mal's head between the eyes.
Immediately I had done so I got another arrow ready, but on looking down
I saw that the bear did not move. I ran to the wood and cut a long
stick, and returning with it thrust it into the bear's eyes. As the
creature still remained perfectly quiet, I was convinced that it was
dead, and stooping down, endeavoured to lift it out of the hole.

"Being unable to do this, I returned home, following the track I had
made in coming out. As I neared the tent I saw a fire burning and a pot
boiling on it.

"`Here, my son, is some beaver meat which we have obtained since you
went out in the morning,' said my mother.

"Having eaten some, for I was very hungry, I whispered to Kezha, `I have
killed a bear.'

"`What do you say, my son?' she asked.

"`I have killed a bear,' I replied.

"`Are you sure that it is dead?'

"`Yes,' I answered, `it is quite dead.'

"On this my so-called mother seized me in her arms, and began hugging
and kissing me.

"The bear was sent for, and as it was the first I had killed, it was
cooked, and the hunters of the whole band invited to feast with us,
according to Indian custom.

"The next day another bear and a moose were killed, and for some time we
had an abundance of food. Old Kezha had another adopted son, Muskgo.
He and I used to go out hunting together. I suspect that he was set to
watch over me, though we were on very friendly terms.

"We frequently hunted two or three days' distance from the camp, but
were very often unsuccessful, when we were almost starved. On one of
our hunting-paths we had formed a hut of cedar boughs, in which we had
kindled fire so often that at length it became very dry. We were lying
down at night, after an unsuccessful day's hunt, when we lighted a fire
to keep ourselves warm, for the weather was intensely cold. We had just
dropped off to sleep when some of the sparks blown by the wind caught
the cedar, which immediately flew up like powder. Happily we scampered
out without suffering much, but we were left till daylight without any
protection.

"At dawn we set off towards the camp, hoping that some of the other
hunters would have been more successful than we were. So intense was
the cold that the trees as we passed were constantly cracking with
frost. We had soon to cross a river which appeared to be frozen over
hard, but when we had got a little distance from the shore the ice gave
way, and I fell in. At the same momen