eground of the distant timbered ridge.
He saw that the line did indeed run clear of trees for two miles along
one side of the long, narrow beaver meadow or swale.

Baptiste drew a deep breath, and grinned agreeably at Tom Dunscombe.

"De boys will look like dey's all got de double pay in dey's pocket
when dey's see _dis_ open," said Baptiste, and started for the three
pines as straight as a bee.

Tom waited to get from the chainmen the distance to the edge of the
wood. They came on the heels of the axemen, and all capered on their
snow-shoes to see so long a space free from cutting.

It was now two o'clock; they had marched with forty pound or "light"
packs since daylight, lunching on cold pork and hard-tack as they
worked; they had slept cold for weeks on brush under an open tent
pitched over a hole in the snow; they must live this life of hardship
and huge work for six weeks longer, but they hoped to get twice their
usual eighty-cents-a-day pay, and so their hearts were light and
jolly.

But Big Baptiste, now two hundred yards in advance, swinging along in
full view of the party, stopped with a scared cry. They saw him look
to the left and to the right, and over his shoulder behind, like a man
who expects mortal attack from a near but unknown quarter.

"What's the matter?" shouted Tom.

Baptiste went forward a few steps, hesitated, stopped, turned, and
fairly ran back toward the party. As he came he continually turned
his head from side to side as if expecting to see some dreadful thing
following.

The men behind Tom stopped. Their faces were blanched. They looked,
too, from side to side.

"Halt, Mr. Tom, halt! Oh, _monjee_, M'sieu, stop!" said Jawnny.

Tom looked round at his men, amazed at their faces of mysterious
terror.

"What on earth has happened?" cried he.

Instead of answering, the men simply pointed to Big Baptiste, who was
soon within twenty yards.

"What is the trouble, Baptiste?" asked Tom.

Baptiste's face was the hue of death. As he spoke he shuddered:--

"_Monjee_, Mr. Tom, we'll got for stop de job!"

"Stop the job! Are you crazy?"

"If you'll not b'lieve what I told, den you go'n' see for you'se'f."

"What is it?"

"De track, seh."

"What track? Wolves?"

"If it was only wolfs!"

"Confound you! can't you say what it is?"

"Eet's de--It ain't safe for told its name out loud, for dass de way
it come--if it's call by its name!"

"Windego, eh?" said Tom, laughing.

"I'