THE QUARRY ESCAPED. 189 



the boat suddenly struck the dry limbs of a spruce 

 tree that had fallen in the water. Snap, snap, went 

 the brittle twigs — one of them piercing our bark 

 canoe. We backed out of the dilemma as quick as 

 possible, but the sound had alarmed the deer, and I 

 could hear his long bounds as he cleared the bank, 

 and made off into the forest. 



After cruising about a little while longer, we put 

 back, and crossed the lake to a deep bay on the 

 farther side. But the moon now began to show her 

 disc over the fir trees, and our last remaining chance 

 was to find a deer in the bay before the silver orb 

 should climb the lofty pines that folded it in. But 

 in this too we were disappointed, and the unclouded 

 light now flooding lake and forest, we turned wearily 

 towards our camp fire that was blazing cheerfully 

 amid the trees on the farther shore. Just then a 

 merry laugh came floating over the water from our 

 companions there, breaking the silence which had en- 

 chained us, and for the first time we spoke. My 

 limbs were almost paralyzed from having been kept so 

 long in one position, and I was sick and weary. Still 

 I would not have missed that mysterious boat-ride 

 and the strange sensations it had awakened, to have 



