TREED BY A MOOSE. 31 
Hugh whistled for Carlo, and took his way, fishing- 
tackle in hand, down to an inviting pool just in sight 
through the trees. 
When Mr. Dutton awoke it was high noon. The guides 
were already preparing the noon meal, one of them build- 
ing a good fire, laying the sticks all one way, for conven- 
ience of cooking ; the other engaged in dressing a fine 
mess of trout which bore witness to Hugh's success. 
Nat strayed about the camp, looking for flowers — the 
delicate Linnaea, or twin-flower, the violet, the cornel, 
and others familiar in the home woods. The oldest boy 
had not returned, and Mr. Dutton began to feel anxious 
about him. He fired his rifle three times, a signal that 
always meant, " Answer, and come into camp ! " But 
there was no reply. 
At one o'clock they sat down to dinner, worried and 
perplexed by Kob's absence. Two hours passed, and still 
he did not appear. It was time to resume march. At a 
word from the captain, Joe, the Indian, took up his rifle, 
and plunged into the woods, in the direction the missing 
boy had taken. 
When Kobert left the camp, he had no definite inten- 
tion, save that he would skirt round the base of a low 
hill, about a mile away, and return to camp within an 
hour or two. He hoped to come across some sort of 
game; a brace of grouse, at least, of which there are 
several varieties in British America. His Winchester 
rifle had half a dozen cartridges in it, and Kobert was a 
