ts of
color, so gracefully, picturesquely wild, that not, in all its
unrestraint, was there an atom of savagery to be subdued in the interest
of pure beauty. It was a wilderness not wild, a solitude not solitary;
but rather populous with happy fancies, born of all harmonious
influences of earth, air and water; of sunlight, shadow, color and
fragrance.

"My soul to-day is far away,
Sailing a sunny tropic bay,"

sang Charlie, bursting with poetry. The next moment "Hallo! boat ahoy!"
and into the scene in which just now we had been the only life, slipped
from some hidden inlet, an Indian canoe.

"Isn't she a beauty, though?" said Charlie, laying on his oar. "Fourteen
paddles; slim, crank, and what a curious figure-head! By George, that's
a pretty sight!"

And a pretty sight it was, as the canoe, with its red and blue-blanketed
oarsmen, was propelled swiftly through the water, and quickly brought
alongside; when we had opportunity to observe that the crew were all
stalwart young fellows, with rather fine, grand features, that looked as
if they might have been cut in bronze, so immobile and fixed were they.
Their dress was the modern dress of the Northern Indians, supplied by
the Hudson's Bay Company, of bright colors and fine texture. But what
most engaged our attention was the figure of the fifteenth occupant of
the canoe, who acted as steersman. He was evidently a very old man, and
instead of being dressed in blankets, had on a mantle of woven rushes,
and leggins of wolf-skin. A quiver full of arrows hung at his back; his
bow rested on his knees. On his grizzled head was a tall, pointed and
gaily painted hat, made of braided grasses, which completely resembled a
mammoth extinguisher. As the canoe shot past us, I imagined that I
detected an expression of contempt upon the old man's face, though he
never moved nor spoke, nor in any way evinced any interest in us.

"Eheu! what a funny-looking old cove," said Charlie, gazing after the
canoe, "I should like to cultivate his acquaintance."

"Well, you have the opportunity," rejoined Fanny, the third member of
our party. "They are going to land on that point just ahead of us."

We were all watching them, fascinated by the noiseless dexterity of
their movements, when suddenly there was nothing to be seen of either
boat or crew.

"Where the deuce have they gone to?" asked Charlie, staring at the
vacant spot where the canoe had disappeared.

"Great heavens!" cri