Alone a person feels somewhat sad walking on hour after hour through the
dark forest, but that is not the case when there are several. The young
travellers stopped to dine near a stream, and watched the squirrels
busily employed in gathering in their winter stores of butter, hickory,
and other nuts.
At night they camped out. Cutting a ridge pole, they fastened it
between two trees; and then, on the side next the wind, leaned against
it other poles with pieces of bark and branches. In front of this rude
hut they made up a large fire, and cut a store of wood to last them all
night. Their beds were spruce fir tops, and their coverlids their
buffalo robes which they carried strapped on their backs.
On the second day, about noon, as they were walking along in Indian
file, one after the other, Rob leading, a fine deer slowly trotted
across his path. He had time to unsling his gun, which he carried at
his back, and to fire before the animal was out of sight. He hit it,
but the deer bounded on. He and his companions followed in chase, Rob
reloading as he ran. The blood on the fallen leaves showed that the
deer was ahead. On they went, mile after mile; every moment they
thought that they would come up with it. At last more blood was seen on
the leaves, and in an open glade there stood the stag. Once more, as
the young hunters drew near, he was starting off, when Rob fired, and he
fell. Here was a fine supply of venison for the rest of their journey.
It was a pity that they could not carry the skin. They cut up the
animal, and loaded themselves with as much of the best part of the meat
as they could carry. This they secured by thongs cut from the skin.
The other joints they hung up by the thongs to a tree, while the carcase
remained on the ground.
While they were so employed, some flakes of snow began to fall. At
first they did not think much of this. The flakes were thin, and did
not cover the marks on the grass. "Come, boys, we must hurry on, or we
shall not easily find the blaze again," observed Rob.
They walked as fast as they could with their fresh loads. As there was
no wind, they did not complain of the cold. The flakes fell thicker and
thicker. "Where is the track?" cried Rob on a sudden. They could see
their footmarks behind them, but in front there was not a trace left.
"Go ahead," said Tony. "The stag kept a straight line, and we have only
to look behind us and see that ours is straight and we shall soon find
the blaze."
Rob did not think this. He was sure before they had gone far that they
were bending very much, now to one side, now to the other. No sun
shone. There was no wind to guide them. Rob, after some time,
remembered that he had heard that the moss grew thickest on the north
side of the trees. On that side the trunks looked light and cheerful
and on the other dark and spotted. They had gone some way before he
thought of this. Tony and Tommy cried out that they were very hungry,
for they had had no dinner before they saw the deer. Rob wanted to find
the blaze first. They walked on and on, looking carefully at the trees.
No blaze was to be seen. At last the boys said they could go no
farther without eating, and Rob himself was very hungry. So they picked
up dry sticks; and soon had a fire blazing, and some bits of venison
toasting before it. The snow fell thicker than ever. They scraped some
up and put it into their kettle and made some tea. Once more they went
on, feeling much stronger.
"We must soon find the blaze," Rob said more than once; but he was
wrong. Night drew on. No blaze was to be found. "We must make a camp
before it is too dark," he said at last.
No time was lost. He had his axe soon at work cutting poles and boughs
and firewood, the boys helping him. A fallen trunk formed the back.
Between two in front they fastened a long pole and rested the other
poles and boughs between it and the trunk. They did not wish for better
beds than the spruce fir tops gave them. A fire soon blazed up in front
of the tent. Tony and Tommy were as merry as crickets. They had plenty
to eat and the fir tops made them a soft bed, while the fire kept them
warm. It was settled that one of them at a time should keep awake to
put wood on the fire. Tommy had the first watch. Then he called Rob
when he thought he had watched long enough. Of course Rob got the most
watching. At last he called Tony and charged him to keep awake.
"Never fear about me; I'll be broad awake till it's time to call Tommy
again," said Tony.
