t was the shiftless one who had shot the bear,
and he was proud"]

D. Appleton and Company
New York and London: 1917

Copyright, 1917, by
D. Appleton and Company

Printed in the United States of America

FOREWORD

"The Eyes of the Woods" is an independent story, telling of certain
remarkable events in the life of Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol
Hyde, Silent Tom Ross and Long Jim Hart. But it is also a part of the
series dealing with these characters, and is the fourth in point of
time, coming just after "The Keepers of the Trail."

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE FLIGHT 1

II. THE GREAT JOKE 23

III. A MERRY NIGHT 45

IV. THE CAPTURED CANOE 67

V. THE PROTECTING RIVER 89

VI. THE OASIS 111

VII. INTO THE NORTH 130

VIII. THE BUFFALO RING 149

IX. THE COVERT 168

X. THE BEAR GUIDE 186

XI. THE GREATER POWERS 209

XII. THE STAG'S COMING 225

XIII. THE LEAPING WOLF 245

XIV. THE WATCHFUL SQUIRREL 266

XV. THE LETTER 286

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"It was the shiftless one who had shot the bear, and
he was proud" _Frontispiece_

"'A lot of 'em are dancin' the scalp dance'" 78

"Red Eagle rose to address his hosts" 204

"A gigantic wolf ... launched himself straight at the
warrior's throat" 254

THE EYES
OF THE WOODS

CHAPTER I

THE FLIGHT

A strong wind swept over the great forest, sending green leaves and
twigs in showers before it, and bringing clouds in battalions from the
west. The air presently grew cold, and then heavy drops of rain came,
pattering at first like shot, but soon settling into a hard and steady
fall that made the day dark and chill, tingeing the whole wilderness
with gloom and desolation.

The deer sought its covert, a buffalo, grazing in a little prairie,
thrust its huge form into a thicket, the squirrel lay snug in its nest
in the hollow of a tree, and the bird in the shelter of the foliage
ceased to sing. The only sounds were those of the elements, and the
world seemed to have returned to the primeval state that had endured for
ages. It was the kingdom of fur, fin and feather, and,