INTO THE UNKNOWN WILDERNESS. 73 
ahead I heard the cracking of a stick. It was, no doubt, 
caused by the foot of the fawn. Quickly but silently I 
proceeded. Again and again the noise was heard, and 
each time nearer than the last. My advance was con- 
tinued cautiously, until very soon, in a thicket of scrub, 
only a few yards ahead, I noticed the moving of some 
branches. Still no deer could I see, but in creeping up 
closer, at a distance of not over twenty yards, I suddenly 
came within full view of an immense black bear, seated 
aed 
on his haunches and occupied in rubbing the mosquitos. | 
off his nose. Although taken by surprise at the pro- 
portions of the supposed calf, I dropped on one knee, 
and, levelling my rifle, fired at the back of bruin’s head, 
whereat he also exhibited considerable surprise by leap- 
ing into the air, making several delirious revolutions, 
and bolting away into the gloom of the swamp. Though 
in all probability badly wounded, it was too dark to 
follow him. The gloom had already spoiled my aim, so 
without further pursuit I groped my way back to camp. 
During the following day the ascent of Wolverine 
River was continued, and three short portages, the long- 
est one being half a mile, were made. As we proceeded 
northward the banks of the river became more rocky. 
In many places bald hilltops were visible, rising two or 
three hundred feet above the level of the river. Such 
timber as there was consisted of spruce, birch and jack- 
pine. 
On the 14th, Birch Lake, a small body of water about 
nine miles long by two wide, was discovered and sur- 
veyed, and near its northern extremity a large rapid 
stream was found emptying into it its foaming waters. 
Judging the course of this stream to be our route, a 
