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Updated: May 23, 2025
"Steady, boys!" were Mustagan's whispered words to the white lads, who, crouching down near him with their fingers on the triggers of their guns, had caught his cool, brave spirit; and although the blood-curdling howls of the wolves were now distinctly heard they flinched not in the strain of those trying moments.
It was a contest between gun and powder versus bow and arrow. Soon a fine mallard duck came flying along. Alec let drive at it, and missed. Quick as a flash Mustagan's bow was up and his arrow sighted and sent after it with such accuracy that it caught it fairly under one of the wings, killing it instantly. "The best shot I ever saw!" shouted Alec, in genuine admiration.
So he and Sam were safely in, but it did not take him long to see that they were not altogether safe in there. My, what a crowd of them! and bears of all sizes too. "Chop away at the ice," was Mustagan's first command, as he and Sam kept slowly edging their way around. So numerous were the bears that they dare not think of letting go their splendid torches that were burning brightly.
Mr Ross said afterward that in all probability it was an old, sullen fellow that had been driven away by the others from some distant beaver house, and had come and dug a burrow somewhere in that bank and was there living alone. As it was Mustagan's turn to shoot first, he carefully selected his heaviest arrow, the head of which was a piece of barbed steel.
This, it was unanimously agreed, was a capital suggestion, and one that would be carried out on future trips. So in the meantime they decided to carry out Mustagan's request and only take light loads. The wisdom of this was seen before they had gone many miles.
Here for a time they waited, for they shrewdly conjectured from Mustagan's description of the numerous tracks, crossing and recrossing, that for the present, at least, the bears were abiding in that vicinity.
The wild ducks and geese are easily left behind by the beautiful and graceful swans. When the swans were picked up the journey was resumed, and the friendly contest between Alec and Mustagan continued. Soon a large flock of ducks flew over them. It being Mustagan's turn he fired, and as his arrow returned it was in the heart of a splendid duck.
So Mustagan's idea was that a number of small, separate packs had been on the trail it may have been for days of the different deer, which had at length gathered in this herd. All they could do, of course, was thus to conjecture; but here was the startling fact they had encountered the largest pack of great northern wolves seen in that land for years at least.
Then proudly lifting up his head, and seeing for the first time his new antagonists, and being still mad with the excitement of battle, he, without any hesitancy, rushed to the attack. "Fire straight at the centre of his head," were Mustagan's words.
Sam and Frank took special pride in pointing out to Alec and Mr Ross where they had stood when, under Mustagan's directions, they brought down the two leading wolves in that memorable and exciting battle, and then where they fought in the terrible hand-to-hand encounter, where it was hunting-axe against teeth. But little was left to tell of the fray.
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