PRESENTIMENTS OF EVIL. 141 



and the evening meal dispatched, on a bed of leaves I would 

 smoke myself to sleep, painting, till no longer conscious, 

 pictures of distant home. A hunter's camp always becomes 

 a rendezvous for some wolves, and two of these scoundrels 

 were seldom beyond sight. Latterly they became so tame 

 that they would come close enough to pick up a bone if 

 thrown to them ; and one night, when the cold was more 

 rigorous than usual, on awaking to add fresh fuel to the 

 fire, I saw one of them sitting beside the warm embers, 

 nodding his head like a sleepy listener to a prosy sermon. 

 Every day I expected to be able to set out. The appear- 

 ance of the sky denoted change as I turned in on the last 

 evening of my stay in this remote corner of the earth, but 

 whether it was anticipation of the good things to be ob- 

 tained when civilization had been reached, I know not, or 

 an unaccountable consciousness that danger was not far 

 distant, I could not sleep. First I tried one side and then 

 the other, but without effect. As it was not cold, the fire 

 had gradually decayed, till only a few embers remained, 

 making the surrounding darkness more intense. While I 

 was hesitating whether the rebuilding of the fire or a fresh 

 pipe would induce sleep, uneasiness seemed to have taken 

 possession of my animals. The mule was as watchful as a 

 dog, and as I knew he would not leave his friend, I invaria- 

 bly left him untied. Several times he uttered that short, 

 quick snort so peculiar to the species, and always indicative 

 of alarm ; while the mare kept moving as far as her lariat 

 rope would permit her. It might be any thing, from a deer 

 to an Indian ; so, as my arras were at hand, I quietly laid 

 hold of them, and crawled out of my lair, taking special 

 caution that no momentary flicker from the fire should dis- 

 close my movements, and by a short detour got beside the 

 nags, and soon had the soft, silky muzzle of Becky in the 

 palm of my hand. 



