them. Whenever the swan approached any of
the ducks, these were observed to disappear under the water. At first,
the boys thought that they merely dived to get out of his way, but it
was not exactly in the same manner as the others were diving for the
roots. Moreover, none of those that went down in the neighbourhood of
the swan were seen to come up again!

There was something very odd in all this, and the three boys, thinking
so at the same time, were about to communicate their thoughts to one
another, when the double crack of Francois' gun drove the thing, for a
moment, out of their heads; and they all looked over the bushes to see
how many canvass-backs had been killed. Several were seen dead or
fluttering along the surface; but no one counted them, for a strange,
and even terrible, object now presented itself to the astonished senses
of all. If the conduct of the swan had been odd before, it was now
doubly so.

Instead of flying off after the shot, as all expected it would do, it
was now seen to dance and plunge about on the water, uttering loud
screams, that resembled the human voice far more than any other sounds!
Then it rose as if pitched into the air, and fell on its back some
distance off; while in its place was seen a dark, round object moving
through the water, as if making for the bank, and uttering, as it went,
the same hideous human-like screams!

This dark object was no other than the poll of a human being; and the
river shallowing towards the bank, it rose higher and higher above the
water, until the boys could distinguish the glistening neck and naked
shoulders of a red and brawny Indian! All was now explained. The Indian
had been duck-hunting, and had used the stuffed skin of the swan as his
disguise; and hence the puzzling motions of the bird. He had not noticed
the canoe--concealed as it was--until the loud crack of Francois' gun
had startled him from his work.

This, and the heads and white faces of the boys peeping over the bushes,
had frightened him, even more than he had them. Perhaps they were the
first white faces he had ever seen. But, whether or not, sadly
frightened he was; for, on reaching the bank, he did not stop, but ran
off into the woods, howling and yelling as if Old Nick had been after
him: and no doubt he believed that such was the case.

The travellers picked up the swan-skin put of curiosity; and, in
addition to the ducks which Francois had killed, they found nearly a
score