WILD SWANS. 235 
while we prepared a cygnet for dinner. When that was 
cooked, an operation which took an hour, as we had to 
bury it in the ashes, we set to work on it with a 
will and soon finished it, for the raw air had given 
us a keen appetite. Having satisfied the cravings of 
nature, we went towards the boat, but on reaching 
the spot where it had been anchored we were thunder- 
struck to find it gone. We supposed, at first, that some 
prowlers had stolen it, but on glancing at the ‘creek we 
saw it drifting slowly downwards, at least half a mile 
away. This was a predicament we had not anticipated, 
and we were at our wit’s ends to know how to escape 
from it. The only feasible plan that presented itself was 
to swim after the craft; but that was more easily thought 
of than done, as the water was too cold to be borne for 
any length of time. While we were helplessly debating 
our situation, and considering the possibility of remain- 
ing on the island until some passing steamer took us off, 
we saw a small shovel-nose canoe, containing a solitary 
Indian, running down the cove. When he came abreast 
of us we hailed him in such stentorian tones that their 
echo may be hanging around there yet. He responded, 
and on coming near the shore we told him we would pay 
him well if he would recover the runaway boat. He said 
he would do it for half a dollar. The offer was accepted, 
and when he brought the craft back he was cheerfully 
paid. When the “Son of the Forest” landed to warm 
his hands at our fire, we learned from him that he had 
been shooting ducks on the upper arm of the cove, and 
that they were so abundant that he was able to kill 
nineteen brace in less than three hours with an old Hud- 
son Bay musket, that had a muzzle as large as a blunder- 
buss. When I saw it I came to the conclusion that it 
could outkick an army mule, and subsequent events 
proved that I was not far wrong. As the noble red man 
had nothing to do for the remainder of the day, we con- 
