow under the trees rather than from the dark sky above them. At this stage of the journey Teddy retired beneath the buffalo-robes, and went to sleep in the bottom of the pung. " The liorse jogged slowly along the somewhat heavy road. The bells jingled drowsily amid the soft, pushing whisper of the runners. Lou and the rector talked in quiet voices, attuned to the solemn hush of the great forest. '"'What'sthatr " Lou shivered up closer to the rector as she spoke, and glanced nervously into the dark woods whence a sound had come. He did not answer at once, but seized the whip and tightened the reins, as a signal to old Jerry to move on faster. "The horse needed no sij^nal, but awoke into an eager trot, which would have become a gallop had the rector permitted. "Again came the sound, this time a little nearer, and still, apparently, just abreast of the pung, but deep in the woods. It was a bitter, long, wailing cry, blended with a harshly grating undertone, like the rasping of a saw. " ' What is it ? ' again asked Lou, her teeth chattering. LoU's cLAiiioyE't. 12a " The rector let old Jerry out into a gallop, as he answered, * I'm afraid it's a pantlier, — what they call around here an "Indian devil." But I don't think there is any real danger. It is a ferocious beast, but will probably give us a -wide berth.' ■•'Why won't it attack ws.^" asked Lou. '' ' Oh, it prefers solitary victims,' replied the rector. 'It is ordinarily a cautious beast, and does not understand the combination of man and horse and vehicle. Only on rare occasions lias it been known to attack people diiving, and this one will probably keep well out of our sight. How- ever, it's just as well to get beyond its neighbor- hood as quickly as possible. Steady, Jerry, old boy ! Steady ; don't use yourself up too fast ! ' "The rector kept the horse well in hand; but in a short time it was plain that the panther was not avoiding the party. The cries came nearer and nearer, and Lou's breath came quicker and quicker, and the rector's teeth began to set them- selves grimly, while his brows gathered in anxious thought. "If it should come to a struggle, what was there in the sleigh, he was wondering, that could serve as a weapon ? Nothing, absolutely nothing, but his heavy pocket-knife. " ' A poor weapon,' thought he ruefully, * with wliich to fight a panther.' But he felt in his pocket with one hand, and opened the knife, and ,,• •* 1 ^^Vf* H li 1 '' w ^■IBI n ^^ i ■■ 1' ■li S^.^nr w k i "MIF 124 AlloVSb TIIK C'AMl'-PlliE. II!' slipped it under the edge of the cushion beside liim. " At this instant lie caught sight of the pan- ther bounding along through the low underbrush, keeping jmrallel with the road, and not forty yards away. " ' There it is ! ' came in a terrified whisper from Lou's lips ; and just then Teddy lifted his head from under the rotes. Frightened at the speed, and at the set look on his father's face, he began to cry. The panther heard him and turned at once toward the sleigh. " Old Jerry stretched liimself out in a burst of extra speed, while the rector grasped his poor knife fiercely; and the panther came with a long leap right into the road, not ten paces behind the flying sleigh. " Teddy stared in amazement, then cowered down in fresh terror as there came an ear-split- ting screech, wild and high and long, from Lou's clarionet. Lou had turned, and over the back of the seat was blowing this peal of desperate defi- ance in the brute's very face. The astonished animal shrank back in his tracks, and sprang again into the underbrush. "Lou turned to the rector with a flushed face of triumph, and the rector exclaimed in a husky voice, * Thank God ! ' But Teddy, between his sobs, complained, * What did you do that for, Lou?' LOU'S (JLAIUONET. 125 ** Lou jumped to the conclusion that her victory was complete and final ; but the rector kept Jerry at his top speed, and scrutinized the underwood apprehensively. " The panther appeared again in four or five minutes, returning to the road, and leaping along some forty or fifty feet behind the sleigh. His pace was a very curious, disjointed, india-rubbery spring, which rapidly closed up on tlie fugitives. "• Then round swuni; Lou's loner instrument again, and at its piercing cry tlie animal again shrank back. This time, however, ho kept to tlie road, and the moment Lou paused for breath he resumed the chase. '• ' Save your breath, child,' exclaimed the rec- tor, as Lou again put the slender tube to her lips. ' Save your breath, and let him have it ferociously when he begins to jjet too near. " The animal came within twenty or thirty feet again, and then Lou greeted him with an ear- splitting blast, and he fell back. Again and again the tactics were repeated. Lou tried a thrilling cadenza ; it was too much for the brute's nerves. He could not comprehend a girl with such a pene- trating voice, and lie could not screw up \i'-:. cour- age to a closer investigation of the marvel. "At last the animal seemed to resolve on a change of procedure. Plunging into the woods, he made an effort to get ahead of the sleigh. Old Jerry was showing signs of exhaustion; but the 1 !: 126 AUOUS1) THE (•AMP-FIUE. I It; roctor roused him to an extra spurt — and there, just alicad, was the opening of Fillmore's settlen' " ' Blow, Lou, blow ! ' shouted the rector , .^nd as the panther made a dash to intercept the sleigh, it found itself in too close proximity to the strange- voiced phenomenon in the pung, and sprang back- ward with an anjrrv snarl. " As Lou's breath failed from her dry lips, the sleigh dashed out into the open. A dog bayed angrily from the nearest farmhouse, and the pan- tiier stopped short on the edge of the wood. The rector drove into the farmyard ; and old Jerry stopped, shivering as if he would fall bet -een the shafts. "After the story had been told, and Jerry iiad been stabled and rubbed down, the rector resumed his journey with a fresh horse, having no fear that the panther would venture across the cleared lands. Three of the settlers started out forth- with, and following the tracks in the new snow, succeeded in shootincf the bcjist after a chase of two or three hours. " The adventure supplied the country-side all that winter with a theme for conversation ; and about Lou's clarionet there gathered a halo of romance that drew rousing congregations to the parish church, where its music was to be heard every alternate Sunday evening." 'J i »' I should say," remarked Queerman, "that tQ JAKE DIM HALL'S WOnDHX LEd HI cxptM'icncc antl ima^i nation you combine a most tenacious memory. Who would havo dreamed tliat the shy Teddy, with liis proclivity for the pulpit-steps, would liave developed into the Stranion that we see before us ! " To this there was no reply. Tlieu suddenly Ma'jfnus said, "Sam ! " And Sam becfuu at once. "' This is all about — » »> 'JAKE DIMBALLS WOODEN LE(;, said Sam. " One evening in the early summer, I won't sav how mnny years ago, Jake Dimball was (liivincr the cows liome from i)asture. At that time Jake, a stout youth of seventeen, liad no tliought of such an a[)pendage as a wooden leg. Indeed, he had no place to put one had he pos- sessed such a thing ; for Ids own vigorous legs of hone and muscle, with which he had been born and with which he had grown up in entire content, seemed likely to serve him for the rest of his nat- ural life. But that very evening, amid the safe (juiet and soft colors of the upland cow-pasture, fate was making ready a lesson for him in the pos- sibilities of the unexpected. '• In Westmoreland county that summer bears were looked upon as a drug in the market. The county, indeed, seemed to be suffering from an epidemic of bears. But, so far, these woody pas- tuies of Second Westcock, surrounded by settle- IP 128 AROUND THE CAMP-FIIIE. nicnts^ had apparently escaped the contagion. AVhen, therefore, Jake was startled by an angry growl, coming from a swampy thicket on his right, the thought of a bear did not innnediately occur to him. lie saw tliat the cows were running ahead witli a sudden alertness, but lie paused and gazed at the thicket, wondering whether it would be wise for him to jro and investiijate the source of the sound. AVhile he hesitated, the question was d(;- cided for liim. A large black bear burst forlli from the bushes with a crash that carried a name- less terror into Jake's very soul. The beast looked so cruelly out of jjlace, so horribly out of place, breaking in upon the beauty and securit}' of the familiar scene. Jake had no weapon more for- midable than the hazel switch he was carryincf and the pocket-knife with which he was trimming off its branches. After one long horrified look at the bear, Jake took to flight along the nan-ow cow-path. "• Jake was a notable runner in those days, yet the bear gained upon him rapidly. The cowpath was tortuous exceedingly, and aw.ay from the path the ground was too rough for fast running — at least Jake found it so. The bear did not seem to mind the irrecrularities. "• Jake envied the cows their line head start. He wished he was with them; then, as lie heard the bear getting closer, he almost wished he was one of them ; and then his foot caught in a root ai:d lie fefl headlong. JAKE DIME ALL'S WOODEN LEG. 120 "As he fell a great wave of despair went over him, and a thought flashed through his mind ; • This is the end of me ! ' His sight was daik- t'ued for an instant, as he rolled in the moss and twigs between two hillocks. Then, turning upon his back, he saw the bear already lianging over him ; and now a desperate courage came to his aid. " Raising his heels high in the air, he brought them down with violence in the brute's face. The animal started back, astonished at this novel method of defence. When it advanced ajjain to the at- tack, Jake met it desperately with his heels ; and all the time he kept up a lusty shouting such as he hoped would soon bring some one to the rescue. For a few minutes, strange to say, Jake's tactics were successful in keeping his foe at bay; but presently the bear, growing more angry, or more hvuigry, made a fiercer assault, and, succeeded in catching the lad's foot between his jaws. The brave fellowed sickened under the cruel grip of those crunching teeth; but he kept up the fight with his free heel. Just as he was about fainting with pain and exhaustion, some farmers, who had had heard the outcry, arrived upon the scene, and llie hear hastily withdrew. "That night there was a bear-hunt at Second Westcock, but it brought no spoils. Bruin had made an effective disappearance. As for Jake, liis foot and the lower part of his leg were so 130 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. dreadfully mangled that the leg had to be cut off just below the knee. When the lad was entirely recovered, being a handy fellow, he made him- self a new log of white oak, around the bottom of wliich, to prevent wear, he hamme'^'"'^^ a stout iron ring. " The years went by in their usual surreptitious fashion, and brought few changes to Second West- cock. One June evening, ten years after that on which my story opened, Jake was driving the cows home as usual, when once more, as he passed the swampy thicket, he heard that menacing growl. Jake looked about him as if in a dream. There was the same dewy smell in the air, mingled with the fragrance of sweet fern, that he remembered so painfully and so well. There was the same long yellow cloud over the black woods to the west. There was the same dappled sky of amber and violet over his head. As before, he saw the cows breaking into a run. In a moment there was the same dreadful crashing in the thicket. Was he dreaming ? He looked down in bewilderment, and his eyes fell on the iron-shod end of his wooden leg! That settled it. Evidently he was not dreaming, and it was time for him to hurry home. He broke into a run as rapid as his wooden leg would allow. " Now, long use and natural dexterity hud made Jake almost as active in the handling of this wooden leg as moat men are with the limbs JAKE DIMBALVH WOODEN LEG. 131 which nature gave them. But with liis original legs in their pristine vigor he had found himself 110 match for a bear. What, then, could he expect in the present instance? Jake looked over his slioulder, and beheld the bear hot on liis tracks. He could have sworn it was tlie same bear as of old. He made up his mind to run no more, but to save his breath for what he felt miglit be his last fight. He gave a series of terrific yells, such as he thought might pierce even to the corner grocery under the hill, and threw himself flat on his back on a gentle hummock that might pass for a post of vantage. "Jake was not hopeful, but he was firm. He thought it would be too much to expect to come off twice victorious from a scrape like this. He eyed the bear sternly, and it seemed to him as if the brute actually smiled on observing that its intended victim had not forgotten his ancient tactics. Jake concluded that the approaching contest was likely to be fatal to himself, but he calculated on making it at least unpleasant for the bear. ** The animal turned a little to one side, and attacked his prostrate antagonist in the flank; but Jake whirled nimbly just in time, and brought (If)wn his iron-shod heel on the brute's snout. The blow was a heavy one, but that bear was not at all surprised. If it was the bear of the pre- vious encounter, it doubtless argued that years ^1 m lit ir"^^ 132 AROUND THE CAMP-FIIIK had brought additional weight and strength to its opponent's understanding. It was not to be daunted, but instantly seized the wooden leg in its angry jaws. Jake's yells for help continued ; but the bear, the moment it discovered that the limb on which it was chewing was of good white oak, fell a prey to astonishment, if not alarm. " It dropped the leg, backed off a few paces, sat down upon its haunches, and gazed at this strange and inedible species of man. Jake real- ized at once the creature's bewilderment; but the crisis was such a painful one that the humor of the situation failed to strike him. "After a few moments of contemplation, the bear made a fresh attack. It was hungry, and perhaps thought some other portion of Jake's body might prove more delicate eating than his leg. Jake, however, gave it no chance to try. The next hold the bear got was upon the very end of the oaken member, where the iron ring proved little to its taste. It tried fiercely for another hold ; but Jake in his desperate struggles, endowed with the strength of his terror, suc- ceeded in foiling it in every attempt. At length, with the utmost force of his powerful thigh, he drove the end of the leg right into the beasts open mouth, inflicting a serious wound. Blood flowed freely from the animal's throat ; and pres- ently, after a moment of hesitation, having prob- ably concluded that the morsel was not savory :i JAKI'^ l)f.\tIiALVs It*00/>f;.V IKG. 133 the aiul Fake's in his 0 try. very ring |ly for iggles, siic- [ength, rh, he )east"s Blood pres- proh- I savory enough to justify any furtliur struggle, the bear moved sullenly away, coughing and whining. " Jake lay quite still till his vanquished an- tagonist had disappeared in the covert. Then he ]()se and wended liis way homeward, thinking to himself how much better his wooden leg had served him than an ordinary one could have done. In a few minutes he was met by some of liis fellow-townsmen, who were hastening to find out the cause of all the noise. To them Jake related the adventure with great elation, adding, as he concluded, ' You see, now, how everything turns out for the best. If I hadn't lost that ere leg of mine this night ten year ago, I'd have mebbe lost my head this very evening ! ' " In spite of Jake Dimball's reputation for truth- fulness, his story was not believed in the village of Second Westcock. It was voted altogether too improbable, from whatever side it was looked at. Ill fact, so profoundly incredulous were his fellow- villagers, that Jake could not even organize a bear- Imnt. Some ten days later, however, his veracity received ample confirmation. A man out looking for strayed cattle in the woods not more than a couple of miles from Jake's pasture, found a large bear lying dead in a cedar swamp. Examining the body curiously to find the cause of death, he was puzzled till he recalled Jake's story. Then he looked at the dead brute's throat. The mys- tery was solved ; and the community was once for I m 134 AROllNb TII^ CAMP-riBE. all convinced of the fighting qualities of the wooden 1 eg. " That's a good story," said Magnus. " In a vague way it reminds me of one which is as un- like it as anything could well be. Mine is a trop- ical tale. Let the O. M. enter it as — * PERIL AMONG THE PEARLS.* I got it at first-hand when I was in Halifax last autumn. " In the tiny office of the ' Cunarder ' inn the air was thick with smoke. The white, egg-shaped stove contained a fire, though September was yet young ; for a raw night fog had rolled in over Halifax, making the display of bright coals no less comforting than cheerful. From the adjacent wharves came the soft washing and whispering of the tide, with an occasional rattle of oars as a boat came to land from one of the many ships. " The density of the atmosphere in the office was chiefly due to ' Al ' Johnson, the diver, who, when he was not talking, diving, eating, or sleep- ing, was sure to be puffing at his pipe. We had talked little, but now I resolved to turn off the smoke flowing from Johnson's pipe by getting him to tell us a story. He could never tell a story and keep his pipe lit at the same time. " Johnson was a college-bred man, whom a love of adventure had lured into deep-sea diving. He ii ; Pi:niL AMONG THE PEARLS. 135 and his partner were at this time engaged in re- covering the cargo of the steamer Oehich, sunk near the entrance to Halifax harbor. " I asked Johnson, ' Do you remember prom- ising me a yarn about an adventure you had in the pearl-fisheries ? ' '''Which adventure? and what pearl-fisheries?' Johnson asked. * I've fished at Tinnevelli, and in the Sulu waters off the Borneo coast, and also in the Torres Strait ; and wheresoever it was, there seemed to be pretty nearly always some excite- ment going.' " ' Oh,' said I, ' whichever you like to give us. I think what you spoke of was an adventure in the Torres Strait.' " ' No,' said Johnson, * I think I'll give you a little yarn about a tussle I had with a turtle in the Sulu waters. I fancy there isn't much that grows but you'll find it somewhere in Borneo ; and tlie water there is just as full of life as the land.' " ' Sharks ? ' I queried. " ' Oh, worse than sharks ! ' replied Johnson. ' There's a big squid that will squirt the water black as ink ; and just then, perhaps, something comes along and grabs you when you can't defend yourself. And there's the devil-fish, own cousin to the squid, and the meanest enemy you'd want to run across anywhere. And there's a tremen- dous giant of a shell-fish, — a kind of scalloped clam, that lies with its huge shells wide open, but j! # I , !1 13<) AROUND TIIK CAMV-FIUE. \y half hidden in ilio long weeds and sea-mosses. If you put your foot into that trap — snap/ it closes on you, and you're fast! That clam is a good deal stronger than you are ; and if you have not a hatchet or something to smash the shell with, you are lik(;ly to stay there. Of course your partner in the boat up aloft would soon know something was wrong, finding that he couldn't haul you up. Then he would go down after you, and chop you loose perhaps. But meanwhile it •would he far from nice, especially if a shark came along — if another clam does not nab him, for one of these big clams has been known to catch even a shark. Many natives thereabouts do a lot of diving on their own account, and, of course, don't indulge in diving-suits. I can tell you, they are very careful not to fall afoul of those clam-shells ; for when they do they're drowned before they can get clear.' " ' You can hardly blame the clam, or whatever it is,' said I. * It must be rather a shock to its nerves when it feels a big foot thrust down right upon its stomach ! ' " 'No,' assented Johnson ; 'you can't blame the clam. But besides the clam, there is a big turtle that is a most officious creature, with a beak that will almost cut railroad iron. It is forever poking that beak into whatever it thinks it doesn't know all about ; and you cannot scare it as you can a shark. You have simply got to kill it before it I'EniL AMoxa riiK i' /cauls. 1"" will Jicknowlodge itself beaten. These same tur- tles, however, at the top of the water or on dry land would, in most cases, prove as timid as ral)- bits. And tlien, as you say, there are the sharks, — all kinds, big and little, forever hungry, but not half so courageous as they get the credit of being." '•'•I suppose,' I interrupted, 'you always carried a weapon of some sort ! ' *' ' Well, rather! ' said Johnson. 'For mv own ])art, I took a great fancy to the ironwood stakes that the natives always use. But they didn't seem to me quite the thing for smashing those big shells with, supposing a fellow should happen to put his foot into one. So I made myself a stake with a steel top, v.iach answered every pur- pose. More than one big shark have I settled with that handspike of mine ; and once I found, to my great advantage, that it was just the tiling to break up a shell with.' " ' Ha, ha ! ' laughed Best, who had been listen- ing rather inattentively hitherto. ' So i/ou put youi" foot in it, did you ? " " ' Yes, I did,' said Johnson. ' And that is just what I'm going to tell you about. I was working tliat season with a good partner, a likely young fellow hailing from Auckland. lie tended the line and the pump to my complete satisfaction. I've never had a better tender. Also, I was teach- ing him to dive, and he took to it like a loon. His name was " Larry " Scott ; and if he had lived, • f R, •BT^^^^^ WT!» l3g ARou^*T) tttH cAMr-jnnn. 1 1 ,, he would liave niiulo a record. He "vvas killed about a year after the time I'm telling you of, in a row down in New Orleans. But we won't stop to talk about that now. " * As I was saying, Larry and I pulled together pretty well from the start, and we were so lucky with our fishing that tlie fellows in the other boats began to get jealous and unpleasant. You must know that all kinds go to the pearl-fisheries ; and the worst kinds liave rather the best of it, in point of numbers. We were ready enough to fight, but we liked best to go our own way peaceably. So, when some of the other lads got quarrelsome, we just smiled, hoisted our sail, and looked up a iiew ground for ourselves some little distance from the rest of the fleet. Luck being on our side just then, we chanced upon one of the finest beds in the whole neighborhood. " ' One morning, as I was poking about among the seaweed and stuff, I came across a fine-look- ing bunch of pearl-shells. I made a grab at them, but they were firmly rooted and refused to come pway. I laid down my handspike, took hold of the cluster with both hands, and shifted my foot- hold so as to get a good chance to pull. " * Up came the bunch of shells at the first wrench, much more readily than I had expected. To recover myself I took a step backward ; down went my foot into a crevice, " slumped " into some- thing soft, and snap! my leg was fast in a grip PEntL AMOS a THE PEARLS. 130 that almost made me yell tliere in the little prison of my helmet. " ' Well, as you may imagine, just as soon as I recovered from the start this gave me, 1 reached out for my handspike to knock that clam-sliell into flinders. But a cold shiver went over me as I found I could not reacli the weapon ! As I laid it down, it had slipped a little off to one side ; and there it rested about a foot out of my reach, reclining on one of those twisted conch-shells such as the farmers use for dinner-horns. " ' How I jerked on my leg trying to pull it out of the trap ! That, however, only hurt tlie leg. All the satisfaction I could get was in the thought that my foot, with its big, twenty-pound, rubber- and-lead boot, must be making the clam's internal affairs rather uncomfortable. After I had pretty well tired myself out, stretching and tugging on my leg, and struggling to reach the handspike, I paused to recover my wind, and consider the situ- ation. " ' It was not very deep water I was working in, and there was any amount of light. You have no sort of idea, until you have been there yourself, wliat a queer world it is down where tlie pearl- oyster grows. Tlie seaweeds were all sorts of colors — or rather, I should say, they were all sorts of reds and yellows and greens. The rest of the colors of the rainbow you might find in the shells which lay around under foot, or went crawl- im 140 J no r .V /> 77/ /•; ( ■. i v /^- riuK. iii^ ainonj^ llio weeds; and awiiy ovoiliead darted and Hashed the (jueerest looking lisli, like birds in a yellow sky. There were lots of l)i<; aneni- ones too, waving, stretching, and curling their many-colored tentacles. '• ' I saw everything wiih extraordinary vivid- ness about that time, as I know })y the clear way I recollect it now ; but you may bo sure I wasn't thinking nnich just then about the beauties of nature. I was ti'viu"- to think of some way of getting assistance from Larrv vXt lenefth I con- eluded J had better give Inm the signal to liaul me \\]). Finding that I was stuck, he would, I reasoned, lioist the anchor, and then pull the boat along to the place of my captivity. Then he could easily send me down a hatchet wherewith to chop my way to freedom. ^' ' Just as 1 had come to this resolve, a black shadow passed over my liead, and I looked up quickly. It was a big turtle, i didn't like this, I can tell \o\\ ; but I kept perfectly still, hoping the new-comer would not notice me. '"He paddled along very slowly, wi'h Y ^ queer little head stuck far out, and prese o noti(^ed my air-tube. It seemed to strike hi is decidedly queer. ]My blood fairly turned to ice la mv veins as I saw him paddle up and take hold of it in a gingerly fashion with liis beak. Luckily, he didn't seem to think it would be good to eat : but I knew that if he should bite it I would be ■W,, ■■.= .■*> 1 r ■■■'irjgraK PEIilL AMONd THE PEARLS. m a dead man in about a minute, drowned inside my helmet like a i"it in a hole. It is in an emer- gency like this that a man learns to know what real terror is. '"In my desperation I stooped down and tore with both hands at the shells and weeds for some- thing I might hurl at the turtle, thinking thus perhaps to distract his attention from my air-tube. But what do you suppose happened ? AVhy, I succeeded in pulling up a great lump of shells and stones all bedded together. The mass was fully two feet long. My heart gave a leap of exultation, for I knew at once just what to do with the instrument thus providentially placed in my hands. Instead of trying to hurl it at the turtle, I reached out with it, and managed to scrape that precious handspike within grasp. As I gathered it once more into my grip, I straightened up and was a man again. " ^ Just at this juncture the turtle decided to take a hand in. I had given the signal to be hauled up at the very moment when I got hold of that lump of stones, and now I could feel Larry tugging energetically on the rope. The turtle left off fooling with the tube, and, paddling down to see what was making such a commotion in the water, he tackled me at once. " ' As it happened, however, he took hold of the big copper nut on the top of the liead-piece ; and that was too tough a morsel even for his beak, I i': V ' f." !? .SjP'^'f!'^ W9 142 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. so that all lie could do was to shake me a bit. With him at my head, and the clam on my leg, and Larry jerking on my waistband, you may imagine I could hardly call my soul my own. However, I began jabbing my handspike for all I was worth into the unprotected parts of the turtle's body, feeling around for some vital spot, — which is a thing mighty hard to find in a turtle ! In a moment the water was red with blood ; but that made no great difference to me, and for a while it didn't seem to make much difference to the turtle either. All I could do was to keep on jabbing as close to the neck as I could, and between the front flippers. And the turtle kept on chewing at the copper joint. '*'I believe it was the clam that helped me most effectually in that struggle. You see, that grip on my leg kept me as steady as a rock. If it hadn't been for that, the turtle would have hud me off my feet and end over end in no time, and would probably have soon got the best of me. As it was, after a few moments of this desperate stabbing with the handspike, I managed to kill my assailant ; but even in death that iron beak of his maintained its hold on the copper nut of my helmet. Having no means of cutting the brute's head off, I turned my attention to the big clam, and with the steel point of my hand- spike I soon released my foot. *' ' Then Larry hauled me up. He told me after- J'EIilL AMONG TUE PEARLS. 143 ward he never in all his life got such a start as when that great turtle came to the surface hang- ing on to the top of my helmet. The creature was so heavy he could not haul it and me together into the boat ; so he slashed the head off with a hatchet, and tlien lifted me aboard Beyond a black-and-blue leg, I was not much the worse for that adventure ; but I was so used up with the ex- citement of it all that I wouldn't go down for any more pearls that day. We took a day off, — Larry Jind I, and indulged in a little run ashore.' " 'You had earned it,' said I." "Now, Queerman," said Sam, "as your turn comes round again, give us something less lugu- brious than your last. Be light ; be cheerful ! " "It seems to me that I remember," replied Queerman, "a merry little adventure that be- fell me some years ago. If it is not hilarious enough to suit you, Sam, you can stop me in the middle of it. While you fellows were fishing this afternoon, I was reading Mr. Gummere's Handbook of Poetics. Without by any means indorsing all that he says, I was struck by many imaginative passages. In one place he says, ' Something dimly personal stood behind the flash of lightning, the roaring of the wind.' That is suggestive. I'll tell you a case in point from my own experience in Newfoundland, Let us call thQ stor^' — : i |. i ! IF""^ 144 AliOUM) THE CAMP-FIHE. 'THE DOGS OF THE DRIFT. **The very home of visions, and strange tradi- tions, and mysteries, is Newfoundland, that great lialf-explored island in the wild North Atlantic. " Here the iron coast, harborless for league upon league, opposes a black perpendicular front to the vast green se.i3, which slowly and unceas- ingly beneath their veil of fogs roll in, and fall in thunder amidst its pinnacles and caverns. "■ At wide intervals the cliffs give way a little, formliig narrow coves and havens, so limited that scarce a score of fishing-boats can fmd safe harbor- age therein. In ahnost every such cove may be found a tiny settlement, remote from the world, utterly shut in upon itself save during the brief months of summer, with no ideas but what spring from its people's daily toil and from the stupen- dous aspects of surrounding nature. " Is it strange that to such simple and lonely souls the wild elements become instinct witli strange life, and seem to dominate their thoughts and their existence ? " For them the driving mists are filled with apparitions. The gnarled and wind-beaten firs take on strange features in the dusk. Through the ravings of the gale against those towering cliffs comes to their ears a hubbub of articulate voices, mingled with the cries of the baffled sea- birds. H THE DOG OF THE DRIFT. 