236 NEXT MOENING. 



speckling the snow, as if it had been raining 

 blood. Darkness at length obliged us to 

 abandon the chase, and we made our way as 

 well as we could to the village to spend 

 the night. 



I was not very particular in those days, 

 and the Puharries soon made me as com- 

 fortable as I wished, and after a supper of 

 hot cakes and the sweetest of milk, I dare 

 venture to affirm few mortals slept sounder 

 that night than myself. 



Next morning we went direct to the spot 

 where we had left the track, and as the 

 night had been fine, and no snow had fallen, 

 it was quite as easily followed as on the 

 previous day. After proceeding about half 

 a mile, we arrived at the spot where the 

 bear had lain all night, and his footprints 

 were so recent, that it was evident he had 

 only just left, probably upon hearing our 

 advance. There was a pool of frozen blood 

 on the snow, and a slight sprinkling upon 

 the new trail. This rather damped our 

 spirits, for it became quite evident that he 



