It was evening before the tide began to fall and uncover the stake-nets,
which were eagerly and earnestly watched by those who had remained in
the camp. Mrs Stanley and Edith were seated on an empty box by the
margin of the sandy bay; Mr Stanley sat on a nail-keg beside them; La
Roche and the Indian were still working at the small canoe a few yards
from the tent; and Gaspard, with folded arms, and an unusual smile of
good humour playing on his countenance, stood close behind Stanley.
None of the hunting and exploring parties had returned, although the sun
had long since disappeared behind the mountains, and the mellow light of
evening was deepening over the bay.
"There's a tail, sir," said Gaspard, as he hurried towards the net.
"So it is!" cried Stanley, leaping up. "Come along, Eda, and take the
first fish."
Edith needed no second invitation, but bounded towards the edge of the
water, which was now gradually leaving the nets. Gaspard had already
disengaged a white fish from the mesh, and wading to the beach, gave it
to the little girl, who ran with it joyously to her mother. Meanwhile,
another and another fish was left by the tide, and Stanley soon after
brought up a splendid salmon of about twenty-five pounds weight, and
laid it at Edith's feet.
"Oh, how very beautiful!" cried the child, as she gazed in delight at
the silvery scales of the fish.
"My mind is much relieved by this, Jessie," said Stanley, reseating
himself on the keg, while Oostesimow and La Roche carried the fish
ashore as Gaspard freed them from the nets. "I now see that there are
plenty of fish in the river, and if the hunters bring in a good report
to-night, our anxiety on the score of food will be quite removed."
Although none of the party had ever set a net on stakes before, they had
frequently heard of this manner of fishing, and their first attempt
proved eminently successful. At low tide stakes had been driven into
the sand, extending from the edge of the water towards high-water mark.
On these the nets had been spread, and thus the misfortune which had
attended the setting of the nets with floats and sinkers was avoided.
The quantity of fish taken gave promise of an ample supply for the
future. There were two Hearne-salmon (that is, spotted like trout), and
one large common salmon, besides thirty white-fish, averaging between
two to six pounds weight each, all of which were in excellent condition.
The white-fish is of the salmon species, but white in the flesh, and
being less rich than the salmon, is much preferred by those who have to
use it constantly as an article of food.
"This is a most fortunate supply," remarked Stanley, "and will prevent
the necessity of putting the men on short allowance."
"Short allowance!" exclaimed his wife; "I thought we had more than
enough of food to last us till the arrival of the ship."
"Ay, so we have. But until now I did not feel at liberty to use it; for
if through any accident the ship does not come, and if there had chanced
to be no fish in the river, the only course open to us would be to
retrace our steps, and as that would be a long and slow process, we
would require to economise our food. In fact, I had resolved to begin
operations by putting the men on short allowance; but this haul of fish
shows me that we shall have more than enough.
"But who comes here?" he added, on observing the figure of a man
approaching the camp. "He seems to carry a burden on his back, as far
as I can make out in the uncertain light."
"Did any of the men go out alone?" inquired Mrs Stanley.
"No; but I suppose that this one must have separated from his comrade.--
Hallo! who goes there?"
The man tossed the bundle from his shoulders, and hastening forward
revealed the flushed countenance of Frank Morton.
"What! Frank! why, man, you seem to have had a hard day of it, if I may
judge by your looks."
"Not so hard but that a good supper will put its effects to flight,"
replied Frank, as he rested his gun against a rock and seated himself on
the keg from which Stanley had risen. "The fact is, I have slain a
noble buck, and being desirous that the men should have as much of it as
possible, I loaded myself rather heavily. The ground, too, is horribly
bad; but pray send Gaspard for the bundle. I should have been here
sooner but for the time required to dissect the animal."
"Where is Bryan, Frank?" inquired Mrs Stanley. "You went away
together."
"Bryan! I know not. He and I parted in the mountains some hours ago;
and as he failed to keep his appointment with me, I concluded that he
must have become foot-sore and returned to camp."
"He has not returned," said Stanley; "but I have no fear for the honest
blacksmith. He's too old a nor'wester to lose himself, and he's too
tough to kill. But come, Frank, let us to our tent. I see that La
Roche has already prepared our salmon for the kettle, and so--"
"Salmon!" interrupted Frank.
"Ay, lad, salmon! a twenty-five pounder too! But come, change your
foot-gear, and then we shall have our supper, in the course of which we
shall exchange news."
