ance in themselves and each other, lessened the sombre
expression, and a general talk began, mostly upon Indian fights, in
which most of the older settlers had at one time or other taken a part.

Mr. Hardy took a part in and encouraged this conversation. He knew how
necessary, in an expedition of this sort, it was to keep up the spirits
of all engaged; and he endeavoured, therefore, to shake off his own
heavy weight of care, and to give animation and life to them all.

The spirits of the younger men rose rapidly, and insensibly the pace was
increased, until Mr. Hardy, as leader of the party, was compelled to
recall to them the necessity of saving their animals, many of which had
already come from ten to fifteen miles before arriving at the rendezvous
at the Mercers'.

After three hours' steady riding, they arrived at the banks of a small
stream. There Mr. Hardy called a halt, for the purpose of resting the
animals.

'I think,' he said, 'that we must have done five-and-twenty miles. We
will give them an hour's rest, and then do another fifteen. Some of them
have already done forty, and it will not do to knock them up the first
day.'

Girths were loosened, and the horses were at work cropping the sweet
grass near the water's edge. The whole party threw themselves down on a
sloping bank, pipes were taken out and lit, and the probable direction
of the chase discussed.

In a short time Charley rose, and saying, 'I will see if I can get
anything better than dried meat for supper,' exchanged his rifle for Mr.
Hardy's double-barrelled gun, which was carried by Terence, and
whistling for the retriever, strolled off up the stream. In ten minutes
the double-barrels were heard at a short distance, and a quarter of an
hour afterwards again, but this time faintly. Ten minutes before the
hour was up he appeared, wiping the perspiration from his face, with
seven and a half brace of plump duck.

'They were all killed in four shots,' he said, as he threw them down.
'They were asleep in the pools, and I let fly right into the middle of
them before they heard me.'

There was a general feeling of satisfaction at the sight of the birds,
which were tied in couples, and fastened on the horses.

In two minutes more they were again in the saddles, Hubert saying to his
father as they started, 'There is one satisfaction, papa, we can't miss
the way. We have only to ride far enough, and we must overtake them.'

Mr. Hardy shook his head.