TJic Home of ilic Wolverene and Beaver. 249 



a bullet whistling through Paul's floating locks 

 warned him that the wasp had yet power to sting. 

 But dauntlessly the young man held upon his 

 course, his rifle at full cock, and its muzzle directed 

 towards the breast of his enemy, whom he now 

 jjcrceivcd to be an Indian of gigantic stature. 



"Rendt'Z-vons," he shouted, "onje tire! ;'' but the 

 grim warrior disdained to yield, and Paul steadily 

 advanced, determined not to fire until so close that 

 missing his aim would be impossible. 



With his eye fixed upon every movement of the 

 Indian, Paul lessened the distance between them, 

 and now but half a dozen paces separated him from 

 his adversary. 



" One yard nearer and I will fire, unless he sur- 

 renders," thought the young man, as he stepped 

 forward ; but, his gaze fixed steadily on the foe, he 

 had not noticed, lying half buried in the snow, the 

 steel trap from which the Indian had just escaped. 

 In the closed semi-circular jaws of this his snow- 

 shoe became entangled, and for one brief instant 

 his gaze was removed from his antagonist and 

 directed to the ground in search of the impediment. 

 That fleeting moment sufficed for the watchful red 

 man ; with one bound he cleared the distance that 

 separated him from Paul, and locked in each other's 

 arms a death struggle commenced. 



