last is a
favourite food of the Polar hare, and our voyageurs had no doubt but
that there were many of these animals in the neighbourhood. Indeed, they
had better evidence than conjecture, for they saw numerous hare-tracks
in the snow. There were tracks of other animals too, for it is a
well-known fact that where one kind exists, at least two or three others
will be found in the same habitat--all being connected together by a
"chain of destruction."

A singular illustration of this was afforded to Lucien, who remained at
the camp while the rest went out hunting. He had gathered some of the
leaves of the Labrador tea, and was drying them over the coals,
intending to cheer his comrades with a cup of this beverage after
supper. The hare-soup was boiling, and the "cook" sat listening to the
cheerful sounds that issued from the pot--now and then taking off the
lid to examine its savoury contents, and give them a stir. He would then
direct his attention to the tea-leaves that were parching in the
frying-pan; and, having shifted them a little, felt himself at liberty
to look about for a minute or two.

On one of these occasions, while glancing up, his attention was
attracted to an object which appeared upon the snow at a short distance
from where he sat. A wreath of snow, that had formed under the shelter
of the hill, extended all around its base, presenting a steep front in
every direction. This front was only two or three feet in height; but
the top surface of the wreath was many yards wide--in fact, it extended
back until it became blended with the slope of the hill. It was smooth
and nearly level, but the hill above was steep, and somewhat rough and
rocky. The steep front of the wreath came down within half-a-dozen paces
of the fire where Lucien was seated; and it was upon the top or
scarpment of it that the object appeared that had drawn his attention.
It was a small creature, but it was in motion, and thus had caught his
eye.

A single glance showed him that the little animal was a mouse, but of a
somewhat singular species. It was about the size of the common mouse,
but quite different in colour. The upper half of its body was of a light
mahogany tint, while the lower half, including the legs and feet, were
of a milky whiteness. It was, in fact, the "white-footed mouse" (_Mus
leucopus_), one of the most beautiful of its kind.

Here and there above the surface of the snow protruded the tops of
arbutus-trees; and the