AN ESCAPE, AND A NEW ENEMY. 145 
lake, and just at the outlet they ventured to enjoy an 
hour's refreshmg rest. 
Hugh knocked over a brace of spruce grouse with his 
shotgun, and these, with a mess of fish caught by little 
Nat during their tedious sail across the lake, made a very 
good supper. 
It now seemed improbable that the Indians would pur- 
sue them closely, so long a time had elapsed without 
their appearing in the rear. All the Alaskan tribes, 
Mr. Button knew, were sluggish in their disposition, and 
preferred to hunt their game do\\'n deliberately rather 
than with undue haste. 
At a little after seven the raft resumed its voyage, 
keeping steadily onward until midnight. A heavy fog 
now set in, and the leader, confident that the savages 
would not follow in the darkness or gray dusk, with a 
risk of being caught in a storm, came to anchor against 
a large boulder, just under the lee of a little knoll crowned 
with spruces. All hands went ashore, taking the most 
valuable of the property with them, as a precaution 
against sudden attack. Tents were pitched, and the 
weary crew were soon as sound asleep as if they were in 
their own comfortable beds at home, instead of the fron- 
tier of Alaska, surrounded by known and unknown 
dangers. 
Quietly the little company on the embankment slept ; 
so quietly, so soundly, indeed, that they did not perceive 
the approach of an enemy against which they had not 
