up to look, there was nothing there, nor any 

 track save his own in the snow. The next 

 night Gillie's fur cap had been snatched from 

 his head, and when he turned there was 

 nobody in sight; and when he burst into 

 camp, with all his wits frightened out of him, 

 he could scarcely speak, and his face was 

 deathly white. Other uncanny things had 

 happened since, in the same way, and coupled 

 with a bad accident on the river, which the 

 men thought was an omen, they had put the 

 camp into such a state of superstitious fear 

 that no one ventured alone out of doors after 

 nightfall. 



I thought of Kookooskoos and my own 

 head, but said nothing. They would only 

 have resented the suggestion. 



Next day I found my caribou, and returned 

 to the lumber camp before sunset. At twi- 

 light there was Kookooskoos, an enormous 

 fellow, looking like the end of a big spruce 

 stub, keeping sharp watch over the clearing, 

 and fortunately behind the camp, where he 

 could not see the door. I called the men and 

 set them crouching in the snow under the low 



223 

 "Kookooskoos 



