THE HALCYON IN CANADA 219 



the blood stream down my back. We hastened back 

 with the boat, and, by wading out into the current 

 again and holding it by a long rope, it swung around 

 with my companion aboard, and was held in the eddy 

 behind the rock. I clambered up, got my clothes 

 on, and we were soon shooting down stream toward 

 home; but the winter of discontent that shrouded 

 one half of me made sad inroads upon the placid 

 feeling of a day well spent that enveloped the other, 

 all the way to camp. 



That night something carried off all our fish, 

 doubtless a fisher or lynx, as Joe had seen an animal 

 of some kind about camp that day. 



I must not forget the two red squirrels that fre- 

 quented the camp during our stay, and that were so 

 tame they would approach within a few* feet of us 

 and take the pieces of bread or fish tossed to them. 

 When a particularly fine piece of hard-tack was se- 

 cured they would spin off to their den with it some- 

 where near by. 



Caribou abound in these woods, but we saw only 

 their tracks ; and of bears, which are said to be plen- 

 tiful, we saw no signs. 



Saturday morning we packed up our traps and 

 started on our return, and found that the other side 

 of the spruce-trees and the vista of the lonely road 

 going south were about the same as coming north. 

 But we understood the road better and the buck- 

 board better, and our load was lighter, hence the 

 distance was more easily accomplished. 



I saw a solitary robin by the roadside, and won- 