Rob had built up the fire, so that Tony had not much to do. He sat up
for some time, warming his hands and watching the blazing logs. Then he
thought that he would sit down rather more inside the tent for a little
time. He did nod his head now and then, but that was nothing, he
thought. He was sure that he had his eyes wide open. After some time
he heard a howl--then another, and another. A number of animals howled
together--wild beasts--wolves. He thought, "I hope that they are a long
way off." They were not loud enough as yet to awake his sleeping
companions, but they were coming slowly nearer and nearer. Tony rubbed
his eyes. Was he awake? He looked up. The fire was almost out. There
was no doubt about the howl of the wolves. They were much nearer than
he had fancied. The flame on a sudden burst out of the embers, and out
of the darkness several pairs of fierce eyes glared at him.
"Rob! Rob! Tommy! wolves!" he shouted out, at the same time seizing a
stick from the fire, and waving it about.
Rob and Tommy were on their feet in a moment, and each taking up a
burning stick they made a rush towards the wolves. They were not an
instant too soon, for the fierce beasts having scented the venison, were
just going to rush at them. The fire-sticks kept them off, but they did
not go far. There they stood in a circle howling away at the three
young travellers. While Tony and Tommy threw more wood on the fire, Rob
stepped back and loaded his gun, which he had forgot to reload after the
second shot at the deer. The wolves seeing that the fire-sticks did
them no harm, and being very hungry, were coming on, when the boys once
more shouting at the top of their voices, and stirring up the fire, Rob
fired at the biggest of the pack, who seemed to be the leader. Over the
creature rolled, and his companions taking flight with fearful yells
drew back into the forest. Tony said he was sure they stopped and
looked round, every now and then yelling together, and asking each other
to turn back and renew the attack.
The lads at last lay down, but all night long the wolves kept up their
bowlings close to them with snarls and other noises.
"I dare say now that those fellows have got some carcase or other, and
are making merry over it," said Rob.
The watchmen did not fall asleep again during the night. When daylight
came back the snow had ceased falling, but it lay an inch thick on the
ground.
"We must find the blaze before breakfast," said Rob, as they strapped
their things on to their backs. In all directions they saw the marks of
the wolves' feet on the snow. They followed them up some little way to
see what they had been feeding on during the night.
"Why if this isn't the very place where we killed the deer and there is
our venison still hanging up in the tree, which the brutes couldn't get
at, and that made them howl so," cried out Tony, who was a little before
the rest. They found then that after all their wanderings in the
afternoon they had come back to the _very_ spot they had left at
mid-day. They hoped that now, if they made a fresh start, that they
might reach the blaze. They more carefully noted the moss on the trees.
The sun too shone out brightly. They were stepping out merrily, and
they thought that they must be near the blaze, when before them was seen
a large cedar swamp. The tree in Canada called the cedar is low,
twisted, and knotted, with straggling roots growing in moist ground. It
makes a thicket which the wind cannot pass through. Indians often cut a
way into a cedar swamp in winter to build their wigwams in it. The
travellers knew that they could not pass through the swamp, which was
all moist, so they had to find their way round it. They fancied that
they could not fail to reach the blaze. At last they got very hungry
and had to stop and light a fire and breakfast. They knew that they
were fortunate in having plenty of food, for they had heard of people
wandering about in the woods for days together without anything to eat.
Noon came round again. No blaze yet seen.
"When shall we find our way out of this, Rob?" asked Tony.
"May be in a day or two, may be in a week," answered Rob.
Tony and Tommy looked very black at this. They were getting tired
walking about all day in the snow, with heavy loads on their backs.
Tommy began to cry. Just then a shot was heard. They ran on in the
direction from which the sound came, and Rob fired his gun in return.
In a few minutes they met a tall, thin, oldish man, with a gun in his
hand and a bag at his back.
"Why, youngsters, where have you come from?" he asked.
Rob told him.
"Not much out, youngsters; why you are scarcely more than two hundred
yards from the blaze, and haven't been for some time past," the old man
replied. "Come, I'll show you."
The old hunter stalked away at a great rate, and they followed as fast
as they could.
