n6 A SPORTING PARADISE 



break the ghostly stillness which, when there 

 is no breeze, always broods over these sombre 

 primeval forests. 



At last he came to the edge of the little glade 

 where the camp lay, and shouted as he approached 

 it, but got no answer. The camp fire had gone 

 out, though the thin blue smoke was still curling 

 upwards. Near it lay the packs, wrapped and 

 arranged. At first Bauman could see nobody ; 

 nor did he receive an answer to his call. Step- 

 ping forward he again shouted, and as he did 

 so his eye fell on the body of his friend, 

 stretched beside the trunk of a great fallen spruce. 

 Rushing towards it the horrified trapper found 

 that the body was still warm, but that the neck 

 had been broken, while there were four great 

 fang-marks in the throat. 



The footmarks of the unknown beast, printed 

 deep in the soft soil, told the whole story. The 

 unfortunate man, having finished his packing, 

 had sat down on the spruce log with his face 

 to the fire, and his back to the dense woods, 

 to wait for his companion. While thus waiting, 

 his monstrous assailant, which must have been 

 lurking near by in the woods, waiting for a chance 

 to catch one of the adventurers unprepared, came 



