ve Teddy more advice, and told him the best manner of
reaching the tribe to which he referred. He cautioned him especially
against delaying his visit any longer, as the northern winter was
almost upon them, and should he be locked in the wilderness by it, it
would be almost impossible for him to survive its rigor; but if he
should be among the tribe, he could rest in security and comfort until
the opening of spring. Teddy concluded to do as his companion advised,
and, after more unimportant conversation, both stretched themselves
out by the camp-fire and slept.

Just as the earliest light was breaking through the trees, the trapper
was on his feet, rekindling the fire. Finding, after this was
completed, that Teddy still slumbered, he brought him to his senses by
several forcible applications of his foot.

"Begorrah, it's meself that's thinking yees 'av a mighty gintle way of
coming upon one unawares, barring it's the same as a kick from a wild
horse. I was dr'aming jist thin of a blast of powder in a stone
quarry, which exploded under me feet, an' sint me up in the ship's
rigging, an' there I hung by the eaves until a lovely girl pulled me
in at the front door and shut it so hard that the chinking all fell
out of the logs, and woke me out of me pleasint delusions."

The trapper stared at the Irishman incredulously, thinking him
demented. Teddy's gaping and rubbing of his eyes with his fists, and,
finally, his stretching of arms and legs, reassured Tim of the
fellow's sanity, and he added:

"If yer hadn't woke just now, I'd tried ef lammin' yer over the head
would've done any good."

"Yees might have done that, as long as ye plaised, fur me sconce got
used to being cracked at the fairs in the owld country."

"I thought yer allers lived in this country."

"Not always, or how could I be an Irishman? God plaise I may niver
live here long enough to forgit owld Ireland, the Gim of the Sea.
What's the matter with yees now?"

The trapper having wandered a few yards from the camp-fire, had paused
suddenly and stood gazing at the ground. Teddy was obliged to repeat
his question.

"What is it yees have diskivered?"

"Sign, or ye may shoot me."

"Sign o' what?"

"Injins, ye wood-head! What else could I mean?"

Teddy now approached and narrowly examined the ground. His knowledge
of wood-craft had been considerably increased during the past month or
two, and he had no difficulty in distinguishing the imprint of a
mo