"That's your way," he said; pointing to the blazes on the trees. "Push
on as fast as you can, or the snow may be down on you, and you'll not be
able to get on without snow-shoes. It wouldn't be pleasant to you to be
snowed up here in the woods."
"No, indeed, master," said Rob; "especially if we were to have such
visitors as came to us last night."
The old hunter laughed when Rob told him of the wolves.
"They won't hurt anybody who shows a bold front, for they are great
cowards," said the old man. "But woe betide the boy who is caught out
alone at night, if any of the savage beasts fall in with him. Still,
though I've hunted through these parts more than thirty years, I've
heard of very few people who ever got any harm from them."
Rob thanked the old man, who said that his name was Danby Marks.
They all walked on together for some time, chatting pleasantly. The
snow began to fall very thickly again. Rob thought that old Marks was
going to leave them.
"I see that you are young travellers, and I may help you a bit may be,"
said the old man; "your way shall be mine."
He told them much about the birds and beasts and fish of those parts.
"The lakes and rivers are full of fish; the salmon are very fine. Then
there are sturgeon, and a fish called maskinonge, not known in England;
and pike, and pickrel, and white-fish, and trout, and herrings, very
like those in salt water; and bass, and sun-fish, and perch, and many
others. Anybody may catch them who can. Many are killed with a spear,
and others caught with nets of all sorts. Indians catch the white-fish
with a scoop-net, like a landing-net, with a long handle. They stand up
in their canoes, amid the rapids, and as they see the fish in some more
quiet hollow, they, quick as lightning, slip in their nets and scoop him
up. They carry torches in their canoes at night, and when the fish swim
near, drawn by the light, they dart down their barbed spears and seldom
fail to spike.
"This is a rich country, indeed," continued old Marks. "Just think of
the numbers of deer, the moose, with a heavy head, bigger than the
largest horse; and the caribou, rather smaller, but more fleet; and then
there's the elk, and other smaller deer. Many and many's the night I've
camped out on the snow, with my feet to a blazing fire, wrapped up in a
buffalo robe, going after them critters. Then we've black bears, but
they don't often attack men, though they are mortal fond of honey, and
sheep, or pigs, or poultry, when they can catch them. The wolverine, is
the most savage animal we've got, and as cunning as a fox. They can
climb trees, and spring down on their prey. I've known a man try to
catch one, and very nearly got caught himself. The racoon is a curious
critter, with the body of a fox, the head of a dog, and a round, bushy
tail. The hind legs are longer than the fore, and both are armed with
sharp claws. They live in trees, and leap nimbly from branch to branch.
We shoot them sitting on branches, or popping their heads out of some
old hollow stump. Then there's the lynx, and the otter, beaver,
musk-rat, ground-hog, woodchuck, flying squirrel, skunk, marten, mink,
fisher, hedgehog, and many others. Most of them are eatable, and the
skins of all of them sell for a good deal of money. We have no lack of
birds either: wild turkeys, and geese, and ducks, and pigeons, which fly
in flocks so thick as to darken the air. A man with a good gun, and who
knows how to set traps, need never starve in this country. Not but what
I say a settler's life is the best for most people. I took to the woods
when I was young, and now I am old I have no wife or children to care
for me, and that's not the fate I would wish for any of you young
people." The old man sighed deeply as he finished speaking. Still Rob
was so interested with the accounts of the old trapper's adventures,
that he begged he would let him go with him some time into the woods to
hunt. Old Marks readily promised to take Rob with him. They travelled
on cheerily, talking on these subjects, though the snow fell so thickly
that at last it became heavy work to walk through it. They had to camp
out three nights, so little way did they make. Still they did not mind
that, as they had plenty to eat, and old Marks told them no end of
amusing stories.
At last they reached the town where Susan was at service. She was
expecting them, and all ready to start. When, however, her mistress,
Mrs Mason, heard that she intended walking, she would not let her go.
She said that it was not fit for a young girl who was delicate, and that
she must wait till she could get a lift in a sleigh going that way. Rob
said that he would not wait, as he ought to be back again to help his
father. Still the good lady would not give in.