124 Wilderness Ways. 



any trace of game about you, hour after hour through 

 the wilderness, without ever showing himself in the 

 light. Then I whirled suddenly, obeying an impulse ; 

 and there was Upweekis, a big, savage-looking fellow, 

 just gliding up on my trail in plain sight, following 

 the broad snowshoe track and the scent of the fresh 

 caribou skin without difficulty, poor trailer though 

 he be. 



He stopped and sat down on his feet, as a lucivee 

 generally does when you surprise him, and stared at 

 me steadily. When I went on again I knew that he 

 was after me, though he had disappeared from the trail. 



Then began a double-quick of four miles, the object 

 being to reach camp before night should fall and give 

 the lucivee the advantage. It was already late enough 

 to make one a bit uneasy. He knew that I was hur- 

 rying ; he grew bolder, showing himself openly on 

 the trail behind me. I turned into an old swamping 

 road, which gave me a bit of open before and behind. 

 Then I saw him occasionally on either side, or crouch- 

 ing half hid until I passed. Clearly he was waiting 

 for night; but to this day I am not sure whether it 

 was the man or the caribou skin upon which he had 

 set his heart. The scent of flesh and blood was in his 

 nose, and he was too hungry to control himself much 

 longer. 



