minds it must be full, as it was before, of our guide's skull, and that
he had now gone to that bourn from which no hunter, like no traveller,
could ever return. We ran to his assistance. The gun by some contortion
of the Norwegian's body, was twisted upside down, and instead of the
muzzle being pointed downwards, had been elevated, point blank, towards
his head. The poor Norwegian, breathing with great labour, closed eyes,
and opened mouth, lay on his back, like a log in a mill-pond; but we
were glad to find that his mouth, tongue, and all his teeth remained
perfect; and it was some inducement to us to raise the body with the
hope, that he was not yet beyond the need of medical, if of our skill.
The closed eyes of the Norwegian opened, and the opened mouth closed,
when he felt us touch him, and sitting upright, showed all the external
symptoms of having been stunned, for he rubbed his eyes, and pressed his
hand to his brow, then clasped his temples, and with a continuous
movement bowed his head, the crown of which we saw was unmutilated.
After a time, he looked up at us, and seemed surprised to find himself
seated in the gulley; for starting immediately, without any aid, to his
feet, he laughed idiotically as some men will laugh when awakened from a
nap, and setting in order his dress, and singed hair, bore no other
signs of injury beyond a scratch on the left cheek, and the loss of his
scarlet woollen cap. The Norwegian, however, has to thank Heaven for a
narrow escape, since the whole charge of his gun struck the tassel of
his cap, and changed that memento of spousal devotion into its original
nonentity.

The readjustment of the Norwegian's lungs did not detain us long; and
binding his spotted handkerchief round his head to guard against rheum,
or catarrh, he led us by a track almost invisible down the mountain.
Since the fray we had seen nothing of the deer, and gave no further
thought of her, or any of her genus; but made the best of our way, by
the waning light, to a village at the foot of the mountain, whence we
hoped to find some conveyance home. The Norwegian, trustful to the last,
did not yield all chance of capturing the deer for us; and actuated by
the feeling of generosity steadfast to his nation, recommenced his song.
Although the first hour of morning had subtracted from that of midnight
the light was sufficient to guide our steps aright, but not enough to
mislead the wolves; for their howling, and its et