balked furiously at the ferry;
and, finally driven on board and tied, managed to work the other horses
up to a high state of excitement during the passage.

Finally, when they had almost made the other shore, he succeeded in
breaking his halter; and, leaping over the stern, perversely struck
out for the shore they had left. Cy and Caspar, horses of no character,
blindly leaped after him. For a moment a dire disaster threatened; for
Timoosis, borne down by the weight of his pack, could scarcely keep his
head above water; and they thought they had lost both their horse and
their camp equipment. But the self-contained Emmy, who had not budged
during all the excitement, merely turned her head, and sent an imperious
whinny in the direction of her offspring; whereupon Timoosis, with true
coltish inconsistency, turned about, and came meekly swimming after
the barge, followed by the other two. Since the shore was not above
twenty-five yards off he managed to win it pack and all, and staggered
up on the beach, chilled, exhausted, and much chastened in mind.
Warned by previous experiences, they never trusted him with anything
perishable, so the damage to his pack was slight.

After an hour's travelling, they halted by the trail at sunrise to eat,
and to dry out what had been wet. This part of the trail traversed the
heavily wooded bottom-lands, before starting to climb the grassy steeps
of the further bank. As they sat on a log discussing their bread and
cocoa, a rollicking song came, as a sound comes fluctuating through the
woods, now from this side, now from that, and curiously deadened. It
finally resolved itself into the air of _Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay_ with words
in Cree. While it still seemed some distance away, suddenly the singer
rode upon them; and reining up his horse, called the song into his
surprised throat.

He was the handsomest native they had met, a young fellow of twenty-odd,
lean and broad-shouldered, with flashing black eyes and high-bridged
nose. His stiff-brimmed "Stetson" was tilted at a dashing angle; he had
a scarlet silk handkerchief about his throat; and he sat his horse like
a young prince of the woods. Whether pure redskin or breed it was
impossible for them to tell; certainly there was no visible evidence of
a white admixture; but in spite of his strange and savage air, there was
something instantly likeable about the young man--according to Natalie
he was the first native they had met who seemed huma