they were seeking a permanent camp where their
fortunes would be cast, the drama of their lives be enacted, for weeks
to come.

Almost at once they began to catch glimpses of wild life,--a squirrel
romping on a limb; or a long line of grouse, like children in school,
perched on a fallen log. The trapper had not yet laid his lines in this
land, and the tracks of the little fur-bearers weaved a marvelous and
intricate pattern on the moose trail. Once a marten with orange throat
peered at them from a covert, and once a caribou raced away, too fast
for a shot.

Mostly the wild things showed little fear or understanding of the two
humans. The grouse relied on their protective coloration, just as when
menaced by the beasts of prey. An otter, rarely indeed seen in daylight,
hovered a moment beside a little stream to consider them; and a coyote,
greatest of all cowards, lingered in their trail until they were within
fifty feet of his grey form, then trotted shyly away.

"We won't starve for meat, that's certain," Ben informed her. His voice
was subdued; he had fallen naturally into the mood of quietness that
dwells ever in the primeval forest.

Because the trail seemed to be leading them too far from the waterways,
they took a side trail circling about a wooded hill. Ever Ben studied
the landmarks, looked carefully down the draws and tried to learn as
much as possible of the geography of the country; and Beatrice
understood his purpose with entire clearness. He wished to locate his
camp so that it would have every natural advantage and insurance against
surprise attack. He desired that every advantage of warfare be in his
favor when finally he came to grips with Neilson and his men.

They crossed a low ridge, following down another of the thousand creeks
that water the northern lands. In a moment it led them to a long, narrow
lake, blue as a sapphire in its frame of dusky spruce.

For a moment both of them halted on its bank, held by its virgin beauty.
Lost in the solitudes as it was, perhaps never before gazed upon by the
eyes of men, still it gave no impression of bleakness and stagnation.
Rather it was a scene of scintillating life, vivid past all expression.
Far out of range on the opposite shore a huge bull moose stood like a
statue in black marble, gazing out over the shimmering expanse. Trout
leaped, flashing silver, anywhere they might look; and a flock of loon
shrieked demented cries from its center. The burnishe