145 " Men dwelling under such influences are ima- ginative. If left in ignorance, they grow, of neces- sity, superstitious. The mouths of these islanders overflow with unearthly tales, nearly all of which may be traced to the workings of some natural force. "But their faith in these fancies is as unques- tioning as our acceptance of the word that the world is round. " What were variously known to the islanders as *The Dogs of the Drift,' 'The White Dogs,' and ' The Gray Dogs,' I heard of all over the island. "As went the tale generally, and ever with bated breath, these beings were a team of gigantic dogs, lean and pale in color, driven furiously by a gaunt woman in flowing garments of white. " They were said to appear to travellers caught journeying in a storm, and to dash past with shrill howls when the storm was at its hig-hest, " Never closer did they come than within a stone's throw ; but their coming meant death ere simset to one or another of those met by the apparition. " In the winter of 1888 a fire took place in the out-harbor where I was then living, and a large part of the winter's stores was destroyed. To our secluded settlement this was an overwhelm- ing calamity; and there was nothing for it, if we would escape actual starvation, but to send some one for supplies to Harbor Briton. 1 1I' I ifm IT w»^ 146 AJiOUyT) THE OA MP- FIRE. i I " Tlie journey was one of great difficulty and hardship, — some hundred and odd miles to be traversed through an unbroken wilderness, and the only means of conveyance a dog-team and a sledge. Being young and venturesome, and ever on the search for a new experience, I volun- teered for the service, taking with me my man, Mike Conley, a keen hunter, and one well skilled in driving dogs. '' Our team was a powerful one, led by a great black-and-white fellow, whom the other dogs de- votedly obeyed. With provision for ourselves and team, with blankets and the other necessaries of such a trip, our long sledge was well loaded down ; and we took with us money to buy sup- plies, as well as pay the transportation of them back to the famishing settlement. " We marched on snow-shoes for the most part, save over those open stretches of plain where the crust had hardened like ice, and where the dogs were able, at a brisk gallop, to draw both ourselves and their load. " At such times, exhilarated by the swift mo- tion in that keen air and sparkling sunshine, the hardships of our journey were forgotten, and we thrilled under the beauty of the glittering world of white. But far otherwise was it when our course lay, as it generally did, through " juniper " swamps and tangled accumulation of forest- growths. THE DOGS OF THE DRIFT. 147 i( Then a whole day's severest toil advanced us but a few miles on our way. The dogs, flounder- ing in the drifts and gullies, would get their traces into an almost hopeless snarl ; and many a beating the poor brutes brought upon themselves by the dangerous temper they displayed under such an- noyances. They were a fierce and wolfish pack, and a strong hand we were compelled to keep over them. "' Our nights, when it was fine and calm, were pleasant enough, as we lay, wrapt in many blankets, around our fire. Our custom was to dig a deep hollow in the snow, and floor it with soft boughs, leaving a space at one side for the fire. " Such a camp, nestled in a thick grove of '' var " or spruce, was snug in all ordinary weather. But sometimes the rage of the gale would make a fire impossible. The wind-gusts would fairly shatter it to bits, and, bursting in upon us from every quarter, drive the brands and coals all over the camp. There was then nothing left for us but to smother the remnants with snow, and huddled altogether in a heap — men, dogs, and blankets — to await wretchedly the coming of the stormy dawn. " Always on such occasions would Mike, who was superstitious to the finger-tips, be looking out in fascinated expectation for the dreadful 'Gray Dogs.' A V •: '-• n lit:! .j f ,f^'' I. n I "iii^ im 148 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. "At each yelling blast he strained his eyes through the dark, till from laughing at him I grew angry, and he was constrained to hide his fears. I represented to him that, as long as he kept his eyes beneath his blanket, these dogs of the drift need have no terrors for him, even should they come the whole night long and career about the camp; for the portent only applied to those beholding it. '' This view of the case, however, was but little relief to him, as his fears were no less on my ac- count than on his own. "Notwithstanding one or two such grim ex- periences, all went well with us till our journey was two-thirds done, and the hardest of the way lay behind us. *' Then, as we floundered one afternoon through a deadwood swamp, Mike slipped between two fallen trunks, and broke his left arm near the shoulder. This was a most unlooked-for blow, but tlie poor fellow bore it like a hero. " With rude splints I set the arm and ban- daged it ; and after a day's halt, I fixed him a sort of bed on the sledge, so that we were enabled to continue our journey. "But now we were forced to make long detours, in order to avoid rough country. " On the following morning, to our satisfaction, we came out upon a chain of lakes which prom- ised us something like fair going for a while. ;! THE boas OP THE DUIFT. 140 " In a sheltered place oii the shore we found a rude cabin occupied by two hunters, who liad ilieir traps set in the surrounding woods. Neither tlie faces nor the manner of these men did I find prepossessing ; but they received us hospitably, ftnl us well, and pressed us to stay with them over night. "Not unnaturally, they were curious as to the motives of our strange journey, and before I could i^ive him a hint of warning, my garrulous and fearless Mike had put them in possession of the wliole story. " The greedy look of intelligence which passed furtively between them upon learning we were on the way to purchase stores aroused all my suspicions, and set me shar[)ly on my guard. "Their hospitality now became doubly press- ing. In fact, when they saw me bent on imme- diate departure, they grew almost threatening in their earnestness. " At this, assuming an angry air, I asked them wliy they should so concern themselves about what was entirely my own business ; and I gave them plainly to understand that I wanted no hiterference. " Changing their tone at once, and deprecating my warmth, they calle< to my notice the storm that was gathering overhead. "•They were right; the signs could hardly be mistaken. The little bursts and eddies of drift ii kS ; I :lli ¥ , !'■ m :>.i . FfiT^ loO AHOUSt) TltK CAMl'-FlliE. I F.. 1 I that rose fitfully from the lake's white surface ; the long, whispering sob of the gusts that woke at intervals behind the forests ; the heavy but vague massing of clouds all over the sky, which at a little distance was confused with the earth by a sort of pearly haze — all portended a hurricane of snow before many hours. " With reason on their side, and the evident desire of my wounded Mike as well, our hosts urged delay till the storm should have spent its fu 7. ^ But silencing Mike with a glance, I rejected politely, but decidedly, their proffered shelter, and made ready the team for a start. " As soon as I had begun to tackle the dogs, the younger of our hosts suddenly took up his gun and left the cabin, saying he thought he'd better visit a few traps before the storm set in. " He turned, I noticed, down the shore of the lake, parallel to the direction in which our own course lay. "The older man speeded our departure with all seeming good-will, announcing that he only waited to see us safely off, and would then follow his partner to examine the traps. "Once underway I retailed my suspicions to Mike, who, heedless as he was, had been putting this and that together during the last few minutes. Bitterly he bewailed his helplessness; and many and varied were the maledictions which from his w, ' i t ■ t TlIK DOGS OF Tin: DlitFT. ir,i couch in the blankets he hurled upon our pro- spective foes. At his suggestion we shunned the wooded shores, taking our course as nearly as pos- sible down the middle of the lake. '' With my rifle in one hand and my long- laslied whip in the other, 1 urged the team to such a pace as it strained my running powers to keep up with. *' The snow was soft, and for the dogs, as for myself, the work was too severe to last ; but my aim was, if possible, to settle with the first ruffian (who had, it seemed likely, undertaken to head us off) before the second could overtake and join forces with him. '"But suddenly, with a whistle and a biting blast, tlie storm was upon us. For a moment tlie dogs cowered down in their tracks, and then wo were fain to hujr the shore for shelter. " The shelter was not much, for the storm seemed to rage from all quarters ; yet, breathless and blinded though we were, we were able to make some headway. At a momentary lull be- tween the gusts we rounded a sharp headland, and entered a long, narrow passage between the shore and a wooded island. " ' A likely place enough for the raurderin' thief ! ' exclaimed Mike. " But we plunged ahead. " The words had scarcely left his mouth when the snow seemed to rise thinly about us in a thou- ■■!' i :;. mk I J '. I M if Iflf"^ 162 AHOUNl) THE CAM I'-FJliJC. sand spirals and swirls. A tremendous wind drove down the channel and smote us in the face, with a long, confused, yelping howl, which made my tlesh creep with its resemblance to a cry of dogs. Our team trembled terribly and lay down. " ' The gray dogs ! ' came in a hoaise cry from Mike's lips, " And at tiie same moment there swept past us, in the heart of the whirlwind, a pack of wild, hud- dling, and leai)ing drifts, followed by a tall, bent, woman-like figure of snow-cloud, which seemed to stoop over and urge on their furious flight. " The vision vanished, the shrill clamor died away over the open reaches of the lake, and shaking off ni}^ tremor, I cheered our dogs again to tlie road. " But as for Mike, he was overwhelmed with horror. He would admit no doubt but that one of us must die before nightfall. And for my own part, I felt that our circumstances lent only too ugly a color to his fancy. " A succession of fitful though not violent gusts confronted us through our whole course up this delile. The air was white with fine snow, and we made but meagre headway. "It must have been about half a mile that we had covered since seeing the apparition, when we were startled by a sharp rej)ort just ahead of us ; and instantly our dogs stopped short and fell into wild confusion. 77/K Doas OF Till': DllIFT. I'ia " Springing to their heads, I found the great black-and-white leader in liis death-struggle, bleed- ing upon the snow. "'Cut the traces I ' cried Mike. " And thougli not comprehending his purpose, I stooped to do so. " It was well for me I obeyed. As I stooped, a sliot snapped beliind us, and the shrill whimper of a bullet sang past my ear. " At the same moment, the gust subsiding, I saw our first assailant step boldly out of cover just ahead of us, and raise his gun to shoulder for a second shot. " But I had severed the traces ; there was a sort of fierce hiss from Mike's tongue, and Avith a yell, tlie whole team sprang forward to avenge thoir leader. " The ruf^an, realizing at once his peril, dis- charged his gun wildly, threw it down, and fled for his life. " But he was too late ! In briefer space, I think, than it takes to tell it, the i)ack was upon him. He was literally torn to pieces. " With whip and gun-stock I threw myself upon the mad brutes, who presently, as if satisfied with their dreadful revenge, followed me back in submission to their places. " As for the second scoundrel, he had taken swift warning, and vanished. *" The dogs themselves seemed cowed by what lili 154 AltOUXl) rilh: CAMP-FUiK. I I they hud done ; and for my own part, I was filled with liorror. " But no such weak sentimentality found the slightest favor witli M'ke. Rebuking me for hav- ing beaten tliem, he lavished praise and endear- ments upon the dogs. "He re^ninded me, moreover, that they had saved the lives of ])oth ot us, or had, at the very least, saved myself from tlie necessity of taking blood upon my hands. " Realizing this, I made hasty amends to the poor, shivering brutes, comforting them with a liberal feast of dried dogfish. '' My present feeling toward them, as I look back upon the episode, is one of unmitigated gratitude. "• Tlie rest of our journey was accomplished without more than ordinary trouble. ''A good deal of my spare energy T wasted in tlie effort to overturn Mike's faith, which stands still unshaken in the supernatural cliaracter of the Dogs of the Drift. '•* With such terrible testimony in liis favor I could hardly have ex[)ected nnich success for my arguments ; for, as ho concluded triumphantly, 'if the spectral team came down that channel, as it plainly did, then tiie scoundrel lying in wait for us must have seen it, as well as we — and did not he meet his doom before nightfall ? ' " " If that's what vou call a merry tale," said r»ii jip:x ('imrsmrs uvll cAntHov. ir,r, ]• p Ranolf, " then the one I'm going to tell you of Newfoundland will make your eyes drop ' weep- ing tears.' It coneerns the fate of — 'BEX Christie's i?ull caribou.' " Ben Christie was fi'-st mate of the little coast- incf steamer Garnet, ot the Newfoundland Coastal Service. B•/.; .V ciinisriirs jULL cAnnioi Hm I'ouiul its accessible side, and si!iiunl)le(l to the suimnit as the caribou came boundinjij to its l)ase. »• If the bowhk'r had been a very few feet lower, till! adventure nh.<(ht have had a very different issue. Ihit as it was, the heio-ht proved suHicient. l^'ii surveyed tliosc spear-sharp prongs from his point of vantage, just three feet beyond reach of I heir vicious thrusts, and thouglit proudly bow line they would look mounted in tlie cabin of the (Jarnet. *' He was in no great hurry to end the peiform- ance, and he did not like to lire while the caribou was so close to the muzzle of the gun. P>ut pres- eiilly the animal paused and looked around for Mike. ''He turned, in fact, as if to go and hunt the liUle Irishman again, and Ben's heart smote him for having even for a moment forgotten the peril ill which his comrade yet remained. He took careful aim at a point close behind the caribou \s shoulder. At the report the animal sprang straight into the air, and fell back stone dead. " Very triumphant, quite pardonably so, in fact, were Ben and Mike as they returned to the (Bod- rov settlement with their spoils. They discreetly refrained from detailing at Codroy all the partic- ulars of the hunt. But if the tourist, exploring the coasts of Newfoundland in the steamer Gar- net, chances to remark upon the immense pair of caribou antlers which hang over the cabin door, he I ^^H^B s^ffi 1'^ f n IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ^ /4. 1.0 I.I fM m ' ii^ 2.2 " li£ IlillO 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 II — -* 6" ► Va ^ //, A 0% O /a / /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WESY MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 873-4503 S •^tlml m im AHOl'M) Till': (!A.\lP-FIIiE. V.l] will hear the whole story from licni Christie, who is eiiUowud with an excellent sense of humor." When Hanoi f ended he received unusual ap- plause. Then I stepped, so to speak, into the breach. " 1 cannot h()[)e," said I, *' to win the ears of this woishipful company with any such gentle humor as Hanoi f has just achieved. But I have a p^ood rousing adventure to tell you, with lots of blood though little thunder. The scene of it is not far from Newfoundland. Let this fact speak in its favor ! " *' Fire away, Old ]\Ian I " said Queerman. " I take for my narrative the simple title of — ., TT 'LAIJllADOIl WOLVES.' said 1. " In early June, two years ago, my friend, Jack Rollings, of the Canada (Geological Survey, was occupied in exploring parts of the Labrador coast, from the mouth of the Moisic River eastward. The following adventure, one of several that be- fell him in that wild region, has a peculiar interest from its ])ossible connection with a throng of ter- rible legends, the scenes of which are laid along those shores. "Kver since the Gulf of St. Lawrence becanu' known to the (ishing-fleets of Brittany and the 15as(jue Pi'ovinces, its north-eastern coast has bei'ii ]>eopled, by tlie viviy and by the moon got up out of the gulf, round and white, and bringing with her an extra blow. As the shoie brightened up clearly, we set out, moving along the crest of the point. Frank was just saying, 'How spectral those scarred gray hills look in this light! How suitable a place for the hobgoblins those old Frenchmen imagined to possess them ! " when, as if to point his remarks, there came a ghostly clamor, high and quavering, from a dark cleft far up the mountain-side. '* We both started; and I exclaimed, 'The loons have overheard you, old fellow, and are trying to work on your nerves ! They want revenge for the stuffed companions of their bygone days.' LA ItliA noli nOL VKS. 171 " ' That's not looiis I ' said Frank very seriously. ' It's no more like loons than it's like lions ! Lis- ten to that ! ' "'I listened, and was convinced. '• ' Then it must be those old Frenchmen's friends,' 1 suggested ; 'and I feel greatly inclined to avoid meeting them if possible.' "'It's the wolves from the interior,' rejoined Frank. " I'd rather have the griffnis and gob- lins. Don't you remember '73 ? I'm afraid we're in a bo" ." " ' Let us get down to windward of the point, and lie low among the rocks,' I suggested. "As likely as not the brutes won't detect us, and will keep along up the shore.' "Instantly we dropped into concealment, keep- ing, through the apertures of the crest, a fearful eye upon the mountain slopes. We were fools, to be sure; for we might have known those keen eyes had spotted us from the first, silhouetted as we had been against the moonlit sea. " Presently Frank suggested the boat, but my suHicient answer was to point to the raging surf. So we lay still, and prayed to be ignored. In a few minutes our suspense was painfully relieved by the appearance of a pack of gray forms, which swept out into the moonlight be- yond the river, and came headinjj straight for our refuse. *• ' Two dozen of 'em ! ' gasped Frank. 3 ^lU If l*i ^1^ i ; I 111 Auoi'M) Tin-: cAMi'-inu:. 1 41 in: '"And they've certainly spotted us,' I wliispered. ""•There's not a tree nor a hole we can get into ! ' muttered Frank. "'We can get on to^) of this rock, and light for it,' I groaned in desperation. " ' 1 liave it ! ' exclaimed Frank. ' The boat ! We'll get under it, and liold it down ! ' '• Leai)ing to our feet we broke wildly for tlie boat. The wolves greeted us Avith an exultant howl as they dashed through the shallow river. "We had just time to do it comfortably. The boat was heavy, and wo turned it over in such a way th.it the bow was steadied between two rocks. Once safely underneath, we lifted the craft a little and jammed licr between the rocks so that the brutes would bo unable to root her over. '• One side was raised about eight or ten inches by a piece of rock which Frank was going to re- move; but I stopped liim. liy this time the brutes were on top of the boat, and we could hear by the snarling that they had unearthed our salmon. Just then a row of long snouts and snapping jaws came under the gunwale, and we shiank as small as possible. The brutes shoved and struggled so mightily that it seemed as if they must succeed in overturning the boat, and a cold sweat broke out on my foiehead. " ' Shoot,' I yelled frantically ; and at the same instant my ears were almost burst by the discharge of both Frank's barrels. A terrilic yelping and LA nil Anna WtH.VKS. 173 howling ensued, wliilo our crowded quarters were lilled to suffocation with the smoke. " When the air cleared somewhat we could see that the wolves were eating the two whoso heads Frank's shot had shattered. Our position was very cramped and uncomfortable, half-sitting,Jialf- lying, between the thwarts ; but by stretching flat we could peer beneath the gunwale, and command a view of the situation. AVe hud a moment's respite. '"Frank,' said I, * wo might as well be eaten .as scared to death. Don't fire that gun again in here. It nearly blew my ear-drums in. Club the brutes over the snout. All that's necessary is to disable them, and it seems their kind companions will do the rest.' "'AH right,' responded Frank; 'only you must do your share ! ' and he passed me up the hatchet out of the ' cuddy-hole ' in the bow. " By this time the slaughtered wolves were re- duced to liair and bones, and the pack once more turned their attention to us. Once more the omi- nous row of lieads appeared, squeezed under the hoat-side, and claws tore madly at the roof that sheltered us. '• As combatants, our positions were exceedingly constrained ; but so, too, were those of our assail- ants. A wolf cannot dodge well when liis head is squeezed under a gunwale. "Hampered as I was I smashed the skulls of |!, t m fi If I 174 AlinrMt TIIK CAMI'-Fllii:. ilio two within easiest reach, Ijarkin*,' my knucklos viUanoiisly as I wielded my weapon. I heard Frank, too, pounding viciously up in the 1)()W. Then the attack drew off aj:fain, and the feasting and (juarrelling recommenced. " I turned to make some remark to my com- jianion, but gave a yell of dismay instead, as I felt a i)air of lion jaws grab me by the foot, and tear away the sole of my boot. In tlio excitement of the contest my foot had gone too near the gun- wale. " Tlic wolves were now growing too wary to thrust tlicir Iieads under tlie gunwale. For a time they merely sniffed along the edge ; and though we might easily have smashed tlieir toes or the ends of their noses, we refrained in order to gain opportunity for something more effective. " We nuist liave waited thus for as much as ten minutes, and the inaction was becoming intoler- able, when the brutes, thinking perhaps we were dead or gone to sleep, made a sudden concerted effort to reach us. There must liave been a dozen heads at once thrust in beneath the gunwale. One preternaturally lean wolf even wriggled his slioulders fairly through, so that ho was within an ace of taking a mouthful out of my leg be- fore I could have a fair blow at him with my hatchet. " I think we either killed or disabled four at least in that assault. Thereupon the pack drew bow. iting com- Ifelt I tear jut of I guu- ary to a time or the to gain II as ten iniolev- e were ncerted la ilo7-en ll^vale. led bis \vithin leg be- itli wy four at kk drew LMtuAinm u o/.r/;s\ 175 (iff a little, and sat down on their Itaunenes to ronsider. " Tliey could not possibly have l)eeu still hunjijry, having eaten two or three wolves and a hnndnid pounds or so of nice fresh salmon, and wo were in Jiopes they would go away. "But instead of that they eamn baek to the boat, and set up a tremendous howling, whicli juay have heen a eall for re-cnforeemeuts, or a ehalh^ngc to to eome out and settle the trouble in a scpiaro light. " I Jisked Frank bow many cartridges he bad left. " * Oh,' said be, * a dozen or more, at least ! ' "'Verily well,' said I ; * you'd better blaze away and kill as many as you can. I'll protect my car- THE CAMP-FUlK. to stand up without clinging tightly to the edge of the bunk. In the tliick dark the stove ci'ashed against my legs so heavily that I thought for a moment one of them was broken. I drew myself up again into the bunk, no longer feeling in the least degree sleepy. "Presently I realized what had happened. The boom had ])arted at the joint where the wings be- gan, and my section was swinging before the wind. The waves frequently went clear over the roof, and came pouring down the vacant j)ipe-hole in torrents, whose volume I could guess hy their sound. The pitching, rolling, tossing, and the thrashing of the waves were appalling; and I fei- vently blessed the sound workmanship that hud put together the little boom-house so as to stand such undreamed-of assaults. But I knew it could not stand them much longer. Moment hy mo- ment I expected to find myself fighting my last battle amid a crash of mad waters and shattered timbers. " In a little I began to realize that the boom must have jtarted in two places at least. From the unchecked violence of its movements I knew it must have broken loose at the pier. With this knowledge came a ray of hope. As my section was now nothing more than a long and very atten- uated raft, it might presently be blown aslu)re somewhere. If the boom-house would only hold out so long I might have a fair chance of escap- WUKCKKl) IN A liOOM-llOUSK. is: ing; but I realized that tlie progress of the frag- ment of boom would necessarily be slow, as wind ill id current were at odds together over it. " Cooped up in that horrible darkness, and clinging on to the edge of the bunk desperately with both hands, the strain soon became so intol- erable that I boffan to wish the boom-house would go to pieces, and put me out of my misery. None tiie less, however, did my heart leap into my thioat when at length there came a massive thud, a grinding crash, and the side of the boom-house o[)posite the bunk was stove in. At the same time the marvellousl}'^ tough little structure was twisted half off its foundations, and bent over as if a giant hand had crushed it down. '* 1 at once concluded that we had jjone ashore on the Point. I tried to get the door open that I minht hav'e some chance of savinjj mvself; but the twisting of the frame had fastened it innnova- hly. Madly I wrenched at it, but that very sta- bility of structure which had hitherto been my safety proved now my gravest menace. I could not budge the door ; and, meanwhile, I was being tlu'own into all sorts of positions, while the boom ground heavily against the obstacle with which it had come in contact. The boom-house was half full of water. " A fierce indignation now seized me at the tliouffht of beinsT drowned thus like a rat in a hole. Reaching down into tlu^ water my liands I'vmm ^"'■'l"U-i*P 'rrf 18H AliOUSD TIIK CAMI'-FIIiK. Si ciimo in contact with the little stove. I raised it ah)ft, and brouglit it down with all my strength against the door. The stove went to pieces, bruis- ing and cutting my hands ; but the door was shat- tered, and a wave rushed in upon me. " Holding my breath, I was tearing at the rem- nant of the door, in doubt as to whether 1 should get free in time to escape suffocation, when the boom gave a mightier lieave, and the upper part of the boom-house crashed against the obstacle with a violence that tore it clear of its base. The next instant I was in deep water, striking out blindly. " When I came up, providentially I rose clear of the shattered boom-house. I could see nothing, and I was almost choked ; but I kept my pres- ence of mind, and battled strenuously with the boiling seas, which tossed me about like a chip. In a second or two I was dashed against a pile of timbers. Half-stunned, I yet made good my liold, and instantly drew myself higher up on the pile. As soon as I liad recovered my breath suf- liciently to realize anything, I perceived that I was on one of the piers. "The upper portion of the great structure was open, and I speedily crawled down among the rocks with which these piers are always ballasted. As I crouched to escape the chill wind which hissed between the logs, how I gloried in the thought that here was something not to be tossed about by wind and wave ! Drenched, shivering, was the isted. the )sse(.l WRECKEh IS A nooM-irnusF. 180 exhausted as I was, I nevertheless felt my bed of rocks in the pier-top a most luxurious retreat. I presently fell asleep, and when I awoke the dawn was pink and amber in the eastern sky. I saw tiiat the pier which had given me refuge w.as tliat to which the sheer-boom had been fastened. The storm had moderated somewhat ; and forcing its way determinedly toward the pier came Mat's skiff, propelled by Mat himself and Jim Coxen from the Corners." " I declare,'' said Stranion, " I .almost feel the tent and the floor itself rocking, so vivid is the picture Ranolf has given us! " " Well," remarked Magnus, " it can rock us all to sleep, and the sooner the better ! " In a very few minutes we were snugly rolled in our blankets. Then Stranion rose on his elbow and blew out the candle, — "doused the glim," as he was wont to say. In the thick dark we swiftly sank to sleep. On the day after the rain, there was a wonder- ful exhilaration in the air. We felt like shout- ing and running races. The face of earth wore a clean and honest look. Queerman roamed hither and thither declaiming Miss Guiney's fine lines : — *' Up with the banners on the height, Set every matin-bell astir! The tree-top choirs carouse in light ; The dew's on phlox and lavender," — n : i 'ii'> B''- If n \\^ w 1!»0 AliOUNJ) THE CAMV-FIHE. . till lit last we pulled his hat down over his mouth, and made him go tishing with us. lie declared he didn't want to lish that day, so we took him to carry our ca[»ture8. This time we cut through the woods, and struck the river about half a mile below the outlet. The sparkling day had made us break bounds. At this point the Squatook River, after rushing in wljite-capped tumult down a gloomy channel, broadens fan-like out, and breaks over a low fall into a pool of quiet waters, out of which roars a strong rapid. The pool is wide and deep, and girt with great rocks. Over the black surface fleecy masses of froth were wheeling. How our hearts leaped at the sight ! Behold us waist-deep around the margin of the pool, or braced upon the edge of the fall. The surface is lashed sometimes in three or four places at once by the struggles of the speckled prey against the slow, inexorable reel. Our excitement is intense, but quiet. Its only ex- pression is the reel's determined click, or its thrill- ing, swift rattle as the taut line cuts the water, and the rod bends and bends. A smallish fish has taken Sam's " drop," and is being reeled, half spent, across the basin. The "" leader " trails out behind. There is a shining swirl beside it, — a strike ; and stung by the check the very monarch of the pool flashes up, and darts like lightning down stream. But Sam's fly is sticking in his jaw. Now, gallant fisherman, hold thine own ! We for- FMiKWKLL TO CAM I' I)E SQUATOOK. 