A WOLF CONGEST. 209 



invitation extended to us to dine. Towards evening, we 

 rowed back to our shanty. The breeze had entirely ceased, 

 and the lake lay still and smooth ; not a wave agitated 

 its surface, not a ripple passed across its stirless bosom ; 

 the woods along the shore, and the mountains in the back 

 ground, the glowing sunlight upon the hill-tops were mir- 

 rored back from its quiet depths as if there were other 

 forests, and other mountains and hills glowing in the even- 

 ing sunshine away down below, twins to those above and 

 around us. We saw on our return along the beach, the 

 track of a bear in the sand, that had been made during 

 the day, and we had some talk of trying the scent of 

 our dogs upon it. But it was too near night, to allow 

 of a hope of securing him, even if the dogs could follow, 

 and we gave up the idea, promising to attend to bruin's 

 case another day. 



As we sat with our meerschaums, in the evening, specu- 

 lating upon the chances of securing a bear, or a moose, 

 before leaving the woods, a wolf lifted up his voice on the 

 hill opposite us, arifl made the old forest ring again with 

 his howling. He was answered as in the night previous, 

 from away down the lake, and by another from the hill 

 back of us, and another still from the narrow gorge above 

 the head of the lake. However discordant the music ap- 

 peared to us, they seemed to enjoy it, for they kept it 

 up at intervals during all the early part of the night. 



" Seeing that bear's track, and hearing the howl of those 

 wolves," said the Doctor, " reminds me of a story I heard 