As they proceeded towards the camp the voices of some of the men were
heard in the distance; it was now too dark to see them. In a few
minutes Francois, followed by Augustus and Ma-istequan, strode into the
circle of light around the fire, and laying aside their guns proceeded
to light their pipes, while they replied to the questions of Frank and
Stanley.
"You do not come empty-handed," remarked the latter, as Francois and his
comrades threw down several fat ducks and a few grouse, which, after the
fashion of hunters, they had carried pendent by the necks from their
belts.
"We only shot a few, monsieur," replied Francois, "to put in the kettle
for supper. We might have loaded a canoe had we chosen."
"That is well," said Stanley; "but the kettle is full already, and
supper prepared. See, Frank has shot a deer, so that we shall fare well
to-night.--Ah, Prince! come along. What! more game?" he added, as Dick
and Massan entered the halo of light, and threw down the choice morsels
of a fat deer which they had killed among the mountains.
"Ah! oui, monsieur," said Massan, chuckling as he laid aside his axe and
gun; "we might ha' killed three o' them if we had been so minded; but we
couldn't ha' brought them into camp, an', as Dick said, 'tis a pity to
kill deer to feed the wolves with."
"Right!" exclaimed Frank; "but did any of you see Bryan? He gave me the
slip in the mountains, and, I fear, has lost himself."
To this the men replied in the negative, and some of them smiled at the
idea of the blacksmith being lost.
"No fear, vraiment! He no lost," cried La Roche with a laugh, as he
lifted the huge kettle from the fire and placed it in the midst of the
men, having previously abstracted the best portions for the special
benefit of his master. "No fear of Bryan, certainment; he like one bad
shilling--he come up toujours. Ah! mauvais chien, him give me all de
trouble ov get supper ready mylone."
"I trust it may be so," said Stanley. "We are all here except him and
Oolibuck, whom I have sent to the coast for a few days to watch for the
ship. But let us have supper, La Roche, and spread ours nearer the fire
to-night--it is rather cold; besides, I want to hear the reports of the
men."
In compliance with this order, the lively Frenchman spread the supper
for his master's family close beside that of the men, and in a few
minutes more a most vigorous attack was made on the viands, during the
first part of which the hungry travellers maintained unbroken silence.
But as the cravings of nature began to be satisfied, their tongues found
time to remark on the excellence of the fare. The salmon was superb.
Even Edith, who seldom talked about what she ate, pronounced it very
good. The white-fish were better than any of the party had ever eaten
in their lives, although most of them had travelled over the length and
breadth of the North American wilderness. The ducks were perfect. Even
the ptarmigan were declared passable; and the venison, with an inch of
fat on the haunches--words were not found sufficiently expressive to
describe it. Those who are philosophically inclined may suspect that
some of this super-excellence lay in the keen appetites of the men.
Well, perhaps it did.
While the travellers were in the midst of this, and ere yet their
tongues were fairly loosened, a loud unearthly shout rang with appalling
reverberations among the surrounding cliffs, causing the entire party to
start up and rush for their arms. Again the cry was heard.
"Ah! bad skran to ye, Losh!--Hould on, Moses, ye fat villain. Lave me
wan mouthful, jist wan, to kape me from givin' up the ghost intirely."
A shout of laughter greeted the advent of Bryan's voice, but it was
nothing to the peals that burst forth on the appearance of that
individual in _propria persona_. To say that he was totally dishevelled
would convey but half the truth. Besides being covered and clotted with
mud, he was saturated with water from head to foot, his clothes rent in
a most distressing manner, and his features quite undistinguishable.
"Why, Bryan, what ails you? Where have you been?" inquired Stanley, in
a tone of sympathy.
"Bin, is it? Sorra wan o' me knows where I've bin. It's mysilf is glad
to be sartin I'm here, anyhow."
"I'm glad you're certain of it," said Frank, "for if it were not for the
sound of your voice, I should doubt it."
"Ah monsieur," said La Roche, "make your mind easy on dat. No von but
Bryan ever regard de kettle dat way."
"Taizy voo, ye petit varmint," said Bryan, approaching the said kettle,
and smiling rapturously through the mud that encrusted his face on
beholding its contents. Without waiting to change his garments the
hungry blacksmith began supper, having first, however, directed
attention to the bag which he had brought in. From this bag La Roche
now extracted about a dozen trout, some of which were of great size--
especially one, whose bulk exceeded that of the large salmon.
"There's plinty more where thim comed from," said Bryan, through a
mouthful of venison; "but I'll tell ye ov it afther supper."
"Ah, true! don't let us interrupt him just now," said Stanley. "In the
meantime, Francois, since you seem to be about done, tell us what you
have seen, and let us hear what you have to say of the country."