101 iret our own rods. More than once Sam's reel is almost empty. For twent}'^ minutes tlie result is tloubtful. Then, reluctantly, victory declares her- self for the lithe rod and the skilful wrist. Tho larger of these two prizes which our lucky fisher- man thus brought to land just tipped the beam at two and three-quarters pounds. The other was a light half-pounder. That day after a hasty lunch we bade farewell to Camp de Squatook. The morning's tishing had 'j.'cn so good that we resolved to keep its memory aiiblurred. A sudden desire seized us for " fresh Ileitis and pastures new." We struck tent, packed tlie canoes, and paddled out joyously from the landing. Through the whitefisli barrier wo slip- ped smoothly and swiftly onward down the racing lurrent. Almost before we could realize it we were in the wild sluice above the fall. There was a clear channel at one side, and we raced through the big ripples with a shout and a cheer. But alas for high spirits and heedlessness ! Sam and Ranolf were in the rear canoe. They objected to this position ; and just after running the shoot and clearing the basin, they tried to pass Magnus and me. We were in the strong and twisting current, however; and the first thing our rivals knew they were thrown \x\}0\\ a round-backed, weedy rock. Their canoe turned over gracefully, and discharged her whole burden into the stream. Instantly the surface of the pool was diversified ii t if .'I :":i •r n 102 AliOUyi) THE CAMP-FIRE. witli floating paddles, poles, tent-pins, tin kettles, box-covers, etc., and Stranion and Queeiinan, ]\Ia[^- nus and I, were busy capturing these estrays in the eddy below. The canoe was got ashore, righted. and found to be none the worse. Our heavy valu- ables, guns and the like, were lashed to the canoe, and hence got no worse than a wetting; but our axe and various spoons and forks were gone from our sight forever. The oatmeal was a i)art of our lading, and the tobacco as well. For this last we felt no anxiety, congratulating ourselves that it was in a waterproof tin. We did not at the time open this tin, as there was tolxicco enough for a time in the other canoes. But the meal-bag was a slop. Henceforth we were to have no porridge, only beans, beans, beans, to go with our trout and canned knickknacks. And this meant nothing more nor less than dinner three times a day, in- stead of the old api)etizing sequence of breakfast, dinner, and — dinner. After a Ijrief delay we continued our journey. An exciting afternoon it proved throughout, leav- ing us well tired at evening. Taking care to pre- serve a discreet distance between the canoes when- ever the current grew threatening, we slipped on swiftly between ever-varying shores. Rounding a sharji turn we would see before us a long slope of angry water, with huddling waves and fre- quent rocks ; and at the foot of the slope three or four great white "ripples" foaming and roaring FISUING AT rilL ]ilG .7.1 .V. 103 iu the sun. Then a brief season of stern restraint, strong checkings, strenuous thrustings, sudden bokl dashes, and hair's-breadth evasions — a plunge and a cheer, and, drenched from the crest of that last "ripple," we would look back on the raging incline behind us. This sort of thing took place three times within two hours. We passed without stop- ping through Second Lake, and under the majestic front of Sugar Loaf Mountain, which is match- lessly reflected in the deep, still waters. The mountain towers from the water's edge, its base in a cedar swamp, its lofty conical summit, which topples towards the lake as if it had received a mighty push from behind, veiled and softened with thick bushes and shrubbery. "Some time after sundown we reached the mouth of a tributary stream known as the Ilorton Branch. This was a famous trout water, and we determined to fish it thoroughly on the morrow. By the time we had the tent pitched, a few trout caught in the gathering dusk, and a mighty dinner cooked and eaten, our eyes were filled with sleep. We cared not for stories that night, but smoked brief pipes and then turned in. In the morning after an early breakfast wo poled up to the Big Jam, a distance of nearly six miles. The Big Jam is a sort of dam, formed of Inir.s and tree-trunks and a long accumulation of 'lehrls. Just beneath it lies one of the finest trout pools I have ever fished — which is saying not a i< I f :| ii Ilf^^ 194 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. little. The poling up Horton Branch was delight- ful,— a stiffish current, but few rocks. Arrived at the pool we made great haste to put our rods together, so tempting were the eddies. Never, surely, shall I forget that morning's fish- ing. All the flies in our books seemed equally killing. Those Big Jam trout were insatiable. We soon grew hard to please, and made it a rule to return at once to its native element every fish that did not approach three-quarters of a pound. This had the proper effect of limiting our take to somethincr near what we could at once consume. A few fine fish we packed in salt, in a sort of bas- ket of birch-bark which Stranion ingeniously con- structed. Toward noon the fish stopped rising. Then we lunched, and took a long siesta. In the afternoon the sport was brisk, but not equal to that of the morning. No doubt if we had stayed till sundown the morning's experience would have been amply repeated ; but we were not so greedy as to desire that. We left in high spirits at about five o'clock, and slipped merrily down to our camp on the main Squatook. SAVED BY A SLIVEIi. 195 jlig^t- to put eddies. ;'s fish- equally atiable. L a rule -ery fish pound, take to lonsume. •t of bas- usly con- d rising. In the al to that ayed till Id have o greedy at about our camp CHAPTER VI. THE CAMP ON SQUATOOK RIVER. That night around the camp-fire stories were once more in demand. Stranion was first calleil upon, and he at once responded. " ril call tliis story — * SAVED BY A SLIVER,' and ask you to observe the neat alliteration," said Stranion. *' In the autumn of 1887 I was hunting in those wildernesses about the headwaters of that famous sahnon river, the south-west Miramichi. I had old Jake Christison with me, the best woodsman on the river; and I had also my inseparable companion and most faithful follower, Jeff, a large bull-ter- rier. Jeff was not a hunting-dog in any accepted sense of the word. He had no inherited instinct for the chase ; but he had remarkable intelligence, unconquerable pluck, unquestioning obedience, and hence a certain fitness for any emergency that niiglit arise. In the woods he always crept noise- lessly at my lieels, as unembarrassing and self effacing as my shadow. ll'fTT 106 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. \ 'I I* " One morning we set out from camp soon after breakfast to follow up some fresh caribou signs which Jake had just reported. We had gone but half a mile into the thickets when the woods- man discovered that he had left his hunting-knife by the camp-fire, wheie he had been using it to slice the breakfast bacon. To go without his hunting-knife could not for a moment be thought of; so he turned back hurriedly to get it, while I strolled on at a leisurely pace with Jeff at my heels. " My way led me through a litlie wide ravine, in the centre of which lay the fragments of a giant pine, shattered years ago by lightning, and bleached by storm and sun. A portion of the trunk remained yet upright, — a tall splinter, or 'sliver ' as the woodsmen call it, split from the rest of the trunk by some electric freak, and pointing like a stern wliite finger toward the spot of open sky above, whence the bolt had fallen. Saturated with resins, the sliver was practically incorruptible ; and time had only served to harden its lance-like point and edge. A few feet beyond this blasted pine the woods grew thick, — a dusky confu- sion of great gnarled trunks and twisting limbs. " As I sauntered up to the foot of that whitened trunk, Jeff suddenly thrust himself in front of nie with a low, almost inaudible growl, and stood ob- stinately still, as if to bar my farther advanee. Instantly my glance penetrated the thicket, iind f^AVEi) nr A sLivEn. 101 n after I signs I gono woods- ig-knife ig it to out his thought ^t, while 1 at my fell upon a huge pantlier crouching' flat along a fallen tree of almost the same color as the brute's hide. It was the panther's cold green eyes indeed that po promptly revealed him to me. He was in the -itude to spring ; and ordering Jeff * to heel,' I sank on one knee, cocking my rifle and taking iiim at the same time, for there was not a moment to lose. '' Even as I pulled the trigger the animal flaslied upon me, in the very face of tho flash. Tiie suddenness of the assault of course upset my aim ; but by good chance the ball went through the animal's fore shoulder, breaking the hone. I was hurled backward into a lioUow un- der the fallen fragments of the pine-tree, and I felt the panther's teeth go through my left arm. Thrusting m >elf as far as possible beneath the slielter of the log, I reached for the long knife iit my belt. Just as I got it out of its sheath, the panther, with an angry 015% dropped my arm, and turned half round, while keeping his place upon my prostrate body. My faithful Jeff had lonie to the rescue of his master, and had sunk his terrible teeth into the root of the panther's tail. " The snarling beast doubled back upon him- self, and struggled to seize the dog between his jaws ; but Jeff was too wary and active for this, and the panther would not leave his post of van- tage on my body. He was a sagacious beast, and |!(f^ Hi ii 11)8 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. perceived that if he should let me up he would Iiave two enemies to contend with instead of one. As for me, in my restricted position, I found my- self unable to use my knife with any effect. I lay still, abiding my opportunity, and watching with intense but curiously impersonal interest the good iioht mv bull-terrier was makincf. I was not con- scions of much pain in my arm, but the shock of tlie panther's assault seemed in some way to have weakened my vital force. Presently the panther, finding it impossible to release himself from that deadly grip of Jeff's, threw himself over on liis back, curling himself up like a cat, and raked the dog severely with his dangerous hind claws. The change in our assailant's position released my right arm, and at once I drove the knife into his side square to the hilt. I failed to touch a vital spot, but the wound diverted his attention ; and Jeff, bleeding and furious, was enabled to secure a new hold. The panther was a splendid beast, and fought as I never l)efore or since have seen a pan- ther fight. Had it not been for my shot, which broke his fore shoulder, it would have gone hard with both Jeff and me. As it was, however, tlie panther found his work cut out for him, thougli I was so nearly helpless from my position that Jeff had to bear the brunt of the battle. The brave terrier was getting badly cut up. I could not see very well whjit went on, being at the bottom of the light, and my breatli nearly knocked out of k. SA VED BY A SLIVER. 199 would of one. nd niy- . Hay ig with he good not con- ihock of to have panther, rom that ir on his •aked the vvs. The my right his side ital spot, and Jeff, ire a new least, and en a pan- jot, which •one hard ever, the though I that Jeff 'he brave lid not see lottom of led out of me ; but all of a sudden a rifle-shot rang in my ears, the smoke and flame filled my eyes, and the body of the panther stiffened out convulsively. The next moment old Jake was dragging me out from beneath, and anxiously inquiring about my damages. "Reassuring him as to my condition, I sat down rather faintly on the trunk, while Jeff, at my feet, lay licking his scratches. The old woodsman leaned upon his empty rifle, contemplatively scan- ning our vanquished foe, and loudly praising Jefif. Suddenly he broke off in the midst of a sentence, and glanced up into the branches ahead of him. " ' Great Jee-hoshaphat ! ' he exclaimed in a startled voice, springing backward, and snatching for a fresh cartridge, while Jeff jumped to his feet with a wrathful snarl. In tlie same breath, before I could realize what was the matter, I heard the female panther, mate of him we had killed, utter her fearful scream of rage and pain. From a giant limb overhead her long tawny body flashed out into the sunlight, descending upon our de- voted party like a yellow thunderbolt. "Weak and dazed as I was, I shut my eyes with a sense of sick disgust and weariness, and a strange feeling of infinite suspense. There was a curious sound of tearing and scratching; but no shock came, and I opened my eyes in astonish- ment. There was Jake calmly slipping a cart- ridge into his rifle. There was Jeff standing just ■m B' W^ :li "1! M ' ^'1 1 ■ :■ 1,' ■iii; lil ! ' w P''^ ' 1; ! ■' -ill i 1 ill 1 i I 1 1 ! ' 1 1' i ■■ !'^ ; . 'A ■ Ii yli ;| ; i':| 200 AltOUNT) TTIR CAMP-FTRE. as I liad seen him wlien I closed my eyes. It seemed hours, but it had been merely an eyewink — the fraction of a second. But where was the panther ? " My inward query was answered on the instant. A wild and indescribable screeching, spitting, and snarling arose, mixed with a sound of claws tearing desperately at the hard wood of the pine trunk. The panther was lield aloft in the air, impaled on the sliver, around which she spun madly like a frightful wheel of tawny fire. Her efforts to free herself were tremendous, but there was no escape. The sliver was hard as steel and as inexorable. Suddenly Jeff sprang at the crea- ture, but in his impetuosity missed his hold, and got a lightning blow from one of those great claws, almost laying his side open. The brave dog carries the marks of that wound to this day. His revenge was instantaneous ; for his next leap gained its object, and his jaws fixed themselves securely in the panther's haunches. The whole wild scene had thus far been like a dream to me, and the yellings and snarlings sounded far off and indistinct. The only reality seemed to me the still brown and green of the forest, the moveless tree-tops, the cheerful morning sun streaming down into the little glade, and the old woodsman standing in his contemplative attitude, watching the gyrating form of the panther. Then on a sudden my blood seemed to flow with a rush of It jvink s the ^S^ ^^' x^" • ^^ It" — 1 m t II ■■>■ H> SAVED BY A SLlVEt!. 201 now force, and a sense of reality came back to me. I jumped up, slipped a cartridge into my rifle, and with a timely bullet put the unhappy beast out of its pain. " In order to release the panther's body we had to cut down the sliver, the blood-stained top of which, with its point sharp and spear-like, as if fashioned by the hand of man, now hangs as a treasured relic upon my library wall. Right be- neath, as a foot-rug to my Avri ting-table, and a favorite napping-place for Jeff, is the panther- skin with two holes in it, where the sliver went through. The other skin I gave to old Jake as a memorial of the adventure ; but it is probable he sold it at the earliest fair opportunity, for it was a comely and valuable skin." ^ ;i I "Stranion," said I when he concluded, "your Jeff is one of the dogs whom I am proud to have known. I have only met, in all my career, one better dog, and that was my brave old Dan, of blessed and many-scarred memory." " Bigger, not better, dog," interrupted Stranion sternly. "Well, we won't argue over it. They were both of the same stock, anyway ; and I fear we will not look upon their like again, eh, Stranion ? " "Now you are talking, O. M.," responded Stranion warmly. " But tell us that great yarn about Dan's battle I " wmrrs 202 AROUND THE CAMP-PJIiE. "No, not to-night," was my answer. "It would seem like making rivals of Dan and Jeff, which they never were, but always sworn chums. Jeff is enough for one night. Dan shall be com- memorated on another. Let Sam give us a bear story now." '• All right," said Sam. " Here's one in which Stranion and I were l)oth concerned. Note it down by the name of — •SKIDDED LANDING.' "Three winters ago, as some of you will re- member, Stranion and I took a month in the lumber-woods. It was drawing on toward spring. As we were both good snow-shoers, we managed to visit several widely scattered camps. At all we were received hospitably, with unlimited pork and beans, hot bread and tea; and at each we made a stay of several days. "For our climax we selected that camp which promised us the most picturesque and exciting experiences at the breaking up of the ice. This was Evans's Camp on Green River, where the logs were gathered . :i what is known as a ' rough-and- tumble laihii ig,' — a form which entails much excitement and often grave peril to the axeman whose work is to cut the ' brow ' loose. " As it happened, however, the most stirring adventure that fell to our personal experience on that trip was one we encountered at Clarke's SKIDDED LANDTNO 203 Camp, on the Tobique, where we stayed but three days. " This camp, but one of the many centres of ()[)eration of the great lumbering firm of Chirke & Co., was generally known as ' Skidded Land- ing.' And here let me explain the terms ' brow,' ' drive,' ' rough-and-tumble landing,' and ' skidded landing.' " In lumbermen's parlance, the logs of the win- ter's chopping, hauled and piled on the rivei- bank where they can conveniently be launched into the water upon the breaking up of the ice, are termed collectively ' a brow of logs.' " When once the logs have been got into the water, and, shepherded by the lumbermen with their pike-poles, are flocking wildly seaward on the swollen current, they and their guardians together constitute 'the drive.' " The task the lumbermen are now engaged upon is termed ' stream driving ; ' and laborious, peri- lous work it is, especially on those rivers which are much obstructed by rapids, rocks, and shoals. A brow of logs is a ' landing ' when the logs are piled from the water's edge. A landing may be either a ' rough-and-tumble ' or a ' skidded ' land- ing. " The ' rough-and-tumble,' which good woods- men generally regard as a shiftless affair, is made by driving a few heavy timbers into the mud at the water's edge, at the foot of a sloping bank. ,ji!i:!3;ii ■r-*^ I wmi^mm :.'! I ' fi 204 AttOUNt) rilK CAMP-FIRE. Tliese form a strong and lofty breastwork. Into the space behind are tumbled the logs helter- skelter from the top of tlie bank, as they are hauled from the woods. All through the winter the space keeps Hlling up, and by spring the strain on the sustaining piles is something tremen- dous. " When the thaw comes and the river rises, and the ice goes out with a rush, then the accumula- tion of logs has to be set free. This is done by cutting away the most important of the sustain- ing timbers, whereupon the others snap, and the logs go roaring out in a terrific avalanche. " It is easy to realize tlie perils of cutting out this kind of landing. If the landing has been unskilfully or carelessly located, the peril of the enterprise is grtatly increased. "The 'skidded' landing is a much more busi- ness-like affair. In this kind of structure the logs are placed systematically. First a layer of logs is deposited parallel with the river's edge. Across these, at right angles, are laid a few light poles, technically termed skids. On these another layer of logs parallel to the water, and so on to the completion of the structure. " With this species of landing, to release the logs is a very simple matter. There is nothing to do but quietly roll them off, layer by layer, into the stream, which snatches them and hurries them away. SKIDDED LANDING. 205 Into 3lter- r are rinter r the emen- s, and iniula- )ne by ustain- ,nd the ^ * ing out vs been of the re busi- the logs of logs Across it poles, er layer to the ;ase the nothing ky layer, hurries " From this it will be seen why we did not elect to stay long at Skidded Landing. But while we were there something happened in this fashion. '' On the second day of our stay in the camp, it chanced that Stranion was lazy. When I set forth to examine some snares which I had set the night before, he chose to sn6oze in his bunk rather than accompany me. As events befell, he proved to have made the wiser choice. "Of course I tock my gun with me. I Wcas thinking of small game exclusively, — during our wanderings, hitherto, we had seen nothing larger than a fox, — and both barrels v/ere loaded with cartridges containing No. 4 shot. But with un- accountable thoughtlessness I neglected to take any heavier ammunition in my pocket; yet that was the only time on the trip that heavier ammu- nition was needed. " I visited my snares, and found in one of them a rabbit. * The boys'U appreciate a rabbit stew,* thought I, a'= / it itched the frozen carcass to my belt A 'ittle farther on I started another rabbit, which i shot, and hitched beside its fellow; and then I .truck out blithely for cl. -^. Before I liad retriiced my path many paces, I came face to face with an immense bear, which apparently liad been dogging my steps. "We halted and eyed ea'jh oilier sliarply. I thought I detected u guilty uneasiness in the ^ I i t ■( n ! i:; Ik ir'! 1 ( ■ , ■ ) ■ : ! t . ; )(:'■■ ■ i j' 1 \ ! j i 206 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. aiiimal's gaze, as if he were properly ashamed of himself for his ungentlemanly conduct. Presum- ing upon this, I spoke in an authoritative voice, and took one or two firm steps in advance. I expected the animal to step aside deferentially and let me pass, but I had forgotten that this was a hungry season for bears. The brute lum- bered forward with alacrity, as if ferociously surprised at my readiness to furnish him a much-needed luncheon. "In my trepidation I did not let hi"^. j/et near enough before I fired my solitary cartridge. Had I let him come to close quarters, the heavy bird- shot would have served the full purpose of a bullet. But no, I was in too much of a hurr}-. The charge had room to scatter before it reach ad my assailant ; and the pellets only served to cut him up badly about the head without in the least interfering with his fighting capacity. "With something between a grunt and a howl of pain and fury he dashed upon me ; and I, drop- ping my cherished weapon in a panic, made ;i mighty bound to one side and darted toward l!;o open river. I wanted free jjlay for my snow- slioes, and no risk frora hidden stumps. "In the woods the snow was soft enough to give me some advantage over my pursuer. I gained on him when doing my utmost. But be- ing gaunt from his long fast, and very light in proportion to his prodigious strength, his progre;5S, r I amed of Presum- e voice, ance. I fentially hat this ite lum- ociously him a ^'et 7\ear i Had Lvy bird- )se of a a hurry, reached d to cut the least i a howl 1 1, drop- made ;i ivard ll.o ly snow- lough to suer. I But be- light in progre;3S, SK2D1)E1> LANDWG. ^OT with that awkward srallon nf i ■ -Pid Moreover, I had vi^ <1 ^LT "^"'^^-S'^ eye the consciousness of Jw " ">' "'"d's Btant fate should I til \'' .^'""^ ^ "y in- - plunge into some^CvlSf 1"? "' ™<"' entangle my snow^hoes ""'' *'"'' ^°"W f^ell^BrthXrtjtd' ^'■^^'''^'' "- Here the snow was n,nr« "P"" "■>' ^eek. travelled faster. T eerdr-^ P*"'^'"'' ""^ he distance between us AtL f '°"'^'' ''« ''"'« help, I saved my breari. t 1° P'^^^'"? ^ells for "I was reallyLt ve 1 1 ' ""^"^ '^^<'™ ">«• "- trees and a^u"h pj„f ^^ "'^ -"P." but »d the wind blew them n "''"''^^'^'^ ^Y cries, reach Stranion's eirs 1 ""Tk T '^'^ ^'^^'^^ "> that St^nion grer^tlS^S^ 1' "-^"^^ first meeting with the bear "^ ""^ ™r " He strolled down to tl,» i„ j- perhaps three hundred v ^Z , "^- ^'''"h was seated himself upon a snnt , ^™™ «'« ""'"P. ;';? off with his poXStt °? r' ■"«"" '» hice globules of\,„m H P-^rfumed amber- innocent if not eCo'ssinl' ;™' '''^''«'^ '" this caught sight of me™/,r"''"P*""" ^hen he jetting point immedi ?f trtr'^---^ the "At the sight of my toror „! '"^'"^• feet, and was about to rusi Ck t„'"™"^ '" '"'^ ffun ; but straightway the h *'''"'? ^^ hi« cloae behind me th"7h?Lt\r""'' ''"'' »" "new there was no tim,, l» I I K . I I "W'ff'i .|»^ m I . I ly:' 208 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. to get the weapon. The emergency was upon him. He knew something had to be done at once. Fortunately he was ready of resource. He dropped down, and crawled swiftly to the edge of the landing. " The track I was following led along close under the front of the landing, then turned the corner sharply and ran straight up to the camp, lie bear was now gaining on me. He was not .ir'> re than thirty or forty feet behind. I was be- ginning to realize that he must catch mc before I could reach the camp. " Coming to this conclusion, I was just about to put forth all my remaining breath in one des- pairing shriek for help, then to turn and make what fight I could with my sheath-knife, which had already been used to cut away the dangling rabbits, when out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Stranion on the top of the logs. ^ took one look at his face and saw its look of readiness. He grinned encouragingly, but put his finger on his lips for silence. " At the sight of him I felt new vigor flow through all my veins. With fresh speed I raced along past the front of the landing, turned the corner, and bounded up the slope. Reaching the hard track, I kicked my feet clear of the snoW' shoes, and started to climb up the logs to join Stranion. *'At this moment Stranion found his opportu- A MAD STALLION. 200 upon ne at ource. to the r close led the 5 camp. ,vas not was be- 3 before st about one des- nd make ■e, wbicli |dangling I caught T took readiness. [finger ou ^gor flow I raced irned the piling the [he snow- ^s to join opportu- nity. The bear came plunging along on my tracks, immediately beneath the face of the logs. And now, with a stake which he had snatched up, Stranion pried mightily upon the two front logs of the top tier. The great timbers rolled swiftly over the edge. " One of them, the heaviest, was just in time. It caught the animal over the hindquarters, and crushed him to the ice. When Stranion's trium- phant shout proclaimed the success of his attack, I threw myself down between two logs and lay there gasping, while Stranion returned to the camp, got his gun, and put the wounded animal out of his pain. *' Later in the day, much later, Stranion and I together went over the ground I had traversed with such celerity. We recovered the rabbits, and also, after a persistent search in the snow, the gun which I had so basely abandoned." " I think that is a pretty straight account of what happened," said Stranion ; " and now we will hear something from Magnus's uncle." " No," said Magnus ; " I'll tell you something iny cousin Bob Raven told me about a time he liad with — 'A MAD STALLION.' " There is perhaps no beast," said Bob, " more terrible, more awe-inspiring, than a stallion that m i - !r^ I I !JI i!t ) \ I I '■! 11 I I 210 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. has gone mad. Such an animal, bursting all the fetters of his inherited dread of man, seems in- spired with a frightful craving to take vengeance for the immemorial servitude of his kind. As a rule, he has no quarrel with anything but hu- manity. ' Often with other horses he associates amicably, and toward the cattle and lesser animals that may be with him in the fields he displays the indifference of disdain. But let man, woman, or child come within his vision, and his homicidal mania breaks into flame. " I have had several disagreeable encounters with vicious horses, but only once was I so unfortunate as to fall in with one possessed by this homicidal mania. My escape was so narrow, and the expe- rience left so deep an impression upon my mind, that I have felt ever since an instinctive distrust for this most noble of domestic animals. " One autumn, when I was about eighteen, I was taking a tramp through the eastern townships of Quebec preparatory to resuming work at col- lege. I reached the little village of Maybury one day at noon, and dropped into the village inn for luncheon. The village was in a state of excite- ment over a tragedy which had taken place that very morning, and which was speedily detailed to me by every one with whom I came in contact. The most authentic account, as it appeared, was that given me by the proprietor of the inn. " ' You see,' he answered eagerly, in response to m citem on hii The fc year a him; J was a-i The h( the bac has alw ^"s pastu to've gc airJy, as the cowi horses al meadows «hove th: tind of i scattered he, wheel make the boy right hke old ' poor boy's ^ned out n 'i-coniin' uj ^^e yelled, fifore he co Jumped on ii-standin' jo A MAD STALLION. 211 to my question as to the cause of the general ex- citement, ' a boy 'at old Joe Cook was bringin' up on his farm has jest been killed by a mad horse. The boy come out from Liverpool las' June two year ago, with a lot more poor little beggars like liim ; an' old Joe kinder took a fancy to him, an' was a-bringin' him up like he was his own son. The horses is mostly runnin' at pasture now in the back lots yonder; an' Atkinson's stallion, what lias always had the name of bein' kind as a lamb, is pasturin' with the rest. But he seems somehow to've gone mad all on a suddent. This mornin' airly, as Cook's boy was comin' home from drivin' the cows out outer the uj)lands, he found the horses all crowdin' roun' the gate leadin' outer the meadows. He knowed some of 'em might try and shove through if he didn't take keer, so he jest kind of shooed 'em off with a stick. They all scattered away savin' only Atkinson's stallion ; an' he, wheelin' round with a kind of screech as'd make the marrer freeze in your bones, grabbed the boy right by the back of tlie neck, an' shook liim like old Tige there'd shake a rat. I guess the poor boy's neck was broke right off, for he never cried out nor nothin'. Steve Barnes was jest then a-comin' up the meadow road, an' he seen it all. He yelled, an' run up as fast as he could; but afore he could git to the fence the stallion had jinnped on the boy two or three times, an' was a-staiidiu' lookin' at him curious-like. Steve seeu K ik r;r;jj M Is i ¥' 1 w ^ '< S^'^v; „ ^^BC^SS^ m m &^:M ■J4- :''■■ |nr^ >"*Mii. • « j 212 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. 