EPISODES 223 



prise which the hungry Wolves were at times seen to make 

 energetic but unsuccessful efforts. It was curious to see 

 the snow-white birds all lying flat on the ice, but keenly 

 intent on watching the motions of their insidious enemi«s, 

 until the latter advanced within the distance of a few 

 hundred yards, when the Swans, sounding their trumpet- 

 notes of alarm, would all rise, spread out their broad 

 wings, and after running some yards and battering the 

 ice until the noise was echoed like thunder through 

 the woods, rose exultingly into the air, leaving their 

 pursuers to devise other schemes for gratifying their 

 craving appetites. 



The nights being extremely cold, we constantly kept 

 up a large fire, formed of the best wood. Fine trees of ash 

 and hickory were felled, cut up into logs of convenient 

 size, and rolled into a pile, on the top of which, with the 

 aid of twigs, a fire was kindled. There were about fifteen 

 of us, some hunters, others trappers, and all more or less 

 accustomed to living in the woods. At night, when all 

 had returned from their hunting grounds, some successful 

 and others empty-handed, they presented a picture in the 

 strong glare of the huge fire that illuminated the forest, 

 which it might prove interesting to you to see, were it 

 copied by a bold hand on canvas. Over a space of thirty 

 yards or more, the snow was scraped away, and piled up 

 into a circular wall, which protected us from the cold blast. 

 Our cooking utensils formed no mean display, and before 

 a week had elapsed. Venison, Turkeys, and Raccoons hung 

 on the branches in profusion. Fish, too, and that of ex- 

 cellent quality, often graced our board, having been obtained 

 by breaking holes in the ice of the lakes. It was observed 

 that the Opossums issued at night from holes in the banks 

 of the river, to which they returned about daybreak; and 

 having thus discovered their retreat, we captured many of 

 them by means of snares. 



At the end of a fortnight our bread failed, and two of the 



