158 The Wilderness Hunter 



the silent loneliness of the great lake. Shrouded as 

 we were in the dense forest, and at the foot of the 

 first steep hills, we could see nothing of the country 

 on the side where we were camped; but across the 

 water the immense mountain masses stretched away 

 from our vision, range upon range, until they turned 

 to a glittering throng of ice peaks and snow fields, 

 the feeding beds of glaciers. Between the lake and 

 the snow range were chains of gray rock peaks, and 

 the mountain sides and valleys were covered by the 

 primeval forest. The woods were on fire across the 

 lake from our camp, burning steadily. At night the 

 scene was very grand, as the fire worked slowly 

 across the mountain sides in immense zigzags of 

 quivering red; while at times isolated pines of un 

 usual size kindled, and flamed for hours, like the 

 torches of a giant. Finally the smoke grew so thick 

 as to screen from our views the grand landscape 

 opposite. 



We had come down from a week s fruitless hunt 

 ing in the mountains; a week of excessive toil, in a 

 country where we saw no game for in our igno 

 rance we had wasted time, not going straight back 

 to the high ranges, from which the game had not 

 yet descended. After three or four days of rest, 

 and of feasting on trout a welcome relief to the 

 monotony of frying-pan bread and coarse salt pork 

 we were ready for another trial; and early one 

 morning we made the start. Having to pack every- 



