l
to him, for in the haste of landing he had thought only of his gun, and
had left his axe, with the bag containing materials for making fire, in
the canoe. Fortunately he had not divested himself of his powder-horn
or shot-pouch, so he was not without the means of procuring food, but of
what use could these be, he reflected, if he had not strength to use
them?

Once again, in the energy of determination, he rose up and shouldered
his gun with the intention of making his way across the plain, in the
hope that he might at all events reach the wigwam of some wandering
Indian, but he trembled so from excessive weakness that he was obliged
to give up the attempt, and again sank down with feelings akin to
despair.

To add to his distress, hunger now assailed him so violently that he
would have roasted and eaten his moccasins--as many a starving man had
done before him, though without much benefit--but even this resource was
denied him for the want of fire, and raw moccasin was not only
indigestible but uneatable!

Still, as it seemed his only hope, he gathered a few dry twigs and
sticks together, drew the charge from his gun and sought to kindle some
mossy lichen into flame by flashing the priming in the pan of the lock.
Recent rains had damped everything, however, and his attempts proved
abortive. Fortunately the weather was warm, so that he did not suffer
from cold.

While he was yet labouring assiduously to accomplish his purpose, the
whir of wings was heard overhead. Glancing quickly up, he perceived
that a small flock of willow-grouse had settled on the bushes close to
him. He was not surprised, though very thankful, for these birds were
numerous enough and he had heard them flying about from time to time,
but that they should settle down so near was exceedingly opportune and
unexpected.

With eager haste and caution he rammed home the charge he had so
recently withdrawn--keeping his eyes fixed longingly on the game all the
time. That the birds saw him was obvious, for they kept turning their
heads from side to side and looking down at him with curiosity. By good
fortune grouse of this kind are sometimes very stupid as well as tame.
They did not take alarm at Dan's motions, but craned their necks and
seemed to eye him with considerable curiosity. Even when he tried to
take aim at them their general aspect suggested that they were asking,
mentally, "What next?"

But Dan found that he could not aim. The p