'at the boy was dead, but he started to climb over an' drive off the brute ; but as soon as the stallion seen Steve he let another screech, an' run at him with his mouth wide open, an' Steve had nothin' fur it but to hop back quick over the fence. Seein' as the boy was deader'n a door-nail, Steve didn't think it'd be com.non-sense to resk his life jest for the dead body ; but he stayed there a-ston- in' the brute, which was jest spilin' to git at him. After 'bout an hour the other horses came back, an' the stallion forgot about the boy an' went off with them 'way back behind the hills ; an' Steve got the body an' carried it home.' " ' And what have they done to the brute ? * I inquired, with a fierce anger stirring in my veins. " * Well,' answered Boniface, ' this afternoon there's a crowd goin' out to ketch him an' tie him up. If he's too bad fur that, — an' if I know anything about horses he's jest gone mad, stark mad, — why, they'll have to shoot him off-hand, to save tlieir own necks.' " ' I wonder if I'll run any risk of meeting him ? ' I queried rather anxiously. I had no wea- pon but my heavy walking-stick, and I had an almost sentimental regard for the integrity of my neck. " * Which way be you bound ? ' inquired Bon- iface. "'For Blissville,' I answered. A MAT) STALLIOX. ^n b over talUon a,t him nothin fence. , Steve his life J a-ston- at him. le back, n' went lis; an' brute ? ' y in my ifternoou an' tie If I know lad, stark off-hand, meeting no wea- |l had an ^ty of my [red Bon- *' ' Oh,' said he, 'you're all right tlien. The horses are feedin' out yonder to the no'th-east, an' Bliss ville lays south.' " It was with few misgivings that I now resumed my journey. In the tonic autumn air my spirits rose exultantly, and I walked with a brisk step, whistling and knocking off tho golden tops of the hawk-bit with my cane. The country about May- bury is a high, rolling plateau, for the most part open pasture-ground, with here and there a shal- low, wooded ravine, and here and there a terrace of loose bowlders with bramble-thickets growing between. I was soon beyond the cultivated fields, past the last of the fences. I had climbed one of those rocky terraces, and made a couple of hun- dred yards across the delightful breezy down, when, behind a low knoll, I cauglit sight of a group of horses quietly pasturing, and remem- bered with a qualm the morning's tragedy. Could this, I asked myself anxiously, be the herd con- taining: that mad stallion ? "I halted, and was about to retrace my steps unobtrusively, in the hope that I had escaped their notice. But it was too late. Two or three of the animals raised their heads and looked toward me. One in the group snorted with a peculiar half-whinny, at the sound of which my heart sank. Then I caught sight of one in the centre that seemed to be jumping up in the air off all iour feet at once. The next moment this creature. i'i ? . m . I) ! I I I i 214 AtiOtryit TItti CAMP-mUK. a groat black animal, appeared outside the group, plunging and biting at his flank. Two or three times he sprang into the air in that strange, spas- modic way I had already observed, and threw his head backward over his right shoulder with an in- describable gesture of menace and defiance. Then with a short, dreadful sound he darted toward me, open-mouthed. " Up to this point I had stood my ground, eying the brute resolutely, with an appearance of fejvr- lessness which I was very far from feeling. But now I saw that my only hope, and that a desperate one, lay in flight. I was accounted at college a first-rate sprinter, and now I ran my best. The two hundred yards that lay between me and the terrace I had just left must have been covered in not much more than twenty seconds. But as I reached the brow of the slope the mad brute was close on my heels. ** I had no time to check myself, and even less notion to do so. In fact, I fell, and rolled head- long down, dropping bruised and bewildered into a crevice between two bowlders. The next in- stant I saw the black mass of my pursuer dashing over me in a splendid leap. Before he could turn and seize me I had rolled farther into the crevice, and found that one of the rocks overhung so as to form a little narrow cave into which I could squeeze myself so far as to be quite beyond the animal's reach. f Uion came bounAnlal ? '"''^"^''- T''" ™vi„g •J--- of my burro,v !;; t T\"P "> ""e very ■■oil back his lips av A "" ^""^ spring straiglit zSo tL '''"" "''" *" ^' head, W' 'Vide, red nost 1 I 7' "*"' ^''"«''' trough The latter I d^dt iV";^;"'' '■'» chailen^e' t» accept. I waived it ?„ '"""""hent upon me "For a time the brut tf'"^"^ ""«'"'«• ''nd those strange, proudleAP \^'' '»""'''«?» "' length he aotuaUytldf *r ° his head; b^t y burrow, and reach me '^th^'^^'•'■^ "^''^ "^o teeth. This was a va^I * ^'' ^"^htful naked "• """d picking ' a L?'?'i •"" ^ '«''«°ted ^truck him a^eavy bW It '"^ "' *^"''' ^ brought the blood LTL *' "o^^" This •"^de him even, if Z^^T" "™^' "<'^*"'^' ""d ™?e; but he returned to tr ^""""^ '" his "ons. "'" to h,s former demonstra- "It must have hpBn f -tehed the mad creatutVlS;? '"""' *^* ^ The rest of the herd hn . ' ^''°" "y den. feeding indifferenu; ab'tf t^T'"'^"' """^ -ere From time to time^ elt "!, '^^ *«™«e. andsnatohafewrestkLmT»i7 '' J"' ^ '■"""' -'most immediately he wouwt" "' ^™'" ^^ ™y door, and his vigJlanTwlh " "^ '"^ P»^' =" time. ^ '""' 'vatch was on me all the "^- ginning to cast about somewhat an. fTT ■ n^m0fW 1 1 I ,' 216 AROtIND THE CAMP-FIRE. iously for a way of escape from this imprisonment, when I saw the pasturing herd suddenly toss up their heads, and then go scurrying away across the down. My adversary saw this, too, a earned his attention away from me. I peered forth cau- tiously, and to my profound relief I observed a party of men, several carrying ropes and halters, and others armed with rifles, approaching below the terrace. One man walked a little ahead of the others, and held out a peck measure, in which he shook something which I presume to have been oats. " The stallion eyed them sombrely for an in- stant ; and then his mane rose like a crest, and his liead went back with a shrill cry. the self- same way as he had greeted my ap^. ance he bounced into the air twice or thrice, and then he dashed upon the party. "The man with the oats fell back with won- derful alacrity, and the fellows who carried hal- ters seemed bent upon effacing themselves in the humblest manner possible. One tall, gray-shirted woodsman, however, stepped to the front, raised his rifle, and drew a bead upon the approaching fury, while two or three of the others held their shots in reserve. There was a moment of breathless sus- pense. Then the fine, thin note of the woodsman's rifle rang out; and the stallion sprang aside with a shriek, and stumbled forward upon his knees. Almost instantly, however, he recovered himself, nent, >s up ss the arned ticau- ved a alters, below ead of which a have an in- and his :he self- cince he then he th won- ed hal- 3S in the y-shirted [•aised his ing fury, shots in iless sus- odsmau's side with lis knees, himseli, ^l.V ADVE^TUHJH WITH A HULL MOOSE. 217 and rushed upon his opponents with undiminished ferocity. I held my breatli. He was almost upon the i)arty now. Then two more rifles flashed from the marksmen standing moveless in their tracks, mid the mad brute rose straight up on his hind legs, and fell over backward, dead. ''I stepped out to welcome my rescuers, and detailed to them my adventures. They had been wondering who or what it was tliat the brute was laying siege to. There was so much, in fact, to talk about, and I found myself for the moment so important a figure, that I returned to Maybury for that evening, and there had to retell my story at least a score of times." "If it's my turn now — and I suppose it is," said Ranolf, " I can't pretend to give you anything so blood-curdling as this story of Magnus's; but rU do my little best to make an angry bull moose as interesting as a mad stallion. Take this down, O. M., as — ' AN ADVENTURE WITH A RFLL MOOSE.' " I don't know much about the lumber-camps ; but I got this from a Restigouche lumberman, so of course it must be true. " One day a woodsman, who had been on a long tramp prospecting for prime birch timber, rushed into r. camp on the Restigouche with news that he had discovered a * yard ' of moose. « j m 11 i ' ' 11'^' .pB ,, \ f ! '''■■■ \ ■'ii ■' 'M ^ ■r:,: ]$ '((.V . inttii ;| lli t ji nlHIiii !f^*f IP 1 s i! 11 i,'1' 218 AnOtJND THE OAMP-FtRE. " A * yard ' it may here be explained, is an opening in the forest where a herd of moose has trampled down the snow and made its head- quarters. The yard is always surrounded by young trees, upon whose succulent shoots the moose feed. It forms a striking scene — the ani- mals lying about the space of trampled and dis- colored snow, while here and there a magnificently antlered bull towers above the rest, keeping watch ; and here and there on the edge of the yard an animal is reaching aloft its long, prehensile lips to tear down its meal of green branches. "Now, the news which the inspector brouglit into camp created an instant interest. Fresh meat was at a premium in the Restigouche Camp ; and at the thought of moose-meat, which is a sort of beef idealized, everv lumberman's mouth bejjan to water longingly. The boss was quite at one with the hands in this respect; wherefore it was not long before a hunt was organized. *' Only those men could take part who had snow- shoes, for the snow was deep that season. So there was a small muster of five ; but with those five went the blessings of the camp. Upon their suc- cess hung the hopes of all their hungry comrades. " The wind, fortunately for the hunters, was blowing from the yard to the camp, so that it was not necessary to take a roundabout course. The expedition was led by the prospector, who was an enthusiastic hunter, and skilled in woodcraft. .4.V AhVENtURFl Wtftt A tiVLl MOOSPJ. 210 is an se lias head- ed by its the he ani- nd dis- ficently watch ; jrard an sile lips brought 3sh meat mp; and % sort of Dejran to one with was not " It was past midday as the yard was ap- proached. The hunters separated, and closed in on the yard from all sides save that from which tlie wind was directly blowing. The leader, whose name was Story, had the longest way to go, in order that by the time he could get into position all the others might be ready and waiting. " Presently an owl was heard to hoot twice. This was Story's signal. The moose heard it too, and pricked up their ears; for the owls they were accustomed to hear hooted, as a rule, in the night- time. Then they heard the soft, hurried tramp- ing of the snow-shoes, and the crackling of frosted twigs all about them, and huddled together, ter- rified, in the middle of their yard. "The next moment five rifles blazed out upon tliem, and the hunters rushed in. Two of the creatures fell at the volley, and two more, fat young cows, were knifed by the nimble huntsmen; and the rest of the herd dashed wildly off, running up the wind, where they scented no danger. '• Now Story was in a great disgust. His shot liad failed to kill. He had fired at the chief of the herd, a splendid bull, whose antlers he craved as a trophy. The bull was struck somewhere in the bod)% for he staggered ; but instantly recover- ing, he had charged fiercely in the direction of the assault. Story had stepped behind a tree ; and the iiK'd beast, not detecting him, had continued his :| If- R li ft '•>t ; ■■■■■ 2-20 AROUND TUE CAMP-FtRE. '!' i ! i!!:' career through the woods, almost at right angles to the direction which was taken by the rest of the herd. " Story gave chase at a run, loading as he went. The bull was already out of sight, but his track was ample guide. The hunter knew he had hit the animal hard, and looked for a speedy triumpli. "For an hour he con ^ued his long trot, en- couraged from time to time by the sight of blood upon the snow. The animal's path led at last through a region of gullies and copses, and low, broad ueech-trees. Suddenly, as Story was skirt- ing the crest of a little ravine, from a thicket close aliead of him the great moose dashed out with a bellow, and charged upon him like lightning. " The hunter had not time to check himself, but whipped the gun to his shoulder and took a snai> shot. Even at the same instant the snow gave way beneath his feet, and his shot flew wide as he rolled to the foot of the ravine. " The animal was upon him before he could re- cover himself, and he thought his end was come. Dropping his gun, now useless, lie drew his knife, and, just escaping one keen prong, he seized the antlers with one hand, while with the other he slashed at the animal's neck. It was the depth and softness of the snow, with the confusion of bushes and roots beneath it, that saved him from being crushed at once. "As the moose felt the knife in his neck he AN ADVENTURE WITH A BULL MOOSE. 221 t angles 3 rest of he went. his track } had hit triumph. trot, en- i of blood ed at last , and low, was skirt- icket close 3ut with a rhtning. limself , but |ok a snai> |snow gave f\v wide as Is ne( drew back, and threw up his head with violence, intending to trample his adversary with his ter- rible hoofs ; but the neck of the moose has tremen- dous power, and as the hunter clung to liis hold with desperate tenacity, knowing that his last chance depended on it, he was thrown high into the air. He came in contact violently with a beech-tree branch. " One thinks quickly in such emergencies as these ; or rather an instinct, drowsy at other times, wakes up and saves us the need of thought. Story flung both arms around the branch, and with a great sigh of thankfulness, and possibly an inward utterance of the same, swung himself out of harm's way. "When his opponent failed to fall, the moose was astonished. He turned round and round, and tore up the snow, and bellowed hoarsely in his rage. The thing was inexplicable. " At last he looked upward, and saw the hunter in the branches. His indignation waxed fiercer than ever, and he made desperate efforts to pull down the branches by seizing and breaking off their tips. " How the huntsman chuckled and derided him I " After a time the mad brute grew more calm. Then, to Story's supreme disgust, he lay down under the tree to starve his prisoner out. The hunter had no gun. The weather was severe, riiere was nothing to eat. There was no way :'M''M i ':i Miri: m ' I '• >\ AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. of stealing off unobserved. To crown all, the wretched man recalled a number of incidents showing the implacable persistence of the wounded bulls of this species. " For perhaps an hour the hunter waited, vainly hoping that this particular moose would prove less obstinate than his kind, or would get homesick for the rest of the herd, or would die of liis inward wound. " But nothing seemed farther from the animal's intention than any one of these things. It was growing dark, and the shivering captive began to realize that he would liave to spend the night in his tree. " He tucked his knife back safely in its sheath, and undertook to warm himself a little. " His snow-shoes he had taken off long before, and had tied them to a limb, knowing that if they should fall to the ground the moose would at once make mince-meat of them. Then he proceeded to climb about the tree with the utmost energy and agility, while the moose, who had risen promptly to his feet, looked on with the most obvious amazement. " By this means Story soon got rid of his chill. Before it was quite dark lie selected a safe and comparatively comfortable spot where two large branches forked, and tying himself securely to the limb with his long scarf, he tried to go to sleep. It was a profitless undertaking, and after II, the jidents mnded vainly )ve less sick for inward mimal's It was )egan to night in 3 slieatb, before, t if they i at once eeded to Brgy and romptly obvious Ihis chill- I safe and rvvo large jurely to jto go to tud after i '^ u c h w \v pe se mo tJie noc. abli soni en in liis AN ADVENTURE WITH A BULL MOOSE. 223 an hour or two of faithful effort he gave it up. He was stiff, miserable, hungry, and half-frozen. " It had grown so dark that he thought perhaps he might descend the other side of the tree, and slip away without the moose being any the wiser. With what he fancied perfect noiselessness, he I lied it. " He was almost down, when there was a bellow and a rush, and the animal was almost upon him. He escaped just by a hair's-breadth, and swung nimbly back into his refuge. He had no stomach for another attempt of that sort. He began to calculate how long it would be before they would miss him in camp, and come to look for him. "The prospect did not cheer him. Known as he was for a determined hunter, his comrades would go home without him, confident that he would turn up all right when he had bagged his game. If he was not back by morning they would perhaps think something had gone wrong, and set out to look for him. " They would have to retrace their steps to the moose-yard, and then, picking up his trail from tlie yard, might be expected to rescue him about noon. By that time, he thought to himself miser- ably, he might be frozen stiff. He decided to do something! But what? " At first he thought of cutting a branch, fast- ening his knife to the end of it, and stabbing his captor with the improvised harpoou. But If II:" "■\fi il'l l lis- ''iflitlll! ill . 'J :||! ■« ? ;'■>' .Sm!i- »!' I m ii; ■ w$ •'I hiii m m irrfi! p i^ 1] I !'■■ i<: !■!■ I< i 224 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. the beech-branches were too thick and crooked to suit liis idea. He did at last, however, succeed in splicing a sort of spear about five feet long; and when he had got the knife lashed to the end of it all his stock of twine was exhausted. " The spear was pretty satisfactory, but he of course dared not throiv it ; and the moose showed no inclination to come wliere he could be effec- tually and neatly despatched. The hunter struck his harpoon into a limb, and set out to concoct another weapon. " By this time the moon was up. The hunter tore a little strip from his shirt, wet it in his mouth, and rubbed it full of gunpowder. This made a fair bit of slow-match, which he folded several times longitudinally, and then inserted in the top of his powder-flask. To the short end, which he left protuding, he touched a match ; and then he tossed the flask down in front of the moose. " The sputtering of the slow-match for a moment disconcerted the animal, and he drew back. Then, as if ashamed of his weakness, he sprang upon the flask and trampled it fiercely under his feet. While he was indulging in this interesting per- formance the powder exploded with a bang, and the astounded animal sprang high into the air. " But though badly startled, he was not frightened by any means. He was shocked and scorched, and a little torn in the fore legs ; but AX ADVENTUllE WITH A HULL MOOSE, ^llo ked to jucceed t long; the end d. it he of showed be effec- jr struck , concoct le hunter it in his ler. This he folded nserted in jhort end, atch; and nt of the this only made him the more deadly. In a par- oxysm of pain and hatred he dashed under the tree, and rearing frantically struggled to reach the hunter. " This was just what the wily woodsman de- sired. Lying flat on a hranch almost within reach of the beast's antlers, he reached down and dealt liim a blow in the neck. A second thrust went deeper, and struck a more vital part, almost under the throat. The blood gushed out in a torrent, and the hunter congratulated himself that deliver- ance was near at hand. " Presently the great animal stood still, and looked about him with a puzzled, anxious air. He felt his strength going from him, and could not understand it. " Soon he began to sway from side to pide, and had to brace his feet apart to keep from falling. At last he fell. Then the hunter, stretching him- self, came down out of the tree and stood beside his noble and defeated antagonist. " Story was too weak and cold and hungry to think of waiting to cut off the animal's head and hide it from the bears. He slipped on his snow- shoes, found his gun, and started back in haste for the camp. Before daylight he had reached the * yard ' ; and there, to his intense delight, he met a party of his comrades who had set out in the night to look for him." •liti {(■ a ■ li 1 1 i 1 i ^ ' 1 i 1 i t 1 . 1 ■ ( i . , i ■' : 1 ,1 1 i :! 1 ■ . 1 .. 1 i 1 ■■ 1 1 1 , ' 1 i; : ! 1 . 1 1 i 226 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE, DAN. " And now," said I, " I'll tell you of Dan's great fight. It was fought before he came into my possession ; that is, before my friend H , going away to study in Germany, handed him over to me. It was just a few weeks before H 's departure, and we were setting out for a farewell trip to the wilderness together. " As for Dan, he was not much to look at cer- tainly ; and I was prejudiced against him by the fact that he took up room in the canoe. To carry a great bulldog in a birch canoe was contrary to all my notions of the fitness of things. But H . had protested so vehemently against the idea of leaving him behind, and the dog had behaved with such sobriety and good sense when I took him out to trj'' him in a choppy sea, that I yielded a reluc- tant consent. " Our proposed route was through the chain of the Chiputneticook Lakes, down stream all the way, with no difficult water to contend against, and no bad rapids to shoot. We had two canoes, — that which bore H and myself, and that in which our Indian carried the baggage ; so that really it was not impossible to make room for the addition to our party, and Dan was formally en- rolled a member. " He took his place in the forward mid-section of my canoe, immediately behind his master, DAN. 227 Dans ae into H . ed him before out for r. I at cer- n by the To carry ntrary to itH^ e idea of tved with him out 4 a leluc- chain of |m all the against, ro canoes, id that in so that Im for the l-mally en- lid-section master, where he coiled himself up into a compact bun- dle. There he calmly ignored the wildest vagaries to which the lake waves could impel our little craft. This good seamanship of his, with his dig- nified manner toward myself and his adoring de- votion to his master, gradually won my respect ; and before we had been many days out we were on terms of mutual consideration. I ended with a cordial enjoyment of his company. *' I think I began by declaring that Dan was not much to look at. This was my first and biassed impression. But it must be modified by the ac- knowledgment that his splendid proportions and great strength were apparent to the most casual observer. In fact, he was a i)erfect specimen of his breed. " But the expression of his small eye and mighty jaw, which certainly belied his true character, was bloodthirsty to the last degree ; and his white coat was disfigured with a tangle of long scars which looked as if the business of his life were brawls. As I afterwards learned, those scars were the ornament of a hero, no less to be honored than if his great heart had throbbed in a human body. *' It was one night in camp at the head of the Big Chiputneticook that I heard how those scars were achieved. Tent was pitched on a bit of dry interval which fringed the base of a high rock, a well-known landmark to trappers, and distin- 'mm f' :■;; - ! ti. 22S AliOUNJ) Till-: CAMr-TUtK. guished hy the iiiiim; of ' Tlio Devil's Pulpit.' The rock towered over us, naked and perpendic- ular, for a distance of two liundred feet, then shelved, and rose aj^ain some hundreds of feet farther to a beetling cap of mingled rock and forest. " Our camp was flanked on each side by a thicket of cherry and vines and young water-asli, and the light of our fire filled tlie space between with the comfort of its cheerful radiance. In the midst of this we lay basking, each waiting for the other to begin a yarn ; but no one seemed prepared. " We had been out ten days in the wilderness ; and night after night our occupation had hcvn this one of * swapping' experiences, till I hud found myself compelled to fall back on my inven- tive faculty, and our Indian, Steve, who was com- municative beyond the custom of his people, had begun to repeat himself in his stories. " As for H , he never spun a yarn save un- der some strong compu!:']ion, yet we knew more or less vaguely that many a strange experience had fallen to his lot. We had had some stirring ad- ventures together, he and I, sinr lirM i had ini- tiated him into the mystc ' woodcraft. But it was rare for him to recr; aem in con rsation, and hence I judged that llicre was much in his experience of which I had nevei heard. "On the present occasion the long silence was pendic- t, then of feet ck a"^^ c by a ater-ash, between In tlio iting f(»i' ) seemed Iderness ; had ))een ill I bad ay inven- was com- ople, bad save un- inore or [ience bad lirring ad- li had ini- Vft. But rsation, tich in bis tlence ^vas 1)A1^. 220 l)ecoming almost drowsy. For mo tbo flamo from our logs was beginning to change mistily into tho glow from a heajjed-up grate, and to play over two small curly heads and a long-eared pup on a hearth-rug, when suddenly from far up in tho moonlit rocks of tho summit came tho wail of tlie northern panther. " I was startled wide-awake ; and the little vision faded instantly into a consciousness of tlio open heaven, the white lake, and that lonely, haunted summit. *' But it was not altogether the panther that had startled me. It was Dan, who had sprung almost over my head toward tho hillside, and now stood trembling with wrath. " At the command of his master he stalked back and sat down again ; but he faced the hillside, and never withdrew his fierce gaze from the spot whence the sound had seemed to come. " ' Never mind him, old dog,' said 11 sooth- ingly ; * you can't get at him, you know.' " * What makes Dan so excited ? ' I asked. * I never saw him so much worked uj) before. See, lie's fairly quivering ! ' " 'Oh,* replied H , ' there's no love lost be- tween Dan and the Indian devils. That yelling s^^irs up some lively reminiscences in his old pate. He thinks that Indian devil is coming right down here to tackle me. See how he keeps me in his eye! And see hinx turn his muzzle round now !i ,' ^ I ,,il ' ;l| ■:i I lii bIII i||!i 11 : iT" "T 230 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. I Jii and then to lick those scars of his. I'll venture to say he feels them smart now, when he remem- bers the night he got them at the head of the Little Tobique.' '•'Let's have it, old man,* I urged. 'You*ve never told me about that scrape. I've been tak- ing those scars as a certificate of Dan's fighting- propensities.' " ' Do you suppose any dog^ said H in a tone of disdain, 'could carve Dan up in that style ? Not by a good deal ! It was a big Indian devil that undertook the contract. He accom- plished the frescoing in a very elaborate fashion, as you see. But he didn't survive the job.' " II compressed his lips, and added, ' I can tell you, my dear boy, that was something like an Indian d'lvil, that fellow, and came mighty near settling my claims for me. He measured six feet from tip of nose to tip of tail, and you know what a poor sort of thing they all have for a tail. It was Dan saved my life that night.' " Pete and I settled ourselves more comfortablv against our log cushions. Dan, having heard no more yells from the hilltop, and liaving perceived that the conversation concerned himself, curled himself up with a gratified air, and thrust his great head into his master's lap. " ' You remember,' resumed H , ' last year r went to the Tobique all by myself, except for Dan's company. I was gone six weeks and more. nture sinem- ){ the rou*ve in tak- ighting- — in a in tlvat r Indian > accom- fashion, I. 1, ' I can like an hty near six feet ow what tail. It ifortaUy [heard no Iperceived tf, curled Ihrust lii3 last year fexcept for md more. DAK. 231 When I got back to Fredericton you were off up Quebec way, and so I never happened to tell you about the trip. " * Well, I had the best fishing you can conceive of. It was far better than any we've ever had together in those streams. But as for the pan- thers, I never heard anything like them. They used to howl round the woods at night in a frightful way. " ' Dan used to keep awake all night, watching for them. But they never ventured near the camp. They didn't disturb me ; but if I had not had Dan with me I might have felt a little shaky, perhaps, at night. I had rather a contempt for the brutes at that time, but they were not much help to a fellow when he was feeling lonely. ^'' ^ You know that pretty cove on the right shora of the Little Tobique, about a hundred yards from where the brook flows in ? On that patch of open just on top of the bank I pitched my tent. By the time the camp was fixed, and the fish fried for supper, it was getting pretty well past sundown. It was a gorgeous moonlight night, as bright as day. There wasn't a mosquito about. I tell you I felt pretty nice as I lifted the pink flakes of fried trout onto my plate, and fixed a dish for Dan. "*I was getting out the hardtack, when I saw a whopping big trout jump, just by the mouth of the brook. It was bigger than any I had caught iTi ti ■: fp^ im\ iir I J 'I 11 ''■ ! Jill 1 1 1 "SFf t ! I 11 1232 AJiOUyi) rilE CAMP-FIRE. SO far, and I could not bear to lose the chance of taking him while he was feeding. '' ' I set down my plate, telling Dan to watch it, seized my rod, tied on a cast of white and gray millers, and struck hurriedly through the bushes toward the other side of the cove, where I thought I could get a fair cast. ' ' You know what sort of a place that shore is, — all banks and bowlders, and thickets and little gullies; and some of those gullies are hidden by fallen trees, or grown over with weeds and vines. You have to keep your eyes open, or you are liable to tumble into these pitfalls. I was in a hurry, and plunged right ahead. I wanted to catch that trout and get back to my supper. "'At last, about sixty or seventy yards from the camp, I dodged round a thick fir-bush, and saw right in front of me something that brought me up mighty short, I can tell you. " * Not ten feet away, crouched along the top of a white bowlder, lay a huge Indian devil just ready to spring. " ' I felt queer right down to my boots, but kept my eyes fixed on those of the brute, which gleamed like two emeralds in the moonlight. My riglit hand reached for my belt, and I stealthily drew my old sheath-knife. At the same time I whistled sharply for Dan. " ' The brute was on the very point of springing when I whistled; but the shrill sound startled him, ce of gray ushes ouglit ore is, , little [en by vines. ou are IS in a Lted to 3er. is from ill, and )rouglit :lie top |vil just )ts, but which It. My lealthily time 1 )ringing Led him, DAX. 233 and deterred liim for a moment. He glanced un- easily from side to side, half rising. Then he drew himself together again for his spring. " * Before he could launch himself forth, I hurled the butt of my fishing-rod full in his face, and sprang aside. I saw the long body flash toward me, and at the same instant I crashed tluousrh a tancjle of underbrush, and sank into one of those gullies. " ' Instinctively I threw out my left arm to save myself. My grasp caught a tree-root on the edge of the hole. The next instant I felt the panther's teeth sink into my arm. I didn't know how deep that hole was, but I wanted to be at the bottom of it riglit away. " ' At the risk of stal)bing myself, I slashed desperately above my head with my free right hand. It was not a breath too soon ; for at that very instant tlie brute had readied down with the unliable intention of clawing my head. The knife went through liis paw, whicli lie snatched back, snarling fiercely. But lie ke[)t liis grip on my arm. '"Then I heard Dan come tearincf throusrh tlie l)riish. I lunged again, blindly of course , and this time the blade went through the panther's jaw and into my own flesh. The brute let go ; and I rolled to the foot of the gully, a distance of some live or six feet. Even as I fell I heard Dan's vin- dictive couQfh as lie sank his teeth into his adver- I iiii ; ■ ,1,. , I, I 'M 1: :■ y,: III I'i !i' • ii i: •t :.. i ,i if^ :fl li'" '■'& ' ;' IS! r'M, in .1 ill ;.