to
me as wonderful and unaccountable as anything I have witnessed."

"Yes," said Mr Ross, "that is indeed wonderful. I have been studying
it all my life, and am just as much puzzled to-day as I was at first
with these first-class guides. They are not all thus gifted, but there
are some who never blunder, or even hesitate, under the most difficult
circumstances. The sky may be leaden with clouds all day, and an
ordinary person get so bewildered that he does not know north from
south, or east from west, but the guide never hesitates for an instant,
but on and on, with unerring accuracy, he pushes day after day, or even
night after night."

"That is wonderful indeed," replied Alec, "but the cleverness with which
the wolves tried to get ahead of me by cutting across the necks of land
in the river, and their other deviltries, are what I will never forget."

Here this most interesting conversation was ended by the arrival of
Paulette and Mustagan, with the word that the melting snow had exposed
the houses of the muskrats, and that they were off on a hunting
excursion to a great pondlike swamp where these animals were known to be
very numerous. At once it was decided that a party would be made up to
join them at a designated spot in the forest on the edge of this great
swamp. The distance was between twenty and thirty miles, and as the
greater part of the route would be on the ice, it was decided not to
start until the chill of the evening had hardened the snow, which now
nearly every day softened in the midday sun. Travelling with dog-trains
in half-melted snow, or even when it is just soft enough to stick, is
very heavy, laborious work. However, as soon as the sun ceases to shine
upon it, at this season, it hardens up again very quickly.

Arrangements were made for a three or four days' trip, so a regular camp
outfit was taken along on the dog-sleds. In addition to their guns the
boys were each supplied with a long, lancelike barbed spear for
effective use when securing the muskrats. Two or three Indians were
taken along by Mr Ross, who remarked to the boys, when he decided to
accompany them himself, that perhaps this was the last hunting trip of
the season with the dogs, with perhaps the exception of the one to the
goose hunt, which would not be long distant.

The whole party left Sagasta-weekee about sundown, and as it was a
crisp, cold, beautiful moonlight night, everybody enjoyed the trip
exceedingly. The