268 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



dians stood back and waited. Gib explained that if 

 Dychedid not lead they would not go back with him. 

 Thinking that he had another superstition to contend 

 with, the naturalist took the lead and started off at a 

 rapid gait. The Indians carried heavy loads, and as 

 Dyche took the usual dog-trot on the trail the red 

 men followed closely in his tracks. Dyche was a lit- 

 tle puzzled at first, but by careful watching he saw 

 sufficient signs of the old trail to convince him that 

 he was taking the right direction, and at last, when 

 he saw traces of one of the camps at the edge of a 

 moskeg, he began to increase his speed. As the 

 Indians had had so much sport with him when 

 they first left the village, he concluded to return the 

 compliment and show what a white man could do 

 when he tried. Faster and faster he went until he 

 was almost running, with the Indians stringing out 

 in single file behind him. 



Looking back occasionally, he noticed that his red 

 companions were strung out for fully half a mile, 

 May puck being the nearest, two hundred yards away. 

 The sight so encouraged the naturalist that he put 

 forth an extra burst of speed and soon had the sat- 

 isfaction of seeing a clear track behind him with 

 not an Indian in sight. He dashed across the clear- 

 ing at full speed and reached the camp with only 

 Maypuck showing at the edge of the woods, three 

 hundred yards away, and coming at a dead run. 

 Dyche quickly started a fire and began heating 

 water in his tin cup. When the chief reached him 

 the water was hot, and the hunter poured into it a 

 quantity of extract of ginger. This he drank and 