■. ' i" 234 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. saiy's throat. There was a mad snarl from the big cat, a struggle — and the two rolled down on top of me. " * I got out of the way in a great hurry. At first it was too dark down there to distinguish the combatants. In a moment, however, my eyes got used to the gloom. The two animals were almost inextricably mixed up. Dan's grip was right under the panther's jaw, so that he could not make any use of his teeth. The wary old dog had drawn himself up into a tight ball, so as to expose as little of himself as possible to the attack of his enemy's claws. But his back and haunches were getting terribly mangled. "*Dan fought in silence; but the Indian devil made noise enough for both, and the yelling down in that little hole was fiendish. I felt my left arm, and found it was not broken. Then I sprang on the Indian devil, seized him by the tail, and tried to jerk his hind legs clear of Dan. " * His back was bowed up into a half-circle, and there was no unbending that arch of steel. " ' I dug the knife twice into his side, and he paid no attention to it, so absorbed was he in the life-and-death struggle with Dan. If left to them- selves I saw that the fight would end with the death of both. Dan was inexorably working through the throat of his foe, but was in a fair way to be torn to pieces before he could get this accomplished. DAl^. 235 a the m on . At h the 3S got ),llli03t right Id not Ld dog ) as to attack lunches ***! threw myself on the panther's hindquar- ters, twining my left arm around his supple loins, and with my right hand I reached for his heart. " * See the length of tliis blade ? I drove it in to the hilt tliree times behind that brute's fore shoulder before I fetched him. Then he straight- ened out and fell over. " ' It was some time before I could persuade Dan to drop him. The poor old fellow w.as so torn he could hardly walk. I picked him up in my arms, — though it's no joke to carry a dog of his weight, — and lugged him back to the camp. " * We were a sight to see when we got there, a mass of blood from head to foot. " ' I stayed at that camp four days, nureing Dan and myself, before we were able to start for home ; and then we had to go, for fear we'd be starved out. I thanked my stars and your old-time in- junctions that I had taken the little medicine-case along with me. It might have gone hard with us but for that.' *' As H concluded, Pete grunted in aston- ishment and admiration. Indeed, these expressive grunts of his had furnished a running fire of com- ment throughout the narrative. For myself, I fetched a deep breath, got up, and went over to embrace Dan. As I rose, I cast my eyes up the mountain, and exclaimed, — " Talk of angels and you'll see their wings, eh ? Look there I ' li and Pete followed my gaze. n '?: m h " ' ' m t) 236 ARovyi) rn^ camp-fire. Far up, in the whiteness of the moonlight, we saw a stealthy form creep across a surface of bare rock. Dan saw it too, and every muscle became rigid. " The form disappeared in a thick covert, and a moment later there issued again upon the stillness that strange, blood-curdling cry. It sounded like a challenge to the hero of H 's story. " But the challenge went unheeded. H ordered Dan into the tent. In a few minutes we were wrapped in our blankets, and tlie panthers had the wilderness all to themselves." " What became of Dan at last ? " inquired Sam. " Poisoned three years ago ; but I made the brutes that did it smart for it!" said I, shutting my teeth with a snap. "Hanging would have been none too bad for them ! " growled Stranion. From this the talk wandered to dogs in general ; and each man, of course, sang the praises of his own, till presently Stranion cried, "Douse the glim I " and we rolled into our blankets. ih2. THE CAMP ON THE TOLEDL 237 e saw rock. jid. and a illness id like ^- ites we anthers nquirecL ade the ^hutting bad for ihe talk Iman, of »resently le rolled CHAPTER VII. THE CAMP ON THE TOLEDI. In the morning we set out at a reasonable hour, planning to camp that night at the foot of Toledi Lake. The last few miles of the Squatook River were easy paddling, save that here and there a fallen tree was in the way. In passing these ob- structions Stranion proved unlucky. His canoe led the procession, with himself standing erect, alert, pole in hand, in the stern, while Queerman sat lazily in the bow. At length we saw ahead of us a tree-trunk stretching across the channel. By ducking our heads down to the gunwales there was room to pass under it. But Stranion tried a piece of gymnastics, like a circus-rider jumping through a hoop. He attempted to step over the trunk while the canoe was passing under it. In this he partly succeeded. He got one foot over, according to calculation, and landed it safely in the canoe. But as for the other — well, a malicious little pro- jecting branch took hold of it by the moccasin, and held on with the innate pertinacity of inanimate things. The canoe wouldn't wait, so Stranion re- mained behind with his captive foot. He dropped head-first into the water, whence we resQued him. \ \\ \"' ^i'i P !fM"f 1 • I l!^ 238 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. The next time we came to an obstruction of tills kind Stranion didn't try to step over it. H(^ stooped to go under it. But another malicious branch now came to the front. The branch was long, strong, and sharp. It reached down, seized the back of Stranion 's shirt, and almost dragged him out of the canoe. Failing in this, — for Stra- n ion's blood was up, — it ripped the shirt open, and ploughed a long red furrow down his back. It took an ocean of glycerine and arnica to assuage that wound. On the upper Toledi we found a brisk wind blowing. Hoisting improvised sails, we sped down the lake without labor. On tlie lower lake (the two sheets of water are separated only by a short " thoroughfare ") the wind failed us, and we had to resume our paddling. It was late in a golden, hazy afternoon when we drew near the outlet. Here we overhauled an ancient Indian who had been visiting his traps up the lake. We recog- nized him as one "Old Martin," a well-known hun- ter and trapper. He was plying his paddle with philosophic deliberation in the stern of the most dilapidated old canoe I have ever seen afloat. His salutation to us was a grunt ; but when we invited him to camp near us and have a bit of supper with us he, quickly became more civil. Round the camp-fire that night, with a good sup- per comforting his stomach. Old Martin forgot the red man's taciturnity. Sam was busy frying i-^ I Lon of . He licious zh. was seized ragged 3r Stra- t open, ls back, assuage ik wind ed down ake (tbe Y a short 1 wre had a golden, Ltlet. who had e recog- ►\vn hun- Idle with lthe most .at. His e invited i supper rood sup- in forgot sy frying THE CAMP ON THE TOLEDL 239 tobaccOt while the rest of us lounged about in the glow, testing the results of these culinary ex- periments. It will be remembered that when tlie upset took place at Squatook Falls, our tobacco was almost all shut up in a certain tin box whii^h we fondly fancied to be water-proof. When the little store in the other canoes was exhausted, we turned to this tin box. Alas, that box was just so far water-proof as to let in the water and keep it from running out I We found a truly delec- table mess inside. Sam had undertaken to dry this mess, out of which all the benign quality was pretty well steeped. He pressed it therefore, and rolled it tenderly, and spread it out in the frying- pan over a gentle fire, until it was quite dry. But oh, it was not good to smoke I Keeping a little to trifle with, we bestowed all the rest of it upon the poor Indian, whose untutored mind led him to accept it gratefully. Perchance he threw it away when our backs were turned. Suddenly Sam's task was interrupted by a wailing, desolate, and terrible cry, coming appar- ently from the shores of the upper lake. We gazed at each other with wide eyes, and instinc- tively drew nearer the fire ; while Sam cried, " Ugh, what's that? it must be Cerberus himself got loose ! " Old Martin grun .ed, " Gluskap's hunting- dog ! Big storm bime-by, mebbe ! " He looked awed, but not afraid. He said it would not come near us. It was heard sometimes in the night ii 'I I ! I 240 A ROUND THE CAMI'-FIUK. and far off, as now, but no man of the prestint days had ever seen the dog. It ranged up and down throughout these regions, howling for its master, whom now it would never find. For Gluskap had been struck down in a deep valley north of the St. Lawrence, and a mountain placed upon him, so that neither could he stir nor any- body find him. So Martin explained that grim sound. Wo learned afterwards that the cry was one of the rarer utterances of the loon ; but had any one told us so that night wo would not have believed him. We preferred to accept the weird notion of the faithful phantom hound seeking forever his vanished master, the beneficent Indian demigod. About the time supper was done the weather had changed. AVhile Sam was frying his tobacco, the soft summery sweetness fled from tlie air, and a cold wind set in, blowing down out of the north. It was a strange and unseasonable wind, and pierced our bones. We heaped the camp-fire to a threefold height, and huddled in our blankets between the blaze and the lee of the tent. Then Stranion was called on for a story. TRACKED BY A PANTHER. *' Boys," said he, *' the air bites shrewdly. It is a nipping and an eager air. In fact, it puts me forcibly in mind of one of my best adventures, resent p and Lor its For valley placed ^r any- it grim yas one iiad any ot have le weird seeking it Indian weather tobacco, air, and le north. ^nd, and ip-fire to blankets It. Then |ly. It is puts me Iventures, TRACKED BY A PANTUER. 241 which befell me that winter when I was trapping on the Little Sou'west Miraraichi." " Oh, come ! Tell us a good summer story, old man," interrupted Queerman. " I'm half-frozen as it is, to-night. Tell us about some place down in the tropics where they have to cool their por- ridge with boiling water." " Nay," replied Stranion ; " my thoughts are wintry, and even so must my story be." He traced in the air a few meditative circles with his pipe (which he rarely smoked, using it rather for oratorical effect), and then resumed : — " That was a hard winter of mine on the Little Sou'west. I enjoyed it at the time, and it did me good ; but, looking back upon it now, I wonder what induced me to undertake it. I got the ex- perience, and I indulged my hobby to the full ; but by spring I felt like a barbarian. It is a fine thing, boys, as we all agree, to be an amateur woodsman, and it brings a fellow very close to nature; but it is much more sport in summer than in winter, and it's better when one has good com- pany than when he's no one to talk to but a pre- ternaturally gloomy Melicite. " I had Noiil with me that winter, — a good luinter and true, but about as companionable as a mud-turtle. Our traps were set in two great circuits, one on the south side of the stream, the other on the north. The range to the north was in my own charge, and a very big charge it was. • ! ■ . ! ill ! i! i:42 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. When I had any sort of luck, it used to take me a day and a half to make the round; for I had seventeen traps to tend, spread out over a range of about twenty miles. But when the traps were not well filled, I used to do it without sleeping away from camp. It's not much like play, I can tell you, tramping all day on snow-shoes through those woods, carrying an axe, a fowling-piece, food, ammunition, and sometimes a pack of furs. Whenever I had to sleep out, I would dig a big oblong hole in the snow, build a roaring fire at one end of the hole, bury myself in hemlock boughs at the other end, and snooze like a dor- mouse till morning. I relied implicitly on the fire to keep off any bears or Indian devils that might be feeling inquisitive as to whether I would be good eating. " The snow must have been fully six feet deep that year. One morning near the last of Febru- ary I had set out on my round, and had made some three miles from our shanty, when I caught sight of a covey of partridges in the distance, and turned out of my way to get a shot at them. It had occurred to me that perchance a brace of them might make savory morsels for my supper. After a considerable dStour^ I bagged my birds, and re- covered my trail near the last trap I had visited. My tracks, as I had left them, had been solitary enough ; but now I found they were accompanied by the footprints of a large Indian devij, TRACKED BY A PANTHER. 243 ke mo I had range IS were leeping ', 1 can hrougli g-piece, of furs, g a big f fire at hemlock e a dor- 1 the fire at might Lvould be " I didn't really expect to get a shot at the beast, but I loaded both barrels with ball-car- tridges. As I went on, however, it began to strike me as strange that the brute should happen to be going so far in my direction. Step for step his footprints clung to mine. When I reached the place where I had branched off in search of the partridges, I found that the panther had branched off with me. So polite a conformity of his ways to mine could have but one signifi- cance. I was being tracked ! " The idea, when it first struck me, struck me with too much force to be acrreeable. It was a very unusual proceeding on the part of an Indian devil, displaying a most imperfe^;t conception of the fitness of things. That I slio\ild hunt him was proper and customary, but that he should think of hunting me was presumptuous and most unpleasant. I resolved that he should be made to repent it before night. " The traps were unusually successful that trip, and at last I had to stop and make a cache of my spoils. This unusual delay seemed to mislead my wily pursuer, who suddenly came out of a thicket while I was hidden behind a tree-trunk. As he crept stealthily along on my tracks, not fifty yards away, I was disgusted at his sleuth-hound per- sistence and crafty malignity. I raised my gun to my shoulder, and in another moment would have rid myself of his undesired attentions, but ' ^!W Tsmmmf I 244 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. '/ • '] ■[ ! \'. { 'I the animal must have caught a gleam from tlie shining barrels, for he turned like a flash, and buried himself in the nearest thicket. " It was evident that he did not wish the mat- ter forced to an immediate issue. As a con'o- quence, I decided that it ought to be settled at once. I ran toward the thicket ; but at the same time the panther sto;e out on the other side, and disappeared in the woods. " Upon this I concluded that he had become scared, and given up his unhallowed purpose. For some hours I dismissed him from m\ mind, and tended my traps without furtlier apprehen- sion. But about the middle of the afternoon, or a little later, when I had reached tlie farthest point on my circuit, I once more became impressed with a sense that I was being followed. The im- pression grew so strong that it weighed upon me, and I determined to bring it to a test. Taki!ig some luncheon from my pocket, I sat down be- hind a tree to nibble and wait. I suppose I must have sat there ten minutes, hearing nothing, see- ing nothing, so that I was about to give it up, and continue my tramp, when — along came the pan- ther ! My gun was levelled instantly, but at that same instant the brute had disappeared. His eyes were sharper than mine. ' Ah ! ' said I to myself, •• I shall have to keep a big fire going to-night, or this fellow will pay me a call wheu I am snoi- ing ! ' » TRACKl^D hY A PAXTITEIl 24o I'i'. n the I, and e mat- con",e- tled at e same ie, and become )urpose. V luind, )'n-elien- [lOon, or farthest iipressed The im- pon me, Taking [own be- e I must [ing, see- up, and Ithe pan- It at that JHis eyes myself, I to-night, ni suor- " Oh, surely not ! " nmrmnred Queerman pen- sively. The rest of us lauglied ; but Stranion only waved liis pipe witli a gesture that commanded silence, and went on : — "About sundown I mob with an unlucky ac- cident, which dampened both my spirits and my powder. In crossing a svift brook, at a place where the ice was liardly thick enough to hold up its covering of snow, I broke through and was soaked. After fishing myself out with son.j dif- ficulty, I found my gun was full of water which had frozen as it entered. Here was a pretty fix ! The weapon was for the present utterly useless. I feared that most of my cartridges were in like condition. The prospect for the night, when the Indian devil should arrive upon the scene, was not a cheerful one. I pushed on miserably for another mile or so, and then prepared to camp. "First of all, I built such a fire as I thought would impress upon tlie Indian devil a due sense of J ly importance and my mysterious powers. Al a safe distance from the fire I spread out my iirtridges to dry, in the fervent hope that the vMter liad not penetrated far enougli to render them useless. My gun I put where it would thaw as quickly as possible. " Then I cut enough firewood to blaze all night. With my snow-shoes I dug a deep hollow at one side of the fire. The fire soon melted the snow beneath it, and brought it down to the level Mi; ■::'ii II 240 AnoUND THE CAMP-FIUE. whereon I was to place my couch. I may say that the ground I had selected was a gentle slope, and the fire was below my bed, so that the melt- ing snow could run off freely. Over my head I tixed a good, firm * lean-to ' of spruce saplings, thickly thatclied with boughs. Thus I secured myself in such a way that the Indian devil could come at me only from the side on which the fire was burning. Such approach, I congratuhited my- self, would be little to his Catship's taste. '•'' By the time my shelter was completed, it was full night in the woods. My fire made a ruddy circle about the camp, and presently I discerned the panther gliding in and out among th tree- trunks on the outer edges of the circle. He stared at me with his round green eyes, and I returned the gaze with cold indifference. I was busy putting my gun in order. I would not encourage him, lest lie might grow too familiar before I was ready for liis reception. " Between my gleaming walls of snow I liad worked up a temperature tliat was fairly tropical. Away up overhead, among the pine-tops, a few large stais glimmered lonesomely. How far away seemed the world of my friends on whom these same stars were looking down! I wondered how those at liome would feel if they could see me there by my solitary camp-fire, watched relent- lessly by that prowling and vindictive beast. " Presently, finding that I made no attack upon CKED nr A PANTIlEli. 247 iiim, the brute slipped noiselessly up to within a dozen paces of the fire. There he crouched down in the snow and glared upon me. I hurled a flaming brand at him, and he sprang backward, snarling, into the gloom. But the brand splut- tered in the snow and went out, whereupon tlie brute returned to his post. Then I threw another at him ; but he regarded it this time with con- tempt, merely drawing aside to give it room. When it had gone black out, he approached, pawed it over, and sniffed in supremest contempt. Then he came much nearer, so that I thought he was about to spring upon me. I moved dis- creetly to the other side of the fire. " By this time the gun was ready for action, but not so the cartridges. They were lying farther from the fire and dangerously near my unwelcome visitor. I perceived that I must make a diversion at once. "' Selecting a resinous stick into which the fire had eaten deeply, so that it held a mass of glow- ing coals, I launched it suddenly with such care- ful aim that it struck right between the brute's fore-legs. As it scorched there, ho caught and bit at it angrily, dropped it with a screaming snarl, and shrank farther away. When he crouched down, biting the snow, I followed up my advan- tage by rushing upon him with a blazing roll of birch-bark. He did not await my onset, but bounded off among the trees, where I could hear I r ! 1.' I |i M ■9IPVI 24 H AttOUiXD THE CAMV-FtliK. \ liim grumbling in the darkness over his smartiiijr mouth. I left the bark blazing in the snow wliile I went back to see to my precious cartridges. " Before long tlie panther reappeared at the limits of the lighted circle, but seemed not quite so confident as before. Nevertheless, it was clear that he had set his heart on making a meal of me, and was not to be })luffed out of his design by a few firebrands. " I discovered that all my ball-cartridges were spoiled ; but there were a few loaded with sh ><^. which the water had not penetrated. From these I witlidrew the shot, and substituted ball and slugs. Then, slipping a ball-cartridge into one barrel, slugs into the other, and three or four exti'a cartridges into a handy pocket, I waited for my opponent to recover his coniidence. As he seemed content to wait a while, 1 vset about l)roiling my partridges, for I was liecoming clam- oi'ously hungry. '' So also was the panther, as it seemed. When the odor of tliose partridges stole seductively to his nostrils, he once more approached my fire : and this time with an air of stern determination quite different from liis former easy insolence. " Tlie crisis had come. I seized my gun, and knelt down beliind the fire. I arranged a burn- ing log in sucli a manner that I could grasp and wield it with both hands in an emergency. Just as tlie animal drew himself together for a spring-. irtiiig while ^es. it the quite J clear eal of ign by 3 were li shot, 1 these ill and to one )r four waited e. As about clam- When [vely to Ire ; and quite m, and la burn- |asp and Just spring. ! i ^mmamer^^ TRACKED nr A PANTIIEti. 249 I fired one barrel, — that containing the ball, — and shattered his lower jr.w. Mad with pain and fury, he sprang. The contents of my second bar- rel, a heavy charge of slugs, met him full in the breast, and he fell in a heap at my feet. " As he lay there, struggling and snarling and tearing up the snow, I slipped in another car- tridge ; and the next moment a bullet in his brain put an end to his miseries. " After this performance, I ate my partridges with a very grateful heart, and slept the sleep of the just and the victorious. The skin of that audacious Indian devil lies now in my study, where Sam is continually desecrating it with his irreverent shoes." " Good story, Stranion," said Magnus with grave approval. "The only thing hard to believe is that you should make two such good shots." " Well, you see I had to," responded Stranion. *' A«iid now let Magnus give us a hot story to satisfy Queerman." " I don't think I know another tropical yarn," said Magnus. " ril give you one," said Sam, " and a bear story it is too. It's about a scrape I got into when I was down in Florida three years ago, looking after Uncle Bill's orano-es. I'll call it — . I •'!!' ii 2r)0 Anotfyn riit: ca.vp-mhe. nil 'AN ADVENTURE IN THE FLORIDA HUMMOCKS.' " I was boarding at a country house not far from the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, in a district full of game. Most of my time was spent in wandering witli gun and dog through the lux- uriant woods that clothed the hummocks, and along the edges of the waving savannas or in*- terval meadows. The dog which always accom- panied me was a large mongrel, half setter and half Newfoundland, belonging to my landlord. He was plucky and intelligent, but untrained ; and I used to take Jiim rather as a companion than as an assistant. " The soil in Florida is generally very sandy ; but in the hummocks, or, as they are more usually called in Florida, 'hammocks,' the sand is mixed with clay, and carries a heavy growth of timber. The trees are chiefly dogwood, pine, magnolia, and the several species of oak which grow in the South. These ' hammocks ' vary in extent from one or two to a thousand or more acres, and in many places the trees are so interlaced with rankly growing vines that one can penetrate the forest only by the narrow cattle-paths leading to the water. "One afternoon I was threading a path which led through a particularly dense hummock to the bank of a wide, shallow stream, known as Dog- wood Creek, a branch of the Caloosahatchee. I AN^ ABVENWliE tS FLOlilDA. 2rA CKS. ot far r, in a , spent le lux- 8, and or in*- accom- ,er and ndloid. rained ; [ipanion sandy ; usually J mixed timber, agnolia, lY in the nt from and in rankly e forest to the carried a light double-barrelled fowling-p.ece, and was seeking no game more formidable tlian wild turkeys. My cartridges were loaded with No. 2 shot, but I had taken the precaution to drop a couple of ball-cartridges in among the rest. *' Presently there was a heavy crashing amid the dense undergrowth on my right; and Bruce, the dog, who had dropped a few paces behind, drew quickly up to my side with an angry growl. The hair lifted along his back and between his ears. "As the crashing rapidly came nearer, — start- lingly near, in fact, — I made haste to remove my light cartridges and replace them with ball. But, alas ! to unload was one thing, to find one of those two ball-cartridges in the crowded depths of my capacious pocket was quite another.' Every car- tridge I brought to light was marked, with exas- perating plainness. No. 2. " In my eager haste the perspiration stood out all over my face. I knew well enough what was coming. It was unquestionabl}- a bear. A panther would move more quietly; and a stray steer would cause no such great concern to Bruce. Whatever may have been my emotions, surprise was cer- tainly not among them when, just as I had con- cluded that those two ball-cartridges must have been a dream, a huge bear, which seemed very angry about something, burst mightily forth into the pathway only three or four yards behind me. t . i:.i ¥m I I M i 1»^ mm 0^0 AROt'M) THE O 7 ^ '///. s '///. Photographic Sciences Corporation €S \ S ■^^ o •^ V #lt o^ ^1> ^ ^ ert has none too much cash himself ; but in his generous way he agreed not to go in for the special exam. So Wright, of coui-se, got the scholarship. In return ho promised Knollys that he would not go in for the Junior Latin the following year. This suited Bert very well, as he wanted to put his hard work on his readings for the science medal. Under these circumstances, you see, he has been taking it rather easy in the Latin ; and I have reason to believe that Wright has been working extra hard at it. Mark my words, he'll go in at the last moment and catch Bert napping. But there's not another man in col- lege that I would suspect of such a caddish trick.' " ' Well, for my part," said the Senior, ' I don't greatly care which gets it. I grant you that Wright's a cad ; but I'm disappointed in Knollys I' ^nollys, Jones. that I ' . ' But ;ook tlu; Secoml vivs way d would the chiss 1 in clas- went to • so hard idu't "-^'t uch cash sell not to of coui'sc, Knollys Aiiin the .41, as he idiugs for instances, sy in the ,t Wright Jark my ,nd catch an in col- sh trick.' ' I don't lyou that knollys I' THE JUNIOR LATIN SCirOLAIiSIlir. 2r)3 " ' Indeed ? Poor Knollys I ' murmured Allison. " * Yes/ continued the Senior loftily, ignoring the sarcasm ; * in my opinion Knollys funks/ " * It seems to me, Jones,' retorted Allison, * you forget certain incidents that took place when Bert Knollys was a Freshman, and you a Sopho- more ! " " * Oh,' said the Senior, calmly looking over Allison's head, * the worm will turn ! But what I'm thinking about is his refusal ■ > play foot-ball last fall. He's qinck, and shaip, and tough; just the man the team wanted inr- quarter-back, if only he had the nerve I Said he was too busy to train — indeed ! * and Jones t»i;ifFed contemptuously jis he turned away to join some niembtrs of his own class, leaving Allison in a fume of indignation. "At this moment Jack Wright, chancing to stroll past the big black dog, gave the animal a care- less kick. The dog sprang at his assailant with a ferocious snarl. Much startled, Wright evaded the attack by dodging into a knot of his classmates ; .and the dog lay down again, growling angrily. " ' Bran doesn't seem to be quite himself ! ' re- marked a Senior, eying him narrowly. "'He'd be an ugly customer to handle if he started to run amuck,* commented another Senior, chuckling at Wright's discomfiture. *I wonder where he got that bite on his leg I ' " This was soirjething which nobody knew ; and the incident was promptly forgotten by all but " t II 1 I ' I 264 AROUND TltK CAMP-FIRE. Jack Wright, who thenceforth gave the animal a wide berth. " As soon as Knollys came out of the laboratory. Will Allison told him his suspicions in regard to Wright, and urged him to put his energies upon the Latin. But Knollys was always slow to be- lieve that a comrade could be guilty of treacherj'. " ' I don't think Wright is really such a bad lot, old man,' said he ; ' only his manner is un- fortunate, and he isn't popular.' " Just three days later appeared on the notice- board the announcement that B. Knollys and J. S. Wright were competitors for the Junior Latin scholarship I The examination was to take place on the following morning. Bert Knollys was hurt and indignant; his friends were furious; and Wright looked craftily triumphant over the pros- pect of so neatly getting ahead of a rival. '' Knollys was by no means prepared for such a contest as he knew Wright was capable of giving him ; but his anger nerved him to the utmost effort. Returning in hot haste to his home in the outskirts of the town, he shut himself into his little study. All through the afternoon he toiled mightily over book and lexicon. About tea time he took a short walk, and then settled down for a night of solid " ffrind." He was bound that he would win if it was in him. " Toward two o'clock, however, eves and brain alike grew dinj, and the meanings began to mix 'I^i'p: THE JlfNIOIi LATIX SCHOLAtiSlflP. 205 tliemselves most vexatiously. He sprang up, snatched his cap, let himself out of the house noiselessly, and set forth to wake his wits by a brisk run. " For the sake of the freer air he took a path traversing the hilltop toward the college. The path ran through the open pastures, and reached at length a rocky ridge just back of the cottage of boctor Adams, tlie professor of classics. Here .Fack Wright was boarding. As KnoUys swung past along the ridge he glanced downward to the professor's study window ; and as he did so a light iippeared therein. He halted instinctively ; and tlie next moment his lip was curling with aston- ished contempt as he saw Jack Wright seat him- self before the study table, and stealthily search the drawers. The top of the ridge was so near the window that KnoUys, where he leaned against the fence, could see all that went on, as if he had been in the room. At last, after going through almost every drawer with frequent guilty, listen- ing pauses, Wright found what he wanted, an examination paper ! After making a hurried copy of it, he returned it to its place ; and then, with liis lamp turned very low, he stole out of the room. " Bert KnoUys's first thought was to go at once to Doctor Adams, lay his complaint, and have Wright's room searched before he could have time to destroy the stolen copy. Then it occurred to n m ]!■.■ Ulyf ]W] '!■ P ' ' :' M' I 1 ■1 ' . I' 1 '-' ■ 1 i 1 1 . j 1 '! ' i ■ 1 i i 1 ( .: t 1 'I 'I 1 ) ■•' ■! .. i i 1 i ■ ( f i ' ; i 1 . ■ i 1 J ! ■| ( i 1 i 1 1 : i 1 ■'(' ! * ' ! ! , : 1 ; ■ 1 1 1 1 ' ' ' 1 1 , ; ■ i' ■ 1 i ■. ; ■ ■: i "i- ' J . i ! 