Hukweem the Night Voice. 145 



for a few minutes, and another silence, broken by a 

 shriller outcry. That meant that something unusual 

 was going on, so I left the trout, to find out about it. 



When I pushed my canoe through the fringe of 

 water-grass on the point nearest the loons, they were 

 scattered in a long line, twelve or fifteen of them, ex- 

 tending from the head of the bay to a point nearly 

 opposite me. At the other end of the line two loons 

 were swimming about, doing something which I could 

 not make out. Suddenly the loon talk ceased. There 

 may have been a signal given, which I did not hear. 

 Anyway, the two loons faced about at the same 

 moment and came tearing down the line, using 

 wings and feet to help in the race. The upper 

 loons swung in behind them as they passed, so as to 

 watch the finish better; but not a sound was heard 

 till they passed my end of the line in a close, hard 

 race, one scarcely a yard ahead of the other, when such 

 a yelling began as I never heard before. All the loons 

 gathered about the two swimmers; there was much 

 cackling and crying, which grew gradually quieter ; 

 then they began to string out in another long line, and 

 two more racers took their places at one end of it. By 

 that time it was almost dark, and I broke up the race 

 trying to get nearer in my canoe so as to watch things 

 better. 



