which
they were thrust, on their own unaided resources--like the babes in
the woods, Natalie said. They were abruptly cast back on the great and
simple verities of existence, where a man, be his wits never so sharp,
must be strong, to survive. Natalie looked at Garth's broad back, as he
slowly put the miles behind him one after another; and considering the
impatient vigour, with which he attacked the multitude of obstacles
strewn along the river, thanked God for sending such a one to her aid.

The wonder of the unknown was in them both; and their breasts throbbed
a little, as they looked to see what each bend in the stream would have
to show. Only once in the course of the afternoon was there any reminder
of human life; a breed boy suddenly appeared on the bank, only to duck
behind a bush like a little animal, at the startling sight of white
strangers on the river. Tempted forth at last, in response to Garth's
question, he said they were twenty-five miles from the lake. Garth, who
had been doing his best for seven hours to reduce that distance, felt
distinctly aggrieved.

Natalie insisted on camping early; for it had been a gruelling afternoon
on Garth. They chose a little promontory running into the water; and once
he had started a fire, and put up her tent, she made him lie at length
in the grass, where he stretched his limbs in delicious weariness, and
watched her settling the camp for the night and cooking the supper. She
was proud in the acquisition of a new accomplishment, that of baking
bannock before a fire in the open, learned that morning from Mrs. Toma.
The sight of her, bustling and cheerful, working for him, had a strange
and painful pleasure for him. They two, alone together in the wilderness,
cut off from all their kind!--the thought squeezed his heartstrings; she
was so much his own there--and so little!

With the sinking of the sun, the awful stillness came stealing to
envelope them; and with insistent fingers seemed to press upon the very
drums of their ears. The little river flowed as stilly and darkly as the
water of Lethe at their feet; and the gaunt pines over the way stood
transfixed like souls that had drunk of it. Under the spell of the silence
they instinctively lowered their voices; and they broke sticks for the
fire with reluctance; so painful was the crash and reverberation up and
down. But there is always one sound that accompanies this stillness;
hardly breaks it, so smoothly it comes s