uck their tents, and placed them and their packs of goods
in the canoes, with their wives, children, and dogs. Pushing out into
the stream, they commenced the return journey to their distant
hunting-grounds. Once more their shouts rang through the forest, and
rolled over the water, and once more the paddles sent the sparkling
drops into the air as they dashed ahead, round the point of rocks above
the fort, and disappeared; leaving the fur-trader, as they found him,
smoking his pipe, with his hands in his pockets, and leaning against the
door-post of his once-again silent and solitary home.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

A SAVAGE FAMILY, AND A FIGHT WITH A BEAR.

About a week after our travellers left the outpost, Arrowhead had an
adventure with a bear, which had well-nigh cut short his journey through
this world, as well as his journey in the wilderness of Rupert's Land.

It was in the evening of a beautiful day when it happened. The canoe
had got among some bad rapids, and, as it advanced very slowly, young
Heywood asked to be put on shore, that he might walk up the banks of the
river, which were very beautiful, and sketch.

In half an hour he was far ahead of the canoe. Suddenly, on turning
round a rocky point, he found himself face to face with a small Indian
boy. It is probable that the little fellow had never seen a white man
before, and it is certain that Heywood had never seen such a specimen of
a brown boy. He was clothed in skin, it is true, but it was the skin in
which he had been born, for he had not a stitch of clothing on his fat
little body.

As the man and the boy stood staring at each other, it would have been
difficult to say which opened his eyes widest with amazement. At first
Heywood fancied the urchin was a wild beast of some sort on two legs,
but a second glance convinced him that he was a real boy. The next
thought that occurred to the artist was, that he would try to sketch
him, so he clapped his hand to his pocket, pulled out his book and
pencil, and forthwith began to draw.

This terrified the little fellow so much, that he turned about and fled
howling into the woods. Heywood thought of giving chase, but a noise
attracted his attention at that moment, and, looking across the river,
he beheld the boy's father in the same cool dress as his son. The man
had been fishing, but when he saw that strangers were passing, he threw
his blanket round him, jumped into his canoe, and crossed over to