20(3 AiiotTND tut: camp-firk. liim that this would lead inevitably to Wright's expulsion, and not improbably to his ruin. He therefore dismissed the idea. He hastened back home ; tried to study, but found the effort vain ; went to bed, and fell asleep without having arrived at any solution of the problem. In the morning he Avas equally undecided. Perhaps his best course would have been to go to the professor, declare a suspicion that the paper had been tampered with, and ask that a new paper be set. But he failed to think of this way out of the difficulty ; and, at last, tired of worrying over it, he made up his mind to do nothing. He went in to the examination, wrote an unusually good paper, and came out feel- ing that there was yet a chance for him in spite of Wright's previous knowledge of the questions. But on the day following was posted the an- nouncement that Wright was the winner by a lead of three marks on the average for the four examinations. "The affair was a grievous disappointment to Bert KnoUys, and meant the upsetting of all his plans for the summer. He had counted on the scholarship money to enable him to take a long vacation trip with Will Allison. This scheme he had now to abandon ; and Allison could not refrain from reproaching him for his misplaced confidence in Jack Wright. Furthermore, he was accused of petty jealousy by many students outside of his own class; and his popularity, undermined by THE J UNI on LATIN SCnOLARSHlP. 267 Wriglit's skilful insinuations, rapidly dwindled away. Smarting under the injustice, and seeing no satisfactory way to remove the misunderstand- ing, Knollys grew moody and depressed. " The days slipped by quickly, and Commence- ment was close at hand. One warm afternoon, a number of the students were in the baseball lield, where a practice match Wtas in progress. The college Nine was strenuously preparing for tlie great Commencement Day match. Knollys, Alli- son, Jones, and a few others, were lying under the fence on the farther side of the lield, while most of the spectators were grouped as close as possible to the players. Jack Wright was at the bat. " Suddenly in the gate of the college barnyard, above the ball-field, appeared Bran, the dog. The hair lifted along his back-bone and on his neck, and a light froth showed about his half-bared teeth. He was a sinister and menacingr figure as he stood there, a strange trouble in his Avild, red eyes. After glaring uneasily from side to side for several minutes, lie gave utterance to a yelping snarl, and darted down the hillside toward the field. The group under the fence observed him at once. "'What's the matter with the dog?' exclaimed Jones, in a tone of apprehension ; and * Look at Bran ! ' shouted some one else. The pitcher stopped in the very act of delivering the ball, and every eye went iu the one direction. The dre.id w !'l':. ,;;• f ■ ■ m ' !i ' Hil::' 1 ■i ill \i. m ■I i 208 Aiiovxn Tin-: CAMP-Ftnic. truth was evident at once. On all sides arose the appalling cry, ' He's mad ! Mad dog ! Mad dog ! ' and players and spectators scattered in sickening panic. As it were in the twinkling of an eye, the field was empty. " But no ! It was not quite empty ! Turning in wild terror, and starting to run as he turned. Jack Wright tripped, fell, and snapped his ankle. He got up, and saw himself alone in the wide, sunny field. The dog had just entered the gate, and was making straiglit for liim with foaming, snapping jaws. He strove to flee, but the shattered ankle gave way beneath him ; and, with a piercing cry of horror, he dropped in a heap, burying his face in his hands. " KnoUys, like all the rest, had sprung over the fence at the first alarm ; but at that despairing cry he sprang back again. There was no hesitation, no waiting to see what the others would do. Swift as a deer he sped out across the shining and deadly expanse. As he ran, he stooped to snatch up a bat which lay in his path. It was a question which would win in the awful race ; and the crowd of fugitives, checking their flight, w.itched in spellbound silence. " The dog arrived first, but only by a foot or two. As it sprang at Wright's prostrate body KnoUys reached out with a fierce lunge, and caught it between the jaws with the end of the bat. Biting madly at the wood, the animal rose THE JUNIOR LATIN iit'UOLARSUlP. 269 on its hind legs, and in a flash Knollys had both hands clenched in a grip of steel about its throat. " For a few seconds the struggle was a des- perate one. The animal's strength was great, and Knollys had all he could do to hold him at arm's length. Then Will Allison arrived, panting, and conscience-stricken for his tardiness. He was fol- lowed by two or three others who had broken the spell of their panic. A couple of well-directed blows from the bat in Allison's hands stunned the dog, and it was then speedily despatched. "Breathing somewhat quickly, but otherwise quite cool, Knollys looked down upon Jack Wright's gastly face. " ' Glad I was in time, Wright ! ' said he. " *Bert,' cried Wright, in a shaking voice, '-'• you won that scholarship! I just cribbed the whole paper!' "To thank his rescuer, he felt, was not within the power of words ; but reparation was in part possible, and his one thought was to make it. " * We won't talk of that now,' answered Knol- lys. ' I know all about it. Jack ! I saw the whole thing ; and we just won't say anything more about it, old fellow ! ' " But Wright had fainted from the pain and the shock, and did not hear the forgiveness in Bert's voice. " The next day a letter went from Wright's sick-bed to the president of the college. Wright li'l! ii ■.illl;jjj !'l",:i: m It. ■• I ii! Ii- , \ i^yi'-'i I t. r ■! ; f 'i!' t .,■' ■ ! • ■ iiM ''til Ii :■ ■ ■ J ,1 ' '. t 1 , II 1. t ; I i ii „ f,; ,1 !. M 270 AROUND THE CAMP-FIliE. wanted to tell everything ; but on Bert's advice he merely confessed that he had cribbed, without say- ing how, and resigned his claim to the scholarship. At Commencement, tlierefore, it was announced by tho president that the Latin scholarship had been won by B. Knollys. Many conflicting rumors, of course , went abroad among the students ; but to no one except Will Allison was the whole truth told. As for Wright, a new point of view seemed all at once to have opened before his eyes. The loftier standard which he now learned to set him- self, he adhered to throughout the rest of his course, and then carried forth with him into what have proved very creditable and successful rela- tions with the world." '' Queerman has grown didactic," said I. " That is surely not the tone for a canoe trip. Ranolf, it's your turn to take the platform. Let us have something that is simple, unmedicated adventure!" "I'll tell you a bicycle story," said Ranolf; " an unromantic tale of a romantic land. It is all about a bull and a bicycle in the land of Evangeline." A BULL AND A BICYCLE. "It was in the autumn of 1889, while the old, high wheels were still in use, that I rode through the Evangeline land with a fellow-wheelman from Halifax. We rolled lazily along a well-kept road, A HULL AND A BICYCLE. 271 dvice he lout say- olarship. nounced ihip had r rumors, nts; hut ole truth V seemed es. The set him- 5t of his into what isful rela- [. "That Kanolf, t us have venture!" Ranolf ; d. It is laud of the old, through :nan from :ept road, and sang the praises of Nova Scotia's scenery and air. " Ahead of us, across a wide, flashing water, the storied expanse of Minas, towered the hlue-black bastion of Cape Blomidon, capped with rolling vapors. To our left, and behind us, rose fair, rounded hills, some thickly wooded, others with orchards and meadows on their slopes ; while to our right lay far unrolled those rich diked lands which the vanished Acadian farmers of old won back from the sea. '■ Though another race now held these lovely regions, we felt that the landscape, through what- ever vicissitudes, must lie changelessly under the spell of one enchantment, — the touch of the well- loved poet. We felt that something more than mere beauty of scene, however wonderful, was needed to explain the exalted mood which liad taken possession of two hungry wheelmen like ourselves ; and we acknowledged that additional something in the romance of history and song. " Presently we came to a stretch of road which had been treated to a generous top-dressing of loose sand. Such ignorance of the principles of good road-making soon brought us down both from our lofty mood a?id from our laboring wheels. We trudged toilsomely for nearly half a mile, saying unkind things now of the Nova Scotiau road-makers, and quite forgetting the melodious sorrows of the Acadian exiles. W'^f '<'. if' tiill'll :! :■ ^1 111. I' % •'m •■ I in. iH';] T hi ■ t ; ■ I : • !■ !> 070 AliOUMJ THE CAMP-FIRE. " Then we came to the village of A von port, and were much solaced by the sight of the village inn. " In the porch of the unpretentious hostelry we found a fellow 'cycler in a sorely battered condi- tion. Several strips of court-plaster, black and pink, distributed artistically about his forehead, nose, and chin, gave a mightily grotesque appear- ance to his otherwise melancholy countenance. One of his stockings was rolled down about his ankle, and he was busy applying arnica to a badly bruised shin. " Against the bench on which he was sitting leaned a bicycle which looked as if it had been in collision with an earthquake. " The poor fellow's woe-begone countenance brightened up as we entered, and we made our- selves acquainted. He was a solitary tourist from Eastport, Me., and a principal in the important case of Bull versus Bicycle, which had just been decided very much in favor of Bull. We dined together, and as our appetites diminished our curi- osity increased. " Presently Caldwell, as the woe-begone 'cyclist called himself, detailed to us his misadventure, as follows ; — "*It wasn't more than an hour before you fel- lows came that I got here myself. I was in a nice mess, I can tell you. But plenty of cold water and Mrs. Brigg's arnica and court-plaster have A BULL AXD A BICYCLE. 273 I von port, e village stelry we ed condi- lack and forehead, le appeiu- ntenance. about his ,0 a badly ras sitting had been untenance made oui- urist from important just been IWe dined our curi- ^le 'cyclist idventure, you fel- in a nice [old water Lter have pulled me together a lot. I only liope we can do as much after dinner for that poor old wheel of mine. " * This morning I had a fine trip pretty nearly all the way from Windsor. Splendid weather, wasn't it ; and a good hard road most of the way, eh ? You remember that long, smooth hill about two miles back from here, and the road that crosses it at the foot, nearly at right angles ? Well, as I came coasting down that hill, happy as a clam, my feet over the handles, I almost ran into a party of men, with ropes and a gun, moving along that cross-road. "'I stopped for a little talk with them, and asked what they were up to. It appeared that a very dangerous bull had got loose from a farm up the river, and had taken to the road. They were afraid it would gore somebody before they could recapture it. I asked them if they knew which way it had gone ; and they told me the •" critter ' was sure to make right for the dike lands, where it used to pasture in its earlier and more amiable days. " ' That cross-road was the way to the dikes, and they pursued it confidently. I took it into my head that it would be a lark to go along with them, and see the capture of the obstreperous animal ; but the men, who were intelligent fel- lows and knew what they were talking about, told me I should find the road too heavy and rough T^ 274 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. for my wheel. Rather reluctantly I bade them good-morning and continued my journey by the highway. " * Now, as a fact, that bull had no notion of going to the dikes. He had turned off the cross- road, and sauntered along the highway, just where he could get most fun, and see the most of life. But I'll venture to say he hadn't counted on meeting a bicycle. " *I hadn't gone more than half a mile, or per- haps less, when a little distance ahead of me I noticed some cattle feeding by the roadside. I thought nothing of that, of course ; but presently one of the cattle — a tremendous animal, almost pure white — stepped into the middle of the road and began to paw the mud. Certain anxious questionings arose within me. " ' Then the animal put his great head to the earth, and uttered a mighty bellow. With much perturbation of spirit I concluded that the angry bull had not betaken liimself to the dikes after all. " * I felt very bitter toward those men for this mistake, and for not having suffered me to go along with them on their futile errand. They wanted the bull, and wouldn't find him. I, on the other hand, had found him, and I didn't want him at all. " * I checked my course, pedalling very slowly, uncertain what to do. The bull stood ws^tching A BULL AND A lUCYCLE. 07^ ) them by the ition of e cross- t where of life, nted on 5, or per- [ of me dside. I presently 1, almost the road I anxious id to the lith much ihe angry es after \e for this to go They I, on I't want ly slowly, I'V^atching me. If I turned and made tracks he would catch me on the hill or on the soft cross-road. If I took to the woods there was little to gain, for there were no fences behind which to take refuge ; and if I should climb a tree I knew the beast would demolish mv wheel. " ' Straight ahead, however, as far as I could see, the road was level and good ; and in the dis- tance I saw farms and fences. I decided to keep right on. " * The road along there is wide and hard, as you know, and bordered with a deep ditch. I put on good speed; and the bull, as he saw me approaching, looked a little puzzled. He took the wheel and me, I presume, for some unheard of monster. I guessed his meditations, and con- cluded he was getting frightened. " * But there I was mistaken. He was only getting in a rage. He suddenly concluded that it was his mission to rid the world of monsters; and with a roar he charged down to meet me. " * " Now," thought I, " for a trick ! and then a race, in which I'll show a pretty speedy pair of heels ! " I rode straight at the bull, who must have had strange misgivings, though he never flinched. At the last possible moment I swerved sharply aside, and swept past the baffled animal in a fine triumphant curve. Before he could stop himself and turn I was away down the road at a pace that I knew would try his mettle. ■ 276 AnOlISD THE CAMP-FIR K. ** * But the brute had a most pernicious energy. He came thundering and pounding along my tracks at a rate that kept me quite busy. I stayed ahead easily enough, but I did not do much more than that for fear of getting winded. "* There's where I made the mistake, I think. I ought to have done my utmost, in order to dis- courage and distance my pursuer. I didn't allow for contingencies ahead, but just pedalled along gayly and enjoyed the situation. Of course I kept a sharp lookout, in order that I shouldn't take a header over a stone ; but I felt myself master of the situation. • " * At last, and in an evil hour, I came to where they had been mending the road with all that abominable sand. Let us pass over my feelings at this spot. They were indescribable. My wheel almost came to a standstill. Then I called up fresh energies, and bent forward and strained to the task. I went ahead, but it Avas like wading througli a feather-bed; and the bull began to draw nearer. " * A little in front the fences began. The first was a high board fence, with a gate in it, and a hay-road leading by a rough bridge into the high- way. My whole effort now was to make that gate. "*The perspiration was rolling down my face, half-blinding me. My mighty pursuer was get- ting closer and closer ; and I was feeling pretty well pumped. It was as much as a bargain which A nClL AXD A lllCTCLE. nergy. tg my sy- I not do vinded. think. to dis- t allow I along e I kept I't take [ master to where all that feelings y wheel jailed up ained to wading legan to :he first lit, and a Ihe high- Ihat gate. jmy face, was get- Ig pretty Lin which would win the race. I dared not look behind, but my anxious ears kept me all too well informed. " * I reached the bridge and darted across it. Immediately I heard my pursuer's feet upon it. I had no time to dismount. I rode straight at the gate, ran upon it, and shot over it head-first in a magnificent header, landing in a heap of stones and brambles. " 'In a glow of triumph, which at first prevented me feeling my wounds, I picked myself up, aiMl belield the furious beast in the act of trying to gore my unoffending bicycle. "'At first he had stopped in consternation, iwit- urally amazed at seeing the monster divided into two parts. The portion which had shot over the gate he perceived to be very like a man; but the other part remained all the more mysterious. Presently he plunged his horns tentatively into the big wheel ; whereupon my brave bicycle reared and struck him in the eye with a handle, and set the little wheel crawling up his back. " ' At this the bull was astonished and alarmed — so much so that he backed off a little way. Tlien, seeing that the bicycle lay motionless on the ground, he charged upon it again, maltreating it shamefully, and tossing it up on his horns. " ' This was too much for me. I ran up, reached over the gate, and laid hold of my precious wheel. By strange good fortune I succeeded in detaching it from the brute*s horns and hauling it over the '\ I 'I 278 AliOVyj) THE CAMP-PinS. gate. Then I pelted the animal with sticks and stones till he got disgusted and moved away. *''As soon as he was safely off the scene I opened the gate and limped sorrowfully down to this place, dragging my wheel by my side. Do you think we can do anything with it ? ' " ' The first thing necessary,' said I, * is to have an examination, and make a diagnosis of its in- juries." " This we forthwith proceeded to do, and found the matter pretty serious. After spending an hour in tinkering at the machine we had to give up the job. Then we set forth on a visit to the village blacksmith who, after being regaled with a full account of Caldwell's misadventure, ad- dressed himself to his task with vast good-will. " He was a skilful man, and before nightfall the wheel was in better travelling shape than its unlucky owner. But Caldwell was good stuff, and of a merry heart ; so that when, on the follow- ing day, he became our travelling companion, we found that his scars and his lugubrious counte- nance only heightened the effect of his good- fellowship.'' "I think," said I, "that after a cheerful narra- tive like Ranolf's you can stand a somewhat bloody one from me." " All right, O. M.," answered Queerman ; " pile on as much gore as you like." ks and ivay. scene I loM?n to ie. Do to have f its in- id found iding an I to give iit to the lied with iture, ad- ood-will. nightfall than its »od stuff, ^le foUow- [anion, we s counte- his good- Iful narra- 5omewhat m ; " pile The t)EK OP THE GRAY WoLP. 279 '*Don*t expect too much," said I. "It's only another wolf story. The name thereof is — *THE DEN OF THE GRAY WOLF.' "Not long ago I was doing the Tobique with Joe Maxim, an old hunter whom I think none of you have met. We were dropping smoothly down with the current, approaching the Narrows. " Maxim was a curious and interesting char- acter. Of good old Colonial stock, and equipped in youth with an excellent education, he had found himself, in early manhood, at odds with society and the requirements of civilized life. Perhaps through some remote ancestor there had crept into his veins a streak of Indian or other wandering blood. At any rate, the wilderness had drawn him with a spell that overcame all counter attractions. He drifted to the remotest backwoods, and there devoted himself to hunting and trapping. Never entering the settlements ex- cept to purchase supplies or sell his furs, he had spent the best years of his life in an almost un- broken solitude. Yet the few sportsmen who penetrated to his haunts and sought his skilful services found that seclusion had failed to make him morose. He was kindly, and not uncompan- ionable ; and though in appearance one of the roughest of his adopted class, he preserved to a marked degree the speech and accent of his earlier days. I' 'i. i I'll!* i : 'k iif i 280 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. '' • You were speaking just now,' said he, * of the wolves coming back to New Brunswick. Well, they're here, off and on, most of the time, I reckon. It was not fu,i- from here that I had a scrimmage with them about twenty years back.' " At this point a murmurous roaring began to make itself heard on the still air; and before I could ask any more questions about the wolves, Maxim exclaimed, — "'We can't go through the "Narrows" to- night. Not light enough witli this head of water. Better camp right here.' " ' Agreed ! ' said I ; and we slid gently up along side of a projecting log. Presently we had the tent pitched on a bit of dry, soft sward that sloped ever so little toward the waterside. Be- hind the tent was a thicket of spruce that shel- tered us from the night wind ; and in front laughed softly the river, as it hurried along its shining trail beneath the full moon, to bury itself in the chasms of the dark hill-range which sepa- rated it from its sovereign, the wide St. John. " After supper, when the camp-fire was blazing cheerfully, Maxim told me about tlie wolves. " ' Well,' said he in a reminiscent tone, * it was in tliose hills yonder, very near the Narrows, I struck the wolves. I knew there were a good many of them 'round that winter, as I'd come across lots of their tracks. There was a bounty then of fifteen dollars on a wolf's snout, — that THE DEN OF THE GRAY WOLF. 281 was twenty years ago, — and I was keeping my eyes pretty well peeled. My lookout was all in vain, however, till along one afternoon I caught sight of one of the skulking vermin dodging be- hind some bushes, not far from here, but on the other side of the river. It was only a snap shot I got at the beast, but I wounded it ; and you'd better believe I lost no time following up the trail. By the way he bled, I could see that he was hard hit, " ' He led me away up, nigh the top of the mountain, then took a sharp turn to the river; and pretty soon I came out onto a little level place, a sort of high platform, in front of a big, bare slope of rouk. In the foot of that rock there was a hole, just about big enough for a man to crawl into on his hands and knees, and into that hole led the trail of my v/olf. "*"Got him, fast enough!" said I to myself; " but how to get at him — there's the rub ! " As I stood there considering, another wolf slid by me, like a long, gray shadow, and sneaked into the den. Without putting the gun to my shoulder, I gave him a shot, which fetched him in the hind- quarters just as he disappeared. " That's good for thirty dollars," said I to myself, loading up again, and hoping some more would come along. " * They didn't come ; so pretty soon I gave them up, and went and examined the hole. I could see that it narrov/ed down rapidly, and I hardly knew 1: I l}\ > ,1 *>82 Attovnh Tilt: CAUP-Ftnt:. what to do. I wanted that thirty dollars ; but 1 didn't want to crawl into tliat little dark hole after it, with maybe a couple of yet lively wolves waiting at the other end to receive me.' " * Why didn't you leave them there and go back for them next day? By that time, if they were really hard-hit, you'd have found them dead enough ! ' was my comment. " ' There wouldn't have been much of them left for me by the morrow,' said Maxim. ' I knew well enough the other wolves would scent the blood and come along, and help themselves to snouts and all in the night. So by and by I made up my mind to crawl in and risk it. Stand- ing my gun up against the rock, and taking my knife in my right hand, I started in ! ' " ' Ugh ! ' said I, ' it makes me shiver to think of it!' " ' It tvas nasty,' assented Maxim ; * but then, I counted on one of the vermin, at least, being dead ; and I didn't think thero'd be much fight left in the other. But that hole narrowed down mighty sudden, and the first thing I knew, I had to crawl flat on my stomach to get along at all ; and presently I found it tight squeezing even that way. Of course I held my right hand, with the knife in it, well to the front, ready to protect my head and face. " * Just as the hole got so tight for me that I was about concluding to give up the job, I heard TfTE DE^ OF THE GtiAV WOLE. 283 ; but I rk hole wolves and go if they em dead of them * I knew scent the selves to md by I ,. Stand- aking my to think at then, I ,st, being luch fight v^ed down ew, I had ig at all; iing even land, with to protect Ine that I ), I heard a terrific snarl right in my ear, and a wolf jumped onto me. His fangs got me right in the jaw, — you can see the scars here .now, — and I thought I was about fixed. But I slashed out desperately with my big knife, and caught my assailant some- where with a deadly tlnust. He yelped, and sprang out of the way. " ' I felt the blood streaming over my face, and knew I was badly bitten. Fd had enough of that enterprise ; but when I tried to back out the way I had come, I found I couldn't work it. When it dawned upon me that I was stuck in that trap, a cold sweat broke out all over me. I was stuck, and no mistake. Then I wriggled a little farther in; and, at this, the wolf was onto me again. This time my face escaped, and his fangs went into my shoulder ; but the next moment my knife- edgr found his throat, and down he came in a heap. Then I lay still a bit, to get my breath and consider the situation. The one thing clear was, that I had got myself into a tight place, and I began to wriggle for all I was worth in order to get out of it. " 'After twisting and tugging and straining for perhaps ten solid minutes, I was forced to ac- knowledge to myself that I had not gained one inch. Then I made up my mind that my only hope lay in squeezing myself all the way in. Once inside the cave, I tliought, it would be com- paratively easy work to wriggle out head-first. ' il r :l 1 ■ ■ 'I t i I '. ' 284 Alton ND THE CAMP-FinE. In this direction I gained a few inches, — perhaps a foot, or more ; and by this time I felt so ex- liausted that I wanted to lie still and take a sleep, wliich, I knew, of course, would be madness. "* Intending to rest but a moment, I must, nevertheless, have fallen into a doze. How long I lay thus, I don't know; but it must have been getting well along past sundown when I was awakened by a sound that brought my heart into my throat and made every hair stand on end. It was the howl of a wolf outside ! ' " I interrupted the story at this point with an involuntary * Ah — h — hi' " ' Yes,' said Maxim, acknowledging my sym- pathy, ' I could face any number of the vermin, and not lose hold of myself ; but the idea of them coming along behind^ and eating me gradually, feet first, was too much. I think that for a minute or two I must have been clean crazy. At any rate, I found strength enough, in that min- ute or two, to force my way right on, and into the cave, without knowing how I did it. And I found afterwards that the struggle had peeled off, not only most of my clothes, but lots of the flesh on my hips and shoulders as well. " ' As soon as I realized that I was inside the den, I felt round for the two dead wolves, and stuffed them head-first into the hole I had just come through. They filled it pretty snugly ; and then I seated myself on their hind legs to hold them solid, and hunted for a match. THE DEN OF THE GRAY WOLF. 285 " ' In the rags of my clothes I had a pocket left, and fortunately there were some matches in it. Lighting one, I perceived in the sudden flare that I was in a little cave, about four feet high, and maybe seven or eight feet square. The floor of it was dry sand, and there were bones lying about. " ' Presently, in the tunnel behind me, sounded a snarl that seemed to come right against my backbone, and I jumped about a foot. Then J grabbed hold of the dead wolves, and hung onto them for all I was Avorth, for I could feel some- thing dragging at one of them. You see, my ex- perience in the hole had shaken my nerves pretty badly. If I'd been just myself, I should have cleared the way, and let my assailants in, killing them one by one, with my knife, as they crawled through. As it was, however, I gave a yell that scared the brute in the tunnel, so that he backed out in a hurr}-, and then J heard two or three of them howling outside. But it encouraged me a good deal to see what an effect my voice pro- duced. " ' Pretty soon one of the wolves crept back, sniffing, sniffing, into the hole ; and as soon as he discovered that it was only dead wolves that were stopping the way, he began to gnaw. It was a sickening sound he made, gnawing that way. After standing it as long as I could, I put my face down between the bodies, and gave another yell. How it echoed in that little place ! and !!■ ■ II in r . ■ w ir ri ■ I ! , I il i ^i4 '■■< ■ 1 ; , \ •I ■ I: ; 1^ fl :, ! If ! j 286 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. how quick that wolf backed out again ! For all the misery and anxiety I was in, I couldn't help laughing to myself there in the dark, wondering what the brute would think it was. *' ' I tried this game on half a dozen times very successfully ; but after that the wolves ceased to mind it. One would come and gnaw for a while, then another would give him a nip in the rear, squeeze past, and take his place. I soon began to fear my unique barricade would be all eaten away before morning, and I cast about in my mind for some other means of diverting the hungry animals' attention. " ' At length a brilliant idea struck me. I lit a match, and thrust it into the hole right under the cannibals* noses. Tliat gave them a big sur- prise, I can tell you. They backed out in a great hurry, and sniffed about and howled a good deal before they ventured in again. As long as those matches held out, I had no trouble ; and the wolves just kept howling outside the hole, not daring to come in after their victuals while there were such mysterious goings-on within the cave. " * By and by, however, like all good things, the matches came to an end. Then presently in came the wolves, and soon tbey were gnawing away harder than ever. I was thinking that before long I would have to fight it out with the crowd after all, and then it occurred to me that I might as well begin right off. Lying flat down, iC i!j For all I't help ndering aes very eased to a while, the rear, began to ten away mind for r animals' THE DEN OF THE GRAY WOLF. 287 M 1 I thrust my right hand, with the knife in it, blade up, as far as I could reach out into the hole, but underneath the dead wolves. Then I gave two or three tremendous sweeping slashes. " ' One of the brutes must have caught it pretty stiff. He yelped and snarled hideously, and got outside for all he was worth. Then for a minute or two the whole lot howled and yelped in chorus. They must have been discussing the various mys- teries of the cave, and concluded that these were too dangerous to be explored any further ; for presently all was silent, and by an occasional yelp in the distance, I knew that the animals had betaken themselves elsewhere. I know it was a crazy thing to do ; but just as soon as I'd made up my mind the wolves were gone, I dropped to sleep right across the entrance of the den. " * When I awoke I was so stiff and my wounds pained so, that I could hardly move. But I knew I had to brace up, and get out of that before another night should come. I pulled away the bodies, and saw it was broad daylight. I took my knife, and chipped away for a long while at the walls and roof of the tunnel, finding the rock very soft and crumbly. Then I crawled out, with pain and difficulty, and pointed straight for the settle- ments, where I arrived more dead than alive. But I managed to lug along with me what there was l^'ft of those wolf-snouts, together with the tails; and I got the thirty dollars after all,' ^1 •I ! M < t nr ' )/■■: t ' i i 288 AROUND THE CAMP-FIliE. " As Maxim finished his story, the roar of the Narrows, long unheeded, fell again upon my ear with a distinctness almost startling, and a loon cried mockingly from a hidden lakelet. Maxim rose, and replenished the sinking fire. Then we rolled ourselves into our blankets, as I propose that we all do now." " Agreed ! " cried several voices at once ; and very soon the camp on the Toledi was sunk in slumber. THE TOLEDI AND TEMlSCOUATA. 