DONALD'S EXPEDITION THROUGH THE FOREST.--ATTACKED BY WOLVES.--RELIEVED
FROM THEM BY A HURRICANE, AND NARROWLY ESCAPES BEING CRUSHED BY FALLING
TREES.
Donald having David now to attend to his office work, frequently made
expeditions to long distances where it was proposed to establish fresh
townships. These were performed on foot, and he had become so expert a
backwood's man, that he had no hesitation in trusting himself without a
guide. He, however, carried his gun, and in summer a fishing rod, that
he might supply himself with provisions by the way. His gun also he
required for defence against any wolves or bears he might encounter,
both of which were at that time common in the country, though long since
driven off to the wilder regions of the far west and north.
He was returning from one of these expeditions in the early spring, when
night approaching, as he was making his way through the forest, he
prepared to encamp. His axe quickly enabled him to cut some sticks for
his shanty, for which a quantity of large pieces of birch bark scattered
about served as a covering. The tops of some young spruce firs strewed
on the ground made a luxurious couch, while there was no lack of dry
broken branches to furnish a supply of firewood. He quickly formed his
hunter's camp, and commenced cooking a couple of fish he had caught in a
stream he had shortly before forded, and a bird he had shot during the
day. This, with a handful of Indian meal made into porridge, gave him a
sumptuous repast. After reading God's Word by the light of his blazing
fire, he commended himself to His merciful care, and having renewed his
fire, lay down within his hut fearless of danger.
His journey had been long and fatiguing, which made him sleep soundly.
He was at length awakened by a long low howl. He opened his eyes and
discovered that his fire had gone out, but he was still too much
oppressed by sleep to rise. He was under the impression that he had
merely dreamed of the noise he had heard. It shortly came again,
however, and this time he was aware that it was a reality. Mixed with
the howl were the sounds of savage barks and yelps. He knew them to be
the voices of wolves, disputing, probably, over the body of some deer
they had pulled down, or found dead after it had escaped from the
hunter's rifle. Their repast finished, they might come in the direction
of his camp. Starting up he prepared to relight his fire, and drawing
the wood together, which he had kept for the purpose, he quickly
produced a flame, and then looked to the priming of his gun to be ready
in case of an attack. To sleep longer was out of the question; he
therefore sat up, listening to the appalling sounds which ever and anon
echoed through the forest. He had hitherto in his journeys never fallen
in with a pack of wolves, though he had frequently met solitary
individuals, whose savage jaws had shown what fearful foes, a number
combined together, would prove. His stout Highland heart was not,
however, inclined to give way to fear; besides which, his faith was
firm, and he knew in whom he trusted. At the same time, not being a
mere enthusiast, he felt that it was his duty to consider what were the
best means of preserving his life by his own exertions, should the
wolves discover him, and venture on an attack. He first collected all
the fuel he could find near at hand, and made his fire blaze up
brightly. As, however, it might not last till the morning, it occurred
to him that it would be wise to examine the neighbouring trees, and to
select one up which he might climb, should the savage creatures come
round him. The larger trees were inaccessible; but he found one near at
hand, the lower branches of which he might reach, could he manage to
drive a few pegs into the trunk. With his axe he at once cut some holes
as high as he could reach, and then sharpening several pieces of wood,
hardening them in the fire. The trunk was soft, and to his satisfaction
he found that he could make a ladder, by which he could reach the lowest
branches, and thence gain a part of the tree which would afford him a
secure seat, and enable him to fire down upon his assailants, and, as he
hoped, drive them away.
The night wind blowing keenly, he had no wish to take his seat on the
tree till compelled by necessity. Having therefore made his
arrangements he again threw fuel on the fire, and sat down within the
shelter of his hut, with his gun by his side. The howling of the wolves
had ceased, and he hoped that they had turned away from him, and that he
should not be troubled by a visit. A feeling of security stole over
him, and fatigue overcoming his prudence, he again dropped off to sleep.
How long he had thus sat with his eyes closed he could not tell, when he
was awakened by hearing the savage howls of the wolves close to him.
Starting up he caught sight of numberless dark forms, with glaring eyes,
making a circle round the fire, which they were evidently unwilling to
approach, eager as they were to seize their prey. The fire had burnt
somewhat low, and he feared that should the flames cease to ascend they
might make a dash across the embers, and rush upon him.
The tree he had selected was at hand, and he now regretted that he had
not ascended it at first. A few dry sticks were still within his reach.
Springing out of his hut he seized them, and threw them on the fire.
At that moment a savage wolf, either one of the leaders of the pack, or
more hungry than its companions, made a rush at him from one side.
