dark under the thick evergreens;
and as Pierre, misled by the sound of the stick, went a few yards to one
side, Noel rose and moved away, his moccasins making as little noise as
do the furry feet of a Canada lynx creeping up to a moose. But even a
lynx sometimes stirs a twig that rustles a dead leaf, and now this
happened to Noel. Pierre's ears caught a slight sound; instantly he made
out the crouching figure, and, throwing his rifle to his shoulder,
fired. Thanks to the darkness, the bullet missed, but whizzed so close
to the boy's head that the concussion almost stunned him. Yet he felt
like shouting for joy, for the scout, his muzzle-loading rifle empty and
his knife gone, was practically unarmed.

"Have you got him?" cried Antoine, from the open.

"Not yet," shouted back Pierre. "But I'll have him, alive or dead. He
sha'n't get away!"

Noel, knowing that there was now neither knife nor bullet to follow him,
had leaped forward, running like a deer. The scout sprang after him not
twenty yards behind. The little forest creatures that run about at
night--weasels and sables and hares--scrambled out of their way, and
crouched down, wondering at them as they came dashing by.

The two were not unequally matched; for while the scout had the
advantage in strength, Noel was the more agile. His small size was also
of great advantage, as any one who has tried to run through the woods
will understand. The low-growing branches of trees did not trouble the
boy as they did the tall Pierre, who several times measured his length
upon the ground.

They went on for what seemed a long time to the man and boy plunging
through the underbrush of the woods, but which was probably not more
than half an hour. By that time Noel felt that his strength was fast
going. He was breathing painfully, and had been forced to slacken his
pace, when he came upon what at first seemed a thick growth of bushes;
as he broke through he found that it was a brush fence which some farmer
had built through the woods to enlarge his pasture. The boy, agile and
light, had little trouble; but Pierre fared worse, and before he could
struggle through the brush and the tops of fallen trees that composed
the fence, Noel had doubled the distance between them.

As Noel hurried on as fast as he was able he was startled by some large
animal, which he stumbled upon just as it was getting to its feet; it
too was frightened, and ran on ahead. Noel saw that it was one of t