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which often prevailed, broken only by the measured thump of the oars against the thowl-pins, Dr. Gordon was aroused from his meditative attitude by hearing a sharp, quick call from Tomkins, “Look yonder!” He looked in the direction in dicated by Tomkins’ eye, and saw, at the distance of less than half a mile, a noble buck, with fine branching antlers, making for a precipitous bluff of about ten feet in height. His head and tail were proud ly erect, and he was moving along at an easy, graceful lope, while not a hundred yards behind him followed three dogs in hot pursuit. On reaching the bluff', the buck leaped sheer off into the air, show ing against the distant sky his whole pro file, with out-spread legs and head thrown back to watch his pursuers. He alighted upon the beach full twenty-five feet dis tant from the base of the bluff, and im mediately plunged into the water. Soon after him came his panting pursuers, with mouths open and tongues lolling out, and while one of them made the leap from the bluff, in faint imitation of the deer, the others scrambled down the steep decliv ity, and all of them plunged into the wa ter also. In the course of a few minutes more, two eanoes, each containing two Indians, shot from behind the projecting bluff and paddled rapidly after the dogs. By this time the deer had gone so far to sea as to be scarcely visible, except perhaps to the keen eyes of the Indians, although the dark heads of the dogs w T ere plainly to be seen rising and falling upon the swell of the gently moving waves. Whether gui ded by the sight of the now distant deer, or of the dogs, the hunters did not hesi tate, but pushed right out to sea. The dogs, after swimming about half a mile, seemed to fail, either in strength or cour age, and returned to shore, passing the canoes at the distance of a few' rods, and on reaching land shook their dripping coats, and lay panting upon the sand, with their eyes steadily directed to the canoes, and seeming to anticipate what they knew was to be the end of the chase. Dr. Gordon observed that while one of the canoes paddled rapidly in the direc tion from which the dogs had come, the other followed very leisurely in its wake. Soon the head of the foremost canoe was turned south, upon which the one in the rear moved with all possible rapidity in the same direction. The deer, having ex hausted the swimming power of the dogs, had turned also towards land, and it was the plan of the Indians to intercept and capture it. The struggle, on the deer’s part, to escape was long and obstinate. It made a wide detour to pass its danger- 1} Ult KE’S WEEKLY. ous-looking enemies on the water; then it swam with all its might in the effort to win the race to shore ; failing in this, it made desperate efforts to pass, now to this side, then to that of its pursuers. Its efforts, however, were all in vain. The other canoe soon came up ; the poor brute seemed now to lose heart; it began to swim feebly, then almost at random ; at last its branching horns were entangled by a lasso-like thong thrown around them; its head was pushed under the water and hold there until life was nearly extinct, when it was drawn to the side of the canoe and its throat cut; after which it was taken aboard, just in time to save the carcass from several immense sharks which had scented the blood from afar, and whose black fins, projecting a foot into the air, seemed almost to make a fizzing sound as they hurried fiercely to the scene of slaughter. When the barge came to the spot from which the canoes were now departing the disappointed sharks could be plainly seen, staring with their green, hungry eyes at the crew, and looking as if they were meditating a leap at them over the gunwales. , As the canoes were moving off Tom kins hailed them and congratulated the leading Indian, an elderly, fine-looking man, on his skill as a hunter. No an swer, however, was returned, except a grunt, expressive certainly of indifference if not of disgust. Thinking it possible that none of them understood English, Tomkins repeated what he had said in Indian, and at the same time inquired if any boats had been seen passing on the coast. Still there was no reply, nor even a turning of the ear, or a movement of the eye to intimate their consciousness of any presence except their own. The elderly Indian alone gave one searching look-into the faces of the crew, then with a look of hate and a murmur of command he turned his face toward the shore, and they paddled silently away. Tomkins turned anxiously to Dr. Gor don and whispered— “ I am afraid, Doctor, there is trouble in the wigwam. I never knew a redskin look that way, yet but mischief was sure to follow-” Dr. Gordon also became very grave, and sending a sad, far, reaching glance down the coast, replied, “ I fear the same. Hud my poor, poor children ! how arc they either to escape or to meet it?” The faces of the men reflected instant ly and unreservedly the feelings which they saw soplainlyVlopicted in his, while Tomkins, acting as spokesman, said, — “These men may not bo fair samples for the rest; and, supposing they are, why, what we have to do is to push on as far and fast as possible in search of your children. If there is a storm gathering, we may be able to save them, and to re turn to I ort Brooke before it bursts.” lo these, words the men responded by looks of hearty approbation, all except Simpson, whose usually down look was more down than ever, since the appear ance of the Indians. But creditable as they were to the soldierly spirit of the men, they conveyed little or no consola tion to the heart of the father. The quick ear of Tomkins, who sat next him, caught the sound of a stifled groan, and his eye detected an expression of countenance which convinced him that not only was the mind of the sorrower far, far away, but that his heart was holding communion with One who is not of this world. Sol dier though he was, and accustomed to deal fearlessly with dangers and danger ous things, the sight awed him into rev erential silence. The shadow that fell thus suddenly up on the spirits of the grouj) was not wholly dispelled that day. Dr. Gordon made various attempts to rally, in which he was well seconded by the native liveliness of Jones and Thompson, and by the as sumed cheerfulness of the rest; but al though to the eye of an observer all was pleasant enough —each was conscious of a foreboding that the cloud which had begun to gather was not to be dispersed until they had heard its thunder and lolt its force. Late in the evening the bow of the barge was turned shorewards, in search of an encampment for the night. Before leaving the open water the spy-glass was brought into requisition and the whole horizon swept by it. No sign was dis covered of the missing boat, but far away to the north a dim speck, barely visible to the naked eye, was developed into a canoe, manned by two Indians, and mov ing south. Noble Thoughts. I never found pride in a noble nature, nor humility in an unworthy mind. Os all trees I observe that God has chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft and patient lamb; ot all low Is, the mild and guileless dove. When God appeared to Moses, it was not in the lofty cedar, nor the spreading palm, but in a bush an humble, abject bush—as if he would by these selections check the conceited arro gance of man. Nothing produceth love like humility ; nothing hate, like pride. 83