280 of the my ear a loon Maxim hen we propose ,ce ; attd sunk in CHAPTER VIII. THE TOLEDI AND TEMISCOUATA. None of us awoke next morning till the sun was high and the dew all gone in the open places about the camp. The air was sweet with wild perfumes, and alive with birds and butterflies. It was near noon by the time we found ourselves afloat on the Toledi River. This is a larger stream tlian the Squatook, and much more violent. The "Toledi Falls " are less than half a mile from the lake, and most travellers " portage " around them rather than risk the difficult passage. In- deed, the mighty, plunging swells, the succession of leaps, the roar and tumult between those rocky walls, render the passage by no means enticing when looked at in cold blood. But we knew the channels, and were resolved to " run it." It is no use attempting to tell just how we did it. I only know we all yelled with fierce delight as we darted into the gorge, and I imagine our eyea stuck out. Our muscles were like steel, and we tingled to the finger-tips. Then came a few wild moments when every man did his level best with- out knowing exactly how ; for the white surges clashed deafeningly about us, and with cheers !i 'I < !'.', 1 i ill , I 1! : i w f I in f 1 il ii 'I ' I 200 A HOUND J UK CAMP-FUtE. we swept into the big eddy below tbo falls — drenched, but safe. What cared we for a wetting in that clear sunshine ? The passion of travel was on us, and we could not stay to lish. All the rest of the run down to Temiscouata is like a dream to me. Few rocks, few shoals, a straight channel, and always that tearing current. At four in the afternoon a last mad rapid hurled us out into the wide expanse of Temiscouata. There was a sharp wind on the lake, which is thirty miles long, and at this point .ibout three miles wide. In the heavy seas, with our deep-laden canoes, we had a rough and really perilous pas- sage ; and it was not far from six o'clock when we reached the other shore. There, near the out- skirts of the little village of D<}tour du Lac, we pitched tent for tlie night. After supper we took a run through the village, and had a chat with some of tlie habitans. We procured, moreover, some native Madawaska to- bacco — which we smoked once, and never smoked again. Aioii. d the fire that night we felt a sense of depiyir'jion because our trip was drawing to an end. At last Magnus cried, — "Shake off this gloom, boys. A story, Stra- nion ! " " All right ; here's something light and bright," answered Stranion promptly. "■ Let us call it — T^ :!" falls — wetting f travel ai. All is like a straight nt. At lurled us .. There is thirty i-ee miles leep-laden ilous pas- ock when iv the out- 1 Lac, we le village, :ans. We twaska to- |er smoked sense of ling to an tory, Stra- |d bright," lallit — CUOPPING II I M DOiVy. * CHOPPING HIM DOWN.' 291 III I ii There is nothing that so cheers the heart of the lumberman as to play a practical joke on one whom he calls a 'greenhorn,' or, in other words, any one unused to the strange ways and flavor of the lumber-camps. As may be imagined, the prac- tical jokes in vogue in such rough company are not remarkable for gentleness. One of the harsh- est and most dangerous, as well as most admired, is that known as 'chopping him down.' "Tliis means, in a word, that the unsophisti- cated stranger in tho camp is invited to climb a tall tree to take observations or enjoy a remark- able view. No sooner has he reached the top, than a couple of vigorous axemen attack the tree at its base, while the terrified stranger makes fierce haste to descend from his too lofty situa- tion. Long before he can reach the ground the tree begins to topple. The men shout to him to get on the upper side, which he does with ap- palled alacrity ; and with a mighty swish and crash down comes the tree. As a general rule, the heavy branches so break the shock that the victim, to his intense astonishment, finds himself uninjured ; though frequently he is frightened out of a year's growth. There are cases on rec- ord, however, where men have been crippled for life in this outrageous play ; and in some cases the ' boss ' of the camp forbids it. m 'frfriw-n. r |., Il^ < 292 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. " But it is not only the greenhorn who is sub- ject to this discipline of chopping down. Even veterans sometimes like to climb a tree and take a view beyond the forest; and someti'ues, on a holiday or a Sunday, some contemplative woods- man will take refuge in a tree-top to think of his sweetheart, or else to eat a sheet of stolen gin- gerbread. If his retreat be discovered by his comrades, he is promptly chopped down with inex- tinguishable jeers. " I have mentioned stolen gingerbread. This bread is a favorite delicacy in the camps ; and the cook who can make really good gingerbread is prized indeed. It is made in wide, thin, tough sheets ; and while it is being served to the hands, some fellow occasionally succeeds in ' hooking ' a whole shjet while the cook's back is toward him. But in that same instant every man's hand is turned against him. He darts into the woods, devouring huofe mouthfuls as he runs. If he is very swift of foot he may escape, eat his spoils in retirement, and stroll back, an hour later, with a conscious air of triumph. More often he has to take to a tree. Instantly all hands rush to chop liim down. He climbs no higher than is neces- sary, perches himself on a stout limb, and eats at liis gingerbread for dear life. He knows just what position to take for safety ; and often, ere the tree comes down, there is little gingerbread left to reward its captors. The meagre remnant is usu- CltOPPISG IttM DO]VX. ^93 to is sub- n. Even and take Aies, on a ve woods- ink of his itolen gin- ed by his with inex- ead. This ,s; and the Teibread is thin, tough , the hands, hooking' a ioward him. I's hand is the woods, If he is liis spoils later, with ■n he has to ish to chop in is neces- and eats at s just what ere the tree ad left to iiant is usu- 3. ally handed over wi^h an admirable submissive- ness, if it is not dropped in the fall, and annihilated in the snow and dSbris. "At one time I knew a lumberman who suc- ceeded in hiding his stolen gingerbread in his long boot-legs, and slept with the boots under his head for security. The camp was on the banks of a lake. The time of the capture of the gin- gerbread was a Saturday night in spring. Next morning the spoiler took possession of the one 'bateau' belonging to the camp, rowed out into the lake beyond the veach of stones and snow- balls, and then calmly fished the gingerbread out of his boots. Sitting at ease in the bateau, he devoured his dainty with the utmost deliberation, while his chagrined comrades could only guy him from the shore. "For myself, I was chopped down once, and once only. It happened in this way. In the mid- winter of 1879 I had occasion to visit the chief camp ut it certainly preserved the connection between flesh and spirit for our family at a very critical moment. My Grandfather Henderson owed his life to a nest of lioriiets at a time when he, a young man of twenty-two, was the sole representative of his line.' " The trout were not rising, and the rapidly heating air persuaded to indolence. I stood my rod up in a bush, threw myself down in a shady spot, and remarked to Dick that he might as well tell me about his grandfather. This invitation elicited the following curious story : — " It was during the war of 1812. The battles of Chrysler's Farm and Chateauguay had not yet been fought, and the Canadians were in doubt as to the movements of the two American armies which were preparing to attack Montreal. They knew that General Wilkinson was at Sackett's Har- bor, making ready to descend the St. Lawrence; but in regard to General Hampton, who was ad- vancing by way of Lake Champlain, information was much in demand. " My grandfather, James Henderson, who knew the country between the St. Lawrence and Lake Cham))lain, volunteered to get the information. He had many friends on the American side of the line, most of whom, as he knew, heartily disap- proved of this unnecessary struggle between the 'liiiM iiiii I ■■ i' s ! 300 AROUND THE CAMP-FIUE. United States and England. On these he depended for lielp if he should get caught ; and he really gave far too little heed to the nature of the lisk he was running. Yet he took wise precautions, and played his part with discretion. " With a ragged-looking horse and a shabby pedler's wagon, an^ Mmself skilfully made up for the role of a couu-jry hawker, he was compara- tively secure from recognition. Indeed, I have heard him boast that he made sales to some of his most intimate Jicquaintances, who never for an instant dreamed that it was Jim Henderson whom they were haggling with. "All went prosperously until the very end of the adventure drew near. My grandfather was returning with the important information that Hampton's objective point was the mouth of the Chateauguay River, whence he would cross the St. Lawrence, and descend upon Montreal from Lachine. "At Smith's Corners, a little rudimentary vil- lage about ten miles from the Canadian border, my grandfather stopped for a bite of dinner. " Jake Smith, the landlord of the little inn, was a trusted friend ; and to liim my grandfather re- vealed himself in obedience to a sudden impulse. It was the first time on the whole journey that he had given the slightest clew to his true per- sonality. Well for him that he yielded to this impulse, else even the friendly hornets' nest, to SAVED BY A HORNETS' NEST. 307 epended e really the risk cautions, I shabby made up conipara- I, I have some of ^^er for an son \vhom vv end of :aiher was ition that nth of the cross the real from ^ntary vil- [in border, dinner, e inn, was :lfather re- n impulse, irney that true per- 3d to this ,s nest, to which we are coming presently, would not have availed to save him. " Jake Smith was a stirring fellow, who under ordinary circumstances would have liked nothing better than running a spy to earth ; but when that spy was Jim Henderson, the case was different. " My grandfather had stood his horse and wagon in on the spacious barn floor, and was having a wash in a little bedroom opening off the kitchen. Tlie bedroom door was partly closed. " Suddenly, through the crack of the door, he caught sight of a small party of American militia- men, at whose heels followed two huge brindled mastiffs, or part mastiffs, probably a cross be- tween mastiff and bloodhound. Henderson, con- fident in his disguise, was just slipping on his coat with the idea of going out and speaking to the soldiers, when the leader's voice, addressing the landlord at the kitchen door, arrested him. " ' Where's tliat pedler chap that drove in hero a few minutes ago? ' inquired the officer, puzzled at seeing no sign of the wagon. " ' What do you want of him ? ' inquired the landlord with an air of interest. "'We'll show you presently I' said the officer. ' And we'll want you, too, if we catch you trj-ing to shelter a spy ! Where is he ? ' " ' I don't shelter no spies,' growled Jake Smith ambiguously; 'and I'd advise you to keep your jaw for your own men ! " KM ; ! ^1 Mil ; ' ,1 ■ ^1 r. i! 308 AROUND THE CAMP-FTRE. " The officer w.as about to make an angry reply, but changed his mind. " ' That pedler,' said he firmly, ' is a spy ; and it is your duty to assist in his capture. Is he in this house?' " Now, Smith knew better than to try to per- suade the soldiers that Henderson liad driven away. He saw they had certain knowledge of the spy's presence. So he exclaimed : — " ' A spy, is he ? Well, I reckon you've about Cfot him, then. He's drove his team in on the barn floor, out of the sun, and most likely ' — but the whole squad were off for the barn. " ' To the woods ! The cave ! ' hissed Smith to- ward the little bedroom ; and at the same instant my grandfather darted from the window, down behind the tall rows of pole-beans and a leafy bed of artichokes, and gained the cover of the woods which touched on the rear edge of the garden. " He ran with desperate speed, following at first a well-beaten cattle-path that led straight into the woods. But he had small hope of escape. It was the glimpse he had got of those two great dogs that filled his soul with dismay. "For the troops alone he would have cared little. He knew he could outrun most men, and the forest afforded innumerable hiding-places. But those dogs ! With no weapon but his sheath-knife, he could hardly hope to overcome them without being himself disabled ; and if he were to take SAVED BY A HORNETS' NEST. 300 ry reply^ spy; and Is he in ■V to per- id driven A-ledge of iVe about in on the 3 jy ' — but 1 Smith to- ime instant low, down a leafy bed the woods ;arden. ing at first Iht into the ,e. It was igreat dogs lave cared men, and llaces. But leath-knife, ]m without re to take refuge in a tree, they would just hold him there till their masters arrived to lead him off to an ignominious death. " My grandfather concluded, however, that his only chance for escape lay in fighting the dogs. If he could kill them before the soldiers came up, he might possibly get away. " But to make the most of this poor chance he must get deep into tlie woods, and lead the dogs a long distance ahead of the troops. "He understood the sound tactics of dividing the enemy's forces. He tightened his belt and ran on, snatching up by the way a stout stick which some one had intended for a cane. " The cave of which Smith had spoken lay about three miles from the village. After following the cattle-path for perhaps half a mile, my grand- father turned a little to the right and plunged into the trackless forest. His long, nimble legs carried him swiftly over the innumerable obstruc- tions of the forest floor. " His ears were strained anxiously to catch the first deep baying that would tell him the dogs were on his scent. Every minute that the dread- ful voices delayed was an addition to liis little stock of hopes. If only he could reach the cave, his chances of victory over the dogs would be much increased ; for the entrance to it was so small that only one of his assailants would be able to get in at a time. tllii iilf m r : : i;lif ; >i! 'i- 'Hi iili! n ■■ f ill ^i If ! .^1 i' I ?'iV- I l\ nio AilOlfNb TltH aAMP-VlRE. " At last, when he had run about two miles, his breath failed him. He threw himself flat on his face on a bit of mossy ground beside a brook. As he lay there gasping, his mouth open, his eyes shut, suddenly along the resonant ground were borne to his ears the voices of the dogs. " When he sprang to his feet he could no longer hear them ; but he knew lie must gain more time. Jumping into the brook he ran several hundred yards up-stream ; then, seizing a long, overhang- ing branch, he swung himself well ashore, some ten feet clear of the bank. "As he once more headed for the cave, he flat- tered himself, not without reason, that the dogs would lose some time before they picked up his scent again. " The baying of the pursuers soon came near enough to be distinctly heard, and then grew in volume rapidly. At last it stopped ; and he knew the dogs had reached the brook, and were hunting for the scent. Before that sinister music rose again on the stillness of the wilderness air, Hen- derson came in sight of the hillside wherein the cave lay hidden. " Just as he was congratulating himself that he had now a good chance of escape, a thought oc- curred to him that dashed his hopes. ' Why,' said he to himself, * the dogs would most likely refuse to enter the cave ! ' Seeing the smallness of the entrance, they would no doubt stay baying out- SAVED BY A tlOIiNETS* NEST. 311 side, keeping him like a rat in a hole until the soldiers should come and smoke him out. " However, he decided to risk it. He could, at least, block the entrance with stones, and make some sort of fight at the last ; or even there miglit be some other exit, — some fissure in the hill which he had never explored. At any rate, he was too much exhausted to run any farther. " As he approached the low opening in the hill- side a lot of hornets darted past his ears. Having a dread of hornets he glanced about nervously, and imagined at first they were denizens of his cave. But in a moment he saw the nest. "It was an immense gray globular structure, hanging from the branch of a small fir-tree, at a height of about two feet from the ground. It was not more than five or six feet from the cave, and almost directly in front of it. " Henderson was a man of resources ; and he appreciated the fighting prowess of a well-stirred colony of hornets. He decided to enlist the col- ony in his defence. " The hornets were taking no notice of him whatever, being intent on business of their own. Henderson took a long piece of string from his trousers pocket, and in the most delicate fashion possible made one end fast to the branch which supported the nest. Then, lying down flat on his face, he squirmed softly past without getting into collision with the insects, and crawled into the ■i-.-^ '% :;■' 11''! ^'(ilii! imi ■t ■ I'' ■ I i m^ » : H'ii t I ' V 1 ■I- ■u ■i ; I 1 312 AUOUXl) TllK CAMl'-FlliK. cave, carrying with Lim tb'j other end of the string. " Once safely inside, his first care was to grope around for a big stone or two. These he soon procured, and with their aid the entrance was blocked. Then he took off his coat. "He laid his ear to the crevices in his barricade. The dogs were getting so near that he could hear now the crashing of their heavy forms as they bounded through the underbrush. "Holding his coat ready to stop up, if neces- sary, the small openings he had left for observa- tion, he began jerking sharply on the string which connected him with the hornets' nest. "He could hear the furious buzzing which in- stantly arose as the hornets swarmed forth to resent the disturbance. He could see how the air grew yellow all about the nest. But it did not occur to the angry insects to seek for their dis- turber in the cave. " Hendenson jerked again and yet again, and the enraged swarm grew thicker. "At this moment the dogs came into view. Very deadly and inexorable they looked as they bounded along, heads low down, their dark, mus- cular bodies dashing the branches aside and bear- ing down the undergrowth. " Now, realizing perhaps that they had rim tlieir prey to earth, they raised their heads and barked, in a tone yciy different from that of their baying. of the to grope he soon nee was )arricade. )ukl hear as they if neces- observa- ng which which in- j forth to w the air did not heir dis- crain, and ito view. . as they ark, mus- md bear- run their barked, baying. : ■ ^ l.M I' ;l ■li!; ^' m "u I HAVEl) BY A 11 on NETS' NEST. 313 Unfalteringly they dashed straight upon the barri- cade ; and one of them, as he sprang past, struck the nest a ruder shock than any that my grand- father's string had been able to give it. " In that same instant the exasperated hornets were upon the dogs. A sharp chorus arose of angry and frightened yelpings. Yet for a few seconds the brave brutes persisted in their e£forts to force an entrance to my grandfather's retreat. This gave the hornets a fair chance. " They settled upon the animals' eyes and ears and jaws, till flesh and blood — even dog flesh and blood — could endure the fiery anguish no longer. Both dogs rolled over and over, burrowing their noses in the moss, and trying with their paws to scrape off their bitter assailants. But the contest was too unequal. " Presently both dogs stuck their tails between their legs, and darted off in mad panic through the w^oods. Gradually their yelpings died away. "My grandfather then and there registered a vow that he would never again break up a hor- nets' nest. He slackened the string till it lay loose and inconspicuous amid the moss, but he did not exactly care to go out and detach it from the branch. " Then he lay down and rested, feeling pretty confident that the soldiers would not find their way to his retreat now that they were depriveu of the assistance of the dogs. As for the dogs, he (i \^ )-t\ J I J p t I r Is lilll 314 AliOUNJ) Till': (jAMP-VIliK. knew that their noses were pretty well spoiled for a day or two. " That night, when he felt quite sure the hor- nets had gone to bed, my grandfather crept out of liis refuge, stole softly past his little protectors without disturbing them to say farewell, and struck across the forest in the direction of the Canadian border. A little later the moon got up, and by her light he made good progress. " Soon after daybreak he reached the banks of the Chateauguay, and about an hour later he fell in with a scouting-party of the Glengarry Fen- cibles, who took him to the headquarters of De Salaberry, the Canadian commander. As for the ragged old horse and the pedler's wagon, they remained at Smith's Corners, a keepsake for Jake Smith." " I think," said llanolf, " that's a good enough yarn to go to bed on. I'm as sleepy as a June- bug." Upon this we all discovered that we were in the same condition as Ranolf. The exhilaration of the run down the Toledi, and the hard strain of the passage across Temisr *uai Vad tired us through and through. delicious were our blankets that night at our du L; ! oiled for the hor- ;re[)t out (rotectors id struck Ciinadiiiu », and by banks of 3r he fell irry Fen- irs of De lS for the gon, they ! for Jake d enough a Juue- were in lilaration ird strain tired us ^vere our IJ^DIAN DEVILS. 315 CHAPTER IX. THE LAST CAMP-FIUE. We got away from Ddtour du Lac in the early morning, and reached the outlet, the head of the Madawaska liiver, after a brisk paddle of some eight miles. The run down the Madawaska was swift and easy, — a rapid current and a clear chan- nel. What more could canoemen wish ? Late in the afternoon we pitched tent on a woody hill half a mile above Edmundstoii. To signalize our re- turn to civilization we visited the hotel and post- office, and then returned to camp for tea. The fire blazed right merrily that night, and to ward off melancholy thoughts we told stories as usual. " Boys," said Stranion, " I've saved for this last night in camp the one that I count choicest of all my yarns. The scene of it lies on those very waters which we have lately passed through!" " Name ? " demanded I, sharpening my pencil with a business air. " Just — 'INDIAN DEVILS,' replied Stranion. " It was a scorching noon in mid-July of 1885. Dear old H and I were in camp on the upper ill ill I'lji \\ 31() A li O I r A' I) Til E CA M I '- Fl 11 K. IM waters of the Scjuatook, not far below the mouth of Beardsley Brook. How 11 loved to get away from his professorial dignity and freely un- bend in the woods I He used to swear he would never again put on a starched collar. But his big American university keeps him prim enough now ! " We had called a halt for dinner and siesta in a little sandy cove, where the river eddied list- lessly. It was a hollow between high banks, down which drew a soft breeze as through a funnel, and the deep grass fringing the tinj'- beach was densely shadowed by a tangle of vines and branches. " Our birch canoe was behind us, her resined sides well shaded from the heat. At the water's edge flickered the remnants of our fire, paled and browbeaten by the steady downpour of sunshine. The stream itself, for a wonder grown drowsy, idled over its pebbly bed with a sleep-inducing murmur. " While we were thus half idling and dreaming, I was startled wide awake by the grating of a paddle on a line of gravelly shoals above the point. A moment more and a birch canoe swept into view, and drew up at our landing-place. The crew, two youngish-looking Indians, having lifted their craft out of the water, stalked silently up the beach and paused before us, leaning on their p?.ddles. With a non-committal grunt they ac- cepted some proffered tobacco, glanced over our baggage, eyed greedily the bright nickel-plating IXDIAX DEVILS. P,17 i mouth . to get eely un- le would t his big fjh now ! siesta in lied list- ks, down inel, and 3 densely es. L' resined e water's )aled and sunshine, drowsy, inducing [reaming, pg of a )ove the )e swept ;e. The |ig lifted mtly up Ion their :hey ac- iver our -plating oil our trout-rods, and murmured sometliing iu Melicete which I failed to comprehend. " The professor, somewhat annoyed at this in- trusion, blinked sleepily at them for a while, and then proceeded to sort and stow a^^ay his latest acquired specimens, amongst which were some splendid bits of pyrites, glittering richly in the sun. " One of our visitors was not unknown to me. He was a certain Joe Trbin, of ill repute, hailing from Francis Village. The other was an older looking man, with high cheek-bones and little, pig-like, half-shut eyes. " The appearance of neither had any attraction for me, but the Indian with the pig-like eyes I found particularly distasteful. " These eyes grew intent at once, as they caught the yellow gleam of the pyrites ; but their owner preserved his air of stoical indifference. " Approaching the professor's side, he sought a closer examination ; but the professor was not pro- pitiatory. He dumped the ore into his specimen- box before the Indian could touch it; and shifting the box deeper into the shade, he took his seat upon it. The box was plainly heavy, and a gleam of interest crept into the cunning eyes of Joe. " ' Gold, mebbe ? ' he suggested persuasively. " To which the professor, facetiously grumpy, answered, * Yes, all gold ! Fools' gold ! ' " At this a most greedy glance passed furtively i V.']" jI :.;.!:! if ,|'ii iii'i Hi J ti n I (i^j lii^ii ii 4H 'I ^Jl 318 A HOUND THE CAMP-FIRE. between tlie Indians, and it flashed upon me that by the bai})aric ear * Fools' gold ' might be misin- terpreted to * Full of gold.* " I gave the rash professor a warning look, which Joe intercepted. I then proceeded to ex- j)lain what was meant by ' Fools' gold,' and de- clared that the things in the professor's box were valueless bits of rock, which we had picked up chiefly out of curiosity. This statement, however, as I could see by our visitors' faces, was at once regarded as a cunning and cautious lie to conceal the vast value of our treasure. " ' Whereabouts you get um ? ' queried Joe again. " ' Oh,' answered the professor, ' there's lots of it floating round Mud Lake and Beardsle}'- Brook.' He took a lovely cluster of crystals out of his pocket, and laughed to see how the Indians' eyes stuck out with deluded avarice. I felt angry at his nonsense, for one of our visitors was an out- and-out ruflian. " In a few moments, after a series of low grunts, which Ijaflied my ear completely, though I was ac- acquainted with the Melicete tongue, the Indians turned to go, saying in explanation of their sud- den departure, ' Sugar Loaf 'fore sundown, mebbe.' I took the precaution to display, at this juncture, a double-barrelled breech-loader, into which I slipped a couple of buck-shot cartridges ; and as I nodded them a bland farewell, I said in Melicete, ' It'll be INDIAN DEVILS. 319 me that »e inisin- ig look, [1 to ex- and de- )ox were eked up However, at once ) conceal led Joe s lots of ■f Brook.' it of his ins' eyes angry at an out- V grunts, was ac- Indians Heir sud- mebbe.' hcture, a slipped nody night, ^hone upon iry way of out in the ;o one side, ;hc densest a snug and and a view bark, with Is, such as we could urge into a sudden blaze in case of any emergency. Immediately behind us was the water, and from that side we felt tliat we were safe so long as that glare of firelight could be main- tained. " We fixed up the camp to look natural and se- cure, hung our Avet clothes to dry on the cheep lah- quah-ffaii.} closed the tent-door for the night to keep out the mosquitoes, and retired, not dissatis- fied, to our covert. " It was a dark and almost starless night, with a soft, rainy wind soughing in tlie pine-tops, and making the ' Big S(iuatook ' wash restlessly all down her pebbled beaches. As we drew our weapons close to us, and stretched ourselves lux- uriously in our blankets, we could not forbear a low lauj^h at a certain relish the situation held for us. The professor, however, suddenly became serious; and he declared, 'But this lark's in the soberest kind of earnest, anyway ; and we mustn't be letting ourselves tumble to sleep ! ' " My shoulder gave an admonitory twinge, and I cordially acquiesced. " Just then a far-off howl of hideous laughter, endinor in a sob of distress, came down tlie nicrht wind, making our flesh creep uncomfortably. " ' Is that what tlie Indians call Gluskap's Hunt- ing-dogs ? ' whispered the professor. 1 The greoii sapling stuck into tlio grouutl so as to slant acro3S the lire. It 13 usud to Uau^ the kettlo and jtut upuu, m i: Ml \\ W' ^' t! 11 !i > 524 ABOUND THE CAMr-FTJJE. II ■I' r " ' Not hy any means ! ' I answered under my breath. " ' Well, it ought to be,' returned the professor. " I replied that the voice, in my opinion, came from the dangerous Northern panther, or ' Indian devil.' " These animals, I went on to explain for H 's comfort, were growing yearly more nu- merous in the Squatook regions, owing to the fact that the caribou, their favorite pre}', were being driven hither from the south counties and from Nova Scotia. " Just then the cry was repeated, this time a little nearer ; and the professor began to inquire whether it was Indian or Indian devil about which wc should have most call to concern ourselves. Ilis hope, but half-expressed, was plainly for a ' whack at both.' " I assured him that so long as the Indian devil kept up his serenading we had little need to be troubled ; but should the scent of our fried trout be blown to his nostrils, and divert his mind from thoughts of love to war, then would it behoove us to be circumspect. " As we talked on thus in an undertone which was half-drowned by the washing of the waves, the panther's cry was heard much nearer than before ; and it was not again repeated. This put us sharjjly on our guard. ^' Hour after hour passed, till we began tp find iider my rofessor. on, came • ' Indian plain for more nu- 3 the fact Bi-e being and from is time a DO inquire out which ourselves, nly for a ilian devil leed to be •ied trout lind from behoove [)ne which [le waves, irer than This put In to find IXDIAN DEVILS,. 00.