164 PBAIEIE AND FOKEST. 



and ants thus exposed. The old lady had neither winded 

 nor heard us, and she remained sedulously pursuing her 

 avocation, perfectly ignorant that her industry and 

 strength were forming a subject of admiration to a 

 son of Adam. At length their search for insects took 

 them out of sight, and I descended to join my com- 

 panions. 



The day by this time was far spent, and neither of us 

 having arms suitable for an assault upon the happy family, 

 we determined to seek the settlement and revisit the scene 

 on the morrow. Next day, at an early hour, with quite a 

 reinforcement, all armed with most formidable firearms, 

 from the Spencer rifle to the old smooth-bore, and 

 accompanied by a well-tried bear-dog, we sallied forth ; 

 for miles we tracked Madam Bruin, by the broken frag- 

 ments of decayed timber and the numerous logs she had 

 disturbed from their original resting-place. Finally, we 

 thought she could not be far distant, and the dog was 

 untied ; off he went like a thunderbolt, and in a quarter 

 of an hour we heard him baying vociferously. Guns were 

 looked to, the men most energetic previously now dropped 

 behind, doubtless to examine their trusty rifles and see that 

 the powder was up in the nipples ; but when we reached 

 Watch, what was our disgust to find that he had treed a 

 covey of Canadian grouse. Unwillingly we went to work 

 and decimated this unhappy and unconscious brood, nor 

 could all our efforts afterwards induce the unfailing bear-dog 

 to take up the desired track. 



The scene of the subsequent narrative was between Lake 

 St. John and Mud Lake, near the most northern extremity 



