distance. They did not, however, come near enough to
enable me to be quite certain. It was possible that I might fall in
with a buffalo--some solitary bull, perhaps--driven from the herd, but
no traces of one could I see on the snow. At last, as I was becoming
fatigued and the evening was drawing on, I unwillingly returned to the
hut.

Pat was sitting up, almost himself again. I fully expected that the
next day we should be able to start. Having had some supper, I advised
him to lie down; but he insisted on sitting up and watching while I took
some sleep, which I confess I greatly required.

On awaking, I saw that he was at the entrance of our hut, kneeling down
with his gun at his shoulder.

"Hist!" he said. "There's a baste looking in upon us, and I'm just
going to make him wish that he hadn't come this way."

Before I could advise him not to fire he pulled the trigger, and rushing
out I saw my old enemy, the wolf, struggling in the agonies of death on
the ground.

"It will give us some mate, at all events, if not the pleasantest food
in the world," exclaimed Pat; "but don't get near his jaws till you are
sure he's dead intirely."

Pat had taken good aim, and the animal's struggles were soon over. I
went round, and dragged the carcass close to the fire, so that it was
not likely to be carried off by any of its comrades during the night.
It was a huge, savage-looking beast, and I thought that I must be very
hard pressed before I could eat its flesh.

No other adventure occurred during the night. Pat, whom I advised to
lie down again, slept on soundly till the morning, when he appeared to
have almost recovered. On looking out, I found that our fire had been
extinguished. The weather was very much warmer, and a slight shower of
rain had fallen, which had tended gradually to decrease the depth of the
snow.

We could not expect a more comfortable time for travelling, and I
proposed that we should at once set out. Pat got up and tried to walk
about.

"Shure! it's mighty quare I feel," he said, "but if I can but climb on
to the back of my baste, well be able to get along somehow."

On observing Pat's weakness I felt rather doubtful about this, and saw
that it was necessary at all events that he should have a good meal
first, and that we should have enough to eat on our journey. The first
thing to be done was to get the fire lighted. I set to work with some
dried leaves and bark which I had kept ins