Megaleep the Wanderer. ii 



is no older truce on earth than that, not even in the 

 unchanging East, where it originated. 



Megaleep in a storm is a most curious creature, the 

 nearest thing to a ghost to be found in the woods. 

 More than other animals he feels the falling barom- 

 eter. His -movements at such times drive you to des- 

 peration, if you are following him; for he wanders 

 unceasingly. When the storm breaks he has a way 

 of appearing suddenly, as • if he were seeking you, 

 when by his trail you thought him miles ahead. And 

 the way he disappears — just melts into the thick driv- 

 ing flakes and the shrouded trees — is most uncanny. 

 Six or seven caribou once played hide-and-seek with 

 me that way, giving me vague glimpses hgre and 

 there, drawing near to get my scent, yet keeping me 

 looking up wind into the driving snow where I could 

 see nothing distinctly. And all the while they drifted 

 about like so many huge flakes of the storm, watching 

 my every movement, seeing me perfectly. 



At such times they fear little, and even lay aside 

 their usual caution. I remember trailing a large 

 herd one day from early morning, keeping near them 

 all the time, and jumping them half a dozen times, 

 yet never getting a glimpse because of their extreme 

 watchfulness. For some reason they were unwilling 

 to leave a small chain of barrens. Perhaps they 



