68 THE ADIRONDACK. 



daintily across a springing morass, we picked our 

 way until we at length struck a stream, the bed of 

 which we followed into the bosom of the mountains. 

 We crossed deer paths every few rods, and soon the 

 two hounds Cheney had taken with him, parted from 

 us, and their loud deep bay began to ring and echo 

 through the gorge. 



The instincts with which animals are endowed by 

 their Creator, on purpose to make them successful in 

 the chase, is one of the most curious things in nature. 

 I watched for a long time the actions of one of these 

 noble hounds. "With his nose close to the leaves, he 

 would double backwards and forwards on a track, to 

 see whether it was fresh or not — then abandon it at 

 once, when he found it too old. At length, striking a 

 fresh one, he started off; but the next moment, finding 

 he was going back instead of forwards on the track, he 

 wheeled, and came dashing past on a furious run, 

 his eyes glaring with excitement. Soon his voice 

 made the forest ring ; and I could imagine the quick 

 start it gave to the deer, quietly grazing, it might 

 have been, a mile away. Lifting his beautiful head 

 a moment, to ascertain if that cry of death was 

 on his track, he bounded off in the long chase and 



