ide; but the sticks, being wet
and somewhat green, would not burn up.

"Here, Pat! give me a little powder from your powder-horn," I cried out.

It is customary, I should say, to use it in such cases. Pat crawled
forward, while I stepped aside to look out for some drier sticks. What
was my dismay to see him, instead of handing me the powder, or taking a
little out in his hand, uncorking his horn and pouring out the contents
on the burning leaves! Before I could cry out it exploded, blowing all
before it, and sending Pat himself sprawling, six feet from where he had
stood, and myself nearly as far. I lay stunned and senseless for some
minutes. When I came to my senses, I was seized with the dread that Pat
was killed. The fire, I saw, was completely extinguished, and at a
distance lay Pat. I got up, and to my surprise ascertained that I had
suffered no material injury, beyond having my clothes somewhat singed.

On reaching Pat, I found that the horn, which he had held in his hand
when the powder exploded, was blown to atoms; but, on examining him, I
could not discover that he had received any wound, nor were his face and
hands even blackened. While I was looking at him, he opened his eyes.

"Arrah! now, what's become of the powder?" he exclaimed, lifting up his
hand, which had held the horn, and gazing at it; "shure! it's blown to
smithereens."

"Indeed it is, and it's a mercy that you were not killed," I said.
"What could make you do such a thing?"

"Shure! just from not thinking of what I was about," he answered,
endeavouring to get on his legs.

I helping him, he was able to walk back into the hut. He soon
completely recovered, and I sat by his side feeling anything but
comfortable or happy.

As it had turned out, the most serious result of his thoughtlessness was
the loss of our powder, for not a grain more did we possess. Though we
had a gun and shot, they were useless.

"It's of no use mourning over our loss," I said at length. "I'll try
again to light the fire, and after breakfast we will consider what is
best to be done. There is a greater necessity than ever for pushing
on."

Pat agreed with me in this, and after several efforts I got the fire to
blaze up, boiled some water, and cooked the remainder of our lynx flesh.
Unpalatable as was our food we made a hearty meal, washing it down with
warm water. We would have given much for a pinch of salt, and an ounce
of tea, not to speak of sugar