THE DUSKY GROUSE. 137 
on the lake, the deep hooting of owls, the screams of the 
cougars and lynxes, and the melancholy howling of the 
wolves united in one volume, and made the region seem 
a perfect pandemonium of animals let loose. The din 
they created was so great that it was long past midnight 
ere I became habituated enough to it to fall into a rest- 
less slumber, in which I dreamed of deer and wolves and 
bears, which I was constantly trying to shoot, but never 
could, for I was always sure to miss or lose sight of every 
one I aimed at. 
We were up so long before daylight that we were 
almost tired of waiting for it to appear; but when it did 
finally come, we were well repaid for our patience by 
the splendid illumination we witnessed, and the fine 
effects of light and shade that were visible on the water 
and the forest. When the red ball of fire first crept 
above the eastern hills, the woods and lake were wrapped 
in gloom, but as it rose higher and higher the long clouds 
of black vanished gradually until, in the course of an 
hour, the tarn gleamed like molten silver, while rays of 
many hues gilded the tree-tops. Hverything seemed so 
gentle, and was wrapped in such solemn silence, that 
it recalled visions of the islands of bliss; it certainly 
appeared to me to be one of the most soothing and tran- 
quil scenes I had ever beheld. As soon as it was light 
enough to enable us to travel, we moved off in a body, 
and on entering the forest depths the half-breed was ap- 
pointed huntsman, and sent with three hounds into a 
thicket, about two hundred yards away, with instruc- 
tions to work towards a position we were to take on a 
promontory, half a mile beyond. He had scarcely en- 
tered the appointed place ere we were brought to an 
abrupt halt by the clamorous cry of the three hounds 
and the cur, which composed the pack, and a moment 
later a splendid buck came bounding towards us. When 
he was about forty yards away the doctor fired at him, 
