152 THE WILDERNESS HUNTER. 



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 prime- 

 val 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 unusual 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 

 hunting in the mountains ; a week of exces- 

 sive toil, in a country where we saw no game 

 for in our ignorance 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 coarsey salt pork we 

 were ready for another trial ; and early one 

 morning we made the start. Having to pack 

 everything for a fortnight's use on our backs, 

 through an excessively rough country we of 

 course travelled as light as possible, leaving 

 almost all we had with the tent and boat. 

 Each took his own blanket ; and among us we 

 carried a frying-pan, a teapot, flour, pork, 