-, it hard to keep awake. Only the weirdness of the place, the strange noises which stole towards us from the depths of the fores li, dying out within a radius of a couple of hundred yards from the firelight, together with our anxiety concerning the movements of the panther, kept us from fall- ing asleep. " The professor told some stories of the skill of Western Indians in creeping upon guarded posts, and I retorted with examples of the cunning and ferocity of these Northern Indian devils. " Once we were started into renewed vigilance by what seemed like a scratching or clawing on the bark of some tree near at hand ; but we heard no more of it. When, as near as we could guess, it must have been well past midnight, we began to be concerned at the lowness of our fire. It had fallen to a mere red glow, lighting up a circle of not more than twenty yards around the camp. As for our covert, it was now sunk in the outer darkness. " We considered the needs and risks of replen- ishing the fire, and concluded that the risks were so far greater than tlie needs, that our better plan was to stay where we were till morning. " If our en justice." "Truly you kce[) your good wiiio for the last, Stranion," said Kanolf. "Can Sam do as well, 1 wonder'/"' incjuired Queerman. liut he to course This story is called, — " No, he can't ! " said Sam positively. " liut ! can give you somelhing humorsome, at least, relieve this tragic strain. Il's about a bear, of ""~se. I'm very glad my bears hold out so well. ' lUlUIN S r.OXING-MATCII. "It was a dreamy, sun-drenched September afternoon. The wide, shallow river was rippling with a mellow noise over its golden pebbles. Back from the river, upon both banks, the yel- low grain-fields and blue-green patches of turnips slanted gently to the foot of the wooded liills. A little distance down stream stood two horses, fetlock-deep in the water, drinking. "Near the top of the bank, where the gravel had thinned off into yellow sand, and the sand was beginning to bristle with the scrubby bushes of the sand-plum, lay the trunk of an ancient oak-tree. In the effort to split this gnarled and seasoned timber, Jake Sinnnons and I were ex- pending tlie utmost of our energies. Our axes had proved unecjual to the enterprise, so we had ^1 ■' il .5fr u lynii 'M\() AHOirNh THE CAMV-FIUK. ])eeii at last compelled to call in the aid of a heavy mall and liardwood wedjjijs. " VVitli tlu; a)(es we had accomplished a slii,dit split in one end of the prostrate giant. An axc- blade held th's open while we inserted a hard- wood wedge, whi(!h we drove liome with lepeated blows of the mall till the crack was widened, wher(!i(pon, of course, the axe dropped out. "The mall — a huge, long-handled mallet, so heavy iis to i-equire l)oth hands to wield it — was made of the sawed-oif end ui a small oak log, and was bound around with two hoops of wroujjfht iron to kee]) it from splitting. This implement was wielded by Jake, with a skill born of years in the bacdcwoods. "Suddenly, as Jake was delivering a tremen- dous blow on the head of the wedge, the mall flew oiT its handle, and pounded down thf^ bank, making the sand and gravel fly in a way that bore eloquent witn(jss to Jake's vigor. The. sin- ewy old woodsman toppled over, and, losing his balance, sat down in a thicket of sand-plums. " Of course I laughed, and so did Jake ; but our temperate mirth (piietc^d down, and Jake, picking himself up out of the sand-plums, went to re-cap- ture the erriint mall. As he set it down on tlu^ tindjer, and ])roceeded to refit the handle to it, lie was all at once quite overcome with nierrimenl. He laughed and laughed, not loudly, but with convulsive iiiwai'd spasms, till I began to feel in- 11 " .a lili UIN 'S n OXINC-MA TCIt. 331 ' a heavy a si i 1,^1 it An ax€- a liard- lepeated widened, DUt. nallet, so it — was log, and light iron nent was irs in the L tremen- the mall \v\ bank, ,vay that J'he sin- osing his ins. hut our |, picking :o re-cap- u on th(^ to it, he brrinienl. |)nt with feel in- dignant at him. When mirth is not contagious, ^t is always exasperating. Presently ho sat down on the log and gasped, holding his sides. " ' J)on't be such an old fool, Jake,' said I rudely; at which he began to laugh again, with the intolerable relish of one who holds th(5 mo- nopoly of ;i joke. '^ ' I don't see anything so excruciatingly funny,' I grumbled, ' in th(; head flying off of an old mall, and a kjuir-lefrired old idiot sittinjjf down hard in the sand-plum patch. That mall might just as well as not have hit me on the head, and maybe you'd, have called that the best joke of the season.' *'' Bless your sober soul!' answered Jake, 'it ain't that I'm lauiifhing at.' " I was not going to give him the satisfaction of asking him for his story, so I proceeded to lix a new wedge, and hammer it in with my ax(}. Jake was too full of his leminiscerice to Ije cl-wlled by my apparent lack of interest. Presently In** drciw out a short pipe, filled it with tobacco, and re- marked — " ' When r picked up that there mall-hcjid, I was reminded of sonuahing J saw once n[> in tiio Madawaska woods that struck mo as just aljout the funniest f ever heard tell of. I 'most ditd laughing over it at the time, and whenever I ft^fHik of it even now it breaks me all up.' "• Here he paused ;uid eyed mc n:i2 AliOUNl) THE CAMI'-FlliE. '- \ '\ '■ i i •■ f ' r s . ' i ■ *l 1 p 1 1 * 1 JL,^ . " * But I doirt believe youd see anything funny in it, because you didn't see it,' lie continued in his slow and drawling tones ""SO 1 reckon I won't Itother telling you.' •' Then he picked up the handle of tlie mall as if to resume work. "• I still kept silence, resolved not to ask for the story. Jake was full of anecdotes i)icked up in the lumbering-camps ; and though he was a good workman, he would gladly stop any time to i^iiioke his pipe, or to tell a story. " But he kept chuckling over his own thoughts until I couldn't do a stroke of work. I .',w I had to give in, and I surrendered. " ' Oh, go along and let's have it ! ' said I, drop- ping the axe, and seating myself on the log in an attitude of most inviting attention. " This encouragement was what Jake was wait- ing for. " *• Did you ever see a bear box ? ' he inquired. I had seen some performances of that sort ; but as Jake took it for granted I hadn't, and didn't wait for a reply, I refrained from saying so. "'Well, a bear can box some^ now I tell you. P>ut I've seen one clean knocked out by an old mall without a handle, just like this one here ; and there wasn't any man at the end of it either.' " Here Jake paused to indulge in a prolonged chuckle as the scene unrolled itself anew before his mind's eye. BR Uiy ' S BOXING-MA TCII. 833 g funny nued in I won't mall as : for the d up in a good 0 tiiiioke houghts ,\v I had I, drop- )g in an as wait- iquired. rt ; but didn't so. 11 you. an old here ; either.' longed before " ' It Iiappcncd this way : A couple of us wore splitting slabs in the Madawaska woods along in the fall, when, all of a sudden, the head of the mall flew off, as this 'ere one did. Bill, however, — Bill Goodin was the name of the fellow with me, — wasn't so lucky as you were in getting out of the way. The mall struck a tree, glanced, and took Bill on the side of the knee. It keeled him over so he couldn't do any more work that day, and I hiid to help him back to the camp. Before we left, I took a bit of codline out of my pocket, ran it through the eye, and strung the mall up to a branch so it would be easier to find when I wanted it. " ' It was maybe a week before I went for that mall, — a little more than a week, I should say; and then, it being of a Sunday afternoon, when there was no work to do, and Bill's leg being so much better that he could hobble alone, he and I thought we'd stroll over to where we'd been splitting, and bring the mall in to camp. " ' When we got pretty near the place, and could see through the trees the mall hancfinfr there where we had left it, Bill all of a sudden grabbed me sharp by the arm, and whispered, " Keep still ! " "'"What is it?" said I, untler my breath, looking all around. " ' " Use your eyes if you've got any, " said he; and I stared through the branches in the direction fM AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. 1 : J' tlii lli' I il I' :il 11: "i» he was looking. But there was a trunk in the way. As soon as I moved my head a bit, I saw what he was watching. There was a fine young bear sitting back on his haunches, and looking at the mall as if he didn't know what to make of it. Probably that bear had once been hurt in a trr»p, and so had grown suspicious. That there mail hanging from the limb of a tree was something different from anything he'd ever seen before. Wondering what he was going to do, we crept a little nearer, without makin' tmy noise, and crouched down behind a spruce bush. " ' The bear was maybe a couple of yards from the mall, and watching it as if he thought it might get down any moment and come at him. A little gust of wind came through the trees and set the mall swinging a bit. He didn't like this, and backed off a few feet. The mall swunj some more, and he drew off still farther; and as soon as it was quite still again, he sidled around it at a prudent distance, and investigated it from the other side of the tree. u t u 'pjj^j blame fool is scared of it," whispered Bill scornfully ; " let's fling a rock at him ! " u 4 u No," said I, knowing bears pretty well ; " let's wait and see what he's going to do." " * Well, when the mall had been pretty still for a minute or two, the bear appeared to make up his mind it didn't amount to much after all ; he uame right close up to it as bold as you like, and, BRL'IN'S li(>XI.\G-MAlVIl. no - O'J.J mail and from still :e up 1: he . and pawed it kind of inquiringly. The mall swung away ; and being hung short, it came back quick, and took the bear a smart rap on the nose. " ' Bill and I both snickered, but the bear didn't Iiear us. He was mad right off, and with a snort he hit the mall a pretty good cuff ; back it came like greased lightning, and took him again square on the snout with a whack tliat must have made him just see stars. " ' Bill and I could hardly hold ourselves ; but even if we had laughed right out I don't believe that bear would have noticed us, he was so mad. You know a bear's snout is mighty tender. Well, he grunted and snorted, and rooted around in the leaves a bit, and then went back at the mall as if he was just going to knock it into the other side of to-morrow. He stood up to it, and he did hit it so hard that it seemed to disappear for half a second. It swung rix^ht over the limb ; auvl, while he was looking for it, it cani-e down on the top of his head. Great Scott! how he roared! And then, scratching his head with one paw, he went at it again with the other, and hit it just the same way he'd hit it befone. I tell you. Bill and I pretty near burst as we s;av rhat mall fly over the limb again and come down on the top of his head just like the first time. You'd have thougixt it would have cracked kits skull ; but a bear's head i:S -om, hard as they make them. " ' This tim( the bear, after ruiAinij liis hewA id MM r 1 1 ■ r .)■)♦) Miorxn TfFE CAMP-FniK. and his snout, and rooting- some more in the leaves, sat back and seemed to consider. In a second or two lie went up to the mall, and tried to tako hold of it with one paw ; of course it slipped riglit away, and you'd have tliouglit it was alive to sec the sharp way it dodged })ack and cancfht him airain on the nose. It wasn't much of a whack tliis time, but tliat nose was tender enough then! And tlie bear got desperate. lie grabbed for the mall with both paws ; and that way, of course, he got it. With one pull he snapped tlio codline, and the victory was liis. '"After tumblin < ■ ii ij n.' I ''I THS RAFT RIVALS. 331 "We'll tell you about that after we hear it," said Magnus. " Well, here goes," continued Queerman. " My title is — 'THE RAFT RIVALS.' " The last log of Theriault's 'drive,' not count- ing a few sticks hopelessly ' hung up ' on far-off Squatook Shoals, had been captured in the amber eddies of the Lower Basin below Grand Falls, a. id had been safely pinned into the great raft which was just about to start on its leisurely voy- age down the river to the shrieking saws of Fred- ericton. " ' This 'ere's as purty a site fur pinnin' up a raft as ever I sot eyes on I " remarked Ben Smithers, thrusting his hand into his gray-bluo homespun breeches for his fig of 'black-jack.' " Ben was sitting on a rock near the water's edge. No one made answer to his remark, which was perhaps regarded as too obvious to call for comment. Presentl}' a large black dog, as if un- willing that any grain of wisdom should drop from his masters lips unheeded, thrust his head into Ben's lap, and uttered a short bark. " For perhaps half an hour Ben Smithers and his fellows sat on the shore or lounged about the raft, smoking and whittling, and not one com- plained of the delay. The rafts which Theriault had already despatched down the river, each re- ! ! ' '.'■ i ] \ ] M 'M I. ! ' * 338 AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. quiring two or three h.ands to navigate it through the rapids, had thinned tlie numbers of the drive down to not more than ten men, all of whom were bound for Fredericton on this ve4'y raft. " Presently one of the hands took the pipe from his mouth, tapped it gently on a log to remove the ashes, and remarked, ' Here they be ! ' " A wagon was descending the j^recipitous road which led from the unseen village to the beach. An apprehensive looking horse between the shafts hung back warily upon the breeching, and a red- shirted lumberman clung doggedly to one of the wheels. At the anxious horse's head trudged a boy ; and behind or beside the wagon, as pleased her fancy, there danced a five-year-old child, her long yellow hair and bright pink frock making her look like some strange kind of butterfly. " As their eyes fell on the little creature a grin of rousrh tenderness flashed out on the faces of the gang. Little Mame Th^riault, who came with this wagon-load of supplies for the gang, and who was to accompany the raft down the river, at once became the pet of the drive. Her father, a young widower, took her wherever it was possible, and her baby hands were dispensers of gentleness throughout the roughest gangs. " Only Jake, the dog, refused his tribute of homage. Jake's heart was sore within him, for he was jealous of little Mame. " Jake was a dog among ten thousand. He THE HAFT lUVALS. 330 through e drive •m were pe from love the )us road 3 beach, le shafts ,d a re»i- e of the •udged a i pleased hild, her king her re a grin faces of ,me with land who [, at once a young ible, and sntleness libute of 1, for he id. He possessed countless accomplishments, and was ever athirst to learn more. His intelligence was such that ' cute as Jake ' had become a current phrase of compliment with Ben Smithers and his comrades. Wholly devoted to his master, he was at the same time hail-fellow-well-met with all hands. "Until Mame's appearance on the scene, Jake had reigned without a rival. Now it was quite different. The hands, though as respectful as ever, seemed strangely forgetful of his presence at times ; and with Ben, when Mame was by, his place had become secondary, and all his eager af- fection seemed to go as a matter of course. Or- dinarily Jake would have liked well to make a playmate of Mame; but as it was — never! " The whole party had got aboard, and the raft was shoved off into the current. In the mid- dle of the structure stood a rough, temporary shanty of hemlock slabs, with an elbow of rusted stovepipe projecting through the roof. Within this shelter the cook presided, and two or three bunks gave accommodation for part of the gang. The others, including of course Mame and her father, looked to more luxurious sleeping quarters in the settlements along shore. " Mame was enchanted with her surroundings, — with the shores slipping smoothly past, with the ripples washing up between the logs, with the dushes of spray over the windward edges of !ii; ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / O '<-W 1.0 I.I 1.25 V 1.4 25 2.0 1.8 1.6 V}. ^ /} e. 'm r /y c"l ''>, -'^^ V /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y 14580 (716) 872-4503 ,\ v ^^ O '»' o^ ; % I ■1 < \ < ' I • f 340 AliOUND TIIK CAMP-FIJiE. tho raft, with the steersmen tugging on the great sweeps, and hist, but by no means least, with the wide sheets of glossy gingerbread wliich the cook in his little house was producing for her particu- lar gratification. " She had never before experienced the delight of a raft voyage. She skij^ped from side to side on her swift but unsteady little feet, and all hands were kept anxiously alert to prevent her from fall- ing into the water. i" Several times she made playful advances to the big dog, tlirowing herself down on the logs beside him, and scattering her yellow curls over his black and crinkly coat ; but Jake, after a re- luctant wagging of his tail, as if to indicate that his action was based on principle, and not on any ill-will toward herself, invariably got up and made a reserved withdrawal to some remoter corner of the raft. Thdriault noticed this, .as he had done on previous occasions, and it seemed to vex him. " ' I dont see what Jake's got agin the child that lie won't let her play with him,' he remarked half-crossly. "'Oh, I guess it's 'cause he ain't no ways used ter children, an' he's kinder afeared o' breakiu* her,' Ben Smithers responded laughingly. "Jake had caught the irritation in the boss's tone, and had vaguely comprehended it. Upon the boss his resentment was tending to concen- trate itself, lie could harbor uo real ill-feeling i^M bhe great with the the cook particu- e delight e to side all hands from fall- v^ances to the logs urls over iter a re- icate that [)t on any and made corner of had done 3X him. lie child emarked [ays used breakiu' lie boss's Upon concen- ll-feeling r//>; tiAi'T niVALs. S-Il toward the child, but upon Luke Thdriault he seemed to lay the whole blame for his dethrone- ment. "Toward noon the breeze died down, and the heat grew fierce. The yellow-pink gum began to soften and trickle on tlie sunny sides of the logs, and great fragrant beads of balsam to ooze out from every axe-wound. The gang clustered, as far as possible, under the insufficient shade of the cook-house, in loosely sprawling attitudes, — liats off and shirt -bosoms thrown wide open. Jake got down on the lowermost tier of logs, and lay pant- ing in a couple of inchci of water, surrounded by floating bits of bark and iridescent patches of balsam scum. " As for Mame, her pink frock by this time was pretty well bedraggled, and frock and hands alike smeared and blackened with balsam. Her sturdy little copper-toed boots were water-soaked. The heat had a suppressing effect even upon her, and she spent much of the time in Ben's Lap in the shjide of the cook-house ; but now and then she would rouse lierself to renewed excursions, and torment the raftsmen's weather-beaten breasts with fresh alarms. " The river at this part of its course was full of shoals and cross-currents, calling for a skilful pilot ; and Thdriault kept sweltering about the open raft rather than trust the steering to less responsible hands. ff :i ■ ^ 1 ! M "I Ml Z4'2 AnoUyT) THE CAMP-FinK. "Just as the cook, with parboiled countenance, came to the door of liis den to announce the dinner, Mame had run to Jake's retreat, and crawled down upon the panting animal's back. " This contributed not at all to Jake's coolness, and he felt seriously disturl)ed by the intrusion. Slipping from under as gently as he could, he moved away in vexation, and Mame rolled in the shallow water. " She picked herself up, wet and whimpering ; and Th^riault, who liappened to be standing close by, spoke angrily to the dog, and gave him a sharp kick. " For Jake this was a new and startling expe- rience. IIo could hardly resist the temptation to spring upon his insulter, and pin him to the raft. Too wise for this, however, he merely stiffened himself to his full height with a sudden, deep growl, and rolled a significant side glance upon liis assailant. " The boss was astonished. At the same time he was just a little startled, which made him still more angry, and he shouted, — *> * Don't you snarl at me, you V)rute, or I'll kick you off o' the raft ! ' "Ben Smithers interposed. * Don't kick him agin, ooss I ' he exclaimed. * I don't mean no dis- respec', but Jake ain't never had no kicks an' cuffs, an' I'd ruther he didn't have none, 'less he de- sarves 'em. He don't know now what you kicked TttH tlAFT niVALS. 343 itenancc, ince the eat, and I back, noolness, itrusion. ould, lie d in the npering ; ng close I a sharp ig expe- tation to I the raft, stiffened n, deep ce upon Tie time iiu still '11 kick ck him no dis- n' cuffs, he de- kicked liim fur, an' he's only prntestin'. He wouldn't hurt a hair o' yer head; an' ez fur Manie, hovvsom- ever he may keep outen her way in this 'ere heat, • I'd jest like ter see any thin' try ter tech her on- kind when Jake war 'round. You'd see then who was Mame's friend I ' " During Ben's expostulation Th^riault had cooled down. He laughed a little awkwardly, and acknowledged that he ' hadn't no call, under the circumstances, to kick the dog ; ' but at the same time it was with no glance of affection that he eyed Jake during dinner. " When the meal was over he cautioned Mame so severely that the child began to look upon the dog as a bloodthirsty monster, and thereafter Jake was persecuted no more with her attentions. " The poor dog was none the happier on this account. Unheeded bv his master, who through most of the afternoon kept nursing the wearied child in his lap, the poor animal lay grieving on a far-off corner of the raft. " Late in the afternoon the rjift entered the suc- cession of rapids lying below the mouth of the Munquauk. There are few shoals here, but the steering is difficult by reason of turbulent water and croiss currents. About this time, than which none could be more inopportune, little Mame woke to new life, and resumed her perilous flit- tings about the raft. The men who were not needed at the sweeps were kept busy in pursuit ^ m :iU AHOVNI) TlIK CAMV-HtiE. I of lier. Tlic swift motion, tho trenihlings of tli(3 raft, the tumult of the currents, — these all en- , chanted and exhilarated the child. Like a golden- crowned fairy, she balanced tiptoe upon the upper logs, clapping her stained little hands, lier hair blown all about her face. " Suddenly forsaking Ben's company, she started toward her father, where lie stood at the stern of the raft, diieoting the steersmen. The father reached out his hands to her, laughing. She was within three or four feet of him, but she chose to tantalize him a little. She darted to one side, pausing on the very edge of the raft. " At this moment the timbers lurched under a heavy swell. Mame lost her balance, and with a shrill cry of terror she fell into the pitching current. " A mingled groan and prayer went up all over the raft; and Theriault and one of the hands, a big woodsman named Vandine, plunged in to the res- cue. Ben Smithers was not a swimmer, and he could only stand and wring his hands. "Th(^riault and the other who had sprung in were both strong swimmers ; but a narrow surface current had seized Mame's small form, and whirled it far away from the raft, while the heavy bodies of the men, grasped by the under-current, were forced in a different direction. "Th^riault's face grew ghastly and drawn as he saw the distance between himself and his child ' , of the all eii- golden- e upper ler hair ; started le stern e father She was 16 chose me side, under a md with pitching all over ids, a big the res- and he )rung in surface whirled ry bodies it, were Irawn as Ills child I JL 2^ 1 I ; I t; i I { riiK UAFT urrMs. 34") slowly wideninnr. His desperate efforts could not cany him away from the raft, and he marked that Vandiue was no more successful than he. A chok- ing spasm tightened about his throat, and he gave a keen, sobbing cry of anguish as he saw the little pink-frocked form go under for the first time. " Then a great black body shot into the air aljove his head, and landed with a splash far be- yond him. ' Jake ! ' lie thought instantly ; and a thankful sigh went up from his heart. Now ho began to care once more about keeping liis own head above water. "Jake v.as late in noticing the catastroplie. He had been deep in a sullen and heavy sleep. When the cries awoke him he yawned, and then mounted a log to take a survey of the situation. In a sec- ond or two he caught sight of the pink frock toss- ing in the waves, and of the little hands fluno- up in appeal. ** " His instantaneous and tremendous rush ear- ned him far out from the raft, and then his pure Newfoundland blood made him master of the situ- ation. " Little he cared for the tumult and the white- capped waves ! His sinewy shoulders and broad- webbed feet drove him straight through cross- current and eddy to where the child had sunk. When she came up he was within five feet of her, and with a quick plunge he caught her by the shoulder. <^fl 34«] ARotrxD TitE CAMP- Fin a. " And now Jake's difficulties began. In quieter waters lie would liavc found no trouble, but here lie was unable to choose his hold. The men saw him let go of the child's shoulder, snatch a mouth- ful of the frock, and start for the raft. " In this position Mame's head passed under water, and all hands were in a panic lest she should drown before Jake could get her in. But the dog dropped his burden yet again, seized the little one by the upper part of the arm, and in this position was able to hold her head clear. " But it was a trying position. To maintain it, Jake had to swim high, and to set his teeth with pitiless firmness into the child's tender arm. The wave-crests slapped ceaselessly in his face, half- choking him, and strangling Mame's cries every instant. " Th^riault and Vandine were by this time so exhausted as to be quite powerless, and were with difficulty pulled back upon the raft. There stood all hands straining their gaze upon the gallant dog's progress. Ben Smithers waited, with a pike- pole, on the very edge of the timbers, ready to hook the steel into Mame's frock, and lift her aboard the moment Jake got within reach. " Slowly battling with the waves, Jake and his precious burden drew near the raft. Already Ben Smithers was reaching out his pike-pole. Sud- denly there was a crash, and the raft stopped short, quivering, while the waves poured over its 1.! THE HAFT lirVALs. [n quieter but liere men saw a mouth- ed under lest she in. But eized tlie id in this lintain it, 36 th with •m. The *ce, half- ies every 1 time so 'ere with ere stood 3 gallant h a pike- ready to lift her 3h. and his sady Ben (. Sud- stopped over its \ipper edge. The timbers of the fartlicr inshore corner had run aground and wedged fast. " There was a moment of bewildering suspense, while Jake and liis charge were swept swiftly past the hands stretched out to save them. Then the raft broke into two parts, and the larger outside portion swung out across tlio main current and drove straight down upon the swimmer. " With a cry tlic raftsmen threw tliemselves flat on the logs, grasped at tlio dog, and succeeded in snatching the now silent cliild to a place of safety. '• Jake had just got his fore-paws over the logs when the mass drove down ui)on his body. Ilis head went back under tlio water; and Ben, who had a firm grip in the, long hair of his pet's fore shoulders, was himself well nigh di'agged over- board. Two of his comrades, tlirowing themselves on the logs beside him, plunged down their arms into the boiling foam and got hold of the helpless dog, and, almost lifeless, Jake was laid upon the raft. " Feebly wagging his tail, the noble fellow lay with his head in Ben Smithers s lap, while the strength returned to his sinews, and the breath found its way again to the depths of his laboring lungs. As the gang gathered about, and a babel arose of praise and sympathy, Jake seemed to appreciate the tribute. "When the boss had seen his child put safely and warmly to bed in the cook's bunk, he rushed 348 AliOiryj) TllK CiMl'-FlllK. I II forward and threw himself down beside lien Smiih- crs. Ho endmveed Jake's dripping hody, burying his face in iho wet bhiek ringlets, and Bi)euking words of gratitude as fast as ho could utter tlieni. "All this, thougli passionately sincere, and to Ben highly satisfactory and appropriate, was to Jako a plain annoyance. IIo knew nothing of tlio delights of rcconcileTuent, or of tho ])eauty of an effective situation, and ho failed to respond. Ho simply didn't like Thontl. Ho i'(l tlio eii- nto Ben's iggered to Dther side 3ad under id rose to [ ain't go- ks, seein' 1/ou, Ben -ning, an* on it.' and Beu I general )gized to and that Jake was the garg 3rise was I day, it B on the best of terms, with Mamo in lier proper phire of idolized and caressed siilK)rdination." *'That Jake wjus not all unworthy to sit with Jeff and Dan," said I, as Queerman ended. "No," said lianolf ; ''ho was a prinne among dogs." After this we told no noro stories. I, who had all the records in charge, made my report, giving statistics as to fish • ught, mile , iravelled, hjcal- ities of camps, an 1 so forth, as well as the names and tellers of all tlie st()ncs. The report proving satisfactory, we sang *' Home, Sweet Home" and " Auld Lang Syne," standing around the camp- iire. Then, somewliat soberly, we turned in. Right after breakfast on the following morning we put our canoes on tlie train, and were soon whirling liomeward, proud in the consciousness of sunburned skins, alarming appetites, and reno- vated digestions. B v 'i •' ,T i m Mi n ;1 ■ \ , 'l i i; 1' i 1 . 1 :; Songs of the Common Day AND ■ ■ r« V La> ■ ■ An Ode for the Shelley Centenary* By CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS, Author of "In Divent ToiieH." "Orimi," «f«. CLOTH, Price, 111.25. "Ever since ' Ave !* came, saw and conquered Th<' Literarii World we have looked with anxiety for a volnnie of Hhort pieces \\y Mr. Koberts. At last our expectation is fulfllled, and we have an opportunity of testinp this yoiintf Can- adian poet more 8ear(.'hin(jfly and more severely He is di'ii■ of less impulsive men, and hv writes with the keenest enthu- siasm ; and this spirit possesses the reader of histhrillinK pajfes." - Chrintian Gvardian. "I have riud no book bettet fitted to inspire our Canadian boys VN'ith a healthy interest in their own undiscovered country nor any more calculated to put into our irrowinij; youth tht Ktronj,', s'urdy, self-reliant st iril of a real manhood, an heroic, muscular Christianity." — C'ona dian Home Journal. WILIilAlH BRICifiS, Publisher, Toronto. \ I I lEWAN L, MUGHLIN. '♦♦♦♦»»»♦ > a.ndSxowshor' hard work, hard- ck.v eiidurante 1 KJve vjni and the incidents in 3f fun. inhennt nature, finds play, add much S8 and realistic k. The Look is the drawin^Tji the renlity, and cliosen. "—Thf ts on "Forest. Prairie." II Is a true child passed throuit;h stir thepulsis. men, and he keenest enthn- spirit posse.sse!- tirillinK: pages." a an. lo book better our Canadian ■hy interest in lered coutitry ■ulated to put X yonth thf f-relianlst iril id, an heroic, lity." — Cawo. it. I'OllfO, \