GROPING IN THE FOREST 35 



come into sight, and, ultimately, pitch on the 

 shore of the lake. Breathlessly then we had 

 watched and waited, for it was as if we were 

 searching for gold and were feverishly near to it. 



For a little time the bird had pecked among 

 the gravel, then risen heavily, got started in 

 speed and equilibrium, and sailed away over the 

 forest straight back into the east. The bird's 

 manner of going had the decision of one returning 

 to settled haunts, and we felt sure that if we could 

 find a marshy lake somewhere in the area where 

 the bird had flown we would be very close to 

 the real centre of our search. 



So were we groping in the forest — east for a 

 long distance, then traversing roughly north- 

 east and south-east. In our search we came on 

 more than one lake and had to make wide detours 

 in some cases to get past and beyond them, but 

 in none did we disturb the secreted crane, and 

 at the end of the day vain had been our search 

 through belts of crowded forest and muskeg 

 bog, where foothold was precarious and stepping 

 laborious. 



Throughout the day we covered a large extent 

 of country and were disappointed to have seen 

 nothing of bear, moose, deer, or other animals 

 indigenous to this territory. But where areas 

 of forest are great and closely grown it is really 

 seldom that one sees big game in summer-time. 

 In fact, at this season, one might often be misled 

 to believe that there are none. However, that 

 would be a rash assumption : there is game in 

 plenty, though to-day was a blank one, and all 

 that we disturbed was an innocent, awkward- 



