WOODCRAIT 



345 



in, we walked with the moon over our left 

 breast, and on the way out we walked with 

 it behind us, and when we got to where the 

 moon had been, we turned to the left and 

 came to the canoe." 



It looked as though I was not going to 

 find out by what subtle woodcraft he had 

 really been guided; he probably was not 

 able to analyze and put into words the 

 reasons underlying the instinct which had 

 served him so well, but I wanted very much 

 to learn, so I kept on. 



"But how did you know w r hen you had 

 gotten to where the moon had been?" I 

 asked. 



"I remembered," said he, in his mild, 

 low voice, "and besides — and here at length 

 came what I was after — did you not see that 

 our canoe was at the edge of the dead wood ? 

 When I reached the edge of the dead wood I 

 turned and followed it down to the river 

 where the canoe was." 



The next day I paddled down there and 

 looked at the forest. Surely enough, there 

 was a difference in the trees. There was 

 an indistinct line on one side of which there 

 was more dead wood than on the other. It 

 marked the limit of some old forest fire 

 which had killed all the trees within a cer- 

 tain area, and some beyond it. New growth 

 had sprung up, however, on both sides of 

 this vague boundary, and I should never 

 have been able to see it if it had not been 

 pointed out to me. But Pierre, even in the 

 night, had noticed this blurred and shaded 

 line, and on the homeward trip had recog- 

 nized it again, and skilfully followed it till it 

 had led him exactly to the canoe. 



Some days later we paddled up the river 

 a long distance. Pierre had never been 

 there before. The river wound in and out 

 through the great wilderness. Each turn 

 disclosed only the interminable forest, the 

 virgin forest. There were no mountains, no 

 tributaries to the stream, no landmarks of 

 any sort; the banks at one point were just 

 as high and just as wooded as at any other 

 point ; each part was exactly like every other 

 part. We paddled on for hours. At about 

 eleven o'clock we pulled the canoe up on the 

 right-hand bank, ate a pilot cracker and 

 started into the woods. For about three 

 hours we wandered through the forest, 

 always on the lookout for game. By and by 



we came unexpectedly upon the river, 

 which, it appeared, made an abrupt turn 

 above the place where we had left the 

 canoe. We crossed it on a jam of logs, and 

 wandered on the left side for more than 

 two hours. Mc'st of the time we were in a 

 cranberry swamp, where we could go very 

 quietly on the moss, and where there were 

 many fresh moose tracks. It seemed like a 

 good place, but the day was drawing to a 

 close, and so we decided to head toward the 

 river. Pierre complimented me by asking 

 me in what direction I thought the canoe 

 was. We both thought alike and set out. 

 In due season we reached the river, but not 

 where we had left the birch-bark. It was 

 not within sight. I could not tell whether 

 it was up-stream or down -stream ; in fact, it 

 would have been impossible for me to make 

 an intelligent guess, but I resolved to advise 

 going up-stream if Pierre asked for my 

 opinion, for it seemed to me, as the distance 

 lay in my mind, that we had walked farther 

 in one direction than in another, and ought, 

 therefore, to go up-stream. Pierre, how- 

 ever, looked a minute at the river and 

 started down-stream. I followed him, but 

 without much faith, for how could he tell 

 any better than I ? The traveling was very 

 bad, very bad. If we should not reach the 

 canoe by going down the river — and, ob- 

 viously, it would be necessary to go far 

 enough to make sure that it could not be in 

 that direction — we should have to retrace 

 all our toilsome steps, and then go perhaps 

 as far again up-stream, and night was com- 

 ing on. It was, therefore, very important 

 that we go in the right direction. I was 

 very tired. As we toiled through the forest, 

 I turned all these things over in my mind 

 without any pleasant anticipations, for I 

 thought that we were going wrong, but in 

 half an hour we were abreast of the canoe, 

 and Pierre crossed on some logs and 

 brought it over to me. After suitable con- 

 sideration, I propounded my usual ques- 

 tions. How in the world did he know that 

 he ought to go down-stream in order to 

 reach the canoe ? 



"I remembered when I looked at the 

 river where we came out that I had never 

 seen it before," said Pierre. 



"How could you remember that? The 

 river looks just the same all the way," said I. 