Happily he was prepared, and firing, the creature rolled over. The
instant it was dead the rest of the animals sprang on the body, tearing
it to pieces. Donald on this, after re-loading his gun, having stirred
up the fire so as to make it burn more brightly, ran towards the tree,
up which he began to climb. The short delay of loading his gun might
have proved fatal, for part of the pack perceiving him, came yelping on
furiously, and he had scarcely got his feet out of the reach of their
fangs before the whole pack had collected round him. His gun, which he
had slung at his back, being rather weighty, he was afraid that the pegs
would give way, and that he should fall among the ravenous jaws below
him, but he succeeded at length in reaching a firm branch, and he drew
himself up on to it, and thence climbed to the point he had selected.
Here he sat securely. Though he had escaped from the wolves they showed
no signs of quitting him; the light of the fire, which still blazed up
brightly, exhibiting their savage forms, as they stood howling beneath
the tree, or circled round and round, looking up with eager eyes towards
him. He refrained from firing, believing that they were more likely to
go away when they found that they could not reach him, than if he should
kill some of their number, when the pack would remain to devour the
carcases of their companions. At last, when morning dawned, and they
still continued round the tree, he began to lose patience, and to fear
that they would carry on the siege till they had starved him out.
"I cannot kill the whole pack," he said to himself, "but I may knock
over so many that the others may at length take warning and make their
escape."
He had no difficulty in firing, and as a branch offered him a good rest
for his gun, he was able to take steady aim, and never missed a shot.
He had killed half a dozen or more, still the wolves continued round the
tree. It was in a dense part of the forest, through which the beams of
the sun did not penetrate, or the creatures, disliking the bright light
of day, would probably have retreated to their fastness. Hour after
hour passed by, the air became unusually sultry and hot, even in the
forest. Donald was growing, at the same time, very hungry, and though,
as yet, he had rather enjoyed the adventure, he now began to feel
seriously anxious about his safety. He had but a few bullets remaining,
and the small shot in his pouch would produce but little effect on the
heads of the wolves, and only render them more savage. He waited for
some time, and then again began to fire, hoping that the sound of his
piece might be heard by any party of Indians or travellers in the
forest, who would come to his assistance, for he knew that the wolves,
cowardly though savage, will seldom venture to attack several people
together. He had expended his bullets. He felt more and more sensible
of the increased heat, and on looking upwards through the branches he
observed an unusual appearance in the sky. The wolves, at the same
instant, became silent, and then seized, so it seemed, by a panic, the
whole pack set off at full speed amid the trees, and were lost to sight.
The heat grew more intense than ever, not a breath of wind was stirring,
the thunder roared in the distance, gradually the sky, as he could see
it through the branches, became of an inky blackness, till a dark pall
collected overhead, then the clouds appeared to break up, and whirled
round and round each other in a state of dreadful commotion, forked
lightening darted from the heavens, and the thunder, in rapid heavy
peals, roared and rattled again and again till the very trees of the
forest seemed to shake with the concussion. Far away out of the forest
arose a black cone-shaped column, which soon joined itself to the mass
of clouds overhead, the lightening flashing with greater vividness and
rapidity, the thunder becoming more deafening than ever. The sound
increased to a dreadful roar, coming nearer and nearer. He had no doubt
that it was indeed a whirlwind sweeping through the forest, he could
hear the tree tops dashed together, the rending branches, the crashing
of falling trees, as the stout branches were twisted round and round,
torn up by the roots, or snapped off as if they had been mere saplings.
Should the devastating tempest pass across where he stood, he could
scarcely hope to avoid being crushed by the falling trees.
He now remembered an open space a short distance off, which, had the
ground not been swampy, he would have selected for his camp. He hurried
towards it. As he made his way through the forest he could hear behind
him those dreadful sounds which betokened the rapid approach of the
hurricane. Already the tree tops were waving furiously above his head,
as he sprang out into the open space, towards which he was directing his
steps. In an instant after the tall trees came crashing down, and
almost lifted off his feet, he found himself encircled by masses of
leaves and boughs torn off and whirled through the air. On he sped till
he gained the centre of the meadow, when, on looking back, a wide
opening appeared in the part of the forest through which he had lately
passed. An avenue had been formed nearly two hundred yards in width, in
which not a tree remained standing, while it seemed to extend far away
into the depths of the forest.
As he was anxious to continue his journey, as soon as all was quiet, he
set off in the direction taken by the newly formed avenue. He had to
proceed a considerable distance towards the track which led to the
township, and he kept as near it as the fallen trees would allow, that
he might observe the havoc which had been produced. He calculated, as
he walked along, that upwards of three miles of forest had been levelled
of the width already mentioned, and that many thousand trees had, in a
few seconds, been destroyed.