and milk.

"As we cannot use the gun we must be afther making a weapon instead,"
observed Pat. "The best thing we can do is to fasten our hunting-knives
to the end of long poles. They will serve as spears, and enable us with
some chance of success to defend ourselves against either Indians or
bears or wolves. We can at any time, if we want to use our knives, take
them off the poles again."

As Pat's idea was a good one, we immediately carried it out. While we
were shaping the poles, I saw him eyeing the wolf.

"We may get some more tasty mate than that baste will give us, but it's
just possible that we may not, and shure it will be wise in us to take
as much as we can carry," he said.

I agreed with him, and before we bound our knives on to the poles we
skinned and cut up the wolf, hanging the hide on to the cross-piece to
which the skin of the lynx was suspended. Pat then chose what he
considered the best portions of the animal, leaving the remainder of the
carcass on the ground.

It was time to take another meal before we were ready to start, so we
cooked a piece of the wolf's flesh. It was tough and unsavoury, but our
teeth being in good condition we managed to masticate a larger portion
than I should have conceived possible. I then got the two horses, and,
having saddled them, assisted Pat to get on to the back of his.

"Forward!" I cried, and we moved on; but I saw that Pat sat his saddle
as a sick man does, bending down, and occasionally swaying from side to
side. I was afraid that he would fall off.

"Never fear, Masther David," he said, "I'll catch hold of the mane
before it comes to that, and shure I can stick on as well as Dan
O'Rourke when he had got a skinful of the crayther."

We both of us knew more or less the direction we were to take, but
having got out of the route between the forts, the country immediately
around was strange to us. We went on and on, keeping on the lower
ground, and hoping in time to strike the right trail. Our horses making
no objection, we concluded that we could not be far wrong.

We had lost so much time before starting, however, that evening overtook
us before we expected, and we were compelled to camp at the first
suitable spot we reached. It was under shelter of a wood with a stream
running near it, at which we at once watered our horses. We then, as
customary, took off their saddles and bridles and turned them loose to
feed.

The weather being somewhat