uantity of provisions and ammunition,
and but one gun, may seem energetic and daring, but it may not, perhaps,
be wise."

Victor admitted that there was truth in that, and looked perplexed.

"Nevertheless, to give up at this point, and return to the settlement
for supplies," he said, "would be to lose the advantage of our quick
start. How are we to get over the difficulty?"

"Moi, I can you git out of de difficulty," said Rollin, lighting his
pipe with a business air. "Dis be de vay. Peegvish et me is out for
long hunt vid much pemmican, poodre an' shote. You make von 'greement
vid me et Peegvish. You vill engage me; I vill go vid you. You can
take vat you vill of our tings, and send Peegvish back to de settlement
for tell fat ye bees do."

This plan, after brief but earnest consideration, was adopted. The old
Indian returned to Willow Creek with pencil notes, written on birch
bark, to old Samuel Ravenshaw and Angus Macdonald, and the other three
of the party set off at once to renew the chase on foot, with blankets
and food strapped to their backs and guns on their shoulders--for Rollin
carried his own fowling-piece, and Victor had borrowed that of Peegwish.

As happened the previous day, they failed several times to find the
trail of the fugitives, but at last Ian discovered it, and they pushed
forward with renewed hope. The faint footmarks at first led them deep
into the woods, where it was difficult to force a passage; then the
trail disappeared altogether on the banks of a little stream. But the
pursuers were too experienced to be thrown off the scent by such a
well-known device as walking up stream in the water. They followed the
brook until they came to the place where Petawanaquat had once more
betaken himself to dry land. It was a well-chosen spot; hard and rocky
ground, on which only slight impressions could be left, and the wily
savage had taken care to step so as to leave as slight a trail as
possible; but the pursuers had sharp and trained eyes. Ian Macdonald,
in particular, having spent much of his time as a hunter before setting
up his school, had the eyes of a lynx. He could distinguish marks when
his companions could see nothing until they were pointed out, and
although frequently at fault, he never failed to recover the trail
sooner or later.

Of course they lost much time, and they knew that Petawanaquat must be
rapidly increasing the distance between them, but they trusted to his