and began to follow the trail of the bear. Before
descending from the eminence, however, I took a look round the
landscape, and saw the figure of an Indian woman in the distance,
proceeding towards our fort. Although too far-off to be distinguished
by feature, I could clearly perceive the light-blue cotton kerchief
which formed part of the dress of Waboose.

At once my interest in the bear vanished, and I began to follow the
Indian girl instead. I had not seen her since the evening of our
arrival at the lake, and I felt a strong desire to make further
inquiries as to the circumstances of her father's life among the Indians
and his unfortunate death.

Waboose had not seen me. By making a wide and rapid detour I got in
front of her and sat down on a fallen tree at a spot where she was sure
to pass.

As she drew near, I could not fail to observe how graceful her port was,
and how different from that of the other girls with whom her lot had
been cast.

"Assuredly," muttered I to myself, "her father was a gentleman!"

Leaving my gun on the bank on which I had been seated, I advanced to
meet her. She showed a very slight symptom of surprise, and, I thought,
of uneasiness, on seeing me, but made no remark until I had spoken. At
first I was about to adopt the Indian style of address, and begin with
"my red sister," but the phrase, besides being false, appeared to me
ridiculous; still, the ice had to be broken somehow, so I made a
bungling plunge.

"Blue-eyes wanders far to-day from the wigwams of her--her--people?"

A gleam of surprise mingled with pleasure rippled over her pretty face
when she found that I could speak to her in the native tongue.

"Yes," she replied in the same language. "I have wandered far. I was
the bearer of a message."

As she volunteered no more I continued:

"If Waboose goes to her wigwam, will she object to the pale-face bearing
her company?"

With something like a graceful inclination of the head, the Indian girl
gave me to understand that she had no objection.

"An _Indian_!" thought I, "she's a _lady_ in disguise, as sure as I am a
fur-trader!"

Of course I was careful not to give her, either by tone or look, the
slightest hint of what was passing in my mind, and was about to continue
my remarks, when a rustling in the bushes caused us both to look round
quickly. The foliage parted next moment close to us, and before I had
time to think a large brown bear bounded into the o