shot through the heart. Howe was not so fortunate, he having selected a
noble buck, who bounded away with the arrow sticking in his side, but
from the quantity of blood that flowed from his wound, staining the
snow, they knew he could not run far. Hanging up the doe after dressing
it, they set out to recover the buck, which they expected to find dead
not far off. In this they were mistaken: he led them many miles before
he gave out, and by the time he was dressed, and they were ready for
returning, the sun had passed the meridian.

They had not retraced their steps more than half a mile, when a wailing
sound was faintly heard from a thicket a few rods distant. They paused
in a listening attitude. Again came the sound like the wail of a young
child.

"A panther," said Howe, "he wants some of our venison, perhaps a bite
of us. Let us on or we shall have to fight."

Again it was heard now louder, and then followed a heavy sob and groan.

"No panther," said the chief throwing down his load and making for the
thicket. Howe began to think so too, and was following, when the chief,
with a cry of surprise, disappeared beneath in the thicket. Howe
hastened forward, and there on the bare ground which she had cleared of
snow lay a young squaw with a papoose but a few years old huddled in
her arms which she was vainly endeavoring to shield from the cold. They
were terribly emaciated, with the seal of gaunt famine in their sunken
eyes and hollow cheeks. The mother's limbs were frost bitten and
entirely benumbed with cold.

"Lost," said the chief; "she has been lost like us in these
interminable wilds."

"We must save her," said the trapper. "Wrap her in that skin from the
venison while I build a fire to warm her by and cook her some meat.
Poor thing, she looks as though she was nearly dead with hunger and
cold. She is human, see the tears in her eyes as she hugs that little
thing closer in her arms. Bless me but it makes a child of me--poor
thing! poor thing!"

Gathering some wood, the trapper soon had a large place cleared from
snow, and a fire was quickly kindled, in the fierce heat of which some
of their slices of steaks were held a few minutes then given to the
famished woman. Eagerly seizing them she held one to the mouth of the
child, when it seized it and commenced sucking the juicy food with
great voracity, while the rest disappeared with a rapidity that
astonished even the chief, who was so rarely astonished at an