y
opinion, he is the last who will ever do so and escape destruction."

Such was one of the many anecdotes I heard from the lips of old Jacques
and our other associates.

I was not sorry when, after some weeks, Uncle Mark told me that he had
made up his mind to return home. Mike had agreed to finish a job which
would occupy him a day or so longer; but as Uncle Mark was anxious to be
off, it was settled that he and I should start together, leaving the
rifle with Mike, as he would have to come on alone. We believed that no
animals were likely at that season to attack two people; besides, Uncle
Mark had purchased a pair of pistols from Jacques Michaud, which he
considered would be sufficient for our defence. Accordingly, pocketing
our dollars and slinging our wolf-skin knapsacks over our backs, we put
on our skates and commenced our journey.

We got on famously, for the air was calm, although the cold was intense.
We found our friend Kepenau, too, encamped where we had left him; and
stopping for a short time, we took our mid-day meal with him. As we had
made such good progress during the morning, we hoped to reach the hut
before midnight, for the moon was up, and we could not miss our way.
Uncle Mark was in good spirits, well satisfied with the result of our
expedition, and we laughed and chatted as we glided over the smooth ice.

"We must not forget our wolf-skin," I observed. "We shall get up to the
spot before daylight is over, and I would rather carry it on my back
than leave it behind."

"I shall not let you do that," answered my uncle. "It will weigh less
on my shoulders than on yours."

We were approaching a part of the river where, the ice having formed
before the snow fell, we should be compelled to take off our skates and
travel on foot. I had just remarked that I supposed the wolves had gone
off to some other district, where game was more abundant than with us,
when a howl reached our ears, coming down the stream, from the very
direction in which we were going. Another and another followed.
Presently we heard the full chorus of a whole pack, and soon we caught
sight of numerous dark spots on the white snow in the distance.

Uncle Mark watched them for an instant or two. "We must beat a retreat,
Roger, or the brutes will be upon us. We cannot hope to fight our way
through them. Off we go!" and turning round, we skated away for dear
life in the direction from whence we had come.

We hoped soon