easily made choice, and shot the lynx.
To my surprise the eagle did not fly _off_, and I now saw that one of
its wings was disabled! He was still strong enough, however, to scratch
Marengo severely before the latter could master him. As to the lynx, he
had been roughly handled. His skin was torn in several places, and one
of his eyes, as you see, regularly `gouged out.'"

Here Basil ended his narration; and after an interval, during which some
fresh wood was chopped and thrown upon the fire, Norman, in turn,
commenced relating what had befallen him.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

THE "ALARM BIRD" AND THE CARIBOU.

"There wasn't much `adventure' in my day's sport," said he, "though I
might call it a `bird-adventure' too, for if it hadn't been for a bird I
shouldn't have had it. I shot a deer--that's all. But maybe it would
be curious for you to know how I came to find the animal, so I'll tell
you.

"The first thing I did after leaving here was to climb the hill
yonder,"--here Norman pointed to a long hill that sloped up from the
opposite shore of the lake, and which was the direction he had taken, as
Basil and Francois had gone right and left.

"I saw neither bird, beast, nor track, until I had reached the top of
the hill. There I got a good view of the country ahead. I saw it was
very rocky, without a stick of timber, and did not look very promising
for game. `It's no use going that way,' I says to myself; `I'll keep
along the ridge, above where Frank's gone. He may drive some varmint
out of the hollow, and I'll get a crack at it, as it comes over the
hill.'

"I was about to turn to the left when I heard the skreek of a bird away
ahead of me. I looked in that direction; and, sure enough, saw one
wheeling about in the air, right above the rocky jumble with which the
country was covered.

"Now it's a mighty curious bird that I saw. It's a sort of an owl, but,
I should say myself, there's a sprinkling of the hawk in it--for it's as
much like the one as the other."

"No doubt," interrupted Lucien, "it was one of the day owls of these
Northern regions, some of which approach very near to the hawks, both in
shape and habits. This peculiarity arises from the fact of the long
summer day--of weeks in duration--within the Arctic circle, requiring
them to hunt for their prey, just as hawks do; and therefore Nature has
gifted them with certain peculiarities that make them resemble these
birds. They want the ve