make the desired start in good time, it was
thought best that Mr Ross and the boys should go to bed in their camp
outfit as has been described, while the men should load up the sleds as
far as possible, just leaving sufficient room in the deerskin wrappings
for the packing away of the bedding and the other essentials required at
the midnight meal. This meant that the Indians would have at least two
hours' less sleep than the whites. This would be no unusual occurrence.
As a general thing the Indians sleep very little when travelling, in
summer or winter. This is especially the case when they are employed as
canoemen or dog-drivers. They are so alert and watchful and anxious
that everything should go right, that often white men have travelled for
weeks together with several of these red men in their employ, without
ever having once seen one of them asleep. They seldom think of lying
down until long after their employers have gone to sleep, and then they
are up long before them in the mornings. And yet how few there are who
have given these most vigilant and faithful of comrades or servants
their due meed of praise!

To the music of the few quiet whispered words of the men, as they
actively attended to the work of packing up the sleds, Mr Ross and the
boys quickly fell into dreamless slumber. When the men had finished
packing and fastening up the loads they dragged them out in line on the
homeward trail, leaving sufficient space between the sleds for the dogs
when they should be harnessed to them. The result was that the whole
line of sleds, when thus stretched out, extended quite a distance from
the camp.

Loud were the shoutings and many were the indignant utterances which
quickly aroused Mr Ross and his young bedfellows from their slumbers.

"What is the matter?" demanded Mr Ross.

"Wolverines!" was the quick response.

Great indeed was the excitement, and at first the boys could hardly
realise how the mention of that one word could cause such commotion.
Even Mr Ross was about as much excited as anyone else. While guns were
being loaded, and other preparations were being made for a speedy hunt,
the cause of all the excitement was soon told. It was that, in spite of
the presence of so many persons and dogs, the wolverines had crept up to
the sleds, and had stolen away five of the best beavers, and in addition
had so badly scented with their horrid odour more than a dozen others
that they were absolutely w