THE DUSKY GROUSE. 137 



on tlie lake, the deep hooting of owls, the screams of the 

 congars and lynxes, and the melancholy howling of the 

 wolves united in one volume, and made the region seem 

 a perfect pandemonium of animals let loose. The din 

 they created was so great that it was long past midnight 

 ere I became habituated enough to it to fall into a rest- 

 less slumber, in which I dreamed of deer and wolves and 

 bears, whicli I was constantly trying to shoot, but never 

 could, for I was always sure to miss or lose sight of every 

 one I aimed at. 



We were up so long before daylight that we Avere 

 almost tired of waiting for it to appear; but when it did 

 finally come, we were well repaid for our patience by 

 the splendid illumination we witnessed, and th6 fine 

 effects of light and shade that were visible on the water 

 and the forest. When the red ball of fire first crept 

 above the eastern hills, the woods and lake were wrapped 

 in gloom, but as it rose higher and higher the long clouds 

 of black vanished gradually until, in the course of an 

 hour, the tarn gleamed like molten silver, while rays of 

 many hues gilded the tree-toj^s. Everything seemed so 

 gentle, and was wrapped in such solemn silence, that 

 it recalled visions of the islands of bliss; it certainly 

 appeared to me to be one of the most soothing and tran- 

 quil scenes I had ever beheld. As soon as it was light 

 enough to enable us to travel, we moved off in a body, 

 and on entering the forest depths the half-breed was ap- 

 pointed huntsman, and sent with three hounds into a 

 thicket, about two hundred yards away, with instruc- 

 tions to work towards a position we were to take on a 

 promontory, half a mile beyond. He had scarcely en- 

 tered the appointed place ere we were brought to an 

 abrupt halt by the clamorous cry of the three hounds 

 and the cur, which composed the pack, and a moment 

 later a splendid buck came bounding towards us. When 

 he was about forty yards away the doctor fired at him, 



