INTO THE UNKNOWN WILDERNESS. 78 



lead I heard the cracking of a stick. It was, no doubt, 

 caused by the foot of the fawn. Quickly but silently I 

 proceeded. Again and again the noise was heard, and 

 each time nearer than the last. My advance was con- 

 tinued cautiously, until very soon, in a thicket of scrub, 

 only a few yards ahead, I noticed the moving of some 

 branches. Still no deer could I see, but in creeping up 

 closer, at a distance of not over twenty yards, I suddenly 

 came within full view of an immense black bear, seated 

 on his haunches and occupied in rubbing the mosquitos 

 off his nose. Although taken by surprise at the pro- 

 portions of the supposed calf, I dropped on one knee, 

 and, levelling my rifle, fired at the back of bruin's head, 

 whereat he also exhibited considerable surprise by leap- 

 ing into the air, making several delirious revolutions, 

 and bolting away into the gloom of the swamp. Though 

 in all probability badly wounded, it was too dark to 

 follow him. The gloom had already spoiled my aim, so 

 without further pursuit I groped my way back to camp. 



During the following day the ascent of Wolverine 

 River was continued, and three short portages, the long- 

 est one being half a mile, were made. As we proceeded 

 northward the banks of the river became more rocky. 

 In many places bald hilltops were visible, rising two or 

 three hundred feet above the level of the river. Such 

 timber as there was consisted of spruce, birch and jack- 

 pine. 



On the 14th, Birch Lake, a small body of water about 

 nine miles long by two wide, was discovered and sur- 

 veyed, and near its northern extremity a large rapid 

 stream was found emptying into it its foaming waters. 

 Judging the course of this stream to be our route, a 



