CHAPTER XIV 



A NIGHT IN THE OPEN 



" The tyranny of the open night's too rough for nature to endure." 



KING LEAR. 



Two and a half miles by the canoe and then six 

 miles as measured by the pedometer, in all eight and 

 a half miles away, is a dam at the head waters of " Our 

 Lake." My camp companion and his guide went up 

 there one day and came back with stories of big deer 

 tracks, and plenty of them ; of having each fired twice 

 at a big buck thirty yards away and missed, of fresh 

 moose tracks and of firs that one moose bull had rubbed 

 his antlers on in order to peel off the velvet. So, on 

 account of these stories, the next morning we all went 

 up the stream again ; the other hunter and his guide 

 only to journey as far as the place where they missed 

 the buck, while my guide and I went to the dam, he 

 carrying a sleeping bag and a couple of rubber blankets, 

 a dipper, frying-pan and teakettle. He was to return 

 for some important work to be done early the next 

 morning. I was to hunt during the balance of the day 

 and the next forenoon, and to lie out at night beside 

 the dam. 



Albert, the guide, had started upon his return trip 

 but a few minutes when I discovered that my match 

 safe was empty. I ran after him and blew a whistle to 



