A nil NT Ell's LIFE. 211 



as we passed down we should find the wolves feeding on 

 the carcass. 



After dark, we set out down the stream, but saw no 

 game until we drew near the dead deer, when I heard 

 something running. We proceeded on ; and as I could 

 hear the animal running through the grass in the glades, 

 and the moon was shining brightly, I thought that I could 

 tee him in the open ground. I went into the glades and 

 hunted around ; but finding nothing, I returned to my 

 canoe, and was in the act of pushing off, when I heard 

 the wolf, as I took it to be, coming back. 



Our canoe was lying in deep water, in a place wider 

 than the natural stream ; and the unknown animal ran out 

 on the high bank of the creek, whence he made a tremen- 

 duous leap towards our canoe, and struck the water a 

 little before us. The force with which he jumped, and the 

 weight of his body, drove up such a heavy wave of water 

 in front of our canoe, and gave her such a sudden send 

 backwards, that I came very near falling headlong into tiic 

 water with him ; and had that been the case, I should ha/e 

 fallen on him, or very nearly so. 



On recovering my balance again, seeing that he was 

 determined to fight, I stood a moment, and as he rose 

 a little, and began to touch bottom, I leveled my musket, 

 loaded with eighteen large shot, which I had myself manu- 

 factured out of a bar of lead, in a very rough manner, 

 and fired at the unknown animal, at the distance of only 

 ten feet. He was rising out of the water, no doubt with 

 the intention of rushing into the canoe, to attack me; but 

 the heavy load of coarse shot striking him in the shoulder, 

 though too far forward to kill, put him out of the notion 

 of fighting, and as soon as he could he gained the shore, 

 when a noble young, high-blooded dog sprang at him, 

 and into the high weeds and bushes they went, fighting 

 desperately 



