ommenced cooking a couple of fish he had caught in a
stream he had shortly before forded, and a bird he had shot during the
day. This, with a handful of Indian meal made into porridge, gave him a
sumptuous repast. After reading God's Word by the light of his blazing
fire, he commended himself to His merciful care, and having renewed his
fire, lay down within his hut fearless of danger.

His journey had been long and fatiguing, which made him sleep soundly.
He was at length awakened by a long low howl. He opened his eyes and
discovered that his fire had gone out, but he was still too much
oppressed by sleep to rise. He was under the impression that he had
merely dreamed of the noise he had heard. It shortly came again,
however, and this time he was aware that it was a reality. Mixed with
the howl were the sounds of savage barks and yelps. He knew them to be
the voices of wolves, disputing, probably, over the body of some deer
they had pulled down, or found dead after it had escaped from the
hunter's rifle. Their repast finished, they might come in the direction
of his camp. Starting up he prepared to relight his fire, and drawing
the wood together, which he had kept for the purpose, he quickly
produced a flame, and then looked to the priming of his gun to be ready
in case of an attack. To sleep longer was out of the question; he
therefore sat up, listening to the appalling sounds which ever and anon
echoed through the forest. He had hitherto in his journeys never fallen
in with a pack of wolves, though he had frequently met solitary
individuals, whose savage jaws had shown what fearful foes, a number
combined together, would prove. His stout Highland heart was not,
however, inclined to give way to fear; besides which, his faith was
firm, and he knew in whom he trusted. At the same time, not being a
mere enthusiast, he felt that it was his duty to consider what were the
best means of preserving his life by his own exertions, should the
wolves discover him, and venture on an attack. He first collected all
the fuel he could find near at hand, and made his fire blaze up
brightly. As, however, it might not last till the morning, it occurred
to him that it would be wise to examine the neighbouring trees, and to
select one up which he might climb, should the savage creatures come
round him. The larger trees were inaccessible; but he found one near at
hand, the lower branches of which he might reach, could he mana